Stories from Music Town
Darvel Music Festival, East Ayrshire, May 6th – 28th
May was a great month for live music in my neck of the woods, with Ayrshire presenting a number of festivals or weekend events including the Darvel Music Festival and the Burns an ‘a’ That! culture, music and arts event (with both celebrating their tenth anniversaries).
Darvel, featuring four weekends of themed musical styles and a large number of great bands on display, won the Muirsical Award for Ayrshire event of the summer, with the "friendly festival" presenting ten nights of music over the month of May.
Music fans from the town mingled with festival goers from other parts of the country and those from Europe and Canada, chatting with each other, the organisers, the performers and buying the obligatory T-shirt.
I managed to make a visit to the historic East Ayrshire town one night of each musical weekend, with each offering its own musical interest, character and highlight.
I also made sure I attended a number of the festival shows because there is every possibility this could be the last one – at least to this scale…
Ten years of a festival run by a non-profit making Committee and volunteers is no mean feat – especially when you consider the event is funded solely by donations, sponsorship and contributions from various bodies including the local Council.
Unfortunately the recessional blues we are all still singing, coupled with budget and Council cuts means the town is in danger of losing its festival.
But if it should be the last one, it certainly went out on a musical high note.
The festival kicked off on the Friday 6th May with its first of three Celtic/ traditional nights.
Isle of Lewis singer songwriter Iain Morrison opening proceedings, Irish singer Heidi Talbot was also featured and the contemporary folk of the (Kris) Drever/ (John) McCusker/ (Roddy) Woomble trio headlined.
I was part of the audience for the Saturday evening show but as Wolfstone were playing and Darvel is only half an hour away from my front door that was an absolute given.
And as Duncan Chisholm (renowned Scottish fiddle player and a founding member of the band) owed me a pint, there was an obligation to turn up...
It was a great night with The Simple Touch getting the audience on their feet early with their infectious hooks and melodies that owed as much to as Americana as Celtic. And covering a Runrig number was never going to do any harm.
Skerryvore were next up, and the young Celtic kids on the block delivered a tremendously well received set (they have played the festival before) of modern hard-pop infused within their traditional Celtic rock and reel.
Songs with titles like ‘Angry Fiddler’ give you an idea of the musical content, and energy generated.
Skerryvore gave Wolfstone a run for their money, but by the second half of the Wolf-packs set the designated dance area of the hall was full as many jigged and spun the night away to perennial favourites ‘Balivanich’ and ‘Gillies.’
Sunday headliners Session A9 were, I’m reliably informed, one of the highlights of the festival, but then their blend and brand of fast-tempo traditional-based tunes and interplay of four fiddles in full flow is quite a sight – and sound.
Coast and Manran were able supports.
The second weekend and was a well received two-nighter featuring primarily Bluegrass/ Country acts.
I caught the Friday night event featuring The Coal Porters and, although Bluegrass is most definitely not my thing, they are unarguably a fun, talented and entertaining group, performing a high-tempo set dominated by foot-tapping acoustic bluegrass and instrumental breakdowns.
And any band that encores with songs introduced as "an Irish folk ballad" and "a traditional Greek tune" that end up morphing into bluegrass versions of 'Teenage Kicks' and 'Paint it Black' respectively, gets a tick in my Muirsical box.
First Charge of The Light Brigade, formed from ex-members of various Glasgow bands, were a solid opening to the night’s entertainment performing a set of well-crafted tunes before Matt Stephenson took to the stage.
Stephenson was a late replacement for the Stone River Boys but his mix of acoustic blues, finger picking workouts and gospel folk ballads (accompanied by fiddle player Kenny Brady) kept the crowd entertained.
His eccentric style and quirky between song anecdotes and jokes was more of an acquired taste though, splitting the audience between those disinterested in his monologues and those amused/ intrigued by them.
I was most definitely in the latter camp.
The second night featured Justin Currie and band, with the ex-Del Amitri singer songwriter performing songs from his two solo albums as well as the obligatory Del Amitri tune or two.
Support was provided by Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire (Hart has opened for Kris Kristofferson, no less) and Scottish singer songwriter Tommy Reilly, who toured with both Justin Currie and The Proclaimers last year.
