Shindig, North East Scotland's most popular ceilidh/function band, are a "dynamic fiddle driven powerhouse of modern celtic rock". Over the last ten years they have built up an enviable reputation, playing venues from small village halls to large concert stages, leaving behind a trail of exhausted dancers, wondering just how the band's caller managed to persuade them onto the floor, but all glad of the experience, and the exercise.

And it's been an interesting journey. Highlights include Hogmanay 2005 when the band played their biggest gig so far in Aberdeen's Castlegate to a crowd of 25,000 enthusiastic revellers, supported by a pair of folk-singers from Fife... and the following Hogmanay playing for a select gathering at the Strathdon home of a certain world famous comedian...

Shindig newcomers can be taken aback by the powerful music the band deliver from such a compact unit. Traditional reels and jigs featuring dazzling fiddle are given a modern rocky edge allowing the musical tastes of the band to surface in the arrangements. Hints of reggae, funk and jangling pop add a contemporary feel to the sets, but this never get in the way of their traditional purpose... ..dancing. Gay Gordons, Strip The Willow, Dashing White Sergeant, Canadian Barn Dance, Boston Two Step, Riverside Jig, Eightsome Reel and much more all delivered with a bit of a funky groove and jangly pop.

Shindig's versatility also allows the band to cover a wide range of pop and rock music. The Beatles, Kinks, Monkees, 60s Soul, Crowded House, Elvis, Oasis, Travis, Andy & Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Johnny Cash  and many more are likely to appear, often in the same song! A list of what you might expect to hear is at the foot of this page.The band also thrive on spontaneous audience requests which can lead to some unlikely musical mixes. Accepting most of the blame is guitarist/vocalist, Graham Stephen, a sad strumming encyclopedia of pop music who has at last found a use for all those years spent lost in a wilderness of CDs, tapes and dusty vinyl. Graham also claims to have a career as a singer/songwriter - see www.grahamstephen.co.uk - a talent which often comes in handy when his ageing brain cells make if necessary to "rewrite" the odd classic.

Latest addition to the lineup is fiddler Colin Campbell. Originally from Fochabers, the source of so many fine Scottish fiddlers. Colin has shared the stage with many great players and is a well known and respected musician. He also plays guitar, sings, writes fantastic songs and tunes, has a liking for good strong coffee and Beagles.

Adding a solid backbone to the sound on drums is Alan Grigor, also a Fochaber exile, who has a great sense of rhythm, humour, and a weakness for stovies, essential for any good ceilidh band drummer!

The strong musical lineup is always supplemented by some of the finest dance callers available - among them the tireless talents of the singular Selwyn Roberts, the sophisticated style of Peter MacCallum and many more - all chosen to suit the occasion.

The band's CD The Rolling Waves, released June 2003, features some great new tunes from previous fiddler Sharon Hassan, three songs by Graham, and the band's exciting reworking of traditional & contemporary tunes. Available from www.hardstonerecords.co.uk.

If you have a taste for energetic ceilidh music, nostalgic 60s covers or atmospheric celtic rock Shindig are the band for you.

Contact Information

Mobile 07779499416
  E-mail     info@shindigband.co.uk

Shindig Covers List - a sample of material the band have been known to play, the list is always changing

Dock Of The Bay
Superstition
Kiss/Alphabet Street
Honky Tonk Woman
Brown Eyed Girl
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Sweet Home Alabama
That'll Be The Day
Oh Boy
Suspicious Minds
Maggie May
Take it Easy
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Hound Dog
Blue Suede Shoes
Dirty Old Town
Weather With You
Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
Wonderful Tonight
Wild Mountain Thyme
Daydream Believer
Twist & Shout
Walking On Sunshine
Wild Mountain Thyme
Fisherman’s Blues
500 Miles
Saw Her Standing There
Hey Jude
I’m A Believer
Nothing At All
Just The Way You Look Tonight
Don’t Know Why
Mustang Sally
Wonderful Tonight
You Really Got Me
Mustang Sally
Hard To handle
She’s The One
Bad Moon Rising
You Do Something To Me
Last Train To Clarksville
Folsom Prison Blues
When The Stars Go Blue
Moon River
Sweet Home Chicago
Beautiful Sunday