The Skinny Scotland April 2015

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April 2015 Scotland Issue 115

Music Courtney Barnett Death Cab for Cutie Neon Waltz Gnod Raekwon UK Field Festival Guide

Film Noah Baumbach Carol Morley Ron Mann Ruben Ă–stlund Books Neu! Reekie!

Aye Write!

Karin Altenburg

Art Glasgow Open House 1 Royal Terrace

Tech Edinburgh International Science Festival Li-Fi

Fashion ECA Fashion Show

Theatre Arika Behaviour Festival

Faith in Nature Errors find Lease of Life in the Hebrides

MUSIC | FILM | CLUBS | THEATRE | TECH | ART | BOOKS | COMEDY | FASHION | TRAVEL | FOOD | DEVIANCE | LISTINGS

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P.15 Courtney Barnett

Photo: Igor Termenon

P.40 Camille Smithwick

Photo: Marathon Artists

P.36 ECA Fashion Show

P.58 While We're Young

April 2015 I N DEPEN DENT

CULTU R AL

JOU R NALI S M

Issue 115, April 2015 Š Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, 3 Coates Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7AA The Skinny is Scotland's largest independent entertainment & listings magazine, and offers a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business.

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Editorial Editor-in-Chief Music & Deputy Editor Editorial Assistant Art Editor Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor Events Editor Fashion Editor Film & DVD Editor Food Editor Games Editor Tech Editor Theatre Editor Travel Editor Intern

Rosamund West Dave Kerr Will Fitzpatrick Adam Benmakhlouf Alan Bett Ronan Martin Ben Venables Kate Pasola Anna Docherty Alexandra Fiddes Jamie Dunn Peter Simpson Darren Carle John Donaghy Emma Ainley-Walker Paul Mitchell Nick Holt

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Sales Commercial Director Sales Executives

General Manager Chief Operating Officer Publisher

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Contents

Nicola Taylor Tom McCarthy Claire Collins Becca Strahan Kyla Hall Lara Moloney Sophie Kyle

THE SKINNY

Contents 06 Chat & Opinion: Marvel at the subtleties buried in another Spot the Difference; gasp at the soothsaying power of those Crystal Baws; amaze yourself with lastminute essentials in Stop The Presses.

08 Heads Up: Your cultural calendar for the month of April. Pay particular attention to an extra-special night in Glasgow’s Bloc+ on the 1st…

FEATURES

10

Electro swashbucklers Errors took to the hills of Jura to write the bulk of their fifth album Lease of Life – band members Steev Livingstone and Simon Ward explain how this rural retreat informed the record.

12

Noah Baumbach’s pin-sharp comedy While We're Young proves there’s nothing more embarrassing than a middle aged man wearing skinny jeans and a fedora.

15

Aussie songwriter Courtney Barnett reveals why she finds inspiration in the mundane.

16

Cool is ephemeral, poetry is for life: that’s the message from Neu! Reekie! founders Kevin Williamson and Michael Pederson, as the ink dries on their first physical book.

18

A mysterious fainting epidemic befalls a girls’ school in The Falling. Writerdirector Carol Morley tells us more.

19

21

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard says it was business as usual on new record Kintsugi.

The most unique art festival of the year?

You’d better believe it – Open House Festival creeps ever closer; plus the good folks at Glasgow’s 1 Royal Terrace gallery give the lowdown on their latest programme.

22

Arika’s Episode 7: We Can’t Live Without Our Lives deals with the infrastructures of care and its relationship to art.

25

What’s the link between drugs, mountain bikes and Game Of Thrones? Why, it’s Edinburgh International Science Festival. OBVIOUSLY. Meanwhile, Karin Altenberg expains how an outsider mentality led to her love of landscapes.

26

The Li-Fi takeover is imminent, says Edinburgh University’s Prof. Harald Haas.

27

Ron Mann’s new documentary attempts to get to the heart of Robert Altman.

29

We talk to Ruben Östlund, Force Majeure’s mischievous Swedish director.

30

Guest selections from Patrice Scott and a Tensnake Q&A.

32

From Africa Oyé to End of the Road, we look ahead to a long (and hopefully hot) summer of live music in our Outdoor UK Festival Guide.

33

A literary festival for everyone: we look forward to Glasgow’s Aye! Write! while hoping and praying that Alan Bissett keeps his clothes on.

April 2015

LIFESTYLE

34

Travel: Travelling in a globalised world: or, hurry up and see our planet before it’s completely Starbucked.

36

Fashion: A longing look at the Edinburgh College of Art’s annual fashion show, this year in the spectacular surrounds of the Sculpture Court.

38

Deviance: Fred Fletch honours the etiquette of… erm, talking to porn stars; responsible gender politics among the BDSM community; and why won’t meninists STFU?

40 Showcase: Camille Smithwick is one

of our illustrators and also make these rather lovely ceramic sculptures.

43

Food & Drink: We know what you’re thinking: pizza is inherently a work of art. Still, Phagomania finds out how to take that one step further, while Carlo Petrini provides an in-depth look at the politics of food. REAL TALK.

REVIEW

47

Music: We accept an invite into Salford collective Gnod’s artistic hivemind and an introduction to Neon Waltz. Plus: gigs from James Chance, Dead Meadow and Vessels in review, and new records from Young Fathers, Sufjan Stevens, East India Youth and Blur!?

55

Clubs: Easter clubbing highlights, and Cobblestone Jazz’s Tyger Dhula runs through the collective’s favourite albums.

57

Art: Reviews of James Rigler at Tramway and RSA New Contemporaries, plus exhibition highlights for April.

58

Film: Dreamy? Dreck? Divine? You’ve read the features, now check the reviews: our movie critics cast their eyes over Altman, Force Majeure, While We’re Young and more.

59

DVD / Books: Ultra-violent sports sci-fi Rollerball comes to DVD – does it survive the transition? In books, the latest efforts from Irvine Welsh and Neil Gaiman come under scrutiny.

60 Theatre: Is The Caucasian Chalk Circle

“the ultimate tale of our times”? Our writer certainly thinks so. Peter McMaster is also on hand to tell us about the extremes of his new piece 27.

61

Comedy: With notoriety under their belt following last year’s Stop UKIP tour, comedy duo Jonny and the Baptists explain why they’re now attempting to Rock the Vote.

62

Competitions: Festivals galore! Win tickets to Knockengorroch, OR VIP tickets to Cardiff’s X Music Festival.

63

Listings: Look at all this lovely stuff you could be doing!

71

The Last Word: Wu-Tang ledge Raekwon discusses his legacy, his family and the true current state of the Clan.

Contents

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Editorial T

hink of cover stars Errors and it is unlikely that you would conjure up visions of country idylls and the redemptive power of nature. It's more likely, based on their previous output and general gigging schedule, that you would imagine the dark interior of a Glasgow club, or the throbbing hum of a Woodlands afterparty. Yet here they are, perched atop a hill on the ocean's edge on the Hebridean isle of Jura. They tell us about their creative rural retreat to the isle, and its influence on new album Lease of Life.

Further into Music, we have some words with rising Aussie songbird Courtney Barnett, over in the UK with succinctly named debut album Sometimes I Sit, And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit. If the conversation online is anything to go by, she's swiftly becoming a lot of people's favourite artist – find out more about her disarmingly frank compositions on p15. Even further in, Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard talks broken pottery and broken bones, introducing the band's eighth studio album, Kintsugi, released this month; Salford collective Gnod tell us about killing off psych rock; and John O'Groats’ New Blood Neon Waltz discuss their sharp ascendancy and working with the man who made Oasis famous. We continue our rundown of 2015’s musical offerings with a look at what's happening in the nation's outdoor festivals over the summer; the good ones, that is. And on our final page, the inimitable Raekwon leaves us with this unforgettable quote – “When you think of Raekwon, you think ‘He's internationally known, he's respected in the game, and he makes luxury art on wax.’” ‘Zactly.

Film fans will be happy to find some words with director Noah Baumbach, here to tell us about new comedy While We're Young, his follow-up to unapologetic hipster love-in Frances Ha. He seems to have changed his mind about the youth of today, and now eviscerates said hipsters by throwing Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts into their Brooklyn milieu. We also meet Ron Mann to talk about his documentary on the great Robert Altman, and director Ruben Östlund introduces new film Force Majeure, a pitch black comedy exploring

what happens when a father abandons his family in the face of an avalanche.

Art looks forward to that much-mentioned but rarely seen concept – SPRING. The Glasgow creative community is waking up from its winter hibernation and celebrating by throwing open the doors of their dwellings. Glasgow Open House weekender invites you into artists’ abodes across the city, while 1 Royal Terrace present their new programme, Colloquy, with exhibitions happening in their residential front room gallery from now until June.

Those Neu! Reekie! mentalists are bringing their much-loved events programme into the physical realm this month as they release #UntitledOne, a book and album celebrating much of the literary / poetry / musical scene that they connect and champion with their monthly nights. They tell us all about it on p16. We also look forward to Glasgow literary festival Aye Write!, which arrives in town this month to celebrate its tenth year. Stalwarts Louise Welsh, Christopher Brookmyre and Alan Bissett discuss the year's programme, and why it's totally mental a literary festival didn't exist in Glasgow before last decade.

Arika are returning with their latest episode of exploratory creative work to pose the question: ‘Could the ways we attend to each other's joys and pains help us to generate different futures together? Could we give humanness a different future by re-imagining what bodies and minds can be?’

Find out more on p22 and in the Tramway over their five day programme. Theatre also anticipates Behaviour festival, back in the Arches for April.

In a decision we may (as usual) come to regret, Comedy sees Fred Fletch interview some porn stars about internet trolling. Those of a sensitive disposition should look away now. In Travel, our writing competition winner Damien Cifelli scribes a piece on globalisation and the resulting cultural homogeneity occurring around the world. And finally, Fashion has taken its annual sneak peek at the Edinburgh College of Art graduate collections, displayed in all their glory in our centre spread.

[Rosamund West]

E

lectric Fields 2015 at Drumlanrig Castle has been announced, with Glasgow's Phantom Band, hip-hop crew Hector Bizerk and self-described "party band" Golden Teacher leading the first wave of confirmed acts. Taking place on 29 Aug at Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow thrash-punk trio PAWS, electronic pop producer Julian Corrie, aka Miaoux Miaoux, and Lost Map folksters Randolph's Leap will also play the one-day festival.

We're proud to say that The Skinny will be curating the line-up for the festival's new alternative stage, full and pretty exciting details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks. The festival's headline act will also be unveiled shortly. See www.electricfieldsfestival.com to book.

The Road to Riverside Festival begins with The Easter Warehouse Party Weekender at SWG3 on 3-5 Apr. Expect appearances from Surgeon, Steve Bug, Vitalic and many more across the three days.

Of course, this is all just a prelude to the main event, which takes place at the fully repurposed Riverside Museum on 29-30 May and boasts rising tech-house maverick Nina Kraviz, Ben UFO, Midland, and the daddy himself, Carl Craig. Find full line-up and ticketing details at www.theelectricfrog.co.uk.

Glasgow Film Theatre's Sound & Vision has been announced, a string of music-themed events taking place in April and May, featuring live performances from Saint Etienne and Field Music and a collaboration with the Live at Glasgow alldayer. Synth-pop trio Saint Etienne will perform their score for Paul Kelly's found-footage film How We Used To Live on 19 May, while the Mercurynominated Field Music will play their Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival-commissioned soundtrack to John Grierson's 1929 documentary Drifters on 31 May. GFT will team up with Monorail for a Record Store Day screening of 90s Empire Records on 17 Apr, followed by a showing of documentary My Secret World, charting the story of Bristol-based Sarah Records, on 26 Apr. The My Secret World screening will be followed by a Q&A with Sarah Records founder Claire Wadd. During Live at Glasgow on 6 May, the GFT will host a series of music-based films including a preview screening of forthcoming Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You. Sound & Vision follows a string of music events at last month's Glasgow Film Festival, which included a tribute to the O2 ABC's cinematic past

and a showing of Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. Tickets for the Sound & Vision events (excluding the Live at Glasgow-only showings) are on sale now via the GFT. The Skinny Short Film Competition returns; we're once again on the hunt for the most exciting new voices in short filmmaking. This year, however, we're reaching even wider than before. To reflect The Skinny's UK-wide presence, we've now opened our search to filmmakers from across the UK in a bid to find the best micro-budget short film (a short made for less than £1000) produced this year.

We've teamed up with Olympus, who'll present the winning filmmaker(s) with a package of filmmaking equipment worth over £3000. As with last year's competition, the winning filmmaker(s) will go on to make a second short film, which will receive its world premiere at the 2016 Glasgow Short Film Festival. Competition opens 15 Mar. Films can be produced by UK-resident individuals or groups and must be under 15 minutes long, produced between May 2014 and June 2015, and not available for public viewing online. To enter, send a private YouTube or Vimeo link to your film, along with a short description, to shortfilmcomp@theskinny. co.uk by 30 June.

Edinburgh Art Festival have just announced their 2015 programme. An exciting development for all you early career artists out there (more specifically, those who graduated between two and ten years ago) is an open call for applications, with the selected few then being presented in a new dedicated emergent strand in August's festival. And an exciting development for all you final year art students is the return of The Skinny Showcase in EAF, which will bring together an artist from each Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen to present their degree show work on the international art stage. Find out about this and more at edinburghartfestival.com

ONLINE Catch up on our coverage from March's SXSW conference in Texas, featuring Hector Bizerk and The Twilight Sad in session, a view from the front at a Viet Cong gig on Cedar Street, and a pair of mini documentaries where we observed the festival through the eyes of forward-thinking hip-hop collective LuckyMe and Glasgow art punk quartet United Fruit. www.theskinny.co.uk/music

APRIL'S COVER ARTIST Mihaela Bodlovic is an Edinburgh-based photographer specialising in the performing arts, portraiture and events.

She is interested in images that capture a moment of action, a glimmer of an expression that lasts barely long enough to leave its mark on the camera and the people around it.

jockmooney.co.uk

She is passionate about live performance, and enjoys theatre that affects its audience. In her work, she strives to capture a connection between the spectator and the performer.

You can see more at aliceboreasphotography.com

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Chat

THE SKINNY

Spot the Difference TWO BEES Einstein once remarked that “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left." Do your bit for their preservation, construct a hive in the back garden, then observe, if you will, these two specimens to the left. Separated at birth, maybe, but look a bit closer to unveil some subtle differences.

If you believe you're sufficiently eagle-eyed to scrutinise the finer detail and spot the difference, visit theskinny.co.uk/competitions and tell us specifically what that is. You could win a copy of Things We Have In Common by Tasha Kavanagh from Edinburgh's unimpeachable Canongate publishing house.

Best in Show: TWO TIGERS The one on the left has had his cake and ate it, while the two on the right are too busy playing pat a cake to even notice.

MD The one on the left can only dream of the erotic wonder of foot fetishism, while the tigers on the right have it totally nailed.

DF The one on the right has black paws. That's neat that's neat I really love their tiger feet!!!!!

DC One blends into the background the other's don't. Purrrfect.

FH

Competition closes midnight Sun 26 Apr. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny. co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions

The May Issue: Out 28 Apr Shot Of The Month

The Twilight Sad sign off a six week US tour at SXSW venue Red 7 in Austin, 20 Mar, by Drew Farrell

Credit: Daniel Harris

Look out for our May issue, hitting the streets on Tuesday 28 April and featuring this man – Blanck Mass aka Benjamin John Power, returning with Dumb Flesh. We'll also have some words with Graham Fagen ahead of his stint representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale, and Django Django will enlighten us on sophomore record Born Under Saturn.

Crystal Baws ARIES Upon entering my meditation tent, you must first remove any distracting items such as wallets, purses or phones and place them inside the gold container, then I want you to sit down, relax, and chant the mantra of your PIN number. Drift deeper now. Like the whole world around you is gradually disappearing, dismantling, and my voice gets further and further away...

TAURUS Your taste for extreme sports comes to its thrilling conclusion this weekend when you decide to go noose bungee jumping.

GEMINI Forever unlucky, in April you get both your arms ripped off in the gears of a machine at the prosthetic leg factory.

April 2015

With Mystic Mark CANCER Your four year old asks how babies are made. You kindly explain that mummies and daddies can usually bash one out in the lab in a single afternoon, often splicing genes from rats and worms into the mix just to see what happens. Then, after giving each other a kiss on the lips they shove the egg up a chimp and wait for it to hatch.

from the Atlantic, settling ominously over the city. to your body the five fruit and veg had to go Heading to work, you're glad to have your umbrella, through each day. as the first rumbles of thunder crack out from the swirling, tempestuous cloud. A shart of lightning CAPRICORN tears the sky in two and it starts spitting, a few Don't bother getting a mortgage. Just flecks landing lightly on your face. The pavement wait 15 years for the fall of Western civibegins to darken as you manically open your umlisation and you'll be able to claim a brella before the full onslaught hits, hammering house for next to nothing. against the fabric, crushing it like a paper cup as you slide blindly into a doorway for shelter, your AQUARIUS LEO On your way to play at the wedding you According to the sex offender register glasses thick with ‘rain’. forget your violin on the bus and have there's a pervert living in your house. He's LIBRA to improvise as best you can, playing also callously adopted your name and I believe in you. I believe you exist. your armpit as the bride makes her way down the had reconstructive surgery to look just like you. aisle with her tearful father.

VIRGO SCORPIO PISCES You view the traditional April showers Stop blaming God for everything. It's This time of year is perfect for planting in a new light when it begins shitting it the seeds of hatred in the fertile soil not His fault He doesn't exist. down this month. A band of low, brown of your heart. pressure makes its way over the west of Europe and there are reports of a local weatherman taking twitter.com/themysticmark SAGITTARIUS his own life as the forecast is confirmed. But

Nobody ever stipulated which entrance facebook.com/themysticmark nothing can stop the nut-brown cloud rolling in

Opinion

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As we jump into spring proper (*huge sigh of relief*), April's calendar includes the Love Action Easter weekender, the return of Behaviour Festival, Episode 7 of Arika, the annual ECA Fashion Show, gin-drinking at the Science Festival, and more...

Knowing we're suckers for any film with a cat in it, the Goethe-Institut and Alliance Française continue their Franco-German Film Series with German director Ramon Zürcher's debut feature, The Strange Little Cat – a quirky tale (tail?) of the mundane and the familial, with allusions to the darker details bubbling underneath the everyday. Plus, yes, household pets of the feline variety!

CCA, Glasgow, 7pm, £2.40 (£1.40)

Everyone's fave X-Factor almost-weres, One Direction alight at diminutive DIY Glasgow haunt Bloc+ to play an experimental one-off set. Driven to darkness by the angst of Zayn Malik's departure, they finally, finally give their inner demons an outlet with a thrashcore fury that has always lurked within. Bloc+, Glasgow, 9pm, £25 (free in with Mortiis mask)

Credit: Mike TV

Compiled by: Anna Docherty

Wed 1 Apr

The Strange Little Cat

Mon 6 Apr

Tue 7 Apr

Having finally gotten veteran turntable trickster Mr Scruff to grace their decks this time last year, Glasgow's Melting Pot residents have only gone and ruddy managed it again – welcoming the eclectic musical mastermind for an Easter Sunday takeover, holing up for the full fiveand-a-half hours, buoyed by the joys of a 4am licence.

Residents Andrew Pirie and Simon Cordiner man the upstairs space. The Admiral, Glasgow, 10.30pm, from £12

As part of its Culture Shock series of screenings – digging out the best in cult scifi films from years gone by – the Cameo Cinema host a one-off Monday airing of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner in its 'definitive' The Final Cut version, with Douglas Turnbull's virtuoso original special effects remaining untinkered with, but benefitting from scrubbed visuals and sound… and an even sparklier-looking Harrison Ford! Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, 9pm, £7 (£6)

Radio and podcast creator Richard Melvin hosts another of his Richard Melvin Presents… live radio recording nights – this month recording Julia Sutherlandhosted panel show The Good, The Bad and The Unexpected, with team captain Jo Caulfield joined

by Mick Ferry, Ian Stone, Stephen Grant, Lucy Porter, Ray Bradshaw and Keiron Nicholson. Even better, tickets are free – you just need to register via The Stand. The Stand, Edinburgh, 7pm, free

Mr. Scruff

Credit: Elinor Jones

Sun 5 Apr

Blade Runner

Ray Bradshaw

Sat 11 Apr

Sun 12 Apr

Edinburgh's Filmhouse kicks off its curated season of Polish films – Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema selected by the inimitable Hollywood filmmaker himself – opening with a screening of Krzysztof Zanussi's 1977 film, Camouflage, a taut political satire set within the confines of an academic summer camp. The Filmhouse, Edinburgh, 10 & 20 Apr, 6.15pm, £9 (£7.20)

Glasgow electronic indie rockers Errors take to a hometown setting to air tracks from their more organic-sounding new LP, Lease of Life (complete with pot plant on the cover, natch), which finds them complementing their trademark liberal use of vocals with pleasingly straightcut melodies. Support comes from Glasgow duo Ubre Blanca (aka ex-Divorce Andy Brown and ex-Shitdisco Joel Stone). The Art School, Glasgow, 7pm, £11

Taking a dip into the Science Festival, this time in the name of gin, Gin-Omics For Generation Gin sees various doctors from the University of Glasgow Polyomics, plus gin expert Geraldine Coates, guide you through the chemistry of botanicals, before sampling local craft gins – including Pickering's, Makar, and The Botanist. Plus molecular paired canapes! Summerhall, Edinburgh, 8pm, £25

Camouflage

Errors

Sat 18 Apr As Record Store Day comes around again, Saturday 18 April finds a selection of local independent record emporiums boasting live sets (and loads of exclusive releases), including a Scotch Bonnet Records pop-up in Glasgow's The 78 and a selection of local acts descending on Edinburgh's Elvis Shakespeare. Keep an eye out for our e-newsletter round-up nearer the time. Various venues, Scotland-wide

Cuckooed

Ela Orleans

Credit: Iain Scott

Fri 17 Apr Glasgow-based Polish chanteuse Ela Orleans takes to a hometown setting to welcome her new LP, Upper Hell into the world, inventively using loop pedals to sync otherworldly synth chords, silken vocals, sampled melodies, and scuzzedup programmed percussion: essentially sounding like some kind of hallucinatory angel of the night, more's the joy. Support comes from Howie B and Sacred Paws. Stereo, Glasgow, 7pm, £7

Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

Thu 16 Apr A hit at last year's Edinburgh Festival, Mark Thomas, a leading activist for Campaign Against Arms Trade, brings his staged response to a close friend's deceit, Cuckooed, back to the capital – a wittily-crafted play that deals with the aftermath of discovering that his close friend was spying on him for the enemy (aka BAE systems). Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 15-18 Apr, 7.30pm, £16 (£13/£8)

Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

Fri 10 Apr

Fri 24 Apr

Having been birthed back in 2010, the Goethe-Institut plays host to its (now annual) photography showcase exhibition, Berlinbilder, documenting the HND Photography students from West College Scotland's most recent field trip/jolly to Berlin, capturing various architectural highlights of the city on camera. Join them for the official opening evening, 6.30pm (exhibition continues until 29 May). Goethe-Institut, Glasgow, 22 Apr-29 May, free

The creative young pups from Edinburgh College of Art's Fashion, Performance Costume, and Textiles courses pitch up for the annual ECA Fashion Show, showcasing a selection of new designs against the backdrop of the Sculpture Court. And – excitement! – the Saturday afternoon show (2pm) will feature a talk from Anna Robbins, costume designer for Downton Abbey. Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, 23-25 Apr, various times, £12

With the FOUND collective making merry at its helm, the Moon Hop gig-meetsclub fun night continues its curated residency at Henry's Cellar Bar – with April's edition welcoming Edinburgh DIY folk-rock troubadour Withered Hand (aka Dan Willson) for a live set, buoyed by the FOUND lads themselves taking a turn on the stage, before the Moon Hop DJs play into the wee drunken hours.

Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, 8pm, £4

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Chat

Berlinbilder

ECA Fashion Show



Credit: Heather Dooley

Thu 23 Apr

Credit: Rachel Roberts

Wed 22 Apr

Gin tasting

Elvis Shakespeare

Withered Hand

THE SKINNY

Credit: Damien McGlynn

Heads Up

Tue 31 Mar

Fri 3 Apr

Sat 4 Apr

Continuing Summerhall's new curated music programme into April, them there Weegie tropical thrash merrymakers – erm, that's be Paws – man the second outing in the Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series, taking time out from recording their third LP to man Summerhall's Dissection Room, with support from industrial dreamgazers and fellow Glaswegians Le Thug.

Summerhall, Edinburgh, 8pm, £10

Celebrating Easter weekend in suitably club-happy style, Love Action returns in beefed-up format, this year extended to a fourday affair (2-5 April) – welcoming the likes of MK, Hot Since 82, Josh Butler, Bontan, Tensnake, Patrick Topping, Jasper James, Seb Fontaine and a metric scale of 'pure loads' more over the course of the weekend.

See listings for full line-up.

The Arches, Glasgow, 2-5 Apr, 9pm, £75 weekend

For its spring/summer exhibition offering, DCA host a showcase charting the iconic photographs, fashion, and design work of multidisciplinary artist Maripol – aka she who has influenced the style of everyone from Madonna to Warhol – encompassing work from the late 70s to present day.

Showing alongside works by thematically similar Scottish artists Clare Stephenson and Zoe Williams. DCA, Dundee, 4 Apr-21 Jun, free

Tensnake

Thu 9 Apr

Blogger and label owner Song, By Toad returns for another night of debauched merriment under the Bad Fun banner – this time joined by growly-yet-cheerful London guitar popsters Tigercats, out on their UK tour with fellow Londoners Fever Dream, with support from Edinburgh-based sludge-noise-pop-punk quartet Plastic Animals.

You can then catch the next Bad Fun on 24 April (see listings). Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, 7pm, £5

The e'er eclectic Behaviour Festival kicks off (running 8 April-11 May), with a highlight of the first few days being an outing from Nottingham and Berlinstraddling art collective Gob Squad – who present their staged portrait of civilisation in the 21st century, Western Society, inviting the audience to peep into the living room of an unknown family, and, y'know, perhaps recognise themselves. The Arches, Glasgow, 8 & 9 Apr, 7.30pm, £15 (£10)

Plastic Animals

Credit: Kat Gollock

Wed 8 Apr

Maripol, self portrait

Gob Squad

Tue 14 Apr

Wed 15 Apr

Fledgling Leith brew-ityourself facility Krafty Brew this month makes a foray into live gig hosting, with the first of its April sessions playing host to an intimate (like 40 folk, intimate) set from Gomez singer and lead guitarist Ben Ottewell, with that unmistakable voice and talent for blistering guitar solos reverberating in possibly the smallest tour venue to date.

Plus, y'know, delicious beer brewed on site. Slurp. Krafty Brew, Edinburgh, 6pm, £15

Storytelling fun night The Speakeasy returns for its monthly outing, with April's line-up of treats including stand-up stints from comics Andrew Learmonth and Keiron Nicholson, plus spoken word from Agnes Török, a set from dance artist Janine Melanie Wyse, and playwright-cum-actor Mark Jeary performing Rob Drummond's Momentum.

And, as per, all the stories they tell must be true.

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, 8pm, £7

Having begun her love story with poetry with the diary she started writing aged seven, poet, spoken word artist, mother, feminist, World Slam finalist, and published author (yes – she's basically superwoman) Hollie McNish kicks off the 2015 stretch of her UK tour up 'ere in Scotland – taking to The Pleasance Theatre for a special set of her everything-referencing beat poetry. The Pleasance, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £10

Ben Ottewell

Credit: Jon Pinder

Mon 13 Apr

Agnes Török

Hollie McNish

Tue 21 Apr Taking another dip into the Behaviour Festival programme, and in view of that there election looming (7 May, people!), writer Chris Thorpe and artistic director Rachel Chavkin present Confirmation – a performative dialogue, real and imagined, examining the phenomenon of confirmation bias, and exploring the way in which we often choose to see only the evidence that proves we're right. The Arches, Glasgow, 20-23 Apr, £14 (£10)

Ueinzz Theatre Company

Will Butler

Credit: Pete Dunlop

Mon 20 Apr Flop-haired Arcade Fire band member Will Butler takes to the road for his first solo tour airing his new (also first solo) LP Policy. If you're lucky, he might even play some tunes from his recent series based on stories read in The Guardian, including the inspired Madonna Can't Save Me Now, written post-Brit Awards and prompted by the discovery of a black hole 12-billion times larger than the sun. Obv. The Art School, Glasgow, 7pm, £15

Credit: Joao Caldas

Sun 19 Apr Drawing its current mini programme to a close, experimental and experiential programmers Arika (15-19 April) round off Episode 7 with a bumper day of public events and performances (the most packed day of the programme), including a performance of radical Brazilian schizo-scenic theatre company Ueinzz Theatre Company's No Ready Made Men. See listings for full details. Tramway, various times and prices

Sun 26 Apr

Mon 27 Apr

Nary putting a cloven hoof wrong – with most recent LP, 2013's Push the Sky Away, further testament to that – Nick Cave alights in Glasgow to play a set of hits, including selections from said LP, joined by rare solo performances from Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Thomas Wydler, and Barry Adamson. Also playing Edinburgh's Playhouse, 28 April. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 8pm, from £40

We round off the month with a set from Conor O’Brien-fronted folk-rock outfit Villagers, who in the past five-odd years have gone from a nameless collection of musical poems (penned by O'Brien) to firm live favourites with albums an' everything – they hit Glasgow's Òran Mór to air tracks from their latest LP, Darling Arithmetic.

Also playing Edinburgh's The Pleasance the night prior. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7pm, £14

Scottish Ballet

April 2015

Nick Cave



Credit: Daniel Harris

Sat 25 Apr As Dance International Glasgow begins its monthand-a-bit Weegie takeover (running 24 April-5 June, various venues), Scottish Ballet showcase a special double bill event – taking in the world premiere of choreographer Mark Brew's new piece (in collab with disabled dance company, Indepen-dance 4), Halt, paired with Hans van Manen's 5 Tangos. Tramway, Glasgow, 24 & 25 Apr, 8pm, £16 (£12.50)

Confirmation

Villagers

Chat

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Credit: Beth Chalmers

Paws

Credit: Ingrid Mur

Thu 2 Apr

Into The Wild Steev Livingstone and Simon Ward of Glaswegian electronic mainstays Errors discuss their winter retreat to the Isle of Jura and how it informed expansive fifth record Lease of Life

W

hen George Orwell travelled to Jura in 1946 to write what would become his seminal, eerily prescient tome 1984, he didn't do it by halves.

Despite being in an already frail state, brought on by a heavy onset of TB, Orwell didn't settle for the isle's coastline where he landed, opting to live in a solitary farmhouse named Barnhill, in the centre of nowhere. “We tried to go to where he stayed one day but it was too far away,” Errors’ Steev Livingstone admits to The Skinny, sat next to bandmate Simon Ward in Glasgow's Mono, the pixelated webcam picture giving the impression of words simply coming from the wildly plundering beard that you suspect has been there since his own creative pilgrimage to the Inner Hebrides. “In order to get to his house, you drive as far as you can go on the road and then that just stops. Then you have to walk another ten miles across fuck all.”

Attempting it on a short November day in 2013, the pair promptly got lost. “It would've been nice to see it… but then that's not the reason why we went to Jura.”

Livingstone and Ward both play down the influence of Orwell on their decision to write and record the bulk of Errors' very recently released fifth album Lease of Life in Jura, but there are parallels to be drawn. Both sought the solitude of the countryside and the subsequent space to truly maintain a clarity of thought during their process; whereby Orwell turned the idyllic countryside in-

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to a juxtaposition, using the surroundings to create something claustrophobic, tense and as far away from natural feeling as possible, Errors immersed themselves in the open terrain, Lease of Life bearing the hallmarks of a group reinvigorated following a break from the urban sprawl.

“ There was a patience on Jura that I've never really had in the city; that time to just sit and observe” Steev Livingstone

Devoid of internet or phone signal, and turning a cottage a friend of theirs happened to own into a makeshift studio, the pair spent a lot of time enjoying the lack of distraction, spending hours hill-walking when not working, and generally pres-

sing a pause button on the rest of life. “I'd still struggle to tell you how the surroundings affected the record, but I'd like to think they did,” says Livingstone. “It sounds daft when I tell people about going up there though, like it sounds as though we did nothing when we were there, but I spent a lot of time just looking out my window.

We had a really good view across the sea and so spent a lot of time just watching things subtly and dramatically change, and I like to think that had an effect. There was a patience that I've never really had in the city; that time to just sit and observe things like that, you just don't really get to appreciate a different environment.”

Most famously, Salford painter L.S. Lowry drew inspiration from the sea front, where he could sit and reflect on his own isolation. Errors’ own perspective on isolation appears to be positive though; in an ongoing process that's continued over their four previous full length albums, space has opened up between the elements. Their early records, It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever and Come Down With Me were trussed up with the exuberant ebb and flow of Glasgow's club scene of the late 00s; but nearly five years later and the syncopated afro-beat inspired rhythms that have always been a hallmark of the trio feel less like straight-up encouragement to visit the dancefloor, and more frameworks from which the group can then expand upon – be that the glorious,

Music

Interview: Simon Jay Catling Photography: Mihaela Bodlovic almost choral-like echo of Livingstone's vocal on the title track atop an oscillating synth whirl, or Dull Peak's brittle percussive claps giving off amorphous clouds like dust off a chalkboard cleaner. “We didn't have lots of different sounds and instruments that could've clashed with one another. We kind of kept things the same,” says Ward. “I think it's also a slight realisation that most people's albums use very similar sounds on recording, so it's ok to do that,” chimes in Livingstone.

“If you look at our previous records you'll find a different drum sound or use a different drum machine on every track, and that hasn't always worked.”

The break was also timely for Livingstone in particular, who'd started to grow tired of much of the music scene. “I'd pretty much stopped listening to music,” he admits. “I was fed up with everything, I was getting annoyed with everything that was getting hyped.” Going out to Jura was a perfect chance to elongate the shut-off period, the pair able to ignore the tides of influence and instead stick to their own intuition.

“It's probably not what you wanted to hear is it?” he laughs. “We listen to no music, we just listen to Radio 4 or podcasts. This American Life is a bigger influence than any band on this last record.”

Unlike many peers of a similar standing, Errors have rarely felt the pressure of needing to remain visible, always spitting out something new, always

THE SKINNY

goes on there, and the kind of crazy behaviour that you get. I think if you were in the midst of it it'd be pretty easy to get caught up in.”

In addition to vocal contributions elsewhere from friends Magic Eye and Cecilia Stamp, the decision to go through with using the choir, something long talked about, marks a further evolution of confidence within the group, with Livingstone not just gaining confidence in his own lyric writing, but also in being able to give them away to others – even if they were 20 people he'd never met before. “They were great,” he enthuses. “They totally got into it, did one rehearsal and then recorded it.

I was way more stressed out about it than I have been a lot of things, but we've realised no-one else is going to do this for us.”

Not that they always know what this is.

“Believe it or not we still don't really know what we're doing,” Livingstone confides. “We know how to turn machines on and use a computer and that, but we don't really think about the effect of having vocals that are starting to sound like Justin Timberlake on our record.” It is, though, those happy accidents – those errors, you might say – that often create moments of true excellence within their music, and so it is that while the Glasgow group may not have intended for Jura to become the bedrock that their fifth album would be hoisted upon, there's no denying that it's truly led to a reinvigoration, a new purpose, a new lease of life.

Lease of Life is out now via Rock Action. Errors play Glasgow Art School on 11 Apr and Wickerman Festival on 24 Jul and Tramlines Festival on 25 Jul weareerrors.com

out on the road. Since first emerging in 2006, each of their five albums has been done, dropped and left to gestate, the group retreating and regrouping before considering their next statement – so it was with their latest LP, nearly three years on from mini-album New Relics. “I think there is a pressure to be quite present all the time,” Livingstone says. “I struggle with social media stuff like people having a cup of coffee and then thinking that needs to go up online so everyone can know about it. And as a band it's just weird that thinking about your online presence is almost as important as the music you're releasing. Sometimes what you're releasing feels like it's the least important thing nowadays.”

Thankfully for Errors it remains important to them, the band using Lease of Life to notably push themselves out of their comfort zone on two specific instances. Firstly, there's the ongoing development of Livingstone's vocals – first trialled on 2012’s Have Some Faith In Magic – and on this record they're delivered with a clarity hitherto unseen, echoing the resonant, almost spiritually evocative tones that first appeared on that record's Magna Encarta. They reach a pitch on the album's final track, the 13 minute Through The Knowledge of Those Who Observe Us which marks the second notable for the band, in the use of a local Glaswegian community choir.

Even for a non-believer, there's nothing to

April 2015

force the mind into considering a higher sense of purpose quite like the sight of the planet uninterrupted. Ward and Livingstone certainly didn't go out to Jura with the intention of writing an ode to nature – Ward comments that “the pallette of sounds came together there” but that ideas had already been set in motion by the time they got there – and the record doesn't come across as such. However the final track gloriously releases all those underlying feelings and subtle influences of their time away, the familiar skewed disco that's come to hallmark their sound gradually becoming overgrown with a rootsy, traditional sense of songwriting. “It was definitely the song most affected by our trip to Jura,” Livingstone admits.

“I think when you're in a place like that you think about time a lot more, you see the effects of hundreds of thousands of years on things.”

The spiritual bent is intentional too, from the title, adapted from the passage of the second epistle of Peter 1:3 “through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” to the more obvious effect of the choir. There's always been, deep down, a sense of soul music to Errors' sound and the pair confess a love of old gospel.

“There's something in those grand overflowing statements I find very interesting,” Livingstone says. “I'm not religious, but it's a thing I'd like to go and see a lot more of. It's kind of amazing when you see that kind of Baptist church singing that

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Hipster Takedown While We're Young, the wise and witty new comedy from Noah Baumbach, throws a Gen X couple into Brooklyn's 20-something hipster milieu. The Frances Ha director explains why young people both thrill and terrify him

H

ow would you describe a Noah Baumbach film?

The answer to this question would've been easier to articulate in 2012. Back then, Baumbach had a clear MO. He was known for a trio of films so caustic that they had to be watch through splayed fingers. There's The Squid and the Whale, a tragicomic account of a couple's divorce as seen through their teenage son's eyes; Margot at the Wedding, a hilarious but painful to watch reunion between estranged sisters; and Greenberg, an acerbic character study following a 40-year-old carpenter who's so misanthropic he makes Larry David look avuncular. These are brilliant, devastating movies, emotionally pitched between anguished sobs and bitter laughter. We figured Baumbach was a glass-half-empty type of guy.

With his last two films, however, he's thrown a couple of curveballs. Frances Ha, from 2012, trades in the same comedy of awkwardness as those earlier films, but it contains none of their venom.

Instead it's an effervescent love letter to its feckless title character, a 27-year-old dancer (joyously played by Greta Gerwig) with an uncertain future but a spring in her step; Baumbach's comedy tends to make audiences' toes curl, but with Frances Ha he made them tap. Also tuned to C major is his latest film, While We're Young, a razor-sharp comedy pitching Gen X against Gen Y that delivers one-liners and sight gags at a velocity that would make the Marx Brothers dizzy.

“I'm just trying to keep it interesting,” says Baumbach, his voice gentle and quiet over the phone when we ask about his recent films’ shift in tone. “When I was writing While We're Young it was very much structured like a classic screwball comedy – like a comedy of marriage and remarriage. I felt a responsibility to follow that structure.”

Like Frances Ha, While We're Young examines the world of 20-something Brooklynites. But while the former was Baumbach's ode to a hipster, While We're Young is his evisceration of today's retroappropriating youth. If you're the kind of person who rides a fixed-gear bike, makes your own organic ice cream and fetishises analogue technology (vinyl, VHS, typewriters) while also owning all

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of the latest Apple products, then this film will cut deep.

We follow documentary filmmaker Josh and producer Cornelia, a couple in their 40s who are winningly played by Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts.

Unlike all of their friends, including Marina and Fletcher (Maria Dizzia and Adam Horovitz), they're resigned to not having kids. Despite the relative freedom this gives them, however, they're stuck in a rut. They struggle to remember the last time they took a holiday, while a wild night for them has become an evening in with a bottle of wine binge watching HBO shows on Netflix. That's why meeting Jamie and Darby (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), a pair of 20-something hipsters who are spontaneous, wear rollerblades and attend hallucinogenic-fuelled cleansing ceremonies, feels like such a tonic. The couples become fast friends and before long Josh is wearing skinny jeans instead of chinos and Cornelia is swapping Pilates for hip-hop dance classes. “It's all about the thrill of being around young people,” says Baumbach. “And the sinking dread.”

Baumbach himself knows a thing or two about cross-generational friendships. The 45 year-old is currently in a relationship with Frances Ha's lead Greta Gerwig, who's 31 and the very epitome of hip. Did this new romance and the making of Frances Ha, which is set in the same Brooklyn hipster milieu from which Jamie and Darby hail, help inform his latest film?

Baumbach doesn't see much correlation: “A lot of these ideas are things I've had for a while,” he explains. “I've been wanting to figure out a way to write about couples and about marriage and about the interaction of couples and the projection that couples can place on one another. It's finally found its way into this story. I was thinking of doing it right after Squid, but I just couldn't figure it out, so in some ways I don't feel quite in control of the timing of things. I feel like they kind of come when they come.”

Given the autobiographical nature of some of his movies, particularly Squid and the Whale, which found him dissecting his own parents’ breakup and dressing its lead, Jeff Daniels, in his

father's clothes, it's tempting to see his move to a more upbeat register as a reflection of his own personal life. Baumbach isn't having any of it though: “I don't want it to remain entirely mysterious, it's natural that people might look over the last few years and make judgements about the mood I was in when I made one or the other, but I guess I don't look at it that way. I feel like over a long career I might veer one way or the other. These ones have gone in the direction of the more openly comic – I guess that's what people are responding to.”

“ It's all about the thrill of being around young people. And the sinking dread” Noah Baumbach

One aspect of his personal life that Baumbach does concede to having informed his approach to While We're Young is that he became a father in 2010. “Before I had a kid I had friends who had kids, and, you know, it's… well... impossible to get as excited about other people's kids as it is your own,” he says with a laugh. Like Josh and Cornelia, he felt abandoned by his close friends who were off starting families. “It's a funny feeling as a grown person, to feel like you're kind of being replaced by someone's kid, and I wanted to show that in the movie. And then of course I've been on the other side of it too, having a child I've been transformed.”

A running theme in Baumbach's films has been antagonistic relationships between parents and children. There's a father figure in While We're Young too: Charles Grodin (The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run) play's Josh's father-in-law Leslie, a respected documentarian who mentored Josh

FILM

Interview: Jamie Dunn

early in his career. Unlike previous parental figures in Baumbach's movies, however, Leslie is the most clued up person on screen. When Josh shows Leslie the film he's been toiling on for the best part of a decade, he says “You've made a six-and-ahalf hour film that's about seven hours too long.”

He's the movie's voice of reason. Has becoming a dad softened his perspective on his own parents too? “Maybe the best way to say it is that when you have clear memories of your parents at ages that are either the same or younger than you are now, there's a definite shift,” Baumbach explains. “You can no longer think of them as omnipotent, almighty people. You start to identify with the humanity of what it means to be a parent and also what it must have meant for them. You can have more empathy for them for that reason. You realise, What could they have known? You can't help but reflect on that.”

Grodin's wry presence calls to mind the era of films While We're Young most evokes: the comedies of the 70s and 80s. “When I was an adolescent, people like James L Brooks and Mike Nichols and Sidney Pollock were making Broadcast News and Working Girl and Tootsie. Those films were meaningful to me when I was first starting to discover movies beyond kids movies.” These were comedies made within the studio system that were trying to say something significant about society and relationships. They were hilarious, but they were more than simply gag delivery machines. “They're really adult comedies, which were characterbased and very funny; they could be broad but could also be serious. I wanted to do my version of that.”

With While We're Young he succeeds. It's packed with wit and vigour. It's the kind of finelyobserved comedy Woody Allen might have made at the peak of his powers if he ever left his Upper East Side apartment and took the C-line across the East River. The satire is so potent, in fact, that the film could single-handedly kill off the fedora hat. Here's hoping.

While We're Young is released 3 Apr by Icon

THE SKINNY

April 2015

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April 2015

14

Cut the Slack With her profile rising rapidly, Courtney Barnett's debut album has finally seen the light of day. She tells us about finding fascination in the plain ol’ ordinary...

Interview: Will Fitzpatrick

hers are generally more straightforward…? “Like, they're narrative-driven or something?” Well, yes, but chiefly they're easier to understand and identify with than the erstwhile Pavement frontman's mysterious word sandwiches. “When I listen to him, I hear… not so much subject matter, but wordplay. It's constantly jumping out. I think I do that a lot, but maybe sometimes it's not as obvious, so the story sounds like it's one solid narrative.”

One particularly notable aspect of Sometimes I Sit And Think… is the sense of cohesion; the album's 11 tracks all flow together much more smoothly than those that composed the EPs – perhaps as a result of being written with a regular group of musicians (Bones Sloane on bass, drummer Davie Mudie and guitarist Dan Luscome), as opposed to transposing solo tracks to full-band arrangements.

“ I just kinda do whatever I normally do, and then sometimes songs happen”

Credit: Marathon Artists 2015

Courtney Barnett

S

ongwriting does not come easily to everyone.

That much is obvious, or else we'd all be at it, but the notion bears repeating: we should never underestimate the simple act of assembling words and melody, especially when that combination presents itself in the manner of an invisible finger, gently squeezing our emotional triggers. There are, however, certain individuals who not only pull this off with aplomb, but also manage to make it sound like the most natural thing in the world; as effortless as breathing and logically straightforward. Some might call it genius, we'd just disingenuously say, ‘lucky bastards,’ while secretly swooning in awe. But you get the point.

Courtney Barnett is one such talent.

Two years on from A Sea Of Split Peas, the EP compilation that quietly announced her arrival on a global scale, the 27-year-old Melburnian has finally released her debut abum. Its hefty title – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit – is essentially her approach in microcosm: laid-back, thoughtfully funny and keenly understated. As we speak to her over the phone, immediately post-soundcheck ahead of a secret hometown show, it swiftly becomes apparent that this approach isn't an artistic device, or even a public face. It's simply a way of life.

“Most of it's spot on,” she says cheerfully, when discussing the real-life narratives at the heart of her songwriting. “Obviously told in a story-telling way, but most of it is from experience.” As a songwriter who's quite happy to open a song with lines like ‘I masturbated to the songs you wrote /

April 2015

Resuscitated all my hopes,’ she's typically frank. No shrouded meanings, no allegorical distance, just honesty. So does she decide which subjects merit songs?

“If something has some kind of small meaning or importance… or enough to write it down, or think about it for longer than two seconds, then I assume it's worth something,” she explains, clearly trying not to overthink the process. “As a songwriter, it's kind of hard to tell what's interesting or not.”

But there's such fascination with the minutiae of everyday life – the banalities, even – that it seems as though everything is interesting to her. Standout track Depreston, for instance, deals with the tedious affair of house-hunting in a dull town, as an estate agent talks up ‘a garage for two cars to park in / Or a lot of room for storage if you've just got one.’ Perhaps it's the languorous beauty of the chord progression, perhaps it's just Barnett's warmly conversational delivery… either way, the line prompts more than just a wry grin. There's a philosophical universality at play here, placing unexpected importance on the trivial; a knack which, we suggest, is central to her art.

“I think so,” she agrees. “Stuff like that seems so unimportant, but it's funny that everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about, even though it might not be the first thing that you'd think to sing about.

Everybody knows that real estate-y, making-something-sound-more-than-it-is kind of lingo. You don't really think about it, you just kind of recognise it when it's in front of you. I think I'm just highlighting

stuff that you would otherwise ignore.”

This may also explain the charm at the heart of her songs – the authority in her voice comes from first-hand experience rather than contrivance. There have been no situations thus far where Barnett has deliberately wandered into tricky circumstances for inspiration's sake: “I don't really try to look for any crazy shit. I'm pretty safe and boring, I feel, most of the time. I just kinda do whatever I normally do, and then sometimes songs happen.”

Hold up, that's an interesting choice of phrase. Her songs are not written. Like forces of nature, they simply happen. Perhaps it's this attitude that's lent credence to the lazy ‘slacker’ tag that's been applied to her work too often, implying there's no graft to the craft. “I don't really get it,” goes her noncommittal rejection of the phrase, and rightly so. “I grew up listening to a lot of 90s indie rock, but I don't really know exactly what ‘slacker’ is. My musical knowledge is not pinpoint, I just listen to stuff I like.”

If the sound of the album is anything to go by, what Barnett likes is a healthy diet of literate singer-songwriters, classic alt-pop (indeed, she's often cited the Lemonheads as an influence) and the rickety rhythms of Lou Reed's purple patch.

When we discuss other musicians, however, she spends a while pondering her favourites before eventually naming Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus – another noteworthy point, we observe.

Surely the latter's lyrics have always been obliquely enigmatic, despite moments of clarity, whereas

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“The EPs weren't really written with a band, but they probably had a bit more time to… you know, marinade. With the album, I only showed the boys the songs about a week before we recorded it.” Was this a factor in the upbeat pacing of the album? “I think it was just the mood that I was in – that kinda frantic energy from drinking lots of coffee and being excited, so some of the stuff came out faster.”

That's not to say the process was entirely stress-free: “You get in a groove, but you also get that kind of tunnel vision where you start secondguessing what you're hearing – I had moments where I'd just think, ‘Oh my god, all these songs are shit. We need to get rid.’ Then the next day I'd listen after I'd slept and be like, ‘Wow, this stuff's great!’ You just get confused.”

As a final thought, it only seems right to mention one of the stand-out moments of Barnett's 2014, when an appearance on Australian TV show RocKwiz saw her cover The Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning alongside a visibly delighted Billy Bragg. A charming performance ensued, with the two singers repeatedly shooting excited grins at each other – clearly enjoying themselves far more than your average just-for-the-cameras collaboration tends to suggest. She laughs when we bring it up.

“We'd just been on tour around Australia with him and his band, and we just kind of talked about what would be good to do as a duet – it's not so much duet-y, but we both thought it would work quite nicely as a downbeat song. We'd only practised it once or twice, so that's why we were giggling when we did it. He's great, I really admire his songwriting.”

Is there anyone else she'd like to perform with?

“Yeah, probably, but not wildly. I'm not obsessed with anyone.”

Ironic, perhaps. Plenty of avid listeners are going to be utterly besotted with Courtney Barnett.

Playing Glasgow Art School on 2 Apr. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is out now vis Milk Records courtneybarnett.com.au

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Neu! Reekie! Waiting for the ink to dry

Credit: Kat Gollock

Edinburgh based poetry-music-animation curators Neu! Reekie! are publishing their first physical book. The Skinny catches up with them over a couple of weeks as they work towards its launch

Interview: Angus Sutherland

Scott Hutchison playing at Neu! Reekie!

