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Scotsman
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival: My first visit to the Highlands camping music festival
It was my first time at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival - and here's what I thought. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Three days of camping at a festival while having the chance to listen to my favourite artists only about an hour from my home all wasn't in my plans, but I'd say that I have no regrets. Having the chance to report on the three-day long Belladrum Tartan Festival right in the middle of the celebrations on Friday sounded like a dream come true after hearing so many great things about the festival from friends and fellow reporters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And then, when a few friends told me they were camping for the duration of the festival, I thought it was the perfect chance to join. So, in a spontaneous decision, I decided to swap out the far more comfortable bed waiting for me on Friday morning ahead of a long day of work for a thin sleeping bag in the middle of a cold campsite with hundreds of Belladrum fanatics. With my only other festival experience being MacMoray - a two-day event where 10,000 people pack out a field in Elgin - I didn't have many other experiences to compare it to. But on Thursday with my backpack half the size of me filled to the brim with clothes, video equipment, my tent and sleeping bag, I made my way to Belladrum along with around 20,000 others. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Belladrum is a three-day festival from Thursday to Saturday. | Ena Saracevic As soon as I departed on my train from Elgin to Inverness, it was clear that I wasn't the only one making the trip to the festival. 'You're all heading to Belladrum, aren't you?' the conductor asked a group of women, all kitted out in bright colours and bucket hats. And this only continued when I boarded the dedicated D&E coach transporting festival goers to and from 'Bella', which took me on the last leg to the festival in Kiltarlity. As the bus travelled around bendy Highland roads on the A862, there were laughs and chatter as groups of friends and families prepared to kick off their weekend at Belladrum. It was probably one of the only socially acceptable times for others to down cider and cocktail cans in a bus full of other passengers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Make sure you keep up to date with Arts and Culture news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. I arrived in the evening and made the most out of my time by watching performances from The Pigeon Detectives, Torridon, and Dougie Burns and the Cadillacs. Natasha Bedingfield was also a highlight, with the singer shimmering under the spotlight in her Stevie Nicks-esque dress singing classic tunes like Unwritten and Pocketful of Sunshine. The crowd enjoyed every act too, swaying along to the beat as their favourite acts took to the stage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The iconic John Lennon nose at Belladrum. | Ena Saracevic Deciding to head off for a walk on my own, I came across 'the Ice Stage', which soon became my favourite place at the festival. A cheery performance from the group Dougie Burns and the Cadillacs had everyone there dancing to their bluesy rock 'n' roll tunes. With 12 stages at Belladrum, it made me even more excited to explore and experience genres of music I hadn't really been exposed to before. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Putting up my tent in the dark around midnight while being overwhelmingly tired from my evening, I quickly became thankful that my friend with me knew how to do it and could help out. Afterall, it was my first time camping. This also came after navigating through the hundreds of tents all lined throughout the field we were on. It quickly became clear to me why I'd previously heard Belladrum to be 'the best' camping festival in Scotland. There were fields to suit many different people, including a general area, a family space and a field for campers who prefer the quiet rather than the hustle and bustle. When I woke up ready for a full day of reporting on Friday, it was also a chance to try out one of the many food stalls around the festival grounds. During the day itself, I witnessed flash mobs, an array of fancy dress costumes, impromptu bagpipe performances and a lot of new artists that I'm now a fan of. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad C-MAT's performance had thousands of festival goers captivated. I also managed to catch a brilliant performance from local glam rock band Bad Actress. I spoke to attendees About what makes Belladrum so special. One person told me: 'It's so chilled. It's a total family affair, it's great, everyone's relaxed and there's no trouble or hassle.' And I agree with every word. A flash mob that happened at Belladrum on Friday. | Ena Saracevic Despite it being a family festival, I'd say anyone could find something they enjoy there. Not only was Belladrum itself varied, but so were the attendees. Young and old, rock lovers and pop fanatics, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, when the iconic grand firework display ends Belladrum 2025 on Saturday night, I know the first-timers will be rushing to come back to the Highland festival next year.
