The Skinny December 2019 by The Skinny

.CO.UK

INDEPENDENT FREE

CULTURAL

J O U R N A L I S M

December 2019 Issue 171

CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR, AND A 2019 RECAP

That's a Wrap

P.38 Our Lovely Goods

P.57 Isa Mazzei

Photo: Blue Finch Film Releasing

P.24 The Party’s Just Beginning

Photo: Sara Baar

Photo: Nick Mckk

P.11 Julia Jacklin

December 2019

Issue 171, December 2019 © Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, 1.9 1st Floor Tower, Techcube, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Pl, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL 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. Get in touch to find out more.

E: sales@theskinny.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher.

Printed by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Dundee ABC verified Jan – Dec 2018: 26,342

printed on 100% recycled paper

Contents

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Art Editor Acting Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Events Editor Film & TV Editor Food Editor Intersections Editor Music Editor Theatre Editor Travel Editor

Rosamund West Adam Benmakhlouf Katie Goh Nadia Younes Polly Glynn Nadia Younes Jamie Dunn Peter Simpson Katie Goh Tallah Brash Eliza Gearty Paul Mitchell

Production Production Manager Designer

Rachael Hood Fiona Hunter

Sales Sales Manager Sales Executives Creative Projects Manager

Sandy Park George Sully David Hammond Tom McCarthy

Online Digital Editor Online Journalist Web Developer

Peter Simpson Jamie Dunn Stuart Spencer

General Manager

Laurie Presswood

THE SKINNY

Contents Chat & Opinion: It’s the final maga06 zine of this decade! So here’s our final

you can tear yourself off the couch 44 Ifthis Christmas, there’s a whole load of great Festive clubbing to be done.

Editorial, Skinny on Tour, Shot of the Month and cartoon for 2019. Heads Up: We know it’s cold outside, 08 but there’s also all this amazing stuff happening in December. Pull on your long johns and get out and do some of it.

Dog’s guide to Dogmanay parties; 45 Fringe plus Comedy delves into the brilliance that is Harry Hill’s Clubnite. of dry, flavourless turkey? No idea 47 Sick what to do with those leftovers? We’ve picked the brains of some local experts to get their festive food & drink tips.

FEATURES Music team have put their heads 10 Our together to settle on the Albums of

2019, which run the gamut from a record about a love unfit to last amid ecological fears to a sad and beautiful dive into a father’s grief at the death of his son.

16 We also put a year of homegrown music under the spotlight and consider our Scottish Albums of the Year.

LIFESTYLE

48 Food and Drink: As a society, we waste a

disgusting amount of food. We take a look where the blame really lies; plus all your food news.

50 Intersections: Climate crisis from the

first-hand perspective of the teens and children staring down a compromised future

or Marvel – whose side are 18 Scorsese you on? A quick glance at our Films of

2019 should give you a clue as to where The Skinny’s Film team’s allegiances lie.

Near nuclear apocalypse, a chronically 21 depressed equine, a family of toxic me-

REVIEW

52 Music: We chat to Scotland’s next big

hope for pop superstardom, Joesef, and Rachel Alice Johnson, aka Kohla, talks to us about her new single and ambitious live debut.

dia moguls – the Best TV Shows of the Year were as bleak as real life.

22 From Beats to Wild Rose to Boyz in the Wood, 2019 was an uncommonly good Year in Scottish Film.

Forget the ‘best’ films of the year, what 23 about the most overlooked? These are

55 Clubs: Shanti Celeste tells us why she loves playing in Glasgow.

56 Books: Reviews of comedian Jenny Slate’s

Little Weirds and Scarlett Thomas’s darkly humourous Oligarchy; Isa Mazzei tells us about her memoir, Camgirl; plus this month’s spoken word roundup.

the great films that didn’t set the box office alight but should have.

24 Karen Gillan is having a busy December. As well as starring in a blockbuster sequel (Jumanji: The Next Level), she’s releasing her directorial debut, The Party’s Just Beginning.

FESTIVE Matthew, Pictish Trail and 28 Tonight, Modern Studies are going to be… Well turn to our Starz in their Eyes feature to get some clues. would you trust more with the 29 Who UK economy? Ebenezer Scrooge or Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk? We consider the literary candidates in our Panto election special.

33 Don’t waste your money on those gaudy

rolls of wrapping paper they sell at the counters of John Lewis, just pick up this here magazine and pull out our specially designed wrapping paper spread!

Stuck for what to get your loved ones 37 this Christmas? Our Gift Guide is here

58 Film & TV: A look at Greta Gerwig’s ad-

aptation of Little Women and we return to the deadpan hilarity of The End of the F***ing World with season 2.

60 Theatre: Forget the ongoing political pantomime – here’s the best theatre happening this festive season.

61 Art: A deep dive into the ambitious

group show at Dundee Contemporary Arts inspired by the pioneering work of sci-fi writer Ursula K Le Guin.

62 Comedy: In this month's ICYMI, Scottish Comedy Award Best Newcomer Amy Matthews watches late-90s Sketch Show, Smack the Pony

63 Listings! We’re sure you’ve few plans

for December, so here’s all the stuff you could be doing with that free time.

Last Word: When it comes to Arts and Culture, how do the major political parties stack up? Turns out there are even more reasons not to vote Tory.

to help.

December 2019

Contents

t’s the final issue of 2019 and we are left wondering how that happened, as is traditional. You find The Skinny in reflective mood, looking back on 2019 with a level of polling not seen since our current electoral system, while also casting an eye ahead to the season of gifting, Hogmanay clubbing and a… general election?! We open with our annual rundown of the Albums of the Year. The music writers have been polled, their seasonally appropriate votes diligently collated and a democratically forged hitlist created. You’ll find our top ten countdown starting on p10, alongside words on each artist by the writers who love them. While the AOTY have an international scope, we also want to celebrate the incredible music that’s been released in this small nation in 2019. Our Scottish Albums of the Year list has been similarly democratically created, and can be found on the following pages. Continuing our democratic revelry, the film writers have also been polled to find out what the greatest cinematic releases of 2019 have been. Interestingly, my 16 month old has seen more of them than I have, despite also being the reason I haven’t seen any of them. Shoutout to the Filmhouse baby cinema for keeping Edinburgh’s infants highly culturally engaged. We have also compiled an overview of the year in Scottish film, from Avengers to Beats, and polled the writers once again to find out what underrated gems they’ve enjoyed this year. In one final defiant act of polling, we asked the writers to vote for their favourite TV shows of 2019 and duly created a rundown of a standout year in a golden age of the small screen. Our central pages form a very special 21-page supplement celebrating all things festive. We’ve thought about our print future as metaphorical chip wrapping and decided to use it to your advantage – the centrefold is a pull-out-and-use, double-sided wrapping paper specially commissioned from a pair of

illustrators. Our gift to you. You can also use the other pages as wrapping paper, should you so wish. We embrace our recycled future. This year’s gift guide takes a dual approach – our team each contributed their highly personal selections, tasked with sharing things that they genuinely love or are gifting to those they love, ideally with a local and ethical focus. Alongside this we have a celebration of Scottish design courtesy of Local Heroes, with a list of 20 items from 20 makers. The rest of our festive special runs the gamut from panto – a guide to the election promises of your favourite characters – to preparing your Christmas dinner with tips from some of Scotland’s premier food professionals, via Fringe Dog’s guide to throwing the perfect… Dogmanay party? We also look forward impatiently to the return of Edinburgh’s greatest covers / karaoke / tribute event, Starz in Their Eyes. We immediately follow this festive special with a double page spread on the climate emergency; no one can escape the realities of life in 2019 for too long. In light of the mass mobilisation of the young as exemplified by Greta Thunberg and the school strikes, we felt the best people to write about how a future in climate crisis feels were the schoolchildren themselves. We have a moving series of raw pieces of writing by teens looking forward to an extremely compromised future, accompanied by a child’s drawing of climate chaos. Happy new year. We close the magazine with a nod to our favourite end of year activity, voting! This time, the apparently annual voting of our general election. We’ve scrutinised the main parties’ positions on the arts to assess how your vote might contribute in terms of investing in careers and the £5 billion Scottish creative industries versus staging a nationwide recreation of Battle Royale. Turn to the inside back page for our insightful guide. [Rosamund West]

This month’s columnist writes about building a language while struggling to speak Words: Madeleine Dunne

’m blindsided when my childhood speech issues worsen. Struggling to settle into life in a new country, words feel like landmines behind my teeth and conversations exhaust me. When my phone lights up with a name from back home, it’s a welcome distraction. “There she is,” Chris’s first message reads. He’s seven pints in and boldly telling me he’s coming down to London in April, and maybe we could get a drink then? I laugh out loud at this weird wee guy, a complete stranger, asking me out months in advance. When he says goodnight, I see everything sprawling out in front of me: we’ll talk sporadically, have an awkward date, then ghost each other, still liking selfies until we mutually unfollow. But Chris messages me every day, and soon I can’t dodge his requests for a phone call. “I speak funny sometimes, by the way.” I blurt out seconds after he says hello. “How d’you mean?” he asks, and I explain how the words come out slow, or stuttered, or not at all. “I’ve got something like that,” he

Adam Menzies Adam Menzies is a Leeds-based Illustrator and visual director for Sofa Sound Bristol. His work explores everyday themes through surrealism and humour. He also specialises in pattern and abstract art, utilising bold colours and striking forms. i: @adam__menzies

Chat

A Language Fit For Two

COVER ARTIST

By Jock Mooney

Editorial

replies, “People always laugh at me.” With each conversation, we build a language fit for two people who struggle to speak: texts filling in the blank spaces in phone calls, voice notes laughing at the mishaps of our tongues. The weekend we meet is littered with long silences, stammers and stutters. But our language translates to real life seamlessly, and for the first time we both feel like it’s okay for words to falter. The next few months are filled with motorways that instil either excitement or dread; feelings entirely dependent on which direction the stuffy Megabus is going. Soon, the road gets shorter: work takes me home and our lives start to fit together and the words come effortlessly. When we lose our first pregnancy, neither of us know what to say. For the first time, our silences are uncomfortable. The speechlessness between us lasts weeks, but we rebuild our language on a foundation of sticky notes and texts reminding each other that things will be okay. “There he is,” reads the last note I leave him, and here we are. Those words are the easiest to say.

THE SKINNY

Shot of the Month

The Skinny on Tour

Black Lips, Stereo, Glasgow, 12 Nov by Serena Milesi

We’ve been on our travels again this month, to a city of sun, extremely fancy science museums, and patches of water that rather worryingly match the colours on last month’s cover. It’s a city famous for its abundant oranges, busy port, horchata, and enormous gothic buildings. Oh, and paella. Massive pans of paella. Solved our riddle? Head to theskinny. co.uk/competitions and tell us where we’ve been. One lucky winner will receive a copy of The Art of Rest by Claudia Hammond, courtesy of our fellow adventurers at Canongate Competition closes midnight Sun 5 Jan 2020. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and 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

Competitions Win tickets for Elephant Sessions in Glasgow! Formed in the Scottish Highlands in 2012, Elephant Sessions combine the best bits of trad, funk and electronica in their sound. Euan Smillie (fiddle), Alasdair Taylor (mandolin), Mark Bruce (guitar), Seth Tinsley (bass, synth) and Greg Barry (drums, samples) won the BBC MG Alba Album of the Year for their second record All We Have Is Now, and were also shortlisted for the prestigious Scottish Album of the Year Award. The band followed that success with a Live Act of the Year award in 2018, picking up the first ever Belhaven Bursary Award, and a Scots Trad Awards album of the year nomination for their new album What Makes You. Elephant Sessions play The Garage in Glasgow on 13 December, and we have two pairs of tickets to give away to a pair of lucky

December 2019

winners. To be in with a chance of winning two tickets, head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer the following question... What is the name of the Elephant Sessions' new album? a) All We Have Is Now b) What Makes You c) The Elusive Highland Beauty

For more information, and to get tickets for the gig, visit beyondhighlands.com Competition closes midnight Mon 9 Dec. Winners will be notified via email within one working day of closing and 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

Win a night out at Glee Club Glasgow! Every weekend, the Glee Club brings some of the country's best comedians to their 400-seat venue in Glasgow city centre. With a menu of delicious fresh food and great quality drinks, it's a full night out of food and entertainment all under one roof. Comedians confirmed for their December and January line-ups include Jay Lafferty, Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Phil Nichol and Susie McCabe, with four comics taking the stage each night. We have three pairs of tickets to give away to a trio of lucky winners, to attend one of the Glee Club's hilarious weekend shows this winter. To be in with a chance of winning, simply head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer the following question...

Which Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian will appear at Glee Club this December and January? a) Phil Nichol b) Phil Mitchell c) Phil Spencer For full details on the Glee Club's programme, and to buy tickets, visit glee.co.uk Competition closes midnight Sun 15 Dec. Three winners will each receive two tickets for a Glee Club show of their choice on one of the following dates, subject to availability: 19, 20, 21 Dec; 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 Jan. The Glee Club reserves the right to allocate a prize to winners. Over 18s only. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and 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

Chat

Christmas fever is well and truly underway – the ads are increasing on the telly, the markets are open and annual family favourite Christmas at the Botanics has begun. This year, there are four new light installations created by renowned artists, as well as the return of the Tunnel of Light and much more.

Hello, Robot.

Jupiter Artland Christmas Fair Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, 30 Nov1 Dec, 11am

Jupiter Artland Christmas Fair

Christmas Fair weekend continues in Dundee at Verdant Works’ Winter Fayre, where not only can you get your Christmas shopping done, you can celebrate Scotland’s history too. Taking place in a refurbished jute mill, the fayre will host a variety of artists and designers over two days, celebrating the work of independent Scottish creatives. Mulled wine and mince pies also available.

Verdant Works Winter Fayre

Seth Troxler

Make sure you do your vocal warm-ups before you head to see the stage adaptation of Disney classic The Lion King, because we all know you’re going to be belting out ‘It’s the circle of life!’ at the top of your lungs. The production has been reimagined for the stage by director Julie Taymor and is a real spectacle.

Looking for some fresh new greenery to brighten up your flat, and inevitably your Instagram account too? If so, enter plant aficionados Bergamotte’s pop-up jungle, heading to Edinburgh’s Custom Lane for four whole days on a three-leg UK tour. A selection of over 3000 plants will be available, with prices ranging from £2-35, so there are options for all budgets.

Migs Textiles

Ahead of the midnight showing of the latest in the Star Wars series, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Cameo will be showing back-to-back screenings of the first two films in the latest trilogy. Running for nine-and-a-half-hours, this is going to be a long sitting so come prepared with snacks and flight socks for the old circulation.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Photo: Deen van Meer

The Lion King

More than 150 artists and makers, selling everything from paintings to furniture, will participate in two Christmas markets taking place at Out of the Blue this month. The market on 14 December will also include a Xmas Bruncheon with live music from 11.30am-2.30pm, if you’re looking to add some extra entertainment to your Christmas shopping.

Neu Reekie!'s Fairytale of Leith Leith St Andrew's Church, Edinburgh, 20 Dec, 7pm Neu! Reekie! celebrate their ninth birthday with a selection of old and new friends down in Leith just before Christmas. As always, the event will be a multi-arts affair, with musical guests including Joseph Malik and the Out of the Ordinary Collective and Callum Easter, as well as multi-award-winning writer Jackie Kay and poet Victoria McNulty.

Dial Code: Santa Claus

Dial Code: Santa Claus CCA, Glasgow, 20 Dec, 7pm

Jackie Kay

Photo: Kat Gollock

Star Wars: Episode VII-IX Trilogy Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, 18 Dec, 6pm

Photo: Bergamotte

Out of the Blue Xmas Arts Markets Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, 7 & 14 Dec, 11am

Bergamotte Pop-Up Jungle

Chat

One of Chicago’s finest goes toe-to-toe with one of Scotland’s finest as Seth Troxler and Optimo go B2B all night on payday weekend, which also doubles up as the final payday before Christmas. Troxler is immediately at a disadvantage being just one person as opposed to Optimo’s two so he’ll have to bring his A-game if he wants to come out on top.

The Lion King Edinburgh Playhouse, 5 Dec 19-29 Mar 20, times vary

Bergamotte PopUp Jungle Custom Lane, Edinburgh, 5-8 Dec

SWG3 presents Seth Troxler B2B Optimo SWG3, Glasgow, 30 Nov, 11pm

Photo: Verdant Spirits

If you’re looking for a proper Christmas day out for all the family, look no further than Jupiter Artland’s Christmas Fair. It might cost slightly more than your average Christmas market, but you’re getting a full-blown Christmas extravaganza with donkeys (real), elves (fake), Santa’s Grotto (debatable) and a variety of stallholders and food vendors.

Photo: Amanda Farnese-Heath; Courtesy of Jupiter Artland

Winter Fayre Verdant Works, Dundee, 30 Nov1 Dec, 11am

Christmas at the Botanics

Photo: Raymond Gubbay

It’s the last issue of the year, and the decade (!), so see it out in style with some or all of the following cultural happenings...

The robots are taking over!! Or so we’re led to believe from the dystopian hellholes portrayed in many blockbuster films. The V&A Dundee’s current exhibition takes this as a topic of exploration, assessing how robots impact our lives, how they are changing our world and how popular culture shapes our view of them. Basically, it’s not all Terminator and Ex Machina madness

Looking for a more alternative pre-Christmas event? Matchbox Cineclub and Backseat Bingo join forces for a screening of René Manzor’s 1989 film Dial Code: Santa Claus, followed by a top secret Cult Christmas screening. Cash donations will be taken on the door, with all proceeds going towards local grassroots community project Refuweegee. Give something back this Christmas!

THE SKINNY

Photo: Brian Park

Compiled by: Nadia Younes

Christmas at the Botanics Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, until 29 Dec, times vary

Photo: Michael McGurk

Heads Up

Hello, Robot. V&A, Dundee, until 9 Feb 20

Tony Cownie brings Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, to the city of the story’s supposed creation in this stage adaptation. Rumour has it the character of Scrooge and the subsequent tale was created when Dickens was on a visit to Edinburgh and came across the tombstone of Ebenezer Scroggie in a kirkyard. Not just Harry Potter then.

Born from the ashes of Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich’s previous band Smith Westerns, who called it quits in 2014, Whitney have given us two excellent records in the form of their 2016 debut Light Upon the Lake and this year’s followup Forever Turned Around. Their latest is a heartbreaking detailing of the breakdown of a relationship accompanied by their signature folk-tinged indie stylings.

An Edinburgh Christmas Carol

Auckland crooner Aldous Harding delighted her Scottish fans when she added an extra matinee show to the Edinburgh stop on her UK tour due to phenomenal demand after tickets for the evening show swiftly sold out. Touring in support of her latest and third record, Designer, prepare to be entranced by Harding’s haunting, witchy, goth-folk sounds.

The first two editions of Super Market’s Christmas markets take place at The Engine Works (1 Dec) and QMU (7 Dec) respectively, but the Tramway edition (14-15 Dec) looks set to be particularly special. Taking place inside the venue and making use of its outdoor Hidden Gardens, the market is sure to get you in the festive spirit.

Aldous Harding

Lou McLean

IDLES Barrowlands, Glasgow, 2 & 3 Dec, 7pm They might have missed out on the 2019 Mercury Prize, but IDLES won the award in all of our hearts for most memorable performance at the awards ceremony. On their second album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, the Bristol band address themes of grief, addiction and toxic masculinity, to name just a few, and their live show is a truly explosive and jubilant affair.

Super Market Christmas

Tae Sup Wi' A Fifer Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, 14 Dec, 8pm

Citizens Theatre and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland team up to bring a children’s classic to life for their Christmas production, an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. Adapted for the stage by Robert Alan Evans and Lu Kemp, the production follows eponymous character Pinocchio as he longs to become a real boy.

Summerhall's Christmas Market

Photo: Cat Thomson

Pinocchio Tramway, Glasgow, 7 Dec 19-4 Jan 20, times vary

James Yorkston’s Fife-based event series concludes its 2019 programme with a show headlined by Josie Long. The comedian and screenwriter made her return to stand-up earlier this year, after five years away, with her critically-acclaimed 2019 Fringe show, Tender. Turkish folk musician Özgür Baba and singer and harpist Rachel Newton are also on the bill.

9000 Dreams with Avalon Emerson & Nathan Micay La Cheetah Club, Glasgow, 27 Dec, 11pm

Hogmanay in the Gardens Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, 31 Dec, 9pm

Before another two of La Cheetah’s 2019 residents, Shanti Celeste and Objekt, go B2B on New Year’s Eve to close out their residencies, Avalon Emerson brings us one last round of her 9000 Dreams series. For the final show she’s bringing with her Nathan Micay, a former LuckyMe affiliate under his Bwana guise.

Ok so being outside can be a bit of a ‘mare, especially when it’s Baltic and pissing down with rain. However, Mark Ronson is a pretty good booking and his latest album Late Night Feelings is a pop epic with big name features galore, so hopefully he’ll bring a few special guests to join him. See you in 2020!

Avalon Emerson

Mark Ronson

Chat

Photo: Idil Sukan

Josie Long

Photo: Collier Schorr

Trash Kit

Photo: Samuel Mitchell

Christmas Baubles heads to Porty for a day of live music, DJs, food, drink and festive fun to celebrate its tenth anniversary. The only acts announced so far are returning Scottish indie legends Ballboy and post-punk trio Trash Kit – featuring Sacred Paws’ Rachel Aggs, Bamboo/Bas Jan’s Rachel Horwood and Halo Halo’s Gill Partington – so keep your eyes peeled for further announcements.

A staple on Scotland’s Christmas market calendar, Summerhall’s Christmas Market is a must for Edinburgh’s Christmas shoppers. Why would you waste your time traipsing around Princes Street when you could be indoors shopping local and enjoying food supplied by Face Plant Foods, The Royal Dick and more to be announced. Oh, and a hot toddie to wash it all down.

Photo: Joseph Wolfgang

Kid Canaveral's Christmas Baubles Bellfield, Edinburgh, 21 Dec, 2pm

Credit: Helen Wyllie

Summerhall's Christmas Market Summerhall, Edinburgh, 8 Dec, 11am

Pinocchio

December 2019

IDLES

Photo: Lindsay Melbourne

Super Market Christmas Various venues, Glasgow, 1-15 Dec

Photo: Clare Shilland

Aldous Harding Summerhall, Edinburgh, 1 Dec, 3pm & 7:30pm

Credit: Laurence Winram

Whitney QMU, Glasgow, 27 Nov, 7pm

Dundee DIY record label and promotions company Make-That-A-Take Records’ annual three-day celebration of DIY culture returns to raise funds, consciousness and awareness for local charities and community groups. On this year’s massive line-up are the likes of The Murderburgers, Kapil Seshasayee, Lou McLean, Queequeg’s Coffin and many more.

Credit: Sarah Donley

Book Yer Ane Fest XIII Conroy's Basement, Dundee, 29 Nov-1 Dec

Photo: Super Market Events

Whitney

Credit: Olivia Bee

An Edinburgh Christmas Carol Lyceum, Edinburgh, 28 Nov 19-4 Jan 20, times vary

Albums of 2019 #10

Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising Between love and fiction, meaning and chaos, Weyes Blood’s fourth LP Titanic Rising offers no easy answers She recalls Karen Carpenter on opening showstopper A Lot’s Gonna Change, all swooping strings and clenching crescendo across some home truths – ‘If your friends and family sadly don’t stick around / It’s high time you learned to get by’ – before delivering the kicker that sets the tone for the remainder of Titanic Rising – ‘Let me change my words / Show me where it hurts’. Comforting fiction though it may be, Mering necessitates the imperative in the face of disaster. Andromeda finds Mering making her case clearer, dwarfing herself into a hopeless speck against the enormity of the universe before delivering one of the LP’s many uncannily resonant lyrics: ‘Find a love that will make you / I dare you try’. This isn’t to say the resolve to love and be loved comes as

Feature

Photo: Eric Pamies; Courtesy of Primavera Sound

Titanic Rising was released on 5 Apr via Sub Pop weyesblood.com

MAGDALENE is the record we’ve all been waiting for from FKA twigs, and the one that solidifies her position as the greatest artist and performer of her generation Words: Nadia Younes

Words: Tony Inglis

saw things I imagined’, Solange repeats at the beginning of When I Get Home. Her words conjure the twilit state we are entering, somewhere between wake and sleep, reality and vision. It acts as a doorway to a home that is somewhat apocryphal, a cocktail of solid things anchoring us to a physical place – for Solange, it’s Houston, Texas, and the neighbourhood of Third Ward where she grew up – mixed with stories and half-remembered thoughts. When I Get Home isn’t the journey home; we’ve teleported there in an instant. For the next 39 minutes, Solange lets us swirl in her daydream as she stretches and remoulds what we perceive. After the purposeful and fully-formed A Seat at the Table, for many first-time listeners When I Get Home seemed impressionistic, even ungainly. It offers no easy answers, no through-line. As Solange entrancingly does with words, phrases and images many times across its length, it bears close and repeat listening to tease out its most precious of riches. It brazenly eschews genre – there’s R’n’B, rap, hip-hop, neo-soul, jazz fusion, pop,

future, Titanic Rising isn’t merely one of 2019’s finest records; it may even prove to be a definitive work of the 21st century.

MAGDALENE

Solange’s fourth album, When I Get Home, is a love letter to Houston – a home, a place and a people she belongs to, and one that there is goodness in returning to

‘I

Weyes Blood

#9 FKA twigs –

Solange – When I Get Home

Solange

easily as a pop lyric. But Mering isn’t one to pass up sweet surrender every now and then, and with album centrepiece Movies, she even appears to submerge herself completely in the flood. A great tidal wave of synths drowns her luxuriant capitulation. ‘The movies I watched when I was a kid / The hopes and the dreams / Don’t give credit to the real thing’ she croons, before accepting a celebratory defeat: ‘I love the movies’. With dichotomies of yielding and self-determination, love and fiction, meaning and chaos, Titanic Rising offers no easy answers. But Mering is content in excavating those vast interstitial spaces, the distances between what we desire and the idea of desire itself. With an eye towards the mounting rubble of history, and another to the terminal

Photo: Eliot Lee Hazel

he central thesis of Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising is to plumb the depths of a love unfit to last, doomed to crumble in the face of another oncoming (or rather, already-happening) historic event: climate change. There’s Natalie Mering, Weyes Blood herself, on the album’s sleeve, submerged underwater in a replica of a childhood bedroom, among stuffed toys and signs of her key influences: the likes of Lou Reed and Harry Nilsson. Mering’s worldview represents an absolute reality, one in which the endeavours of love – personal, political – face the actuality of environmental collapse. An LP so firmly rooted in a time and place of belligerence could easily come off as emptily nihilistic. Titanic Rising isn’t that album – or, at least, not wholly. Mering adopts a tough, world-weary front from the outset.

funk, new age, dub, trap, reggae, ambient, and that’s not even a finite list – but also format, even time, and especially expectations. When I Get Home reaches for new, afrofuturistic dawns, while seeking defiant reclamation of ‘black-owned things’. All of this wrapped up in the imagery of an accompanying film and mesmerising, elaborately choreographed live performances. As she states during the interlude Can I Hold the Mic: ‘I can’t be a singular expression of myself / There’s too many parts, too many spaces / Too many manifestations’. Solange, the auteur. Its mystic and vaporous construction imbues When I Get Home with a fluidity, but, as she puts plainly, Solange does ‘nothing without intention’. Having bathed in its unwavering experimentalism, we’re left with Solange’s love letter to Houston – a home, a place and a people she belongs to, and one that there is goodness in returning to. Many who listen to When I Get Home will find meaning in a direct way – those who grew up in America’s black neighbourhoods and how it shaped them. For others, Solange’s experience could not be further from their truth. Solange’s fourth album shows that our homes are those muddled, idealistic remembrances just as much as they are what is physically there. Combined, home becomes something more cosmic. And that is what will always draw us back.

eartbreak is all encompassing. It manifests both emotionally and physically and can be entirely debilitating. On her second album, MAGDALENE, FKA twigs details the manifestation of her own heartbreak, in the fallout of an incredibly public break-up and some intense health issues, and puts the pieces back together on her life. “Has anyone ever written a song about depressive masturbation before?” opened twigs’ interview with Pitchfork ahead of the release of MAGDALENE. They probably have, but few could do it as masterfully as twigs. The song in question is daybed, the album’s penultimate track, and the one that best expresses just how low life got for twigs before making the album. Her lyrics are delivered in a stream-ofconsciousness style, where the sentences are short and nothing quite makes sense; it’s almost like she’s experiencing her surroundings for the first time, and in a new light. It portrays a sense of numbness, of an ability to properly convey emotion; a desperation for pleasure in a deep depression: ‘Lower is my

When I Get Home was released on 1 Mar via Columbia solangemusic.com

FKA Twigs

Music

Photo: Matthew Stone

Words: Dafydd Jenkins

ceiling / Pressing are my feelings / Active are my fingers / Faux my cunnilingus’. It’s another use of extremely visceral physical imagery, which has always been dominant in twigs’ work. On album opener thousand eyes, it’s the eyes of the public she fears (‘It’s gonna be cold with all those eyes’), much like on its closer cellophane, where ‘they wanna see us, wanna see us apart’. She sings of her “fruit” on both sad day (‘Taste the fruit of me’) and holy terrain (‘Once my fruits are for taking’), creating a distinction between giving away her body and her heart. This is a crucial distinction to make in order to properly understand the depth of twigs’ sadness. On throbbing ballad mirrored heart, she gives us one of the saddest choruses of all time. But in among the deep despair, there’s a resilience (‘But I’m never gonna give up / Though I’m probably gonna think about you all the time’), and an eventual acceptance in the closing line of cellophane: ‘I’m not enough’. If twigs’ forays into pole dancing and wushu symbolise the rebuilding of her physical strength then MAGDALENE is twigs regaining her emotional strength. It’s a record that perfectly encapsulates twigs’ unique vision, allowing us to properly understand her as an artist and a person. It’s the one that solidifies her position as the greatest artist and performer of her generation, and we’re so lucky to be able to witness it. MAGDALENE was released on 8 Nov via Young Turks fkatwi.gs

THE SKINNY

U.F.O.F. shows Big Thief’s ability as creators of different moods and atmospheres – it’s a truly special album

The National

Words: Adam Turner-Heffer

Big Thief

heaviest tracks in Big Thief ’s back catalogue – at least until Two Hands’ Not came along – in Contact and Jenni. One would be forgiven for mistaking these tracks for a sludgy post-hardcore band along the lines of Lungfish, such is the weight these two tracks carry. Lead singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker is urgent and banshee-like in the album’s opener, whereas when the quartet return to the well towards the end of the record, she mimics a whispering ghost. Elsewhere, U.F.O.F. shows Big Thief ’s ability as creators of different moods and atmospheres. There’s the devastatingly beautiful Open Desert, the jazzy, laid-back-yetunderlined-with-tension Century or the jarringly upbeat Strange which dissolves into a conclusion fitting to the song’s title, before Lenker changes her voice completely on Betsy, proving the band’s elasticity. Then, of course, there’s the title track and lead single of this truly special album, in which Lenker makes friends with an alien and relates it to the connectivity of entire solar systems. Ultimately, favouring one of Big Thief ’s 2019 releases over the other purely comes down to which version of Big Thief you prefer. They seemingly exist in a bygone era of the 60s and 70s where rock bands consistently produced incredible music. With that in mind, we should be extremely grateful for their presence on our astral plane, because who knows how long they’ll be around before they go off with their Unidentified Flying Object Friends. Photo: Michael Buishas

hen compiling our end of year list for 2019, we faced a dilemma when it came to Big Thief: U.F.O.F. or Two Hands? Unsurprisingly (spoiler alert), both records have made our top ten, and at the close of this decade, Big Thief have staked their claim as one of the most crucial bands of the last five years. The release of U.F.O.F. in early May had already established Big Thief ’s credentials as a masterfully powerful band, able to surprise, entertain and shake all at once. The announcement of October’s Two Hands later in the summer only confirmed the group’s claim to the throne. In 2019, Big Thief released two of the most thrilling albums of the year, and what’s more, they managed to give them distinctly singular auras as separate releases, yet also spiritually linked the two as a loose double album: U.F.O.F. is the dreamier, airy and intricate sister to Two Hands’ earthier, more direct slap to the face. U.F.O.F. is bookended by two of the

U.F.O.F. was released on 3 May via 4AD Big Thief play Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 2 Mar bigthief.net

Julia Jacklin – Crushing

The National – I Am Easy to Find

At the heart of I Am Easy to Find, The National's most experimental and joyous release to date, is community Words: Fraser MacIntyre

Am Easy to Find arrived in May, shortly after Mike Mills’ short film of the same title, starring Alicia Vikander and featuring reworked versions of songs from the record. It isn’t necessary to listen to the record to appreciate the film, and vice versa, yet the two are closely linked, and were shaped by each other’s progress. The lyrics to Where Is Her Head, for instance, were taken from a children’s book written by Mills, that a young father reads to his daughter in the film. The daughter is Vikander, whose protagonist we follow from adolescence to old age throughout Mills’ breathtakingly tender journey. Writing with Vikander’s character in mind, frontman Matt Berninger elected to share vocal duties for the first time after guitarist Bryce Dessner’s suggestion: “If we’re telling the story of a woman’s life, wouldn’t it be interesting to hear a woman sing?” The strong female presence on I Am Easy to Find elevated it beyond the wildest expectations of most, while frustrating a few fans hoping the band would revisit old glories. David Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey features prominently on lead single You Had Your Soul With You and Hey Rosey, with the lyrics to both penned by Berninger’s wife Carin Besser. Bryce Dessner’s wife Pauline de Lassus Saint-Geniès (stage name Mina Tindle) can be

heard on Oblivions, while The Pull of You features a sublime turn from Sharon Van Etten. This Is the Kit’s Kate Stables’ voice is instantly discernible on I Am Easy to Find, which, like many highlights in the band’s ever-expanding back-catalogue, is ushered in by Aaron Dessner’s piano. As is Light Years, a beautiful, devastating moment of stillness at the end of the record featuring some of Berninger’s most bittersweet lines to date. At the heart of I Am Easy to Find lies community. The National have long been avid collaborators with fairly profilic careers on the side, but welcoming new voices into the fray on I Am Easy to Find certainly invigorated their creative process. Embracing who they are as individuals, and what they do outside of each other’s company in 2019 has allowed, and will allow them to continue to push their sound in enticing new directions. I Am Easy to Find is The National’s most experimental and joyous release to date, though they have lost none of the bite and paranoia that initially reeled us in. I Am Easy to Find was released on 17 May via 4AD americanmary.com

On Crushing, Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin creates something entirely original from the everyday experience of heartbreak Words: Katie Cutforth Julia Jacklin

t takes a special kind of artist to take a subject as commonplace as heartbreak and make music that sounds utterly fresh. This is arguably the most remarkable aspect of Julia Jacklin’s second LP Crushing, and finds her in a strange place in her life: readjusting to solitude, processing the vast array of emotions that arise post-breakup. Crushing begins on the tarmac of Sydney Airport, Jacklin shaking her head at an unfortunate ex, who’s been caught smoking in an aeroplane bathroom, ruining their weekend away. Body is a slow burner: a prelude to the record, aching with suppressed rage. The strength of emotion in the vocals paints a startlingly vivid picture, Jacklin stony-faced on

December 2019

the windy runway, tears of defiance in her eyes as she tells her lover, ‘I’m gonna leave you / I’m not a good woman when you’re around’. It doesn’t build to show off Jacklin’s remarkable vocal range, as many of her songs do, instead remaining in a mood of tired frustration. Jacklin’s voice is undoubtedly the glue that holds Crushing together. There’s a beauty to the soft moments and sheer power in the high. She loses control for the first time on Pressure to Party, a track which Jacklin describes as her “three-minute scream”. The desperation of the vocals and the sorrowful lyrics juxtapose the high tempo backing, creating a feeling of standing still while the world continues busily around you.

Throughout the record Jacklin presents herself as the heartbreaker rather than the one who’s had their heart broken – an experience less often explored, particularly by women. Don’t Know How to Keep Loving You depicts the loneliness of falling out of love, of accepting that passion has given way to familiarity and boredom. And while Turn Me Down begins as a lively track, halfway through the lightheartedness is broken as Jacklin asks her lover to end their relationship so she doesn’t have to: ‘Please just turn me down,’ she repeatedly begs, to a devastating climax. After a long pause, the initial riff returns, like determined small-talk after a row. And though it tries to be as nonchalant as before,

Music

Photo: Nick Mckk

Big Thief – U.F.O.F.

Photo: Graham MacIndoe

As voted for by The Skinny's music team, 2019's top ten albums of the year tackle everything from love and heartbreak to body positivity and self-love via climate change, grief and loss.

something in the mood has changed that cannot change back. Relationships are complex and deeply personal things, and they evoke myriad feelings and behaviours that can be turbulent and unpredictable – particularly when they end. Crushing captures this with grace, emotional maturity and forgiveness, in a way that is touchingly human. Crushing was released on 22 Feb via Transgressive Julia Jacklin plays St Luke’s, Glasgow, 1 Dec juliajacklin.com

Feature

Lizzo – Cuz I Love You The most impressive thing about Lizzo's third album, Cuz I Love You, is its message of body positivity and self-love

Lizzo

ut simply, Cuz I Love You is magical. It’s an incantation that you draw around yourself on the bad days for protection, and a blessing that you bestow upon yourself on the good ones. After having ingested the whole thing, anyone who listens to it will have no choice but to love themselves. That is the power of Lizzo. She descends as if on a fluffy white cloud straight from heaven, an emissary of the

powers that be, to tell you with force, humour, and an absolutely beautiful lack of apology, that she loves herself and therefore so should you. The most impressive thing about this album is its message of body positivity and self-love. The more you listen to it, the more the album becomes a gospel, words to live by. Soulmate is an anthem to be repeated in your darkest moments until you really believe it.

