Kerr Mercer at King Tuts

Word of mouth is still the best form of publicity. Word is slowly, but surely and steadily, spreading through the Glasgow and Scottish music scene about young singer-songwriter Kerr Mercer.

I first caught Kerr back in October 2023 when he opened Tenement Trail on a wet and stormy Saturday afternoon. Those of us that were in Saint Luke's early enough were treated to a warm welcome as Mercer played a short set of songs he had been writing and recording.

Still only 17, Kerr is at ease playing both piano and guitar and he has a deep, rich and soulful voice that tugs on heart strings, sends tingles down spines and causes jaws to drop. 

Following the Tenement Trail set, Kerr then picked up a some excellent support slots, including shows with both McFly and Callum Beattie at the Barrowland Ballroom towards the end of the year.

Kerr then kicked off 2024 by playing a sold out headline gig in the intimate and immensely cool setting of The Poetry Club. Attending felt like being let in on a secret. His 9-song set was cool, calm and confident. Mercer was funny while speaking with the crowd, wearing a broad smile as friends sang-along to a couple of songs. Guess I Flew To Close To The Sun was a personal highlight for me. 

Momentum has continued to build, with more support slots, including dates with The Snuts at the Barrowland in the lead up to a sold-out show at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, the legendary Glasgow venue that has been such an important step in so many careers.

Ahead of the build up, Kerr also announced that he would be playing TRNSMT in the summer - he has a lot going on, even before he has released a single.

Support at King Tuts was a young female singer-songwriter called Abbie Gordon, backed by her friend on acoustic/electric guitar. I could imagine some of her songs drenched in reverb and backed by strings. Gritty at times, more melodic at others, she has a lovely voice.

Kerr Mercer came on stage just after 9pm to a huge reception from the crowd packed into Tuts. I immediately recognised set opener Jealous from the Poetry Club. Mercer started with his deep soulful voice for the verse and then soared effortlessly into a flowing chorus. It was the first of many songs that I could imagine being a single and hearing it on the radio.

Carry Me Home was another. Mercer leaves a lot of space in this song, which, at times, has an almost gospel feel to it. Rich in soul and feeling. With only Mercer's electric piano and voice, it packed a punch and could become a real favourite of mine. 

With no music released online, I'm still getting to know (or guessing) Kerr's song titles. Happy to Hurt was another song that leapt out at me. The recognition from the Poetry Club assisted by the excellent King Tuts sound system.

Kerr's confidence was highlighted when he said he would play a brand new song, Lyla, that he had written only the week before. There was a funny and beautiful moment when he forgot the first line and had to go back to his piano. Thankfully his manager got the demo on his phone and let him hear it, so we could get a song literally hot off the press.

Mercer joked of playing slow ballads and then even sadder slower ballads, but everyone was under his spell. There is a warmth in the melancholy. The lyrics, voice and melodies connected with people. The falls or little drops and pauses followed by soaring rises can be breathtaking, while Kerr's whole down-to-earth manner made us all feel part of a very special evening.

With no music released, Kerr played Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and encouraged people to sing-a-long if they knew the words. A number of people did and his performance with just piano and vocals was stunning. I wasn't aware of this song and after listening to it today, I was pretty amazed at the way Kerr transformed it. Lyrically, it is a beautiful song, but Mercer added some soul. 

Back to Kerr's own growing collection of songs though! Someone to Miss has a chorus that goes on and on, dropping, then coming back in with extra force. Her aches in all the right ways and the aforementioned Guess I Flew To Close To The Sun was stunning. 

Kerr was able to leave his piano and guitar to the side for closer One In A Million as he was joined by his friend on acoustic guitar. It was another gem, the perfect way to end a show which perfectly encapsulated Mercer's phenomenal talent as a songwriter and performer.

Kerr announced his next headline show during his set. He plays the beautiful Saint Luke's on Tuesday 1st October. Look out for this young talent, he is going places ... fast!

Discoland

Cover version of the month #41

Gerry Cinnamon covers Discoland

Glasgow's Gerry Cinnamon is no stranger to a choice cover or two. His past sets have been peppered with them, showing off his taste and his talent by covering classics like Adored by the Stone Roses and Redemption Song by Bob Marley, two songs I love. However, my personal favourite has to be his transformation of Discoland by Flip n Fill from 2004.

