Smallpipes and guitar duo tour the UK in autumn 2024

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Scottish musicians Donald WG Lindsay and Alasdair Roberts have been friends for thirty years, since their teenage days. In these three decades, their careers in music have taken then down differing yet similarly unorthodox and complementary paths, and they’ve continued to make a lot of music together, usually informally. They’ve only rarely appeared together in concert, but in autumn 2024 they will remedy this state of affairs with their first duo tour.

Donald WG Lindsay is best known as the creator of the ‘Lindsay System’ three-octave keyless chanter for the Scottish smallpipes, as played by him on the critically acclaimed album History of Sleep recorded in collaboration with Glasgow experimental legend Richard Youngs. Donald is a former convenor of the Lowland and Border Pipers Society, with which he has a long association. Although a traditional singer since his teens, Donald has rarely ventured onto the stage as a vocalist, although he has recorded sporadically. In late 2020 he received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music from Iggy Pop, who described his music as “…beautifully played… the whole record is really good.”

Alasdair Roberts is primarily known as a singer, guitarist, writer of songs and interpreter of traditional songs from Scotland and beyond. Since the nineties he has released several albums, mostly on the Drag City label, variously acclaimed both by aficionados of traditional song and experimental music. He has toured extensively in Scotland and worldwide. A keen collaborator, Alasdair has worked with many fellow musicians and practitioners from other disciplines including theatre, film, poetry and puppetry. He is a member of the folk quartet The Furrow Collective and the cult underground group Current 93.

For their duo tour, Donald and Alasdair will present a programme featuring a rich variety of pipe tunes with guitar accompaniment, as well as a broad selection of songs both traditional and original. The pipe tunes bring together a diverse range of influences, from Scots fiddle tunes (Donald’s elder brother’s fiddling being an early influence), by way of Hungarian and Romanian pipe music, to classic and contemporary Highland piping and Lowland, Border and Northumbrian tunes. The songs range from variants (some rare, some more well-known) of traditional ballads or ‘muckle sangs’, to songs from the Scots lyrical tradition from the early modern period onwards, to contemporary songs written by both Alasdair and Donald.

In the company of Donald WG Lindsay and Alasdair Roberts, listeners can expect a thrilling evening in which rare and splendid gems of Scottish musical history and tradition will be brought to life in the hands of two unconventional masters, who invite you to join them in celebrating thirty years of music and, just as importantly, friendship!

Donald WG Lindsay & Alasdair Roberts Photo: Maud Hewlings

Autumn Tour 2024

September

  • 4th ORKNEY Cromarty Hall
  • 5th PAPAY Kelp Store
  • 7th WICK Mackays Hotel
  • 8th GOLSPIE Stag’s Head
  • 11th OBAN Corran Halls
  • 12th INVERARAY Inveraray Inn
  • 13th GLASGOW Hug & Pint
  • 14th LONDON Hundred Years Gallery
  • 15th NOTTINGHAM Peggy’s Skylight
  • 18th EDINBURGH Summerhall
  • 19th PORTSOY Salmon Bothy
  • 20th ABERDEEN Blue Lamp
  • 21st DUNDEE Wighton Centre (am)
  • 21st STIRLING Tolbooth (pm)

November

  • 18th FALMOUTH Cornish Bank
  • 19th DARTINGTON Dartington Hall
  • 21st BRIGHTON Komedia
  • 22nd SHEFFIELD Bishops’ House
  • 23rd BARROW Holy Trinity Church
  • 24th KIRKCALDY Peak Physique
  • 28th MONTROSE Pisky Sessions

www.donaldwglindsay.com

www.alasdairroberts.com