Saturday 23rd June 8pm £8/£6

Before long it will be midsummer.  It’s sure to be a long balmy night and with the sound of The Gillyflowers drifting through the air, you won’t be able to stop yourself steppin out for a bit of a dance at Letham Village Hall…

The Gillyflowers are lead by hard-wired and intrinsic talent, Kirsten Adamson. Spending time in Nashville with dad Stuart Adamson of Big Country, at the tender age of 12 Kirsten recognised that her particular song writing style was ‘a little more country’ than a girl from Scotland’s should be.

Moving around so much as a child also landed Kirsten in Orlando for a while where she developed much of her live experience and, having served her ‘apprenticeship,’ became a guest vocalist for Big Country both live and on the album Driving To Damascus.

Now 26 and living in Edinburgh, she has just finished writing her first album and has been lucky enough to meet 6 like minded individuals with talent and passion for her music. The band have just finished recording their first album in Edinburgh with producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ali Moniak, which will be due for release summer 2012.

”The Gillyflowers have a growing following, and have in Kirsten Adamson a Dolly Partonesque country singer of poise and mighty ability.” David Pollock – The Scotsman

”With Adamson’s voice and acoustic guitar lent harmonic weight by two similarly apparelled female back-up singers, several examples of wild-flower discreetly adorn the stage. Both lend a showbiz dash to an already tight-knit and well-turned-out combo.” Neil Cooper -The Herald

“See them while you can still see the whites of their eyes. If your heart doesn’t melt, ask your doctor for a transplant.” Ed -17 Seconds Records

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Having sold out faster than any previous show, Letham Nights #23 on April 21^st promised to be a great night and it didn’t disappoint.  After Mike F had completed the in gig safety demonstration and introductions, Xander Duffy came on for the first slot of the night.

This was Xander’s third visit to Letham Nights and his unique style of cover versions and original compositions (often in the same song) was as fresh as ever.  He quickly won over the crowd with an impassioned performance and drew loud cheers and foot stamping following his tributes to Amy Winehouse and an impressive Whitney Houston medley.  I feel the vocal acrobatics at the end of “I Will Always Love You” might even have been assisted by the lady herself.

One swift stage changeover later and The Boston Tea Party took the stage.  Drawing from the rich seam of late ‘60’s blues-rock, these guys unleashed a string of classic songs by artists such as Muddy Waters, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers and Bob Dylan.  Into this they also mixed their own excellent compositions and played throughout with stacks of skill and drive.  The crowd loved this set and gave Reuben and the guys a rousing welcome to Letham Nights.  They will be invited back!

Another quick change and Anderson, McGinty, Webster, Ward & Fisher (AMWWF) squeezed themselves and a huge array of instruments onto the stage.  Having had some stunning reviews from recent gigs and lots of local and national exposure on local radio and press (not to mention the now classic session on Tenement TV), their reputation preceded them and we knew we would not be disappointed.  From the opening chord to the final encore it was a great performance with a huge dynamic range of whispering ballads to thundering climaxes sometimes in the same song.  Talent and charisma ooze from every one of these guys and the performance was a great showcase for their songs, playing and stage presence.  Instruments were swapped continuously but unobtrusively between the band, and the lead singing passed from one player to another seamlessly, giving new meaning to the term virtuosity.  Songs from the new album like ‘Poor John’, the burlesque ‘Agony’ and the beautiful lullaby ‘Jessica’ were mixed with songs we can only hope will appear on the next album like the rollicking ‘Sally Brown’, ‘Boo Hoo’ and a stunning encore of ‘Hold Still’.  The compositions were strong and memorable, played with passion and perfection and left the crowd shouting and stamping for more until the very last minute of the night.  It’s just too much talent for one band and what a privilege to have had them play for us

You might just be able to get a ticket for their show at the Reading Rooms in Dundee on 5th May.  If not you will catch them at one of the many Festivals over the summer, notably the Big Tent at Falkland.  A grateful Big Tent promoter happened to be at this Letham Nights and lost no time in booking them after the show!

Letham Nights’ own warm and friendly bar, staffed by volunteers giving freely of their time and bringing to you a fine array of drinks and snacks beautifully presented and served with a loving smile and a cheery bit o’ banter.  As far as possible, in keeping with the Letham Nights ethos of living lightly on the land, we source all of our drinks and snacks from local suppliers, particularly Luvians bottle shop and always try to offer you a range of local, organic or fair trade beers, wines and soft drinks.

