BOGBAIN’S Yvonne Murray admits to having a grand plan for the farm turned visitor attraction and now music venue — nothing less than turning it into the festival capital of Scotland.

Not that she and Bogbain director, musician and broadcaster Bruce MacGregor, are out to challenge T in the Park or the Highlands’ own Belladrum and Loopallu.

Groanbox Boys - coming back to Northern Roots

Instead they plan festivals more modest in scale, though perhaps greater in number, Murray commenting that it would be great to have a festival every month of the year.

Bogbain has already made a start with its now well established Northern Roots Festival nicely complementing MacGregor’s other persona as a founder-member of Blazin’ Fiddles and presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s “Travelling Folk”, with more recent festival arrivals in the form of the Inverness Whisky Festival and Inverness Wild West Festival, both of which were launched last year.

2012 will also bring a new festival in the form of Brew at the Bog, Bogbain’s new partnership with Fraserburgh-based independent beermaker BrewDog.

“They have a really cool brand that I wanted Bogbain to be associated with,” Murray explained. “They have a few bars around Scotland and England and I really wanted to introduce their brand to the Highlands. They are very modern, nothing tartan about them, but they are very Scottish in their sense of humour — they brought out a Christmas beer called There Is No Santa.”

Murray, recently named Young Ambassador of the Year at the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards, is putting together the first BrewDog festival with a line-up of up and coming indie bands which should complement both the BrewDog image and Bogbain’s growing reputation as a venue which, as well as hosting several folk acts, has also been visited by such groups as Kassidy, Brocken Records and the USA’s Low Anthem.

“We are trying to get the bands we think will be bands of the year like Kassidy (who have also played at Bogbain) were the band of the year last year,” she explained.

Murray’s pick is Three Blind Wolves, featuring singer-songwriter Ross Clark, who will headline the festival when it takes place on Saturday 5th May. Other acts scheduled to appear include Endor, Washington Irving and The Seventeenth Century.

Murray revealed that the idea for the BrewDog Festival began with a joint concert from Inverness act James MacKenzie and The Aquascene and Glasgow’s Kitty the Lion which brought a new audience to Bogbain, so it is only apt that Kitty the Lion also appear on the BrewDog bill along with Grantown musician Findlay Napier and his band the Bar Room Mountaineers, Beerjacket, Open Day Rotation and Matt Norris and The Moon. Also representing the Highlands will be the recently revived KOBI and Inverness’s He Slept on 57.

Though the line-up is broadly described as indie, Murray has noted the “Mumford and Sons effect” on some of the acts taking part.

“Most of them wear braces and play banjos,” she added.

Woody Pines - appearing at Brew at the Bog

Which is why the old timey music of American visitor Woody Pines, previously seen with his band at Eden Court, is not too out of place among the indie kids at a festival where informality rules, not least when it comes to sustenance. Festival goers will eat at long benches, helping themselves from big pots of stew, instead of more polite eating arrangements.

“It’s a typical Bogbain event, quite relaxed,” Murray said.

“I think there is something about Bogbain that’s a bit different. It’s the sign of any good venue that it has an atmosphere of its own even when it’s empty. I walked into the barn the other day and it’s not like walking into an empty area at all.”

From beer to spirits, and the Inverness Whisky Festival returns for a second year over the weekend of 6th and 7th April, though with some changes.

Instead of being confined to Bogbain, the festival will begin with a Friday night shindig at Hootannany’s Ceilidh Bar, giving the festival the city centre presence it previously lacked, before returning to Bogbain for a day long event of talks, whisky tastings and music, including the likely return of broadcaster Tom Morton’s Malt and Barley Revue.

Bogbain’s longest established event, the Northern Roots Festival, celebrates its fourth year over the weekend of 1st to 3rd June 2012 and promises to be the biggest one yet with a line-up including the Kathleen MacInnes Band, Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord — soon to be seen at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival — guitar maestro Wizz Jones, the Halton Quartet and the return of the popular Groanbox Boys. Bruce MacGregor has not had to look far for some of the acts taking part. Along with Blazin’ Fiddles, he also appears alongside cellist Christine Hanson, with whom he recently released a new album “Kissin’ is the Best of A.”

