Stewart Hardy & Frank McLaughlin
Concerts in September 2024

We are very much looking forward to getting out and about again in September to share our music in these wonderful communities. We have been enjoying rehearsing and creating some new material, as well as bringing back some old favourites. We would be delighted to see you at one of these lovely venues in September!
Thurs 19th Sept: Private House Concert in Edinburgh
Fri 20th Sept: The Swallow Theatre, Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway, 7.30 pm
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Tickets £14.50 from The Swallow Theatre
Venue website
Sat 21st Sept: Wall Village Hall, Wall, near Hexham, 7.30 pm
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Tickets £12.50 (£8 U19) available from the Shop
Sun 22nd Sept: Gallery Forty5, Felton, Northumberland, 4.00 pm
View the Event details
Tickets £12.50 (£8 U19) available from the Shop
You can also purchase tickets in person from Gallery Forty5 (01670 783424 / feltongallery45@gmail.com)
Venue website
Stewart Hardy & Frank McLaughlin
Fiddle virtuoso Stewart Hardy and Scottish guitarist/piper Frank McLaughlin posses a rare musical kinship, holding listeners spellbound with their interplay as they explore music rooted in the traditions of Scotland, the Borders and Northumberland while incorporating sensibilities from the worlds of classical, blues, klezmer and jazz. In 2010, Stewart and Frank released two CDs of their work together, Root 2 and Compass, showcasing a broad range of their music.
Their most recent album, The Gift, released in 2018, contains predominantly self-penned material that reflects their shared musical heritage, and exemplifies the very best of collaborations between fiddle and guitar. Stewart and Frank share a delightful insight into their many years together (indeed, decades!), performing as a musical partnership, in only their second instrumental duo release, following their critically acclaimed debut Root2.
Stewart and Frank also work together as a writing and production team. Highlights include a commission to co-write and perform music for three silent films as part of the Hippodrome Festival of Silent Cinema (2013); production of the acclaimed album, “A Scots Chorus” (Claytara, 2013) with Mick West and Choral ensemble “Muldoon’s Picnic” and recording and filming for the ITV drama series Distant Shores (Yorkshire television).
Edinburgh Folk Club
Weds 26th October 2022, 8.00 pm
Frank and I are really excited to be playing at Edinburgh Folk Club in the Ukrainian Community Centre. We’ve had a lot of fun dusting off our material and discovering new insights and approaches. Many thanks to the good folks at Banana Row Studios for providing space for our rehearsals in Edinburgh. A big shout out now to all our friends in Edinburgh and the surrounding area… do please come along and help us make a party of our return to gigging!
Edinburgh Folk Club, Ukranian Community Centre, 14 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5AB.
Wednesday 26th October, 8.00 pm.
Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5567818

May/June Tour 2019

Frank and I are delighted to be going on another tour at the end of May and beginning of June and are pleased to announce the first dates at some of our favourite venues. There are still some gaps to be filled, so if you know of a venue that would be interested in having us play, or if you are interested in putting on a house concert, please do get in touch. We very much look forward to seeing you as we get out and about!
…two musical minds entwined creatively, each gifting the other with their presence and personality, producing music that’s at once emotional, beautiful and graceful – savour. The Living Tradition
- Thurs 23rd May: Kirkcaldy Acoustic Music Club, Fife
- Fri 24th May: St George’s Church, Wall, Northumberland
- Mon 27th May: Rosslyn Court, Margate
- Thurs 30th May: The Swallow Theatre, Dumfries & Galloway
- Fri 31st May: Private House Concert, Edinburgh
- Sat 1st June: The Church of St Nicholas, Guisborough
Details of all the concerts with ticket links can be found on the Event Listings page for Stewart & Frank.
Sacred Spaces, Secular Sounds ~ July 2018
This summer, Stewart and Frank had a great time heading around the UK trying out some of the best acoustic sounds of our wonderful Sacred Spaces in which to play their music. Some of these spaces are still used for their original purpose, but others have been converted. However, the acoustics remain as glorious as they ever were, and Stewart & Frank were delighted to fill them with their music. Thank you to all who came and supported the live concerts, and to those wonderful hosts who helped to advertise and fill the venues.
Folkest ~ June 2018
We were delighted to be asked to play at Folkest in the beautiful region of Northern Italy this summer. You can read a little more about our trip here.
The Gift
We are very excited to announce that our new album, The Gift, was released on 3rd April 2018. After many months of recording and mixing we were delighted to get this material out there. We took the new CD to the Star Folk Club in Glasgow on its release date and then held the official album launch on Wednesday 4th April in Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. It was a great evening with a lovely atmosphere and lots of supportive audience! We then had a fabulous time on our 8-day tour of the Netherlands and Germany, with fantastic venues, lovely people and terrific hospitality. You can see some of Frank’s photos on the Facebook page.
The album is available to order from the shop, in both CD and album Download form.
Many thanks to Richard Werner (B & B Studios Edinburgh) for recording, engineering and mixing; Jon Astley (Close to the Edge) for mastering; and to the lovely Christine Jeans for the fantastic artwork and album layout.

