For Those About to Rock Ness, We Salute You

As the sun takes its annual break from hiding behind the clouds, Emma Kilday looks forward to Rock Ness festival, with highlight appearances from The Prodigy, DJ Mehdi and Rob Da Bank.

Feature by Emma Kilday | 05 May 2009

Ask many folk in Scotland about music festivals in their homeland and the first response you’re likely to receive (aside from inevitable mutterings about rain and mud) is the habitual bellow of “T IN THE FUCKIN' PARK, 'MON!” For over a decade the big T has dominated the Scottish festival scene, and was starting to look like it wouldn’t have to face muscly competition any time soon, even replacing Glastonbury as the UK's biggest music festival when Michael Eavis decided to give the fields a rest one year.

However, a contender from the Highlands means there is an alternative for enjoying big-name musical produce in the great outdoors. More than ever before, Rock Ness festival is bringing some of the world's best DJs and live acts to one of the most stunning locations Scotland has to offer.

Although relatively new to the festival circuit, having only been running for three years, Rock Ness has already hosted the likes of the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim and Mylo, with this year’s line-up already looking super-strong.

For the first time in the festival’s short history the main stage acts will run across three days, and rave-rock legends The Prodigy are set to round off the weekend on the Sunday main stage. With nearly 20 years worth of incredible back catalogue, they have now sold over 16 million records worldwide – a figure unparalleled in the electronic music world. Their latest album, Invaders Must Die, smashed into the sales charts at number one earlier this year and the fusion of recent hits like Omen and Warriors Dance with dancefloor classics like Firestarter and Voodoo People is guaranteed to form an unmissable setlist.

Also topping the bill are the newly reformed Orbital. After an incredible 15-year stint of producing roof-raising anthems, fraternal duo Phil and Paul Hartnoll bowed out of the music scene in 2005. They are now scheduled to make a welcome return on the Rock Ness stage, and festival director Jim King says "Orbital are legends and they are a great addition to the Rock Ness Saturday night line up. Listening to tracks like Chime and Belfast in such a dramatic setting is going to be a highlight of the weekend." It will surely be a moment after which you can smugly tell your friends 'I was there'.

Also bringing the electric feel to the shores of Loch Ness will be Crookers, Erol Alkan, David Guetta, Pete Tong, Rob da Bank and Zane Lowe. But fans of a more indie persuasion will not be disappointed either: alternative rock enigmas Placebo will also be performing, marking their only Scottish festival date. Multi-Grammy-winning kings of psychedelica The Flaming Lips will headline the mainstage on the Friday night, and welsh rockers Super Furry Animals, who have just completed their ninth studio album, will also be bringing their own brand of offbeat melodic rock to the Highlands.

Basement Jaxx and Dizzee Rascal will also take to the stage to tempt even the most hungover festival goers out of their tents and into the sunshine.

But it’s not just the headliners on the mainstage that are worth getting excited about. As well as attracting big international names, Rock Ness also manages to maintain a distinctly local feel. The Bollywood Arena will see two of Scotland’s most exciting musical institutions, Soma Records and the Sub Club, showcasing some of their finest from Optimo and Subculture, as well as Funk D’Void and The Black Dog. Soma Records will kick off the weekend in style on the Friday while the sound of the Subby will close the Bollywood on the Sunday.

On the Saturday the Highlands will present friends from further afield as the much adored and relentlessly hip Ed Banger Records assumes control of the Bollywood soundsystem. With DJ sets from DJ Mehdi, Feadz, Busy P and Crazy Baldhead, festival goers will surely flock to hear some of the trademark Ed Banger anthems that are rapidly becoming the soundtrack to a generation.

Three day tickets will set you back £139, which is great value considering the line-up, and considerably less than some of the competition. And as festivals nowadays are much shinier and sleeker than their murky pagan ancestors, you’ll be able to splash out the cash you’ve saved on a pre-purchased sleeping pod, beach hut, or on some tasty gourmet cuisine. Or you could get properly into the spirit of things, forget to bring suncream or bottled water, drink nothing but beer for 3 days straight and wake up in a muddy field wearing nothing but someone else’s shoes. Either way Rock Ness is guaranteed to be a festival the nation can be truly proud of. After all, lying on a hillside gazing out over breathtaking scenery while watching your favourite bands lay waste to the main stage is surely as close as you'll get to taking the very best from a summer weekend in Scotland.

 

Rock Ness Festival takes place on 12–14 June with campsites opening at 10am on the Friday and closing at noon on Monday. Full details of line-up, ticket prices and travel options can be found here.

http://www.rockness.co.uk