Dores, Loch Ness, 8-10 June 2012

NOW in its 7^th year, and attracting more than 20,000 revellers, RockNess has fast become a major landmark on the map of British music festivals.

WHILE other festivals may boast larger crowd numbers and bigger name acts, RockNess still holds its own in terms of its contemporary line-up and unique setting. This year, a great variety of acoustic and rock acts complemented the dance- orientated line-up, with the Friday night offering American blues-funk group The Internet vying for attention with Glasgwegian folk-inspired rock courtesy of Admiral Fallow. The sheer variety of acts on offer made for an exciting start to the weekend, with crowd-pleasers being pushed aside to make way for more unusual acts.

The Correspondents

The jewel in the crown of these was definitely The Correspondents, whose lead singer, clad in a bedazzling pompadour costume, performed one of the most energetic dance routines of the weekend. Their eccentricity was saved from straying into the realm of ‘just plain weird’ by crowd-catching choruses and clean-cut electro melodies.

Most of this took place in ‘Goldenvoice’; a huge, cobalt blue tent which provided alternatives to the litany of indie bands that dominated the Main Stage. That night, the likes of The Drums and the Mystery Jets couldn’t really compete with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Wretch 32, whose inevitable collaboration during ‘Hush Little Baby’ resulted in one of best moments of the entire festival. Sheeran’s solo performance ignited the kind of euphoria last seen during Beatlemania, allowing him to split the crowd into two sides to create a Westside Story style ‘sing-off’ between the Jets and the Sharks.

This elated atmosphere continued through to Mumford & Son’s set in the main arena, who held the crowd captive with songs from their new album. Some might find it surprising that a group of guys who look like they’ve stumbled out of a west-country cider festival, could have become the nation’s favourite, but their anthem style folk, with huge, stirring choruses, reveal why they’ve attracted such a following.

Mumford and Sons

The crowd were roused from their Saturday lie-in by the prospect of comedian/virtuoso pianist Tim Minchin, who’s fresh and sprightly routine could have soothed even the most vicious hangovers. The rest of Saturday’s line-up, while perhaps not as varied as Friday’s, carried more energy in the form of buckets of French electro in Goldenvoice, and high-profile DJs on the main stage. Highlights included 19-year-old  ingénue DJ Porter Robinson, who has created his own genre in the form of ‘Complextro’ , and Beardyman, who has spent the last ten years creating not only his own genre, but new songs from scratch at every performance.

Justice and Annie Mac set things going for the weirdness of Deadmau5, who performed wearing his trademark ‘mouse helmet’ inside of a giant Rubik’s cube. His indefinable electronic sound has become ridiculously successful since crossing over to a mainstream audience in 2008, and among the crowd, hundreds of people were seen sporting mouse-style headgear in tribute to their idol. With strobe lighting cutting through the dark fog of the lochside and huge monsters projected onto the stage, the performance feels like a meeting of some surrealist cult, or a more threatening version of Disneyland. While Deadmau5’s set up may have only made sense to more hardcore fans, his addictive, soulful techno translated well in front of a large crowd, making him a perfect closing act for Saturday night.

Although the sky was as gloomy as ever on Sunday, the festival was given a dose of Caribbean sunshine in the form of the Cuban Brothers. With their joyously cheesy tunes and camp stage antics, the group have performed at every RockNess since the festival’s beginning, and their fan base includes Elton John and Robbie Williams. They were just as popular with this year, with frontman Miguel Mantovani’s provocative on-stage banter going down a storm with the audience.

Biffy Clyro

While the rest of the day’s acts did not include quite so many neon leotards, the sunny atmosphere continued, even throughout the obligatory rain showers.  While many retreated into the safety of the tents, a huge crowd turned out in force to see Scottish group Kassidy, and their rousing brand of Americana inspired folk-rock. There’s a feel to the band’s set that suggests they ought to be a lot more famous than they are, and hopefully, with the help of new legions of fans who were converted by this fantastic performance, they will achieve the recognition that they deserve this year.

Over in Goldenvoice, bands such as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Death in Vegas performed trippy, artistic electro house before Knife Party took to the stage. The group’s menacing dubstep, punctuated by smart pop-culture references, had the tent completely filled, until the prospect of Biffy Clyro drew the crowds into the main field.

With their Ayrshire accents still audible over their huge anthems, Biffy Clyro were, without a doubt, the perfect band to close RockNess. They were welcomed like heroes to the stage as they opened with ‘Mountains’, and continued through a roaring set of songs from throughout their career. The entire crowd accompanied Biffy Clyro for songs like ‘Machines’ and ‘Folding Stars’, while the sky darkened for a triumphant set of fireworks to mark the close of the festival. As the hordes made their way home, or carried on the party late into the night, the general consensus was that Joe Gibbs and co. had created their best festival yet.

© Rowan Macfie, 2012

Links

• RockNess