The Quiggs – The Nova Scotia Folk Club – Bishopbriggs – February 12, 2025

THE QUIGGS

The Nova Scotia Folk Club is generally well-attended. On this occasion it was packed to the gunwales with the normal contingent of members supplemented by other Quiggs fans including a sprinkling of the area’s folk aristocracy.

Stephen Quigg has more than paid his dues on the Scottish folk scene. For more than 40 years he’s played both here and abroad, including 10 years with The McCalmans, and currently with his Danish wife Pernille as The Quiggs Duo.

One would think that Stephen, given his background, would be very much the senior partner in their professional relationship, but it’s actually very nicely balanced as they both engage with the audience, Pernille takes her fair share of the vocals, and, despite English being her second language, she also provides the duo with strong original material that was very much appreciated on the night.

Their performance was presented as, in part, a launch event for their new CD, Shooting Star (which is now firmly on my playlist, by the way), but well-established audience-pleasers were also in evidence.

One such was their opening number Carradale. In the hall, the song’s author, Battlefield Band founder member Alan Reid, seemed more than satisfied with their rendition, as did the public to judge by their warm applause.

Other highlights of the concert for me were:

a tremendously moving take on the Davy Steele/John McCusker song The Last Trip Home,

Pernille’s original Dream On ( about a child’s reluctance to sleep because there’s still so much to see outside her window), from the new release – pure poetry

Lionel McLelland’s classic The Earl O’ March’s Daughter – such a good song choice

Pernille’s musical setting of the anti-enclosures poem The Goose and the Common

and two from Pete Seeger’s repertoire, We AreThe Boat/Somos El Barco (on the album), and, as the first of two encores, Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

A predominance of chorus songs indicated that The Quiggs had done their due diligence re the unusually large number of floor singers who regularly attend the club. If I may paraphrase something I once said in a review of a similarly participative Oysterband concert, there weren’t just two Quiggs, there was a hall full of them!

The cheerful banter, note-perfect performances, original songs that showed real class, and a wonderful rapport with their public meant this Quiggs concert was an evening to remember, and their second encore, The Skye Boat Song, made a giant joyous choral climax to the show.

BOB LESLIE

https://www.thequiggs.com/