RUNRIG | The Official Site

Over the past few weeks the band have been working hard on putting together the DVD of Beat the Drum. The band is excited by the footage caught on such a memorable day and the progress that the DVD is making.

We hope to announce a release date in the coming few weeks.

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Brian takes over the airwaves of Radio Borders

On Sunday 13th of January from 8 - 10pm, Brian will be hosting The Sunday Getherin’ on radio borders. Brian co-hosted the Christmas Getherin’ with Karin Ingram and is really excited about the trouble he could cause this Sunday.

It will be a great show and will have special guests playing a variety of music. Local listeners can listen live on the main frequency 96.8fm or listen online by clicking here to visit the radio borders website.

Happy listening!!

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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

The band and everyone here at Runrig would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We wish you all the best and would like to thank you for your support during this amazing year!

This has been a fantastic year for us and we are overwhelmed with the support from every one of you. We are all looking forward to next year and everything that it may bring.

A Toast - To 2008!
Slainte

Runrig

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Caroline gets smart!

The final piece of Beat the Drum, Loch Ness business was concluded today when a delighted Caroline Moffat from Cumbernauld was handed the keys to her brand new prize-winning Mercedes Smart car. The band met up with Caroline at the offices of John R Weir in Perth to present her with the car, including a complete signed CD back catalogue.

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Loch Lomond No.1 in Scotland / No.9 in the UK Chart.

The band created a big, seven minute TV moment with their performance on last Friday’s Children in Need extravaganza. For anyone who missed the show, you can check out Bruce dancing with Jackie Bird etc. on You Tube

This weeks chart positions have just been announced and both Runrig and their vocal collaborators, The Tartan Army are over the moon with the result. Although there was big disappointments at Hampden Park last night as far as the football was concerned, the winners once again were the Tartan Army, so today’s chart success is something positive to celebrate. They can now turn their attention to the World Cup. Well done everyone involved. Keep buying the single on download or CD – please keep the money coming in.

We have some signed, printed copies of the single artwork on canvas available for auction. All bids to the Runrig office and all proceeds go to Children in Need. Send an email to the office stating how much you wish to bid over the current bid.

The current highest bid is £400.

You can see the bands performance on Children in Need on You Tube by clicking here.

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A single is born

After working well into the night and a brief stop for a few hours sleep it was back into the studio again at first light to complete the mix. By lunchtime it was ready. The band then headed off to Germany to resume the tour and engineer Kristian Gislason and business manager Steve Cullen made a dash for the nearest airport to meet the mastering deadline. It is booked in at the mastering suite in Copenhagen later in the afternoon.

The single will be available across Scotland at the following stores - Woolworths, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Virgin, HMV and leading independants from Monday 12th of November. It is available for pre order at both HMV and Amazon by clicking on the links. The band will be performing the new single on Friday the 16th of November on BBC Scotland for Children In Need, so please tune in and show your support.

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Loch Lomond is Coming

Its mixing day for the Children In Need / Tartan Army recording of the Loch Lomond single. The track is currently being slow cooked in Kristian Gislasson's Kitchens in Arhus, Denmark. Mastering takes place tomorrow in Copenhagen and then we will hopefully be ready for the retail and download deadline of Monday 12th November. .

The band are all fired up about this, It's an exciting project and one we hope can make a major contribution to this year's Children In Need. We really hope you can get behind it.

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Double Platinum award for Everything You See

Denmark's amazing love affair with Everything You See continues. After the band's show in Arhus at the NRGI Arena last Friday night , a team from Recart, the Danish record company, came backstage to present the band with yet another platinum disk for Everything You See.

The band have currently finished a week of sell out shows in Denmark and start the German leg of the tour this week. You can check out the full list of tour dates and get all the ticket information by clicking here. With very few tickets remaining for the final shows of the Everything you See tour you'd better hurry!!

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Come and support the band for Children in Need

BBC Scotland have kindly allowed us to take 50 of our own fans to join up with members of the Tartan Army for the live televised performance of Loch Lomond, at Children in Need, Friday 16th November, at BBC Scotland, Pacific Quay, Glasgow.

The broadcast slot is set for 8.30pm, Due to restrictions on space and bearing in mind the content of the complete programme it will be impossible for anyone to stay on beyond the Runrig performance. But never mind, the Loch, the Army and the Riggies are going to be the main event. It promises to be quite a party.