P

oetry is a ‘gateway drug’ that'll spirit you away from twenty-first century digital fluff, from feeds and streams and the rest, back to more substantive cultural forms. Or so say Neu! Reekie!'s cofounders, Kevin Williamson and Michael Pederson.

Though when The Skinny first catches up with the pair, they're focused on drugs of a more familiar, less legal sort, shifting old copies of Williamson's Drugs and the Party Line, published on hemp paper through his Rebel Inc. imprint back in 1997. The Jehovah's Witnesses that he offers a freebie to are cagey. The merits or demerits of the so called ‘war on drugs’ aren't quite what they'd geared up for on a Thursday afternoon outside Edinburgh Waverley Station. The homeward bound commuters are paying neither camp much heed.

But Williamson and Pedersen are typically on less ideological ground in their work with NR. Their poetry-music-animation performance project aims to tap into something deeper, or more transcendent, or something that feels at a careful remove in one way or another. It's odd how poetry, in particular, manages to do that, to take the same words that are charged with political or commercial purpose, to cleanse them and to cast them totally anew. Williamson's taken political positions before, of course – ones that have incurred significant backlash – but NR is about getting shot of ideologies and their pedallers. Instead it's about pedalling a form. It's elevating poetry above the role of the arts’ “gimpy little brother,” as Pedersen has it.

So, accordingly, NR isn't working as some cult macheteing out into the wilds to start a colony.

“We are gonna fight a battle for poetry,” says Williamson. “Stop. Step out. Your life is not too busy for poetry.” And there's a new, very tangible weapon being deployed in his and Pedersen's fight.

From May of this year, Neu! Reekie!, with the help of Edinburgh based publishers Birlinn, will look to

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encourage printed poetry to those who have the need for it, though they may not have fully realised that need just yet. They're releasing an anthology of (mostly) NR contributors’ work: #UntitledOne. To access the wary, there's a dual enticement being worked. Alongside big name poets like Liz Lochead, there's crossover writers like Aidan Moffat and Scott Hutchison and less familiar names, in these parts at least, like Kapka Kassabova. Then there's a double album of supplementary sounds from some of NR's most impressive musical collaborators, from Young Fathers to The Sexual Objects.

For Pedersen, “the dream is for people to take this physical poetry book on their holidays to Majorca.”

The younger half of the NR pair often talks with such fuck-laden ebullience, it's difficult to separate his realistic ambitions for the project from jokes and giddy dreams. This obscurity holds until Williamson, the elder half, wonders whether Neu! Reekie! “will be gone in a year, two years. Nothing lasts forever.” Pedersen looks momentarily crestfallen, which is as much a vindication of their efforts as anything. There's an emotional investment here. And it's the same for Williamson, in spite of his questions as regards NR's longevity. “You're hoping that art's been promoted in an honest way and with enthusiasm.

These are poems that we are enthusiastic about and want our mates to read. It's the litmus test for everything I did at Rebel Inc. Would I give it to someone that only gives me one shot at a recommendation? Because that's all you get. That is the litmus test. Would you give it to your mates? I don't think that's used by a lot of publishers because there's all sorts of other considerations. Everyone knows someone who got them into literature. And we want to be ambitious enough to play that role.”

Northern Ireland-reared poet Miriam Gamble, one of the newer guard to populate Untitled's pages, is cautious of hailing a “new dawn” or some

“hyper excellent time” for poetry. The form is and always was latent. Pedersen and Williamson would doubtless agree. It's “always made and always made available” to those willing to seek it out, says Gamble. Nevertheless she's keen to celebrate the pair's “bold, brave” approach, their willingness to to bring together different sorts of poetry and people.

“ We are gonna fight a battle for poetry.

Stop. Step out.

Your life is not too busy for poetry” Kevin Williamson

Ambition is nary in short supply at NR's Summerhall HQ, just off Edinburgh's Meadows. And why parse realism from dreams when things are going so well? We, The Skinny and NR, play with the idea of international franchise opportunities. The pair are off to Japan soon for some poetry-animation workshops, so the notion is not implausible. They're hesitant, though. It might work, but only if Pedersen and Williamson maintain strict editorial control (albeit remote control). Because though Neu! Reekie! is a sum of parts effort, it's rigorously curated. Each night is tailored to certain voices within a certain place, envisioned within a certain theme. Those who've been to an NR event know that they're not simple mic and lights affairs. No hope of streaming or uploading for posterity. You're there and you're in it or you're

BOOKS

elsewhere and you're out of it. #UntitledOne doesn't deviate from that meticulous NR ethos. Again there's the sense of being rooted in somewhere or something physical and of its time, an artifact. NR's latest iteration depends unabashedly on the notion of book as “fetish object” – Williamson's words – and the end product looks worthy of that vision. Frequent collaborator Gerry Cambridge has designed and typeset the work beautifully. (Don't expect an e-reader copy, though if you've got a Kindle and you smash it at an NR night, your ticket's on the house.) For the publication's first 500 copies, the audio will come loaded on a USB necklace. So even where they're going digital, the pair are invested in something more lasting.

Pedersen and Williamson, and the latter especially, bristle at the idea that Neu! Reekie! is cool. “Cool's ephemeral. Poetry should be more ambitious than that,” says Williamson. The pair want to access a diversity of poets – a range of styles, ages, points in their career – and an audience to match. “We haven't just got the young hipster poets. We've got in a lot of old guys and women. I think even poetry boffins will think, ‘fuck, you've done a lot more than I expected.’”

In #UntitledOne Neu!Reekie! are pushing harder than ever for an art that's solid and substantial. Something that'll show a bit of staying power. Still, in a saturated cultural environment, there's a need to package wisely, or to “box clever,” as Williamson puts it. The more you see of he and Pedersen's curatorial work, the more it seems like theirs is the toughest, smartest show in town. #UntitledOne is published by Neu! Reekie! and Polygon / Birlinn It will be launched on 1 May at Edinburgh's La Belle Angele

THE SKINNY

LA CHEETAH CLUB - APRIL 2015

Friday 3rd April

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ENTRY - £8 ADVANCE

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LET'S GO BACK... WAY BACK WINSTON HAZEL, BOSCO & ROB MASON

WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE THE LANCE VANCE DANCE

Friday 10th April

Friday 24th April

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FOR THE RECORD DJ CASPA

SLEAZE DUSTIN ZAHN

Saturday 11th April

Saturday 25th April

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LA CHEETAH CLUB & EZUP PRESENT JIMMY EDGAR Thursday 16th April

STEREOTONE WHEELMAN (ALL NIGHT LONG) ENTRY - £3

April 2015

NOCEUR CAMMY DE FELICE

73 QUEEN STREET, GLASGOW, G1 3BZ T: 0141 221 1379

www.lacheetahclub.co.uk | www.maxsbar.co.uk 17

School Daze A fainting epidemic befalls a strict girls’ school in 60s Britain in The Falling. Director Carol Morley invites you into this balmy world of teenage secrets and mass hysteria Interview: Jamie Dunn

I

t's 8.30am on a bright February morning in Glasgow. The Falling, a heady tale of teenage friendship and mass hysteria, played to a full house at the city's film festival the night before. Its director, Carol Morley, was out toasting the film's Scottish premiere with a few drams after the screening.

So it's a surprise to find her so chipper as she sips on a coffee in her hotel's bar. “I'll probably be quite slow on the uptake,” Morley says as I sit down. She's anything but.

Talking at a clip, the 49-year-old Stopfordian is full of anecdotes and digressions as we dig into her strange and seductive new movie. Set in 1969, it follows the fallout of an unexplained fainting epidemic at an all-girls’ secondary school. The seed of The Falling's story was planted in Morley's head over ten years ago by a friend who told her about a Medieval village whose residents couldn't stop laughing. This led her down a rabbit hole of research into mass hysteria – or to use its medical term, mass psychological illness.

“I think what fascinated me most is that they are still a mystery,” Morley explains. “Even though [psychologists] can detect the pattern of it, they don't really know why they occur.” What makes mass hysteria such a juicy subject for a filmmaker is that the condition appears to be some sort of collective response to the concerns of the day.

“Nowadays when they happen they're often around anxiety about toxic things, or maybe terrorism or food poisoning, or something like that. In the 50s they seemed to be about atomic stuff. A lot of the ones I read about in the 60s seem to have an underlying anxiety about sex and sexuality, and changing morality about sex.”

Despite setting it in 1969, one thing Morley didn't want to do was evoke the Swinging 60s (“you know, because only about 600 people on the King's Road had that”). But she did like the notion that this was a period of great change. “I like to think of it as a time when young people were kind of getting infected by ideas,” she says. “And I really like the idea of the 60s as an adolescent age, in a way.

It was on the cusp of something. It just felt like a time when a lot of philosophical ideas were circulating.”

Using a girls’ school as a backdrop for this study of psychological contagion seemed full of possibilities too. “[Mass hysterias] always happen in closed institutions,” she explains. “A lot of them happen in schools, and a lot of them happen to women as well.” Morley's theory for the condition's gender imbalance is that female relationships are more intimate: “I think teenage girls talk more and so communicate their symptoms more, which is why they might get a mass hysteria – so I was sort of fascinated by that. Plus I think female friendships can be very intense and you're constantly struggling with who you are at that age. People go in different directions. Things become unstable, I guess. And your whole body is kind of being a traitor to you in a way as you enter that mysterious adult world.”

The Falling centres on one particular friendship, between Abbie (impressive first-timer Florence Pugh) and Lydia (Game of Thrones’ Maisie

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Williams). At the start of the film the relationship is practically sapphic, with Lydia clearly infatuated with her luminous best friend. “I felt that Abbie had to be somebody that the whole school wanted to be,” says Morley. “In fact, the look I was going after, because I have annuals from the time, was one of the girls on those teen magazine covers: blonde, blue eyes, glamorous.” The friendship seems to sour, however, when Abbie reveals she's lost her virginity. In fact, she suspects she's pregnant. The setting makes this teen pregnancy all the more significant. “In 1969, the abortion act has just come in to make them legal, but they were still only really available to married women in certain circumstances. So you wouldn't be that age and go to your doctor, you just wouldn't.”

“ I really like the idea of the 60s as an adolescent age” Carol Morley

Abbie is the first to faint, perhaps caused by her pregnancy. But soon half the school is at it.

And not just fainting. In one extraordinary scene during an assembly the girls’ condition manifests as a kind of seductive dance, a woozy revery. Some of the teachers succumb to the contagion too.

Even the school's no-nonsense headmistress (Monica Dolan), who's convinced the whole thing is an elaborate prank thought up by the rebellious Lydia, feels her knees start to buckle.

Morley creates a balmy atmosphere for this strange and lurid tale to play out in. The school setting is claustrophobic, but the exterior shots of the unspecified bucolic countryside, shot in vivid colour, are equally stifling. “I'd always had this idea of the Renaissance, so you have the greens, the blue, the gold, so that's the school uniform, but the production designer used it throughout the whole film.” On camera duty was one of the best cinematographers in the business: Claire Denis's regular lenser Agnès Godard. “I remember saying to her that I wanted it to feel like we just found the film,” Morley explains. “I don't know why I said that but she got really into the idea. Although Agnès has worked on all these amazing films, she genuinely approaches something like it's her first time.

It's really exciting.”

The film's trump card is Williams. Best known as Arya Stark, Game of Thrones’ pint-sized bruiser, she brings a similar intensity to Lydia. Remarkably Morley hadn't, and still hasn't, seen the show.

“We looked at a lot of girls. I knew what Lydia had to be like and I wasn't finding her. When the casting director suggested Maisie I went online and looked at her giving interviews and I was like ‘Oh my God, I love her already.’” To pull off the central conceit, it was vital to find an actor of Williams’ charisma. “In a mass hysteria there's always a central person. There might be a trigger, but the central person is always someone you admire, so it was very important that both Maisie's character Lydia and Florence's character Abbie were people that you could admire. And as soon as I met Maisie I knew she's the kind of girl I'd want to be my friend at that age, and I'd want to follow.”

Following the critical success of Morley's 2011 documentary Dreams of a Life, The Falling repre-

FILM

sents an impressive advance into narrative filmmaking. After two decades of toiling at the coalface of the British film industry, it's a well deserved achievement. “For any filmmaker it's difficult, and you just have to keep pushing at it. So for me it's getting easier, hopefully, because you've got more to show, and people go, ‘Oh, I get you now.’”

When I ask about the opportunities for female filmmakers in general, however, she's less optimistic: “I was doing a talk once and I pointed out that only 7% of [feature film] directors are women, which is the same as when cinema began. And someone came up to me afterwards and corrected me, saying, ‘Actually, at the beginning of cinema there were more women directors’ – so numbers show it's not getting any easier.”

It's a depressing statistic. I suggest that the quality of British filmmakers who are female perhaps papers over some of the vast inequalities in the industry. “What I find quite fascinating in Britain is that if you look at Lynne Ramsay, Clio Barnard, Joanna Hogg, Andrea Arnold, they all write their own stuff: they are writer-directors. And if you think of the guys who have come up at the same time, somebody like Ben Wheatley or Michael Winterbottom, they don't write [all of] their own films, but they're still seen as auteurs. Of course they're really involved and are brilliant, but [female filmmakers] don't seem to get that opportunity.

I can't imagine directing something I haven't written. And I think there's probably a link as to why that is: I think it's that we're trying to generate stuff that we want to see. My feeling is that everyone wants more diverse stories. For that you want it so that you've all kinds of people making films.”

The Falling is released 24 Apr by Metrodome

THE SKINNY

Whisky in the Water The Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard on surviving breaks and staying publicly personal for the band's eighth album

Credit: WeAreTheRhoads

Interview: Katie Hawthorne

B

en Gibbard, singer, songwriter and founder of professional heartstring-tuggers Death Cab For Cutie, is recovering from a badly broken wrist.

Tripping on a footbridge whilst running on Seattle's Orcas Island has left the chairman of emotional indie rock with screws and plates reconnecting his bones, but he's still in buoyant spirits. Joking, he describes himself as a “method actor:” “It's not enough to have all these other fissures in my life, and name an album Kintsugi – I've gotta take it to the next level and break my own wrist?”

The quip holds because Kinstugi – the title and concept behind the band's eighth record – is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery; using gold lacquer to piece together the shards, the delicate practice treats the putting-backtogether process with philosophical respect for life's bumps and bruises. Obviously ripe symbolic ground for a band as openly heart-on-sleeve as Death Cab For Cutie, it's no surprise that the group has had a rough ride in recent times. Since their last album, Codes and Keys (2011), pivotal member and producer Chris Walla announced his departure after 17 years with the band. And if that's not enough of an upheaval, Ben has gone through a public divorce from New Girl star Zooey Deschanel.

Yet, with the title as it is, the record seems to be inviting a whole host of intrusive questions and conjectures. Was there not a temptation to try and avoid headlines of Kintsugi: Death Cab Are Back And Stronger Than Ever? Ben concedes, “Yeah, a lot of people have been making the assumption that the title is meant to refer to the fractures in the band. But what resonated with me about that word, when Nick [Harmer, bass] brought it to us, is that metaphorically it's what I've always been trying to do as a songwriter. You

April 2015

try to recreate something, and you're trying to highlight the point of breakages. A lot of these songs are about how to make something beautiful out of something really, really horrible.”

As a songwriter, Ben has always been intensely confessional. But surely once your private life and band dynamic is being eagerly dissected across the internet's gossip forums, it's bound to impact upon the writing of a record? Completely preempting this question, Ben volunteers, “You know, when I was first writing songs for what would be Kintsugi, I was struggling with how… um… not even how open I was going to be, but just the perceptions of how open I was, when the record came out. If that makes sense?” After a pause, he continues,“Because… after going through a divorce with A Well Known Person, I could write songs about pole vaulting and people would figure out a way to tie it back to the divorce. But, you know, you don't hold back. Don't change how you are, don't change how you write for fear of what people are going to think.”

Spiritedly debating whether his attitude is “fearless” or “foolish,” he argues that “you don't have to worry about protecting yourself.” As he puts it, “those pieces, those editorials, they are for the fans to discuss and argue… but I'm not going to enter that dialogue. That's not to say that dialogue doesn't have merit, but I've never read a piece of criticism that's made me secondguess a creative decision. For better, or worse.”

Preferring instead to rely on fan feedback at shows, he references the album's lead single Black Sun, saying “people aren't getting into it because they think – correctly or incorrectly – it's about a famous person. A song is only as successful as

how deeply a person can integrate it into their own lives.” He's probably just put a finger on what's made Death Cab For Cutie a special band to so many people for so long – the ability to write lyrics that feel both intimate and broadly applicable, in a far more direct, impactful manner than the ‘it's a love story’ vagueness of other chart-toppers.

“ I could write songs about pole vaulting and people would figure out a way to tie it back to the divorce” Ben Gibbard

Yet, as the first track released from a longawaited album, Black Sun quickly circulated the internet under the interpretation of a ‘break-up’ song, although the video – and lyrics – certainly aren't explicit in that department. In actuality, it puts the concept of Kintsugi into practice in a very Scottish context (“there is whisky in the water”) and sounds more an unpicking of creative practices… but does that interpretation hold up, either? Ben's quick to weigh in. “That's my point.

Frankly I'm much more interested in your take on [the song] than I am my own. There are times when I'm asked a very direct question: ‘what's this

MUSIC

song about?’ And it's like, well look, that's not only a lazy question… but it doesn't matter what it's about to me. It matters what it's about to you.”

So with Ben happy to endorse whatever your personal interpretation of its lyrical content may be, Kintsugi is grand and sweeping in classical Death Cab form. Opener and recent single No Room In Frame trips along, jauntily deceptive, whilst Ben's distinctive vocals detail a story of a partnership derailing – no answers on postcards, please.

Almost elegiac in its treatment of memory and nostalgia, haunted by ghosts and caught up in second-guesses, it's a record written for long roads and starry nights. Warming and readily empathetic, it's not as naturally anthemic as the big hitters from Transatlanticism, for example, but midrecord gem Hold No Guns is a bare-bones ballad that's atmospheric storytelling at its finest. In essence, and despite the turmoil, it sounds just like the Death Cab For Cutie we know.

But if Kintsugi feels more of a marker-stone than a drastic change in direction, it's still an indicator of the shape of things to come. Although it's the first Death Cab album to feature an ‘outsider’ in the producer's seat, Chris “fired himself” from the role and the band invited Rich Costey (Sigur Rós, Frank Turner) to take the reins, Chris still worked on the album in its entirety. But since his official departure, two new members have joined Ben, Nick and Jason McGerr (drums) for the band's long tour this year – Dave Depper and Zac Rae – with Ben intimating that they could be on board for the long haul. He enthuses that they've brought “new energy… not only to the live show, but all the minutiae of being in a band” and admits that, over the years, “Chris, as brilliant and important as he's been to the band, he was the guy who didn't like to go on tour. He was the guy who did his own thing. The three of us would go to dinner and Chris'd go off on his own trip. It wasn't a source of animosity by any stretch of the imagination, but it's something I think we really needed... To feel like a gang again.”

Ultimately Walla's departure created a crossroads for the band – one that they've survived with Kintsugi as proof, and one that will see a newly refreshed group take steps towards an uncertain but reinvigorated future. Ben describes the shake-up as more than necessary: “As a career band it's very difficult not to paint yourselves into a corner. You have to be very vigilant about quality control and not allow… like… ‘Oh, Death Cab For Cutie are getting together to make a record. That's good enough! I'm sure it'll be great because they've made these other records we like. I'm sure it'll be fine!’ No. It's not as simple as that. Being a band as long as we have, it just becomes more and more difficult because you have this body of work that precedes you into a room.”

It's undeniably true, too. With a back catalogue as beloved as theirs, one that's soundtracked innumerable slammed-doors of teenage angst, mid-twenties existential crises and innumerable emotional film montages – how on earth do you manage the pressure? But so far, fractures and all, Death Cab For Cutie have survived the ride and are stronger for it (sorry; it's true, though).

After this talk of the future, and before the clock fully runs out on the conversation, Ben muses about the nature of influences and perspectives.

He's already namechecked REM and Teenage Fanclub, but does he think that Death Cab now have a legacy of their own? “I don't know… I never pick up on those things,” he laughs. “I never heard a young band like ‘Ooooh my god, those guys totally listened to us.’ I still feel like we're a Built To Spill cover band.”

Kintsugi is released on 30 Mar via Atlantic Records deathcabforcutie.com

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Admission Free

Slavs and Tatars Lektor 25.04.15 – 12.07.15

Open: October - March April - September August

Tues – Sun 10am – 4pm 10am – 5pm Mon – Sun 10am – 6pm

Collective Gallery City Observatory & City Dome 38 Calton Hill, Edinburgh, EH7 5AA + 44 (0)131 556 1264 mail@collectivegallery.net www.collectivegallery.net

Circles of Focus

Christine Borland & Brody Condon 4 April - 17 May 2015

Funded by:

cca-glasgow.com Image credit: Hung and Tart (acacia), handblown glass, 12 x 34 x 16 cm, 2014. Courtesy of the artists. Lektor is a co-commission with Kunsthalle Zurich, NYU Abu Dhabi, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, and Blaffer Art Gallery, the University of Houston.

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THE SKINNY

Conversations About Art

Be My Guest Glasgow Open House Festival is set to be the most exciting and genuinely unique art festival of this year. We talk to the organisers

We catch up with the founders of up and coming Glasgow gallery 1 Royal Terrace in advance of their second programme of exhibitions, now underway

Interview: Franchesca Hashemi

C

olloquy is the title of the second series of solo exhibitions of emerging artists at one of Glasgow's young producer run exhibition venues, 1 Royal Terrace. Ruth Switalski and Petter Yxell founded the curious gallery in 2013, their first year after graduating from GSA, and since then have run the one-room venue in Switalski's own home alongside their own practices and further education.

The 2015 spring programme kicks off with Laurence Figgis installed in the front room gallery space until 19 April. Following him will be Joy Bonfield Colombara and Hugh Lyndon Barrell, from 3 until 24 May, and finally Birthe Jørgensen from 7 until 28 June. What makes 1 Royal Terrace note-worthy is the peculiar mixture of professional demand with which Switalski and Yxell run the space, alongside the fact that they not only allow the spontaneity of conversation to flow into its programme, but that it is actually fully based on it.

It is evident in conversation with Switalski that they run the programme true to the ambitious desire to really get things going on their own terms, to fully use its opportunity for conversation with emerging practices and serendipity that may lead to curious outcomes, without shying away from possible obstacles. In fact the setting of the space, a front room in a residential Georgian tenement, overlooking the edges of Kelvingrove Park, makes for a comparably difficult context for everyone involved in making and experiencing the exhibitions. For Switalski and Yxell it was part of their ambition to professionalism to push for the room's transition from a solely domestic function into an adequate exhibition space without stripping it of its conversational potential for artists’ work.

Benefiting from a sensitivity for questions of perception in connection to architecture that

stems from their own practices, they want to use the space as a testing ground for interaction, not just for the artists invited, but for their audience too.

“We expected people to make more of the fact it's a domestic space, but I think because of the way we've presented the space and the way we've presented the programme, people kind of overlook that quite quickly. It's good to have those limitations – there's not so much you can do with a space, but actually there's a lot in that.”

This pursuit to explore fuelled the inaugural programme of 1RT, a fluid series of six solo exhibitions by emerging artists whose different practices interacted with the space on many different layers, from Helen Shaddock's seemingly playful settlements of small strongly pigmented plaster casts in sensitive conversation with the fitted shelves and parquet flooring, to Rachel Levine's sculptural artefacts of material and dimensional displacement, that blended into the room by resigning from adding any more colour to it than its own emulsion white.

Switalski and Yxell choose the artists for their programmes based on who they would like to work with and whose work they think would make an interesting contribution, putting an emphasis on the value of existing connections to artists just like them. The artists are invited to set up a show without any proposals, allowing for a freedom of processes and conversation that they consider as a vital strategy for exhibiting: “A lot of the time we have no idea what someone's planning on doing until three days before they show up with a load of work and we make it work in the space. And that's really exciting for us. Part of our decisions for choosing pople is that we have faith in their entire practice, and that's what you need as an artist.”

Colloquy, Mar-Jun 2015, 1 Royal Terrace, Sat & Sun 12-5pm, free 1royalterrace.co.uk

Alistair-Gow, Winter-Bill, 2014, oil paint on board at CAVEROOM

G

lasgow Open House is back this May with its second ever summer festival. There is an exciting programme of exhibitions and performances, spanning not only the breadth of the city but the living rooms of the artists. That's right. With nearly thirty domestic venues and a plethora of disused or underused nooks to choose from, festival goers are being treated to a four-day showcase of the best emerging and established talent.

Just a few months ago, GOHAF saw a ripping success with their silent auction Hair Salon. The proceeds went to Festival 2015 and relied on the generosity of artists from all backgrounds – students, graduates, GSA tutors, even artists coming through from other cities – who donated over 100 pieces.

“ This is about opening up Glasgow's closeknit, grassroots art scene’’ Laura Campbell

Festival directors Laura Campbell and Phoebe Barnicoat are fresh from Glasgow School of Art, where drive, entrepreneurship and flawless originality mirrors the community spirit fundamental to the city's solid reputation.

However, an exhibition outside the gallery isn't a new concept. It's thanks to the artist-led team's ‘everybody ’s welcome’ ethos that the Festival is receiving due attention. Oh, there's also a killer line-up: Turner Prize nominee Marvin Gaye Chetwynd will transform her Southside home for everybody to see, while Ellie Harrison adds another facet to anarchy with MONEY M€AL – a kind of edible-but-anti Monopoly night – and Glasgow Guild will host one of many interactive events, featuring two artists ready to take on the floor's undoubtedly relentless questioning (this one is BYOB).

April 2015

ART

There are too many events to mention, but it's likely the creators have taken great care to utilise their unique exhibiting environment so the result not only entices the artist, but invigorates the general public's perception of Glasgow's contemporaries.

Group led projects like ‘Below, the other things we can talk about’ will see video installations and light tricks taking on the ergonomics of a come-hither black basement, while the Botanic Gardens, an East End laundrette and an intriguing set up at the Laurieston Arches, which we are told will host a number of shows within its derelict railway arches, offers even the most seasoned festivalgoer a multitude of events, auras and people to play with.

It is a vision so close to execution, and since GOHAF has been founded and built upon determination, it is likely that May 2015 will succeed.

Speaking of the Festival's inception, Director Laura says: “There is a danger that after art school artists’ practices will stagnate and, for a large number of graduates, cease altogether. We felt that it was time to take matters into our own hands and make a statement.

“Why just show to your friends when you can open up your flat exhibition to a much wider audience? This is about opening up Glasgow's close-knit, grassroots art scene to people who don't necessarily know how much goes on behind closed doors.”

Forget the door – whether it's storm, close or the one that leads out back – GOHAF is taking to the streets. From ‘artwork under your feet’ to the screen printed flags created by Project Ability which are going to be dotted around the city, this is a festival designed to amplify the allure and a come-all atmosphere that is indicative of discourse in art.

Laura continues: “This year we are going to be crammed with talent, and artists have put so much thought into how they can approach exhibiting differently.

“I hope the public respond positively to the generosity of our artists and that the festival goes some way to creating something meaningful in the city and for our communities.”

Glasgow Open House Art Festival runs from 1-4 May

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Credit: Sam Dransfield

Interview: Arne Wern

Infrastructures of Care

Credit: Joao Caldas

Artists Park MacArthur and Constantina Zavitsanos talk to The Skinny about the infrastructures of care in advance of Arika's Episode 7: We Can't Live Without Our Lives

It's Sorta Like a Big Hug by Park MacArthur

Ueinzz Theatre Company

W

ith their newest episode, which will be appearing at Glasgow's Tramway between the 15 and 19 of April, Edinburgh-based programmers Arika ask: “Could the ways we attend to each other's joys and pains help us to generate different futures together? Could we give humanness a different future by re-imagining what bodies and minds can be?” They talk of an exploration of care and empathy, and what it means to provide and receive that care in many different forms and ways.

From the schizoscenic theatre of the Ueinzz Theatre Company, to Poethical Readings of your political questions provided by Valentina Desideri and Denise Ferreira de Silva, Arika are inviting their artists and their audiences alike to explore the way they approach the world, and to provide and receive care to and from one another.

Park MacArthur and Constantina Zavitsanos are two of the artists participating in Arika's seventh ‘episode’ (as they term the installments of their diverse arts festival series), providing workshops which look at correspondence as a way of working, and open up the infrastructure of care to participants. In addition, a screening of the video It's Sorta Like a Big Hug, with live reading of texts and correspondence between the two will be shown as part of the episode. Coming from New York City, Park and Tina sit down over Skype with The Skinny to talk about their work, ahead of their trip to Glasgow later in the month.

On their work together, and the role of correspondence within the episode, Tina states: “We're friends, we're artists. We have a correspondence of shared thought and I would say that formally that would be around sculpture and text, and conceptually I would say that that's around debt and dependancy. Park maybe wouldn't always say debt, but I think she shares concepts of indebtedness, or what you might call support, whereas I would straight up say debt. I also say dependancy but maybe my form of dependancy is more in terms of class whereas Park's is more in terms of disability.”

“My form of dependancy is definitely in terms

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of class,” Park responds, and Tina adds: “Mine is now also in terms of disability. So that overlap has spread and mirrored or even flipped for both of us.

That's where our shared work is posited.”

Arika came across Park and Tina's work from an article the two co-wrote for the Women in Performance journal of feminist theory, published out of NYU. The article blurs together Park and Tina's voices – “sometimes so much so that I don't even know who wrote what,” Tina says. They explore the types of “intimacy and utility found in providing and receiving care,” Park explains, “precisely when it isn't waged labour. Tina was providing me care but I wasn't paying her, so what are the other forms of indebtedness that come out of that?”

“ Everybody needs care, at some point or at many points” Tina Zavitsanos

These ideas speak directly to Arika's exploration of alternative care, as well as the way both Arika and Park and Tina work. “In a social world of artists and academics, a lot of friendships overlap,” they explain of their mutual friends, and how Arika had previously been following Park's work.

“We were both drawn to the way they programme, which seems to be out of one episode begets the next episode. The questions that arise from one episode generates the next participants, or invitees or topics of discussion and so there's a really nice generational lineage there.”

This form of programming echoes Care Collective, to some extent, which will inform and feature in the work Park and Tina present at Arika later this month. “[Care Collective] was a call to my friend group in NYC to have friends come over

Interview: Emma Ainley-Walker

to collectivise the daily care that I need. The early call was a question of whether to give the work without compensation, or to have an hourly rate or to exchange something. If I can do editing for someone and they provide care for me. That was a one-to-one question with each participant,” explains Park.

The connection between Care Collective and Arika was obvious, as Tina explains. “It's almost like the way Arika are structuring, based on allyship and these lateral structures as opposed to hierarchical ones. That's also what's happening in Care Collective. Many members of Care Collective are also members of other care collectives, myself included. This is not an anomaly situation. It's a special situation, ‘special’ meaning I like it or give it favour or whatever.”

“But it's not exceptional or unprecedented,” Park follows up.

As much as Care Collective may be an influencing factor over the workshops that Park and Tina will be running, Care Collective is also literally coming to Arika to continue to facilitate Park's care. “Everybody needs care, at some point or at many points. But the care of Park's Care Collective is nightly and daily. We are in one way bringing Care Collective there, but Arika is becoming its own kind of Care Collective, which I think in art worlds is a really important thing. It's asking an infrastructural question, or even a structuring question, rather than a question of a product. It cites the space of planning, or what it is to be in study together, as the site of the work.”

The understanding that Arika has for the individual and collective needs of its participants is clear, as Park highlights: “They're bringing this Ueinzz group from Sao Paulo, and that's a major, great, infrastructural question. I think about this a lot in an art context – curators and programmers will figure out how to transport an enormous structure from Shanghai to New York, which is a huge amount of care and a huge amount of resources, but for the artist in the social context, the

THEATRE

way that that would work for the individual is really different. Not that art works have it better, but certainly a kind of planning process around getting artwork from one place to another and safely. The artist is expected to sort of dance or float around that somehow and just magically appear. That exists in the structures of ableist privileging of non-disabled people over disabled people; any forms of efficiency or financial finesse that allow you to drop in, drop out. So for them to fundamentally build it from a different perspective is so cool.”

“We're excited to come,” concludes Park, also highlighting the accessibility of Arika's programming, with some events free and BSL at all events.

“I would be super excited for any disability community within Glasgow to come to Episode 7, and I really want to meet other Glasgow crips.”

“We want to know what's going on there,” Tina adds. “We want to get to know you.”

“It's always fun to come to a place you don't know to do a workshop, where you're the ones supposed to be teaching, but clearly we're the ones being taught. I want to really underscore that we really want people who are disabled to participate or come to the programme if that's possible.”

“I'm really interested in meeting crip community there. I would like to be in study with them, I would like to know what they're thinking, feeling.

With anyone, whether they are currently disabled or not, who is thinking through those forms of indebtedness and how we can be with each other, focussing on the surplus that we already have.”

“We could be wrong too,” Park closes, showing that they are just as interested in the questions arising out of their work as Arika. Hopefully Episode 7 will begin to answer some of those questions.

Arika, Episode 7: We Can't Live Without Our Lives, 15-19 Apr, Tramway arika.org.uk/events/episode-7-we-cant-live-without-our-lives

THE SKINNY

April 2015

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THE SKINNY

Get Enlightened We look ahead to this year's Edinburgh International Science Festival, featuring biking superstars, cutting-edge climate science, drug discussions and a whole lot more.

I

n just a few days time, Edinburgh will host the annual International Science Festival (4-17 Apr).

Whether you're actively involved in the science community, studying a science-related discipline, or simply interested in this year's many events, there's something on offer for everyone. However you approach it, you'll engage with some of the pertinent issues, ideas, and current advancements within the science world.

Amanda Tyndall, Deputy Director of the Festival said recently: “This year's Science Festival will celebrate enlightened thinking and doing by drawing together shining lights from the fields of science, technology, engineering, philosophy, the arts and beyond, to mull over some of the big ideas, issues and challenges of our time. But it's not all serious stuff – there are plenty of sociable science opportunities, with events on everything from gaming to gin, and beauty to beer.”

Among the many scientists and celebrities who'll be appearing throughout the festival, Nobel Prize winner Prof Peter Higgs will be discussing the idea of bringing science to the masses, and the masses to science (8 Apr). Terry Waite – held hostage in Lebanon between 1987 and 1991 – will be talking about his experiences of captivity within the context of mental resilience (9 Apr), while Scottish street trials rider and YouTube phenomenon Danny MacAskill will discuss the nature of focus, and what drives him to achieve extraordinary physical feats at the Tunnel Vision event (12 Apr). BBC broadcaster Prof Jim Al-Khalili will also be taking a look at the origins of life, asking Did Life Originate in the Quantum Multiverse?

(13 Apr).

One of the overarching issues at this year's festival is climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will meet in December to address the issue of climate change in Paris – an event billed as a make or break international effort to curb global warming. The festival's Energy & Environment theme will use the landmark meeting as the backdrop for its events. Be sure to check Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Rajendra Pachauri in discussion with experts and policy makers in The Road to Paris (16 Apr).

As part of the Brainwaves strand, Prof David Nutt of Imperial College London will reflect on alcohol policy and the regulation of drugs in Scotland – while calling for a reappraisal of societal attitudes to harmful drugs. You may remember him from headlines surrounding his controversial sacking as the government's drugs advisor.

Recently he's been involved with Channel 4’s controversial but enlightening Drugs Live programmes.

Why Scotland Should Lead The Neuroscientific Enlightenment takes place on 12 April and promises to be a fascinating discussion. Also part of the Brainwaves series – Gender & The Brain will explore whether there is such a thing as a ‘male’ or ‘female’ brain (10 Apr).

Another of the festival themes is Light and Enlightenment, and already acting as an illuminating prelude, the Light Works exhibition opened in St Andrew Square recently. It showcases 50 largescale photographs from contributors such as NASA and the European Space Agency. These photographs reveal how different kinds of light are used in science, technology, and medicine. Light Works

Credit: Aly Wight

Words: John Donaghy

GastroFest Red Cocktail no Flare

is open daily (8am-6pm) until Friday 17 April and is free of charge.

Facebook and Twitter users, pay attention!

Social Media: Spying? Sentiment? Source of Data? examines who really owns our data in the context of social media (9 Apr).

The science of food and drink will be celebrated through GastroFest. On Easter Sunday the SciMart event will feature a science-inspired farmers market – bringing together food producers, researchers and chefs. Culinary curveballs will be thrown at diners' taste buds via the Sensory Experimentation event on the 9th, and for those partial to a G&T, Gin-omics for Generation Gin (12 Apr) explores the distillation secrets behind the rediscovered classic.

Looking for a little nocturnal inspiration?

The Lates events focus on where science, music and art collide. Latelab events take in subjects as

Peter Higgs In Conversation

diverse as the Tron movie series, with a special Atmosphere screening on 4 April. For Game of Thrones fans, the Science of Game of Thrones event on the 10th takes a look at whether the phenomena in George R.R. Martin's epic tales could perhaps be plausible. Foe those looking for cosmic fun, The Big Bang Bash event on the 10th will throw an out-of-this-world party to celebrate the wonders of space. The festival will also put on its very first club night experience – Full Spectrum on 17 April features next-level audio visual trickery courtesy of Astrojazz and Adventures in Light.

More from The Skinny: theskinny.co.uk/festivals – This summer's festival news, all in one place The Edinburgh International Science Festival runs from 4-17 Apr. A full programme is available to download from the website sciencefestival.co.uk

Landscapes Lost We chat to bestselling author Karin Altenberg about her new book Breaking Light, and landscapes lost and found

I

n a novel that spans four decades, Karin Altenberg weaves two disparate narratives: in the first, a young boy mourns his father, who hasn't returned from the war, and is brutally bullied in scenes of uncomfortable rawness; in the second, an ageing professor returns to the village he grew up in, lives a life of fragile loneliness, and falls in love with an ethereal Afghan woman.

The characters, the reader soon realises, are the same person: parted by decades, yet united by their otherness. “I've always felt like an outsider.

I think most of us do, it's a universal topic that most people will relate to,” says Altenberg.

Tellingly, it's a theme that she handles aptly. “I hope that there're some people who feel content and happy, and are completely at home where they are, but I think for a lot of us there's always that search for somewhere that we feel we belong. That's something I wanted to explore.”

Craving a sense of belonging is something Altenberg understands well. She is Swedish, but has spent much of her adult life in the UK. It's a common symptom of a globalised world – a feeling of being neither entirely at home in an adoptive

April 2015

Interview: Rosie Hopegood

country, nor in a homeland. “Going back and forth between London and Stockholm became quite exhausting. I always felt I was betraying somebody with my absence wherever I was, and that was getting to me a bit.”

At its core, Breaking Light is a coming of age novel. Young Gabriel struggles to make sense of the adult world and find his place in it; forty years later, his older self, Mr Askew, still seems uncertain – though it is a tale that is ultimately redemptive. “It's a story of trying to come to terms with the way your life turned out, about forgiving yourself and forgiving the world for what it's done to you. It's a book about home and being able to find a place to fit in,” says Altenberg.

It is in her descriptions of nature that Altenberg's prose becomes vividly beautiful: lines such as ‘a couple of ravens were soaring and carousing in a courting game, their wedge-tails stencilling cuneiform on to the spring skies’ jump out from the page. It is no surprise that Altenberg is attuned to her environment in such a startling way – she has a PhD in Landscape Archaeology, a subject she likens to learning to read the land like

a book, peeling back layers of history to uncover the land's past. “Every one of us has got a landscape where we feel comfortable, but I think for me the outdoors has always been where I feel most at home.”

Indeed, the landscape becomes almost a character in the novel. Set in an unnamed village on Dartmoor, Altenberg skilfully contrasts an isolated and insular village on the moor's periphery with the sea-like expanse of the wild land, seemingly lawless and electric with possibility.

It's a terrain she knows well; when she first moved to England, she spent several years studying Dartmoor: “Like Gabriel, I came of age on the moors, and I think the seed of the idea for the novel stems from that period in my life. I spent a lot of time on my own walking through these ancient landscapes, thinking about the duality of the land, the duality of self and the sense of belonging.”

Altenberg's first novel, Island of Wings, was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book Award and longlisted for the Orange Prize. Second books are notoriously difficult to write, and the author was not immune to the pressures. “With the first book

TECH / BOOKS

you write without thinking about publication, and then suddenly you have a publisher, a contract and a deadline so it's a very different process. It was quite terrifying in many respects,” she says. Wisely, she began working on Breaking Light while still promoting Island of Wings, using the momentum from the success of her first novel to begin her second. She also chose to approach the writing process in an entirely different way. Island of Wings was a richly researched historical book set in 1800s St Kilda (“My walls were covered with timelines and charts and character maps!”), while Breaking Light is a much more personal book. “I wanted to get away from all the planning and just write. The joy was the creation of the characters – watching them come alive and start taking shape was completely thrilling.”

Breaking Light, published by Quercus, out now, RRP £16.99

Feature

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Light Fidelity A near future where we'll be streaming the internet from LED light bulbs?

We interview Prof. Harald Haas about the prospect of a brighter Li-Fienabled world, and discuss the burgeoning technological developments of this Edinburgh-based project Interview: John Donaghy

I

n 2011 Professor Harald Haas gave a TED lecture on a ground-breaking new concept – using LED lights to transmit wireless data. This concept he named ‘Li-Fi’, the immediate practical application being that an LED light bulb could be used to stream wireless data/internet to a mobile phone or computer.

Considering that currently we use 3G, and (more recently) 4G to stream wireless data to our mobile devices, alongside Wi-Fi to connect our various devices to the internet, Li-Fi presents a forward-thinking alternative (and welcome addition) to existing methods of wireless communication.

With Prof. Haas both Chair of Mobile Communications at Edinburgh University, and co-founder of spin-out company PureLiFi, it's no surprise that both academic research and development of commercially viable Li-Fi technologies have been increasing at a rapid rate. Earlier this year, PureLiFi was awarded investment of £1.5 million to further develop its products, and the commercialisation of Li-Fi technologies.

In a city historically renowned for its innovation, it's perhaps fitting that Li-Fi's home is in Edinburgh. These burgeoning technological developments provide not only an exciting prospect for Scotland, but for the UK in general. The implications of Li-Fi and its related technologies are far-reaching and will no doubt be seen globally within the coming years.

I arranged to meet up with Prof. Haas to have a chat about a brighter Li-Fi-enabled future, eureka moments, data pipes, the Internet of Things, and the prospect of being able to test out Li-Fi on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

Can you explain what Li-Fi is?

Li-Fi stands for Light Fidelity, and it's basically using off-the-shelf LED light bulbs to transmit data, wireless data, at extremely high speeds. We all know Wi-Fi, and that uses radios and antennas.

Imagine the same functionality of Wi-Fi, but instead of radios we use light, the light around us.

So what are the benefits of using light?

The benefits are plentiful. First of all, imagine how many light sources we have around us. It's forecast that there will be half a billion LED light sources sold this year. Imagine that every LED light bulb around us is essentially a high-speed transmitter. That's basically transforming our lives with regard to connecting ‘everything to everything’. It works underwater, it works in intrinsically safe environments – petrochemical plants, oil platforms for example. It's secure, as light doesn't penetrate through walls – no-one can easily intercept your connection. It's free-spectrum and delivers very high data rates in very dense environments, and could enable the way we advertise and develop health technologies. There are plenty of advantages.

Using the example of a street lamp, could you explain how someone could stream wireless data to their phone using Li-Fi? The scenario would be: you walk along the street, your phone would recognise there is a high-speed Li-Fi transmitter just above it. It would connect to that light source and it would stream the high-speed data rates through the street lamp. It would also transmit to that street lamp using – for example – infrared, some other optical, or even RF [Radio Frequency] channel that creates

a bi-directional communication. The light itself is part of the street furniture, there are lines coming in, power coming in. There are various ways of getting data to that light source – one is using the power lines. One could also foresee that light can form very narrow beams, so that you could have Li-Fi that works as a Backhaul – we call it a Backhaul link, from a house or building to the street light so that you have laser type beams to the streetlight – that would then broadcast in the right area. The other option is that you put an ethernet cable through the utility to the streetlight to provide data via a data cable.

So the network is already there in theory?

Yes, the advantage is that we can utilise existing infrastructure. In wireless communications, we all know radio masts – do you know what the distance is between radio masts in 4G? I have no idea.

It's roughly about 300-400 metres. So with 4G, the standard that is coming at the moment – we need a radio mast every 300-400 metres. With 5G that will arrive in 2020, it will be 50 meters. Can you imagine a scenario where we have a radio mast every 50 metres?

That's a lot of radio masts.

Yes, that is a lot. So why not use the street lights, the existing infrastructure? That's the natural question.

“ Imagine the same functionality of Wi-Fi, but instead of radios we use light, the light around us” Prof. Harald Haas

Could you give us an idea of how Li-Fi could be factored into the home environment in the near future?

The way I see it is this: you would still have your 3G, 4G, maybe your 5G in the future, and your Wi-Fi. You'd have these various standards, and then you'd have your Li-Fi. The network that you are linked into would depend on who is best placed. For example these days, the 3G network may be overloaded so you'd be transferred into Wi-Fi, offloaded. If for example your home is Li-Fi enabled and you entered into your home, your mobile will see a strong signal from a light source above it and automatically detect that a better signal can be achieved from the light source – this will transfer the link to the light bulb and release the RF channels. This provides additional fat data pipes, everywhere where there is light. We need to just think where do we have light? Everywhere where there is light we can have big data pipes.

Basically we'll be surrounded by millions and billions of fat data pipes that we can use.

When will we be able to buy a Li-Fi system for the home?

We believe it's very realistic to see this within the next couple of years.

How much would it cost?

Basically the price is a matter of volume. We don't envisage that this is significantly more expensive than standard Wi-Fi equipment.

Are there any examples where we can see Li-Fi technology here in Scotland?

Yes, there will be examples. There will be examples here at Edinburgh University where we will be deploying it in various rooms – also as part of a project in Glasgow [at the University of Strathclyde], where the new Tech building will be equipped with a Li-Fi demonstrator. We are also working on a project with the council in Edinburgh to get an example onto the streets, hopefully the Royal Mile. We are further seeking their interest to equip a number of public spaces with Li-Fi. As this year is the United Nations’ Year of Light, it would be a fantastic showcase if people arrived at Edinburgh airport to see that this is the ‘City of Li-Fi’. The airport could have places offering free Li-Fi internet.

You gave a TED lecture back in 2011 – how helpful was that in generating interest in Li-Fi? Phenomenal. It rocketed the idea into the world. Suddenly people responded all over the world, developed their own Li-Fi systems. Things have been kickstarted tremendously.

Did you have a eureka moment where you realised that the Li-Fi concept was possible?

Yes absolutely. I think I started more or less out of curiosity in 2003 with a student project in Germany, to see if we could turn a disadvantage of an algorithm that is used in radio into an advantage when you use lights. We managed to successfully show this through our experiment, and that unlocked this capability of transmitting data at extremely high speeds – that was the eureka moment. Since then, everyone who has showed very high data rates from an LED has used this kind of algorithm.

According to Wikipedia, the Li-Fi market is projected to have a growth rate of 82% from 2013-2018, and be worth over $6 billion per year by 2018. This sounds huge, could you explain this area a little?

It's increased to $9 billion now. At the moment there are around 20 million radio base stations around the globe. Only this year it's forecast that half a billion LED lights will be sold, so you can get an idea of the scale. If you imagine only a fraction of these lights sold are Li-Fi enabled, then one can see how it outpaces, and that is only lighting. Then imagine the Internet of Things, your cooker, kettle, microwave – all have LED lights integrated so the Li-Fi modem could potentially be stored in those devices and link them to the internet. People can gather statistical data, analytics from their devices, or even for information on when a device is about to break.

How have the existing network or service providers received Li-Fi technology?

We see a push-pull mechanism. The lighting

industry is going through a radical shift at the moment – Phillips have recently sold the lighting division of their business. An LED lightbulb lasts 15-20 years, longer than a car – you can't sell them as often. The business model is changing; it's like the transition from analog to digital photography, where Kodak and other firms ceased to exist. We'll see the same in the lighting industry with companies collapsing and new companies emerging.

There is a ‘pull’ of Li-Fi technology into the lighting industry, because it's needed to provide more services. On the other hand, the radio industry has invested billions into radio technology and there is a ‘push’ mechanism into the RF communications.

Could you give us any examples of obstacles you've had to overcome in the past few years?

From a business development perspective, the classical view or question you ask a company is ‘what is your market’? It's a difficult question to answer for us as we're creating new markets.

When you talk to investors, you have to make it clear that it's disruptive. The business plan is not the same as you would develop when you manufacture a new hoover for example. It's a challenging task of overcoming the hurdle of traditional thinking.

Li-Fi is a collaborative research project between various universities. Has this process accelerated the rate of development?

You mean the Ultra-Parallel Visible Light Communication programme, which is a UK programme funded by EPSRC [Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council]. It pulls together people from St. Andrews, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Oxford Universities. It's a mechanism that has propelled the UK at the forefront of Li-Fi technology, and that collaborative research has meant that the UK is leading the Li-Fi space worldwide. Nowhere on the planet is there such a concerted effort; it's important in all systems integration that you bring in all the experts on different sides. The question now for the UK is: we've built a base camp, how do we go to the top of Mount Everest?

15 years from now, how will we be using the internet?

I think the way humans exploit the internet will probably not change that much, it's the content that will change; moving towards more video content that is shared. What will change radically is that machines and objects connect to the internet – this will transform many things. People say that by 2020 there will be about 100 wireless connections per person, whereas we have only one connection now. This idea is simply not manageable with the radio frequency range, but with the visible light spectrum we can realise this.

For the latest news on the collaborative academic research into the area, check the UP-VLC's site purelifi.com

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Feature

TECH

THE SKINNY

Saluting Hollywood's Maverick Altman director Ron Mann and Kathryn Reed Altman discuss the “indestructible” filmmaking force of nature, Robert Altman

“I

couldn't make a conventional film about an unconventional filmmaker.” That was the credo documentarian Ron Mann worked to as he developed his new film Altman, an affectionate and unusual portrait of the great Robert Altman.

The task of covering Altman's entire life and work in a single documentary is an impossible one, so Mann instead focused on trying to capture his essence. He asked a number of the filmmaker's collaborators to define the word ‘Altmanesque’ and built his film around their answers, with their wide ranging definitions (“Fearless,” “Expect the unexpected,”“Inspiration,”“Making your own rules”) coming close to summing up his iconoclastic spirit.

Mann also felt it was important to preserve the director's unique voice, and that the best way to do so was let Robert Altman tell his own story.

