Bob Wood – 9th August

Kenny Speirs is the guest at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 15th February – an excellent night is guaranteed. A fine singer and musician and a modest man, Kenny has bags of experience and has played before at Irvine as a soloist and as a member of various bands.

Denholm in the Scottish Borders is home to Kenny. He was a driving force behind the acclaimed John Wright Band, formed a superb duo with the late Judy Dinning and continues to be a member of the four-strong Real Time when he is not doing solo gigs. Kenny learned to play guitar at 18 and spent his early years in rock bands before drifting into folk music. It was in 1990 that he and John Wright decided to form a band which went on to enjoy huge success until John’s sudden death. Kenny plays acoustic guitar, sings his own songs and those of his contemporaries.

Another quality music night is on the cards at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 15th February when Kenny Speirs is the guest. The Club starts at 8pm and meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. Yes it’s a Club, but non members are always welcome. Annual membership is £15 for which members get a discounted admission of £6 every Club night whilst non- members pay £8.

Elsewhere, on Thursday 9th February the North Ayrshire Young Trad Musician of the Year competition takes place at Garnock Campus in Kilbirnie starting at 7pm. Organised annually by NAC’s Music Services, it showcases young talent and your attendance would be welcome! Finally, if you haven’t heard North Sea Gas for a while, they are on The Star Folk Club in Glasgow on Tuesday 14th February which is in The Admiral Bar in Waterloo Street. All helping to keep music live!

At Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 1st February Highland Bagpiper Eddie Seaman & Guitarist Singer Luc McNally are the Club guests – two years almost to the day since they made their debut appearance at the Club.
Eddie Seaman & Luc McNally are two members of the five-piece young, talented, Glasgow band Barluath. The band is known for their distinctive Scots and Gaelic song repertoire and that will be reflected in their playlist at Irvine. Edinburgh born Eddie started playing the Pipes when aged 12 and now plays Whistles and Bouzouki as well. His Pipe tutor being Ian MacFadyen and Marc Duff having taught him Whistle and Bouzouki give an indication of Eddie’s instrumental calibre. He spent his last year at school Plockton’s National Centre of Excellence in Trad Music. From there he went to study at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow and that’s where the five members of Barluath met.
Newcastle-born Luc McNally plays Guitar and Button Accordion and sings. Luc has done a lot of work at The Sage in Gateshead and was part of Kathryn Tickell’s Band Folkestra. Eddie & Luc have released an E.P. entitled Headlights and it demonstrates their musical but not flowery style of playing. The musical talents of Eddie & Luc are to the fore in Barluath and going out as a duo is a side career for the two lads.
Wednesday 1st February at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road is where and when to hear Eddie Seaman & Luc McNally. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Thursday 9th February is the date of this year’s North Ayrshire Young Trad Musician of the Year organised by the Council’s Music Service. The venue is the very new Garnock Community Campus in Kilbirnie and it starts at 7pm. This annual event encourages young people to enjoy Scottish culture and, being part of the audience is an excellent way of showing support for them.
And meantime, there’s stacks of live music at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections which runs until 5th February.

Apologies again about the cancellation on 4th January. RALLION have now been rescheduled for 15th March.

On Wednesday 18th January, Irvine Folk Club is hosting a Burns Night. Not a Burns Supper but an evening to celebrate the music and verse of the Bard in the town where Burns lived and worked for a while and found inspiration for some of his writing.
Taking centre stage on the 18th will be the Club’s own talents. The Club’s Burns Night gives the floor singers, musicians and a very skilled Burns verse speaker the chance to showcase their own favourites from the music and verse of the Bard.
The Club Burns Night starts at 8pm, it’s BYOB as usual and while there will be some appropriate food, people are advised not to go without their dinner beforehand!’ It all takes place in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road on Wednesday 18th January. A reminder too that Club Membership fees are now due – a bargain at £15.
The day after the Irvine Club Burns Night sees the start of Celtic Connections in Glasgow and it runs until 5th February. Laura Marling and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra provide the Opening Concert in the Royal Concert Hall and from then on, there’s hunners of artists covering Folk, Roots, Indie and Americana in umpteen venues across Glasgow. And let’s not forget the myriad workshops, late night sessions plus the new National Whisky Festival. Celtic Connections 2017: there will most likely be something to suit you. All info at www.celticconnections.com

Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding tonights gig has been cancelled. Vineburgh is still closed for holidays. Sorry about this but this gig will be rescheduled asap.

Rallion is a four-piece folk band combining exceptional musical talents to create an exciting contemporary sound playing traditional music – and they kick off 2017 at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 4th January.

Rallion is a much respected band even although according to The Dictionary of Scots Language, Rallion means a loud, sharp noise! This is a group of four very talented and experienced musicians. Fiona Cuthill and Andrew Lyons provide the double fiddle powerhouse and are complemented by the superb vocals of Marieke McBean and the virtuoso guitar and bouzouki playing of the ubiquitous Stevie Lawrence.

The band is drawn from Glasgow and Perth. Classically trained singer Marieke is from the Netherlands and moved to Scotland in 2001 because of her love for traditional Scottish music. Think of Scottish folk music with a soulful edge and you have Marieke’s voice.

