0:00:01 > 0:00:03Moran taing, agus oidhche mhath.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Since their formation 30 years ago, Capercaillie have become
0:00:10 > 0:00:14one of the most influential bands in Scottish traditional music.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17They have taken their music all over the world,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19influenced a new generation of musicians,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21and broadened the appeal and awareness
0:00:21 > 0:00:23of Gaelic culture immeasurably.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25They've sold over a million albums,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27had the first Gaelic song in the UK top 40,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and have provided music for numerous TV series,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32and even Hollywood movies.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35You always try and go on a journey, musically,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38try and find places you haven't been,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and, certainly, that's always true of a Capercaillie record.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47I think when we started this journey,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52I thought we were just on some wee tirravie, you know,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and it would come to an end.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I thought, you know, we're just having some fun here, this is great.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08The ingredients that go into the cake that is Capercaillie
0:01:08 > 0:01:10are just stunning.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Donald always had his musical colours nailed to the mast
0:01:18 > 0:01:21in that it was identifiably Scottish music.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I think we broke up once...
0:01:27 > 0:01:30..and then we went out and had a session and reformed.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52Thank you, Stornoway!
0:01:54 > 0:01:57SHE SINGS
0:02:12 > 0:02:16ACCORDION ACCOMPANIES
0:02:42 > 0:02:45When they first took to the stage in Taynuilt, husband and wife duo
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson could never have imaged what lay ahead.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I want to find out if this piano still works
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Oh, aye.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Because this piano was there the very first time
0:02:54 > 0:02:56we played Capercaillie,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and I remember Joany had to tune the fiddle up to even get close to it.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Is that when you lost your temper at me and Shuna
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and stamped on your flute?
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- I would never do that. - On your whistle?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13You did, cos we started giggling in the middle of it,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and you took your whistle out your mouth and stamped on it in a rage.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Are you saying I take things too seriously?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20SHE LAUGHS
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Nothing's ever changed!
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Let's see what this is like.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25HE PLAYS THE PIANO
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Ah, beautiful!
0:03:32 > 0:03:33SHE BEGINS TO SING
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Amazing!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Ha! Gorgeous!
0:03:44 > 0:03:50Last time I played this was Hogmanay, Millennium Hogmanay.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51- And...- Ah, it was.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I ended up in a fight with a banjo player,
0:03:54 > 0:03:55which was not for the first time.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58That's right, I remember it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03And, actually, we were here for your parent's anniversary party.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Yeah, but you wouldn't have been here the first time
0:04:07 > 0:04:09that Capercaillie played here.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13What?! You mean there was life before me?
0:04:13 > 0:04:17That's when we were the real cult status of the instrumental line-up,
0:04:17 > 0:04:24but the first time we played here was with Martin and Joany and Shaun
0:04:24 > 0:04:28at the Ceilidh, and I don't think
0:04:28 > 0:04:33they liked us very much, actually.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- Too loud?- Well, too many chords.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Even in the band's early days in the '80s,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42they were not afraid to follow their own musical path,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46but they were very much out on their own with their sympathetic
0:04:46 > 0:04:48but contemporary arrangement of traditional Gaelic songs.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53What's different about 20-30 years ago is the whole scene's changed
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and it's really vibrant and there's hundreds of bands
0:04:57 > 0:04:59out there playing traditional music.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'I'd like to think that we were always quite cautious with
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'what we did with the material, that we did treat it with respect'
0:05:11 > 0:05:13cos it is a very precious commodity that we're working with.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15We've always been very aware of that.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Capercaillie has seen a number of line-up changes
0:05:21 > 0:05:24since Donald and Karen formed the group in Oban High School.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Let's just try the first verse for a second.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The current band are in the studio putting the finishing touches
0:05:31 > 0:05:34to their new album, The Heart Of It All.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It's been five years since the band's last album, Roses and Tears,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and this new album features the band's trademark arrangements
0:05:42 > 0:05:44of traditional Gaelic song.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47What we really wanted to do was just get down to the basics
0:05:47 > 0:05:51of the songs, a lot of these songs are very old,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56very traditional, and get down to the source of the song
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and trying and make it work best for Karen to perform.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14You cannot go out and play the same music over and over again.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19You have to go into the studio every couple of years and make new music.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24SHE SINGS
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'You feel like the song sometimes is actually coming through you,'
0:06:44 > 0:06:47you're just a vehicle for this thing that's happening,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51this amazing, especially with Gaelic music, this amazing thing
0:06:51 > 0:06:55that happens to you and you're just giving it out to the people.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Music was all around a young Donald growing up in Taynuilt,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22ten miles south of Oban.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Parents Paddy and Libby were a big influence
0:07:27 > 0:07:30with his father's love of the accordion having it's effect.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Neither father nor son have lost any of their enthusiasm
0:07:33 > 0:07:36for the instrument, as Donald shows off his new box.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Probably about the same weight as the....
