Peatbog Faeries

The traditional music of Scotland is blended with hard-edged funk, deep dub reggae, and modern jazz influences by the Peatbog Faeries. Based on the Isle of Skye, off the northwest coast of Scotland, the original lineup of the band comprised Peter Morrison (bagpipes, whistle), Ben Ivitsky (fiddle), Ali Penthland (guitar, keyboards), Innes Hutton (bass, bodhrán), and Iain Copeland (drums); they formally came together in 1994, but the members had been playing together since childhood. Over the years the band’s lineup underwent a number of changes and by 2012 it featured Morrison and Hutton alongside Peter Tickell (fiddle), Tom Salter (guitar), Graeme Stafford (keyboards) and Stu Haikney (drums).

With their 1996 debut album, Mellowosity, the group emerged as one of the funkiest tradition-rooted bands in Scotland. Their first two albums came out on the popular Scottish trad label Greentrax, but for their third album the band chose to go it alone, setting up their own label, on which all of their subsequent albums were released. With each new album their popularity grew even as they incorporated more new elements into their sound - from dub, funk, alternative rock and jazz to ambient electronica elements reminiscent of Ozric Tentacles and The Orb, and world music influences from as far afield as Africa and South Asia. Their eclectic sound earned them a devoted fanbase across Europe and beyond, and led to a number of high-profile live appearances, notably at Glastonbury and Womad, and prizes, including two for best live act at the Scottish Traditional Folk Awards. Their loudly-lauded, energetic live show was captured for posterity on their 2009 album Live, and their sixth studio album, Dust, released in 2011, saw the band return somewhat to a more ambient sound. ~ Craig Harris / John D. Buchanan, Rovi