Jerome is a powerful middle finger to anyone who’s ever done you dirty in love. There’s an intelligence in this positive message, shaded with a nuance that acknowledges that self-love is difficult, and sometimes you won’t always manage it. Cuz I Love You, Crybaby and Heaven Help Me are Lizzo’s moments of vulnerability where she lays her heart down on a slab before her, presenting it to us and not caring what we do with it. These moments are all too recognisable for anyone who has ever let themselves be lost in the heady throes of intoxicating love, and it’s a welcome reminder that self-love takes work, and encompasses these vulnerable moments to make you stronger when you need it. Musically, Cuz I Love You is a chorus of bombastic production and forceful grooves. The pop sensibilities of songs like Juice and Soulmate are cleverly tinged with elements of soul and funk. The hyped-up R’n’B banger Tempo is a triumph of the album, harking more back to the sounds of Ain’t I and En Love from 2015’s Big GRRRL Small World. One track that deserves mentioning, and that has become slightly lost in the discourse around this album as the focus stays with the extroverted beats of lead single Juice, is Lingerie. The image conjured by the frankness of its lyrics is so intense it makes the listener a fly on the wall: a position that is half-cheerleader and half-voyeur in this case. By treading these lines, Lizzo conjures a realistic picture of relationships that moves beyond

grand gestures and melodrama to show intimacy as something as everyday and mundane as waiting expectantly for your partner to come home. It’s a gentle reminder that the grand romantic narratives are built on moments like these, and they’re to be cherished wherever we can find them. While her debut, Lizzobangers, came out in 2014, Lizzo’s third album Cuz I Love You is her breakthrough. But as she says in her live shows, she’s been making music like this since the beginning – it’s only just hitting a nerve in 2019 because the world needs her message now more than ever. The message of self-care on Cuz I Love You goes deeper than the stereotypical and insidiously misogynistic one that we’re fed by social media: that self-care is frivolous and extends only to spa days and sleepovers. Lizzo reminds us that in this day and age, self-care is a radical process that involves a constant re-evaluation and reexamination of everything we’ve been told from day one. Anyone can love themselves, but it takes dedication when everything says that nothing about you is good enough. Cuz I Love You is that voice shouting out from the back of the class to challenge the teacher, saying “Hey, don’t listen to them. Yes, you are!” Cuz I Love You was released on 19 Apr via Nice Life/Atlantic lizzomusic.com

Angel Olsen – All Mirrors An astonishing album from a singular artist, All Mirrors is the richly ambitious realisation of Angel Olsen’s inner world

here’s nothing more complicated than your own reflection. All Mirrors, Angel Olsen’s fourth album, builds a warped maze out of memories, fantasies and alternate versions of herself. Glamorous, gothic and deeply dramatic, it’s her finest, truest album yet. The black and white video to the title track begins with Olsen revolving, almost floating, in a ghostly white gown, as she croons one of the year’s most enigmatic opening lines: ‘I’ve been watching / All of my past repeating’. She then takes flight up a seemingly never-ending staircase, fighting the mist and seeking the light in a sequence that feels like a fever dream, only to be rewarded by a house of mirrors. A fury of strings are thick with dread and glory. It’s unclear if, or when, she seeps through the glass but suddenly she’s frozen in an embrace with her other, multiple selves, with all the elegance of a Hollywood siren in a tragic silent film. When she finally returns, back down the staircase, she stops dead to fix the camera with an unreadable stare. Even her 2012 debut attests to the fact that Angel Olsen only writes richly theatrical songs. Reconciling the stormy, often hushed interiority of her first two albums with the scenic sense of open space on 2016’s My Woman, the undaunted theatricality of All Mirrors is scripted in bold black ink. Aided by the sheer drama of Jherek Bischoff ’s string

Feature

Words: Katie Hawthorne

arrangements, Ben Babbitt’s lush compositions, and producer John Congleton’s formidable ability to balance scuzz with stardust, All Mirrors is the work of an artist using all the tools at her disposal to explore her own imagination at a scale she’s long been reaching for. The album opens with Lark, a song with such emotional intensity that when the instrumental section hits it’s with all the power of a fight between two lionesses on an Attenborough documentary. Violins soar like fireworks, exploding in a shower of silver sparks: ‘You say you love every single part,’ she sings. ‘What about my dreams?’ Olsen’s at her most powerful with one eyebrow arched. Too Easy features vibraphone, flugelhorn and an E-bow for a pastiche of a rose-tinted romantic ballad that drips with both sugar and poison. What It Is bounds with rock’n’roll momentum as Olsen teases her subject: ‘You just wanted to forget / That your heart was full of shit’. The song deals out overly simplistic reassurances with the joke, at our expense, that whatever it is is clearly always more painful if you’re in denial. Impasse talks, for a rare moment, about her own career, and turns on those who misinterpret her vocation with all the vengeance and bloody glamour of the best James Bond themes. A theme of looking but never fully being seen winds its way through each of Olsen’s

Angel Olsen

records. But of all her albums, All Mirrors is the first to fully embrace the chasm between one person and the reflections that stare back at them. On Spring, a disintegrating waltz with synths in eternal bloom, her voice turns to cream as she sighs, ‘How time has revealed how little we know us’. Glorious closer Chance sounds like a dispatch from a previous century, a filmic slow dance through the limits of forever. ‘I don’t want it all, I’ve had enough’ she trills as the

Music

song billows around her, as if trying to charm the devil – or, at least, to persuade herself that it’s true. An astonishing album from a singular artist, All Mirrors is the richly ambitious realisation of Angel Olsen’s inner world. All Mirrors was released on 4 Oct via Jagjaguwar Angel Olsen plays Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 Feb angelolsen.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Cameron McCool

Photo: Ebru Yildiz

Words: Jemima Skala

December 2019

THE SKINNY

Big Thief – Two Hands Most surprising about Big Thief’s fourth studio album (their second of 2019), Two Hands, is its generosity in allowing the listener to take stock of themselves

he night before Two Hands was released, Big Thief played The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They don’t set up like other bands; they place their bodies at the points of a skewed rhombus. At any one moment, Adrianne Lenker could lift her shut eyes and look for those of one of her bandmates, as they could hers, as they all did at one point or another. If you ignore the performance, it’s simply four minutes of stolen glances as they seem to find belonging in each other. This year, many who have become smitten with Big Thief will have found that belonging too: in Lenker’s direct lyrics; in a band so locked into step with each other, their album covers depict the individual members piled up, their limbs intertwined, into a whole; in four people making music that is emotionally resonant and deeply felt, with guitars no less. The song they performed that night was Not, the highlight of Two Hands, which is, unfathomably, the second near-perfect album Big Thief released this year. Not is like a plughole in the record: the dirty water, spit, blood, loose hair, dead skin and bitten fingernails clumping in one dripping cluster of a rock song. Lenker’s screaming voice becomes hoarse from repeating the choral words: ‘It’s

not the room, not beginning, not the crowd, not winning, not the planet, that’s spinning’, after a plea in vain to describe the strength of a feeling for which no sufficient words or metaphors or natural wonders exist (‘Not the meat of your thigh, nor your spine tattoo, nor your shimmery eye’), and all of it finally descending into a long crashing instrumental. Any one of the ten songs on Two Hands could be pored over; every fleeting moment of sonic bliss, every word. It asks the listener to consider what is and is not there, what we should and should not have, who we could and could not be. On Forgotten Eyes, Lenker states plainly: ‘Everybody needs a home and deserves protection’. As on previous works, it finds her centring subjects like homelessness and domestic violence; things from the here and now; things that are frighteningly real. Most surprising about Two Hands is its generosity in allowing the listener to take stock of themselves. This is most prominently done in the production, or lack thereof. By playing up its uncomfortably close, live, one-take nature, it places you right there in the room. Several songs are either preceded or followed by a few seconds of dead air, which can feel like an eternity. Often it is silence, or half-filled with

the faint shuffling of feet, maybe a soft count in, or an inaudible word between bandmates. It has the effect of making the listener acutely aware of their surroundings. Perhaps there was the low rumbling of a car engine driving past, or maybe the album had become at one with what was happening in the outside world, difficult to discern which was reality. Watching that Late Show performance, you wonder how many viewers had their minds blown. Even those who were already familiar with Big Thief did. In a time when that might have been one of the only ways to hear a buzzed about band, it may have changed the course of someone’s relationship with music. It was so memorable, maybe it still did. Big Thief feel like a band with that power now. That night, as she usually is, Lenker was fiery and enigmatic. But as the band approach the end of the final chorus, there’s a stolen smile among the glances. Does she know they have that power now too? Two Hands was released on 11 Oct via 4AD Big Thief play Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 2 Mar bigthief.net

Big Thief

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen On Ghosteen, The Skinny’s favourite album of 2019, Nick Cave has found the tools, philosophy and creative direction for his grief

Words: Lewis Wade

forwardly beautiful songs ever penned by Cave, but it’s a lyrical dead-end as he moves back and forth between wishing for an Elysian dreamscape, and finally giving in to the ambiguous hope that ‘my baby’s coming home’. It’s an insight into Cave’s chaotic internal monologue, another common facet of Ghosteen. The title track is the first of the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds so-called ‘adults’, the previous eight being the ‘children’, and finds Cave more certain in his aphorisms (‘There’s nothing wrong with loving something you can’t hold in your hand’), now able to ‘possess’ the twirling, dancing ghosteen that he could only find glimpses of in Bright Horses. It’s the beginning of what could be considered the acceptance stage of the album: there are intimations of clarity and resolution, but it is ultimately empathy and understanding that can bridge the path to peace. Fireflies is a short(er), spoken word piece that continues the theme, admitting that although ‘we are fireflies a child has trapped in a jar’, a less metaphorical truth cuts through the noise: ‘We are here and you are Photo: Matthew Thorne

ince the late 70s, Nick Cave’s willingness to experiment and reinvent has gifted his music a timelessness based around superlative storytelling and inspired arrangements. However, despite the emotive core that has remained the one constant in his work, his deeply allegorical bent and incorporation of traditional material has often led to a certain level of personal inscrutability. The tragic death of his 15 year-old son Arthur, in 2015, changed this. Ghosteen is ostensibly the final part of the trilogy that began with Push the Sky Away in 2013. Yet, the events surrounding its composition mean that it is much more of a

December 2019

Photo: Dustin Condren

Words: Tony Inglis

standalone work. It shares much of the same tone as 2016’s Skeleton Tree, and draws from a similar sonic palette, but the depth of austere reflection makes it an unmatched totem in a long history of art that seeks to catalogue and reconcile grief. Spinning Song opens the album with some allegorical rumination about Elvis Presley, but, as with much of the album, Cave’s musings on legacy can easily be applied to his son. The outro tries to will patience into existence with a repeated mantra – ‘Peace will come in time’ – but it isn’t until the end of Ghosteen that the notion of peace is really contextualised. Bright Horses is one of the most straight-

Music

where you are’. Blunt as it may be, there’s comfort in acceptance and Cave’s voice even sounds less tremulous than it frequently does in the record’s first half. Cave has largely abandoned his deep narrative style over the last two albums, but it comes roaring back in the final, powerful Hollywood. Two distinct sections are split with the sudden moment when ‘The kid drops his bucket and spade / And climbs into the sun’ and the arrangement’s ensuing collapse, experimental in style and cataclysmic in scale. From there, Cave relates the story of Kisa Gotami, who reaches out to the Buddha after losing a child. She’s told to collect mustard seeds from each house where no one has died. In her failure to do so she realises that mortality and grief are universal, and subsequently begins her journey to Arhatship (Enlightenment). It’s a profound and striking end to the album, and the trilogy as a whole, returning to allegory as a means of understanding, though the veneer of biography is gossamer-thin. Cave may have found the tools, philosophy and creative direction for his grief, but his final words on the album admit that understanding doesn’t extinguish pain: ‘And I’m just waiting now, for peace to come / For peace to come’. Ghosteen was released on 4 Oct via Ghosteen Ltd Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds play SSE Hydro, Glasgow, 5 May nickcave.com

Feature

The Twilight Sad – It Won/t Be Like This All the Time

The Twilight Sad’s fifth album is heartbreaking and heartwarming, specific in detail and inclusive in scope. But, more than anything, it’s honest Words: Lewis Wade

Feature

The Twilight Sad; Photo: Debi Del Grande

Scottish Albums of 2019

quick glance at The Twilight Sad’s previous album titles gives a good insight into the sort of subject matter they’re concerned with: Winter, Forget, No One, Nobody. A fifth word associated with negativity could now be added: Won/t. However, there’s a sense of ambiguous positivity that can be read into the band’s latest title: maybe things will change for the better. In 2015, having once again released a well-received album without reaping the concomitant commercial rewards, The Twilight Sad were worried about the future (once again). They were buoyed by a successful tour supporting The Cure, as well as the unwavering love of their fans (and Robert Smith). So the band went into seclusion to work on their next record in 2017 and early 2018, hoping to catch some of that positive mood, but wary of expecting too much. What emerged is not a radical reimagining, or an unpredictable dive into uncharted territory, but it does make tentative steps toward hopefulness and even (whisper it) joy. They haven’t abandoned their signature moves; dark, probing lyricism and dense, swirling atmospherics still abound. But there are times when a melody is allowed to unfurl without being buried in noise, or a lyric pokes through without a cloaking fog of metaphor. In these moments, there’s a sense that the band are starting to let the light in. If not outright optimistic, it’s at least not not wholly pessismistic. And that’s something. ‘We’re hanging on by a thread / And you keep bowing your head’. So goes the opening line of the album on [10 Good Reasons For

Modern Drugs]. It’s a desparate sentiment, and James Graham spends the entire song wallowing in apathy, receding into the imagined past where things were simpler (i.e. better). It’s a relatable and sadly attractive mindset, and sums up a particular brand of malaise that 2019 seemed full to the brim with. However, by the pristine goth-rock of Videograms that closes the album, Graham is more focused and direct. ‘I won’t keep / All the hurt you gave to me’, he sings slyly. ‘Don’t start / Don’t you start on me’ he repeats over and over – daring anyone to try. The music follows suit, more polished and sure of itself than usual, while remaining in its moody wheelhouse. But it’s not exactly a neatly wrapped-up happy ending, with indecision and doubt still prevalent in the final thoughts: ‘Is it still me that you love?’ and ultimately ‘I’m not sure’. To reach this point the album doesn’t follow a clear path, with the garbled vocals of Girl Chewing Gum or the massive, opaque wall-of-sound that starts Auge/Maschine. It’s a deliberately knotty route, its darkness matched only by its sincerity. The addition of touring musicians Johnny Docherty and Brendan Smith as full members has helped the band to craft a fuller sound than ever before, and also their heaviest. There’s a feeling of industrial noise on Girl Chewing Gum, while bombastic riffs threaten to overpower on chugging cuts like VTr and I/m Not Here [missing face]. Sunday Day13 provides a brief moment of reprieve from these elements as Andy MacFarlane scales back the arrangement, allowing wistful keys to lay Graham’s paranoid

Music

self-loathing bare: ‘Will you always be mine? / If I promise to be nice / Please don’t ever change your mind / You should hate me’. It’s the bleakest lull of the album, made all the more raw by the lack of shrouding instrumentation. On almost every song on the album Graham asks questions, hurling what-if ’s into the void and waiting to see what comes back. The Twilight Sad know well enough that their cultishly devoted fans will provide the answers, and the tactic helps the album to achieve the intimacy (and intensity) that the band so often whip up at their shows. Evidently, this isn’t technicolour Sad, but there are still enough splashes of colour and positivity to show that the band are starting to let the sun come in, though still with the fear of being blinded by the light. The album’s cover is mainly concerned with the contrast of light and shade, but it’s splotched with random bits of pink. It’s a nod towards welcoming brightness, if not fully embracing it. Sometimes, just acknowledging a better future is a win, and despite the heavy, lachrymose atmosphere, this album still manages to point towards a period ahead when it won’t be like this, at least not all the time. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming, specific in detail and inclusive in scope, while sounding fantastic all the while. But, more than anything, it’s honest. It Won/t Be Like This All the Time was released on 18 Jan via Rock Action thetwilightsad.com

THE SKINNY

With some truly excellent music coming out of Scotland in 2019, we asked our music team to whittle it down and pick their favourites – here’s the top ten

On FIBS, Anna Meredith has established an album that’s maximalist yet intricately composed [...] Yet, though FIBS skips swiftly between moods and sounds, Meredith’s innate ability to bring these parts together into a collection that’s both bursting with compositional creativity, while still maintaining its own sense of cohesion and an accessible edge, inspires awe. [Eugenie Johnson]

#3 Callum Easter Here or Nowhere [Lost Map, 5 Apr]

Callum Easter’s much-anticipated debut album Here or Nowhere is infused with a sense of profundity, although half of the time it’s hard to put your finger on where it comes from. His lyrics are almost prophetic at times, at others achingly vulnerable, but constantly captivating. [Amy Hill]

#4 Meursault Crow Hill [Common Grounds Records, 21 Jun]

Crow Hill is Neil Pennycook’s most vibrant, ambitious and remarkably cohesive record to date, fusing the best of his past releases with something unequivocally new [...] and offers a sublime tonic of sorts for these bizarre and frustrating times. [Fraser MacIntyre]

#5 Honeyblood In Plain Sight [Marathon Artists, 24 May]

#8 C Duncan Health [FatCat Records, 29 Mar]

On Honeyblood’s third album, Stina Tweeddale wrestles full control to create a pop record that is most comfortable slinging around in the sludge and dirt [...] but someone’s on the sharp end of Tweeddale’s slings and, to be honest, it suits her. [Tony Inglis]

ossy Love #6 B Me + U [self-released, 31 Oct]

Throughout Health, C Duncan intermittently revisits his characteristic mesmerising, melancholic tone. But there’s something different: as well as a maturity in production, Duncan’s subject matter has developed too [...] as his lyrics turn to topics of communication, sexuality and anxiety. [Amy Hill]

#9 Rev Magnetic Versus Universe [Rock Action, 10 May]

Me + U is a glossy pop stomp, frontloaded with some of the year’s most infectious jams [...] There’s no doubting Bossy Love’s ability to craft a pop curio that delves into 90s R’n’B and mid-00s electro; flitting between the contemporary and the nostalgic. [Max Sefton]

#7 S acred Paws Run Around the Sun [Rock Action, 31 May]

Listening to Versus Universe feels like submerging yourself in a fully formed consciousness, in all its chaos. Within a single song, swirling dissonance can turn to breathtakingly beautiful eastern strings, morph into jittery IDM drum programming by way of Japanese ambient [...] only to surprise you once more by crashing into skyward shoegaze. [Tony Inglis] #10 Savage Mansion Revision Ballads [Lost Map, 15 Feb]

Run Around the Sun is an unrelenting, fast-paced doubling down on its energetic predecessor Strike a Match [...] with cartwheeling bass, carnival drums and intensely hooky Afrobeat guitars. [Tony Inglis]

Coming on the back of a series of well-received singles, Revision Ballads’ 12 tracks cover an impressive amount of ground, from smart ass power pop to grubby, loud and loose rock’n’roll. [Max Sefton]

Anna Meredith

December 2019

Music

Photo: Gem Harris

Sacred Paws

Photo: Gaëlle Beri

#2 Anna Meredith FIBS [Moshi Moshi, 25 Sep]

Feature

Films of the Year 2019 A portrait of an artist as a young woman and an epic about some ageing gangsters top our films of the year poll. Elsewhere, there’s the story of convicts in space, class tensions in a Cornwall fishing village and the reimaging of a Hollywood tragedy

1. The Souvenir (Dir. Joanna Hogg) Joanna Hogg’s autobiographical portrait of the artist as a younger woman took the great British director’s rigorous observational style to a transcendent new level. With a fragile, intelligent, unaffected lead performance by Honor Swinton Byrne as a film student in the 1980s trying to get to grips with her own privilege and her relationship to an older lover with dark secrets, The Souvenir was bracing in its raw, honest depiction of coming-of-age, determination and bittersweet memory. [Ian Mantgani]

2. The Irishman (Dir. Martin Scorsese) In their ninth feature together, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have delivered a mournful epic that feels like a capstone and a reflection on their decades-long collaboration. The story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a loyal bruiser caught in the power struggle between union head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), The Irishman is a devastating study of an old man haunted by guilt, regret and his daughter’s reproachful gaze. It’s a late-career masterpiece from an artist at the height of his powers. [Philip Concannon]

3. Burning (Dir. Lee Chang-dong) A tale of jealousy and obscure desires, Lee Chang-dong’s Burning has all the qualities you’d expect from a murder-mystery; but look closely and you’ll find something simmering below the surface. Lee’s long-awaited follow-up to 2010’s Poetry shifts from romance to tragedy before settling on something far more sinister. Observing the conflict that arises when economic desperation and bruised masculinity collide, Burning is an emotionally ruthless portrait of the widening class divide that seethes and smoulders with an insidious rage. [Patrick Gamble]

4. High Life (Dir. Claire Denis) No film this year has come quite as close to the edge of madness (or serenity) as Claire Denis’ High Life. Her space film is an urgent, throbbing ache. It’s mostly about a lonely man and a baby, but it’s also a cautionary tale of a dystopian future where convicts become guinea pigs for a fertility experiment and are hurled towards a black hole. Sex, extinction and taboo are its themes, but Denis is more interested in experience than analysis. Go with it. [Katie Goh]

5. Bait (Dir. Mark Jenkin) While filmmakers across the nation attempt to make sense of the country’s collective malaise with either upbeat corniness or dour realism, here is a film that dares to take those divisions and use them as a razor in the cutting room. Shooting on vintage cameras in rough-hewn monochrome, and with classical editing and sound techniques, Jenkin’s film lays out Britain’s class warfare with the editing austerity of a Mexican standoff. If Alain Resnais were still alive, he’d be kissing the feet of this bright new British talent. [Thomas Atkinson]

6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Dir. Quentin Tarantino) What may initially come across as a fawning hymn to a bygone era reveals itself to be Tarantino’s most earnest and vulnerable work since 1997’s Jackie Brown. Concerned with ageing, the sore reality of failure, and accepting one’s own mediocrity, it’s a film that understands the allure of the subjective truth. A melancholic air pervades it but glimmers of hope emerge, even though we’re all too aware that the sands of time can never pass in the way we wish. [Josh Slater-Williams]

7. If Beale Street Could Talk (Dir. Barry Jenkins) Barry Jenkins’ film begins with a young woman visiting a young man in jail and telling him that they will soon be parents. The camera cranes in and time seems to slow so that we can catch each new emotion bursting into existence across their expressions – his deadened astonishment exploding into brilliant joy, her tightly-coiled terror collapsing into relief. Even as it plumbs the darkest parts of humanity, the whole of If Beale Street Could Talk carries this feeling of lightness. [Ross McIndoe]

8. Midsommar (Dir. Ari Aster) Ari Aster’s sophomore feature is not as smart or deep as it wants to be; this does not stop Midsommar from being a genuinely disturbing, fantastically funny film that has rightly become an internet favourite. The impropriety of its sunsoaked visuals somehow makes sense of this most extreme cinematic breakup. Florence Pugh’s star turn cements her as one of her generation’s finest actors, and Reynor, Poulter and Harper ensure that the supporting cast remain memorable as they meet some thoroughly nasty ends. [Carmen Paddock]

Eighth Grade

9. Monos (Dir. Alejandro Landes) The fog of war is thrillingly expressed in Alejandro Landes’ hallucinatory war thriller Monos, which envelops us in the day-to-day of eight teen soldiers holding an American engineer hostage high on a mountain ridge. These adolescent grunts have fearsome monikers like Rambo, Boom Boom and Bigfoot but their babyfaces can’t live up to the billing. Giving hormonal teens machine guns and too much responsibility proves disastrous and in the process this potent allegory for the madness of war conjures up some of the most indelible sounds (courtesy of Mica Levi) and images of the year. [Jamie Dunn]

10. Us (Dir. Jordan Peele) We see double in Us Jordan Peele’s next after Get Out. It would always be difficult to follow a film which drilled so keenly to the pulp of a particular moment, but in Us, Peele didn’t try to replicate the past and instead doubled up his cast. Us taps into fears of inner shadows, and the murky depths of human behaviour, while wrapping the subtext in irresistible horror tropes like a fairground after dark, appealing to audiences on (at least) two levels. [Eleanor Capaldi]

The Next Ten: 11. Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach) 12. Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham) 13. Booksmart (Olivia Wilde) 14. Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker) 15. Beats (Brian Welsh) 16. Transit (Christian Petzold) 17. Ad Astra (James Gray) 18. Atlantics (Mati Diop) 19. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos) 20. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot) theskinny.co.uk/film

Feature

FILM

THE SKINNY

December 2019

Feature

THE SKINNY

Gogglebox Gems

Near-nuclear apocalypse, a chronically depressed equine, an existential nightmare, a harrowing rape investigation and the most toxic family in the history of TV were among our favourite shows of the last 12 months. Quite appropriate for 2019 we feel

1. Chernobyl From the pen of the writer behind Scary Movie 3 (and 4) and The Hangover Part II (and the particularly woeful Part III) comes one of the most intense, claustrophobic and compelling dramas in years. Our current working theory is that Craig Mazin sold his soul to the devil, and in return he was gifted five perfect scripts detailing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which made up the best five hours of TV in 2019. He made an excellent bargain. [Tom Charles]

2. BoJack Horseman: Series 6, part 1 The sixth and final series of Netflix’s groundbreaking animation aired its first half in October; while very much the opening act, the way in which it sets up the monumental, inevitable reckoning to follow is impressive. BoJack Horseman continues to deal with mental health, addiction, recovery and trauma with honesty and humanity, finding the sympathetic qualities in its titular horse and his companions. It also refuses to shy away from the uncomfortable consequences. Its finale may be a strong contender for 2020’s best. [Carmen Paddock]

3. Russian Doll Nadia Vulvokov, the chain-smoking, heavy drinking, cokesnorting, casual sex-having game designer at the heart of Russian Doll lives every day as if it’s her last. It also happens that today is her last: like Bill Murray’s cynical weatherman in Groundhog Day, Nadia has found herself in a mysterious existential loop where she relives the same day over and over again. Despite constantly repeating itself, Russian Doll never gets old, thanks mostly to the white-hot charisma of Natasha Lyonne. [Jamie Dunn]

4. Fleabag: Series 2 Waller-Bridge’s return to her original Fringe creation expands further upon the emotional mess that she left all characters in last season, somehow finding resolution and making a nation collectively horny for the hot priest in the process. Fleabag’s riotous humour and quotable one-liners are never lost even as the series matures with its protagonist. With a final scene that manages to be devastating, hopeful and unbearably kind all at once, the overarching theme of self-redemption reaches a believable and natural denouement. [Carmen Paddock]

5. Derry Girls: Series 2 Few comedies will make you actually laugh out loud as often as Derry Girls. We’re reunited with the four high school girls – Erin, Orla, Clare and Michelle – and, of course, Michelle’s cousin James, in the show’s second season as even more hilarity ensues in their lives. Positioning the teens’ stories against the backdrop of the unfolding Troubles is an inspired and fitting choice by the show’s creator Lisa McGee and feels incredibly relevant in the current climate. [Nadia Younes]

6. This Time with Alan Partridge Parodying The One Show’s head-spinning mixture of banal entertainment, celeb patter and ‘serious stories’ almost feels like cheating, but This Time is a perfectly absurd riff on the formula. Leaps from segment to segment are fantastically overdone: a chat with Britain’s latest centenarian runs into news of multiple homicides, followed by Alan’s attempt to stitch up Monty Don. The laughs are modulated with nail-biting tension, the sense that it could all fall to pieces at any moment. In short, classic Partridge. [Peter Simpson]

7. Succession: Series 2 The TV gods often conjure up the right show for the right time. In a year when a handful of amoral elites played games with our lives, no new series felt more apropos than Succession. Following the shady deals and backbiting of the mega-wealthy Roy family, a vaguely Murdoch-like media clan whose hatred for each other is only a fraction less than their disdain for everyone else, the show is pure soap opera, but Jesse Armstrong’s acid-in-the-face dialogue, rat-a-tat gags and statuesque performances put it a million leagues above Dallas. [Jamie Dunn]

8. The End of the F***ing World: Series 2 The first season of The End of the F***ing World was a triumph and even with its short runtime, it felt complete. Against all odds, the show’s second season is equally as impressive. We find the lead characters, Alyssa and James, navigating life in the aftermath of their crime spree, but the introduction of new character Bonnie adds the extra narrative arc it needed. The season is a deeply profound and powerful exploration of grief and the different ways in which we grieve. [Nadia Younes]

9. Tuca & Bertie Lisa Hanawalt, the artistic mind behind BoJack Horseman, brought her same irreverent, psychedelic animal-human hybrid world to this one-series wonder that had so much more to offer. Worldbuilding aside, Tuca & Bertie takes its two lovable, if varyingly dysfunctional, bird protagonists through the ordinary ordeals of life and womanhood in the 21st century. The show, therefore, serves as one of the most astute observations on #EverydaySexism in recent years, its flamboyancy and comedy hiding – and then heightening – its immediacy. [Carmen Paddock]

10. Unbelievable In the seemingly oversaturated category of ‘true crime’ media, Netflix have managed to create a timely miniseries that admirably bucks the more fetishising trends of the genre. Unbelievable is still a pacy, enthralling police procedural, dramatising the investigations into serial rape cases in Colorado and Washington between 2008 and 2011. But it’s one that presents its story with both sensitivity to its survivors, and scrutiny over systemic sexism in the police force. [George Sully]

December 2019

FILM & TV

Feature

A Year in Scottish Film Blockbusters like Avengers and Fast and the Furious have helped make Scotland a major Hollywood shooting location, but the real story of Scottish cinema in 2019 is the diverse collection of distinctive and joyous homegrown indies lighting up our cinemas

or two years on the trot, Scotland has played a part in the biggest blockbusters of the year. In 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, an early action scene took place in Edinburgh, in which a trio of aliens faced off against Captain America, Black Widow et al on the cobbles of Cockburn Street, the rooftop of St Giles’ Cathedral and the concourse of Waverley Station. Follow-up Avengers: Endgame, meanwhile, features scenes in fishing village St Abbs, which has been redubbed ‘New Asgard’ by an Innis & Gunn-guzzling Thor. Between them, the films grossed $4.8 billion. Scotland perhaps can’t take all (or any) of this credit, but there’s plenty more for Scottish film fans to crow about in 2019, a year in which a clutch of distinctive, diverse and joyous homegrown features made their bow in cinemas. The year’s indie cinema hardly got off to a great start, what with Josie Rourke’s ambitious but inert take on Mary Queen of Scots stinking up theatres in January. The only person who seemed to get excited about the film was Angus Robertson, the former MP for Moray, who was inspired by this middlebrow historic drama to turn critic for a week with a bizarre column in The National titled ‘Film industry in Scotland is set up to be a blockbuster success’. Despite showing a complete ignorance for how the film industry in Scotland works, and clearly not having seen many Scottish films (he listed The Da Vinci Code as one of our recent success stories), Robertson was onto something when he said Scottish cinema was set for a boom. But it’s been in the indie sphere, rather than blockbusters, that we’ve been excelling. This was more than evident at Glasgow Film Festival, whose impressive programme this year was bolstered at the 11th hour with the last minute edition of Wild Rose, a rousing comedy-drama about a rambunctious single mother from Priesthill who has ambitions to be a country star in Nashville. The film had two major elements in its favour: first, a knockout performance from Killarney-born actor Jessie Buckley that’s equal parts fierce and tender; and second, Glasgow itself.

Locations include the Grand Ole Opry on Paisley Road West, the rough and ready Tradeston boozer The Laurieston and Silverburn Shopping Centre – corners of the city that rarely get a look in most Glasgow productions. “Nobody wants that bland nowhere that sometimes happens when films are made here,” said Nicole Taylor, Wild Rose’s writer, back in February when we complimented the film’s vivid use of locations. Taylor describes the film as “a love letter to Glasgow” – which wasn’t lost on the film’s early audiences. “In the few places that it’s shown so far – in Toronto and at the London Film Festival – I’ve had Scottish people come up to me and say, ‘This is what it’s like to be Glaswegian’,” Taylor told us. “Even if you leave the city, you’re obsessed, you’re in love and you’ve got this longing that never goes away.” There was more fine Scottish cinema in store for GFF attendees in the form of Brian Welsh’s Beats, a tender and very funny paean to the friendship between two working-class teens living in a dead-end West Lothian estate in 1994, who find freedom through the local underground rave scene. The film is as lively as the performances from its young stars Cristian Ortega and Lorn Macdonald, while the film’s arty aesthetic, which includes Benjamin Kračun’s crisp black-and-white cinematography, gives the film a hint of French New Wave cool. “We never had the intention to make a social realist film, like a Ken Loach does rave movie,” director Brian Welsh told us. “I think there’s a language around British cinema that’s almost expected and communities like the one

Beats

Feature

Interview: Jamie Dunn

Wild Rose

in Beats. The black and white, I think it almost helped mythologise the time in some kind of way and allows us to learn more from it.” This isn’t to say Beats doesn’t have a keen sense of time and place. Haunting the edges of its frame is the spectre of Tony Blair. It may be John Major’s government that’s waging all-out war with Scotland’s youth culture in the film, but it’s the shiny false promises of New Labour that provides its low-level political fury. “In 1994, the year John Smith died, Tony Blair met with Gordon Brown to begin the pact that would be the start of the project that was New Labour,” said Beats’ writer Kieran Hurley, who was adapting his own stage show from 2013. “That’s the big significant sea change in British electoral politics that’s worth thinking about in relation to the themes of the film.” Teen pop culture and class politics also clashed in Ninian Doff ’s debut feature Boyz in the Wood, which opened Edinburgh Film Festival in raucous style in June. A riotous and touching action-comedy that sparkles with visual invention and is flecked with hope for the future generation, it follows four workingclass teen boys hiking through the Highlands as part of The Duke of Edinburgh scheme. The four lads are hardly outdoorsmen, but their trek becomes even more treacherous when it’s revealed a group of aristocrats, headed by a demented duke played by Eddie Izzard, are out to murder them. Like what Welsh managed with Beats, Doff finds a zesty visual style that doesn’t distract from its sharp political ideas. “I’ve always struggled with this notion – particularly in UK cinema – that films about political topics have to be really gritty,” said Doff. “The options are be very gritty and depressing or it’s just knob jokes only. Why does a film with something to say have to be depressing?” This purple patch for Scottish cinema is set to continue. Next year we’ll see the release of Run, the much-anticipated third feature from Scott Graham, which centres on a petrol-head who was born to run, but instead

FILM

is stuck with a frustrating life that seems to be going nowhere fast in a small fishing village in the north of Scotland. As with Beats and Wild Rose, it’s a film with a very specific time and place, about people whose dreams haven’t been recognised. The same could be said for Our Ladies, Michael Caton-Jones’ lively adaptation of Alan Warner’s cult 90s novel The Sopranos, which follows the misadventures of six Catholic school girls let loose in Edinburgh. Both screened at London Film Festival in October and seemed to go down a storm, particularly Our Ladies, which Caton-Jones was still editing 48 hours before the premiere. Like the films discussed above, don’t expect a work of Scottish miserablism. “You have to remember, it’s Sony Pictures putting the money up, so I couldn’t do it like it was a shoegazey, Channel 4 misery film,” says Caton-Jones when we met in a London hotel a few days after the premiere. Having operated in Hollywood since the start of his career, the Broxburn-born director is a dab hand at making personal cinema from within the studio system. “I quite gladly entered into this idea that Sony had, which was basically ‘Pitch Perfect 3 meets Trainspotting’,” said CatonJones. “Now I’ve never seen Pitch Perfect, so I don’t have a fucking clue what that would look like, but I just said, ‘yeah, of course’. But basically I knew it had to be commercial and that suited me, as I wanted to make something that was a little joyous.” Add to the above films a crop of shorts from some of our favourite emerging Scottish directors – James Price (Boys Night), Bryan M Ferguson (Satanic Panic ‘87), Simone Smith (Slap) and Ross Hogg & Duncan Cowles (Just Agree Then) to name a few – and you have a distinctive line-up of homegrown films fit to burst with personal expression. Even combined, the box-office receipts from the films above are small change compared to a juggernaut like Endgame, but in terms of visual invention and thought-provoking politics, Scottish cinema this year leaves Marvel in its dust.

THE SKINNY

Misunderstood Movies Audiences and critics didn’t go crazy for double Will Smith in Ang Lee’s latest high frame rate experiment or the wild monster mash that was Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but we reckon they’re among the criminally overlooked films of the year Rocketman

After the Wedding (Bart Freundlich) A weepie in the semi-classic, Redford-esque tradition, After the Wedding features some of the best dramatic direction we saw all year. Bart Freundlich appears to be an unsung hero of Hollywood, pulling out all the stops in a story that, in the hands of another, would have likely been cloyingly middle-class and white. In particular, his navigation of a scene taking place at the titular wedding, in which the seemingly concrete foundations of the protagonists’ relationships get demolished, is exquisite. [Thomas Atkinson]

Destroyer (Karyn Kusama) Destroyer is a sun-drenched LA Noir featuring a virtually unrecognisable Nicole Kidman as the anti-hero protagonist. Director Karyn Kusama shows the same mastery of the crime thriller as she did of horror in 2009’s Jennifer’s Body, playing with the timeline and teasing audience expectations at every turn. The script is taut, and the action scenes have real grit to them, but it’s Kidman’s performance that really impresses here – throwing herself into a character that’s complicated, conflicted and downright dislikeable. [GK Bartholomew]

Destroyer

Only You (Harry Wootliff) This searing portrait of a whirlwind romance opens on New Year’s Eve, and a row over a black cab between Spanish ex-pat Elena (Laia Costa) and PhD student Jake (Josh O’Connor). This meet-cute lights the spark on an intense relationship that, initially at least, thrives within the bubble of Elena’s Glasgow flat. Gradually, the real world begins to intrude by way of a ten-year age gap, a ticking biological clock, and the deadening weight of societal expectation. Shabier Kirchner’s handheld camerawork brilliantly accentuates the intimacy of the piece, lingering in close-up, but never uncomfortably so. [Joe Goggins]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Michael Dougherty) Defending any tentpole franchise movie from virile hatred is practically cultural suicide, especially in 2019. And yet, here we are, fighting for this big, stupid, perfectly respectable monster mash which, and there’s no easy way to say this, everyone was simply wrong about. Its human story was decidedly lacking, but when did we start measuring monster movies by that metric? By every other measure it’s brash and colourful, expressive and religiously grand. Isn’t that why we go to movies like this? [Thomas Atkinson]

Vox Lux (Brady Corbet) Nobody familiar with Brady Corbet’s beguiling first feature, The Childhood of a Leader, would have expected a lack of ambition from his follow-up, but Vox Lux is dizzyingly adventurous even by those standards. The prospect of a deep dive into either the traumatic aftereffects of a mass shooting or the destructive power of fame would be daunting enough taken separately, but Corbet seems to relish tying them together in what is a film of two halves in more than one sense of the phrase. If you’re looking for an overlooked double-bill, it’s an ideal companion piece to Alex Ross Perry’s also-superb Her Smell. [Joe Goggins]

All Is True (Kenneth Branagh) Having directed five William Shakespeare adaptations (plus the Shakespeare-adjacent In the Bleak Midwinter), it was perhaps inevitable that Kenneth Branagh would one day play the Bard himself. Written by Ben Elton, this speculative account of the writer’s retirement is a witty and heartfelt film about storytelling, ageing and grief. Branagh gets wonderful performances from his ensemble – especially Kathryn Wilder and Lydia Wilson as his daughters – and his own portrait of this great artist in his twilight years, contemplating his legacy, is some of the most impressive and moving work he has ever done. [Philip Concannon]

Only You

Gemini Man (Ang Lee) Reviews of Will Smith doppelgänger actioner Gemini Man, Ang Lee’s latest experiment in high frame rate (hfr) technology, offered a range of dismissive proclamations from “astonishingly bad” to “the visual sheen of an episode of Hollyoaks.” Such responses are predictable and lamentable because after a few minutes of recalibration, the hfr in Gemini Man proves to be the film’s most astonishing feature. The plot may recall 90s conspiracy thrillers but the action sequences – in particular, a bike chase – are an intense, exhilarating blend of TV, movie, computer game and virtual reality that feels positively pioneering. [Ben Nicholson]

Anna (Luc Besson) After the box office disappointment of Valerian, Luc Besson must have felt he was on firmer ground with another thriller about a sexy female assassin. Anna was unceremoniously dumped into cinemas to little fanfare and mixed reviews, but it’s a fun and twisty ride, despite some unnecessarily baggy and convoluted storytelling. Newcomer Sasha Luss is an engaging presence as the model/killer playing both sides, and Besson stages a number of slick and exciting action sequences. Anna also boasts a ripe turn from a chain-smoking, limping Helen Mirren, who’s clearly having a ball as a cranky KGB boss. [Philip Concannon]

Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher) Coming from Dexter Fletcher, the director of Sunshine on Leith (and co-director of Bohemian Rhapsody), the expectation was that Rocketman would be serviceable. But those that took the chance on it got a wildly inventive musical that was completely unconstrained by the tediously well-worn biopic structure (unlike BoRhap). Sensibly, Lee Hall’s script doesn’t attempt to cover the entirety of Elton John’s life – always a foolhardy aim – and instead focuses on the turmoil that drives him. [Tom Charles]

Out of Blue (Carol Morley) If there’s such a thing as a metaphysical crime thriller, then Out of Blue is it. What starts as an investigation into a murder turns in on itself as we learn more and more about the detective’s past, vigorously brought to life by Patricia Clarkson. With hints of her earlier documentary Dreams of a Life, Carol Morley seems happier indulging in the mystery of someone’s life, rather than solving it. [GK Bartholomew]

Vox Lux

December 2019

FILM

Feature

Party For One Karen Gillan has a busy December ahead. As well as starring in a blockbuster sequel (Jumanji: The Next Level), she’s also releasing The Party’s Just Beginning, which she wrote, directed and stars in. She tells us where her love of directing began

she says, “but people really were appreciative of the subject matter being highlighted.” Be warned: the title is a bit of a misnomer. Gillan directed and wrote the film, and also stars as Luisaidh, an aimless 20-something stuck in an endless cycle of drunken nights out on the town in Inverness. On her post-club walks back home, she’s continually haunted by the sight of her best friend committing suicide, and the story slowly reveals the events that led up to his death. The Party’s Just Beginning is dark and unsettling through and through, but it’s ultimately a profound story about our reluctance to admit that sometimes we’re just not okay. Gillan’s childhood filmmaking adventures suggest she has always wanted to direct, but she never saw it as a viable option until she moved to Los Angeles where she was surrounded by filmmakers. “Everybody’s writing something, everybody’s making a movie,” she says. “Male, female, everyone’s doing it. It’s quite inspiring.” It was only a matter of time before she would join her fellow creatives, but her story would take her back to Scotland, far away from the City of Angels. The inspiration for the story came when Gillan discovered the alarming statistic that a person takes their own life every ten days in the Highlands. “I always thought it was weird because [Inverness] has been voted the best place to live in the UK, and it’s got a high rising population because it’s such a nice place to live,” she explains. “Immediately there’s a weird contradiction there. I think that men have a really hard time communicating vulnerable emotions or appearing fragile or discussing

mental health. There’s a huge stigma still attached to it, and I think the more we talk about it, the more we can break that down and make it a more comfortable environment for men to express themselves, because there’s no change whatsoever in discussing mental health.” When filmmakers create a story set in their hometown, they usually treat those familiar places with nostalgia and reverence. Think Greta Gerwig’s rose-tinted vision of Sacramento in Lady Bird or basically any movie about New York City. For national cinema as gloomy as the country’s grey skies, look no further than Scotland. If people aren’t quoting Ewan McGregor’s ‘Choose Life’ monologue from Trainspotting, they’re instead reciting his rant about how awful it is to be Scottish. The Party’s Just Beginning opens with Luisaidh clinging to the microphone of her local pub’s karaoke machine, slurring her words as she makes her own Trainspotting-like declaration of Scottish woe: “A town like this tends to lend itself to an overactive imagination. Ever sit in a solitary place and imagine so hard, you begin to question what the difference is between imagining and living? Why are we settling for such blatant banality?” Not exactly inspiring words, but it’s all just a part of the roundabout ways we have for expressing our love of Scotland. “There was a scene I took out where [Luisaidh] talks about how much she hates the town but somebody tells her that she loves it,” Gillan says. “We’re not the first people to express emotions like that. It’s more like you’d make fun of each other, and that’s how we show affection for something.”

With her debut feature almost out of her system, Gillan is mulling over what her next film will be. Considering the movies she made growing up, it comes as no surprise when she explains that, despite having no story yet, she’s certain that she’ll be returning to horror. She counts Kubrick’s classic The Shining as her favourite horror movie, and I point out to her that its sequel, Doctor Sleep, was helmed by Mike Flanagan, who she worked with on nifty haunted-mirror frightener Oculus before he became the genre’s go-to director. Is there anything she learned from him that could help her next project? “He’s such an incredible horror filmmaker,” she says of Flanagan without missing a beat. “He’s a master editor. That’s what his job was before he became a director, so it was interesting to work with a director who was from an editing background, because they are editing as you are filming. He’s so creative with the edit and I definitely learned a lot from that, and I have a lot of fun now with the way I cut things.” The arrival of Gillan’s debut feature certainly marks the end of an era for the actress-turned-director. We’re speaking to Gillan a few weeks before she turns 32; she was 24 when she wrote the first draft of The Party’s Just Beginning’s screenplay. “That’s quite a long time,” she says, voice rising like she’s asking a question, as if just now realising how much time has passed. “But I’m ready to get the next one going and show it to everyone.” Hopefully the wait won’t be as long. The Party’s Just Beginning is released 1 Dec by Blue Finch Film Releasing

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Finch Film Releasing

aren Gillan owned a video camera as a child. Way before she was Amy Pond alongside Matt Smith’s Time Lord in Doctor Who, and before she was a member of the Avengers, the Scottish actress was just a wee lass in Inverness who loved making movies. When it came to directing her first feature, The Party’s Just Beginning (the real deal this time, with an actual crew), the unmatched film school education she received on the sets of blockbuster franchises couldn’t replace the true genesis of her passion for filmmaking: that video camera. “It was my prized possession,” she says. “I would just make all these horror films using my parents and friends as actors. [Directing] felt like I was just returning to that. It felt the same, weirdly. We just had a bigger budget and a better camera.” We’re speaking to the actor-director over the phone as she prepares for the film’s release on her home turf. In the almost two years between its world premiere at Glasgow Film Festival in February 2018 and the UK release, she roamed a video game jungle with Dwayne Johnson in Jumanji (the sequel is out ten days after The Party’s Just Beginning) and defeated Thanos once and for all in Avengers: Endgame. Suffice to say, it’s been a long wait, but she’s still just as excited that people are finally going to see the film in the “motherland”. Even after touring the festival circuit, including a stop at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, the audience she cares about the most is at home in Inverness. “That was the one I was most nervous about because I was concerned about how they would feel about the representation of Inverness on screen,”

Interview: Iana Murray

Feature

FILM

THE SKINNY

December 2019

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Burn(s)ing Up Celebrate the legacy of Robert Burns through a series of events taking place across Edinburgh as part of Burns&Beyond in January

Stanley Odd

discovering live performances curated by leading artists and collectives from across Scotland and beyond, this year featuring Aidan O’Rourke’s Lucky Middlemass’s Tavern, an evening of live music and spoken word, featuring Kinnaris Quintet, Rozi Plain and Nadine Aisha Jassat, who was recently chosen by Jackie Kay as one of Britain’s 10 best BAME writers, will perform some of her poetry. Neu! Reekie! will also bring a selection of wordsmiths and musicians to the Crawl with Michael Pedersen teaming up with Finiflex’s Davie Miller to revive their mini-set initially commissioned as part of Andrew Weatherall’s Psychedelic Faber Social stage at Festival No.6 in Portmeirion, North Wales. This time around they’ll be joined by former TeenCanteen frontwoman Carla J. Easton, who was recently shortlisted for the 2019 SAY Award for her second solo album, Impossible Stuff. As well as this, Pedersen’s Neu! Reekie! co-founder Kevin Williamson will perform a reworked version of Burns’ poem Tam o’ Shanter from memory, with music by Craig Lithgow and dancers and performers of the

Rachel Sermanni

Feature

Photo: Ryan Johnston

anuary is a typically quiet month across the board. But, fortunately, here in bonnie Scotland we have the annual haggis-eating, whisky-drinking celebration that is Burns Night to look forward to at the end of the month. This year, on 25 January, Scottish and Chinese culture collide as Burns Night falls on the same day as Chinese New Year. This is something that won’t happen again for another 76 years, which basically means most of us won’t live through it again, so we should probably all make the most of it. 2020 sees the turn of the Year of the Rat in the Chinese calendar – make of that strange coincidence what you will. To mark the moment, a display of over 400 Chinese lanterns will be set up in Edinburgh’s St Giles' Cathedral from 22 January-1 February. Free during daytime and ticketed from 5.30pm each evening, where the display will be transformed into a sensory experience, illuminated and with music soundtrack, alongside a programme of as-yet unannounced events. The festival will also team up with Edinburgh’s Chinese New Year Festival for a series of events taking place across the capital. Across the rest of the programme, Burns&Beyond looks to explore the enduring impact of Rabbie’s work across a multitude of art forms. Taking place from 21 January-9 February through a series of cross-genre events around Edinburgh, including gigs, comedy nights, a ‘Not-So-Traditional Burns Supper’ hosted by comedian Scott Gibson and much more, some of the country’s most renowned creatives will provide their own takes on Burns’ legacy. The Burns&Beyond Festival Club at the Assembly Rooms will feature headline sets from Scottish musical legends including Edywn Collins (23 Jan, 9pm), Tide Lines (24 Jan, 9pm) and a Tea-Time Ceilidh with ‘The Ceilidh King’ Fergie MacDonald (24 Jan, 6pm) and each night from 10.30pm a free Aftershow Party featuring Scottish DJ and electronic pioneer Davie Miller of FiniTribe and Paradise Palm Records. And returning this year is the flagship Culture Crawl, where audiences explore up to eight Edinburgh landmark buildings and venues across the Old and New Town,

Kixx Collective. Rounding off the line-up is the live return of Scottish alternative hip-hop group Stanley Odd, who will perform a full band set. The Leith Collective welcomes the cream of local talent with Leith’s finest DJ and singer-songwriter Joseph Malik, the anarchic Tam Dean Burn & the Bum Clocks and a host of special guests including legendary house DJ Ashley Beedle from Ramrock HiFi. The problem is how you fit it all into one night. In the comedy realm, Gilded Balloon’s Basement Theatre hosts an array of comics over two nights at The Comedy Show Burns Special (24 Jan, 9pm; 25 Jan, 6.30pm), with MC Gareth Waugh, headliner Scott Capurro and more guests to be announced. Meanwhile, the company’s Rose Theatre will also host two theatrical productions over the course of the festival – The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns (24 Jan, 7pm) and Armour: A Herstory of the Scottish Bard (23 Jan, 7.30pm). All of which is part of the Red, Red Rose Street series of events, encompassing several venues on Rose Street. There are events for all the family to enjoy too. You can take the kids along to experience their very first Burns Supper at the free Bairns’ Burns Supper (25 Jan, 11.45am) and their first ever gig at Major Minor Music Club (26 Jan, 1.45pm), both at the Freemason’s Hall on George Street. Irish-born, Glasgow-based musician Martha Ffion and her band will perform at the Major Minor Music Club, which returns to the festival following a sold-out event last year. Coming to the festival for the first time is Tiny Changes, the festival’s official charity, who are hosting a concert at the Usher Hall called A Waltz Across the Carpet (26 Jan, 7pm). All the money raised from the concert and from fundraising throughout the festival will go towards the charity. The night has been curated by Grant Hutchison and family, with a line-up of music and entertainment in celebration of Scott Hutchison. “We started the charity in May 2019 as a response to my brother Scott’s suicide the year before,” says

Photo: Chris Pepper

Grant Hutchison. “Too many people are making this decision as their only way out of a life marred by depression and other mental health issues. Our decision to focus on young people and children was made because we felt that was an area massively lacking in funding and support and also an area where the most change could be made,” he continues. “We feel strongly that prevention is the best approach when tackling mental health and this begins with children and young people in society.” Earlier this year the charity released a compilation album, Tiny Changes – A Celebration of Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight, featuring contributions from musicians and friends of Scott Hutchison. Artists including Julien Baker, Biffy Clyro and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard provided their own takes on tracks from Frightened Rabbit’s seminal second album to celebrate its 10 year anniversary. “Scott touched so many people during his life and the results of his reach have become apparent since his death through the support for the family and the charity,” says Grant Hutchison. “I think a lot of people agree that real change is needed in our approach to mental health and that it is something which can and possibly will impact everyone’s life, whether that is through direct experience or being a witness to it in someone close to you,” he continues. “Sharing music and entertainment as a way of fundraising seemed like the obvious thing to do and we are so happy to be a part of Burns&Beyond in 2020.” Burns&Beyond takes place at various venues across Edinburgh, 21 Jan-9 Feb 2020 Full programme and tickets available at www.burnsandbeyond.com

THE SKINNY

FESTIVE SPECIAL

We've got you covered for all things festive with a 21-page supplement ranging from local Christmas gift shopping to Hogmanay clubbing via a dog's own guide to throwing a party courtesy of Fringe Dog. Our centre pages have even been thoughtfully designed to provide you with pullout-and-use wrapping paper by Ruth Mae Martin and Lotte Schuengel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Skinny is here to help.

