The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee

The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee make their UK debut at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday 27 January 2027, as part of the Celtic Connections festival. They're a five-piece string band from Floyd, Virginia, and the night is a celebration of Appalachian string band music, the kind of sound that draws on the shared roots of bluegrass, old-time and early country.

What they're doing is a bit of a throwback. They recreate the sound of an era when those traditions stood side by side, gathering driving banjo, fiddle, guitar and bass around a single microphone in the classic style, rounded off with rich harmonies and heartfelt performances. It's a way of playing that lets the different instruments sit together in one space rather than being separated and polished in a studio, and it's that same approach they're bringing over from Virginia.

They've been praised for a hard-edged, traditional approach and a deep connection to the roots of American acoustic music, and they've been open about favouring authenticity over polish. That fits the whole Appalachian tradition they're working with — music that comes from a specific place and a specific way of playing, rather than something smoothed over for a modern audience. The show is part of the Celtic Connections festival, so it sits alongside a whole month of folk and roots music across the city.

The concert is in the Strathclyde Suite at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3NY. It's a seated show, and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee are the main feature, with support on the bill, and it starts at 8:00pm. Tickets are £21.66, which includes a 12% booking fee and a £1.50 restoration fund charge.