One of Scotland’s top bands will come to Manchester in May as part of their biggest British tour to date.
Celtic music legends Skipinnish will perform in Stoller Hall on Thursday 28 May bringing their award-winning Scottish and Gaelic sounds to entertain North West fans of the band.
The Manchester gig will be one of the first live events for the new Skipinnish line up, having assembled a strong ensemble of singers and musicians from across Scotland bringing together existing and former artists as well as some brand new faces. They will form the backbone of Skipinnish’s future line up as they begin preparations for their biggest tour to date throughout May.
The new line up will appear live for the first time at 14 gigs stretching from Aberdeen to Cornwall with tickets for the English leg of the tour having just gone on general sale.
In the coming weeks, the new look Skipinnish will begin rehearsals ahead of their tour. Rehearsals will include all of Skipinnish fans’ favourites such as The Island, Alive, Last of the Hunters, The Hag and their biggest hit, Walking on the Waves – tracks enjoyed by Traitors winner and Hebridean Stephen Libby who is a fan of the band’s music and which he listened to while in the Traitors’ Castle.
Newer additions to the repertoire such as The Lifeboat and Eagle’s Wing will also feature.
In December last year, Skipinnish previously announced that singer James Stewart would be taking over from Norrie MacIver in the lead vocals role. James from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, who also performs with trad band Beinn Lee, has previously been on stage with Skipinnish providing his lead vocal and acoustic guitar skills.
Now Skipinnish co-founders Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson have confirmed who else will join them on stage. These will be acclaimed fiddler and long term Skipinnish member, Archie McAllister who has been with the band for over 25 years and vocalist Rachel Walker whose voice will be familiar to fans having performed regularly with them since the band started in 1999. Adding her voice will be multi-award-winning singer Mischa MacPherson who hails from the Isle of Lewis.
On bass guitar will be Euan Burton who has previously performed with the band and who will feature in between his other musical commitments. He will be alongside another Skipinnish regular, Davie Dunsmuir on electric guitar. Edinburgh’s Andrew Scott, who studied at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts joins the band as their drummer, and on keys will be Cailean McKerron who comes with a strong musical pedigree being the son of Capercaille’s Charlie McKerron and Sandra MacKay of Tannas.
Angus MacPhail said: “This is an exciting time for Skipinnish and we are very lucky to have assembled such a talented and enthusiastic line up to take us to this Manchester gig and beyond.
“Since we started as a band in 1999, we have been hugely fortunate to have been joined by so many gifted singers and musicians who have been with us on this wonderful Skipinnish journey which saw us headline in front of thousands at venues like Edinburgh Castle and Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. Together with all these wonderful performers and our incredible fans we have been gifted many unforgettable memories and unreal experiences for which we are very grateful.
Angus added: “We are now embarking on a new chapter in the Skipinnish story and we are excited to take the band forward with a strong line up of long-term bandmates and new faces – a line up we know our Manchester fans will love.”
“Skipinnish is continually evolving as a band,” added Andrew Stevenson.
“We are all looking forward to getting stuck into rehearsals over the coming weeks and hearing all the Skipinnish classics coming together ahead of the tour. It would not be a foot stomping Skipinnish gig without the songs that our Manchester fans belt out with us.
“The new members are as passionate about Celtic music as we are, and every gig will continue to leave fans with lifelong musical memories.”
New addition Mischa Macpherson added: “I’m really excited to be joining Skipinnish on stage starting with this tour in May. I’ve been listening to their music and songs throughout my life, and I’ve worked with Angus on a couple of projects in recent years. So, it feels like a natural fit and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Full Skipinnish line up:
Angus MacPhail – Accordion and backing vocals
Andrew Stevenson – Pipes and whistles
James Stewart – Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
Archie McAllister – Fiddle
Rachel Walker – Vocals
Mischa MacPherson – Vocals
Andrew Scott – Drums
Cailean McKerron – Keys and backing vocals
Euan Burton – Bass
Davie Dunsmuir – Electric guitar