Feel the vibe at the beating heart of cultural life in Aberdeen!
Your new season of gigs, concerts and shows lands today with our latest Lemon Tree brochure. Leading the charge in the upcoming season is Scottish songwriter Hamish Hawk, dance legends The Orb, the spellbinding production of Deep Wheel Orcadia and we welcome back our Eat the Rich cabaret for a rousing night of fun. The latest additions to the Aberdeen Comedy Festival include Mark Watson, Marcel Lucont and family fun with Shelf while our new exciting partnership with Raven Afrikulture will take the hottest African talent to Aberdeen through 2025. Do you like what you see? Then book your tickets and be part of the vibe!
Bands & Singer Songwriters
Hamish Hawk + Special Guests
Sun 9 February 2025 doors 7pm
Edinburgh’s Hamish Hawk is embarking on a UK wide tour in support of both upcoming record Angel Numbers, and his breakthrough LP Heavy Elevator. Drawing comparisons to the likes of Pulp, Rufus Wainwright and Scott Walker; the idiosyncratic artist offers a unique spin on traditional folk-laden ballads to create alluring soundscapes.
Tickets £22 Lounge (standing)
Hayseed Dixie
Fri 31 January 2025 doors 7pm
Hayseed Dixie are the undisputed creators of the musical genre Rockgrass.
Accept no imitations.
Tickets £25.30 Lounge (standing)
The Animals and Friends
Mon 10 March 2025 doors 7pm
The Animals & Friends remain a seminal rhythm & blues band who still command great respect internationally amongst their peers as well as from fans of all ages.
Tickets £30.25 Lounge (seated)
Polish-Scottish Mini Festival Strachy Na Lachy
Fri 7 February 2025 doors 8pm
Strachy Na Lachy is a formation established in 2001 by Grabaż and Kozak, the founders of ‘Pidżama Porno’.
Tickets £37 Lounge (standing)
Haiver with support from Devin Casson
Thu 13 March 2025 doors 7pm
A key member of Frightened Rabbit, musician and songwriter Billy Kennedy is stepping into a new realm and spearheading Haiver.
Tickets £15 Lounge (seated)
The Orb with Ozric Tentacles
Sat 15 March 2025 doors 7:30pm
Two giants of underground psych-dance culture come together for the first time on an extensive tour of the UK for an evening of audio-visual sensory overload!
Tickets £33 Lounge (standing)
The Rezillos
Sat 29 March 2025 doors 7pm
‘Mission Accomplished...But The Beat Goes On’ Tour + special guests. The Rezillos are a punk/new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976.
Tickets £27.50 Lounge (standing)
Those Damn Crows
Mon 24 March 2025 doors 7pm
An unstoppable force in new rock, Those Damn Crows are nationally renowned as frontrunners in modern hard rock, bolstered by their unmissable live shows.
Tickets £24.75 Lounge (standing)
The Blockheads
Sun 30 March 2025 doors 7pm
Returning after a hugely well received visit in 2024, the band return to celebrate 48 years of The Blockheads
Tickets £32.45 Lounge (standing)
Imelda May
Mon 7 April 2025 doors 7pm
Singer, songwriter, actor, producer, poet, illustrator and storyteller, Imelda May is one of the UK & Ireland’s most celebrated female artists.
Tickets £45 Lounge (standing)
James Grant
Sat 31 May 2025 doors 8pm
James Grant is one of the most renowned and respected performers Scotland has ever produced. With both his own solo compositions and Love & Money favourites.
Tickets £24.20 Lounge (seated)
The Selecter
Fri 23 May 2025
doors 7pm
The Selecter is led by their iconic frontwoman Pauline Black OBE. One of very few women in the 2-Tone scene, she is often referred to as the Queen of Ska.
Tickets £31.35 Lounge (standing)
Hue and Cry
Sat 15 & Sun 16 Nov 2025 doors 7:30pm
Following a phenomenal return to the road in 2024, Hue And Cry are bringing their wonderful Electro Acoustic show to Scotland in 2025.
