Malcolm Jones
Photo Cred: Andrew King
07 May 2020
Malcolm Jones, the guitarist of Celtic rock band, ‘Runrig’, grew up in the town Portree on the Isle of Skye. Being brought up in a musical family, he first began to learn the bagpipes at age eleven before self-teaching himself guitar.
Malcolm’s list of musical influences includes much of the early 70s as well as classic rock, blues, classical and of course, bagpipe and Scottish dance bands.
However, the Isle of Skye provided to be limiting in regards to music stores. In order to buy a record, islanders had to use a mail order company “with each purchase carefully saved up for and delivery awaited with eager anticipation.”
Venues were considered ‘village hall’ dances, mostly catering for Scottish dance bands, where Malcolm reveals, “There was no way of seeing any big rock and pop groups without travelling to the mainland cities.”
Alternatively an exciting visit to Inverness or Glasgow would be the perfect opportunity to browse record stores and music venues: “When the islander eventually leaves to study or work in the city, full access to concerts, record and instrument shops is available, which opens up a whole new world.”
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Photo Cred: Andrew King
It was during this time, in 1973 that ‘Runrig’ formed, a period where Malcolm describes the live music scene as “much more vibrant”, explaining there were countless venues holding live bands for “keen” audiences: “The university band circuit was a great way of seeing up-and-coming artists and …The Apollo in Glasgow was the famous venue for big rock bands in the 70s.” Malcolm also gives mention to ‘Bruce’s Records’ in Edinburgh, run by “future Simple Minds manager”, Bruce Finlay as a great music spot.
‘Runrig’ first performed as “The Run Rig Dance Band”, playing a variety of Scottish Dance music alongside pop and folk songs and originals. It began as a three-piece band involving, Calum and Rory Macdonald and Blair Douglas.
They were then joined with Donnie Munro who became vocalist and instead, Robert replaced Blair on accordion. In 1978 Malcolm was drafted into the band as ‘Runrig’ decided to turn professional.
“We were all ‘Portree boys’ and were brought up only streets apart – we all went to the same school and knew the same people.”
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"When the islander eventually leaves to study or work in the city, full access to concerts... is available, which opens up a whole new world”
Everyone can be a little curious of what the reality of touring is really like- is it exciting or is it stressful? In fact, Malcolm revealed it is “Not as glamorous as everyone imagines!” Travel can prove to be a “tedious” and tiring aspect of the touring lifestyle. Malcolm recalls in the early days driving around the Highlands in an “ailing transit van, setting up the equipment, racing to catch ferries, sleeping on floors, late nights, poor food etc.” Although the excitement was still alive; hotels, comfortable transport and a dedicated road crew become the important changes needed to be appreciated.
However, a positive, Malcolm explains, is that the bands playing became very “tight, relaxed and instinctive”, by performing together every day: “You exist in a sort of bubble for the duration of a tour and sometimes it takes a while to adjust to ‘normal’ life back home.”
So, what makes a great venue?
“…the buzz of the crowd is ultimately what makes a performance special. I prefer smaller theatres to arena-style venues, indoor to outdoor festivals. Even some of the village halls up north are great for playing music in – the old-style wooden v-lining on the walls can make for a great acoustic space.”
"…the buzz of the crowd is ultimately what makes a performance special"
‘Runrig’s’ creativity consistently related back to their Scottish roots, especially the west coast Highlands, “with its unique musical, cultural and linguistic heritage, turbulent history and stunning landscapes.” These influences provided the band with their “own voice” as well a loyal audience who “recognised something worthwhile in what we were trying to do musically and lyrically.”
Malcolm’s favourite songs to play live would constantly change: “Our set always had a lot of variety and dynamics and I enjoyed the contrast between the full-on band songs and the more intimate moments” Looking back, however, the more slower reflective songs is what Malcolm really enjoyed.
The Scottish music business has changed over the decades and I asked Malcolm if ‘Runrig’ faced any challenges during their career. The most striking and obvious difference was that the internet was non-existent, meaning music was heard solely through record companies “forever looking for the ‘next big thing.’”
A problem ‘Runrig’ faced at first, was getting noticed, “when we didn’t conform to the prevailing music fashions.” Instead they progressed forward, in the same notion many other bands strived to do so, through continuous gigging, “slowly building up a following, perhaps getting a support slot on a big tour, or a T.V. or festival appearance that would help us on our way to better things.”
Photo Cred: Andrew King
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Malcolm reveals everything was D.I.Y so to speak, until their manager, Marlene Ross came along, who helped in allowing ‘Runrig’ to focus on the music, rather than business decisions.
“We stuck to our guns and (generally) didn’t get sucked into the fashion-obsessed music business and this helped us survive all the fads and trends to have a 45-year career and a hugely loyal fanbase.”
Comparing to Scotland’s present-day, Malcolm believes music sales have fallen, and that presentation “virtually dominates over musical content and message.” He continues revealing, there is a heavy focus on individual songs rather than whole albums and a lack of “bread-and-butter venues” for gigging bands.
Despite this, everything is now more accessible: “the world is your potential marketplace via social media and whole careers can be built on the back of one posting of a song online.” A variety of music courses are also available for budding musicians /businessmen/women and sound engineers.
“Does this make things easier or more difficult? – hard to say, as you try to overcome the obstacles that present themselves as they exist at the time – we had to deal with certain hurdles, as do musicians starting out now, albeit different hurdles.”
“We stuck to our guns and (generally) didn’t get sucked into the fashion-obsessed music business"
Over the years, the band picked up a huge following, becoming known for songs such as ‘Loch Lomond’, ‘Every River’ and ‘Hearts of Olden Glory’. They released fourteen albums from 1978, to their last in 2016.
During August 17th – 18th 2017, ‘Runrig’ played their final gigs outside in Stirling. The line-up who accounted as part of the band for the last twenty years, compromised of : Calum Macdonald on percussion/vocals, Rory Macdonald on bass/vocals, Malcolm Jones on guitar/accordion/vocals, Iain Bayne on drums, Bruce Guthro on vocals/acoustic guitar and Brian Hurren on keyboards/vocals.
“In many ways it was a day you hoped would never come but once the decision was made to play our final concerts, the feeling was that we would approach them as a celebration of Runrig’s career and that we would go out on a high.”
A huge pressure was felt to provide a great sound and experience however, “everything came together perfectly – no technical hitches, the weather was (mostly) kind, the audience (50,000 over two nights) was phenomenal, the setting spectacular and we played pretty well!”
"We would approach them as a celebration of Runrig’s career and that we would go out on a high”
“By the end of the night, we all experienced a range of emotions: exhilaration, excitement, satisfaction, sadness, contemplation and disbelief that this was really ‘the end’. A lifetime of experiences compressed into a three-hour concert.”
Among their last concerts, other memorable moments that have stood out during Malcolm’s career include ‘Runrig’s’ important milestones such as their first big gigs, their first T.V appearances, and having the opportunity to play in “iconic” venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, The Barrowlands and Loch Lomond.
Lastly, I asked Malcolm, his plans for the future. He revealed he continues to play music regularly as well as working on recording projects.
However, Malcolm ends with a statement which truly shows his dedication and love for his craft: “As long as I’m making music somewhere, I’m happy. I count myself very lucky to be able to have music as my career as well as my passion.”
Author: Karina Caulfield