0:07:41 > 0:07:44HE PLAYS
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Donald's parents continue to play in a dance band,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51with Paddy on the box and his wife on piano.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Libby was a driving force behind the early beginnings of Capercaillie
0:07:54 > 0:07:57when she realised Donald's first band, The Etives,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59required a good vocalist.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I felt that it would be a really nice thing to do
0:08:03 > 0:08:05with my eldest daughter, Shuna, and Donald,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09and the obvious answer to me was to get Karen
0:08:09 > 0:08:12cos she had the most beautiful voice in Taynuilt.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16You were just driving, were you?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Maybe not then.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Don't know that you were. Donald certainly wasn't cos he was only 13.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25It was difficult getting a double bass in the car, anyway.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Very difficult. It was great fun, probably, for me.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Got you two together!
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Oh dear!
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- It was great fun for us, too. - It was awesome, it was great.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45This is when we had our first group, The Etives,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and this is where the iconic photo...
0:08:48 > 0:08:51You were just about where that cowpat was, right there,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56and there was my sister, Shuna, who played the fiddle,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and Andrew Campbell on the bass,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04and we were just stood looking windswept and interesting
0:09:04 > 0:09:05- with kilts on.- We all wore kilts.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- Please, make the pose. - And matching blue shirts.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Actually, I was like this, cos I was playing the guitar.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13Oh, yeah, that's right, yeah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Of a fashion!
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It's a bit like those iconic covers, you know,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21like Sergeant Peppers or The Joshua Tree by U2,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23it's much the same.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27We did a couple of summer seasons in Oban
0:09:27 > 0:09:30playing for the tourists and stuff like that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:36£12 - that's what we got paid. That was our best fee.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38You were quite good on the two chords that you knew.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I played the penny whistle.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Andrew had a double bass with three strings, and, eh...
0:09:45 > 0:09:47You sang The Crystal Chandeliers you actually sang!
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Yeah, that's a collector's piece of music.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51- Your voice hadn't broken. - All right, all right.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Don't need to talk about that.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57# Oh, the crystal chandeliers
0:09:59 > 0:10:03# Light up the paintings on your wall... #
0:10:03 > 0:10:05The band has played all over the world,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08has built up a considerable body of work,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and they're always pushing their music forward
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and never rest on their laurels.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- We're always sitting in the house, aren't we?- Always.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Listen to our records with a glass of wine.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19"Let's listen to that record again. Oh, you were great there."
0:10:19 > 0:10:21No, we never listen to our...
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I don't even know the names of the records we've made.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32So, Karen, I have here five long playing records,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34otherwise known as vinyl,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37that chart the early history of Capercaillie.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42The test for you this very moment is to put them in order of release.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I want to see how much you remember correctly about this band.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- You have got to be joking. - Put them in order of release.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50- Surely you can get that right. - I could go by the hair, maybe.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And that's not mine, that's just Manus's.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Right, let me see now.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59OK, I know that's the first one.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- Right, Cascade. - I'm wearing the same top.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Oh, Lord, the fashion comes back round again.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05It does, if you wait long enough.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07And then...
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- Crosswinds. - That's going well.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15And then, Capercaillie...
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Delirium?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18No, you're miles away.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Oh, no, Sidewalk, of course, yes indeed.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- And then Delirium.- Yep.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30- And then Secret People. Pretty good. - Not bad.- Only got one wrong.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35In the 1970s, the folk music scene
0:11:35 > 0:11:38in Scotland and Ireland was changing.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Arguably, Ireland was leading this change, with bands like Planxty
0:11:41 > 0:11:44adding driving rhythms and slick arrangements to the old tunes.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48But in Scotland, outfits like Ossian and Boys of the Lough
0:11:48 > 0:11:50were also creating a more contemporary sound.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Of particular influence to the young Capercaillie were the band
0:12:06 > 0:12:09fronted by brothers Phil and Johnny Cunningham.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Silly Wizard were a high-octane, trad music powerhouse
0:12:15 > 0:12:18that attracted a new and younger audience to the music.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20It all felt very organic at the time.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23There were a lot of bands trying to do the same thing,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and all taking it in their own direction.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I mean I remember having some
0:12:29 > 0:12:31quite specific plans at one point,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34very sure of where I wanted to go until the following week,
0:12:34 > 0:12:35and it would change again,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and then I was very sure where I wanted to go,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and then it would change again.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46WOMEN SINGING
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Flora MacNeil was a key influence on Karen.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The recording of Flora's first album marked an important sea change
0:12:56 > 0:12:58on how Gaelic music was heard.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Moving away from the orchestral-based arrangements
0:13:01 > 0:13:03that had prevailed in the '50s and '60s,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06this was Gaelic song in it's purest form.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Another band, Na h-Oganaich, had realised if they could broaden
0:13:18 > 0:13:20the appeal of Gaelic song with more modern arrangements
0:13:20 > 0:13:23they could find a fresh audience for the music.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Na h-Oganaich were a huge inspiration at the time,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31at that stage when we were teenagers,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34because they were using Gaelic songs and making them...
