Darvel "Homecoming" Festival Line-Up Unveiled

The line-up for the 8th Darvel ‘Homecoming’ Music Festival in May has been announced.

Eddi Reader will open the Festival on May 1 and will be followed by evenings of soul, jazz, blues, indie and Americana with a “supergroup” providing the finale on May 10.

As a prelude, The Darvel Music Company will be showcasing some of the west of Scotland’s finest unsigned and established bands in a fringe event at Darvel Town Hall on April 17 and 18.

Stagecoach will for the first time be operating return bus journeys from Ayr and Glasgow via Kilmarnock to Darvel during the main event utilising their express coaches and award winning bio-bus fleet. Stagecoach have also gone that ‘extra mile’ and agreed to sponsor the final concert of the ‘Homecoming’ festival and provide in-kind marketing support. The Festival website has details of where bus tickets can be purchased and a bus timetable.

The full line up is:

Fri 1 May: Eddi Reader. Support: Roddy Hart, Esther O’ Connor and Adriana.

Sat 2 May: The Hamish Stuart Band with Jim Mullen and Ruby Turner. Support: Hamilton Loomis.

Sun 3 May: Martin Taylor’s Freternity. Support: Rainy and the Dust plus Joni Keen and the Euan Stevenson Trio.

Thu 7 May: Maggie Bell and Dave Kelly with Blues n’ Trouble. Support: The Seventh Sons.

Fri 8 May: Attic Lights. Support: The Primary 5, Dropkick and The Parish Music Box.

Sat 9 May: Gary Louris and Mark Olson (The Jayhawks). Support: The Endrick Brothers, Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck, and Hey Negrita.

Sun 10 May: Four Good Men (ex-Simple Minds, H20 and Owen Paul). Support: JJ Gilmour (ex – Silencers), The Garrett Wall Band and Boo Hewerdine.

Tickets are now on sale at Ticketweb, Ticket Scotland (Glasgow), Walker & Connell, Darvel and Valhalla Music in Kilmarnock.

See www.darvelmusicfestival.org for full event details.

Festival ‘Fringe’

Fri 17 Apr: What The Heroes Say, The Streetlight Conspiracy, The LaFontaines, The Ghosties and The Longhorns.

Sat 18 Apr: TV21, Laki Mera, Iain Morrison, Man at the Window and Iain McKinnon.