Skerryvore to play as Fochabers Ark Sessions return
SCOTTISH folk band Skerryvore will play in Fochabers next month.
After a two-year break due to Covid, The Arc Sessions at the Fochabers Institute will return on September 1 with a performance from the critically-acclaimed musicians.
Organiser Mhairi Marwick said: “This is our first event back since Covid and we’re starting off big with Skerryvore.
“The Arc Sessions started with us trying to make sure smaller communities had access to live music, it was such a shame when we had to stop during Covid but quite a few folk have been asking for it to come back, so there still seems to be an appetitie for it, which is great.
“Skerryvore are probably one of the leading Scottish folk bands, they have been around since around 2005 so their audience numbers have just grown.
“They are definitely one of the most popular bands on the scene, so the excitement and buzz is already there for the gig and everyone seems to be really looking forward to it.”
After performing at Speyfest last month the band have now added the date at the Fochabers Institute as part of their Together Again tour, which will see them perform across the UK, along with tour dates in Europe, Canada and the USA.
Skerryvore’s wide range of influences and talent produce musically expansive, high energy set that has excited and captivated audiences worldwide.
With a mix of fiddle, accordions, pipes and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals, underpinned by driving bass, drums and keys, Skerryvore represent the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music.
The band have received critical acclaim for their work, winning Scottish traditional music’s Live Act of the Year award twice in 2011 and again in 2016.
Their single, Everyday Heroes, recorded from home, and aided by a variety of musicians from across the country, reached number one in the official Scottish charts and has raised several thousands of pounds for NHS staff charities.
Their follow up single, You and I also spent seven weeks, in January and February 2021, on BBC Radio 2’s playlist, which is unheard of for a track from an independent label.
Mhairi added: “I’m very excited for Arc sessions to be back and I really hope people will come along and support it. We really rely on people coming along and supporting us, which people in Fochabers are really good at doing.
“We are hoping to book in another gig later this year and if things go well I’d love to do more and get lots of gigs booked in for 2023.
“I think through lockdown we all realised that music is something that can bring everyone together and i think the fact now we can come back together, be together and celebrate music, its just great.
“In the world that we’re in today music is one of the few things that really does bring people and communities together, which is really special, so it’s really nice to be able to do that again and I just hope everyone will come and support us.”
Tickets cost £20 and are available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/arc-sessions-skerryvore-tickets-394101888357?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
