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Hebridean Celtic Festival                                  

Review:  The Chair                      by Ruaraidh Mackay


The Chair, put together for the Orkney festival in 2004, were on Thursday night rocking the Big Blue Tent at the Festival as the act in between Griff and The Saw Doctors.  To describe their sound after Thursday nights performance would be - fun, exciting and very upbeat.  

The band performed to a packed audience in the tent, who were clearly waiting for the Saw Doctors to arrive, however with The Chairs traditional songs and varying instruments, they certainly made the wait feel a lot less than it might have been.    

With a large amount of band members(eight), it’s clear that this is a band designed for the HCF, and many others as they burst out a number of typical jaunty numbers, excelling with every song.  The Chair were certainly one of the surprises of the festival and look to have a bright future if they continue playing the fast beats that many of their fans have become accustomed to hearing from them.  

The typical folk songs played by The Chair on Thursday were to be expected as is their style.

However there were a few impressive variations in the songs on show, for example, “Cluck Old Hen” was an edgy and somewhat haunting rendition, but was bursting with style and delicious flavour.  An extremely catchy song that had the audience tapping their feet and clapping their hands in the fever pitch of the melody which engulfed the crowd.  

Another slower track“Lily and Diana’s” was another slow but equally good rendition which captured the ever embracing hearts of the Celtic crowd.  The song, whilst starting  slow and romantic, moved on to a very fast finale, an excellent climax to the anthem which had proved very popular with the passionate crowd.  

Many left very impressed with The Chair, who could be even called the “sleeper hit” of the festival, as whilst their reputation may not have been as big as the other big hitters at the Festival this year, they’ve certainly made an impression on the thousands they played their hearts out for on Thursday night.  

With a debut album out already and some excellent gigs supporting and headlining, The Chair are clearly making great strides in the Scottish folk music scene.  Certainly one of the most energetic and enthusiastic acts at the Festival since its first inception in 1996.