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EDITORIAL & NEWS Page 3 - EDITORIAL 5 - EDINBURGH 2019 6 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 9 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 11 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 13 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 15 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 17 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 19 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 21 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 23 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 25 - EDINBURGH 2019 Cont. 30 - MUSIC 31 - MUSIC Cont. 32 - MUSIC Cont. 34 - FILMS 35 - FILMS Cont. 36 - FILMS Cont. 37 - FILMS Cont. 39 - BARS & SAUNAS
Welcome The Edinburgh fringe festival rolls around again here are our favourite shows to see, we've interviewed a number of the artists , we hope you enjoy the shows. As you may know we are one of the sponsors of Dundee pride though we are a bit let down by them with them having a VIP area we don't believe pride is about subjugation based on wealth but we will not withdraw our support for the pride this year but we hope that nobody buys the VIP tickets but just donates the cost of the VIP tickets on their website which is what we are doing as you cannot have equality if you have two levels of pride. Over the coming months you will see changes within the magazine new sections added, new website we hope you enjoy these changes and they help you to get the best out of Scotland lgbtq+ scene.
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Non profit use of material in the magazine will normally be permitted free of charge, but contact us first for permission. Views expressed in SCENEALBA don't necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. People featured may identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, straight, or none of the above.
Magazine Editor: G C Hall editor@scenealba.co.uk Music Editor: Hugh Haggerty music@scenealba.co.uk Theatre Editor: Doug McGarvie theatre@scenealba.co.uk Advertising: advertising@scenealba.co.uk General: mail@scenealba.co.uk 3
Issue 51 Published 12th Aug 2019 Online www.scenealba.co.uk
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EDINBURGH 2019 DISSIDENT SAUSAGE Karen Gemma Brewer What is your fringe show about? Flies and sheep - plus toads, woodworm, blind dogs, slugs, sausages and the Sultan of Brunei How many times have you performed at the fringe? First time with my own show, was a last minute fill-in on a stand-up comedy show in 2017 What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? Awarded a winners certificate by Alex Lean for his improv show 'Improv Provocateur' in 2017 What is the worst thing about the fringe? Accommodation and alcohol costs How do you prepare for a performance ? Meditation in a quiet corner with half a pint of cider and a bag of chips What's your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? The fun, friendly vibe What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done ? there are two, ending a 3-course meal with tartan custard - voting remain What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh ? Bar Bados - where I'm performing a 2nd show 'Is that Karen Gemma Brewer?' - 12 noon, 19-24/8 Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Nicola Sturgeon Sum up your showing in 3 words? Poetic, Singalong, Madness 5
EDINBURGH 2019 'A ROCK 'N' ROLL SUICIDE’ August 2-26 at 9pm, Zoo Southside What is your fringe show about? A Rock n Roll modern day Shakespearian tragedy? Ziggy Stardust takes you on a tragical Mystery Tour through the life of my rock persona Gypsy Lee Pistolero, AKA Lee Mark-Jones. My one man- show plays out against a backdrop of videos and scenes from my early life: a jaded ageing rocker sings along with my young pretty self and belts out songs from Punk to the Present, from an initially glamtastic, then tragic Rock’n’Roll career. It’s a tale of anarchy, rage, sadness and laughter. It’s a struggle between damnation and salvation, of a man who comes to terms with himself. It’s all true! Raw, brutal, honest, hilarious, tragic, poignant and entertaining. If you love Rock /punk music you will love it. All true unheard stories from and about Lemmy, Axl Rose, Joan Jett, Blondie, the Ramones and more. A story from someone who toured and lived with them in the Rock ‘n’ Roll circus. Now in later years after discovering I have ADHD and autism, I look back at how it affected my choices and life. It’s a Shakespearian tragedy, only real, it pulls no punches. Co-starring Lemmy, Slash, Axl Rose, Blondie, Joey Ramone and Joan Jett amongst others. I made my debut at the Fringe last year with 'peep-O-Rama' & 'Fagin's star City Rebels', which caused quite a reaction? lol! "I love Lee, he's dangerous and doesn't give a f**k and I love that." - Chris Thorpe "Bold artistic instincts and vision"- Pippa Frith, Fierce Festival Producer. "Among the most blisteringly bold theatre I've seen at this year's Fringe. You will never forget it." Miles Jackson EDFringe "It also has the gloriously anarchic edginess of the likes of 'The Young Ones' and 'The Mighty Boosh'. Wonderfully twisted, from a very clever boy" The Write Angle - Max Lantone "The show's singular highlight was when Jones, dressed as Jesus, offered audience members the Holy Eucharist consisting of Monster Munch and cheap red wine? Avoid this nightmare at all costs." Lauren James EDFringe What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? Wow! Too many. Chris Thorpe coming to my show and loving it! An American group running out of the show with their hands over their ears. Just being What is the worst thing about the fringe? Flyering, competing against corporate big money shows that are crap, but have huge backing! How do you prepare for a performance? A cigarette, a drink of red wine & walk around loads freaking out, until I'm unleashed onstage? What's your favourite thing about being Edinburgh? All of it, every moment What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done ? Worn a kilt flyering in my ziggy mask and wig? What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh ? The Banshee Labyrinth Who are you most looking forward to seeing? My mate Chris Thorpe in Status again and to be honest until I have done my first week I am totally obsessed with my own show. Sad, but true? My ADHD brain will explode with too many permutations. sum up your showing in 3 words. ROCK n ROLL SUICIDE! 6
