Evolving from covers to cathartic songwriting, the band reflects on surreal gigs, wild riffs, and finding their sound ahead of Belladrum Festival 2025.
After a whirlwind year that’s taken them from Woodzstock to Monaco, John B’s Daughter arrive at Belladrum Festival 2025 with renewed purpose and plenty to say. Fresh from songwriting camps, new releases and their first full original set, the band open up about creative breakthroughs, personal resilience, and what’s next.
From surreal stages to humorous rehearsals, they’re embracing every opportunity with openness and grit. Catch them Thursday at 8pm on the Bella Bar Stage, performing original tracks alongside select covers in a set shaped by experience and crowd connection.
You’ve had a whirlwind year—from Woodzstock to Monaco, songwriting camps to new releases. What’s been the most surreal moment so far, and how do you stay grounded through it all? We really have. The most surreal moment for us as a band was definitely getting the opportunity to play at the Monaco Grand Prix last year. It was a different world, we kept pinching ourself when we were there. We just took it in our stride and enjoyed every moment.
You played an all-original set at Woodzstock this summer. How did it feel to step away from covers and let your own songs take centre stage? It was exciting to finally be able to play our own set of originals, however it was a bit nerve-racking as it was our first time doing this. There is always the worry that because people don’t know the songs they might lose interest, but it went down very well.
Your new single, One Chance at Life, feels like a statement—what inspired it, and what do you hope listeners take from it? That’s exactly what it is. Since the band have been together there has been a lot of personal stuff going on individually. As well as a lot of highs there have been some really tough times and life-changing events that have happened, some completely unexpected. It made us realise even more that we only have ‘one chance’ at life—sometimes you have to take the chance and just go for it. If it doesn’t work out, at least you can say you tried. That’s what we hope our listeners take from it.
You spent time at Kyle Falconer’s songwriting camp in Spain. What did that experience unlock for you creatively, and did it change how you approach writing as a band? We honestly had no idea what to expect when we went here. But we had the most amazing time! Having 1-1 sessions with Kyle and Sandi Thom made me change the structure of a couple of songs which changed the dynamics of it. I had written a song called ‘Jealous’ and Kyle said it would be good to add in a bridge, which we did and it was brilliant. Now when we write songs we will sit on it for a bit and go over it and try new things. Some ideas work and some don’t, but we always get there.
You’re hitting the Bella Bar Stage at 8pm on Thursday—what kind of atmosphere are you hoping to create, and how does it feel to return after last year’s technical hiccup? We sure are! We were absolutely gutted it didn’t go ahead last year, but we always said “everything happens for a reason” and we still say this now. This year we have a 1-hour set which will mostly be our own original songs with a few covers thrown in. We hope to have the same turnout this year as we did last year. The support we have received from everyone has just been incredible and we have a good following which is increasing all the time. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for this because without all the followers we wouldn’t be able to do this.
The band’s made up of a mix of backgrounds and personalities—how do you balance creative input, and who’s most likely to throw in a wildcard idea that ends up working? It sure is, but we all get on so well together. Of course there has been a couple of niggles here and there but we try all the ideas and see which one works best. Scooty or Alix are more likely to throw in a wildcard as they are leading mostly with the guitars. Some ideas have worked and some—well, let’s just say we have been in fits of laughter saying “we absolutely CAN NOT put that riff in there”.
If you could swap one song with another Belladrum act just for the night, what would you nick—and why? With absolutely no hesitation it would have to be Torridon – Highland Girl! Not only because it’s a banging catchy tune, but if we say another act, Kenny Smith would hunt us down haha.
Looking ahead, what’s next for John B’s Daughter? More original releases, bigger stages, or something unexpected? We always knew we wanted to do our own songs, however we started out as a covers band. This has enabled us to fund our own material. We have no idea what’s in the pipeline, however what I will say is we are always up for giving anything a go, anywhere. Our next song ‘Jealous’ is at the final stages, so that’s something exciting to look forward to.
From songwriting breakthroughs to unforgettable gigs, John B’s Daughter are riding momentum into Belladrum 2025 with originality, humour, and heartfelt connection. Their latest track, ‘Jealous’, hints at even deeper stories to come.
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