Spending a summer in the director's archives at the University of Michigan, Mann found enough interview audio and video footage to construct a narration, and he was astonished at the wealth of material he had at his disposal. “We accumulated over 400 hours of material, so to look at that in real time took ten weeks,” he says, “Then I said to Kathryn [Altman's wife] one day, ‘Were there any Super-8 films?’ and Matthew and Bobby [two of their sons] had 150 home movies. A film- maker doesn't usually have this kind of bounty or treasure trove of material available to them, and I'm not really a spiritual person but it almost felt like Bob was helping this film along.”

Interview: Philip Concannon

As well as being a labour of love for Mann, who cites his viewing of M*A*S*H at the age of 12 as a formative experience, Altman is also a family affair, with the director's widow Kathryn Reed Altman being heavily involved in the production throughout.

“ I couldn't make a conventional film about an unconventional filmmaker” Rob Mann

“I was not familiar with Ron or his work, so I did some research and I heard him described in inte- resting ways, which applied completely and thoroughly to the Altman aspect; words like quirky, not middle-of-the-road, a really good filmmaker but not your run-of-the-mill guy,” she tells me, and she felt it was important that the film captured both the highs and lows of her husband's storied career.

After making his breakthrough in television, Altman enjoyed enormous success in the 1970s before being exiled from Hollywood in the 80s, and

then making a triumphant return with his acerbic industry satire The Player. “He just kept busy and kept thinking all the time; he was a creative force,” Kathryn says. “One thing led to the other and he just wanted to keep branching out into something new, something different.” She remains astonished at his capacity to keep going in the face of disappointment and rejection: “I don't know how to explain it. I've never seen it in some- body before or since and it always amazed me.”

Watching Altman was an emotional expe- rience for Kathryn, particularly the home movie footage featuring her husband and children, and the remembrance of the night he received his life- time achievement Oscar just a few months before he died. “He resisted that particular award, proba- bly three or four years in a row, and he had a whole committee in the Academy who kept pushing for him,” she recalls. “He kept saying ‘I don't want that old man's award, I'm not through working.’”

Robert Altman's next film A Prairie Home Companion was to be his last, but his work lives on, feeling richer and more vital with every pas- sing year. When I ask Mann for his own definition of Altmanesque, the word he leans towards is “indestructible.” “Bob's view of filmmaking was that they're sandcastles you get together to build with friends, the tide comes and washes the sandcastle away, and what's left is the memory,” he says. “I think Bob built sandcastles that were indestructible.”

ch

an La ce st to se

e

Take on gaming’s greatest icons An exhibition created by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne, supported by the Victorian Government.

Media Partner

Until 20 April 2015 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF Book now at www.nms.ac.uk/gamemasters National Museums Scotland Scottish Charity, No. SC011130

April 2015

FILM

Feature

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Lost and Found As the Found Footage Festival washes up on our shores once again, we speak to festival founder Nick Prueher about Jeremy Beadle, whelping and weirdos Interview: John Stansfield

N

ick Prueher and Joe Pickett have been friends since they were ten years old, bonding over a television show called Small Wonder, about a little girl who is secretly a robot. Nick says, “All our classmates loved the show but Joe and I appreciated it on a whole different level. We did not excel at anything in school but we definitely had an advanced sense of irony at an early age.

Luckily, we found each other.” This shared love for curios and oddities led to finding and collecting VHS tapes which they've been doing now for 24 years. The live show Found Footage Festival followed 13 years later, and after amassing some 6,000 tapes between them, they now bring their collection of weirdos to the British Isles for a full tour. We spoke to Nick Prueher about the art of found footage.

Are there any that you have disagreed upon or certain videos that you thought weren't great but have captured the audience?

Joe and I disagree about little things all the time.

I remember we had an instructional video for something called the ‘Caverject’ that was basically a hypodermic needle you inserted into your penis to give you an instant erection. This was in the days before Viagra. Anyway, we were editing the video as part of a montage and Joe thought we should show the needle going all the way into the wiener. I thought we should show some restraint and cut away from it before the needle goes in.

We tried it both ways and it turned out I was right in this instance – audiences don't want to see hypodermic needles poked all the way into penises.

The funny part to me is that there was never a disagreement about whether or not to show a video like this; it was a given that the penis injection video was going into the show.

The Skinny: What's the process for the videos you choose?

Nick Prueher: You never really know until you watch a tape but we've identified a few promising characteristics of good videos over the years. First of all, if there's a C-list celebrity on the cover we will pick it up. It's usually an exercise video or a health product they're endorsing – can't-miss videos for us. Religious puppets are always a winner, and you'd be surprised by how many of those tapes we found in the South. Apart from singling out misguided graphic design and misspellings on hand-labelled videos, we also look for anything where people who have no business rapping are rapping. There's an alarming amount of misguided rapping in late-80s training videos.

Is there anywhere in UK that you have found to be a treasure trove of found footage?

Maybe we are looking in the wrong places but all the charity shops we've been to in the UK are sort of fancy with designer clothes in the windows. It's hard to find a VHS tape anywhere apart from the odd cricket bloopers video. We did turn up a few gems at a video store in Brighton last year – Topless Darts and Cliff Richard's Heathcliff – and some friends in Manchester donated a pretty great prank video by Jeremy Beadle. The weird UK footage exists – we just haven't found a lot of it yet.

Is there a particular theme to this upcoming tour? Or is it just new things you've found?

We're calling this show Found Footage Festival's Salute to Weirdos. As you know, weirdos are America's number one cultural export, so we'll be serving up the oddest characters we've ever found on VHS. They include Pretty Boy Floyd, a billiards instructor who talks more about sandwiches than pool; exercise video weirdos like Angela Lansbury, Traci Lords, and a bearded hippie named Zar; a supremely creepy Arnold Schwarzenegger in a 1983 travel video for Brazil; and a woman who makes her rabbit play the piano. If that doesn't sell some tickets I don't know what will.

Have any DVDs made it into the collection, or is that against company rules?

We are not proud of this but we have admitted a few DVDs into the collection over the last few years. The first exception to our ‘VHS only’ rule was made at a thrift store in Memphis, Tennessee, called Amvets. This place claimed to be the world's largest thrift store and it certainly was huge.

Crammed in amongst the hundreds of VHS tapes was a DVD from 2004 called How to Sing Like the King – a training video for Elvis impersonators.

How can you say no to something like that? One of the benefits of being around so long is that we've become a magnet for other video collectors out there. About once a week I'll get a box

Bernie

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Feature

Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher

Magical Rainbow Dee

in the mail full of tapes from Portland, Oregon, or Anchorage, Alaska, or Madison, Wisconsin. It's like Christmas morning every time! However, it can be a double-edged sword because video collectors tend to be an odd lot, and now they have our cell phone numbers.

Do you have any favourites?

A few years ago in Denver, a local oddball named Andrew came up to us after a show and asked if we'd like to come to his house and watch some of his VHS finds. He could have been a serial killer but we decided it was worth the risk. Turns out he was the best kind of weirdo, a lovable eccentric with a great video collection. He lives in a pink house filled with clown paintings, pictures of meat on barbecue grills, Barbie Dolls and jars of dust from the bottom of breakfast cereal bags, plus a white Chihuahua named Tiny Coconut. Now we are great friends and hang out every time we're in Denver. He hasn't murdered us yet.

Have you ever met any of your heroes from the videos?

Yes, we always try to track down the people that fascinate us from our favourite videos. A few years ago we found two episodes of a public access TV show out of Los Angeles called Dancing with Frank Pacholski. In it, this balding man with a lot of body hair is clad in nothing but an American-flag Speedo and a Lone Ranger mask, and he's dancing suggestively to John Philip Sousa marches. But the best part is that the audience for his prancing is a group of eight elderly people who look like they don't want to be there. We had so many questions

COMEDY

about this footage and this man that we hired a private detective to find him. The results of our quest to meet Frank Pacholski will be part of our UK tour.

Is there a case for not judging a VHS by its cover? For example, Gary Coleman For Safety's Sake looks amazing, but does it live up to that wonderful cover?

It happens all the time, which is why there are no shortcuts for us. We have to watch every single video. I remember finding a tape in the dumpster in my apartment building that was hand-labelled in pencil, ‘Bonion Sergery.’ This person had somehow managed to misspell both ‘bunion’ and ‘surgery.’ I couldn't even do that if I tried! It looked promising – perhaps homemade bunion surgery on video? – but it turned out to be a science show taped off TV. On the other hand, we found a really boring-looking tape on Long Island last year called Special Delivery: A Practical Guide to Whelping. It didn't seem like much but we found out ‘whelping’ is the practice of aiding the birth of puppies. More importantly, canine mothers are referred to casually as ‘bitches.’ Over and over again, they talk about how ‘bitches should not be overweight’ and how you should ‘shave your bitch down.’ That's pay dirt when you're running a lowbrow foundvideo show.

Found Footage Festival's Salute to Weirdos comes to The Belgrave, Leeds, 20 Apr; Liverpool Small Cinema, 24 Apr; Leadmill, Sheffield, 25 Apr; and the Deaf Institute, Manchester, 26 Apr

THE SKINNY

Masculinity in Crisis A perfect bourgeois family is rocked to its core in relationship-in-crisis drama Force Majeure. Director Ruben Östlund describes how his pin-sharp black comedy dissects perceptions of masculinity with laser-like precision

“O

ne of the goals of the film is to increase the number of divorces in society,” says Force Majeure's director Ruben Östlund. The 40-year-old Swede isn't anti-marriage, however.

Nor is he overly concerned with the plight of the individual. His latest film is far more interested in the wider forces that guide human instinct. You could call it a sociological experiment. “When I present the film to an audience I always say you can use it as a relationship test, so instead of spending ten or 20 years together maybe first watch this film.”

The pivotal scene in Östlund's sardonic relationship drama occurs early in its runtime. From a distance we observe a picture-book family enjoying lunch on the patio of a restaurant in the French Alps. In the distance they spot what they believe to be a controlled avalanche. But when the snow threatens to engulf the diners, the father, Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) turns and runs, abandoning his wife, Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), and young children. The inspiration for this scene came to Östlund while viewing a YouTube clip.

“It was a video of a family watching an avalanche as it came down the mountain side,” he explains.

“They were sharing the experience on their phones and the next moment they were screaming, and panicking and I thought it was so interesting to have those two different moods so close to each other, and they were so ashamed when they had to go back to their seats. I was thinking of following a family from that restaurant and a friend of mine said, ‘OK, but what if only the father runs away?’” A darkly comic satire on human weakness, the drama doesn't stop here and it's the wider implications of the father's cowardice that interest Östlund: “It's the avalanche that is the main character of the film and I wanted to look at the human beings trying to deal with that.” Östlund employs a detached perspective throughout, observing events from afar, forcing the audience to question the larger social expectations that dictate how these characters react.

“It's the gender expectations that make Tomas start lying about what he's done,” he says. Östlund

April 2015

makes no qualms about his fascination with society's rigid conformity to archaic ideas of masculinity and his film looks to question the state of modern manhood. “How come men have the ability to act instinctively and abandon their kids when it comes to a crisis? Is it about how men can reproduce themselves, because age isn't an issue, but women have invested so much in their own bodies by bringing up children? Could it be men are not spending that much time at home? Is there a culture difference that causes this kind of behaviour or is it something about the core of our basic survival instinct?” For Östlund the avalanche is merely the catalyst for a larger investigation into gender expectations: “I'm trying to identify a situation where I can say ‘Wow, I might have done the same thing here,’ and I have to ask myself the question of who I am.”

So what would Östlund do if faced with a similar situation? “Well, statistics say that a man of my age would run, because men actually have that ability to act instinctively when it comes to a crisis situation.” But what about that old axiom of ‘woman and children’ first, does that not apply? Östlund has researched numerous maritime disasters, stretching from the ill-fated debut voyage of the Titanic in 1912 to MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994, resulting in the loss of 852 lives. His investigation reveals an ugly truth about human behaviour: “The myth about Titanic and the whole women and children first is absolutely false. What actually happens is that it's the men who survive and women and children are the ones who die. I think it's interesting when we are struck by our survival instinct that all rational thoughts are put out and survival is put in.” Östlund might paint a troubling portrait of masculinity but it comes from a place of hope. “In Sweden we have this feminist movement that's been going very strong and we've been talking about gender roles a lot, which certainly affected the way I approach masculinity in the film.” Force Majeure is at times very critical towards its male protagonist, who in one comical scene resorts to crying in the hotel corridor while screaming, “I'm

Interview: Patrick Gamble

a victim of instincts!” But would Östlund go as far as labelling himself a feminist? His answer is instantaneous and ardent: “Of course, yes. I think a lot of people mix up what feminist means, but a feminist is someone who believes women deserve equal rights to men, and it's absurd that even though we are working on the same things women are still getting less and for some reason we still think that is acceptable! It's totally strange that we think that way.”

“ The myth about Titanic and the whole women and children first is absolutely false.

What actually happens is that it's the men who survive and women and children are the ones who die” Ruben Östlund

The film opens with the family posing for a family portrait, the photographer directing them, trying to capture the perfect image of the family. Östlund is fascinated by this idea of the perfect nuclear family and the expectations that come with it, especially in a world full of technological advances and the rise of social media. “We have

FILM

an outside perspective on ourselves all the time now and we're very aware of what other people are thinking about us. That's also one of the reasons why shame has such a strong power over us as a species.”

One of these outside perspectives comes in the recurring presence of an omnipresent hotel cleaner, whose presence injects a much-needed class division into a stifling framework of bourgeois self-indulgence. “He's someone who doesn't live in a five star hotel, and he watches the existential problems of this middle-class family and he's wondering what are they doing. He's almost like an anthropologist.” Östlund positions the cleaner on raised balconies, observing events from above.

Clearly class is something that interests him. “I think anything that puts us into a society context is interesting, and class is something that affects people and limits us. I always try to look at the topic from above and I tried to keep that perspective in Force Majeure.” Östlund may jest that he's pushing for higher divorce rates, yet the findings of his probing study into human weakness aren't wholly cynical. Östlund discusses the film's grand scene of redemption, where Tomas gets the opportunity to assert his masculinity when Ebba seemingly needs rescuing while skiing down the mountain: “For me that is kind of a group therapy ski run where the mother is leading for Tomas to become the strong male leader of the group again. I was interested that she was faking this accident and he had to carry her like in An Officer and a Gentleman, all strong carrying this ‘weak’ woman in his arms. Then he puts her down on the snow and hugs his family and says ‘we made it.’ In a conventional movie this is where it would cut. However, if you wait around for 30 seconds longer they have to deal with everyday life. She has to go back and grab her skis, they have to brush off the snow and pack their things.

It's so painful when you realise the life won't have an ending when we get our dignity back.”

Force Majeure is released 10 Apr by Curzon Film World

Feature

29

Guest Selector: Patrice Scott

Five Questions for Tensnake

Patrice settles on eight prize LPs in honour of his debut full-length album, Euphonium, due at the end of April

Ahead of his appearance at The Arches, Marco Niemerski discusses his approach to production and considers the year ahead Interview: Ronan Martin

B

ringing to a close the Love Action Easter Weekend, The Arches have quite a party lined up on the Sunday when they invite the likes of Hot Since 82, Patrick Topping and Jasper James to the legendary Midland Street venue. Of particular note is the appearance of Hamburg-based producer Marco Niemerski AKA Tensnake. Doing his thing since around 2006, Niemerski has developed a rich and full-bodied synthesis of disco and house, coming to wider attention with the release of Coma Cat on Permanent Vacation in 2010. Since then, he has continued to make a name for himself, most recently collaborating with the mighty Nile Rodgers of Chic on last year's Love Sublime from his debut album, Glow.

Taking some time out before his appearance in Glasgow, Tensnake gives us the lowdown on his work.

Credit: Marie Staggat

The Skinny: What's been keeping you busy of late?

Marco Niemerski: Well, I toured Australia over New Year and then spent a month is Tasmania, which was brilliant in terms of recharging my batteries. After that I went into my studio for the first time in a year and started working on new music.

And I have to say, it felt really really good! The DJ thing is fun, but being in the studio and getting creative is what really excites me. I have just finished a new single which will come out in May on my own label, True Romance. More details on that coming shortly.

Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life [1976, Motown] My dad purchased this album for me when I was very young. At that time in my life I really didn’t understand music but I knew what was good to my ears. Every track on this album made a statement about what was going on at this time in the lives of American people. I still listen to this album from time to time in its entirety and it still sounds as fresh as it did back then.

Truly timeless music.

A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders [1993, Jive] One of my favourite hip-hop groups of all time. This classic jazz rap album, in my opinion, made a statement for the simple fact that it was real music and told stories of everyday life events. The samples that were used to create the music on each track were brilliant. It is not complex but it is creative. They took beats and rhythms that a lot of people don’t use. Abstract hip-hop is what I call it.

Herbie Hancock – Secrets [1976, Columbia] I love this album for its abstract and intense selections. It was evenly divided between up-tempo and laidback tracks. Also, I am impressed how Herbie took advantage of, at this time, the new poly synths that had just become available.

This record took his music to another level.

Moodymann – Mahogany Brown [1998, Peacefrog] The first time I heard this I was speechless. KDJ is the ultimate at hybrid modes of recording and performance. The collaboration of samples, real instruments, live vocals and digital media on this album, as in most of his projects, was really well done. In my opinion it’s still the best album he has ever made.

30

Feature

Eric B and Rakim – Paid in Full [1987, 4th & B’way] In my opinion, this album served as the template for future rappers. These guys were ahead of their time when they produced this music. Known as the Thelonious Monk of rap, Rakim conveyed a style that separated him from other rappers during this time. His rhymes were smooth and complex which deviated from the basic rap of that time. Eric B’s beats were gritty, heavy and dark.

Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On [1971, Tamla] This is my favourite Marvin Gaye album because he made it as a political statement. Introspective lyrics and socially conscious themes were the focus of this project. He was not afraid to talk about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War; all heavy subjects in America during this time. This was one of the greatest albums ever made, in my opinion.

Ramsey Lewis – Sun Goddess [1974, Columbia] One of my many influences and one of my favourite jazz artists collaborates with Earth, Wind & Fire, arguably one of the greatest funk bands of all time. This creation of a timeless art still sounds fresh today.

Mr Fingers – Amnesia [1988, Jack Trax] Larry Heard, as we all know, is one of the pioneers of house. Although this album is a compilation of his early 12” releases, it is still one of my all-time favourites. Larry moved away from the common sound of house at that time and went closer to the lush, soulful sounds which we now call deep house.

You have more or less stuck to your guns and seem very content in pursuing a certain sound with Tensnake. Is this something that comes naturally?

Personally I do not think much about this. I just do whatever I feel like and what excites me. Actually I think I do jump between genres quite a lot. But I'm happy to hear that there seems to be some signature sound in there!

Well, your material certainly always sounds very fluid and lively compared with a lot of other house music and tracks from similar genres.

How do you approach production and how do you keep things feeling so fresh and vibrant?

Thanks! I guess this is a matter of production and mixing. I try not to pick the most polished sounds and also the mix down does not need to be perfect. It is more important that the mix sounds musical rather than technically perfect. I also tend to use a lot of retro sounds which probably reminds automatically of the past, hence more analogue times.

You're set to play here on Easter Sunday for Love Action. What can people expect from Tensnake in a club setting?

It changes from set to set of course but I enjoy playing a good mix of house, disco-infused tracks and also some tech house tracks or techno – it really depends on the club, my mood and the crowd. Sometimes people are disappointed because I do not play a straight two hour disco set, though this might happen if the party and the club are right! Basically, I do not like to be stuck in a certain genre and play whatever feels right at the moment.

What's on the horizon for the rest of 2015 and beyond?

I have a lot of shows on the horizon for this year.

I will do tours in Europe, the US and Australia, so hopefully I will find time to make new music. I will actually try to focus on that a bit more this year.

Hopefully! There will be further Tensnake singles and a couple of remixes coming out in 2015.

Tensnake appears at Love Action Easter Weekend, The Arches, 5 Apr His new single is released via True Romance at the end of May soundcloud.com/tensnake

Euphonium is released on 27 Apr via Sistrum Sistrummusic.net

CLUBS

THE SKINNY

April 2015

31

The word ‘boutique’ gets thrown around a lot these days, and strangely often with regards to commodities that have a somewhat un-niche appeal (e.g. “Yes, it's a rarefied corner shop specialising in boutique Lancastrian teabags”). In keeping with this trend, Brew at the Bog is often pegged as a ‘boutique festival,’ presumably by the sort of person who cannot fathom the concept of ‘lots of ace bands and delicious beer’. Brewdog are the sponsors, Iverness’ Bogbain Farm are the hosts and new Scottish music is the theme, with highlights including mournful indie rockers Fatherson, the ever-graceful We Were Promised Jetpacks and sublime popsters Honeyblood. Surely you can do your own maths here. brewatthebog.com, tickets £55

11-14 Jun KELBURN GARDEN PARTY

Raehills Meadows, Dumfries and Galloway

Victoria Park, London

Still something of a nipper on the festival circuit at just eight years old, Field Day still knows how to put together a helluva bill. Viet Cong, Ex Hex and Mac Demarco are all on board, while the headline slots are taken up by electronic psychedelicist Caribou and reformed shoegazers Ride. Are we getting a bit hung up on the bill here?

Possibly. Still, as nice as the location is, in London's picturesque Victoria Park, it's pretty hard to contain our unmitigated joy at the fact that punk-poet and generally excellent human being Patti Smith will be playing her 1975 alum Horses in full. What's not to like? weekend tickets £83; day tickets £38.50-£54.50

ARCTANGENT

Credit:

6-7 Jun EDEN

Once upon a time, festivals were a playground for hardy souls who enjoy nothing more than getting totally out of their skulls, throwing their clothes on the bonfire and painting themselves blue before running round the campsite in a state of near-transcendental ‘oneness with nature’. These days, family-friendly affairs abound in the offing – take Dumfries and Galloway's very lovely Eden, for instance. Headlined by returning RnB star Ms Dynamite and hip hop's illustrious Grandmaster Flash, there's also a variety of workshops, theatrical performances and kids’ areas to partake in – although, just to allay any concerns it's ok. There's a bar. edenfestival.co.uk, tickets £99, concessions available

T IN THE PARK

20-22 Aug

‘Free from corporate interference,’ they say, and it's certainly easy to get that impression of a festival set in the grounds and glen of a 13th century castle, covered in the bright daubings of a commissioned graffiti art project. With Warp Records mainstay Nightmares On Wax topping a bill quite unlike any other on this year's circuit, it's safe to say this is something of a unique offering. Leeds bass enthusiasts Gentlemen's Dub Club and Glasgow DJ veterans Optimo are also on hand, with new stages and a series of art installations ensuring that Kelburn Garden Party offers plenty to discover. £89-99, concessions available, kelburngardenparty.com

2015 sees the biggest festival in Scotland uprooting to a new site for the first time since 1997, as concerns over the Forties pipeline, underlying the original Balado airfield site, suggested that a move might be in order. As of this year, Strathallan Castle will be T's new home, and there's some pretty big names in store as usual: yer Noel Gallaghers, yer Prodigys, yer Libertines, and soforth. For those of a less populist bent, the main stage also throws up a few surprises along the lines of Modest Mouse and the very noisy Marmozets, so basically it's a victory all round. weekend tickets £205-335, day tickets £82.50-£142.50, tinthepark.com

Post-rock connoisseur? Vague fondness for prog? Can't hear a stonkingly loud riff without thinking ‘I know what this is missing, and it's maths’? Friend, come closer: this one is for you. Now in its third year, headliners like metallic tech-heads The Dillinger Escape Plan may make Bristolbased ArcTanGent look like something of a niche affair, but boy, what a niche. Deafheaven and Deerhoof are also up there with the line-up's unmissables, although for our money you're best to throw yourself headlong into the plethora of bands plucked from the UK scene: Axes, Cleft, Alpha Male Tea Party, That Fucking Tank… the brain-crushing riffs never stop. Get involved. weekend tickets £95-£145, two-day tickets £75, arctangent.co.uk

See theskinny.co.uk/festivals for the latest festival news and reviews from Scotland and beyond

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Feature

ELECTRIC FIELDS

Dundrennan, Scottish Borders

29 Aug END OF THE ROAD

Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill, Dumfries & Galloway

Not enough bands play in castles. Ok, Galloway-based all-dayer Electric Fields is technically set in the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle rather than the 17th-century structure itself, but y'know. Near enough. The bill's more geared towards those on the up than those already at the top although The Phantom Band, PAWS and Hector Bizerk should help persuade you to part with your hard-earned. What's more, The Skinny will be hosting its own stage, featuring a few familiar faces from our ten year history. Tickets £43.20 with camping, £32.40 without, concessions available, electricfieldsfestival.com

MUSIC

24-25 Jul

How do you like your festivals to draw to a close? Triumphant headlining set maybe?

Or perhaps total inebriation? BORING. The correct answer is ‘with a 40ft man made of straw being set alight, as a nod to everyone's favourite pagan-ritual-based horror movie of the 70s’. Oh sure, there's bands like powerpop legends Squeeze and Glasgow's postelectro heroes Errors – but if you're looking for reasons to go beyond the whole ‘giant flaming wickerman’ thing, might we politely suggest reassessing some priorities? To put it another way: BURNING STUFF IS COOL (play safe, kids). weekend tickets £110-160, day tickets £72.50, concessions available, thewickermanfestival.co.uk

Credit: George Sully

Fernhill Farm, Compton Martin near Bristol

3-5 Jul

Kelburn Castle, near Largs

10-12 Jul WICKERMAN

Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, Scotland

Credit: Douglas Robertson

…or ‘Knockengorroch World Cèilidh festival’, to use its full name. The official line is that this cosy do specialises in ‘roots music’, but the presence of future-poppers Young Fathers should tell you how much it's evolved. When they do cross paths with traditional folk acts, it's usually those with an ear to more contemporary sounds – such as the Peatbog Faeries, who balance their Celtic influences with ideas from jazz and electronica. Set in the majestic Carsphairn hills, Knockengorroch describe their remit as being “not only to celebrate ethnic diversity and fusion, but to make the music home amongst the hills once more,” and you can't really argue with that.

4-day tickets £105, 3-day tickets £95, concessions available. knockengorroch.org.uk

Credit: Jassy Earl

Words: Will Fitzpatrick

Carsphairn hills, near Dalmellington

Credit: Vito Andreoni

Bogbain Farm, 2 miles south of Inverness

21-24 May

4-6 Sep

Larmer Tree Gardens, near Blandford, in Dorset

Drawing a close to the traditional summer festival season, in previous years End Of The Road has marked its territory by focussing on the worlds of alt country, indie rock and general Americana – sounds not otherwise associated with its base in Wiltshire. This year, they've gone all out with in capturing some of the biggest names on the circuit: the increasingly-chameleonic Sufjan Stevens is an eye-catching capture, while Tame Impala, The War On Drugs and Future Islands have all set the internet alight in recent years. Still associate September with the back-to-school blues? Here's your solution. weekend tickets £195, concessions available, endoftheroadfestival.com

THE SKINNY

Credit: Richard Gray

Fancy basking in the (definitely not spoiler alert) glorious UK sunshine whilst watching a load of bands this summer? Permit us to give you the lowdown on 10 of 2015's best…

FIELD DAY

2–3 May KNOCKENGORROCH

BREW AT THE BOG

Credit: Emily Wylde

Outdoor UK Festivals 2015

Aye Write! All Write We discover how literary festival Aye Write! has developed to become a key date in the Glasgow cultural calendar, speaking to its guest programmer and the writers who have grown with it: Louise Welsh, Christopher Brookmyre, Alan Bissett and his birthday suit Interview: Galen O'Hanlon Illustration: Marcus Oakley

“O

ne year I didn't want to talk about my novels anymore, so I dressed up as a woman and gave the audience a play instead,” says Alan Bissett, when I ask him about what makes Aye Write! – Glasgow's book festival – so special. “It was an unusual thing to do, because everybody knew me as a novelist, not a playwright – but I got away with it.”

Part of the appeal of Aye Write!, he says, is its friendliness towards new ideas. There's no stuffiness about it – which has allowed Bissett to try out new material. “I did all sorts of adventurous things. One year I took off all my clothes on stage.

Afterwards, I was coming down the stairs in my pants, and I met James Naughtie.” He laughs. “I thought ‘That's it – I'll never be taken as a serious political novelist again.’”

Aye Write! will be ten years old when it opens on 17 April this year. It was an instant success when it first took over the Mitchell Library in 2005 and it's now an annual fixture in Glasgow's calendar.

Bissett's nakedness aside, what's made it so successful? To find out, we spoke to Bob McDevitt, this year's programmer, and the three authors who've been regulars since the start: Alan Bissett, Louise Welsh and Christopher Brookmyre.

One thing they all agree on: it's strange that Glasgow didn't have a book festival before 2005.

Scotland's biggest city is home to plenty of writers, and has been the inspiration for lots of books – not just gritty crime fiction. It was a big omission on the festival circuit, so perhaps it's no surprise that it's done so well. It also fits around ordinary lives – unlike the Edinburgh International Book Festival, most of the events happen in the evenings and at weekends. Glasgow's identity has come from the working class, says Bissett, so it makes sense for the festival to fit around the working day.

“People are up for it,” claims Welsh. “Aye Write! shows that people in Glasgow are literate, switched on, and keen to get involved. They don't just want to come and listen, they get involved in discussions, workshops, plays... everything.” That sense of interaction with the audience is special in Glasgow. “People here aren't shy to speak up,” says Brookmyre, who's been at events where discussions with the audience have extended way beyond the allotted time. For Welsh, that can be a really useful process – talking to a room full of people who know your work can give you a fresh perspective, new ideas, and can allow you to make connections you hadn't considered previously.

In the same way that Bissett uses the festival to test new ideas, so Welsh finds it energising to have that connection and feedback from an audience. “I've never seen anyone reading my book,” she says, “I don't know what I'd do if I did. But being at a festival gives you that sense that there are people out there who are reading what you've written.” And the best bit, she says, is when you hit a moment of realisation. “You're often working towards one of those moments, and it's slow work – then the light bulb ping happens at a festival.

Not very often, but once or twice it has.”

April 2015

The location of the festival, in the Mitchell Library, is a central part of its success. Welsh says this is perhaps the most important thing – that it takes place in a library. The book festival is also a library festival, and there are few libraries as lovely as the Mitchell. Of course, all book festivals – and all writers – want to sell books. Aye Write! isn't exempt from that, but the fact that it encourages people to read in whatever way they can is heartening. “They can splash out on the tickets,” says Welsh, “and then borrow the book. And I'm the same, I can't go around buying hardbacks all the time, either.” Getting people inside the library – people who might not think that libraries are for them – is a crucial aspect of the festival. “And,” she adds, “the café is excellent.”

The festival has been enormously successful, but it's not resting on its laurels. This year, Bob McDevitt has worked hard to put together as diverse a programme as possible: it's a huge mix of big names, sports personalities, crime, literary fiction, debut writers and non-fiction. The festival has strong partnerships – from mental health charities through to Scottish PEN (who are chairing a 19 April event on Charlie Hebdo). There's a big strand of music and art this year too – not least with appearances from George the Poet, who stands in the shady space between poetry and rap, and graphic novelist Mark Millar, who's seen enormous success with Kick-Ass and Kingsman.

“Glasgow's identity has come from the working class, so it makes sense for the festival to fit around the working day” Alan Bissett

“We've got a really strong group of women's memoirs this year as well,” says McDevitt. “International writers like Mona Siddiqui, Ghada Karmi, and Jane Hawking will be here.” Has it been an intentional choice, to include more women in the programme? “Gender balance is really important, but to some extent we're bound by the books.

We've been lucky this year, and I've been careful not to feature too much on war and sport.” This diversity increases the festival's appeal – and McDevitt is keen to attract as many people as possible from all walks of life, especially those who might not normally attend a book festival.

The breadth of Aye Write! is part of its appeal,

says Welsh. “I love walking through the library when the festival is on, and you see one audience coming out of an event and another waiting to go in to something completely different – and everybody all mingling together. All those conversations going on, and the possibility of getting switched on to something you hadn't heard of before.”

And is it different, appearing at a festival on your own doorstep? “Absolutely,” she agrees, with a note of conspiracy in her voice. “When you go to Cambridge, you can pretend you're somebody else – a serious, proper writer. But I can't do that here. As a writer there's always a nervousness about doing things on your own pitch, near the shops you go to, next to your house. It's daunting, but you're always greeted with a lot of kindness

BOOKS

and warmth. An event I did last year was just really, really warm – and it was nice to look out and recognize people. Some of them were even customers in the bookshop that I ran all those years ago.”

What sort of a ten-year-old is it, then? It's lively, inclusive, and wants to talk to everybody.

It's in rude health for sure – this year it's bigger than ever. Bob McDevitt has done a masterly job with the programme – now it's up to the writers, hosts, and the audience to make full use of the space. Let's just hope Bissett keeps his clothes on.

Aye Write! will return for its tenth year at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow from 17–25 Apr ayewrite.com

33

LE Y ST FE LI

Just Like Home Our Travel Writing Competition winner urges us to seek out the unique, before the world becomes a buffet where everything’s the same flavour

T

he air is misty inside Ta Prohm, king of Cambodia's jungle temples. I struggle for grip, scrambling over the smooth bark of buttress roots and trunks that strangle crumbling stone. Once home to twelve thousand people, it is now a ghost town, gradually merging with the jungle. The dislodged vertebrae of corridors buckle beneath the strong hands of nature. Within them shadows move, their diffused contours forming and fading.

The giant silk-cotton tree's deciduous fingers push into every crack, its horticultural hands cleaving stone to reveal its innards. I duck under archways, overflowing with bulbous limbs, my breath afraid to disturb the silence.

After a while, the mist burns off into the heat of the morning and a small light appears, birthed through the retreating haze.

I continue onward. It grows bigger and brighter.

“Hey Boyzone!”

A middle aged man in a counterfeit Ralph Lauren polo shirt waves from the distance. He leans from the ludicrous vehicle that got me here, a souped-up tuk-tuk whose design, save for the name ‘Mr Heng’ on the back, is split in two. One half is a Man United crest, the other devoted to the New York Yankees. And on the back shelf sits Paul Scholes (a photo, the real one wouldn't last a second in this heat). The speaker system, far more technically advanced than the vehicle, pumps Prince's Purple Rain into the sultry jungle.

“Chop chop! Next temple OK!” All aboard the travelling museum of confusing international references!

With a horn blast and a jolt, we speed off through the undergrowth.

“We will go past my brother's shop first, OK?” When there is no answer he turns to face me.

“Hey, all you have to do is look,” he says with a wink.

34

Lifestyle

Words: Damien Cifelli

Welcome to the globalised world.

The joy of travel exists at an atomic level.

Those minuscule everyday happenings that are familiar, yet entirely individual and exclusive to their place. The way people talk, the music that they listen to, the way street signs are a different colour, even how the toilets have a button that shoots a jet of water at your netherlands. Something is revealed when these unique elements combine. Described by those enthusiastic travellers the Romans as the genius loci, it's the individual fingerprint of a country that exists beyond the physical. It is the spirit of a place that makes us travel.

But this spirit of travel has begun to dilute, and the catalyst of it is globalisation. A new homogeneous culture has slowly permeated the furthest reaches of the Earth, trickling upwards through the soil and emerging through televisions and headphones in faraway places, absorbing local culture and replacing it with its own. It is not uncommon to fly half the circumference of the Earth to be confronted with what seems like the place you have just left. Only you can't get bacon on your cheeseburger. And it's a bit hotter.

As you might have been told in a hostel by a man in harem-pants through a haze of incense, it is harder to find an authentic experience these days. Which is true. As more people gravitate to tourist centres, the tourist industry grows. The bigger the tourist industry, the harder it is to involve yourself in local customs and culture.

It becomes a vicious cycle of party hostels and fake Rolexes.

But it is worth the effort to seek out the unique and original. I don't mean crossing the Mongolian steppe on foot, seeking out stray yaks for milk and loving companionship. Instead you could just not go to KFC. (Unless you're in Kentucky, maybe.)

My tuk-tuk entrepreneur friend ‘Mr Heng’ serves foreign visitors by adapting to embrace their needs. In doing so he sacrifices his own culture for the benefit of tourism, diminishing the immersive power of travel.

We are constantly awoken from our foreign dreams by doppelgangers of home, be it a Tesco in Bangkok or a fake Apple store in China. How are we supposed to reach enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree when next door Starbucks is giving free samples to a coachload of elderly Germans?

“If we allow it, the world will reveal things that will make us contemplate the cosmos or at least just go ‘Huh, that's weird’” “Bang nov cham sneh.”

This time the words are Cambodian. The song, as the driver points out, is not. A Khmer cover of House of the Rising Sun. Two days after my tuk-tuk jungle experience I have acquired upgraded transportation. This time it is a beige Mercedes taxi that, probably somewhere in the mid 80s, became more duct-tape than car. The gap where my window should be provides great relief against the Sunday-league shin pad smell of the cab as we tear through thick forests

TRAVEL

and winding cliff edges towards the Vietnamese border. To pass the time the driver exhibits a unique ability to name at least two international footballers from every country.

“James McFadden, Kenny Dalglish, yes?”

It's the personal touch that counts.

So what's the harm? If it's just some eccentrics and entrepreneurs hustling their way through a globalised world, where's the problem? Well there is a dark side. In the extreme, this homogenisation can bulldoze the original identity and values that made a destination popular. What might the elderly Buddhist monk of Vang Vieng think as a river that's probably 40% proof and consisting mainly of urine passes his front garden?

Does he marvel at the engagement with local culture as half-naked teenagers in rubber rings are delivered downstream, vomiting on sandbanks to the sound of Tiesto?

The travelling experience here becomes merely a transaction. An agreement that says “Let us desecrate your natural beauty and, in return, we'll pay you to pretend you don't hate us.” Both visitor and host become commodities making the experience cheap and meaningless. The infrastructure created to attract tourists swallows the place in time. It cannibalises itself in servitude to a fickle industry.

This new ‘global culture’ is not just the influence of one place but a confluence point of global ideas. And while the sharing and adoption of ideas is undoubtedly a positive thing (no one wants to be North Korea) the problem stems from the source of these ideas. The power to change a whole society comes from places such as multinational businesses selling junk food or global corporations altering traditional cultures for financial gain. The world by its very nature is unpredictable but the new uniform society makes us far more predictable and receptive to selling on a global scale. Who does a homogenised society benefit more than those whose motivations are… you guessed it, money! We live in a new world order of total brand recognition.

From a tourist's point of view, global recognition isn't totally negative. In countries like Japan there is a certain visual similarity brought about by a mutual global influence. Yet these similarities are only surface and are underpinned by fundamental differences. Similarly, the little tweaks and alterations they give adopted ideas has enhanced the travel experience. An entertaining afternoon can be spent comparing the subtle differences between your local newsagent and a seemingly identical Japanese one. Instead of Quavers and KitKats they have curried eggs and seaweed in bags.

In place of tabloids and gossip magazines there are infinite manga comics being read by neat queues of bespectacled businessmen.

Of course, there is still the possibility of a backlash against the monotone world, borne through a revival of the local. For example, in Scotland there has been a large increase in Gaelic speaking schools and Irn Bru routinely challenges Coca Cola for sales. The eternal human need to feel unique may cause a revived interest in a more distinctive aspect of a person's background. When a culture is under threat we begin to cling to it more strongly. Like a near death experience, we value most what we almost lose.

There are still places with the ability to shock and surprise. Places that can confront prejudice, and have the power to change it. If we allow it, the world will reveal things that will make us contemplate the cosmos or at least just go “Huh, that's weird.”

Our disparate, irregular world has not yet been smoothed by global anonymity. As famous weirdo Kurt Vonnegut said, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” And while I have no idea what that means, the world is still full of peculiar places. After all, it is the kind of place you can see mystical ruins to the sounds of disco-funk or buy a brand new iPhone in the middle of the jungle.

“All you have to do is look.”

THE SKINNY

April 2015

35

Melissa Villevieille

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Lifestyle

FASHION

THE SKINNY

Fresh Talent The annual Edinburgh College of Art fashion showcase will take place on the 23-25 April. This year the Sculpture Court will be transformed into the backdrop for a spectacular runway show, with designs from Fashion, Textiles and Performance Costume.

Rachael Eustace

Shoot Credits Photographer: Igor Termenon igortermenon.com Stylist: Alexandra Fiddes alexandrafiddes.co.uk Make Up & Hair Styling: Caroline McKeirnan cargocollective.com/carolinemckeirnan Model: Leigh @ Colours coloursagency.com Tickets for the SHOW 2015: Fashion / Costume / Textiles cost £12 (plus £1.25p booking fee). They can be purchased via Hub Tickets – http://bit.ly/buyECAFS2014tix.

The Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh eca.ed.ac.uk

Eleanor Paulin

April 2015

FASHION

Lifestyle

37

How to Talk to a Porn Star A lesson in online etiquette from Fred Fletch, Mz Berlin, Jennifer Blaze and Caroline Pierce

T

his is an age where all you need to get in touch with the planet's most exciting porn stars is a speedy connection and a laptop that's operable while sat with a pounding erection.

At the touch of a button, you can find out what flavour ice-cream Kelly Divine enjoys on a Sunday or discover how far Chyna hitchhiked across America using only her clitoris. The internet has become an Eden of funny, sexy and smart women who get paid to be naked. Unfortunately, what lies on the other side of the garden wall is all kinds of cock-hammering crazy.

Pick any given porn star you know and look her up on Facebook and Twitter. Now check out the comments and messages sent to her. It's guaranteed that almost all are insatiable word-salads from pointless wastes of cyber-space with galactic dollops of wanking time.

‘MMMMMM ID SUK UR PUSS FOR HOURS’ is still a favorite from pretty much every porn comment thread. Sometimes these comments become like a weird word equivalent of the game Twister, far more than they are twisted: ‘Touch me in three different places at once. Grab my butt, stroke my penis and kiss my nipples. It'll be as though you're a one-woman threesome.’ Then there's the more on-the-nose approach: ‘Make a face like you want… penis.’

What all this amounts to is: ‘I REALLY WANT TO TELL THE PORN LADY SHE'S SPECIAL’ Sweet.

It's accepted that many of us would probably all like to sleep with them, so why share it? Messages sent to an adult actress are just a clumsy dance around this belaboured point. If John Connor had a Twitter page, doubtless he'd be getting at least 37367 messages a day from unkillable robots politely asking how he was doing but slyly mentioning that their lasers melt faces really well, in a similar exercise of stating the obvious.

Social media has allowed fans to become back-seat-directors and comments sound like Stanley Kubrick shouting the instructions off a penis-pump from the back of a speeding truck.

In order to better examine the world of pornfan-brain-farts, who better to ask than three of the most prolific adult-entertainment stars who find themselves on the receiving end of puss sucking-style messages for hours at a time? Mz Berlin is a porn director, producer and dominatrix specialising in tiny penis humiliation, cuckolding and financial domination. Jennifer Blaze is a relative newcomer to the industry. A fetish actor and model, she stars in Dark Desires and can often be found dressed as Wonder Woman. Caroline Pierce is a performer, adventurer and polyhedral dice addict whose film credits include Big Wet Asses 18 and Attack of the MILFs 3.

Can Pierce distinguish fans’ artistic assessment of her filmography when put alongside reviews of films from the limited supply of non-pornographic genres?

(NB: The following quotes refer either to Big Wet Asses 18 or are intended for the greatest movie of all time: Krull).

“A real treat for fans of the genre.”

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Lifestyle

“I had a fucking boner for the entire movie.”

“Pretty dumb, but the fight with the glass spider was cool.”

“The climax is the only good part.”

“She sucks a good cock.”

“I say 1 and 5 were BWA18 and 2,3,4 were KRULL,” answers Pierce exactly correctly.

Champion.

However, this is to wade in the shallow end.

There are those fans that cannonball straight into the pool with their trucks tanked in diarrhoea.

What is the worst online comment the stars have received?

“I want to strangle you with your pantyhose til u ded,” recalls Blaze. “That ranks right up there with ‘Jennifer, have you smelled real chloroform?’”

Such a sinsiter turn and trolling can be an occupational hazard: “I'm not really into fans' negative blah blah,” agrees Berlin, “It pops up on Twitter, but I just ignore it. #fuckthehaters.”

But for those of us with Flash Gordon levels of awesome, who hold more respect and admiration for professional naked people, there's still always the lurking danger of how to exchange pleasantries without fucking it up.

As a good rule of thumb, if you're talking to someone simply because you think they might go well with your penis and a snivelling apology then maybe don't bother. Our dicks like to be in all sorts of things, but last time I checked, the fold in my sofa didn't have a Twitter account. Until Japanese science perfects a fuckable cyborg, we have to face up to the possibility that we have to connect with other human beings. So try to remember that when you CAPSLOCK adult entertainers with directions on how your balls should be applied to their face. We all appreciate good work when we see it, but if you can restrain yourself when thanking the girl at Subway for her excellent sandwich delivery, why can't you offer the same restraint for someone who starred in Anal Pleasures 5: Chocolate Desires?

Then again, the Subway transaction is conducted face-to-face. Does this mean idiotic comments are isolated to the internet, and when fans bump into porn stars offline, do they change into Lou Gossett Jr-trained Officers and Gentlemen?

For Pierce, not always – there was that time with the Birmingham cabbie: “The weirdest part of the whole exchange, aside from being recognised in another country, was that he talked at me like he was writing to me online and not talking to me in person. He marveled at me being there, we had a brief conversation, then he told me that when he went home that night he was going to go have a wank.”

However, a vaguely more positive experience comes to Blaze's mind: “Last August I was invited to FetCon in Tampa Florida to represent the League of Amazing Women. I was almost at the venue when a young man stepped in front of me with a camera in hand and said in a shy tone ‘Are you Jennifer Blaze?’ What was this? Someone knew who I was! He'd seen me in clips on Superheroine Adventures by Dawnstars clip store and was following me on Twitter. He'd driven down

Jennifer Blaze

from Orlando to see all the models and made a special effort to introduce himself to me... he hung around with us for most of the rest of the day chatting and taking pictures while I ‘worked’ the floor meeting even more people dressed as Harley Quinn. He was kind and gracious... I think he left his internet balls at home.”

For Mz Berlin, “Running into respectful and good natured fans is my favorite!” she says.

“I have had many fans approach me in Vegas.

Slaves get brave in Sin City, I suppose, and even your average Joe has moments of weakness and approaches! Usually in an open air Vegas restaurant, for whatever reason. I make them kneel next to me and humiliate them right there in the casino! So fun.”

Are we starting to find a way to a porn star's heart without sounding like a dick?

“I love when fans purchase products from my website – clips, cam shows, etc. When a fan purchases my content from me and then writes to tell me they love it, that's my favourite. Money talks, Fred,” Berlin adds.

“I am very partial to fans who comment on my acting ability and surprisingly there are quite a few who do...” says Blaze, quoting her favourite line: ‘You're better than Lynda Carter.’

“To think that someone, anyone, out there thinks I'm reminiscent of her? Well, hot damn! I have a feeling though the sentiment comes from

COMEDY / DEVIANCE

the fact that Lynda kept her clothes on.”

Meanwhile, for Caroline Pierce, the best fanto-star experience was from a man who found his own inner super hero, “Early in my career, back in ’95, I had an out-of-town customer at the strip club I worked at. We had a long conversation about fetish. Later, he wrote to me at the club to thank me because after our talk he had the guts to tell his wife about his interest in various fetishes and that I gave him the courage to open that dialogue with her.”

So perhaps it is possible. By the old fashioned human connection a porn star can become more than the sum of her tits and whatever sweating mass happened to be pressed between them.

But, if you really want to show your appreciation for a star, maybe campaign for better and equal pay for them and support improved working conditions. Don't pirate their stuff. Check out your favourite stars’ Facebook or Twitter pages. Read their blogs. If you like what they have to say and want to hear more, by all means, hit that follow/ like button so hard you leave a smoking hole in the internet.

If you do want to talk to someone from the world of pornography, and all else epic-fails, at least try having a wank first. BUT WASH YOUR HANDS. Laptop repairmen die every day from contact rashes.

THE SKINNY

Behold the Meninists Meninism: just like feminism, except really shit

I

f you've been anywhere near Twitter in the past couple of months, you'll have probably come across the hashtag ‘meninism’. Although originally used as a platform to oppose and mock feminism, the infamous movement has since bred a subcategory of activists using #meninism to campaign for men's rights too. Which would be alright – if only their complaints addressed anything beyond fabled friendzones and lamentations of that one time the patriarchy forced them into buying their date's Nando's (who, by the way, didn't even put out afterwards). But, sadly, that's not the case – so we've got some constructive criticism to share.

Incidentally, meninists – when women are granted equal pay, we'll happily sub your next Peri Peri chicken. But more importantly, if it's equality you're campaigning for, meninist discourse seems a pretty destructive way of going about it. Instead of pointing out the hundreds of important and valid ways in which equality campaigning could benefit all men, meninism comes across as basic backlash against feminism, and results only in making its advocates sound like whiny Twitter Spartans carrying a world of entitlement on their wee white shoulders.

With the notion of feminism having been conceived over 100 years ago, you'd hope that everyone would be on board with equality by now. But, alas, the cloud of negative stigma surrounding the F word still won't evaporate. People of all genders continue to reject feminism due to the misconception that female empowerment is synonymous with belittling men, overlooking the fact that feminism simply seeks equality, regardless of gender.

Because of this lack of understanding, feminists continue to find themselves demonised (see: “feminazi”), or the butt of a joke, or both.

The odd thing about ‘meninism’ supposedly being used to bring light to men's rights is that feminism already does so, only feminism prioritises issues slightly more urgent than Nice Guys feeling inadequate because their ex called their beard patchy. Joking aside, the pressure of the patriarchy can have grave consequences for men.

Words: Samantha King Illustration: Jayde Perkin

It contributes to domestic violence, undiagnosed depression, and the underreporting of rape and sexual abuse by male victims. Masculinity complexes, repressed sexualities, gender dysphoria – the list unravels. Given that feminism is a tool specifically for fighting the patriarchy and its consequences, surely any man who claims to care about gender equality should call himself a feminist – without question or having to change the first syllable?

Unfortunately, there's a huge misconception that the only way to engage men with feminism is to shift the focus onto them – proven mostly to be untrue by the wealth of male feminists already participating in regular feminist discourse. Emma Watson's UN speech which inspired the #HeForShe movement is a perfect example of that fatal error: it's one of the most popular speeches on feminism of late, yet spends so much time reframing feminism for the consumption of men that it neglects to discuss issues affecting non-male identifying LGBTQ people, women of colour, women who are disabled, and soforth. Another popular tactic is the reminding of men that it could be their sisters, mothers or girlfriends who are potential subjects of catcalling and assault. Granted, this is an attempt to contextualise such issues to drum up a little empathy, but it comes across as a refocusing onto the men indirectly affected, rather than the actual victims of harassment.