Autumn 2017
Stewart and Frank have had a very successful summer and early autumn this year, spending lots of time recording the tracks for their new album at the B & B Studios in Edinburgh with the extremely talented sound engineer, Richard Werner. It has been very exciting and plans are taking place for an album launch next year (you can’t rush these things!) It was great to play out some of these new tracks at a recent House Concert in Gateshead – thanks to all who came along to support us.


Six videos have been released that were recorded live in concert at Gallery 45 in May. They are all available to view on YouTube – check out the Stewart Hardy Music Channel and playlist here. Below is a favourite, “Bonnie Bell Fog” which comprises the lovely air Bonnie Dundee from the manuscript of Thomas Bewick; a cracking Northumbrian jig, The Bellingham Boat; and another jig, Fogabella, sometimes dubiously attributed to James Hill. In celebration, here is the sheet music to the set, so you can learn the tunes! Download the pdf.
Filmed live at Gallery 45, Felton, Northumberland by Andy Craig Photography on 20th May 2017.
http://andycraigphotography.co.uk/
Stewart and Frank met at a festival of Scottish music in Northern Bavaria. From the start, it was clear that they held common musical values and shared many musical influences. Initially contributing to each others projects, the fun they had working together led them to establish a formal collaboration.
“Stewart and Frank gave a stunning display of musical talent that seemed to go from composing, interesting depth of knowledge and wonderful ability on their instruments. Being close as we were to see the connection between the two was fascinating, especially Frank whose amazing skill of accompaniment was a real treat to watch” Peter
Together they compose, produce and perform music of tremendous variety. As a duo they perform traditional and contemporary tunes stripped back to the bare essentials of fiddle, guitar and Scottish smallpipes. With their long-term collaboration, they have achieved a deep and instinctive understanding of each other’s musical interpretations.
“Stewart is an amazing fiddle player and combined with accompaniment on guitar by Frank the music was sublime!” Caroline
The unique and versatile approach Stewart and Frank bring to their music, combined with their ability to draw on a wide variety of styles, produces an uplifting and joyous performance.
“a lovely evening with fantastic entertainment. Made me want to take up the fiddle….. ” Jenny
If you like the these tunes (“Storm” composed by Frank, and “No Party Tonight” composed by Stewart) we have made the dots available for download. Please help yourself – we hope you enjoy them!
Storm is also available on the album “Compass“, or you can buy just the track here.
Tour Dates – May 2017
Stewart and Frank are delighted to announce that they will be heading up and down the UK in May playing at some lovely venues, interspersed with a few gorgeously intimate house concerts.
Fri 12th May: Swallow Theatre, Dumfries and Galloway, 7.30 pm
Sat 13th May: The Hearth, Horsley, Northumberland, 7.30 pm
Sun 14th May: Private House Concert, York
Mon 15th May: Private House Concert, West Dulwich, South London
Tues 16th May: CB2 Bistro, Cambridge, 8 pm.
Wed 17th May: Private House Concert, Sussex
Fri 19th May: Both Sides The Tweed, Rosslyn Chapel Midlothian (with Mick West), 7.30 pm
Sat 20th May: Gallery 45, Felton, Northumberland, 7.30 pm
Recordings
Sample from Root2, track 11:
Bonnie Bell Fog
(Bonnie Dundee; The Bellingham Boat; Fogabella)

