Review: Skipinnish, The Fleece – ‘There’s something of The Pogues about them’

To lose one member of your band just before a tour might be considered unlucky. To lose two is just damn unfortunate.

A year after Celtic folk-rockers, Skipinnish, last played The Fleece they return with a line up with a couple of holes in it.

Singer Norrie MacIver is off on paternity leave while Archie McAllister, on fiddle, is AWOL. Fortunately, there seem to be some pretty decent replacements to bring off of the bench.

James Stewart on vocals has spent the last week learning “300 songs” and fits right in whilst fiddle player Adam Sutherland never misses a beat.

As they move towards their 25th year Skipinnish show that there’s plenty of energy in the tank, regardless of who is in the band.

The Hag is a bagpipe driven opener blown in from way up north, from the furthest points of Scotland.

Andrew Stevenson’s furious piping leads to a very early clap-along whilst Sutherland’s fiddle skips along, easily keeping pace.

Buried underneath all of this there is a solid slice of celtic rock, as no-nonsense as anything Runrig could muster. Rory Grindlay’s drums pound out a stadium-friendly rhythm giving the (Scotland) rugby-shirted lads down the front plenty to hop about to.

Land Below the Waves starts as an echo-y, synth-y thing before, wisely, deciding that it’s actually a massive drinking song.

There’s something of The Pogues about them at their most poetic, the yearning for a mythical Celtic land, the hectic race towards oblivion as whistle, fiddle, guitar and Angus MacPhail’s accordion join in the drum propelled headrush.

It’s this creation of a mythical Scotland that seems at the very heart of Skipinnish. Ocean of the Free, The Island and Last of the Hunters all fix their gaze on the Highlands and Islands.

There are tales of fishermen, boatbuilders and a burning desire to embrace a community. There are great romantic swathes full of glistening coastlines and rugged paths.

There are times, however, when they feel a bit like a whisky advert made flesh, one of those ones where the whole community gets together to make a drop of the good stuff.

If that sounds dangerously close to cliché then sometimes, just sometimes, it’s where they slide.

There are other times when the overwhelming feeling of 80s stadium rock leaves a nasty taste in the mouth (there’s a key change at the end of December which might make even the most ardent Power Balladeer blush). These are, fortunately, few and far between.

The memories of a phones-in-the-air sway-along are easily exorcised by some seriously impressive, breath-taking, full pace folk tunes. 20th Anniversary Jigs careen about at light speed, as does the Nelson Mandela Set.

This is music to move the feet, dance music that even the most uncoordinated can leap about to. The fiddle and Stevenson’s whistle combine in an irresistible whirl.

When the bagpipes are unfurled on The Old Woman the whole place goes off; arms are thrown in the air, or around shoulders, feet leave the (very sticky) floor, great thunder-y clouds of delightful mayhem settle.

Perhaps Skipinnish are at their best when their ultra sincere Celtic rock and breakneck folk are mixed together. A cover of Runrig’s Alba – deducated to the memory of Bruce Guthro – is absolutely thunderous, as raucous, as much fun as anything all night.

Alive comes loaded with a huge sing-along chorus, full of positivity and joy while Walking on the Waves is, simply, a massive end-of-the-night anthem. There’s a chorus that everyone can sing along to and some furious folk for the dancers.

If this is what Skipinnish are like with substitutes, you have to wonder how good they are at full strength.

Main photo: Gavin McNamara

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• Review: PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGDS PIGS, SWX – ‘They command the crowd’

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