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Scotland Issue 101 February 2014

MUSIC ††† Wild Beasts Young Fathers Stephen Malkmus Sudden Death of Stars Crystal Antlers Katy B FILM Glasgow Film Festival 2014 Lukas Moodysson Jonathan Glazer Stellan Skarsgård Borscht Corporation

KINGS OF THE NORTH MOGWAI RECLAIM THE THRONE

CLUBS Illum Sphere Moderat Konx-om-Pax ART Alex Millar Laura Yuile RSA New Contemporaries Rachel Maclean BOOKS Miha Mazzini COMEDY Fred Fletch Agony Aunt THEATRE Cachín Cachán Cachunga!

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KEVIN DEVINE

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Issue 101, February 2014 © Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, 3 Coates Place, Edinburgh, EH3 7AA The Skinny is Scotland's largest independent entertainment & listings magazine, and offers a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business.

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TUESDAY 25TH MARCH

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Contents 06 Chat: Skinny on Tour runs away for some winter sun; extended Shot of the Month takes you to our 100th issue party; Hero Worship; Crystal Baws has yer horoscopes; Stop the Presses brings you the news.

29 Ahead of their appointment with

Glasgow, Crystal Antlers frontman Jonny Bell discusses the importance of punk, skateboarding and chaos.

30 A veteran of Lars Von Trier’s films,

Stellan Skarsgård discusses the Danish dilettante's new penis-packed project Nymphomaniac.

08 Heads Up: Hand-picked events for each and every day of February.

Features 10

Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and Barry Burns discuss zombies, Carpenter, the making of the chart-smashing Rave Tapes, and why they’re in favour of Scottish independence.

12

Wild Beasts: Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fielding on the band’s refined fourth album, Present Tense.

15

We speak to mercurial director Lukas Moodysson about We Are the Best!, opening film of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival.

We meet South Florida indie filmmakers The Borscht Corporation, who’re bringing their wild cinematic vision to Glasgow Short Film Festival for an in depth showcase this month.

16

Director Jonathan Glazer on the making of Under the Skin, and how Glaswegians look like horrifying aliens compared to Scarlett Johansson.

18

Slovenian author Miha Mazzini talks Independence with reference to his 80s novel Crumbs, the best selling book from the former Yugoslavia.

19

31

Our new agony aunt Fred Fletch offers some friendly advice to a homophobe and a racist.

Lifestyle 32

Showcase: Glasgow artist Laura Yuile displays her boundary-crossing work ranging across sculpture, video and performative installation.

35

Food & Drink: Glasgow Film Festival takes a culinary bent this year, with foodie movies screening in the Briggait. More Withnail, less Eat Pray Love. Phagomania tries its hand at detective work with a look at Chinese salad stacking.

38

Fashion: This month’s style highlights include St Andrews Charity Fashion Show and Fashion Month at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe.

39

Deviance: Celebrating Valentine’s by poking holes in the happily ever after myth, and pondering the surname challenges facing lesbians.

41

As they prepare to drop long-awaited debut album DEAD, we speak to Young Fathers in their top-secret lair in Leith. ducer and Ninja Tune new blood Ryan Hunn (aka Illum Sphere) discusses his debut album, Ghost of Then and Now.

Music: February Gig Highlights featuring Admiral Fallow, Danny Brown, and Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra; Stephen Malkmus takes on the month’s releases in The Dirty Dozen; live reviews including Connan Mockasin and Mogwai, a chat with French up-andcomers Sudden Death of Stars, plus the latest album reviews including Neneh Cherry, Augustines, Wild Beasts, Broken Bells and The Notwist.

Deftones’ Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez on their electronic sideproject Crosses’ forthcoming debut album.

49 Clubs: We speak to Glasgow producer

23

Back on the road again following the absence of Sascha Ring, Moderat and Modeselektor’s Sebastian Szary talks technique, performance and inspiration.

51

24

Winner of The Skinny Award 2013, Alex Millar talks Henry Ford, aubergines and shiny flivvers ahead of his prize exhibition in CCA this month.

Art: Due to screen the fruits of her Margaret Tait Award at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, video artist Rachel Maclean tells us about the evolution of A Whole New World.

52

The annual display of the creme de la creme of Scottish arts graduates, RSA New Contemporaries is back for 2014 with a host of emergent art.

Film: The best of Glasgow Film Festival and beyond in February’s Film Event Highlights, plus Dallas Buyers Club Only Lovers Left Alive and more in review.

54 Theatre: Reviews of West Side Story,

26 Under The Influence: Katy B discusses

55 Books: It’s a classic Book of the Month

25

her favourite female MCs, including Lauryn Hill, Bahamadia, and unsung Dr Dre protégé Lady of Rage.

28

Multi arts queer night Cachín Cachán Cachunga! turns five with a programme of film, painting, installations, sculpture, live performance, and photography.

and artist Konx-om-Pax and take a look at yer clubbing highlights for the month of love.

Eine Nacht im Kabarett and Rantin’.

Enter online by 26 March 2014

with McIlvanney’s Docherty, plus reviews of Metaphrog’s Winter’s Tale, Roberto Bolano’s The Insufferable Gaucho and Vicious by V.E. Schwab.

56 Comedy: Monthly night Enterteasement proves very pleasing for our reviewer.

57

February 2014

A chance for students to make a difference to our communities, our environment and the future of Scotland!

Review

20 Hoya:Hoya promoter, in-demand pro-

22

Young Innovators Challenge

Listings: From Art to Clubs via Music, Theatre and Comedy – your guide to the cultural goings on in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

SCAN ME FOR MORE ON YIC2014

Contents

5

Editorial

Crystal Baws With Mystic Mark ARIES Landing a finance job at Canary Wharf the yellow-eyed intern showing you around the office habitat boasts about the “heat mats under each floor.” Tugging at your collar beneath the powerful red bulbs, you crunch along the gravel to your desk past the shedded skins of fellow executives. Gazing out at the surrounding skyscrapers you notice they look like high-rise reptile tanks before catching your reflection in the glass as your tongue flicks out to clean your eyeball.

Machine entrance you accidentally press the START button. The metal doors slam shut on your penis and teleport the severed helmet aeons into the past and the picosecond prior to the creation of the Universe. The introduction of your time-travelling glans causes a space-time energy fluctuation which kickstarts the Big Bang. It turns out God was a bell-end after all.

TAURUS The only guests at your birthday party are the crabs that live in your groin.

And they leave halfway through.

SAGITTARIUS Despite being assured that kissing the frog would turn it into a handsome prince, you’re left frustrated when nothing happens. The only logical step is to go all the way, but despite your best efforts there’s still no change.

Undeterred, you find yourself engaging in double penetration with two frogs while sucking off a newt. Everybody lives happily ever after.

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K

ings of the North – our cover line is of course open to interpretation. At heart, it is a celebration of Mogwai, their return with the astonishing Rave Tapes storming to the top of the independent charts, and even breaking into the mainstream with a place in the UK Top Ten. We salute them, and take this opportunity to probe the vocal Stuart Braithwaite and Barry Burns for their thoughts on the independence debate.

Independence. It’s the talk of the country, as the advent of 2014 has shifted the chatter up a notch. Our plan round here is to deal with the narrative as it comes up – of course we take the subject seriously, and many of the team are closely involved in the various creative endeavours surrounding the debate. We’re just wary of allowing it to drown out our coverage of the very culture we’re supposed to be arguing for.

Speaking of which! There’s loads of stuff going on in this issue, some of which looks at the idea of nationhood. Mogwai hate on “exceptional bastard” Maggie Thatcher; Books interview Slovenian author Miha Mazzini, who has some sobering thoughts based on his own nation’s self determination; and Art talks to our favourite video artist Rachel Maclean about her Margaret Tait Award film A Whole New World, which deals with the subject through costume, Prince of Persia and the usual technicolour madness.

In Music, we speak to Wild Beasts (cover stars of our Northwest England edition), ††† (that’s Crosses), Crystal Antlers and French New Blood, Sudden Death of Stars. Edinburgh’s Young Fathers let us into their secret underground recording lair to tell us why nationality is irrelevant in the world of hip hop. Stephen Malkmus drops by to review the singles, and is as flippantly offensive as one would expect. Katy B (the dub one, not the Page 3 one) gives us a guided tour of the female rap artists who informed her style in this month’s Under the Influence.

Film is once again super excited about the upcoming Glasgow Film Festival. As is now traditional, we’ll be sending in a crack team of cinephiles to produce a daily guide to the festival, the CineSkinny. In anticipation, we speak to Jonathan Glazer about the festival closing film, Under the Skin, filmed in Glasgow using an incognito Scarlett Johannson, which is apparently a thing that is possible despite her worldwide fame. We also look at the programmes of the Glasgow Youth Film and Short Film Festivals, and speak to the star of new Lars von Trier film Nymphomaniac about getting his cock out.

Art is another one having a busy month, as we once again look forward to RSA New Contemporaries presenting the best of last year’s Scottish art school graduates to the Edinburgh public. We take a closer look at who to watch out for this year – including a variety of interventionist works that will potentially make exploring the show very weird. Our award winner from last year’s exhibition, Alex Millar has his prize show this month in CCA’s Intermedia gallery. We had some words with the man himself to find out a little of what to expect in Novella: What Happened to the Shiny Flivver.

In a move that we will almost certainly come to regret, this month sees the debut of resident blasphemer Fred Fletch’s problem page. That’s right, the man who reviewed a woman standing in the street in a Predator costume and drunk interviewed David Hasselhoff knows exactly how to live life, and he’s going to tell you all about it.

Here in the office, we await the irate phonecalls with bated breath. [Rosamund West]

This Month's Cover This month's cover was shot by Ross Gilmore, a Glasgow-based photographer. You can see his full portfolio at rossgilmore.photoshelter.com

b

h

SCORPIO Your mouth is really just an absence of face.

i

GEMINI After vowing vengeance on the robin that shat on your new Armani jacket, using state-of-the-art aeronautic technology you find the bastard twittering smugly on a branch as if nothing happened. Stealthily you manoeuvre CAPRICORN j your airship above the tree and with gritted teeth This month you squeeze your entire discharge a devastatingly precise human turd body into a holdall, zip and padlock it onto its tiny head and body, killing it dead. shut on the outside from inside before cleverly squirming into the bathtub. To your surprise you CANCER hear leather-gloved applause from a team of MI5 d Mayonnaise is not only a sexy alterna- agents in your hallway. tive to lube, it’s also delicious.

AQUARIUS k LEO It’s a shame Jesus wasn’t real. I bet e After getting the heart he always wanthe’d have been great. ed from the Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man goes into cardiac arrest, having failed to request PISCES l the brain, lungs, liver or circulatory system also You perform every activity as if it were necessary to keep the heart alive. The tin idiot. a crime, carefully wiping away fingerprints and vacuuming up all hair and skin in your VIRGO wake. It’s a chore, but you never know when you f Your new charitable foundation Comic might want to begin murdering.

Hand Relief is surprising successful.

c

g

LIBRA Getting ahead with a bit of nude prespring cleaning, while wiping your Time

Hero Worship: Chino Moreno on Mogwai No stranger to their tinnitus inducing might, Chino Moreno of Deftones, ††† and Palms tips his bunnet to our February cover stars

I

went to see Mogwai at The Fillmore in San Francisco back in 2001, and to this day, it’s both the loudest and quietest show I’ve seen in my life. I was so impressed by the dynamics. At one moment it was so quiet. Everyone in the venue would be silent. You could hear a pin drop. Then the next moment my chest was caving in because of the noise.

That is one thing I always look for in music – dynamics – and they’re one of the most extreme examples of marrying violence and beauty into

6

Chat

a song I’ve ever heard. They sent me something during the Happy Songs for Happy People period, and I never got around to working on it – it just kind of fell through the cracks. I just got their new record Rave Tapes, and I love it. I’ve always been a huge fan, and I’d love to collaborate at some point. If they’re reading this: what’s your number, Mogwai? Call me up!

Crosses by ††† is released on 10 Feb via Sumerian Records crossesmusic.com

The Skinny On Tour

W

hile the rains keep falling and Scots consider fashioning arks from their Ikea furniture to make it through to spring, one smart Skinny reader has jumped on a plane to much warmer (and most importantly drier) climes. This country may be best known in the West for its bloody Khmer Rouge period, but today it’s one of Asia’s most prosperous economies.

For your chance of winning The Last Werewolf Trilogy by Glen Duncan (that’s three

books – The Last Werewolf, Talulla Rising, and

By Blood We Live), courtesy of our pals over at Canongate, just head over to www.theskinny. co.uk/about/competitions and tell us where you think this Skinny reader is holidaying.

Competition closes midnight 2 Mar. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full T&Cs can be found at www. theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

THE SKINNY

The Skinny 100th issue party Thanks to all involved!

Photography: Ross Fraser McLean

Once again The Skinny will be at Glasgow Film Festival for the CINESKINNY, our daily guide to GFF published throughout the festival. Look out for first look reviews of the new films from Wes Anderson, David Mackenzie, Jonathan Glazer, Joanna Hogg, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry, and many more. Plus we’ll be catching up with the filmmakers visiting the festival and giving you the lowdown on GFF’s wide and varied pop up screenings. You can also keep an eyeball on the website for rolling coverage www.theskinny.co.uk/film Road trip! On the day of going to print, PARKLIFE revealed the line-up for its ever-expanding weekend in June, and we’re chuffed to see it includes a few familiar faces from these pages, such as East India Youth, Daniel Avery, Gold Panda and Mount Kimbie. Parklife takes place 7-8 Jun, Heaton Park, Manchester. www.parklife.uk.com.

LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY (1-3 May) has also divulged some of its 2014 lineup, and what’s been announced so far is pleasingly eclectic, with the likes of Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and Fuck Buttons among the two dozen names revealed so far – look out for more in the coming weeks www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk.

Closer to home, THE HIDDEN DOOR have just launched a unique multidisciplinary arts festival which will take place in the disused vaults of Edinburgh’s Market Street from 28 Mar-5 Apr. Expect writers and poets to rub shoulders with over 40 live music acts and 70 visual artists in the city’s historical cavernous environment.

Organisers promise a full programme of performing arts and a cinema space showing the work of new film-makers and animators. For full info and tickets see hiddendoorblog.org The Skinny is now offering rolling NEWS COVERAGE, bringing you breaking stories from across the cultural landscape. Recently, we’ve been covering the first wave of line-up announcements from the big summer music festivals including Primavera, Outlook and Bestival; serving up the latest film news and trailers, and presenting new videos from the likes of Mogwai, Marram, Actress and others. We’ve also launched a new weekly playlist, Cloud Sounds, featuring everyone from doseone and Irvine Welsh to Young Fathers and Daedelus. Keep up to date by visiting theskinny.co.uk/latest/news, and if you have a breaking story for us, get in touch by emailing news@ theskinny.co.uk!

GET THE SKINNY DELIVERED direct to your door so you never miss an issue. Subscriptions start from £7.99. Go to www.theskinny.co.uk/subscribe to find out more

February 2014

Opinion

7

The month of lurve brings with it annual highlights including RSA New Contemporaries, the Glasgow Film Festival, and The Secret Policeman's Ball, with V-Day itself taken care of by tea party seductress Queen of Tarts. Happy February!

We kick off on a magical note as artist and light art practitioner, Bruce Munro, illuminates Edinburgh’s St Andrew's Square with his touring light installation – Field of Light.

Tweaked to suit the outdoor garden setting, it'll feature thousands of fibre optic acrylic stems that light up gradually, fairytale-like, as darkness falls 'pon the square. St Andrew's Square. Edinburgh, until 27 March, Free

Manipulate festival continues with a celebration of masterly contemporary animator Priit Pärn, for which the Traverse host a programme of his wonderfully surreal shorts (we're particularly looking at you, Night of the Carrots) – with the man himself in attendance to introduce his work and take part in a postscreen Q&A with Kevin Williamson. Traverse, Edinburgh, 9.15pm, £8

Field of Light

Night of the Carrots

Sun 9 Feb

Mon 10 Feb

Tue 11 Feb

Jan Burnett and his Grand Gestures project play their only live appearance to air 2013's Second LP, which was recorded straight to tape at Burnett's gaff – cleverly built on his own evocative musical foundations of loops and synths, draped with drop-in guest vocals from the likes of Pauline Alexander, RM Hubbert, Jill O'Sullivan, Bdy_Prts, Emma Pollock, and Sanjeev Kohli. CCA, Glasgow, 8pm, £7

Versailles-based alternative rockers Phoenix take to Glasgow's Barrowland armed with their first LP in fours years – 2013's hooky Bankrupt – which sees them take on a heavier dependence on retro synthesizers and tinny, artificial-sounding drums, making for what is their most explicitly synth-pop outing to date (aka never a bad thing). Barrowland, Glasgow, 7pm, £17.50

Squirrel-like collectors of abandoned Super 8, Screen Bandita, debut Adrift (In The Archive) in Scotland for the first time – an intricately woven piece harnessing spoken word from Ryan Van Winkle with found 8mm celluloid, slides, vintage ephemera, and gramophones to suitably magical effect, inspired by collected stories of the past. Summerhall, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £5

Phoenix

The Grand Gestures

Adrift (In The Archive)

Sat 15 Feb

Sun 16 Feb

Mon 17 Feb

Having emerged butterfly-like from their art school confines, the best of last year's graduating students take over The Royal Scottish Academy for the annual RSA New Contemporaries exhibition – featuring work from an e'er eclectic batch of graduates handpicked from across the main art colleges in Scotland. And we'll be on hand to pick our Skinny Award-winner, too. RSA, Edinburgh, until 12 Mar, £4 (£2)

Fingers in many pies chap Andrew Eaton-Lewis (notably of Swimmer One, and co-creator behind the Whatever Gets You Through The Night project) plays a rare outing in his solo Seafieldroad guise, previewing tracks from his new The Winter of 88 LP – a limited edition of just 88 handmade, personalised copies – alongside a few older gems. The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 8pm, Free

For this month's DADA – aka Cab Vol's new interactive art and media night – the event goes fashion-themed, in honour of Edinburgh College of Art's Graduate Fashion Week, with toile cloths for punters to try on and customise, as well as a screening of last year’s graduate fashion show.

For submissions contact events@thecabarretvoltaire. com. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 8pm, Free

Andrew Eaton-Lewis

Charlotte Rosebury, Bauble Bombs

Thu 20 Feb

Fri 21 Feb

Sat 22 Feb

The Glasgow Film Festival kick off their tenth year with a programme studded with a record 60 UK premieres – of which Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel takes the official Opening Gala screening, two weeks after its world premiere at the Berlinale, with the ridiculously starry cast headed by Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.

Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £12 (£10)

Scottish-based street food traders, Street Food Cartel, team up with the Glasgow Film Festival for an all-new strand – Street Food Cinema. They'll be serving up plotrelevant suppers to the tune of Goodfellas (aka “Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” 21 February), When Harry Met Sally (22 February), and Ratatouille and Withnail & I (23 February). The Briggait, Glasgow, various times, £20

Annual student-run comedy benefit, The Secret Policeman's Ball, returns for what will be its sixth outing, with Chris Conroy, The Geek Comedy Night MCs, Rosco McSkelington, Eleanor Morton, Chris Dinwoodie, G.L.A.S.S, Stu Who, and Ryan Dooley all pitching in to help raise funds for Amnesty International, under the watchful eye of host Billy Kirkwood. QMU, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £8 (£6)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Ratatouille

Cabaret Voltaire

Eleanor Morton

Thu 27 Feb

Fri 28 Feb

Scottish Borders theatre company, Firebrand, spark their 3rd anniversary celebrations by bringing David Harrower's controversial one-act play, Blackbird, back to the stage – with Harrower's contemporary and taboobreaking study of illicit love and sexual passion given a bold site specific staging in Summerhall's Demonstration Room.

