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September 2009
Events Magazine's Exclusive AGOFR Expose |
| "Events" Magazine's Sounds in the Grounds 2009 Spiel | Back to Press List |
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It
was yet another step forward and another step up for the ever expanding
and evolving Sounds in the Grounds Festival, an event that in four
short years has gone from a local music scene happening, staged on the
back of an articulated lorry trailer to hosting world class Scottish
Pop-Rock acts the Hazey Janes and Malcolm Middleton. With a much larger
Main Stage marquee and the addition of a second, more intimate acoustic
stage being added to this years programme - the organisers, the Western
Isles Nu-music Trust still managed to maintain that endearing essence
of being a very personable, cozy, chilled-out, come-one-come-all,
family orientated, community spirited, day out on the Castle Green....
And after a big pre-event spread in the Highland News and a "wish i
could be there" shout out from top taste-maker and BBC Radiol presenter
DJ Vic Galloway; there was already a good bit of hype that had to be
lived up to.... But, on the day, every single band, performer,
technician, etc... was spot on and delivered big stylie!!! The general across the board consensus seems to be that the day was a resounding success with The Hazey Janes and The Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock orchestra/supergroup (go to youtube to check out the video of their song 'Airidhbhruach' from their Sounds in the Grounds set) being amongst the countless highlights and crowd favourites that will be talked about for weeks to come. http://www.hebevents.com |
| Airidhbhruach - The Lochs Column | Back to Press List |
| Stornoway Gazette
Thursday
September 17 2009 :
From the Butt to
Barra – District News LOCHS Marriage - Congratulations to Eilidh MacKenzie of Airidhbhruach and Mark Macleod of Gress. The couple exchanged marriage vows on September 4 at Dowanvale Church, Glasgow and the wedding reception was at Dunblane Hydro. Eilidh is the daughter of Angus and Katie Ann Mackenzie of Taransay, Airidhbhruach. The newly weds are setting up home in Glasgow.Airidhbhruach is now on YouTube! - The Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock super group AGOFR Go for it! The song Airidhbhruach performed at the recent Sounds .in the Grounds now reels round Lewis and beyond. Listen to the townies versus language purists match and it will haunt you for days. Communions - Lochs Communion season begins on Thursday, September 24. Visiting ministers in the Lochs Free Church, Crossbost are: on Thursday Rev Ivor Martin, Stornoway, Friday till Monday, Rev Roddy John Campbell Tolsta, and Rev, Donald Morrison, Lochgilphead. In Lochs Church of Scotland, Leurbost visiting ministers are Rev Tom Sinclair, retired, from Martins Memorial, Stomoway and Rev Iain Maciver, Carnish, North Uist Locality Group - Lochs Locality Group gives the Lochs community the opportunity to raise any issues they are concerned about with the local Health Board and other public serices |
| Jori's Sounds in the Grounds Article (The Scene, Stornoway Gazette, Thursday August 27 2009) | Back to Press List |
| Where
does one begin to tell the sory or rather the saga as it may be, of
sounds in the grounds 2009… six months, eight months, twelve months in
the planning stages and three years, four years into its evolutionary
existence? When did it all actually begin? How did it begin? Who’s behind it? It’s a bit dificult to talk about something objectively, if you’re deeply and actively involved in the process and decision making… then seeing it through from the initial idea to realization, completion and annual rebirth. I guess it’s kinda like the old cliched adage ‘ of nurturing, cultivating, or creating something then watching it grow and develop into this thing that starts to take on a life of its own’ – it’s like rearing a child, you develop an unwavering protective love devotion and pride for this entity… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that the extreme enthusiasm of those involved to the outside world might seem, well, a bit extreme. And yes, I am one of the fanatical festival-lovers and monumental music geeks who thought that an annual Pop/Rock outdoor music event featuring and showcasing , local talent-plus a smidgeon, handful of creme de le creme. • Mainland bands, would he a brilliant idea and, yes the proof is in the pudding, with each successive . year outdoing the previous ones |
