Word4digi by Gerry Cassidy

word

the

Ayrshire’s arts, music & culture magazine

on the streets

issue 4 Autumn/Winter 2015

Illustrations from the How to Train Your Dragon books © Cressida Cowell reproduced with kind permission from Hodder Children’s Books

here be dragons Join the adventures of a children’s book hero as the Dark Ages set in over Kilmarnock page 3

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s R a F le e a

P k y ta op c

IAN MCNICOL•CAPALL DORCHA•KATHRYN GEOGHAN•DAVID MACLEOD

Art school student Kathryn on fine art

sic

boo

Crimewriter Douglas’s spectacular scenes

Nurturing Excellence in Arts and Culture Programme Supporting talented young people to realise their full potential in the field of arts and culture. Are you or do you know a young person in North Ayrshire who has a talent in: Creative writing Visual arts Music Dance New media art forms Drama Photography Film

The Nurturing Excellence in Arts & Culture programme provides support and grant funding to young people to access training professional development and employment opportunities. The programme is open to 11 - 25 year-olds in North Ayrshire who wish to improve their skills in their chosen art form.

Information on application forms available online at: www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/nurturingexcellence or telephone: 01294 274059

Poet David rages against the machine

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the

production

14-15 18-19

P13: Tamfest: Get yer ears round this

raspberryhorse

12-13

Survival against the odds: Leslie’s story

Stara Zagora: music as an abstract art form

word is a

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Act 1: Capall Dorcha enters, stage right

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P5: Ian’s creative world of print

One Last Secret: the power of a huge fanbase

Sarah Green Craig McAllister Ryan McDougall James Rose Douglas Skelton

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Ronnie McGhie: my all-time favourites

Contributors:

8-10

Virosa Kai: no gain without facial pain

Advertising: 01292 268671

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Chris Dooks: stuff that goes bump in the night

Design and Production: Raspberry Horse Limited 97 Crofthead Road, Ayr KA7 3NE 01292 268671

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Editor: Gerry Cassidy M: 0798 543 9752 E: gerry@ thewordonthe streets.co.uk

Irvine artists open their studio doors

IMAGINE a world where dragons spoke and a Viking pirate was what every child dreamed of becoming... The Dark Ages, when legends were born and heroic adventure was out there, just waiting to be had. Such is the stuff of a thrilling new exhibition which takes up residence at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock, the only Scottish venue for this exciting event. A Viking’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, based on the popular series of books created by Cressida Cowell is sure to enthral visitors over the autumn and winter months. Set in a Viking world,

Dragons light up a dark past the exhibition takes the form of a guided tour by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the hero of the stories, who introduces us to his tribe, the Hairy Hooligans, his island home of Berk, his hunting dragon Toothless and his quest to become a hero the hard way. Visitors get to explore the wild dragons cliffs, sail on a

Viking boat and share epic yarns in the Great Hall. The stories were inspired by holidays Cressida Cowell spent as a child on a Scottish island. Their cottage was lit by candle, had no phone or TV and her dad’s Viking tales were a nightly treat. The exhibition runs from September 26 until January 16 2016.

SEVENTEEN artists working in various styles put their workj on display for three weeks during October – as well as taking part in their annual Open Studios event at the start of the month. Painting, drawing, photographic art, jewellery, hand book-binding, music and ceramics will all be on display as artists from the Courtyard Studios link up with their near neighbours the Harbour Arts Centre to produce their first joint show for several years. The exhibition, called 21 Years, runs at the HAC from Friday October 2 until Friday October 23. The Courtyard Open Studios Weekend takes place on Saturday the third from 11am5pm and Sunday the fourth from noon until 5pm. Visitors can see work at various stages of completion, along with finished work for sale. Free entry.

Ken reaches for the stars

WORLD PREMIERE FOR TRYST THE second Cumnock Tryst takes place from Thursday to Sunday, October 1 to 4 in the town where composer and Tryst founder and artistic director Sir James MacMillan grew up.

PRESTWICK artist Ken O’Hara’s eight-week exhibition at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine ends on September 28. Ken specialises in icon portraits such as Bowie (above), Johnny Cash and Freddie Mercury, but is also a fine landscape painter. He says: “For my portraiture, I look to Lucian Freud and Stuart Pearson Wright and their use of colour and shadow. In my landscapes, my style ranges from the impressionistic to a more realistic interpretation.” Find out more about Ken’s work at www.artofkenohara.com

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Ian’s paintings make waves for Macmillan SEASCAPE artist Ian Rawnsley has set out on a voyage to raise £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Well, a series of voyages, to be more accurate. He is planning to visit all 31 Met Office shipping forecast stations in the waters around the British Isles. On each visit he will take pictures and maybe make a few sketches then on his return home, he will paint a series of full-size paintings which will then be auctioned for the charity. And Ian, a professional artist but not a sailor, plans to make his way to each one using a different form of transport every time. His first visit, to the Thames station, was made aboard a historic Thames sailing barge – but not just any old barge, this was one of the very few not built in a local shipyard. In fact, it was built in Scotland in 1892 and bore the name The Thistle. Ian tries to barter a deal with the ship owner to keep his costs down, and that usually means he has to lend a hand as a crew member. The Thistle, he recalls, was not an easy barge to sail. “There was me, the captain and the first mate,” he said “and this is serious sailing. Unlike modern boats, this had big, heavy jute ropes. There was a bit of muscle involved.” His second trip, to Malin off the

The art of West Coast of Scotland, was made on board a lobster boat – and this time Ian agreed a deal to paint a picture of the vessel as his payment for the trip. His next outing will be a double, to Fair Isle and Cromarty, both off the stormy north coast. He’ll board a freighter in Aberdeen to set sail for Lerwick on Shetland and later to Kirkwall and Stromness on Orkney before heading to Stromness. He is travelling as a guest of the chief executive of North Sea Ferries who heard about Ian’s expedition and wanted to lend a hand. Find out more about Ian’s project on his blog at http://ship pingforecast2015.blogspot.co.uk/ and view some of his stunning seascapes on his website at http://www.ianrawnsley.com

FINE art printmaker Ian McNicol can reflect on an eventful summer season as his show at the Maclaurin Gallery in Ayr draws to a close. Hundreds of visitors have viewed the 50 examples of his work including the award-winning Red Versus Blue (pictured, far right) which was selected in June by the Royal Academy of Arts for the London Original Print Fair Prize at their summer exhibition. It is wonderful recognition of his work for the artist who began his career training to become an architect before opting for printmaking – and one that came as a bit of a surprise, he says. “I made that plate around five years ago and never

released it. I made prints from it using two different colours and friends liked them and bought them, but basically I put them into storage because I had too many other things to do. “When the Royal Academy comes around you tend to be under a lot of pressure to find something to send and the only successes I have had are with colour abstracts. So I found the old plate and decided I would have a

creative NETWORKING

•art•music•poetry•writing•theatre •film-making•performance•photo graphy•crafts•art•music•poetry•writ ing •theatre•film-aking•performance •photography•crafts•art•music•poet ry•writing •theatre• film-making•per Are you an artist, involved in the arts or interested formance•photography•crafts•art•m in collaborating in arts projects? Find out what’s going usic•poetry•writing •theatre•film-ma on at our drop-in sessions on the ﬁrst Tuesday of every king•performance•photography•craf month, 4pm-6pm, at THE MERCURE HOTEL, DALBLAIR ts•art•music•poetry•writing•theatre• ROAD AYR KA7 IUG. Chat, have a coﬀee or a beer and film-making•performance•photo share information on projects, funding and events. graphy•crafts•art•music•poetry @artspartsa Facebook /artspartsa •writing •theatre•film-making•per NO AGENDA • NO FORMALITIES • JUST CHAT formance•photography•crafts•art

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a master printer Ian passes his skills to a new generation

pop at it. It was real serendipity stuff. “I had tried landscapes, zoological and architecture and everything kept being rejected, so this is the first time in six years I have had a piece accepted.” The exhibition featured three aspects of Ian’s work: architecure, abstract and landscape – but says he had never considered landscape until he moved with his family to Ayr from Glasgow 12 years ago.

Holidays in Kirkcudbight and Dumfriesshire, with their huge history of Scottish art and Scottish landscape eventually started feeding through his work, he says. “Even the drive to Glasgow, leaving Ayr, I am always astonished at the beauty of the landscape, the trees and fields and the colours and the changing light and I just had to start doing landscapes – and it has been really

rewarding. Most of these etchings are more like paintings to me and I had to develop a practice. “Although they are all etchings, you actually paint the ink onto the plate and then you take a print. “And even though these are made in editions of 10 or so, no two are ever the same, because you can never ink them up the same way. So yes, the landscapes have been quite a release for me.”

PUPILS from Carrick Academy in Maybole are being introduced to printmaking thanks to a generous donation to the Maclaurin Gallery by Ian. He has given the gallery a printing press that he no longer uses and is now helping the schoolchildren to explore their talents using printing techniques. Another printing project led by Ian and set up in conjunction with Maybole and Carrick Youth Arts is helping recent school leavers who are not yet in employment develop new skills. “It is very rewarding to watch the development of both sets of young artists,” said Ian. “The idea is to allow them as much autonomy as possible, under supervision, to create their own work. “Joan Elliot from South Ayrshire Council is also involved and has been a tremendous help. She has been fantastic in the project.”