Summerhall, Edinburgh, 26 Feb-1 Mar, £13 (£11)

Coaxed out of a 32-year retirement in 2009, Italian progressive rock masters, Goblin – best known for their work with Giallo maestro Dario Argento on horror classics Suspiria, Profondo Rosso, and Tenebrae – play an intense multimedia performance as part of Glasgow Film Festival's live music strand; scenes of slaughter a given. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7pm, £20

The collective of legendary folk that make up Berlin-based label Leisure System make the trip from Berghain to bring their renowned mayhem to The Art School, presenting AV performances from Jon Hopkins and his churning electronics, Clark and his sonic assault, and the revived electro of Dopplereffekt, bolstered by the Leisure System residents. The Art School Union, Glasgow, 11pm, £15

8

Chat

Blackbird

Goblin

Photo: Crimson Glow

Wed 26 Feb

Jon Hopkins

THE SKINNY

Photo: Nick Milligan

Compiled by: Anna Docherty

Wed 5 Feb

Photo: Richard Manning

Heads Up

Tue 4 Feb

Fri 7 Feb

Sat 8 Feb

Kieran Hurley brings his collaborative play-meets-gig, Rantin', to Summerhall as part of its Scotland-wide tour.

Devised and performed with Over The Wall's Gav Prentice, actor Julia Taudevin, and Edinburgh muso Wounded Knee, it tells a series of fragmented tales of our nation, pieced together using storytelling, live music, and performance.

Summerhall, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £12 (£10)

Our RSA New Contemporaries 2013-winner, Alex Millar, takes to a gallery setting as part of his prize (which also included a print showcase), showing work developed on residency in Marseille – the centrepiece of which is an installation fusing industrial and domestic, organic and inorganic materials. Preview, 7pm-9pm (exhibition runs until 23 February). Intermedia (CCA), Glasgow, Free

Southside indie promoters Pop!South take to the (firmly southside – phew) Glad Cafe digs for a pop-up all-dayer-anda-half, with Saturday's 'all-dayer' part featuring the likes of The Just Joans, TeenCanteen, and The Spook School, before a compacted halfday acoustic chilldown on Sunday with Adam Ross (of Randolph's Leap), A New International, and more.

The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, 8 & 9 Feb, £12

Alex Millar

Rantin

The Spook School

Thu 13 Feb

Fri 14 Feb

A concept show debuted at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, Comedian Rap Battles – aka Ro Campbell and The Wee Man's comedian rap battle-off – takes to The Stand as part of its new slot, with a select batch of comics competing to see who's got the most swagger when it comes to hippity-hop wit.

And try not to be put off by the fact our reviewer said it 'could end in a murder'... The Stand, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £6 (£4)

Ahead of Glasgow Film Festival kicking off proper, the shorts get their chance to shine at GSFF – with this year's programme opening with the world premiere of British-Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova and Scottish filmmaker Ruth Paxton's collaboration, PULSE, a Royal Philharmonic Society-commissioned labour of love in't making since April 2013. CCA, Glasgow, 7pm, £8

Hosting her first evening soirée, Queen of Tarts takes to her secret parlour for a special Valentine's supper – kicking off with an aperitif and nibbles, before indulging guests with a starter, main, and sharing pud platter (including chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana ice-cream and almond polenta cake). Full menu and booking via Facebook.

Secret location, Edinburgh, 7.30pm (also 2pm), £20

PULSE

Ro Campbell

Tue 18 Feb

Wed 19 Feb

The unpredictable and oft-theatrical Kevin Barnes and his Of Montreal cohorts return to Glasgow to give their twelfth LP, Lousy with Sylvianbriar, the usual O.T.T. live airing – e'er relied upon to bolster their on-record mixed palette of styles with some added live costume changes, community-grade theatrics, and extended electro-pop jams. The Art School Union, Glasgow, 7pm, £14

Stand-up mastermind Will Mars brings his live comedy swapfest, Joke Thieves, back to Edinburgh following its 2013 Fringe debut.

For it, a handpicked batch of comics – including Jo Caulfield, Mark Nelson, Keir McAllister, and Andrew Doyle – will perform their own jokes and then (holy comic sacrilege) steal jokes offa one another to pass off as their own.

The Stand, Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £5

Of Montreal

Sun 23 Feb

Mon 24 Feb

Tue 25 Feb

Howard Marks (aka the Oxford-educated drug baron who once occupied a place on Britain's Most Wanted) takes to the road with his new spoken word piece – Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe – looking back at the key incarnations of his life, moving from his academic years, through the height of his criminality, up-to-date with his career as an author. Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £15

US hip-hop production royalty, Just Blaze – aka he who has produced for the likes of Eminem, Busta Rhymes, and Jay-Z – takes to Sneaky Pete's diminutive sweatbox for a set at resident Monday club, Nu Fire. Essentially, expect the place to go loco when he drops hyperactive 2013 hit, Higher – his collab with trap poster boy, Baauer. Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 11pm, £5 earlybird (£7.50 thereafter)

Now on album number six of their pristine oeuvre, The National feature at Glasgow Film Festival with the Scottish premiere of Mistaken for Strangers – frontman Matt Berninger's younger brother's chronicle of the band's largest tour to date, warts-andall in the way only a young brother could get away with. Followed by a performance from Rozi Plain.

The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £10 (£8)

Howard Marks

Just Blaze

Photo: Rianna White

Wed 12 Feb

Queen of Tarts' parlour

Will Mars

Mistaken for Strangers

Sat 1 Mar

Sun 2 Mar

Mon 3 Mar

One of the biggies of Glasgow Film Festival's music strand, orchestral indie lot Admiral Fallow mark their ten-year anniversary by taking to the City Halls for a special cross-genre event – taking in an eclectic set from their back catalogue, enhanced by collaborations with emerging UK filmmakers and footage from 1951 documentary, Glasgow, No Mean City. City Halls, Glasgow, 7pm, £15 (£12)

Unseen for 34 years, and believed lost for over 20, Black Angel – Roger Christian's Scotland-set short about one knight’s quest to rescue a maiden from her dark overlord – gets a special screening, with Christian on hand for a live Q&A to discuss his work and career, including his seminal design work on Alien and Star Wars.

Filmhouse, Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £8.20 (£6)

We draw to a close with Sub Pop Records-signed bearded Seattleites, The Head and the Heart, who continue to tread the line between countrified Fleetwood Mac vibes and a more folksy version of The Beatles – with the core songwriting partnership of Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell forming the band's rasping live battlecries. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7pm, £11

February 2014

Admiral Fallow

Black Angel

The Head and the Heart

Chat

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Photo: Kat Gollock

Thu 6 Feb

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THE SKINNY

Indy Rock With new LP Rave Tapes out now on the band’s own Rock Action label, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and Barry Burns explain why, democratically speaking, five is a magic number

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n the day that Thatcher died, Mogwai’s Barry Burns was in his adopted home of Berlin, missing out on the George Square Thatcher Death Party his band had prophesised on seventh LP Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Flying the Gwai flag was band-mate John Cummings, snapped next to Walter Scott’s pigeon cack-stained statue, clad in an Argentine Football Association top. “I was in Germany and saw the photograph of him, with a big smile on his face,” Barry laughs. “He’s a psychopath…”

Stuart Braithwaite, meanwhile, was having dinner with his girlfriend’s family. “I brought a bottle of champagne,” he smiles, “and someone said ‘oh, is it somebody’s birthday?’” His smile becomes a laugh. “I just announced how happy I was. And it went down really well actually.” Barry worries aloud that it “almost” feels horrible to be overjoyed by someone’s passing, but Stuart has his caveat sorted. “I think she’s the only person whose death I’d feel happy about… It’s got to be exceptional circumstances. Only exceptional bastards can have their deaths celebrated.”

2013 was a busy year for Mogwai. In addition to toasting the Iron Lady’s demise, it encompassed zombies and Zidane (more on both later), as well as the writing and recording of Rave Tapes, released late last month. Their eighth studio LP subtly expands their sound’s parameters, with modular synths evoking an epic brand of retro-futurism, and uncluttered melodies speaking to the band’s poise and restraint. The resulting atmosphere mixes insidious foreboding with lump-in-throat wonder; it’s clear that almost 20 years in, Mogwai are far from coasting.

Work on Rave Tapes began sometime in February, when the band’s UK-based members (Stuart, John, Dominic Aitchison and Martin Bulloch) got together to start throwing ideas around. Barry – who has lived in Berlin since 2009, co-running a bar in the city’s Neukölln district – came into the process a little later, thanks to a minor logistical hiccup. “I couldn’t get a studio,” he explains, sat with Stuart in Glasgow’s Stereo bar after a day spent rehearsing. “Well, I had a little room in Berlin, but it took so long to get it ready. I got really panicky about it – it felt like I had just a month to write some songs. But it was fine, we managed. I just like to panic – I like that feeling of terror. It’s pretty much like when you play football as a child – that feeling where you’re chasing a ball, terrified.” Across the table, Stuart nods. “He likes to feel like he’s getting chased.” After one listen to the stalking soundscapes of Remurdered, it’s easy to capture a similar feeling of nervy pursuit.

Barry offers a straightforward rationale for the album’s distinct palette. “We bought some new synthesisers, and so some of it’s just us trying to make use of them,” he explains. “I think

February 2014

Interview: Chris Buckle Photography: Ross Gilmore

that’s happened with a lot of our records – like when we got the Kaoss Pad for Rock Action; it’s on probably every song cos we were like ‘Oh aye, that’s amazing!’ And the vocoder as well… So yeah, it sounds obvious to say it but the tools you’re using have a big influence on the sound, maybe more so than the music you’re listening to at the time. Although,” he adds, “there’s quite a lot of John Carpenter-esque things on this record…” Stuart jokes that the auteur – whose scores for the likes of Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Fog are arguably as influential and celebrated as his directorial work – is “after them,” as a result of the sonic similarities. “He’s after us, is he?” laughs Barry. “Oh well, he must be getting on by now, fuck him.”

On the subject of soundtracks, Mogwai’s 2013 featured a brace of them: their score for French-language zombie drama Les Revenants, released in February; and 2006’s Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, revisited last July for a short run of live shows. “It doesn’t feel like there was much space between doing that and doing the album,” says Barry of the latter, referencing a bottleneck that saw their Rave Tapes prep-time squeezed by Zidane rehearsals. “Yeah, it was a very busy summer,” agrees Stuart. “Zidane was written on the hoof, so rehearsing for that was like learning new music. It was a great experience though – it made me think more about how some of our more abstract things work. Certainly I felt more confident going into this record after doing it.”

“Only exceptional bastards can have their deaths celebrated” Stuart Braithwaite

Barry concurs. “We said at the time, it was the most we ever practised for something. It was a lot of work, but it really was brilliant. I still remember the feeling of relief after that first gig [at the Manchester International Festival], because it had worked really well and people seemed to enjoy it.” Were they not disappointed, then, to only get to perform it a handful more times?

“Yeah, I think we kind of expected that a lot more people would ask us to do it,” Barry admits. “We were expecting a cluster of gigs, not just two or three. The requests will probably all start coming in now,” he rues, “when we can’t do them…”

One request that couldn’t have been better timed, however, was Les Revenants. An existing

fan of their work, creator Fabrice Gobert got in touch back in 2012, and the band were suitably intrigued by the pitch: a return-of-the-livingdead tale with an existentialist edge, in which a town’s dearly departed re-appear and attempt to pick up their lives where they left off. A fresh take on zombie-lore, its dread-laced ambience owed much to Mogwai’s majestic score.

“I think he’d had a Sonic Youth soundtrack for one of his things before,” says Barry, alluding to Gobert’s 2010 film Lights Out, named after a song from the New York band’s Rather Ripped, “so I think he just didn’t want to have bulk-standard strings and choral stuff, you know? A lot of people are doing that now.” He pauses. “Which means it will probably get the arse kicked out of it and people will go back to strings and choral stuff again! But yeah, it was nice that he asked us. It’s something that seems quite natural for us to do.”

The Skinny asks whether working on the show has expanded their fan base, perhaps bringing them to the attention of people who are partial to prestige telly but to whom the world of Mogwai was previously a mystery. “In theory, aye,” says Stuart, acknowledging a spike in sales when the programme aired on Channel 4 over the summer. “Straight back into the charts!” jokes Barry, “to number 1000 or whatever it was…” Still, even a modest bump seems a fair indication that new ears were being turned on to the band’s work – a presumption lent credence a week after our interview, when author Stephen King tweets praise for the show, soundtrack included (“I’m going to find them. It is very fine music...”).

But with the Zidane shows in the past and Les Revenants’ second season yet to come (“we’re talking about it just now” Stuart confirms), Mogwai’s present is firmly focused on Rave Tapes (which, as we go to press, has just become the band's highest ever album chart entry at number 10 on its week of release). Recorded and mixed at the band’s own Castle of Doom studio, it saw former Delgado Paul Savage return to the producer’s chair having previously worked on Hardcore Will Never Die and Young Team. Despite the tight scheduling, the band ended up with “more than enough songs.” Consequently, Stuart deadpans, “every single member of the band hates the songs that are actually on the album.”

The final consensus/compromise, Barry explains, was reached via “a hilarious spreadsheet” and producer Paul, who acted as “a kind of referee” whenever there were conflicting opinions. “And then”, adds Stuart, “it gets even more complicated because I always want more songs on the record than everyone else.” Barry jokes that, if Stuart had his way, all their albums would be spread across triple vinyl. “I do like a long record,” Stuart confirms, “but anyway: that milk has long since been spilled…” Just how long do these

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tracklisting disputes tend to last? He grins. “Oh not long, but the bitterness – it lingers eternally.”

“It’s going to make us die young,” laughs Barry. “I used to sometimes play in The Delgados, and I remember being in one of their rehearsals years and years ago and they would argue about the slightest thing – you know, have a big conversation about a single note.” And yet now they have one-time Delgado Paul Savage acting as adjudicator? “See, their mistake was having four people in the band,” Stuart argues. “If you’ve got five then there’s always a winner. You might have two profoundly upset people, but they just have to deal with it.” Were there any tracks that he’d have been adamant about including no matter what? “Nah, because you just go with what everybody says, and then write it in your personal file of ‘Reasons why Barry, Dominic, Martin and John are fucking idiots.’”

“That’s a big tome, that,” Barry interjects, prompting Stuart to sigh with faux-exasperation. “It’s this shite democracy we have, that’s what it is. It’s terrible.” Speaking of big tomes and democracy – our interview takes place the day before the release of Scotland’s Future, the 670-page white paper laying out the Scottish government’s case for a Yes vote in September’s referendum. While the whole band is in favour of an independent Scotland, Stuart has been a particularly prominent and passionate advocate, making the case via television appearances and public discussions. “I think some of the anti-independence people will get a bit of a surprise as to how much thought has been put in to this for a rather long time,” he says of the white paper, “and I think it might make it quite a lot harder to paint it as a poorly thought-out idea. That said, the new ‘No’ argument will probably be ‘Oh, they’re making these promises, how can they say this when there’ve been no negotiations’…” He shrugs. “It’s all just posturing, really.”

The conversation turns to some of the more unusual anti-independence arguments aired thus far – for instance, an article in the Sunday Times ‘cautioning’ Scots that the Queen might visit Balmoral less often should the Union split.

“But my favourite,” says Stuart, “was Alistair Darling saying that British music will not belong to us anymore.” He stops to ponder the implications of the Better Together chairman’s monition.

“I tell you what, if someone came and took my Joy Division records away I’d maybe think about changing my mind,” he decides, “but I somehow find that unlikely.” Independently minded in every sense, Mogwai ain’t for turning.

Mogwai play Edinburgh’s Usher Hall with The Pastels and Remember Remember on 8 Mar. Rave Tapes is out now via Rock Action www.mogwai.co.uk

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Human Conditions Conscientious and contemplative, Wild Beasts’ fourth album reads like a coming of age. Vocalists Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming discuss selflessness and the practised art of marrying simplicity to detail

W

hen in mid-January the first single from Wild Beasts in two years, Wanderlust, appeared online, a thousand outcasts’ hearts hurt.

As its video’s four ‘stock’ characters – The Thief, The Good Lady, The Quarterback, The Girl – ran urgently against a scrolling darkness, then came to a halt, seemed to do so not out of exhaustion but defiance, the redhead in her party dress mouthing the song’s disarming coda: “Don’t confuse me with someone who gives a fuck.”

Calmly delivered in Hayden Thorpe’s quilted tenor and borne aloft on a cresting wave of synths and processed chorales, the refrain is an unexpected summation of a track that celebrates the exhilaration to be found in not becoming the person society wants you to be. It’s also a succinct introduction to a fourth LP, Present Tense, that repeatedly returns to a sense of self-acceptance; of finally figuring out who the hell you are, and being okay with it.

“The video does have a sense of end-ofdays in a way,” Thorpe says, clasping a latte in a Deptford deli close to one of the locations in which Present Tense was written. “It’s supposed to seem apocalyptic in a sense because it’s suggesting, ‘All these things we strive for and spend so much time and attention trying to attain: what’s it worth at the end of the day?”

It’s a conceit that he quickly extends to the process and purpose of making music, observing that “when you’re making art you can go to great lengths and morph yourself into something entirely warped to try and attain these supposedly useful things – like Shazam hits or something – but you denature yourself, you become kind of far removed from that initial pure idea that you had.

“I think this album is definitely a case of trying to get back to knowing what that idea was, because it gets lost in the mist. We realised after four days together writing this record that that was the longest we’d spent together in years, just the four of us in a room.”

In contrast to the frenzied eight-week period that birthed the band’s previous record, 2011’s lustily claustrophobic Smother, the making of Present Tense could almost be seen as languorous. Pieced together segment by segment, initially on computer – the first time the band had worked so heavily in this way – and then taken out into the room over a period totalling nearly a year, its process afforded the four childhood friends (Thorpe, co-vocalist Tom Fleming, Chris Talbot and Ben Little) the opportunity to analyse every aspect of their method. The idea of peeling away layers of expectation and artifice to identify the ‘real’ impulse behind creating art is something that Thorpe and Fleming revisit throughout their conversation.

Indeed, this ideal of locating an “inner beauty,” a simplicity in both intent and execution, seems mirrored in the songs themselves, which, though sonically emboldened by electronics, are structurally their most pared-down to date. After the frescoed excesses of Limbo, Panto and the Mercury Prize-nominated Two Dancers, and, latterly, the sore physicality of Smother, Present Tense is certain and stately, even restrained.

“Our lives are far more intact this time around than they were last record,” Thorpe offers. “Smother represented a lot of solace, a lot of comfort, and it sonically played out that way.

This record, we’re far more grounded, more settled as people, and more confident in a way. We also felt kind of galvanised by the fact that we could put out as bruising and vulnerable a record as Smother, and for it to do the things it did... I

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Interview: Lauren Strain Photography: Nuria Rius

think we felt reassured that we can actually do anything. It instils a lot of belief in you.”

“Smother was quite an insular and inwardlooking record,” says Fleming. “As you get a bit older you start to feel a bit guilty, because you realise your life is very much me me me, and music is me me me, and I think this record was a slight attempt to have a different perspective on the world, like, maybe we shouldn’t just be talking about our feelings, maybe we should be looking around a bit and seeing things in a context.”

“There’s an acceptance of the fragilities of being human, and accepting that we are imperfect beings,” Thorpe continues. “You think if you achieve certain things... you will as a result not feel these things anymore, or be this different person. If you’ve lived longer you kind of realise, ‘I still feel like this regardless of what I’ve been through or achieved or where I’ve been.’ We still always have to take ourselves along.”

Acquiescence does not necessarily equate to contentedness, however. Present Tense is an emotional album that, as much as its title suggests an attitude of living in the present, refers frequently to moments passed and feelings lost – and, in the ominous, processional Daughters, imagines the questionable future we have created for our children. (“There’s a real futility in thinking about yourself as an island,” Fleming says of the track.) The brute ardour of Smother reappears in Fleming’s smug, strutting Nature Boy; and, as his character goads the man he’s cuckolded (‘I am the thing you fenced in / I’m ten men’), the song matches Wanderlust in its fierce fuck-you to all the men in suits who’ll never really know what it means to live.

