This August will witness Martyn’s music make a return to Edinburgh Castle. Jump back to the Millenium gig starring both Texas and Martyn Bennett. MB & Cuillin Music started the party with a thumping performance and the evening ended with a spectacular fireworks display at the bells bringing in the new year and a new millennium. It’s hard to believe that was almost 23 years ago. This year Martyn’s track ‘Blackbird’ is being performed during the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a rousing crescendo to the finale of the night. And aye, there will be fireworks too.
“…it actually started with a conversation between our new Creative Director, Michael Braithwaite, and I. When Michael joined the business, we realised we had some musical tastes in common, so I shared some links to my favourite tracks that I thought he’d enjoy, with a little story about each artist so that he could explore more of each if he liked them.
One of which was Blackbird, which he immediately fell in love with, and so too with the rest of Martyn’s work. He visualised how this could work beautifully on our Esplanade. It falls at just the most touching moment, very poignant and I get goosebumps every time I hear it.”
Lindsay Strachan. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The Tattoo will put on 26 shows between 5th – 27th August 2022 to a nightly audience of 8,800 (a total live audience of almost 230,000) and will also be included it on their recorded, worldwide tv broadcast and media channels.
A BBC broadcast will also be televised on the Bank Holiday Monday, 29th August so make sure if you can’t get along to tune it then. Maybe some of you lucky ones have heard it already drifting through the streets of Edinburgh just before the iconic Lone Piper finishes off the show.
Martyn Bennett’s song ‘Blackbird’ features in this year’s The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Show ‘Voices’. Taking place now until 27 August. Get your tickets and head along to Edinburgh Castle to see this performance in full! https://bit.ly/3EdyDum #EdinTattoo
Martyn is regarded as one of Scotland’s leading musical talents of the 1990s for the way he fused dance music and club culture with traditional melodies and instruments, and is cited as a major influence by many of today’s leading bands on the trad scene.
He famously recorded his acclaimed debut album in just seven days and went on to win headline slots at Celtic Connections, perform at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party and the world premiere of Braveheart at Stirling Castle, and entertain Sir Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor at a World Cup party in Paris in 1998.
Despite being forced to give up live performances at the peak of his career after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time, he managed to release two more albums as he battled with illness.