Festivals

The weekend of the 23rd and 24th of July saw the Wickerman Festival take to the fields of Dundrennan, Kidcudbright. Last year having been my first ‘Wickerman,’ I was keen to justify the glowing report I gave it, and attempt to experience more.

The first day of the festival was greeted by blistering sunshine; a head start given the poor weather the majority of Scotland’s festivals were given this year. With such a diverse bill on offer, I was constantly torn between acts, however with my free press schedule in hand, I did my very best to pick out a fair share.

My first stop was the main stage for the pop-electro outfit, I Blame Coco. The quartet, fronted by Sting’s daughter, strode through a half-hour set of elated, poppy arrangements, as the modest-sized crowd dutifully bopped along. I Blame Coco came to be one of the surprises of the weekend for me, as having listened to their material previously I was not expecting to enjoy. Although slightly marred by her sometimes restrained voice, I was thoroughly impressed. Their latest single, ‘Caeser,’ was out in February and their debut album, ‘The Constant,’ is out in September.

The acoustic stage is rarely an area I frequent at a festival, however after I Blame Coco, hotly tipped Glasgow folk singer/songwriter Rachel Sermanni was appearing on that very stage. Having heard countless enthusiastic reports of her act, I was keen to hear for myself. Although a quiet tent, Rachel, alongside her two violinists Siobhan Anderson and Laura Wilkie, her keyboardist Jen Austin and drummer Martin Hodge, played an excellent set, with some of the softest and well-layered harmonies I’ve heard in a long while. A range of tunes both soft and heavier, including the crescendo of the set, “Circus Song,” her voice carries extremely well, despite the occasional PA screech as of some confused looking soundmen. Her lyrics, too, give the songs such a beauty, with the likes of “The storms harm our blossom” sauntering through the ever-growing, appreciative audience. By far one of the highlights of the weekend.

Another Glasgow act I was keen to see, were psychedelic pop quartet, Mitchell Museum. Their debut album,The Peters Port Memorial Service has been making waves across Scotland and beyond, with critical acclaim from the likes of Steve Lamaq and BBC Introducing guru, Huw Stevens. Only managing to catch half of their set, I struggled to involve myself with their brand of Animal Collective-esque pop. The single from the album, ‘Warning Bells,’ clearly merits some attention, however the more complex ‘Take the Tongue Out,’ for example becomes a little over-complicated and a little less convincing. A band to keep an eye on, none the less.

The main stage soon became home to one of my personal favourite bands, The Futureheads. Having just released their fourth studio album, ‘The Chaos,’ The Sutherland boys have no trouble blasting the crowd with their unmistakable brand of fast-paced indie hits. The majority of their set was new material and, on the strength of this performance, it is sure to be just as loved as the previous three albums. They conclude with their incredible Kate Bush cover, leaving me blown away for the sixth(!) time. In my opinion, The Futureheads are, simply, a national treasure.

Django Django are a band I’d heard very little about before the weekend, however headlining the festival’s ‘Solus’ (new bands) stage, it is clear this quartet are making a name for themselves, and it’s easy to see why. Hailing from Northern Ireland, they played an incredibly tight set of electro, at times somewhat minimalistic, synth pop, reminiscent of the 80’s heyday of electronic music, with the likes of Japan and Depeche Mode springing to mind. Coupled with strong and commanding beats on the likes of ‘Skies over Cairo’ and with all manner of percussive instruments, their set is granted a fresh, exciting sound. There was some timidity on stage, however it translates well within their minimalism and never felt out of place. Certainly a band I will be watching over the coming months.

A dash across to the Scooter Tent meant I caught the last fifteen minutes of The Buzzcocks, who played to a packed out tent, and deservedly so. As expected, concluding with their 80’s classic ‘Ever Fallen in Love,’ I was glad I’d managed to sneak the end of their set. Unfortunately, however it meant I sacrificed a large proportion of Friday’s headliners, The Charlatans. From what I saw they had wowed the festival goers with some new material and their 90’s indie hits, including their biggest single, ‘The Only One I Know.’ A worthy headliner, it had to be said.

Saturday got off to a less enthusiastic start, with a hung-over me emerging in the small afternoon hours, to showers of rain. Making the best of it, I soldiered on to see The Saw Doctors on the Main Stage. Clearly, their die hards were out in force and they blasted their way through an hour-long set of their past hits. Not exactly my thing, but the performance passed pleasantly.

Next on the main stage were Brighton 6-piece, The Go! Team. A late addition to the bill, I was delighted to hear they were playing, having never seen them live before. Arguably, they have been quiet over the past 2 or so years, and have undeniably gone off the radar somewhat, however, they boasted a lot of new material in their set, and from what I could hear, I anticipate what’s to come in the future. With such a huge range of sounds and instruments, it proved at times difficult to decipher their funk laden riffs and chants; so much so that it was near impossible to hear lead singer ‘Ninja’s vocals. Their set went down well however, and, although slightly deafened, I was encouraged by the new material and their overall turnout.

Opening with arguably your biggest hit is perhaps somewhat of a faux pa on the festival main stage, however with Ocean Colour Scene, I found it utterly convincing. ‘The Riverboat Song’ (perhaps best know, and loved, for its place in 90’s Chris Evans classic, TFI Friday’s) was a great opener, to what would become a genuinely great set. Having been disappointed to arrive at a full Scooter tent, I ditched The Undertones for this lot. And although I’d heard glowing reports, I was pleased I’d managed to catch this band. Although clearly hampered by their past successes and singles, they held a huge crowd and, in my opinion, played a fairly special set.

