MNS FESTIVALS (Sept21-8)

Festivals! 

Scotland's Music 

the Scottish music festival supplement from MUSIC NEWS Scotland 

Ayanna 

Witter-Johnson 

(pictured) plays True North on 

24 September - more on p11 

www.facebook.com/AyannaWJ 

INSIDE :: 

Break Out :: The Spree :: TRNSMT :: Hidden Door :: True North 

:: Aberdeen Jazz :: HebCelt :: Riverside :: Glasgow Americana 

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MUSIC FESTIVALS - MUSIC FESTIVALS - MUSIC FESTIVALS - MUSIC FESTIVALS 

Fife's Breakout Festival Announces 2022 Dates 

Kirkcaldy :: 27-29 May 2022 :: www.breakout-together.com 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.breakout-together.com/tickets/ 

Festival organisers have said 

it is with great sadness that 

Break Out, a new festival 

due to be held in Kirkcaldy 

this October, has had to make 

the decision to move Breakout 

to 27-29 May 2022. 

After lengthy discussions with Fife Council and their 

partner agencies organisers made this very difficult 

decision due to the recent sharp rises in the number 

of Covid cases. 

A spokesperson said: "As the event is in support of 

the NHS, we feel it would be irresponsible to run such 

a large event at this time. Your safety and enjoyment 

is of the utmost importance to us and while other 

festivals and events have introduced mandatory 

testing for attendance we don't feel it would be 

appropriate (or welcome) to introduce similar 

measures. One of the main aims of Breakout is to 

celebrate our freedom again and for everyone to have 

a great time with great music and the new date will 

allow us to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for 

everyone." 

The festival does not expect the line up to change, 

with all the acts giving their support to the change. 

The later date will also see relaxed travel restrictions, 

which will allow us to look further afield for extra acts 

too. 

Break Out will feature two stages and over half a mile 

of fairground set to light up Kirkcaldy Promenade 

along with 3 days of live music, with all profits from 

the event going to NHS Scotland. 

Bands due to appear include Big Country, Midge Ure, 

The Skids, Callum Beattie, GUN, Goodbye Mr 

Mackenzie. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, The Rezillos and 

Moonlight Zoo - www.facebook.com/moonlightzoomusic 

The Filthy Tongues 

www.twitter.com/MartMetcalfe 

:: photo by Alan Wild 

many more on the main stage, and Kelly Llorenna, 

Capella, Utah Saints, Urban Cookie Collective and 

much much more on the tent stage. 

The festival will put vital money back into the local 

economy with all suppliers being local to Fife where 

possible and where not, Scotland. We have also 

deliberately chosen a lot of Scottish bands to tie in 

with that message. 

All tickets purchased can be transferred to the new 

date, you do not have to do anything, the ones you 

have will still be valid. If you have any questions 

please contact breakouteventsltd@gmail.com 

www.breakout-together.com 

www.twitter.com/_breakoutevents 

www.facebook.com/BreakoutFestivalFife 

www.scottishmusiccentre.com 

Covid-19 advice @ www.smc-covid19.com web @ www.scottishmusiccentre.com 

fb @ www.facebook.com/scottishmusiccentre tweet @ www.twitter.com/scottishmusic 

email your festival news to alastair.musicnewsscotland@gmail.com

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www.tireemusicfestival.co.uk 

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The Twilight Sad, Arab Strap and Nadine Shah among 

headliners as The Spree festival returns to Paisley 

Paisley :: 7-16 October :: www.thespree.co.uk 

Paisley’s popular music, 

comedy and arts festival 

The Spree will return in 

2021 with The Twilight 

Sad, Arab Strap and 

Nadine Shah among the 

bumper line-up coming to 

town this October. 

This year’s festival will take place from 7–16 

October with shows being staged in the iconic 

Salon Perdu Spiegeltent, which will be located 

within Paisley town centre. 

The Spree is one of the centrepieces of 

Renfrewshire Council’s major events programme 

which has made Paisley one of Scotland’s key 

cultural destinations in recent years. 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ ???? 

Now in its ninth year, the festival has been 

staged in the town each October since 2012, but 

was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus 

restrictions. 

The Spree festival was programmed once again 

in 2021 by Regular Music – who work with some 

of the biggest names in the industry as the team 

behind the Summer Nights at Kelvingrove 

Bandstand and the Edinburgh Castle Concerts. 

The festival kicks off on Thursday 7 October with 

innovative multi-instrumentalist Michael Rother, 

founding member of influential German 

electronic bands Neu! and Harmonia. Rother will 

perform the songs of both acts and solo works, 

which have inspired generations of musicians 

from David Bowie to Radiohead, Primal Scream 

and beyond. 

