By Mary Duncan
Those who were there will agree, the line-up was terrific at this year’s Orkney Blues Weekend. Organiser Walter Gorman, said: “The blues committee is really thrilled – we all do it because we love it, so when we see the public enjoying it too, it’s just brilliant for us.” (more…)
THE FASTLINERS: Don Holderness and Kevin Coffey belting out the blues at the finale concert
THE best way to finish off a Blues Weekend experience is to attend the finale concert in the Stromness Hotel on Sunday night.
The only ticketed event of the whole festival, which helps pay for the weekend, it attracted a big crowd who packed out the function room to hear all the visiting acts and one local group in one concert.
Naomi Mather
BLUES songstress Naomi Mather certainly knows how to hold an audience in the palm of her hands, with a combination of first-class musicianship and songs that tell stories about her life and loves.
BEST DRESSED BAND: From left, Andrew Want, Mike Henderson and Lorraine McBrearty.
THE award for best dressed band at this year’s event goes to The Bad Liars, who made a special effort to get the Rockabilly look right for their gigs with their clothes, shoes and hair.
I caught their Saturday night gig in the Ferry and it was fantastic – the crowd’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive and the band also felt it was one of their best performances ever.
BAD TASTE: From left, Marcus Cordock on bass, Dylan Pepper on drums, frontman Ian Craigie and guitarist Andrew Taylor, playing in the British Legion.
THIS talented young band have picked up quite a following since their debut at last year’s Blues Weekend and they certainly kept up their reputation this time around, attracting one of the biggest crowds of all the bands playing Stromness on Friday night.
Bad Business
Two local bands joined forces for this year’s Blues Weekend, with members of Bad Taste and Mean Business rocking it out in The Ferry Inn and the Stromness Hotel on Saturday and Sunday. Pictured, from left, is Kenny Swinney on keyboard, Marcus Cordock on bass, Walter Gorman on vocals, Dylan Pepper on drums and John Pettigrew on guitar.
Miss Noma and Mr Ree
Pictured above are Blues Weekend stalwarts Catherine Grivas (vocals) and Mike Moldau (guitars and banjo), who played their unique brand of delta and Mississippi blues at the Gable End theatre on Hoy on Friday, the Stromness Hotel on Saturday and the Royal Hotel on Sunday. As well as classics by blues greats Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake audiences heard numbers by Tom Waits. The duo were accompanied by other musicians during their sets, including Emma Thomas and Mark Shiner on fiddle and Mike Fairbairn on harmonica.
SONGWRITING SISTERS: From left, Emma and Katy Thomas, accompanied by their dad Pete on bass, playing in the Café Bar on Saturday afternoon.
DUO Blueberry Jam made their first official appearance at the Blues Weekend, having played in the festival’s blues jams in previous years. (more…)
MISSING CAT performing in the Ferry Inn. From left; Gay Jack, Paul Montague, Kenny Miller and Keith Scott. Below, Paul belts it out.
EDINBURGH band Missing Cat weren’t officially part of the Blues Weekend line up but that didn’t stop them winning some new fans in Orkney last weekend.
By Tony Winfield & Sue Hickling
The Orkney Isles, off the north coast of Scotland, host one of our favourite Blues festivals. Based mainly in Stromness at three venues – The Stromness Hotel, The Ferry Inn and The Royal Hotel – there were four artists from the mainland and six Orkney bands. As always, the bands performed in more than one venue during the weekend. The first act for us was festival survivor Keith Christmas. (more…)
By Leah Seator
It was then through to the function room, where the event we’d all been waiting for, the Grand Finale Concert, was about to kick off. (more…)
By Leah Seator
The sound of the twelve-bar blues wailing out on to the streets of Stromness was a welcome calling for music fans in the county, who were out in full force at the Orkney Blues Weekend.
Screeching guitarists, lap steel players, and men with “moothies”, took residence in many of the Stromness venues, but let it be said, it was the local bands who stole the show this year.
As good as the visitors were – and they were really good – the sheer, awe-inspiring, performances of the local bands, who performed, blew everyone away.
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GERMAN VISITORS Ralf Gotz and Frank Thien enjoying a blues jam in the Ferry Inn. Picture Orkney Photographic.
BLUES WITH BALLS. Sinclair Bremner, the group's energetic front man. Picture Tom O'Brien.
THE only gig people had to pay for over the whole Blues Weekend was the finale concert in the Stromness Hotel, but the chance to see all four visiting acts, plus local band Blue Rooster, was worth the ticket price.
Along with the raffle and collection buckets going round the pubs, this event is also one of the only fundraisers for the mini-festival, so it was good to see it being well supported by visitors and locals.
Singing The Blues: From left, Dave Stevenson, Lorraine McBrearty and Mike Henderson. Picture Tom O’Brien
Bad Taste at The Ferry Inn. Picture Tom O’Brien
BLUES weekend favourites for many were local lads Bad Taste who impressed even the visiting professional bands with their stunning sets.
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