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VISUAL EP

The visual EP offers an immersive audio-visual experience. The three distinct Gaelic tracks aim to be a focus for the Deaf community to connect with Gaelic and Scottish identity and heritage. These connections are often quite focussed on sounds/tunes which are inaccessible to D/deaf people. Whilst the visual aspects of the EP ‘playfully ‘complement and enhance the auditory experience for all audiences, by incorporating elements specifically tailored to the Deaf experience, such as sign language, movement and dance, this project aims to foster a deeper sense of cultural belonging and inclusion.

‘Cailleach Mhor Staighlaidh’ is an intimate collaboration with Icelandic drummer/instrumentalist Signy Jakobsdottir reconstructing the use of vocables of a puirt a beul in combination with percussion and step dance to create a whole new form of expression.

‘Fios no Fois’ is a self-penned Gaelic song written as an exploration of my personal experience of sound, in collaboration with sound engineer Keir Long.

Chan Eil is a self-penned song that is a rebellious mix of the frivolous and the serious with traditional fiddle and guitar and a very catchy chorus that invites participation and inspires movement. The video, featuring vivid textures and costumes, portrays an eclectic mix of moods that women don’t often feel they can express including anger and wildness, as Evie and her dance collaborator Fran Till say ‘no’ to typical expectations and ‘take up space’ in an atypical (for the Trad world) explosion of playful funk dance, to this Gaelic alternative/modern/urban sound.

About ME

Evie Waddell is a Gaelic and Scots singer, step dancer, and visual performer from Stirlingshire. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BMus in Traditional Music, she also holds an HNC in Contemporary Dance from the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance. Deaf in one ear, Evie is committed to making traditional music more accessible through signed song and visually led performance.

Her work spans theatre, films, and live performance. In 2020, she appeared in WHYTE’s MAIM, produced by Theatre Gu Leòr. She later created and directed Fàilte Gu BSL (2022–23), an immersive show exploring Deaf identity, language, and cultural belonging through Gaelic and Scots song.

Evie won the Danny Kyle Open Stage in 2023 and was a semi-finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2024. She released her visual EP Cluich! (2024)

In 2025, she premiered Ivory Cutlery at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a playful and visually rich performance inspired by the songs of Ivor Cutler. Her forthcoming visual album, The Imaginarium, expands her creative practice through animation, and imaginative storytelling.

Evie also performs with the Evie Waddell Band, presenting Gaelic and Scots songs in contemporary arrangements with audience participation at the heart of the live experience.