Capercaillie at Teatro Colón in A Coruña – food for our spirit
- GutBer English
- Sep 30, 2025
- 7 min read
Capercaillie is a Scottish folk band with over four decades of experience behind them. A few days ago, they revisited what they call their second home, A Coruña, and delighted us at the Teatro Colón with a two-hour concert that we were lucky enough to enjoy from the front row. We first saw them in 1995, when they were at the height of their career, at Coruña´s Opera House with our dear friend Sheena McSmith. They've returned to the city numerous times since then, but we hadn't had the chance to see them again until now.
To talk about Capercaillie (pronounced ka·puh·kay·lee /ˌkæp.əˈkeɪ.li/) is to talk about the exorbitant evolution of Celtic music over the last forty years, taking tradition as a basis to update a genre that easily adapts to pop and rock rhythms. The group, whose name refers to a bird native to Scotland, was formed in the 1980s by accordionist Donald Shaw and his wife and the group's wonderful voice, Karen Matheson, who also has her own solo career and whose voice was described by Sean Connery as touched by the hand of God. Without a preconceived plan, they brought together other musicians such as violinist Charlie McKerron, who also remains in the current line-up, to form the group that, in addition to rescuing traditional melodies from Celtic folklore, began to create their own songs inspired by tradition, but with modern accompaniments and instruments borrowed from pop and rock, giving the genre a new freshness.
Originally from Taynuilt, Argyll, in the Scottish Highlands, and following in the footsteps of Irish groups that revolutionized Celtic music in the 1970s, such as Plantxy, The Boys of the Lough, Ossian, The Bothy Band, The Chieftains or Clannad as well as the Scottish Silly Wizard, with brothers Johnny and Phil Cunningham or Na h-Òganaich, Capercaillie has been a driving force in the worldwide projection of Scottish Gaelic and the traditional music of its land.
In the mid-1980s, Clannad topped the charts with the Irish-language theme song for the TV series Harry's Game. This was a catalyst for new groups in the Celtic music scene, both in Ireland and Scotland, to realize that folk music adapted to the present could be a commercial success. This gave rise to Altan in Ireland and Capercaillie in Scotland. In 1983, they recorded their first album, Cascades. In the late 1980s, guitarist Manus Lunny joined the group with his bouzouki. During this time, they toured the United States and created the soundtrack for Is Blath an Fhuil/The Blood is Strong, a BBC Alba (BBC Scotland) program about the Highland Clearances (Fuadach nan Gàidheal) and the Scottish diaspora around the world that contributed to the decline of Gaelic culture in Scotland.
The famous Dónal Lunny, brother of Manus, produced Capercaillie's third album, Sidewalk, which was a huge success with its more pop-oriented rhythms and appeal to a general musical taste, not limited to folk music. Later came Delirium, their fourth album, also produced by Lunny, which definitively catapulted them to international fame and chart success with songs like the hit Coisich A Ruin, Rann Na Móna, and Breisleag, the theme song for the Scottish television series Machair. Despite criticism from purists, Capercaillie's new arrangements of traditional songs captivated the general public, taking advantage of the wave of interest following the successes of Ennya, New Wave, and the so-called world music of the early 1990s. It was a completely new way of presenting Celtic music, distinct from folk rock and traditional music, but respecting its origins with a modern and evolved vision, also drawing on influences from other broader genres.
Following the success of Delirium, they began touring internationally on major stages. In 1994, the Celtic Connections Festival was launched, opening doors and creating opportunities for new musicians eager to diversify and delve deeper into Celtic music by sharing experiences with musicians from different Celtic regions. Donald Shaw has been the festival's artistic director since 2006, which limits his time to dedicate to Capercaillie. In the 1990s, new members joined the band, Ewen Vernal of Deacon Blue on bass and Michael McGoldrick on flute and bagpipes. They also took part in the soundtrack of the film Rob Roy, where Karen can be seen singing Ailein Duinn.
Also from this decade are the albums Get Out, Secret People, Capercaillie, and To The Moon, packed with signature tracks with a nod to Spanish, such as La Paella Grande or sections of Why Won't You Touch Me?. These were followed in the 2000s by others such as Nàdurra, Live in Concert, Choice Language, and Roses and Tears.
