Mother Tongues

Mother Tongues consistently delivers live performances characterised by superb musicianship and brilliant arrangements. Their shows offer an immersive experience that draws the audience into their world. The band masterfully explores their multicultural identity, beautifully extending traditional music into the present and future. With sets that are energetic and engaging, they connect with the crowd to create a warm, conversational atmosphere. From their perfectly balanced sound to their captivating storytelling, their gigs are a truly excellent musical experience.

I first encountered Mother Tongues fairly recently, at a 200 capacity independent venue in the Strathbungo area of Glasgow. I was there as House Audio Tech and it was one of those nights where before the soundcheck had even commenced, I had a sense that something pretty special was about to happen. The individual tones they delivered during soundcheck were staggeringly rich and I knew that once the faders were at unity and the ensemble played as a unit that my initial instinct had to be correct. I was NOT prepared for the emotive, playful and dare I say, danceable set which we were treated to. Like an organism made of limbs that mostly supported each other without obstruction, ego or flashiness, but with occasional forays into wild and feral territories; always as a unit and simultaneously bubbling like a pot on the stage with sudden bursts of joyous phrase manipulation or flurries of individual hyper-expression that always teased and never outstayed their welcome. I was left shellshocked and almost lost for words immediately following their performance. Frivolity, lullabying, romance, questing, struggle, sadness, ecstasy and introspection seemed to come like waves from the stage but, the overall feeling was that the explorations I was witness to were a fun and gentle love letter to the magic of the life experience. In summation… There are very few artists that inspire me to lower my inhibitions enough to literally ASK to work with them again as soon as possible… but that’s exactly what was called for!