A trad-fiddle chamber quartet might not be everyone’s first thought when it comes to Friday nights on the town. Yet, stepping onto stage before a packed Traverse Theatre audience, RANT quickly dispelled any notions of a purely polite, chin-stroking recital. Ok, so they lack the percussive force of electric instruments, or a drummer, but there is more than one way to skin a cat—especially when that cat is a capacity festival audience. By fusing the wild edge of traditional fiddling with the discipline of modern classical arrangements, the quartet proves that, even without a percussionist, they still possess a fierce, intersecting acoustic drive.
Pizzicato and Plaintive Bowing
The quartet—comprising Bethany Reid, Lauren MacColl, Gillian Frame, and Anna Massie—mostly eschew individual grandstanding in favour of a highly disciplined collective effort. They opened the evening with the nimble ‘New York Jig’, sourced from the repertoire of Cape Breton’s Natalie MacMaster and a highlight of their recent covers project, Spin. Establishing a playful energy from the off, the arrangement leaned on a crisp pizzicato intro before launching into a vigorous, driving melody.
By fusing the wild edge of traditional fiddling with the discipline of modern classical arrangements, the quartet proves that, even without a percussionist, they still possess a fierce, intersecting acoustic drive.
From there, they demonstrated their range, sliding gracefully into the plaintive melancholy of James Scott Skinner’s ‘Geanie’s Lament’. It is one thing to impress a room with a cascade of fleeting notes, but quite another to linger carefully on simple, elegant motifs. RANT are highly capable in both respects.
The setlist operated as a smart study in acoustic tension and release. A lively set of reels, linking Tom Anderson’s ‘The Rescue Man’ to his equally sprightly ‘Pam’s Hoose’, showcased their ability to swing out of a chamber-music pause into driving folk. Showing a good instinct for pacing, RANT closed out their first act with the syncopated bounce of ‘Da Haa’, building from a sparse, funky beginning into a tightly woven finale.
Intricate Interplay and In-Your-Face Attack
Returning after the interval, the quartet opened the second act with the intricate adventure of Máirtín O’Connor’s ‘The Road West’. The arrangement demands strict-tempo precision and intertwining interplay, and the ensemble navigated it cleanly.
This half of the gig leaned into an ambitious mix of pizzicato and fluid bowing, most notably on the vigorously executed ‘Boda’. It was here that the physicality of their playing came to the fore. MacColl’s own composition quickly followed this, ‘Rosemarkie Man’, a tune boasting a direct, in-your-face fiddle attack that allowed the Black Isle native to drive the melody with real agency.
Deadpan Wit
Making this Friday night at the Traverse livelier still, Anna Massie’s deadpan wit turns out to be as deadly as her superlative skills with bow and guitar.
When not anchoring the quartet’s harmonies, Massie took on the role of master of ceremonies. Regaling the Edinburgh audience with hyper-local tales of Fortrose and their apparently bitter turf wars with arch-enemies up in Rosemarkie, she delivered a steady stream of dry repartee. Cracking banter can’t make a bad gig good, but it can make a good gig even better – and such was the case.
A Fiddle Player’s Masterclass
As the evening drew to a close, the repertoire turned towards the band’s own writing. The smartly constructed arrangement of Lauren MacColl’s vibrant, contemporary ‘Shelley’s Jig’ moved smoothly into an engagingly lively set comprising Anna Massie’s upbeat ‘Batty Anne’ and Bethany Reid’s driving ‘The Day Off’. Showcasing these original dance tunes back-to-back in this out-and-out fiddle player’s gig certainly highlighted their individual compositional flair alongside their collective execution.
Making this Friday night at the Traverse livelier still, Anna Massie’s deadpan wit turns out to be as deadly as her superlative skills with bow and guitar.
Could the set occasionally trade a little of its melodic virtuosity for raw punch? Perhaps. When relying purely on the physics of bowed strings, one occasionally misses the impact of a rhythm section to push the orchestration. Yet, these are minor quibbles. No band should spend their time trying to please everyone, and those who came for an evening of sophisticated trad-based fiddle magic got it in spades.
There was also plenty to tap your foot to when they delivered a tight finale with Aly Bain’s ‘Hangman’s Reel’, leaving the audience thoroughly entertained. If there are rowdier ways to spend a weekend night in the capital, few offer two hours of such richly musical, well-crafted entertainment.
Featured Image: RANT – Edinburgh Tradfest 2026 – Image by Will Quinn
By
By