As almost everyone on the site flocks to the site of the Wickerman, and begins to wait in anticipation, it gives me a chance to once again reflect on the festival as a whole. For the second year running, I was blown away by the ceremonious nature of the burning, something which, in my experience so far, is completely unique to this festival. As the 40+ ft structure catches, the crowd cheers, and although a little misty, it is a sight to behold.

After the euphoria of the burning, I managed to see some of Manchester’s 808 State. Having been on the go for over 20 years now it was impressive to see a relatively cult based electronic act still on the scene. Although a solo dj set, Graham Massay held a decent crowd for the main stage and his electro mash-ups was a good end to proceedings.

In reflection of last year, it has to be said that perhaps I was not as impressed as the calibre of bands this year compared to the previous. Having said that, as with every festival, there was so much on offer I only could physically sample a small proportion. I can only see this festival getting bigger and bigger, and cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for a more laid back yet diverse festival, its also in my opinion the closest Scotland has to the vibe of Glastonbury, not a surprise considering the farmer who’s land the festival uses is a distant relative of Michael Eavis! Wickerman has become one of the most family friendly staples amongst the festival circuit, no easy feat, and something which it prides itself on. So go to Wickerman next year, I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Words: Jonny Smith
Pics: Aoife Welsh

With one week to go until Wickerman, organisers of Scotland’s leading alternative music festival have named The Go! Team and I Blame Coco as the final acts to complete the bill on Wickerman’s Summerisle Main Stage next weekend (Friday 23 and Saturday 24 July).

This comes fast on the news earlier this week that I Am Arrows, Little Comets and Alan Pownall would also be taking a trip to Dumfries & Galloway to appear at Scotland’s friendliest music festival. The ninth Wickerman boasts the most diverse list of bands at any festival featuring such names as The Charlatans, Ocean Colour Scene, Teenage Fanclub, The Saw Doctors, The Futureheads, Tony Christie, Sons & Daughters, Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Goldie Lookin Chain, Fenech Soler, Erland & The Carnival, Unicorn Kid, Django Django and many more.

Following a break after the release of the critically acclaimed album Proof of Youth, The Go! Team promise festival goers a gleeful and exhilarating performance. Incorporating two drummers and a mixture of 1970s car chase themes, double dutch chants, old hip hop and loud guitars, The Go! Team will undoubtedly be one of the hits of the weekend.

I Blame Coco is fronted by 19-year-old Coco Sumner who takes her musical inspiration from Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and The Cure. Debut single Caesar, featuring pop pixie Robyn, was released in February this year and new single Self Machine was released July 12. The daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler, Coco signed a six album deal with Island and is gearing up for the September release of debut long player The Constant.

The festival is once more supported by EventScotland who awarded Wickerman £20k in funding, for which organisers are extremely grateful.

Jamie Gilroy, land owner and director, commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to complete our line up with such exciting names. The Go! Team are one of the most fun, joyous and exuberant bands in the country and are sure to be offer an amazing performance. Likewise, Wickerman has always been about discovery of emerging talent and I Blame Coco is sure to not disappoint.”

Think of Glastonbury and the first thing that pops to mind is probably welly boots and rain. Not since 1992 has there been an entirely dry Glastonbury weekend. This year, Glastonbury turned 40 and that all changed with temperatures soaring across each of the 4 day festival well into the late 20s. Started way back in 1970 the day after Jimi Hendrix died tickets cost £1 and the 1500 strong crowd were treated to free milk and a set from Marc Bolan. In 2010 that figure was closer to 170000 with a hugely diverse lineup across not one but 45 stages. Glastonbury has grown into something bigger than a music festival, a sprawling tented town packed tight like Manhattan a fusion of cultures from across the world. Alongside music the festival attracts performers from theatre, film, the arts and even boasts its own circus. Like every forward thinking modern town you can eat some of the healthiest food on the planet, drink wonderfully tasty spicy chai at 4am or get a massage to relax in the healing field. That’s the beauty of this place, not only can you party all night long but you can recover in style and have an experience to wash away all the stresses of the modern world. The atmosphere at Glastonbury is unbelievably friendly with music fans from newborn babies (2 onsite births this year) to folks in their 80’s all united by the common factor of a love of music arts and having fun.

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Arriving on site everyone is gifted a Glastonbury canvas bag part of the festivals drive to lower the human footprint left on site and a neat way to encourage people to stop using plastic bags post festival. With a big effort on recycling and the recent installation of solar panels on the roof of organiser Michael Eavis cow shed (Mootel) it’s clear being kind to the environment is at the forefront of the organisers minds. A mechanical bin that spits out rubbish at passers by is a thought provoking art work that landed its creator two free tickets.

After some tea and scones in a tented tearoom it’s time to catch the first live music of the weekend, Beardyman. If you’ve ever waited round the edges of Bryant Park in NYC to watch one of their free summer movies then you know the chaos that ensued when they eventually opened the tent for Beardyman’s Thursday afternoon set. From empty to beyond capacity in seconds many were left to sit outside and soak up the glorious sunshine. For those inside Beardymans Stevie Wonder number went down especially well.

