Torridon, A New Chapter

Torridon have never been a band short on energy. Their live shows are built around big choruses, driving rhythms and the unmistakable sound of the pipes cutting through it all. But their latest appearances carry a little more weight than usual, with long-time piper Granty preparing to leave the band and begin a new chapter of his own in Nova Scotia.

For a band so closely associated with the Highlands and Scotland’s modern folk-rock scene, Granty’s pipes have been more than another instrument in the mix. They have been part of Torridon’s identity: giving songs their lift, adding that extra surge to the bigger moments and helping turn already energetic performances into something unmistakably their own.

That made their recent festival appearances particularly poignant. Torridon were still very much Torridon — charging around the stage, making full use of every available ramp and platform, and constantly looking for ways to get closer to the crowd. There was no sense of winding things down. If anything, the knowledge that these were among Granty’s final performances with the band seemed to give the shows an extra edge.

His departure is undoubtedly the end of an era, but it does not feel like the end of the story. Torridon have continually evolved while retaining the mix of traditional Scottish instrumentation and contemporary rock that has made them such a reliable live draw. Granty, meanwhile, heads across the Atlantic to start a very different adventure.

For the audience, there is something fitting about that. A band built around movement, momentum and taking Scottish music somewhere louder and more contemporary now finds one of its own taking that music with him to the other side of the world.

One chapter closes, another begins — and there are still plenty of miles left in Torridon.