0:13:34 > 0:13:38And they were cool, they were folky and hip,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40not the way we'd been presented them before,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43so we used to listen to a lot of that.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50The new album is now recorded
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and it's time to take to the road for some live gigs.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57The first destination is Stornoway for the HebCelt Festival.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59But taking to the stage in front of an expectant audience
0:13:59 > 0:14:02still has an affect on some band members.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Quite nervous, but excited, as well.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09The atmosphere's always just electric at these things
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and you get off on that and you go with that. It's great.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15I do get nervous, so I'm a bit nervous just now
0:14:15 > 0:14:18but it's good for you, you know, it keeps you on your toes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21A wee bit of adrenalin is a good thing, I think.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Capercaillie are making a welcome return to HebCelt,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29and playing to a Gaelic audience is something they always savour.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32It's a real honour to come and play at this festival and to be seen
0:14:32 > 0:14:36as a headline act, because they've had some great acts over the years.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39It's very much for us about taking the music back to the people.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43American singer-songwriter Darryl Scott
0:14:43 > 0:14:45will be joining them on stage this evening.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I suppose it's strange, someone like Darryl Scott
0:14:48 > 0:14:51is more a transatlantic type guest.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55For Capercaillie, for years we used to tour America,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57so that's just a touch of that with Darryl.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Collaboration has always been important to Capercaillie,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08and whatever line-up or venue, one thing always remains constant -
0:15:08 > 0:15:10their musicality and sensitive arrangements
0:15:10 > 0:15:11of other musicians' material.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14# And I bet they danced them a jig
0:15:14 > 0:15:18# And they laughed and sang a new song
0:15:18 > 0:15:25# Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive? #
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Donald, you know and the group,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I mean, they're great. And Donald know what he's...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39He's such a great music director when he's in that role,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43or band leader when he's in that role, or arranger.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49So, you know, when he called to see if I'd do a number with him,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51he knew the number, he already knew the key it was in,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54he'd probably already practiced it.
0:15:56 > 0:16:02In the last few years we have been playing as a six-piece, as well,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06which would involve myself, Charlie, Donald and Karen,
0:16:06 > 0:16:12plus two others maybe Michael McGoldrick, and Ewen, of course.
0:16:13 > 0:16:20That's for acoustic venues, which we are doing a bit more of now,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22but I have to say the big....
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I think we all prefer the eight-piece.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Playing to audiences of that size would have been an unlikely prospect
0:16:42 > 0:16:45back in the mid 1980s, when a young Capercaillie
0:16:45 > 0:16:47were still making their first roots.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51But the young Donald Shaw always knew there was huge potential
0:16:51 > 0:16:53in what they were doing.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Donald always had a passion and a vision, I think,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01for what Capercaillie could achieve.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03He was always driven.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Right from the first day I met him, I could see,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11I mean that was part of the charm, if you like,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15that he had so much energy and enthusiasm
0:17:15 > 0:17:17for what he was doing, for music.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22He brought that energy to me because for me it was just, as I say,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25the early years for me I was kind of dragged round ceilidhs
0:17:25 > 0:17:29singing by my father, and I really didn't enjoy it at all.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35It was terrifying, nerve-wracking and I would have looked for an escape.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37But Donald brought something to that for me.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40He brought it to life for me.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43You know, he made me see it through different eyes
0:17:43 > 0:17:47that actually there was something really exciting going on here.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55In 1983, the band put down their tracks for their first album,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Cascade, but it didn't come easy to Karen.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04The first few years of Capercaillie I just found it utterly terrifying,
0:18:04 > 0:18:10and that would go right back to my school days when I started singing.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15I would have this fear I would go on to sing
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and I would burst into tears.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21And it took me a long time to shake that off,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25to be confident enough to stand up and perform in public,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and I could never really believe that anybody would want
0:18:27 > 0:18:31to hear me singing, because I never really thought
0:18:31 > 0:18:33that I was doing anything different to anybody else.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38I mean, I group up with singers in the village.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39All my friends sang, as well,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43it's not like I felt like I was any different.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I just maybe had more opportunities.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53The maturity of their arrangements belied their youth,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and it was clear from the outset they had something very special.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58But at that point a career in traditional music
0:18:58 > 0:18:59seemed like a pipe dream.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03The very idea that you would go on and making a living from that
0:19:03 > 0:19:04was pretty daft.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07You would never have thought that at the time.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09No, I don't think so, no.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15We pretty much had college courses on hold for a couple of years.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17We'll do this, then it will be a disaster
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and then we'll go to college.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27On the back of that first album,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29radio and TV appearances soon followed,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and in 1985 they toured Canada
0:19:32 > 0:19:34with new member Charlie McKerron on fiddle.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I had left school at that point, gone to Glasgow
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and done a secretarial course, gone back to Oban and started
0:19:42 > 0:19:45working in community education,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and that was just at the stage that Donald was leaving school
0:19:48 > 0:19:52and had been accepted for various universities.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Charlie had just left university having done a biology degree.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01We were all just on that cusp of will we settle down
0:20:01 > 0:20:07and do something sensible or will we just throw caution to the wind?
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Follow me, it's down here.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Oh, Lordy. Right, he says...
0:20:29 > 0:20:30He SAYS it's down here.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37It's like a platform where we stood and there's a section down here.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41It was in 1996 I believe.
0:20:41 > 0:20:421946.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I don't know how he remembers, he remembers everything.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48It's that thing there.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52That one.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53This one?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The trees have also grown up behind, look.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Can't see a thing.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02MUSIC: "Am Buachaille Ban" by Capercaillie
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Despite their early success, there were still traditionalists
0:21:15 > 0:21:17who didn't approve of the band's musical direction.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I think there was a little bit of, you know...
