FOLK singer Mairi Campbell took to the road in a 1967 Triumph TR4A ahead of a nationwide tour that will see her travel in the footsteps of Robert Burns to tell the story of the Bard and his most famous song.
Mairi Campbell: Auld Lang Syne, which blends storytelling, dance and new music, is the follow-up to the award-winning musician’s acclaimed solo theatre show Pulse, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Scottish Storytelling Centre last year.
The collaboration is co-devised and directed by Kath Burlinson.
It features a collection of tracks composed with David Gray with input from fellow musician David Francis, sculpture from sound artist Tim Vincent Smith, and animation from Claire Lamond.
READ MORE: The National's guide to the celebration of Robert Burns
Kicking off in Ullapool tomorrow night and continuing until March, it will take in many of the places Burns visited during his tours of the Borders and Highlands in 1787.
Campbell said: “Ever since I started working on this show, I’ve wanted to take this story of Auld Lang Syne as far as possible across Scotland. When Burns discovered the music, his words transformed it into one of Scotland’s most famous songs.
“When I recorded it with David Francis I realised how little I and most Scots knew about its meaning. The song had such a profound effect on my life that I wanted to tell this story of friendship, change and adventure through songs and performance.
“Like Burns, I’m keen to see the reactions to my interpretation and hear stories from Scots across the country so I can’t wait to to hit the road.”
Tour dates and other details about the collaboration can be found at mairicampbell.scot/gigs.
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