Weekend number three, themed around the Blues (with some Soul & Funk), featured Hamilton Loomis, the Hamish Stuart Band and Maggie Bell as the headline acts.
Once more it was a Friday night in Darvel for me, catching a trio of acts – the rocking River Devils, the heavy rock blues of the Larry Miller Band and the sassy R&B blues-funk stylings of Hamilton Loomis and his band.
For many, it was the night of the festival.
The River Devils kicked off proceedings with a high energy set before Larry Miller cranked it up another notch by turning his amp up to 11.
Miller is all fun, hair and Gibson guitar and his own ballsy blues songs sit well with his Rory Gallagher and Hendrix covers.
Larry Miller is a hard act for anyone to follow and Hamilton Loomis and his more subtle, funkified blues was a bit of a blues-culture shock, but once the crowd fell into the Loomis groove he could do no wrong (and he has played the festival before) and by show's end was a contender for performer of the festival.
He certainly got my vote.
Hamilton Loomis may not be too well known in comparison to the Joe Bonamassa's of the world, but the young Texan guitarist is one of the finest live acts around.
He also has ridiculously clean tones on the six-string and a deft touch.
Highlights included the musical play-off between Loomis and his saxophonist as they exchanged licks and famous riffs and the finale of the show during set closer ‘Bow Wow.’ Hamilton fired off riff after riff, standing atop the bar counter at the back of the hall while the band followed his lead from the stage.
The latter display was worth the admission fee on its own.
Saturday saw a return visit to the festival of the Hamish Stuart Band and their brand of modern R&B. The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly were the other Saturday act, showcasing their jazz-influenced funk and R&B.
Sunday headliners were Maggie Bell and the British Blues Quartet, with slide-guitar guest Dave Kelly. An ever-popular act, Bell and the BBQ were supported by the rock and blues of Virgil and the Accelerators and the Oli Brown Band.
The festival’s finale weekend featured Scottish bands Aberfeldy and the Silencers, headlining the Friday and Saturday nights respectively.
I made the Aberfeldy gig, which included alternative rockers The Phantom Band and ex-Hipsway singer Grahame Skinner in support.
Interestingly it turned out to be both the most disappointing and yet pleasantly surprising night of the festival.
I was never a Hipsway fan and Grahame Skinner’s melancholic songs and minor-key arrangements were never going to connect with me.
It was a well received performance however and the Hipsway hits, which closed his set, produced a not unexpected and enthusiastic crowd sing-a-long.
The Phantom Band turned out to be the pleasant surprise.
I was familiar with some of their material and, although it didn’t exactly rock my world, I was intrigued by the different musical shapes thrown around and use of various instrumentation.
Live, the songs came to life with an energy beyond the recorded versions.
What should have been an acquired taste for many with the band's mix of keyboard textures, percussive rhythms and brash guitars turned out to be the ultimate attention grabber. The band received one of the most positive responses of the entire festival.
It was a classic case of follow that, and headliners Aberfeldy simply couldn’t.
It wasn’t a bad set or performance from the headliners, it was simply that their lighter crafted pop orientated tunes driven by primarily acoustic instrumentation and smooth vocal harmonies couldn’t match the energy or impact of The Phantom Band’s songs, the echoes of which seemed to be resonating around the hall long after they had left the stage.
I heard later that the Silencers brought the Darvel festival to a great close in front of a full house, but then the band have always been an extremely popular live attraction, even with a number of personnel changes throughout their twenty-five plus years of history.
The other featured artists on the final night were great choices and a great fit:
Ex-Silencers JJ Gilmour & Phil Kane got the night off to a fine start while Kassidy, who take their lead from classic Americana, showcased songs from their excellent debut album Soul St.
All in all a great finish to a great festival, with Muirsical highlights including the surprising impact of The Phantom Band, the funky R&B and six-string talents of Hamilton Loomis and coming within a whisker of being locked inside the venue for a night with Wolfstonians Stuart Eaglesham and Duncan Chisholm, after everyone else had gone home.
That would have been an embarrassing story to add to an already storied event.
Here’s hoping there is a future for the festival, allowing for further stories from Ayrshire's "Music Town."
Ross Muir
June 2011
A feature on the history of the festival and the concern over its future is also available on site:
click here to go to the article.
