NOW in its eleventh year, Scotland’s premier showcase event for emerging artists returned to the Highland Capital. Now firmly established on the wider industry calendar, a robust programme of panels, workshops and live showcases was promised for 2011.

The seminar schedule again brought a host of high calibre panellists to the north of Scotland to discuss a broad range of industry activity, including the current function of A&R, the role of management in the present climate, the increasing influence of bloggers, and a music supervisors panel demystifying the process of opening up synch opportunities. Added to this, a vibrant Fringe session also offered more practical advice covering all aspects of self-releasing your work and an extremely useful panel dedicated to operating locally.

Bwani Junction at goNORTH 2011 (Thomas Bisset)

Following a packed seminar schedule, over fifty acts from throughout the Highlands and Islands, the rest of the UK and a selection of international artists delivered an exhausting series of live showcases across nine city centre venues.

Among the early highlights was Edinburgh based four-piece Homework , with their increasingly impressive blend of neat lyrical hooks and pounding live electronics coming ever closer to finding real cohesion, while Glasgow trio LightGuides fresh blend of smart guitar lines and sparkling melodic moments and Aberdeen’s Indian Red Lopez’s inventive indie soundscapes also brimmed with real promise.

Programmed by Tony Moore from influential London venue The Bedford, the Ramada Encore’s foyer again acted as the dedicated singer-songwriter platform with Fife’s Panda Su proving particularly impressive. Delivering a set predominately drawn from recent EP, I Begin, her beautifully sparse offerings sounded sublime in places, with her engaging lyrical observations holding genuine emotional weight. Also on this stage, Edinburgh’s I Build Collapsible Mountains, Norway’s Moddi and Ireland’s Conor Mason ensured the high standard was maintained throughout.

Homework at goNORTH 2011 (Matt Campbell)

For those seeking an antidote to the musical tranquillity of the Encore, Glasgow based  PAWS were tearing a packed Flames to pieces, careening through a series of instantly fizzing riffs as they delivered  a ferociously impressive set of keyed up power-pop. Elsewhere, Elgin’s Be Like Pablo brought some sanguinity to proceedings with their exceptionally charming harmony drenched offerings, and Edinburgh based Capitals potently illustrated why the buzz surrounding them is growing ever more insistent.

Among the remaining showcasing acts, Maple Leaves, Bwani Junction, The Scottish Enlightenment and Kobi Onyame were all excellent, as was the wonderfully accomplished Pete Roe and Lucy Rose.

With such a high density of talent in such a compact environment, goNORTH brings enormous energy to the city; also, the targeted nature of the showcases and the organisers continued commitment to ensuring the volume of bands with direct Highlands and Islands associations remains strong,  guarantees artists from the north of Scotland an invaluable direct to industry opportunity. Furthermore, with the often hefty registration fees demanded by other industry events, not to mention additional travel and accommodation costs, the fact that all goNORTH activity remains free while sustaining standards bolsters its importance and accessibility.

© Alexander Smith, 2011

Links

• goNORTH 2011

Theatre Fall (photo - Stuart Moffat).

WHAT’S THAT coming over the hill? Is it a monster? No, it’s not Nessie, folks, it’s just another couple of summer festivals competing for your love – and your pennies.

While the promoters of Rockness down in Dores on the banks of Loch Ness counted their pounds, shillings and pence, goNORTH proved they are not in it for the money, allowing free admission to all their shows.

Featuring 60 acts in 7 venues across 2 days in 1 city, this entirely free festival is aimed at showcasing the cutting edge of local talent within the Highlands & Islands alongside worthies from as far across the globe as New Zealand, Russia and the Faroe Islands.

It was heartening to see so many locals turn up to support live music, as bands (literally within spitting distance of each other) played in venues all within a half-mile radius.

