BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winners Ímar will play The Atkinson, Southport on Thursday 10 May.
Following a stellar start to the year with sold-out performances at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow and the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, as well as taking home the Horizon Award at 2018’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Ímar will be playing some of the furthest reaches of the UK to continue the fun this May.
Featuring current and former members of Mànran, RURA, Talisk, Barrule, Cara, Mabon and The Lowground, whose collectively-crammed trophy cabinet includes a BBC Young Folk Award and several All-Britain/All-Ireland titles, Glasgow-based five-piece Ímar have quickly established a name for themselves in their own right. With recent appearances at Denmark’s Tønder Festival and Canada’s Celtic Colours Festival under their belt, and after two nominations in the 2017 Scots Trad Award for Album of the Year and Best Live Act, they recently emerged from recording their second album with a new energy and fresh tunes for their upcoming tour.
Ímar’s formation embodies a personal reconnection with its members’ formative years, dating back long before their recent camaraderie around Glasgow’s celebrated session scene. Adam Brown (bodhrán), Adam Rhodes (bouzouki), Mohsen Amini (concertina, who also received the award for Musician of the Year at the 2018 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards), Ryan Murphy (uilleann pipes) and Tomás Callister (fiddle) share a strong background in Irish music – although only Murphy actually hails from Ireland; Rhodes and Callister are from the Isle of Man, whilst Amini is a Glasgow native, and Brown originally from Suffolk – and it is these foundations which underpin both Ímar’s instrumentation and material, centred on the overlapping cultural heritage between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. All three places once shared the same Gaelic language – the name Ímar comes from a 9th-century king who reigned across this combined territory – and a similar kinship endures between their musical traditions.
Uilleann piper Ryan Murphy said
“We’re so excited to be heading to Southport this May, on our tour of the UK. When the band got together we weren’t really sure what would come of it, but as soon as we all sat down to play together properly, it just worked. We’re going back to the music we started out playing – which is ultimately the reason why we’re all here as musicians, and it’s so special to be able to share that with audiences all over the UK.”
Tickets are £14 and are on sale now at https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/imar/ or via the Box Office on 01704 533333. You can also purchase tickets over the counter during opening hours. (Booking fees apply)
For more information on Ímar please go to: www.imarband.com
Visit the website theatkinson.co.uk and join our mailing list to keep up to date with the full programme of events coming to The Atkinson soon.
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Listing Information
BBC2 folk award winners:
Ímar
Thursday 10 May, 7.30pm
£14
May Tour Dates:
• Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham – 9th May
• The Atkinson, Southport – 10th May
• Otley Courthouse, Otley – 11th May
• Tredegar House Folk Festival, Newport – 12th May
• Kings Place, London – 13th May
• Nettlebed Village Club, Nettlebed – 14th May
• The Fleece Inn, Evesham – 15th May
• An Lanntair, Stornoway – 18th May
• Arc Sessions @ Fochabers Institute, Fochabers – 19th May
• Glassel Hall, Glassel – 20th May
• Orkney Folk Festival, Orkney – 24th – 27th May
About The Atkinson
The Atkinson is Southport’s beautiful home for music, theatre, art, poetry, literature and history, right in the middle of Lord Street in Southport. The stunning 19th century buildings were refurbished in 2013 to create a really welcoming family friendly multi art-form venue with a strong contemporary feel.
The Atkinson offers an exciting and varied destination for families, cultural tourists and arts enthusiasts alike, with a full day and night time offer. Wander through the major exhibitions and see performances from some of the UK’s foremost musicians, actors, performers and companies, films, family activities and much more.
Find out about Sefton’s heritage with amazing tales of the sea, Red Rum, Dan Dare and Motor racing in the Museum and then ‘Discover Ancient Egypt’ in our Egyptology Gallery, this remarkable collection of archaeology was discovered by Mrs Goodison from Bootle and until 2015 had not been seen for over 40 years.
Our lovely gift shop is well worth a visit, with its handmade in Merseyside jewellery and crafts collection and Southport memorabilia and then relax in our new café – Great Little Place.
Posted on 13 April 2018 under General news
