SNACK mag - Issue 12 - December 2019

DECEMBER ’19 THE VEGAN LEATHER BOSSY LOVE RIDE CRAIG HILL THE NIGHTINGALE MUSIC FILM COMEDY FOOD AND DRINK TRAVEL LGBT+ THEATRE VISUAL ARTS WORDS

C h r i st m as on the Close A Very Ch esn ey Ch ristmas bo ok on li ne now

Immersive 1-hour experience exploring the weird and wonderful traditions of Christmas and their origins with our Victorian guides, Mr and Mrs Chesney.

10th- 23rd December

REALMARYKINGSCLOSE.COM

CONTENTS WHAT’S ON MUSIC FILM FOOD & DRINK EVENTS | PAGE 09

THE VEGAN LEATHER, BOSSY LOVE, RIDE | PAGE 16

THE NIGHTINGALE, THE AMBER LIGHT | PAGE 24

FESTIVE WHISKY, PELLEGRINI, BERTIE’S | PAGE 28 Disclaimer: Snack Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of this magazine in part or in whole is forbidden without the explicit written consent of the publishers. Every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content of this magazine but we cannot guarantee it is complete and up to date. Snack Publishing Ltd. is not responsible for your use of the information contained herein.

E: hello@snackpublising.com Editor/Sales: Kenny Lavelle Sales: Leigh Gaynor Food and Travel Editors: Emma Mykytyn and Mark Murphy LGBT+ Editor: Jonny Stone Sub Editor: Leona Skene Designer/Illustrator: Fionnlagh Ballantine Cover photo: Courtesy of The Vegan Leather

TRAVEL LGBT+ VISUAL ARTS WORDS PRAGUE | PAGE 34

NEWS, JUDY GARLAND | PAGE 44

AMY DUNCAN | PAGE 48

TORNADO CRUSH | PAGE 50 MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Hello. Welcome to Issue 12 of SNACK. What a year it has been. During our first full calendar year of making the magazine we’ve had the pleasure of working with a good number of the country’s most exciting independent artists.

We’re delighted that in our final issue for 2019, we’re supporting two of the Scottish indie music scene’s most exciting talents. Both The Vegan Leather and Bossy Love have been around for

a fair while now and both have just released their debut albums; going some considerable distance to meeting the creative potential they’ve shown over the past few years. We don’t do end of year lists, but if we did, both albums would be near the top of the pile. It all just goes to show that by giving grassroots talent the time and space to grow, gain support and develop its craft, great things can happen. Here’s to more of that in 2020.

All the best when it comes.

Kenny Lavelle

GIVING

03

01 04

05

02 06 01. Bowie and Kurt Cobain baby rattles by Tambour Battant £17 decadentriot.co.uk | 02. Dinosaur tooth, Spinosaurus, 96 million years old, from Morocco, from £16. Ammonite, Cleoniceras, 110 million years old from Madagascar, from £20 mrwoodsfossils.co.uk | 03. Vegan Artisan Chocolate Box, from £18.50 consideritchocolate.com | 04. Scottish Gig Calendar by Lola Polooza £12.50 decadentriot.co.uk | 05. The Queeriodic Table £9.99 firebox.com | 06. Cat in Candy Cane Hat Card by Jo Clark Design £3 edinburghart.com

07

10

08 09

07.

11

Seagull With Stolen Chip Pin by Wink Design, £7.50 hellyeahshop.com | 08.‘Who Run The World’ Gull Tote Bag by Hello Dodo, £10 hellyeahshop.com | 09. Home Alone Mug by Hole In My Pocket, £9.50 shop.holeinmypocket.com | 10. Scrooged Christmas Card by Hole In My Pocket, £3 shop.holeinmypocket.com | 11. Robin Enamel Pin by Tom Hardwick, £8 edinburghart.com

of

any

&m

re!

mo

w

um

use

sgo

Gla

ry

tille

um

use

Dis

Kel vi Art ngrov Gal e ler y& M

sity

ver

Uni

eM

ers id

Riv

de

esi

Clyd

Scan to book

The

Discover the magic of Glasgow in 21 stops this Christmas

citysightseeingglasgow.co.uk

WHAT’S ON GUIDE MAXIMUM PRESSURE

SWG3, Glasgow – 1st January 2020, 9pm3am Kick-start 2020 with the Slam boys’ legendary Maximum Pressure party. A quick look through the lineup, and yup, it’s going to be relentless.

Besides Slam, you’ll have some cracking local and international artists to look forward to: I Hate Models, Dax J, AISHA, DABJ (Dixon Avenue Basement Jams), a live set from Dasha Rush plus a b2b set from Sub Club residents and rising stars of the scene Telford and Stevie Cox. It’ll likely sell out, so get your tickets quick.

Radical Voices & Rebel Stories 20 to 29 February 2020 www.paisleybookfest.com @bookpaisley

LEONARDO DA VINCI: A LIFE IN DRAWING The Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh – 22nd November till 15th March In November 2019, to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, 80 of the Renaissance master’s greatest drawings will go on display in the largest exhibition of the artist’s work ever seen in Scotland. The exhibition explores the full range of Leonardo’s interests – painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, engineering, cartography, geology and botany – providing a comprehensive survey of Leonardo’s life and a unique insight into the workings of his mind. Many of the works in the exhibition will be on display in Scotland for the first time.

Join US For ChriStmaS at

oPen till 3am With artiSan PizzaS Until 2am FridayS and SatUrdayS

shillingbrewingcompany.co.uk 92 West George St | G2 1PJ | 0141 353 1654

What’s on Page 9

DUBPLATE PEARL + MISTER SWING EASY The Rum Shack, Glasgow – 30th November Dubplate Pearl is one of the most respected selectors on the scene. On top of her solo work, she has represented the Sisters of Reggae collective, and makes up one half of Camberwell Connection. She’s got a Boiler Room in the bag too. Mister Swing Easy is the duo’s other half; not only are his skills on the decks pretty renowned, he’s also the author of Englishman, an acclaimed book recounting his experiences in the reggae scene. Roots rock reggae, sophisticated soul and a touch of jazz - all played on original vinyl.

There might even be a wee appearance from one of Scotland’s best loved musicians.

Also, for those who need it, there’s a seated version, inside at Bookmarket, running daily at 3.45 and 4.45pm.

NIGHT WALK FOR EDINBURGH Bookmarket, Waverley Mall, Edinburgh – till 31st January Struggling to find a reason to leave the house during the dark cold evenings? We might have the answer, and it’s free. How about discovering an alternative unseen side to Edinburgh’s Old Town? There’s so much going on in this walk, and so many surprises, that it would be unfair to tell you too much here. What we can say is that you’ll be plugged into your headphones and directed by a small screen, where you’ll be witness to the lives of others: the route on screen is populated by pedestrians, tourists, runners, figures glimpsed through windows and doors, and the narrator’s voice is your constant companion along the way.

POCKET KNIFE & MOONSOUP – ARCHIPELAGO EP LAUNCH Braw Wee Emporium, Glasgow – 29th November Pocket Knife are awesome. If you like slightly rude, slightly off-kilter, tongue-in-cheek indie synth-pop then you should get them into your life, soon. This Olive Grove Records Archipelago EP (Volumes 3 and 4) launch night seems like the perfect opportunity. Moonsoup take the place on volume 4 and have an equally awesome blend of melodies, stories and angst; all set to a breezy indie pop backdrop. It’s BYOB. Go.

BURLESQUE HOGMANAY

Supported

Shilling Brewing Co, Glasgow – 31st December What better way to see in the return to the roaring 20s than a bit of burlesque? Dress up and step through the doors of Shilling Brewing Company’s Art Deco building and join them for a new year experience to remember! Your host Markee De Saw will guide you through the night, delivering a star-studded lineup of burlesque, magic, singers and much more, with a DJ from midnight until 3am. There will also be a pint, some pizza, pie and a dram all included with your seat purchase.

Call 01413531654 or email sales@ shillingbrewingcompany.co.uk for more info!

THE BLANK TAPES The Flying Duck, Glasgow – 13th December LA based multi-instrumentalist and Blank Tapes lynchpin Matt Adams, a compulsive creator, has released over a dozen albums of 60s inspired easy and winsome surf-pop, folk-rock & soul.

He also creates all their artwork, so there’s definite merch table fun to be had here. The band released their new, slightly heavier and shreddier than usual album Look Into The Light back in October (on Cassette Store Day). Positive vibes.

What’s on Page 11

UK GENERAL ELECTION Your local school or community centre – 12th December Vote.

Just vote.

No matter what the polls say.

Especially if you are under 25.

Vote.

ZOE GRAHAM Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh — 7th December Now is definitely a good time to catch young Scottish singer songwriter Zoe Graham live; things are changing. Her new single ‘Gradual Move’ is a distinct shift away from her previous folk pop style - as it progresses, it’s one grandiose drum pattern away from being a blissfully bittersweet M83 track - and pinpoints her at a creative and personal crossroads. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how she develops this new creative thread.

Edinburgh’s famous fossil shop

5 Cowgatehead, Grassmarket Edinburgh, EH1 1JY 0131 220 1344 www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk

SEIZED BY THE LEFT HAND DCA, Dundee – 14th December till 22nd March As it’s coming up to Christmas, this seems the perfect moment to explore the future possibilities of how we live, love and care for one another.

Seized by the Left Hand takes as its starting point ideas from Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness. Written 50 years ago, this masterpiece of feminist science fiction is set on an icy planet called ‘Gethen’ (which translates to ‘Winter’). Here, inhabitants shift and change gender continuously throughout their lives. The story is told through the eyes of Genly Ai, an envoy sent to the planet in an attempt to convince governments to join an interplanetary trade coalition. The book had a profound impact on the sci-fi genre at its time of publication, and remains hugely relevant to the world around us today.

The exhibition will combine painting, drawing, sculpture, installation and film with performance, poetry and writing.

