Having sold out for its 9th year in a row, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival returns once again to bring you a weekend of fun and frolic in the fields of Inverness-shire. Founded in 2004, the festival is a celebration of music and arts, and offers a family-friendly atmosphere. From its humble beginnings at 2,000 attendees it has grown to draw in a following of 18,500 in the last years. With some big headliners to feature at this year’s event including Paloma Faith, Primal Scream and Amy MacDonald, it’s no wonder it was given the title as TripAdvisor’s ‘UK’s Most Popular Music Festival’. The theme for this year will be Bollywood, and will feature some Scottish based Bollywood groups such as ‘Staffin’, coming all the way from the Isle of Skye to perform on the main stage on Saturday afternoon.
Kicking off Thursday will be Amy MacDonald, Scottish singer-songwriter who has sold over 12 million records worldwide. Her early inspiration comes from Travis’ performance at T in the Park in 2000 when she heard the song ‘Turn’ which sparked her interest to pick up a guitar and try the song for herself. Her music career took off not long after when she began playing in small venues around the age of 15. Since releasing her debut album in 2007, she has written three more as well as winning a number of awards over the years.
On Friday Paloma Faith will grace the stage with her renowned quirky presence. She released her debut album in 2009 which reached double platinum status in the UK and saw her receive her first Brit Award nomination in 2010. Her latest and fourth album came out in November of last year which debuted at number one in the UK. She has also made blockbuster appearances in a few films including ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’. Her music is somewhere between soul and gospel, and with her eccentric personality she always manages to bring an electric performance to the stage.
The final night will be headlined by Primal Scream. Formed in 1982, the band are a classic choice from the Scottish music scene. Renowned for the mainstream breaking album ‘Screamadelica’, released in 1991, after being introduced to the acid house scene in 1988. The band’s influences have changed over the years with everything from The Velvet Underground to Jah Wobble. Their albums have featured top name artists such as Robert Plant from Led Zepplin and they have produced 11 albums since their beginnings, with the latest ‘Chaosmosis’ being released in 2016. They have toured all over the globe, making regular appearances at big festivals such as Glastonbury, building a sometwhat controversial reputation. Nonetheless, the homegrown act remains a popular favourite.
The festival will also showcase further Scottish based acts such as Gerry Cinnamon, known for his somewhat ‘brutally honest’ lyrics, his influences come from 60s rock stars including The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. He was responsible for the song ‘Hope Over Fear’ after being invited to perform at a rally in George Square, Glasgow, as part of the Scottish Referendum on Independence. He has since made appearances at T in the Park and at TRNSMT last year, and shortly after released his debut album ‘Erratic Cinematic’. His tour sold out in Scotland earlier this year with further performances across the UK being in high demand.
Other popular acts will include The Charlatans, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, You Me at Six, Professor Green and Beth Orton. With appearances from other Scottish based acts such as Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 who were named Best Live Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2015 and self-described as a ‘shiny disco ball hat wearing, ultimate genre hopping, twisted festival, live stage machine that puts the emphasis on music, entertaining and laughter’. The full line-up for each day can be found at the event page for the festival on Facebook.
Describing itself this year as ‘The best Scottish Invention since Chicken Tikka Masala’ I’m sure it will be a colourful array of music and activities for all the family. Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is a testament to the growing popularity of the Scottish festival scene with more and more cropping up each year. If you’re lucky enough to have your tickets already then you’re in for a treat, if not, it’s definitely one to put in your calendar for next year.
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