Lanarkshire singer songwriter JJ Gilmour will top the bill at Strathaven's inaugural Performers Festival this weekend.
The former member of the Silencers will be treating fans to an acoustic concert at the Strathaven Hotel on Saturday, supported by Strathaven artists Louise McAtee Higgins, Kevin Noon, and The Youngs.
The festival kicks off tomorrow night (Friday, February 25) with headliner James Grant of Friends Again and Love & Money fame, with special guests Sugartown and Starry Skies frontman, Warren McIntyre opening the weekend.
Organiser Douglas MacIntyre of FRETS told Lanarkshire Live the headline acts are supported by performers with strong links to Strathaven.
"The idea for the Strathaven Performers Festival was to have local singer-songwriters perform as guests of headline artists, which we’ve done on the bill taking place at FRETS this Saturday", he said.
"JJ Gilmour is the headline artist and is a performer who really knows how to communicate with an audience. He has built a strong live following for his shows throughout Scotland, and was only too happy for FRETS to program a bill of local performers."
FRETS is run by well-known Strathaven musician and Creeping Bent label owner Douglas MacIntyre, who has hosted a run of intimate, bespoke gigs in the town hotel each month with the likes of former bandmate Lloyd Cole and The Bluebells on the bill.
Since launching in 2019, Douglas' vision was to attract big names as well as bringing strong support artists that complemented the songwriter/performer aesthetic of FRETS.
Opening acts have included Monica Queen, Snowgoose, The Secret Goldfish & James Kirk, Duglas T Stewart and The Pearlfishers.
Headliners have included the likes of The Charlatans, Altered Images, Idlewild's Roddy Woomble, King Creosote and Arab Strap who are set to perform this summer.
Douglas added: "Louise McAtee Higgins is a big fan of original Americana artists such as Emmylou Harris, and will be playing a set of material that nods in that direction, accompanied by guitarist Tam McGarvey. Kevin Noon is an acoustic troubadour with his roots in Dylanesque material and has a lively stage presence.
"The Youngs will be opening the bill on Saturday, and feature myself and a couple of long time pals (Laughlin Allan - vocals and bass, Douglas Hannah - percussion). We are all big Neil Young fans and will be playing a set of some of our favourite Neil songs."
Internationally acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter JJ Gilmour made his recording debut in 1989 with The Silencers, one of Scotland’s top bands who enjoyed huge success throughout Europe with seven action-packed years of gigging and recording during which The Silencers had gold albums, sold over half a million records, headlined major rock festivals and were regulars on hit TV shows across Europe.
James Grant first started making records and touring with Glasgow group Friends Again, who released the critically acclaimed album, Trapped and Unwrapped. On the demise of Friends Again, Grant formed a new group, Love & Money, as a platform for his songwriting. They released five albums, with James working with an array of legendary producers and musicians including Tom Dowd, Tom Verlaine, Gary Katz and Steve Nye.
Sugartown will have an album released later in the year on the Last Night From Glasgow label. Sugartown evoke the vibe of Bobbie Gentry fronting The Velvet Underground’s third album.
Opening the night, Starry Skies frontman Warren McIntyre will be performing an acoustic set of his best loved songs.
Tickets for the Friday night are now sold out but there are still tickets available for Saturday from www.fretsconcerts.com
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