Alistair and Swarb's Page
Alistair Hulett and Dave Swarbrick first joined forces in 1996 when they were both living in Australia. Their first album together, "Saturday Johnny and Jimmy The Rat", was produced and originally released "down under". With their subsequent return to the U.K. they recorded "The Cold Grey Light of Dawn" on the Musikfolk label and toured together in Spring 1998. They have subsequently toured the U.K. on a number of occasions.
For an update on Swarb and Ali's gigs click on Alistair's website below and go to the Gigs section.
For
concert and tour bookings contact:
0044 (0)141 429 5276
ALBUMS
“RED
CLYDESIDE” – 2002 – Red Rattler – RATCD005
An audio / visual
CD recording
Tracks: The Red Clydesiders/ The Lassies of Neilston/ Mrs. Barbour’s Army/ Don’t Sign Up For War/ The Granite Cage/ When Johnny Came Hame Tae Glesga/ Around George Square/ John Maclean and Agnes Wood/ The Ghosts of Red Clyde
For their third studio collaboration, Alistair Hulett and Dave Swarbrick focus on a workers’ revolt in the city of Glasgow that rocked the government of the day. Red Clydeside broke out in response to the Declaration Of War in 1914. Its leader, John Maclean, was twice sentenced to penal servitude and twice released early due to enormous public protest. Eventually the rulers of Britain sent troops and tanks into Glasgow in January 1919 to prevent a full blown revolution they feared could engulf the entire country.
The disc carries a full lyric file to
print out, complete with a Scots language glossary, and a folder of archival
images to accompany each song. These photographs have been digitally enhanced
for clarity and include Maclean’s prison portrait from 1916 and a photograph
from his second trial in 1918.
"The
Cold Grey Light of Dawn" - 1998 - Musikfolk - MFCD 513
Tracks: The Siege of Union Street/ Chylde Owlett/ Among Proddy Dogs and Papes/ Sons of Liberty/ Suicide Town/ The Days That The Boys Came Down/ The Merchant's Son/ When The Wee Birds Start Leaving/ Harold's Best Men/ The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away
"the performances are always absorbing and rarely other than exciting" Folk Roots
"a quietly brilliant act" Dirty Linen
"A platter of great excellence" Folk On Tap
"an album to make you think... Protest is still very much in business" Living Tradition
"a staggeringly good CD and the finest possible calling card for this fine duo" Tykes News
"Saturday
Johnny and Jimmy The Rat" - 1996 Red Rattler - RATCD 003
Tracks: Saturday Johnny and Jimmy The Rat/ In The Days of '49/ An Bunan Buidhe (The Yellow Bittern)/ Blue Murder/ The Earl of Errol/ The Tattie Howkin'/ A Migrant's Lullabye/ Ways of a Rover/ The Forfar Sodger/ Behind Barbed Wire/ The Old Divide and Rule