0:21:23 > 0:21:26it was kind of sacrilege that I was using synthesisers
0:21:26 > 0:21:27with old Gaelic songs.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31But it never really bothered us.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33It wasn't something that was...a big deal.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I think people were always very supportive,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39they could see that we were trying.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41We weren't messing with the music, as such,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43we were trying to make it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Actually, we weren't trying to do anything
0:21:45 > 0:21:47we were doing what excited us.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Certainly in a contemporary way, you know,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Runrig would have paved the way for that, kind of, you know,
0:21:59 > 0:22:00full-on rock treatment of songs,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04so I don't think we were ever worried about what people thought
0:22:04 > 0:22:05about what we did.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07We were always more acoustic anyway.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Since their beginnings, Capercaillie have always delved deep
0:22:12 > 0:22:14into the Gaelic song tradition.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18This involved frequent visits to the school of Scottish Studies
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to listen to their precious archive field recordings
0:22:21 > 0:22:23and this resource still plays an important role,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26but in some ways times have changed.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's easier to find material because there's thousands of hours
0:22:30 > 0:22:33of Gaelic songs that have been digitised now.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37So you have something like Tobair an Dualchais,
0:22:37 > 0:22:44which has digitised recordings from the School of Scottish Studies
0:22:44 > 0:22:47from the last 50 years.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49And in some collections alone there might be
0:22:49 > 0:22:5220 or 30,000 hours of songs.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58The late '80s saw the Irish influence continue
0:22:58 > 0:23:01with the additional of bouzouki player Manus Lunny.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Well, I happened to be working with Scottish musicians,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Phil Cunningham and Andy M Stewart from Silly Wizard.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I got a call one day wondering if I would do a tour in the US,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21that was in late 1988,
0:23:21 > 0:23:26and I did the tour and that was it, I've been with them since.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36I actually said to Donald at the time, "I'll do it"
0:23:36 > 0:23:38cos I had just bought a sitar.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41"I'll do it, I'll join Capercaillie. Come on, gie's a job"
0:23:41 > 0:23:42He said "No."
0:23:45 > 0:23:48MUSIC: "Fear A Bhata" by Capercaillie
0:23:53 > 0:23:55There was a thing called The Blood Is Strong,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58which was a documentary series
0:23:58 > 0:24:00they did the soundtrack to that.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03So they were filtering into your psyche
0:24:03 > 0:24:05slowly but very surely at that point.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13While Capercaillie were finding new markets for their music,
0:24:13 > 0:24:18traditional Irish bands like Clannad were heading for mainstream success.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Ireland was an important signpost
0:24:20 > 0:24:22for the burgeoning scene in Scotland.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I was watching what was happening in Ireland with great interest
0:24:25 > 0:24:26and listening to the Bothy Band
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and the things that Donal Lunny was doing.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31The rhythms, the accompaniment, were changing -
0:24:31 > 0:24:34the way that people were accompanying melodies.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37The speed was knocking up a notch.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It was all about entertainment and getting the audience on side.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Lots of people who listened to pop music
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and rock music and jazz and whatever else -
0:25:01 > 0:25:04listening to an uilleann piper playing slow air
0:25:04 > 0:25:07with nothing else happening was just too much.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:25:17 > 0:25:20There was nothing really like that coming out of here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23The Irish musicians were much more advanced
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and we were excited by what they were doing.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28MUSIC: "Theme From Harry's Game" by Clannad
0:25:31 > 0:25:36In 1982 Clannad, fully embracing the electronic sounds of that time,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38released the Theme From Harry's Game
0:25:38 > 0:25:40reaching number five in the UK Charts.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Proof that with the right approach to traditional music and Gaelic song
0:25:53 > 0:25:55wider commercial success was possible.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14At the same time as Capercaillie
0:26:14 > 0:26:16were sharing their new take on Gaelic song
0:26:16 > 0:26:18with new and broader audiences,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Irish band Affan were having the similar success
0:26:20 > 0:26:23with music from native Donegal tradition.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Singer and Fiddler Mairead Ni Mhoanaigh
0:26:25 > 0:26:28recognised the parallel paths the band were taking.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32I remember the first time I heard you with Capercaillie
0:26:32 > 0:26:37was at the Edinburgh Festival or at the Glasgow Folk Festival years ago.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39That might have been it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But it was brilliant because it was something similar.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45You were doing something parallel to ourselves.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47We were acoustic and you were more rock'n'roll.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49You were youthful people.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Then Karen was singing in Gaelic and I was singing in Gaelige,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54so we had a lot in common.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57We were trying to find a wider audience
0:26:57 > 0:27:00that never heard this music before without compromising too much.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03SHE SINGS
0:27:06 > 0:27:09The next stage of Capercaillie's musical development
0:27:09 > 0:27:12was to see them reach incredible heights,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and one man in particular was to play an important role
0:27:15 > 0:27:17in producing the sound of their next three albums
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and the success that was to follow.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Manus's brother, the legendary Donal Lunny.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Donal was seen to be the perfect producer for the album
0:27:42 > 0:27:43that would become Sidewalk,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47having had huge success with artists such as The Bothy Band,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Planxty, Moving Hearts and Christy Moore.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52When a producer was mentioned,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54people were sort of expecting me to say your name
0:27:54 > 0:27:58and they were sort of glad to hear that I suggested your name
0:27:58 > 0:28:01because it was an obvious choice, really.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10My function with Capercaillie was as, I mean,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14a sort of glorified quality control would be what it was,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17because everybody knew what they were doing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It worked very well in general.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26We didn't have any, what would you say, differences.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33There was one instance where I just couldn't see what you were doing
0:28:33 > 0:28:36in terms of the piece but you begged to differ.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40I don't remember that!