Darvel Music Festival, East Ayrshire, May 6th – 28th
May was a great month for live music in my neck of the woods, with Ayrshire presenting a number of festivals or weekend events including the Darvel Music Festival and the Burns an ‘a’ That! culture, music and arts event (with both celebrating their tenth anniversaries).
Darvel, featuring four weekends of themed musical styles and a large number of great bands on display, won the Muirsical Award for Ayrshire event of the summer, with the "friendly festival" presenting ten nights of music over the month of May.
Music fans from the town mingled with festival goers from other parts of the country and those from Europe and Canada, chatting with each other, the organisers, the performers and buying the obligatory T-shirt.
I managed to make a visit to the historic East Ayrshire town one night of each musical weekend, with each offering its own musical interest, character and highlight.
I also made sure I attended a number of the festival shows because there is every possibility this could be the last one – at least to this scale…
Ten years of a festival run by a non-profit making Committee and volunteers is no mean feat – especially when you consider the event is funded solely by donations, sponsorship and contributions from various bodies including the local Council.
Unfortunately the recessional blues we are all still singing, coupled with budget and Council cuts means the town is in danger of losing its festival.
But if it should be the last one, it certainly went out on a musical high note.
The festival kicked off on the Friday 6th May with its first of three Celtic/ traditional nights.
Isle of Lewis singer songwriter Iain Morrison opening proceedings, Irish singer Heidi Talbot was also featured and the contemporary folk of the (Kris) Drever/ (John) McCusker/ (Roddy) Woomble trio headlined.
I was part of the audience for the Saturday evening show but as Wolfstone were playing and Darvel is only half an hour away from my front door that was an absolute given.
And as Duncan Chisholm (renowned Scottish fiddle player and a founding member of the band) owed me a pint, there was an obligation to turn up...
It was a great night with The Simple Touch getting the audience on their feet early with their infectious hooks and melodies that owed as much to as Americana as Celtic. And covering a Runrig number was never going to do any harm.
Skerryvore were next up, and the young Celtic kids on the block delivered a tremendously well received set (they have played the festival before) of modern hard-pop infused within their traditional Celtic rock and reel.
Songs with titles like ‘Angry Fiddler’ give you an idea of the musical content, and energy generated.
Skerryvore gave Wolfstone a run for their money, but by the second half of the Wolf-packs set the designated dance area of the hall was full as many jigged and spun the night away to perennial favourites ‘Balivanich’ and ‘Gillies.’
Sunday headliners Session A9 were, I’m reliably informed, one of the highlights of the festival, but then their blend and brand of fast-tempo traditional-based tunes and interplay of four fiddles in full flow is quite a sight – and sound.
Coast and Manran were able supports.
The second weekend and was a well received two-nighter featuring primarily Bluegrass/ Country acts.
I caught the Friday night event featuring The Coal Porters and, although Bluegrass is most definitely not my thing, they are unarguably a fun, talented and entertaining group, performing a high-tempo set dominated by foot-tapping acoustic bluegrass and instrumental breakdowns.
And any band that encores with songs introduced as "an Irish folk ballad" and "a traditional Greek tune" that end up morphing into bluegrass versions of 'Teenage Kicks' and 'Paint it Black' respectively, gets a tick in my Muirsical box.
First Charge of The Light Brigade, formed from ex-members of various Glasgow bands, were a solid opening to the night’s entertainment performing a set of well-crafted tunes before Matt Stephenson took to the stage.
Stephenson was a late replacement for the Stone River Boys but his mix of acoustic blues, finger picking workouts and gospel folk ballads (accompanied by fiddle player Kenny Brady) kept the crowd entertained.
His eccentric style and quirky between song anecdotes and jokes was more of an acquired taste though, splitting the audience between those disinterested in his monologues and those amused/ intrigued by them.
I was most definitely in the latter camp.
The second night featured Justin Currie and band, with the ex-Del Amitri singer songwriter performing songs from his two solo albums as well as the obligatory Del Amitri tune or two.
Support was provided by Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire (Hart has opened for Kris Kristofferson, no less) and Scottish singer songwriter Tommy Reilly, who toured with both Justin Currie and The Proclaimers last year.
