Warm welcome back to the Highlands as Skipinnish and Big Country entertain the crowd at the Bught Park big top after three year break
REVIEW: Skipinnish and Big Country at Bught Park in Inverness
With their distinctive sound of harmonised triple guitars it was good to see and hear Big Country performing in the Highlands.
I remember when the Dunfermline band started out and was saddened when original vocalist and former Skids founder Stuart Adamson sadly died in December 2001.
But the band have found a good replacement in current singer Simon Hough who took them through the back catalogue which included crowd pleasers such as Look Away, Where The Rose Is Sown, Chance, In A Big Country and Fields Of Fire.
The real character in the band is guitarist, and original member, Bruce Watson who handled most of the links between songs with his witty one liners.
Early on he said "it's nice to be here in Inverness with the greatest Scottish weather in the world" and, when referring to bass player Gil Allan, he said that he was dressed like an "angry farmer".
They have definitely got better with age and I will definitely want to see them again.
You could tell that Skipinnish were next because the number of mic stands almost doubled and trad Scottish instruments such as an accordion and fiddles, started to appear on stage.
And the band was definitely who the crowd had come to see as its size increased noticeably and the audience cheered them before they were even on stage.
The big top in Bught Park was the last time they played the Highland capital in 2019 and singer and guitarist Norrie MacIver says: "Hello Inverness – it's been three long years but we are back!"
And indeed they were with their unique mix of songs in both English and Gaelic they immediately had the crowd in the palm of their hand and were given a warm Highland welcome.
At one point MacIver gets everyone to light up their phones and wave them in the air – I suppose there is less chance of getting burned when not using a lighter.
Judging by the enthusiastic reaction from the crowd the band will have enjoyed the gig and I am sure we won't have to wait three years until we see them again.
