Heartland Festival 2024 - The Review

In an increasingly difficult market for events that has seen festivals - especially the small to medium sized ones - cancelling or postponing with fairly alarming regularity in the last couple of years, it was great to see the brand-new Heartland Festival in stunning Pitlochry make its debut in the Scottish calendar over the last weekend in June.

Pitlochry is a small town with a big heart. Although less than 3000 people live there, its popularity as a tourist destination means that it has the capacity for some 10,000 visitors to stay at any one time in its hotels, campsites, bed and breakfasts and self-catering accommodation. It’s just off the A9 – the main road route north (or south) – and has its own train station so is easily accessible by public transport, all of which makes it the perfect location for a music festival.

Arriving on site mid-afternoon on the first day of the two-day event was quick and easy, there were no queues and the security staff, events team and volunteers were able to keep the queues at both the car park and pedestrian entrances to a minimum.

 

 

There was a huge kids’ area by the car park with a range of inflatable fun and other entertainment for youngsters, as well as a merry-go-round and a Ferris Wheel. The bar was well-stocked and again queues were managed well. A good range of food vendors was onsite offering everything from wood-fired pizzas, donuts and crepes, tacos and burgers, while the town’s many cafes, takeaways, restaurants and shops were just a short walk away for anyone who fancied something a wee bit different.

The site set-up was well thought out with the two stages at different ends of the arena, and set times were staggered throughout the weekend so there were no scheduling clashes and you never missed a band. Although the queues for food were quite long at times, you still never missed a band just by virtue of the close proximity of the stalls to the stages – you could still hear and see pretty much everything. The stage set up, provided by the Liz Hobbs Group, was very professional and provided an immense sound for all the acts.

In terms of stalls, a few local community groups were at the event raising funds – a percentage of which was donated to support the local charities in the town - and raising awareness of the work they do in the town, and there was a space for performers to sell their own merchandise as well.

The relaxed, community vibe at the event - which was also dog friendly - almost belied the hugely impressive line-up organisers had programmed that included Tide Lines, Skerryvore, Idlewild and The View. Over the weekend, it was great to see families dancing together, old friends catching up, kids playing and dancing, and musicians wandering in the crowd enjoying performances from other bands and chatting with fans.

There were 25 artists on two stages over the weekend with the music kicking off in style on the Discovery Stage - the line-up of which was curated by one of the driving forces behind the March into Pitlochry festival - with Pitlochry’s very own talented youngsters, The Outskirts, followed by the wonderfully versatile Old Bohemia, and Dundee city rockers David Delinquent and the I.O.Us who played a storming Feeder-esque and Clash-inspired set that included the likes of new single Rocksteady Girl, Hanging’ Out, Alleycats in Love, Too Far Gone, Time of my Life and Today’s a Drag; it’s well worth checking out their album launch if you’re in Dundee in November.

Jennifer Stewart, originally from Edinburgh but now based in London, was the opening act on the Heartland Stage. Her impressive set featured songs from her reflective debut EP, Redlight, including Someone New, Lover, Save it for you Later, Home and No Hard Feelings. Next up on the main stage was Glasgow four-piece Spyres who also impressed with their late 90s-early 00s vibe and pop-punk harmonies. Singles I Don’t Care and Lost Without You were highlights of their set.

Back to the Discovery stage and it was time for Motopia, another Glasgow four-piece who are fast building a reputation for powerful live performances on the festival circuit and gig scene. Fresh from the Eden and Silverburn festivals the previous weekends, singer-songwriter Mairead led the band and the crowd through the six-song set with her phenomenal voice and incredible stage presence. Don’t Look Away, Punching Clocks, Off The Cuff, Howl, Love Sticks and Burn showcased her vocal range, with the thumping bass and drums contributing to a wonderfully intense 60s / 70s feel to the set.

 

 

Talking of energy, if you haven’t caught SAINT PHNX yet, you really should. The boys from Wishaw make a BIG sound from just one guitar, a drum kit and vocals. Set openers Scream and Shake both set the tone for the show with vocalist Stevie Jukes really working the early evening crowd. They got the crowd singing along in Mountains, and got them dancing during Something in the Water. Us Against The World and Angel both got an airing, while Happy Place was a fitting end to a fantastic set - and certainly seemed to sum up how many in the audience were feeling about this new festival in Pitlochry.