BBC News
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Belladrum: Supergrass and CMAT headline Bella's busy Friday
A busy Friday at Belladrum saw stages packed out by crowds of festival-goers for performances by CMAT and had been building ahead of CMAT's night-time performance, and her thousands of fans were thrilled when she climbed over a safety barrier and into the crowd during her performances of Take a Sexy Picture of Me and I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby, the Irish singer-songwriter ended with Stay for - who are marking 30 years since the release of their first album I Should Coco - were next on the main stage with hits including Caught by the Fuzz. The three-day music festival near Beauly in the Highlands is due to close later with Tide Lines, Peter Capaldi, Example, Tom Walker and Texas among the headliners. Hot House main stage performers earlier on Friday had included blues guitarist Toby Lee, while funk band Bohemian Monk Machine and blues/rock singer Elles Bailey were among the popular acts over on the Garden festival site on the historic Belladrum Estate got busier during the evening as fans poured in for performances by CMAT and Supergrass, who had both appeared at the Glastonbury Festival earlier this year. But other acts also drew big was barely a space to be found inside the Grassroots tent for Black Sabbath tribute act, Sabbra Cadabra, and their show in honour of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne who died just days ago at the age of the Garden Stage - Bella's second largest venue after the Hot House stage - was rammed for Beluga Lagoon, a musical project led by Scottish wildlife cameraman Andrew O'Donnell. The festival's theme this year is cinema, and few festival-goers could match Tony Lawther's drove almost 600 miles from Southampton in his 44-year-old DeLorean - a car that is one of the stars of the Back to the Future as the movie's character Doc, Tony joked his journey from the 1980s to the future had gone as well as hoped though added: "The flux capacitor fell out half way up the M6, but apart from that it was great."BBC Alba is providing live coverage of the festival and iPlayer broadcasts across the shows can be watched live or on demand from Thursday on Belladrum on BBC Alba.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natasha Bedingfield and Paul Heaton open 21st Belladrum festival
The 21st Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival opened on Thursday with main stage performances by Natasha Bedingfield and Paul Heaton. About 20,000 people are expected to attend the Highlands' biggest music event over its three days. Pop and R&B act Bedingfield brought her own twist, covering two songs from the 1990s - Portishead's Glory Box and The Cranberries' Zombie - during her set before finishing with her 2004 hit Unwritten. Later, Heaton was joined by Lanarkshire singer Rianne Downey - one of this year's TRNSMT stars - for his performance in front of a packed Hot House stage crowd. Bella's second day acts include Supergrass and CMAT - who were at Glastonbury earlier this summer - as well as Skippinish, Karine Polwart and a DJ set by Gok Wan. Belladrum: What to expect from festival's 21st year Festival's youngest fan returns to Belladrum Football-mad Heaton, a Sheffield United fan, visited the grounds of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Highland League club Clachnacuddin before pitching up at Bella, near Beauly. The former The Beautiful South and The Housemartins frontman is also known for his strong views on politics and social issues. He sang his protest song Heatongrad, and alongside Downey performed some of The Beautiful South's greatest hits, including Song for Whoever and Don't Marry Her. Bella is usually blessed by fine weather, but Thursday was mostly a day of drizzly showers before clearing up in the evening - avoiding a repeat of 2017's "mud fest". Other acts across the festival site on Friday will to include Inverness' Katie Gregson-MacLeod. In 2022, when she was a student and working in a coffee shop, the singer-songwriter became a sensation after posting a 45-second clip to TikTok. Overnight, the chorus of her song Complex amassed 100,000 views and comments from musicians Gracie Abrams, Lennon Stella and Maisie Peters. Another of Friday's performers is Ullapool musician RuMac, who appears in a scene in the new Danny Boyle film 28 Years Later and was a semi-finalist in the latest Britain's Got Talent Show. BBC Alba is providing live coverage and iPlayer broadcasts across the weekend. The shows can be watched live or on demand from Thursday on Belladrum on BBC Alba. Related internet links Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Belladrum: What to expect from festival's 21st year
