Claire White
Vic Galloway is renowned for showcasing the best in up and coming Scottish bands and artists on his regular BBC Radio slot.
Vic was a part of launching the musical careers of bands across Scotland and introducing them to a dedicated fan base.
This year, the BBC decided to record a special one-off show with Vic Galloway in their large blue tent at Potterow.
With a line-up featuring Discopolis, Rachel Sermanni and Frightened Rabbit, there was no surprise that the tent was full-to-the-brim with drenched fans from the lovely Scottish weather!
First up were the electronic stylings of 3-piece Discopolis. Fresh from Belladrum Festival, the band have this year alone racked up a host of exciting gigs including playing at the Edinburgh Hogmany Street Party. Mixing their short set with a variety of fast and slow songs was a great choice to keep the crowd’s attention and it was a shame everyone was strangely sat down in rows for a gig. You couldn’t help but tap your feet or clap along, but making sure you didn’t bang into the row of seats in front! It was one of the strangest gig atmospheres being sat in rows and with the band having festival appearances at T In The Park, Rockness and Belladrum behind them; we’re sure they found it just as strange. Our favourite track in their set came in the form of ‘Summer Nightmares’. The band’s first EP is out now and available as a free download now by clicking here.
Next up, a stripped back acoustic set from Rachel Sermanni with her very easy listening almost story-telling set. Rachel has a relaxing voice and with distinctive vocals does not blend into your typical acoustic female vocals, as she is not immediately relatable to any other artist of her genre. There was a strong theme present throughout her songs of the weather and water. Quite a few of her tracks featured did sound similar to start, but once the pace quickened they managed to differentiate themselves. During track ‘Waltz’, to both Rachel and the audience’s surprise, the tornado jet from the Edinburgh Tattoo flew directly above the tent creating a thundering roar true to its name and as the floor was shaking mid-song, this created a sense of panic yet laughter throughout the tent. With the look on Rachel’s face, it seems this feeling was mutual! Despite the startling noise, Rachel picked up from where she left off as if nothing had even happened – a truly professional move that the audience applauded at the end of the song.
Frightened Rabbit performed a full set in the BBC tent. The now 5-piece band have become a household name in Scottish music. The band have recently completed their fourth album which is set for release January 2013 and previewed new track ‘State Hospital’ from the release. Another great track to add to the band’s discography and Frightened Rabbit provided the crowd with a set full of strong songs. The band held a fantastic stage presence and with little encouragement needed the crowd were on their feet dancing in their rows singing and clapping along. In true Fringe spirit, as front man Scott Hutchinson introduced the next song, someone from the back of the tent shouted ‘TUNE!’, a joke that the audience and band shared laughing as he commented if the fan would be shouting comments before every song. The band had great audience engagement and their set flowed from start to finish with ease showcasing exactly why they are so popular. The band’s up and coming September UK tour has almost completely sold out, with only a few tickets left for their show in Selkirk.
Frightened Rabbit will also play this year’s iTunes Festival on September 22nd with Biffy Clyro.
You can listen to the full show now online for the next 5 days via the BBC iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b01lh7f5.
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