Scotland’s rising country star Cammy Barnes has had an exceptionally busy year to say the least. He’s played up and down the country, flown to Nashville to write with some incredible musicians and has appeared at every major Scottish Festival.
After appearing on Britain’s Got Talent back in 2023 where he reached the semi finals, no mean feat for a Scottish Barber from Methil! Many will have seen what appeared to be a quick rise to fame, yet, Cammy’s music career spans so much further than people probably know, having played in bands growing up, acting with the National Theatre of Scotland, touring the world with The Red Hot Chilli Pipers before deciding to go solo and releasing original material under Cammy Barnes with Chasing Love in 2019.
Cammy is an incredible role model within the music industry. He’s openly supportive of other musicians, He’ll get involved with community events and charity to give back and he’s probably one of the most humble and down to earth people I’ve had the pleasure to meet and chat with over the years.
Back in October I interviewed Cammy for a podcast with a publication I was working with at the time and I got a great insight into his musical journey and dreams for the future. Cammy assured me he would sell out the Barra’s (Barrowland Ballroom) and I have absolutely no doubt that he will achieve this, and more!
To close the year in style he headlined a sold out home town show at PJ Molloys on the 20th of December and the Fife crowd were here for it all. Selling out PJ Molloys may not seem too crazy a task following two sold out shows in October – La Belle in Edinburgh and Saint Luke’s in Glasgow (his biggest show to date) in any case, it was apparent that this special hometown show meant a lot to him. Unfortunately I missed the first support, Romay. I chatted to a few folks in the crowd later who said she was great so she is definitely on my radar to check out in 2025.
David B Archibald came in hot for his first time at PJ Molloys and he got the warm, supportive and energetic reception that this venue never seems to fail to provide to artists. If you haven’t seen/heard of David B Archibald, I highly recommend you go and do a search, give him a listen and follow. It was a complete coincidence that I discovered him last year and I’m very glad I did. He is a singer songwriter hailing from our capital city. An old soul with a voice to reflect this, there is a lot of pain within his lyrics but he is a fantastic storyteller. It didn’t take me long to figure out blues and soul music is in his bones, it came out in his music like it was in his DNA. If you are a fan of Kaleo and James Bay, David B Archibald should be on your playlists.
Cammy has worked hard over the years and there has been some line up changes along the way, with this in mind,I feel he has a really strong ensemble of immensely talented musicians around him just now (some being interchangeable due to other projects) The line up for this show saw, Ciaran McEneny (Keys and vocals), Reece Dobbin (drums), Jamie Adamson (guitar and vocals) and Gregor Stobie (bass and synth). Cammy shared his appreciation for the talented musicians in his band by acknowledging “I am very lucky.” Again, it’s a true reflection of him as a person, there is no I in team and Cammy has a great team around him.
Life is a highway came on over the in house P.A and the 350 strong crowd were belting it out, buzzing to see Cammy. The energy in the room was electric and everyone was in the happiest of festive moods ready for a cracking show. The stage lights went dark and Cammy and his band took to the PJs stage. Cammy and his talented team kicked it all off with Guiding Light and his 350 new band members of backing singers sang loud and proud along with him.
The love and support in that room was unlike anything I’ve seen before and completely deserved. It highlights just how hard Cammy has been working and building upon his fan base but the way in which people were singing along, shows he’s connected with his fans on a deeper level. His songs are deep, relatable and resonate with people. I’ve seen Cammy say previously “I can’t sing songs unless they really mean something to me” and that is evident when he is on stage. His songs mean the world (and more) to him. He makes himself incredibly vulnerable for his art and I hope he knows how much that means to people, including me. Cammy reflected on his previous gig history in PJ Molloys where he explained “previously I played here to 4 people, now I’ve sold this venue out two years in a row, thank you.”
Cammy Barnes is not only authentic in his songwriting but in the way he introduces his song and gives some insight into the history of the tracks. He is immensely proud to tell his tale of knocking Miley Cyrus from her #1 spot in the charts as he skyrocketed to #1 Itunes chart with his stunning ballad Bonnie’s song which stole the hearts of the nation, a song dedicated to his daughter.
Throughout the night we were entertained with his known original material, Beauty in these streets, Leave, Chasing Love and the song that has lived rent free in my head since June Tiree sun. Cammy also used this opportunity to showcase some new material, which was the right space and decision with the huge love and support of the home crowd.Would it have been a true Christmas gig if there wasn’t a festive sing song? Cammy delivered what the people wanted with his powerful rendition of Fairy Tale of New York.
It was a humbling experience as a chronic gig goer to watch Cammy take a step back from the mic throughout the set and watch the crowd sing his songs back to him. The scanning of the room, the cheesy grin on his face and the chemistry between the musicians on that stage said all it needed to say. These moments at gigs are what become stand out core memories for me. It was fantastic to see plenty of familiar faces amongst the crowd who I’ve met at other Cammy Barnes shows this year, again, showcasing that what Cammy is building is a strong community of loyal fans, willing to travel across Scotland to see his shows and share in his successes.
One thing I can say with ease is Cammy Barnes always delivers, the band are the most consistent performers, regardless of the size of the stage/crowd the set is powerful, fun, engaging and musically on point. Having seen Cammy in five very different venues this year and in places many may not have known him well, he very quickly wins the crowd round and has everyone singing along! It’s a really great attribute to have and is ensuring he steals hearts up and down the country.
I wholeheartedly believe Cammy Barnes can go all the way. He’s a grafter, full of ambition and dreams, none of which are beyond him. If he continues to show up as his talented, authentic, loveable self then he will only gain more support along the way. We have had a tease that an album is to come and I look forward to watching this progress and hearing the finished results. It isn’t a matter of if but more WHEN he headlines the Barra’s, you better believe I’ll be front and centre singing along with my friends (some of whom I have met because of Cammy). His journey hasn’t just started but I’m buckled in for the ride!