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EDINBURGH 2019 PINK LEMONADE Mika Johnson August 01 - 25, Assembly Roxy What is your fringe show about? My show is about accepting yourself and growing from past relationships and it’s about my character navigating their masculinity. How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my first time at the Fringe. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? Seeing my face on a big poster, memorable but also strange. What is the worst thing about the fringe? Trying to get audiences into see your show, because there are so many shows. People want to spend their money on shows they have heard of or companies that they recognise, flying can be quite an overwhelming experience. How do you prepare for a performance? I like to be on my own before a show, to centre myself. I try and encourage myself to enjoy the performance instead of putting so much pressure on myself. What's your favourite thing about being Edinburgh? Introducing the work to new audiences and being able to support other artists by seeing their work. What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Drink Irn Bru, I’m really drinking a lot of it. What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? Mosque Kitchen, they have really great curries. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Nightclubbing and OUT by Rachael Young, Burgerz by Travis Alabanza, SPLINTERED by Lagahoo Theatre, Since U Been Gone by Teddy Lamb, Life is No Laughing Matter by Demi Nandhra. Sum up your showing in 3 words? Sexy, Funny, Honest. 9
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EDINBURGH 2019 SINCE U BEEN GONE Teddy Lamb Jul 31 - Aug 24, 3:45pm, Assembly Roxy What is your fringe show about? My fringe show is called Since U Been Gone and it’s about my experiences growing up in the Midlands in the mid noughties, discovering my gender and losing my best friends. How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my third time at the Fringe, but my first time as a solo performer. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? I think my first 5* review has to be my best memory - it was for my show Pond Wife, and from LGBTQ Arts Review! What is the worst thing about the fringe? Fringe can be a very othering experience, especially for queer performers (and performers of colour) and being away from our usual support systems means we can often over work ourselves, or not take enough care of ourselves. How do you prepare for a performance? I try to keep it as chilled as I can. I don’t go and see any shows before my own, I check in with Nicol my incredible musician and Ella my brilliant stage manager/assistant director. We run the loudest part of the show, and I tell them they're fantastic and I love them! What's your favourite thing about being Edinburgh? I love the general vibe of this city during Fringe, it can be exhausting but it’s also so exhilarating and inspiring to see so many amazing shows! What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Probably eating many a battered mars bar to be honest! What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? My favourite bars have to be The Brass Monkey or Paradise Palms - though i have to give a shout out to the amazing Gluten Free Pizza's at Mammas, because they're all I look forward to when I'm here! Who are you most looking forward to seeing? I'm really excited to see Scottee's Class, Len Blanco's Firing Blancs and Travis Alabanza's Burgerz (and of course revisiting Mika Johnson's Pink Lemonade). Sum up your showing in 3 words? Uplifting, Queer, Familiar.
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EDINBURGH 2019 KNOT JD Broussé What is your fringe show about? Knot is an autobiographical piece about commitment and honesty. It’s a show about the partnership between a gay man and a woman that are often asked to perform romantic lovers on stage but rather tell the real story behind it. The real story might be more nuanced and complicated but isn’t it just like life is? We’ve really tried and combine circus skills, storytelling and dance to tell our tale frankly but with lots of humour. How many times have you performed at the fringe? I have performed three times now at the fringe. The first time was at Summerhall in 2012 with a show called Rime. I came back with Barely Methodical Troupe and Kin two years ago and now I’m doing Knot. