Intimate performances from two of Scottish music’s rising stars, streamed live from the historic Leith Theatre
Live in Leith returns after its inaugural series in Spring 2021. Streaming on DICE with exclusive weekend access over 6-7th November 2021, the venue hosts Lizzie Reid, Scottish Album of the Year nominee; and Wester Hailes’ LOTOS/Last of The Old School, recently featured in a BBC Scotland documentary (https://bbc.in/3pllbA2), who are one of the key voices in Scottish rap.
Inset: Lizzie Reid / Live in Leith – C: Rory Barnes
After being successful in gaining 2nd round funding from Creative Scotland’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, Leith Theatre was able to once again reach audiences who have a love of new music and the venue while the building remains closed.
Live in Leith was able to re-engage with the local creative network and work alongside them to produce two incredible recorded sets while providing important income streams for industry professionals and the artists themselves.
Inset: LOTOS / Live in Leith – C: Rory Barnes
Hosted once again by Vic Galloway, Live in Leith puts a spotlight on 2 of Scotland’s rising stars at what is an important time in their careers.
The artists play a 20 minute set composed of current and new numbers followed by a get-to-know-you interview with host, Vic Galloway. The setting is Leith Theatre’s Female Chorus Room, a green room used for major productions in the venue. A special space, largely untouched since its 1961 refurbishment, the viewers get an AAA pass for these streams.
“These streams are not to be missed. The recordings are up close and personal with two of Scotland’s brightest talents. I am in no doubt, these acts will come back and headline our main stage as well as many other famous venues across the country.” – Callum Jones, Programme Curator & Coordinator
Hosted by BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway, Live in Leith streams over three consecutive Saturdays – starting this weekend with Bellshill boy Connor Fyfe and Edinburgh-based Retro Video Club – via the online platform DICE.
At the age of 14, Connor Fyfe is the youngest artist ever to sell out King Tut’s in Glasgow, finding out that he had done so on the day of his 14th birthday. He started playing guitar around the age of 8 and song-writing around the age of 12. He picked up the harmonica aged 11 back when he was a regular on the Scottish open-mic scene, playing it on stage the same day that he had bought it. Connor was due to support Kaiser Chiefs last year.
Edinburgh outfit Retro Video Club have been a band since 2015 but after a year spent refining their sound they took off on the local and then the national scene in 2017, selling out The Liquid Rooms twice, 3 nights at Sneaky Pete’s (a record for the venue) and the Assembly Rooms amongst others.
Their most recently released single ‘Checkmate’ came out this month. They have supported the likes of Bastille, The Vaccines and We Are Scientists.
Quotes:
“We’ve known about this venue for years and obviously it’s derelict (…) so to be able to somewhat play it is good enough the now. To be honest I’ve never actually been in before (…) It just makes you want to play here. It’s like an academy…it’s kind of like the O2 Academy, it has that kind of vibe. We just need to have it.” – Sam McGill, Retro Video Club
“I’ve not been in a venue for a long time, especially one as grand as this…so it feels strange to be honest – but in a good way.” – Lucia Fairfull, Lucia & The Best Boys
“Un. Real. It’s so nice (Leith Theatre). I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.” – Millie Kidd, The Ninth Wave
“This place is amazing. Obviously, I didn’t know what to expect when I first came in and I’m like ‘woah’. Can’t wait to fill this place up.” – Ransom FA
“I like a bit of reverb on my mics but you don’t even need to ask for it in here. It’s just a nice big hall.” – Connor Fyfe
Leith Theatre launches mini-series of digital gigs to showcase breakthrough Scottish artists
A grant from Creative Scotland’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund has allowed Leith Theatre to secure a small staff team of expertise, enabling them to produce a mini-series of digital gigs and provide vital incomes for industry professionals and production crew as well as for the musicians and artists themselves.
Shining a light on new music in Scotland has been key to the programme’s conception. Live in Leith aims to nurture fresh talent by providing a harbour – a safe space – for those who are sacrificing their incomes to pursue careers in music at what is always a tender time, no matter what the economic situation or industry climate.
