Reviews
New Celeste – On the Line Remastered (Monopol-Verlag GMBH 2024)
To my mind, it’s Scotland’s great lost record, a scintillating blend of soulful vocals and instrumental prowess, great songwriting, re-arrangements of traditional tunes and a unique merging of Celtic and ‘world’ music, jazz, progressive rock and funk. I’ve listened to all the great pioneers of folk rock…travelled with and written about Runrig and Capercaillie, interviewed everyone from Richard Thompson to Bert Jansch, Rab Noakes to Barbara Dickson, Roger Daltrey to Loudon Wainwright and Dolly Parton. I have heard some of the greatest folk and folk rock ever made in Shetland and beyond. Been bought whisky by Simon Nicol at 6.00am on the island of Unst. But on listening to On the Line, I really wonder how it and the band New Celeste failed to be recognised more at the time as, simply, brilliant.
Tom Morton 2024 (Broadcaster, journalist & author)
New Celeste - A Perfect Sky (Park Records 2016)
New Celeste are like the West Coast cool to New York's hard bop.
Colin H, theafterword.co.uk
The original New Celeste were active in the 70s and 80s but broke up to provide members of Wet!Wet!Wet!, Hue & Cry, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia and Runrig. Founder and songwriter Iain Fergus formed a new band in the 90s, which brings us to a new CD on an English label for the first time. You have to label New Celeste as folk rock. After all they have bass and drums and Gavin Marwick on fiddle, but there is more to them than that. The whole feel of the record is positive.
**** Dai Jeffries, R2 (Rock'n'Reel)
Latest set from the second (post ‘90s) incarnation of Scottish folk-rock outfit led by singer/guitarist Iain Fergus, presenting freshly crafted original material boosting the acoustic driven bedrock with considered jazzier and classical overtones; well upholstered recording and flairful musicianship win the day.
fRoots
New Celeste - Best (Park Records 2004)
Usually I am not a fan of retrospectives and compilations, but this may be an exception. Looking at the back catalogue of one of the seminal Folk/Rock bands …there is real merit in a retrospective of a group that went on to spawn the Oyster Band, Runrig, and Hue & Cry among others. Over their years together I bet there were some fireworks between such disparate and talented musicians, but…the resultant output has been worth it. If New Celeste are new to you give this one a go.
Phil Thomas, Living Tradition
This retrospective compilation came somewhat out of the blue…but what this new compilation does reinforce is the influence, then largely uncredited, that the innovations of New Celeste…were to have on subsequent adventures in folk-rock from Oysterband to Runrig.
David Kidman, Net Rythms
New Celeste – It’s a New Day (Iona Records 1997)
A totally fresh, adventurous sound. Fergus’s songwriting & cool jazz/folk adaptation of Robbie Burns material is mischievous, evocative & quite exceptional, while the collective sounds of his new six-piece act – from swirling trad with uilleann pipes & dance beats to a kind of folkish, fusion tinged recreation of Hatfield And The North with violin and squealing guitar – is addictive.
**** Colin Harper, Q Magazine
’It’s a New Day’ shows a band confident and strutting, shovelling world music, improvisational chops and lotsa Scottish touches into the blender…the result reconnected wires no longer crossed and a meeting of minds…Hugely enjoyable and no fluff in sight.
Simon Jones, Froots
New Celeste’s fingers are on the pulse. ‘It’s a New Day’ is a glorious reaffirmation of their talents and expertise.
Rock and Reel
New Celeste – The Celtic Connection (Lismor Records 1990)
Could best be described as a more celtic version of what Fairport Convention does with English music…an excellent album.
Steve Winick, Dirty Linen USA
Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival 1991
The vigour of folk culture in general is hardly in doubt though. New Celeste provided a demonstration of how electric instruments and influences from jazz and rock, intelligently applied, can augment a celtic sound without trampling all over it.
The Independent
To my mind, it’s Scotland’s great lost record, a scintillating blend of soulful vocals and instrumental prowess, great songwriting, re-arrangements of traditional tunes and a unique merging of Celtic and ‘world’ music, jazz, progressive rock and funk. I’ve listened to all the great pioneers of folk rock…travelled with and written about Runrig and Capercaillie, interviewed everyone from Richard Thompson to Bert Jansch, Rab Noakes to Barbara Dickson, Roger Daltrey to Loudon Wainwright and Dolly Parton. I have heard some of the greatest folk and folk rock ever made in Shetland and beyond. Been bought whisky by Simon Nicol at 6.00am on the island of Unst. But on listening to On the Line, I really wonder how it and the band New Celeste failed to be recognised more at the time as, simply, brilliant.
Tom Morton 2024 (Broadcaster, journalist & author)
New Celeste - A Perfect Sky (Park Records 2016)
New Celeste are like the West Coast cool to New York's hard bop.
Colin H, theafterword.co.uk
The original New Celeste were active in the 70s and 80s but broke up to provide members of Wet!Wet!Wet!, Hue & Cry, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia and Runrig. Founder and songwriter Iain Fergus formed a new band in the 90s, which brings us to a new CD on an English label for the first time. You have to label New Celeste as folk rock. After all they have bass and drums and Gavin Marwick on fiddle, but there is more to them than that. The whole feel of the record is positive.
**** Dai Jeffries, R2 (Rock'n'Reel)
Latest set from the second (post ‘90s) incarnation of Scottish folk-rock outfit led by singer/guitarist Iain Fergus, presenting freshly crafted original material boosting the acoustic driven bedrock with considered jazzier and classical overtones; well upholstered recording and flairful musicianship win the day.
fRoots
New Celeste - Best (Park Records 2004)
Usually I am not a fan of retrospectives and compilations, but this may be an exception. Looking at the back catalogue of one of the seminal Folk/Rock bands …there is real merit in a retrospective of a group that went on to spawn the Oyster Band, Runrig, and Hue & Cry among others. Over their years together I bet there were some fireworks between such disparate and talented musicians, but…the resultant output has been worth it. If New Celeste are new to you give this one a go.
Phil Thomas, Living Tradition
This retrospective compilation came somewhat out of the blue…but what this new compilation does reinforce is the influence, then largely uncredited, that the innovations of New Celeste…were to have on subsequent adventures in folk-rock from Oysterband to Runrig.
David Kidman, Net Rythms
New Celeste – It’s a New Day (Iona Records 1997)
A totally fresh, adventurous sound. Fergus’s songwriting & cool jazz/folk adaptation of Robbie Burns material is mischievous, evocative & quite exceptional, while the collective sounds of his new six-piece act – from swirling trad with uilleann pipes & dance beats to a kind of folkish, fusion tinged recreation of Hatfield And The North with violin and squealing guitar – is addictive.
**** Colin Harper, Q Magazine
’It’s a New Day’ shows a band confident and strutting, shovelling world music, improvisational chops and lotsa Scottish touches into the blender…the result reconnected wires no longer crossed and a meeting of minds…Hugely enjoyable and no fluff in sight.
Simon Jones, Froots
New Celeste’s fingers are on the pulse. ‘It’s a New Day’ is a glorious reaffirmation of their talents and expertise.
Rock and Reel
New Celeste – The Celtic Connection (Lismor Records 1990)
Could best be described as a more celtic version of what Fairport Convention does with English music…an excellent album.
Steve Winick, Dirty Linen USA
Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival 1991
The vigour of folk culture in general is hardly in doubt though. New Celeste provided a demonstration of how electric instruments and influences from jazz and rock, intelligently applied, can augment a celtic sound without trampling all over it.
The Independent
