Hundreds of new gigs across Scotland as live music industry gets welcome boost

An exciting initiative to support the recovery of Scotland's live music industry has launched today, with more than 120 artists set to perform at more than 100 venues across the country.

Article Source: Scotland On Tour
Last Updated: 16 March 2022 12:00

Scotland on Tour will take place over a period of 12 months between April 2022 and 2023, supporting the creation of hundreds of concerts and performances at much-loved arts centres, town halls and community venues across Scotland.

The project, which has been created and managed by Active Events, was made possible by £750,000 of Scottish Government backing and will focus on increasing the number of opportunities to showcase and enjoy live music, while bringing exciting acts to the doorstep of city, towns, villages and rural communities.

New gigs will be staged in 25 of Scotland’s local authority areas, from Dumfries and Galloway to the Orkney Islands, with the aim to bolster Scotland’s incredible live music scene and help to aid the recovery of the country's creative supply chain.

Genre-spanning acts will appear across the breadth and width of the country, with rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, trad and acoustic genres all being showcased.

The year-long Scotland on Tour bill includes both emerging and established artists, with the likes of pop sensation Callum Beattie, Scottish traditional music favourites Duncan Chisholm & Hamish Napier and singer songwriter Roseanne Reid involved.

The first show will take place Wednesday 6 April when Eilidh Shaw and Ross Martin perform at The View in Oban, followed by a show on Thursday 7 April that will see Brownbear take to the stage at An Tobar on the Isle of Mull.

Tickets for these and a raft of other shows are on sale now at www.scotlandontour.com

Director of Active Events Lisa Whytock said: “This new initiative is a bold vision for recovery for Scotland’s live music industry and an opportunity for artists, promoters and technical crews to thrive once again. The backlog of postponed and cancelled shows over the last two years has made it very difficult for artists to book new concerts and this is where Scotland on Tour comes in, providing much-needed opportunities for exciting acts to showcase their music.

“Gig goers will also have the chance to see the best of Scottish music right on their doorstep. This will be particularly beneficial to underused venues and rural performance spaces where we will be breathing life back into these fantastic settings.”

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “We’re delighted to support the live music industry with £750,000 to fund the year-long Scotland on Tour initiative to boost the sector’s post-Covid recovery.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for performers and promoters to get back in front of live audiences and for people to back our creative communities by supporting the hundreds of gigs that will take place in venues right across Scotland.”

Matt Hickman of Brownbear said: “I’m really looking forward to getting back out on tour. It’s been a long time coming! It’s great to see support for regional venues and areas that are often left off the touring circuit. This kind of support is essential to those areas especially after the last few years.”

Scotland on Tour is Funded by Scottish Government and organised by Active Events,
with input from representatives from across the industry including Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, XpoNorth and South of Scotland Enterprise.

To find out what new shows are taking place throughout Scotland, visit www.scotlandontour.com

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