Brian McNeill

(double-bill concert with Stewart Hardy and Frank McLaughlin)

Friday 19 September, 19:00

Gardner Memorial Church

Tickets (see bottom of page)

'Scotland's most meaningful contemporary songwriter' The Scotsman

Brian McNeill’s professional career spans more than three decades and he is acknowledged as one of Scotland’s great musical forces, as a songwriter, composer, producer and musical director, as well as a performer. In 1969, during his student years, he formed the legendary Battlefield Band, one of Scotland’s best known ensembles.

Brian plays fiddle, octave fiddle, guitar, mandocello, bouzouki, viola, mandolin, cittern, concertina, bass and hurdy-gurdy. The importance of his song writing, mostly about Scotland’s past and future, has long been recognised and his works include The Yew Tree, The Lads O’ The Fair, The Snows of France and Holland,  Strong  Women Rule Us All With Their Tears, Any Mick’ll Do and No Gods and Precious Few Heroes.

Brian has two published novels, the first of which, The Busker, came out in 1989. A year later he left the Battlefield Band to concentrate more on writing and solo projects. Since then he has also toured with Dick Gaughan, Clan Alba, Kavana, McNeill, Lynch and Lupari, Martin Hayes, Natalie MacMaster and his old friend Iain MacKintosh.

His audio visual shows, The Back O’ The North Wind, about Scottish emigration to America, and the sequel, The Baltic Tae Byzantium, which explores the influence of the Scots in Europe, have also won wide critical acclaim.

Visit Brian's homepage here