MUSICIANS from Caithness will be among those heralding the opening of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament next month.
The sound of "young Scotland" will ring out at Holyrood on Friday, July 1, as a showcase of young Scottish musicians perform as part of an afternoon of free entertainment.
The county’s very own Maydays will join Crayons, from Fife, French Wives and the Imagineers, both from Glasgow, and White Heath, from Edinburgh.
Caithness born and bred, the Maydays rolled down to their current Edinburgh base and have been hailed by critics as producers of "beautiful sunshine pop music". Mixing the tones and melodies of The Beach Boys and Aberfeldy with the pop sensibilities of Belle and Sebastian, they come highly rated as a live act.
Maydays and the four other bands will perform in the parliament as part of an eclectic roster of youth choirs and orchestras along with pipers, drummers and traditional Scottish musicians.
This will follow the morning’s ceremonial opening by Her Majesty the Queen and the riding procession down the Royal Mile involving around 2000 people.
Presiding officer Tricia Marwick MSP said it should be a great day to celebrate Scottish talent.
"Scotland has a long history of nurturing new musical acts and the opening of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament is all about recognising Scottish talent and success," she said.
"It’s wonderful to be welcoming such musically diverse bands from across the country."
A full programme of the afternoon’s free entertainment will be announced later this month.
