This week’s weblog submit sees Katch Holmes – organiser of the Knockengorroch Pageant – replicate on the method of taking it on-line within the face of the Covid-19 lockdown.
‘I‘m not into on-line occasions’, I mentioned. When the lockdown began and we had been compelled to postpone our Knockengorroch music pageant I professed each to myself, and anybody who would pay attention, that digital occasions didn’t curiosity me. I racked my brains as to methods I may convey individuals collectively in actual time while observing bodily distancing. Movies projected onto tenement partitions, road performances, drive-ins, all and extra whizzed by means of my thoughts.
But, because the scheduled dates for Knockengorroch pageant drew nearer I felt strongly it was necessary to mark the occasion by some means. And so, with out an excessive amount of thought into the hows, I considered a reputation, recruited some pageant crew to assist and approached artists to participate in an internet occasion. All had been very prepared, although unclear as to how it could work.
Most reside streams I had seen had been done ‘presentationally’, with artists taking part in to an viewers they’ll neither see nor hear. From the start, I knew that wasn’t how a digital Knockengorroch may exist. Knockengorroch pageant is massively about participation. The those that come are each bit as necessary to its success because the artists. I knew that any pageant we created needed to be in regards to the individuals as a lot because the music.
Knockengorroch’s looming dates minimised time to analysis the complete scale of prospects, however after fast analysis, I realised that the platform to ship the occasion precisely how I needed didn’t but exist, or was prohibitively costly. I had taken half in Zoom events that includes DJs in addition to Mairi Campbell’s worldwide ceilidh with acoustic performances and so, with little time to go, I settled on Zoom because the closest platform able to internet hosting the imaginative and prescient. Ditching the unique thought of multi venues and ‘break-out’ free shifting areas on anybody night time, I programmed three separate days of reside music and DJs, mirroring the precise pageant, that includes artists from the unique line-up. A reside viewers may enter the Zoom ‘gig’ with a whole lot extra capable of watch by means of a simultaneous reside stream on fb, youtube and twitch. Audiences had been inspired to donate to a Justgiving fundraiser to boost funds to reimburse the artists that took half.
Over the 22 years it has existed, Knockengorroch has nurtured a loyal viewers. We try to keep up our inherently participatory nature – a ‘people’ ethos signifies that it has lengthy included alternatives for festival-goers to get entangled in jamming, people periods and open-mic slots, and billed musicians will typically take part with these. Just about Knockengorroch sustained this – pageant friends had been invited to decorate up alongside this yr’s theme of ‘celestial beings’, workshops wanted energetic attendees, friends may create their very own campsite breakout rooms in the event that they needed to speak between and after music units, dancing was 100% inspired. As in any reside music occasion, viewers engagement and participation, contributed to the ambiance, vibe and collective sense of enjoyable. Knockengorroch’s viewers enthusiastically responded with tents pitched in gardens, campfires, dramatic costumes, elaborate front room decorations and even the odd look of a midge internet and wellies. Individuals attended from everywhere in the world and people who haven’t been to Knockengorroch for years had been capable of test in. We had been additionally happy to have attracted new audiences who might not have been ‘tenting varieties’, however had been blissful to test in from the security of their kitchens.
Crew spoke of going to mattress with the identical weary, but blissed out, feeling that the true pageant engenders. Everybody felt that they’d linked and that by some means there was one thing ‘actual’ in regards to the expertise. Individuals mentioned they had been stunned at how one thing digital may mimic the emotions of a pageant so nicely.
Enthusiastic viewers members remarked, with some shock, on the extent to which it mimicked the expertise of attending in particular person:
“It was far more magical than I believed Zoom may ever be!”
“Nicely done! Sensible. Would have thought it inconceivable to seize Knockengorroch’s magic nearly, however you probably did it!”
Regardless of the occasion solely hitting two features (sight and sound) of the multi-sensory expertise that the true pageant does, our human want for contact allowed us to fill within the blanks as we stared into our screens, and supplied us all some connection and luxury.
