Live: Heartland Festival – A triumphant debut into our hearts and our calendars

Photos + text by Mike Rushby Photography

Heartland Festival is a brand new festival that got it right with a blend of established artists, contemporary stars, and up-and-comers.

Pitlochry in Scotland is a beautiful setting for the brand new Heartland Festival; a charming affair with around 7,500 over the weekend enjoying a single main stage alternating with a “discovery stage” showcasing new talent. The event was well produced, with all the logistics of getting people what they need taken care of and a good ability for people to see the artists from a distance that suited them. In front of the main stage was a bouncy affair for many of the artists, but people were happily enjoying them from further back in camping chairs and still had great sound quality a good half way across the site. Child and dog friendly, there was an eclectic range of festival-goers and everybody looked to be enjoying themselves!

The twenty-five bands showcased covered a wide range of eras and genres, with a skew towards Scottish artists past and present. Jennifer Stewart, Spyres, Zoe Graham, Samuel Nicholson, Blue Violet and both of the headliners, Idlewild, and The View all put in amazing performances, but my personal highlights included the artists below.

Skerryvore

The band came on to raucous applause, and the energy didn’t fade for a moment during the set. The mix of traditional Scottish music fused with rock is beloved in Scotland and with good reason. Taking time to showcase the different instruments in their ensemble, from fiddle, Celtic whistle, guitar, bagpipes Skerryvore showed why they’ve been enjoying phenomenal success for the past two decades – they took the crowd on a journey of emotions and left them buzzing with excitement and optimism. The charismatic band always gets the crowd to sing along, and might have gotten more than they bargained for with the crowd continuing the melodic refrain of one section after the band hit the final chord, forcing the band to give an impromptu reprisal. With upcoming tours in the US and Europe you should know they’ll blow the doors off any venue, and you’ll not be able to keep your feet still – so if they’re ever playing near you go and see them!

Saint Phnx

The Glaswegian brothers Stevie and Alan Jukes gave us the most stylish performance of the festival, with an upbeat, high-energy vibe that lead easily into anthemic choruses being belted out, even by those in the crowd who had never seen them before. Saint Phnx [“Phoenix”] With a modern blend of rock and pop elements, these multi-instrumentalists incorporate banter with the crowd every bit as modern production techniques to make their connection with the crowd. To say they were successful with that is an understatement and the guys left the audience baying for more. These guys are not to be missed.

Cammy Barnes

His semi-final spot on Britain’s Got Talent in 2023 seems like a long time ago for Cammy Barnes. The larger than life singer-songwriter had his usual dazzling mix of genuine warmth and storytelling on display – both during and in-between songs. His performance needed to be good of course, since he was ducking out from his sister’s wedding to play the gig! With his band and musical mates on call, he took the crowd on a journey marking some of what the last year has brought him – including a poignant nod to becoming a father with “Bonnie’s Song”. The future got a lashing of his charisma too, with a new country-styled number belted out in fine form as a statement of an ambition, perhaps. He’s magical in any size of venue.

Nina Nesbitt

Her relatable, anecdotal lyrics are often noted as something that draws people in to Nina Nesbitt. She comes across as one of your mates you just happen to be catching up with – this despite over a decade of huge success, critical acclaim, and being front and centre on a stage in front of a crowd. Her conversations with the crowd were as relatable as her writing, and her raw, authenticity was further emphasized when she took up her acoustic guitar. Any Nina Nesbitt gig you go to will make you feel like it was personal to you, and this was no exception. Stunning, intensely emotive vocals.

Tide Lines

Formed in 2016 Tidelines are one of the finest examples of Scottish folk music being blended with rock and pop elements. They make it look easy – combining powerful vocals, foot stomping melodies, and choruses that everybody knew after once through if not before. They contrast this in their set with moving ballads powered by the ever-emotive vocals of front-man Robert Robertson, who also acknowledged their traditional roots with a Celtic sung number. When Tidelines turned the tempo up again, you could see the worries of the world melt away from the crowd as they sang and danced along with the band with wild abandon.

Disco Mary

This electro-pop-funk put on a punchy performance, with juicy beats powering through rich soundscapes. From the moment they introduced themselves on stage they captivated the audience with their bouncy, bopping tone and a mischievous energy that underpins their genre-hopping sound. With an enthusiasm that was undeniable, they got their hooks into the audience and left them wanting more. We’ll have to hope that that turns into an album later this year…

Connor Fyfe

A singer-songwriter who is truly at home on guitar. Hailing from Glasgow, his debut album “Don’t” was well received when he released it in 2020… at the age of 13! That talent has only grown since, and few young artists display the intensity of emotion that Connor Fyfe did on stage at Heartland. His performance commanded the attention of the crowd, and left everybody tingling. His sound hits you in a visceral manner as a live singer. It’s something he’s clearly worked on, and here’s hoping it’s a dimension he leans into in his next album. Compelling.

Forgetting the Future

From very nearly the furthest northern reaches of the UK, Thurso, Scotland, this four-piece put on a polished indie-rock performance. As another young act they have a bright future. The showed off some compelling riffs and hooks; simple enough on their own, but the more you listened, the more you heard the complexity in the layering of the arrangements propelled by some nifty drum licks. The tracks from their latest EP “Catacombs” were delivered in electric fashion, which is a promising sign for fans looking for more from FtF. Powerful.

The good news is that the event will be back next year, with fan favourites Skerryvore already in the bag, this time returning for a headline slot. Also announced so far for next year are the stylish melodic pop duo The Eves, along with Ben Walker, Copper Lungs, Forgetting the Future, Roisin McCarney, Torridon, The Tumbling Souls, and Daytime TV. It’s already shaping up to be a fantastic encore, with tickets for the 28-29th June 2025 on sale here.