Scottish musician Brìghde Chaimbeul has captivated folk music fans and the experimental music community worldwide at a remarkably young age. Her exceptional bagpipe playing delves into deep Celtic traditions while simultaneously appealing to explorers of drone, ambient, and experimental music. At ALICE, we are honoured to once again welcome her exceptional musicianship to our stage – this time as part of a captivating double bill with the avant-garde ensemble Scions.

Scions

The Canadian group Scions brings together members from the chamber jazz quartet New Hermitage, the drone-hymn duo Joyful Joyful, and producer-composer Michael Cloud Duguay. Together, they weave a tapestry of genres, jazz, drone, ambient, metal, improvisation, and avant-garde, crafting a sound that is both elegant and boldly experimental. Through this sound, they explore themes such as climate disaster, dystopian futures, queer posterity, and progenitorship, as well as the curative potential of music. Their work inspires hope, evokes wonder, and forges new connections.

The ensemble’s musicians play instruments such as the double bass, harp, saxophones, and vocals. The ensemble was formed following an improvised performance at Canada’s Sappyfest music festival, and their debut album, ‘To Cry Out In The Wilderness’, was released in 2024 to critical acclaim. MOJO magazine praised the release, while Uncut described it as “Enigmatic yet reverent music … a compelling debut that moves between big and small moments with grace.” The album imagines a total ecological collapse, offering music as a lament and a tribute to the last of us. We look forward to being swept away by Scions’ beautiful, unpredictable, and enigmatic sonic landscapes when they perform at ALICE!

Brìghde Chaimbeul

From a young age, Scottish bagpiper Brìghde Chaimbeul has impressed both the traditional folk world and the experimental music scene with her wide-ranging and deeply personal expression. With nothing but the bagpipes, she conjures a singular beauty, strength, and richness. Her music paints vivid images of dramatic Scottish landscapes and taps into ancient Celtic traditions, while also embracing bagpipe traditions from Eastern Europe, Ireland, and Cape Breton. Miraculously, her sound also feels strikingly modern, carrying a physical resonance that speaks to fans of drone, ambient, and experimental soundscapes.

Chaimbeul received international acclaim with her debut album The Reeling (2019), which was praised by The Guardian, Songlines, and The Quietus. She has since been honoured with the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award, and in 2021 performed for world leaders at the COP26 opening ceremony. Her brilliant 2023 album ‘Carry Them With Us’ was created in collaboration with American saxophone star Colin Stetson, and her mesmerizing bagpipe sound can also be heard on Caroline Polachek’s track “Blood and Butter” from the album ‘Desire, I Want to Turn Into You’ (2023). After sold-out performances at ALICE in 2020 and during the opening week of 2024, we are honoured to welcome Brìghde Chaimbeul back to our concert hall on Nørre Allé – most likely with new music. She is set to release a brand-new album at the end of June 2025!