Former Inverness rock band Ketimine Deco reformed for “one night only” last night to take part in Hootananny’s three day 10th Birthday celebrations. They were joined last night by a host of other bands including Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders, who stormed Hoots with new material including the sweeping seven minute anthem Human Condition. Also appearing on a balmy Sunday night was another reformed Inverness favourite, Shutter and Red Ronson who opened proceedings in Mad Hatters. Music fans were also treated in Mad Hatters by London based The Manic Shine. Their fantastically energetic performance conjured up comparisons to a Red Hot Chili Peppers type funk combined with melodies and power something akin to Queens of the Stone Age. Meanwhile, downstairs the Hoots crowd enjoyed a flawless set from Edinburgh’s The Winter Tradition.
Ketimine Deco turned in a vintage performance with Roadway front man Ross McEwan at his charming best and guitarist Ruaridh Duncan on electric form. It was a busy night for Outsiders drummer Russell Montgomery as he took to the sticks for a second time with Ketimine Deco and Dave Ramsay was also busy as he combined work at Hoots with performances for Red Ronson and The Outsiders.
Here is a clip from Ketimine Deco’s long awaited return…one night only
Why the Spanish title you may ask? Well I suppose the answer is simple once you get past the initial perplexity. In August 15,000 revellers will make their annual pilgrimage to Home Farm, Beauly on the outskirts of Inverness to take part in a very special “fiesta,” to celebrate 10 years of the iconic, award winning boutique festival.
The Tartan Heart Festival has carved out an excellent reputation for itself, proving to be a family friendly event with low levels of crime and a sense of joie de vivre amongst it’s fiercely loyal attendees. And how fitting it is that this year’s fancy dress theme is “carnival,” giving festival goers no better excuse to get into the party mood.
Belladrum is a little like a fine wine and seems to mature and improve with age and with another stellar line up ready to play at this year’s festival the anniversary event is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever. It is a music lovers festival and doesn’t pretend or try to be too commercial, with a tremendous emphasis placed on emerging talent as well as still being more than capable of attracting the more established household names.
It’s also about more than just the music with an array of arts, comedy, crafts and literary fayre available over the two and a bit days. There really is something for everyone at Belladrum and with a carnival theme there is sure to be a little birthday magic in the air.
So to the acts. Returning to Belladrum as Saturday headliners, for the first time since their triumphant appearance in 2007 are James, one of the biggest indie acts of the 90s, with a catalogue of hits too numerous to mention. Many will be aware of their biggest selling record, Sit Down, along with other favourites such as Laid and Sometimes, but their performance in 2007 was widely regarded by Bella fans as one of the best they’d ever witnessed on the festival’s main Garden Stage.
Friday’s headliners come in the shape of Glasgow indie rock outfit Twin Atlantic who first made an appearance at the festival in 2008 on the Seedlings Stage and their rise up the stages in the following years, 2009 (Hothouse) and 2010 on the Garden Stage, make them the perfect choice to return to the festival which has treated them like a son or daughter and helped nurture them through their formative years.
The highlight, for me at least, is the return of Seasick Steve, the John Deere driving, checked shirt wearing, blues rock genius from the good ole U S of A. Many years ago he played the festival in the Potting Shed stage and wowed the crowd with his strange, custom made guitars, fashioned from what looked like extras from a scrap yard sale. But there is nothing scrap yard about the sound he manages to squeeze out of each and every instrument, producing a unique sound of deep south influenced, bluesy, rock n roll.
Steve, real name Steven Gene Wold, lived rough in Tennessee, Mississippi and elsewhere, until 1973. He would travel long distances by hopping freight trains, looking for work as a farm labourer or in other seasonal jobs, often living as a hobo. He worked as a carnie, a cowboy and a migrant worker. When speaking about his life at that time he was quoted as saying: ”Hobos are people who move around looking for work, tramps are people who move around but don’t look for work, and bums are people who don’t move and don’t work. I’ve been all three.” He has at various points in his life been friends with Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain and has lived in Paris and Norway. But his big break came in 2006 when following an appearance on Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny show on Hogmanay his popularity exploded. The rest as they say, is history.
