Bongshang are a Scottish band from

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

, who fuse traditional Shetland and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

styles with

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

and contemporary production techniques. They have been likened to

Celtic fusion Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" music ...

artists such as

Shooglenifty Shooglenifty are a Scottish, Edinburgh-based six-piece Celtic fusion band that tours internationally. The band blends Scottish traditional music with influences ranging from electronica to alternative rock. They contributed to Afro Celt Sound Sy ...

and

Martyn Bennett Martyn Bennett (17 February 1971 – 30 January 2005) was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and pro ...

. Bongshang have recorded three studio albums to date ('' Crude'', '' The Hurricane Jungle'' and '' Vy-lo-fone''), made numerous TV appearances, licensed tracks for TV, featured on several compilation albums and toured the UK and Europe extensively, playing with artists such as

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Taxonomy The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ...

Alan Stivell Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a French, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically ...

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town of Le ...

and the

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five National performing arts companies of Scotland, national performing arts compa ...

History and personnel

Members have included banjo player JJ Jamieson (ex member of Hexology (with

Harry Horse Richard Horne (9 May 1960, Coventry – 10 January 2007, Papil, West Burra), better known by the pen name Harry Horse, was an English author, illustrator and political cartoonist. He was also known as lead singer of the band Swamptrash. Born an ...

) and The Critter Hill Varmints) who has been part of every incarnation of the band, fiddler Leonard Scollay (winner of the Shetland

Young Fiddler of the Year Shetland's Young Fiddler of the Year is an annual competition held over two days organised by the Shetland Folk Society. It is open to fiddle players 16 or under from Shetland with around 80 entrants each year. The most entries ever received wer ...

competition, BBC

Young Tradition Award The BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award is an annual competition for young folk musicians in the United Kingdom. It was first awarded in 1988 as the Young Tradition Award, taking its present name in 1998. Recent winners of the award include Brighde C ...

finalist and ex member of Shetland band Rock, Salt & Nails) and fiddler Peter Gear (also winner of the Shetland

competition). Bongshang were formed in 1991 after JJ Jamieson visited

whilst on tour with The Critter Hill Varmints, decided to stay and recruited musicians from the local bands he heard; fiddler Leonard Scollay, bassist Bryan Peterson (then only 15), drummer Christopher 'Kipper' Anderson and guitarist Mark Gibbons. Gibbons later emigrated to Australia and was replaced by Neil Preshaw. This line-up released the debut album '' Crude'' in 1993, recorded in the back room of the

Garrison Theatre The Garrison Theatre is a 280-capacity venue in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, with a sprung proscenium stage with fixed raked seating. The auditorium has 19 rows, named A to S, with 8, 12, 13, 15, or 16 seats in each row. The venue hosts dance, dr ...

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

. Bongshang toured frequently around this time regularly headlining concerts and festivals such as

Festival Interceltique de Lorient __NOTOC__ The (French), Emvod Ar Gelted An Oriant (Breton) or Inter-Celtic Festival of Lorient in English, is an annual Celtic festival, located in the city of Lorient, Brittany, France. It was founded in 1971 by . This annual festival takes ...

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Celtica and

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...

. Scollay left to concentrate on touring with Rock, Salt & Nails and was replaced by fiddler Peter Gear who brought a new sound to the band with his use of the Skyinbow

electric violin An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument intentionally made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. It can also refer to a violin fi ...

, and Gear and Preshaw began to make extensive use of effects processors during gigs. Bongshang's live appearances became less frequent during this period, preferring the studio environment in Shetland where they were able to experiment with multilayering instruments, samples and loops. Bongshang recorded '' The Hurricane Jungle'' with this line-up, released in 1996. Preshaw and Peterson moved to Glasgow soon after and were replaced by guitarist Gordon Tulloch and bassist Andrew Gray. Scollay returned to the live line-up and for a time the band featured two fiddles. Gear left before the band recorded the '' Vy-lo-fone'' album in 1999, a fusion of electronic beats and banjo driven tunes. Bongshang continued to make rare live appearances through the

noughties The ''aughts'' (American English) or ''noughties'' (British English) are terms referring to the decade 2000 to 2009. These arise from the words ''aught'' and ''nought'' respectively, both meaning zero 0 (zero) is a number representing a ...

with Peterson and Gray sharing bass duties and Gear and/or Scollay on fiddle. The current line up is reported to feature Shoormal drummer Archer Kemp and guitarist Jonny Polson with Jamieson, Peterson and Gear. In 2010 film production company B4 Films published a webpage which seemed to indicate the band were working on a feature film soundtrack In 2011, members of the band collaborated with the

on a piece of music performed on the island of

Foula Foula (; sco, also Foola; nrn, Fuglø), located in the Shetland archipelago of Scotland, is one of the United Kingdom’s most remote permanently inhabited islands. Owned since the turn of the 20th century by the Holbourn family, the island wa ...