The second treat of the day involves a band from California and a rammed out Queens Head Stage. Local Natives are creating lots of buzz and the packed out tent know it. Every word of every song echoes round the circus like tent, the uplifting harmonies of songs like ‘World News‘, ‘Airplanes’, ‘Sun Hands’ and ‘Warning Sign’ let everyone know the weekend has arrived! The set even produces the first celebraty spot of the weekend, none other than Emma Watson form Harry Potter jumping around backstage.

Glasgow legends Optimo round off the energetic part of the night in the Stonebridge Bar. If all the dancing and load music gets too much then theirs the peaceful Stone Circle, perched on the hill above the vast site. This magical area is perfect for building fires and meeting lifelong friends to watch the sunrise emerge form the lantern lit night sky. It doenst get more surreal than this especially while listening to birds singing over balloons whistling to the sound of half the hill inhaling nitrous oxide! With so much diverse entertainment on offer the only problem with Glastonbury 2010 is remembering to go to get some sleep!

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Friday kicks off the festival proper with 80 year old Rolf Harris opening in front of a packed Pyramid audiance. Their is much affection for the painter entertainer and many are dressed as Rolf or sporting Kangaroos on their heads. Some festivals have to bribe the crowd with a chance of free tickets to dress up, at Glastonbury it somehow comes naturally. Some of the strangest outfits include 5 full size penguins, a frog, some rather sinister stilted angels and a Victorian gentleman being pushed towards the stone circle perched on a rather large piano.

Over a breakfast of hot granola suffocated with milk rumours are starting to circulate concerning the special guest on The Park Stage. Contenders include Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Jay Z and even Radiohead. I decided to take a walk up and get the scoop. The Park Stage is way up on the hill close to the Stone Circle and is overlooked by a vast tower with streamers that flutter in the wind and twinkle at night. For anyone prepared to line up for at least 10 minutes the tower gives some breathtaking panoramic views of the enormous festival. The Park Stage is curated by none other than Emily Eavis and for anyone interested in new music has arguably the best line up of any stage on the festival. The walk turns out to be more than worth the trip, it may be early but backstage I spot Thom Yorke, Emily and Michael Eavis in conversation with a reporter and photographer from The Guardian. So its confirmed Radiohead, or at the very least Thom Yorke will be the special guest on the Park Stage. Unable to contain my excitement I rush down to catch Frank Turner in a rammed Queens Head Stage. Before his set Frank confesses his favourite dressing room in the world can be found in the Oran Mor in Glasgow, he also lets slip he’ll be playing a secret acoustic slot at the Strummervill Stage late into the night.

‘I’ love coming to Glastonbury , I’ve been loads of times and usually get completely fucked up, but this year I’m going to stay sober and for the first time might even get a proper shower at my friends house’

Reports from Strummerville Stage suggests Frank was being overly optimistic on the staying sober front! Frank has tent bulging and a crowd who seem infatuated by the solo set, ‘The Road’ going down particularly well.

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Pheonix at the Other Stage excite before its time to run over to watch Snoop Dog at the Pyramid Stage. With no neds at Glastonbury Snoops bouncers turn out to be the scariest part of the weekend, dressed in suits looking like they’ve been plucked straight from an LA nightclub their intimating aura is certainly huge contrast to the chilled vibe of the rest of the festival! Snoop is followed on the Pyramid by the preppy sounds of Vampire Weekend who look slightly out of place on such a big stage, nevertheless with tunes like ‘A Punk’, ‘Run’ and ‘California English’ they just about carry it off.

Before Mumford and Sons at John Peel Stage there’s time to catch rising Scottish band Meursault over at the BBC Introducing Stage. Always a man in the know for many things but especially new music, Chris Cain from We Are Scientists said ‘I just got their new album and I really love it’. They opened with their epic ‘Crank Resolutions’ from said album All Creatures Will Make Merry. Further on in the chat with Chris he lets slip he is looking forward to seeing Frightened Rabbit,

‘Gary from Snow Patrol took us to Nice N Sleazys in Glasgow a few years back to see this band he was raving about, that was Frightened Rabbit and I been a fan ever since!’.

Safe in the knowlage that the Park stage special guest will not be Will Young (who is thankfully ligging not playing) it’s an easy choice to forgo Dizzie Rascal and the Gorillaz. As rumours circle that it might actually be Radiohead there’s no need to think and the half hour hike to the Park Stage begins. The Park is rammed and the anticipation of something really special is building. Thom Yorke emerges on stage to ‘The Eraser’ before the crowd is treated to several solo tracks. It than gets really exciting as Johnny Greenwood comes on for Idioteque.

‘Karma Police’ follows and the crowd refuse to let it finish as a mass singalong of ‘I Lost Myself’ stretches for several minutes before Thom Yorke joins back in!  With the Glastonbury 40 sign above and views of the whole sight beyond the stage this really is something of a treat. The element of surprise make this the highlight of the entire weekend, closing with ‘Street Spirit’ the crowd really cant believe their luck in witnessing such an intimate Radiohead performance. At Michael Eavis traditional Sunday morning press conference he hinted almost in the same breath when asked about U2 headlining in 2011 that Radiohead made a great headliner this year. The full set is below:

The Eraser
Harrowdown Hill
Negroid Swan
Cymbal Rush
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Monument Song
Idioteque
Karma Police
Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Theres not many festival where you’d see Thom Yorke strolling round in a straw hat with his top off but throught the weekend thats exactly the sight on several occasions as he patrolled the area around the Park stage, maybe he was taking in the atmosphere in preparation to headline the Pyramid in 2011!

