islandtapes stkildatapes mohicans rob roy nosferatu cddvd press bios origin shows contact

 

LIVE FILM MUSIC SOUNDTRACKSby David Allison

 

VAGABONDAGE MUSICAL - THE ISLAND TAPES - THE ST KILDA TAPES - NOSFERATU -INFINITE SCOTLAND - THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS - ROB ROY

 

New project to premiere at Celtic Connections

 

The Tron Theatre Glasgow

 

Friday 30th January 2026

 

"Vagabondage musical"

 

...a fusion of painting and music with french digital artist Cyrille Pain.

 

 

Years ago The Scotsman newspaper described David Allison's playing as "painting with sound".

Now a show that pulls it all together. This video tells you how it all came about...

 

 

Almost 50 years in the making, the origin of this show lies with a Scottish hitchhiker struggling to get a lift somewhere in central France until two art school students offer him a place in their cramped Citroen 2CV van.

It turns out to be the beginning of a lifelong friendship with artist Cyrille Pain.

 

In “Vagabondage musical” layers of colour in Cyrille’s digital art created on iPad or tablet are melded with layers of music as David builds up a rich tapestry of sound on guitar.

Captured in real time the digital “painting” process is later exported as video to be further edited and treated.

The result is a virtual gallery of light and sound, the audience immersed in every detail along the creative journey.

 

Years ago the Scotsman newspaper described David’s work as “painting with sound”, and finally he really is bringing together the two worlds of music and art.

 

 

“Vagabondage musical” builds on years of experience fusing music and film with successful shows such as “The Island Tapes” and “The St Kilda Tapes”, both of which toured in the UK, North America and Europe.

His live scores for silent classic feature films like “Nosferatu”, “Rob Roy” and “The Last of the Mohicans” featured in festivals including Celtic Connections, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival.

Cyrille Pain has created sets for opera and theatre, designed innovative museum spaces across France, all the while continuing to paint both “old school” on canvas, and now digitally.

Check out Bandcamp for digital downloads and streams of all David's albums!