Primals, You Me At Six and Fun Lovin' Criminals for Bella
Formed in 1984 and winners of the first-ever Mercury Music Prize for 1991’s Screamadelica, Primal Scream have influenced a generation of artists over their 30-year career and organisers believe will deliver an unforgettable euphoric Belladrum performance.
Pop-punk/rock act You Me At Six are also added to the Garden Stage line-up.
Since forming in 2004 they have accumulated a list of incredible achievements including; playing London’s Ally Pally, Wembley Arena, and the O2; scoring two top five albums, 2010’s Hold Me Down, 2011’s Sinners Never Sleep and a number one album 2014’s Cavalier Youth, along with taking 13 consecutive singles onto the Radio 1 A-list.
And joining these acts will be a Secret Special Guest appearing on Saturday’s main stage line-up and set to deliver a stand-out moment of the festival
And added to Thursday night are Fun Lovin’ Criminals one of the world’s finest and only purveyors of cinematic hip hop, rock ‘n’ roll, blues-jazz, latino soul vibes.
The planet’s best-loved “cousins from New York” – fronted by Huey Morgan – who, through the mid-late 90s, chronicled life in their native city while bending the global ear to the sonic possibilities of exuberant hip-hop gangster-rock merged with lounge music, funk, mariachi trumpets and ‘Bass-o-matic’ Barry White.
UK country siblings Ward Thomas also join the Thursday night line-up and will be performing tracks from their first two albums including 2016’s number one Cartwheels when the act became the first UK country name to achieve a UK number one charting album.
Other new additions over the weekend include – folktronica songstress Beth Orton; the incredible Yonaka described by NME as ‘one of the UK’s wildest rock bands’; one of 2018’s ones to watch Sea Girls; fresh from supporting Ed Sheeran on his arena tour Ryan McMullan; Brand New Heavies founding member Jan Kincaid’s new soul funk band MF Robots; Austin Texas based bluegrass band Whisky Shivers; Highland’s own and Belladrum Records artist Tamzene; Canada’s The Burning Hell; Adam Holmes & The Embers; Torridon; The Eskies; Barbarella Bang Bang; Rews; The Rumjacks; Dancing On Tables; The Tumbling Souls; Macfloyd; Lionel; The Macgills; The Undercover Hippy; Noble Jacks; The Carloways; Ernest Rambles; Highland Voices Choir; and Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail.
Late night Saturday in the Hot House will see the return of the ever-popular headphone disco, while family favourites Fun Box will entertain the young and young heart on the Garden Stage and Big Fish Little Fish – which debuts in Inverness this weekend – returns to Belladrum to bring raving for the whole family!
These artists join previously announced Friday night headliner, Brit award winning Paloma Faith and Thursday night headliner Amy Macdonald. Other acts include Frightened Rabbit who will perform the whole of their epic album The Midnight Organ Fight, British indie rock bank The Charlatans, four-time Grammy Award winning country singer Rosanne Cash, Songhoy Blues, BBC Radio 2/6music DJ Craig Charles And His Funk & Soul Club, The Lafontaines, Lucy Spraggan, Tidelines, Darlingside, The Supernaturals, Colonel Mustard & The Dijon Five, Kissmet, Niteworks, The Filthy Tongues, Ho-Ro, and Dougie Burns & The Cadilacs.
“We have pulled off our best ever line-up in terms of headliners and strength in depth this year,” said promoter Joe Gibbs.
“The Primals are one iconic Scottish rock act who have never played Bella and so we are utterly delighted to welcome to the gardens.”
Many more acts still to be announced in the coming weeks and months.
Following the tradition of a fancy dress theme at the event, Bella has announced that Bollywood will be its 2018 theme. The tickets for the 15th Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival – voted Trip Advisor’s most popular UK festival in 2017 – are on sale online and via ticket agents.
All online ticket buyers can take advantage of a 72 hour cooling off period after purchase during which they can return bought tickets.
E-tickets are on sale via the festival website at www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk and via www.skiddle.com. Printed tickets can be bought from agents including: Inverness – The Ironworks, Eden Court Theatre, Caffery’s and Hootananny’s; Kiltarlity – Post Office; Beauly – Morrison’s; Dingwall – Sweet Treats; Elgin – Sound & Vision; Edinburgh and Glasgow – TicketsScotland; Alness – Iain’s Barber Shop. And Isle of Skye Paint Coy in Portree and Grant’s Fine Foods in Dornoch have been added as agents this year.
Bella patrons will need a three day ticket to see artists on the Garden main stage on the Thursday night. Two day tickets are also be on sale, and allow access to the rest of the festival (excluding main stage) from Thursday night onwards. Also on sale will be Saturday tickets, Campervan/ caravan, BellaDub VW Campervan and electric hook-up tickets.
