Live Music
Gallovidian Gathering Yule ’23
The Sold Out Gallovidian Gathering at Castle Douglas Town Hall on Saturday 23rd December has been hailed a momentous success by the people of Galloway and has now become rooted as an essential event in the Celtic Calendar of events for the region.
The Gallovidian Gathering was a call to arms to the people of Galloway, showcasing the rich and diverse heritage within the communities that attended and the team behind the event brought these to the forefront to celebrate what it means to be Gallovidian and to reconnect with our past and to shape our future.
Co-producers of the event, Liam Russell of the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival and creative lead behind their new youth led strand Up Yer Airts launching in 2024, DJ McDowall of The Imaginarium and Tom Spirals, local musician would like to thank the people of Galloway for their incredible support and for making the night a memorable and incredible experience.
The event was a celebration of cultural traditions giving a new spin on the ‘auld traditions’ of the region and took audiences through an immersive night of time travel, eating, drinking, dancing and seasonal merriment celebrating some of the most innovative and exciting sounds coming out of Scotland.
Kicking off the night was The Xenalaliens with young musicians Sandy and Josh (known as DJ Lil J) who took to the stage and supported with the organising and set up of the event alongside their mentor Tom Spirals. The young musicians were heralded for their incredible talent and kicked off the night in true Gallovidian style.
The night also included local traditional performers Susi Briggs, Wordsmith Crafts and Tom Hughes who brought the roots of Galloway to the forefront of the night connecting audiences with their cultural traditions. The night also allowed audiences to share in traditions from across the world with street performers dressed as Krampus which is believed to have originated in ancient Bavarian folklore.
Bogle Mufty brought their unique upbeat folk sound with a modern twist to the event and battered out the rhythms to the sold out crowd. The local band played a mix of Scottish and Irish folk with a few modern songs but of course with their unique trad style thrown in.
Headlining the evening was Samson Sounds, who showcased their Gallovidian Roots on stage with their positive dance floor vibrations with a combination of voice, guitar, percussion and brass with electronic musicality bringing all the grooves and energy to the night. Their performance was a true homecoming gig bringing people from all over Galloway back together creating joy and connection right across the dancefloor.
The night ended on a high with Bass Injection featuring Wends delivering a stunning performance lighting up Scotland’s Sound System scene and showcasing the very best that we have to offer.
Co-producers of the Gallovidian Gathering have said that their shared vision of these events is to showcase the roots of Galloway and to harness the power of Gallovidian culture. They aim to project the heart, spirit and soul of Galloway through programming and showcase local performers, creative practitioners, freelancers, young people and businesses. They are committed to delivering these events on an ongoing basis to bring communities together and create the connection between our past, present and future of Galloway.
Events like the Gallovidian Gathering showcase the importance of collaboration, bringing together skills within our communities and it is local people creating local events and bringing together a family of Galloway people in our community spaces like our town halls through storytelling, music, poetry, heritage activities and visual arts and weaving the narrative of Galloway into the hearts of our people.