Scottish new wave outfit and UK chart-toppers 

The Bluebells head to the Spiegeltent on Friday 

8 October with special guest Sister John. 

Arab Strap, the pioneering Falkirk duo of Aidan 

Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, celebrated the 

release of their first studio album in 16 years in 

2021 – and they’ll be performing two shows at 

Kathryn Joseph 

:: www.facebook.com/kathrynjosephmusic 

Twilight Sad - www.facebook.com/thetwilightsad 

:: photo by by Paige Parsons 

the festival across Saturday 9 October. 

Star of the British folk revival in the sixties and 

seventies, Al Stewart brings his unique style of 

folk-rock songs and delicately woven tales to 

The Spree along with some special guests on 

Sunday 10 October. 

Kathryn Joseph, whose debut album Bones You 

Have Thrown Me and Blood I've Spilled won the 

Scottish Album of the Year Award at the 

prestigious ceremony in Paisley in 2015, returns 

to the town on Monday 11 October. 

Singer-songwriter Nadine Shah brings her 

politically charged post-punk music to the 

festival on Wednesday 13 October following the 

massive success of her 2020 release, Kitchen 

Sink, and Mercury Prize nomination for 2017 

album Holiday Destination. 

Famed for their notoriously loud live 

performances, The Twilight Sad will perform two 

very special, intimate Spiegeltent shows, 

featuring stripped-back songs from across their 

critically acclaimed body of work. These 

performances are not to be missed on Thursday 

14 and Friday 15 October. 

There’s also comedy from multi-award-winning 

comedian and best-selling author Janey Godley 

on Saturday 16 October, before the festival 

comes to a close later that evening as The 

Rezillos bring their blend of raucous punk rock 

back to Paisley - a town famed for its historic 

punk scene. 

Tickets for all shows are now on sale from the 

link above. 

Louisa Mahon, Head of Events, Marketing 

and Communications for Renfrewshire 

Council, said: “We’re delighted to be returning 

to in-person events again and working with 

Regular Music to bring top artists from across 

the UK back to The Spree festival this October. 

“The Spree is synonymous with a great night out 

in Paisley and has become a firm favourite in 

Scotland’s music festival calendar, attracting 

music fans from across the country to the town. 

We can’t wait to welcome everyone back and 

are working hard to make sure festival-goers are 

safe at our events. Nothing beats being able to 

come together to enjoy music and comedy in 

once place and this year’s line-up will be well 

worth the wait.” 

The Spree festival has received funding support 

from Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, managed 

by EventScotland. 

Paul Bush, VisitScotland’s Director of 

Events, said: “EventScotland is delighted to be 

supporting the return of Paisley’s festival of 

music, comedy and arts – The Spree, through 

Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund. 

“The importance of human interaction, 

connection and shared experiences has never 

been stronger and although it will take time to 

rebuild, it’s fantastic to see the return of live 

events across the country. 

“With its stellar line-up of talent, both audiences 

and artists will once again be able to share their 

love of performance together in the same place, 

at the same time.” 

More shows at The Spree will be announced over 

the coming weeks with details to be revealed for 

The Wee Spree – a programme of activities and 

arts for kids and families over the October 

school holidays. 

www.thespree.co.uk 

www.twitter.com/SpreeFestival 

www.facebook.com/thespreefestival 



Live Music Returns To Glasgow Green 

Glasgow :: 10-12 September :: www.trnsmt.com 

Live music finally returns 

to Glasgow Green from 10- 

12 September, as cinch 

presents TRNSMT 

prepares to welcome 

thousands of fans for a 

weekend like no other, 

after two years without 

music festivals in Scotland. 

The event has revealed an exciting glimpse into what 

fans can expect over the weekend, releasing the 

highly-anticipated site map and launching the festival 

app with set times for each and every act. 

Acts including Amy Macdonald, Becky Hill, Primal 

Scream, Twin Atlantic and more have also spoken of 

their excitement ahead of the event’s huge return to 

Glasgow city centre, while a special series of cinch 

presents TRNSMT x Blethered sees host Sean 

McDonald chat to acts include Amy Macdonald, SAINT 

PHNX, Dylan John Thomas and more. 

The festival’s long-awaited return will see headliners 

Courteeners, Liam Gallagher and The Chemical 

Brothers join acts including Sam Fender, Primal 

Scream, Snow Patrol, Little Simz, Becky Hill, Griff and 

more! 

Fans can check out brand new experiences including 

The Boogie Bar, with DJ sets from the likes of 

Nightwave, Pretty Ugly and Test Press, visit cinch’s 

faff-free deck’s viewing platform and charge their 

phone, or drop by the Wellbeing Area to take a 

moment to chill out and speak to trained volunteers. 

