Congratulations to The Liam Stewart Band who has been nominated in Scottish Dance Band of the Year sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2025. Vote now!. It’s going to be another great night at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards on Saturday 6th December in Aberdeen Music Hall. Why not join us for a brilliant night of music and awards. Buy a ticket here.
We asked Liam of The Liam Stewart Band the following questions.
Tell us about yourself
The Liam Stewart Band is an experienced and talented group – who have amassed very impressive musical CVs (individually and as an ensemble); hundreds of radio broadcasts, albums, TV and film appearances to their credit; in addition to their regular busy schedule of corporate events and weddings, throughout the UK and beyond. The band's debut album, 'As Promised' is a brilliant display of technical ability and creativity; with a fantastic blend of traditional and contemporary material.
The Liam Stewart Band consists of the Liam Stewart (the current, and four-time All Scotland Champion), along with Leonard Brown and Craig Paton (both former Champions, multi-instrumentalists, and band-leaders in their own right) and Gordon Smith (one of the most sought-after and celebrated Dance Band drummers) – this personnel is undoubtedly the reason for the Band's drive and energy, technical prowess and flair, as well as their natural ability to perform within every context; Country Dancing, Ceilidh, Old Tyme, and everything in between!
All members of the band are delighted to be recognised in this way and would be very honoured to receive your vote!
Why are you involved in Scottish music?
We are all steeped in the traditions of Scottish Dance Music, variety entertainment, and creative music-making! We love to perform a variety of music that excites us and entertains our audiences/dancers! We enjoy the buzz of walking on stage to express ourselves, regardless of the type of gig, and interacting with each other to make it a fun experience for all! We pride ourselves in providing the correct music for the occasion; we are always conscious of acknowledging the great dance band music of the past, whilst bringing our own unique style and innovative approach to tunes/arrangements.
The members of The Liam Stewart Band are all very grateful to the Accordion & Fiddle Club fraternity, corporate entertainment groups, festival organisers, and private clients, for the decades of musical experiences/opportunities afforded to us.
Although we each have an interest in other musical genres, Scottish Dance Music continues to be such a big part of our lives – both personally and professionally!
Any particular career highlights?
As individual musicians, and as The Liam Stewart Band, we are privileged to list the following as career highlights;
1) performing on a regular basis for members of the British and other Royal Families, including a special concert at Buckingham Palace, numerous shows at Dumfries House, and an unique appearance, to celebrate 30yrs of ClassicFM, in Braemar.
2) frequent appearances aboard the Royal Scotsman train, and a plethora of prestige gigs in some of Scotland's most exclusive luxury hotels/venues.
3) being the featured ceilidh band on Channel 4's thriller "Deadwater Fell", with leading Scots actor, David Tennant….this was later re-shown on Netflix!
4) I think we all have favourite memories of festivals, weddings, and other events, (too many to mention here!) that will continue to inspire us, as we strive to reach new audiences and entertain them to the best of our abilities!
What are your plans for the future?
We have an increasingly busy schedule of events for the latter part of 2025, and we're really excited about several projects to take place in 2026 and beyond! These include; album recordings, radio broadcasts, festival appearances and dance weekends, interspersed with weddings, corporate functions, and community events.
Together with an excellent pool of periphery band members and partners, you may well see The Liam Stewart Band performing in a variety of dance and concert settings, throughout Scotland – see you then!
We hope you enjoy our special brand of music and, if you're dancing to us; even better!
The Liam Stewart Band Social Media
Website: https://www.ceilidhband.net/
Facebook: The Liam Stewart Band
Instagram: thelsband
YouTube: @theliamstewartband
TikTok:
The 2025 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are on the 6th December 2025 in Aberdeen Music Hall! 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. Hosted by Scottish personalities Alistair Heather and Mary Ann Kennedy, the night in the Granite City will also welcome live performances from some of the brightest lights on the thriving trad scene today including beloved singer Hannah Rarity, UK folk legends The Poozies, trad pop band Mec Lir and BBC Radio scotland Young Traditional Musician and Scots Performer o the Year Ellie Beaton and many 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.