This interview took place on the 31st May 2007

From the moment I entered the Harp Irish Pub last night, right through to this moment, I have been hit with an infectious addiction to the sound of the Battlefield Band.

I was fortunate to have arranged a chat with the guys through their Tour Manager, Barry Gray, a well respected man formerly of City of Blacktown Pipe Band fame. Barry greeted me at the bar and we chatted a bit about the tour whilst the band completed a sound check. I was prepared to wait some time to speak with the guys, but it wasn't long before Barry brought over Guitarist/ Vocallist Sean O'Donnell, an unassuming young man born and bred in Derry, Northern Ireland now residing in Glasgow.

"Is that the sound check over" I ask, and Sean tells me, "Yes, thats us. About 15-20 minutes is all we need... we bring our sound guys with us so it's really just getting into the arena." His response brings immediate attention to the professionalism of these four guys. And after all, when they've been doing this for 30 years would you expect anything less.

Sean and I got talking about all sorts of things from his days in the Emily Smith band, the amount the guys work, the new recording (due out in September) his favourite country to play (he politely answered Australia!) but it wasn't too long before the conversation became more complex;

I move on to a question about the latest album, The Road of Tears "This album makes quite a political statement, particularly in relation to the displacement of people..." Sean goes on to mention the bands political background and how it has always been important for them to deal with the issues of the day "The band has covered many issues of the homeland, mining in particular, but immigration is a pressing issue at the moment and back in Scotland it's discussed quite frequently in relation to government policies." This reminds me of a walk I took down Buchanan St in Glasgow on my recent European Tour, and literally on every block there were campaigners handing me leaflets about government policy and Asylum Seekers Rights.

Whilst I was enjoying the chat with Sean, he soon had to get on stage, so we left it there and prepared for what I know now is a truly phenomenal show.

A Temple Records representative, looking strangely familiar to Alan Reid, the founding member of Battlefield Band, introduced the guys as the lights dimmed and audience quietened. The room, a quaint, rustic space at the back of homely Irish Pub, is big enough to let the 100 or so guests in, yet small enough to allow this band to indulge in an intimate atmosphere, the surrounds of which they enjoy the most.

Soon after the smooth sound of Alasdair White is joined by the low hum of Mike Katz' whistle, with Alan Reid accompanying on Keyboards. Sean walks forward and strums the guitar and like a man waking, the Battlefield Band begin. The sound is soothing and as I look around the room I see the audience hypnotised by the sounds, as if each and everyone of them had been returned to their homeland. For me it was Dundee, whilst I am a proud Aussie, this scintillating folk sound took me to Starthmartine Road, and the first time I saw snow out of my bedroom window. And just as the snow did on that memorable day in March 2006 the music built and grew into a storm. Without noticing Mike had picked up his pipes, the tempo had lifted and we were away. 4 of Scotland's finest musicians blending together in a cultural frenzy, a genre which was created by the same band over 30 years ago. This was Celtic Rock and it was at it's best.

For the next few hours the band churned out Hornpipes, Jigs, Reels, Quicksteps (so eloquently referred to by Mike as "some kind of March") Burns songs, Irish songs, Solo pieces and most prominent of the evening a quick witted banter which at times would have had you thinking you were in a comedy club. These 4 guys are like Jack Daniels and Coke! Individually, they are classic masters, together they are amazing!

Like their albums there is a presence of political unrest, after all they are artists, but it is the music which overcomes all else. Mike switches from Tin Whistle to Highland Pipes to Smallpipes without even a whisper of doing so, he is equally brilliant on each. Alan sings folk songs with such conviction, the way my Dad used to sing to me, no matter how big an issue in your mind, his comforting voice resolves it. Helped by his insightful introductions of such pieces, including this for a Burns poem, the first song of the evening: "we as humans think we are powerful but when confronted with things out with our power - like the forces of nature - we are powerless". Alasdair White, a fiddler from Lewis, an Island on the Outer Hebrides - who Alan tells us speaks Gaelic and English and is equally confusing in both - graces the stage with little emotion, but when he pulls his elbow back to release the strings, his music speaks louder than words or actions. He plays the instrument as if it were part of him, that is until he puts it down to share in a 'Pipe Solo' with Mike. And Sean, the humble Irishman who I had chatted with just moments before with his velvet voice and lively humour sings songs of his homeland, in such an inspiring way that words cannot put you there, you literally have to be in this guys presence to appreciate his genuine talent.

Of all the reviews I have read about this band, and the many, many albums I have heard, I knew nothing of the Battlefield Band until I saw them live last night. They are true masters of stage and sound and I can not wait till the next time I see the Band live.

DUTK.com note: Dougie reviewed the band's opening night, May 30, 2007. Details of the Band's remaining shows around Australia and New Zealand can be seen at our online calendar.