Across the weekend, fans can also take a ride on 

TRNSMT’s very own Ferris Wheel, take a break in the 

VIP area or try out the city’s tastiest food vendors at 

Big Feed x cinch presents TRNSMT. 

Fans can also now download the free cinch presents 

TRNSMT app, ensuring handy access to all set times, 

live notifications and festival info over the weekend. 

Set times can be viewed by time or place, meaning 

fans can plan out their whole weekend and ensure 

they make the very most of their long-awaited return 

to the festival. 

With live notifications, every single set time and 

important event information available at the touch of 

a button, the app is a must for festival fans. Users can 

‘star’ their favourite artists to create their very own 

schedule and even receive push notifications before 

the act takes to the stage – making sure they don’t 

miss a single second of live music. 

Here's the thoughts of a few performers ... 

Amy Macdonald - "It feels surreal to be preparing to 

:: photo by Gaelle Beri 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.trnsmtfest.com/tickets 

do a show again - It’s been that long! I’m so excited 

that cinch presents TRNSMT is going ahead, and I 

can’t wait to get on the stage. I think it’ll be quite an 

emotional weekend and I apologise in advance for any 

tears. I can’t wait to hang out with a Glasgow 

audience again.” 

Becky Hill - “I feel incredibly lucky to be back playing 

festivals & especially cinch presents TRNSMT. I think 

lockdown nearly broke all of us & I cannot wait to 

headline the King Tut’s Stage & play the music I’ve 

released over the past 15 months live to people who 

want to forget about the hardship of the pandemic & 

enjoy music, the atmosphere & being side by side 

once again.” 

Dylan John Thomas – “Grew up 5 minutes for 

Glesga Green, now I’m playing there. Mental. This will 

be dynamite.” 

Inhaler – “Glaswegians are always one of the most 

exciting audiences to play to. Especially in a crowded 

Glasgow Green on a sunny evening. Probably one of 

the only places on earth where the crowd are louder 

than the band!” 

Luke La Volpe – “Playing a festival in my favourite 

city after the 18 months we’ve all had is going to be 

one to remember. cinch presents TRNSMT's not a 

dream anymore, it’s just around the corner.” 

Sea Girls - "This band was born playing live shows 

and the past year couldn't have highlighted how much 

they mean to us. It's amazing to be back. See you on 

the green Glasgow." 

Spyres - "We’re so excited to get back playing and 

massively excited to play our first ever festival 

especially on home soil with so many great bands." 

Tamzene – “Couldn't be more excited to come back 

to cinch presents TRNSMT. I loved playing back in 

2019 and look forward to sharing some new music 

with a beautiful Glasgow crowd.” 

Twin Atlantic – “Getting to play in front of our city 

after such a turbulent time in everyone’s lives is going 

to feel so liberating and memorable. Every time we 

play a big outdoors show at home it feels like a 

landmark moment for the band. Sharing the stage 

with a legend like Liam Gallagher too is such an 

honour. Can’t wait to put on a show for everyone 

including our family and friends right on our 

doorsteps.” 

Want a podcast? Looking for a new podcast series? 

cinch presents TRNSMT has got it covered, with the 

festival teaming up with one of Scotland’s most 

successful podcasts for TRNSMT x Blethered. Host 

Sean McDonald catches up with acts including Amy 

Macdonald, Saint PHNX and Dylan John Thomas as 

they preview their return to a music festival in 

Scotland for the first time in two years. Listen to 

episodes and stay tuned for more exclusive Blethered 

content here. 

The Party Continues On Into The Night … Lucky 

fans have already snapped up tickets to two very 

special, sold-out Midnight Shows with both KSI and 

Amy Macdonald set to perform intimate gigs at King 

Tut’s on the Friday and Saturday respectively, while 

YALA Records present a sold out aftershow with The 

Murder Capital at McChuills on Friday 10th September. 

Covid Testing ... 

Spyres 

www.facebook.com/spyresmusic 

All attendees to cinch presents TRNSMT will be 

required to present proof of a negative NHS COVID-19 

Lateral Flow Test to gain access to the events. 

Attendees to both events must take a lateral flow test 

up to 48 hours before arriving at the site. The results 

have to be uploaded to the Government website, by 

scanning the QR code or entering the ID Number, 

providing contact details to receive a confirmation text 

& email – which should be shown to stewards at the 

site entrances (these can also be screenshotted for 

convenience too). Fans attending multiple days across 

the weekend, will be required to take a second test 48 

hours after the first one. So, for example, anyone 

taking their first test on Friday morning before 

arriving onsite must take another on Sunday morning 

before setting off in order to enter the festival. 