Down at Hootananny, Norway’s very own Big Bang were doing just that, creating an explosion of sound that scalded the earlobes of those brave enough to venture close enough. The Viking rock lords are clearly big fans of southern rock, and it was almost a surprise not to see the name Lynyrd Skynyrd lit up in huge neon lights across a Norwegian flag instead of a Confederate one.

Their Scandinavian cousins, the Faroe Islands’ 200, however, were flying the flag of Independence upstairs in Mad Hatters. Tighter than their drainpipe jeans, this venomous political punk act have more hooks than a meat locker. Much of their vitriol was aimed at the Danish government (funny rather than worrying), every song about as sensual as a bucket of puke thrown in your face. Punk certainly, Jim, but not as we know it.

In sharp contrast, a few minutes down the road at the Foundry Bar, Glasgow’s Make Model were doing their very best to sound like Scotland’s answer to Arcade Fire.

Bathed in lights more suited to lighting up dirty disco floors, and stood beneath the Foundry’s impressive chandeliers, the sextet’s autumnal-sounding tunes and (clearly) apparent self-consciousness was not unlike early-days Belle & Sebastian.

Egged on by an appreciative crowd, the real mobbing however was going on round the corner at North 21.

Teaming with fans of local heroes, Theatre Fall, music radio presenters and journalists looked on eagerly, as this intense bunch of brats belted out the kind of infectious hook-laden power-pop Kaiser Chiefs are famous for.

A riot was predicted for their appearance at the goNORTH tent the following day at Rockness 2007, and the lads didn’t disappoint.

Bathed in glorious sunshine, the festival, nestled on the north shore of Loch Ness, has come a long way since Fatboy Slim headlined the first Rockness last year. Over 35,000 ar esteimated to have attended the event on each day, and, in keeping with the dance theme, the likes of Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada and Daft Punk made sure festival-goers got up on the good foot all weekend.

The location bestows one of the finest views of all summer rock festivals in Scotland, and no doubt the many recorded sightings of Nessie might have had a lot to do with the offer of a cash reward for a glimpse of the elusive beastie.

Talking of big beasts, Alabama 3 come across as though they’ve been reared on Jack Daniels all their lives. Famous for supplying the theme tune to hit TV show, ‘The Sopranos’, the drugstore cowboys looked like extras from ‘Deliverance’, preaching about Elvis Presley, sharpening their spurs against acid beats and slide guitar riffs.

The entire set was all about fun, fun, fun, and pseudo Havana outfit, ‘The Cuban Brothers’, were fun personified, kicking off their show on the XFM Stage with a version of ‘Scotland the Brave’ – Latin-style.

Camper than the entire site’s tent pegs put together, the quartet look more like Cuban pimps than brothers, and it wasn’t long before half-naked breakdancing ensued as master of ceremonies, Mike Keat, led the audience in a giant dance-along to Lionel Ritchie’s ‘All Night Long’.

The Charlatans then brought some much-needed guitar-based rocksmithery to proceedings, running through a workmanlike set of new country(ish) tunes and old favourites. Baggy-jeaned refugees from the Madchester era flocked to the main stage, no doubt irked by the lengthy queues snaking their way from the Soulwax tent.

Frustrated by not being able to catch a glimpse of Belgian record-spinning, cut-and-past mixologists, 2ManyDJs, security had a job trying to stop people from sneaking in under the tent.

The real highlight, though, was being experienced by a small band of lucky punters over at the MySpace bus. Playing to just 20 fans, The Automatic gave those lucky enough to get aboard an acoustic rendition of their big hit, ‘Monster’. Unfortunately, Nessie wasn’t in keeping with the party spirit and was nowhere to be seen.

Sadly, tragedy struck over the weekend when a 39-year-old man from Dundee died of a suspected heroin overdose. Hundreds of police mounted roadblocks and trawled the event with sniffer dogs.

Although it cast a dark cloud over an otherwise excellent weekend, both goNORTH and Rockness comprised everything you’d expect from a quality festival: great music, a great location, lots to see and do, and above all, an appreciative audience who know not only how to party – but behave, too. We wish them both well.

