Except he isn't.

Tim's quick to point out he's not the punk American Tim Armstrong who is now in American band Rancid.

"He's much more famous," laughed Tim. "We were both living in San Francisco at the same time for a while, but we never met. Maybe we're like matter and anti-matter!"

Tim had been in punk bands before he made it to Scotland.

Mill a h-Uile Rud (Destroy Everything) now sing in Gaelic and when Tim arrived in Scotland, he was inspired by Gaelic-singing Edinburgh punk band Oi Polloi to learn Gaelic in DIY language classes the band was organising. Later, then two bands toured together.

But having headed to Skye's Sabhal Mor Ostaig college to do a short Gaelic course to build on his Oi Polloi lessons, Tim got hooked. He stayed to do a BA in Gaelic and stayed on to do a PhD in Gaelic language revival and planning, comparing the different ways Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic are being developed.

All the members of Na Gathan – the English translates as rays of the sun or darts – speak Gaelic. Tim is vocalist and keyboard-player, drummer is Kathryn NicAoidh, bassist is Tomaidh MacAilpein, guitarist is Greg MacThòmais and Roddy Neithercut – lead singer of Scottish thrash band Atomgevitter has recently joined them on keyboards.

Na Gathan were formed in 2007 and one of their first successes was appearing on BBC2 Gaelic music show Rapal. Earlier this year, Na Gathan won BBC Radio nan Gàidheal's best new Gaelic song contest with Ruigidh Sinn Màrs. This week, they are appearing in Inverness in an unusual collaboration of music and stories.

Tim explained: "The idea of the show is to have a collaboration with modern Gaelic music and writing, something experimental and fun. We're collaborating with John Storey of the Gaelic Books Council for the event. John is launching a four-track CD based on our work as a band along with stories from a new book the council launched last week. Writers will be getting up in between the music to read out their stories – in a slam poetry style."

The writers taking part are Maoilios Caimbeul, Mairi Micleoid, Mona Striewe and Des Scholes.

"Maoilios' story was inspired by artist Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull called For The Love Of God. His story looks at the person the skull originally belonged to and imagines it was someone born in the Highlands. We've written a song about it too, inspired by Maoilios' story and we feel that the skull is an obscene piece of work. If it was covered in cubic zirconia instead it wouldn't even have made the news!"

* At Mad Hatters, Inverness, tomorrow (Friday).

entertainment@highland-news.co.uk

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