first bands for HebCelt Festival 2013

Battlefield Band, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and The Hot Seats are the first bands to be announced for Hebridean Celtic Festival's 18th birthday taking place at Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th of July 2013.

Battlefield Band, who release their 28th album in January, play the main stage on the Friday, which will be a homecoming for fiddler Alasdair White who was born in Stornoway. The line-up also includes fiddler, piper and vocalist Ewen Henderson, originally from Fort William, as well as Sean O'Donnell (vocals/guitar), from Derry, Northern Ireland, and guitarist and piper Mike Katz, originally from Los Angeles.

Alasdair said, "We're really pleased to be playing the HebCelt in 2013. It's my home turf so it's particularly important to me. It's actually the first time I've played in my home town with the Battlefield Band since I joined them at the age of 18 and I'm really looking forward to it. I've been going to the HebCelt since I was a kid - I attended the very first one when I was about 13! The workshops have always been a superb opportunity to learn from visiting musicians, but perhaps even more important for me was to see bands of a really high calibre up there playing on a fitting stage, right on your doorstep. I always hesitate to use the word 'inspiring' too lightly but in actual fact this was. It's a real honour and a pleasure to come back now and perhaps even do the same thing for other young musicians."

On Saturday it's the turn of Red Hot Chilli Pipers who last appeared at HebCelt in 2008. Piper Kevin MacDonald said, "To be invited to return to the festival five years on from our original performance in 2008 is amazing. A lot has evolved in our band over these five years and we have had many different experiences but I can tell you personally that nothing has yet surpassed my first experience of Heb Celt – outstanding people, place and atmosphere. This year will see the full Chilli team taking the stage with our brass section – the Horn Supremacy joining us. We are all really looking forward to taking part in one of Scotland's best outdoor festivals – roll on July 2013."

Also confirmed to appear on the Thursday and Friday are Virginian five-piece The Hot Seats. The band's Josh Bearman, who shares stints on double bass and banjo, said, "No trip to the UK is complete without a good string of dates in Scotland, and we couldn't imagine being in Scotland and not playing the Western Isles. One of the most memorable gigs for all of us was when we played An Lanntair in the summer of 2011. We have been hoping to return to Stornoway for another wild and fun-filled night and we are ecstatic to be coming back for HebCelt."

Many complementary events are also hosted by community groups around Stornaway and the islands of Lewis and Harris catering for a variety of tastes both musical and otherwise. There are also workshops often given by many of the festival's performers, which includes masterclass sessions. Also included are the ever popular Gaelic language tasters, lectures and children's entertainment plus numerous pub sessions in Stornoway and the surrounding area. As well as the music there's also a full programme of family entertainment, as well as a street arts programme with walkabout, workshops and fire shows.

Already early bird tickets have been snapped up by people from across Europe, USA and Canada. Tickets have been held at 2012 prices, so a ticket is priced at £70 for the four days (£55 for concession and £15 for children under 14).

To buy tickets, click here.

Festival director Caroline Maclennan, said, Next year's festival is already off to a great start with confirmation that The Battlefield Band, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers and The Hot Seats will be in the line-up. All three are fantastic live bands and will add to the special atmosphere for which HebCelt is renowned. With some more fabulous names still to announce, our 18th birthday looks set to be a special occasion."

Latest Updates