The acoustic gig, held by Music Plus, was organised to give young singer/ songwriters from the Highlands the chance to perform their own music. Music Plus is organised by the Scottish Music Centre and gives 14-19 year olds the opportunity to be mentored by people in the industry. The gig was held in Mad Hatters in Inverness. This was my first time ever going to Mad Hatters because it’s normally 18+ to get in but it’s a really nice venue! The young singer/ songwriters that took part in the gig have recently been recording some of their own music at Watercolour Studios in Ardgour.
The gig was really busy and there was even a queue before doors opened which was great! It was decided that they would go on in alphabetical order so it wouldn’t be like there was any favourites headlining the night.
Starting off the night was Alice Bentley from Dingwall, singing her own song ‘Lois’. She was joined on stage by Molly, Imogen and Josh for this song. Alice was originally in Ross-Shire band Young Trees before going solo earlier this year. She sounded amazing and everyone in the crowd seemed to really like her music. She finished her set with her well known song ‘Scottish Rain’.
Next on was Imogen Hay from Kirkhill. This was Imogen’s first ever gig but you wouldn’t have known it because she played so well. Her voice was amazing and she made the whole room go quiet (the last person I saw who did that was Ed Sheeran which shows how good she sounded!) Imogen finished her set with her own song ‘Little Birds’. Imogen also played harp and guitar at the gig. She was also joined by Molly for one song.
After Imogen was Josh Mackenzie who is in Inverness band Lionel but was playing solo for the gig. Josh started off singing ‘Toy Soldiers’ before moving onto ‘5am Light’. It was definitely obvious that Josh has had a lot of experience playing and gigging. He sounded really good and his music is definitely worth listening to whether its Josh singing it solo or in his band Lionel. He was also joined on stage by Molly, Imogen and Alice.
Next on was Molly Nolan from Evanton. She started off the set playing ‘Raindrops’ whilst playing the keyboard but she also plays fiddle and guitar as well. She then moved on to sing Behind Your Eyes which she normally sings with Rory Russell. Her voice sounded amazing and she played the keyboard really well (I’m jealous!) The crowd definitely seemed to like her music as well. She was joined on stage with Alice and Imogen for one song.
Next was Jemma Tweedie from Nairn. I’ve seen Jemma play a couple of times (got to support people from the same town as you!) She started off with ‘Two Hands’ which is the title track of her EP. She then moved on to ‘Paperdoll’ before finishing with ‘You & I’ which Dylan also sung with her. I love Jemma’s music and she is definitely worth listening to. The crowd really seemed to like her as well and I could definitely feel the floor moving with a few people tapping their feet along to her music!
Finishing off the night was Dylan Tierney from Inverness. He started off singing ‘I did’ before moving on to ‘Do You Ever Think’ which he wrote in memory of his mum. He sounded really good and the crowd definitely seemed to like his music. He finished his set with ‘Shake My Love’ which the other five singers all joined in with. It sounded really good and was a good song to end the gig with.
The gig was so good and it was nice seeing people sing who are close to my age as well! Everyone who took part done really well and it was definitely a good night. All six singers are definitely worth going to see and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from them all soon! Also thank you to Music Plus for organising the gig!
The gig was really busy and there was even a queue before doors opened which was great! It was decided that they would go on in alphabetical order so it wouldn’t be like there was any favourites headlining the night.
Starting off the night was Alice Bentley from Dingwall, singing her own song ‘Lois’. She was joined on stage by Molly, Imogen and Josh for this song. Alice was originally in Ross-Shire band Young Trees before going solo earlier this year. She sounded amazing and everyone in the crowd seemed to really like her music. She finished her set with her well known song ‘Scottish Rain’.
Next on was Imogen Hay from Kirkhill. This was Imogen’s first ever gig but you wouldn’t have known it because she played so well. Her voice was amazing and she made the whole room go quiet (the last person I saw who did that was Ed Sheeran which shows how good she sounded!) Imogen finished her set with her own song ‘Little Birds’. Imogen also played harp and guitar at the gig. She was also joined by Molly for one song.
After Imogen was Josh Mackenzie who is in Inverness band Lionel but was playing solo for the gig. Josh started off singing ‘Toy Soldiers’ before moving onto ‘5am Light’. It was definitely obvious that Josh has had a lot of experience playing and gigging. He sounded really good and his music is definitely worth listening to whether its Josh singing it solo or in his band Lionel. He was also joined on stage by Molly, Imogen and Alice.
Next on was Molly Nolan from Evanton. She started off the set playing ‘Raindrops’ whilst playing the keyboard but she also plays fiddle and guitar as well. She then moved on to sing Behind Your Eyes which she normally sings with Rory Russell. Her voice sounded amazing and she played the keyboard really well (I’m jealous!) The crowd definitely seemed to like her music as well. She was joined on stage with Alice and Imogen for one song.
Next was Jemma Tweedie from Nairn. I’ve seen Jemma play a couple of times (got to support people from the same town as you!) She started off with ‘Two Hands’ which is the title track of her EP. She then moved on to ‘Paperdoll’ before finishing with ‘You & I’ which Dylan also sung with her. I love Jemma’s music and she is definitely worth listening to. The crowd really seemed to like her as well and I could definitely feel the floor moving with a few people tapping their feet along to her music!
Finishing off the night was Dylan Tierney from Inverness. He started off singing ‘I did’ before moving on to ‘Do You Ever Think’ which he wrote in memory of his mum. He sounded really good and the crowd definitely seemed to like his music. He finished his set with ‘Shake My Love’ which the other five singers all joined in with. It sounded really good and was a good song to end the gig with.
The gig was so good and it was nice seeing people sing who are close to my age as well! Everyone who took part done really well and it was definitely a good night. All six singers are definitely worth going to see and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from them all soon! Also thank you to Music Plus for organising the gig!