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Top Scottish rock band Del Amitri and Malian line-up Songhoy Blues added to the Dandelion Festival coming to Inverness in September aiming to inspire people to "sow, grow and share" music, food, ideas and stories


By Margaret Chrystall


TWO more big names have been added to the line-up for the free Dandelion Festival coming to the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness from Friday to Sunday, September 2-4.

Del Amitri added.
Del Amitri added.

Headliners top Scottish rock band Del Amitri and blues-rock group Songhoy Blues from the Mali desert are the latest names to join the weekend festival which already includes King Creosote, New Orleans' Tank And The Bangas blending funk, soul, rock and hip hop, The Lost Words, Gambian kora player Sona Jobarteh, Dreamers’ Circus, Dallahan and Scott Matthews.

Sona Jobarteh.
Sona Jobarteh.

Also just announced are Kefaya & Elaha Soroor – Afghan singer Elaha with music and producer duo Kefaya, trad six-piece Cala who come mainly from Inverness, Irish quintet Goitse and Scottish folk singer Siobhan Miller.

The Inverness Dandelion Festival follows the one in Glasgow earlier in the year which welcomed over 44,000 people.

The festivals are a unique blend of music and art with science and technology in a creative programme following the growing season through from April to September.

Nati Dreddd.
Nati Dreddd.

The message is to inspire people to ‘Sow, Grow and Share’ music, food, ideas and stories.

Friday’s line-up is topped by one of Scotland’s best-loved bands Del Amitri, performing old favourites plus material from Fatal Mistakes, their first new album in nearly 20 years in this extra-special show.

Universally-acclaimed Malian band Songhoy Blues will wrap up the festival on Sunday afternoon.

The music line-up has been curated by Scottish musician, composer, and producer Donald Shaw, also creative director of Glasgow’s world-famous Celtic Connections festival, which presents this festival in partnership with Dandelion.

Audiences to the festival will experience the music performances across two stages – the Pavilion of Perpetual Light Stage and the Dandelion Stage in the Northern Meeting Park, Inverness.

The festival site opens at 10am on Friday with programming dedicated to schools and young people, but is open to all and the food and drink village is open throughout.

The live music programme begins at 3pm, featuring Gaelic Youth Choir Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis choir – who appeared at the venue at The Gathering festival in May.

Then young ceilidh group Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail will be followed by traditional music from the Hamish Napier Trio and Pàdruig Morrison Group.

King Creosote. Picture: Calum James Gordon
King Creosote. Picture: Calum James Gordon

Scottish singer/songwriter King Creosote then takes the audience into the evening, followed by singer Nati Dreddd, before Scottish rock legends Del Amitri close the first night.

On Saturday, there are talks, performance and activity from 11am with live music starting at 1pm with six-piece trad band Cala, followed by Acibreira, UK indie singer Scott Matthews, Scandi folk group Dreamers’ Circus and Gambia’s Sona Jobarteh, who will be joined onstage by her son and fellow kora player, Sidiki.

Dreamers' Circus.
Dreamers' Circus.

Audiences can then enjoy performances from Scottish singer/songwriter Siobhan Miller, the only person to have won best singer at the Scots Trad Music Awards three times in 2011, 2013, and 2017.

The evening is headlined by Grammy Award nominated Tank And The Bangas.

On Sunday performances are by Irish quintet Goitse, Scottish singer and songwriter Hannah Rarity and one of the most distinct forces in the international folk music scene Dallahan - plus another chance to see Acibreira. Songhoy Blues from Timbuktu in Mali closing out the festival with their “electric, kinetic, guitar-driven blues”.

Hannah Rarity.
Hannah Rarity.

Alongside the music programme, the festival will feature talks by writers, artists, farmers, and activists, speaking on sustainability, land management and our changing relationship with nature, programmed by Dandelion executive producer Jenny Niven and Dandelion Festivals producer Lauren McKenna.

The talks will take place in The Hothouse tent in the grounds of Eden Court.

Talks by:

former Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson on the challenges the world is facing in sustainability and conservation and the legacies we’re leaving for future generations;

celebrated writer Gavin Francis GP author of Adventures In Human Being, explores how gardening, and time spent in nature contribute directly to health and wellbeing;

performer and choreographer and artist Simone Kenyon – whose 2019 performance Into The Mountain in the Cairngorms inspired by the writing of Nan Shepherd saw audiences walk through the landscape encountering dancers en route – will talk alongside poet Jen Hadfield and musician Brian O’Headhra about how they explore the world around them using words, movement and music, and how art can make sense of our extraordinary times

Scottish farmers Patrick Laurie, Richard Lockett & Helen O’Keefe discuss how we can shape and maintain a more sustainable approach to land management.

and representatives from Dandelion’s Unexpected Gardens in the Highlands discuss how they’ve transformed formerly unused spaces into places to grow.

Sitting at the heart of the festival site will be the spectacular Pavilion of Perpetual Light, a striking 10-metre-tall art installation and main stage which is created from 60 one metre square growing cubes specially created for the Dandelion programme, brought together to form a giant structure with built-in stage, acting as a ‘living’ backdrop to performances by Mischief-la-Bas.

They are an interactive outdoor arts company whose mission is to “gently warp the underlay of the fabric of society”, in addition to the music line-up.

There will also be creative activities across the site in the Dandelion Potting Sheds and family activities including The Nursery area for under-fives where children can discover the world of plants and nature, alongside storytelling sessions.

The Potting Sheds dotted across the park will host artists, performers and community organisations.

People can:

celebrate Gaelic language and culture with Cultarlann Inbhir Nis;

drop by for free sessions with the Dandelion Musicians In Residence when you can learn how to create soundscapes from mushrooms, become a percussive musical farmer or play around with nature-inspired songwriting.

visitors can get involved with traditional straw plaiting and fashion their own Harvest Knot that can be taken home or worn as a brooch.

or people can join a workshop with Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre.

Roving Street Theatre will fascinate and excite kids and adults alike throughout the park at every turn – prepare to see a giant chicken clucking about, an eight-foot butterfly, a towering gerbera, two crazy gardening brothers and a rockabilly nomad!

Families will also have the opportunity to sit down and watch fun-filled shows running at various times throughout the weekend.

Kicking off Saturday, creative theatre company Pif-Paf are set to perform a brilliant show with puppetry, live music, giant inflatables and much more.

Throughout the weekend, audiences can enjoy a selection of street food from traders including Mrs Falafel, Stand Bahn Mi, Hector & Harriet, Papa’s Loaded Fries and Asher’s Ice Cream. There will also be a fully-licensed bar serving a wide selection of Scottish craft ales and beers, wine and soft drinks.

Donald Shaw, music director for Dandelion, said: “Our excitement for the Inverness Festival is growing.

“We have another fantastic line-up, all of whom share the values of Dandelion, and are set to deliver an array of amazing performances across our set of stages, including our magnificent Pavilion Of Perpetual Light."

Executive producer for Dandelion, Jenny Niven said: “This project is something we are incredibly passionate about and we are looking forward to spreading further awareness on issues such as environmentalism, sustainability and how our food is produced.

"We can’t wait to bring everyone together and inspire people to sow, grow and share.”

The Dandelion Festival is free. For the full programme visit: dandelion.scot

Commissioned by EventScotland and funded by the Scottish Government, Dandelion is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.


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