, the UK's most remote inhabited islands, and broadcast live on the Internet. In 2013 Bongshang released a series of videos accompanied by new compositions (see

Discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

) including a screening to an audience in

Mareel Mareel is a multi-purpose entertainment venue located on the waterfront of Lerwick, the capital of Shetland. Opening in 2012, the facility includes a music venue, cinema, conference rooms and educational facilities. Facilities Mareel is de ...

during the 'Back From Beyond' project concert.

Reviews

* Bongshang described themselves as playing "''punk trad folk rock''" in an interview with Candy Schwartz. She described the sound as "''

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

with ferocious breaks''" and "''fine fiddling''" * The Shetland Music website wrote that Bongshang "''took traditional influences by the scruff of the neck way back when, and catapulted them into a whole new realm of cool respectability''" * The Boston Phoenix wrote that Bongshang "''brings to mind Iggy Pop with a banjo''" * FolkWorld magazine described Bongshang as "''folk-pop fusion''" * The Scottish Music Centre described Bongshang as combining "''traditional Shetland music and modern hard-edged dance rhythm''" * A website related to the history of Acidcroft noted that "''Bongshang are to say the least reclusive and shy away from publicity... they are fast becoming the stuff of Urban myth and legend''"

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Crude'' (1993) * '' The Hurricane Jungle'' (1996) * '' Vy-lo-fone'' (1999)

Videos

*''Outcast'' (2013)
Bongshang website link
- featuring brass players from the

and footage of the 2013 South Mainland

Up Helly Aa Up Helly Aa ( ; literally "Up Holy .html" ;"title="ay/nowiki>">ay/nowiki> All") is a type of fire festival held annually from January to March in various communities in Shetland, Scotland, to mark the end of the Yule season. Each festival inv ...

Galley Burning. *''Morita Pt 1'' (2013)
Bongshang website link
*''Still Standing Still'' (2013)
Back From Beyond website link
- featuring Mary Ann Kennedy on harp and footage from the Shetland Moving Image Archive. *''Sirenik'' (2013)
Bongshang website link
- purportedly featuring time lapse footage of a band member's son's face, composed of a photo taken each day for the first ten years of his life.

Compilations

* ''Folk N Hell'' -

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

(

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

in the US) (1996) - "If and When" from '' Crude'' appears on this compilation of

celtic fusion Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" music ...

artists inc.

Dougie MacLean Dougie MacLean, OBE (born 27 September 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Described by AllMusic as "one of Scotland's premier singer-songwriters", MacLean has performed both under his ow ...

, Jim Sutherland,

The Poozies The Poozies are a British all-female folk music, traditional folk band formed in 1990. They were at the forefront of a wave that revolutionised traditional Scottish music, Scottish and Gaelic music in the 1990s. Throughout the years they have ...

, Tannas and

Old Blind Dogs Old Blind Dogs is a Scottish musical group which plays traditional Scottish folk music and Celtic music, with influences from rock, reggae, jazz, blues, and Middle Eastern music rhythms. Background The three founding members of the band (Ian F ...

* ''Indigenous Tribes'' - Iona Records (1998) - "The Floggin' Set" from '' Crude'' appears on this compilation of

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been extremely prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundat ...

bands inc.

Wolfstone Wolfstone are a Scottish musical group founded in 1989, who play Celtic rock. Their repertoire consists of both original songs and traditional folk pieces. They have released seven studio albums, the latest, '' Terra Firma'', in 2007. The band ...

, Tartan Amoebas, The Pearlfishers, Humpff Family and

Paul Mounsey Paul Mounsey (born 15 April 1959) is a Scottish musician, composer, arranger and record producer. A graduate of Trinity College, London, where he studied with Richard Arnell, Mounsey has composed for film, television, theatre, and television c ...

