All sorts of plans get made after a few refreshments with friends in one’s local pub.
From flights to far-flung places forgotten in favour of another pint, to promises to try out that new exercise class which are silently, mutually retracted during the hangover, follow-through is rarely required.
So when Big Rock Records founders and old pals Fergus Neville and Neil Tilston agreed, mid-session, to put on a gig in Newport-on-Tay, neither of them really thought they’d go through with it.
“There used to be a really good music scene in Newport,” explains Fergus, a university lecturer who lives in the scenic Fife village.
“Newport Sounds did really great DIY gigs, but those stopped after the pandemic. One of the acts that had been due to play in Newport was Broken Chanter, AKA David MacGregor, who I knew from uni.
“He was playing in Dundee. My friend Neil – who I’ve known since we were babies – and I went to meet him for a drink.
“We broke the news to him that the organisers of Newport Sounds were no longer living in the village. And he said: ‘Well why don’t you two put me on instead?’
“We sort of said: ‘Yeah, we’ll do that!’ But there was a sense of ‘that’s not actually going to happen’ about it,” laughs Fergus.
“Then the next morning, David started texting us potential dates, and we went: ‘Oh s***, we’re actually going to have to do this’.”
First gig was going to be ‘a one-off’
Despite having zero experience of putting on live music, Fergus and Neil jumped in with both feet and made a plan to have Broken Chanter play the Rio community centre in Newport, supported by indie acts Randolph’s Leap and Linzi Clark.
“We just went for it,” shrugs Fergus. “Originally we thought it would just be a one-off. We thought if we could cover costs, if we could get 20 pals to come, it would be fine. It was very DIY!”
Instead, the pair sold 100 tickets, packing out the venue in February 2023.
“It was just a fantastic night!” recalls Fergus. “We had so much fun, we sent a bit of paper round the hall asking if anyone would be interested in helping to put on another gig.
“We got a lot of scrawled names and emails addresses – very few legible,” he chuckles. “But we emailed the ones we could read, and we all met for a drink in the Boat Brae.
“Within two minutes, this group of people who had never met before that first gig just got on so well together.”
Locals banded together over live music love
And so, Big Rock Records was born, named wittily in homage the village’s prime tourist draw – the famous ‘big rock’.
As well as St Andrews university lecturer Fergus and secondary school maths teacher Neil, BRR consists of local volunteers Ailsa McKenzie, Benet Reid, Kevin McGinley, Chris Mugan, Amina Shah, Ewan Imrie and Kevin Linnet.
“It became clear that we all shared the same vision for what we wanted to do,” explains Fergus.
“Which was put on not-for-profit gigs that bring the community together. And showcase the best live music that we can bring to the village.
“I mean, none of us know what we’re doing – we’re just some local numpties who like live music! But that’s half the fun.”
Fifer James Yorkston lent star power
He says it was at their second gig – co-headlined by famous Fifer James Yorkston and trad legend Sheena Wellington – when the group knew they had hit on something special.
“It was amazing getting a big name like James Yorkston for just our second gig. Because they’re local, his wife and two kids came along,” recalls Fergus.
“He played Woozy With Cider, which he rarely plays. And I understand that’s about his wife, so it was really sweet.
“And when Sheena Wellington did an a cappella set, you could hear a pin drop. It was unbelievable.
“Again, it sold out. And after that point, there was no going back.”
A new community in the Rio
Now a year and a bit later, Big Rock Records is a rollicking success, with their quarterly gigs selling out up to four months ahead of time – including a showcase from indie label Lost Map.
And due to popular demand, they’ve managed to negotiate a layout in the Rio which offers a maximum of 140 people, instead of the original 100.
For Fergus, the recipe for success has lain in fostering a strong sense of community through the gigs.
“I think part of that success is the support we’ve got from the community here,” he explains.
“The staff in the Rio, particularly Betty and Georgina, really get what we’re doing.
“We’ve got a lot of music fans who come along, but other people just come because they know they’re guaranteed a great night, with a friendly atmosphere and good music.”
Big Rock records join Forgan Arts festival
And this summer, BRR are joining up with local organisation Forgan Arts Centre to host the inaugural Lughnasadh Music and Art Festival, headlined by Edinburgh-based rising star Hamish Hawk.
He’ll be joined on the bill by local talent, including Dundee acts Jutebox and Theo Bleake, as well as co-founder Neil’s own DJ collective The Funky Gunners.
But Rio die-hards needn’t worry – the regular programming will still take place, with Randolph’s Leap and Raveloe taking to the community centre stage at the end of August.
Rio gigs are ‘family-friendly’ events
Unlike other live music events, Big Rock Records gigs at the Rio are family-friendly, with kids welcome to join the fun and experience live music in their own community.
“My own children see themselves as an integral part of it,” smile Fergus. “They stamp your hands as you go in and they’ve got the T-shirts and everything.
“My daughter Aoife even announced the first band on last time, so it’s become a nice family event. It’s a great way of letting kids see high-quality live music.”
And it’s that tight-knit “community vibe” which BRR are keen to preserve, despite being “inundated” with requests from artists across the globe who want to play the Newport-on-Tay “venue”.
No plans to turn a profit
“I don’t think we’d be tempted to make this bigger. The joy of it is that it is this local community thing, it’s fun, it’s inclusive, it’s DIY,” says Fergus.
“There’s certainly no plans to turn it into a profit-making business. We sell a little bit of merch, but then everything goes back into putting on the gigs.”
“So hopefully the artists feel they get quite a good deal with us as well, because we’re not taking a big cut or anything.”
As well as paying them fairly, the BRR like to make sure performers get a decent meal before they take to the stage.
“We cook for our artists at the Rio gigs,” smiles Fergus. “For a lot of them, they’re travelling a long way, you don’t know the area. And it’s really tough being an independent artist just now, so it’s about doing anything we can to make the gig as profitable for them as possible.
“The artists seem to really appreciate it – Neil’s homemade guacamole has become legendary!”
Big Rock Records and Forgan Arts present Lughnasadh Music & Art Festival on Saturday August 3 2024.
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