Miller Crossan are a retro roots, rock and blues duo from Lewis who are also having a busy summer festival season, taking to the Discovery Stage at Heartland hot on the heels of an appearance at the Arran Rock N Blues festival. Their mix of covers such as T. Rex’s I like to Boogie and The Bee Gees’ Staying Alive alongside their own compositions including Leaving Stornoway was popular with the audience.

Fife’s Cammy Barnes was playing at the Heartland Festival having been at his sister’s wedding all day, and was heading back to the celebrations as soon as his set was over. Although known to many due to his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2023, when he reached the semi-finals, Cammy is a multi-talented singer-songwriter who has had chart success with a number of singles and has played several sell out shows.

 

 

Ahead of releasing his debut album later this year, he gained a fair number of new fans at Heartland with a set that included his number one hit Bonnie’s Song – written for his daughter – Circles, Leave, Beauty In These Streets, Chasing Love, new single Guiding Light, Dougie Maclean’s Caledonia – which he sang with his sister’s wedding singer who he’d brought along to Heartland – and Four Non Blondes’ What’s Up. He told the crowd that he was “going through a country phase” by way of introducing Tennessee Whisky and A Life That’s Good.

Another singer songwriter, Connor Fyfe from Bellshill on the outskirts of Glasgow, topped the bill at the Discovery Stage on the Saturday. The teenager first played at an open mic session in the legendary King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut when he was just 11 years old and is another regular on the Scottish gig scene. His years of experience shone through as he captivated the audience with his impassioned performance that included a mix of his own material and covers such as Faithless’s Insomnia and The Stone Roses’ Waterfall.

Tide Lines are riding high on the crest of a wave of huge popularity at the moment and it’s not hard to see why. Their live shows are fantastic and they recently sold out three nights headlining at Glasgow’s famous Barrowland Ballroom. Their highly-anticipated appearance at the Heartland Festival did not disappoint with thousands of fans singling along to every word of Small Town Living, Running at the Dark, Walking on the Waves, Canan Nan Gaidheal (The Language of the Gael), Shadow to the Light, These Days, new single Homeward Bound, Any Heart in a Storm, Fortunes of the Fearless, The Young and the Restless and set closer Far Side of the World. It’s no exaggeration to say that these boys are deserved headliners in their own right with their evocative and anthemic songs striking a chord and resonating with audiences everywhere.

Idlewild were the closing act of the first day of the festival and took to the stage with an impressive wall of sound. It was the first time they have played in Pitlochry and the band played with an incredible intensity – despite saying they were easing their way back into performing having not played a gig in over a year.

Nearly 30 years since forming, the band has a back catalogue of some nine studio albums to choose material from, and at Heartland it was Dream Variations, Little Discourage, American English, Live in a Hiding Place, El Capitan, In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction and a Film for the Future that got an airing in a set that was hugely popular with their dedicated fans who stayed despite the increasingly cold conditions.

Sunday afternoon was much brighter and warmer than the previous evening, and by the time the festival site opened to members of the public at noon the hard-working team of local volunteers had cleared the arena of litter ready for Day 2.

And Day 2 got off to an impressive start with Copper Lungs on the Discovery Stage, followed by James McKenzie and a second slot for David Delinquent and the I.O.U.s. Disco Mary – who are pretty rock for a band with disco in their name – blew everyone away with their electro-pop-funk-heavy set that featured Jinx, Kites, Make It Real Good, I think therefore I know, Hard Times, Bring you Down, Silent Alarm and Small Quakes.

First up on the Heartland Stage on Sunday was Glasgow multi-instrumentalist and genre-defying Zoe Graham, with new single Evilin one of the highlights of her set. Zoe was followed by Samuel Nicholson who brought something of an 80s indie vibe to the field in terms of his musical style, and an emotionally honest performance that reflects his writing style - perhaps most obviously in West Coast Feeling which he introduced as a song about falling in love and realising you’re autistic at the same time. Black Dog Funeral, Gummi, Birthday Suit were also on the setlist.

Durango Blue were next on the Discovery Stage, an acoustic bluegrass Americana style duo based in the Scottish Borders. The talented duo’s set list included The Patsy which they introduced as a song about being scapegoated, and Waiting On Me.

