Kasabian to rock Hogmanay

Published on Friday 2 November 2007 11:58

ROCK band Kasabian have been unveiled as the headline act for this year's Hogmanay Concert in Princes Street Gardens.

The chart-topping indie group will be joined by Edinburgh rockers Idlewild, with organisers saying they want to give the event a "harder edge" .

A capacity crowd of 8500 is expected to watch the bands perform in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.

Kasabian, who were formed in Leicester, have been pulling in crowds across the country after seeing their last album shoot straight to number one in the charts. The group also played the Corn Exchange last year as part of the T on the Fringe programme.

Lead singer Tom Meighan said today: "It is an honour to be asked to play Hogmanay this year. Scotland is always a special place to play and New Year's Eve will be even more special. We promise."

Idlewild, formed in 1995, are no strangers to playing at major events, having performed in Princes Street Gardens at the launch of the Scottish Parliament back in 1999. Organisers said they had been keen to book the band for a number of years. Their greatest hits album is currently one of the most popular in the country.

Pete Irvine, director of Edinburgh's Hogmanay producer Unique Events, said he was very pleased with the line-up.

"We've altered the formula a bit from previous years, as the concert has always been geared towards a family event and this year we want to give it a bit more of a harder edge, so there's no question the gardens will rock.

"For families, we're putting together a major new event in the Hogmanay programme, and we will hopefully be able to announce all the details of that in a couple of weeks."

Previous years have seen sell-out crowds enjoy performances by Moby, Blondie, Scissor Sisters, Texas, KT Tunstall and El Presidente. The rest of the concert line-up, along with the other artists who will be performing at the Ceilidh in the Gardens and Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party, will be announced in coming days.

Tickets for the Concert in the Gardens, which include an Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party pass, go on-sale tomorrow from the event's box office at Ticket Scotland on Rose Street, and online at www.edinburghshogmanay.com. Tickets are limited to four per person.