Belladrum Festival 29/07/2023 (SATURDAY)

I saw The Lucky Doves first, at the Garden Stage. I was searching “Belladrum” on Twitter to see what people were saying about it and someone recommended them between all the posts complaining about the traffic on Thursday. I’m glad I saw them, even though I had never heard of them before. The lead singer, Grant Dinwoodie, has an amazing voice and a lot of charisma. They were one of the many Scottish bands performing at the festival, from Dumfries. Their Facebook page says “Rich, story driven songwriting, enchanting acoustic pluck and a fantastic folk style” and their website describes their genre as “indie/americana/rock”. I think those descriptions sum them up nicely, as it’s difficult to define their music. I thought they had a brilliant classic rock sound, which I always appreciate. They were very entertaining, too. There was a gap between two of the songs and one of the band members, possibly Dave on guitar, broke the silence by asking us how we were doing. GD, the front-man, acted exasperated and said he was just getting to that part. He handed him the mic later when he sorted the instruments but Dave replied it’s okay as people don’t understand him at the best of times. I’ve listened to them again Spotify and it’s hard to pick a favourite, though ‘Book Of Bruce’ is their most popular, followed closely by ‘Never Run Back’. The lyrics are great and clearly personal and meaningful. I can’t find videos of them on YouTube or BBC iPlayer but would like to relive the experience as they were really good. It seems like they are a new band on the scene, as the oldest songs I found were from 2021. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.

I headed towards Bella Bar to see Aurora Engine, after reading she experiments with piano and the harp. I’ve never not enjoyed a piano ballad and harps are pretty unusual. I stopped at the bar to treat myself to a Prosecco but they had run out of it already. I opted for a white wine instead and saved £1 as I had already paid, so they upgraded me to a large glass. AE was interesting but not really my cup of tea. I like that stage and the atmosphere, with everyone relaxing on the haystacks. I claimed one this time, so enjoyed sitting down and taking in the music and my surroundings. It was crowded when I arrived but people took off with their kids before the music started so I got an uninterrupted view of the stage. Her first song lost me a bit, when she started singing about accidentally shooting her horse. I think it was supposed to be artsy and comedic but I wasn’t feeling it. I’m happy I saw her though, as her music was completely different to everyone else I had seen that weekend. She played some songs on the piano and some on the harp. Somehow I’d imagined she would juggle instruments and electronic sounds, so I was a little disappointed. Her website likens her to Bjork, Kate Bush and Anna Meredith – all musicians I don’t know very well, so can’t comment on. It also says “her lyrics brim with magic realism, their jauntiness counterbalanced by darker themes of contemporary relevance. Expect tales of imaginary friends, miniaturists, the porn industry, and drunken brawls, often delivered with humour and candour”. She asked if anyone ever had an imaginary friend as a child and a man raised his hand in passing, which was funny. Her songs were quirky and creative, so were refreshing to hear. I liked hearing her play the harp as it reminded me of the classic cartoons I watched where characters would play and sing along prettily.

I wasn’t sure who to see next, as the choice was between a bunch of musicians I had never heard of again. In the end, it came down to Nati Dreddd at the Grassroots Stage and Moray Jazz Club at the Ice House which I hadn’t been to yet. I chose Nati Dreddd, as I thought it would make more sense to see a musician who came from further away. I also didn’t want to take a risk with a genre of music I don’t vibe with, like I did with Aurora Engine. I took a picture of the Ice House in passing but didn’t hang around, though it appeared to have a fun and lively atmosphere. There was also a section down the hill from it, further along from the Garden Stage but the path looked like a steep incline so I peered around the corner at it but didn’t venture down. Maybe next year, if I’m more athletic by then. ND’s set passed by quickly and she did a great job getting the crowd enthused. I stood at the barrier this time and there seemed to be a bit more space, though I could tell it is one of the more popular stages. The tents are a nice idea in case it rains but also helpful for ducking into the shade for a while. We aren’t used to this much sun. I enjoyed her songs and the stories she told about them. She said she used to work a 9-5 job and can’t believe she is now making music for a living. She is grateful for all the support she has been given, in order to live her dream. The crowd seemed somewhat familiar with her music and I wondered how people find all these lesser-known musicians. Unless they go to a lot of music festivals and local performances. It’s not that easy to find musicians on Spotify as it tends to promote more well-known musicians. She encouraged us to sing along to her final song, ‘5 More Minutes’, which got stuck in my head for at least an hour afterwards.

I went to get noodles after seeing so many people eating them but had to stand in the queue for ages. The wait was worthwhile, as the food was nicer than what I ate the previous days. They added tempura vegetables and everything. I can’t remember the name of the place but they had a sign boasting about their success. I started to worry I’d miss the next act at Hot House, Olivia Dean. I got to the barrier fairly easily but was off to the left-hand side for her. She came on stage fifteen minutes late and that made the time really drag for me. I worried her lateness would throw off the timings for the rest of the night but that wasn’t the case, thankfully. She also stopped and restarted a song because the wind picked up and interrupted her singing. The festival was extremely well run and most of the bands came on stage dead on time. Scooty & The Skyhooks actually started early, which threw me off. I don’t remember all that much about Olivia Dean’s performance but she has a lovely voice, which is also very powerful. I didn’t know her at all but she must be reasonably famous to make it on to the main stage. Wikipedia says she first collaborated with Rudimental before branching out to making her own music. I can’t find much more information about her, apart from the fact she is an up and coming star and still young at only twenty four years old. I was probably the least excited person in the crowd but at least I had secured a spot at the barrier. ‘The Hardest Part’ stood out to me the most as it had a gorgeous melody and reminded me of the Coldplay song with the same title. She finished with ‘Dive’, which is the first song to come up when you search her name on Spotify. She also showed off some interesting instruments, such as a banana-shaped maraca and a guiro tone.

