Belladrum Festival has announced ‘PULSE’ - a talent trawl for emerging bands and soloists throughout the Highlands, in association with Mad Hatters at Hootannany’s, HI~Arts and HUBL, the web site for Highland musicians.

A series of selection events will be around the Highlands – Inverness, Dingwall, Nairn, Alness, Thurso, Skye and Oban – and in Orkney and Shetland, culminating in a final selection in Mad Hatter’s, Inverness in July.

The winning artists will open the main stage of the Belladrum Festival (near Beauly, Inverness-shire), which is being headlined by the Alabama 3 and the Proclaimers on 12th and 13th August. Other prizes will also be awarded to the winners and runners-up including gigs in the run-up to the festival.

Musicians need to be over 16 and playing their own original material. Details of how to make an initial submission are on the Belladrum Festival site at www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk , HUBL at www.hubl.co.uk  and Hootananny’s at www.hootananny.com . The organizers hope to attract a range of different styles of music to reflect the eclectic nature of the festival. Demos and completed entry forms from musicians need to have been received by the organizers by 10th June.

Belladrum Festival promises to be a feast of rock, celtic, country, blues, folk and world musical talent, with 45 acts playing across three stages over the two days. The headliners will be supported by indie favourites British Seapower, Skye acid croft rockers the Peatbog Faeries, and Radio 2 triple folk award winner Karine Polwart.

Other prominent acts at the festival – which sold out last year - include Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue), Woodstock vets Country Joe MacDonald, Jah Wobble, Black Velvets, Bluetones, Trashcan Sinatras, Michael Marra, the Jim Hunter Band, Endrick Brothers, Sundown, Poor Old Ben, Cinematics and Hazey Janes.

World music element will be supplied by afro-celtic fusion exponents Baka Beyond, Canadian rock/folk fusion band The Duhks, Dexter Ardoine and the Creole Ramblers and N’Faly Kouyate. Also featuring will be alt-country cowpunk Jason Ringenberg, Heather MacLeod, Andy White, Hotlicks Cookie, the Karl Broadie Band and the Unholy Trinity – Ronnie Elliott, Terry Clarke and Wes McGhee.

A strong Highland presence includes Stetsonhead, the Galipaygos, Ruthless Blues, Andy Gunn, Davy Cowan, Calamateur, Michael Wadada, Ruth Sutherland and the Feis Rois Ceilidh Band.

Further acts are still to be announced.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is a mellow, family-orientated music and arts festival which takes place in the sensational setting of the old Italian Gardens at Belladrum Estate, near Beauly in the Scottish Highlands. Attractions include street theatre, cabaret, cinema, kids’ amusements, dance, alternative therapies, crèche, stalls, food and drink.

Weekend tickets cost £50 (incl VAT, excl booking fee) and entitle holders to free parking and camping 4.00 PM 11th August – 1.00 PM 14th August. Children under 12 enter free. Passes are needed for both camping and under 12s. Weekend tickets for the festival went on sale online at 9.00 AM, Monday 25th April. Check the web site www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk for details. Day tickets will go on sale if any are available on 27th June. Friday day tickets will cost £25 and will not allow camping. Saturday day tickets will cost £35 and will allow one night’s free camping on 13th August. Under 12 tickets will be available on both days. Both day tickets allow free parking.

For a second year, Belladrum Festival has announced that Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre will be the beneficiary of a charitable donation from the festival.

Contact: Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival: www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk 01463 741366; Joe Gibbs, Phoineas House, Belladrum, By Beauly, Inverness-shire IV4 7BA; info@tartanheartfestival.co.uk