Drove to Arisaig on a beutiful evening for the gig. Discovered at
last where Astley Hall was. I have driven past it loads of times
throughout the years without realising it was the village hall. Had
been rushing as usual and my other half said "it's o.k. they never
start on time" and sure enough he was right. The gig was due to
start at 8pm and just after 5 past eight the organiser looked into
the hall and said she was just going to find out where they were.
She thought they were still having their dinner!!!
Very soon afterwards Duncan and Ivan came on stage each with a glass
of red wine. Duncan said it was always good to be in Arisaig and
this was about the 12th night of their tour. they had been in
Portree the previous night and the weather had been lovely----not.
Ivan started by playing a tune I had never heard before then Duncan
joined in and they went into Piper and the Shrew and another few
sets of tunes. Ivan then told the 500 year old love story of The
Viking Bride how she met her fiancee at a disco in Oslo and instead
of him taking a cheap flight to Orkney for the wedding he decided to
sail over in a wee boat which unfortunately sunk and he drowned.
Then into another set of tunes most of which I recognised but don't
know the names of however they were all lovely catchy toe tapping
tunes and it was great to hear new sets being played.
Duncan then spoke about how people always seemed to miss Scotland
even if they had only been away for a couple of days and went on to
talk about Johnny Cunningham and how Johnny had been an inspiration
to him when he was growing up. He said Johnny had lived in America
for most of his adult life and told the story which I'm sure most of
you will have read or heard about Johnny eating the pie in the cold
shower. He then said he was going to play Night In That Land which
he thought was Johnny's missing Scotland tune. Then Ivan sang
Rolling Home another missing Scotland tune. Ivan said Duncan usually
sang this one along with him. He asked the audience to sing the
chorus with him and during the song Ivan could be heard saying
lovely. I wonder if he always says that.
Then it was leaving Stoer. Duncan said the night they played there
he asked the organiser how many were expected at the gig and she
told him approximatel 73. This is one of my favourite tunes it
really is beautiful. Duncan also said that the next day on the way
home from Stoer to Inverness they passed through a wee village
called Knocking and there was a shop in Knocking but they didn't
stop. Ivan added they drove quickly past as they were only young at
the time, well Duncan was anyway.
Duncan told the story of the lullaby written on the bagpipes by one
of his Spanish friends for his three year old daughter Gail to try
and get her to sleep but it didn't work. He then played the lovely
Anada Pa Gael.
Ivan said Duncan had kept nagging him to bring the next song in to
the setlistHe had recorded it on his first album Homeland. Duncan
said aye in the 50's 1958 (I never realised Ivan had been such a
talented baby!!) Duncan then said the song had beautiful sentiments
which is an excellent description of the lyrics of I Will Be There.
Ivan said they had been on a long tour and he had had to listen to
Duncan being cheeky about him every night of it so far. He was
threatening to leave Duncan to tour with like minded people. Ivan
then said the song was available on a 78rpm record. He added that if
people felt like tapping their toes or clapping along to feel free
to do so but not during this song as it would spoil it. So what
happened during the song someone burst a balloon. Ivan never
flinched that I noticed but Duncan was laughing.  After that they
played another toe tapping set and it was breaktime.
Ivan said they had some c.d's and things for sale. The things turned
out to be the jewellary his wife makes!! Duncan picked up his
untouched glass of wine, Ivan had had a few sips of his and said
Ivan had bought him it but he didn;t know what to do with it.
It was such a lovely evening we went outside at the interval and it
was very pleasent standing chatting until the midges started to bite.
The second half started with Ivan playing The Grey Funel Line. Then
another one of my favourites Song For Yesterday. Duncan then talked
about a weeks recording in San Sebastian the city that ever sleeps
just like Mallaig which caused a laugh (Mallaig is only a few miles
away from Arisaig)He said it had been hard but enjoyable work and
they had finished and had a very good night out getting home around
7am. They hardly had time to get into their beds when Phil
Cunningham phoned them all to say he had just composed a lovely tune
and could they all go to the studeo to record it before he forgot
it. The tune was The Gentle Light That Wakes Me which Duncan said
wasn't true as he hadn't been to sleep. Then I think it was another
set, the one that starts with Brogans which is on the Lewis Blue but
goes into a different tune from the one on the album. I am used to
it now and don't expect the one I know and really like from the
album.
Duncan then told the story of being stuck for two hours in a traffic
jam during a heatwave in Spain with their Spanish agents the Barrell
brothers who chain smoked. Duncan said he nearly lost the will to
live it was so uncomfortable but Ivan is so laid back he just stayed
calm and read a book then he said he had an idea for a tune and
wrote the beautiful El Caballo Blanco with had nearly been called
Loch Stock and Two Smoking Barrells!! Next was a set that started
with Clueless. Have to say they didn't play Clueless for as long as
they usually do. Then they were having a great discusion which was
about the first time they had spoken to each other on stage and
Duncan said he was going to try to play a tune he hadn't played in
years, Ivan apparently had never heard it before but said he would
try and join in anyway, needless to say it was great. It is always
good to hear them play different things. Ivan sang The Orkney Anthum
which is beautiful and another one of my favourites. I love the bits
where the fiddle comes in. I think I must have went into a wee dream
during this song as it seemed to pass so quickly. I think Duncan
then played the lovely Mangersta Beach then into another set and
that was it over. They went off and as always the crowd kept
clapping and cheering until they came back on. Duncan said they were
coming back on anyway and then he started talking about a tune he
thought when he fisrt heard it came from Eastern Europe but wich
actually came from Northumberland but he had been half right as that
was the East. He then talked about Wolfstone being asked to go to
Kazakhstan in 1996 by the British Council and that that really was
East and that one member of the band had never been further East
than Elgin before that. They then played Bonnie at Morn then into a
great very fast toe tapping set and that was it over. A really great
night by the pair as always. I don't know how they do it but every
time I hear them they are getting better and better.

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