Connect Festival reveals Speakeasy tent featuring techno talks and live comedy

Connect Festival has unveiled the lineup for its Speakeasy tent.

The festival will return to the capital’s Royal Highland Showgrounds between August 25 and August 27 with Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand, Fred Again and boygenius among the lineup.

The Speakeasy Tent will host a variety of events with comedians, DJs and a live podcast recording across the weekend.

DJ duo Slam will be in conversation with The List on their success and memories of T In The Park’s iconic Slam Tent.

Stand-up comedian Ian Smith, known for his BBC Radio 4 comedy documentary ‘Girl Stuck in Basketball Hoop’, will perform at the tent on Friday followed by TikTok sensation Stephen Buchanan and Joe Wells.

Friday’s headliner Susan Riddell will be taking to the stage after supporting Fern Brady and Ardal O’Hanlon on tour.

On Saturday, fans of TAAHLIAH, one of Scotland’s rising stars in dance and electronica, can hear her take on the contemporary Scottish dance music scene and the unique appeal of club spaces as she is in conversation with Frankie Elyse, co-founder of Polka Dot Disco Club.

Carl Donnolly will also be taking to the stage, along with Jarred Christmas and Gareth Mutch.

Jack Skipper, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram will also be performing, followed by Hal Cruttenden, known for stand up appearances on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, The Royal Variety Performance and Would I Lie To You.

Glasgow Collective, Anoraq, will bring their unique blend of spoken work and vocal melodies to the stage, creating sonic environments that reflect boundaries, rhythms and languages.

Exploring the high and lows of partying with special guests, the Out, Out! Podcast, will also be recording a live episode.

Presenters Aarti Joshi and STV’s Laura Boyd will be joined by comedian Paul Black, chef Julie Lin and director/ producer Hannah Currie who will delve into their past nights out.

Sunday will feature performances from Connor Burns, Matt Bragg and Sharon Wanjohi.

Dan Tiernan, who won British Comedian of the Year with his high energy performance, will be taking to the stage along with Lost Voice Guy, who rose to fame after winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2018.

The List will be sitting down with Katie Gregson-MacLeod, Inverness’ TikTok viral sensation as part of their ‘In Conversation’ series. She’ll be sharing the story behind her meteoric rise and how her single ‘Complex’ sparked a journey to signing with Columbia records.

SLAM will take part in a discussion in the Speakeasy tent Tim Craig

A panel with Intercultural Youth Scotland, Scotland’s leading charity for young black and people of colour, will delve into how their work is nurturing Scotland’s next generation of musical talent.

With the festival just three weeks away, Connect has also revealed its site map, detailing a larger camping area allowing festival goers to bring their own tents along with stage locations.

Katt Lingard, project manager for Connect said: “We’re so excited to announce the Speakeasy lineup for this year’s Connect Festival. With both huge names and up-and-coming performers, each and every person has amazing comedic material, and we’re really looking forward to hosting them.

“Connect is about so much more than music and comedy and festival-goers can enjoy a fantastic weekend of art, wellbeing and delicious food, too.

“Our food offering this year sounds mouth-wateringly good, with tasty treats inspired by dishes all over the world and will be announced soon. With only three weeks to go, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming people to the Royal Highland Showgrounds once again, ending the festival season on a high.”

Connect Festival takes place from August 25-27 at Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre Showgrounds. Tickets for Connect Festival are available to purchase through the festival website.

For more information on Connect Music Festival, visit https://connectmusicfestival.com/