This Is August: Light Up the Amps

Hey You,

This month we’ve been thinking about Aberdeen’s music venues. The music scene runs through a handful of rooms that each play their own part.

International acts head to P&J Live. Touring bands might choose the Music Hall, the Arts Centre, the Lemon Tree or the Tivoli. Drummonds has been putting local bands on stage since before most of them were born. Krakatoa runs as a worker co-op, ploughing every penny back into the scene it serves and the Tunnels and Unit 51 keep the underground underground.

Below those, a handful of small spaces make their own special efforts for the scene. Back rooms, pubs and cafés that put on a night not because it pays but because someone decided the city needed it. They punch well above their size, and they run on pure goodwill.

All grassroots venues face the same maths. Small rooms mean small fees, and small fees mean the bands and the venues both run on something closer to love than money. It feels like it’s been tough-going for a long time, but they still fight on. The places that put on original local music are choosing the harder road on purpose. They stay open because people keep walking through the door.

August is when that door is easiest to ignore. The summer feels like a pause, and it’s tempting to save yourself for autumn. Don’t. This is the month a five-quid ticket does the most work.

At the end of last year, the Blue Lamp was snuffed out for good, ending a 75-year history. None of our venues are permanent fixtures. That only becomes clear when they’re gone.

On the 13th, promoters, musicians and venues are gathering at the Carlton Bar function room for an open music stakeholder meeting. If you've got any stake in Aberdeen's alternative circuit, that's a meet-up worth being in.

For everyone else, we’re going to ask you a wee favour. Pick a night. Pick a venue. Go and stand in front of a local band who’d rather play to you than to an empty floor. Our music scene doesn’t survive on the big nights. It survives on the small ones. We promise you'll have fun.

Chris & Kevin xx

What’s on in August

AfroCreative Exchange Trade Fair 2026

1 Aug | Torry Lighthouse Centre

Now in its second year, the AfroCreative Exchange Trade Fair brings together African-owned businesses and creatives at the Torry Lighthouse Centre, with food, fashion, beauty products, drinks and handmade goods from a wide range of vendors.

Free to attend and open to everyone, with free parking on site. A community event as much as a trade fair, with plenty for families and children alongside the traders.

Breathing Bodies

1 Aug – 22 Nov | Aberdeen Art Gallery and University of Aberdeen

A free exhibition spread across two city locations, using medical imaging to make visible what the body keeps hidden. At Aberdeen Art Gallery, Tout Passe offers a three-dimensional reflection of the viewer's own features, revealing heartbeat, blood circulation and the movement of air through the lungs.

The second installation, Première Intimité de l'être, is at the University of Aberdeen, working with X-rays, MRI and nuclear imaging to explore the body through the tools of clinical medicine. A collaboration between art and science that earns the description.

International Season 2026: The Bookbinder

1–2 Aug | The Lemon Tree

Trick of the Light Theatre's one-man show begins with an old man reading aloud a tale of a bookbinding apprentice, before the story starts to bleed from the pages into the bindery around him. Shadowplay, paper art, puppetry and original music combine into something closer to dark fairytale than conventional theatre.

First performed in the back room of a second-hand bookshop, it has since reached the Lincoln Center in New York, the attic of New Zealand's oldest bookbindery and venues across Australia, South Africa, Canada and China.

Jimmy Nail: Stories and Songs

5 & 7 Aug | Tivoli Theatre

Jimmy Nail brings an intimate retrospective to the Tivoli across two nights, combining music and personal stories from a career spanning Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Crocodile Shoes, Broadway, the West End and film roles in Evita and Still Crazy. Long-time collaborator Tony Davis joins him on keyboards and accordion.

The set draws on a catalogue including Ain't No Doubt, Cowboy Dreams and Big River, with rarely seen images woven throughout.

Stencil: A Runway Exhibition

7 Aug | Aberdeen Arts Centre

Aberdeen-based independent publication Stencil marks its first anniversary with a runway evening showcasing four emerging designers from across the UK, presenting collections that lean into gothic aesthetics through bold silhouettes and striking craftsmanship. Local models bring each collection to life, with bagpipes welcoming guests as they arrive.

The evening also marks the launch of Stencil's third issue, Hunger, exploring ambition, desire and identity through fashion, photography, poetry and visual art, alongside a spoken word performance from a poet featured in the magazine's second issue.