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? It must be going up Arthur’s Seat after the last performance of Kin two years ago with the whole cast and watching the sunrise together. It’s a really nice memory until we got kicked out of our accommodation a few hours later without having slept and walked around all day in Edinburgh with my big suitcase waiting for my train. What is the worst thing about the fringe? I have been very lucky with my Fringe experience. Every time I’ve come here, I have been paid which is not everybody’s experience. The Fringe is a very expensive place to be and I know I am in a very privileged position. I really hope our show will do well here, but it is a very different experience when you have a financial sword of Damocles hanging over your head during the whole month. How do you prepare for a performance? We warm up for a few hours before the show. It’s a very physical show so we need to go through all our circus “trick” repertoire before each performance. What's your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? Edinburgh is an amazing city. The scenery and nature around is so beautiful. I have my bike with me so I love exploring the city. Plus there are amazing shows to see and as a theatre lover, I couldn't ask for more... or maybe just the sun. What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Maybe taking the Subway in Glasgow everyday? I am working on the new show of Superfan Company. And as they are based in Glasgow I have spent quite a bit of time in Scotland lately. I’m loving it. What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? I spent a lot of time at Summerhall during the fringe, I like the vibe there. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Burgerz at Traverse, Lucy McCormick at Pleasance, Like Animals at Summerhall and so many more. Sum up your show in in 3 words? Honest, funny, poignant. 13
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EDINBURGH 2019 ALGORITHMS What is your fringe show about? Algorithms is a tragicomic one-woman play that follows Brooke, the algorithm writer for an online dating site as she searches for love, happiness and connection in a world defined more and more by online interactions. It’s about trying to navigate feeling heartbroken, lonely and as if you’ve not achieved enough… that being said it’s still full of proper laugh-out-loud moments, as well as being painfully relatable and you might shed the odd tear or two. I can also promise some seriously funky dancing! How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my third time performing here, but the first time I’ve written something I’m performing. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? This year? Getting my bag stuck in the luggage rack on the train and having to enlist the help of a stranger, who turned out to be Tom Rosenthal from Friday Night Dinners, to pull it out as I pushed it from behind (then fell over as it popped out!). What is the worst thing about the fringe? How overwhelming it can feel - there are so many things to worry about, and for an overly anxious perfectionist it’s a bit of a minefield. How do you prepare for a performance? Preparing for a performance at the Fringe is a little different to preparing for a performance at a normal theatre due to the festival nature of it. At about 11:15am I’ll do my make up at home. Around 11:30am I warm up my voice. This involves a number of breathing and vocal exercises that a vocal coach I worked with on the show gave me. At 12pm it’s time to head to the Pleasance Courtyard. When I arrive there I find a quiet corner, to the side of my venue Baby Grand, and do some stretches and some more breathing exercises. We get into the space about 12:30pm, 15 minutes before the show starts, and my stage manager gets the sound/lights ready whilst the venue team set up the stage and I get into costume. The final thing I do backstage, whilst the audience are coming in, is have a dance to the preshow music playing. It helps me shake off some nerves. What's your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? Probably being able to walk everywhere! Or the Mac and Cheese pies… or Fudge Kitchen! It feels a bit like a second home. I’ve been so many times that I feel like I know the city and the places I like really well and that feels comforting. What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? I read “Address to a Haggis”, the Robert Burns poem, in a Scottish accent at a Burns night party a few years ago and won a bottle of Scotch Whisky as a prize for ‘best dramatic reading in the best Scottish accent’ (awarded by a genuinely Scottish couple so I don’t think the accent can have been too bad). So probably that…? What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? Paradise Palms - mostly for the delicious vegetarian/vegan food, though the Margaritas aren’t half bad either! Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Oh my goodness there are SO MANY… if I had to narrow it down I’d say London Hughes stand up show How to Catch a D*ck because she makes me absolutely crack up. I’m also very excited for The Hiccup Project’s Lovely Girls, Catherine Bohart’s Lemon (a fellow bisexual) and In Bed With My Brother’s Tricky Second Album. Sum up your showing in 3 words? Hilarious, relatable, poignant. 15
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EDINBURGH 2019 RETURN OF THE LASH The Lashes What is your fringe show about? The Lashes: Three Queens on the run from Gaylead. After fleeing the dull, glitterless walls that have been their prison for so long, they finally burst into full colour; singing their songs of capture, freedom, love and lust. These three thirsty bitches bring big hair, big lips and other big bits but even bigger voices. Bluebell, Eileen and Siân are douched and on the loose. The Lashes have returned! How many times have you performed at the fringe? Between us, we've performed at the Fringe eight times over the years but have visited countless times What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? There's been a few - having to stop a show as glow sticks were bursting left right and centre and spraying luminous chemicals over the cast and audience - Being naked on stage during shit-faced showtime - Jenny Eclair referring to me as 'pretty boy' What is the worst thing about the fringe? The hangovers. Undoubtedly. How do you prepare for a performance? Usually with a pint and a shot of tequila. Professional. What's your favourite thing about being Edinburgh? How the whole world of performance is there and you can see pretty much anything you want to all in one beautiful city. That and the fresh blood on Grindr... What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Either drinking Irn-Bru for breakfast to cure a hangover or avoiding paying for a round of drinks (!) What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? Cee Cee's has always been a favourite. We have to go there any time we're in Edinburgh. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Diane Chorley, Myra Dubois, Northern Power Blouse but, most importantly, an audience! Sum up your showing in 3 words? Queer, Camp and Colourful 17
