Free live radio concerts to showcase Hebridean Celtic Festival

The station’s Caithream Ciùil programme will be airing three days next week presented by Seonag Monk and Emma Lamont during the award-winning HebCelt.

The first programme on Wednesday 13th from 2pm-4pm, from the BBC studios in Stornoway, will showcase the festival’s sell-out opening show, Hebridean Women, which includes some of the very best female vocalists from the Outer Hebrides - Julie Fowlis, from North Uist; Mary Smith and Isobel Ann Martin (Lewis), Cathy Ann MacPhee (Barra) and Kathleen Macinnes (South Uist). Wednesday will also feature music from this year’s Ceilidh Trail.

On Thursday between 2pm-4pm the show will broadcast free live concerts at Martin’s Memorial Hall in Stornoway featuring husband and wife singer-songwriters Brian ÓhEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie, who will record their first album together in 2016 for release next year; as well as Americana, rock and alternative country band Orphan Colours; ceilidh band Urban Teuchtars, fronted by Gaelic singers Kathleen MacInnes and Sineag MacIntyre, from South Uist; and Dundee Indie band The Hazey Janes.

Friday from 3pm-5pm will see sets from Yorkshire singer songwriter Bella Gaffney, who won a prestigious stage slot at HebCelt as one of nine finalists in the CalMac Culture Music contest; James Edwyn, from the Glasgow sextet James Edwyn & the Borrowed Band; alt-country blues singer-songwriter from Tennessee, Amythyst Kiah; and RURA, who were nominated for Folk Band of the Year (Scots Trad Music Awards 2012) and the Horizon Award (Radio 2 Folk Awards 2013).

In addition, recordings for the ‘Rapal’ sessions will feature re-formed band Astrid on Thursday, one of Scotland’s most exciting live acts, Woodenbox, on Friday and Lewis singer songwriter Miss Irenie Rose and local artists The Sea Atlas on Saturday.

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