FOUR frantic fiddles, the skirl of the bagpipes, and funky guitar arrangements, Blazin’ Fiddles will be kicking up a Gaelic storm at The Grand, Clitheroe, on Saturday.

It is nearly 20 years since Blazin’ Fiddles first tightened their strings and hit the high road after broadcaster and founder Bruce McGregor returned from a trip to California for a BBC radio documentary with a big idea.

While McGregor was interviewing musicians at the South American fiddle school, he discovered many believed Scottish fiddle music was ancient history.

“ I was surprised at that, and when I came home I decided that I wanted to find as many young fiddlers who had a connection with the traditional tunes of Scotland, and use their ability to put a modern spin on a long established sound,” said McGregor.

“The response was incredible, but at the start we were never meant to be a band.

“We were a group of fiddlers showcasing our different styles, but there was also a vision and a great energy there.

“What happened after that was beyond our wildest dreams.”

Within the first year their barnstorming performances earned them a place on the main stage of the Cambridge Folk Festival and soon after they were on the bill at the Fiddles of the World International Fiddle Festival, where they represented Scotland and forged a reputation of producing the wildest fiddle sound in the land.

Like rare single malts, every member of Blazin’ Fiddles draws the distinct flavour of the islands, from Mull to Skye and Iona and back.

Even more importantly, the folk and fiddle world can boast a steady stream of exciting younger bands reinvigorating the scene, and finally laying to rest old stereotypes of blokes with white beards and fisherman’s jumpers toasting real ale in front of a log fire.

Anna Massie, guitarist in Blazin’ Fiddles, is one of Scotland’s most sought after musicians.

She teamed up with Bella Hardy on her nationwide tour at the Grand, following a splendid debut at the theatre when Blazin’ Fiddles delivered a dancehall jive of Caledonian roustabout still mentioned in the Ribble Valley today.

“There’s been a huge resurgence in the scene, a giant new wave taking those great traditions and keeping them alive,” said Anna.

“The younger generation always gives it a different slant and that brings fresh nuances and energy to the music.

“Blazin’ Fiddles is a very stripped down sound but it works.”

She added: “Sometimes you get a vibe about a place, and I got that with the Grand.

“Audiences are different everywhere, but there was a bit of magic about that theatre.

“To have all that energy in a small town is incredible, we can’t wait to play there again because it is a special place.”

Blazin' Fiddles, The Grand, Clitheroe, Saturday, March 11. Details from the box office on 01200 421599.