Rock festival headlined by Peat and Diesel and Skerryvore cancelled

A Gaelic rock festival has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Tunes by the Dunes was due to return to Dunnet in September, with Skerryvore, Tide Lines and Peat and Diesel due to play.

But the recent upsurge in Covid cases has forced organisers to axe the event.

North Coast Entertainments, a joint venture involving two local football teams, Pentland United and Thurso FC, had been behind the event but said it would be irresponsible to let it go ahead.

It comes after the north’s flagship hospital, Raigmore in Inverness, announced it was at “code black” and at full capacity due to the surge in Covid cases.

Across the Highlands, there were 83 new cases reported yesterday.

Festival coordinator Iain Mackay said: “We simply cannot ignore the rising number of Covid cases and at the same time encourage people to travel through the country putting themselves and others at risk – it would not be a responsible position to take.”

He added that the potential costs of pulling the event at the last minute was also a consideration, as it would have put the two voluntary organisations at huge financial risk.

He said: “No one is more disappointed than the committee as we have put in a lot of work behind the scenes planning and preparing for the event to no avail.

“We desperately look forward to an end to this most trying of periods for us all and a degree of normality to return when we can once again enjoy live music events in Dunnet.”

The 2019 Tunes by the Dunes festival, headlined by Skerryvore, was a runaway success with sell-out 1,000-strong crowds attending the Friday and Saturday sessions at the village’s Ham Park.

Skerryvore on stage at a previous musical event.