Heather on the Hill festival 2026

John, Stevie, Alan, Nathan and Mhairi

WOW!

Last weekend my family and I were fortunate to attend the inaugural Heather on the Hill festival in the Royal Highland Showgrounds, just outside Edinburgh. The sun shone through the day and created a glorious mix of colours as it set later in the evening.

Outdoor shows, especially when the weather is kind, are incredible. There is an extra sense of occasion to them. And we have a range of magnificent venues and locations throughout the country in which to host them. 

However, the vast majority of outdoor summer shows (not including festivals like Belladrum) in Scotland are 16+. Nathan Evans and the Saint PHNX Band were determined to change that.

This is an ambition that Stevie and Alan from Saint PHNX have held for a while. A few years ago they put on an all ages show (with Nathan as 'secret' special guest) at Hamilton Town Hall. And it worked. People took note. Family values are extremely important to Nathan, Stevie and Alan.

Quite a lot has happened since then! Hit singles, viral videos, two albums, a World Cup anthem and shows all over the world. It has been a beautiful whirlwind for Nathan, Stevie and Alan.

Stevie and Alan

Sunset at Heather on the Hill

Those of you that have followed this blog over a period of time will recognise the names of Stevie and Alan from their old band Vigo Thieves who I helped manage for a while. I've seen them play to 30 people and now 30,000 people! I love the sunset photo of the two of them above. I'm so pleased for them.

DF Concerts, Scotland's largest promoter, contains people who have known and worked with Stevie and Alan for around 15-years (how time flies!) in various sizes, shapes and forms. From playing the basement of Maggie Mays to 30 people, to selling out 2-nights at King Tuts, the ABC, Arches and the Barrowland Ballroom. They absolutely get their humour, creative energy and ambition. 

When Nathan Evans and the Saint PHNX band played the Hyrdo last year, it was all ages. It sold out quickly and it was a phenomenal show that I was fortunate to attend. DF listened to Nathan, Stevie and Alan's idea for a family friendly festival and presented solutions. The Heather on the Hill Festival was born and the DF team worked on it for over a year ... and they nailed it. It will be back in 2027! Tickets are on sale NOW. The early bird sold out quickly!

What a success! The sun shone, which always helps! The festival site layout at the Royal Highland Centre was perfect - there was space to chill, plenty of food options, large bars, kids playparks and activities, soft play and a wide variety of music. 

My wife and kids (aged 15 and 11) arrived on site around 2.30pm and were immediately taken by the layout. One of the key strengths (at least for me) about the site is the fact that it has actual buildings that can be utilised - including toilet blocks. The cleanest festival toilets ever! But aside from that, there was immediate green space, tents were set up for art, storytelling and face painting (huge queue of course - I am so glad the face painting days are behind us!), the dance stage was on, there were plenty of trees for shade and clear pathways that were kept clear to aid movement about the site. The sun meant that people could stretch out on the grass (or on picnic rugs) and enjoy the music.

Cammy Barnes was on the main stage and all of use could see and hear why he is a Scottish artist on the rise. Barnes sold out two nights at King Tuts earlier this year and has two sold out dates at the Barrowland coming up. He also announced that a huge Hydro show will be going on sale! Barnes has a rich and soulful voice, cheeky charm and a huge sound. He went down a storm.

Towards the end of his set, Lynn and the girls left to go back to the dance stage for GBX Anthems (Rosie later regretted this decision!). This meant that I had some 'me time' to grab a Corona zero, wander round a little and get ready for Brooke Combe on the main stage. Sadly, about 85% of the festival decided to go to GBX anthems, meaning the front pit only had a few hundred people in it and there was also plenty of space behind. 

Combe and her band still played a blinder. Her recent run of singles that commenced with How Can I Tell You? last Autumn, took in Tears Won't Lie in April and now Love Was Made of Stone have been phenomenal. Working with James Skelly of The Coral on production duties is really helping her Motown/Northern Soul influences to shine. Combe danced around the stage looking super cool in flared jeans, Adidas t-shirt and shades, waving to her nieces and generally looking like she was having a great time. Her next album will be her breakthrough and I confidently predict she will be selling out the Barrowland as a result. 

It took a while for the crowds to disperse from GBX and once we caught up we decided it was time for food. I had a lovely cheese burger! Rosie and I caught Skerrymore, not normally my thing, but they were excellent, creating a huge celtic soul sound complete with 2 bagpipes. They were perfect for that early evening slot in the sunshine.

We decided to chill afterwards. Rosie and I found ourselves at the Rest and Be Thankful area which was super green and chilled. On a small hill with trees, a nice large pond, picnic tables, chill out tents and also a larger tent with fairy lights offering massages and yoga. As we walked up, there was a sign saying that they did kids massages as well as adults. We were in!

The massage was absolutely tremendous. We both felt relaxed and energised. Lynn and Zoe were a little jealous when we hooked back up.

Our strategy for Nathan and Saint PHNX was the old Strike It Lucky choices - top, middle, bottom. We started off quite far down the side, near the barrier for the front pit. As a result we had a good view of the stage and screens. Darkness was falling, adding to the palpable sense of anticipation around the crowd of all ages. 

