With lauded talent development programmes at the Tolbooth already providing young local musicians the chance to form bands and hone their skills, New:Noise provides a logical next step.
The series of gigs offers local acts the chance to play the award-winning, council-owned venue, and share the stage with some of Scotland’s most exciting acts.
Launching with a series of shows on Friday nights in February and March, New:Noise will showcase bands and artists of all types, with each night focusing on a specific genre - ranging from indie, jazz, folk and punk.
Artists featuring in the first series of New:Noise gigs will include the likes of Sulka, signed to the Lost Map record label, and Stirling singer-songwriter Joe Goodall, both alumni of Tolbooth Music Development programmes.
David Weaver, programmer at the Tolbooth, said: “We invited artists to submit their music in December and the response was fantastic - we had nearly a hundred fantastic acts getting in touch, of all genres and at different levels of experience.
'Making opportunities available for new bands'
“The Tolbooth is there for the people of Stirling and beyond - so it’s exciting to be able to give a platform to some acts who are very early in their careers, and others who are making in-roads in the Scottish music scene. It’s vital for opportunities to be made available for new bands to perform, and we’re really keen to support new ways for folk in Stirling to discover the best new music.”
Also featuring in the first New:Noise gigs will be hotly-tipped Glasgow three-piece Brenda, and Last Boy, the new project from Haydn Park-Patterson of multiple SAY Award nominated post-punk band The Ninth Wave and current University of Stirling student.
'Championing local artists'
Finance, Economy and Corporate Support Convener, Cllr Chris Kane said: “This exciting initiative taking place at the Tolbooth will allow young musicians from Stirling and the wider Forth Valley to develop their skills performing at one of the country’s best live music venues.
“We’re committed to promote and uphold Stirling’s reputation for producing fresh and dynamic musical acts by championing local artists with programmes such as New:Noise.
“Coming on the back of Stirling hosting the Scottish Album of the Year Awards for a second time and the Tolbooth winning Venue of the Year at last year’s Scots Trad Music Awards, this is another great example of the area’s exciting cultural scene.”
Tickets will be capped at £10, with £5 tickets for students and under-25s. The first concert takes place on Friday 16 February and will feature Last Boy and Tom Houston in an evening of indie and folk music.
The full line-ups and tickets for each show are available at https://stirlingevents.org/new-noise