Beyoncé headlines latest T in the Park news

May 10 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

SUPERSTAR Beyoncé has been added to T in the Park, reinforcing the mega music bash as this summer’s hottest festival in Scotland.

Beyoncé’s T headliner will be on Saturday, July 9, and word has it that she signed up for T in the Park after hubby Jay Z gave the gig glowing reports following his hip hop to Balado last year.

Beyoncé Knowles has notched up more than 75 million worldwide album sales as a solo artist alone after rising to fame as part of best-selling girl group Destiny’s Child. Now as a solo mega-star, the live shows for this soul, pop and r’n’b diva are a true tour de force of spectacular vocals, visuals, choreography and hit after hit.

This tremendous coup for T in the Park boss Geoff Ellis and his team makes Beyoncé’s appearance one of the biggest TITP treats to date.

The 85,000-strong T in the Park crowd can expect performances of her top-charting hits as well as new music from her upcoming much-anticipated fourth solo album, including the lead single, ‘Run The World (Girls)’.

Even before Beyoncé’s T-date was announced, DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager, were thrilled to have secured an A-List line-up which already included Tom Jones, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Pulp, The Strokes, Plan B, The Script, Slash and Tinie Tempah.

When T in the Park announced the first wave of bands, all tickets sold in less than 60 minutes (although there is still a limited number of T in the Park Residence packages still available to buy – see www.tinthepark.com/residence).

Scots contingency

THIS year’s T-fest brings to Balado a proud army of Scottish acts in the form of Big Country, Jon Fratelli, Roddy Woomble, Twin Atlantic, Emma’s Imagination, The Phantom Band, Found and Jack Townes.

Making their T in the Park debut on the 30th anniversary of the band are Scottish rock giants Big Country. The band has enjoyed phenomenal success with number one albums, Grammy nominations, sold out European tours and millions of record sales worldwide.

In their heyday they shared stages with Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and gained a reputation as one of the truly great live outfits.

Their star continued to shine until 2001 when frontman Stuart Adamson sadly passed away. It then took until 2010 before the band felt ready to perform again as Big Country – and Jamie Watson and singer Mike Peters are relishing the prospect of leading the band back to glory at this year’s T in the Park.

Jamie, Mike and Co said: “To be able to play at T in the Park is a perfect opportunity for us to really celebrate our 30th anniversary in Scotland. Because the band was basically born in Fife, T is a fitting place to return to for this occasion. Stuart would have appreciated this, and we’re all looking forward to it.”

Jon Fratelli will appear solo on stage in Balado for the first time with brand new songs from his debut, feelgood album ‘Psycho Jukebox’.

The star enthused: “T in the Park was the first major festival I ever played and the first time I’d played in front of a circus tent full of people. That first time is still etched in my memory. I’m really happy to be going back to T, it’s always a highlight.”

Roddy Woomble, frontman of legendary Scottish alt-rock act Idlewild, will woo the T in the Park crowd with dreamy lyrics and fully charged folk foot stompers from his latest, critically-acclaimed solo album, ‘The Impossible Song and Other Songs’.

In intimate style and blending folk, pop, jazz and a bit of country, Roddy, who lived for many years in Carnoustie, paints a picture of his beloved Western Isles with layers of tuneful instruments that complement a voice full of soul. His band includes the talented rising star, Sorren Maclean.

Glaswegian boys Twin Atlantic are tipped for greatness – the group of fans who once held them as their little secret is growing rapidly and this number is set to multiply when they appear at T in the Park this year.

Word-of-mouth buzz about their intense live shows has built a rock solid base and the band scored a sell-out gig in Glasgow’s Barrowland last Friday.

Emma Gillespie AKA Emma’s Imagination has rarely done things the conventional way – she’s had two singles in the top 10 at once, then shortly after, she signed her first recording contract. This summer she’ll make her debut at T in the Park to play to fans who voted her the winner of Sky One’s talent show ‘Must Be the Music’.

Elusive Glasgow outfit The Phantom Band released their debut album ‘Checkmate Savage’ in 2009 and recently released current album ‘The Wants’. Fans can expect to hear a myriad of different genres and hits from both during their much anticipated slot at Balado.

Also appearing at T in the Park this summer is Edinburgh-based band Found. Recently signed to the Scottish musical institution that is Chemikal Underground, the group began life as an experimental arts collective putting on many weird and wonderful events in art galleries, warehouses and even storage containers. Their unusual mix of garage rock, melodic pop and glitchy electronica has propelled them to the forefront of Scotland’s alternative music scene.

Teenage rock gods in the making Jack Townes were snapped up by record label giants Columbia on the merit of just one song and already have a tour with The View under their belt – good going for a band who have been together less than a year.

Fellow countrymen flying the Saltire include Primal Scream (well, a bit, anyway), The View, KT Tunstall, Calvin Harris, Slam and house music production duo Silicone Soul.