It’s been a while since my last update on here, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to in 2025 so far. I’ve also given things a bit of a spruce up with new photos from the excellent Laura Meek.
Celtic Connections kicked things off in style as always - this year I played shows with Laura Jane Wilkie, Birdvox and BMX Bandits, with outings for The Kane Gang and Start To End thrown in.
In March there was a lovely gig at Paisley Arts Centre with Hen Hoose and a celebratory evening with Admiral Fallow at Stirling Tolbooth playing our second album live in full.
Spring continued apace with Public Record, a National Theatre Public Acts production for and about the people of Sunderland, featuring a community cast of 100, plus dancers and guest musicians. I was in the house band with Peter and David Brewis (Field Music) and Ross Millard (The Futureheads). See below for a few snaps. Photos 2 and 3 by Luke Waddington.
After this we launched into pre-production and recording for the debut album from Birdvox (a new band with Inge Thomson, Jenny Sturgeon and Charlotte Printer). Watch this space for news on its release…
Then, a bit of time to regroup before a UK tour with Start To End, reprising our Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen shows from earlier in the year. We even made a pilgrimage to McAloon-ville. Photo 3 by Peter Freeth.
July and August brought two gigs with Andrew Wasylyk (in Leith and Stockholm respectively), two with the Kane Gang (Sunderland and Glasgow) and a great couple of weeks teaching for Folkworks Summer Schools and Summer Sessions. The summer came to an end with a beautiful night celebrating the music and legacy of Beldina Odenyo at the Mackintosh Church, Glasgow.
This year has also seen lots of behind-the-scenes work preparing for the release of the next Admiral Fallow album. First Of The Birds will be released on 31st October on Chemikal Underground (pre-order here) and we’re going on tour in November (tickets here). Photos below by Laura Meek and album artwork design by Tom Harrison.
I’m going to do my best to update things a bit more regularly around here! Let’s aim for a pre-Christmas round up… Thanks for reading x