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By Fred Silver, Events Monthly Stornoway.

Julie Fowlis at An Lanntair, Stornoway, Friday March 9th.

The sold-out sign went up at An Lanntair several days before musical sensations Julie Fowlis and Jenna Reid appeared on stage just after 8pm on
Friday March 9. Given the prodigious talents involved, and the publicity surrounding the launch of Julie’s second album Cuilidh a week earlier in
Glasgow and Carinish, North Uist, this demand for tickets was no real surprise.

Latecomers to the ticket desk hung on hopefullly at the end of their phones as the waiting list expanded and then contracted as last-minute calloffs
allowed those tardy folk to take their places for one of the best performances in recent years.

It is not hard to believe that Julie has been performing in public for as long as she can remember, nor that her songs come straight out of a rich tradition to which she is the immensely worthy heir. She is completely at ease with her material, the audience and her fabulous line-up of musicians, which varies from show to show according to who is available, although Eamon Doorley, the bouzouki/fiddle player with the Irish group Danú, is ever-present.

This show was part of her longest tour and if you talk to her she reiterates time and again how kind audiences have been throughout this tour and earlier performances. However, it is scarcely a difficult challenge for listeners to be appreciative of such a fantastic voice and stage presence which has
wowed people from Carinish to London and beyond in recent years.

Her skills make Gaelic music accessible to anyone – knowing what the words mean is not the most important. After all, few people know what makes up a good violin or guitar but they know when it sounds good! It was therefore no surprise that the Stornoway audience demanded an encore with great enthusiasm and would have tried for another one if someone had not put all the auditorium lights on!

Julie and Jenna, an outstanding performer in her own right, are already well-known for their work with all-girl band Dòchas who performed at last year’s
Hebridean Celtic Festival – but Julie has made her mark at UK national level as well, with Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe describing her singing as “enchanting, beguiling, and fascinating as songs by Kate Bush and Björk”, while the Daily Telegraph said “Fowlis could be the first Scottish Gaelic crossover star in the making”.

Julie had a remarkable year in 2006 when she became the first Scottish Gaelic singer to win a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk award, the Horizon award for Best British Newcomer. Eight months later she found herself nominated in the same awards as folk singer of the year! Since the release of her debut album Julie has played every major festival in Britain, and showcased in Texas and New York. She was also voted Gaelic Singer of the Year 2005 at the Scots Trad Music Awards, and was Winner of the International Pan Celtic Sean-Nós (Old Style) singing competition 2004.

Just as Julie grew up amongst a wealth of songs, tunes and musical instruments, Jenna grew up immersed in the Shetlands rich fiddle tradition. At the age of nine, she began to learn the fiddle, soon becoming a prominent prize-winner in the ‘Shetlands Young Fiddler of the Year Competition’ . By the age of 14 she had won both the intermediate and open sections of this annual competition.

Jenna has also performed since she was young. Under the direction of mum, Joyce, Jenna along with Sister Bethany and friend Gemma Wilson, played
together since a young age and in 1995, as Filska, they released their debut album, entitled ‘Harvest Home’. This was to be followed in 1998 with their
second release, ‘Time and Tide’. It was this album that saw Filska begin to make a name for themselves not only in Scotland but throughout
Europe and beyond. Their success saw them play to audiences in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, France, Canada and the US.

Jenna released her debut solo album ‘With Silver & All’ in 2004. She was voted Best Newcomer at the Scottish Traditional Music awards 2005-2006 and has gone on to perform at several events around the world. Hailing from Shetland her unique fiddle playing has earned her a reputation as one of the
most innovative young musicians to emerge from Scotland in recent years.

It was Jenna who completed the line up of all girl group, ‘Dòchas’. After releasing their debut album in 2002, this 5 piece band from the Highlands and
Islands went from strength to strength, appearing in Ireland, Scotland, Europe and the US as part of traditional music festivals.

This performance at An Lanntair was brought to the Highlands as part of the Tune Up touring scheme, which assists artists to tour in rural areas. A
Scottish Arts Council and National Lottery initiative, it has seen many tours come to the Highlands over the past three years.