The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
The Biggest Weekend
Scone Palace, May 25-26
It’s one of the more random – yet most promising – music events to land in Perthshire. Billed as no less than a means of uniting the home nations through live music, BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend is a one-off festival – minus the camping – designed to plug Auntie’s radio, TV and online output.
Simultaneous two-day extravaganzas are being staged in each country, with big names aplenty at Scotland’s offering at Scone Palace. Classical, opera, folk, jazz and musicals collide at the historic site today, with Nigel Kennedy, Danielle De Niese, Evelyn Glennie, Eddi Reader, Michael Xavier, Karine Polwart and Jamie Cullum all on the Radio 3-friendly bill.
Tomorrow’s line-up is aimed at Radio 2 listeners and includes Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Simple Minds, Emeli Sande, Squeeze, The Shires, Amy Macdonald and The Beat.
Gaelic folk singer Julie Fowlis is looking forward to the challenge of trying to win over ex-Oasis star Noel’s fans when she takes to the stage for Saturday’s opening set. “We’re in the most amazing company and hopefully we can get the party started,” she says.
“Audiences are pretty open-minded and I’m sure the crowd’ll be up for a bit of variety. Musicians are musicians and although we usually perform in different circles, ‘Why not?’ is what I would say.
“I’ve performed with lots of musicians from different genres and that sort of thing doesn’t faze me; it really doesn’t. Of course, I’m very honoured to be on the same bill as all these other folk but I never dumb down traditional music.
“I think it deserves a place on the big stage like anybody else.”
The multi-instrumentalist – who’ll be accompanied by guitarists Éamon Doorley and Innes White, fiddler Megan Henderson and ex-Deacon Blue bassist Ewen Vernal – reckons being first on could be to her advantage. “It’s great to be playing at the Scottish gig and my dad’s originally from Perthshire so being in Perth is great,” says Julie, 39.
“It’ll be nerve-wracking to be starting the day but hopefully I’ll get a chance to enjoy some of the music that’s coming on afterwards. I have a 4am start the next morning but I’m hoping to hang on as long as I can and see as much as I can.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Emeli Sande perform, I haven’t heard her live before, and it’ll be great to see Simple Minds in action too.”
A series of build-up events in Perth this week concludes today with Ricky Ross in conversation at 2 High Street. Earlier appearances from Emma Pollock, Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch and harpist Rachel Newton, plus a live session with Be Charlotte, Nina Nesbitt, Savage Mansion and SHHE, have also whetted appetites ahead of the main event.