Rockore: Great music, great atmosphere at a unique festival run by great people

All festivals have great line-ups, good music and mud. Rockore had all three, but it also had those moments which underline why it is unique to Fife, and why it sells out thanks to a loyal, and largely local, audience at a time when festivals across Scotland have struggled or simply folded.

There may have been thousands in attendance but everyone knew everyone - it was as close to a big party in someone’s back garden as you’ll ever get an invite to. The sing-alongs to the DJ’s set list in between live sets kept the party going throughout the day, and there were cheers and raised glasses every time the sun shone.

And the music was pretty darned good too; a mix of local bands and tribute acts building up nicely to the headline slot from the Boomtown Rats

Deaf Monkey sparked the sing-alongs with their covers set, and Pretty As Pink served up all the hits from Pink in between The Columbos who added some soul to the mix. Just Jovi had a tough time with sound tech issues - all credit to them for battling through it - before Big Country delivered the band’s anthemic songs now all nudging 40 years old.

I did wonder if they should have preceded Boomtown Rats, but the scheduling was actually spot on. Festival favourites, QFX, didn’t just warm the crowd up, they sent a surge of electricity right across the site. Their set of old skool dance tunes was the polar opposite to my own music tastes, but hit the spot perfectly with the crowd which dealt with the one heavy deluge of rain by simply grabbing a poncho to keep the water out of its beer and carried on with the party.

The energy levels were insane,and transmitted from the stage to the back of the site; an absolute winner from start to finish.

That buzz then rolled into the Boomtown Rats set which followed, with Bob Geldof prowling the stage relentlessly throughout a ten-song set that celebrated the very best of the band’s glory days. Like Clockwork was as sharp as ever, Rat Trap had it all, save for the band tearing up posters of John Travolta and Geldof turning a candelabra into a saxophone, and Looking After Number One still bristled 48 years after its release.

One selfie on stage with the crowd as a backdrop and they were gone, and Rockore was done for another year. A great event run by great people. Fife should treasure it.