“There’s a real futility in thinking about yourself as an island” Tom Fleming

Elsewhere, Mecca seems to suggest that, despite coming to terms with our histories, we retain the wish to relive the best parts of them; and perhaps most notably there is an express awareness that we are neither new nor unique in our loves and pains, that whatever we’re going through has gone before us, and will come after us. “There’s a realisation that you’re not the first to do this; you won’t be the last and you won’t be the first,” Fleming says. “And also that people won’t learn; just as you haven’t learnt the lessons of people before you, they’re gonna make the same mistakes. There’s allusions to that all over the record. I think it’s a really interesting idea, it’s part of what being a human is about, that kind of uncertainty in the future.

Well no, sorry – uncertainty is the wrong word, it’s actually certainty. You know, the absolute knowledge that this is going to come to an end.

That absolute knowledge.”

In spite of its precision stitching, Present Tense breathes as perhaps none of its predecessors did; it’s difficult to believe these songs were first constructed through patchworking and programming, rather than played through from the outset. “That was kind of the holy grail,” Thorpe says. “For something to sound effortless and like it always was requires a huge amount of meticulous and detailed work.” All the prep and patching, however, could only take them so far – and it

wasn’t until the band left Homerton (“we partly got evicted and partly threw ourselves out”) and were reunited with Talbot that the blood began to course through Present Tense’s intricately mapped interior. “Rhythm and beats are the most primal and physical aspect of music,” Thorpe says, and “when Chris wasn’t involved initially I think we probably lost quite a bit of our mojo.”

“You should hear the process,” Fleming says of leaving some things unpolished. “We tried to pare stuff down, but we didn’t clean up everything. There’s some element of accident – I think you can still hear decisions being made on the record. I hope.”

With a fourth album that, as much as it’s a cliché to say so, feels like a coming of age, Wild Beasts are something of a rarity among so-called UK ‘guitar’ bands, occupying a position perhaps matched only by Foals in terms of enjoying the luxury to work and develop at, relatively speaking, their own pace (though they “did think we’d probably be in a penthouse by now,” Thorpe deadpans). Their longevity is due in no small part to the strength of their togetherness: an almost audible sixth sense derives from friendships formed as teenagers in Kendal that have lasted

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through “tumultuous,” “transformatory” times.

Thorpe describes the group as a “liferaft,” and notes that “this record is definitely about our kind of shared history.

“There’s a shared consciousness, definitely, that can’t be replicated,” he says. “And y’know, we’ve seen so many people fall by the wayside because of not having that kind of unity, and not maybe having the care in terms of someone to look out for them, be it tough love or just love.

And I think it comes through in the music unavoidably, that collectiveness. It’s kind of beyond friends, in a way, because you’re making work together,” he considers.

“But it’s a strange thing,” he pauses, looking up from his cup, eyes lit, “because it doesn’t make you a better person. I think the great myth of art is that if you create a beautiful piece of work, it makes you a beautiful person, and it’s not true. You know, it doesn’t count for shit on reallevel terms. You just are in a lucky position to be able to – maybe – create something of beauty.”

Present Tense is released on 24 Feb via Domino. Wild Beasts play The Arches Glasgow on 27 Mar wild-beasts.co.uk

THE SKINNY

JACK DANIEL WAS A MAN OF COMMITMENT. AT LEAST WHEN IT CAME TO HIS WHISKEY. When it came to whiskey making, no man was more dedicated than Jack Daniel. It’s the reason he’d wait patiently while his whiskey mellowed through 10 feet of packed sugar maple charcoal, and why he’d watch over every batch with a discriminating eye. Though he never married, Mr. Jack remained forever faithful to his one true love. Unfortunately for the ladies of Lynchburg, Tennessee, that happened to be his whiskey.

J A C K D A N I E L’ S

TENNESSEE WHISKEY

Stay dedicated. Drink responsibly. ©2014 Jack Daniel’s. All rights reserved. JACK DANIEL’S and OLD NO. 7 are registered trademarks.

Creative Industries at

GLASGOW CLYDE COLLEGE

AUGUST 2014 COURSE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Seeing potential

Glasgow Clyde College is Scotland’s leading college for creative industry training. Across its three campuses in Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside, we’ve launched the careers of some of the country’s leading creative talent.

To apply, visit glasgowclyde.ac.uk or call 0141 272 9000

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Creative Industries subject areas include: • Acting and Performance Arts • Art and Design • Dance • Digital Media • Fashion and Textiles • Jewellery • Journalism • Media • Music • Stringed Musical Instrument Making and Repair • Television, Photography and Film

THE SKINNY

Young Punks

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Glasgow Youth Film Festival opens with a bang – and some dodgy drumming – with We Are the Best!, a joyous celebration of youth, friendship and punk rock.

We speak to its mercurial director Lukas Moodysson Interview: Jamie Dunn

ukas Moodysson is slouched on a sofa of a Soho bar the day after his ebullient new film, We Are the Best!, had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival. “It’s quite surprising for me that the film seems to be understandable – and even liked! – outside of Sweden,” he says in a tone that’s continually oscillating between dour and cheerful, “because for me it felt like people who didn’t grow up there wouldn’t respond to the details of the film. But it almost feels like it works even better outside Sweden than inside Sweden.”

He’s not wrong. Last night’s screening was joyous; it went down a storm. Set in Stockholm in the early 1980s, the film follows Bobo (Mira Barkhammer) and Klara (Mira Grosin), two teen outsiders who form a punk band with their school’s musically gifted good-girl Hedvig (Liv Lemoyne), and marks Moodysson’s return to the wit and ebullience of his first two features Show Me Love and Together.

“I just needed to make something that was happy and uplifting,” says Moodysson. “I think I had spent too much time writing about the sadness of life.” Scanning his CV, it’s hard to disagree. The last decade has seen the Swedish director immerse himself in bleak and experimental fare with such films as A Hole in My Heart, Container and Mammoth, to little critical or commercial success. Like the film-loving extraterrestrials in Woody Allan’s Stardust Memories, it seems audiences and critics are more keen on Moodysson’s ‘early, funny ones.’

“It’s very difficult not to listen when people say positive things,” he says when I point out that he seems to have more success working in comedy than in drama, “but at the same time I just want to do what I want to do. I’m not really proud of myself in general because I think there are so many things that I’ve not achieved, but there’s one thing that I’m proud of: I’ve not followed just one line in one direction. For me, that’s an honest approach to life, because life is very diverse and

very rich: sometimes it’s terrible and sometimes there are people who kill themselves and sometimes there’s euphoria.”

Euphoria is certainly the chief emotion audiences will feel while lapping up We Are the Best!, but it’s not all warm nostalgia. “One challenge for me was to portray 1982 and the relationships between the children and an older generation in a truthful way,” Moodysson explains. “I felt like there were a lot of people – grown-ups and parents – who were really irresponsible and forgot about their children.”

This is most clearly demonstrated in the contrast between Bobo and Klara’s home life.

Bobo, an only child and latchkey kid, spends most of her time comforting her single mother, who’s either getting drunk on the couch or lamenting her latest inappropriate boyfriend. Moodysson, ever the humanist, isn’t being judgmental in this portrayal of 80s parenting – just honest. “I didn’t want to make a film where people were mean or evil,” he says, “but just a little bit naïve.”

We Are the Best! owes most of its considerable pleasures to the naturalistic interactions between its three greenhorn leads. If the film proves anything it’s that Moodysson is one of the most skillful directors of young actors. The secret to his success, he reveals, is organised chaos. This works twofold. First, there’s discipline: “Around the camera you have to create a small bubble where there’s a very strict atmosphere.” Balanced with freedom: “I say to them ‘learn it [the script]’, but then throw it away and say whatever you want to say. A lot of the time the best performance is in the first take, when people are just going for it and there’s the confusion of things and they might say the wrong thing, and those wrinkles more often than not make the scene more interesting.”

famous Miami films, if you think of Scarface and Miami Vice, but there aren’t really any movies about the Miami that we know. More than anything it’s about articulating ourselves as artists in a specific place.”

While their idiosyncratic, eye-popping films reflect the city they live in – Leyva decribes his home town as “magic realist” – they also serve as a healthy antidote to the down-beat, realist style that has been the predominant US indie film movement of the last ten years: mumblecore. But Layva insists there’s more to their crazy visual grammar than a mere reaction to recent US indie trends. One reason for favouring visual spectacle over talky dramas is that Miami doesn’t have the abundance of out-of-work thespians you find in New York or LA. “We don’t know that many good actors down here, so as a result our films aren’t character or relationship based,” explains Leyva. “They’re more based on the things that we do have, like access to a lot of artists and

design elements that make our films a lot more experiential.”

Another reason is technological: “Mumblecore came out when you couldn’t make a film that was primarily visual for the price of a mumblecore film. Now that cameras are getting better and cheaper, and people are getting better at digital effects, we can tell more outlandish stories for less than you ever could before.”

Mayer and Layva’s first feature film, Post Modem, starts shooting in the summer. Get down to the two Borscht Corp programmes at the Glasgow Short Film Festival to say you saw them first.

We Are the Best! opened the Glasgow Youth Film Festival on 3 Feb and is released across the UK 18 Apr by Metrodome GYFF runs until 12 Feb

The Sunshine State of Independence Down in south Florida a group of filmmakers have been making waves on the US indie film circuit. They go by the name The Borscht Corporation, and Glasgow Short Film Festival are bringing their wild cinematic vision to Scotland for an in-depth showcase Interview: Jamie Dunn

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f anyone thought the sight of James Franco serenading a pair of machine gun-wielding Disney princesses with a Britney Spears ballad while dressed as a gangsta rapper in Harmany Korine’s Spring Breakers was as hallucinatory as US cinema gets in the 2010s, then think again. Working the same turf of south Florida, filmmaking duo Jillian Mayer and Lucas Levya have amassed a body of work so original and inventive it makes Korine look like Ron Howard.

Watching films like The Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke, an adaptation of Chris Marker’s La Jetée, starring Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew as the time-travelling saviour of humanity, and Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse!, an animation featuring the eponymous Miami Heat baseball star and a mystic wolfman, it occurs to you that Mayer and Levya, and The Borscht Corporation film collective they run, don’t see cinema like other filmmakers. Words like eccentric, surreal and psychedelic can’t do justice to their whacked-out vision.

Borscht Corp was formed in 2003 “by accident” by a group of high school juniors. “We were all at this arts high school [Miami’s New World School of the Arts],” says Leyva, Borscht Corp’s

February 2014

‘Minister of the Interior,’ via Skype from his office in Miami. “I was in theatre, other friends were in dance and visual art. There wasn’t really a film programme, but one of us had a camera and we would all kind of goof around and make movies on the weekend.”

But once these films were made, there was no infrastructure in which young Miami filmmakers could show their work, so they “kind of did it backwards”: they made the movies, then they built Borscht Corp and the Borscht Film Festival around them. “Back then it was very informal,” explains Leyva, “just us having a party and playing movies in classrooms after school.” Now, the collective’s films play in festivals all over the world: on the day of our interview Leyva is flying with Mayer to Park City, Utah, for Sundance, and this month they visit Glasgow for GSFF’s retrospective of their work.

One of Borscht Corp’s primary aims is to allow Miami’s local filmmakers to tell stories that go beyond the typical portrayal of the city as a beautiful but vapid party town (see Spring Breakers). “It’s such a strange town with its own personality that it hasn’t really been explored that much in film,” Layva says. “I mean, there are

FILM

Mayer/Layva programme screens 14 Feb at CCA, 7.15pm The Borscht Corporation programme screens 16 Feb at CCA, 6.30pm Mayer and Layva will introduce both programmes and both events will be followed by a Q&A GSFF runs 13-16 Feb

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Alien Surveillance Glasgow Film Festival opens with lightness (Wes Anderson’s latest fastidious comedy) and closes in darkness (Under the Skin, a tale of an alien seducing and killing men on the streets of Glasgow).

We speak to Jonathan Glazer, the man behind the latter

Interview: Jamie Dunn

Ten of the Best at GFF Once again the opening and closing films of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival have sold out. But don’t fret, there’s a whole programme of fine cinema to sample, like these ten great-looking films, for example...

Words: Jamie Dunn

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nder the Skin, Jonathan Glazer’s loose adaptation of Michel Faber’s 2000 novel of the same name, will close the Glasgow Film Festival on 2 March. It’s an inspired way to bring the curtain down. Not only does it present the festival’s home town in a bold new light, it’s also a knockout film.

When I speak to Glazer by phone several weeks before the screening he’s in a London editing suite. “I’m cutting a TV commercial,” he says sheepishly. “Paying the rent, you know.” It’s no wonder he went back to making ads (his work for the like of Guinness and Levi's made him the most in-demand commercial director of the late 90s and early 00s), it’s been ten long years since he released his last feature Birth. The 48-year-old director has been trying to adapt Under the Skin from even before that film. So why’d it take so long to get to the screen?

“When you’re doing it you don’t think of it in those terms,” he tells me, “you’re just in it and it takes what it takes.” A large reason for this extended pre-production was Glazer figuring our how to visualise the material. “There were ingredients to it that were very powerful to me,” he explains, “and I needed to find out what they were, and once I understood those that’s the film I wrote and made.”

The chief ingredient became the psyche of the alien. “I suppose that was the molten core of it all: the idea of being really in her point of view and seeing human beings from her angle.”

Through her eyes, Glazer paints the human race as grotesque and perplexing. When she drives round the streets of Glasgow in her Transit van scouting for prey, it’s the chain-smoking, mobilephone obsessed natives who look alien.

The casting of Scarlett Johansson in the lead adds credence to this fish out of water scenario.

In Faber’s novel, there are telltale signs that his

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protagonist is not of this world – massive eyes hidden behind spectacles with milk-bottle lenses, long thin fingers and a short torso. In Glazer’s version, Johansson’s glamour is equally conspicuous “There’s something exotic about [Johansson] there,” explains Glazer. “I used to think of her like an exotic insect on the wrong continent. Like her character, she stood out but she was desperately trying to blend in at the same time.”

This friction is accentuated by the sly techniques Glazer used while filming. Many of the men whom Johansson’s character approaches to pick up in her van were unaware at the time that they were flirting with a Hollywood A-lister and performing in a sci-fi film. Using a combination of hidden cameras and distant camera crews with long lenses, Glazer observes Johansson as she walks and drives the streets of No Mean City interacting with its oblivious inhabitants. “We were concerned about whether Scarlett would be recognised,” explains Glazer about his approach.

“If your cover’s blown then it all collapses. But we got away with it.”

This system of filming gives a freshness to the interactions, but Glazer’s singular form also mirrors the themes of the film. “The idea, really, is about surveillance: her being this kind of operative who is watching us undetected, and undetectable,” explains Glazer. “It made perfect sense to film it that way – once we understood that then everything really served that objective.”

This approach, however, hasn’t been to everyone’s taste. When the lights went up at its premiere screening at the Venice Film Festival, Under the Skin became the last in a long line of masterpieces to receive boos. Not that these cat-calling Statlers and Waldorfs bothered Glazer any. “I was at that screening and I thought that sound was a great,” he says when I bring up his film’s notorious press screening. “The booing and

clapping combination is, to my ear, a phenomenal sound. I’ll never forget it,” he says, before pausing to recall that Birth received a similar reception on the Lido: “Well, actually, it’s the second time I’ve heard it,” he laughs.

Why does he think his last two films have divided audiences so? “When I make a film I’m very locked into the idea of what does come next, rather than what should come next,” Glazer observes. “In other words: when I make a film, I don’t sit down and think, ‘what would an audience like here?’ I think a film should talk to an audience, not talk down to or up to an audience but to them. I think there are some people who just don’t like that – they go in with a preconception about what they think they’re going to see and if they don’t see it it pisses them off.”

One audience that will be interesting to gauge while watching the film is a Glaswegian one. The city, and the western Highlands, where much of the second half of the film takes place, is rendered in a way that’s unlikely to delight the Scottish Tourist Board. Glazer will find out for himself as he’s due to attend Glasgow Film Festival’s gala screening. He isn’t too apprehensive about its reception, however. “I didn’t want to shoot like a tourist,” he explains. “I wanted to feel like I was really showing the city through her eyes, as she finds it, and obviously the film is made by whatever we happened to pass in that moment: who she spoke to or walked past and that was the film, that was the city. There’s obviously much more to Glasgow and Scotland than what we captured, but what we were lucky enough to photograph up there was – I think – very powerful.”

Under the Skin closes the Glasgow Film Festival on 2 Mar – Jonathan Glazer will introduce; the film is released in UK cinemas 14 Mar glasgowfilm.org/festival

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Dark Blood (George Sluizer; 24 Feb) Sluizer started shooting desert-bound horror Dark Blood in 1993, but it remained incomplete after its 23-year-old star River Phoenix died from an overdose 11 days before shooting was complete. Two decades on, Sluizer has pieced together a final edit and will present its UK premiere at GFF. The Double (Richard Ayoade; 22&23 Feb) Comic actor Ayoade showed a flair for direction in his spritely cineliterate debut Submarine.

This followup, an adaptation of a Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella starring Jesse Eisenberg, will be worth attending if only for Ayoade’s always hilarious post-film Q&A. Exhibition (Joanna Hogg; 25&26 Feb) With her first two films, Hogg proved herself a master of understated toe-curling comedies about sex, family and class. Expect another awkward comedy of manners from this brilliantly original director.

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski; 25&26 Feb) This delightful odd-couple road movie, about a young nun and her foul-mouthed, loosemoraled aunt taking a trip to their home town is a glorious return to form for the My Summer of Love director.

Mood Indigo (Michel Gondry; 23&24 Feb) We’re taking a punt with this one: its trailer suggests a full-on assault of rom-com whimsy, but with Gondry behind the camera we can assume any kookiness will be balanced by inventiveness and effervescence.

Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch; 25 Feb) Talking of rom-coms, they don’t get any better than this sparkling fairytale from 1939 starring Greta Garbo as a sombre Soviet emissary whose icy exterior reluctantly melts in gay Paris.

The Past (Asghar Farhadi; 1&2 Mar) Two years ago Iranian filmmaker Farhadi made an international splash with A Separation.

With the rerelease of his earlier films (About Elly, Fireworks Wednesday) it seems he’s been knocking out deeply humane melodrama for years, making his latest family drama, starring Berenice Bejo and Tahar Rahim, a must-see.

Starred Up (David Mackenzie; 21&22 Feb) Mackenzie is reportedly back to his Hallam Foe form with this intense prison drama that hinges on an electric performance from Skins star Jack O’Connell as a teenage offender ‘starred up’ to adult prison.

Tom at the Farm (Xavier Dolan; 26&27 Feb) The ridiculously talented Québécois writerdirector-actor tones down the florid indulgences of his first three films for this tense and darkly funny chamber piece that calls to mind Polanski at his most twisted.

A Thousand Suns/Touki Bouki double-bill (Mati Diop/Djibril Diop Mambéty; 2 Mar) The screening of Diop’s tribute to her uncle Mambét’s masterpiece Touki Bouki would be recommendation enough – that it’s paired in a double-bill with Mambét’s film about the misadventures of two young lovers makes it unmissable.

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A Literature of Independence The republication of Miha Mazzini’s Crumbs, a novel about individual pursuits set against the backdrop of a nation driving for independence, could prove pretty timely around these parts. We speak to the author about navigating self-determination Interview: Ryan Rushton

Dead Prez

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oving indie folk collective Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros pitch their prairie wagons in Glasgow this month (O2 ABC, 6 Feb) as part of a whistle-stop European tour. Lead by tireless charmer and recent Golden Globewinner Alex “Edward Sharpe” Ebert (who doubles as the frontman to Californian pop-punk outfit Ima Robot as well as producing his own solo work; some people just make you feel lazy, don’t they?), the 12-piece troubadour Zeros always bring a show-stopping dose of gospel-flavoured Americana rock wherever they march. This tour proves there’s still life in their third studio album, 2013’s Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

11 Feb offers up a choice: trip-hop or hiphop? O2 ABC’s main stage houses chillout chart darlings London Grammar, tipped (to no result, alas) for 2013’s Mercury Music Prize. The trio (hailing from – wait for it – London!) have been making waves with their soulful, haunting debut If You Wait (notably featuring their darker-still reprise of Kavinsky’s pining centrepiece to the Drive soundtrack, Nightcall), thanks in no small part to leading lady Hannah Reid’s formidable warble. Backed by Dot Major’s soft keys and Dan Rothman’s able guitar, their sets are at times intimate, at others passionate, but if you’re looking for something a little more restless that night, we’ve got you covered.

