Having had a fantastic time with the other members of the Discovery Music team, Marc & Monta, on the Thursday and Friday I was left to cover the Saturday by myself. Although this was a bit of a daunting task, I think I managed to do an alright job! The biggest problem for me was trying to get a signal to post content onto our Twitter page but I eventually managed to get some up.
As anybody would do if they were some place on their own, I headed to the bar to get a pint and parked myself on the seating pyramid opposite the Bellabar Stage...
The first band I managed to see were Lost In Vancouver. Whilst reading over the set times of all the stages for the day and enjoying my pint these guys started. I hadn't planned to stick around to see all their set but they're energetic performance made me change my mind and I'm really glad I did. A wee about them, they are a 4 piece indie rock outfit from Edinburgh. Having heard of these guys before, it was a nice surprise to get the chance to see them live. For being on a wee stage they attracted a big crowd which was well deserved. Fantastic set from them!
The next band I managed to see for all their set was The Nickajack Men. For those are regular readers of Discovery Music then you will know that I have recently wrote a gig preview of The Nickajack Men's up and coming gig at Church Dundee in September. I was really excited to get the chance to see these guys a month early. For anybody that's coming to see them in Dundee then you will not be disappointed. For those who don't know anything about them, they are a 5 piece alternative rock and roll band from Denny which is near Falkirk. They played a great set of out catchy tunes, including my personal favourite Changed Ways, which is one of their most recent songs. Although the tent wasn't full the crowd that decided to come and see them were not disappointed and I'm sure they will have attracted some new fans after their set.
Next for me to see were Sea Girls. Now I will be honest here I hadn't heard of these guys till about 20 mins before they took to the stage but on the advice of Chris from Inverness Gigs I decided to take the risk and go and see them. I totally made the right choice. They are a great live band and like to have fun when on stage - and off it when the lead singer decided to sing half of the song Adored from the crowd which went down will the good sized crowd who had gathered in the Hothouse Stage. The English 4 piece are a band that I will be keeping an eye on as I really enjoyed them and would like to see again. If you haven't listened to their music before then I would recommend highly that you do.
Next to take to the stage on The Seedling Stage were Retro Video Club. For those who don't know who they are are, they are a 4 piece indie rock band from Edinburgh. They are one of the most promising up and coming bands on the Scottish music scene at the moment. I had the pleasure of catching them playing in my hometown of Dundee back in June when they toured for the first time.
Even though the tent wasn't packed, there was still a good size crowd to catch RVC's first time playing at Belladrum. Even though there were a few technical difficulties with Sam's guitar, they powered on through their set. There was an impromptu version of Noir to try and let the sound engineer fix whatever issues were going on. Liam's charming patter with the crowd helped to turn attention away from the on going problems. Once the problems seemed to be sorted they were up to full strength again. My favourite song of theirs is Chemistry and it was brilliant to hear it live and the crowd really got into it too.
Overall it was a typical RVC performance - high energy and clearly enjoying themselves playing on stage. Despite the few technical issues at the start, their set was one of my highlights of Saturday.
Finally it was time for the hottest property in the Scottish music scene to take to the Garden Stage. Enter Gerry Cinnamon. There was a massive crowd there to see him. It was great to see people who didn't know the words to his songs getting caught up his music, dancing along to every song. The rate that Gerry has gained popularity has been nothing short of phenomenal and something that hasn't been seen before and I think we won't see again. It's amazing what a wee guy with an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and a drum machine pedal can do to create music that sends even the most calm people wild when he performs.
At the start of the set there were a few sound issues where I was but they seemed to sort themselves out after a few songs, maybe they turned up the PA system. I have had the pleasure of being at one of Gerry's at The Barrowlands in Glasgow before Christmas and the atmosphere at that was electric so I was interested to see what he would like on an outside stage. He didn't disappoint or look out of place. From the wide smile on his face the whole set you could tell Gerry was having a great time too. The sky is the limit for Gerry - Not bad going for a guy without a music label eh?
The penultimate band that I saw were Glasgow's Wojtek The Bear. These 4 piece indie pop band were on just before Primal Scream were due to start which was a shame as these guys deserved a bigger crowd than they had. Although those who did decide not to see Primal Scream were treated to a great half hour set of passionately written and catchy songs including Postcode and Waves. These guys are not only talented musicians and but also charming individuals, having banter with the crowd between songs. I have just saw these guys are playing at Tenement Trail next month so hopefully I can get the chance to see them again as it would be well worth it. Good work lads!
The final act of Belladrum 2018 I saw was Professor Green. Having not been interested in seeing him at all due to Primal Scream being on at the same time, i made the short walk from The Seedling Stage to The Hothouse Stage to see him as my feet were agony after being on them for 3 days solid. This was the best decision I made of the whole festival, Professor Green was one of my highlights of the whole festival. There was a capacity crowd in the marquee tent, with lots more people outside listening at they were unable to get in. The smile on the London rappers face during his whole set was a clear indication of how much of a good time he was having. Their was an emotional moment during his set when he talked about his dad's suicide and also that men should talk and that its ok to do so - something that I totally agree with. He then performed his song Read All About It which he said he wrote about his dad. This turned out to be his final song of his set. A brilliant end to his hour long set and he has a new fan in me - I would love to see him live again.
I would just like to thank the PR people at Belladrum for granting us press accreditation of this superb festival. We have had an absolute ball at it and hopefully we can be back next year to do it all again!
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