‘Peatlemania’ island band crowned best live act at Scots Trad Music Awards

A Hebridean band formed by a fisherman, an electrician and a truck driver a year and a half ago have been crowned the best live act at Scotland’s annual traditional music Oscars.
Peat & Diesel have already sold 7,000 tickets for next year's tourPeat & Diesel have already sold 7,000 tickets for next year's tour
Peat & Diesel have already sold 7,000 tickets for next year's tour

Isle of Lewis outfit Peat & Diesel – who have sold more than 7000 tickets for a 2020 tour after being mobbed at festival audiences around the country this year – were one of the big winners at the Scots Trad Music Awards ceremony in Aberdeen.

The honour caps a remarkable rise to prominence this year, which has seen the band propelled from playing pub gigs to becoming social media sensations, drawing thousands of fans at music festivals and selling out a forthcoming gig at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom.

Their seemingly overnight success and has been fuelled by a #Peatlemania campaign on social media and credited to the popularity of the “nonsense songs” inspired by island life, which are created by fisherman-frontman Callum “Boydie” MacLeod, who formed the band with electrician Innes Scott and delivery driver Uilleam “Uilly” MacLeod.

They have become folk heroes in their native Stornoway, where they were granted a last-minute main stage slot at the Hebridean Celtic Festival last summer to accommodate demand from audiences to see them.

The awards event, which was broadcast live on BBC Alba and Radio Scotland live from Aberdeen’s Music Hall, saw the Tiree Music Festival, declared event of the year just days after it was declared a sell-out for next year.

Islander Daniel Gillespie, artistic director of the festival, which was staged for the 10th time this year, said: “I think the island really was the main impetus to start the event. We have brilliant times as teenagers in the summer on Tiree and we just wanted to share that with people. 

“We mulled over the idea and how difficult it would be for a couple of years before we gave it a try. We had 600 people in the first year and 2000 people this year, which is really at peak capacity.”

Rising Glasgow-based stars Kinnaris Quintet,  who performed at the opening ceremony of the Solheim Cup golf tournament at Gleneagles earlier this year, won the new Belhaven Bursary, Scotland’s most lucrative arts prize.

Launched last year to recognise innovation in Scottish folk and traditional music, the £25,000 award, which was created by Belhaven Brewery in East Lothian, is aimed at helping new bands take their music overseas and includes the chance to perform at the Tartan Week festivities in New York. 

Jenn Butterworth, guitarist with Kinnaris Quintet, who was also named Scotland’s musician of the year, said of the Belhaven Bursary award: “It’s absolutely incredible for a band to have that kind of support behind us now.

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“We actually struggle to get together to make music at the moment - this will definitely support us to do that more often. We can think about what we can in an entirely different realm.”

Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid was named composer of the year while her band Blazin’ Fiddles won the coveted best folk band title at the awards which are also known as “Na Trads.” Breabach won the best album award ahead of the band’s 15th anniversary in 2020.

Man of the Minch, who is billed as “the aquatic alias of Glasgow-based queer galactic folk pop act and multi-instrumentalist Pedro Cameron,” was named best up-and-coming-act.

Other winners include broadcaster Mary Ann Kennedy, who co-hosted the awards ceremony and was named Gaelic singer of the year, Scots singer of the year Steve Byrne and An Tobar, on the Isle of Mull, which was named best venue.

Murdo MacSween, communications manager for MG Alba, who stage the event with promoters Hands Up For Trad, said: “It’s been another wonderful year for Scottish traditional music, and we’re delighted to  yet again be at the heart of this celebration of our world-class talent.”

Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland, said: “Yet again Na Trads prove that Scotland has an age-old music which lives and breathes in the 21st century.”



FULL LIST OF NA TRADS WINNERS


Album of the Year

Frenzy of the Meeting by Breabach



Belhaven Bursary

Kinnaris Quintet



Club of the Year

Sutherland Sessions



Composer of the Year

Jenna Reid



Community Project of the Year

SEALL Festival of Small Halls



Event of the Year 
Tiree Music Festival



Gaelic Singer of the Year

Mary Ann Kennedy



Musician of the Year

Jenn Butterworth



Live Act of the Year

Peat and Diesel



Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year 
Steve Byrne



Scottish Dance Band of the Year

The Cruickshank Family Band



Scottish Folk Band of the Year

Blazin’ Fiddles



Scottish Pipe Band of the Year

Inverary and District Pipe Band



Trad Video of the Year 

Heroes by Tide Lines



Music Tutor of the Year

Iain Ruari Finlayson, Skye Schools



Up and Coming Artist of the Year

Man of the Minch



Venue of the Year Award

An Tobar, Isle of Mull



Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award 

Dr. Peter Cooke



Services to Gaelic Award

Anne Soutar



Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language Award

Sheena Blackhall

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