Wickerman 2015 - Part One

Festivals by their nature are hit and miss with the entertainment provided.

Not because they are apt to look to scrape the bottom of the barrel, but simply because a crowd of thousands of people with different tastes can’t be kept happy all the time.

For every stage that is visited that provides the hit there will always be one that delivers a personal miss.

It’s expected, and it doesn't mean the miss isn't entertaining, but rather that it fails to be to the individuals liking.

It’s nothing more or less than that, and when you stumble across that act that doesn’t work for you then the search continues for something that does, and a well balanced festival will provide it.

This however wasn't my experience of Wickerman 2015 though.

Instead it was a whirlwind of quality that often left me reeling.

Acts after act defied the odds and resolutely failed to disappoint.

Musically I didn't experience a singular downside at all.

When asked to name a favourite moment I can’t.

It’s not possible.

Each time I thought I had witnessed the jewel in the performance crown another act would mirror the experience.

From Hector Bizerk to The Sonics the Scooter tent relentlessly hit the spot.

From Julian Cope to The Waterboys the main stage was firing on all cylinders.

If there was any criticism to be levelled at the organizers then it would be that I didn’t have time to check out the other tents and stages with the exception of a hit and run on the acoustic tent to catch Little Fire.

One thing that was highlighted by Esperanza, Halfrican and Hector Bizerk was that we are not short of home grown talent.

It would be entirely possible to have not just a stage, but a festival, dedicated to Scottish acts and it would be a shock and awe assault on those who claim that we fall short of delivering acts ready to take on the world

Garage rockers Halfrican – who were in the Scooter tent - on vinyl sound like a collaboration between The Ramones and Jesus and Mary Chain looking to deliver a grungy surf rock release, but live it’s cleaner, clearer, less lo-fi and more power pop in the delivery.

I'm not even sure what I prefer between the two.

The dirt, or the sheen?

Both are equally attractive propositions, but the latter was probably more suited to the festival environment where they had the opportunity to attract people in with a bit of aural honey rather than a more abrasive set that would have left some on the ropes wondering what had hit them.

Halfrican on Facebook

Then there was Hector Bezerk who initially raised some concerns among the punk rock aficionados as they were seen to be an odd fit for the stage, but their set was probably the most punk rock of all as they pushed at the boundaries of hip hop.

The journey from frontman Louie when solo spitting out Glaswegian accented rhymes to the initial sound of Hector Bizerk to the current one is a fast paced delight.

Here is an act that are not only redefining hip hop, but are now at the point of their evolution that they would not appear out of place if they took to the pyramid stage at Glastonbury to fill a prime time spot.

What we are seeing is evolution in action speeded up.

As they expand ever further into dabbling in other genres they are laying down the foundations to be a very important band.

If there is one act that it would be said that you must catch now if you want to be ahead of the curve then this is that act.

Hector Bizerk on Facebook

Esperanza are in many ways the polar opposite to Hector Bizerk as they are not looking to reinvent the wheel.

Instead they are honing the ska sound to sharp perfection.

They are becoming the lean mean skanking machine that others aim for but often fall short of having the stamina to nail as soundly as they do.

The turn out in the tent was an unsigned bands dream come true and the capacity crowd were taken through their paces exhaustively.

Again there is no reason at all why the band is not gracing larger stages.

Even with a Commonwealth games appearance tucked under their collective belts there is far more on offer than that one hit and run moment into the wider publics consciousness.

If there was another wave of 2-tone/ska to rise then Esperanza would be on the crest of it.

Undoubtedly if anyone is looking for a band that can guarantee to get a festival crowd on their feet to dance then they needn’t look any further.

If they aren’t on the main stage in 2016 then someone will have dropped the ball.

I would have had them signing a contract when they were seconds off the stage and still on a high from the performance and well deserved reception.

Esperanza on Facebook

Moving on from the Scottish acts it’s fair to say that others on the bill at Wickerman were out to ensure that they weren’t left in the shade.

I’ve been a long time admirer of TV Smith and consider him as an unsung hero.

That being the case I was looking forward to his set and again it was a sublime experience.

Passionately eloquent he is the punk rock Dylan.

Bob, not Thomas.

From the start of his set to the end he relentlessly powered through a solid half hour of his back catalogue and kept the older fans happy by giving some focus to The Adverts period with his acoustic renditions of the 1977 double header of Gary Gilmours Eyes and Bored Teenagers drawing attention to how flaccidly bland the mainstream music scene currently is.