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EDINBURGH 2019 MADAME KOMONDOR WILL SEE YOU NOW Krista Komodor What is your fringe show about? Madame Komondor Will See You Now is about a woman who feels powerless and has a need to control. Madame is a heightened version of myself—she says all of the things I want to say but I can’t, she does all of the things that I want to do but I can’t. It’s wildly interactive— I bring men up on stage and do things to them. How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my first time! What is the worst thing about the fringe? I’m tempted to compare myself to everyone else—DANGER DANGER!!! To combat this, I’m meditating, making gratitude lists. A good friend always reminds me to keep my eyes on my own paper. How do you prepare for a performance? I do crazy warmups where I roll around on the floor, make weird faces and sounds, tap on my arms/legs/ chest to wake my body up. I try to remind myself that it is play—if I have fun with the show, the audience seems to have fun. What's your favourite thing about being Edinburgh? Looking forward to hearing that gorgeous accent! Oh, and those kilts!!!! What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? / What’s your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? I arrive in two days —I am eager to jump into the city and hopefully get a taste of the culture. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Other shows! I can’t wait to absorb the work of so many talented people —artists who are so devoted to their craft that they are willing to dive into something as huge as the Fringe. I’m also looking forward to getting out to The Highlands. I only have two days off, but am determined to see some of your beautiful country. Sum up your showing in 3 words? Exhilarating, provocative, poignant. 19
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EDINBURGH 2019 DON’T FRIGHTEN THE STRAIGHTS! What is your fringe show about? The hyper-honest confessions of a mouthy old ethnic poof and international slut. Outrageously, unbelievably true stories about hidden gay lives, the hilarious secrets and jaw-dropping realities of what us gay guys really get up to. Including answering questions like what’s worse in Scotland, being gay or English? ; If he’s gorgeous but racist – do you kick him out of bed? ; The problems of juggling too many friends-with-benefits, plus an amazing story of a camply illegal Edinburgh gay funeral, and other surprisingly queer stories from around the world. How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my first fringe show. My stories worked so well on BBC Radio 4, I just had to bring a one man show to the Fringe this year to tell some of the stories too racy for the BBC. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? After my final pre-Edinburgh preview show in Vienna in June, just 6 weeks before this Fringe starts, I was knocked off my bike by a taxi. Amazingly, a gay ambulance crew collected me. The accident left me with two broken ribs and an arm in plaster. Nightmare! But I will be fighting fit in time for the first show on August 3rd. With a little help from painkillers for the ribs, the opening show will be a celebration of triumph over tragedy. What is the worst thing about the fringe? The mainstream media not covering shows with LGBT+ content because they think those shows are just for LGBT+ audiences, not for everyone. Great stories have universal appeal, even if you’re not from that community. How do you prepare for a performance? Weeks of rehearsal, making sure I know the show inside out. On the day, getting to the venue early and a glass of red wine. I invite someone I’m shagging (or want to shag) along to the show – then I’m determined to impress. What's your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? The fact that Edinburgh is by the sea. I live in Leith and walking by the sea is a wonderful way to keep things in perspective when the madness of the Fringe threatens to swamp you. What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Sleep with a Scottish dentist for 15 years ! I had a Scottish partner and was part of his Highland family. My Invernessian accent is brilliant and I know Loch Ness like the back of my hand. What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? Clarinda’s Tearoom on the High Street. All the cakes are homemade and the rhubarb pie is the best I’ve ever tasted.
THEATRE ● COMEDY ● STORYTELLING Bona Broadcasting & Paradise Green present
DON’T FRIGHTEN THE STRAIGHTS! Turan Ali’s hilarious, outrageous true stories from all over the gay world “Hilarious and eye-opening” RADIO TIMES “Camp as tits and absolutely brilliant” SU POLLARD “Inspirational performer and writer” ROBERT PIMM (award-winning novelist)
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4
Who are you most looking forward to seeing? I love all the creative, artistic reinventions of circus. A combination of beautiful, half-dressed men, breath-taking stunts and hugely original, witty ideas is always a wonderful spectacle.
O
ATELIER THEATER ● BURGGASSE 71 ● 1070 WIEN
Sum up your show in 3 words? Jaw-droppingly hilarious sluttery.
