Musicians J K L

JACK BADCOCK

Jack Badcock has toured extensively around the world, predominantly as frontman and founding member of his multi-award winning, band ‘Dallahan’. His solo material showcases his craft of thoughtful lyrics that explore history, cosmology and personal experiences delivered with a musical sensitivity influenced by American folk, funk and soul music as much as traditional music from Britain and Ireland.

jackbadcock.com

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📷 Photo by Lewis Somerville


JAMES DUNCAN MACKENZIE

James Duncan Mackenzie is a piper and flautist from the Isle of Lewis. James has toured extensively over the past several years playing festivals all around the world with acclaimed folk band Breabach. He is also a member of Tryst, a newly formed ten piece bagpipe composers group. As a solo artist he has so far released two albums; Sròmos and his first was self-titled.

jamesduncanmackenzie.com

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📷 Photo by Sean Purser


JAMES HARPER

In 2020 piper, James Harper released his debut album ‘Culzean’ alongside his band, a powerhouse group of young musicians at the forefront of Scottish music. He is joined by David Lombardi (Dallahan), Jean Damei (Fourth Moon), Craig Baxter (Gnoss) and Charlie Stewart (Dosca), an energetic five piece folk ensemble of bagpipes, fiddle, guitar, bodhràn and double bass. One that truly transcends the boundaries of world and folk music.

jamesharper.uk

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📷 Photo by Samuel Hurt


JAMES LINDSAY

James Lindsay is a composer and instrumentalist who pushes the boundaries of Scottish folk, contemporary jazz, and experimental rock music. His writing seamlessly blends diverse styles, merging traditional instrumentation and tune forms with contemporary harmony, abstract rhythm, and the freedom of improvisation. 

jameslindsaymusic.com

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📷 Photo by Elly Lucas


JAMES ROSS

James Ross is a Scottish pianist, composer and educator. He graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before going on to complete an MA in Traditional Music Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.

jamesrossmusic.co.uk

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📷 Photo by Derek Prescott


JARLATH HENDERSON

The youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Folk Award, back in 2003, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jarlath Henderson has since won further acclaim in his firebrand partnership with Ross Ainslie. His hotly-anticipated solo debut, Hearts Broken, Heads Turned, launched at Celtic Connections 2016, comprises bold yet sensitive arrangements of traditional song.

jarlathhenderson.co.uk

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📷 Photo by Samuel Hurt


JENN & LAURA-BETH

Jenn and Laura-Beth, both originally from England, were brought together by the close-knit and progressive Glasgow folk music community, spending lots of their time jamming an eclectic mix of folk music from across the globe, particularly the UK, Scandinavia and America. The years of playing together brought a deep affinity between the two artists; their rhythms lock tightly, their voices blend so closely that it’s often hard to tell them apart. They have developed a natural telepathy: two musicians bound together.

jennandlb.com

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📷 Photo by Seth Tinsley


JENNA REID

Jenna Reid is a fiddler from Shetland. Born and bred in Quarff, her fiddling began at a young age alongside her sister and brother, under the watchful eye of the late Willie Hunter. Following her music degree Jenna performed with Dóchas and Deaf Shepherd, and is a member of RANT and Blazin’ Fiddles. 

jennareidmusic.com

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📷 Photo by Ian Barclay


JERI FOREMAN

Jeri Foreman is a multi-faceted fiddle player, from Adelaide, South Australia, now based in Glasgow. Winning awards for excellence in bands, as an emerging artist and as a composer, she released her debut album of original fiddle tunes in 2013. The Blue Album followed in 2017, right before she left Australia on a mission to study international fiddle tunes. Since then, she has performed with many artists on a variety of stages, in multiple genres (including Scottish, Irish, Australian Celtic, bluegrass, old time and country) all across the world (North America, Europe, UK, Asia and Australia). 