Nathan and Saint PHNX wasted no time in getting fans onside, opening with the insanely catchy Arabella, swiftly followed by Milarrochy Bay, one of my personal highlights of the night. People were dancing, singing, up on shoulders, smiling and laughing. Wellerman was next, the sea shanty that kicked everything off for Nathan, and it went down a storm.

 

Angels' Share was introduced by Stevie, a song for people who couldn't be there, but they were there and always will be. This is a side of Nathan and Saint PHNX that can get lost and under appreciated.  among their fun songs and easy going nature. Nathan and Stevie as main songwriters have been hurt, they have lost loved ones and gone through extremely tough times, and they do portray that in their songs. 

What a view!

We then had a section of the show that called for immense audience participation. Stevie and Alan took charge as Nathan left the stage, splitting the crowd into two sections. Stevie's side were the woah, oh, oh's and he got them warmed up before handing over to Alan ... who, before warming his own team up, got 30,000 people to shout Stevie's a big jobby! 

Alan's team were on yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah's and soon Stevie was singing the Saint PHNX song Mountains, leading to the woah, oh oh's and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah's. Great fun. This was all backed by phenomenal guitar playing by John Cargill who was playing cool, chilled and funky riffs that could easily have been for Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Meanwhile, Nathan had somehow got to a small b-stage behind the sound-desk where he delivered a slow and aching version of Caledonia followed by his own Paper Planes. The recorded version of this begins with a voice note by Evans at his lowest point in his mental health struggles. I find it incredibly moving. 

My mind is like a wrecking ball, destruction in its wake

I've been working 14-hours, for just as many days

My brother sees me crying, but it's not that kind of pain

So I write my dreams on paper plans and let them fly away

Nathan Evans - Heather on the Hill

We moved back a little to find some space and it was quite amazing to walk through the crowd. Kids were on parents shoulders, people were dancing to Cotton Eye Joe, EVERYONE was smiling and I mean BEAMING with joy. Driving To Nowhere is one of my favourite Nathan and Saint PHNX Band songs. It flows with ease and the melody for the chorus is instantly memorable. It sounds even better live.

We moved back a little further to allow for toilet breaks before the final stretch and to try and get Rosie's long awaited Churros. The Churros stalls had been rammed all day. They must have made a small fortune. We were VERY lucky as Rosie got the last churros of the day. And the Belgian chocolate sauce was absolutely delicious!

With a wee sugar rush we wandered past the Big Wheel (should definitely get a bigger one for next year) to an area with picnic benches where a small crowd had gathered with plenty of space. We could see why, we grabbed a table and before long Rosie and I were up on top if it singing to Highland Girl. Around us kids were twirling each other around ceilidh style and we could see the crowd bouncing down the front. It looked incredible from the back - like a film scene.

Happy Place is a song that means a lot to so many people. Notably Stevie and Alan on stage. I don't mind admitting to having a wee tear in my eyes when they played it. Footage from the stage showed phone in the air with torches on and it looked sensational. 

Nathan, Stevie, Alan, John and Mairi (violin) took a deserved bow and departed the stage to a tremendous ovation. But of course, they were coming back on.

What an encore. Home, with its tumbling, flowing verses and rousing chorus, complete with bagpipes was an absolute anthem. And of course, Heather on the Hill was the closing song for the festival of the same name. 

Fireworks explode overhead, wives, kids and family were welcomed onstage for hugs and photos, memories that will last a lifetime. 

Well done to all involved. 

The story of Saint PHNX

Long term readers of my blog will know that I used to help manage a band from Wishaw called Vigo Thieves. I had so many good times with the band; as a manager, friend and fan.

Stevie Jukes, the singer, songwriter, frontman and driving force behind the band pushed and pulled the band as far as he could take them. Then he regrouped to write more songs.

The new songs had a new sound and feel to them and so Stevie formed Saint PHNX with his brother Alan.

Stevie and Alan aimed high from the very start, contacting all the major management companies in the world, cheekily following up on their email to The Killers management team and getting a reply.

That reply was the start of a rollercoaster ride of highs, loops and lows. Saint PHNX got close to a record deal, they got closer, they had offers, then all of a sudden they were miles away ... then they were up, playing to 25,000 people in America, record label showcases, before hitting as low as they could go, ready to give up...

I've not even told half of their story.

But a new podcast/vlog from Glasgow called GlasGo caught up with the band to get their story. I watched part 1 last night and I was enthralled. What a journey! I laughed at the two brothers bouncing off each other, marvelled at their cheek, hard work and ambition and gasped at how low they got. I wasn't aware of how bad things got.

If you're a music fan, if you're in a band, then you should watch this. Ambition, dreams, parties, huge shows, cheap flights, no money for food, sharing beds, things going horribly wrong and then a lifeline...

This is just part 1! Roll on part 2! CLICK HERE if you don't see the video embedded below.