Scotland Study Centre (SSC) and GEEK present RETREAT 15% XMAS DISCOUNT ON GEEK RETREAT Food & DRINKS SSC Courses in:

Latest Video Games Games Competitions Online & Onsite Courses

Japanese Through Anime & Manga Academic Essay Writing & Presentation Skills

Be a Geek this Xmas!

29/30 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX www.scotlandstudycentre.com scotlandstudycentre@gmail.com CALL: 07752573946

WINTERFEST Paisley Town Centre – till 30th December Now that Glasgow’s Christmas ice rink is a sadly distant memory, it’s just given all weegies an extra reason to take the short train to Paisley for Winterfest. You’ve just got to go skating outdoors at Christmas, don’t you? There’s also a big wheel (The Paisley Eye), traditional flying chairs, a carousel, loads of festive munchies, mulled wine and plenty more besides. Sounds like a proper old school pre-Christmas evening out.

FAIR PLAY Summerhall, Edinburgh – 30th November Long tired of the Black Friday nonsense and anticipating needing a wee cultural palate cleanser after the noise? Every year since 2015, after Black Friday, cultural organisations around the world get together for a celebration of arts and culture to support social causes and continued promotion of the arts. This year, for the first time, Summerhall are getting involved, with an evening showcasing some of the artists supported by the venue in 2019. Performing on the night will be SHHE, Little King, Harry Harris and Jenni Fagan.

What’s on Page 13

RSNO: THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING Usher Hall, Edinburgh – 6th December & Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow – 7th December Who wouldn’t want Alan Cumming to tell you a story? [Hi Fiona] Perhaps the tale of a little girl, a gallant Nutcracker, and the sinister Mouse King? This new concert version of The Nutcracker combines Tchaikovsky’s music and the words of the great German storyteller ETA Hoffmann to bring the adventure magically to life – plus three more musical fairy tales by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Tickets are going really fast for both dates, so best get in quick.

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller Night Walk for Edinburgh

Senga

16 Nov 2019 – 31 Jan 2020

HOT SNAKES Broadcast, Glasgow – 6th December The Californian post-hardcore pioneers have just released their new single ‘Checkmate’, their only new music since 2018’s superb ‘Jericho Sirens’.

Untitled-11 It’ll be available to buy at the gig as a limitededition 7”. Hot Snakes vocalist Rick Froberg says: “Checkmate’ is big, fatty content freshly extruded from the Hot Snakes sausage machine. Same ingredients, new flav.” Couldn’t have said it better.

Ace.

ERLAND COOPER Mackintosh Queen’s Cross Church, Glasgow – 30th November Following the October release of Seachange, the ambient companion to the highly acclaimed, and SNACK mag-making soundtrack, Sule Skerry, Erland Cooper plays the magnificent Mackintosh Queen’s Cross Church. Formerly of The Magnetic North and Erland & The Carnival, this is his first ever headline solo tour of the UK. Should be perfectly suited to this wonderful venue.

Venue: Bookmarket Top Level, Waverley Mall, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BQ Booking essential via fruitmarket.co.uk

1

thejazzbar

19/11/2019 12:15

edinburgh

1a Chambers Street eh1 1hr

LIVE MUSIC UNTIL 3AM EVERY NIGHT!

JAZZ//FUNK//SOUL//BLUES//ACOUSTIC @thejazzbar www.thejazzbar.co.uk

SUMMERHALL – EDINBURGH | 31ST JANUARY TILL 8TH FEBRUARY One of the most exciting festivals in the Scottish calendar is returning, and it looks to be more sensational and adventurous than ever before. MANIPULATE, presented

by Puppet Animation Scotland, is back for another year of astounding visual feasts.

Since 2008, MANIPULATE has been bringing the best of award-winning visual theatre, puppetry and animated film to Edinburgh. This year it’s bigger and better, and will showcase leading theatre artists and filmmakers from Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and the USA; presenting 28 animated films, 27 productions, 10 works in progress, 6 cabaret pieces, 3 workshops, and 1 industry-focused event.

‘We look forward to another exciting, stimulating and thought-provoking celebration of the very best of Scottish and international visual theatre, puppetry and animated film.’

Simon Hart, Puppet Animation Scotland Director Each year MANIPULATE has opened the doors to leading Scottish-based and international theatre artists, in order to present their productions, works in progress and creative explorations. The festival celebrates the best of world visual and physical theatre, puppetry and animated film and art forms which use primarily visual means gesture and body language, for example.

For the first time, alongside the puppetry, theatre and animated film there will also be a free (though ticketed, so plan ahead) evening cabaret, presented daily at 7:45pm. There’s a huge range of shows, with ticket prices between £4 and £12,

and also some workshops if you are dying to try your own hand at puppetry or physical theatre.

Some of the shows to watch out for according to Director Simon Hart include, Open The Owl, a dynamic and innovative retelling of the classic Faust story’. Expect an exciting use of contemporary technology in imaginative ways to jolt your senses and experience the story on another level. Another piece to look forward to is Dreams of the Small Gods which presents ‘a richly visual reshaping of mythic themes and iconography using aerial theatre techniques’.

This explores what the concept of gods meant to humans of the past, what they thought of when they strived to believe in something greater than themselves.

MANIPULATE seems like the perfect escape from the cold confines of winter. So wrap up warm and head out to what has consistently proven to be a highlight on the Scottish festival calendar, and prepare to be wowed, inspired and thoroughly entertained. There’s a huge range of shows to choose from, so take a look and see what excites you.

MANIPULATE runs from 31st January till 8th February at Summerhall and 2nd till 8th February at The Studio, Edinburgh. manipulatefestival.org

Supported Page 15

THE VEGAN LEATHER

“WE PLAYED THE SOCIAL IN LONDON AND IT WAS AMAZING. IT WAS SWEATY, AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND I LOVED IT”

Paisley has given us some of the biggest names in Scottish music over the decades: Stealers Wheel, Paolo Nutini and The Fratellis drummer Mince Fratelli, to name a famous few.

With the release of their excellent debut album Poor Girls/Broken Boys, it’s now not particularly out-there to predict that The Vegan Leather will be a solid future addition to this list. The album variously brings to mind the genre’s greats like Metronomy, Bis and Franz Ferdinand, but it’s far from derivative; TVL have found their own oddball slant to the whole indie pop thing and realised the potential they always hinted they held. We caught up with joint-lead vocalist Gianluca Bernacchi to discuss the album and how he felt growing up in Paisley played a role in igniting his passion for music: “Because Paisley is detached from Glasgow, there is such a strong sense of identity there,” Gian told me. “Musicians such as Gerry Rafferty and Paolo Nutini were drilled into me growing up.”

“I think the one thing that inspired me to pursue music in my early to mid teens was our open mic night for young people, held at St Matthew’s church on Gordon Street. It went from about 35 people coming, to getting 800 people through the doors. Mental! We had to move the event to the Student Union after that.”

Gian and fellow band members Marie Collins, Matt McGoldrick, and Duncan Carswell have come a long way since meeting through the local music scene. They recorded Poor Girls/ Broken Boys at the legendary Chem19 Studios, following in the footsteps of icons like Franz Ferdinand and Deacon Blue. Excitement rises in Gian’s voice when talking about their experience at Chem19: “I definitely think Franz Ferdinand are an inspiration for us… on the wall of Chem19, there’s a single for Calvin Harris’ Ready for the Weekend!

That was a big record for me growing up.”

Of course when you think Chem 19, you think Paul Savage (and Emma Pollock). Poor Girls/ Broken Boys was produced by the former Delgados drummer. Savage has one of the most impressive resumes in Scotland, working with bands such as Primal Scream, Mogwai, The Twilight Sad, The Phantom Band and Arab Strap.

“Paul Savage is hot as the lot!” Gian tells me.

“He taught us how to make a record sound like a band was playing it… he got us to record the drums and bass together.”

The album performs the old trick of combining upbeat dance floor tunes with dark and complex themes: mental health, social anxiety, and female inequality are all examined. Listen between the cheery instrumentals of ‘French Exit’ and ‘The Hit’ and you’ll catch lines like ‘you think thoughts that give you turbulence’ or ‘give up on the bright ideals, we’re sick and lost appeal.’

On whether the contrast between lyric and sound was intentional, Gian says: “I suppose it was, but mostly they are just songs about our own experiences. When the band writes lyrics, the four of us come together and we all bring

MUSIC things forward and combine ideas. When it came to the instrumentals...we’ve always been upbeat.

That’s what we like.”

“Also, we originally had a different name for the album. For the longest time, it was going to be called Big Top which is a lyric from ‘The Hit.’ The reason we changed it from Big Top to Poor Girls/Broken Boys, another lyric from ‘The Hit’, is because we felt it was a bit more encompassing of the themes of the album.”

Gian reflects on whether he thinks that artists have a responsibility to be talking about wider issues in music: “I’m not saying we have a massive platform, but I think anyone with a platform who makes art has a responsibility to talk about important issues... we did feel like we needed to be saying something, even just for the sake of our own heads.”

With the launch of the new album at King Tuts done and dusted back in early November, next on the band’s agenda is an early 2020 tour. The dates are still to be announced but we’re told that there will be news on this front soon.

The King Tut’s launch was packed; from that performance and hearing Gian’s passion about the upcoming tour, and playing live generally, it’s hardly surprising the band won Best Live Act at this year’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards.

“I love Tuts, Tut’s is amazing!” Fully animated, he continues, “For me personally, small and more intimate venues are great. We played The Social in London and it was amazing. It was sweaty, and it was beautiful, and I loved it.”

Poor Girls/Broken Boys is out now on Midnight Pink Records/Believe Digital.

Follow SNACK (@snackmag) on FB and Twitter and keep an eye out for our competition to win a vinyl copy of the album and a TVL t-shirt.

Music by Danielle McAdam Page 17

There has been a lot of press and praise showered upon Bossy Love, but you’ll be hard pushed to find anyone saying it is undeserved.