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📷 Photo by Samra Teague


JIM MALCOLM

Jim Malcolm is the ultimate Scots troubadour. Travelling the world with his guitar, harmonicas, and engaging wit, he sings the traditional songs of Scotland and his own masterfully crafted songs in a style which is modern and accessible, yet utterly authentic. He is highly regarded as an interpreter of the songs of Robert Burns, and has been described as “one of the finest singers in Scotland in any style”.

jimmalcolm.com

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JOHN DEW

John Dew, bagpiper from Crieff, is a musician and composer now residing in Glasgow. John explores multi-layering pipes and whistles in his original compositions.

johndew-composition.com

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📷 Photo by Adlai Fagen


JOHN MCCUSKER

Born in Bellshill, near Glasgow, John McCusker began playing whistle and fiddle as a child. John has long been renowned for his skill at transcending musical boundaries: striving to keep his music fresh and exciting, never leaving the past behind but always embracing new sonic adventures. As a live and studio guest he has shared stages with Paul Weller, Paolo Nutini, Teenage Fanclub, Graham Coxon and Eddi Reader. An expanding portfolio as a producer features debut albums by Kris Drever and Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble. He has also manned the controls for top folk chanteuses Eddi Reader, Heidi Talbot, Eliza Carthy and Linda Thompson.

johnmccusker.co.uk

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JOHN MULHEARN

John’s piping career began in earnest at the age of nine, under the watchful eye of his father, Brian, and former double Gold Medallist and Pipe Sergeant of the the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, Angus J. MacLellan. Alongside close attention to the technical intricacies of the chanter and pipes, a deep appreciation for the music and traditions was instilled at an early age. This rigorous grounding has gone on to influence what has become a wide and varied career as a professional piping teacher and performer.

johnmulhearn.wordpress.com

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📷 Photo by Somhairle MacDonald


JORDAN HEPBURN

Jordan Hepburn is a bass guitarist from Edinburgh. Growing up in Edinburgh, they were introduced to the guitar around the age of seven by their father Jerry Hepburn, themselves a songwriter, guitarist and bass player. They released Scotland’s First Solo Bass Creative Works ‘Bass à Alba’ in September 2020, featuring Traditional Scottish Music and Cover Songs of well-known artists from Scotland. 

jordanhepburn.com

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📷 Photo by Jordan Hepburn


JOSIE DUNCAN

Josie’s original songs were receiving airtime on Radio 2 before she even left university, and by the time she had graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, audiences at festivals all over the world, from festival stages in Australia to basements in Glasgow, had come to recognise her as a vital figure within Scottish folk music.

josieduncanmusic.com

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📷 Photo by Euan Robertson


JOSIE DUNCAN & PABLO LAUFUENTE

2017 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winners Josie Duncan & Pablo Lafuente are a vocal and guitar duo like no other. From self-penned tunes to the most ancient songs, in English, Gaelic and Scots, this award-winning duo showcase their musical storytelling abilities on their truly unique debut album.

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📷 Photo by Somhairle MacDonald


JOSS CAMERON

Joss Cameron is a Scottish folk singer from Edinburgh and has a long professional career behind her. She sings traditional songs, many of the songs being from the North East of Scotland. (Her family being linked to the Travelling tradition, and Joss being a blood relation of well known ballad singer, Jeannie Robertson). As well as singing, Joss also plays violin, bagpipes and bodhrán.

josscameronmusic.com

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📷 Photo by Joss Cameron


JOY DUNLOP

Joy Dunlop is a Gaelic singer and step-dancer. Originally from the West Highlands, her performances showcase Gaelic music and song in a contemporary style that remains true to its roots.

joydunlop.com

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📷 Photo by Peter McNally


JOY & ANDREW

Sibling duo Joy and Andrew Dunlop hail from the village of Connel, in the West Highlands of Scotland, and have been making music together since childhood. Inspired by her love and curiosity for Gaelic song and culture, Mòd Gold Medalist and Inter-Celtic Dance Champion Joy continued her education at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, while Andrew pursued classical conservatoire training in Manchester and New York. Joy and Andrew have now created their first duo album together – ‘Dithis’.

joyandandrew.co.uk

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📷 Photo by Kris Kesiak


JULIE FOWLIS

Julie Fowlis is a multi-award winning Gaelic singer who is deeply influenced by her early upbringing in the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist. With a career spanning five studio albums and numerous high profile collaborations, her ‘crystalline’ and ‘intoxicating’ vocals have enchanted audiences around the world.