December 2019

A Star is Born Ahead of walking through Kelly Matthews’ famous Starz In Their Eyes curtains, we get some hints at who the likes of Pictish Trail and Modern Studies are going to be this December

s we approach the winter solstice we enter a time of reflection and reinvention. Accordingly, the universe has chosen the last Friday evening before the year’s shortest day to provide you with a very special show: Starz In Their Eyes. Hi there. Let me introduce myself: I’m Kelly Matthews, a part-time astrologer, optometrist and host of Starz In Their Eyes. On Friday 20 December I will be enabling five lucky musical acts to walk through my famous doors onto the Summerhall stage in Edinburgh, appearing like you’ve never seen them before. Get ready for sets from eagleowl, Pictish Trail, Modern Studies, Squiggles, Storm the Palace and Happy Spendy (with Chrissy Barnacle), each covering a pop artist of their choosing. “Who are they going to be, Kelly?” I hear you ask. Well, I’m going to keep that a secret until the night. To give you some clues, however, I’ve travelled through space and time to the slot between Gladiators and Blind Date to find out more about their imminent emulation. Kelly Matthews: He’s come to represent the Highlands and Islands, it’s 2013’s winner the Pictish Trail! Are you looking forward to stepping through those famous doors once again? Pictish Trail: I wasn’t aware that I won last time. Was there a prize? WHERE IS MY SODDING PRIZE? I’m so excited about this year’s event, I’m going to attempt to kneeslide through those doors, Kelly. KM: Ooh he’s a live wire, isn’t he! What have you got in common with your act? PT: At present, a fairly prominent bosom. And a full beard. KM: A lovely beard it is, too. And can you give us a clue about who you’re appearing as? PT: They’re known for doing covers themselves, including a particularly haunting version of Phil Collins’ Another Day In Paradise.

Feature

KM: There you have it, a haunting paradise from Pictish Trail. Next up: thrice time’s a charm, it’s regional runner-up 2011 and 2013 – eagleowl! Always the bridesmaid, never the bride – do you hope that this will be your year? eagleowl: We do hope to get married this year, yes. KM: How have you been preparing for the big night? e: Mostly watching Stars In Their Eyes clips on YouTube. Particularly the ensemble megamix of Do They Know It’s Christmas featuring an array of singers completely unrelated to the Band Aid single.

“ They probably made their best music when they stopped dating, but that’s never gonna happen to us” Storm the Palace

KM: It’s a favourite in the Matthews household! Why have you chosen your act? e: [They’re] a massive influence and have a huge collection of hits to choose from. But really, the best outfits. It’s pretty much all about the outfits. KM: Can you give us a clue who you’re going to be?

e: Previously we’ve done Talking Heads and Blondie. This feels like a natural progression from there. And the outfits. Such incredible outfits. KM: From wedding outfits to school uniforms: next up we delve back into the 1990s to speak to Edinburgh’s very own Storm the Palace! For those at home, tell us who you are and what you do? Storm the Palace: Me and Willa are doing our Standard Grades, and Reuben and Jon are doing their CSYSes. But Alberto dropped out of school cause he’s cool and has, like, a leather jacket. Me and Reuben are dating, and Jon and Willa are also dating. KM: An intra-band romance! What could possibly go wrong? What can we expect from your transformation? STP: You’re gonna drop your Tamagotchis and be like “WHOA”. We’re hoping we can get a big record deal with EMI, make a CD and be on Top of the Pops. KM: Your musical future sounds bright! Who are you going to be – have you got a clue for our readers? STP: Well, you could say this band had a similar situation to us, because they also had two couples. They probably made their best music when they stopped dating, but that’s never gonna happen to us. KM: We love that optimism! Next up, they’ll be teaching us a thing or two with their performance, it’s Modern Studies! Tell us about yourselves. Modern Studies: I’m Emily – I’m a pick’n’mix merchandiser at Woolworths from Newtownards, County Down. Rob and Joe work the cruise ship circuit and Pete here sells encyclopaedias.

Interview: Kelly Matthews Illustration: Kate Costigan

to be a little bit controversial. Have you been known to make any outlandish demands? MS: We are a very high maintenance band, as it happens, and are widely known for our diva-like demands. We don’t mind a bit of a tombola, but we don’t do buffets. KM: We’ll prepare the green room accordingly! Can you tell us a little bit about your chosen act? MS: Our chosen act is a pop star with a career spanning decades, known also for their fashions and films, and is one of the biggest selling artists of all time. KM: We can’t wait to see this mystery icon! And finally, representing the superhero community we have cult favourites Squiggles! Tell us who’s behind the mask? Squiggles: My name is Niall and I’m a Superhero Recruitment Officer from Dundalk. I travel the world playing slightly out of tune songs seeking people to join my group of self-helping superheroes. Look after yourself. KM: Your act is very to-the-point, what message do you want to share with the world? S: That it’s OK to not be OK and you are never truly alone. Sometimes just getting through the day is a heroic act. You’ll always be my hero. KM: Thank you, Niall. Give the readers at home a clue about who you’re going to be... S: Your new favourite band. And those are our stars! I hope you enjoyed the teaser ahead of the big event. Head along to Summerhall on Friday 20 December to witness the transformations with your own eyes. And remember: tonight you can be whoever you want to be. Starz In Their Eyes takes place at Summerhall, Edinburgh, 20 Dec

KM: What a bunch! Your act has been known

FESTIVE SPECIAL

THE SKINNY

The Pantoland Election You think Pantoland doesn’t have general elections? Think again! As the countdown to the big day continues, here are some of the candidates standing for election and re-election

ick of elections? Well, guess what? The good people of Pantoland are fed up of them too! But they’re getting another one, just at the same time as the UK. What a coincidence! The election which is also due to take place on 12 December, was triggered by the now former Pantoland Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Beast. The Beast decided to call an election in an attempt to cover up his worrying habit of never turning up to Parliament, never leaving his home constituency, and his fascination with keeping young women in his home, seemingly against their will. Pantoland is now without a leader and directionless. With such big, terrible shoes to fill, a number of candidates have put themselves forward as the person who can turn Pantoland around and shake off any connections to the sleazy former PM. This year’s line-up of prospective MPs features rising stars amid the ones that you wouldn’t trust to make a decent cup of tea or mop the floor after a flood. Ebenezer Scrooge, An Edinburgh Christmas Carol, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh The world of politics is full of grumpy old white men, and they don’t get much whiter, older or grumpier than Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. He’s so mean he probably reuses teabags, and only boils the kettle once

a day. That’s if you’re lucky enough to be offered a cup of tea when you visit his constituency office. Blessed with deep pockets and short arms, Scrooge could be the man to fix Pantoland’s deficit and cut any unnecessary spending. However, his love of austerity, his general demeanour and his inability to understand modern concepts like ‘annual leave’ and ‘Christmas’ could damage his relationship with voters. Vote for Scrooge if: You like to save money. Don’t vote for Scrooge if: You like to have money, Christmas, job security, summer holidays etc.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Once the golden girl of Pantoland, the electorate is still reeling from recent claims about her private life. The allegations, which were first reported by her arch-nemesis, Baby Bear, revealed her past criminal history, including convictions of housebreaking, trespassing and dishonesty. With her reputation in tatters and rumours that Baby Bear, with support from both Mama and Papa Bear, is set to launch their own campaign to take her proposed seat, Goldilocks has put her reputation on the line. Her campaign includes free porridge at the

point of use and other free goods including furniture, although questions have been raised about the ownership of these items. Vote for Goldilocks if: You want free stuff, no questions asked. Don’t vote for Goldilocks if: You don’t like porridge, or stuff that fell off the back of a lorry.

Cinderfella, Tron Theatre, Glasgow You’ve heard of Cinderella, but have you heard of Cinderfella? A first time candidate with no experience of politics, she’s a self-made woman in every way, and she knows how to work hard because she works all day and all night in her stepmother’s dressmaking business. Used to picking up the slack left by useless predecessors, in this case, her lazy stepbrothers, she has an entrepreneurial eye, big dreams for saving the family business and making Pantoland more profitable. Let’s face it, if she can run a house and business, then a whole country in dire need of new leadership and direction really shouldn’t be that much of an issue. Vote for Cinderfella if: You want to see real change. Don’t vote for Cinderfella if: You’re related to her. Jack and the Beanstalk, Ayr Gaiety Theatre and King’s Theatre, Glasgow Representing both Ayr Gaiety and Glasgow’s King’s Theatre, that loveable rogue Jack is, for want of a better word, back (sorry) on the ballot paper, and he wants your vote. There are many sides and stories to Jack. Yes, he has previously acknowledged that selling the last cow he had for some useless beans was a poor decision in hindsight, but he insists that the decision was sound at the time. In fact, he’s got a plan for these beans. If he gets the vote, then he’ll plant them; you’ll see, everything will be alright – don’t you trust him? Given Jack just sold a perfectly good cow for a handful of questionable beans, good guy Jack has a lot to prove with this latest venture. Vote for Jack if: You think magic exists, you trust him, and you also like surprises. Don’t vote for Jack if: You’re a rational being and hope for a better future.

Cinderfella

December 2019

What’s her story? Well, we know that she’s billed herself as a female version of Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, – complete with better haggling skills – and her campaign team consists of her Mammy Lola, and her pals Joe the Joker and Janey. However, she has raised eyebrows by repeatedly reffering to someone called “The Evil Endora”, who she feels she must defeat. Her campaign tagline is ‘Banter and Bouncing Beats’ which luckily isn’t a typo. Just don’t mention beans. Vote for Jackie if: You like banter and bouncing beats. Don’t vote for Jackie if: Your name is Endora.

Pinocchio, Citz Theatre (at Tramway), Glasgow From his early days as a young politician, Pinocchio has been accused of being ‘too wooden’ during public engagements, and people have struggled to believe his tall tales of adventure. From long yarns about his humble beginnings to stories about being swallowed by a whale and more, questions have been raised about the legitimacy of his claims for years. Known more for the changing size of his nose, which allegedly grows larger by the day, if not the hour, Pinocchio’s struggle to relate to the average person in Pantoland has been brought to the surface by a number of faux pas, including his inability to use a mop. Vote for Pinocchio if: You like a good story. Don’t vote for Pinocchio if: You want an actual flesh and blood leader in charge. Mother Goose, Byre Theatre, St Andrews Despite her name, Mother Goose is not a real goose. She’s a human woman, known as Keeper of All Stories whose campaign message has focused on the importance of love and friendship. But also, according to insiders, Goose is also claiming to be Pantoland’s last line of defence against an incoming and ancient evil. Honk honk. While her campaign may be a bit more fire and brimstone than we’re used to, Mother Goose’s old-fashioned message, albeit mysterious and somewhat terrifying, could be the wake-up call that Pantoland needs. However, rumours of Mother Goose’s vanity, including her wish for eternal youth and beauty have led her competitors to question where her loyalty lies. Can she prove them wrong? Vote for Mother Goose if: You think Pantoland needs a bit of a face lift. Don’t vote for Mother Goose if: Honk honk.

Photo: Joe Connolly/Jamhot

Jackie and the Baked Bean Stock, Lanark Memorial Hall and East Kilbride Village Theatre Another new face on the block is Jackie, the strong Scots woman at the heart of Jackie and the Baked Bean Stock, who is standing in both Lanark and East Kilbride this election.

Words: Amy Taylor

FESTIVE SPECIAL

Feature

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Shop Local Bookmarket A pop-up bookshop and events space by The Fruitmarket Gallery. During the Gallery’s redevelopment, the Fruitmarket’s award-winning bookshop has popped up in Waverley Mall. Here you’ll find artists’ books, magazines, novels, books on design, architecture and fashion, plus a curated selection of design-led gifts from all around the world. It’s the go-to place for a unique Christmas gift and Bookshop Manager Allie will be on hand to help you find the perfect present. • 3/1 Waverley Mall, Edinburgh EH1 1BQ

Bookmarket

Late Nights at Lady Libertine Every Friday and Saturday evening our Basement Bar & Restaurant in Lady Libertine transforms into a late-night venue showcasing some of the best DJs around. This December we’ve got a stellar line-up taking to the decks from 9pm every weekend, so team this with our incredible selection of food and drinks and you’ve got all the ingredients for a great night out. • 25 W Register St, Edinburgh EH2 2AA Lady Libertine

Feature

Photo: Matthew Share

Transatlantic Ensemble The outstanding Transatlantic Ensemble, return to Summerhall this Xmas, performing Fleetwood Mac's iconic Rumours album, live on Wednesday 18 December. If you were lucky enough to see them take the roof off last time, you'll know just how great this show is..! Experience one of the greatest albums of all time, performed in its entirety and to perfection, this Xmas – believe what you hear… • 18 Dec, Summerhall, Edinburgh, £18-21

Visit West End

Super Market Super Market Glasgow is the place to shop this festive season, with five locations starting on 1 December at Engine Works for the biggest market to date (70+ traders), followed by Queen Margaret Union (7 Dec), Drygate (8 Dec) and Tramway & Hidden Gardens (14 & 15 Dec). Experience the very best in independent retail from local sources – expect fashion, design, gifts, skincare, art, homeware, food products, street food and activities for children. The perfect Christmas day out. supermarketglasgow.com

Holyrood Distillery Newly opened in Summer 2019, Holyrood Distillery is the first single malt whisky and gin distillery in the centre of Edinburgh for 100 years. This major new attraction, with a focus on flavour, offers a wide range of hands-on, sensory-led gin and whisky tours and experiences. Come and take a tour with our experienced guides, enjoy a drink in the bar and have a browse in our fully stocked gift shop. • 19 St Leonard's Ln, Edinburgh EH8 9SH

Holyrood Distillery

Conversations with Stacey Dooley

Visit West End The Visit West End Card is a great gift for any occasion. It can be used in over 60 local businesses in the bustling West End of Glasgow including shops, restaurants, accommodation, leisure and service providers. Purchase yours today on Byres Road at Papyrus or online: visitwestendcard.com

Transatlantic Ensemble

Pie & Brew

Hard Rock Café Heading to the street party this Hogmanay? Watching the fireworks with the family? Don't wait out in the cold! New Year's Eve reservations are now OPEN with an amazing three-course set menu, including drinks package! Guarantee your seat before the bell strikes 12. See our website for details and bookings, and enjoy yourself surrounded by great pieces of memorabilia, including Ringo Starr’s leather jacket. • 20 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PF • 179 Buchanan St, Glasgow G1 2JZ

Conversations with Stacey Dooley Twelve years into her career, Stacey Dooley has established herself as one of BBC’s most celebrated presenters through her hugely popular investigative series, which has covered a diverse range of topics and engaged a new generation of younger viewers. In this rare live appearance, Dooley talks about her remarkable career so far, where she’s headed next and how news and investigative journalism are evolving in such a highly polarised global political climate and a shifting media landscape. • 10 Feb 2020, SEC, Glasgow, £17.50

GIFTS & EVENTS

French Film Festival

Super Market

Pie & Brew See in the new decade at Pie & Brew from 7pm until the wee hours. Welcome in 2020 on the dancefloor with our live music acts performing throughout the night. When the midnight hour strikes, toast the occasion with a dram of whisky and Macsween haggis balls. Heading up our New Year’s Eve celebration is Nigel Clark, who famously made his name fronting Britpop band Dodgy, and acoustic performer Sean McGarvey. £10 per person. • Basement, 129 Bath St, Glasgow G2 2SZ

Hard Rock Café

French Film Festival The French Film Festival continues across Scotland this December, with a selection of both old and new film titles to please any fan of Francophone cinema. Some of the highlights of this year’s programme include La Belle Epoque and Le Brio, both starring the award-winning Daniel Auteuil, and Celine Sciamma’s Cannes Film Festival hit Portrait of a Lady on Fire. • Various venues across Scotland, until 15 Dec To find out more just visit: frenchfilmfestival.org.uk

THE SKINNY

ADVERTISING FEATURE

We’ve pulled together a selection of Edinburgh and Glasgow-based businesses to assist in your quest for gifts and experiences this Christmas

An Independent Zebra An Independent Zebra is a furniture, homewares and gift shop in the heart of Edinburgh's glorious Stockbridge. Supporting more than 120 small indie businesses from across Scotland and the rest of the UK, our products are carefully curated to bring you inspiration and make you smile! Find us at: • 88- 92 Raeburn Pl, Edinburgh EH4 1HH anindependentzebra.com

Focus Edinburgh’s long-running skateboard shop Focus, has its own offshoot label called Nae Bad, which takes a sly Scottish nod to a certain famous brand from New York. The line features t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, keychains and stickers with the occasional one-off product. Get it from their physical store at: • 270 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA or online at focuspocus.co.uk

An Independent Zebra

Focus

IOLLA The gift of glasses now fits everyone on your list! The IOLLA Christmas Gift Card comes wrapped up in a festive sleeve accompanied by a custom acetate keyring. Pick yours up in one of their showrooms or order online with free shipping. • 22 North West Circus Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 6SX • 1313 Argyle St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8TL • 107 West George St, Glasgow G2 1QR iolla.com

Frontiers Man Firmly establishing themselves as the go-to menswear store in Edinburgh, the Frontiers Man brand mix includes a range of top contemporary labels such as Norse Projects, YMC, Folk, Oliver Spencer, Universal Works and Red Wing Heritage, alongside new labels for AW19, featuring local designer Kestin Hare, a grooming range from Mr Natty and the original Parka of London. For the Festive season we are also stocking a wide range of gift accessories. • 18 Stafford St, Edinburgh EH3 7BD Tel: 0131 538 3546; frontiers-man.com

Harbour Lane Studio

IOLLA

Harbour Lane Studio Tucked down a narrow lane in the picturesque town of South Queensferry is Harbour Lane Studio. A hidden gem that allows you to shop from over 70 different UK-based artists and makers in a creative space that doubles as a working studio! From handmade lampshades to prints, jewellery and soft furnishing, we are the perfect place to find something a little bit different. • Harbour Ln, South Queensferry, EH30 9PT harbourlane.com

Lussa Gin

Jessica Cora Creative

December 2019

Lussa Gin Lussa Gin is inspired by the Isle of Jura, situated off Scotland's West Coast and inhabited by just over 200 people. Three of those people are Alicia, Georgina and Claire and they distill 15 botanicals that they can grow or gather themselves from Jura's coastline, its hills, wetlands and woods. The botanicals are frozen rather than dried, and the result is an award-winning, smooth, zesty, aromatic gin. Buy online at lussagin.com

Paulin Watches Paulin Watches, Clocks & Accessories, designed and assembled in Glasgow. Available online and in store: • 407 Great Western Road, Glasgow G4 9JA • 30B Raeburn Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1HN paulinwatches.com

Jessica Cora Creative Based in Ayrshire, Jessica has been designing her geometric animal kingdom since early 2016 and her current product range includes enamel pins, lasercut decorations, prints and totes. Jessica digitally creates her designs after gathering her inspiration from the natural world and studying animal structures to apply to her designs. You can find this geometric decoration on her website: jessicacora.com

Ragamuffin

Frontiers Man

Ragamuffin Ragamuffin on the Royal Mile stock an amazing selection of knitwear, clothes, gifts and accessories. Focusing on quality, colour and ethical sourcing, the majority of their knits are hand-made in Scotland from beautiful, natural materials alongside chunky, Fairtrade hand knits from Nepal and North Ecuador. Ragamuffin are stockists for Eribe, Harley of Scotland, Pachamama and many more, including many local designers. The perfect place to buy gifts that will be loved for years to come.

GIFTS & EVENTS

Paulin Watches

Walker Slater Visit Walker Slater boutiques in Edinburgh and Glasgow to discover carefully curated selections of fine tweeds, shirts and an array of accessories for style-conscious ladies and gentlemen. Walker Slater take great pride in being leading contemporary tweed specialists, who are passionate and active in supporting British made fabrics such as Harris Tweed and woolens from the Scottish Borders. • 20 Victoria Street Edinburgh EH1 2HG • 114 Brunswick Street Glasgow G1 1TF Walker Slater

Feature

Illustration: Ruth Mae Martin

Illustration: Lotte Schuengel

#GIFTED This year we’re bringing together two of our favourite things with our Gift Guide – the idiosyncratic personal selections of our team of editors (things they love, with a local focus) and world-leading Scottish design chosen by our columnist Local Heroes

he way to feel as good about shopping as a made-for-TVChristmas movie is also the most sustainable – keep it local. Scotland’s independent designers have blown us away this year so it’s easier than ever to ditch Grinch-like chains and support a business in your own community. Local Heroes have selected 20 gifts that are guaranteed to spark joy and be appreciated for many years to come. Many of the selected designers and makers are participating in festive markets this month so we’ve got the key dates here for you too. For more inspiration visit the Local Heroes Instagram feed featuring contemporary design and craft from across the country all year round @localheroesdesign

1. Freya IM - Handmade brass jewellery from £25 and up. Back + Front Earrings £60, Grumpy Sun Medallion £65 freya.im 2. Ruth Leslie - Handmade contemporary jewellery in silver and gold. Heddle Earrings pictured from £220 ruthleslie.co.uk 4. C. Nicol

3. Instrmnt - Unisex designer watches. T27 £180 instrmnt.co.uk

3. Instrmnt

1. Freya IM

Photo: Theodora Vanduin

4. C. Nicol - Luxury leather bags and accessories. Lily Saddle Bag £345 cnicol.com

5. Stack

2. Ruth Leslie

Photo: Stark Studio

Nadia Younes, Events editor

6. RISOTTO

5. Stack Obviously, I love magazines, so being sent a different independent magazine every month is like heaven to me. But a Stack subscription would also appeal to any friend who’s a fan of popular culture, art and design, as it covers such a wide range of topics and titles. The subscription costs just £7 a month and each month you’ll have a different magazine sent to your door, with titles including Beirut-based Journal Safar, Gal-dem – a beautiful magazine created by women and non-binary people of colour – and music magazine GoldFlakePaint. stackmagazines.com

6. RISOTTO As someone who constantly forgets things, I need as many forms of stationery as possible to note down deadlines/plans/appointments. I’m a big fan of RISOTTO’s stationery options because not only are they essential for keeping my work and personal life afloat, they’re also just really lovely to look at. Their Weekly Desktop Planners (£18) and Hit List Notepads (£7) are particularly useful for daily tasks, but it’s worth investing in a 2020 Calendar (£9-35) too for planning further ahead. risottostudio.com

7. Pickles of Broughton Street No cheeseboard is complete without delicious chutneys; it’s an indisputable fact. And if you’ve ever been to Pickles in Edinburgh you’ll know that their chutney selection is on point. As well as being given two to enjoy with your cheeseboard while dining in, you can also buy jars of their chutneys to take away, and they’re only £3.50 a pop. The Sweet Beetroot and Red Pepper and Garlic are personal favourites of mine but every one I’ve had has been delicious so you can’t go wrong! getpickled.co.uk 7. Pickles of Broughton Street

December 2019

FESTIVE SPECIAL

8. Jennifer Kent - Transfer Blue Scarf in extra-fine Italian Merino wool £95 jenniferkent.com 9. Hilary Grant - Small ‘Asplund’ Blanket in Rust + Birch, 100% superfine lambswool £140 hilarygrant.co.uk

Photo: Lyle Scott

12. Ryze

10. Emer Tumilty - A3 prints from £15 livingcasual.co.uk 11. Our Lovely Goods - Into The Woods Candle £20 ourlovelygoods.com

11. Our Lovely Goods

Laurie Presswood, General manager

13. Louise McFarlane The first time I saw one of Louise’s prints I laughed so hard I cried. I especially love her Mr Blobby-inspired work but there’s plenty of great stuff for anyone who thinks Mr B was sent from the depths of hell to kidnap children. A selection of her prints are available from her Etsy shop for around £10, but I would also thoroughly recommend a browse through her instagram (@louloureeed). etsy.com/uk/shop/LOULOUREEED

13. Louise McFarlane

Photo: Stephen D. Grant

12. Ryze ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and science has proven it’s impossible to feel unhappy while bouncing on a trampoline. Plus, Bill Gates has that trampoline room in his house, which I suspect might be the key to his success. A two-hour session is just £16.50 – I did it for my birthday and it was the most content I’ve felt all year. ryze.co.uk/pricing-hours/gift-cards

14. NMARRA Last Christmas... I bought my mum a pair of these earrings. She is yet to wear them. This year I’m treating myself to the pair pictured here for £24.50. Shop online at nmarra.com 10. Emer Tumilty

8. Jennifer Kent

Feature

Photo: 5.12 Studio

16. Grow Urban

15. Cairngorm

15. Cairngorm Whenever I’m in the West End I try to pop into Cairngorm for a slice of cake and a tasty cup of Batch Brew – one of my favourite cafes by far in Edinburgh. Last year my boyfriend and I accidentally bought each other matching ‘BTCH BRW’ T-shirts from them for Christmas, but this year I’ve got my eye on this lovely long-sleeved number. And the coral of the shirt goes so well with their beautiful bright yellow bags of coffee, you may as well get me a bag of beans while you’re at it! cairngormcoffee.com

Photo: Duncan McGlynn

9. Hilary Grant

Photo: Elliott Hatherley

14. NMARRA

Photo: Jane Elm

Tallah Brash, Music editor

16. Grow Urban If you like plants then the recently opened Grow Urban in Fountainbridge is the place for you. Stepping into the shop is like walking into a miniature Botanics with plants quite literally coming at you from all angles. All leafy greens and succulents, it’s a houseplant fan’s dream come true, and they also have cool planter sets to help you grow things like avocados from scratch. The perfect gift! growurban.uk 17. Bundu and Bison ‘Sustainable street wear inspired by Africa’ is the MO of Barcelona-based Bundu and Bison, previously based in Edinburgh. The most popular item they make is their 5-panel cap, each one unique as they’re all made from repurposed grade B vintage pieces. Their latest collection – African Athletics – is a technicolour dream made from 80s and 90s sportswear and I’d be honoured to call one my own. bundu-bison.co

17. Bundu Bison

FESTIVE SPECIAL

THE SKINNY

Rosamund West, Editor-in-chief

20. Squid Ink Company - Weaving Loom Kit in Spectrum £32.50 squidinkco.com 21. Soft Play - Idiosyncratic apparel available via the designer’s Instagram @soft.play sweatshirts from £60 18. Laura Spring

Photo: Caro Weiss

19. Ciara Isabel - Mugs, plates and bowls made using the Nerikomi technique available from Welcome Home welcomehomestore.co.uk £15-40 ciaraisabelceramics.co.uk

24. Island Nation

Photo: Paul Francis McGugan

18. Laura Spring - An ethical alternative to traditional wrapping paper and inspired by the art of Japanese gift wrapping known as Furoshiki. Screen printed cotton square wraps from £9.50 lauraspring.co.uk/ collections/fabric-wrap

22. Lucky Cloud This essential oil-rich scented candle collaboration with Natalie J Wood feels like super luxury, and is ethically produced in Scotland. Once the soy wax candle has burned down you’re left with a beautiful ceramic vessel in either pale green (Sea Foam) or grey (Rainstorm) to put a plant in or drink wine out of or whatever. I bought myself one after giving birth when I couldn’t use anything scented and luxury / #selfcare was thin on the ground. It’s lasted for a very long time, and lighting it does genuinely feel like creating a moment of calm even when that calm is immediately interrupted by screaming. £36 luckycloudskincare.com

22. Lucky Cloud

Photo: Suzanne Heffron

19. Ciara Isabel

Photo: Kayti Peschke

23. Cloughley Jewellery This is 100% included as an unsubtle hint to my loved ones to buy me these massive gold plated earrings so I can have some #bighoopenergy. Made in Copenhagen by a Scottish designer, they’re #Scottishdesign meets #Scandicool and go really well with a raincoat. Kr875 cloughleyjewellery.com 24. Island Nation Woollen hats in bright, bright colours made in Scotland by a GSA graduate. I’ve got the yellow one. £27.50 islandnationstudio.com/knitwear

21. Soft Play

Fiona Hunter, Designer

20. Squid Ink Company

27. Tessa Mackenzie

26. The Craft Pottery Workshop Give the gift of knowledge this year with a pottery class at Glasgow’s The Craft Pottery. Ceramicist Nadia Jones makes her own stunning pottery and she’ll be at the wheel instructing every twist and turn. Book in for some parent-child bonding, BYOB to make boozy bowls with a loved one, or hone your skills in an individual lesson. Starting price £40pp for one-off lesson/£180 for five-week course – all instruction and materials included in the price. thecraftpottery.com

23. Cloughley Jewellery

27. Tessa Mackenzie Stained Glass Tessa Mackenzie is a Glasgow-based illustrator and self-taught stained glass sensation. Combining her painterly drawing style with warm palettes and dynamic shapes she creates carefully crafted vignettes, from nudes to street scenes to abstract images. Catch the winter sun through one of these visual delights. From £35; commissions available. tessamackenzie.com/shop 26. The Craft Pottery

December 2019

FESTIVE SPECIAL

25. Dook Soap

Photo: Fabio Scalici

25. Dook Soap Every year many Scots take to the seas on 1 January for the Loony Dook to jolt themselves into the New Year. If like me you’d prefer to wash away Hogmanay’s hedonism in a warmer way, then Edinburgh-produced Dook Soap in a refreshing Rosemary and Frankincense might be for you. Ethically-produced with organic ingredients and naturally occurring essential oils, this soap is vegan-friendly and only packaged in biodegradable recycled paper – keep it clean. £8 for 120g dookofedinburgh. com

Feature

FESTIVE SPECIAL

THE SKINNY

Rachael Hood, Production manager 28. Migs Textiles We may have been close friends since the age of three, but don’t let this nepotism make you think for one second that a Migs Textiles top isn’t a dream present of mine. Her hand-dyed, silk clothes are beautiful, original and perfect for any occasion. I’ve got one top in my wardrobe already, but I’d happily own the whole collection if I could! From £48 migstextiles.com 29. Lynsey Walters Jewellery As someone whose earlobes feel like they will rip under the weight of any big earring, when a pair of Lynsey Walters earrings entered my life, I felt like I’d struck gold. Her colourful, felt jewellery is really lightweight, so you can dance until the sun comes up without fear that you’ve done permanent damage to your lobes! £14.50 lynseywalters.co.uk

28. Migs Textiles

29. Lynsey Walters Jewellery

30. BobCat Alpacas

31. SÒLAS - 100% silk sleep mask with soft padding and hand ruched silk band. Rhododendron £45 solassleepwear.com

30. Alpaca Walking I don’t have a dog but I really wish I did. Luckily there’s an even fluffier animal that will let you take it on walks, likes cuddles and loves eating! There’s a herd of alpacas living on the Pentlands, and with BobCat Alpacas, you can take them by leash on a hillside adventure. £25 bobcat-alpacas.co.uk

32. Niki Fulton - Rock Silk Pocket Square / Neckerchief £48 nikifulton.com

Photo: Ruth Mitchell

34. Collingwood Norris - Red + Pink Rum soft Geelong lambswool pom-pom hat £65 collingwoodnorrisdesign.com

33. Heather Shields for Roger Oates

Photo: Roger Oates Design

31. SÒLAS

33. Heather Shields - Puzzle Rectangular Cushion. Harbour £75 heather-shields.co.uk

32. Niki Fulton

Photo: Susan Castillo

36. Huskee

Photo: Huskee

34. Collingwood Norris

Photo: Rose and Julien

35. Glasgow Film Theatre

Jamie Dunn, Film & TV editor 35. Cinema membership at your local indie (note: Picturehouse and Everyman are not indies!!) Netflix and VOD is great and all, but the cinema is where you want to see cinema (obvs), and if you can help support your local indies like GFT, Filmhouse and DCA by becoming a member while also saving a few quid on tickets, all the better. 37. Kuhn Rikon

December 2019

36. Huskee I used to have a KeepCup because I like coffee but I wanted to reduce my waste a wee bit. While KeepCups are obviously a great idea, I found its design to be hopeless: the lid never secured well, there were constant coffee dribbles, and you couldn’t seal it to put in your bag. I’m in the market for a new one – made from coffee husks, the Huskee reusable coffee cup is sustainable, very pretty and looks just the ticket. huskee.co

FESTIVE SPECIAL

37. Kuhn Rikon Best present I’ve ever been given! If, like me, you love to smother your food in black pepper, there’s no more satisfying way to do it than this beautifully designed adjustable ratchet grinder that’s super quick and fun to use. As my colleague Tallah said of it, “three cranks and your done (or Jamie Dunn).” kuhnrikon. co.uk/ratchet-spice-grinder

39. Lind & Lime Gin Very, very good gin from The Port of Leith Distillery Co, in a fancy bottle that’s ideal for reusing as a candlestick/flower vase/multipurpose smashing device (delete as applicable). £35 leithdistillery.com/lind-lime-gin

38. Ilka Studio for Chariso Press

Photo: Chris Whyte

38. Chariso Press Limited edition artist prints, with the profits going to a selection of extremely good causes. A good deed *and* some good art for £10? Sold. charisopress.com

45. Category Is Books

Photo: Southside Smallside

Peter Simpson, Digital and Food & drink editor

41. Morven Mulgrew - Handmade Face Mugs from £20 morvenmulgrew.myshopify.com

46. A Library of Olfactive Material

42. Alexis Basso - Handmade Tealight holders from £7.50 alexisbassoceramics.com 43. Saskia Pomeroy - Introduction to Marbling Workshop vouchers (18 Jan, 10.30am-1pm, Mount Florida Gallery & Studios) available from shop.saskiapomeroy.com £65 44. Giannina Capitani x Alice Dansey-Wright - Sun Jumper £169 gianninacapitani.com

41. Morven Mulgrew

42. Alexis Basso Ceramics

47. Starter Culture

Photo: Luigi Di Pasquale

Photo: Alexander Hoyles

39. Lind & Lime Gin

Photo: Paul Hollingworth

40. S'wheat

Photo: An Phan

40. S’wheat Created by a two-person Edinburgh startup, the S’wheat is the first reusable water bottle made from plant-based material (hence the name). Also it unscrews at both ends, so no more getting your hands stuck inside while trying to clean it. £20 swheat.co.uk

Adam Benmakhlouf, Art editor 45. Category Is Books This queer bookshop is, like The Skinny, Fiercely Independent. They have a rich and changing stock of fiction, theory, self-help, autobiography and – my favourite – comics! They have really idiosyncratic shelf labels, all starting with ‘Category Is ...’ as a geeky nod to ballroom culture. See for example ‘...books with maps at the start’ and ‘...detectives (mostly lesbian)’. You can also spend loads of time there and if you’re in for the longhaul buying for the special queers in your life, you can ask for recommendations from the cool and kind staff. categoryisbooks.com 46. A Library of Olfactive Material I went here for their open night. Together with my friend, we met an especially talented smeller and former civil servant, and we smelled the finest natural scent elements along with the most widely used commercial ingredients. The workshop leader responded to each of our favourite scents and we made a perfume together that we painted on our wrists proudly. Because it smelled wonderful, and we were all super high on smelling scents. a-library-of.com 47. Starter Culture For foodies! Cheese and cured meats, in a very new shop in the Southside. Me and my boyfriend made an expensive but very special macaroni and cheese with some really smelly Comté and a fennel salami - both locally sourced. They also do a nice elderflower fizz for teetotalers like myself.

43. Saskia Pomeroy

44. Giannina Capitani x Alice Dansey-Wright

Feature

FESTIVE SPECIAL

THE SKINNY

December 2019

Club, Actually To help you fill up your festive calendar with as many fun parties as possible, here’s an extended edition of December’s clubbing highlights, with a guest New Year’s Eve playlist from Scotland’s golden boy Denis Sulta Words: Nadia Younes

Daniel Avery Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 4 Dec; Sub Club, Glasgow, 6 Dec Daniel Avery makes his tenth visit to both Sneaky Pete’s and Sub Club this month. In Edinburgh, he’ll play at Sneakys’ weekly Wednesday party Heaters, while in Glasgow he’ll play alongside Finnish-born, Glasgowbased DJ IDA. Avery recently hinted at the possibility of some new music coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for further updates. Heal Yourself and Move: Free Love (live) and House of Traps Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 7 Dec Free Love conclude a string of tour dates around the UK and Europe with this late night club show at Sneaky Pete’s. The Glasgow duo, made up of Suzi and Lewis Cook, last played in the club under their Happy Meals guise and it was an absolute spectacle, so their return to the club is sure to be a glorious affair.

Boiler Room: Glasgow SWG3, Glasgow, 14 Dec Boiler Room make a stop in Glasgow as part of a UK-wide tour, with SHERELLE, Rapture 4D, DJ Stingray and Afrodeutsche all on the bill. But, in a shocking turn of events, it won’t be live-streamed, so instead of sitting at home muttering about how ‘Boiler Room crowds are just SO annoying’, you’ll actually have to go and experience the party for yourself! Erol Alkan Sub Club, Glasgow, 15 Dec Phantasy Records label boss and prolific DJ Erol Alkan returns to Sub Club just over a year since his last appearance in the club as part of his To The Rhythm tour. This time around he’ll be taking a slightly more hands-off approach, or at least as hands-off as he knows how, and simply play a four hour set – sounds relaxing doesn’t it?

DENIS SULTA’S NYE PARTY PLAYLIST

Karenn – Raz Constructed by Gods, Raz, the next single off Karenn’s new album, is a honker. To create such natural, earthly and fundamentally ‘human’ sounding electronic music requires a talent beyond quantification. Morgan Hammer – Arrogant Bastard Morgan Hammer dropping no-nonsense sass and sauce on Optimo Trax from a wee while ago. Brought out at ADE Circoloco and it set flames!!! AJ Tracey – Ladbroke Grove Grime/rap/club HIT! Absolutely love the vocal, love the two times over repetition and a hook that will stick longer than any duck tape ever will. Tavares – Positive Forces A no-frills, disco love lifter. Positive forces in full force here, no doubt about that.

Mella Dee – Techno Belter Without doubt my favourite piece of new electronic music right now. Dan Shake – Bert’s Groove Massive disco house banger! Dan Shake delivering groove and soul that will resonate for as long as love can be heard. Denis Sulta – Matthew Keeps Me Pirrie My own expression of what it is to be yourself. HIT! Busta Rhymes – Light Your Ass On Fire (feat. Pharrell) WOW. Huge big up to Josh and Amy who showed me this INSANE banger. FEROCIOUS!!! Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti – Aleluia Try to listen to this without smiling – not possible. The best horn part of all time. I could write about this for years. HIT!

Denis Sulta

Feature

Afrodeutsche

Photo: Lucie Rox

Dizzee Rascal – Dirtee Disco (Club Mix) TOTAL BANGER! Track of ADE for me.

Room 2 Dance: Or:la & Bruce Room 2, Glasgow, 20 Dec The Derry Girls in Channel 4’s hit comedy series aren’t the only ones who have taken the world by storm. Derry-born DJ and producer Or:la is known for her diverse track selections and all-encompassing DJ sets. Meanwhile, Bruce is at the forefront of Bristol’s electronic music scene, with releases on local labels Livity Sound, Timedance and Idle Hands.

A Cut Above Flying Duck, Glasgow, 31 Dec Flying Duck regulars A Cut Above throw their first ever Hogmanay party, and it’s shaping up to be a real treat. The night champions the best of Scotland’s experimental and electronic music scene and on the line-up so far are a selection of the party’s previous guests, including Pleasure Pool, Double Discone, Kleft and LISALööF, with more still to be announced.

Club_Nacht: Optimo, NSA and more The Mash House, Edinburgh, 26 Dec Time at home with family can be exhausting over the festive period so stick this party in your diary and gather up the troops for a post-Christmas blow out. Legendary Scottish duo Optimo will play a five hour set after another Scottish duo of similar stature, No Strings Attached, open proceedings with a three hour set.

Pulse: New Years Day La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, 1 Jan Continue on into 2020 with some slamming techno courtesy of Pulse. The long-running techno party celebrates its tenth birthday this year, and they’re kicking off their 11th in style. They’re bringing along Blawan, Dax J, SNTS and Stephanie Sykes for an eight hour party, alongside residents Darrell Pulse and Sean Laird.

SSL XL NYE The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 31 Dec If you’re hoping to avoid the inevitable chaos of Edinburgh’s street party this Hogmanay, then SSL XL’s party at The Bongo Club is your best bet to bring in the New Year. You can expect all the best in bass, garage, jungle, drum’n’bass and more from the likes of DJ Storm, Om Unit, Groove Chronicles and Proc Fiskal B2B Creep Woland.

Maximum Pressure NYD SWG3, Glasgow, 1 Jan In Glasgow, you can also keep the celebrations going into 2020 at Maximum Pressure’s New Year’s Day edition. The party, run by Soma Records bosses Slam, are no stranger to a NYD blowout, so you’re in safe hands. Dax J will be jetting from Edinburgh to Glasgow (or the other way around) to join the likes of I Hate Models, Dasha Rush and a selection of locals.

Photo: Haris Nukem

Ahead of his five-date tour across Scotland, beginning at Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s on 16 December and concluding with a massive show at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on 22 December, Denis Sulta tells us some of his favourite party tracks

FESTIVE SPECIAL

THE SKINNY

Happy Dogmanay unfollow 2019 and welcome the new decade in style, o boy o boy o boy !!!

h oh, looks like somethin’ is lookin a wee bit dog eared !!! we said it to plastic straws, we said it to prince philip’s drivin’ licence, we said it to democracy – now it time to say goodbye to 2019 itself, o boy !!! lets put auld lang syne on the gramophone and sort out our do’s and don’ts so you can host your 5star new year’s party doggy style !!! Invitations “should auld acquaintance be forgot?” no they shouldnt !!! sniff out all your old friends in the park—front end and back—and tell them bow wow its time to play !!! but if you lack confidence invitin’ new friends, follow the lead of briliant inspirin’ greta thunberg. not a lot of people know she uses ancient terrier wisdom to bring millions of people together. her book is even named after an old terrier sayin’: no one is too small to make a difference !!! throw your party like the planet depends on it !!! Food and Drink as a good host you need to lay out a good spread !!! that means lots of variety: smooth peanut butter and crunchy peanut butter.

