Atlantic Edge Music Services

Heb-Celt Success

7 August 2008

All the Atlantic Edge Music Services artists on the bill at this years Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, enjoyed a fantastically successful time at the event. 

Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seoid opened the festival on Wednesday 16th July in Stornoway's terrific arts centre 'An Lanntair' to a totally sold out audience, in what the festival organisers described as one of their best opening nights ever.

The previous evening the group had also performed a hugely successful concert in the Ullapool village hall en route to the festival itself.

For a review of the opening night gig - Click Here

Read group member Calum Alex MacMillan's appraisal of the gigs in the Stornoway Gazette - Click Here   

For a brilliant interview with Mary Ann - Click Here

For photos from the opening day and night of the festival - Click Here

'Bodega' appeared on the main stage in 'Big Blue', the massive 5000 capacity marquee which houses the main heart of the four day festival, on the final night - Saturday. Also on the bill that evening were Seth Lakeman and Shooglenifty.

For a review of Bodega in Big Blue - Click Here

For a rough and ready video of Bodega live in Big Blue - Click Here

Following on from their early evening appearance on the main stage, 'Bodega' then went on to the festival club in An Lanntair and played a short but storming set to what can only be described an already fully committed Bodega festival audience.

For photos from festival Saturday - Click Here

Over and above these two more formal festival appearances, a group of young Shetland musicians, loosely entitled the 'Shetland Sessions', took part in a whole range of events throughout the festival including collabrative sessions, concerts, festival club appearances and live radio broadcasts.

For a clip of the Shetland sessioneers in action in MacNeill's pub in Stornoway - Click Here

Gemma Donald (fiddle) Maggie Adamson (fiddle) Ross Couper (fiddle) Victoria Laurenson (accordion) and Marianne Couper (piano) were perhaps some of the hardest working musicians at the festival, appearing at events on all four days - sometimes several times a day.

The Shetland Sessions are available for other festival bookings - anywhere, anytime!!! 

Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seoid, Bodega, all those involved in the Shetland Sessions and Davie Gardner of Atlantic Edge Music Services would like to thank Caroline MacLennan and all the team at the Heb-Celt for an utterly fantastic time at their festival.

Can we all come back again soon please???