Scottish Fish Band

Concert
Passim
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
Live Stream
December 22, 2024

As they explain it, this group of young women came together after meeting at the Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School camp around 2011. Somehow things clicked and the group evolved and now tour, produce albums and have a significant reputation. Their interesting name comes from their penchant for having, during their camp time, a candy called Swedish Fish. When they formed a group, they wanted something that hearkened back to their having met in camp, and they decided to merge the Fish from the candy with the Scottish from the style of fiddling they pursue.

They are charming and talented and have a nice rapport that conveyed itself well in this second of two concerts they did at Passim within a few hours of each other. They play with ease and confidence and clearly have worked up a series of numbers that have significant nuance, variation and, inevitably for this kind of music, pizzazz and verve.

A lot of the songs for this event were based on Christmas carols, though they did morph quite a bit and turned into jigs and reels. So there was a certain traditional flavor to this particular gig. But for some of the numbers – like Knave which concluded the set, there were homegrown themes and a good deal of interesting harmony and counterpoint in the improvisations upon them. When a couple of the fiddlers wound up scrambling away in parallel thirds it was pretty imp[ressive. And when they all scream away together in unison on a reel, it’s also very compelling.

Two of the instrumentalists play keyboard as well, and traded off on that. One of them, in addition, is a fiddler, and the other is a cellist. It all fits together quite nicely and the arrangements, particularly on some of the numbers they have worked up for their albums, of which they have issued several. They also have a presence on Patreon, where they indicate that fans and followers can get further access to their work and their commentary.

By the way, Passim, the noted folk club in Cambridge, MA, offers live streaming for many of its concerts. One can access these for $5 each, or, if one joins Passim as a member, which involves a nominal annual fee, one can livestream for free.

Overall: a group of talented young women who can really rip at times and convey a true sense of rapport in pulling it off. It’s hard to believe that they are in their late teens and early twenties and have been playing together for the past twelve years or so!

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)