Talisk

Few Scottish folk acts announce themselves with such momentum as Talisk, a purely instrumental trio of Mohsen Amini on concertina, Benedict Morris on fiddle and Charlie Galloway on guitar. Their sound draws on both Irish and Scottish traditions, typically moving at a brisk pace, with concertina and fiddle contesting the lead while the guitar drives the tune forward. Yet they also know when to pull back: reviewer Rob Adams heard passages of reflection and trance-like motifs, or quiet melodic openings, that fill the space songs would otherwise occupy.

Talisk formed in 2015 around Amini, Hayley Keenan and Craig Irving, and that year they won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. Amini followed with the 2016 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician title and, in 2018, Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Their debut album, Abyss, arrived in 2016, with Beyond following in 2018, the year they also received the Belhaven Bursary for Innovation in Scottish Music. Keenan left in September 2021, replaced by Morris, and Armstrong, who had succeeded Irving on guitar, was succeeded by Galloway in November 2023.