DavieG

In fairness to the festival again they DO continually change the format and the programme content pretty radically - and still it works!!!! Anidder big thumbs up!!

Let's have a week long spree with a club scene for each music type and have rock bands at Clickimmin and Morrison quay with Mareel and a stage tent at the pier for the rest. The country halls would of course be heavily invoved as well. The Simmer Dim Music Week ? - This would be a big tourist attraction..! And wha's going to pay for that wan and take the HUGE financial risks (not to mention the organising time) that come wie anything of this nature - much smaller events included? I come back to my final point in the original post - on you go then!!!!

Well whit will we read here next!!!! Somebody got oot o bed wie a gripey belly this morning and no mistake!!!! Thankfully it's just about all been said in reply and thank Christ things DO develop and move on and are not totally static or worse still pigeon holed into what somebody (usually a real minority - if not one person) terms 'folk' music or alternatively wants personally for themselves by way of musical entertainment. The very term 'folk music' should be self explanatory in itself and not simply a convenient and hugely restricted term as suggested here by the original poster. For proof lets just look to one of the most acclaimed, successful and indeed popular 'folk' festivals in the world for an answer - the Cambridge festival - and to how musically unrestricted that is while still keeping a firm focus on possibly the TRUE grass roots meaning of the word folk. NOBODY - that I know of anyway - complains or goes away disappointed (as suggested here) that they have seen, alongside perhaps the more 'traditional' (whatever that word REALLY means) acts that they may favour, that they also get the chance to see Steve Earle, Nanci Griffiths, the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, Trecherous Orchestra or whatever. While many good so called 'indie' bands (Mumford and Sons perhaps being a prime example) now also potentially (or even generally) appeal to the same genre and can confidently find a place on the same bill - upsetting only those that term themselves pureists or 'traditionalists' (a real minority I can assure you) By expanding the term folk (faithfully in my humble opinion) this has brought whole (indeed massive) new audiences to 'folk' music over the past 20 years or so - including young folk most importantly. It's also in that time become 'inclusive' not 'exclusive' and all the better for it I would say. Indeed I would even go so far as to suggest that such as approach has saved - let alone developed - folk music itself. Would the Shetland festival have survived (let alone developed in the way it has) if it still only purveyed folk music as it stood or was recognised in the 1970's and 80's when it first started???? I very much doot it!!!! And tell me what to hell 'World Music' actually is? Whit a fu****g stupid term!!!! Music from the world? OK there's a surprise!!! At one time however this term encouraged more restrictive pigeon holing!!! It more or less applied uniquely to African, possibly far Eastern or perhaps Latin American music - full stop!!! Now it's expanded to recognise the indigenous ( hey maybe traditional) music of ANY country in the WORLD - including Scotland thankfully and yes Shetland too!!!! So now it truly is World Music - not just the music of Africa as it once almost uniquely aligned itself too. Even the WOMEX World Music Expo has expanded to incorporate this new thinking and recognition - well nearly anyway!!!!! Folk Festivals also increasingly have to be financially viable or self sustaining into the bargain - without hopefully totally selling out - especially in light of falling funding opportunities. So it's become necessary to fully embrace the expanded term 'folk music' to benefit from this too. Thankfully the world has moved on greatly, especially over the past 30 years, as to what it (not we) now terms folk music. This has allowed and encouraged festivals all over the world - not just in Shetland - to faithfully expand their programmes in line with this new thinking and for everyone to reap the benefits - added exposure for artists and events, enhanced performance opportunities and incomes for many great artists, increased audiences and audience development opportunities and yes financial benefits too - to name but a few. Had this not happened 'organically' as it has - and the term folk had been left exclusively in the hands of the wooly jumper, zither and finger in the ear brigade then I humbly suggest there would be many LESS folk festivals, active folk clubs, folk music record labels and great musicians working professionally and internationally etc etc than there are now. And remember many larger festivals such as Glastonbury etc now have their own 'folk music' stages - bringing the music to a new and increasing audience . Thank Christ THEY dont pigeon hole it and say "no that's folk music it has no place here"!!!!! Musical genres and indeed festivals who do not develop wither and DIE - fact!!!!! Remember this was happening to what was initially termed 'traditional Shetland music' in 50's Shetland let alone today!!!! However that's not to say there's not a place for what some folk term 'traditional folk festivals' - I fully accept that there are. However they are now very much in a minority (a limited or 'niche' market) and struggle from year to year to even survive due to the simply fact there is so little support for or interest in them from today's audiences. And yes that goes for Shetland in a general sense too. Finally promoting music in Shetland is NOT the unique domain of the likes of the SFF, Accordion and Fiddle Festival, Thomas Fraser festival or even individuals such as myself. If anyone is NOT happy with what's already happening up here or in effect laid on a plate for them (usually at significant fianancial risk to the local promoter(s) concerned) by the likes of hugely committed volunteeers at the SFF or whoever, then I humble suggest they get off their opioninated arses, get out there and do it themselves if they know better what should or should not be done or delivered!!!!!! I look forward to seeing what it is they think needs to be done, what will work in every sense of the word up here and what they physically come up with to address the issues they highlight - rather than simply spouting off and hiding behind the anonimity that this particular forum affords them Davie Gardner Atlantic Edge Music Services Shetland See I'm no afraid to say who I am and what my opinion is. So come on complainer lets see you in every sense of the word!!!!!

