HAVING begun last month with a comment on the demise of a major music festival planned for the region, it seems only fair to acknowledge the successful way in which RockNess has become established as a national phenomenon in the years since the first festival took place in 2006.

It did so amid some local doubts about the suitability of both the site at Dores and the event itself for the area, and considerable scepticism on the viability of such an ambitious project from outside of the Highlands.

The initial one-day event headed by Fatboy Slim sold out its 20,000 tickets, and it has gone on to expand to the present three days featuring major names in dance music (including Fatboy Slim again) bands like Friendly Fires, Leftfield and The Strokes.

The festival has had its controversies and its tragedies, but has added another dimension to the music scene in the Highlands & Islands, and the organisers deserve congratulations for that, especially in what are difficult times economically for all areas of the arts.

While the Outsider event at Aviemore has been one casualty of the shrinking economy, the more modestly scaled Insider festival , which stepped into the breach last year, is up and running again this year. A further reminder that the festival season is now in full swing.

Whatever we make of the post-election shenanigans that produced an unlikely coalition government (see Dave Smith’s ArtToon), it does feel as though we have emerged in a new political landscape, and one with an as yet uncertain outcome.

It is impossible to say how the arts will fare in the coming years. Scotland’s devolved government further complicates the picture, and the financial crisis facing administrations and local authorities offers little in the way of cause for optimism. We must all wait and see what the practical result of this unlikely bonding will be, while bracing ourselves for inevitable cuts to come.

Wait and see is also the watchword for the new Creative Scotland organisation , now beginning to make its presence felt after what seems an interminably long gestation period. It will have a crucial role to play in the coming difficult period, and we can only hope that it lives up to its name in tackling what is a formidable challenge.

Northings is about to tackle its own revamp of the website in the coming months, so watch out for what we think are exciting changes to come. For this month, though, we have new features on visual artists at opposite ends of the Highlands, HICA and Fergus Stewart, and our usual flow of reviews and news on all aspects of arts and culture in the Highlands & Islands.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor, Northings

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Scotsman, The List, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.