Information about the festival’s entry procedures can 

be found at www.trnsmt.co/entry 

www.trnsmt.com 

www.twitter.com/TRNSMTfest 

www.facebook.com/TRNSMTfest 


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Edinburgh's Hidden Door 

Festival returns this month 

Edinburgh :: 15-19 September :: www.hiddendoorarts.org 

the 

mns 

collection …. 

Hidden Door will return 

this September for an 

outdoor festival of music, 

visual art, theatre, dance 

and spoken word. 

Over the five days, Hidden Door will stage a series of specially 

commissioned collaborations with Scottish musicians and artists, 

creating visually stunning multimedia shows and immersive 

experiences. 

David Martin, Creative Director of Hidden Door, said: 

“Hidden Door has always set out to create an immersive 

experience for our audience, where they can explore a new place 

and discover new creative work. This might be discovering a new 

artist or music act they had never come across before, or it might 

even be experiencing an entire art form for the first time. By 

bringing contemporary dance, experimental theatre and spoken 

work together with live music and visual art, we hope we can build 

and develop audiences for art forms, and that people will find 

something they love that they just didn’t expect. With eighteen 

months of virtually no live events, this will be an opportunity for 

people who love the arts to pack it all in, surrounding themselves 

with experiences they love!” 

Music Line-Up Revealed ..... 

Hidden Door will be building two stages on the Granton Gasholder 

site, allowing their live music acts to alternate in a non-stop relay 

each night. Amongst the acts playing in the shadow of the epic 

gasholder will be Scottish indie legend Pictish Trail, electronic 

maestro Rival Consoles, electro-pop star Hannah Diamond, afrofunk 

mega-band Ibibio Sound Machine and Manchester-based 

indie band The Orielles, alongside rising stars from the UK and 

Scottish music scene. 

Here’s a quick look at some of the 

programme ..... 

:: Wednesday 15 September – Opening Party 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.hiddendoorblog.org/tickets 

Been waiting for the last year and a half for a decent party? Wait 

no longer! Come down for the opening event and help get the 

party started. The whole festival will kick off with a reprise of The 

Call: an inspiring project conceived at the height of lockdown by 

composer Esther Swift, summoning 20 of the best, most eclectic 

Scottish musicians and conducting them from across the gasworks 

site with huge flags. The stages will burst to life with performances 

by Edinburgh-based pop-luminaries MALKA and Hamish Hawk, 

paving the way for one of Scotland’s most significant talents, all 

the way from the Isle of Eigg – Pictish Trail. Not only is his 

Scottish indie-pop the kind to let your spirits soar, but there is a 

joy and mischief at the heart of his live performances, and we fully 

expect the opening night to feel like the celebration we have all 

been waiting for. 

:: Thursday 16 September – Post Punk Pop 

A guitar-driven, lyric-laden adventure to the musical stratosphere 

with a set of bands picked for their euphoric, melodic appeal. 

Bringing together a strong female-driven line up, this night brings 

good vibes through great songs, telling stories and infectious 

hooks. From irreverent and raucous locals Bikini Body and Swim 

School, to the perfectly poised Glaswegian Cloth, be swept along 

in a non-stop night of song after quality song, as the music 

alternates between the two music stages; building through an 

uplifting set by rising star Katy J Pearson until The Orielles whip us 

up into a post-disco-punk frenzy to take us on a journey through 

the interstellar pop cosmos. 

:: Friday 17 September – Get On Down 

Imagine, after 18 months of NOTHING, you held a huge party. 

Imagine an 8-piece afro beat funk band turned up to play… 

imagine the dancing! The evening will start with some rousing new 

tunes from Edinburgh songwriter and Broken Records frontman 

Jamie Sutherland, and continue to build as Electronica duo 

Maranta take to the stage to present a set created in collaboration 

with visual artist Chell Young; combining visuals and sounds to 

make something utterly unique and remarkable. The party will 

really start to get going with Astrosnax building it up until it finally 

explodes with Ibibio Sound Machine, a band who look as good as 

they sound, combining Nigerian beats and vocals with jazz horns 

and dance floor beats. This is the party we have been dreaming 

of! Expect grooves, moves and afro funk; charismatic 

performances, a visual feast and a damn good party. 

:: Saturday 18 September – Dance Glitter Cry 

This night will take you on a journey to the future of pop, 

culminating in a performance by the widely acclaimed Hannah 

Diamond, described as “a new kind of pop star”… part of the 

groundbreaking PC Music collective, a label that has achieved cult 

status as purveyors of “hyperpop”; music combining massive 

beats and sounds with crystal-pure vocals and emotion-laden 

melodies. The night will be packed with the likes of Post Coal Prom 

Queen, Easyfun and Future Get Down – appearing in an unbroken 

sequence of performances that will build and build, letting you feel 

all the feels, dancing with a tear in your eye. 