juliefowlis.com

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📷 Photo by Craig Mackay, Pictii


KAREN MARSHALSAY

Karen Marshalsay is a master of traditional Scottish harp music. Playing all three Scottish harps – gut-strung, wire-strung and the distinctive-sounding bray harp – Karen has appeared throughout the UK, Europe, America and Australia. Between gigs with Irish music legend, Boys of the Lough founder Cathal McConnell’s group, Karen released her solo album, The Road to Kennacraig, in 2019, earning a four-star review in The Scotsman. Full of musical insights, her concerts take you into the timeless world of Scotland’s ancient instrument.

karenmarshalsay.com

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📷 Photo by K O’Sullivan


KAREN MATHESON

Karen Matheson’s life in the limelight began with her performing as a child in her local village hall in Argyll on the West coast of Scotland. She was brought up immersed in the deep well of traditional songs that have been her inspiration for over 35 years of recording and performing worldwide.

karenmatheson.com

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📷 Photo by Robert McFadzean


KARINE POLWART

BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer Of The Year 2018, Karine Polwart is a multi-award winning Scottish songwriter and musician, as well as theatre-maker, storyteller, spoken-word performer and author. Her songs combine folk influences and myth with themes as diverse as Donald Trump’s corporate megalomania, Charles Darwin’s family life and the complexities of modern parenthood. She sings traditional songs too and writes to commission for film, theatre, animation and thematic collaborative projects. Karine is seven-times winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including three times for Best Original Song.  

karinepolwart.com

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📷 Photo by Sandy Butler


KATIE MACFARLANE

Katie Macfarlane is a Gaelic and Scots singer based in Airdrie. She was a semi-finalist in both the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition and the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

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📷 Photo by Wild Soul


KATIE MACKENZIE

Based in the Isle of Lewis, Katie is a singer and harpist. She grew up attending various Fèisean and studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, specialising in Gaelic Song with Kenna Campbell. Since then she has gone on to perform and teach around the world including Tartan Week in New York and Le Festival Interceltique de Lorient.

katiemackenzie.org

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📷 Photo by Louise Bichan


KENNETH I MACKENZIE

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Kenneth I MacKenzie has announced the release of a new Scottish traditional music album inspired by the history and landscape of the Highlands.

caberfeidhmusic.co.uk 

📷 Photo by Will Marshall


KIM CARNIE

Kim Carnie commands the stage with unmistakable charm, her inherent expression holding the attention of anyone in her presence. Her intricate vocals are infused with intriguing vulnerability and delivered with the sincerity of someone well beyond her years. Kim is the incarnation of emotion – she speaks to you through lyrics that challenge the mind and with a voice that comforts the soul.

kimcarnie.com

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📷 Photo by Iain MacLeod


KIM EDGAR

Kim Edgar is an Edinburgh based folk pop singer/songwriter and pianist, performing solo and in the pan-European folk band, CARA.

kimedgar.com

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📷 Photo by Clear Photography


KINNARIS QUINTET

Uplifting, fresh, honest and powerful music…created by three fiddles, mandolin and guitar. Expect influences of traditional Scottish and Irish music, Bluegrass, Old-Time, Classical, and new compositions, harmonies, energy, and drive.

kinnarisquintet.com

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📷 Photo by Somhairle MacDonald


KRIS DREVER

Kris Drever is a Glasgow-based, Orkney born musician. He has won multiple awards including an incredible 7 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards; two shortlist nominations for Scottish Album of The Year (with his trio Lau) and much acclaim for his solo recordings and concerts, including glowing reviews from The Herald, The Guardian, Mojo and Q Magazine.

krisdrever.com

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📷 Photo by Elly Lucas


LAPWYNG

LAPWYNG’s music is rooted in folk, as well as drawing on jazz, indie and Scandinavian influences to create a fresh style of original composition. Danny Kyle Open Stage winners (Celtic Connections) 2020.

