These are old posters I found kicking about for sweaty village hall gigs long ago but not forgotten. Larger images are available by clicking on the thumbnails. I have also uploaded some old live tapes which my pal Peter made into mp3s, and reasonable quality videos made from VHS tapes
Swamptrash really had something special. They were epic. This poster commemorates the last gig I went to in the Carlton - I remember two burly lads trying to hold the PA up as the floor became like a huge trampoline (or like the Greig St Bridge if you're from Inverness) It shut down really soon afterwards like every other good music venue in Inverness, judging by the ones that are left, anyway. Swamptrash were: Harry Horse - enigmatic verbose frontman, afterwards illustrator and cartoonist with the Scotsman, fond of creating computer games down in the swamp. Sadly took his own life in January 2007 - Tom Morton wrote this piece for the Herald Neil McArthur - fiddler extrodinaire James MacIntosh - From his heady days as the world's fastest drummer in Swamptrash to now the worlds funkiest drummer in Shooglenifty. Garry Finlayson - Garry Banjo now playing in Shooglenifty Thank you for signing my guestbook! Aah yes, the eighties! Malcolm Crosbie - now also in Shooglenifty. Nick - last heard of teaching English in Spain?. Conrad Molleson - bass, later with Shooglenifty Angus Grant - hairy beast of a fiddler |
mp3s
Live set @ the Queens Hall Edinburgh ?1989? (The beginnings of Hex and the end of Swamptrash) Live set @ the Ice Rink Inverness Oct 1988 (in my top ten best gigs of all time) Live set @ the Carlton Inverness May 1987 (that famous gig, poster above) |
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Swamptrash on FSD - Reubens Train, Ring of Fire, Foggy Mountain Breakdown |
Swamptrash on Halfway to Paradise - The Cuillen and an interview with Harry Horse |
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Swamptrash FSD mp4 VHS rip mirror |
Swamptrash H2P mp4 VHS rip mirror |
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Swamptrash released 'It dont make no never mind' on vinyl and CD, your chances of finding a copy are minimal but it's a classic... |
'Bone' was a six track EP born out of a session for Janice Long, Radio 1. |
mp3s
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Aw The Critters. The cute boy band alternative to Swamptrash, the Critters could fair go on a good night they were just a bit less swampy. They gigged eternally and were really good at the traditional bluegrass thing. They blew the Pogues off the stage at the SECC and some preteens screamed when they supported Wet Wet Wet and Deacon Blue at the Usher Hall. Now wasnt that the same night as Swamptrash's last gig in Teviot Union?? The Critterhill Varmints were - Mickey Marr - Singer, geetar, later with Kith and Kin JJ Jamieson - Banjo addict, later with Bongshang and living in Shetland Crazy Craig - Mandolin and in my opinion the cutest :p Lummy - Bass player now esteemed artist occasionally seen at away Caley matches :) Ben Molleson - Fiddle and holey jumpers later with the Peatbog Faeries. The extremely charming Nicky Schad was in the original lineup Kekkers McKenzie - Drums and extraordinary ginger person, occasionally seen lurking when least expected and at Christmas. |
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The Critters on Halfway to Paradise. track - Ghost Train |
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Ghost Train H2P mp4 VHS rip mirror |
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mp3s Live set @ the Queens Hall ?1989? (technically Swamptrash but in effect the initial stirrings of Hex)
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Hex, as you can no doubt see from the posters was made up from ex-members of the two bands Ive already embarrassed the living daylights out of. Just be grateful Ive not scanned ALL my photos.. Hex apparently released a cd but Ive never seen it although I have a mysterious tape kicking about somewhere...so no scan of the cover. They only seemed to stay together for about the same length of time it would take you to read this paragraph if I hadnt tacked this on at the end... Singer/Banjo - Harry Horse Mandolin - Crazy Craig Drums - Kekkers Fiddle - Neil Macarthur Bass - Lummy Banjo - JJ
The show was called Brag (I think), the first track is Anthill, the second might be The Selkie Bright, when I asked, all the respective band member could remember was that it was one of Neil's tunes. |
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Hex Brag mp4 VHS rip mirror |
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Now Im the first to admit that Rhythm Chillun cant really be included in the Acid Croft category but they were funky,cosmopolitan and an invitation to a good night in another sweaty hall, who cares if they weren't folky? We were all moving on...etc etc etc Since I turned their live tapes into mp3s I've been playing them non stop in the car! Rhythm Chillun were - Andy Cheung, singer and cutest wee thing from Fife I ever did see, and I lived there for five years, Andy's the guy you would vote to win Fame Academy or the Eurovision Song Contest even if you didnt normally vote in such things. He deserves to be a star. Crazy Craig, already mentioned for Mandolin duties, here finally at one with that wah wah pedal. Crazy I wish you'd start playing geetar again. He now acts in a mangerial capacity with Shooglenifty Quee, extremely funky bass player always smiling and now smiling and being funky with Shooglenifty James, (my) world's busiest drummer doing the Shoogle thing now, and then |
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mp3s - studio
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I think Viv might have shot this but I'm not sure... |
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Precious Thing (live) mp4 VHS rip mirror |
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mp3s - live
Rhythm Chillun live @ the art school Rhythm Chillun live @ the venue Rhythm Chillun live @ wilkie house
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That concludes my small pointless journey into the murky past of Scottish music. Well, not so pointless - it will now be my life's work to get Shooglenifty to recruit Andy Cheung and get Crazy back on geetar, Rhythm Chillun will be reborn and world peace will break out...Inverness Caley Thistle will be playing SPL football in Inverness next season... I'll find a man who isn't mad...Well a girl can dream...
I'm having a good laugh at this paragraph now I've got around to updating this
This page has been kicking about for more years than I care to remember, existing on minimal updates and a distinct lack of flash web techniques. But it's been my most successful webpage in terms of making new friends and speaking to random people, mainly sound techs promising more bootlegs once they've raided their attics for that old box of tapes, and people who remember these bands as fondly as I do. Special mention here to one of the guys who held up the PA that night in the Carlton, referenced above :)
Please email me if you have anything you think might be of interest and I'll add it!
It even gets a mention in Wiki! So time for a proper revamp, especially as JJ has promised me a heap of scans!