RockNess
| RockNess | |
|---|---|
| Logo for Rockness View of the main stage overlooking Loch Ness at the 2008 event. | |
| Genre | Alternative rock, Indie rock, Dance, Electronic music, Hip hop. |
| Dates | June |
| Location(s) | Clunes Farm, Dores, Scotland, United Kingdom  |
| Years active | 2006-Present |
| Founders | Rob Spicks [citation needed] |
| Website | [1] |
RockNess is an annual music festival which takes place in Scotland at Clune Farm, Dores, on the banks of Loch Ness near Inverness. The first Rockness festival took place on 24 June 2006 and has grown in size every year since. In June 2008 AEG[1] took over as the main promoter of the festival. The festival is known as "the most beautiful festival in the world" and "the only festival with its own monster" due to its beautiful location at Loch Ness which is the alleged home of the mythical Loch Ness Monster.
2006
Fatboy Slim took his 'Brighton Beach Party'[2] to the shores of Loch Ness to create the first festival which was held on Saturday 24 June 2006. All of the 20,000 tickets were sold. The festival had two stages, a main stage and big top, which were active throughout the day. It started at midday and both stages hosted different dance acts about every hour and a half. Acts included X-Press 2, Stanton Warriors, Scratch Perverts, Linus Loves, Cagedbaby, Audio Bullys, Slam, Mylo, Carl Cox with Fatboy Slim headlining.[3]
2007
In 2007 the festival was increased to two days, had additional stages and capacity was increased to 35,000. Headlining on Saturday were the Chemical Brothers, while Sunday was headlined by Manic Street Preachers on the main stage and Daft Punk in the Clash Arena. Other notable acts included The Charlatans, Groove Armada, The Feeling, and Soulwax playing Nite Versions.[4]
Daft Punk were much more popular than expected and the 10,000 person Clash tent was soon filled, the sides were removed by organisers to allow a reported 30,000 people to see the set. In addition the Daft Punk set was initially held up by nearly an hour due to lighting problems. Daft Punk responded to this by playing an uncharacteristic 10 minute encore, as found on the Alive 2007 album.[5]
The festival management were criticised for their decision to place Daft Punk in the 10,000 capacity Clash Arena instead of the mainstage. The festival was Daft Punks first Scottish show in over 10 years which made the set a "must see" for many of the 35,000 festival goers.[5]
There was also some controversy with the death of one festival goer from taking an overdose of heroin in the car park outside the main arena and camp site.[6]
Professional footballer Richie Hart who plays for Inverness Caledonian Thistle was detained in connection with possession of cocaine on the banks of Loch Ness at the 2007 festival. He admitted to the charge of possessing cocaine and was fined £300.[7]
2008
The 2008 festival took place on 7 and 8 June. Fatboy Slim returned to Loch Ness to headline the Saturday on the mainstage. The other main headliners were Razorlight, The View, Underworld, 2manydjs and Annie Mac.
Due to the death the previous year, tighter restrictions were put in place for car park access at the 2008 event. Festival goers were told that they would not be permitted to return to their cars during the weekend. Due to public pressure this was later relaxed to permit multiple trips for unloading camping equipment, but alcohol would only be permitted on the first entry. This amendment was not well published however leading to much confusion over the position on returning to cars. In addition the VIP car park was not well signposted leading many VIP ticket holders to park in the main car park.
In the 2008 festival a teenager was found unconscious in front of the main stage. He was taken to hospital by air ambulance but later died.[8]
A couple from Paisley, Ronald Davidson and Victoria Greig were married at the 2008 event after becoming engaged at the festival the previous year. The event took place in the Big Love inflatable church on the Saturday afternoon.[9]
2009
Rockness 2009 took place on the 12th, 13th and 14 June 2009 with for the first time acts playing on the Friday. The headlining acts were The Flaming Lips, The Prodigy, Biffy Clyro, Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal, Orbital and Placebo.
The Rockness organisers held a DJ competition throughout Scotland to find new DJ talent. Heats were held across the country with the final being held in Glasgow. The winner, 19 year old Faud from Aberdeen, played just before Pete Tong on the 13th. There were also 2 runners up.[10]
2010
RockNess 2010 took place on 11, 12 and 13 June. The headlining acts were Fatboy Slim, Leftfield (who was performing for the first time in 10 years[11]) and New York rockers The Strokes. Other notable acts included Ian Brown, Doves, Blondie, Pendulum, Enter Shikari, Aphex Twin, Fridge Magnets and Chase & Status.
The winner of the 2010 RockNess DJ competition was Neil Rankin from Galashiels, who closed the festival on the Sunday night in the Bollywood Arena.
For the first time Rockness also showcased comedy with Kevin Bridges being the highlight of this.[12] 'Mr Nice' Howard Marks was also in attendance both speaking and hosting his very own, new stage - 'Howards End Pub'.[13]
The festival received the "Best Line Up" Award at the UK Festival Awards.[14]
The line-up was as follows.[15]
| Mainstage | ||
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
|
Leftfield
|
The Strokes
| |
| Clash Presents... | ||
| Goldenvoice Arena | Goldenvoice Arena | Sunday Best Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|
Pendulum
|
Aphex Twin
|
Chase & Status
|
| ' | |
| Annie Mac Presents... | Radio Soulwax |
|---|---|
| Saturday | Sunday |
|
Annie Mac
|
|
| Arcadia Afterburner | ||
| Sub Club Presents... | Soma Records Presents... | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|
Green Velvet
|
Rockness Closing Party | |
| Howard's End Pub | ||
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
|
A welcome with Howard Marks |
Marty Mclean
|
Scott Agnew
|
| GoNorth Tent | ||
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| |
...+ Kevin Bridges and many more to be announced.
