Summer of tunes, tastes and tries to boost Strathmore Rugby Club's community role

The club began holding an annual Summer Strathmore Sessions club music event and a Lochside 10s rugby festival in 2022. Their success in raising funds for the club, which plays host to seven community groups each week, has inspired it to expand a couple of weekends of music and rugby into a summer-long series of events, most of which are free to attend.

As well as increasing the number of events, the club is also extending its licensed capacity for the outside and clubhouse bars from 530 to 1000 in order to welcome more music and rugby fans and raise more money in the process. Street food and hot drinks will also be on offer to satisfy revellers’ taste buds.

The Summer of songs begins at 5pm on May 31 with a Britpop-themed event, featuring Oasis tribute band Stop The Clocks, Parka Life – a Scottish four-piece Britpop-inspired indie covers band – a Verve tribute act and High Voltage - a young band with a contemporary sound.

The musical tempo slows down on June 15, when Bob & Marco and Jim Robertson bring Country & Western, folk and easy-listening tunes to the free Sunday Chill session from 3pm-5pm.

Fans of Country & Western as well as bluegrass music can then enjoy a free set from Don Crabb & Andrew Calvert on June 21 from 8pm-11pm.

The beat picks up again on July 5 when ‘80s covers band Ganked play live from 7.30pm-10pm. The three-piece acoustic quartet from Aberdeen are known for their unique blend of punk, mod, and indie music and take classic tracks from these genres and give them an acoustic twist.

Rugby takes centre stage on July 25 and 26, when the club will host the fourth Lochside 10s rugby festival. From 6pm on the 25th, the Under-18 teams will compete for glory, with the action starting at 10am the following day with the Over-35s.

The women’s tournament is set to start at 12.30pm and the event will conclude with the Senior Men’s competition from 3.30pm.

The evening will round off with live music in the marquee from Eddie McNaughton and Friends, playing traditional and contemporary folk from 7pm-11pm.

The final event of the summer will be the fourth Strathmore Sessions music festival from 2pm-11pm on August 2.

The only event of its type in the area, it will bring DJ sets from Hayley Zalassi, Morrison Street, Disco T*ts and Paul Findlay.

For more details and to book tickets for the paid gigs, go to ra.co/clubs/233683

Speaking about the expanded Summer events programme, Strathmore Rugby Club business development consultant Nicol Welsh, said: “We pride ourselves in providing a safe family-friendly environment to all of our community, so by increasing the number and variety of music events we can engage with friends we’ve not met yet.

“Also, the club facilities lend themselves to providing the wider community with access to live music events for all ages and genres.

"Add this to a great rugby offering and it’s a win for everyone this Summer.”

For information about how to get involved with Strathmore RFC or use its facilities, go to strathmorerugby.co.uk