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?