Local band make Caithness debut following serious car crash
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AS temperatures soared on the first full day of B-fest, so did spirits and the size of the crowd.
By 1pm, Penguins Kill Polar Bears were playing to a large crowd, most of whom had learned from previous years and brought along deck chairs.
Firing up the crowd an hour-and-a-half later with some classic rock was Roadway, who proved to be an instant hit on their debut north gig.
Despite their rather low profile in the far north, three of the band members are from Caithness.
Singer Dougie Greig was born in Thurso and lived in Wick until he was four and lead guitarist Ross McEwen and rhythm guitarist Bod Elder both hail from Wick, with others in the band coming from as far away as Dingwall and Buckie.
Ross and Bod were both in a serious car crash in May and are still recovering now.
Ross had a cast on his foot but was determined to make it through the gig and managed to play from a seat on the stage.
Regardless, the band were delighted to make their home county debut.
"It’s the first time we’ve played B-fest and my third ever festival so it’s been a bit of a learning curve," said Dougie.
"It’s really amazing to come back up north to this place where I have no recollection of but spent my formative years learning how to be a hellrasier."
Ross added: "It being my hometown, it’s great to come back here and play.
"Hopefully we can start doing some gigs up here soon."
Another highlight for many on Saturday were Highland Celtic rock group Rhythm ‘n’ Reel.
Lead singer and guitarist Jim Kennedy got the crowd bouncing along and ceilidh-ing in the afternoon sun with the combination of folky rock hooks and the pipes proving to be a great hit with the masses.
Just down the field, the Go North tent had a huge variety of different genres gracing the stage over the course of the day including rock rappers Team Kapowski, alt rock outfit He Slept on 57 and Scottish duo Them and Us.
Inverness-based Graham Brown and Iain McLaughlin and the Outsiders brought the second stage to a close with powerful sets, right in time for more action on the main stage.
Fatherson fans also got a double whammy with an appearance on the main stage and on the acoustic stage, before tribute act Kazabian brought some swagger to proceedings.
For the grand finale, The Proclaimers kicked things off with a few fan favourites and dedicated several songs to local people who had sent in messages.
"Letter to America"and "Let’s Get Married"proved exceptionally popular and drove the crowd into a frenzied mass. As the last of the sunlight faded from the west, The Proclaimers returned to the stage for an encore and soon the familiar opening chords of "I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)" echoed round the Riverside, bringing the biggest northerly music festival on the mainland to a climatic and memorable finish.