Next up in this hectic day of back to back quality bands are the Flaming Lips. Earlier in the day singer Wayne Coyne was stomping round the backstage area with his son. Wayne is responsible for the funniest line of the weekend as I overheard him say to his kid in his OKLAHOMA accent

“look I told you already, you cant smoke pot until your 12!”

what an awesome dude! Sky full of confetti, a choir dressed completely as orange Munchkins and a front man emerging from a pulsating vagina in a huge inflatable balloon. Apparently the feeling of complete happiness all this produces is all par for the course at a Flaming Lips show! Its not easy taking pictures when there are what feel like hundreds of massive balloons emerging form a vagina landing on you! This memorable set confirms why the Flaming Lips are such a draw and are a excellent way to close the Other Stage for the night.

You might expect with such a ridiculously good line up that the evenings bands are all done already. Think again, because up at The Park Stage Label mates to Radiohead and one of the hottest emerging bands of the last year The XX are providing the conclusion to Fridays proceedings (on the big stages at least). Their Glasto debut at The Park Stage show is decidedly low key compared to their Saturday set at the John Peel STage where they were joined by FLorence and The Machine. With a full moon as a backdrop to the sublime beats of tunes such as ‘Heart Skipped a Beat‘, ‘VCR’ and ‘Crystalised‘ their set makes you wonder if all this is a dream, or if a festival really can be this good!?

The XX then head over to the Stonebridge Bar to dj with Micachu and the shapes, Jamie Klaxons (more on him later) and a very wasted Guillaume from the Golden Silvers!

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Saturday its back to the Park to catch the perfectly scheduled Beach House, sitting on the hill taking in the atmospheric rhythms of ‘10 Mile STereo’, ‘Norway’, ‘Used to Be’ and of course ‘Walk in The Park’, Beach House are the perfect tonic to many a fuzzy head!

The quiet serenity of the Park though has to be traded for a run down to the Other Stage to catch Brooklyn’s finest The National. The hit packed set includes ‘Anyone’s Ghost’, ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, ‘I’m Afraid Of Everyone’, ‘Conversation 16‘ and the rather appropriate ‘England‘ from their glorious new album High violet. Classics such as ‘Mistaken For Strangers’ and ‘Abel‘ follow before closing with ‘Fake Empire‘ and the rousing ‘Mr November’. The National are responsible for one of the albums of 2010 and have an equally impressive back catalogue.They are back n the UK for a full tour including Glasgow in November.

Saturday night also has a Secret Special Guest at the Park Stage. Tonight though the secret is not so secret with Biffy Clyro flags everywhere stating they are indeed tonight’s special guest. On arrival at The Park gates the hill already look rammed and shortly after security close the gates as the field is running beyond capacity! In broad daylight this feels strangely like a headline set in front of a crowd peppered with Scottish flags and stretching solid all the way up to the Glastonbury 40 Years sign on top of the hill. To cries of ‘moan the Biff’ (apparently a phrase started by Frank Mcdonald an early supporter and college friend of the band) orange trousered Neil runs round teh stage like a man possessed. Biffy rocked out with

That Golden Rule’
‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’
‘Glitter And Trauma’
‘Bubbles’
‘Who’s Got A Match?’
‘Mountains’
‘Many Of Horror’
‘The Captain’

The last time I caught Biffy was at Glasgow’s 13th Note way back in 1999, Neil and Ben were carrying their own gear onstage and selling tickets after for their upcoming King Tuts show, personally seeing them play to so many adoring fans was surreal. They headline 2 Sold Out nights at Glasgow’s SECC later this year.

Slightly stunned from the Biff, it was time to head down to The Pyramid and watch the Scissor Sistors and very special guest Kylie.

Searching for something more intimate the decision is made to go watch fellow New Yorkers the Phenomenal Handclap Band up at the Queens Head Stage. Tunes as good as ‘Dim the Lights’ and ‘15 to 20′ make this a trip well worth the effort.

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With Muse restricting photographers allowed into the Pyramid pit (to big publications) I decide to kick back and enjoy their set. The same happened last year with Bruce and the clamour to get a shot resulted in a panic attack, this year it would be inappropriate to get stressed at Glastonbury! The huge production of lights was overshadowed by the special atmosphere created from two flares set of during the set. Muse even roll out The Edge for the encore with a cover of ‘Where the Streets have no Name.‘  Apparently after the set the Edge asked Michael Eavis (not clear if he was joking or not) if he was getting paid for this. Eavis replied ‘I honestly don’t know but I thought you were doing it for fun!’. He also hinted in will be at least another 3 years before U2 will headline the festival. Eavis went on to say ‘We finally got a headliner in MUSE’ maybe a reference to the fact many belive Gorillaz slightly bombed on the Friday having being upstaged my a man who continually exposed himself during their set! Muse played:

Uprising
Supermassive Black Hole
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Guiding Light
Citizen Erased
Nishe
United States Of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Undisclosed Desires
Resistance
Interlude
Hysteria
Time Is Running Out
Starlight
Stockholm Syndrome

Where The Streets Have No Name (U2 cover) (with The Edge)
Plug In Baby
Knights of Cydonia

At this point lesser festivals send everyone back to their tent (you know the ones), at Glastonbury though The night is still young. From the Pyramid the next destination is the Rabbit Hole. The Rabbit Hole is an area featuring secret tunnels and requiring a special password to get in. The vibe is very Alice in Wonderland! Such a strange enchanting area is exciting enough but throw in Jarvis Cocker to the mix doing a surprise DJ set and it all starts to feel too good to be true! That’s the magic of Glastonbury, 4 days in a surreal world where anything seems possible.

