Musicians take to the mountains for incredible Skye Live Festival film

An island music festival has taken performers to some of its most spectacular landscapes to create a virtual version of the event this year.

Gaelic trio Sian filmed at Coire Lagan on the Isle of Skye.

The Skye Live Festival has created a groundbreaking film featuring musicians appearing against iconic mountain ranges and locations after putting its usual event on hold until next year.

Electronica acts Niteworks and Lord of the Isles, Gaelic song trio Sian, piper Brìghde Chaimbeul and fiddler Aidan O'Rourkewhich will all take centre stage in the showcase for the event.

Locations featured include the Quiraing and Cuillin mountain ranges and the Old Man of Storr.

Launched in 2015, the Portree-based festival will reunite audiences and performers at its Am Meall site next May.

A teaser trailer has been released to promote the film, supported by government agency EventScotland, ahead of its worldwide launch on Thursday 8 July.

An official announcement from the festival said: “We’re taking things online this year with four exclusive performances filmed at some of the island's most iconic locations.

“The annual festival, which usually takes place over two days on the Isle of Skye, will be hosting a free stream 8 July featuring a handpicked line-up of the most breathtaking Scottish acts and artists around.

“The awe-inspiring harmonies of Gaelic trio Sian will kick the festival off with a performance streamed from Coire Lagan, a small lochan on the south side of the Cuillin Ridge with spectacular views over the island of Barra.

“Next, fans will be transported across the Cuillin Ridge to Sligachan. There, award-winning smallpiper Brìghde Chaimbeul is teaming up with fiddler Aidan O'Rourke of Lau-fame for a mesmerising performance in front of the Black Cuillin mountains.

For the third act, Skye Live is going north for one of the most unique performances ever hosted by the festival.

“Electronic artist Lord Of The Isles will be performing an incredible bespoke piece of music featuring poetry by fellow Edinburgh-based artist Ellen Renton. Inspired by, and set at, the Old Man of Storr, this audio-visual piece showcases one of Skye's most photographed locations like it has never been seen before with a light show to transform the landscape into an ethereal dreamscape.

Niteworks in action at the Quiraing.

"Closing the festival is resident band and Gaelic electronica pioneers Niteworks, who will be performing at the Quiraing.

Michael Pellegrotti, co-director of Skye Live Festival, said: “With nearly two years since our last event we wanted to try and recreate the real Skye Live experience as much as possible - presenting our favourite artists in beautiful surroundings.

“Lucky for us we’re not short of mesmerising locations on Skye and the artists came through with the music to match.

"We hope everyone enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it, and can’t wait to see you all in person in 2022.

Electronica artist Lord of the Isles created a bespoke piece of music, featuring a poem by Ellen Renton, for the Old Man of Storr on Skye.

"We’d also like to express our gratitude to EventScotland for their support in bringing it to reality, it’s been a dream of ours for some time and we couldn’t have done it without them.”

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