Scotland on Tour, the exciting initiative to support the recovery of Scotland’s live music industry, will arrive in Findhorn this summer up-and-coming folk group Eabhal who will play the venue on Wednesday 24th August.
Eabhal formed as a band while all five members were based on the Hebridean island of Uist.
As well as performing traditional songs alongside contemporary and self-penned tunes, the five-piece also draw influence from other musical cultures and unite these in their music.
Their new album Aisling features an array of new arrangements, as well as both Gaelic and English songs.
A lot of the material came together remotely during lockdown and the title of the album Aisling (Gaelic word for dream) is in reference to the creative process the band followed while putting the album together – combining their musical ideas from a distance.
Jamie MacDonald, the fiddle player with Eabhal said:
“We are delighted to be playing in Findhorn this summer; it’s such a beautiful place, and Universal Hall is a great venue.
“We launched our debut album recently and it has been really well received so we’re excited to play our new material again here next month.
“Being part of Scotland on Tour has allowed us to play in more intimate community settings that we might not usually have played in, which has been very special!”
Scotland on Tour will take place over a period of 12 months between April 2022 and 2023; the remaining confirmed concerts taking place at Universal Hall include Pictish Trail on Sunday 18th September, Dallahan on Saturday 22nd October, Manran on Saturday 29th October and Opera Alba on Wednesday 23rd November.
Peter Vallence, Artistic Director at Universal Hall, said:
“When we put on younger bands we often find parents bring along their children.
“We think it is important to encourage the coming generation to both speak Gaelic and play music.”
Scotland on Tour supports the creation of hundreds of concerts and performances at much-loved arts centres, town halls and community venues across Scotland.
More than 120 artists are set to perform at more than 100 venues across the country as part of the initiative.
The project, which has been created and managed by Active Events, was made possible by £750,000 of Scottish Government backing and will focus on increasing the number of opportunities to showcase and enjoy live music, while bringing exciting acts to the doorstep of city, towns, villages and rural communities.
The year-long Scotland on Tour bill includes both emerging and established artists with genre-spanning acts appearing across the breadth and width of the country, with rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, trad and acoustic genres all being showcased.
Tickets for these and a raft of other shows are on sale now at www.scotlandontour.com.
