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Dream Wife force of nature in the Scottish music industry. There’s a really exciting movement right now in Scotland of female singer-songwriters, bands and musicians. It would be amazing to see the 50/50 gender balance by 2022 in all festivals across the UK, as well as in music studios, rehearsals, on stage and behind the stage, too.’
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When asked about the opening night of Hidden Door, Stina is ecstatic about the acts that she’ll be sharing the bill with, and not just because they’re all female. ‘The lineup is completely badass! These are all artists who are doing incredible work. I listen to 6 Music every day and I know Gwenno’s album was album of the day recently and Nadine Shah was on the Roundtable. These are actually people who are at the forefront of the business and are just artistically doing awesome stuff. And Dream Wife are absolutely killing it, what an amazing live band!’
The grunge-pop outi t are known for their unapologetically i erce and razor-sharp delivery, with shades of riot grrrl emanating from their self-titled debut. Like Stina, they’re pretty happy to be part of this lineup, with Rakel adding, ‘We’re dei nitely excited to play Hidden Door and to have some good times at the festival! We’re also really excited about seeing some new acts.’ Nadine Shah is a strong supporter of
Nadine Shah
the Keychange initiative, having been announced as an ambassador alongside the likes of Shirley Manson, Emily 38 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2018
Honeyblood (Cat Myers and Stina Tweeddale, right)
Eavis and Imogen Heap. Gwenno, meanwhile, released an album just last month entirely in Cornish, with the goal of keeping the language and identity alive through music.
The Hidden Door gig will no doubt be a special one and not just because of the cracking all-female lineup, but because such an event and such a lineup is happening here in Edinburgh, a city that has faced some blows to its live music scene in the past year. As Stina notes, ‘I started Honeyblood in Glasgow and Cat, she went to uni in Edinburgh and it was the i rst place she lived in Scotland. For us, we get called a Glasgow-based band but Edinburgh is pretty much where I learnt to love music, it’s very important to me.’ Playing in the city may be bittersweet for the Edinburgh-native who has seen the recent struggles that live music has faced here, but Stina understands the signii cance of events like Hidden Door. ‘I feel that events like this that are pulling in big artists who are doing wonderful things in their line of work is vital for the city,’ she continues, ‘and not just during the Festival. It’s about showcasing the type of creativity and passion that is worth venturing out for all year round.’
Hidden Door Opening Night: Nadine Shah, Dream Wife, Gwenno, Stina Tweeddale
(Honeyblood), Leith Theatre, Fri 25 May. Hidden Door takes place Fri 25 May–Sun 3 Jun. Siobhan Wilson, Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Apr.