Media release: Edinburgh band, The Firrenes, to play Glasgow

Royalty-free visuals and audio at www.thefirrenes.com/glasgowgigresources

• Five-piece pop/rock band, The Firrenes (it rhymes with ‘beans’!), to perform at the 13^th Note venue in Glasgow on Saturday 16 October 2021
• Co-headline act is Nico Ev, an acclaimed singer/songwriter from Glasgow
• The Firrenes were formed in 2016 in Edinburgh by singer/guitarist Jules Reed, a.k.a Scottish composer, Julian Wagstaff
• The band have enjoyed extensive radio play around the world (including in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Canada, Germany, the USA and Australia)
• Debut album Door Too Wide Features guest appearances by members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra

EDINBURGH band, The Firrenes (it rhymes with ‘beans’), have announced their first post-pandemic gig.

It’s at the 13th Note venue on King Street, Glasgow on Saturday 16 October 2021. Doors open at 7.30pm; first act on at 8.00pm. Tickets are just £7.00.

The band are thrilled to announce that they will be joined by singer/songwriter, Nico Ev, as co-headliner.

Nico has been named artist of the week by Freshman Guitars and Camglen Radio, performed at Celtic Connections, been broadcast live on several radio stations including BBC Radio Scotland, performed at iconic Glasgow venues, supported established artists including Kevin McGuire and Hannah Slavin, been featured in the Songwriters & Composers Scotland Magazine and much more.

The Firrenes were formed in 2016 by Edinburgh singer-songwriter, Jules Reed, who is perhaps better known as the classical and opera composer, Julian Wagstaff.

Julian’s opera, The Turing Test, was a sell-out hit on the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and his follow-up opera, Breathe Freely, was released in 2015 on the prestigious Linn Records label.

The Firrenes’ lineup features Jules Reed on lead guitar and vocals, Fiona Dabjen on alto sax and vocals, Walt Cumming on bass guitar and vocals,  John Richard on keyboard and Tony Greenwood on drums.

Walt is a seasoned player originally from Lanarkshire; Tony played professionally as a studio drummer in London for many years, while John is a classically-trained pianist, formerly based in Vienna. Fiona is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and joined the band in summer 2019.

Jules (aged 51) said: “When a lull in classical and theatre commissions arose a few years ago, I jumped at the chance to put together the band I’d been dreaming of for a decade or more.

“I have always instinctively known that the frontiers between ‘popular’ and ‘serious’ music are essentially fluid. I think this is clearest when you listen to the crowning achievements of popular music such as the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper and David Bowie’s finest works.

“I have had the privilege to work in the classical field with many of Scotland’s finest players, and it was wonderful to be able to invite some of them to play on The Firrenes’ debut album, Door Too Wide, along with my old pal, Ricky White, who I’ve known since my school days in Leith. Ricky joined us on pedal steel via the Internet from Indiana, USA.”

The Firrenes’ music draws on a broad range of influences, encompassing 70s rock, R&B, burlesque, art rock, blues and classical.

The subject matter ranges from the deeply personal to the highly political, but is always prescient, immediate, considered and aware. The band have played to packed houses in Scotland, England and Germany, and enjoyed extensive radio airplay across the globe. The Firrenes were delighted when Michael Eavis, founder of the Glastonbury Festival, turned up unannounced at the Edinburgh launch gig for their first single. It turned out Eavis was on holiday in Scotland at the time, and the gig had caught his eye in the Scottish press.

Royalty-free visuals and audio at www.thefirrenes.com/glasgowgigresources

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Contact: Julian Wagstaff
Phone: 01312085373
Email: jules@julianwagstaff.com
Website: https://www.thefirrenes.com