Tune Up presents Burnsong on Tour

Now in its fifth year, the Scottish Arts Council’s Tune Up initiative takes the highest quality music, from traditional to experimental, world music to cabaret, chamber music to pop and rock, to venues across Scotland, and has established itself as a significant international touring programme.

Burnsong on Tour will showcase a unique blend of styles and song-writing talents, originally brought together in 2006 as part of Burnsong’s creative and professional development programme ‘The Songhouse’, a five day songwriting retreat in the Dumfries and Galloway countryside.

Audiences from the Borders to Aberdeen will be treated to solo, partnered and group performances, together with stories of the seven artists’ time in The Songhouse.

The tour features up-and-coming songwriter Kim Edgar, whose debut album ‘Butterflies and Broken Glass’ received much critical acclaim, former member of the Delgados and co-founder of Scottish label Chemikal Underground Emma Pollock, prolific Fifer and founder of The Fence Collective, King Creosote and respected radio and music producer Future Pilot AKA.

One of Scotland’s leading traditional singers and BBC Folk Award winner Karine Polwart, will also take part in the tour.  Polwart recently released her third album ‘This Earthly Spell’ and appeared on the latest album of fellow Burnsong on Tour performer Future Pilot AKA. Completing the line up are Canadian talent Michael Johnston and Glasgow rapper MC Soom T.

Johnston is a gifted songwriter, dynamic keyboardist and a major talent on the Canadian scene. He has toured and recorded with legendary Canadian group Skydiggers as their keyboardist/vocalist and releases a new album this year.

MC Soom T, who has collaborated with the likes of The Orb, Senser and Asian Dub Foundation, has had her unique brand of powerful rap and vocals featured on over 50 commercial and independent releases.

Commenting on the tour Ian Smith, Head of Music at the Scottish Arts Council, said: ‘If Robert Burns was alive today, he would be rightly celebrated as a poet of some standing, but probably better known as a lyricist of some considerable fame and fortune.

'Burns was a truly great lyricist and his songs are as well known as his writing. Burnsong exemplifies that talent and it is shared by the current-day song-writers and performers, all now stars in their own right, who you will see and hear on this latest Tune-Up tour.’

Burnsong Tour dates – May 2008

2 – The Byre, St Andrews
3 – Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh
4 – Buccleuch Centre, Langholm
9 – Eden Court, Inverness
11 – Perth Theatre, Perth
12 – Music Hall, Aberdeen

Notes to editors