Line-Up
Just like big Solas, Wee Solas features a selection of the very best artists in Scotland today, with music across genres as well as spoken word, performance and talks exploring ideas from a range of perspectives.
Download the programme for Saturday here and for Sunday here, or scroll down for all the details!
SATURDAY
MUSIC: Rachel Sermanni
8:45pm
Rachel Sermanni is a Scottish based singer/songwriter that makes the mundane moments mystical: shock-positive pregnancy tests in train-station toilets, coffee machine breakages, cold river swims, the regret of not saying ‘I love You', the moon & how it pulls, bare feet on wood floors, the soft glow of a house plant, ‘what even is consciousness?’, strange dreams lingering in quiet mornings…
MUSIC: Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra
3:40pm
The Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra (GABO) is a cocktail of musicians of all different backgrounds, bringing together the distinct flavours of the world through the joy of orchestral music. It is a unique blend and fusion of musicians, folklorists and storytellers representing the best musical flavours and stories of our shared humanity.
GABO’s philosophy is sharing the ripple effects of joy in communal music, storytelling and group bonding—a great source of mutual energy exchange that brings people together on a fair playing ground where every soul’s desire can be fully realised through music. In Gabo’s world; no one is left out feeling isolated, unappreciated, unrelated or unloved. We are never alone because we all belong to a shared experience of music.
SILENT DISCO: Silent Knights
10pm
Get down and join the amazingly fun Silent Disco, grab your headphones and pick between 3 channels of great tunes simultaneously, you decide! Expect some great music spanning the decades with a few guilty pleasures thrown in!
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Climate: reflecting on what lies ahead
2:10pm
Pre pandemic, the climate crisis and what it means for us seemed top of the agenda. How do we now re-engage with the emergency – in a way that reflects what we have learnt over the last 18 months? With Glasgow’s COP on the horizon, we will hear from a group of individuals with perspectives we can all learn from, and can even add our own, as we prepare to ‘meet the moment’. Featuring: Kat Jones (Stop Climate Chaos Scotland), Luke Devlin (Centre for Human Ecology), Susie Townend (Scotland’s Climate Assembly), Stephen Watt (Young Christian Climate Network)
MUSIC: Suzanne Butler
5:30pm
Suzanne Butler is a musician and songwriter from East Lothian, Scotland. She has been making music her whole life: her personal passion and chosen profession. She has been a Solas regular with Fischy Music and The Homecoming String Band - and is excited to share her new solo 'identity', accompanied by her own band.
Suzanne is inspired by a wide range of artists - the classic grooves and gutsy vocals of Bonnie Raitt; the passionate melancholy of Jeff Buckley, Laura Marling's confessional ballads, and the melodic and lyrical craft of song-writing greats such as Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn and the little-known but unique Judee Sill.
POETRY: Sean Wai Keung
7:20pm
Sean Wai Keung will perform poetry from his debut collection 'sikfan glaschu' (Verve Poetry Press, 2021), a book of poems about food, migration, community and family. The Scotsman described 'sikfan glaschu' as "joyful, earnest and offering unexpected poignancies from everyday life". Sean has worked on community food-related projects and performances with organisations including the National Theatre of Scotland, Tramway and Summerhall..
MUSIC: DLÙ
7:45pm
DLÙ are a modern trad fusion band from Glasgow. Winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2018, their progressive arrangements, eclectic musical influences and youthful energy set them apart from their peers. They met and became friends during their time at the Glasgow Gaelic School. This inspired their name which derives from the Gaelic word 'dlùth', meaning tight-knit and close. In August 2018 they released their debut single, 'Anmoch', with their debut EP, ‘Taobh na Mara’, following in January 2019. DLÙ were nominated for Up and Coming Artist of the Year at the 2019 Scots Trad Music Awards.