0:28:40 > 0:28:42There was a bit of a standoff.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44You mean it sounded too good, is that it?
0:28:44 > 0:28:46It was just awful!
0:28:51 > 0:28:52SHE SINGS
0:29:02 > 0:29:05The next album was to have an even bigger impact than Sidewalk.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36And for the first time a Gaelic song was to make it
0:29:36 > 0:29:38into the UK singles chart.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43There was a single off Delirium - Coisich A Ruin
0:29:43 > 0:29:44that went into the charts.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57We were asked to do some music for a TV documentary
0:29:57 > 0:30:01about Prince Charles going to hang out in Berneray.
0:30:02 > 0:30:08And they released a...
0:30:08 > 0:30:11CD of the music that
0:30:11 > 0:30:13we did for it but they put
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Coisich a Ruin on it as well as a lead track.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19THEY SING IN GAELIC
0:30:21 > 0:30:23It got in the Top 40, didn't it?
0:30:23 > 0:30:25It did. That's how it happened.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Number 39.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36There was a couple of articles in the papers saying that we'd
0:30:36 > 0:30:41sold out in the sense that it looked like we were trying to
0:30:41 > 0:30:47commercialise the music with grooves or electronic synth sounds or
0:30:47 > 0:30:51whatever. And I always thought it was the opposite. I always
0:30:51 > 0:30:56thought, well, selling out to me would be making the same record
0:30:56 > 0:30:58every two years for the rest of our lives, just a traditional record
0:30:58 > 0:31:03because for me it was always about moving on and trying new things.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16The band's musical arrangement continued to break new ground,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18placing Gaelic music in a contemporary context.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24The use of keyboards to create a bigger, more lush sound. Donald
0:31:24 > 0:31:27was always very good at sculpting that kind of thing
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and the arrangements were always very, very thoughtful.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31SHE SINGS IN GAELIC
0:31:39 > 0:31:42It was very compelling because it was new
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and it had never been heard in that kind of way before and it wasn't
0:31:45 > 0:31:50straight ahead like folk rock. It was far removed from that.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00I think that Donald had a vision from the very beginning
0:32:00 > 0:32:05and such a qualified and capable musician anyway which was
0:32:05 > 0:32:08reflected in the music that Capercaillie put together.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16I don't think anything has sold more than Delirium. That was what
0:32:16 > 0:32:19brought us into the mainstream.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Following the success of Delirium, demand for the band gathered pace.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38The venues got bigger, as did the audiences.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Touring continued in Europe, the Middle East
0:32:40 > 0:32:44and Northern America, as Capercaillie spread their sound wider and wider.
0:32:53 > 0:32:59I have to say that I still hear bands playing music in a way
0:32:59 > 0:33:02that obviously reflects the influence of Capercaillie.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04It's all over the place.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08# Welcome, Mother Nature
0:33:08 > 0:33:10# Welcome to... #
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Despite their success,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15certain aspects don't sit comfortably for Karen.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19I've never felt comfortable being a spokesperson. The singing
0:33:19 > 0:33:23part was fine, you know, because I was within a certain comfort zone
0:33:23 > 0:33:25that I could be.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31But interviews, things like that I've never
0:33:31 > 0:33:34been comfortable with or even photographs.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39It just wasn't something I ever imagined I would end up doing.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46APPLAUSE
0:33:46 > 0:33:49To finish the show another number from their new album Secret People.
0:33:49 > 0:33:55This one's called Four Stone Walls. Ladies and Gentlemen, Capercaillie.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The third album produced by Donal Lunny, Secret People,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03entered the album charts and further affirmed the band's
0:34:03 > 0:34:07position as the preeminent force in contemporary traditional music.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10# We are born of ancient family
0:34:10 > 0:34:12# Living here all our days
0:34:12 > 0:34:15# And though we love our scenery
0:34:15 > 0:34:18# Wouldn't we just love somewhere to stay?
0:34:20 > 0:34:22# It's an order for eviction
0:34:22 > 0:34:27# And I can't believe I'm seeing what I see
0:34:28 > 0:34:31# If it kills I will surround myself
0:34:31 > 0:34:33# With four stone walls
0:34:34 > 0:34:36# A little pride upon the shelf
0:34:36 > 0:34:40# And four stone walls around me. #
0:34:41 > 0:34:46I feel like I spent the first ten years of Capercaillie in quite
0:34:46 > 0:34:53an unhappy place because I was so nervous and tense and once
0:34:53 > 0:34:58you shake that off... After the first 20 years it gets really good!
