The Routes Quartet - AIYF

At the end of July, The Routes Quartet performed a couple of concerts as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. 

We spent a lot of time preparing for these gigs, and put together a number of brand new sets. It was tough going, but we managed it and are delighted with the results! Watch a clip of one of our new sets here. On Wednesday 29th, Emma, Rufus and I drove from Glasgow to Aberdeen. Although we were not due to play at the festival until the next day, we decided to go early, stay with Tricia (who currently lives there) and have a rehearsal.

On Thursday morning we got up bright and early and made our way to the university for a rehearsal with Ceòl Mòr, with whom we were collaborating with at the concert the following night. Ceòl Mòr is a music group which runs every year at the festival, consisting of young adults who come from Scotland, and all over the world to take part. They spend the entire week working hard rehearsing material with the tutors, and this material is performed on the final night. Usually the bill is split between Ceòl Mòr and a folk group, with all participants joining together at the end for a few tunes/songs, and this year Routes had the pleasure of performing with them! The tutors working with the youth group this year were Dave Francis (guitar/song), Hamish Napier (piano), Laura Wilkie (fiddle) and Michael Ferrie (guitar/percussion).

Once we arrived, we were given our parts and lead through the arrangements with the whole group. There were two pieces, The Blue Lamp Suite,  arranged by Gavin Marwick and Jonny Hardie, and a slow air, Days That Are Gone, composed by Bert Murry and arranged by Hamish. The suite consisted of a jig, a strathspey and two reels arranged as a piece. The slow air, was played in the style of Bert Murray, a renowned fiddler from Aberdeen. 

We also joined in with voice in a beautiful rendition of The Northern Lights of Aberdeen, led by Dave. It was a very productive afternoon and quite intense!

After our rehearsal we had to rush off to our gig, which was taking place in Clatt, a village about an hour out of Aberdeen. Due to reasons we are still unsure of, we got hopelessly lost on our way there and had to ask for directions when we got stuck down a dirt track! 
It was all very funny, but we were also getting a little stressed as we were on a tight schedule. The picture on the left was taken in the absolute middle of nowhere, with a bunch of interested cows! After finally getting on the right track, and with a few more mishaps, we made it to our destination. 

We were treated to fantastic hospitality from a local man organising the gig, Lachlan, and his family, and after a wonderful dinner, we made our way to Auld Clatt Kirk (Old Clatt Church), the venue. 

Previously a church, the renovated kirk now holds regular concerts, organised by Lachlan and a committee, and supported hugely by the local people. It was a beautiful, quaint venue within peaceful surroundings. We played two 40 minute sets to a lovely attentive audience, with a break in between. During the break everyone stepped outside for a glass of wine and some shortbread. Luckily the weather was mild that day, so it was a fine evening to be outside! 

We enjoyed the gig immensely, and after our encore we chatted with members of the audience, who were so friendly and encouraging of our music. We really hope to play at the kirk again sometime in the future, and will hopefully be able to include it as part of our album tour next year.
We then made our way back to Aberdeen, without losing our way this time thankfully! Once at our accommodation at Aberdeen University halls, we unloaded our stuff and then made our way to the tutors (Dave, Hamish, Laura and Michael's) flat for a nightcap before turning in.

The next day was another very busy one, with sound-checks and rehearsals all day at The Lemon Tree, which was the venue for that night. After a quick run-through of the two sets with Ceòl Mòr, a sound-check and some dinner, we were ready for the night. The first half consisted of songs and tune sets with Ceòl Mòr. This group has been running for 10 years now and it was a particularly special night, firstly because it was Dave Francis' final year as a tutor, and it was the final year for Ceòl Mòr, as the format of the festival is changing next year.

The group played a range of tunes and songs, rooted in Aberdeenshire tradition, and there was a story or two narrated by Dave, with sound effects from the band; overall a very enjoyable performance. After the break it was time for Routes to perform. We played a 40 minute slot, consisting of seven of our favourite sets. The performance was met with great enthusiasm from the audience and we were delighted with the response. Once our last set was played, we were joined on stage by Ceòl Mòr for the final performance. We really enjoyed the night overall and it was an absolute pleasure to be taking part in the festival.

Our next gig will take place in Stirling, as part of the fringe festival, on September 19th at Cowane's Hospital.