A beacon for talent

Published on Wednesday 10 December 2008 18:24

IT'S A Sunday night in early December and I'm standing on the most northerly point on the British mainland. Located closer to Bergen in Norway than London, I can't help gaze at the Dunnet Head Lighthouse's powerful beam, as it splashes across Hoy almost seven miles away. It's colder than a mother-in-law's love, and to get here I've had to travel long, winding roads surrounded by ghostly, barren moorland.

It's eerie, it's desolate, and the only other source of light shines from the lighthouse's former engine room. The diesel compressors that once occupied this room are gone, replaced by comfy chairs, ornate carpets, a PA system and a 24ft-long stage at the forefoot end. In just under an hour from now, more than a hundred people will descend upon British mainland's most northerly live music venue.

The first time I saw the insides of the Dunnet Head Lighthouse complex I was 15 years old. That was December 1992 – three years after all British lighthouses had been automated – and I had travelled from my nearby hometown of Thurso to hook up with the owner's prodigious son, Isaac, to play some music together. Isaac's dad, John "Fats" Sutherland, had just taken over the lighthouse complex, turning it into a lavish recording studio as well as a unique living space. Little did I realise the rehearsal room Isaac and I would sit down to play in lay just a few yards from a 400-ft drop into the unforgiving waters of the Pentland Firth.

Until then, I'd only ever ventured to Dunnet Head – about 15 miles west and a couple north of John O' Groats – to experience the glowing arcs of the Northern Lights, or to investigate the Second World War bunkers still standing nearby. Robert Louis Stevenson's grandad built the lighthouse in 1831; the Queen Mother once stopped here for a cup of tea; even Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page once attended a gig in Dunnet village hall.

What makes Dunnet Head so alluring? And how has John Sutherland managed to attract so many musicians here? "The setting," says 63-year-old Sutherland, himself a professional musician. "It's unique. It really is quite magical. The location alone makes people want to come here. And everyone who has played here – I get artists from as far away as LA and Canada wanting to play here – always asks to be invited back. That tells you something about the place, doesn't it?"

Indeed. If there's one thing that had been lacking in Caithness over the past two decades it's quality live music. In the 1960s and 70s the likes of The Silver Beetles, Rod Stewart and Status Quo all descended upon the county. In the 1990s, an Ian McCulloch-free Echo & The Bunnymen turned up in Thurso, as did a young Snow Patrol, the latter leaving town just as perplexed as the audience they played to. That said, Teenage Fanclub did come to Wick, but that was almost ten years ago.

These days, the big(ger) names stay away for a very good reason: location, location, location. That tacky tribute bands are considered "good" is a sad indictment, and talented local bands also suffer thanks to the geographic straitjacket that binds them. But things are changing. Slowly. Thurso's Newmarket and Wick's Blackstairs venues are successfully encouraging reasonably well-known bands northward. However, it's only since Sutherland started putting on gigs at the Lighthouse, back in March 2005, that a steady flow of music's more interesting, more influential performers have ventured to the Far North to take to the engine-room stage. From Roddy Frame and Nick Harper, to ex-Grateful Dead members (Erik Anderson) and Aberfeldy; from Davy Graham (who pioneered the DADGAD guitar tuning) to fingerstyle guitar legend Duck Baker, the recent upsurge in talent coming to Dunnet Head, Sutherland reveals, arose by chance: "An e-mail arrived from an agent looking to put on Steve Young (best known for writing The Eagles' hit Seven Bridges Road] in Caithness on a Monday night. Of course, there's nowhere you can get a gig in the county on a Monday. House parties were an upcoming thing and I had the ideal space, so I decided to put on my own shows, asking people to make a donation instead of paying for tickets. It's now proving to be the most successful place to play on the circuit up here, because so many other places aren't getting a response. It's been phenomenal."

Sutherland's latest musical attraction involves Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett, better known as the guitarists and singers from 70s American country-funk legends, Little Feat. Before the concert, Sutherland's son, Isaac, gets busy setting up the sound equipment in the engine room, while "Fats" gets busy in the kitchen, cooking up a big pan of food for tonight's performers, who also include bluesman Gypsy Dave Smith. Tackett's wife, Patricia, zooms around gathering video evidence of this unique occasion, while in the living-room, Barrere and Tackett sit around the coal fire, happy to regale those fortunate enough to be allowed into Sutherland's inner sanctum with stories about Bob Dylan (whom Tackett used to play with), Frank Zappa ("the godfather of Little Feat in some ways"), and Feat's deceased former leader, Lowell George. Meanwhile, outside, a steady stream of torch-carrying guests make their way down the hill from the nearby car park. It's a weird sight for a place this remote, but everyone, performers and guests alike, is in total agreement: this is going to be a night long remembered.

Kicking it off, then? Why Sutherland and son, of course. Having performed in "trains in Germany, cafs in Kabul and restaurants in Istanbul" during a 45-year career, Sutherland, with his 28-year-old son Isaac, waste little time in blasting out the sort of eye-popping, blues-orientated guitar histrionics that would give even the most technically gifted headlining acts cause for concern. Little Feat's main men, however, take it a ll in their stride, Barrere suggesting Tackett should "take care of that" (fix his guitar strap) while "I take care of this" (swig from a can of strong lager), as they plow through a groovy, acoustic-led slideshow of Little Feat tunes such as Two Trains and Rocket In My Pocket.

What's really noticeable, though, is the audience: pin-drop silent during the songs, they respond afterward with loud, heartfelt appreciation: Sutherland's wise decision to replace alcohol with coffee and tea ensuring everyone does what they're meant to throughout the performance – listen.

With the concert drawing to a close, both Sutherland and son find themselves invited onstage to perform Feat classics Dixie Chicken and Willin' (on congas and bass respectively) for a well-deserved encore. Isaac, believing Christmas has come early, looks literally stunned when he realises not only is he performing alongside his musical heroes, they're hanging out in his back yard and commending his abilities.

Then it's all over. Condensation is dripping from the engine room walls and, like a wedding where all invited guests congratulate the bride and groom, not one person disappears into the cold Caithness air without shaking hands with all who made the gig possible.

Bringing top quality music to the Dunnet Head Lighthouse is a mighty feat indeed but, if you'll pardon the pun, the venture seems to have a bright future.

TOP FIVE

Other things you can see or do around Dunnet Head…

A SECOND WORLD WAR RADAR INSTALLATION You'll find this at Burifa Hill. Not easy to get to, but worth it for the views.

CASTLES Choose from the Castle of Mey, the late Queen Mother's home in Caithness, now owned by Prince Charles (www.castleofmey.org.uk) and medieval Castle Sinclair Girnigoe (www.clansinclair.org)

MUSEUMS Nearby museums include the comprehensive Wick Heritage Centre; the Laidhay Croft Museum in Dunbeath, a glimpse into the life of crofters; and the Last House Museum in John O'Groats, which has photographs of shipwrecks in the Pentland Firth and Scapa Flow.

BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE Take a woodland walk in Dunnet Forest, or a stroll along Dunnet Beach.

GO SURFING For beginners, Dunnet Bay has nice, friendly waves breaking over a sandy bottom. Experts should head further west, to the legendary pointbreak at Thurso East and the board-breaking barrels of Brimms Ness. To hire gear, visit the Tempest surf shop in Thurso: www.tempestsurf.co.uk

&#149 For more on Dunnet Head, visit www.dunnethead.iberacal.com