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EE T

A century on, Keir Hardie is going digital

Capall Dorcha in the wings Where would we be without Wickipedia? It tells us that a dark horse is a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence. Interesting, because that is the literal translation of the Welsh name of one of Ayrshire newest theatre companies, Capall Dorcha. The company was launched in April by Ardrossan actor Barry Robertson and buisiness partner Neil Tait. Barry is a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, hence the Welsh connection. Capall Dorcha aims to bring regualr professional theatre to North Ayrshire and so far they seem to be living up to their dark horse promise. Barry recognises the difficulties in creating a theatre company in an area where the local people might not necessarily be in the habit of enjoying regular evenings of theatre, but since their first show last summer, they have been generating great interest

Capall Artistic Director Barry Robertson, above, left, with performers Natalie Toyne, Kirsty Malone and Neil Thomas in a growing audience of music lovers. They’re looking forward to the fourth edition of their Broadway on the Coast show at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine in October – which they are billing as a Hallowe‘en Spooktacular – and which, as before, will feature a cast of some of the cream of Scotland’s professional acting talent. The show takes the form of a two-hour live cabaret featuring some stage musical favourites, and says Barry, the format is a small-scale intimate show in an informal, relaxing atmosphere, featuring polished performers covering a range of musical

styles including pop, operatic, musical theatre. The shows generally feature a range of classics from the shows of Andrew Lloyd Webber and other favourtites such as Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Rent – The Musical and Little Shop of Horrors. In developing the theatre company, Barry and Neil aim to develop Ayrshire talent – and one such established artist, Troon’s Scott Watson has performed with the company. Other singer-actors include Natalie Toyne, Kirsty Malone and Neil Thomas. Find out more about the company at capalldorcha.com or find them on Facebook.

Professional theatre has a home in North Ayrshire

A NEW digital exhibition has just been added to www.futuremuseum.co.uk to coincide with Keir Hardie – A Hundred Years On, which is currently on display at the Baird Institute in Cumnock. Around 70 items have been added to the online exhibition and additional rare items will be added as time goes on. There are a large number of photographs and documents as well as objects, books and furniture to view online. The Words of Keir Hardie, a Heritage Lottery funded project, will run alongside the Baird exhibition until December. Hardie achieved success as a Member of Parliament, founder of the Labour Party, and an advocate of votes for women and other causes. The Baird is open Thursday – Saturday 11am-5pm and access is FREE.

£40,000 boost for collector’s Burns works A MAJOR collection of the work of Robert Burns is to become more accessible to the public thanks to a grant from Museum Galleries Scotland. The renowned McKie Collection was amassed in the 19th century by James McKie, a Kilmarnock publisher who promoted Burns at home and abroad. His collection of Burns editions is one of the key collections of its kind in the world. These, and his collection of enormous scrapbooks spanning his career, are attracting significant academic interest from the UK and North America. The grant is to be used to digitise and catalogue the collection to allow the public greater access to it.

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‘You were a bad investment, why don’t you die?’ LESLEY SEHLI has faced many challenges in her life, not the least of which has been her battle against breast cancer. But she has taken these challenges head-on, courageously forging her way over the barriers and through the difficulties. Now she has written a book about her experiences, a brave, no-holds barred account of her years struggling to regain her health in the face of an uncaring Saudi husband who once said to her as she lay in bed recovering from a bout of chemotherapy: “You were a bad investment, why don’t you just die?” Lesley’s career began within weeks of leaving school, when she flew to London for a job interview with Saudi Airlines. She was successful and started work immediately. She excelled in the job and was soon promoted, becoming the first British check hostess \ councillor, one of the first female safety Inspectors on the desert flights and first woman in Saudi Airlines history to work in an all-male section, presenting seminars with pilots and safety trainers throughout the company. On one safety check flight to Dehli she was faced with handling a rape crisis situation when an air hostess was assaulted by her Saudi supervisor. After 22 years in Saudi, she married Mustafa Sehli, a member of a rich and powerful family. He was also a serious gambler and a womaniser. Lesley’s story is one of survival against all the odds. The moral of the story, she says, is that it’s not what happens to you in life that counts, it’s what you do about it that matters. Lesley hopes to have her book, Whisper: He Said Die; I Said No, published in spring 2016.

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An excerpt from Troon woman Lesley Anne Sehli’s forthcoming book, He said Die, I Said No, which tells of her life in Saudia Arabia and her struggle against breast cancer and an abusive husband

T’S a lovely sunny winter’s day and I’m taking the subway this morning from Buchanan Street in the centre of Glasgow to Hillhead in the West End. I enjoy the West End with its quaint little shops that align Byres Road. Indeed a bygone age. Visit one of the bistros or sit outside at one of the outdoor cafes, relax with a cappuccino and watch the world go by. Its vibrant colours and sounds echo through the alleyways. Or take a walk to Ashton Lane with its cobbled roads and sip a glass of wine whilst listening to the latest jazz sounds as you catch up with friends and blether in the wee hours. I always feel upbeat and happy after spending time there. Today is different. I have my biopsy results at the Western Infirmary at 10am. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the subway. It has been such a long weekend, waiting for today to arrive to get my results. I have told no-one about today and how unwell I feel. I am waiting for the outcome. For the moment, it is my little secret. Arriving at the hospital, I go directly to the reception area and hand in my appointment card. The friendly receptionist asks me kindly to take a seat in the waiting room. It is still quite early and not many people are around. I take a seat and wait to be called. I must admit that I am feeling a wee but anxious, remembering the events of four days ago, which led to me being here today. When I had the mammogram at the hospital last Thursday I had thought that would be that – but no, I pulled the short straw. They had found a lump and additional tests had to be carried out that same day. An ultra-sound detected a black shadow beside the lump on my left

breast, necessitating a cone biopsy. God, it hurt but hey ho! Onwards and upwards. Today is D Day. The waiting room is becoming quite busy, but I’m oblivious to those around me. My focus is on the nurses who are picking up the patients’ files from the main reception desk, calling out their names and then showing them through to the consultants’ rooms. One of the nurses with a file in her hand is looking rather perplexed. She looks around the waiting room and then glances back to the file in her hand. She looks to her colleague who has now joined her in the search for the file’s owner. After two tries, the nurses get it right and call out “Mrs Sehli”. This happens regularly to me because of my family name, which is of course a very unusual name in Scotland, indeed in Britain. “Good morning,” the nurse says as I approach reception. “so sorry that I wasn’t able to pronounce your name properly.” I smile. “Don’t worry, it’s OK, it happens all the time.” “Where are you from, Mrs Sehli?” “I’m from Glasgow, but my husband is from Saudi Arabia, hence my name.” ”Oh, how exotic!” she says. “Yes, it is,” I reply. “I lived there with all that sunshine for 23 years.”

“Thank you,” I say, nervously. Just as I change into the blue gown, the handle of the door moves, the door opens and Dr Gillian walks in. My heart misses a beat. “Good morning, Mrs Sehli, how are you today?” she inquires as I sit down at the table beside me. “I am feeling very tires, a bit lethargic and quite tender beside the lump. Do you have the result, Dr Gillian?” In my heart, I think I already know. “Yes, Lesley, we have found some abnormal cells.” I carefully interrupt her: “Do I have cancer?” “Yes,” she says. “We have found a

‘We have found.. an aggressive tumour. I need to operate as soon as possible’

HE smiles as she leads me down a small corridor and into the same wee room that I had been in four days previously. This was where first met Dr Gillian, a wonderfully caring person, my very own Miss Marple who had discovered the black shadow. “Mrs Sehli, please remove your top and then put on the hospital gown. Dr Gillian will be with you shortly.”

tumour in your left breast.” “Oh,” I say calmly. “Am I going to die?” Just at that point, the door handle moves again and in walks a woman with a broad smile. “Good morning, Mrs Sehli,” she says as she approaches the table where I am sitting. Dr Gillian stands up and moves to the other side of the table. “I’m Julie Daoudy, your surgeon.” “Oh, my surgeon,” I say, rather surprised. “Yes, please try not to worry, Lesley, but as Dr Gillian would have told you today, we have found some abnormal cells. It is an aggressive tumour and I need to operate as soon as possible, probably next week.” Again I interrupt politely: “Am I going to die?”

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Playwrights and authors on guest list for Ayr Writers’ Club WRITERS, poets and budding authors meet weekly at Ayr’s Mercure Hotel on Wednesday evenings from 7.15-9pm. There is help and encouragement for established and aspiring writers, with a number of published authors among the membership. Guest speakers for the current season include Bernard MacLaverty, novelist and short story writer. In addition to numerous awards for his writing, MacLaverty also wrote and directed a short film, 'Bye-Child' winning him the BAFTA Scotland Best First Director Award in 2003. Distinguished writer

and journalist Alan Taylor, pictured, is taking a break from working on his current novel to visit the club. See the 2015/16 syllabus at ayrwritersclub.co.uk – it features fiction, poetry and drama workshops plus professional speakers including Zoe Strachan, Marc Pye and Michael Malone.

Ann Burnett was recently awarded the accolade of Honorary Life Membership of the club. Ann joined in 1979 and has served as President on three occasions. Her inspiration, mentoring and own publishing successes have proved her a wonderful ambassador for the club. New members are always welcome – and it is possible to become an e-member and receive access to all the club resources and competitions without attending the meetings. See details on the website or follow Ayr Writers' Club on Facebook.