Words: Fringe Dog Illustration: Monika Stachowiak

remember to include all the main food groups along with peanut butter: sausages, biscuits, marrowbone jelly dogmanay doesn’t need to be expensive !!! listen to robbie burns: “and surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp! and surely I’ll be mine!” that’s right, robbie burns himself says he’ll bring his own pint !!! o boy, auld lang syne endorses a strict b.y.o.b policy !!! but don’t forget to be a responsible host and place plenty of water stations around your floor for inebriated guests crawlin round on all fours !!! New Year’s Traditions “there’s a paw my trusty friend and give me a paw of thine”. when it comes to stealin’ a new year’s kiss, don’t go creepin’ round the room lookin for that certain someone who will only kiss you under duress. you are better than that !!! find someone instead with a thicket of facial hair and lick it all over. beards are very tasty with many hidden morsels of food . its a delicious and nutritious way to start the new decade !!! happy new year, may it bring you all that you need love from fringe dog

Give Me The Nite 2

019 has brought about a ludicrous amount of comedy. We’ve seen Fleabag return to stage and screen, just about making peace with the Hot Priest and recognising its casting and content limitations. London Hughes and Sophie Duker made history as the first black women to be nominated for the big Fringe comedy award and newcomer award respectively. We even saw brand new Alan Partridge, and Chris Morris’s first film since the brilliant Four Lions way back in 2010. Skinny favourites from the year include: the second series of Stath Lets Flats, where hapless Stath doubles down on his near-unintelligible musings and his Dad’s new relationship is only ever accepted with love; Joe Wilkinson’s smutty, childish but deeply funny podcast Gossipmongers, which explores all those terrible local rumours (a baby that was born in a welly, anyone?); the best sketch show for years in Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave; as well as Josie Long winging her way home to The Stand for the beautiful Tender, all about new motherhood. But, the one thing that should be on every comedy lover’s radar is Harry Hill’s Clubnite. Long gone are the days of the genius TV Burp and the sounds of people falling over in the mists of time. Now, Harry’s back with what feels like the closest thing to a late-night Fringe show on TV. There’s more than just an

December 2019

Words: Polly Glynn

air of Big Night Out about the series, particularly with Hill’s cod-karaoke intro to the shows and mad games interspersed between the acts. And instead of mad characters played by Vic and/or Bob, there’s the hottest alternative comedy acts working in the UK today. Clearly scouted from the past couple of Fringes, Clubnite is bursting at the seams with hugely diverse comics who are finally getting the opportunities and audiences they deserve. Not only do they diverge from the popular comedy scene, the acts are rich in human diversity too – representative of all abilities, races, sexualities, genders, class. Everything. It is such a refreshing change to see a leading broadcaster shine a light on typically Apollo-unfriendly acts, particularly those that would otherwise be looked over for airtime due to the classic stream of white, middleclass male stand-ups hogging the screen. And, although it was initially broadcast at 11pm on a Friday night, it will have been seen by those that need it in a sort of ‘Room of Requirement’ way. Had this been broadcast in the early 00s, many more people would have been converts to the church of alternative comedy far sooner. To have this as a cherished, first comedy moment would be the dream. Harry Hill's Clubnite

Harry Hill’s Clubnite is available on All4

FESTIVE SPECIAL

Feature

Photo: Christopher Baines

Big-collared comedian Harry Hill strikes gold with his latest telly outing

THE SKINNY

Season’s Eatings Some of our favourite restaurants, cafes and shops offer their festive wisdom on how to make the most of your Christmas dinner

hristmas is an endless tidal wave of tinsel, pine trees, afternoon drinking and frankly ludicrous levels of dining. It’s also an extremely fraught time for the nation’s amateur and professional cooks; the pros are trying to keep endless Christmas nights out happy, the amateurs are trying to outdo their friends and impress their families without setting themselves ablaze in the process. Rush to the shops, rush home to cook a three-course meal you make once a year, panic a few times, shut yourself in the kitchen and power through... then when it’s all done, there’s inevitably piles and piles of stuff leftover. You can’t face the same meal again the day after Christmas, so you’ll need some new ideas for how to make the most of that pile of excess sweet and savoury. What’s that sound you hear tumbling down the chimney? It’s The Skinny, here to deliver some ideas on how to do good Christmas food! We’ve been in touch with some of our favourite shops, cafes and restaurants to get their advice on levelling up your Christmas food, from how to properly cook a turkey to tips on how to make your selection boxes last into 2020. Reuben Chesters, Locavore “At Christmas I’d ask people to think about their food choices even more than usual. Skip the profiteering supermarkets and their fancy marketing campaigns and instead head over to local farms and independent retailers. Seek out local, organic, sustainably sourced ingredients this year to support a better world and share that Christmas cheer locally rather than putting a jingle in the pockets of fat cats.” 349 Victoria Rd, Glasgow, christmas.glasgowlocavore.org

Jason Gallagher, The Stockbridge Restaurant “I absolutely swear by prepping the day before; do as much as possible so that you can enjoy Christmas day with your family. Parboil your potatoes, carrot and parsnip and then plunge them in cold water to stop them from cooking. Store the vegetables in the fridge so they are ready to roast the next day.” 54 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk

Roberta Hall-McCarron, The Little Chartroom “Chestnuts are underrated, they are a tasty addition to your Christmas roast. If you want to add chestnuts to your dinner, try a chestnut puree. Chop up a couple of shallots, sweat them down and add some chopped chestnuts. Cover with chicken stock, bring to a boil and then blitz until smooth; it really complements the roasties.” 30 Albert Pl, Edinburgh, thelittlechartroom.com Paul Wedgwood, Wedgwood the Restaurant “The white breast meat is the biggest culprit for a dry turkey; to avoid over-cooking remove the legs at the joint and put them in the oven, giving the darker meat a head start on the rest of the bird. Stuffing a turkey can also cause it to go dry. You need air circulation in the cavity to help the bird cook quicker and more evenly. The cavity space can be loosely filled, still allowing air flow, with aromatic herbs and vegetables, like rosemary, garlic and shallots which will add flavour to the turkey meat.” 267 Canongate, Edinburgh, wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk Hollie Love Reid, Lovecrumbs and Nice Times Bakery “Growing up my mother would take all of the leftovers from Christmas dinner, mix them all up in a big bowl then use this as a pie filling for Christmas Parcels (their official name in the Love Reid household). We’d eat them on Boxing Day with brown sauce and lots of peas in garlic butter. She would make extra to stick in the freezer so we could relive the joy of Christmas dinner right into the New Year; now we cook double Christmas dinner so we have plenty of filling for extra Christmas Parcels.

Interview: Peter Simpson

“You can use shop-bought pastry for easiness (no judgement from us) but if you fancied some casual Boxing Day baking then you can use this super easy galette recipe: “Chop up all your leftovers – we always have roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, chicken (yep), haggis, pigs in blankets and stuffing – mix in the pan you cooked your chicken in to get it all juicy, drown it in gravy and let it all soak in. Mix up 250g spelt and 100g plain flour with a sprinkle of sea salt. Tip out on to a table and add 200g of very cold cubed butter. Rolling pin it into the flour to get long slithers of butter. Put into a bowl with 100g crème fraiche, spoon it together and book fold it a few times to bring the dough together into a dry crumbly mess. Chill then roll into rough, paper thin circles, heap on some leftover filling and tuck it into a little nest. Egg wash and bake in a preheated 180 degree oven.” 155 West Port & 22 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, lovecrumbs.co.uk; instagram.com/ nicetimesbakery Carla and Bal Sandhu, Comet Pieces “Obviously we are going to suggest getting Morton’s rolls in and making a Christmas dinner roll for breakfast/brunch with the leftovers. Our other tip would be to focus on buying quality ingredients from the butcher and seasoning well with salt, pepper and butter. No complicated recipes necessary – let the produce speak for itself.” 150 Queen Margaret Dr, Glasgow, cometpieces.co.uk Jade Johnston, Aizle and Noto “Use all your leftover trimmings to make your own sausage rolls. All you need is some puff

pastry, leftovers from Christmas day and some sage and onion. If you want to spice it up, add some tikka powder.” 107-109 St. Leonard’s St, Edinburgh, aizle.co.uk; 47a Thistle St, Edinburgh, notoedinburgh.co.uk Larah Bross, Bross Bagels Larah Bross has designed a festive-inspired bagel which she loves to do on Boxing Day. It’s called the Wobble & Gobble and complete with all your favourite leftovers and is basically Christmas dinner in a bagel. To make the Wobble & Gobble, you’ll need leftover turkey, cranberry cheddar (melted), leftover brussels sprouts & bacon (turned into a slaw), a latke, and mayo with your leftover roasted garlic and rosemary added in. Oh, and a bagel. 165a Bruntsfield Pl, 19 Queensferry St, 105 Leith Walk and 186 Portobello High St, Edinburgh, brossbagels.com Louise Campbell, Tasty Buns “If you get gifted too many Christmas Chocolate selection boxes – chop them up, pop them in some bags and pop them in the freezer. Pull them out later when you need something sweet to pop through your cookie dough. Not had time to make your own mincemeat in time for Christmas? You can easily perk up the shop-bought stuff – in a mixing bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of a booze of your choice (we like brandy and Amaretto) and some freshly zested lemon rind which will give it a more zesty, punchier flavour. Pop it back in the jar to mature for a few days. Yum.” 67 Bread St, Edinburgh, facebook.com/TastyBunsBakeryEdinburgh

“ Seek out local, organic, sustainably sourced ingredients this year to support a better world” Reuben Chesters, Locavore

Kaori Simpson, Harajuku Kitchen “Add a Japanese twist to your Christmas day. You could start with serving some roasted turkey yakitori (grilled and skewered meat) with a teriyaki glaze. I like to put a Japanese spin on Christmas by making a matcha salt; all you need is some sea salt and combine it with matcha powder. It goes lovely with stuffing.” 10 Gillespie Pl, Edinburgh, harajukukitchen.co.uk

Bross Bagels Christmas Bagel

December 2019

FESTIVE SPECIAL

Feature

Chews Bulletin Fill up on pizza, make yourself a fancy wreath and get your Hogmanay plans sorted with this month’s food events guide

e begin in Glasgow at the grand opening of Vin-Cru, an intriguing new wine bar in the Merchant City. Wine-wise, the focus is on organic, natural and bio-diverse wines, so expect some nice funk and muskiness. Adding to the fun is the food, by The Hug and Pint and Dennistoun Bar-B-Que. What *is* the middle ground between Asian-inspired vegan food and juicy, juicy barbecued meat? Looks like we’ll get to find out. 28 Nov from 7pm, 60 Candleriggs, facebook.com/thevincru On the same night in Edinburgh, someone’s had the fantastic idea of pairing beer with pizza. It’s a pretty incredible match-up – the brilliant Wanderers Kneaded pizza truck will pair half-a-dozen specially-developed pizzas with six beers from the equally excellent Campervan Brewery. Fans of carbs, your Christmas has come early. 28 Nov, 6pm, 112 Jane St, tickets £25 plus booking fee via Eventbrite Another cracking collaboration this month comes courtesy of a pair of much-loved Glasgow eateries. The extremely exciting and entirely vegan Tomillo take over Gnom in Shawlands for a one-off multi-course extravaganza. 3 Dec, 7pm, 758 Pollokshaws Road, tickets £35 plus booking fee via Eventbrite Over in Edinburgh, Lovecrumbs herald the

unstoppable march of Christmas with their now-annual wreath-making night. Joined by Edinburgh flower aficionados Pyrus, there’ll be the chance to crack into some mince pies and hot chocolate while making what could possibly be the most hygge item imaginable. With great festive power comes great responsibility, and so on. 4 Dec, 7pm, 155 West Port, tickets £68.90 via Eventbrite It wouldn’t be the festive season without at least one party with a ludicrously overstocked bar, and the Christmas edition of the Barras Beer Bash looks like just the thing. Ten Scottish craft breweries will be on hand, including current Skinny faves Vault City and Overtone alongside reliable mainstays like Tempest and Williams Bros. Expect Christmas tunes, dozens of people in that Die Hard Christmas jumper from a few years back, and, in general, massive festive energy. 7 Dec, 11am-4pm & 5-10pm, 54 Calton Entry, tickets £4.50-9.50 via TicketTailor In need of some festive cheer, but without a roast turkey in sight? A Vegan Connections Christmas returns to the Briggait, bringing together a host of vegan-friendly food and gift ideas to help you continue the Christmas momentum at the midpoint of the month. Vegan Connections will also be collecting donations

Tomillo

Photo: Carlo Paloni

Words: Peter Simpson

for The Glasgow Winter Night Shelter, to which we give a hearty festive thumbs-up. 14 Dec, from 11am, 141 Bridgegate, £3.50 Perhaps unsurprisingly, the calendar dries up a little around the 20th – there’s some big holiday or other going on. Once Christmas is out of the way it’s time to start thinking about Hogmanay, and two of our favourite foodie venues are throwing big bashes to see out the decade. At the street food valhalla of The Pitt, there’s a Hogmanay Hootenanny that promises food, drinks, a nice atmosphere and heating in the warehouse room for the likely event that it’s absolutely freezing outside. 31 Dec, from 7pm, 125 Pitt St, tickets £25 plus booking fee via CitizenTicket Back in the Old Town, Salt Horse are throwing a Hogmanay party that promises one of the best-stocked bars in town. See in the new year with some funky sours, tasty burgers, and a toasty atmosphere, in the ideal spot to run up the road for the fireworks before heading back inside to dodge everyone leaving the street party. Top stuff. 31 Dec, from 7pm, 57 Blackfriars St, tickets £40 via Eventbrite theskinny.co.uk/food

Talking Rubbish A look at the scale of society’s food waste problem, where it comes from, and some suggestions of where the blame really lies

Words: Peter Simpson

Photo: Courtesy of Zero Waste Scotland

2.46 million households throws away every year. The grand total for the country – 600,000 tonnes.

aste is bad. It’s a realisation that we collectively seem to have made (or re-made) this year, although it’s maybe taken a bit longer than you might hope. But while much of the food waste conversation is around cuddly stuff like ‘reusing your lentil jar’ and ‘flogging your housemate with a bamboo cane when they use the wrong recycling bin’, solving this problem is bigger than any one of us. It’s best explained, therefore, through some very big numbers.

Lifestyle

Three That’s where food waste would sit on the leaderboard of greenhouse-gas emitters, if it were its own country. What would a country made entirely from waste food look like? Who knows – maybe a bit like one of those horrifying trash islands in the Pacific, but with more banana peel – but it’s a terrifying stat nonetheless. A quarter of a tonne That’s how much food waste each of Scotland’s

33 percent The Scottish Government has set a target of reducing Scotland’s food waste by a third by 2025. There’s a ban on sending food waste to landfill that should be in place by 2021, and a range of other ideas on how to reduce the damage caused by waste scran. 130 kilograms That’s how much single-use plastic packaging that the average Scottish household buys every year, according to Zero Waste Scotland. ZWS have calculated that all of that plastic makes up around 7% of your shopping bill, and the great part is that it’s waste you have no real control over. If you go to the shop, and the shopkeeper has wrapped everything in plastic like they’re running some kind of weird Twin Peaks homage, there’s not a lot you can do. 50 million tonnes A study by the GeoSciences school at the University of Edinburgh found that more than 50 million tonnes of edible fruit and veg are grown across Europe every year – and then thrown away. Sometimes it’s because produce is the wrong shape, and sometimes it’s down

FOOD AND DRINK

to the exacting standards of supermarkets, but either way this is edible food that is being grown only to be immediately chucked away. That seems... not good. 92 percent In a 2018 poll by consultancy firm Newton, 92% of shoppers said they believe it’s up to the supermarkets to reduce the food waste created by our modern consumer society. Makes sense, as they’re the ones selling us tomatoes six-at-a-time. 57.6 percent That’s the percentage of the UK grocery market controlled by three companies – Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Those three companies sell well over half of all the groceries sold in the whole country – throw in Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi and you’re nearer 80%. Zero-waste shops are great if you live near one and can afford to shop there, but the fact is that many people don’t or can’t. They’re off to their local supermarket, and coming home with more food than they really need, packaged in unhelpful configurations, as well as a shitload of not-free plastic tubs. If anyone should be getting a bollocking about wasted food, it’s your friendly local corporate grocery behemoth. theskinny.co.uk/food

THE SKINNY

December 2019

Gen Z on growing up during the climate crisis Today’s young people are angry, frustrated and scared about their and our planet’s future. We asked some local Gen Zers their thoughts on the climate crisis – this is what they had to say Words: Katie Goh Illustrations: Ruby Cloughley Rodenstedt, Aged 7

“I

’m 13. I shouldn’t be watching the news.” I’ve been thinking about those words a lot since receiving Miya Turner’s contribution to this article. What was I doing when I was 13? I’m near the end of the millennial age range, the generation that likes to blame baby boomers for everything (and, to be fair, they can be blamed for nearly everything). At 13, I was half aware that life existed outside of myself thanks to the internet and half cared about things other than homework and Avril Lavigne. But I was definitely not watching the news and definitely not going on climate crisis strikes. Today’s young people are growing up in a world that is very different to even mine at that age. The crisis in politics, society and self, that has existed throughout history for every generation, has been accelerated with the invention of social media. We’ve used it to warp our minds and given it to our children. The last few years, it’s felt like we’ve gone through the looking glass and are living in some kind of darkest timeline, something that we’re only just beginning to recognise we created for ourselves. It’s hard enough keeping sane as an adult, I can’t imagine coming of age in 2019. But today’s youth has turned the internet into a new kind of digital activism. Gen Z are able to gather and distribute information on a mass scale unlike any other generation before them. Social media, for all its flaws, at least has communication on its side, and we’ve seen young people weaponise it, using it to create collective movements. Radical youth movements have always existed, most recently the Hong Kong protests, March For Our Lives and Black Lives Matter for all of which young people have played essential roles. But there hasn’t been anything quite as global in scale as this year’s climate crisis strikes. In September this year, six million people walked out of schools and jobs in 150 countries, demanding the world’s governments do

something about the impending climate crisis. The strikes were inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who later gave a speech at the UN Climate Action Summit. “How dare you,” were her now famous words. “You come to us young people for hope. How dare you.” There’s been something jarring in the polarising reaction of adults to the climate crisis strikes. On one side, there are the OK Boomers who don’t or won’t care about children having to protest and on the other side, adults who seem to have pinned all their hopes on the young. Greta Thunberg is (unsurprisingly) right – how dare we ask young people to be our hope. Yes, Gen Z are obviously – and literally – the future, but every single person on the planet who is still alive is also the future. We need to stop the cycle of passing down our problems to a resentful younger generation who will do the same thing. There’s not enough time left for that. But to do that, we first need to listen to young people. I don’t have that much hope in politicians, but I do have a lot of faith in passionate, loud, rousing youth movements. So in the spirit of listening, The Skinny asked some local young people for their thoughts on the climate crisis, the strikes and the response from adults. What they’ve written is powerful and nuanced and I hope reading it makes you feel as ashamed and angry as me.

Lauren Hunter, aged 13 When I first heard of Greta Thunberg I assumed she must be an adult. When I realised she was only three years older than me, it made me feel that my generation could actually make a difference but people like Donald Trump get in the way. The only way he engages with her is to mock her on Twitter. She‘s more of an adult than he is. Every time I find out a new thing about Trump my opinion gets worse. In 2016, I thought ‘the wall’ was a joke. I then heard he said he would date his daughter if she wasn’t his daughter. Someone in my class at the time got in more trouble for saying pussy

than Trump did when that tape emerged. Then, last summer, I found out one of his wives had written in her autobiography that he raped her. It doesn’t shock me that someone like that ran for president. It shocks me that he won. It shocks me because America is one of the leading countries in the world and millions of people voted for a racist, sexist pig. I get the feeling that some people don’t take the time to think about their vote. My grandpa says things like: “Brexit will take 50 years to sort out” and “It won’t be sorted out in my lifetime.” He voted for Brexit. He voted for my generation to clean up the mess.

“ We were not granted the good fortune of looking forward with youthful hope as you were” Ella McGregor

Lifestyle

INTERSECTIONS

THE SKINNY

Ella McGregor, aged 17

Evan Macdonald, aged 16

Sanya, aged 12

I believe the climate crises will one hundred percent be the most troubling issue of our generation, as we could be the last generation who can save our planet. We are the kids, teens and young adults who will have to live with our huge modern world, that we’re burning to a crisp. Now our world could become uninhabitable in our lifetime, it’s so pressing and terrifying since now it is our generation’s duty who has to wake up the lazy politicians and investors to finally smell the burning roses. That is so much pressure put on us when most of us aren’t even adults yet, and we are left with the only option to march and take time out of our lives to prove we need to care for Earth better. Under most circumstances I would not agree with such a harsh method, putting aside our busy lives and demanding action but we need to act now because we’re already 20 years late. It has fallen to us young people to save our planet – the fear and pressure is huge, but we’re still put down by wealthy businessmen who tell us we don’t know what we’re talking about, when they have known about these problems for ages. We are put down despite our sole intention to save our futures because it has had to come to us to do it, but still some could not care less about us, the ones who will be left with the consequences. It is so upsetting, unfair and scary. To me climate change is the open blaze to my and so many futures. I truly hope all our hard work and stress put on me and my peers can save our planet because the time limit is far too close for comfort.

One day, children may ask to see a polar bear, but in about forty years there may not be any polar bears to talk about. I want people to open their eyes and look around them, to see what we are doing to Earth. Rubbish is lying on the streets and floating in the ocean. Climate change impacts on everyone and everything. It is not only adults, but also people my age who protest and go on strikes. There hasn’t been much on the news about climate change, about how it damages the planet, and one of the reasons is the coverage of Brexit. Governments all over the world are often focused on different things. It seems people want to find out more about space and other planets and forget about ours. Billions of dollars are wasted looking into space. Billions that could be used on Earth and on humanity. If we could pause, and focus on Earth, there could be a chance of saving it. If we can save our planet, I still feel this catastrophe can happen again. I think that some people just don’t get that in order for something to work, you have to repeat the process several times. It’s like taking only one tablet of a medicine when you need to finish the course to make a lasting difference.

Miya Turner, aged 13 I’m 13. I shouldn’t be watching the news. And yet I find myself being fascinated by the latest Trump tweet, telling us all that climate change is a myth, or the latest scientific study estimating that we have only years before the planet is in such a state of disrepair, we can’t fix it. That’s why I love the school climate marches. They give young people like me the power and the confidence to use our (often unheard) voices and really share our opinions about issues we feel very strongly

December 2019

You probably grew up with questions. We all do, the future is a great unknown available for each individual to make of it what they will. No one’s future is certain, right? Love, work, family, travel, luxuries, pain, struggle, heartbreak. There are so many roads one may follow, it is an almost impossible task to navigate the twisting and turning of life’s many paths. However, you probably know at least one thing for certain. You probably know that our planet is inhabitable, that the food is consumable, that the land is liveable, that the water is drinkable. Maybe now you have children, you’ve fallen in love, you work and you’ve seen the world. Maybe now you’ve achieved the goals your younger self once set. Maybe now you look to the future once more to see what the next chapter holds. You look to the future side by side with the youth, and this time you’re not looking in hope, but instead in despair. We were not granted the good fortune of looking forward with youthful hope as you were. We have turned to our elders for support and for a solution, yet were granted neither. Now we must stand alone to battle the monster, a monster created by people we love, a monster we can only pray is tameable. One day I intend to have a family of my own, and for them to look forward with the hope you once had, with the hope I currently do not possess, yet dream of attaining. A careless, unlimited hope to live without fear of the danger we have created through greed. A hope to live on a healthy planet just as you have done.

Matt Rose, aged 20 We have no choice but to take climate change seriously. This is OUR future, OUR responsibility and OUR burden that has been left behind by those before us who haven’t addressed the issue adequately. It is unnerving and even more frustrating to believe that today there are people that still deny the climate crisis, and yet it feels like every other month we are breaking records for ‘highest temperatures recorded’ or another abnormal natural disaster is on the horizon. Awareness of the issue at hand is where the resolution could begin, freeing myself of the excuse that your effort is just a tiny drop in the ocean was a start. This is about doing my part and encouraging others to do the same. I do feel I have adopted this outlook, though in admittance I could still be doing more.

2019 has been a start for addressing climate change. Having taken part in my first beach clean-up this year, I’ve felt inspired to take the matter into my own hands as it is all too easy to expect someone else to be proactive in dealing with our climate change issues. I’m without any doubt that I’m not alone in my genuine worry for this planet. What the future holds is something that is evidently becoming an issue of increased concern for me. If the impact of climate change is having an effect now, what about our future children’s lives and their children? Do I want to raise a child in a world with little hope for the future? Will big business and co-operations ever prioritise sustainability over profitability? Are we choosing suitable world leaders to tackle such issues? I have a multitude of questions due to the uncertainty over the future that we unfortunately cannot answer at the moment.

about. But marches and protests don’t solve international problems. For that you need a truly combined effort. While the marches have given a great sense of achievement and power to normal people like me, they also make me slightly upset as I know that they can’t solve everything. It wouldn’t be so bad if the people in charge were people who truly cared about the environment. But I can’t say that that is true. At the moment, the future is a really scaring and uncertain time. I hope that we can reverse the effects of climate change, but honestly, nothing is for definite.

INTERSECTIONS

Lifestyle

W IE V RE

Country Boy After an unprecedentedly rapid rise, Scotland’s next hope for pop superstardom Joesef talks about humble beginnings and getting to grips with making songs that people passionately connect to

“ I didn’t have any money or help... You need to be more creative when you’ve got fuck all”

Joesef

Going from singing at an open mic night to writing and self-producing a body of work is something altogether more impressive for someone with little knowledge and experience in doing any of those things before. Or as Joesef puts it: “I’m quite lucky that I can actually write a tune. If I couldnae, I’d be a bit fucked.” Joesef is giddy and energetic in person, but the songs on Play Me Something Nice were ultimately born from heartbreak after the dissolution of a relationship. “It’s good to reap the rewards of the stuff that went into making the songs,” he says, “because it was so shite. I was going through a horrible time, it was

We Were Promised Jetpacks @ The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 1 Dec In June, Edinburgh’s We Were Were Promised Jetpacks celebrated ten years since the release of their incredible debut album, These Four Walls. Featuring some of the band’s most iconic songs – Quiet Little Voices, It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning, Keeping Warm – this December will see them rounding off a year of anniversary shows, kicking off with this hometown outing at The Liquid Room. They also play SWG3, Glasgow, 7 Dec.

Review

Photo: Eleanor Petry

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Zoe Graham

Zoe Graham @ Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 7 Dec In a year that’s seen her play TRNSMT and share stages with the likes of The Proclaimers and Cigarettes After Sex, Zoe Graham isn’t showing any sign of slowing down just yet. Having just recorded a BBC Quay Session for Roddy Hart in November, following the release of her latest single Gradual Move, the Glasgow-based singer-songwriter, who plays a mix of acoustic and electronic pop, will see out 2019 with a bang as she headlines Sneaky Pete’s.

Photo: Julian Bailey

Do Not Miss

awful. The EP is taking good out of something bad. It’s closure. It was a time that I was holding onto, and now I feel like I’ve let it go.” In his soulful and raspy lilt, Joesef sings: ‘Stuck in that mentality, between littleness and loneliness, I cannot get over this’. It’s a voice that has been compared to Amy Winehouse, though it’s a little rougher and tangy – more Glaswegian. It’s certainly distinct from other voices coming out of the city. A unique voice can be trained, but not learned. Getting to grips with instruments and production software is “hard fucking work,” as Joesef says. “At the start, I felt like I had to throw shit against a wall until eventually something stuck. Because I didn’t have any money or help, I had to make something of it myself. I feel like that’s worked in my favour

The AGP Christmas Gig @ The Tunnels, Aberdeen, 7 Dec As Christmas draws ever nearer, Aberdeen promoters AGP are back with another top line-up for their annual festive knees-up at The Tunnels. Kicking off at 5pm and going on until the wee small hours, this year’s party features sets from Baby Strange, Lucia & the Best Boys (fka LUCIA), Man of Moon, The Van T’s, CRYSTAL, The Youth and the Young, St.Martiins, Gallus and the excellently named Angry Man Car Park. Ten bands, one night, one venue. Oh, and the cherry on top is that it’s all being hosted by Uncle Vic.

Music

Lucia & the Best Boys

Photo: Nathan Dunphy

estate in the East End of Glasgow. He didn’t harbour dreams of becoming a famous singer. In fact, Joesef is unabashedly unpretentious, constantly funny and self-deprecating, and far removed from the Glasgow music scene. “Before all this,” he starts, “I was basically just fucking about. I feel like I was fucking about my entire life, just getting on it with my pals. A pretty normal childhood for someone where I’m from. I sang to myself at home, sometimes at school, but I never wanted to be out in front. Even my very best pals didn’t know that it was something I could do.”

– you need to be more creative when you’ve got fuck all.” From afar, it would be easy to sniff at Joesef ’s rapid rise. But most refreshing about his music is how it has organically connected, even as it is audibly still in an embryonic stage – Joesef has better songs to write, more to learn. “People associate with the honesty I guess,” he says, understanding. “Sometimes you hear a tune and you’re like ‘that’s exactly how I feel’, and then you don’t feel as bad anymore. When you’re writing, it sounds like a total cliché, but you don’t imagine how many cunts are gonna hear it and dissect it. Fucking hell.” Play Me Something Nice is out now Joesef plays SWG3, Glasgow, 23 Dec joesefjoesefjoesef.com

Fistymuffs

Photo: Deborah Mullen

ow many times is it acceptable to write ‘cunt’ in a magazine feature? Because, like you and me, Scotland’s shining new pop hope, Joesef, uses the word liberally. “Nobody knew who we were – you kind of had to win them over, especially the older people in the crowd. They’re like ‘who the fuck’s this wee cunt?’” The 24-year-old mononymous singer is talking about his first gig abroad in Iceland. “Playing in general is new for me,” he explains. Those who have heard of Joesef at this point know why. After singing at an open mic night not much more than a year ago, his friendturned-manager convinced him of the strength of his voice and to pursue a life as a singersongwriter. He then proceeded to sell out eminent Glasgow venue King Tut’s without releasing a note of music. Cut to today – he’s released a six-track EP, Play Me Something Nice, supported Loyle Carner at SWG3 (with his own headline show scheduled there before the end of the year), caught the ear of BBC Radio 1 DJs and generated a rare buzz for a true newcomer making DIY pop in their bedroom in Glasgow. “I’ve never been someone who likes to be the centre of attention. That’s why singing was hard for me to start with,” he says about the hype currently circling him. “I’m trying not to take it too seriously. You’re never as good as people say you are and you’re never as shite as people say you are. If you start believing it all, you’ll end up up your own arse.” For Joesef, everything is “hilarious” or “class”, as it would be for a young person suddenly being thrust into the spotlight, from being able to quit his bar job for the first time since he was 17 to being DMed on Instagram by someone claiming they just “shagged” to his music. “I’ve had loads of messages off cunts telling me their favourite tune or how much the songs mean to them. That was weird though. I’ve no had any dick pics or anything, but it’s making me wonder why I’m not good enough for that yet.” Joesef grew up in Garthamlock, a housing

Photo: Tony Wooliscroft

Interview: Tony Inglis

Festimuffs! @ Leith Depot, Edinburgh, 13 Dec Edinburgh’s premiere riot grrrl band and patriarchy warriors, Fistymuffs are throwing a party at Leith Depot tonight and you’re all invited. The magnificently titled Festimuffs! will see Fistymuffs themselves taking the stage, alongside Edinburgh three-piece PAL, whose live shows have been described as “speed dating for losers”, comedian Richard Duffy and art-pop, spoken word artist Miss Leading. So head down to the Depot to stick your dripping-in-tinsel, festive middle finger up at the patriarchy, but remember, fighting the patriarchy isn’t just for Christmas.

THE SKINNY

Dance Moves We speak to Rachel Alice Johnson, aka Kohla, about choreography, honesty, her new single and ambitious live debut Interview: Fraser MacIntyre

Christmas Carousal @ Platform, Glasgow, 19 Dec Over the last four years, the likes of Kathryn Joseph and Malcolm Middleton have performed to the backdrop of sets from Platform Christmas shows Rapunzel, Black Beauty, Puss in Boots and Rudolf. This year, Platform’s ‘musical celebration of the festive season’ will feature performances from RM Hubbert, Carla J. Easton, Broken Chanter and Aby Vulliamy, as they play amid the set of this year’s Christmas show, Mother Goose Fae Easterhoose. A truly unique Christmas night out and not one to be missed as far as we’re concerned.

December 2019

“ I never thought about how movement can be part of live performance until I started Kohla” Rachel Alice Johnson

“I’ll come up with the chords, melodies and lyrics on piano and take them to Dave,” Johnson begins, referring to her producer David Lloyd of Stillhound. “I normally come in with something quite jazzy,” she continues. “The style changes quite a bit in production – some of it is quite industrial – but it starts off organically. I listen to commercial music but that’s not what we’re going for.” Johnson lists BANKS, FKA twigs and James Blake as key influences in her work. “They’re quite blunt,” she says, “they never hide anything

All-Star Christmas with Tommy Reilly & Friends @ Drygate, Glasgow, 21 Dec On the same day that Kid Canaveral bring their Christmas Baubles event to Edinburgh’s seaside resort of Portobello, in Glasgow you’ll find the fifth annual All-Star Christmas with Tommy Reilly taking place at Drygate. Beyond Mr Reilly himself, at the time of writing the line-up was under wraps, but we have it in good faith that you can expect some of Scotland’s finest voices to be “singing the most joyfully jingle-y music every written.” It’s all for a good cause, too, as they’re raising money for Tiny Changes, with a raffle for the Macmillan Hospice.

Tommy Reilly

Kohla

with their songs. They’re never ashamed. I’m quite inspired by that, and try to be super honest.” Each of Johnson’s singles are elevated by her candour. Intimate admissions (‘feels so good when you watch me’) and playful demands (‘tell me I’m gorgeous’) become intoxicatingly powerful when delivered with Johnson’s conviction and control. Seeking out the right musicians to recreate and build upon the soundscapes formed in Lloyd’s studio would have been a significant obstacle had label-mates L-space not volunteered to be Johnson’s live band after remixing Pxrxdise. “I’ve only known them for six months!” she laughs. “They’re such lovely people. I’m so lucky to have them.” Kohla and L-space are both signed to Last Night From Glasgow, who maintain a 50/50 gender balance on their roster. “If you look at the whole of the music industry, not just performers, but booking agents and so on, you deal with a lot of men all of the time,” Johnson

JOHN

JOHN @ Broadcast, Glasgow, 21 Dec; Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 22 Dec Some of the biggest artists in the world are known mononymously: Madonna, Cher, Kylie, Adele, Dave, to name a few. Granted they’re all solo artists, but relatively new on our radar is the London duo who go by the name JOHN. But why John, we hear you cry? Well, because both members are called John, obviously Preamble aside, JOHN’s latest album Out Here On the Fringes, released in October, is a rollicking 26-minute onslaught of grizzly vocals, scuzzy guitars and alarming drums and we can’t wait to witness it live this December in two of Scotland’s smallest venues.

Music

Photo: Tammy Stewart

self-portrait that will serve as artwork for her debut EP, has a background in fine art. “I’m used to incorporating a lot of different things and making it up as I go along,” she tells us. This may explain not only her amalgamation of two disciplines, but also her songwriting process. While the upcoming debut Kohla EP is a cohesive listen, it’s also a rewarding document of a period of time in which Johnson’s influences and abilities were changing and evolving constantly. The four tracks were written, recorded, mastered and released one at a time, with her latest single, _Gorgeous showcasing her current affection for “trip-hop, Moby and Massive Attack” alongside bold, euphoric hooks.

begins. “Ian [Smith] and Rose [Little] look after my music... it’s just nice having women on the team.” Kohla has already received significant radio play, and Johnson is appreciative. “I didn’t really know what people were going to think about what I was doing,” she says. “I’m hoping people will leave Sneaky’s thinking they’ll come [to see me] again, because the next gig, which I’d like to be in Glasgow, will be different. There’s so much we can do with choreography.” Despite the less than ideal circumstances Kohla was born out of and, to an extent, shaped by, Johnson has been liberated by the project, and in the process she’s managed to bring together disciplines and genres with sublime results. Kohla plays Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 20 Dec facebook.com/kohlamusic

0161 Presents Hogmanay Extravaganza @ The 13th Note, Glasgow, 31 Dec While Mark Ronson and Rudimental are throwing it down at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay in Princes Street Gardens, at the other end of the M8 there’s a more alternative offering happening at The 13th Note. With punk from Overwhelmed, fastcore from Gay Panic Defence, an Oasis covers set from Geezerbomb (feat. members of Rapid Tan, Happy Spendy, Marble Gods and Come Outside), nu-metal covers from Death Bed and a happy hardcore/electro-pop set from 2019 golden boy Romeo Taylor, this is the gig worth leaving the house for this NYE.

Romeo Taylor

Review

Photo: Stephanie Gibson

Carla J. Easton

Photo: Brian Sweeney

achel Alice Johnson’s live debut as Kohla on 20 December is set to offer a small, sold-out gathering of friends, contemporaries and curious strangers a performance very different to those most will be accustomed to seeing in Scotland’s smaller venues. “It’s going to be dance-focused,” she begins. “I used to gig in Sneaky’s quite a lot, it was always my first choice. Nick [Stewart, manager of the venue] called me up and said: ‘We can change the staging for you and build a catwalk’.” Johnson has changed a great deal since she was forced to step away from releasing music under her given name two years ago. “I hurt my voice, and had to see a speech therapist and learn how to sing again,” she explains. Having been accompanied by a more traditional band in the past (channeling the likes of Hole and The Dead Weather), she suddenly found herself with “a lot of time to kill. Listening to a lot of different music changed my perspective on what I wanted to do; I guess I picked up more of an ear for production listening to hip-hop and R’n’B.” No longer focusing on playing live, Johnson “picked up a lot of different hobbies.” She says: “One of them was dancing – I started going to a weekly class.” One of the dancers she met there featured in the video for recent single T O U C H, after Johnson found herself intrigued by the way dancers “think and perform. I never thought about how movement can be part of live performance until I started Kohla; how it can enhance my songs,” she says. Two dancers will accompany Johnson onstage at Sneaky Pete’s this December. “We’ve choreographed the whole show,” she enthuses over the phone. “The girls are so good, they pick up things really quickly. I’m still learning, so I learn a lot from just working with them. It’s like nothing I’ve done before, and I don’t really know anyone else in Scotland that incorporates dance to take inspiration from, so it’s kind of scary!” Johnson, who recently completed a

Photo: Paul Grace

THE SKINNY

Life’s A Peach Before she concludes her 2019 residency at Glasgow’s La Cheetah Club, Shanti Celeste tells us about her debut album Tangerine and why she loves playing in Glasgow

hanti Celeste is one of the busiest DJs on the planet. Name a club, she’s probably played it; name a festival, she’s probably played it too. But her rise to success has been fairly steady. Born in Chile, Celeste moved to the UK at a young age, but her musical career properly began while she was working at Bristol record shop Idle Hands, and many of her early releases came on the shop’s in-house label. Working there introduced her to the shop and label’s boss Chris Farrell, with whom she went on to launch the BRSTL label on which she made her debut in 2013 with the two-track release Need Your Lovin’ (Baby) / Result. Just a few years later, she launched her own label Peach Discs, which she co-runs with her ex-housemate Gramrcy and continues to release her own music on. The label recently became a natural home for Celeste’s debut album, Tangerine. “For about a year I was just going on about the fact I wanted to write an album but never felt like I had started writing it,” says Celeste. “I kind of waited until I’d made something that sounded slightly different [to] what I’d made in the past and used it as a marker to start the album.” Over the course of the album’s ten tracks, Celeste demonstrates the diversity of her musical taste and a knack for melody, as well as a strong ear towards the dancefloor. One of its tracks features the use of a kalimba,

recorded at her father’s home in Chile, but that’s about as far as any influence from her Chilean roots goes. “To be honest, my heritage hasn’t influenced my music as much as I’d like,” she says. “I started making music as an extension of DJing and going to raves, so that was my main inspiration,” she continues. “I also didn’t experience enough Chilean music throughout my childhood for it to have impacted me in such a way, apart from some tapes from Chiloé my grandma used to play… I’d like to change this though and take more influence from my home country, especially now I’ve written an album and [have been] thinking about writing more in this format.” As well as releasing her own productions, Celeste is also one of the most in-demand DJs around at the moment. In addition to her own solo sets, she also runs a residency series, Peach Party, launched at Brighton club Patterns last year. Since then, it has extended to both London’s Corsica Studios and Glasgow’s La Cheetah Club, where she has held down residencies throughout 2019. “I like playing in Glasgow because everyone is really friendly and up for it! I can usually play whatever I want and people go for it, which isn’t the case everywhere,” she says. “La Cheetah is particularly fun because it’s small and intimate. It has a combination of all the things I feel make a good club: good sound,

Shanti Celeste

good working equipment, amazing staff, good lighting, intimacy, backstage toilet, somewhere to put my records and a really nice booth.” The parties allow Celeste the opportunity to invite some of her friends and favourite DJs to play alongside her at some of her favourite clubs, as well as the chance to showcase some of the acts on Peach Discs. Past guests at her La Cheetah residency this year have included

Photo: Jimi Herrtage

Interview: Nadia Younes

close friend Peach and her Peach Discs partner Gramrcy. She’ll return to the club this month, once again joined by Peach and alongside fellow 2019 La Cheetah resident Objekt on New Year’s Eve, rounding off a huge year in ultimate style. Tangerine is out now via Peach Discs Shanti Celeste plays La Cheetah Club, Glasgow, 31 Dec

Running Tracks with Livity Sound This month we take our label series outside of Scotland and look to Bristol’s Livity Sound ahead of the label’s showcase at The Bongo Club for Headset’s fifth birthday party

dinburgh club night Headset has long been a champion of the Bristol electronic music scene, with previous guests including Peach Discs’ co-founder Gramrcy, Idle Hands’ boss Chris Farrell and DJ/producer Hodge. It feels fitting, then, that for the party’s fifth birthday they would celebrate Bristol’s burgeoning scene with a showcase of one of its pivotal labels. Livity Sound was launched by Tom Ford, aka Peverelist, in 2011 and over the last eight

years has been responsible for releasing music by some of Bristol’s most exciting artists. In its early days, many of the label’s releases came from Ford himself, as well as Joe Cowton, aka Kowton, and Craig Stennett, aka Asusu – both of whom played crucial roles in the label’s formation. “I’d been working at a record shop called Rooted Records for ten years, where I founded a label called Punch Drunk which focused on documenting the music around the

Bristol dubstep scene,” says Ford. “Unfortunately the record shop was forced to close and I decided it was time to do something more focused on my personal interests,” he continues. “I’d been working on music with Joe [Cowton] a bit at the time and he encouraged me to start the label. In those early years I worked closely with Joe and also Craig [Stennett] to create the aesthetic of the label.” Since then, the label has maintained a focus on releasing music by Bristol-based artists, but its growing success has also seen it attract interest from further afield, with releases from Simo Cell, Toma Kami and Laurel Halo. “I’ve always worked closely with Bristol artists and given support to other Bristol labels when they’ve asked,” says Ford. “It’s a cool city for music, although I’m not quite as involved now as when I was working at the record shop; that really acted as a hub for the scene – I miss it.” Having previously performed at Headset himself, Ford will be making a return to the night as part of the label’s showcase alongside other returning guests Hodge and Roska, in his Bakongo guise. “Hodge is a label regular and my promotion partner for when we run our parties in Bristol – awesome DJ and

Interview: Nadia Younes

producer to boot,” says Ford. “Bakongo has just had a release on the label and is a bit of a legend in my eyes for a decade of killer underground releases under his Roska alias.” But there are also two DJs making their Headset debuts at the showcase. Fast-rising DJ and illustrator Danielle Doobay is one of the co-runners of Mix Nights – a DJ workshop series for women launched with the help of Shanti Celeste and local organisation Bristol Women in Music – with Daisy Moon and Em Williams. Meanwhile, Anina is also proving to be one to watch through her slot on independent Bristol radio station Noods Radio and releases on labels like Tape Echo. “Danielle is a good friend of the label and a regular at our parties – amazing DJ who’s been really busy this year playing some of the best parties in the world,” says Ford. “Anina is one of Bristol’s most in-demand DJs – always plays a belter. A lot of people will know her from her blinding set at this year’s Freerotation festival.” If Bristol isn’t a city currently on your musical radar, then Livity Sound’s showcase is sure to prove exactly why it should be. Headset’s fifth Birthday: Livity Sound Takeover, The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 20 Dec

Peverelist

December 2019

CLUBS

Review

Oligarchy

By Scarlett Thomas

rrrrr Oligarchy follows Natasha, daughter of a Russian oligarch, as she moves to England to begin her studies at a boarding school. She is thrown into an echo-chamber world of social-media obsession, toxic connections and eating disorders while trying to navigate

friendships, family and the often tone-deaf relationships between adults and young girls. The central themes that haunt Oligarchy are eating disorders and diet culture. As an eating disorder survivor, I feel Thomas has perfected a balance of the hypocrisy associated with the handling of the illness and the ultimate bleakness it can present. The black humour that glues the themes together only makes it more identifiable, and provides vital commentary on diet culture. However, it is worth putting a content warning here, as the representation of eating disorders feels quite real and may be triggering for some, particularly as it’s set within a location that glamourises thinness and the strive towards it. Oligarchy is beautifully written, with each sentence as bewitching as the last. Although focused on the lives of the privileged and wealthy, Thomas has something important to say about the potential vulnerability of young women in general, no matter your background. Full of black humour and witty realism, Oligarchy is a dark and shimmering gem. [Rebecca Wojturska] Canongate, out now, £14.99

Rhyme Watch The year might be coming to an end, but there are still plenty of poetry competitions to apply to and evenings out to be had, including a Die Hard inspired event at the Scottish Poetry Library Words: Beth Cochrane

ecember is quietly wrapping up 2019 with a few Christmassy happenings peppered through a calendar of non-tinseled, high-quality events. But first, going into 2020, why not start your writerly resolutions early and enter some work into a competition or two? The Janet Coats Memorial Prize has been recently established by Paisley Book Festival and is open for submissions until 13 December. It’s free to enter to all those who are over 18 and were either born, have lived in, or currently live in Scotland. You can also enter if you’re under 18 but live in Renfrewshire – a fantastic motivation for young, local poets to get involved. You can find further details on the Renfrewshire Leisure website. If you’re an unpublished writer of non-fiction prose or poetry and based in the Highlands and Islands, consider submitting to the Katharine Stewart Award. The award welcomes submissions in Scots, Gaelic and English, and particularly encourages writers who are unsure how to develop their writing further. The specifics on how to enter the prize can be found on the Moniack Mhor website. And if anyone is looking for a funded residency, Cove Park is open for literature residencies until 16 December. Applications are invited from any writer based in the UK who has at least one book-length publication (one residency position will be given to an emerging writer based in Scotland). Further details on the facilities, fees and eligibility can be found on the Cove Park website. Looking for a poetic Christmas night out? Well, look no further than the Scottish Poetry Library’s event on 5 December. Die Bard! is billed as a ‘poetic rendering of the classic action-slash-Christmas movie Die Hard’. Poets Alyson Kissner, Nadia Freeman, Rob Mackenzie, Ross McCleary and Hannah Lavery will bring you a five-part series of retellings and interpretations of the film. Book online or in

Review

person at the poetry library to confirm your evening with John McClane and Alan Rickman’s band of notorious lackies. Woodlands Community in Glasgow is delighting in frost fractured gardens with its event, Writing the Garden, on 7 December. The afternoon focuses on garden-inspired poetry and writing, and will be hosted by award-winning poet, writer and environmental artist, Gerry Loose. Conversation about his work, writing process and the World Poetry Movement will follow readings from Loose, Sheena Beaton, Maggie Watson and many more. But this isn’t just a sit down and listen event; Loose will also be delivering a gardeninspired creative writing workshop for writers of all levels and experiences. There are plenty of regular spoken word and poetry events continuing through to the end of the year. Andrew Blair from the Scottish Book Trust has undertaken the mammoth task of compiling many of Scotland’s regular poetry events, all available here in a handy, location divided list on the Scottish Book Trust’s website. There are events from Dumfries and Galloway’s Wigtown and Lockerbie, all the way up to Inverness. The list of events includes all accessibility information where available – a fantastic detail moving towards making Scotland’s poetry scene as welcoming and physically inclusive as possible. Finally, former Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, Dr Robyn Marsack, has edited one of Carcanet’s final publications of the year, Fifty Fifty: Carcanet’s Jubilee in Letters. Out on 12 December, each of the publisher’s fifty years is marked by an exchange of communication between a Carcanet author and an editor. The work is a celebration of the poet’s, editor’s and reader’s risks, passions and pleasures that have accompanied half a century’s worth of publications from one of the UK’s top poetry publishers.