Weekend number three, themed around the Blues (with some Soul & Funk), featured Hamilton Loomis, the Hamish Stuart Band and Maggie Bell as the headline acts.
Once more it was a Friday night in Darvel for me, catching a trio of acts – the rocking River Devils, the heavy rock blues of the Larry Miller Band and the sassy R&B blues-funk stylings of Hamilton Loomis and his band.
For many, it was the night of the festival.
The River Devils kicked off proceedings with a high energy set before Larry Miller cranked it up another notch by turning his amp up to 11.
Miller is all fun, hair and Gibson guitar and his own ballsy blues songs sit well with his Rory Gallagher and Hendrix covers.
Larry Miller is a hard act for anyone to follow and Hamilton Loomis and his more subtle, funkified blues was a bit of a blues-culture shock, but once the crowd fell into the Loomis groove he could do no wrong (and he has played the festival before) and by show's end was a contender for performer of the festival.
He certainly got my vote.
Hamilton Loomis may not be too well known in comparison to the Joe Bonamassa's of the world, but the young Texan guitarist is one of the finest live acts around.
He also has ridiculously clean tones on the six-string and a deft touch.
Highlights included the musical play-off between Loomis and his saxophonist as they exchanged licks and famous riffs and the finale of the show during set closer ‘Bow Wow.’ Hamilton fired off riff after riff, standing atop the bar counter at the back of the hall while the band followed his lead from the stage.
The latter display was worth the admission fee on its own.
Saturday saw a return visit to the festival of the Hamish Stuart Band and their brand of modern R&B. The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly were the other Saturday act, showcasing their jazz-influenced funk and R&B.
Sunday headliners were Maggie Bell and the British Blues Quartet, with slide-guitar guest Dave Kelly. An ever-popular act, Bell and the BBQ were supported by the rock and blues of Virgil and the Accelerators and the Oli Brown Band.
The festival’s finale weekend featured Scottish bands Aberfeldy and the Silencers, headlining the Friday and Saturday nights respectively.
I made the Aberfeldy gig, which included alternative rockers The Phantom Band and ex-Hipsway singer Grahame Skinner in support.
Interestingly it turned out to be both the most disappointing and yet pleasantly surprising night of the festival.
I was never a Hipsway fan and Grahame Skinner’s melancholic songs and minor-key arrangements were never going to connect with me.
It was a well received performance however and the Hipsway hits, which closed his set, produced a not unexpected and enthusiastic crowd sing-a-long.
The Phantom Band turned out to be the pleasant surprise.
I was familiar with some of their material and, although it didn’t exactly rock my world, I was intrigued by the different musical shapes thrown around and use of various instrumentation.
Live, the songs came to life with an energy beyond the recorded versions.
What should have been an acquired taste for many with the band's mix of keyboard textures, percussive rhythms and brash guitars turned out to be the ultimate attention grabber. The band received one of the most positive responses of the entire festival.
It was a classic case of follow that, and headliners Aberfeldy simply couldn’t.
It wasn’t a bad set or performance from the headliners, it was simply that their lighter crafted pop orientated tunes driven by primarily acoustic instrumentation and smooth vocal harmonies couldn’t match the energy or impact of The Phantom Band’s songs, the echoes of which seemed to be resonating around the hall long after they had left the stage.
I heard later that the Silencers brought the Darvel festival to a great close in front of a full house, but then the band have always been an extremely popular live attraction, even with a number of personnel changes throughout their twenty-five plus years of history.
The other featured artists on the final night were great choices and a great fit:
Ex-Silencers JJ Gilmour & Phil Kane got the night off to a fine start while Kassidy, who take their lead from classic Americana, showcased songs from their excellent debut album Soul St.
All in all a great finish to a great festival, with Muirsical highlights including the surprising impact of The Phantom Band, the funky R&B and six-string talents of Hamilton Loomis and coming within a whisker of being locked inside the venue for a night with Wolfstonians Stuart Eaglesham and Duncan Chisholm, after everyone else had gone home.
That would have been an embarrassing story to add to an already storied event.
Here’s hoping there is a future for the festival, allowing for further stories from Ayrshire's "Music Town."
Ross Muir
June 2011
A feature on the history of the festival and the concern over its future is also available on site:
click here to go to the article.