He has been accompanied on a number of occasions by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and here’s hoping the rock legend continues his collaboration with Steve at Belladrum.
This year’s Tartan Heart Festival at Belladrum Estate boasted it’s usual eclectic mix of some of the UK best-loved bands and they played their part of that there is no doubt, but for me it was the wealth of local talent on offer which made this year’s festival so special.
Sure Travis, The Wombats, special guests Kassidy, The South, Vintage Trouble, The Buzzcocks, Foy Vance, We Are Scientists and Frightened Rabbit produced special performances, but if you looked a little further afield than the Garden Stage this year you would have discovered, like we did, some real gems.
It was the first three-day camp for us at Belladrum and given the busy schedule of bands we wanted to catch we plumped for the quiet campsite. Must be getting old!
After the obligatory bacon roll and coffee to wash away the Thursday night excesses it was time to make our way to the Garden Stage to see James Mackenzie.
The Inverness singer/songwriter was joined on stage by former Aquascene members Caroline Truslove and Ruairidh Duncan, Blazin Fiddles’ Bruce MacGregor, Calum Martin and the now almost ever-present Chris Gorman. As the sun lit up the Garden Stage, James and his band did likewise and drifted beautifully through his glorious and ever-growing back catalogue of tunes including new single There’s Something I’m Not Telling You and Comfortable. Keep an eye on James’ progress over the coming year as his star continues to rise within and outwith the Highlands.
Sticking with the Garden Stage next up was the Red Kites and the mesmerizing voice of their Invernesian frontman Moteh Parrot. This band is developing a much deserved following after the release of their sensational EP, Beat In Time. After treating a sizeable crowd to EP tracks Hold Fast, The Artist and Peace of Mind, the song everyone had come to see – Beat In Time – was delivered with poignancy and emotion. The track is a beautiful tribute to Moteh’s late brother Lawrence who tragically died in 2009. I’m sure we weren’t the only ones in the crowd holding back a tear or three as the song danced delicately over the appreciative audience.
Clashes are an inevitable hazard of a festival and as such we were only able to rush and catch the final song by local indie band City in Surveillance on the GoNorth Seedlings Stage. However, I am reliably informed that they acquitted themselves admirably.
The next act on the list was one of the Highland capital’s most promising young singer/songwriters, the astoundingly talented Megan Blyth. But prior to Megan’s appearance on the Seedlings Stage there was time to check out Fife indie/dance outfit The Draymin, who had previously impressed at Rockness earlier this year. This time frontman Fraz Penman’s voice was in top form, unlike at Rockness where he had been struck down the lurgee just hours before taking to the stage. One to watch with instantly memorable tracks such as Heart Attack and the magnificent Hold Your Position.
So to the Seedlings Stage to see Megan Blyth. The 16-year-old produced another faultless display in front of a large and appreciative crowd. With one EP already under her belt and another on the way Megan treated the Seedlings Stage to a handful of her self penned songs, including the sensational Clueless, A Million Miles and Fading Away, a song of real maturity which echoes her heroine PJ Harvey.
So to the Garden Stage to discover who indeed would be the Bella “Special Guests.” The smart money prior to the event was that Kassidy would be making a return to the festival they triumphed at last year in the Hothouse Stage. And so it came to pass at 1830, as promised, the Glasgow based outfit took to the stage to tumultuous applause and ripped into hit after hit from both their albums to date, Hope Street and One Man Army.
It had been a long and alcohol fuelled Friday and it would have been rude not to have sampled the many watering holes Bella has to offer, including the Black Isle Brewery and their wonderful wares. But there was one more local act to see before calling it a day, Rachel Sermanni on the Grassroots Stage.
