Latest:
05/05/08
The amazingly talented and much revered Conor Oberst will make his Scottish debut with his mysterious new musical project The Magic Valley Band at this year’s Hydro Connect festival

What’s it about?
Located in the grounds of Inveraray Castle on the banks of Loch Fyne, Connect is Scotland’s very own boutique music event.

It’s inaugural event just last year was a great success, seeing Connect nominated in the UK Festival Awards. Although the line up for this year is still to be announced, last year saw a quality bill of artists, including The Beastie Boys, Primal Scream, Bjork and The Jesus and Mary Chain, who played their first gig in Scotland in nearly 20 years.

2007 delivered much more than just music, offering a plethora of alternative entertainment, ranging from local food and drink in the Circuses and Bread Field, magical woodland walks, comedians, old school games, visual artists and installations, and the strange but rather unique performances in The Unknown Pleasures Tent.

Book now if you love: The great outdoors, quality music and cutting edge art. 

Don’t miss: We’re waiting to find out what’s on the agenda...

Want to go? Connect 2008 is taking place from 29-31 August. Find out more about ticket availability and prices at www.connectmusicfestival.com

Going to this Festival? Been before?  Why not tell us about your experiences by hitting Write A Review...

Gemma Hughes, MyVillage: said on 17th September ... "Perhaps you like nice food and drink, but don't understand why in order to consume them you have to be surrounded by idiots and starched white table cloths whilst Sade plays in the background. Perhaps you like great music, but don't understand why the law of the land dictates you must consume warm cooking-lager at five pounds a pop in a sweaty, sticky-floored hole while you do so. If either of these are quandaries you find yourself in – worry no more – The Connect Festival may answer all your problems...

Set in the absolutely stunning grounds of Inveraray Castle, Argyll, this festival is perhaps the one the place you can eat Loch Fyne oysters whilst watching The Beastie Boys, sip a glass of champagne whilst listening to 'The Black Elvis' cover Kylie's Can't Get You Out of my Head, before consuming your body weight in chips 'n' gravy and pear cider and dancing like a mental to the likes of Hot Chip, CSS or LCD Soundsystem.

The line-up, especially considering it was Connect's inaugural year, was nothing short of amazing, but this festival is about so much more than that. Perhaps akin to Bestival and Glastonbury, the weekend did not involve running from one stage to another to catch band after band; the site was a wonderful place to wander, discovering un-signed bands, burlesque dancers, hidden gardens, and ever more bars most happy to supply you with a recyclable glass of your favourite tipple.
However, as you may expect for a first attempt, there were a couple of things that could have been better.... the toilets on site were cleaned remarkably often, but their camp-site counterparts were nothing short of utterly rancid pits of poop. And the walk from the carpark to the main site was over a mile and a half. Yup, a mile and a half – and up-hill all the way, might I add – not so much fun when undertaken in the dark with all manner of camping accoutrements and a most generous bounty of Becks.

But to be honest, that really is all I could possibly complain about. Primal Scream, Jarvis Cocker, Bjork, Teenage Fanclub, M.I.A, and Mogwai to name but a few playing in one of the most beautiful places in the UK, to a crowd of refreshingly cool festival go-ers, where you can treat your cider induced hangover with a farm assured black pudding roll for breakfast really is bliss.

Good news, too – this year was such a success that everything is set for 2008. Obviously, all acts are TBC, but if this year is anything to go by, it should be well worth crossing the border for. "
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