The country and Americana themed Wild West Festival is also likely to return, though Murray conceded it had probably been the least successful in terms of day visitors, resulting in a change of date for this year.

“Though the evening concerts were sold out, we’ve realised that to have it a week before Belladrum was probably not a great idea,” she said.

There are other changes afoot at Bogbain, which has called a halt to its children’s activities to concentrate on music and adult events.

Murray added that the venue’s portfolio of festivals might not yet be complete.

“I’d really like to do a classical festival,” she revealed.

“We had Scottish Opera doing ‘A Little Bit of Rigoletto’ and with the singing going up into the rafters of the big barn, it was stunning.

“If we had a mini-festival here every month, that would be fantastic. We’re not planning on being the next Belladrum.

“We want to do things differently — farm style.”

Keep your eye on our website for info of special events and there is some very exciting news coming up about our outdoor activities! Check out the festivals too – Our musical lineup so far (and we’re only 5 days into the new year!) is looking good:

Three Blind Wolves, Endor, Washington Irving, Kitty the Lion, Findlay Napier & The Bar Room Mountaineers, Seventeenth Century, Over the Wall, Matt Norris & The Moon, KOBI, Beerjacket, HelloVideo, Open Day Rotation, Midnight Glory, Cafe Disco, Woody Pines, Little Fire, He Slept on 57, Rachel Harrington, Kathleen MacInnes Band, Blazin’ Fiddles, Halton Quartet, Wizz Jones, Groanbox Boys, Le Vent du Nord, Edwina Hayes, and LOADS LOADS more tba!

Bringing in the bells at Bogbain is pretty special – make sure you’re with us next time. ‘Til then, we hope 2012 brings you all you could wish for – keep dreaming.  We dream every day – and we act upon it too. If we fail, people will laugh and mock, and if we succeed, some folk will say it’s because of what they might (or in most cases, might not) have done to help. But always remember that anyone who isn’t dreaming is sleeping.  Bring on 2012!

BM/YM

The 2011 Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards were held in the Drumossie last night and Bogbain is very proud that Yvonne brought home such an amazing award.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Check them out here!

We’ve been nominated at the Scots Trad Music Awards in the Venue of the Year category – we are totally delighted and would love it if you could vote for us!

Click here to vote in the Scots Trad Music Awards 2011

Performers at Bogbain – October 2010-December 2011

Kassidy
Broken Records
Bruce Molsky
Fiona Dalgetty Ceilidh Band
Daimh
Saltfishforty
Anna Massie & Mairearad Green
Catford
Whisky River Band
Clare Jordan Band
The Scottish Opera
Plockton Music School of Excellence
James Mackenzie & The Aquascene
Kitty the Lion
Bonfire Band
Iain MacGillivray
Hamish MacDonald
​Jock the Box
New Rope String Band
Archie Fisher
Paul McKenna Band
Edwina Hayes
Kieran Goss
Dan Cassidy & James Hickman
Allan Taylor
KAN
The Hot Seats
John Miller
Shiverin’ Sheiks
Joy Dunlop
TMSA Young Trad Tour 2011
Feis Rois
Fred Morrison
Matheu Watson
Cahalen Morrison & Eli West
Duncan Chisholm, Iain MacFarlane & Marc Clement

and last but not least, our very own Bruce MacGregor

 VOTE FOR BOGBAIN! CLICK HERE!

Please also lend your vote to BLAZIN’ FIDDLES in the Live Act of the Year category and BLAZIN’ IN BEAULY in the Community Project of the Year category!

We spent a bit of time clearing things away from Bogbain and repainting and although we are only really half way through, the place still looked gorgeous and we got some absolutely amazing feedback from the guests! We’ll post some wedding pictures soon, but we got Mike Leslie Photography along on Thursday night to take some pictures of the venue the night before the wedding.  Mike was amazing and we highly recommend him for wedding photography – he really has great rates so go and check out his website!

Click here to view Mike’s photos of Bogbain Farm

It’s FREE entry and if you team up with some friends, a taxi between 4 of you will cost a couple of pounds each! Alternatively, you can come and camp for the night!  Doors open at 10pm – see you there!

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