‘I’m still just a ceilidh boy at heart’ – Martin Gillespie, Skerryvore
Martin Gillespie (@skerrypiper) is a piper, whistles and accordion player, and founding member of top Scottish Traditional Folk Rock band ‘Skerryvore’ (@skerryvore).
Originally from the Isle of Tiree, Martin was immersed in the ‘West Coast Ceilidh’ tradition from an early age, beginning accordion and bagpipe tuition at the age of 8, winning MOD medals in accordion competitions. He graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with one of the first Traditional Scottish Music degrees.
Skerryvore’s first album, ‘West Coast Life,’ released in 2005, was very much a reflection of their ceilidh origins, although already introducing some of the other influences that have continued to emerge since then.
“Although very different now, all our music still has that traditional ‘feel’ to it. When I’m writing music, I still have to think about the instrumentation and the ‘structure’ of the tune.”
Skerryvore’s newest album, ‘Tempus,’ reached number 1 in the Scottish charts, made the top 40 in the UK chart and is available now.
“When we’re on tour, I just love seeing the audience reaction when we start one of our tune sets. I’m still just a ceilidh boy at heart.”
Skerryvore are in London at Islington Assembly Hall on 23rd November, find out more here.
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