The O2 ABC2 hosts the always ‘bigger than hip-hop’ US rap duo Dead Prez the same night.

Unashamedly political, M-1 and stic.man have been spitting confrontational lyrics over tight beats since their discovery in the late 90s. Their most recent record, Information Age, released through Krian Music Group / Boss Up Inc. / Sound Weapon back in January 2013, is their first studio album since 2004’s Revolutionary But Gangsta, having filled their time in the interim with activism and documentary film-making.

Ah, Valentine’s. A time for smug couples, cynical singles, and sequin-studded burlesque acts in the style of a Prohibition-era speakeasy – right? Right. Glasgow’s own Club Noir (O2 Academy, 15 Feb) certainly think so, taking us back to the Big Apple with a swanky Valentine’s in New York soiree. With over 18 acts themed around the glitzy 20s (and onwards), expect everything from showgirls and Harlem shuffles to breakdancers and strippers, while DJs Loveless and Poprock provide some era tunage. Dress code is self-explanatory (no trainers, dollface), so dust off your tuxes and corsets, apply a liberal layer of slap & glitter, and – why not? – be a part of it (sorry). [George Sully] www.o2abcglasgow.co.uk

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rumbs is the best-ever selling novel in Yugoslavia, particularly noteworthy for being lauded by both the controlling governmental forces when it was first published in 1987, and the opposition movement who sought an independent Slovenia. The story follows the keenly intelligent Egon, as he seeks to escape not the poverty of the unnamed foundry town he inhabits, but an existence without his beloved and expensive fragrance of choice, Cartier Pour Homme.

Forging alliances among the ethnically and religiously diverse population of the town, Egon works schemes and swindles the unfortunate as he boozes and womanises his way to another bottle of fragrance, while in the background a nation is on the cusp of self-determination. His friends, Salem and Ibro, work at the factory and, almost 30 years on, it is Salem’s story – the worker’s story – Mazzini wants to focus upon when we speak to him.

The Skinny: Reflecting on the book now, do you think you can pinpoint why it struck such a chord?

Miha Mazzini: It’s a story about an immigrant worker who goes to the cinema and falls in love with the film star. He knows he’s nobody and he must get famous to approach her. Rereading it now, it struck me how contemporary the story still is. Yearning for a status is built in us and, while a peasant in the middle ages knew the world is set and unchangeable and he will never be royalty, nowadays our status sensors are getting more and more frustrated. Celebrities are the new royalty and they’re everywhere around us, and how they became what they are, it’s not exactly clear. There are no set rules how to get famous; we can’t even remember for most of the celebrities how they did it. Fame is split from the deed, a wondrous achievement.

For someone relatively ignorant of the history of Slovenia and Yugoslavia, the novel feels like a window into a world we know so little about. We want to feel the town of the story is representative of that mixed culture at that point in time. Would you agree with that?

They built the factory, imported workers from everywhere and put them in those ugly blocks of apartments, the dispersed great grey walls still standing all over ex-socialistic countries. The cultures were mixed, but there was no melting pot in the works, because there was nothing to melt into. With economic troubles everything started falling apart, because there was no unifying culture to bond the nations. When I was writing this novel, I didn’t intend to paint a bigger scene; but somehow, if the story is good, you always do (it took me years to realise this).

Egon is one of those characters the reader is immediately on board with. Just like the women in his life, we are charmed by his casual

BOOKS

detachment and wit in the face of some grim realities. Was there an element of wish fulfilment in that, both for yourself and for young people in Slovenia at the time?

Egon is the man who arranges things – a manipulator – and I wanted him exactly like that.

Yes, wish fulfillment for sure, but that was the ideal of the time and place: the system wanted to take care of everything but in reality didn’t provide for anything. You have to arrange for just everything, starting with your morning coffee (smuggled from Austria or Italy). Egon wants a perfume, but not just buying it, he wants to manipulate the people to buy it for him – a bastard.

The other inhabitants of the town are just as fascinating – filled with humour and melancholy, stifled ambition, thrown around by history. Looking back on writing the book now, what did these characters mean to you?

I was taking small pieces of reality, of real people and real events and I was combining it into something new. I didn’t want to offend anybody and I was extremely cautious not to make the story autobiographical in any sense. So, I made up most of the events and persons. Years after the publication, I went to my hometown and I was sitting at the small bar where we used to sit (and those guys were still there, and probably still are) and people around me were reminiscing about the events I was sure I invented. My face must have been so surprised that one of them whispered in my ear: ‘Don’t worry. It didn’t happen. We just took Crumbs and made it our own glorious past to tell to the younger generations.’

Do you feel there are any parallels to be drawn between Scotland, which is pondering a greater degree of self-determination, and the Slovenia you depict in the book?

Being under foreign rule for a long time leaves every nation with some universal traits, I think. First, probably, is at least slightly higher narcissism: ‘What could we have done if there would be no (put the name of the foreign rulers here)?’ Second: the convenient scapegoat is always at hand: ‘It would work out fine if those stupid [put the name here] wouldn’t fuck everything up.

After the country gains independence, there comes a time of interregnum – one ruler gone, the other still not fully functioning. It’s a dangerous time because the newly independent nation must answer a very important question: were the rules, the law, etc made by our previous rulers something that belongs to them and of no worth for us now, or should we still obey them? It’s time for the Wolves of Wall Street to go wild and, if the government lets them (or they become the government), the country will be in deep shit for a long time.

Crumbs is published on 24 Feb, by Freight, RRP £8.99

THE SKINNY

Getting Back to Business Edinburgh hip-hop trio Young Fathers looked a good bet to take over the world five years ago. So why has it taken them until now to release their remarkable debut album? The Skinny finds them in the studio

Interview: Chris McCall Photography: Daniel Harris

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hey do funerals differently in New Orleans.

Rather than mourn the death, they celebrate the life of the deceased. A brass band leads a procession to and from church, and following behind are the dancing mourners collectively known as the Second Line.

Young Fathers’ Graham ‘G’ Hastings came across Second Lining on YouTube during breaks in recording the Edinburgh trio’s long-awaited debut album, Dead. It struck a chord as he reflected on the years it had taken his group to progress from promising new band to fullyfledged recording artists.

“It’s a glorious occasion, walking through the streets with brass music. It’s fucking beautiful,” he explains. “That’s what the whole record feels like to me now. It has that feeling of something sad has happened, but it’s nothing to be down about; especially as I have arrived at the end. To me, the album sounds like one of those processions – it’s quite a glorious thing.”

Young Fathers might have taken a bass – rather than a brass – direction for their album, but their desire to celebrate in the face of adversity would be fully understood down Bourbon Street. Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Hastings have been friends since the age of 14 when they met at an under-16s hip-hop night at Edinburgh’s Bongo Club, back when it was housed in the Scottish capital’s Holyrood Road.

They began recording their own compositions shortly after and were barely out of their teens when they secured their first management deal.

Media attention quickly followed, thanks to songs like Straight Back On It, which hinted this was a fresh, free-spirited rap group with a pop twist. A ‘psychedelic hip-hop boyband’ as they sometimes called themselves, a tag that fitted with the choreographed dance moves they pulled off on stage. TV appearances and festival shows quickly came and went, suggesting that Young Fathers were fast on their way to nationwide exposure and a potentially lucrative career.

A debut album was talked about – but never appeared. That was five years ago. So where have they been since?

It’s a question that the trio have been asked regularly, but the short answer is they have never been away; continuing to write and record new material with enviable frequency. “If we hadn’t done all the stuff before, when we first started in the studio, we wouldn’t still be doing it now,” states Massaquoi. “It’s part of the journey, it’s part of the whole Young Fathers story, and that’s fine.”

Don’t expect to hear any of their early material performed when Young Fathers begin their UK tour this month. “I find it harder than the boys to listen to that stuff, I get kinda funny about it,” Hastings intones. “But, because of what has happened since then, I’m not angry in any sense. I actually enjoy the story now, what happened, and it feels like it’s brought us here.

It’s hard to be angry, because we’re still here and we’re much happier.”

Since quitting their previous management deal in 2011, much of their time has been spent in a small private recording studio in Leith belonging to producer Timothy London. There, Young Fathers rediscovered their focus and started planning a new way forward. The studio is their sanctuary, where they are free to record in their own experimental style – and it makes it the natural place to meet them for an interview.

Upon arrival, The Skinny is asked politely to refrain from revealing its precise whereabouts.

It was here in this basement room that they

February 2014

recorded Dead, and the two EPs which preceded it. The first, Tape One, signalled a sea change for Young Fathers; the lyrics were darker and the bass much heavier than anything they had attempted before.

“There was a lot of frustration after getting bad advice from other people and listening to the wrong voices,” says Bankole. “Our intentions when we put Tape One out as a free download was just do it, just have something out there. We wanted to get a record out because before that time we never had any.”

very significant part to play. The instantaneous nature of it just made it feel right.”

After attracting some impressive reviews, Tape One was heard by Shaun Koplow of LA-based label Anticon. Emails were exchanged, Skype conversations entered into and eventually a meeting was arranged at the 2013 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. The advantages of signing such a deal were obvious to Hastings. “It was like, they’re American, they’re in America and America is big.”

Anticon re-released Tape One in early 2012 on both sides of the pond, and Tape Two followed in June last year. Each attracted almost universally positive reviews. For the second time in their short career, Young Fathers found themselves being talked about as a group with a big future.

It seemed natural that an album would quickly follow, but the trio didn’t see it that way.

Graham Hastings “It wasn’t planned,” Hastings points out. “The way we work, we always come in and let things Hastings is in no doubt as to the imporhappen. We always try to finish a song by the end tance of their first EP. “It was a complete fucking of the day, but we’ll record for weeks without release for us. After everything, we decided listening back – and then we’ll come back and to release it by the end of the week – no matlisten to everything in a oner. But the thing is just ter what the fuck happened. And we did it, and to bang it oot. And with Dead, that’s what it feels proved that we could do it on our own. It was so like. It was banged oot – it could have been Tape much easier to the way we were thinking before. Three.”

All that shit about proper recording techniques It was soon apparent to Young Fathers that just went oot the windae.” they had an album on their hands. “When we “People make out that they have the knowlistened back it sounded like a whole cohesive how in the music business,” adds Massaquoi. thing,” Massaquoi enthuses. “Like straight away, “They make out that they are the best thing since you could just tell. It’s the first thing that’s really fucking sliced bread; and because you think you come out (in a physical format) since we started don’t have the know-how, they say your hands are doing music, so in that regard it’s exciting, but tied and then they’re asking you for X-amount. at the same time it means everything and nothBut then you think: ‘let’s just do it ourselves’ – ing – because we have more work and we’re just and you soon realise that you enjoy it that way. getting back to business, really.”

There’s no excuse, you’re happier if it doesn’t In the time Young Fathers have been makwork out. You sleep better at night.” ing music, the general perception of hip-hop For Bankole, it was a similarly liberating produced in Scotland has slowly evolved from experience. “The power of having no fear had a outright mockery to growing acceptance. When

“We have no shame in saying that we want to be huge”

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the group met at those under-16s nights at The Bongo, they would return to school the following Monday to be asked if they were ‘wannabe gangsters’ by other pupils with little comprehension of what rap was or could be.

But the trio have never viewed themselves as a straight hip-hop group or part of any wider Scottish rap scene. “With the world becoming a smaller place, it’s not weird to have hip-hop from Finland or Scotland,” explains Hastings.

“Hip-hop is everywhere. It’s the biggest fucking genre. It’s taken over the world, so it’s not a big deal. We’ve never really been part of the hip-hop scene, because we just dip into things and leave. We’re as much part of the folk scene,” he grins.

A global perspective is important to Young Fathers. Massaquoi was born in Liberia, and Bankole’s family is Nigerian. Edinburgh might be the city that brought the group together, but they would have no qualms of relocating if the right situation demanded it. “We’re not of anywhere, we’re not from anywhere,” Massaquoi states.

“We haven’t taken our blood and signed allegiance to anywhere,” continues Bankole. “I’ve travelled, my parents are both Nigerian, English is not my first language, it’s one of those things.

The world is such a small place, people are travelling so much and are into different things, that it’s hard to pin things down any more. Why would you want to?”

Hastings sums it up. “We just want everything, we want the world. We have no shame in saying that we want to be huge. We don’t want to hold back. What was it The Jesus and Mary Chain said? ‘We have ambition, we want to be as big as Culture Club.’ It’s like that mentality. That’s what we’ve always been about.”

Dead is released on 3 Feb via Big Dada. Playing Manchester Deaf Institute on 4 Feb and Liverpool East Village on 5 Feb young-fathers.com

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Most Haunted At the helm of one of the UK’s most respected clubnights, Ryan Hunn aka Illum Sphere already has a reputation as a producer and remixer. Now, he talks us through the dark cinematics and archival sounds of his debut LP, due to land this month

Interview: Thomas Short Photography: Richard Manning

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espite recently signing to Ninja Tune and being fêted by critics and DJs alike as one of the UK’s most promising up and coming artists, Ryan Hunn – aka Illum Sphere – is anything but arrogant. “I felt out of my depth,” he says, describing the lengthy process of recording his debut album, Ghosts of Then and Now, and explaining with refreshing candour the difficulties that come with the switch from producing mostly singles to a longer format. “It’s been four and a half years since my first record, quite a long time.

A lot of people seem to do a couple of releases and then they’ve got an album ready.”

Fortunately, Ninja Tune were more than sympathetic to Hunn’s pace, and his flair for producing haunting, otherworldly tracks that make a virtue of their not exactly being ‘club friendly’ has come up trumps – and while the recording process was painful at times, he hasn’t been put off by the experience. “I already feel like I can make another one, in a kind of focused way,” he says.

Starting out with a dubstep-tinged style, Hunn’s music has evolved along with the frantic pace of UK bass culture, drawing influence from LA label Brainfeeder’s futuristic beat-freakery and, more recently, Detroit techno. Throughout, however, he has remained fiercely original, eclectic and, as more than one critic has labelled him, ‘adventurous’ – a description that, with typical self-deprecation, he puts down to his technical shortcomings. “I don’t think I’m particularly good at making a certain genre of music,” he admits. “That’s a totally different art form.”

Renowned for DJ sets that flit effortlessly from Turkish rock to 80s boogie by way of punishing grime instrumentals, Hunn’s music is equally diverse, often shifting from dark, uneasy synth workouts to uplifting, psychedelic codas, as on the album’s lead single Sleeprunner. It soon becomes apparent that the true reason for this anything-goes approach is his restless imagination, rather than amateurism. He cites cult hip hop producer Dabrye’s album Two/Three as a chief influence. “It was the first electronic album that I really attached myself to,” he recalls. “I remember hearing it and thinking it was like nothing I’d ever heard before. I think that it, in one sense, broke a lot rules. It was essentially a hip-hop album but there were so many things that would happen like once in a track. I think it was the first album that gave my brain imagery. That might have a massive influence on how I make stuff.”

What with the noirish, atmospheric motifs used throughout Ghosts of Then and Now and its sci-fi track titles like Lights Out / In Shinjuku, there is a strikingly visual quality to Hunn’s music. Have any films had an influence on the record? “There isn’t one that I could pick out as being a direct inspiration,” he considers, “But I guess I quite like setting a mood, or little jolts, or endings not being what you think they should be. So there’s definitely a cinematic influence in there somewhere.” Other influences include releases on Finders Keepers, the legendary archival label that puts out trippy lost records from around Europe and the Middle East – though Hunn protests that his muse is anything but acid.

“I’m not a heavy drug user. I’m pretty boring actually! A lot of the times when I make music it’s in a certain mind frame; you push yourself to make music that’s weirder than you think it is.”

A background in more guitar-based music may have provoked Hunn’s inclination for the idiosyncratic – which is matched by an admirable tendency to forgo samples in favour of more organic sounds, a theme that extends to his

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enabled him to construct a tight-knit crew, playing, promoting and remixing each other’s records. Conceived of as a monthly session with secret guests, but for the price of a luxury kebab, the night is acclaimed as one of the best in the UK, due in no small part to its residents’ commitment to “dropping odd numbers.” The motto of “having a really good party but never relying on the buzz tunes that you would hear elsewhere” is directly inherited from Hunn’s favourite DJ and fellow resident Jon K’s former night Eyes Down.

Now approaching their sixth anniversary, the Hoya team are enjoying a bit of a purple patch, what with Éclair Fifi joining the BBC’s ‘In New DJs We Trust’ roster, Krystal Klear working with Nile Rodgers, and Lone putting out a critically acclaimed album. “I think it’s better now musically than it’s ever been,” Hunn agrees. “A lot of us are hitting a point where we have to make career changes. In terms of my DJing, there was a time when the adventurous side of it came from being a bit scatty, almost trying too much really. But in the last six months or year it’s come to be noticeably more refined and mature. You tend not to worry, you tend to spend a bit less time noticing what you’re not really into.”

“When I make music it’s in a certain mind frame; you push yourself to make music that’s weirder than you think it is” Ryan Hunn

unusual use of interfaces. Much of the album is dominated by live instruments, including Hunn’s self-penned bass guitar licks, Shigeto’s drumming and a rather unlikely collaboration on penultimate track Near the End. “There’s a keys solo on it, done by my flatmate’s dad; he’s a music teacher. He actually did it on his dinner break and sent the piano roll back as a MIDI file.

It sounds like it’s been recorded. I suppose that’s cheating a bit really!” he laughs.

Hunn indicates that we’ll be hearing a lot more of these live-sounding arrangements in his

future releases. “I wanna do a lot more genrefied stuff,” he reveals, “whether it’s under other names or whatever, some stuff being purely instruments, some analogue stuff.” A number of successful remixes for acts such as The Invisible, MONEY and, most notably, Radiohead have given him an audience of indie kids who wouldn’t otherwise have come across his music, and he suggests that he’d like to move into producing for bands “if the right thing came along.”

The producer’s other duty of running Hoya:Hoya with co-founder Jonny Dub has

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While the Hoya crew have been making waves around the country and abroad, Hunn is keen to point out that the night hasn’t lost its identity. “It’s definitely changed, but it’s not changed to fit a trend,” he stresses. “We haven’t booked a lot of people who’ve been very trendy, there’ve been people who have been interested in playing and we’ve not really seen them being the right fit.” With this in mind, 2014 will see the night make a number of changes to its secret guest line-ups. “We’re going to run a series of specific events that are more to do with where it came from and the people who inspired us, instead of just booking guys who we know can work as secret guests.” The same discerning attitude applies to releases on the Hoya label: “We don’t like to release for the sake of the release, I’d much rather wait for the right thing.”

And what next from Hunn after the album drops? Apparently a tour is in the works, along with more fresh material – “I’ll probably do an EP as Illum Sphere and maybe some music under a few other names.” With a stunning record that is sure to be on the lips of many critics this month, and with his crew in extremely rude health, 2014 is shaping up quite nicely for Hunn. Whisper it, but he may even have a few reasons to be confident this year.

