Skipinnish – Big Top Tent Stirling August 20th 2022.

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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson

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When LCC Live originally announced this Skipinnish concert back in 2020 the line up was to include Eddi Reader, Big Country and Peat & Diesel.  My son is a huge fan of the latter, but has only managed to see them in HMV due to age restrictions so a tent in Stirling seemed the ideal solution!  Unfortunately the events of the pandemic postponed the gig and the support changed accordingly.  When they were replaced with Sandi Thom we decided we were happy enough and looked forward to our road trip south.

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The location is just perfect, with the stunning backdrop of the castle and various parking and amenities available nearby.  The arena was well laid out, with the big blue circus tent making me feel like I was back at T in the Park.  Arranged around it was the bar, a good selection of food stalls, the merchandise stall, a good number of toilets and some water taps for those of us more interested in the music than the tipples!  We arrived just as Sandi Thom started singing so we headed into the tent in great excitement.  It was just her and her guitar, no band, which was brilliant as then you can concentrate on the solo singing.

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After a while Owen’s legs got sore so we decided we’d seen her and could sit on the grass, the key thing was to hear her lovely vocals.  We had a giggle making moustaches with grass, whilst clapping to the beat as appropriate.  By the time she ended her set with the much loved Punk Rocker, we had moved to the far side of the tent to avoid the dry ice that was blowing out towards the bar.  We went a bit closer and had a dance around.  I’d always wanted to see this song live and it did not disappoint, it was glorious and fabulous!

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In the gap between acts Owen suggested we needed a snack so we went to investigate the options, we were drawn to Miele’s Gelateria, who are from Inverness.  My son chose a sugared doughnut and I somehow ended up with a chocolate waffle topped with Jaffa Cake ice cream.  The ice cream was utterly divine, I might need a road trip north next for some more!

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We went back to the far side of the tent for Eddi Reader and got a spot by the side to avoid the expanding crowd.  There was a band with her, and she told us various stories, including her aunt not coming to her gigs because she includes the works of Burns and he was a womaniser (not the word she used but lets hope my son didn’t catch that one!).  As well as Burns and some lovely traditional songs she also sang Edith Piaf’s Bravo, fitting for us as we went to Paris in the summer and paid our respects at that talented lady’s resting place.

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According to a Twitter chat later, Eddiwent back in the 80s and left a heather plant saying “To Edith from Eddie”.  As she sang Patience of Angels Owen commented that people should sing their own songs, so I explained that was her own song (every day is a school day, he has a lot to learn!). She ended her set with Perfect, and I was quick to point out that although that is a Fairground Attraction song, she was their singer and so that song was also really hers.  He must have approved as she was later proclaimed his favourite act of the night.

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By this time it was dinner time and Owen headed straight for The Pizza Pitch.  Afraid their pepperoni might be too spicy for him he opted for the Margherita whilst persuading me I wanted the Highland that included haggis, chicken and bacon.  Obviously we then had to trade a slice “to test”…and then trade a few slices when he realised the toppings were super yummy!

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Next up was Big Country, who’s set of course included In a Big Country and Look Away.  Part way through Owen exclaimed “these guys are good” as if this surprised him, even though we listen to them at home and I had reminded him on the way how much I had enjoyed them at Doune the Rabbit Hole a few years ago.  One of the band was saying that he was thrilled to play a gig in Stirling as that is where he lived so he could sleep in his own bed rather than a hotel, my son did not agree that this was an invitation back to his house for a party after the gig, what a killjoy!

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We did have a wee dance off at the back of the tent, until Owen realised dancing on a full tummy of pizza is not the most clever.  
Of course this did not stop him needing “pudding” churros; and they were yummy, covered in sugar and Nutella!   
This was our third food stop of the afternoon; and there was a good choice to please everyone.  We even sent Daddy a picture of the Expresso Martini bar, the only thing that he was jealous of that day!

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Finally it was time for the main attraction and Skipinnish took to the stage with a whirl of the bagpipes.  By this time the tent was full and the music was loud.  The sun was going down and the colours across the sky were glorious so I didn’t mind when my son asked if we could go out and sit by the fence.  We could hear everything fine, and see them through the tent doors, but there was no crush of crowds and no dry ice nipping at our eyes.

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Covid has changed a lot of things, and me being happy to be further away from crushing crowds is one of them.  Owen apologised for ruining my night as we sat on the grass tapping our toes to the tunes.  I explained that I wanted to share the experience of some of our fabulous Scottish bands with him, and that we were doing just that, in our own way and that nothing had been ruined.  He grinned his happy grin and shot me a quick kiss.  Skipinnish did a lively brilliant set, including their new song Summer Call, for which we had been given the chorus lyrics in advance.  We sang along happily, living in the moment, living our best life.  I love live music, and sharing that with my son is the greatest pleasure.

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All in all, it was a brilliant, well organised event.  We saw 4 wonderful Scottish acts, in 1 glorious location, for a most decent price.  Now, if we go to their Christmas gig with Skipinnish and Sandi Thom in Inverness we should visit Miele’s Gelateria, right….?!  Who’s coming?!

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Further information: https://www.lcclive.co.uk/events/2022/aug/20/skipinnish-big-top-tent-stirling

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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.

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