Fort William, Lochaber, 6-7 May 2011

TO celebrate the centenary year of the Scottish Six Days Trial in Fort William, organisers introduced a music element in the shape of mini music festival Rock The Fort to this year’s event. The festival featured a fine selection of emerging Scottish acts programmed across eight days in the main trial site, and a fringe festival in a selection of town centre venues.

Having already boasted the likes of Panda Su, I Build Collapsible Mountains, Pareto and Mitchell Museum, I arrived for the closing two days of the programme just as the heat wave of the previous week had given way to more familiar Lochaber weather and the festival welcomed The Stu Goodall Band and Kitty The Lion.

Kitty The Lion

Edinburgh based singer songwriter Stu Goodall got proceeding off to a strong start with a fine set of folk influenced pop offerings; a particular highlight being the immediately infectious Crystal Clear with its laid back swagger and gorgeous harmonies.

2010 proved a strong year for Kitty The Lion, with the Glasgow five-piece appearing at goNORTH, RockNess and T in the Park; they also beat off hundreds of other hopefuls to play Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party as part of Hog The Stage 2010.

Whilst they remain on pretty familiar folk-pop territory, the reason they have generated such praise is the fact that they simply do it better than most. Anna Meldrum is also a frontwoman of some distinction, delivering the bands lustrous hooks with a sultry understatement.

In terms of specific highlights, the instantly captivating Lion In The Bed sounded terrific, as did the quirky radiance of Catalytic Converter and the darkly uplifting Gutted.

James Mackenzie

Friday’s programme was delivered in partnership with HAIL Music, branded HAIL On The Road and featured a selection of acts from their recent download card release.

Inverness’s James Mackenzie and the Aquascene opened with another impressive demonstration of their growing prowess in the live environment. The young five-piece enjoyed a fantastic 2010, including a clean sweep of Highland festivals and a series of triumphant dates further afield; and with the recent announcement that they have been confirmed as part of the main Belladrum line-up, their debut set to drop in early Autumn and numerous other adventures soon to be announced, 2011 is shaping up to be another strong year for this genuinely impressive band.

When Homework first came to wider attention with the release of their debut EP Sleepless Nights, they looked a seriously promising prospect. The band then entered the studio for the best part of twelve months to work on their debut album emerging recently with excellent focus single Why Oh Why.

The band have clearly developed during this time, retaining  the sharp amalgam of gleaming guitar lines, lacquered live electronics and interesting lyrics,  but now boasting a bolder musical cohesion and confidence in their ability as a live outfit.

Fresh from their recent adventures at leading industry event South by Southwest in Texas, Highland duo Bronto Skylift closed the inaugural Rock The Fort 2011 with a typically pulverising performance. Perhaps understandably, the sheer creative inventiveness of Bronto’s material is often overlooked, with the focus tending to fall on the ferocity of their live performances, tonight being no exception as they threatened to tear the marquee to pieces; but as last year’s remarkably coherent debut offering The White Crow illustrated, this band are brimming with melodic content, sharp grooves and imaginative artistic ideas.

With a release scheduled  on DIY legend John Robb’s new Modern English label later this year, a host of festivals lined up along with a series of  international showcasing opportunities, surely it’s just a matter of time before one of the most exciting acts in Scotland truly gain the recognition they deserve in the wider context.

© Alexander Smith, 2011

Links

• Rock The Fort
• Kitty The Lion
• Bronto Skylift
• James Mackenzie and the Aquascene
• Stu Goodall
• Homework