BELLADRUM FESTIVAL ADDS GRANDMASTER FLASH, CAPERCAILLIE, THE BLOCKHEADS AND MORE
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (Beauly, Inverness-shire; 8th & 9th August) has announced the addition of Grandmaster Flash, the Grammy award winning, Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame inductee who took the hip-hop world by storm and made it into the genre it is today. He joins a raft of new announcements for the sold-out festival.
Celebrating their 30th year Scottish folk act Capercaillie also join the bill. Credited with being the major force in bringing Celtic music to the world stage, with their unique fusion of Gaelic culture and contemporary sound, the band has always stretched boundaries in their quest to keep the music evolving. Although band members Karen Matheson and Donald Shaw played the first festival eleven years ago, this is Capercaillie’s first appearance at the event.Also making their Belladrum debut are The Blockheads. Backing up Ian Dury’s poetic lyrics, this is the band that brought you ‘Hit Me with your Rhythm Stick’, ‘What A Waste’, ‘Reasons to be Cheerful (Part 3)’, and ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock &Roll’, among many others.
During hip-hop’s nearly 30-year history, few names have become as well known to music lovers across the globe as that of Grandmaster Flash. Not only is he one of the Three Godfathers responsible for inventing the musical genre called hip-hop and a worldwide musical culture, but his pioneering use of the turntables make him the first DJ to play the turntables as a musical instrument thus helping to elevate the status of the DJ to a masterful, artistic position. He is responsible for assembling one of the earliest and greatest rap groups of all time Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – these are some of the hallmarks of a career which has extended from the Bronx in the early 1970s to all corners of the globe into the 21st century.
Other acts performing over the two days include, Newcastle indie rock trio Little Comets; Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook; Ex-Simple Minds feat. Derek Forbes & Brian McGee of Simple Minds; The New Mendicants feat. Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) & Joe Pernice (The Pernice Brothers / The Scud Mountain Boys); Razorlight frontman’s new project Johnny Borrell & The Zazou; Glasgow based lo-fi alternative band with strong Highland connections PAWS; one of the UK’s hottest singer-songwriters Luke Sital-Singh; folk-singer Sam Lee; X Factor finalist Luke Friend; Ocean Colour Scene frontman Simon Fowler with his new folk band, Merrymouth; Dundee alternative three piece Fat Goth; festival favourites MacFloyd; Eric Clapton tribute Classic Clapton; rising indie rock band Eliza & The Bear; Glasgow speed folk outfit Trongate Rum Riots; Josephine & The Artizans bringing their blend of hip-hop, opera and rock; ceilidh-rock band Tweed; Dundee five piece Anderson,McGinty Webster,Ward and Fisher; Inverness’ favourite party bandThe Mystic Shoes; eight piece celtic rock band Rhythmnreel; buzz Highland acts Lioneland Schnarff Schnarff; and finally Inverness fiddle group Fiddle Forte. Headphone Disco will provide late night sessions on the Crabbie’s Hothouse Stage.
Bella will also feature a band whose identity will not be released in advance on the Crabbie’s Hothouse Stage on the Saturday of the event The legendary Tom Jones is to headline the Friday of the festival while the Saturday night features the popular rock band Razorlight at the top of the bill. Frightened Rabbit will return to the event as very special guests. Also featured will be: Bill Bragg; The Temperance Movement; Adrian Emondson & The Bad Shepherds; The Mekons with Robbie Fulks; Casual Sex; Esperanza; Danny & The Champions Of The World; The Big Fat Electric Ceilidh Band; Call To Mind; Randolph’s Leap; Dorec-a-Belle; The Lorelei; Scooty & The Skyhooks; Mad Dog McRea; Caledonian Ceilidh Trail and Holly Atkinson from Inverness, the 2013 winner of Bella’s Got Talent.
Bella sold out all its weekend and Saturday tickets for the sixth year running in record time, five months ahead of the event taking place. The family-friendly festival, which is in its eleventh year, has a 16500 capacity, which includes a large number of children under 12 who attend free of charge. The 2014 theme is ‘Wild Life. Belladrum 2014 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’
