From the Ground to the stage: An interview with Celtic performers & Southside gigs guide
Meet Laura-Beth of From the Ground, performing at Celtic Connections, as she discusses blending Scottish traditions with global influences. Discover the band's message of nature, resilience, and unity – plus our guide to the must-see Celtic Connection gig lighting up Glasgow’s Southside.
By Samar Jamal | Photo courtesy of From the Ground
“From the ground is a reference to nature but it’s also a main melody of pibroch (meaning 'piping' in Scottish Gaelic), which is the oldest piping tradition in Scotland.” That’s Laura-Beth, one half of the band From the Ground, one of many performing at this year's Celtic Connections Festival. While mandolin player and singer Laura-Beth and her bandmate, piper, guitarist, and whistle player, Ali-Hutton's work is rooted in traditional Scottish music, the festival is a melange of sounds.
There are not many festivals where you can spend one evening basking in a Scottish Symphony, enjoy Southern American beats, and also have the choice of absorbing rock-n-roll sounds infused with blues and surf. But the annual Celtic Connections has diversity at its core, with ten genres spanning across the programme. The 18-day festival, running from 16 January to 2 February, has once again transformed our UNESCO City of Music into a stage for “traditional, folk, world and roots music,” with performances across the city, from intimate gigs at the Glad Cafe to bustling crowds at Emirates Stadium.
From the Ground will be performing their self-titled album, alongside The Shackleton Trio, live for the first time at Òran Mór on 31 January. I sat down with Laura-Beth to find out more about the band's upcoming gig and their album, an “ode to nature and its infinite power to heal.” It carries an urgent message for its listeners – we must cherish our planet – and celebrates how connecting with our natural environment can benefit our mental health.” Plus, keep reading to find out which novel performances are taking place in the Southside.
“We've been working on developing the sound for a really long time. We're both rooted in different traditions. Ali comes from a very Scottish traditional music background, he's from Perth, he's a piper. He was taught by Gordon Duncan who pushed the boundaries of what bagpipes do, especially in terms of trad music. And he's really inspired by that. I grew up in Lincolnshire and my parents play bluegrass and old time music so my background's a bit different but I've lived up here for like 15 years.
We really wanted to develop a sound that kind of took from all our influences but still was really rooted. The title, From the Ground is saying, ‘however we move and whatever comes out of it is still rooted somehow in this tradition and nature.’
Each track has a theme: the title song is from the perspective of a tree and how the climate's changing faster than plants or animals can adapt to. Ali wrote The Beautiful Cold which is an ode to the glaciers and ice caps.
We've also written songs that questions what strength is and celebrates people and those brave enough to speak out. As well as some of the issues in Glasgow like sectarianism. I don't think anything is straightforward and for people tied up in that world, it's not straightforward for them either.
The song is about how you wish people could feel more united even in their differences. I think that's affecting the world all over just now with how people are being turned against each other in order to kind of take the focus off the folk that actually have the power.
It would be easy to focus on something that affects you directly, and is very specific but It takes a lot of work to try and transform it so it can be related to by other people.
This is a festival that absolutely does not patronise its crowd, not that festivals do, but Celtic Connections is something you're going to find challenging, some things you're going to find joyful, some things you're going to find melancholic. You've got so much on and I think that is the beauty of it. “
Visit the Celtic Connections website to book your ticket for From the Ground as well as a variety of other performances.
Performances in the Southside
A Giant on the Bridge and Jill O'Sullivan
Wednesday, 22 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
In this spellbinding performance, five of Scotland’s leading musicians explore identity, family, community, restoration, injustice — and the pulsing heartbeat within these hidden stories.
John Metcalfe: Tree with Lucie Hendry & Justyna Krzyżanowska: Flora and Fauna
Thursday, 23 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
John Metcalfe brings a rare live performance to Glasgow’s innovative and inspiring Tramway of his latest album Tree, out on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records.
The Friel Sisters with Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’ Leary
Friday, 24 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
Celtic Connections proudly presents The Friel Sisters with Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’ Leary.
Friday, 24 January, 8pm
The Glad Cafe
Curlew, the solo project of Celtic alt-folk musician Gill Higgins, is known for her unique blend of looped vocals, harmonium, synth drones, and field recordings. Her work explores the intersection of nature and technology, creating ethereal, layered soundscapes that mesmerize audiences.
Bethlehem Calling: An evening of stories, music and pipers from Palestine
Saturday, 25 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
Celtic Connections proudly presents Bethlehem Calling: An evening of stories, music and pipers from Palestine.
Doughnut Music: Beautiful Cosmos with Diljeet Bhachu
Saturday, 25 January, 8pm
The Glad Cafe
This co-headline concert celebrates the release of two debut albums and the launch of Doughnut Music, a new 'record lab' focused on eco-friendly music formats. Beautiful Cosmos, a band featuring wife-and-husband duo Anna Miles and Matt Brennan, unveils their debut album Dance Of The Atoms. Miles, formerly of Maple Leaves, and Brennan, of Citizen Bravo and Zoey Van Goey, recorded the album with Mercury Prize-nominated Field Music.
Wednesday, 29 January, 8pm
The Glad Cafe
Little Acres is vocalists Cariss Crosbie, Emilie Boyd and Rachel Lightbody. As a harmony trio they are a force to be reckoned with, having provided backing for many major names in the Scottish music scene and wider afield over the past decade. On 29th of January, Little Acres is launching their much anticipated debut EP titled Wait - a 5 track EP which is an existential journey through the many facets of adulthood and womanhood.
Thursday, 30 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
Music is one big conversation and few projects live at the heart of it like An Dannsa Dub. Born from a love of traditional Scottish folk, dub reggae and dance music, together they summon the joyous, communal energy of a cèilidh and a sound system session.
Thursday, 30 January, 8pm
The Glad Cafe
Niall McNamee is an Irish singer-songwriter and actor known for his thoughtful yet full-blooded songs and his charismatic live performances. Describing himself as “a romantic football fan who writes songs”, Niall moved to London at 17. By day, he worked on building sites, and by night, he performed in pubs and venues across the city. He began his acting career in the West End as Romeo in ‘Romeo & Juliet’ before moving into film and TV.
Friday 31 January, 7:30pm
Tramway
Festival favourites and Scottish trad legends Peatbog Faeries return to Celtic Connections with their trailblazing mix of traditional sounds and dance-floor grooves. Drawing upon a dazzling array of influences, from jigs and reels to dance music, jazz, and more, they bring the sound of Scotland, fresh-faced and breathless, to a captivated audience.
Friday 31, January, 8pm
The Glad Cafe
Vanishing is Gareth Smith, a Hull-born, Manchester-based artist and former engineer. Smith's music reflects his industrial roots. Words are his raw material; storytelling and communication are created, assembled, and reworked until meaning and purpose are found.
Ibibio Sound Machine and N'famady Kouyaté
Saturday, 1 February, 7:30pm
Tramway
Fronted by Nigerian singer Eno Williams, Ibibio Sound Machine bring their clash of African and electronic elements to Celtic Connections.