The Belladrum Festival Tartan Heart Fringe – has become the best time for a music lover to be in the Highlands and Islands.
Scotland July 26 – August 19 2014
The Tartan Heart Fringe was initially conceived when I was booking and promoting the first Belladrum Festival with 4 main aims.
- to help engage the Highland Music Community in the concept of Belladrum Festival
- to bring the spirit of Belladrum in a very tangible and audible way into the heart of Highland & Island communities
- to help convince artists to come to a fledgling Belladrum Festival by offering a few more shows
- and yes in very commercial terms, to sell more tickets for the main event.
These days now that Belladrum sells out to capacity earlier and earlier each year, the later 2 are less important, but I argue the first 2 are still as relevant as ever, even more so in these post record industry DIY inspired days.
“I have less and less to do with the Tartan Heart Fringe these days, it’s truly become an organic event, fuelled by the music, the musicians, and the people who love their music all over the highlands all year round, which is just great for this Pilgrim. These days I concentrate on booking The Square Wheels Potting Shed Stage, which was conceived in 2008 as the focus of the spirit of the Fringe at Belladrum its self. Now many of the artists coming to play our stage and others across Belladrum like to extend their stay and take the High Road for a Highland Adventure. All I do now is introduce them to the people who can help, and I help them all promote their shows, while at the same time I get a chance to up my own game around the venues we love to visit with The Medicine Show Radio Revue all year round, with the Belladrum influx and on the Belladrum buzz. This year we have tea room, gala day, house concert, village hall, art centre, and a mouth watering array of famous hostelry venues, from Jura to Orkney hosting an equally mouth watering selection of music from profile artists from Thailand to Texas and featuring the best of Highland talent along the way”.
Featured Fringe tour this year Robbie Fulks and The Mekons. Many of the artists will feature on my Medicine Show Radio broadcasts.
Yawl Come now!!
Rob Ellen
We thanks our sponsors Square Wheels Cycles Strathpeffer, 2CV Hire Lochness & The Cromarty Brewing Company.
For more information on this year’s Tartan Heart Fringe www.tartanheartfringe.co.uk
