Runrig kick off in the city
He took the High Road,they took the Low Road and Donnie Munro and Runrig went their separate ways. But the rest of the band who became one of Scotland`s biggest are still going,having drafted in Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Guthro to replace Munro,who left after 24 years to try (in the end unsuccessfully) for a seat in the Scottish Parliament. Their Edinburgh gig this week is the start of their first proper scottish tour with the new line-up and,as keyboard player Pete Wishart told the Edinburgh Herald & Post,it`s meant more than a few changes. "I`m always at the rear of the stage looking at everyone`s backs and now I`ve got a new back to look at!"he joked."Having Bruce on board has given us a new lease of life,we were going through the motions to a certain extent towards the end of our period with Donnie.So far we have had a great reception. "The sound is still very much intact but it`s very different vocally.We`d love to do some of Bruce`s own songs at some point but we have such a huge back catalogue to choose from when we play and the fans want to hear the songs they`ve grown up with.So we`ll always do the ones like Loch Lomond." The band had better luck than Munro in the recent Scottish elections,as their current single May morning was used as a theme tune for TV coverage. Wishart,a prominent SNP supporter who joined Runrig in 1986 from the band Big Country,dismisses stories that he and Munro,who stood for Labour,fell out over politics,saying:"In any workplace in Scotland there will be people with different views and they`ll all get on and be great mates." Runrig play the Festival theatre on May 31;tickets (0131) 529 6000.