SCOTLAND’S BIGGEST MULTI-VENUE FESTIVAL ‘STAG & DAGGER’ UNVEIL FIRST WAVE ANNOUNCEMENT
LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS, ANTONY SZMIEREK AND HAMISH HAWK AMONGST TOP LINE UP
Stag & Dagger Festival returns for 2024. Scotland’s original and biggest multi venue festival, established 2010, comes to Edinburgh on Saturday 4th May and Glasgow on Sunday 5th May.
Many more acts are still to be announced in the run up to the festival, which will feature over 30 acts in each city.
Scotland’s Hamish Hawk’s appearance follows a string of successful solo dates in support of last year’s well-received album ‘Angel Numbers‘ including a sold out headline concert at Barrowland Ballroom. Stag & Dagger will be his only Edinburgh show in 2024.
He is joined on the bill by fellow Scots Lucia & The Best Boys. Their 2023 debut album ‘Burning Castles‘ features towering melodies and controlled explosions of rock riffs.
Other artists announced today include Antony Szmierek, Benefits, Deadletter, Fat Dog, and Snapped Ankles, all known for exciting and visceral live shows.
Wordsmith Antony Szmierek has had a huge year with extensive BBC 6 music support, a viral poem about the value of music venues that was widely seen on social media, and a hometown Manchester show at New Century Hall to 1000 fans.
Krautrock-influenced Snapped Ankles are one of this year’s more unusual acts. They have been known to perform dressed as a haunted forest come to manic life, going as far as to play their theremin (a 50s electronic instrument used on cult sci fi soundtracks) encased in a tree trunk.
Benefits and Deadletter are two very different sides of a punk/post-punk coin, and both are hugely engaging. Fat Dog are one of the biggest cult buzz bands of 2024, with their rave-meets punk single ‘All The Same’ getting extensive radio play on alternative stations.
Stag & Dagger festival focuses on exciting new music and emerging talent. Previous line ups featured artists who went on to become major international stars such as Ed Sheeran, Lizzo and Passenger.
Other outstanding past acts included Royal Blood, Django Django, Frightened Rabbit, Toro Y Moi, Ghostpoet, The Twilight Sad, Mac DeMarco, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Hold Steady, The Strokes’ Albert Hammon Jr, Fat White Family, Ezra Furman, Band Of Skulls, DMA’s, Gang Of Youths, Let’s Eat Grandma and Glasvegas.
Stag & Dagger is booked by PCL and the teams at Sneaky Pete’s and Broadcast. Booker Craig Gornall said:
“As someone who is passionate about discovering new music, Stag & Dagger has always been the highlight of my year, so I jumped at the chance to take part in organising this year’s outing.” Craig continues “I’m thrilled that we’ve booked a Scottish headliner this year, and no one deserves that slot more than Hamish Hawk. Stag & Dagger’s focus on emerging Scottish talent is one of the main reasons I love the festival, and it’s great to see an artist like Hamish really break through and be ready to take that headline slot.“
Early bird tickets sold out in record time, with second tier tickets now available for £27.50 plus booking fee.
“We have plenty more artists still to announce and what’s so exciting is that any of them could be tomorrow’s big stars. That has always been part of the adventure at Stag & Dagger, so keep an eye out for the next wave of artist announcements in the coming weeks.” Craig Gornall
Author
