By |

FolkWords Reviews

‘East’ from Iona Fyfe Band – leaves you wanting more

(July 01, 2016)

Drawing deeply from the well of folksong that comes from the east of Scotland, ‘East’ the debut EP by Iona Fyfe Band rises like the East EP covermorning lark. Treating the listener to six slices of East and North East tradition with an inspired contemporary edge, ‘East’ hooks immediately, remains with you a long time and leaves you wanting more.

From the instantly recognised bothy ballad, ‘Sleepytoon’, through the spritely Fyfe original ‘Pride of Aberdeen’ to the many versioned and well-known ballad ‘Queen Amang the Heather’, Iona’s crystal clear and infinitely expressive voice soars through the songs. From unaccompanied voice to the band in full-flow, ‘East’ stands as a testament to the strength, endurance and adaptability of the tradition. It also offers ample evidence that traditions of music, dialect and heritage remain definitely in good hands, listen to Iona sing the melancholy ‘Cairn o’ Mount’ or absorb the band delivering another many-versioned song ‘Earl Richard’.

Creating the magic on ‘East’ are Iona Fyfe (vocals, piano, shruti box) Charlie Grey (fiddle, tenor guitar) Chris Ferrie (guitar, bodhran) Callum Cronin (double bass) and Ross Miller (border pipes)

By |

I have recently just released my first EP – The First Sangs!

The First Sangs consists of four traditional Scots songs with a modern, unique interpretation of songs which are around 200 years old and was released in on March 1st 2015.

 

Final

By |

10947640_922082097826508_1974395070_n

On the 23rd to the 25th of January, I had the pleasure of attending the Radio 2 Young Folk Award weekend, along with 9 brilliant acts. The Weekend included workshops, talks and a concert on the Saturday Night, presented by Mark Radcliffe. We were all given brilliant advice on the music industry and the concert really brought together and showcased the wealth of talent among the group. Folk Music is very much in the good hands of the younger generation!

Well done to the deserving four nominees which were: Cup o’ Joe, Wildwood Kin, Talisk and Roseanne Reid!