The North East Coast was the place to be as Lunan Fest made it’s festival debut.
Nested in the beautiful surroundings of Lunan Bay, between Arbroath and Montrose, you will find Imries, the host venue of Lunan Fest which made it’s incredibly impressive debut at the beginning of October.
With a capacity of only 250 within the venue, this was the most intimate, cosy and wholesome festival weekend with a very different vibe, in the best possible way. The festival was both child and dog friendly which is an instant win for many people who often may miss out. With a hotel and a campsite on the premises there were options to stay which if you aren’t local, is ideal. You were able to not only enjoy the music festival but also take a wander along the stunning beach – the views are breathtaking.
The weekend saw a range of acts, showcasing the incredible wealth of Scottish talent. Friday saw Nati take the headline slot, Saturday was turn of local legend Calum Campbell and on Sunday everyone’s favourite ‘wee ginger pal’ Cammy Barnes took to the stage.
Lunan Fest provided a great opportunity for locals to see some of the best in Scotland on their doorstep and it was great to hear that most days were sold-out. We had rock, indie, folk, Americana and pop acts over the weekend and with a very mixed crowd all weekend I think all the music was highly received and many of the bands will have gained new fans.
Selfishly for me, it was so fantastic to see so many of my favourite Scottish acts up my neck of the woods as often I’m driving for hours to source the best shows!
If I was to write about each act at length you’d stop reading so I’m going to have to really summarise what was a special weekend.
Friday highlights; The Coaltown Daisies (Folk/Americana trio) covering Red Pine Timber Co’s ‘Put Down The Bottle’ in memory of their friend Gavin Monroe. A very hard hitting song at the best of times but singing this in his memory put a more sombering spin on it. Joe Goodall (for fans of Sam Fender and 1975) giving little Brodie a crash course in Ableton when the bands play back failed. This was a really heartfelt moment. It provided an opportunity for Joe to inspire and teach the next generation of musicians, likely a memory that Brodie will not forget. The beautiful Nati closed the evening with a fun, engaging and stunning set. She has such a wonderful stage presence and does a fantastic job at drawing the crowd in. During the song ‘Midnight’ she looked her most vulnerable as she took one of those ‘I’ ve got this’ breaths, looked at the band and began to sing. I admire any artist that can be that vulnerable on stage and provide a performance and connection for those in the audience.
Saturday highlights; was all about the local artists. Sorella, Remedy, Mad Ferret band, Rhuari Campbell and Calum Campbell – often found performing around the area as they really graft. The dance floor never emptied the entire day, definitely the busiest of the weekend as the locals came out in force for the Lunan Fest party. Saturday was an opportunity to showcase some vocal harmonies; 3 part stunning harmonies from the sisters in Sorella and 5 part harmonies within Calum Campbells band. It was a Saturday party, we even watched people grab their partners for a ceilidh dance in the middle of the bands set.
Sunday saw a showcase of the younger rising stars of Scotland, the likes of Connor Fyfe who was at Heartland Festival this year and is set to support Glasvegas, Kathleen Harvey who is out supporting Nathan Evans. Katie Nicol who has been a BBC Radio Scotland track of the week artist, Ben Walker who opened for The View at Slessor Gardens and has just wrapped up a tour with Cast and Cammy Barnes who is rising fast as one of Scotland’s favourites, having had a busy summer of festivals.
Sunday was most likely my favourite day of the festival not just because the high callibre of young artists made me a little envious with their talents but because it was a prime example of bands supporting bands, lifting each other up and realising music isn’t a competition. Band members came out to show support for each others sets and even collaborated with each other on songs through out the day. This has been an increasingly wonderful shift in the music industry as of late and I’m here for it. The sooner we realise there is room for everyone in music and plenty of consumers it can be a better industry. Supporting one another is imperative to this.
Sunday highlights; Kathleen Harvey singing one of my favourite Scottish songs, Wild Mountain Thyme, her voice is so beautiful, a true story teller. Ben Walker covering Catfish and The Bottlemen was also pretty special, this band really have a lot to offer and Ben certainly belongs front and centre of the stage. Finally I think hearing Cammy sing ‘Leave’ live for the first time was truly remarkable, the room was silent and I am sure the song resonated with a few in the crowd as his powerful voice filled the room.
Production over the weekend was executed professionally and timely by Perthshire sound and light hire. They made set times and change overs run efficiently which made the festival run to schedule and no-one was left hanging around waiting for the next act. I don’t think crew often get enough credit for what they do but their efforts certainly did not go unnoticed.
Aiden had a vision and one I hope he knows he executed incredibly well. The festival appeared to run flawlessly and staff really kept up the party spirit and welcoming atmosphere. The teams attention to detail (personalised band t-shirts, posters of each act) hospitable nature (nothing was ever too much and the food was delicious) and their friendly approach made the weekend so much fun, portraying the feeling of ‘family’ throughout the whole weekend and providing an experience I’ll not forget.
I truly have never felt so welcome somewhere before and having press access for the weekend was very much appreciated to allow me to showcase the festival to the best of my ability. I stayed at the hotel on Sunday night with the dogs, who were a huge hit with the bands! Maybe every festival should have dogs…
What Aiden and the team at Imries pulled off for the weekend is nothing short of amazing, especially for a debut festival. They have set their standards high and certainly put themselves on the Scottish festival map with both artists and festival goers alike. I have no doubt that next year will be bigger and better (how, I do not know) but I have faith in the sheer love and dedication that the team have for live music and the type of event they are trying to achieve, that they will achieve this in abundance.
Tickets for April 2025’s event are now on sale. I am looking forward to it already (I best get my hotel booked).
