An all-day music festival debuting in Glasgow next month aims to bring acts to unexpected venues to launch a musical exploration of the local community.
The Great Western, organised by 432 Presents, is bringing a line-up of acts from across the world to the city’s West End, celebrating spaces in the area not normally known for hosting gigs.
Over the course of Saturday November 23, fifty live acts will play in familiar venues like Òran Mór, QMU and The Hug and Pint, but will also take to community spaces like Burnbank Bowling Club, The Glue Factory and Maryhill Community Central Halls.
Also hosting performances will be the grand venue of the Mackintosh Queen’s Cross Church.
“The idea of using spaces that wouldn’t normally be used was something that really appealed to us,” Ryan Drever, one of the event’s organisers, said.
“Imagine you could see a really cool band when they come to Glasgow, and they’re playing in a bowling club or somewhere like that. It’s cool.
“We’ve got some really special shows happening at places where, unless you live in the community and have used the facilities, you’ve maybe not been to.
“People will probably walk past them every day and not see them as places suited to music but actually they’re great. I’m hoping people will be pleasantly surprised.”
Organisers were keen not to just invade the local area for the day, but to hold it in conjunction with locals.
The festival ethos is one of exploration, and hopes to bring benefits to the area.
Ryan said: “We don’t just want to do the festival on top of the area, we want to do it with the community. We’re still working out ideas so that we can offer something different to people that maybe doesn’t come to the area often.
“We’re working alongside local businesses and community groups to represent and include them. We want to do something that people can be a part of too.
“It’s a learning experience for us, it’s the first time we’re doing it, but the community aspect of it is something we really want to do our best to get right.”
To match the varied venues, the line-up brings together all sorts of talent from all corners of the globe.
Coming to the festival are the likes of desert blues outfit Songhoy Blues, singer-songwriter Cass McCombs and California dance punks !!! (Chk Chk Chk).
“We came up with a sort of wish list of acts that it would be amazing to see in these places,” Ryan says. “That’s one of the core things that started this idea, thinking of different places we wanted to see people in.
“We’re very lucky that we actually managed to get the majority of our wish list. That doesn’t always happen. Songhoy Blues is a band we’re always really excited to bring here, the idea that they’re going to headline this is really great for us.
“Once we started putting this idea together we just started talking to everyone and we were lucky to get such a positive response.”
As well as international visitors, a number of bands from the Scottish scene will be on show.
Tom McGuire & The Brassholes, Scarlett Randle, The Pastels, Lightships (feat. Gerry Love) and Malcolm Middleton are all confirmed to play.
They’ll also be joined on the bill by 2017 Scottish Album of the Year Award winners Sacred Paws, as well as Free Love, Heir of the Cursed, Callum Easter and Chuchoter.
“It’s a really strong lineup and we’re all really proud of it,” Ryan said. “One thing we wanted to really push is the local acts and people from different parts of Scotland as well. I’m particularly excited about the strong local line-up.”
Response so far towards the festival has been positive, Ryan says, with organisers liaising with local groups in order to make it a success.
“Everyone that’s been involved in the festival so far from a community perspective is really pleased to be bringing something like this to the area,” he said. “We want it to work for everybody.
“In Glasgow we’re almost spoiled for choice in some regards, there are so many shows all the time. Compared to other cities in the UK and Europe we’re not that big but we bring everybody that you can think of.
“People have been to festivals and bigger shows before but I’m really hoping that people will get what we’re trying to do. We just want people to enjoy great music in great places in a cool area.”
For more information and tickets, visit tgwfest.com
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