After increasing success in the Glasgow scene and beyond, Bossy Love released their debut album on October 31st.

Traditionally, that’s a scary day at the best of times, but there was some relief when the Brexit

Horror Show was postponed. We caught up with Amandah Wilkinson (AW) and John Baillie Jnr (JB) to talk song writing, gigs and minor political events.

Your debut album, Me + U is out Oct 31.

We’re talking just before the release, how are you feeling about it?

[JB:] Yeah, we’re really excited to get it our

BOSSY LOVE Photo: Barney The Dog

there. We’ve been working on it for a while and it is kind of surreal to see it mentioned everywhere right now.

With a version of Want Some on the record, you’ve dipped into your back catalogue. How did you decide what songs went on the record?

[JB:] It was looking at the album as a whole. We had a space at that point in the record, it was like a little Want Some hole space in the album. We made the recording fancier, and more of the band is on it, so there’s live drums on this version. It’s not hugely different.

It’s just looking at the album as a whole, see what fits together and sorting out the dynamics.

Has it been a big change from your EPs and singles?

[JB:] We did two EPs, but we were always working on the album, or a bigger body of work.

We would put these EPs out and would end up gutting the album. Whatever we wrote to replace these songs then changed the album, so its been an evolving process for quite a while.

Is there a typical song writing process for you?

[AW:] Not really. I think a reason why our songs sound quite different is there’s no blueprint. It comes down to the sound of the song as well. When John and I are working together, our main goal is to get out of the way of the song and let it do its thing.

If it’s going to be a song which sounds more disco, then let it. That’s the core of our process.

I couldn’t really give you an answer about writing songs because when we’re writing, we’re plucking songs from who knows nowhere!

YOU GOT THE LOVE… BOSSY LOVE

[JB:] I find it stranger when artists over conceptualise how they write.

Are you prepared for people picking and poking through the lyrics and music, attempting to make sense of them and you?

[JB:] I think other people’s interpretations are their own business. When you release a record, it stops being yours.

[AW:] I think you have to know you can’t control how people will listen to it and take to it.

It’s a body of work, and there’s so much relief in releasing it. I just hope some people find some kind of connection with it.

What’s your thoughts on the album no longer coinciding with Brexit?

[JB:] We had scheduled a video to be released alongside the album, on Brexit Day, and the song is called Foreign Lover. You couldn’t make that up.

[AW:] It wasn’t like we said “lets make this specifically for this.” It was about me meeting my Danish boyfriend.

[JB:] Anything which stops Brexit is good.

The album launch gig takes place in Sleazys at the end of November – are you planning for that yet?

[JB:] We know our songs and we just go play them!

[AW:] Playing live is unpredictable, and you don’t know what will happen. The three of us playing live is the most fun I have, so I’m really excited. Also, I am super excited about Wuh Oh playing too. I think the only preparation we can do is think about it on the day and have a good time.

Do you have a favourite Local venue?

[JB:] It probably is Sleazy’s, our spiritual home.

[AW:] We played our first Bossy Love event there, a DJ event.

[JB:] I used to work there and my previous band signed our record deal in there in one of the booths. It’s a Glasgow institution. I like anywhere that is focused on music rather than selling pints – Sleazy’s and The Hug and Pint are good.

Me + U is out now, and the band play Nice ‘N’ Sleazy on Friday 29th of November.

Music by Andy Reilly Page 19

RIDE In an unexpected twist for those who were around during the initial breakup of the band, Ride are back. And, whisper it, perhaps even better than ever. We caught up with Andy Bell prior to the band rolling back to Glasgow and Aberdeen to promote This Is Not A Safe Place, their new album.

How was Japan, and do your shows over there differ to gigs here?

I loved our trip to Japan. We played Tokyo and Osaka and the audiences were great. They seemed to be especially into our new album, which felt really cool. It’s one of my favourite places to play.

This is your first UK tour since the release of This Is Not A Safe Place. What should fans expect?

We’ll play most of our new album, as people have been responding really well to it, but also plenty of old classics. We are pretty tight as we have been on tour for a few months. What else to say? It will be loud!

When you recorded ‘Future Love’, did it feel like the song to come back with?

Yeah, as soon as we recorded ‘Future Love’ it became a band favourite. It’s good when you’re making an album and you have an obvious first single; it takes the pressure off while you are recording. Things can always change, but on this occasion they didn’t. ‘Future Love’ was earmarked from day one as the first track people would hear, and that’s what it became.

With two albums since reforming, what is your approach to balancing your set-list?

It gets harder with every album. With the last tour, for Weather Diaries, we chopped and

changed the set every gig, playing a wide variety of songs, but getting the set list together every night was a headache. This time we have settled on a really good list, which we’ve been working on throughout the tour. There are small changes, but it has such a good flow that we’re keeping it similar every night.

When you were in other bands, did you see Ride reforming, and reaching the levels you have now?

No, not really. I’m surprised how well it’s worked out so far.

Was it important for the band to produce new material when reforming, and not just riding the gravy train others have?

We did the reunion thing once, and took it all around the world. At the end of that tour we felt that we couldn’t do it again without new music.

So, we thought we would give it a try. The result was Weather Diaries, and now we’re up and running, feeling like a regular band.

Do you see Ride continuing alongside solo projects such as GLOK? Yes, I see everything working together.

Everyone is free to keep various other musical avenues open at the same time as Ride.

In the current streaming-focused climate, how vital are niche and specialist radio channels?

I think they can be really positive and good breeding grounds for new music, untested or marginalised DJs, and fresh ideas. Mainstream radio is very playlist orientated, and radio has the potential to be so much more open. Community radio stations such as Boogaloo and NTS are out there showing the big stations how it’s done, very rough and ready, but full of enthusiasm and love for the music. You can be as niche as you like if you’re archiving shows online; people will eventually track it down.

Do you have any plans to re-join Boogaloo Radio, or any other channel?

I loved being part of Boogaloo Radio. It embodies the community radio aesthetic and I met

some great people doing it, as well as learning loads. Saying that, I have no current plans to go back, or start another show somewhere else at the moment. I’m putting all my energies into making and performing music for now, but I’m sure I’ll end up doing more radio at some point.

You may not be able to give much away yet, but will Ride be busy in 2020? Are festivals likely?

In the New Year we start off with some dates in Europe, and from there the year is completely open. Yes, I’m hoping we’ll get some festivals to keep us occupied through spring and summer.

This Is Not A Safe Place is out now on Wichita Recordings and the band play Glasgow’s SWG3 on Wednesday 4th December and The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen on the 5th.

Music by Andy Reilly Page 21

CRAIG HILL Scotland boasts few comedians as energetic, irreverent and razor-sharp as Craig Hill. Fresh from making his New York Off-Broadway solo debut, Craig is in the pink this year, celebrating turning “50 shades of gay”. He’s also bringing us his 21st show, Bottoms Up!, touring Scotland until the end of March. We sat down with one of Scotland’s best-loved comedians and discussed his 21 years in the comedy industry, keeping your audience onside, and Madonna (at length, of course!)

How does it feel to be touring your 21st show?

It’s very exciting and quite surreal. It’s funny, you just get on with things, don’t you? And it’s only

when someone says, “Wow, 20 years,” you take stock and realise that doing anything for 20 years is remarkable! It makes you stop and think, “My God, I would never have thought I would do this as a career and have such an interesting life.” It’s taken me all over and has been challenging, in a healthy, stimulating way.

What is the secret to sustaining such a career in comedy?

Being funny! And finding the enjoyment in what you’re doing. It must be joyful and stimulating. You must be someone who naturally enjoys performing in front of an audience. Someone asked me if I still enjoy all the travel and I really do. I don’t like wasting opportunities: if I’m performing in

Liverpool, I do my research on good places to go for breakfast, I look up wee shops, a wee café... I could practically write a travel blog.

What can audiences expect in Bottoms Up? Is there a particular theme?

No, I never have a theme or idea, as I feel it restricts you too much. All I want to do is tell the stories from the last year that have really made me laugh. My shows are really improvised: the show is in two halves, and the first half is me getting to know the audience. That’s the part where I really have to fly by the seat of my pants! Often, I find things that are just amazing, that you could never have planned. There was a guy in the other day called Willy Hunter, and to think that’s what they call me! That’s what keeps the show exciting.

But I’ve really enjoyed the writing of this show, more so than I have done in the last few years.

You get better at editing your writing. And being a comedian, you should be out there doing stuff – popping over to Parma for a holiday, having adventures – because that’s where your comedy comes from.

I love how you roast an audience but keep them on-side; what’s the key to striking that balance?

As long as they believe that you’re a good person and they realise it’s all in good spirit.

There’s a difference between that and being bitchy or unpleasant. There’s no point in making someone upset: I’m just sarcastic and fun.

Do you find that translates well, particularly being Scottish, around the world?

Yes! I’m very lucky because I haven’t got too thick an accent, so it travels well to Australia and

“THERE WAS A GUY IN THE OTHER DAY CALLED WILLY HUNTER, AND TO THINK THAT’S WHAT THEY CALL ME!”

COMEDY America. I was Off-Broadway in June, which I was really pleased with, and I was scared they would take me too literally; I was less concerned about the accent and more so the tone. But I found they were quite ballsy and always up for getting onstage stage and doing stuff. You find someone who turns out to be a cha cha teacher and goes, “I can show you!” You have to change some of the language, like you can’t use “wean.” The nice thing about touring Scotland is that you can indulge yourself in that language.

Music plays a huge role in your act: can you give any spoilers as to what we might expect to hear?

Well, there’s a Greatest Showman-Off, where me and an audience mwwwember compete to see who’s the greater showman. But a lot of my songs are spontaneous: I like to keep things mixed so the show has an energy about it. My favourite thing is when you don’t know where we’re going, or if we’re even going to come back to what we were talking about. It keeps the show alive and energetic!

I wouldn’t be doing my job as LGBT Editor if I didn’t ask: who is your favourite diva?