The original is happy hardcore, so simple, almost throwaway, but at the same time it is pure pop brilliance. The hey, hoooo, hey hey, hoooo hoooo is genius - you can sing on first listen.

There can't be many people who have taken a happy hardcore tune and played it on an acoustic guitar, but Gerry Cinnamon actually takes 3 of them and mixes them together effortlessly. In addition to Discoland he also takes in Wonderful Days by Charly ft. Mental Theo and I Wanna Be A Hippy by Technohead. This is a cover version that probably doesn't make much sense on paper, but when played as a euphoric acoustic sing-song it actually makes such perfect sense.

Check Gerry performing it live at TRNSMT from the sunny summer of 2018.

When Cinnamon played Discoland at the Barrowlands (review here) recently it was uplifting and beautiful. The crowd were singing along in fine voice and when Gerry gets to the take me up, up, up and away section it takes things to another level. It was euphoric, the whole set was.

There was only ever going to be one addition to my Cover Versions of the Month section of the blog after the Barrowland show. I should have blogged on it before.

But check the originals below and then watch Gerry smash TRNSMT above (his full set is on YouTube) with his cover version. It is an inspired cover, the way he loops his guitar, the way the crowd respond to it, the joy it brings - sublime.

Previous covers of the month

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

The rise and rise of Gerry Cinnamon

Pretty much everyone who was at TRNSMT on Saturday was at Gerry Cinnamon

The rise ..... and rise of Gerry Cinnamon fills me full of excitement, hope and wonder.

This guy isn't just ripping up the rulebook .... he isn't interested in it ... won't have read it ... won't care about it ... Gerry is doing things his way, playing by his own rules, keeping to his strong beliefs and it is working.

Gerry's rise was highlighted, underlined and set in bold at the TRNSMT festival that took place at the weekend. Cinnamon performed to the largest crowd of the weekend in glorious sunshine..... unsigned....with no marketing budget for his album.....virtually no airplay (come in Radio Scotland!!!!).... pause and consider that.

My spine tingled when Gerry approached the mic after prolonged applause to introduce his song Kampfire Vampire, viewing the crowd he said;

Look at this, look at it, it might never happen again, remember this day, best days of your life

This is a song for any young musicians kicking about, anybody on the circuit trying to start out

Don't feel the need to pull your pants down to anyone in the industry

The told me it wouldn't work

They told me I couldn't sing with a Scottish accent

They told me I couldn't record it myself

They told me I couldn't

Look what happened, know what I mean?

Do what you want man, see whats in there (points to heart), that's all that matters

The view from the sound desk for Gerry Cinnamon

Gerry then played his heart out, tearing through the song and firing out his lyrics dreams, bullsh*t scenes, rules were made to be broken

And oh how this young guy is breaking the rules; upsetting the old school, the cliques and the 'scene'. Cinnamon is making his own rules and with the help of his exceptionally passionate fanbase, he is creating a new scene.

It really is quite incredible. As a seasoned music fan I've never seen anything like it. In the 00's did see some bands like Artic Monkeys breaking through via MySpace, but they went on to get signed to a major label pretty quickly and get sucked into the machine. Of course they have gone on to become one of the biggest bands in the planet, but what hoops have they had to jump through along the way? 

And things have changed, MySpace has died and there are plenty of new ways to work as an artist or band that don't involve selling your soul. Cinnamon is proving that with the way he is working. Word of mouth is still the best form of promotion and with Social Media and online streaming, word of mouth is spreading like wildfire.

That word of mouth is coming from Cinnamon's incredible fans. Seriously, catch his TRNSMT 2018 performance on the iPlayer or read on to view his 2017 performance. Go on YouTube for fan footage or look on Twitter. Gerry Cinnamon is connecting with people in a way that I don't think I've ever seen before - certainly not from a Scottish artist. 

I don't doubt for a second that labels are not monitoring this situation. They will smell the possibility of money. Who is this young lad playing to virtually every punter at TRNSMT? Gerry and his tight team may well be fielding offers in the future, they may have done already. Does he need a label? Does he want one?

As a fan, I really don't think he does. He can record and release music to a dedicated (and growing) fanbase and play festivals and sold out shows across the country.

We'll get back to TRNSMT 2018 in a moment.

Gerry had performed last year. Hi social media posts from that time really indicate how important it was, fuelling his natural fire and taking hom on to the next level. You can watch his whole TRNSMT 2017 set that was filmed by the BBC below.