Tickets £27.50 Lounge (seated)
Tribute/ Party Bands
Pygmy Twylyte
Sat 26 April 2025 doors 7:30pm
With guitars, keyboards, saxes and multiple vocalists at their disposal, the band has a (stink) foot planted in the camp of several of Zappa’s most memorable touring line-ups. Head down to nod along to rock numbers, lose count during jazzy interludes (after all, it’s not dead – it just smells funny) and evade the infamous Frunobulax!
Tickets £16.50
Lounge (standing)
For the Love of Shane MacGowan
Sun 20 April 2025 doors 7pm
A celebration of the life of Shane MacGowan by his friend John McLaughlin, intertwining a 90-minute set of classic songs of the great man with stories of their times together.
Tickets £22 Lounge (standing)
The Smiths Ltd
Sat 10 May 2025 doors 7:30pm
If you never saw The Smiths then this is your chance to experience the thrill of those great songs played live. If you did then prepare to relive that excitement.
Tickets £19.80 Lounge (standing)
Heartbreak: The Tom Petty Show
Thu 24 April 2025 starts 7:30pm
Heartbreak: The Tom Petty Show perform the greatest hits of Tom Petty, The Heartbreakers, Travelling Wilburys and Stevie Nicks duets.
Tickets £23.65 Lounge (seated)
Swiftogeddon
The Taylor Themed Club Night
Sat 17 May 2025 starts 8:45pm until late
The legendary night dedicated to worshipping at the altar of Taylor Swift: non-stop Swifty all night: deep cuts, extended mixes and all the hits.
Tickets £11 18+ Lounge (standing)
Roots Music
Fiona Soe Paing - Sand, Silt, Flint
Fri 28 February 2025 starts 7pm
Fiona Soe Paing’s brew of electro alt-folk melds her Scottish/Burmese heritage, electronic music background and fascination with the darker side of North-East Scotland’s balladry tradition with a delicately blended palette of silvery electronic textures and traditional Scottish sounds. With support from Tripple – an acapella singing trio from the North East of Scotland. Tickets £14.30 Studio (seated)
The John Martyn Project
Sun 2 March 2025 doors 7:30pm
One evening at the Jazz Cafe, Camden, six artists came together in celebration of John Martyn’s music, creating what was to become The John Martyn Project.
Tickets £24.20 Lounge (seated)
Raven Afrikulture: Tomi Thomas
Sat 5 April 2025 doors 7pm
WELCOME TO THE AFRO INDIE SERIES 2.0!
Our Lagos-Based Headliner Tomi Thomas takes the stage alongside other talented local artists in Aberdeen.
Tickets £15
Lounge (standing)
Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company
Art of Andalucia
Sun 23 March 2025 starts 7:30pm
Daniel Martinez returns with a new show that places flamenco dance at the forefront, offering audiences an immersive experience where dancers take centre stage.
Tickets £29.70 Lounge (seated)
Breabach
Fri 24 October 2025 doors 8pm
Among Scotland’s most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, Breabach unite deep roots with the innovative Scottish music scene.
Tickets £22 Lounge (seated)
Comedy and Spoken Word
Marjolein Robertson: O
Mon 3 March 2025
Doors 7:30pm
A show about the body. Marjolein embarks on the second instalment of her standup trilogy by looking at a health condition that, left unspoken about in the past, was almost fatal. Now, shaking off the shame and armed with knowledge, Marjolein talks through menstrual health with humour and another Shetland folktale.
Tickets £15.40 16+ Lounge
Queer Folks’ Tales
Wed 5 February 2025 starts 7:30pm
Scotland’s award-winning, multiple 5 star rated, hit LGBTQ+ storytelling show returns to Aberdeen!
HHHHH “Utterly fabulous” The Q Review
Tickets £13.20 Studio
Andy Zaltzman: The Zaltgeist
Mon 24 February 2025 8pm
With the 3rd millennium almost 2.5% complete, Andy Zaltzman assesses the state of Planet Earth and its most famous and controversial species – the human race.
Tickets £19.25 Lounge
Andrew Ryan: Let Me Know How You Get On
Sun 16 February 2025 8pm
Andrew is living the life he always thought he would after moving to Belfast and he’s taking his hilarious tales of woe and ineptitude on tour across the UK and Ireland.
