Rock star to launch series of lunchtime shows at Edinburgh’s Ross Bandstand
A series of lunchtime events is to be launched at Edinburgh’s Ross Bandstand as part of a bid to create a £25 million arena in West Princes Street Gardens.
American rock star Amanda Palmer will stage the first One O’clock Fun show days before an official consultation on the scheme begins.
Friday’s event, a last-minute addition to the former Dresden Dolls singer’s touring schedule,hasbeenannounced in the wake of the launch of an international fundraising campaign for the Quaich Project in Palmer’s native New York.
Palmer is billed as a “friend” of the Quaich Project, which has been set up by Apex Hotels founder Norman Springford and the city council to pursue plans for the revamp.
Around 30 ticketholders for the free show will be able to join Palmer on stage, while other music fans will be able to watch her show from the 2,500-capacity amphitheatre.
Also appearing will be Alannah Moar, a music student who won a competition to perform alongside KT Tunstall and Alan Cumming at the project’s New York fundraiser.
A spokesman for the project said: “For this intimate Edinburgh gig, ticketholders will join Amanda right on the stage of the Ross Bandstand for this one-off show. Anyone who doesn’t manage to get a ticket is welcome to view the event from the amphitheatre.
“The idea is that the concert starts when the One O’clock Gun fires. It’ll be the format for similar free events throughout the gardens as part of the One O’clock Fun series.”
Shona Price, the Quaich Project’s head of marketing, said: “The Ross Bandstand and West Princes Street Gardens have a long history of hosting free community events.
“Between the 1960s and 1980s, regular children’s hour shows were held in the bandstand. Events such as Amanda Palmer’s intimate show continue that legacy. Getting people excited about the prospect of free community events in the gardens is a good example of what the objectives are for the project and how the space can be better used.”
Posting on Twitter about the event, Palmer said: “Spend some lunch with us and see what the Quaich Project folks are up to, it’s pretty beautiful.”
A consortium led by New York design practice WHY won an international design competition in 2017 to lead an overhaul of the gardens, which date back to the 1770s and have been home to a bandstand since 1877. Edinburgh-born Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen backed The Quaich Project earlier this year by providing a voiceover for an animated promotional film.