’Rig will raise the bar for Palace gig

Jun 16 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

SCOTTISH rockers Runrig reckon doing a double over Elton John will make their outdoor Perth gig all the more memorable.

While the Highland outfit insist they’ve got nothing against the legendary songsmith, they’re expecting to be posting the ‘sold out’ notices when they play Scone Palace in a one-off open air extravaganza as part of the summer’s Homecoming celebrations.

That will ensure the band a 17,500 audience - even more fans than crammed in to McDiarmid Park to see Sir Elton’s superb show at the Perth stadium last year.

Such a prospect excites ‘Rig drummer Iain Bayne, who revealed he is looking forward to his own ‘homecoming’, of sorts.

“My sister-in-law traced our family tree and it turns out I am descended from Robert the Bruce,” he told Music Scene.

“Apparently I’m his 21st great-grandson, and his wife, Elizabeth de Burgh, spent time at Scone.

“I only wish the stone was back at the palace so I could take my seat!”

The capacity for the Scone gig matches that of Runrig’s spectacular Beat the Drum gig at Loch Ness two years ago, which coincidentally topped Elton John’s huge show held around the same time at nearby Caledonian Stadium.

Feast

Now a series of meetings are being planned with palace set designers to ensure another audio-visual feast at the Big County’s biggest-ever gig.

“We really like to raise the bar and put on the best show possible,” Bayne explained.

“Discussions have been going on for a long time now and we’ll be doing everything in our power to make it special for the fans.

“The setting is absolutely fantastic and the palace’s people have been very helpful.

“We always like to play iconic places with a strong sense of history.”

Having appeared at the city’s Concert Hall more than once in recent years, Runrig are no strangers to Perth.

Despite moving outdoors on August 29, the members have no fears about the notorious Scottish weather putting a dampener on the Scone proceedings.

“We always have a really good night in Perth and good weather is in the contract,” Iain joked.

“There was never any argument about what to call our dvd, The Year Of The Flood.

“It was no contest. When we played Loch Ness it was the worst weather in 200 years up there and that helped make it memorable.

“There are so many T-shirts across Europe saying, “I Survived Beat the Drum”.

“People are probably still finding cars and children out there!”

Runrig’s guitarist Malcolm Jones returned to active service with the Isle of Skye hit-makers last month following a much-publicised health scare and operation, and it’s been all systems go for the group in recent weeks.

“We’ve just got back from a very successful tour of Denmark and are going back out there again later this month,” said Iain.

“Even though our German tour had to be cancelled earlier this year everything is going brilliantly well all things considered.”

On-going

Although there’s no new material on the immediate horizon, Bayne made it clear that songwriting within the band remains “on-going”.

“We never stop because Rory and Calum [Macdonald] are songwriters by nature,” he added.

“The band have not sat down and discussed when and where we’ll do the next album yet.

“At the beginning of the year we normally plan months ahead and it should happen come the top of the year.”

Iain said he expects Runrig’s next collection to be as politicised as their previous works, which include The Cutter And The Clan and The Big Wheel.

“That would never go away,” he insisted.

“What we’ve always adhered to is politics with a small ‘p’, not purely from a Scottish perspective.

“The songs are written from the MacDonalds’ minds with a Scottish angle to them.”

Runrig, who released their first album back in 1973, worked with Manic Street Preachers cohort Dave Eringa on The Year Of The Flood.

And Bayne hinted they could be set to renew acquaintances with the talented producer in the near future.

“Dave’s an easy going guy with great ideas,” he said.

“It’s always good to work with someone fresh, because by and large we produce ourselves.

“It was really exciting to work with someone with so much enthusiasm.

“Dave’s a larger than life character and I wouldn’t rule out us working with him again.”

Acclaimed for their pioneering blend of Gaelic sounds with anthemic rock, Runrig’s recorded output has evolved down the decades against a backdrop of various line-up arrivals and departures.

“We like to use as much of the available technology in the studio as possible to get the best out of it,” said Iain.

Fantastic

“The potential range of sounds available is fantastic, but it’s always the songs that dictate what we use.

“We like to try things, and mostly it works out fine, but we won’t go and get a hurdy gurdy or a brass section in just for the sake of it.”

Fans can expect to hear the latest results of this never-ending experimentation when the six-piece test a few new numbers at Scone, along with plenty of familiar favourites.

“We want to play a cross-section of old songs that have been reworked and newer, lead material,” Bayne revealed.

“There are always long debates about which tracks we would like to do.

“Despite the years that go by we still remember everything we’ve written so freshening it up a bit makes it exciting for us.”

Runrig play Scone Palace on August 29. Tickets are available by calling 08712 200260, or from scone-palace.co.uk