REVIEWS

Other up and coming bands on view at Celtic Connections were Sarah-Jane Summers (who knocked the Late Night Sessions for six with her trio); Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller; Jenna Reid's brilliant "Shetland Bus", a gripping story told in narration and beautiful music; David Allison's "The St Kilda Tapes" (David Gilbert from Resolis Community Arts saw this and endorsed it).
All small-scale and ideal for PAN venues.

Saw this young group (who were Danny Kyle Open Stage winners 2009)in the Celtic Connections Festival Club last night and was highly impressed. A modern take on traditional music, with RSAMD postgraduate harpist Heather Downie, bodhranist Marissa Vachon and
Daniel Thorpe on fiddle. Book them while they're cheap!
look on MySpace for heatherdowniemusic

Such a shame that Mallaig, Glenurquhart, and Eden Court One Touch, were the only PAN venues to take this show.

Why? Because :-
a) Tune Up funding had for once been used to reduce the fee paid by promoters. The total concert fee for this lineup (in which the famed Edinburgh Quartet were almost just a string section) would normally be more than £6000!
b) The musicianship was truly brilliant.
The Glenurquhart audience leapt to its feet at the end of the show to give a rare standing ovation for what one extremely well-cultured audience member described as the gig of a lifetime.

Recently seen in a Shropshire village while staying with Sian Kerry of Artsalive:
a version of Two Gentlemen of Verona performed by Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu, from Zimbabwe. A total delight. A box of clothing and the two lads are set to play all 15 characters including the dog, in original Shakespeare with some great Zimbabwean street-theatre interaction ('you did not understand that bit did you? - we shall explain it to you'). At one point I was a forest (I think). Encouraged to come north next year.

Reviewed this for Northings, thought it was absolutely tailormade for PAN. Sold out its first show at the One Touch at Eden Court over a month ahead, a second showing was added and that sold out too. Moving, exhilarating, magical. Hands up who'd like to promote this next year?