Shooglenifty

Shooglenifty are famous the world over for inventing techno Ceilidh, acid croft, hypnofolkadelia, call it what you will; their original and exciting sound has reached new heights with their fourth album, Solar Shears.

The band started a bit over six years ago, formed out of furious jam sessions in Edinburgh's pubs and clubs. The innovative treatment of trad sounds launched the band on an international career that has seen them play globally from Sydney to Singapore, Canada to Cuba.

Their first album, Venus in Tweeds, was released in 1994 and featured the sound which the band had expertly crafted through many concert performances. This won them many fans by opening a door to dance floors and clubs everywhere. Their follow-up album, A Whisky Kiss, demonstrated further their ability to fuse influences from numerous genres, although the new album, Solar Shears, shows their intent more clearly; a wild up-tempo mix of trad talent and super funky phonics melding heritage and hedonism into one unbreakable whole.

Shooglenifty are: Angus Grant (fiddle), Luke Plumb (mandolin), Garry Finlayson (banjo, banjax), Malcolm Crosbie (guitar), Quee Macarthur (bass), James Mackintosh (drums, percussion). —Courtesy Calabash Music