From Central Scotland, Cateran calls it "wood, wires, songs" — their own blend of country, Americana, and folk. A band of seasoned musicians and friends who got together in 2014, with five vocalists and warm, close harmonies underpinning everything. The Eagles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on one shoulder, Eurpean Runrig on the other.

Their debut album, Southerness, came out in 2017 and they launched it to a capacity crowd at The Fort Theatre in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow.

BBC Radio Scotland's Iain Anderson Show picked it up, and their singles "Rise" and "I'll Always Be There" have been played on stations across the UK, Ireland, Canada, the USA, and Australia — Nashville, Memphis, and New York among them.

They're a live band first. After the COVID lockdowns they sold out shows across Scotland and took a big slot at the Moira Furnace Folk Festival in England, and they're regulars at the Lanternhouse in Cumbernauld — back there for a fourth time in February.

On stage it's storytelling, humor, and musicianship, and the audience is part of it.

Their new release, "47," is Bill Hughes doing what songwriters do when the world goes sideways. He wrote it about the political turmoil of the moment, and the sadness of watching a great and once respected country lose its way. The melody is dark, and their friend Fiona Cuthill's deep violin carries the ache of it. It's not a protest shout — it's a lament, and it lands.

Cateran Five voices blending like that, guitars, songs with something to say — that's the real deal. Glad to have these guys on the hub.

- Rob | The INDIE Musician