The Carrbridge singer/songwriter is unquestionably one of the most successful Highland exports in recent times and her experience at many high-profile gigs over the past year has added to her growing maturity on stage. Rachel wowed the Grassroots stage with a charming, cleverly crafted and delicate set and sent us floating off to the campsite with a warm glow in our hearts to match our livers!
Saturday, and the sun continued to shine down on the eternally grateful crowd, who had suffered one of the worst summers in recent years.
First up for us on Saturday was one of the highlights of Bella 2012, a faultless set from Inverness 5-piece, the Whisky River Band, whose growing reputation continues to attract interest from afar, not to mention the 18,000 YouTube hits their Nut Productions produced video for album track No Regrets received in just 24 hours prior to their Belladrum set.
This incredible achievement both pleased and worried frontman Kris Douglas, who admitted he’d never been more nervous than he was prior to their Saturday appearance in front of a packed tent on the Grassroots Stage. But if there were nerves you would have been hard pushed to tell as they launched into album (The Taming of Me) opener Dark Cloud. This was no ordinary performance from the Whiskys this was an M&S performance with each member of the band producing some wonderful moments of individual brilliance and ad-lib extras. But never once did this result in them losing their togetherness as a band. Their set was very much an all for one and one for all performance.
It’s hard to describe in words the fun-filled madness we then witnessed on the Seedlings Stage with the arrival of Toby Michaels’ Rolling Damned, featuring Toby himself, former Stolen Order guitarist Jonny Ga$h, KOBI’s Gary Thain and Steve Robertson and Calum Martin on drums. It’s time to step into the weird and wonderful world of Toby Michaels. His refreshing eccentricity and on stage presence brings with it one word – fun – like the variety brought to the world by Toby’s beloved favourites Tenacious D. He opens with a brilliant acoustic version of Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell before launching into a collection of his own self penned rock epics, such as current single Save Me. But it’s during Love Money which left the packed tent in awe. Here Toby decides (unknown to his band prior to the gig) to leave the stage and run out of the tent, but still singing as he danced his way a full 200 yards away His bewildered band remained onstage and continued to play as Toby continued to belt out the lyrics from the Red Bull bar! It was a classic moment of rock n roll exuberance and one which went down well with the open-mouthed crowd. The set closer was the shamelessly titled A Little Bit of What You Fancy, during which Toby decided to thrust his mic in my face and demanded I sing the end of the chorus, at which point I recall grunting something suitably incoherent, but it seemed to work and ensured a memorable end to a blistering set.
There was only going to be one local band who could possibly follow such a set and that band was Iain McLaughlin and the Outsiders, whose reputation and musical talent had won them a place on the coveted Hothouse Stage. I have to admit being a bit Outsiders daft but then anyone who has heard their debut album We Are All Outsiders would forgive me. This was a set and a stage made for Iain, Paul Elliott, Dave Ramsay and Russell Montgomery and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. From the powerful and intense opener Rapid Eye Movement to the rock fuelled energy of Remedy (during which I admit getting a little carried away in the screaming along department) this was a set full of heart, intensity, power and tenderness. The beauty of album slow burner Breathe captured that tenderness exquisitely. Without doubt this was another of our Belladrum highlights and those who witnessed their impeccable set were the lucky ones.
It was then time to take our first trip over to the Hen Stage in Belladrum’s famous Walled Garden to catch local singer/songwriters Barry Mackay and Ryan Golder (former The Side bassist) perform. Barry treated the Hen Stage to a number of his own tracks including I Shouldn’t Be Drinking (just what I was thinking!), Little Ray of Sunshine and a beautiful track he’d written for his wife Rachel, entitled Call My Name. He also squeezed in the Oasis-esque I Can’t See (a track he wrote during his time with Inverness band Sneaky Castro), which also included the now famous medley from Ryan Golder, which features everything from No Woman No Cry, Don’t Look Back In Anger and The One and Only to Barbie Girl and Eminem’s Not Afraid and bizarrely the Inspector Gadget theme tune! All these tracks are cleverly woven together and arrive back at the chorus of Barry’s I Can’t See. A must see if you haven’t already. They will be playing at a venue near you again soon. The set closed with Ryan Golder’s very own Forever Criminal, a poignant description of a woman who once had the world at her feet before drugs took control of her life.