© Barry Gordon, 2007

Links

• GoNORTH
• Rockness

Shutter

FRIDAY’S BANDS are loving and giving … First band of the night, Curio, played to a meagre crowd in the Ironworks, but did well taking into consideration the size of the venue and the fact that they were on very early.

Next up was Carson who have greatly matured since their last performance up in the Highlands. The vocals have a more gravel-based edge, the harmonies especially on songs like ‘One of Us’ and ‘Numbness in the Sun’ beautifully crafted.

The band have encompassed other Glasgow-based acts like Terra Diablo and Biffy Clyro into their sound, ending up with a set full of twists and recognisable songs. Tunes like ‘Rot’ and ‘Damage’ left the crowd in mini-mosh pits, especially finished and tightly controlled.

One of the youngest acts ever to play at a Go Event was Dornoch based Lucie Treacher, in the Market Bar. Although the talent shone through, this performance left a lot of the crowd uneasy – for an eleven year old, singing in front a crowd this big must be a daunting experience, and seeing a child up on stage performing better than many grown men and women is a little disturbing.

Most of the songs were under-developed, but Lucy’s ability to play the piano, guitar and sing showed that in a few years with the right guidance she will be a star.

Theatre Fall were playing Mad Hatters, and definitely showed what a lot of practice and determination can do in six months. The band have cemented their electro-rock/pop sound and songs like ‘Transformers’ and ‘Magneato’ displayed Angus Carburns’ ability to push his vocals to a new level and engage with the crowd with more confidence and personality.

Despite guitarist Stuart’s guitar strap snapping and nearly knocking someone down in the front row(!), this was a stellar performance from a band who only have come on leaps and bounds since their support with The Fratellis earlier this year.

The Foundry was heaving for Belfast beauties Panda Kopanda. However, the crowd were more interested in drinking and pushing each other around, and as a result the band found it difficult to engage with any more than the two front rows.

PK don’t seem be able to decide which genre they want to pursue, and this left the overall impression of a band with too many influences and not enough confidence to push the boundaries to find their own sound.

Injuns forced the very unresponsive Foundry crowd into submission, with their Guillemots-type eccentricities. This very under-rated band filled the pub with happy-go-lucky tunes, with their drummer leading the vocals.

Some of the songs are very Bob Marley-esque, but then descend into a pop mess, while turning into something that you want to hurl yourself at the stage to. Definitely a band to watch with both eyes!

Friday’s venues work hard for their living …. Top marks go to Mad Hatters, for the most welcoming atmosphere to both bands and punters, and the best size for this level of act.

However, bottom of the pile was the Foundry, who not only kept the plasma screens on during the performances, but switched the lights on half way through the last band’s last song, and had a really annoying compere, who seemed to think he was at a fairground ride booth shouting “Scream if you want to go faster” rather than introducing an unsigned indie band.

The Ironworks provided a place for under 18s to sample some musical titbits – venues for younger fans are sorely needed in Inverness.

Woo hoo it’s Saturday! The Now were first up in Mad Hatters, filling the space with Oasis/Stone Roses driven riffs and vocals to a responsive crowd. These guys have been getting better and better at what they do, but the sounds of their influences again don’t let anything else through. Fantastic bassist though.

Frame of Mind provided a welcome change to the night, after travelling 15 hours up from Manchester to play their 30 minute set, which included a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ incorporated with ‘Papa was a Rolling Stone’.

The band jazzed their way through their set, with triple vocals, giving a lovely harmonic twist to some tracks. Again, the Foundry crowd didn’t pay FOM their due, but after opening for Status Quo (the prize in a competition they won) the band have had to deal with some difficult crowds in the past!

Mad Hatters showcased Aberdeen-based Edgar Prais whose messy tightness threw the crowd into a series of spasms, and culminated in the lead singer handing out a bottle of whiskey to the crowd for ‘Bottom of the Bottle’ to huge applause (and in some cases, disbelief).

