With Strings Attached

January/Februrary 2005

'With Strings Attached' was a fantastic collaboration funded by the Scottish Arts Council.  It was premiered at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on the first night of the Showcase Scotland event and featured thrilling group Blazin' Fiddles, Eddi Reader, Justin Currie (Del Amitri) and Colin McIntyre (Mull Historical Society).

This incredible line-up at this unique concert of Scottish talent spanned rock, indie, folk and traditional music. The performers were joined on stage by a phenomenal horn and rhythm section featuring Rick Taylor, Kevin McGuire, James Mackintosh, Christine Hanson and Phil Bancroft.

The sold-out concert at Celtic Connections was followed by a short tour of Scotland, wowing audiences in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.

The collaboration recieved rave reviews, with the Sunday Herald called it 'another triumpant Celtic Connections excursion.' Have a look at more of the review below:

"Even against the might of the Suspects, though, unquestionably the week's flagship occasion was Thursday night's With Strings Attached extravaganza, co-headlined by top Scottish folk band Blazin' Fiddles, and the combined singer-songwriting talents of Eddi Reader, Colin MacIntyre (Mull Historical Society) and Justin Currie (formerly of Del Amitri). Another triumphant Celtic Connections excursion into previously uncharted musical territory, it was a massive show on many levels, from the 19 bodies assembled on stage (also including cello, double bass, viola, percussion and five strangely familiar horn players), to its landmark implications for the wider Scottish music scene. The opening gig of this year's Showcase Scotland event (and thus attended by up to 150 international promoters), it attracted a level of advance publicity that Celtic Connections has rarely experienced for a single event, finally penetrating the prejudices of the mainstream media by including some pop stars. Every seat in the house, choir stalls included, had long been snapped up, and most important of all, a sizeable chunk of Scottish Arts Council money had bought the project a decent rehearsal period, enabling the artists to get over any lingering prejudices they might have harboured about each other, and freeing them up to get really, really inspired."

With Strings Attached and Celtic Connections are supported by the National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council.