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The Burnsong Songhouse Tour brings artists including King Creosote, Emma Pollock and Future Pilot AKA on the road.
Sing a song of Burns
by Michael Pringle
Should auld acquaintance be forgot...? It is an often overlooked fact that our national poet, Robert Burns wrote over 360 songs during his lifetime.
Next year is the 250th anniversary of Burns’ birth, in preparation for this the Scottish Executive called for a unique way to celebrate his legacy of poetry and song-writing.
Burnsong was launched in January 2005 by the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association. Their aim was to run a six-year, bi-annual initiative to bring through new and undiscovered song writing talent in Scotland.
Ideally, the wide range of themes that inspired the Bard’s song writing should form the basis for the new songs, but they can be inspired by virtually everything. Hundreds of entries are whittled down and the finalists are invited to The Gathering, a residential songwriting course, and to play at the Big Gig on St Andrew’s night.
The songwriting hasn’t been left solely to undiscovered talent though. One of the finalists together with a number of recognised professional artists are then invited into the Songhouse, where they live together for five days writing Burns-inspired songs.
The Burnsong Songhouse Tour now gives the public the chance to hear the music and song created during their stay in the house being performed by the artists themselves.
The touring artists come from an array of musical styles and genres, among those appearing will be King Creosote, Emma Pollock, Future Pilot AKA, MC Soom T and Kim Edgar.
The Burnsong Songhouse Tour starts on 2 May at Byre Theatre, St Andrews and finishes on 12 May at Aberdeen Music Hall.