Songs like ‘Sloppy Drunk Boys’ and ‘Jaimie’, with gravely vocals and funked up bass, left the crowd screaming for more (and the majority of females trying to climb on the stage!). This was definitely one the best performances of the night.

Pop Up, a hotly tipped indie-rock band, were again let down by the venue that they were playing in. The set was enjoyable and the buzz about this band is apparent, with their debut EP “Lucy what you trying to say?” released on Hijacked Records in July they provided Go Hi with a taste of what a more established band can do.

The last band of the night in Mad Hatters was Shutter, closing the running order with their epic, blasting riffs and solar bass lines. Shutter are good at what they do, and their sound has developed into something that you can quite easily kickback to while in no way boring or over the top.

What the professionals thought: “Standout bands were definitely Theatre Fall and Edgar Prais for me. The standard of the line up was not as strong as in recent years. However, it was eclectic, and provided a good bench mark of what Go North will entertain us with next year.” Sharon Stephen, A&R Columbia Records

Over all the bands playing were well received and the weekend displayed the Highlands and Islands ability to come up with some diamonds, as well as seek out gems from further afield, such as Manchester and Belfast.

The venues were all accommodating, but the bands complaints about The Foundry were warranted (you should NEVER keep the plasma screens on when a band is performing!!), and a lack of over 14s venues meant that only The Ironworks could accommodate the younger fans.

Go North will be held in Inverness in June next year, and the city is set up for another great industry buzz event pushing the word of Highlands and Islands music out there even further.

© Cara Anderson, 2006

Links

• Curio
• Carson
• Lucie Treacher
• Theatre Fall
• Panda Kopanda
• Injuns
• The Now
• Frame of Mind
• Edgar Prais
• Popup
• Shutter

Jyrojets

THE ANNUAL goNorth festival gave 65 acts a chance to be showcased at what has been described by many as the Scottish equivalent of the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. goNorth not only showcases artists from across Scotland, but this year also featured acts from Wales, Norway and The Netherlands.

On arriving at Belmont Street on Wednesday afternoon I helped the guys from Shutter and The Method set up for an acoustic showcase they were doing for the HUBL website (www.hubl.co.uk) that would also feature guitarist Jamie Ross from Call To Mind.

I was unable to stay and watch, though, as I had travelled to Aberdeen with students from the North Highland College so that they could take part in some of the workshops being put on as part of goNorth.

The first workshop they attended was with the Musicians Union band at Captain Toms practise space. The MU Band consists of some of Scotland’s top session players in Scotland, and their session aims to offer advice on things such as rehearsal tips and playing techniques for bands.

Speaking to some of the students afterwards, they seemed split on those who found the workshop helpful and those that felt they already knew the techniques the MU band were demonstrating.

All in all I would say that the Festival was of an extremely high standard with a great bill of talent and some cool workshops

A highlight of the session was some friction between Alan McGee and the head of Rock Promotion from the US office of Warner when debating the future of major labels and the role a manager plays in the success of a signed band that broke down into the use of some colourful language from Mr. McGee.

The first act I saw in the evening was Alness Indie rockers The Side playing at the Triple Kirks. They seemed to impress many with songs such as ‘Let The Feeling Go’ and ‘Sunrise’.

Jyrojets from Inverness played a special showcase for Highland 2007 at Cafe Drummonds to a packed out crowd, many of whom were on the dancefloor. The band signed to Songphonic are tipped for big things this year, having played not only across the UK to tie in with the release of the Channel 4 Make Tracks CD last year, but also in Spain and Russia, and reportedly will play at this years Tartan Heart Festival alongside the likes of Embrace, Echo & The Bunnymen and Mystery Jets.

