Tony, Jeremy, Dougie & Doug at
The Moat House Hotel, Glasgow
Jeremy, Tracy, Stuart, Dougie & Douglas
at The Interceltique Festival, Lorient.
Doug, Dougie & Jeremy at The Stirling
Millenium Celebrations
Doug & Dougie at T in the Park
A Brief History of The Picts.....
The Origins of The Picts really date back to 1995 and the chance encounter of Jeremy Stirling and Douglas McQueen Hunter. Jeremy was looking for other musicians to start up a Keltic folk rock band and Dougie was similarly looking for musicians to back his songs. It was a fortuitous meeting and for the next few months they planned out their ideas and met various musicians. The band was to be called Badenoch, after one of Dougies songs. It was around this time that they met Tracy Carmichael a graphic artist who was not only instrumental in putting their first band together, but one of the hardest workers and driving forces in the years to come.
It was the spring of 1996 that seen the guys put their first gigging band together with drummer Craig Hunter (Calanish) and fiddler Camilla Brickley (later of the Silencers). The band “The Laughing Phrogs“ became one of the busiest and most popular bands on the Scottish pub scene, gigging several times a week up and down the length and breadth of Scotland. A few hundred gigs in a very short time and frequent fights over the front seat of Tracy’s Metro, the “ Phrogs “ came to an end after a trip to Germany. Dougie and Jeremy went on to form The Picts.
February 1997 seen the formation of The Picts, with Tony Higgins on Drums and several players on fiddle and box (including Patrick and Heather Barco who moved to Somerset). Finally, our friend Dougie Caird (originally box player of Tapsalteerie) became available and was the natural choice for the 4th Pict. Occasionally the band was joined by fiddle player Tracey Muir. It was with this original 4 peice line up that The Picts recorded their first debut EP and Tracy designed her first CD cover. Over the next few months they spent a very memorable time out in the Western Isles, where the seeds were planted for the first Picts album “The Island“ . In July they played at Scotland’s biggest music festival, T in The Park, for the first time and ended the year by playing at the 1997 Hogmanay bash at George Square in Glasgow. 40,000 people danced and sang Wild Mountain Thyme with the band as the fireworks lit the sky and thundered around the City.
Despite the early success of The Picts, the plans for “ Badenoch “ were still smouldering away in the background with drummer James Gorgon and Roddy Gourley, a friend and guitarist from one of Jeremy’s previous bands. In early 1998 Dougie Caird had to leave the band due to work commitments and box player Stuart Law replaced him. Fiddler, Douglas Ballantyne also came on board. That August the band were invited over to Brittany to play at the world's biggest celtic music festival, The Interceltique Festival of Lorient. They had immediate success with packed out concerts and great coverage in the press. The heavy gigging schedule lead into 1999 with festivals, concerts and ceilidhs. The Band made their first live performances and interviews on radio at this time. Playing Live on the BBC’s program “The Lemontree“ and for BBC Music Live. “The Island“, The Picts first album was recorded and released that year and had great success. Tracy designed the artwork for the cover , featuring the picts logo, originally penned by Dougie‘s father, artist Colin Hunter McQueen. “The Peak” the opening track of the album was put on to a French music magazine compilation of which 46,000 copies were made. “The Reelfexologist“ and “The Federals“ were both used for adverts for BBC Music Live.
The Picts were invited back to take part in Lorient in 1999 for a second time and after that even more successful trip, it was apparent that a new line up was on the horizon. Stuart Law and Douglas Ballantyne both left the band to follow more traditional roads. For a time Dougie Caird came back on board with fiddler Sharon Hassan and in November 1999 the band headlined “Celtifolies“ the first ever celtic festival in Lyon, France. That Hogmanay they headlined the celtic stage of the Millennium celebrations in Stirling.
