Music
11 Aug 20

The Scratch to feature on 'Rave On, Van Morrison' tonight

The Scratch. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The Scratch's performance for Van Morrison's 75th birthday celebration goes live at 7pm this evening.

Following a stunning performance last night from Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Miriam Kaufmann and Iain Archer, we're thrilled to present The Scratch as our next act on 'Rave On, Van Morrison' – covering Van's Astral Weeks classic 'Sweet Thing'.

Over the course of the YouTube event, celebrating Van Morrison's 75th birthday, you can expect even more renditions of the legendary artist's stunning songs from some of the most iconic names in the country – including President Michael D. Higgins with Bill Whelan, Hozier, Sinéad O'Connor, Imelda May, Bob Geldof, Glen Hansard and Damien Dempsey, to name just a few.

Emerging as a raw, high-energy alternative to neatly packaged and polished acts, The Scratch have consistently thrown predictability to the wind – embracing absurdity and anarchy in equal measure as they garner legions of devotees off the back of their famously raucous live shows. The Dublin-based four-piece continue to blur the boundaries between folk and metal in their own wildly unique way on their debut album Couldn't Give A Rats – released earlier this year.

They're also keeping busy during lockdown by setting off on a charity cycle from Dublin to Ballyshannon in Donegal this Thursday – to raise money for MASI, and specifically to help the children in Direct Provision access adequate equipment to go to school and enjoy a normal childhood.

You can donate to their fundraiser here.

Each 'Rave On, Van Morrison' performance, including tonight's cover of 'Sweet Thing', premieres at 7pm Irish Standard Time every night on the Hot Press YouTube channel.

See the line-up for this week on 'Rave On, Van Morrison' below:

Tue Aug 11 The Scratch Sweet Thing

Wed Aug 12 Bronagh Gallagher And The Healing Has Begun

Thu Aug 13 Imelda May Wild Night

Fri Aug 14 Maverick Sabre Beautiful Vision

Sat Aug 15 Una Healy Reminds Me of You

Sun Aug 16 JC Stewart Bright Side of the Road

To be sure you don't miss out on any of our upcoming videos, subscribe to our YouTube here!

Hot Press is also publishing a Van Morrison Special Issue, to coincide with ‘Rave On, Van Morrison’, featuring written contributions from the legendary likes of Sinéad O'Connor, Gary Lightbody, Tim Wheeler, Una Healy and David Keenan – who reflect on Van's music and influence. The issue will also look back at five decades of landmark Hot Press interviews with Van, in which he discusses everything from Ray Charles and his other musical heroes, to the inspiration behind the seminal Astral Weeks. Plus, you can expect exclusive photos from the archives, ten ways Van has changed the world, and much more. This historic publication is set to be a must-have for Van Morrison fans all over the world, and is available to pre-order now.