Held at the very picturesque Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, making its fifth appearance on the ever-increasing Scottish festival scene, host to many big names over the past few years, the small but packed event covers everything from live music, spoken word poetry and cabaret to yoga and not to mention this year’s addition of the Real Ale festival. By day you can find yourself frolicking in the fields at the fairground and by night you’ll be dancing and jiggin’ to a diverse collection of live music.
Kicking off on Thursday night, the festival starts off with the opening party. It looks like this is set to be a nice surprise for all of those who wish to start their weekend a bit early. Alongside this will be headliner James as well as Ride, Ezra Furman and The Orielles. Formed in 1982, James are a well-established act originating from Manchester, UK. The band are made up of no less than seven members with Tim, Jim, Saul, Mark, Adrian, Dave and Andy completing the outfit. Their main influences come from decade-spanning indie and alt rock including The Velvet Underground, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Arcade Fire and The Doors. They are best known for their singles ‘Come Home’, ‘Sit Down’ and ‘She’s a Star’. After lead singer Tim Booth left in 2001, they took a bit of a break from recording and gigging, only to reunite in 2007 and come back with three more albums. They have been nominated for a number of prestigious music awards as well as winning Best Animation in the UK Music Video Awards in 2014. Not to mention the arrival of their new album on 3rd of August this year ‘Living in Extraordinary Times’.
Friday will build on this with appearances from Teenage Fanclub, Young Fathers and The Coral, to mention a few. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will head up the main stage. The guys formed in 2010 as the solo career of Oasis’ Noel Gallagher. They have featured a number of guest appearances on their albums including Crouch End, Festival Chorus and Paul Wellar. This year they were nominated for Best British Artist or Group, Best Group and Best Indie. At the beginning of 2018 they embarked on their ‘Stranded on the Earth’ World Tour, taking in North America, Europe and then returning to the UK in April, ready to take on the festival circuit for the summer. Young fathers are equally one to look out for, Scottish natives who started out in 2008, performing in nightclubs while they were still in their teens. It was not long before they were making waves, winning the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2012, and another major accolade in 2014, when they took home the Mercury Prize for the debut album ‘Dead’. They have since supported big names such as Massive Attack, and featured on no less than six tracks on the T2 Trainspotting movie soundtrack.
The festival’s final evening will take place on the Saturday and Leftfield will be the last act of the weekend. Other major acts will also be worth a listen including Public Service Broadcasting, Idelwild, The Horrors and the up and coming Shambolics. The festival will be host to International and Scottish acts alike. But will unquestionably bring plenty of absolutely stellar talent.
One of the special features of this festival is the Neu Reekie Stage. Having attended last year’s festival I can testify that this is a gem of an addition to the already diverse showcase. The stage will be home to local spoken word talent including Selena Godden, Loki the Scottish Rapper, Empress and The Kixx Collective. The creative use of rhyme and rhythm gave me chills it was that good. The pieces are often powerful and perfect for listening to over a chilled afternoon drink in the sunshine.
Some of you may remember that last year was also headed up by the much-loved Frightened Rabbit and that sadly Scott Hutchison took his own life this year. In memory of his contribution to both the festival and the Scottish music scene, the organisers have arranged a raffle and tribute. The money from the raffle will go to the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) with big prizes on offer. Scott also recently had started up a project with the Mastersystem band, during their Saturday night slot, their debut album ‘Dance Music’ will be played in full and Frightened Rabbit’s ‘The Loneliness and the Scream’ will be played on Friday night on the main stage. That’s one of the beautiful things about these local-oriented festivals is that they’re not only about the music but also building a solid community.
As of writing this, there are still tickets available both for the weekend and individual days. There’s also the option of boutique camping and the organisers have got Tangerine Fields back on board again to offer pre-set up tents to save you the hassle of lugging your tent there. More info is available on the festival website or via their Facebook page. I cannot recommend this festival enough, not only was the music literally electrifying last year but the food market was one of the best I’ve experienced, with gourmet level munchies on offer. The festival will take place at the end of this month from the 30th August to 1st September so why not bag yourself a last-minute getaway to end the summer in style!
Comments