Wickerman winning band just want to have fun

THE news is still sinking in for the winners of the Sunday Herald competition to win a place on the Wickerman Festival bill. On Thursday night our three shortlisted bands, dorec- a- belle, Made as Mannequins and The Alter- natives, went head-to-head at the The Wicker Warm-Up in Glasgow’s Broadcast bar.

Dorec-a-belle, pictured, from Inverness, will play the Dundrennan festival on July 27.

Singer/ guitarist Maryann Frew said: “It’s just amazing. We are really chuffed. We’re so excited and taken aback. I’m the only one who hasn’t been to the Wickerman before so I’m doing my first time in style, performing at the event.

“Our next step is to come up with a set list to play. It’s going to be a really memorable gig. We can’t wait.”

Maryann and t he other band members, Liza Mulholland (accordion / vocals), Bev Fraser (saxophone/vocals) and Imke Henderson ( cello/ vocals), got together in 2011 and have played Belladrum, Celtic Connections and Glasgow’s Southside Festival.

Maryann and Bev are nurses, Liza and Imke are music teachers, and all four are working mothers

Maryann said: “Imke had a baby a few weeks before the Wicker Warm-Up gig so she fed the baby just before we went on stage and after we came off. All our children have really enjoyed coming to see us play and are excited about Wickerman too.

“Our sound i s becoming more defined now and we have a clearer idea of what we want.

“Our goal is to record our first album and just keep having fun.”