Wednesday June 26th 2024
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Rachel Bowen
Each month local people gather together to be entertained by The Tubby Horse Company duo; Catherine Duguid on vocals and guitar with Gordon Deans on accordion.
Additional local musicians are also invited to play, including Stewart Ballantyne on guitar and vocals, Alan Keillor on guitar and vocals and Trish Elliot on flute. They perform on the last Tuesday of the month (except July 2024) in St David’s Church Hall, Dalkeith.
The mix of accordion, vocals and guitar provides an impressive ‘Folky Pop’ sound.
Over the years, the audience has expanded and the social aspect has increased. The inclusive atmosphere makes everybody feel a part of something and has allowed for friendships to blossom.
Catherine explains these performances allow for those working in stressful jobs to take some well deserved respite. It also provides an opportunity for people of all ages, including older adults to leave their homes for a couple of hours, and enjoy some entertainment and company in a relaxed environment. The ethos is very much “everyone is welcome”.
The Tubby Horse Company was conceived back in 2013 when Catherine started song writing and she worked with invited local musicians to record on the first of the now CD trilogy. As a result of these collaborations, opportunities evolved to perform her music.
Towards the end of 2019, Catherine thought that The Tubby Horse Company would come to a standstill, due to fellow musicians embarking on different adventures. Nevertheless, she continued working on her third album ‘…anything could happen!’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, little did she know that her next venture would be just around the corner.
As lockdown restrictions began to ease, she found herself a friendship with Fiona McCabe. Fiona owned a coffee van which she often set up in King’s Park and suggested that Catherine performed during the summer evenings.
Catherine, hesitant at first, decided to give it a go. Soon it became a weekly event where she was joined by fellow musician Stewart Ballantyne. Together, they brought a bit of hope and community rekindling during the hard times. It allowed for people to soak up the slower pace of life and enjoy being outside.
As the summer nights began to fade it appeared the weekly performances would also have to end. However, Dalkeith Community Council, kindly stepped in and invited them to perform in Dalkeith Arts Centre. This provided an opportunity for the musical performances to carry on indoors all year round. The location has since moved to St David’s church hall, which has excellent facilities including a car park, which is appreciated during winter.
Now in 2024 Catherine and Gordon get together to rehearse every week, aiming to provide good quality performances and ever changing setlist.
The Tuesday sessions are predominantly about giving back to the community, creating a monthly event which people can look forward to. As musicians this is an opportunity to play new material and grow an audience.
Catherine will be playing in King’s Park alongside Stewart Ballantyne and Alan Keillor on
• Tuesday 9th July
• Tuesday 13th August
The Tubby Horse Company summer special is on Tuesday 6th August, at Newbattle Golf Club. Tickets cost £7, with optional lunch starting from 12:30pm, music playing from 2-3pm.
As ever, Catherine and Gordon, with guest musicians, will continue to play on the last Tuesday of every month (except July 2024) in St David’s Church Hall 7 – 8:30pm. Admission is free, with a cup of tea during the break, any donations go directly towards the cost of hiring the hall.
To further information and to purchase tickets for the summer special
Further information can be found on the The Tubby Horse Company Facebook Page and Website.
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