Showcasing Scotland line-up at The Great Escape 2014

08 May 2014, 12:29 | Written by Andrew Hannah

(News)

(Prides) (RM Hubbert) (The Amazing Snakeheads)

Us lot up here have been escaping Scotland over Hadrian’s Wall since time immemorial to find fame and fortune on the glistering streets of the great glass cities of the Fancy South. While many of us end up drunk and dirt-poor on the street supping from cans of Special Brew and bottles of Buckie just to get that small taste of home, we’ve been a lot more successful when carrying some musical talent with us in our little knapsacks, beside the shortbread, square sausage and plain bread.

If we make it down past That London, we might often end up in Brighton, showing off prodigious talents to the admiring masses so it’s perhaps entirely appropriate that at this year’s The Great Escape in the fine seaside town, Creative Scotland are presenting two “Showcasing Scotland” concerts for 2014’s festival attendees to drool over.

The Dome Studio Bar will play host to familiar and not-so-familiar names from Scotland’s music scene and serves as testament to what Creative Scotland’s David Weaver describes as “the incredible quality and diversity that Scotland has to offer”. So if you’re down there you can, on the 8th, hear drum and bass flecked electronica of Leon T Pearl and the big-swell indie swoon of Caithness’ Neon Waltz in support of the headline act RM Hubbert. Hubby is of course the winner of the 2013 SAY Award, a hilarious in-gig storyteller and guitar player extraordinaire: laugh at his jokes and marvel at his flamenco-influenced fretwork.

On the 9th, we have Glasgow’s Prides showing off their pristine chart-bound pop and Baby Strange’s gloom/glam moves in preparation for headliners Honeyblood. Stina and Shona have gone from strength to strength since I saw them supporting kindred spirits PINS in one of Glasgow’s smaller venues and it seems like their sugar-sweet garage rock is only going to continue taking them to bigger and better places. I guess now might be the perfect time to catch them before they sell out every venue going.

There are also the likes of Casual Sex and The Amazing Snakeheads playing elsewhere at the Great Escape, confirming that once again Scotland is a scorching hotbed of musical talent. Go check ‘em out.