Ruach have reached the finals of Battle of The Folk Bands 2022. The competition will be held at Celtic Connections on January 29th in the Drygate Brewery at 1pm. Why not come along and join in the fun? You can buy tickets here.
We asked Craig of Ruach a few questions about the band.
Tell us about your band
Ruach have been friends and played together for years at sessions around Aberdeenshire. We decided just before our first gig to only play tunes and songs that we have written ourselves for a bit of a laugh. That kind of stuck and now everything we play now is our own self-penned tunes and songs. We made a 4-track EP that we recorded and produced ourselves at the end of 2019 and have played at Orkney and Stonehaven folk festivals as well as gigs in Aberdeen, Portsoy and Fort William.
Who are the band members
Finn O’Neill: Banjo, Bodhran, Guitar, Mandolin & Vocals
Euan Reid: Accordion
Craig Dyke : Mandolin & Mandola
Kenn Clark: Guitar, Banjo, Whistle & Vocals
What are you hopes and aspirations for the band?
To play more festivals. We love playing festivals, travelling and playing sessions with new people. We’d like to record a studio album at some point in the near future with all of our own tunes and songs but at the moment we are just really happy to be able to play music again in front of a live audience and if the audience enjoys our music, well that’s a plus too!
Check out the band’s website. Read about the other finalists.
Battle of The Folk Bands is a Hands Up for Trad project. Read about the organisation and join our weekly Scottish music information email here.