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Daily Record
25 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Organisers of Back Doune the Rabbit Hole confirm festival will go ahead after The Fratellis withdraw from line-up
The organisers insist the revamped Back Doune the Rabbit Hole music festival will go ahead despite The Fratellis cancelling their set over an unpaid deposit. The team behind Back Doune the Rabbit Hole music festival have said they remain committed to pushing forward with this year's event, despite The Fratellis withdrawing from their headline slot due to an issue over an outstanding deposit. The Stirling Observer reported last week that the 'Chelsea Dagger' hitmakers had backed out of their scheduled set at the upcoming Back Doune the Rabbit Hole (BDTRH) festival citing failure on the side of the promoters to 'fulfil contractual obligations to pay deposits to confirm the band's appearance'. The organisers, who said they arranged the band's participation through an external third-party promoter, expressed their regret, stating it is 'sad to share' that The Fratellis will not perform at the event, attributing it to 'circumstances outside our control'. In a post on their official website, The Fratellis said: 'Unfortunately our planned Summer festival appearances at the recent Stone Valley South, and forthcoming Monument, Back Doune The Rabbit Hole and Lindisfarne Festival will not be going ahead. 'This is due to the promoters of each event not fulfilling our contractual obligations to pay deposits to confirm the band's appearance.' The BDTRH festival organisers have since released an update addressing the concerns of disappointed fans, shedding light on their stance. In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, they acknowledged the fans' frustration, saying: 'We care deeply about this festival and the community around it, and we want to be transparent about what has been going on and how we are moving forward. 'Back Doune the Rabbit Hole is independently owned and operated by Brian Harkin, Colin Black and Paul Aspey through Back Doune Ltd. We took this on because we love Scotland's music scene and saw a real opportunity to create something meaningful and homegrown.' The organisers went on to explain: 'We were aware of the history that came with this festival name, but we also believed it was worth trying to build something better from it. That belief has not changed.' Regarding the involvement of external parties, the statement elaborated: 'In the early planning stages, we brought in external support from several individuals to help with logistics, ticketing and artist bookings. 'We want to be really clear that these individuals were never directors or owners of Back Doune the Rabbit Hole. At the time, there were no obvious signs of the problems that later came to light at the other events they were involved with. Like many others, we have had to deal with the consequences of how they operated, and that has included the cancellation of The Fratellis performance.' The team behind BDTRH are steadfast in their commitment to proceed with plans for this year's festival. They acdded: 'We know that is disappointing news. We feel it too. But we want to reassure you that this is not part of a wider problem with the event. Everything else is on track, and we are already working on a brilliant new Saturday night headliner. 'Back Doune the Rabbit Hole is fully independent, and we are proud of that. In a time when true independence is rare, it gives us the freedom to stay focused on what matters most. That focus now is on delivering an amazing weekend in August. We are in a strong position, and we are moving forward with the support of a brilliant team around us.' The much-awaited event is scheduled to take place at the Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith, in Stirling, slated for August 1-3. Event director Brian Harkin commented on the festival's progress, saying: 'This has been a challenging moment, but our commitment to the festival and its future hasn't changed. We took on Back Doune the Rabbit Hole because we believe in the power of independent music events and the community they bring together. 'Being independent means we are able to stay true to our values and keep building something real, even when things get tough. 'The rest of the lineup is solid, and we're focused on delivering the weekend we've promised. We're in this for the long haul, and doing everything we can to create a festival that our audience, artists, team and local community can be proud of.' This year marks the debut of the revamped festival under new stewardship, following up from its predecessor, the Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival. Doune The Rabbit Hole had previously secured its spot as a highlight within Stirling's cultural agenda before encountering difficulties and inevitably folding. The festival was previously managed by Jamie Murray – who ran up nearly £1million in debts with only £2.38 in the company account to settle with creditors. A number of disgruntled performers, staff and businesses remained unpaid when Mr Murray closed the company behind the festival in 2022. His father, the jailed Salmond blogger Craig Murray, assumed control over the 2023 festival under a new company, aiming to clear the debts owed by his son's former firm using profits generated by the festival. However, the event was scrapped a month prior to its scheduled date, leaving creditors in the dark.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Scots rockers The Fratellis pull out headline festival appearance after promoters fail to pay deposit
