Boutique-licious: A Guide To Scotland's Independent Music Festivals

I don't about you guys, but I fell out of love with big festivals a long time ago. Getting drunk in a crowded field, whilst drinking over priced watered down beer, just doesn't have the same appeal as it once did. Having been to a few festivals on the continent, and the short lived Indian Summer Festivals, took the shine off things that little bit for me. I guess I am not alone in feeling this way, as in recent years the number of independent festivals that have sprung up across Scotland is really quite phenomenal. With a focus on quality homegrown products (both in terms of bands and produce), the emergence of so many new independent Scottish music festivals is something that I can't sing highly enough about. So if you're sick of sharing a field with 85,000 other people, then you should get yourself along to one of these...

Brew At The Bog


When?  Saturday the 5th of May

Where? Bogbain Farm just outside of Inverness

Who's Playing?  Highlights include Washington Irving, Endor, Over The Wall, The Seventeenth Century and many many more cracking Scottish bands

How Much?  £10.00 to £45.00

What makes your festival so special?

Yvonne Murray (Brew at the Bog organiser) Brew at the Bog has been described by the Scotsman as one of the top 5 boutique festivals in Scotland...and the festival hasn't even taken place yet! There's 3 things I think that will make Brew at the Bog stand head and shoulders above anything else this year.  The lineup is a knockout, Bogbain Farm is shaping to be one of the brightest new venues in the country and is only 5mins from Inverness, and BrewDog are supplying the tastiest beers you're ever likely to drink.  

Who are you most looking forward to seeing?  

YM - That's not fair! How can I pick anyone over the other - I seriously think our lineup is pretty special and I swear I am so looking forward to hearing everyone. I just need to make sure we are so organised beforehand that we can relax a bit during the festival! However, I have really been enjoying Bensh, who are an Austrian/Welsh band and so I think that'll be pretty cool! Also looking forward to seeing folk having an ace time at Bogbain!

Kilmarnock's Dirty Weekender

When?  Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd of June



Where?  Kilmarnock


Who's Playing?  Highlights include We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Lafontaines and Rod Jones of Idlewild fame, plus many more


How Much?  £12 - 25


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Ben Grant from The Indiebendent "For me Kilmarnock's Dirty Weekender is special because the Dirty Weekender is an independently organised and funded festival that literally has something for everyone. So many different genres from Ska to heavy rock or maybe some acoustic goodness inbetween. 

Personally I'm looking forward to finally catch The LaFontaines in the flesh aswell as seeing This Silent Forest and Julia And The Doogans for first time in a long while. Another one to watch out for is local acoustic singer songwriter Sean Kennedy he's been away working hard writing some new material so I'm excited to see what comes of his hard work."

Downhill Downtown


When?  Friday 8th - Saturday 9th of June


Where?  The Nevis Centre, Fort William


Who's Playing?  King Creosote, The Phantom Band, Admiral Fallow, Stanley Odd, Bwani Junction and a lot more


How Much?  £6:00 - £17:50 (+booking fee)


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing? 

Derick Mackinnon (New Found Sound)  "I think it's more to do with the fact we're programming music alongside the Mountain Bike World Cup, rather than being a stand alone, unique music festival. The UCI World Cup is one of the biggest and most established sporting events in the UK, combined with some of Scotland's most exciting and respected artists it all adds up to a real celebration of Scottish culture surrounded by the stunning landscapes that Fort William has to offer I'm looking forward to the whole thing, the mountain biking as well as the artists."

The Insider Festival

When?  Friday 15th - Sunday 17th of June



Where?  Inshriach House, Aviemore


Who's Playing?  Highlights include Meursault, Stanley Odd, Optimo, The Little Kicks and much much more.


How Much?  £25 - £100


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Walter Micklethwait (Inshriach House)  "I guess what makes is special is the care and attention that go into it, from the food to the theme to the line up to to the way everything is designed and built. Its a complete a labour of love and each year it evolves but at the same time it doesn't shout too much about it, I like the way people respond to that. Three years practise mean its going to be a really polished operation this year and the Olympiad idea offers almost limitless comedic scope.  

Tunes wise it might be time to sneak off into the woods and complete my Glasgow education with Optimo who i have never seen... Kan are always great (Friday) and the despots and dictators ball on Sunday night ought to round things off in dapper style with the Loveboat Big band. We are probably just about to announce the full line up. "

Solas Festival

When?  Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th of June



Where? Wiston by Biggar, South Lanarkshire

Who's Playing?  Highlights include Admiral Fallow, Stanley Odd, Washington Irving, plus loads more


How Much?  £15-85


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Leanne Clelland (Solas Festival organiser) "Solas Festival does seem to engender that feeling of being special - and each year we are surprised and delighted by that. 

