Skerryvore to perform in Redlands, Calif. on Friday

photo courtesy of artist/Tyree Records

When Skerryvore brings some feisty world music to the Redlands Bowl on Friday, it plans to “get the party started,” said singer/guitarist Alec Dalglish. “We do acoustic songs and high energy, electric instrumentals.”

The Glasgow-based band combines traditional Scottish Celtic strains with folk, rock, blues, jazz and Cajun-styled elements. The resulting hybrid sound is like a cross between The Chieftains and Mumford & Sons.

“It helps us stand out among other bands in the general popular music scene” and is something “most wouldn’t expect in a pop/rock context,” Dalglish explained.

Formed in 2005, Skerryvore’s name comes from a lighthouse located off the coast of Tiree, the Westernmost island off mainland Scotland (also mentioned in the 1988 Enya pop hit “Orinoco Flow”). The octet has won the Scots Trad Music Award for Best Live Act twice, while Dalglish received the Scottish New Music Award for Songwriter of the Year.

With several albums that have amassed nearly four million streams, more than 20,000 digital and 70,000 physical sales so far, 2017 saw the release of the “Live Forever” single. It was featured in a Scottish tourism campaign and topped the iTunes World Music chart.

According to Dalglish, last year’s “EVO” album represents “the next part of the evolution in the sound of Skerryvore. It had been a long time since we’d managed to release any new material, so this was our next big step.” Standouts include a sway-worthy "At the End of the Line," the driving pace of "Live Forever" and stirring "Take My Hand."  

The Redlands gig will be a rare Southern California appearance since Skerryvore has mainly played clubs or theaters in the northern part of the state, not to mention notable gigs elsewhere in America such as New York’s Central Park and the Ryder Cup in Louisville.

Back home, the band hosts Oban Live, a music festival that draws thousands of people annually.

Skerryvore
When: 8 p.m. June 28 
Where: Redlands Bowl, 25 Grant St., Redlands, Calif.

For the complete summer music festival schedule, go to redlandsbowl.org

To find out more about that band or purchase music, see skerryvore.com 

A version of this article originally appeared in the summer issue of Redlands Magazine.