Much of 2001 was taken up with the recording of the Picts second album “ Moving Sands ”. The gigging continued and their were a number of sell out concerts at Cottier‘s Theatre in the west end of Glasgow. The new album, had been a long time coming, and a long time making. Dougie wrote most of the material on the album. It was a far more moody and contemporary sound than “The Island “. It seen the first collaboration with other musicians: Stevie Lawerence (Iron Horse) on low whistle, Classical Cellist Sarah Nelson and virtuoso Saxophonist Stuart Forbes. The idea for “ Moving Sands “ was a concept loosely based on time and seasons, a time and place caught in the moment. The album was released in the summer of 2002. It again proved to be highly successful and got great reviews. It led to a huge amount of interest from Europe and invites to appear on TV shows and Radio programs. The band were joined at this time by their first full time bass player. The naturally gifted and very tall Steve Whitlock. Steve quickly carved his place, bringing a new slick dimension to the band. A new sound was forming…
It was decided in early 2003 that “ Badenoch “ was to be scraped and Dougie would record his songs under his own name as a solo artist. Recording on “Ghosts" began late in 2003 and features great Tracks and great players. At the same time they worked on a collaboration CD with engineer Stuart Glasgow to produce “Keltic Trancefusion“ “Vol. 1“. Both these albums were released in 2005. Tracy as always making a stunning job of the covers. The Picts heavy gigging schedule continued through 2003 and into 2004. In 2003 they were asked to play at the wedding of Dougie Payne ( Travis ) and Kelly MacDonald ( Trainspotting ) and played at T in the Park for the seventh consecutive year.
In April 2004 Tony Higgins left the band and was replaced by another top class drummer - Jim Anderson. Jim was orginally with Glasgow band “Hot Toddy” and the hugely sucessful “Downtown Flyers” .He had also done recordings with various artists including the ledgendary U.F.O frontman, “Pete Way”. Jim had worked with the band for the last few years at various concerts and was the obvious choice. He immediatly brought a new, fresh, dynamic lift and drive to the music. In August 2004 The picts were asked back for the 3rd time to do the closing night of the Tennent’s West Highland Week Yatching Festival in Oban and at Hogmanay 2004 they played the last gig at Cottier’s Theatre in Glasgow as it shut down for refurbishment.
In 2005 the band were joined by the brilliantly talented multi-instumentalist Grant McConnell, who immediately made an impact on the band's sound. Grant, who eventully took over the bass when Steve became committed to another band, also plays, guitars, accordion, keyboards and sings backing vocals. By 2005, in some ways The Picts had become victims of their own success. The work load grew and the increasing volume of advanced private bookings grew. This made it harder for the band to get abroad and do so many festivals and high profile public concerts. Aware of this, it was decided to readdress this ballance and get back to doing the things that drove the band’s hunger and ambition in the begining. This reshaping of the band started with a sell out concert at Oran Mor in Glasgow, which was filmed and recorded.
Jeremy introduced the band to the amazing percussionist and drummer Rich Kennedy and The Picts began 2006 by playing at the 02 Burns supper, and at the TV celebrity-packed 10th aniversery year of the Comedy Unit in Glasgow. A trip to the Celtic Festival of Wales, near Cardiff, followed this and a magical trip to headline the Festival des Hautes Terres at St Flour in the south of France. On their return to Scotland they played at 'T in The Park' for the 10th time. 2006 also seen the band first working with the lovely Lindsay Tait, a young and talented fiddler from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
Over the next two years the Picts played at festivals and concerts such as "Drams in the field", which was held in beautiful Glen Elg, and they took part in the "Thunder in the Glen" Rally for the second consecutive year in August 2007. On St Andrews Day 2007 The Picts returned to play in George Square, Glasgow, almost ten years after they had headlined the Hogmanay bash there. The Event was "Shindig in the Square" Glasgow's celebration of Scotland's Winterfest Festival, which featured an appearance from the Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
By the beginning of 2008 the amount of functions were building up again which gave the band less chance to do high-profile concerts, however, this was readdressed with playing at the huge Microsoft Burns Supper in Edinburgh, and at the closing night of the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, (before it was closed down for long term refurbishment). They also played at the Highland Hospice in Inverness for St Andrews day.
The Picts began the Homecoming year of 2009 playing at Aberdeen's "Burns Extravaganza" for the Homecoming celebrations and they took part in the East Lothian's Homecoming celebrations.
The rest of 2009 is looking busy now and the guys are presently working on a lot of new material.... the seeds are being planted for a new exciting chapter to come.
And so, the story goes on …