BURGGASSE 71 ● 1070 WIEN
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EDINBURGH 2019 MONSTER John Pendal Jul 31 - Aug 26, 7.45pm, Gilded Balloon Teviot - Turre What is your fringe show about? It’s a comedy show about the things that keep me awake at night with a sense of guilt and shame, with the aim of making the audience feel better about themselves. There are lots of jokes about sex and sexual incompatibility. Also the show is accessible for people who are socially anxious so you will not get picked on! How many times have you performed at the fringe? This is my sixth Edinburgh festival and my fourth solo show. Second year at the Gilded Balloon. What’s your most memorable moment from the fringe? Getting a five star review for my first show, being taken on a celebratory pub crawl by my flatmate and not remembering how I got home is my most memorably moment. What is the worst thing about the fringe? Handing out flyers in sideways rain always makes me question my life choices. How do you prepare for a performance? I ask the tech operator to play the Glee cast version of “Boogie Shoes”. I think if the audience can sit through that my show will seem remarkably conservative by comparison. What’s your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? I can’t decide between the Royal Botanic Gardens and Oink Hog Roasts. I’ll be visiting both to restore my soul. What’s the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Whilst being fitted for a kilt the assistant in the changing room checked out my bagpipes. That was unexpected and got me a discount. What’s your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? The Regent Bar, as they do great food (including gluten free for me) and I can eat a really good dinner in a friendly pub without feeling like Johnny-no-mates on my own. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? “Jen Brister – Under Privilege” at Monkey Barrel Comedy. I always see Jen’s shows 3 times if she’s at Edinburgh as they get me through the month. This years she’s on at the same time as me (7.45pm) so I can only go on my day off – but I’ll definitely be there as she makes me cry with laughter. Sum up your showing in 3 words? Touching, compelling, funny. 23
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EDINBURGH 2019 99 (FIRST WORLD) PROBLEMS Andy Quirk & Anna J Aug 1 - 25, 3.45pm, Sofi’s Southside What is your fringe show about? Andy: It’s about bringing together people united in their frustrations with modern day life and expressing this cathartically through a tongue in cheek genre-busting rap concert where the audience take the role of backup crew! Anna J: Showing off my skills. How many times have you performed at the fringe? Andy: This will be our third full run at the fringe. The first one was somewhat unexpected as Anna J informed me she was joining the show as my backup dancer the night before the first performance. What's your most memorable moment from the fringe? Anna J: Last year one of our crew got a bit carried away and challenged me, the one and only Lead Backup Dancer, to a dance-off. It all got a bit rowdy with people doing the splits, the worm and some frantic body popping but my hip thrusting skills ruled them all. What is the worst thing about the fringe? Anna J: Being stuck with Andy Quirk for a whole month; morning, noon and night. And it’s on a zerohours contract, or as he calls it, “The Free Festival.” Andy: The human statues. That’s called stage fright when it happens in a venue and you don’t get any money in your bucket for it. How do you prepare for a performance ? Andy: An hour of peer to peer network marketing or, as it’s also known, handing out flyers. Anna J: I just turn up and deliver the goods. I’m the whole package - like a meal deal. What's your favourite thing about being in Edinburgh? Anna J: Performing every day. Andy: Macaroni Pies. Genius. What's the most Scottish thing you've ever done? Andy: Drunk whiskey and Irn Bru. Separately. I know the rules. Anna J: I wore a kilt as part of my school uniform. In London. After consulting with Andy Quirk I reckon it would now be called cultural appropriation. What's your favourite bar/cafe in Edinburgh? Anna J: The Joseph Pearce, it’s like a lounge what they have in Downton Abbey. Andy: Sofi’s Southside, genuinely loved drinking in it last year and now our show’s there. Who are you most looking forward to seeing? Andy: We’ve got a list of names so long we can’t hope to see them all, though experience tells me I’ll be most impressed by something I see totally by chance. Anna J: Me on my video camera. Sum up your show in 3 words? Uplifting Musical Therapy 25
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MUSIC TINY CHANGES - VARIOUS
“I’ll make tiny changes to Earth” Frightened Rabbit - Heads Roll Off It’s a brilliant, hopeful line, right bang in the middle of a song that deals with the notion of impermanence is that little shard of sunlight. It lifts the entire song. The man who wrote that is no longer with us and that sad story has been told lots over the last year so we won’t tell it again, you don’t need that context. All you need to know is that ‘Tiny Changes’ is a cover album of Frightened Rabbit’s modern masterpiece ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’. Scott curated all the acts on here and the track listing is in the same order as the original, we’re doing a track by track so let’s get to it. Biffy Clyro - The Modern Leper Biffy do their choppy time signature to the song, starting off with a gentle shimmering take off before all hell breaks loose and it really does break loose. Although the addition of throbbing synths and roaring guitars build the song up to almost operatic proportions the sassy self deprecation is still evident as the core of the song. It's so Biffy Clyro they could’ve written it themselves. Oxford Collapse - I Feel Better Brooklyn’s Oxford Collapse bring a dizzy shuffle and a punky curled lip to ‘I Feel Better’. This version is less polished than the original but still has the feeling of resentment/release down perfectly. They rumble along in a similar manner to the original steeling themselves for the burst of sunshine that illuminates the song’s last third with the repeating of “I feel better and better and worse then better’ its lovely. Fiskur - Good Arms Vs Bad Arms Gone is the gentle Scottish reel of the Frabbit’s version and in comes reverby guitars and muted keyboards giving ‘Good Arms’ a change of pace and a very modern update. Not a dance version of the song per se but a definite change in direction to an almost 80’s vibe. Right On Dynamite - Fast Blood This take on ‘Fast Blood’ is much more in line with the Frightened rabbit version, racing guitars and thundering drums but singer Daniel Murphy’s double tracked vocal doesn’t sit atop of the proceedings the way Scott’s did, as such it misses some of the yearning ache but it does have a more confused sounding soul at the centre of the song which still works. Josh Ritter - Old, Old Fashioned The shift of styles on some of the songs can be jarring to fans of TMOF particularly as it’s such a beloved record but the change from a Scottish jig to a rousing bluegrass hoedown suits ‘Old Old Fashioned’ down to a tea. This is one of the great examples of how Scott’s writing was so universal and Josh has done the boys proud, this is one of the highlights. Wintersleep - The Twist The Midnight Organ Fight is such an embarrassment of riches that almost any song would be a gift to record and as such Wintersleep take on ‘The Twist’ with gusto and verve. It is glorious joyous, sparkling with life and has a slight Springsteen feel to it. It’s one of the tracks that falls into the straight cover category but is no less exciting because of it. 30
MUSIC The Philistines Jr - Bright Pink Bookmark Taking what is essentially a link between two songs The Philistines Jr expand ‘Bright Pink Bookmark’ into almost three minutes of electro joy. The expansion doesn’t feel awkward or tacked on but a lovely fleshing out of a glittering little pop instrumental. Craig Finn - Heads Rolls Off The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn does an odd thing with ‘Heads Rolls Off’ beginning with repeating the “I believe in a house in the clouds, and God’s got his dead friends ‘round” four times before starting the song proper. It is an odd decision but possibly it's only odd to ears that have heard the track several thousand times. Regardless to the changes ‘Heads’ still retains its power and Finn’s Americana vocal brings a different type of weariness to the song. Still making tiny changes to Earth. Harkin - My Backwards Walk Harkin take the stark ‘Backward Walk and strips it further down than the already lean original, it's one of the darker moments on TMOF but as always Scott imbued his darker moments with beautiful upbeat melodies and even stripped back ‘Backwards Walk’ retains its shimmering beauty. It doesn’t take off in the last section quite in the same way but then they didn’t have the thundering hands of Grant Hutchison swinging behind them, so they’re forgiven Benjamin Gibbard - Keep Yourself Warm The paean to questionable bit rude and Ben Gibbard is the song. There’s a politeness convince that he’d ever as a three am grab-whoeverkeeps it all on ground level chiming shimmer, which is a Yourself Warm’ has THAT through the stratosphere (You quiet and Scott then bellows see the look on your face”) and which I suppose suits the song in
intimacies which was always a possibly too nice to really sell to his voice than doesn’t initiate anything as salacious is-up-for-it shag. He also and never strays from the shame because ‘Keep moment when it takes you know the bit, when it's all got “Seeeeee in the dark, can you Gibbard has kept it more intimate, terms of content.
Inletts - Extrasupervery Like ‘Bright Pink Bookmark’ this was a linking song on the Frabbit’s version of the album and Inletts has expanded it into a twinkling, ethereal three minute instrumental. It’s lovely and falls into the category of not sounding like the original too much. Daughter - Poke There’s something regal about Elena Torna’s voice and hearing her sing the words “Should we kick its cunt it?” is even more jarring than when Scott sang them. The thing about this version is that it has the promise of bursting into a massive thumping dance version but it doesn’t. Which is a shame because it would really set it apart. It's still a good take on ‘Poke’ but a little more oomph might have made this the stand out track. The Twilight Sad - Floating In The Forth This was always going to be a troubling song to tackle and it seems apt that the band closest to Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, take the most difficult cut and shoot it through their own particular prism. It's raw and unflinching, with just James’ vocal and Andy’s vicious sounding guitar until one by one the rest of the band fill the sound out. It’s not a pleasant listen and that is exactly right for this particular song. They’ve done Scott proud. 31
MUSIC Aaron Dessner - Who’d You Kill Now Another little song to round off the original track listing transformed from a drunken sounding ramble to a sweet ditty with plucked acoustic guitars and jaunty piano, it brings a little light into play. Julien Baker - The Modern Leper There’s a couple more takes after the full album has been covered of which this one is the first. It's a much more sedate and gentle reading of ‘The Modern Leper’ than the Biffy or indeed the Frightened Rabbit version. Julien gives a quizzical feel to the proceedings, less weary more optimistic. It’s warmer certainly but lacks the bite it really needs. Piano Bar Fight - The Twist Piano Bar Fight bring an almost apologetic feel to this version of the Twist, it doesn’t plead for the affection of the other versions, it has puppy dog eyes and a sheepish grin but it does have some bloody nice drumming in it. My Backwards Walk - Manchester Orchestra This is a terrific version of ‘My Backwards Walk’, lead singer Andy Hull almost whispers his vocal and the rest of the band grow the sound with the song until everything hits a crescendo. It has a real impact and doesn’t outstay its welcome, a great way to close the album. As I reviewed ‘Tiny Changes’ the last track faded out and my computer played the next song after the album which was ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ and there was Scott. It's still painful to listen to his voice but that is fading, turning into something else, the pain is receding and the joy and hope is rising. The music in any form is superb and these artists have done a grand job with ‘Tiny Changes’ it just feels like the beginning of Scott’s legacy. If you would like to donate to the charity made in honour of Scott then you can help them over at https:// maketinychanges.co.uk/ and make a tiny change to Earth.