On route though a random bespectacled man is asking people for their opinion on The Edge ‘did he suck or not!?’ this random bespectacled man turns out to be none other than Chris Cain from We Are Scientists. We decided to stroll together to the Park where him and Keith were heading to party with Keith Allan, Lilly Allen, Alexa Chung, Alex Turner, Jarvis Coker and Jamie from the Klaxons. Jamie was apparently setting the record for longest continuous boozing session without sleep of anyone at the festival - every time over the weekend we stopped by the backstage Park Stage bar Jamie was holding rolly polly competitions with anyone who was game including several members of The Big Pink and Local Natives, although it cant be confirmed if he asked Thom Yorke to join in or not!

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In a blink Sunday arrives and Frightened Rabbit kick off the action on the Other Stage. Their first time at Glastonbury draws a large crowd considering the very early slot! Scott Hutchinson announces

“we were lucky to make it hear we broke down in our van in Switzerland on Thursday and it looked touch and go for a while’

he then proceeded to have a chat with a crowd member before launching into to the uplifting ‘Modern Leper’ and tugging the heartstring with the glorious ‘Good Arms Versus Bad’.

Meanwhile Dublin group Villagers were treating the Park Stage to highlights form their debut album Becoming a Jackal. Next on the Other Stage and kicking off the Sunday Brooklyn takeover (Grizzly Bear, We Are Scienetists, MGMT and LCD Soundsystem) were Springsteen esk rockers the Hold Steady. One of the best live bands on the circuit their passion and energy set the crowd up nicely for the England Germany game (we all know how that turned out)!

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Back up to the Park stage there was a treat in the upcoming Californian band Avi Buffalo, haling from Long Beach and with tunes as good as ‘Whats it in For?’ and ‘Where’s Your Dirty Mind’, you’ll be seeing more of this lot in the coming years. While Avi Buffalo charm the chilled out crowd there are many strange goings on to explore nearby. You can get a Mother Love tattoo in support of The White Ribbon Alliance or you can make a poster at the arts and crafts tent. If that all sounds a little too energetic you can get some shade drinking home made Chai or even get married. Yes get married, in a caravan above the park stage matchmaking was the order of the day. Pick someone from the crowd and if it all goes well you have a 10 minute relationship and get married at the end. My bride ran the caravan and after signing I realised I might very well now be married! In 2010 Glastonbury also has its very own University on site and a Speakers Forum tent hosting discussions as diverse as the proposed shut down of BBC 6 music to proposed Action on Climate Change.

The party atmosphere that surrounds Glastonbury peaked on Sunday evening with founder Michael Eavis joining legendary performer Stevie Wonder on stage for the most special of ‘Happy Birthday’ send-offs. We can all be very thankful that 40 years ago Eavis decided to start a festival and not pursue singing career!

This year’s pre-Rockness music industry showcase event, goNorth, took place over three days (9th, 10th & 11th of June) and hosted a series of seminars and some of the best new music from Scotland and beyond.

Rokbun were extremely happy to be invited to this event by Born To Be Wide who were hosting a significant portion of the seminars throughout the festival, along with other aspiring musicians, solo artists and industry figures.

Day One – Fringe Events @ The Ironworks

Wednesday’s fringe programme provided a number of warm-up seminars and gigs across the UK’s most northern city. The Business of Music and Standing Out From The Crowd, were the highlights of the day and were hosted by a panel of industry figures that included Vic Galloway, Phil Ellis and Chris Williams from Baby Boom records, as well as various representatives from music management and publishing. This panel attempted to provide some insight into the dark arts of the music business. Emphasis was placed on how to deal with managers as well as the importance of establishing a unique brand for your act.

Immediately following the seminars, delegates were asked to make their way downstairs for the first of the evenings showcase gigs. The Ironworks planned to have bands from 6pm to 8pm before moving over to Hootenanny’s and Mad Hatters for the rest of the Acts.

The first three bands were at best forgettable McFly-esque pop punk bands that were drowned by the considerable Ironworks stage. However, an unscheduled solo act managed to make this arena seem a much smaller and intimate place. Jun Tzu’s savvy manager Phil Ellis saw tonight’s showcase as an opportunity to gain him some exposure and pulled some strings to get him on the bill at the last minute. And I’m grateful he did.

Jun Tzu’s (aka Jonathon Hamilton) performance was a force of nature and even though he rapped without any backing music I was totally gripped and hit in the gut with his lyrics. His rhymes are filled with stories of his experiences of bigotry during both his time in Belfast and Manchester. One would think that such an emotive subject matter might dominate his act and veer it off in a political direction, but it definitely does not. What you’re left with are goose bumps from the power of his performance and the visceral anger that he delivers with such authenticity. Jun Tzu’s debut album is due out this summer.

The other stand out act from the fringe showcase was Iglue (aka Niall Masson), a singer songwriter from the Isle of Lewis. As I waited in Hootenanny’s bar where Niall was about to play, I almost called it an early night. But as soon as I saw the majority of today’s seminar panel members arrive, I knew I’d better hang around. As soon as Iglue came on, he immediately grabbed my attention with both his sound and his presence. His vibrato voice combined with his electric guitar provided a contemporary take on the singer songwriter mould. His songs are a genuine reflection of his life on, and away from, the island that he loves.

