XOKO are proud to sponsor the emerging artists at Under Canvas 2026. Supporting these diverse musicians from across the Highlands and Islands and diaspora is a true privilege. We believe these vibrant and talented artists will play and essential role in our region's creative future and share our stories and songs with the World.
We are thrilled to help bring these unique performances to Under Canvas.
Laura Silverstone
Basque-born Laura Silverstone is an award-winning guitarist and singer- songwriter based in Edinburgh, captivating audiences around the world with her percussive lap-guitar playing, effortless vocals and unforgettable live energy. Her new album will be released on Last Night From Glasgow in 2027, making this an early chance to hear her latest music up close, including the BBC Introducing featured Dream On, and tracks from her Heartwood collection. A winner of this year's Danny Kyle award at Celtic Connections, and a former finalist of Spain's Got Talent, her influences include Ben Howard, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morissette and Bruce Springsteen.
Date / Time
Sat 11 Jul / 4:15pm
+Sleekit Cheils
Sleekit Chiels
Sleekit Chiels is a duo made up of two dafties hailing from Caithness and Sutherland. Expect covers and original songs, with a big serving of teuchter. Known for their oddities, political extremities (such as shelter, water and basic nutrition should be free), and being the bees knees.
RÓ
RÓ is a young singer-songwriter from Inverness who pairs intricate finger-picking guitar techniques with lyrical storytelling, resulting in a truly haunting and emotive performance. RÓ reflects on many issues and subjects close to their heart, with nature and relationships often at the core of their songwriting. With already three years of performance experience, including playing at Under Canvas '25, Over/at productions gig, Hit the Road tour and many local gigs at various venues, RÓ has also recorded and released three singles and is recording their debut album this year.
Fun fact. RÓ was XOKO’s first ever employee back in 2021.
Date / Time
Sat 18 Jul / 4:15pm
+Thasgaidh
Thasgaidh
Hailing from the Isle of Skye, Gàidhlig speakers Ciorstaidh Beaton and Lana Pheutan have joined forces to create new music inspired by their language and culture, but not as you’ve heard them before, entirely unapologetic and full of fun. Lana’s vocals are bolstered by Ciorstaidh’s clàrsach, making for an irresistible sound. Touching on love, loss, rage and desire in both tongues, their unique experiences shape this playful and dynamic duo.
Alice MacMillan
Alice Macmillan is a Gaelic singer and fluent Gàidhlig speaker from the Isle of Lewis. Her performances celebrate the rich musical traditions of her homeland while also embracing songs from further afield. Having learned the majority of her repertoire from her grandfather, Alice brings a strong sense of heritage and storytelling to her act. Through her singing, she shares both personal and cultural history, delivering a warm, engaging performance that captures the spirit of Gaelic music and keeps its traditions alive for new generations.
Date / Time
Sat 25 Jul / 4:15pm
+Coinar
Cionar
Cionar combine the ageless traditions of Highland Gaelic song with a current clàrsach style. Vocalist Christina Stewart and clàrsair Grace Stewart-Skinner are a mother-daughter duo from Ross-shire who perform separately as solo artists and have come together for a special series of dates in the Highlands this summer. As Cionar, the duo’s fresh and lively performances deliver an engaging take on tradition, which by turns radiates warmth and resonates emotion.
Orla Noble
Orla Noble is a singer songwriter and gifted multi-instrumentalist hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. Her ethereal, folk-inspired storytelling bridges the mundane and the fairytale, drawing from Scottish folk influences and traversing deeply personal themes of identity, pain, and love; from powerless despair to luminous hope. Her music has garnered support from BBC 6Music and BBC Radio Scotland (BBC Introducing, Travelling Folk, Roddy Hart’s Mixtape, Up Late with Lynne Hogan) and she has performed to audiences at Celtic Connections, with further festival dates to come. Her debut album unfurl is set to be self-released in May 2026.
Date / Time
Sat 01 Aug / 4:15pm
+Donald and Peigi
Donald and Peigi
Hailing from the Black Isle, sibling duo Donald and Peigi draw on their musical upbringing in Gaelic and folk music. Blending these early influences with indie rock, they write songs in both Gaelic and English with a strong emphasis on harmony. They’ve drawn influence from bands such as Sian, The Low Anthem and Foxwarren. Nominees for ‘Up and Coming’ Artists of the Year at the MG Alba Trad awards, the duo have toured Scotland including sets at Belladrum, HebCelt and SkyeLive.
Saffron Hanvidge
Saffron Hanvidge is a Gaelic singer, who has worked as a busker in Inverness for seventeen years, and is a regular competitor at the Royal National Mod, where she has been awarded first for Puirt a beul a record breaking five times. In 2023 she was voted the number ten "Best Busker in Scotland" by readers of the Scotsman. Saffron was selected as a Finalist in BBC Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award 2022 and as a semi-finalist in 2024. In the last few years she has been working to provide children access to Gaelic songs across Inverness.
Date / Time
Sat 01 Aug / 4:15pm
+Scottish Fish
Scottish Fish
Scottish Fish is a Boston-based Celtic quintet whose youthful enthusiasm, unique arrangements, and original compositions have entertained local and international audiences for more than a decade. Described as "both very traditional and highly flexible" by Folkworld Magazine's Alex Monaghan, and as "one of the most energetic and creative acts to take root in the local Celtic music scene this century" by Boston Irish Reporter Sean Smith, Scottish Fish present a fiddle-forward infusion of original and traditional Scottish and Cape Breton music. After growing up steeped in the Boston Celtic music scene, these five young women began touring at an early age, quickly enchanting domestic and international audiences with their youthful enthusiasm, creative arrangements, and sensitive performances. As described by a concertgoer, "this powerhouse quintet wows listeners with a luscious and exciting sound, at times five instruments sharing one voice, and others a dynamic orchestra of harmony. Their years of friendship cultivate a truly unique musical bond. Their love for each other and the music they create is a gift they offer to anyone willing to listen."
