Beat The Drum- The Runrig Experience

7th December 2023, by Darryn Crow

When lockdown hit in 2020, few people knew the impact that the pandemic would have on the music industry across the UK. Musicians, producers and managers up and down the land found themselves with time on their hands like they never had before. Instead of back to back road schedules they found themselves with days of empty diaries as venues, theatres and concert halls closed their doors on mass.

One such musician was Richie Muir, an Edinburgh singer/guitarist based in Nottingham but most importantly of all, a huge, lifelong Runrig fan.

During lockdown, Richie launched a Facebook page, dedicated to acoustic covers of Runrig songs from across the decades and before long, combined with the band manager Ben Marshall, the concept of a live show celebrating the music of Runrig was born and wheels were in motion.

“From the start, we didn’t want to be a ‘look-a-like’ type tribute band. We wanted the show to be a celebration of the band’s music. Yes we wanted it to sound authentic and to represent what the band was about but this isn’t about replacing the void left by them. It’s about celebrating their music and their incredible contribution to the music industry, Scotland as a whole and the tiny, significant moments in the lives of their fans. We wanted to create a show where people could come along, enjoy themselves, sing, dance, celebrate and remember and I think we’ve really done that” Ben Marshall