An instrumental track from RURA’s five-star (Songlines, July 2015) album, Despite The Dark. Two tunes from members of the band – “The Boys of Ballydowse” by David Foley (bodhran, flute), and “The Smasher” by Jack Smedley (fiddle).
Ballydowse is a fictional town in the south of Ireland, and the setting for the independent film ‘The War of the Buttons’; an adaptation of the French novel, ‘La Guerre des boutons”, by Louis Pergaud. The tune was written and named fo ‘The Ballys’ who feature as the protaganists in the film.
“The Smasher” refers specifically to a very short man from Slack of Bait.
“One of the most exciting bands on the Scottish folk scene” (Songlines), Rura, whilst rooted in tradition, are a refreshingly contemporary act. Rugged yet disciplined, heartfelt whilst rousing and anthemic, and all-together punch-packing.
Internationally renowned – and in demand – for their powerhouse mix of highland pipes, whistle, flute, fiddle, bodhran, guitar and voice, Rura are one of the most sought-after bands of their generation. Steven Blake, Jack Smedley, David Foley and Adam Brown create hard-hitting, muscular, yet intricately arranged and lyrical, instrumentals to match singer/songwriter Adam Holmes’ haunting songcraft – a perfected mix that has seen them rise to headline status at festivals throughout the UK and Europe.
Since bursting on to the scene in 2010, as award winners at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival, Rura have firmly established themselves as a major force. The release of their heralded first album, Break It Up, in 2012 was accompanied by multiple award wins and nominations, and now the five-piece’s 2015 follow-up, Despite the Dark, is meeting unrelentingly high praise.
Artist website: http://www.RURA.co.uk
Single title: The Smasher
Album title: Despite the Dark
Release Date: 27/04/2015
Single artist: RURA
Single duration: 5:46
Record Label: RURA Music
Catalogue No: RURACD0001
Writers: Foley, Smedley – Arr: Blake, Brown, Foley, Hutton, Smedley
Publishers: RURA
Explicit?: No
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