Inverclyde musicians have a special surprise in store to celebrate Halloween

RIG Arts organised Galoshans Gigs - a collection of 20-minute sets from musicians with Inverclyde connections - at the Tobacco Warehouse last weekend.

The performances at the atmospheric venue were all recorded live but have been kept under wraps.

From tomorrow they will appear on the Galoshans Festival 2020 Facebook page and YouTube channel, with more screenings on October 24, 30 and 31.

Artists and bands taking part are Lynnie Carson with Eric Lindsay on guitar; Lola in Slacks; Lynette Beaton; Theclementines; and James G Creighton of the Shakin' Pyramids with Sy McBass on double bass.

Lola in Slacks and Altered Images drummer Lesley McLaren, who also provides drumming lessons through Hit Squad, curated the project.

She said: "The idea was to give musicians a paid gig.

"We've not been able to do anything live locally, so this was a great opportunity for musicians to get playing again.

"We've had it filmed properly so that we have something to keep.

"People haven't heard live music in months so we're hoping that this will lift everyone's spirits."

Singer-songwriter Lynnie Carson added: "I haven't looked forward to a gig as much as this for a long time.

"It's been a real pleasure to have something to rehearse for.

"To get a gig of any kind this year is fantastic.

"It's an amazing venue.

"It has so much history and it feels really special."

Lynette Beaton performed in the popular Lockdown Live online sessions with Lesley over the summer as the coronavirus outbreak was at its peak and the area was in lockdown.

She said: "We've all had to be very resourceful.

"The community has been so supportive and I've really appreciated that.

"I think people have started to realise how important music and live music is."

This year's Galoshans Festival has come to fruition thanks to Creative Scotland funding of almost £15,000.

RIG Arts chief executive Karen Orr hopes that the action-packed programme will provide local people with a bit of much-needed fun during these tough times.

She said: "It feels like everyone has been pulling together and there's a brilliant synergy this year.

"We've been finding out how to do a lot of things online and we'll definitely keep an element of that when things start to reset a bit.

"The gigs are our way of supporting local acts that haven't been able to play live for months.

"There's so much going this year and I hope will people join us in celebrating Galoshans."