Jimstock 2011

The 5^th of November is a day that will go down in history for a number of reasons: in 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested for attempting to blow up parliament; in 1974 musician Ryan Adams was born; and in 2011 the first ever Jimstock Festival was held at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom.

Earlier this year, Jim Rodden – who runs the popular Cellar 35 Open Mic Night – suffered two heart attacks. After lengthy treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s Coronary Care Unit, Jim decided he’d like to give something back to the staff at the hospital and along with his son Jamie, himself a well-known local singer-songwriter, founded Jimstock as a fun and exciting way of raising money.

Hosted by Shmu FM’s Johnny Dee, Jimstock took over the Beach Ballroom for one day only as a host of Aberdeen’s best musicians turned up in support of the cause. The University of Aberdeen’s film-making society – Cinergi – were even on hand to film the show, with the aim of producing a documentary in the near future.

Many of Hercules Moments’ reviewers were on hand throughout the day to keep fans updated and Russ even maintained a steady stream of live tweets during the show. Read on to see what we thought of all the acts…

Jim Rodden

Our opening act Jim Rodden, the man behind Jimstock, provided a short but lovely introduction to the festival. Along with a few well deserved special shout-outs to the nurses who had come to show their support, we heard some great country rock featuring a mix of melodic guitar and a deep raw vocal. This was a starter that eased you in nicely, ready for the main course ahead.

Chris and Lemi

Next up were young duo Chris and Lemi, who brought us a similar sound to Jim but with a modern and sometimes more up-tempo twist. Vocalist Lemi had a voice almost like a young Nancy Griffith, and this gave the music rather a country feel. Her voice suited the slower, more melodic songs incredibly well and Chris’ guitar support worked perfectly alongside it. Thumbs up for our second act of the evening!

Mark and Sarah

Another acoustic duo act graced the stage next in the form of Mark and Sarah, a pair who ventured a little further along the path to rock than the previous artists. The stand-out features of their set included fantastic vocal harmonies, which worked well with their song choices, and their own song-writing ability. They played only one of their own songs, but for me, it was very much the highlight of their set: I wish they had saved it for last!

The Fools’ Reel

Jamie Rodden and his band The Fools’ Reel were fourth in our line-up. A band very different to those who had already been on, these guys were somehow more upbeat and yet more eerie, all at the same time. With a fuller line-up – including violin, double bass and drums – their music reminded me of being out on the moors; it was gentle and soothing, yet effectively creepy. Due to sound issues I couldn’t hear the lyrics properly, but I am told they are fantastic so I will be listening out for them in future. This band is most definitely worth a listen.

Dirty Shoes

Dirty Shoes started off slowly, as the fifth acoustic act of the night. The energy soon picked up though, as people tapped along to the faster paced Hey Hey. As a foursome, the band worked nicely, blending soft acoustics with arpeggio electric guitar, both of which complimented the emotive vocals beautifully. 

The Marionettes

The Marionettes, not to be confused with the goth-rock band of the same name, got people dancing with their raucous punk pop, and laughing with their sardonic stage banter. The first band to really make use of the beach ballroom’s staging and lighting, The Marionettes entertained the crowd, which had grown after the fireworks.

Dave O’Grady

Dave O’Grady returned to the acoustic theme of earlier in the evening, with original bluesy licks and the cool indignation of a young Johnny Cash. Halfway through his set, one could be forgiven for imaging the gig taking place in a dingy bar in Texas instead of Aberdeen’s grand Beach Ballroom.

Brothers Reid

I have to admit, the last time I saw Brothers Reid I was a bit underwhelmed with their set. I guess I was maybe in the wrong mood for it, though, because I can be a miserable so and so. With the day slowly slipping into night and most of the audience sliding into a state of inebriation, however, a bit of dancing to Brothers Reid’s blend of country and folk was never going to go amiss.

Playing through songs like Do It Yourself, I’ll take back my previous thoughts on the band: they do know how to craft a song perfect for getting this previously-reserved crowd on their feet. The crowd itself included an overly keen woman, who proceeded to dance with any young man she could get her hands on. By the time she got hold of me, I couldn’t have run away quicker. Sorry random woman, I am too delicate.

The Tijuana Sun

Next on were The Tijuana Sun. When this band walked on stage and started to play the first song of their set, it was easy to compare them to Oasis. But for all the right reasons. Theirs was a set of well-written and even better presented indie rock songs. Singer Mark Ferguson had a well-deserved look of smugness as fans of the band sang back at him, and his band managed to get a large percentage of the crowd to dance.

Amy Sawers

Amy Sawers, winner of the recent Drummonds Two Grand Tournament, was up next. It was a relief when Amy finally started her set, as it meant that host Johnny Dee, who had more than run out of things to say by this point, could finally leave the stage. Amy has a great talent for writing insanely good songs and is nothing but a true professional while on stage. She proved this with her perfect handling of breaking a guitar string; it didn’t affect her set in any way. Firing through more of her infectious songs, Amy’s set drew to a close with a big cheer and applause, and deservedly so.

The Trade

Second last on tonight were The Trade.  Unfortunately, I think The Trade were maybe on a bit late in the line-up. Following on from acts like Brothers Reid and Amy Sawers was always going to be hard. Their songs were not bad, I just can’t help but feel they would have stood out more had they been on earlier.

The Lorelei

Headlining Jimstock were local folk legends The Lorelei. As things started to run late, The Lorelei – who were filling in for the mystery headliners who pulled out at the last minute – were forced to play a shortened set. With this in mind, they wasted no time and started in inimitable fashion.

Singer John Martin and bassist Jonny Palmer made great use of the big stage, and this energy was reflected back in the crowd. With the hours pushing on, no-one would have expected the dancefloor to be full, however The Lorelei managed this with ease. In between songs, while the band members switched between instruments, Martin would repeatedly command anyone sitting down to get to their feet. And get to their feet they did.

With almost the entire crowd dancing on the Beach Ballroom’s famously springy dancefloor, The Lorelei kept the energy high and played a brilliant set right up until the house lights came on to signal the end of a quite frankly amazing collection of local talent. And all in the name of charity.

Photos by David Lovie. See the full gallery here.

For more information on Jimstock, please visit www.facebook.com/jimstock2011

Cinergi’s Jimstock documentary will be screen at The Belmont Cinema in early 2012

EK, EW, ES, JL, RT