Another Highlands act that played well was Isle of Skye band Stereoglo, who played later in the night at Triple Kirks with a good showing of support from people who had travelled through from the Highlands to Aberdeen, and what seemed to be a lot of interest from members of the music industry.

Other acts I saw that impressed me were Glasgow’s Popup, Aberdeen band Staccato Set and Edinburgh band Found, although all the bands playing were of an extremely high standard.

The second day of goNorth started with me taking some of the students from the North Highland College to The Tunnels to attend a very interesting panel with music experts, including veteran music industry consultant Ronnie Gurr, Mark Mackie of Regular Music, Bruce Finlay, the manager of Aberfeldy, Marcus Wilson of Hi-Arts, and manager Christian Ulf Hansen.

The session also offered the chance to meet the panelists one on one, and ask them for advice on breaking into their specialist area of the music industry.

At 5 pm I made my way up to One-Up Records to watch the launch of Manchester label Baby Bloom Records, which featured a very cool acoustic set from Stornoway act Our Small Capital, complete with some of the most tuneful songs I have heard from any band coming out of Scotland. It’s easy to see why Our Small Capital are playing events in Manchester, Russia and Texas.

In the evening Nairn band High Profile Fish, who have benefited greatly from the HUB project in Nairn run by Hi-Arts, rocked out Aberdeen venue Kefs for a special over-14s showcase. It was set up to show how the band, who came together at the same time the HUB project was put in place, have taken advantage of the facilities provided and grabbed the chance to evolve from a group of youngsters jamming to one of the top young bands in the Highlands.

Inverness act Shutter would not only enjoy their second set at goNorth, this time playing with an awesome full-on electric sound, but had their track ‘Sedona’ played on Radio 1 by Vic Galloway earlier in the evening to tie in with their goNorth showcase.

After Shutter’s set I moved up to The Wild Boar to see Call To Mind, another Inverness act who has appeared in the last year and gone on to build a high profile. The band played a strong set of modern psychedelic music complete with influences such as The Doves and Sigur Ros.

The Isle of Lewis was represented by Dragging The Lake as well as Our Small Capital. Although still quite young the band has deservedly experienced a great deal of success, such as playing last year at T in the Park and goHI. I hadn’t seen the four piece Biffy Clyro/Hundred Reasons inspired band since last year’s T in the Park, and I could quite clearly see the band had advanced in tightness as a unit.

The Rites have moved away from their traditional black shirts, and perhaps with the introduction of the new material that they debuted at goNorth are headed into a new direction to match this new look. The Black Isle act was the final band from the Highlands & Islands to play goNorth, and would rock out The Tunnels in the fashion they are known for, one which earned them an award from the readers of the ICA for their performance at last year’s Loopallu Festival in Ullapool.

Other artists that stood out to me over the second day included possibly the greatest unsigned Hip-Hop act in the UK Disciples of Panic Earth, Edinburgh-label Benbecula’s Genaro, Glasgow’s The Ronelles and the quirky original sound of singer/songwriter Izo Fitzroy.

All in all I would say that the Festival was of an extremely high standard with a great bill of talent and some cool workshops, and with it set to move to Inverness for 2007, that should be something for the city to look forward to.

© Steve Robertson, 2006

Related Links:

• goEvents

STEVE ROBERTSON looks at what is on offer at this year’s goNORTH festival in Aberdeen
 

OVER 40 BANDS will play free gigs in seven of Belmont Street’s venues when goNORTH returns to Aberdeen on 1-2 June. The gigs are structured to allow music fans to see at least ten minutes of each exciting act.

That makes Aberdeen THE place to be that week to hear new music from exciting Scottish acts such as The Cinematics, My Latest Novel and Girl Said No. There will also be acts from the rest of the UK and abroad. These include Welsh indie guitar band The Heights and the all-female band Octavia from Norway, who have been getting huge attention from the rock press.
 