Enjoy, clap… and tipple!

Hello to one and all!

Some of you I have already met and some others may recognise me from wee gigs I’ve done at Letham Nights already. I also featured with Herbert The Tortoise in the recent Prezi for The Observer 50 Radicals. I have since been invited to join the LN committee.

Following our first committee meeting proper last Saturday it has been decided that amongst my duties will be the spreading of the word south of the Forth. With this in mind I set out this afternoon with my stash of posters and a good swedge of blu-tac (other brands of sticky wad are available of course).

I’m really looking forward to seeing The Banana Sessions and Amy Raynor in a couple of weeks. I’ll also be on the lookout for fresh talent in Edinburgh with future LN bookings in mind so please get in touch if you’ve got the  licks, riffs and/or chops.

Make sure you check these guys out on 3rd March. It’s gonna be mega!

Mick

Who knew?!  When we started up Letham Nights our aim was to provide a stage for local talent, but who knew this would happen….

Local residents of Letham and Monimail Parish, Lynne Harvie and Donald Dallas have been so inspired by Letham Nights that they have put together their own band along with friends Martin Kotlewski and John Arthur and will play their first gig as support to The Banana Sessions and Amy Rayner at Letham Nights #23 on Saturday 3rd March at Letham Village Hall.  Lynne has been a regular devotee of Letham Nights since its inception in 2008 missing only 2 of the previous 22 gigs.  But this time she decided to take things several steps further. Firstly, she wrote a song about Letham Nights – Letham Blues.  And as if that wasn’t enough, she began practising it secretly with local historian, teacher and guitarist, Donald Dallas.  Before they knew it, two other musician friends, Martin and John, came on board to form a 4-piece band – the Letham Lullaboys – and they approached the Letham Nights team about making their debut.

This was too good an opportunity to turn down! We set up Letham Nights to provide a stage for local talent and you can’t get much more local than Lynne and Donald!  We are delighted that Letham Nights has inspired them to make music.  We have had a sneak preview and people will not be disappointed!”

Lynne and the Letham Lullaboys will take to the Letham stage for their first live performance at Letham Nights #23 on 3rd March 2012 at 8pm. They will be followed by NE Fife singer songwriter Amy Rayner and then the magnificent The Banana Sessions.

Surely you are not going to miss this….?!!!

Use the details oppposite to book your ticket.

Michael

Saturday 19th November will be

Letham Nights #21…

Letham Nights has come of age!  And we have in store for you our first proper SUPERGROUP, the amazing Sandford City Rockers.

The Sandford City Rockers are no ordinary band but a coming together of some of Scotland’s finest musicians from some of our greatest rock and pop bands of the 80′s and 90′s.  They are:  Ken McCluskey and David McCluskey of The Bluebells and The McCluskey Brothers, Douglas MacIntyre of Love and Money (and CEO of Indy Label, Creeping Bent), Campbell Owens of Aztec Camera and The Leopards, Andy Alston of del Amitri and Mick Slaven of Deacon Blue, del Amitri and the Leopards.

Formed after a marathon 19 hour jam session in an illicit shebeen in the village of Sandford, Lanarkshire, The Sandford City Rockers initially came into being to raise money for charity. ‘We need to help the kids, man’ said founder member Douglas MacIntyre. The other members agreed, and the ones who couldn’t talk raised a thumb to show that they were down with this plan. The SCR were ready for action!

The band have now done several gigs to raise money for research into Downs Syndrome and proceeds from the event will go to Downs Syndrome International.

The band will be supported on the night by Doonwatter Bros.  Prepare to be rocked!

This is no ordinary gig so in keeping with the stature of the musicians, tickets will be £10/ £7.50 concessions.  To book see contact details opposite.

After a “summer” break we started to look towards the Letham Nights triple header that was to take place on the 13^th August. We had been contacted by David Latto for a chance to play (check this link for a free download of a new recording!). He had attended a show last year and was impressed. Chloe Hall, a Letham Nights favourite, had intimated that she and Silas Palmer were to be touring the UK in the summer. Adriana Spina contacted us 18 months ago expressing her interest in the Letham Nights experience. Adriana was touring her new album “Never Coming home” this summer. So, it was easy then! All the players were on board, the will was there and the venue was waiting……Ah, but was it?