:: Sunday 19 September – Epic Cinematic Finale 

Closing night at Hidden Door will build-up slowly, from ambient 

Sunday sounds rising through lush post-rock soundscapes to 

emotive electronic compositions with the likes of Wozniak and 

Gefahrgeist, the evening will crescendo towards a special 

collaboration between artist/film-maker Florence Richardson and 

ambient composer Daniel Garcia. Their set will resonate with the 

incredible setting, creating a unique multi-sensory experience. As 

the sun sets over the giant industrial structure of the gas holder, 

we hand the music over to Rival Consoles to lift this evocative, 

cinematic evening into a rousing, electronic closing party. 

www.hiddendoorarts.org 

www.facebook.com/hiddendoor 

www.twitter.com/hiddendoorarts 

Cloth 

www.facebook.com/clothband 

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publications 

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Aberdeen Performing Arts to 

Rise Up with True North 2021 

Aberdeen :: 23-26 September :: www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/true-north/ 

Aberdeen Performing 

Arts’ award-winning 

music festival, True 

North will return from 

23-26 September for a 

weekend of live music 

and free events, boasting 

an inspirational and 

vibrant line up of shows 

and Fringe events at 

venues across the city. 

True North will be based around the theme of 

Rise Up, celebrating freedom of expression, 

diversity and community as we prepare to reopen 

and welcome back audiences to the Music 

Hall, Lemon Tree and His Majesty’s Theatre for 

the first time since March 2020. 

American singer songwriter and former Czars 

frontman John Grant will headline True North at 

the Music Hall on the Saturday evening. 

Described as ‘the misfit’s misfit’, Grant is too 

weird to be mainstream, too mainstream to be 

weird; too sad to be happy, too sharp not to 

crack a mordant joke about it. The dolorous ace 

in his song-writing pack is to gauge 

impressionistic childhood experiences against 

their amplified adult consequences. He will be 

supported by acclaimed Scottish performer 

Rachel Sermanni. 

Grammy and MOBO award-winning star Corinne 

Bailey Rae will close the festival on Sunday with 

a specially curated concert at the Music Hall 

called “A Celebration of Stevie Wonder by 

Corinne Bailey Rae.” The evening will see 

Corinne joined by special guests to perform the 

many legendary hits from the catalogue of 

Stevie Wonder songs in what promises to be an 

extraordinary evening of music. With previous 

True North curated concerts celebrating the 

music of Neil Young, David Bowie and Kate Bush 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.aberdeenperformingarts.com 

among others, this concert at True North has 

become a highlight of the festival and a firm 

favourite among audiences. 

Headlining on Friday night at the Lemon Tree 

with a Night of New Voices is the soulful, 

eclectic Ayanna Witter-Johnson. A singer, 

songwriter, cellist, composer, producer and 

arranger with phenomenal musical prowess, 

mesmerising vocals, uncompromising lyrics and 

mastery of the cello. Ayanna unapologetically 

imprints her unique musical signature into her 

music. Heir of the Cursed, Robyn Davidson and 

DJ Rebecca Vasmant complete the line-up. 

Aberdonian grime rapper Ransom FA will head 

up late night at the Lemon Tree on 

Saturday. The fast-rising artist, was 

a contestant on the UK TV show, The Rap Game, 

where he battled other budding rappers for a 

record deal. Prior to the Rap 

Game, Ransom had already shared the stage 

with many of the biggest UK rappers, such as 

Skepta, Wiley, Mist, M Huncho to name only a 

few. He will be joined by Chef, Sean Focus and 

DJ HomeAlone. 

Playing on Thursday 23 September and kicking 

off True North 2021 will be Peaness, who will be 

bringing their catchy, fuzzy, harmony-driven 

indie-pop songs about love, friendship, 

frustrations, Brexit and food waste to the Lemon 

Tree. Formed in 2014 in Chester university 

digs, the trio have secured nationwide and 

international shows with bands such as 

The Beths, Kero Kero Bonito, The Cribs, We Are 

Scientists, The Big Moon and Dream Wife. They 

will be joined at the Lemon Tree by Swim School 

and Lavender Lane. 

A spoken word event specially commissioned by 

Aberdeen Performing Arts and headed up by 

award winning poet and three-time slam 

champion Jo Gilbert will focus on the festival’s 

theme of Rise Up. Four local spoken word artists 

will produce new work based around this theme 

and showcase their work at the Lemon Tree on 

Sunday in an event which promises to challenge 

and inspire in equal measure. 

Fringe events are planned to take place in 

venues across the city over True North weekend 

and details will be announced shortly. 

