Thank you for joining us on another musical tour of Scotland. Our longtime readers and subscribers might recall our previous posts about Scotland’s musical gifts to the world (Nazareth, Runrig, Skipinnish, etc.). This time we are excited to bring you with us for an anthemic and rocking visit to the world of Tide Lines!
Before we get any further, just a quick acknowledgement to any Tide Lines fans – of course we know that the new and upcoming album is called: ‘Glasgow Love Story’ (available for preorder on their website). We are eagerly looking forward to it and already love the couple of songs that we know will be on it. Since this post is about their concert here in Edinburgh- we tweaked the title a bit. We know that the band loves Glasgow- we do too. We merely want to point out how much Edinburgh loves the band.
Alright, let’s head out to the venue – Usher Hall. We have visited there on our posts before (here & here), but I don’t think we have ever been quite as excited as on this occasion. As we mentioned on our Skipinnish article about how we have been their fans for years, well the same is true about Tide Lines. Especially since two of the Tide Lines quartet came through the ranks of Skipinnish – singer/guitarist, Robert Robertson, and keyboardist/bassist, Ross Wilson.
That duo was joined by guitarist/bagpiper, Alasdair Turner, and drummer, Fergus Munro, to form the folk/rock/indie/pop group, Tide Lines, back in 2016. Since then, they have released a few albums and many charting singles that have established them as one of the leading bands in Scotland. Now, this might just be my own bias, but to me they are at the very top, and not only for bands from Scotland.
That said, my guess is that you didn’t come here to listen to me ramble on. So, let’s pop into the historic Usher Hall and get on with the show!
Before the main act, however, we are given a real treat with the opening act. As the two spotlights highlight a single keyboard on the stage, we are soon introduced to the angelic and beautifully haunting songs of Tamzene. She performed a few songs from her latest independent EP record, ‘In Any Weather’; songs like ‘sleeptalking’ and our favourite – ‘Holding Onto You’. Tamzene hails from the Scottish Highlands, and, as she shared on the stage – she is “Wick born, but raised on the Black Isle”. However, she mentioned that she and her music have influences from far beyond the Highlands. Then again, the world is small and sometimes the distances between our family and friends are ‘Only An Ocean’ (one of her older songs) away. Make sure to go and check out her music and website as well.
Here is a wee sample of her music (our favourite):
Her set was just her, the lights, and the keys on piano. It was stripped down, emotional, and authentically sincere. We went for Tide Lines, but we also came out as fans of Tamzene. I also feel that you can get to know her better with this video:
It is called ‘till you brought me home’. Well, Tamzene, you really brought it home at Usher Hall. We loved it and we wish you all the success and happiness in the world!
As the spotlights go dim and we say our goodbyes for now to Tamzene, the crowd starts to count down the minutes as the crew on the stage get everything set for the evening’s headliners. A tech tests out the drums, the vibrations it sets off sweep through our hearts like a tidal wave! It’s not much longer now…
The lights go off and soon the crowds closest to the stage react to movements in the dark, the tension is palpable and then – we are off!
“The days we were free…”
We are seeing Tide Lines live at Usher Hall! Well, let me tell you what – the tide was in, and it was leaving its lines all the way to the highest rows of the Upper Circle! Because on this sold-out night, the nearly three thousand fans all erupt and begin to sing along to one of their many hits – ‘Another Day’ (From their first 2017 album – ‘Dreams We Never Lost’ )-
Now that we have all been properly warmed up, the hits keep on rolling with ‘Heroes’, one of our favourites from their 2020 album, ‘Eye of the Storm’.
Now, I know that sharing their music with videos like this only tells half of the real story and experience. Tide Lines music is just fabulous, and we listen to them daily, but we wish we could experience it live daily. It is such an incredible communal experience when you have a few thousand fans singing, dancing, clapping and stomping in unison. We could sense the whole of Usher Hall vibrating in sync with the energy emanating from the band and all of us in the crowd.
But this was a great visual experience as well. The stage was set up with three elevated cubes arranged like diamonds with Gus, and his drums, standing highest in the center. To the right stood Ross with his keyboard, while Ali was to the left with his electric guitar. To be fair, he also spent most of this time off his cube, and more in the front, on the stage itself. Finally, Robert was front and center serenading his adoring and captivated audience. Of course, he also conducted those standing in the stalls and balconies, as we all collectively serenaded right back to the band with their anthemic songs.
Beyond the band, the stage also had numerous large screens that were synced with perfection to the songs, providing more stunning visuals to the entire experience of the evening. We will pepper some photos throughout this post, but please note that they were quickly snapped on my phone in the dark concert hall. Therefore, the quality was not exactly professional, but we were not there to work anyway! These grainy photos will hopefully provide at least some visual idea of the concert.
For example, the next song we want to highlight is ‘Running at the Dark’, which is great in the following video, but on this night, we had some of those great visuals on the stage projected behind the band. The spotlights moved around and created different effects as they pierced through the smoke, but what we want to express here is the crowds joining in on every “oh, oh, oh…”
Just amazing!!!
