PEAT and DIESEL HOLMFIRTH PICTURE DOME
FOR NORTHERNS, heading south is always daunting, what with the distance plus the sheer volume of traffic. Spare a thought then for Peat & Diesel, who, along with their small crew, have travelled from Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis in the far western part of Scotland to undertake this little British tour. And not for the first time either. From England, you could actually get to New York quicker!
With over a dozen dates, Holmfirth Picture Dome was in full voice, welcoming this enduring threesome as they opened up with force, power, plus much noise making from the audience.
Photography By Roy Goodall
South of the boarder gravely Scottish vocals are at times hard to decipher, yet the pounding grooves and happy faces didn’t seem to mind. In fact, certain songs enjoyed even more audience participation, namely Stornoway, Calum Dan’s Transit Van and the Western Isles, to name but a few.
We had well-chosen covers, namely Dirty Old Town, and the 1999 Blondie hit Maria, again pleasing the packed Holmfirth venue. Peat & Diesel, a unit now for nearly a decade, comprising Uilleam ‘Uilly’ Macleod on drums, Innes Scott on midi accordion and Calum ‘Boydie’ Macleod on guitar/vocals, spent the entire gig seated, encore aside, and throughout play foot stomping, Gaelic gravely rock that is firmly rooted in traditional Scottish highland life.
What started out just a few years ago as just the dog and cat watching three lads in a bedroom, has morphed into something magical. Peat & Diesel’s journey is one they could never have dreamt of, and to some, they still may be unknown. However, this very likeable trio are making serious moves in the industry, have knocked out several albums, and gave this Yorkshire crowd some proper entertainment, with crowd favourite Country Boy closing the night.
I really dig this band. And you know what, I wasn’t the only one.
