SINGER Karine Polwart and author Andrew O’Hagan have joined the star-studded line-up set to appear at the Big Indy Night In on Saturday.
Hosted by Elaine C Smith, it will feature some of the most well-known names in Scottish culture and politics including Dougie MacLean, Jackie Kay, Janey Godley, Eddi Reader, Val McDermid, Alan Bissett, Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh and Hue and Cry.
The night will also mark the first public appearance since his stroke of National columnist Paul Kavanagh, along with the paper’s founder Richard Walker and columnists Lesley Riddoch, Stuart Cosgrove, Ruth Wishart, Gerry Hassan and Bella Caledonia’s Mike Small.
Others taking part include Kirstin Innes, Carla J Easton, Arusa Qureshi, Sara Sheridan, Rick Redbeard, Joseph Malik, James Robertson, Alex Norton and Chris Dolan.
“We are delighted that we can bring a bit of cheer, music and discussion from so many voices across the cultural and political landscape in Scotland,” said Elaine C Smith. “A bit of intelligence, some light and good ideas are vital as we move forward in these strange and dark times so that is what we aim to do with this event – as well as have a bit of joy and laughter.”
In addition to providing an upbeat end to a difficult year, the Big Indy Night In will raise money for the next stage of Voices for Scotland’s independence campaigning.
“We’ve got something bigger, more ambitious and substantive in the pipeline to help grow support for independence,” said Allan Whyte of Voices for Scotland. “This is currently in development but we’ll be able to give more detail on that in January.”
Since the end of the summer lockdown, the organisation has been hosting various events to bring people together to talk about what matters to them in Scotland. There have been In Conversation events with Sir Geoff Palmer, Sara Sheridan and Gerry Hassan and the Be A Voice campaign was launched recently to allow people to share their stories and views on independence.
“The next stage of our campaign takes that to the next level, but there’s still a bit of planning to do and crucially we need the funds to build this campaign. In buying a ticket for the Big Indy Night In you not only get an amazing event for a tenner but you help everyone get a step closer to independence.”
The night is aimed at being as much like a live festival as possible with a main stage, panel discussions and a bar area where ticket holders can meet to discuss what they have seen and heard.
“We are really trying to create that festival vibe as much as you can online so there are performances to watch but also lots of opportunity to ask questions and connect and meet up with other people,” said Whyte.
“We have a great line-up from amazing performers and I think we have something for everyone, with music, comedy and political discussion.”
Whyte said that although 2020 had been a “terrible” year, progress on vaccinations against Covid-19 and growing support for independence meant that 2021 was looking a lot more hopeful.
“This Big Indy Night In is a great way to finish the year on a high,” he said. “It’s fantastic to have Elaine C Smith hosting the event as she is a proper Scottish legend and it has been an absolute joy to work with her on this. Her commitment has been amazing as she is also filming Two Doors Down and has her charity work as well. She is the real star of the show and has not only helped pull it all together but will also keep it together on the night.”
Tickets are £10 per household and some of the money will go towards supporting the artists taking part, many of whom have been badly hit by the virus crisis, while the rest will go towards Voices for Scotland’s campaigning.
“It is great value for money so buy a ticket, have a great night in and help grow support for independence,” said Whyte. “A referendum date might not be far away and we need to be organised and ready to win this time.”
https://voicesforscotland.scot/big-indy-night-in/
https://voicesforscotland.scot/be-a-voice/
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