Tickets £15.40 Lounge
Maisie Adam: Appraisal
Wed 26 February 2025 8pm
Fresh from Live At The Apollo, A League Of Their Own and Have I Got News For You, Maisie Adam is heading back out on tour with her show Appraisal.
Tickets £23.10 Lounge
Craig Hill: I’ve Been Sitting on This for a While!
Sat 1 March 2025 2025 doors 7pm
An unfiltered and hilarious evening with Scotland’s favourite high-octane Kilty Pleasure! Everything you ever thought, but never said out loud!
Tickets £20 Lounge
Sophie McCartney: One Foot In The Rave
Wed 5 March 2025 starts 7:30pm
After last year’s phenomenal 70 date tour, award-winning comedian and number one bestselling author Sophie McCartney is back with a brand-new show!
Tickets £23.65 Lounge
An Evening with Martin O’Neill
Sun 9 March 2025 starts 7:30pm
Hosted by Graham Spiers. Come along and enjoy an evening of opinionated football chat with some funny stories along the way.
Tickets £30 Lounge Tickets inc. Meet & Greet £72.50
Matt Forde: End Of An Era Tour
Tue 11 March 2025 starts 7:30pm
Finally, the UK has a new government, meaning new people to take the piss out of. Leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde makes this his personal mission.
Tickets £19.25 Lounge
Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct
Tue 25 March 2025 starts 8pm
Spain’s Best Export™ Ignacio Lopez is on a mission to destroy himself, and build a better version; Leaner. Smarter. Funnier. Expect an armada of playful, wicked humour.
Tickets £22 Lounge
Jamali Maddix: Aston
Sun 16 March 2025 starts 7:30pm
Expect critically acclaimed Jamali Maddix’s trademark brutally honest and unflinching perspectives on the world at large.
Tickets £24.20 Lounge
Stuart Mitchell: Tips Not Included
Fri 4 April 2025 starts 8pm
Stuart Mitchell is now regarded as one of the UK’s top comedians and social media stars. You’ve seen him online, now you can see him on his first ever national UK tour
Tickets £20.35 Lounge
MC Hammersmith: The MC Stands For Middle Class
Fri 11 April 2025 starts 7:30pm
MC Hammersmith is the world’s leading freestyle rapper to emerge from the ghetto of middle-class west London. Improvised comedy raps based on your suggestions.
Tickets £16.50 Lounge
Huge Davies: Album For My Ancestors
Wed 30 April 2025 starts 8pm
The show will feature Huge’s well known and loved personalised wearable keyboard, intricate deadpan style of humour and crowd participation.
Tickets £18.15 Lounge
George Lewis: The Best Thing You’ll Ever Do
Fri 25 April 2025 starts 8pm
Described as ‘the funniest dad on Instagram’, stand-up comedian George has racked up hundreds of millions of views for his hilarious online sketches about the big things in life.
Tickets £17.60 Lounge
Comedy Club 4 Kids
Sat 27 September 2025 2pm
Cracking entertainment for everyone over six years old and under 400 years old (no vampires). The best comedians from the UK and world circuit doing what they do best.
Tickets £11 Studio
Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us
Fri 3 October 2025 starts 7:30pm
20 years in stand-up for the Taskmaster cheeky texts icon, multi-award winner, YouTube cult figure, Radio 4 favourite and recently Baby Reindeer actor.
Tickets £24.75 Lounge
Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles
Sat 4 October 2025 starts 2pm
A Gameshow For Awful Children
A wild family gameshow, in which kids get to be pests, politicians and pétomanes to be crowned the most awful child.
Tickets £11 Studio
Marcel Lucont’s Whine List
Fri 3 October 2025 starts 8:45pm
An interactive live comedy show which has toured all over the world to great critical and commercial success and is now being turned into a podcast.
Tickets £15.40 Studio
Shelf
Sun 5 October 2025 starts 2pm
Join best friends Rachel and Ruby for a kids’ comedy show that brings sketch comedy to children of all ages – a fun way to explore emotions, friendship and shyness.
