SOME of Scotland's emerging bands will share the stage in Aberdeen later this year in a bid to blow away the dread and gloom of 2020.

A killer line-up has been assembled for the AGP Christmas Gig, with eight class acts preparing to rock Tunnels on December 5.

Retro Video Club take the headline spot with sets from Mickey 9s, Declan Welsh and the Decadent West, Spyres, One Nine, Vanives, Pyro and Black Tiles.

It is the third annual event organised by AGP and is being billed as a real showcase of Scottish talent.

Ross Calder, booking agent with AGP, hopes the event will provide a little bit of much-needed live music for the north of Scotland.

"I'm really excited by the whole line up," Ross told The Weekender: "It was fantastic to get someone like Retro Video Club to headline. We've put them on up here a couple of times before and I love them.

"It's always hard to get the bands you want, simply because they have other plans or aren't doing live shows at the time of the Xmas show, so this year it's really great that we got all of the bands that we had targeted. Looking right through from top to bottom, I feel it's a fresh, exciting line up of fantastic Scottish artists."

He added: "I think the aim with these Xmas shows is to showcase bands that we think are going to go places. Looking at line ups from the previous two years since we started these, it's great to see how some of those bands have progressed and I'm sure this year will be no different.

"To be fair, some of the bands this year are already selling out shows much bigger than this one and that makes it even better that they're coming together for one night in Aberdeen.

"I also think that whilst people may buy tickets to see one or two bands on a show like this, I can almost guarantee that they would find at least another one or two bands that they will fall in love with throughout the night."

The music industry has been ravaged by the effects of Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown, with live shows facing months of postponements. Aberdeen, previously subject to a further local lockdown after a cluster outbreak, has dealt with its own share of tragedy, making 2020 a miserable year all round for those in the Granite City.

Ross continued: "Yeah, 2020 certainly won't go down as a favourite. We were lucky to have some great shows before March, but since then it's obviously been a nightmare.

"It's a really hard time for everyone in the industry, but it's important to try and stay as positive as possible. Live music is such a huge thing for us and any city. The knock-on effect of not having shows, whether that be to the artists, management, agents, crew, venues, bar staff, promoters and so on is massive.

"All everyone wants is to return to live shows as soon as possible, but obviously in a way that is safe for everyone.

"It's that one light at the end of the tunnel that we are looking at for 2020. Just to be able to have an end of year party with so many great bands would go a long way to making up for the last few months. Everything is crossed hoping that this will happen."

Having to cancel or re-arrange the show remains a possibility, but it is hoped that enough time has passed between now and December 5.

"We're focusing on this date happening," Ross added. "As we speak December is almost four months away so we have to be quietly confident that things will have progressed enough to do the show.

"A lot of thought went in to whether to do the Xmas gig in 2020, but we felt it was something to aim for and to look forward to. Hopefully, shows of this size will be allowed by then and everyone can end the year with a great night of amazing live music.

"The response with sales so far has been incredible and is way ahead of previous years which has been so encouraging. Oh, and don't worry, if 2020 continues to be as bad, you'll get your money back."

Ross also confirmed the event will act as a fundraiser for Tiny Changes, with £1 of each ticket sale going to the charity which helps to improve the mental health of young people.

He said: "I think Tiny Changes is such a great thing. We love Frightened Rabbit and Scott, and like so many people in music his tragic death hit hard.

"Mental Health in our young people is such a huge issue and I just admire everything they are doing to try and help. I've wanted to do something to help for a while and this felt like a good way to do it.

"We're going to donate £1 per ticket sale to them and do various things on the night to raise as much as possible for a great cause."

Visit skiddle.com to purchase tickets for the event on December 5