Hemp Fandango

09/12/2025

If today were on a cruise I'd throw it overboard in cement shoes. This sucks.

Dear Friends, Patrons and Music-Lovers,

It’s with a heavy heart that we will be announcing the closure of The Blue Lamp. After seven decades of being a warm, welcoming home for music, laughter, conversation and community, our last night of opening will be Tuesday 30th December.

Since its founding in 1949, The Blue Lamp has stood as an Aberdeen institution — a place where generations gathered, where friendships were forged, and where the sounds of jazz, blues, folk and countless unforgettable gigs filled the air. Over the years, it has become far more than “just a pub”; it has been a vital part of the city’s cultural soul.

Sadly, the rising costs of running a business have reached a point where it is simply no longer viable for us to continue operating. We have tried everything we can to keep The Blue Lamp’s doors open, but the financial pressures — from energy to upkeep to general overheads — have grown beyond what we can sustain. Making this decision has been incredibly difficult, and it comes only after exhausting every other path available to us.

To each and every one of you who held a pint at the bar, tapped your foot along to a jazz quartet, discovered a new favourite band, or simply found comfort in familiar surroundings — thank you. You filled this place with life, warmth and authenticity. The Blue Lamp has been a community because of you.

We know this closure will leave a hole in the hearts of many. It’s not just a venue that’s going; it’s a chapter in Aberdeen’s musical and social story. But we hope the memories made here — the laughter, the late-night conversations, the applause after a brilliant set — will live on.

Our final night, Tuesday 30th December, will be a chance to say goodbye properly: to raise a glass, share stories, and celebrate everything The Blue Lamp has meant to us for so many years.

From the bottom of our hearts — thank you for being part of this incredible journey.

With gratitude and love,
The Blue Lamp Team

29/10/2025

Testify!

12/06/2025

Spooky ghost times

We're not done yet!

Our Halloween show this year will feature the elusive Magician and Lost Places while also having Edinburghs Bad Knees and our favourite all year round mask wearers H**p Fandango all at The Blue Lamp tickets in comments 👻

30/05/2025

Well, hello, all you happy people!
Courtesy of our friend Wren, here's the music video for Trauma Boy - if you dig the song, and wish to support we masked multicoloured musical miseries, it's available on Bandcamp!

19/05/2025

Let the bells ring and the banners fly! It's here! It's here!

1 track album

01/05/2025

"Are you familiar with the way it feels like life is out to kill ya?" (Another Statistic from Happy Sounding Songs About Sad Things)

Well, hello, all you happy people! It's the purple one here with a quick update on all things Fandangan.

We're taking a breather for a few months; between work commitments, commitments to other projects, and general 'weight of the world' stuff, none of us are able to give H**p Fandango the attention we feel it deserves. More accurately, we're not able to give ourselves the attention we feel we deserve while keeping H**p Fandango running, and we've got to take care of ourselves first.
This is only temporary (the hiatus, not the self-care). We are still going to be playing Brettfest II on October 11th, but have no plans to take on anything else before that.
With that said, we do have a new release next week - our first since Underneath My Skin in 2022 - so keep those peepers peeled!
We're looking forward to seeing you again once our heads are on a bit straighter.
Much love!
💜💙❤️

01/10/2024

Ooooooh, we're tickled pink to be announced as Semi Finalists in Krakatoa's Eruption BOTB!
We masked multicoloured musical miseries are looking forward to the next round, and playing some happy sounding songs about sad things for you. Don't forget yer dancin' shoes!
Big thanks to the Krakademy, and best of luck to our esteemed fellow competitors 💜❤️💙

01/09/2024

Hello, all you happy people! We had a great time at the Superfun Happy Time Melodic Punk All Day-er - massive gratitudes Theo for having us along to The Tooth & Claw, Inverness, a doff of the cap to all of the other bands (you were braw!), and big love to everyone who enjoyed our set.
Here are some pics from our friendy, Wendy.
Til next time, if not before
💜💙❤️