Countdown now on for this year’s two-day Dobbie Hall Shuffle Fest

For the fifth straight year this ever growing event, which celebrates all things musically independent and alternative, will be rocking both floors of the historic Dobbie Hall, but for the first time the festival – which is raising money for Forth Valley Maggie’s Centre – will be coming at you live and unleashed over two days – from 7pm on Friday, April 26 and from 1pm on Saturday, April 27.

Organisers have assembled a truly amazing line-up of top turns, including a legendary local Arab Strapper.

Shuffle Down main man Rikki Toner said: “Shuffle Down is the biggest independent alternative music event in the local calendar and has attracted over 500 music fans for the previous four years.

“The stunning main Dobbie Hall stage plays host to several live acts throughout the day featuring some of the best up and coming unsigned acts as well as featuring some of the finest local talent the area has to offer.

“There is also a second stage upstairs we have dubbed the ‘Soul Steak Room’, showcasing live electronic music and DJ’s right into Saturday evening.”

Friday’s main stage line-up is led by Glasgow’s Baby Strange and includes sets from Falkirk area bands The Nickajack Men and Pleasure Heads and Perth’s Real Life Entertainment.

Things go from radical to radge on Saturday with the one and only Malcolm Middleton returning to play a live show in his old jamming ground for the first time in years, headlining a bill that includes Glasgow groups R&B popsters Bossy Love and Medicine Men.

Broken Chanter, a new happening from Kid Canaveral frontman David McGregor, joins Edinburgh’s Callum Easter and Wotjeck the Bear in gracing the main stage with their mighty musical chops.

Bellshill’s pocket powerhouse guitar strummer Connor Fyfe will opening the show – probably because he’s only 12 and has got to have his axe back in its case and his teeth brushed ready for bed before 9pm.

Local acts on stage on Saturday – if you’re not counting Mr Middleton – include Ghostwriter, Primes, Rubian and Paper Machine Music.

The Soul Steak Room, on the second floor, will only be open for business on Saturday and will feature – appropriately enough – Stirling DJ posse Soul Steak with BDY TLK warming things up for headline disc manipulator David Barbarossa, who will be joined by vinyl voyagers from Shapes and Stirling Underground.

As with previous years, music is but one part of the Shuffle Down experience – there are arts and crafts stalls, a record stall, craft beers, a Prosecco bar, Silent Disco and some tasty street food to line the old stomach throughout the day.

Visit www.shuffledown.co.uk for more information.