Ben Torrie, Aberdeen Performing Arts’ 

Director of Programming and Creative 

Projects said: 

“We are thrilled to announce the lineup for True 

North 2021, which feels like a huge step in the 

return of live performance at our venues. It feels 

really good to be able to bring the festival to a 

live audience once again. It means a lot to us to 

be able to put this on for people in Aberdeen, 

and to shine a spotlight on so many talented 

performers and musicians is a privilege that has 

never been so important. 

“The theme of this year’s festival is Rise Up. It’s 

a positive message about rising up to bring 

people together, marking the re-opening of our 

venues, and celebrating the power of music to 

help us stand up for the things we believe in. We 

could not be prouder of this festival at this 

time.” 

www.twitter.com/TrueNorth_Fest 

www.facebook.com/TrueNorthFest 

www.aberdeenperformingarts.com 



Aberdeen Jazz Festival returns - 

18 live concerts across the city 

Aberdeen :: 30 September - 10 October :: www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com 

Aberdeen Jazz Festival held a 

hugely successful on-line event this 

year in its traditional March slot, 

exceeding all audience expectations, 

but the organisers were keen to 

bring live music back to the city. 

As soon as restrictions were lifted, the Festival presented saxophonist, Tommy 

Smith, in an extraordinary solo concert at St Machar’s Cathedral, and now the 

popular Festival is back for a 10 day event packed with leading jazz names in 

concerts at The Blue Lamp, Queen’s Cross Church, Spin, Revolution de Cuba, 

Lemon Tree and Aberdeen Art Gallery. 

And for all of the festival’s new on-line admirers there is an on-line Festival from 

15-22 October. 

18 live concerts over ten days will range across jazz styles, from swing to big 

band; gypsy jazz to funky/soul; folk-jazz crossovers to late night clubbing; classy 

jazz vocals to latin jazz parties. Across all of the concerts, there’s a special sense 

of celebration amongst the musicians – everyone involved is very excited to be 

playing a festival again in front of live audiences. 

Aberdeen Jazz Festival is delighted to welcome international musicians once again 

and the festival opens with one of the great European bands of today’s jazz world: 

pianist, Espen Eriksen brings his Trio to the Blue Lamp. This will the first of 

eleven shows at Aberdeen’s iconic jazz club. 

And perhaps the most poignant moment will come on the opening Friday at the 

Blue Lamp, when the Festival salutes one of the greatest Aberdonian jazz 

musicians, Bill Kemp, who died in April. Bill was a mainstay of nearly every 

leading Aberdeen jazz group from the 1960’s to the 2020’s, and a drummer who 

played regularly with many national and international stars. Marisha Addison who 

performed with Bill for over 40 years, will present We Love You Bill where old and 

young musical colleagues will play together in different formats, with Bill’s great 

friend, Fabrizio Conte, star-pupil, Richard Glassby; and leading UK drummer, Alyn 

Cosker, taking the maestro’s seat. 

Other musical highlights will be a new all-female group led by singer, violinist and 

broadcaster, Seonaid Aitken, featuring five string players and saxophonist, Helena 

Kay; the leading Glasgow soul-funk-nu jazz group, Corto Alto; the brilliant Greek 

singer, Irini Arabatzi in duo with piano wunderkind, Fergus McCreadie; a Festival 

debut for the stunning piano-bass-drums, Trio Nadurra; a Lemon Tree party with 

the irrepressible Tom McGuire & The Brassholes; a special celebration of Big Band 

drummers with Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra and Alyn Cosker; a new double tenor 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com 

Tom McGuire & The Brassholes celebrate coming to the Lemon 

Tree on Thursday 7 October. 

:: www.facebook.com/tomandthebrassholes 

saxophone-led band featuring two of Scotland’s hottest young musicians, Matthew 

Kilner and Matt Carmichael; the infectious grooves of Funk Connection; and the 

sultry soulful vocals of Niki King with her new project, Time. 

Neil Gibbons, Festival Director, Aberdeen Jazz Festival said: “In the teeth 

of lockdown, we began Aberdeen Jazz Festival 2021 in March with a series of 

digital concerts which proved very popular. What a pleasure to be back to 

complete the festival with a programme of local and international music that we 

know audiences will love. The spirit of Aberdeen Jazz Festival is very much alive 

and we can’t wait to get started again and welcome audiences during our brilliant 

festival celebrating all that’s great in live Jazz.” 

Eleven of the concerts will be recorded for an on-line Festival, where the complete 

shows will be available for a full week for a single ticket of £25. 

www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com 

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www.facebook.com/AberdeenJazzFestival 

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International Audience Sees Hebcelt 

Festival Begin Pandemic Bounce Back 

An international audience 

tuned in to watch live 

streaming, pre-recorded 

digital content and special 

commissions during the 

four-day music and 

cultural 'Survival Sessions' 

event, produced by the 

HebCelt Festival in July. 

