"Home is where the van is" was actually a Battlefield Band album but, maybe, The Tannies should have got in there first!
Their van stories are legendary.
"For Scotland, the late 18th and early 19th century was a time of profound and uncomfortable changes. Economic and social structures were altered dramatically as the Industrial Revolution brought factories and mechanization to Scotland's rural world. At the same time, the Scottish Highlanders were being driven from their lands by the English conquerors, forced into the Lowlands, forbidden to practice their familiar customs. It was a difficult time, often a brutal time... and yet, this was a time of great poets, the likes of Robert Burns and Robert Tannahill. And it was a time of great music.

The Tannahill Weavers' diverse repertoire reflects the duality of Scotland's musical heritage. It embraces both the mystical quality of the Highlander's Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander's Anglo-Scots tunes. The Tannahill Weavers' arrangements blend the beauty of the traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The penetrating sound of the Highland bagpipes is a thread of ancient memory running through it all".

"Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. The Ithica Journal writes, "Travelling overseas to perform always thrusts the artist into the role of cultural ambassador. Audiences inevitably scrutinize the music more closely than their own. If that is the case, the Tannahill Weavers make Scotland out to be a country to desire, one with a utilitarian appreciation of the old, an acceptance of the new and a quick and playful wit."

With the release of the Tannahill's 17th recording, Live and In Session, on award-winning label Compass Records, they are firmly established as one of the premier groups on the concert stage. From reflective ballads to footstomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Celtic spirits."


Present line up comprises

ROY GULLANE guitar ww lead vocals
Roy is the Tannahill's primary lead vocalist and an original member of the band. He has written many songs in the traditional Scottish style, several of which have been recorded by the group and many more of which are on his solo recording, Not Only But Also.

JOHN MARTIN fiddle ww cello ww viola ww vocals
John, one of Scotland's finest fiddle players, started winning fiddle competitions and made his first radio broadcast for the BBC at the age of fourteen. He does a great deal of studio work, and has been involved as a traditional musician in various theatre, film and television productions, as well as recording a solo fiddle album and Braes of Lochiel as a duo with Billy Ross.

PHIL SMILLIE flute ww whistles ww bodhran ww vocals
Phil is the other "original Tannahill", having been with the group since it turned professional. He also composes flute music, with the group having recorded several of his pieces, and has been involved with music for theatre and television production.

COLIN MELVILLE highland bagpipes ww Scottish small pipes ww whistles
One of Scotland's most exciting young pipers, Colin plays highland bagpipes, Scottish small pipes and whistles, teaches in the Feisean and does freelance work when not on the road with the band. Colin attended Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where he earned a degree in engineering.

http://www.tannahillweavers.com/index.htm

Venue: Pleasance cabaret bar at 20.00

£10, £8, £6 and cheap at the price