Willie Freckleton was Irvine’s very own ‘Mr Entertainment’
Part of the very fabric of our wee town, he was the man who for many a year brought so much entertainment and good music to the people of Irvine. He knew a hot ticket when he saw one, and crucially, he knew what the folks of Irvine wanted, whether they realised it or not.
Willie gave breaks to many acts that would go on to proper, global success. Billy Connolly. Oasis. Alan Cumming. All diverse, yet all owing a small part of their success to Willie, who saw fit to put them on the bill when precious few would give them the platform for success.
Willie also booked the big acts of the day, regardless of their ‘hip appeal’ or otherwise. “They get bums on seats,” was a well-voiced Willie phrase. Whether he was booking Runrig for yet another sell-out show, or making sure The Jam, The Smiths, Madness and many other bona fide chart acts included a stop-off in Irvine as part of their nationwide tours, Willie did indeed get Irvine bums on seats.
If he wasn’t looking after the needs of the Singing Kettle, Willie was bringing The Clash to town and setting aside part of the dressing room as a makeshift barbers so that Strummer and Jones could give Mohawk haircuts to the fans. If Willie wasn’t organizing haircuts for Thin Lizzy from George the Barber at Irvine Cross, he was handing over a brown paper bag stuffed with US dollars to his idol Chuck Berry – the agreed fee for the gig before he took to the stage. Everyone has a story about Willie. And all are complimentary. Ask around. Before long, you’ll bump into someone who knew Willie. And they’ll tell you the same. Willie was a true gent.
Freckfest was born after Willie passed.
It’s no coincidence that the big touring acts of the day stopped coming to Irvine in the time after his death. Growing up in Irvine, we almost took it for granted that a big name band would pull up in our town for a show. Pub chat led to action, and in August 2013, a group of highly-motivated music fans promoted a weekend festival – Freckfest – held in Willie’s name and honour at the Magnum.
A huge success, it enabled the Freckfest team to book and host monthly nights at the Harbour Arts Centre. All manner of acts have graced the HAC’s intimtae ‘stage’; Nik Kershaw, Glasvegas, James Grant, Glenn Tilbrook… ‘heritage’ acts, brand new acts and everyone in-between.
These shows afforded local acts the opportunity to share the billing with a big name.
The shows grew in popularity to the extent that monthly shows became weekly shows.
The shows grew in popularity to the extent that bigger acts started approaching us when they were putting together national tours.
Suddenly we were promoting Johnny Marr in the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock, Gun in Ayr Town Hall, an annual Seaside Ska event in Troon Concert Hall.
When the organisers of Butesong asked for some help, the Freckfest team got on board and helped to promote a boutique festival on the isle of Bute.
And now, almost a decade later, we’re still going strong, bringing the best in live music to the best venues in Ayrshire.