I am a huge fan of Madonna. But she didn’t do so well at Eurovision…you couldn’t say anything otherwise because it wasn’t brilliant! But I am a fan of what she represents and what she’s done.

I like that she constantly tries to challenge herself.

She’s not the greatest singer in the world but she is a great performer, provocative and interesting, and doesn’t play it safe.

Do you have a favourite Madonna record?

I think my favourite is her first album. That album reminds me of discovering and falling in love with her. And the songs are genuinely really good: “Borderline”, how could you not dance to that on the dancefloor?! “Lucky Star!”

Comedy by Jonny Stone Page 23

THE NIGHTINGALE From Jennifer Kent, director of the renowned horror film The Babadook, comes The Nightingale. A drama with a revenge plot and thriller elements, the movie unflinchingly examines life in mid-19th century colonial Tasmania.

First-time actor Baykali Ganambarr plays Billy, an Aboriginal man who guides Clare (Aisling Franciosi), an Irish convict caught in the brutality and mayhem of British colonial rule, through the wilderness.

We caught up with Baykali to discuss the film.

How did you end up being cast in the movie?

Well, how I ended up being cast is quite a story. It all started when one of my friends on Facebook tagged me in a post that said “Looking for Aboriginal actors with or without acting experience”. The email address was there, so I decided to email the film production, sent through snackmag.co.uk

my details and then boom, did my first and second audition. Two weeks later I found out I got the role. I couldn’t believe it that I got it; I was really excited, happy and nervous.

You have a background in dance. Can you talk about this, and how it informs your character in the film?

I grew up in a small island in Australia, called Galiwinku, and dancing is one of the most important things in my culture. Growing up watching my uncles, brothers and cousins dance in the traditional way inspired me to become a dancer too, but I wanted to be more. So I decided to learn hip hop, pop and locking, a bit of breakdancing. I just wanted to mix it up a bit.

I’m with a group called Djuki Mala: we dance traditional and contemporary, and mix our dance with western styles, make it a bit comedic. Djuki Mala is mostly about comedy and clowning. The

company’s been going for almost 13 years now, and I’ve been in the group for six years. Being a dancer definitely helped me portray Billy in the movie, because he dances his traditional dance - the Mangana bird, the black bird. I liked learning the dance with the amazing Aboriginal Tasmanian dancer Craig Everett.

The film’s depiction of the colonial times in Tasmania is an exceptionally brutal one.

How did this make you feel, seeing the finished film?

When I first saw the finished film, which was at the Venice Film Festival, I was so sad, emotional, happy - just all sorts of emotions. Sad and emotional because I can’t believe this happened to my people, and happy because our story is finally being told and shared with the rest of the world. It’s finally recognised and known that we Aboriginal people of Australia are still here.

The brutality depicted in the movie is only just scratching the surface.

The racism depicted in the film is intrinsic to the message of it, and how this relates to what we are seeing now. What do you think, how do colonial times compare to the embedded racism nowadays?

Sadly racism still exists today, and no one can hide it or lie about it because it’s still here even in 2019. And it’s almost 2020. I’ve experienced racism in my life so many times, and it just hurts me to see this happen. I just hope movies like this can bring hope to humanity and empathy for one another, that’s what Billy is in the The Nightingale.

He gives hope.

One scene in the film is very powerful; one where you break down. Can you talk about how you approached the scene from an acting and personal standpoint?

This is my first lead role in a feature film. I haven’t been to film school, and have no acting experience. It was challenging to force myself into an emotional state like that scene at the table. Jennifer is a trained and experienced actor and director; she knew how to get me into that

FILM

emotional state. She wanted me to show emotion with real tears. So then I got into it without hesitation. I thought about my life and what I’ve been through. Facing racism, our ancestors fighting for our home and dying, the passing of my mother when I was at a young age, just all these thoughts rushing all in one. It was hard for me to tap into that state, but I got through it and am really proud and happy that I did.

What’s your next project?

There’s a lot of big things, big opportunities coming my way, and I just can’t wait to share it!

Hopefully I’ll be offered more big roles.

The Nightingale is released on 29th November, in cinemas and on digital.

“OUR STORY IS FINALLY BEING TOLD AND SHARED WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD. IT’S FINALLY RECOGNISED AND KNOWN THAT WE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA ARE STILL HERE” Film by Martin Sandison Page 25

The AmbEr LighT I’ll admit that my knowledge of whisky doesn’t go beyond naming Glenfiddich or Glenmorangie and enjoying an Old Fashioned, but connoisseurs and clueless alike will love The Amber Light – a wonderful documentary that journeys back to the roots of whisky while highlighting its integral connection to Scottish culture.

Spirits writer Dave Broom brings over 25 years’ experience to the screen as he journeys through the offbeat parts of Scottish whisky culture, travelling the length and breadth of Scotland to gain a deeper understanding of his national drink and showcase its enmeshed roots with Scottish landscape and communities.

Filmmaker Adam Park has over 15 years’ experience as a director and producer, with The Amber Light marking his first feature film. As co-founder of The Gannet, an online magazine exploring people’s lives through food and drink, he has an ability to visualise and unpick the accepted whisky mythology, revealing the unsung role of women in distilling over the centuries, the influence of alchemists and botanists, the unexpected ingredients used as whisky developed, and its evolution from medicine to social libation.

‘Dave and I had worked on a much smaller project together’, explains Park, referring to a short video from 2017 entitled Adventures in Whisky with Dave Broom. ‘I quickly realised there was a bigger story to tell’, Park continues, ‘so we corresponded for a few months, trying to define what that story was. I suspect it was something Dave had wanted to do for some time, so it was just a question of aligning ourselves to a clear vision.’

‘We started with a basic idea: what would a whisky film look like if you didn’t include any distilleries? And we went from there. The realities of narrative meant we didn’t quite stick to that, but the story was driven by locations and characters that look at things from a slightly skewed perspective.’

Featuring interviews with key innovators and thinkers from the whisky world, such as farmers, distillers, and historians, alongside musicians, artists and writers such as Ian Rankin, Alasdair Roberts and Rachel Newton, the Scots’ passion for our most famous export is undeniable and infectious. This results in a wealth of genuine knowledge and stories, beyond the romanticised tartan marketing many will associate with a dram.

‘It’s just a great story, and the sort of thing I hadn’t seen done.’ states Park. ‘I’d been looking for a big project like this for some time; what really

pulled me in was this quite unique relevance that whisky has in Scottish culture, and what it can tell us about people and creativity.’

While Adam’s history with whisky is sparse, joking ‘I’m Irish, so any story I do have might be met with suspicion in Scotland!’, Broom’s recollections go back to his Glaswegian childhood. The film successfully interweaves his personal whisky journey with overarching cultural and even geological influences, stylised with animations.

‘There are nostalgic elements in the film – an eye looking to the past.’ Park states. ‘We wanted to make sure that the more personal aspects of Dave’s story gripped the audience and made them willing to go on the journey with him, and the animations really helped that. They’re very emotive pieces and you can do lots with the sound design to heighten the mood, but credit must go to the fantastic artist Iain Gardner for those sections.’

Excited about taking to the road for a series of Q&As around the UK as the film is released, Park’s wish for The Amber Light is quite simply about

connection. ‘I want people to feel inspired and uplifted, discovering something that instigates and that stays with them. I’d also like people to find out more about the artists, writers and musicians featured as well as the spirit itself. Hopefully it reaches non-whisky loving audiences. I like to think there’s something for everybody, and if it converts some people to loving whisky, that would be a wonderful bonus.’

Presented in an intimate style, with wry humour and stunning scenery, the film is sure to appeal to both converts and the curious alike. These stories demystify the single malt, with music and storytelling redressing many misconceptions in a package that shakes off the ancient confines, placing whisky firmly in modern society.

The Amber Light is on general release across UK and Irish cinemas from Friday 22nd November.

Director Adam Park will host a live Q&A and whisky tasting following a screening at Edinburgh’s Cameo on Monday 25th November at 6pm. amberlightfilm.com

Film by Lindsay Corr Page 27

FESTIVE WHISKY The festive season is probably our favorite time to snuggle up and explore the vast world of Scottish whisky. We’ve picked out a few of our single malt and blended favourites. Slàinte!

SPICE KING

CLYDEBUILT

Wemyss Malts Blended from a selection of single malts from across Scotland, Spice King from Wemyss Malts has a sweet and spicy character.

With hints of marmalade syrup sponge, drinking a dram feels like it’s been topped by a grind of cracked pepper. £37.95 | wemyssmalts.com

Ardgowan Distillery A blend of malts from Speyside and Highland distilleries, matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. Coppersmith is the first in the Clydebuilt series of whiskies which Ardgowan Distillery will release in the years ahead. The whisky is a balance of sweet and spicy, heather honey, sultanas and dark chocolate. £49.99 | thegoodspiritsco.com

MONKEY SHOULDER William Grant & Sons Monkey Shoulder is a whisky for drinking whichever way you like it, whether you prefer a dram on the rocks or mixed in a cocktail.

This blended whisky has notes of orange zest, vanilla as well as spicy and floral aromas. £27 | drinkmonger.com

CLASSIC SHERRY CASK FINISH Glen Moray Pronounced ‘Glen Murray’, the base of the Elgin Classic, vanilla and light oak, is still here. However, maturation in Oloroso casks brings flavours of dried fruits and nutty, earthy notes. Sherry casks are expensive so you will struggle to find a cheaper sherry finish bottle but there is no compromise on taste.

This is as good as some bottles that are two and three times the price. £25.00 | royalmilewhiskies.com

FOOD AND DRINK BENRIACH 10-YEAR-OLD BenRiach Distillery This BenRiach is matured for ten years in two different casks. These are exbourbon and ex-sherry casks to give a warming spiced and fruity whisky.

Crisp fruit, ginger and vanilla linger on the nose. £35.90 | valhallasgoat.com

ROCK ISLAND Douglas Laing A mixture of Single Malts from Arran, Jura, Orkney and Islay.

