Dougie MacLean looks forward to his Perthshire Amber festival

Oct 28 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

WHEELBARROWS and live music may not have an obvious connection, but with Dougie MacLean’s Perthshire Amber Festival anything is possible.

Seven years ago, with faith in fans and a family united in enthusiasm, Team MacLean organised a wee weekend festival based on the songs of Dougie MacLean, Butterstone’s country lad whose singing and songwriting has rocketed him to international fame.

The festival captured the hearts of Dougie’s fans and those new to his music, bringing artists and audiences in their droves to an autumnal Perthshire.

Initially based in Pitlochry and just for the weekend, as the years have rolled on so Perthshire Amber has spread to 10 days of events in 12 different venues across the Big County.

Tonight the curtain rises on this year’s Perthshire Amber – the Dougie MacLean Festival – with a sold-out concert in Dunkeld.

Cue the wheelbarrows tomorrow morning!

“My dad was a gardener and he pushed many a wheelbarrow during his life, so I had the idea of having a decorated wheelbarrow procession through Dunkeld,” explained Dougie. “It will start at 11am at the Taybank car park and go up to the Cross led by the Pitlochry and Blair Atholl Pipe Band.

“I’ve got a golden wheelbarrow full of Perthshire goodies and there’s the beautiful Duncan MacLean Trophy for the best decorated wheelbarrow and other prizes.”

The wheelbarrow spectacular is the opening event for the festival’s new Perthshire Amber Outdoors – its wide range of outdoor events includes a beaver watch, Highland safari and the chance to learn to fish or play shinty!

“The outdoor events are a nice way of having things for people, particularly visitors, to do through the day before they go to concerts.”

This brings PA Arts back to the heart of Perthshire Amber – the music.

“This is a big year for us because we’ve changed the festival hub from Pitlochry to Dunkeld, and we’ve added more venues for Perthshire Amber concerts,” continued Dougie.

“There are events in 12 different venues ranging from the iron-age crannog on Loch Tay to village and town halls, castles, Dunkeld Cathedral, pubs and two big concerts in Perth Concert Hall.

“This fits in with our philosophy of developing the festival so people come to the whole of Perthshire to enjoy live music and the outdoors.

“The feedback we’ve had over the years is that people have really enjoyed the special venues, like the Crannog and Blair Castle, so this year we’re exploring more. For example, there’s a show in Methven Castle which should have a fantastic atmosphere. It’s such a dramatic building that the vibe is there even before the concert starts.

“Then we’re doing the different village hall sessions. It’s really exciting because the village hall thing is so much a part of the culture I grew up in.

“The festival is about music but not just about music. The music is connected to the land from where it comes. The landscapes in my songs are about Perthshire.”

While the Butterstone-born singer-songwriter headlines many of the Perthshire Amber concerts, other major players on the international folk and traditional music scene are playing at Perthshire Amber – Phil Cunningham, Eliza Lynn from the USA, Beoga from Ireland, Archie Fisher, John McCusker and Kris Drever, to name a just a few.

For full details of all the concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, come-and-try sessions over the next 10-days, visit www.perthshireamber.com or telephone the festival box office on 01350 724261.