The weather had been freshening up a little during the week before the festival was due to start but the sun was still shining down brightly on the orchards that surround the festival site at Mount Ephraim Gardens on the first day of the festival. Fruit was hanging abundantly in the trees that lined the lengthy route from the grassy car park, but the trees themselves looked a little droopy as a result of the long hot Summer. It’s a remarkable feature of the site that even from half a mile away the music from the stages can be clearly heard; there’s none of that whooshy in and out sound associated with listening to Radio Caroline back in the day, just an excellent audio experience that got better as you came closer to the natural bowl shaped landscape where the two stages are located.    

The interesting sounds that were filling the still air as I approached the site were courtesy of Bevis Frond, a band described as Neo-Psychedelic/Indie, which began in 1986 and are still fronted by their founding member Nick Saloman. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived front of the stage they had just received the dreaded hand signal from the stage manager displaying how many minutes of their set was left; it wasn’t two fingers but the effect on the band was a little similar to if it had been as they felt a little short changed, as their start had been delayed. The beauty of the short sets, particularly early in the day when they are even shorter, is that if an act is not your particular cup of tea then they won’t upset your musical sensibility for too long. In the case of Bevis Frond I would have definitely liked to hear some more. They have a ton of albums under their belt, the latest being 'Horrorful Heights', which is worth a listen. 

The line ups each year are an eclectic mix up of different genres, even if Prog Rock acts, young and old, are doubtless the first names on the booking wish list. The festival keeps the music going virtually non-stop by alternating bands between the two large stages, with only five minutes between sets. The backstage crew are as well drilled as an army unit, and it has to be said, as well as keeping things running smoothly, did it all with an efficient amiability. In fact, it’s a feature of this unique festival that the security team and all the people involved in running the festival are extremely laid back and helpful. 

On the larger of the two stages (named after the relatively local Wantsum brewery) the Gerry Jablonski Band down from Aberdeen put in a punchy performance. They featured a new vocalist, Nicky Aiken, which added to their sound. Jablonski’s Blues rocking solos and some fierce harp playing were the most ear catching parts of the set. The highlight of their set was a version of the Faces ‘Stay With Me’, which rounded things off nicely. As a contrast they were followed by Hayley Griffiths, accompanied by her husband thumping an acoustic box and an acoustic guitarist. She mentioned at one point that she had been the main vocalist for the Riverdance show (and on further investigation, she was also former vocalist of Karnataka, a band scheduled to play on the Sunday of the festival) and her voice was a thing of beauty, crystal clear with a pure tone. She mainly played covers, including ‘Scarborough Fair’ and ‘Loch Lomond’, the delivery of which was accompanied by fellow WRC photographer Les Linyard delivering his own restrained karaoke version.  She changed the tempo with a powerful version of RAYE’s ‘Where The Hell Is My Husband' (the answer being, “two feet to your left”). Lightnin’ Willie & The Poor Boys followed. They were one of my highlight of last year’s festival and they didn’t disappoint this time around. Whiskery front man, Texan Willie Hermes, has an engaging personality and led the band through some original, grooving Blues tunes and the odd cover, of which a version of the Animals version of ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’ was a standout. UK harmonica player Giles King added extra colour.  

Czech band Cuprum are regulars at the festival and play a relaxed and tuneful version of flute led Prog that is perfect for chilling out to, laying on the grass in the small orchard that overlooks the smaller stage. They were later followed on the same stage by Peruvian Prog band Flor de Loto, who were a lot of fun. They combine power chords and riffing guitars with the sound of the traditional flute of the Andes, the wooden quena, which was often played percussively by tapping the instrument under the lip while it was being played aggressively. Over on the Main Stage, Soft Rock band Brave Rival put in an accomplished performance, the stand out moment of which was the rendition of the track from their first album 'Life’s Machine', the cheeky ‘What’s Your Name Again’. The penultimate act on that stage were long established Scottish band, The Peatbog Faeries, who combine traditional Folk music with modern sounds. They were pretty lively with bagpipes and fiddles playing the central melody lines of their songs accompanied by synthy keyboards and a guitar player that added some Tamla Motown style rhythmic colourings. 

What had been a very pleasant day weather wise took a decidedly inclement turn just as Stray began their set, the final act on the smaller stage. What started as a few drops of rain rapidly turned into an absolute deluge as the heavens opened, accompanied by thunder and lightning (very, very frightening). Proceedings were halted and people took what shelter they could, which wasn’t a lot. Luckily, I was undercover backstage, sharing cover with Stray’s guitar cases and Les Linyard (thankfully not singing this time). Their set was sadly cancelled and it was touch and go as to whether the final act of the day, Sweet, would be able to go on. Luckily the rain stopped and the thunder receded into the distance. Sweet had in their locker something that pretty much all other bands at the festival didn’t have: a set of solid gold bangers. That line of non-stop Glam Rock hits from the seventies sounded absolutely fantastic played at full volume; the combination of high harmonies on killer choruses and wham bam guitar riffs combining to hit the communal pleasure bone in exactly the right place.  The run of three knockout tracks towards the end of the set, one after the other, ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’, ‘Fox On The Run’ and ‘Blockbuster’ was one climax after another.  Totally brilliant. Long live Andy Scott!

Review and photos: Simon Green