A lot has happened in the year that followed TRNSMT 2017. Gerry released his debut album. Yes that's right, the show and response above happened while Gerry had only released one single!  By the end of 2017  there were two sold out nights at the Barrowland Ballroom and scenes of Cinnamon-mania across Scotland.

The doubters who said people wouldn't get it outwith Glasgow were left looking dumb as Cinnamon strode into 2018 playing sold-out shows across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Shows were sold out, venues were upgraded and those shows were sold out as well. Someone in Lisburn even captured Gerry as a mural - insane.

You only need to listen to Cinnamon's debut Erratic Cinematic and watch him live to understand why the artist and his music are generating a buzz all over the place.

Gerry writes from the heart, from experience, with honesty, soul, humour and with no drama or effects. He lays himself and his songs bare across his debut album. A rich and soulful voice, packed and racked with emotion, an acoustic guitar, drum machine, mouth organ and loop pedal.

The way he tells his stories, shares his thoughts, regrets, dreams and memories is really clever and yet really simple. Cinnamon tells it like it is and he tells it from his heart. Cinnamon connects with people, he touches people.

Diamonds In The Mud is verse after verse of memory with real emotion attached to it and a clear love of Glasgow; Sometimes pokes fun at himself with the line I'm not the ideal person to be lecturing on life before going on to talk about things he has learned; What Have You Done is Cinnamon questioning himself and his life, being a messed up circle in a room of squares

Belter always bring a smile to my face, but then I totally feel it when Gerry sings about having been stung a few times so he doesn't let anyone in. He has that ability to make you smile, make you think and most importantly - to make you feel something, something you can relate to.

Lullaby mixes demons with a beautiful tender chorus; Fortune Favours The Bold has a 60's style shoo-dop intro that was captured perfectly by the TRNSMT audience with Gerry laying his beliefs out clear - can I buy back my soul when it's gone?

Keysies remains my personal favourite. Such a beautiful song that evokes such strong imagery and memories of my own childhood. All in 90-seconds! Gerry's voice is incredible on this one.

Cinnamon's songs are social, caring, funny, loving and in the case of album closer War TV - fiercely political. Is anyone else commenting on the world in song in such a frank way?

I'm no' scared of dying I'll fight any man

I might no' be the strongest but I'll do what I can

And I'm no' religious but if God's got a plan

Then I don't think it's bombing in a far away land

Cinnamon-mania is set to continue with tickets for 4 huge Glasgow shows going on sale tomorrow. 2-nights at the Barrowland Ballroom and 2-nights at the Academy. Might need to add the Hydro!

As Gerry comments in many of his online posts the bonny is burning.

Get involved. This is a talented and soulful young Scottish artist who is blazing a new trail. This is street poetry, this is punk, this is soul, this is DIY, this is special, this is Gerry Cinnamon.

Scottish music scene in 2018

The Scottish music scene doesn't stop. We end each year with gigs, parties and club nights and then begin each year by going out to watch live music or dance. Scotland is a nation of people that love to socialise to music; be that in a tiny basement bar, at a legendary venue, at one of the worlds busiest venues, in fields, in yards, in art centres, in streets or in the grounds of a castle.

This blog takes a snapshot look at some of the things I'll be looking out for in 2018. As always, there will be lots more that comes up as the year progresses.

Emerging and developing artists
I always like to see Scottish talent developing. Gerry Cinnamon smashed 2017 out of the park and he promises to take things even further in 2018 with news of a tour coming soon and the main stage at TRNSMT already confirmed. I wouldn't bet against some more music being released either.

My sister has a single coming out in January followed by dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and London. Now recording under her name Carla J Easton after recent albums with her band TeenCanteen and a solo project under the guise of Ette; 2018 should see the release of a new album that she recorded in September of 2017 over in Canada, produced by Howard Bilerman who recorded and drummed on the debut LP by Arcade Fire. She is on a roll and her songwriting has really developed over the last couple of years. There might be a wee surprise in February as well.

L-Shape will be releasing their debut album later in the year and have already released some wonderful digital singles. I have extremely high hopes for this band. I fully expect them to be playing summer festivals as there is no-one else like them. They are visually and sonically superb. I previously described Blue Flowers (below) as Portishead meets Mazzy Star - sheer beauty.

