the | blaxcots

Ruairidh Blaxcot

Ruairidh Douglas, born May 16, 1996, in Aberdeen, is the drummer, vocalist, and youngest member of The Blaxcots. His Gaelic name, Ruairidh, is traditionally associated with “red king” or “red-haired king” — an appropriate name for a child born with a thick head of red hair. Within The Blaxcots, he became known as “The Red One.”

Ruairidh moved to Edinburgh in 2019 and began his professional career playing with Midlothian funk-rock bands, including Crust and Cestus. Although invited to join Dutch progressive rockers StarCarpet, he chose instead to pursue his passion for singing.

In 2022, Ruairidh joined The Blaxcots, replacing founding singing drummer Ian Blaxcot. He has since become an integral part of the band’s evolving sound, bringing both his drumming and distinctive vocal presence to the group.

Still active beyond The Blaxcots, Ruairidh continues to perform and collaborate with funk-rock and progressive bands, as well as developing his own project, The Yinyan SyZyGy. His work outside the band keeps him connected to a younger and continually evolving musical scene.

As the youngest Blaxcot, Ruairidh brings a different perspective to a band whose members span several generations and musical backgrounds. His combination of drums, vocals, collaboration, and restless musical curiosity makes him perhaps the least confined by The Blaxcots’ boundaries.

Fergus Blaxcot

Fergus Blaxcot – Bass “The Lyricist” Born Fergus Campbell on September 12, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan, Fergus is the bassist and one of the principal creative forces behind The Blaxcots. The band’s only non-native Scot, he joined in 2020 and has become its most prolific lyricist and composer.

Fergus was raised in a musical home by his African American mother and Scottish father from Glasgow. He began on guitar before finding his true voice on bass, performing at family gatherings and absorbing the Motown, gospel, blues, and classic rock that surrounded him. In his early twenties, he relocated to Scotland to reconnect with his Scottish heritage, bringing those influences with him.

His warm, melodic bass lines provide much of the heartbeat of The Blaxcots’ sound, while his songwriting reflects the same unlikely meeting of influences that shaped him. Fergus has written many of the band’s best-known songs, including “Carry the Torch,” “Breadcrumbs,” “Tuff Love,” “The Cost of War,” “Now, Now, Now,” and “In the Cauld Blast,” an adaptation of a Robert Burns poem.

“In the Cauld Blast” received the Hebridean Music Award for Best Independent Single, while the album Passing White, from which it was taken, was recognized as Best Album.

Brauder Blaxcot

Brauder Cummings – Keyboards & Music Director “The Brooder” Born October 8, 1964, in Tilbury, England, Brauder Cummings is The Blaxcots’ keyboard player, musical director, and a founding member of the band. Quietly influential rather than outwardly flamboyant, he is crucial to arranging the band’s material and shaping its overall musical direction.

Brauder credits his Scottish mother’s insistence that he take piano lessons, and his Trinidadian father’s eclectic record collection, for setting him on his musical path. He learned piano from his father before moving into keyboards and, after completing school, relocated to Glasgow.

A child of the Windrush generation, Brauder’s musical vocabulary draws from reggae, funk, jazz, soul, and progressive rock. Those influences, combined with his classical grounding, have helped shape both his own musical vision and the distinctive sonic identity of The Blaxcots. His sensitivity to harmony, arrangement, and texture provides the musical glue that binds the band’s diverse influences together.

In 2012, Brauder was included on Epoch’s list of “The 25 Greatest Keyboard Players.” In 2016, he was ranked No. 15 on Pulse’s “The 100 Greatest Keyboard Players of All Time.”

Caird Blaxcot

Caird Blaxcot – Lead Guitar “The Tech” Multi-instrumentalist Caird MacRae was born January 6, 1966, in Inverness, Scotland. A founding member of The Blaxcots and one of only two original members, Caird began playing guitar at twelve, teaching himself by listening to records, performing at local community events, and writing songs inspired by the Highland landscapes around him.

At eighteen, he moved to Glasgow to pursue music more seriously. His songwriting reflects both his Highland roots and a lifelong search for belonging, combining heartfelt storytelling with memorable melodies.

When The Blaxcots formed in 2016, Caird initially took on the drums before switching to lead guitar shortly afterward. A natural multi-instrumentalist and technology enthusiast, he has since developed a role that extends well beyond guitar, contributing to music programming, production, and the band’s increasingly technology-driven approach to making music.

Alongside keyboardist and longtime writing partner Brauder Blaxcot, Caird is one of only two original members to have appeared on every The Blaxcots release. His guitar work and production instincts have become an important part of the band’s evolving sound.

Caird has received recognition in LS Magazine’s “Top 20 Guitarists” and was also named among Shock Radio’s “Best Musicians of Today.”