Ghosts of Then and Now is out 10 Feb on Ninja Tune. Illum Sphere plays The Yard, London, 21 Feb soundcloud.com/illum-sphere

THE SKINNY

Embrace †he Ambiguous Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and ex-Far guitarist Shaun Lopez find comfort in †††

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hino Moreno’s longstanding side project Team Sleep might have fallen by the wayside in recent years, but that’s not to say the Deftones frontman hasn’t been busy with other extracurricular affairs. Aside from an ongoing career with his main band, he recently collaborated with ex-Isis members for last year’s gorgeously expansive Palms LP. It’s perhaps less well known that he’s also been spending spare time working with ex-Far guitarist Shaun Lopez and Chuck Doom on another band, ††† (Crosses), whose recorded output goes back to 2011, when they released their first EP online as a free download. Its understated arrival generated relative online buzz due to the people involved, but compared to Lopez’s work with Far and Moreno’s with Deftones, fanfare was slight.

They preferred it this way, as Lopez recounts: “We just wanted to release it on our own, and for it to come out of nowhere. A lot of the time when bands talk about a project and they haven’t recorded anything yet, there’s a lot of hype. It’s almost impossible to meet expectations. We wanted to put music out there that we made and that we loved, counting on the fans to spread the word. I think it worked – it was definitely passed around. It means a lot more to find something on your own, or through word of mouth. We wanted to adopt that mentality.”

To Moreno, the low-key release reflected the nature of the project’s formation: “I was just hanging around in Shaun’s studio at his house.

Chuck and Shaun were just writing some tunes together. There weren’t any plans for what it was going to be. I just happened to show up to hang out there, and got asked if I could go into the vocal booth and put down an idea. It started very innocently that way, and from that point on it organically grew into a project. After a month had gone by of me showing up between tours, we had a lot of material.”

The word spread, but the cryptic artwork

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Feature

Interview: Ross Watson

and lack of context for the project led the internet to make many assumptions. One was that ††† were part of the thriving Witch House movement, a reaction which appealed to Lopez’s sense of humour: “That was funny, just because people always have to tag something. It was weird, people saying we were trying to be a part of this genre, when clearly we weren’t at all! I don’t know if it was angry Witch House fans causing mayhem or whatever...”

Moreno was less amused, but he’s used to colliding with the expectations of fans and detractors: “I understood why, because of the symbols and the band title, but we weren’t going for anything in particular, musically. I used to read forums where people would talk about my approach with Deftones, trying to tell me how I should sing. That shit drove me crazy – now I just ignore it. People are passionate about their preferences in music, but I can’t dictate what I’m going to come out with because of those people.”

Lopez is just thrilled that anyone else outside the camp is so passionate about their direction to begin with: “People wake up to free music every day. It’s a big deal that someone cares about it, period. There’s so many options for entertainment the minute you wake up, so if someone will listen to your music and care about it, you’d best not take it for granted.”

For Moreno, there’s no pressure with †††: “The bottom line is that you can either listen or not listen. As busy as I am with Deftones, I have a lot of spare time left over. I don’t really have any other hobbies other than listening to music, researching music, and making music. I could either be making nothing or making something. That’s as deep as I try to look at it, because if I went on the internet and started reading all these comments, I’d drive myself fucking nuts!”

Content with the first EP’s reception, the band worked on more music until a second offering followed in 2012. Now, they’re preparing a

sounds. They set the vibe for †††.” Lopez is also pleased with the uncertainty of their moniker, as if he’s relieved to be part of a band without limits: “If you think of a cross, it’s very ambiguous.

Is it a cult? Is it Christian? Is it Satanic? You don’t really know. I love that.”

Images and the ideas they convey are also important to Moreno, who explains the effects of Lopez’s taste in films on his vocal performances: “There’s a lot of religious symbolism and supernatural vibes in those movies. We used those as a catalyst to spark ideas, whether it be a chord change, or a lyric, anything really. I appreciate that approach, because when I write words, I do so in a very stream-of-conscious way. I wanted to react to the music and the visuals. What exactly are we trying to say? I don’t think there is a message, at least not one I can think of. It’s more Shaun Lopez about moods and general ideas.”

Moreno, not one for navel gazing, has beAll past achievements of their day jobs considered, it’s understandable that Moreno and come increasingly prolific in recent years. The Lopez would want to create something anew from Skinny asks whether these side ventures have afforded the relative veteran a new creative the ground up, without label pressure and overprivileged fans breathing down their necks. Lopez freedom. “I feel busier than I’ve ever been in my sums the ethos up nicely: “It’s fun. Definitely a lot career,” he starts. “With Deftones, there’s a lot of wiggle room. It’s not confined. We’re considered different from the kind of recording schedules a hard rock band, but there’s so much room for we’re used to. We’re usually rushed. Making this other styles and sounds. I don’t feel restricted by record was not bad at all. It was just done over that project as it is, so with ††† it’s not any differtime.” As for his approach: “There’s guitar, but ent. The songs themselves aren’t guitar based or a lot of the time a guitar sounds like a synth. I aggressive, which makes it a little different, but record so many guitars that I’m always trying to my approach is still the same. What you have on make them sound like something else. Because these records is my reaction to the music, and there was no schedule or expectation with this there’s no real boundaries. I feel like it’s easier to project, I had a lot more time.”

He goes on to suggest that †††’s real source make music now. I feel less pressure. Maybe it’s because I don’t have to participate in these proof inspiration was the surrealist imagery they’d jects, but instead of wasting time sitting around immerse themselves in while they were in the smoking weed and playing video games, I get to studio: “When we were making songs, I’d almake something that wasn’t previously there.” ways put something on the TV, “ he elaborates.

“Obscure, visually stimulating movies. Anything Crosses is released on 10 Feb via Sumerian Records from Holy Mountain to A Clockwork Orange. It’s crossesmusic.com weird, because those moods have crept into the self-titled album for physical release, comprising their discography so far and a selection of new cuts. Moreno describes it as a package for the fans who have been keeping track, but its adroitness as a fluid debut for newcomers to sink their teeth into shouldn’t be overlooked.

“Is it a cult? Is it Christian? Is it Satanic? You don’t really know. I love that”

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THE SKINNY

Open Antennas In A Complex Network Moderat’s Sebastian Szary discusses the group’s evolution, their cinematic live tour and the merits of Slayer

t’s like when you learn a language. You might not speak this language for a while, but when you come back to it, it’s still there.”

Mulling over the events surrounding the five month gap in Moderat’s world tour, Sebastian Szary sounds reassuringly positive on the phone as he prepares for the group’s final rehearsal session before recommencing their mammoth run of shows. The break in momentum for Szary and partners Gernot Bronsert and Sascha Ring came in September of last year when Ring suffered a multiple leg fracture following a motorcycle crash in Berlin. Szary speaks of the “deep depression” that engulfed those involved with the tour, which was only a month old when the accident abruptly put things on hold.

Almost half a year down the line though, having worked hard to get back on track, there seems to be a renewed sense of purpose behind the group, whose shared language is one rooted in deeply emotive electronic music and painstakingly well-coordinated live shows. “It’s interesting to see how, when we started the rehearsals again this week, the processes of the live set are still there in our heads. It’s like we can begin to play blind again.”

The increasingly cohesive bond between Szary and Bronsert (who make up techno behemoth Modeselektor) and Ring, who produces his own work as Apparat, is one which was forged over 10 years ago and has continued to gestate organically ever since. “Do you have the time?” jokes Szary when asked to ponder Moderat’s decade long evolution from jamming and playing low key festivals in Germany to travelling the world with their sprawling live production. He recounts familiar tales of how the Modeselektor duo were at first fascinated by Sascha’s gear and technical setup, and how they became more drawn to his music before deciding to hook up and share ideas from unfinished songs the trio had stored on their computers.

“We played a few funny shows and it was very confusing,” he admits. “It was like electronic jazz with drum loops and we would sometimes play for two hours at a time. Sometimes we lost the concept during the set and we had to finish and start again.”

Yet, even back in those formative days, the trio recognised the potential in melding various elements of their respective projects and their debut record, Auf Kosten Der Gesundheit, on Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control label, provided a formal introduction to their sound. This largely instrumental offering was sparse and spacious but contained early glimpses of that epic quality which they have since honed to perfection through their self-titled debut album and last year’s follow up, simply titled II. With the introduction of more of Ring’s soaring and earnest vocals in recent work, it is tempting to define the project as a simple marriage of Apparat’s poppy melodic traits with the power of Modeselektor’s pulsing basslines and thumping drum loops. Not quite so, explains Szary.

“Now it’s more like three guys – Sascha, Szary and Gernot – making music together; not Apparat and Modeselektor.” He reveals how the beat for the 2013 single, Bad Kingdom, was laid down by Sascha and that all three members’ roles are interchangeable on any given track. “Everybody can contribute different elements – we are divided from our own projects. It’s like we are taking a holiday from our own projects.”

That Sebastian and Gernot are able to juggle so efficiently their work as Modeselektor, the running of two labels (Monkeytown and 50 Weapons) and their “holiday” project with

February 2014

Apparat, alongside their commitments to their respective partners and children, is impressive to say the least. Do their increasing responsibilities and more settled family lives have an impact on the kind of work they produce in tandem or as part of Moderat? “No”, Szary insists. “We see it as two different universes, but sometimes they do overlap.”

Certainly there seems to be no likelihood of the duo departing completely from Modeselektor’s boisterous brand of dancefloordriven techno any time soon. “Right at this moment I have on my computer a Modeselektor track which has to be finished by tomorrow,” says Szary. “It’s a club burner which Gernot gave to me and we have been working on some ideas for it.

So, Modeselektor is still there!”

Where things have perhaps changed a little for Szary is in the realm of time management, and he explains that the trio have to make the most of the influences they encounter amid their busy work and personal schedules. “We have less time to put our antennas into the receive mode,” he admits. “Inspiration is the most important thing and to receive new ideas you have to check out different media from the internet, radio, record stores – anything you can listen to or watch.”

Yet no single influence seems to seep in more than any other and Moderat’s sound remains incredibly distinctive in its own right – an often grand synthesis of melody, emotion and atmosphere set amid penetrating percussion and sample-laden soundscapes. It seems Moderat represents the unrestrained collaboration of three artists who refuse to focus on any one strand of the music forms that excite them.

“Influences come from everywhere,” Szary affirms. “It can be really strong pop music – chart smashers like Kanye West or whatever – but it can also be abstract, neo-classic modern music or it can just be silence. Our antennas are very open to receive a lot of things and we are not strictly into one genre of music.

“The aim is to send the crowd on a trip; to create the feeling you have while watching a really nice movie” Sebastian Szary

“I remember, two years ago, we travelled with Modeselektor to Brighton. From the airport to the venue, I was listening to Slayer in my headphones – the Reign in Blood album. I’m not a big metal fan, but I find it very interesting to listen to. To discover new structures in this music was a key moment for me – so a Slayer album can also be really nice.”

Would he go as far as drawing any parallels between the work of the thrash metal pioneers and his own? “Maybe in terms of sound,” he suggests. “[In modern music production] you have this over-compressed dynamic and I hate it.

That Slayer album is from 1986 – it’s almost 30 years old – and I think Rick Rubin produced it very carefully. It’s not over-the-top compressed.

You can hear the elements. That’s what we also did for the recent Moderat album.” He stresses the importance of knowing when to hand the

Photo: Samuel John Butt

“I

Interview: Ronan Martin

work over to someone else to master instead of repeatedly “mixing the track to death.”

Encouragingly, rather than through a blending of specific musical influences, the trio seem to draw most of their inspiration from the process of making music itself – “from the feeling you have in the studio, or maybe later, when producing a track. We always think about it later.

Then in the studio we have this movie moment –a soundtrack moment – and that’s perfect.

Moderat is a very cinematic project so most of the sounds have a movie-esque feel for us.”

This cinematic quality is something the group have worked hard to incorporate into their live shows and, as with their previous tour, they consider the design collective Pfadfinderei to be a vital component of the current setup. “It’s a very important part of our work to have an audiovisual context and the visual element is 50% of the show,” Szary explains. Pfadfinderei’s contribution to the Moderat world spans minimalist motion-capturing videos filled with captivating shapes and shadows, to vibrant animated storyboards of the type found in the video for Bad Kingdom. Having these visual elements carefully harmonised with their live performances is as crucial to the project as anything else for Szary.

“The aim is to send the crowd on a trip; to create the feeling you have while watching a really nice movie – it’s like a soundtrack on tour.”

With such a coordinated live setup, one wonders if they are afforded the opportunity for experimentation and off-the-cuff improvisation on stage. “We approach the show like a timeline and some parts are synchronised with the lights and visuals,” explains Szary. “It’s a complex network from computer to computer and we send [loops] from the stage to a light operator and a

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video operator. But there are a lot of things we can do in between. We can make parts longer and we mix things differently each time. There is enough space for that and there has to be. We will definitely do things differently from show to show.”

Perhaps most importantly, the shows themselves produce ideas that the trio may work with when they find time to seek the solace of the studio once more. When prompted on the prospect of more material emerging from Moderat, Szary is at first measured in his response. “Let me say...” He pauses. “We are talking about it.” Yet any hesitance he has in discussing the potential for more studio work soon fades as he considers the notion out loud.

“For Sascha and us it’s quality time – to hang out, not just as partners but as friends. I really enjoy the studio time with Moderat. I also enjoy it with Modeselektor, but with a three-pole construction it’s sometimes more interesting.”

Having reminded himself of the joys of the process of collaboration, even for its own sake, Szary seems to become more certain that there is more to come from Moderat. “I think we will get ideas on tour, so you can be sure we will go back,” he decides. For the time being at least, Moderat’s complex network of sounds and images seems set to develop further beyond the notion that they are merely the juxtaposition of two separate electronic music projects. Given the fervour surrounding their current tour – they will now perform a second show for Substance at The Arches due to high demand – it would seem our antennas remain as receptive as theirs.

Moderat bring their tour to Substance at The Arches on Sat 8 Feb moderat.fm

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The Shiny Flivver Winner of The Skinny Award at RSA New Contemporaries 2013, Alex Millar discusses his evolving practice ahead of his exhibition in CCA Interview: Rosamund West

“I

t’s difficult to say precisely what my practice is as an artist now, but I think that’s quite a natural thing, a healthy thing quite early on in my career.” So says Alex Millar, wisely, under close questioning on what will be revealed in his exhibition this month. The winner of last year’s The Skinny & CCA Award at RSA New Contemporaries has his prize of a solo show opening in CCA’s Intermedia gallery on 7 February. Offered the opportunity to present work a further year on from the 2013 graduate show, Alex has been beavering away developing his visual language at high velocity.

“I’m still open to using anything really in my work. It’s changing very quickly,” he says. The installation displayed in 2013 in Edinburgh’s RSA galleries offered an intriguing arrangement of elements, including film, photography, neon light, and materials ranging from metal to wood to the humble aubergine. The lightness with which he presents his theme is one of the true beauties of Millar’s work – he doesn’t overload with a determined meaning; the elusive space both physical and intellectual between the elements of the installation offer a tantalising challenge to define meaning, and render the viewing and exploration of the piece a creative process.

It’s difficult to avoid the question, though – why the aubergine? “I use it because in terms of its material – on one level it’s sort of alien, it’s kind of an amorphous object in a way; it’s stupid, it’s kind of simple, but it’s similar [formally] in a lot of ways to Modernist sculpture, to something

like Brancusi. The tall piece of aubergines I had in the RSA is not dissimilar to something like that.

A lot of Brancusi’s work dealt with nature in the forms of his age.” The ‘tall piece,’ the vegetables impaled on a metal spike and left to rot over the course of the show, degrading from their pristine formal beauty and withering in a riot of colour, introduced the memento mori to the work, the conventions of the still life explored in physical form reminding the viewer of the fragile beauty of mortality.

Alex elaborates, “Another reference would be Fischli + Weiss, where it’s very precariously balanced objects that they photograph just before they collapse.” Their work, Equilibres, is subtitled ‘Balance is most beautiful just before it collapses.’ That seemingly silly aubergine betrays a deep engagement with the fine art canon lying at the core of Millar’s practice.

The new exhibition, entitled Novella, expands on the multimedia elements of his work, presenting film, sound and kinetic sculpture.

Subtitled What Happened To The Shiny Flivver, the installation is based around a mysterious metal object. “I found this piece of metal from a Ford car, but it’s not particularly certain what its function is. Basically, [the work is] referencing Henry Ford, and A Brave New World. There’s a poem in there, a ritual of obedience the characters all recite about Ford, and the shiny flivver.

The flivver is a slang term used in America for a type of car, and it was also a project that Ford had for a plane that never actually took off – it

Novella, film still

was called the flivver plane.” That elusive piece of metal becomes a totem of industrialisation, perhaps, and an allusion to the hubristic dreams of our wealthy overlords.

A recent residency in Marseille saw Millar learning new technical skills, working with computer programming and electronics to expand into the kinetic realm, while also examining that narrative space in his work. “I was reading up quite a lot of theory to do with narrative – narrative deficiency with regard to the objects and the way they allude to a kind of absent narrative in the space. They’re always trying to aspire to a history and also a more complex relationship between elements within the space; but also the way I use them is often humorous so

that undercuts its sense of purpose in that regard.” As evidenced by the aubergines, now fallen by the wayside as part of his visual language. “I doubt that I’ll be using them again; I don’t want to be known as that aubergine artist!” he explains, later.

It would be entirely wrong to define Alex Millar by a single material. The rate of evolution of his practice makes it difficult to say exactly what will be in Intermedia ahead of time; a meditation on industrialism and its dystopian consequences awaits – all we know for certain is it will contain movement, rhythm and a shiny flivver.

Novella: What Happened to the Shiny Flivver, Intermedia, CCA, 8-23 Feb, Free

Speaking in Tongues Sonia Boyce • Pavel Büchler • Susan Hiller Sat 8 February - Sun 23 March Preview: Fri 7 February cca-glasgow.com

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THE SKINNY

The Shock of the New A solid must-see in Scotland’s contemporary art calendar, RSA New Contemporaries serves up a fresh slice of Zeitgeist from Scotland’s most talented emergent artists, and its sixth annual incarnation looks set to be the most competitive yet

Words: Kate Andrews

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very year, graduates are cherry-picked from across the country’s five main art schools and six schools of architecture and given the enviable opportunity to show their wares in the Royal Scottish Academy, the same grand galleries which have displayed the likes of Douglas Gordon, Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol before them (no pressure then).

The rigorously curated selection process encourages the development of degree shows into substantial bodies of new work at this pivotal career point and a chance to cement an ongoing relationship with the RSA. As ever, under their supportive wing, an array of monetary, residency, exhibition, studio and purchase prizes are offered up for the 63 exhibitors to vie for (including the prestigious Skinny & CCA Award); this year the stakes are even higher with the addition of a dizzying £10,000 bursary courtesy of The FlemingWyfold foundation plus an additional £4,000 towards project production costs for a London exhibition and a year-long mentoring scheme, all up for grabs for one precocious individual. As with any generational cultural production we see certain tropes emerging as significant amid the manifold approaches: there will be glamorous grrrls; lost boys; an abundance of wit, wisdom and pitch black humour all duly served up with sprinklings of megalomania, pyromania and the odd dash of rampant traditionalism.

With such a bonanza on offer there really is everything to play for – we’ve taken a closer look at this year’s crop to see what they’re made of:

The Egos We have learned to expect a healthy dose of acerbic institutional critique from ECA graduate Dennis J Reinmüller whose portable, self-aware smiley ‘visitor’ demands to be pushed throughout the gallery like an embarrassing granny with no social filter by those brave enough to take charge of him: The Expert will survey the exhibition, intermittently spouting Reinmüller’s characteristic ‘affirmations,’ tongue firmly in its waxen cheek. Transgressing appropriate gallery behaviour for both visitors and exhibitors, this nomadic creation will come equipped with a live mobile phone. It will demand to be placed in the way of other works and will even attempt to solicit visitors into purchasing itself. As a sleeper agent operating remotely on behalf of the artist (who witheringly acknowledges and attempts to subvert Artworld pretensions) The Expert allows Reinmüller to treat the whole of the New Contemporaries as his raw material.