Another typically busy day of bands and booze was beginning to take its toll again and it was time to head back to the tent grab a bite to eat and seat before the main event, Travis closing the Garden Stage.
Now the fact that I met my fiancée Suzette at a Travis gig back in 1999 probably added to the magic on the night, but the boys from Glasgow didn’t disappoint the massive crowd who’d turned up to see them play their only Scottish date this year. They reeled off hit after hit including All I Want To Do Is Rock, Turn, Something Anything, Side and Driftwood before closing with arguably their most famous and biggest hit, Why Does It Always Rain On Me. And unfortunately that song did eventually encourage the rain in the wee small hours but not before Travis gave Belladrum a five-star performance which ended in shower of magnificent fireworks and men on bag-pipes atop a massive crane.
In my humble opinion this year’s festival was one of the best Bella’s ever, but not just for the household names, this was almost certainly the year of the underdogs who you can expect to start biting at the heels of the A&R men very soon indeed, if indeed some haven’t already.
On a final note I have only three regrets this year (if you don’t include over indulging in that list!). 1. That I didn’t manage to catch the much heralded return of Roadway. 2. That I failed to make it to see Graham Brown’s Sienna Lights and 3. That up and coming Inverness indie band The Oxides were just too late to make the billing for this year’s festival, but they do play the Ironworks Summer Showcase with Roadway and Toby Michaels on 30 August so that one’s not to be missed.
Let’s not mince our words here. It’s been one helluva year for Highland music.
We’ve seen rising stars, album launches, EPs galore, awesome live gigs, Rockness appearances and more.
And now Belladrum 2012 is almost upon us. It’s a time to reflect, be thankful and give praise to some of those local artists who’ve given us some special memories so far this year and who will take to the stage at the weekend and given us a little more of what you fancy (sorry for the subtle nod to The Rolling Damned, couldn’t resist).
I for one can’t wait to catch just some if not all these acts over what promises to be a triumphant weekend for local artists.
1) Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders – their A-list repertoire of alternative, often dark, rock is a must see after their magnificent closing set at this year’s GoNorth week. As good as any UK or American alt-rock group I’ve heard for many a year.
2) The Whisky River Band – the Inverness five piece have enjoyed a great year and their appearance on Bella’s Grassroots Stage this weekend is sure to be a highlight to add to the many they have enjoyed in 2012, following the launch of their Taming of Me album and a blistering performance at Rockness
3) Rachel Sermanni – the Carrbridge singer songwriter has enjoyed an incredible year with appearances all over the world and with her latest Black Currents EP selling like proverbial hot cakes this rising star is not to be missed. Think Laura Marling and you won’t be disappointed.
4) Roadway – its been the road to hell and back for the Inverness’ rockers with band members Ross and Bod still recovering from a serious road accident, but they say they can’t wait to rock the cahonies off the Bella crowd and this one is not to be missed.
5) Toby Michaels Rolling Damned – got our first glimpse of Toby’s Rolling Damned at the weekend during their charity gig for Cancer Research UK at Tesco, Inverness and their powerful, Tenacious D-esque sound is sure to be a hit with the Bella faithful. No doubt Toby, the enigmatic frontman, has a few surprises up his sleeve on stage too.
6) Graham Brown (now in newly titled band Sienna Lights) – another strong local singer songwriter who will grace this year’s festival. After a staggering number of plays on YouTube over the past three months his band, which includes former Parma Violet Barrie MacLennan, will no doubt produce another special performance like the one they delivered during GoNorth week.
