EDINBURGH'S new Tradfest celebration of the traditional arts continues where its predecessor, Ceilidh Culture, left off, with much that's familiar in its programme.

There was quite a lot that was familiar, also, in Northern Streams, the strand that highlights the music of the Scandinavian countries and its links with the music of Scotland.

Swedish female a cappella group Irmelin, who featured as a duo last year, returned as a trio and put the extra voice to good use as they sang lullabies from Shetland, hymns and dance tunes from Sweden, novelty songs from England, and Gaelic songs from Ireland. Their voices dovetailed nicely and were particularly well utilised on a splendidly orchestrated staggered sequence, which also featured a gradual fading out, making quite a contrast to their suitably robust version of Ewan MacColl's Moving On Song.

More local talents were given a platform, too, and fiddler-singer Rona Wilkie, from Oban, working with mandola player Marit Falt, produced both weighty and light-hearted items in an enjoyable set. Opening the second night at the Storytelling Centre, Scottish-Swedish fiddler Kirsty-Jacqueline Lingard suffered from nerves and uncertain intonation but went down well with a sympathetic audience.

Any nerves in Three Men and Bottle were made of steel as the three dancing Danes staged mock fights, skilfully dodged sticks and vied for the attentions of their accompanying fiddler before fiddler-singer Hal Parfitt Murray and pianist-accordionist Nikolaj Busk first restated the Scottish-Nordic alliance with tunes ranging from the dreamily atmospheric to the urgent and then stretched the Nordic link to Northern China and the Lebanon with a simple but effective parting hymn.

HHH