Designed to reflect the sea with a salty nose and a sweet peaty palate. How we imagine it would be like sitting on the Vital Spark sharing a dram with Para Handy. £40 | valhallasgoat.com

1770 PEATED RELEASE NO1 Glasgow Distillery Glasgow 1770 Peated is matured in first-fill ex-sherry casks and finished in virgin oak. A smoky single malt with hints of flamed orange zest and rich caramel toffee, followed by dark fruits. The whisky takes its name from the year when the original Glasgow Distillery was founded. £49 | glasgowdistillery.com

SINGLE MALT 2019 RELEASE Eden Mill Better known for their gin, Eden Mill have released a 2019 single malt in a limited release of 3,000 70cl bottles following the success of the 2018 bottle. For the artwork they have collaborated with local Fife artist Hilke MacIntyre to create a single malt presentation box, which depicts famous landmarks in St Andrews, the home of Eden Mill.

The scarcity and unique artwork make this the ideal gift for whisky fans who are fond of Fife. £79.00 | edenmill.com

Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 29

PELLEGRINI From Italy to Scotland to Liverpool and then back to Scotland again. That’s the journey that the Crolla family have taken to recently open their new restaurant in Glasgow, Pellegrini, replacing Panevino on the Finnieston strip. There’s no relation to the well-travelled football manager Manuel Pellegrini - as far as we’re aware - rather it’s named after Maurizio Pellegrini who grew up in Puglia (the heel in Italy) and is now Executive Chef for the Crolla’s ‘Italian Club’ chain of restaurants in Liverpool.

The Pellegrini sign outside is brighter and bolder than Panevino’s and this look continues

inside. Now, rather than walking immediately into a dark marble and wood bar, the restaurant space has been opened up - the bar is pushed to the side and the room is filled with modern yellow and blue chairs, the walls are brightly lit there’s definitely a more relaxed feel than before.

Thankfully, the quirky knife-shaped door handles at the entrance have been retained, mind and take a look (but don’t cut yourself on them!).

We visited early evening on a Tuesday, expecting it to be quiet but there was already a mixture of guests seated: lone diners, couples, mums with children (there is a separate ‘Piccoli’ menu) and guys on a night out, knocking back the

beers. The drinks menu covers a small selection of Italian beer and liqueurs, and mostly all the wine is Italian but it was the cocktail menu that caught our attention, covering pre-dinner aperitifs, signature cocktails and after-dinner digestifs. Naturally, it made sense to start with a couple of aperitifs: The Hugo Spritz: Elderflower liqueur, fresh mint, prosecco and soda. Alongside this came a Rosemary Fizz: rosemary and elderflower liqueur topped with prosecco.

The main menu is pretty large, covering many Italian staples, like Bruschetta (4 varieties), Borlotti and Cannellini bean stew and Spaghetti alla puttanesca, but there’s no pizza. There’s also a separate vegan and vegetarian menu, which makes picking out suitable dishes far easier than trawling through a full menu. Any pasta dish can also be made with a gluten-free alternative.

Back to the main menu and there’s a definite American influence. For starters, we had Baltimore-style Crab Cakes with a crispy coating, densely packed with potato, coriander, parsley

“MAKE SURE YOU HAVE KEPT SPACE FOR PUDDING AS THE CHEESECAKES AT PELLEGRINI ARE SURE TO BECOME LEGENDARY.”

and chilli, served with lime mayo and dressed leaves. The heat from the chilli is mild, coming after each mouthful but we’re sure that a little more warmth would go down well in Glasgow.

Our other starter was the Zucchini Fritters courgette, ricotta and Grana Padano parmesan fritters with tomato sauce and mixed leaves.

Courgette is full of water so it can be a challenge to crisp up this type of fritter (we know as we’ve tried ourselves at home). These had a soft texture but were very tasty with a sweet and salty tomato sugo.

On to the mains and Lasagne, a classic.

Layers of pasta with meaty tomato and creamy bechamel sauces. Order some of their rosemary focaccia for dipping. The Slow Cooked Ragu Pappardelle, a mix of tender beef, pork and oxtail with pappardelle. Firm, thick ribbons of pasta covered in a meaty sauce. No little bits of meat here, but chunks of beef and pork.

One thing you have to make sure is that you have kept space for pudding, the cheesecakes at Pellegrini are sure to become legendary. They change daily and on our visit it was Nutella. After Eight and Limoncello has been on special before, so we might just have to go back just to check.

We also picked the Apple and Raisin Cannelloni as it sounded a bit crazy. These are crepes filled with apples, raisins and rum served in a bubbling toffee sauce with candied nuts and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We had visions of cannelloni tubes filled with apple and raisins and wondered how that would taste like never mind look? As you can imagine, they were seriously sugary. One of those desserts that you need to lie down after, and maybe sleep for a week to recover from.

Pellegrini, 1075 Argyle St, Glasgow, G3 8LY

IN BRIEF Hearty food Wide cocktail selection Neighbourhood restaurant vibe Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 31

BERTIE’S We’re heading into winter now, and it was a wee bit ‘bertie’ (cold) when we visited Bertie’s restaurant & bar for Friday night ‘proper fish & chips’. Opening last year, a massive £3M investment from the Vittoria Group transformed the former St. John’s church on Victoria Street into an enormous restaurant, spread out over three floors and seating 300. The building had lain dormant for a decade following a serious fire in the previous occupant’s restaurant, Khushi’s Indian.

From India to Italy...Italians have a long history of running chip shops in Scotland, so it may come as no surprise to learn that the ‘Bertie’ in question is in fact Alberto Crolla, founder of the Vittoria Group, a family-run Edinburgh-based restaurant business who also own the likes of La Favorita and Taste of Italy. Bertie is grandfather to staff who work there today and family portraits grace one wall of the restaurant. Cartoons from the former Edinburgh Evening News cartoonist Frank Boyle surround the open staircase between the two main restaurant floors and there are quirky references to seafood and fishermen around the two rooms. You can tell that serious money has gone into making the restaurant ‘ship-shape’.

We were seated near the busy kitchen, watching staff in constant motion wearing t-shirts with cheeky slogans such as ‘Fry me to the moon’, ‘Come fry with me’, ‘Show me your mussels’ and

‘Get salt and saucy’. At your table you’ll also find a bottle of ‘Edinburgh chippy sauce’; it’s clear the emphasis here is on fun. The cocktail menu continues the theme with an Irn-Bru Spritz (IrnBru, Prosecco, Aperol and Angostura) and a Buckfast Bramble (Tanqueray gin and Buckfast).

We opted for Bertie’s signature cocktail - Johnny Walker black whisky, vanilla and cream soda.

Quite possibly the first time we’ve had cream soda and whisky together, but it works. And why not, given the well-known vanilla quality of American oak bourbon barrels. Our other cocktail choice was the Cotton Candy martini (Smirnoff vodka, cranberry and lemon, candy floss) which looked the part, like a cloud floating on the glass, and surprisingly not overly sweet.

For starters we shared fish tacos: full of fresh flavour from the tomato salsa, guacamole, and red pepper with spicy cajun cod, alongside a black pudding Scotch egg, mixed with pork sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and then deep fried to deliciousness.

The barometer of any good chippy is how well do they do a simple fish supper, so a battered haddock was ordered up, with twice cooked chips and tartare sauce. Sides were mushy peas and bread & butter, which came in big, fluffy slices. The portion of fish & chips was massive, and the fish itself was chunky and flaky with a good crisp batter. We couldn’t finish it, so had to take a doggy bag home.

Bertie’s ‘Fritto’ was our other main course, comprising 2 battered cod bites, 2 breaded haddock goujons, 3 Whitby scampi and 6 squid rings, served with chips again - so another mountain of food. Incidentally, the fish is MSCcertified and therefore sustainable. The board on

the wall even tells you which boat caught it. The variety of potato being used to make the chips is listed here too.

Michelin-star chef Tom Kerridge was recently in the news for saying that £32.50 was ‘easily justifiable’ for fish & chips, but at Bertie’s the cost is a modest £11.95 for a portion three times the size!

Despite being fit to burst we were cajoled into sharing a dessert. Well, why not when it’s a deep fried Mars bar? A melty delight with sticky nougat, Mr Whippy ice cream and raspberry sauce.

Although looked upon as a bit of a joke, it actually does taste pretty damn good. A Snickers version is also available, and if you can handle it they have a sharing dessert platter for £11.50. They also have dessert cocktails and we hear that more Buckfast cocktails will be added to the menu soon.

So, simply put, Bertie’s was fantastic! What else can we say? They have vegan and glutenfree options, you can order a takeaway at the entrance, there’s disabled access via a lift. They do

10% NHS staff discounts. And, often overlooked when people pick a dining spot, we heard staff speaking French and Italian with customers should you prefer to converse in your mother tongue. Booking recommended at weekends.

Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips, 9 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2HE

IN BRIEF Massive main courses Scottish-themed cocktails 10% NHS staff discount

PLANT-BASED ARTISAN CHOCOLATE FOR A C H R I S T M A S consideritchocolate.com 0131 667 4064 | 3-5a sciennes, edinburgh Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 33

PRAGUE Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, and also its largest city. With its 1.3 million inhabitants (2.6 m metro area), there’s so much more to Prague than beer and stag weekends. Its compact centre lends itself to exploration: wander through the charming cobbled streets and alleyways, and take a tram to discover the districts of Vinohrady and Žižkov, where the locals live.

HISTORY Prague’s recorded history spans thousands of years. Celtic and Germanic tribes settled along the Vltava river as early as 4000 BC, with the first Slav tribes arriving around 500 AD. The Duchy of Bohemia was established circa 870 AD with the seat of power moving to Prague and the newly-built Prague castle 5 years later. The duchy became the Kingdom of Bohemia, which lasted from 1198 until 1918. During most of this time Bohemia was also part of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Prague was the capital twice; becoming one of Europe’s largest and wealthiest cities. The beginning of the 15th century saw conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Hussites (a pre-Protestant group) before

“KASARNA KARLÍN ( PRVNÍHO PLUKU) IS A WINE BAR IN A FORMER SWIMMING POOL OF AN ARMY BARRACKS”

Catholicism was forcibly reimposed by the Hapsburgs with the capital of The Holy Roman Empire shifting back to Austria during this time.

