Glasgow East End multi-arts venue Platform is teaming up with Celtic Connections for a truly unique and eclectic weekend of local and global music on January 24 and 25, 2014.
Entitled Celtic Connections Rewind, it sees well-loved Scottish artists like Withered Hand and Malcolm Middleton share bills with Australian slide-guitar maverick Jeff Lang, Indian singer and composer Papon, and Newcastle cult-bard Richard Dawson, among others.
The weekend also hosts the live premiere of Dark Northumbrian, a 10-strong residential venture led by Steve Malley, aka punk-folk guitarist The Horse Loom.
Platform has played home to Celtic Connections shows in the past – Cornershop and Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier performed at the venue in 2012 – but this year’s Rewind performances mark the first collaborative endeavour between Celtic Connections’ Donald Shaw and Platform’s Alun Woodward: they have each booked four acts for these diverse, sample-style events.
Celtic Connections Rewind will offer fans and curious audiences another chance to see some of this year’s most promising international Celtic Connections acts (who also play elsewhere at the festival), three of whom are based in Australia – harmonic-folk charmers The Mae Trio, alt-country minstrel Jordie Lane and slide-guitar guru / singer-songwriter Jeff Lang – plus the truly distinctive Indian classical-folk-pop artist Angaraag Mahanta, aka Papon.
The evenings will be headlined respectively by a full-band set from Edinburgh alt-folk troubadour Withered Hand, aka Dan Willson (whose excellent new album, New Gods, is due in February), and former Arab Strap melodist Malcolm Middleton (who is currently working on an album with visual artist David Shrigley).
They will be further augmented by Newcastle cult-folk genius Richard Dawson, and the live debut of Dark Northumbrian, a residency of 10 musicians based in Newcastle which is led by the guitarist Steve Malley, aka avant-folk visionary The Horse Loom.
The project revolves around Malley’s research into lost and disappearing Northumbrian folk songs, tales and mythology – and this exclusive debut Celtic Connections performance sees him joined by Cath and Phil Tyler, Lucy Farrell, Seth Bennett and Aby Vulliamy (Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat / The National Jazz Trio of Scotland).
Platform Glasgow and Celtic Connections present: Celtic Connections Rewind:
Friday 24th January
Withered Hand (Programmed by Platform)
Richard Dawson (Programmed by Platform)
Jeff Lang (Programmed by Celtic Connections)
The Mae Trio (Programmed by Celtic Connections)
Saturday 25th January
Malcolm Middleton (Programmed by Platform)
Jordie Lane (Programmed by Celtic Connections)
Papon (Programmed by Celtic Connections)
Dark Northumbrian (Programmed by Platform)
Platform, Glasgow. Doors 7.30pm; tickets (per night) £10; bus leaves Mono at 7pm (£5 return).
For more information, interviews, photos, etc, please contact Alun Woodward at Platform alun@platform-online.co.uk, 0141 276 9861 or 07971 889 729
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