Fife band Quarrel Brae release Whale's Song to raise funds for ocean research groups

Kinghorn-based Quarrel Brae are using Whale's Song in the hope of raising funds to help us understand more about the giant mammals.

Singer/songwriter Ronnie Mackie first penned the song after an inspiration journey across the Atlantic to Brazil, during which a giant sperm whale jumped close to his boat.

After finally recording the song with the band, they have now made it available online, so that for as little as a few pounds fans can enjoy the track and help crucial oceanic research.

Ronnie said the journey deeply affected him when he initially wrote the song several years ago.

He said: "I went off and sailed across the Atlantic, from Cape Verde with two friends.

"It was quite an experience for me, I do a lot of sailing around Scotland but nothing like that.

“On the third day out this big whale jumped right out of the water next to the boat, and that moment really kept me going.

“When we arrived in Brazil I expected to see rain forests but instead I just saw vast swathes of land where it had been cut down.”

Ronnie said that when he was greeted with Brazilian shores littered with plastic, he felt moved to write Whale’s Song.

"I kept a diary of everything I saw. I ended up writing this song about the experience and it turned out to be about how the oceans are dying.

"I recorded it with the band and we finally got it released this year.

“I want to use the song to raise money for the whale charities.

Ronnie, a keen conservationist and member of whale and dolphin watching groups, says four charities will benefit from the song; The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, the Sea Watch Foundation, Whale Wise, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

The Whale’s Song is available on Bandcamp, costing as little as £1.99, though listeners can pay more if they wish to make a donation.

The song can be downloaded here: https://quarrelbrae.bandcamp.com/releases