Perhaps it's because it's a space for people at all stages of life. You'll not find anything that you're too young or too old to get involved in. And, the artists, festival-goers and volunteers all seem to revel in the unique, welcoming, relaxing space that comes together against the back-drop of the Summer Solstice.

We work really hard to make sure that people feel that they are doing more than just paying out their money to consume the arts. Solas Festival is a space were they can uncover the artist within themselves - be that in our open mic venues, unsigned stage or in the creative arts sessions. The festival is also more than just an arts festival but much more of a holistic event which has something for mind, body and soul.

I have a long, and growing, list of must-sees. I'm very excited about seeing Admiral Fallow in one of our intimate venues. 

But I'm also really curious about the unsigned stages. Last year, we had Rory Butler play at the festival and this last year has been a roller-coaster of success for him, including wining a Danny Kyle award at Celtic Connections.  So, I'm really looking forward to seeing who might be the next star in the making from this year's as-yet unsigned talent.

And then there's a fantastically eclectic line-up from the traditional and folk music scene. Nic Gareiss is the world's pre-eminent trad dancer and will be joined by poets Padraig O'Tuama and Aonghas MacNeacail. Raghu Dixit - a name which might not mean a whole lot to you now - is about to take Scotland by storm with his incredible Indian folk sound. I've been listening to him on repeat while I'm working and his work is really bewitching.

I have a couple of young sons and they just can't wait for the freedom to ramble in the magical forest, catch tadpoles and listen to storytellers like Mrs Mash and Waste of Paint. And while they're off roaming, I might grab a nice cuppa and listen in to a talk by Andy Wightman or Sonya Sharma. Only a few weeks to go and we can't wait!"

Kelburn Garden Party

When?  Staurday 30th June - Sunday 1st July



Where? Kelburn Castle & Country Park near Largs

Who's Playing?  Highlights include The Phantom Band, Panda Su and Behold The Old Bear


How Much?  £68 (Includes camping and Under 13s Go Free)

What makes Kelburn so special?

David Boyle (Kelburn organiser)  "The quick answer is the sheer mind blowing beauty of the site and the creativity that it inspires, but really I think it's a combination of ingredients that come together to form an utterly unique event. Set in a lush country park by the sea, Kelburn is a wonderland like no other festival site and is the inspiration for The Garden Party. With a Graffiti Castle and the islands of the west coast as the backdrop and a dramatic wooded glen through the middle, with waterfalls to swim in and hidden gigs, workshops and outdoor theatre tucked away to discover, there is no festival experience that can match it.  The programming is inclusive, open minded and always exceptional but after 3 years we, like our festival fans, take that for granted. With a focus on supporting the best in Scottish talent, there’s everything from swing jazz and rock and roll to cutting edge dubstep and underground DJs, acoustic sessions and ceilidhs to indie and hip hop. This sensory overload is enriched through details in magical lighting installations, floating lanterns, barrel fires and painstaking décor and underpinning it all there is an intangible yet unmissable vibe of creativity and collaboration, energy and love, and unadulterated fun.  Kelburn is only great, can only be great, because of the team of artists, contributors and volunteers who insist on creating the best festival in Scotland. That care and hard work is easy to sense but difficult to describe. You'll have to come and find out for yourself.  

What am I most looking forward to see?  

There is so much I can’t wait to see this year but the most magical moments for me, and what makes Kelburn Garden Party so special are the secret hidden gigs: The orchestra in the walled gardens, the ska band in the glen, or the drum circle high on the hill looking out over the islands. The intimate atmosphere at these one off sumptuous locations is overwhelming and not to be missed - if you can find them!  In truth though, when people manage to transcend the mundanities and weariness of life and become truly alive, you can see it in there eyes and feel it lifting the mood around them. I don't know any event that is as friendly or as fun as Kelburn and that's entirely thanks to our festival fans, so really, it's them whom we are most look forward to seeing.

The Big Tent Festival


When?  Saturday 21st - Sunday 22nd of July



Where? Falkland in Fife (just north of Glenrothes)

Who's Playing?  Highlights include The Proclaimers, Karine Polwart, Woodenbox, plus a lot more.


How Much?  £30 - 155


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing?
Angela Michael (The Big Tent Festival organiser)  "...well lots of things but probably the beautiful historic setting of Falkland Estate teamed with all the extra activities and debates on the environment as well as a diverse music line up and the great food.  Big Tent is also very affordable, probably the best value boutique festival anywhere in the UK for families and groups….two stages, 30 music acts and lots of debate, speaker slots, poetry, songwriter sessions and lots of locally sourced organic food.  I am personally looking forward to the Federation of the Disco Pimps just because of the great name and the fact that they play funk infused big band music!...oh…and I am looking forward to the food…I go to lots of festivals and Big Tent has the best selection of food at any festival I have visited in a very long time."