Prague was then swallowed up by the AustroHungarian Empire, which broke apart at the end of World War I. Prague became the capital of the newly-formed Czechoslovakia and was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II, then controlled by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia afterwards.

On 17th November 1989, the Velvet Revolution, a month of non-violent protests against the one party state, took place in Prague.

These protests led to the end of Communist rule, with the first democratic elections held on January 1990. In 1993, Czechoslovakia was split into two independent countries, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with Prague becoming the capital of the Czech Republic. The republic joined the European Union in 2004. Phew.

SHOP Everything from shopping malls to traditional markets and souvenir shops can be found in Prague. But we’re into discovering the real

TRAVEL Prague, aren’t we? So, head out to U Elektry in the Hloubětín area. This is the largest flea market in the Czech Republic which opens at 6 am and runs until 2 pm, every Saturday and Sunday. A more food-orientated and more central market is Pražská Tržnice (Prague Market). Here you’ll find numerous food stalls stocking real, local cuisine.

Visit Botas (meaning shoes or boots) 66 on Skořepka for retro fashion and real Czech style originating from the 60s. Vnitroblock (Courtyard) Tusarova 791/31, Holešovice used to be a ruin in an Industrial district of Prague. Now a multi-functional space, it encompasses a café, cinema, and shop as well as art exhibitions. Pour Pour (Vinohradská) is a shop filled with goods from young Czech designers. It also carries vegan and ethical brands such as RagWear. Also keep your eyes peeled for toy shops as puppets are marionettes are common and make for an unusual souvenir.

DRINK It goes without saying that the Czechs know something about beer, especially pilsner. You’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere bad to drink your pivo. So, na zdravi (cheers)!

Beer Geek on Vinohradská has around 30 taps serving Czech and international beers and, as the name suggests, they really know what they’re serving. Pivo a párek (beer and sausages) on Bořivojova obviously serves beer and sausages! That is, traditional grilled sausages alongside local beer making it a popular spot with locals. The cheekily named Dva Kohouti (Two Cocks) on Sokolovská is a typical hipster brewhouse who brew their own and only sell beer from microbreweries, served in their minimalist Travel by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 35

décor taproom.

But it’s not all about beer. Navigate around Czech wine with a visit to Kasarna Karlín (Kasarna means ‘barracks’ while Karlin is the name of the area.) You’ll find this wine bar on Prvního pluku in the former swimming pool of an army barracks! Also a multi-functional arts venue, here you may also find outdoor cinema and exhibitions. Vinograf (Winechart) has two outlets on Míšeňská and Senovážné nám. The cosy Malá Strana shop on Míšeňská Street is the place to discover small, regional producers.

The mystical drink of Absinthe is available at The Absintherie on U Radnice. Here you can try Czech, French, Swiss, Spanish and even American versions. Tasting flights of Absinthe are available for those who wish to not remember their trip to Prague!

Maitrea is stylish and serves interesting and comforting food. Also consider Vegan’s Prague on Nerudova, near to the castle. Persevere with the stairs as you will be rewarded by great views of the castle if the weather is good.

If you are self-catering, Bezobalu have two sites: Pod kaštany and Bělehradská. They are a zero-waste grocery store, selling everything from nuts, grains, household items, and personal care items. Shin Food on Korunní is an Asian grocery store with all sorts of cooking supplies, for those seeking something a little more exotic.

Mr Hotdog on Kamenická is, as the name suggests, a hot dog vendor. It also sells sliders, onion rings, and fries. Not only that, they also

EAT There’s more to Czech cuisine than meat and dumplings, although in the depths of winter these are exceedingly welcome. As with many popular tourist destinations, try not to eat in the busiest areas. Head as little as 5 minutes off the beaten track to discover cheaper prices and often better food.

Karlínská Pivnice on Březinova serves classic Czech dishes with a modern twist, and sells fresh pilsner beer on tap. Every Saturday and Sunday they also serve confit duck leg with apple red cabbage, dumplings and parsley.

Prague’s vegan offerings are surprisingly good, with a profusion of vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Loving Hut is a local chain with restaurants throughout the city. This is a relaxed and bright, buffet-style venue where you pay by the weight. It’s pretty cheap though, so you don’t have to worry too much about how much you pile onto your plate. MAITREA (‘loving kindness’) on Týnská ulička is a stone’s throw from the Old Town Square. Featuring two levels, one small and bustling, the other womb-like and chilled, snackmag.co.uk

serve the local Vinohradská beer. Paprika on Rumunská is a popular spot and tiny, so be prepared to either wait or takeaway. Here you can build your own sandwiches or buy a plate of hummus and add your toppings. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

SLEEP Value for money accommodation is still easy to find in Prague. We stayed at Hotel Ariston & Ariston Patio Prague. which is in the Bohemian district of Žižkov. Handy for trams and near to the main railway station, the area is known for its down-to-earth bars and restaurants. Here you

will also find an interesting talking point - Žižkov TV tower, which is covered with freaky faceless climbing babies!

CULTURE There’s Prague Castle and the Astronomical Clock, but these are crawling with tourists rather than giant faceless babies. Instead, look up, wander about and search for the work of David Černý. From the aforementioned babies, to a lifesize statue of Sigmund Freud dangling over a busy lane and SMS-controlled peeing statues, a giant revolving head, to Brown Nosers, a comment on the political landscape of the Czech Republic; there are plenty of fun sculptures to seek out and amuse. From sculptures to buildings - look out for Dancing House on Jiráskovo nám, by American architect Frank Gehry. It may be somewhere to visit after The Absintherie! There is a restaurant on the top floor with panoramic views.

The famous Charles Bridge over the river is a cliched spot, but a worthy one. It is a stunning bridge and worth battling through the tourists for. If you can make time to visit it at different

times of the day, do, as the atmosphere changes considerably from dawn to dusk. Beside the bridge there is the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments on Křižovnické nám. If you like to spend your holiday looking at instruments of pain, well, this is the place for you!

If you want to get out of the city and are looking for something a bit different, then head to the town of Kutná Hora, east of Prague. Easily reached by train, the city is known for the Gothic St. Barbara’s Church with medieval frescoes and flying buttresses. Worth a visit too is Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel adorned with human skeletons. Yes, real skeletons. More gruesome history can be found at Terezín. This was a military fortress and citadel which became Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. A contradiction of a place, with some beautiful architecture and a very dark history.

GET THERE Prague is served by Václav Havel Airport.

Flights are available from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. JET2, Wizzair and Ryanair have direct flights from Glasgow, with Ryanair operating from Edinburgh. To get from the airport to Prague city centre, the cheapest option is to get the bus. This leaves from Terminal 2. Buy a 90-minute ticket for €1.25 (32 CZK), which will cover you for the bus, tram or metro. Take the 119 bus to Nadrazi Veleslavin, where you transfer to the green metro line A. Continue to downtown (Mustek) or any other station. The Airport Express bus is more expensive, but also more convenient as you don’t need to transfer to the metro. The bus station is at the parking lot right in front of Terminal 1. Tickets cost €2.50 (60 CZK) for adults and you can buy them at the terminal or directly from the bus driver.

The bus terminates at Prague Main Station (Praha Hlavni Nadrazi).

TOURIST INFORMATION Prague.eu/en Travel by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 37

VEGAN ANIMAL SANCTUARY If you’re a vegan living in Scotland, you may have heard about Tribe Animal Sanctuary Scotland, the project set up by the couple behind Tribe tattoo parlours. It certainly receives a lot of love from the vegans I know.

I’ve always wondered what it takes to set up a sanctuary, so I travelled out to Carluke to meet John Ryan and Morag Sangster (and all the pigs, cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, chickens and turkeys) to hear about what they are doing and why.

“THEY WANTED TO CREATE A HOME FOR ANIMALS WHERE THEY COULD LIVE OUT THEIR DAYS IN PEACE WITHOUT FEAR OF SLAUGHTER”

As a country girl at heart, I love seeing animals dotting the landscape. But now that I’m vegan, there’s always a pang of sadness when I do. An animal sanctuary is the dream place to see them happily living out their lives, so the prospect of visiting Tribe was an exciting one. It was lovely to speak with Morag and John, but I was mostly hyped to meet the pigs: one of them, Francisco, is a bit of a celebrity. Francisco was adopted after his previous owners realised he wasn’t in fact the tea-cup pig they were expecting. He’s housetrained, but enormous! He still lives inside, with his own bedroom, but roams around outside in the day - he’s quite a character. I gave him a fuss, but he was more interested in whether I had any apples. He didn’t want to give me an autograph, but he did splash me with some mud - same thing really, in pig speech.

On our tour, Morag gave me some insight into the process of setting up a sanctuary. You need land, lots of it, and a way to be able to pay for anything necessary: medication, food and shelter in the winter, plus the general maintenance of the buildings. Most vets aren’t used to seeing such old farm animals, so it’s a learning experience for them too. John works full-time looking after the animals, whilst Morag runs their tattoo parlours four days a week. Morag made it clear that she wanted to be financially sustainable before taking in any animals; cows can live up to 20 years, so it is a huge commitment. It’s also a lot of work for two people. Morag explained they would love to get some temporary accommodation set up, so they can have guests come and help out, but she has found planning permission to be challenging and costly.

Tribe Animal Sanctuary Scotland was only set up 2 years ago, but had been in the planning

stage for a lot longer. John and Morag specifically bought the property for the project, and it’s almost at capacity. They wanted to create a home for animals where they could live out their days in peace without fear of slaughter. The sanctuary hasn’t been set up with a business model in mind, but with the aim of providing what’s best for the

animals (one of the reasons you can only visit on Sundays). It’s the animals’ home and they are free to come and say hello if they like, or as the older Highland coos do, pay zero attention to you whatsoever. Leonard the turkey took particular dislike to my boyfriend, Leonardo, and decided to stalk him for the entire visit...perhaps he was making it clear he was the only Leo allowed?

