Beloved Scottish pop icon Lulu to headline Stornoway music festival
SCOTTISH pop legend Lulu will headline the island music festival HebCelt in July, as she completes her final year of touring.
The Stirlingshire-born star is best known for her chart-topping Relight My Fire with Take That, Eurovision-winning Boom Bang-A-Bang, James Bond theme The Man With The Golden Gun, and her debut hit Shout.
Lulu will play the main stage on Friday, July 18.
She told fans: 'I'm looking forward to visiting the Outer Hebrides and performing at HebCelt in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis – see you in July.'
The festival will also feature supergroup Skerryvore, Tide Lines, Nina Nesbitt, Eddi Reader, Trail West, Kassidy, Beluga Lagoon and NATI.
A record 70% of the acts performing at HebCelt this year are female-led or have female members, following the festival's pledge to Keychange, the international campaign to address gender inequality in the music industry.
HebCelt's artist programmer and director Michelle Shields highlighted the diversity of this year's line-up: 'This year's festival truly celebrates music across generations, from trailblazers like Lulu and Eddi Reader to the next generation of stars including NATI., Josie Duncan, and Lauren Collier.
'Our Celtic roots are proudly represented with Skerryvore marking their 20th year and consistently one of our most requested acts by fans, Highland heroes Tide Lines, and festival favourites like Trail West, Cala, and The Tumbling Souls. We're also thrilled to spotlight talents like LUSA and Elias Alexander, alongside live sensations Beluga Lagoon, Tom McGuire & the Brassholes and Kassidy.
Since 1996, HebCelt has been a mainstay of Scotland's cultural music calendar, and is on course to have helped generate more than £40m for the local economy by the time it reaches its 30th anniversary in 2027.
Creative Scotland endorsed the festival earlier this month and pledged to secure its long-term planning with a three-year funding package.
The festival will take place from July 16-19 in and around Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, combining musical performances with the cultural heritage of the islands.
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