Bfest is back on Wick riverside!
Bfest is back! Wick’s riverside rock festival enjoyed a hugely successful debut last summer, and the 2011 event promises to be even bigger and better while maintaining its family-friendly vibe.
Organisers are hoping for a crowd of 2500 or more on Saturday August 20th as headline acts GUN and the Dykeenies share the limelight with some of the best up-and-coming talent from the north.
Annual gatherings such as Belladrum and RockNess have captured the imagination of music fans across the Highlands and beyond in recent years, and Bfest is tapping into that enthusiasm by giving Caithness its own taste of festival fever.
“Everybody’s into it now,” festival director Ryan Cook said. “I think they’re the new cool thing to do. Young people can get an entry-level experience at Bfest and their parents know that they’ll get to their beds at night rather than a tent.”
Ryan and his team are certainly thinking big – this year they’re spending £10,000 on hiring the same main stage that is used at Belladrum.
Bfest has been advertised widely in print and broadcast media in the hope of attracting fans from outwith the county to supplement the local audience.
“Last year we had 1800 and we’ve increased the capacity to 3000 this year,” Ryan said. “I think 2500 is realistic.
“There’s a big push on in Inverness – I see that as a main area to attract people from. The aim is to get over 300 from outside Caithness.”
The number of staff involved is also set to rise, with around 80 likely to be on duty.
Nevertheless the relaxed atmosphere will remain very much a key aspect of the Bfest experience, with funfair attractions and a food village as well as a full bar. “We’re definitely trying to keep it family-friendly,” Ryan said. “We’ll be having things like fairground rides, ice cream and candy floss, things for kids to do, and making it a day out rather than an out-and-out music festival.”
Glasgow rockers GUN and the Dykeenies from Cumbernauld may be the headliners but there are several other high-profile performers on the bill – notably the farthest-travelled band, Proud Mary, who hail from the Manchester area and were the first act to sign for Noel Gallagher’s label.
“GUN are having a bit of a resurgence just now and they’re playing all the festivals this year, so we’re delighted to have them,” Ryan said. “The Dykeenies are a younger band with a big following in the 15 to 25 age group.”
They’ll be joined by the hottest acts on the north scene, some of whom had to earn the right to be part of Bfest.
A local Battle for Bfest event at Skinandi’s in Thurso resulted in Always the Sixth, Crazy Cottage and Sid Davidson securing festival places. Meanwhile, the Inverness-based Whisky River Band won a Scottish open Bfest qualifier in the Highland Capital.
The festival owes its origins to Ryan’s success in hosting live music performances at his pub, the Blackstairs Lounge in Wick.
“I started doing bands in the bar, and two years ago we got into the top six in Scotland for live music pubs,” he explained. “So we progressed from that and, because it’s such a small room, we started doing gigs up in the Assembly Rooms. We realised we could sell those out, and it was a natural progression that we needed something bigger again. There was nothing really up this way in terms of mainstream festivals so I just thought there was maybe a gap there to fill.”
He has a simple message for those who may be considering going along but have had no previous experience of music festivals and are unsure of what to expect.
“Come and try it,” Ryan said. “You can get as close to the music or as far away from it as you want. Last year there were loads of youngsters up front and, as I say, it wasn’t rowdy or anything. You could stand there comfortably, regardless of age.
“People have this perception that it’s a rowdy, beer-fuelled mosh pit, whereas it’s really not – it’s just a fun day out.”
Tickets prices: £25 (adult day ticket); £16 (15-17-year-olds); £9 (10-14-year-olds); under-10s and OAPs free. Tickets can be purchased from McAllan’s clothes shops, Wick and Thurso; Blackstairs Lounge, Wick; Auld Motor Hoose, Kirkwall; Mania Clothing, Inverness; and online at www.seetickets.com