Anyone wanting to go should put their names and contact details in an email with the subject title 'Tickets for Children in Need' to office@runrig.co.uk no later than Friday 9th of November. We will then put the names in a hat, and lets hope you get lucky.

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Loch Lomond for Children In Need

With the band out on the road, one week into their album tour, a major missive came into the office this week. The Daily Record acting on behalf of the Tartan Army and BBC Scotland are pulling together an exciting proposal that would be the flagship event of BBC Scotland’s Children In Need appeal, 2007.

With the national football team riding the crest of a wave in their bid to qualify for the European Championships, 2008, and the song Loch Lomond being one of the main songs on the Tartan Army hit list, it was felt that getting a new recording of the song together with the Tartan Army would be an excellent fundraiser for Children In Need by way of download and retail release.

With the band touring it made the recording of the song an interesting logistical challenge, but where there’s a will.

The band are really excited about the project and their main aspiration in it all is that it can raise as much money as possible for Children In Need.

To visit the Tartan army website click here.

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Everything You See tour underway

The Everything You See tour is underway and has got off to a great start. The band are really enjoying the shows and are looking forward to taking Everything You see across Europe and finishing the tour back at the infamous Barrowlands.

If any of you who are at the shows would like to send your pictures and reviews, we would be most grateful. We would like to use them in the next edition of The Wire for a full round up of the whole tour.

For those people who haven’t got tickets to see the band yet click here for a full list of dates and ticket information.

All pictures and reviews can be emailed to office@runrig.co.uk or can also be sent to the address below. Images need to be high resolution (300dpi).

Enjoy the Tour!!

Official Address

Runrig Office,
1 York St, Aberdeen,
AB11 5DL,
Scotland UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1224 573100

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Runrig documentary broadcast on STV

A documentary called Abhainn an t-Sluaigh is broadcast on Wednesday the 26th of September at 11:00pm on STV. The documentary follows fans gathering for Beat The Drum on the banks of Loch Ness.

The documentary takes a look at the band through the eyes of the fans and explores why fans travel from all over the world to see the band in action, and follow the band on the road to concerts all over Europe.

The documentary was put together by MNE media and is now available to view online by clicking here.

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Request for fans photographs, mobile video and personal accounts.

Beat the Drum on Saturday was undoubtedly a unique and completely unexpected experience, a fact borne out by way of the anecdotes and personal experiences beginning to surface.

As you all know the concert was filmed for a DVD release and although we also used an official photographer, we felt that in the light of the extreme nature of the event it would be a great pity not to have the experience documented from the fans point of view. If you have any photographs of your own that show this, whether it be pulling cars from the car park, people getting hosed down at the car wash, groups of fans singing in the rain, movie film of the band shot on mobile phone from the midst of the audience etc.. We would be most grateful.

Basically we want to build a databank of images that might ultimately get incorporated into the DVD or the next edition of the Wire. And also please don’t forget to add any written account as back up if you so wish.

Ideally the best method of transfer would be if you could download on to CD or DVD and send it to the office, including your contact details. Alternatively, you can email your images at full resolution to office@runrig.co.uk.

Please get in touch with Mike Smith for any further details.

Official Address

Runrig Office,
1 York St, Aberdeen,
AB11 5DL,
Scotland UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1224 573100

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'Day' Of The Flood

Now that the war is over and the last of the refugees has safely made it back home, we would like to thank each and every one of you for staying with us, sharing with us and surviving with us on Saturday night.

It was a concert like no other we have ever done in our 34 years, and never were the opening lines from the opening song Year of the Flood more appropriate. We sincerely hope we never have to go to these extremes again to share the joy of music. You were amazing, and we thank you for staying there right to the bitter end – we have no idea how you managed to sing, dance, applaud and get into the spirit of the occasion, after the day that you suffered. From all of us, a huge heartfelt thank you.

With all the best advance weather forecasting possible, and with all contingency plans in place, we still never imagined it would have been quite as severe as it was. Because of the conditions, the game plan for the day had to be thrown away and everyone on the organisational side of things just had to get on with things as best as possible - and by and large, they did a fantastic job. We apologise for all the inevitable extra queuing for food, toilets, exits etc – the inevitable chaos that ensued at the car parking and all the other hundreds of problems that people had to face - all a knock on effect of the weather.

