The festival team really put the HEART in to Heartland!
The Heartland Festival returned to the charming Perthshire town of Pitlochry this weekend for its second year—and it’s already making its mark on the Scottish music scene. What a glorious weekend it was! Sunshine, great bands, tasty grub, and a few nice tipples. But it’s not just the stunning scenery that makes this festival so special—it’s the team at the heart of it all. The ethos, the community spirit, the family-friendly atmosphere, and the sheer love and dedication to Scottish music from Graham, Simon, and Marion are what make Heartland truly stand out. That passion was clear in abundance this year.
This review is a little different—I’ll be honest with you. I had the incredible opportunity to perform on the Main Stage myself this year with David Delinquent and The IOUs, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Don’t worry—I’m not going to spend the whole review talking about myself! I wanted to use this platform to spotlight this wonderful, family-friendly Scottish festival. Along the way, I’ll share a few personal highlights and insights from others who were part of this year’s journey.
Heartland operates with two stages: the Main Stage and the Discovery Stage, showcasing 24 acts across two days. You won’t need two guesses to figure out where my attention tends to go during the weekend—I’m all about discovering up-and-coming talent. The fact that it’s exclusively Scottish artists makes it even more special. This year, I was introduced to so much new music—hidden gems that often go unnoticed in an oversaturated market. Thanks to Marion’s hard work, the Discovery Stage continues to shine a light on talent that truly deserves to be seen.
I hope this is something the Heartland team continues to embrace—offering bands a chance to “step up” from Discovery to Main Stage year-on-year. It boosts confidence, increases visibility, and creates new opportunities for independent artists to grow their fanbase.
Not all heroes wear capes… some wear hi-viz vests. Everyone was on top form this weekend from volunteers and vendors to security staff. Everyone was super friendly and smiling all weekend!
– Lisa Phinn
One of the most beautiful things to witness this year was the way bands supported one another—turning up early, standing front and centre for each other’s sets, giving shout-outs from the stage, and sharing each other’s content online before and after the weekend. That right there is what it’s all about: community over competition. There’s room for everyone to be creative and have their moment. I’ve written about this a lot over the past year, and it deserves recognition—because this level of support wasn’t always the norm. I’m so glad it’s becoming one. It makes a real difference to the music scene we’re all working hard to keep alive.
For three acts from the Discovery Stage class of 2024—Copper Lungs, Forgetting The Future, and David Delinquent and The IOUs—the weekend brought an extra milestone: they were invited to perform on the Main Stage in 2025. I caught up briefly with this year’s “Class of ‘24” to hear what they had to say about the experience…
DAVID DELINQUENT AND THE IOUS.
“This festival has gone from strength to strength in the last two years bringing a diverse and exciting line up to Pitlochry over the las two years. It’s USP – it’s all home grown talent from Scotland. For our own band, it’s completely given us a much larger audience and we can’t thank the team at Heartland enough for the last two years. It’s been absolutely incredible to be part of this wonderful festival.”
CC: DM Captures
COPPER LUNGS
“Playing the Main Stage at Heartland to 8,000 people was the most unforgettable moment of our lives. Just a year ago, we were on the Discovery Stage playing to a few hundred and none of this would’ve been possible without the incredible support of the Heartland team. They truly care about emerging artists, and you can feel that in every interaction. What meant the most was knowing they were right there with us, feeling the moment too. We’ll never forget it and we genuinely believe this experience will change the course of our band forever.”
CC Alannah JPEG
FORGETTING THE FUTURE
“So Heartland Festival to us at Forgetting The Future is an incredible festival that’s supported us the past two years and let us showcase our music both on their small stage (discovery stage) and their main stage which has helped us excel and grow our fanbase around the area in central Scotland. Every year it has been absolutely fantastic hospitality from the staff and the crowds and the reaction from the audiences has been absolutely surreal. I think with the team they have and the way things are going for them as well, I think they definitely have got the potential to be one of the biggest festivals in Scotland.”
CC: Hope Simmers
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We all know how important a like, share and stream can be for independent bands and artists. The discovery stage was buzzing with so many deserving the love so go check them all out. They may just be your next favourite band.
Pesonal highlights of the weekend;
Daytime TV – So much energy and style. Exactly the type of festival band I like.
Deltamanic – If you like groove and soul, these guys have you covered.
Cloudhouse – Indie pop goodness. (and they have sax, so extra cool points there)
Martin Mullady – Indie rockers from Alloa; catchy guitar riffs.
Beyond the music, the atmosphere was unmatched. It’s family-friendly, welcoming, and full of opportunity to meet new people. My friend and I reconnected with a couple and their daughter who we met at last year’s festival. I gave her a band setlist, and we danced together to Skerryvore’s Take My Hand to close out Saturday night. She’s four years old, knew every single word, and her face lit up the second that intro kicked in…
Heartland is growing young music fans, inspiring future musicians, and creating unforgettable moments.
You can buy your 2026 tickets here now at the early bird price of £59 for the weekend – bargain if you ask me.
How about the impact on residents who surround the play field and haven’t been consulted at all, at any time? I bet not one of the acts nor any of the crowd give a moments thought to that. There’s more than 80 homes surrounding the stage. That’s not something you will find at any other licensed outdoor music festival in the region. Whoever thought this was a suitable location for this event (a town with a population of under 3000), with a claimed 8,000 crowd squeezed onto an area of only two football pitches and with a desire to be bigger, needs their head examined as does the council for licensing it.