Doune The Rabbit Hole


When?  Friday 22th- Sunday 26th of  August



Where? Duncarron Fort, Carron Valley (near Croy)

Who's Playing?  Highlights include The Phantom Band, Withered Hand, John Knox Sex Club and a shed load more


How Much?  £30 -78 (Under 12s go free)


What makes your festival so special and who are you most looking forward to seeing?
Jamie Murray (Doune The Rabbit Hole organiser)  "This year's Dtrh is going to be an ecstatic celebration of music and art. Despite all the great acts that are on board like Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells and the Phantom Band (look out for more headliners announced on May 7th!) I still think that the setting is the most remarkable thing about this year. We're in the Duncarron medieval fort which really is a site to behold, alongside a giant loch and river, within a forest and only 40 minutes from Glasgow and Edinburgh. On top of all that we've got a raft of caterers on board to tantalize your tastebuds as well as a cinema (featuring movies curated by the acts) and a devoted spoken-word stage within a giant medieval longhouse. It's going to be a pretty amazing weekend!"

Massive News Thread (warning contains lots of rambling)

It's been a wee while since I did a news round up, so I guess just now is as good a time as any to give you a heads up on a few wee bits and bobs in the Scottish music scene...

To kick this all off we have some good news, Mitchell Museum have ended their hiatus and have now been busy working away on new tunes.There's also been a wee bit of a line up change, with Dougie leaving the band, being replace Gavin Thomson, he of Findo Gask, grnr, Zoey Van Goey fame. The band have already started to recording demos for their 2nd album, as a wee teaser you can stream a new song called ‘Glasshouse’ over on their SoundCloud page. Nice to have you back boys, the world feels like a better place now that Mitchell Museum exist once more.

Secondly we have a wee bit more news regarding the Brew at the Bog Festival which takes place for the first time on Saturday 5 May 2012 at Bogbain Farm on the outskirts of Inverness.  The big announcement is that goNORTH are going to be host the second stage at the the event which sees some of the most exciting emerging talent in Scotland relocating to the Highland capital for the weekend.

The second stage which is going to be compered by our friends at Net Sounds Unsigned, will feature an array of talent from the Highlands and Islands including KOBI, Megan Blyth, He Slept on 57, Mike Nisbet and Open Day Rotation. This is of course on top of the line up which had previously been announced which includes Three Blind Wolves, Washington Irving, Endor, The Seventeenth Century, Stanley Odd, Over The Wall, Beerjacket, Kitty The Lion and Fatherson among others.

Tickets for the day long extravaganza of new music and new beer are priced at just £45 and are available here. Limited camping is also available.

Scotland’s annual music conference and showcase event, Wide Days have just announced that the first seminars for this year’s daytime programme. Taking place on Wednesday the 11th and Thursday the12th of April, the seminars will once again be held in Edinburgh’s Teviot House, with the showcase gigs being held in various venues across the city (provided that there's any venues left by April). Having attended this last year, I only have good things to say about it, much like goNorth it's a great way for you to learn and more importantly to give you the opportunity to go and speak to people within the industry that you might not normally have the chance to speak to. That and in the evenings they put on some pretty amazing bands, last year they had Rachel Sermanni, Withered Hand and PAWS to name just a few. If you're quick off the mark then you can pick up tickets at the special early bird rate of £29 until March 12, after which they'll go up to the full price of £45. If you want further information on the event or you fancy picking up some tickets then just head here.

Talking of festivals, Doune The Rabbit Hole have announced the line up for this years event, which will take place at Duncarron Fort, near Kilsyth, on the weekend of August 24-26th. So far they've announced a whole host of local talent including The Phantom Band and Withered Hand. Weekend camping tickets are available now priced £78 if purchased before April 1st, £88 there after, day tickets are also available. For further information on the event check out their website.

I guess that most of you are already fully aware that submissions for this years T Break opened on Monday there. If you fancy applying to be one of 16 bands that are hand-picked from over a thousand entries by a panel made up of industry experts to play T in the Park, then you can do so here.

Local promoters, Pelmet Nites have just announced that they plan to thrown Glasgow's Biggest St Paddy's Day Party. On Saturday the 17th March they'll be taking over the QMU for a night of debauchery featuring am array of Scottish talent, including live performances from Aerials Up, Discopolis, Kobi Onyame, PartWindPartWolf and A Plastic Rose, plus DJ sets from Detour and MILK. Early tickets are on sale now for only £5 for non students via TicketScotland. Check out their Facebook for further details.

