Following our amazing Virtually Knockengorroch event headliners Afro Celt Sound System have released the brand new tune written by fiddler Peter Tickell for us.
The video for The Lockdown Gorroch Reel’ features footage from Virtually Knockengorroch!  Check it out:
Simon Emmerson, founder of the Afro Celt Sound System, had this to say:
“Last Saturday (23rd May) the Afro Celt Sound System took part in our 1st online zoom festival.
As a band with a 25 years history of headlining world music stages we have built a reputation as a top live act, so understandable we were initially very sceptical about how this was all going to work.
It was an amazing experience. We had band founder N’Faly Koyate locked down in his village in Siguiri, Guinea Conakry playing his grandfather’s ancestral balafon and singing live and direct illuminated by his car headlights as his village has no street lights. His tribute to his recently departed mentor Mory Kante was incredibly moving.
Robbie Harris our percussionist was in his studio in County Mayo on the West Coast of Island. The rest of us were dotted around the UK. Not everyone could make it. Lottie Cullen our piper was doing her bit to fight Covid 19 as a front line radiologist in Dublin Hospital. Rioghnach Connelly our singer and flutist was taking part in an online discussion on the future of live music in a post Covid19 world.
The festival was warm and welcoming as was our interviewer host Toby . We had a great craic as we showed everyone how we build up an Afro Celt tune from a fiddle reel to a full blown track, we then played a video of the mixed tune we had written for the event called The Lockdown Gorroch reel.
Of course, there were technical glitches, at times it was glorious chaos , at others there were moments of real intimacy as musicians performed from their own very private and personal spaces to an enthralled audience. It was great interacting with the crowd in their little zoom boxes from their rooms made over with personalised festival lights and hanging. People could post messages direct to the musicians during their performances and whooped and cheered at the end of every number. The whole thing had the intimacy and interactive quality totally lacking in bigger corporate festival. There was even a virtual ceilidh you can see edited into the end of our video tribute.
If this is part of the future of live entertainment in a post Covid 19 world count us in. It was inspiring, magical and generated a very moving sense of togetherness and solidarity so needed in these dark and fractured times.
Total respect to Virtually Kockengorroch 2020 for making this happen!
Love, light and unity from the Afro Celt crew.”