THE NATIONAL STEP INTO THE TINY CHANGES GARDEN FOR EPIC SECRET SET
THE NATIONAL STEP INTO THE TINY CHANGES GARDEN FOR EPIC SECRET SET
26th – 28th AUGUST 2022
ROYAL HIGHLAND CENTRE SHOWGROUND, EDINBURGH
THE OHIO LEGENDS HEADED TO THE TINY CHANGES X GARDENERS COTTAGE, STUNNING AUDIENCES AS THEY PERFORMED AN INTIMATE ACOUSTIC SET
Mid-day struck and the cryptic announcement was out, ‘Secret Set Added – 7:45pm at the Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage’. Rumours swirled around the festival site, who could it be? Taking to the humble stage, the award-winning alt.rockers, The National, harnessed their brooding, colossal sound for a low-key evening of BIG MOMENTS.
Walking out to rapturous applause, the band appeared truly humbled as their set approached – performing ‘Sorrow’ and ‘About Today’, they struck a chord with the crowd, saying “Whenever we play this one we think of Scott”, singing the words ‘Today…You were far away…and I… Don’t ask you why’.
Aaron Dessner, The National – “Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to support Tiny Changes. Scott was a really close friend of ours, and like you guys, we were huge fans of Frightened Rabbit. We were devastated when he left. This charity is amazing, and any awareness we can raise for mental health, we want to do that because we all struggle with it.”
Tiny Changes is a charity for supporting young people’s mental health, set up in memory of Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison. Scott performed at the original Connect Festival back in 2007 on a similar stage, so it’s a full circle moment for all involved. Tiny Changes was founded in Scott’s legacy and is Scotland’s very first national children and young people’s mental health charity, funding projects and ideas that help young minds feel better, raising over £4,500 during the course of the festival weekend.
The Tiny Changes team were buzzin’ saying:
Kara Brown, CEO Tiny Changes – “Having the National play the inaugural Tiny Changes stage at Connect Festival – a similar stage to one Scott played at back in 2006 – is something we will remember forever and the perfect ending to an incredible weekend of live music, helping young minds feel better.”
And DF CEO Geoff Ellis beamed: “Grant from Frightened Rabbit asking The National if they’d do a secret set at our Tiny Changes Gardeners Cottage is what Connect Festival is all about – a totally unique experience and an appreciation of friendship and connections.
Fans were surprised with a truly special acoustic set, seeing twins Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Matt Berninger, honour their friend Scott Hutchison with a stripped back version of ‘About Today’ and ‘This isn’t Helping’, in one of the most intimate stages of any festival in the UK. It was a moment that I’ll never forget and was extremely fitting with the ethos of the festival.”
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