Since 2014 Perth Music Expo has been bringing new and established acts from Perth and Scotland wide in order to help promote the Perth music scene. Past years have seen such acts as Pinact and Catholic Action grace the stages, who are already making waves gigging across Scotland.
Bringing their best line-up yet for 2018, the high calibre talent on offer is testament to how important and strong the Scottish music’s game is right now. The event will be held across three days from the 6th-8th September and will take place at local venues: The Twa Tams and The Green Room.
One of the artists featuring at this year’s event include Annie Booth, an Edinburgh based singer-songwriter who is known for her mellow folk and indie-rock. She brings an intelligent sound to the table with melancholic vibes that will both thrill and chill your senses. At only 22 years old, Annie has already achieved national acclaim, especially with her single release ‘An Unforgiving Light’.
Vansleep will also feature at the expo, a four-piece indie band from Aberdeen who won this year’s Best Newcomer at The Fudge awards. They will perform alongside acts such as Nuclear Club and Lake Pleasant. One of the local acts includes Parliamo, a self-described underground pop group, who were recently selected as the Scotsman’s artist of the week and performed on the Seedlings stage at this year’s Belladrum Festival. They have just released their debut single in March of this year, with the EP due to come out in September and are already gaining a reputation for giving an ‘electrifying’ performance. Their music is akin to that of the 60s, and the five-piece are absolutely storming across Scotland’s airwaves this summer.
Also coming from Perth are Brainglue, offering more of a garage-punk dynamism. The three-piece who formed in July 2017 have been gigging up and down the country, not to mention bringing all kinds of good vibes to Europe with their gigs in Paris and Amsterdam. Noted as one of Scotland’s fastest upcoming bands, they take their influences from late sixties garage rock and psychedelia, meshed with the nuances of eighties post punk. As you can tell, the Perth Expo really lives up to its name providing something for every musical taste as well as remaining true to its roots. Also making an appearance will be the flamboyant Walt Disco and The Roques, the latter of whom have been recognised for bringing genuine rock and roll, down and dirty guitar music.
Fiskur are another big name to grace this year’s event. A Glasgow-based collective with a mission statement to match their musical calibre, they have said that their project aims to “create music that excites, and not to be distracted by the trappings of making music in our modern world”. Their message also rings true to that of the Expo, in which music can be celebrated for the creative pursuit that it should be, outside of the mainstream, and boasting the diversity of what our country has to offer. Likewise, bands such as Echo Machine and Elizabeth will further this notion. The final mention goes out to Beta Waves, a synth-pop new wave duo from Dundee. Some of their main influences come from MGMT, jungle and Empire of the Sun. Already having played at XpoNorth this year, their short ten-month history has garnered a wealthy following of fans. Their capacity to capture audiences is evident from their utterly skilful ear for a good hook and sing-a-long chorus. Perth Expo will certainly not be host to anything less than spectacular this year.
In addition to this gorgeous spread of musical talent, there will be a Help Musicians UK discussion on the 7th at Perth College from 3-5pm. They are a UK charity for musicians of all genres who help to offer support in ways that artists can develop their talent and get started in their professional careers, help existing professionals in crisis, with long-term or terminal illness and in the retirement phase of their career. They endeavour to allow for the artist’s careers to flourish even when faced with challenges.
It appears that Perth Music Expo will squish heaps of wonderful things into just three days. Fostering a community of artists like this across Scotland is important to ensure the character and identity of Scottish musicians can continue to grow, and by showcasing local talent, the event only emphasises the uniqueness of Scottish music and its status as a key player in the wider music scene.
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