Organisers of Dundee’s new street-level live music festival, Almost Blue, have confirmed all the venues and bands are now in place ahead of next week’s Blues Bonanza-style event.
A total of 19 venues hosting over 100 gigs are taking part in the festival, which was massively expanded after it was announced that the Dundee Blues Bonanza would not take place as usual this summer.
Following that announcement earlier this year, the city’s pubs and clubs got together to discuss ways of keeping alive the 20-year tradition of a city centre-wide live-music festival.
Among those were Scott Clark from Clark’s on Lindsay Street and Angus Robb, general manager of Fat Sam’s, who had organised Almost Blue at their own venues for the previous two years.
As the interest grew in organising a festival of sorts for the same weekend, the other venues agreed to come under the umbrella of Almost Blue with the purpose of filling the void and keeping the “fantastic” atmosphere and feelgood factor of the Blues Bonanza going, not to mention the financial spin-offs to the city.
That has now all come to fruition and the publicity is now appearing all over the city centre, with posters, flyers and a grid to show where and when the gigs are taking place and who is playing.
A spokesman for Almost Blue said: “It’s been a huge amount of work to get to this stage, even though the venues have all organised their own gigs and bands.
“We’re not a festival committee as such, we’re only really organising the publicity for it, although some venues have been happy to be helped out in terms of getting bands booked.
“Organising 19 venues has been a bit of a handful though and it’s hats off to the Blues Bonanza committee for doing it so well for so many years.
“They’ve said they hope to be back refreshed again next year and we’re all hoping they will be.
“Everything seems to be in place though and we’re all looking forward to seeing and hearing some brilliant music of all genres, not just blues, all over the city centre on June 27, 28 and 29.
“We had hoped to have a big headliner to kick things off on the Friday, and the Commitments were booked but they had to pull out of the show due to other, err, commitments.
“But we’ve got some great bands appearing and hopefully the crowds will come out in their droves as usual.”
Venues signed up to Almost Blue are: Buskers, Cask & Cork, Clark’s on Lindsay Street, Dj Vu, Jute at DCA, Drouthy Neebors, Duke’s Corner, Stage Door at Fat Sam’s, Jolly Judge, Nicols Bar, Non-Zero’s, Boudoir, Bank Bar, The Tinsmith (Tally’s), Westport Bar, The Westhouse, Legends, Redd Suite and Number 57.
Among the acts taking part are Blueshouse, Boogalusa, Dave Arcari, Stevie Anderson & Dave Webster, Sandy Tweeddale and his band, Midnight Blues Band, Tripper, Ringer and Miami Vince.