Shetland Arts Trust is set to bring an autumn and winter programme of top quality, varied live music to the islands as part of their ongoing Music Development Project.

The first gig in the programme will be aimed right at the heart of Shetland’s club scene when Glasgow’s revered ‘Slam’ DJ’s play the North Star on Sunday the 5th September with a full support act also on the bill.

Slam is Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle, legends of the Glasgow underground club scene who have their home on the equally legendary Soma record label. Their schedule takes them to clubs worldwide and they are universally regarded as one of the handful of artists who truly shape their genre. They currently have residencies at Fabric in London and Pressure in Glasgow and recently headlined their 8th annual Slam tent at T in the Park in front of 15,000 people.

The Lerwick date is co-promoted by the Arts Trust, and HOE Promotions (Jeff Ampleford)  in association with the North Star itself, and is part of Slam’s current Scottish tour (funded by the Scottish Arts Council through their ‘Tune Up’ initiative) to promote their new album ‘Year Zero’ set for release later this month.

Tickets for this gig go on sale from High Level Music on Wednesday 25th August at 9am price £10.

Next up will be two concerts by legendary singer / songwriter Michael Marra. The first is in Islesburgh Room 16 (with Liz Lochhead) on the 10th September as part of the Arts Trust Book Festival, followed by a solo performance at the Pier Head in Voe on Saturday 11th September.

On the 16th September seven young musicians, all of whom were finalists in this years BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition at Celtic Connections, along with last years winner Anna Massey, will be in Shetland for two schools workshops and a concert in the Town Hall.

Then on the 29th September, internationally acclaimed country / Americana duo Stacey Earle (sister of Steve) and Mark Stuart will play a rare Scottish date in the Lerwick British Legion, while on the 1st October Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham will play the Symbister Hall in Whalsay, followed by a concert in the Bressay Hall on the 2nd October.

On the 16th October the big one for country fans will be Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris long-term guitarist and an international country star in his own right, who will be playing the Clickimin Centre on the first date of his current UK tour, while the mood turns distinctly Spanish with jazz overtones on the 24th November when guitarist Eduardo Niebla delivers a recital in Lerwick Town Hall.

However the highlight for many will undoubtedly be a long anticipated visit by The Waterboys, one of the most influential groups of the 80’s and 90’s, to the Clickimin Centre on the 2nd December.

Ticket information for all these concerts will be available shortly. Watch the press for more detailed information and adverts.

Dates for more top class musicians, across all genres, are expected to be announced in the very near future.

For further information contact Davie Gardner on (01595) 697550.