A hectic gig schedule at the Green Hotel opens tonight (Friday) with a sold-out visit from a blue-eyed soul legend and her longtime collaborator.
Yorkshire-born star Kiki Dee, who famously duetted with Elton John on the 1976 chart-topper Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, last appeared at the Kinross venue in late 2018.
She released The Long Ride Home, the latest in a series of albums with her guitarist sidekick Carmelo Luggeri, last year.
What else is on?
Blues rockers Albany Down hit the Green tomorrow night (Saturday), 12 years on from unleashing their debut album South Of The City.
Hailing from Bedford, the Led Zeppelin-influenced combo recorded three LPs with producer Greg Haver, a cohort of Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals.
They’re followed by a couple of sold-out shows from one of the all-time great names of British rock, namely The Zombies.
Led by keys wiz Rod Argent and frontman Colin Blunstone, the Hertfordshire natives made history in 1964 as only the second UK band to score a chart-topping single in America, with She’s Not There.
Equally acclaimed for their other big USA hits Tell Her No and Time Of The Season, the psychedelic popsters split in late 1967, with their main men going on to enjoy success in the 1970s with Argent and a solo career respectively.
Rod and Colin started playing together again after more than three decades in 1999, releasing an album of new Zombies material in 2004.
The band’s seventh album Different Game – their first since 2015’s Still Got That Hunger – came out last month and their Kinross double-header is part of an extensive UK tour.
Opening for them at both shows will be veteran New York songsmith Bruce Sudano, who’s penned hits for such greats as Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson and his late wife Donna Summer.
Mod rock homage
As if that wasn’t enough, rising Americana star Joe Martin’s at the Green on Thursday – the Lancashire troubadour releases his debut album Empty Passenger Seat on May 1 – with a mod rock homage in Kinross next Friday courtesy of the Johnny Warman-led Magic Bus and their Total Who show.
Elsewhere, Blue Rose Code troubadour Ross Wilson and his regular cohorts hit Perth Theatre tomorrow (Saturday).
The folk-popsters are celebrating 10 years since their debut album North Ten and will perform the opus in full, plus a set of new material and reinterpreted work.
The same venue has Scottish rock legends Gun next Friday.
The Glasgow outfit released their first album in five years last October and are already putting the finishing touches to its follow-up.
Gun frontman Dante Gizzi and his guitarist brother Jools have been playing acoustic shows lately, but are set to perform a full-band electric show in the Fair City.
The band’s current line-up also includes six-stringer Tommy Gentry, drummer Paul McManus and bassist Andy Carr.
Dundee Metal Fest is here!
Separately, this year’s Dundee Metal Fest is being staged at Beat Generator tomorrow (Saturday).
Running from 1pm-11pm, the headbangers’ ball boasts 13 heavy-duty noiseniks in its line-up, including Edinburgh riffers Dog Tired and Dundee-based HM prize guys Catalysis, plus Volcano, Solar Sons, Extort, Bed Of Wasps, Earl Of Hell, Hyperstasis and more.
Away from metal, there’s a Jam tribute show at the North Lindsay Street venue tonight (Friday) courtesy of A Band Called Malice.
Further ahead, former Stiff Little Fingers axemeister Henry Cluney brings XSLF to Beat G next Friday, with support from The Eddies, Sunday Punk Club and The Degenerators.
At Church, psych-influenced Edinburgh duo Man Of Moon are tomorrow’s big draw, ahead of visits from breaking Glasgow songsmith Murdo Mitchell on Sunday and a synth set from Steven Lee and Mark Small – reworking the songs of their late collaborator Pauline M Hynd – next Friday.
In Kirriemuir, this year’s Bonfest AC/DC-themed extravaganza kicks off at its 1,800-capacity main arena next Friday with sets from tribute favourites Pure DC and big-time hard rock outfits The Treatment, from Cambridge, and Welsh firebrands Scarlet Rebels.
Dundee Punk Festival at Conroy’s Basement has Glasgow hardcore outfit Divide tonight, with Make-That-A-Take Records signings Goodbye Blue Monday and East Anglia-based We Bless This Mess on stage tomorrow (Saturday).
In Dunfermline, it’s Nashville-influenced songbird Kirsten Adamson tomorrow (Saturday) at PJ Molloys.
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