reviews
"Dochas is one of the great feel-good sounds of contemporary traditional music. The girls have combined undoubted talent and great attitude to create one of the most promising bands of recent years. Julie Fowlis' voice has stayed with me as something special since the day I heard her join the band - she and the rest of the Dochas girls have made an album that I dare you not to enjoy. Highland Music is blossoming now as never before - and Dochas has to be one of its sweetest blooms. "
- Mary Ann Kennedy, BBC Scotland
"Dochas are full of talent and bring a real freshness to their music with tight, bright playing and Julie's singing will hold you spellbound. Rooted in the traditions of the Highlands, Ireland and Shetland, the girls are creating a lovely sound, with thoughtful arrangements of tunes old and new. It's been great to watch this band grow and grow and this album is going to take them far."
- Rita Hunter, Fèis Rois Manager
Shetland Festival April 2001
“Girl power? These girls have it in spades.”
– Shetland Post April 2001
Hebridean Celtic Festival July 2002
“Just want to say thank you for the past week. We have had a few tremendous days in Harris. Dòchas were phenemonal and I still have people telling me how much they enjoyed them. We almost had to close the hall doors with the number of people who turned up!! Their rendition of Nelson Mandela's Welcome to Glasgow almost brought the roof down.”
– Local events organiser, Harris
Macnas Showcase Concert, Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow October 2002
“It began with promise and ended with one of the music world’s most naturally assured sounds. It opened with…Dòchas, five female graduates who play fiddle, pipes, harp, whistles, and much more with commendable vitality and togetherness, possessing in Julie Fowlis, a singer of comely style.”
- Rob Adams, The Herald, Oct 2002
Wester Ross Music Festival 2002
“..Surely they should be top of the bill next year, an incredibly talented girl band, Dòchas, playing and singing traditional and contemporary Scottish songs, with probably more instruments than you've ever seen.
- Gairloch & District Times, Oct 2002
Celtic Chaos Festival 2003
"..it fell to the outstanding young Highland/island line-up Dòchas to close the festival.
With an armoury of fiddle, twin bagpipes, accordion, clarsach, piano and guitar, they can play big rumbustious barnstorming tunes with the best of them - and then turn round and slay you with the exquisite poignancy and lyricism of Julie Fowlis’s Gaelic singing: a suitably sparkling finish to a memorable weekend."
- Sue Wilson, The Scotsman, Sept 2003
Kilkenny Festival 2003
"And fair dues to the Scottish Traditional Group Dochas (does it also translate as Hope- an appropriate name as we patiently waited and hoped for the fireworks to begin) who entertained the good humoured thousands thronging the Castle Park. There was something very soothing and Celtic-friendly about that female Scottish voice as she introduced the songs, calming our slightly fraying and shuffling impatience. Well done to you all."
- Gerry Morran, The Kilkenny People, Aug 2003
Farr Hall, November 2003
Reviewed by Alasdair Forbes
Farr Traditional Music Concerts had Dochas as the main event at their annual St Andrews celebrations at Farr Hall. The hall was packed, the atmosphere was good, the venue is one of the best in the north and the band came with a great reputation. Well, no-one left disappointed.
Dochas is a Celtic band of five very attractive lasses from a wide selection of origins such as Skye, North Uist and Shetland. What they all have in common is an amazing talent. The versatility of the band members to go from Highland Pipes to whistle and on to oboe, or from clarsach to keyboards and still retain the high quality of musicianship is quite amazing. This group is special. Very, very special.
The lead singer, Julie Fowlis , has everything. She has a voice that compares with the greats in Celtic music like Karen Matheson, Mary-Ann Kennedy, Maggie MacDonald, Maggie MacInnes, etc. Quite different from any of these, but at least equal to them in vocal stature. Not only that, but she can pick up the pipes, oboe or whistle and still reach the same high standard. Kathleen Boyle on accordion/guitar/keyboards, Carol-Anne MacKay on pipes/accordion/whistle, Eilidh MacLeod on clarsach and Jenna Reid on fiddle/piano share the same high level of ability. Added to that was the 'honorary girl member for the night', Martin O'Neill on bodhran and, believe me, I have never heard the bodhran played better. This man would grace any band with his playing.
Not only can 'Dochas' play and sing well but they can put together arrangements that are so beautifully crafted. No matter what band one listens to live and no matter how big their name, there is always a moment when you think that one item could have been arranged a bit better. Well, 'Dochas' at Farr were the exception for me. It was flawless.
The band members are young and, if they can stay together, they are going to be very big. Time will hone their on-stage skills for humour and audience communication. When that happens, there will be no stopping them.
On the night, they treated us to gems of gael songs such as Eilean Uibhist Mo Ruin and , straight from the Arthur Cormack songbook the lovely Mo Nigheann Donn Bhoidheach and instrumentals like the enchanting Miss Elizabeth Garland among many others.
Farr Traditional Music Concerts has set high standards for the bands that come to play for them. Ordinary performers don't get invited. Yet few go away and can boast that they have had more than one curtain call. Dochas can!! No-one dared put up the lights until they came out for a second time.