Noisy Shoes

NOISY SHOES

Edinburgh-based "Noisy Shoes" is a traditional band but not quite in a traditional way. Although we do take a professional approach, we're not in it for the money, and rather than wanting bookings with a good fee, we tend to look for gigs which are interesting or attractive, unusual or novel, or for causes we support. We do mainly Scottish Traditional music (some Irish, North American, Scandinavian, etc.), and are mainly acoustic instrumental, but with songs here and there, and the possibility of p.a. if suitable.
Anything from perhaps three- or four-piece at smallest, we are most comfortable as maybe a five- or six-piece group. Typically we might have any of the following instruments; fiddles, cello, mandolin, whistle, accordion, and guitar/voice.

Forthcoming Appearances;

Previous Appearances;

Sunday 24 April 2011 - Ceilidh Culture Street Fair - Castle Street/Princes Street, Edinburgh. 3.30pm to 5pm. Noisy Shoes are doing the last slot on the Sunday of an event that runs Friday 22nd to Monday 25th. [See event website] We're planning on bringing some foot-tapping to the paving slabs of Castle Street !

Saturday 1 May 2010. "Chile In Need". A charity gig in aid of victims of the earthquake in Chile. Tollcross Community Centre, 117 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, 5pm to 11.30pm. Described as "A night of dance, ceilidh, poetry, live music and food. Family friendly.
Acts to be confirmed.", we can tell you that Noisy Shoes will be there, probably doing a turn, some music for a few dances, and winding up the evening with Auld Lang Syne. Come along for a good night for a good cause. [Event page on Facebook]

Sunday 25 January 2009, Burns Cottage, Alloway, Ayrshire. Robert Burns' 250th Birth Anniversary. 1pm to 4pm. [Event website] Noisy Shoes provided a fairly constant flow of traditional music in the area around Burns Cottage, also filling a couple of slots in the programme of events on the Main Street outside the Cottage, and rounding off the afternoon's proceedings by performing "Auld Lang Syne" at the cottage's front door.

Bob concentrating hard on maybe a D minor chord ?

Here's a wee video report on the Ayrshire Post website that has Noisy Shoes at the very end (the last few seconds !)
or the same thing on YouTube.

Saturday 24 January 2009, The Priory, South Queensferry. A very pleasant and civilised community event, with a variety of local performers doing turns.

Sunday 9 August 2009; Friends of Corstorphine Hill Tenth Anniversary Reception, Capital Hotel, Edinburgh. [Organisation's website]

Friday 28 August and Sunday 30 August 2009; "Fair Trade on the Fringe" in Edinburgh's Grassmarket, with many traders selling fair trade products from around the world. Noisy Shoes provided entertainment between 4.30 and 6pm on the Friday, and on the Sunday from 10 to 11.15am, then from 3.30 to 6pm - a monster slot with an interesting and ever-changing audience. [Event website]

Sunday 24 January 2010. "Alloway 1759", Alloway, Ayrshire. (Public event.) [Event programme.] [Closing Auld Lang Syne on YouTube]

Tuesday 26 January 2010. At the Edinburgh Philatelic Society's "A Twist on Burns" social evening, where as well as the band providing entertainment, Bob Murray also showed his "Political Aspects of Royal Mail's Treatment of Robert Burns on UK Stamps" display. Versatile or what ?

Previous History;
Most of us are either regulars at Edinburgh traditional pub sessions, or we are past or present students with the Scots Music Group, or both of these. Over the years we have accepted numerous invitations to play, sometimes as "The Tassers" or "The Tass Bar Session Band", or under our individual names. Over the years we've done gigs for, for example, The Shore Poets, The Edinburgh Canal Society, Artlink, Burns suppers, garden parties, the Royal Botanic Garden's "Music for a Midsummer Evening", etc.

Patty Morton, Bob Murray, Bobby Hogg, and George Winter playing at St. George's West Church, Edinburgh, for the Scots Music Group. 2008.	Bob Murray and Roy (of Royzone) find discussion more worthy than tunes at the Tass,	Bob Murray during the recording of the "Royal Reels" CD for Artlink at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

"Alloway 1759" at Alloway in January 2009. Spontaneous dancing in the street - Helena Spiers with the fiddle, sitting at the front of Burns Cottage.	"Alloway 1759" at Alloway in January 2010. Auld Lang Syne to round off the afternoon's events. Strangely, the guy at the front left seemed to know the words quite well . . . . . . .

Bookings; contact Bob Murray by email at thump@noisyshoes.com, or telephone 0131 552 1220, or at his shop. Remember that although we are amateur musicians, we should not be out of pocket, we do have some expenses, and it is traditional for the musicians to be given hospitality (e.g. at an event where food and drink are supplied, the band should not be left out !).

Email thump@noisyshoes.com click@noisyshoes.com squeek@noisyshoes.com

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." Thorin Oakenshield, in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.