Tomorrow sees the start of the Wizard Festival in Aberdeenshire and the line up just keeps getting bigger and better. More acts have been announced, A comedy stage has been added and Snafu has unveiled winners of its hotly-contested DJ competition. Not to mention that the champion of new Scottish music Jim Gellatly will be special guest compere.
Friday will be headlined by Manchester legends James and the Saturday night will see fellow mancunians and kings of `madchester` The Happy Mondays close the festival. The line-up is bursting with established names and upcoming acts from all genres. Theres too many to list but Ill give you some of my personal tips for the festival.
First Up James, Who rose to fame with anthem of the 90`s `Sit Down` (a song made for festivals) have written a barrel-load of classics over the years with hidden gems such as `Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) ` you can expect a miox of old and new and a mass sing-a-long throughout. Friday will also see an array of Scottish talent such as local gal Sandi Thom, Pearl & the Puppets and Hip Parade take to the main stage. Having seen them all in smaller settings im excited by the prospect of seeing them adapt to a bigger stage. Pearl The Puppets has all the credentials to become a mainstream success.
Im especially looking forward to seeing Peatborg Fearies play live for the first time. I`ve heard only good things and their live shows look incredible on youtube. The main stage on the Friday looks like good wholesome fun for all the family but if that doesn't float your boat then you have two other stages music-wise to choose from. The carnage that will be the `Snafu Soundsystem stage` featuring the best DJs from around the globe that includes Caged Baby, A La-Fu, P.E.Ds and Dirty Bassment. A broad spectrum of dance music for sure and there`s also going to be a lot of the finest, upcoming guitar acts playing at the Banshee stage.
As someone from the Glasgow area, Its going to be a welcome chance for me to check out bands from further up north I haven't previously seen. On the Fly, Indian Red Lopez , Ian McLaughlin and the Outsiders have been tipped for big things as have a band I am well aware of Make Sparks who just last week I seen do an Eminem cover next to a pond at Detour Scotlands incredible `Wee Jaunt` day out. Aka SKA and the legend that is Gerry Jablonski should show the young uns how its really done as both masters of their crafts play towards the end of the night. Gerry is one of the hardest working musos in the business and his bluesy sound has been gaining plaudits up and down the country.
The Saturday sees The Happy Mondays headline. Arguably, the most influential band in music history who will get the revellers into a carnival party mode with classics such as `Step On` and `Halleluja` .Saturday is going to be a huge day with big names such Alabama 3 (Famed for their sopranos theme song `Got myself a Gun` , Kid British, The Complete Stone Roses and Proud Mary just some of the acts playing the main stage, Its going to be hard to get away from there. But, the Snafu Soundsystem has pulled out the big guns too with Slam, Silicone Soul and Harvey McKay the stand-out names in a line-up packed with filthy electro goodness.
The Banshee stage is also filled with a wealth of talent. Unbelievable rising stars such as The Draymin, Kid Carnival, Three Blind Wolves and Roots System. Ide recommend seeing all these guys having seen them in the flesh before. Im also hoping to catch the headliners The Folsom Five whom are a Johnny Cash tribute band as well as checking out Grousebeater soundsystem who Ive heard combine traditional jigs with drum`n` bass. These are just some of the many names lined up for what could possibly turn out to be this years best Scottish festival. It promises hand-picked food stalls of quality and will be family friendly, Theres still some tickets left but hurry if you want to be part of this outstanding event.
For the full line-up and ticket details please go to:
http://www.wizardfestival.com/
Mark McG
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