Little fire
Well folks, what a fantastic weekend of music in Ayrshire we’ve just had!
The Burns an’ a’ that Festival at Rozelle Park in Ayr could only be described as a resounding success.
The weather was truly with us as the sun split the sky for most of the day whilst Rozelle was alive with the sound of music well into the evening.
Opening up the acoustic tent was the brilliant Rubicon, the trio kicking things off on a very positive note.
Their debut album Stay Young showed a real statement of intent when I heard it a few years ago and it’s superb to see them growing in confidence.
I heard a really emotionally vibrant performance from newcomer Molly Stewart who was something of a revelation at the acoustic tent and it was a joy to hear the talented Anna Sweeney perform. It has been a few years since I’ve heard Anna and it was not a moment too soon as her talent reverberated brilliantly around the acoustic tent.
Innovation, led by Alistair McCulloch were superb and have to be of the very best acts championing traditional music in the UK today. They are both great fun and some of the most accomplished young musicians in the land.
Young troubador Marc Evans played a great set full of variation and went down very well. I was very impressed with his voice and his guitar playing was of such an excellent calibre. Brilliant stuff!
The Burns an’ a’ that experience was a big hit with everyone I spoke to. The layout of the site was really spot on, making it that bit easier to navigate and it was a fun and friendly day out for all, top notch!
Ayrshire’s Huxtable are set for a gig at Hard Rock Cafe in Glasgow on Wednesday June 1 as part of Hard Rock Rising, which could see the band perform in Ibiza should they win so do get along to show your support if you can! Their new single Favourite Thing has been racking up plays on Spotify and you can download it now.
June is set to be a hot one – Rod Stewart will be bringing the house down at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock on Friday June 17, which should be rather good fun. Chesney Hawkes will perform at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine on Wednesday June 15. The One and Only himself. I was a big fan of Chesney as a young fella.
I’ve had a superb time recently working with young musicians at Ardrossan Academy.
The students have been a joy to work and it’s fantastic to see young musicians so enthused about performing their own original material as well as song- writing and I have to say I wish I’d had a music teacher like Miss Barnett when I was at school.
The students are really encouraged to pursue their ambitions in music with work experience opportunities, college and university visits all being on offer for the students. I can honestly say I wish my secondary school experience had been quite so encouraging.
Developing the confidence and awareness of our young people is absolutely paramount and it’s important to illuminate the vast variety of opportunities that exist out there as possible career routes for the workforce and talent of tomorrow. As my secondary school motto used to go, ‘ Cultivate Excellence’. Indeed.