Happy Place

One of the great things about being a music fan is that you get to meet some incredible people; fellow music fans, songwriters, musicians, promoters, bloggers, journalists, presenters ... in the social media age we live in, if you have similar interests and tastes, then it is easy to connect with others who share your passions. 

Stevie and Alan Jukes are brothers that I got to know through their former band Vigo Thieves. I had some fantastic nights with them and co-managed the band with Stevie for a while. As I got to know them I learned how important their family was to them and how much of a hero their Dad Bert was. He'd come from very little and with hard work, exceptional people skills, the gift of the gab, an entrepreneurial flair and the odd slice of luck, Bert Jukes had done pretty well for himself.

All his qualities had rubbed off on his sons. I still fondly remember Stevie hand delivering the Vigo's Heart & Soul Part 1 EP to my house and my name being on the back sleeve among people he wanted to thank. He didn't need to do either of these things, it was just in his nature. Customer service, care, time for a chat, the personal touch.

And I still remember Stevie's intense ambition to breakout of Wishaw, out of Glasgow and out of Scotland. Buying glowsticks to turn the basement of Sleazys into something brighter and more memorable to fit the anthems he was writing, to bring a smile to peoples faces, to make something happen.

Stevie and Al broke from Vigo Thieves to form Saint PHNX and then they really did go for it, bagging proper management, a booking agent, some incredible support shows across Europe and America with the likes of Lewis Capadi and Yungblud, airplay during the superbowl and going on all kinds of crazy adventures.

Bert was along for the ride, happy to man the merch stall across the world in support of his boys. The Saint PHNX social media updates always made me smile. Their family values were on air for the whole world, for their fans ... it was a sense of honesty and openness that I guess you rarely see from some artists. 

Saint PHNX, the Jukes brothers ... they have always been and always will be up for a laugh, unafraid to rip the piss out of themselves ... but they are real. 2 brothers from Wishaw with big dreams, 2 young lads with an incredible desire to push themselves and their songs as far as they could possibly go. But always with family and friends at the heart of everything.

Earlier on this year I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of their Dad, their hero, Bert Jukes. His larger than life personality kind of made him seem pretty invincible. The news hit anyone that knew Stevie and Alan hard, particularly as there couldn't be the kind of send off that the family and Bert's many, many friends would have liked. I half joked to Stevie that they would maybe have needed to book the Hydro in normal times!

Stevie, Bert & Alan

Shortly after Bert's death the brothers announced that they had signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. Thankfully, Bert knew this was happening. I know how happy the news would have made him, how proud he would be. I know how hard his boys have worked for it, for years, a decade! 

Stevie and Al have posted some very personal and emotional video messages on the Saint PHNX social media channels since Bert passed away. They have been grieving privately and in that very modern way, where they've just needed to talk, they have gone live online to do so.

And, that emotion has come out in a song. Happy Place, written about Bert - the house he built for his family in the countryside, about the hills in lower Lanarkshire, the advice he gave his sons ... about the way they are feeling now. 

If I could wish upon a star

I'd wish that I could heal the scars

The chorus is classic Stevie Jukes - personal, but something that anyone with dreams can sing and feel like it has been written for them. I guess we're all looking for a better day, we've felt trapped and maybe gone to our happy place over the last 16-months.  And we've all wanted to turn back time, for various reasons, many through grief. The words come pouring out in a simple melody that I've found myself singing without even knowing I'm singing it.

Over the hills and far away

Looking out for a better day

When it seems like there's no escape

Take me away to my happy place

Somewhere, their Dad is smiling down at them for coming out fighting, for creating something positive and bright out of very dark times. And as always, Bert is at the heart of everything. This time it's under cruel circumstances, but as he always did when he walked into a room, the world is a little brighter.

Happy Place is a big song, written when Saint PHNX hearts were broken, it could be the one that breaks them as a band - in a good way.

R.I.P. Bert Jukes

Happy Place on iTunes

Happy Place on Spotify

Happy Place video on YouTube

Heartbeats

As the atmospheric swirl of instrumental opener Wide Awake floats around my headphones and leads into the pounding soulful rock of Steal Your Heart. I think back to the first time I caught Vigo Thieves live. It was a Thursday night upstairs in the glamorous setting of The Commercial Hotel in Wishaw.

They were a little drunk, everyone in the venue was a little drunk - hey, it was a Thursday night upstairs in The Commercial. You wouldn't want to be sober! Only trouble is, I was! I'd driven over to catch a band my friend Helen had been raving about and she said that they were amazing live.

Singer Stevie Jukes ended up topless. Gordon on bass, the life and soul of the band may have joined him. They went for it. With songs like Blood Red, Won't You Be Mine and Steal Your Heart, they had something. I became a fan and in time we became friends.

Steal Your Heart had a little bit of Springsteen about it, I loved (and love) the circular guitar riff and the pleading and soulful vocals.

Things ain't right and things need to change

I can feel it in the wind and taste it in your tears

Stevie's lyrics have always mixed reflection with love, hope, dreams and ambition. At times it is almost like he is offering advice to himself. It's the kind of advice that turned some of his songs into anthems for some; leading to euphoric shows at packed out tents at T in the Park and sold out shows at King Tuts, The Arches and the ABC. I shared many of the bands highs and was also around for a few lows, it was a rollercoaster ride - being in a band is.

Stay young in your heart

And young in your mind

So yeah, anthems. Heartbeats was a game changer. The first time Stevie sent it through I was amazed.  Stevie's songwriting was developing big time and he had the attitude and work ethic to go with it. I remember being impressed when a CD of the Heart and Soul (Pt I) EP was popped through my door with a ticket for the launch night at Sleazys. So impressed that I ended up co-managing the band with Stevie for a while - it was quite a journey.

Stevie (vocals), Gordon (bass), Alan (drums), Barry (guitar)

Always one for an idea and definitely someone with a vision, Stevie, Gordon, Barry, Gorman and Alan handed out glowsticks to the audience at Sleazys, turning a dark and sweaty basement on Sauchiehall Street into something brighter, more positive and show like. This was no basement gig, this was a band wanting to be bigger and better.

Heartbeats has such a simple piano riff throughout, the beat is....well like a fast heartbeat, Stevie's vocals soar skywards. It is amazing what an anthem this became, the video was widely shared, T in the Park used it for a promo video and fans fell for it big time.

Hear the truth in my voice with the songs that we sing

Love is the fire that's burning

When your heartbeats

Together we stand divided we fall

The original version of Heartbeats

Listening back now I do find it amazing that a record company didn't pick up on Vigo Thieves. I mean listen to Believe. It is HUGE. Jam packed with soul, emotion, hooks and when the beat kicks in it has that sense of freedom in a song that allows you to go crazy.

Do you believe in the fire in your soul?

Vigo Thieves believed, passionately!

Blinding Lights into Forever - INCREDIBLE! Forever is probably my favourite Vigo Thieves song. This new version on the album is sensational. What I love is the way the band build towards the chorus and it's as if the song and chorus are going to kick in, but the beat drops out and the chorus just kind of floats and soars. I love it, I think it is beautiful and clever.

Then the second verse DOES kick in and builds to the second chorus and this time it DOES kick in and it DOES fly. When the band played this live it was pure escapism for me - a brilliant song. An anthem.

So yeah, the big songs keep coming. This Love is drives forward at pace, another catchy piano/keys riff leads into big beats and Stevie singing his heart out and asking urgently;

Can you feel it?

Can you feel it?

This love?

The outro lifts thing even higher.....and higher.

Stevie at a sold out Arches

I remember coming back from a trip to London with Stevie on the train one time. He wrote down a list of songs he was working on and talked me through them. Gold was a song he was excited about - although I think he only had the title! Everything else was in his head, being worked on.

Razorblade is polished pop rock, it sounds perfect for the radio, for a drive with your mates in the sunshine, windows down. There is a beautiful slowed down piano version of this somewhere...

Of brother don't be away

Cause when the sun is rising in your eyes

I'll take it all away

Sound of Summer was a very early Vigo's tune I loved but the band ditched. They were moving on, Stevie was writing songs like Heartbeats, Believe and Forever. I'm glad they revisited it. The pop kid in me loves the chorus and in another dimension (or a country like America) this would be a radio hit. The shimmering guitar riff is a beauty as well.

Stevie celebrating becoming the first unsigned act to sell out 2-nights

back to back at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

Songs That We Sing starts with a brilliant sounding electric guitar, it sounds deliciously raw and builds to pounding drums. Another big tune, stadium sized.

Will you be my lover, will you be my friend, is it what we're waiting for?

Ghosts flows, surges and soars from the off. This was a big live favourite; the crowd sang the lyrics and also the riff and when Chris Cruickshanks saxophone kicks in it just adds to the Springsteen vibe. Then there is a stabbing synth and it all kicks off again.

Al, Barry, Stevie, Gordon and Chris

Steal Your Heart (Pt II) was my favourite Vigo song for quite some time. Largely because it was so different from everything else. Slow, Stevie pouring his heart out, it really gets me. One time I was down in London with the band, having fun, playing shows and dreaming of a record contract. We all vowed to get tattoo's of lyrics from a song if it happened. Mine would have been the second line from;

You're looking for the love to heal the pain from all the scars

So just live for the moment and you'll shine like the stars

I remember listening to this on headphones on the train and just falling in love with those lyrics. Look at them written down - pretty poetic! Someone really down, hurt and scarred and being offered that advice to keep going. Again, it was probably Stevie offering advice to himself.

The song builds and there are glorious angelic like backing vocals leading back into the chorus from Steal Your Heart (Pt I).

Look out for the hidden track.

So there you go; Heartbeats (the album) by Vigo Thieves. It misses Love Is Dead, She's On Fire and Blood Red and it should probably have been released 2 or 3 years ago but better late than never. :-)

What Heartbeats does do is provide a lasting document of a band that shot for the stars, a band that dared to dream big, a band that wanted their songs played and sung in stadiums.

