Alasdair Roberts

Alasdair has just completed a recording session in Glasgow towards a new album, ideally to be released later this year. Twelve traditional songs were recorded.

In the next few days this site will be moving to a new host. If it disappears altogether, don’t worry, it’ll be back soon.

Alasdair will be performing live in various capacities throughout 2020.

In January he’ll play in London and Glasgow with Norwegian group Völvur (with whom he first played in Norway and Denmark last year). In March he has some solo gigs in the UK, including Halifax and Birmingham. In April and May he has some dates with Green Ribbons, the unaccompanied singing quartet also featuring Debbie Armour, Frankie Armstrong and Jinwoo (Ben Webb). See the ‘Live’ section of this website for more details.

October 2019 will see Alasdair touring in Scotland and England in support of his most recent Drag City LP/CD release The Fiery Margin. All dates are with Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh (viola), Alex Neilson (drums) and Stevie Jones (bass) (except *solo); Mary Hampton will join the group for the London concert only.

OCTOBER 2019
17th: GLASGOW The Blue Arrow
18th: ST MONANS Futtle Organic*
19th: EDINBURGH Sneaky Pete’s
20th: NEWCASTLE Gosforth Civic Theatre
21st: MANCHESTER The Talleyrand
22nd: TODMORDEN The Golden Lion
23rd: BRISTOL Colston Hall
24th: LONDON St John on Bethnal Green
25th: BRIGHTON The Rose Hill*
26th: SHEFFIELD The HUBS*

Green Ribbons is a new project focussing on unaccompanied singing and currently featuring Debbie Armour, Frankie Armstrong, Jinnwoo and Alasdair Roberts. Green Ribbons’ self-titled debut album will be released on 25th June 2019 on Belgian record label Matière Mémoire.

Okraina Records is releasing Au Cube, a collaboration between French singing trio Tartine de Clous, Scottish fiddler Neil McDermott and Alasdair Roberts. It was recorded in residency at the Cube Cinema, Bristol in December 2017 (with additional recording at The Old Dentist in London). The quintet will tour in support of the release from 29th November until 5th December 2018.

The Edinburgh gig at Sneaky Pete’s by Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse & David McGuinness scheduled for 28th September has been postponed until 15th February 2019.

Alasdair recently did some recording in Brighton with singers Debbie Armour, Frankie Armstrong and Ben Webb. Watch this space for developments.

On 23rd March 2018 Drag City Records will release What News, a new album by Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse and David McGuinness. A collection of eight traditional Scots ballads arranged for piano, voice and electronics, it was recorded by Neil McDermott in Glasgow and mastered by Calum Malcolm in Edinburgh.

The What News album launch will take place at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow on Tuesday 27th March. Cucina Povera will perform an opening set.

Here are some kind words about What News from the great English folk singer Shirley Collins:

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been so excited and enthralled by an album, an immediate response to those first beautiful, brave and brilliant opening notes of ‘The Dun Broon Bride’. There is an urgency to Alasdair Roberts’ commanding performances – a need for the story to be told – that underlines each of his interpretations of the ballads.
He has never sung better nor more fearlessly, yet with such subtlety, gravity and beauty.

What News is a triumph – a masterpiece; a powerful and intriguing album that demands and holds your attention. Album of the Year? Album of the Decade, I’d say.

Film director Catriona MacInnes, who made the pop video for the song ‘Pangs’ from Alasdair’s album of the same name, has recently directed a new short film. The drama, entitled Howls, is a Third Film Production and features music and performance from Alasdair and friends.