More about Shooglenifty
In 1992 Shooglenifty were emerging at the forefront of a new wave in Scottish music, allying the rhythmic attack of the clubland dancefloor with traditional melodies and instrumentation. Theyve since gone on to become one of our most internationally fted roots acts, who this week returned home to Edinburgh to launch their fourth album, The Arms Dealers Daughter, and to prove themselves still the original and best.
The arrival of two new members among the six-piece line-up, Luke Plumb on mandolin and banjo, and Quee MacArthur on bass, has both revivified the bands energies and reconsolidated their key signature strengths. This was most immediately obvious in the preternaturally close frontline partnership between Plumb and fiddler Angus Grant, whose scintillating interplay formed the focus of the tunes. The bands performance as a whole, though, both defined and transcended tightness as a musical concept, their uncanny cohesion sewing together densely configured layers of counterpoint, harmony and cross-rhythm, while giving free rein for improvised workouts. Their musical palette has broadened, with top highlights here including the intoxicating fiesta swing of The Nordal Rumba, the brash guitar-rock bite of The Reid St Sofa, and the gypsy-tinged caprices of the new albums title track.
You can visit the Shooglenifty website at www.shoogle.com
