Take heart at a blooming Highland festival

THE Highlands has always punched above its weight in terms of producing first-rate musical talent across the genres.

It has, though, often lacked the infrastructure to nurture homegrown skill and attract names from outside the area to perform. This is slowly changing as a network of venues, promoters and bands becomes established.

At the centre of this burgeoning live music community is the Tartan Heart festival, which takes place on August 12 and 13 at the Belladrum Estate near Beauly, west of Inverness. Now in its second year, Tartan Heart was the brainchild of Joe Gibbs, whose family have run the estate for 150 years.

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"I've had a lifelong interest in music, which was the main reason I started Tartan Heart," says Gibbs. "We have a fantastic natural venue for a festival here, with old Italian gardens that go down in terraces to a natural amphitheatre below with a burn running behind it. It is a very beautiful spot."

The inaugural festival was a small affair, with just over a dozen acts performing on a single day, but the success encouraged organisers to raise the bar this year. "Everyone really enjoyed themselves," says Gibbs. "It seemed to fill a niche in the market that was different to any other festival in Scotland. It is like old style Glastonbury: mellow, laid-back and family orientated."

This year the festival takes place over two days and there are 45 acts performing across three different stages. Whereas last year's event pulled in a healthy 2,000 people, this year the organisers are predicting 6,000 festival-goers.

Headlining the main stage over the two nights are The Proclaimers and Alabama 3; there is also a host of talent which spans everything from electronica to folk, rock to country, world music to garage. Artists such as Italian/Icelandic songstress Emiliana Torrini will be playing alongside the feelgood beats of The Bees on Friday's line up, while Saturday welcomes Karine Polwart and former Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross, performing alongside the folk pop of Aberfeldy and the mental Brighton indie of British Sea Power.

There is plenty of up and coming Scottish talent, with a Grassroots Stage showcasing the finest folk and acoustic music. Bands such as The Sundowns, Calamateur and the recently signed Cinematics will be performing elsewhere on the bill. "The idea was to provide music that most people would probably want to hear," says Gibbs, "but on the back of that we also want to provide the audience with things that they have not been introduced to yet." This extends to local unsigned Highland talent. The festival has been running a competition for bands to open the festival.

With a background as a film location manager (working on the likes of Mrs Brown and Hamish Macbeth), Gibbs has plenty of experience in organising large outdoor events. All the same there is a sense of friendly, family fun pervading Tartan Heart with free camping and parking, and activities, including workshops and street theatre, throughout the weekend outwith the music programme. Says Gibbs: "Children of 12 and under come free; something like 30% of our audience will be children, so we have a lot laid on for them in terms of entertainment."

Gibbs has tried to make the event as eco-friendly as possible, and there are a host of weird and wonderful events on offer, including a stint in a sweatlodge, a ride in a hot air balloon, shamanic journeying, street magic and even a solar powered touring cinema.

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"A lot of people will have been to supersized T in the Park and Glastonbury and all those mega-festivals," says Gibbs. "But if you want a contrast to that, to just have a completely laidback weekend in the Highlands listening to some fantastic music in a very beautiful setting, then this is your opportunity to do it."

Tartan Heart Festival, August 12 and 13, the Italian Gardens, Belladrum Estate, Beauly, Inverness-shire (01463-741 366), www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk

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