Southside of the Tracks: 40 Years of Traditional Music at the Queen’s Hall, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh ****
“I’ve always wanted to play this hall,” joked accordionist and Scottish folk institution Phil Cunningham, gazing in wonder around the Queen’s Hall. His tongue was in his cheek, of course; Cunningham is a veteran of this venue’s long-standing and very high-quality folk music programme, and as our host for the evening John McCusker pointed out, most of those involved in this ensemble gig to kick off the Queen’s Hall’s 40th anniversary celebrations have played this space more than any other. Still, according to Cunningham, the occasion did reveal one genuine first. “I’ve never played a gig where I’ve been the ‘faither’,” he said, referring to the fact that for the first time he was the oldest among the gathered players. Preparing for the true 40th anniversary of the venue in July, McCusker and Cunningham were joined by a house band which included Michael McGoldrick, Ian Carr and Admiral Fallow’s Louis Abbott.
There were also a number of special vocal guests, and it became apparent... read the full article here.