The melodic reverby guitar offerings from West Princes is catching many an ear and I look forward to seeing them live in 2018 after missing one of their December shows. Check their single Wet Bark Is A Slug below. Reports from friends who have seen them recently say that they have progressed massively. 

I've mentioned Saint PHNX and KVASIR in previous blogs. I'm a fan of both and 2018 could see them both releasing albums. Saint PHNX go for the jugular with soaring anthems, while KVASIR has a great ear for melodic and euphoric electronica. Check out one of his tunes below.

BooHooHoo are another young band that I enjoy and I also expect new material from them. They are lovely talented people who get people dancing with their catchy electro pop tunes. They have a load up their sleeves and I hope they get them out to the world at large.

Siobhan Wilson released a gorgeous album in 2017 and is already planning her next; Emme Woods should be releasing new material in the first quarter of the year and look for Catholic Action to quickly follow up their debut album. I'm also keeping an eye on teenage guitar band Static Union who have been working hard and developing well.

'Buzz' bands/artists include the pop punk offerings from Rascalton who are causing a stir with their energetic live shows and singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi who is selling out shows across the UK and Europe.

Elsewhere I definitely intend to catch Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 live again after missing them in December. This is a band who can make you forget about everything for an hour or so in a blast of colour, humour, catchy hooks and fun. If you haven't had the good fortune to experience their live show then I can't recommend it highly enough.

Look out for more on emerging Scottish artists in the labels section of this blog and it is always worth checking Vic Galloway' list of artists to watch. I'm currently doing that as I write.

Established artists

Belle and Sebastian released the first in a trilogy of EP's in December, so look out for more from them in January and February with all kinds of touring going on including what is set to be a triumphant show at the SWG Galvanizers Yard in May.

Franz Ferdinand now have young Miaoux Miaoux in the band! They have already been playing around the world and arrive at the Academy on Saturday 17th February. Check the title track from their forthcoming debut album below. It's out on 9th February. Alex Kapranos has always had an ear for electro and when the beats kick in this really takes off, promising a great deal for the album.

Labels

Last Night From Glasgow - hotly tipped youngster Zoe Bestel will be bringing her debut album out on LNFG on Record Store Day. There is quite a buzz about this young girl and tons of support. 2018 is shaping up very nicely for her. Elsewhere expect an album from L-Space (mentioned above), The Gracious Losers, BiS, Radiophonic Tuckshop and the usual great nights and parties through the year. There will probably be a few surprises as well. LNFG celebrates its second birthday in style - taking over Stereo AND the Old Hairdressers on 31st March. Details HERE

Olive Grove Records have two new signings that we should expect releases from. I am very keen to see Pocket Knife live and hear more from them. Olive Grove have also signed youngster Jared Celosse, a 21-year old from England who is studying in Glasgow. Some demos found their way to Lloyd at the label and he snapped him up immediately and has been talking extremely highly of him.

Matthew Young's Song By Toad are on a bit of a roll; recent releases by Siobhan Wilson and Modern Studies have been warmly received in Scotland but they've also broken through across the UK. The label is now well established and recognised, with artists regularly getting coverage in high profile blogs and 6Music airplay. I've just discovered Zed Penguin (video below) whilst writing this blog and look forward to watching them live in 2018. Their album is out at the end of February. 2018 promises a number of releases including an album by the prolific and talented Adam Stafford.

Fuzzkill Records release limited cassette runs and have already seen Catholic Action and Spinning Coin progress from their ranks. I wouldn't bet against them discovering some other gems and they have created a real scene in the city.

Scotland is buzzing with DIY labels ranging from the boutique like Gerry Loves Records through to the more established. Chemikal Underground have gone pretty quiet, Rock Action led by Mogwai are always up to something and had an excellent 2017 with releases including Mogwai's Every Country's Sun and Out Lines Conflats album.

Festivals and Shows

Celtic Connections gets underway in mid January and lasts through until early February. There is an incredible amount of music and activity taking place across the city. Check the website for listings. The Hug and Pint has an excellent bill of shows whilst the 80-piece Grit orchestra performing Bothy Culture and Beyond at the Hydro with special live stunts by Danny MacAskill promises to be pretty special. Elsewhere the Roaming Roots Revue is dedicated to Tom Petty.

