WinterStorm is a music festival held annually in the seaside town of

Troon Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O Ferrie ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

History

Since 2016 it has been held in

Troon Town Hall Troon Town Hall is a municipal building in Ayr Street, Troon, Scotland. The structure, which serves as the meeting place of Troon Community Council, is a Category B listed building. History Following significant population growth, largely assoc ...

, a location that overlooks the beach and the Firth of Clyde. The event is split over two stages, the Main Stage hosts the headline acts in the Concert Hall, it has a capacity of 600 standing plus 250 seated upstairs. The second stage, known as the Sessions Stage, has a capacity of 160 and hosts up and coming bands and artists as well as an acoustic event on the Sunday following WinterStorm; known as After the 'Storm. StormBreakers, a Battle of the Bands type event, has been held to give acts a chance to win a place on the Sessions Stage. WinterStorm was conceived by Ian McCaig who is also the Festival Director and promoter of South Beach Sessions. South Beach Sessions is an ongoing programme of live music events which have included bands such as Rhino's Revenge, Pat McManus,

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scot ...

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...

, Snakecharmer as well as a number of tribute acts. The volunteer staff that run the event are known as 'StormTroopers. The main stage event is compared by

Tom Russell Thomas George Russell (born 1947/1948) is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Americana music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, rock, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many ...

, with Pete K Mally comparing the Sessions Stage. WinterStorm branded merchandise and catering includes- * WinterStormer Ayrshire Pie - Brownings the Bakers based in Kilmarnock. * WinterStormin Ices - Ayrshire Ice Cream makers The Forum Cafe. * Strathaven Ales WinterStorm Ale Cask Beer. * Winterstorm stick of rock. WinterStorm Rock

The Arran Mountains (

Goat Fell Goat Fell (marked as Goatfell by the Ordnance Survey; Scottish Gaelic: Gaoda Bheinn) is the highest point on the Isle of Arran. At 874 metres (2,867 ft), it is one of four Corbetts on the island. The mountain, along with nearby Brod ...

) that can be seen from the Troon venue are the inspiration behind the WinterStorm logo. Regular features of WinterStorm include- * The WinterStorm Deckchair - a giant 6-foot deckchair available for bands and festival goers to have their photograph taken on. * The WinterStorm Beach Clean - volunteers clean Troon Beach on the morning of the second day. For their efforts they receive a goody bag and a wee dram of whisky. In November 2019, The Temple of the King Bench was unveiled. It was an original design iron-worked bench installed on the beach promenade. It acts as a memorial for lost musicians and absent friends. The dedication was supported by the Troon Blackrock Pipe Band and

Doogie White Douglas "Doogie" White (born 7 March 1960) is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz and Alcatrazz. He has also notably sung for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis and Tank. Early li ...

who played an acoustic version of "The Temple of the King" (by

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

) - whose lyrics are inscribed on the bench "With just one wave of his strong right hand – he's gone to the Temple of the King". In 2018, WinterStorm launched a charity single. It is a cover of AC/DC’s " It's A Long Way to the Top" featuring 1st Troon Boys Brigade Pipe Band. Side B has a cover "

Bad Motor Scooter "'Bad Motor Scooter" is a song by American hard rock band Montrose, released on the band's 1973 debut album. Along with "Rock Candy", it is arguably the band's best-known song. Background and recording The song was written by lead singer ...

" a song by Montrose. Musicians that played on the single were

Chris Glen Christopher John Glen (born 6 November 1950), known simply as Chris Glen, is a Scottish rock musician. He is best known for playing with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band from 1972 to 1978, and Michael Schenker Group from 1980 to 1984, 2008 to 2 ...

(

Sensational Alex Harvey Band The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1972. Fronted by Alex Harvey (musician), Alex Harvey accompanied by Zal Cleminson on guitar, bassist Chris Glen, keyboard player Hugh McKenna (1949–2019) and dru ...

), Doogie White (Rainbow and

Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenke ...

) and Paul Mcmanus (

GUN A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

). The organizations to benefit from the single are dementia-based charity Playlist For Life and the See Me project aimed at reducing the stigma of mental health in youths. At WinterStorm V the Main Stage was officially renamed to the Steve Strange Stage in memory of the Northern Irish music agent, who died on the 25 September 2021.

2016 - WinterStorm I

2017 - WinterStorm II

2018 - WinterStorm III

2019 - WinterStorm IV

2020 - WinterStorm V (Cancelled)

WinterStorm V was due to take place on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th November 2020 but was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The announced lineup at the time of postponement was: - WinterStorm 2020 Poster

2021 - WinterStorm V

2022 - WinterStorm VI

2023 - WinterStorm VII - "Legends and Legacies"

In a change to the usual Friday and Saturday festival format, and After the 'Storm on Sunday, The Legends and Legacies of WinterStorm will feature the addition of a Thursday night line-up, and will touch on the best of the past seven years.

References

External links

Official website
{{Major British Music Festivals Heavy metal festivals in the United Kingdom Rock festivals in the United Kingdom Annual events in the United Kingdom Rock festivals in Scotland Tourist attractions in Scotland 2016 establishments in Scotland