Review by Bobby Motherwell
Friday
When asked if we would like to attend the annual
Doune The Rabbit Hole
festival for Scottish Fiction, both myself and Peter had no
hesitation. As someone who is not known for festival going – a one day
visit to T in the Park during the Strathclyde Park years being my only
foray – I was delighted to sacrifice my festival virginity for such an
interesting line up.
And so it was that I set off on Friday morning to take
in Friday afternoon’s festivities on my own, to be joined later in the
day by my wife Arlene and son Louie, and on Saturday by Peter.
Having decided to pitch the tent in the family section in the hope that a
more peaceful sleep would be assured, I set off to catch the first act
of the day and settle into the cosy, laid back zone that this quirky
festival creates.
With my programme in hand and a time
slot allocated to each act – which I’m led to believe is a welcome
structure new to DTRH – I grabbed my beer, fended off the wasps and sat
down to take in
Lori McTear.
Lori is a Glsgow singer songwriter who creates some fine melodies and
crafted lyrics and was not in the least fazed by the dubious honour of
opening the main Jabberwocky stage, even managing to engage the small
afternoon audience in some lyrical participation.
Next on the main stage were
Garden of Elks,
a wonderful 3 piece from Glasgow who really stepped up the tempo with
their brand of indie/pop and offset conflicting harmonies. By this
stage the sun began to make and appearance and I was settling into my
new surroundings just fine.
In the Baino stage,
The Skarsoles
were pumping out their very own mix of ska and balloon modelling, yes
you read that correctly, balloon modelling. A talent which is not only
unique, but one which went down well with one young chap who wielded a
balloon sword for the duration of the gig.
Back to the Main Stage to catch
We Are The Physics.
And very glad I was too that I did. Announcing in advance that they
would like to “apologise for the racket” and that they were “so sorry”,
they then produced a magical pop set which reminded me of a Devo for the
modern age. Brilliant pop/punk mixed with great chat, energy and at
times hilarious lyrics blended into songs which so gloriously
de-constructed themselves, the band went on to announce that the Beatles
were the third best band. Then they burst into
Goran Ivanisovitch. Lovely stuff!
During
the course of the day, I managed to flit between stages trying to take
in as much as I could and managed to catch some of
No Island, Man Get Out and
Haight Ashbury before settling myself down to catch the four big fish I had been waiting for:
Rick Redbeard,
Meursault,
PAWS and
Miaoux Miaoux.
Rick Redbeard, returning to DTRH this year but without
the rest of The Phantom Band which he fronts as his day job, opened his
set to an almost empty Baino stage. The notes rang out from his guitar
finger-picking around the grassy spaces and within seconds the tent had
filled up. Rick proceeded to enthral us with his beautifully crafted
tunes and lyrics from his 2013 album
No Selfish Heart – a stick on contender for album of the year. With tunes like
Old Blue and
Any Way I Can, this was by far the best of the festival so far. Excellent stuff.
Meursault, in the meantime began their set at the
Jabberwocky tent, so a quick shift across the field was required,
stopping only to pick up a beer from the beer tent. It has been some
time since I last saw Meursault – a Jonnie Commons gig at the old
Captains Rest when the
Deskjob album was released - and much
water has passed under the bridge as they say. Now quite comfortably
steeping up to the festival mark and out of the dank cellar venues,
Meursault performed a stellar set with
Lament for a Teenage Millionaire a stand out, received and responded to by the adoring audience.
PAWS. What can you say about a PAWS set? It rocked and bucked and
threatened to obliterate all that encroached upon it. A fabulous riot
of a sound which complimented the ensuing darkness outside. With
critical acclaim received around the release of their 2012 album
Cokefloat,
PAWS are undoubtedly a band on a mission and with the creativity and
kick ass attitude to execute said mission with some aplomb. A raucous
set which was topped with a fabulous rendition of Meursault's
William Henry Miller,
PAWS are now a 'must see' on any gig list. A quick chat with Phillip
after the gig revealed that he was waiting for a lift from Rick Redbeard
to head straight to the airport, Stuttgart the destination, for some
gigs. I’m sure it went well.