Day Two – Thursday @ The Ramada Jarvis Hotel

The pick of the seminars from Thursday was Management, hosted by Born To Be Wide. Here the attendees were treated to some of the leading managers within the business, notably, Keith Harris (Stevie Wonder, yes Stevie fu*king Wonder!), Rab Anderw (Primal Scream, Texas, Astral Planes, Kassidy) Dougie Souness (Wet Wet Wet), Phil Ellis (Jun Tzu) and Grant Dickson (The View). Here we learned about the nature of the band/act – manager relationship and how they often work without a contract. Trust is key. And Rab Andrews certainly didn’t disappoint with his anecdote about the time he had to get Mani out of a police station and straight to that night’s gig. The only problem was that the police went with him and took him straight back to the station at the end of the night. Classic.

The evening’s show case programme was in my opinion the main event of the festival. There was a range of bands from the established to the unknown.

The fist of the night was Glasgow based electropop Miaoux Miaoux, aka Julian Corrie at Mad Hatters. Straight from the start of his set I was impressed by his ability to play his guitar combined with on the fly sampling and sequencing. All of this came at a price, however as his attention was solely trained on his equipment. This created a disconnect between him and the audience and it felt like I was intruding on someone jamming in their bedroom. But as soon as Miaoux Miaoux began to add his vocals to his tracks, his performance really came alive. The mixture of Julian’s soft vocals against his down-tempo beats created a sound that can only be compared to Hot Chip, with Pixellated being the stand out track of the gig. Miaoux Miaoux’s Blooms EP is out now.

Next on the my hit list for Thursday night was Baby Boom’s Japanese pop-fusion act Mothercoat, who were in the UK to play Rockness and a handful of dates across the county. This is another band that really stood out from the crowd. From their first song to their last, this outfit showed the rest of the bands how to perform. Their sound mixes the best of contemporary rock, pop and electro beats, to produce very enjoyable head bopping music. Mothercoat’s latest album, Patchwork Shiki is available on iTunes.

As soon as Mothercoat finished their set, I headed downstairs to Hootenanny’s to catch one of Glasgow’s hottest acts, Astral Planes. I knew that Rab Andrew was their manager and I thought that if he was involved with them, then they must be worth a look. And the self declared surf post-punk act certainly didn’t disappoint. They made this venue their own with songs like Rotten and Disconnected, I know, captivating the audience. They have a sound that many bands wish they had, with a uniqueness that blends haunting tremolo guitar with vocals that both scream and seduce. Their performance lingered for the rest of the night and into the next day as the question everyone was asking was “did you see Astral Planes?” Yes I did!

To see the most anticipated act of the night, Meursault, a change of venue was required. A quick walk over the road to The Room, saw Neil Pennycook and one member of his band attempting to carry out their sound check. It was clear from both their faces that things weren’t going well and they were over 30mins late. But as I am a fan, I waited patiently for the haunting sound of Meursault. But this time I was disappointed. Neil screamed out his vocals with the passion and the pain that he always does but he wasn’t anywhere near in key. This isn’t like Meursault, and I’m sure that this was the result of an issue with the stage monitors. My spirits were lifted immediately however, as soon as I heard the powerful and melodic ‘A Few Kind Works’. But the sound issues persisted. This was certainly a low for goNorth. Luckily for us though we will get to see them again at Glastonbury where they are second from top of the bill on the BBC Introducing Stage.

Words/Pics: Alan Dunlop

With the release of Frightened Rabbit’s 3rd album ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’ and their March UK tour – their biggest yet - a complete sell out, 2010 has seen the band’s star continue it’s steady ascendance. There were fevered scenes at SXSW shows (their 3rd consequitive visit to the festival), followed by a sold out European tour, but the momentum has been brought to an abrupt halt by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, forcing the band to cancel their Coachella appearance at the weekend (17th April) and postponing the start of their US tour which was due to start today (19th April). However the band are in the process of confirming their summer festival schedule and release a new single ‘Living In Colour’ through FatCat on 14th June.

12th June – Bellahouston Park, Glasgow (with Snow Patrol, Band Of Horses)
27h June – Glastonbury Festival (Other Stage)
10th July –  T in the Park
15th Aug – Summer Sundae, Leicester

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Pic: Euan Anderson @ Liquid Room Edinburgh December 2008

That’s right we are on our travels again and are heading to Inverness along with one of Scotland’s leading music industry nights, Born To Be Wide who are hosting a series of seminars at the pre-rockness industry and showcase festival, goNorth. Rokbun will be covering seminars and as much of the 40 showcase gigs as is humanly possible so keep an eye on our site for daily reports and reviews.

To view showcases go here and visit the SHOWCASES tab, for full details on Seminars, for Wednesday go to the FRINGE tab. Daytime activity on Thurs and Fri can be found in the MUSIC tab.

Highlights include live performances form Edinburgh’s Meursault and Glasgow’s Astral Planes and Panelists as diverse as Stevie Wonder’s manager, BBC producers, film makers, head of distribution at Universal and seminars including how to get a showcase at SXSW and the not to be missed ‘Music Making Money’!