The Fratellis have pulled out of an appearance at a revived music festival in Stirling this summer, after accusing the promoters of not paying a deposit to secure the band. Scots rockers The Fratellis have pulled out of a headline appearance at a revived Stirling music festival – blaming promoters for 'not fulfilling our contractual obligations to pay deposits to confirm the bands appearance'. The group had been set to headline the revamped Back Doune the Rabbit Hole (BDTRH) festival at the Cardross Estate, near Port of Menteith, Stirling, this August. But the organisers - who say they booked the band through a third-party promoter - announced that it was 'sad to share' the news that the Fratellis will no longer be appearing blaming "circumstances outside our control". A statement said: 'We're sorry to confirm that The Fratellis will no longer be performing at Back Doune the Rabbit Hole. 'Their appearance was arranged through a third-party promoter, and unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of our control, the booking has not been fulfilled. Like many of you, we're incredibly disappointed by how this has unfolded. 'We know how much people were looking forward to their set, and we completely understand the frustration. 'We're working hard behind the scenes to secure a brilliant replacement and will be announcing your new Saturday night headliner very soon. 'Thank you for your patience and continued support. We'll have a further update for you shortly.' The Chelsea Dagger rockers took to their website with a statement which read: 'Unfortunately our planned Summer festival appearances at the recent Stone Valley South, and forthcoming Monument, Back Doune The Rabbit Hole and Lindisfarne Festival will not be going ahead. "This is due to the promoters of each event not fulfilling our contractual obligations to pay deposits to confirm the bands appearance.' Back Doune The Rabbit Hole (BDTRH) is set for an overhaul after the previous operators of the event – called Doune the Rabbit Hole – collapsed into liquidation amid a storm over unpaid musicians and contractors. This year's edition of the festival is set to go ahead from August 1-3. Liverpudlian indie rockers The Zutons are set to top the bill on the Sunday evening and Marc Almond will headline on Friday evening. There will also be performances from Scouting for Girls, the Bay City Rollers, The Skids and Newton Faulkner. BDTRH is led by new organisers in Helensburgh musician and businessman Brian Harkin working alongside experienced bookers Colin Black and Paul Aspey from Rock Asset Management. The previous Doune The Rabbit Hole had been a firm favourite in the Stirling cultural calendar until it ran into issues and eventually collapsed. It was run by promoter Jamie Murray – who ran up almost £1million in debt had just £2.38 in the bank to pay creditors. Dozens of furious performers, staff and firms were not paid when Mr Murray shut down the company behind the festival in 2022. His dad, the jailed Salmond blogger Craig Murray, took over the running of the festival for 2023 as another company, with a plan to repay debts from his son's firm through profits from the event. But it was called off a month before it was due to go ahead, leaving creditors in the dark. Speaking to the Stirling Observer in September last year, new organiser, Mr Harkin said: 'The initial discussions were about starting a new festival over there, but during the discussions, we did a bit of research on the collapse and how it was handled. 'I got a general consensus that it was a well-liked festival, low key and quite family-friendly in its vibe. 'I was introduced to the previous owner Jamie and he was very keen to revive the festival as he was disappointed that something he had built over the last decade would vanish. 'It was quite accidental in that we were looking to start a new festival and the site was pitched to us, but we know it was an event that was well loved by the community.' Mr Harkin added: 'We're going to address those who didn't get their money back. There isn't an obligation on us to do that but we want to re-engage with the community. 'We realise there is some frustration and anger left over from the last couple of years, but I understand most of the issues took place post-Covid and I don't think it was handled well. 'One of the main considerations in taking over the name was that it was in bad taste with agents, bookers and event services companies but the team mitigates that to an extent because they have a strong working relationship with those services.'
