From Methil to Hydro: Cammy Barnes announces biggest ever headline gig
Fife singer-songwriter Cammy Barnes is set to headline his first ever show at the Hydro.
The Methil musician has unveiled the gig at one of Scotland’s biggest venues on April 23 next year.
It’s the latest major landmark for the acclaimed performer who sold out King Tut’s in January and this weekend fulfilled his lifelong dream of headlining the Barrowlands.
The Whisky Roll star has been working towards this moment for 20 years, as a member of Red Hot Chili Pipers before going solo and picking up the guitar alongside his bagpipes.
Cammy said: “I can’t get my head round it - I played King Tut’s in January. It’s wild going from there to announcing the Hydro when I haven’t even released an album. The Barras felt like a dream, let alone the Hydro. It just does not feel real and I don’t know if it will until I am on the stage that night.
“But I do feel like I deserve it. It is hard for me to say that. People don’t realise I have been gigging since I was 16, that’s a full 20 years now.
“Twenty years of missing out on so much, never making a normal living. Putting everything into music and getting not much back other than heartbreak and stress.
“It’s a very tough gig. I am in a very privileged position now but I have worked very hard for a long time to get here. I’ve missed out on a lot, given up a lot over those 20 years.”
Cammy wowed audiences on Britain;s Got Talent in 2023, and in 2022 re-worked James Blunt’s song, Bonfire Heart, for a major promotional campaign for VisitScotland. He also teamed up with renowned actor Blythe Duff for a special recording of The Pogues’ classic Fairytale Of New York.
Cammy is still a piper at heart and his clever use of the traditional instrument in his music – a contemporary take on folk, country, pop and rock - has really connected with fans.
He admits seeing Lewis Capaldi shatter traditional music industry stereotypes gave him hope and spurred him on to chase his own dream.
Cammy said: “Apparently Lewis is the only person to have announced the Hydro without an album out so I am following in some pretty good footsteps. I’m not anything special, just me. I'm just a normal boy from Methil who has been lucky, I play bagpipes and that’s all I have ever done.
“I never really thought I would be more than that or get to do things like this. Guys like me don’t get to do that stuff.
“When I saw Lewis at the Hydro it really sparked something, it gave me a bit of belief because he was just one of us. He is a normal dude. I always felt like I wasn’t cool enough, from school to the music industry, I felt not cool enough to be in the band. I felt like it wasn’t for me - what would industry people think when they saw me?”
The Hydro show may well be the worst kept secret in music, thanks to Cammy’s love of sharing news with fans as soon as he finds out himself.
He insists he has only “hinted” at the venue with tongue in cheek teaser vids which showed him at the Hydro entrance asking fans to guess where he’s playing next year.
He said: “When I started my solo career I said I was going to make my own rules and do it my way. Why not just tell people about a gig as soon as we know? There is no grand strategy. Maybe it looks like it’s all a plan but people seem to like me giving it away.
“I enjoy it and have a wee sneaky grin about it.”
Ticket pre sale starts at at 10:00 am Tuesday for Cammy/OVO Hydro mailing list only – fans can sign up at https://mailchi.mp/40b7b24e471e/cammy-barnes-mailing-list