“Scotland’s single biggest night of traditional music”, Hoolie in the Hydro, will be staged in a fortnight’s time at the Ovo Hydro on Saturday December 9, showcasing an all-star lineup from the West Coast.
Co-host Julie Fowlis will join Oban’s Coinneach MacLeod, aka The Hebridean Baker, to celebrate 50 years of Runrig, a rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973.
The event, organised by musician and broadcaster Gary Innes from Spean Bridge, made its debut last December, and saw huge demand and positive feedback. It has now broken its own sales records, with more than 8,500 tickets sold already – 1,000 more than last year.
Iconic Runrig drummer Iain Bayne and keyboard player Brian Hurren will lead the celebrations, with singer Julie Fowlis, Wolfstone founding member and fiddle player Duncan Chisholm, and Gary Innes, among those joining them on stage to celebrate Runrig’s incredible 50th anniversary milestone.
The musicians were last on stage together with the band at Runrig’s Farewell Concert in Stirling in 2018. Gary also features on the cover of Runrig’s 2007 album Everything You See. Legendary founding members of Capercaillie Karen Matheson and Donald Shaw, who are both from Taynuilt, will also join the musical celebration.
The line-up for Hoolie in the Hydro 2023 also features Scottish supergroup Mànran, Celtic rockers Wolfstone, festival favourites Trail West who hail from the Western Isles, Skerryvore lead singer Alec Dalglish, Britain’s Got Talent sensation Cammy Barnes, social media singing sensation NATI. (FKA Nati Dreddd), and Irish musicianÉamon Doorley.
Hot off the heels of their World Pipe Band Championships win, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band will be entertaining the Hydro crowd and DJ Paddy Callaghan will be keeping the party going between acts with his infamous ‘Trad with Pad’ sets.
Hoolie in the Hydro organiser, broadcaster and musician Gary Innes, said: “We’ve made history again, and I can’t believe it! What started as a pipe dream to bring Scotland’s traditional music to our country’s biggest indoor arena has now blossomed into this incredible party that appeals to thousands of people from across the world.
“I couldn’t be prouder to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best music from Scotland’s traditional scene and to celebrate the mighty Runrig at the OVO Hydro. With less than a month to go, tickets are continuing to fly out the door so I would encourage anyone who hasn’t snapped up a ticket to come and join us for this history-making moment!”
The original idea for Hoolie in the Hydro was first sparked in January 2020 after Gary reached 20,000 likes on his Facebook page. To celebrate, he put out a slightly tongue in cheek post which said if half of the people who had ‘liked’ his page bought a ticket for the Hydro, they could have the world’s biggest ceilidh.
The likes, shares and support for the idea flooded in, so in early March 2020, Gary went ahead and booked Scotland’s largest indoor venue for December 2022. The landmark concert is nominated for Event of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.