If you want to see Leo and Francisco for yourself, it is possible. Morag and John think it’s important for people to be able to see farm animals living out their natural lives. They allow a limited amount of visits, and also organise parties for vegans who have been active in the community. These visits are so popular that they are booked up until Spring next year, so if you would like to see them for yourself, you have to plan ahead! What you can do right now is support this amazing place, either by visiting the Tribe parlours in Edinburgh or Glasgow for a tattoo or piercing, donating online, or buying one of their t-shirts or mugs at tribesanctuary.co.uk

ee, y, r f ten e, so as u l g e est airy-fr hristm b the ee, d free Cveerr££3399 r o F t-fr gar- rroorrddeerrssoov a e wh and suddeelliivveerryyffoo UKK salt FFrreeee U

37 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3JU | 8 Brougham Street, Edinburgh EH3 9JH Vegan by Laura Woodland Page 39

ANNA SWEENEY

Album: Fragments Anna Sweeney may be a name, or face, you recognise, but it looks as though 2020 may be the year where the singer-songwriter finally breaks through to a higher level. There’s always been a strong sense of melody in Anna’s work, but recent material sees her pop side shine and sparkle.

Fragments, as the name suggests, may be a collection of demos and hints of what’s to come, but it’s fully-formed and robust. Beats and synths always make heartache sound better, while punchthe-air moments ensure you can always face the day (or night) with a smile and steely conviction.

‘Ankle Biter’ has already gained notoriety on social media, but if you can’t call out others in your songs, what’s the point in being a songwriter?

The step up to the chorus suggests some good has come out of troubles, and there is always a glint of optimism peeking out of even the bleaker moments on the collection.

‘Good Kids’ is sprightly, ‘Taking The Cards’ bounces while ‘Somebody New’ could blossom into the affirming floor-filler we all need at times.

Fragments stands on its own two feet while upping the ante for Anna next year. All being well, she’ll continue rising.

Fragments is currently available on the artists’ bandcamp page, and Anna plays in Ayr, Edinburgh and Inverness in December and January.

By Andy Reilly

CATCH 22

Theatre: The Biscuit Factory Catch 22 is, of course, a novel which has made it into everyday vernacular. Joseph Heller’s original anti-war novel presented the absurdity of war through the clear decisions that are in essence mad. In EGTG’s stage production, Captain Yossarian’s fights his deathly paradox live and directly in front of us in this stellar production of the classic novel. This version of Catch 22 is a fast-paced, energetic performance, where the action constantly shifts and jumps, reflecting the maddening subject.

Moments of absurdity become paced into the piece at regular intervals, becoming routine and even comical. The characters are vividly represented, and the slightly melodramatic portrayals fit with the overall themes of foolishness and insanity.

The one drawback perhaps is that there is no opportunity to consider the absurd, again and again, and again. A play is only so long.

That’s not to say that the production should have made different decisions in the staging and pacing; it’s the cast’s energy and vivacity which truly made this show work.

The Biscuit Factory, with its broken-down setting, provided a wonderful backdrop to the minimalist staging. The audience, though shivering (tea and blankets to the rescue, there was no heating) was constantly engaged in the ever-shifting and engaging piece, and for this Director Hannah Bradley should be commended. The thrust stage set-up ensured the audience surrounded the piece, almost a part of it.

Ultimately, this was an engaging and funny interpretation, giving a wonderful insight into the novel’s themes and personality.

By Laura Woodland

DETROIT SWINDLE

EP: The Life Behind Things Earlier this year Detroit Swindle had released the High Life Remixes mini-album and an electrohouse EP on Aus music, Rhythm Girl Swing. Back on home turf on Heist Recordings, fans of DS can rest assured the hi-fi house sound they are famous for is front and centre on their new release The Life Behind Things.

The title track emulates a happy-go-lucky house anthem that could’ve been plucked from a Terry Farley set back in ‘94. Funky basslines, staccato piano, comprehensive live percussion and even an acid breakdown; this track is a real blood-pumper. Keep an ear out for the divine organ solo by Byron the Aquarius. The next track on the EP is distinctly DS with stabbing piano keys and a rolling drum pattern. If you thought the bassline was funky on the first track you’ll think the bassline for ‘Music For Clubs’ was sampled from the legendary funketeers, Parliament. It was in fact, long time collaborator and good pal Lorenz Rhode leaving his mark on this party track.

The B-side is dedicated to the remix of the title track by Isoul8, aka Volcov. He masterfully redirects the energy from the original into a smooth, neo-soul groover akin to St.Germain. 7 minutes long and far too short.

By Donald Shields

REVIEW

EZRA FURMAN

Gig: Ezra Furman and The Visions – QMU 11th November When it comes to atmosphere and an audience’s willingness to engage, Monday night gigs especially in winter - can sometimes feel flat. So it’s to his credit that Ezra Furman and his band didn’t let any possible lethargy creep in; they had a packed out QMU dancing and singing along almost like it was a Saturday night.

Norwegian support Pom Poko were superb; their punky and joyful performance set the tone nicely for the main act, with vocalist Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit supplying an irresistible Tiggerlike energy up front. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. I found myself standing next to Furman during their set and it was pleasing to see him support them like you might your football team, physically willing every change and lyric home. If only all headliners invested so much, we’d be in a much better place.

Rather than focusing solely on their new album Twelve Nudes, Ezra’s setlist was scattered generously with fan favourites from his back catalogue. The only slight disappointment on the night was the hole in the band’s dynamic and sound where the playful arrogance of sax player and long time-producer Tim Sandusky would normally stand.

By Kenny Lavelle

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 41

OUR PATH DJ SHADOW TRACK BY TRACK

The joy of our track-by-track reviews is that we have a little more column space than usual to take a really deep dive into a new record and use loquacious, flowery language to describe how it made us, and our ears, feel. Enter DJ Shadow, with a 26-track album with song titles that would take up half of the word count. It left us with a conundrum. Do we stick to the format of the section and risk being undescriptive, or do we flout the rules of the track-bytrack review and risk the entire magazine as a concept disappearing into an inverse reality dimension of its own logical making?

We’ll let you discover the proof of said sonic pudding in the eye-eating.

DJ Shadow. He’s a guy. Released some stuff, produced some stuff. I dunno, google it. I’m no yer maw.

Our Pathetic Age is a proper ying yang double album with disc one containing instrumental tracks full of moments of delightful surprise, and disc two a more collaborative and hip-hop affair including

input from luminaries such as Nas, De La Soul and a few of the more recognisable members of WuTang Clan.

It all starts with ‘Nature Always Wins’ – a burst of analogue synths and tape saturation which threatens to turn into Hendrix’s version of ‘Star Spangled Banner’, but instead gives way to the skipping hard snares, buzzy LFO and fantasy piano of ‘Slingblade’, which shifts mood from doom-laden to ambitious back to doom-laden in just over 3 minutes. An early highlight, it’s a perfect soundtrack to racing through the Clyde Tunnel at night.

Then follows – deep breath – ‘Intersectionality’, ‘Beauty, Power, Motion, Life, Work, Chaos, Law’, ‘Juggernaut’, ‘Firestorm’, ‘Weightless’, ‘Rosie’, ‘If I Died Today’ and ‘My Lonely Room’.

I suspect a large chunk of people buying this record will revisit the second disc a lot more often for its unashamed bangers than the first disc and its swirling mood pieces. Certainly, our detailed review of disc one should hopefully sway you as it actually showcases DJ Shadow at his most

distilled. Shadow himself said that “despite the title, it’s a hopeful, vibrant album” and I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing. It has hopeful sections, but it does feel very grounded in the current mass malaise that has characterised the second half of this accursed decade.

The collab section of the album kicks off with ‘Drone Warfare’ where Nas and Pharaoh Monch spit about global warming and automation over a

embellished by huge strings and a gospel choir, before Dave East’s signature nasal delivery dominates ‘Taxin’ – a slice of inner-city American imagery, followed by the hazy and narratively similar ‘Dark Side Of The Heart’.

‘I Am Not A Robot’ serves as a mood intro to ‘Urgent, Important, Please Read’, a single released in October which combines a jumpy backing track driven by church organ chords and lyrics which could serve as an intro to any of the Terminator movies.

By the time the marimba jumps to the front of the mix for the last two minutes, you’ll already be lost in its

ETICAGE

DJ SH

lively drum track and pleasingly dropped samples.

‘Rain On Snow’ is a rump shaker, where treacly vocal samples are interrupted by Ghostface Killah and Raekwon rhythmically pondering the real nuclear capabilities of North Korea.

‘Rocket Fuel’ was one of the lead singles; here the mix is very much tailored towards the delivery of collaborators De La Soul. There’s a hint of period authenticity to the eighties-inspired samples, and this is one of the tracks you’re more likely to hear whilst out and about - potentially in a shopping centre or somewhere else horrendous that doesn’t deserve as funky a soundtrack.

‘C.O.N.F.O.R.M’ and ‘Small Colleges (Stay With Me)’ both occupy well-trodden roads, and the low drive of the former is countered by the more reflective latter. ‘JoJo’s Word’ introduces me, if not everyone, to Stro, a Brooklyn rapper signed

by Nas’ label whose delivery is a revelation, matching metronomic timing to a lazy lilt in the vein of ODB. ‘Kings & Queens’ sees Run the Jewels’ El-P, rhyming about his gran over a dubby bass break

looping, haunted groove.

