From its beginnings as a small but perfectly formed rave on the banks of Loch Ness, Jim King and Fat Boy Slim’s festival lovechild Rockness has become more of a monster than Nessie herself. Heavy promotion from Radio One and brilliant travel links made this year the most popular so far, attracting nearly 30,000 festival goers. The English people managed to rise above the chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!” on match day and basked in the filthy dance, dirty rock ‘n’ roll and mental highland banter that have resulted in the festival being lovingly dubbed ‘RockMESS’.
It didn’t start well. The clouds parted upon the bonnie, bonnie banks. The midges were out in force and the girls, myself included, quaked in their tees, hot pants and welly boots. Constant interruptions from security – they’re not lying when they say Scottish crowds are the rowdiest – marred Crystal Castles’ opening performance. Front woman Alice Glass is known for her feral presence but no amount of Jack Daniels swigging could regain the momentum, and tracks like Courtship Dating fell flat. Friendly Fires were on next armed with a brass band and swivelling hips, ready to get the party started. The crowd embraced their salsa tinged brand of indie dance and it wasn’t long before we’d forgotten that the sun had his hat on.
Headliner Fat Boy Slim probably played a safe, sound set, but he lost crowd and interest to the mighty Pendulum who, celebrating their album’s chart topping success, slayed the packed Clash tent. There was no lull in the set whatsoever with new songs like Witchcraft holding their own against already legendary tracks Slam and Blood Sugar. The crowd left the tent and went off into the night with steam rising off their sweaty, satisfied shoulders.
Saturday was a massive middle finger to those claiming Rockness had sold it’s soul to sponsors, forgotten it’s rave roots and gone mainstream. The day began with up-and-coming Edinburgh based DJ Hostage in the Annie Mac Presents tent. He belted house to a small but enthusiastic crowd. In the mid-afternoon, German producer and DJ Boys Noize packed that same tent in a way that I haven’t seen since Daft Punk headlined in 2007. He played the audience like puppets - limbs flailing and heads banging to the sounds of Oh! and Jeffer. At the end he dropped his summer remix of the Chemical Brothers Swoon – a blissful end to a blistering set. Club 75 brought Paris to the Highlands in a haze of fashion and hedonism but, at times, despite the party on stage, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed by the Ed Banger DJs. Electro over excess, boys.
On the main stage, Plan B surprised the audience and showed himself to be a talented soul/hip hop crossover artist that, rightly, oozes confidence. A crowd gathered on the bank and DJs assembled onstage to learn a lesson from the undisputed kings of the mash-up 2 Many DJs. They kept it sweet with Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and kept it sexy with Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor. Anticipation simmered as they nodded to acts left on the day’s lineup, dropping The Stone Roses and Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker.
The night’s headliner was a brave booking - dance legends Leftfield. I had never heard of them (sorry!) and neither had a large percentage of the audience. Their pioneering sound won over the hearts and minds of a new generation, and the ones who ‘were there in the beginning’ were in their element. Then Rockness flexed its muscles and matched the Scots’ stamina with the Howard’s End Pub, the Afterburner (a fire breathing DJ booth that looks like something from Dr Who) and the Rizla Arena thundered bass across the mountains until 2am.
As every good festival goer knows, the only way to cure a hangover is to get back on it. On Sunday, that involved a healthy helping of Stoat’s Porridge, a not so healthy helping of alcohol and Glasgow band Dananananakroyd screaming sweet nothings in your face. Next was The Maccabees, who unearthed the Rockness revellers romantic side with their tender performance. Precious Time had the crowd swaying and singing along.
Blondie attracted a huge audience and Debbie Harry commanded them with poise and power. All cheekbones and pout, she sounds and looks like she’s been preserved somehow. The highlights were as you would expect: One Way Or Another, Heart of Glass, Maria. A surprise cover of Taio Cruz’ Heartbreaker was unsettling, yet triumphant and I was left unsure of whether it was ludicrous or genius.
Over the weekend, excitement had been building for the Bloody Beetroots, with ticking bomb Warp occasionally blasting across the campsite. Their live show was then embellished as Bloody Beetroots presents Death Crew 77 - the results were violent, visceral and venomous. Their set was a short, sharp shock that saw the masked Italians go from thrashing around the stage to playing classical piano in a breathless clash of punk and electronica.
Over on the main stage things couldn’t have been more different. The charming Vampire Weekend serenaded the crowd with the cool, calypso sounds of A-Punk and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. For a moment, the sky went blue and there were definitely a few birds (the long-haired, rain-macked variety ) singing. Returning from a four-year hiatus to headline the festival were The Strokes. Julian Casablancas was the epitome of rock ‘n’ roll with gravel voice, studded leather jacket and unbridled arrogance. They played a crowd pleasing greatest-hits type set with little reference to their forthcoming new material. From the bubbling bass of Reptilia through the anthemic Last Night and beyond, the set was perfect - perhaps too perfect. The Strokes finished the festival with effortless style, giving a whole new meaning to the chant “U.S.A! U.S.A!”
Rockness 11-13 June 2010
Published on 22 June 2010 by leoniecolmar
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