The Survival Sessions delivered 32 hours of 

programme content from 14 to 17 July, with 

people tuning in online from the USA, Australia 

and 12 other countries. 

Local music talent played a key role in the 

programme. Willie Campbell, who featured in 

two of the shows, said: “It’s hard to overstate 

how important the Survival Sessions have been 

this year. HebCelt is part of the islands culture 

and, as always, I’m delighted to have been 

Involved. The atmosphere had a unique quality. 

We’ve all felt like we were taking part in 

something important and special. It’s great to 

see how strongly the festival has supported local 

musicians and creatives. It’s been so 

appreciated by all.” 

Caroline Maclennan, HebCelt Festival 

Director, said: 

“We have been humbled to receive the many 

messages of enjoyment and support from our 

creative community. We can’t thank our funders 

and supporters enough. They are absolutely 

critical to our survival in any year and deserve 

praise for the roles they play in ensuring we are 

able to create the annual festival, which is so 

important to our culture, artists and ultimately 

the local economy. They have helped us to 

create a fresh legacy of content and they are 

aiding our bounce-back from the pandemic. 

Colin Macleod plays live at An Lanntair's Survival Sessions 

:: www.facebook.com/colinmacleodofficial 

“We’re delighted to see that the Survival 

Sessions have inspired so many musicians both 

home-based and from around Scotland which 

allowed us to produce a high quality event which 

was essentially a TV broadcast of live and prerecord 

material. 

“Live streaming content from a green field site 

has its challenges but the success of this year’s 

event has been down to the amazing technical 

and creative talent that the islands have in 

abundance, and a first class venue to broadcast 

from. We are deeply indebted to all who have 

been agile and adaptable to enable us to reach a 

global audience, and we are happy that we 

managed to provide a safe and really enjoyable 

four nights of live music in-person. I know how 

much it meant to those who played in the 

auditorium to have that spark of interaction with 

their audience.” 

Other countries that tuned in to the Survival 

Sessions included: Ireland, Germany, France, 

Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Norway, 

Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Canada. 

HebCelt is supported by Creative Scotland, 

EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events 

Directorate, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and other 

public and private sector supporters 

Survival Sessions performers can be heard 

talking about their shows in a series of HebCelt 

podcasts @ www.hebceltfest.com/backstage/ 

podcast 

www.hebceltfest.com 

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page 16 


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Glasgow's Riverside Festival closes with 

a formidable cast of techno heavyweights 

Two titans of 

international 

techno Dax J & 

Kobosil joined 

Scottish fans on 

the banks of the 

Clyde as they 

brought Riverside 

Festival to a 

momentous close. 

After two years without live music, organisers 

behind the festival decided to make up for lost 

time by adding an extra day to this year’s event, 

making Riverside’s 8th edition a three day 

weekender for the first time in the festival’s 

history. 

Mark MacKechnie, Festival Director, said: 

“It’s been an absolutely amazing weekend. After 

what has been over a year and a half of hard 

work and planning, it’s brilliant to see everyone 

finally get to enjoy the festival they deserve. As 

Scotland’s first festival back and Riverside’s first 

three-day event everyone - crowd and artists 

alike - have gone above and beyond to cement 

this year’s festival as one of our best to date.” 

The weekend festival saw a huge return for the 

live music scene in Scotland with huge names 

like Jamie xx, Disclosure, Jayda G and Skream 

gracing fans with some unforgettable sets from 

the grounds of the iconic Zaha Hadid designed 

Riverside Museum. 

The festival came to a close with a day full of 

the most cutting edge in local and international 

techno. Paula Temple brought her infectious 

energy to Glasgow’s Clydeside , while Glasgow’s 

VTSS 

www.facebook.com/vtssvtssvtss 

:: photo by Kierian Patton 

Disclosure 

www.facebook.com/Disclosure 

:: photo by Tim Craig 

own techno trailblazers Slam made a huge 

return to live shows as they debuted their brand 

new Hybrid Live concept. Fans were also treated 

to a set by international techno phenomenon 

Amelie Lens before a sensational b2b with Dax J 

& Kobosil brought the weekend to a close. 

