Kilmarnock Edition

When walking past a room I heard an amazing song pouring out. The people in the room were dancing wildly to the Scottish folk-rockers Kilmarnock Edition playing their hearts out to a song called “Sunshine”. It is one of those rare songs that grabs you immediately, sounding something like Stevie Winwood would have if he grew up in Detroit in the 1960s - M Sangiacomo Cleveland.com

When walking past a room I heard an amazing song pouring out. The people in the room were dancing wildly to the Scottish folk-rockers Kilmarnock Edition playing their hearts out to a song called “Sunshine”. It is one of those rare songs that grabs you immediately, sounding something like Stevie Winwood would have if he grew up in Detroit in the 1960s - M Sangiacomo Cleveland.com

It’s not often I feel moved to blog about music, but today is an exception.

Kilmarnock Edition played Celtic Connections last night, and they rocked.

The impressive setting of the Glasgow Art Club played perfect host to their wonderfully eclectic and incredibly varied repertoire.

Iain Smith opened the gig with a cracking set including Brightest Sky Blue and Sailing to Philadelphia, it was the energy of the Kilmarnock Edition lineup which really stole the show.

Each member of the band is a singer/song writer in their own right who met as Burnsong finalists and after a week in a house in Dumfries, got on so well that they decided to work together from then on. As far as I could tell, their audience last night were delighted they did.

The beauty of Kilmarnock Edition is that you never know what is coming next, in a good way. They describe themselves as “an eclectic mix of Scots, Gaelic and English songs blended with acoustic folk and roots”, and they certainly mean it.

By the end of the set, the entire audience were on their feet, dancing to the encore, “Sunshine”. I woke up with it still going round my head, and I didn’t mind, which is an excellent yardstick in my book.

One of Kilmarnock Edition’s greatest strengths, for me as a Gaelic speaker is the way in which they effortlessly blend Gaelic and Scots. Both languages sit comfortably side by side, complimenting each other, making space for each other and adding a linguistic depth to the musical depth. Traditional forms give way to contemporary beats putting, as they sing themselves, “a wiggle in your jeans”.

So, what happens when you put Fiona J MacKenzie, Yvonne Lyon, Stuart Clark, Lisa Rigby, Roberto Cassani and Alex Hodgson in a house together in Dumfries?

Genius. That’s what. And a few very bad jokes. - R Meek- Music Blog

Having first come across this band at their album launch in November I went along to this gig with high expectations of a great night. I was not disappointed. In fact this group of very talented musicians greatly surpassed my high expectations and produced a show as good as any you will see during Celtic Connections. The band first came together last year as winners of The Burnsong Competion but the bond and music they have produced belied their short time together. Talented and successful singer / songwriters in their own right they bring a fresh and unique style to their music. Too often critics try and drop a band and their music into a particular genre but this is not possible with this group unless a new category called "Fantastic Happy Music" was created. Every song performed by Kilmarnock Edition was totally different in style to the previous one. As Fiona J Mackenzie quoted during the gig last night, " You don't know whats coming next". One thing that was guaranteed though was it would be another fantastic song or some very humourous ditties from Alex Hodgson or Roberto Cassani. Both these gents could make careers as stand up comedians if ever they got fed up with music which seems highly unlikely as each member of the band appeared to thoroughly enjoy themself which was reflected in the ambience of the audience. The songwriting by each of the band members was of the very highest standard. Their ability to write songs about things so diverse as a mobile phone to a couple married for twenty seven years and make them so enjoyable bears testament to just how talented they are. Unlike most bands Kilmarnock Edition do not have a dedicated lead singer. Fiona J. Mackenzie, Yvonne Lyon, Lisa Rigby, Alex Hodgson and Roberto Cassani all had lead roles at some point. In fact the only band member not to take the lead was percussionist Stuart Clark who as well as keeping beat and producing wonderful rythymn was also joining in with backing vocals. The range of instruments played by the band was as diverse and varied as their music.
This was a sensational nights entertainment. I defy anyone present at this gig not to come away singing or humming away at one of Kilmarnock Editions songs. The song that they left the stage to, Sunshine, had everyone standing and clapping along to. They certainly left everyone with a bit of sunshine in their hearts. - Celtic Music Radio

Kilmarnock Edition, named for the famous 1786 collection of Burns’ poems in the Scots dialect, and one which inspired the name of the second act, a kaleidoscopic assembly of musicians from all sorts of genres who as individual winners of the Burnsong International Songhouse of 2009 were brought under one roof for a week of intensive songwriting collaboration. They’ve continued to make music together ever since, though chances for rehearsal for this far-flung crew, each busy with their own individual careers as singer-songwriters, are few and far between.

As a result their performance isn’t what you might call polished, but amid the gloriously exhilarating con-fusion of musical styles on stage, it simply didn’t matter. Yvonne Lyon, Lisa Rigby and Fiona J Mackenzie’s voices melted together irresistibly in beautiful harmonies strengthened by the warmth of Alex Hodgson’s voice and guitar, Roberto Cassani’s bass and Stuart Clark’s percussion textures. Additional delights were provided by Sarah on fiddle and producer David Lyon on box.

From Latin-y jazz to Gaelic song, from doo-wop to dub beats, it was a rich feast of musical elan. Hodgson’s humourous introductions were only outdone by Cassani. As he said, “My songs sound serious in my head, but when I sing them, people laugh”,and his lament for the angst of empty nest syndrome proved his point; comedy gold.

Dingwall-based Fiona J Mackenzie is the driving force behind the band; amid the cheers and whistles, her soft sweet unaccompanied Gaelic song had the power to hush the audience in seconds. As a complete contrast her paean to the smartphone, or little black box “Bocsaig beag dhu” was foot-tappingly catchy and, as with ‘Pay It Forward’ (the title track of their first album) the audience clapped along without any encouragement. That’s a cast iron indicator of a good gig, and the Kilmarnock Edition is certainly that. - Northings

Kilmarnock Edition is a six piece supergroup of singer songwriters who are all established solo artists in their own right. The band comprises the well known Greenock singer Yvonne Lyon, Scots singer Alex Hodgson, Gaelic singer Fiona J Mackenzie, from Dingwall, Lisa Rigby from Edinburgh, Italian born Roberto Cassani from Perth and Stu Clark from Edinburgh......The group were initially brought together as individual winners of the Burnsong International Songhouse of 2009. They were closetted together for a week to write original songs in English, Gaelic and Scots and the upshot was a gig in the Scottish Parliament on St Andrews Day and this splendid, diverse album of poppy folk and folk-inflected pop. On a number of tracks the singers all take turns on lead vocals, flitting from Gaelic to English to Scots. Yvonne Lyon's infectious Only In Your Love will appeal to anyone who likes Eddi Reader. Lisa Rigby's spine tingling anthem Women o The Earth deserves to be adopted by a bestselling film soundtrack and earn her a fortune. Smokey Robinson fans will appreciate Alex Hodgsons soulful voice and the funky brass accompaniment on Sunshine. There is laugh out loud panto theatricality in the comedy duet How Can We Live by Roberto Cassani and Fiona Mackenzie. This eclectic collection bubbles with exuberant musical variety, gentle humour and vivacious pleasure. The sheer range of musical styles brings back fond memories of Wildcat Theatre shows and fairground Attraction concerts! - P Matheson. Froots - Froots Magazine