Tune Up - Music Touring Across Scotland

Tours: Treacherous Orchestra

Sun 28th Mar 2010 - Sat 10th Apr 2010

A turbo-charged 13-piece supergroup, Treacherous Orchestra are at the cutting edge of Scotland's ongoing folk revival, combining strong traditional roots with an eclectic range of contemporary influences. Featuring pipes, accordian, fiddles, whistles, flutes, electric guitar, banjo, bass, drums and percussion, Treacherous Orchestra's powerful rhythms draw upon modern rock, jazz and funk, as well as traditional marches and reels, while their inspired arrangements blend jazz, klezmer and rock flavours with Celtic elements. Like fusion pioneers Martyn Bennet, Shooglenifty and Wolfstone, Treacherous Orchestra take a progressive approach to Celtic music, their repertoire consisting almost entirely of original material. Who else would think of welding the stomping rock of Queens Of The Stone Age to a Scottish march, or filtering the jazz-fusion of Mahavishnu Orchestra through flightly Highland airs?

Featuring members, past and present, of Croft No Five, Salsa Celtica, Peatbog Faeries, Session A9, Old Blind Dogs, Box Club, and Back To The Moon, among others, the members of Treacherous Orchestra are mostly still in their 20s, hailing from across Scotland, with one from Ireland. The band played their first gig at the Sound of Rum festival off Skye in 2005, and have since wowed crowds at Celtic Connections and the party following Glasgow's selection as host city for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Despite not having a CD available at the time, Treacherous Orchestra were invited to close the main stage at the 2009 Cambridge Folk Festival, with artistic director Eddie Barcan proclaiming them the best new act of the festival: "their thrilling dance and take on Scottish roots music proved one of the highlights of the weekend."

Whether you're a dancer, a headbanger or lover of great melodies and inventive arrangements, Treacherous Orchestra's Tune Up tour is not to be missed.

"The best new act at Cambridge Festival 2009, Invited to close the main stage when they didn't even have a CD release to their name, their thrilling dance and take on Scottish roots music proved one of the highlights of the weekend."
Eddie Barcan - Artist Director, Cambridge Folk Festival

"Hell for-leather the sound might be, fusing exultant dance melodies with cutting- edge rhythmic attack, but it's tempered by impressive ensemble discipline, and thus as musical as it's exciting."
Hi- Arts Journal

"A year dominated by big bands and expanded line-ups was topped by Scotland's extraordinary Treacherous Orchestra."
The Telegraph on Cambridge Folk Festival 2009

"The discovery of the festival were Glasgow folk 'supergroup', the fearless Treacherous Orchestra"
The Irish World on Cambridge Folk Festival 2009