Celtic folk-fusion band Shooglenifty is delighted to be returning to New Zealand after an absence of three years and thrilled to be introducing new fiddler Eilidh Shaw.
She replaces Angus R Grant, a founding member, who died in late 2016. After the loss of Angus, the rest of the Shoogles (as they’re known to their fans), overwhelmed by the numerous tributes and stories shared about their influential front man, decided to perform a tribute gig.
‘A Night for Angus’ was held at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow in January 2017 and featured no less than 62 musicians who had all been touched by Angus and his music.
In June 2017 Shooglenifty released a live video of the concert, which featured six leading Scottish fiddlers, including Eilidh. At the end of 2017, ‘A Night for Angus’ was named Event of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards (Na Trads).
The rest of 2017 was about re-grouping and embarking on a documentary, tentatively entitled ‘The High Road to Who Knows Where’, about the band’s influence on Scottish music. The documentary is currently being edited and is expected to be released next year to mark the band’s 30th anniversary.
Eilidh, who joined the band permanently early last year, is originally from the West Highlands and was taught by Aonghas Grant, the father of Angus.
The band was formed by musicians from the Scottish Highlands, Orkney and Edinburgh who had the bright idea of fusing traditional melodies with the beats and bass lines of contemporary music.
The Shoogles have recently collaborated on recordings – the album ‘Written in Water’ with their old mates and traditional Indian musicians Dhun Dhora (recorded in 40degC heat at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India) and their first-ever single, ‘East West’ (2019), with Tanxugueiras from Galicia (Spain). Music bible ‘Mojo’ named ‘Written in Water’ among its Top Ten Folk Albums of 2018. As well, there’s a studio album in the works to mark next year’s anniversary.
Shooglenifty is coming to New Zealand after making its debut at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, a prestigious event that up until only a few years ago, was reserved solely for the high brow.
To mark the occasion the Shoogles released a single, a remix of ‘Jog Yer Bones’, by legendary Scottish DJ and producer Howie B.
