Film about folk legends Shooglenifty gets three night run at historic Bo'ness cinema

Heading West, which is screened March 3, March 4 and March 8, premiered during the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022 and documents the band’s amazing career and their emotional journey to rediscover their musical style following the death of frontman Angus R Grant in 2016.

Formed in 1990 by musicians from the Scottish Highlands, Orkney and Edinburgh, the seven piece “Shoogles” – Eilidh Shaw, Ewan MacPherson, Malcolm Crosbie, Gary Finlayson, James Mackintosh, Quee Macarthur, and Kaela Rowan – have played to crowds of tens of thousands at major festivals all over the world and have released nine studio albums to date.

They were the first UK band to play in Cuba, and the first Scots to perform in the Borneo Rainforest, they were also the first ever band to incite a stage invasion at the Sydney Opera House, and more recently in 2020 they brought in the bells at Edinburgh’s world-famous Hogmanay.

Shogglenifty member Malcolm Crosbie said: "It was an honour to make this film. Planned as a documentary of the recording of our collaboration with our Rajasthani musician friends, it evolved into a record of our efforts to deal with the loss of our great friend and fiddle player, Angus. We had the realisation during the making that we still loved creating music together and that the film will always be a reminder of that.”

Starting with the band’s celebratory concerts in Glasgow and Galicia, Heading West looks back on the band’s long career, the impact the death of their frontman took on the band members and their music, and includes a heart-moving tribute to Angus recorded at the Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan.

It also covers a bit of light-hearted soul searching for the band and ends with them returning to Scotland with new energy, rekindled passion, and new tunes influenced by the beats and basslines of world music.

Heading West is directed by BAFTA award-winner Don Coutts, best known for Channel 4’s live chat show After Dark and the award winning BBC children’s series Katie Morag.

It is produced by Jane-Ann Purdy, a founding director of The Soundhouse Organisation and programmer of Edinburgh Tradfest.

She said: “We’re delighted to be screening Heading West in Bo’ness. It’s a fascinating insight into the impact the loss of Angus had on the band both as a musician and as a friend.

"It also celebrates their influence on the traditional music scene in Scotland from when they first rose to fame in the 1990s, and why their musical style is still seen as ‘original and best’ by Shoogle fans worldwide.”

Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland, said: “Shooglenifty’s influence on the Scottish trad scene cannot be underestimated. For 30 years they have pushed back musical boundaries and connected with audiences and fellow artists across the world.

"The band’s open-hearted approach was embedded in the spirit of fiddle genius Angus R Grant and is perfectly captured in this moving and uplifting documentary. Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland are proud to have played our part in getting the film made and now sharing Shooglenifty’s triumphant story with cinema audiences across Scotland.”

Visit the website for tickets and more information .