BAIRNS
OLD NEWS
Olympic Gold for Bairn's Bairn
August 2004
Well, a nephew anyway. Chris Hoy, previously best known as nephew of Bairns' fiddle ace Derek, has won Olympic in the Athens Velodrome. And Derek and daughter Sarah were there with fiddles to celebrate!
Details here
New Album planned for end 2004
June 2004
The Bairns were in the studio in June 2004 to start work on a new album.
Summer gigs
April 2004
See the Bairns over the next few months in such diverse places as Shetland, South Wales, London, Estonia, Turin and Sicily. Some dates are still to be confirmed, but details on gigs page.
Bairns nominated for The First Scots Trad Music Awards
September 2003
Hands up for Trad, in association with The Queen's Hall, will be hosting the first annual 'Scots Trad Music Awards' a prestigious event taking place at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh on the 13th September 2003.
The Bairns are nominated for Best Album, and Rod Paterson for Best Singer.
The BBC will host the online voting for the Scots Trad Music Awards on their Celtic Roots web page.
Tony Cuffe CD now available
March 2003
Over the last year of his life, Tony recorded a number of tracks that he intended for a solo album. The quality of these tracks is very good, and musically they are outstanding. Many people have helped to complete what Tony started, and the Bairns are among friends of Tony who contribute on some of the tracks.
The album was released in March 2003 on the Greentrax label. Further information at www.tonycuffe.com.
Bairns in Germany
February 2003
The Bairns were part of a very successful Scottish Folk Festival Tour of Germany in January/February 2003. If you are one of the folks we met, then welcome, and we hope to see you again.
Bairns are Herald HOT TICKET for Edinburgh Festival 2002
August 2003
The Bairns won a Herald Angel Award for last year's festival, and this year we are a HOT TICKET in their Festival Preview. Critic Rob Adam says:Just five chances to hear Scottish traditional music at its finest from one of Scotland’s most enduring groups in an intimate setting.
The Bairns, as they’re known, are the real thing, ... cherishing melody and tempo at a time when playing as fast as fingers allowed had become the norm.
In their hands, fiddles, concertina, whistles, harmonica, guitars, cittern, bodhran and even the humble jaw harp played music with character, freshness and a natural sense of resolution that brought its own excitement.
Their instrumental work remains the benchmark for younger aspiring players and in singers Rod Paterson and John Croall they have, respectively, one of the great interpreters of Robert Burns and a rustic balladeer who communicates the sheer pleasure of storytelling in song.
Jock Tamson’s Bairns,
Royal British Hotel, 20 Princes Street
August 9, 15-16, 22-23. Details and on-line booking here.
Gig of the year
January 2002
The Bairns were voted gig of the year 2001 by audiences at the Edinburgh Folk Club, against some top-class opposition. The night included a performance of Fergusson's Auld Reikie with Billy Kay.The same gig was voted Gig of the Year by Karine Polwart, of Malinky and ex-Battlefiel Band, in her review of 2001 for the Herald newspaper.
... and Album of the Year
January 2002
The Scone album was one of BBC Radio Scotland's Travelling Folk Albums of the Year, and has featured in a number of other lists for Radio Stations in the USA.Tony Cuffe
December 2001
Many of you will have heard about Tony's fight with cancer last year. Sadly, he died on Tuesday 18 December, 2001. Some information about Tony is here.Bairns in the USA.
November 2001
We have reluctantly had to cancel our plans to tour the USA in early 2002. This is not because we don't want to travel, but because the larger events we had lined up have had problems in running the gigs. A tour isn't viable without a few larger gigs so we will wait until later in the year when things might have improved. Sorry to disappoint all those who've made enquiries. You can still contact the band for booking enquiries.Scone is top seller at MusicScotland.com
September 2001
The MusicScotland website was off-line for redevelopment for a time over the summer, but is back in business now.The Scone album is their top seller for 2001. You can order it here.
What's a tartlet, and when is it 'optimal'?
June 2001
Find out here...Bairns feature in Living Tradition Magazine!
May 2001
The Bairns were the cover feature in the April 2001 edition of Living Tradition magazine.
Read an article on the band, and a great review of the latest album:
"24-carat JTBs, sounding like they've never been away and the 20 years simply have not passed. It was a fabulous sound then and it still is now. Mighty indeed."
New album sells out!
February 2001
Greentrax have ordered a second pressing the Bairns' album after the first pressing sold out within four weeks of going on sale. Selling like hot scones...The album made the top 20 of WUNH-FM's Ceili programme in the USA, and in the best sellers for MusicScotland.
The Bairns at Celtic Connections!
January 2001
Following a launch party on 28 January 2001 at Glasgow's Celtic Connections, the Bairns put on a cracking show in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to a near capacity crowd."Rod Paterson's voice continues to glow and the band's cheek continues to flow...
Their regard for tunes is legendary and their playing of them was, as ever, masterly... They used a small music shop of instruments.
The Unreel, ... sounds like something Steve Reich might compose given an Aberdeenshire hidey hole."
Read The Herald review...