Saltfishforty, Copyright Sean Purser

Saltfishforty

Douglas Montgomery (fiddle, violin) and Brian Cromarty (vocals, guitar, mandolin), make up the duo "Saltfishforty". They come from the Orkney Islands and are crooks in the folk music there, but have loyal fans far beyond Scotland's borders.

"Saltfishforty's" music is deeply rooted in the traditional music of the Orkney Islands, but at the same time the soundscape is raw and rich with elements of American and Eastern European folk music, interspersed with a dose of heavy metal. Regarding the duo's special name, they say that it may be after the landowner who always had salted fish for afternoon tea, and needed a "forty" (= 40 fluid ounces of malt liquor) afterwards, or because they salt their music a bit.

Douglas and Brian met in primary school, and kept in touch through various bands throughout their upbringing. In 2002, they formally formed the duo "Saltfishforty", after being the only two in the band to show up for a gig. They decided to play anyway, and make as much noise as they could… and so they still have, according to themselves.

Over the years, they have delighted audiences at many different festivals: Celtic Connections, Cambridge, HebCelt, Shetland, Lorient in Brittany and Canada's Celtic Colors, as well as tours in the United States and Europe.

The duo's fifth album, "Bere", was released in 2017, to rave reviews. It was nominated for Album of the Year in the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.

Saltfishforty has been on our wish list for a long time, and they are finally coming to Farsund and Norway !!! We experienced them live in February, a late Friday night, it was energy, humor, speed and dance - the audience was in ecstasy! Folk music will never be the same again after you have experienced Saltfishforty!