Music at the Multiverse promises two days of amazing sounds at one of Scotland’s most magical outdoor venues.
Crawick Multiverse, near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, is a 55-acre visitor destination featuring standing stones, great sculpted mounds and other breath-taking features – all inspired by astronomy and the cosmos.
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On 28 and 29 August its beautiful Sun Amphitheatre will host a series of superb musicians playing everything from rock, reggae and indie through to trad, classical and opera.
The Saturday will be dedicated to the contemporary sounds of:
- The Dangleberries
- Lucky Doves
- The Peas
- Tom Spirals
- Fathers Medicine.
On Sunday Crawick Multiverse welcomes:
- Smith & McClennan
- Claudia Wood (with pianist Katharine Durran)
- Flew the Arrow
- Wendy Stewart.
For the musicians it’s a significant moment – part of a welcome return to live performance, taking place at a location that hopes to establish itself as a major outdoor venue for events and performances of all kinds – ranging from gigs and exhibitions to stargazing and pilates.
Music at the Multiverse, which will be all seated on grass, is also designed to provide a showcase for the wide range of musical talent based in – or with strong connections to – Dumfries and Galloway.
Grant Dinwoodie, of The Doves (a band with a distinctive folk, rock and roots sound), said: “We are really excited to be part of this event. It’s not only a spectacular location in which to perform, it represents a stepping stone for moving forward in the most challenging of times for performers, venues and all other creatives that have been massively affected. We still have a long way to go but this is a great start!”
Emily Smith, from Thornhill, will be appearing alongside her partner Jamie McClennan, to play music from their Small Town Stories album. For many it will be a first chance to hear music from the 2019 album live as COVID forced them to abandon most of their planned gigs.
Emily said: “I’m really looking forward to playing there – it’s great to be able to get out and play live again and it’s really exciting that Dumfries and Galloway has a new outdoor venue, and especially as it’s somewhere with a backstory, that’s somewhere to visit in its own right.”
Tom Spirals, who splits his time between Glasgow and Moffat, will be playing reggae numbers he wrote while busking his way round the world. He fell in love with Crawick when making a soon-to-be-released video there for his album An Danns Dub.
Tom said: “I am so excited to be playing at Crawick, it’s such an incredible place, so magical and mystical looking, it will make an amazing musical Multiverse.”
Claudia Wood, who is originally from Sanquhar and still has family in the town, will be singing popular songs from operas and musical shows such as Carmen and Phantom of the Opera.
Claudia said: “I sang at the opening of the Multiverse and it’s wonderful that Crawick is looking ahead to a future as a venue for live music. It will be great for people living in the area and for attracting people to visit Dumfries and Galloway.”
International harper Wendy Stewart, from near Moniaive, will present traditional pieces and compositions she’s written that celebrate the wonders of science, some played on her electroharp.
Wendy said: “I love performing in the landscape and this is such an incredible and inspiring space, and so full of hidden meanings. I’m really looking forward to playing there and exploring the acoustic possibilities it offers.”
The event is part of the Sanquhar Arts Festival and is also exploring Crawick’s potential as an outdoor venue in easy reach of central and southern Scotland and Cumbria.
Gill Khosla, Chair of Crawick Multiverse Trust, said: “We are really looking forward to giving audiences the chance to get out and enjoy live music again, and Crawick Multiverse provides an absolutely spectacular venue. We’re also very proud to be able to provide a showcase for such an excellent line-up of performers from Dumfries and Galloway – and to contribute to the Sanquhar Arts Festival.
“We hope that Music at the Multiverse will be just the start for us. In years to come our plan is to host performance events and other activities of all sorts and sizes – appealing to the local community as well as audiences from all across the region, the rest of Scotland and far beyond.”
About Music at the Multiverse
- Tickets are available from crawickmultiverse.co.uk
- Prices are £20 Saturday and £15 Sunday and concessions are available
- Doors open at noon both days and close 7pm on Saturday, 6pm on Sunday
- Numbers will be limited for COVID safety
- The event is family friendly
- Crawick Multiverse is one hour from Glasgow, 45 minutes from Ayr and 30 minutes from Dumfries – see website for travel information
About Crawick Multiverse
- Crawick Multiverse is a spectacular land art installation created by the late Charles Jencks and inspired by his thinking about space, astronomy and cosmology. See https://www.charlesjencks.com.
- It was a major land restoration project, transforming 55 acres of former open cast mining into an artwork, visitor attraction and public amenity.
- Crawick is in the hills of Upper Nithsdale on the B740, Sanquhar, Dumfries & Galloway, DG4 6ET.
- Opening: From 1 May 2021, 7 days per week, 10.00 – 4.00
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 01659 50242