The 21st anniversary Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival takes place in the Highlands this weekend. Over the years, it has grown from a small one-day event with tickets for just 2,000 people to three days of music and crowds of more than 20,000. Artists including Paul Heaton, CMAT and Texas are among the acts lined up to perform at this year's festival, which runs from Thursday to Saturday. What is Belladrum and where is it? The event was set up in 2004 by music fan Joe Gibbs, owner of the festival's venue - the 1,150-acre (465ha) Belladrum Estate. The estate, which is about 12 miles west of Inverness, near the villages of Beauly and Kiltarlity, has been in Mr Gibbs' family since 1857. In 2018 music promoter Kilimanjaro Live acquired the festival but it continues to be run by a Highlands-based team. Since its inception, Lewis Capaldi, Frightened Rabbit, Bastille, Twin Atlantic, Paloma Faith, Callum Beattie and Sir Tom Jones have performed at the festival. The event promotes itself as family-friendly, and every year it has a theme and festival-goers are invited to dress up accordingly. In 2023, there was a hugely popular theme of cartoons. This year's is film. Affectionately known as Bella, the festival has a number of stages, with the main stage in a natural bowl close to the general camping area. There is also a small chapel on the estate where couples have tied the knot during the festival. Who is playing at Belladrum 2025? It is a long list, with more than 40 acts on Saturday alone and a mix of chart-topping household names, established Scottish acts and new talent. Former Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton, pop singer Natasha Bedingfield and singer-songwriter Tom Walker are on the bill across the weekend. Gok Wan - maybe best known for the TV show How To Look Good Naked - will perform a late-night DJ set. Supergrass, whose hits in the 1990s and 2000s include Caught by the Fuzz, will be performing while Texas will close the festival. Other Scottish acts include Tide Lines, Torridon, Beluga Lagoon, Nati, and The Dazed Digital Age. Meanwhile one of the most highly anticipated acts is Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, following a show-stopping performance at Glastonbury. Former Doctor Who Peter Capaldi will also to make an appearance after returning to music after a break of 40 years. Fireworks mark end of 20th anniversary Belladrum 'How we grew a music festival in the Highlands' What is the best way to travel to Belladrum? This has been a contentious issue in the past with long queues affecting some festivals. In 2023, when a record 25,000 tickets were sold, some people reported delays of five hours or more to get in. Organisers apologised. Parking and entry arrangements were changed for last year's Bella and travel in and out of the site ran smoothly. Shuttle buses will run between the festival and Inverness bus station, Drumnadrochit, Dingwall, Beauly and Tore. Timetables can be viewed and tickets booked here. Car parking passes need to be booked in advance and organisers are encouraging festival-goers to car-share where possible. A one-way system and a 5mph speed limit will be in operation throughout the estate. Highland Council has published details on temporary traffic restrictions, including temporary 30 and 20mph speed limits. And the Belladrum website has more information on travel, shuttle buses parking and the festival's campsites. What's the weather forecast for Belladrum? The festival has frequently been blessed with fine weather - even to the extent it is an in-joke within Bella's management team. But there was wet weather and muddy conditions under foot in 2017, and Feeder's frontman Grant Nicholas, pictured, turned up for an interview with BBC Scotland News in a sensible pair of wellies. Forecasters are currently predicting some drizzle on Friday but Saturday will be a dry day with bright spells and temperatures of up to 19C. The latest forecasts can be found on BBC Weather. Is Belladrum on the TV? BBC Alba will be providing live coverage and iPlayer broadcasts across the weekend. The shows can be watched live or on demand from Thursday on Belladrum on BBC Alba. Related internet links Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival Solve the daily Crossword
The Herald Scotland
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's first Gaelic metalcore band to debut at Belladrum
The Glasgow-based four-piece have build an online fanbase over the last year and intend to make an impact at Belladrum before making way for the likes of The Hoosiers and Example. The festival takes place just a few miles outside of Beauly, near Inverness, and vocalist Colin Stone said: '[[Gaelic]] music is often associated with accordions, acoustic guitars, and the fiddle. Gun Ghaol began as a way to combat that stereotype. "It's brilliant that Belladrum have recognised the following we've been building online and wanted to bring it to their audience. Read More 'We don't wear masks, there's nobody famous involved - it's just riffs and breakdowns in a language that deserves to be heard." Gun Ghaol will be the heaviest set across the three day festival that includes others such as Natasha Bedingfield, Supergrass and Texas but the group are aware of that and are keen to offer something different to audiences. Colin added: "We're something completely different for audiences. "Metalcore, our genre, has been performed in English for decades. There are other bands whose lyrics are in German, French, Russian. So I thought: why can't we do this in Gaelic? 'It's a language I've spoken all my life. It's my heritage. And if we can bring it to people in a way they've never heard before, that's fantastic.' Figures from the 2022 national census found that the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland was on the rise, with strong increases in school-age children and young adults. Gun Ghaol themselves are fresh off the back of releasing 'Tog Dealbh', the second single from their upcoming 'Sgrios' EP with Dundee-based producer Kieran Smith.
