Tag: The Blockheads

Wickerman Festivals 10 and 11

In 2011, I was astonished to realise that we had reached the 10th anniversary edition of the Wickerman Festival, because there was initial doubt if it would survive past the first event.

There were the usual old timers on that year’s bill including Echo and the Bunnymen, The Damned, Pigeon Detectives, James, King Kurt, and the Coral. There were two enjoyable ska punk bands, Bombskare form Edinburgh and Spunge from Tewkesbury, and we witnessed Department S playing their famous number ‘Is Vic There?’ track released way back in 1980.

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Department S ‘Is Vic There?’ album cover. Image Credit Discogs.

Also in residence were The Hoosiers, The Moonzie Allstars, The Sundancer, Loose Kites, Rock System, The Hostiles, Katy Carr, Modhan, Discopolis and Homework. There was some ear shattering metal from Glasgow’s Desalvo, dreamy indie from French Wives and 60’s infused sounds from the Noisettes.   

Also playing were Endor Gun, Twin Atlantic, Bioorchestra, The Frues, The Capitols and Jack Townes. The highlight that particular year was a very fine engaging set from Feeder.

I recall there was an article in the local paper, the Dumfries and Galloway Gazette at the time asking for ever present attendees over the last decade, we didn’t put our names forward but the four of us must have been part of a very select crew in that particular club.

Other members of that exclusive crew were a trio of lads who we spotted over the years in various tents and in the Kirkcudbright pubs and we begin chatting with them and gleaned that they travelled up from Mansfield and stayed at Olive’s B&B in the town. They usually travelled without tickets and purchased some on arrival however that particular year the festival for the one time only was surprisingly sold out, thus they lost their ever-present attendance.

One of the newer members of our crew approached them and mentioned Mansfield only for us to discover a huge misconception that we had been wrong all these years and they actually derived from Pontefract! However, despite that geographical anomaly they shall always be known to us as the Mansfield boys!

Wickerman 11 had Skerryvore, Bis, Cast, Levellers, The Cats, The Razorbills, Moon Hey, Parrot, Fat Goth and Anderson McGinty Webster Ward and Fisher on the bill. The daddies of Wickerman, Castle Douglas’s pipe band the Dangleberries made an appearance after 5 years away with Dougie and Wee Dougie still in their extensive line up.

The Sharks, a rock band formed by ex-Free bassist in 1972 were playing alongside the punk contingent of Peter and the Test Tube Babies, The Blockheads and Johnny Robb’s Goldblade. The most woeful act was Newton Faulkner with his faux intimacy even employing a dubious prop of a drink’s cabinet on stage. We muttered ‘ye gods’ before shaking our heads and tromping off in disgust up the Wickerman hill, though there were lots of people singing every word, so what do we know!

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Newton Faulkner! Image Credit viagogo.co.uk

Also, in residence were The Lafontaines, United Fruit, Xavia, Kassidy, Andi Neate, The Darcy Da Silva Band, Duncan Maitland, Chris Bradley, Pronghorn, Janice Graham Band, Aaron Wright, The Mirror Trap, Martin John Henry, Chris Devotion & The Expectations, and the always entertaining Bad Manners.

As ever, there was a strong contingent of Scottish bands represented including Texas, Brown Bear and the Bandits from Ayrshire, the brilliantly titled Fridge Magnets from Aberdeen, and the ever-irrepressible View from Dundee. The post burning finale set was provided by the glitzy Scissor Sisters.   

Wickerman Festivals 4 and 5

Wickerman 4 took place in late July 2005. On the bill were the semi-permanent residents and Castle Douglas’s finest the Dangleberries. There were a couple of punk bands The Zips and the Vibrators and the legendary Stranglers were still strutting their stuff.  Anti-Product returned to provide another chaotic set. Also playing were The Hustlers, Acousticat, Mostly Autumn, Andrew Jackson, Jellybones, Space Ritual and Mercedes.

Alabama 3 who were formed in Brixton in the mid 90’s were in town and produced a decent set of swampy blues including their huge hit ‘Woke up this Morning’ made famous by its choice as the Sopranos theme tune, coincidentally in my view one of the finest TV series out there.  Dreadzone were the headliners after the Wickerman burning on the Saturday.

One there purely to pick up their paycheck was the inexecrable Arthur Brown who from memory seemed to play about 17 different versions of Fire! Perhaps he should have played just before the burning….!

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Arthur Brown. Image Credit Dreamstime

The two best acts of the weekend were from the Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Neville Staple who was excellent in the late afternoon sunshine on the second stage and provided an appropriately excellent version of ‘Too Hot’. The other being the SLF cover band Straw Dogs who were deliciously loud.    

As the festival grew in stature there were different non-music elements added to the mix each year. For a couple of years there was a Circus tent which was a slightly surreal place to visit after you had imbibed a few cold Tennants. There was also for a spell a Cinema Tent where I recall them showing The Shining. One particular year when the music was a bit limp, we ensconced ourselves on the grass inside the tent to watch in full a film called the Wickerman!

There was also one year where right next to the entrance wall they installed a small funfair. Thus, there was an occasion where four full size adults squeezed into one of the little cars and braved the Ghost Train which was great fun. On the drive back on the Sunday we received a text from Tony Dewhurst who was in a separate car informing us that he had just passed the Ghost Train parked in a lay-by somewhere near Dumfries!

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The Ghost Train. Image Credit hcpress.com

Wickerman 5 had of course the Dangleberries and Straw Dogs playing again! On the punk roster were Vice Squad, The Blockheads and Eddie and the Hot Rods reprising their stellar hit ‘Do Anything you Wanna Do’, the rest of the set paled in comparison.

Also on the bill were Spiral Tower, The Hussys, Data Panik, Gin Goblins, Flying Matchstick Men, The Alamo, The Gift, Three Daft Monkeys, Eek A Mouse, Kid Ego, My Latest Novel, The Deadbeats and Sandi Thom.   

Two old troubadours Wilko Johnson and Steve Hillage and System 7 were in residence alongside the Welsh rockers the Alarm.  I caught Marky Ramone again who I had seen at Preston Mill the year before.  

The two standouts of this weekend were Jo Mango a folk band from Glasgow, the lead singer and driving force Katherine Waumsllaying had the adopted name Jo Mango and she had a superb voice that lit up the acoustic tent.  

The other highlight was a band formed in St Helens in 2004 called Tiny Tin Lady who produced a terrific folky set with thrilling harmonies. They have since been championed quite strongly by Mark Reilly.

2006 saw the debut Wickerman attendance by Jez Catlow who camped out before joining us in the Towers for the remaining 9 festivals. The reason for his appearance was naturally a festival slot from New Model Army!

The fly in the ointment was the surreal decision by the promoters to invite Arthur Brown back and he had certainly not improved from his previous years slot!