Wednesday 13 July 2022

Doune The Rabbit Hole preview

Scotland has no shortage of outdoor gigs/festivals on offer this summer. TRNSMT, Big Top shows in Edinburgh, Primal Scream in Queens Park, Belladrum, Party At The Palace, Summer Night at Kelvingrove Bandstand, Edinburgh Castle shows, Edinburgh Bandstand shows, Harry Styles at Ibrox, multiple Hampden shows ...

You'd think promoters were trying to make up for lost time or something!

And so are music fans! Most of these shows are selling out, the cost of living crisis is banished to one side as people scrimp & save, or stick thing on credit cards to get out with friends to experience the joys & escapsim of live music.

The festival/outdoor show that is exciting me the most is Doune The Rabbit Hole ...



Teenage Fanclub, Belle & Sebastian, Orbital and Camera Obscura at the one festival, less than an hour from Glasgow?!

Sure fire festival hits like Boney M, The Bluebells and 10CC.

Then you have legends like Patti Smith, breaking bands like Yard Act, the hugely respected Sleaford Mods and a huge range of Scottish acts like Stanley Odd, Poster Paints, Honeyblood, Girobabies, Free Love, BiS, Happy Tears and many, many more...

It's time, and long overdue, for my first trip Doune The Rabbit Hole.

Add in the fact that it's regularly highlighted as being incredibly family friendly ... I'm going with the kids! My wife is away on a hen do!

My sister Carla has played before and has urged me to go. So now is the time! 

Without putting too much thought into it, I've selected my top 10 acts I hope to see this weekend. But there are many more! And I tend to find that just wandering around creates the best festival memories - stumbling across a DJ playing one of your favourite songs, or a band/singer you've never heard of who blows you away.

1) Yard Act - they've released one of my albums of 2022 and I missed them at their sold out Mono show earlier in the year. VIDEO _ 100% Endurance

2) Poster Paints - fresh from releasing the gorgeous summer single Falling Hard and a 6Music session with Marc Riley. VIDEO - Falling Hard

3) Craig Charles Funk & Soul - always good fun, Charles generates an infectious energy from the stage and plays brilliant soul music.

4) Happy Tears & BiS - I like what I've heard from this band and hope to make their set and then stick around for BiS. VIDEO - Euro Disco

5) Sambayabamba - That said, there could be a clash with the superb Sambayabamba on the main stage - they always get people going. All ages will love this band. VIDEO 

6) Camera Obscura - A very special and underrated band, a new album could be in the pipeline, their comeback shows at Saint Lukes were spine tinglingly good. VIDEO - French Navy

7) Belle & Sebastian - Another very special band from Scotland. Fun, soulful and with an exceptional catalogue to draw upon. Could you get up on stage with them to dance to The Boy With The Arab Strap?! You might be lucky! I do hope to catch some of Orbital too! VIDEO _ The Boy With The Arab Strap

8) The Bluebells - Riding high on the success of the reissue of their seminal Sisters album, The Bluebells guitar pop is perfect for a summers day. And Young At Heart will be a festival anthem. VIDEO - Young At Heart

9) Sacred Paws - A very energetic live band. I think it was November 2019 when I last caught them.  How time flies! The kind of band that, if you stumble across them, could be your favourite band from the weekend. VIDEO _ Everyday

10) Teenage Fanclub - It kind of goes without saying, but closing the weekend with my favourite band playing in the evening sunshine (everything crossed!) would be perfect. VIDEO _ What You Do To Me







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