It’s not that there’s a dearth of talent.

It’s that there’s a dearth of investment in it.

In an ideal world TV Smith would be the elder statesman of rock.

A man with a message that is relevant to us all, and the ability to put it across with no quarter given.

What’s not to like?

TV Smith on Facebook

The Ramonas are becoming a Wickerman mainstay.

While the festival isn't known for gravitating towards promoting tribute bands they are the exception to the rule.

Maybe there’s a throwback to the days that Claire of AntiProduct played as The Ramonas was originally her baby.

Who knows, but with the timeless sound of onetwofrefo bursting out it’s a call to arms for some aging punks to recommit to the gabba-gabba-hey.

I would have been in my element, but Julian Cope was on the main stage and over previous years our stars have failed to align on the solstice and our paths had not crossed so I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to get to grips with the shamanistic madness on offer

Okay, it’s true that there were more bemused looks on the faces of those facing the main stage than rapt adulation, but this was Julian Cope, a man whose dalliance with hallucinogenics is well recorded.

If you play knock knock on the door of perception it’s Julian that will answer and as I had no expectations other than his set was going to be an ‘experience’ there was no preconceived idea of what was required for it to tick all the boxes.

It turns out that all that is required to enjoy Saint Julian is an ability to let go.

Just to allow yourself to live in the moment and if you can do that then it all makes sense.

Maybe not in hindsight, but within the moment it all works.

Every quip, every random verbal segue, every song approached can scream on paper that it shouldn't work, but it does.

His whole appearance at Wickerman on the main stage begs the question of who thought this was a good idea, but thankfully someone did.

While some may thank the gods that there is only one Julian Cope there are those of us who are very pleased that there is actually one as who needs tow anyway?

Here we have a unique artist, one who is willing to explore the fringes and come back bearing gifts from lands were angels fear to tread.

Insanity never tasted so good. 

Julian Cope on Facebook

Stanley Odd - Son I Voted Yes

Scottish hip hop to the outsider may well sound like an oxymoron, but when they shout never the twain shall meet we can quietly laugh at their ignorance as acts like Stanley Odd, Lusty, Loki, The Girobabies and Hector Bizerk rattle out rhymes that would stand triumphant in any rap battle.

When you really listen to them all you can hear the nascent sound of the punk revolution echoing down the years as their take on social commentary covers ground that the mainstream media dare not touch.

here's to them as they set foot on the ground where angels would fear to tread.
They are out there on the fringes breaking ground and all are worthy of our attention and support.

The Banana Sessions plus supports @ Jollys - Kilmarnock (25/2/12)

We had been talking about this for weeks, months possibly, and were so looking forward to something very different to the norm going down that night, but we still managed to be late
My fault entirely and we missed Homesick Aldo completely and the majority of A Band Called Cadence.
Fools that we are, well I am mostly.

That being the case I cannot comment on Aldo that night, other than to say I have seen him in the past, enjoyed him greatly and fully intend seeing him again.

As I also said we missed on most of A Band Called Cadence, but that which we did catch we thoroughly enjoyed.
I am predominately a fan of beats, dance, hip hop, Northern Soul, anything that gets you moving and nodding your head…not the only genres I enjoy but a groove, a nice beat, a catchy melody and I am hooked…with no shame incurred, I likes what I likes ye ken? :)

And that is what we heard from A Band Called Cadence. I have been ill recently and I don't go out much any longer, I don't operate well in crowds so when we initially walked in I felt a tad overwhelmed,perhaps we had to many "hits from the bong" beforehand but I felt no urge to " jump around." ( sorry for the terrible hip hop quotes) That changed upon hearing these guys. We went in and made our way towards
the bar, thankfully where our friends were located. We exchanged greetings, had a few minutes chat, got some drinks and it was then that I noticed everyone I knew round about me, myself included, were shuffling around to the music, clearly relaxed and having a good time..a good sign.

The next thing I knew they were almost over and I was getting down with some dodgy dance moves to a cover of Michael Jacksons 'BAD.' I actually could not believe I was hearing a cover version of the song nor that I was dancing to it.
But it WAS good, and my that boy could sing, not Michael of course, he was not there. I am going to make a point of seeing these guys in the very near future.