MUSIC: Djana Gabrielle
1:25pm
A 2019 Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Stage Winner, and one of the “most note-worthy performances” at the 2019 Kintyre Songwriters' Festival, Djana Gabrielle is a French-Cameroonian singer-songwriter who has been honing her craft on the Scottish music scene for a few years now. She released her debut EP, recorded in Glasgow, in late 2015 and toured around the UK and Europe to promote it. In 2018, she took on the challenge to write, record and release a brand new song each month, which earned her a "New & Notable" feature on the American music platform Noisetrade. She is now working on her next release, hoping to introduce her soulful, soothing and melodious sound to new audiences in Scotland and beyond
WORKSHOP: Yoga with Fee
12:45pm & 3:10pm
Bring your yoga mat or join us on the grass for a yoga session suitable for all.
TALKS: Alex Renton
4:30pm
Journalist and investigative writer Alex Renton will give a talk on his new book, ‘Blood Legacy: reckoning with a family’s story of slavery’.
STORYTELLING: Mara Menzies
12:30pm
Mara Menzies is an award winning performance storyteller whose dynamic, colourful style brings this ancient artform to life.
She has been invited to share stories in 27 countries with her latest production, ‘Blood and Gold’ exploring the legacy of colonialism and slavery through myth, legend and fantasy. It premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019 as part of the Made in Scotland showcase and was nominated for the CATS award 2020 and was one of 5 shows nominated for the Filipa Braganca award for best emerging solo female performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019, receiving rave reviews from top theatre critics.
Mara draws on her rich cultural heritage to create stories that explore our deepest fears, joys, loves, jealousies, passions and mysteries. She finds the truths about humanity in stories. She creates bespoke stories informing, inspiring and entertaining.
PERFORMANCE: Think Circus
4:55pm
Think Circus’ small team of performers, facilitators and creators is based in Leith, Scotland. They are brought together by a belief that playfulness, connection and quality are really important and have been collectively creating circus for over a decade.
Think Circus will also run a family circus skills workshop at 1:30pm!
REFLECTION: Meditative Meander
3:15pm
A slow meander through the grounds, reflecting on what the past 18 months have meant for each of us. Can we begin to see the little seeds that are taking root in our lives?
Some music, some readings and plenty of quiet, with material from Christian and other traditions.
WORKSHOPS: Instinctively Wild - Shelter Building
2:45pm
Come a create amazing shelters with your family group in the beautiful grounds of the festival! Instinctively Wild is a social enterprise specialising in reconnecting people through nature.
SUNDAY
MUSIC: Randolph’s Leap 9:10pm
An 8 piece indie/pop/folk band built around the songwriting of Adam Ross, the band have recently brought out new album 'Sprit Level', lauded for its catchy, uplifting melodies and lyrics which range from the humorous to the poignant.
PERFORMANCE: Think Circus 5:25pm
Think Circus’ small team of performers, facilitators and creators is based in Leith, Scotland. They are brought together by a belief that playfulness, connection and quality are really important and have been collectively creating circus for over a decade.
WORKSHOP: Yoga with Fee 12:45pm & 3:15pm
Bring your yoga mat or join us on the grass for a yoga session suitable for all.
TALKS: Dr Peggy Brunache 3:45pm
Scotland and Slavery: Forgetting, Remembering, Restoring the Past for a Better Future with historian and archaeologist Dr. Peggy Brunache.
More than a decade after Britain’s bicentennial commemoration of the 1807 Abolition Act to end the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Scotland still struggles to reconcile her colonial past. The resurgence of Black Lives Matter movement and its global expansion is forcing the Scottish public to acknowledge Scotland’s roles in slave-based economies. This talk will be an interactive discussion to (re)consider Scotland’s slaving past and its legacy on our present and future.