0:35:02 > 0:35:06In January 1994 the sense of a growing confidence in our own
0:35:06 > 0:35:09culture and the appetite for live performances by bands like Capercaillie
0:35:09 > 0:35:13led to the establishment of a winter music festival in Glasgow
0:35:13 > 0:35:15and Celtic Connections was born.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Donald Shaw took over as festival director in 2007
0:35:24 > 0:35:28and is steering the festival in a very exciting direction, applying
0:35:28 > 0:35:30the same ambition to this role as has been his trademark
0:35:30 > 0:35:31throughout his career.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38The festival has grown year on year
0:35:38 > 0:35:41and the programming has continued to diversify and create musical
0:35:41 > 0:35:45connections from all corners of the folk world, and far beyond.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54But it never forgets it's roots
0:35:54 > 0:35:58and still provides a concert platform to the very best of the Trad Music Scene.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Passing on the music to the next generation is key to
0:36:30 > 0:36:32the continuing the strength of any tradition.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Hiya, how you doing?
0:36:34 > 0:36:38And Charlie McKerron takes this aspect very seriously.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43One, two.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48In July 2013, he set up his first fiddle camp near Aviemore.
0:36:48 > 0:36:53Times have really changed for young people... Scope for learning
0:36:53 > 0:36:56and various things from Feis to events like this.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I think at the end of the day what I'm about is I just like to try and
0:37:04 > 0:37:08be as musical as I can and I try to create that in the classes as well.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19He's well known, well respected.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21You know even in the Irish music world people would know
0:37:21 > 0:37:26Charlie McKerron and would be influenced by his playing.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Offering a real breadth to the eager students,
0:37:31 > 0:37:36Sharat Srivastava is holding a class in Indian classical violin.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39For me, you know, Charlie is like my brother and I've always seen a
0:37:39 > 0:37:43child in Charlie who is always keen to learn something new every day.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Starting around the same time as Capercaillie,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52the Feisean movement has provided an exciting platform for traditional music.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55That's been, for me, the single biggest
0:37:55 > 0:38:00catalyst for the renaissance of traditional music in the last
0:38:00 > 0:38:0730 years. Whatever way you look at it because through the youth it's
0:38:07 > 0:38:13given people a sense of confidence and pride in their music and songs.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17We were fortunate when we started out that there was a
0:38:17 > 0:38:20lot of interest in the community that we grew up in, ie
0:38:20 > 0:38:23the school, but I think that was quite unique, you know? I don't think
0:38:23 > 0:38:26there were quite the opportunities then that there are now.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29The beauty of now is the Feisean movement, it has progressed
0:38:29 > 0:38:33so much over the last 30 years that we've been doing it.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37We've been running a project
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Feisean Nan Gaidheal for a number of years
0:38:39 > 0:38:43now called Ceilidh Tours where young people get the opportunity to have a
0:38:43 > 0:38:47few weeks training and they want to do something with someone well known
0:38:47 > 0:38:51so we got in touch with Karen and we're very happy that she agreed to
0:38:51 > 0:38:54appear with them tonight so they're really looking forward to it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58I've grown up listening to Capercaillie music. That was
0:38:58 > 0:39:01the first traditional band I was exposed to as a child.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04We're by no means professionals but playing with
0:39:04 > 0:39:08someone that is going to be, well, it's probably invaluable.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09It's one of the things that is
0:39:09 > 0:39:12so great about the Feis is that it gives you the opportunity to
0:39:12 > 0:39:14not only learn more about the music and the language
0:39:14 > 0:39:17but then giving you the opportunity to learn about performing.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Having 6,000 young people being part of Feisean every year and
0:39:25 > 0:39:30even if a small number of those go on to be professional musicians then
0:39:30 > 0:39:34that's still making an important contribution to Scotland's culture.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37I've said this before,
0:39:37 > 0:39:3930 years ago going to
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Oban High School down there I would have made
0:39:44 > 0:39:50an attempt to hide my accordion going into school for fear of ridicule.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Now it's strange if you don't go into school without
0:39:53 > 0:39:55an accordion or a fiddle or a clarsach.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07With encouragement like this, these young people could be
0:40:07 > 0:40:10the next generation to export Scottish music around the world.
0:40:14 > 0:40:20Esta cancion se cantabab mientras trabajaba en la isla Barra.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29We used to tour in the States but it was prohibitively expensive
0:40:29 > 0:40:32getting a band our size out,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36so that sort of petered out a bit in the mid '90s,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40but now we tour a lot in Europe,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and our Spanish audience is fantastic.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12The '90s saw a couple of line-up changes.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Ewen Vernal, who had played bass with Deacon Blue, joined,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18along with an exciting young piper and whistle player
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Michael McGoldrick.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21It's great to be in a band
0:41:21 > 0:41:24with the musicianship of Capercaillie, really, for me,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26because I have learnt a lot, as well as touring.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29They were going 15 years before I came along.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38When Mike first started working with Capercaillie,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40I remember him coming back to Manchester
0:41:40 > 0:41:43and he had a little change in the way he was lilting the tunes.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Instead of going daddily-didily, as we would in Irish,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50he was giving it more of a hi-diddy-ho!
