EIF: RURA
Old College Quad
On Monday I had the pleasure of attending a performance by renowned Scottish folk band, Rura, at the Old College Quad. From prior research, my expectations were high – and they were exceeded. It’s no surprise that they have won multiple awards and gained increasing popularity over their 11 years playing together. The band is made up of fiddler Jack Smedley, pipes, piano and whistle player Steven Blake, guitarist Adam Brown and flautist and percussionist, David Foley.
The show began with two connected pieces called ‘Horizons’. The first, a slow rubato piece, captured my attention right from the first note. Smedley played meticulously executed harmonics that could silence any room, seamlessly transitioning into long, legato notes, gliding from one to the next with emotive slides and ornaments. This conjured a cinematic vision in my mind’s eye of hovering above the highlands. This flowed into a mid-tempo piece, gathering momentum as the arrangement became fuller. These pieces, flowing together, were ideal for opening the show. The start grabbed the audience’s attention, warming us up, and setting the scene to begin a musical journey across Scotland.
The set featured many fast-paced, cheerful pieces, ideal for a ceilidh. Uplifted and energised, the audience clapped along. I was pleased to hear a more tense, minor key number near the end, however. I think including more pieces in a similar vein could add more light and shade to the set.
‘I’ll Never Forget’ was a piece about Smedley’s grandmother and her journeys across the world from Jamaica to Scotland and Venezuela, living to the ripe old age of 102. Smedley’s emotion in the introduction awoke the empath in me. Excerpts of his grandmother’s voice were placed throughout, reminding me of my own lost grandmothers – one that I was closest to, and the other who had her own dramatic journey, escaping the Nazis on the last possible ship out of Danzig.
Another stand-out piece in the set was ‘In Praise of Home’, an homage to their roots. The arrangement built up to a quiet pause that held, before a resounding entrance from the bagpipes. This strategic tension and release was emotive and satisfying in its resolution. At that very second of the bagpipe note, a tear came to my eye. I was lost in the moment, proud of my home. I wouldn’t consider myself particularly patriotic, and I’d never have thought the bagpipes would elicit such emotion in me; this is a credit to the band’s timing, performance and composition that it provoked such a reaction.
To summarise, I was blown away by the prowess and musicianship of these players, and especially their ability to evoke joy, sadness, nostalgia, and a sense of community. For those who enjoy Scottish folk, I would highly recommend attending Rura’s concerts!
