Kate Reid from The Midden will be the guest of Ross Macfadyen on this week’s Thank Folk It’s Friday.

The Midden’s fourth CD, In The End will be released at the end of September.

The Midden are Kate, Meggan and Hazel Reid, three singer/songwriter sisters who grew up in Alford in the North East of Scotland. Multi-instrumentalists all three, means that guitar, violin, cello, whistles, bass, piano and sometimes even accordion provide the backdrop for 3 unique voices, interwoven into intricate vocal harmonies. Each sister writes her own songs and together the band has arranged many Scottish traditionals and folk songs. They also play tunes, mainly reels.

The Midden formed officially in 2001 at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival and went on to win Best Newcomer at the Danny Kyle Open Stage in 2002. They turned down a record deal with a leading Scottish folk label in their first year, to go down the DIY route and have brought out 3 successful albums on their own small independent label, Midden Records.

They have played many European festivals including the Bardentreffen in Nuremberg every year since 2004, the Festival Interceltique de Lorient (2002+2003), Het Schots Weekend (2005) and entertained the pipers at the Piping Championships held in Belgium (2004). They have supported many notable folk musicians like Carlos Núñez, Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, Fiddlers’ Bid, Blazin’ Fiddles, The Poozies and Old Blind Dogs and have shared a stage with Brolum, Cantrip and Back of the Moon. They played to a crowd of 25,000 people in George Square at Hogmanay 2004 supporting Snow Patrol and Donnie Munro of Runrig.

Over the last ten years The Midden have played countless folk clubs and festivals across Scotland. Most of their touring has been done in Germany so far, although they have also played in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, England and Wales.

They have released 3 studio albums to date with their fourth CD, In The End, being released at the end of September.