Scottish indie rockers The Twilight Sad have been revealed as the first headline act at Aberdeen’s award-winning music festival, True North, when it returns to the city for its fifth year in September.
Widely revered as one of the best acts to emerge from Scotland in the last decade, the band will take to the stage at the redeveloped Music Hall on Saturday, September 21.
Endorsed by Robert Smith of The Cure and acclaimed by fans and critics alike, and with five albums under their belt, The Twilight Sad are known for their loud and lively performances, notable for their impressive ‘sonic walls’ of sound, accompanied by singer James Graham’s thick Scottish accent.
True North is produced by Aberdeen Performing Arts and this year will take place from, Thursday, September 19 to Sunday, September 22, with the Music Hall joining the Lemon Tree as the focal points of the festival which will include notable gigs, one-off curated concerts, workshops, talks and events across the city. The full line-up for the festival will be announced in the coming weeks.
True North was named Best Cultural Festival or Event in the 2017 Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism awards, and 2018 saw the festival shortlisted as a finalist in the Scottish Culture Awards, beating off competition from hundreds of entrants to reach the final four in the Cultural Event of the Year category.
Aberdeen Performing Arts, director of programming and creative projects, Ben Torrie, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to announce The Twilight Sad as the headliners for the fifth True North festival. They are an outstanding band and haven’t been in Aberdeen for several years, so it will be great to have them here for this exclusive performance.
“True North has built up a formidable reputation over the past five years as Aberdeen’s music festival, having gained momentum and recognition for excellent programming and as a signature event in the city’s fantastic cultural offering.
“Having the Music Hall open again enables us to do something slightly different this year, and the Twilight Sad is the perfect start.”
The Twilight Sad gig will open with special guests Arab Strap vocalist Aidan Moffat alongside guitarist and singer RM Hubbert.
Aidan Moffat is known for exploring subjects in his music with a grace and grit that plunges deep into the human soul. Teaming up with friend and collaborator, singer and guitarist, RM Hubbert, this promises to be a memorable start to the evening’s proceedings.
Aberdeen Performing Arts, programming manager, Steven Milne, said: “It will be great to have Aidan and RM Hubbert play the festival this year. Aidan’s previous visits to True North both with Arab Strap and Bill Wells have been real highlights of previous festival line ups, so we can’t wait to see them play as the perfect opener for The Twilight Sad.
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