THE final band on stage were Mec Lir (above) from both Glasgow and the Isle of Man, who’ve been wowing audiences with their unique, trad euphoria, or new age folk sound as its been described since 2014. Their Barrowland gig seemed the perfect venue to showcase not just their music, but a lighting extravaganza the likes of which I’ve never witnessed at a trad concert before. The energy these guys created with their mix of electric guitar, synthesizer, fiddles, drums and button accordion was different level. It was like School of Rock trad style. I kept waiting for Tom or Paddy to fly off the stage for a crowd surf.

The main line-up is Tom Callister (fiddle), Adam Rhodes (bazouki and guitar), David Kilgallon (keyboard) and Greg Barry (drummer), got together originally as an outlet and to have some craic. I think it’s safe to say they’ve taken this to a whole other level now judging by their rapport with the audience and how well they were received. They’re joined on recordings by Paddy Callaghan, renowned button accordion player, Calum Stewart on whistle and Davie Dunsmuir on electric guitar, while Paddy also takes to the stage for gigs, as well as electric guitar player Lyle Watt also from Glasgow. I explored their unique sound a bit more with Paddy and Tom post-gig.

The band have been described as supercharged trad. Personally I felt like I was at a trad/rock concert. So how much does performing with Mec Lir differ from playing in regular trad sessions?
(Paddy and Tom): It doesn’t at all, for me anyways, in terms of playing the tunes, thats basically what we’re doing, when you strip all the other stuff away from Mec Lir’s music, at the heart and centre of it is trad tunes—played pretty fast, but it’s very much trad music based, so from that aspect, it’s not much change. You can add whatever you like to it, but the band for me will always be like a trad session just a bit wild and rocky, but the main focus is trad.

Did the sound created by the band come about organically, or was it a very deliberate decision to create something different and utilise the variety of instruments that were available to you?
(Tom): The sound of the band was completely organic, the band were put together to perform at the Lorient international festival, and I started playing tunes, and the other lads put stuff in behind it and we built it from there, it wasn’t really designed to be anything other that a lot of fun and thats not changed, its actually grown, as we’ve added more and developed more, fun is always what we aim for.

(Paddy): For me it’s just an honour to get to play with the lads. Mec Lir are literally my favourite band, so getting the chance to perform with them is hard to put in to words. But whilst it looks like we’re rocking out, for me, I’m just getting to play great tunes with people that I enjoy playing with. Yes it’s a bit funky in places, but that side of it comes from the other instruments—with exception to the cowbell!

I understand that you and Tom met at Celtic Connections Festival Club? What was it about eachother that fused you together and led to your collaboration?
(Tom): I’d seen Paddy play in feolta videos and that was a vibe I really liked so thought, I might move to Glasgow. I met Paddy at the club during Celtic Connections and introduced myself, and since then we’ve gone on to have a really strong connection in music and as people too. Its very rare that you find someone that you are so in sync with musically—have the same musical interests and always going in the same direction

(Paddy): Yeah I was quite embarrassed by that first meeting, as I asked him if he played music at all? Then the next day I had the pleasure of seeing him play and already at that stage as a very young guy he was clearly in the top handful of fiddlers worldwide, so that definitely left me with my tail between my legs. Very soon after though, we were playing a lot in sessions and had done a few tours, and it was clear to me that I was playing with someone who musically is on the same vibe as me, to the point where we often finish off each other’s variations—it can be quite creepy at times!

Now I must ask you about the band’s look. Whose idea was it to get the colourful sateen bomber jackets?
(Tom): Hahaha that was me. I think despite the quite colourful arrangements and music, deep down we’re all quiet guys, and we’d be more than happy to go out with a black t-shirt on, but at the end of the day, its about having fun, so I thought it would be good fun to do something different—seems that it was picked up on anyways! It’s just about having a bit of of a laugh. The jackets were part of that, as were the neon lights up glasses.

The lighting for the show was quite something and so in time with the music. You clearly have experts in the field employed to create such a spectacle?
(Paddy): Yeah I guess its sort of the nature of the gig, you could go to the Barrowlands and do the show you’d do in a much smaller venue, but you wouldn’t really do it justice. For this gig we worked with an incredibly talented lighting designer, Gary Ebdy, who we’ve worked with several times in the past, and having been given a brief of the overall look the band were looking for, he delivered the goods. The talent is dreaming up the setup and equipment required, and then being able to match it to what is happening on stage, and thats something he is amazing at doing.

How did the Barrowlands compare with other gigs you’ve performed? Does it have a special something?
(Paddy): Ah it was very special. As a Glaswegian, I know its a venue with so much history, and I’ve been there countless times to see gigs, never thinking I’d ever get the chance to perform on it. It was an added bonus the venue was so full and the atmosphere was one I will remember for a long time.

(Tom): Even for the guys who aren’t from Glasgow originally, it’s special. You always look for that connection between the band and the audience, but in the Barrowlands that was so much more than you would normally get.

Trad heaven is how I’d describe the night. My only complaint? I wanted more, and maybe an encore of all three bands together. Mind you, the stage probably wouldn’t accommodate them all. So lads, when you read this, Aileen of Kinnaris has you on a pedestal. You are her favourite bands in the whole wide world. So what’s stopping you? I feel a big fat trad collaboration coming on!