0:41:50 > 0:41:54We could feel the Scottish influence was seeping in there.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35August 2013, and the band make a return visit
0:42:35 > 0:42:39to the famous Festival Interceltique in Lorient, Brittany.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44We're very delighted to be here celebrating our 30th anniversary.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48The festival has been a big influence to us over the years.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52You meet these bands around the States and around Europe
0:42:52 > 0:42:55and you meet up and play some music.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02The band has suffered broken limbs at this festival.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Not naming any names.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Initials only... Charlie McKerron.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10That's that whole thing of having a couple of pints before you
0:43:10 > 0:43:13go on stage just to get rid of the nerves,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16but, in Lorient, sometimes the gigs are delayed
0:43:16 > 0:43:19by as much as an hour and that can be catastrophic.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28I think if you're part of a band like this where there's eight people
0:43:28 > 0:43:34and everyone has quite strong musical personalities,
0:43:34 > 0:43:36I think it only functions if you think of yourself
0:43:36 > 0:43:39as part of a bigger picture.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41It's about keeping your ears open,
0:43:41 > 0:43:43listening to what everyone else is doing.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53I decided there was an important part for Chimp, our percussionist,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57to do in one of the sets of tunes, so I just left him a message.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16I feel so close to them. They are very important to me.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18They know about our music,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20we know about their music,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22and there's mutual respect,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26and, in that mutual respect, everything is possible.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34It's definitely more than music,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36because there's not only the music,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38there is something behind the music.
0:44:41 > 0:44:47This is a big moment, like an alien leaving the ship.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50It's it quarter to nine, local?
0:44:50 > 0:44:52It's quarter to nine.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Generally, there will be a core set list,
0:45:00 > 0:45:03and if we have to shift, we can.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05We can do that again on stage.
0:45:05 > 0:45:11Just a look, a word, a raised hand...
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Communication, when you've been together as long as us,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17it doesn't take much... Communication is pretty key.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22That lettering is a bit large for me on the stage.
0:45:22 > 0:45:23So you want it a little bit...
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- What do you reckon? Like 12? - Really, really small.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28I'll go back to my computer and spend an hour doing that.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30- Minimise it.- What size do you want?
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- I can do different... - Also a bit smaller than that...
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Probably better doing it in braille.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38Or in a foreign language.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42- Good. Good job.- The whole thing is a foreign language.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50There's a camaraderie that goes on, on stage as well as off,
0:45:50 > 0:45:56that's really quite special.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59And I think, if that ever died,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02then that would be the reason to stop.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09The festival celebrates the musical and cultural links
0:46:09 > 0:46:11between the Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15The Isle of Man, Northern Spain and, of course, Brittany.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Wow, enjoyable! Great!
0:46:39 > 0:46:41Superb! Good! I'm so pleased.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45With such a long musical association,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Lorient audiences have a special place in their hearts
0:46:48 > 0:46:50for Capercaille.
0:46:58 > 0:47:001995 was another landmark year for the band
0:47:00 > 0:47:03when they were invited to sing on the soundtrack
0:47:03 > 0:47:05to blockbuster movie Rob Roy.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13Despite the allure of Hollywood, the music the band provided
0:47:13 > 0:47:15remained true to their roots.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17It was very exciting.
0:47:17 > 0:47:22I mean, obviously, being in a Winnebago beside Liam Neeson
0:47:22 > 0:47:26and Jessica Laing, that was absolutely thrilling.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Ancient Gaelic song
0:47:32 > 0:47:36providing a fitting cultural context to the tale of Rob Roy.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38What's very much at the heart of Capercaillie, I think,
0:47:38 > 0:47:44is just the music and the craic that we have when we're doing it,
0:47:44 > 0:47:46and that's what's kept us doing it.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48Not the accolades or...
0:47:48 > 0:47:53You know, it's very simple and straightforward.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58After just a few hours sleep in Lorient,
0:47:58 > 0:48:02the summer tour continues, as a tired bunch head for Devon
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and the Sidmouth Folk Festival.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09More miles notched up on their summer festival tour.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18This is great, isn't it?
0:48:24 > 0:48:26I think we're pretty tight on this side here.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33The popular seaside town has staged the festival every year since 1955.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35It is a very community based event,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39and locals and holiday makers come together to enjoy the festivities.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Look at that! He's got about four foot on his left-hand side!
0:48:53 > 0:48:57- He's got loads of room.- Arse.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Here, we really are at the heart of the English folk scene.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04Negative of me to say that the band could struggle...
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Of course, they won't struggle,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09but it will be a challenging audience for them, that's for sure.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33You're never 100% sure how you're going to go down.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36And you can usually tell within the first 10 or 15 minutes
0:49:36 > 0:49:40if it's working or not, or if you have to change direction.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Well, I left something in Lorient. I just remembered it.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48So...it's all my notes from that Baggad thing.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52So I'm going to get them before the soundcheck.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Donald will be so upset if I don't have them.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58See, these bits are the bits that everyone misses,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00this corner section here.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04It's apparently quite important for how the collar sits,
0:50:04 > 0:50:05that's what I've learnt.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10Hello.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Remember me?
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Aye, see, I've seen this happen before in this part of the world -
0:50:15 > 0:50:17they get a bit starstruck.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Ah, come on, you must remember me.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Yeah, completely starstruck.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26Well, when you do come to, er, we've lost our percussionist,
0:50:26 > 0:50:27he's a few miles out there,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30so it would be great if you could try and save him,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33get him back for half eight - I think that's when the gig is.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Who's the most important? Who goes on first?