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| In
2006 there was Trees in the Park at Cuddy Point- a low budget, DIY,
local bands only, on a lorry trailer for a stage, free entry, "test,
the waters', all day event. The overwhelming positive feeedback and
demand to make it annual event led. to the formation of a community
based, voluriteer organization called the WIN (Western. Isles Nu-music)
- Trust that would become the steering group for the festival. Fearing a copyright infringement ;from T in the Park,/2007 saw a name change to the current product brand of-Sounds in the Grounds, a site move .to Lews Castle College car park, the addition of a licensed bar; the introduction of' Mainland bands - to the bill and horrendous weather conditions which forced the show to run for the shelter of the Woodlands half-way through the day.... And led to the 2008 decision to change sites once again to its present home on the Castle Green and move from an open staged setting into a marquee. Which brings us right up to the present tense in a. few dozen sentences - Sounds in me Grounds 2009 - with its twice the size of last year's Mainstage marquee, a second stage featuring a very warm, intimate, acoustic atmosphere.... and quite a few other landmarks. Here's a quick rundown of what it's like to be part of a team of festival and events, organisers and promoters. Wednesday August 19 evening - Main Stage tent goes up, a massive two page spread in the Highland News featuring The Boy Who Trapped The Sun and Sounds In the Grounds and the "A group nach bi idir super” " blog appears on The Guireans' myspace (www.myspace.com/ theguireans) where you can also hear one of the highlight tunes, 'Airidhbhruach' of their amazing blue boiler suited set.... Do check it out! Thursday August 20 - staging, PA and all manner of equipment is transported and arriving on site and must be assembled, acoustic stage/bar tent goes up in the evening and on the way home I got several texts saying Radio l presenter Vic Galloway gave a big shout out to Sounds in the Grounds and played a track by local band Can't Swim on his show.... so, I went online and had a listen at www.bbc.co.uk/radiol/vicgalloway and this is what I heard - at 4:31 into the show Vic announces: "Keepin' things rollin' right now with a band, from Stornoway, called Can't Swim and this is 'Orphans'. Song plays then at 7:25 min |
Vic is back
with - "They're a four piece
from Stornoway, they're called Can't Swim,that was 'Orphans' and
they're going to be playing this Saturday at Sounds in the
Grounds
which is an event that's happening in Stornoway, they're playing along
side Malcolm Middleton, The Hazy Janes, Our Lunar Activities, The Boy
Who Trapped The Sun and many, many more. It's happening this Saturday
22nd of August, so if you're in the vicinity. It looks like it's going
to be great. It's a shame I can't make it. But I'm sure there'll be more events in Stornoway and I'm looking forward to getting up there and DJing at some point as well.... www.myspace.com/cantswimmusic if you like the sound of that. Hey folks it's Vic Galloway here . this is BBC Introducing in Scotland on Radiol...." How Cool, Cool, Cool is that? Friday August 21, just after lunch a mighty wind started blowing off the sea and ripped the acoustic tent right out of the ground, that combined with a number of other delays and disruptions caused havoc with an otherwise pretty well laid out plan and schedule. Friday night was spent repositioning and re-erecting the acoustic tent. Saturday August 22 and the day finally arrives with so, so much still to do; I didn't think we were going to get through, but out of nowhere people started turning up to lend a hand, and it all came together in the end. Every single band seemed to put two-hundred percent into their performance, so many people came up to me afterwards and said .that with such an incredible line-up, the superb lighting and sound provided by Paul Matheson which was total perfection and the larger marquee hired from Eilean Marquees, that the Main stage was comparable or better than what you would see and hear anywhere in the world. And the acoustic tent was like a big, old time, down home ceilidh - what an atmosphere. Musical highlights? Far too many to mention, I would need several pages, if I started going into detail.... All I can say is what an unbelievably, amazing, astounding achievement for everyone that made it happen, performed, participated, attended... Thank You, Sounds in the Grounds 2009 and goodnight! Jori
