St James Quarter Sessions
St James Quarter Sessions is back for its third year, between 15th and 24th August, with a packed line up of heavy hitters and up and coming talent taking over the East End of the city!
About St James Quarter Sessions
Happening during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the city’s leading retail and lifestyle destination, St James Quarter, this year’s festival programme sees over 60 acts performing across the impressive, canopied development, including the Level 6 rooftop, with panoramic views of Scotland’s capital and castle – providing one of the most unique festival stages in the UK.
Hot on the heels of the band’s well-received 30th anniversary tour, 90s icons The Brand New Heavies, will be bringing iconic acid-jazz hits such as “You Are The Universe” and “Midnight At The Oasis” to Edinburgh. Fans can expect a stacked set of classic tunes, heavy bass lines and hypnotic rhythms from one of the band’s that helped to establish acid-jazz in popular culture in the 90s.
Coming off the back of rave reviews from this year’s UK festival scene, Winner of the Scottish Music Awards' 'Sound of Scotland' award and previously BBC Introducing's 'Scottish Act of the Year', Glasgow rapper Bemz will be kicking off this year’s main event with a banging Friday night performance on the Level 6 Castle View stage. Having toured with the likes of The Snuts, Bemz has been building a reputation as a leading light in Scotland’s hip-hop scene.
Fresh from making her Glastonbury debut this year, Cortney Dixon is poised to set the rooftop on fire with a riotous set of indie-pop anthems. Expect fuzz laden guitars and a raucous performance from the North East’s latest hot property on the music scene.
Grassroots music champions Wide Days will be taking over the Castle View stage with their ‘New From Scotland’ series, showcasing Scotland’s hottest new talent. Festival-goers can enjoy the industry’s top picks of future Scottish stars on Friday 22nd before they reach the masses.
Slated for the Level 3 Yellow Stage and hailing from the small Scottish town of Cromarty, critically acclaimed Highlands singer songwriter, Tamzene will be bringing her unique sound to Sessions. Riding the waves of a career that’s pacing towards stardom, Tamzene will deliver an intimate set of R&B tinged pop ballads set to mesmerise festival goers with candid lyricism and haunting melodies that draw on a nuanced mix of Irish, Jamaican and Highland roots.
Nigerian-born and Edinburgh-raised, James Emmanuel will also be bringing his soulful sounds to the Yellow Stage on Level 3 of the Galleria. Raised as the son of a preacher, he first found his voice in gospel choirs, a grounding that shaped his soulful sound from the beginning. Now backed by BBC Introducing, James draws inspiration from legends like Marvin Gaye and Bobby "Blue" Bland, James brings a timeless quality to stories that feel deeply personal and human.
On the back of their very first headline tour after releasing their debut album in 2024, Scottish duo The Laurettes will be bringing their unique take on Celtic-folk to the Sessions stage, supported by their all-female band.
Elsewhere on the bill will be Dara Dubh, Beth Miller, Ant Thomaz, Indoor Foxes, Dictator, Justine Beverley and more home grown talent taking over stages throughout St James Quarter.
Festival-goers can sign up for free tickets, set times and stage information by downloading the St James Quarter App, which allows everyone to stay updated with events happening throughout the destination for Sessions and beyond.
The warm-up to this year’s St James Quarter Sessions will champion Edinburgh’s rich grassroots music scene by offering the next generation of Scottish stars a series of pop-up busking performances appearing throughout the destination. Running throughout August, musicians can apply for a paid performance slot with applications via www.stjamesquarter.com
St James Quarter has continued to back grassroots musicians this year, partnering with Forth 1’s Boogie In The Morning for a talent search that will let one winner bag a rooftop stage performance slot, a cash prize of £1000 and recording time at W Edinburgh’s in-house studio, with four runners up being offered sets on the festival’s Yellow Stage.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
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