Congratulations to Haltadans who has been nominated in Scottish Folk Band of the Year sponsored by Threads of Sound in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2024. Vote for Haltadans now!. It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 30th November in Inverness Leisure. Why not join us for a brilliant night of music and awards. Buy a ticket here.
We asked Maurice of Haltadans the following questions.
Tell us about yourself
Haltadans are a group of some of Shetland’s finest folk musicians: Maurice Henderson; Ewen Thomson; Ella Robertson; Lois Nicol; on fiddles. Grant Nicol, guitar and John Clark on bass guitar.
Why are you involved in Scottish music?
Haltadans formed in 2013, band members are all living in Shetland and have grown up steeped in the traditional Shetland Music scene. The five piece Haltadans had a main focus on traditional Shetland music but soon incorporated many of the band members own compositions, as well as some arrangements of nordic melodies and music from areas that the we had visited.
Haltadans formed out of the Shetland party band Fullsceilidh Spelemannslag. The smaller five piece band was a great line-up for exploring the traditional music and touring small halls around Shetland, but also created a powerful sound that could play on any festival stage.
The Band Members:
Maurice Henderson is a founder member of Fiddlers’ Bid and also well known in Shetland for telling yarns and stories associated with Shetland music and folklore. He even went in search of the origins of the tune name ‘Willafjord’ in West Greenland.
Ewen Thomson, was born and brought up in Fair Isle, learning fiddle and inspired by his grandfather. He played in family band Fridarey, noted for their fine harmony singing. He brings to Haltadans his fantastic fiddle playing and fine ear for harmony lines often improvised. Ewen is probably best known as one of Scotland’s finest fiddle makers and has made instruments for many of our best known fiddle players.
Lois Nicol is also member of Shetland Americana band Kansa and studied for a degree in Folk Music at Newcastle University. She has been Shetland Young fiddler of the year in Junior, Intermediate and Open categories.
Ella Robertson, is our youngest band member but has been playing fiddle since she was a peerie lass. She is currently studying music and the UHI at Mareel in Shetland. Ella comes from a musical family, with her mother and sister playing fiddle. Uncle Maurice! suggested she join the band to help out, standing in for Lois for a few gigs. Ella found she soon learnt the repertoire and is now part of the band and introducing new music. Ella plays in Fullsceilidh Spelemannslag and the Shetland Fiddlers’ Society. Ella is also very active in the promotion of youth music, organising gigs with Shetland Young Promotors.
Grant Nicol, is a brother to Lois. Grant is well respected for his fine guitar and mandolin playing. Grant learnt brass instruments as a youngster, his father playing trumpet in the Lerwick Brass Band, and later took to the mandolin and guitar. His aunt Jenny Henry on mandolin and Davy Henry from Hom Bru fame being great musical influences. Grant is a stalwart in the Shetland music scene, participating in many musical line-ups as well as an Up Helly Aa squad musician, where his musical stamina and ability to hold a spree is often called on.
John Clark was a founder member of ‘Rock Salt & Nails’. John toured extensively around the world with the band, playing all the major folk festivals as well as many years on the road travelling the length and breadth of Britain.
John composes many fine tunes and also plays mandolin. Haltadans has recorded a number of his tunes and these Melodies are becoming bedded in the Shetland repertoire.
Any particular career highlights?
Haltadans have many career highlights but a few stand out ones, but taking part in the Shetland Folk Festival over the years, and sharing the stage with many top artistes is always a highlight. We have also played in Norway and toured in Denmark, Halkær Kro festival, and Orkney Folk Festival. Our Scottish Mainland debut was at Scots Fiddle Festival in Edinburgh 2023, a very memorable weekend of music and the band much appreciated the invite down to Edinburgh. This year we played Shetland Wool Week, a lovely acoustic concert in the Shetland Museum Boat Hall, the folk still however spoke of our previous wool week gig in the sheep shed, complete with yowes yarmin from their sheep pens.
We have made two recordings, both recorded, mixed and mastered in Mareel, Lerwick. A debut EP ‘Haltadans’ and our latest album ‘Light Ida Lum’.
Haltadans mostly play concerts in Shetland and some of our favourite gigs have been out around the islands in place such as Foula, Fetlar and Fair Isle. We find these type of tours around our home islands very inspiring and create many great memories. They don’t just involve music but a great opportunity to appreciate the place, its wildlife, nature, way of life, culture and have some good sprees.
On Screen – we have appeared on a few TV shows filming in Shetland but our most famous is probably appearing on stage in the ‘Shetland’ TV crime drama series 5. The scene was set at a Folk Festival.
What are your plans for the future?
The band plan another recording, but the main thing is to keep playing live folk music, keeping the tunes and stories alive and more dancing of the ‘Shetland Reel’!
Haltadans Social Media
Website: https://www.haltadans.com/
Facebook: @haltadans
Twitter: @haltadans
Instagram: @haltadans
YouTube: @MauriceHendersonShetland
TikTok: @
The 2024 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are on the 30th November 2024 in Inverness Leisure Centre! You will be able to watch it live in person (buy a ticket here). Watch it live in the UK at 9pm (GMT) on BBC ALBA and and around the world here. Bands performing on Saturday 30th November include Julie Fowlis, Skipinnish, Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr, Highland Young Musicians and Arc Fiddlers, An Dannsa Dub, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award winner 2024 Calum McIlroy and more!
If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians why not become a friend of Hands Up for Trad. In addition to our high profile events like the Scots Trad Music Awards, we also deliver a less well known, education programme for young people from 8yrs right through to young adults at the start of their careers. Read more here.