Tickets £11 Studio
Theatre and Dance
Alan Bissett: The Moira Trilogy
Sat 12 April 2025 Starts 7pm
Since 2009, Alan Bissett’s ‘one-woman show’ The Moira Monologues, about Moira Bell –single mother, cleaner and Falkirk’s Hardest Woman – has been leaving audiences all over Scotland weak with laughter and garnering rave reviews. Now, for the first time, Alan will be touring all three shows as a ‘one nighter’, giving audiences the chance to experience Moira’s hilarious journey in a single sitting.
Get your tickets for this unique and thrilling theatrical event, about the woman who Joyce McMillan (Scotsman) called “the most charismatic character to appear on a Scottish stage in a decade.”
Tickets £25.30 Studio
Compagnia Artistica Gaudeamus presents Poor Piero
Sat 1 February 2025 starts 7pm
Dripping with irreverent humor, Poor Piero is a two-act divertissement by Achille Campanile, adapted from his novel in 1961.
The play tells the chaotic story of a dead man, Piero, who is stolen, hidden, and adorned with epitaphs, obituaries, and decorations amidst the tears and outbursts of in-laws and friends. In a surreal twist, Piero resurrects from the shock of death only to truly die again, causing chaos at a funeral diverted to another deceased.
Join us for a night of laughter and irreverence in Poor Piero.
Performed in Italian with English subtitles.
Tickets £13.20 Studio
What the Thunder Said
Sat 19 April 2025 starts 7pm
When the particulars of your bespoke Waste Land reveal themselves, the least we can hope for is some practical advice in a language we can understand…
The true story of an encounter with T.S Eliot’s masterpiece, a pair of yellow sunglasses and the crazy new world of neurochemicals. When the thunder speaks, listen up! I did, at the age of 43, having experienced sketchy mental health for a good number of those years. Let me tell you what I’ve learned.
A bold, mischievous solo show, written and performed by Jane Williams.
Tickets £13.20 Studio
Scissor Kick presents
Deep Wheel Orcadia
Fri 18 & Sat 19 July 2025 starts 7pm
Deep Wheel Orcadia is based on the award-winning verse novel by Harry Josephine Giles. A fusion of performance, music and image tells the story of Astrid – who, on return from art school on Mars, meets Darling, a Martian hiding on a space station struggling for survival.
Written in Orkney dialect, this spellbinding production includes music by BAFTAwinning composer Atzi Muramatsu with direction by Susan Worsfold.
Tickets £17.60
Studio
A Tron Theatre Company production Man’s
Best Friend
By Douglas Maxwell
Directed by Jemima Levick
Tue 16 & Wed 17 September 2025 starts 7pm
Walking his neighbours’ dogs kept Ronnie together after a very difficult lockdown. But when a series of mishaps result in the dogs slipping their leads and disappearing off into the woods, Ronnie is forced to take chase and confront some hard truths.
Man’s Best Friend is Douglas Maxwell’s hilariously heart-warming story about the give-and-take of companionship.
Tickets £16.50
Studio
Big Sky Studio
The Ambient Arcade
Sat 1 February & Sat 29 March 2025
Mischief Makar
Drop in sessions from 10am
The Ambient Arcade is a series of accessible audio-visual sculptures that take the form of retro style video games units and outdated computer terminals. There are many opportunities to play together, interact collaboratively and communicate through sound and play.
Open drop in sessions run from 1pm- 2pm and 2.30pm – 3.30pm. Free to attend and open to all but best suited for children 0-10
Accessible quieter sessions, suitable for ASN run from 10.00am – 10.45am and 11.00am –11.45am.
1 ticket per person e.g one adult and one child need 2 tickets.
Free but ticketed Big Sky Studio, Music Hall
Wed 9 April 2025 starts 7pm
The award-winning performer behind Spam Valley (HHHHH The Wee Review) returns with an evening of spellbinding spoken word, uproarious comedy and irreverent chat. Bringing together brand-new pieces and greatest hits from his back catalogue, Kevin P. Gilday is on a mission to make poetry for the masses. Forget everything you know about poetry, this is a show that redefines the artform as a raucous night out in the company of one of the country’s most gifted performers.
‘Fearless, hilarious and steeped in a Weegieness that still, somehow, manages to feel universal, this is poetry for our times.’
