As part of Scotland on Tour, the exciting initiative to support the recovery of Scotland’s live music industry, Hebridean psychedelic singer-songwriter Pictish Trail will play the CatStrand in New Galloway on Thursday 22nd September.
Pictish Trail, aka Johnny Lynch, writes music about looking inwards, touching on themes of isolation and escapism. He draws inspiration from his life on the Isle of Eigg where he often experiences feelings of remoteness on the island, while also enjoying a sense of belonging.
Pictish Trail released his fifth album, Island Family, earlier this year. The record is dramatic and unpredictable, dealing with themes of nature, the environment, and acceptance. It promotes the belief that no man is an island, no matter how hard he may try.
Johnny Lynch, aka Pictish Trail said: “I’m really chuffed to have been included as part of the Scotland on Tour series of shows, getting a chance to play venues across the country that are slightly off the beaten track, playing to new audiences. I’m excited to bring my full band for these shows – for folks who have not seen us before, we’ll be performing a mixture of blissed-out acoustic songs, fuzzed up rock wig-outs and electronic party-starters; hoping everyone will be dancing by the end of the night! The CatStrand is a very cool venue and has a huge focus on community, something I am familiar with, having come from a small Scottish island. I’m looking forward to bringing my music here and hopefully really connecting with the audience.”
Scotland on Tour will take place over a period of 12 months between April 2022 and 2023. Still to perform at the CatStrand is Esther Swift on Sunday 6th November.
Peter Renwick, Arts Culture and Heritage Manager at the CatStrand, said: “We are hugely excited to stage Pictish Trail in the intimate setting of the CatStrand. Johnny Lynch is a highly exciting and innovative artist and it promises to be a great night. We are rearranging our auditorium to make it a stand up gig. We’d like to extend a big thank you to Scotland On Tour for making this possible.”
Scotland on Tour supports the creation of hundreds of concerts and performances at much-loved arts centres, town halls and community venues across Scotland. More than 120 artists are set to perform at more than 100 venues across the country as part of the initiative.
The project, which has been created and managed by Active Events, was made possible by £750,000 of Scottish Government backing and will focus on increasing the number of opportunities to showcase and enjoy live music, while bringing exciting acts to the doorstep of city, towns, villages and rural communities.
The year-long Scotland on Tour bill includes both emerging and established artists with genre-spanning acts appearing across the breadth and width of the country, with rock, pop, jazz, classical, folk, trad and acoustic genres all being showcased.
Tickets for these and a raft of other shows are on sale now at www.scotlandontour.com.
Director of Active Events Lisa Whytock said: “This new initiative is a bold vision for recovery for Scotland’s live music industry and an opportunity for artists, promoters and technical crews to thrive once again. The backlog of postponed and cancelled shows over the last two years has made it very difficult for artists to book new concerts and this is where Scotland on Tour comes in, providing much-needed opportunities for exciting acts to showcase their music.
“Gig goers will also have the chance to see the best of Scottish music right on their doorstep. This will be particularly beneficial to underused venues and rural performance spaces where we will be breathing life back into these fantastic settings.”
Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “We’re delighted to support the live music industry with £750,000 to fund the year-long Scotland on Tour initiative to boost the sector’s post-Covid recovery.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for performers and promoters to get back in front of live audiences and for people to back our creative communities by supporting the hundreds of gigs that will take place in venues right across Scotland.”
Scotland on Tour is Funded by Scottish Government and organised by Active Events,
with input from representatives from across the industry including Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, XpoNorth and South of Scotland Enterprise.
To find out what new shows are taking place throughout Scotland, visit www.scotlandontour.com.
For interviews, images and further information please contact Hannah Innes at Innes and Campbell Communications, [email protected], 07790 813 712