Yes, I’m “Lesley,” she says gently. “The tumour you have, we believe at this point, is very rare and found in seven per cent of cases. At the moment your survival rate is 50/50 but after the operation I will be able to give you a clearer prognosis. I am hoping that we have caught it early and that you will make a good recovery.” For the third time that morning, the door handle moves and in walks a smartly dressed lady who conveys an aura of empathy and calm. She smiles and stands beside Dr Gillian. The surgeon, Ms Daoudy, continues to explain my prognosis and what my treatment will be over the coming months. “After your operation next week, Lesley, you will be scheduled for six months of chemotherapy and perhaps 12 months of Herceptin, which will be given in hospital intravenously. “It’s a new ‘miracle’ drug and hopefully you will be a good match to receive it.” I remain calm and ask her the obvious

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very sick, but I will survive question for a woman: “Will I lose my hair?” “Yes,” she says softly. “Within three weeks, but it will grow back. Now, before I examine you, let me introduce you to Jean, she is a nurse manager and will be with you for the next few years.” I cannot explain why, but I felt so safe that the woman with the aura would be my angel. “Hello Lesley,” she says. “Hello Jean,” I reply. After the examination, I dress as the surgeon confers with Dr Gillian. As both doctors leave the room, Dr Gillian glances back and says: Try not to worry, Lesley. You are in good hands.” “Thank you” I say as the door closes quietly behind them. I turn to Jean and my eyes fill. I was trying to be so brave. She puts her arms around me and promises: “I will never leave you, Lesley, you will never be alone.” I feel empowered, not scared or sad, as

though what has just happened had been wonderfully orchestrated and timed. These three strangers were now gong to play a vital role in my survival. Jean and I chat for a while and she gives me a copy of my treatment plan. I feel so comfortable with her, this stranger who was about to become one of my best friends. On leaving the hospital, I hail a taxi and

A choir is singing carols and I am heading towards my favourite bistro... I am going to have a lovely afternoon ask him to take me to Princes Square in Buchanan Street. I sit back in the taxi, my head a whirlwind of emotions at the prospect of what lies in front of me. So many wild thoughts are running through me, each clamouring to be heard. All of

this is ahead of me and suddenly I think: To hell with it. It is the Christmas season, made magical with all the beautiful, twinkling lights, sparkling trees covered in tinsel and baubles. There is a choir singing winter carols in the square and I am heading towards my favourite bistro where I will order a cheese board and a welcome glass of Pinot Grigio. I am going to enjoy the day, put everything on the back burner for the moment. I am going to have a lovely afternoon. I’m calm. I will tell my husband tonight. As Winston Churchill once said: “If you’re going through hell, keep going!” Three days later my letter arrives. I am very sick, but I will survive. My spirit is stronger than the black shadow. l Join Lesley at a Macmillan Tea and Coffee day in Yummy Things, Troon, on Seotember 22, 11am - 3pm. Tea, coffee, delicious cakes, guitar music and two readings from Lesley.

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Castle ramparts artists

in resi-

Four artists take up a year-long residency with a studio in the grounds of Culzean JULIE WINTER, one of four artists in residence at Culzean Castle, is the new chair of Open Studios Ayrshire, taking over from founder and former chair Irene Walker – another of the Culzean artists. Set up in a studio in the clock tower courtyard close to the castle, the artists have just spent the summer working under the public gaze as they create their landscapes and portraits. Joining Julie and Irene are Elspeth Guthrie and Susan Leishman, who set up the residency. Susan, from Seafield in Ayr, is largely self-taught and the least experienced of the four and since joining Open Studios Ayrshire two years ago has been developing her skills. She says, self-effacingly: “When I see some of my earlier work I think “oh dear” but then, somebody bought it, so it couldn’t have been all that bad.” And if sales are an indication of the quality of the four artists’s work, then the visiting public has given them a rousing vote of confidence. As well as pantings, the artists have seen other items disappear off the shelves of the workshop – such as cups and scarves – as visitors buy up a memento of their visit. Julie, who has a studio in New Cumnock, loves the artists in residency set-up. “The lovely thing is that people come in and engage and interact with your work. They say things like ‘Oh, I like that, your colours are lovely.’ It is very rewarding.” The studios will operate restricted opening times over the autumn and

n EMERGING artist Kathryn Geoghan, from Ayr, is a third year student at the renowned Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, studying Fine art painting. Here she reflects on her observations as she begins to establish herself in the art world, exploring people’s perceptions of what constitutes fine art and what she must achieve if she is ever to consider herself an artist.

Two of Kathryn’s recent works. Above is North Korea and right is The Hermitage.

Ideas

‘

An essay by KATHRYN

ARTWORK: Top - the studio/gallery; middle - Julie with some of her silk scarves; above - the inevitable selfie with, l-r, Elspeth, Susan, Julie and Irene winter session, but the artists are all preparing work for a series of Christmas fairs in November and December. Visit their Facebook page, Artists At Culzean for details.

I UNDERSTAND the term “fine art” to be undefined and completely subjective. The definition of art changes and in this day and age can be extremely dynamic. Leaving school and going straight into university, I had only been exposed to a set curriculum within art and design and the transition I experienced going to Gray’s School of Art certainly opened up a whole new ball game of ‘fine art’. Before I began my degree I believed fine art to be only associated with painting and sculptures that were big, elaborate and rich with detail – the kind of thing you paid to see in an art gallery. However, from the first semester and my lectures on contextual critical studies I have learned that fine art has meant very different things in different time periods and places such as in the Renaissance, most art was made for religious purposes – in a sense it was much like a product as there was no personal expression or freedom for the artist. Contrasting with this century where a snake with human hair coming from its

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and freedom of art

GEOGHAN, student of Fine Art Painting at Gray’s School of Art Aberdeen mouth is classed under the same category. This change and contrast through time periods fascinates me completely. Artists are able to explore limitless ideas. However, I feel this freedom has shaken up the written definition of “fine art”. At the end of the 20th century people had really gotten confused about the ideas of art and what really is fine art. Is it a broken toaster covered in blood and feathers? A urinal? An Intricate painting? I feel that suddenly art has no real stance in the world as boundaries are beginning to be pushed and exhausted at every extremity. The metaphorical table which art sits upon is being slowly wobbled. But is this good or bad? My specialism is painting. I’ve always had an interest in the arts whether it be painting or music. However, I feel I am

nether an artist nor a designer until I’ve changed or affected the views of other people. Somebody once said: “You must comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted.” And I feel I’m not an artist or designer until I do so and make a profound impact on other people’s views. Since coming to Gray’s, I have really thought about this question. My knowledge of the term “design” hasn’t been altered at all. During my time at school and in workshops, I studied design. I believe “design” is something that can have a physical outcome. It is more defined and structured than simple “fine art” but it is still classed as art. Design can range from chairs to buildings to hospital ventilators. It can have a purpose and be used in everyday life or simply a piece to look at. I

What really is fine art? Is it a broken toaster covered in blood and feathers? A urinal? An Intricate painting?

don’t agree with people who think designers aren’t artists. I think anybody with an imagination can be an artist if they really put their mind to it, they don’t have to have a term to define them. Design is unavoidable in our lives and I have come to realise that everything humans walk around or meander through has been designed – even the pavement they walk on. During My lectures when visual culture was mentioned, I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, not having a clue what it meant. Now I do. I now understand “visual culture” to be about the things you can visually see, such as magazines and advertising – things you can see have changed over time. As a painter, people expect me to look for influence from other painters but design has really helped my ideas round off. Now going into third year I have realised I’m not restricted to one area of the art scene.

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SHORT STORY

by JAMES ROSE

Frustration THERE was enough light in the sky to make out his silhouette, crouched in the prow like a hare waiting to be coursed. Between us lay the tea chests and bales of tobacco. Onshore, the village kirk was outlined against a gap in the hills. To keep station, all I needed was a glance and a pull on the muffled oars. A fox barked, lambs bleated, cattle lowed, a master shouted for his servant, owls hooted. ‘Is it not a wonder what one may hear at night over the water?’ he said. ‘Along this shore, those hoots will be our tubmen calling while they row in from the lugger.’ As we had. ‘Why cannot we go in now? We are close.’ He spoke urgently. ‘Can’t have the whole merchandise at hazard at the same time. I’m standing off till I get the signal.’ ‘How long then, think you?’ ‘Can’t rightly say. There’s the barrels to transfer to the ponies…’ ‘Yes, yes!’ ‘. . .and lead away up the hill.’ ‘You don’t know.’ ‘As I said, sir.’ The boat heaved gently as I kept it head-on to the light offshore breeze. The oars clunked softly in their rowlocks. ‘What brings you to Carrick shore by this route, sir?’ ‘It is best you not ask, my boy.’ ‘Forgive me, sir. ‘Tis just my way.’ But I was compelled to continue. ‘You boarded in Ireland but I hear a Scots burr in your voice.’ I could press him more easily in the half light with my back turned. ‘And a Cornish one in yours.’ ‘ ‘Tis so.’ ‘You feared being press ganged?’ Rag-wrapped horseshoes thudded on the sand by the water’s edge. ‘I did. You are long from these shores?’ ‘Many a year since I trod my native soil. I want to make a trade myself.’ When I was helping him into the boat, I had noted his coat was of French cut, patched and worn, the sure sign of a much travelled gentleman down on his luck. And pinned to his lapel, an oak leaf. It was then that I knew. ‘Competition for us?’ ‘No, I am bound for the North.’ A new route would be neither practical nor profitable. Beside, free trading is not for gentlemen. A spur of the moment invention. He shifted uncomfortably on the foreward thwart. ‘If we do not land soon, I fear these breeches will be wet with more than seawater.’ The moon rose and the light grew apace. ‘You can relieve yourself over the side. Keep one hand on the gunwale, else you be found

floating with your person out.’ I had seen landlubbers go that way often enough. As his stream splashed into the water, he sighed with relief and I half turned to see him looking at me. ‘Why are you taking your pistol out of its oil cloth?’ he asked. ‘I have no light. I must answer the signal, when it comes.’ He nodded and turned back. My shot echoed across the bay and he pitched forward into the sea with a soft splash. To starboard I could make out his form, face down. I wrapped the pistol again and stowed it. After rummaging through his leather bag and finding nothing of consequence, I slit its silk lining and pulled out a small bundle of letters. Out of the wind, I lit a taper with my flint and broke the seal on a letter to a local nobleman. Beneath a drawing of a rose and a rosebud, I could just make out: Sir, The bearer is to be trusted with all our plans and brings … A Jacobite for sure. A light on shore flashed three times. I snuffed the taper, put the letters in my pocket and rowed in. ‘Whaur’s yer man, Jack?’ ‘He wanted ashore privily. I landed him on the beach to the north.’ ‘Didnae see you.’ ‘He said to do it privily.’ ‘There was a shot.’ ‘To draw the attention of those he would meet that his journey was at an end.’ He nodded his understanding. ‘Let’s aboot these bales.’

