01-07-2025
Karine Polwart: Gregory's Girl landed big in Banknock
Based in Midlothian, Karine Polwart is a folk singer-songwriter who was part of Malinky and Battlefield Band.
We used to go to my granny and grandpa's in Ayr for a week. She worked in the tartan shop at Butlin's, so we got a day's free pass and went to the shows. It seemed brilliant — with ice cream, candy floss, dodgems and waltzers — but in reality it was quite manky. I went back 15 years later for a conference: it was grim.
Being awarded the Dux medal at high school — genuinely the worst moment of my life. The entire school was looking at me and I had a bad flat-top haircut and acne, and was the shyest person known to mankind. People assume that performers must be extroverts, but the opposite is often true. Not a single person in that room could have predicted I'd make a living standing on stage talking to people.
