Chums since their Outer Hebridean school days and music fans for the biggest part of that time as well, Duncan Smith and Robert Smith have travelled far and wide to attend gigs.
From Bruce Springsteen in Italy to gigs on the UK mainland and Ireland as well, Duncan, the airport manager at Stornoway Airport, and Robert, an award-winning butcher, have shared many a tune-filled adventure far from their homes on the Isle of Lewis.
They have had a blast at stadium shows – Springsteen and The E Street Band in Milan in 2003 was memorable, they say – but up-close-and-personal gigs in the back rooms of pubs, where they lap up the special atmosphere only live music creates, fill their music memories too.
While clocking up thousands of miles in the past 20 years to feed their musical fixes has been memorable, Duncan and Robert do like, from time to time, live music closer to home.
To make it all happen, the duo decided they would try to promote gigs in Stornoway, which is not normally on the tour schedules for acts coming to Scotland.
Under the banner of the light-hearted Drunken Promotions’ label, the two sat down with clear heads to work out how they could pull it off. And at one of their favourite festivals – Kilkenny Roots in Ireland in 2012 – they took their first steps.
They were impressed by the band Danny And The Champions of the World and got chatting to its main man after the show.
As the conversation continued and the Guinness flowed, Danny promised the men from Lewis he would visit Stornoway to do a gig. “He was true to his word,” said Duncan.
“It took a while to arrange but eventually everything was confirmed and Danny And The Champs came to Stornoway.
It was brilliant.” That first gig was held in November 2013 in the now-closed British Legion Hall and, since then, the two Smiths have managed to promote a show a year.
Their next is tonight, with the visit of the highly-rated, country singer and songwriter Ags Connolly from Oxfordshire, who has been praised by one critic as “the closest we’ve ever come to an English Willie Nelson”.
Ags said: “These guys have got to be admired as they put a lot of graft into putting on a gig. It means a lot to me – I’m glad to be able to take my music there and I’m pleased people will make the effort to come and listen.”
To date, Duncan and Robert have staged 13 shows in Stornoway involving bands from Scotland and England.
But acts from the United States have also taken the long road there: Nashville-based Erin Rae and Cale Tyson were the first from overseas in November, 2016, to be followed in April the next year by Libby Koch and Chuck Hawthorne from Texas.
“We have great nights, and we really do appreciate the bands and the solo singer-songwriters who go out of their way to play here,” said Duncan.
While Duncan and Robert help meet accommodation and travel costs, there is a local businessman who generously helps with some of the overheads involved, while local hotels, B&B owners, as well as the manager of the local golf club, a venue for some of the gigs that have been held, pitch in, too.
“Their involvement has been so welcome and much appreciated,” said Robert, who runs the family butchery business, WJ MacDonald in the centre of town with his two brothers.
“None of the gigs would have taken place here without the help of a lot of local people,” said Robert.
“When Duncan and I decide who we would like to play in Stornoway we know it’s not an easy task to pull it off. But on the night of the actual gig, we always feel that everything’s been very worthwhile.”
Duncan and Robert are currently planning their second show of the year for May.
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