‘Just Like a Heatwave!’
Wickerman Blazes in Sunshine as Martha Reeves, Shed Seven and Dizzie Rascal Shine on Summerisle Stage
When Motown legend Martha Reeves belted out her class track ‘Heatwave’ on Wickerman’s main Summerisle stage yesterday afternoon (Friday 25th July), the close to capacity crowd roared their approval. Because Friday’s Wickerman Festival, nestled in the rolling green hills of Dumfries and Galloway, was bathed in unbroken sunshine as campers, music fans and families began to gather on site for a day of great music and entertainment.
Under the gaze of a kilted 40 foot Homecoming Wickerman, posed this year in a spectacular highland fling, the sweet sounds of Galloway singing / songwriting duo ‘The Mermaids’ (aka sisters Rosie and Ellen Macfarlane) opened the main stage, as the arena came to life with the festival’s biggest array of attractions and entertainment to date.
The main Summerisle stage treated the growing crowd to indie-pop favourites The Hosts, the foot-stomping folk rock sounds of Skinny Lister and then Dumfries & Galloway’s own Finding Albert, currently one of Scotland’s most hotly-tipped acts whose energetic set didn’t disappoint.
Up next was the distinctive synth-pop sounds of Glasgow’s Prides who delighted sun-drenched crowds with a powerful performance, followed by Brooklyn indie-rockers Augustines who kept the party atmosphere going into the late afternoon.
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As temperatures cooled slightly, the very warmest of Wickerman welcomes greeted R&B superstar Martha Reeves as she took to the Summerisle stage with the Vandellas in tow, whipping the audience into a frenzy with the highlights of her incredible back catalogue – including ‘Heatwave’, ‘Nowhere to Run’ and of course ‘Dancing in the Streets’. Responsible for the first big Wicker singalong of the day, she even treated fans to an impromptu Scottish jig as she departed the stage leaving everyone cheering for more.
Wickerman favourites Alabama 3 pulled a huge Summerisle crowd in their second visit to the Dundrennan site, once again pulling off an electrifying performance to accompany their unique alt-rock sound.
As the sun began to set, Shed Seven treated Wicker fans to a set of pure Britpop magic. Charismatic frontman Rick Witter kicked things off by storming into the crowd to greet his fans. The band’s distinctive guitars, live horn section and Witter’s soaring vocals then rang out across the arena as the crowd bounced along to classics like ‘Going for Gold’, ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and a surprise rendition of Springsteen classic ‘Born to Run’.
With the Wickerman crowd chanting his name, the festival’s man of the hour Dizzee Rascal took to the stage to close the first day of the festival. The London-born hip hop legend was a surprise booking for Wickerman but delivered a headline set that will go down in Wickerman history, with an incredible, high-octane set packed with hits like ‘Bonkers’ and ‘Dance wiv Me’ that had every Wicker hand waving high in the air.
Wickerman is renowned for a line-up crammed with the widest range of music in the business, and this year was no different with incredible performances across the festival’s many stages. Roddy Woomble, Have Mercy Las Vegas and Esperanza played the Acoustic Village; the famous Scooter Tent was at capacity throughout the day, building to a classic Scooter finale of Sonic Boom Six and headliners The Beat; and the ever-popular Reggae Tent hosted by Explosion Soundsystem and the dance-lovers Bass Camp headlined by Silicone Soul entertained until the early hours of Saturday morning. A mix of the very best new Scottish music was also showcased across the Solus and goNORTH Festival stages, with performances from hotly tipped Neon Waltz, Broken Records and Young Fathers.
This year the Wickerman site was also packed with fun for all the family, with children’s performances and music, an SFA football pitch, the funfair, bucking bronco, chilled out bars and delicious gourmet food stands and much more scattered across the festival fields.
The relaxed Lowland Links tent, planned in association with EventScotland as part of Wickerman’s Year of Homecoming celebrations, attracted a steady flow of fans across the day, taking up the chance to paint their family tree, learn about the history of local clans and enjoy a line-up of great traditional Scottish music from the Dumfries and Galloway area.
Wickerman Festival Co-ordinator Helen Chalmers congratulated both artists and fans for getting this year’s festival off to a great start. ‘Our opening Friday has had all the right ingredients for a brilliant Wickerman day, with memorable performances, a relaxed happy atmosphere and a great crowd of music fans enjoying the sunshine. At this stage we have just a few tickets left until we reach capacity so there’s still time for anyone looking to join our party to come along. Yesterday really was a wonderful start to this year’s festival and we have another day of Wickerman magic in store for fans on Saturday.’
Inspector Amanda Scott of Police Scotland commented: ‘The Wickerman crowd has been very well behaved and we hope that continues throughout the rest of the weekend so that we continue to enjoy a trouble-free festival.’