Miauox Miaoux closed the day on the main stage and by this time
the excitement of the day and the far too close proximity of bar to
stage, was taking its toll on me. A more perfect end to a festival day
you could not wish for. Julian Corrie was in the company of a festival
crowd who were ready to dance and sing their socks off. And they did.
An utterly stunning set, culminating in the mesmeric
Hey Sound,
the crowd begged for more before the sound dispersed and the troglodyte
retiral to the canvas cave beckoned.
It did for me. Arlene, Louie and I headed to the tent. My first
festival day over, and another two to go. It was going to be a long and
wonderful weekend!
Saturday
As I said before, Peter joined me on Saturday. Highlights of Saturday for me were
Panda Su and
John Knox Sex Club. I was gutted to have missed
Beerjacket,
Washington Irving, and
Shambles Miller. Some due to conflicting time slots, some due to a simple inability due to indulgence.
Taking the stage on the Fruitstand tent early on Saturday,
Hailey Beavis
played a lovely set with an intriguing mix of melodies juxtaposed by
lyrics which have a weighty harder edge. An artist who has evolved into
a talented singer songwriter, Norwich born but Edinburgh based, Hailey
is going into the studio to record her first full length album which she
hopes to have out around Christmas, one to look forward to and
definitely an artist for the future.
What can be said about
Colonel Mustard and the Dijon Five?
They just might be the perfect small festival Saturday night band!
This lot would not have been out of place on the main stage but only
once all of the kids are safely tucked up in bed. Their blend of crowd
pleasing comedy lyrics with music played with genuine talent had the
Baino tent audience bouncing and crowd surfing. Songs like
Ginger Girl and
How Many Manys Are Too Many Manys,
were belted out by their uber confident front man who, whilst wearing
half a disco ball as a hat, had the revellers clasped firmly in his grip
as he worked them up into a frenzy. Ok they are never going to win the
Mercury music prize but would I book them for a festival? Absolutely!
One of the highlights of the weekend as already mentioned, were
John Knox Sex Club
who played a storming set in the Baino tent. Their songs have
beautiful folk music structures twisted to give them a contemporary edge
that layers complex melodies driven hard by angst ridden lyrics. This
was the first time I had seen them and I was blown away! Their singer
is the perfect front man who fires out his lyrics with feeling and
paints pictures of anger and bitterness whilst engaging the crowd and
giving out hugs. I urge to check out their album
Raise Ravens and lose yourself in folky perfection.
Sunday
Given a mid afternoon main stage slot on Sunday,
Jo Mango
played a beautifully compelling set which highlighted her wonderful
voice and perfectly crafted songs. The Doune The Rabbit Hole setting was
perfect for Jo who treated an adoring crowd to tracks from her recent
Murmarations album with
The Black Sun,
a personal highlight. If anything her set could only be improved by
moving it into the more serene and atmospheric marquee of the Baino tent
where her voice would have carried wonderfully!
Up and coming songbird
Soibhan Wilson
was showcased in the Fruitstand and Takeover tent on early Sunday
evening. Although perhaps not yet a house hold name it is surely only a
matter of time before more punters are flocking to watch her shows.
Cutting a diminutive figure alone on stage with her electric guitar
Siobhan‘s breathy voice complemented her songs which have undertones of
jazz and country and western with
All Dressed Up highlighting
this perfectly. Unperturbed by a short power cut Siobhan picked up her
acoustic guitar and walked amongst an attentive audience treating them
to a fantastic rendition of Bet Orton’s
If I’d Never Seen The Sunshine. A lovely moment from a lovely singer.
There is not a lot that can be said about
Rachel Sermanni
that hasn’t been said already. This folk stalwart from Carrbridge in
the Highlands is flying high at the moment on the back of her debut
album
Under Mountains, and her non-stop touring schedule. Her
strangely situated set in the Fruitstand and Takeover tent (surely a
main stage act!) was the highlight of my festival and well worth waiting
until Sunday night for. A hugely engaging talent she conversed with
the audience and was happy to play tracks requested of her (she played
Eggshells for me!) Lyrically her songs are a joy and her voice is beautiful.
And
with that my weekend was done. Doune The Rabbit Hole was my first
weekend festival, needless to say, it has been my best. And I will go
back!
