Woodside At The Kings: more live music comes to Kirkcaldy venue in new venture

‘Woodside At The Kings’ which launches in November, brings together the Esplanade venue and the Woodside Hotel in Aberdour which had established itself as a great small venue for gigs in recent years.

The Live Lounge is also set to welcome the launch of a new regular “Jazz at the Kings” night starring in October - believed to be the first club night of it’s kind in the area.

The new initiatives are set to bring more live music to the venue which is already home to busy rock night sunder the ‘Kingdom Come’ banner as well as weekend open mic events. The venue is also home to a thriving monthly comedy club and has created the first community cinema in the Lang Toun after a successful online fundraiser.

John McTaggart from the Woodside has teamed up with Dougie Hunter from Lights Out By Nine to launch the gigs as the hotel begins the process of being turned into flats if councillors approve a planning application.

They kick off with the Hannah Aldridge Band from Nashville on Thursday, November 16 November as part of her ten-date UK tour.

Aldridge is one of a number of prominent singer-songwriters who have previously played at the Woodside since John started putting on gigs in 2018. The hotel has played host to the likes of Tom Robinson, Glen Tilbrook from Squeeze, the late Rab Noakes, James Grant and many more - and the aim is to now tap into those contacts and bring them to the stage at the Kings.

John said: “Once we get the first gig done, it’ll build momentum and I’m looking forward to bringing more acts to the venue.”

More names are being approached to establish the ‘Woodside At The Kings’ series into 2024, and the hope is the Kirkcaldy venue will pick up where the hotel left off.

Dougie said: “We have an established venue here with a good reputation - it’s a great platform in a great location with a great set up for live gigs, and this is a great link. It was a no brainer to suggest it in the first place. We are giving the town what it deserves, and hope people are interested enough to come along and enjoy the concerts.”

Last month, Martin Stephenson played a sold out solo gig at the venue, and he is now bringing his band,. The Daintees, back for a full show. It takes place on Saturday, October 14, and tickets are on sale at the Kings Live Lounge website. It will be the group’s only east of Scotland date this year, so the venue is hoping to welcome fans from a wide catchment area.

It will be followed by the launch of ‘Jazz at the Kings’ on Friday, October 20 with resident trio Cat Fever Club featuring the Holly Clark (vocals), with Peter Little on keyboards and Carl Williams on drums. They are putting together a set featuring great choice of songs from names such as Bonnie Rait and Steely Dan.

Special guests will follow as the club becomes established and establishes itself as a regular feature at the Kings.