Abagail Grey is not a "who" but a "what" - the title for the latest project from Inverness songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Claire Campbell.

Campbell has already released one solo album, 2005's "Sweet Scented Summer Evening", but decided to operate under a band name rather than her own, allowing her a degree of anonymity and the opportunity for greater collaboration with other musicians.

However, the name itself seems to have come from a mysterious source.

"I came up with the band name because I had a dream about a woman called Abagail Grey," Campbell revealed. "There was definitely a piano in the dream, but Abagail Grey was faceless. It was so vivid that when I woke up in the morning I thought I'd had a past life experience. I hadn't, but it was very powerful.

"I think it was just me having one of those nights where you can't sleep - maybe the moon was in a strange place."

Campbell was sufficiently intrigued to do an internet search for Abagail Grey. This ultimately proved unsuccessful, though she has since met a small girl of the same name.

Abagail Grey took a further step away from dreamworld towards becoming a real-life band when Campbell told her friend, artist Gordon Brown, about the dream, and he created the picture of a girl in a tree which has now become the Abagail Grey logo.

One reason Campbell decided to adopt the band name is the difference between the songs on her earlier album and the Abagail Grey material.

"I wrote most of the Abagail Grey music when I was going through a difficult time and just become a single mother," Campbell said. "The music's quite dark because it reflects that period."

The band started to come together after Campbell met Fraya Thomsen and Gillian Fleetwood, who together make up harp and vocal duo The Duplets.

Gordon Brown's brothers Ally and Dougie were also recruited on bass and drums respectively, though work commitments eventually led to Derek Urquhart taking over the drum stool.

Also joining them is Steve Obern, who shares vocals with Campbell, who also plays guitar, piano and fiddle. The collaborative nature of the group and the Abagail Grey identity also provides a bit of distance between the songwriter and her material, Campbell believes, meaning the songs appear less confessional.

There is a significant crossover between Abagail Grey's personnel and another local band also notable for its dark material, Lowtide Revelry, for which Obern is principal writer and Ally and Dougie Brown the rhythm section. Campbell also played with the group until a year ago.

However, the two groups should not be confused, Campbell points out.

"Steve and I write in very different ways," she said.

"Steve will find a scenario and then write about it. My songs are more personal, but exaggerated.

"I think Abagail Grey has really found its voice now. We've been going for a couple of years and it's taken a while to get the album finished, but I think that's good because I've been able to write a huge amount of material. It's not as though it's going to be a struggle with the next album. The songs are already there."

Abagail Grey's debut, "Long Case Clock Suspension", was produced by Belle and Sebastian keyboards player Chris Geddes, whom Campbell had played alongside in a previous band.

The album is available for download at www.abagailgrey.bandcamp.com and in CD form at Imperial Music in the Victorian Market and the Inverness branch of Borders.

Muir-of-Ord based distribution company Highlander Music will also sell copies of the album.

"They specialise in Scottish and traditional music, which is good for us because there is a very strong Scottish element in what we are doing," Campbell added. "We haven't lost our accents, we have two clarsachs and I play the fiddle."

It also gives the band an unusual sound, which Campbell acknowledged might make it a harder sell for some promoters. However, she remains positive.

"People don't like things that are different until they become popular, but if you're afraid of being different, you might never move on," she said.

Thursday's launch will open with WellNorth, otherwise known as Tabs and Willie MacAskill from The Lushrollers.

* Abagail Grey launch their debut album, "Long Case Clock Suspension", at The Ironworks next Thursday.

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