RockNess is one of Scotlands best loved Music Festivals, with a policy to bring the hottest music of the moment to home of Nessie and possibly the most beautiful festival setting in the world, RockNess is an experience that every true festival fan should do at least once in their lifetime!

“THE FOURTH ROCKNESS WAS A SHINING, COLOURFUL EXAMPLE OF WHAT A FESTIVAL SHOULD BE” Atmosphere - 10/10 - Virtual Festivals. A selection of this years lineup is below,

* FATBOY SLIM * LEFTFIELD * THE STROKES *

* PENDULUM * DOVES * IAN BROWN * 2 MANY DJ’S * CHASE & STATUS * VAMPIRE WEEKEND * FRIENDLY FIRES * DAVE CLARKE * BLONDIE * THE MACABEES * ENTER SHIKARI * BOYS NOIZE * SOULWAX * CRYSTAL CASTLES * ANNIE MAC * ZANE LOWE * ROB DA BANK * BOOKASHADE * THE BLOODY BEETROOTS * VITALIC * AEROPLANE * PLAN B * MARK KNIGHT * GREEN VELVET * OPTIMO * SUBCULTURE * SENSU * HIGH CONTRAST * A SKILLZ * FRIDGE MAGNETS * LUCA * TINIE TEMPAH * ALABAMA 3 * FREESTYLERS * FERGIE * GARY BECK * EDIT SELECT * GREEN VELVET * SILICONE SOUL * GOLDIELOCKS * BOOM MONK BEN * PETEBOX * B-TONE * TANGO IN THE ATTIC * STARSMITH * THE CORONAS * NORMAN JAY * BARRY ASHWORTH * DAVID E SUGAR * DANANANANAYKROYD * FENECH SOLER * BENJI BOKO * FRENCH WIVES * VENDOR DEFENDOR * GENERAL JIMMY * PMCQ * KIDS ON BRIDGES * THE JAPANESE POPSTARS * DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP * THE CUBAN BROTHERS * THE DUB PISTOLS * JAPANESE POPSTARS *

PLUS FIRST UK SHOW EVER FROM CLUB 75 (XAVIER DE ROSNAY (JUSTICE) / CASSIUS / DJ MEHDI / BUSY P)

AND SPECIAL GUEST STAR: KEVIN BRIDGES

Tickets for RockNess are available the RockNess website and here. Prices are as follows:

2 Day Weekend Tickets (including camping) £130.00

3 Day Weekend Tickets (including camping) £149.00

Limited Student Offer: 3 Day Weekend Tickets (including camping and free travel) £139.00

Pics Euan Anderson Rockness 2009

The Born To Be Wide team are heading to goNorth next week and running the above essential seminars at The Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Inverness.

It’s Friday, and Oran Mor’s turn to welcome Glasgow’s own Kassidy for a sell out gig. Hidden beneath thick locks and scraggy beards is a hoard of musical talent - and they’re not the slightest bit shy about it.

The Scottish outfit are hair, sorry, here launching their single ‘Stray Cat’. The four-piece boasts a collection of catchy choruses and silky harmonies, not to mention one of the best acoustic sets I’ve heard this year.

Signed to Vertigo Records and with ‘The Rubbergum E.P’ already to their name, Kassidy have quickly carved their way through Glasgow’s crowded music scene.

Kassidy, made up of Barrie-James O’Neil, Hamish Fingland, Andrew Lewis and Chris Potter, are recreating success experienced by the early Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and strum out captivating tunes for the crowd to endure. Fusing together their individual influences, the depth of sound is uncomplicated and hugely inspiring with mixtures of 60’s and 70’s rock and indie along with small takes on blues. The overlapping plucks and riffs in ‘The Traveller’ and ‘Stray Cat’ are matched by vocals and harmonies, as slowly you find yourself beginning to nod your head to ‘’you’re everything, you’re everything, I always wanted’’.

The set involves regular role changes, from guitar to bass to drums, however, it’s when armed with a guitar each that Kassidy proceed to really profess. It’s a joy to watch such accomplished young artists doing nothing but play guitar - a naturally refreshing sound.

The songs generate from their commune-type lifestyle, similar to that prominent in California throughout the late 60’s. They eat, sleep, live and work all under the same roof, interestingly, in what was once a studio recording the likes of Altered Images and Simple Minds. Inevitable then is their common focus: simply to write music people enjoy.

On stage evolves the product of this. Bringing back memories of festivals like Woodstock and the acoustic guitars that dominated that era. Not surprisingly people still love that.

Concluding their set, which seemed to be over all too quickly, they treat an already grateful audience to a cover of ‘I’m a Believer’, which I found myself whistling for the rest of the night. It was then back to Kassidy’s house for an all night party that Hamish Fingland later described as ‘having most of the audience present!’

Kassidy tour the UK throughout June and are back in Scotland for T in The Park, if you add them on facebook you have a chance of winning 4 T in The Park tickets, a 4 man tent including flag and a private Kassidy gig, yaldi!

Words: Ashten Macdonald
Pics: Louise Henderson

Astral Planes (formerly Paper Planes) are having an ep launch this Saturday at Stereo. They have also just been confirmed for T in the Park alongside A Band Called Quinn, Alex Gardner, Billy Talent, Daisy Dares You, Eliza Doolittle, Lissie, Matthew P, Midnight Lion, Sparrow and the Workshop, Twisted Wheel and White Belt Yellow Tag.

