Wickerman Festival 2006
East Kirkcarswell, Galloway, 22nd July 2006
Nestling deep in the green and peaceful hills of Galloway is East Kirkcarswell. Cows graze, birds sing, tractors chug along quiet roads. And a thirty foot wickerman explodes into flames as a raggedy assortment of elderly hippies, dad rockers, teenage kids and crusty ravers cheer. This can only be the Wickerman Festival, the earthier alternative to the corporate neddiness of T in the Park or the slick operations of the Carling or V festivals down south. Even cosier and more eclectic than Guilfest, the Wickerman Festival gets its USP from the great Christopher Lee/Edward Woodward movie, which was filmed just up the road of course, culminating in the ceremonial torching of the poor wicker fella (sans sacrificial virgin, I hasten to add – surely even these people can't be that mad).
Having said that, most of the punters aren't much bothered by the horror connection, and are here to check out the utterly random selection of aged has beens and bright young things that litter the packed agenda for the festival. Boasting a mind boggling eight tents and stages (all packed fairly close together and clamouring for your attention) the festival has also hit on the cunning plan of placing its two main stages (called the Woodward and Summerisle stages – what else?) adjacent to each other, so that the headlining acts can play pretty much back to back, thus avoiding that annoying main stage/second stage clash thang and ensuring that there's always someone you've vaguely heard of playing – even if you did think they were dead.
Yup, featuring among their number the Blockheads without Ian Dury, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band without the Sensational Alex Harvey and the one remaining Ramone still alive, it would appear that the stars of the show are in no better shape than poor Sergeant Howie by the end of the film. But that doesn't mean they don't know how to rock…
However, before proceeding further, I should point out that (a) I didn't attend the entire festival (as anyone who's read my Guns N'Roses review will realise – I haven't yet mastered the art of being in two places at once) and (b) when I was there I was working on a Shelter campaign, so didn't catch much of the music. But that didn't stop me soaking up the warm, friendly and slightly loony atmosphere of the place along with the glorious sunshine, and loving every minute of it.
So who did I see? Well, I stuck my nose into most of the tents (except the acoustic tipi, cuz it was only about eight feet across and I didn't think there'd be room) to witness a truly bizarre mix of reggae, trance, punk, grunge and many other musical genres that I couldn't begin to name, but which seem to involve a lot of space noises, but decided my place was beside the main stages, where I saw the Animals (the oldest band on the bill, apparently, which takes some doing) performing 'House of the Rising Sun', a bit of Sandi Tom (urgh – very annoying, don't go there) and the end of a set from Brit glamsters Kid Ego. 'Very Mötley Crüe,' a dad tells his small son instructively – by way of Odin, I'd say, but still great fun. Although why, with such babes on bass and guitar, did some fat sweaty guy who looks like Jack Osbourne before the diet end up singing lead vocals? The mind boggles. But hey, they're touring in September, so check them out – I think I will (read my review here).
And then I got to see an entire set from Scots drama queens the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Yes, the Sensational Alex himself may have shuffled off his mortal coil, but his replacement seemed to be doing a good job filling his brothel creepers. Part Sparks, part Alice Cooper, part Strange Fruit, they were pure entertainment and they went down a storm, finishing up with that delightfully camp piece of operatic theatre 'Delilah' and back by popular demand for the somewhat bonkers 'Vambo'. It appears that, for SAHB at least, there is life beyond death…
And finally, who else could precede the burning of the Wickerman but the god of hellfire himself, Arthur Brown? Even more crazy than the last time I saw him, he is indeed the most pants on head performer I have ever witnessed. Clad in shiny harem pants and a long black coat, he delivered an intimate acoustic set that was part gorgeous deep mellow folk, part space age lunacy. 'You won't see his like again,' some codger informs me as the Crazy World of… sets fire to his head to sing his most famous number. You can say that again.
And then there was the real star of the show, the Wickerman himself. To my mind the whole thing happened a bit too quickly, and, disappointingly, we didn't get to sing 'Summer is y-comen in' as they set the fire, but all the same, as the impressive wicker structure explodes into a blaze of heat, you experience the same feeling of awe and fear as you do when that great head tumbles down against the sunset in the film. A sensational ending to a sensational day - although technically, it wasn't over yet. Be warned should you consider venturing here next year that the dance tent doesn't close 'til six and you will be vibrating to the bass in your sleeping bag, so don't expect a quiet's night kip…
Now in its fourth year, Wickerman has successfully carved its own niche as a fun, friendly festival that dares to be different. Maybe ten years down the line it'll have become the Bird's Eye Wickerman Festival and nothing will actually get burnt any more because it's against health and safety regulations. But until then, this festival truly embodies the ethos of the movie which inspired it: off beat, low budget, risk taking, intersesting and really, really good.
Kid Ego + Majik + Peep Show, 14th September 2006
Wickerman Festival 2007, 20th-21st July 2007