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| Jori's Murderers of Love Review (The Scene, Stornoway Gazette Thurs Sept 17 2009) | Back to Press List |
| AFTER
Sounds in the Grounds I was thinking; 'Oh well, that's the end of
Summer and things will be quieting down a bit now and we'll all be
sucked into and succumb to a semi-state of lullification before the big
pre-Christmas hoopla starts happening'. Oh well, oh well, oh wella – nothing could be further from the truth or the reality of the local music scene right now! It's all happening and it was another very, very,very busy and a very, very, very varied musical week last week. Wednesday September' 9 was the super-secret; 'invite only', private-preview at the super-secret,, private, practice place of the super-secret, super-duper, Western Isles supergroup the Murderers Of Love. Thursday September 10 saw the first Over 14s night of live music in Era -with a soaring set from DotJR and a frantic, frenetic set of .Post-punk-Hardcore-Pop from Can't Swim - part of the newly established Era Thursday niglit rotating roster that will include: Kiss N' Chill - live acoustic nights; Over 14s nights - live music; C.D.K. -Carl's Disco Karaoke nights and Beat it! - Disco nights; rolling over on a four weekly basis. And then I popped into the Star Inn to catch Willie Campbell doing his amazing ‘one man band in a box’ Thursday night residency. Friday September 11 was the Kiss N’ Kill indie disco in Era with Chas and Jay, and Saturday was the ‘absolutely no-advertising, word-of-mouth-only, super-secret, but-evefyone-seemed-to-know-about-it', debut live performance from the Murderers Of Love in the Woodlands Centre. It proved a lovely, casual, free entry, evening of local music which also saw the debut solo acoustic outing of Ball And Chain frontman Tim Durbin with Sean Harrison on guitar and backing vocals. Premiering four excellent, soulful, Country-Folkie originals including the top notch 'St. Sebastian' which you can have a listen to. at www.myspace.timdurbinmusic and two class" covers by Van Morrison and Ryan Adams featuring some very tasteful leads from, Sean, this was a great start to the evening. What can one say about the conglomeration that is the Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock Supergroup - our very own mini-orchestra of madly talented and cleverly entertaining geniuses - enshrining local culture in a jovial and comedic take on popular song: 'Fish and Education', "Funky Peatstack', 'Cathy Ghall's Shop, 'Walk on. the Westside', 'Pairc Life'--Beatles tribute ‘I Want to Buy Your Ram'/'Please Fleece Me', 'Man in Back', 'Todhar' and of course the current ewetoob (youtube) sensation and Leonard Cohen cover 'Airidhbhruach' which has also a huge hit at this year's Sounds in the Grounds, and - for many – a punters highlight. The up until now, mysterious, mythical, Stornoway supergroup, the Murderers Of Love |
unveiled
themselves, last but not least,- to an almost capacity
crowd, not quite sure what to expect. For a man best known as a behind .the scenes mover and shaker, the Fabster did a most admirable job of handling the vocal duties...and his stoic, removed, anti-Rockstar, pinstripe jacketed, stage persona somehow fitted the whole MOL experience perfectly; creating a visual and artistic contrast to the driving, twin guitar, 80's influenced, mix of Post-punk, John McGeogh-era PiL-soundscapes of the band (Iain 'Bomber' Morrison - drums, Daibhidh Martin - bass, Kenny Stewart - rhythm guitar) and the metallic Van Halen meets Psychedelia guitar wig-outs from lead guitarist, Dave 'Doily' Macdonald. The band's six-song strong, jamtastic setlist was, 'Helicoptergunshipattack onlasyegas', 'No', 'Human Wrongs', 'Left Wing', 'Go' and ‘So This is Scotland?' Today the Woodlands, Tomorrow the World! And the bands play on as part of the Kiss N Kill indie disco night in Era as this Friday, September 18, there's going a very special LooPaLLu Fringe show with the band Ten Bears from Manchester (check out the Ten Bears TV on their myspace www.myspace.com/tenbearsmusic it’s absolutely hilarious) and Party Horse (www.myspace.com/ partyhorsemusic) a new electro-Rock duo hailing from Sheffield. One half of the duo being David Kay - guitar/vocals, whom you may remember as the colourful frontman with Tiny Dancers. Sure to be a mega good night! And make sure and got over to Ullapool for the 'Best Little Fest in the West' LooPaLLu with The View, Lightning Seeds, Neville Staple (ex- Specials), Family