Heisk – Heisk
Independent – 20 August 2021
For a gentleman from America, there is clearly Scottish blood running through my veins; otherwise, I have no way of explaining my love of so many Scots, including Heisk, an assemblage of six ladies who have more of an eye for the disco than the trad dancefloor. They have cross-pollinated the standard music of the region, giving it a sense of electricity both literally and figuratively, creating something totally unique.
Electro Harpist Becca Skeoch and keyboard player Catriona Hawksworth decided to start the band after spending a night at the Celtic Connections Festival Club. Distraught at the dearth of female representation, Skeoch recalls, “… we kind of decided there and then to pull together some of our pals and start making some big music, music that can fill that late-night slot.” Bringing together Lauren Macdonald on drums, the accordion of Megan MacDonald, Rosie Munro’s fiddle and combined fiddle and viola talents of Sally Simpson, they had an aggregation that could keep dancefloors filled long into the night.
Hailing from all over Scotland, what they discovered most of all was that they had a love of music that went beyond the traditional. “We listen to soul and funk and so we were looking at that. It’s a collision between trad and the more funky and groovy elements of good pop music. It’s just a lot of fun really,” Seoch suggests. They even managed to catch the ear of Anna Massie, who ended up producing Heisk.
The loose-limbed Lauren Macdonald is able to do a lot more than merely carry a beat, creating the kind of drive that moves the music to tempos that are often more spritely than standard folk fare. The way she paces “Faces” gives the others plenty of room to move. Violin and viola scamper, while keyboards and harp add shadings that push the piece to new heights. The music moves well beyond the tradition, creating a fusion that simply forces you to the dancefloor.
Yet, they are also a band that can slow things down. They play with a sweetness and light at the beginning of “Charlie’s”, revealing they have learned the lessons inherent in the tradition. As the piece (featuring the tunes “Charlie’s” by Catriona Hawksworth and “Little Red” by Jamie McClennan) moves forward, so does the speed creating a sense of racehorses straining to break free. Returning to the more solemn pace of the opening, the violin and viola strain to break free before calming down to create final moments of rare beauty.
Throughout the album, there are moments that make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. You know that the music is based on traditions, yet it goes places Scottish and Irish music rarely tread, at paces that truly leave you breathless. “Andina,” a tune written by Freddy Pucha, is a perfect case in point. Opening with an almost military beat but paced far faster, the piece builds force while speeding forward. Instruments weave in and out, churning with such power that when the piece finally ends, it takes you a minute to realize that it, and the album, are over.
Heisk is the sound of a band that will not be denied. Their music is irresistible.
Order Heisk: https://thebothysociety.lsnto.me/HEISKailsa
Photo Credit: Elly Lucas