What disappoints me as a music fan is the hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted by major label record companies on bands (in Scotland alone over the last few years) with not a fraction of the songs that Stevie and co had/have. Nor did any of the bands have the star quality or frontman charisma of Stevie. The Vigo Thieves were (and are) a band of brothers, a real band of friends, not put together by an advert or by a company.

Listen to songs like Steal Your Heart, Heartbeats, Believe, This Love and Forever. Close your eyes and dream.

Keep an eye out on Saint PHNX - Stevie and Al's new band. Who knows what will happen with the Vigo's.

Introducing - Saint PHNX

On Sunday night Saint PHNX released their first music and video. The powerful video with images of war, politics and propaganda is interspersed with silhouettes of the two piece band - Stevie and Alan Jukes. Two brothers, Stevie on vocals and guitar, Alan on drums.

Familiar names?

Well they will be if you are a long time reader of this blog. Stevie and Alan were in Vigo Thieves.

Vigo Thieves disappeared; Stevie wrote a whole bunch of new songs, they recorded them at the excellent Rocket Science Studio in Glasgow, sent them around and people sat up and took notice.

Power, soul, emotion, big choruses and no messing about has been Stevie Jukes calling card for some time. Songs like Heartbeats, Believe, Steal Your Heart and This Love took them far....packing tents at T in the Park, selling out The Arches and the ABC in Glasgow.....

However they cut their teeth with the Vigo's. Saint PHNX are leaner, meaner and ready for business from the off. As I mentioned before - no messing.

Saint PHNX - Al and Stevie

Reload is the first song released. There is a sense of urgency from the off; the pounding drums, menacing synth, raw guitars and soulful vocals pleading

I only wanna open your eyes

You make me wanna touch the sky

Saint PHNX definitely want to touch the sky and kiss the sun. They play their debut show at the legendary Nice n Sleazys on Thursday 21st July. TICKETS HERE

As someone who has heard over an albums worth of tracks that the duo have recorded - Sleazys better bolt on the roof. Saint PHNX are armed with sky scraping anthems.

The Jukes brothers took aim before with Vigo Thieves, they have reloaded and they will not miss.

Vigo Thieves at the Art School

November is a crazy month for gigs in Glasgow and also for nights out.  Sadly I couldn't make Vigo Thieves at the Art School on Saturday night. Thankfully my friend Gordon (a previous guest blogger) was there and more than happy to write another guest review for me.

Gordon

photo by drummer Alan Jukes - brother Stevie in top form

November has always been my favourite month for gigs mainly because plenty of bands tour at this time as they are looking to promote new albums for the Christmas market. It often brings problems because there aren`t enough days in the month and there will be inevitable clashes between bands that I want to see and this year proved no different. 

We had already bought tickets for a Samm Henshaw show on Nov 8th and Prides / Fatherson on Saturday night just gone. These plans were booted into the air as soon as Vigo Thieves announced they would be touring in November. Both of our previous gigs clashed with Vigo gigs, one at Sneaky Pete`s in Edinburgh and the other at The Art School in Glasgow so we gave the Samm Henshaw tickets to a relative and booked an overnight stay in the capital to see the lads play through there. 

At that gig I managed to wangle access all areas passes for the Glasgow gig as I wanted to put a new camera to the test and we then had to change other plans about. We had intended going to the ABC first to catch Fatherson and then heading up the hill to The Art School but in the end we just decided to sell our tickets at the door in Sauchiehall St. We ended up making two young ladies very happy as the Prides gig was sold out and we sold them the tickets at face value instead of them being ripped off by the usual touts that hang outside most venues in Glasgow.

We met up with my cousin and his wife for a beer in the bar downstairs before heading up into the venue to catch the support acts. It took a while for the crowd to come in and many of them will have missed the debut gig of BAD MANNEQUINS. Ross Hamilton , Craig Douglas ( Sonny Marvello ) and Jamie McGrory certainly made those who caught them sit up and pay attention, for a first gig together they absolutely creamed it and sounded superb. 

I missed NIEVES as I was backstage talking to a few people but my cousin spoke highly of them . They have a headline gig at King Tuts coming up on Friday 18th December that we`ll be getting tickets for .

The floor was starting to fill up by now and I made a snap decision to go and put my camera away backstage. I`ve never been one for standing still at gigs and I had a feeling it was going to get rowdy as the boys hadn`t played live in Glasgow for a while. The lights dimmed and The Killers All These Things That I`ve Done was cranked up with the crowd stamping their feet and roaring out the I`ve got soul refrain as the Vigos` took to the stage . With everyone pushing to the front, Stevie Jukes took the mic and thanked the crowd for coming out .

It`s been a while , Glasgow , let`s get fucking loud.

They blasted straight in with BELIEVE and the crowd joined in with such force that Stevie was forced to signal that he wanted his mic turned up. Coupled with Gino Phipps bouncing around like Zebedee on speed, it was obviously going to be one of those nights. Mixing old favourites like STEAL YOUR HEART and GHOSTS with new material THE ONE, new single FREE and the absolutely spectacular KING the band were on fire with Stevie encouraging everyone to sing along as Chris Gorman played the piano solo intro to HEARTBEATS.

