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

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• RockNess

EVEN in the face of less-than-perfect weather conditions, RockNess is still capable of maintaining its title of ‘The Most Beautiful Festival in the World.’ Set on the picturesque shores of Loch Ness, the austere scenery provided a stunning backdrop for big-name acts such as Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and Paolo Nutini. While famous for its annual dance-heavy line-up, a near perfect balance was also struck between rock bands, DJs and solo performers.

Friday night set the standard high for the rest of the weekend, with Nero and Skrillex both providing a charged atmosphere in the form of eclectic, sample heavy dubstep. Katy B, a relatively new face on the UK underground scene, then performed songs from her album On a Mission. With her girl-next-door good looks and unassuming London accent, Katy is a breath of fresh air in the resurgence of female singer-songwriters – there was neither a fake eyelash nor a neon wig in sight throughout her entire set. Her sound matched her image by being at once innovative and relatable. ‘Broken Record’ in particular, with its thoughtful, haunting vocals, provided a refreshing counter-perspective to Skrillex’s take on the dubstep phenomena.

Revellers at RockNess (photo Fergus Feggans)

Meanwhile on the main stage, Two Door Cinema Club created feel-good vibes with their bubbly, retro take on indie-pop that psyched the crowd up in time for Kasabian. Whether you love them or not, there can be no denial of Kasabian’s intense appeal as a live band. Their set of danceable, clapable tracks were so well received by the crowd that it served to remind the doubters that RockNess is just as much of a home for indie bands as it is for dance acts.

Frontman Tom Meighan possessed emblematic rock star poise – his dedication of their sing-a-long classic ‘Thick as Thieves’ to ‘the gorgeous girl with the blond hair in the front row’ was reminiscent of Hendrix. It was an interesting moment when Meighan, infamous for his outspoken, controversial image, briefly departed to allow the dark and mysterious Sergio Pizzorno to take centre stage. Pizzorno lent a mellow simplicity to Kasabian’s songs that is often lost in the face of Meighan’s bravado. Nevertheless, the lead singer’s return snapped the crowd out of this dreamy lull and brought Friday night to an awe-inspiring finale.

Kasabian (photo Fergus Feggans)

With the late bedtime and early start to skip the queues for showers, it was hard to differentiate between Friday and Saturday. Luckily, The Japanese Popstars soothed this confusion by instructing the crowd that they were ‘trying too hard/ to keep control/ just relax/ and let go.’ The trio’s brand of repetitive, electronic style house could be described as nothing short of trippy. Listening was not unlike drinking a Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream milkshake made out of every flavour – but in a good way.

Visions of Trees created similar techno-ambiance at the Rock N Roll Circus. This was my favourite stage at the festival, as it showcased lesser known talent that had not yet achieved the buzz to take them to Goldenvoice or the Main Stage. The circus ring-style rows of seats provided the crowd with a real chance to sit back and appreciate the music that one often misses out on in the bigger arenas. With its relaxed, intimate atmosphere, it felt like a safe haven from the chaos of day-glo and deluge outside.

Saturday night on the Main Stage was dominated by famous names from the club circuit. Radio 1 presenter Annie Mac was amongst the first to emerge out of the downpour. While she certainly brightened up the gloomy weather, the world renowned DJ seemed to be playing it safe, and her set was lacking in a fair proportion of its usual ingenuity that is present in her remixes. Nevertheless, the buzz continued, allowing for Laidback Luke to perform in front of a truly enamoured crowd. The veteran DJ’s brand of classic electro-house was well-appreciated, as was Magnetic Man’s decision to off-set their non-traditionalist music by dressing in full Highland regalia.

Example’s set then proved that appearances can always be deceptive. His blend of hip-hop and grime fitted in seamlessly among the packed dance line-up, despite the fact that he looks like he should be working in a book shop. ‘Girl Can’t Dance’, with its mischievous, just the right side of misogynist lyrics, is a clear-cut favourite.
The Chemical Brother’s closed Saturday with a performance of all their standard classics, accompanied by the most impressive light display of the weekend. ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ and ‘Do It Again’ were given a sinister edge by the accompaniment of psychedelic silhouettes of mime artists and huge, scary clowns. With the addition of these projections, more recent hits such as ‘Galvanize’ had an even greater impact, and made their set seem more like a piece of performance art than a concert.

Chemical Brothers (photo Fergus Feggans)

Rousing the sleep deprived crowd on Sunday was the comfortingly melodious and unperturbed Mike Dignam. The almost twenty-one-year-old may not have quite hit the big time yet, but he certainly created a new legion of converts, including me, with his skilful, wholehearted performance that included the spell-binding ‘Slow It Down’ and ‘So Wrapped Up,’ that breathed a maturity and sensitivity beyond his years. A music festival, after all, is not only a place to see old favourites, but to discover new ones as well.

Over on the main stage, The Twilight Sad showcased a depth and scope of sound that they’ve clearly been developing carefully over the past few years. Having previously unimpressed me at Belladrum a few years ago, I was seriously amazed by the direction they have since taken, careering down a wonderful road that arrives somewhere between The Editors and Leonard Cohen, all set off by James Graham’s beautiful Scottish accent.

This tranquil mood was continued in the form of Lissie, an understatedly beautiful American folk-rock singer whose influences seemed to span everything from Bluegrass to more contemporary artists such as Shania Twain. Lissie has gone from strength to strength over the past year, having won ‘Song of the Year’ at the iTunes awards for ‘When I’m Alone’, and toured the United Kingdom with close friend Ellie Goulding. Her performance is full of vivacity and self-assurance, and is joy to watch, particularly during the atmospheric and evocative ‘Everywhere I Go.’

Following in Lissie’s considerable wake were We Are Scientists. Possibly the most charming band of the weekend, they seem just as delightful on stage performing hits such as ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘After Hours’ as they do in their interviews. Over in the Rock N Roll Circus, the Smoke Fairies’ murky blues folk, which conjures images of misty, alligator filled swamps and melancholic mid-west towns, gives no hint of their Sussex school-choir origins. ‘Living With Ghosts’ and ‘Strange Moon Rising’ are both wonderfully creepy, with the female duo’s perfect, eerie harmonies drifting to the roof like clouds of smoke from a Wiccan fire.

On the Main Stage, Glasvegas were similarly emotive. They were welcomed to the stage like local heroes, despite hailing from Glasgow’s East End. ‘Geraldine’ carries the same terse wit as ever, while the sound of the entire crowd singing along to ‘Daddy’s Gone’ has to be one of the most touching moments of the whole festival.

Paolo Nutini (photo Fergus Feggans)

There was some debate as to whether Paolo Nutini would be a suitable closing act for RockNess. While his specific placement within the line-up was nowhere near as controversial as, say, Jay-Z playing Glastonbury, it was dubious that his laidback, blue-eyed soul could provide the electrifying finale that everyone anticipates from a sizeable festival. However, contrary to any doubts, Nutini worked as a perfect culmination to the weekend’s festivities: the ideal hangover cure to the Skrillex and Chemical Brother-fuelled debauchery of Friday and Saturday night.

After a definite overdose of dubstep over in the Goldenvoice tent, Nutini’s affecting melodies ease, but by no means placate, even the most hard-partying of crowd members. Ballads such as ‘These Streets’ and ‘Last Request’ create such beautiful moments that one might believe that they were written with the darkening skies of Loch Ness in mind. With a voice like Paolo’s, who could fail to be won over?

© Rowan Macfie, 2011

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• RockNess