At The Queen’s Hall 6 May 2016 – The Men from Leith

May 3, 2016 5:00 pm

Dean Owens, Dick Gaughan and Ross Wilson, who performs and records as Blue Rose Code, will all play at The Queen’s Hall on Friday night. Whether they will all play together is yet to be decided – but really that is what you would want as a finale isn’t it?

They are all of course well worth hearing in their own right, but this one-off concert will bring together the Men from Leith in one show.

The Edinburgh Reporter met Owens and Wilson at the Leith Dockers Club where they were having a wee practice in the sunshine.

They both profess to be in some awe of the giant Scottish musician Dick Gaughan who makes up the Friday night line-up. Gaughan holds a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. Influenced as he was by Scottish and Irish Gaelic music, he is something of a rarity.

The three will appear on one stage, but they have quite different styles.

Ross Wilson sings with touches of soul and jazz, and his new album And Lo! The Bird is on the Wing features a cameo voiceover by Ewan McGregor – of Trainspotting fame. He is compared to Van Morrison’s Celtic soul, and although we only heard him sing for a mere few minutes, it was enough to make us want to go along on Friday night to hear more.

He said: “I am really passionate about songs and that’s why I said I would play the gig.

“I think all three of us have our own individual style of songwriting.

Our commonality is our Scottish identity localised in Leith.

“I think it’s going to be a good show and you’re going to get more than your money’s worth. And playing at The Queen’s Hall too is an exciting thing. It was always the gig we wanted to do “

The Edinburgh Reporter meets Dean Owens and Blue Rose Code from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Owens is billed as Celtic Americana from Leith via Nashville and is without doubt one of Scotland and Edinburgh’s finest singer songwriters. He has appeared many a time and oft at the Soundhouse which is where The Edinburgh Reporter first heard his distinctive soulful voice. He recently recorded an album in Nashville called Into the Sea which has had fabulous critical acclaim.

He will be appearing with his Whisky Hearts band made up of former Silencers/Simple Minds drummer Jim McDermott, Brian McAlpine (keys and accordion), Amy Geddes (fiddle), Craig Ross (elec gtr) and Mike McCann (bass guitar).

The event was inspired by Owens classic song Man from Leith.

The Men From Leith is included in Tradfest 2016 programme

Friday 6 May 2016 7.30pm (doors 7pm) The Queen’s Hall, Clerk St, Edinburgh EH8 9JG

Tickets £16 (+ booking fee) Box office 0131 668 2019