Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer is a club night hosted and programmed by James Yorkston, originally based at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, where it began in 2015. Since then, James has programmed Tae Sups in Edinburgh, Paisley, Peebles, Inverness, Lerwick, Crieff, Findhorn and St. Andrews.
“With Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer, I just try and mix things up, keeping the line-ups interesting, not one particular genre or theme to a night… A lot of the people I ask to play are friends who I’ve known for years, or just people I’ve met on the road whose music has taken to me. It’s a’ braw though, and when programming Tae Sup, I just think Who would I like to see? and work from there…” – James Yorkston
The line-ups thus far have been:
Tae Sup # 1 ~ Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells / Aidian O’Rourke (Lau) / Sheena Wellington
Tae Sup # 2 ~ Karine Polwart / Dick Gaughan / Lisa O’Neill
Tae Sup # 3 ~ Steve Mason (The Beta Band) / Richard Dawson / Pip Dylan
Tae Sup # 4 ~ Karine Polwart / James Robertson / James Yorkston (The Spree, Ayr.)
Tae Sup # 5 ~ Martin Carthy / Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) / Geoff Hattersely
Tae Sup # 6 ~ Linton Kwesi Johnson / Kathryn Joseph / Randolph’s Leap
Tae Sup # 7 ~ Malcolm Middleton (Arab Strap) / Viking Moses / Yorkston Thorne Khan
Tae Sup # 8 ~ King Creosote / Kadialy Kouyate / Laura Cannell
Tae Sup # 9 ~ Roddy Woomble (Idlewild) / Oliver Coates / Yorkston Thorne Khan
Tae Sup # 10 ~ Lankum (Lynched) / Michael Chapman / Harry Giles
Tae Sup # 11 ~ Martin Simpson / Duke Special / Seamus Fogarty
Tae Sup # 12 ~ The Vaselines / Salena Godden / Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock
Tae Sup # 13 ~ Philip Selway (Radiohead) / David Thomas Broughton / Kathryn Williams
Tae Sup # 14 ~ Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit) / Serafina Steer / Alasdair Roberts
Tae Sup # 15 ~ Ian McMillan / Grace Petrie / Withered Hand
Tae Sup # 16 ~ Phill Jupitus / Michael Hurley / Siobhan Wilson
Tae Sup # 17 ~ Carl Stone / Pictish Trail / Thomas McCarthy
Tae Sup # 18 ~ Emma Pollock / Martin Carr (Boo Radleys) / Rachel Sermanni
Tae Sup # 19 ~ Sheena Wellington / Richard Dawson / Lorna Goodison / Jeet Thayil
Tae Sup # 19 ~ Justin Currie (Del Amitri) / Bigid Mae Power / Nell Ní Chróinín
Tae Sup # 20 ~ Roddy Woomble (Idlewild) / Archie Fisher / Ora Cogan
Tae Sup # 21 ~ Vashti Bunyan / Audiobooks / Michael Pedersen
Tae Sup # 22 ~ Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) / Brighde Chaimbeul / James Yorkston
Tae Sup # 23 ~ Josephine Foster / Jenny Lindsay / Adrian Crowley
Tae Sup # 24 ~ Horse McDonald / Daoiri Farrell / Kaviraj Singh
Tae Sup #25 ~ Jane Weaver / Ian Rankin / Callum Easter
Tae Sup # 26 ~ Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai) / BELL LUNGS / Gwenifer Raymond
Tae Sup # 27 ~ Hollie McNish / Ye Vagabonds / Nancy Kerr & Luke Daniels
Tae Sup # 28 ~ Josie Long / Özgür Baba / Rachel Newton
Tae Write wi’ a Fifer – Live shows held at Futtle Brewery, St Monans, Fife
April 1st 2022 – C Duncan | Catherine Rudie | Faith Eliott | Emily Scott
April 29 2022 – Djana Gabrielle | David Latto | Iona Lee | Gaze is Ghost.
