AN award-winning Largs violinist is to perform in Greenock with her band off the back of a successful US tour.

Hayley Keenan will be performing at the Beacon with her band Talisk on April 13 as part of their UK tour.

The three-piece band will play the venue following a successful stint in the States with the Irish band ‘Wee Banjo Three’.

Having toured for over a month in mid-western US, there is no rest for the trio as they are back on the road only two weeks later, with their own tour.

Hayley explained why it was important to her that she continue to play gigs close to home, she said:

“It’s just really nice, we spend a lot of time on the road now and a lot of it means just driving to a gig playing and then back on the road again.

“So, it is always good to come home and see family and friends come out to a show, it gives you that extra connection with a place and its good to look out and see people you know.

“The boys aren’t from the area, Mohsen is from Glasgow and Graeme is from Edinburgh, so they are still able to go home after the show, which I am sure they will appreciate too.

“So, fingers crossed we can sell out the Beacon and put on a really incredible show.”

Greenock is only one of the bands three Scottish dates, with the rest of the tour taking place in England.

Commenting on her time in the US, Hayley said: “In comparison to our tours in the UK, everything in the US is just 10 times bigger, so the crowds were massive.

“The Banjo 3 are really well known in the US folk scene already, so it was great to be able to tour with them.”

“It was a really amazing experience.”

Talisk will be returning to the US in August for a series of Irish festivals, including Milwaukee Irish festival, the worlds largest celebration of Celtic music.

The band is made up of Hayley playing the violin, Mohsen on the concertina and Graeme Armstrong playing the guitar.

Hayley also set up the Largs Folk Nights in the town, to use her knowledge of the industry to encourage other artists to perform in the area.

She added: “I wasn’t sure how it would be received, but we have sold out just about every show.

“The bands I book often haven’t even been to Largs, but they always leave with a really positive experience.

“It’s great for me to have the opportunity to be involved in the Folk Nights and get some more live music in to the area.”