Little Weirds By Jenny Slate

rrrrr

The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age By Claudia Hammond

rrrrr

When actress, comedian and author Jenny Slate’s life fell apart following her divorce and the fallout of the 2016 presidential election, she turned to writing in an attempt to piece it back together, compiling what she describes as a “peppy procession of all my little weirds.” This might sound unbearably twee, but Little Weirds is just the opposite. A delicate yet gutpunching deconstruction of loneliness, heartbreak and empowerment, Slate mines the personal and political to unpack the melancholic ache of the modern female experience. The vignettes and essays that constitute these eponymous “little weirds” range from a dream sequence where Slate imagines herself as a croissant longing for male consumption, to absurd, cyclical birth and death scenes. Little Weirds is defined by its fragmentary nature: shifting rapidly from the surreal to the personal and back again. Slate’s style is similarly contradictory yet deliberate, fusing lyrical prose with the blunt, wry voice of her comedian persona. What unites these strange scraps, however, is Slate’s introspective focus on womanhood and the gendered conditions that have shaped her experiences of sexuality, connection and identity. Love and heartache may not be thematically ground-breaking, but what is radical is Slate’s determination to give her feelings attention, expression and care. [Anahit Behrooz]

How do you best rest? If you’re anything like the 18,000 people from 135 different countries who took part in The Rest Test, the largest ever global survey studying how people relax, then it might be from one of the top ten activities they found the most soothing (including mindfulness, watching TV and doing nothing in particular). These ten pursuits form the backbone of writer, broadcaster and psychology lecturer Claudia Hammond’s The Art of Rest, which sets out to explore why these particular methods are so popular. Often drawing on scientific clinical studies, but also encompassing historical and social elements, Hammond details the biological and psychological mechanisms behind rest. Whether it’s the physiological reason behind why a walk can boost well-being (but not when quantified by an app or FitBit) or the potential cognitive benefits of listening to music, there are numerous absorbing insights to be found (even if Hammond does ask to take these with the occasional pinch of salt). These sections are often tied together with anecdotes but these can sometimes come across as slightly forced and derail the pace – you find yourself itching to get to the next fact. As reading was noted to be the most popular way to rest, delving into The Art of Rest is an intriguing way to spend some downtime. [Eugenie Johnson]

Fleet, out now, £16.99

Canongate, out now, £16.99

Endland By Tim Etchells

rrrrr

Rabbits for Food By Binnie Kirshenbaum

rrrrr

Endland is a merciless parade through a world molded by the violent looming of Brexit Britain, Google’s all-seeing Big Brother eye and the political bloodshed of Thatcher’s rule. Brutality and dark comedy is the beating heart of these stories; stories that are like acid trip fables gone oh so wrong. Etchells is a master of language, viciously marrying online slang with the once-upon-atime that every reader is familiar with. His clarity of meaning strikes the reader hard, with a barbarity and reality that stuns like the shock of diving headlong into frozen waters. It’s a pleasure and a revelation: it forces the reader to re-examine what language is capable of. The book brings together two sets of the author’s works. His collection called Endland Stories: or Bad Lives, published in 1999, is compiled alongside stories he’s written post 2000. Some short story collections fall victim to simply too many stories, and unfortunately Endland may fall among these. Though consistently innovative and bursting with humour, the first half feels a lot like the second, and perhaps the two works should have remained just that: two separate entities. This is a distraughtly passionate kaleidoscope of a book, as soul-searching as it is a lacerated mannequin of a man. Pick it up though; it’s a savage and comical read, best enjoyed in stages. [Beth Cochrane]

It’s the occasion of mandatory fun that brings everyone together: New Year’s Eve. While (sort of) celebrating the end of one year and promise of another with her husband and friends, Bunny unravels, and her subsequent breakdown lands her in a psychiatric ward in New York. Here she refuses recommended treatment, instead picking seemingly needless activities to pass the time – creative writing sees her chronicle the lives of those around her. Bunny is a bleakly acerbic character, and through the snippets of her writing readers are able to put together moments in her past. A clinically depressed writer, her sarcastic and dry approach to life showcases the dynamics (or lack thereof) with those around her – whether husband Albie, or those reluctant to be classed as her friend. It’s a book of fluctuating points of view, styles and intrigue written with real sharpness. A bridge of dark humour and a deep dive into a disordered mind, and the lives lived in a mental institution, it’s a book that could ultimately circle despair, but pricks through with moments of wit and occasional lightness. The promised hilarity isn’t always present, and the heaviness can at times take over. But the novel’s exploration of opposing states – success and failure, love and loneliness – jolt the reader around throughout, making for a read that you can’t quite put down. [Heather McDaid]

And Other Stories, out now, £11.99

Serpent’s Tail, out now, £14.99

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

Working Girl We speak to Isa Mazzei about her memoir, Camgirl, which chronicles her journey into the world of camming

he’s masturbated, drawn pictures, fucked girls and explored BDSM on camera, but former camgirl Isa Mazzei wants to push her boundaries even further. Despite the antics in Mazzei’s shows, it was writing her new memoir Camgirl, which chronicles her journey into the world of camming, that was her most exposing experience to date. “Camming in general is an extremely creative outlet,” says Mazzei. “The creative aspect was what really drew me to camming. It’s so much about self-exploration. That’s what’s at the root of art – the idea of exploration.” The cam girls perform, but they also decorate their sets, light and shoot themselves, create costumes and perfect their make-up. That’s on top of painting, drawing, singing or designing games on camera as viewers tip to win prizes, unveil more flesh and convince themselves the more they pay, the closer they might get to the girl.

“ Sex work was the reason I was able to process and heal. Camming was the first place I felt safe in my sexuality” Isa Mazzei

Interview: Kirstyn Smith

Camgirl isn’t the first creative endeavour Mazzei has embarked on that’s based on her two-year sex worker career. She’s the writer of CAM, a psychological horror film about supernatural identity theft and has been outspoken about her experiences in the industry. “I’m an open book,” she laughs when asked questions that verge on overly personal. But Mazzei is very aware that her ability to be candid without being rejected by her community is not a privilege afforded to most sex workers. “I can feel safe talking openly about my career. That’s part of the reason I feel it’s so important for me to tell my story and keep talking about it,” she says. “A lot of people can’t do this. Sex work is very normal. The more it’s normalised and seen as another profession, the better things will get.” Her friend, kink writer Tina Horn, has written a graphic novel called SFSX (Safe Sex) which centres on queer sex workers living in a dystopian world. At one point, the protagonist tries to get a job, but the hiring manager asks her to explain the gap in her resume which represents time spent making porn for several years. “I think that’s such a good indicator of how it feels to be a sex worker,” says Mazzei. “Sex workers are not a protected class in America, so people can discriminate against them just for their past and that’s super fucked up. Especially when you look at the fact that a lot of skills in sex work are completely transferable to a huge variety of other jobs.” It’s always been the onus of sex workers to have to advocate for themselves, to shout about their rights, tell their stories and share their experiences. How can things change in terms of safety, harmful stigma and legislation? “The main thing is that people need to

start listening to sex workers,” says Mazzei. “The most powerful thing we can do is to listen to those stories and continue to support those communities. This goes all the way up to the legislators who are passing laws they claim are to protect sex workers, but in fact cause more harm than they do good. That can be easily remedied by listening to the legislation sex workers actually want, talking to them and asking them what would help their communities.” Another of the multitude of stigmas sex workers have to strive to overcome is the messed-up notion that anybody involved in this career choice must have a mental health illness, addiction or daddy issues. People in every career have varying mental health, Mazzei points out, but nobody connects these things in quite the same way as they do sex workers. In her case, Mazzei lives with PTSD (just like eight million other Americans, who can’t all be sex workers), but she mentions that people enter all kinds of different professions for a lot of different reasons. “To say that I chose sex work because of my mental illness is to take away my agency over my own decisions. That’s incredibly invalidating,” she says. “There’s also a problem where people want to rank sex workers, as in ‘one type of sex work is more acceptable than another type of sex work.’ That completely takes away a sex worker’s agency in their own lives.” It’s clear Mazzei feels very strongly about this, and rightly so. Through Camgirl we can see that she’s smart, wickedly funny and driven by an ambition to find her identity, something that most young women can relate to. She hops from job to job, wondering why she can’t use her ability to seduce men to bring in some cash until she realises that’s precisely what she can – and will – do. After

two wild years, Mazzei emerges as someone who has a much tighter grasp on who she actually is. “I came out of [those two years] aware that whoever I was, I wasn’t going to find that person in the external,” she says. “I had to start confronting things. I had to start working through them. Camming was transformative and important, not just as a career, but as something that gave me back my life.” Mazzei had been avoiding dealing with childhood sexual trauma, but sometimes it would bubble to the surface. A partier in her teens and 20s, she would often black out and tell her friends everything that had happened to her, but forget she’d done so in the morning. Over the years, her friends came forth, ready to admit they knew everything she was trying so hard to dodge. However, working as a cam girl set Mazzei on the path to rebuilding her life. “Sex work was the reason I was able to process and heal from it,” she says. “Camming was the first place I actually felt safe in my sexuality, where I set boundaries so explicitly, where I decided who could look at me, where I decided what I did and didn’t want to do with my own body.” This reclaiming of power, as well as finding a good therapist, was enough to allow her conscious mind to feel able to begin processing what happened to her. For most of Mazzei’s sexual life, she dissociated during sex, but creating her own boundaries helped regain a sense of control. “That was the most powerful moment for me as a cam girl,” she admits. “It was while I was doing one of my pseudo BDSM shows. I was in pain, but I felt grounded and embodied. I had always been dissociating during sex, but I realised it’s actually supposed to feel like you’re in your body and you’re present. I had never felt that way until reaching that point of exploration in camming.” In Camgirl, Mazzei’s goal is to fight against the stereotypical notions people have about sex workers: it is, under it all, a memoir about an awkward, 20-something woman trying to find her way in the world. But it’s biting and vulnerable, and a fascinating exploration of sex, friendship and mental health in the digital age. Camgirl gives the reader a glimpse at what goes on off-camera to highlight the tensions between our very private and very public selves, as well as normalising the reality of being a camgirl. “I want to be artistic. And beautiful. Not just dangerous,” Mazzei says. And with Camgirl, she’s certainly achieved that.

Photo: Caitlin Fullam

Camgirl is out 28 Nov from Rare Bird Books

December 2019

BOOKS

Review

In Cinemas Little Women

Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep

rrrrr

Louisa May Alcott famously did not want to write what became her signature 1868 novel Little Women, and its success surprised her. It might surprise her still to learn that for all its antiquated conclusions about womanhood and marriage (which she herself railed against), it has never been out of print and no generation since has been without multiple adaptations, for the radio, television, stage or big screen. In the latest edition, Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig has shrewdly discerned what continues to register so powerfully about the tale of the March sisters – Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) – coming of age in Civil War-era New England. It is a tale of authorship and ambition, of art and autonomy, and, indeed, the inescapable trouble of falling in love. Gerwig has revised the straightforward

epic around their lives as adults, centralising Jo’s clandestine writing career in New York and Amy’s artistic endeavours in Europe. Those halcyon scenes of adolescence now arrive in glossy, occasionally hamfisted flashbacks. But for the most part this is a strength that allows the film to explore the personal and professional concessions they must make as women, especially women authors, in a move grimly aware of its contemporary implications. Even so, characters do a lot of announcing the film’s already transparent interiority: Amy calls marriage an “economic proposition” and later, a grieving Jo laments that love is deemed “all a woman is fit for” before she admits, “But I’m so lonely!” Both Ronan and Pugh – by now reliably – deliver artful performances. The usually charismatic Timothée Chalamet makes for a muted Laurie compared to the dynamic turn from big-screen predecessor Christian Bale. But it really is the chemistry between the cast that elevates the film, an elegant – if sometimes sentimental – portrayal of motherhood and sisterhood. [Kelli Weston] Released 26 Dec by Sony Pictures; certificate U

So Long, My Son

Director: Wang Xiaoshuai Starring: Wang Jingchun, Yong Mei

rrrrr

“You can’t run forever,” contends one character partway through Wang Xiaoshuai’s So Long, My Son. And yet, run is all that Yaojun and Liyun can think to do. They’re bereaved parents, grieving in the film’s opening stretch for their drowned son, Xingxing. To run from the idea of sincerely facing up to that truth, a jump forward by about a decade shows us that they have now adopted a second son – also called Xingxing. He’s a troubled child. He’s now missing; run off of his own accord, he might as well have disappeared from their lives completely. History repeats. Wang glides back and forth between these periods with total liberation. Within a timeline stretching from the 1980s to around the present day, jumps backwards by a couple of decades come without warning, and would be jarring if Wang weren’t so unapologetic about it. Instead of a marked flashback, the jump is seamless, like time has been collapsed

on itself. The peaks and troughs of China’s recent history, as well as that of Liyun and Yaojun’s relationship, are chopped up and reordered, perhaps to enforce Wang’s assertion that the weight of time is unbeatable. Whether it’s a country or a couple, history can’t be outrun. It’s a shame Wang doesn’t find more poetry in this. The parallel of the central relationship with the complicated, monumental history of the country is, in essence, a symbol for the intertwining of the nation’s government and its people. For example, China’s one-child policy was a quintessential joining of individual freedom with state regulation. But the execution of this elliptical timeline, with destiny seeming to control the lives of the protagonists, offers little mirrored imagery, or any structural innovation. Though his broader point about history’s encumbrance is made, everything else is a little vague, in spite of the film’s three-hour runtime. [Thomas Atkinson] Released 6 Dec by Curzon; certificate 12A

Little Women

Ordinary Love

Director: Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn Starring: Lesley Manville, Liam Neeson

rrrrr

On the surface, there is nothing cinematic about Ordinary Love – this tale of a middleaged couple’s brush with cancer is one that would live or die with its actors. That said, each shot is meticulously composed, filled with beauty in the mundane, and allows the interactions of the couple (Joan and Tom) to take centre stage. Thanks to Owen McCafferty’s script and two career-best turns, the familiarity, pettiness and overwhelming gentleness ring entirely true. Lesley Manville is, unsurprisingly, mesmeric. In her hands, Joan’s poised, gracious exterior – the veneer she presents to the world – is never entirely lost, even as cracks begin to show. And Liam Neeson’s vulnerable turn is a welcome change from his action routine. With these two veterans in charge, the old married couple axiom is entirely credible. The film becomes a perfectly judged testament to lives shared and shattered, reckoning with individual and collective grief with grace, humour and honesty. Without giving away the ending, any other conclusion to this tale would feel false and forced. [Carmen Paddock] Released 6 Dec by Universal; certificate 12A

Review

The Party’s Just Beginning

Director: Karen Gillan Starring: Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Matthew Beard, Jamie Quinn, Paul Higgins, Siobhan Redmond, Rachel Jackson

rrrrr

Get drunk. Get laid. Get chips. Walk home. In between, try not to think about your dead friend. Try not to think at all. Do whatever it takes to maintain a manageable numbness. Lucy jokes constantly, laughs seldom. She deals with loss, pain and sorrow by not dealing with them at all. The Party’s Just Beginning’s deadliest weapon is writer-director-star Karen Gillan’s cast-iron deadpan. Equipped with an accent tailor-made for gruff irony, her bone-dry rebuttals are a work of art all by themselves. She does things with the word “cheese” you can’t even imagine. On her directorial debut, Gillan has built her own perfect vehicle from scratch in a way that goes well beyond a perfect understanding of her own comedic talents. The movie is an auteur-actor dream where the main character reflects the film and the film the character. The script, the camera, her body all move in perfect time with one another through every beat. It is her movie in the fullest way possible and a glimmering success for exactly that reason. [Ross McIndoe] Released 1 Dec by Blue Finch Film Releasing; certificate 15

So Long, My Son

Sons of Denmark

Director: Ulaa Salim Starring: Zaki Youssef, Mohammed Ismail Mohammed, Rasmus Bjerg

Motherless Brooklyn

rrrrr

Director: Edward Norton Starring: Edward Norton, Gugu MbathaRaw, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Michael Kenneth Williams, Bruce Willis

In writer/director Ulaa Salim’s bleak thriller – his debut feature – a near-future Denmark is caving under far-right rhetoric and cycles of hate, leading to escalations of extreme violence. Sons of Denmark initially follows 19year old Zakaria’s path into a radical web which leads to an assignment to assassinate the leader of the fascist National Movement. An unexpected, clever shift between protagonists gives way to the film’s second half, which is more focused and effective in structure, and follows undercover cop Malik (an excellent Zaki Youssef in his first feature role) as he struggles with his conflicting identities in a climate that becomes increasingly unsafe for his family and Denmark’s immigrant communities. The film treads a fine line between shock value violence and cautionary critique, with some scenes tipping more towards the former, lacking much-needed subtlety. While the script suffers from a scope that seems too broad for Salim to unpack beyond surface level, his direction is nonetheless an impressive feat, and the same can be said for Eddie Klint’s excellent cinematography. An uneven yet captivating thriller, with an all too recognisable warning sign plastered on its forehead. [Sanne Jehoul]

What attracted Edward Norton to Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn and drove him to spend two decades trying to realise his film adaptation? It’s safe to assume that he was drawn primarily to the protagonist Lionel Essrog, because he has dropped almost everything else from the book, instead concocting a byzantine Chinatown-like conspiracy for Lionel to get lost in, and transporting the action from the late-1990s to the mid1950s. Norton certainly has a firm handle on his physical performance as the Tourette’safflicted gumshoe, but he loses control of the bloated plot, which frequently turns supporting actors (including Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) into exposition delivery machines. Norton is trying to have it both ways here, mounting a handsome period piece that also comments on power and discrimination in a way that echoes 21st century concerns, but as a piece of storytelling Motherless Brooklyn just feels so lifeless, with any real sense of danger and excitement seeping out of the picture as it plods along for two and a half hours. This was clearly a passion project for its director, but where’s the passion? [Philip Concannon]

Released 13 Dec by Eureka Entertainment; certificate 15

Released 6 Dec by Warner Bros; certificate 15

FILM & TV

rrrrr

THE SKINNY

At Home BoJack Horseman: Series 6, part 1

The End of the F***ing World: Series 2

The Politician

rrrrr

Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg Starring: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie

Writer: Charlie Covell Starring: Jessica Barden, Alex Lawther, Naomi Ackie

Creator: Ryan Murphy Starring: Ben Platt, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton

For its sixth and final season, BoJack Horseman is split into two eight-episode segments. Considering where the last series left the main characters, it is a fitting strategy: the eponymous horse (Arnett) is in rehab after last season’s rock bottom, agent Princess Carolyn (Sedaris) is raising her adopted child, best friend Diane (Brie) continues her quest for fulfilment, and former housemate Todd (Aaron Paul) continues with his hare-brained yet improbably successful schemes. As this is the audience’s last outing with these beloved, dysfunctional characters, the pacing is markedly different; more time is spent in each of their lives, luxuriating in their day-to-day struggles and small signs of progress. BoJack is a show that has always been easy and encouraging to binge, but this more introspective tone highlights the meticulousness and truthfulness of the character work of both the cast and creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg. Furthermore, the show’s astute observations on modern culture feel more cutting with this structure; everything from commodified feminism and corporate exploitation to #MeToo and legacies of childhood trauma are out on the table, and all get their chance to breathe. At some points in this half series, BoJack feels worryingly like a normal sitcom with a ridiculous setting – until the last episode hits. It feels premature to pass judgement on this season, knowing that its payoff will have to wait until January. That said, its set-up promises a continuation of what makes this animated fantasy one of today’s greatest television shows – also, complete emotional devastation. From its madcap humour to its honest, human (of sorts) depictions of mental illness, addiction and recovery, BoJack has always cherished its characters but never sought easy answers. [Carmen Paddock]

Somehow, The End of the F***ing World picks itself up from its first series’ cliffhanger with skill and style. The outcome of that ending has been kept under an airtight wrap in the promotional material, but the mystery isn’t kept alive past the new series’ second episode – allowing viewers and the characters to plunge forward into new misadventures with little catch-up required. In an eight-episode series that can be consumed all at once like a long film, it is an asset. The anachronistically-American south of England setting and stilted dialogue remain delightfully odd, yet neither mask the show’s vulnerable heart. That said, the new central conflict – anchored in the backstory of new addition Bonnie (a stellar Naomi Ackie) – is a difficult sell, relying on character set-up that is touched upon but never given adequate breathing time. There is also more carry-over from the first series than expected: while it makes sense that all involved are still dealing with the aftermath of their life on the run, the mood here is decidedly more reflective, sometimes exasperatingly so. That frustration, however, is born of authenticity; forming bonds is much easier with no baggage attached and maintaining them becomes overwhelming. The show has morphed into a less anarchic and explosive experience, but it is richer for it. The performers are uniformly excellent in bringing this unique world to life – notably in selling the crash landings as comedy and tragedy collide – but special mention must go to Jessica Barden. Alyssa has been through a lot since her first introduction, and Barden plays the cracks that begin to form in her devil-may-care outlook with delicacy. Should The End of the F***ing World return for a third series, Alyssa’s future is far from certain, but it will be in good hands. [Carmen Paddock]

Ryan Murphy has built his TV empire through a series of visually distinctive creations using a rotating cast of his favourite actors. His latest, The Politician, surrounds central character Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) on his quest to become student body president, and eventually president of the United States. The premise isn’t necessarily new; drawing comparisons between the politics of a high school presidential campaign and that of a US presidential campaign has been done many times before, and it doesn’t tread much new ground on that front. Too often the show attempts to hold on to this idea of being a clichéd political satire, and this is where it goes wrong. In doing so, it frequently neglects its characters. Hints of Murphy’s previous projects seep into the show at times and feel misplaced, like Payton’s Glee-esque Joni Mitchell cover dedicated to his close friend, lover and high school golden boy River Barkley (David Corenswet), following his suicide. Payton’s grief at River’s death and their ongoing relationship, where River’s ghost reappears as a sort of guardian angel figure, is the most compelling aspect of the show, but it’s not given enough space to breathe. The suppression of identity, particularly relating to sexuality, is present in several of the show’s characters: Payton, River, his adopted mother Georgina (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his campaign manager McAfee (Laura Dreyfuss) are all seen to be having secret queer romances. All of them have their own separate reasons for concealing these relationships, but largely it’s a result of their ambition being put before their identity. It’s a metaphor for the show itself. By not giving its characters the time and attention they deserve and by putting its ambition before its identity, it becomes confused and, ultimately, suffers as a result. [Nadia Younes]

Streaming on Netflix

Streaming on All4

Streaming on Netflix

December 2019

FILM & TV

Review

Stage Directions Watch out, he’s behind you! (and no, we don’t mean Boris)

he ongoing political pantomime isn’t the only entertainment in town this winter. As Christmas approaches, why not check out what’s on stage too? And if panto isn’t your thing, there’s tons of other shows in Scotland to choose from. Whether the result on the 12th is naughty or nice, we’ve got a shows list you’ll want to check twice... Glasgow’s got a great selection of family-friendly seasonal shows across the board this month, including Ali The Magic Elf at The Tron (29 Nov-31 Dec), Jack and The Beanstalk at King’s Theatre (30 Nov-5 Jan), and Peter Pan at the Scottish Exhibition Centre (14-31 Dec). Pinnochio (7 Dec-4 Jan) sounds particularly exciting, brought to the Tramway by the same creative team behind the Citizens’ acclaimed productions of Christmas Carol and Hansel and Gretel. Mother Goose Fae Easterhoose (Platform, 10-23 Dec) stars a Mother Goose described as ‘a hard-working, no-nonsense mum from Easterhouse’ who is taken ‘on a wild ride’: sounds like a fun and raucous adventure. The Royal Conservatoire always put on affordable and top-quality shows during the Christmas season, and this year they have Cinderella coming up (RCS, 7-13 Dec). RCS alumni Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon (the creative duo behind Wonder Fools) will also be bringing

Review

their children’s show, The Lost Elves, to the Tramway (13-29 Dec). The young company have mainly achieved recognition for plays with serious themes, such as 549: Scots of The Spanish Civil War, so it’ll be interesting to see Nurse and Gordon turn their hand to children’s theatre. Just outside of Glasgow, Cumbernauld Theatre is also putting on a production of Cinderella (29 Nov-24 Dec). This will be a particularly special one to catch as it’s the company’s ‘goodbye show’ to the old theatre, before they move to North Lanarkshire Council’s new Arts Centre building in 2020. The festive spirit is in full swing in theatres across Edinburgh, too. Check out The Lyceum’s An Edinburgh Christmas Carol (28 Dec-4 Jan), Scottish Ballet’s production of The Snow Queen (Festival Theatre, 7-29 Dec) and Kings Theatre’s circus-inspired panto, Goldilocks and the Three Bears (30 Nov-19 Jan). And what better way to inject a little glamour into a frosty evening than heading to a cabaret in the capital? The Voodoo Rooms are hosting a Festive Frolics Cabaret Show and Dinner (14 Dec), complete with circus, comedy and Champagne. In Dundee and Aberdeen, Dundee Rep have programmed Emily Mouse for the tiniest of little ones (0-4 yrs, 2-24 Dec), and The Ice House, playing at Aberdeen’s The Lemon Tree (3-22 Dec), sounds equally delightful.

The Snow Queen

Ah, but what about the Christmas cynics and scrooges of Scotland! Don’t worry: we haven’t forgotten you. You’ll be glad to know that it’s not all jingle bells and spins on classic fairytales in theatre this month. For something different away from the Christmas crowds, head to the Traverse in Edinburgh. The world premiere of Strange Tales, created in conjunction with immersive theatre company Grid Iron, will use ‘puppetry, movement and cutting-edge digital technology’ to tell tales of ‘mischevious fox spirits, yearning ghosts and shapeshifting creatures.’ Gothic and wintry, yes, but doesn’t sound like

THEATRE

there’ll be a peppermint stick pattern in sight (30 Nov-21 Dec). The theatre will also be premiering Douglas Maxwell’s latest play, I Can Go Anywhere (7-21 Dec). In Glasgow, A Moment’s Peace and Küche will present the final edition this year of regular series Shared Space, seeking to raise the creative profile of anyone with lived experience of the immigration system (Tramway, 8 Dec). So, go forth and be jolly, or if you can’t, take your mind off it all with some seriously good theatrical art. See you on the other side! theskinny.co.uk/theatre

THE SKINNY

Photo: Nicola Selby and Eve McConnachie

Words: Eliza Gearty

This Queer World The pioneering work of sci-fi writer Ursula K Le Guin is the thematic beginning for an ambitious group show opening this month in Dundee Contemporary Arts. Curators Eoin Dara and Kim McAleese speak about this passion project, and the need for sci-fi

December 2019

“ [Ursula K Le Guin] made me think about gender in a remarkably different way” Kim McAleese

ductions to her works that Le Guin held herself to an exacting standard, and she was first to admit to her own mistakes. Dara speaks with respect about how Le Guin “unlike her contemporaries, updated her politics throughout her life, and revisited the idea of gender as it appears in the book. She wanted to have these conversations about her failings as a writer. And the show itself is designed to accommodate this kind of self-criticality. “It’s not intended to be some reverential fan worshipping of a text. The artist Tuesday Smillie is including exquisite painted work. However, she’s also including writing, a takedown of the book from a contemporary trans perspective.” In this, the artist proposes that “the presentation of gender is still deeply problematic.” It was also not a prerequisite for any of the artists to have heard of, be interested in or to have read any works by Le Guin. The curators describe sending the book out to the artists, but without any sense of expectation that it would inform their contributions. The artists have been selected for many different reasons, a selection process intended to be faithful to wide-reaching interests that Le Guin’s work was able to address intelligently throughout her output. The show thus spans a film based in Skye, which constructs a ‘queer fantasy’ there. There is also a second outing for Promised Lands by Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa. This work was featured last month when it was in Edinburgh at the Collective Gallery. Making a setting for all the works, the Paris-based painter Flora Moscovici will spend a couple of weeks painting the walls of the gallery, evoking or connecting to an idea of Gethen – the world in which The Left Hand of Darkness is set and which translates to ‘winter.’ As a means of further complicating the literary beginnings of the show, Seized by the Left Hand exists across the gallery works, as well as a publication and series of performances and events. Dara and McAleese describe their intention to open a space for voices to come and have the opportunity to share radical

Flora Moscovici, Le temps entre les pierres, 2019, Pigments and limewater, Nantes, France

ways of thinking. They mention one example, Harry Josephine Giles, who has written a “manifesto demanding wages for people who are transitioning.” Giles highlights the fraught and unsafe reality for trans people after the postponement of the Gender Reform Act. Thinking of the myriad responses that have been assembled around Seized by the Left Hand, they are excited that while the project emerges from the wide-ranging thoughts of Le Guin, in many ways Le Guin’s work can be aligned with contemporary politics and forms of activism that Le Guin “wouldn’t have had an understanding of in Portland 50 years ago,” when The Left Hand of Darkness was first written. Speaking of the intention of the show, Dara explains, “I think we’re really in an interesting moment right now and it’s been brought down upon us because of various intersecting crises that we’re in because we haven’t been able to resist in the right ways up

ART

Photo: Courtesy of the Artist

Tuesday Smillie, The Left Hand of Darkness, 1980, 2012, Watercolor and acrylic on paper

Photo: Courtesy of the artist and David Getsy

his month a show that’s been years in the making opens in Dundee. Titled Seized by the Left Hand, it takes as its starting point the work of pioneering and visionary sci-fi writer Ursula K Le Guin. As a poignant context for this project, it was during the years of enthusiastic planning and ideas sharing between the curators Eoin Dara and Kim McAleese that Le Guin died. “The whole idea was to have her open the show, or do a reading during the run. If anything, her passing [brought increased interest in her work] as it always does, in a really brutal way, that attention is given to a female writer,” say the curators. “It helped galvanise us to give the project the shape and speak about the artists we were interested in, who may or may not be connected to Le Guin’s writings explicitly but may have something interesting to say about the ideas that are thrown up.” What has emerged from the years of development by Dara and McAleese? An ambitious international group exhibition and programme of events with a title that is taken from one Le Guin’s best known novels, The Left Hand of Darkness. In The Left Hand of Darkness, there is an intergalactic meeting of cultures. The novel begins with an arrival of a human character onto a planet whose climate is in permanent winter. Those who live there are not conventionally gendered, and are described as being covered in fur. As the narrative continues, the protagonist Genly Ai is drawn into complex political tensions, as well a relationship with one of the people there, drawing out insights into the operations of gender across all social and political relations. For McAleese, this book was fundamental to gaining a detailed insight into the insidious operations of gender privilege. “It really helped me to understand the power dynamics when we’re talking about gender, how they completely govern our international world politics and how historically they have been so controlling.” For McAleese, the book was integral in “thinking about a different world in which politics are different, or things are shifting and how that really affects power structures and responsibilities. To be honest, it just made me completely think about gender in a remarkably different way.” Le Guin’s books often touch on political or ethical questions. While Le Guin was careful to maintain the agency of the story as her greatest priority, themes like gender in The Left Hand of Darkness, or the concept of anarchism in the excellent 1974 utopian sci-fi novel The Dispossessed, are made unapologetically apparent. Nevertheless, she describes her regret in making one particular novel from 1972 (The Word for World is Forest) too prosaic in its political intention. In the introduction to this work, she cautions against “the lure of the pulpit”, something she found particularly dangerous as a sci-fi writer “who deals more directly than most novelists with ideas, whose metaphors are shaped by or embody ideas, and who therefore is always in danger of inextricably confusing ideas with opinions.” It’s obvious in her own candid intro-

Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

until now. Things like science-fiction and radical acts of imagination are deeply productive means through which to try and make sense of the world right now, because the world does not make sense anymore. We’re weirdly already in this queer space that’s not of our making. A lot of what Kim and I feed off in our respective practices, and the work we do together which is often bent in the most queer ways, is to learn from and champion artists, writers and performers that are engaged in that act of trying to craft alternative spaces or build different kinds of community and solidarity, that are moving into a place where we care for one another better, and have a space where there’s a multitude of politics, positions and identities that can sit and wallow together in difference as opposed to fit comfortably into any specific category.” Seized by the Left Hand opens in DCA 13 Dec, events from 6pm and continues until 22 Mar

Review

ICYMI Scottish Comedy Award Best Newcomer Amy Matthews sheds some light on seminal late-90s sketch show, Smack the Pony Illustration: Emer Kiely

n one of the rare occasions that Gold wasn’t showing Only Fools and Horses re-runs, I watched a series called We Have Been Watching, where contemporary comics watch classic TV comedy together and talk about it, Gogglebox style. I watched an episode and, amongst a lot of very familiar titles, one of the programmes was unfamiliar to me: Smack the Pony – a sketch show from Sally Phillips, Fiona Allen and Doon Mackichan. Smack the Pony aired when I was 4, so that felt like a good excuse for not having seen it until I realised I was well versed in Monty Python, A Bit of Fry & Laurie and The League of Gentlemen. It just never entered my pop culture world in the same way as the others seemed to via Christmas specials or family members sitting me down in front of ‘an absolute classic’. I’m so glad this article carved out the time for me to watch it. It’s fantastic. It absolutely holds up. Smack the Pony is refreshingly progressive, original and seemingly leaps ahead of its time. It cleverly transitions between classic sketch set-ups to some really surreal, off-beat stuff without any clunky gear change. And, although I say classic sketch set-ups, I never mean predictable; there’s real originality and inventiveness to the sketches. It also successfully straddles the full spectrum of comedic tone, from punchlines about Rossetti’s poetry to scenes where the joke is literally a burp. They impressively create such three-dimensional and original characters in what are sometimes ten second skits too. A personal favourite was the incredible

Review

COMEDY

physical comedy of Doon Mackichan when she’s flailing about as a reiki healer, patting down a very confused and sceptical Sally Phillips. It’s a sketch that exemplifies a lot of what makes STP great: it confidently satirises and observes (here, making a very funny and scathing example of hippy health practices) whilst operating on a very visual level of physical and absurd comedy that even works with the sound off (Mackichan ludicrously rubs down Phillips and swings her around like a puppet, making noises like she’s giving an exorcism). I’m amazed it hasn’t got the ubiquity of similar shows of its age and now seems as good a time as any to campaign for everyone to watch it – particularly because the series are available on demand. Watching it refreshed my curiosity/ frustration about why sketch is commissioned less on TV nowadays. It seems in the noughties and twenty-teens it fell out of fashion, yet within that time we’ve had a considerable shift in the way we consume media: we have a short collective attention span, requiring quick, ‘snackable’ content which surely favours sketch comedy. It feels like now is the perfect climate for a sketch revival, and rather encouragingly there are hints of it – Ellie & Natasia’s pilot and Lazy Susan’s BBC short were two of the funniest things I saw on TV this year. Until this revival gets into full swing though, I’d recommend saddling up for some Smack the Pony. Amy Matthews is gigging across Scotland this December, and is doing a run of The Stand Edinburgh’s Christmas Specials, 9-14 Dec, £6-25.50

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Music Tue 26 Nov SPINN

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

Jangly dream pop from one of Liverpool’s brightest acts. KEN STRINGFELLOW (JOHN REYNOLDS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £15

American singer/songwriter best known for his work with The Posies, R.E.M. and the reformed Big Star. KREPT X KONAN

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £29.81

London rappers, aka Casyo Johnson and Karl Wilson, whose debut album entered the UK charts at number two! PUP

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £14

Word has it, this Toronto-born punk rock band takes its name from an acronym meaning Pathetic Use of Potential. We hope that’s not true. ROD STEWART

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £62.45 - £170.25

The husky-voiced, mulletheaded one is touring again – now five decades on with a staggering 27 studio albums under his belt. JONNY MAC

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Jonny Mac of Blue Milk brings you a stripped back intimate session of roots and blues. CIARAN RYAN

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Uptempo Irish trad style original tunes with elements of bluegrass, classical and rockabilly.

SIOBHAN MILLER: THREE ALBUMS, THREE NIGHTS

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £15 - £39.50

Award-winning singer-songwriter Siobhan Miller presents each of her three acclaimed solo albums in their entirety over three nights.

Wed 27 Nov SPORTS TEAM (ALFIE TEMPLEMAN)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £12.10

English six-piece lumped in with the indie revival lot. KISHI BASHI

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £14

The singer, violinist and composer continues his solo orchestral project – known for playing around with a dazzling array of vocal and violin loops. WHITNEY

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £17.50

Chicago’s indie-rock group formed shortly after the breakup of Max Kakacek and Julien Ehrlich’s band Smith Westerns. LEEROY STAGGER

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8.80

No longer living the raucous rock’n’roll lifestyle he did in his 20s and now ten years sober, Leeroy Stagger details his struggle in his latest album and book, Strange Path.

THE RESIDENTS: WOMEN SAID (THE LEATHER CORRIDOR + ALIKI) THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £4

The Flying Duck presents The Residents, a month long weekly residency from some of Glasgow’s up and coming bands who will curate each week to bring you something from their world of music and art. RUEL

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £16.88

Ruel Vincent van Dijk, musically known as Ruel, is a singersongwriter from Sydney. RICHARD DAWSON

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £15 - £16

Richard Dawson performs songs that are both chucklesome and tragic, rooted in a febrile imagination that references worlds held dear and worlds unknown.

December 2019

GUS MUNRO HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Gus Munro is one of the hidden gems of Scotland’s thriving music scene, combining his love of Scottish traditional music and his passion for the blues. RALPH TV

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7

Cool kids out of Brighton making woozy pop of the cool and danceable variety.

SIOBHAN MILLER: THREE ALBUMS, THREE NIGHTS

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £15 - £39.50

Award-winning singer-songwriter Siobhan Miller presents each of her three acclaimed solo albums in their entirety over three nights.

Thu 28 Nov SKEPTA (POP SMOKE)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £38.70

North London grime MC and producer who cut his teeth on pirate radio. SAYTR PLAY

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Exciting, energetic rock’n’roll. 100 FABLES

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7 - £10

Fronted by Lyndsey Liora, fourpiece 100 Fables combine influences from the likes of Blondie, Altered Images and Le Tigre. ROD STEWART

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £62.45 - £170.25

The husky-voiced, mulletheaded one is touring again – now five decades on with a staggering 27 studio albums under his belt. KENT DUCHAINE

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

A heady blend of blues, original R’n’B and tall tales. GRIEVES X TOO MANY T’S

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £12

Seattle-based rapper Grieves and UK duo Too Many T’s join forces for The Secret Handshake Tour. MUSE-IC

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

Talented singer-songwriters Nicola Evans and Olivia Ennemoser invite local singers and songwriters to join them every week.

Fri 29 Nov

THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £17

Longstanding London-based folk-rock crew in a re-jigged guise, but still featuring founding members Phil Odgers and Stefan Crush on lead vocals and guitar. SHED SEVEN (THE TWANG)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £32.80

The Britpop also-rans revisit their glory days.

GATHERING OF STRANGERS (THE BOMAYES + KEAVA)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8.80

Combining electric guitar riffs with an anthemic vocal, Gathering Of Strangers create a fast paced yet emotive sound. BOSSY LOVE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £9

Experimental R’n’B duo formed of singer/mechanical scientist Amandah (of Operator Please) and ex-Dananananaykroyd chappie John Baillie Jnr. NORTHLANE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 18:30, £14

Australian metalcore band who’ve had more changes in personnel than they’ve had albums.

