A CHARITY compilation featuring 20 top north east acts, hailed as “the ideal soundtrack to your summer of ’23”, has been released today.
Straight Outta Mannofield has been officially released today after a month of pre-orders, with all proceeds going to fund activities, equipment and camps for Aberdeen’s Mannofield Explorer Scouts.
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Straight Outta Mannofield is available to stream and download now from http://mannofieldesu.bandcamp.com for a minimum donation of £10.
Aberdeen legends The Xcerts, Best Girl Athlete, CS Buchan, The Lorelei and Wendell Borton have contributed previously unreleased tracks to the album, which celebrates the best of Aberdeen city and shire’s music scene.
Explorer Scout leader Eoin Smith said: “We’ve been working on this album for almost half a year, so to have it finally out there in the real world is massive. While we’ve been taking pre-orders for a while, this is the really exciting bit – we can’t wait to hear what people’s favourite tracks are.”
The line-up is completed by Cold Years, The Little Kicks, Gerry Jablonski & The Electric Band, The Capollos, Audiokicks, Vansleep, Craig John Davidson, The Sun Day, Connor Clark & The Matador Kings, Lotus Crush, Min Diesel, Colin Clyne, The Killing Tide, Full Fat, and Hamlet.
Eoin continued: “We’re always looking for new experiences for our Explorers. So not only are we raising the funds we need to run our Unit, but we’ve also given them a taste of what a career in the media might be like while promoting the album.
“Some of our Explorers can now say they’ve appeared live on radio or have been interviewed for podcasts, while others can say they’ve been on the front page of a newspaper.
“We think we might also be the first Scouts ever to be featured in the pages of Kerrang!, which is quite a claim to fame!”
The album marks a departure from traditional Scouting fundraisers like bake sales, car washes and bag packs and is just the tip of the iceberg. With the Explorers themselves involved throughout the whole process – right down to devising the name and artwork – they are excited about the album and about future opportunities.
Eoin concluded: “We can’t say enough how thankful we are to everyone that has come with us on the journey so far – from the bands that have donated their music, to the media and local businesses that have helped us promote the album, to everyone that has or will buy a copy.
“This has become a real community project – celebrating not just young people in Aberdeen and the incredible musicians we have in our neck of the woods, but what we can achieve when we work together for a great cause.”
Mannofield Explorer Scouts is Aberdeen’s largest Explorer Scout Unit, bringing together over 30 young people aged 14-18 from across the city to learn, have fun, and develop skills for life. As a youth-led organisation, the Unit’s programme is planned and organised by the Explorers themselves, supported by five volunteer leaders.
In the last year, the Unit’s activities have included surfing, mountain biking, ziplining, hiking and paddleboarding; supporting the community and environment through foodbank donations and tree planting; learning how to cook meals from scratch to prepare for post-school life; spending a week camping in Aviemore (and weekends around the north east); speaking openly and supportively about mental health and LGBT rights; and practicing traditional Scouting skills.
For more information, follow Mannofield Explorer Scouts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @mannofieldESU