n David Macleod left Ayr in 2013, having lived in the town for around six years. He is a keen suporter of local music and the arts and is the father of Melisa Kelly, herself an emerging talent whose singing and songwriting skills have earned her legions of fans in the West of Scotland. David has had a chequered career but after a spell in hospital for heart surgery has not been in the best of health. He is a prolific writer of poetry, some of it sharply political and some of it fantastically absurd. His wit and observations have earned him many followers on Facebook.

Before my lord, the Earl of Bute, I felt awkward in my seaman’s clothes as he dipped his quill in the inkwell and scratchily made a list of those to whom the letters had been addressed. Once finished, he scattered fine sand across the paper, shook it off and, in the nearest he ever came to expressing satisfaction, pushed his bottom lip up and made a soft grunt. ‘No press gang for you, Jack. For a while yet!’ ‘Thank you, my lord. And may I pray you not to proceed against the freetraders?’ ‘And reveal my source of information! Besides I care not tuppence if my countrymen lighten the long winter nights with a pipe or a pinch of snuff, make merry with French brandy or deck themselves with lace. That is between them and the Revenue.’ He paused and thumped the table. ‘What I will not have is traitors from France stirring up trouble again. I ordered you to frustrate their knavish tricks. And you have.’ A most extreme form of frustration, I thought, as I took my leave, a heavy chinking sensation in my breeches’ pocket.

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WORD We’ve never met, but I have read a good bit of your poetry on Facebook and it intrigued me enough to want to get to know a bit more about you. Could you tell us a wee bit about your background? DAVID I was born in Lanark and dragged up between Glasgow and East Kilbride. Left school with virtually no qualifications and a bad attitude. Bummed around doing pointless jobs, then through a charity went on a welfare rights course and got the bug. An 18-year career in civil and welfare rights followed until in a moment of madness I left it all behind to become a retail manager with Superdrug (WTF?) I have written for the theatre and for four years ran my own theatre company. I have written poetry since I was about 16 years old, however I have only taken it more seriously in the last few years. I am currently working on a twinned anthology which gives the same poems in English and alternatively in Glaswegian – working titles are ‘My Spikey Helmet’ and ‘Ma jaggy Bunnet’. W I saw on Facebook that you have recently been through a serious operation and it seems to me that you have an amazing ability to look on the bright side, cracking jokes at your own expense, though I dare say your life can’t possibly be a laugh a minute. Can

A Bag Full of Maggots

Our health service is thoroughly modern Advanced computers ultramodern Robots teaching surgery Increasing use of technology Ultra violet laser beams Space-age work or so it seems They’re still a bunch of rattle shakers Witch like spell and potion makers Quacks that blow smoke up your arse My medical treatment now a farce I hear you cry What's the snag? They’ve offered me maggots in a bag To crunch and chomp and slowly chew To turn my scar a different hue Wriggling as they eat their fill To stop my wound from going downhill They offered me this low tech fix It will work, my Doc predicts I promise trying not to gag As they apply Hungry maggots in a bag

RAGE and other emotions

The poetry of David Macleod you tell us a wee bit of what you have been through and how you have been coping? D Life was relatively normal until, in 2011, I was sent to have a heart bypass and during the recovery procedure I was diagnosed with vascular disease giving me inoperable blockages in my leg arteries and the recent amputation of my left leg below the knee – the prognosis for the right leg is that it will also face amputation in the future. During this period I also developed acute diabetic neuropathy severely restricting my mobility and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by being allowed to wake up during the heart bypass. I have not had a pain or drug free day since early 2012 and now face a cancer scare with a CT scan showing up a growth on my right kidney.

Illuminati (Written as fatherly advice to my son)

That’s fine! Carry on! You keep obeying ‘The Man’ Not me! You go right ahead! Just don’t come crying to me When the lizardman is eating your dinner, Shagging your wife, Playing with your cats, Walking your dog and Wearing your fucking slippers.

Night Bees?

My mood switches between rage and daft humour and that is reflected in the poetry that I write. Coping is one day at a time, putting on a brave face and writing like there is no tomorrow, well lets face it there might not be – I average 10 poems a week, sometimes more – I find writing poetry therapeutic and a good way of working on your demons. This answer may well be TMI (lol). W Have you always written poetry or is this something new? D I have written poetry since I was about 16 years old. I also used to write short stories and stuff for the theatre. It was only going to a writer’s group in Edinburgh three years ago that I decided that maybe my stuff might be good enough for publication. This is now my only ambition, to live long enough to get a book published.

Where do bees go at night? What takes their fancy? Where goes their ﬂight? I know, I know, I know That was the question That was on your mind too Where do bees go at night? To be perfectly honest Like you, I don’t really know The answer to such questions But Hi’ve got a few suggestions Some go to a theatre run by pigs Where monkeys swing from lighting rigs There’s just one play the pigs can do About their ‘Hamlet’ there is much ado Bees only come to see one thing The only line which has a sting They stand and cheer this repartee As they hear ‘two Bee or not two Bee’ Some get down at discotheques Where Beegees play on disco decks The worker Bee just does his thing To a remixed version of ‘How deep

is your sting’ He darts and fits like electro shockin To his favourite hit ‘Hive Talkin’ He even rocks like a dude To their crap version of ‘Johnny Bee Goode’ Some go to karaoke bars Arriving in their Hum-vee cars They’d hum to all their favourite tunes And sigh when Frank Sinatra croons All night long they’d dance and sting To favourite stars like Bee Bee King They drink just like the drunk barfly Their wings don’t work they cannot fly They can’t control their hairy legs Drinking flowers nectar dregs In a taxi they must dive Back into their homely hive These are just suggestions Trying to answer many questions I can see them in the daylight But where do Bees really go at night?

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Duncan with his Uncle Albert’s frieze, which has pride of place in the corner of the bar

Tam O’Shanter at home in the Tam O’Shanter A UNIQUE artwork has been discovered tucked away in the corner of an Ayr pub – by the nephew of the artist who created it more than a century ago. The plaster cast of a scene from Burns’ Tam O’Shanter is mounted, appropriately enough, on the wall of the Tam O’Shanter Inn in the town’s High Street. Duncan Lunan – whose uncle, Albert Hodge, created the cast in 1914 to make a plaque to adorn one side of a plinth bearing his sculpture of Robert Burns in Stirling – stumbled upon the artwork by chance when he called in to the pub. “I was astonished to see it there,” he recalls, “even more so when I realised it was the original casting, signed in the bottom corner by my uncle. When I asked the owner where he got it from he told me he had rescued it from a skip.” Albert H Hodge, a member of the famed Glasgow Boys, trained as an architect and studied at the Glasgow School of Art. Several examples of his work are still on view in London, Cardiff and in Canada. In Glasgow, he created the crouching figures on the front of the Caledonian Chambers at 75-79 Union Street. He died in 1918 at the early age of 42, putting an end to an extremely promising career as an influential artist. Among the family treasures passed to Duncan is a statuette of a cherub playing with a frog on the head of an old man whom he has apparently just shot. Donald commented: “It is one of a series of macabre combinations of childhood and death which Albert sculpted and exhibited at the Royal Academy. This one is special because the model for the cherub’s head was my late uncle, Gordon Lunan.”