AUFBAU PRINCIPLE (DRAGGED UP + GOLD FURS) THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £6

Caustic and doomed out post punk from Glasgow. JUDAH & THE LION

THE ART SCHOOL, FROM 19:00, £12

Alternative band from Nashville, featuring mandolins and banjos.

TENNESSEE HOTSOTS HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Glasgow-based authentic rockabilly and rhythm and blues with their own unique flair, high octane blues sure to get you dancing. SON OF DAVE (CALUM INGRAM)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £12

A modern funky solo, bringing a bluesy, eruption of harmonica and beatboxing to the central belt. ORGANIC GROOVES

PIE & BREW, FROM 18:00, FREE

A fusion of Glasgow’s finest DJs collaborate with talented vocalists and exceptional musicians to offer something fresh and exciting to the city’s vibrant music scene. SLIME CITY

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £8

GIGGS SWG3, FROM 19:00, £23.06

Peckham MC born Nathaniel Thompson, and responsible for one of the best British songs of the last 20 years, Talkin’ da Hardest – fact.

YUNG SHAM (ORDER OF THE TOAD)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £9

Yung Sham is the performance moniker of 19-year-old Philadelphia based songwriter Elijah Sheppard. JULIA JACKLIN (FENNE LILY)

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £14

Man of the Minch is the aquatic alias of Glasgow-based queer galactic folk-pop act and multiinstrumentalist Pedro Cameron.

Mon 02 Dec AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £12.50

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 23:00, £5

ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £7

The Monocasters are a young four-piece band from Glasgow.

Sat 30 Nov YOLA

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £20

The British vocalist who recorded her debut album, Walk Through Fire, with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. SHED SEVEN (THE TWANG)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £32.80

The Britpop also-rans revisit their glory days. WEST PRINCES

MONO, FROM 22:00, FREE

The Glasgow-based band return with a new line-up after a yearlong hiatus. THE RED LITE DISTRICT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £5

Psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll quartet from Santa Cruz, California. QUEENSRYCHE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 18:00, £22.50

Progressive heavy metal band hailing from Bellevue, Washington. PONGO

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

Pongo embodies the renewal of Kuduro, mixing her African, Langan and Zairian roots with EDM, bass music, dancehall and melodic pop. ROD STEWART

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £62.45 - £170.25

The husky-voiced, mulletheaded one is touring again – now five decades on with a staggering 27 studio albums under his belt. DOM MARTIN

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 18:00, FREE

A set of pleasure, pain and elation. DAVE ARCARI

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, TBC

SLIDE guitarist and songwriter Dave Arcari’s alt-blues sounds owe as much to trash country, punk and rockabilly as they do pre-war Delta blues. LATIN RHYTHMS

PIE & BREW, FROM 18:00, FREE

Acoustic Latin rhythms hosted by Portugese musicians Sergio Prazeres and Mariana Moreira. HEISK (LAPWYNG + DLÚ)

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 21:30, £8

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £5 - £8

TILDE (FOREVER MACHINE)

MELANIE MARTINEZ (NAAZ)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £26.20

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £8.80

THE MONOCASTERS

BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE

Experimental/drone duo who released their debut album, Ayebidin, in June.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14.85

Australian punk rockers led by vocalist Amy Taylor (not she of ex-Skinny fame).

New punk band from Glasgow who have supported the likes of The Dunts and Baby Strange.

Wed 04 Dec

American alt-pop songstress and former contestant on the Stateside version of The Voice.

MAN OF THE MINCH (GO TO GIRL + HARRY HARRIS)

CALVA LOUISE

With a frantic live show and a fistful of three-minute bangers in their back pocket, Calva Louise became one of the breakthrough acts of 2018. IDLES

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £27.50

Bristol’s savage post-punk lot, with their socially-aware and politically-potent lyrics setting the pace for thunderous drums and growling guitars. Expect equal measures of swears and sweats. WILDWOOD KIN

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

Award-winning alternative/ indie/folk trio from Exeter. NINA NESBITT

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £15

Half-Swedish, half-Scottish singer-songwriter in possession of a fine technical agility and emotive style. STUART NEIL

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Stuart Neil of The Hoojamamas and Harry & The Hendersons brings his solo act to The Wolf. PENELOPE ISLES (PLANTS AND ANIMALS + FREAKWAVE)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

Hailing from the Isle of Man via Brighton, Penelope Isles is the collaboration of brother and sister Jack and Lily Wolter.

Tue 03 Dec

PETER CAT (LANE GO-GO + MATT FINUCANE)

BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE

Pulp-esque lyrical, ornamental pop music outfit from Glasgow. MIDLAND (DESURE)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £23.25

No, not Midland, the DJ; Midland, the country trio from Austin, Texas. MICHAEL BEATTIE (LASSANA)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

Michael Beattie balances his raw onstage emotion against his attempts to make the crowd laugh along with his angst. IDLES

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £27.50

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £16.88

ELECTRIC GUEST (PETRIE)

LA duo of Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton fuelled on funked-up pop choruses.

YALA! ON TOUR (ST. MARTIINS + JACOB SLATER + CHINATOWN SLALOM) MCCHUILLS, FROM 20:00, £11

YALA! Records showcase three of the UK’s most vital rising talents on one line-up, with each artist’s position on the bill revolving each night. DIRTY SOUND MAGNET

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

Mystic rock power trio that will blow your mind away with their unique multifaceted compositions and virtuosity. RIDE

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £32.06

The English rock outfit continue to ride the wave of their reunion years. THE PSYCHOTIC MONKS (CANNIBAL ANIMAL)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7

Four-piece from Hull who describe themselves as ‘four grimy scientists cum musicians’. They might want to improve their marketing strategy. BEN OTTEWELL

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

Gomez singer and lead guitarist Ben Ottewell rides solo for a stint of Scotland sets. TRUPA TRUPA (SUPERCLOUD + AMUR)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

Art rock band from Gdansk fusing elements of post-hardcore, no wave and psychedelia.

Thu 05 Dec BJÖRN AGAIN

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £26.45 - £28.90

The ABBA celebration show hot on the heels of celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018. KINGPIN (KANDARIVAS + ANOXIDE + DYGORA)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:00, £5

A night of hardcore, death metal and grindcore featuring bands from Japan and the UK. WE ARE SCIENTISTS

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £22.50

California-based indie-rockers with a penchant for big riffs, on the road jokingly celebrating the 50th anniversary of their debut album With Love & Squalor. J.I.D

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £19.69

Spillage Collective and EarthGang member J.I.D on a solo tour. THE TELESCOPES (ST. DELUXE)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11

A band founded by Stephen Lawrie in 1987 whose skills lie in noisy experimental vibes, drone, dream and psych. BROKEN WITT REBELS

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12

Bluesy rock’n’rollers from Birmingham.

LADY NEPTUNE (LUGAS EUROPE)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £6

Dark solo synth pop. ADMIRAL FALLOW

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:30, £15

Vibrant six-piece HEISK are a powerful new force on the folk scene.

Respected and loved performer in Ireland, stopping by for a live show.

Louis Abbott and his merry ensemble stage their usual rousing collective rabble of a thing.

Sun 01 Dec

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

KUNGENS MAN (SNAKES DON’T BELONG IN ALASKA + THE KUNDALINI GENIE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £10 - £13

Swedish psych, kraut, prog, free jazz rockers keeping up the Swedish tradition of experimentation.

CHRIS BUCKLEY

Chris Buckley of The Moanin’ Bones brings his duo act to The Wolf playing you all the best of rock’n’roll and blues.

Find full listings at theskinny.co.uk/whats-on

MUSE-IC PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

Talented singer-songwriters Nicola Evans and Olivia Ennemoser invite local singers and songwriters to join them every week.

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:00, £6

Quinny is a Paisley-born, London-based singer-songwriter.

Aussie singer-songwriter crafting rich Americana.

Fast existential nerd rock band from Glasgow, made up of three men called Michael. LATE: FIENDZ (THE ROLY MO + GHOSTBABY)

QUINNY (NICOL ELLIOTT + CAT CALDWELL + VELCROLOVE)

THREE CARD TRICK

Scotland’s most popular power trio perform three hours of rockin’ blues for The Wolf.

A NORTHERN CODE

GENO WASHINGTON AND THE RAM JAM BAND MONO, FROM 20:00, £15

The 60s soul man takes it back on the road, cherry picking a set list from his impressive arsenal of albums with his band. GUNTER BABY SOMNER & RAYMOND MACDONALD

A Northern Code is a collaboration between three young and curious musicians from Norway and Scotland.

Free jazz pioneer Somner meets Scottish saxaphonist MacDonald for some free jazz in all its glory.

Fri 06 Dec

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

THE XCERTS (SWIM SCHOOL)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £15.95

Hard-riffing Scottish trio, whose impressive sound has been honed to perfection (i.e. they sound bloody massive live). OI POLLOI (BRATAKUS + BRAIN ANGUISH)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

Anarchic punk group who’ve been going for over 30 years. BEAK

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £18.56

Bristol-based trio of made up of Geoff Barrow (him from Portishead!), Matt Williams and Billy Fuller. HOT SNAKES

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £22

After a 14-year hiatus from the studio, Hot Snakes have kicked down the door back into our lives with their new album, Jericho Sirens. BAD BREEDING

BROADCAST, FROM 23:00, £7

Stevenage ensemble informed by all shades of deviant rock’n’roll. SISTER MIDNIGHT 003 (CURRENT AFFAIRS (LIVE) + DOUBLE DISCONE (LIVE) + EL RANCHO + HEALTHY + I.SOLAR (LIVE) + JUNGLEHUSSI + LYLO (LIVE) + RAISSA PARDINI) STEREO, FROM 20:00, £8

Post-punk funk at LYLO’s club night. ANDREW COMBS

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 20:00, £13.50 - £15

Singer-songwriter whose work bridges the freedom and possibility of his visual art with the influence of classic writing and storytelling. TENNESSEE HOTSOTS

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Glasgow-based authentic rockabilly and rhythm and blues with their own unique flair, high octane blues sure to get you dancing. SAMSON SOUNDS

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, £7-10

Reggae, dub and jungle connoisseurs play live. LONG EARTH (SCARLET INSIDE)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Long Earth came together by a series of fortunate but unexpected coincidences, with the principal from the outset to create a musical adventure with no preconceived plan of the final destination. ORGANIC GROOVES

PIE & BREW, FROM 18:00, FREE

A fusion of Glasgow’s finest DJs collaborate with talented vocalists and exceptional musicians to offer something fresh and exciting to the city’s vibrant music scene. HANNAH RARITY (ANNA MASSIE)

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £10

PLATFORM, FROM 19:00, £7.50 - £10

TORCHE

Bridging pop and metal like no one else’d bloody dare, the Miami ensemble continue to realise their crazed, yet delicate balance between doom metal, grunge and power pop. BISHOP BRIGGS

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Alt-pop musician, who made a name for herself in the L.A. Cluuubs.

ANDREAE/BIRCHALL/WILLBERG/ NAKAMURA (NATIONAL BEDTIME + JOE COGHILL) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 20:00, £5

Three-parts improvisers from Manchester, some of whom play together in the band Historically Fucked, together with the Japanese musician Toshimaru Nakamura. SOUNDS IN THE SUBURBS PRESENTS LEVENTIME

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £15 - £16

BEN ELLUL-KNIGHT & TOM WHITE (SUE ZUKI + GIUSEPPE MISTRETTA) CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 20:00, £5 - £8

Calling Cards Publishing and Radiophrenia present the LP launch for Ben Ellul-Knight & Tom White’s i’ve had it up to hear with fish & chips. BETH ROWLEY

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £13.50

English singer-songwriter championed by Jools Holland himself, touring after the release of GOTA FRIA in September 2017.

Mon 09 Dec MUNA

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Los Angeles trio who have previously toured with Miike Snow, Grouplove and even Harry Styles. COUNTERFEIT

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £18.15

Jamie Campbell Bower-fronted punk outfit. THE FAIM

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £14.06

Current Rock Sound Breakout band, whose debut single was co-written by Pete Wentz. Remember him? MAKE MINE COUNTRY

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £12

Make Mine Country aims to showcase the diversity of the country music genre. RAZORLIGHT

A celebration of Jackie Leven, featuring a selection of musicians, and with all profits donated to Refuweegee.

Johnny Borrell and his band of merry men are back with their first album in over 10 years.

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 18:00, FREE

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £14.63

BRIDGE STREET OILERS

Bridge Street Oilers are a Glasgow-based blues band strongly influenced by the Mississippi Delta sound from the early 1920s to the 1960s. BELL LUNGS + PAINTED X-RAY + RAIMENTS (BELL LUNGS + PAINTED X-RAY + RAIMENTS) THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, £4

Live experimental and Taiko – Japanese percussion instruments – plus avant-garde from Berlin. CITY OF THE SUN (LEON OF ATHENS)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10.50

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:30, £25.85

THE PAPER KITES

Melbourne natives peddling tender folk-rock. OLD BOHEMIA

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Old Bohemia play with a blues groove and a rough and tumble of Americana.

Tue 10 Dec

STATIC SATELLITES (RADIALS + NUCLEAR CLUB)

BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE

Four-piece indie rock band from Glasgow/West Lothian. TOMMY ASHBY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

New York City’s powerhouse trio flip the perception of instrumental music, attracting a whole new generation to the genre.

Multi-talented musician, who also has a PhD in the perception of sound and is a champion runner.

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £22

MIC CLARK ACOUSTIC BUTTERFLY

Mic Clark is a well-known popular performer on the live music scene in Scotland, joined by his band Acoustic Butterfly. REBECCA VASMANT PRESENTS: LEX BLONDIN (MILHOUSE COLLECTIVE)

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 20:00, £5

Rebecca Vasmant invites founder of London-based musical hub Total Refreshment Centre’s Lex Blondin along for her latest evening of music.

RCMS PRESENTS BEAFETS & MORE (LEAVING BORDEAUX + THE RITZ + DEE)

ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £7

The East Kilbride quartet play a headline set.

Sun 08 Dec

CLAIRO (DREAMER BOY + LAUNDRY DAY)

SHELLAC

More post-punk brutality from the perennial Primavera house band, featuring legendary producer Steve Albini. GUS MUNRO

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Gus Munro is one of the hidden gems of Scotland’s thriving music scene, combining his love of Scottish traditional music and his passion for the blues. BARNEY ARTIST

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Lowkey and introspective, Barney Artist’s rapping style stands in sharp relief to his exuberant personality.

Wed 11 Dec RA RA RIOT

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £13.20

Indie-rock band which formed in New York in 2006.

BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, performing new, old and original folk songs.

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £16 - £91

Singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill’s music is associated with soft, intimate vocals, a daydreamy atmosphere and rumination.

Devendra Banhart-collaborating collective, continuing with their totally mellow line in folksy Americana, crucially of the catchy, upbeat variety.

ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £8

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £18

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £16

ALT WAVES PRESENTS: DOGTOOTH & MORE (PARLIAMO + THE RIOT VANS + CONCRETE NATIONAL )

Trio of dudes playing indie, early mod and punk tunes.

Sat 07 Dec

THE XCERTS (SWIM SCHOOL)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £15.95

Hard-riffing Scottish trio, whose impressive sound has been honed to perfection (i.e. they sound bloody massive live).

GHETTS

East London MC, known as Justin Clarke to his closest pals, and formerly known as Ghetto. EDWIN ORGAN

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £9.25

Glasgow-based singer, songwriter and producer exploring toxic masculinity on his trilogy of Men Eps. NOAH GUTHRIE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £13.75

American soul singer-songwriter.

VETIVER

MONO, FROM 20:00, £12

SNOW PATROL

Gary Lightbody et al do their amiable indie-rock thing. We once rather beautifully described them as a “bed-wet fest”. Enjoy. PATAWAWA

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £9.25

DIY disco trio who have been hotly-tipped by the likes of NME, The Line of Best Fit, DIY and Clash.

Listings

BLANCK MASS

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER

SHIGETO (IAN FINK)

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £16.50

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £17.50 - £18.50

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 19:30, £16.50

Electronic artist from the UK and one half of Fuck Buttons. Blanck Mass is a heavy, shimmering and orchestral work defined by manipulated field recordings, warm analogue synth, heavy sub and deep drone. DIZRAELI

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11

Dizraeli is a rapper, multiinstrumentalist and sometimes singer taking hip-hop to new terrains. THE SALEM FOUR

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Those four boys from down yonder play some yarns and yonders from some dark places. THE NIGHT WITH... ENSEMBLE 1604

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6 - £10

Ensemble 1604 presents music old and new played with an early music sensibility. SEAN MCGARVEY

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

Lead singer/songwriter in Glasgow indie band Static Union, who has been writing his own music since he was 11 and gigging in bars since he was 13.

Thu 12 Dec

THE NEW POWER GENERATION

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £25.30 - £31.70

A collective made up of Prince alumni perform Prince’s hits. THE LUKA STATE (THE LINES)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7

Hard-working unsigned rock act from the north west of England.

THE TEA STREET BAND (SLOUCH + GHOSTBABY)

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10

Up and coming Liverpool troupe who’ve been described as like 808 State having a meeting midChannel to hear some French electronic by Space Disco You. SOURSOB

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £5

All girl garage rawk action.

MILO GORE (FLOWERS OF PALO)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:30, £4

An intriguing mix of pop, punk and alternative rock influences, Milo Gore is a five-piece collective from England. THREE CARD TRICK

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Scotland’s most popular power trio perform three hours of rockin’ blues for The Wolf.

CORNERSTONED #3 (TEOSE + GIFT HORSE + BIKINI BODY)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

A monthly showcase of some of the best new upcoming bands in Scotland. LAVINIA BLACKWELL

PIE & BREW, FROM 20:00, FREE

Durham-based band blending elements from the American songbook with experimental instrumentation. RIGID SOUL

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

A three-piece blues/rock band from Glasgow, who have a lot of energy and will have the room on their feet. JESSE MARCHANT (JACK RICHARDSON + CAITLIN BUCHANAN)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £9

Swiss-Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer based in New York. ORGANIC GROOVES

PIE & BREW, FROM 20:00, FREE

A fusion of Glasgow’s finest DJs collaborate with talented vocalists and exceptional musicians to offer something fresh and exciting to the city’s vibrant music scene.

LAUREN RUTH WARD (EMMA COLE + LO RAYS) THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £10 - £11

Lauren Ruth Ward writes about her life’s trajectory, sharing both vulnerability and strength delivered with grit and vibrato. SALUTE (SPOOK + SPOOK X DISCOBAW)

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 23:00, £5

Austrian-born, Manchesterbased electronic producer who explores mourning through his three-part EP project, Condition.

Sat 14 Dec

THE YOUTH AND YOUNG

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8.80

Taking the energy of Celtic rock and marrying it to the exuberance of modern Scottish indie-folk. THE HOSTILES (CAVALCADES + BOAK + THIS FAMILIAR SMILE + GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY + GET IT TOGETHER + TERRAFRAID + PAPER RIFLES + BED OF WASPS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 15:30, £8 - £10

Another high-tempo ska punk party o’ a gig from the Ayr nutcases. THE FUTUREHEADS (INDOOR PETS)

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £22

The Sunderland post-punk stalwarts, who recently released a fully a capella album. YCEE

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter YCee performs a headline show at SWG3. THE MORNING RETAKES

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Lavinia Blackwell will be performing her solo material, a rich tapestry of lyrical melodies and beautifully arranged songs.

Punk rock four-piece now based in Glasgow.

Fri 13 Dec

Charles Howl are moving away from garage fuzz, instead embracing a poppy psych groove (sounds familiar). Witness the fruits of the transition, see what you make of it.

TIDERAYS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8.80

Scottish band continuing to perform up and down the country.

DISAFFECT (SEDITION + BRATAKUS + INTRUSIVE THOUGHT + IRONSYSTEM) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7

Disaffect play their first gig in more than a quarter of a century. THE ELEPHANT SESSIONS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £14

Award-winning Neo-Trad quintet forged in the Highlands of Scotland. Drawing influence from many different genres, they create a progressive blend of intricate tunes, engulfing guitars, monstrous bass and pounding drums. WONK UNIT (GIMME GIMME GIMMES)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11

Punk rock at its finest. THE BLANK TAPES

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £8

Dreamy psych pop from the USA. V.C.O (FAUNA + GELATINE)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:00, £6

V.C.O play their debut gig at The Old Hairdressers and launch their latest single.

CHARLES HOWL (PELICAN TUSK)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £8

THE SENSATIONAL DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE BAND

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £14

David Bowie tribute act.

GRAHAM DUNNING (COATIC SEQUENCE + SHAKEEB ABU HAMDAN + HUMAN HEADS)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:30, £7 - £10

Graham Dunning makes live performances using both Mechanical Techno and live coding, with TidalCycles, together. Each of the systems runs independently and is synchronised by ear. DE ROSA: TEN YEARS OF PREVENTION

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £12.50 - £13.50

The Bellshill-formed group celebrate ten years of their second album Prevention. JON THE REVELATOR

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 18:00, FREE

A heady blend of blues, original R’n’B and tall tales.

The Ghostly Internationalsigned producer heads back out on the road promising more of his atmospheric, dance-floor leaning textures. METEOR/RODEO (CRU SERVERS)

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, £4

Joe Howe’s new musical project based around modular sequencing. Cru Servers (12th Isle) on support. THE FIELD (KLEOPATRA)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £15

Stockholm’s Axel Willner fuses pop song structures with ambient textures, fractured buzzes, clicks and inventive sampling techniques as only he knows how. NICOLA EVANS

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

Nicola Evans is a talented singersongwriter based in Glasgow. RODDY WOOMBLE

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £17.50

The Idlewild frontman, regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters, performs his solo material.

Sun 15 Dec THE DARKNESS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £33.95

Histrionic hair metal group continue to enjoy their unlikely rejuvenation. MAX & IGGOR

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £19.25

The Brazilian brothers and heavy metal legends, known for their work with Sepultura and Cavalera Conspiracy. HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £18.15 - £22.86

The moniker of Californian rapper Frank Lopes.

BLUE HAWAII (GRAHAM VAN PELT + CHARRETTE) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

Montreal electro duo comprising Braids’ `Raphaelle StandellPreston and Alex “Agor” Cowan. RODDY WOOMBLE

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £17.50

Wed 18 Dec

THE GIROBABIES (THE TWISTETTES)

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £12.50

The Girobabies celebrate 10 years of highs and lows by going back to the venue where it all began on the very same day, a decade later.

NEON WALTZ

Six-piece indie rock band from Caithness. BHANGRA BEATLES (BOMBAY TALKIE + TYCHO MONO + DJ ROCKY)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

Seven-piece Beatles tribute band fusing the songs of The Beatles with the high octane beats of traditional Punjabi folk music and Bhangra. BURY TOMORROW

SWG3, FROM 18:00, £22.50

The UK metalcore heavyweights Bury Tomorrow headline SWG3. PRIMAL SCREAM

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £30.25

The Glasgow-hailing alternative rock lot, made up up Bobby Gillespie et al. HIPSWAY

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Scottish new-wave popsters who have been around for a good three decades. THE SALEM FOUR

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Those four boys from down yonder play some yarns and yonders from some dark places.

Thu 19 Dec CHRISTMAS CAROUSAL

PLATFORM, FROM 19:00, £7.50 - £10

A musical celebration of the festive season with performances from RM Hubbert, Aby Vulliamy, Broken Chanter and Carla J. Easton. SHAZ MARTIN

STEREO, FROM 19:30, £10

Shaz Martin performs her debut album, Art Aesthetic, which offers eight smoky acoustic tracks with an electro-pop feel.

VELVETEEN RIOT (EAT THE FRIEK + MOD) THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £6

Four-piece shoegaze/punk band from Glasgow. HIPSWAY

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Scottish new-wave popsters who have been around for a good three decades. THREE CARD TRICK

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

The Idlewild frontman, regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters, performs his solo material.

Scotland’s most popular power trio perform three hours of rockin’ blues for The Wolf.

Mon 16 Dec

Talented singer-songwriters Nicola Evans and Olivia Ennemoser invite local singers and songwriters to join them every week.

THE JAPANESE HOUSE

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £16.88

Dark and dreamy synth-heavy soundscapes from the young solo artist less cryptically known as Amber Bain. MEDIAEVAL BAEBES

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £11.25 - £28.13

Seven-piece choral style group, weaving lush, ethereal harmonies. JAMIE REILLY

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Vocalist and blues guitarist Jamie Reilly’s sound derives from early blues and roots music, delivering a modern twist on blues and improvisational playing.

Tue 17 Dec BUZZCOCKS

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £20

The original punk rockers take to the road, a little greyer but still in possession of all the hits. SLADE

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £27.56

The band that bring us annual wails of ‘It’s Christmasssss’ every December. PRIMAL SCREAM

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £30.25

The Glasgow-hailing alternative rock lot, made up up Bobby Gillespie et al. JACK RICHARDSON

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Jack Richardson of The Hoojamamas and Harry & The Hendersons brings his solo act to The Wolf. PICK A PIPER (RAZA)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7.50

Collaborative music project by Caribou touring member Brad Weber, friends Angus Fraser and Dan Roberts and guest vocalists.

MUSE-IC

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

Fri 20 Dec BOMBSKARE

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £16.50

Scotland’s best part-time band bring a ska cavalcade.

STATE OF THE REUNION (SO MANY ANIMAL CALLS + MAKE SPARKS + CARNIVORES + PACIFIC THEATRE)

MONO, FROM 20:00, £8

Venice of the North Studio presents a night of live music, with proceeds going towards The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. THE BOHO SOULS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £3

The Boho Souls is a four-piece rock/pop covers band. THE SKIDS AND BIG COUNTRY

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £33.75

Two of Fife’s most influential bands come together. GOODBYE MR. MACKENZIE

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £25.85

Scottish 1980s and 1990s rock group formed in Bathgate.

THE YUMMY FUR (FAT BLACK CATS)

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7

The Yummy Fur are/were celebrated legendary lynchpins of Glasgow and UK post-punk throughout the 90s and long after. GREEN DOOR STUDIO TAKEOVER

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £5

Various acts from the Glasgow studio perform in The Flying Duck.

IVORY BLACKS, FROM 19:00, £10

HIPSWAY

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Listings

HOGMANAY AT HOWLIN’ WOLF (THE MIDNIGHT BLUES BAND)

SWG3, FROM 19:00, £16.50

Gus Munro and The Midnight Blues Band bring in the bells with a set of vintage blues to toast you all and bring the beautiful year of 2019 to a close.

JOESEF

An exciting new artist who is making serious waves from the confines of his bedroom in the east end of Glasgow. SCOTT FORSYTH DUO

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Scottish new-wave popsters who have been around for a good three decades.

Scott Forsyth of The Salem Four brings his solo act to The Wolf playing you all the best of rock’n’roll, blues, soul and more.

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £26.65 - £36.90

Thu 26 Dec

BAD BOOGALOO

Scotland’s most popular power trio perform three hours of rockin’ blues for The Wolf.

GERRY CINNAMON

Glasgow singer who sings in his own accent. Oh, the talent. HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Alternative bluegrass and rockabilly soundsmiths. LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM GLASGOW

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, FREE

A mix of live music and DJs in aid of a great cause. ORGANIC GROOVES

PIE & BREW, FROM 18:00, FREE

A fusion of Glasgow’s finest DJs collaborate with talented vocalists and exceptional musicians to offer something fresh and exciting to the city’s vibrant music scene. DENI (KIERAN ORR + KIT SMITH)

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £8

Intertwining elements of colourful folk pop and neo-soul, DENI are a band fresh on the Scottish music scene.

Sat 21 Dec

HEALTHY JUNKIES (EK DECAY + SMEEKERED + NOT ROBOTOS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5

London-based punk rock/ psychedelic/grunge band with a touch of theater. SLOW READERS CLUB

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £18.50

Electro/indie outfit from Manchester, churning out everything from catchy upbeat indie tunes to introspective ballads. JOHN

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Simon Pegg’s favourite new band JOHN are literary noise rock types. BBC6 Music are fans of this bunch, as are IDLES. GUN (DAN REED NETWORK + FM)

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £31.10

Rock’n’roll outfit formed by the Gizzi brothers in the mid-80s. BIKINI BOTTOMS

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 20:00, £6

Rockabilly sounds from the dynamic duo. VIDA

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Alloa boys keeping Britpop alive, for some inexplicable reason. RICHARD YOUNGS (MUTE SWIMMER)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:30, £5

Long-running UK experimental musician Richard Youngs is a British musician with a prolific and diverse output. GERRY CINNAMON

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £26.65 - £36.90

Glasgow singer who sings in his own accent. Oh, the talent. THE SHIVERIN’ SHEIKS

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 18:00, FREE

Fri 27 Dec

THE RISING SOULS (HONEYGRIP + HONEYVALE)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £13.20

Dynamic soulful rock band hailing from Scotland’s capital city; a punchy and intoxicating amalgamation of rock and soul. SCHEME (GOGOBOT)

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £19.25

Formed back in’t day (aka the 80s), the longstanding Glagsow ensemble bring their mix of blues, reggae and rock to a room full dedicated followers. BUM NOTES (RUBY WATERS)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 22:30, FREE

A new monthly event of karaoke and queer performance open to all. BLUE MILK

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Blue Milk are a Glasgow-based blues band strongly influenced by the Mississippi Delta sound from the early 1920s to the 1960s.

Sat 28 Dec STEVE MCCRORIE

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14.30

Firefighter-turned-singer who did Scotland proud by winning BBC’s The Voice in 2015.

THE COSMIC DEAD (TONGUE TRAP + SONGS OF THE OLD COUNTRY) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

JON THE REVELATOR

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 18:00, FREE

A heady blend of blues, original R’n’B and tall tales.

Sun 29 Dec

THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY EXPERIENCE

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £13

Sensational Alex Harvey Band tribute act.

Mon 30 Dec

DEAD SEA SOULS (BLACK DOG DAYS + GARY OVENS + JAMIE BUTTON + WARREN CAPALDI)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

Singalong West Lothian quartet touting their funky ska wares across the Central Belt since 2006. ANDREW THOM NEIL

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

SCOTTISH FICTION SHOWCASE (MITCHELL MUSEUM + FALSE BLISS + MT. DOUBT + LOVERS TURN TO MONSTERS)

Glaswegian three-piece punk band (with a dash of grunge) veering between drones and dirges, wearing their art and world views on their sleeve.

Influential label Scottish Fiction showcases a selection of its notable acts.

Sun 22 Dec ASLAN

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Aslan are an Irish rock band from Dublin who formed in 1982 and are still rocking on.

LUCID HOUND (BLACK CAT REVUE + CLOSET ORGAN) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

BABY STRANGE

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14.30

BIG HOGMANAY (BIG HOG + SPACE ROCKET GARAGE BAND + DJS)

MONO, FROM 20:00, £5 - £8

Bring in the New Year and see out the end of the decade at Mono. SLEAZY HOGMANAY: THE BEATROOTS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 21:00, £8 - £10

Sitar-drenched psych-beat garage excellence.

SAINT LUKE’S NYE PARTY (ITCHYCOO PARK + ST LUKE’S DJS) ST LUKE’S, FROM 20:00, £11.25

Bring in the New Year in the gorgeous surrounds of St Luke’s with live music and Djs.

SRS TURN ON PARTY (LITTLE LOVE & FRIENDLY VIBES + AINO ELINA)

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, TBC

Spanish radio station Spanish Rock Shot Radio throw a launch party with Scottish, Spanish and international musicians and performers.

IMPERIAL WAX (SNIDE RHYTHMS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £12.50

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, FREE

Fri 29 Nov

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke. RICHARD DAWSON

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £15

Richard Dawson performs songs that are both chucklesome and tragic, rooted in a febrile imagination that references worlds held dear and worlds unknown. GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor. UNE

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, FREE

ULI JON ROTH

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £20 - £23

Widely recognized as perhaps the single most important protagonist of neo-classical guitar playing, Uli is seen by many as a trend-setter who has often been considerably ahead of his time. FUTURE HEROES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship. THE KATET: ORIGINALS

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

UNE are BBC 6Music and Radio 2 broadcaster, musician and author Mark Radcliffe and electronica tech head Paul Langley.

A shape-shifting seven-piece soul/funk monster led by Mike Kearney.

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £25.85 - £33

London-based alternative garage rock trio who cemented their musical bonds at college.

SIGRID

Young Norwegian pop singer with a sugary sweet voice and pop bangers to boot who’s gone from strength to strength since being voted BBC Sound of 2018. YUNGBLUD

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £12

Hyped up young indie rocker, whose real name is the less hip Dominic Harrison. RALPH TV (PLASMAS + ETAPE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

THE BASEMENT THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £11

Young group from Bathgate on the rise.

Swampfog are a seven-piece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans.

Tue 26 Nov

ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £11.25

MARK SHARP & THE BICYCLE THIEVES

SWAMPFOG THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Imperial Wax are the final and longest-serving members of The Fall, minus Mark and with new tunes.

Cool kids out of Brighton making woozy pop of the cool and danceable variety.

Tue 31 Dec

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:00, £10

PIE & BREW, FROM 19:00, £10

Welcome in 2020 on the Pie & Brew dancefloor with live music acts performing throughout the night.

Glasgow’s premier psych and space rockers.

PIE & BREW, FROM 21:00, FREE

SPIDERS ON MARS

PIE & BREW’S HOGMANAY PARTY (NIGEL CLARK + SEAN MCGARVEY)

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

Andrew Neil of The Hoojamamas and Harry & The Hendersons brings his solo act to The Wolf.

Spiders on Mars are the UK’s leading David Bowie tribute band.

HOWLIN’ WOLF, FROM 23:00, FREE

THREE CARD TRICK

More madcap rock’n’roll, 50s pop and country gospel from the Glasgow foursome.

Blues/grunge/psychedelic trio based in Glasgow.

Mon 23 Dec

ROOTSBASE: ADAM HOLMES

Adam Holmes crafts lyrics that resonate like old folk songs, set to melodies rooted in haunting slow airs.

Wed 27 Nov ABLAZE

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, TBC

The Australian rockers tour off the back of the release of their debut album. STEALING SHEEP

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £12

Three otherworldly Liverpudlian lasses mixing organic and electronic sounds, all medieval synths, hypnotic beats, spiraling whammy guitars and apocalyptic thunder drones. THE 101ST AIRBORNE

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band. KABARETT DYSUTOPIA

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £10

Serious satirical silliness, songs and democratic participation, fascist entertainment. DAVE ARCARI (ISMO HAAVISTO)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8

SLIDE guitarist and songwriter Dave Arcari’s alt-blues sounds owe as much to trash country, punk and rockabilly as they do pre-war Delta blues. SIX60

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 19:00, £15 - £18

An untamed blend of soul, rock, dubstep and drum’n’bass from New Zealand.

Thu 28 Nov PAT MCMANUS BAND

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £12 - £15

The Irish rock legend returns to Bannermans.

BAND OF SKULLS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £17.60

SEND IN THE CLOUDS: IN MEMORY OF DAVID BERMAN (WITHERED HAND + FAITH ELIOTT + RHUBABA CHOIR + USURPER + NICE CHURCH + SHAREHOLDER) HIBS SUPPORTERS CLUB, FROM 20:00, £8 - £10

Local DIY musicians celebrate the life and work of David Berman and the Silver Jews in the inimitable atmosphere of the Hibs Club. All proceeds go to the mental health charity Penumbra. THIS FEELING (THE LUTRAS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

Branded as “the best club in the UK for future rock & roll stars” by Noel Gallagher – it speaks for itself, right?

Sat 30 Nov

BISMUTH (HEADLESS KROSS + SAPIEN + FOREVER MACHINE)

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £10

A heavy night of sludge and doom. DOPESICKFLY

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

The lyrically explosive, musically diverse, eclectic funk rock hybrid with a hip-pop twist emanate an upbeat feel good vibe. CLIMAX BLUES BAND

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £18

Founded in the 60s by Colin Cooper, Climax Blues Band has always focused on its roots, a unique combination of jazz and blues. CORNFIELD CHASE

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £6 - £8

The melodic indie rock outfit launch their new EP, Vitality. THE WOLFE TONES

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 19:00, £24

Alternative Irish chaps, incorporating elements of traditional Irish music into their sound. THE KATET

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £11

Imagine a classical conductor who leaves his score, baton and concert hall for a sweaty, underground funk dungeon. This is, essentially, how Mike Kearney founded The Katet, Edinburgh’s seven-piece soul-funk monster.

Sun 01 Dec

JED POTTS & THE HILLMAN HUNTERS

BANNERMANS, FROM 21:00, FREE

More intimate and electric blues from Potts and his merry band. WILDWOOD KIN

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £15

Award-winning alternative/ indie/folk trio from Exeter.

THE SKINNY

Edinburgh Music THE SUNDAY SINNERS

WILD FRONT (LLOVERS)

BILLY MITCHELL

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8.80

Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for. ROBERT VINCENT

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £14

Organically formed South Coast band, Wild Front aim to pair the unrestrained emotions of music with the capricious nature of life. FICKLE FRIENDS

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £11

Robert Vincent is an awardwinning singer-songwriter from Liverpool, having received the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from “Whispering” Bob Harris in 2016.

80s synth-infused indie pop from Brighton, with frontwoman Natassja Shiner.

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

Local poets, busking heroes, hypnotic visuals and other delights, curated and hosted by the legendary poet and Forest Cafe founder Ryan van Winkle for the opening night of the Pianodrome RESONATOR fundraiser festival.

DECO (SPYYN + WRAUCCES)

80s-inspired pop outfit Deco have spent the last year cementing their status within the UK’s emerging indie-pop elite. ALDOUS HARDING (YVES JARVIS)

SUMMERHALL, FROM 15:00 AND 19:30, £15 - £18

An artist of rare calibre, Aldous Harding does more than sing; she conjures a singular intensity. Her body and face a weapon of theatre, Harding dances with steeled fervor. PONGO

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £17

Pongo embodies the renewal of Kuduro, mixing her African, Langan and Zairian roots with EDM, bass music, dancehall and melodic pop.

VOICEX (LISA FANNEN & SUKY GOODFELLOW + AMY HILL + ANNIE BOOTH)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £3 - £5

WENCH, women-led art and music collective, are back to treat you with a glam winter warmer fundraiser night, for the Greek grassroots refugee centre We Are Here.

Mon 02 Dec

TANTRIC (ATTIC THEORY + DENOMOLOS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £12 - £15

US rockers hit Scotland for the first time after a seven album career. GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor. JARROD DICKENSON

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £15

An intimate evening of songs and spirits. SNOW PATROL

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £49.50 - £82.50

Gary Lightbody et al do their amiable indie-rock thing. We once rather beautifully described them as a “bed-wet fest”. Enjoy.

Tue 03 Dec

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

BANNERMANS, FROM 17:00, FREE

THE GOLDEN HOUR AT PIANODROME (PORTNAWAK AND THE WOO + ROSEANNE WATT)

LEITH THEATRE, FROM 19:00, £0 - £8

Thu 05 Dec GRAND SLAM

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £14 - £16

The band Phil Lynott formed after Thin Lizzy are back and kicking it. FUTURE HEROES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

LEWIS CAPALDI

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £24.75 - £33

British singer-songwriter who rose to prominence when his first track Bruises became the fastest streaming track by any new artist. WYNNTOWN MARSHALLS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £10

Edinburgh-based five-piece The Wynntown Marshals formed in 2007 and have been described by the Metro as “arguably Scotland’s strongest band”. SALT (SONS OF DESCENT + ZOO)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

A night of different bands playing different songs.

BALKANARAMA SESSIONS (BLACK CAT + SCOTCHA REPUBLIK)

LEITH THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £10 - £14

An opportunity to experience beautifully performed live gypsy, Balkan and klezmer music in a unique intimate setting. Taking place in the magical Pianodrome as part of their RESONATOR fundraiser festival.

Fri 06 Dec

A BAND CALLED MALICE

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £10

A band with Taiko (Japanese drums) at its heart, also containing angular and weaving guitar and bass with a side helping of sweet violin.

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £11

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Swampfog are a seven-piece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans.

December 2019

BOOTS N’ ALL (TEAR UP + THE GLORY)

BANNERMANS, FROM 22:00, £5

Punk after show for The Cockney Rejects. RISKEE AND THE RIDICULE (THE MEDIA WHORES)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 19:00, £8

AKVA, FROM 15:00, £7.50 - £10

A relaxed Sunday afternoon of live music from three mesmerising performers. PEFKIN (JOY AND STRUGGLE + MICHAEL STEELE)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

Experimental music with rhythmic power and improvisational left-turns. TINDERBOX ORCHESTRA (HAILEY BEAVIS)

LEITH THEATRE, FROM 19:00, £8 - £10

Following their sold out show at the Pianodrome in the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Tinderbox Orchestra are back for the closing night of the Pianodrome RESONATOR fundraiser festival.

Mon 09 Dec

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, FREE

Featuring an eclectic line-up of Scotland’s leading musicians, the album merges Scottish and European influences, crossing both boundary and genre.

SWAMPFOG

Sat 07 Dec

FAIR FA’ SESSIONS (RACHEL SERMANNI + INNES WATSON + IONA ZAJAC)

CHAKALAKA FUNK

Martin Stephenson convened The Daintees in the early 80s, the name deliberately chosen as a response to the humourlessness and angst of much of the music of the time.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 19:30, £8

Wed 04 Dec

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

A feast of festive fun and an all-female line-up led by Edinburgh star-hags The Farting Suffragettes, with support from Newcastle’s latest headbangingly epic rock-legends Sing Again Syren.

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

A night of sleaze disco and spooky psyche from a quartet of Scottish young teams. All of them are ones to watch.

FEELS LIKE THURSDAY (SCREAMIN’ WHISPER + VARCITY NORTH)

NORMAN MACKAY

A festival of new music, spoken word, movement and more in the world’s first amphitheatre made entirely from upcycled pianos.

PIEROGI PIT (THE FARTING SUFFRAGETTES + SING AGAIN SYREN)

FRANKY’S EVIL PARTY (CHOKA + PISS SMOKE + GRAVELLE)

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £29.50

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £10

PIANODROME RESONATOR

Album launch for Paul Vickers and the Leg’s new album, Jump, released on Tenement Records.

RUM RUNNERS (DANGERMULE)

2019 has been an exciting year for Leith’s Dean Owens, seeing him win UK Song of the Year and cover over 20,000 miles on the road, on extensive US and UK tours.

Since issuing their superb Songs of The Hollow album in 2017, cua have gone on to become a band that has gathered in more praise than most from all the best sections of the media.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £17.50

MARTIN STEPHENSON AND THE DAINTEES

PAINTED X-RAY (BELL LUNGS + RAIMENTS + JOY & STRUGGLE)

LEITH THEATRE, FROM 13:00, £0 - £14

ST VINCENT’S CHAPEL, FROM 19:00, £7

DEAN OWENS & THE SOUTHERNERS

Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship.

The Jam tribute.

Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band.

PAUL VICKERS AND THE LEG (DOMINIC WAXING LYRICAL + COWBOY BUILDER)

RASCALTON SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £10

Riskee and the Ridicule are a grime punk outfit from Ashford, Kent, combining three way harmonies, political poetry, melodic yet heavy guitars, catchy hooks and intricate bass lines.

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke.

THE 101ST AIRBORNE

The Dundonian singer plays with a full band.

CUA (MIKEY KENNEY) TRAVERSE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £12

ANDY WHITE (ZOEE)

The Belfast-born songwriter and poet takes to the stage.

FRESH PRODUCE: REFUGE ISLAND (STELLAR + HEAVY DUTY BOX COMPANY) SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

Another belter of a line-up for Fresh Produce, headed up by four-piece Kilwinning young team Refuge Island.

COLD TURKEY’S WARM STUFFING (KATHRYN JOSEPH + HOLLIE MCNISH + MICHAEL PEDERSEN + WITHERED HAND + NICOLA MEIGHAN) SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:30, £16

A night of music and word from Kathryn Joseph, Hollie McNish, Michael Pedersen (Neu! Reekie!) and Withered Hand.