Oct 14th 2022 – Horse | Finn Anderson | Me for Queen | Andrew Wasylyk
Tae Sup at The Queen’s – Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
March 2022 – Burd Ellen / Jamie Sutherland / Withered Hand & Kathryn Williams
April 2022 – Kinbrae & Clare Archibald / Liz Lochead & Andrew Wasylyk / J Wright Presents
March 2023 – Horse / Me for Queen / Finn Anderson
Sept 2022 – Pictish Trail | Helena Celle | Junior Brother
Dec 2022 – Alasdair Roberts | Iona Fyfe | Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Myles O Reilly
Sat 8 Jul 2023 – Carl Stone | Susan Bear | Lomond Campbell
Sat 23 September 2023 – Richard Dawson | Bell Lungs | Juliette Lemoine
Tae Sup on Tour – Inverness / Shetland / Peebles / St Andrews
September 2022 – Josie Long / Jeffrey Lewis / Kathryn Joseph
July 2022 – Gruff Rhys / Salena Godden / Brìghde Chaimbeul
February 2023 – Philip Selway / Marjolein Robertson / Rachel Sermanni / Nina Persson
Tae Sup on Tour – Inverness / Shetland / Peebles / St Andrews / Crieff
September 2024 – Kris Drever | Rozi Plain | Iona Lee
February 2025 – KT Tunstall | Maeve Higgins | Pictish Trail
Tae Sup on Tour – Crieff / Findhorn / Shetland / Peebles / St Andrews
February 2026 – Andy Irvine | Len Pennie | Katherine Priddy
May 2026 – Phill Jupitus & Kirsty Newton | The Elidas | Kate Stables (This Is The Kit)
A wee bit about James Yorkston:
James Yorkston is a singer-songwriter and author from the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Since signing to Domino Records in 2001, James has released a steady flow of highly acclaimed albums, leading to him touring his music worldwide.
James’ 2025 album, ‘Songs for Nina and Johanna’ is a collection of duets with Nina Persson of The Cardigans and Johanna Söderberg of First Aid Kit and earned James and Nina a slot on Later… With Jools Holland (September 2025) as well as BBC6 sessions for Huw Stephens, Marc Riley and Gideon Coe.
Like most of Yorkston’s best work, Songs for Nina and Johanna succeeds not only because of his talents as a songwriter, but by his choices as a collaborator – AllMusic 8/10
A likeable collection of songs about family and companionship. …. The happy point where Belle And Sebastian meets Stephen Sondheim – Mojo 8/10
While his two female stars certainly elevate his songs, Yorkston shows that he can still kick it on his own as a singer with his distinguished group – Pop Matters 8/10
A record which explodes Yorkston’s typically understated, open-hearted songwriting with a fierce emotional interplay between the three voices at work here – Record Collector 8/10
James’s 2023 album, ‘The Great White Sea Eagle’, is a collaboration with Nina Persson (The Cardigans).
All Music 9/10 -“Some of the most beautiful and moving music he’s made, which is high praise indeed”
Under the Radar – “On The Great White Sea Eagle, Yorkston shows again that he is a significant 21st century songwriter. It’s a beautiful, hand-made collection of natural and unforced songs to be treasured.”
Clash – “A work of real refinement, ‘The Great White Sea Eagle’ is peppered with jewels.”
James’ 2021 album ‘The Wide, Wide River’ was called “Another fascinating, curious contribution to the Scottish musician’s constantly eddying catalogue” by The Guardian, “A beautiful experience” by Clash and “Another career highlight” by The Scotsman.
With his Yorkston / Thorne / Khan project, James explores his love of traditional and experimental music, mixing them with Indian Classical music. Y/T/K’s 2020 release, Navarasa, was The Guardian’s Folk Album of the Year.
James has had published four books – the novel ‘3 Craws’, and the memoir ‘It’s Lovely to be Here – The Touring Diaries of a Scottish Gent’. James’ second novel, ‘The Book of the Gaels’ (Oldcastle Press, 2022) was a Times Newspaper Book of the Month and one of their Historical Fiction Books of the Year. 2025’s novel ‘Tommy The Bruce’, The Sunday Mail called “An outstandingly well written, emotionally complex slice of Scottish noir”
James also hosts the music podcast 46-30, which explores “Quality Music of no fixed Abode”.
