What’s on at Hootananny and Mad Hatters
For 17 years, Hootananny has been promoting the best grass roots music in Scotland. Mumford and Sons, Sam Fender, Little Boots, Dougie Mclean and Skerryvore have all played the venue. The building is a lovely traditional Victorian Inverness old sweety shop with traditional and fusion Scottish ceilidh and celtic rock downstairs. Emerging original artists, indy, hiphop, heavy metal, ska and rock upstairs on the Madhatters stage. Djs in the Glow bar on the top floor. The family run business has been awarded Scotland’s Best Live Music Venue 2019 by Scottish Bar and Pub Awards and Best Inverness Pub of the Year, 8 years running, by Inverness City Advertiser. Open daily for pub drinkers, we have a delicious Scottish menu of traditional dishes cooked to perfection from 5-10pm daily
Since March 2020 Hootananny has been unable to promote live music or background music. We hope to bring back the best live music soon! Click on the Keeping Safe tab for details about safety.
Cameron & Sons are a stompin’ traditional Scottish trio based in the central belt of Scotland.
Led by guitarist Cameron Grant the trio are known for exhilarating performances all over the country.
Founded in 1979, North Sea Gas have been performing their own brand of Scottish music all over the world ever since.
18 albums, literally 1000s of venues, more miles than anyone wants to think about, and a lot of fun and music.
Their most recent album, The Fire and The Passion of Scotland, won the 2013 Album of the Year Award on Celtic Radio in Boston (USA) and the set of tunes from the same album won first place in the Jigs and Reels category.
Founded in 1979, North Sea Gas have been performing their own brand of Scottish music all over the world ever since.
18 albums, literally 1000s of venues, more miles than anyone wants to think about, and a lot of fun and music.
Their most recent album, The Fire and The Passion of Scotland, won the 2013 Album of the Year Award on Celtic Radio in Boston (USA) and the set of tunes from the same album won first place in the Jigs and Reels category.
Musically, the Oxbow Lake Band are a genre-defying bunch of grass roots musical magpies, multi-instrumentalists and good time charlies. They also like to dance like their dads, and have a taste for experimenting!
Some pop stars make music for the sake of it. But for Be Charlotte – music is about meaning.
It’s the combination of her remarkable songwriting talent, a knack for sweeping melodies and the fierce sense of identity and self-worth which makes heads turn, not only in the UK. Even although she is still at the beginning of her career Be Charlotte has toured around Europe, North America and Asia as well as as sharing the stage with Major Lazer in Africa in 2018.
Woven into every note of her glimmering pop songs, anthemic beats and immediate vocals which radiate that quiet yet determined personality, there’s this extraordinary effort to inspire others. In the lyrics, the listener will find honesty, a level of maturity beyond her years, and reflection. She has taken influence from classic songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Tracy Chapman and instinctively applied them to her love of modern pop and hip-hop.
Traditional songs of all types of tempos. A great night of music.
This Machine are an Inverness super group formed from the ashes of The Rites, Echo 20 and RAAR. With an impressive list of gigs under their belt, including performances at Belladrum Festival, Jocktoberfest & Woodzstock!
Arthur has been playing Fiddle since the age of 7, growing up in rural Aberdeenshire, north east of Scotland. His first teacher Sharon Hassan was a very big influence in his musical development. Upon attending his second annual ‘Gaitherin’ He was inspired to take up the Guitar by John Coletta (The Humpff Family). At the age of 12 Arthur was awarded a scholarship to attend the ‘Aberdeen City Music School’ to study Fiddle and Guitar. Here He was taught by Jonny Hardie (Old Blind Dogs), who is still a huge influence on his music. Around this time Arthur was at the Sidmouth Folk Week, he saw ‘Le Vent Du Nord’ who would become his favorite band. They continue a big influence on his music.
In July 2016 Arthur was invited to join ‘Aff Oor Hieds’ as the group’s guitarist, alongside Andrew Legge (Fiddle), Noah Jack (Bass) and Stuart Jack (Percussion). They continued to play in this format until January 2017.
While playing with ‘Aff Oor Hieds’, in September 2016, Andrew, Stuart and Arthur founded a new band ‘The Rowies’ with vocalist Ellie Beaton. This musical format seemed to be quite successful and the band made a name for themselves. They supported bands such as ‘Rant’, ‘The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc’, ‘Session A9’, ‘The Crooked Brothers’ and ‘The Old Blind Dogs’.
In September 2017 Citing the need to play the fiddle more, Arthur formed a new band ‘Tolquhon’ with Duncan Ritchie (Accordion), Douglas Barber (Percussion, Jaw Harp) and Patrick Gray (Piano). Again the format proved successful and in 2018 the group did over 35 shows, including an extensive tour of England. They released their debut album in October 2018.
2019 marks the start of a new project for Arthur, as he will release and tour a brand new album/show. This album will be recorded in January and released in May. It features just Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals and Podorythmie (Foot Percussion).
Calum is a warm, down-to-earth, young man from the West Coast of Scotland who fell in love with the accordion at a tender age of 7. As a young boy with the desire to learn more, he spent more years learning the rudiments from the best accordionists in the Highlands until he eventually created his unique style. Though he hailed from Fort William, Calum moved to Inverness in 2007 where he strived to focus on his technique.
Calum is an energetic musician who has performed in Italy, Belgium, France, and Germany. Now he is coming to Hootananny for a night that can not be missed!
Free entry.
“I said HALLELUJAH!!!”
Highland Voices Gospel Choir was created by Musical Director Tony Henry in 2017.
The Gospel Choir is based in Dingwall, Ross-shire in the Highlands of Scotland.
The choir consists of male and female vocalists who come together to create close harmonies, generating an amazing sound for their audiences at each and every performance.
The choir has been performing around the Highlands with the ultimate aim of competing in the national competitions.
Mad Hatters is proud to present a concert by one of this country’s most popular and zaniest performers along with his full band (The Big Band) …………….. JOHN OTWAY & THE BIG BAND.
Rock gods The Man from Delmonte are the most exciting band to launch onto the UK wedding and events scene for a generation. Their set list is a great mash of the best rock / pop covers from the last 50 years, all delivered with energy and style.
Rock gods The Man from Delmonte are the most exciting band to launch onto the UK wedding and events scene for a generation. Their set list is a great mash of the best rock / pop covers from the last 50 years, all delivered with energy and style.