Music fans packed out the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh for Soundhouse’s first ever Winter Festival (28 Nov to 2 Dec). Bringing in an audience mostly comprised of locals (73% from the capital, with 21% from the rest of Scotland), it proved the best antidote to a dark time of year and a great way to mark St Andrew’s Day.
The festival ran over five days thanks to support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and included some of the finest jazz, indy and folk musicians from Scotland. Sellouts included the Nicole Smit Quintet; Fergus McCreadie with an outstanding performance from guest Italian star Mattia Galeotti on drums; and Su-a Lee performing alongside a stellar line-up of trad favourites – Duncan Chisholm, Donald Shaw and Hamish Napier.
Other popular highlights included a screening of The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric (1933), opened by Shetland pianist Amy Laurenson, and accompanied by music composed by award winning multi-instrumentalist Inge Thomson from Fair Isle with Shetlander Catriona Macdonald; a preview of rock goddess Megan Black’s new album; and a performance of Unwritten Women read by Edinburgh’s former Makar Hannah Lavery to a new score written and performed by Kate Young.
The Festival also received five star reviews and was a key part of this year’s Fair Saturday celebrations in Edinburgh.
Jane Ann Purdy and Douglas Robertson, producers of the Soundhouse Winter Festival said: “We are thrilled with the appetite that audiences have shown for live music during the winter months.
“We knew that people would come out for the festival if we programmed great music, so that’s what we did and it paid off.
“It’s been an absolute blast to present five days of jazz, rock, punk, poetry, and silent film, not a line-up we have had the opportunity to programme before, but one that we would definitely look to repeat next year.”
The Soundhouse Organisation returns in May with more live music at the Traverse for Edinburgh’s Tradfest (2-12 May 2025). Dates for the Soundhouse Winter Festival 2025 are to be confirmed.
There is just one day to go before the brand new Soundhouse Winter Festival kicks off in Edinburgh, thanks to support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
The programme is packed with big names and up and coming bands from across Scotland including award winning feminist rock goddess Megan Back, who hasrecently returned from gigs in California, performing tracks from her new album out next year; and impulsive punk/rock n’ roll multi-instrumentalist Callum Easter performing with his full band the Roulettes and special guest indie/folk soloist Iona Zajac.
They will be headliningalongside some of Scotland’s finest jazz and trad musicians including Fergus McCreadie, Su-a-Lee, Duncan Chisholm, Hamish Napier, and Donald Shaw; a screening of silent film The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric accompanied by music composed by multi-instrumentalist Inge Thomson and fiddle player Catriona Macdonald; and live performance poetry with Edinburgh’s previous Makar Hannah Lavery accompanied by music from Kate Young.
Callum Easter & The Roulettes who play the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Monday, 2 December with special guest Iona Zajac
The festival’s programme also includes early evening concerts at the Traverse with Nicole Smit performing some cool jazzy numbers with her Quintet (Vid Gobac on drums, Cameron Bradley on piano, Dave Toule guitar, and Kassandra E’Silva on saxophone); Gaelic singer-songwriter Rachel Walker performing with one of the country’s foremost folksingers and accompanists Aaron Jones; Edinburgh-based poetic psychedelic supergroup Acolyte (Ruairidh Morrison on bass, Gloria Black on synth and backing vocals, Daniel Hill on percussion and led by award-winning poet and spoken word artist Iona Lee); and acclaimed singer songwriter Victoria Hume, joined by long-term collaborator Chris Letcher.
Plus, there will be a showcase of emerging new jazz musicians including the Rosalind Orr Trio, TAO and C.A.L.I.E; a masterclass with jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie; and two workshops -Gaelic lullabies with Rachel Walker, and jazz saxophone with one of Scotland’s leading jazz instrumentalists Helena Kay.
Jane Ann Purdy and Douglas Robertson, producers of the Soundhouse Winter Festival said: “We are thrilled to be presenting a five-day festival of live ‘music from Scotland’ at this time of year.
“There are so many world class musicians working here right now that we were literally spoilt for choice. We hope the Soundhouse Winter Festival will not only be a chance for music lovers to hear some of their favourite live bands, but also a chance to hear some of the best up and coming artists of the moment.”
The Soundhouse Winter Festival, is a brand new music festival which will take place from Thursday 28 November to Monday 2 December in Edinburgh, thanks to support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Fergus McCreadie headlines the Soundhouse Winter Festival on Sat 30 Nov
The festival showcases musicians either from, or based in Scotland, and runs over St Andrews Day and the Fair Saturday weekend. The programme includes some of Scotland’s finest jazz, and trad musicians, a showcase of emerging new musicians, music workshops for adults and young people, a silent film accompanied by live music, and live performance poetry.
Headliners include award-winning pianist Fergus McCreadie performing solo and with fellow leading world musicians Mindaugas Stumbras (guitar), Michelangeol Scanroglio (doublebass) and Mattia Galeotti (drums); rising star Megan Black whose music has been described as 70s blues rock meets queer feminist pop, and whose latest EP ‘Full Circle (Part 1)’ has recently been nominated for ‘EP of the Year’ in Scotland; Su-a Lee and Friends (Duncan Chisholm, Donald Shaw and Hamish Napier) who sold out The Soundhouse’s Rose Theatre Fringe run in 2023; and Callum Easter & the Roulettes, fresh from touring the USA, who will play The Queen’s Hall with special guest Iona Zajac whose powerful voice seamlessly blends folk and indie and alternative genres with an authentic grit that has captivated audiences across Europe.
The festival is also delighted to present a brand new collaboration between outgoing Edinburgh Makar Hannah Lavery and acclaimed composer Kate Young. This one hour show will be based on Lavery’s work Unwritten Women with a new score by Young.
The festival’s programme also includes some unmissable early evening concerts at the Traverse with Gaelic singer songwriter Rachel Walker performing with one of the country’s foremost folksingers and accompanists Aaron Jones; Edinburgh-based poetic psychedelic supergroup Acolyte (Ruairidh Morrison on bass, Gloria Black on synth and backing vocals, Daniel Hill on percussion and led by award-winning poet and spoken word artist Iona Lee); acclaimed singer-songwriter Victoria Hume, joined by long-term collaborator Chris Letcher, playing alt-folk songs from her new album Radical Abundance, about the dying days of capitalism and what might emerge next; and singer Nicole Smit performing some cool jazzy numbers with her Quintet (Vid Gobac on drums, Cameron Bradley on piano, Dave Toule guitar, and Kassandra E’Silva on saxophone).
Other highlights over the weekend include the SWF Spotlight, a showcase of the jazz stars of tomorrow programmed by Helena Kay; and a screening of The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric accompanied by music composed by award-winning multi-instrumentalist Inge Thomson from Fair Isle with Shetlander Catriona Macdonald. The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric is a beautiful tender dramatisation of Shetland life, and was originally filmed in 1933 by pioneering Glasgow filmmaker Jenny Gilbertson. It will be opened by a short solo set by award-winning Shetland pianist Amy Laurenson.
Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers said:“The Soundhouse Winter Festival presents a snapshot of the very best music produced in Scotland today.
“There’s no doubt that our small country produces some of the world’s finest musicians and we are honoured to give them a platform at our new festival.
“Shining a light on our home-grown stars seems an appropriate way to extend the St Andrew’s Day celebrations across this 5-day event. Despite the current gloom in the Scottish arts world, we hope the event will be inspirational and the first of many Soundhouse Winter Festivals.”
Siobhan Anderson, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: “The Soundhouse Winter Festival looks to showcase some of Scotland’s finest musical talent and brighten up dark evenings with a dazzling array of acts.
“St Andrew’s weekend is the perfect time to hold such an event and it is great to see the cross section of artists from across different genres with experimental and innovative programming and collaborations.”
