Article Source: The Spree Festival
Last Updated: 4 October 2019 15:30
Glasvegas, Hue and Cry, The Snuts, Gruff Rhys, Karine Polwart, Jerry Sadowitz, PP Arnold and Hayseed Dixie are just some of the top acts coming to town for the fast-growing festival, which is now into its eighth year.
The bulk of the action at The Spree 2019 will take place in the specially-erected Salon Perdu Spiegeltent in Paisley’s County Square – with a bigger tent than in previous years allowing for more people to enjoy the performances.
The opening night (Friday 11 October) sees a tribute to one of Paisley’s favourite musical sons – A Gerry Rafferty Songbook, featuring Roddy Hart, Emma Pollock and Rab Noakes.
On Sunday 13 October, hotly-tipped Scots rockers The Snuts will play to a sold out Spiegeltent before Hue and Cry entertain a sell-out crowd on Monday 14 October.
Platinum-selling indie-rockers Glasvegas come to Paisley for their only full-band Scottish date of the year on Tuesday 15 October and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys brings his solo show to the Spiegeltent on Wednesday 16 October.
London’s First Lady of Soul, PP Arnold, will perform songs from her six-decade career, including the classics ‘The First Cut is the Deepest’ and ‘Angel of the Morning’ alongside Ocean Colour Scene guitarist Steve Cradock on Thursday 17 October.
Singer-songwriter Karine Polwart is celebrating her first UK Top 40 album and will bring her Scottish Songbook of fantastic covers - including songs by Frightened Rabbit, Biffy Clyro, Chvrches, Gerry Rafferty, Deacon Blue and more to the Spiegeltent on Friday 18 October.
The festival closes on Saturday 19 October with two fantastic shows. First, a sold-out performance from comedy headliner Jerry Sadowitz in the Spiegeltent, then a second late-night closing party of classic rock hits from US ‘rockgrass’ outfit Hayseed Dixie.
Comedy lovers can enjoy two late-night stand-up shows featuring Fred MacAulay, Susan Riddell, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Mark Nelson (Friday 11 October) and Scott Gibson, Rosco McCelleland, Jay Lafferty and Gary Little (Friday 18 October).
The Spiegeltent will also host an all-day festival within-a-festival on Saturday 12 October, with LNP Promotions ever-popular ModStuff celebration of all things Mod, including the spectacle of the annual scooter rideout.
The popular Paisley Arts Centre will host a series of gigs, including Lost Map’s Lost Weekend Sunday Social featuring the Pictish Trail, Fell, Molly Linen and Callum Easter (Sunday 13 October), Paisley in Song featuring Michael Cassidy and Andy Monahan (Frightened Rabbit) on Thursday 17 October, and an appearance from ex-Arab Strap musician Malcolm Middleton plus support from Megan Airlie (Saturday 19 October).
The Arts Centre will also show a number of film screenings, including Loki’s History of Scottish Hip-Hop and Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (Tuesday 15 October) and Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records, which includes an after party where you can dance away to the label’s hits of 60’s and 70’s (Friday 18 October).
The Wee Spree popular programme of kids activities will take place as part of the main Spree festival with thousands set to be entertained during the school holiday period.
Highlights include the Bricks 4 Kidz Camps on Tuesday 15 October, Dance Along Moana and Mary Poppins film screenings on Thursday 17 October, Comedy 4 Kids Show on Friday 18 October and a bumper afternoon with Scotland’s top traditional musicians and young up-and-coming talent at Fèis Phàislig’s Stramash in the Spiegeltent on Friday 19 October.
This year will also see the return of the popular Spree for All fringe festival with gigs and events taking place in towns and villages across Renfrewshire.
The Spree festival is one of the centrepieces of Renfrewshire Council’s major events programme which has made Paisley one of Scotland’s key cultural destinations in recent years.
This year’s festival is programmed by Regular Music and sponsored by Tennent’s Lager.
Some shows have already sold out, so move quickly to secure your tickets by visiting the full listings page at www.thespree.co.uk.
Scotland's premier five-star luxury wedding destination, Crossbasket Castle, has unveiled a new decadent wedding menu crafted exclusively by world-renowned Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux.
READ MOREThe full cast has been announced for Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile which comes to the Theatre Royal Glasgow in February.