Perhaps it's encouraging that meninists, in some strange way, are striving to engage in a debate about the patriarchy rather than remaining neutral. It may be a step some direction which leads us away from UniLad, from death threats to feminists on Twitter, from tits on page three – but the male-centric and the meninist methods to date are problematic and trivialise the plight of women that feminism fights.

Agreed, the patriarchy is a bummer for men too – and we get what you're trying to do, meninists. But we'd like to extend a formal invitation; why don't you join us in trying to finish what we started with feminism first?

Are you Perving Responsibly?

The clubbing scene has a whole lot to learn from its kinkier cousin, the fetish club

B

DSM is nothing new. BDSM has existed since people learned to flash a cheeky wink and aim a paddle. What is new, however, is the culture of BDSM entering the mainstream. And spank me, it's been a long time coming (pardon the pun).

I have radical politics, I dye my hair red, I enjoy kinks and the like. But until this month I'd never been to a BDSM/fetish night. Now I'm a novice turned evangelical. Why am I converted?

I'll be honest; I'm converted because I'm sick of ordinary club nights being breeding grounds for oppressive norms to come to the fore. I don't want to expect to be sexually harassed in clubs, I want to be able to wear what I like without judgment. I want change. Experiencing my first fetish night at Torture Garden in The Caves has left me wondering just how general clubbing could be transformed by injecting a little of the philosophy of BDSM nights.

For those who are unaware of the name, Torture Garden is a club night held in The Caves every three months. Throughout the night you'll

April 2015

see performers, an array of kink rooms, DJs, a fashion show, and some of the best-dressed people you'll see in Edinburgh. Although launched in the 80s, it has been celebrated as a place of pilgrimage for the famous and the kinky ever since.

Famous attendees include Dita Von Teese, Jean Paul Gaultier, Courtney Love. People of all shapes, colours, sizes, ages (18-60+), genders, sexual orientations and those who identify as non-binary are united for one night of sexual exploration and deviance.

Firstly, it's clear that clubbing should appropriate the creativity of fetish nights. At Torture Garden, the sheer effort put into punters’ wild and gorgeous costumes lent an atmosphere of mutual reverence and respect. I'll admit, I was apprehensive at first. A BDSM night virgin, I had no idea what was on the cards. But soon enough my worries were dispelled. As I approached the door of Torture Garden I was greeted by a sassy woman who surveyed my outfit, complimented me and promptly welcomed me in – it felt great,

I felt empowered. BDSM had thrown its arms around me and promised never to let me go (unless asked to do so).

Within The Caves I was met with the sight of the most beautiful outfits and costumes I'd ever seen. Such energy and application made it clear that the clubbers had been eagerly anticipating the night since their taxi home from their last Torture Garden experience. The welcoming ceremony of acceptance between everyone was something incredible. No judgment – just a cave full of people having a glamorous shindig and expressing themselves in any damn way they wanted.

The second benefit of partying BDSM style?

Code of conduct. Responsible perving. The Torture Garden website states that ‘touching anyone without permission or any form of harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden’. When was the last time you heard a club nights protecting its customers with such explicit rules? The uniqueness of Torture Garden's etiquette left me feeling respected and appreciated, but also liberated. And I wasn't the

DEVIANCE

Words: Harriet Protheroe-Davis

only one. During the night many trans women and people in drag commented on how they felt this was one of the only spaces in Edinburgh that was inclusive enough for them to feel like they could properly enjoy themselves. In Torture Garden gender binaries are a thing of the past.

I will uncompromisingly argue that there's a lot to be learned in regular clubs through observation of the way BDSM nights treat their clientele.

Club nights shouldn't be governed by attempts to turn crumpled fivers into liquid profits. Surely the primary objective of a club should be striving to ensure that people have the most enjoyable and safe experience possible? BDSM events such as Torture Garden are not only an incredible experience, but also an opportunity to re-assess how we perceive the gender politics of clubbing.

Why has it taken us so long to listen to the BDSM community?

Lifestyle

39

Disagreement

Sun Face

Camille Smithwick I am a waitress based in Manchester Half-baked confusions become ceramic objects My work is informed by sitting and listening, lying down, looking cammys.co.uk sistercam.tumblr.com

Monkey Double

40

SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

All Faces

Blue Face

April 2015

SHOWCASE

Kintaro First

41

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Cocktail Column

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It turns out that the enthusiastic but stern coaches in sports movies have been right all along – if you want to get anything done in life, teamwork is important. Nowhere is working together more important than in the smallest team of all, the pair.

Both partners in the pair need to pull their weight, contribute some solid ideas, and keep an eye on what the other one's up to. If you don't balance your pairings properly, you end up with a jumbled and difficult mess that's difficult to get your head around. Everyone's confused, nobody's happy, your mysteries never get solved and all your stuff gets broken by bumbling idiots who were ‘only trying to help’.

Luckily, food and drink history is packed with duos that come to more than the sum of their parts – fish and chips, gin and tonic, a chocolate bar and another, smaller chocolate bar – and the Clover Rickey from Heads and Tales is another such combination.

The drink fuses together elements of two cocktail classics; the Gin Rickey and the Clover Club.

From the Rickey the drink takes its highball glass, lime juice and soda top, while the raspberry – in the form of Edinburgh Gin's Raspberry Liqueur – and vanilla are drawn from the Clover Club.

The result is a cocktail that marries the sharpness of the Rickey with the smoothness of the Clover, without losing any of the benefits of either drink in the process. You know, we reckon this teamwork thing might be here for a while yet.

The Clover Rickey INGREDIENTS: 25ml Edinburgh Gin 25ml Edinburgh Gin Raspberry Liqueur 25ml Lime Juice 15ml Vanilla Syrup Soda to top up METHOD: Pour the Edinburgh Gin, Raspberry Liqueur, lime juice and vanilla syrup into a glass with ice. Stir and top with a dash of soda water.

@theskinnymag /TheSkinnyMag

SERVING GLASS: Serve the Clover Rickey in a highball glass Rutland Street, Edinburgh EH1 2AE www.headsandtalesbar.com

Illustration: Rachel Davey

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THE SKINNY

The Politics of Food

Food News

Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini offers The Skinny some insight into the movement's many international branches

Interview: Rosamund West Illustration: Heather More

In April's Food News, we spend some time outside, stock up on nice beer and brace ourselves for a new take on the fry-up Words: Peter Simpson

W

e start this month with the great outdoors. But none of that ‘wind in your hair’ stuff for us – this is the urban outdoors we're on about. Rather than rolling hills and increased risk of cow attack, there's the chance to eat street food in an actual street, courtesy of the Old Town Street Food Festival. Expect food from some of Scotland's top pop-ups on Easter Sunday, in what should be the ideal warm-up for the Easter egg-packed mayhem you're sure to indulge in for the rest of the day. 5 Apr; Three Sisters, Cowgate, Edinburgh.

Gastro Punx

“N

ever has food been as central to world politics as it is today.” So says Slow Food founder and much-lauded international campaigner Carlo Petrini, in Scotland on a flying visit to launch the newly-devolved Slow Food Scotland, confer with the Holyrood government on agricultural policy, meet some cheesemakers, and deliver lectures to the nation's youth on sustainability, provenance, and biodiversity.

Slow Food was founded in 1986 to protest the opening of a McDonald's near Rome's Spanish Steps, and it promotes food that is locally produced, sustainable, artisanal – but don't be fooled by the ‘Guardian Lifestyle section’ associations that this may conjure up. The movement is deeply political, internationally focussed and left-leaning.

It aims to combat fundamental issues of supply, demand and waste that are facing the world's nations today.

Petrini is emphatic that the current paradigm of industrial food supply is unsustainable: “You use more energy to produce the food than the food creates. This is the problem of the world – the resources are finite. And to solve this issue of entropy in the world's food supply, you need to create new paradigms. Because we are now producing food for 12 billion people, but there are just over 7 billion of us. So 40% of food is just thrown away. We are producing 40% more than we need – in Europe, 30% of organic produce becomes compost.”

This issue is linked both to industrial regulations (such as the old EU-standards gripe of the misshapen carrot) and consumer preference.

People at some point stopped accepting food that was dirty, or off colour, or a weird shape. Says Petrini, “Nowadays food is just being sold through television with people cooking, following recipes.

This is not all of gastronomy. A holistic vision of food is very important for the change.” He elaborates: “Food is not just food, it is not just something you eat – it is agriculture, fishing, craft food

manufacture. Food is biology, genetics. And from a humanistic point of view it is also anthropology, history, politics – that's why it is a holistic vision of food. [The consumer] has to buy raw materials somewhere. And if they buy a genetically modified product, that is a political choice.”

“ We are producing 40% more than we need” Carlo Petrini

‘The change’ is the aim of Slow Food – to create a world where the focus moves from large scale production which damages community, environment and individual health, back to smaller scale, more localised production based around the movement's core tenets of Good, Clean, and Fair. This is a belief backed by the UN, says Petrini: “The FAO [Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations] initially thought that famine could be eradicated through industrial agriculture, but they have since changed their mind.”

Slow Food is now present in 175 countries around the world, each nation representing a different iteration of the concept and responding to their own local issues uniquely. Says Petrini, “Each country has its own history and its own culture and its own way of experiencing its relationship with food.” They've recently launched a programme in 43 nations across Africa called 10,000 Gardens, which aims to promote local agriculture and community development. Petrini explains some of the impetus for the programme: “In many countries of Africa there is a big issue now concerning land grabbing, regarding people being expropriated of their land by either multinationals or their govern-

ment. China, for example, is striving for mines, places they can extract raw materials. [Then] in Mozambique for example, or Madagascar, they are grabbing land where they can raise crops for the short term, and then the land is no longer usable.”

The fight against these big corporations is not being carried out by direct confrontation with authorities, rather by more grassroots, flexible means. Says Petrini, “It's more getting around it – it's a lengthy process. We are investing in programmes supporting leadership in African youth.”

This focus on local leadership is one of the key tenets of current thinking on responsible international development. He continues, “I don't believe in missionaries, or in NGOs either. There must be an African solution. It is local people who have created these 10,000 gardens in Africa – we are investing in local resources, in humans… It gives prominence to women, because intensive industrial farming sets women aside from the labour.

This is a big problem in Africa, because they are the pillar of local agriculture. And the solution to problems in Africa goes through local agriculture, not industrial agriculture. That's very important.”

Back in Scotland, the climate looks ripe for a paradigm shift. Petrini is full of positivity for the local attitude. “There's been a greater understanding towards slow food of late,” he says. “10 years ago it wasn't like this… The change is going to take place in Scotland at a much quicker pace than in the rest of the UK. All the conditions are there for a very rapid development. People are becoming increasingly sensitive towards the issue – this is not just the case in Scotland, it is a worldwide phenomenon.”

Slow Food is at Expo 2015, Milan, 1 May-31 Oct Terra Madre Youth conference will take place there 3-6 Oct slowfood.com/

Gastro Punx

Moving indoors, Glasgow's Gastro Punx popup returns this month . Last time out the Punx went for a Kraftwerk-inspired European theme, but this time things are a bit different. We say a bit different – the menu features a mini all day breakfast with wild nettle potato scones and quail's eggs, plus a fine dining take on the venerable ‘munchie box’. As with all the best experiments, it's hard to tell precisely which way this one's going, but it should be an interesting trip either way. 11 Apr, 7.30pm; 1363 Dumbarton Rd, Glasgow. £25, tickets from glasgowgastropunx@gmail.com Next, a reason to go to Aberdeen! Sounds crazy, we know, but go with us on this one. The North Hop craft beer festival moves across ‘the North’ from its Inverness home for a Northeast sojourn, bringing with it beers from Cromarty, Williams and, naturally, Brewdog among a host of others. Throw in a cocktail lounge, a smattering of live music and even some food, and you've got an event worth making the trip north for. 11 Apr, 12-6pm and 7pm; Lemon Tree, W North St, Aberdeen. £15, tickets from northhop.co.uk And finally this month, the Great Grog's Bottled Beer Fair returns to Edinburgh. With over one hundred beers on offer, the fair's selling point is, in our eyes, a simple one – you can scoot around the place having little tasters of everything, and then snap up bottles of the best stuff for later.

It's a chance to try some great beers, and come away with something to show for your efforts at the same time, and that's the kind of win-win situation we can get behind. 25 Apr, 1-6pm; Cafe Camino, 1 Little King St, Edinburgh. £10, tickets from greatgrogshop.co.uk theskinny.co.uk/food

April 2015

FOOD AND DRINK

Lifestyle

43

Feed Your Mind We cast an eye over the food events at this month’s Edinburgh International Science Festival, and find tasty cocktails, molecular funny business, and piles and piles of offal.

Words: Peter Simpson

H

Phagomania: When The Moon Hits Your Eye Mozzarella madness or works of art? Cast your eye over the pizza art of Glasgow chef Domenico Crolla

Words: Lewis MacDonald

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o you consider your food a work of art? No, not in terms of how it tastes – although we can verify that these pizzas are very tasty – but a visual work of art? Well, these creations by Domenico Crolla have certainly won approval for their artistry. The Glasgow-born Italian has been going viral (in the good, modern sense) and gathering a bit of a cult following with his pizza portraits.

“Curiosity for my pizza art has allowed me to travel to cities as far flung as New York, Dubai, Miami and London to display my edible art,” states Domenico. He's even been a judge in the Pizza Olympics in Italy. Not bad for something that is a day's work in his Glasgow restaurant, Bella Napoli.

“Unlike other food art that is created in a studio,” says Domenico, “my pieces are made from fresh mozzarella on a real pizza base and photographed straight from the oven. They are edible.

I've eaten parts of Dita Von Teese!” Mmm, tasty, and not without praise from the subjects of these pizza portraits. Domenico claims to have received thanks from Dita as well as the likes of Rihanna, Sophia Loren and… Ant and Dec. It all started a few years ago when Domenico was en route to a culinary demo in Hong Kong and realised he didn't have anything to rival the Chinese art of vegetable sculptures. Wanting to pay tribute to the typical carvings of dragons or flowers from carrots and peppers, he turned to pizza. His first experiment, a dragon, was an instant hit. “I immediately knew I was onto something,” Domenico reflects. Unwilling to give away his secrets on drawing with cheese, the only thing to do is pay a visit, see if he'll take your request, and then eat your face. Or Ant and/or Dec's.

Now that's amore.

istory is full of bizarre dishes that look like the authors ran into a dark pantry and grabbed the first things that came to hand, and maths is useful when it comes to working out who owes what at the end of a meal, but adding science to food is almost always a winning combination.

That’s the premise of the GastroFest strand at the Edinburgh International Science Festival, helping you further your scientific understanding by eating all the experiments and drinking nice cocktails. We'll get to those in a minute, but first – offal. Think of it as meat's ‘deleted scenes’; there's plenty of attraction for completists, but it's often hard to know what to do with the mass of second-string material sitting in front of you.

Nose to Tail (6 Apr, 8pm, £12) is here to change your mind about eating hearts, feet, and various other ‘bits’, roping in a trio of experts to explain the benefits of eating all the component parts of your favourite animals. One of those experts is down in the programme as a “roadkill enthusiast” so this might not be the softest introduction to Offal Town, but hey; in for a penny, in for a pound.

Next up, fermentation! It helps simple grains become lovely alcohol, and turns the humble herring into the stairwell-annihilating, roof-destroying Swedish delicacy Surströmming. The Give in to Fermentation event lets you see the science behind the madness, all while eating tasty fermented nibbles paired with specially-selected beers, with no exploding tins of fish. We presume. 15 Apr, 8pm, £20 At this stage, it feels like time for a drink, which is exactly what you'll get at Gin-omics for Generation Gin (12 Apr, 8pm, £25). Ignoring the confusion around what exactly ‘gin-omics’ is supposed to be punning on, one thing is clear – this evening will feature plenty of the clear stuff. Gin tastings, gin chemistry, gin tastings, gin experiments, and even some gin tastings; this is definitely one for any fans of botanical-based beverages.

Finally, a pair of events focussing on the always-popular subject of molecular gastronomy.

First there's the Mad Hatter's Tea Party (8 Apr, 1:30pm, £15), featuring Hervé This, the grandfather of the molecular gastronomy movement and one of the few people who could use his own name as his catchphrase in an action movie adaptation of his life. The man dubbed ‘the world’s weirdest chef’ will share his take on science and food, and renew his calls for chefs to look past the concept of ‘ingredients’ and work with the individual components of food to redefine dining – if that sounds a bit hard-going, there will also be tea and cake.

The Molecular Mastery event in the GastroLab series applies those techniques to the world of drinks, with cocktail experts showing you the building blocks of the more esoteric drinks propping up your favourite gentrified old man's pub. Practising the wild scientific techniques behind ridiculous cocktails – that's the kind of science homework we're glad to take on. 11 Apr, 3pm, £25 All events take place at Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Pl sciencefestival.co.uk

theskinny.co.uk/food/phagomania

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Lifestyle

FOOD AND DRINK

THE SKINNY

The Ultimate Burger Challenge

Do you have what it takes??

1 Burger, 45 Minutes

READY, SET, GO!

Edinburgh

Restaurant & Bar

Join us for some fabulous fresh food and locally sourced produce, enjoy a malt from the largest whisky selection in the New Town or try a tipple from our new Scottish craft beer selection.

43 Rose Street Edinburgh EH2 2NH tel: 0131 225 8028 www.therosehipedinburgh.com

April 2015

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Want to know more about our new-look Zap? Talk to us about advertising in our weekly top ten events e-letter for timely, targeted exposure Audience network of 75,000+ every Thursday To find out more contact our sales team on 0131 467 4630 or sales@ theskinny.co.uk

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Illustration: verbals picks

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THE SKINNY

RE V

Record Store Day in Scotland

IE W

recordstoreday.co.uk

April 2015

Nick Cave

Joanna Gruesome

Credit: Ross Gilmores

ith this year's Record Store Day specials already making prophetic dents in your post-Easter funds (not to mention those of your friendly neighbourhood eBay flipper), we're sure you've already sorted out the must-haves from the if-they've-got-its. There's far more to RSD (and, indeed, independent record stores ‘shops’) than queues and eyebrow-raisingly-priced vinyl, however, so why not check out some of the events at your local gaff on 18 April?

In Glasgow, Monorail are offering the best of the official RSD releases, accompanied by live performances from Rose McDowall, Pennycress, James Yorkston and Halfrican, and DJ sets from Afrodeesia, JD Twitch and Roxanne Clifford, all cheerily buoyed along by a “fun family vibe”. Sub Hub, meanwhile, have big plans of their own: as well as a record fayre jam-packed with stalls, there'll be food courtesy of local eateries Devil's Deli and NO WAY BACK, and a very special guest appearance from German deep house veteran Henrik Schwarz. He'll be talking production and spinning his own records, billed as an ‘alternative Q&A’. Swish.

There's also the matter of Love Music, where 500 RSD releases will be followed by an afternoon of live acts including Finitribe, James King & The Lone Wolves, Randolph's Leap and ex-My Chemical Romancer Frankie Iero, while Fran's Free Tea and Cake stall dispenses hot beverages and... well, yes, cakes.

Over in Edinburgh, Coda get the important things out of the way first by assuring us there'll be “lots of wine, beer and food.” The shop opens at 8.30, and they'll be providing bacon/egg rolls for early morning queue enthusiasts in advance of the day's later festivities – which chiefly means live music from a fine pairing of Auld Reekie folksters: Malinky and King Eider. Leith Walk's punk specialists Elvis Shakespeare are getting in on the live music front too, with The Cathode Ray, Filth Spector and the aforementioned King Eider all showcasing their brand new releases from 2pm onwards.

It doesn't end there either: dance maestros Underground Solu'shn are open from 8am-7pm, with around 550 RSD exclusives on sale – and after 2pm there'll also be live showings from the likes of James Yorkston and Randolph's Leap, plus DJ sets from Finitribe, Vic Galloway and more. Finally, New Town's own Voxbox are taking the principled route. “We've cut out the official releases,” they say, “but are instead working to promote brand new releases by bands that are based just down the road.” To that end, they've got a veritable minifestival of live performances in store, starring Delta Mainline, The Holy Ghosts, Miracle Strip, Supermoon, Garden of Elks, Randolph's Leap and Gerry Cinnamon, with more to be confirmed.

HEROIC. And remember, kids: every day is a potential record shop day. Looks after these places and they'll look after you.

Credit: Elinor Jones

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Credit: Daniel Harris

Credit: Andy Lobban

Words: Will Fitzpatrick

Purity Ring

Gig Highlights Words: Katie Hawthorne

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cursory look at the month ahead confirms one universal truth: punk's not dead, it's just got multiple synths and a top-knot these days. Get the spring-time sunshine on your skin and some of this music in your ears, and your April will fly by.

On 1 Apr you've got Fyfe's soulful lyricism on show down at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy. His kind-of-debut LP Control dropped just last month, and it's a complex, versatile, shimmery record that's well worth a listen (or ten). A luxuriously mellow start to a busy, busy month. The next night, 2 Apr (it's a Tuesday) sees mouthy Aussie balladeer Courtney Barnett roll into town, where she'll be playing Glasgow's Art School. Fresh from storming showcases at SxSW, her sophomore album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is bloody brilliant (as attested in our review last month).

Don't miss out on a chance to see her acerbic wit writ enjoyably large. That same evening at Bloc, and the following day (3 Apr) at Edinburgh's Sneaky's, Brighton gang Demob Happy will be plying the crowds with their ramshackle homebrew of stoner-punk. Big hair, big vocals and even bigger distortion, they'll provide a potent cure for any mid-week lethargy. If you want beer in your hair and grime on your trousers, this is the show for you. If that's all a bit prickly and shiny indie rock is more your bag, then the much-hyped Circa Waves at Glasgow's Garage on 9 April should be just the ticket. The perky Liverpudlians have had support by the bucketload for singles like Fossils – it's got a festival-ready chorus and fidgety verses – and they're firmly on track with one of the feel good hits for the summer.

Taking it down another notch, try Lucy Rose on 14 April, when she'll be captivating the crowds at Edinburgh's Electric Circus. The gently-worded but firmly-focussed singer-songwriter is tipped for greatness this year, and recent release Our Eyes is a jaunty number kissed by the sun and bleached by salt water. Essentially, she's a bit like Ellie Goulding, but way better. The same night, but in Glasgow and an entirely different kettle of fish, you've got Drenge at The Classic Grand. The raucous sibling duo are riding the wave of their second LP Undertow, and first single We Can Do What We Want – an appropriate title for a band

known for giving limited fucks – has shown that, although only slightly older and probably none the wiser, they've kept a firm hold of the energy that makes them such a brutal live force. On 18 Apr – a particular highlight, if you ask us – Cardiff DIY royalty Joanna Gruesome (supported by the similarly awesome King of Cats) will be bratting out at Glasgow's Stereo. Sugar sweet and super snotty in equal measure, they describe themselves as “dissonant wimp music” while Wikipedia argues for a classification as noise-pop. Whatever; this show will be wonderful.The following night, it's back to Sneaky Pete's for BBC's Sound of 2015-endorsed electro-crooner, Låpsley. Although the Beeb's 100+ member committee-based critics’ poll has a patchy track record for recommendations (Django Django – excellent; James Bay – definitely not), they're spot on with Låpsley. Moody, goose bump-inducing minimalism.Next up, be sure to check out Mancunian two-piece Shield Patterns at Edinburgh's Assembly on Thursday 23 April. Expect atmospheric, abstract avant-pop that's understatedly life-affirming. Then, after a few fairly chill shows, April's going out with a bang. On the 26th

in Glasgow and the 28th in Edinburgh, professional bizarro Nick Cave will hold court at the Royal Concert Hall and the Playhouse, respectively. The man himself is known for utterly nutty live shows and with his prolific back-catalogue, it's sure to be packed full of treats. But back in Glasgow on 28 April, there's the mother of all clashes. The inimitable Purity Ring will be busy freaking out the Art School, promoting their eccentric new album Another Eternity. However, take a breath, because over at the ABC you've got Flying Lotus (supported by Shabazz Palaces, no less) which'll be a visual, aural and heck, probably even sensual feast. Honestly, no, we don't know which one you should choose. Good luck with that one. Last but not least, in a final dramatic clash, Stornoway at the Art School goes head-to-head with Stealing Sheep at Broadcast on the night of 30 April. Whether you prefer your heartstrings tugged by multi-instrumental whimsical academic types or by spangled art-pop that still has all the ruggedness of a Welsh mountainside… that's not for us to decide. And, with that final toughie, April's done!

Do Not Miss Outskirts Festival, Platform (Easterhouse), Sat 25 Apr

Festival season can't come soon enough eh?

Are you counting down the days ‘til Glastonbury?

We've got the solution, in the small but very sweet form of the annual Outskirts fest; a day long ‘minifestival’ crammed to the gills with all sorts of performances, installations and general artsy fun.

Fancy a bit of a singalong? Wounded Knee's got that covered. Some spoken word? Try Martin O'Connor. Been craving a specialist performance from Matthew Bourne (and gang) titled Kraftwerk's Radio-Activity Revisited? It's a niche one, that, but you can tick it off your list, too. Other excitingly

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titled appearances include an installation called Lisa Keddie's Post Office, an interdisciplinary performance called Little King (by Matt Regan) and an “interactive sound installation” named MJ McCarthy's Turntable. A bountiful celebration of contemporary art, the only thing it's lacking is a headline slot from Kanye West. Running from 3-10pm (ish), over at Platform (The Bridge) on Westerhouse Road, it's even free for the under16s. All in all, the perfect recipe for an abundantly creative Saturday afternoon. [Katie Hawthorne]

Preview

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Photo: John Graham

Dead Meadow / The Cosmic Dead

Vessels / worriedaboutsatan

swiftly into a veritable onslaught of tripped-out wah-wah heat – “There'll be more singing,” promises guitarist Jason Simon, although no-one's here for rrrrr hooky refrains or boozey singalongs. This band's The Cosmic Dead are loud. Thick clumps of dense greatest strength is their ability to turn riffs insidefeedback fill the half-lit stage, with bass throbs so out; gargantuan psych-rock that locks its repetipotent that it's barely possible to hear much betive patterns in your cerebellum, only to wrench yond a tinny rattle from the drum kit positioned everything back out, firmly but slowly. Attempting at the rear of the stage. Distorted howls squeal to reassemble the mess is fun but futile. from underneath the rubble, while cyclical riffs Even at this sludge-friendly pace, it's plain to layer themselves on top of each other, finally clisee that these loose-hipped behemoths owe a debt maxing with a squeal of feedback as screeching to good ol’-fashioned Southern blues rock: whereas guitars are left to hang from wires dangling above most cosmic explorers plump for the motorik, the stage. A visceral experience, rather than an there's a sashaying grace to what's on offer here. immediately musical one, but a sock to the gut It's best exemplified by their signature number usually catches your attention more directly a Sleepy Silver Door, a joyous eternity of head-nodding melody in the air. Seriously impressive stuff. groove and shifting tectonic plates: near-perfecIt's quite the act to follow, but Washington tion at ear-splitting volume. [Will Fitzpatrick] DC's Dead Meadow are more than up to the task.

An opening display of fractured chords grows

shakers leave little room for the five-piece to clamber aboard. But, dressed in matching t-shirts, Vessels emerge triumphantly, clearly excited to be rrrrr back in Glasgow for their “900th” show in the city Tonight Sleazy's underground space holds more (their estimation). electronic items than your local PC World – cables, The band's most recent album, Dilate, saw the cords and pedals litter the stage and standing Leeds group take a drastic turn in genre, moving area, leaving a near-sold out crowd slightly unsure from guitar-led post-rock to a decidedly technowhere to stand. Support band worriedaboutsatan infused output, but Sleazy's evidently familiar set up their inward-facing decks in the middle of crowd are very much undeterred. An early rendithe floor, fairylights and all, but don't quite manage tion of Elliptic – all cymbals, driving kicks and to play to the strengths of the venue's impressive frosted beats – spurs some seriously committed sound system. A genuinely bone-shaking bassline moves from the front row. Vessels’ newly electronic gloss translated slightly more earthily live, and takes precedent over the electronic intricacies they appear to be conducting, resulting in audience credit must be given to the unreal percussionary talents of the “prettiest members of the band” members prodding worriedly at their eardrums (again, their words) sat on the drum stools. Wrappost-set. ping up with a thunderous rendition of Glass Lake, Once the floor is cleared of wires, an eager whether Vessels are better suited to a summer crowd pushes to the foot of the stage to gawp at festival set or an early morning session in Berghain Vessels’ formidable set-up. Two drum kits, three remains unclear, but on this form they'd do a storkeyboards, a multitude of buttons, pads and switming job either way. [Katie Hawthorne] ches as well as a few clearly home-made rain-

O2 ABC, Glasgow, 15 Mar

Nice ’n’ Sleazy, 17 Mar

James Chance & Les Contortions

Despite their refraction of punk principles, you'd be hard-pressed to ally Les Contortions to the Ramones’ blitzkrieg pop, despite the efforts rrrrr of one japester who repeatedly shouts “1-2-3-4!”

The wraithlike James Chance walks on stage slowly, in between numbers. It's noise rock that comes looking every one of his 61 years with possibly to mind most of all: atonal strafes of guitar scree a few more in reserve. Eternally dapper, a casual fuse with Chance's eyes-shut-tight yelp, hinting stride appears more laid-back than his fearsomely at the menace of disciples like Pussy Galore, and confrontational reputation would have you believe the guttural rumble of The Birthday Party.

– has age mellowed the impressively-bequiffed The songs themselves remain electric as ever: no waver? One eardrum-shattering burst of stut- Design To Kill and Contort Yourself are bottomtering, untamed sax tells us most assuredly that shaking grooves to rival anything in the disco canon, it has not. while a bruising rendition of the aforementioned Backed by a sterling line-up of his famous Brown's King Heroin sprawls openly towards magniContortions (that's Les Contortions to you and I; ficence. Despite the inevitable trappings of the the relatively new guys hail from France), he wails mortal coil – never mind contorting himself; spinand hollers through a frantic set of furious, jazzning stylishly on his heels is now a slow, circular tinged punk rock, as ever combining the taut funk trudge – the fire still burns brightly and determiheat of James Brown with wild blasts of noise that nedly in this one. A truly memorable performance. alter-nate between the hyper-mellifluous and the [Will Fitzpatrick] eyebrow-raisingly dissonant. One helluva potent jameschanceofficial.blogspot.com combination.

Stereo, Glasgow, 12 Mar

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Review

Photo: John Graham

Photo: JayJay Robertson

vesselsband.com

Neon Waltz / The Tripps

Nice ’n’ Sleazy, Glasgow, 4 Mar

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We once talked about Mod revivals as if the scene occasionally vanished from view, only to return at a later date. But Glasgow has never lost its love of Fred Perry polo shirts and 1960s RnB music, and The Tripps are just the latest group to specialise in fast riffs and feathercuts. They channel their boundless energy best on songs like DB Cooper, which stretch the three minute mark and forge their own identity.

Neon Waltz arrive on stage as the title track of Small Faces classic Ogden's Nut Gone Flake thunders through the room, and it's a useful point of reference for what follows. Keys man Ian McLagan was the backbone of the Faces’ sound, and Liam Whittles plays the same role for the sixpiece from Caithness. The organ fills in Bare Wood Aisles lift an otherwise gentle lament into

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something much more satisfying, while the mesmerising Sombre Fayre pushes each member to their limits. It's tempting to label it psychedelic, but there's no hazy jams with Neon Waltz, everything is as clear and sharp as a bright day in Thurso.

They look as if they've been doing this for years; in reality they've released one limited-edition vinyl single. Every song in a 40 minute set sounds like it's either a triumphal album closer or a rousing fans’ favourite, all delivered with an understated confidence. Front man Jordan Hutchison, with a voice purer than a young Tim Burgess, takes the time to thank everyone for coming on at least three occasions – but everyone present should be thanking him. We've witnessed that incredibly rare thing in music: a new band who have arrived fully-formed, seemingly out of nowhere. [Chris McCall] neonwaltz.com

THE SKINNY

From Here To Infinity Killing off psych rock, Gnod have returned with their boldest statement to date.

The Skinny taps into the infinity machine

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t would've been hard to guess amidst 1000 or so revellers trading off slithers of their cerebrum at the altar of Gnod last September at Liverpool Psych Fest, but on the stage at least, a funeral was taking place. Joined by White Hills’ Dave W on guitar, the Salford collective tore through four cuts from their 2009 collaboration with the LA psychrockers for what was to be the last time.

“We agreed that this would be the last time we'd do it. It was a lot of fun, really cathartic,” says Paddy Shine, coming to after a late night in Merseyside as part of This Heat drummer Charles Hayward's Anonymous Bash live band. “But it felt like the end of a chapter for us.”

Along with Gnod co-founder Chris Haslam, we're in Shine's living space-cum-workshop for Gnod label Tesla Tapes, deep inside Salford venue and studio space Islington Mill. Records are stacked high behind us, analogue odds and ends scattered around the furniture, while a cat scuttles around the bare pipework; our conversation is punctuated by the hum of a fish tank and the outré jazz entanglements of Rocket Recordings labelmates Shit & Shine's latest record. The Victorian-era Mill, with its Situationist-inspired aim to create an open-source environment for artists to practice away from conventional spaces, has recently held more influence over Gnod than anything else. “You just become part of the place,” Shine says. “We can invite whoever we want to come and stay, and 90% of the time these people will put some work on here or collaborate with an artist. It's inspiring.”

Some bands will suddenly stamp their impact on a city; Gnod are of the other ilk, a presence lurking in the background for as long as anyone can remember. Their love affair with the Mill began towards the end of last decade; shows around the time drawing a pretty distinct heritage from the free travellers parties of the late 80s and early 90s, a free-for-all of looped riffs, spaced-out rhythmic passages and – depending on who turned up – demented vocal preachings. First Drop Out (with NYC space rockers White Hills) and then 2011's Chaudelande saw critics edge them towards the

April 2015

Interview: Simon Jay Catling Photography: Alexander Bell

burgeoning neo-psych revival. Even as demand rose though, new live audiences found a group already done with bonged-out guitar repetition, instead making forays into asphyxiating industrial beats, which would end up birthing not just a new direction, but also their own label and a club night at the Mill, Gesamkunstwerk.

“For me personally it felt like we'd hit a bit of a brick wall,” says Shine. “We'd met some great people, but it probably peaked when we played Roadburn Festival in 2012. After that it felt a bit flat. And then we came across these little nano synths and started pissing around on them.”

“ You just become part of the place” Paddy Shine

Haslam had the idea of getting an MPC to become the focal point (“this fucking brain we could run all of these machines from”) and it evolved into the group working with friends to build their own sound system, enabling them to tour Europe off the beaten track. “The idea was to bypass the more traditional venues,” says Haslam, “because they've become more restrictive over the past few years, and the atmosphere on that circuit has generally deteriorated a little bit. So we just started looking for spaces where you wouldn't get noise complaints and you didn't have to worry about licensing so much… something a bit more guerrilla style, away from convention.”

Gnod have hitherto existed to document snapshots of their existence, a cursory glimpse at their Discogs profile alone revealing a litany of split singles, cassettes and CD-R releases between 2008-2012, and suggesting an insatiable thirst for self-exploration and experimentation. Yet three years on from their last full album release, new record Infinity Machines marks a sharp change in gear; sprawled across three slabs of vinyl, it's a

record that, maybe for the first time in their career, doesn't feel hashed out in the heat of the moment, instead set out as a series of collages that work to twist the mind inside out methodically. Control Systems sets a template of sorts, allowing darkly meditative layers to build before snatching them away just as the listener’s head space is able to accommodate them. Sections collapse and give way to something new that often slithers off in a totally new direction.

It's an undeniable ‘kitchen sink’ record, everything thrown at the canvas from scorched space rock (Breaking The Hex) to bludgeoning industrial revolutions (Desire), along with spoken word intersections, passages of ambient uncertainty and – with the addition of Dave McLean on saxophone – a more freeform, brooding jazz-orientated sound, partly influenced by the mighty Bohren & Der Club of Gore. It's the finalisation of a line in the sand they began drawing at Psych Fest. “The intention is always to get away from what's expected of us.

For ourselves too. We want to keep people on their toes,” says Shine. “Rocket said they wanted our Master of Puppets, and we spent ten days in the Mill's live space and gave them it. Things like Dave's involvement are just part of a desire for a different sound. There's no guitar on the record, instead there's things we've never used before, like a Rhodes piano or a sax.”

And it all comes back to the Mill. Gnod never meant to become ingrained in its existence, but what started out simply as an offer of a rehearsal space, following some post-gig beers with the owners, has become the hive of their everyday existence. The four core members (Marlene Ribeiro and Alex Macarte complete the line-up) all live in and assist the upkeep of the space, “temporary custodians”, as Paddy puts it, of a place that is in constant flux. Swans’ Michael Gira became a fan of the place after staying overnight, and a plethora of local promoters, labels, designers and illustrators are based there.

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Infinity Machines, though is also a snapshot of the tensions felt within the space, the optimism of a recent Arts Council Capital grant balanced out by the all-too-tedious, gentrification-fuelled noise complaints that have threatened the Mill's future.

It's a record that shoulders the increasing burden of responsibility that Gnod have taken on in the ceasless fight for survival. Escapist jams have given way to confrontational soundscapes. “The trials and tribulations of the Mill and seeing what our friends have to go through to keep a place like this running has shown us that you have to voice your opinions and stand up for what you believe in,” Shine agrees, “There's an awareness of how important people are, maybe a slice of Gnod saying ‘you are not your fucking screen in your hand, you are not your screen on your tablet. You are an infinity machine.’”

To that end, collaborations on the album come entirely from those within the Mill, notably Tesla artist Michael O'Neill, who wrote lyrics about Shine for him to sing on Desire, while visual artist Maurice Carlin ruminates on ideas of privacy, surveillance and governance at the album's opening. “We're the government, we're all responsible,” he utters at one point. “They just sit there as these hate figures for those who've no faith in politics.” Haslam sees a lot of truth in them. “It's realising that it's not good to focus hate on something, to not just think ‘everything's fucked’ and instead realising ‘yeah it is fucked, but the only way you're going to get away from that is to work with other people, talking, changing others’ perspectives.’”

From other mouths such sentiment could come across as preaching, but for Gnod it's merely an extension of their own continual re-evaluation.

Infinity Machines opens up more avenues to explore for this group, for whom the possibilities feel endless.

Infinity Machines is released via Rocket Recordings on 20 Apr ingnodwetrust.tumblr.com

Review

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Album of the Month Young Fathers

White Men Are Black Men Too [Big Dada, 6 Apr]

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Young Fathers’ White Men Are Black Men Too is a gargantuan, fearless record. It's a celebration, a rebuttal, a call to action; a dance party that won't for a single minute let you rest. After last year's surprise Mercury Prize win for album DEAD, you might expect the band to have suffered follow-up anxiety. Not Young Fathers. This album is both more and less of everything; vicious and vital quasihip-hop, but tempered with a new-found softness. WMABMT sees the band grip the reins a little firmer and their patience is rewarded. The hits hit harder, more precisely targeted. Though the Edinburgh-based three-piece has never been a band for genre box-ticking, they've never shied from claiming pop influence

either. Try tracks like Dare Me, or 27 – you can almost imagine the trio perched on bar-stools, stepping down for a key-change to conduct a screaming crowd through a chorus that's a million miles more ‘Fuck You’ than some clapped-out crooners. Soulful, warming and full of warnings too, there are more ideas in a single bridge than most songwriters could come up with after tripping for a week at Burning Man. It's a devastating task trying to pick a highlight.

[Katie Hawthorne] Playing Glasgow Art School on 20 May; Edinburgh Central Hall on 9 Jun as part of Neu!Reekie! #UntitledLive young-fathers.com

The Soft Moon

Death Cab for Cutie

White Hills

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Deeper [Captured Tracks, 30 Mar] Once looking like an heir apparent to Trent Reznor's seething world of industrial dystopia, Luis Vasquez sadly finds himself starting to tread water on his third LP under the Soft Moon moniker.

Reznor took a good five years to shake off his enthrallment with early 80s English new wave, and from the OMD-recalling swallow dives of Wasting, to Inward's notably abrasive nods to the likes of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire (see also: the angst-ridden fizz and sputter of Wrong), Vasquez hasn't yet achieved the same.

Although this is certainly a tasteful pallette to magpie from, nothing on Deeper suggests that Vasquez is doing any more than wallowing in these easily overpowering tropes. Worse still, whereas debut The Soft Moon and 2012’s Zeroes were capable of exhilarating jolts to the senses, Deeper does away with much of the high energy stuff, focusing more on slow-burning self-exploration that, though honourably intended, can sound like an artist in danger of being eclipsed. [Simon Jay Catling] thesoftmoon.com

Kintsugi [Atlantic Records, 30 Mar] “You've haunted me all my life,” runs Ben Gibbard's refrain near the midpoint of Death Cab For Cutie's latest; given the ubiquity of the band's turn-ofthe-century output (not to mention the recent reemergence of Gibbard side-project The Postal Service), the feeling's mutual.

The band's eighth full-length record and the last to feature founding guitarist Chris Walla, Kintsugi is, for the most part, exactly what you'd expect from a band at Death Cab's career juncture. Their indie-emo hybrid is well-polished and ably marshalled by producer Rich Costey, and its component parts – appealingly lovelorn lyrics, bittersweet hooks, charming-to-twee electronic flourishes – are all here in full view.

So it comes as a welcome surprise that Kintsugi's strongest moments see the band swap the melancholy and understatement for forays into more uptempo territory. The Ghosts of Beverley Drive injects some creepy atmosphere and thumping drums into proceedings, and the stand-out Good Help (Is Hard To Find) shows that Death Cab aren't beyond filling the dancefloor at the indie disco just yet. [Peter Simpson]

Walks for Motorists [Thrill Jockey, 6 Apr] The eighth studio album from an underground psych-rock band doesn't sound like the most approachable prospect on paper, but Walks for Motorists surprises by being a playful, inviting record that (its title is the first clue) doesn't take itself too seriously. More interested in churning out grooves than contriving a specific persona or message, White Hills incorporate disparate styles and instruments with an open mind.

The result is a collection of compulsive head-nodders that keep listeners guessing despite their cyclical patterns and limited melodic palette. “We are what you see,” Dave W sings before the band gear up for two minutes of wah pedal flame-throwing, but just when you've got them clocked as a more technically proficient simulacra of early Stooges, they dive cheekily into Automated City, a drum machine-lead homage to Kraftwerk with wryly robotic one-note guitar parts and plenty of oscillator twiddling. Equal parts bracing and whimsical, Motorists is just plain fun. [Andrew Gordon] Playing Salford Islington Mill on 9 Apr | whitehillsmusic.tumblr.com

deathcabforcutie.com

Polar Bear

Sufjan Stevens

Benoît Pioulard

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Carrie & Lowell [Asthmatic Kitty, 30 Mar]

Same As You [The Leaf Label, 30 Mar] The oft-Mercury-nominated avant-jazz experimentalists return with a shimmeringly beautiful 55 minutes of measured breathing and humanity; the musical equivalent of someone stroking your hair and suggesting that they put on the kettle. In a world of gobbling musical consumption, Polar Bear invite you to pull up a foot rest: even the transitions between tracks feel more like considered pauses for contemplation.

The album opens with a rich spoken-word passage from Asar Mikael emphasising a mantra of “life, love and light.” Just give in to it; The First Steps showcases bandleader Sebastian Rochford's unbelievable drumming; filling from rainmachine chill to a luscious, sax filled party. The whole record feels propelled by an essence raw and leafy, and Unrelenting Unconditional passes by in a softened blur of minimal beats and twinkling rhythm. The only disturbance is the vocal lead on Don't Let The Feeling Go – a brief interruption in an otherwise vitally warming, organic force. [Katie Hawthorne]

If 2010’s The Age Of Adz was Sufjan Stevens’ bombastic all-action space opera, then this is his intimate, soul-baring one-man show. Inspired by the death of his mother, Stevens’ seventh album sees the Detroit native pair a daring sparseness with unrelentingly morbid subject matter.

Stevens pares his neo-folk sound back to an ex-tent not seen since Seven Swans over a decade ago, with precious few orchestral or electronic flourishes, and no drums. At all. Instead he and his trusty banjo are backed by a cocktail of hotel room white noise, haunting soundscapes and multi-layered backing vocals. That ethereal canvas provides the background for a prime batch of plaintive, simple melodies and ruminations on mortality. Lyrically it's uncompromising, dark and surprisingly direct – mentions of blood, death and ghosts are plastered all over its 11 tracks – but there's a real beauty to Carrie & Lowell that shines through the darkness. [Peter Simpson] Playing Edinburgh Playhouse, 30 Aug | music.sufjan.com

polarbearmusic.com

Sonnet [Kranky, 30 March] Submerging into a white-wash of distilled ambience from the outset, yes, we've still got the same Benoît Pioulard. But this time we're offered a more organic goodness: he uses just analogue tape and guitar pedals to curate layers of field recordings (that's washing machines/industrial air conditioners) that in turn inspire the rest of the instrumental contributions. It resonates with electronic gurus such as Fennesz but in a more commercially digestible arrangement.

He claims several of the harmonies were composed in his dreams – em, why aren't our dreams this heavenly? The title of previous release Hymnal is definitely more relevant here. Glassy strings engrave onto busily glitching vibrations and tracks often synthesise into each other through heavy delay and distortion. Vague motifs levitate in and out of thick frequencies giving clues to the album's progression and making it impossible to pause midway. Schedule this in, find a comfy, lonely spot – hire a surround sound if you need to. [Luisa Brown] pioulard.com

Personal Best

Nadine Shah

Garden Of Elks

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Fast Food [Apollo/R&S Records, 6 Apr]

Arnos Vale [Specialist Subject, 30 Mar] Positivity's a risky business. Even 20 years on from the angst-drenched 90s – when not only pop but also irony has eaten and regurgitated itself, only to chow down on the bilious remains – it still draws suspicion, and Personal Best are nothing if not positive. The flipside? They're also quite brilliant.

Occupying the common ground between Tiger Trap's winsome hooks and the buzzing volume of Sugar, stunners like Beauty Is Terror nod understandingly at timid hearts where yer average powerpop trio might simply take the easy route of breaking ‘em. This Is What We Look Like, meanwhile, first nicks and then runs with Joan Jett's knack for making simple ballads rock the hardest. Indeed, it's testament to Arnos Vale's immersive pop-punk that it makes PMA sound like the only reasonable course of action. “All of my pain has got to be worth something,” sings Katie Gatt during the opening seconds, and you know what? She's right. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Nadine Shah's follow up to 2013’s Love Your Dum and Mad (applause for the title alone) confirms a vision that her debut could only hint at. That opening shot was notable not only for her hot-blooded and muchlauded vocals but its arresting lyrical candour. And while Fast Food confirms her as a singer with few rivals, its shadowy narratives (“Go ahead and call her, memorise her silhouette” – Washed Up) supply gravitas and emotional pull.

Lesser artists might have responded to second album expectation with showy arrangements and ADHD playfulness, crafting a ‘look at me!’ style piece. But Shah is so much cannier than the herd.

Fast Food reduces her template to a tribal thrum; little more than bass, drums and guitar. It gives that voice the room it needs to breathe and while its sound board is lo-fi, its ambition is high stakes all the way. Place your bets now: the odds on Shah troubling the mainstream are shortening all the time. [Gary Kaill]

personalbest.bandcamp.com

nadineshah.co.uk

A Distorted Sigh [Song, By Toad, 6 Apr] ‘Thrash-pop,’ they call it, although Scotland's Garden Of Elks favour something a little more subtle than Kerry King-style shredding. Drawing from the so-called ‘alternative’ rock of the 90s, pacy numbers like Mountain Dew emit vague aromas of Sonic Youth and Slowdive, albeit with a pleasing tendency to riff on a somewhat grungier level.

Niall Strachan flits between a careworn drawl and impassioned yelps, while guitars jangle esoterically before surging towards the stratosphere; catharsis on top of catharsis, only much more fun than that looks on paper.

There's a vague hint of Wire's catchy dissonance to the excellent Wings, particularly in bassist Ryan Drever (he of the PAWS parish)’s jerking contributions – by the time Tomorrow's juddering atmospherics roll around, it dawns on us just how much action is packed into these 28 minutes. Garden Of Elks are not the heaviest of rockers, nor (on this record, at least) the noisiest. Instead, they offer ideas and hooks in abundance: admirable traits indeed. [Will Fitzpatrick] garden-of-elks.tumblr.com

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RECORDS

THE SKINNY

Toro Y Moi

K-X-P

Wire

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What For? [Carpark, 7 Apr]

III: Part I [Svart, 30 Mar]

Wire [Pink Flag, 13 Apr]

Is Chazwick Bundick – aka Toro Y Moi – going back in time? His 2010 debut Causers of the This, a key milestone in the risibly-named ‘chillwave’ movement, seemed sent from the future: a thoughtful assemblage of glitches and gut feelings, emotional electronica for the end of a party. But since then, he seems to be regressing through genres. The laptop now fully unplugged, Bundick arrives squarely in retroland for this fourth album, which is, in essence, pure psychedelic rock.

The spirit of his earlier sound remains: a little spacey, a little funky, the sincerity of his singing never in doubt. Yet, in common with much psychedelia, repetition quickly sets in over these ten tracks, which blend into an amorphous blob of reverb and fuzzboxes. Perhaps Bundick doesn't wish to bum out your trip with anything too jive, but a little of the incongruity and inventiveness that characterised his earlier efforts wouldn't go amiss. [John Nugent]

Falling somewhere between krautrock and techno, while also incorporating elements of free jazz and psychedelic rock, the beguiling output of Finland's K-X-P is probably best filed under high-fantasy. Dark, other-worldly and unabashadly epic in its ambition, their music sounds as suited to some mythical saga from their home nation's rich folklore as does filling a dancefloor.

Their third album can be every bit as goofy as that sounds, featuring synth choirs, shamanistic chanting and atmospheric wind noises, throwing in the occasional eastern-flavoured vocal sample in case things didn't sound mystical enough. But on two of these six tracks – the LCD Soundsystem stomp of Obsolete and Beyond and deliciously funky Descend to Eternal – the fusion ignites spectacularly, producing a sweeping, dramatic kind of body music that transports the listener to another realm entirely, and is probably tremendous live. [Andrew Gordon]

Their 40th anniversary might be fast approaching but the post-punk paragons show little sign of slowing down. And, on this evidence, the artistic well is far from dry. The core trio of founder Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert (Gotobed) Grey are not so foolish as to step too far away from the pulsing grooves that have come to typify their sound over 13 albums, but the addition of new guitarist Matthew Simms adds welcome colour.