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Is Devon ready for Capercaillie?
0:50:42 > 0:50:43Er, me.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Or are Capercaillie ready for Devon?
0:50:46 > 0:50:48- You go first.- I'll go first. - You go first.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54APPLAUSE
0:51:12 > 0:51:15SHE SINGS IN GAELIC
0:51:24 > 0:51:26CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Right, that's that.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31'Yeah, we escaped, I think.'
0:51:31 > 0:51:33They didn't maul us, they didn't demand that
0:51:33 > 0:51:35we go back to Scotland and never come back again.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39No, it was great actually, they were a really warm audience.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42We actually changed the set a little bit halfway through,
0:51:42 > 0:51:45went for the Gaelic angle, and it worked.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48You can never go wrong with the Gaelic angle, I think.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Really happy.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53- Thanks, that was great.- Ah, cheers.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Next stop, Shrewsbury.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09But after 30 years together how long can the band continue?
0:52:09 > 0:52:10I rely on it a lot.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13What happens in the future is another thing.
0:52:13 > 0:52:19I've been with them 26 years and for the last maybe 15 years I've...
0:52:19 > 0:52:22It's gone through my head, when is this going to stop?
0:52:22 > 0:52:26And I'm prepared, it has to stop at some stage,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29but I'm quite glad it's still going.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35The band are back in the studio refining a couple of tracks
0:52:35 > 0:52:37before an upcoming radio session.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41And they haven't lost their attention to detail yet.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45Feels a bit, er...a bit jaunty,
0:52:45 > 0:52:48you know, coming out of the straight.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52'We know how to achieve what we want to achieve, that's half the battle,'
0:52:52 > 0:52:57but it's still an exciting moment when you press record.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12Obviously Donald is so busy with other projects now.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16The Celtic Connections has taken up a huge chunk of his year.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21Obviously that influences what we can do as a band
0:53:21 > 0:53:26but we just manage to take pockets of time here and there
0:53:26 > 0:53:29and just try and juggle it and make it work, you know.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38They're keeping it fresh for themselves as well as for
0:53:38 > 0:53:42the public. It's very plausible for the public to get fed up of...
0:53:42 > 0:53:44you know, of the same old stuff!
0:53:44 > 0:53:48But Capercaillie have stayed very true to themselves.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50The essence has remained the same throughout.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04It's not them and us any more.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07There was a long time when everybody's music was pigeonholed,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09and even within traditional music
0:54:09 > 0:54:14they were all pigeonholed, and now these barriers have all come down.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21World on Three presented by Mary Ann Kennedy
0:54:21 > 0:54:25is one of Radio 3's flagship world-music shows.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28The band have been invited to play a session on the programme,
0:54:28 > 0:54:33a true testament to the position they hold on the world-music stage.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35KAREN SINGS IN GAELIC
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Musically, it's just an ongoing process.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54We've got the luxury of having a wealth of material to tap into
0:54:54 > 0:54:57at the School of Scottish Studies, erm,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00and also the boys are writing all the time, writing tunes.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03But the material's there and as long as we've got the energy
0:55:03 > 0:55:06and the enthusiasm to do it I think we'll still be doing it.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12There's absolutely no commercial pressure for a band like us
0:55:12 > 0:55:15because there...
0:55:15 > 0:55:18there is no record industry to speak of any more, like there
0:55:18 > 0:55:23used to be 20 years ago, so in a sense you're not in any way
0:55:23 > 0:55:29making music for an audience, because mostly what happens now is
0:55:29 > 0:55:32people are making music for a live situation, which we've always done.
0:55:45 > 0:55:4830 years from now I would like to see the momentum
0:55:48 > 0:55:51that's gathered in the last 30 years
0:55:51 > 0:55:54going at the same pace, if not faster.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59I would like to see people as excited about it in 30 years
0:55:59 > 0:56:01as they appear to be now.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Back to a home audience, as the band headline at the Blas Festival
0:56:06 > 0:56:09in Inverness, before ending the year with a UK tour.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18I think what's become very evident just in the last two or three years
0:56:18 > 0:56:20is that we've actually...
0:56:20 > 0:56:24we're there for each other in much more than just the musical sense.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27You know, there's been a lot of personal things, a lot of stuff
0:56:27 > 0:56:34that's gone on that has brought us together, and again it's...
0:56:34 > 0:56:37being with a group of people for 30 years is a long time.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39It has a legacy
0:56:39 > 0:56:45and I really do think we'll go into our dotage as...as friends.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47SONG: "At The Heart Of It All"
0:57:15 > 0:57:18# The poems and the musings
0:57:18 > 0:57:22# Of Sorley MacLean
0:57:22 > 0:57:28# They tumble and cascade across the page of every man
0:57:29 > 0:57:32# They will rise and spring to life again
0:57:32 > 0:57:35# In a song for the good of all
0:57:37 > 0:57:44# Where a people and their land are at the heart of it all
0:57:44 > 0:57:50# At the heart of it all is a calling to this land
0:57:50 > 0:57:57# In the words of our salvation is a song for the common man
0:57:57 > 0:58:04# At the heart of it all is a story to be told
0:58:04 > 0:58:12# For the sake of our salvation and the troubles we behold. #