As part of the celebrations surrounding the Olympic torch passing through Inverness, a free open air event is to be held in the Northern Meeting Park on Saturday 9th of June.
The event sponsored by Coca Cola will be headlined by Emeli Sandé with support from local acts The Inverness Festivals Band and Bruce Macgregor.
Emeli Sandé burst onto the scene last year with her single “Heaven” which peaked at no.2 in the charts. This was followed up by “Daddy” and third single “Next to Me” which has entered the top 40 at no. 2. The singles success has been mirrored by her debut album “Our Version of Events” which topped the album chart during its first week of release. Emeli also has a string of writing credits and guest vocals, most notably with Professor Green on “Read All About It”. Emeli is no stranger to playing live around Inverness and featured at both Rockness and Belladrum in 2011.
Support takes the form of local traditional talent in the form of the Inverness Festivals Band and Bruce Macgregor. The Inverness Festivals Band are funded by the Highland Council’s festivals team, and are group of young talented traditional musicians who are give the opportunity to shine on stages such as this. The line-up evolves and changes as the young members gain experience, get older and move on. This provides a platform on which to build their careers in traditional music.
Bruce Macgregor needs no introduction. He is a member of the acclaimed Blazin’ Fiddles who have recorded and toured extensively for over 15 years. Bruce has also branched out successfully into radio where he currently presents BBC Scotland’s Travelling Folk.
As well as coinciding with the passage of the Olympic torch, it also clashes with the Saturday at Rockness. This, it is anticipated, will be a family event. Well, Coca Cola are a sponsor, as opposed to the likes of Drambuie and Jagermeister down at Dores. It should also give a better indication as to the level of interest locally in the London Olympics with both the torch and a headline act appearing in Inverness.
