Aviemore to host Mumford & Sons as part of big music festival
Aviemore is to play host to a major two day music festival this summer, it was confirmed earlier this afternoon.
Headliners Mumford & Sons have confirmed the weekend of special weekend of live music and entertainment on July 31 and August 1.
The British rock band, who will release their third album ‘Wilder Mind’ on May 4, will bring the festival dubbed ‘Gentlemen of the Road presents . . . The Stopovers’ to the Dell of Rothiemurchus.
It will feature live performances from the hosts Mumford & Sons as well as Ben Howard, Scotland’s own Primal Scream, The Maccabees, Lianne La Havas, and Honeyblood, with plenty more still to be announced over the coming months.
2015 welcomes the third year of The Stopovers that have taken place across the globe, including some hugely successful events in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Mumford & Sons will curate the weekend’s entertainment with a strong emphasis on celebrating the diverse businesses and culture of Aviemore, and the greater Badenoch and Strathspey community.
Tickets go on sale at 10am this Friday (March 6) through the Gentlemen of the Road website www.gentlemenoftheroad.com/tickets. Tickets will also be available locally in person from The Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore, and the Ironworks in Inverness.
Promoter Robert Hicks said: ‘We’re overwhelmed that Mumford & Sons have chosen the Highlands, and in particular Aviemore as the only UK and indeed, European leg of their touring Stopover Festival.
"The Aviemore Stopover is an unique opportunity for the Badenoch and Strathspey area and the Highlands as a whole to shout about what an incredible place we live in.
"Being announced alongside Stopovers being staged across the US and Australia bringing us a truly global audience.
"This is a real highlight for me and the Beyond team, having worked with Mumford & Sons since they toured the Highlands back in 2009 and numerous times since.’
Mr Johnnie Grant, laird of Rothiemurchus which will host the festival, said: "We are very flattered that Mumford and Sons have chosen Rothiemurchus and Aviemore for the UK leg of their Stopover tour, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them and their fans to this special part of the world.
"It’s a pleasure to be able to provide the Dell of Rothiemurchus for this concert. It will be a great opportunity for the people of Badenoch and Strathspey to make new friends from around the world.
"We’re particularly grateful to the members of the Rothiemurchus team who have managed to keep a secret in advance of the launch."
It is not the first time that Mumfords have played Strathspey - the band played a special unannounced gig at Boat of Garten Community Centre in 2012 as well as Rockness on the banks of Loch Ness.
The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion, drums), Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, guitar, resonator guitar, dobro) and Ted Dwane (vocals, string bass, drums, guitar).
The band’s debut studio album, Sigh No More, was released in October 2009. It was a commercial success, hitting the top ten in multiple countries, including their native United Kingdom, where it peaked at number two and included international hits "Little Lion Man" and "The Cave".
Babel, the band’s second studio album, was released in September 2012 preceded by the release of its lead single, "I Will Wait", which peaked at number 12 in the UK and US.
