Bad Actress at Belladrum 2025: Hard Rock Authenticity in the Highland Hills

The Forres rockers discuss lineup changes, prime-time slots, and delivering pure rock ‘n’ roll energy to the Bella Bar Stage

Bad Actress have been carving their own path through Scotland’s rock scene since forming near Forres in 2018, driven by a shared love of classic 70s and 80s rock that feels increasingly rare in their local area. Recent lineup changes have brought fresh energy to the band, with Lui stepping up as frontman and new members Shaun and Ewan adding their own spark to the mix.

Now they’re preparing for a prime 8:30pm slot on Belladrum’s Bella Bar Stage, aiming to deliver what they describe as “a good mouthful of rock n roll” to Friday night’s crowd. Their approach remains refreshingly straightforward – making music that helps people forget their troubles and have a good time.

Let’s start with the roots—how did Bad Actress come together back in 2018 near Forres, and what’s been the driving force behind your sound since day one?

Well it started with Luis and Chick. They’ve been playing together for years already before this point and they really wanted to start a more rock-focused group. I (Tommy) had met Chick through my previous bands, he’d end up doing some drumming for me. I was never a fan of his drumming! One day Chick just asked me if I wanted to play guitar in his new band he was starting and I think my response was “yeah. As long as you aren’t the drummer!”. The whole thing kinda just started from that. Many line-up changes later here we are.

Driving force would be our love of all the old rock bands from the 70s and 80s really. We don’t really get a lot of local bands going down that road around our parts so we really wanted to play music similar to what inspired us to play in the first place.

Your shows are known for full-throttle energy—how do you keep that intensity night after night? Is there a pre-gig ritual, or is it pure instinct once you hit the stage?

Copious amounts of hard drugs and booze and sex. Lots and lots of sex. No really it’s jsut the love of playing a show. There is no greater feeling than playing your music to people so when we play we really wanna get the most out of it and have a good time. We love doing it and don’t wanna waste a single second of it. Lots of caffeine does help tho!

You’ve recently had a change in personnel—has that shift opened up any new creative paths or given the band a fresh spark in terms of dynamic?

Well now Luis is the singer, he brings a fresh style of vocals and a new energy to the show so it’s fun to work with that fresh sound. Shaun and Ewan are really good players also, so having them in the group has really been terrific. They fit right in instantly. I can say this is the happiest we’ve ever been with the line-up.

You’re hitting the Bella Bar Stage at 8:30pm on Friday—that’s a prime slot with a big atmosphere. What kind of energy or moment are you aiming to deliver to the Belladrum crowd?

I dunno, Belladrum is already bursting with energy and big moments so it’s kinda hard to say. We just wanna give the people a good mouthful of rock ‘n’ roll. The response the last time we played was incredible—if we could just recapture that energy it’ll be amazing.

Between Belladrum and a packed tour calendar—including Operation: Mindcrime – The Final Chapter—you’re clearly keeping busy. What’s been the standout moment so far in 2025, and how’s life on the road treating you?

Well, for me I think probably playing MacMoray Festival earlier this year. It was Luis’ second gig as the new frontman, so we were still in a funny place of unfamiliar territory, and it was the biggest crowd we’d ever played to. So getting on that stage and doing what we do best, not entirely sure how it would go down, was pretty incredible—because it was a fantastic show with a fantastic crowd at an amazing festival.

Who tends to steer the setlist or spark new ideas when you’re working on your original material—is it a shared process or does someone light the fuse? Your catalogue leans into good-time hard rock—how do you make that resonate with new crowds today, and what keeps it feeling authentic for you as a band?

Well, what usually happens is Chick will come up with the lyrics and the guitar, who will then bring it to the group. We’ll have a few playthroughs of it and just kinda bounce any ideas we have off each other to improve it.

Well, everyone likes a good time, so I guess we are writing these songs from a younger generation’s perspective. Younger people can resonate with it possibly ’cause we aren’t trying to shove any kind of political message down their throats. Music should make you forget about all the troubles in the world, so maybe that carefree attitude is what people are missing these days.

For a bit of fun—if you could swap one song with another Belladrum act just for the night, what would you nick and why?

I’d nick ‘Walking on the Waves’ by Skippinish just because I’d like to hear how much we’d butcher it!

Bad Actress embody the kind of unpretentious rock spirit that feels both timeless and necessary. Their commitment to pure enjoyment over messaging, combined with the fresh dynamics of their current lineup, suggests they’re hitting their stride at exactly the right moment.

With their prime Bella Bar slot and the confidence that comes from recent standout performances, they’re perfectly positioned to remind Belladrum 2025 why straightforward rock ‘n’ roll still has the power to make people forget their troubles.

Explore more Belladrum 2025 features, interviews, and artist previews on our Belladrum Festival hub