Mull Historial Society headlines as festival celebrates ten great years
THE KINTYRE Songwriters Festival is pulling out all the stops to mark its first decade of showcasing local talent.
The event moves to the early May bank holiday weekend and, with the demise of the White Hart, has a new larger venue in Camp- beltown Town Hall, a late licence and more musical acts. Sunday April 30 sees top Argyll musician Colin MacIntyre, who releases as Mull Historical Society, flying in from London for a special acoustic headline performance.
Festival organiser Pete Cockburn said: ‘It’s great to see top talent from around the country coming to Campbeltown but we also love allowing the audience to see emerging local talent. That is what the festival is all about.
‘With six hours of music a night and open stages in the afternoon, the festival has something for everyone.’
Friday April 28 is rock night at Whisky Macs. Top emerging Glasgow rock band The Van Ts will be hitting Campbeltown fresh from its American tour and an appearance at the SXSW festival in Texas.
Support comes from Gullion, The Shift, Sleeping With The Enemy and more.
Saturday, in the town hall, will see a performance from Pronto Mama, the hottest new indie band in Glasgow following its sell out Celtic Connections show at Oran Mor and its announcement as headliners of the King Tuts stage at the BBC 6 Music Festival.
They will be playing tracks from their forthcoming debut album Any Joy which will be released on the iconic Electric Honey label.
They will be joined by legendary Funk Warrior Jesse Rae, who has worked with Parliament/Funkadelic who wrote several of the top disco tunes of the 70s.
Singer-songwriter Chrissy Barnacle brings stunning guitar skills and quirky storytelling alongside well-known locals Thom MacEwan, David Bisset and Gareth Croll, while newcomers include Hope Strang, Swanfactory and Chris Annetts. Donald MacNeill from Colonsay provides island folk vibes and Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Emme Woods brings a gothic Americana that has seen her compared to Lana Del Rey.
Local institution The Gilchristians will perform songs by festival founder Kenneth Gilchrist alongside established local acts David Fee and The Strunts, Violent Echo and The Twisted Melons and fresh talent Thomas Jordan and Jenni Martin.
Sunday night will also see the long-awaited return of festival favourites A New Hope.
Tickets for all events are on sale from Campbeltown Town Hall box office, Whisky Macs and www.ticketweb.com
More information at www.kintyresongwritersfestival.co.uk and www.facebook.com/kintyresongwritersfestival