Knockengorroch festival which takes place near the village of Carsphairn is the longest running outdoor music festival in Dumfries and Galloway. It was first staged nineteen years ago and has since become recognised internationally as a world Ceilidh.
Liz Holmes who is one of the directors of the family run event explained “Various dictionary definitions describe a Ceilidh as ,a lively gathering of people usually involving music and storytelling. Essentially we organise a huge Ceilidh with a number of musical influences around the world, the whole event is geared towards live music and a relaxed party atmosphere”.
Whilst booking acts from as far away as Jamaica , Bulgaria, Venezuela and Denmark the organisers of this years event have also cast the net closer to home to include some well know local artists.
The Dangleberries are a much loved act from Dumfries and Galloway who have appeared at a number of major festivals and events since they formed in 2001. At one time they were almost the “house band” for the Wickerman Festival putting in an appearance most years, they have also been a big hit at Tartan Hearts Festival where their unique combination of traditional Scottish pipes and drums mixed with electric guitars has ensured that they have become a permanent fixture on the festival listing.
Other credits for the ten piece act include support slots for Olly Murs and Simple Minds.
It is hard to categorise the music of The Dangleberries as they provide a very unique sound and it has to be said an extremely unique look. The best way to describe the band which fields three bag pipers and numerous drummers and guitarists is “Pipe Rock”. Their up tempo music comprises of a variety of surprising covers in their own inimitable style plus some original compositions. The band draws on eclectic influences to produce a fusion of bagpipes, drums, guitars and vocals. It is very likely that the Dangleberries will provide an entertaining set for the Knockengorroch crowd which travels from around the uk and abroad.
When asked about their forthcoming appearance a spokesperson from the band replied “ Whilst we have at played many festivals around Scotland over the years, it will be our first time at this local event. We have heard so many good things about this unique festival, how it benefits local business, brings visitors to our region and offers a great selection of different types of music, entertainment and activities for all the family. Performing our self styled “Galloway Pipe Rock” in the Galloway Hills is going to be something very special for us all”.
Another local connection comes in the form of Dumfries man Paul Winters who fronts a band called the Mind Sweepers, the five piece act hail from across Galloway and have chalked up a number of gigs across the uk since they formed in 2014
The band pride themselves on creating original material which is mainly about observations on life, sometimes at the sharp end of the spectrum and about affairs of the heart. Much of their repertoire is aimed at an adult audience covering topics other bands might shy away from, Paul said “We are very excited about making our Knockengorroch festival début, we played at the Knockengorroch Winter Warmer which was part of the Big Burns Supper and judging by the reception we got, we will go down well at the main festival.”
Knockengorroch will take place at the moorland farm of the same name between the 26th and 29th May, the headline band Black Uhuru is a reggae act who are famous in their native Jamaica and well
respected amongst reggae artists around the world. Other notable bookings include Family Atlantica who are fronted by the charismatic Venezuelan vocalist Luzmira , Skerryvore the well know traditional folk rock band from the West coast of Scotland and the London Bulgarian choir. Younger audiences and the young at heart are also well catered to with a number of sound systems and DJ’s also appearing over the weekend.
The festival is markedly different from other music events taking place in Dumfries & Galloway this summer, in that the site is situated in an upland valley surrounded by swathes of trees opening up onto native moorland. It’s very remoteness creates a festival vibe unlike any other and the small intimate nature of the event makes it feel more like a festival village for the weekend rather than the small city experience of other festivals.
In addition the migration festival theme for 2016 pays homage to the movement of people around the world, including modern migration and the ancient practice of moving livestock on to the hills for summer grazing. Very often the shepherds and herders would spend the summer in temporary accommodation enjoying a dram and live music, the obvious parallels are drawn between this and a modern day festival with people experiencing a brief spell under canvas away from their homes.
The festival also features dance, spoken word, comedy and theatre, arts, music and environmental workshops, visual arts and light installations, sessions areas, open fires, kids area, real ales, global good stalls, delicious local food and drink, fire shows, sauna and a healing area
Tickets for four days including camping are priced at £103 adult and £52 for young people aged between eleven to fifteen, children under eleven go free.
More information on the festival and full line up can be found at https://www.knockengorroch.org.uk/
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