For the forthcoming Belladrum Festival we have a series of articles from Mark Thompson looking at one of the new stages:
Each year the Belladrum Tartan Heart festival brings up many new and exciting features , this year the festival consolidates this with the inclusion of a new stage. The Free Range Folk Stage, ran through the Highland Environmental Network or HEN, brings together a mixture of classic folk, singer/songwriters, folk rockers, acoustic crossovers and everything marginally folk in-between. The brand new stage, set up by Glachbeg Folk Club organiser Rob Bull brings together a fusion of all folk music that the festival desperately needed.
Rob Bull stated that “The Highland Environmental Network Free Range Folk Stage will give an opportunity for local people to play at what is seen as “their” local festival. Sustainability includes consideration of communities as a part of our future. There is a great deal of talent here in the highlands with limited opportunity to share. The stage will enable people to share in the song writing and musicianship of members of its community and add a little more to the culture of the Highlands.”
Photos by Al Donnelly
The stage gives gives a chance for a number of unknown and upcoming artists to make their way onto the festival music scene, playing out to the masses. The stage features a number of locally established such as Black Rock Ceilidh Band, Adrian Telfer, Dorec-a-belle and RONA to some rising up and coming stars like Emily McKinnon, Jamie Reid, Megan Blyth and Corey Symonds.
Stage times for the Hen Stage have previously been announced
