A PAIR of talented Inverclyde musicians are preparing to launch as a dynamic duo at one of Glasgow's best-known venues. 

Shelagh Mackay Jones and Dee Dee Calmayer will be appearing as Unbroken on the Danny Kyle Open Stage at the Royal Concert Hall as part of this year's Celtic Connections. 

Shelagh has performed at the famous festival for many years as a solo artist but this will be her first time on stage as part of a duo.

The pair say they're thrilled to have been chosen as one of 75 acts selected from 265 applicants from all over the world. 

Shelagh said: "It's very exciting and will be a great chance for us to showcase ourselves as a duo."

Dee Dee added: "We're so chuffed. 

"I go to the Royal Concert Hall to see shows but I never imagined I would be performing there. 

"It's a privilege to be asked and to take part, especially just at the start of our career as a duo."

Dee Dee first met Shelagh when she heard her performing as part of Inverclyde's Dandelion community project which ran at the South West Library back in 2022. 

She says it was Shelagh's song Athabasca, about the melting of the glacier of the same name in the Canadian Rockies, which grabbed her attention. 

Dee Dee added: "It stopped me in my tracks and I just had to listen. 

"It made me think of films like A Fistful of Dollars and bands like The Shadows, so I came up with a guitar part for it.

"We connect really well musically."

Shelagh and Dee Dee started working together officially thanks to funding from The Touring Network, and as the duo developed, they applied for this year's open stage. 

Shelagh added: "I received funding from the network last year for rehearsal space and to explore my songs with other musicians.

"Dee Dee and I just got on really well from the start. 

"We started working together properly in October 2022, and even after the funding was finished, we knew we wanted to continue as a duo.

"The more we were working together I thought, we should really apply for open stage."

With help from the team at West College Scotland, Shelagh and Dee Dee recorded a selection of tracks and sent them to the Celtic Connections team. 

Unbroken will perform three of Shelagh's original songs - It Only Takes You and I, Athabasca, and Change - and one a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen The Rain? on stage. 

All of the songs have an environmental theme and the duo hope to get the crowd singing along. 

If the pair are one of the six finalists chosen, they will be invited back to perform on February 4. 

Shelagh said she's hoping to see a lot of Inverclyde supporters in the crowd on the night. 

She added: "Being selected is absolutely amazing. 

"More than 500 people stop by to watch performers on the open stage every day so it's a fantastic opportunity for us to get our sound out there."

*Unbroken will be performing at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall's exhibition hall on Wednesday, January 31 between 5 and 7pm.