Recordings
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Upcoming Events
Feb28Fri7:00 pm Feb/March Workshops 2025: Play-a... @ Online - on ZoomFeb/March Workshops 2025: Play-a... @ Online - on ZoomFeb 28 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pmFeb/March Workshops 2025 Play-along Session in Harmony for Mixed Instruments This will be a Zoom call open to intermediate players (and above) of any instrument. Notation will be provided in advance for all the tunes,...Mar1Sat10:00 am Feb/March Workshops 2025: Fiddle... @ Online - on ZoomFeb/March Workshops 2025: Fiddle... @ Online - on ZoomMar 1 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pmFeb/March Workshops 2025 Fiddle Workshop 1 Zoom Workshop Learn a tune steadily, taught phrase by phrase with detailed instruction for any useful techniques that can be taken away for use in all your fiddle playing....2:00 pm Feb/March Workshops 2025: Fiddle... @ Online - on ZoomFeb/March Workshops 2025: Fiddle... @ Online - on ZoomMar 1 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pmFeb/March Workshops 2025 Fiddle Workshop 2 Zoom Workshop Learn a tune steadily, taught phrase by phrase with detailed instruction for any useful techniques that can be taken away for use in all your fiddle playing....Mar21Friall-day JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Rydal HallJSArts Fiddle Technique @ Rydal HallMar 21 – Mar 23 all-dayJSArts Fiddle Technique 21st – 23rd March 2025 Rydal Hall, Ambleside LA22 9LX 3.00 pm start and finish time. £402 fully inclusive (except bar drinks) Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Rydal Hall in... Facebook Feed
13 hours ago
Many thanks to Maurice and Marina at Phoenix Folk Ltd. for inviting me along last Sunday for one of their ‘An Evening With…” events. Many thanks as well to all the lovely people who came along to support and then have a few tunes all together. The final set in my solo spot started with a favourite James Hill hornpipe, The Omnibus. Here it is for The Tune Vault.The Omnibus [The Stage] (James Hill) | The Tune Vault
youtu.be
The Omnibus [The Stage] (James Hill)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyAnother cracking hornpipe from the ‘Paganini of Gateshead’, James Hill, and one that ha...Stewart Hardy Music is attending an event.4 days ago
🎧🎻🎹 The next set of Zoom workshops will be on Friday 28th Feb and Saturday 1st March. Each workshop can be booked individually, and all will be available on-demand after the weekend. Book now on the website!There will be lots of favourite tunes with harmonies and chords provided for the Friday evening play-along session. All instruments are welcome, and alternate clefs or keys for transposing instruments can be provided on request.
Then we will have two great tunes for our fiddle workshops on The Saturday. On this occasion, I am focusing on two fabulous, contemporary tunesmiths of the North East. For a Northumbrian piper and multi-instrumentalist Andy May writes a wonderful fiddle tune! His beautiful march dedicated to Fred Picknell is quite rightly enjoying a great deal of attention. Before he became a guru of the border pipes, Matt Seattle was very active as a fiddler in the north east of England. In the afternoon we will tackle his excellent rant, Yeavering Bell, which is one of my all time favourite tunes.
All workshops include full resources and lifetime access to the Zoom call recording, so you can go over anything as many times as you wish. You can even sign up if you can't attend the workshops live! 😃 ... See MoreSee Less
1 week ago
Really looking forward to being with Marina and Maurice in their studio on Sunday evening. Join us on Zoom for a short performance and lots of tunes! 🎻 ... See MoreSee LessThis content isn't available at the moment
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