Council / Lerwick Legion given folk festival late licenses
SHETLAND Folk Festival revellers will get a chance to party into the night at the Lerwick Legion after licenses were granted for late gigs.
The venue will be allowed to open until 3am on the Friday and Saturday nights at the festival, which is taking place at the end of April.
It is also set to open from 11am to midnight on Sunday 1 May.
The folk festival is hosting late gigs at the Legion on the Friday and Saturday nights in the absence of the usual club events at Islesburgh as the event returns from the Covid pandemic in a modified format.
The festival said access to the ticketed late gigs would be “very much reduced” – adding that would bring live music to members after a “very bleak couple of years”.
Acts due to perform at the late gigs are local bands First Foot Soldiers, Rack n’ Ruin, The Revellers and David Sandison and Tennessee Wannabees.
The Legion’s intention was for the music to end at 2am, with the 3am licence designed to allow for last orders, people to leave the venue and staff to clear up.
The occasional licences were granted by the Shetland Islands area licensing board on Monday.
Lerwick member Stephen Leask said he felt the folk festival met the criteria of an event of local or national significance.
Fellow town councillor Stephen Flaws added that the Legion was “proven in being able to host events”, as was the folk festival.
The Legion was also separately granted a later-than-usual licence for 7pm to 2am on Saturday 4 June to host live music.
Ska band Bombskare are set to return to Shetland once more, whilst local act First Foot Soldiers will also be on the bill.
There was less consensus around this application, with Shetland South member George Smith warning there could be a precedent set if granted.
But Leask’s motion to approve the application was passed, with Smith saying the board had to be consistent after granting the first application.
“I think going forward the board is going to have to think carefully about its policy,” the south mainland member said.
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