Scouting For Girls were performing at The Isle Of White Festival in June but we didn’t go on Saturday. They were the only act I would be interested in seeing that day, apart from George Ezra who I keep narrowly avoiding. I loved hearing their songs live and knew almost all of them, except their new release ‘The Missing Part’. For that song Roy Stride told us we were going to be part of the music video which will come out in a couple of months time. Even though most of us had probably never heard the song before, he asked us to make them look as good as possible. I had no problem with that but was annoyed by the woman next to me who kept calling over security in the middle of filming to try and get a birthday shout-out for her son. They’re filming a music video here, maybe focus on that. RS forgot the words to the new song and had to get the lyrics sheet brought out to him, which proved just how new it is. He also jumped off the stage and gave people in the front row high fives, including myself, which made my weekend. They were very theatrical and had an incredible stage presence, capturing and retaining the crowd’s attention with ease. Their set was very energetic and got me pumped up after the slower-paced performances beforehand. They said they have been trying to drop ‘Posh Girls’ from their set list for years but it always ends up being the most requested song. They got us to sing along with the ‘Boys at school’ part of it, which was simple enough for people to get the hang of. They did a song they thought would be a big hit but later realised sounds too similar to ‘Stacy’s Mom’ by Fountains of Wayne. They did a cover of that to demonstrate the closeness and followed it with ‘Year 3000’ by Busted, which they claimed also sounds like the previous two songs. I couldn’t really hear the similarities but they said the chords are the exact same. They were a delight and I felt energised from the moment they came on stage.

Peat & Diesel came on next, after their morning flight being cancelled and them nearly not making it. They mentioned how they just had time to set up and scramble on stage. I have heard of them as they are a popular more “local” band but I didn’t know any of their songs. Google describes them as a three-piece band from Stornoway, who formed over Saturday sessions and gained exposure on social media. I haven’t seen them pop up on the platforms I use. They are definite “crowd-pleasers”, which was emphasised by the woman beside me telling everyone they “are the best of the best” over and over again. The lead singer, Calum “Boydie” MacLeod, got a huge reaction when he appeared before the rest of the band. He has an unusual way of singing, so it took me a few songs to get used to his voice. A lot of the crowd were singing along, jumping, dancing and waving their hands in the air, so it was obvious they have a large and passionate fan base. They opened with a girl parading around the stage waving a stick with fire on the end of it (for lack of a better description) and a fire-eater. I recall hoping the stage didn’t catch fire, as I still had Travis to see. I was praying they were professionals. The guest stars were fun too – Cody Feechan and RuMac Music aka. Ruairidh Maclean. CF’s Facebook page describes her as a “Singer-Songwriter from Scotland who has been noticed for her unique voice and subtle Scottish twang”. RuMac Music posted on the same site, ‘Thanks Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival for havin me and Peat & Diesel for letting me ruin the set”, which was hilarious. His dancing made everyone laugh and he came down to the barrier to interact with people too, singing into the crowd etc. He was the most memorable part of their performance for me and I didn’t know anything about him beforehand either. There would have been a lot of disappointed people if the band didn’t make it on time, that’s for certain.

I was about as excited for Travis as I was for Manic Street Preachers, which is saying a lot. My heart was beating so fast when I watched them set up the stage and raise the backdrop. They came on at 9:40pm on the dot, with the intro of ‘Sing’ blasting through the speakers and making everyone quiet down and pay attention. The video on BBC iPlayer doesn’t do them justice, as nothing compares to hearing them live and seeing the band right in front of you. It was interesting, as Paul said he could hear the band play from his house. He lives about three miles away from Belladrum. They are one of the best bands I’ve seen and I felt really emotional when they performed ‘Closer’, which is my favourite song of theirs. I didn’t think they would do that one, as it is a bit slow for a festival. Someone voiced their opinion that they were not the best choice of band to end the festival on and I noticed they didn’t get as enthusiastic a reaction as the previous bands, which is a shame. When I got on the bus at the end, a boy asked someone whether Travis was depressing! I had the best time ever though, as I went to enjoy my favourite bands and not for a rave. Fran Healy talked about turning fifty recently and warned us all about the negative aspects of getting older, such as forgetting lyrics. He wore all pink and said he was just back from seeing the ‘Barbie’ movie. He chatted about how good it was but it was difficult to make out whether or not he was joking. The crowd didn’t really respond. I haven’t seen it yet but plan to before it leaves the cinema. They said the previous bands came backstage all enthusiastic about how great a crowd we were and I don’t think Travis were disappointed as a lot of fans were singing loudly to each of the songs. Dougie Payne threw a beach ball into the crowd but it fell just short of the barrier. One woman kept begging for it and security finally handed it to her. I don’t think they realised it came from the band. I noticed it was signed and had little pictures on it, which was a nice idea. They did the “party trick” with the other band members playing FH’s guitar while he clapped and sang and asked everyone to “do the pogo” (jump up and down) during the last verse of ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me?’ which is tradition at their shows.

I can’t believe this amazing event takes place so close to home, as it seems we are so far away from everything sometimes. It was odd getting on a bus and arriving at Paul’s house a mere fifteen minutes later. I am looking forward to seeing the line-up for 2024. I don’t know how soon they will release that information and I suppose it would be subject to change, being so far in the future. I think Keane would be a perfect headliner for next year, as it will be the twentieth anniversary of their debut album ‘Hopes & Fears’ and Belladrum’s twentieth birthday as well. Just an idea I would like to put out into the world! I’m so glad I took a chance on Belladrum and braved going solo as I had an amazing time and it is the best festival I have been to so far.