Niteworks | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Obair Oidhche |
| Origin | Isle of Skye, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–2024 |
| Members | Innes Strachan Allan MacDonald Christopher Nicolson Ruairidh Graham |
| Website | niteworksband |
Niteworks (also known by the Scottish Gaelic Obair Oidhche) was an Electronic Celtic fusion band from the Isle of Skye. The band are known for writing new songs in Gaelic and melding the bagpipes and Gaelic song forms such as puirt a beul with techno and house beats. [1]
Niteworks came together in early 2008. Shortly after forming, the band won several awards including the Rapal song contest with "Nam Aonar san Fonn". Niteworks' name comes from a sample of an old Gaelic speaker referring to "obair oidhche" or "night work. [2]
Niteworks have covered Runrig's "Chi mi 'n Geamhradh", and write songs in both Gaelic and English.
The band has toured across the Scottish music festival circuit, playing at Rockness, Knockengorroch as well as frequent returns to Tartan Heart Festival. They have also headlined Hebridean Celtic Festival's Islands Stage in 2011 (described as the "band of the night"), [3] 2012 and 2015 and sold out Glasgow's Oran Mor in 2012 and 2015, as part of the city's popular Celtic Connections Festival. They also DJ frequently, independently of their live act.
Their debut EP, Niteworks: Obair Oidhche, was released on 15 October 2011. This was acclaimed and attracted a larger fanbase to the group.[ citation needed ]
Niteworks launched their debut album, NW, in October 2015 with a sold-out gig at Glasgow's SWG3 Warehouse. The album draws further on the band's Skye roots and Gaelic upbringing and drew comparisons to the legendary Martyn Bennett. [4]
The band capped off 2015 by opening the show at the Scottish Trad Music Awards at Dundee's Caird Hall. [5]
In August 2018, Niteworks released their second album Air Fàir an Là which was co-produced with Alex Smoke and included collaborations with other traditional musicians including SIAN, Iain Morrison, Ellen MacDonald (of Sian and Dàimh), Julie Fowlis and Kinnaris Quintet. [6] [7]
In January 2022, Niteworks released their third album A'Ghrian [8] which was shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award. [9]
In November 2023 they announced that they would disband the following year. A final single covering Runrig's An Toll Dubh was released in May 2024 ahead of November's Solas Na Maidne ("Morning Light") tour, which played dates in Inverness, Edinburgh, London and Aberdeen before concluding at the Glasgow O2 Academy on November 16th. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Names also given in Scottish Gaelic:
Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, often known as Scottish folk music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. Traditional Scottish music comprises a variety of different styles such as ballads, reels, jigs and airs. Traditional Scottish music is closely associated with the bagpipes which is credited as having a prominent role in traditional music originating from the country. The bagpipes are considered to an "iconic Scottish instrument" with a history dating back to the 15th century. Other notable Scottish instruments include the tin whistle, the accordion and the fiddle.
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald and Calum MacDonald (percussion). The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s, which was the band's most successful period commercially, also included Donnie Munro (vocals), Malcolm Jones (guitar), Iain Bayne (drums), and Pete Wishart (keyboards). Munro left the band in 1997 to pursue a career in politics and was replaced by Bruce Guthro. Wishart left in 2001, also to pursue a career in politics, and was replaced by Brian Hurren. The band released fourteen studio albums, with a number of their songs sung in Scottish Gaelic. At the height of their success during the 1980s and 1990s, Runrig were described by Billboard as one of the "most celebrated" Gaelic language bands in Scotland.
Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band.
Donnie Munro is a Scottish musician and the former lead singer of the band Runrig.
The Peatbog Faeries are a largely instrumental Celtic fusion band. Formed in 1991, they are based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
The Hebridean Celtic Festival or HebCelt is an international Scottish music festival, which takes place annually in Stornoway on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Headliners to date include Runrig, Van Morrison, Deacon Blue, The Fratellis, The Levellers and KT Tunstall. Many other acts take part in the event, including visiting international artists, solo artists and local musicians. The festival regularly attracts over 16,000 attendees and provides significant economic and cultural benefits for its host area.
The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media and public attention. Nominations are made by the public and in 2019 over 100,000 public votes were expected across 18 categories.
Play Gaelic is the first album by the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It was released in 1978 on LP and tape by Neptune Records. In 1990 it was re-released on CD by Lismor Recordings with different cover art.
Fiona J. Mackenzie is a Scottish Gaelic traditional singer from Dingwall, Highland Scotland, and has toured and performed throughout Europe and North America. In 2005, she won the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal at the Royal National Mòd in Stornoway.
Maeve Mackinnon is a Scottish folk singer. Originally from Glasgow, she performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic, and also in English. She is also one of two Gaelic singers who share the same name.
Live at Celtic Connections 2000 is a live album by Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It marked their first appearance at Celtic Connections, a Scottish music festival which takes place annually in Glasgow during the month of January.
Duncan Chisholm is a Scottish fiddle player and composer. He has released seven solo albums as a solo artist. His studio album, Affric, released in 2012, was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award. In 2022, he released a seventh studio album, titled Black Cuillin. He tours with the Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis's band. He is also a founder member of the folk rock group Wolfstone. He played fiddle for Runrig.
Arthur Cormack is a Scottish Gaelic singer and musician from Portree, Isle of Skye and was educated at Portree High School.
Breabach is a Scottish folk music band formed in 2005. In 2011, they received nominations for ‘Best Group’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They won Scottish Folk Band of the Year in 2012 and Live Act of the Year in 2013 at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
Skerryvore are a Scottish Celtic rock band originally formed by Daniel Gillespie and Fraser West in Tiree, Argyll and Bute in 2000, after the two began playing ceilidh music together at various functions. Named after the Skerryvore lighthouse which lies 12 miles (19 km) off the coast of Tiree, the band have released six studio albums, a compilation album, and a live album. Currently based in Glasgow, Scotland, Skerryvore have toured Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and China. Their earlier work was inspired by the music of their native Scotland. Later influences include rock, pop, jazz, Cajun, and country.
The Story is the fourteenth and final studio album by the Scottish rock band Runrig, released on 29 January 2016 on Ridge Records. The lead single, also titled "The Story", was released in November 2015. To promote the release of the album, a sizeable UK and Europe-wide tour was announced including a trademark Edinburgh Castle summer concert along with headlining the 21st HebCelt Festival on the Isle of Lewis.
Roderick John MacLeod, Lord Minginish, also known as Roddy John, is a Scottish advocate. From 2014 until his retirement in December 2022, he was Chairman of the Scottish Land Court and President of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. He was the first Gaelic-speaking chair of the court.
Sian is a Scottish all-female traditional band who are known for their Gaelic vocal harmonies and celebrating Gaelic songs composed by women. They formed to raise the prominence of work by female Gaelic bards, which might not have received much attention or credit otherwise.
Valtos is an electronic Celtic fusion duo based on the Isle of Skye. Their name comes from the village of the same name, close to Staffin on Skye.
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