Party at the Palace, Linlithgow – review
With a line-up that boasted many of Scotland’s biggest bands and an emphasis on both supporting and promoting local businesses, Party at the Palace set out to prove that there is much more to Linlithgow than Mary Queen of Scots, a beautiful loch and ladies who lunch.
It’s undeniable that opening up any festival, never mind a brand new one, is a tough gig. Luckily, the onus to get the party started fell upon Jamie & Shoony, the Fife-based band that triumphed in Central FM’s Battle of Bands competition. The sun was shining brightly as the indie-rock trio turned in an energetic, if rather short, set that managed to quickly capture the attention of several hundred attendees. With clever lyrics and catchy riffs that are reminiscent of Razorlight and The Kooks, Jamie & Shoony are a band that may very well find themselves climbing to a later slot on next year’s line-up.
Next to take to the stage was former Runrig frontman Donnie Munro, who ignited Scottish pride in the crowd by intermixing solo material with a cover of Michael Marra’s Mother Glasgow and songs from his band’s popular back catalogue.
Former Love and Money star James Grant was up next and, though he has an extensive and varied back catalogue of material to choose from, he was clearly under no illusions as to what the audience really wanted to hear. He managed to successfully take them back to the eighties with renditions of Jocelyn Square and Hallelujah Man that had those that were standing dancing and those that opted to remain seated on their foldaway chairs unable to resist nodding and tapping their feet to the funky beat that radiated from the speakers.
Glasgow’s The Bluebells maintained the party atmosphere with their upbeat tunes, relatable lyrics and onstage banter. With its jangly chorus and optimistic message, Young At Heart proved to be the sing-along anthem of the day – so much so, in fact, that people could still be heard humming along as they exited the venue hours later!
Hue and Cry drew a huge crowd to the main stage which, telling, continued to grow as they blasted their way through tracks from their popular 1988 album Remote. The band were on fine form throughout but the audience only truly erupted when they the opening chords of Looking for Linda rang out across the loch.
Indie rockers Attic Lights were enlisted to serve up their sleek and polished tunes before headliners Deacon Blue delighted the crowd with a hit-filled set lasting over an hour and a half. The Dundonian band managed to squeeze in all of their biggest hits including Dignity and Chocolate Girl, as well as a cover of My Girl and a moving duet with the fantastic Soul Nation Choir. They might have been riding the wave of their success for over a quarter of a century, but if their Party at the Palace is anything to go by, the four-piece don’t look set to be slowing down anytime soon.
As the event drew to a close, with Ricky Ross’ iconic voice echoing across the loch, it’s hard not to wonder why this event wasn’t established years ago.
For more information on Party at the Palace or any of the local businesses involved in the event, visit http://www.partyatthepalace.co.uk/