7) Megan Blyth – this hugely talented 16-year-old from Inverness could well be set to be the next female singer songwriter to follow in the foot steps of Rachel Sermanni and achieve wider attention. Her songs are instantly loveable and coupled with a voice which belies her tender age is a charming on stage presence which instantly demands your attention.
8) James Mackenzie – the conveyer belt of talent coming from the Highland capital right now is astonishing and James Mackenzie is one local artist definitely worthy of serious attention. His carefully constructed and beautifully melodic back catalogue of songs has already produced an EP, the single Pass Me The Bottle and this year’s Curtain Road EP. His recent collaboration with hugely talented singer Chris Gorman makes James’ set on the Garden Stage unmissable.
9) Red Kites – can’t say enough about how good this band actually are. But don’t take my word for it. Check em out on Spotify or iTunes and go and see Inverness’ Moteh Parrot and the lads live!
10) KOBi and Little Mill of Happiness – impossible to leave either of these fantastic bands out so they both squeeze into the number 10 slot, even though none of the above are in any particular order of preference.
Hope everyone enjoys Bella 2012 and catches the artists they planned to see prior to the festival.
Oops and almost forgot don’t dare miss Inverness duo Barry Mackay and Ryan Golder on the Free Range Folk Stage!
With a little over a week remaining until the gates open for this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival the signs are already there that this year will be something a little special.
Not only does the sold out boutique festival open its arms to a wealth of local and Scottish based talent, but it heralds the return of the nation’s favourite sons, Travis, who play their only Scottish show at Bella this year.
Travis fans may well be treated to some new material if they were to read more into a tweet issued by frontman Fran Healy earlier this week. As Healy is now in his milestone 40th year he tweeted that one ambition he has during this year is to record a new Travis album. Fingers crossed.
Regardless of whether or not that comes to fruition the Bella crowd is guaranteed a mass singalong at this year’s festival as Fran and the lads knock out instantly recognisable favourites such as Turn, Side, Sing, Driftwood, Writing to Reach You, All I Wanna Do Is Rock, U16 Girls, More Than Us and Why Does It Always Rain on Me – although after the summer we have endured thus far the Bella faithful will be hoping for a reversal in fortunes, weather wise!
The return of Travis to my home patch of Inverness has extra special significance for me and my fiancee Suzette. We were lucky enough to be backstage with the band on a number of occasions during their hey day, including a memorable day on the stage at Gig on The Green in Glasgow. In 2001 we were fortunate enough to get backstage at Travis’ gig at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange and at the time we had just got engaged. The boys kindly agreed to sign our engagement card that night and our spiritual bond with our favourite band was cemented.
Ok we’ve taken our time, but we finally get married in April and how fitting it is that the band whose concert we met at in Aberdeen’s Music Hall in 1999 come to the Highlands to headline our favourite festival in the year before we get hitched. It’s such a special end to our last year as partners before we become man and wife, at last! Ok soppy stuff over, but just a very nice tale
This year also promises to be a platform for some hugely promising local artists such as The Whisky River Band, Iain McLaughlin and The Outsiders, James Mackenzie, KOBI, Megan Blyth, Little Mill of Happiness, Red Kites, Toby Michaels’ Rolling Damned, Graham Brown (Sienna Lights), Barry Mackay, Ryan Golder (formerly of The Side) and of course star in the making Rachel Sermanni.
Add into the mix some performances from established acts such as The Wombats, We Are Scientists, Beverley Knight, Frightened Rabbit, Nina Nesbitt, The South (formerly Beautiful South), the brilliant Vintage Trouble, Foy Vance, Fink and a Friday night “special guest,” and you have all the ingredients for another thoroughly eclectic and sparkling line up of musical talent.
And if you missed them at Rockness I would heartily recommend catching Fife based indie/dance act The Draymin.
Roll on a week on Thursday. The Bella organisers have been busy putting the final touches to the site this week in preparation for this year’s event and excitement is reaching fever pitch.