Fascinated with “the phenomena of artists constructing [a] public image in order to pursue higher value [for] their artwork” GSA graduates Justyna Ataman & Aleksandra Roch create artistic personae “compliant with current art market” and plan to install an invasive structure to be moved in front of other art works (anyone else sensing potential clashes here?) Following a memorably slick and businesslike degree show the duo plan to mix old and new work, raising further uncomfortable questions about art and economy. The appearance of yellow body stockings is as yet unconfirmed in their bid to invite non-artists to participate in discussions about the art market. Again, humour and openness to interpretation counterbalance what could otherwise be perceived as rather arrogant gestures.

Taking on the unpredictable terrain of a reliance on participation, Natalie Kerr of Gray’s School of Art attempts to coax a little glee from the RSA’s staff; working with a composer, they will sing their little hearts out and thus the

February 2014

Justyna Ataman & Aleksandra Roch

facilitators of the art become the artwork – something which Kerr feels will be “empowering” for all involved; an attempt to level the playing field between artist and audience, shining a spotlight behind the scenes.

Lost Boys/Found objects The backdrop to all these participatory shenanigans is thoughtfully provided by the 60odd other selected artists; though they may have to pull their socks up to compete with a dazzling fifteen metre wide wall painting by Mikey Cook. In this souped-up re-presentation of his GSA degree show, Cook’s casts of two Magnesian Limestone Siren statues, excavated from the Roman fort under his native Castleford, nestle “like big pearls” in an enviable spot in the central neoclassical gallery space. They pay homage to Venus, goddess of love and sex. Mining his past and his origins, Cook uncovers and maps out synchronicities between found newspaper cuttings which reference the mythical character Julie (a goddess-cum-whore figure for grubby prepubescent fantasies) and Castleford’s rich Roman heritage. He will be exhibiting four new cuttings unearthed by his Mam, which he claims to have no idea from where or whom they came (at least, that’s what he told her), allowing him to fabricate his own “uchronic” conclusions.

The sweet pang of a bygone misspent youth resounds with Duncan of Jordanstone graduate Jonny Lyons. Looking back to the fragility of childhood friendship and adventure, his coming of age tale is perhaps slightly more Lord of the Flies than Swallows and Amazons. Lyons creates active sculptural playthings which execute anarchy on his behalf. The performative work results in iconic medium format photographs and beautifully crafted sculptural props. He plans to exhibit a newly-made mechanical ‘device’ for New Contemporaries.

Both Lyons and fellow D of J graduate Jack Paton were previous recipients of the RSA John Kinross scholarship. Paton collaborates with Dorian Braun in a “multidisciplinary practice driven by an ever expanding curiosity of how things work”. The curious pair take a break from such exploits as hanging paintings from nails knocked into their nasal cavities to exhibit a performative large-scale adaptation of a classic children’s automata toy.

Anti-conceptual (colour)ists Continuing into a lighter territory Flo Gordon, also of Duncan of Jordanstone, bases her Oeuf-oeuvre on an insistence that instinctive humour does in fact exist. Making good use of the intrinsic fun found in “the banal and utterly bland,” her fascination with fried eggs has become her calling-card, lending much to her very own version of colour theory, graded on the giggle-eliciting factor of colour combinations.

The sculpture she will be showing apparently came to her “fully formed” in a dream and a new addition to her palette (palate?), the humorously coloured Battenberg cake, will also feature.

There are hidden depths behind what’s tickling Gordon’s funny bone; she hopes to celebrate the ‘saving graces’ of human traits that are more commonly thought of as being bad; “I just want to relieve people of some of the anxieties that we place on ourselves […] Give them a pat on the back and say ‘hey you’re not all bad.’” A little light relief can go a long way.

ECA’s Charlotte Roseberry explores paint through the language of nonsensical imagery to create bold graphic aesthetics and surreal landscapes which could often be plucked out of eight bit computer games. Her tableaux shimmer with geometric planes; portholes or ‘windows’ add a further sense of discord. She relishes in “asking unanswerable questions – sometimes tongue in

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cheek, sometimes more dark and unsettling […] messing with the sense of time, place, space…”

In strict defiance to an abundance of conceptualism, oil portrait painter Culloden Robertson takes inspiration from the opulent society portraits of the Edwardian and Victorian eras clashed with today’s equivalent in the imagerich resources of social media. Her unabashed celebration of lavish beauty, frivolity and ornament fights against fetishistic overtones and is served-up on a fashionably-ornate but distinctly lo-fi bare lasercut ply. Being displayed in such proximity to the National Gallery’s Bouchers but in the young, hip, sister gallery seems all-too serendipitous for words.

As many themes as there are that echo around the Academy, the wild cards will make just as much of an impact. Expect to make startling eye contact with an amur leopard; marvel at anthropomorphic miniatures and witness a tribute to a lost creative super-gran. As ever, the architecture selection evinces a dazzling array of model making and drawing from the technical to the experimental and takes the concept of sustainable living to new, even interplanetary dimensions. You won’t be disappointed.

We must spare a thought at this time of year for the new crop of final year students waking up sweaty in the middle of the night, contemplating the fresh hell that awaits them in the lead-up to degree shows; this exhibition should fill them with aspiration and assurance of what incredible feats can be produced at this most productive time of their artistic lives. That there still exist institutions which are willing to invest in and support whatever is in the hearts of Scotland’s emerging talent is some reason to rest easy… So knuckle down class of 2014 – next time it could be you!

New Contemporaries 2014, RSA, 15 Feb-12 Mar £4 (2)

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Under the Influence: Katy B From Lauryn Hill to Lil Kim, the first lady of neo-soul rifles through her record collection to pull out ten LPs by a few of her favourite female rappers 1. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) Obviously this is one of the best albums ever created in the world. I remember when I was trying to write my first album, wondering to myself ‘what kind of environment can I write this in?’ I had to find out where she wrote it; how she wrote it, how long it took – I really wanted to learn her process because it feels so natural. It’s kind of magic, almost. Almost every girl I know, and some guys, have told me they can relate to these lyrics, it’s uplifting but at the same time there’s sorrow in it. It’s the joy of finding strength. That’s what I get from it. It’s empowering.

2. Bahamadia – Kollage (1996) I love this woman – she’s the most chilled out person but she’s still got so much attitude.

Her voice sounds like velvet over the beats here throughout. On this album she had production from DJ Premier, The Roots and Guru – loads of producers I really love and admire, which is the icing on the cake. I just think she’s wicked.

3. Ms. Dynamite – A Little Deeper (2002) She was 19 when she won the Mercury for this album, and to me that’s one of the biggest achievements in urban music. The things she talks about on this, they’re very deep and personal. I can cry listening to this album. After buying it I remember being on the bus home, reading the lyrics and they got to me before I’d even played a note of it. She was already so mature and had something to say. She’s been a big influence on me and has always been really supportive ever since I started out in music. Even when I see her now I’ll have a big smile on my face.

4. Missy Elliott – This Is Not A Test! (2003) I remember waiting for this album to come out. This is the soundtrack to my teenage years, like 14-15. This was just a year after Under Construction, so she was moving quickly and working really hard. I remember being at Brit School and all the break dancers would be making up routines to these songs and doing backflips in the canteen. It’s such energetic music, but at the same time it had depth. Then there was that sense of humour in her lyrics – her talking about sex toys and her weave. I’d have to turn it down in my room, like ‘Oh god, I don’t want my dad to hear this!’

5. Salt-n-Pepa – Very Necessary (1993) I couldn’t do a female rap list without putting them in there.

They’ve done so much for the movement throughout all their records and they’re still performing now. They were at Bloc Weekend a few years ago but I couldn’t stay to watch, which I was really upset about. My friends did and said they were amazing. They’re a lot of fun but they had something to say. And of course, this record has Whatta Man on it with En Vogue.

You can’t mess with that.

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6. Queen Latifah – All Hail The Queen (1989) I remember watching this documentary on her, an MTV thing called When I Was 17. It told the whole story about how she got signed and how her friends were her dance crew back then – somebody spotted her talent after she made them a mixtape. She was really young at this point and had so much to say. Her lyrical message was pretty clear, you know: ‘I’m going to stand up for myself and no-one, no-one, is going to bring me down, or make me feel I need to give in.’ She’s basically saying ‘respect me, because I deserve to be respected.’ So I bought this album and I remember maybe a week later some guy touched my bum in a club and I got really rowdy back at him. My friends had to get me to calm down, and I thought ‘errr... Katy, you’ve been listening to too much Queen Latifah.’ But it felt good!

7. Lady of Rage – Necessary Roughness (1997) I used to be in this hip-hop band when I was 18. We were called the Illersapiens. I didn’t rap but I was the singer. I was listening to a lot of hiphop around this time. I used to run this night in Brixton, a lot of musicians would come down, we’d have a guest and our band would always play. We made a lot of music together – everybody on the bill – bassists, drummers, turntablists and rappers. One of the guest DJs broke out this tune when we were playing once and I had to ask ‘what is this?’ He was playing a Lady of Rage track called Rough Rugged and Raw. She just sounds so tough.

8. Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na (1996) Foxy Brown, to me, is just New York. When I hear her I think of a New York girl personified. All the rappers now, like Nicki Minaj, Azealia Banks and all these others coming up in the last few years – I can definitely hear a Foxy influence and think she might be the one they look to. I like her club records and the stuff she’s done with Jay-Z. She’s quite sexy but still classy.

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9. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday (2010) I was pretty excited about this coming out. She’d featured on so many other people’s records beforehand; I couldn’t get enough. Her wordplay is everything, she’s a really intelligent girl. When I heard this I thought ‘wow, I probably need to think about my lyrics more.’ Even though this album’s more poppier than her others, I’d still say she started the whole resurgence of girl rappers in recent years. Big props to her.

10. Lil Kim – Hard Core (1996) This was in 1996, I wasn’t listening to it then, but I’d start to hear her over the years and think ‘she’s so raw.’ She doesn’t care. She’d talk about the things guys more often tend to talk about. She’d talk about enjoying sex the way men talk about that sometimes. And why can’t she speak like that if everyone else can? I’ve got respect for Lil Kim, she’s not scared.

Katy B’s new album Little Red is released on 10 Feb via Columbia. She plays Manchester Academy 2 on 29 Mar katyonamission.com

THE SKINNY

Open Access Arts Cachín Cachán Cachunga turns five this February

Words: Eric Karoulla

Sign up for the ZAP! Get a hand picked selection of the top ten events for Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee delivered direct to your inbox, every Thursday morning.

PLUS exclusive access to special offers and competitions. And the best part?

It’s FREE! Head along to theskinny.co.uk/zap to sign up today

@theskinnymag /TheSkinnyMag

I N D E P E N D E N T

C U LT U R A L

Illustration: Sophie Freeman

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J O U R N A L I S M

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o paraphrase a line from George Clooney’s latest film project (The Monuments Men, due for release later this month) art is integral and vital to society, since art is tied to expressions and memories of identity. Destroying art makes it possible to rewrite history (after all, it is written by the winners) due to this loss of idenitity.

Celebrity-related commentary aside, the notion that identity can be expressed through creativity is not a new one. Many philosophers, writers, and artists have works that showcase this. Supported by LGBT History Month’s Cultural Events Fund and having partnered with the Scottish Transgender Alliance (STA) since 2011, Cachín Cachán Cachunga’s fifth birthday comes to celebrate queer/trans* identity and community, while embracing diversity, and fighting for inclusion.

Originally organised by the Zorras (Sandra Alland, Y Josephine), Ania Urbanowska and Lily, past Cachín Cachán Cachunga nights have adopted the episodic cabaret format, with different performers taking the stage in turn, to showcase their various talents. This year, with Alland acting as a curator and Urbanowska as the technical artist, along with Ariadna Battich, they have decided to alter the format in celebration of Cachín’s fifth anniversary.

The result is called SEEP: Fluidity in body and landscape. As the title suggests, the event tackles fluidity both in subject matter and format. On a practical level, SEEP involves a guided tour of an exhibition of visual art – including film, painting, installations, sculpture, live performance, and photography – by trans* and queer artists. This will be followed by a live performance, taking on a more traditional Cachín Cachán Cachunga tone, although, admittedly, there is nothing traditional about it.

“We decided to focus more on visual art, but also not lose the electric live element that’s such a part of our history,” Alland remarks. “We’ve always been about interdisciplinary and experimental ideas, so this seemed a logical extension.”

THEATRE

Featuring work by Frida Khatoon, Maki Yamazaki, Elenor Einhorn and many more artists and performers, it is difficult to consider how this event would even begin to be described. The words ‘interdisciplinary,’ ‘queer’ and ‘community-based’ seem to be the most suited to the occasion. Furthermore, the Cachín organisers are putting together a potluck brunch for the Sunday (2 March) after the last night of performances, which comes with a PWYC haircut from London’s brilliant Open Barbers.

Sticking to the ethos established back in 2009, SEEP strives to be as inclusive as possible with British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation and/or subtitles for deaf visitors, as well as verbal description for blind ones. Also, it features alternative interpretations of the displayed works for those who are blind or partially sighted, such as a recording, something to eat, touch or smell.

“In terms of most visual art shows, blind people (if they’re lucky) get a downloadable audio tour or headset, or maybe a one-day special tour of an exhibition,” Alland explains. “The same goes for deaf visitors – if you’re not available on one Wednesday at 2pm, you miss the BSL tour. This way, the access is integral to the show instead of an after-thought, and also opens up new ways of experiencing art for everyone who attends.”

Whether a Cachín veteran or a timid newcomer, it is incredibly difficult to feel unwelcome at any event hosted by the Cachín organisers, since they focus on both art and community. They manage to guarantee a place for everyone who attends their events; giving a temporary, virtual home to migrants, people with disabilities, queer people with disabilities, people of colour, and/or trans* and genderqueer people. Also, due to the mingling at each event, the community spirit often outlives the event itself. Perhaps that’s what it’s all about.

SEEP: Fluidity in body and landscape, 26 Feb-1 Mar, The Space media education, 183 Dalry Road, Edinburgh blissfultimes.ca/seep2014.htm

THE SKINNY

Crystal Clear Jonny Bell reflects on punk, chaos and skateboards, and how they all helped shape Crystal Antlers’ rollicking latest album Nothing Is Real

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nderstandably, Jonny Bell sounds tired. It’s midday in Southern California when he picks up the phone, and we appear to have caught the Crystal Antlers frontman during a break from his construction day job. “It’s, like, 80 degrees today,” he sighs when The Skinny enquires as to how he’s doing. It’s a bit colder here in the UK, we advise, and he chuckles wistfully. “Yeah, it’s colder everywhere else!” Grey-weather feebs that we are, we can only marvel at his endurance – but this isn’t about extreme working conditions.

This is about his band’s latest album, a sterling collection of pulsating, sweat-drenched moshpit anthems. It’ll send your temperature soaring.

Back in October, Crystal Antlers released Nothing Is Real, their third long-player and their first since stripping down to a three-piece (completed by drummer Kevin Stuart and guitarist Andrew King). Whereas previous albums have skronked noisily and manically in the vein of acidpsychsters Comets On Fire, this latest effort seems much less complicated. In fact, you might even feel comfortable calling it an ‘indie rock’ record (the real deal, not the fucking Kaiser Chiefs) – there are riffs reminiscent of Archers of Loaf’s caustic melodicism, while Jonny’s sandpaper holler brings up bruises in all the right places. This new straightforward approach certainly suits them.

“We always planned on it being that way,” he agrees. “But during the process of actually making the record it ended up being a lot weirder than we actually intended it to be.” Indeed, the sprawling chaos of earlier works seems much more controlled this time round, so the few moments that appear genuinely unhinged (the flailing sax that splutters wildly during the triumphant Licorice Pizza, for instance) feel like exhilarating explosions. “The funny thing is that on some of the earlier records, the bits that seem chaotic were the most planned out. But the band has always been in a state of flux; we’ve always

February 2014

Interview: Will Fitzpatrick

kept changing things round.”

It seems that reducing the ranks to a core trio – rather than, say, the sextet behind the band’s 2009 debut Tentacles – was something of a boon to the creative process. “We prefer to write as a three-piece – everybody can pay a little more attention to each other. When you start playing with six people, it’s difficult to have clarity. We just had all of us playing solos at the same time…!” It also provided an opportunity for the three friends to come to terms with their collective musical identity: “It’s only at the end that you see the bigger picture. With each record, and especially with this one, we’ve allowed a lot more of the picture to be seen.”

The indie rock tag doesn’t sit entirely comfortably with Jonny. “Growing up, we really didn’t listen to those kinds of bands. I was into either classic rock or metal, and punk was quite prevalent, living in California. But now, in retrospect, it’s been a joy to go and discover these bands that I had foolishly overlooked as a teenager, when I was only listening to Black Flag.” The overall sound of Nothing Is Real, however, means there will inevitably be comparisons to the US indie rock boom of twenty years hence. “That’s something that we hear quite a bit,” he muses.

“People compare us to 90s indie and grunge, and it probably comes from the fact that what we listen to was the stuff those bands listened to.

We’re sort of stuck in the past; we listen to a lot of older music.”

Now in his element, Jonny’s enthusiasm is audible when it comes to discussing his youthful musical endeavours. Bearing in mind the more complex sounds he makes today, does he view punk rock as a phase to be outgrown? He pauses. “No… but I don’t think punk bands exist any more. That’s just some kind of word that people can identify with. Punk is something that happened in the late 70s, early 80s.”

But regardless of the sound or the initial

impact, surely DIY is punk’s legacy? “I think that predates punk; that’s just part of being an artist.

The more control we have over the product, the better the art we create. I can’t understand why some bands don’t seem interested in that – the packaging, the artwork, or just what it means to create that. I mean, is there a difference between a 7” cover that’s been spray-painted by hand by the band, and one that’s just made in a factory somewhere? I recognise the difference, and I know that when I was growing up I always appreciated when the band had some involvement in that.”

“It’s only at the end that you see the bigger picture” Jonny Bell

It’s this dedication to the process that led them to hook up with C.R. Stecyk III, whose handiwork adorns Nothing Is Real’s striking sleeve. “He’s had a big impact on the culture of California,” explains Jonny. “He’s famous for a lot of things, but some of the main ones are tied in with surf and skateboard culture… he was part of Jeff Ho Surfboards, which was pretty revolutionary.” Indeed, Ho’s Zephyr Surf Team spawned a skateboarding team which proved hugely significant in popularising the latter sport as we know it today. It’s a pastime that continues to be very dear to Crystal Antlers’ hearts: “Growing up in southern California it’s kind of hard to avoid it.

We all grew up skateboarding, it’s something that we like to do, especially on tour. And I surf almost every day.”

Having worked with Black Flag artist Raymond Pettibon on an earlier LP cover, there was huge appeal in harnessing Stecyk’s unique

MUSIC

approach to graphics for their latest. “Raymond shaped the aesthetic of [legendary SoCal punk label] SST and the punk rock scene, and Stecyk did the same for skateboarding and surf culture, and I think that is how we’d like to be perceived to some degree. We were really conscious that it should be something new, and not just a rehash. We didn’t want just a Black Flag cover from Raymond, and we didn’t want Nothing Is Real to look like a surfboard. These are people that we respect greatly, and we admire their approach to creativity.”

The record itself certainly feels darker than previous efforts, from the opening couplet of “I pray for rain / I wait in vain” to closer Prisoner Song, with its bitter lament of “lost my legs and my will to live.” Jonny ponders this for a moment.

“There’s a lot of things that are very grim… I try not to be too didactic about it, try not to speak too directly. I’ve had people write about lyrics to tell me there’s some sort of meaning that they’ve drawn from them, and it’s completely different from what I meant. But that’s really great, that’s sort of the intention of writing that way.

Like, Pray is about my growing up in the Mormon church – it’s something I can laugh about, but you know, at the same time it’s nice to have something cathartic to let rip.”

Very suddenly, Jonny realises he has to return to work, bringing our telephone conversation to a rather abrupt halt – rock’n’roll, it seems, is not the glamorous career choice it once was.