LINDISFARNE

Tyneside acoustic rock group from the 70s. THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

On the first Saturday of the month, DJ Simon Hodge, and live acts handpicked from the cream of the funk and soul scene, celebrate all things soul, funk, latin, Afro and boogie. ZOE GRAHAM

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £9

There is an impressive maturity and attention to detail in Zoe Graham’s music that sets this accomplished young songwriter apart from her peers. FIRES IN THE ALPS (PILOTCAN + THE LINE)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5 - £7

A night of Edinburgh’s finest shoegaze, rock, post-rock, drone, etc; whatever it is, expect it to be loud. S!NK (URBAN FARM HAND)

LEITH THEATRE, FROM 19:00, £6 - £10

S!nk celebrate the launch of their new Hoy Sound EP with an all day event in their very own Pianodrome.

Sun 08 Dec

DAN BAIRD & HOMEMADE SIN

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £13 - £15

Final ever show on Scottish soil for the Southern legend and former Georgia Satellites man. THE EVES

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £8

Unashamed, radio-friendly pop with anthemic qualities. THE SUNDAY SINNERS

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for. EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (SETH ROSENBLOOM)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £15

Edinburgh Blues Club is a Social Enterprise established to harness popular support for regular blues events in Edinburgh to ensure that the city and surrounding areas do not miss out on quality touring blues acts. STEVE RODGERS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £12

Steve Rodgers’ songs reflect his passion for life’s depth, mystery and wonder.

GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor.

Feels Like Thursday debut their new EP Television Diner, with support from Screamin’ Whisper and Varcity North. DEEP SEA CREATURE

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5

EP launch for Deep Sea Creature, plus some collaborations with artists from Bronston and Mt Doubt.

Tue 10 Dec

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

BANNERMANS, FROM 17:00, FREE

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke. THE 101ST AIRBORNE

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band. VETIVER (JANE BLANCHARD + SANNA)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £13

Devendra Banhart-collaborating collective, continuing with their totally mellow line in folksy Americana, crucially of the catchy, upbeat variety.

Wed 11 Dec SWAMPFOG

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

TRAVERSE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £12

COUNTERFLOWS: FESTIVE SOIREE (USURPER + AINE O’DWYER + BILL WELLS)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5

DERMOT KENNEDY

Counterflows invites some of its close musical family for a night of festive-themed fun, revelling in all the joy, beauty, horror and ridiculousness of the holiday season.

Fri 13 Dec

The fast-rising Irish singersongwriter returns for another headline show.

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £4

Rascalton are part of a new wave of Scottish acts who are reclaiming the word “band”, bringing it back to its roots of self-expression within a community. Rock night with two Edinburgh bands. SWAMPFOG

Swampfog are a seven-piece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans. HIPSWAY

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Scottish new-wave popsters who have been around for a good three decades. DELTA MAINLINE

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

An intimate Christmas show from Delta Mainline, fresh from the release of their 2019 sophomore album Bel Avenir. DREADZONE

SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:00, £17.50 - £20

One of the most energetic, exciting and powerful live bands to emerge from the post-rave scene, Dreadzone are still going strong after 25 years in the game. GYPSY CIRCUS

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £9.21

Edinburgh-based quartet Gypsy Circus combine vintage Blues roots with modern raw indie/ rock inspired hooks. FISTYMUFFS (PAL + RICHARD DUFFY + MISS LEADING)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £9

BARBE ROUSSE

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5

Barbe Rousse present a night of psychedelic nonsense. Fun for the whole family.

Thu 12 Dec

STEVIE R. PEARCE & THE HOOLIGANS (DIG LAZARUS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £7 - £9

Two cracking rock outfits that are not to be missed. FUTURE HEROES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship.

Find full listings at theskinny.co.uk/whats-on

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

BANNERMANS, FROM 17:00, FREE

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke. THE 101ST AIRBORNE

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Killer local line-up at Sneaks headlined by The Anthology’s. ROOTSBASE: JOY DUNLOP

THE BASEMENT THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £11

Joy Dunlop has been nominated as Gaelic Singer of the Year three times and has won both the Royal National Mòd Gold Medal and the Oban Times Gold Medal. ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Logan’s Close are an Edinburghbased four-piece, performing original music with strong influence from 60s rhythm and blues. FRANKLY, THE SMITHS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £12

Prepare for an eclectic mix of Smiths classics and fan favourites, courtesy of this highly acclaimed tribute act. SIOBHAN WILSON & FRIENDS (ALASDAIR ROBERTS + RACHEL SERMANNI + STINA TWEEDALE) SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:00, £14

Edinburgh-based Siobhan Wilson returns to enchant you with emotionally-driven, ethereal songs. MOTHER SUPERIOR AND THE WHEREWITHAL (THE NORMANS)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, FREE

A night of indie folk rock.

Sun 15 Dec CRANACHAN

BANNERMANS, FROM 21:00, FREE

THE SUNDAY SINNERS

Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for. ETHAN MALCOLM (LOGAN FRASER)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £6

Ethan Malcolm is a 14-year-old solo artist from Livingston whose music features a unique style of melodic rap vocals, huge guitar riffs and massive sounding drums. PLEASE, BELIEVE! (NELSON SAVAGE + SLOWLIGHT)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

Searing, intense and furiously passionate post-hardcore.

Mon 16 Dec

GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor.

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

Live seven-piece funk and disco Christmas crew Santadelica take to the late night Jazz Bar stage. THE SUPER MOONS (BEN INGLIS BAND + MIGHTY JOES)

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £5

The Super Moons arrived from outer space to bring solid guitar music to the masses. KOHLA: THE VISUAL DEBUT

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

SUMMERHALL, FROM 20:00, £10

LOGAN’S CLOSE

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

SANTADELICA LIVE AT THE JAZZ BAR

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, FREE

THE ANTHOLOGY’S (THE PERPETUAL CANTS + THE CRIMSONS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £12 - £15

France’s ultimate Southern Rock sensation, from YouTube to the stage.

The UK’s ultimate tribute acts to System of a Down and Killswitch Engage.

Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band.

Still fronted by original member Ian McCulloch, the longstanding Liverpudlian rockers continue to do their thing.

LAURA COX (DOOMSDAY OUTLAW)

CHOP SUEY (KILLSWITCH UK)

THE HIVE, FROM 18:45, £10 - £12

Scottish alternative R’n’B artist Kohla announces her debut visual live show, performing with a full live band and backing dancers.

Sat 14 Dec

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Mega punk three-piece Lady Bird are Slaves’ favourite new band and soon to be yours too.

Tue 17 Dec

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £37

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £10

LADY BIRD

Quiet Houses are a Manchesterbased indie-folk duo made up of Hannah Elliott and Jamie Stewart.

Wed 18 Dec

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day.

Serious satirical silliness, songs and democratic participation, fascist entertainment.

QUIET HOUSES

Festimuffs! A Fistymuffs festive party.

Swampfog are a seven-piece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans. KABARETT DYSUTOPIA

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £22 - £27.50

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £10

SWAMPFOG

Swampfog are a seven-piece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans. MUSICIANS AGAINST HOMELESSNESS (PYRO + SHANGHAI TREASON)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

Pyro headline a bill that aims to raise money for tackling homelessness.

FLEETWOOD MAC’S RUMOURS: PERFORMED BY THE TRANSATLANTIC ENSEMBLE

SUMMERHALL, FROM 20:00, £18 - £20

The Transatlantic Ensemble are returning to Summerhall by popular demand, performing Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album live and in its entirety. AULD SPELLS

LOST MAP PRESENTS: STARZ IN THEIR EYES (PICTISH TRAIL + MODERN STUDIES + EAGLEOWL)

After a six year hiatus, get ready for your favourite bands playing as your other favourite bands. All proceeds go to Shelter Scotland and Extinction Rebellion: Central Legal Defence Fund. LIIMO (MOONLIGHT ZOO)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8

Liimo’s music revels in complex times, providing aspirational anthems that’ll implore you to reconnect with the world around us a little better. REGGAE GOT SOUL

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

A night of dub, reggae and ska featuring guest MCs.

NEU! REEKIE! PRESENT A FAIRYTALE OF LEITH (JOSEPH MALIK & OUT OF THE ORDINARY COLLECTIVE + CALLUM EASTER + JACKIE KAY + TAM DEAN BURNS & THE BUM-CLOCKS + VICTORIA MCNULTY) LEITH ST ANDREW’S CHURCH, FROM 19:00, £13.52 - £16.76

Neu! Reekie! celebrate their ninth birthday with a line-up of friends old and new.

Sat 21 Dec

TYLA’S DOGS D’AMOUR

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £18 - £20

The rock legend returns to promote a new album and wine. REM BY STIPE (KISS SHOT)

THE HIVE, FROM 18:30, £10 - £12

The definitive R.E.M. tribute. GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

BLUE CHRISTMAS THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £12

Back for its fourth year, Blue Christmas, curated by Edinburgh musician Jed Potts, is a mustsee event in Edinburgh’s festive calendar. JOHN

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

Simon Pegg’s favourite new band JOHN are literary noise rock types. BBC6 Music are fans of this bunch. as are IDLES. THE VICTOR POPE BAND (THE TESLA COILS + ANDY MACKAY)

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

The Victor Pope band are celebrating Christmas with one last gig at Leith Depot, featuring two of their closest musical allies on the Edinburgh music scene.

Mon 23 Dec

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

BANNERMANS, FROM 17:00, FREE

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke. GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor. RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE RONETTES

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £31.35 - £35.75

One of the greatest girl groups of all time, Ronnie Spector & The Ronettes perform their hits, and there are loads.

CARBONA NOT GLUE (THE PHELGM + LE BOMB) LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

Ramones tribute band.

Tue 24 Dec THE 101ST AIRBORNE

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band.

Thu 26 Dec FUTURE HEROES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship.

Fri 27 Dec

SNIDE REMARKS (4 PAST MIDNIGHT + 2SEVENS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £7

A post-Christmas punk bash. THE BANJO LOUNGE 4

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

The Banjo Lounge 4 do funky bluegrass mash-ups of everything, keeping the party going and the vibe high on a Saturday night. THE BAND THAT FELL TO EARTH

David Bowie tribute band.

Thu 19 Dec

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor.

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:00, £12

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £5

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, £5

Night of Pagan ritual and song. FUTURE HEROES

Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship. GO TO GIRL (THE GIRL WHO CRIED WOLF + THE GRITTY KINGS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7

Go To Girl play their first hometown headline show at Sneaky Pete’s, with support from The Girl Who Cried Wolf and The Gritty Kings. FLAMENCOLOCOS NIGHT

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

A night dedicated to experiencing different flavours of flamenco.

Fri 20 Dec

ANGELIC UPSTARTS (BIG FAT PANDA + PANIC ATTAK)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £12.50

Punk legends bring it to Bannermans in true old school style.

THE RISING

Bruce Springsteen tribute act. SUB VIOLET

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

Rising Edinburgh band Sub Violet play their first headline show at Sneaky Pete’s. SOLIDARITY WITH DISPLACED HUMANS REFUGEES BENEFIT #33 (RUN INTO THE NIGHT + FRANK SATAN AND HIS HUSBANDS + THE COUNTESS OF FIFE + THE IRRESISTIBLE URGES) LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

A Christmas special fundraiser, featuring a fantastic night of music.

Sun 22 Dec CRANACHAN

BANNERMANS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day. THE SUNDAY SINNERS

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for.

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:30, TBC

Sat 28 Dec LNC

UK alternative/indie rockers make Bannermans debut. LATE NIGHT PIZZA

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £5 - £6

Funk and pizza for all (actual edible pizza not included)! Sixpiece funk band leaving you full of funk and good vibes.

FOR THE LOVE OF POP (ANNA SWEENEY + NEON SEAS + MAN OF THE MINCH)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

Drawing influence from the likes of HAIM, Taylor Swift and Robyn, Anna Sweeney packs a punch with her hook-laden pure pop. Prepare for earworms and danceability.

Sun 29 Dec CRANACHAN

BANNERMANS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Classic rock covers from the 60s to present day. THE SUNDAY SINNERS

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for.

Listings

SIXTIES ON A SUNDAY HOGMANAY SPECIAL (FAYNE AND THE CRUISERS) THE BASEMENT THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £7.50

A Sunday afternoon to drink, dance and sing along to simply the most authentic 60s band you will ever hear.

Mon 30 Dec RAB HOWAT BAND

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, FREE

The classic rock regulars host a festive gig outing. GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES

THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 23:30, £3 - £4

Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor.

Fri 20 Dec THE REZILLOS

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £16

Edinburgh-formed punk/new wave outfit active since 1976, running on high octane, guitar driven, melodic anti-mope rock.

Fri 27 Dec WHO’S NEXT

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

The Who tribute.

Sat 28 Dec AC/DC UK

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £12

AC/DC tribute.

Mon 30 Dec

THE SENSATIONAL DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE BAND

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £11

Tue 31 Dec

David Bowie tribute act.

BANNERMANS, FROM 16:00, FREE

Tue 31 Dec

PRESSURE VALVE UNPLUGGED

Local artists play stripped back sets, before the public get to be the stars at karaoke. JED POTTS & THE HILLMAN HUNTERS

BANNERMANS, FROM 22:00, FREE

More intimate and electric blues from Potts and his merry band.

Dundee Music Fri 29 Nov

THE END OF HISTORY

CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

Bands. DJs. Club night. The end of history in 2020 vision. THE HOGMANAY HOOLIE

CLARKS ON LINDSAY STREET, FROM 20:00, £10

Enjoy live music from the mighty Tripper, party tunes from a resident DJ and a piper at the bells.

Tue 26 Nov CRATER COVE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Funk, disco, boogie and house.

CHURCH, FROM 19:00, £12

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

SEX PISTOLS EXPERIENCE (CHERRY BOMBZ)

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

Sex Pistols tribute act.

BOOK YER ANE FEST XIII

CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 16:00, £13

#TAG TUESDAYS

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 27 Nov FREAK LIKE ME

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Weekend-long celebration of DIY music, culture and community in venues across Dundee.

Soul, hip-hop and funk.

Sat 30 Nov

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop.

PETE WAY BAND

CHURCH, FROM 19:00, £16

Legendary bass player, best known for his work in UFO and as a founding member of Waysted and Fastway. THE RISING

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

Bruce Springsteen tribute act. BOOK YER ANE FEST XIII

CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 16:00, £16

Weekend-long celebration of DIY music, culture and community in venues across Dundee.

Sun 01 Dec

BOOK YER ANE FEST XIII

CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 16:00, £16

Weekend-long celebration of DIY music, culture and community in venues across Dundee.

Sat 07 Dec

A BAND CALLED MALICE

CHURCH, FROM 20:00, £10

The Jam tribute.

Sun 08 Dec CHINA CRISIS

CLARKS ON LINDSAY STREET, FROM 15:00, £21

The Merseyside lads return to perform selection of classics from their seven studio albums.

Sat 14 Dec WONK UNIT

CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4

GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night.

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 19:00, £16

Scottish 1980s and 1990s rock group formed in Bathgate.

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, TBC

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up. ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, TBC

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey. EZUP (NATALIE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £10

Ezup celebrate six years of parties.

Fri 29 Nov EASY PEELERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Bangers ripe and ready for your enjoyment.

SWG3 & SLAM EVENTS PRESENT SAM PAGANINI

SWG3, FROM 22:00, £20.25 - £22.50

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style. FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Elisco invite disco master Ray Mang, alongside residents Craig Moog and Fourth Precinct. SENSU: MALL GRAB (NITE FLEIT)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15

Jordan Alexander, aka Mall Grab, brings his Looking for Trouble tour to Glasgow, once again joined by fellow Aussie Nite Fleit.

Sat 30 Nov

Listings

CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop. GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night.

SUNNY SIDE UP (PHATBUTCHER + LEMMI WINKS)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3

Hip-hop and live percussion flanked by wicked visuals.

A charity club night focused on developing a more sustainable world and delivering quality music to dancefloors.

SWG3, FROM 22:00, £16.88 - £19.69

Thu 05 Dec

SHAKA LOVES YOU

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

SETH TROXLER B2B OPTIMO

Detroit meets Glasgow as Seth Troxler and Optimo go back to back all night. CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs. THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you. SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5-10

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests. ONE NIGHT AT THE DISCO PRESENT: A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

RIVERSIDE MUSEUM, FROM 19:00, £20

Glasgow’s Riverside Museum will be opening its doors to an era of pure decadence, glamour, excess – for a disco experience like no other. REBIRTH (GARY PATERSON + RYAN MACDONALD+ DAVID NIMMO + SMITH & BROWN + INTERNATIONAL CHAOS)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 22:00, £7 - £9

NULL / VOID

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Industrial goth rock disco. HELLBENT

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, TBC

From the fab fierce family that brought you Catty Pride comes Cathouse Rock Club’s new monthly alternative drag show. SESH

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.

STAR SIGNZ

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Flamboyant disco dream weavers. UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up. ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, TBC

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

FOUNDRY X ESOTERIC RHYTHMS (SLUGH + CASPER HASTINGS)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

The Foundry troops team up with Glasgow-based label Esoteric Rhythms to bring Irish national Casper Hastings to La Cheetah after his first release. SIRCLE: D. TIFFANY (STEVIE COX)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

D. Tiffany has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in dance music today. Her vision is unique and expertly crafted, reaching for a tripped-out, deep and funky sound transcending any one genre.

Fri 06 Dec GLITTERBANG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Disco divas and Euro-pop anthems for those ready to sweat. MARIBOU STATE

SWG3, FROM 23:00, £16.31 - £20.81

The tropical house duo, comprising of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, from Hertfordshire make a return to Glasgow. CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style. FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore. FANNY PACK (BRB + RUBY WATERS)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 22:00, £5

Mon 02 Dec

Once a iconic staple in the London party scene, the reliving of the Notorious 1990s makes its way to Glasgow.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

BARE MONDAYS

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

Tue 03 Dec

ANGEL DELIGHT (BOOSTERHOOCH)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

UK garage all night. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 04 Dec IT’S NOT A PHASE, MOM!

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Nu-metal, pop-punk, emo and early 00s tunes.

SCIENCE FICTION

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

UNHOLY

Sun 01 Dec

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

GOODBYE MR MACKENZIE

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £2 - £4

Thu 28 Nov

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £0 - £5

CLARKS ON LINDSAY STREET, FROM 15:00, £7

Sun 15 Dec

ELISCO (CRAIG MOOG + FOURTH PRECINCT)

Eutony’s last techno blow out of 2019.

PARTY FEARS THREE

One of the UK’s leading and most highly-respected 80s covers bands, celebrating the era’s music and sounds.

Jazz night at Sleazys brought to you by Sybren Renema.

The launch event of a new trance club night in Glasgow showcasing the best in all things trance and tech trance.

EUTONY (DARRELL HARDING)

Legendary Italian DJ and producer Sam Paganini takes over deck duty at SWG3.

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

Punk rock at its finest.

The Queens of the Glasgow disco scene, FKA Drugstore Glamour.

I LOVE GARAGE

RODDY RADIATION & THE SKABILLY REBELS

Former lead guitarist in The Specials, Roddy Byers fronts this new musical endeavour.

Glasgow Clubs

Thu 12 Dec

OUTER ZONE (WARDY & DOM D’SYLVA)

La Cheetah residents Wardy and Dom D’Sylva play all night showcasing the sounds of their in-house label Outer Zone. IAM: DANIEL AVERY (IDA)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15

ANJUNABEATS GLASGOW (GRUM + ILAN BLUESTONE + TRANCE WAX) SWG3, FROM 23:00, £19.69 - £25.31

Anjunabeats heads to Glasgow for a very special label showcase. CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs. I LOVE GARAGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £7

Lezure invite esteemed digger Truly Madly for a four hour set all night in the basement. SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10-15

SWG3, FROM 23:00, £13.50 - £15.75

Irish DJ and producer Rebuke melds together a soundclash of house, techno and rave records from the early 90s.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Afloat welcome down young Valencian DJ and producer Pépe, who first caught their eye playing last February in Berlin’s Wilde Renate. Expect house, breakbeat and electro.

Sun 08 Dec PHATIC COMMUNION

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

SWG3, FROM 22:00, £16.88

Dutch house and techno figurehead Joris Voorn returns to Glasgow. CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

FRESH BEAT

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

Hailing from Chicago and now living between New York and Berlin, Honey Dijon’s sound is a deft, heady blend of the club land influences. PETE TONG PRESENTS IBIZA CLASSICS

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £39.75 - £79.45

Anthems of the Balearic Isles are performed by The Heritage Orchestra and conducted by Jules Buckley.

Mon 09 Dec BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

Tue 10 Dec

SOULJAM: RETURN OF THE DISCO

SWG3, FROM 23:00, £6.25

SoulJam return to Glasgow for another night celebrating the very best in funk, soul and disco. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 11 Dec RETRONIC

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4

GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night. ARCADE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4

Arcade residents play all night.

DJ Kelmosh takes you through Mid-Southwestern emo, rock, new metal, nostalgia and 90s and 00s tunes. SESH

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.

FLEETMAC WOOD PRESENTS SEA OF LOVE DISCO

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 22:00, £10

Mon 16 Dec

Phase Group invite Iranian selector, producer and NTS host, Kasra V.

SUB CLUB PRESENTS HONEY DIJON (STEVIE COX)

CHEERS FOR THIRD SUNDAY

JORIS VOORN

ANNA & HOLLY’S DANCE PARTY

Rock’n’roll, garage and soul.

PHASE GROUP (KASRA V + MR TC + LO KINDRE)

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Fri 13 Dec

Three and a half hours of amorphous club percussion. SESH

DAMN SMOOTH JAZZ

A plastic free party with proceeds going towards Sea Shepherd, while Fleetmac Wood DJs Roxanne Roll and Smooth Sailing play remixes and edits of the Mac.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £6

Divine! supplies soul, ska, freakbeat, psyche and much more.

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop.

REBUKE

AFLOAT (PÈPE)

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 22:00, £4

DIVINE! (ANDREW DIVINE)

Sat 07 Dec FANTASTIC BOYS

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

Rock’n’roll, and 50s and 60s bangers.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, TBC

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests.

Phantasy man playing his hypnotechno, acid-flecked tunneling soundscapes.

Hip-hop, nu-metal, trap and techno patter.

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

Sun 15 Dec

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £7 - £10

RETURN TO MONO (SLAM + KOBOSIL + 999999999 (LIVE))

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £18

BARE MONDAYS

BOILER ROOM

The Boiler Room tour hits Glasgow, with a line-up of local international Djs gracing the booths spread across the whole SWG3 complex. CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

CRATER COVE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Funk, disco, boogie and house. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 18 Dec DON’T BE GUTTED

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

All-out decadence in the name of euphoria. CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4

GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

LA Cheetah bring in another round of 10th birthday celebrations with Call Super and Sofay. SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10-12

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests. LOOSEN UP (FERGUS CLARK + DAVID BARBAROSSA + CHARLIE MCCANN)

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 22:00, £4

Afro, disco and fun times guaranteed. EVERYBODY LOVES LIZZO

THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 23:00, £5

Celebrating body positivity, equality and safe spaces; expect female power anthems all night long with Boosterhooch and Babestation.

LATE NIGHT SKETCHY CLUB NIGHT (JO D’ARC (DJ SET) + MORPHAMISH + ANDY MARTIN)

AUDIO, FROM 23:00, £5 - £10

ROOM 2 DANCE (OR:LA + BRUCE)

Two UK-based DJs in their prime play bass, breaks and beyond.

QUARANTINE 1ST BIRTHDAY (BLOODY MARY + PAULITICAL) ROST, FROM 23:00, £8 - £10

For their first birthday, Quarantine welcome French-born, Berlin-based DJ and owner of Dame Music, Bloody Mary.

Sat 21 Dec

ABBA CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £13.50 - £15.75

Celebrate festive season with all your favourite ABBA classics and the best Christmas anthems. THE LANCE VANCE DANCE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Exotic dreamy disco.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Yungrutz’s Under The Sheetz party touches down in La Cheetah for a night of rumbling house championed by the likes of Skateboard, Harri, Sandboards and Brassica.

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

Sensu favourite and friend Maceo Plex returns for an intimate show at their spiritual home of the Sub Club.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

ATTENTION//PLEASE (UNDER THE SHEETZ)

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

LA CHEETAH 10TH BIRTHDAY PART 4 (CALL SUPER + SOFAY)

SENSU: MACEO PLEX

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £15 - £18

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night.

Thu 19 Dec

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £7 - £10

Belgian label Stroom present a glimpse into their weird and wonderful sonic universe.

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs. I LOVE GARAGE

12TH ISLE X PARTIAL: STROOM SHOWCASE (NOSEDRIP + VICTOR DE ROO)

ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

SWG3, FROM 22:00, £22.50

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

Tue 17 Dec

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

Sat 14 Dec NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £6

Expect a mix of live music, DJs and live art until the wee hours as Mark McG hosts and curates an eclectic late night sketchy party with special guests.

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop.

Hip-hop and live percussion flanked by wicked visuals.

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Monthly night from Soma Records, often with special guests. SHAKA LOVES YOU

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS CATHOUSE, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

PRAY 4 LOVE

I LOVE GARAGE

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, TBC

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £2 - £4

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests.

ELEMENT

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 21:00, £3

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

All love songs + all bangers. UNHOLY

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, TBC

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey. PALA

LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £0 - £5

Pala residents Veitch, Casey and Stengo play all night long. SIRCLE: CROMBY (STEVIE COX)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Fresh off the back of an absolute world-beating summer, Sircle invite the Belfast-born, Berlinbased Cromby to join Stevie Cox for their final party of 2019.

Fri 20 Dec SINGLES NIGHT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Beans + Divine explore the hits on 7” vinyl. MEDUZA

SWG3, FROM 23:00, £16.88

Electronic trio from Milan, who were signed at annual Amsterdam music festival and conference ADE. MADONNA POP DISCOTHEQUE

SWG3, FROM 23:00, £11.25

Madonna tribute club night.

MOJO WORKIN’ (FELONIOUS MUNK)

The Rum Shack’s monthly soul party, spinning soul, Motown, 60s R’n’B and more.

COOKING WITH PALMS TRAX (DEKMANTEL SOUNDSYSTEM) ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £12 - £15

Palms Trax continues his residency with the masterminds behind the Dekmantel festival and record label.

Sun 22 Dec SLIDE IT IN

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £10-13

Classic rock through the ages from DJ Nicola Walker. SESH

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night. DENIS SULTA

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £15 - £25

Golden boy Denis Sulta has been making waves so big he could cause a tsunami, and he heads to the Barrowlands as part of a five-date Scottish tour.

THE SKINNY

Mon 23 Dec BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

Tue 24 Dec #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 25 Dec CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop. GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night.

Thu 26 Dec BEN NICKY & FRIENDS

SWG3, FROM 21:00, £39.38

DJ/Producer Ben Nicky stirs up the trance and brings some pals along for the ride. UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up. ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, TBC

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

THUNDER DISCO GRAND FINALE (HAMMER & JUBÉ) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Thunder Disco throw their final party at Sub Club on Boxing Day. GOOD THING (BIG MIZ + ECLAIR FIFI)

ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

Eclair Fifi joins Big Miz for a Boxing Day bonanza.

Fri 27 Dec EASY PEELERS

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs. I LOVE GARAGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Wed 01 Jan

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10-15

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests. PERMANENT VACATION SHOWCASE (FORT ROMEAU + TERR + BENJAMIN FRÖHLICH)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £8 - £10

One of the most cutting edge house music label’s of the modern era returns to The Berkeley Suite with a host of the label’s biggest hitters.

Sun 29 Dec HELLBENT

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, TBC

From the fab fierce family that brought you Catty Pride comes Cathouse Rock Club’s new monthly alternative drag show. SESH

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.

Mon 30 Dec BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no? SUB CLUB PRESENTS DERRICK CARTER (REBECCA VASMANT)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £12 - £15

Bangers ripe and ready for your enjoyment. CATHOUSE, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

Tue 31 Dec

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style. FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

9000 DREAMS (AVALON EMERSON + NATHAN MICAY) LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

Avalon Emerson closes her La Cheetah residency, bringing down close Scorpio associate Nathan Micay.

ANIMAL FARM 15TH BIRTHDAY (SURGEON + PERYL + QUAIL) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £15

As Glaswegian clubbing institution Animal Farm reaches its 15th year, they continue to push the boundaries of techno in their home city.

NEVER BEEN KISSED XMAS PARTY (MILK DJS) THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, £6

90s/00s pop party with MTV style visuals and a lot more.

Sat 28 Dec

THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £22.50

DJ and actor Craig Charles will be manning the decks, playing his picks of funk and soul, with an array of guest spinners and live acts joining him. SHAKA LOVES YOU

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Hip-hop and live percussion flanked by wicked visuals.

December 2019

THE RUM SHACK, FROM 21:00, £15

TruThoughts’ Wrongtom is invited by host Rumshack Steve to spin reggae, dub, dancehall and more this Hogmanay.

The Chicago house legend takes to the decks. We’ll do the screaming.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

RUM SHACK HOGMANAY (WRONGTOM + RUMSHACK STEVE)

PEARL NECKLACE PRESENTS SLEAZY HOGMANAY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £5 - £10

All inclusive queer punk riot grrrl trash punk party with drag performances and fabulous fun. THE LANCE VANCE DANCE

EASY PEELERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Bangers ripe and ready for your enjoyment. MAXIMUM PRESSURE NYD

SWG3, FROM 20:00, £31.50

Annual NYD party from Soma Records with an always mammoth line-up.

Tue 26 Nov HECTORS

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £0 - £7

Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire. MIDNIGHT BASS

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty. TRASH

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Wed 27 Nov COOKIE

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

93s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems. HEATERS: C-SHAMAN + ZDS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

Out from the haze of the dancefloor and into the booth, ZDS makes his eagerly awaited Sneaks debut, setting the scene for Heaters resident C-Shaman.

Thu 28 Nov UNDERGROUND SOCIETY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol’s weekly midweek party, every Thursday. WACK: RADIOACTIVE MAN

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £9

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 21:00, £10

See in the New Year with a massive line-up of trance stars.

A CUT ABOVE (KLEFT (LIVE) + PLEASURE POOL (LIVE) + DOUBLE DISCONE (LIVE) + LISALOOF + OUTGOING PERSON + ROSE HIPS B2B DJ AMY)

THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 22:00, £5 - £10

A Cut Above return to The Flying Duck to throw their first Hogmanay Party, providing a line-up packed full of the most exciting local live acts and DJs Glasgow has to offer.

LA CHEETAH 10: NEW YEARS EVE (SHANTI CELESTE + OBJEKT + PEACH + RIBEKA + SOFAY + WARDY & DOM D’SYLVA) LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £20 - £35

TRASH TUESDAY: TRASH TEE GIVEAWAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Pulse celebrate their 10th birthday with a Perc Trax/MORD label event.

Free Tees and £1 drinks. Rock, pop-punk and alt anthems.

A special secret edition to the Jacuzzi General Presents series. Not to be missed.

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

EH-FM co-founder and Sneaks sideman Cap’n Goodtimes joins the Soul Jam boys for a knees-up.

Sat 30 Nov

Wed 04 Dec

JGP: SECRET GUEST

PLEASURE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests. MUMBO JUMBO + LUCKY 7

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £7

Funk, soul, beats and bumps from the Mumbo Jumbo gang and room two residents Lucky 7. BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. THE LAST EVER RIDE

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5

After eleven years, the RIDE gals put their lighters up one last time. Come dance and celebrate the end of an era! WEE DUB PRESENTS: MUNGO’S HI FI (DADDY FREDDY + EL FATA)

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £10

Wee Dub kicks off its new season with the annual Mungo’s Hi Fi session, featuring a full soundsystem and a very special vocal combination. TEESH (DJ CHEERS)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

DJ Cheers presents the 4D all you can eat mind buffet.

Sun 01 Dec PLEASURE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

SECRET SUNDAY: KRISPY KREME GIVEAWAY

SOUL JAM: CAP’N GOODTIMES

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

COOKIE WEDNESDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems. HEATERS: DANIEL AVERY

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

Daniel Avery. All Night Long. Presales sold out, limited tickets on the door.

Thu 05 Dec UNDERGROUND SOCIETY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol’s weekly midweek party, every Thursday.

HNS (BLEEDING GUMS SHMURPHY + NICCY BUZZ + POLAR + SHIWIN) THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

A one room affair with residents spinning a tropical baazar of sensual basslines, hectic pacemaker samples and general skattiness. HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Student anthems and bangerz. SILK THURSDAYS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £1 - £5

Weekly Thursday chart, house, R’n’B and indie night with DJ Big Al. POPULAR MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae. SKOOP

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

EP Launch for the up-and-coming hip-hop music collective.

Celebrating 18 years in the techno game, Jackhammer have assembled a line-up that reflects their ethos. BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. HEART OF GLASS

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £4 - £6

Glamourous, glittery, flamboyant, feathery, ostentatious and rock ‘n’ roll, Heart of Glass plays only the best music from the 70s and beyond. HEAL YOURSELF AND MOVE: FREE LOVE (LIVE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £8

Firecracker Records team up with Free Love. Need we say more?!

FLEETMAC WOOD PRESENTS SEA OF LOVE DISCO

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £11.25

A plastic free party with proceeds going towards Sea Shepherd, while Fleetmac Wood DJs Roxanne Roll and Smooth Sailing play remixes and edits of the Mac. SAMEDIA SHEBEEN (SAMSON SOUNDS)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

As always Samedia play music spanning Afrobeat, Latin, kuduru, dancehall, samba, soca, cumbia and beyond. RIVIERA PARADISO (ANDREA MONTALTO)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

One of the best selectors in the country playing all night on his own, bringing Mediterranean vibes and whistles to the Palms stage. One not to be missed! Solo Catania!

Sun 08 Dec PLEASURE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

SECRET SUNDAY: KRISPY KREME GIVEAWAY

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion.

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £8

Edinburgh’s favourite local radio station brings a selection of its show hosts down for an extended Sunday session.

SILK THURSDAYS

Weekly Thursday chart, house, R’n’B and indie night with DJ Big Al. POPULAR MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae. EXHIBITION X CAROUSE

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £8

Exhibition and Carouse team up once again to bring a stellar lineup of Djs to The Mash House.

Fri 29 Nov FLY CLUB (LIAM DOC)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £8

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

ELECTRIKAL (MEFJUS & CURRENT VALUE)

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £14

Soundsystem partystarters, part of a music and art collective specialising in all things bass. FLIP

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 19:00, £17 - £25.55

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

Ring in the New Year with two rooms of soulful music.

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £12 - £15

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £7 - £10

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £5

HI-SOCIETY

La Cheetah Club conclude their 10th birthday year with a B2B set from residents Objekt and Shanti Celeste, as well as rising party starter Peach. DRYGATE’S HOGMANAY GO GO

10 YEARS OF PULSE (PERC + BAS MOOY + ANSOME + UVB + DARRELL PULSE)

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty.

JACKHAMMER 18TH BIRTHDAY (PHIL KIERAN + NEIL LANDSTRUMM)

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £1 - £5

RE:BIRTH (DANNY EATON + WILLIAM DANIEL + ROBBIE GRAHAM + RYAN MACDONALD)

Headset residents playing garage, house, 2-Step, UK Funky and more all night long.

Sat 07 Dec

Fri 06 Dec

#TAG TUESDAYS

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

MIDNIGHT BASS

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Free Doughnuts, £1 Drinks Chart, Club & Requests

Student anthems and bangerz.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

HEADSET’S GAY GARAGE

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £4 - £6

One of the Two Lone Swordsmen alongside Andrew Weatherall, Radioactive Man is the alias of Keith Tenniswood.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £5 - £10

Exotic dreamy disco.

Edinburgh Clubs

PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £4 - £6

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

REWIND

Monthly party night celebrating the best in soul, disco, rock and pop with music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current bangers. COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, FREE

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion. PARADISE PALMS PRESENTS EMIKA (LIVE)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Piano, synths, vocals and a unique sound world that’s caught the ear of Ninja Tune, Berghain’s Osgut Ton and received high praise from DJ Mag, Uncut and Thom Yorke, among others.

Mon 02 Dec MIXED UP MONDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room. HOMETOWN

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £0 - £4

The return of the fleeto to Sneaks, as Hometown YT hit the club with bags and bags of belters.

Tue 03 Dec HECTORS

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £0 - £7

Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire.

Find full listings at theskinny.co.uk/whats-on

FLY CLUB (FREDERICK)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £8

SSL XL (COMMODO + SPOOKY + K-LONE + BIG N BASHY + MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM)

Sound System Legacies explores the legacy of dub, reggae, roots music and sound system culture on more contemporary club and dance music styles. FLIP FRIDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect. PROPAGANDA

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Free Doughnuts, £1 Drinks Chart, Club & Requests COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, FREE

EH-FM

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 18:00, FREE

Mon 09 Dec MIXED UP MONDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room. GROOVELABS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £3

SOUL JAM: C-SHAMAN SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

Heaters head honcho brings his best disco burners alongside Percy Main and Tuesday Gonzalez.

Wed 11 Dec

VALHALLA: DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS (RYAN FYVIE + NATE MARRON)

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £6 - £10

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £8 - £14

COOKIE WEDNESDAY

HEATERS: SNEAKY’S ALL STARS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

The now annual Heaters family shindig, where the club crew are off the bar and in the booth.

Thu 12 Dec

UNDERGROUND SOCIETY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol’s weekly midweek party, every Thursday. HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Student anthems and bangerz. SILK THURSDAYS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £1 - £5

Weekly Thursday chart, house, R’n’B and indie night with DJ Big Al. POPULAR MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae. CULTUR (MAG)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Bringing the heat to the streets since 2018 but this time with a tropical twist.

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Gemma and Doug’s diverse tastes are underscored by a shared love of Afro-Carribean music, creating a heady mix of dancehall, afro house and dubbed-out percussion.

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty. TRASH TUESDAY

PLEASURE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

SECRET SUNDAY: KRISPY KREME GIVEAWAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Free Doughnuts, £1 Drinks Chart, Club & Requests COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, FREE

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion.

Mon 16 Dec

MIXED UP MONDAY: END OF TERM PARTY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Holidays are coming! Chart, club, pop and requests. FLY: DENIS SULTA

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £15 - £30

Tue 17 Dec

FLY CLUB (COOKED)

SAMEDIA SHEBEEN: DISCO MAKOSSA

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Disco Makossa takes the dancefloor on a funk filled trip through the sounds of African disco, boogie, house, acid, kwaito and techno.

HECTORS

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £0 - £7

Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire. MIDNIGHT BASS

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty.

PROPAGANDA

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

FLIP FRIDAY: THE ROCK APPRECIATION NIGHT

We celebrate all things The Rock. Chart and mash-ups. THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £4 - £6

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like. HOT MESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £6

Hot Mess is a hot and messy queer rave. Non-stop bangers and mash, selected and sequenced with love by Simonotron.

JACUZZI GENERAL PRESENTS…

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

An electronic night curated by producer Jacuzzi General. Expect leftfield, disco, downtempo electronica and nu-wave. Bring a towel.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £0 - £7

MIDNIGHT BASS

Sun 15 Dec

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £8

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

Tue 10 Dec

PARADISE PALS: BEATROOTS (ICED GEM + DOUG)

Skatebård’s catalogue oscillates between emotional techno, neo-italo, electro from an alternative future and a Scandocosmic reinterpretation of pure Detroitian house.

Fri 13 Dec

MISS WORLD: SARRA WILD

Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire.

FIRST EDITION: SKATEBÅRD

Edinburgh’s very own makes a triumphant return to the sweatbox of Sneaks.

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Sarra Wild is a major figure in the Scottish scene, actively working to disrupt white male dominated spaces and promote the work of queer, womxn and POC performers, Djs and producers.

TEESH

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £6

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems.

Residents Cameron Mason and Calum Evans spin the finest cuts of deep funk, Latin rhythms and rare groove into the early hours.

HECTORS

Mella Dee, a producer defined by a willingness to experiment with a wide range of sounds, concepts and landscapes, hits up Edinburgh’s Liquid Room. DJ Cheers presents the 4D all you can eat mind buffet.

Sat 14 Dec

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £4 - £6

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £12.50 - £20

DABJ are the sound of house and raw techno in Glasgow right now.

Final outing of the year for Groovelabs, raising more money for a worthwhile cause.

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

MELLA DEE PRESENTS WAREHOUSE MUSIC (RYAN ELLIOT)

SOULSVILLE

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £7

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. CITRUS SATURDAY

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £5

Expect the usual Citrus blend of indie mixed with some soul classics and maybe a few 80s hits.

TRASH TUESDAY: HOW THE GRINCH TRASH’D XMAS

Annual TRASH Christmas Party. Rock, pop-punk and alt anthems. SOUL JAM: CAMERON MASON

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

The head honcho of Soulsville steps in with Tuesday Gonzalez and Percy Main.

Wed 18 Dec COOKIE WEDNESDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems. HEATERS: C-SHAMAN

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

Wednesday’s chief dancefloor motivator steps back into the ring. Six hours of brain teasers coming in hot.

Thu 19 Dec

UNDERGROUND SOCIETY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol’s weekly midweek party, every Thursday. HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Student anthems and bangerz. SILK THURSDAYS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £1 - £5

Weekly Thursday chart, house, R’n’B and indie night with DJ Big Al. POPULAR MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae.

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Listings

Fri 20 Dec

FLY: WAXXMAS (LIAM DOC + GAV MILLER + JEZZ SIMPSON)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £8

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

HEADSET’S 5TH BIRTHDAY: LIVITY SOUND TAKEOVER (PEVERELIST + HODGE + BAKONGO + ANINA + DANIELLE + SKILLIS) THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £15

Bristol label Livity Sound host a takeover of The Bongo Club for Headset’s 5th Birthday. FLIP FRIDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £4 - £6

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like. TONTO TECHNO: THE YELLOWHEADS (I AM BAM)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 23:00, £10 - £17

The YellowHeads was formed by two people with a strong passion for music. ATHENS OF THE NORTH

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £6

Discogs shattering reissue diggers Athens Of The North always bring the best time with rare selections for heads and feet, including selections from their own 50-release strong label.

PARADISE PALS: MISS WORLD (EMILY + JULIA)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

All female DJ collective based in Edinburgh. Sneaky Pete’s and EH-FM residents.

Sat 21 Dec

MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger soundsystem. BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. THE MIRROR DANCE PRESENTS RUF DUG

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £6.50 - £10

The cottonopolis-based master of DIY beats heads north for the first 5am of the festive season. JACUZZI GENERAL PRESENTS…

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

TRASH TUESDAY: CHRISTMAS EVE THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Christmas decor, special cocktails and £1 Drinks. Chart and dancefloor anthems.

Wed 25 Dec COOKIE WEDNESDAY: CHRISTMAS DAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Christmas decor and £1 drinks. Cheese and chart.

Thu 26 Dec

UNDERGROUND SOCIETY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol’s weekly midweek party, every Thursday. HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY: BOXING DAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Christmas hangover with decor and £1 Drinks. Chart and student anthems. SILK THURSDAYS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £1 - £5

Weekly Thursday chart, house, R’n’B and indie night with DJ Big Al. POPULAR MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae.

Fri 27 Dec FLY (VOYAGE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £8

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent. MIDNIGHT BASS

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty. FLIP FRIDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £4 - £6

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like. LIONOIL

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Final party of the year from the Lionoil Pride. JACUZZI GENERAL PRESENTS…

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 22:00, FREE

THE PEOPLES FRONT (THE BURRELL CONNECTION + PARTS UNKNOWN + SLOAN) PARADISE PALMS, FROM 22:00, FREE

The trio of comrades behind The Peoples Front let the music do the talking, brandishing their shared music ideology, joining the dots between disco, Italo and all the curveballs in between.

Mon 30 Dec MIXED UP MONDAY

VOLENS CHORUS

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £3

Fast music, big basslines and visual stimulation from the Volens Chorus residents. CGGCC (GEEBZY + DJ CHEERS)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 22:00, FREE

The first edition of a very special club hosted by Palms stalwart Chrissy G. Teesh co-founder DJ Cheers joins him to start the New Year celebrations early.

Tue 31 Dec

FLY NYE (JASPER JAMES + BIG MIZ + LA LA + LIAM DOC + COOKED + GAV & JAZZ + L+F) CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 21:00, £20 - £30

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent, bring in the New Year. KW’S SUPA-DUPA HOGMANAY SOUNDS OF THE 70S & 80S (DJ TALL PAUL ROBINSON + OLLY)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 22:00, £8

The Keith Watson Club’s Hogmanay Special, playing top dancefloor tunes from the 70s and 80s.

