Book Festival Brings Songs of Insurrection and Sounds of the Cairn Valley

Wigtown Book Festival offers a rich musical mix from the rabble-rousing Commoners Choir to cosy sofa chats with the Bookstore Band

The Commoners Choir is bringing its mix of irreverent fun and an unquenchable thirst for social justice to the Wigtown Book Festival.

Founded two years ago in Leeds by Chumbawamba singer Boff Whalley the choir has carved out a reputation for its ability to create catchy songs about politics, insurrection, poverty, land ownership and the environment.

Wigtown audiences will be treated to songs from the debut album entitled Commoners Choir which was released this month and is billed as 21 songs of protest, anger, humour and hope.

Boff said: “We sing songs about subjects that need singing about, and have a lot of fun doing that.

“In Wigtown we’ll be presenting a celebration of the printed word in song – the invention of the printing press was one of the most important ever made, because once people could read they found they could have some influence over their world and their own lives.

“We’ll also be singing a couple of songs poking fun at the Tory government.”

The a capela choir, which has its own manifesto, is made up of a broad spectrum of people from doctors and teachers to carers and carpenters, who all identify themselves as being on the left of politics.

Boff says: “It’s meant to be very broad. We are aligned round ideas not parties or leaders. Nothing annoys me more than endless arguments about detail and ideology.”

Another choir, The Cairn Chorus, will be presenting a show with very different themes and sounds. They will perform the Cairn Valley Song Cycle which was commissioned from seven composers by the villagers of Moniaive to reflect the area’s rich landscape and sense of community.

Galsgow’s Auricle Ensemble will also be at the festival, performing Stravinsky’s suite The Soldier’s Tale. Written at the end of World War I it tells the story of a soldier returning to his viialge who makes a pact with the Devil.

Festival visitors will also be able to begin their days in a pleasant and tuneful way with The Bookshop Band who will be inviting special guests to join them for their Chat Show events. It’s a chance to hear delightful music, meet fascinating people and enjoy coffee and pastries.

Adrian Turpin, Wigtown Book Festival Artistic director, said: “It’s a real pleasure to be offering music of many different types for many and varied tastes. We’re also pleased to be welcoming performers to Wigtown from Leeds, Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway itself.”

Wigtown Book Festival Music

• Commoners Choir: Festival Marquee. Saturday, 23 September, £6
. A community choir with a difference – “a ragbag
of ne’er do wells, misfits and troublemaking cake eaters”. Like a singing newspaper, they sing about things that happen, things that should be happening, things that matter, rousing the rabble and raising a smile or two. Insurrection has never been so harmonious or funny.
• Galloway Consort, The Last Pavane: The Print Room. Sunday, 24 September. £7. The ttale 
of two Renaissance lovers whose fates were inextricably linked with that of Mary, Queen of Scots. Their story is illustrated by music of
their tempestuous age, played on Renaissance recorders, viols, guitar and percussion.
• Auricle Ensemble: Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. Sacred Heart Church. Saturday, 30 September, £7. Catchy and disturbing, it
 was one of the first important classical works to reflect the influence of jazz.  
• The Cairn Chorus: Cairn Valley Song Cycle, County Buildings, Main Hall. Friday, 29 September, £7. A beautifully diverse song cycle to life accompanied by local and professional musicians, including Wendy Stewart, Gavin Marwick and Ali Burns. Directed by Kate Howard.
• The Bookshop Band: The Chat Show. PHC Room. Various dates, £5. Start the day with music and chat from The Bookshop Band. Which guests are on the sofa today? Free coffee and pastries.