But whether fame and fortune are pipedreams or merely irrelevant to Crystal Antlers’ outlook, we still wonder about the point of all this cathartic noise. The answer is earnest and beautifully simple. “I’d like people to feel inspired in some way.” Nothing Is Real, then, is a pretty good place to start.

Playing Glasgow Broadcast on 1 Mar crystalantlers.com

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Soft Porn

Lars von Trier’s favourite leading man Stellan Skarsgård tells us about working with the Danish enfant terrible and discusses their latest collaboration, Nymphomaniac

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tellan Skarsgård is describing how he first heard about Nymphomaniac. “Lars [von Trier] called me up,” he says before mimicking the director’s strangled Danish voice. “He said: ‘Stellen, my next film is a porn film and you will play the lead in it. But you will not get to fuck. But you will show your dick at the end and it will be very floppy.”

Such is the world of Lars von Trier, the founder of the Dogme 95 movement, a director made great by being fantastically serious about being fantastically provocative.

Nymphomaniac is von Trier’s first film since his ‘vow of silence,’ taken after the controversy at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival when he tried to joke about sympathising with Adolf Hitler. “I was there in Cannes when he said that,” Skarsgård says, his voice rising on the phone. “It was horrible, because the journalists understand him and know he is absolutely the opposite to a racist. He tries to tell a joke, muddles the punch line and gets a little confused. Then he reads all over the world he is a Nazi. His kids were getting bullied at school about it. That misinformation is brutal.

He’s a very vulnerable man. The fucking cowards at Cannes asked him to apologise, he apologised, and then they banned him. It was almost certainly to do with the festival’s sponsors.”

The version of Nymphomaniac released in UK cinemas is an ‘abridged and censored’ jaw-dropper of a film; the unrelenting story of one woman’s need for all kinds of sex more than a few times a day. “Fill all my holes, please,” is a request heard with regularity throughout Nymphomaniac’s four-and-a-half-hour runtime.

This is the sixth time Skarsgård has starred in a von Trier film, their relationship spanning over 20 years. On how it first began, Skarsgård says: “I flew to Copenhagen to meet him after he offered me [the 1996 feature] Breaking the Waves.

He was living with his previous wife at the time, and when he opened his front door the first thing

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Interview: Tom Seymour

he says to me was” – that mimicked voice again – “‘I don’t like physical contact.’ So of course I immediately hugged him and held him until he stopped shaking.”

As his reaction to the Cannes controversy suggests, Skarsgård is deeply supportive of his collaborator. “He has to make films to survive as a human being,” he says. But he’s also open about von Trier’s human faults, at one point comparing him to the Swedish iconoclast August Strindberg.

“Von Trier is totally honest and open about everything. He has no agenda,” he says. “He is of course very intelligent, but he is an anguish-ridden man.

He has become better with actors – he has had to become better. He has learned to hug people.”

I ask Skarsgård whether he thinks that von Trier, like Michael Haneke, is driven by quantifiable ideas, or if he is just out to provoke, to prompt, to prank: “Lars’ first films were technically so skilful; micro-managed, overly controlled, but with a lack of life in them,” he says. “He never talks about his themes, rather scenes he would like to see, but I think he is interested in working through collisions; the difficulties not just of life, but of storytelling, communication, everything. His first films are as controlled as Michael Haneke’s films, even if they aren’t as skilled. But now he lets in enough of chance, enough of the actors, to create undercurrents that aren’t naturally Lars von Trier, that come from elsewhere but become one entirety.”

In Nymphomaniac, Skarsgård plays the gentle, monk-like Seligman, who finds the titular nymphomaniac, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), beaten, bloodied and abandoned on the pavement. After she refuses an ambulance, he takes her back to his sparse, shabby flat, tucks her up in bed, brews a cup of tea and carefully encourages her to detail her entire sexual history. “It will be long and moral, I’m afraid,” Joe says. Then: “I discovered my cunt at age two” (Joe always uses that term to describe her own body, on top of

using the N-word when describing a ‘sandwich’ with two black men), before moving on to an impassioned defence of repressed paedophilia.

Skarsgård’s Seligman listens to her attentively, leaping in to comment unabashedly and intelligently on how certain chapters of Joe’s long sexual history remind him variously of fly fishing, mountaineering, mathematical equations, religious iconography, Johann Bach and Edgar Allan Poe – with von Trier montaging such diversions with stock archival footage, diagrams, and mockup descriptive scenes.

“Lars has become better with actors.

He has learned to hug people” Stellan Skarsgård

In his review of the film, critic Anton Bitel suggests Seligman and Joe are ‘both, in their different ways, figures for von Trier himself.’ It’s a fascinating idea – this lonely man prone to intellectualism but unable to understand feelings, and this lonely woman, prone to sexualisation but unable to properly control her impulses, as mouthpieces for this most contradictory of directors. It’s as if von Trier has decided that this duologue is a way of interpreting his own creations, using Skarsgård’s Seligman as a kind of on-screen film critic, replete with his own very floppy dick.

Skarsgård isn’t drawn on such an idea, however. Describing how he developed such a charged, strange, compelling dynamic with Gainsbourg’s Joe, he says: “We didn’t rehearse anything, we didn’t even block the scenes, and we

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didn’t analyse the text much. We had 90 pages of text to get through in a week, so there was a lot to learn, a lot to do. It was very intensive. We just sat down and he rolled his camera. But when you work with good actors, the chemistry tends to just happen.”

Von Trier never tells his actors how to interpret a character, how to act a scene. If they want to do something, he lets them. Scenes can be told in radically different ways, from one take to the next: “It’s because his writing is so good,” Skarsgård says. “So it allows him to be so loose and leave so much to chance in the way he produces the films. There’s a really solid bone structure there so the flesh is allowed to wobble around. Although the flesh is ours, obviously.”

As von Trier alluded when he first approached Skarsgård about playing Seligman, the character is not all that he seems. For all his worldliness and intelligence, he has made the most simple and crucial of misunderstandings: that women, all women, are always in charge, always in control, always the mistress of their own decisions, even women as vulnerable to their desires as Joe. “I tried to understand him psychologically,” Skarsgård says of Seligman’s reveal. “But I couldn’t really approach that final turn in an intellectual way, that was hard for me.

So I tried to show what was happening inside Seligman, to describe the journey that led him to...” – the line goes quiet for a moment – ”to err… pull out his dick.”

Skarsgård, with that beautifully memorable voice, laughs at his own turn of phrase. “But of course, I need to tell you, you don’t see the actors’ genitals in the film,” he says. “What you see are porn stars’ genitalia. But this was different; the floppy dick you see at the end is not mine – it is Lars’.”

Nymphomaniac is released 22 Feb by Artificial Eye

THE SKINNY

Ask Fred: Language When deciding which writer was best qualified to kick the crap out of our readers’ problems, there really was only one man for the job

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he Skinny hired me to do two things: review crap that no one else would touch, and drunkenly interview David Hasselhoff. Three years later, I’m reviewing lizards on the Royal Mile and they’ve stopped trying to reboot Knightrider.

Now, I’ve been tasked with an even more important job – fixing the broken lives of you, readers.

I don’t hold a PHD in knowing-exactly-whichDisney-to-have-sex-to, NOT to tell you how to sort shit out. (SPOILER: it’s Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers) This month’s column will focus on ‘language,’ since language is complicated. For every wellspoken monologue there’s a French man gibbering at you while you steal his bicycle. But, it’s amazing. It gives us cultural identity and allows us to convey complex feelings in the comments section of a fat-woman-falling-off-a-mechanicalbull video. Speech affords us a wider range of possible expressions than any known system of animal communication; which is probably why only 9% of YouTube commenters are walruses.

Human language is unique because it has the properties of productivity, recursivity, and displacement; it relies entirely on social convention and learning, which is good news up until the point you realise our species is zoologically classified as ‘kinda shitlords.

Dear Fred, ’m a fifty-nine year old stand-up from southeast London, and I’ve recently been accused of being a racist. My material stems from astute childhood cultural observations that today’s society finds offensive. I grew up with uncles and aunties who would say, “Here, you been to Woolwich? It gets dark at half past two in the afternoon” – but that was never racist. Racism didn’t quite exist when I was younger. It was cartoon racism, affectionately mocking black people; it was the type of stuff you’d do in front of a load of black people; you know like with gay people – sometimes they like to be called puffs and sometimes they don’t... it’s all in the Protected Species Act nowadays..

Anyways, I’m getting flack for my material. I make jokes like those pointing out what everyone else is thinking. I also do impressions of a West Indian guy; I put on a stupid accent

I

February 2014

Words: Fred Fletch Illustration: Zhang Liang

and make him lovable. I think I’m actually aiding people in accepting different races. But no – I’m accused of being racist. And sexist too! There was a rather large woman on TV moaning about women’s rights, about all these… pop videos, and how they’re sexist because they’re showing their bodies in a sexy way and used as sex items, and I thought, “Well you’ve got no fucking danger of that, have you?”

HELP! This is threatening my career. I’ve given up drinking and drugs, and even turned to the Bible, but people keep harking on about me being a racist. Am I out of order?

Sincerely , JD

you. As a species we survived blue Smarties and The Wizard of Oz – I think we can deal with immigration and a naturally-occurring skin colour.

Also, I admit, feminism can be complex to understand, but you’ll be glad to know that statements like “fat girls can’t be feminists because I wouldn’t fuck them” is exactly the sort of thing Emily Davidson would say if she was both drunk and a space monster.

Using upbringing as a defense for current behaviour is weak. In the 1700s Marie-Angélique Memmie Le Blanc spent ten years in the forests of France, living with wolves. Once discovered, she returned to non-jungle-cat society, and somehow managed to reintegrate herself into the world without eating people’s faces. If she managed to do it, so can you. For fuck’s sake, she was hanks for the letter JD, I can see why you’re an unkillable werewolf – your uncle just thought worried. “Am I a racist” is a tricky question The Adventures of Tarzan was Newsnight. to answer, but turn to the nearest mirror, look Although I appreciate your honesty, all yourself straight in the eye and say, “Yes. Fucking you’ve really done is prove that racists are asvery.” How can one man misunderstand multicul- sholes, and I’m pretty sure I don’t have to put a turalism and ethnic sensitivity so hard? I can’t spoiler warning on that. If you want to stop being help but wonder if you were forced to watch accused of racism, stop being such a fucking episodes of Captain Planet in a cage filled with racist. spiders and punches. For the love of fuck, man, Good luck with the ‘religion’ thing. Be sure people with different coloured skin or sexual and highlight the part in the Bible where Jesus preferences aren’t a ‘species.’ How do you tell points out that ‘some black people have big lips,’ jokes over the constant stream of howling locusts you shitlord. flowing from your mouth?

‘Cartoon racism’ died out around about the time Hanna Barbera cancelled the KKK Mystery Dear Fred, ’m a young singer from Middlesbrough who won Hour, but if cartoon racists did exist – and were a piss-poor television talent contest. My pedestrying to decide exactly how racist to be – they’d buy tickets for your show and say, “Way less than trian singing career was going great until I called a rapper who was mean to me a “fucking queer.” this.”

I know this may come as a shock, but minor- Apparently this was ‘a homophobic slur,’ and now everyone hates me. That meant something else ity groups have a history of victimisation and where I grew up – but no-one believes me. He abuse. Complaining that some of them unfairly made me look stupid and I think he wants to stick find oppression offensive is like supervillains his stinky dick in me. What should I do? complaining that some people they shoot at Yours sadly, aren’t Robocop. Satire is difficult to deliver, and JA even harder to explain, but as a rule of thumb, if your cutting-edge humour starts and stops somewhere between “ha-ha black man” and “shoe hanks for writing JA. Problems can arise when polish,” you’re a fucking idiot. communicating feelings. You see, the English I know the colour of things can take some language is smart and constantly developing getting used to, but we’ve had several thousand – but it’s also a tricky bastard. Linguistically, years to deal with the fact that your postman’s it’s like the kid who brings a hilarious tub of Zimbabwean and may be a better dancer than

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COMEDY

peanuts to school, that’s actually full of snakes.

The Oxford English Dictionary contains around 800,000 words (including around 140,000 words that only people undergoing a stroke and/or gangsters from the 50s use) and of these, over a quarter have multiple meanings. This allows for flexible communication and keeps Bruce Forsyth in delightful word-play comedy for as long as his Egyptian Curse permits.

Without homonyms, we’d never know what elephants pack to go on holiday, or why otolaryngologists get called out to examine pony throats.

These delightful double meanings keep us laughing and are grammatically approved as both appropriate and whimsical. Sadly though, language is not restricted to dictionaries alone; there’s a constantly evolving black market for words making everyone think Robin Thicke wants to rape them.

Our vocabulary is increasing each year and some of these co-opt on previously established words and their meanings, leading to confusion, and in some cases, hurt feelings. And dumbassery.

“If you want to stop being accused of racism, stop being such a fucking racist” I understand that ‘queer’ once meant ‘strange’ or ‘unusual,’ and assuming you grew up in a 1920s detective novel, the rapper quite possibly was ‘queer’ (depending on exactly how sick his beats were and/or how often he mentioned ‘booty’). Today, ‘queer’ can be a derogatory phrase for homosexuals, and that’s not cool. Your clever “different meaning” defence falls apart around the point that you suggest the rapper “wants to stick his stinky dick in me,” but I guess that means something else too. Like how “pop star” can also mean “dip-shit who doesn’t know how to shut-the-fuck-up.”

Don’t stress. Stick with the homonym excuse.

Perhaps claim some of your best friends are homonyms too.

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Laura Yuile G

lasgow-based artist Laura Yuile works in sculpture, video and performative installation, utilising everyday objects, materials and situations to create works that present a disrupted sense of time, labour and spatiality, where blockage, flow and tension become material to work with. Her recent works have explored the boundaries between public and private space; the fetishisation of transience; and the fragmented or saturated self that is a product of late capitalism. Yuile's work analyses processes by which identities drift in and out of definition; contemplating a state of displacement or psychological homelessness as an ontological reality and exploring the friction caused by the dichotomy between that which is steady and familiar and that which is unknown, immeasurable and in constant flux.

Yuile is soon to undertake the Critical Discourse strand of Collective Gallery's Satellites programme, for which she is developing a new project, Fragmented Flows.

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Fragmented Flows will make a number of appearances in different contexts in order to investigate, understand and discuss the nature of the flows of energy and material that the things of the world depend upon; how they may be arrested, fragmented, redirected or transformed; and how these movements and circulations relate to the particular forms that they cause to emerge.

This will be considered in relation to the notion that we are currently in the midst of a transition from a timebound experience of the world to a fragmented spacebound experience, in which the internet is moving further and further offline. Fragmented Flows will explore the shifting forms of our increasingly pixelated reality and historical perceptions; where action becomes selfdocumentation and a growing tension persists between how our human bodies interact with flows of material processes, and how our personality and identity manifests and remains in cultural and state documents and archives – both on and offline. The project will consider

how institutions, bureaucracies and hierarchical structures determine, process and control these energy and material flows throughout time and space. You can follow this project as it progresses at www.fragmentedflows.com .

On occasion, Yuile also collaborates with Hungarian artist Orsolya Bajusz, creating performative installations that eschew definitions of roles and terminologies which might make them easier to apprehend; artists, academics, producers, participants or instigators; they occupy these roles when necessary and never when not.

They discard surplus ideas and methodologies to get down to the physical and practical, as they say to ‘the pipes in the ground’ in which they are both literally and figuratively interested. They allow systemic hierarchies to be destabilised and disrupted but most of all to be made evident. Spaces are held and occupied, times are set but terms are absurdly and resolutely undefined. By setting boundaries and

SHOWCASE

limitations as they did when running a nail salon in an art gallery, the duo allow the simultaneous continuity and splitness of subjects and situations in time to become clear. The multiplication and adaptation of Yuile's and Bajusz' own selves in the situations they construct is not precious – it is, as their work highlights, just what all selves do. Transformation is both risk and damage as well as triumph.

Laura Yuile graduated with a BA from the Glasgow School of Art in 2008. Recent exhibitions include Same Homepage, The Project Room, Glasgow; Processing Progress, Mauve, Vienna; Para/Sites: Locations and Dislocations of Media, NYU, New York; Pop Up Povera, MOCA, London and By Product, Nettie Horn, London. In 2013 she undertook residencies with the Inside Out Art Museum in Beijing and Studio Voltaire in London. laurayuile.com

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February 2014

SHOWCASE

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Chewing the Scenery From pop-up restaurants inspired by French rats to tales of Italian pastry chefs mixed up in gangland killings, we take a food-tinged look at this month’s Glasgow Film Festival

THE FOODIE POP-UPS The centrepiece of the food-themed bit of this year’s Film Festival programme is the series of Street Food Cinema screenings, with the food coming from the fine folks at Street Food Cartel.

Set in the appetising surroundings of the former fish market at the Briggait (smell the history!

Ignore that part of the history! Focus on the fresh history!), there are four showings which display varying degrees of sanity.

At the ‘Mmmm...’ end of the scale, Goodfellas. Italian mob films may be filled with copious swearing and excessive violence, but they always seem to have great food so they’re OK in our book. Expect razor-sliced garlic and the sound of hundreds of Glaswegians shouting at each other about ‘shine boxes.’ Fri 21 Feb, 6pm, £20.

Or go for Withnail and I and see everyone shouting in a more general sense. Quite what food they’ll match with this one we aren’t quite sure – cakes from an old English tea room? Pasttheir-prime saveloys? Lots and lots of wine?

Actually, now we think about it, this is a brilliant idea. Sun 23 Feb, 7pm, £20.

As is the screening of When Harry Met Sally.

What other film festival would come up with the chance to pester hard-working street food folk with hilariously particular orders while watching

February 2014

Words: Peter Simpson Illustration by: Joe Todd Stanton

a giant Billy Crystal from the comfort of a former fish market? Good work Glasgow, we’ll have what… have… she’s have… ah forget it, let’s move on. Sat 22 Feb, 7pm, £20.

The other pop-up on the list is a bit more ‘Hmmm...’ than ‘Mmmm...’, as Pixar’s brilliant Ratatouille graces the Briggait. Of course, it’s a love letter to Parisian food and architecture, and the delightful story of one man’s quest to be a great chef. It is also a tale in which a gang of sewer rats over-run a kitchen, kidnap an environmental health officer, and convince a food writer that there’s no need to be so snarky. The first two we can forgive, but come on, Glasgow Film Festival, even the mob never went after the journalists.

Sun 23 Feb, 2.30pm, £10.

THE FILM ABOUT WAR AND CITRUS Telling tough tales about recent conflicts is always tricky, so what better way to take the edge off than with a bit of food? OK, maybe not, but Tangerines does show that there are quirky elements to the darkest of stories.

Georgian director Zaza Urushadze’s film tells the brutal story of the 1992 war in Abkhazia through the eyes of two men who pick citrus fruits for a living and end up taking in wounded soldiers from both the Abkhazian and Georgian sides of the conflict.

Not exactly laugh-a-minute but arriving in Glasgow with plenty of buzz, we eagerly await the American remake in which American and Iraqi soldiers solve the problems of the Middle East by opening a lemonade stand. Thu 27 Feb, 8.45pm and Fri 28 Feb, 3pm, Cineworld.

THE ‘CAKES AND GUNS’ FILM The Italian Pastry Chef. That’s an innocuous title, and the first half of the notes for this Italian feature also seem a little flat, like the setup for a weekday afternoon documentary. It’s the tragic story of a diabetic cake-maker who can’t eat the delicious treats he crafts. Intriguing, but we need some action.

Then you get to the bit in the synopsis where the chef finds a dead body, and some men with guns find him. All of a sudden, it’s on like Donkey Kong, with car chases and rogue cops all over the shop.

Can our sugar-intolerant hero transport a mysterious corpse to safety while being hunted by all sorts of good and bad guys? How will his ability to knock together an excellent ganache help him to make his escape? Does hitting someone full in the face with a cream cake carry the same magical qualities in a noir thriller as it does in children’s TV? Only one way to find out, folks.