In 2006, Donald Shaw took over as artistic director of the Celtic Connectios festival, and Karen Matheson was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Scottish music. She has released five albums in her solo career. In September 2022, she sang a Gaelic psalm before the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during her wake at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, with the royal family in attendance.
A must in festivals such as Lorient, Sidmouth, and Ortigueira, Capercaillie are a key name in modern Celtic folk music and have contributed enormously to the revaluation of Scottish Gaelic and its continued survival today, promoting it with their updated songs and arrangements, reaching a younger audience who have picked up their baton to continue moving forward.
The spirit and the heart must be nourished, just as the body must be fed, and few ways to do so are better than a two-hour session with Capercaillie. On this evening at the Colón, they treated us to hits from Delirium and other early albums, as well as more recent tracks from their latest albums: At The Heart Of It All and ReLoved, recorded in 2024 with the Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
The sweetness in Karen's voice and the mastery of the band's musicians leave us feeling reenergized and with a huge smile on our faces after having us clap along to their songs constantly and tap our feet like part of the magic they created on stage. Moving melodies and vibrant rhythms emanate from a group of outstanding performers who, even after forty years of working together, continue to exude harmony, humour, and a love of music. They enjoy what they do and transmit it to the audience, with whom they share photos, autographs, conversation, and hugs after the concert.
It's an absolute delight to meet them again thirty years later and share those emotions again. And it's an honour that they hold the Coruña public in their hearts as they do in ours. Graciñas, Capercaillie, tha sinn an dòchas gum faic sinn sibh uile a-rithist a dh’aithghearr!
Capercaillie's website - https://capercaillie.co.uk/
NOTE - Highland Clearances (Fuadach nan Gàidheal) 1750 to 1860. Highland Clearances - consisted of the forced removal of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 17th and 19th centuries. This removal led to mass migration to the Scottish coast, the Lowlands, and abroad. These "clearances" were part of a general change in the agricultural system of the United Kingdom, but this particular removal, due to its late timing, the lack of legal protection for short-term tenants under Scottish law, the abrupt break with the previous clan system, as well as the brutality of many of the removal orders, made the Highland Clearances notorious.
NOTE - tha sinn an dòchas gum faic sinn sibh uile a-rithist a dh’aithghearr! (we hope to see you again soon)
You can listen to and follow Capercaillie on Spotify
Discography
Studio albums
Cascade (1984)
Crosswinds (1987)
Sidewaulk (1989)
Delirium (1991)
Secret People (1993)
To the Moon (1995)
Beautiful Wasteland (1997)
Nàdurra (2000)
Choice Language (2003)
Roses and Tears (2008)
At the Heart of It All (2013)
ReLoved (2024) (re-recording of previously released tracks)
Live albums
Live in Concert (2002)
Soundtrack albums
The Blood Is Strong (1988)
Glenfinnan (Songs of the '45) (1998, recorded in 1995)
Remix albums
Get Out (1992) (a compilation album of B-sides, remixes & unreleased studio and live tracks)
Capercaillie (1994) (a compilation album of re-worked and remixed tracks)
Compilation albums
Dusk till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie (1998)
Waulk Roots (1998) Tracks from early albums Crosswinds and Sidewaulk
Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984 (2004)
Present members
Karen Matheson – vocals (1984 – present)
Charlie McKerron – fiddle (1986 – present)
Michael McGoldrick – flute, whistle, uilleann pipes (1997 – present)
Manus Lunny – bouzouki, guitar (1989 – present)
Donald Shaw – keyboards, accordion (1984 – present)
Ewen Vernal – bass (1998 – present)
David "Chimp" Robertson – percussion (1997 – present)
GutBer English is an English school in the centre of A Coruña with over 20 years of experience in the city and several generations of students who have left our classrooms mastering the English language and certifying their level with an official diploma that has opened the doors to the world of work and education. Join our English groups for preschool and primary school, secondary school, high school, or adults, or participate in our online courses in Legal English for TOLES and English Syntax for university students.
Comments