30 August 2010 (gig)
08 September 2010
Saturday s adventure began in the Snafu tent with a DJ I had never heard of before that goes by the name of Bagheera. He was my personal highlight in the Snafu dance tent of the entire weekend. A good mixture of styles in his set and he played the crowd well, knowing when to slow it down and pick it right back up to marvellous effect. 1pm in Aberdeenshire was feeling like 1am in Ibiza. After his set I headed to the main stage where the Dangleberries were charming a raucous crowd with their own brand of bagpipe pop rock. Their charismatic frontman vocals were note perfect throughout and the band (I lost count of how many were on the stage) all stuck to their roles well. I especially enjoyed their energetic tambourine player who summed up the good natured attitude of the festival as a whole.
Next up were Proud Mary, a band I seen many moons ago at T in the Park after they were signed by Noel Gallagher on his own label. Back then their single `Very Best Friend` was everywhere and it still has the power to move a festival crowd with dramatic effect. They look and sound like a real rock band in every sense of the word. A hint of country and a large smattering of bluesy riffs and I would encourage anyone in the area to check out their gig in the Burgh Bar, Dumbarton on September 24th . Kid British was next up and they brought something new and innovative to the stage. A fusion of styles meant there was something for everyone. It wasn’t perfect but I don’t know if it was the sound or the fact the band are still learning their trade. Despite not being the finished article there`s something very promising about these guys , they have talent in spades.
Over the next few hours I caught glimpses of some excellent performances and some not so good. The beauty of Wizard is its compact setting means all 3 arenas and campsite are a stone`s throw away of each other. definitely worth a mention is the energetic ska madness of Roots Sytem and the emotionally charged and well crafted music of Three Blind Wolves. The dance tent had Harvey McKay and Greg Gibb getting the punters busting some crazy shapes. There`s acts I unfortunately missed (Such as The Draymin who I seen live before and tipped for great things) as the main stage for me was the place to be as Alabama 3, The Complete Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays were too good to refuse. First the Complete Stone Roses gave us note perfect renditions of one of the greatest bands ever. Their frontman looked, acted and sung the part of Ian Brown perfectly and the rest of the band were on fire playing the debut album almost in its entirety.
Next up Alabama 3. One word. WOW! First time seeing them live and hopefully it will be the first of many. No one else sounds like these guys. The reverend was on top form and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. 3 vocalists and a huge band to back them up. The sound was never cluttered as they mixed elements of blues, country and house music with ease (Even throwing in a little Scottish hip hop into the mix). Highlights were `Dont Fly No Flag` , `Aint Gonna Goa` and the Sopranos theme song `Woke up this morning (Got Myself a Gun) ` The whole set was stunning and I would go as far as recommending Alabama 3 as one of the best live acts in the world.
Last up was madchester legends The Happy Mondays (Minus Bez ) At first it was strange to see Shuan Ryder and the guys (and gal) start without the freaky dancing we are all accustomed to but despite the loss of a true character it highlighted how good the band actually is. No distractions just a tight band with a true legend and poet leading the pack. The Mondays were on top form and musically it was the best set Ive seen them play live ever. Even more surprisingly was the fact that their new songs went down just as well as the classics such as `Step On` which is something established acts find a tough nut to crack when playing to a festival crowd who normally just want songs they know and love. Shuan Ryder was fantastic throughout and is supporting The Charlatans on a nationwide tour next month which after that performance is a more mouth watering prospect than it was before.
The weather stayed kind most of the weekend until the last morning where there was a minor hurricane blowing tents around but sticking with the theme of a good natured crowd looking out for each other we were given a lift back to Glasgow by two of the nicest women I`ve ever met. Fantastic festival, Proving that Scotland now has a wealth of options when it comes to camping out for a weekend of musical madness. Roll on next year.
Mark McG
