Ímar and Malin Lewis

Glasgow-based five-piece Ímar is something of a Scottish folk supergroup. Featuring current and former members of Mànran, Mec Lir, RURA and Talisk, this is a band whose collectively crammed trophy cabinet includes several BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and All-Britain/All-Ireland titles.

Bandmates Adam Brown (Bodhrán), Ryan Murphy (Pipes, Flute and Whistle), Tomás Callister (Fiddle), Adam Rhodes (Bouzouki), and Mohsen Amini (Concertina) use a combined commonality and a diversity of backgrounds and influences to fuel Ímar’s unmistakable synergy. The sound is centred on the overlapping cultural heritage between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man, with the band’s name taken from a 9th-century king who ruled the combined territory.

Support comes from Malin Lewis, an innovator, award winning, multi-instrumentalist who melds Scottish West coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe. Following their sold-out New Voices at Celtic Connections in 2023, Malin released their debut album Halocline on Hudson Records to critical acclaim, winning the German Critics Award for folk and longlisted for the SAY Award.