HAMISH MACLEOD
Breabach (from left, James Lindsay, Ewan Robertson, Megan Henderson, Calum MacCrimmon and Conal McDonagh). On their current tour, Jenna Moynihan is subbing for Henderson.
For the past 20 years, Breabach’s lovely, lively approach has brought traditional Scottish music to the forefront of today’s worldwide Celtic music scene. According to bassist James Lindsay, the band’s goal has “always been to present the tradition authentically, but without being scared of pushing the boundaries a wee bit, bringing in certain different influences and being free enough to mess with the tradition.”
The quintet — which will perform at Roy’s Hall in Blairstown, Oct. 10 — plays a variety of Scottish music: slow, beautiful Gaelic songs, as well as high-energy instrumental tunes for bagpipes or fiddle. Lindsay said band members start with these core elements and then try to take listeners “on a bit of a journey.”
In addition to composing collaboratively, Lindsay said, they also are always “digging through old CD collections and speaking to tradition-bearers as well, because we’re lucky that there’s still some great bearers kicking about that we can go and speak to directly. And there’s a couple of websites. … And it’s amazing stuff to hear. We love dipping into these old resources. It’s very inspiring.”
Lindsay said Breabach, at its heart, is “an acoustic folk band.” That said, on the band’s latest album, Fàs, it brought in light washes of synthesizers. Fàs, which means “to grow” in Gaelic, is built around the theme of “the regrowth and regeneration in the Scottish highlands, particularly of the native woodland,” Lindsay said, noting that three of the bandmates moved to the highlands from the city since the album’s release in 2022.
LIEVE BOUSSAUW
Breabach in concert (from left, Conal McDonagh, Calum MacCrimmon, Megan Henderson, Ewan Robertson and James Lindsay).
The band’s origins go back to 2003, when a group of university students began to play together amid Glasgow’s vibrant traditional music scene. The band’s first official gigs were in 2005, so it will mark its 20th anniversary next year, Lindsay said.
The band’s name is based on the Gaelic word “to kick.” The Scottish bagpiping term “breabach” means to play energetically, like you are kicking the music forward.
While Scottish music is less well-known than Irish traditional music, Breabach has brought it to audiences around the world. In addition to winning awards and playing at Scottish music festivals at home, the band has toured internationally, playing with musicians from across the Celtic diaspora — from the Inter-Celtic Festival of Lorient in Brittany, France, to playing with the band Le Vent du Nord from Quebec.
“A big part of our own development is collaborating with other musicians and meeting other musicians from different genres and cultures,” said Lindsay, who also does session work with jazz ensembles. “We definitely wouldn’t be the band we are now had we not had experiences like that.
“I think across the board, the folk scene is really fluid in Scotland. And in Glasgow particularly, there’s such a big crossover with everything, like dance music, because, at its core, a lot of Scottish folk and trad music is for dancing, so it’s kind of natural that it crosses over with electronic dance music and jazz as well.”
LOUISE BICHAN
JENNA MOYNIHAN
The group’s lineup has changed and expanded, over the years. For the current North American tour, singer and fiddler Megan Henderson, who is on maternity leave, is being replaced by Massachusetts-based Jenna Moynihan, a Berklee College of Music graduate.
“We’ve known Jenna for quite a few years now,” Lindsay said. “She just seemed like a natural stand-in for Megan. We were really delighted that she was up for joining us, because she’s got her Scottish heritage, her fiddle playing, she kind of nails all that stuff, but she’s also a really beautiful singer, and she does her own thing. We wanted to do this tour with Jenna because it would be something different and probably something that we wouldn’t do again. So it’s quite a unique opportunity for us.”
Lindsay noted that Breabach draws a wide array of fans for its shows.
“We get people that are interested in just folk revival music,” he said. “We get people that are into the more historical aspects of it and the nerdiness with the tunes and the piping heritage. And then, especially in Glasgow, we tend to get quite a lot of young musicians coming to our shows, picking up tunes and things like that.
“We try and make our live show as varied and dynamic as possible. If you’re into songs, there’s going to be something for you. If you prefer (instrumental) tunes, that’s in there, or if you like piping or step-dancing. And we do Gaelic and Scot and English songs — it’s quite a broad mix. It’s not piping blasting you in the face all night. That’s definitely a part of the night, but there’s a lot of ebbs and flows and quiet, thoughtful moments as well.”
Breabach will perform at Roy’s Hall in Blairstown, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m.; visit royshall.org.
For more on the band, visit breabach.com.
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