Steve Day

7–8 Aug | Breakneck Comedy Club

Steve Day describes himself as Britain's only deaf comedian, if there are any others he hasn't heard. A Radio 4 regular for over a decade, he has built a touring reputation across the UK and Europe on material that is sharp, personal and covers ground most comedians wouldn't know how to approach.

Chortle gave his Edinburgh Fringe show five stars; the Sunday Times called it funny and moving. Jamie Shellam and Peter Wood complete the bill across two nights.

Bring It On

7–8 Aug | His Majesty's Theatre

Written by Jeff Whitty with songs by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show follows a high school cheer captain who loses her squad, her status and her sense of herself when she gets redistricted to a school that does things very differently.

Beyond Broadway Experience stage it with a cast of 150, building toward the National Championships as the story's climax. Two performances, rooted in the 2000 film but very much its own thing.

Saint Disco + Avaline + The Collusion

8 Aug | Cafe Drummond

Aberdeen indie guitar band Saint Disco headline a three-act Off Axis bill, with support from Avaline and The Collusion. Avaline are relative newcomers drawing on My Bloody Valentine, Ride and The Smashing Pumpkins.

A high-energy local night with a shoegaze and alternative thread running through the supports.

Victoria Park Market Day

9 Aug | Victoria Park

A free summer market day organised by Rosemount and Mile End Community Council, with local vendors, food and drink, live music and storytelling sessions for families. Vendor and donation proceeds go back into the area.

Part of a broader effort to bring together the Rosemount and Mile End community with local groups including Friends of Victoria and Westburn Park. These are always a great day out, so stick this one in your calendar.

Aberdeen Oddity Market

9 & 30 Aug | Revolution, Belmont Street

A free twice-monthly market at Revolution specialising in handcrafted and whimsical goods from a mix of local vendors, running on the second and last Sunday of each month.

Whimsy turned up to full, with a warm welcome and something a bit different from your average Sunday market.

Speakin' Weird

10 Aug | Gaelic Lane Cafe

Chris Hale headlines this month's Speakin' Weird, Aberdeen's spoken word open mic night for poetry, prose, comedy, rap and whatever else people feel like bringing to the stage. Music comes from SHMUFM's Brutha Voodoo.

Hosts Hannah, Esmond and Aron keep the room relaxed and open. Five minutes on the mic is there for anyone who wants it; sign up on the night and see what happens.

Operation Mincemeat

11–15 Aug | His Majesty's Theatre

A dead body, a borrowed name, a forged love letter and the hope that Nazi Germany would fall for all of it. The 1943 British intelligence operation that inspired this musical was real, it was absurd, and it worked. Ian Fleming was among those who helped devise it.

The show won the Olivier Award in the West End, transferred to Broadway and picked up the Tony for Best Musical. It arrives in Aberdeen with 113 five-star reviews behind it and a reputation for being considerably funnier than the premise suggests.

Music Stakeholder Meeting

13 Aug | Carlton Bar Function Room

An open meeting for promoters, musicians and venues with a stake in Aberdeen's alternative music scene, reflecting the growth in bands, promoters and shows the city has seen in recent years.

The aim is networking, coordination and working out collectively where things go from here. Worth showing up if you're part of the scene in any capacity.

The Apex Singers

13 Aug | Aberdeen Arts Centre

Eight voices, no instruments, and a repertoire of traditional folk songs from around the world arranged entirely for the ensemble. The Apex Singers have won six Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards and their music video for The Mermaid Wife took Best Music Video at the British Independent Film Festival.

A pre-concert workshop at 5pm lets participants learn alongside the ensemble by ear, with no prior experience or sheet music needed. Workshop participants are also invited to perform during the evening concert itself.

Tomorrow Seems So Long Ago

14–30 Aug | Kooperator, Schoolhill

Mindwanders opens a solo exhibition at Kooperator spanning photography, videography, physical work and installation, bringing together new pieces alongside older work that hasn't had much public exposure and some familiar pieces seen in a different context.

Opening night is 14 August, with Neko Zombie providing the soundtrack. The exhibition then runs through to 30 August.

