The gig on the Reaper was just great and also gave us the opportunity to get some nice promo shots. The setting was just stunning with such a beautiful evening, playing on a fine historic ship with the backdrop of an amazing sunset over Oban Bay.

The previous evening Pigtown Fling joined forces with the Ceilidh Bandidos to play at a private function. This was a ceilidh for marine biologists from all over Europe. From the very beginning, while playing unplugged, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the music and when it was time for dancing they were all on the dancefloor for the rest of the evening.

With the members of Pigtown Fling involved in other projects, this promises to be a fruitful time for the band and its members.

Next up for the band is a return to Kames to Play at the Kames Hotel, the scene of many good times last year. The staff and locals are always friendly and it can get quite wild at times, but that all adds to an entertaining time. We may see the return of the “breakdancing” displays, which made for an alternative way of expressing yourself to traditional music, but each to their own.

We will be playing on the Saturday night and we will also be inviting other local players to join us on the Sunday afternoon for a traditional session. Hopefully the weather will be good enough to play outside, but whatever the weather, I’m sure our trips to Kames will be as entertaining as ever.

The following Satuday Pigtown Fling will play at the Puffer Bar on the little island of Easdale to celebrate the first birthday of the new ownership of the bar. I’ve had many fine times on Easdale and in the Puffer and it’s always good to be back, and even better to be there playing with the band.

June comes to a close with myself and Stephen travelling to Dent Folk Festival in Cumbria to play on the Friday night and over the whole weekend. Unfortunately Chris is not able to join us for this one. We will be playing fast and furious tunes on the Friday night in the beer tent, just before one of our old friends, Jon Brindley, takes to the stage. Jon was with us on our first trip to Slovenia and by sheer coincidence is on the same bill as us.

On the Saturday we will be inviting players to join us for a traditional session, where we will be joined by Colin Blakey and others. There may also be some pipes and drums over the weekend, so it promises to be an eventful time.

The following months have a lot in store for the band, particularly in August, when Pigtown Fling visit Brittany for a mini tour. Along with this are more trips to Kames and no doubt more opportunities will present themselves. We are also hoping to start recording our first album this year, and with the other projects we are all involved in, it promises to be an exciting time for Pigtown Fling.

Reaper is a floating museum with displays on Scotland’s long gone herring industry, the boats that fished for ‘the silver darlings’ and the men and women who kept the industry going.
The boat, crewed entirely by volunteers, is touring the west coast of scotland stopping of at many ports to allow visits from school children and the general public.
A civic reception was held on board on Thursday evening and Pigtown Fling provided the music.

We had a lovely evening and would like to thank the crew for looking after us so well… they even gave us a tea-towel!

Click on the tune for for the full size version or click the music payer underneath for a cheesy midi version.