Danny Kyle open stage final

DANNY KYLE OPEN STAGE FINAL *****

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL

SINCE its inception at Celtic Connections in 1999, the Danny Kyle Open Stage has become an increasingly important conduit for new talent, into both the main festival programme and the wider folk scene. Taking place daily throughout the festival, it offers around 80 acts - this year selected from over 200 applicants - a 15-minute chance to shine, and to scoop one of the six coveted Danny Awards presented annually to the cream of the crop, who then all perform again on the final Sunday.

This year's happy few, ranging from solo instrumentalists to a seven-piece band, included two whose customary prize bottle of malt was replaced by Irn Bru, on account of their youth. Argyll fiddler Ryan Young displayed remarkable poise and finesse for his 16 years, together with arrestingly fresh arrangements, while Irish sibling sextet, the Rooneys, aged from 12 to 20, opened the show with an all-round calibre of traditional musicianship - from unaccompanied singing to fingerstyle guitar - that would credit many acts of twice their vintage.

Among the winners who were legally old enough to drink, Welsh-based harpist Harriet Earis performed with scintillating brio and charm, while bagpipe boy band TNT conjured a sweetness in their tight-knit playing that's rarely associated with this loudest of instruments - let alone three of them. Mandolin/guitar duo Wingin' It delivered a fingerlicking blend of Americana and world music flavours, and Orkney band Lazy Boy Chair rocked it up triumphantly to close the show, their big, brash sound embracing styles from dub to zydeco.