FRETS CONCERTS is delighted to announce RODDY WOOMBLE will be performing an acoustic concert on Friday 13th May, 2022 in the Strathaven Hotel.

 Roddy Woomble will be playing songs from his back catalogue along with songs from his latest solo album, 'Lo Soul', which was produced and mixed by recent collaborator Andrew Mitchell (aka Andrew Wasylyk). The LP was recorded remotely between Roddy’s home in the Hebrides and Andrew’s studio in Dundee throughout 2020 while Scotland was locked down.

Roddy says: “I’m a collaborative songwriter, used to working in a room with one or more people, or a band, and I think my songs benefit from that human connection and response. With lockdown last year my initial reaction was not to work on songs. It offered a pause for us all, and like many others I found myself alone and reflecting. Concentrating on reading and writing. Considering maybe working on a book of poems instead…

Gradually though, I started developing songs on my acoustic guitar which I would record on my phone and send on to Andrew in Dundee. Around then, my friend and musician Danny Grant, based in Glasgow, began sharing his wonderful electronic grooves and rhythms with me. I started improvising over these with my poems. It didn’t feel like an album we were creating at this stage though, more a scrapbook of this particular moment. As restrictions eased in the summer I spent three days in Andrew's studio recording vocals and developing these ideas. Other than this, the album was all recorded remotely - Dundee Glasgow, and the Hebrides".

Both musically and lyrically, the single is a mix of optimism and pessimism - attitudes that we have all been trying to keep in balance this past year. Roddy explains:“I have always been an admirer of the word ‘Lo’, Walt Whitman uses it quite a bit - (..’Lo, the unbounded sea...) It is a call to attention, in it’s dictionary definition. I'm using it like a wake up call - a wake up call through the ages!”

Roddy Woomble is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters. Known for his enigmatic lyrics, warm baritone voice and consummate gift for a tune, Roddy has released five solo albums to date - 'My Secret Is My Silence' (2006), ‘Before The Ruin’ (2008, with Kris Drever and John McCusker), 'The Impossible Song & Other Songs' (2011), 'Listen To Keep' (2013), and ‘The Deluder’ (2017). Roddy’s first poetry collection ‘Instrumentals’ was released in 2016.


For the past 25 years Roddy has also been the frontman of much loved IDLEWILD, releasing eight studio albums, and touring worldwide as a headline act, but also in support to R.E.M., Pearl Jam and U2 amongst others.

Lavinia Blackwall will be performing with accompaniment by the immeasurably talented Marco Rea. Lavinia’s solo album, Mugginton Lane End has been a firm favourite at FRETS since its release in 2020.

Docken Leaf is a joint endeavour by Ken McCluskey (The Bluebells) and Brian Docherty (Scientific Support Dept). They recently released an incredible single called Orienteering, check out the video (directed by Into Creative).