SARAH GREEN gets all touchy feely as she browses through the tactile world of Tim Stead WOOD artist Tim Stead’s final touring exhibition arrives at the Maclaurin Gallery in Ayr in November, following its successful run at the Barony Centre in West Kilbride during the summer months. If you are not au fait with his work, you may still be acquainted with the awesome “Womb With a View” at the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (the upturned boat with a spy hole), or his beautifully crafted furniture in the Café Gandolfi in the Merchant City. The exhibition is a retrospective, fulfilling one of Stead’s aspirations from just before his untimely death in 2000. Entitled A Retrospective of Sculpture in Wood: 1973-2000, the exhibition showcases Stead the sculptor. The furniture on display, including the quirky undergraduate chess set made from railway sleepers and with built in-rests for his pint and cigarettes, is indeed sculpture. His affinity with wood and nature shines through in each example of his work. Sculptures in Wood, inspired by Skara Brae and the inner/outer layering of brochs, is stunning, the beautiful grain and painstaking polishing a testimony to Stead’s art. This amazing man was not just a sculptor, but a poet and, in his words, a “seed sower”. He set up the first ever Community Woodland in 1987 and is buried at Wooplaw Woods in The Borders. The exhibition displays some of the axe heads that Stead made to fund the project. He raised some

Man o

‘seed corn’ money (£3,500) by making and selling 365 wooden axe heads in what he called his Axes for Trees project. Each axe head was unique and made from various species of British hardwood. For me, there was most pleasure

in being able to handle some of the Layers pieces. Lots of sculpture is tactile, but out of bounds, and to expand my sensory experience of this exquisite wood added greatly to the experience. The tour is, sadly, the final

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Troon writers open up a new chapter TROON Writers Club has gone from strength to strength since it was set up in early summer by Lyn Hughes, who is currently completing her first novel, The Highland Princess. Lyn had been using the library’s facilities as she worked on her story when she began chatting to library assistant Annette about her project. They agreed it would be a good idea to launch a group for the local writers, so Lyn put the feelers out on the Troon Community website and found quite a bit of interest. The club meets fortnightly in the library and has published authors, established writers and enthusiastic learners among its membership. “Our numbers are growing,” says Lyn “and we all have various interests. There’s poetry, real-life, fantasy adventure and so on.” Meanwhile, Lyn is making good progress with her novel, which she plans as the first in an extended series centering around Morion, the Highland princess of the title, which grew from bedtime stories Lyn used to make up for her daughter, Fey. In the story, Morion and her pet dog, Pibroch discover an underworld beneath the Scottish mountains. Over recent months, Lyn has been giving readings from the early chapters to groups of children at Troon Library – and so far the feedback has been pretty encouraging, she says. But she adds: “Originally it was aimed at children in the 6-10 bracket, but as it has developed I have realised there should be no age bracket on it. Is for everyone from children to grannies.”

f the woods opportunity for the public to view a comprehensive body of Stead’s work, before it returns to the Steading, the 16th century restored farmhouse in the village of Blainslie, near Lauder, in which Stead lived with his partner and muse Maggy.

The Steading and its contents are now being taken over by the Prince’s Regeneration Trust, in partnership with the Scottish Borders Council. l Tim Stead: Object Maker and Seed Sower runs at The Maclaurin from November 7 until February 5 2016.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

through my lens

W I T H D O U G L A S S K E LT O N CRIME writer Douglas Skelton has been taking photographs since he was a boy.

‘I remember being in Springburn Park, I’d be seven or eight maybe,” he said, “and I had some sort of camera, black and white of course this being the dim and distant past. A took a shot of a swan powering through the water as it took off. It was blurred, of course, but it was the first picture I remember taking.” He says he is an enthusiastic but sporadic amateur who has learned as he went along, with some training from professional photographer Gary McLaughlin. He continued: “I’m still very much a point and click kind of guy. I see something I like and I snap it. “Apart from shots of my dogs, I seem to specialise in landscapes bereft of people. No doubt that says something about my psyche. I look for drama, either in the landscape itself or in the lighting. I love the sun poking through tree branches. I love dark clouds. I like the way light plays off water. “Some of the shots are natural but I’m not afraid of tinkering with them digitally. In my thrillers I like to try to create atmosphere and I do that with some pictures, too. If by sliding colour or exposure I can make a shot really pop or – being me – brood, then I’ll do it. Photographers have been manipulating their images since the art was born and the digital revolution just makes it easier. “Although I may make the real seem unreal in some shots, I do draw the line at, say, taking the image of a mountain and placing a castle in it. If it’s not in the original shot I don’t put it there, although I have been known to remove wires and poles. The national grid is not a friend to the photographer.” Douglas uses a Nikon D3000, generally with a 55mm lens and has lately been experimenting with video, although he admits he just can’t get the hang of that.

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EE T

Ayrshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arts, music and cultural magazine

Kilmarnock prepares for guitar lege nd

Johnny Marr

page 3

Issue 4 Autumn/Winter 2015

art

Chris Dooks: stuff that goes bump in the night

Virosa Kai: no gain without facial pain

art

12-13

Ronnie McGhie: my all-time favourites

the

raspberryhorse publication

8-10

P5: Ian’s creative world of print

word is a

One Last Secret: the power of a huge fanbase

Act 1: Capall Dorcha enters, stage right

the

6-7

Stara Zagora: music as an abstract art form

6-7

P13: Tamfest: Get yer ears round this

Sarah Green Craig McAllister Ryan McDougall Jsmes Rose Holllie Scullion

Survival against the odds: Leslie’s story

Contributors:

8-9

Art school student Kathryn on fine art

Advertising: 01292 268671 0798 543 9752

12-13

Poet David rages against the machine

u em

Crimewriter Douglas’s spectacular scenes

Design and Production: Raspberry Horse Limited 97 Crofthead Road, Ayr KA7 3NE 01292 268671

oo b c i

14-15 18-19

Editor: Gerry Cassidy M: 0798 543 9752 E: gerry@ thewordonthe streets.co.uk

EXHIBITIONS

Record Fair The Big Sparra Vinyl Record Fair

Best Art Vinyl 2015 • Monday 26 October 2015 - 15 January 2016 Heritage Centre, Saltcoats, Free Entry An exhibition showcasing 50 of the best record cover designs of 2015. Hear who has made the nomination list for this year’s award and have the chance to vote for your favourite.

Sleeve Art: 50 Classic Album Covers Thursday 29 October 2015 – January 2016 Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, Free Entry 50 key examples of the art of LP cover design will be on display, exploring the history of sleeve art during the decades of vinyl’s dominance between the 1950s – 1980s.

Saturday 31 October 11am-4pm Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine and Heritage Centre, Saltcoats Sunday 1st November 11am-4pm Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine

It’s Freckin’ Marrvellous FRECKFEST, the Irvine-based group of music enthusiasts hellbent on bringing the top names to Ayrshire have landed something of a coup by booking the legendary Johnny Marr to play Kilmarnock’s Grand Hall on October 15. Freckfest works tirelessly to ensure the towns of Ayrshire are not forgotten in the big acts’ touring schedules and their resilience has finally paid off. Johnny Marr is the anti-rock guitar hero. His instantly recognisable riffs were responsible for creating the sound of The Smiths, one of British music’s truly great original bands. Following their demise, Johnny formed Electronic with New Order’s Bernard Sumner and found himself the most-wanted guitar player for hire, adding his unique mark to recordings by Talking Heads, Bryan

By CRAIG McALLISTER Ferry and Billy Bragg among many others. After completing stints as a full time member of both The Cribs and Modest Mouse, he set out on a successful solo career. With two critically-acclaimed albums in as many years and a burgeoning reputation for celebratory live performances liberally peppered with Smiths’ material, his stock has never been higher. Johnny Marr’s autumn tour brings him to Kilmarnock for what will be his only West of Scotland date. Hopefully he will be the first of many big names who’ll look to include an Ayrshire date when they’re on their rounds. Tickets for Johnny Marr are on sale now via eastayrshireleisure.com

Funny man Phil at the Ship SIDESPLITTERS have another cracking night of comedy lined up for Irvine’s Ship Inn. Regular compere Billy Kirkwood will once again be at the wheel to introduce three class acts. Phil Differ, a veteran on the Scottish comedy scene has an impeccable record for the hilarious, having written for TV and radio, contributing to many of the classic tv and radio shows of the past few decades including Naked Radio, A Kick up the Eighties, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O’clock News. He has written for Robbie Coltrane and Craig Ferguson and more recently has become known for columns

PHIL DIFFER: Part of our comedy royal family in various Scottish newspapers. He is joined by Chris Dinwoodie, whose flawless magic tricks are excelled only by his hilarious commentary while he performs them. In his other life, he was a database developer for a

large accountancy firm but has since become well known on the magic scene, performing at corporate functions and private parties. He is often still billed as a magician, but comedian is just as fitting a description. Jim Smith, fresh from his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, comletes the line-up. Jim harvests much of his material from his background as a farmer in Perthshire, milking his experiences for their humour yeild. (that’s enough farming puns. - Ed). Go along and have a laugh at the Ship Inn, Irvine on October 8. Tickets are £10, but they’re going fast.

Tune into the Sorbie sound TREAT yourself to some laidback chilling vibes courtesy of Sorbie Rd. Radio, straight from a Saltcoats bedroom. Mates Steven Kerr and Lee Strain are behind the show, which goes out at 8pm on Monday evenings. They play a rich mix of indie hits, album favourites and local output, with Ayrshire artists recording sessions right there in the bedroom. The mates launched the radio show in April this year and have been gathering a growing audience far and wide. You can listen live or check out the playlists from previous shows on Spotify at http://sorbieroadradio.wix. com/sorbieroadradio

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picture: Hellbound Photography CHLOE MARIE is on a high –

It’s down to earth and off to France for Chloe and who can blame her.

She has just played a stormer in her first King Tut’s gig, she’s busy writing songs for a trip to the recording studio to make her first EP, she has taken residency at a fortnightly open mike spot in the Treehouse in Ayr – and now she’s planning a trip to France to test out her songs on the music scene there. It’s all happening at once for the 21-year-old from Ayr who says she was “buzzing for days” after that King Tut’s gig. “It was amazing,” she says. “Beyond my expectations. It is such a great place to play. I have been there a few times and know what a great place it is to watch bands but when you’re there to play and you walk up those steps and see all the famous names of the bands who have played there before it is an amazing feeling. “And when you stand on the

stage looking out, it takes on a whole new dynamic.” Chloe’s set included five original songs and two covers – Alter Bridge’s Watch Over You, her favourite song, and Like the Best, She’s Fearless, by Scott Nicol, who has become something of a mentor for her. “Scott and I have been writing songs together for a wee while now, ever since he came to see me playing in Beanscene a few years ago. We have a few new songs which have not been recorded yet, so I will be working on them with Samuel Gallagher of EssGee Productions to hopefully have the EP out by the end of the year.” Before then, Chloe is heading out to spend time with relatives in Paris and is hoping to set up some gigs there before heading to the South of France. “Even if it’s just open mike stuff, I am really keen to see how my music goes down.”

