Attendees at this year’s Orkney Folkies Festival currently wowing the locals and visitors alike in Stromness will be ecstatic to find out that Brian Gesd will be making an appearance.

The Orkney Folkies Festival is incredibly popular and refreshment centres in Stromness heave with customers keen to imbibe the musicality of the participants.

Brian Gesd attends the Festival every year but due to his late night appearances many fail to catch his gigs. This year with scorching temperatures set to burn every exposed peely wally skin on show Brian has decided to set up on the street and perform most of the day near the burger van.

Brian Gesd is most famous for his unaccompanied contributions to the musical world but recently he has become adept on both the bodhran and the spoons. Audiences are enthralled at his off beat bodhran playing which many would express as being totally unrelated to the song he is singing. Brian sees it otherwise. The Orkney News asked him to explain his unique style.

Brian explained:

” Anyone can play a bodhran and sing in tandem. What I do is entirely different. I like to go for the alternative. Sometimes I miss a beat entirely just to throw the listener off. Now with me spoons I have added in yet another unexpected note to my performances.”

artist’s impression of Brian Gesd performing

Brian Gesd is not alone in this style of performance and as the Orkney Folk Festival reaches fever pitch, listeners will be able to tune in to increasing numbers  of musicians keen to adopt his technique.

Although Brian Gesd terms himself as an amateur musician he has been offered significant amounts of money to perform elsewhere.

Reporter: Fergus Graemsay