Electric Fields has confirmed 31st August and 1st September as the dates for 2018. This festival is set in beautiful grounds and has a real boutique feel to it. It is improving year on year and I look forward to hearing the first batch of acts to be announced.

Nile Rodgers is bringing his party style sets to Kelvingrove Park! After 2 sold out shows at the Bandstand, he is coming back for a weekend and he is in charge of the line-up! The FoldxFiesta promises to get people dancing their hearts out. Nile is responsible for one of my all time favourite shows at the Wickerman Festival. We may well plan our summer holiday around this!

SWG3 has already announced outdoor shows in the Galvanisers Yard by LCD Soundsystem and Belle and Sebastian, following on from successful shows by The XX last year. Look out for more super cool outdoor shows being announced in the new year. SWG3 is going from strength to strength.

TRNSMT looks like it is here to stay after a successful first year. T in the Park has pretty much rebranded and moved to the city. Liam Gallagher, The Killers and Stereophonics have been announced as the 3 headliners. There have been a lot of online debates in relation to the line-up, but T was never been about being cool, looks like TRNSMT won't be either - it's about giving people what they want..... and selling enough tickets to put on the biggest festival in Scotland. All reports from last year were extremely positive.

The Kelvingrove Bandstand shows are eagerly anticipated in my household and indeed my family. This magical venue has hosted some of my favourite shows in recent years and I sincerely look forward to going back in the summer of 2018. I'm holding out for The Charlatans being invited!

Belladrum - The Tartan Heart Festival is on to a winning formula and it sells out every year.

In Glasgow we have multi-venue festivals from PCL with The Stag and Dagger, confirmed for bank Holiday Sunday on 6th May, and the Tenement Trail from the team at Tenement TV.

SAY Award
The SAY Award goes from strength to strength. Will it be back in Paisley this year? It's not the easiest to get to! But this is such an important event for Scottish music, recognising the talent and diversity that the country continues to provide. I'll be hoping for an LNFG release making the shortlist. Elsewhere I think Siobhan Wilson should make the shortlist.

Electric Fields

A number of things meant that I couldn't make it to Electric Fields this weekend. It was the first year in as along as I can remember that I haven't attended a summer music festival!

Reports from fellow music fans and from bands/artists I know that attended the festival have been very favourable and it is pleasing to see Electric Fields developing and improving year on year.

I look forward to getting back into the festival saddle in 2018.

Previous guest blogger Gordon Reid was there and was happy to report back.

Electric Fields by Gordon Reid

Scotland has a fine tradition of music festivals. TITP in its heyday ,  Connect , Rockness and Wickerman have all come and sadly gone. Belladrum is now the grand old lady starting in 2004 , TRNSMT the new kid on the block in its debut year and Electric Fields the young upstart growing , changing and adapting to its place in the calendar. We were there for the opening year 2014 and decided on another weekend visit to see how things had moved on. 

**other festivals are available**

Set in the grounds of the picturesque Drumlanrig Castle near Thornhill it has grown from a single day 2 stage small affair into a 2 day, 5000 capacity small/medium festival and it has done so without losing any of its original charm. Large well spaced car parking area with a camping site that has been well set out (could do with more lights on the walkways after dark) and an arena large enough to have areas to chill out in (something TRNSMT really lacked) while still being compact enough that everything was easy to find and get to and from quickly.

Food and drink was priced as expected and while I found the choice of vegetarian food a little limited I found a pizza stall so I was quite content with my lot. Varied drink available including what looked to be a specialist ale bar, they also had dark fruit cider so the wife was delighted. I got the feeling that that growth of Electric Fields is connected to Wickerman calling it a day as we met a lot of familiar faces from Dundrennan in the crowd. There were plenty of young kids present over the weekend and there seemed to be a few things for them to do as it can be hard to keep their attention with just the music. It’s always great to see kids at these things as they will be the future for music in general and festivals in particular. I honestly couldn’t find a real fault in the set up and organisation of the event and that might be a first for me, of course the fact that the sun shone all weekend might have helped!

pic from Electric Fields Facebook

So having arrived,  got our tent set up , air mattress blown up and bed sorted we wandered up to the arena and the music. First band we wanted to see were Nieves and we trooped into the tent just before starting time at 3. They had really changed their sound and look since last time we had caught them. Much heavier and less laid back than we remembered them. I made my way to the front of the stage to check it out. Yeah the new look and sound wasn't that surprising as they had switched time slots with SAVAGE MANSION,  a Glasgow 4 piece. One of the band had a superb pair of sideburns and the tunes were pretty decent. They are playing The Old Hairdressers on Oct 7^th if you are around. This threw our carefully planned schedule off track and we had to go get food and missed the band we went to see but it won’t be the last time we catch Nieves.

