Sunday 26 June 2011

The Zoetrope

Here is the lovely Tom Stearns and the Zoetrope Collective, featuring members of Open Swimmer, Kettle of Kites, Tall Tales and Jo Mango playing the Kettle of Kites song, Bow, on the lawn.

Saturday 25 June 2011

Nobody writes letters any more...

Dear All,

This time a week ago Saturday night was in the ascendance. Donna Maciocia, bolstered by the Horndog Brass band, The Banana Sessions, Stanley Odd and Admiral Fallow came together in a run of brilliance on the main stage, Woodenbox and Lord Rochester in the saloon and Mike Kearney and the Horndogs funking all over the Backwoods. Now only the bunting remains, defiant of pack up and breakdown, Monty is back in charge and calm once again rests over Inshriach.

That was just a small slice of the amazing that took place last weekend.

We owe many thank yous; Limelights Events once again handled the lights, staging and sound so smoothly and professionally you wouldn't have known they were there. The Heritage Arts guys, Tim and Martin who brought up the lawn tent (and killed a couple of spare cockerels) were absolute stars, we had No Fuss events with the Saddlespan, the fabulous and generous Highland Tipis, the ever beautiful Red Kite Yurts and Henry Fosbrooke for the catering tent. The National Park once again stepped up and helped us out and the Highland Council made it all possible. Big Glens boys for keeping the peace. Thistly Cross, Williams brothers and Cairngorm Breweries got us drunk and Highland Spring made us better. A big hand to Bob and Dave for catering the hell out of it, Elma, ladies moustache champion of 2011, for tea and cake and insisting she paid for all her ingredients, Woodburns pizza, Roger from Auldern antiques for the vintage clothes, Mike from G2 for the flying machines, Full on John for the rafts, Benedict for the gate, Chas and Sandy for the toys on the lawn, Forkbeard Fantasy, Bluster and Leverage and the British Film Institute for the movies, Owen Pilgrim for the stories, Freya and the gang for massage, Alice for trapeze, The Too Much fun club for art and Larkin about for theatrics, Sophie for conjuring up two thirds of a mile of bunting and of course the ever present crew of Harry, Kyle and the uber talented and quietly confident Tired, Tom and Captain Bob for getting up here and screwing it all together. That the build effectively took 5 days is testament to the genius we had on hand.

Where would we have been without Gregory the Absinthe bartender? Without Abraham Lincoln or the marauding Manda?

Massive praise is in order for Ross and Polly Cameron. They tirelessly whupped this festival into shape and order in the face of green wormwood temptation. If any of you need a holiday, in a cottage, in Nethy Bridge, you will find their perpetual hospitality. Gordon Reilly, I take my hat off, your line up comprised threads of Scotlands finest, woven on a musical loom into a blanket of joy, again, get down to the Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore to catch Gordy day to day. Aidan, Kris, Martin - Lau collectively - Sunday too was a triumph, beautiful and lyrical and instrumental and to have you jamming through till Monday afternoon (again) with our own Master of Ceremonies, Charlie McKerron, was a post festival delight. Thanks to all the members of all the 75 bands who played, collaborated, partied and collectively produced something so special.

A big hand for Lucy, the matriarch of Inshriach, for being just mad enough to let this all happen in her garden (again), for shutting up Bronto Skylift mid set and for keeping us on the straight and narrow path of temperance throughout. Thanks too to Rhiannon, Phyllis, Demelza, Aowyn, the Kiwi quad boys, Dave the Doo, Craig, wee Gordy, Lianne and all of the 60 odd amazing volunteers and the many thousands of frisky face follicles who made this all possible.

In an enormous oversight I have never linked any mention of Rufus White to any of his other work, so here is some... We didn't simply kidnap him from the 19th century. He lives in East London with Molly and a lot of animals and designs, draws and makes amazing things. Their house is as remarkable as they are. The website, artwork, signage, shop, newspapers, doilies, huge pants, moustache outfits, silversmithery, jam covers, flat caps, brollies, adverts, animations and objects inconceivable to any minds other than their own were all their work.

They ran it up the flagpole and you saluted it so the biggest thank you goes out to all of you for wholeheartedly embracing the idea. From all over the country you came and you were hat doffing, penny farthing riding, pioneering, bustle rustlingly fabulous ladies and gentlemen the lot of you.

Something awoke in these hills last weekend and as we speak our crank team of paleontologists, spiritualists and discoverers are investigating further what it may be. Watch this space, I daresay this wont be the last you hear of historical happenings in these parts.

Thank you very much once again.

Yours sincerely,

Walter.

PS. The Insider facebook page is gathering some lovely pictures and tales from the weekend, please tag your pictures @The Insider Festival to share them with us.

Tuesday 21 June 2011

We take our hats off...



Thank you all, that was awesome. Just until I get my head round it here is another moving picture show from Rufus R White, the Insider silversmith and here is the first review of the festival which came out in the Scotsman yesterday, we hope you enjoyed it as much as they did.

Please tag photos with @Insider Festival to add them to the Facebook group. We love the photos that have come out so far and there are brilliant little videos of all sorts creeping out of the woodwork.

Lots of love from all of us, you were magnificent, resplendent and brilliant to have here all weekend.

Monday 13 June 2011

The Countdown has begun...



It's now 4 days until the Insider Festival.

Its full steam ahead here, the Mk2 Ooh Arr Tractor bar is in the workshop, the first tent has arrived, we have made 200 feet of picket fencing and 1000 metres of bunting, the saddlespan goes up tomorrow for the main stage and 3 days of musical greatness, fine food and outstanding entertainment awaits.

The Manda continues to maraud us as we work.

Saturday 11 June 2011

The Dog.



Our lovely friends the Banana Sessions have been turning their hand to journalism in the final week before the good ship Insider sets sail.

Thursday 9 June 2011

8 days and counting.

We have been a bit quiet on the blog for the last fortnight because Inshriach has been the base for a feature film '500 Miles North'. You can expect to see a lot of Insider paraphernalia cropping up once this hits the screens.

We have also been prop building for Rockness, have ordered an unfeasible quantity of Thistly Cross cider (this year featuring the rocket fuel 14% strength 'Thistly Bomb'), coaxed the last of our line up into its beautiful shape, performed strange rituals and human sacrifices to the fickle (but always Insider Friendly) weather gods, and hewn from oak and steel and the contents of skips the details that will make the Insider special.

The taxidermy store is now open for business, don't forget to bring any pets you want immortalised.