Various venues, Ullapool, 21-22 September 2012

REGARDLESS of who the organisers book to appear every year, Loopallu is a special festival.

COME the end of September, Ullapool still catches the last scraps of summer sun and warmth, and the village looked beautiful here, as did the view over Loch Broom from the doors of the shore-side tent holding the festival’s only stage. Rain fell and the temperature dropped at night, but not enough to spoil things for the festival-goers camped out alongside the festival site.

Saturday headliners Scouting for Girls

This year’s line-up might not have troubled hipsters from the Central Belt to make the long journey up north, but it was perfectly gauged to appeal to as many people as possible, and to ensure the atmosphere was upbeat and lively, but not rowdy. Loopallu feels like it’s part of the way between being a regular pop and rock music festival and a proper Highland ceilidh, and the energy levels of the audience were up to the challenge.

After an opening procession by the Ullapool Pipe Band through the streets of the village and up to the festival’s gate, Friday’s highlights included Anderson, McGinty, Webster, Ward and Fisher, a Dundonian folk-blues outfit who are building a name for themselves after a busy summer of festivals, and whose rich and well-played live show is the only selling point they need.

In the evening, Glasgow rockers Kassidy and the Fratellis appeared one after the other, although they were both remarkably similar in terms of the noisy rock ‘n’ roll they play and the reactions they won from the crowd. Amidst apparent fan favourites like the ‘Traveller’ and ‘Stray Cat’, Kassidy’s most memorable moment came when singer Barrie-James O’Neill asked the audience to shout a message to his girlfriend Lana Del Rey into his phone to help get him out of “the bad books”, while the Fratellis naturally saw the tent go wild for their huge hit ‘Chelsea Dagger’.

Saturday continued in a similar view, with all-girl folk group the Staves, local heroine Rachel Sermanni and singer-songwriter Jake Bugg appearing before headliners Scouting For Girls – a pop act by the standards of most festivals, but again a big name who would unite the majority of fans in this tent.

The main stage was only half of the story though, with groups including traditional dance troupe Rhythmreel plugging the gaps between bands on the beer tent stage and a lively programme of late night pub sets around the village’s pubs, including Kassidy and Rachel Sermanni at the legendary Ceilidh Place. It felt at once like a more personal take on behemoths like Rock Ness and T in the Park, and a festival with a heavy dose of real Highland character.

© David Pollock, 2012

Links

• Loopallu