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FILMS MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE
Part of the legend that surrounds the life and career of Leonard Cohen has to do with his contradictions. Cohen was a poet and novelist whose artistic success only came as a songwriter and performer; he was a young hedonist who later adopted Buddhist asceticism; he was a faithful romantic with a wandering eye. Leonard Cohen was a human being, an aesthete both flawed and sublime. “Hallelujah.” In 1960, the young author with two published books of poetry departed Canada, and his world travels brought him to the artists’ colony on the Greek island of Hydra (and in another contrast, the ancient and sun-kissed environs were in decided opposition to snowy Montreal). There he met Marianne Ihlen, long lauded as Cohen’s muse, and continued to live with her on the island for more than seven years. Although they tried to maintain the relationship for several more years through long-distance communication and fitful reunions (including a period during which Marianne and her young son Axel moved to New York to live with Leonard), the pairing could not surmount the era’s self-indulgence. Cohen was living with his muse in New York while also writing about getting head from another paramour at the Chelsea Hotel. Despite their inability to remain a monogamous couple, Marianne and Leonard remained loving friends 'til the end. Their deaths came months apart from each other. “So long, Marianne.” Being directed by Nick Broomfield, the provocative and self-referential filmmaker, it’s fair for a viewer to come to Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love with questions about how Broomfield was going to insert himself into the text. It turns out that Broomfield was also one of Marianne Ihlen’s lovers during his own stay on Hydra, a friendship that continued over the years during her visits to England. Broomfield was in an excellent position to observe the unending relationship between Leonard and Marianne. So were several others, who give testimony in the film. Also of great help in putting the film together is much documentary footage of Marianne on Hydra in the Sixties, shot by the documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, who was one of the many artists who docked in the port for a time. This footage is essential to this film, allowing us to view Marianne as a solo human being and not just as a muse to a great man. It is she who first noticed the figurative beauty of a nearby “bird on a wire,” not he. Yet this is also how the movie fails. Praiseworthy for finally providing some three-dimensionality to the figure of Ihlen, the film doesn’t go far enough in examining the plight of the muse. Essential to the artist but a tangent for the artist’s acolytes, muses are mostly women and remembered mostly in song titles and book dedications – in other words, through the Other’s eyes. Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love offers a great opportunity to explore the experience via the muse’s own truth. Broomfield touches on this but never examines it deeply, and fast-tracks through the remainder of Ihlen’s life after Leonard, and provides disturbing hints but no practical information about the mental struggles of her son Axel (to whom Leonard was also very close). The film should lure in all Cohen-heads (and, really, who isn’t one), but it doesn’t color outside its two-person narrative, which only exists because one of the two is famous. “I’m Your Man,” sings the film as it “dances to the end of love.” 34
FILMS STUBER
I’ve been trying to imagine what the pitch meeting for this massive slice of Uber product placement probably sounded like, and I think I finally nailed it. “Drax the Destroyer, as a cop hot on the trail of the slimeball that murdered his partner, meets cute with that guy from The Big Sick, an Uber driver, and forces him to assist in the search even though the Big Sick guy has a hot date with the girl he loves that same night. Trouble is, Drax’s just gone through Lasik surgery and can’t see a damn thing. Hilarity ensues! Boffo box office!” Yeah, that sounds about right, but the trouble is Tripper Clancy’s ham-fisted screenplay. Rife with all the generic trappings of the shopworn, mismatched buddy cop action-comedy genre, Clancy’s script suffers from a surfeit of originality with scarcely a fresh take on anything. Despite a seemingly can’t-miss cast, Stuber – which debuted as a work-in-progress at SXSW 2019 – epically fails in the hilarity department and fizzles on the action front despite the incendiary presence of Indonesian actor/ stunt coordinator Uwais of The Raid fame. It’s the sort of movie that defines the term “summer doldrums” in a way few others have. Bautista is Vic, the aforementioned hell-bent-on-vengeance L.A.P.D. cop who commandeers Stu (Nanjiani), Stu’s sparkling clean Prius, and most importantly, Stu’s 20/20 eyesight. Following the surgery, Vic’s world is rendered a whirling blur for the recuperative 24 hours, which is mined as a source of comedy gold but instead turns out to be as predictably unfunny as lead. Bautista and Nanjiani have proven themselves to be excellent comedic actors in their own rights, but the ossified banter and situations the wildly contrived plot puts them in have all the crackle and spark of a wet napkin. You can see why it seemed like a no-brainer to pair them here. The two characters couldn’t be more different; they’re like polar opposites of post-#MeToo masculinity. The introverted, anal-retentive Stu reflexively buffs his prized Prius and offers his riders free chocolates to boost his chances of getting that all-important five-star Uber rating, while the temporarily blind Vic bumbles and stumbles his way through one groaningly bad bit of hoary slapstick after another, inflicting semi-random mayhem while dishing out truly awful dating and relationship tips on the side. Unfortunately, very little here genuinely clicks.
