Acoustic sessions return to Connect Festival: Gardener’s Cottage lineup revealed

The stage, which is set within the quaint grounds of The Gardener’s Cottage in the Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds, has been created as a dedication to the life of Frightened Rabbit singer, Scott Hutchison. Connect Festival has collaborated with charity, Tiny Changes, as a platform for emerging talent and intimate acoustic sets from well known artists.

On Friday, Edinburgh-born indie-folk musician Finn Brodie will be taking centre stage along with Belly Rachel, who was recently featured on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Finds’ indie playlist.

Saturday will see Bemz, a Glasgow-based rapper known for his mix of 90s hip-hop and grime, along with alt-rock band, PAWS. 21 year old Glaswegian Cara Rose, who has racked up over three million Spotify streams with her single “Learn to Speak”, followed by Becky Sikasa, formerly of Lunir and no stranger to the European festival scene.

Theo Bleak, who released her debut EP Fragments earlier this summer, is set to perform on the final day of the festival, with Glasgow five-piece Former Champ following. Quiet Houses, made up of Hannah Elliot and Jamie Stewart, will be bringing their indie-folk tunes, alongside Edinburgh-based singer songwriter, Jacob Alon.

The Tiny Changes x Gardener’s Cottage stage was created in 2022, with donations and merchandise sales raising more than £12,000 for the charity in just three days. Last year, a secret performance from headliners, The National, surprised fans with their set playing tribute to their late friend Scott.

Katt Lingard, festival manager for Connect said: “We’re so pleased to be announcing some of our lineup on the Tiny Changes x Gardener’s Cottage stage. Our pop-up acoustic stage has so much meaning behind it, championing some of Scotland’s best artists and acknowledging the work that Tiny Changes have - and continue to do - to support those who might be struggling with their mental health.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing the return of the Tiny Changes x Gardener’s Cottage, and who knows, there might be some surprises up our sleeves again this year!”

Kara Brown, CEO of Tiny Changes, said: “Even now, nearly a year on from our first Connect Festival, I think we’re all still a bit giddy from what a special weekend it was. It was such an amazing experience for all of us - from the staff and volunteers to the young Wavemakers who worked alongside us - not only to run our own stage but also to speak to so many people about our youth mental health projects and fundraise over £12,000.

“Of course, the music was a huge part of what made it so memorable, given that it was Scott’s appearance at the original Connect Festival that inspired the Gardener’s Cottage stage. From the young artists we were so honoured to platform, to The National’s secret set, it was incredibly moving and memorable.

“We couldn’t be more excited to do it all over again at the end of August. The lineup for both the main stages and our wee garden stage are looking as brilliant as ever, and it’ll be so nice to be back in our home-away-from-home and to make some lovely memories all over again.”

Connect Festival takes place from 25-27th August at Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds. Tickets for Connect Festival are available to purchase through the festival website.

Tiny Changes is a charity that was set up following the passing of Frightened Rabbit frontman, Scott Hutchison. The charity focuses on providing support to children and young people to have good mental health and the opportunity to lead happy and fulfilled lives as adults.

For more information on Connect Music Festival, visit connectmusicfestival.com.