Scottish festivals unite to launch new partnership
Scottish festivals Let’s Rock Scotland and Party at The Palace have joined forces for a new partnership.
The link-up unites the two brands, with the first joint “super-festival” to take place on 10-11 August in Linlithgow Palace in West Lothian, featuring the likes of Ali Campbell, Lulu, ABC, Heaven 17, Big Country, Go West, Skids, Toyah and Thereza Bazar’s Dollar.
Let’s Rock Scotland and Party at The Palace are working alongside Scottish music promoter Regular Music “to create a strong and compelling festival experience for audiences” across the two-day event.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Party at The Palace,” says Nick Billinghurst of UK Live, owner of Let’s Rock Scotland. “We discovered that our values align and that we put equal importance on what we feel festivals represent. Teaming up makes perfect sense, both organisationally and emotionally, and we’ll be bringing the very best of both festivals to Linlithgow this summer.”
“It is something that we have been wanting to do for a few years and we are very excited about what the future will bring”
Edinburgh-based Regular is Scotland’s longest established independent music promoter. German powerhouse DEAG announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the company in December 2022, having secured a majority stake in UK Live the previous year.
“We are delighted to bring a little of our knowledge and experience to help the dynamic duo in their quest to present the best party weekend in Scotland,” says Mark Mackie, CEO of Regular Music.
This year marks 10 years since the very first Party at The Palace.
“We are absolutely delighted to be teaming up with UK Live,” says Party at The Palace director John Richardson. “It is something that we have been wanting to do for a few years and we are very excited about what the future will bring. They have a vast wealth of experience and knowledge which we will no doubt benefit from.”
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DEAG acquires Scotland’s Regular Music
German powerhouse DEAG has further expanded its international promoting network and enhanced its UK activities by acquiring a majority stake in Scotland’s Regular Music.
Edinburgh-based Regular is the country’s longest established independent music promoter and has staged concerts by acts such as REM, Oasis, Tom Waits, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Lana Del Rey. CEO Mark Mackie will remain a shareholder in the company and will continue to manage the firm in the long term.
Regular Music is also a key partner of Scottish talent including The Proclaimers, Primal Scream, Garbage, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Mogwai.
“We admire the achievements of Mark with Regular Music in Scotland and are excited about the opportunity to support the business in the future whilst creating synergies between all of our UK companies including Belladrum,” says DEAG CEO Peter Schwenkow. “DEAG’s success is based on entrepreneurship and Mark will be a valued addition to our group of entrepreneurs. DEAG‘s presence in the UK and Ireland will be significantly strengthened through this new partnership and it fits extremely well with our strategy to further grow our business in our core markets.”
“It’s clear that DEAG care deeply about local identity and autonomy and with Stuart Galbraith and his team at Kili it has been proven to work”
Regular also produces the award-winning annual Summer Nights at the Bandstand series of concerts in Glasgow, which has featured the likes of Brian Wilson, The National, Pixies, Patti Smith, Van Morrison and Texas.
DEAG’s Kilimanjaro subsidiary already owns and operates Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Scotland’s largest camping festival and the acquisition of Regular will add significantly to the Group’s footprint in Scotland.
The Belladrum Inverness office and the Regular Edinburgh office will now liaise extensively together.
“Lots of my agent friends have been telling me for years I needed more of a global presence but until I met with DEAG I had never felt comfortable enough with anyone to form such a partnership,” says Mackie. “However, it’s clear that DEAG care deeply about local identity and autonomy and with Stuart Galbraith and his team at Kili it has been proven to work so I’m delighted to be joining up with a like minded group of people moving forward.
“I have personally known Stuart for more than 35 years, since we both started out in the business and am very much looking forward to working closely with him and the Kilimanjaro gang.”
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