READ MOREPaisley Halloween Festival will return to town next month to celebrate the spooky season with a packed programme of frightful fun for all the family!
READ MOREEdinburgh Spanish Film Festival returns for its 12th edition on the big screen in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness from 1st to 19th October 2025.
READ MOREThe Royal Shakespeare Company's smash hit production of Matilda The Musical, based on Roald Dahl's beloved book, will come to Glasgow for the very first time in 2026!
READ MORECineworld is excited to announce the return of 4DX Rewind this September across Cineworld 4DX cinemas nationwide!
READ MOREFamily-owned national diamond, jewellery and watch retailer, Beaverbrooks, is doubling the size of its Glasgow Fort store with a £1.3m investment.
READ MOREThis festive season at SWG3, Bongo's Bingo is transporting everyone back to the time where coloured tree lights and flammable tinsel ruled supreme!
READ MOREScotland's greatest running event, the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run, will return to Glasgow next month, and there’s still time to secure your place.
READ MOREOne of Glasgow's favourites is flipping the idea of a traditional roast on its head with the return of its Sunday BBQ later this month.
READ MOREMarston's and Michelin-starred chef Tom Shepherd have teamed up once more to serve up The Best Ever Pub Pie to locals across the country.
READ MOREÒran, the award-winning sell-out hit of the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe embarks on its first ever UK tour this autumn as company Wonder Fools take their work to a host of venues across Scotland.
READ MOREThe Barrowland Ballroom was filled with love, laughter, and music as friends, family and supporters came together for SOAPYFEST, raising over £18K in support of Beatson Cancer Charity and Marie Curie
READ MOREM&D's is set to transform into Scotland's Scream Park with the launch of Zombie Checkpoint, a live action immersive horror experience creating a heart racing adventure not for the faint hearted.
READ MORETopgolf Glasgow is bringing a taste of the gridiron to Scotland this autumn with the launch of its brand-new Field Goal Challenge game.
READ MOREGlasGLOW fever has gripped Glasgow once again, with more than 20,000 tickets for this year's GlasGLOW's Miles Better show snapped up within just 60 minutes of being released.
READ MOREIconic movies celebrating key milestones this year are returning to Vue for a limited run - including Steven Spielberg classic Jaws.
READ MOREThe Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show will be packed with expert speakers when it returns to the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston on 4th – 5th October 2025.
READ MORELove Loch Lomond will officially launch its new publication, A Taste of Loch Lomond – Stories and Flavours from the Bonnie Banks, at the Loch Lomond Food & Drink Festival on Sunday 7th September.
READ MOREMulti-venue music festival taking over Glasgow's East End this October confirms Dead Pony and 14 new acts!
READ MORETickets will go on sale for Aye Write, Glasgow's long-established and much-loved book festival, at 11am today.
READ MOREIt might only be September, but the C-word is not too far away, so it's time to start thinking about planning the annual office Christmas shindig before everything gets booked up!
READ MOREBirds Fried Chicken is taking its signature Southern-style fried chicken out of its natural Shawlands habitat and into new, unexpected settings with the launch of Rare Birds!
READ MOREBuchanan Galleries is marking Zero Waste Week (1 – 5 September 2025) by showcasing the centre's wide range of sustainable retail initiatives!
READ MOREBusiness Gateway, Scotland's national business support service, has launched Scottish Start-Up Month, a nationwide campaign to celebrate Scotland's entrepreneurial spirit.
READ MOREA new role-play experience is popping up in community venues across Greater Glasgow this month bringing pint-sized professions and plenty of pretend fun to preschoolers and their families.
READ MORESummer may be over, but music festival season is still here, with an exciting outdoor concert in aid of Mary's Meals taking place in Glasgow's West End on Sunday 7th September.
READ MOREGlasgow Science Centre is inviting budding detectives down to the Clyde-side this October to help them solve the murder of the millennia – with a science twist.
READ MOREVikings, a pie eating competition, new celebrated chef and dog & duck shows set to bring new energy to Loch Lomond Food and Drink Festival this September.
READ MOREThe winners of the 2025 Scottish Bar & Pub Awards were unveiled on the 26th of August at a glittering, Oscars-themed ceremony held at the Doubletree by Hilton, Glasgow.
READ MORE