Homecoming Highlight Goes Live

A huge show at the SECC in November is set to celebrate St Andrew’s Weekend in the year of Homecoming and showcase the vibrancy and passion of Scotland’s music scene.

In this special year of Homecoming, the vibrancy and passion of Scotland’s music scene will be celebrated at a unique, one off event, Homecoming Live –The Final Fling, which will be a jewel in the crown of the Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations. Like Scotland’s celebrated tartans, the event will weave a colourful blend of some of the finest musicians who have been influenced by Scotland and its rich musical heritage - the likes and scale of which has never been seen before.

It will take place from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th November and will see Scotland’s largest indoor venue, the SECC, transformed as it plays host, not only to this exceptional gathering of Scottish talent, but also to the best in Scottish food and drink creating the perfect party atmosphere and indoor festival vibe. Gigs will also take place at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut over the weekend as the event and the line up are set to swell over the coming months.

The original stadium showstoppers, the multiplatinum selling, Deacon Blue, lead the line up in SECC Hall 4 and are joined on the bill by cult legend Lloyd Cole. As lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, his album Rattlesnakes was voted the 22nd best album of all time by readers of NME. Also playing are Scotland’s favourite musical brothers, pop duo Hue and Cry whose career has been a Labour of Love and brought them continued success over the past three decades.

Other acts include The Bluebells who have remained Young at Heart and will be pleasing the crowds with a rare and original line up performance. Also playing is former Love and Money frontman James Grant who is widely acknowledged as one of the best songwriters Scotland has produced; Kevin McDermott who has been established on the national and international stage and Tommy Reilly who will be bringing a touch of new indie glamour.

Elsewhere in the SECC, Scottish legends The Vaselines will perform. The musical icons were hailed by Kurt Cobain, who said founding members Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee were his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world” - who are we to argue with Cobain! Joining them will be Fife’s Kenny Anderson a.k.a King Creosote and alternative rockers Idlewild. Together all the acts will kick off the line up for a concert that will bring together a mix of acts that will take some back to their students days and give others a chance to experience some of Scotland’s musical greats.

A RICH MUSICAL HERITAGE
Many more acts are to be unveiled in due course. Homecoming Live – The Final Fling, brought together by promoters DF Concerts, Homecoming Scotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, is a once in a lifetime opportunity to catch established heroes to cutting edge, contemporary performers who are currently making their mark internationally. The event will enhance Caledonia’s status as one of the musical meccas of the world – and you are all invited to the party!

Glasgow – a UNESCO City of Music, where approximately 100 music events take place every week – is the natural home for the event. From contemporary and classical to Celtic and Country, this extraordinary city offers music to suit every taste.

Says promoter, Geoff Ellis: “Homecoming Live – The Final Fling is about celebrating artists from Scotland and its music scene. The country is renowned for producing and nourishing talent and many great bands have formed on its shores. I’m really looking forward to unveiling more acts in the coming months and bringing together an eclectic mix of Scottish and Scottish influenced talent for what promises to be a very special and unique weekend of music”.

Marie Christie, Project Director, Homecoming Scotland 2009 adds, “Homecoming Live - The Final Fling will be one of the highlights of our Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations from 26 - 30 Nov. Taking place all over Scotland the full events programme will be launched later this month. Today’s announcement give’s a sample of what’s in store.”

Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said, “We are delighted to be supporting the Final Fling to bring Homecoming to a rousing finale in Glasgow and further reinforce the city’s credentials as a UNESCO City of Music. There’s nothing quite like hearing Scottish bands play on their own home turf and with such a strong line-up I am sure it will be a fantastic weekend.”
Tickets for Homecoming Live go on sale on Friday 11th September at 9am.

TICKETS
Tickets for Hall 4 are priced £35, £30 and £27.50 Tickets for Hall 3 are priced £20.
Tickets will be available from www.gigsinscotland.com/homecominglive or by calling Ticketmaster on 08444 999 990 or alternatively you can buy in person from official Ticketmaster ticket centres across the UK.

For more information please contact Burt Greener Communications:
Kirsty Atkinson
T: 0141 248 6007 /
E: kirsty@burtgreener.co.uk

EDITOR’S NOTES
• Homecoming Live - The Final Fling is created and produced by DF Concerts with support from Homecoming Scotland and the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
• Homecoming Live- The Final Fling is part of the Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations: Scotland’s Biggest Ever St Andrew’s Do.
• Join Scotland’s biggest ever St Andrew’s Do from 26th - 30th November. With more than 40 events taking place across Scotland, a full programme of activity will be available from the 24th September on www.homecomingscotland2009.com
• The Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations herald the start of the winter festival season in Scotland, inviting visitors to extend their stay beyond the St Andrew’s weekend to sample the sights and sounds in a range of towns and cities.
• Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a celebratory programme that began on the weekend around Burns Night and ends on St Andrew’s Day 2009
• Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland, to take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.
• 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, with the programme's design guided by Scotland's unique position as the home of Burns himself, Golf, Whisky, Great Minds and Innovations, and Scotland’s culture and heritage which lives on at home and through Scotland’s global family.
• Homecoming Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and is managed by EventScotland the national events agency in partnership with VisitScotland, the country’s national tourism agency. Homecoming is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. • For more information on Homecoming Scotland please visit: www.homecomingscotland2009.com 
The event is also being supported by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, which is the official destination marketing organisation (DMO) for Metropolitan Glasgow, engaged in national and international activity comprising: development and implementation of the city branding campaign: Glasgow: Scotland with style; event creation, attraction, management and marketing; conventions, incentives, meetings and exhibition sales; conference and event accommodation bookings, public relations and optimisation of the website www.seeglasgow.com