PANEL DISCUSSION: Post pandemic: nurturing the green shoots of new ways of being 2:15pm
Many of us have a sense that, post-Covid, “things” need to change, but don’t quite know where to start. The pandemic has laid bare so many areas of life that could and should be changed for the better. It’s tempting to think that when the moment comes we will somehow know where to start. But maybe the seeds of what needs to grow afresh have already been sown. During this session we will hear and discuss the stories of a few individuals who have (perhaps without knowing it) already started to draw some of the lessons we all may need to learn as we emerge into a new way of being. Featuring Simon Barrow (Ekklesia), Morvern Cunningham (Independent Creative Ex-Producer and Cultural Changemaker), Mike Small (Enough!), Verene Nicolas (Creative Consultant and Facilitator)
MUSIC: Brass, Aye? 5:55pm
Brass, Aye? is an eclectic community brass band based in Glasgow. We first started out in February 2012 with a small group of twelve people. Our purpose was to give adult learners a supportive place to connect and play music together.
Our music and make-up have evolved over the years, with fostering growth and creating joy at the heart of what we do. But like our music, our penchant for gold and shiny has evolved too. Once donned with a single golden t-shirt, we're now often found gilded head to toe. All complemented by bringing maximum funk + party wherever we go.
Nine years on since we came into being, we have become a community of over thirty people coming together from all walks of life to share our music. Wherever you see us you can expect to hear everything from saxophone and trumpet to drums and tuba.
Oh, and we'll be wearing gold. Did we mention that already?
POETRY: Leyla Josephine 7:35pm
Leyla Josephine is an artist originally from Glasgow, now residing in Prestwick. She is a performance poet, theatre maker, screenwriter, facilitator and project leader.
Leyla graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013 from BA Contemporary Performance Practice. In that same year, she started performing at spoken word nights and in the following year won The UK National Slam at The Royal Albert Hall ran by Hammer and Tongue. She has since then won The Commonwealth Slam 2014 andThe Loud Poets Grand Slam 2016. She was a finalist in the Roundhouse Slam 2017 and runner up for The Scottish Championships 2018. She has been lucky enough to perform her poetry in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, The Czech Republic, Canada and in The US.
Leyla has been on the same bill as Kate Tempest, Hollie McNish and Lowkey. Last year, she performed for the First Minister of Scotland and supported John Cooper Clarke on his Scottish tour.
MUSIC: Twelfth Day 4:40pm
Why limit yourself to a label? That’s the mantra of Twelfth Day - Catriona Price and Esther Swift, two young Scottish virtuosos who offer a musically ground- breaking amalgam of chamber music, Scottish folk music, jazz-funk and electronica.
Though Twelfth Day wear their rich and varied experience with pride – their folk roots, their classical training – this duo are more than a simple product, an exponent, of their practice. It is their inherent curiosity, their need to understand through experimentation, that compels them to create their unique, genre-bending music. Catriona and Esther challenge each other to challenge the listener. It can be heard in the way that they push their vocals far beyond the boundaries of what may be anticipated. It can be heard in the way the violin and harp surprise each other to drive the track somewhere new. It can be heard in the lyrics that invite to reassess, reimagine, reinterpret.
STORYTELLING: Tawona Sithole 12:30pm
Join Tawona as he invites you to help bring stories to life. Based on the Ngano tradition, come prepared not to listen only, but to move, chant, learn new words, laugh in the story experience. All welcome, don’t forget to bring your fun side!.
MUSIC: The Barrow Band 3:45pm
Working all over the UK (and sometimes beyond!) but based in Scotland, The BarrowBand are a real band of multi instrumentalist/singing costermongers who are accompanied by an amazing, kinetic, magical fruit and veg barrow.
The goal of the BarrowBand is to get the country eating more vegetables and fruit whilst having the most fun they have ever had!
MUSIC: Fergus McCreadie Trio 8:10pm
Pianist Fergus McCreadie’s trio is one of European jazz’s hottest young groups. Their first album, Turas, won Best Album at the Scottish Jazz Awards and its successor, Cairn, a JazzFM Album of the Week, received five stars from Mojo.