Aberdeen gig goers will be joined by some of the top music industry people such as Stephen Jones, manager of The Apartment, who will also be performing at goNORTH. Stephen is renowned in the music industry circles as the A&R man who signed the publishing deals for acts like The Killers, Queens of the Stone Age and Sigur Ros.

As seen in years gone by, Radio 1 will broadcast a special show hosted by the man who champions new music in Scotland, Vic Galloway, Vic had this to say about goNORTH: “Someone described Belmont Street as being like a Broadway of music or a mini-South by Southwest [the prestigious showcase event in Texas where most gigs take place in Austin’s 6th Street]. It has a great infrastructure and is a really good set up for watching bands,”

Since it was launched in 2002 over 180 acts from 14 countries have performed at the event

The Performing Rights Society (PRS) will be sponsoring the singer/songwriter and acoustic stages at the Siberia and Wild Boar venues. Another event to take a note of is the special Fence Records night on 1 June, and an added boost comes from Music Week magazine, who will be giving away a special CD of goNORTH bands in next week’s issue. A selection of the featured acts will be invited to play a goNORTH night at London’s Barfly venue.

The organisers have teamed up with VisitScotland to bring journalists up to the Granite City in an attempt to elevate the city’s profile. There will also be a special reception in Dunnotter Castle near Stonehaven with a surprise act lined up to play an acoustic gig in the ancient fortress.
 
Following this year’s goNORTH will be a range of seminars by Soma Skool, put on for bands and individuals interested in working in the creative industries. These seminars will be held at Snafu (5 Union Street), and promise to include everything from music media to downloads (see www.somaskool.com )

goNORTH, the leading Scottish showcase is part of goEVENTS, which also encompasses HAIL, the music industry association for the Highlands and Islands, and is funded by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise along with the Performing Rights Society Foundation.
 Since it was launched in 2002 over 180 acts from 14 countries have performed at the event. Shortly after the event last year, Raising Kain were signed to Warner label Rushmore, while Poor Old Ben signed a publishing deal with Universal Music.

For more info on the event, see the goEVENTS website below.

© Steve Robertson, 2005
 

Related Link

• goEVENTS website

Glitter Star

goNORTH may spoil you for other festivals. Free gigs featuring some of the best emerging talent from across Scotland, the UK and beyond – good enough to attract record industry professionals from near and far – and it’s on your doorstep. Artists and bands caught on the up whilst you can still get close enough in the audience, or the bar, to make up your own mind. It’s a gift of a festival that makes T in the Park tickets seem like a con.

Shaun Arnold of HAILMUSIC is the driving force behind goNORTH. His ideas came to fruition for the first time in 2002. This year’s festival happened largely down to the collaboration of Shaun and four other dedicated individuals: Dave Stewart (Aberdeen Foyer), Rob Hicks (Beyond Promotions), Iain Hamilton (Highands and Islands Enterprise) and Caroline MacLeod (HI~Arts) plus the support of a large number of sponsors including MusicWeek, PRS, and Channel 4.

goNORTH took over Belmont Street this year. Four venues, concentrated over 150 yards, hosting 30 acts over two nights. Without prohibitive ticket costs, you could pick and choose your bands on the flimsiest of recommendations or the whim of a name.

My goNORTH started with Bonnie Prince Billy on the headphones and a 3 hour train journey from Glasgow. The sun was shining; Scotland seemed big.  Green fields, fluffy clouds, yellow gorse, white hawthorn, blue sea – free of the hum-drum, I was happy anticipating my first music festival with a press pass. Predictably, I fell in love with goNORTH like an over-eager teenager.

I also made some teenage mistakes. The proximity of venues and the staggering of performances meant two things – in theory, you could catch 15 minutes of each act. But if you maintained the 15 -30 minute venue-hop, there was potential for the evening to become a musical pub crawl.

Of the 15 performances on Wednesday, I got to hear 10. On Thursday, I managed a total of 8. At times, it felt pretty heartless to flit between bands, but they seemed largely unfazed by the coming and going of crowds and I didn’t hear any complaints about time slots and venue allocation.

