Yahoo News Dean Castle music festival line-up is a high note for Kilmarnock
The scenic surroundings of Dean Castle will soon host a hotbed of Scottish talent in a forthcoming festival that’s a must for all music lovers
HE recently performed in front of 60,000 people before the Six Nations Scotland v France rugby game and now there is a chance to hear Voice UK semi-finalist Jeremy Levif in the stunning surroundings of Dean Castle at Kilmarnock.
Based in Ayrshire, Levif is a French pop-rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was highly praised by judges Tom Jones, Anne-Marie and Olly Murs when he reached the semi-finals of Voice UK in 2021 on team Will.I.Am.
Tom Jones said his tone was “really lovely” while Murs said he looked forward every time to Levif’s performances.
“Your voice is so beautiful and pure. I just think you’re incredible,” said Anne-Marie.
Levif went on to the finals of The Voice France in 2023 on Team Vianney.
His first two albums Come Hail Or Storm (2017) and C’est La Vie (2021) were produced by Scottish producer, Sam Gallagher, and have been well-received in the UK, France and internationally, with many of the songs played on local radios across Europe.
In 2021, his single Puzzle reached the 50,000 streams on Spotify across more than 100 countries and was included in the Pop Rock Shot Spotify official playlist alongside other bands such as Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, as well as the Good Vibes Vol. 2 playlist from music influencer Alex Rainbird Music.
Always in demand, Levif has played over 100 shows in Scotland, opened for Scottish Celtic-rock band Skerryvore, worked with Danny O’Donoghue from the Script and played with his musical hero, Jamie Cullum as part of a 5G Live event organised by EE and the Music For All Charity in 2019.
This year, he was invited to perform in front of 60,000 people at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium before the Six Nations rugby game Scotland Vs France.
Recently he sold out the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr as part of the Ayrshire Lads show, alongside BGT winner Jai McDowall, the MacDonald Brothers (X-Factor) and Blair Gilmour (The Voice Kids).
Also appearing at the festival is Ben Walker who first burst onto the music scene in 2021 and has since featured alongside artists such as Kyle Falconer, Rianne Downey, Nathan Evans and Callum Bowie, gracing the stage at Glasgow’s renowned King Tut’s and Saint Luke’s venues and selling out his debut headline show along the way.
Ben Walker
He supported indie icons The View on their Scottish tour in December last year.
He’s come a long way since playing on livestreams during lockdown and has cultivated an avid fanbase who follow him wherever he goes and are sure to turn out at Dean Castle on May 18.
Revving up the crowd will be Kilmarnock-based The Rampants, a four-piece indie rock band who have quickly risen in popularity around the Glasgow clubs due to their innovative blend of their Scottish accents and early 2000s indie rock. This has even spilled over to some rap being involved from time to time.
The line-up consists of Jamie, a high-energy frontman/songwriter, James, a stellar guitarist who never gets flustered, Ewan, a self-taught drummer who always keeps a cool head and Ben, a smooth bassman who carries the spine of the band’s back catalogue.
Songs released by the band include Can You Ramp It Up, The Way It Goes and most recently Blated.
More home-grown talent comes in the shape of Ayrshire-based country rock band The Railway Men who are well known throughout Scotland for their live sets, which feature original material with a rock and Americana vibe.
Their motto is: “If you can’t remember any of our tunes, then we’ve failed!”
The five-piece band have headlined twice at King Tuts and played notable gigs such as the Darvel Music Festival, Butefest and the Edinburgh Festival with the BBC.
And hailing from Fife, Cammy Barnes who has had great success with multiple singles charting in the UK Top 20 and #1 entries on the Singer/Songwriter & Country/Alt iTunes Charts will also play the event.
He will join singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Harkins, who also enjoys a strong local following in Ayrshire, and Kirriemuir singer/songwriter Katie Nicoll for what is sure to be a memorable day and evening at Dean Castle Courtyard, Kilmarnock, on May 18 from 2pm-10pm.
Ticket prices are £23.
It will be followed next day by a food and drink celebration showcasing Ayrshire’s finest producers, presented by Ayrshire Food An’ A’ That in conjunction with East Ayrshire Leisure.