The trio’s music is dynamic and a genuine group endeavour by McCreadie, bassist David Bowden and drummer Stephen Henderson. Beautifully crafted, it reflects the Scottish landscape and musical traditions and its huge emotional pull has earned standing ovations across Northern Europe.
MUSIC: Aref Ghorbani & The Sky Band 1:15pm
Aref is a Glasgow based classical Iranian singer, and facilitator of ‘Musicians in Exile’, a group that brings Glasgow’s asylum-seeking and refugee musicians together to make the music of their homelands.
Although singers Midya and Aref first met in 2018, the Sky Band was formed during the lockdown when all the band members had their initial meetings and rehearsals online. Aref is a Persian classical singer and plays Setar, a traditional Persian instrument. Midya is a Syrian singer who sings in Arabic and Kurdish.
Milad is a songwriter who plays guitar and Erfan is a talented Daf player accompanying the band is only 19 years old!
REFLECTION: Meditative Meander 6:45pm
A slow meander through the grounds, reflecting on what the past 18 months have meant for each of us. Can we begin to see the little seeds that are taking root in our lives?
Some music, some readings and plenty of quiet, with material from Christian and other traditions.
Useful info
LOCATION
Wee Solas will take place in the grounds of Scone Palace.
DRIVING: Scone Palace is around 10 minutes drive from Perth and just over an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Car parking will be available onsite for free, including blue badge parking less than 100m from the festival field entrance. Enter Scone Palace grounds via the main visitor entrance off the A93. The festival fields and car park are on your right before you reach the Palace buildings.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: There is a bus stop at the gate to Scone Palace with hourly busses to central Perth (15 mins)
CYCLING: Scone Palace is 15 minutes cycle from central Perth or Perth Station.
ACCESS
The venue is entirely outdoors in flat grassy fields with some slightly rougher ground. Accessible toilets and blue badge parking will be available. There is plenty of quieter break-out space. Free Personal Assistant tickets available on request for those who need support to attend the festival: please contact Debs Hahn on debs@solasfestival.co.uk. We are a small charity and keen to accommodate everyone, if more detailed access information is required, please get in touch.
Covid-19
We are aware that Wee Solas is taking place in the context of Covid-19 and despite restrictions being lifted, many events are still having to cancel and there are still risks. This will be a different kind of festival:
Wee Solas is only wee, in a lovely big field! We have limited numbers to 250 people onsite at any one time to give everyone plenty of space. We will have stewards to help with any questions and issues, and to make sure everyone feels comfortable. There is a breakout field where you can enjoy the fresh air and take a moment for yourself.
We would encourage everyone to find a spot and enjoy the brilliant programme of talks and music from there – even better if you can, bring camping chairs or a picnic blanket to make yourself at home!
Research and Scottish Government guidance are both clear that Covid-19 is much less likely to pass from person to person outdoors - face coverings are not mandatory, however if you wish to wear a face covering to enjoy the programme, you are very welcome to.
We will showcase the same ambition in programming that Solas Festival is known for, with a carefully curated selection of music, performances and workshops across all art-forms as well as talks and discussions. We will create a temporary community, where the programme will celebrate the huge diversity of creative Scots, as well as making space for audiences to join the creative conversation. The venue in the grounds of Scone will be the perfect backdrop to this, with expansive green meadows to allow for physical distancing, and mature trees under which to reflect and connect.
NB - PLEASE READ TICKET DESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY.
Solas Festival is a non profit organisation and we are very lucky to have a number of wonderful supporters. In addition to concession tickets for disabled adults, students and unwaged people, we have created a number of ticket price options to make this event affordable to as many people as possible. Please choose the price which best suits your financial situation - the event relies on your support. Free personal assistant tickets are also available for those who need assistance to attend the festival. If this applies please contact debs@solasfestival.co.uk for instructions on how to book.
This is a day event - there will be no camping available, however you are more than welcome to buy a ticket for both days and get double the Wee Solas fun! Buy your tickets below!