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Wullie’s horse is galloping along WULLIE SMITH, front man with Will & the Wild Horse has teamed up with blues/rock n' roll/funk band Zulu as he heads off in a new direction – with Joe Foster, formerly of Creation Records becoming involved. Wullie said: “Although I will be using Zulu as a backing band, this is not the end o Will and the Wild Horse – we will still be playing under that name. “Until now I have always surrounded myself with session musicians,” he said. “They all had other interests and I always encouraged them to do other things. “It was always a loose arrangement, that was how the ‘wild horse’ part of the name came about. You never knew who would be playing and what we would sound like – we were different, yet the same at the same time.”

Nightmare dissolves into creative reality CD LAUNCH

REALITY IS THE NIGHTMARE STARA ZAGORA

THE stark, dimly lit gig room at Stereo in Glasgow is the perfect setting for Stara Zagora’s CD launch, the black-and-white flickering films – by sometime collaborator Árpád Horváth – on ceiling-high screens just reinforcing the notion that you might just have wandered inadvertently onto a Fritz Lang film set. There’s anticipation and tension as Sean McGeoch scrapes up some guitar sounds and sets up some loops, but after a slightly stuttering start as the machinery attempts a half-hearted revolt, we’re sweeping into Reality is the Nightmare, the Kilmarnock musician’s newest work. It’s an absorbing sound – rich acoustic guitar bubbling up through a harsh industrial soundscape with McGeoch’s voice adding a plaintive note – half whining, half pleading as layers of sound tumble over each other, sometimes rhythmically and at other times seeming to go against the grain of the music. Every so often, gentle melody drifts across the wasteland conjured up by a cold, impersonal backdrop.

Much of the set features McGeoch on his own, but he is joined onstage at appropriate points by Craig Dewar on drums, Andy Black on bass, Michael McGeoch on piano, with Johnny Smillie providing guest guitar on Night Terrors and Monica Queen guest vocals on Back to Earth, but the event seems as much like performance art as it does a concert. Stara Zagora’s sound demands attention from the listener and it’s all the more rewarding for that. If you’re looking for quick, easyhit music, look elsewhere, you won’t get it here. Only one of the six tracks on Reality is the Nightmare is less than five minutes long and the last track, the haungting Stick Around, is more than 10 minutes long. In fact, the music is so engrossing at times that most of the tracks could stand alone without the need for a lyric, particularly so on Night Terrors. Give Reality is the Nightmare a listen. It’s available now on iTunes and Spotify.

Now with a more permanent arrangement, Wullie will be going into the recording studios with Joe Foster at the controls. Wullie is thrilled at the prospect of working with Foster who was part of the team who found Oasis and Primal Scream. “He came to one of our gigs and then introduced himself to me after it. He said he thinks we might have a couple of singles already, so we will be recording some of the songs to seed what comes up.” In the meantime, the new line-up already have some dates lined up for later in the year which they will use to promote the new material. First up is Girvan’s in Troon on Friday November 13 and the following night they will be playing at he Fiddler’s Arm in Camden, London. Further dates are still being pencilled in and the band are also looking at the possibility of setting up some appearances in Europe, through contacts they already have from playing at Volksfest in Peebles and through Wullie’s work as a promoter. www.facebook.com/willandthewildhorse www.soundcloud.com/willandthewildhorse

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It’s time to to

RYAN McDOUGALL takes a look at the not-so-confidential rise KILMARNOCK’S Pop Rock Sexy quartet One Last Secret have been extremely busy of late. They have independently toured Scotland and the UK, released 2 EPs and 3 singles – one of which went straight to Number 1 in The Scottish New Music Charts in 2014 – they’ve performed live on fourt episodes of BBC Scotland’s Rapal TV, had international and national radio play and press (including XFM and BBC In Demand), played a string of small festival

dates and were runners up in the category of Best New Band at the Scottish Variety Awards 2013. They also recently played a stormer of a spot at the Camden Rock Festival in London, after phone-in support from their fans won them a place on the bill, and have taken part in Soundwave, Scotland and northern England’s largest music competition. If OLS are successful, they shall then perform a live gig at a local venue where both judges and punters will be in

attendance. They will be judged on both their music as well as crowd interaction etc. This then leads onto the Checkpoint Stage where the bands will face a panel of musical experts who decide whether or not they are worthy of the ultimate prize and goal that gives Soundwave its credibility – to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in the band’s local area. Other prizes to be won include recordings, press coverage, radio coverage and photo shoots. The band released their debut album

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One Last Secret: Wesley Scott Fraser McBride Darran James Liam McNamara

let out a secret of an Ayrshire band with a huge fan base Restart last year which went down a treat. It was praised by Ravechild’s Tim Gray who said: “It is enigmatic that this band remain unsigned; they have all the attributes to make it very big; great work ethic, professional management, the ability to connect with their audience, but above all a truly huge sound and in Wesley Scott a very talented singer songwriter.” They currently only have a few copies of Restart left (I’m talking 10 or less) so if you’re interested then hurry up and grab

one while there’s some left! Having supported some highly notable artists such as Bullet For My Valentine, The Automatic and Funeral For A Friend, it’s evident that these guys are the real deal and worth watching. As they sing in Sidelines, the opening track on Restart, it’s time to let out a secret and watch it grow. They are supporting The Parlotones in November for a date or two, dates are yet to be confirmed, but look out for it, it’s set to be a goodyin!

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Ronnie rules the airwaves CRAIG McALLISTER talks to Irvine Beat FM’s Ronnie McGhie about his passion for new, local music and his all-time favourite albums AYRSHIRE is a vibrant, untapped market in unsigned bands. I might go as far as to say it’s the hottest place right now for new, raw talent. But then, I can’t tell you what the scene is like in Dundee or Dumfries or deepest Aberdeen, so can anyone really say such a thing with total conviction? All I know is, Ayrshire has a seemingly disproportionate number of quality musical acts per head of population. If the music business (whatever that is

these days) wasn’t so London-centric, a record player. My dad was paranoid that high percentage of these groups might someone would want to steal his Akai now be household names, idolised the system, so it was almost always hidden length and breadth of our isles. Most of from view. He removed some floorboards, the groups around here are seemingly created a hiding place for it and covered it self-sufficient though and appear to be with the carpet. My pals used to love thriving regardless of the lack of outside coming round to my house to watch me help; they write and rehearse away from take out the tape deck!” the numbers, they record and release “Most folk think I worked at Radio Clyde. their own material without the backing of In truth I ‘hung aboot’ the place until record label finances and they can choose John McCallum took me under his wing to play any night of the week in any and gave me little jobs to do. I got into number of thriving live venues. Clyde because my mum worked beside However, there is a crucial Tiger Tim’s mum in Goldberg’s and she element to their success that is told him how much I liked listening He’s only possible due to the to the radio and asked if I could Ayrshire’s efforts of one man. come along for a visit some Ronnie McGhie puts local time.” equivalent of bands on the radio. Not Bitten by the bug at Radio John Peel or just any old radio station, Clyde, “You know you want to but a living, breathing, work in radio when you’re Whispering transmitting-on-FM radio more interested in the jingles Bob Harris station. His Wednesday night being played between the Album Show on Irvine Beat FM records than the actual records has now become so synonymous themselves,” Ronnie began with local bands in session that he has broadcasting his own shows in the timerenamed it Wednesday Night Sessions to honoured way with a stint in hospital reflect the trend. Just turn your dial to radio, “request shows with the odd Rick 107.2 FM to hear for yourself. Springfield track flung in when I thought I Ronnie loves music. He’s been listening could get away with it”, and he combined to it all his life, thanks in part to the a love of radio broadcasting with his day Glasgow City Council-issue radio that job in Beechams. Along the way, he built came with the Easterhouse home he grew up an encyclopaedic knowledge of what up in. He began listening to music more might loosely be termed ‘prog rock’. intently, scrutinising it with a As befits someone with a passion for trainspotter’s urge in the early 70s when music, he has a terrific record collection. he would blast his Ziggy Stardust cassette On one of our rare summer days, when loudly from the big Akai tape deck his the sun actually shone and short sleeves dad kept in the living room. Not that and long drinks were the order of the day, passing visitors would necessarily be Ronnie popped round for a chat and aware of the state of the art brought some of his favourite records technology furnishing the McGhie with him. And a fine selection he brought household. too! “For some reason, we Reading the dates of the recordings didn’t have a above, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ronnie stopped listening to music

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s NEVER A DULL MOMENT Rod Stewart (1972) This was the first LP I ever bought. I absolutely loved The Faces. The Small Faces were my favourite of all the 60s bands, so it goes without saying that I’d follow the next step in their career. They were a terrific band. Rod was an amazing vocalist; gritty, bluesy and soulful. I really like this LP. It was made alongside the albums he was doing with The Faces, an early example of a ‘solo project’. I think Rod is the master interpreter of other artists’ songs and five of the nine tracks here are cover versions.

MEATY, BEATY, BIG AND BOUNCY The Who (1971)

I bought this in Virgin on Argyle Street, I was lucky enough to have friends with big brothers. In reality, they were only two or three years older than us, but in musical terms that’s light years! I first heard this album through one of them. It’s a brilliant ‘Greatest Hits’ LP, an ideal toe-dipping introduction into the world of The Who.

