The Final Shift

Through music, The Final Shift explores the history and legacy of coal mining in Scotland and in other parts of the UK from the earliest days of industrial mining through to the Miner’s Strike in the 1980’s which led to the decline and virtual death of the industry in the UK.

The main focus of the performance is on the effect that mining had on the people, whether on the miners themselves, their families and on the wider communities.

In the performance Josie Duncan sings a mix of traditional mining songs and some original songs written by Josie for the show. Accompanying Josie is a four-piece folk band and the Newtongrange Silver Band who will play some traditional brass band music as well as some sympathetic and yet very powerful original brass parts written for the performance by Andrew Duncan.

Throughout the performance voices of ex miners and their families from Newtongrange are intertwined with the music, sharing their memories and bringing the arrangement to life.

The Final Shift was first performed at Celtic Connections in 2019 and due to the Pandemic performances in Newtongrange had been put on hold...till now.

" I am choked with tears listening to this. I stood on the picket line with my uncle at the Kinloch in Ayrshire and would probably have ended up down the pits if they hadn't closed. Such a beautiful piece of music wonderfully sung and performed, and a wonderful tribute to true working class heroes. Thank you for writing !"

" I was laughing ... I was crying, such a wonderfully emotive piece of music, blending so well voice, brass and traditional folk instruments - a must see!"

Hailing from the Isle of Lewis, Josie Duncan’s original songs were receiving airtime on prime time radio (radio 2, BBC Scotland) before she graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied Scottish music. By the time she completed her studies she was performing to audiences all over the world, from big festivals in Australia and Canada to basement concerts in Glasgow, and had become recognised as a vital figure within the Scottish Folk Music scene. In 2017 Josie, alongside guitarist Pablo Lafuente, was awarded the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Musician of the Year Award. The intervening years have led her to become an expert in crafting heart-warming songs which delicately balance traditional idioms with a more contemporary outlook and her first solo album with her band of original songs is due for release later this year.

This performance has been subsidised by Newtongrange Community 1st with help from CO OP Local Causes Fund.