You know the words, let`s hear it  he shouted and the whole venue sang them back to him .

As they clambered towards a noisy finish with THIS LOVE, Stevie decided to dive head first into the crowd and got bumped around on top of people for 30 seconds before they manage to direct him back towards the stage.

They finished with the soaring sound of the full version of HEARTBEATS and the mosh pit that had developed in front of the stage was soon joined by the lead singer diving in again. He had warned that he`d enjoyed the first one so he was going to do it again and he was true to his word. As the gig drew to an end it had been an hour of unadulterated joy and noise that saw everyone smiling and covered in sweat , just the way these things are supposed to be.

Vigo Thieves have been quieter this year in comparison to the last few but there is an album on the way and the new stuff they are producing seems to be much more polished. The live shows continue to grow and they continue to catch the eye and ears of music goers up and down the length of the country. As they say themselves

ONE DAY , ONE DAY I`LL BE KING

Sooner rather than later would be just fine .

Free by Vigo Thieves

Set me free so I can fly

Break the chains of the beast inside

Night and day gonna see me soar

Close my eyes and I let it go

Flying higher than I've ever known

Night and day gonna see me soar

Close my eyes and I let it go

Vigo Thieves new single Free is out today (30th October) and as the chorus suggests, they are set to soar.

The band burst on to the Scottish music scene a few years ago with the release of their Heart and Soul Pt I EP which contained the magnificent Heartbeats that was picked up by T in the Park for use in their promo video.

An incredible 2-years followed; the band became the first unsigned act to sell-out 2 back-to-back nights at King Tuts, there was the release of the Heart & Soul Pt II EP contained the epic Forever, the soaring Believe and live favourite Ghosts, some incredible festival shows, sell-out shows at The Arches and the ABC, the Barrowlands EP and the euphoric This Love single.

The band, led by the driven songwriter and frontman Stevie Jukes, bunkered down at Rocket Science studios in Glasgow where they found two producers in Michael Bannister and Ross Hamilton who totally understood what they wanted to achieve, to record an album - an album that I have been fortunate to hear.

We'll save that for another blog though, in the meantime Free is the first single to be released from the time at Rocket Science. It has already picked up airplay on Radio 2.

Check out the brilliant video below;

Vigo trademarks are there - melodic piano, soaring backing vocals that are ripe for a stadium or festival, Stevie Jukes singing his heart out, big beats and a chorus you'll be humming and singing for days to come, one that Noel Gallagher would be proud of.

Everybody dreams of something, can you feel it, feel it?

The song could well have been written about Stevie's own dreams and ambitions for the band, yet easily transfers to everyday life for the masses. The verses talk of his head being down, working hard but it's just not enough, being trapped in a small town that feels like it is closing in... we've all been there, but having the dreams and the ambition to break free are what keep you going. Stevie and his band certainly have the dreams, ambitions and songs to break free.

I can feel it, I can feel it coming

Free is being released on King Tuts Recordings. Tour dates are below.

Pledge Music

Quite a few of my recent blogs have been decidedly retro - anniversaries of classic albums or shows. I am extremely fortunate that many of the bands and artists I got into in my teens and early 20's are still around and I do enjoy looking back at their classic albums and blogging about their current activities. However I want to ensure that my blog allocates space to plenty of new bands and artists that I enjoy and also some of the issues they face.

So I thought I would write a blog about a recent (indeed a current) experience I have had with my sisters band TeenCanteen - one that should be of interest to a lot of DIY/unsigned bands.

The experience involved the crowd funding platform Pledge Music and I have to say that it has been extremely positive -so read on if you want to find out more...I hope this may help some bands or artists in the future.

The cost of being in a band

Some people really have no idea how much money you need to be in a band, even a relatively small one - equipment, rehearsal studios, travelling to gigs/touring, recording - studio time, production, mixing, videos, releasing..... believe me, it can all add up...especially if things start to get serious.

Most bands will put in their own money and any money they make from gigs, PRS or self releases then goes straight back into doing it all again. Unless you have a (major or large indie) label, sponsor, backer or you make some serious money from a song or release, then money is a constant worry.

Funding a serious start-up or DIY band is a serious issue.

Crowd-funding and Pledge Music

I first came across Pledge Music a few years ago when I was managing the Vigo Thieves. Pledge were very interested in capitalising on the interest Vigo Thieves were generating through their use of Social Media. Engagement with fans is something that singer Stevie Jukes is something of a specialist in - in person and online. To this day I remember Stevie hand delivering me Vigo Thieves first EP with a ticket for their show at Sleazys. Online - competitions, asking fans for their opinion, pics, updates, videos...it all helps. Social Media is essential for crowdfunding.

Vigo Thieves at King Tut's

Like a record label - Pledge have an A and R team, so, like a record label - Pledge need to find bands to make money. They get a commission, so it is in their interests to take on bands that will achieve their target and hopefully smash it.

