There are some pretty happy faces in Netsounds HQ with the news that FIRST AID KIT are to play this year’s award winning Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.

What’s more… one of New Wave’s most commercially successful groups, THE PRETENDERS, featuring the one of rock music’s original independent women, CHRISSIE HYNDE, are to headline Friday night at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.  They join Saturday headliners FRANZ FERDINAND and SISTER SLEDGE on the Thursday.

Belladrum takes place near Beauly, Inverness-shire; 3-5th August 2017.

Swedish sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg better known as, First Aid Kit have beautiful , charming vocal harmonies – quite possibly the best Americana sound to come  from outside the USA.

Vukovi in session for Nestounds at Belladrum 2015 return to the festival for 2017.

The Pretenders head a huge list of talented artists announced today for the festival. They include: Swedish duo FIRST AID KIT; alternative-rock artists FEEDER who will play the main stage on Thursday; singer/songwriter BIRDY; hard rocking punk artist FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES headlining the Hothouse Stage; Glaswegian garage rock duo HONEYBLOOD; and rock ‘n’ roll singer/songwriter LOUIS BERRY who plays the garden stage on Thursday.

Honeyblood play Belladrum 2017

KARINE POLWART and GALLAGHER & LYLE are Friday and Saturday headliners respectively on the Grassroots Stage which also features WILLIAM McCARTHY (AUGUSTINES) and singer/songwriter BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH

Also announced are: MILBURN; HOT DUB TIME MACHINE; NEON WALTZ, SLOW CLUB, VUKOVI, URBAN VOODOO MACHINE and THE JAMES HUNTER SIX.

These are joined by: 3 DAFT MONKEYS; BLOODLINES; BOSSY LOVE; BROKEN BONES MATILDA; BROKEN RAVENS; C.MACLEOD; DOLLY PARTON STORY; FEIS INBHIR NARRAINN CALDONIAN CEILIDH TRAIL; FEIS ROIS CEILIDH BAND;FULL TILT CEILIDH BAND; FUN BOX; GERRY CINNAMON; GOAT ROPER RODEO BAND; HAGGIS HORNS; HERON VALLEY; HO-RO; INDIGO VELVET; I SEE RIVERS; KIOKO; LEWIS CAPALDI; MACFLOYD; OXBOW LAKE; RHYTHMNREEL; ROOT SYSTEM; SALTFISH FORTY; SCHIEHALLION; SCOOTY & THE SKYHOOKS; SINGLE BY SUNDAY; TAMZENE; THE DANGLEBERRIES; THE JAR FAMILY; TIGERSTYLE; TORRIDON; and ZERVAS & PEPPER;

K T TUNSTALL and COLONEL MUSTARD & THE DIJON FIVE were announced previously. Many more acts are still to be announced.

I See Rivers return to Belladrum 2017

Patrons wishing to see main stage acts on the Thursday of the festival will need a three day ticket. The Thursday line-up includes: Sister Sledge, Feeder, Louis Berry, Scooty & The Skyhooks and Torridon.

Saturday day tickets are sold out as are campervan/caravan tickets. Hook-up tickets are still available to campervan/caravan ticket holders. There will be a resale of sold-out ticket categories via the tickets page on the Bella web site on Thursday 8th June at 10am when returned tickets will be made available on a first come first served basis.

Printed Bella tickets are available online at www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk and from the usual retail outlets. These include: Inverness – The Ironworks, Eden Court Box Office, Caffery’s and Hootananny’s; Dingwall – Sweet Treats; Edinburgh and Glasgow – TicketsScotland; Aberdeen – Aberdeen Performing Arts; Elgin – Sound & Vision; Beauly – Morrisons; Kiltarlity Post office.

Bella patrons will need a three day ticket to see Sister Sledge headline the Garden main stage on the Thursday night. The Philadelphia sisters have charted in the UK since 1975 with hits like ‘We Are Family’ and ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’, working successfully with Nile Rogers and Chic.

Bella sold out in record time again in 2016 for the eighth year in a row so fans are urged to buy early to avoid disappointment.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival takes place in the beautiful Highland surroundings of Belladrum Estate, near Beauly in Inverness-shire. The independent festival has built a reputation for its eclectic line-ups, its offbeat non-musical entertainments and its all-ages approach. The festival won a VisitScotland Thistle Award in 2009 and is a past winner of the Grassroots Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards, the festival industry’s ‘Oscars’.