From lockdown garden jams to supporting Paolo Nutini, Scottish folk risers Brògeal ride a Celtic revival. Words: Jake Hawkes. Photos: Jennifer McCord.

It's a good time to be Scottish folk band Brògeal. Riding a resurgent wave of traditional Celtic music but blending it with their own indie sensibilities, what started as a bit of lockdown fun has quickly spiralled into something much, much bigger. "We're supporting the Wolfe Tones in Finsbury Park and Paolo Nutini, with TRNSMT festival in the middle – and that's all in the same week!" laughs guitarist / vocalist Daniel Harkins when asked about their future plans.

It's a far cry from what they expected when they first got together in a garden in the Northern Scottish town of Falkirk, just looking for something to do to pass the time. Before that, each of the members had been in various bands ranging from indie to punk, but a shared loved of both Scottish and Irish folk music led them towards trying something different.

"Lockdown was good for us," acknowledges Daniel. "We just sat there and wrote tune after tune until we were allowed back out of the house, so we came out to a time when a lot of bands were just getting started, and we were absolutely raring to go with 26 songs under our belt.

"That said, we started this back when there wasn't a lot of Celtic music about, so it's all come as a bit of a surprise how much it's blown up. Ireland and Scotland seem to be reinventing their culture in a positive way because of the political climate in both countries – people are feeling the spirit of it all in their bones. That's not to say we're making music in an antagonistic way; we've just always been brought up listening to the Wolfe Tones and the Dubliners and stuff like that, so when me and Aidan [Callaghan, the band's vocalist / banjo player] got together it was always gonna sound like it does. But when the boys jump in on it, it's different again because we write the music as indie songs, but with the instruments we play, there's a fresh sound.