* ''Seriously Scottish - Music from Contemporary Scotland'' - SSR (1999) - "Probleme" from '' The Hurricane Jungle'' appears on this double CD compilation of contemporary Scottish music inc. tracks from

Scottish Chamber Orchestra The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and S ...

, BT

Scottish Ensemble Scottish Ensemble is a professional string orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland and led by Artistic Director and violinist Jonathan Morton. Scottish Ensemble also collaborates with soloists. Recently guest artists have included trumpeter Alison ...

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional rad ...

The Battlefield Band Battlefield Band were a Scotland, Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow, Scotland, Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the ba ...

Brian Kellock Brian Kellock (born 1962) is a Scottish jazz pianist. Biography Born in Edinburgh, Kellock graduated with a B Music (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh in 1986. Since then, he has been establishing his position as one of the top piano playe ...

, Tommy Smith,

, bis,

Teenage Fanclub Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared ...

The Delgados The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). Biography The band was for ...

AC Acoustics AC Acoustics were a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow,Shepherd, Fiona. "Review: AC Acoustics", ''The Scotsman'', 2000-12-22, p. 8. formed in 1990. Over their thirteen years of existence, they released a string of singles, EPs and albums on ...

, Idlewild,

The Needles The Needles is a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmo ...

Adventures in Stereo Adventures in Stereo were a band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed by Primal Scream founding member Jim Beattie in 1994, after his previous band, Spirea X, split up. History After Spirea X split up in 1993, former members Jim Beattie and Judith B ...

and

Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...

* ''Tracks North (Music From Shetland)'' - Shetland Arts Trust - "At the Mercy" from '' Vy-lo-fone'' appears on this compilation of Shetland artists inc. Filska,

Fiddlers' Bid Fiddlers' Bid are a Shetland based instrumental group known for playing contemporary arrangements of traditional Shetland fiddle tunes. The seven piece line-up consists of four fiddles, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and piano/Clàrsach. The band ...

Chris Stout Chris Stout (born 1976) is a Scottish fiddle/violin player from Shetland, now based in Glasgow. Stout grew up in Fair Isle and lived there until 8 years of age before moving to Sandwick on the Shetland Mainland, then on to Glasgow in the 1990s. ...

, Rock, Salt & Nails, Shoormal, Hom Bru, Brian Gear,

Shetland Fiddlers' Society The Shetland Fiddlers' Society is a group of fiddlers from Shetland that play regularly for Shetland Folk Dance and perform at events such as Shetland's Folk Festival and Accordion and Fiddle Festival. The society had its origin in May 1960, when ...

, Malachy Tallack and Jillian Isbister * ''XS Sessions'' - Bleatbeat Records (2000) - A remix of "Cassini" from '' Vy-lo-fone'' appears on this compilation of non-traditional Shetland artists inc. Malachy Tallack, Solar Polar Bear and a solo track from Bongshang fiddler Peter Gear (Callisthenics) *''Thistle Do - The Right Sharo Jaggy Bit'' - Iona (2004) - "The Floggin’ Set" from '' Crude'' appears on this compilation of Scottish artists inc.

, Phil Cunnigham, Hom Bru,

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

Oliver Schroer Oliver Schroer (June 18, 1956 – July 3, 2008) was a Canadian fiddler, composer, and music producer. Early life Oliver Schroer grew up in Vandeleur, Ontario, a small farming community near Markdale in rural Grey County. He attended Grey Highl ...

Karen Matheson Karen Matheson OBE (born 11 February 1963) is a Scottish folk singer who frequently sings in Gaelic. She is the lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Héritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lea ...

and

Fiona Kennedy Fiona Kennedy Clark, OBE, DL is a Scottish singer, actress, and broadcaster, and the daughter of Scottish and Gaelic singers Calum Kennedy and Anne Gillies. As a child, she appeared with her parents as they performed as a family, and this dev ...

* ''The Authentic Sound of Shetland'' -

Songlines A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia which mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dre ...

(2011) - A live version of "D-Drone", a previously unreleased recording, appears on this compilation of Shetland artists distributed as a covermount CD on the January/February 2011 issue of 'Songlines' magazine

References

{{Authority control Shetland music Celtic fusion groups Scottish folk music groups