Connect: Stage and screen star Jessie Buckley to appear at Edinburgh music festival in August

Jessie Buckley, the rising stage and screen star who has won an Olivier Award and an Oscar nomination in the past 12 months, is to appear in Edinburgh this August – at the city's new pop and rock festival.
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The Irish actress and singer, who shot to fame playing a Glasgow country singer in the Bafta-nominated film Wild Rose, has been unveiled as one of the latest acts to perform at the Connect festival, which will be revived in Edinburgh over the last weekend in August.

Buckely, whose other roles include Fargo, Judy and Chernobyl, will perform at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, who she has recorded a forthcoming album with.

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She will appear alongside Mogwai, The Chemical Brothers, Idles, The National, Idlewild, Little Simz, Self Esteem and John Grant in the festival.

Connect is being revived by promoters DF Concerts after a 14-year hiatus after the festival was previously staged in the grounds of Inveraray Castle in Argyll.

The event will boast three stages, with the headliners appearing at The Grand Parade, the Guitars & Other Machines stage playing host to a mix emerging grassroots acts and musical “heroes”, and Unknown Pleasures featuring a mix of electronic music, comedy and cabaret acts.

The Connect site will be opened on Wednesday, August 24 for a huge open-air gig headlined by American rock giants Rage Against The Machine.

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Buckley and Butler will be performing on the first official opening day of the festival on Friday, August 26, which will now be headlined by British-Irish rock band Idles after “trip hop” collective Massive Attack cancelled their planned European tour due to the serious illness of a band member.

Joesef, Lyra, Jealous of the Birds, India Jordan, Taahliah and Pocket have also been added to the Friday line-up, which includes Jon Hopkins, Black Coffeee, John Grant, Optimo (Espacio) and Moses Boyd.

New additions for the Saturday at Connect include Holly Humberstone, Newdad, Opus Kink, Dance System, Push It and Nadia Summer B2B DIJA, who will play alongside the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Bonobo, The Twilight Sad, Swim School, Caribou, Ride and Low.

Sunday’s line-up now features Sam Gellaitry, Barry Can’t Swim and Karma Kid, who will join acts including The National, Mogwai, Bombay Bicycle Club, Little Simz, Self Esteem, Black Country, New Road, Idlewild, Admiral Fallow and Lizzie Reid.

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An official announcement on the new additions to the Connect line-up states: “Connect is an entirely new festival experience that will feature the best in left-field talent, from grassroots through to award-winning headliners.

Irish singer and actress Jessie Buckley has been added to the bill of the Connect music festival, which will be staged at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh in August. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty ImagesIrish singer and actress Jessie Buckley has been added to the bill of the Connect music festival, which will be staged at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh in August. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Irish singer and actress Jessie Buckley has been added to the bill of the Connect music festival, which will be staged at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh in August. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

“Connect will unite some of the most influential and truly pioneering names in music from around the world with the very best of Scotland’s home-grown heroes.

“This is a festival for music lovers and the first edition promises to be one to remember.”

The Ingliston site will also be hosting a series of “Big Top” concerts in an 8,000-capacity circus tent.

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James, Madness, 50 Cent, Richard Ashcroft, Fatboy Slim and Biffy Clyro are all due to apear in the new DF Concerts series between June 11 and 25.

Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley will be appearing at the Connect festival in Edinburgh shortly after the release of their debut album as a duo.Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley will be appearing at the Connect festival in Edinburgh shortly after the release of their debut album as a duo.
Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley will be appearing at the Connect festival in Edinburgh shortly after the release of their debut album as a duo.

The promoters will also be reviving their “Summer Sessions” shows in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens in August, with Simply Red, Sir Tom Jones, Simple Minds, Travis and Michael Kiwanuka all due to appear.

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