Latest news with #Falasgair
STV News
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Belladrum kicks off as music festival celebrates 21st year
The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has kicked off on Thursday, marking 21 years of the event in the Highlands. The festival will take place at the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity from July 31 until August 2. Thousands are expected to descend on the festival, which will see headlining performances from Texas, Supergrass and Paul Heaton. Other chart-topping acts set to perform include Tom Walker, Natasha Bedingfield, Example and The Hoosiers. Scottish artists Skipinnish, Kassidy, Rianne Downey, and Tide Lines will also perform over the weekend. The 2025 festival will platform local musicians, including 17-year-old swing singer Michael Lewis from Newtonmore, who has recently secured a musical residency at a renowned music venue in Texas, US. Accordion playing sensation and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist RuMac will perform on the Garden Stage, following on from his appearance in Danny Boyle's new film, 28 Years Later. Winners of this year's Belladrum Tartan Hearts Festival talent search, Falasgair, will be one of the first performers on the Belladrum main stage from 4pm on Thursday. The six-piece band, who hail from Skye and take their name from the Gaelic word for seasonal heather burning, are set to thrill fans with their high-energy take on traditional Scottish music. Ahead of their Belladrum debut, Finn MacPherson of Falasgair said it is a 'surreal feeling' to be playing the festival. 'Having attended Belladrum quite a few times since I was young, I never thought I'd see myself on the main stage playing alongside my pals,' he said. He added that the festival really shows 'the strength of the music scene' in the Highlands. Robert Robertson, Belladrum talent search judge and lead singer of Tide Lines, said: 'It's brilliant that the festival will be opened by a young, island band playing traditional music with such dynamism and energy – they will have the place bouncing!' Belladrum festival producer, Dougie Brown, said: 'Belladrum is more than just a music festival – it's a celebration of creativity, community and culture, all set against the stunning Highland backdrop.' Coverage of the festival will be available on BBC Alba. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scotsman
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Contemporary trad band ‘Falasgair' wins talent search to open Belladrum main stage
Six-piece contemporary trad band Falasgair has been announced as the winner of this year's Belladrum Tartan Hearts Festival talent search, bagging the opportunity to perform on the festival's main stage. The Skye band, who take their name from the Gaelic word for the seasonal act of burning heather, are set to light up Bella 2025 as the opening act. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox 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... BBC ALBA teamed up with The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival to find the best of Scotland's up-and-coming musical talent with artists from across the Highlands and Islands submitting a selection of their best tracks to be shortlisted for the public vote. Following a rigorous judging process to whittle the diverse talent down to a shortlist of just eight, Falasgair fought off some strong competition to win the slot. The band was in good company on the shortlist joined by The Chosen Lonely, The Cherries, Scott C. Park, El Sartel, Isla Scott, Low Light Listening Lounge and Ró Ó hEadhra. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Falasgair will open the festival with a mix of contemporary, traditional, and self-penned songs. The band is led by Macaulay Ross on fiddle, with the whistle and bagpipe duo of Dougal McKiggan and Finn MacPherson, all reinforced by a powerful backline - Ben Muir on keys, Caetano Hayes Pelletti on guitar and bouzouki, and Eoghainn Beaton on bodhrán. Falasgair - Belladrum talent search winners The talent search win follows on from the success of Falasgair at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards where they won Up and Coming Artist of the Year 2024. Finn MacPherson, Falasgair, said: 'Having attended Belladrum quite a few times since I was young I never thought I'd see myself on the main stage playing alongside my pals, so it's a pretty surreal feeling. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who voted for us — we couldn't have done it without the amazing support from our family, friends, and the local community. It really shows the strength of the music scene here. 'This has come at a great time for us a band as we're recording our debut album and will release it later this year. We're looking forward to kicking off the festival in a traditional manner - with the pipes!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA supported the search which provides a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene. Falasgair will also appear on BBC ALBA, which will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer as part of the broadcaster's festival coverage. Falasgair - Belladrum talent search winners Calum McConnell, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: 'After their success at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards last November, winning this opportunity to open the Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival seems like the icing on the cake for Falasgair. A brilliant, young, energetic traditional music band whose star is definitely on the rise, so make sure you're down the front of the Hot House Stage to catch them while you can!' Robert Robertson, lead singer of Tide Lines and independant judge on the competition, said: 'I had a lovely afternoon listening through all the entries! The standard of music was extremely high and a great representation of our vibrant Highland music scene. Falasgair are well deserved winners. It's brilliant that the festival will be opened by a young, island band playing traditional music with such dynamism and energy. They'll have the place bouncing!' Known for its unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, now attracting thousands of visitors. As Belladrum prepares for its 21st year, Falasgair will share the stage with some amazing acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker and Natasha Bedingfield. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Belladrum festival producer, Dougie Brown, said: 'Congratulations to Falasgair. We were blown away by the level of entries this year and we can't to welcome the band to our 21st birthday outing and kick things off on the main stage this July!' Musicians were invited to apply to the BBC ALBA Belladrum talent search by submitting a bio and link to their music, with entries judged by a panel of experts. The shortlist then went to public vote on the Belladrum website.
