Relay For Life organisers announce first artists for entertainment line-up

A Relay For Life event held by Cancer Research UK has announced some of the artists set to perform at its upcoming 24-hour bash at Ayrshire Athletics Arena in Kilmarnock.

The event will take place on August 31 and will see hundreds of people taking on the challenge to fundraise vital funds for Cancer Research.

To keep the participants motivated throughout the day, organisers are putting together a list of talented artists.

Glasgow-based band, The McCommitments, are going to be headliners at the event. The band was inspired by the iconic movie ‘The Commitments’ and will play hits like ‘Mustang Sally’; ‘Chain of Fools’ and ‘Try a Little Tenderness’.

With a Scottish twist, they authentically capture the film’s soul-stirring energy, mirroring the movie band’s line-up and bringing the multi-million-selling album to life.

Irvine-based rock band The Shores, inspired by the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, & Fleetwood Mac, will also take the stage. With a heavy driving sound mixed with powerful harmonising melodies, The Shores, after almost a decade together releasing multiple singles & EPs, plan to release their debut album at the tail end of 2024.

Another band The P’s & Q’s will play some famous covers. The Kilmarnock trio formed a band six months ago and since then played a variety of genres from pop to soft rock, country and everything in between.

Relay for Life participants can enjoy musician and songwriter Drew McCulloch with his Kenny Rogers show. Drew has appeared as Kenny in the touring show ‘Islands In The Stream’. He will now perform at Ayrshire Athletics Arena where people can hear all the hits including ‘The Gambler’, ‘Lucille’, ‘Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town’ and of course ‘Islands In The Stream.’

The female pop-rock band, The Marches, with members based across Ayrshire and Paisley, are also set to play at the event. Established as a four-piece in December 2023, The Marches have been preparing original music behind the scenes, and have been building a strong set of songs in advance of playing gigs in front of an audience.

Heavily influenced by some of the greatest female fronted bands of the past, Fleetwood Mac and The Bangles to name a few, The Marches hope to bring a similar timeless sound back into the music industry. The Marches are set to release their first single in Summertime and hope to make an impression as one of the most promising female acts of the moment.

Other artists will be announced by the organisers in due course.

The event will be hosted by Irvine DJ Elliot Boyce, who has performed at a number of key events including Stereofunk and HWFG.

Elliot, who is also Kilmarnock FC Stadium announcer, said: “I am privileged and delighted to host and also DJ at the Relay for Life later this year. One of the biggest reasons I got involved with it is because of what it means not only to me but to everybody who is going to attend and to the committee that is organizing it.

“Cancer has affected everyone, I don’t know anyone who can say that it has not directly or indirectly affected them. So to see everyone coming together and all the hard work put together to create an event like this is tremendous.

“The biggest part of what me and the committee want to achieve on a day is that we want to turn it into a big event in Ayrshire, we want it to become an annual event.

“There are going to be live acts and we are going to have so much fun on the day while also raising funds for the great cause. If you are not already signed up, get a team together or join a team, come down and let’s raise as much money as we can for CRUK Relay for Life.”

Committee member Darren Thomson added: “The Relay For Life Ayrshire team cannot wait for this event and would like to thank everyone who has offered to perform on the day! We have a full schedule of entertainment planned throughout the full 24 hours of the event and we are still adding more day by day.

“We will have lots to keep all ages entertained including a bouncy castle, face painting and a multitude of other kids activities on the day. We are hoping to see the community pull together for this event and raise an amazing amount of money for what is truly an excellent cause, Cancer Research UK.”

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