When Martyn Bennett started performing his radical fusion of Scottish traditional music, contemporary beats and samples around underground Edinburgh clubs in the mid-1990s, little did he know where it would end up. Almost two decades since Bennett’s untimely passing, and just shy of ten years since Greg Lawson pulled together an orchestral rendition of Bennett’s final album, Grit, the more than 80-strong Lawson-led orchestra is still going strong as Bennett’s legacy burls on. 

This makes for an epic way to end the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival in a set that builds upon Bennett’s already expansive originals to become a musical expression of a global village. Vocal lead comes from Fiona Hunter and Karen Matheson, with Hunter setting a rousing tone on the opening take on Ewan MacColl’s ‘Move’. This continues with the theatrical fun of ‘Aye?’, jazz saxophone on ‘Wedding’/’Swallowtail’, and a choir and strings as big as a western theme on ‘Blackbird’.

Lawson’s introductions are charming, witty and wise, with his point on how the arts are under attack timely and well made. He also pays tribute to the late Rab Noakes, who cleared the Gerry Rafferty samples on the closing ‘Paisley Spin’. In the Grit Orchestra’s hands, this fond farewell is a life-affirming joy.

Grit Orchestra reviewed at Edinburgh Playhouse as part of Edinburgh International Festival; main picture: Jess Shurte.