We would like to thank the people and the whole community of Drumnadrochit, for giving us a part of their village for the day. We thank them for their understanding, kindness and good humour. We thank the many local people that selflessly gave of their time to help out. Typified by Bruce Wynne, who spent hours pulling cars out of the car park mud. We only hope that in all the upheaval, we have left the village with something positive and enduring from ourselves.

In time, we will all look back on the occasion with different eyes - once the dust has settled, or rather, once the mud has dried – and I know we will be glad to say that we were there.

It really was quite special. Moran taing a’ rithist.

Look out for photos going into the gallery and a full report in the next edition of the wire A souvenir disc containing interviews, images and footage of the event is also available in the shop.

Photographs on the day by Andrew King.

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Take a Road Trip - with John R. Weir

We are now in a position to announce the next exciting development in the Beat the Drum experience. Official vehicle sponsor for the day will be the John R Weir Group, and as part of the deal we will be giving away a brand new Smart Fortwo Car. This will take the form of a prize draw, the winner to be drawn from a ‘big drum’ live on stage, before the Red Hot Chilli Pipers set.

Tickets for the draw cost £5 and will only be available from the site, on the day of the show. The band are delighted to be associated with the Smart Car, and we applaud the efforts of car manufacturers that are now beginning to look for eco friendly solutions to the problems of motoring. The Smart Car is a significant move in the right direction.

As an extra giveaway we will include the entire signed Runrig CD back catalogue together with a signed copy of the Flower Of the West songbook. So go on … take a road trip.

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Everything You Hear - The Runrig Campsite Karaoke Night

For all Runrig fans gathering in the Beat The Drum campsite on Friday 17th August, we have very special treat in store. An Everything You See album Karaoke competition. The winner getting to feature in the next Wire and meet the band after the show.

Entry will be free of charge, by wristband, received on checking into the campsite. A form will be available both on checking into the campsite and on entering the Karaoke tent. If you wish to enter this great challenge and make your bid for super stardom write down your name and choice of song. Names will be drawn from a hat on the night, and we will try and let as many fans as possible get their opportunity in the time available. We hope that lots of you take up the challenge and make this a great fun night. The perfect way to pass the evening before the big day itself.

A fans adjudication panel will be picked and they will decide on the best 5 singers to go through to the final sing-off, where the 5 finalists will sing the complete song. The winner will then be chosen. To complete the evening’s entertainment, we have music from Achnasheen Airport and some additional prizes and surprises.

We have arranged to provide full on site bar and catering facilities with an extended licence till 1.00am both days and catering available at all times from the opening of the site Friday lunchtime until closure Sunday lunchtime.

The event begins at 7pm and is strictly for official campsite ticket holders only. All subject to licence.

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Runrig ‘Beat The Dram ’ with Duncan Taylor whisky

In order to toast their Beat The Drum event - next month’s sell-out concert at Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness - Runrig have got together with award-winning whisky merchant Duncan Taylor of Huntly to create a special commemorative malt.

The day long, Beat The Drum event promises a blend and variety of music with a particularly potent Highland flavour, appropriate to this celebratory year of Highland culture. The same description could equally apply to the chosen whisky, a Duncan Taylor special bottling of one of Scotland ’s premium malts of 20 years old. It was selected at a private tasting at the company premises in Huntly and afterwards band member Iain Bayne commented, ‘‘In this significant year of Highland culture we thought there was no better way to mark our own involvement than to do so in the company of one of the finest, most vibrant and special of Highland malts. It also seemed appropriate and fitting to name it, Beat The Dram!’’

The beautifully presented, limited edition whisky of just 500 bottles will be available to purchase exclusively at the festival for £65 per bottle. Each bottle is individually numbered and accompanied by a certificate signed by the band members.

You can visit Duncan Taylor of Huntly by clicking here

The Beat The Drum Souvenir Disc is now available for pre-order in our new on-line shop Am Buth

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Platinum award for Everything You See

After the last song in Silkeborg, Jof from Recart surprised the band by coming on to the stage to present each of the band members a Platinum Disc to celebrate the success of Everything You See.

After 5 weeks at the number 1 spot in the Danish National Album charts, the band was delighted with the news. Jof joined the band after the show for a toast. It was a fantastic way to finish the Danish summer shows.