“People ask whether I know I’m singing out-loud.”

Next on stage was Roddy Hart. How his love songs don’t win over every unrealised love of whom he sang is a mystery. Galipaygos charmed the audience with country songs, low-key vocals and an inspired ability to play guitar. Lead singer Andrew Stills also plays with Lacova and I’d expect quality if you pitch up to hear him in either guise. That just left Poor Old Ben with a bunch of songs which could go straight onto Radio 1’s playlist – wish that they would. Another Day’s chorus line, “Rock and roll is in my head”, is chiming round my head. People ask whether I know I’m singing out-loud.

Whilst on the subject of favourite songs, I have another – “Rise and Fall” by Gem, from Holland. I concede they owe a debt to the Strokes but see the band live and they may bring to mind a few other influences. Lead singer Maurits Westerik dances convincingly like a young Jagger and dresses, alongside rhythm guitarist Vincent Lenmen, in beautiful vintage jackets mindful of Sgt Pepper. Together for a year and half, with an album called Tell me what’s new, they have time to evolve into something original and entertain brilliantly meantime.

On the subject of clothes, a shout-out to Sai the tailor from Hong Kong who crafted the sheeny-shiny suits of Glasgow sharp dressers Hoboken. (I wonder if he realises he’s responsible for a style statement worthy of note amongst the rock and pop crowd of goNORTH?). The band (Jonathan Carr – vocals, Michael Bannister – drums and programming, Neil Cameron – bass, and Scott Twnholm, keyboards and programming) are set to release their first album Crazy Glue on the 26th July. A sneak-peak reveals a CD with covetable artwork. A sneak listen and you hear something instantly unmistakable. It sounds like the 80s, only different. This album (and this band) is the type that if played at a party, would forever be linked in the collective memory with whatever was happening that was important.

One of the highlights of the festival was the assured and inspired performance of Aziz, (guitarist with the Stone Roses), accompanied by Talvin Singh on the tablas. Talking with them later, they mentioned that the British Council recently sent them to Palestine and Pakistan as music ambassadors. Thankfully, the cultural outreach has stretched to Aberdeen with whispers of Shetland sometime in the future.

“But that’s the nature of goNORTH – so much music, not enough time.”

Maria Solheim from Norway sings “melancholic but hopeful” songs. I particularly liked her Christmas song (The Snow Has Killed), sung in dedication to the summer. Depressing themes were redeemed by a crystal voice and a quiet but commanding presence. The audience demanded an encore and it was clear that Maria, fragile-looking but fierce in her honesty, singing of broken promises and buried fears, had plenty of would-be knights gathered round.

With a hop and a skip down the road, it was time to catch up with the boys from Dionyssus, who were on tour. Aberdeen, Inverness and then Edinburgh to compete in the next round of Emergenza. I’ve already sung their praises elsewhere on this site – but I do have a bone to pick. Trying to help them find a place to stash their equipment, I missed Rolan Bolan, son of Marc, all the way from the US.

Which brings me to a confession, I’m sure I’ve overlooked some fantastic performances in my round up. A fair old buzz accompanied Kain’s performance though I missed most of it, transfixed by the snarl of The Casuals’ lead singer. Listening to the compilation CD, I’m kicking myself about missing Kid Carpet, Half Cousin, and Dead Fly Buckowski. But that’s the nature of goNORTH – so much music, not enough time.

Thursday concluded with an after-show part at Dr. Drakes (which didn’t seem to end), testing whether the bands were all singin’, all dancin’, or just the former. On Friday morning, smitten with my experience of goNORTH – the music I’d heard, the people I’d met – head fugged up with the remnants of an indulgent mix of alcohol, I felt sad as the train rolled backwards to Glasgow. As new CDs whirred and pleasant tunes consoled me home, I realised you’ll never forget your first festival love.

© Catriona Paul, 2004