Loopallu was a 2-day

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

that took place in

Ullapool Ullapool (; ) is a village and port located in the civil parish of Lochbroom in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. It is located around northwest of Inverness. According to the Scottish Government in 2016, the village had a ...

, in the north of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It was held annually between 2005 and 2019, attracting 2,500 people which essentially doubled the population of the village while the event was being held. The festival took place in Ullapool with the main stage located only metres from the shore of

Loch Broom Loch Broom (, "loch of rain showers") is a sea loch located in northwestern Ross and Cromarty, in the former parish of Lochbroom, on the west coast of Scotland. The small town of Ullapool lies on the eastern shore of the loch. Little Loch Br ...

, in a big-top tent. After the acts on the main stage finish a string of fringe events continue into the early hours, offering live music.

History

The first Loopallu was held in 2005, with the American rockgrass band

Hayseed Dixie Hayseed Dixie is an American band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2000. Their first album was '' A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC''. The band performs bluegrass cover versions of hard rock songs and also original songs of a mostly satirical or ab ...

promoting the festival and being the headline act. The success of the event was also attributed to support being shown by

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

’s

Janice Long Janice Berry (née Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. The first female presenter to have a ...

. The festival has been organised by local promoter Robert Hicks. The name of the festival is the name of the village, spelled backwards. It has played host to

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass, bass guitar), and Ben Lovett (British musician), B ...

, Franz Ferdinand,

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-u ...

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

and the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

. In 2014 the festival added a literary tent, teaming up with the Ullapool Book Festival. That year the ticket quota sold out in advance of the acts being announced, and there were about 2,500 people attending the event on each of the days it was held. In 2017 the festival moved from the loch-side site to take place on the pier in the harbour. This was to be the last event, but its success and pressure from the public ensured its continuance. Unfortunately 2019 was announced as the last year Loopallu would be held, citing pressure on accommodation as the primary reason. The last festival was held on 27 – 28 September 2019.

Lineups

2013 lineup

The Enemy,

Newton Faulkner Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner (born 11 January 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. He is known for his percussive style of guitar playing. In 2007 Faulkner's debut studio album ''Hand Built by Robots'' was ce ...

, The Temperance Movement, Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire.

2014 lineup

Utah Saints Utah Saints are an English electronic music duo consisting of members Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt. The band had three top-ten and another five top-40 singles on the UK Singles Chart in the 1990s, as well as number-one dance tracks in the UK an ...

Twin Atlantic Twin Atlantic are a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The group currently consists of Sam McTrusty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ross McNae (bass). Lead guitarist Barry McKenna departed from the band in 2019, but conti ...

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...

Shed Seven Shed Seven are an alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. They were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s. They originally comprised singer Rick Witter, guitarist/keyboardist Joe Johnson, bassist To ...

Alabama 3 Alabama 3 are a British musical group founded in Brixton, Brixton, London, in 1995. Their track "Woke Up This Morning" was used for the opening credits of the TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the United States, the band is known as A3, to avoid ...

Public Service Broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

, Hunter and the Bear, Caithness-based rock band Neon Waltz and Wishaw-based indie band Vigo Thieves, Mark Radcliffe and his band The Foes.

2019 lineup

The line-up for the last ever festival included Astrid, The Rezillos, Tide Lines, Bombskare, ONR, Idlewild, Peat and Diesel, Hunter and the Bear, The Vatersay Boys, and, on the Literally Literary stage, actor David Hayman and playwright Chris Dolan.

References

External links

* {{Scottish Festivals Music festivals in Scotland Ross and Cromarty Music festivals established in 2005