Inverness will resonate to the sound of music over the next few days as an eclectic mixture of some of the best-known musicians, hailing from all corners of the country, descend on the city.
It starts tonight with a concert featuring a band which some people thought were a flash in the pan – The Stranglers – who are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary with a ruby tour which includes a date at The Ironworks, Inverness.
Very few bands survive to celebrate their 40th anniversary, and even fewer bands have a history, indeed a notoriety, to compare with the band who emerged from various blues, jazz and classical movements to become figureheads of punk, before establishing themselves as one of the most revered alternative bands of the last four decades.
To commemorate this huge achievement, The Stranglers are embarking on a major world tour, and have planned a comprehensive series of anniversary re-issues, rarities and collectors’ items, details of which will be revealed at a later date.
The band, once regarded as enfants terrible and quintessentially anti-establishment, are now pillars of the establishment who played at the 2012 6Music Proms at the Albert Hall with a full orchestra.
With the chance to hear some of their classic hits such as Golden Brown, Strange Little Girl and Always the Sun played live, The Stranglers continue to be regarded as one of the most exciting, credible and influential bands to have emerged from the British new-wave scene.
The band will be supported by Nine Below Zero and doors at the Academy Street venue open at 7pm tonight. Contact 0871 7894173.
Tomorrow night, it’s echoes of Celtic music that can be heard at Eden Court Theatre, when Callum Stewart and Heikki Bourault play a gig to coincide with the release of their second album, Hunter’s Moon, which has been receiving great critical acclaim.
Callum, from Moray, plays the Uilleann Pipes and wooden flute, while Heikki, from Brittany, plays the guitar, and together they are regarded as leading instrumentalists who weave together old melodies with inspiring new musical ideas.
Their concert starts at 7.30pm tomorrow, February 28. Contact 01463 234234 for details.
The Ironworks will have a party atmosphere on Sunday night when The Orchestra – members of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and The Electric Light Orchestra Part II – take to the stage.
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) began when three members of the 60s band The Move created ELO as a side project in 1970.
They envisioned a hybrid rock/orchestral group with a sound that picked up where The Beatles had left off on songs like I Am the Walrus.
The band, who had no fewer than 18 members over the years contributing to its distinctive sound, were a massive success in the 70s and 80s with hits such as Can’t Get It Out of My Head and Telephone Line, which guaranteed them a place as one of the most important bands in the history of rock.
In the 1980s, original members Bev Bevan, Mik Kaminski, Kelly Groucutt and Lou Clark reconvened the group as ELO Part II and they continued to wow audiences around the world.
In 2000, ELO’s only drummer for 30 years, Bev Bevan, announced his retirement and, with him no longer in the lineup, the band continued as The Orchestra and have played sellout shows ever since.
The Orchestra are in concert this Sunday, March 2, with doors opening at 7.30pm.
Across the city, there’s another party taking place, one that is full of Irish charm and spirit. Eden Court Theatre welcomes The Irish House Party, Dublin’s award-winning music and dance show.
It features a selection of All Ireland Champion musicians, great banter and some excellent Irish dancing that gives audiences a taste of the Emerald Isle.
Irish music and dance shows often conjure up images of flat caps, waistcoats and comely maidens dancing at the crossroads but this show aims to create an Irish experience in a homely setting, which creates a different theatregoing experience.
The show has been produced by Declan Quinn and Gerry Nolan, who also star in it.
Like many traditional musicians in Ireland, they’ve been to numerous house parties and felt it was time to bring this great experience to the stage.
Audiences can experience it themselves from 8pm this Sunday, March 2. Contact 01463 234234.
Meanwhile, it has just been announced that The Levellers will play a string of dates across the north of Scotland and the Highlands and islands this July with shows in Aberdeen, Wick, Orkney and Shetland, with tickets going on sale at 10am tomorrow.