Next we had Hector Bizerk.
Like I said I am a hip-hop fan.
The one band I have stuck by since I was 16 being the Beastie Boys. I have listened to , and seen live, many, many other acts of course but Scottish Hip -Hop?? F**k off, the. accent has just never fitted for me. I have over the years listened to london accents giving it large and working, GunShot for instance, but the Scottish thing just never really sat well for me, god I even cringe when I hear someone talking
slang on the television.

That changed for me there and then.

Hector Bizerk were bloody fantastic. The delivery of the rhymes, the flow and the subject matters chosen were all beyond fault. Clearly a very intelligent and talented wordsmith! (Is that even word??) And the drumming???? My god we were BLOWN away! The girl on the drums was really something else. She changed tempo, texture and volume
seamlessly, a beat was never missed.
It was so good I honestly at
times thought there must have been some sort of sampled/recorded backing being played. Nope. It was just the two of them. And they complemented each other well, the rhymes and beats were so locked down together, so perfectly entwined that what came across was a polished and impressive performance. If I had any criticism, which I don't, I would say that I was hanging out for a bass line to be laid in-between
vocals and drums just to satisfy me. They seemed fine without it, as did the crowd, but to me it would have added up to almost perfection.
I am serious, that is how much I rated these guys, my attitude towards the Scots doing rap has been changed forever.

If i wanted Hector to bring in some bass then Loki did not let me down.His backing tracks had guitar riffs, funky ass beats and bass a plenty. And his rhymes were none to shabby. Many a subject was covered in an intelligent and lyrically creative fashion, ecstasy, Glasgow and politics were all touched upon, it was a lesson.

People talk about hip hop, rap artists, spitting out rhymes. This was certainly heard tonight, these guys both had conviction in what they were saying and we listened. Man I enjoyed that.


On second to last were the Girobables, an act whom I have seen live now around 4/5 times, each time in the same venue and each time I have enjoyed the performance. How can I describe them?
Well talented nutters sits with me.
Not the kind of nutters you would find outside a pub at closing time looking for bother, the kind that would be in the field opposite wearing day glow tutu's in complete darkness, jamming on an acoustic guitar, 2 zylophones and screaming into a broken loudhailer, the good interesting sort of nutter.
The only person who may not enjoy their live act is Jeremy Kyle as he has had sexual relations where he should not have, or so the song goes.

A great precursor to the main meal. and delicious it was to be!!

The Banana sessions blew me and everyone I spoke to that night, and since, completely away.
They were tight musically, had a good sense of humour about the performance and an infectious groove that had the whole place bouncing along. Including the buildings foundations.
It felt like an earthquake had singled out that pub alone and was determined to shake it to bits, yet have fun doing so.

I don't know how they managed an entire brass band in there, or that they actually did, but it sure as heck sounded like one. In my head I heard tuba, flute, trumpets, drums, a celestial choir singing about what I am convinced was buckfast, a melodica (yup I never really knew what one was either) about 43 penny whistles and I was consumed with an overwhelming urge to clomp around like a wild eyed ring leader at a
circus leading band of gypsy pirates as opposed to circus animals.

I have listened to a lot of their stuff and watched previous performances and videos curtesy of YouTube so I thought I knew what to expect.
Song wise I did, they played everything I had hoped for. What I wasn't prepared for was the sheer joy and 'bounce along' factor that
hearing and seeing them live created. Everywhere I looked people were dancing along, smiling , doing a crazy form of the pogo and loving every second.

They captivated the place, it was hard to take your eyes off them and your ears? They were hooked. It was like a musical narcotic was being lovingly stuffed into your mind via your ear canals.
My head felt like it was filled with a funky feel good candyfloss and I was grinning
from ear to ear as though someone had just whispered in my ear that I had won the lottery while a dusky maiden gave me come to bed eyes over her drink and slipped her mobile number into my hand.

That is how good their performance made me feel.
All this in my local pub in little old Kilmarnock?
I could scarcely believe it was happening.
Not only must a HUGE thankyou go out to all the acts who performed, but to David Hanvey for pulling off this amazing feat and to Jollys/Kelly's management and staff, past and present,for a truly enjoyable evening and one that will leave me going cold turkey until, hopefully, something as brilliant happens again and every fibre of my
body can once more feel fed the drug of music, fun and friendship.
A GREAT night, a great friendly crowd and a great atmosphere. I doff my cap to all those involved.

Mucho gracios to Alan Thomas for filling in as guest reviewer. Yer a star mate.
Don't hold your breath just in case it doesn't happen, but there may be another review of this same show from another perspective.