2011
RockNess 2011 is scheduled to take place on 10-12 June 2011. On 12 October 2010, it was announced that a limited number of early bird tickets, priced at £99 including camping, would be sold from 28 October.[16] All 3000 tickets were sold on the morning of the launch, causing organisers to bring forward a second early bird offer of £135, including weekend camping and bus travel from a number of cities across the United Kingdom.[17] Student and payment plan tickets were also made available.[16]
On 24 November 2010, the festival's first headline act was announced as The Chemical Brothers. Confirmed to headline the Saturday of the festival, organisers revealed the act through the festival's Twitter account.[18] Friday night headliners Kasabian and Sunday night headliner Paolo Nutini were revealed on the 25 November and 26 November, respectively,[19][20] with full priced weekend camping tickets also going on sale.[19]
25 additions were made to the line-up on 24 February 2011,[20] with organiser Jim King revealing that the festival had sold ten times as many tickets as the same point from the previous year.[21] Further announcements took place between March and May. Two new arenas were announced for the 2011 event, including the Sub Club Sound System,[21] and the Rock N Roll Circus.[22]
On 19 May 2011, festival organisers announced the Official RockNess Guide. The guide including important festival information, ones to watch lists and stage splits.[21] With more acts still to be announced, the current line-up is as follows:
| Friday 10 June | Saturday 11 June | Sunday 12 June |
|---|---|---|
| Main Stage | ||
| Goldenvoice Arena | ||
|
| |
| Rock N Roll Circus | ||
|
|
|
| Arcadia Afterburner | ||
| Soma Present Pressure | Soma 20th Birthday Party | Soma Present Sunday Circus |
|
|
|
| Sub Club Sound System | ||
|
|
|
| Bacardi Get Together | ||
|
|
|
| Drambuie Charlies Bar | ||
|
|
|
| VIP Clash Arena | ||
|
|
|
Still to be announced is the Sound City Stage, a new stage at the festival in partnership with Liverpool Sound City, featuring a further twenty artists and DJs selected through a talent competition.[23] The festival will also feature a comedy tent, headlined by Ian Cognito, Sean Hughes and Daniel Sloss alongside other comedians.[23]
Media Sponsors
UK new music station, XFM was the official radio broadcast partner for the festival coverage[24] until 2009 when the BBC took over radio rights and will also provide internet services.[25]
Channel 4 broadcast highlights of the 2008 festival weekend on national television, bringing highlights of each bands set live. They will also be providing TV coverage for 2009.[26]
In January 2010, Rockness confirmed BBC Radio 1 are to be the official Media Sponsors, providing live coverage over the weekend as well as full TV Coverage
In addition to the official media sponsors as of April 2010 employment website Monster.co.uk is a sponsor for RockNess 2010.
References
- ^ http://www.efestivals.co.uk/news/080613a.shtml Promoter AEG takes over Rock Ness, eFestivals, 13th June 2008
- ^ http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/rockness/2006/
- ^ http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/rockness/2006/lineup.shtml#
- ^ http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/rockness/2007/ eFestivals Rockness 2007 page
- ^ a b http://www.clashmusic.com/live-review/rockness-2007 Daft Punk rock the Clash Arena at Rockness 2007, Brian Murnin, 12 June 2007
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6738253.stm Festival car death man identified, BBC, 11 June 2007
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7037163.stm Footballer admits cocaine charge, BBC News, 10 October 2007
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7442408.stm Youth dies at Rock Ness festival, BBC, 8 June 2008
- ^ http://video.stv.tv/bc/entertainment-fivethirty-20080606-rockness-wedding/ Couple from Paisley get married at Rockness, STV, 06 June 2008
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/rock-ness-2009-dj-competition-the-result
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/news/leftfield-chase-and-status-and-boys-noize-announced
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/news/rock-ness-announces-stellar-line-up-of-talent-for-new-comedy-offering
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/news/howard-marx-comes-to-rockness
- ^ http://uk.festivalawards.com/news1/and-the-winners-are/
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/lineup/lineup-2010
- ^ a b "Rock Ness announces early bird ticket offer for 2011". eFestivals. 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ "£99 ticket sold out! Early bird now onsale!". RockNess official website. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ "The Chemical Brothers for Rock Ness 2011". eFestivals. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ a b "Kasabian to headline Rock Ness 2011". eFestivals. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ a b "Paolo Nutini reveals he's headlining Rock Ness 2011". eFestivals. 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2011-05-19. Cite error: The named reference "efestivals paolo" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c "Jim Kings monthly blog". RockNess official website. Retrieved 2011-05-20. Cite error: The named reference "sub club" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Brand New Rock N Roll Circus Announced". RockNess official website. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
- ^ a b "Rock Ness launches two searches for emerging talent". eFestivals. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2011-05-20. Cite error: The named reference "efestivals talent search" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=557826 X-clusive: RockNess 2008 line-up and tickets, XFM, 24 January 2008
- ^ http://www.rockness.co.uk/turn-on-tune-in
- ^ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-news/2008/03/14/rock-ness-lands-channel-4-tv-deal-86908-20350262/ Rock Ness Lands Channel 4 TV Deal, 14 March 2008
External links
Major music events and festivals of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Benefit concerts |
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| Dance/Electronic | ||
| Folk/Traditional | ||
| Indie | ||
| Jazz | ||
| Rock/Alternative rock | ||
| Others | ||