Wire is solid throughout, but its high spots come mid-point and in closing, where Sleep-Walking and Harpooned both play out over eight minutes, making for a dramatic counterpoint to the snappy blueprint. Wire's influence on the UK's up and down indie scene is perhaps still best typified by Elastica's lifting of the band's Three Girl Rhumba for their 1995 hit Connection. If only more of the current crop had the guile to steal so smartly. [Gary Kaill]

toroymoi.com

fi-fi.facebook.com/kxp.official

Playing Glasgow King Tut's on 27 Apr | pinkflag.com

Ufomammut

Blur

Lapalux

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Ecate [Neurot Recordings, 30 Mar] Italian psych-sludgemeisters Ufomammut titled their seventh album after an ancient Greek goddess who mediates between both mortal and divine realms; a theme borne out by their crushingly powerful music, which constantly moves between slow-burning brutality and moments of ethereal otherness. Occasionally this all builds to something of truly Olympus-like proportions, particularly when epic closer Daemons bursts into a melodious climax as it hits the six-minute mark – the closest thing to beauty on a record that's dominated by portentous heaviness and desolate rumbles.

In fact, as ludicrous genre tags go, ‘doom’ sounds about right.

Ecate is never actively fun to listen to, and never opts to conjure a grin when it could simply leave you dizzied by sheer force of volume (Plouton), or pull the rug out from under you with unexpected flutters of tripped-out electronic burbling (Revelation).

Here, Ufomammut offer something solemnly forceful – an album that grinds you into the earth, even as its arms stretch out to the heavens. [Will Fitzpatrick] ufomammut.com

The Magic Whip [Parlophone, 27 Apr] Whither now the Britpop refugee? It’s been eleven years and at least two reconciliations since Blur last released a record. In a world where ‘90s reunions are less of a headline-grabbing surprise than a nodding inevitability, do they resemble their own tribute act or stake new ground? Is this the Blur of Pyramid Stage encores or Moroccanflavoured introspection?

The Magic Whip, it seems, lies somewhere in-between the Blur of old and new. Crucially, Graham Coxon’s reinstatement ensures that full-bodied, unambiguous guitar riffs rub vigorously against Damon Albarn’s electronic bells and whistles. Lonesome Street, the best example of this new blend, opens the album in rambunctious, confident fashion.

That auspicious early promise of summery singalongs doesn’t quite materialise; tracks like Pyongyang or album closer Mirrorball are enigmatic, but downbeat. It’s when the riffs seem plucked straight from the annals of 1997 – such as with Ong Ong, a gloriously unfussy three-chord anthem so simple your nan could play it – that Blur seem to remember how to have fun. [John Nugent]

Lustmore [Brainfeeder, 6 Apr] Inspired by hypnagogia – the hallucination-prone state of semi-consciousness between sleep and wakefulness – Lustmore finds Stuart Howard exploring territory similar to that charted by his label chief Flying Lotus on Until the Quiet Comes, lulling listeners into a blissful daze via fluid, disorienting arrangements conjured from undulating pedal notes, angelic R&B vocals and wandering percussion figures.

Howard's brand of narcosis is more volatile, however, liable to erupt suddenly into a tide of caustic synths, as on Closure (featuring Szjerdene) or Don't Mean a Thing, before receding just as quickly back to sultry finger clicks or rain samples.

By sculpting these serene, atmospheric textures only to puncture them moments later (like when prettiest cut 1004 is swiftly obliterated by abrasive, comparatively cynical follow-up Make Money), Lustmore palpably captures technology's wearying effect on the psyche – promising to facilite but ultimately disrupting the conditions for that much needed late night reflection. Challenging stuff.

[Andrew Gordon] lapalux.com

blur.co.uk

Föllakzoid

The Mountain Goats

Villagers

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Beat The Champ [Merge, 6 Apr]

III [Sacred Bones, 30 Mar] Masters of the mantric Krautrock groove, III sees Chilean ‘cosmic music’ trio Föllakzoid infusing their subtly shifting minimalism with mystical South American influences.

Album opener Electric sees them setting up the spacious soundworld of the next 45 minutes, relentlessly looping a thumping bass groove that is gradually cracked open by reverberating guitar peals.

Earth's clanking guitar would make for a nifty soundtrack to a construction project over centuries, while Piure's tinkling bells and a remarkably disciplined tribal drumbeat evoke the extreme effort of trekking the Andes.

It's on final track Feuerzeug that the band show their influences most clearly, as German techno maestro Atom TM imbues the track with the sizzling space-landing sounds of the Korg synthesiser used on tour by Kraftwerk in the 1980s. Like their progenitors, Föllakzoid's unwavering sense of purpose on III is admirable. [Chris Ogden]

Fifteen albums in, and The Mountain Goats have lost none of their hoof. The homemade cassettein-a-record-shop ethos may be behind him, but John Darnielle still possesses a unique flair for spinning a twinkly yarn or two. Self-assured indeed is the songwriter who can centre an entire album around the subject of Mexican wrestling and not seem trivial.

There's obvious sardonic humour in Darnielle's lyrics – “I will personally stab you in the eye with a foreign object,” he earnestly chirps in one song – but this is no novelty record. Witness the sarcastic chuckle that comes with “you've found my breaking point... congratulations” in Heel Turn 2 and you realise there is a resonance to these songs beyond the wrestling ring. It's indie of a ‘90s flavour, certainly; echoes of Pavement and Elliott Smith abound.

But Beat The Champ's breadth and scope of songwriting give plenty to chew on, after repeated listens. A treat. [John Nugent]

Playing Manchester Soup Kitchen on 2 Jun | follakzoid.bandcamp.com

mountain-goats.com

Waxahatchee

East India Youth

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Ivy Tripp [Merge, 6 Apr]

Culture of Volume [XL, 6 Apr]

It takes considerable talent to pull off sincere, confessional songwriting as favorably as Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield. Pairing raw anecdotes with sparse musicianship, the beauty of her adroit compositions is that they hinge upon an immediacy seemingly within the grasp of any narcissistic self-mythologizer who can strum a few chords, articulating feelings so precisely and with such familiarity that they have the air of universal truths.

Yet it's not anyone who could surmise the coldness of a waning relationship as succinctly (“We just pretend to be strangers lamenting a means to an end”, she sings on Air) or spin La Loose's two-note piano riff into such a subtly sophisticated earworm.

Things get a bit too simple on undercooked piano ditty Grey Hair and cloying nostalgia trip Summer of Love but these are outliers on an otherwise endearing and memorable third album from Crutchfield. Her most polished effort yet. [Andrew Gordon]

East India Youth – aka William Doyle – does it again.

2014’s triumphant Total Strife Forever saw Doyle lead the pack of hotly-tipped techno-infused experimentalists; Culture of Volume won't do any damage to that reputation. In fact, the record is a determined, forward-looking evolution from last year's largely instrumental success. The initial QI-buzzer deserving response is that it's got a load more singing but, more importantly, Culture of Volume is self-aware, ambitious and hugely broad in reach.

Opener The Juddering does exactly as it promises – a boneshaking, intrusive introduction. Tracks like Beaming White see Doyle flirt with showbiz glamour, while Entirety is a roaring, anxious, forgetyour-own-name monument to the Gods of techno. Carousel shows off a softness of touch; serene vocals drift in a flood of gently choral synth. Culture of Volume charts a full spectrum of East India Youth in a manner wholly super-sized. [Katie Hawthorne]

Playing Glasgow Stereo on 15 Jun | waxahatcheemusic.com

Playing Glasgow King Tut's on 28 May | eastindiayouth.co.uk

April 2015

RECORDS

Darling Arithmetic [Domino, 13 Apr] Even the briefest scan of Conor O'Brien's upcoming tour schedule screams – sorry, whispers – ‘intimate venues’ and sure enough, his third album under the name Villagers fits the bill for quieter occasions. Villagers’ two previous albums have managed to combine O'Brien's polished songwriting and rich vocals with considerable bombast, so removing one of those elements leaves a sizeable hole in Darling Arithmetic.

There's some filler too. Within seconds of Dawning On Me and So Naïve closing you'll forget they ever existed, but the Dubliner weaves in enough memorable melodies elsewhere to lift the album above the pedestrian. Little Bigot is a rare moment of volume and all the better for it; opener Courage is a pleasant meander and Hot Scary Summer overcomes clunky lyrics to become a high point.

Darling Arithmetic may not be the loudest album in Villagers’ discography but it's a useful addition to their output. [Stu Lewis] Playing Edinburgh Pleasance Theatre on 27 Apr and Glasgow Òran Mór on 28 Apr wearevillagers.com

The Top Five 1 2 3 4 5

Young Fathers

White Men Are Black Men Too

East India Youth

Culture of Volume

Sufjan Stevens

Carrie & Lowell

Föllakzoid

III

Lapalux

Lustmore

Review

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Northern Uproar They hail from one of the remotest parts of Europe and only got together last year, but Neon Waltz have already secured a major record deal and are working with the man that made Oasis famous. How did they do it?

Interview: Chris McCall Photography: Ross Gilmore

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t is early evening in the basement venue of Glasgow bar Nice ‘N’ Sleazy and Howie Payne is excitedly talking up the new group he is co-managing. The genial Liverpudlian, former leader of underrated alt-rockers The Stands, grins widely as he explains his enthusiasm for his latest charges. “It's been ages since we've had a proper band we can get excited about, you know?”

The band in question have just finished a soundcheck ahead of their headline show later that night. A six-piece, including two guitarists and a keyboardist, the small stage struggles to accommodate both them and their equipment.

Despite having released only one limited edition vinyl single since their first gig a little over a year ago, they exude the quiet confidence of a group that has come a long way in a short space of time – and Neon Waltz have travelled further than most.

Each member hails from in or around John o’ Groats, the second most northerly settlement on mainland Britain. Each time they begin a run of shows, it takes a minimum of six hours just to reach Glasgow and meet up with their tour manager. The night before Sleazy's they played Sheffield, a short dash up the motorway in comparison.

This is the story of how a group from one of the most remote corners of Europe came to be signed by Atlantic Records – and win a management deal with the man who made Oasis the biggest band in the world. It's a tale that involves parties in ancient castles, jamming sessions in Highland crofts and proves the power of the internet to connect people from disparate backgrounds.

With the soundcheck now complete, Neon Waltz front man Jordan Shearer, his fringe partly masking his eyes, steps off stage and introduces himself. Moments later he's sitting next to drummer Darren Coghill in a neighbouring bar to talk about why 2015 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for this group of pals from Caithness. All still in their early 20s, they have been friends since attending Wick High, one of only two senior schools in the region. “We all went away to university and then found ourselves back home about two years ago,” explains Coghill. “That's when we started to take it seriously. We used to play different covers gigs when we were on holiday from uni – it was inevitable we would end up in the same band at some point. We all love the same music.”

Like many teenagers growing up in the early 2000s, it was the likes of The Coral and The Libertines that first caught their attention; bands defined by tight bonds and novel use of online promotion in the days before social media. Record shops have never been prevalent in rural Scotland but in an age of digital downloads that no longer mattered – kids in north Caithness could enjoy the same music as those in north London.

It was through the internet that co-manager Payne first heard a demo version of Sombre Fayre, which is fast becoming Neon Waltz's signature

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tune. He travelled north to meet the band after first emailing to rave how about how good he thought they were. “It was kind of a weird meeting,” recalls Shearer. “He came up and basically told us we were doing something that no one else was.

I don't think it was really set in stone that he was going to manage us at that point.”

“I don't think that was his intention, he just wanted to help as a music fan – then I think he realised he could help us a lot more, you know?” adds Coghill. Shearer nods. “I think he saw there was a really good band from the middle of nowhere, and without a little bit of help other people might never hear us.”

Through Payne came the involvement of Marcus Russell, owner of Ignition Management.

Well-known in the industry for looking after the likes of Johnny Marr and Matt Johnson of The The, it would be the spectacular success of the Gallagher brothers that would define his career.

If Neon Waltz are daunted by working with such a figure they're certainly doing a fine job of hiding it.

“I find it so hard to connect him and Oasis, because he is the most down to earth person you could hope to meet,” laughs Coghill. “What he's achieved in his career is insane – really insane – and now he's managing us!”

Shearer insists it's a practical arrangement and one that's already paid dividends for the band.

“I think we needed someone to give us a bit of encouragement and let us know what we could do,” he says. “I don't think we should feel daunted by someone that's done a lot of stuff in the past who is now helping us. We have a lot of confidence in our songs and we don't feel like we should be below anyone else. Where we're from, no one that starts a band really thinks they're going to become massive. We all hugely believe in how good we are, but it's hard to picture to ourselves as a huge success. Howie came in and said: ‘You realise you could be massive, you have brilliant songs,’ and I think that just gave us more of an urge – a bit

of kick – to be more prolific and we've just been writing since then.”

The pair explain the band works as a democracy and everyone is expected to contribute to songwriting. Whether it's a set of lyrics or a middle right, each member will present something when they arrive at the Neon Waltz HQ – a formerly abandoned croft belonging to the parents of bass player Calvin Wilson. It's here they spend hours perfecting every small detail of their songs, with everything taped so it can be played back and studied for potential improvements. “No one will ever hear them, but those tapes are vital to how we work,” nods Coghill.

“ Where we're from, no one that starts a band really thinks they're going to become massive” Jordan Shearer

First Light, an EP of demos and live recordings, and their first release on Atlantic, will be released this month. It will include a version of Bare Wood Aisles which has already achieved more than 23,000 views on YouTube. What starts as a simple chord progression suddenly explodes into Technicolour when Liam Whittles plays an organ fill that will haunt you for days. While it's tempting to think of other great bands driven by distinctive keys men, such as the late Ian McLagan of the Small Faces or The Charlatans’ Rob Collins, it would

do an injustice to Neon Waltz – this is a band who are very much a sum of their parts.

Also on the EP is a live version of Sundial, recorded at former Norse stronghold Freswick Castle in Caithness. “Our association with it goes back a long way, to when were young teenagers – we're all good mates with the guy whose dad owns it. We just use it to party and stuff, as well as occasional band practises and gigs,” Coghill says. “The croft is our base, the castle is for special occasions,” Shearer confirms.

While a debut album may be some time away, Neon Waltz are already on the bill at a variety of festivals and will embark on their second headlining tour of the year this month. They're about to become a difficult band to miss. Proudly draped in front of Whittles’ keyboard at every show is the banner of the XV Brigada Internacional – one of the battalions of volunteers who travelled to fight fascism and support the democratically-elected socialist government in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. “It's a fine flag to fly,” says Coghill. “Liam found out his grandfather was in one of the Scottish units that travelled to Spain.”

On a lighter note, the distinctive hair style of Whittles is proving to be another Neon Waltz beacon, having already drawn comment from the sharpest tongue in music, one Noel Gallagher. “We were all introduced to him individually,” Shearer grins. “I wondered if he would give us cheek, because he's so quick-witted, but he was so nice to everyone. Then Liam came up and Noel says ‘Fookin’ ell – is that your real hair?’ ‘You look like a Liverpool player from 1982.’” Friendly piss-taking from stars is part of the fun of being in a rising band. But Neon Waltz already look the part of serious contenders – a group from the top of the country are already scaling the music industry.

First Light is out on 13 Apr via Atlantic. Playing Electric Circus, Edinburgh, on 9 Apr neonwaltz.com

THE SKINNY

April 2015

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THE SKINNY

Clubbing Highlights We take a look forward to Lone, Henrik Schwarz and Phil Weeks Words: Ronan Martin Illustration: Callum Scott-Dyson

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e kick off in Glasgow where Pressure and Electric Frog have the Easter weekend covered, with SWG3 hosting a diverse line-up across the three days. Friday's bill features legendary Birmingham techno king Anthony Child, aka Surgeon. Over a career spanning two decades, Child has put a remarkably distinctive stamp on his productions and, alongside early collaborator Regis, helped establish the foundations of a UK scene which the likes of Blawan and Pariah have built upon in recent years. With a long and celebrated back catalogue, releasing on some of the most respected techno labels around, Surgeon remains an intriguing figure – his live modular set ahead of a Lady Gaga show last year proving he still has a surprise or two left up his sleeve. Also appearing on the Friday is Truss, a producer behind many a fierce record, primarily finding release through Perc Trax. Glaswegian Edit Select rounds off the bill. The likes of Steve Bug, Lee Curtiss, Vitalic and Josh Wink join regulars Slam across the rest of the weekend (3-5 Apr, from £11).

Another early highlight comes courtesy of the Mood Hut showcase at La Cheetah, where label buddies Pender Street Steppers and Hashman Deejay take control of the Queen St basement for the night. Establishing a glowing reputation over the past few years, Mood Hut primarily specialises

in excellent low-slung house jams and exudes a fairly laid-back vibe for the most part. Having gone down a treat the last time they took to La Cheetah, we suspect this one will be similarly well-received (3 Apr, £8 adv).

On the same night, The Art School welcomes Lone and local artist Konx-om-Pax, showcasing a brand new AV show. Matt Cutler has amassed an impressive back catalogue under the Lone guise, disseminating glowing, rave-inspired house music through such stellar labels as R&S and Werk Discs in recent years. The dazzling visual workings of Tom Scholefield (Konx-om-Pax) should provide the perfect accompaniment to Cutler's rich, colourful soundscapes (3 Apr, £5-8).

There can be few prospects for Easter Sunday partying as appealing as an evening in the company of Manchester's Andy Carthy, alias Mr Scruff. A favourite of the Melting Pot crew, Carthy's world is one characterised by cups of tea and peculiar animated doodles – though his playful demeanour should not leave you in any doubt about his musical pedigree. Sifting through everything from hip hop and jazz to house and techno, Scruff is an endlessly versatile DJ and is very much the kind of selector you can trust to curate a party from start to finish (5 Apr, The Admiral, £12-15).

Later in the month, Subculture has a cracker lined up in the form of a live performance from German maestro Henrik Schwarz. Offering a soulful and jazzy take on house music, Schwarz has continually attracted praise for his releases on the likes of Innervisions and Mule Musiq, while also putting his name to some rather excellent edits over the years – his treatment of Bill Withers’ Who Is He remains a favourite for many, while his version of Omar's Feeling You has had similar longevity in clubs across the world (18 Apr, Sub Club, £12-15).

Heading across the M8, our first Edinburgh shout takes us to Cabaret Voltaire on Easter Sunday, where Hector's House play host to Robsoul label head Phil Weeks. Serving up a particularly slick brand of deep house, Weeks has been consistent in his output since the turn of the millennium, while his label has attracted cuts from the likes of Theo Parrish, Rick Wade and Joss Moog over the years. With 3 hours to do his thing, while Jazz Spastiks and fellow Robsoul signing 93i take charge of the other room, this one serves as a rather substantial showcase for the French label (5 Apr, £5 early bird, £8/10).

April 2015

CLUBS

We're back at Cab Vol on 17 April as FLY Club gives an all night billing to recent Dixon Avenue Basement Jams signing Denis Sulta. The Glaswegian burst onto the scene last year with A.A.S, a sultry and simplistic acid workout in which pining vocals are set against booming toms and a meandering bass line, creating a club killer which has been well rinsed since it first started doing the rounds. Having impressed on his last trip to the capital, this one is hotly anticipated (Cabaret Voltaire, £5/7).

Finally, we head for Sneaky Pete's for an evening in the capable hands of Daniel Avery. Since the release of his critically-acclaimed album Drone Logic in 2013, Avery's stock has been well and truly on the rise – evidenced with last month's release of New Energy, comprising a selection of his tracks remixed by such names as Roman Flügel, KiNK, Audion and Rødhåd. Blending ambient textures with elements of acid and techno, the Fabric resident should provide a rather satisfying closer to the month (30 Apr, £7).

Other tips include Charles Drakeford's trip to Nice ‘n’ Sleazy in Glasgow (3 Apr, £3) and Sneaky Pete's evening with Eclair Fifi, Nina Las Vegas and Jospeh Marinetti (19 Apr, £5).

Preview

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DJ Chart: Tyger Dhula Dhula, the DJ arm of cerebral live outfit Cobblestone Jazz, runs us through a list of the trio's all-time choice tracks

Nuages – No Work Today [F Communications] Soulful French techno/house from the early 90s.

This is one of the early incarnations of Ludovic Navarre and, along with Shazz, this record still stands the test of time. Warped grooviness wrapped in soulful strings and pads, it hits all the right notes, and to be fair most of the music coming out of France in the early 90s was a huge inspiration. Merci, Monsieur Garnier.

Jeff Mills – A1 Untitled [Something In The Sky] Really any of Jeff Mills’ productions could be on this list, but we've chosen this one. I remember one of our collective best memories on tour as a group was perching behind Mr Mills at the UAF festival in Weisen, Austria after we had finished our set. ‘Innovator’ is a dangerous title, but i can think of no more deserving artist than Jeff Mills.

His ability to play with time, swing and signatures transforms machine music into the realm of nature, and the organic feel that results is thoroughly inspirational.

Terekke – Damn EP [L.I.E.S.] Smoked-out goodness. A good example of how

some of the best electronic music lives outside of the peak times and large throngs. Cinematic, lo-fi and about as far away from overbearing as can be. The kind of music that makes you listen harder to it, and normally in that case there is enough in the layers that it seems as if you hear different elements every pass.

commit to that statement. The kind of record where you put on the headphones, close your eyes and 11 minutes later open them feeling as if you spent half an hour at the spa on a massage table.

The subtle textures and layers create a meditative and expansive soundscape to enjoy in a number of environments.

Linkwood – Nectarine [Prime Numbers] Super cool diverse album, with enough redeeming qualities to warrant a selection on this list. A bit all over the place, but that's not a bad thing at all and shows the different sides to this project.

Always a bold move, but refreshing when enough of the tunes hit you in the gut. Nectarine, in particular, is an extremely musical synth groove, void of drums and driven only by the keys. I've always liked music where you have to strain to hear the kick, but better yet when you can pick out the groove in the envelopes on their own.

Benjamin Wild – Kronberg [Kompakt] Not so many bells and whistles here, just a damn solid groove that keeps reaching forward and churning. Small subtle percussive sounds creating interesting patterns, and a harmonic element that gives it just enough to keep your mind wandering. It achieves the purpose of dancing, while not shoving it down your throat, and that is an important quality in mature dance music.

Heiko Laux – Dedicated 2 All Believers [Kanzleramt/Yoshitoshi] Probably my favourite techno record of all time although, if pressed, I would find it impossible to

Nu Era – Marz 2010 [Archive] Soulful techno at its finest. Pounding drums and synths, yet somehow the overall first impression is beauty, and not the driving and tough-as-nails basis beneath it. That kind of audio deception is where the most beautiful music lives. Contrast and balance blur to become an unwavering

it's a title closer to 2010’s disquieting indie favourite ­Limbo or last year's darkly alluring The Swapper than anything else on its new home platform.

Beyond its distinctive graphical style, The Fall's trump card is in its writing. Its no-bullshit intro finds an astronaut hurtling through space before crash landing on a mysterious planet. Seemingly unconscious, his all-purpose suit takes over in an effort to revive and save him and so players find themselves in control of ARID, the suit's AI, rather than the spaceman himself. What follows is a tale of the cracked line between robotic law and human intuition that could easily serve as the touch-paper for a sci-fi novel in the vein of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov or Philip K. Dick.

The Fall's most interesting concept is its level-up system. ARID is given basic control of her human cargo at first, the idea being that more complex and powerful abilities should remain in human hands for as long as possible. However, protocol locks are over-ridden when the space-

man's life is threatened, allowing ARID to gain extra powers, level up and progress. The conundrum then is that ARID must frequently put her human occupant in mortal danger in order to better protect him with the advanced powers doing so unlocks.

It is, however, not a player-led moral dilemma but a story-prescribed one. The Fall isn't a game with branching outcomes or difficult choices, but rather a platform puzzle game with point and click elements and a story that's as pre-ordained as most other video games. Yet as a plot point to hang a mature storyline onto, it's a steadfast one with few equals in its field. A solid script – and solid voice acting – ensures The Fall is on a level way above most games in these regards.

The nuts and bolts of gameplay are less ambitious, relying on fairly standard puzzle platforming elements. Yet developers Over The Moon have created some truly ingenious head-scratchers throughout the short duration of the game.

certainty that won't let you not appreciate it! As a Mark Mac production, another thank you has to go out to his 4Hero project, whose diverse output has inspired us all.

Osunlade – Beloved (LP Version) [Soul Jazz] Probably my favourite house record of all time, another bold statement though. The soul, truth and honesty just ooze out of this recording, but to be fair the whole album is wonderful, particularly Beloved and 2thousandcowries. Organic and musical, and pretty much impossible not to love.

Tranquility Bass – They Came In Peace [Exist Dance] West Coast is as West Coast does. This was a staple at the numerous outdoor parties on the West Coast. I'm pretty sure, as a band, we have all listened to this in the wilderness of British Columbia, and the nature soundscapes along with the gorgeous stand up bassline make this a classic.

Cobblestone Jazz release new 12", Northern Lights, on 27 Apr

Game Review The Fall

[Over The Moon] Wii U (version tested), previously available on PC Released: Out Now, £6.99

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Though the Wii U is certainly playing third fiddle in this generation's console wars, Nintendo can rest easy in the knowledge that their underperforming machine has already acquired an enviable catalogue of system exclusives. Yet whilst The Fall may be a port from last year's PC original, its appearance here, rather than on the indiefriendly rival machines, is another feather in Nintendo's cap.

For a platform festooned with anthropomorphic mushrooms and dancing cats, The Fall is custom built to catch attentions from those idly browsing the Wii U's online shop front. With its dark, foreboding, near-monochromatic art work,

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Review

TECH / CLUBS

A central test chamber, where ARID must try to complete a series of domestic and civil tasks whilst feigning subservience is particularly well executed, with the answers often making players second guess the game and themselves.

It's all over fairly quickly, which may disappoint some, but for its relatively meagre price it gives a good return in playtime. Yet its ending is something that will likely last a lot longer in the mind, while other more ambitious games often seem to fade as soon as the credits have rolled.

However, as a post-game ‘to be continued’ lets us know, at least one more game is being planned.

Either way, The Fall is a compelling piece of storytelling in a medium that usually struggles to engage players beyond the surface spectacle.

More importantly, it's a very good game in its own right but with both aspects combined it makes for a compelling case to dust off your Wii U pad.

[Darren Carle] overthemoongames.com

THE SKINNY

80s Icons, Human Donation, and a Hermit Genius This month's pick of Scottish contemporary art sees four exhibitions run through the month, across Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow

ly talented writer and artist. It was in the last 25 years of his life that he retreated into a hermitic lifestyle, in an isolated shack in the Carribean.

There he created some 25,000 closely-typed pages of history, philosophy and autobiography, and hundreds of his extraordinary paintings and carving. These included portraits both real and imagined, including Hitler playing cricket and Charles and Diana as Adam and Eve. There's also the incongruous appearance of Scottish landscapes. Walter developed an affection for the nation after he visited, and in his works returns imaginatively to this country frequently.

From paintings made in a remote cabin in the Carribean, it's up to Dundee and into the heart of 80s NY fashion and culture. DCA will present a selection of Maripol's photographs, garments and jewellery. And the work of this iconic photographer is also addressed by contemporary Glasgow-based artists Clare Stephenson and Zoe Williams. Installations by Stephenson and video,

James Rigler, Installation view: At Every Fading of the Stars, Tramway, 2015

At Every Fading Star Tramway

rrrrr James Rigler reinvents the classic perception of architecture and ceramics in his new show At Every Fading Star.

The artist takes inspiration from domestic forms and historical context to create a cultural purgatory within Tramway. The result is familiar yet foreign, distant but with an invitation to come home.

Abstract connotations aside, Rigler's work challenges the audience to investigate objects that may clutter or create moments in life. Alongside this ideal are the functions of neo-modernity and custom design, which help to invoke a spectacular situationist memory.

Reworked pillars provide At Every Fading Star's focal point, and the gaps between further illustrate space for subjectivity. The neat little ceramic feet resting on top of the structures suggest a visual parallel between Nelson's Column and the oblique modernity of ‘contemporary art’.

Whatever the guise, it works. And as one peers from the pleasantly sooty colour scheme, subtle yet greater themes arise: cappuccinos, bone blue china, sickly yellow, ethereal candy floss and cheap gold velour.

Connotations are supposed to be drawn and as the warmest forms are two majestic therapist couches – which are actually sharp, short tableaux of home-kitsch quality beneath a cheap marble or wooden frame – memories of furniture and places from our past melt into Rigler's portrayal of present. It is an environment reflecting a wealth of worlds yet the precise layout, steely tones and smaller, ornamental objects mirror the new age fascination with engineered glamour.

At Every Fading Star is more than an Ikea for kings, because of the lengthy thought processes that allow an audience to become detectives of their mind. James Rigler's perceived philosophy is the most attractive part of this show, as well as his capacity to reinvent Granny's kitchen circa 1970-something into a scarce show of shapely and bittersweet models. [Franchesca Hashemi]

prints and objects by Williams respond to the glamour and sensuality of Maripol's influential output from the late 1970s right up to the present. It was especially in the 80s that Maripol became known for photographing and styling key cultural figures from Fiorucci to Marc Jacobs – and from Madonna to Grace Jones, via Basquiat, Warhol and Keith Haring. This influence has continued for 30 years, and will be discussed in an accompanying series of events, talks, workshops and screenings throughout the next few months as the show runs.

We'll highlight these in the weekly events column on the website. Spring/Summer 2015 opens on 4 April and runs until 21 June.

From 3 April until 17 May the CCA present a collaborative research project by Christine Borland and Brody Condron. Unusual and difficult issues are raised in the entwined subject matter and materials of this project, which revolves around human body donation as a tool for artistic research and practice. At the end of last

month, Condron and Borland set their project going with an open air firing of ceramic sculptures, which will be displayed alongside performance documentation, and legal paperwork presented in the CCA Galleries function as a proposal to potential body donors whom the artists have worked with over the past two years. Raw earth sourced from Scottish islands has been worked into clay using traditional Neolithic methods through combining the raw material with animal hair, sand and fat. Contemporary forensics is also included within their purview as they look to the process of hypostasis whereby traces of objects touched before death remain on the bodies of the deceased. This is incorporated within their proposal for the use of their donor bodies. A series of events will also include hypostasis ‘rehearsals’ during which the trace of the sculptures will be left on carefully positioned living bodies.

Ben Martin, Line and Weight, 2014

RSA New Contemporaries 2015

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A spectacle-laden opening. Deb Marshall's sound installation Kairos I thunders over the touist traffic of Princes St, while upon entry, Erin Fairley's work projects a taut orange web over the main stairway. Elsewhere Fairley's rope installations are photographed extending over lochs and hills – peaceful alien diagrams on dreich wilds.

Closer to the city, Robbie Hamilton has installed a wooden skatepark in his space: minimalist sculpture with a function. In these august surroundings and in dialogue with the architectural models on exhibition, the ‘drawings’ made by his wheel-marks on the walls feel like a pleasingly bold, political gesture – against the institutional prescriptions of the art space, as well as urban space.

It emerges that much of the best work is sculptural, although often pervaded by an attractively clean, conceptual aesthetic which can sometimes feel more safely art-historical (by way of the 60s) than contemporary. Still, highlights include the playful formalist motifs of Tim Dalzell's SketchUpinspired model seaside, Robbie Hamilton's ply-

Credit: Douglas McCaffrey

pening and closing first, it's the new show from Generator in Dundee. Entitled What Remains, exhibiting artists Hans K Clausen and Kim K Wilson work directly with industrial and domestic by-products of human activity. Hans K Clausen engages with material consumption and urban discarding. Lost gloves and repurposed vending machines are just some of the work he generates from the detritus of the city.

In Wilson's practice, it's the process of industry rather than its trash which takes her interest.

Both natural and processed materials are subject to extraction, drying and incineration, compressing and reconstituting matter. The exhibition is open from 28 March until 19 April.

In Ingleby this month, and running until the 25 May, things are getting a bit ‘outsider’ with an exhibition of the work of Francis Archibald Walter.

Also known (to himself, at least) as the 7th Prince of the West Indies, Lord Follies and the Ding-a-Nigh Nook, Walter has been recognised as a prodigious-

Credit: Keith Hunter

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Words: Adam Benmakhlouf

wood quarter-pipes, and the simplistic but muscular conceptualism of Ben Martin's Line and Weight: a rope and steel sculpture which amply fulfils the promises of its title.

Painting is less strongly represented, although Seamus Killick's Premium Fingernails, a series of 83 works on MDF, are imaginative and obsessive, crude and funny little pieces. A gallery away, Cameron Orr's mixed media assemblages grin back with irreverent mischief. Also worth seeing are Hannah Clarkson-Dornan's poultry diptych – some deftly executed kitsch – and Alex Kuusik's enigmatic loom-woven Dullard Gene canvases.

Both lost their work in the Mackintosh fire last May. Of the few video works on show in the lower gallery, Edward Humphrey's metaphysical contemplations through borrowed speech in Another Fiction is an ambitious and essayistic work which deserves attentive viewing.

It feels like a good year for the RSA's annual ‘best of’ exhibition of Scottish degree shows, which offers a promising glimpse of the generation to come, in a time when trying to make it as an artist seems a more precarious vocation (or simply requiring more blind conviction) than ever before.

[Gary Zhexi Zhang] RSA New Contemporaries, until 8 Apr, £4 (£2)

April 2015

ART

Review

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Film Event Highlights Things get political this month, with Filmhouse, CCA and DCA offering interesting cinematic takes on the Iraq war and its aftermath. There's also the return of Dead by Dawn and Harrison Ford is back hunting Replicants in Blade Runner: The Final Cut Words: Becky Bartlett

Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Blade Runner gets another cinematic outing this month, with the definitive version – Ridley Scott's Final Cut – showing at both the GFT in Glasgow (3-9 Apr) and the Cameo in Edinburgh (6 Apr).

Loosely based on Philip K Dick's wonderfully titled sci-fi classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film famously suffered at the hands of the studios, with several versions, including a ‘director's cut’, being released. Here's your chance to see Scott's dystopian, paranoid vision of the future as he truly intended – don't miss it.

Winner of This is Horror's UK Event of the Year, Dead by Dawn returns to the Filmhouse in Edinburgh this month (23-26 Apr), bringing its usual eclectic mix of horror classics, new independent films, short film programmes, special guests and party games – as well as the Shit Film Amnesty, attendants will be invited to participate in a game of Punk Pass the Parcel, whatever that is. The programme has yet to be announced, but tickets will sell out fast – check the deadbydawn.co.uk for updates.

Acclaimed documentarist Laura Poitras’ post-9/11 trilogy – three documentaries, each examining different aspects of the world after the terrorist attacks in 2001 – is showing at the Filmhouse, in partnership with the Scottish Documentary Institute. The season begins with Oscar-nominated My Country, My Country (8 Apr), and is followed by The Oath (9 Apr), a fascinating investigation of two men's apparent involvement with Bin Laden and the repercussions of such affiliation, and Citizenfour (11 Apr), charting the filmmaker's meetings with whistleblower Edward Snowden. The Filmhouse and SDI are also presenting a special workshop in conjunction with the screenings.

At the CCA on 11 Apr, Thinking Media Scotland is hosting “Shock and Awe” to “Liberation”: Iraq 2003 and the Media, an event marking twelve years after the supposed liberation of Iraq. As well as a special screening of documentary Control Room, charting the international perception of the Iraq War courtesy of Arab news station Al Jazeera, the event includes a panel debate featuring experts and journalists.

This month's Club VHS screening at the Grosvenor, presented by Faith in Film, is Ginger Snaps (18 April), a werewolf movie that has become a contemporary cult classic thanks to its charismatic female leads, tongue-in-cheek approach to body horror, and teen themes. For a limited time tickets for the film are free, so get yours quick.

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Review

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

Force Majeure

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Director: Roy Andersson Starring: Holger Andersson, Nils Westblom, Viktor Gyllenberg, Lotti Törnros, Jonas Gerholm, Ola Stensson, Oscar Salmonsson Released: 24 Apr Certificate: 12A

Director: Ruben Östlund Starring: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kristofer Hivju, Vincent Wettergren, Clara Wettergren, Fanni Metelius, Released: 10 Apr Certificate: 15

Following Songs from the Second Floor and You, the Living, Swedish auteur Roy Andersson here concludes his absurdist trilogy of human nature. It's an intoxicating collection of very odd vignettes, loosely linked by sad-sack salesmen Jonathan (Andersson) and Sam (Westblom) as they try to peddle appalling novelty tat in an effort “to help people have fun” – one of several repeated refrains that become increasingly hilarious in conjunction with the quirky existential melancholy.

Each scene is gorgeously constructed in single, static medium shot, with Anderson making full use of the depth of frame to position an assortment of oddballs in his deliberately mundane colour palette of greys and browns. Profound but never oppressive, his thought-provoking and ostensibly dark thesis is of civilisation trundling along in perennial fug. So, to present that with the lightness of touch Andersson has is something of a miracle, particularly in its more sinister moments when alluding to crimes of imperialism and exploitation. A brilliantly funny and funnily brilliant effort.

[Chris Fyvie]

A Swedish family are on a ski holiday in the French Alps. Everything seems to be going great for Tomas (Kuhnke), Ebba (Kongsli) and their two kids. That is, until one fateful day when an avalanche strikes during lunch. The mountainside restaurant seems to be right in its path, and everyone around them is screaming at the terror about to unfold. Except, as his previous film (tricksy race relations drama Play) proved, things in writer-director Ruben Östlund's films never go down the route you might presume.

The exact nature of how the avalanche aftermath unfolds will remain unspoiled here, but let's just say that Mansplaining on Ice could work as a plausible alternative title for the film. In a formally playful fashion and manner largely free of didacticism, Östlund skewers the hollowness of many notions of gender roles and offers a pitch-black comedy that's simultaneously full of raw emotion (Kongsli is absolutely fantastic) and as tense as many a great horror movie. A blizzard of discomfort and ambiguities.

[Josh Slater-Williams]

John Wick

The Falling

Director: Chad Stahelski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, Released: 10 Apr Certificate: 15

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The name John Wick seems to send shivers down the spine of anyone who utters it in Chad Stahelski's impressively lean and wry thriller, and it's not long before we see why. A grieving ex-hitman brought out of retirement by the triple loss of his wife, his car and his new puppy, Wick is a killing machine who takes a non-nonsense approach to despatching his assailants, and he's a perfect role for Keanu Reeves, whose deadpan delivery makes the most of the surprisingly amusing script.

At heart, John Wick is a standard revenge narrative, but some key artistic choices elevate and distinguish the film from what might have been dully familiar fare. The clean, composed camerawork and sharp editing maximises the impact of the skilfully choreographed action, but the most striking aspect of John Wick is how the filmmakers vividly and wittily create a whole underworld for Wick to operate in. That underworld includes a nightclub called The Red Circle, and Jean-Pierre Melville would surely have approved of this film's stripped-down yet elegant style. [Philip Concannon]

Director: Carol Morley Starring: Maisie Williams, Maxine Peake, Monica Dolan Released: 24 Apr Certificate: 15

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Carol Morley's woozy, eerie, 1969-set girls’ school mystery has proved divisive on the festival circuit – at London Film Festival, where it premiered, it was hailed as a masterpiece by a few, walked out on by many. After establishing a dreamy, nakedly emotional, sexualised and menstrual milieu, the film segues into tragedy and then charts a strange fainting epidemic that takes over the pupils and some of the teachers. Borrowing freely from Nicolas Roeg (and produced by his son Luc), as well as making reference to pagan folklore, The Falling invites us to wonder whether something supernatural is afoot, or the mass-blackouts are merely a psychosomatic rebellion.

Without spoiling anything, we can say that the film promises to resolve much but moves on to other themes, and we found it evocative but unsatisfactory. Still, Morley offers much to ponder, and it may be that this is a work that plays better with age – in hindsight, perhaps it can be appreciated for all that it puts on the table rather than for what it answers.

[Ian Mantgani]

While We're Young

Altman

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Director: Noah Baumbach Starring: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin, Adam Horovitz, Maria Dizzia, Released: 3 Apr Certificate: 15 “For the first time, I didn't feel like a child imitating an adult.” With While We're Young, writer-director Noah Baumbach bridges the gap between his recent portraits of middle-aged malaise (Greenberg) and twenty-something troubles (Frances Ha).

Forty-something married couple Josh and Cornelia (Stiller and Watts), both involved in the documentary filmmaking world, see their lives upturned when a disarming young couple (Driver and Seyfried) enter their lives, one of whom is an aspiring documentarian. Josh, in particular, is invigorated by Driver's Jamie and his loose lifestyle, but intergenerational tension eventually rears its insecure head.

Baumbach's cast are all on great form, with Watts showing an unexpected knack for physical comedy, but special mention must be given to Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz as one half of a new parent couple, troubled by Josh and Cornelia's new friends.

This is Baumbach's broadest comedy to date and some of its sillier tangents don't always hit, but when fully firing, its barbed one-liners are often spectacular. And, with any luck, it might kill off the fedora. [Josh Slater-Williams]

FILM

Director: Ron Mann Starring: Robert Altman, Julianne Moore, Robin Williams, Paul Thomas Anderson, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Keith Carradine, Released: 3 Apr Certificate: 15 The career portrait documentary is a tricky beast to pull off. A director will be inclined to do the artist's body of work complete justice while also offering a fresh look at the individual behind the curtain. With cooperation from its subject's widow, Ron Mann's Altman, a bio-doc about one of America's greatest filmmakers, succeeds somewhat on the latter front, thanks to various home movies and rare behind-the-scenes and interview footage.

It is with Robert Altman's actual films that the documentary flounders.

Roughly nine works of a 39-film career get anything close to decent screentime, and some of those get maybe two minutes. Over half his filmography appears only in the form of on-screen titles or a single promo image, with nary an explanation of what the films even are, as the voiceover discusses another topic. For a tribute to a man it describes as highly influential (see all the famous faces popping up to define ‘Altmanesque’), Mann's ultimately fluffy film is irritatingly disinterested in the breadth of Altman's art.

[Josh Slater-Williams]

THE SKINNY

Black Mass

By Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill

A Decent Ride

The Honours

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By Mario Vargas Llosa

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This true crime classic reveals Scorcese's The Departed as slight exaggeration rather than fullblown fabrication. His Frank Costello was, if anything, a more palatable version of Whitey Bulger, the Irish American Gangster he was based upon, who wore FBI protection like a coat of armour during his bloody 80s heyday. This period saw his criminal enterprise flourish as the rival Italian Mafia withered, in no small part down to the Federal attack dogs Bulger targeted upon them. Black Mass is the true tale of these times, expertly constructed by two Boston Globe reporters and originally published in 2000.

This perfectly measured journalistic work constructs a thrilling factual timeline which bleeds and shocks, while avoiding the tabloid hyperbole of certain true crime wastes of paper pulp, stacked high in airport bookshops. It explores an ugly interdependency between the foxes and hounds on Boston's South Side – a chilling symmetry. Bulger is painted as a Machiavellian sociopath – the dark Prince of Southie, rising within his criminal court.

He handles his FBI handlers with ease, men ultimately bought cheap with flattery and pocket change.

Black Mass exposes the dilapidated soul of American justice at a moment when corruption seeped into the foundations of its integrity. [Alan Bett]

The Discreet Hero

The latest novel from this Nobel prize-winning writer examines a web of corruption that extends from the world of business to the heart of family life. There are two storylines: a small business owner in the northern town of Piura who refuses to pay protection fees, and the owner of a successful insurance company who needs to disinherit his two lazy, murderous sons. The novel balances on the point at which someone becomes a hero: these two men are not leaders of an agitating counter-culture but they each refuse to accept a predetermined life set out by the status quo.

While we might expect the younger generation to be the revolutionaries, it's the older ones who stick most closely to their ideals. It's refreshing to find the stereotype of ageing conservatism so thoroughly overturned – with humour, pathos, and quite a lot of sex. The prose is thick with detail, which works well in conjuring contemporary Peru, but in places it gets in the way of the plot. Edith Grossman's translation deals with this as best it can, but there is a tendency to over-explain the details at the point where the narrative needs them least, which is deflating. Nevertheless, it is an intriguing exploration of the relationship between fathers and sons. [Galen O'Hanlon] Out 2 Apr, published by Faber & Faber, RRP £20

Out now, published by Canongate, RRP £12.99

By Irvine Welsh

By the end of the first chapter of Irvine Welsh's new book, Edinburgh cab driver ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, has managed to secure himself a ten grand driving gig for a reality TV star, and revealed to a mourning family that his friend has killed himself by choking on his own vomit and then accidently freezing his own head in a fridge freezer. He mistook it for an oven apparently. Terry has also fucked every female he has so far encountered, using his cab as a mobile love hotel for unsuspecting Festival tourists, drunken late night revellers and the odd suicidal playwright.

A dozen pages in, I thought I was going to hate this book. The plot is ridiculous and gratuitous – several characters, especially the American, are so stupid you want to squash them out of the pages with your thumb. We witness a hurricane, $100,000 bottles of whisky, necrophilia, incest and heart attacks. Despite this, A Decent Ride ends up sucking you indecently in. Terry, with his ‘Auld Faithful’ cock, is a charming and loveable cartoon character and Welsh's customary use of distinctive dialect and full-on language is, as ever, immersive and weirdly enjoyable. The book leaves you feeling satisfyingly grimy, like the meaty brown-paper bag aftertaste of a McDonald's cheeseburger, eaten shamefully alone in the night drizzle of a deserted street corner. [Sacha Waldron] Out 16 Apr, published by Vintage, RRP £12.99

Tim Clare is a stand-up poet and the author of award-winning memoir We Can't All Be Astronauts.

His debut novel, The Honours, is a tightly plotted fantasy told through the eyes of a rebellious, rifletoting and combat-obsessed 13-year-old named Delphine. When Delphine's parents move her to Alderberen Hall, having joined its mysterious society, she sets out to uncover its secrets after overhearing a suspicious conversation. Soon the daring and ingenious heroine has discovered a network of secret passages, enabling her to spy on the house guests.

Unfortunately the guests are a cast of clichéd eccentrics, including an elderly reclusive lord, a bossy housekeeper and a dark stranger from the east with alleged mystical powers. The failure of these characters to come alive makes it difficult to emotionally engage with the novel as the plot progresses. Clare can certainly write and has a boundless imagination coupled with an ability to fully inhabit and convey his fantasy world. However, the action-packed and intensely detailed plot often struggles to deliver a genuine sense of intrigue.

The short sections of the book that take place away from Alderberen Hall are actually more atmospheric and enjoyable, with Delphine's character given space to breathe within the narrative. Although a pacy and richly described read, Clare's debut is not as engaging as anticipated. [Lucy Christopher] Out 2 Apr, published by Canongate, RRP £12.99

The Offence

Rollerball

Wooden Crosses

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Director: Sidney Lumet Starring: Sean Connery, Derek Newark, Peter Bowles, Trevor Howard, Ian Bannen, Released: Out now Certificate: 15 Over a career spanning five decades, Sidney Lumet specialised in taut, claustrophobic human dramas. But while the director's early works such as 12 Angry Men and Fail Safe were characterised by a decidedly theatrical aesthetic, the 70s saw him undertake a more expansive approach to filmmaking.

Adapted by John Hopkins from his stage play This Story of Yours, The Offence is one of Lumet's most uneven offerings, awkwardly bridging the two phases of his career. It presents audiences with an overwhelmingly bleak rumination on evil, as Sean Connery's hardboiled police detective beats a suspected child molester to death and is forced to confront his own inner darkness. Scenes in which the star's obsessive, bruised machismo is shown languishing within an austere vision of Britain are hugely effective, but lengthy dialogues with Trevor Howard and Vivian Merchant lack naturalism.

Bordering on stagey melodrama, they distract from what's otherwise an ambiguous delight. [Lewis Porteous]

What We Do in the Shadows

Director: Jermaine Clement, Taika Waititi Starring: Jermaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer Released: 13 Apr Certificate: 15

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A documentary crew follows the lives of four vampires living in a Wellington suburb. The key word here is ‘vampires’. Exchange it for ‘rock-stars’, and we're in Spinal Tap territory. Which is exactly how ... Shadows operates: scuttling between genres, sucking in references from Nosferatu to Twilight, and spraying out comedic life-blood by way of an acerbic perspective and fully-realised characters.

Most laughs come from the petty sparring between its oddquadrant dynamic. There's dandified Viago (Waititi), somewhatreformed sadist Vlad (Clement), and louche Deacon (Brugh). Petyr (Fransham), the eldest at 8000 years, lurks in the basement, munching on spinal columns and serving up Orlokian presence as foil to his hapless, endearing roomies.

Exhuming anything fresh from the well-decimated vaults of horror comedy is no mean feat. However, flinging workaday charm like holy water over the premise, Waititi and Clement unleash a fangsharp comedy that goes straight for the jugular. [Kirsty Leckie-Palmer]

April 2015

By Tim Clare

Director: Norman Jewison Starring: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn Released: Out now Certificate: 15 Forty years on from its release, there's no doubt that Rollerball feels like a prescient film. It's set in a world run by corporations and its use of a violent spectacle to simultaneously entertain and subdue the masses has a clear resonance in today's wildly popular Hunger Games series.

Norman Jewison's film plays with a lot of smart and pointed ideas, but over the course of its generous running time that's about all the film does with them. With its sluggish pacing, Rollerball gradually loses momentum between its slickly constructed game sequences, which still possess a bruising impact and remain oddly mesmerising even as the sport's rules are totally bewildering. Shave off 20-odd minutes and put someone like Paul Verhoeven at the helm, and it's easy to imagine Rollerball being a masterpiece of violent, outrageous satire. As it is, this solemn picture is an example of interesting ideas crying out for sharper execution. [Philip Concannon]

The Samurai

Director: Till Kleinert Starring: Michel Dierks, Pit Bukowski Released: 13 Apr Certificate: 18

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Werewolf films tend to deal with the physical, and thus psychosexual, painful metamorphosis of a coming-of-age protagonist, from Ginger Snaps to Teen Wolf. Till Kleinert's feature debut, The Samurai, is an intoxicatingly queer take on the werewolf motif, bending genre (gothic horror, fairytale, giallo, slasher, black comedy) as freely and expertly as gender.

Repressed policeman Jakob (Michel Dierks) patrols a provincial German village, feeding a wolf that's bothering the locals, a parapraxis that summons the titular Samurai (Pit Burkowski). Burkowski is instantly iconic as the Samurai/werewolf: bestial and graceful, as beautiful as he is menacing, his wiry muscular body hirsute in a white gown, katana in hand. Jakob, at once Red Riding Hood, the Woodsman and a lone wolf, follows the Samurai into the woods.

