Hidden Door announces more music acts in festival’s showcase of Scottish talent
Hidden Door Festival 2025 takes place from 11th – 15th June 2025, transforming The Paper Factory, a huge disused industrial space in west Edinburgh, into a vibrant celebration of music, art, dance, spoken word and more.
Last month, Hidden Door launched an Open Call inviting Scottish-based musicians, bands and electronic artists to join the 2025 music programme. With 200 applications received, organisers have sifted through hours of music to select 10 exceptional acts to feature at the festival.
The acts join an ever-growing programme of music, visual art and performances featuring hundreds of creatives. The packed line-up will fill the festival’s largest ever venue for five days of immersive entertainment.
Hazel Johnson, Festival Director of Hidden Door, said: “Hidden Door exists to showcase incredible emerging talent, and our open calls are a key way for us to discover and present that talent to large audiences.
“We had 200 applications to our music open call and the sheer volume and quality of submissions demonstrates the wonderful breadth of creativity that exists across Scotland.
“The selection process was tough and we would have loved to include everyone, but we’re thrilled to reveal some exceptional acts who truly embody the raw energy and diverse talent that we’re known for showcasing.”
The selected acts are:
Eloi – Wednesday 11 June
Eloi are an Edinburgh based 7-piece future-jazz group. Alongside numerous sold-out headline Edinburgh gigs, they have supported bands such as Surprise Chef at Glasgow’s Broadcast, alongside local Scottish groups including Grace and the Flatboys, Dinosaur 93 and Nani.
In 2022, they secured a slot at Edinburgh’s Hidden Door Festival through the Edinburgh-based community radio station EHFM, and also hold a monthly show on the station called Eloi Selects.
Inspired by the likes of Nubiyan Twist, Ezra Collective and Hiatus Kaiyote, their debut EP ‘Maya’ was released in 2022, and the follow up ‘Bloom Again’ was released in 2023.
HENS BENS – Friday 13 June
HENS BENS make pop music in BLOCK CAPITALS. Their live shows aren’t like those by other bands. They incorporate fresh fruit, balloons, archery and power tools.
HENS BENS do not speak between songs, with the band instead relying on computer-generated crowd banter over which they have no control. There are LEDs attached to things. There are costume changes.
Their 2025 album WORLD’S STRONGEST BAND features songs about steroids, revenge, Clint Eastwood’s 1988 film ‘The Dead Pool’, having an argument with the guy from Sleaford Mods, politicians the singer went to school with, Jerry Seinfeld becoming a bit right-wing these days, the band’s great great granddaughters, nuclear war and more.
Humour – Sunday 15 June
Humour live together in Glasgow. They formed across the 2021 lockdowns, writing and recording their material at home, with the music intended as a backdrop to Andreas’ lyrics.
Sometimes they’re about letting people down, sometimes they’re about pets dying, sometimes they’re about trying to say something when you don’t have anything worth saying.
Signing to SoYoung Records off the back of a few rough demos, it was clear Humour had a unique sound. Their first release ‘Yeah, Mud!’ gained critical acclaim from NME, Clash Magazine, DIY, Dork and more.
With two EPs released to date, they have now announced their debut album Learning Greek which is set for release in August 2025.
Nick Dow – Sunday 15 June
Scottish electronic music producer Nick Dow blurs the lines between club, ambient and experimental music, combining cinematic melodies with organic instrumentation and visceral textures, enveloping the listener in a world of surging musical landscapes.
Night Caller – Saturday 14 June
Night Caller is made up of members from established Scottish acts including Callum Easter, Neon Waltz, The Stagger Rats, The Merrylees and more – instantly asserting their experienced presence within the Scottish music scene. Band members have recorded with the likes of Paul Weller, The Coral and The Zombies.
They brand their music as “gutter pop – fun, fast, kinky and chaotic!”. Expect deep vocals and ballad-inspired melodies with a sing-along chorus.
Puppy Teeth – Saturday 14 June
Puppy Teeth is an independent Edinburgh based band composed of singer and rhythm guitarist Anna Trost, singer and lead guitarist Theo Black, bassist Ed Meltzer and drummer Niamh Jordan. The band has been described as heady, dreamy, 90s melodic, shoegaze/grunge with psychedelic, hypnotising female vocals.
Huge influences for Puppy Teeth‘s music are artists such as Men I Trust, Jeff Buckley, Mazzy Star, Big Thief, Sorry and Deftones.
racecar – Thursday 12 June
racecar is an alt-pop trio composed of Izzy Flower (vocals, keys, synthesizer), Robin Brill (guitar, drums), and Calum Mason (bass).
They are based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and formed in 2018. They released their debut album, Orange Car, in 2022.
Their latest album, Pink Car, a bold fusion of nostalgia, coming-of-age themes, and genre-blurring sounds, was released earlier this year. With festival-ready anthems like ‘Zephyr’ and ‘Fall Leave’, the album expands on their signature style with a fresh, dynamic energy.
samwooddoowmas – Saturday 14 June
samwooddoowmas is a musician and visual artist based in Edinburgh. He records out of a DIY studio held together with electrical tape.
He makes sounds using a variety of techniques including tape loops, digital processing and analogue instrumentation. He is known for performing in unusual spaces (such as a urinal) and using instruments in strange ways live, such as a bass guitar played with a bicycle.
San Jose – Sunday 15 June
Their name pinched from a Dionne Warwick song, San Jose wield their forthright, raucous and versatile reputation with a snarled grin. With ever-evolving theatrics and everything you’d expect from a circus with the exception of the caged animals, San Jose, are the only 5 piece band with an average of more than 5 members.
Although falling under the ever expanding umbrella term of “post-punk” San Jose have a dedication to avoid musical confinement, the five piece often incorporate instrumentation uncommon to heavier styles of music, such as brass and accordion, and interweave it with their punk attitude.
With a background in musical theatre, San Jose blur the lines between performance art and concert. With people in bear costumes, auctions, fine dining, plumbing and pantomime levels of audience interaction all to be expected from their shows, the five piece sonically and visually paint a picture of the inherent absurdism that lies within Scottish culture.
Their live performances have been described as “the ideal descent into hell”.
The Era – Saturday 14 June
The Era are a duo from Glasgow consisting of Electric Harp player Lochlann and Singer/Guitarist Cal. Taking as much influence from pop icons such as Sky Ferreira and Charli XCX as they do from indie references like Arctic Monkeys, The Kills & Nine Inch Nails.
The Era are pushing the boundaries of modern pop/rock music by using their USP; unlike any other band on the scene The Era use an electric harp played through a selection of amplifiers and effects pedals to create a face pounding wall of sound.
Recent shows include support slots for 80’s legends Heaven 17 as well as notable slots with GGLUM for Plastic Factory LDN, The Ninth Wave, Vlure as well as a sold out debut headline show in Broadcast, Glasgow – all within their first 8 months as a band.
Tickets are now available at www.hiddendoorarts.org/tickets