Fiona Cuthill and Andrew Lyons are impressive and distinctive fiddle players and Fiona is also an acclaimed composer. Stevie Lawrence is a much sought after session player. His playing of the guitar and bouzouki covers the whole range from driving rhythms to sensitive phrasing. Stevie also plays with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

What comes through any performance of Rallion is the evident joy in their music and the fact that they love playing together. Their repertoire includes fast-paced modern compositions played in traditional style, some slower more thoughtful pieces and old songs given a fresh treatment.

For entertainment and skilful playing, go along to Irvine Folk Club on 4th January to hear Rallion. It would most definitely be a good start to 2017. The Irvine Club meets in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road, starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB. Folk Club Flyers giving Club guests from now until end April are now available in local Libraries or at www.irvinefolkclub.org.uk

Come along on Wednesday 7th December and enjoy our Christmas night with Alan Reid and Rob Van Sante and tuck into mince pies and clootie dumpling!

Two luminaries of the folk world will be the final guests for 2016 at Irvine Folk Club. They are Alan Reid & Rob Van Sante and Wednesday 7th December is the date.
Founder member of the legendary Battlefield Band, Alan was part of the Band for 40 years. When Rob became the ‘fifth Band member’ – aka Sound Engineer – in the 1990s, a musical bond developed. In 2010 Alan and Rob formed a duo. Since then they have released four albums and toured extensively throughout Europe and the USA.
Alan is a master storyteller in song. As well as his warm and gentle vocals, he plays keyboard, guitar and accordion. A teacher of Scots Song, Alan is in much demand at Festivals across the globe and his skills as a composer were recognised when he was nominated as Composer of the Year in 2009 at The Trad Awards.
Born in The Netherlands, Rob Van Sante has lived most of his life in England. Music has been an important part of his life since his early years and his first love has always been the guitar. Whilst it’s subtle guitar accompaniment and fine harmony singing that Rob is best known for, he is also a noted producer, recording engineer and session musician. With all their combined years of experience, it’s little wonder that Alan & Rob have a huge repertoire – modern and traditional.
This will be the first time that the duo of Alan Reid & Rob Van Sante have played at the Irvine Club and it will be a great way to finish the Club year. Hear them on Wednesday 7th December at Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.
Irvine Folk Club starts back on Wednesday 4th January with Rallion as special guests.
Finally, news of the death of Declan Kelly at the weekend was received with deep sadness and shock. Declan was a long-time supporter of the Club and also Marymass Festival. He was a gentle man with a humour to match. The sympathy of Irvine Folk Club goes to his wife Maggie and the boys PJ and Sean.

A new band to Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 23rd November will be for gaitherin and that is the name they go by – Forgaitherin. It’s a name that says it all about what any kind of live music is about.
Forgaitherin have been performing as a quartet for some three years and they are a product of the excellent Glenfarg Folk Club. Hailing from North East Fife, Forgaitherin are Hamish Grant, Lesley & Hugh Toner and John Reid. Given the band’s name, it will be of no surprise to anyone that they are strong on vocals and harmonies and play a mix of mostly familiar traditional and contemporary songs.
Instrumentally, expect to hear Forgaitherin on guitar, accordion, keyboard, whistle and cajon. Yes, cajon! The band has released one CD – Light at the Window and are playing an ever-increasing circuit of Folk Clubs.
The Irvine Club can look forward to a night of good singing on Wednesday 23rd November when Foragitherin make their debut. As always, Irvine Folk Club starts at 8pm in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road and it’s BYOB.
Elsewhere, the Scots Fiddle Festival is on in Edinburgh from 18th – 20th of this month at the Queen’s Hall and on 3rd December the Scots Trad Music Awards take place in Dundee’s Caird Hall. Both national events helping keep music live!

Fraser Nimmo, is the guest on Wednesday 9th November. It’s five years or so since Fraser made his debut appearance at the Irvine Club so this is an overdue return visit. He is an actor as well as a singer and a songwriter, so the chances are that his face might be familiar from stage or TV.

The well-travelled Fraser has returned to his native Perthshire after a number of years touring and acting. Initially his music took him to Germany, Holland and Denmark. Of late he has added Canada, the Canary Islands and the Middle East.

His performances include a lot of his own material and music from the Scottish tradition. Fraser sings songs about love, hate, loss, injustice, fear, outrage, bewilderment and Scotland! He has a storytelling singing style and his performance has a comedic edge. An expert guitar and banjo player, Fraser uses simple accompaniments to reflect his less is more approach to music.

Fraser has six albums to his name. The most recent one The Best of Five and a Wee Bit Live is just what it says. He is a much respected performer and was a special guest on Fairport Convention’s 30th anniversary tour of the UK. Fairport’s Dave Pegg is a fan of Fraser’s.

In case you are wondering where you may have seen him, his acting work includes appearances on The Bill and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Fraser Nimmo at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 9th November at the Irvine Club in Vineburgh Community Centre in Quarry Road. The Club starts at 8pm and it’s BYOB.

Elsewhere, the annual Celtic Connections programme for 2017 has been announced. It starts on 19th January and runs until 5th February. Whilst the Celtic Connections HQ remains at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, there is a range of venues throughout the city. Amongst the names appearing are Billy Bragg, the Mark O’Connor Band and La Banda Europa and 2,097 other artists as well!