Mahone, Dykeenies, Mumford and Sons, Kid British, Codeine Velvet Club, Pearl and the Puppets, The Daugleberries, Bronto Skytift, Polly & the Billets Doux, Grousebeater Sound System, French Wives, Naked Strangers and the Ullapool Pipe Band. And finally: The planning for this year's Battle of the Bands competition is starting with a series of four weekly meetings taking place on Thursdays 4-5pm hi the music room at the Bridge Community Centre starting today. The organisers are looking for new ideas for promoting, the competition with showcase events across the islands and for new bands to take part. If you are interested in getting involved in any way, then come along to one of the meetings or give Graeme a call on 07717816477 Plenty more to come as well!... Jori
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| "Events" Magazine's Exclusive Expose of the AGOFR Biz (September 2009) | Back to Press List |
| Hallelujah! gets a fleeking brilliant Leoadhasaich music makeover by Katie Smith AIRIDHBHRUACH will never be the same again after being immortalised in song – or Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock, to be precise. Anyone who has had even half an ear to the ground the past wee while will have heard that the coves of the AGOFR supergroup have become something of an internet sensation after stealing the show at Sounds in the Grounds. Their irreverent version of Hallelujah just about brought the tent down, leaving more “famous” artistes such as Malcolm Middleton struggling to compete. In no time at all, it was up on YouTube – where it had nearly 3200 hits at the time of going to press. The very first lines of the song set the tone: “I heard there was a secret ceard – Beyond the turning for Garyvard, But you don’t really care for South Lochs do ya?” It’s not quite secret chords and David playing and pleasing the Lord. The blasphemers. They’d better hope their boiler suits are fire retardant. And there’s some more belters to follow: “If you have been there before – You probably won’t go back no more / Especially if you’re a deer because they’ll stew you / Martins and Montgomereys-es – Conspire to put you in the freezer / It’s cold in there in fleeking Airidhbhruach” The chorus had everybody singing along in mighty praise and the lines “The language purists don’t approve – it’s Airidh a’ bhruaich ya townie pooves / Pronounce it right or we will fleeking do ya / We’ll use a blunted tairsgear – to jab your ton and cut your hair / Until you stop pronouncing Airihbhruach” brought tears of laughter to many eyes. You’ll never be able to listen to Hallelujah the same again. Especially since the coves did it in three styles: first, there was the sombre Leonard Cohen bit, then it was done in the style of fragile Jeff Buckley. Finally, came the Alexandra Burke version, complete with the high notes and a totally over-the-top musical cacophony. Not sure if they had chanters on the X-Factor though. Such a fleeking overnight sensation are the AGOFR supergroup, after 20 years playing in garages and sheds, that they were brought in as the must-have support to the debut performance of Innes ‘the Post’ Morrison’s new band, Murderers of Love, in the Woodlands Centre last month. A big thumbs up must go to the Murderers. Cracking musicians, all. Behind singer Innes are guitar hero David ‘Doilly’ Macdonald, Kenny Stewart, Dave Martin and Iain ‘Bomber’ Morrison, who was doing a double show, having just been on with AGOFR. Well done guys, on your inaugural gig. Singer Innes said afterwards: “I’m pretty happy with it. It was very nerve-wracking. I’ve never sung before but it went well. I was happy with the turnout; it was cool. It was my first gig – all the other guys have been in bands – but that’s the security, in having them all behind you.” Innes’s pal and fellow gig promoter Jori said of the Murderers and the night at the Woodlands in general: “I think they did really well. There’s such a variety of music going off here, I think it’s great.” As for Airidhbruach, he said: “I would love to see that become even huger than it already is and take on a life of its own and be recognised as a worldwide sensation.” Airidhbruach had, of course, set the stage for the Murderers as it was AGOFR’s grand finale. But their other songs were genuis too. Take Todhar (or not) – their version of Edwin Starr’s War (what is it good for?) and Cathy Ghall’s Shop, which bears distinct similarities to The Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop. “Hee! Horo! Coinneach Go... Hee! Horo! Coinneach