Our picks for Belladrum Tartan Heart '09

[Seating is optional at Belladrum]

With RockNess, T in the Park and Wickerman finally out of the way, the Tartan Heart Festival at the Belladrum Estate near Inverness this weekend is the last major open-air event on the Scottish summer festival calender.

Now in its sixth year, Tartan Heart is a family-friendly alternative to its beer-soaked cousins further south. Not that copious amounts of drinking are by any means ruled out, but segregated 'family' and 'quiet' camping areas and free admission for children under 12 hint at a more relaxed atmosphere.

The music's not half bad either. While big names like Ocean Colour Scene and Toploader might not exactly set pulses racing, there's more than enough Scottish talent across the festival's six stages to make Tartan Heart well worth a weekend jaunt into the Highlands.

Edinburgh's Broken Records are experiencing something of a second wind of late. An exuberant set at T in the Park last month revealed a band eager to let their scintillating live performances speak for themselves. Definitely one not to miss at the Garden Stage on Friday evening.

Two-man noise onslaught Bronto Skylift return to their northern homeland to appear on the HAIL Seedlings stage on Friday. What exactly Belladrum will make of their grungey racket remains to be seen but Bronto are indisputably one of the most visceral acts on the live scene at the moment.

Play: Bronto Skylift - Danny Glover Isn't Dead


Dananananaykroyd's legendary 'Wall of Cuddles' should prove a somewhat more enticing propect for those who like things a little less 'rawk' at the Hothouse Stage on Friday night. Despite their "fight pop" stylings, the undeniable feel-good factor surrounding the Glasgow outfit's anarchic live show will lend itself well to the laid-back vibes of Tartan Heart.

Since the time of writing, Dananananaykroyd have announced via Twitter that they have had to cancel their Belladrum appearance due to a stage-diving injury incurred by John Down Under. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Sparrow and the Workshop have the unenviable task of opening the Hothouse Stage for business on Saturday afternoon but the Glasgow-based trio are well up to the task. Sparrow's ethereal, electrified folk rock is just the thing to soothe sore heads after the inevitable excesses of Friday night.

Also on Saturday, 17-year-old wunderkind Unicorn Kid, aka Oliver Sabin, brings his 8-bit electronica to the HAIL Seedlings stage. Sabin is something of an anomaly in a music scene dominated by guitar-driven acts of all shades but in a live setting his pulsating synth-pop crashes through genre boundaries in a frenzy of hyperactive euphoria.

Tartan Heart 2009 takes place on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August at Beauly on the Belladrum Estate in Inverness-shire. Click here for ticket information.

Words: Jodi Mullen

Is this year's line-up good enough to tempt you to Belladrum?

Radar recommends: Non-TitP gigs

[Sparrow & the Workshop: sneaking into Edinburgh tonight]

Sick of all this T in the Park talk? Well don't despair, it's not the only live music event this weekend. Here are our tips for those of you who are not off to Balado...

The place to be in Edinburgh tonight is Sneaky Pete's. Fresh from a refurbishment this week, the venue welcomes back monthly promoters This is Music with another great billing. Sparrow & the Workshop weave ambitious indie-pop dreamscapes, while Randan Discotheque's art-folk-tronica always hits the spot. As usual, it's £3 for the bands before 11pm, and free entry after for the DJs.

If you prefer hardcore riffage to 'dreamscapes', you'd be advised to make the descent to Henry's Cellar Bar from 7pm for a night of furious death metal throbbing with a quartet of gruesomely monikered local bands, featuring Threshold Sicks, Nerrus Kor, Cancerous Womb and Foetal Splatter. Nice.

Meanwhile Edinburgh-based American noise-monger Ted Koterwas, aka The Foundling Wheel, launches his new single at the Confusion is Sex night at the Bongo Club.

Tomorrow night the hipster hangout that is The Bowery plays host to ebullient polska-pop from experimentalists Foxgang and it's a mere fiver entry, from 7.30pm.

Fans of an older generation might also like to know that Crosby Stills & Nash (Saturday @ Edinburgh Castle) and Ry Cooder (Friday @ Festival Theatre) are both in the capital this weekend.

In Aberdeen, what appears to be a humble effort to upstage T takes place, with Bands in the Park at Duthie Park and Hazlehead Park. We've been reliably informed the bands in question are of the brass/pipe variety though, so it may not have a festival vibe!

