Queen of pop Kylie Minogue set to grace Edinburgh Castle concert

Kylie Minogue was recently on tour with her new album Golden . Picture: contributed

The international superstar will play her first concert in the city for almost three decades on the castle’s Esplanade on Sunday 14 July.

The all-seated concert, one of only seven special shows Minogue will perform across the UK during the summer of 2019, is her only Scottish date.

The concert will include all the hits that made the 1980s icon a star, including I Should Be So Lucky, Never Too Late and Hand On Your Heart.

Announcing the concert,the news, Mark Mackie, director of Castle Concerts, said: “We are delighted to have Kylie play Edinburgh Castle.

“Without doubt, she is a true global superstar and the voice of a generation, the atmosphere on the night will be truly electrifying.”

The singer last played Edinburgh in 2003, when she performed the song Slow at the MTV Europe Awards, which were staged in a specially constructed arena at Ocean Terminal in Leith.

Her last full concert in the capital was in 1991 when she took to the stage of The Playhouse.

Minogue’s recent shows, part of her Golden UK Arena Tour, have been met with widespread acclaim and next summer’s shows will find her performing a series of career-spanning hits from her back catalogue.

The singer will also imbue the Edinburgh Castle gig with a touch of Nashville, showcasing tracks from her 14th studio album, also called Golden, which was released earlier this year and was the result of a working trip to the home of Country music.

“We definitely brought a bit of Nashville back with us,” she said, adding: “Mixing these songs in with my existing catalogue is going to be fun.

“And it could be fun to do some of those songs with just a guitar.”

Golden finds Minogue blending her familiar pop-dance sound with an unmistakable country and western twang.

The title reflects that the singer, who first made her name in the UK as Charlene Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours, turned 50 this year.

She said: “I had this line that I wanted to use – ‘We’re not young, we’re not old, we’re golden’ – because I’m asked so often about being my age in this industry.

“And I get it, I get the interest, but I don’t know how to answer it. And that line, for my personal satisfaction, says it as succinctly as possible.

“We can’t be anyone else, we can’t be younger or older than we are, we can only be  ourselves. We’re golden. And the title, Golden, reflects all of this.

“I liked the idea of everyone being golden, shining in their own way. The sun shines in daylight, the moon shines in darkness. Wherever we are in life, we are still golden.”

During her Hyde Park concert in September, Minogue surprised fans by being joined on stage by her Neighbours co-star Jason Donovan for a rendition of their 1988 No 1 Especially For You.

Nick Finnigan, Executive Manager at Edinburgh Castle, said: “Kylie Minogue’s famous pop songs are sure to appeal to a wide audience and we look forward to hosting her when Edinburgh Castle once again transforms into the city’s premier entertainment venue, with its stunning stage and unrivalled backdrop.”

Tickets go on sale on Friday from www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 0844-844 0444.