If the funding is the anchor for the whole programme, the theatre itself is certainly the port, a place that has inspired many musicians to return already since the first stage of its revival in 2017: The Snuts for example, played as part of EH6 festival back in November 2018 and Teenage Fanclub featured in EIF’s offering in August 2019. Both bands have since returned to film their latest singles in the theatre’s auditorium in 2020.
Though Leith Theatre’s doors have been closed to the public for almost a full year now, closed sets like these have been able to take place.
In 2020 the theatre was also home to the virtual edition of Scotland’s annual Wide Days music convention, EIF’s My Light ShinesOn recordings featuring Honeyblood and Breabach, and Posable Action Figures’ latest music video for a single in their debut album.
Leith Theatre was once a music machine in the form of legendary gigs of the seventies and eighties and is well on its way to becoming a well-oiled one for today in the new twenties through such productions.
Just as the Port of Leith once fostered connections as a confluence of old and new, production and industry – a stage that was both world-class and local – Live in Leith aims to cultivate all of these elements and bring entertainment home in 2021 (and beyond).
The theatre, where community has always been at the heart of its role as a civic centre, wants to help raise the next generation of musicians, industry professionals and crew right here in Leith, safe in the knowledge that exploring the unfamiliar and investing in what is new and inspiring is always in all of our best interests.
Hosted by Vic Galloway, this programme – Live in Leith – will be streamed over three consecutive Saturdays starting this March via the online platform DICE and will help to showcase and establish up-and-coming young Scottish artists at what is undoubtedly a crucial time in their careers.
All of the artists will be captured playing a 25-minute set in real time, to create a live concert feel and the broadcasts will include introductions and on-stage interviews with host, Vic Galloway.
Each gig will feature two artists, the first duo being Connor Fyfe (youngest musician to sell out at King Tut’s in Glasgow), and Retro Video Club.
Lynn Morrison, Chief Executive of Leith Theatre, said: “It is a dream come true to be producing our very first in-house Live In Leith programme from our grand auditorium!
“This programme has allowed us to see what is possible, brought a greatly missed creative network back into the building and enabled us to showcase incredible live music in a new way.
“Thank you to Creative Scotland and the Performance Arts Venue Relief Fund: the whole production process has been exciting and challenging and we hope that this is just the start of new futures! This launch will mark a new chapter and in doing so the theatre hopes to establish itself as the home for new music in Scotland.”
“I’m delighted to be involved in presenting the ‘Live in Leith’ series for Leith Theatre. As a long-time resident of Leith, it’s so satisfying and inspiring to see this legendary theatre come to life once again”, said presenter Vic Galloway.
“Its history is rich and varied, but ‘Live in Leith’ is also a great opportunity to bring the space into 2021 with three exciting music programmes. We’re not only showcasing some brilliant local talent here, but also shining a spotlight on the building itself as one of Scotland’s best Music and Arts Venues. I hope you enjoy the shows and see the potential of the wonderful Leith Theatre!”
Leith Theatre Programme Co-ordinator Callum Jones added: “Having graduated from my Honours degree in Music Business back in Spring 2020, it was daunting to see that the industry in which I had studied for a career had, in many ways (from a live music perspective) been decimated.
“However, Performance Arts Venue Relief funding via Creative Scotland allowed Leith Theatre to retain me on a full-time basis and in a new role as Programme Coordinator.
“Our intention was then to create a digital programme which would showcase up-and-coming Scottish talent, providing an income stream for artists when there are currently so few alternatives. By doing so, we have been able to provide work for industry professionals across the sector and re-engage with our pre-existing network and supply chain.
“The funding has allowed us to deliver a high quality, digital offering for music fans to enjoy from the safety of their own homes. Our ambition is to establish Leith Theatre as a home for new music in Scotland by supporting the development of artists.
“I hope the broadcasts can provide some much-needed respite until we can welcome visitors back to Leith Theatre.”
Live in Leith:
March 20th: Connor Fyfe and Retro Video Club
March 27th: Ransom FA and Nova Scotia the Truth
April 3rd: The Ninth Wave and Lucia & The Best Boys
Tickets on sale Friday the 12th February at 10am at https://dice.fm (see direct links below) and will cost £11.50
