Critics question rock group's Burns ties

AYR, Scotland, April 10 (UPI) -- Some fans of poet Robert Burns say they are mystified by the selection of a veteran British rock group to headline a festival honoring the Scottish bard.

Pete Irvine, who lost the contract to run the Burns and A' That Festival in Ayrshire, told The Scotsman he finds it difficult to comment on the artists selected by the new organizers -- but he did it anyway.

"When we programmed an artist, it was for a reason -- with Pete Doherty we had him doing some poetry," Irvine said. "But Status Quo? Say no more. What on Earth do they have to do with Robert Burns?"

Irvine, author of the popular "Scotland the Best" guidebook, ran the festival for six years.

Sheena Wellington, a folksinger who opened the Scottish Parliament with "A Man's a Man For A' That," called the choice "very odd."

Status Quo has been around for 40 years under that name, after being founded as the Scorpions in 1962. The group is especially popular in Britain and in the Netherlands.

The group is scheduled to headline "Burns Rock at the Racecourse" May 24 at Ayr Racecourse.