Pledge Music was and is, an interesting, yet extremely simple concept - fan funding, or crowd funding. It is now part of common culture. People interested in a project help to fund it - simple! 

So if you are in a band, Pledge Music have the format, skills, knowledge and experience to help you set up a fundraising project; for the vast majority of bands this is to raise funds to record an album. Not cheap!

Funnilly enough I did something on a much smaller scale with the band Sonny Marvello when I managed them. We raised some decent money through shows at Stereo in Glasgow, but also set up a Fanclub - the 100 club. Only 100 members and you got a mini-acoustic album, access to a secret show at a vintage clothes shop in Glasgow (what a night that was!) and a badge. It sold out in a few days and raised £1,000 for the band. Crowd funding - it works if you offer the right event/product/project, promote it correctly, deliver and thank.

Good studios like Tape in Edinburgh, Rocket Science, Cava or Gorbals Sound in Glasgow can cost £400+ per day. Smaller studios like the brilliant La Chunky or Green Door in Glasgow are around £200 per day. So if you're laying down 10-tracks and recording everything separately - you need a good number of days. (please correct me if I am wrong on any prices)

So for recording, mixing and production of an album, you can be looking at a fairly considerable sum. Not the kind of money most bands have lying around.

Cava Sound

Vigo Thieves decided against Pledge Music in the end, largely because at the time it was pretty untried and untested. In 2015 it is fast becoming one of the best ways for small and also for large bands to engage with fans and to fund projects; The Libertines are one of the biggest bands to currently be using Pledge. Cast, Marillion, Reverend and the Makers are others. Do The Libertines need a record label in this day and age when they already have a huge fanbase? 

In Scotland, Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire are a band who have embraced crowd funding and Gerry Cinnamon is an emerging artist who has smashed his Pledge Music target to fund his debut album. Gerry is an artist who wants complete control, no compromise- he has it.

Gerry Cinnamon

My sister Carla has a band - TeenCanteen - and she asked me if I could help her raise the remaining funds required to complete their debut album that they are working on at Tape Studios in Edinburgh. They had found the right studio and producer, recorded 4-songs (in Mono), but needed a cash injection to complete the album.

I spoke with Pledge, they liked the band, their engagement via Social Media was strong (despite the fact they maybe didn't have the follows or likes of other bands), they had good songs and videos, good support from the likes of 6music and they also liked the fact that as well as being a music fan, I am a fundraiser by profession. 

I worked with my sister and the band on setting up the Pledge project. We set up a range of ways that fans could get involved to help the band complete their album..... Stripped back home sets, a live album, limited artwork, TeenCanteen cover versions, appear in a video, do handclaps on the album, a Skype harmony lesson, handwritten lyrics....something for everyone ranging from £10 to £350 with loads in between.

We couldn't believe what happened next.... but before that, check the video below....

22/09

TeenCanteen launched their Pledge Music campaign, spending a small amount on Facebook advertising and sending an e-newsletter to fans.

23/09

The campaign is almost at 50% within 24-hours with pledges towards TeenCanteen doing cover versions and a stripped back home concert helping with a large percentage of that total. Cover versions were £50 and a home show was £350.

In Fundraising Terms people pledging for a home concert are like your major donors - pledging a substantial amount and really making a difference.

But like fundraising - for a crowd-funding project to really work - you need a variety of income streams. Look at Comic/Sports Relief for example, they have big shows, big challenges, people holding events for them, but they also need people texting at £5, £25 or going online and donating whatever they can.

They are also great with the films they make, highlighting the difference you can make. So the video above definitely helped.

24/09

Carla posts a short Thank You video on Facebook as the campaign reaches 54%. Within a few hours this leads to cover versions and home concerts selling out and an increase towards other pledges; including the Skype harmony lesson.

In fundraising - thanking your donors properly is of paramount importance. It strengthens relationships.

24/09

The campaign reaches 94% and Carla posts a video of an excited Chloe running around the pub they are in - leading to the campaign breaking 100%.

Another great example of thanking and showing how much it meant to the band.

25/09 

The campaign breaks 100% and Carla posts a thumbs up thank you picture leading to more pledges. 

27/09

A further thanks and a reminder that there are still loads of things like handclaps on the album available.

The campaign remains open and pledges are still coming in, even though the band are concentrating on communicating with pledgers rather than promoting the project.

We are now in the process of sorting out everything that needs to be done - communicating with fans, timelines for recording covers, letting fans know recording dates for handclaps, letting people know when they will be sent things, working out availability for home concerts..... I guess this is when a manager comes in handy - or someone like me who can help.

What is really interesting is that it is truly fans that have embraced the Pledge campaign. 98% of the pledgers are non family/close friends. They are proper fans who have read about the band, or heard them on 6Music or caught them at a festival or supporting someone.

This is something that has given my sister a huge confidence boost - the fact that the songs she has been writing in her bedroom and creating with her friends is generating real love and people want to help her make the album.

Music fans - supporting a band to create music = is it really that simple?!