The taking part artists additionally rose to those new challenges, some performing on-line for the primary time. Legendary Scottish ‘acid croft’ band Shooglenifty debuted a model new video created in lockdown for Just about Knockengorroch for his or her observe ‘Black Canine’. James Waterproof coat mentioned:
We had been delighted to have the ability to be part of the Just about Knockengorroch Pageant….Katch gave me a welcome crash course on getting the perfect sound out of Zoom and watching just a few performances on the Friday impressed me to take a bit little bit of time to get the perfect framing of the shot, and the perfect audio to share too … Congratulations to Katch and the Knockengorroch crew on lifting the spirits of so many in lockdown.
Kaela and James from Sooglenifty play through Zoom
Afro Celt Sound System additionally stepped up to speed. They wrote ‘The Lock Down Gorroch Reel’ particularly for Knockengorroch and have since created a video, containing footage of and in homage to the occasion. Simon Emmerson mentioned:
It was an incredible expertise. We had band founder N’Faly Kouyate locked down in his village in Siguiri, Guinea Conakry taking part in his grandfather’s ancestral balafon and singing reside and direct illuminated by his automotive headlights as his village has no street-lights. His tribute to his not too long ago departed mentor Mory Kante was extremely shifting. After all, there have been technical glitches, at instances it was superb chaos, at others there have been moments of actual intimacy… The entire thing had the intimacy and interactive high quality completely missing in greater company festivals. If that is a part of the way forward for reside leisure in a submit Covid 19 world rely us in.
N’Faly Kouyate taking part in through Zoom
Digital or not, the pageant was additionally in some methods transformative for artists concerned – one poignant remark was that it was fantastic to listen to a reside spherical of applause. Some artists approached had been initially sceptical however got here away invigorated by the appreciation they skilled – an integral a part of any artist’s efficiency. Others spoke in regards to the artistic impetus it offered, bringing bands collectively to provide you with a option to convey their music to the occasion. I consider it has nudged performers and individuals ahead into discovering new methods to current music and promoted the training of latest expertise which can be so important this season.
The occasion was, by all accounts, a fantastic success. We raised sufficient by means of donations to reimburse all artists. Many attendees, together with different pageant organisers, have now seen the potential in an internet, participatory pageant like this, many at the moment are self-confessed converts to ‘Zoom’ and I’ve been approached by different festivals for recommendation. That is the start of a journey. By the top of the summer season different issues may have been tried; new and higher platforms might be out there, digital occasions will undoubtedly be smoother.
I’m delighted it went nicely, that we offered artists work, that individuals linked. I’ll go to a different occasion like this. I could even organise one other one… however I can’t assist questioning the place this on-line journey goes. After this weekend’s success I totally consider that this medium might nicely grow to be ‘regular’, sought out even, by some. Nevertheless for me, this manner of festivalling will at all times solely ever be an add on – the (non-compulsory) icing on the cake to the complete expertise. The total poetry of human contact will at all times be my precedence, bringing individuals and music collectively in situ – respiration a shared place that binds us collectively by means of the land’s geography, historical past and reminiscences.
Katch Holmes, June 2020
Katch Holmes is a co-producer of Knockengorroch pageant. She grew up at Knockengorroch small holding.
Just about Knockengorroch happened from 21 to 24 Could 2020 rather than the ‘actual’ postponed Knockengorroch pageant.
The Afro Celt Sound System video ‘The Lockdown Gorroch Reel’ will be discovered right here
The total Just about Knockengorroch line-up: Afro Celt Sound System, Mungos Hello Fi Sound System and Vixen Sound, Shooglenifty, Greg and Pete (Moishe’s Bagel), John Fairhurst, Macmaster/Hay, DJ Dolphin Boy, Twelfth Day, Zoe Bestel, Ceitidh Mac, Awry, Samson Sounds, Tom Spirals, Samedia Shebeen, Cera Impala, Cenote Sounds, Simple Skankin’ Crew, Theo Bard, Ceitidh Mac, Sam Gillespie and Siannie Moodie, Toby Mottershead, Luisa Brown and John Anderson, Morag Brown and Lewis Powell, Daniel Allison, Freya Rae, Martin Fell, Chandra Mather, Cammy Sinclair