Bitterwood Anniversary Show

15 Aug | Krakatoa

Aberdeen metal band Bitterwood mark ten years since forming and five since their debut EP, with a lineup assembled from across the Scottish heavy scene. Below the Neck make the trip down from the Highlands, while Vows bring local veteran status and newcomers Claymore add fresh weight to the bill.

Mathcore trio Maryth complete the support alongside Gloomweaver, who are making a 1,000-mile round trip to be there. That kind of commitment to a show tends to set a tone for the night.

Torry Summer BioBlitz: Beginner-Friendly Birdwatching

15 Aug | Greyhope Bay Centre

A guided birdwatching session around Greyhope Bay as part of the Torry Nature Festival, where over 200 species have been recorded. Year-round residents include herring gulls, eider ducks and goldfinches; summer visitors such as razorbills and gannets may also be about.

Sightings go into the NESBReC biodiversity database, so what you spot contributes to local wildlife monitoring. Binoculars available to borrow, sturdy footwear recommended. Free, but booking is essential as spaces are limited.

Aberdeen Magical Society Centenary Exhibition

17 Aug – 7 Sep | Aberdeen Arts Centre

A new poster exhibition tracing a century of Aberdeen Magical Society, from its founding in 1926 to the present day, with images and material covering the people and activities that have shaped the society across a hundred years of conjuring.

On display in the Arts Centre corridor whenever the building is open. Free to view.

Aberdeen Art Fair 2026

28–30 Aug | Music Hall

Now in its fourteenth year, Aberdeen Art Fair fills the Music Hall with contemporary art, sculpture, prints and photography from galleries and professional artists across Scotland and the UK. Work is available to buy across a wide range of price points, starting from £30.

One of the more accessible ways to buy original art in the north-east, with the breadth of styles on show making it worth a visit whether or not you arrive with anything specific in mind.

Afro Indie Series 5.0: The Re-Imagined

29 Aug | The Lemon Tree

Raven Afrikulture's fifth annual concert series returns with its most ambitious lineup to date, spanning hip-hop, Afro-fusion, soul, jazz and alternative R&B. Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor Falz The Bahd Guy headlines, known for sharp lyricism and a commanding stage presence.

Joining him are South London rapper and producer Jords, Afro-fusion act Olusegun & The Stallion, soul artist Laura Osa and experimental R&B vocalist Fofo.

Noted, added to the rules. Here's the listing without it:

Symphonix Rock Orchestra: Scotland Roars!

29 Aug | Tivoli Theatre

Symphonix Rock Orchestra bring a new show to the Tivoli dedicated to Scottish rock anthems, pairing strings, brass and a full rock band with choreographed vocalists and a light show running throughout.

The set covers Deacon Blue, Primal Scream, Texas, Runrig, The Proclaimers, Biffy Clyro, Wet Wet Wet, Calvin Harris, Hue & Cry, Travis, The Fratellis, Simple Minds and more. If Scottish rock anthems done orchestrally is your thing, this is built for you.

The Guillotines + Aftrshocks + The Marx + Mumblokes

29 Aug | Krakatoa

Glasgow ska, punk and oi band The Guillotines headline a four-act bill, with Dundee anarcho punks Aftrshocks + Dundee commu-punks The Marx + local newcomers Mumblokes in support.

A night that covers a fair spread of punk's family tree, with bands making the trip from Glasgow and Dundee to join the Aberdeen contingent.

Up a Close

29 Aug | Aberdeen Arts Centre

Joanna's husband doesn't come home one night, and in the silence that follows she moves back through her life: a tough marriage, a wonderful childhood, her Auntie Sandra, the nuns and dancing up the toon to the Bay City Rollers.

A popular Scottish play that balances the weight of a difficult marriage against the warmth of the memories surrounding it. The detail is specific enough to feel true, and familiar enough to land for anyone who grew up in Scotland. Two performances on the day, afternoon and evening.

Looking forward to September

Aberdeen Music Week

9–12 Sep | Various venues

Aberdeen Music Week opens online with a free virtual forum on 9 September, bringing together artists and industry figures from around the world to discuss streaming, AI and Scotland's place in the global music economy. Day two moves in-person to The Lime Reserve for an evening of fireside conversations and networking around music, place and the North East's creative economy.

The back half of the festival turns to live performance, with the Amplify Aberdeen Showcase on 11 September followed by a full day of shows across the city on 12 September, featuring over 50 artists. All events are free to attend.