‘Edinburgh is famous for its buildings and history. Now hear the story of its music’
● New tour charts capital’s extensive pop and rock past
Edinburgh’s links to The Beatles, David Bowie, The Fall, Dizzy Gillespie, Woodstock, Flower of Scotland and the Eurovision Song Contest are to be showcased in a new walking trail charting the capital’s pop and rock heritage.
Famous gigs by The Clash, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, The Who and Nirvana all feature in the Edinburgh Music Tours, which will launch next month.
They will also explore the origins in Edinburgh of Garbage, The Proclaimers, The Fire Engines, The Bay City Rollers, The Incredible String Band and Young Fathers.
The weekly tours are launching next month to coincide with the opening of a major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland which will chart the history of Scottish pop and rock going back to the 1950s.
Long-gone venues, music nights, record labels and shops will be recalled along with landmark moments in the city’s musical history, notorious incidents, influential promoters and groundbreaking performers.
Highlights include visits to the site of the venues where early incarnations of the Bay City Rollers and the Incredible String Band played, the student union where Garbage singer Shirley Manson played her first gig, and pubs where Dougie Maclean, Barbara Dickson, Bert Jansch, Lau and Karine Polwart have played.
The Scotsman pop and rock critic Fiona Shepherd is one of the founders of Edinburgh Music Tours, which are being launched three years after a similar venture in Glasgow.
Ms Shepherd said: “We’ve mooted the idea of doing tours in Edinburgh before now, but the exhibition just felt like the perfect opportunity. We are working with the museum to offer a discount on tickets if you go the exhibition and a tour. We’ll be running for the entire duration of the exhibition and we’re hoping to carry them on next year as there is such a healthy market for tours in Edinburgh.
“Although the exhibition is about the history of Scottish pop and rock, the tours will be really about Edinburgh. They will look at the city’s music heritage, its culture, forgotten venue, the bands who have emerged from Edinburgh, and also stories about musicians who have passed through.”
The tours will explore key periods in the city’s musical history, including the 1960s folk scene, which the Incredible String Band emerged from, and the late 1970s post-punk scene, which launched The Scars, The Fire Engines and Josef K. It is hoped the venture will also help raise awareness of the lesser-known heritage of the city’s surviving venues.
Fellow director Jonathan Trew said: “Edinburgh has a colourful contemporary music scene and a long and rich history of great bands, artists and performers.
“By exploring its past and present music venues, we aim to celebrate Edinburgh’s current scene and its cultural legacy. We want these tours to stir memories of fantastic gigs as well as create happy new memories for visitors and locals alike. Edinburgh is famous for its history, architecture and festivals.
“Now we’re going to tell the remarkable story of its music.”