FINDING BEAUTY IN THE CHAOS: SKERRYVORE ON 20 YEARS, BEAUTIFUL MISTAKES AND STAYING CONNECTED TO THE FANS

INTERVIEW | SKERRYVORE by Anne Kelly

From their beginnings on the Isle of Tiree to headlining international festival stages, Skerryvore have spent two decades refining a signature sound where high-energy Scottish trad meets soaring, anthemic rock. Now, the award-winning eight-piece returns with their latest single, ‘Singing Up in Heaven‘. We speak with the band about the story and inspiration behind the new release, their evolving creative process, and what it’s like testing brand-new material in front of packed crowds worldwide.

Let’s jump straight to the new single, ‘Singing Up In Heaven’.  Writing about personal grief is one thing, but handing that vulnerability over to an audience is another. What was the journey of turning such an intimate loss into something meant to be shared out loud?

I think the song began with wanting to write something to kind of memorialise my Dad and to capture some of the important aspects of our relationship. It then became apparent that this was probably the kind of thing that would relate to many people. Even if the song simply allows others to remember someone important who’s no longer here, I think it was worthwhile.

The single leads into your upcoming album, Beautiful Mistakes. What led to that title and does it reflect where the band is at right now?

We were discussing how we would record this album—specifically, recording everything together in one take, warts and all. That led to the idea that there’d be plenty of mistakes, but hopefully beautiful ones. This idea also tied in with the very personal nature of the songs and the fact that life can be messy but a point of beauty can still be reached within the chaos.  We’re all getting older and this album shows more maturity. We’ve realised that we’ve all made many beautiful mistakes, but ultimately they’ve brought us to where we are today.  

Known for your dynamic live shows, how difficult can it be to capture that same energy in the studio? How did working with Jamie Squire help you bottle that stage momentum?

This is something that we’ve always found difficult. To the point where we’ve considered ourselves more of a ‘live band’. Jamie really helped because he pushed us into a new approach and out of our comfort zone. We started all the recording sessions organically, with everyone in the room forming the track’s base. It gives the feeling of being in the room with us and definitely lends the album the energy of a live recording.  

Two decades in, and many bands fall into one of two traps: repeating themselves or trying too hard to reinvent the wheel. How has your songwriting instinct evolved over 20 years to avoid both?

I think I’ve always tried to embrace the place that I’ve got to at the time of writing. As with life in general, you’ll stress yourself out if you look too much into the future or dwell on the past. I could attempt to copy my past success, but what would really be the point? I could also attempt to deliberately change who I am, but that would just feel dishonest. 

Going from a monumental milestone like the Floors Castle Concert last year to now moving into regional, intimate town halls is a huge shift. Why is it so crucial for Skerryvore to keep smaller, often-bypassed towns on the tour routing, and what do those room sizes bring out in your performance?

I think some of these smaller venues give you a true connection with the audience. You can see the emotions and see when you’re affecting someone. Sometimes in a larger venue you can get lost in the vastness of the whole thing. We’re also from smaller, often-bypassed towns, so we love playing these places. It’s also where you find some of your greatest fans. 

As the crowds get bigger and the reach expands globally, maintaining a genuine, grassroots relationship with long-time fans gets harder to pull off. How do you keep that connection personal rather than transactional?

We’ve always considered having a close relationship with our fans very important, and we attribute much of our success to this. It does become more difficult as the audience grows, but we still like to meet fans and try our best with social media to truly connect and keep in touch with people in a more personal way. 

The Scottish trad and modern folk scene is in an incredible place right now. Who are the rising acts or younger bands you’ve seen recently that make you think, ‘The future of this music is in safe hands’?

There are so many incredible bands and the scene is really booming right now which is amazing to see. Artists like Valtos, Sian and Cala are ones to look out for. 

For fans heading out to this upcoming winter run, how are you balancing the setlist between classic staples and integrating this raw, new material for the first time?

That remains to be seen! We always like to test the waters and change our set accordingly. In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than going to see your favourite artist who’s decided you’re getting their whole new album when you were hoping for some of the previous hits. We’ll always try to strike a balance in that sense. 

Finally, after 20 years together, what is the single most petty argument the band has on the tour bus?

We really don’t argue a lot. To shatter the illusion of rock n roll – we’ll probably argue about who’s sitting where or discuss everyone’s favourite style of potato. 

Skerryvore are set to unleash their brand new album Beautiful Mistakes on November 6th. You can listen to their latest single ‘Singing Up In Heaven‘ now and pre-order/save the new album here.

Catch the award-winning live band on tour throughout the UK in November and December – tickets on sale now.