Fringe by the Sea is adding a film strand to its ten day multi-arts programme presented in August in East Lothian, celebrating the stories of the sounds and soul of Scottish music.
With support from Screen Scotland, Fringe by the Sea’s music film festival Wavelength will focus on the magic created when music and film come together and encourage audiences to consider the role of film in the journey of Scottish music, be it touching global scenes or inspiring hometown dreams.
A diverse programme of ‘Seaside Screenings’, director chats, gigs linked to film and more will be shown at the festival which takes place in North Berwick’s Lodge Grounds between 1-10th August 2025.
Events will be hosted in the festival’s iconic Big Top and around the Festival Hub with the majority of screenings taking place in a new airy and atmospheric Dome venue with headset cinema making for a fully immersive screen experience for festival-goers. Festival partners, Samsung Electronics, is providing a premium UHD MicroLED technology videowall for the screenings.
The Wavelength programme has been curated by a team passionate about both music and film. Co-curators presenter, writer and DJ Vic Galloway and filmmaker Lewis Gourlay have joined forces with the creative team at Fringe by the Sea and, with support from music documentary festival Doc ‘N Roll, developed a distinctly spirited Scottish celebration of screen and sound.
The programme will run from 1 - 10 August 2025 and feature the following, plus more to be announced:
Writer Irvine Welsh will open the festival with his take on the power of music and film together. Sharing with his ‘Seaside Archive’ - a curated playlist of music videos - he’ll also take us on a dance-able journey of film and tunes, in a family-friendly rave.
Director Tim Pope has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Queen, Sioux & the Banshees and Scotland’s Strawberry Switchblade. It was with The Cure, however, that his name was cemented in the music video hall of fame, producing over 30 of their videos.
25 years of cult Scottish band Mogwai was marked by the release of a documentary shedding light on the band’s journey from their Glasgow roots. Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound will be screened in the Dome. Stuart Braithwaite from the band will be part of a post screening discussion - and catch his Indie Disco DJ set later in the day.
Dinny Greet explores the enigmatic rise of Scottish band Redolent, winners of the Scottish Album of the Year, from obscure gigs to surprising financial windfalls, an unexpected record deal and a hopeful yet uncertain future. With post-film chat and special live performance.
Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands unearths Scotland’s Girl Bands from 1960 onwards, missing from the ranks of global success; artists whose work was, and continues to be, ignored by the selective bias of a male-dominated industry. Writer Carla J. Easton joins us to discuss and to perform as part of Hen Hoose.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra will present the music of Bond in a stunning Big Top finale to the week, set to film.
As part of Fringe by the Sea’s ongoing commitment to support the youth arts scene and culture, Wavelength will also engage youth bands to make their own fresh film content to tell the stories of the new sounds emerging from the county. Sound & Seen will be developed with East Lothian Council Arts Service.
With a focus on targeting a youth audience, a special Under 25s subsided ticket will be available for Dome screening events.
Further additions will be made to the programme, with event details and tickets released over coming weeks and the full programme available in early June.
Sign up to be the first to know about programme details and ticket releases at GET ON OUR WAVELENGTH.
Commenting on the creation of Wavelength, Fringe By The Sea Festival Director, Rory Steel, said: “With the launch of Wavelength, Fringe ByThe Sea is bringing a brilliant new film element to our ten day extravaganza. It’s only through the support of Screen Scotland and Samsung, and collaboration with other local organisations and businesses that we are able to continue to evolve our wonderful seaside festival while retaining the strong community values that make Fringe By The Sea so special.”
More information
Image credits: image courtesy of mr_smith_drones