Shetland Folk Festival is delighted to welcome back Orcadian ‘super-group’ The Chair - an 8 piece riot of fiddles, banjo, accordion and drums BUT for their 2026 appearance, they'll grow to an 11 piece as our favourite party band will bring with them the "Skatehorns" brass section. YIPPEEE!
With Orcadian tunes at the core of the sound but mashed up with blues, dub and klezmer, The Chair are a true party band that we’re simply addicted to.
2025 marked a milestone year for the band as they celebrated their 20th anniversary. When their headline Celtic Connections show was postponed due to extreme weather in Glasgow, attention quickly shifted to their late-night Festival Club appearance - where Shetland Folk Festival organisers can confirm that they absolutely brought the house down. The brass section adds a whole new level of punch to an already legendary party band and we absolutely LOVE IT!
Voted Band of the Year at the 2008 MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards, this will be The Chair’s sixth scheduled Shetland Folk Festival appearance. The Chair on-stage continues to be an experience that will have even the most reserved audience beating a path to the dance floor.
The band members are Douglas Montgomery (fiddle), Kenny Ritch (fiddle), Brian Cromarty (banjo, vocals), Bob Gibbon (accordion), Gavin Firth (guitar), Andrew Gifford (bass), Erik Laughton (drums), Robbie Thomson (percussion) and on brass they'll be joined by Tom Pickles, Charles Dearness & Patrick Kenny.
Collectively, the sound approaches the energy levels of a rock gig, yet remains acoustic at heart. The band continue to tour major festivals nation- and Europe-wide, gaining swathes of new fans on each stop.
“... carnivorous energy allied to an endearing sense of merriment ... this is a compelling and triumphant release which places The Chair firmly at the vanguard of where-it’s-at.” — The Living Tradition
Find out more and listen on their Website and Bandcamp