The Whisky River Band launch their debut album The Taming of Me
Given the fervour and anticipation which accompanied the build up to Saturday’s launch of The Whisky River Band’s debut album The Taming of Me, it was little surprise that the 200 plus crowd made this one of the Highland capital’s most memorable musical moments.
The accomplished Inverness-based five piece have amassed a loyal following over the years and on Saturday Kris Douglas, Iain Duncan, Fraser MacLean, Andrew Davidson and Christopher Ronaldson thanked their devoted followers in the only way they know how – by giving them a hoe-down none who witnessed it will ever forget.
Everything about the launch had a “family” spirit about it. From the chartered ‘Good Family Whisky’ buses which ferried revellers to Bogbain Farm to the mutual warmth exchanged during a magnificent “full album,” set, replete with a few surprises.
The night kicked off with a polished and mature acoustic set from former Boosts singer/guitarist Jake Bolt, who took the crowd through a variety of the old and the new, including material from his newly established rock band The Oxides.
Jake was followed by the ever maturing sound of Inverness songstress Megan Blyth. The teenage singer/songwriter treated the Bogbain crowd to her charming back catalogue as well as a new and beautiful self penned track, ‘Bring Me Down’. The song itself tips more than a casual nod to the quintessential PJ Harvey.
With excitement reaching what can only be described as ‘fever pitch’ levels, the Whisky’s lead singer/guitarist Kris Douglas opened the main event with acoustic track The Taming of Me, a song originally scheduled to be on their debut album, but hooked at the last minute. Kris hinted prior to the gig that the track may still surface on a future EP later in the year.
The band then joined Kris on stage to deafening applause and the warmth of the reception left the lads in no doubt that this was definitely a family affair and they were there to celebrate the launch with as much enthusiasm as they could muster.
Even as the band ripped into the opening chords of Open Your Eyes you could sense this was going to be a special night. And the crowd were treated to flawless performances of each and every track from the album, including a raucous version of Dark Cloud.
They were joined by special guests Paul Elliott (Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders) and Megan Blyth for the laid back bluesy rock of Back Towards The Truth and Megan hooked up again with the Whiskys for Live on The Wire.
Evening opener Jake Bolt made his first reappearance on Don’t Think before returning with Megan and Paul Elliott to give the crowd the first of its two surprises on the night, a haunting and polished cover of Pearl Jam’s Indifference.
The album set concluded with crowd favourites Missed the Point and the infinitely singable No Regrets, which I am sure was the sentiment reverberating around the barn as the band and their gaggle of guests combined to rock out the night’s final performance, past gig favourite, the King of the Swingers.
Cue tumultuous and reciprocal applause from the crowd as all in attendance knew Bogbain Farm had witnessed a truly spiritual evening. This was underlined by the fact a ceilidh had been simultaneously held in the opposite barn by followers of the Dalai Lama. Earlier in the week His Holiness’s people had told the band in an email that although he couldn’t make it to the event he had offered to bless the band’s dodgy gearbox, which let them down badly during their recent trip to Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club.
As the buses filled with people and song as they headed back to Inverness everyone knew they’d been party to something special and #TeamWhisky as they should now be dubbed squeezed every last drop of enjoyment out of the night. Even the band admitted it was one of their finest hours to date. I’d have to agree.
Ever since a chance meeting with Highland singer/songwriter James Mackenzie at a friend’s house party last year I have to admit I’ve developed an addiction.
Thankfully my addiction is not of the life threatening kind, but rather the life affirming variety. My vice is an addiction to the local music scene. For more years than I care to mention I have been sailing along on a diet of mainstream, with the odd underground act thrown in when I bothered to read my weekly copy of the NME from cover to cover, until that conversation with James Mackenzie, which opened my ears and eyes to an exciting and vibrant music scene, one which I had been blissfully unaware of previously as I received spoon after spoon of my mainstream medicine.
