The Gig Cartel - Artist profiles: The Celtic Social Club

The Celtic Social Club are a European supergroup made up of various leading lights in the folk rock cannon. They were formed initially to play at Vieilles Charrues festival (the largest festival in France) and based the model on Buena Vista Social Club only with a strong Celtic flavor. They initially collaborated with Jim O’Neill (The Silencers), I.C.Will (a Texan rapper they met in Harlem NYC), Faada Freddy (a Senegalese Gospel singer) And Louise Ebrel (a Breton singer from a rich heritage of ancient singers in Brittany). Their two studio albums, ‘The Celtic Social Club’ and ‘A New Kind of Freedom’ were both commercially successful and critically acclaimed in France leading to tours of Europe, China and America. They have worked with some of the worlds finest producers including Ariel BORUJOW (Madonna, Puff Daddy, Notorious BIG, Black Eyed Peas, Cee Lo Green ... and John Reynolds (Sinead O’Connor, Damien Dempsey, Dido, Bjork, U2)

Based on the same concept as the Buena Vista Social Club and the New Orleans Social Club, the group was created by drummer and producer Manu Masko, who had planned for Celtic Social Club to just be a “one shot” production for its inaugural concert. Comprised of Irish singer, Dan Donnelly, traditional brittany music virtuosos, Ronan Le Bars (Uilleann Pipe) and Pierre Stephan (Violin), Richard Puaud on the base, Mathieu Péquériau on the harmonica, Goulven Hamel on the banjo, mandoline the group came out with an unprecedented album that is as modern as it is roots.