Radio Nowhere hits Wickerman 2013!

Wickerman 2013 is over, but the wristband is still on! The sun shone, the atmosphere rocked and the festival delivered a unique experience to the masses!

Due to other commitments, I only managed to be there on the Friday night, and part of Saturday, but in that time I savoured the festival atmosphere, enjoyed some acts and discovered some new music!

The main highlight for me was, of course, the legendary Chic, who delivered a set of pure funk disco, every member of the band looking like they were having the time of their lives as they powered through a set filled with disco classics from their own catalogue, and other artists that they have worked with….their version of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, sung by their drummer Ralph Rolle had the crowd jumping!

Chic rounded off their set as you would expect with “Le Freak” turning into a massive crowd shoutalong, before the band invited some fans on stage to join them in perhaps their greatest track “Good Times”, complete with a middle section where Nile Rodgers led the crowd in a rendition of The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rappers Delight”, which famously sampled the Good Times bass part!

Primal Scream were up next, kicking off with “Moving On Up” but seemed to then drift into more obscure territory, causing large parts of the crowd to migrate elsewhere.

Our destination at that point was the Scooter Tent to see punk stalwarts Stiff Little Fingers, still delivering powerful punk anthems after all these years during an energetic, sweat-soaked set, drawing a crowd that quickly filled the tent.

But of course, The Wickerman Festival is not all about who is appearing on the Summerisle Stage, or the Scooter Tent….there is a wealth of talent on show at the various other destinations around the site…the Solus Tent, run by local music superstar Chay Woodman, is a popular venue for festival goers …I saw Scottish musician TeKlo there on the Friday night — powerful electro-rock with a live drummer, blowing the doors off the tent (if it had any!). Chay had assembled an eclectic programme of acts including Fat Goth, Roman Nose and Friday headliners, up and coming rockers Vukovi.

For those seeking a more sedate festival experience, the Acoustic Village was the place to be, featuring, among others, local Celtic rockers Novantae, and the Dumfries Community Choir, performing a set that brought tears to the eyes of some festival goers.

During my wanderings, I took in a set by the amusingly-named Urang Matang , and discovered a band called The Hostiles appearing in the Scooter Tent- a ska-metal band from Ayrshire…definitely one to watch!

Of course, one of the integral parts of a festival is….the food!!  Wickerman Festival is not about a manky burger and soggy cold chips….the food stalls have to been seen (and tasted) to be believed….Caribbean food, pasta, pizzas and hog roasts among the culinary choices available…but my favourite being , predictably, “Big Dogz” bratwurst on a roll!

Festivals are always a great opportunity to relax, chill out in the sun and people-watch- oh the sights!!!  Men in drag, women in Indian headdresses, some people kitted out like they’d been fired through Sports Direct from a cannon, many Elvis impersonators, morph suits galore…but no sight could compare to a massive Jimmy Carr head  in which people were serving drinks, making it JIMMY BARR!

A thoroughly fun experience, despite my short stay …..Wickerman Festival caters for everyone from young families, kids wearing massive ear defenders, rockers, dance fans, punks, DJs…everyone is welcome at Wickerman for a chilled out weekend.

 

Thanks, Wickerman….see you in 2014!!