A Full On Hoedown

STEVE ROBERTSON sets the scene for Hayseed Dixie’s Loopallu festival

ULLAPOOL WILL host Hayseed Dixie’s ‘Little Fest in the West’ over the weekend of 23-24 September. Barley, Dale, Don Wayne and Jason, the four members of Hayseed Dixie, explained how Loopallu came about.

“We’ve been threatening to throw a party like this for several years, but could never seem to find a place that screamed out ‘here! here! you bastards!’ Then, this past April, we played the village hall here in Ullapool (maybe it was the three bottles of malt whisky talking, who knows?) but around breakfast the morning after the show everyone agreed Ullapool would be the place to throw a full-on tag-team Hayseed Dixie throwdown.”

Along with Hayseed Dixie, the line-up will feature a performance from John Peel favourites The Undertones. The group promise a ‘greatest hits’ set featuring such punk rock anthems as ‘Teenage Kicks’, ‘My Perfect Cousin’ and ‘Here Comes Summer’.

Loopallu offers quite an eclectic bill, bringing together a number of diverse acts. They include the traditional crossover band Shooglenifty, who famously described themselves as ‘hypno-folkadelic ambient trance’, or in a nutshell ‘acid croft!'; Indie rockers The Cosmic Rough Riders, who are no strangers to Ullapool due to their regular tours of the Highlands; Orkney’s Saltfishforty, who combine the traditional music of Orkney with original compositions; Deaf Mutes, the new duo from the Fence Collective label featuring Radio One in Scotland DJ Vic Galloway; and The Hussys, the new project of James McColl, former singer and songwriter with The Supernaturals (‘Smile’, ‘Built To Get Up’, ‘Day Before Yesterday’, etc).

The Festival also features a range of local talent such as Ullapool’s own blues-influenced Mojo Walk and The Dysfunktionals, who draw on trad scottish melodies mixed in with funk, blues, reggae and rock. The Ullapool Pipe Band, regulars at Highland Gatherings all across the north, will also make an appearance at Loopallu.

Travelling over the water from the Isle of Lewis are Our Small Capital, one of the most talked about bands at goNORTH this year, featuring Willie Campbell, the former frontman of Astrid on vocals. The Lushrollers will make their return to Ullapool with their unique harmonies and the addition of guitarist Marc Clements from Blazin’ Fiddles to the line-up.

The Rites from The Black Isle will play a big part in the entertainment on the second day of Loopallu as they take to the stage at 6pm; for those of you that haven’t seen The Rites, the Loopallu website describes them as “The Highlands finest rock ‘n’ roll band… probably”.

Entry is priced at £35 for both days with the gates open at 6.30 pm on the Friday and 12.30 pm on Saturday, with performances from Hayseed Dixie on both days. Following the festival the evening will also feature the HAIL Festival Fringe with live performances around the village’s pubs and bars from Mystyk Shoes, Vic Galloway (DJ set), Mystery Juice, Attic Lights and more.

© Steve Robertson, 2005

Related Link

• Loopallu website