Bosses of a music festival that ran up £893,000 debts last year are vowing to defy a union boycott by staging the event again next month.
Doune the Rabbit Hole owed money to 250 creditors, including Amy Macdonald and Belle and Sebastian.
The festival, established by former diplomat Craig Murray, is desperately trying to sell tickets in the face of a boycott call from the Bectu union.
Bectu official Paul McManus said: “The festival organisers have made so many promises they have not kept.
“The idea they have is that they will run a great festival this year and take three years to pay all debts but we don’t see how they can achieve this.”
Bectu and The Musicians Union have advised all acts – including headliners Spiritualized amd former Specials star Neville Staple – to ensure they are paid in full in advance.
McManus said: “Our experience is that one in a thousand of our members ever get any money back in such circumstances.
"There is a severe danger that more artists, workers and music fans will be exploited.”
Bectu also criticised festival organisers for taking cash deposits from volunteer bar staff to work for free at this year’s event near Stirling.
Belle and Sebastian’s management has said it will sue to retrieve £58,000 in unpaid fees if the debt is not settled.
A spokesman for the band confirmed they are still pursuing their fee from last year.
He said: “We are ready to take legal steps to recover all outstanding revenue due to the band following 2023’s event in the event of ongoing nonpayment as the festival is in breach of contract.”
Murray’s son Jamie was in charge of last year’s event. He said at the end: “It was a long wait for the return of Doune the Rabbit Hole but it was definitely worth it. Roll on next year!”
But his company – Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival Ltd – was put into liquidation. The event was taken over by Festival Beverage and Property Services Ltd , which was formed in 2018 by his dad, Craig, the sole director.
Jamie Murray is noted on the list of creditors as being due £35,000. Creditors include Williams Brothers Brewers, who were stung for £62,000 and DJ Vic Galloway who wasn’t paid his £750 fee.
Indie favourites Teenage Fanclub were left hanging for £21,000 and electronic duo Orbital were out of pocket by more than £30,000.
Craig Murray has accused Bectu of trying to wreck this year’s event.
A spokesman for Doune the Rabbit Hole said: “Our agreement with our liquidators and contributors we are in debt to is to pay them back from the profits over the next three years.
“If we successfully sell out our capacity this year then we will be on track to repay our debts in three years but if we don’t hit our target this will simply take a little longer.”
Former diplomat Craig Murray was jailed in 2020 for contempt of court over a series of articles online about former first minister Alex Salmond’s High Court case.
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