Belladrum Estate, Phoineas, Inverness-shire, 5-6 August 2011

SELLING out well in advance this year, one of the most consistently inventive independent festivals on the calendar returned to the genuinely stunning surroundings of Belladrum Estate across August 5 and 6.

Having proved a real highlight two years ago on the Seedlings Stage, Bronto Skylift opened the Hot House Stage in typically sonorous fashion proving an extremely decent early afternoon draw. Drummer Iain Stewart was a particularly impressive presence with a pulverising display of technical excellence.

For 2011, the dedicated new music stage was re-branded the goNORTH Seedlings Stage, with the pick of the early performances being an explosive opening set from PAWS. The Highland trio are generating quite a buzz in the wider context and despite their material thoroughly shot through with a number of explicit reference points, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth and recent mantle bearers Yuck to name but a few, their infectious blend of dense, fuzz-soaked guitars and smart pop hooks makes for an immediately winning combination. Very impressive indeed.

Anna Calvi

The Phantom Band, as usual, were fantastic, with Bronto’s Iain Stewart returning to illustrate his percussive versatility. Unquestionably one of the most inventive bands in the country, their brilliantly delivered, densely thumping reverie moved seamlessly through some variegated musical territory and proved a real early evening highlight.

As great as The Phantom Band were, Friday belonged to Anna Calvi. With her recent self titled debut offering justifiably gaining almost wholesale critical acclaim, her performance was simply stunning in places. From the opening lines of mesmerising instrumental Rider To The Sea, Calvi proceeded to deliver a spectacular display of virtuosity, with her dark, multi-layered gothic tinged offerings never really missing a stroke across the entirety of a beautifully executed set.

Another highlight was recent additions to Fence’s impressive roster, Kid Canaveral, with their sharp indie-pop offerings proving a strong draw as they closed the goNORTH Seedlings Stage. Admiral Fallow were excellent as ever, as was the sublime Rachel Sermanni, who for the second year running completely captivated a packed Grassroots Stage.  Also impressive were young local acts James Mackenzie and the Aquascene, He Slept On 57 and deeply promising Edinburgh based indie-folk outfit Chasing Owls.

Rachel Sermanni (Image by Thomas Bissett)

Friday’s programme closed with a highly polished greatest hits set from Texas which received a fantastic response from a packed Garden Stage.

Saturday’s proceedings started promisingly with a double floor tom barrage courtesy of the excellent Polarsets. Above the infectious percussive element, the Newcastle based trio are brimming with fresh and infectious musical ideas which, despite the relatively low turnout, appeared to really connect.

Across the rest of the early performances, Lucy Rose proved a gorgeously languid presence at the Grasroots Stage,  Capitals glimmeringly brilliant electro-pop got the goNORTH Seedlings Stage off to a strong start, the excellent We Were Promised Jetpacks brought some real energy to the Garden Stage, the return of local favourites Kobi didn’t disappoint, and The Staves were magnificent in places with their beautifully on point three part harmonies attracting an ever swelling audience at the Grassroots Stage Stage. Also meriting a strong mention is Iain Mclaughlin and The Outsiders who again impressed on the main stage.

With regards to the early evening performances, Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire were great in places, as were the brilliant Endor.

Closing the Grassroots Stage, the usually excellent Roddy Woomble hit and missed in equal measures, with the Idlewild frontman delivering a set which was decidedly lacklustre at times. On the main stage Deacon Blue closed proceedings to a huge and responsive crowd, managing to fit in most of their hit-heavy set before the weather really turned nasty.

Belladrum continues to deliver a highly inventive festival experience boasting a huge range of activities across all ages and areas of interest. The array of options appeared to have expanded significantly this year with more than seven stages devoted to music alone, an extensive cross-artform programme and a wealth of family centred attractions.

Admirably, Belladrum also continues to demonstrate a sustained commitment to moving locally based artists onto bigger platforms, offering them invaluable live experience on bigger stages.  Also, despite the danger of being unable to maintain quality across such a huge programme, most of the additions really seemed to add something to the experience; furthermore, the audience response across the entirety of the site appeared strong proving Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has scaled up rather successfully for 2011.

© Alexander Smith, 2011

Links

• Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival