Paisley and Perth's Christmas Lights Switch on.
It's that time of year again. Christmas is coming and we’re involved in not one but two Christmas lights switch on parties. Paisley and Perth are both switching on their lights tomorrow, Saturday 16th November, and we will be supplying backline for the festivities. Gus from Pulse FM will kick things off in Paisley shortly before the 300 strong Santa parade gathers, ready to proceed through the town centre from 12.30pm. Santa and his trusted reindeer will be followed on giant festive floats by ice queens, delectable sweets, gingerbread men and roller-skating candlesticks. There will also be lots of fun activities for the family including a new Winter Roller Disco over in County Square. After tiring yourself out on the roller rink you can head over to Coats Venue, a fantastic free space where children can write their letter to Santa, make Christmas cards, get a glitter tattoo or take a yuletide selfie.
Santa's Sleigh in Paisley last year.
Our backline will be on the live stage where there will be performances from Funbox, The Singing Santas, Nickajack Men and this year’s stage headliners, special guests Reggie ‘N’ Bollie. Funbox in particular will be a brilliant singalong show for all the family. Performers Anya Scott-Rodgers, Gary Coupland and Kevin Macleod (alongside their cheeky dog Bonzo) bring a wealth of experience from their days as performers and writers of The Singing Kettle. They have created an dazzling show for kids and all the family which include a mix of traditional singalong songs and Funbox originals alongside a whole load of hi-jinx. We have worked with them many times over the years and not only do they provide onstage laughs they have some of the best backstage banter in the business. We look forward to catching up with them again tomorrow.
Funbox will be celebrating Christmas at Paisley tomorrow.
Perth also has its Christmas lights switch on event tomorrow and our backline will be on the main stage for the performances from Atomic Kitten, Alice DJ, Dario G, NTrance, Top Elvis Tribute (Lee Memphis King), Perth/Dundee rock and pop tribute band Last Orders and Scottish singer songwriter Nina Nesbitt. Catchphrase host Stephen Mulhern will be keeping things moving on the main stage and keeping the crowds in the party spirit. Joining Stephen, and bringing the spirit of the 70's, will be Mister Lionel Vinyl. The event runs from 12 noon to late offering something for all the family, including a dedicated children's performance stage, Santa's grotto, ice caves and live ice sculpting. The Christmas parade will set off from Thimblerow at 5.30pm, making its way to South Street/Speygate and then on to the Tay Street main stage for the official switch-on.
Nina Nesbitt will headline the main stage for Perth's Christmas event.
Away from Christmas festivities this weekend we are also providing backline to Mono for a rare show from The Raincoats. The Raincoats are a seminal post-punk band known as the 'godmothers of grunge' and were an inspiration to a generation of musicians including Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and Kurt Coabain. Formed in 1977 by Gina Birch and Ana da Silva The Raincoats created a sound that, while inspired by punk and rock music that had come before was uniquely and uncompromisingly powerful and female. Now over 40 years after the release of their eponymous debut album The Raincoats will grace the stage at Mono and we are very pleased to be providing them with our DW Collector's Series Drum Kit, 2 Fender Hot Rod Deville 212s and a Fender Deluxe Reverb for the show. Support comes from Glasgow's very own all girl five piece, Hairband whose carefree but meticulously crafted take on pop music is definitely worth catching before The Raincoats take the stage.
The Raincoats will be playing at Mono in Glasgow this Saturday.
Later in the week we are delivering backline to the Scottish Gaelic Awards 2019. The awards celebrate all aspects of the Gaelic language and culture across the length and breadth of the country. The awards are now in their seventh year and attended by over 200 guests including finalists, event sponsors and members of the Gaelic community. The event itself will be a celebration embracing traditional and modern entertainment. This years events will be hosted by Cath MacDonal and held in Glasgow at the Marriot Hotel on Tuesday 19th November. On Thursday we will be delivering DJ Equipment for an event at the beautiful Kinkell Byre in St Andrews. It is well worth checking out the venues website as it is an exceptionally beautiful space. Next weekend we will be supplying the backline for Darkness Guides Us festival. The pre-party takes place in Stereo on Friday and the rest of the festival continues throughout the weekend in the Classic Grand.
If you are heading to any of the Christmas light switch on events or any of the other shows we hope you have a great time and if you would like to hire anything from us at all in the future don't hesitate to contact us at info@esp-musicrentals.co.uk.