Wur pals, Kid Canaveral have just announced a series of dates, which includes a couple of Scottish shows. on Sunday the 15th of April they'll be playing Fence's Eye O' The Dug of the festival in St Andrews. Then on the 3rd of May they'll be through in sunny Glasgow at the CCA supporting the Pictish Trail, after which they'll be heading down south for a series of dates. I've heard a couple of new tunes which see the band retaining that distinctive Kid C vibe, whilst sounding that bit more mature. Excited?! You should be!




If  you don't follow Aidan Moffat on twitter, then you're really missing a trick. If you don't believe me then check out this compilation of some of his most amusing tweets that the Pop Cop turned into a whole post. His tweets are now the thing of legend, I often find myself trawling through a whole host of his semi-inebriated reviews of what he's been watching on MTV in the middle of the night. Funny as fuck they are too. After a few too many shandies one night, Aidan mentioned how much he loved all three 80’s megahits entitled 'The Power of Love'. Upon hearing this confession, none other than the deputy editor of MOJO, a Mr Andrew Male, then posed the following innocuous question: "Has anyone ever managed a medley of all three?" Not being one to turn down a challenge, Aidan roped in his current co-hort, Bill Wells to take this challenge on. Not only did they manage to craft all three songs into one, but they were also able to squeeze in Peter Cetera's 'Glory of Love' for the sheer thrill of it, soliciting some backing vocals from, amongst others, Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake. You can have a listen to the results below, which will also be available on limited 7" vinyl just in time for Bill and Aidan's UK tour which kicks off at the end of this month.

  The Powers And The Glory Of Love by Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat by Aidan John Moffat

 Mini music festival promoters, A Quiet Night In have announced a couple of shows in Stereo this March. On the 20th they have Finding Albert appearing alongside It Girl, Kill The Waves, One Last Secret and Colour-Coded. Then on the 28th they're putting on the recent winners of  the Best Acoustic act at this years Scottish Alternative Music Awards, Brown Bear & The Bandits, which is also their debut headline show. Alongside them there will be our very own Randolph's Leap, one of my favourite singer songwriters, Michael Cassidy, plus Fole Music and Every Genius Delivers. Tickets for both nights are only £5, you can find out more information here.  


Mind I mentioned that I saw Fatherson a few weeks back  supporting Frightened Rabbit, if I didn't say it on here then I must have said on Twitter. My shitty memory fails me once again, anyway, they've just released a new video featuring a boy and his adventures with a goldfish. It's pretty fucking ace and well worthy of three and a bit minutes of your time...

Last but not least, our friends over at Audio Antihero have just released a new charity compilation which features a whopping 36 tracks. The album which is entitled “Some.Alternate.Universe” is being released in order to raise money for The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths and it features exclusive tracks from the entire Audio Antihero roster, plus appearances from rather special guests including the likes of Jeffrey Lewis, and Johnny Foreigner. Plus most excitingly for me it includes a wealth of Scottish talent, including      Jesus H. Foxx, PAWS, The Scottish Enlightenment and Debutant. You can buy it now from the Audio Antihero Bandcamp. Like their previous compilation, it only costs a tiny £3.99 with the option and encouragement to dig deeper if you can afford to. 36 tracks for less than 4 quid and you get to do your bit for charity, it's a no brainer really...

Brew At The Bog

 In my opinion one of the best things that came from the demise of  DFs Connect Festival, would be the number of small boutique festivals that have sprung up to fill the void. Festivals like the Insider, Big Tent and I guess Home/Away Game offer something quite different to the norm, where you see the same old faces cropping up on cyclical periods. Yes, I am bitter towards Connect, as I still hold it responsible for the loss of Indian Summer, a boutique festival that ran for a couple of years in Victoria Park in Glasgow. Anyway, enough of me and my gripes, the point of this was to try and introduce you to a new festival which is going to be taking place on Saturday 5 May at Bogbain Farm on the outskirts of Inverness.

Boasting a line up which includes some of the most exciting up and coming acts that Scotland has to offer. To date they've announced the likes of Washington Irving, Endor, The Seventeenth Century, Over The Wall, Beerjacket, Three Blind Wolves and Kitty The Lion, Open Swimmer, Fatherson, Mike Nisbet, The Little Kicks, Lost City Soul and young Highland singer-songwriter Megan Blyth to this year’s line up.

“We are delighted with the additions to this year’s line up”, said Festival Director, Yvonne Murray. “Brew at the Bog is a great opportunity to catch some of the best new bands in the country in a unique environment, and we are working hard to make sure it’s one of the coolest festivals on this year’s calendar”.

Tickets for the one day event are priced at just £45 and are available here.  There are also a limited number of camping tickets available at £10 a pop which gets you in from Friday until Sunday.

If that sounds like your cup of tea or you just want to find out more then just head on over to the Brew At The Bog Homepage (designed by none other than our very clever little pumpkin, Vicki from Randolph's Leap).