Treacherous Orchestra

An album of rousing fusion work from the vibrant Scottish folk scene, where every musician seems to play in a variety of very different bands. Treacherous Orchestra are a brave and, at times, very loud 11-piece folk big band, with members who also work with the likes of Salsa Celtica. It's a largely acoustic lineup that includes two pipers, two fiddlers, two percussionists (drum kit and bodhrán), along with accordion, banjo, acoustic and sometimes electric guitar. They are influenced by rock as well as traditional Celtic styles, and the opening March of the Troutsmen sounds like an acoustic heavy mental anthem that segues into a fiddle and pipe tune. Elsewhere in this all-instrumental set they switch from riffs to a reggae stomp, or to the grand and lyrical Celtic melody of Easter Island, driven on by pipes and whistles. I suspect they sound even better live. - The Guardian

When it comes to bands and performers who know how to deliver the goods in a live situation, there can’t be too many who can step up to the plate and match Treacherous Orchestra. Contenders may try to hold a candle but might find the flame ignominiously blown out in a frenzied whirlwind of Celtic based tunes breathlessly merging into one another. - bright young folk

Treacherous Orchestra live up to their name. Constant shifts and the playing with form are thrill‐a‐minute exhilarating rather than outright dangerous or devious, they are genuinely symphonic and Grind is conceived on a grand scale. Yet this music is also played with intricate attention to detail, an intimate knowledge of the instruments of choice and a total trust in each others ability. They have it all and then some and Grind is pure, unadulterated, delirious joy. - FRUK

Anyone who has seen Treacherous Orchestra perform will know that they are a phenomenal live band. - FATEA

Treacherous makes a very Scottish trance music with fevered banjo and accordion motifs, highly charged bagpipe licks, and driving and sometimes charmingly wayward fiddle lines. The sound is very industrial, as well as industrious, yet there's much joyfulness and emotional release as well as reflective links and gentler acoustic passages for contrast. The result is a strong, focused statement that's almost a metaphor for Scottish self‐sufficiency, in musical terms certainly, and as a listening experience, it's quite a journey. - The Herald

Treacherous Orchestra has succeeded in forging another link in those flexible chains between traditional and contemporary music ‐ pure dead brilliant - The Living Tradition