Doppelgangers, blood and gothic allusions abound; the film impressionistically unfurls into a lucid haze of sex and violence, compellingly offbeat and irrevocably Other. [Rachel Bowles]

DVD / BOOKS

Director: Raymond Bernard Starring: Pierre Blanchar, Gabriel Gabrio, Charles Vanel Released: Out now Certificate: PG Countless films declare ‘war is hell’, but few do so with as much bitter veracity as Wooden Crosses. Adapted from Roland Dorgelès’ autobiographical novel, it follows a group of soldiers through the trenches and battlefields of WW1 France, their ranks ever-dwindling and their outlook increasingly disillusioned.

Though it now lives in near-contemporary All Quiet on the Western Front's shadow, Wooden Crosses is arguably the more affecting work. Its horrors feel grimly authentic, lent weight by an excellent cast comprised entirely of veterans, as well as director Raymond Bernard's decision to shoot on actual battle sites (which, the DVD extras reveal, led to the discovery of several unrecovered bodies). The film's standout scenes eschew both softness and sentimentality, with infantry piling endlessly onwards, soldiers dying alone in no-man's land, and ghostly battalions marching with head markers in hand. Appropriately enough considering its ‘in memoriam’ epigraph, Wooden Crosses proves hard to forget. [Chris Buckle]

Coffy

Director: Jack Hill Starring: Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Robert DoQui, William Elliott, Allan Arbus, Released: 6 Apr Certificate: 18

rrrrr

Coffy sees director Jack Hill (The Big Doll House) at the top of his game, and the legendary Pam Grier justifying her fearless reputation as a vigilante out for revenge against the drug dealers destroying her community.

There's plenty of over-the-top violence, nudity and humour, as expected from the blaxploitation genre, but there's some more subversive elements working under the surface too. The script is surprisingly nuanced and grounded, and Coffy isn't merely a twodimensional action character. On top of being handy with a shotgun, she's a capable nurse who's been driven to violence and remains unsure of herself. Grier's fine-grained, vulnerable performance seals the deal.

Coffy is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in the genre, or who wants to see Pam Grier at her very best. This Arrow release includes commentary from Jack Hill, interviews and a specially commissioned feature on the history of blaxploitation. [Scott McKellar]

Review

59

Returning to Behaviour Ahead of BEHAVIOUR’s sixth year, Peter McMaster talks about the support The Arches has always given him, pushing his work to extremes, and his show 27

Credit: Alan McCredie

Interview: Emma Ainley-Walker

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

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ow in its sixth year, The Arches' BEHAVIOUR festival has very quickly become not just a stalwart of Scottish theatre, but one of the most highly anticipated and exciting events of the theatrical year. BEHAVIOUR can be depended on in the ways that it will challenge its artists and its audiences, pushing boundaries while simultaneously providing a support that keeps its artists and audiences working and returning to the festival.

Peter McMaster, winner of the 2013 Arches Platform 18 award, is back at Behaviour this year with 27. McMaster acknowledges the support he has always felt from The Arches, and in particular this festival. “Unlike some of the other major institutions in Glasgow and Scotland that support or produce contemporary performance/theatre, BEHAVIOUR always feels like a more accepting place to present my work. I have always been very supported by the Arches staff and community, and I feel like my relationship with them has always been about facilitating my growth as an artist by providing me with periods of support, where all that is expected of me is to be my own artist. This is a rarity that makes that building and what it does feel like a special place. I suppose I carry this sense with me when I present at BEHAVIOUR, in a way where I want to honour that relationship by presenting my work at the festival.”

The Platform 18 award in particular, for an all-male Wuthering Heights, placed McMaster's work on a national level for the first time. “It got a lot of exposure,” he reflects. “I also challenged myself to make work that felt like it could be presented on a more national/international level and I think in order to do this, I surpassed my own expectations of what I thought I could do. I think this resulted in a piece of work that had a lot of urgent energy to it. The subject matter, which was exploring particularly troubled experiences of masculinity in the cast who performed it, also felt like a timely enquiry in the wider community. People felt like it was a relevant issue to be looking at, and I think this is what made it attractive to programme, or why it became nominated for awards.”

This energy and exploration of masculinity carries forward into 27, which he describes as: “imbued with the notions of extreme; extreme

60

Review

intimacy, extreme physicality, extreme exposure.

I was interested in the lifestyles of the artists that make up the 27 club – this is where my research for 27 began. As an artist who also is that age, I wanted to draw comparison between my own life, my own – often extreme – desires for my art work, and the work of these artists who ended up dying at this age.”

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, run ended. lyceum.org.uk/whats-on/production/the-caucasian-chalkcircle

“ all that is expected of me is to be my own artist – a rarity that makes that building and what it does feel like a special place.”

Although McMaster highlights that “within the context of other contemporary performance makers, my work probably doesn't seem that far out,” he explains the desire to embrace extremes in his work. “I am interested in experiences that test my understanding of what it means to be who I am in the world. I believe we humans have massive potential and capacity to be constantly learning, always contributing new insight into our struggles, our joys, for a better state of being in our lives, within a world that is rapidly being destroyed by us. But it takes breaking away from particular capitalist expectations in order to do that – whether that is about your gender, ethnicity, sexuality or work-related statuses.”

The ethos of “risk-taking and experimentation”, coupled with its supportive atmosphere, explains why BEHAVIOUR grows ever bigger, and why artists such as McMaster keep on returning to this festival.

BEHAVIOUR 2015, 8 Apr-17 May, The Arches thearches.co.uk/events/arts/behaviour-festival-2015

Credit: Eoin Carey

N

If art, by its very nature, is political, then Mark Thomson's revival of Bertolt Brecht's 1944 parable for the ages, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, is perhaps the most perfectly-timed production on the Scottish theatrical calendar. Dealing with poverty, wealth, dissent, war and displacement, it's the play's message of justice and (most importantly) hope that ultimately speaks to us all.

Translated by Alistair Beaton, the show is a play within a play, beginning with disgruntled villagers in post WWII Soviet Union putting on a piece of theatre to settle a dispute over the issue of land ownership. Sarah Swire is the rock star narrator; a riot grrrl-esque explosion of feminine power and the antithesis of Amy Manson's Grusha, the innocent servant girl who unwillingly rescues and raises

the Governor's child when his wife (John Kielty) leaves him behind, fleeing the war.

There's something that's so refreshing about Thomson's revival; from the live music and the energy of the cast – who move through multiple characters, different times and extraordinary places with such ease – to Karen Tennent's set, which is stripped bare, creating the perfect backdrop for a war-torn and treacherous landscape.

A tale not just for war, but also for peace, The Caucasian Chalk Circle highlights the differences and prejudices between the upper and lower classes. The ultimate tale of our times, the play sheds light onto the injustices that linger just beneath the surface of society and presents a tale of survival and triumph despite the odds. [Amy Taylor]

The Fair Intellectual Club

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The Fair Intellectual Club, directed for Stellar Quines by Marilyn Imrie, is a force of strong females, both in and out of the production. The first play penned by Lucy Porter, The Fair Intellectual Club is a strong writing debut from the comedian.

The stage is set with candles, and a simple set reflects the atmosphere of secrecy well, immersing the audience into the play. Imrie's direction arcs nicely through the performance, as we see the three women at first fighting to stand on the plinth; to be the dominant voice in the club.

As the action goes on they are banded together, and it is maybe in this change most of all that we see the feminist spirit of the club and of the play.

It is through the women's discovery that they can

THEATRE

fight to publish their poetry or marry the man that they love, yet can never be recognised for their scientific and mathematic genius, that the injustice they must rail against truly unravels.

Samara MacLaren, Caroline Deyga and Jessica Hardwick each have strong presences, and although set in the 18th Century, their display of friendship, fall-outs, and the pursuit for knowledge and equality wouldn't be lost now on a show such as Girls. The closing scene of the play reminds us of that very fact, and calls to the audience and to women to stand strong together, all to a Beyoncé soundtrack. It's hard not to leave the theatre feeling the empowerment of that very call.

[Emma Ainley-Walker] Touring, run ended thefairintellectualclub.co.uk

THE SKINNY

Musical Comedy at the Ballot Box Can music and comedy mobilise voters? Jonny and the Baptists’ Paddy Gervers talks to The Skinny ahead of their Glasgow and Edinburgh shows

Credit: Isabelle Adam

Interview: Jenni Ajderian and Ben Venables

I

n September last year, something exceptional happened. The Scottish Independence Referendum brought 85% of Socttish voters out to the polling booths, and Paddy Gervers, one half of musical comedy duo Jonny and the Baptists, is full of praise.

“The rest of the UK should really be taking pointers from Scotland,” says Paddy Gervers. “The Referendum was a thing of beauty, to have such a close margin between Yes and No, and 85% turnout is incredible. They got young people involved and old people involved... they got people interested.”

Jonny and the Baptists are musical comedy's answer to the coalition government. Finalists in 2013's New Act of the Year, Amused Moose and the Musical Comedy awards, the combo are also known for their Stop UKIP tour (perhaps due to it being the tour UKIP tried to stop). This experience, and the hate-mail they received, became central to last year's popular and well-received Fringe show The Satiric Verses.

They arrive in Glasgow and Edinburgh this month with a new show called Rock the Vote. Can we expect more of the same?

“This show is more a call to arms, about the act of voting rather than the direction of your vote.

We've got songs about all the major parties and we're making sure that there's a balance of pisstaking… It's a discussion of why people should vote.”

Stateside in the 1990s, there was a concerted campaign called Rock the Vote to get the American young into politics by talking to them via pop stars. A British equivalent formed a little later but was never known for its success. This makes the concept, even as a show title, something of an odd choice. Then again, Jonny and the Baptists may have something those pop stars didn't: comedy.

Is comedy, then, a good way of capturing voters’ imagination?

“I really think it is. I emote with comedians and musicians in a big way, since they're an enormous part of growing up, especially in Britain where we have this amazing culture of art. If you can get people to laugh while talking about politics… [then people] can connect with politics.”

Getting us to connect with politics remians a tricky task: excluding the referendum, turn-outs in general, local and European elections have stayed resolutely low. In the last UK general election a third of the adult population didn't vote.

“People are really disenfranchised with voting.

There are so many parties throwing around jargon and saying the same things, and it's all about blame

April 2015

and finger-pointing. As someone who hasn't voted before, you really need an argument to go and do it. If it was my first time, I'd know that he doesn't like her and she doesn't like him, but I wouldn't know who to vote for.

“The rest of the UK should really be taking pointers from Scotland” “That's what the show is about. If everyone goes out and votes then at least we'll have a completely democratic representation of what everyone wants, as opposed to saying well, 20 per cent of the people think this.”

While the group's commitment to mobilising voters speaks of a commitment to the democratic ideals of voting in general, given their previous shows, would the group really be happy if everyone went out and voted, but the result ended in a UKIP-Conservative coalition?

“That's one of the brilliant privileges that we have in Britain, that we're all entitled to our own opinion, and as long as you go out and research and vote for who you believe then who's to say you shouldn't? Even if we change one person's mind about whether or not they should vote, that's a really good thing. Even if they vote for someone I don't believe in, our job's done. They'll continue to vote and continue to determine our country's future in a time when that's really important.”

Currently gigging and rehearsing in the US, Paddy has become acutely aware of the benefits of having the NHS, the welfare system and Arts Council funding – all of which may be on the chopping block come 7 May. “Everyone's going to notice if the NHS disappears, if benefits or arts funding are slashed, or if there's a higher bedroom tax. I think that's when people think, ‘I've actually noticed my country change, maybe I should have said something.’”

Advertise Here If you’re reading this advert, so are 160,000 other people this month. Ask your friendly neighbourhood sales team how you can advertise too.

To find out more contact us on 0131 467 4630 or sales@theskinny.co.uk

theskinny.co.uk @theskinnymag /TheSkinnyMag

Illustration: Michael Arnold

Jonny and the Baptists: Rock the Vote plays The Stand, Glasgow, 13 Apr and Edinburgh, 15 Apr, 7.30pm, £10 (£5 tickets for first-time voters available for Rock The Vote shows – must be aged 18-23 on 7 May 2015, limited allocations may apply, check with venues for details) jonnyandthebaptists.co.uk thestand.co.uk

COMEDY

Feature

61

8-24 May 2015 southsidefringe.org.uk @keepitsouth

southsidefringe

41 Venues 170 EvEnts 120 Artists LivE Music CAbAret poEtry theAtre Arts thE onLy fEstivAL in GLAsGow dEdicAtEd to thE pEopLE of thE southsidE

The Skinny Short Film Competition 2015 The Skinny & Olympus are on the hunt for the best new filmmaking talent in the UK. If you’ve made a short film for less than £1000 since May 2014 we’d love to see it! The winning filmmaker will be presented with £3000 of camera equipment from Olympus as well as production support from The Skinny to produce a new short film which will be premiered at Glasgow Short Film Festival in 2016.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES NOW! For full details on how to enter head along to bit.ly/TheSkinnyShortFilm

@theskinnymag

/TheSkinnyMag

Illustration: Sophie Freeman

62

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Music Tue 31 Mar LAIBACH

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £16

Slovenian avant-garde outfit in re-invented form, touring latest LP Spectre.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW (WILLIAM BECKETT + ALVAREZ KINGS + HELLO FUTURE)

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

New Jersey post-hardcore bunch who’ve formed, disbanded and reformed in their 15-odd years.

OOZING WOUND (GHOLD + CLOCKED OUT + DROVES)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Chicago-based metal-meets-rock unit of the grimy hardcore sludge variety.

Wed 01 Apr FYFE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

Fresh-faced Londoner, providing a hefty blend of folk meets electronics layered up with moody vocals.

DIVIDES

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

All-rockin’ Glasgow five-piece composed of former members of various other Scottish bands.

DEMOB HAPPY (FATALISTS)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The garage rockers return for a second taste of UK life after a hyped autumn tour last year.

BEACH BEACH (SPINNING COIN + GERARD LOVE + TEENAGE FANCLUB DJS)

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £7

The guitar-soaked Spanish popsters tour the UK, playing tracks from their new LP The Sea.

Thu 02 Apr

CHARLIE AND THE BHOYS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £19

Another Barrowland singalong with the Donegal Celtic rockers.

STANLEY ODD

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

Inventive hip-hop musings as the Odd Squad move from chopped electrofunk to crunchy 8-bit, via well-constructed vocal flows from Solareye and Veronica Electronica.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

Melodic trance trio made up of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamaki, who also own record label Anjunabeats.

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £9

The Brooklyn psych-rockers flex their fine musical chops in a live setting.

BBC SSO THURSDAY NIGHT SERIES: RACHMANINOV’S SECOND SYMPHONY

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra take on Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony No 2, amongst other works.

CHINESE COOKIE POETS + NEGRO LEO

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 21:00–23:00, £6

Brazil/Scotland collaboration bringing the new Rio underground to Glasgow: step forward the Chinese Cookie Poets and Le Negro.

Part of Counterflows Festival.

BIG HOGG

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

Glasgow-dwelling psych-meetsjazz ensemble, out launching their new LP.

BAD GUYS (UBERSKULL + BRITNEY + CIVIL ELEGIES)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

London-based band of rockers of the suitably noisy variety.

Fri 03 Apr VINTAGE TROUBLE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

R’n’B and soul project of Canadian duo Ty Taylor and Nalle Colt, brought to life in their basic home studio in Venice Beach.

THE SUNSHINE SOCIAL (PUPPET REBELLION + THE VENDETTAS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £7

Uplifting indie troupe who won the Billy Kelly award back in’t 2010.

April 2015

TRAPPED MICE (ZED PENGUIN + NOW WAKES THE SEA) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , 20:00–00:00, £5

The Edinburgh quartet do their alternative folk-meets-indie racket of a thing to suitably fine effect, playing tracks offa their latest LP Sacred To The Shades.

SWIM DEEP

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £11

Bright indie hopefuls making sun-kissed dross-pop in their hometown of Birmingham, then touring it to a venue near you.

SUMSHAPES

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

The Glasgow trio (aka Ali Begbie, Richie Dempsey and Jer Reid, formerly under the guise of Dawson) play the Duck’s diminutive gig lair.

CATHOLIC ACTION + POOR THINGS (THE POOCHES) BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £5 (£7 WITH TAPE)

Fuzzkill Records acts Catholic Action and Poor Things celebrate the launch of their split tape.

RICHARD YOUNGS’ EXPERIMENT FOR DEMOLISHED STRUCTURES

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 18:45–21:00, £6

Experimental muso Richard Youngs presents a new commission for four voices, based on the influence of Brutalist architecture, marking his first foray into the world of choral music. Part of Counterflows Festival.

FLORIAN HECKER

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 22:40–00:00, £6

The German sound artist continues his exploration of space and sound.

Part of Counterflows Festival.

Sat 04 Apr

ROBIN TROWER (JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR)

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

The British rock’n’roll guitarist tours his latest LP.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY PRESENTS... THE WORLD TOUR (PIERCE THE VEIL + SLEEPING WITH SIRENS + ISSUES)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

That there energy drink bring Pierce the Veil and Sleeping With Sirens to the same stage for the first time since their sold out 2012 tour.

8-BIT NIGHTS (THEREMIN HERO + GALAXY WOLF + SKYE POPE + VIRUS UPLAOD + QUEEN LA QUEEFA) BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Weegie chiptune party night returns, with a bounty of guests in tow.

PRIMITIVE MAN (SEA BASTARD + OMMADON + VOE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 14:00–19:00, £6

The Colorado lot unleash their usual filthy maelstrom of blackened doom, playing tracks from their debut LP Scorn.

ROBIN ADAMS

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £5

The Glaswegian acoustic performer plays a solo selection of tracks from fourth LP The Garden, followed by a live band set.

DINO + WANG FU-JUI + LIN CHI-WEI

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 20:00–22:00, £6

Three pioneers of Taiwanese sound art perform in Scotland for the first time. Part of Counterflows Festival.

NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6.00

The American guitarist, songwriter and producer play his first Glasgow set in some 10 years. Part of Counterflows Festival.

Sun 05 Apr

LOTTE MULLAN (JAZZ MORLEY)

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £7.50

Tender pop singer/songwriter originally from the fields of Suffolk, who, asides from music, claims to enjoy bike rides, real ale and cowboys. Don’t we all.

MARIKA HACKMAN (SOPHIE JAMIESON)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Sweet-voiced young folk singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

GOATS DON’T SHAVE O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17

Thu 09 Apr

STRUGGLE (PALE ANGELS + FUCHSIA + JUTLAND SONGS) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Monthly punk and post hardcore selection of bands from DIY collective Struggletown.

JERU THE DAMAJA (THE BEATNUTS)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £16

Irish folk rock mainstays, formed way back in 1990 in County Donegal.

The legendary Brooklyn hip-hop MC performs a rare Scottish set.

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £33

The Mercury-nominated Manchester trio tour their latest LP Hold Back The Night.

RICK ROSS

The Miami rapper continues to ride the wave of last year’s duo of (distinctly different) LPs: Mastermind and Hood Billionaire.

ANDREA NEUMANN

THE GLAD CAFE, 16:30–17:30, FREE

Counterflows’ residency collaborator presents her solo work Letraton Nr. 9 for Innenklavier (inside piano). Part of Counterflows Festival.

RICHARD YOUNGS + DANIEL CARTER TRIO W/ FRITZ WELCH

THE GLAD CAFE, 17:45–19:45, £6

Special evening showcase taking in a solo set from Richard Youngs, plus the Daniel Carter Trio (with Fritz Welch accompaniment) and more. Part of Counterflows Festival.

PAUL VINCENT (ROBERT DUNBAR)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £10 (£8)

Liverpool-based singer/songwriter blending country, rock and folk influences.

Mon 06 Apr JESSICA PRATT

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £10

The San Francisco-hailing freak-folk singer graduates from four-track bedroom recordings to actual performances in front of actual audiences. She brings her retro, 60s-vibing self-titled debut out to a live setting BRIBRY + DODIE CLARK

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Irish singer/songwriter (known to his mammy as Brian O’Reilly), out on tour with harmonic songstress Dodie Clark.

Tue 07 Apr

BLUE NOVA (BEAUTIFUL EXPECTATIONS)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Unhinged rock’n’rollers from Barrhead, who’ve been giggin’ their way around Glasgow for the past five+ years.

ROO PANES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Classical folk/pop outfit hailing from that there London town.

IN HINDSIGHT

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Pop-meets-rock outfit with brothers Michael Newcombe (lead vocals and bass) and Daniel Newcombe (drums) at the helm.

GURDAS MAAN

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £25

The Indian singer/songwriter, choreographer and actor alights in Glasgow for a set of his quintessentially Punjabi tunes.

NYOS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: SPRING CONCERT

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, £16 (£10)

The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland play a special springwelcoming concert, under the wing of maestro Nicholos Collon.

Wed 08 Apr

TARIBOWEST (LOST IN THE RIOTS + POLYMATH)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

A selection of super-heavy live band sounds curated by Vasa’s J Niblock and Detour’s Ally McCrae.

DUKE GARWOOD

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

London-based multi-instrumentalist of the distinctly bluesy persuasion.

NEMECYST + KORALIS (PERPETUA + DEADLY INSCRIPTION)

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £3

The Scottish metalheads celebrate the release of their new single, with co-support from Koralis.

SHARON ROBINSON

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Leonard Cohen’s writing collaborator plays a solo set.

NIKOLA (COURTNEY O’NEILL + HAYLEY AND JUNBUG )

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

Guitar and singer duo on vocals, keys, acoustic bass and cajon, out launching their new EP.

I AM KLOOT

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £17

BALTHAZAR

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Belgian pop outfit infusing their sound with rock, electro and hiphop influences.

SLOTH METROPOLIS (WOODWIFE + KEV DENNY AND THE WINTER MOON BAND + NEURO TRASH)

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £4

Story-driven indie-folky-jazzy excellence hailing from our own fine shores.

DUKE GARWOOD

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

London-based multi-instrumentalist of the distinctly bluesy persuasion.

LE THUG (MAHÙT + INUIT)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £5

The industrial dreamgazers continue to ride the wave of their latest LP Place Is.

THE SHERLOCKS (JUNKIE ROMANCE) STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £7

Sheffield indie-rock unit made up of two sets of brothers.

SHALAMAR

O2 ABC, 18:00–22:00, £25

70s and 80s-hailing disco-driven American ensemble, out riding the wave of their twilight years.

HENRY AND FLEETWOOD

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

New collaboration of Gillian Fleetwood (of The State Broadcasters) and Martin John Henry (of De Rosa).

HAPPY MEALS (APOSTILLE + STEEV)

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–01:00, £5

The Glasgow synthpop duo draw their Euro tour to a close with an end-of-tour party, joined by Apostille and Steev (of Errors) on decks.

Sun 12 Apr THE NECKS

PLATFORM, 19:30–22:00, £12.50

Cult Australian trio still going strong after 25+ years, out doing their genre-defying thing in a live setting.

KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD (BEN POOLE)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £25

American blues rock guitarist with five Grammy nominations to his name.

NICKI MINAJ (ESTER DEAN)

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:30–22:00

BILLY LIAR + JOE MCMAHON (PHIL TAYLOR + EWAN GRANT)

The American rapstress takes her latest LP on the road, hopefully bedecked in a feather headdress.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5 ADV. (£6 DOOR)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

BEN KHAN

Joint tour from Scotland guitar slinger Billy Liar and late 90s/early 00s punk rocker Joe McMahon (of Smoke Or Fire).

Young London-based chappie making bold, modern pop with an elusive edge.

Fri 10 Apr

Duo of country songstresses out on their joint tour.

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10

Mon 13 Apr

THE BEVVY SISTERS

All-female Edinburgh trio uniting the richly seasoned voices of Heather Macleod, Kaela Rowan and Roberta Pia. THE NEW FABIAN SOCIETY (HEAVY SMOKE + ELECTRIC GARDENS)

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

Glaswegian post-industrial punk duo trading in loud, shambolic and frantic notes, balanced with the odd slow and euphoric moment.

THE SHIRES

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £12

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshirehailing duo riding the wave of country music’s recent success.

PAUL SIMON + STING

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00

The long-time friends take to the stage together, encompassing 30+ hits both together and apart.

STANLEY BRINKS + FRESCHARD (PASSION PUSHER + FROTH) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

Former Herman Dune man Stanley Brinks play a special co-headline set with pal Freschard, together fusing blues, country and anti-folk.

JOHN MCCULLAGH AND THE ESCORTS (ANTON AND THE COLTS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Folk-meets-rock singer/songwriter John McCullagh heads out on the road with his new live band, The Escorts.

MEGHAN TRAINOR

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

American singer/songwriter and record producer who began warbling at the age of 6.

THE FOZ

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, FREE

The acoustic songsmiths launch their new LP The War On Mugs, in the running for quite possibly the best album title ever.

Sat 11 Apr

ERRORS (UBRE BLANCA)

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:30–22:30, £11

The Glasgow electronic indie rockers air tracks from their more organic-sounding new LP Lease of Life, which finds ‘em complementing their trademark liberal use of vocals with pleasingly straight-cut melodies.

DEAD MAN FALL

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6.50

Glasgow-based alternative indie quartet formed from the ashes of Odeon Beatclub.

THE SPITFIRES (THE HOLY PISTOL CLUB)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £8

The Walford-based trio do their fiery and anthemic thing.

SASHA MCVEIGH + SONIA LEIGH

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £7

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £30

Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford and his new generation of ‘The Mechanics’ take to the road to play the hits.

BLACK YAYA

MONO, 20:00–22:00, £9

Herman Dune frontman and writer David Ivar plays under his Black Yaya moniker, delivering simple guitar songs with occasional effects and harmonica.

NADINE SHAH (RETRIEVER)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

British born, by way of Norwegian and Pakistani parentage, vocalist and pianist – building her sound on her trademark gently tremulous textures and unique smoky intensity.

Tue 14 Apr LATECOMERS

AVANT GARDE, 20:00–22:00, FREE

More acoustic pop loveliness from the Glasgow-based outfit.

TURBOWOLF

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £9

Bristol-based psychic noisemakers on guitars, drums and bass.

OLLY MURS (ELLA EYRE)

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00

The fresh-faced X-Factor almostwas (as in, he lost), proves that winning the thing means nothing (so long as you join up with a super powerful management and label team regardless.)

MATTHEW E WHITE

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £14

Gospel-influenced singer/songwriter and producer hailing from Virginia Beach, VA – with enviable hair genes.

DRENGE

CLASSIC GRAND, 18:30–22:00, £12

Sheffield-based brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless provide the guitars and drums-built soundscapes.

JAMES BAY

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

Long-haired British singer/songwriter currently having his merry way with the pop/rock template.

BRETT DENNEN

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £13.50

North Californian folk-meets-pop singer/songwriter, who likes to paint while he tours.

FAIRVIEW (FLAKES)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The Broghton-based posthardcore kings descend.

Wed 15 Apr GIRL FRIEND

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Wild Beasts-inspired Manc ensemble, draping subtle lyrical musings over a dreamy pop backdrop.

SLUG (JUTLAND SONGS)

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £7

New project of Ian Black, a merrily disruptive influence on the North East music scene for more than a decade.

AUDAX

STEREO, 20:00–23:00, FREE

Electronic project of twin brothers Pedro and Andrè Cajado, out on their Ready To Explode single launch tour.

OLIVER COATES

THE ART SCHOOL, 20:00–22:00, £10 (£8)

Young cellist known for his work with a variety of composers and musicians, previewing new works written on residency in Hong Kong.

CUT OUT SHAPES (DEAD WRESTLERS + THE NAKED FEEDBACK) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Leeds-based alternative rockers taking their cue from QOTSA.

DEATH SHANTIES (APOSTILLE + SEALIONWOMAN + RICHARD YOUNGS) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Fledgling mixed media balls-tothe-wall free jazz group featuring Alex Neilson, Sybren Renema and Lucy Stein.

Thu 16 Apr

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Youthful jazz renegades and band of brothers; pretty much as authentic as you can get, without Sun Ra trumpeter Phil Cohran actually being their father. Oh wait, he is.

BBC SSO THURSDAY NIGHT SERIES: BRUCKNER 4

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra take on Bruckner’s Symphony No 4, amongst other works.

FELIX KUBIN (THE MODERN INSTITUTE + ENJOYABLE MOMENT SOUNDSYSTEM)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £9

Electronic muso whose musical experimentation took off when he got his first Korg MS-20 synthesizer at the age of 11.

REPEATER: THIS IS NOT A FUGAZI TRIBUTE

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Post-hardcore DIY gig/club effort, this edition hosting a special charity event with a selection of Scottish musicians covering DIY legends.

Fri 17 Apr THE WOMBATS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £17

The Liverpudlian indie-rock scamps return bigger, brighter, and with their new album in tow.

VASA (MOUNTAINS UNDER OCEANS + CANAL CAPITALE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £7 (£5)

Glaswegian progressive instrumental post-rockers, built on their own sublime brand of melodic, guitar-driven rock.

ELA ORLEANS (HOWIE B + SACRED PAWS)

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £7

The Glasgow-based Polish chanteuse launches her new LP cleverly using loop pedals to sync otherworldy synths, silken vocals and samples: sounding like some kind of hallucinatory angel of the night, mores the joy.

ZERVAS AND PEPPER

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £10

Cosmic folk rock five-piece, formed in 2007 when Cardiffbased singer/songwriters Paul Zervas and Kathryn Pepper discovered a mutual love of harmony-heavy folk.

THE VAMPS (UNION J)

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £9.50

Acoustic-driven British pop unit led by singer Brad Simpson.

SCO: MOZART AND THE HORN

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14.50

The SCO’s horn player in chief, Alec Frank-Gemmill, takes in a selection of classics, including Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 2.

DO SOMETHING 2

WALKABOUT, 19:30–22:00, £5

Charity fundraiser with live music from Ape Man Alien, District 55 and Mark Aitcheson, under the watchful eye of comedian host Grant Gallacher.

EL RANCHO

NAI HARVEST (BEST FRIENDS)

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

The El Rancho troops present a showcase of bands in the Duck’s mysterious ‘secret room’.

Sat 18 Apr SEASICK STEVE

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £23.50

The storytelling country-rockin’ bluesman showcases his new album Sonic Soul Surfer, rich with his raspy vocals and personalised guitar.

DUKE SPECIAL

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £14

Belfast piano-based folk songwriter with a distinctly accented voice and some even more distinctive dreadlocks.

GAVIN MARWICK

ST ANDREW’S IN THE SQUARE, 19:30–22:00, £12

The fiddle player and composer showcases the fruits of his ongoing Journeyman project, which began life at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections back in 2008.

THE VAMPS (UNION J)

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £9.50

Acoustic-driven British pop unit led by singer Brad Simpson.

RSNO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF FILM MUSIC

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

The RSNO sweep through some of the most passionate soundtracks of Hollywood’s Golden Age, you do the swooning.

MOUNTIES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £12.50

Musical collective of Canadian psychonaut explorers led by singer/ songwriter Hawksley Workman, well-kent for his own solo work.

RECORD STORE DAY: SCOTCH BONNET RECORDS POP-UP SHOP

THE 78, 12:00–01:00, FREE

The Scotch Bonnet Records posse celebrate Record Store Day in style by putting the Scotch Bonnet record store in a physical location for the first time, with dancing music all day long.

BABY CHAOS (SINK ALASKA)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £9

The riff-heavy Weegies play songs from their new LP as well as tracks from their first two albums.

TYCI (JOANNA GRUESOME + GAP + KING OF CATS)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00, £6

The all-female collective, blog and fanzine bring together a selection of live acts and DJs for their monthly party night – this time boasting a headline set from UK C86 noise-punks Joanna Gruesome..

Sun 19 Apr POCIÓN DE FE

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £7

Seven-strong collective of Edinburgh musicians concocting a spicy blend of Afrobeat, Caribbean rhythms, Cuban salsa and African mambo.

FRNKIERO AND THE CELLABRATION

Sheffield-based emo lot, perhaps best known for being nominated as Brit 2012’s most handsome band.

FYI, they lost.

KILL THE WAVES

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The dream pop Glasgow quintet launch their new LP.

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE (THE RED PAINTINGS)

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:30–22:00, £12

The London-formed, Canadabased synth-rock outfit return in their latest guise.

LUKE FRIEND

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £12.50

The X-Factor reject heads out on a UK tour. Best look busy.

Wed 22 Apr THE LEISURE SOCIETY

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Lovely folk-pop lot lead by Nick Hemming – of early 90s indie fame with former group She Talks To Angels – drawing comparisons to the Fleet Foxes, which is hardly a bad thing.

THE CRÜXSHADOWS

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £14

Florida-based darkwave ensemble delivering their musical message via synth pop hooks and dark electronics.

THE EARLY NOVEMBER (YOU BLEW IT + A GREAT BIG PILE OF LEAVES)

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £12

New Jersey rock ensemble formed way back in 1999.

SCREAMING FEMALES

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

New Jersey-hailing punk rockers with – shock horror – only one female in their midst.

LLOYD MCALLISTER

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £3

Southside guitarist accompanied by his live band of players.

MOJA (POCKET APOCALYPSE + WOJTEK + ELASTIC LEG PARTY)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Japanese alternative rockers (pronounced Moya) getting themselves in a mathematical jazz-rock frenzy.

Thu 23 Apr

HOW TO SWIM (PAUL VICKERS AND THE LEG)

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

The Glasgow orchestral pop ensemble play an intimate show, with stellar support from refreshingly raucous Edinburgh bunch Paul Vickers and The Leg. QUIET AS A MOUSE

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

Edinburgh indie-meets-country quartet riding along on mainman Alex Moran’s vocals, guitar and harmonica-playing, out launching their new EP. SKINNY LISTER

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £9.00

London-based folk group, fronted

by Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas, delivering a reliably foot stomping show.

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £12

DECLAN SINNOTT

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR (XYLOURIS WHITE)

The renowned Irish songwriter, guitarist and producer – who found fame in Moving Hearts – makes a return visit to Scottish soil.

Solo project of Frank Iero, touring new LP Stomachaches.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £19.50

The elusive Canadian post-rock collective return to a live setting in celebration of their new LP Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress.

Mon 20 Apr STATUS QUO

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £38.50

Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt continue to tour the Status Quo name (aka prepare yourself for the easiest air guitaring in the world).

RALEIGH RITCHIE

KING TUT’S, 18:00–23:00, £10

The Plan B-collaborating Columbia artist hits the road.

WILL BUTLER

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–22:30, £15

The flop-haired Arcade Fire chappie takes to the road for his first solo tour, with his first solo LP in tow.

Tue 21 Apr JOSHUA RADIN

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Delicate wordsmithery from the Ohio singer/songwriter who first garnered interest at a New York open mic night.

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10

THERAPY?

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Alternative metal outfit hailing from Northern Ireland, still touring some two decades on.

CAIRNHILL TRADING ESTATE (MEMORY MAN + STATIC FUTURE) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The stellar indie outfit return from hiatus with new tunes and a new lease of life.

MONOGRAM

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

The Glasgow-based post-popsters bring their usual brand of lovely.

GEORGE CLINTON + PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

O2 ABC, 18:00–22:00, £25

The Godfather of funk – er, that’d be George Clinton – takes to Glasgow with Parliament Funkadelic (aka P-Funk).

Fri 24 Apr BEN HOWARD

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £22.50

Devon-based folk rocker using his guitar to build percussive beats around his melancholic ditties.

Listings

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Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Colin MacIntyre re-embraces both the urban and his former alias, Mull Historical Society, as he re-visits Loss.

Glasgow-based folk ensemble, matching muscular yet lyrical instrumentals with Adam Holme’s haunting songcraft.

LA-based indie popsters composed of four siblings: Graham, Sydney, Noah and Jamie Sierota.

Edinburgh Music

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £10.00

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

ROBERT VINCENT

THE POETRY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

Brit rock trio with a rare father/ son line-up that seems to work for ‘em.

MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

RURA

ECHOSMITH

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £13

STEREO, 20:00–22:00, £8

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £8

PAWS

The Glasgow noisemakers of the tropical thrash variety cart their wares to a gig setting once more.

UFO

O2 ABC, 18:30–22:00, £22

The longtime hard rock mainstays show the kids how it’s done, now some 20-odd albums in.

BLACK

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £12

Colin Vearncombe teamed up with producer Calum Malcolm and guitarist Calum McColl for a new album as Black.

SCO: CHOPIN PIANO CONCERTO NO 1

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14.50

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra take on Chopin’s rousing Piano Concerto No 1, amongst other works.

DAMAGE (ROUGH COPY)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

British r’n’b ensemble of dubious musical merit, back after a stint on ITV’s The Big Reunion, the joys.

GRAHAM PARKER + BRINSLEY SCHWARZ

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £20

THE BREW (BRIAN RAWSON BAND)

LIGHTS OUT BY NINE

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10

Eight-piece soul/r’n’b ensemble known for bringing the sound of the Mardi Gras.

Fri 03 Apr

CRASH CLUB (SONIC HEARTS FOUNDATION + FAITHFUL STRANGER)

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £6

Scottish electro-rock unit composed of McHarg brothers Aran and Neal, plus Sammy Todd and a collection of session pals.

RSNO: SØNDERGÅRD CONDUCTS EROICA

Conductor Thomas Søndergård takes on Beethoven’s symphony No 3, Eroica, amongst other works.

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Canadian singer/songwriter of the alternative folk meets occasional brass fanfares kinda thing, touring with his live band Blacksmith.

Sat 25 Apr

London-based band of hip young pups, all lovingly lackadaisical via lo-fi production with half-rapped vocals.

The Hampshire-born nu-folkster moves from slow-burning tales of forbidden love to building barnstormers, as is her merry way.

BLUE ROSE CODE

DRYGATE BREWING CO., 20:00–22:30, £12

London-based folk group, fronted

by Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas, delivering a reliably foot stomping show.

OUTSKIRTS FESTIVAL (RM HUBBERT + WOUNDED KNEE + MATT REGAN + MJ MCCARTHY + MATTHEW BOURNE + RAYDALE DOWER + SWIM TEAM) PLATFORM, 15:00–22:00, £10 (£7.50)

The multi-artform festival returns – with RM Hubbert, Wounded Knee and Swim Team amongst those providing the musical soundtrack alongside performance, installations, film and more. Bus leaves from Mono, 2.30pm (£5 return).

DAVE ARCARI (DIXIE FRIED + PROUD HONEY)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9

Talented blues rocker playing a mix of guitar-driven blues and trash country.

Student-run indie showcase raising funds for charity.

Mon 27 Apr

Sun 26 Apr

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £20

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £6 (£5)

Tech metal fivesome from the mean streets of Glasgow.

The Kent-based metal-meetshardcore troupe drop by our neck of the woods.

LAURA MARLING

KITCH (JACK HINKS + MICHAEL AND THE BER + MODERN MASQURADE)

O2 ABC, 12:30–22:00, £27

Hard-styled one-day festival featuring a headline set from seminal punk foursome The Damned, amongst a whole host o’ others.

DAN MANGAN AND BLACKSMITH

VALOUR (IMPURITAS)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10 ADV. (£12 DOOR)

Liverpudlian singer/songwriter mixing folk, rock and country into one merry musical whole.

Them there Weegie tropical thrash merrymakers Paws man the second outing in Summerhall’s Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series, with suitably stellar support from Algernon Doll and Le Thug.

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £11

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6.00

DEAN OWENS AND THE WHISKY HEARTS (GENESSE)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £8

Scottish singer/songwriter filtering his love of Americana through a gritty yet lyrical Scottish sensibility, out launching his new LP Into The Sea.

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

British indie-rock outfit formed by former Ride guitarist Andy Bell, back and pretending its still the late 90s.

The Canadian rockers make a headline return to the UK, with support from Roadrunner label mates and pals, Black Stone Cherry.

SCOTLAND CALLING (THE EXPLOITED + THE DAMNED + ANGELIC UPSTARTS + ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE + UK SUBS + VICE SQUAD + GOLDBLADE + CONTROL + DIRT BOX DISCO + 4 PAST MIDNIGHT + SKIZOFRENIK)

Lead singer of Graham Parker and The Rumour hits the road with Brinsley Schwarz, who was the guitarist in the band named after him.

HURRICANE #1

THEORY OF A DEADMAN (BLACK STONE CHERRY)

ONLY REAL

BROADCAST, 19:00–23:00, £7

RALLY & BROAD: CAN’T BUY ME LOVE (LUKE WRIGHT + JONNIE COMMON + KIRSTIN INNES + KATY HASTIE + THE CREATIVE MARTYRS)

STEREO, 14:30–17:00, £5

The Rally & Broad literary merrymakers host round two of their April specials, with guests Luke Wright, Jonnie Common, Kirstin Innes, Katy Hastie and The Creative Martyrs taking to the stage.

NICK CAVE

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 20:00–22:00, FROM £40

Nary putting a cloven hoof wrong, the Bad Seeds mainman alights in Scotland for a set of hits – including songs from recent LP Push the Sky Away – joined by Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, Thomas Wydler and Barry Adamson.

TFN RECORDS PRESENT... LAST TFN SHOW (WAR CHARGE + FRONTLINE + PAY THE PRICE + MACHETE 187 + REVULSION + KINGPIN + ADJUST + PLACE OF REST) CLASSIC GRAND, 18:00–22:00, £5

A select bunch of Scottish hardcore mainstays pitch up for the last ever TFN Records shindig.

KORALIS (FOXMEAT + COPETOWN)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5.00

WIRE

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £15

Experimental post-punk mainstays formed way back in 1976 by Colin Newman.

TAKE THAT (ELLA HENDERSON)

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £55

Mark, Gary and Howard continue to pretend that Take That still exists without Jason and Robbie, the frauds.

JAKOB (VERSE METRICS + IN:TIDES + THULA BORAH)

AUDIO, 19:00–23:00, £8 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

The New Zealand post-rock unit take a wander through their back catalogue.

PAWS (ALGERNON DOLL + LE THUG)

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–01:00, £10

GRETCHEN PETERS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £18

The honey-toned American singer/ songwriter does her countrified folk thing, playing tracks from her new LP Blackbirds.

DANNY VAUGHN (DAN REED)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £17 (£15)

The Tyketto frontman takes to the road for a solo set of his trademark melodic rock.

RUARRI JOSEPH

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £8

Edinburgh-born, New Zealandraised acoustic folk singer/ songwriter.

DEMOB HAPPY

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Edinburgh Tue 31 Mar

DIVIDES (DAYDREAM FRENZY)

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £7 (£5)

All-rockin’ Glasgow five-piece composed of former members of various other Scottish bands.

Wed 01 Apr STANLEY ODD

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Inventive hip-hop musings as the Odd Squad move from chopped electrofunk to crunchy 8-bit, via well-constructed vocal flows from Solareye and Veronica Electronica.

EMPIRE BY DAY (THE HEMULENS + THE CAUSEWAY TRIO)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £5

The hook-laden alternative rock newcomers celebrate the launch of their new EP. JOE LYNN TURNER (ROSS MCWEAN)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £17 (£15)

The Ex-Rainbow, Deep Purple frontman plays a special acoustic set.

Thu 02 Apr GHOSTPOET

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £13

The experimental hip-hop producer plays a unique intimate show of new material.

The garage rockers return for a second taste of UK life after a hyped autumn tour last year.

RAW ROOTS (MONOSAPIENS + SEA BASS KID + THE RISING SOULS)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

True Hold Records showcase evening, taking in the launch of Monosapiens new LP amongst other treats.

Sat 04 Apr

EXCELLENT CADAVER (DEAD LABEL + LOST IN INSOMNIA + FOR THE CAUSE) STUDIO 24, 17:00–22:00, £5

MYLES MANLEY (SHOULD’VE BEEN AN ASTRONAUT) ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £6

Irish country and western chap, a creator and practitioner of the musical style ‘folk no’.

Sun 05 Apr

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

The Edinburgh outfit layer their crisp, vaporous vocals in understated two-part harmonies, out celebrating the launch of their new LP. YOUNG GUNS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

London-based rock five-piece headered by the mighty Gustav Wood.

PRIMITIVE MAN (SEA BASTARD + OMMADON + OF SPIRE & THRONE + VOE) BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £8

The Colorado lot unleash their usual filthy maelstrom of blackened doom, playing tracks from their debut LP Scorn.

Mon 06 Apr

LOTTE MULLAN (JAZZ MORLEY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

Tender pop singer/songwriter originally from the fields of Suffolk, who, asides from music, claims to enjoy bike rides, real ale and cowboys. Don’t we all.

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE: PARA HANDY

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly gig residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse invite Allan MacDonald, Iain MacLeod and Russell Hunter to recount a series of comic adventures in music and song.

TIDENS TANN (TWIN HEART)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The alternative punk lot play an intimate set.

Tue 07 Apr SIMPLE MINDS

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £39.50

The Jim Kerr-led classic rock outfit return as part of their new UK/ European tour.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £22

Wed 08 Apr

The Gary Stringer-led 90s rockers return to a live setting.

LIMBO (SUPERMOON + STEMS + THIRTY-THREE CONNECTION)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £4 EARLYBIRD (£6 THEREAFTER)

Beloved ‘burgh gig-in-a-club night, this time headered by Meursault’s Neil Pennycook and his new live band project, Supermoon.

GURT (BONGCAULDRON + PIST + BACCHUS BARACUS)

BANNERMANS, 18:00–23:00, £5

The London-based heavy, sludgey, groove-laden ensemble play an intimate Bannermans set.

Brunch and live music event in the Drill Hall cafe, featuring a selection of local musical talent. And cake!

SERVANT SUN

Thu 09 Apr

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Glasgow alternative rockers make their Bannermans debut.

PLUM DUFF

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £7

Recently reformed band of rock leviathans, playing a selection of new and old songs.

Sun 12 Apr

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £7

Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford and his new generation of ‘The Mechanics’ take to the road to play the hits.

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £30

NEON WALTZ

BLUEFLINT (LITTLE RACH)

Metalcore Dundonians upping the noise levels with their hurricanelike brand of metal.

REEF

BRUNCHEON OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL, 11:30–15:00, FREE

SONG, BY TOAD’S BAD FUN (TIGERCATS + PLASTIC ANIMALS + FEVER DREAM) HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:30, £5

Music blogger Song, By Toad’s regular live music showcase night, taking in live talent and guest DJs of the reliably good variety.

MAHUT (THREE DAYS FROM RETIREMENT)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Italian post-rock mob hit town, with support from local guys 3DFR. BILLY LIAR + JOE MCMAHON (PHIL TAYLOR + EWAN GRANT)

THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:30–23:00, £5.50 ADV. (£6 DOOR)

Joint tour from Scotland guitar slinger Billy Liar and late 90s/early 00s punk rocker Joe McMahon (of Smoke Or Fire).

Psychedelic indie-rock ensemble from the wilderness of Caithness, where they write and play melodic, sun-drenched, sonic soundscapes in a remote croft.

STANLEY BRINKS + FRESCHARD

Mon 13 Apr SONIC TEMPLERS

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–23:00, £5

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Thu 16 Apr

THE SKINTS (HOLLIE COOK)

STUDIO 24, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

London quartet whose rock sound takes in reggae, dub, ska, pop and roots as it goes.

LOUISE RUTKOWSKI

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

The former This Mortal Coil vocalist does her haunting solo thing.

FALLING RED (THE BURNING CROWS)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £6

UK rock mob whose sleazy anthems are unleashed in a speeding flood of catchy riffs and hooks.

AUDAX

THE CAVES, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

Electronic project of twin brothers Pedro and Andrè Cajado, out on their Ready To Explode single launch tour.

Former Herman Dune man Stanley Brinks play a special co-headline set with pal Freschard, together fusing blues, country and anti-folk.

Glasgow-based alternative rockers combining catchy tunes with near perfect harmonies.

NORDOFF-ROBBINS FUNDRAISER (FLAT SIX + COLOUR TRAP + MANAGE A TROIS + THE HECKLERS + CALUM CAMPBELL)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Live music fundraiser in aid of Nordoff Robbins – the Scottish music therapy charity – with a line-up of fresh faces and local faves.

STONEGHOST

London-based heavy rock lot taking their cue from Black Sabbath et al.

Fri 10 Apr QUERCUS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £20 (£16)

A trio of award-winning musicians – June Tabor, Huw Warren and Iain Ballamy – come together to create a new body of lyrical chamber music, weaving together folk and jazz soundscapes. Rescheduled date.

KILL CITY RADIO

BANNERMANS, 20:00–22:00, £5

The Glasgow punk rock mob make their Bannermans debut.

LAST OF THE PRIVATEERS (DUKE OF NORFOLK)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £7

The Edinburgh indie-folk ensemble celebrate the launch of their debut LP Histories (produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones, no less) by performing the album live and in its entirety.

FIRE IN THE ALPS (MEMORY MAN + PILOTCAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £4

Edinburgh-based alternative rock lot, build on a bed of shoegaze, dream pop and snarling guitars.

Sat 11 Apr

TRAPPED MICE (ZED PENGUIN + NOW WAKES THE SEA)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Edinburgh quartet do their alternative folk-meets-indie racket of a thing to suitably fine effect, playing tracks offa their latest LP Sacred To The Shades.

DANTE (THE YOUTH AND YOUNG + GEORGIA GORDON)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £6

Folk-flecked indie project of Seán McLaughlin – also a member of The Birthday Suit – joined by ex-Aberfeldy traditional fiddler Vicky Gray.

EDINBURGH YOUTH ORCHESTRA: SPRING CONCERT

Continuing its weekly gig residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse welcome Carnatic classical violinist Jyotsna Srikanth for an intimate set.

KRIS DELMHORST (HAYWARD WILLIAMS)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, £11

Brooklyn-born, Boston-based singer/songwriter who cut her teeth on open mics, bar gigs and subway busking before becoming an internationally touring songwriter.

Tue 14 Apr

TOSELAND (RIVAL STATE)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Ex-superbike champion continues to go it solo after parting with his band, Crash.

BENIGHTED (CANCEROUS WOMB + ABHORRENT DECIMATION)

BANNERMANS, 22:00–23:00, £7 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

The French death metal mob alight in the UK.

LYLO + HUSKIES + GORGEOUS CHANS + DUKE OF NORFOLK WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

IKE Productions showcase night headed up by young Glaswegian outfit Lylo, who describe their thang as ‘dream pop with a hint of lemon’, obvs.

Wed 15 Apr JAMES BAY

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, £13.50

Long-haired British singer/songwriter currently having his merry way with the pop/rock template.

SUBURBAN LEGENDS (MC LARS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Six-piece ska outfit hailing from Orange County, California.

DEMORALISER (ALASKA + DISGUISE YOUR BEAUTY + THE COLOUR PINK IS GAY)

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £7 (£5)

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15 (£13)

The Edinburgh Youth Orchestra play their annual spring concert, made up of over 100 musician aged 14-21.

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE: JYOTSNA SRIKANTH

Riff-heavy hardcore metalheads, out giving their debut LP the live tour treatment.

