5 feelgood things to do in Inverness this weekend
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Celebrate these pre-midsummer days at festival Woodzstock or new city one-dayer BandStock, hear an American choir, Fleetwood Mac songs or screen binge ...
1 Festival in the forest ...
Woodzstock one-day festival on Saturday, June 17 from noon to 11pm brings its winning mix for a small festival atmosphere – and the bill is headlined by legendary Utah Saints with Tom McGuire & The Brassholes, McFleetwood and other names from closer to home including Inverness musician James Mackenzie, The Dihydro, the return of local metal rockers Bad Actress with their new singer and many more local acts including Karawane, Chancers, Palemoon, The Black Isle Peas, Dylan James Tierney, Paul John Maciver, talented young singer songwriter Rhoehaisse Clark, Sarah Gallagher, Susanna Wolfe and Wee James. One change this year is that there is space for 10 pitches for small campervans. But a familiar trademark – as in previous years – is the festival has its special bus services from and to Inverness and Rosemarkie. Weather gods, smile!
2 Debut from Minnesota choir ...
This event fits our feelgood bill in every way as The Zumbro Lutheran Choir perform a free concert in aid of Highland Hospice on Saturday from 7.30pm to 9pm. The Minnesota choir will stop off for the concert at Inverness Cathedral as part of their Scottish tour. Sarah Callaghan one of the singers said: "We are so excited to be in Scotland for the first time and bringing an eclectic variety of American and European music to the beautiful Inverness Cathedral. It’s a free concert, but any donations collected will benefit Highland Hospice."
3 Midsummer music
On Sunday, June 18 the first BandStock is a day-long music chillout experience at the Beaufort Hotel in Inverness from noon to 10pm with The Side, This Machine, Space Van, Rope Limit, Lucid Liars and Macgilli (picture top). Rock trio Space Van set it up to give local music fans a mid-summer family-friendly event in the heart of Inverness. Go here to catch a QnA with Macgilli and the other bands too!
4 Now here you go again ...
Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac returns to Eden Court for two nights on Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22. It's been called the world’s finest tribute to Fleetwood Mac, whether you are rediscovering the songs and voices that have soundtracked your life – or are new to the music that earned the band legendary status from the 60s on, this show is personally endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founding member, Mick Fleetwood, which is a guarantee the musicians and singers are doing plenty right.
5 Screen heroes ...
There are some great movie moments this week and first up is The Flash (12A) ... At the end of Back To The Future Part III, the blockbuster time travel saga which is explicitly name-checked in The Flash, Emmett 'Doc' Brown (Christopher Lloyd) tenderly parts ways with Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) by reminding his protege: “Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.” Those optimistic words ripple through this script sharing the adventure for the fleet-footed DC Comics superhero, which revisits cataclysmic events from the DC Extended Universe beginning with the 2013 film Man Of Steel. The socially awkward hero describes himself as “essentially the janitor of the Justice League” and he is acutely aware of the dangers of meddling in the space-time continuum. But with almost two and a half hours of screen time to fill, Ezra Miller delivers endearing dual performances as Barry Allens who collide (in violation of laws which state you should never interact with your past self) to save the world from an intergalactic menace. Michael Keaton lightly wedges tongue in cheek as he gamely dusts off his bat suit, catalysing a touching father-son dynamic with Miller that tugs heartstrings. But Barry creates devastating ripples that bring him face to face with a different incarnation of Batman (Keaton). The Flash is one of the most enjoyable DC Comics films outside of the darker Batman/Joker series, there's a steady supply of giggles, but is the human drama sacrificed to an overload of CGI in the end?
For those in search of a juicy drama, Greatest Days (12A) with its boy band story could fit the bill.
“Today this could be the greatest day of our lives!” croons Gary Barlow, easing into the title track of this feelgood jukebox musica.
Adapted by screenwriter Tim Firth from his 2017 stage production, The Band, it's got a toe-tapping songbook courtesy of Take That.
And on the small screen, there's the return of Diana Gabaldon's epic story of Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall in series seven of Outlander.
It streams from Friday on Lionsgate+. Jamie (Sam Heughan) races against the clock to save Claire (Caitriona Balfe) before she is wrongfully convicted for the murder of Malva Christie when the romantic drama adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s fantasy novels returns. The first half of the highly-anticipated seventh season unfolds, with a further eight episodes due next year. The fates of Jamie, Claire and their family become entwined with the political firestorm of the American Revolution, wrenching the clan from their home in North Carolina. Meanwhile, Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) also face tough decisions to protect what they have built together, as an armed rebellion undermines the crumbling facade of British institutions.
HEADS UP
The coming month's guests at the Inverness Acoustic Music Club will be Rebecca Hill & Charlie Stewart on Wednesday, July 5 at 7.30pm. Not been yet? This might be a great moment to head along to The Wee Bar and check it out for yourself.
