Swing Into Christmas with the Down for the Count Orchestra
Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, DG1 4TA
Wednesday 3rd December 2025 7.30pm
Kick off the festive season in style with the sensational Down for the Count Swing Orchestra, as they head to Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries for their much-loved annual show, Swing Into Christmas!
This is a Christmas celebration like no other - the unique 32-piece big band with strings recreates the music of Nat 'King' Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and many more in their own inimitable style.
Phil Cunningham and his Christmas Songbook colleagues have been delighting audiences for the last 19years.
He is delighted to announce they will be returning once again, performing shows in Aberdeen, Perth, Stirling, Glasgow, Dumfries and Edinburgh.
Teemed with jovial anecdotes, modern and traditional Christmas music and exquisite musicianship that will tug at ones heartstrings, it is indeed "the perfect way to fill up your festive fuel tank" The Scotsman.
Phil will be joined by some of the finest musicians on the Scottish folk scene including: Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, John McCusker, Kris Drever, Ian Carr and Kevin McGuire along with a special guest Brass Band.
What can you say about Phil Cunningham, a superb innovative instrumentalist, with not simply the fastest fingers in the West but some of the most sensitive ones, too! He is fondly remembered from his days with Silly Wizard and Relativity and as witty musical partner of the great Shetland fiddler, Aly Bain. Also widely recognised from his television and radio presenting, he has been involved in some of the seminal programmes that have enabled Scottish music to walk tall, a true ambassador for traditional music. Also a humourist, his breezy banter can have a 2000-seat hall falling about in the aisles.
For those of you not familiar with the band, they've reach incredible heights over the last 15 years with their ground-breaking fusion of traditional Scottish music and rock/pop anthems which they proudly call 'Bagrock'.
Bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show so fierce it should carry a government health warning!
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