March 2012 was still the currently aimed for opening date as confirmed at a stakeholders meeting that was held earlier this week. Not 100% certain by the sound of things though - but then whatever is I suppose.

I've been asked a lot what Matt C did while in Shetland - apart from rehearse, sound-check and do the gigs of course..... Sat night we went to the Great Wall for a terrific meal and drinks after the show. It was generally still open to the public so some lucky folk got the chance to meet the man / band there and then everyone simply went home. Too much great food was consumed to carry on drinking if truth be told. Cheers to Alan and Natalie and all their brilliant staff for their wonderful hospitality. Let's be honest folks the Lounge after the shows was never really a realistic option under the circumstances - it would simply have been too mad for all concerned!!! Not that he didn't want to meet people I can assure you - far from it in fact - but it should be realised that to his record company, management etc he's also potentially a multi million pound 'commodity' as well as a really nice human being, so they gotta look after him and 'protect' him in that respect too I'm afraid, while also of course respecting the fans who put him and them there in the first instance. Sunday morning we had a great boat trip round Lerwick Harbour with the wonderful Geordie Mainland of Shetland Sea Charters (this trip is highly recommend) where we caught mackerel off the Bressay light and fed seals at Shetland Catch (one of which he's trained to come onboard the boat looking for fish. Amazing!!!) Sunday night after the gig we were all in the bar of the Queens Hotel which was.........wait for it...........OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TILL 11PM!!! Presumably it was too obvious a place for those who were hunting for him to consider looking However a few more lucky folk who did come in got to meet Matt and the band there, where they got autographs and photos before the doors closed to the public as usual at 11. Monday's hangover(s) was brutal at times, but everyone had a great time winding down in there. On Monday, before he left for Inverness, we had another brilliant meal, this time in the Scalloway Hotel (cheers Caroline and Peter) - where one or two more folk managed to get autographs and photos before we headed for Sumburgh. Contrary to some public opinion Matt did indeed sign LOTS of autographs and pose for photos with folk and fans while up here - even though there was no official signing and photo session after the concerts - perhaps for obvious reasons!! I've no idea how we would have managed and controlled this to be honest. However, he / they turned down virtually no-one who they met informally and who asked for autographs or photos (as many Facebook pages and profiles can now testify to) He was a real gent in every respect like that. Sure his management were relatively tight on such things up here, but in all fairness they kinda have to be like that wherever he goes. As I say it's their job to protect THEIR artist while also giving his fans a bit of leeway and access into the bargain - granted most of it unofficial, informal and even opportunistic on this occasion. So there we go. Had you been in the Great Wall on Saturday or the Queens on Sunday or the Scalloway Hotel on Monday that was where he was at. Plus he did a fair bit of walking around Lerwick into the bargain and quite a few folk met him that way too. So thanks once again to all those hundreds of folk who bought tickets and came to the concerts - especially the really young folk who created such a great atmosphere for us all weekend. Well done again Shetland!!!!

No worries on this. I'm happy to be open and accountable and perhaps make issues such as costs etc a bit clearer to everyone, who after all spend their / your money, buy the tickets and actually help make the gigs happen in the first instance - and hopefully more in the future. You guys are our customers - we're similar to a shop owner I suppose - so I'm happy to account for why you have to pay what you do for what you buy, and also help explain why some things that we'd all like to happen (such as a meet and greet session with the musicians) SOMETIMES can't happen for fairly good reasons. Thanks to you all for the support and hugely appreciate the kind wirds I can assure you. More music - and hopefully comedy - to follow I hope. Cheers again

Thanks to you all and glad that clearly by far the bigger % seem more than happy with both the length o set and the ticket price. I'm absolutely certain he will be back when (inevitably I suspect) he will be an even bigger name than he is noo. I have a feeling he will be that kind of bloke - and the band already want to come back that's for sure. They were ALL really nice guys - as were his management and crew. So thanks again to all who made it a great weekend for everyone and yes rest assured I sincerely hope there will be more to come.

I've certainly got the taste for doing more gigs aimed at younger audiences after this one. The audience, and especially his younger fans, were fantastic all weekend. Great fun to be around and to see them so enthusiastic about music.

OH and thanks to Caroline and Peter at the Scalloway Hotel for the great, if somewhat hurried, leaving meal we had today.