Since that meeting I have made it my ambition to see and hear as many of the bands and solo acts the Highlands has to offer, often to the detriment of funds (through the obligatory purchase of beer) or sleep, due to the facts its often on a “school night” and after a very busy day at work. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
But this quest to drown myself in an alternate bath of music has not been a solitary exercise, as ace snapper Houdi Donnelly will testify to. My other half, Suzette, has often found herself asking, “how did I end up at the Market Bar on a Wednesday night?” Or “how did I end up at the Mallard in Dingwall on a Friday night?” To which there is only one response as far as the aforementioned photographer is concerned, “easily led.” She’ll no doubt receive her reward in another life!
During some of our earlier conversations with James it struck me that there was perhaps something I could do to harness this new found love of the local music scene. It got me thinking about how I could use my background in PR and journalism to try and find a different way to promote local artists through the modern wonder of social media. It would also have to be without profit, naturally – after all it’s all about the music baby.
It was then the light bulb emerged. Why don’t we do live lounge style session in a front room and promote it via the social networking behemoth, Facebook? It was at that moment #FrontRoomUnplugged was born. And who better to kick off our FrontRoom fantasy, the only other person I had met up until that point who shared my enthusiasm and vision, the Choiceman himself James Mackenzie. There really did seem to be a gap for such a musical adventure.
And since James’ melodic opening trio of self penned tracks (Pass Me The Bottle, Cap To Wear and Let’s Just Move On) the #FrontRoomUnplugged sofa has been graced by Rhys Torrance and Mikey Duncan from Inverness indie outfit City In Surveillance and Inverness singer/songwriters Barry Mackay and former The Side bassist Ryan Golder.
And we’ve no intention of slowing the pace with forthcoming slots coming soon from the Whisky River Band, Dave Grohl-esque Kai Henderson, the charming Megan Blyth, The Frues, Little Mill of Happiness, Michael MacLennan and Iain McLaughlin and the Outsiders.
The Highlands is a hotbed of musical talent right now with emerging new acts breaking out every week it seems, such as the hugely talented Purple Divide.
And it’s not just bands which are at the forefront of the blossoming music scene in the Highlands. Recently we witnessed the inaugural Brew at The Bog boutique festival at Bogbain Farm, organised by Northern Roots festival director Yvonne Murray and Blazin Fiddles’ Bruce MacGregor. Bruce has his very own Northern Roots event coming up in June, which is also well worth a trip down to the farm to enjoy.
Brew at the Bog was a very well received little festival and despite the perplexing melange of freezing temperatures, hail and sun, the reaction has been extremely positive. It certainly seems as though something is beginning to brew up nicely at the bog.
And the feel good factor just keep rolling on in 2012 for local artists. Iain McLaughlin and the Outsiders recently released their debut album “We Are All Outsiders,” (available from HMV Inverness, Imperial Records Inverness, Amazon and iTunes) and on June 23 The Whisky River Band release their long awaited debut “Taming of Me,” at a special launch party out at Bogbain Farm. Indeed James Mackenzie himself released his “Curtain Road” EP earlier this year and hopes to follow that up soon with his debut album. Megan Blyth is another up and coming young artist with a promising future and she too has been working hard on the local scene to get herself out there. She too has released her first EP, which is also available at HMV Inverness.
There’s also an exciting summer ahead on the festival circuit with The Whisky River Band and Iain McLaughlin and The Outsiders looking forward to sets at Rockness and Belladrum. You will also be able to catch James Mackenzie, Little Mill of Happiness and Rachel Sermanni at Bella and Inverness’ Team Kapowski at Rockness.
Exciting times ahead indeed and we are looking forward to taking #FrontRoomUnplugged forward during the remainder of the year and helping others such as NetSoundsUnsigned, GoNorth and InvernessGigs to take the music further afield and get others addicted to the sounds coming from one of the most vibrant and exciting music cities in Scotland.