Alan Bissett
Tickets £13.20 Big Sky Studio, Music Hall
Family Shows
A Starcatchers production by Kerry Cleland and company. Designed for babies aged up to one year and their adults Float
Tue 25 & Wed 26 March 2025 Starts 10am
Float is a beautiful and immersive world for babies from birth to 12 months old and their grown-ups, with a performance that will ebb and flow through the space during the 3-hour experience. Designed especially for babies up to 12 months old, Float invites you to relax with your baby and enjoy a gently interactive performance, with music, dance, visual projections and sensory objects, in a beautiful, calm space inspired by the healing properties of water. Float is a three-hour experience. Your ticket with allow you to come and go as you want during this time.
Tickets £14.30 (Inc 1 adult & 1 child)
Studio
Half a String presents
Sat 26 & Sun 27 April 2025
Sat 1pm, Sun 10am
Find the epic in the tiny from the perspective of an acorn. Join this extraordinary journey to discover the beats and rhythms of a wild woodland world. Uncover bizarre larger than life fungi, creaking tree roots, and thrumming underworlds. Breathe explores the inner workings of trees, beautifully realised with a combination of stunning puppetry, breathtakingly detailed sets, and groundbreaking live camera work.
Underscored through an unique blend of thumping drum & bass and live ethereal folk songs.
Tickets £13, U11 £11 Studio
Flourish
To find out more and book your child’s place scan the QR code or visit aberdeenperformingarts.com/take-part
TUTTI TOTS | TUTTI TODDLERS | TUTTI EXPLORERS ENCOURAGE BIG IMAGINATIONS
“Beingableto enjoysomany activitiestogether with my child makes it a fun and rewardingexperience for us both.”
Aberdeen Performing Arts
Community Choir Concert
Tue 24 June 2025 starts 7:30pm
Aberdeen Performing Arts Community Choir returns to the Lemon Tree Stage for their fabulous annual end of year concert. Join us on a warm summer evening for some laid-back songs, including some jazz classics.
Tickets Pay what you can £5/£8/£10/£15 Studio
Early Years
TUTTI TOTS | 1- 2 year olds
Introducing you and your little one to fun activities including singing, dancing, crafting and storytelling.
TUTTI TODDLERS | 2 - 3 year olds
Enjoy workshops designed for lively little ones who like to be on their feet, and their grownups too!
TUTTI EXPLORERS | 3 - 4 year olds
Have fun together with your little one in an entertaining exploration of the creative world.
Drama Workshops
LET’S PLAY! | Primary 1 - 3
The perfect creative route to building confidence and self-expression while making new friends.
LET’S CREATE! | Primary 4 - 7
Have fun playing games and learning through storytelling and make believe.
JUNIOR YOUTH THEATRE | Secondary 1 & 2
Enjoy taking part, being creative and finding your voice.
INTERMEDIATE YOUTH THEATRE | Secondary 3 & 4
Tap into your imagination, discover new techniques and develop your skills.
SENIOR YOUTH THEATRE | Secondary 5 & 6
(or up to age 18)
Build on your skills, working collaboratively to create new work.
Music and Choirs
COMMUNITY CHOIR
Our welcoming and encouraging Community Choir allows everyone to find their voice.
BEATS & RHYMES | Anyone of secondary school age
Join us to find out how to make and record a music track!
ENCORE! SCRIPT READING WORKSHOP
A weekly sociable play reading group designed for those aged 60+.
Youth Theatre and Beats & Rhymes participants have the chance to take part in Light The Blue, our annual festival for and by young people.
