The new organiser of Doune the Rabbit Hole says he is aiming to restore the event’s damaged reputation.
The Stirlingshire music festival is due to return to Cardross Estate in August next year, under the rebranded title Back Doune the Rabbit Hole.
First held in 2010, the 2022 event was the subject of controversy amid rows over payments to artists and staff, before the 2023 gathering was cancelled entirely.
New festival chief Brian Harkin, who is working alongside Preston-based booking agency Rock Artist Management, said former organisers Jamie and Craig Murray are “absolutely not” associated with the 2025 revival in any way.
“The team that’s involved in this festival have very close ties with the musicians’ union and with all the other booking agents throughout the country,” said Mr Harkin.
This is key, he explained, as agents and bands who didn’t get paid in 2022 might have been reluctant to sign up again after the “toxicity” they faced last time around.
“Their [Rock Artist Management’s] track record transcends what happened previously with the bad management of the collapse of the festival.
“We’re totally confident there will be no issues at all with getting bands.”
The 57-year-old admitted feeling nervous about keeping the festival’s original name. But he says a lot of thought was put into the decision and, overall, the feedback so far has been “brilliant”.
“We decided that the positives outweighed the negatives,” he said.
Hoping to shake off a ‘toxic’ past
“There seems to have been a lot of love about the festival in its first eight to 10 years.
“It all went very toxic at the end due to the extremely bad handling by the previous owners. But we just have to try to navigate that.
“Hopefully we can bring everyone back on board and get a wonderful festival at an amazing location back up and running.
“I think it’ll be great for the local community and the wider community.”
Scottish musician and activist Iona Fyfe commented: “The framing in the press is that the festival previously folded due to union boycotts.
“I’d like to reiterate that the reason the festival folded was financial mismanagement and the fact that musicians, suppliers, who are freelancers living on precarious incomes, were not paid in a timely manner and in some cases not paid at all.
“I truly hope that the festival under new management thrives and the new edition will restore faith in the festival.”
Who is the new Doune the Rabbit Hole organiser?
Hailing from Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, Brian Harkin has played music and put on events since he was 16.
He spent around a decade in London performing, touring and recording, before working as a sound engineer at Capercaillie’s Glasgow studio.
He has dreamed of organising a music festival in the Loch Lomond area since returning to Helensburgh around 20 years ago, and even purchased land outside Glen Fruin with hopes of holding an event there.
After a couple of disappointments, Mr Harkin was excited by the idea of siting his festival on Cardross Estate, and ultimately decided to bring Doune the Rabbit Hole back rather than starting from scratch.
What to expect at Back Doune the Rabbit Hole 2025
Though he said he could not name planned performers at this stage, the new organiser expects most of Back Doune the Rabbit Hole‘s acts to appeal to music fans between the ages of 30 and 60.
Past Doune the Rabbit Hole headliners have included Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, Deerhoof, The Damned, and Sister Sledge.
According to the Rock Artist Management website, some of the bands represented by the agency include Bay City Rollers, Hue and Cry, Nazareth, and The Boomtown Rats.
The plan is for a variety of genres to be on offer, including traditional and folk music, which will have a dedicated stage and ceilidh tent.
Performance slots will be made available for up-and-coming local acts, as well as other Scottish artists from further afield.
“What we’re trying to do is have quite a diverse range of music that will appeal to everyone, really,” said Mr Harkin.
The festival will be family-friendly, with entertainment for children, wellness activities, and “really good, interesting food – as opposed to just burgers in buns”.
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