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... our story so far ...
Check out a bit of our journey so far...
7th April 2019
Giulia visits the Captain's Bar for the first time, makes lots of new friends and feels like she has "come home".
The first person who speaks to her is Eddy.
Photography by Paul Milligan.
The first person who speaks to her is Eddy.
Photography by Paul Milligan.
Summer 2019
Giulia comes back to Edinburgh to spend the summer and it's not long before we start jamming together.
Giulia effectively moved to Scotland in November 2019.
Photo by Kevin Gore.
Giulia effectively moved to Scotland in November 2019.
Photo by Kevin Gore.
19th October 2021
Two years and many lockdowns later we become a duo. We play our first ever gig at the Leith Folk Club.
Photo by Captain Pam
Photo by Captain Pam
Fun detail
During the interval at the Leith Folk Club we decide to name our band "Rituala". This photo gives an interesting insight into what goes on inside Giulia's head.
Scribblings by Giulia.
Scribblings by Giulia.
15th November 2022
We visit Roslin Glen for a photo-shoot with the amazing Nina Spiess.
December 2021
We start hosting sessions at Sandy Bell's and at the Captain's Bar including on Christmas Eve. Ho-ho-ho!
Photography by Jamie Coomer
Photography by Jamie Coomer
February 2022
Eddy begins to learn the viola thanks to the incredible generosity of John Groat. Eddy names her "Dulcinea".
24th February 2022
Horrified by the Russian invasion we learn our first song with the viola... "Luli", a Ukrainian lullaby. We join the millions around the world protesting against the war.
1st March 2022
Our "Mad March Into Springtime" begins. 19 days of preparation for our Rite of Spring.
Photo by Nina Spiess.
Photo by Nina Spiess.
3rd March 2022
Our friend Jonny Shihor gives us the wonderful gift of a poster for our Pianodrome gig.
5th March 2022
We played a very special gig. We got to be the soundtrack as Siwart proposed to Raevita at the top of Calton Hill early in the morning. We were delighted to be part of a such a beautiful moment, singing songs of love.
Oh by the way... She said yes!
Photo by Ditte Solgaard Dun.
Oh by the way... She said yes!
Photo by Ditte Solgaard Dun.
9th March 2022
We join many artists, actors, poets and musicians at a protest against the war outside the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh and perform Luli. Later that day we play at the Edinburgh Folk Club. The venue the club uses happens to be the Ukrainian Community Centre. We arrive to see a chain of people loading donations inside... A chain of love! Needless to say, it was a very emotional day.
Photo by Dennis Conaghan.
Photo by Dennis Conaghan.
19th March 2022
We perform to a lovely crowd at Pianodrome. Such a beautiful night and such a beautiful venue too!
Photo by Nina Spiess.
Photo by Nina Spiess.
9th April 2022
We join our friends at the Captain's Bar for a day of fundraising for Ukraine. Over £1000 is raised through a combination of music, raffles and home baking.
Photo courtesy of Captain Pam
Photo courtesy of Captain Pam
20th April 2022
We perform Luli at the Concert For Ukraine in Perth. The other acts there were an absolute who's-who of Scottish folk music. We were so honoured to have been invited to help, amazed at the warm welcome and compliments we received from everyone, and were full of admiration for the generosity, hard work and professionalism of all the wonderful organisers, stage crew and artists, everybody united in common cause.
Photo by Paul Jennings.
Photo by Paul Jennings.
9th August 2022
We played our first Wee Folk Club gig, which was also our first Fringe Festival gig. We chose our theme based on a card from Brian Froud's Faeries' Oracle: "He of the Fiery Sword". We had a great time preparing and performing that, and we even got our own sword!
Photo by: Nina Spiess
Photo by: Nina Spiess
27th January 2023
We were honoured to be awarded with a slot at the DKOS, part of the Celtic Connections. We sang the cycles of nature and how much we can learn from them if we offer our loving attention.
Photo by Iain Forbes
Photo by Iain Forbes
February 2023
We head to Brazil, for some new adventures.
Photo by Carla Drummond
Photo by Carla Drummond
24th February 2023
Our first gig in Brazil was a surprise even to us. We were just visiting Lumiar for a few days. This lovely village surrounded by stunning nature and full of some great people who, in one day, organized an occasion to hear us play.
1st March 2023
Our second gig in Brazil was in a legendary venue Bar do Museu do Clube da Esquina, and we got to share the stage with a legendary local artist, Mauricio Tizumba. The state of Minas Gerais, and especially the city of Belo Horizonte, is the birth place of really amazing music, and we were delighted with such an opportunity!
4th March 2023
And we ended our trip with a lovely performance at a very cozy venue, Espaço Companheiros das Artes. We had a full house, a very attentive and affectionate audience. All we could ask for, a grand finale for our Brazilian journey.
Photo by José Henrique Coelho
Photo by José Henrique Coelho
March-April 2023
We had the pleasure of running a weekly session at Bennets Bar. Those were wonderful evenings in a wonderful room, attended by some wonderful musicians.
Photo by Andrew Shaw
Photo by Andrew Shaw
13th April 2023
Rituala's first time in a studio. It was a great experience being recorded by Lewis MacKenzie. We recorded 5 songs (plus a bonus track which was especially fun).
June 2023
We had a great time performing at Eden Festival.
Photo by Ewa Adamiec
Photo by Ewa Adamiec
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