Dundee Westfest

Dundee Westfest — Sunday 7 June, Magdalen Green

Westfest was my first time visiting Dundee in decades. Usually, I’m skimming the city circling its many roundabouts on the bypass, so driving over the Tay Bridge felt like seeing the city with fresh eyes.

Thanks to my sponsor Intro2Music, I was staying at the APEX Hotel — a very comfortable place to spend a few days.

Dave Wilkinson and I played on the 'Sarah Buick' Acoustic Stage. The stage setup was spot on, and we got a brilliant response from the audience, with many seeing us for the first time. We kept most of the setup-tempo, and songs like 'Line Up Some Country' and 'Lay Me Down a Pallet on the Floor' went down really well. 'Barstools and Booze' was our final number, which always gets the crowd singing along.

Hats off to these fantastic young performers who also played the Acoustic Stage that day: Sean Findlay, James Liandu, and Demi McMahon.  Definitely worth checking out.

Gig done and guitar packed away, I wandered over to the main stage and caught Boogalusa's performance. Seeing festival organiser Alan Wilson on the washboard and Kevin Findlay with his fab fiddle licks was a real treat.

A brilliant day with lots of friendly folk, making for a great introduction to Dundee and its music scene.