Two hours of Zetlandic (and Zetland-approved) music, plus a meditation: Here Come The Pacifist Vikings, by Elvis Voe and His Fitful Head

And so, for another year…it begins! Up Helly Aa season has erupted via the Scalloway Fire Festival and of course the gigantic Lerwick affair, but there is so much more to go. Sunday will see me queuing up for tickets to the Hillswick Hall danceathon which follows the Northmavine Up Helly Aa later this month, and there are nine other fiery festivals to enjoy in Shetland if you’re in the mood for a bit of Norse conflagration.

Anyway, Tuesday saw the Shetland Webcams team experiment with an all-day webcast, leading up to the astonishing and I think rather wonderful show in the evening. Which you can watch, if you have a spare 90 minutes, here (start eight minutes in for the commentary)

Watch the procession and burning on YouTube

Earlier in the day, for premium ‘Red Eye’ subscribers to Shetland Webcams only, I hosted a two-hour version of the Beatcroft Social live from Lerwick. Music is focused on Shetland artists and music enjoyed by Shetlanders, or linked to the fire festival in some way. You can listen to a mildly edited version here:

https://www.mixcloud.com/tom-morton2/special-up-helly-aa-beatcroft-social-tuesday-30-january/

Here’s the playlist:

Catriona Macdonald — Shetland Reels

Kasabian — Fire

Arthur Nicholson — Sun Shine on Me

Sheila Henderson — Dancing in the Rain

Steve Earle — I Feel All right

North Country Fair — When the Circle Closes

Michael Marra — Hermless

Fiddler’s Bid — Zander the Sander

Crazy World of Arthur Brown — Fire

Bongshang — If and When

Adam Guest — Solitude and Grace

Pulp — Common People

Nic Jones — The Humpback Whale

Bruce Springsteen — Fire

Todd Rundgren — Song of the Viking

Chris Stout — Norwegian Hymn?Jeg Ser Deg Sote Lam

Pilot — Call Me Round

Paul Brady — Arthur McBride

Chris Stapleton — Fire Away

Kris Drever — I didn’t Try Hard Enough

Moving Hearts — Before the Deluge

Willie Hunter, Violet Tulloch — Leaving Lerwick Harbour

And, specially written for the occasion, Elvis Voe and His Fitful Head return to ruminate: Here come The Pacifist Vikings