Venturing first into our Belladrum 2023 Interviews are LUBANA. Hailing from Edinburgh 4-piece band serve up a fresh fusion of Alt Pop and R&B with a sprinkle of seasonal spices, influenced by Valley, BROCKHAMPTON, The Weeknd, and Post Malone, LUBANA’s captivating sound has earned them regular radio play having featured in BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio.
Many thanks to Darren Barclay of LUBANA for answering a few questions for us.
Get into the mood for Bella
You have ten words to describe your act, no more no less.
Alt Pop band with a blend of 90s infused RnB.
As an act how has 2023 treated you so far?
So far it has been very kind to us! Selling out our debut headline show at Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh at the start of the year and supporting WUKASA at Sneaky Pete’s. The rest of the year we have been working on an EP so that has been super fun and exciting to make so you all better keep your eyes peeled for that coming out!!
You have three original songs to wow the Belladrum audience, which ones would they be and why?
Would have to say ‘Just For Us’, ‘Be Real’ and ‘With You’. I feel like all these songs are very different from each other but they demonstrate our versatility as a band and has that signature LUBANA stamp on each track that makes them all gel perfectly. You will be able to see us smash all these bangers out that park at Bella for sure!
Festivals are renowned for horrible clashes, which act on the Belladrum line-up would you least like to clash with and why?
Ohhhh that’s a tough one! It is hard to pick one but I would want to say either Sam Ryder or Sigrid for pure selfish reasons that I would want to go and see them so if we clashed with them then there could be a chance I wouldn’t be on stage aha!
What are your tips for coping with festival season?
Many a festival has been attended so the must haves in my eyes would have to be hayfever tablets (always!!), suncream and poncho because you can expect the four seasons during a Scottish festival and finally lots of water or beer (over 18s obv!) as it is important to stay hydrated!
What are your favourite memories of Belladrum?
Jason and I have had the privilege of playing Bella in previous bands and honestly think that the atmosphere of the festival is the pull that always brings us back. As cliche as it is but the festival goers are the biggest selling point for Belladrum, they just love live music and we are here for it and that’s why we were so keen to make sure LUBANA’s first festival outing of the summer was Belladrum!
Given the cartoon and comic theme of Belladrum 2023, which theme tune or song from animation would you cover given the opportunity, and how would you make it your own?
Ohhhh tough one! If we had to choose I reckon we would have to try our hand at the Phineas & Ferb theme tune and tap into our inner Bowling For Soup. Wouldn’t really want to change it too much as they made it pretty much perfect so let us try and emulate that haha!
Which cartoon or animation would you have appear on stage with you and why?
I know this feels like a cop out but how about LUBANA turned into a Gorillaz 2.0 and animated ourselves?!! I guess we could maybe take form of something or than Gorillas, maybe Rhinos or Sloths or something quirky?
But if we had to get on stage with a cartoon I reckon the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would defo be a vibe!
What’s on the horizon for you after Belladrum?
A lot of stuff in the background will be going on. Me personally I will be prioritising fatherhood for a few weeks and then right back into it! Gonna get dates sorted for the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 to coincide with this hotly anticipated EP that will be coming VERY VERY SOON!
See LUBANA at Belladrum 2023 – Seedlings Stage 19:40 Thursday 27th July and catch up with them via LUBANA’s socials.
Please check out our coverage of Belladrum 2023 HERE.
