Spectra introduces live music programme

29 December 2016

Producers of SPECTRA, Aberdeen’s Festival of Light, have announced an exciting addition to the 2017 programme.

A brand new live music stage will see local bands and performers entertain the crowds at the bandstand on the St Nicholas Centre rooftop, while DJs and VJs will combine music with stunning light shows to take the festival into the night in a new after-hours programme.

The new addition is a collaboration between SPECTRA and True North, Aberdeen’s festival of music and song, created and programmed by Aberdeen Performing Arts.

True North celebrates the North-east singer songwriter tradition and is committed to providing a platform for the very best music and song from ballads to contemporary classics. Aberdeen Performing Arts is excited to be partnering with SPECTRA to provide North-east musical talent a stage within this festival.

Councillor Marie Boulton, Deputy Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “This collaboration is an excellent example of why SPECTRA is one of the highlights of the Aberdeen calendar.

“Year on year we have seen new innovations, the festival is constantly evolving, and this collaboration with True North is just another example of this.

“The live music on the St Nicholas rooftop, combined with the after-hours programme of DJs and VJs, will bring a fresh dynamic and draw a new audience to SPECTRA.

“Aberdeen is undergoing great transformation right now, with significant development linked to our City Centre Masterplan, and those physical changes are central to our ambitions for the future. Providing events that bring these spaces, new and old, to life is just as important and SPECTRA is a wonderful example of that in action.”

Running for four nights from 9-12 February, the festival will celebrate the Scottish Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology by exploring Aberdeen’s past through this year’s theme of A New Light.

Bringing together leading international artists with established Scottish collaborators, SPECTRA will be animating Union Terrace Gardens, the Kirk of St Nicholas and Marischal College.

Organised in partnership between Curated Place and Aberdeen City Council, SPECTRA 2017 is a free event and invites audiences to engage with playful, accessible and high quality performances, spaces and works of art using light, sound and interactive experiences.

The 2016 event was named Scottish Festival of the Year and organisers aim to build on that success when it returns in February.

Highlights will include Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett’s internationally renowned CLOUD sculpture, a tribute to Scotland’s most ubiquitous invention – the incandescent lightbulb.

For further information on the festival programme visit: www.spectraaberdeen.com 

For information on True North visit: www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/truenorth