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FILMS ONCE UPON A TIME ... IN HOLLYWOOD
The highest praise I can give to “The Ninth Film From Quentin Tarantino” is that it’s the first movie in years that I’ve immediately decided I wanted – nay, needed – to watch again, as soon as possible. Hypnotically immersive to the nth degree, it’s a lovingly realized slice of alternate history that perfectly evokes in spectacularly granular detail a seemingly timeless moment in yesteryear Tinseltown. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood is a fractured fairy tale too good to be true, because the truth hurts; and Tarantino, forever lovesick with and impassioned by this particular Los Angelean era, has better things in store than a mere reimagining of events surrounding the gated compound at 10050 Cielo Drive and the Spahn Movie Ranch. Firmly rooted in the Tarantinoverse, Once Upon a Time is an elegiac mash note to Hollywood 1969, at times sublimely, almost surrealistically moving while simultaneously managing to be the director’s funniest and least violent film to date. As is usual for a QT film, there are multiple parallel storylines at play, intersecting and ricocheting off each other like a billiards table awash in eight-balls. First and foremost are best buddies Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Pitt). Dalton’s an aging and alcoholic B-movie cowboy looking down the barrel of an unfulfilling future filming Sergio Corbucci-helmed spaghetti Westerns in Almería, Spain, to pay the bills. Booth is his tough-as-nails stunt double, driver, and all-around compadre-cum-enabler. The pair saunter through L.A. in full-on leisure mode, encountering various famous names, among them newly arrived nextdoor neighbors Sharon Tate (Robbie) and her sparsely glimpsed husband Roman Polanski (Zawierucha), Green Hornet star Bruce Lee (Moh), and those creepy hippies hanging out at the Spahn Ranch, chief among them the libidinous Pussycat (Qualley) and Tex (Butler). Cinematographer Robert Richardson bathes everything in a honeyed, hyper-real glow that nonetheless allows room for the seepage of creepycrawling darkness into the story’s explosive and horrifically comical finale. Pitt and DiCaprio are perfectly cast. They come off as a lower-rent version of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-era Redford and Newman, all laconically snappy patented QT dialogue, Red Apple cigarettes, and booze-fueled late-night bullshit sessions. Yet it’s Robbie’s Tate that makes the blood-red sun shine throughout. Midway through Tarantino’s lengthy (fittingly so) fairy tale, there’s a stunning little sequence of Tate wandering into a theatre to watch herself onscreen alongside Dean Martin as Matt Helm in 1968’s The Wrecking Crew. Slipping off her pristine white go-go boots and putting her bare feet up on the seat in front of her, she positively glows in the dark as she anonymously basks in the reactions of her fellow moviegoers. It’s a beautifully staged and acted sequence in a movie that’s overflowing with adoration for not only the comedically gifted Tate – what could have been, what should have been – but also for the very notion of late-1960s Hollywood and indeed cinema itself. Some critics have griped about Once Upon a Time’s near-three-hour running time but I disagree. Tarantino’s deliberately unhurried pacing defines the exact (and, sadly, nearly extinct) pleasures of 35mm filmmaking, the relaxed yet portentously suspenseful feeling of the beginning of the end of something golden and the emergence of something else rising to usurp the sunshine and sparkle of the already rickety Hollywood signage. Innocence lost? Not so. It’s more like fear and loving in Los Angeles, all wrapped up in Quentin Tarantino’s extraordinary and unmistakable auteurist style. Now that’s entertainment. 36
FILMS CRAWL
Ever get the feeling that some filmmakers are overthinking things? Nuance, insight, cinematic innovation, yes, they all have their place. But then, so do films that know they don't need that. That's no insult: After all, a great chef can make a perfect soufflĂŠ with five ingredients. That's Crawl, although the end result is delicious screams, rather than discussions about mouthfeel. It's the definition of a simple setup. Competitive swimmer Haley (Skins' Scodelario) gets a call from her sister, Beth (Clark): Their estranged father, Dave (Pepper), isn't answering his phone, and there's a Category 5 hurricane headed to their old family home in Southern Florida. Haley drives down to find him, only to discover that he's trapped in the crawl space. Why's he trapped? Because there are alligators. Why are there alligators? Because it's Florida. So, alligators, crawl space, rising floodwaters, a central character who can swim, and a little family tension. What else do you need? Nothing, especially when you have a game cast, and a director who knows how to unleash nature for terrifying, bloody effect. Aja's career has proved that he is the living embodiment of less is more. His breakout success, 2005's Haute Tension, was a highlight of the French New Extremity, even if it has plot holes you could throw a severed head through (and a large head at that). When he tries to get too complex, like his Munchausen by proxy debacle The 9th Life of Louis Drax, it's a mess. When he concentrates on a flat-out, effective gorefest like his remake of The Hills Have Eyes, he's in his element. Another remake, Piranha 3D, proved he could handle waterborne menaces, and so Crawl is absolutely in his sweet spot. It's that simple setup; it gets straight to the action, there's just enough personal drama to give the audience a good reason to root for the humans, and it's all just top-notch gory fun. Everything set up in the first 20 minutes powers the remaining hour, with the subtle, underlying tension that the higher the water rises, the more this becomes the alligators' domain (moreover, the script by siblings Michael and Shawn Rasmussen never tries to make the gators anything other than a big, abstract gang of hungry predators). Crawl is lean, mean fun, and in a summer of overwrought art-horror and mean-spirited studio remakes of indie faves, this classic, old-school creature feature is the cleansing bloodbath we need.
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