When: 18th– 20th August 2017
Where: Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire
It is now just over a month before the rather marvellous Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival returns for its eight annual outing. Situated on the very edges of the Scottish Highlands and the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, it is once more back in the delightfully secluded surroundings of the Cardross Estate. The great natural beauty of its setting adds to the intimacy and impact of an event that has rightly forged a great reputation for itself by fusing a strong family-friendly commitment with a consistently adventurous musical line-up.
Illustrating perfectly the tremendous diversity of Doune The Rabbit Hole’s musical vision are this year’s three headline acts; top-of-the-bill on Friday are those wonderfully oddball electronic experimentalists Liars; the following evening it is the turn of Malian guitar band Songhuoy Blues; whilst Start to End will be closing out the festival late on Sunday night with their live interpretation of Daft Punk’s Discovery album.
An incredible undercard reinforces not only the huge cultural investment Doune The Rabbit Hole has made in both arts and performance, but also its fiercely independent spirit. Some of the sharpest and most boundary-stretching sounds around will be found on the Cardross Estate come the third weekend in August. Avant-gardism comes courtesy of Norway’s Jenny Hval, whilst Holy Fuck transport their unique brand of electronic exploration all the way from Canada.
Other acts emphasizing both the great geographical reach of the event as well as the wide divergence of musical styles it attracts include indie-hop pioneers Epic Beard Men from Providence, Rhode Island. Whilst their fellow Americans Jessica Pratt, Laura Gibson, Big Thief and Karl Blau bring their most individual takes on the indie, folk and new country idioms to the DTRH party.
Much closer to home and reflecting its country of origin, Doune The Rabbit Hole is proud to present a raft of really superb Scots acts including Idlewild frontman and national treasure Roddy Woomble and the revitalised cult outfit BMX Bandits. And being just over 30 miles down the road, Glasgow is well and truly represented by those punk upstarts PAWS, indie-rock band Pronto Mama and synth-duo and fabulously named Happy Meals.
But Doune The Rabbit Hole is not just about music. As the festival’s Artistic Director Jamie Murray explains “Aside from all the amazing bands we’ve managed to create a massive domed resonation chamber that our artists (and you!) will be able to experiment in throughout the weekend as well as a whole ream of activities too, from wild swimming to axe-throwing competitions, to knitting and crocheting. There’ll be some great local ale and cider at the bar from the likes of Williams Bros Brewery and Thistly Cross, not to mention the delicious food – from a venison burger to vegan haggis, neeps and tatties – you’ll be well catered for at DTRH.”
For all of the information on this year’s Doune The Rabbit Hole festival, including full details on how to get tickets for it, please go HERE