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📷 Photo by Rory Barnes


LAU

Lau comprises Kris Drever (vocals, guitar), Martin Green (accordion, wurlitzer, keys, electronics) and Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle) and together they effortlessly bridge the seemingly diametrically opposed worlds of acoustic folk tradition and post rock – electronics.

lau-music.co.uk

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📷 Photo by Genevieve Stevenson


LAURA-BETH SALTER

A vocalist, mandolin player, and composer based in Glasgow, Laura-Beth is a member of Kinnaris Quintet, The Shee and The Daddy Naggins. She can most often be seen performing with her long term duo partner, Jenn Butterworth. In 2012 LB was nominated for Scots Trad Composer of The Year for her debut solo album, Breathe.

laurabethsalter.com

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📷 Photo by Mike Guest


LAUREN COLLIER

Lauren Collier is a folk/traditional fiddle player. Based in Glasgow, she has recently completed the Traditional Music Masters course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Lauren also studied Neuroscience and is a qualified Biology teacher, but has been playing music professionally for the last 15 years.

laurencollier.co

📷 Photo by Paul Jennings


LAUREN MACCOLL

Lauren MacColl is an award-winning fiddle player from Fortrose, Scotland. She has released two solo albums as well as a duet album with flute player Calum Stewart. MacColl is a member of the fiddle quartet RANT.

laurenmaccoll.co.uk

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📷 Photo by Somhairle MacDonald


LEWIS MCLAUGHLIN

Edinburgh songwriter Lewis McLaughlin is attracting attention around the country with his honest, atmospheric song-writing and intelligent musical arrangements. Collaborating with the cream of Scotland’s up-coming musical talent, he has honed his creative output and the result is something quite special. Lewis draws influence from various genres including Folk, Traditional, Alternative and Rock.

lewismclaughlinmusic.com

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📷 Photo by EDM Photography


LIAM STEWART BAND

The Liam Stewart Band is a highly skilled, energetic and vastly experienced group. From country dances, ceilidhs and weddings, to corporate events, festivals and theatre shows – this band will provide you with the highest quality music and entertainment, for dancing and listening. 

ceilidhband.net

📷 Photo by Whyler Photos


LIZA MULHOLLAND

Liza is a musician (piano and accordion), singer-songwriter and composer from Inverness. She performs and records solo and with Highland female-fronted band Dorec-a-belle, as well as collaborating with other artistes. Her original songs and instrumental music have featured in film, video and diverse projects. Liza is also the author of Inside Folk, a series of non-fiction books based on her experience in folk music.

lizamulholland.com

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📷 Photo by MJS Ferrier


LORI WATSON

Lori Watson is the first Doctor of Artistic Research in Scottish Music, and an authority on contemporary traditional music practice in Scotland. Drawing on her strong roots in the rich creative tradition of the Scottish Borders, she has become a leading interpreter of Scottish folk music and Scots song and her skills as a performer, composer, researcher and educator are widely recognised. Her performance, composition and songwriting can be heard with award-winning groups Boreas, Watson/Black, Rule Of Three and Fireside Music Company (with Dr Margaret Bennett). Lori Watson combines groundbreaking research and creative and composition work with a busy performance and teaching schedule to fulfil her expansive interest in music.

loriwatson.net

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📷 Photo by Louise Bichan


LORNE MACDOUGALL

Lorne MacDougall is one of Scotland’s leading innovative traditional musicians performing on a range of bagpipes and whistles. Recent times have seen him achieve an MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards Instrumentalist of the Year Nomination and previously placed 3 times in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Final. He has an Honours Degree in Scottish Music specialising in bagpipes. He is known for seamlessly integrating his sounds into soundtracks with highlighted credits ranging from movies like Disney Pixar’s Brave and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon series to television shows like Doctor Who and Thunderbirds Are Go.

lornemacdougall.com

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📷 Photo by John Slavin


LUC MCNALLY

Luc McNally is a Glasgow-based guitarist, bouzouki player, singer and composer/arranger from County Durham. Luc released his debut album ‘Night Off’ in 2020. Luc also performs with trio Snuffbox, and 5-piece band Dosca.

bandcamp

📷 Photo by Rufus Huggan


LYRE LYRE

Alice Allen, Marit Fält and Patsy Reid are all sought after musicians in their own fields. LYRE LYRE takes their individual styles to create a fusion of Scottish trad, Scandi and classical music.

lyresounds.com

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📷 Photo by Sarah Badman-Flook