Chris Stout and Catriona McKay

Chris Stout and Catriona McKay first came to the Fiddle Fair back in 2004 when we had to add a piece on to the stage in McCarthy's Bar to accommodate all seven members of the amazing Shetland band Fiddlers Bid. Since then they've played here several times, with the Bid and also as a duo. We're delighted they're here to help us celebrate this birthday.

Catriona McKay is from Dundee on the east coast of Scotland and Chris Stout is from Fair Isle, one of the Shetland Islands. They both have their roots in Scottish traditional music and are driven to use this grounding as a starting point to challenge their instruments and to develop and explore new music. The result is a dynamic and adventurous sound that retains the identity of their traditions yet allows the music to have a freedom and connection to other musical styles they are drawn to.

They have performed, explored and sculpted their musical identities together for 15 years. Through a respect for tradition and a spirit of experimentation they continue to evolve and create a sound sensation and style “operating at a rarefied level of expertise” (The Herald newspaper, Scotland).

They recorded their first duo cd “Laebrack” in 2005 and in 2010 they present their self-penned album white nights. As trustworthy collaborators they have been part of many projects and are both members of the internationally acclaimed band Fiddlers’ Bid.

​And so they merge together background, traditions and fresh vision to make their own space. Music celebrating the freedom shared by two diverse and dynamic musicians. Emotional music, music of stark beauty, using vulnerable tactile sounds. It’s a soundworld that they own, one they have created with a driving energy and a clear direction. It allows them to find those magical, elusive emotions that connect to the soul, share a freedom, a feeling of abandonment, of letting-go. They cultivate an atmosphere of trust in which they can set sail. It is an intense sensation of witnessing the creation of something immediate and essential that is so captivating for them and for their listeners.