Shetland-Music.com

'Up-Helly-Aa' is without question Shetland's premier festival. It is the largest fire festival in Europe and although not a music festival as such, music inevitable plays a massive role in the proceedings, from its more 'ceremonial' elements (where the local pipe and brass bands play a central role) to the dances in the halls held throughout Lerwick during the overnight part of the event.

Many musicians also accompany the individual squads throughout the night as they travel from hall to hall doing their acts while, of course, the Jarl Squad itself also has musical accompaniment as they undertake their initial visits to schools, care homes etc throughout the day and their own 'round' of the halls during what is a very long night.

But 'Up-Helly-Aa now boasts an event within an event. For the last number of years Shetland Arts has promoted an afternoon concert on Up-Helly-Aa day itself, appropriately entitled the 'Fiery Sessions'. This concert takes place during the quieter part of the general public's day, while the Jarl Squad are undertaking their sequence of more private visits, and is aimed at giving our many visitors and locals alike a more formal taste of some of the high quality music produced in Shetland.

The concert retains a strong Up-Helly-Aa theme with an audio-visual presentation delivering a short history and details of the festival itself, while it also has a regular visit from the junior Jarl Squad.

In 2006 the concert was filmed for a BBC Four television production and features extensively on a DVD entitled 'Up-Helly-Aa - the Centennial Jarl'.

Read a review of the 2007 Fiery Session Concert - Here