News / Gigs-a-plenty over next week
A NUMBER of widely known music artists are set to perform in Shetland in the space of a week in what is an unusual boost for the local scene.
On Thursday night award-winning Scottish guitarist RM Hubbert performed a haunting live soundtrack to silent film By The Law at Mareel in Lerwick.
But it is only the start for the arts venue, with former X Factor star Lucy Spraggan due to perform in the auditorium on Sunday.
After selling out Mareel two years ago, the gig has been moved from standing to the raked seating, offering a more intimate atmosphere.
Two days later acoustic guitar maestro Newton Faulkner will also make a return to Shetland to perform in the same venue.
The run of gigs will be completed by chart-topping indie rockers Scouting for Girls on 26 October, who are perhaps known for the track She’s So Lovely.
The three upcoming shows are being promoted by Ullapool based Beyond Presents, with local man Davie Gardner of Atlantic Edge Music Services set to manage them.
“To have three major artists of this calibre playing Shetland and Mareel in such a short space of time really says it all about how the music scene is viewed up here, that, together with the quality of our venues and our production engineers’ technical skills, plus the place itself, and not forgetting, of course, the enthusiasm of our audiences as well,” he said.
“It’s no coincidence that Shetland dates now appear regularly as part of national tours of this kind, and that’s quite an achievement for such a small community. We must be doing something right.”
It won’t end there, however, with Americana act The Stray Birds due to perform at Mareel on 4 November as part of Shetland Arts’ Wordplay festival.
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