I'm afraid nothing really takes our fancy elsewhere. We can only assume that all the best bands in Glasgow are either playing T in the Park or are at home watching it on TV. Feel free to prove us wrong in the comments below...

Radar recommends: 10 - 16 May

[FOUND: playing the Carnegie Hall (Dunfermline, not New York) on Thursday]

Another week, another set of gigs to get your lugs around. And, we're glad to say, there's more than just a delectable selection from Glasgow and Edinburgh thanks to Tigerfest's week long stint at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall. Praise be. So, here you go, this is UtR's choice picks for the next seven days...

Metal 2 the Masses: Alba Gu Brath , Bonesaw , Skinkarver , Syth
Sun 10 May, Classic Grand, Glasgow. Doors 7pm, £6
Taking to the stage in a sea of kilts and long hair, Glasgow's Alba Gu Brath are a bit special. Their brand of folk-tinged battle metal blends traditional instruments and thrashing guitars, with many songs drawing lyrical inspiration from events in Scotland's history. They're joined on the night by Aberdonian death metal veterans Bonesaw, Skinkarver -Paisley's answer to Pantera - and Glaswegian power-metallers Syth. [JM]

The Balky Mule
Mon 11 May, The Bowery, Edinburgh. Doors 7:30pm, £5
If you’re after something a little different this week, then head along to The Bowery on Monday night. Hailing from Bristol but now resident in Melbourne, Australia, Sam Jones has recorded intermittently as The Bulky Mule for over a decade but is now focusing his energies entirely on the project. The sound switches neatly between electronic and acoustic, with some interesting bluesy influences and a vocal that lies between Syd Barrett and Ray Davies. Definitely intriguing. [SK]

The Amorettes
Mon 11 May, Bannerman's, Edinburgh. Doors 9pm, £4
With just one gig under their belts, what The Amorettes lack in experience they more than make up for with enthusiasm. From the rude and raunchy lyrics to the tight denim, the all-female three-piece from West Lothian make it abundantly clear that they're here to RAWK. Fusing a classic rock'n'roll sound with a punk rock attitude, the girls are about as subtle as a slap to the face but no less enjoyable for that. [JM]

Tempercalm , The Kamillas
Wed 13 May, Nice'n'Sleazy, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £tbc
After the success of last year's debut album True Novella, Glasgow's Tempercalm make a quick stop in their home town to kick off a ten-date tour of Scotland. The band's polished grunge-rock has been compared favourably with the likes of Biffy Clyro and early Foo Fighters and, if the most recent demos are any indication, their upcoming second album is set to be another cracker. Tempercalm are supported by Greenock's The Kamillas, who combine slick alternative rock with bluesier influences. [JM]

Tigerfest presents: James Yorkston, Lisa Knapp
Wed 13 May, Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. Doors 7.30pm, £10
There are few more mesmerising sights than James Yorkston on stage. A writhing blur of convulsive energy, the ex-Fence luminary shudders like a demon on heat while his heavenly acoustic swathes impregnate the airwaves. Armed with a voice cut from the sweetest larynx and a set of melodies that bleed pious beauty, Yorkston’s Tigerfest showing is sure to hypnotise what few unbelievers remain. [BH]

Sparrow and the Workshop
Thursday 14 May, Captain’s Rest, Glasgow. Doors 8pm
Prior to their UK wide tour alongside Broken Records, Sparrow and the Workshop return to their home city of Glasgow for a gig that marks the launch of their new single ‘Devil Song’. The Scottish/Welsh/American trio have made a name for themselves across Scotland with relaxed harmonies underpinned by a stripped down sound which has the capacity to captivate audiences. With their success taking them increasingly further afield, this is a great chance to catch them on their home turf. [SK]

**UTR's Gig of the Week**
Tigerfest presents: Cruiser, FOUND, Swimmer One
Thu 14 May, Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. Doors 7.30pm, £6
Synthesisers all round at this invigorating Carnegie Hall billing. Exuding an air of lilting reticence, Cruiser spray coruscating keys across dejected, tear-duct seeping laments; while Swimmer One’s Casiotoned iceberg slowly melts into an ocean of gorgeous melodic poignancy. Of course, it’s FOUND that truly stand out here. More probing than a colonic irrigation, the Edinburgh quartet spew out rhythmic pulses with a throb that could register on the Richter Scale’s upper echelons. All in all, an unsurpassable sonic treat for any gig goer. [BH]

- Words by Billy Hamilton, Jodi Mullen, Stevie Kearney

What gigs are you going to this week? Have we missed anything? Let us know below...