Radio Scotland and Mànran’s Gary Innes on bringing a Hoolie to the Hydro

Gary Innes’s first time inside the Hydro was to see one of the biggest bands of all time, the Eagles.

As he listened to the classic rock band perform hits like Take It Easy and Hotel California, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be up on that stage playing to thousands of fans. It’s a daydream countless music lovers have had but Innes is about to make his a reality.

He is the organiser of Hoolie At The Hydro, billed as the world’s biggest ceilidh and the first Scottish traditional music concert to be held at Scotland’s biggest arena.

As a founding member of modern trad band Mànran and a successful solo artist, the accordionist decided to make a massive leap of faith a couple of years ago by booking the Glasgow venue for a gig.

As the sole promoter, Innes has had months of sleepless nights as he works tirelessly to make the show a success and, with just six nights to go and thousands of tickets sold, his hard work is about to pay off.

“Fundamentally, I put the concert together because I want to play at the Hydro – it’s definitely not a money-making scheme,” smiled Innes, who also hosts the popular Take The Floor and Your Request shows on Radio Scotland every week.

“I’ve performed at some massive gigs but the Hydro is iconic. I had it at the back of my head for a while and when I reached 20,000 followers on my Facebook page at the start of 2020, I made a tongue-in-cheek comment that if half of those folk chucked in a couple of quid I could hire Scotland’s largest arena. I was dipping my toe in the water to see the reaction and it was overwhelming, so it gave me confidence to push forward.”

On the bill are Mànran, Dougie MacLean, the Sharon Shannon Band, Skerryvore and Trail West.

“It’s a really strong line-up with something for everyone,” Innes continued. “Fans are flying in from all over the world, including America, Germany, Italy and Spain. People are spending a lot of money at this time of year to be part of it. It’s incredible to see.”

Innes is in a prime position to see the huge upswing in popularity of Scottish trad music in recent years, especially with younger audiences.

“In the last 10 to 15 years, it has gained a lot of momentum. From when our band hired the Barrowland in 2015 and people thought it was a bold move, to now have seven or eight bands in the scene selling that venue out, shows there’s an appetite and a growth there.

“Lots of younger folk have got into it as the music has evolved. A lot of the bands are essentially rock bands with traditional instruments at the forefront. Naturally, as the genre and sounds have changed, it’s become more accessible for folk. Of course, there’s bands like Runrig and Capercaillie that have been on the go for years and there were 50,000 people in Stirling for the Runrig farewell, so people are looking for other bands in that genre.

“There’s an appetite there because so many bands are coming through with sounds that fans recognise.”

Innes admits there will be an element of relief when it is all over but playing on the Hydro stage will make all the stress worthwhile.

“That’s what it all comes back to and it’s why the event was created,” added Innes, who will also play with Mànran at the Hogmanay show on BBC Scotland later this month. “To have our traditional music on that stage is very important to all of us.

“It will be a historic moment when I get the keys for what I’m calling Scotland’s largest village hall. This is the first but it won’t be the last of seeing traditional music on our country’s largest indoor stages.”

Hoolie At The Hydro, Ovo Hydro, Glasgow, Saturday