MARKIES
Music Festival revived Oban Live’s party atmosphere last weekend, drawing huge
crowds. Audiences enjoyed a stacked bill of free music on one of the hottest
weekends of the year so far.
Local bands
such as Ceol an Aire and Crackin Craic were joined by up-and-coming traditional
outfit Hò-rò and popular Irish folk group Crooked Reel. One of the biggest
receptions was saved for Oban rock trio Chunks, who headlined the first night
of the festival.
Chunks
bassist Stevo Finlayson, who helped organise the festival, is a passionate
promoter of the Oban scene and believes the response to the weekend is further
evidence that it’s growing.
‘Like Oban
Live, Markies Music Fest shows how much passion there is for music in and
around Oban,’ says Stevo. ‘It would be great to see more events like this in
the local area.
‘Our slot
went very well, the place was heaving and there was such a buzz. We played in
Markies a few weeks ago for the Oban Live fringe and thought it couldn’t get
any busier than that, but it was. That’s the kind of gig we like: when everybody
is in good spirits and really enjoying our set.’
The festival
is the first that Markie Dans have attempted as a three day event. Despite the
big numbers the weekend mostly went off without a hitch, the only regrettable consequence
being that latecomers in the evening were turned away.
‘Both the
beer garden and pub were very busy,’ says organiser Lindsay MacMillan. ‘The
staff and stewards coped excellently with the huge volume of customers we had.
‘However, the
feedback we have had from customers so far was very positive. It’s really
difficult to say what the highlight was. Every band played well – it was a
brilliant mix of musical talent from here and away.’
DUNBEG
songwriter Mike Nisbet surprised fans on Saturday by releasing a free album.
The ten-track LP, entitled ‘Fashion & Trash’, is the
multi-instrumentalist’s follow-up to last year’s ‘The Ballad of Body and Soul’.
When speaking
to The Oban Times a few months ago, Mike had just finished the unnamed project
and was set to re-record in a studio. However, the final result is a completely
DIY project, recorded entirely on his iPhone.
‘Something
about these first recordings stuck with me,’ says Mike. ‘There was a certain
vibe and romance to these versions that I loved. I realised I wanted to share
these versions of the songs at their most honest and raw, like a view into the
sketch book.’
Mike’s most
recent project was with The Artpackt Collective, a group of London-based solo
artists. He released compilation albums with the group and performed covers and
traditional material with them on recent tours.
However,
‘Fashion & Trash’ sees Mike return to playing entirely original songs. In
spite of the lo-fi quality of recordings, the album is a cohesive body of work
full of bluesy melodies and fingerpicked guitar.
First Printed in The Oban Times on June 16 2016