From Argyll to Paxton: Rachel Campbell and Holli Scott’s journey in Scottish traditional music

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The Scottish folk duo Rachel and Holli, comprising Rachel Campbell, accordion/piano and Holli Scott on fiddle, are an exciting new addition to the Scottish traditional music scene, drawing on their shared roots in Argyll to create a fresh and expressive blend of instrumental music and vocals. Ahead of their debut at Music at Paxton on Saturday 18 July at 1.30pm, Scott shares with The Strad details on the duo’s musical journey, that led them bring traditional music to wider audiences.

As we get ready to perform at Music at Paxton, we’ve been reflecting on how our journey together began. Whenever people ask how Rachel and I came to play together, I always think back to when we were both 16 years old. We met through the Argyll Ceilidh Trail, spending oursummer travelling around Argyll with a group of young musicians, performing concerts and ceilidhs everywhere from Tiree to Islay. Those weeks were full of rehearsals, long journeys,plenty of laughs and lots of music. Looking back, that’s really where our musical connection began. 

Like many musicians, our journey started much earlier.I grew up in Dunoon and first picked up the fiddle through the Cowal Fiddle Workshopwhen I was nine years old. Learning in a community setting taught me that traditional music is about much more than performing; it’s about bringing people together across generations. That experience has stayed with me throughout my career and is a big part of why I’m so passionate about making music accessible for young people today. 

After school, I studied Social Anthropology and Psychology and worked in social care while continuing to play music whenever I could. Ceilidhs, sessions and festivals became my musical education outside the classroom, and over time I realised I wanted to dedicate myself to music full-time.

Alongside performing and teaching, I’ve become increasingly interested in writing original music that explores identity and heritage, and I’m incredibly proud to work with the BITCollective and help organise the Ceòl on the Clyde fiddle weekend back home in Dunoon.

 Ceilidhs, sessions and festivals became my musical education outside the classroom

 Rachel’s story has its own roots in community music. Growing up in Oban, she began learningthrough Fèis Latharna before studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since graduating, she’s been fortunate to perform all over Scotland with Torran Cèilidh Band, play internationally in Germany and teach at Scots Strings Camp in New Zealand. More recently, she’s been involved as a musician in Tether 인연, an exciting theatre production andcollaboration between Scottish and South Korean artists that will be performed at the Citizens Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe this year.

Although we became close friends during the Ceilidh Trail, life took us in different directions after school and, for several years, we lost touch. It wasn’t until 2024, when we both happened to be living in Glasgow, that we reconnected. It didn’t take long before we realised how much we enjoyed playing together again, and that’s when we decided to officially form our duo. 

The last couple of years have been incredibly exciting. In 2025, we released our debut single, In the Stream, and at the start of 2026 we were honoured to receive a Danny Award at Celtic Connections. More recently, we released our debut EP, Testing the Waters. We loved creating this EP because it gave us the opportunity to explore our creativity and begin to define oursound as a duo. 

Everything we do is still rooted in the music we grew up with in Argyll. Traditional music has introduced us to lifelong friends, taken us around the world and given us opportunities we couldnever have imagined when we first picked up our instruments. While we love exploring new ideas and writing original music, we’re always inspired by the traditions and communities that shaped us. 

Teaching is also a huge part of what we do. Whether it’s through Live Music Now Scotland, workshops or community concerts, we believe everyone should have the chance to experiencelive traditional music. Some of our favourite performances aren’t necessarily the biggest ones,but the ones where we really connect with the audience and share the stories behind the music. 

We’re really looking forward to performing at Music at Paxton. We hope to bring a little bit of Argyll with us, share some of the music that has shaped our lives and create a concert that feelswarm, welcoming and full of connection. We can’t wait to meet everyone and share the evening with you.