Bands wax lyrical about MacMoray Family Easter Festival as event goes down a treat in Elgin
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BANDS that performed at the MacMoray Family Easter Festival have described the "amazing" time they had in the festival and in Moray.
Members of S Club, The Animals, Toploader and The Boomtown Rats heaped praise on the event – which attracted a 7500 crowd to Cooper Park in Elgin.
The bands were all very complimentary of the area and the people of Moray, as well.
Speaking exclusively to The Northern Scot, The Boomtown Rats lead singer Sir Bob Geldof said: "I had a great day, it is a lovely town.
"All the people I chatted to were very nice. I like to get a sense of the place when I arrive so I wandered around, had something to eat, talked to a few people so I had a sense of the town.
"The people here are great. Because it's a local event, people have been generally more friendly and it's been really exciting to be on stage again."
He added: "I don't have to do this – I'd stop if I didn't want to, but days like this reaffirm the choice I made when I was a kid – that this is what I’d do.
"It’s good to be playing again after the pandemic."
Pete Briquette, bassist in The Boomtown Rats, added: "I thought the crowd were great – coming out in the cold weather!
"We are staying in Lossiemouth and I had to walk about a quarter of a mile to the shop to get a newspaper and the number of people I met in the street who stopped to say 'good morning' and 'hello' was great. Nice, friendly people.
"It's great. I like Scotland. We've been to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. We'd consider coming back – it was very enjoyable."
S Club were the band that got the crowd going as early as noon.
However singer Bradley McIntosh, who took hundreds of photos with excited festival go-ers, could still be found backstage almost 12 hours later.
He said: "The organisers put us on first to start the party and I think we did that.
"The fact it is a beautiful day is a bonus. We always tend to think when we go to Scotland that it's going to be cold, and it usually is, but it's amazing."
S Club's Tina Barrett said: "Scottish crowds are always the best crowds because they're so up for it. They never let you down. We are really thankful for that."
Stacey McClean, who has been touring with S Club since September, added: "It's been brilliant, I've really enjoyed it. Everybody has been lovely."
Toploader were the first band to play in the evening – with their set kicking off at 5pm.
Lead singer Joseph Washbourn said: "It was amazing. There are lots of people, more people than we thought were going to be here, so it was great fun. We really enjoyed it.
"It's a lovely town, as well."
Rob Green, on drums, said: "We were pleasantly surprised. The weather was great, it was a lovely crowd and it's a real family festival."
John Steel, who is the only remaining original member of The Animals – who started playing in the mid 50s – said: "We couldn't have wished for better weather.
"I was thinking 'what are we doing at a festival in the north of Scotland in April – I hope it's in a tent!'
"But it's turned out great, it's well-organised and everything has run smoothly."
