Shetland is known around the world for its exceptionally talented musicians. A new festival will be launched in 2024 celebrating the diversity of contemporary talent across many genres.
Rising North, a new Shetland music festival sold out in seconds when tickets went on sale in the spring of 2024. More proof, if it was needed, that Shetlanders love good music and a good “spree” (the dialect term for a fun social gathering).
Organised by a committee of local musicians and music lovers it is hoped Rising North fills a gap in the busy Shetland social calendar, and provides something different to bring people together.
In its first year, the festival features 100% local bands, more than 30 of them performing at six venues over the weekend of 16th, 17th and 18th August.
Such is the depth of musical talent in Shetland, some of the bands are well-known much further afield, and have a hugely popular following in the islands. But there are ambitious plans to grow the event and attract emerging national talent, as well as bands who enjoyed their hey-day in earlier decades.
It’s a tried and tested formula on the UK festival circuit and Rising North’s organisers are convinced it will prove popular in Shetland. In time, they hope to see bands and their fans travelling to the islands to experience the UK’s most northerly rock festival.
The idea of a rock festival in the Northern Isles is not new. Shetland previously hosted the Heavy Metal Buffet and here is a similar event in Orkney – but Rising North aims to be different – showcasing a wider range of contemporary talent.
The idea had been around for some time and was given fresh impetus after the port of Lerwick hosted the international Tall Ships Races in 2023. That event welcomed dozens of international sailing ships and triggered a four-day celebration with local and visiting bands performing.
Joe Robertson is one of the committee organising the new event. As a long-time promoter, he’s attracted bands like Black Grape to Shetland over the years and knows the demand is there. He said the ‘Rising North’ ambition had been around for many years but gathered momentum after the Tall Ships event.
“This was going to happen anyway, it was coming. After the loss of Heavy Metal Buffet that void was there and the demand was obvious, that interest and love of music is there in spades.
“There were several conversations going on at the same time. On the back of Tall Ships people met up and it certainly spurred people on. Looking at the bands that came up [for Tall Ships], a lot of the acts in Shetland thought we could do just as good a job.”
And with over 30 local bands performing, they will have the chance to prove it at the inaugural Rising North festival.
“Shetland is full of music festivals, but they’ve tended to be niche like blues, jazz and metal, and, of course, the folk festival. But there’s not really been a contemporary music festival.”
Other island communities have paved the way and shown that can be successful. But none of them will be able to claim the extra ‘adventure’ that comes with playing or attending the UK’s most northerly music festival.
Joe adds that events like the Simmer Dim Bikers’ Rally have proved that Shetland can draw visitors to recurring events, from all over the UK and Europe.
“The Simmer Dimmer Rally is one of the bucket-list festivals for bikers. We want to do the same for music. It is feasible that people will travel to a music festival in Shetland.”
There are also plans to inject a bit of Shetland identity and culture into the festival, too. Taylor Pirie, an Orcadian who moved to Shetland many years ago for work, is one of the organisers as well as performing in bands.
“We are trying to do little things that make it stand out and make it a bit more special. That includes having a specially made Rising North beer made by Lerwick Brewery.” That brew will be a hazy IPA called ‘Steekit’ – the Shetland dialect word to describe an extremely dense mist.
For now, the festival is centred around Lerwick, with the town’s Clickimin Leisure centre being the largest venue, with others hosting smaller concerts.
“We’re wanting to have as much of a festival feel as possible, and in the longer term we want to be outside and have a longer event with bigger capacity.”
With that kind of ambition, it’s fair to say the event promises a bright future. The only thing that will be ‘steekit’ is the beer. And we can all raise a glass to that!
Discover all the line up and find out more about the event on Rising North's website.