Gigs supporting the recovery of live music post pandemic are coming to Stirling this month.
The acts are also part of the line-up of Golden Hum – a string of events in Stirling celebrating live music and artists.
Acclaimed indie-rock-pop sensation Honeyblood takes to the Tolbooth stage on Wednesday, August 17 – followed by the highly sought-after artist Jemima Thewes and Stirling musician Mark Tranmer, aka GNAC, who will co-headline the same venue on Friday, August 26.
Mark Tranmer was inspired to relaunch music after the inclusion of his early single The Broken Fall on Tim Burgess and Bob Stanley’s 2019 Tim Peaks compilation.
Tranmer wrote, performed and recorded his most recent album Afternoon Frost (2021) from his Stirling studio during 2020s lockdown. He is now working on the follow up album for 2023 release.
Prior to dusting off the GNAC moniker, Tranmer was one-half of The Montgolfier Brothers, alongside sorely missed songwriter, lyricist and vocalist Roger Quigley (1969-2020) and the band released two albums on Alan McGee’s Post-Creation Poptones label.
Mark said: “Golden Hum is an important part of Stirling’s creative community so I am delighted to play live for them at a wonderful venue.
“I re-started GNAC in 2019 and this is the first opportunity post-lockdown I have had to play live so I am really looking forward to it.”
Honeyblood is the stage name of singer/songwriter Stina Tweeddale who, backed by her live band, has shot to global fame over the past few years. Having shared stages with acts such as The FooFighters and Wolf Alice, she has also sold out headline tours across the UK, US, Europe, Australia and Asia.
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Singer-songwriter Jemima Thewes’ music is inspired by the folk ballad tradition and her roots in the Highlands of Scotland. Characterised by her warm vocals and playful instrumentation, Jemima’s ‘cloud-hopping tales’ have a unique and unexpected sound.
They are all part of Scotland on Tour which will take place over 12 months between April 2022 and 2023 to support live music across the country.
Golden Hum promoter Stephen McAll of Stirling band Constant Follower said: “Stirling has a vibrant new music scene with some incredible young songwriters coming through in the last years, but it’s caught between the two behemoths Edinburgh and Glasgow, so gets overlooked when touring bands come to Scotland.
“This in itself draws young musicians to the bigger cities where they see more stuff happening.
“My intention with Golden Hum is to bring my favourite bands to beautiful Stirling and to pair them with excellent local support. But with the small crowds here, it’s very hard to make that work financially.
“The support from Scotland On Tour takes the financial pressure away and allows us to concentrate on making some incredible shows for the artists and the people of Stirling. It’s a real honour to be part of the project and to be able to pass the benefit on to Stirling’s thriving creative community.”
Scotland on Tour supports the creation of hundreds of concerts and performances at much-loved arts centres, town halls and community venues across Scotland. More than 120 artists are set to perform at more than 100 venues across the country as part of the initiative.
The project, created and managed by Active Events, was made possible by £750,000 of Scottish Government backing and will focus on increasing opportunities to showcase and enjoy live music, while bringing exciting acts to the doorstep of city, towns, villages and rural communities.
The year-long Scotland on Tour bill includes both emerging and established artists with genre-spanning acts appearing across the breadth and width of the country, with rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, trad and acoustic genres all being showcased.
Tickets for these and a raft of other shows are on sale now at www.scotlandontour.com.
