As well as being a prominent fixture in the Glasgow scene, An Dannsa Dub have taken to the stage at Boomtown and Glastonbury. Now, they’ve arrived on our pages through their new album, Through The Storm.

By Graeme Smith

An Dannsa Dub translates from Gaelic to English as The Dub Dance and the band blend traditional Scottish music with reggae dub to create something quite unlike anything I’ve heard before.

You get a sense of it straight away through the haunting, echoing strings and percussion of The Storm Gathers. As the title suggests, it’s a track that builds, giving us traces of dub early on before hitting its full stride around the one minute mark.

From there we’re taken on an odyssey of ethereal vocals, terse strings and groovy reggae. Each new track brings something new to proceedings. Tha Mi Air Chall delves deeper into the dub side of things, coming complete with rhythmic verses and a compelling composition. Tombaca is beautifully folksy and lively. I, Of The Storm slows things down for a soulful moment.

Standing Strong proves a particularly poignant number at the heart of the album. It sees the group join forces with Junior Dread to tell a tale of strength and struggle. It sets up a finale that includes the rousing Kick Up The Dust, the philosophical All Things Shall Pass and the lingering Till Slàn.

This week sees An Dannsa Dub hit the road on tour, with local dates in Sheffield and Huddersfield. Tickets for all dates are available here.

Though The Storm is out now, available to buy on vinyl and CD via Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.