A little local difficulty…

Oops!  A minor detail had been left out – booking the hall!  Wouldn’t you know it was the same day as the Letham village Annual Flower Show – one of the biggest days in the year for the Hall and the local community.  Undaunted, and with the blessing of the Flower Show Committee, we decided to go ahead anyway realising it would be a monumental task to turn the hall round from a Flower and Produce Show so quickly to the quietly understated ambience that Letham Nights has become known for. On the day the team were on hand to help with the flower show tidy up and we were grateful to the flower show people who helped with the Letham Nights set up. Good work everybody! Geoff the sound man hot tailed it from Glen Elg where he was playing a gig in the afternoon.  With people beginning to queue outside, sound checks were completed by the skin of our teeth. We heaved a sigh of relief and the show got under way.

The David Latto Band (David and Gavin Brady) started their set with “Wait a Minute” and “Black Horse” before delivering a beautiful “3000 miles from Nashville” the story of the shy and retiring Shetlander Thomas Frazer who was recently inducted into the Nashville Hall of Fame, talked about in the same breath as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. “15”, “Wooden Heart”, and “Alcohol and Pills” from the newly released EP “3000 From Nashville” along with “A song you will never hear” and “Byway man” were amongst the fantastic set that David and Gavin played. There was even an encore…for the support…fantastic…The whole audience had a sense that they had just listened to an incredible performance from the David Latto Band. The guitar arrangements and vocal harmonies were truly beautiful.  A strength of voice and assured confidence with the songs were what I picked up from this performance.

After a very short break Chloe and Silas graced the stage. Chloe introduced each song with warmth, joy, sadness and humour (not all at the same time). Chloe and Silas played from the newly released “Spring Hill” album “Love songs, dedications and requests”, “Tax Office Love Song”, “Worst House” and a song with a story everyone will recognise “Third Drawer Down”, throwing in “Dance with me”, “White Street” and “I’m Still Here” from the “Outside and “White Street” albums. The addition of the gentle harmonies and the stripped back fiddle playing Silas gave to the mix was a superb backdrop to Chloe’s beautiful songs. The songs have a resonance in truth, love, humour and vulnerability. During the set Chloe asked if any one had a request, obviously some audience members who had been enthralled last year expressed their wishes and “Shipwreck” was delivered. Chloe and Silas were enthusiastically called back to do an encore as well. One couple I spoke to had driven up from Berwick. They had seen The Chloe Hall Trio last year and were determined to see them again no matter what. I was sitting with Andrew Watson, guitar player with the Adrianna Spina Band who said to me “I wouldn’t mind it at all if I were to sit here all night listening to this calibre of music.” Adriana, with a twinkle in her eye said “Thanks for putting us on after Chloe and David….no pressure!!” Bass player Mark Fleming said, “This is a brilliant thing you’ve got going here, really unique with a fantastic atmosphere, I’ve never played a venue like this in years of gigging”.

A break allowed the audience, who had been captivated by the show so far, to top up their drinks, chat, meet new people and generally reflect on the show so far. There was a lovely buzz in the room. The Clap and Tipple Bar was pretty busy as usual.

Adriana and her band took to the stage and opened by acknowledging the quality of the preceding acts. Her show started off with a couple of songs from the “Never Coming Home” album, “The Hardest Thing” and “A Thousand Lives”. These songs were a different groove and when Adriana played “Two Steps” and “Fire in me” solo, she had the crowd completely with her. The band returned on stage and “Faces”, “Let You Fall”, “Jeannie” and “Aisha” were delivered with gusto. Adriana and the band did not disappoint us, the quality of the songs along with her very tight band showed through. Despite not having played with the band for over a year, the stand in drummer didn’t miss a beat (scuse the pun!). No wonder they got rave reviews from the Belladrum Festival and Celtic Connections. The set finished with the rocking “Way Down”: foot stomping was the order of the night and another encore demanded. Adriana invited David, Gavin, Chloe and Silas to join them on stage for a rousing and triumphant rendition of “The Weight” by the Band, ably supported by most of the audience.  A great end to a great night!

And of course, thank you to everyone who contributed to the impromptu raffle for the Alzheimers Society which raised £111!

…if you missed it but wished you hadn’t and…

…if you can’t wait until he gets into the studio to record all those great new songs…

…then here is a wee taster, FREE, on Pledgemusic, ‘Just Another Fool’

Download it now!!

Chloe and Silas give a big shout out to Letham Nights in their latest Show on the Road clip…

“The nicest, funniest people you’ll ever meet”  Yeah, we love you too!