Today’s announcement kicks off with a trio of debut performances for T in the Park 2010. Billy Talent have been electrifying festival audiences since their debut album in 2003. One of Canada’s biggest rock exports, their stirring live sets have seen the four-piece elevated to a must see festival band. They will play Balado for the first time on Sunday 11th July on the Radio 1/NME Stage. Future pop sensation Daisy Dares You will make her T in the Park debut on the final day of this year’s festival playing the King Tuts Wah Wah Tent. Subject of a full-scale record label bidding war, this youngster delivers giddy electro-pop hits with big hooks and killer choruses. American singer-songwriter Lissie will release her debut album ‘Catching A Tiger’ in late June. Ranging from bluesy-folk to unfettered pop, the tracks showcase her gutsy vocals and songwriting prowess. Lissie will perform on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage on Saturday 10th July.

Further to last week’s unveiling of the 16 unsigned Scottish bands selected by the T Break judging panel to perform at T in the Park this July, the T Break Stage takes further shape with nine more acts announced for the line-up. Joining the very best in fresh and exciting homegrown sounds on the stage on Friday 9th July are Matthew P and White Belt Yellow Tag. Saturday 10th July’s line-up expands with Astral Planes (above), Sparrow and the Workshop and Twisted Wheel added to the bill and the final day of T in the Park 2010’s proceedings, Sunday 11th July, will see A Band Called Quinn, Alex Gardner, Midnight Lion and Eliza Doolittle take to the T Break Stage.

T in the Park takes place in Balado, Kinross-shire from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th July. The cheers of 85,000 of the greatest music fans in the world generate the passionate heart beat of Scotland’s leading festival while the world’s greatest music artists bring the soul…and the rock and the roll! There are now just 42 days to go until T in the Park 2010.

The final acts set to play the T Break stage at  T in the Park 2010 have been announced.

T Break is TitP’s small band stage, running since 1996 it has helped the likes of Paolo Nutini, The View and Biffy Clyro find fame. Sponsored by Tennent’s Lager, the stage aims to showcase unsigned acts from around the country on a large scale at the T in the Park festival in Balado.

A number of Glasgow favourites made it through including Make Sparks, Ross Clark’s Three Blind Wolves,  Washington Irving and French Wives (above) who have recently completed a session for the BBC.

Bands playing T Break 2010:

Be Like Pablo
French Wives
Fridge Magnets
Kitty the Lion
Kobi Onyame
Light guides
Make Sparks
Mitchell Museum
Mopp
Night Noise Team
Stanley Odd
The Draymin
The Ray Summers
The Seventeenth Century
Three Blind Wolves
Washington Irving

T in the Park has lined up three special “guests of honour” to headline the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage this year. These much admired and accomplished acts have no doubt inspired many of the acts that share the bill with them this year.

Headlining the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage on Friday 9th July is Echo & The Bunnymen. Lead by iconic and sharp-witted frontman Ian McCulloch, the band released their debut album three decades ago. Their last album, ‘The Fountain’, was released in 2009 and confirmed the genius edge so loved by critics and fans alike hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Headlining on Saturday 10th July is Julian Casablancas who returns to T in the Park on a solo mission this time. Expectation was high when Casablancas released his debut offering on his own but ‘Phrazes For The Young’ did not disappoint and proved yet again that this songwriter is one of the most influential of his generation. Currently at letter N in their ‘A-Z Series’ of songs when a single is released every fortnight for 12 months from October 2009, Ash will headline the stage on Sunday 11th July. This punk-pop trio began bombarding the charts when they were still at secondary school and have an enviable canon of work to draw on for their set in Balado this July.

Also announced are Aussie rebels Airbourne who are planning to rock the Radio 1/NME Stage crowd hard on the Sunday at T in the Park this year with their unadulterated and very loud straight-up rock and roll. Also gracing the same stage on the Sunday, fronted by the inimitable Peter Doherty, is Babyshambles who return to Balado for the second time.

Chapel Club spent most of March holed up in the studio alongside producer with the Midas touch, Paul Epworth. Releasing just their second single, and the first fruits of their work with Epworth, in May, Chapel Club make their T in the Park debut this July. British rap artist Example will release his second album this summer. Razor sharp raps still intact, but now with a strong stream of high-end pop running through it, this artist is intent in bringing massive tunes to Balado.

General Fiasco made their T in the Park debut on the T Break Stage in 2009 and return this year to play the King Tuts Wah Wah Tent on Saturday 10th July. The young indie rock outfit from Northern Ireland exude infectious adolescent rock brilliance. Enigmatic Manchester electro duo Hurts found their name scribbled on many tips for 2010 lists. About to take their stylish aesthetic and melancholic electro-indie-pop on the road for the NME Radar Tour 2010, they will make their T in the Park debut this summer.

The remarkable songwriting talent Laura Marling is currently on tour in the UK in support of her recently released second album ‘I Speak Because I Can’. Also making her T in the Park debut, the singer’s beautiful voice will no doubt ring clear and bright over the crowds of Balado. Such fans of Marling’s singing they invited her to guest on the outstanding single ‘Young Love’ from their second album ‘Twenty One’, Mystery Jets cut a quirky line in original, jangly indie-pop and join their peer on the T in the Park bill for the first time.

Finally NYC-based quartet The Drums are one of the most talked about new bands around and look set to make good on their promise and make 2010 their own. Crowned winners of the Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards in February, their summer-infused debut album will be released this June.