ACID WITCH (BONEHUNTER + LIVE BURIAL)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £10

The Detroit-based heavy metalers head up a night of darkness.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 18:45–22:00, £5

Fri 17 Apr THE XCERTS

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £10

Hard-riffing Scottish trio, whose impressive sound has been honed to perfection (i.e. they sound bloody massive live).

DUKE SPECIAL

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £14

Belfast piano-based folk songwriter with a distinctly accented voice and some even more distinctive dreadlocks.

LEMONHAZE (TURRENTINE JONES)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Indie pop four-piece hailing from Paisley, crafting sounds of the neo-psych variety.

EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (PAUL LAMB AND THE KINGSNAKES + BABY ISAAC)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:15–23:00, £13

Monthly blues club taking in touring blues acts from the UK and beyond.

RALLY & BROAD: CAN’T BUY ME LOVE (WILLIAM LETFORD + BELLA HARDY + EMMA JANE UNSWORTH + FREDDIE ALEXANDER + FAITH ELLIOT) THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Rally & Broad literary merrymakers host round one of their April specials, with guests William Letford, Bella Hardy, Emma Jane Unsworth, Freddie Alexander and Faith Elliot taking to the stage.

LORNA REID

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £14 (£12)

The Edinburgh-born songress dips into her new LP Falling Like Dew, alongside a selection of covers.

RSNO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF FILM MUSIC

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

The RSNO sweep through some of the most passionate soundtracks of Hollywood’s Golden Age, you do the swooning.

DOUGLAS KAY (JOHN SLOAN + PAUL GILBODY + THE ELEMENTS)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £5

The Edinburgh-based folk-rock singer/songwriter launches his new LP Lift.

Presented by

24 - 25 April 2015

“...something out of the ordinary” The Herald

Festival of music, song and dance from Denmark, Norway, Sweden & Scotland Invited Guests: Oleman (Sweden/Norway); Fjärin (Denmark/Sweden); Fiona Driver & Graham Simpson (Orkney); Simon Chadwick (Scotland)

Grassmarket Centre, 86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QA For more details & to book: www.northernstreams.org or eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk or +44 (0)795 191 8366

TMSAEdinburghandLothians

@northernstream1

The TMSA is registered as a Scottish Charity SCO03819 & a company limited by guarantee No: 199976.

Registered Office: 54 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7EH, Scotland.

64

Listings

THE SKINNY

CARLA BOZULICH

SHIELD PATTERNS

THE SOCIAL ORDER

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £7

ASSEMBLY ROXY, 20:00–22:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£8 THEREAFTER)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

The LA singer/songwriter – currently of Evangelista, and also known for her work in Ethyl Meatplow, The Geraldine Fibbers and Scarnella – plays a selection of solo material, accompanied by Adrián de Alfonso.

Sat 18 Apr

RECORD STORE DAY AFTER-PARTY

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £3

With their debut LP getting five shiny stars from us, the Manc duo return with EP follow-up, Violet – again splicing beautifully emblematic song-craft with plump’n’dreamy electronica to suitably magical effect.

SCO: CHOPIN PIANO CONCERTO NO 1

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra take on Chopin’s rousing Piano Concerto No 1, amongst other works.

Electric Circus keep the Record Store Day celebrations going, with short sets from acts with RSD releases and a pop-up record shop.

SOLITUDE + ALE SHORES + ATHENIA + GRACE & LEGEND

STUDIO 24, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

TRAILS

The Guildford post-hardcore foursome play their last ever Scottish gig before they split.

SCO: MOZART AND THE HORN

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

The SCO’s horn player in chief, Alec Frank-Gemmill, takes in a selection of classics, including Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 2.

RECORD STORE DAY @ ELVIS SHAKESPEARE (THE CATHODE RAY + FILTH SPECTATOR + KING EIDER)

ELVIS SHAKESPEARE, 14:00–17:00, FREE

Record-cum-bookshop Elvis Shakespeare gets in on the RSD shenanigans, hosting sets from a trio of locals who all have new releases available for purchase on the day.

A MODERN MASQUERADE (PORTALOOTH, FRINK OUT + BEDROOM ATHLETE)

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £5

Jolty alternative rock trio hailing from the capital.

CONFESS

BANNERMANS, 18:00–23:00, £10 (£8)

The Swedish sleaze rockers make their Scottish debut.

THE SOUL STATION (CHRIS ROBINSON + ALISTAIR CUMMING)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4

Live band night taking punters on a journey through soul music, raising funds for Poppy Appeal Scotland.

THE DAN COLLINS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Folkish alternative rockers with songs that tread the balance between raw emotion and calculated musicality.

Sun 19 Apr LAPSLEY

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Liverpool electronic pop starlet – recently signed to XL Recordings – heads out on her biggest tour to date.

BLACK

THE CAVES, 19:30–20:00, £12

Colin Vearncombe teamed up with producer Calum Malcolm and guitarist Calum McColl for a new album as Black.

DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, £15

Minnesota blues outfit blending brassy old-timey jazz, bluesy torch balladry and soulful pop.

Mon 20 Apr

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE: DR LEE’S PRESCRIPTION

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly gig residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse welcome musician and composer Dick Lee’s outfit, Dr. Lee’s Prescription, for a guest set.

YORKSHIRE RATS (THE TRACKS)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Indelirium Records-signed chaps straddling the line between punk and rock’n’roll.

Wed 22 Apr

GRACE SOLERO (BRITTLE HEAD GIRL)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £6

Power-driven rockers fronted by powerful female vocalist of the band’s name, Grace Solero.

MY BABY

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

Delta blues dub trio, also supporting Seasick Steve on his UK tour.

Thu 23 Apr DAVE ARCARI

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £8 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Talented blues rocker playing a mix of guitar-driven blues and trash country.

Metal-themed showcase night with the ‘burgh’s own hardcore metalheads, Solitude, at the helm.

THUNDERFUCK AND THE DEADLY ROMANTICS

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The controversial rock-meetspunk outfit take to the road for their mini UK tour.

JAMES YORKSTON (PIP DYLAN + MATT NORRIS)

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–01:00, £10

Fife dweller and sometime Fence Collective dabbler James Yorkston mans the third outing in Summerhall’s Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series, with suitably stellar support from Pip Dylan and Matt Norris.

BLAIR DUNLOP + EMMA STEVENS

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £12

Folk musician and actor Blair Dunlop takes to the road with English singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emma Stevens.

Fri 24 Apr MAIN STREET BLUES

KRIS DREVER + BOO HEWERDINE

THE PLEASANCE, 19:30–22:00, £14

Talented Orcadian folk guitarist Kris Drever performs live as a duo with English songwriter Boo Hewerdine for the very first time.

NORTHERN STREAMS 2015 (OLEMAN + FIONA DRIVER AND GRAHAM SIMPSON) THE GRASSMARKET CENTRE, 19:30–22:00, £10 (£8)

Showcase session for Northern Streams Festival 2015, bringing a selection of award-winning and emerging artists from Scandinavia and Britain up to the ‘burgh.

THE COLOUR TRAP

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Edinburgh-based rock outfit do their psych and Britpop-referencing thang.

EILIDH MCKELLAR (NO QUARTER)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £9

Young Edinburgh singer/songwriter and guitarist with a soulful Amerian blues sound.

KAZIK NA ZYWO

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £25

Polish rapcore ensemble on the go since 1991.

Sun 26 Apr BLUE ROSE CODE

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

London-based folk group, fronted

by Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas, delivering a reliably foot stomping show.

Mon 27 Apr MARC ALMOND

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £19.50

The high energy Scottish blues outfit deliver a set of their uptempo electric blues.

The Soft Cell mainman tours solo in celebration of his new LP The Velvet Trail, performing a selection of tracks new and old.

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £10

THE PLEASANCE, 19:30–22:00, £14

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

RURA

VILLAGERS

Glasgow-based folk ensemble, matching muscular yet lyrical instrumentals with Adam Holme’s haunting songcraft.

Conor O’Brien-fronted folk outfit that began life as a nameless collection of musical poems (penned

by O’Brien).

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £9

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8

SKINNY LISTER (SEAN MCGOWAN)

London-based folk group, fronted

by Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas, delivering a reliably foot stomping show.

SONG, BY TOAD’S BAD FUN (TISSO LAKE + BROOKE SHARKEY + ADAM BEATTIE)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:00, £5

Music blogger Song, By Toad’s regular live music showcase night, taking in live talent and guest DJs of the reliably good variety.

YOUNG KATO

Breakthrough indie-pop lot hailing from Cheltenham and Birmingham.

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE: JO LAWRY

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly gig residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse welcome Australian jazz songstress Jo Lawry for a guest set.

BILLY LIAR + JOE MCMAHON (PHIL TAYLOR + EWAN GRANT)

CERBERUS BAR, 19:30–23:00, £5

Joint tour from Scotland guitar slinger Billy Liar and late 90s/early 00s punk rocker Joe McMahon (of Smoke Or Fire).

Thu 09 Apr

ALLUSONDRUGS (FALLS)

BUSKERS, 20:00–23:00, £6 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

The grungy Leeds quintet do their guitar-fueled rock thing.

Fri 10 Apr

THE SHERLOCKS (UNKNOWN ON SUNDAY + THE FABLES + THE UNROMANTICS)

BUSKERS, 19:00–23:00, £6

Sheffield indie-rock unit made up of two sets of brothers.

Sat 11 Apr DEXTERS

Talented multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer whose compositions on the harp and piano merge Celtic, classical and world music influences.

RSNO: SØNDERGÅRD CONDUCTS EROICA

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

Conductor Thomas Søndergård takes on Beethoven’s symphony No 3, Eroica, amongst other works.

NORTHERN STREAMS 2015 (SIMON CHADWICK FJÄRIN)

THE GRASSMARKET CENTRE, 19:30–22:00, £10 (£8)

Showcase session for Northern Streams Festival 2015, bringing a selection of award-winning and emerging artists from Scandinavia and Britain up to the ‘burgh.

MOON HOP (WITHERED HAND + FOUND)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4

With the FOUND collective at its helm, the Moon Hop gig-meetsclub fun night continues with a set from DIY folk-rock troubadour Withered Hand, buoyed by the FOUND lads themselves taking a turn on’t stage

Sat 25 Apr

ARCANE ROOTS (GALLERY CIRCUS)

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £10

Surrey-based rockers adept at pushing the genre in fresh and unexpected ways.

TEXAS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £28.50

Dundee Music Tue 31 Mar

ANDREW MONTGOMERY

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £6

Scottish singer/songwriter who is best known as a member of late 90s Aberdeen indie-rock outfit Geneva.

Thu 02 Apr

DIVIDES (DAYDREAM FRENZY + XENO + PANIC BY FLARE + ATHENIA)

BUSKERS, 19:00–23:00, £5

All-rockin’ Glasgow five-piece composed of former members of various other Scottish bands.

Sat 04 Apr

CANCER RESEARCH UK FUNDRAISER (FROWN + SOLAR SONS + VANT + ANIMUS) BUSKERS, 20:00–23:00, £DONATION

A select batch of bands play in aid of Cancer Research UK, with a raffle being drawn before the last band.

Sun 05 Apr

SUPA AND DA KRYPTONITES (THE PURPLE FELTS + GIMIK + OPEN MINDED SKEPTICS)

BUSKERS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Scottish hip-hop, reggae and funk seven-piece celebrate the release of their new single with a city-to-city tour of Scotland.

Glasgow Clubs DISCO RIOT

HARSH TUG

LOVE MUSIC

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Disco-styled party night bolstered by added karaoke fun.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

The midweek residents serve up their usual rammy of pop-punk and hardcore, whilst the bar doles out alcoholic slushies. Slurp.

Shiny Dundee four-piece trading in relentlessly upbeat rhythms and sweet boy/girl harmonies, playing tracks from their latest LP Language of Faint Theory.

Thu 23 Apr

RSNO: SØNDERGÅRD CONDUCTS EROICA

CAIRD HALL, 19:30–22:00, £16 (£12.50)

Conductor Thomas Søndergård takes on Beethoven’s symphony No 3, Eroica, amongst other works.

BLUEFLINT

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

The Edinburgh outfit layer their crisp, vaporous vocals in understated two-part harmonies, out celebrating the launch of their new LP.

Fri 24 Apr MARK OLSON

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £10

One of the founding members of country crooners The Jayhawks, as well as a solo songwriter in his own right.

Sun 26 Apr

POLAR (BLOOD YOUTH + ELEMENTS + CONDOLENCES) BUSKERS, 20:00–23:00, £7

Surrey-hailing hardcore metallic rock lot led by vocalist Adam Woodford.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Melodic trance trio made up of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamaki, who also own record label Anjunabeats.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Themed fun night complete with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Early weekend party-starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

GOOD GRIEF’S GOOP SHOP (STONETHROWER + ESUNA) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The DIY label and zine collective present their monthly clubmeets-gig outing and fresh zine launch combined.

SMASHED

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

Mashed up rock, metal, punk and emo, plus hip-hop, pop, EDM and dubstep selections. That do you?

OUT OF ORBIT (FIELDING HOPE + 12TH ISLE) THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The cosmic-heavy Out Of Orbit residents man the decks, a guest or two oft in tow.

GENERAL LUDD

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

General Ludd, part of Glasgow collective Golden Teacher, commence a new Glasgow residency showcasing their new productions and discoveries.

LOVE ACTION EASTER WEEKEND: ARJUNABEATS SHOWCASE (AMDREW BAYER + ILAN BLUESTONE + SUPER8 & TAB + GRUM)

THE ARCHES, 21:00–03:00, £24 EARLYBIRD (£30 THEREAFTER/£75 WEEKEND)

Glasgow Tue 31 Mar KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker, ten years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

I AM (GREENMAN)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play their usual fine mix of electronica and bass, this time joined by versatile turntabalist Greenman. #TAG

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Club-happy Easter weekender, taking in an opening night special from Arjunabeats, a Friday takeover from Defected Records, a star-packed Colours bill on Saturday, before a selection of Arches faves round things off on Sunday.

UPRAWR

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Weekly Thursday takeover with guest DJs, prize giveaways and themed drinks.

Fri 03 Apr OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your Friday jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Weekly party anthems, complete with a bungee run and giant inflatables, because that’s obvs a normal Tuesday night out.

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

Wed 01 Apr

Residents fun night of rock, metal, punk and emo spread over three rooms.

KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker, ten years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

TAKE IT SLEAZY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled club orgy, with an early live jam session followed by live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all.

TEENAGE RIOT

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

WALK ‘N’ SKANK (EXODUS)

NEVERLAND

THE HAZEY JANES

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The very best in bass, featuring the talents of the Mungo’s Hi-Fi, with a guest or two oft in tow.

Sat 18 Apr DUNDEE REP, 19:30–22:00, £12

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

Thu 02 Apr

BUSKERS, 19:30–23:00, £7 ADV. (£9 DOOR)

Indie rock five-piece hailing from East London, a dab hand at penning catchy wee guitar anthems.

Hip-hop and gangsta rap brought to you by the Notorious B.A.G and pals.

Members of Glasgow’s posthardcore noise-masters United Fruit curate their lively event of big-beat alternative indie and disco.

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

PHAMIE GOW

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £15

Sharleen Spiteri and co. do their rock-pop thing, working the template since 1986.

April 2015

Edinburgh-based eclectic foursome mixing alternative country, indie and even a bit o’ dance.

Tue 07 Apr

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez at the helm.

OPTIMO

The Optimo boys curate their occasional fun night, a guest or two oft in tow.

BLEACH

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

THE ART SCHOOL, 22:30–03:00, £10 (£9)

STRANGE PARADISE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Party night from floral-shirted Wild Combination man David Barbarossa, specializing in leftfield disco, post-punk and far-out pop.

DEATHKILL 4000 (BEATWIFE)

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Occasional night worshiping at the altar of all things 90s rock. Free entry in a flannel shirt.

Industro-rock noise party with live players and bespoke visuals to boot.

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SHED, 22:30–02:00, £7 (£5)

THE YELLOW DOOR

GUILTY PLEASURE

Fledgling night of contemporary classics, unheard of gems and wellkent belters, all for your general dancing pleasure, natch.

Frothy mix of guilty pleasures, old and new, for your Saturday night dancing needs.

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

VERSUS

All-metal party, with the added bells’n’whistles of Beer Pong, gogo dancers and Buckfast shots.

LOVE ACTION EASTER WEEKEND: DEFECTED RECORDS (MK + JOSH BUTLER & BONTAN + SIMON DUNMORE + FRANKY RIZARDO + SONNY FODERA + SAM DIVINE + GENIUS OF TIME + JON MANCINI + VILMOS + JAY MURT)

THE ARCHES, 21:00–04:00, £24 EARLYBIRD (£30 THEREAFTER/£75 WEEKEND)

Club-happy Easter weekender, taking in an opening night special from Arjunabeats, a Friday takeover from Defected Records, a star-packed Colours bill on Saturday, before a selection of Arches faves round things off on Sunday.

FUDGE FRIDAY

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Fudge-themed Friday party. Obvs.

LA CHEETAH CLUB PRESENTS… MOOD HUT LABEL SHOWCASE (PENDER STREET STEPPERS + HASHMAN DJ) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8

Pender Street Steppers and Hashman Deejay alight at La Cheetah to represent the Mood Hut crew.

ELECTRIC FROG VS PRESSURE: EASTER WEEKENDER (SURGEON + TRUSS + EDIT SELECT)

SWG3 GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00, FROM £10

Electric Frog and Pressure celebrate Easter weekend: kicking off with a techno-heavy Friday session, while Saturday sees Steve Bug and Visionquest’s Lee Curtiss hook up, and Sunday welcomes a rare set from Josh-Wink.

LONÉ + KONX-OM-PAX (THOSE VITAMINS + 48K + MAXI DANCE POOL)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5-£8

Loné and Konx-om-Pax return to Glasgow for their first club show proper since performing at Simple Things festival last year.

SCHWING!

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5

Wayne’s World-inspired fun night playing the best in classic hair rock.

Discount in fancy dress.

Sat 04 Apr NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative blowout of metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska tunes.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Punk, rock and metallic selection of beats spread across three rooms.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

THE BIG CHEESE

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

SHED, 22:30–02:00, FREE (£6/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

CATHOUSE, 17:00–21:00, £2 (£1)

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing – as one might expect – cheesy classics of every hue.

BALKANARAMA (TANZ)

VOODOO

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

I HEART SATURDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

LOVE ACTION EASTER WEEKEND: COLOURS PRESENTS... (UMMET OZCAN + DANNY AVILA + TWOLOUD + VINAI + NICK WARREN + DANNY HOWELLS + SEB FONTAINE + JON PLEASED WIMMIN + JON MANCINI + BONEY) THE ARCHES, 21:00–04:00, £24 EARLYBIRD (£30 THEREAFTER/£75 WEEKEND)

Club-happy Easter weekender, taking in an opening night special from Arjunabeats, a Friday takeover from Defected Records, a star-packed Colours bill on Saturday, before a selection of Arches faves round things off on Sunday.

LET’S GO BACK... WAY BACK (WINSTON HAZEL)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£9 AFTER 12)

Residents Bosco and Rob Mason bring acid-house, techno and rave back to the dancefloor, this edition joined by the man responsible for the first ever Warp records release – Winston Hazel!

ELECTRIC FROG VS PRESSURE: EASTER WEEKENDER (STEVE BUG + LEE CURTISS + DANNY KRIVIT + AL KENT + PISTOLS AT DAWN + IVAN KUTZ)

SWG3 GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00, FROM £12

Electric Frog and Pressure celebrate Easter weekend: kicking off with a techno-heavy Friday session, while Saturday sees Steve Bug and Visionquest’s Lee Curtiss hook up, and Sunday welcomes a rare set from Josh-Wink.

MORPHOSIS

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £10

Eclectic electronic DJ Rabih Beaini (aka Morphosis) mans the decks, moving from dark wave, via Lebanese folk, to techno as he goes.

Part of Counterflows Festival.

HI KARATE: REUNION PARTY

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Glasgow’s legendary breaks club returns for one night only.

SUBCULTURE: DABJ TAKEOVER (MARQUIS HAWKES + DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS + DENIS SULTA)

LOVE ACTION EASTER WEEKEND (HOT SINCE 82 + PATRICK TOPPING + JASPER JAMES + BEN PEARCE + JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE + ACID MONDAYS + PILLOWTALK + SABLE SHEEP + VILMOS + VANDELAY + RICARDO CHICARELLA) THE ARCHES, 21:00–04:00, £24 EARLYBIRD (£30 THEREAFTER/£75 WEEKEND)

Club-happy Easter weekender, taking in an opening night special from Arjunabeats, a Friday takeover from Defected Records, a star-packed Colours bill on Saturday, before a selection of Arches faves round things off on Sunday.

PROJECT SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Easter Sunday science-themed clubber’s delight.

ELECTRIC FROG VS PRESSURE: EASTER WEEKENDER (VITALIC + JOSH WINK + SLAM + KR!Z + Ø + ANIMAL FARM + I AM VS STAY FRESH)

SWG3 GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00, FROM £15

Electric Frog and Pressure celebrate Easter weekend: kicking off with a techno-heavy Friday session, while Saturday sees Steve Bug and Visionquest’s Lee Curtiss hook up, and Sunday welcomes a rare set from Josh-Wink.

12TH ISLE AND TROPICAL

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Easter Sunday special with Drakeford, best known for his fine work with NTS Radio, Boiler Room, Principals and From Them Depths.

Mon 06 Apr BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH TRADE WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Gavin Somerville spins the finest chart, dance, house and hip-hop in the main hall, with rock and metal anthems in the bar.

Tue 07 Apr #TAG

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Weekly party anthems, complete with a bungee run and giant inflatables, because that’s obvs a normal Tuesday night out.

I AM (DREEMS)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of electronica and bass, this edition joined by guest Dreems.

A HAUNTING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Eclectic selections of freak-folk, psych, garage and more, accompanied by trippy visuals and films.

Wed 08 Apr KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker, ten years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

HUNTLEYS AND PALMERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

HP’s Andrew and pals play tunes across the board.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

Disco-styled party night bolstered by added karaoke fun.

Sun 05 Apr

The midweek residents serve up their usual rammy of pop-punk and hardcore, whilst the bar doles out alcoholic slushies. Slurp.

Long-running house night manned

by Harri & Domenic, this edition handing over the decks to the Dixon Avenue Basement Jam crew.

COUNTERFEIT

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Monthly mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes with DJ David Lo Pan. MELTING POT (MR. SCRUFF)

THE ADMIRAL, 22:30–04:00, £12 EARLYBIRD (£13-£15 THEREAFTER)

The Melting Pot crew’s Easter outing finds ‘em stepping out with none other than Mr. Scruff – known for mixing a junk-shop bag of sounds and bringing his beats to life with squiggly, scribbled animations.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Thu 09 Apr WALK ‘N’ SKANK

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The very best in bass, featuring the talents of the Mungo’s Hi-Fi, with a guest or two oft in tow.

NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Themed fun night complete with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Early weekend party-starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Listings

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SMASHED CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

Mashed up rock, metal, punk and emo, plus hip-hop, pop, EDM and dubstep selections. That do you?

IN THE BASEMENT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Thursday session of the finest in northern soul and rock’n’roll.

OUT OF ORBIT (FUCKING UNLIMITED)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The cosmic-heavy Out Of Orbit residents man the decks, a guest or two oft in tow.

UPRAWR

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Weekly Thursday takeover with guest DJs, prize giveaways and themed drinks.

BASSMENT

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

The best on grime, UK garage and classic hip-hop playlists.

HIDE: 1ST BIRTHDAY (TRUS’ME + JUNIOR G)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£7 THEREAFTER)

The new addition to the Glasgow underground clubbing scene turns the grand old age of one – joined on the night by guests Trus’me and Junior G.

Fri 10 Apr OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your Friday jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Residents fun night of rock, metal, punk and emo spread over three rooms.

THUNDER DISCO CLUB

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits, as is their merry way.

Sat 11 Apr NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative blowout of metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska tunes.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Punk, rock and metallic selection of beats spread across three rooms.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 17:00–21:00, £2 (£1)

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

LOVE MUSIC

ENJOYABLE MOMENT

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The Cosmic Dead chaps trip out with an evening of rollin’ Krautrock DJing for your general aural pleasure.

FLASHBACK VS FRESHBEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

DJ Craig Guild holes up in main hall playing fresh new tracks, with DJ Nicola down in G2 playing the best of 80s-00s.

VERSUS

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

All-metal party, with the added bells’n’whistles of Beer Pong, gogo dancers and Buckfast shots.

FOR THE RECORD (DJ CASPA + NATIV)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

The For The Record troops welcome Tunde Adams (aka DJ Caspa) for a guest slot – bringing with him 25 years of house and techno experience.

NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR (MANFREDAS)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5 ADV. (£6 DOOR)

The NOTJ collective continue to nestle into their residency on the Art School roster, this edition joined by Lithuanian DJ/producer Manfredas.

COMMON PEOPLE: 5TH BIRTHDAY (JOHNNY DEAN) THE FLYING DUCK, 21:00–03:00, £5

Celebration of all things 90s, with hits a-plenty and a pre-club bingo session – this edition celebrating their 5th birthday with live guest Johnny Dean.

RETURN TO MONO (REBEKAH)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

Monthly night from Soma Records taking in popular techno offerings of all hues, this month joined by CLR prodigy Rebekah.

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Listings

KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker, ten years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

NOT MOVING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

South African house, grime, jungle, r’n’b and hauntology – a tropical mix, ayes – from yer wumman Laurie Pitt.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Disco-styled party night bolstered by added karaoke fun.

FLASHBACK VS FRESHBEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

DJ Craig Guild holes up in main hall playing fresh new tracks, with DJ Nicola down in G2 playing the best of 80s-00s.

VERSUS

GLITTERBANG

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £3

Sweatcore disco hits played out by James T and Ramo, with a Gina G tune or two on a promise.

GUILTY PLEASURE

SHED, 22:30–02:00, £7 (£5)

Frothy mix of guilty pleasures, old and new, for your Saturday night dancing needs.

I HEART SATURDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

HOT MESS (JD TWITCH)

DJ Simonotron hosts the gay disco party like no other, playing disco, house and acid on vinyl only – joined by Optimo’s JD Twitch for his seemingly now annual guest slot, praise be.

LA CHEETAH CLUB VS EZUP (JIMMY EDGAR)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10

La Cheetah and EzUp join forces to welcome Detroit-based electronic musician and creative whirlwind Jimmy Edgar for a guest slot.

FROGBEATS VS HANDPICKED

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

The Frogbeats and Handpicked collectives join forces for twice the merriment.

Sun 12 Apr VERTIGO

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The very best in bass, featuring the talents of the Mungo’s Hi-Fi, with a guest or two oft in tow.

NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Themed fun night complete with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Early weekend party-starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Sun 19 Apr

The Colours troops welcome house music legend Roger Sanchez for what will be his first Scottish show since 2009.

OFFBEAT (JUJU & JORDASH)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£7 THEREAFTER)

Mashed up rock, metal, punk and emo, plus hip-hop, pop, EDM and dubstep selections. That do you?

STEREOTONE (WHEELMAN)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Stereotone’s very own mastermind Wheelman DJ takes the reins for the full four hours.

UPRAWR

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Weekly Thursday takeover with guest DJs, prize giveaways and themed drinks.

THIRD LEG

THE FLYING DUCK, 22:00–03:00, £3

Fledgling night (formerly at Flat 0/1) mixing live bands and DJs. LANCE VANCE DANCE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Red-hued adventure travelling through 70s funk, motown and 80s r’n’b, highlighted with glorious rays of disco sunshine. Or summat.

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your Friday jivin’ pleasure.

BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Gavin Somerville spins the finest chart, dance, house and hip-hop in the main hall, with rock and metal anthems in the bar.

Tue 14 Apr RUSTIE

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

The Glasgow-based man of the moment, in the world of dance music anyway, plays as part of his Green Language world tour.

Rescheduled date. #TAG

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Weekly party anthems, complete with a bungee run and giant inflatables, because that’s obvs a normal Tuesday night out.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10 EARLYBIRD (£12 THEREAFTER)

The Thunder Disco Club residents welcome UK-based DJ, producer and musician Floating Point for a guest set of house, techno, soul and disco-spanning tunes.

SUBCITY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:00–03:00, £3

The Subcity crew bring the party, 20 years old and still going strong.

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Mon 13 Apr

THUNDER DISCO CLUB (FLOATING POINTS)

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

Fri 17 Apr

Sunday-bothering night playing house, r’n’b and hip-hop tunes, with the added joy of test tube shooters.

Dancefloor-filling techno nuts Animal Farm take the reins, this edition joined by guest Regis.

Sat 18 Apr

DJ Kelmosh plays a mix of rock, dance and indie hits.

SUNDAY SCIENCE

ANIMAL FARM (REGIS)

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

SMASHED

OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Residents fun night of rock, metal, punk and emo spread over three rooms.

SUPER TROUPER

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Clubber’s delight dedicated to all-Swedish indie, pop and rock – moving from ABBA through to The Knife like a proper legend o’ a thing.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £12 EARLYBIRD (£15 THEREAFTER)

THE ARCHES, 22:00–03:00, £16.50 EARLYBIRD (£20 THEREAFTER)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Subculture residents Harri & Domenic host a special outing from house DJ, producer, writer, filmmaker (and all-round talented bugger), Lil’ Louis.

SUBCULTURE (HENRICK SCHWARZ)

COLOURS (ROGER SANCHEZ)

SUBCULTURE (LIL LOUIS)

WALK ‘N’ SKANK (HORSEMAN)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5-£7

The Lucky Me and Highluife troops lock horns, with a slew of DJs from both camps in tow – amongst them Nina Las Vegas and Auntie Flo.

All-metal party, with the added bells’n’whistles of Beer Pong, gogo dancers and Buckfast shots.

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £12

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

LUCKY ME VS HIGHLIFE (ECLAIR FIFI + NINA LAS VEGAS + JOSEPH MARINETTI + INVISIBLE CITY SOUND SYSTEM + AUNTIE FLO)

Long-running house night manned

by Harri & Domenic, this edition welcoming German deep house veteran Henrik Schwarz for a guest set.

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Messy Saturday night uberdisco armed with Erasure and Papa Roach discographies.

THE POETRY CLUB, 22:00–02:00, £8

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing – as one might expect – cheesy classics of every hue.

Wed 15 Apr

The Italian trashy disco returns for another night of supremely danceable carnage.

Thu 16 Apr

FANTASTIC MAN

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

SHED, 22:30–02:00, FREE (£6/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Fledgling night from Ewan Chambers and Konx-om-Pax, promising to play the best in party music.

The midweek residents serve up their usual rammy of pop-punk and hardcore, whilst the bar doles out alcoholic slushies. Slurp.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

THE BIG CHEESE

SUGO BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The Offbeat crew disco down with guests Julu & Jordash, the talented whirlwind responsible for numerous EPs, LPs and remixes since 2004, as well as several film soundtracks and multimedia projects.

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez at the helm.

UNICORN CHASERS NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative blowout of metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska tunes.

KINO FIST

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:00–03:00, £3

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, leftfield pop and Krautrock with resident Charlotte (of Muscles of Joy).

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Punk, rock and metallic selection of beats spread across three rooms.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 17:00–21:00, £2 (£1)

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

GIMME SHELTER

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Varied night moving from the 50s to present day, via selections of rock’n’roll, soul, garage, psych and r’n’b.

GUILTY PLEASURE

SHED, 22:30–02:00, £7 (£5)

EASY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

DJ Jamie spins anything and everything your heart could possibly desire, with requests all night long.

SUNDAY SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Sunday-bothering night playing house, r’n’b and hip-hop tunes, with the added joy of test tube shooters.

Mon 20 Apr BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Gavin Somerville spins the finest chart, dance, house and hip-hop in the main hall, with rock and metal anthems in the bar.

Tue 21 Apr I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of electronica and bass, oft joined by a guest or two. #TAG

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Weekly party anthems, complete with a bungee run and giant inflatables, because that’s obvs a normal Tuesday night out.

UNICORN CHASERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Fledgling night from Ewan Chambers and Konx-om-Pax, promising to play the best in party music.

Wed 22 Apr KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker, ten years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

SO WEIT SO GUT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

The party sounds of residents Fergus Clark, Gareth Roberts, Ruaidhri McGhee and their special guests.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

Disco-styled party night bolstered by added karaoke fun.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

The midweek residents serve up their usual rammy of pop-punk and hardcore, whilst the bar doles out alcoholic slushies. Slurp.

Thu 23 Apr

WALK ‘N’ SKANK (PONCHITA PELIGROS + STALAWA SOUND)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Frothy mix of guilty pleasures, old and new, for your Saturday night dancing needs.

The very best in bass, featuring the talents of the Mungo’s Hi-Fi, with a guest or two oft in tow.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

I HEART SATURDAYS

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

MONSTER HOSPITAL

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

NEVERLAND

Themed fun night complete with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez at the helm.

Energetic club outing from DJ duo Beyvnce Nailz and C4lvin Malice.

Early weekend party-starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

SHED, 22:30–02:00, FREE (£6/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

THE BIG CHEESE

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing – as one might expect – cheesy classics of every hue.

WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE VS THE LANCE VANCE DANCE

WSHOM team up with all-vinyl disco crew The Lance Vance Dance for double the fun.

JELLY BABY

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

SMASHED

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (STUDENTS FREE)

TROPICAL

ABSOLUTION

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Eclectic, diverse and dancefloororientated beats, with a hint of mango.

OUT OF ORBIT (ON TOP DJS)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The cosmic-heavy Out Of Orbit residents man the decks, a guest or two oft in tow.

UPRAWR

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative blowout of metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska tunes.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

Punk, rock and metallic selection of beats spread across three rooms.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Wed 01 Apr COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Weekly Thursday takeover with guest DJs, prize giveaways and themed drinks.

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Thu 02 Apr

HOUNDIN’ THE STREETS

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

FEKA

Live electronic night with the aim of making you dance.

Fri 24 Apr OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your Friday jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

LOVE MUSIC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Nothing but bare bone rattling, foot tapping, ass shaking hip-hop classics, new wave and disco – this edition with added live vibes from Joe Howe and Smack Wizards.

OLUM

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

Glorious return for the legendary Glaswegian club institution, back and in its indie stride.

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

SWG3 GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Residents fun night of rock, metal, punk and emo spread over three rooms.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez at the helm.

TYREE COOPER

The house and hip-hop aficionado drops by for a deck takeover.

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

PRESCRIBED

THE MASH HOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £3

Bi-weekly bass and house fun night with a regular schedule of guests.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £4-£6

SHED, 22:30–02:00, £7 (£5)

Warm up club night ahead of the Easter Weekend festival, with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Raising funds for Its Good 2 Give.

I HEART SATURDAYS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE0

GUILTY PLEASURE

Frothy mix of guilty pleasures, old and new, for your Saturday night dancing needs.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

JUICE (APPLESCAL)

SHED, 22:30–02:00, FREE (£6/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo, this edition joined by producer Applescal.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:00–03:00, £6

SHAKE APPEAL

The Noceur party crew take to their regular La Cheetah lair, with guest details being kept under wraps for now.

THE BIG CHEESE

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing – as one might expect – cheesy classics of every hue.

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Monthly evening of hip shakers and neck breakers, combining everything from Buddy Holly to Motorhead.

FLASHBACK VS FRESHBEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

DJ Craig Guild holes up in main hall playing fresh new tracks, with DJ Nicola down in G2 playing the best of 80s-00s.

SLEAZE (DUSTIN ZAHN + HANS BOUFFMHYRE + LEX GORRIE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£10 DOOR)

Another installment in the Sleaze Records series, this time bringing with ‘em a trio of talented DJ chaps: Dustin Zahn, Hans Bouffmhyre and Lex Gorrie.

VERSUS

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

All-metal party, with the added bells’n’whistles of Beer Pong, gogo dancers and Buckfast shots.

ASTRAL BLACK: OUTLOOK FESTIVAL SHOWCASE

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Burgeoning label Astral Black return to their Art School lair for a special Outlook Festival showcase, with guests Slimzee, Trim and more.

BIGFOOT’S TEA PARTY (THE BLACK MADONNA)

NOCEUR

SUBCULTURE: 21ST BIRTHDAY

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The long-running house night celebrates a mighty 21 years of being, with residents Harri & Domenic joined by a celebratory guest set from Telford, and more.

Sun 26 Apr SLIDE IT IN

ENDLESS RACE (MARVIN & VALENTINO)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Endless Race bring Munich’s finest Public Possession duo (aka Marvin & Valentino) to Glasgow for the first time, known for their stellar shop, label, productions and artwork.

Sat 25 Apr NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms.

FOUR CORNERS

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

SUNDAY SCIENCE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00

PLANET EARTH

Sunday-bothering night playing house, r’n’b and hip-hop tunes, with the added joy of test tube shooters.

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Mon 27 Apr

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–04:00

Gavin Somerville spins the finest chart, dance, house and hip-hop in the main hall, with rock and metal anthems in the bar.

PROPAGANDA

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

BALKANARAMA (TANZ)

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £10 (£9)

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled club orgy, with an early live jam session followed by live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

IN DEEP (DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS)

Edinburgh Clubs Tue 31 Mar SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Indie, electro and anything inbetween with Pauly (My Latest Novel) and Simin and Steev (Errors).

Fri 03 Apr

Soulful dancing fodder, moving from deep funk to reggae.

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

BLACK TENT

Charity club night moving through six decades of dance, playing the best hits of each year from the 60s to present day. Raising funds for Scottish Autism.

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes over two floors.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 EARLYBIRD (£9 THEREAFTER)

Nomadic techno and tech-house crew Bigfoot’s Tea Party make their regular trip to Subbie’s basement, this edition welcoming DJ/ producer The Black Madonna for a three-hour set.

DANCE BACK TO THE FUTURE

HECTOR’S HOUSE

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

The In Deep troops make merry with residents DABJ.

ETC 29: BACK TO THE FUTURE (JEROME HILL)

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5 IN FANCY DRESS)

Edinburgh Tekno Cartel bring the sleazy bass and techno beats once more, this time with a Back To The Future theme (aka make like Marty) – bolstered by a live set from London techno-head Jerome Hill.

WEAREHOUSE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6

Playing the finest in past, present and future house music. In The Annexe space.

Sat 04 Apr TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

Mashed up rock, metal, punk and emo, plus hip-hop, pop, EDM and dubstep selections. That do you?

THE SKINNY

Edinburgh Clubs THE GO-GO STUDIO 24, 23:00–05:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Long-running retro night with veteran DJs Tall Paul and Big Gus. BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

BIG ‘N’ BASHY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle played by inimitable residents Brother Most Righteous, Skillis, Era and Deburgh.

SPEAKER BITE ME

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

The Evol DJs worship at the alter of all kinds of indie-pop, with their only rule being that it’s gotta have bite.

BORDELLO

STUDIO 24, 22:30–05:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Classic sleazy rock action, all the night long.

SAMEDIA SHEBEEN

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Eclectic fun night transporting late-night party people to an imaginary jungle voodoo den, featuring a hand-built set modelled on an imagined African township shebeen.

TUSK

THE SAFARI LOUNGE, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Fledgling pre-club session taking in a borderless blend of eclectic dance music.

OUTCASTS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

We Own residents’ night playing house tracks dear to their hearts, with producers Theo Kottis and Izzy Demzky on the decks all night.

NIGHTVISION PRESENTS... LOCO DICE (HECTOR + KIRK DOUGLAS)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 21:00–03:00, £17.50

Edinburgh club series Nightvision continues with a set from German-born producer Loco Dice, making his debut appearance in the Scottish capital no less.

Sun 05 Apr COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

EROS REUNION (DJ KUTA)

CITY, 22:30–03:00, £TBC

Easter special Eros reunion playing anthems and mash-ups from 1999-2003, joined by a guest set from N-Trance’s DJ Kuta.

TIME WARP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

DJ Lexo hosts a live video set mashing up music videos and films with memorable soundtracks.

Mon 06 Apr MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to bass with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 07 Apr SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Wed 08 Apr COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

Thu 09 Apr JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

SURE SHOT

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 01:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

Fledgling night spanning 80s-00s hip-hop and r’n’b, manned by The Skinny’s own Peter Simpson and one half of Edinburgh’s Kitchen Disco, Malcolm Storey.

Fri 10 Apr FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

CONFUSION

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Spin-off night from the Confusion is Sex peeps, focused on bringing in guest DJs, MCs and live acts from outside Edinburgh.

IN DEEP (HIGHLIFE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

The In Deep champs welcome bi-monthly residents Auntie Flo and Esa (aka the Highlife tagteam) for a set of their divine house and Afro grooves.

ORIENTATION

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Anything goes night of music, exploring the very reaches of any and every genre they fancy.

SLVR (CLOUDS)

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

Techno enthusiasts SLVR return to a club setting, this time joined by bedroom-produced techno scamps Clouds.

EDEN FESTIVAL’S VOLTAN PSYCHTRANCE STAGE TEASER PARTY (LAH NARRAD + XYMOX + 2CBEEBIES + DHARMA + AUDIO SE7EN + MARK MCARTHUR + TRYPNAUTIC)

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £5 (£8 AFTER 12)

Eden Festival present a selection of the sensory delights that await in The Voltan stage of this year’s fest.

MUTINY

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £5

Jungle-styled party night for all your end-of-week dancing needs.

Sat 11 Apr TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

April 2015

BUBBLEGUM THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

SOULSVILLE

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Swinging soul spanning a whole century, with DJs Tsatsu and Fryer.

DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae.

BEEP BEEP, YEAH!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s, via a disco tune or ten.

TEESH

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

DJ Cheers – frequent flyer at many a Sneaky’s night – finally gets his own show on the road.

ALBATRONICS

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£8 AFTER 11.30)

Fledgling traditional folk-styled night playing a ‘stramash of Scottish music’, bolstered by resident deck stalwart DJ Dolphin Boy. A TWISTED CIRCUS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Carnival-styled Edinburgh music night showcasing a selection of musicians from across the UK.

Sun 12 Apr COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

Mon 13 Apr MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to bass with a plethora of live MCs.

PRESCRIBED

POP ROCKS!

THE MASH HOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £3

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

Bi-weekly bass and house fun night with a regular schedule of guests.

Fri 17 Apr FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

IN DEEP (DEEP SHIT)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

The In Deep champs host a return guest set from bi-monthly residents Foals’ Edwin Congreave and Friendly Fires’ Jack Savidge, in their party-ready DJ duo guise, Deep Shit.

THE DARK ROOM

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 11.30)

Dark psytrance-styled night, featuring a batch of DJs from various Scottish tribes.

NDAJE: AFRICAN CONNECTIONS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Afro-beat and funk playlists, bolstered by a selection of live acts.

THE SOLAR BOOGALOO

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

DJ Yves leads a disco-fuelled freestyle funk boogie freakout, of course!

SUBSTANCE (DVS1)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

The Substance crew mix up cutting edge and classic electronic from across the spectrum.

FOURBYFOUR PRESENTS... RAMIRO LOPEZ

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£9 AFTER 11.30)

The FourbyFour troops make merry with a guest set from European tech-house legend, innovator and club fanatic, Ramiro Lopez.

FULL SPECTRUM

SUMMERHALL, 22:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

The Science Festival collaborate with Astrojazz and Adventures in Light to create a special audiovisual clubber’s experience, taking in experiments with light, sound and structure on a large scale.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Sat 18 Apr

TRASH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Tue 14 Apr SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

I LOVE HIP HOP

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Wed 15 Apr COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

Thu 16 Apr JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

TEASE AGE

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

THE EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£7 AFTER 12)

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger soundsystem.

EINDBASS: DUTCH CHIPTUNE SPECIAL (XYCE + MEN OF MEGA + ROCCOW + ARCADECOMA + KING WINE + DJ FRANS TWIS)

THE MASH HOUSE, 21:00–03:00, £5

Early club session of no-wave, post-punk, Krautrock, twisted disco and other angular vinyl grooves.

REASON

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£4)

New monthly night welcoming talent from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. In The Annexe space.

NIGHTVISION PRESENTS... DARIUS SYROSSIAN (SANTÉ + SIDNEY CHARLES + LAURIE NEIL + DONNA LOVE)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 21:00–03:00, £12.50

Edinburgh club series Nightvision continues with a set from Leedsbased producer and Tribal Sessions’ main man Darius Syrossian.

YIP YAP REUNION

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:30–03:00, £8

Yip Yap returns to 11 Hasties Close, with original residents Gareth Sommerville and Davy Brown reigniting their partnership for a set of 90s house worshipping.

Sun 19 Apr COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

ECLAIR FIFI + NINA LAS VEGAS

Surf, blues and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake.

Job done.

DECADE

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Fresh playlists spanning metal, pop-punk and alternative soundscapes.

WASABI DISCO (WASABI DISCO)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

Heady bout of cosmic house, punk upside-down disco and, er, Fleetwood Mac with yer man Kris ‘Wasabi’ Walker.

FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

IN DEEP (JON K)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

Sneaky’s new Friday nighter welcomes Manc underground house specialist Jon K for his regular guest set.

ELECTRIKAL

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Soundsystem party-starters, part of a music and art collective specializing in all things bass.

PASS THE VIBES

SHAKE YER SHOULDERS: BELLA CIAO

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Celebration of all things acid, techno and debaucherous with the Shake Yer Shoulders residents, this edition commemorating Liberation Day. CIRCUS LATES PRESENT... DEAD BEET RECORDS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

Last Friday of the month venue takeover offering up a carnival of activities including cover bands, live DJs, karaoke, cocktail mixing and free popcorn, this edition manned by Dead Beat Records.

FLY CLUB (MODA BLACK)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

LuckyMe resident Eclair Fifi takes to the road for her double-headline EU tour with Triple J host Nina Las Vegas.

Mon 20 Apr

Sat 25 Apr

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

MIXED UP

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to bass with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 21 Apr SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

TRASH

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Wed 22 Apr COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

Thu 23 Apr JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo.

EIGHT & TWENTY

511, 22:00–03:00, £5

Sun 26 Apr COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

SUCH A DRAG

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, FREE

New monthly drag night with emphasis on all things risque.

Mon 27 Apr MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to bass with a plethora of live MCs.

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Live hip-hop night, this time playing host to Fusion Promotions’ Own Dialect, Beef, Jee4ce and Fusion.

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent – this edition in the form of a Modal Black showcase.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

THE GREEN DOOR

Fri 24 Apr

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

After guest appearances from Linkwood and Lo Shea respectively, the E&T residents take control for a five-hour session of house, techno and disco.

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

THE SAFARI LOUNGE, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

HI-SOCIETY

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

BOURBON AND RAZORS

KEEP IT STEEL STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

The Keep It Steel DJs play the best in heavy metal and hard rock.

The INST/DEL lot curate a night of live chiptune/8-bit, featuring the Netherlands’ own Einbass collective.

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Jake playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk – now taking up a monthly Saturday slot, in what is their 20-somethingth year.

BUBBLEGUM

HULLABALOO THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

TEASE AGE

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

MUMBO JUMBO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£7/£5 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Funk, soul, beats and mash-ups from the Mumbo Jumbo regulars and pals.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

MAGIC NOSTALGIC

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£8 AFTER 12)

Dundee Clubs Fri 03 Apr

CTRL ALT DEFEAT (VITALIC)

READING ROOMS, 22:30–04:00, £15

More electro musings with a danceable beat, this time welcoming French DJ legend Vitalic for a special guest slot, with a 4am license to boot.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

JUTE CITY JAM

READING ROOMS, 22:30–04:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Fri 10 Apr

PHAZED (DENIS SULTA)

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£8 AFTER 12)

Soul sounds takeover, with house and disco upstairs.

Fri 24 Apr

HEADWAY: 11TH BIRTHDAY (BEN SIMS)

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £12

Three-deck techno wizard Ben Sims takes to Headway for the night, ready to help ‘em celebrate their 11th birthday with his fresh take on modern dance.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

Sat 25 Apr BOOK CLUB

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £TBC

The Good Stuff DJs spin all genres of disco house and techno, alongside anything else they damn well fancy.

WARPED

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

Glasgow Comedy Tue 31 Mar RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

ALEX DUBUS: CARS AND GIRLS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £7

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JASON JOHN WHITEHEAD + STEVEN DICK + LAUREN PATTISON + LIAM PICKFORD + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

ASYLUM

Sat 11 Apr

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £15

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

SOUNDS OF SOUL

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

The English comedian/actor arrives with another fresh batch of poetic tales of travel and heartbreak – musing on UFOs, truckers, bean festivals and the Dutch as he goes.

BETAMAX

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

WARPED

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Two of Dundee’s younger veterans – Teddy Hannan and Correlate & George – come together to create a new addition to the Reading Rooms roster, this time with special guest Denis Sulta in tow.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 23:00–03:00, £6

Monthly offering of new wave, disco, post-punk and a bit o’ synthtastic 80s with your hosts Chris and Big Gus.

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

Wed 01 Apr

WARPED

The Reading Rooms marks its 13th birthday year by welcoming BBC6 music presenter and independent label owner Gilles Peterson for a special set.

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

READING ROOMS’ 13TH BIRTHDAY (GILLES PETERSON + MC EARL ZINGER)

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

Double headline DJ takeover, with global dance specialist Bryan Kearney making merry alongside Scottish born-and-raised trance producer Jase Thirlwall.

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

MADCHESTER

BRYAN KEARNEY + JASE THIRLWALL

BUSKERS, 19:30–02:30, £10 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

Funk, soul, disco and Latin night, taking in vinyl selections from residents Max Galloway and Calvin Crichton.

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

The Ride girls play hip-hop and dance, all night long – now in their new party-ready Saturday night slot.

Sat 18 Apr

Sat 04 Apr

A hodgepodge of tracks chosen by JP’s spinning wheel – expect 90s, power ballads and a whole lotta one-hit wonders.

RIDE

ASYLUM KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

WARPED

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

Fri 17 Apr CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £TBC

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew.

Thu 02 Apr

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

VESPBAR VIRGINS

VESPBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

Fri 03 Apr

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JASON JOHN WHITEHEAD + STEVEN DICK + LAUREN PATTISON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Listings

67

Comedy LAUGHTER EIGHT VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY @ DRYGATE (RAY BRADSHAW + CHRIS FORBES + JOE HART + AISLING BEA)

DRYGATE BREWING CO., 20:00–22:00, £12.50

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hit up Drygate for a new residency, combing the joys of a craft brewery setting with a rotating schedule of live comedy talent.

Sat 04 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (JASON JOHN WHITEHEAD + STEVEN DICK + LAUREN PATTISON + LIAM PICKFORD + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

LAUGHTER EIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

BEST OF VESPBAR VIRGINS

VESPBAR, 22:00–00:00, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a ‘best of’ selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

Sun 05 Apr

GLASGOW KIDS COMEDY CLUB

THE STAND, 14:30–15:30, £4

Comedy session suitable for little ears (i.e. no sweary words), for children aged 8-12 years-old.

BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL (JASON JOHN WHITEHEAD + STEVEN DICK + LAUREN PATTISON + ROSS MAIN + MC MICHAEL REDMOND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

The Stand celebrate the coming Monday bank holiday with a special Sunday show.

Mon 06 Apr IMPROV WARS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as indeed it should be.

Tue 07 Apr RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

BEYOND A JOKE (CALLUM MCLEOD + ROSCO MCLELLAND + HEATHER HARDCASTLE + ROB KANE) VESPBAR, 20:00–23:00, £5

Monthly sketch night manned by a selection of up-and-coming UK comics.

Wed 08 Apr NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£4)

Ro Cambell and The Wee Man’s comedian rap battle-off, where a select batch of comics compete to see who’s got the most swagger when it comes to hippity-hop wit.

Thu 09 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + HOLLY WALSH + STEPHEN BUCHANAN + MC MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

VESPBAR VIRGINS

VESPBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

68

Listings

Fri 10 Apr

THE FRIDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + HOLLY WALSH + MC MARTIN MOR) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

DARA O’BRIAIN

SECC, 20:00–22:00, £23

The favourited Irish funnyman hits the road with his first live tour in three years, Crowd Tickler.

LAUGHTER EIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sat 11 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + HOLLY WALSH + STEPHEN BUCHANAN + MC MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

DARA O’BRIAIN

SECC, 20:00–22:00, £23

LAUGHTER EIGHT VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY @ DRYGATE (RAY BRADSHAW + KEVIN SHEPHERD + BILLY KIRKWOOD + DIANE SPENCER) DRYGATE BREWING CO., 20:00–22:00, £12.50

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hit up Drygate for a new residency, combing the joys of a craft brewery setting with a rotating schedule of live comedy talent.

Sat 18 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + STEPHEN CARLIN + JACK EVANS + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

LAUGHTER EIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sun 19 Apr

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (RON VAUDRY + MC MICHAEL REDMOND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

The favourited Irish funnyman hits the road with his first live tour in three years, Crowd Tickler.

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his guests.

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Tue 21 Apr

LAUGHTER EIGHT

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sun 12 Apr

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (HOLLY WALSH + MARTIN BEARNE + MC MICHAEL REDMOND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his guests.

Mon 13 Apr

JONNY AND THE BAPTISTS ROCK THE VOTE

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

Following their news-making Stop UKIP tour, musical comedians Jonny and the Baptists blend songs, satire and silliness ahead of the May 2015 general election.

Tue 14 Apr RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 15 Apr NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

BBC COMEDY PRESENTS...

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4

BBC-selected sketch comedy showcase where handpicked new acts get their chance to shine – with each performer getting a quickfire 5-10 minutes on stage.

Thu 16 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + STEPHEN CARLIN + JACK EVANS + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

VESPBAR VIRGINS

VESPBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

Fri 17 Apr

THE FRIDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + STEPHEN CARLIN + JACK EVANS + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 22 Apr NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

DIABETES UK FUNDRAISER (MARK NELSON + GARETH MUTCH + RYAN CARLTON + MC BILLY KIRKWOOD)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5

Comedy fundraiser in aid of Diabetes UK, hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Thu 23 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (MARK MAIER + JOHN SCOTT + LARRY DEAN + DAISY EARL + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

VESPBAR VIRGINS

VESPBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

Fri 24 Apr

THE FRIDAY SHOW (MARK MAIER + JOHN SCOTT + LARRY DEAN + DAISY EARL + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

LAUGHTER EIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sat 25 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (MARK MAIER + JOHN SCOTT + LARRY DEAN + DAISY EARL + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

LAUGHTER EIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sun 26 Apr

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (MARK MAIER + LEONA IRVINE)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his guests.

Edinburgh Comedy

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Tue 31 Mar

Mon 06 Apr

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–22:00, £1

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

GRASSROOTS COMEDY

Showcase night featuring the best in fresh, local talent – bringing together first-time and upand-coming comics in a series of quickfire 10-minute slots. In the Cabaret Bar. ALEX DUBUS: CARS AND GIRLS

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £7

The English comedian/actor arrives with another fresh batch of poetic tales of travel and heartbreak – musing on UFOs, truckers, bean festivals and the Dutch as he goes.

Wed 01 Apr

FOOLS FUNDRAISER (STU & GARRY + JOJO SUTHERLAND + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £10

Comedy fundraiser in aid of Simpsons Special Care Baby Unit, hosted by Susan Morrison.

Thu 02 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (DAVE JOHNS + JOHN ROSS + SEAN MCLOUGHLIN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE (DES O’GORMAN + ROSS HEPBURN) THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:30–22:30, £2

Comic double-header, with comedians Des O’Gorman and Ross Hepburn each delivering a set centred around their favourite film: Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice, respectively.

Fri 03 Apr

THE FRIDAY SHOW (DAVE JOHNS + JOHN ROSS + SEAN MCLOUGHLIN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

COMEDYDOO (OBIE + GARETH MUTCH + MC JONNY THOMSON) THE WHITE HORSE, 20:00–22:00, £9

Fresh line-up of fledgling comedic talent, topped off with a national headline act and a jovial compere.

Sat 04 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (DAVE JOHNS + JOHN ROSS + SEAN MCLOUGHLIN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY @ FESTIVAL THEATRE (RAY BRADSHAW + CHRIS FORBES + JOE HART + AISLING BEA) FESTIVAL THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £12.50

RED RAW

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Tue 07 Apr

RICHARD MELVIN PRESENTS... MORE RADIO RECORDINGS!

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:00–21:00, FREE (BUT TICKETED)

Wed 15 Apr

JONNY AND THE BAPTISTS ROCK THE VOTE

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

Wed 08 Apr

Thu 16 Apr

THE BROKEN WINDOWS POLICY

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

More fast-paced and anarchic skits and character comedy from The Stand’s resident sketch comedy troupe and their special guests.

Fri 10 Apr

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sat 11 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + CHRIS FORBES + PAUL F TAYLOR + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 12 Apr

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

PATRICK MONAHAN: ADVENTURES IN MONAHAN LAND

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£8)

High-energy gags of the funnyman’s Irish/Iranian/Teeside heritage, fresh from his stint at Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Mon 13 Apr RED RAW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

Sun 05 Apr

Tue 14 Apr ELECTRIC TALES

More in the way of stand-up comedy crossed with live storytelling, with the tease of a promise of robot badges for all (as in, we’re there).

ANDREW LAWRENCE: REASONS TO KILL YOURSELF

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £12

The ginger-haired stand-up master cobbles together his thoughts on how awful the world is, as you do, fresh from a stint at Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Thu 23 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (NICK REVELL + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Fri 24 Apr

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

THE FRIDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + CHRIS FORBES + PAUL F TAYLOR + MC JOE HEENAN)

Comics from the Work in Progress crew (made up of Daniel Sloss, Kai Humphries and special guests) try out a selection of all-new material.

Be gentle on ‘em.

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

THE FRIDAY SHOW (KEVIN GILDEA + RO CAMPBELL + MC JONATHAN MAYOR)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

WORK IN PROGRESS

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–21:30, £3

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Thu 09 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + CHRIS FORBES + PAUL F TAYLOR + MC JOE HEENAN)

Wed 22 Apr

THE THURSDAY SHOW (KEVIN GILDEA + RO CAMPBELL + MC JONATHAN MAYOR)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

The Stand celebrate the coming Monday bank holiday with a special Sunday show.

Monthly storytelling night of the rather ace variety, featuring a feastful of writers, comedians and musicians telling (mostly) true stories.

Following their news-making Stop UKIP tour, musical comedians Jonny and the Baptists blend songs, satire and silliness ahead of the May 2015 general election.

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9)

SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE, 20:00–22:00, £7

Funnyman Richard Melvin introduces an all-star cast of comedy stalwarts currently recording radio shows.

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hit up Drygate for a new residency, combing the joys of a craft brewery setting with a rotating schedule of live comedy talent.

BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL (DAVE JOHNS + JOHN ROSS + SEAN MCLOUGHLIN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE SPEAKEASY (ANDREW LEARMONTH + KEIRON NICHOLSON + AGNES TÖRÖK + JANINE MELANIE WYSE + MARK JEARY + PACO ET JAQUES)

Fri 17 Apr

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

ALAN CARR: YAP, YAP, YAP!

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, 20:00–22:00, FROM £31

The chat show comic returns to his stand-up roots with a new show about life an’ that.

Sat 18 Apr

THE SATURDAY SHOW (KEVIN GILDEA + RO CAMPBELL + MC JONATHAN MAYOR)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

ALAN CARR: YAP, YAP, YAP!

THE FRIDAY SHOW (NICK REVELL + ANDY ROBINSON + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 20 Apr RED RAW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Tue 21 Apr

SCOTTISH AUTISM FUNDRAISER (JOHN WILLIAMS + DAISY EARL + MC JELLYBEAN MARTINEZ) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

Comedy fundraiser in aid of Scottish Autism, hosted by Jellybean Martinez.

Fri 17 Apr

DES CLARKE: THE TROUBLE WITH BEING DES

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £14 (£12)

The Glasgow comedian does his unique blend of comic observations, topical material and Glasgow banter, touring the full-length version of his hit 2014 Edinburgh Fringe show.

Glasgow Theatre Citizens Theatre THE ABSENCE OF WAR

24 MAR – 4 APR, NOT 29 MAR, 30 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

8–11 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £8

THE VARIETY OF LIFE

LIPPY

MC-led evening of music, comedy, aerial acrobatics, performance, magic and more. That do you?

Raising funds for Hope and Play for Children of Gaza and Orkidstudio/ Swawou Community Primary School for Girls.

Haunting investigation based on real events in County Kildare, investigating why we tell stories in the face of tragedy. Part of Behaviour Festival.

Sat 25 Apr

Surreal comic thriller by Glasgowbased writer Douglas Maxwell, blurring fantasy and reality as a heatwave bears down on the residents of Govanhill. Matinee performances also available (Sat, 2.30pm).

THE SATURDAY SHOW (NICK REVELL + ANDY ROBINSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

FEVER DREAM: SOUTHSIDE

23 APR – 9 MAY, NOT 26 APR, 27 APR, 3 MAY, 4 MAY, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £8.50

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall LA TRAVIATA

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

31 MAR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.50

Sun 26 Apr

1 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.50

ROCK AND ROLL PING PONG

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–23:00, FREE

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

The favourited Irish funnyman hits the road with his first live tour in three years, Crowd Tickler.

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:30, £10 (£8)

Sun 19 Apr

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

DARA O’BRIAIN:

CAIRD HALL, 20:00–22:00, £23

Headlong present this timely play about a fictional Labour Party leader and his charge for the big job at Number 10. Matinee performances also available (Sat, 2.30pm).

The It’s Funtime jokers present a fun (and free!) table tennis evening with a comedy bent, bolstered by dancing discs from DJ Ding Dong (ahem).

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (MC JULIA SUTHERLAND )

Tue 07 Apr

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

The chat show comic returns to his stand-up roots with a new show about life an’ that.

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, 20:00–22:00, FROM £31

Dundee Comedy

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 27 Apr RED RAW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Opera North present Verdi’s interpretation of one of the most popular love stories of the 19th century, La Dame aux Camelias.

ELLEN KENT’S MADAM BUTTERFLY

Ellen Kent’s take on Puccini’s classic Italian opera, as lavishlycostumed as one would expect.

The Arches 27

25 AND 26 APR, 8:30PM – 9:30PM, £12 (£10)

As Peter McMaster and coperformer Nick Anderson reach 27, they unashamedly unpack their complex autobiographies on stage, delivering a visual and visceral performance of getting older and change. Part of Behaviour Festival.

CONFIRMATION

20-23 APR, 7:30PM – 9:00PM, £14 (£10)

With an election looming, and new political voices appearing, theatre writer Chris Thorpe and co examine the phenomenon of confirmation bias. Part of Behaviour Festival.

O IS FOR HOOTLET

15–17 APR, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £12 (£10)

Ishbel McFarlane’s one-woman show about the Scots language, presented using collected stories, interviews, memories, characters and attitudes, with the aim of challenging our expectations and prejudices about language. Part of Behaviour Festival.

DANCER

25–26 APR, 7:00PM – 8:00PM, £12 (£10)

A gentle provocation on what it is to be a ‘dance’, created by by learning disabled artist Ian Johnston, Gary Gardiner and the late Adrian Howells. Part of Behaviour Festival.

THE SKINNY

Theatre WESTERN SOCIETY 8–9 APR, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £15 (£10)

Gob Squad present their unique staged portrait of civilisation in the 21st century, inviting the audience to peep into the livingroom of an unknown family, and perhaps recognise themselves. Part of Behaviour Festival.

The Art School O YES

10 APR, 7:00PM – 11:00PM, FREE (BUT TICKETED)

Inventors Of Tradition present four performances reviving Michael Clark’s work, presented by 14 independent dancers and a live ensemble band created by Tut Vu Vu. Showing at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm and 10pm.

The King’s Theatre SISTER ACT

14–18 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Theatrical re-telling of the hit movie, in full singalong glory with original music by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken. Matinee performances also available (Wed & Sat, 2.30pm).

DANCE ‘TIL DAWN

1 AND 11 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Vincent Simone and Flavia of Strictly Come Dancing fame return with their second live show, if any of you, y’know, give the slightest bugger.

BARNUM

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 31 MAR AND 4 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Musical retelling of the life of Phineas T Barnum, the American showman/businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Matinee performances also available (Thu & Sat, 2.30pm).

ANYTHING GOES

20–25 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £14

Classic Broadway musical telling the story of an evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney as she boards a cruise liner for song, dance and romance. Matinee performances also available (Wed & Sat, 2.30pm).

Theatre Royal SCOTTISH OPERA: JEN FA

7 APR, 9 APR, 11 APR, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: ALL FICTIONS ARE BIOGRAPHICAL 17 APR, 7:30PM – 9:00PM, £4

Open conversation around the history and practices of Ueinzz Theatre Company – a radical Brazilian schizoscenic theatre company of carers, so-called psychotic patients and philosophers.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: IT’S SORTA LIKE A BIG HUG

17 APR, 9:30PM – 10:45PM, £4

Performative discussion with artists Park McArthur and Constantina Zavitsanos, musing on how can we imagine bodies not as an end in themselves, but as a medium through which we can become one another’s means.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: NO READY MADE MEN (REHEARSAL)

18 APR, 2:30PM – 4:00PM, £4

Open rehearsal by Ueinzz Theatre Company – a radical Brazilian schizo-scenic theatre company – rehearsing a theatre capable of reversing the power over life into the potential of life. See the performance official the following afternoon (2.30pm).

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: POETHICAL READINGS/INTUITING THE POLITICAL

18 APR, 6:00PM – 7:00PM, £4

Performative conversation with Denise Ferreira da Silva and Valentina Desideri around thinking politics from the position of intuition, using unreasonable tools to undertake and map out a hybrid poetical/ethical reading of their own situations.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: NO READY MADE MEN

19 APR, 2:30PM – 4:00PM, £4

Performance by Ueinzz Theatre Company – a radical Brazilian schizo-scenic theatre company – rehearsing a theatre capable of reversing the power over life into the potential of life.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: STANDING IN THE FLESH

19 APR, 4:30PM – 6:00PM, £6 (DAY PASS)

Open conversation with two of Arika’s favourite thinkers – Hortense J. Spillers and Denise Ferreira da Silva – discussing how the body, the law, the state, gender, race, violence, care and empathy explore how we might give humanness a different future.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: TLRS

19 APR, 9:30PM – 10:45PM, £6 (DAY PASS)

Reimagining of Leoš Janá ek’s famed piece about a young, pregnant woman living in a remote rural village, though as yet unmarried. Sung in Czech with English subtitles.

Arika 15 Episode 7 rounds off with a live electroacoustic performance from Laurence Rassel and Terre Thaemlitz, featuring previous TLRS broadcasts, radio booths and special guests.

20–25 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Tron Theatre

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel, combining the intensity of live theatre with a cinematic tension inspired by the world of film noir. Matinee performances also available (Thu & Sat, 2.30pm).

Tramway

SCOTTISH BALLET DOUBLE BILL

24 APR, 25 APR, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £16 (£12.50)

Special Scottish Ballet double bill, featuring the world premiere of choreographer Mark Brew’s new piece Halt, paired with Hans van Manen’s 5 Tangos. Part of Dance International Glasgow.

JONATHAN BURROWS + MATTEO FARGION

25–26 APR, 6:30PM – 9:00PM, £11 (£8)

Long-standing collaborative duo moving between dance, music, live art and comedy, taking to Tramway with a selection of performed duets. Part of Dance International Glasgow.

ARIKA 15 EPISODE 7: TLRS MORNING SHOW

16–18 APR, 4:30PM – 5:30PM, FREE

(Cyber)feminist, non-essentialist transgender and queer radio show using sound effects, adopted characters, special guests and formulaic speech patterns to think about the scripted behaviour and controlled empathy of systematic care.

April 2015

FALLEN

Edinburgh Theatre King’s Theatre THE WOMAN IN BLACK

14–18 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £14

Stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel, combining the intensity of live theatre with a cinematic tension inspired by the world of film noir. Matinee performances also available (Wed & Sat, 2.30pm).

BIRDSONG

14–25 APR, NOT 19, 20, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Sebastian Faulks’ story of love, courage and sacrifice during wartime is brought to the stage in a new adaptation marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. Matinee performances also available.

1–4 APR, 7:45PM – 10:00PM, FROM £8

Space-themed tale drawing on accounts of those who risk their lives for a distant dream, with audiences experiencing an immersive sound world on headphones, alongside a performance on stage in front of them.

THE STRAW CHAIR

14–25 APR, NOT 19, 20, 21, 22, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Originally premiered at the Trav back in 1988, Borderline and Hirtle revive Sue Glover’s captivating play about liberty and love

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art ROSS HAMILTON FREW: LOCUS OF POINTS

27 MAR – 11 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow-based artist working predominantly with drawing, utilising a series of frameworks derived from the golden canons of page construction and graphic design grid-systems.

GORDON DOUGLAS: THE GARDEN IS OUR WALL

14 APR – 9 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Series of four exhibition ‘events’ inviting collaboration from practitioners Stefanie Cheong, James Harding, Tess Vaughan and Jake Watts, drawing on authority within designed urban image, and the inherent civic responsibility of communal habitation.

Royal Lyceum Theatre

Caird Hall

CHRISTINE BORLAND + BRODY CONDON: CIRCLES OF FOCUS

2 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, PRICES VARY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 APR AND 17 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

HEDDA GABLER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 20 MAR AND 11 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12.50

Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama of passion and desperation, following a dangerously irresistible woman as she rushes headlong towards a disaster that will embrace all those around her. Matinee performances also available (Wed & Sat, 2pm).

THE VENETIAN TWINS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 24 APR AND 16 MAY, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12.50 (£10)

New version of Carlo Goldoni’s timeless comedy of mayheminducing mistaken identity, with director Tony Cownie at the helm.

Matinee performances also available (Wed & Sat, 2pm).

The Edinburgh Playhouse JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 23 MAR AND 18 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary rock classic returns to the stage. Matinee performances also available.

OKLAHOMA!

21-25 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Retelling of the Rodgers and Hammerstein smash hit set in a Western Indian territory in 1906, providing the colourful backdrop against which Curly and Laurey’s love story plays out. Matinee performances also available (Thu & Sat, 2.30pm).

CIRQUE ÉLOIZE

1–4 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £14

16 APR, 18 APR, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

LAST DREAM (ON EARTH)

Ishbel McFarlane’s one-woman show about the Scots language, presented using collected stories, interviews, memories, characters and attitudes, with the aim of challenging our expectations and prejudices about language.

Glasgow

Dundee Theatre

14–25 APR, NOT 19, 20, 21, 22, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Originally premiered at the Trav back in 1988, Borderline and Hirtle revive Sue Glover’s captivating play about liberty and love

O IS FOR HOOTLET

23–25 APR, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £16 (£13 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Art

Froth of dance inspired by work from the Great White Way: New York, New York, featuring over 120 performers in training from The MGA Academy of Performing Arts.

Teenage-driven tale of the turbulent phase of adolescence, complete with specially-composed soundtrack from RJ McConnell.

THE STRAW CHAIR

Multimedia sci-fi thriller set in 2029, where the first human mission to Mars has disappeared without a trace.

BROADWAY BOUND

2 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £15

Contemporary circus ensemble tricksily combining circus arts with music, dance and theatre. Matinee performances also available (Sat, 2.30pm).

9–11 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £8

PIONEER 2– 4 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £16 (£13 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

SCOTTISH OPERA: JEN FA

Reimagining of Leoš Janá ek’s famed piece about a young, pregnant woman living in a remote rural village, though as yet unmarried. Sung in Czech with English subtitles.

Traverse Theatre BLOOD WEDDING

8–11 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

David Ireland’s new take on Federico Garcia Lorca’s Spanish classic, refueling the story with a contemporary twist. Matinee performances also available.

CUCKOOED

15–18 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £16 (£13 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Mark Thomas tells his true story of how Britain’s biggest arms manufacturer (BAE Systems) came to spy on a comedian, using interviews from friends, colleagues, activists and journalists to examine the impact of betrayal.

ELLEN KENT’S MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Ellen Kent’s take on Puccini’s classic Italian opera, as lavishlycostumed as ever.

Dundee Rep TITUS ANDRONICUS

8–24 APR, NOT 12, 13, 19, 20, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Modern reworking of arguably Shakespeare’s most bloody tragedy, directed and designed by Scottish theatre director and set designer Stewart Laing. Matinee performances also available (Thu & Sat, 2.30pm).

THE DEVIL WEARS PRIMARK

3–4 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £17 (£15)

Award-winning Scottish scriptwriter Kathleen Ruddy’s story of Aunt Athy – agony aunt, imminent MBE awardee… and ‘mother-in-law from hell’.

MOTHER OF ALL THE PEOPLES

15–17 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £14 (£12)

Journey back in time with Mary Slessor (now in her latter days), as she reflects on her inauspicious beginnings and unlikely journey to Africa. Based on the book Mary Slessor: The Barefoot Missionary

by Elizabeth Robertson BIG PANTS AND BOTOX

21–25 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £19.50 (£15.50)

Humourous and oft touching tale of ageing, as central character Barbara comes out the other side of a significant birthday and starts considering big pants and botox.

The Gardyne Theatre CRAZY FOR YOU

9–11 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19 (£17)

The all-singing, all-dancing Gerschwin musical is given a new lease of life by Bird Theatre Co. Matinee performance also available (Sat, 2.30pm).

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

22 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £16 (£14)

New play from Olivier awardwinning playwright Stef Smith, centred around a Sonny and Cher-loving couple who are hiding some dark secrets beneath the pop and sparkle.

The Space

INDEPEN-DANCE 4: TRIPLE BILL

6 APR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£6)

Special bill of works from Scotland’s first international inclusive dance festival, Indepen-dance, showcasing work from solo dance artists and inclusive dance companies from across the UK and Europe.

The fruits of a long term project by collaborative artists Christine Borland and Brody Condon exploring human body donation as a tool for artistic research and practice, encompassing fired ceramic sculptures, performance documentation and legal paperwork.

David Dale Gallery and Studios

KEITH ALLAN + TOMAS DOWNES: NEVER SPOTTED LEOPARD

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 11 APR AND 16 MAY, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Joint exhibition from Glasgowborn, Copenhagen-living artist Keith Allen and London/ Copenhagen-straddling artist Tomas Downes.

Glasgow Print Studio BELOW ANOTHER SKY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 3 APR AND 10 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

The fruits of the Below Another Sky programme of residencies, research trips and commissions, with the selected artists showing their work alongside images from their research trips and residencies.

MELANIE DAVIES

3–26 APR, NOT 6, 13, 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collection of etchings from recent ECA graduate Melanie Davies that blur the distinction between rural and urban landscapes, dystopian visions and reality.

Glasgow School of Art KELLENBERGER–WHITE

13 MAR – 12 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Special exhibition inviting Londonbased design studio Kellenberger– White to engage with the inside of Reid Gallery as if it were a page, showcasing the identity they developed for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art in 2014.

CATHERINE STREET: MUSCLE THEORY

18–30 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo showcase of new work from Edinburgh-based artist Catherine Street, for which a variety of ideas, sounds and images will gradually reveal their connections and antagonisms between two locations for a ten-day duration.

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

IMAN ISSA: PARABLES

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 APR AND 13 JUN, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Egyptian artist Iman Issa marks her first exhibition in a UK public institution (and GSS’ first exhibition with an Egyptian artist, no less), presenting Common Elements 2013 – an installation of sculpture, text panels and photographs.

GoMA

ALASDAIR GRAY: SPHERES OF INFLUENCE I

21 NOV – 25 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Part of a season of Alasdair Gray exhibitions, with this one looking at his practice, influences and work – delving into the Glasgow Museums Collection to explore connections between them.

THE BALLET OF THE PALETTE

20 FEB – 24 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase exhibition of 20th century paintings selected from Glasgow Museums’ collection, chosen by a selection of contemporary artists who exhibited work in the 2013 exhibition, A Picture Show.

RIPPLES ON THE POND

27 MAR – 28 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow Museums’ collection exhibition designed as a conversation between works by women on paper and moving image, taking as its starting point recent acquisitions from the Glasgow Women’s Library 21 Revolutions series.

Goethe-Institut BERLINBILDER

22 APR – 29 MAY, WEEKDAYS ONLY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual photography showcase from the HND Photography students from West College Scotland, resulting from a recent architecture field trip to Berlin.

Govanhill Baths FUTURE ARCHIVE

20 MAR – 24 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Selection of new work created specifically for Govanhill Baths by artist in residence Ailie Rutherford, running concurrently with her 100 Years of Govanhiil Baths exhibition and archive.

Hunterian Art Gallery

THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT IS TO DO IT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 27 MAR AND 4 OCT, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition revisiting the experimental practices and legacy of progressive liberal art college Black Mountain College (1933-57), taking in Post-War American prints from The Hunterian’s permanent collection alongside new work by contemporary practitioners.

EAT ABSTRACTEDLY VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 APR AND 30 MAY, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

Group show concentrating predominantly on photography, taking in work by a varied collection of artists.

Project Ability IT IS NOW

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 MAR AND 4 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Group exhibition for which ten of the top international supported art studios will be showing work by two or more of their artists, in aid of the International Summit for Learning Disability Artists and their Support Studios.

RGI Kelly Gallery ROBIN LEISHMAN

14 MAR – 4 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo exhibition of new work by Glasgow School of Art graduate Robin Leishman, whose deeply personal recent paintings, sculptures and drawings are shaped around his late father.

ANN DAVIDSON: NORTH FROM SUTHERLAND

10–25 APR, NOT 12, 13, 19, 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Scottish sculptor and artist Ann Davidson showcase a selection of her abstract collage-paintings of Sutherland, Iceland and Greenland.

Street Level Photoworks

JUDAH PASSOW: SCOTS JEWS – IDENTITY, BELONGING AND THE FUTURE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 FEB AND 12 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Fruits of Judah Passow’s photograph project of the Scottish Jewish community, exploring one of the community’s defining characteristics – the ability to simultaneously acknowledge its heritage, live in the creative present and build for the future.

MAUD SULTER: PASSION

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 APR AND 20 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

NEILL MACDONALD: ELVIS NIPPLE PLINTH

Retrospective showcase of artist, writer, curator and gallerist of Ghanain and Scottish heritage, Maud Sulter – taking in key chapters in her multilayered photographic practice, including several works from her Hysteria, Syrcas and Les Bijoux projects.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 20 FEB AND 4 APR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

The Lighthouse

Kendall Koppe

New showcase of work from Outer Hebrides artist Neill Macdonald, known for his delicate assemblages created through a painstaking process of molding in silicone and casting the forms in pure white plaster.

GEORGE HENRY LONGLY: VOLUME EXCESS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 APR AND 30 MAY, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

New solo exhibition from the London-based artist-cum-DJ, known for saying that his work is more about making exhibitions than artworks.

Kibble Palace

AMY SHARROCKS: MUSEUM OF WATER

DAVID ROSS DESIGN + BESPOKE ATELIER

26 FEB – 5 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of new collaborative works from the studios of Bespoke Atelier and David Ross Design, who first collaborated on a lampshade design for the Pond Life Laser Lamps launched at The Lighthouse Scottish Design Shop in 2014.

BEST USE OF TIMBER AWARDS 2014

20 FEB – 6 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

As part of the annual RIAS Awards, Forestry Commission Scotland and Wood for Good sponsor an award encouraging innovative use of timber in new buildings in Scotland, with this exhibition showcasing the winning and shortlisted entries.

NO FILTER

17–21 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

18 APR, 7:30PM – 10:30PM, £4

Mary Mary

The Modern Institute

Collection of publicly donated water and accompanying stories put together by artist Amy Sharrocks, delicately displayed in a series of lit cabinets and to be added to by the public over the course of the exhibition. Part of Behaviour Festival.

LORNA MACINTYRE: MATERIAL LANGUAGE, OR ALL TRUTHS WAIT IN ALL THINGS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 21 FEB AND 4 APR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

New body of work from GSA graduate Lorna Macintyre, focusing on the photographic element of her practice, drawing upon an extensive archive of photographic negatives, concentrating on the physicality and materiality of her process and subject matter.

One-night-only exhibition aiming to raise awareness about body positivity, showing, for the first time, images from the No Filter Project unedited photo-shoots featuring male and female friends and volunteers.

LIZ LARNER

20 MAR – 27 MAY, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Los Angeles-based artist showcases works from her primarily minimalist and geometrically formal sculpture practice.

The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane MARK HANDFORTH

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 27 MAR AND 23 MAY, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Miami-based sculptor – primarily known for large-scale site-specific work – takes over The Modern Institute’s Aird’s Lane space with a new showcase of work.

Tramway JESSICA RAMM

14 MAR – 19 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Edinburgh-based artist known for her elaborate and laboriously-constructed sculptural ‘mechanisms’, concerned with mythological themes and the relationships between humans, the environment and technologies.

MICK PETER: PYRAMID SELLING

24 APR – 14 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo exhibition of new sculpture by Glasgow-based artist Mick Peter, which, when taken together, set up a conversation between contradictory modes of representation as well as notions of commerce and fabrication.

Edinburgh Art Bourne Fine Art THE FAEDS

5 MAR – 11 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase exhibition of 30 paintings by five members of the Faed Family, one of the oldest and rarest of Scottish surnames and with its history firmly rooted in the picturesque landscape that is Dumfries and Galloway.

City Art Centre

YOU CHOOSE: FAVOURITES FROM THE CITY ART CENTRE

13 DEC – 24 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual showcase exhibition drawing from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection of historic and contemporary Scottish art – this year opening it up to the public to select their favourite works to make up the display.

Collective Gallery

WENDELIEN VAN OLDENBORGH: BEAUTY AND THE RIGHT TO THE UGLY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 17 JAN AND 5 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Wendelien van Oldenborgh examines the ambition – and failure – of utopian architecture, taking her cue from Frank Van Klingeren cinematic experiment of the exhibition’s title, which sought to propitiate communal forms of habitation.

GEORGIA HORGAN: MACHINE ROOM

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 13 FEB AND 19 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

For the first exhibition of Satellites Programme 2015, artist Georgia Horgan presents a research project about the proliferation of the textile industry in Scotland, and how this affected patterns of witch hunting in the seventeenth century.

Dovecot Studios MAGNE FURUHOLMEN: PEELING A GLASS ONION

6 MAR – 25 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Solo showcase of works by Norwegian visual artist and musician Magne Furuholmen, with the Glass Onion tapestry as the centrepiece – woven at Dovecot in summer 2014.

Listings

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Edinburgh College of Art

Royal Botanic Garden

23–25 APR, TIMES VARY, £12

7 APR – 4 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

ECA FASHION SHOW 2015

The ECA’s Fashion, Performance Costume, and Textile graduating students host their annual run of fashion shows (23-25 Apr), taking their always-inspired creations to a catwalk setting. Held in the Sculpture Court.

Edinburgh Printmakers DARK MATTERS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 21 MAR AND 23 MAY, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Specially commissioned exhibition for which artists, astronomers and space engineers have been asked to create new public art installations that explore the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Embassy Gallery MUD

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 17 APR AND 3 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of new work by a bumper batch of artists: Meyer Vaisman, Kit Craig, Carol Bove, German Democratic Republic, Mel Franklin Smith, Alex Pollard, Mike Cooter, Slime Mold, Clifford Sage and Emerson Glassey.

Ingleby Gallery FRANK WALTER

28 MAR – 23 MAY, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Comprehensive solo exhibition of the Antiguan artist, encompassing real and imagined portrait and figure paintings, plus a series of cut and stenciled masks, and a selection of his Tiny Landscapes (of which he painted hundreds).

Interview Room 11 DAVID MCDIARMID: PROJECTION

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 10 APR AND 25 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow-based artist David McDiarmid presents a body of work as a culmination of the last three years of research, taking in a new, ambitious site specific installation involving the large-scale projection of miniature scale models.

Inverleith House RAOUL DE KEYSER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 FEB AND 12 APR, 10:00AM – 5:30PM, FREE

First major UK solo exhibition in over a decade by the prolific Belgian painter, whose work combines elements of both figuration and abstract expressionism in an approach that pushed the boundaries of painting.

National Museum of Scotland GAME MASTERS

5 DEC – 20 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £10 (£8/£6.50 CHILDREN)

The Australian touring exhibit makes its first European stop, featuring 100+ playable games spanning 30+ designers – moving from early heroes like Sonic and Super Mario, to recent gems like Scottish graduates Space Budgie’s 2014 creation, Glitchspace.

Open Eye Gallery

DONALD PROVAN: FORMATION

16 MAR – 1 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

New works by Edinburgh-based artist Donald Provan, showing a range of new oil paintings further exploring his acute attention to detail in the portrayal of fish.

SUSIE LEIPER: THE LIVING MOUNTAIN

4–22 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

New series of paintings from Edinburgh-based calligrapher and painter Susie Leiper, taking inspiration from Nan Shepherd’s slim masterpiece of the exhibition’s title, The Living Mountain.

DEBORAH CUMMING: NEW WORKS

4–20 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of new works from Edinburgh-based artist Deborah Cumming, known for her still life paintings woven with vibrant colour, texture and fine detail.

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Listings

AMY SHELTON: HONEYSCRIBE

Artist Amy Shelton becomes a contemporary ‘honey scribe’ – someone tasked with recording every drop of honey produced – mapped using 100s of pressed flowers, illuminated to create a vibrant colour palette. In the John Hope Gateway.

Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES 2015

14 MAR – 8 APR, TIMES VARY, £4 (£2)

Now in its seventh year, RSA New Contemporaries offers up the pick of last year’s degree shows, with works from a bumper batch of 72 graduates in Fine Art and Architecture jostling for attention in the grand neoclassical gallery.

Scottish National Gallery DAVID ROBERTS: DRAWINGS FROM THE HELEN GUITERMAN BEQUEST

21 FEB – 14 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of 30+ drawings and watercolours by late Edinburgh artist David Roberts, many of which are drawn from the important group of works bequeathed to the Scottish National Gallery by Helen Guiterman through the Art Fund in 2008.

ROCKS AND RIVERS: THE LUNDE COLLECTION

3–30 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Long-term loan from one of the finest private collections of 19thCentury Norwegian and Swiss landscape paintings, American collector Asbjörn Lunde, taking in 13 works by artists including Johan Christian Dahl, Alexandre Calame and Thomas Fearnley.

BODY WORK

19 MAR – 31 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Small sample of work made by participants attending the Scottish National Gallery’s life drawing classes, showcasing the different styles and approaches in capturing the human form.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ROBERT COLQUHOUN AND ROBERT MACBRYDE: THE TWO ROBERTS

22 NOV – 24 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £8 (£6)

Double-header showcase of the Scottish artists Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun, or ‘The Two Roberts’, who took the London artworld by storm in the 40s, but had faded into obscurity by the 60s.

ROY LICHTENSTEIN

14 MAR – 10 JAN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A special three-room ‘Artist Rooms’ display dedicated to works by celebrated American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, bringing together a newly assembled group of works care of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.

MIKHAEL SUBOTZKY + PATRICK WATERHOUSE: PONTE CITY 6 DEC – 26 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

South African photographer Mikhael Subotzky and British artist Patrick Waterhouse’s documentation of Ponte City, recording the half-occupied building through a series of photographs and a collection of documents and other debris from the abandoned units.

St Margaret’s House Art’s Complex HENRY FRASER: BREATHE

28 MAR – 12 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Showcase of painting by studio painter Henry Fraser, combining pieces from various stages of his body of work.

JACQUI HIGGS: KILNS AND CRANES

28 MAR – 12 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

SSA member Jacqui Higgs continues her series of small and larger scale paintings related to the tanker/frigate image.

BRUCE ECKHART

28 MAR – 12 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

The Tanzania-born, Edinburghliving artist displays a selection of past and present works, bordering on the abstract and noted for their luminous forms and flares of colour.

Stills

LEAP IN TIME: ERICH SALOMON + BARBARA KLEMM

7 FEB – 5 APR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Showcase of work by two German photographers – Erich Salomon and Barbara Klemm – who, working primarily as photojournalists, have produced unique documentary images of their time, documenting history in Germany and beyond.

ANNA ATKINS + MARGARET WATKINS

25 APR – 12 JUL, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Double-header exhibition showcasing historically important work

by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) and Margaret Watkins (1884-1969), two female artists who made pioneering photographic work in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively.

REMEMBERING THE GREAT WAR

Marking the centenary of the outbreak of the WWI, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery display various portraits and related works in various media - including work by artists Sir James Gunn and Sir William Gillies, who were wounded in action.

BEAUTY BY DESIGN: FASHIONING THE RENAISSANCE

15 NOV – 3 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase exhibition linking the renaissance art collections of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and Scottish National Gallery to contemporary fashion design, practice and display.

BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2014

29 NOV – 12 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual showcase of the best in contemporary portrait painting from around the world, now in its 33rd year and marking the fifth time the Scottish National Portrait Gallery has hosted the exhibition.

Cooper Gallery

HUGO CANOILAS: SOMEONE A LONG TIME AGO, NOW

SPRING / SUMMER 2015

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 APR AND 21 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

WHAT REMAINS

Double-header exhibition featuring new work from Hans K. Clausen and Kim W. Wilson, two artists who work directly with industrial and domestic by-products of human activity.

Hannah Maclure Centre DECODING SPACE

16 MAR – 10 APR, WEEKDAYS ONLY, 9:30AM – 4:45PM, FREE

Showcase exhibition sampling a selection of ground-breaking, experimental and playful projects to encourage exploration of the current research and practice within the field of performance and technology.

Talbot Rice Gallery

Group show examining the role Brazilian artists played in the international art scene of the 50s-70s, moving from wellknown Brazilian artists such as Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark and Mira Schendel, to a selection of their lesser-known contemporaries.

Urbane Art ART OF THE MATTER

4 APR – 3 MAY, NOT 6 APR, 13 APR, 20 APR, 27 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase exhibition of artists that make use of science and/or technology in their work, including pieces by Scottish artist Fraser Ross, who makes sculptures out of magnetic liquid.

Full line-up and ticket details are available at xmusicfest.com Competition closes midnight Sunday 26 April. Entrants must be 18 or over. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/ terms-and-conditions

LUCAS BATTICH: COLOURFIELD STUDIES

24 JAN – 10 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

6 MAR – 25 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

a) Digital Soundboy b) RAM Records c) Boy Better Know

28 MAR – 19 APR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Series of algorithm-generated new works created by Argentinianborn multi-disciplinary artist Lucas Battich, a DJCAD graduate in Art and Philosophy from 2014.

EXPERIMENTS IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN ART

Andy C is the founder of which record label?

Generator Projects

2 MAR – 2 APR, 9:00AM – 9:00PM, FREE

Showcase exhibition from Glasgow-based artists Ross Birrell and David Harding, encompassing coloured window installations, sculptural objects, prints and multimedia works.

To win a pair of VIP two-day tickets, just head to theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions and answer the following question:

Showcase exhibition charting the iconic photographs, fashion and design work of Maripol from the late 70s to the present, showing alongside thematically similar Scottish artists Clare Stephenson and Zoe Williams.

First exhibition in the UK for Sardinian artist Michele Ciacciofera, using different means of expression – painting, drawing, sculpture and photography – to illustrate a narrative path that connects ideas of epic and utopia across all of history.

WHERE LANGUAGE ENDS

Music Festival 2015 is a two-day music festival taking place in Cardiff's Bute Park on Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June. World famous artists will take to the stage to celebrate X Music Festival's debut year. Highlights include Andy C, Annie Mac, B.Traits, DJ Fresh, Eton Messy, Fuse ODG, Gentleman's Dub Club, Hannah Wants, Ja Rule, Jaguar Skills, Krept & Konan, My Nu Leng, Redlight, Sigma, Skepta, Sub Focus and many more.

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts

7 DEC – 30 APR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 MAR AND 2 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

X

First major solo exhibition from the Portuguese artist, taking in multiple collaged projections of paintings, photographs, drawings and writing, cast on each other and the architectural fabric of Cooper Gallery.

Nomas* Projects

MICHELE CIACCIOFERA: I HATE THE INDIFFERENT

Win tickets to X Music Festival Cardiff!

5 MAR – 10 APR, NOT SUNDAYS, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Summerhall

Scottish The Fruitmarket National Portrait Gallery POSSIBILITIES OF THE OBJECT: Gallery 4 AUG – 5 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

Dundee Art

The McManus

CLASSICAL ART: THE LEGACY OF THE ANCIENTS

Showcase of works with a taste of the antique, illustrating the enduring influence of ancient Greek and Roman culture through paintings, sculpture and ceramics from Dundee’s nationally significant collection of fine art.

University of Dundee MATERIAL CONCERNS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 FEB AND 30 MAY, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Selection of works by Gina Czarnecki and others, shown alongside research and artefacts from the University of Dundee. In the Lifespace gallery (open Sat 11am5pm and by appointment).

BODIES IN MOTION

7 MAR – 2 MAY, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Special exhibition exploring how movement in the human body has been studied and depicted in art, taking in a selection of drawings, paintings, books and scientific instruments from the University Museum Collections. In the Tower Foyer Gallery.

MATERIAL CONCERNS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 FEB AND 30 MAY, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Unique exhibition exploring consent in donation and use of human tissue in life, art and scientific research, including work by Gina Czarnecki, Carolee Schneemann and Verena Friedrich. In the Lifespace gallery (open Sat and by appointment).

Win Knockengorroch tickets!

F

rom 21-24 May, spin in the musical riches of the glittering river of Deugh and drink in the bounty of the mighty mountain Cairnsmore at Knockengorroch 2015, featuring a plethora of amazing acts set in the most idyllic and 'out there' UK festival setting. Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers, Peatbog Faeries, Macka B, Aziza Brahim, Shooglenifty, Mungo’s Hi Fi Sound System, Stanley Odd, Scratch Perverts and many more acts. Plus sessions, workshops, ceilidh, dance, open mic, kids’ tent, storytelling, comedy, theatre, food and drink, healing zone, sauna, showers, real ales, camping and much more.

They're giving away a pair of four day camping tickets to one lucky reader – for your chance to grab them, head along to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer this simple question:

In what year did the Knockengorroch festival begin? a) 2011 b) 2003 c) 1998 The prize is two four day tickets to the Knockengorroch World Ceilidh. Minimum age is 18.

Competition closes midnight Sunday 26 April. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions knockengorroch.org.uk

THE SKINNY

The Last Word Wu-Tang legend Raekwon shares his thoughts on family, religion, his new record, the 20th anniversary of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and the controversial duo of new Clan records

Interview: Joe Goggins misconstrued because people think Wu-Tang is dysfunctional, but the things that frustrate us come from outside the group.

Photo: Dave Kerr

On the plan to prevent the buyer of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin from making it publicly available for 88 years…

I don't like that. There should be a reasonable time limit, because who the fuck is going to wait 88 years to hear the album? None of us are actually gonna be around to hear it! I understand the thinking behind it; it's to make sure that whoever the buyer is understands the importance of what he's getting. Whoever gets it needs to treat it like a Mona Lisa. On the flip side, it wouldn't have been right if the buyer had just thrown it out there straight away, either. That's not what we felt was part of the plan. A project like this puts us at a certain level of greatness, so a lot of this shit is less to do with our own thoughts as Wu-Tang Clan – it's about the fact that we've created something that's going to be an important part of our legacy. The buyer is buying it the same way you'd buy an expensive painting at auction, and whoever gets it, good for them.

On a new generation of fans...

It's inspiring for us, but also, you want to feel as if the kids are coming to us for inspiration, you know?

We were trendsetters, and now we represent a certain era of hip-hop. I think a lot of them are just wanting to follow in the same footprints we gave Raekwon, Cappadonna and Ghostface Killah paying tribute to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx at SXSW them, and they can, too; they can bring their crew and follow the same blueprint and end up doing it ate last year, Wu-Tang Clan released their first On the 20th anniversary of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… on a Wu-Tang project with the rest of my brothers, even better than we ever did, just as long as they full-length in eight years, A Better Tomorrow. I look back and think about that album, and I rea- all I see is fire, you know? And that's what we didn't put in the work. lise how important I am to this music business, The fact that it dropped in December would algive, because we didn't really communicate togeready have been enough to help it slip under the and how much respect that I got. It's just an hon- ther as a team. I believe in doing things that way, On the Wu-Tang UK dates lined up for June... radar, even if it hadn't been put firmly in the shade our that people are still recognising that record; in doing them collectively, but everybody was fol- I won't be there. I'm already scheduled to do some by the surprise release of D'Angelo's Black Messiah there's a lot of love for it, all around the world. I lowing RZA's lead. other stuff, and being honest, I wasn't fully inforwanted to make sure I celebrated it this year, which a fortnight later, but in truth, the album had med of everything that was going on, from a Wuis why we're giving the fans an in-depth documenalready been overshadowed by its turbulent gesTang perspective. I'm celebrating the Cuban Linx tary, The Purple Tape Files – we get to go down tation process. The Clan's de facto leader, RZA, anniversary this year, as well as promoting Fly had a very public difference of opinion about the memory lane and give you a visual idea of how that International Luxurious Art, so I'll be doing a lot record was created, of how it all went down. I've record's direction with Raekwon, who only conof touring of my own. I wish them success, but I've got a lot of anniversary shows lined up, too, and tributed verses at the last minute after months got contractual agreements that are set in stone. you're going to start seeing other things, through of disagreements.

I went and worked on A Better Tomorrow, just to On the day A Better Tomorrow was released, my social network pages, that pertain to the celeshow that I'm still involved with the Clan, but I've The Chef clearly had other things on his mind; he bration of that classic record. We're definitely going got to do my own business, too. made no mention of it on social media and decli- to pay homage, and on top of that, you get a dope ned to appear on David Letterman to promote it, album from me this year, Fly International On the Clan's notoriously poor record of full Luxurious Art. instead spreading the word about his long-overattendance at live shows... due new solo effort, Fly International Luxurious Like I said, I didn't know anything about this Art. It'll finally be released as Raekwon makes plans On his creative relationship with Ghostface run that the management put together. This has to mark the 20th anniversary of his seminal debut Killah… always been a problem, and it has nothing to do with the artist – it's down to the management. I LP, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and it finds him, ironi- Me and Ghost, we're like The Odd Couple; we were hate that the fans might think I'm coming to somecally, a long way from the mafioso trappings of his meant for each other, but we have a different way Raekwon where and I don't show up. Even if I've got a show, classic work, instead aiming for hip-hop universa- of doing things. We're inseparable because of our styles – they complement each other perfectly. and I fuck around and miss it, I go home feeling lity with a slew of high-profile features. On a trip fucked up about that, because it's like, ‘Damn, I feel to London that saw him share a stage with Kanye Ghost is a part of the family; he had a lot to do with On internal relations within the Clan...

Cuban Linx. Even though it was my album, I always I recorded those verses on A Better Tomorrow so like I let my people down.’ One thing I'm never goWest at KOKO, the rap icon took time to discuss ing to do is lie to you all, and I didn't have a clue his legacy, his family and the true current state of thought of it in a collective sense – that it was our that I wouldn't let the fans down. I didn't want to album. When we were making it, we were also ma- have that on my fucking sleeve. I didn't want people what the fuck was going on with a Wu-Tang tour. the Clan. king Ironman, and that's why those two records to be thinking, ‘Oh, Chef is on some cocky shit.’

Nobody has called me, or my staff, to see if we were really share a moment in both of our lives. That was First and foremost, I'm about my business. I'm 45 going to be involved or not. You can't come at me On Fly International Luxurious Art...

When you think of Raekwon, you think, ‘He's inter- when we both started to realise that we sound great years old, and I have a family back home that I have last minute; that's like if I called you tomorrow nationally known, he's respected in the game, and together, which is another reason to pay homage to be father and a provider to. You can't play with and said, ‘Yo, Friday, we out!’ and you're like, ‘Hold he makes luxury art on wax.’ The title just fit per- to that time. a grown man's money, and the business side of up! I didn't even know about this!’ You can't do that fectly to where I'm at in my life right now, twenty that record was tacky. A lot of times, people think to grown men – we're not children no more. That's years on from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. I feel like On A Better Tomorrow... there's issues with us as a crew, but that's not true. not to take a shot at nobody, and it's got nothing to I wasn't pleased with it. I thought it could have I'm at my best again; it's like you're dealing with a I don't have no problems with none of my brothers do with my brothers. It's just me giving you the facts. new Chef, from yesterday to today. If I was a piece been a lot better, but at the end of the day, I could – I love them to death, and they love me. We go back Fly International Luxurious Art is available on 26 Apr only really do so much, because it was RZA's crea- and forth, we argue, but a lot of the beef wasn't of art, you know I'd be an expensive piece, put it via Ice H2O even based on us. It was based on dealing with tion, and they were his thoughts going into the that way. It was a rough road to stay consistent, Wu-Tang Clan (sans Raekwon) play Glasgow O2 Academy management. They had a wacky way of doing shit on 5 Jun and Parklife Festival, Heaton Park on 6 Jun but I'm in the zone again, I've rediscovered my pas- concept of it. I think the record is decent, but I know it could have been a whole lot better. I didn't sometimes, and we all had to go back to them to sion, and you can hear that on Fly International raekwonchronicles.com really want us to put something out if I didn't feel let them know, ‘Don't fucking play, man, because Luxurious Art. I'm too old for this shit.’ The fans always think it's like we'd knocked it out of the park. Like, when I just us, but it's a little bit more than us. Shit gets think about the idea of coming together to work

L

“ When you think of Raekwon, you think ‘He's internationally known, he's respected in the game, and he makes luxury art on wax’”

April 2015

Music

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