Big names playing small venue a huge hit with local music fans Strathaven concert promoter brings great gigs to home town
GREGOR FARQUHARSON
A series of acoustic gigs in Strathaven are proving to be a big hit.
Organised by Douglas MacIntyre, FRETS Concerts have put together a number of sold out gigs in the Strathaven Hotel.
They have already had the likes of Lloyd Cole playing at the venue, and have sold out gigs coming up with The Bluebells.
Speaking to the News, Douglas explained how he first came up with the idea to bring great live music to Strathaven.
He said: “It was last summer I first had the idea to run some gigs in the town.
“I went and spoke with the Strathaven Hotel about potentially using their venue and they were totally up for it.
“It was then down to trying to book some acts so we could start promoting the gigs.”
FRETS Concerts are heavily focused on the song-writing, stripping everything back in a nice, relaxed setting. The acts we have had on could easily sell out much larger venues, but we are offering them something completely different,” said Douglas.
“This is a small, all-seated venue and it’s just the singer up there with their guitar.
“It is very laid back. It is good for the artists to feel exposed and allows them to play in a way they might have never thought they would have.”
Douglas is from Strathaven and has been involved in the music industry for most of his career.
He explained: “I do a lot of session work for people such as Lloyd Cole and The Bluebells – that is how I got them to play in Strathaven.
“Coming from Strathaven, I think I realised that there isn’t a lot of live music in the town.
“When you look at surrounding areas like Hamilton and East Kilbride they have a lot of live music going on, so why not bring some to Strathaven?”
And Douglas has big ideas for the future, with plans to book regular gigs that will sell out well in advance.
He said:“In May we are due to have a sort of mini festival, with concerts on the Thursday and Friday. I am really, really excited for that.
“It really is all about getting these big acts into a small venue to show fans something different.
It seems to work out well.”
You can find all the information on FRETS upcoming concerts, and more on what they do by visiting their website on fretscreative.com.