PARTNERS IN CRIME

"TWO STUPENDOUS young musicians. Henderson, the 2003 winner of the Young Folk Award, is an uilleann piper from Co. Tyrone; Ainslie is a Border pipes player from Perthshire; and together they forge such an intuitive partnership it feels pre-ordained. I haven't heard a pipe tune explode into full throttle with such velocity as Old - the opening set of reels here - since Paddy Keenan had wallpaper torn from the walls playing The Kesh Jig with the Bothy Band. There's barely time to catch breath afterwards, either, with some top-notch musicians (including members of Capercaillie, Back of the Moon and Shooglenifty) adding strings and percussive shade, with the two main protagonists provide constant variety with occasional switches to whistle on a commendably broad sweep of tunes that even touches the Breton tradition. Yet it's the unison playing that really lifts your heart and makes you want to dance on the tables. A thriller." (Colin Irwin, Mojo)