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Scotland has a wealth of great live music venues from stadium gigs to small pubs the range of live music available is second to none. I had the pleasure of seeing Prince perform live at the
Hydro in 2014 which was truly amazing, such a talented individual and the atmosphere was electric. So the question is best venues and best gigs in Scotland?
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Also seeing Leonard Cohen perform in 2008 outside Edinburgh Castle has to be my all-time favourite Scottish gig. What a backdrop that was.
O2 ABC and Barrowland are also great smaller gig venues and there's also The Cathouse for those who like it a bit louder!
Mhor 84 in Balqhuidder do live folk music on Thursday nights. The jam session of musicians are first class. It won't fail to have you toe tapping.
I miss the Picturehouse on Lothian Road in Edinburgh. I saw some great gigs there over the years. Edinburgh badly needs another venue like this.
I love the Hydro - I've seen some great gigs there since it opened. Glasgow is brilliant for live music. The O2 ABC and O2 Academy get some good live acts.
Useless fact of the day - My babyfaced teenage self attended the first ever gig at the SECC in Glasgow. Way back in 1985 - UB40 supported by Simply Red (cringe)
I'll also second what @VisitScotlandJoanne says, the Pavillion in Strathpeffer is an excellent venue, it's not used anywhere near enough in my opinion.
My first love is going to festivals though, there's something a bit special about watching a band play in the open air. T in the Park has never been the same since it left Strathclyde Park (I hated the Balado site and never mind the new one at Perth!) and one of my favourite memories is watching Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill on the same stage tearing the place a new one. There was dust rising up into the air because the ground was so dry and there were thousands of people pogoing. But the one that always gets me back is the main stage at Belladrum, it's in old Italian gardens and has to be one of the most unique festival sites in the UK. The atmosphere is always superb and I can'r recall there ever being any trouble there.
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http://www.butefest.co.uk/
Taking place @ King George’s Field (Rothesay, Isle of Bute) from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July, ButeFest 2016 is set to be even bigger and better than our debut in 2015!
Acts confirmed so far include: Idlewild, The Magic Numbers, The Rezillos, Skerryvore, Tom McRae, Recreations (formerly ‘Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly’), Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, Baghdaddies, Scott Wood Band and many many more.
Check out the 2016 line-up so far here! For the breakiest of breaking news, be sure to follow us on Facebook andTwitter!
Discover up and coming acts or if you're lucky catch a well known act playing a low key gig (or just hanging around enjoying some live music) at Nice 'n' Sleazy or King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. Personally I really like the atmosphere of the O2 ABC and the O2 Academy is another popular venue along with The Barrowlands.
For bigger acts there is the SECC and Hydro and Hampden for stadium gigs.
The Royal Concert Hall, City Halls and Fruitmarket have an eclectic mix of concerts from classical to jazz to traditional Scottish and much more.
The recently renovated Kelvingrove Bandstand in the Westend is a live music venue with a difference which now regularly holds a range of concerts by well known names.
Pubs to check out for traditional Scottish music include The Ben Nevis and The Park Bar which are good places to start but to be quite honest there are loads of pubs with live music of every type in Glasgow, far too many to mention!
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But I do like the Hydro now! Still haven't been to King Tuts but I'm hoping to go in the next couple of weeks to see my cousins (Mannequin Mannequin) playing there.