To top things off, after the festival closed 

organisers opened the doors to the official after 

party: Riverside By Night. Which saw a whole 

host of exciting local talent playing across 

Glasgow’s SWG3 warehouse before Slam ended 

the night with an unmissable b2b with Paula 

Temple, making Riverside By Night a late-night 

festival in itself. 

www.riversidefestivalglasgow.com 

www.twitter.com/RFGlasgow 

www.facebook.com/riversidefestivalglasgow 

www.hebceltfest.com 

facebook: www.facebook.com/HebCelt 

twitter: www.twitter.com/HebCelt 



Glasgow Americana returns to a 

live stage and audiences for 2021 

Glasgow :: 29 September - 3 October :: www.glasgowamericana.com 

Glasgow Americana has 

nine shows this year at six 

different venues over its 5- 

day period, bringing some of 

the best talent from home 

and abroad to Glasgow. 

The opening night will feature UK-based Australian singer-songwriter Emily Barker 

who will perform in Cottiers Theatre in the West End. Kicking off the night and 

declaring GA officially open up will be Scottish singer-songwriter, Kirsten 

Adamson. 

Thursday 30 September sees a choice of shows from local favourite and hugely 

talented Jill Jackson, who will play a headline show in Saint Lukes. 

Organisers are so happy to see Nathan Bell making the trip to Glasgow in these 

troubled times for his Thursday show in The Admiral. Nathan has been steadily 

building an audience in Glasgow since his debut here at Celtic Connections 2017. 

Long Ryders front man Sid Griffin plays The Admiral on Friday 1 October, 

meanwhile over in the South-Side Nashville-based singer Diana Jones plays a sold 

out show in The Glad Cafe. 

The very talented Scottish singer-songwriter Roseanne Reid will headline the 

matinee show back in The Glad Cafe on Saturday 2 October, with the equally 

talented David Latto opening up the show. 

Roseanne is doing a double shift on the Saturday and will be performing as part of 

a ‘Song Writers In The Round’, with Jill Jackson and multi-instrumentalist and 

hugely talented Cahalen Morrison. 

Moving on to the final day, Sunday 3 October, GA is delighted to have the Seven 

Song Club back at the festival. This year, it will be showcasing Scottish talent, 

with Man Of The Minch, The Coaltown Daisies and Kirsteen Harvey taking the 

stage in Room 2. 

Fans will be thrilled to welcome My Darling Clementine back to Glasgow 

Americana as they continue to tour in support of their most recent, critically 

acclaimed album 'Country Darkness - the songs of Elvis Costello’. The husband 

and wife duo of Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish play The CCA at 8pm. 

Festival director Kevin Morris said: “I am so proud of this line up, which was 

put together at short notice and glad to be given the opportunity for the 15th 

Glasgow Americana festival to actually happen. The fact that a festival like 

Glasgow Americana can still exist, in what has been such a strange time for 

musicians, venues and promoters alike makes me happy. I would also like to 

thank Creative Scotland for their continued support in allowing the festival to go 

ahead.” 

My Darling Clementine 

www.facebook.com/mydarlingclementine.music 

:: photo by Marco Bakker 

BUY YOUR TICKETS @ www.glasgowamericana.com 

Full Glasgow Americana Line Up At A Glance ..... 

Opening Night Wednesday 29 September - Emily Barker Kirsten Adamson 

Cottiers Theatre, 93-95 Hyndland St, Glasgow G11 5PU 

Tickets £16, doors 7.30pm, 8pm start 

Thursday 30 September - Nathan Bell plus Kirsteen Harvey 

The Admiral Bar 72a Waterloo St, Glasgow G2 7DA 


Thursday 30 September – Jill Jackson plus Chris Andreucci 

Saint Lukes 17 Bain St, Glasgow G40 2JZ 

Tickets £18.50, doors 7pm, 8pm start 

Please read additional COVID measure in place for this show 

Friday 1 October - Diana Jones plus support 

The Glad Café 1006A Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow G41 2HG 

SOLD OUT 

Doors 7.30pm, 8pm start 

Friday 1 October - Sid Griffin plus Scott Ashworth 

The Admiral Bar 72a Waterloo St, Glasgow G2 7DA 


(In association with Sounds In The Suburbs) 

Saturday 2 October - Roseanne Reid plus David Latto 



Saturday 2 October - Song Writers In The Round 

Featuring Jill Jackson, Cahalen Morrison & Roseanne Reid 



Sunday 3 October - The Seven Song-Featuring Man Of The Minch, The Coaltown 

Daisies, and Kirsteen Harvey 

Room 2 69 Nelson Mandela Pl, Glasgow G2 1QY 


Sunday 3 October - Finale Night- My Darling Clementine plus Arksong 

The CCA 350 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G2 3JD 


Full details and tickets via links below ..... 


www.twitter.com/KevoMorris 

www.facebook.com/Glasgow-Americana-137637266274105 

www.musicnewsscotland.wordpress.com 

Jill Jackson 

www.facebook.com/jilljacksonofficial






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