Shooglenifty hit Crieff and St Andrews

The Edinburgh seven-piece Celtic fusion outfit are playing musical dates at Strathearn Arts and the Byre Theatre

By Andrew Welsh

May 19 2023, 6:30am

Shooglenifty

Edinburgh seven-piece Shooglenifty have been one of Celtic fusion’s most prolific exponents over the past three decades.

Formed in 1990 by folk musicians from the Highlands, Orkney and Edinburgh, the dancetastic band was fronted throughout most of its existence by fiddler Angus Grant, until his death in 2016 aged 49.

He was joined in the line-up that recorded Shooglenifty’s 1994 debut album Venus In Tweeds by guitarist Malcolm Crosbie, banjo player Garry Finlayson, drummer James Mackintosh, mandolinist Iain MacLeod and bassist Conrad Ivitsky.

Furthering their reputation

The first three of those have been ever present as the eclectic outfit has gone on to further its reputation for pushing the boundaries of electro-trad on nine more studio albums.

These include 2001’s Solar Shears, Murmichan (2009) and the two sets that have appeared since Grant’s loss, 2018’s Written In Water – also featuring Rajasthani outfit Dhun Dhora – and Acid Croft Vol 9 (2020).

Composer Quee MacArthur has been the Shoogles’ bassist since 2002, while multi-instrumentalist Ewan MacPherson took over mandolin duties in 2014.

Anything but a mere tribute to their late flamboyant leader, the live favourites’ most recent additions are ex-Mouth Music singer Kaela Rowan – a previous collaborator – and Poozies fiddler Eilidh Shaw.