The Runrig Experience - 50 Years of Runrig

A tribute to the Scottish supergroup RunRig

RunRig was one of Scotland's most successful bands, building a loyal following not only in Scotland but also in Denmark and Germany, with multiple number-one hits and chart-topping albums. The Scottish Celtic Rock band was founded in 1973 on the Isle of Skye. The band released fourteen studio albums, some of their songs performed in Scottish Gaelic.

RunRig's music is often described as a blend of folk and rock, with lyrics frequently touching on places, history, politics, and people unique to Scotland. This traditional connection in both music and lyrics - some featuring Gaelic text - defines the band's distinctive character and explains the fascination their music holds. Few bands have managed to forge such a powerful identity linking a country and its music the way RunRig did.

In 2016, the band announced it would retire from the studio after releasing their fourteenth album, The Story, and scheduled their final tour, The Final Mile, for 2017. In August 2018, RunRig played their last show of the farewell tour, The Last Dance, at Stirling City Park, drawing an estimated 52,000 fans.

RunRig's 50th anniversary would have been in 2023. Richie Muir, a singer and guitarist from Edinburgh now living in Nottingham - and above all, a lifelong RunRig fan - conceived the idea of keeping this magnificent music alive. He founded RunRig Experience, a band dedicated to celebrating RunRig's music and bridging that gap.

"From the start, we didn't want to be a tribute band just going through the motions. We wanted the show to be a celebration of RunRig's music. Yes, we wanted it to sound authentic and represent what RunRig was about, but it's about more than that."