DKOS Showcase for 4th Feb 2024 – The Danny’s are :- Noah Scott and Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul. – Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black. – Beatha. – Monique Clare. – Eve Davidson. – Capstan Quartet

Noah Scott and Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul

Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul and Noah Scott met on the Isle of Skye where they are both part of the session scene. Their music takes the unique sound of the clarinet and accordion and combines it with a love of traditional music and song. 

Ciorstaidh’s music is largely influenced by her Gaelic roots as well as extensive classical training. Ciorstaidh is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she studied with distinguished accordionist, Djordje Gajic. In 2021, Ciorstaidh went on exchange studies to Royal Danish Academy of Music where she studied with Geir Draugsvoll and Bjarke Mogensen. In 2019, she was a semi-finalist in the 2019 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional musician of the year, and NAAFC overall senior accordion winner. She regularly performs as a chamber musician, playing at Hidden Doors with Trio RCS and at RCS Plug Festival with six accordions.

Noah is a multi-instrumentalist and composer studying Scottish Traditional music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Noah was awarded Grade 8 Clarinet with Distinction in 2018 but since then, he has focused on developing his own style, steeped in Scottish tradition by using techniques borrowed from wind instruments more common in Scottish Tradition such as the pipes, whistle and flute, and developing his own ornamentation. Noah also loves composing and arranging and was commissioned to write a piece for the National Youth Pipe Band which was performed at Piping Live 2022 and at the Usher Hall in 2023.

Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black

Eleanor and Gregor are a Glasgow-based harp and percussion duo, who met during their postgraduate studies in Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2022. Blending their respective sounds of Scottish clarsach and Irish bodhrán, along with contemporary percussion and vocals, they form a creative new duo. Gregor draws on his background in classical and traditional music to bring interesting and innovative ideas to his playing. Eleanor currently performs with award-winning Irish alt-folk band, Ranagri, who in 2023 toured across Germany, Spain and the UK. The duo are currently writing music for a concept album based on a series of disappearing words from the Irish language, used by older generations of fishermen on the West Coast of Ireland to describe the changeable temperament of the sea.
In 2024 the duo are looking forward to appearin.g at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and as featured artists at Southport’s Love Folk Festival

Beatha

Beatha are a recently formed folk group based in Glasgow. They are multi-instrumentalists who have delved into their Scottish roots to create a modern twist on traditional folk music. They create an energetic atmosphere with a mix of whistle, percussion and piano. Iona Reid, Kenneth McFarlane and Cam Lawson

Monique Clare – Brisbane

Wielding a cello and strikingly crafted vocals, multi award-winning songwriter Monique Clare delivers indie-folk laced with chamber pop. Impactful and emotive, her music embodies the cathartic lyricism of Björk with the rhythmic energy of The Waifs. Driving rhythms collide with heart-tugging harmonies; compelling vocals are woven through intricate cello lines. Her disarmingly candid stage presence is born from years of touring the US, UK, Ireland and Canada with The Maes and playing cello for everyone from Kate Miller-Heidke to Eminem. Her 2022 debut album ‘Sight’ was Contemporary Album of the Year at the Australian Folk Music Awards, also earning a QLD Music Award and Best Music Video at the West End Film Festival. Featured on ABC’s The Music Show, described as a “laudable and overdue debut” by Listening Through The Lens, ‘Sight’ tracks a journey through trauma and pain to growth and love. Monique’s intrepid nature has seen her teach cello in war-torn Afghanistan, lead audiences up a dark mountainside for sunrise concerts, and represent Australia at the World Expo in Dubai. With a smile as wide as the Cheshire cat’s, and an audacious tendency to reveal her deepest secrets onstage, her live show is offbeat and mesmerising

Eve Davidson

Eve Davidson is a singer-songwriter from Fife who has been refining her abilities in songwriting since 2018, releasing her first single ‘Strangers’ in 2020. This release was followed by the singles ‘Locked Away’ and ‘Lies’ and finally releasing her debut EP ‘Ghosts’ in 2022. Since this release, Eve has had the opportunity to play her songs in venues such as King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, the OVO Hydro with Country 2 Country festival, The Hug and Pint, and the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine with FreckFest, and has supported acts such as The Eves, James Grant, Talisk and Kirsten Adamson. Alongside her releases, Eve is studying her Masters degree in Songwriting at UWS after graduating in 2023 with her BA (Hons) in Commercial Music. February 2024 sees the release of the single, ‘Imposter’.

Capstan Quartet

The Capstan Quartet brings together Glasgow based folk musicians Ross Hull, Miguel Girão, Rose Logan and Luc McNally. Formed by Ross and Miguel in the later parts of 2023, they bring traditional tunes and Ross’ self composed material to life with the use of fiddles, guitar and Bouzouki. 
The name was inspired by a nice coincidence: one of the crucial components of reel to reel recording devices (implemented by the likes of Hamish Henderson and Alan Lomax) the capstan, is also a vital element in boats, such as the famous Hector, which played a role in the emigration of numerous Scots to Canada in the late 18th Century. This emigration, in turn, brought their rich culture along with them. It’s nice to think that Capstan is a component of two distinct objects that have both contributed significantly to the evolution and preservation of Scottish traditional music. 
With a deep understanding of folk and traditional music formed from years of experience of working within the Scottish music scene, The Capstan Quartet uses this solid foundation as a platform to extract and showcase the beauty inherent in Scotlands often deceptively simple traditional melodies. With a keen eye for sourcing tunes from archival resources, expect rare traditional melodies intertwined with fresh self composed material.