In 2025, American roots-rock artist Liam St. John brought his raw, blues-infused sound to the dramatic clifftop ruins of Findlater Castle. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter chose our ancient fortress as the backdrop for live performance videos of two tracks from his debut album Man of the North—the album's title track and the swampy, soul-searching "Trouble."
Set against the crumbling stone walls and the vast expanse of the Moray Firth, these stripped-back performances capture the essence of St. John's music: honest, gritty, and deeply rooted in place and history.
The title track from St. John's debut album feels perfectly at home among the weathered ruins of Findlater. With its fiddle-driven opening that evokes another century and St. John's powerful, gravelly vocals echoing off ancient stone, "Man of the North" takes on an almost elemental quality in this setting.
Liam St. John performs "Man of the North" live at Findlater Castle
"Trouble" is a swampy, grungy confession—a song born from St. John's darkest days. Performing it within the stark, windswept ruins of a castle that has weathered nearly eight centuries of storms feels entirely fitting. As St. John himself has said of the track: "They say it's darkest before the dawn, and 'Trouble' is the point in the album and in my life where I reached my darkest days."
Liam St. John performs "Trouble" live at Findlater Castle
Liam St. John's journey to the ruins of a Scottish castle began thousands of miles away in Spokane, Washington. A former collegiate track and field athlete at Whitworth University, St. John traded his Olympic ambitions for a microphone after realising that music was his true calling.
His breakthrough came in 2020 when he appeared on Season 19 of NBC's The Voice, delivering a bluesy rendition of Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" that impressed both Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. St. John ultimately joined Team Gwen, with Stefani describing his voice as "incredible" and "rich."
After The Voice, St. John bet everything on himself, moving first to Los Angeles and then to Nashville, where he wrote his breakout single "Dipped in Bleach." That song, born from his darkest moments, has since reached millions of listeners worldwide and proved the universal power of honest, vulnerable songwriting.
Now signed to Big Loud Rock and with his debut album Man of the North released in September 2025, St. John has amassed over 90 million streams globally. His music sits at the crossroads of Americana and rock—described by Holler as the work of a "genre-fusing crooner with emphatic, striking style."
For an artist whose music draws so deeply from his Pacific Northwest roots and the landscapes that shaped him, the choice of Findlater Castle as a filming location makes perfect sense. The castle's dramatic setting—perched 50 feet above the churning waters of the Moray Firth—provides a visual metaphor for the themes that run through Man of the North: resilience, weathering storms, and the enduring power of one's origins.
The ruins themselves, dating back to the 14th century and abandoned since the early 1600s, speak to the same sense of history and perseverance that St. John channels in his music. Like the castle, his songs acknowledge the hardships of the past while standing firm against whatever comes next.
Findlater Castle has witnessed Viking invasions, royal sieges, and centuries of Scottish history. Now, thanks to Liam St. John, it has also played host to the soulful, searching sound of modern American roots rock—a fitting new chapter for a location that has always drawn those who appreciate the raw beauty of this stretch of the Banffshire coast.
Listen to Man of the North on Spotify, Apple Music, and all major streaming platforms.
Follow Liam St. John: Instagram | Official Website
Findlater Castle remains open to visitors. Please note that the ruins are in a fragile state and access to the promontory should be approached with extreme caution.