One well fired cheese and tomato pizza later we were back in the tent to see THE CALM FIASCO, another Glasgow 4 piece and one that we have seen quite a bit of. They looked a little nervous as the tent was quite empty but they had no need to be as the place began filling up quickly once they got going. Highlights were lead singer Del Morin paying tribute to Dizzee Rascal by covering Fix Up Look Sharp strutting about the stage rapping to the amusement of the other band members. They brought their set to a close with Just Don’t Care Any More and left the now full tent shouting for more. Enthusiastic and clearly enjoying something that they are doing well they have a gig coming up at The Art School on November 18^th and tickets are going fast. I'd encourage folk to give them a try as you won’t be disappointed.

We took our first trip to the main stage after this to see PETER HOOK and the light. There was something strange about seeing and hearing Hookie as a lead singer doing New Order / Joy Division stuff and although I enjoyed the sing along it just didn’t feel right. I know that they have issues with each other and have said never again but I hope one day that Bernie and Peter manage to bury the hatchet or at least put up with each other long enough to be on stage together again.

Pic from Electric Fields Facebook

The temperature dropped to bloody freezing about this time and we got ourselves a warm drink and headed back down to the tent where we discovered our brand new air mattress had a puncture and we would be spending the night sleeping on the ground. Heidi did her best to cheer me up by informing me that at least the ground was soft. She’s lucky that she is pretty. At 30 I would have just got on with it but at 50 I’m getting too old for this shit.

A cold night and hard ground made a trip to Dumfries for a new air mattress an absolute necessity so after making breakfast we made the 45 minute round trip. Once again I managed to get stage times mixed up so that we only just made it back in time for MEDICINE MEN and we were glad that we did as they were in my top two acts of the weekend. A heaving tent bounced along with every song and they almost blew it all away when finishing the set with Out Of The Light. Stop reading this and go find it on YouTube,  I’ll wait. The sea of smiling faces was fantastic to watch , people high fiving strangers as they sang the chorus at the top of their voices. Medicine Men are certainly going places and they are picking up speed on the journey.

Next up for us were THE BEAT and once again it was a chance for all us older folk to sing our hearts out to songs from our childhood ( I used to laugh at my parents for this ).  I’ve missed the Scooter tent from Wickerman so it was nice to have a little bit of ska in there.

We then had the “London bus” effect as 3 bands we wanted to see all overlapped. We had to leave before the end of The Beat to make sure we got into the tent for CRASH CLUB. We got lucky as it was rammed with bodies , it felt as if everyone at the festival was in that tent and they were treated to a superb set from the best Scottish Electro-Rock band out there. The ground was shaking and reminded me of younger days long since gone in the slam tent at T. The music screamed in your face as they lifted the crowd up , let them dangle on the edge and then threw it all back in the mix as they took off again. For me they were the star spot of the weekend and if you haven’t seen them yet then try to do so , you won’t regret it.

We missed the last 10 minutes as we needed to eat and wanted to catch FATHERSON. The boys from Kilmarnock headlined the first ever Electric Fields and have gone from strength to strength since then. They looked delighted to be back and it feels like they have been touring constantly on the continent.

We stayed at the main stage for GLASS ANIMALS. Heard a lot about them but I couldn’t see what the hype was all about however Heidi thought they were amazing. She knows her stuff so we will give them another try next time they are north of the border. I had the same with JESUS AND MARY CHAIN , I was really looking forward to them but it just felt flat to me. In both of the bands defence I was cold and tired so it was probably the mood I was in and the way I was feeling. I didn’t stay for DIZZEE but Heidi did and said he had the crowd eating out of his hand. Everyone bouncing about and it was a cool way to bring the weekend to an end.

Electric Fields has definitely found its place on the festival circuit but now comes the hard part. Does it stick or twist? Is it the right size or will they try and get more bodies through the gates? I’d like to see it stay roughly the same for now but that’s not my call. I hope they make the right one......

Pic from Electric Fields Facebook