That is there's no chance of me being put off by anyone whinging. I like to think we genuinely NEVER set out to rip anyone off!!!

No chance

Thanks for all the feedback folks and sorry if anyone felt they were short changed. As promoters we have no control whatsoever over the lenght of set or content - that's purely the artists and his managements domain. If he chooses to promote his new album and not fill his set with cover versions then that has to be his choice and priority. As several have pointed out this was indeed a Matt Cardle show to promote his new single and album and not an X Factor one. Shetland was only his second and third gigs ever with his new band who - before going on tour - only had one week to rehearse. When they announced the gig in Shetland they did not even know who was going to be in the line-up at that time. You can rightly say this was their fault - but that's the fact of the matter anyway. When we heard that the set was only likely to be 45 mintues + we too were a bit disappointed and asked if it would be somehow possible to extend this slightly. We were told this could not happen and would not be possible. As far as price goes unfortunately the costs for a show like this, and irrespective of set lenght, are very high and we have to cover costs somehow. When we agree and budet for a show you are never sure if the tickets are going to sell or not - so this business is, in effect, a huge risk. Marvin has aptly covered most of the costs we have to carry - but here's a rough breakdown of what we have to cover purely from ticket money alone - no sponsors, public funding or bar take for us I'm afraid. Artist fees (main act and support act) Flights Accommodation Artist food Venue Hire Stewarding PA Hire (The PA for this gig largely had to come from Glasgow) Truck on Northlink PA operators fare and accommodation Production operation costs (sound and light) Mini bus hire + fuel Marketing (adverts etc) Ticket printing Additional instrument and backline hire Hire of crowd barrier Transport of equipment - local truck hire. All this has to be committed too from the outset - whether the tickets sell or not - and I've found out from bitter experience that there is no such thing as a "sure thing" in this game. Rest assured we did everything possible to keep the ticket price as low as possible while still covering all our costs (especially as we believed lots of young folk would be keen to see him). As regards security - they have to respond to the needs and regulations of the venue operator, as well as addressing our needs as promoters and the artist management - plus we have insurance, licensing and health and safety obligations and issues to address in this respect too. The police also request we act in this kind of responsible manner at all times at events of this size -especially when there are a lot of under 18's and very young children at the event After the delays experienced on Saturday night re getting into the venue the Clickimin and Arctic Security staff changed several things to make Sunday nights entry much quicker and easier - so thanks to them for that. The security at the back door in terms of the fans were acting on the wishes of Matt's management. They are duty bound to look after his personal interests while trying to be fair and kind to fans too. This is required of them as part of his managements job description irrespective of whether he's playing Glasgow or Shetland. I'm genuinely sorry we / they could not offer fans an official meet and greet, photo or autograph signing opportunity - but given the anticipated level of demand for this, not to mention the levels of excitement (and, at times, yes even frenzy) we experienced from his fans over the weekend (great fun and lovely to see as this was) it was considered impossible to deliver such an official opportunity and, perhaps more importantly, a means of doing so and managing it fairly and safely for all concerned. So his management, ourselves and the venue operators agreed it would not be possible to do this. However I'm, genuinely delighted at the way things went over the weekend and equally delighted that by far the bigger percentage of you appear to think you got value for money. Sadly we never seem to be able to please everyone - but hey that's life I suppose!!! Matt and his band / crew totally loved Shetland and the people up here and let me say his fans were wonderful and so much fun to be around over the whole weekend. So thank you one and all for making it a terrific experience for them and indeed for all of us involved. The atmosphere is the Clickimin was electric both nights and it made us all very proud to be part of it. The fans / everyone's bahaviours was exemplery. so a million thanks to all of you who bought tickets, came along to the shows and made it a weekend that none of us will forget in a hurry. My thanks go to: Matt and his band / crew Our support act Malachy Tallack Beyond Promotions Inverness Robert Geddes and his all staff at the Clickimin Centre David Wagstaff and his team at Technical Production Services Sound Acoustics, Glasgow Brian, Fiona, Arthur and Maggie at High Level Music Stuart Wadley and his staff at Arctic Security Alan, Natalie and their fantastic staff at the Great Wall Queens Hotel staff Karen and Keith at Alder Lodge Marvin, Karen, Vaila and Clare Bolts Car Hire staff Graham Malcolmson Russell Gair Shetland Arts And last but by no means least you guys for buying the tickets and coming along Sorry if I've missed anyone but it's not intentional I can assure you. Cheers again Davie Gardner

All tickets should arrive in good time. If not we have official lists of website purchased tickets on the door. So no worries hopefully.

ALL tickets should have been despatched by now.

For those looking on Shetlink for Matt Cardle Sunday night tickets they are not sold out for that night as yet - it's just the Saturday that's sold out. However it's true to say that there are not many tickets left for the Sunday either so better to buy ahead of the weekend if you want to be sure. Tickets are still in High Level Music and on Ticketmaster website.