20 February 2026, Strathaven Hotel
FRETS concerts describe themselves quite succinctly as follows – ‘FRETS concerts are intimate acoustic affairs, we’re all about songs and live performances’.
The Strathaven Hotel has been the venue of choice since their inaugural event back in 2019. while the Glad Café has also played host in recent times too.
What sets them apart from other gigs on the tour schedule, is the intimacy that is felt from entering the Strathaven Hotel in particular. It’s not unusual to see Katy Lironi and Douglas MacIntyre welcoming and checking tickets as you enter. More often than not, Douglas will later appear on stage with either the headliner or support acts.
On this particular night though, the couple restricted themselves to standing at the side of the room, surveying the audience and musical acts they had pulled together for our enjoyment.
And enjoyment is a primary factor in the success of the series. Yes, the music is the key reason why people come to listen to the acts, but there’s an acceptance, maybe even a hope, that something might go slightly wrong which will then be easily brushed aside with humour and self-deprecation by those on stage.
The ‘wrong’ could be the wrong tuning of the guitar, a song in the agreed setlist being played out of sequence, maybe even forgetting the words of a song. In some respects, it’s like an open mic session for professionals.
BMX Bandits
First up was the BMX Bandits, or a very cut down version of said band with Duglas T and Rory playing the vast majority of the set as a duo, the younger Rory the perfect foil on guitar for Duglas T, his singing, storytelling and inimitable playing of the Kazoo.
While Rory was at the younger end of the age spectrum in the room, Duglas looked out at many people who had followed the BMX Bandits journey from the early days and that familiarity lent itself to a confident yet casually delivered set of songs that were well received throughout.
Jonny
Like Duglas before, Norman Blake and Euros Childs have played this particular circuit, to a similar audience profile before. In addition, Stuart Kidd had joined them from a short stint with the BMX Bandits on drums. Even before a note was played in anger, it was obvious that they were going to have a bit of fun along the way. The fun, the humour, the casual approach adds genuine value to the night.
However, nothing can take away from the music played. Norman strumming away on acoustic guitar, Euros switching between keyboards and acoustic guitar too delivered a set of songs predominantly from their self-titled album in 2011.
In the main, the songs were mostly new to me on the night, but they ticked all the boxes required of a FRETS concert ‘… intimate acoustic affairs, we’re all about songs and live performances’.
A well-deserved and well received encore. A fine tribute to their musicianship. The audience leaving everyone involved in organising and playing tonight’s music in no doubt that it had been yet another successful foray into the past.
These gigs are an ideal way to reminisce about a recent past. To re-acquaint yourself of some of the music performed and recorded, in some cases over 30 years ago. As you look around the audience, in the main, it is re-opening memories of the music they loved from those past days and for that we should all be very thankful.
