A group of young musicians from Kelso in the Scottish Borders who took this years’ Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow by storm are due to visit Shetland at the end of the month as part of Shetland Arts Trust Music Development Project, to perform a concert in collaboration with Shetland Youth Jazz.

‘The Junction Pool’, named after the place where the rivers Tweed and Teviot meet in the borders, are a 10 piece band featuring a wide range of instruments including pipes, flutes, fiddles, guitars, piano, trumpets, trombones and percussion. Using these instruments to the full, they fuse celtic influences with a funk based approach to deliver a new, invigoration and extremely exciting musical experience.

The band’s members are all past and present members of Kelso High School, although their unique musical approach was also honed in Kelso’s legendary traditional music meeting place ‘Alister’s Vintage Bar’. The group’s leader Harris Playfair is already well know in Shetland, having previously lived in the islands for a number of years. An incredibly skilled piano player in his own right, he still returns to the islands on a regular basis.

“I’ve wanted to bring this band up to Shetland for quite a while now and we’re very excited that at last its going to happen and that, while here, we will get the opportunity to work with some great local musicians, most notably Shetland Youth Jazz who have a great reputation outwith Shetland as well as at home” said Harris. “We believe we can make some exciting musical things happen through working together, so the concert should be well worth seeing. The band create a wonderful concoction of ingredients that, when they come together on stage, provide a more meaningful collective outcome. I truly believe this is a musical discovery now waiting to happen” he went on.

Shetland Arts Trust Music Development Officer Davie Gardner agrees. “The Junction Pool were one of the outstanding bands at this years Celtic Connections” he said. “Given the international quality of acts appearing at the festival this is no mean feat. They took the festival club by storm and were one of the few acts that literally drew folk from everywhere else in the building to hear their set” he said. “I’m delighted they have agreed to visit Shetland, not only given the overall quality of the music and Harris ties to the islands, but also to show just how well traditional music and other genres can be fused in a very exciting way.

While in Shetland the band will be making live appearances in a number of Shetland schools as part of Shetland Arts Trust music development education initiative.

For the public concert The ‘Junction Pool’ will be appearing with Shetland Youth Jazz in room 16, Islesburgh Community Centre on Thursday 30th June at 7.30pm. Tickets for the concert priced £6 and £4 are available from High Level Music in Lerwick.