You can track the progress in the chart by clicking here

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Beat The Drum Souvenir Disc

In the lead up to Loch Ness we will be announcing a series of exciting and unique sale items and side events to compliment the day. To get the ball rolling we are delighted to announce the Beat The Drum Souvenir Disc

At the end of the concert we will have a souvenir DVD - literally, hot off the press - containing the following:

FILM FOOTAGE OF THE DAY

THE BUILD UP TO THE EVENT, INCLUDING A QUICK MESSAGE FROM EACH OF THE BAND

STILL PHOTOGRAPHY TAKEN DURING THE CONCERT

AND AS A SPECIAL BONUS: LIVE FOOTAGE OF ONE OF THE SONGS FROM RUNRIG'S SET

This is an ambitious project and will be co-ordinated by a dedicated team in a specially created working studio back stage, edited and put together as material becomes available over the duration of the day, culminating in a finished mastered product, ready by the end of the show! Definitely a first for the Runrig Team - a fresh and challenging initiative that will, we're sure, meet with everyone's approval in providing an instant, unique souvenir of the day

Each DVD will cost £10 and will also contain a voucher offering a £1.00 discount off the proposed concert DVD due for release towards the end of the year.
We will be able to produce 2000 on the night, but don't panic, any orders taken above that number, will be posted out within three days of the event.

We are thrilled to be able to offer our audience something we believe has never been done before.

The Beat The Drum Souvenir Disc is now available for pre-order in our new on-line shop Am Buth

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Runrig Exhibition Coming Home opens in North Uist

Coming Home, the Runrig Exhibition opened on Friday 1st June, at Taigh Chearsabhagh, the local museum and arts centre in Lochmaddy, Isle of North Uist. The exhibition is due to run till September but it is hoped that it might get a chance to go on tour to other venues throughout the year and possibly beyond.

The exhibition covers three distinct areas of band history; the early years (1973-1986) playing round the islands of Skye and the Outer Isles, the Donnie / Chrysalis era (1986 –1997) when the scale of operation reached a higher level with crossover popular appeal and when the international dimension became part of the picture and finally the remarkable regeneration of the band as it moved into the Bruce era, 1997 till the present day.

The band story is told on wall displays, separated into year by year accounts and there is an hour long DVD playing continuously. Artefacts include Malcolm’s first Runrig guitar – The CD recovered from the wreckage of the Columbia Space Shuttle and Rory’s first musical instrument, an accordion given to his father by parents of Sgt. Sandy McIntyre at the end of the Second World War. Sandy, a keen accordion player, was Rory’s father’s best friend, and he lost his life in action. Sandy’s parents handed the accordion over to Rory’s father on the understanding that if he ever had a son himself, he could he pass on the instrument. The rest is (Runrig) history.

Taigh Chearsabhagh manager, Norman Macleod stated, “This exhibition will showcase the work of the band over the past 34 years and will create a focus for local people, fans and visitors alike. The band has such strong links with North Uist, personally and musically and a project like this is long overdue. We’re really excited about it.”

See a review from the press and Journal here and also a report by the BBC here

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Everything You See No.1 in Danish National Album Charts for 3rd week and achieves Gold Status

On the second day of the album tour in Denmark, the band were greeted with the official news that Everything You See has made it to the No.1 slot in the Danish National Album Charts.

After extensive radio play for the singles Year of the Flood and Clash of the Ash and much positive critical acclaim from both the music and general press, the No.1 slot has been achieved.

Everything you see is now celebrating its third week at No.1 and has achieved Gold status.

The band are naturally delighted with the news and would like to thank all the team at Rec-Art Records for all their belief, hard work and dedication.

You can view the chart here

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Runrig launch long awaited new album Everything You See

Runrig launched their long awaited new album, Everything You See. This will be the band’s 13th studio album and it is fitting that in this year of 2007, that celebrates the Highland Year of Culture, it is a recording that has been undertaken, more or less, entirely in the Highlands. Everything You See is a type of album that the band have wanted to make for some time.

For many people the ‘live’ situation is where Runrig are at their powerful and passionate best, and it was often felt that the ‘live’ sound had never been captured effectively on studio recordings. Runrig have opted to use the studio as a separate creative entity, where song based material has been dressed in the sheen of production values that can then be stripped back to transfer to the very different ‘live’ performance environment. This time ‘everything you hear’ will be, more or less, ‘everything you see’ in the ‘live’ situation.