Next up on the Heartland Stage was Blue Violet. Singer Sarah Gotley worked the late Sunday afternoon crowd encouraging them to get up and dance to the Blue Violet brand of alternative pop, including the appropriately named Boogie Shoes, which was followed up by Human After All, Undercover, Poster Girl, Imagine Me and Asylum.

The penultimate act on the Discovery Stage was Glasgow singer-songwriter and musician Sara Rae who, with her band, gave a rousing performance that demonstrated why she is also on the bill for Belladrum and headlining a show at King Tut’s later this summer. In a set that included her debut single October – written about her now wife Catriohna - and her current single Wish You Well, she also played a song dedicated to Palestine.

The award-winning Skerryvore have been performing for 19 years now and they know how to work a crowd – especially one as enthusiastic as the Heartland crowd was, many of whom were sporting freshly purchased Skerryvore merch and were absolutely up for a Skerryvore-led party.

And the band didn’t disappoint, promising to warm the early evening crowd up – which they certainly did. For anyone who hasn’t seen or heard of them before, Skerryvore is made up of a number of multi-instrumentalists including pipers, accordionists, reportedly the “world’s grumpiest fiddle player” (according to the band anyway), vocalists, guitarists, keys and drums, and they play an infectious mix of traditional reels and jigs as well as their own material such as the anthemic Happy to be Home, Live Forever and Together Again.

The Heartland crowd was loving every note and every minute of the show, and was in fine voice as well – a rousing performance of You and I saw the crowd carry on after the band finished, prompting singer Alec Dalglish to bring the band back in. The opening track of their latest album Eye of the Storm, and The Last Time, brought the set to a close, but to the delight of the many, many Skerryvore fans there the boys came back for an encore of Take My Hand. “Take my hand and we’ll go dancing” is a pretty good way to end a set that had certainly got everyone up on their feet.

One of the most exciting young bands on the Discovery Stage was Sunday headliners Forgetting the Future. There’s a real buzz about this group of lads from Thurso and Glasgow, and their storming Seedlings Stage set at Belladrum last year is already the stuff of legend – so much so that they are back at Bella again this year and this time on the main Hothouse Stage.

They hit the Discovery Stage hot on the heels of two sell out tours in recent months and started their blistering set with Chemtrails quickly followed up by Alligator, Have You Settled, Lepricon and Play With My Ego before bringing it to an impressive close with the awesome Small Town Syndrome. I’ve written it before about this band but if you like intelligently written, tightly played ROCK then you absolutely need to see them - they’re hugely talented, have fantastic energy and stage presence and produce an immense sound.

It's more than a decade since Nina Nesbitt met Ed Sheeran and was invited to support him on his European tour. Since then she has had Top 40 singles, won awards and toured the world with the likes of Jake Bugg and Jess Glynne.

Her well-received set at Heartland included Anger, Big Things Small Town – which she said celebrates small villages and which she dedicated to a couple in the crowd from Kirkmichael (a small village near Pitlochry) – and The Best You Had. I’m Coming Home had the crowd singing along. Dougie Maclean’s Caledonia got another airing with Nina saying singing it always leaves her “an emotional wreck” but, much like Cammy Barnes’ rendition the previous day, it was a beautiful moment. 

The View have had some well documented ups and downs, and have some seriously passionate fans. Plenty of superlatives have been written about this band over the years so all I’m going to say is that when they’re good they’re very good. Excitement was building for their headline slot and they delighted fans by tearing through a full-on set packed with crowd-pleasing tunes including The Don and Face for the Radio, taken from a career spanning nearly 20 years. Kyle Falconer and Kieran Webster swapped vocal duties while set closers Same Jeans and Superstar Tradesman had the crowd singing along to every word. 

We all know that Scottish audiences are renowned as being some of the best in the world, and that we’re also pretty damn good at producing some amazing musicians and bands. The inaugural Heartland Festival was a fantastic showcase of up-and-coming Scottish talent – as well as some more well-established artists - right in the heart of Scotland, providing an opportunity for festival-goers – and those who have never been to a music festival before - to catch acts that would maybe get over-looked in a larger line up. Organisers have announced that the event will return next year and judging by the outpouring of love for the festival on social media, it really seems to have captured people’s hearts.

To quote Kyle from The View, “Pitlochry is a good place to be” - and he really isn’t wrong about that.

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