Vigo Thieves - reasons to believe

Believe by Vigo Thieves was re-released recently to coincide with the song being chosen by the Scottish FA as then anthem for the nations Euro 16 campaign. It is the perfect choice - Strachan has restored the fire in the soul of the players and the supporters, people believe again.

I was delighted when I found out as the band are huge supporters of the national team. Barry follows the team home and away as a committed member of the Tartan Army and it was only last year that Gordon was creating a bubble bath in Trafalgar Square in London when down watching Scotland against the Auld Enemy!

Gordon Phipps - it's always the bass players that are the party animals!

The band are growing from strength to strength, a summer of festivals followed by an Autumn tour led to the offer of 4-dates with The Courteeners (including 2 at the Barrowlands) and Vigo Thieves will be rounding off 2014 in style with their second headline show at the ABC in December. It promises to be quite a party.

Vigo Thieves have worked hard to build a word of mouth following that will only grow - especially when they release their album. 2015 promises to be a big year for the band so I decided to look at a few of the many reasons why more and more people are believing in the Vigo Thieves.

Vigo Thieves at the SFA launch of Believe

REASONS TO BELIEVE

The songs
Vigo Thieves wouldn't have generated this much noise if they didn't have something about them but at the end of the day it all comes down to the songs. People are looking for songs to sing-a-long with, to dance to, to jump around to, to fall in love with, to look for hope in, or to soundtrack their nights and their life. This band have the songs to do that - attend any of their live shows and you'll see just what they mean to people.

Vigo Thieves have been building a top rate collection of songs over the last few years. More and more people are waking up to it - songs like Heartbeats, Forever, This Love, Believe and Steal Your Heart are festival and stadium anthems in the making - the hooks, riffs, refrains, beats, choruses are all there. People are already singing a-long to the hooks and riffs at the shows.

The enthusiastic responses at live shows and the growing scale of them has only encouraged Stevie Jukes to write bigger and better songs - anthems to be sung loud and heartily.

I'm fortunate to have heard some demos of songs that Vigo Thieves are working on in the studio and they sound incredible.

It isn't just the live environment that these songs work in, they sound incredible on the radio and their anthemic and cinematic nature has been picked up by the Scottish FA, it is surely only a matter of time before they are soundtracking games, adverts, films and shows.

The video of This Love displays the cinematic widescreen feeling of Vigo Thieves

2. Positivity
Vigo Thieves are all about heart and soul. They give it everything and the lyrics of Stevie Jukes highlight that. Examples?

Got to wake up, live for today
Stay young in your heart and young in your mind - Steal Your Heart

Love is the fire that's burning, when your heartbeats - Heartbeats

You're looking for the love to heal the pain from all the scars
So live for the moment and you'll shine like the stars - Steal Your Heart Pt II

Lets live forever, together we can stay young - Forever

It's not just the lyrics, Vigo Thieves are positive in everything they do - their live shows are a celebration, they are always looking to improve, develop and grow, their attitude and commitment is like no other I have experienced. Which leads on to...

Drummer Alan Jukes has the best seat in the house

3. Vision and leadership
Stevie Jukes had a clear vision for Vigo Thieves when he started out. 'Start with the end in mind' is one of his key philosophies and one that has served him and the band very well. Stevie has combined his talent for singing and songwriting with sheer hard work and resilience to get Vigo Thieves to where they are. He won't rest until he has taken them as far as he can possibly go - and that is all the way.

These qualities and more have helped drive the band forward more than anything else. I've never been anything less than impressed with Stevie, his natural charisma on stage and off has helped create opportunities and develop lasting relationships.

Stevie Jukes knows how to get a crowd on his side

4. A real band
Vigo Thieves didn't stick an advert in a magazine or online, they didn't come together through management or a record company, they are a true band. Stevie and drummer Alan are brothers, Gordon on bass and Barry on lead guitar are long term friends with the Jukes brothers. Chris Gorman on keys, synths and backing vocals joined after producing early demos and being the unofficial 5th member. Recognising his importance to the developing sound, Stevie likened him to 'playing piano like Elton John and having a voice like Jesus'.

The band gel superbly on and off stage, there is a real chemistry between them. Stevie singing his heart out, Alan a power house on drums, Gordon keeping the songs flowing on bass, Barry adding flourishes and riffs on guitar, Gorman helping to take them to the next level. Chris Cruickshanks joins the 5-piece on saxophone, creating a Springsteen feel to songs like This Love.

Vigo Thieves stripped back in session

5. The shows
I've mentioned the live shows turning into celebrations. I've witnessed incredible scenes at King Tut's, T in the Park, Wickerman, the Arches, the ABC, Barrowlands.... The momentum is with this band and the bigger the shows, the more they respond and the more they give.

For an unsigned band to have sold out the Arches and got over 1,000 people into the ABC is an incredible achievement - they still haven't released an album! The songs, the shows, airplay and word of mouth is generating something special and they won't be unsigned for much longer.

Vigo Thieves at the ABC in Glasgow earlier this year - a celebration

Get a ticket for Vigo Thieves at the ABC on 20th December. You won't regret it.