It's not all in the name for this band

PREPARE the puns: with a name like Cliar, the Gaelic supergroup must be a gift to headline writers ready to brand them "cliarly the best" or "cliar and simple".

But there’s more to the six-piece band, who formed at the Highland Festival in 1998, than just a name.

The band got together after years of playing on the folk scene in other incarnations and solo careers (they boast three Mod gold medal winners and Saltire Award, BBC Young Traditionalist Award and International Celtic Harp competition prizes too). Their motive, they say, was to echo the traditional practice of itinerant poets and musicians in the Highlands, but to bring that legacy up to date with a fresh approach.

That seems to have struck a chord with folk and traditional music fans, with the band garnering rave reviews, such as "one of the most beautiful sounds in 21st Century Scotland". They’re best known for their Lasair Dhe project, a celebration of Gaelic spiritual and choral music, which toured the country and was broadcast on TV. They’re now on their second album, which they’ll be performing extracts from tomorrow.

Cliar, tomorrow, Edinburgh Folk Club, The Pleasance Cabaret Bar, The Pleasance, 8pm (7.30pm doors), 6 (4 members, 5 concessions), 0131-555 2505.