Almost Blue festival attracts 10,000 music fans

DUNDEE turned itself into Scotland’s music capital at the weekend with the triumphant return of the Almost Blue festival.

The city-wide event saw 29 pubs, clubs and other venues host live music and stage more than 100 separate gigs.

Around 10,000 packed i nto the venues to listen to acts offering up everything from jazz and blues to indie and country.

Although only in its fourth year, the festival is already established as a permanent fixture on the Scottish music scene.

Highlights included performances from Lefty and Friends, Boogaloosa, Dirt Road Blues and The Junkyard Dogs.

Only two venues hosted gigs for the first festival, but nearly 30 venues took part in this year’s event.

Almost Blue has become a successor to the Dundee Blues Bonanza, which ran in the city for 30 years.

However, unlike the Blues Bonanza, the festival is not just limited to one genre of music.

Organiser Alan Wilson said: “It is testament to the Blues Bonanza’s success that people have continued to come out and understood what we are trying to do.

“We are not trying to replace the Blues Bonanza but want to keep the great vibe and buzz it created in the city.”

Alan said the success of this year’s festival has been a pleasant surprise for organisers.

“We didn’t know what to expect because last year’s event went really well,” he added. “But this year has been even better. We’ve increased the number of venues and the audience reaction has been superb.

“The bands have been brilliant. It shows the quality of music in Dundee that so many local bands are playing and that touring bands want to come along.”

Boogaloosa on stage.