SCHOOL’S OUT Alice Cooper (1972) I was 13 or 14 when I bought this. Again, it was another album I first heard through my pals’ big brothers. I love the sleeve, the way the school desk opens up. Eveyone should own this LP. Everyone!

RONNIE’S CHOICE ALBUMS CONTINUE ON PAGE 10 sometime around the Three Day Week but in truth he still listens to music with that same keen ear, constantly formulating future playlists for his shows with careful consideration for a balance between the established and the new. He loves going to gigs, especially local gigs where that raw, untapped talent is on show. Perhaps not quite The Faces or Floyd at the Playhouse, but if Ronnie sees even an ounce of promise in you, he’ll whisk you straight out of the venue and onto his show before you know it, and your songs will be floating across the airwaves to upwards of 10,000 listeners

as fast as you can write them. He’s Ayrshire’s equivalent of John Peel or Whispering Bob Harris, an enthusiastic uncle who’s happy to lend a helping hand with radio airplay and a top-quality studio session. All bands leave the studio with a fresh recording and occasionally a video too, which they can then use for their own needs. “I couldn’t do my show without the bands. Without local talent, I have no show. The Ayrshire scene is terrific just now – Sonic Templars, Sean C Kennedy, Culann, Seaside Sons, Soldier On…. I could go on and on. These are all seriously great

artists. If I can help them in any way, it’s my job to do so.” Those artists above and many, many more have all benefited from Ronnie’s patronage. He might need the bands in order to do his show, but in order to gain much-needed support and exposure the bands arguably need Ronnie more. He’s one of the most enthusiastic folk in the business and we’re lucky to have him amongst us. l You can listen to Wednesday Night Sessions with Ronnie McGhie every Wednesday night between 10pm and midnight on Irvine Beat 107.2 FM

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DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED TheMoody Blues (1967) Forget Sgt Peppers! Forget Piper At The Gates Of Dawn! This was the best album of 1967. Days Of Future Passed is one of the original prog albums and it all came about by happy accident. Decca, The Moody Blues’ label had invested heavily in new recording technology and they asked the band to be their studio guinea pigs. They were supposed to record a rock version of a

FRESH RASPBERRIES The Raspberries (1972)

OBSCURED BY CLOUDS Pink Floyd (1972)

I bought this on import from Listen Records on Cambridge Street in Glasgow. I think it was from a bargain bucket. I bought it, honestly, because I loved the cover (!) Most people think Eric Carmen wrote these really slushy ballads, but there’s some brilliant power-pop stuff on this.

Perhaps it was the proggy, psychedelic sleeve, but I was always more attracted to this than The Dark Side Of The Moon. I first heard it at a friend’s house and it made me a lifelong fan. I saw them live around this time too, at Edinburgh Playhouse. I think it would have been 1974, between Dark Side and Wish You Were Here. Not a bad time to see Pink Floyd live, you’d have to say. .

n This feature was inspired by the Harbour Arts Centre’s exhibition, Sleeve Art: 50 Classic Album Covers, which runs from October 29 until January 2016. Entry is free.

Dvorak classical piece, but instead came up with this. The label hated the results but due to the cost of recording felt they had to release it. It was very ahead of its time. All the tracks are linked together by a common theme, essentially a song cycle about a typical working day. It’s orchestral, grand, ambitious, everything Sgt Pepper was, but Days Of Future Past is vastly superior.

LIVE AT LEEDS The Who (1970) This, hands down is the best live album ever. I own every version of it – original vinyl, CD, Deluxe Edition CD, I’m sure I have a cassette of it too, but the best version is still the original vinyl. They didn’t mess with the tracklisting the way they’ve done on later reissues. When I first got it I thought, ‘Where’s all the hit singles?’, because there aren’t that many on it. Most live albums tend to be badly put together ‘Greatest Hits’ packages but not this. It’s astonishing, a band playing at the peak of their powers. The original vinyl has some excellent paraphernalia too.

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eve TE Virosa Kai McMhuirich talks through the pain barrier about life, tattoos and the peace of mind that can be achieved by practising martial arts. Gerry Cassidy listens. YOU see a guy in the supermarket doing the weekly shopping. His face and head are heavily tattooed. You wonder at the motivation, the ideas behind it, the hassles he might face. And if you’re nosey enough, you ask... We meet for a coffee but just as the inquisition is about to begin, he offers a story: “I saw this thing on Facebook the other day and it was Coca-Cola of all people who had commissioned it. Six complete strangers are sitting in darkness talking at a table. They are talking about life and what they do. Then they turn the light on and suddenly they see what each other looks like – a couple of Arabs, one guy with facial tattoos that mine looklike nothing – an everybody is like “What the..?” and the whole point was to challenge their perception of who and what. Then Coca-Cola come out with the cans. Coca-Cola is not on the can but the logo is and then they turn the can round and it says ‘Labels are for cans, not people.’ And it’s goosebumps. But obviously it’s a marketing thing because Coca-Cola have got bad karma ripping out of them, y’know.” Which in a way explains a lot about Virosa Kai MacMhuirich and his tattoos. He recalls: “I was about 16 when I had my first tattoo. I was into heavy metal and all that kind of stuff, kicking about in clothes that were far too big for me. There were a couple of older guys I was hanging about with who were on their

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ry picture LLS A STORY Kai has work done on his facial tattoos at Scotland Ink by Bulgarian artist Mouse who is in great demand during his visits to the Ayr tattoo studio

way to get a tattoo in Irvine. I wanted a particular design, a sort of tribal thing, a jaggy-looking tribal thing but when I got there I couldn’t afford it, so I got second best. I didn’t want to walk away emptyhanded, you know, like when you go Christmas shopping... ” He laughs: “It turned out to be a wee, crappy grim reaper.” The original is now long gone, covered by later, better planned designs. “I’ve added more over the years, when I have had the money. I’ve now got a full sleeve, hand tattoos, and tattoos on my face and neck – but I still have plenty of canvas left.” These days, says Kai, there tends to be a bit of thought before he goes under the needle, though he adds the impulse to add to his collection can hit at any time. “I tend to get a new one when I’m feeling on an up and have a bit of cash. I kind of look on it as redecorating the house. But the face thing, well once the impulse if there there’s no point in trying to talk myself out of it. “My first facial tattoo was in 2007. My neck was already tattooed and I was shaving into one of these three-way mirrors, you know, when you get that infinity thing, and the flow of the tattoo on my neck, it just wanted to be on my chin, so I had a three-second conversation with myself and thought, oh well, this is happening.” And after it was done, how

did he feel? Any immediate regrets? “No, absolutely not. My first thought was ‘Ouch!’” he laughs. “But at the same time I was flying with all the endorphins because of the pain and all that. It was quite empowering. “I was homeless at the time, living in a hostel and I was in the mindset where I was redesigning the philosophy of my life and planning for a future I was going to build, y’know, the way you do. “Then I went out on the piss, pretty much to show it off, ha ha.” So what was the reaction from other people? “It was positive,” says Kai. “Plus I was drinking in a kind of rock bar at the time and there was a lot of “Wow!” and that kind of vibe, everybody saying it was unusual. I see a lot of facial tattoos these days and it is no longer the taboo in this part of the world that it once was.” Does he find he is being stereotyped by strangers? “Actually, very few people have been negative, to be quite honest, very few. If anything the only negative responses would be from a particular demographic, you know, I guess people who are entrenched in the world as it is presented to them and never think of alternatives. Obviously you get the polis eyeing you up from time to time. “I mean I have all walks of life talking to me about it. Like when you’re standing at a bus stop and you get even the older generation saying: ‘Oh, that’s unusual

son,’ and you know, five minutes speaking to them and they quickly realise that I’m not going to eat them. “It is really cool in that respect, you get a lot of people maybe walking away after talking to me thinking: ‘Wow, I really totally mis-judged that guy on his appearance.’ That’s something I am really interested in. “It’s human nature, though. I do it, everybody does it. You look at somebody and within seven seconds or so you’ve made an assessment of them. Personally, I think it’s a sort of threat assessment, subconsciously you’re thinking ‘Is this person going to attack me?’” The conversation turns to what Kai would like to do next in life. He has been on college courses, been the front man in a band and now he’s considering working with people with mental health issues and/or addiction issues. “It is a big thing and it is largely peerled because at the end of the day the best people to help others get through something are people who have been through it themselves rather than somebody who has come out of uni with a PhD. It’s a no-brainer.” Meanwhile, he keeps mind and body fit through practising tai chi and qi gong, a similar discipline. “It’s all about internal energy and getting the awareness of it and being able to feel that and channel it into movement, stimulating meridians and doing different things with different parts of the body. I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s hard to have a head full of sawdust and craziness when you’re focusing everything on staying upright on one foot, you know?’ Finally, there was the question of regrets. Did Kai have any? “To be honest, I don’t really allow for regret. Obviously there are things we have done that we regret, but not things I have done to myself. “I worry too much about the realities of this life and what goes on in this life to worry too much about what I look like. I’m only redecorating the house.”