SSL XL NYE (STORM + OM UNIT + SULLY + NOODLES + PROC FISKAL + CREEP WOLAND + ANIKONIK + SKILLIS + STEADFAST SYLVATICA + BRO MOST RIGHTEOUS) THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £25

Sound System Legacies explores the legacy of dub, reggae, roots music and sound system culture on more contemporary club and dance music styles. THE CAVES EDINBURGH HOGMANAY PARTY

THE CAVES, FROM 21:30, £15 - £17.50

Edinburgh’s most spectacular and unique venue opens its doors to the public on Hogmanay to celebrate with a good oldfashioned Hogmanay Party.

An electronic night curated by producer Jacuzzi General. Expect leftfield, disco, downtempo electronica and nu-wave. Bring a towel.

Sun 22 Dec

Sat 28 Dec

MUMBO JUMBO + LUCKY 7

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £7

VEGAS! THE GRAND HOGMANAY BALL

BUBBLEGUM

Scotland’s award-winning retro club night presents an evening of cocktails and cool, showgirls and swing and roulette and romance.

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

SECRET SUNDAY: KRISPY KREME GIVEAWAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Free Doughnuts, £1 Drinks Chart, Club & Requests COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, FREE

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion.

Mon 23 Dec MIXED UP MONDAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room. PRONTO (DISCO MAKOSSA)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Disco Makossa residents Calum Archibald and Nunye Gees Wax play all night long. Expect Afro, disco, Italo and house music for this 5am showdown.

Tue 24 Dec HECTORS

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £0 - £7

Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire.

Listings

Funk, soul, beats and bumps from the Mumbo Jumbo gang and room two residents Lucky 7. THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. SNEAKY PETE’S CHRISTMAS SHOWDOWN

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Sneaky’s bring a very special guest along for you to dance off your Christmas turkey.

D & D MUSIC FACTORY’S NEW YEARS PARTY (KIPP$ + PICA$$O)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 22:00, FREE

The deadly duo are back with a blend of house, disco and pubfriendly techno. As the great men themselves proclaimed ‘we always come early’.

Sun 29 Dec PLEASURE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

SECRET SUNDAY: KRISPY KREME GIVEAWAY

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Free Doughnuts, £1 Drinks Chart, Club & Requests COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, FREE

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion.

Fri 29 Nov

ALL GOOD PRESENTS SKREAM

FAT SAM’S, FROM 23:00, £14 - £19.50

Oliver Dene Jones, aka, Skream plays Open to Close.

THE HIVE, FROM 22:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

An electronic night curated by producer Jacuzzi General. Expect leftfield, disco, downtempo electronica and nu-wave. Bring a towel. PLEASURE

Dundee Clubs

TRASH TUESDAY: HOGMANAY UV WONDERLAND

THE HIVE, FROM 21:00, £10

Get lit this Hogmanay at The Hive. UV decor, face painting, giveaways and midnight celebrations.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 21:30, £25

SOUL JAM: NYE

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

See this decade out in a huge hot explosion of sax solos, infectious grooves and sexy vocals. MAGIC NOSTALGIC: HOGMANAY PARTY

SUMMERHALL, FROM 21:30, £12 - £20

At Magic Nostalgic, every half an hour someone is invited up on stage to spin a wheel. Wherever it lands determines what kind of music you’ll find yourself singing along to for the next 30 minutes. SAMEDIA SHEBEEN: HOGMANAY TROPICAL SOUNDCLASH

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15

As always Samedia play music spanning Afrobeat, Latin, kuduru, dancehall, samba, soca, cumbia and beyond.

BURDS OF PARADISE: SNOGMANAY (JAMES THE CREATURE + MISS RONYA) PARADISE PALMS, FROM 22:00, FREE

Bring in the bells at Palms with a wacky, weird and wonderful drag show hosted by two Queens! Expect special guests, superstar DJs and table packages to rival George Street’s finest!

Glasgow Theatre CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art //BUZZCUT// DOUBLE THRILLS 11 DEC, 6:00PM, £9 - £18

//BUZZCUT// Double Thrills is Glasgow’s programme of raw, radical and risky performance and Live Art, taking over CCA once a month. EXILES

14 DEC, 7:30PM, £5 - £8

Exiles follows the romance of two Glaswegians, in a city sick with poverty, boredom, militarism and gentrification. THE INVISIBLE CITIES PROJECT

Theatre RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE 6 DEC, 7:00PM, £39.40 - £133.40

A chance to see all of the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent of Drag Race UK’s Queen’s queens live on stage, hosted by Drag Queen Extraordinaire Alyssa Edwards.

Tramway SHARED SPACE

8 DEC, 2:00PM, TBC

A Moment’s Peace and Küche present the first in a new series of regular events seeking to raise the creative profile of anyone with lived experience of the immigration system. A CITIZENS THEATRE PRODUCTION: PINOCCHIO

7 DEC-4 JAN 20, 7:00PM, £9 - £12.50

Follow the mischievous Pinocchio on his journey from wooden puppet to real boy. Matinee performances also available.

Tron Theatre CINDERFELLA

1 DEC-5 JAN 20, 7:30PM, £9 - £23

Johnny McKnight reworks the classic tale of Cinderella for this year’s panto at the Tron. Matinees available.

19 DEC, 7:30PM, £5 - £8

An interdisciplinary performance inspired by Italo Calvino’s book Invisible Cities.

Platform

MOTHER GOOSE FAE EASTERHOOSE

10-23 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5 - £9.50

Witness a madcap adventure as dear old Mother Goose is taken on a wild ride when her pet goose lays a golden egg and she gets rich.

Edinburgh Theatre Assembly Roxy DAPHNE, OR HELLFIRE

29 NOV, 8:00PM, £8 - £10

SEC

From Scottish playwright Isla Cowan comes this exciting new play about trees, family trees and female liberation.

14-31 DEC, 7:00PM, £18.75 - £33.50

7 DEC, 8:30PM, £20

SNOW WHITE

Gary: Tank Commander is back and leading the cast of this year’s spectacular pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to victory. Matinee performances also available.

St Luke’s LIONS OF LISBON

28 NOV, 5:00PM, £14.63 - £16.88

Willy Maley and Ian Auld’s hit play The Lions of Lisbon is revived as a rehearsed reading with live music.

The King’s Theatre

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

1 DEC-5 JAN 20, 7:00PM, £12 - £49

Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac are back, swapping their magic carpet for Dame Trot’s farm this year. Matinees available.

The Rum Shack

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE

4-5 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

An evening of short plays written and performed by emerging writers specifically for that event.

The SSE Hydro

ELF: A CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

14-15 DEC, TIMES VARY, £37.50 - £49.50

The Broadway musical based on the hit Will Ferrell movie, is supersized into a huge Christmas spectacular.

Theatre Royal WE WILL ROCK YOU

9-28 DEC, 7:30PM, £13 - £82.40

Surefire crowd-pleaser for the festive season, packed with Queen’s inherently theatrical songs and a witty script by Ben Elton. Matinee performances also available. FRANKENSTEIN

26-30 NOV, TIMES VARY, £13 - £48.40

Rona Munro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece places the writer herself amongst the action.

DRAGART

A feel-good party atmosphere which will have the audience exhilarated from start to finish. This is the Creme de la Creme of Drag Shows and an experience not to be missed. LE MIRACLE DE NOEL (OU PRESQUE!)

14 DEC, 8:00PM, £8

A French theatre group decides to celebrate Christmas the British way by staging a traditional nativity play with a French twist. MEN WITH COCONUTS: SLAMPROV

Royal Lyceum Theatre AN EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS CAROL

5 DEC-4 JAN 20, 7:00PM, £10 - £100

Writer and director Tony Cownie brings this famous festive story back to the city of its birth. Matinee performances also available.

Scottish Storytelling Centre

FLOATING BRICK THEATRE PRESENTS IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

15-21 DEC, TIMES VARY, £13.50

Based on Frank Capra’s iconic film, Floating Brick Theatre stage a new adaptation by Tamas Fazakas with a very important message: No man is a failure who has friends.

The Basement Theatre

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE

4-5 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

An evening of short plays written and performed by emerging writers specifically for that event.

The Edinburgh Playhouse DISNEY’S THE LION KING

5 DEC-29 MAR 20, 7:30PM, £20 - £115

Stage adaptation of the favourited Disney film, bolstered by suitably dazzling staging and elaborate costumes, masks and puppets. Matinee performances also available.

Traverse Theatre STRANGE TALES

2-21 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5 - £16

Strange Tales will draw you into a world full of mischievous fox spirits, yearning ghosts and enchanted swords where anything and everything is possible. I CAN GO ANYWHERE

7-21 DEC, 8:00PM, £5 - £20

I Can Go Anywhere is a bighearted call to arms; a Mod anthem to solidarity and acceptance in an increasingly hostile world. Matinee performances also available.

18 DEC, 8:00PM, £8 - £10

A blistering mix of poetry and improvisational comedy. Poems and stories will be used as inspiration for completely improvised scenes, sketches and songs. SUFJAN STEVENS’ SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS

21 DEC, 7:30PM, £8 - £10

A joyous festive concert which brings together professional musicians and a speciallycreated Edinburgh community choir in a new alternative to the traditional carol concert.

Festival Theatre HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, £28 - £48

The Grinch discovers there’s more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming and hilarious musical based on Dr. Seuss’ books. SCOTTISH BALLET: THE SNOW QUEEN

7-29 DEC, 7:30PM, £19 - £46

Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year comes to a spectacular close with the world premiere of The Snow Queen. Matinee performances also available.

King’s Theatre Edinburgh

KING’S PANTO: GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

1 DEC-19 JAN 20, 7:00PM, £18.50 - £36

Allan Stewart, Andy Gray and Grant Stott are back in a circusinspired King’s Panto spectacular. Matinee performances also available.

Dundee Theatre Dundee Rep OOR WULLIE

4 DEC-5 JAN 20, 7:00PM, £12 - £27

Join Wullie, Fat Boab, Soapy Soutar, Wee Eck and the rest of the Sunday Post gang in a musical adventure celebrating their 80th anniversary as Scotland’s most beloved comic strip. Matinees available. SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE: SPUTNIK

6-7 DEC, TIMES VARY, £4 - £10

Whitehall Theatre ALADDIN

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, £15.75 - £17.75

Thomson Leng Musical Society’s panto adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin, packed with songs, slapstick, silliness and audience participation. Matinees available. DOWNFIELD MUSICAL SOCIETY PRESENT JACK & THE BEANSTALK

13-20 DEC, 7:15PM, £14.75 - £18.75

Downfield offer their version of the tale of Jack, some beans and one massive beanstalk. Matinee performances also available.

RED RAW 2-23 DEC, 8:30PM, £3

Legendary new material night with up to 10 acts. Every Monday in Edinburgh and Tuesday in Glasgow. THE THURSDAY SHOW

4-19 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5 - £10

Start the weekend early with five comedians. THE SATURDAY SHOW

7-21 DEC, 9:00PM, £17.50

The big weekend show with five comedians. THE FRIDAY SHOW

6-20 DEC, TIMES VARY, £6 - £12

The big weekend show with five comedians. DAVID KAY

22 NOV, 8:30PM, £10 - £12

Glasgow Comedy Blackfriars Basement

GLASGOW HAROLD NIGHT

3 DEC, 8:00PM, FREE

David Kay, one of the hidden gems of the Scottish comedy circuit, has won many fans with his laidback, gentle and original style. COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES

4 DEC, 8:30PM, £4 - £6

The country’s best comedians battle it out. HOOTFEST!

One hilarious show, completely improvised by two teams, based off an audience suggestion. Improv comedy at its finest.

27-31 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

10 DEC, 8:00PM, FREE

9-14 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

IMPROV FUCKTOWN

Some of the best improvisers in the country are leaving home comforts behind to perform in a variety of fun and exciting longform improv formats.

Glee Club

FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY

29 NOV, 7:00PM, £8 - £20

The perfect way to end the working week, with four superb stand-up comedians. SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY

28 DEC, 7:00PM, £8 - £23.95

An evening of award-winning comedy, with four superb standup comedians that will keep you laughing until Monday. SCOTT GIBSON: WHITE NOISE

1 DEC, 7:00PM, £15

Glasgow’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning son, Scott Gibson tours Scotland with a brand new hour of darkly comedic storytelling. DO GO ON

2 DEC, 7:00PM, £20

Melbourne podcasters Jess Perkins, Matt Stewart and Dave Warneke do what they do best – take it in turns to report on a topic suggested by a listener. CHRISTMAS COMEDY SPECIAL

Laugh your way into the new year at Scotland’s favourite comedy club.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Christmas cheer from the very best comics from the UK and beyond. MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV

2 DEC, 8:30PM, £3

Hold on tight for this fast, frantic unpredictable showdown of improvised comedy games where the same game is never played twice SPONTANEOUS POTTER

12-16 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5

A brand new Harry Potter play from some of Edinburgh’s most top notch improv wizards. MR FIBBERS: BACK IN TUNE

1 DEC, 3:00PM, £4

Mr Fibbers is back and funnier than ever with a show packed with jokes, games and comedy songs that kids just love. STAND COMEDY KIDS CLUB CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2019

14 DEC, 3:00PM, £4

Daft comedy session suitable for little ears (i.e. no swearies), for children aged 8-12 years-old. CHRISTOPHER MACARTHURBOYD’S NEW MATERIAL NIGHT!

23 DEC, 8:30PM, £2 - £3

Brand new jokes from Scotland’s newest and best comedians in a laid-back and loose format.

5-21 DEC, 7:00PM, PRICES VARY

Four comedians rock up at the Glee for a series of Christmas specials. 31 DEC, 7:00PM, £24.50

Edinburgh Comedy

Stereo

Monkey Barrel Comedy Club

HOGMANAY COMEDY SPECIAL

See in 2020 with the best comedians, excellent food, and an after party to remember. LAUGH TRACKS

3 DEC, 9:00PM, £3

An alternative comedy music club night.

The Flying Duck THE CLAP

1 DEC, 6:30PM, £5

Improv comedy. ON THE FLY!

22 DEC, 6:30PM, £5

THE EDINBURGH REVUE

3 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £2

The University of Edinburgh’s Comedy Society, who put on sketch and stand-up comedy shows every two weeks. SPONTANEOUS SHERLOCK

5-19 DEC, 8:00PM, £5

An entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play from Scotland’s hottest improv troupe. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG FRIDAY SHOW

See where dance is going next in three unforgettable performances from Scottish Dance Theatre.

Improv comedy night.

The Gardyne Theatre

Mr Jefferies goes about challenging our beliefs and behaviour once more, all done in his own cutting edge comedic style.

7-14 DEC, 7:00PM, £14

The Stand Glasgow

4-18 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £3

ROBERT C KELLY PRESENTS SNOW WHITE

7-30 DEC, 6:30PM, £16.75 - £23.75

Join Gardyne Theatre pantomime favourites Tom Urie, Darren Connell and Jenny Douglas on a magical adventure to meet a Wicked Queen. Matinee performances also available.

The SSE Hydro JIM JEFFERIES

12 DEC, 6:30PM, £44.25 - £181.60

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE

1-22 DEC, 8:30PM, £5 - £6

Our popular Sunday show has resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond at the helm.

6-13 DEC, 7:00PM, £10 - £12

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SATURDAY SHOW

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. TOP BANANA

Catch the stars of tomorrow today in Monkey Barrel’s new act night every Wednesday. PROJECT X

17 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £3

Monkey Barrel welcome the weird, the wacky and the downright hilarious to the stage.

THE SKINNY

Comedy CHUNKS 10 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £3

The Scottish Comedy Award winning CHUNKS ain’t yer traditional comedy night. SPONTANEOUS POTTER

12-16 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5

A brand new Harry Potter play from some of Edinburgh’s most top notch improv wizards. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SUNDAY SHOW

1-15 DEC, 7:00PM, £5

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. THE WEE SHOW

7-21 DEC, 4:30PM, £5

Saturday afternoon comedy show at Monkey Barrel. PETER PANCAKES

9 DEC, 7:30PM, FREE

Phil O’Shea brings a handpicked selection of riotous lols to Monkey Barrel on the second Monday of the month. WRITERS BLOC

16 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £3

See ten comics heading to the 2020 Fringe construct sets, bits, monologues and everything in between. COMEDIAN SHOWDOWN

23 DEC, 7:00PM, £0 - £3

Two teams of comedians compete against each other through several rounds of humiliation, hilarity and hardship. DATING CRAPP

30 NOV, 11:00PM, £5

Some of Scotland’s best improvisers join forces to perform based off of two audience members dating profiles. BIG SHOW MONDAY: FESTIVE SPECIAL

30 DEC, 7:00PM, £5

A hand picked line-up offering everything from the very best up-and-coming acts to the superb headliners worth the entrance fee alone. BIG SHOW HOGMANAY SPECIAL

31 DEC, 7:00PM, £12

Start your Hogmanay celebrations with a bang at Edinburgh’s award-winning comedy club, bringing you a top night of stand-up in the heart of the city. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG FRIDAY SHOW: FESTIVE SPECIAL

20-27 DEC, 7:00PM, £10 - £12

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SATURDAY SHOW: FESTIVE SPECIAL

21-28 DEC, 7:00PM, £14

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. ROB MULHOLLAND HAS AN OPINION

15 DEC, 5:00PM, £5

Live version of the chart-topping podcast where comedian Rob Mulholland shares opinions on things with guests. MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SUNDAY SHOW: FESTIVE SPECIAL

22-29 DEC, 7:00PM, £5

Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

The Basement Theatre THE COMEDY SHOW

6-7 DEC, 8:00PM, £10 - £12

Bringing you top notch line-ups from the best in the world of comedy for a side-splitting evening every Friday and Saturday at 8pm. THE COMEDY SHOW: NEW SH*T

5 DEC, 8:00PM, £2.50

The Comedy Show’s wee sister, where old pros and new talent try out fresh material for free. BELTER COMEDY

12 DEC, 8:00PM, £6

Bringing you the best and brightest of the comedy scene, showcasing brand new gags alongside tried and tested material.

FRED MACAULAY IN CONVERSATION 8 DEC, 5:00PM, £8 - £10

Fred MacAulay, one of Scotland’s best-loved stand-ups, is back with his monthly live chat show. Joining Fred will be stars from the worlds of sport, entertainment, business and politics. SCOTT GIBSON AND PALS TRY NEW JOKES

11 DEC, 8:00PM, £10

Comedian Scott Gibson and pals road test new material, halfbaked ideas, and ramble on about a story or two. BESOMS COMEDY

28 NOV, 8:00PM, £6 - £7

Armageddon is not so much nigh as teabagging the world in the face. So now that we’ve bought the tickets to Hell in a handcart and this really is the end of civilisation, surely we can still find the time to trivialise it? SHAMBLES

4 DEC, 8:30PM, £4 - £5

A collective of Edinburgh’s top comics join forces to provide an evening’s worth of entertainment, with the emphasis on the alternative, every month. THE CABARET OF DANGEROUS IDEAS

5 DEC, 5:30PM, £5

Join The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas and challenge your preconceptions on hot button issues. JAMIE MACDONALD: WORK IN PROGRESS

A monthly night bringing you the best from across comedy’s glorious communities, hosted by self-confessed cheeky besom Jay Lafferty.

Jamie MacDonald is the UK’s hottest blind comedian, and the first ever blind comedian to appear on a TV comedy panel show.

13-21 DEC, 8:00PM, £10 - £12

1-15 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

THE COMEDY SHOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Get down to the Basement this festive season for side-splitting (split sides = more space for roasties) comedy. JESUS L’OREAL: INN STABLE CONDITION(ER)

15 DEC, 8:00PM, £10 - £12

Halleberrylujah! Give praise to the birthday boy Jesus L’Oreal as he’s making a festive back comb, er, come back. THE COMEDY SHOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL + AFTER PARTY

20 DEC, 8:00PM, £10 - £12

Get down to the Basement this festive season for side-splitting (split sides = more space for roasties) comedy. Plus, a big ‘ol festive after party once the show’s over. THE COMEDY SHOW HOGMANAY SPECIAL

27-29 DEC, 8:00PM, £10 - £12

Get out of the cold and into the Basement for three nights of comedy from Rosco McClelland, Susan Riddell and Scott Gibson, and see 2019 out with a giggle.

The Stand Edinburgh RED RAW

2-23 DEC, 8:30PM, £3

Legendary new material night with up to 10 acts. Every Monday in Edinburgh and Tuesday in Glasgow. THE THURSDAY SHOW

4-19 DEC, TIMES VARY, £5 - £10

Start the weekend early with five comedians. THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN

8-22 DEC, 8:30PM, £5 - £6

Chilled Sunday night comedy to see out the weekend. THE SATURDAY SHOW

7-21 DEC, 9:00PM, £17.50

The big weekend show with five comedians. THE FRIDAY SHOW

6-20 DEC, TIMES VARY, £6 - £12

The big weekend show with five comedians. A CHRISTMAS CABARET

7-28 DEC, 5:00PM, £5 - £6

Join Bruce Devlin for a Christmas cracker of a cabaret show, a fast paced festive hour awaits from the fringe festival hit! MIDWEEK COMEDY CABARET

26 NOV, 8:30PM, £4 - £5

Midweek comedy showcase.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

1-29 DEC, 1:30PM, PRICES VARY

Improvised comedy at its very best every Sunday. HOOTFEST!

27-31 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Laugh your way into the new year at Scotland’s favourite comedy club.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

9-14 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Christmas cheer from the very best comics from the UK and beyond. JOJO SUTHERLAND AND SUSAN MORRISON: FANNY’S AHOY!

27-31 DEC, TIMES VARY, £4 - £5

Set sail with the award-winning grand dames of Scottish comedy.

December 2019

THE END OF THE WORLD SHOW 18 DEC, 8:30PM, £5 - £7

8 DEC, 6:00PM, £5

FREE TICKETS FOR BBC RECORDING

Scotland’s top funny man, Mark Nelson leads a panel of comedians and personalities attempting to decipher the good from the bad, with a few unexpected twists along the way. BENEFIT IN AID OF FETLOR YOUTH CLUB

1 DEC, 8:30PM, £10

Comedy benefit in aid of FetLor Youth Club, a safe and supportive environment for young people aged 7-17. BENEFIT IN AID OF EDINBURGH DOG AND CAT HOME

3 DEC, 8:30PM, £12

Comedy benefit in aid of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, which has been part of the fabric of the city since 1883. BENEFIT IN AID OF CYRENIANS

17 DEC, 8:30PM, £10

Comedy benefit in aid of Cyrenians, a Scottish charity which supports people who are at risk from homelessness.

Glasgow Art

Art David Dale Gallery and Studios

ROBERTAS NARKUS: PROSPECT REVENGE

5-14 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Prospect Revenge continues Robertas Narkus’ wide-ranging work exploring conversion, states of ambivalence, absurdity, use and uselessness.

Glasgow Print Studio

FEATURED ARTIST: ALISTAIR GOW

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

New works in print by the Glasgow-based artist Alistair Gow.

Glasgow School of Art THE ARBITRARY RITUAL

1-20 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Arbitrary Ritual showcases work inspired by collaborations Claire Paterson undertook while on the 2016-17 Steven Campbell New York Scholarship, which was funded by Creative Scotland, The Saltire Society and The Steven Campbell Trust.

GoMA

FIONA TAN: DISORIENT

1 DEC-26 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

A two-screen video installation combining a fictional scene, documentary footage and spoken word to explore complex historical identities, cultural perceptions and truths about the world we live in. HAL FISCHER, GAY SEMIOTICS AND OTHER WORKS

1 DEC-30 MAY 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition displays three works by American artist Hal Fischer: Gay Semiotics, exploring the visual language that was unique to gay culture of San Francisco in the later 1970s, Boy-friends and 18th Near Castro St.

Hunterian Museum & Art CCA: Centre for Gallery BARKCLOTH: REVEALING PACIFIC Contemporary CRAFT 26-29 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE Art BASMA ALSHARIF: A PHILISTINE

1-15 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new exhibition centring around Basma alSharif’s novella of the same name, which reveals the story of a central character on a train journey moving backwards in time through history. ADAM LEWIS JACOB: PEOPLE IN A ROOM

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

People in a Room combines collaborative reinterpretations, interviews, animation and archival material into a film focussing on the TURC (Trade Union Resource Centre) archive.

Civic Room

MARIJA NEMČENKO: IN THE EYES OF LISA

1-22 DEC, 1:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

An exhibition drawing on the history of the Lithuanian migrant community in Lanarkshire in the 19th and 20th centuries and their role in the heavy industries that contributed to the wealth of Glasgow.

Cyril Gerber Fine Art THE WINTER SHOW 2019

2 DEC-31 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Specially selected works for this seasonal exhibition, featuring paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture, including works by Glasgow School, Modern British, Scottish Modern Masters and selected Contemporaries.

This exhibition highlights The Hunterian’s world-class collection of Pacific barkcloth (tapa) and showcases the findings of the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project, Situating Pacific Barkcloth in Time and Place. A GIFT TO GLASGOW FROM NEW YORK: THE PHILLIP A. BRUNO COLLECTION

1 DEC-12 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Project Ability CHRISTMAS PRINT SHOW

3-21 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Project Ability’s 2019 Christmas exhibition, one of their biggest fundraiser events of the year and a wonderful opportunity to shop unique gifts and original artworks just before Christmas.

Street Level Photoworks OSCAR MARZAROLI

7 DEC-15 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Oscar Marzaroli’s photographs and films of Glasgow from the 1950s through to the 1980s captured a period of enormous change with images of people going about their lives in the city, at work and at leisure.

The Glasgow Art Club THIS IS GLASGOW

2 DEC-11 JAN 20, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Works depicting, symbolising or reflecting the City of Glasgow in physical, human or metaphorical terms. WINTER EXHIBITION

2 DEC-11 JAN 20, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Works by GAC Artist Members, including a selection of invited artists.

The Lighthouse UNBUILT MACKINTOSH

1-31 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Unbuilt Mackintosh showcases stunning architectural models based on the unbuilt designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. BIND

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition brings together a collection of handmade book structures and forms, demonstrating the diversity and innovation present in contemporary bookbinding. FURNITURE MUSIC

1 DEC-6 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Yuri Suzuki presents his solo exhibition that explores definitions of sound design in contemporary culture. AQUAPHONEIA

1 DEC-6 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Examining and deconstructing sound technology and the transmission of information, Navid Navab’s Aquaphoneia is something like a record player reverse-engineered by a people who can speak underwater. THE ART OF SCOTTISH GLASS: 40 YEARS OF THE SCOTTISH GLASS SOCIETY

1 DEC-9 FEB 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition charting the work of the Scottish Glass Society and the history of Scottish glass over the last 40 years, showcasing key artists, artworks and techniques. DRESS FOR THE WEATHER IS 10 YEARS OLD

6 DEC-26 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

A selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints by American artists and international figures such as the Mexican painter José Luis Cuevas and the Japanese sculptor Masayuki Nagare.

Dress for the Weather studio has compiled a retrospective of projects that reflect on their cross-disciplinary approach to architecture and aims to invite conversation about the future of their practice.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The Modern Institute

THE LINDA MCCARTNEY RETROSPECTIVE

1 DEC-12 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

A major retrospective of photography by Linda McCartney will be shown in the UK for the first time, curated by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney. It features iconic names and moments in music from the 1960s along with more intimate and emotional later work.

Platform

DUNCAN MARQUISS: TEXTURE MAP

1-21 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new exhibition by Glasgowbased artist Duncan Marquiss featuring new drawings and moving image works.

Find full listings at theskinny.co.uk/whats-on

MATT CONNORS: FIGURE

2 DEC-18 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Matt Connors presents a new body of work encompassing drawing, painting and tapestry across the gallery’s Aird’s Lane and Bricks spaces, in his second solo exhibition at The Modern Institute.

The Old Hairdressers FINGERWORK

3 DEC, 6:00PM, FREE

A collaborative exhibition by Danielle Metcalfe-Shaw and Michaela McManus, showcasing a range of mediums, such as film, painting, prints and drawings.

Tramway

ZADIE XA: CHILD OF MAGOHALMI AND THE ECHOS OF CREATION, 2019 1-15 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa creates a sub-aquatic marine environment, inviting audiences to enter into an immersive world by way of atmospheric lighting, surround-sound, large-scale video projections, sculptures and costumes.

WASPS Artists’ Studios Briggait TIME AFTER [ ( ) ] AFTER TIME

26-28 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition by eleven artists who live and work throughout the UK, evoking the creative spirit of shared experience and marking the second anniversary of their collaborative performative reading at Chetham’s Library Reading Room, Manchester. ANNA VLASSOVA-LONGWORTH: LOOK UP

6-13 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A solo exhibition by artist Anna Vlassova-Longworth in the Sunken Space, part of Wasps Arts Programme. EMMA HISLOP

6 DEC-15 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Emma Hislop’s solo exhibition, as part of Wasps’ Arts Programme.

iota @ Unlimited Studios TRANSITIONAL TOYS

13-21 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Scottish and international artists are charged with the eponymous theme across visual art, sound performance, poetry and film in an exhibition for Glasgow and Geneva.

Edinburgh Art Arusha Gallery OUR PERFECT SELVES

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of paintings and monoprints by Shelly Tregoning that explore the inventive nature of the constructed self, and the nuances of gestures that betray our real identity. TIME WILL TELL

1-29 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A group show exploring time, memory, philosophy and place showcasing the work of Morwenna Morrison, Jack Dunnett and Anna Rocke.

BLAIR MCLAUGHLIN: TRIOMPHE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE

1-30 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Situated at the intersection of revolution, politics and postmodernity, Blair McLaughlin’s paintings challenge one to question situated notions of shared space, civil society and time itself.

City Art Centre THE ITALIAN CONNECTION

1 DEC-24 MAY 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Italian Connection explores the enduring bond between Scotland and Italy, celebrating the ability of art to transcend geographical borders. MARY CAMERON: LIFE IN PAINT

CLASSICAL EDINBURGH 1 DEC-8 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

A celebration of Edinburgh’s neo-classical architecture, as seen through the eyes of two architectural photographers – Edwin Smith and Colin McLean – working half a century apart.

Collective Gallery

L’ATELIER DE L’OBSERVATOIRE: THE COLLECTIVE MUSEUM

1 DEC-9 FEB 20, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

A new exhibition from L’Atelier de l’Observatoire, a Casablancabased contemporary art organisation who design, produce and disseminate projects which support Moroccan contemporary creativity, nationally and internationally.

Dovecot Studios

OUR LINEN STORIES

2 DEC-25 JAN 20, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

This exhibition and events series celebrates contemporary design in flax fibre and linen, and Scotland’s extraordinary relationship with this quintessentially European textile. MAY MORRIS: ART & LIFE

2 DEC-14 MAR 20, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, TBC

A landmark exhibition exploring the life and work of May Morris, the younger daughter of William Morris and one of the most significant artists of the British Arts and Crafts movement.

Edinburgh Printmakers MOUTH OF A SHARK

3 DEC-4 JAN 20, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Artists from Edinburgh Printmakers and Cork Printmakers share reflections and responses to British Somali poet Warsan Shire’s rallying call for refugees and their advocates, exploring humanity and questions of what unites and divides us. TRANSPARENCY: ALBERTA WHITTLE & HARDEEP PANDHAL

3 DEC-4 JAN 20, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Transparency is a two-person exhibition from Glasgow-based artists Alberta Whittle and Hardeep Pandhal, spanning print, artist moving image, drawing and installation.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

LUCY WAYMAN: CLOVEHITCH

2 DEC-30 MAY 20, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Lucy Wayman’s work, created from marine rope, follows her interest in the industrial and historic uses of rope, connecting ideas of system, control and release.

Ingleby Gallery GARRY FABIAN MILLER: MIDWINTER BLAZE

4-20 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The photographs included in this exhibition are characteristically virtuosic meditations on colour and form, but they also mark the end of an era as the artist battles with the extinction of the analogue materials in a digital age.

1 DEC-15 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

National Museum of Scotland

BENEATH THE SURFACE

1 DEC-29 MAR 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition celebrating the life and career of pioneering Edinburgh-born artist Mary Cameron (1865-1921). 1 DEC-1 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Beneath the Surface features work by nine contemporary artists based in Scotland, each of them articulating a minimalist aesthetic through abstraction in their work.

CHINESE ORACLE BONES

Discover some of the treasures within the National Museum of Scotland’s significant collection of oracle bones, the second largest in the world outside of China.

THE LUXURY OF TIME: CLOCKS FROM 1550-1750 1 DEC-26 JAN 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Explore the history of early British clock making in this small display, featuring beautiful objects from the golden age of British clock making in the 17th century. PARASITES: BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL

6 DEC-19 APR 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

This interactive family-friendly exhibition will explore the fight to eliminate five tropical diseases and the role of research taking place in Scotland to do this.

Open Eye Gallery ON A GRAND SCALE

2-23 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

On a Grand Scale features five of the most prestigious contemporary Scottish artists including Barbara Rae CBE, John Bellany CBE, Leon Morrocco, Steven Campbell and Alberto Morrocco OBE.

THE POWER OF PRINT: INCLUDING WORKS FROM THE GROSVENOR SCHOOL

2-23 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A wide-ranging exhibition featuring examples from some of the most prominent British printmakers from the 20th century. ON A SMALL SCALE

2-23 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Open Eye Gallery’s annual December exhibition On a Small Scale will include all new, original works by emerging and established Open Eye Artists.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA RSA ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2019

1-11 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

The RSA Annual Exhibition is a focal point of the RSA programme and showcases work from RSA Academicians the length and breadth of Scotland.

ADRIAN WISZNIEWSKI RSA: LINE, COLOUR, CONTENT

1 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition will include a new series of woodcuts and drawings that highlight Adrian Wiszniewski’s elegant draughtsmanship and virtuosic skill as a printmaker. HENRY KONDRACKI RSA (ELECT): LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

7 DEC-5 JAN 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition from the Edinburgh-based painter focuses on a series of works based around locations of literary significance in Edinburgh and the surrounding area.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

NOW: KATIE PATERSON, CIARA PHILLIPS AND OTHERS

1 DEC-31 MAY 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

In the first major showing of the artist’s work in a public institution in Scotland, the sixth and final exhibition in the NOW series will highlight the work of Scottish artist Katie Paterson. PICTURE HOOKS 2019

1 DEC-31 MAY 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The highly-acclaimed exhibition returns for the fourth time to showcase the work of awardwinning children’s illustrators alongside that of emerging illustrators. PAULA REGO: OBEDIENCE AND DEFIANCE

1 DEC-19 APR 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £6.50 - £11.50

An ambitious retrospective of the Portuguese artist’s work that brings politics to the fore, spanning Rego’s career from the 1950s through to 2012.

Listings

SCOTLAND’S PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM: THE MACKINNON COLLECTION 1 DEC-16 FEB 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition celebrates an unparalleled collection of Scottish photography recently acquired and shared by the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland. BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2019

7 DEC-22 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

The most prestigious portrait painting competition in the world, representing the very best in contemporary portrait painting. Over the years, this has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries.

Stills

WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM THE AMBERSIDE COLLECTION

1 DEC-8 MAR 20, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A selection of photographs from The AmberSide Collection, a unique archive that continues to grow out of the documentary production, commissioning, exhibition and touring work of Newcastle-based Amber Film & Photography Collective.

Summerhall

MARLON WOBST: FRIENDS

1-22 DEC, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

In FRIENDS, Marlon Wobst walks the fine line between fine art and craft with wool-felt tapestries that recall Joseph Beuys’ subversive felt sculptures of the 1960s and 70s. WILL KNIGHT: SOME OF SUMMERHALL – A SURVEY IN DRAWINGS

1 DEC-8 MAR 20, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

With this exhibition, Summerhall will join the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, Dumfries House in Ayrshire and Renfield St. Stephens Church in having their ‘portrait’ drawn by Will Knight.

Listings

Talbot Rice Gallery THE EXTENDED MIND

2 DEC-1 FEB 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Extended Mind is set across a diverse series of journeys to other real and imagined places, demonstrating that art plays a role in enriching our cognition. MYRIAM LEFKOWITZ: WALK, HANDS, EYES

2 DEC-1 FEB 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

A project examining the relationship formed between a city and its inhabitants, in which a participant and a guide form an immersive relationship with their surroundings over the course of an hour’s silent walk through a city.

White Stuff FORM 19

14-22 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Form 19 is a curated event showcasing work from the ceramics community at Edinburgh Ceramics Workshop.

Dundee Art Cooper Gallery JASMINA CIBIC: THE PLEASURE OF EXPENSE

2-14 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A major solo exhibition of new works by award-winning Slovenian artist Jasmina Cibic, featuring film, sculpture, photography, textile, performance and archives.

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts SEIZED BY THE LEFT HAND

14 DEC-22 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

This international group exhibition takes as its starting point some of the ideas contained within American writer Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness.

The McManus AS WE SEE IT: TWENTIETH CENTURY SCOTTISH ART

1-22 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exploring the innovative and diverse approaches artists have taken in their creative practice. Whether representing the real world, abstracting elements from it or depicting a realm from the imagination, each artwork is unique and individual. AMONG THE POLAR ICE

1 DEC-8 MAR 20, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selected from Dundee’s nationally significant fine art and whaling collections, this exhibition showcases a small but growing collection of polar artworks which spans 200 years. A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE

9-31 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual winter works on paper display celebrating women artists, highlighting diverse stories and exploring women’s contribution to the visual culture of their time.

CIARA PHILLIPS 1 DEC-15 SEP 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A new commission, championing the often-unseen process of making by evoking a moment suspended in time where vital decisions about materials and their composition are made. HELLO, ROBOT.

1 DEC-9 FEB 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £6 - £12

This groundbreaking exhibition investigates the science and fiction of robots and looks at how they are changing the world we live in. STUDIO NICHOLAS DALEY

1 DEC-2 FEB 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A series of objects and a specially commissioned film work will show the inspiration behind Nicholas Daley’s work, from his Jamaican-Scottish heritage to the influence of music in his approach to fashion. UP-STICKS

1 DEC-9 FEB 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An architectural commission by Gramazio Kohler Research and students of the MAS Architecture and Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich inspired by traditional construction methods and made using a collaborative human-robotic fabrication technique.

V&A Dundee MAEVE REDMOND

1 DEC-15 SEP 20, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A compelling piece of graphic design that unpacks the wider context around a 19th century trade catalogue by cast iron manufacturers Walter MacFarlane & Co.

THE SKINNY

Election 2019: Who’s Best for the Arts? When it comes to Arts and Culture, how do the major political parties stack up? In the lead up to 12 December, The Skinny takes a closer look Words: Eliza Gearty Illustrations: Rachael Hood

ith the climate crisis on the horizon, Brexit (endlessly) dragging on and the NHS hanging on for dear life by its fingertips, it’s perhaps not surprising that you don’t often hear politicians prioritising arts and culture on the campaign trail. But with Glasgow recently being named the UK’s creative and cultural capital by the European Commission – and Scotland’s creative industries contributing more than five billion to the Scottish economy every year – the arts are definitely worth bearing in mind at the ballot box. Who will protect and nurture Scotland’s thriving creative scene? Here’s what the leading political parties have to say...

Labour Labour’s 2017 manifesto was arguably the most detailed when it comes to arts and culture. Its arts policy promised to ‘put the UK’s world-class creative sector at the heart of Brexit negotiations’ and to introduce a ‘One billion Cultural Capital fund to upgrade our existing cultural and creative infrastructure to be ready for the digital age’. Will this policy be included in their 2019 manifesto? At the time of writing it’s yet to be seen, but given the radicalism of the general direction Labour have been taking, it’s certainly an exciting time to speculate. Scotland’s arts organisations have particularly suffered from cuts to local authority budgets. In May 2019, Creative Scotland’s chief executive Iain Munro warned that Scotland’s art sector is “at tipping point” due to “cuts to local authorities in particular.” “This election is Labour’s chance to end the last decade of austerity and start investing again,” Richard Leonard, leader of Scottish Labour, told The Skinny. “A Scottish Labour Government would provide local authorities with the money they need to fund local art projects.” In terms of making a career in the arts more viable for ordinary people, Labour stands out. Not only does the current manifesto outline plans to ‘put creativity at the heart of the curriculum’ in schools by providing a ‘£160 million annual boost to schools to invest in projects that will support cultural activities’, but Labour crucially shows an awareness of improving the standards of life for the working artist after education as well. ‘Being a performer is a great career. But too often the culture of low or no pay means it isn’t an option for those without well-off families to support them,’ the manifesto states. ‘We will work with trade unions and employers to agree sector-specific advice and guidelines on pay and employment standards that will make the sector more accessible.’ Leonard emphasises the positive effect that Labour’s focus on workers’ rights will have on artists too. “To take one example, our commitment to a minimum student wage will allow arts students to flourish without fear of not having enough money to scrape by,” he told us. “It will also help people later in life who want to return to education, perhaps to learn to paint or to pursue art, drama, media studies or creative writing.” Conservative The Conservatives’ current policy has little to say on arts and culture, although perhaps the 2019 manifesto will provide more depth. The Conservatives do state a Tory government will ‘place the BBC World Service and the British Council on secure footing so they are able to promote the best of British values around the globe.’ A spokesperson from the Scottish Conservatives told The Skinny: “From major international events such as the Edinburgh festivals to smaller community initiatives, the arts and

December 2019

theatre are a key part of Scottish life... the arts need to be seen at local and international level and not just at national level; creative workers and bodies should never feel stifled or micro-managed by government over-centralisation.” The Scottish Conservatives also divulged that the party “will never lose sight” of the creative sector during Brexit negotiations, revealing that they see leaving the EU as “an unprecedented opportunity to improve our migration system... to strengthen the Tier 5 cultural and sporting visa route and to ensure Scotland’s cultural events aren’t losing out on the talent of performers from other countries.” When it comes to education, the Conservatives are very keen on an ‘academic, knowledge-rich curriculum’. According to the most recent manifesto, the party expects ‘every 11 year old to know their time tables off by heart.’ Yikes. For this arts writer with dyscalculia, that sounds like a lot of pressure! I’m not sure I’ve even mastered the sevens yet... Scottish National Party The SNP is firmly anti-Brexit, a position that feeds into their arts and culture policy. “Brexit threatens funding programmes and international creative partnerships,” the SNP told us when we reached out for comment. “We oppose Brexit in all its forms and we stand firmly against any attempt to end freedom of movement.” If Brexit does go ahead, however, the party have a plan of action that sounds promising. “The SNP will argue for streamlined visa schemes so artists and performers can come to Scotland to work and collaborate,” their representative said. “Scotland’s culture sector and creative industries have benefited greatly from partnerships and shared experiences – the SNP will do all we can to protect these benefits.” The SNP pledge to invest in ‘infrastructure, with funding for museums, theatres and our historic environment’. They also increased their funding for Creative Scotland when their budget suffered due to a lottery funding shortfall – though some have criticised that non-departmental public body, which replaced the Scottish Arts Council in 2010, for ‘strategic failings’. The party is keen to devolve more cultural and media responsibility to the Scottish government. “The screen industry, for example, is seeing huge success but as long as broadcasting remains reserved to Westminster, we will never be able to reap its full potential,” explained the party representative. “The SNP has been a long-standing advocate for the responsibility for broadcasting to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament, as well as calling for greater authority – and fair share of funding – to be moved from the BBC network to BBC Scotland.” The prospect of #Indyref2 invites interesting questions too. What would arts and culture in an independent Scotland look like? The SNP are the only party committed to a prompt second referendum. With so much of the UK’s arts scene arguably concentrated here, Scottish independence would definitely shake things up. Liberal Democrats The Lib Dems recognise that the arts are ‘essential for personal fulfilment and quality of life’. As with most things, the party sits between Labour and the Conservatives in its attitude to the arts in education. Lib Dems want to ‘protect the availability of arts and creative subjects’ to create ‘a truly rounded curriculum’ – the release of the 2019 manifesto may provide more concrete details. As with Labour, the Lib Dems are keen to ‘examine funding and planning rules for live music venues and the grassroots music sector, to protect venues from further closures’. The Lib Dems will ‘maintain free access to national museums and galleries’. Current policy, however, provides little insight into any new commitments proposed for the sector. At the time of writing, the 2019 manifestos had not been released

THEATRE

Last Word

THE SKINNY