NEW ALBUM, TAIRM, OUT NOW
WHYTE infuse original and traditional Gaelic song with the newest techniques in electronica.
The duo comprises electronic composer, musician and Scottish Album of the Year-longlisted Ross Whyte (Aberdeenshire) and Gaelic singer, songwriter, twice-nominated Hands Up for Trad Gaelic Singer of the Year and Scottish Government Gaelic Ambassador of the Year 2019–20 Alasdair C. Whyte (Muile/Mull).
The band’s sound has been described as “important for Scottish music in general and Gaelic in particular” (Alun Woodward, Chemikal Underground Records), “achingly beautiful” (fRoots) and “moody and alluring” (Songlines).
WHYTE’s awards include the 2019 Scottish Gaelic Arts and Culture Award and the 2017 Hands Up for Trad/Creative Scotland Nòs Ùr Songwriting Award for their original Gaelic song ‘Cionran’.
WHYTE’s award-winning second album ‘Tairm’ (2019), described as “a thing of beauty” (Scots Whay Hae!), follows the success of the band’s debut album ‘Fairich’ (2016), described as “absorbing” (fRoots), “completely distinctive” (Bright Young Folk) and “cinematic” (Northern Sky).
The band’s hit single ‘Tairm’, from the second album of the same name, has had over 249,000 Spotify plays (as of 22 March 2020). The official music video for ‘Tairm’ is available here: link
The band’s original theatre production ‘MAIM’, a collaboration with Theatre Gu Leòr directed by Muireann Kelly and featuring script contributions by fellow cast-members Elspeth Turner and Evie Waddell, premièred in March 2020. MAIM’s unique blend of live music, dance, spoken word and video has been described as “unforgettable” (The Scotsman), “compelling” (The Times) and “powerful, eclectic and satisfying” (Exeunt) (all 4-star reviews).
‘Fairich: Live’, the band’s immersive, cinematic audio-visual show featuring the music of their debut album – described as “beautiful” in a 4-star review in The Scotsman – was selected as a Made in Scotland showcase and premièred at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2017.
The band has recorded for radio and television, including ‘ALT’ (BBC ALBA, 2019), and performed extensively throughout Scotland and overseas, including headlining at the inaugural Made in Scotland Festival in Brussels (June 2019).
WHYTE represented Alba/Scotland with original Gaelic songs at Liet International 2018 XXL in Friesland and Pan Celtic Festival 2017 in the Republic of Ireland.
WHYTE’s new album ‘Tairm’ is out now.
“achingly beautiful arrangements”
Tim Chipping (fRoots)
“moody and alluring”
Billy Rough (Songlines)
"wonderfully evocative"
Alistair Braidwood (Scots Whay Hae!)
“dealbhan-tìre fuaimneil, làn suathachadh is sruth”
Marcas Mac an Tuairneir (Dàna)
"Hauntingly beautiful vocals immersed in sensitive layers of sympathetic electronica."
Alun Woodward (Chemikal Underground Records)
“an absorbing record”
Steve Hunt (fRoots)