The vinyl version signs off with title track ‘Our Pathetic Age’, which finds Sam Herring crooning over a particularly crisp drum track picked out by compressed, wah guitar lines. The overall mood of the closing track could easily stray into ‘Billy Joel does elevator hip hop’ territory, but it maintains the ghostly yet lively presence of the rest of the double album. Digital versions include an additional three bonus tracks, but the only real gem amongst these is ‘Been Used Ta’, where Pusha T adds an air of effortless cool to a backing track echoing the arpeggio synth theme to Stranger Things.

In conclusion, I’m pleased we could approach this album in the same way as others, and our track-by-track review was in no way compromised by trying to fit all of the song titles within the character lim Music by Stephen McColgan Page 43

WORLD AIDS DAY Sunday 1st December sees communities across the globe celebrating the 30th annual World Aids Day. The campaign is a powerful platform to raise awareness and remind people that much is still to be done to eradicate HIV/AIDS, as well as providing support for those affected by the virus. National Aids Trust reports that the number of people living with HIV has doubled in the past 11 years, over half of all people living with HIV are aged between 30 and 49 and an estimated 101,600 people in the UK are now living with HIV. Becoming involved can be as simple as sharing a link on social media to donate to the National AIDS Trust, visiting their site to learn more about their work, or of course showing solidarity with those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS by wearing a Red Ribbon. Why not organise an event of your own? Pull together all your resources, family and friends and raise money and awareness for a great cause. On Sunday 1st December, for example, Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland are holding a free event at Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow city centre (3:30-5:30pm) to reflect, celebrate progress, and look forward to the future as they strive to get to #ZeroHIV: zero new HIV transmissions and zero stigma for people living with HIV.

PUBLIC APOLOGY In November 2017, Nicola Sturgeon publicly

“. . . AS FIRST MINISTER I APOLOGISE FOR THOSE LAWS, AND FOR THE HURT AND THE HARM THAT THEY CAUSED” snackmag.co.uk

apologised to the people affected by Scotland’s criminalisation of homosexuality, officially pardoning LGBT+ Scots through the Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018. Ms. Sturgeon stated “Today, categorically and wholeheartedly, as First Minister I apologise for those laws, and for the hurt and the harm that they caused. Nothing this parliament does can erase those injustices. But I hope that this apology, alongside our new legislation, can provide some comfort to those who endured them.” Fast forward two years and these changes are finally in place, and the gay and bisexual men prosecuted, living or dead, will receive an automatic pardon. While homosexuality was decriminalised in 1980, historic offences have remained on official public record. Until 1981, men could be charged for offences such as consensual sex in the privacy of your own home, kissing another man in public and even propositioning or flirting with another man in public. Our generation will struggle to fathom such cruel oppression, but this public move will hopefully serve to begin a healing process for many LGBT+ Scots.

HATE CRIME In some alarming news, between 2018-19, there were 103,379 hate crimes recorded in England and Wales, with increases seen in all categories of motivation, but a specific spike in crimes relating to gender identity. Hate crime includes discrimination and violence towards people

motivated by their sexual and gender identities, disabilities, race and religion, and the number of recorded crimes has doubled since 2013. Hate crimes against Jewish people more than doubled, with 18% of religious hate crime offences targeting Jewish people (1,326 offences), compared with 672 in the previous year, while transgender identity hate crimes increased by 37% to 2,333 last year. And while the increase in crimes reported has increased, one must remember the likelihood, especially for sexual and gender minorities, of not reporting such crime out of fear or intimidation. The figure, therefore, is likely to be higher. Perhaps we should look to the increase of anti-Muslim, Jewish and immigrant rhetoric in the media and the Brexit conversation, as well as the complacency many harbour towards LGBT+ equality, particularly negating the experience of trans people in the UK. According to The Guardian, the government’s measures to address the issue include a Law Commission review into hate crime legislation, as well as funding initiatives to protect places of worship.

CHICK-FIL-A Sometimes your principles need to outweigh your appetite, and no one has learned this lesson as harshly as Chick-fil-A, a huge fast food chain in the U.S. Along with their original chicken sandwich, the chain also serves up some Christian fundamentalism and anti-gay rhetoric. Chief executive Dan Cathy and his family have historically lobbied against same-sex marriage, donated money to anti-LGBT+ groups and endorsed organisations that promote gay conversion therapy. In response to a series of 2012 demonstrations against their values, Cathy claimed “We’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” It may come as a surprise, then, that the UK nearly had its very own branch in Reading.

Its announcement was met with considerable

LGBT+ backlash and criticism, with Reading Pride stating “The chain’s ethos and moral stance goes completely against our values and those of the UK, as we are a progressive country that has legalised same-sex marriage for some years and continues to strive towards equality.” The branch lasted a mere 8 days before pressure on the shopping centre it was based in led to its premature, perhaps justified closure. An impressive effort!

ALL TOGETHER CEREAL Okay: you know I am largely against companies profiting from “the pink pound” and am sceptical of large organisations using Pride, feminism and all things queer-inclusive to brand products…

However, in some quite adorable news, Kellogg’s has announced the release of All Together Cereal, a variety pack with cute packaging on sale that ties in with their large donation to GLAAD Media.

The company’s equality officer states that, “At Kellogg, we are firmly committed to equality and inclusion in the workplace, marketplace and in the communities where we work and live… For more than 100 years, Kellogg has nourished families so they can flourish and thrive, and the company continues to welcome everyone to the table.” Yes, it is a marketing gimmick like any other: however, even on a simple level, it could promote positive discussions among families at the breakfast table. It was released as part of GLAAD’s annual Spirit Day, which Kellogg’s previously supported with a campaign with all their mascots denouncing homophobic bullying.

They launched a video featuring their most iconic mascots – Snap, Crackle & Pop, Tony The Tiger and beyond– who each take a stand against bullying LGBT+ people. My heart can’t take anymore.

LGBT+ by Jonny Stone Page 45

JUDY GARLAND Judy Garland

Judy Garland is the quintessential queer icon. Vaudeville child star turned musical darling, Garland was one of Hollywood’s most important stars. With the recent release of Judy, a biopic that sees Renée Zellweger embody her excellently, as well as last year’s A Star is Born (a film that captures onscreen the tragedy of Garland’s private struggles), there has been a fresh focus on the iconic actress and performer. After all, her death 50 years ago pre-dates the careers of stars now considered legends in their own right, such as Madonna and Cher. Barry Walters, writing for The Advocate in 1998, crowned Garland, “an Elvis for homosexuals – an icon who transcends music to occupy realms of sheer mythology.” And he is certainly correct.

Her cautionary tale of addiction, heartbreak and raw talent squandered is so well-versed

it veers into folklore: how did she survive as long as she did, let alone flourish after a childhood of abuse and exploitation?

As a child, her appearance was under relentless scrutiny from her mother, movie executives and the media, and she was constantly on diet pills as well as “uppers and downers” to control her sleeping patterns. As she made a successful transition into becoming a major Hollywood star, her disastrous relationships and self-destructive behaviour marred her huge achievements.

Garland was found dead in Chelsea, London on 22 June 1969, after overdosing unintentionally on the drugs she had self-medicated with since childhood. Her death coincided remarkably with the Stonewall riots – gay folklore suggests that it was Judy’s passing that was the last straw, that trans women and drag queens finally snapped due to constant police intervention, and started

to riot. But what is it about Judy that continues to engage gay audiences?

Asking a prospective partner if he were a ‘Friend of Dorothy’ has long been a code phrase for gay men that remains to this day. And even the term, “your good Judy” means your dearest darling gay pal. One could surmise that gay people do tend to gravitate towards figures who have suffered in some way: at the risk of overgeneralising, as a marginalised group, there are many parallels to be made with a person who seems to have suffered consistently her whole life, all in the pursuit of self-fulfilment.

There are also so many elements of Judy that embody the camp sensibility and aesthetic that appeal to some gay men (of course, there isn’t one uniform gay archetype), and it is this sense of frivolity that serves as a tonic for the challenges being LGBT+ can present. Perhaps figures like Garland help us navigate our own paths. In this most recent adaptation, Judy befriends two gay men who are obsessive fans and who treat her to dinner. What is revealed is the political and criminal ramifications of being gay in the 60s, and how these men had served time in prison for their relationship. It is a startling reminder of the challenges our community has faced historically, and how public figures like Judy Garland, in their own way, serve as a beacon of hope through

adversity. She was a survivor, and perhaps we could be, too.

And she gave birth to Liza Minnelli, which speaks for itself.

I think it’s important, however, to remember the darker side to the gays’ adoration of a diva: in the film, we see Judy onstage, heckled by her fans for being drunk and underperforming. Often stars – usually female – struggle to meet the expectations their devoted fans place on them, which can lead to resentment. Look at the likes of Katy Perry, once a standard “gay icon” who has become something of a punching bag for her own fans online. Or even Britney, who at once has the gays onside, but also deals with seeing her 2007 self constantly derided and translated into costumes fit for Halloween. Perhaps there is a double standard for gay icons like Judy: we love them for their imperfection, yet admonish them when they fail to meet our standards.

Overall, it is heartening to see Judy Garland re-emerge in public consciousness, especially for those unfamiliar with Hollywood’s biggest, oftoverlooked star. As she takes to the stage to sing, “Over the Rainbow” at the end of Judy, older and tired, you are reminded that she is the epitome of optimism, even in the face of real personal struggle. And it always helps to have your good Judy by your side.

LGBT+ by Jonny Stone Page 47

AMY DUNCAN snackmag.co.uk

Images by Scottish artist Amy Duncan. Amy writes emotive songs, combining intimate vocals, guitar, electric upright bass, synths, and piano to create a folk-pop sound. These images inspired two singles recently released by the artist: Labyrinth and Medusa amyduncan.bandcamp.com

VISUAL ARTS

Left: Labyrinth | Right: Medusa

Visual Arts Page 49

TORNADO CRUSH Getting over you Was a shirt being tucked back in Was coffee grouts in a draining sink Was a lighthouse blink on a spring morning Dr. Alex Howard

GIFT

VOUCHERS STUDENT & ART GROUP DISCOUNTS

www.EdinburghArtShop.co.uk