the Scooter stage provides much of Friday night's entertainment at Wickerman

Wickerman 2009 review

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The Wickerman Festival 2009

Friday 24th to Saturday 25th July 2009
Kirkcarswell Farm nr. Kirkcudbright, Galloway, Scotland, Scotland MAP
£80 w/e incl camping, child (13-15) £40,

Work commitments mean that I arrive late at the site on the Friday (online map sites said it would take 3.5 hours, more like 6...) so miss Billy Bragg warming the soul in the sunshine on the main Summerisle Stage. No worries however as Edinburgh's own children Idlewild play their brand of indie rock that gets a huge crowd dancing in the last sun of the day.

The bass camp is throwing out deep bass lines throughout the day and like the Axis tent, finishes at 5am. This would be ok had they not been so close to the camping area, but I can think of worse things to try and asleep over than reggae bass lines… Skiddle (with Uber and trashed), Jungle Boogie and Desert Storm rule the weekend for the dance music lovers. Acid House pioneer DJ Danny Rampling hosts a DJ masterclass over the weekend too, teaching under 18's how to beat match, back spin and mix harmonics.

The tent where I spend a huge amount of the weekend, the Scooter stage, now plays host to the UK Subs, and the legend (and only original member) that is Charlie Harper (I must stop trying to guess how old he is!). The site of the whole tent singing 'Stranglehold' is something to see.

I do not wonder far from the Scooter tent, as I am more bothered about The Dickies than the lush indie pop of The Magic Numbers (after the long drive I need some music thrown at me, not lullabies at this time!). They do not disappoint. Guitarist Greg Hanna is wearing a teddy bear / operations game jump suit, while singer Leonard Graves Phillips twists and turns like a he's a tea towel being wrung out to dry by a heavy handed housewife. The sight of him with his hand up a talking penis is one I won't forget, and the set ending with their '79 song 'Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)' is a highlight of the festival.

It's then over to the main stage to catch The Human League, a strange choice to headline a festival in my opinion but showing better than not Wickerman's broad attitude to line ups. I grew up listening to the Sheffield band, so the sounds of 'Don't You Want Me', 'Together In Electric Dreams' and 'Tell Me When' bring back memories (and questions of why are the lyrics so embedded in my brain, have I learnt nothing new to push them out?!) but I feel a little embarrassed for the band, who at times are a little out of tune... though looking okay for a band of nearly 30 years.

review by: Danielle Millea

photos by: Danielle Millea