Primal Scream, The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Yonaka, The Burning Hell and Siobhan Wilson have been announced to play at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
The Belladrum 2018 line-up is bursting with iconic indie rock talent. Following the news that The Charlatans and The Supernaturals will play Belladrum, the ever evolving Scottish rockers Primal Scream are set to make their debut Bella appearance where they will close the Main Stage on the Saturday night.
Signed to Creation Records in 1985 they are winners of the first ever Mercury Music Prize for 1991’s Screamadelic. The album is an amazing fusion of indie, pop and dance that broke down musical barriers and influenced a generation of artists over their 30 year career.
Also added to the bill are one of the most ferocious and exciting live bands of the moment, Yonaka. We were lucky enough to catch the Brighton four-piece at last year’s TRNSMT festival where they delivered an incendiary performance on the King Tut’s stage. Front-woman Theresa Jarvis is a joy to watch live and is brimming with energy and backed by a band with serious firepower and swagger. Get right up to the front for this one.
We are also looking forward to seeing our friends, The Burning Hell return to the Highlands from their homeland of Canada. We last saw them back in September 2017 when we put on a show in Inverness with band members Ariel Sharratt and Mathias Kom. They have and have been on the road in one form or another since 2007, playing everywhere from the chaos of Glastonbury to the loneliness of the Arctic Circle, popping up in bars, festival tents, living rooms, abandoned bunkers, and even a mental asylum in rural France along the way. Musically, the line-up and sound of the Burning Hell has been ever-changing, running the gamut from introspective folk to hyperactive rock and roll.
Also added to the line-up is spellbinding Scottish singer-songwriter, Siobhan Wilson. The acclaimed classically trained musician was brought up in Elgin in the North East of Scotland spent a number of years living in Paris and absorbing the French culture before returning to Scotland, where she currently lives in Glasgow. In 2017 she released the beautiful and haunting, There Are No Saints. She has been championed by Lauren Laverne (BBC 6 Music) and has played major venues and festivals and toured in the US, France, Sweden, Poland and Belgium.
Pop-punk/rock act You Me At Six are also added the Garden Stage line-up. Since forming in 2004 they have scored two top five albums (2010’s Hold Me Down, 2011’s Sinners Never Sleep) and a Number One album (2014’s Cavalier Youth), along with taking 13 consecutive singles onto the Radio 1 A-list.
Surprise Guest
2018 will see a “secret special guest” appearing on the Saturday night (main stage) who we are told will deliver one of the stand out moments of the festival. Start the guessing now….
Added to the Thursday night are funky hip-hop, soul and blues fusing Fun Lovin’ Criminals. Formed in 1993 they have released seven albums including Come Find Yourself, Loco, Mimosa and most recently, Classic Fantastic. The lyrics relate life in New York as well as other tales of urban existence and are lauded for their eclectic style which has seen them become a firm festival favourite and a multi Platinum and Gold act in the UK and Europe.
Highland’s own and Belladrum Records artist and multi-instrumentalist, Tamzene also joins the Belladrum 2018 line-up almost a year to the day from when she signed to the label. Her soulful debut single, “Lullaby”, recorded and produced by Joe McAlinden and mixed by Grammy award-winner David Donaldson, received widespread acclaim.
Highland based indie noir-pop band Lional who we last saw at the IMOUT Records showcase also mark a return to Belladrum. They made their name at Xpo North in Inverness and have since played MusExpo in Los Angeles, Sweden and Netherlands and have recorded with the Mercury Music Prize nominated producer Colin Elliot.
UK country siblings Ward Thomas join the Thursday night line-up and other new additions over the weekend include; Beth Orton; Nerina Pallot; Sea Girls; Ryan McMullan; Pumarosa; Brand New Heavies founding member Jan Kincaid’s new soul funk band MF Robots; Whiskey Shivers; Brass Gumbo; Adam Holmes & The Embers; Torridon; The Eskies; Barbarella Bang Banf; Rews; The Rumjacks; Dancing On The Tables; The Tumbling Souls; Macfloyd; The Macgills; The Katet Plays Stevie Wonder; The Undercover Hippy; Noble Jacks; Silver Coast; The Carloways; Ernest Rambles; Highland Voices Choir; and Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail.
Late night Saturday in the Hot House will see the return of the ever-popular Headphone Disco, while family favourites Fun Box will entertain the young and young heart in the Garden Stage, and Big Fish Little Fish will bring raving for the whole family.
These artists join previously announced Friday night headliner, brit award winning Paloma Faith and Thursday night headliner Amy Macdonald. Other acts include Frightened Rabbit who will perform the whole of their epic album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ and British indie rock bank The Charlatans.
“We have pulled off our best ever line-up in terms of headliners and strength in depth this year,” said promoter Joe Gibbs. “The Primals are one iconic Scottish rock act who have never played Bella and so we are utterly delighted to welcome to the gardens.”
Many more acts still to be announced in the coming weeks and months.
Tickets
E-tickets are on sale via the festival website at www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk and via www.skiddle.com. Printed tickets can be bought from agents including: Inverness – The Ironworks, Eden Court Theatre, Caffery’s and Hootananny’s; Kiltarlity – Post Office; Beauly – Morrison’s; Dingwall – Sweet Treats; Elgin – Sound & Vision; Edinburgh and Glasgow – TicketsScotland; Alness – Iain’s Barber Shop. And Isle of Skye Paint Coy in Portree and Grant’s Fine Foods in Dornoch have been added as agents this year.
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