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THE NIGHT SKY: Late September to December

and Jupiter in Leo, and remaining brilliant in the morning sky to the end of the year. The Moon is near Venus on October 8 and 9, november 7 and 8, and 7 and 8 December. MArS rises at 3.45am in October, on the far side of regulus from Venus, moving into Virgo and passing Spica on Christmas eve. The Moon appears near Mars on October 9, november 7, and December 6. JUPITer rises at 4.30am in early October, 00.30am by the end of november, and before midnight by the end of the year. The Moon is near Jupiter on October 9 and 10, november 6, and December 30 and 31. SATUrn in Libra disappears by the end of October, reappearing in the morning sky below and to the left of Venus at the end of the year. The Moon appears close by on October 16. UrAnUS in Pisces is at opposition, due south at midnight GMT on October 12, visible in binoculars all night. It sets at 4am in november, 2am in December. nePTUne in Aquarius sets around 3am in October, midnight in november and 10 pm in December. It has recently developed a new bright spot, most visible in the infrared, which is probably a high-altitude storm. This quarter sees an extended series of planetary conjunctions in Leo, Virgo and Libra, with Venus, Mars and Jupiter closely grouped with the crescent Moon and regulus on October. Mars will be only half a degree from Jupiter on October 18, and Venus and Jupiter will be closest on October 26. At the beginning of november Venus passes less than a degree from Mars, joined by the Moon on the 7th. n The Leonid meteor shower will peak on the night of November 17/18, with best views after the Moon sets in late evening. The Geminid meteors' peak is from December 13-15, with no Moon to spoil them.

• Astronomers of the Future Club lectures continue on the last thursdays of the month at 7pm in the rsAs Barassie Works Club on shore road, oﬀ West Portland street in troon. on october 29th the guest speaker is stuart macIntyre of the Prestwick spaceport bidding committee, and topics for november and December have still to be decided. Check out www.actascio.org/aotfclub.asp • BookIngs are now open online at www.troonleisureclasses.co.uk for Duncan Lunan's Astronomy and spaceﬂight monday evening classes, from september 21st. Duncan’s recent books “Children from the sky”, “the stones and the stars” and “Incoming Asteroid! What Could We Do About It?” are available on Amazon or through booksellers; see www.duncanlunan.com for more details.

Clann An Drumma will be contributing to a fantastc all-day street atmosphere

Tamfest will be a and a feast of pop as Ayr town AYR will be reverberating to the sound of music when the first ever Tamfest takes place on October 31.

with DUNCAN LUNAN

SOON after the September equinox, the Full Moon on 27/28 September will be a 'supermoon', when it is closest to us in its orbit and will appear somewhat larger – not an uncommon event, but they have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. At 2.07am that night a lunar eclipse begins, with totality at 3.11am, and ending at 6.23. The Moon is Full again on October 27, November 25 and December 25. It's New on October 13, and again on November 11 and December 11. On October 29, the Moon occults Aldebaran in Taurus, between 9.40 and 10pm depending on where you are and the star will be hidden for about one hour. It occurs again on December 23, starting between 6.05 and 6.25pm, again. depending on your location. n In September and October the Moon is at its Minor Standstill, at the intermediate points between the extreme positions of its 18.61 year cycle. At the stone circle which I built in Sighthill Park in Glasgow, the ﬁrst astronomical one in the UK for over 3000 years, a year either side of the standstill would be accurate enough for photographic purposes, but there has still been only one success in trying to catch the Moon at its furthest north and south each month. The removal of the circle for the area to be redeveloped is now scheduled for December, although the City Council has promised that eﬀorts will be made to remove the stones intact and reposition them elsewhere. But the best chance this year to photograph two of the other three minor standstill events will be at the Full Moon on December 25th, just after the solstice, and it's to be hoped the stones will remain in place till then. n Having been invisible from the UK during the last quarter, Mercury reappears around 6am on October 11, left of the crescent Moon, and is at greatest elongation from the Sun on the 16th, and visible till the end of the month. Mercury’s next appearance will be in the evening sky at the end of December, reaching greatest elongation on the 29th. n VenUS rises at 3am at the beginning of October, joining Mars

It ill be a celebration of Ayr’s spookiy heritage, built around the legendary Tam O’Shanter poem by Robert Burns, which sees Tam chased across the Ayrshire countryside by screaming witches and ghostly visions. It’s a classic ghostly tale, perfect for a Hallowe’en event and will see street stalls, ghost tours, a street race, exhibitions, markets – and music. A lot of music. A lot of free music at various community stages around the town. The main stage will be set up outside Caffe Nero at the top of the High Street where various acts will perform throughout the day, including the Alan Frew Band, Little Fire and bagpipes and Scottish

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Hallowe’en is coming home! Singer and voice coach Siobhan McAuley brings the versatile Ayrshire Infinity Choir

Crash Club drummer and singersongwriter Colin Hunter will be performing

Jamie McGechan, aka Little Fire, a keen promoter of Burns at home and abroad will take the stage

celebration of Burns’ epic ghostly poem Tam O’Shanter fantastic music of all kinds from opera to folk, rock and centre becomes an outdoor festival on October 31st tribal drumming outfit Clann An Drumma. The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra and North Ayrshire Camerata Orchestra will be performing in the Kyle Centre with other acts pencilled in for the bandstand in the Arran Mall. Nile Court, half-way down the High Street, will be turned into an 18th Century street with performers in period costume including musician Colin Hunter, who will be playing folk music. Ayrshire Infinity Choir will be another major musical attraction. The choir is led by classically trained singer Siobhan McAuley, who is a voice coach at the Scottish Conservatoire, formerly RSAMDA. Infinity choir has members from all over Ayrshire and performs in a wide variety of styles. “We have around 30

Buskers: get a bit of this A BUSKING competiton will be taking place throughout the day in Ayr town centre streets. There are prizes for the best individual and another for larger groups. Up for grabs are four hours of recdording time at Sound Magic Studios and £100 vouchers for the event sponsors, Ayr Guitar. Anyone who wants to take part in the street busking contest should register at Ayr Guitar, 62 Alloway Street, Ayr KA7 1SH. members and do anything from Gaga to Puccini, We also do some African sounding songs,” she says. “We did a flash-mob event at the Scottish Food Awards, which was a lot of fun. “It’s a non-audition choir and we are always on the lookout for new members, particularly males.” Originally from Glasgow, Siobhan says she was astounded to find such an amount of musical creativity when she moved to Ayrshire. “It’s everywhere,” she says. “I

honestly believe this must be one of the most musical areas of Scotland.” Jamie McGeechan, who performs as Little Fire, is enthusiastic at the prospect of Tamfest. Jamie and Colin Hunter performed at the opening of the Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway in 2011, Jamie has recorded Burns songs in Burns’ Cottage in Alloway and performed at a Burns Supper in New York earlier this year. He says: “We need something that really promotes the rich cultural

heritage of Ayr. I don’t think people do enough to harness the Burns legacy at all. “The place is a bit of a ghost town after five in the evening because there are few pubs and no restaurants in the High Street. Having this in the town centre is great. “It is fantastic to see Auld Ayr coming to life. Ayr should own Hallowe’en, it should be the home of Hallowe’en.” Also taking part on the day will be the Ayrshire Opera Experience, founded by tenor David Douglas, who has several international appearances under his belt. His company have also performed at the Burns Birthplace Museum and were the first company in the world to translate opera into the Scottish dialect when they performed the French opera Actéon in August.

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LET THERE BE DARK

..for a 24-hour sound and light event in Galloway Forest Park COMPOSER, sound artist and photographer (to name but a few of his interests) Chris Dooks PhD is part of Sanctuary2015, a 24-hour art event in the heart of the Galloway Dark Skies Park. Chris has amassed a large collection of wind-up gramophones and old shellac discs and he will be using his extensive collection of rare 78s to create a piece of sonic art as his contribution to the event. This year has been decreed the International Year of Light, so Sanctuary 2015 has chosen the theme Exploring Light, Dark, Landscape and Place. Artists will converge on the site for the noon-noon darkness and light festival, providing light installations, performances, sound works, video projections and radio transmissions. The Galloway Dark Skies Park is a specially designated area that is low in light pollution and Sanctuary takes place within the park. Remote, beautiful and mostly ‘electronically dark’, It is a sanctuary from both light pollution and world wide connectedness. Chris’s event – Shellackplatten Triangulated – takes place in the Palace Obscura at 10pm and will involve mixing at least three gramophones together to create a sonic mix from the 78s. Space in the intimate venue is limited, so anyone who wishes to attend should reserve a place online at sanctuary2015.org. Glasgow’s Broken20, a small independent record label will also be taking part. They tend to shun

conventional music, opting instead for more experimental artists. Members of Broken20 have played in the Royal Albert Hall in deserted tenements, in the hull of an East German fishing boat, in the deep forests of Scotland, in an abandoned NCP car park. They will present BrokenLight-Broken20

in conjunction with visual artists David Coyle and Brian McGovern. Among the other entertainment will be a forest walk inspired by old Balkan songs of trees and forests, ancient tales, harmonies and rhythms and a composition created by sounds recorded on the mobile phones of the participants. A fantastic 100ft neon structure called Enclosure will be visible from 8pm until midnight. Created by visual artist and designer Robbie Coleman it is described as an exploration of space, light and darkness, marking the contrast between urban light and true dark that exists in an urban landscape. Running concurrently with the event will be The Dark Outside FM radio broadcast which can only be heard at the site itself. There is no streaming or recording and all files are deleted after playing, so these one-off experiments in sound can only be listened to by visitors who are within a one-mile radius of the broadcast... and as long as they have brought a radio with them. Sanctuary2015 takes place from noon on September 26 until noon on September 27 on the A712, seven miles from Newton Stewart at DG8 7BL. There is free camping and a foodstall and everyone attending is advised to bring a radio, suitable shoes, waterproofs and warm clothing. A torch is essential since it will get completely dark overnight. Campers should also bring water, food and rubbish bags. For more information on the event visit sanctuary2015.org

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