There is a thread on "Footstompin" which had casued a big response when The Bills performed in Scotland.(I can also attest that the spin-off band "The Marc Atkinson Trio" are tremendous.

Loudon Temple kicked off the "Footstompin thread with
"The Bills, described by UK roots music magazine, Maverick as "the best band in the world" in a recent review, will be heading for Edinburgh to make a rare appearance in July.

The five-piece wowed audiences here last year when they played a string of dates to mark the UK release of the 2004-issued JUNO-nominated CD, "Let 'em Run".

Reviewing one of the shows in The Herald, Rob Adams, called them "special" and told readers to "prepare for Billsmania sweeping the land".

The band was subsequently booked to headline on two of the bigger stages at the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival this summer and that brought them back to the UK quicker than they imagined might happen.

When Mary Ann Kennedy, presenter of BBC Radio Scotland's Celtic Connections programme, learned they were once again heading this way, she lured them Queen Margaret Drive to record a studio session for the show, to be recorded on Monday, July 25.

And that's how they got the opportunity to appear in Edinburgh.

Bills front man and main songwriter Chris Frye says the Edinburgh date all came about because a fan in Fife, Mary Stewart, urged them to try and organise a date in the capital, and that she set the wheels in motion.

"Mary spoke to the people at The St Bride's Centre and put us in touch with them.

"Before we knew it, we had a booking," he said.

The "Let 'em Run" CD is one of the most-requested on Iain Anderson's late night BBC Radio Scotland programme.

He says: "They are special alright."

For further information on the band, visit the www.thebills.ca website.