Just like waves washing against the shorelines of bonnie Scotland, Tide Lines continue to take us on this tour around different emotions and images. Next up is an example from their 2023 album, ‘An Ocean Full of Islands’– please enjoy, ‘Rivers in the Light’ –
That was then followed by a huge hit and fan favourite, a song that brings us back to the days of Skipinnish for Robert and Ross, ‘Walking on the Waves’. However, since we highlighted that song already with our Skipinnish article, we will move on with the show.
After we get back on firm ground, we all move from the ‘Shadow to the Light’ and onto ‘Better Days’! ‘Better Days’ is the newest song performed by the band, and it will be on their ‘Glasgow Love Story’ album… we hope that you preordered it already. Well, maybe wait to do that until after we finish with this Edinburgh love story!
So, for this story, let’s get to know a bit more about this charming Scottish quartet. They are now all in their thirties and have made Glasgow their base. However, only Gus grew up in Glasgow. Also, you could make a claim that the Isle of Mull, where Ross grew up, is another base for this independent band. That is where they have their own studio, which is interestingly built into an old church where Ross used to go to Sunday School as wee lad. Meanwhile, Robert and Ali hail from the Scottish Highlands- Robert from Lochaber and Ali from Alness.
Regardless of the different places the members started their journeys, and their own musical influences along the way, what brought them ultimately together was their love of traditional Scottish folk music…with a twist! The twist is really just creating music that honours the traditions and the lands that inspire their music, but also setting the songs in a genre bending contemporary style that is perhaps more accessible to younger generations (and perhaps with more universal appeal as well). But if you were even slightly worried that would mean no bagpipes…take it away Ali:
Just like the tides in the seas around Scotland’s vast and beautiful shorelines, this evening at Usher Hall feels like we are passengers on a boat, led by a brilliant crew. We all take in the serenity and calmness of the ‘seas’ during beautiful and melodic songs like ‘Innocent and Beautiful’, and especially during the acoustic and more stripped-down rendition of ‘Bring the Summer’. You could probably have heard a pin drop at times when we all let go of the outside world, and let the calm waves carry us forward into the night…
In respect to the traditions discussed earlier, another tradition that Tide Lines cherish and help to preserve is the Scottish Gaelic language. It is true that most of their songs are in English, but they do have several songs that they have performed in Gaelic, which is great because it is extremely valuable to make use of Gaelic contemporarily too. Languages are an integral part of any culture, so for Scotland to preserve and hold on to both Scottish Gaelic and Scots is vital to her beautiful and diverse identity. On this evening, Tide Lines managed to get all of us in the crowd to join in on the chorus and sing out loud in Gaelic during their beautiful song – ‘Co-thràth’!
The song, ‘Co-thràth’, is all about coming home…”to the home of our hearts”. That is why Tide Lines have such universal appeal across different generations, because whether you hail from the Islands or the Highlands, rural or urban areas, we all have homes we have left and homes we have made. It doesn’t matter if you are reading this in Scotland or any other country on earth, the themes of home, love, and longing are the core essences that make us all human. That is exactly what Robert writes about and then the band turns them into these modern masterpieces. It’s the main reason why we all packed into Usher Hall- to hear these songs that might be the bands’ songs, but they truly belong to all of us.
For example, take one of their latest hits, a song that lent its name to this Scottish Tour – ‘Homeward Bound’. I challenge anyone to listen to this song, and then claim that they could not relate to it at all. So, please just enjoy this great song-
Now that we have had some tender, and self-reflective moments- like a throwback to a classic action movie- the tension quickly builds back up again, and we feel the adrenaline rush as the waves get rockier! We all join in, almost as if we were belting out sea shanties- we clap, we stomp, and we sing as we blast through songs like ‘These Days’ and ‘Any Heart in a Storm’
After the latest storm, we have some calmer moments again with haunting instrumental highlights of the musical talents of all the band members. We also take nostalgic trips with songs like ‘The Dreams We Never Lost’ and ‘17 Again’. However, we can sense that the evening is starting to build up to its climax… “So throw away your conscience and disregard your fear” – it is time for the ‘Fortunes of the Fearless’-
After that, the guys wave their goodbyes and the lights go off. But that can’t be! We want an encore!
Now, for the grand finale, I will include these grainy video recordings from my phone so that you can get a sense of how the great concert concluded. I will also include links to the official videos of the two songs that brought our magical evening to a close.
First up – ‘The Young and the Restless’-
If you are a fan, you already know what will happen next. The whole evening has been building up to this moment- it’s time to dance with a Highland girl! If you were not familiar with Tide Lines prior to seeing this post, you are in for a treat.
The song that catapulted these guys where they are now was their first ever hit – ‘Far Side of the World’. As their debut single, it was an almost overnight success across the various music charts in the UK, charting above some other lesser-known artists like Coldplay and Beyonce! 😉 Ever since its release, ‘Far Side of the World’ has been a favourite song for many festival and concert goers. We hope that, if this is your first introduction to the band, you too will become a fan. These guys deserve it!
As we close, we highly recommend that you explore more of Tide Lines. Check them out across their social media platforms, order some records and merchandise. Most importantly – if you ever have the chance – go see them live! You can thank me later.
Take it away gentlemen!
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