February
Sat 1 Poor Piero
Wed 5 Queer Folks’ Tales
Wed 19 PPP Dookin’ Oot
Thu 20 PPP Dookin’ Oot
21
13 Fri 7 Strachy Na Lachy
4
5 Sun 9 Hamish Hawk
Sun 16 Andrew Ryan Lounge 13 Mon 24 Andy Zaltzman Lounge 13
Wed 26 Maisie Adam Lounge 13
Fri 28 Fiona Soe Paing
March
Sat 1 Craig Hill
10
14
Sun 2 The John Martyn Project Lounge 11 Mon 3 Marjolein Robertson
Wed 5 Sophie McCartney
12
14 Fri 7 Eat the Rich 4
23 Sun 9 An Evening with Martin O’Neill
10 The Animals and Friends
11 Matt Forde
13 Haiver
15 The Orb - Ozric Tentacles
16 Jamali Maddix: Aston
Tue 18 PPP Dookin’ Oot
14
5
15
5
6
15
24
24 Fri 21 PPP Dookin’ Oot
Sat 22 PPP Dookin’ Oot
24
24 Sun 23 Daniel Martinez Flamenco
24 Those Damn Crows
11
6
30 The Blockheads
April
4 Stuart Mitchell
6
15 Sat 5 Raven Afrikulture: Tomi Thomas Lounge 11 Mon 7 Imelda May Lounge 7 Fri 11 MC Hammersmith Lounge 16 Sat 12 Alan Bissett: The Moira Trilogy Studio 20 Tue 15 PPP The Reason Lounge 24
Wed 16 PPP The Reason Lounge 24
Thu 17 PPP The Reason Lounge 24 Fri 18 PPP The Reason Lounge 24 Sat 19 PPP The Reason
24
July
September
October
BUYING TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased 24 hours a day at aberdeenperformingarts. com, which also has all the latest news and listings.
You can also visit the box office in person from 10am, Tue-Sat at His Majesty’s Theatre and the Music Hall, or phone our team on 01224 641122.
WHERE IS IT?
You will find the Lemon Tree right behind Marischal College on West North Street - just in case you’re not sure, here’s a map:
By bus: there is a bus stop right outside and we’re just round the corner from Union St, King St and Broad St so lots of buses
By car: try the car parks at Frederick St, Marischal College and Gallowgate.
HOW MUCH?
We’ve printed the whole ticket price, this includes the booking fee (the only extra you’ll have to pay is postage, but most tickets are now e-tickets that can be printed at home or shown on your digital device) - there could be discounts for students, children, over 60s or Friends of Aberdeen Performing Arts - ask or check online.
DO I SIT OR STAND?
A bit of both - we try and create the right atmosphere for each gig, some will be seated, some will not - but we always have a limited number of seats available at the back. For any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with the Box Office team.
WHAT DO THE TIMES MEAN?
If it says ‘doors’ then that’s when the doors open and you get inside for a drink. If it says ‘start’ that’s when the show starts. Some shows have support acts, we can’t always confirm this until nearer the time and ‘start’ can mean the start of the support act, not the main act.
HOW OLD DO I HAVE TO BE?
All ages are welcome, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, and under 18s can’t be near the bars.
Schoolhill
BUYING TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased 24 hours a day at aberdeenperformingarts.com, which also has all the latest news and listings. You can also visit the box office in person from 10am, Tue-Sat at His Majesty’s Theatre and the Music Hall, or phone our team on 01224 641122.
WHERE IS IT?
You will find the Lemon Tree right behind Marischal College on West North Street - just in case you’re not sure, here’s a map:
By bus: there is a bus stop right outside and we’re just round the corner from Union St, King St and Broad St so lots of buses
By car: try the car parks at Frederick St, Marischal College and Gallowgate.
HOW MUCH?
We’ve printed the whole ticket price, this includes the booking fee (the only extra you’ll have to pay is postage, but most tickets are now e-tickets that can be printed at home or shown on your digital device) - there could be discounts for students, children, over 60s or Friends of Aberdeen Performing Arts - ask or check online.
DO I SIT OR STAND?
A bit of both - we try and create the right atmosphere for each gig, some will be seated, some will not - but we always have a limited number of seats available at the back. For any accessibility requirements, please get in touch with the Box Office team.
WHAT DO THE TIMES MEAN?
If it says ‘doors’ then that’s when the doors open and you get inside for a drink. If it says ‘start’ that’s when the show starts. Some shows have support acts, we can’t always confirm this until nearer the time and ‘start’ can mean the start of the support act, not the main act.
HOW OLD DO I HAVE TO BE?
All ages are welcome, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, and under 18s can’t be near the bars.