Band set for Holyrood gig
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A LOCAL musician has said it will be a “privilege” to play at the Scottish Parliament this summer alongside other young promising Scottish musical talent.
Darren Coghill (25), from Staxigoe, drummer with the six-piece Maydays, is all set to join his bandmates when they play at an event marking the opening of the fourth session of the parliament on July 1.
The lads, all originally from Caithness, are on the bill with four other bands as part of an afternoon of free entertainment at Holyrood.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for us and all the other bands are doing really well for themselves right now so it’s a privilege to be asked to play on the same bill as them and be recognised as a band that might be of a similar stature,” said the drummer.
“We just want people to enjoy us, maybe get a few new followers and take advantage of the publicity.”
The band consists of singer Jordan Shearer, bassist Calvin Wilson, Liam Whittles on the organ, brothers Jamie and Kevin Swanson on guitars and Coghill on the drums.
Caithness born and bred, Maydays have been hailed by critics as producers of “beautiful sunshine pop music”. Mixing the tones and melodies of the Beach Boys and Aberfeldy with the pop sensibilities of Belle and Sebastian, they come highly rated as a live act.
However, getting together to make this highly regarded music can cause difficulties with only half the band based in Caithness – as Kevin lives in Inverness, Liam in Dundee and Jordan in Edinburgh.
“We’ve been described before as a logistical nightmare by our promoters but we always manage to get a practice if we’ve got a gig,” said Coghill.
“It can be hard to write stuff because when we meet up it tends to be for a gig so you are practising what you’re going to play, but it seems to work. It’s not ideal but we get by.”
Joining Maydays on the bill at the parliament opening will be Crayons, from Fife, ?French Wives and the Imagineers, both from Glasgow, and White Heath, from Edinburgh.
They will perform in the parliament as part of an eclectic roster of youth choirs and orchestras along with pipers, drummers and traditional Scottish musicians.
This will follow the morning’s ceremonial opening by Her Majesty the Queen and the riding procession down the Royal Mile involving around 2000 people.
Presiding officer Tricia Marwick MSP said it should be a great day to celebrate Scottish talent.
“Scotland has a long history of nurturing new musical acts and the opening of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament is all about recognising Scottish talent and success,” she said.
“It’s wonderful to be welcoming such musically diverse bands from across the country.”
A full programme of the afternoon’s free entertainment will be announced later this month.
More information on the Maydays and three free digital downloads can be found at ?www.facebook.com