The initial inspiration for this approach came from the early album rehearsals. After setting up in an old converted stable block in the Black Isle village of Cromarty, the band liked the acoustic sound of the building so much, that instead of then re-locating to a recording studio, they decided to bring in sound engineer, Kristian Gislason, with his recording equipment and record the album on location. The approach to the laying down of ‘backing tracks’ was then undertaken with the same ‘live’ philosophy in mind.

As the album project developed, the band used various other buildings in the village – an old brewery - the church hall etc. to help with the logistics and to bring the album to fruition. The whole project became an exciting one to make, and everyone involved became energised by this organic, hands on, home made approach.

The Highland theme was developed further with musical contributions from the Dingwall Gaelic Choir; children from Strathpeffer Primary School and the local Church Sunday School; the talented Gaelic singer of the moment Julie Fowlis and fiddles from Duncan Chisholm of Wolfstone and Adam Sutherland of The Peat Bog Faeries. The voice of Norwegian singer Aud IngeBjorg Heldaas was then added at the later mixing stage.

With the tone of the album firmly and confidently set, the whole project was set against the ‘live’ backdrop of Runrig’s big up and coming summer event, Runrig-Beat The Drum-Loch Ness at Drumnadrochit on Aug 18th. For a band that have contributed so much to Highland culture for the past 34 years, it is hoped that both Everything You See and Beat The Drum will be potent and significant contributions to this special year of 2007 where Highland Culture is so publicly recognised and celebrated.

"Everything You See" is available for order at the new Runrig shop

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Black Isle Brewery launch Runrig Beer

The Black Isle Brewery launch the official Beat the Drum beer. Beat the Drum Ale is now on sale from Black Isle Brewery. Cases can be ordered online, or call 01463 811871.
Mail order is for the UK only.

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Support acts confirmed for Beat The Drum 2007

The following artists have been confirmed as support for Runrig at their spectacular outdoor concert at Borlum Farm, Drumnadrochit on Saturday 18 August 2007.

Wolfstone

Old friends of the band. The association with Wolfstone goes right back to The Loch Lomond concert of 1991, and it is particularly fitting that in this Highland Year of Culture, they once again share a significant stage together.

Like Runrig they have been a premier Highland band – they have stayed the distance and are as relevant today as they ever were. Recent changes to the line up have helped with their musical evolution – but don’t worry - Duncan Chisholm is still there giving it large.

Aberfeldy

With so much emphasis on the traditional music aspect we felt it right to balance the day with a young contemporary rock act. Aberfeldy will be well known to followers of the current music scene.

The 5-piece Indie band from Edinburgh have achieved great things since their formation in 2002. And they have some tenuous links with the band - playing Loch Lomond , as support to REM – using former band producer/ engineer Calum Malcolm to produce their last album - and their manager Bruce Findlay has been a friend of the band for many years.

Great Big Sea

Although this concert will be essentially, a Highland music event and the choices on the bill reflect that aspect; we felt it important to include a complementary international dimension. Newfoundland ’s greatest, Great Big Sea are also long time friends of the band.

They have supported the band in the UK and Europe in the past. In North America they have a huge following and regularly perform large outdoor shows. For those of you that don’t know their music expect an energetic, vibrant, whirlwind of a set.

Julie Fowlis

The band are delighted to include Julie Fowlis from North Uist on the bill. She is without doubt the rising star in Gaelic music and widely tipped to be biggest female artiste to emerge from the folk world in a long time.

Her music is rooted in the tradition but crosses over effortlessly to an ever growing appreciative mainstream. Julie also features on the new Runrig album

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers

If this lot don’t get you going, nothing will. Definitely not out of the traditional piping school -their title really says it all, and there is not much more one can say. You just have to experience the full Red Hot Chilli effect.

The Vatersay Boys

The wild men from the Western Isles have been brewing up a storm at various gigs over the last few years. Their energetic and sometimes irreverent brand of West Coast ceilidh rock will be perfect for Loch Ness and most certainly perfect for the Runrig audience.

MFR Band

The concert will open with the band of youngsters that will win the Moray Firth Radio young band competition. The competition is open to kids in any complementary genre of music and part of the prize is to open the Loch Ness show with a short set.

In this Year of Highland Culture it is an initiative that the band are delighted to support.

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