You might not think it as you drive up to the small, whitewashed renovated coaching inn that lies just south of the golfing town of St Andrews, but these walls have seen (and heard) a lot of musical talent over the past few years, much to the delight of tourists and locals alike. Okay, so the Inn at Lathones might not quite match Wembley in terms of size and scale, but still, its gig list reads like an A-list music agent’s resume – impressive, and long.
So why have talented artists like, Bob Catley, Peter Tork and Mick Taylor made their way to the east coast of Scotland? Well, a few years back the owner of the Inn, savvy businessman Nick White, wanted to find a niche market for his business. Something that would set his small Fife tavern apart from everything else in the area. And with music providing the perfect reason to travel, he set about turning his Inn into the music venue for St Andrews and the east coast of Scotland. And so the gig nights were born, and given the name Rocking at the Stables, or RATS for short.
It wasn’t long before the list of celebrity artists grew to a notable size, and that’s seen the venue grow in popularity as well. In 2009 it was awarded the title of UK’s Best Music Venue 2009, and in the following year The Publican listed it as a finalist. And its popularity continues to grow. This year sees the arrival of more talented artists like Lizanne Knott and Bob Cheevers, and they’ve even found the time on their gig list to open some space for one of two little-known talents as well. There have always been plenty of reasons to travel to this part of Scotland, whether it’s for the golf, historical tourist sites, or the plentiful and fresh seafood that’s a mainstay of the tourist trade here. But now there’s another reason to visit, and music fans everywhere should put the Inn at Lathones on their travel list.
Forthcoming Rocking at the Stables events in the Inn at Lathones can be found here:
http://www.mundellmusic.com/gigs_inn_at_lathones.php
And to see a full list of previous artists, click here:
