Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6th December will welcome back Luckenbooth, a band who last played at the Club some four years ago.
Luckenbooth is a Lanarkshire based outfit whose stated aim is to sing songs that suit the audience. Whilst that might sound a bit obvious, it’s not always the case with musicians who sometimes have a set list and plough on regardless. Here’s to the Luckenbooth approach!
Luckenbooth is a term that describes a brooch dating back to Mary Queen of Scots time and essentially is two entwined hearts. At that time it was the equivalent of an engagement ring. The band liked that background and called themselves Luckenbooth when they formed almost 20 years ago.
The band plays a wide range of instruments. Christine on vocals, keyboards, whistle and percussion; Mhairi on fiddle, viola and vocals and Alex on guitar, vocals, mandolin, whistles and flute are Luckenbooth. The three-piece band plays mainly at Clubs and Festivals around Scotland’s central belt and are content with that catchment area. Their repertoire is a mix of traditional and contemporary, and, as mentioned earlier, the band tailors their set to suit the audience. Luckenbooth love to get their audiences singing along and their choice of material reflects that. Humour also plays an important part of their performance with Christine having the responsibility of finding new jokes!
Two of the band come from a classically trained background and the predominant musical influences of Luckenbooth include Ewan McColl, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Ossian, Jez Lowe and the psychedelic folk band of the sixties, The Incredible String Band.
Irvine Folk Club audiences like good songs and enjoy singing along. Luckenbooth fits that identikit picture to a tee. Hear Luckenbooth at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 6th December at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.