Go...” can sound very punk rock when given the Avante Gaelic treatment. Mention also has to be made of “I Wanna Buy Your Ram” and “Please Fleece Me” – previously made famous by The Beatles – and “Take a Walk on the West Side”. Never mind being big in Tokyo or Germany. It’s all about taking massive, globally-recognised music and making it very Lewis. And they do that right enough. So who are the coves? Well, they are a mix of Dun Ringles Iain Watson, Jason Laing and Iain ‘Bomber’ Morrison and members of the Guireans, Iain ‘Dead Olac’ Livingstone and Roddy Huggan, plus new AGOFR convert Iain ‘Frogey Beag’ MacKinnon, who used to be a proper musician. Lead raconteur and singer Wattie explained the AGOFR genre is about taking famous songs and changing the lyrics “to reflect the concerns of Lewis life; like the chuireans, poaching and tractor diesel. “The actual process is known as ‘Leoadhasachisation’.” As for becoming an internet sensation with Airidhbruach, he said: “It’s gone to our heads. We’ve got a strict diet of marags and gugas to keep in touch with our fanbase – the little people of Lewis.” Post-serious record deal, Frogey Beag is delighted to be in the supergroup. So enthusiastic is he about the genre that he was planning to write an AGOFR-esque track about dismantling a hoover – until Wattie pointed out that was “a bit too townie”. Describing why he liked the music, he said: “It’s infinitely more fun, ‘cause when you’re doing proper stuff you’re actually worried about what it sounds like. Whereas the more shambolic this sounds, the better.” A wee bit more modest than Wattie, since he’s the new boy in the band, he reckoned the reason Airidhbruach was such a hit was “not that there’s anything special about the songs; it’s just that people don’t have enough to do with their time”. Frogey Beag cheekily admitted his favourite songs were I Wanna Buy Your Ram and The Man in Back, which he wrote himself. The principal writer, though, is Guirean Dead Olac, who has been scribing these kinds of songs for 30 years. Frogey Beag added: “This is officially the 30th anniversary of Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock, so considering I was two at the time, I’m a newbie!” Senior AGOFR member Iain ‘Dead Olac’ Livingstone explained the roots of their music went back to 1979, when the movement was beginning simultaneously in town and in the country – well, Sandwick. The coves from North Street, who would become the Guireans, were aged between 11 and 15 when they decided to form a band, dedicated to playing songs by the likes of The Specials and The Police. Armed with two £4 Polish acoustic guitars for kids, a 50p toy piano from Woolies’ bargain bin and a Chad Valley drum kit, they got started. But weren’t very good. Dead Olac admitted: “We rapidly discovered we were c**p at proper music and we resorted to irony as a defence. ‘Obviously we didn’t mean to be good anyway!’ (We did really).” Meanwhile, Wattie and Jason were part of the townie movement, so called because of their connection with the Scout Hall. Roddy Huggan was a townie too, until he bridged the gap and joined the Guireans in 1982. “He sort of established contact between the townie wing and the country wing,” said Dead Olac. Their tastes in music were slightly different – the Dun Ringles being more of the progressive rock types while the Guireans were more punk influenced – and Dead Olac reckons the Dun Ringles were always more professional about their music than the Guireans, who last brought out a CD in 2002. Meanwhile, the Dun Ringles’ latest offering, Tales from the Minch, is out now. But what they definitely share is humour, irreverance and a love of the Leoadhasach way. Dead Olac explained: “What a lot of bands do is take something that’s quite specific and local to a place and water it down to make it accessible. What we do is going the other way. We take music that’s globally accessible, that everybody likes, and Leodhasachise it until it’s unintelligible to all but a small few.” As he pointed out, “you have to know the song and you have to know that Airidhbruach is Airidhbruach. How many people in the world will that make sense to? They’re all here!” He said the response to the song had been “very unexpected” – but good, obviously – and you can’t help but feel this cove is a bit baffled that they have become the hottest ticket in town all of a sudden. Sin agad e. Avante Gaelic Obscurist Folk Rock’s time has obviously come. Hallelujah. |
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