Solus & Refine at the Wickerman Festival

After months of work, pub meetings, discussions and spilt milk, skiddle.com is finalising it’s contributions to this years Wickerman Festival the July celebration of cult and off the wall music that climaxes in the burning of a giant willow and straw effigy… minus Edward Woodward from the 1973 film!

Eclectic is the word and for lovers of contemporary music the fast expanding Solway Coast festival of fun, fire and freedom will once again prove that Scotland can lay it on anywhere. July 21 and 22 are the 2006 dates for camping, carousing and creating sound at the spacious festival. Only a year older than the festival itself, Skiddle this year presents two stages of music, passionately put together to showcase some of the music we love the best.

Solus is an eclectic mix of music, headlined on the Friday by The Aliens, armed with a bottomless bag of psychedelically inclined Rock and Acid dipped electronics, they are ex-Beta Band members John Maclean & Robin Jones and a founding member of the Betas as well as also being musically known as Lone Pigeon, Gordon Anderson. Need a geographical reference? Songs in the key of Fife.

On Saturday we see the mighty Jo Mango offering a different but equally brilliant take on life. “Jo Mango is definitely one exotic fruit to seek out." So said The Scotsman while adding to a long list of amazing press reviews. As interesting vocally as instrumentally, Jo Mango offers an enthralling introduction to her world on her debut album ‘Paperclips and Sand’ with Rock Sound magazine calling her “a quietly mighty talent.” Support on both days is offered by acts such as My Latest Novel, Flying Matchstick Men, Popup, Quinn and loads more with Let Airplanes Circle Overhead (Carlisle) and Aurota (Preston) contributing a none Scottish input.

Refine too many is our very own Bohemian Disco. Taking everything we love from dance music, and still buzzing about the fact we’re allowed to put it into a huge tent in a field, Sonny Wharton was our weapon of choice for the headline duties. Just returning from his two weeks opening duties in Ibiza (it’s a hard life playing the biggest nightclub in the world!) Sonny is tipped by both DJ Mag & Mixmag as the next big to thing, and if any of the previous performances we have witnessed is anything to go by, they aint lying.

Our very own hero Martyn Taylor takes headline duties on Saturday night, taking us back (and forward) through the days and nights of a certain Sheffield superclub, we’re setting out on a trance-tastic journey. Of course it doesn’t start there, with James Ryan (Insomnia), Tim Forrester (Revolt and Rhythmic Voodoo), Pete Carvell, Jim Da Mentalist, That Boy Bondy (DiscoSlut), Neil Little (Retro) and loads more to help us venture through electronic music at it’s best. As a final twist to the Refine story, all the DJ’s playing in the tent will be up against each other for the title of Skiddle.com DJ of The Year, including the five semi-finalists from our recent online vote, Stel Alexander (Circus), DIY DISCO, Jakal, Earl Grey and Ben Phaze all on DJ duties over the weekend.

On the other stages you can expect performances from Sandi Thom, The Plump DJ’s, Meat Katie, Goldblade, Marky Ramone, SAHB and many more across nine stages in total, gently blended in with healing fields, market stalls, world food, cult cinema, a giant orb and of course a 30ft Wickerman which is sacrificed to the gods at midnight on the Saturday. There really is nothing quite like it…

The event runs from Friday 21st – Saturday 22nd July with the campsite and Tipi Field opening up at Thursday lunchtime.
Tickets are priced £50+b.f and available now from www.skiddle.com/tickets/
Saturday only tickets are priced £35+b.f Both tickets include camping.