Tue 25 Feb, 8:45pm and Wed 26, 3pm, Glasgow Film Theatre.

FOOD AND DRINK

THE TALE OF TWO LUNCHES Normally, being given the wrong lunch is a recipe for despondency and a belligerent attitude for the rest of the day. Or maybe you just take it back and demand that the person behind the counter make what you actually asked for. To each their own.

In Indian romance The Lunchbox, a foodie mix-up leads to what is basically the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan classic You’ve Got Mail but with more engaging leads and tastier grub. A textbased relationship kicks off between Sajaan and Ila after Mumbai’s ‘dabbawala’ lunchtime delivery service accidentally sends Ila’s husband’s food to Sajaan.

As is traditional in these kinds of films, there are spurned lovers, complications, and all manner of pondering, but any film that spreads the message that getting the incorrect meal isn’t something to go all Raging Bull about is a good thing. Tue 25 Feb, 8.40pm and Wed 26 Feb, 1:15pm, Cineworld.

For more on the Glasgow Film Festival, read the Cineskinny throughout the festival glasgowfilm.org

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Phagomania: The Chinese Salad Mystery This month, Phagomania comes over all ScoobyDoo as we try to solve the mystery of the Chinese salad pictures. Try being the operative word

Food News February’s Food News compares beer events to public transport, makes a bad David Bowie pun, and advises you to cause trouble Words: Lewis MacDonald

Words: Peter Simpson

Hollyrood 9A

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et’s begin this month with buses. People often complain of waiting ages for one, only for two to arrive at the same time, and to those people we say ‘shhh.’ There are two buses, you’ll almost certainly get a seat on one of them, this is not a bad thing. It’s a situation we find ourselves in on the 6 Feb, except we’re substituting ‘bus’ for ‘beer event’ because this is Food News not Clichéd Observation News.

Edinburgh craft beer barons Jake’s Place play host to the brewers from Alechemy Brewing, with a host of beers on the go, the enticing promise of free samples, and the chance to stand near people who will ask much more involved questions than you’ll be able to come up with. 6 Feb, Jake’s Place, 6 Market St, Edinburgh, free Meanwhile across town, two of Scotland’s top breweries will be busy squaring off in a stout-based blind beer tasting competition. In their latest Battle of The Brewers, Fyne Ales step up to the challenge of Food and Drink Survey winners Stewart Brewing in a clash of mystery beers, with the ticket money going to charity. As if that wasn’t enough, the Battle is also taking place on the same night at Inn Deep in Glasgow. If you like beer then, well, 6 Feb is going to be a good day for you, isn’t it? 8pm, Holyrood 9A, 9A Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh and Inn Deep, 445 Great Western Rd, Glasgow, £5 If you don’t like beer, then what about a David Bowie-themed brunch? Yes, you read right, a David Bowie-themed brunch. Bruncheon combines the music of The Thin White Duke, as performed by a host of Edinburgh musicians, with a ‘David Bowie-themed food menu’ to chew on.

If there isn’t a bacon-heavy option on the menu called ‘Piggy Stardust’ we’ll be very disappointed. 8 Feb, 11:30am, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny St, Edinburgh If the prospect of all this booze and crap punning leaves you in need of a healthy fillip, we have just the thing. Dig-In is a project in Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield that is aiming to set up a community greengrocer selling local produce and run by the local community. Dig-In’s funding deadline falls at the end of the month, and any investment made gets you a vote in how the place is run. Get involved with a great community resource, or simply buy one share and spend meetings demanding the grocer stocks a wider range of sweets, it’s your call. Crucially, there won’t be any actual work to do until next month, so your community-minded efforts won’t get in the way of your boozing and brunching. You’re welcome. diginbruntsfield.co.uk for more info

‘S

alad?’ we hear you cry. ‘For Phagomania?

Salad’s alright, but it’s no bacon-fried-bacon or burger in the shape of a deer’s head.’

Luckily for you, this is no ordinary salad, as you can presumably already see. Towering like edible high rises and more baffling than a book of Escher drawings thrown directly at your face, what you see before you are the efforts of Chinese Pizza Hut customers.

Showing true national spirit by building ostentatious but egalitarian monoliths to your five-a-day, these individuals have shown acuity and courage to overcome the rule of ‘one plate per visit’ at their local chain pizza restaurant’s salad buffet.

Bravely putting dexterity and craftsmanship before good sense and appetite (after all, they surely can’t have eaten all that having put in so much work), these photos started making an appearance on obscure message boards and forums in the far east several years back.

Establishing their provenance was all but impossible, as was the task of parsing the odd messages that go alongside each image. Messages such as “Our aim is stacked salad. There is no maximum, only better!” and “We eat Pizza Hut’s goal is to ‘eat Pizza Hut collapse!’”

After a thorough search and extensive contact with our friends in the salad underworld, no-one has been able to track down the artists behind these fine… things.

One video on YouTube filmed in a Chinese Pizza Hut documents the finer details of the process, showing how devoid of scruples those stacking their various fruit, vegetables and dressings are. Amid all this mystery, one thing’s for sure – you need good technique to get to the top (without being crushed to death by a pile of lettuce).

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Lifestyle

FOOD AND DRINK

THE SKINNY

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C U LT U R A L

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Alex Millar Novella What Happened to the Shiny Flivver Winner of The Skinny & CCA Award at RSA New Contemporaries 2013 royal scottish academy

February 2014

8—23 February Thu—Sat 11am—6pm Sun 12—6pm

Preview 6—9pm Friday 7 February Intermedia, CCA, Glasgow

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St Andrew’s Charity Fashion Show

Fashion February at The Glad Cafe

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very year since 1991, students at the University of St Andrew’s have hosted the largest and most successful student-run catwalk show in the UK. Impressively, they have raised over £330,000 for various charities since their foundation 22 years ago.

This year, on Saturday 15 February, 1,500 guests will attend the annual event, which is to be held in a marquee on the Lower College Lawn (part of the university campus). As well as raising money for charitable causes, the FS2014 also aims to showcase their pick of the best labels out there. This year’s creative theme is The Bright Young Things, inspired by the literary work of Evelyn Waugh. The Bright Young Things were a “community of impulse,” a social group in 1920s London made up of bohemian, eclectic and young socialites who were famous for throwing and attending lavish parties and inspiring many writers and photographers of their period. So with this in mind, expect to see the work of some extremely talented up and coming designers showing alongside established international brands like Hackett, Topman and Hentsch Man. As we are also passionate about local and independent design talent ourselves, we are very excited to see some Skinny favourites (who definitely qualify as Bright Young Things) on the billing: The Scottish Style Awards Womenswear Designer of the Year, Judy R Clark, both Saunt & Sinner and Rebecca Torres, nominees for the Best Young Designer award of 2013 from the Scottish Fashion Awards, and Dundee-based Hayley Scanlan, winner of the Young Designer

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Lifestyle

of the Year Award 2012 at the Scottish Fashion Awards. And if that wasn’t enough, also taking part is the fantastic Glasgow-based label Naromode, whose new collection has been causing a stir amongst Scottish fashion fans.

Interestingly, the organisation runs its own Young Designer Award (now in its fourth year) where hopefuls from around the UK submit their ideas for a collection based on the current creative theme, which are then judged by a panel.

Five finalists will make and then showcase their collections on the night, after which a winner will be selected. The contenders for this year’s prize of £1,000 are Manchester School of Art graduate Olivia Peszynski, University of Derby students Jos Swinnerton and Lyndsay Hazelwood, Coleg Sir Gar (in Wales) student Nicole Hurran and De Montfort University graduate Louise Watson.

This year, the FS2014 event will be raising money for the Association for International Cancer Research, which has its head office in St Andrews and funds research projects worldwide.

The show organisers hope to build on the (pretty remarkable) 2013 donation of £27,500.

Tickets for the event cost £70 each (or £90 for VIP) and were sold in November via a ballot due to the high demand. However, tickets to the afterparty will be released in early February so watch the FS2014 social media channels for more information. [Alexandra Fiddes] facebook.com/standrewsfashion @saintsfashion standrewsfashion.co.uk

lad Rags Thrift has been warmly welcomed to the Glasgow southside, recently opening its doors to the fashion savvy and the bargain hunter alike. Glad Rags are a not-for-profit thrift shop that offers a diverse mix of clothing, shoes, accessories, books and records: selling everything from high street to vintage and designer. The profits will be used to support the programme of events at The Glad Cafe and the Glad Foundation, which provides affordable music tuition and workshops for young people in the local area.

Throughout the month, Glad Rags Thrift will present an exhibition entitled Scotland’s Designers Inside the Studio, which runs from 4-22 February at The Glad Cafe.

They will also be holding a number of exciting and free of charge events during the exhibition.

The event programme kicks off on the evening of the opening, with the designers behind three of Scotland’s hottest emerging designer labels taking us through their designs, inspirations and work processes; locally-based design duo Iain & Anna of Naromode, (The Skinny 100th issue interviewee!) Danni McWilliams and Hilary Grant, who creates luxury Scottish knitwear that focuses on craftsmanship.

Another not-to-be-missed event is on 16 February from 4-5pm, a Q & A with Chris Hunt, founder of Scotland Re:Designed, who have showcased the work of designers such as Judy R Clark, Bebaroque and William Chambers in New York, London and Chicago. He is also the director of the PR and digital agency Genuine Scotland. Previously a London based PR and

FASHION

magazine contributor, Hunt relocated to Glasgow and is the originator of Scotland’s first ‘Design Collective’ concept, introducing designers such as Christopher Kane to traditional mills like Johnstons of Elgin Cashmere.

Also on 16 February, is an Upcycling Workshop with one of Glad Rags Thrift’s founders, fashion designer Jennie Lööf. After founding her first diffusion line in 2011, Lööf has continued to breathe life into old fabrics, making them into new fashionable garments while extending their life with new linings and fastenings. She will be demonstrating how you can up-cycle and rejuvenate your old clothing and fabrics – live.

Stay tuned to the Glad Rags Thrift’s social media channels for more information on how you can get involved with this event!

After such a busy month, on Wednesday 26 February, The Glad Cafe’s sister project Glad Rags Thrift boutique will be holding its Official Launch Party from 7.30pm onwards (in the Glad Cafe). Work by Emma Lindsay Photography and Create Forty Eight Design will be showcased on the night, along with a film by Mr Webster Film ‘on fashion,’ which will be accompanied by a live DJ. As well as that, there will be an opportunity to nip next door to Glad Rags Thrift explore its rails and shelves. Phew! Get that lot in the diary!

[Ailsa Mullins] 4-2 Feb, The Glad Cafe, 1006A Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow Events are ticketed; tickets are available from The Glad Café or online www.thegladcafe.co.uk facebook.com/gladragsglasgow

THE SKINNY

Disney Lied to You Valentine's Day may say otherwise, but maybe being half of a whole isn't the sole guarantee of happiness Words: Matthew Bobbu Illustration: Doeke van Nuil

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alentine’s Day; it’s the one day in the year dedicated to making all the people with partners feel grateful, and for everyone else to feel isolated, unwanted and miserable.

Our obsession with finding love – or at least, with not being single – goes back centuries.

Plato, famed ancient Greek philosopher, wrote that humans once had four arms, four legs, and two heads. Also a rather weightier body, one assumes. He claimed that the gods split humans in two out of jealousy for their happiness, so that we would forever have to search the world for our other half.

Nowadays, the guardians of our romantic myths are a rather different breed of storyteller.

Rather than the fable-spouting philosophers of old, today’s love-centric fairy tales are propagated by the makers of movies, the authors of novels, the writers of soap operas, and the writers of TV dramas. Even greetings cards and magazines are heavily geared towards enforcing the notion that we are incomplete without someone to call our ‘other half.’

Disney has told us with every princess story that we must rely on finding a partner to fix our problems: be it ever-lasting sleep or a beastly transformation, we must find someone to love us or we shall be forever broken. Even Brave, much lauded for finally being a Disney film that passes the Bechdel test, stops short of moving far from this idea. Sure, Merida is given time to find her own choice of partner; unlike every other princess who simply falls for the first glamorous prince to creep up on her in her own garden.

But she is still expected, at some point, to pick

herself a husband. My, what social progress; that this princess no longer has to marry a particular prince against her will!

All this media, all these social pressures to find someone to somehow prove that you are a worthwhile person create so much fear and insecurity. How many unhealthy relationships have been born out of the desire not to become the crazy spinster, the mad cat lady, the 40-year-old virgin, or the sad old man still living with their parent?

We are a married-or-bust culture. We only need to look at where human rights campaigns have taken us: gay marriage has been the topic of the decade so far. The right of same-sex people to marry is, without a doubt, a huge step towards acceptance for non-heterosexuals in society.

But why is that? Why are we so preoccupied with making sure that everyone can get the same legal recognition that they have finally found someone to value them?

I say screw that. I say that we are all worthwhile. Not as part of a pair, not as half of an incomplete person, but as an individual in our own right. Being single is nothing to be afraid of, nor ashamed of. In fact, it is better to be single and happy than married and miserable.

So this Valentine’s day, whether you are spending the day in the arms of someone you love or curled up in front of the TV with a bucket of ice cream, remember that despite what all the movies, songs and books tell us, you can be happy being by yourself. After all, humans never actually had four arms.

The Woes of Lesbian Surnames Sick of waiting for Scotland to legalise gay marriage, Stephanie Torrance and her partner are off to Canada to get hitched. But what will they call themselves after the big day?

M

y girlfriend and I are getting ‘married’ this year. By married I, of course, mean that we are buggering off to Canada without any of our friends and family to get married completely by ourselves with random witnesses we acquire from Toronto’s version of Comicon, which shall hopefully include a Chewbacca. However, because it is Canada and Canada is awesome, by ‘married’ I mean actual, completely legal marriage that is called marriage and not the totally unromantic ‘civil partnership’ Scotland is still trying to peddle onto the gays. After seven years together we’re a bit tired of waiting for the Scottish government to catch up to where we are.

It also means that we have avoided all of the other decisions we would have had to make as a lesbian couple getting married. Would we have had a best man/woman? One each? Bridesmaids?

February 2014

How many? How would we have broken it to our respective fathers that walking us down the aisle is an archaic property-transfer thing and as feminists we just simply don’t believe in it?

And anyway, with two women what would we even do? Simultaneous aisles? Would we race?

Would we go one after the other? Who would go first? In the original wedding plan, our best friend Bobby was going to officiate as his drag persona, Barbara Fritzl. However, would this have scared my Granny? Luckily we can leave these questions unanswered for our lifetime, and do things our way. Far away.

Then we discovered that we had a new problem. One which I had never really thought about before. What will our surname be? After (a lengthy) discussion we decided that having a shared last name is important to us to feel that we are part of a team; a family. When we have

children we want them to have a strong sense of belonging to both parents – I think a shared last name can help do this where biology will fail us.

We discussed one taking the other person’s name. However, if I were to take her name, I would unfortunately have the same name as her sister. This would be really odd and a surefire way of giving us a bad case of Lesbian Bed Death before we hit 30.

A lot of our friends are double barreling their names. Which is awesome, IF their names are similarly awesome and classy. The most recent of our pals became the Bowes-Grahams. This makes them sound like they own property in all of the continents, eat foie gras, and discuss Proust over vintage single malts (I’m 100% sure they do that last thing). Our surnames are not like this. My name is too long, they don’t go together… it’s just not a good name combination.

DEVIANCE

We thought about picking a brand new name.

For a while, we settled on ‘Love’ as (what we thought at the time was) a beautiful family name.

Then we put it next to our names and really, really thought about it. Stephanie Love? Well, let’s just say there is a cheap Barbie imitation who I don’t want particularly want to be named after.

We even looked into our family history to see what other last names we had in our family. They were all a bit lame. Except for ‘McRuvie,’ which we may use if we decide to live on an island with no electricity and call our kids old people names like ‘Ethel’ and ‘Cecil.’

For now, we have given up on all of our ideas and are living in false hope that a name shall just appear to us from the ether between now and September. Failing that, we may just do a Phoebe from Friends; call ourselves the ‘Bananahammocks’ and be done with it.

Lifestyle

39

JAN GARBAREK

HILLIARD ENSEMBLE

OFFICIUM NOVUM Friday 14 March 2014, 8pm KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY & MUSEUM £25/£20 (£2 off all concessions, tickets for under 26s £5) 0141 353 8000 / glasgowconcerthalls.com Please note that the programme and the names of participating artists were correct at the time of going to press, but may be subject to change.

Glasgow Life and its service brands (found at www.glasgowlife.org.uk) are operating names of Culture and Sport Glasgow (CSG). CSG is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland with company number SC313851 and having its registered office at 220 High Street Glasgow G4 0QW. CSG is registered as a charity with the office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (No SCO37844).

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THE SKINNY

Gig Highlights A busy month ahead in February, with the world premiere of Admiral Fallow’s new short film project, plus gigs from Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, Ela Orleans, Danny Brown and many more

Words: Ilya Kuryakin

perating at the intersection between brightly-hued pop-punk and dayglo chiptune, Anamanaguchi are perhaps the ultimate geek band – formed in NYC by four friends with a passion for 80s consoles and big hooks, they funded their debut album Endless Fantasy via Kickstarter last year, contributed music to the Scott Pilgrim video game adaptations, and memorably remixed Das Racist’s Rainbow In The Dark. Catch them at King Tut’s on 3 Feb for an explosive live show which will take you back to the pixellated world of your console-playing youth, while also blowing the doors off with epic riffage. Can’t say fairer!

On 7 Feb, Minneapolis melancholic indie duo Poliça play The Arches – expanded to a five-piece in a live setting, they’ll be showcasing tracks from their more electronically-driven 2013 album Shulamith. Beloved by The Flaming Lips, Bon Iver and a whole host of other American alt. rock royalty, Poliça are most definitely a perennial muso’s favourite. If you’re looking for something with a bit more attitude on 7 Feb, head down to Mono to catch a set from energetic punk scamps PAWS, showcasing tracks from Cokefloat and beyond, with support from bad taste bastions Rungs, no doubt shilling their disgustingly-titled but rather excellent EP I Don’t Wanna Hug! I Just Wanna Cum! The day after, on 8 Feb, head back to The Arches to catch Moderat – the pairing of German dancefloor destroyers Modeselektor and more experimental producer Apparat is an impressive one, with Apparat’s edgier sounds clashing titanically with Modeselektor’s upfront beats.

Sascha Ring, aka Apparat, was kept from touring with Moderat last year due to injuries sustained in a bike accident – now back to full health, the tour has been rejoined, so dust off your dancing shoes.

On 9 Feb at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, be sure to catch Australian orchestral rockers The Red Paintings – bringing a stage show which is equal parts melodramatic theatre, science fiction concept-bashing and outrageous costumes, Trash McSweeney and his band are wildly popular in the US and Europe, but have yet to make a big impression in the UK. Wildly over the top, and with tunes to match, they’re sure to be an unissable spectacle, and the chance to catch them in such an intimate setting is bound to be a rare one. Support comes from Edinburgh indie veterans Pilotcan, and Universal Thee.

On 11 Feb, hip-hop royalty comes to Glasgow, as the O2 welcomes Dead Prez. Best known for their rap anthem Hip-Hop, surely one

Poliça

of the most-played rap tracks ever made, the band have a nearly twenty year legacy, breaking through in 2000 with Let’s Get Free, and announcing a revolutionary manifesto of black empowerment, consciousness-rasing activism and political rebellion. Only Public Enemy can rival them in terms of the impact of their revolutionary manifesto, and they’ve got the rhyming skills to match – no doubt many of the increasingly vital Scottish hip-hop mob will be out in full force as well.

As Valentine’s Day hits on 14 Feb, we've got two options for you in Glasgow – fresh from their set at our 100th issue bash, Kid Canaveral host a themed ‘Lumber Party’ (snigger) in Stereo with stellar support from Malcolm Middleton and Randolph’s Leap, while feminist icon and electronic maven Planningtorock comes to Broadcast for some polemical beats and bleeps.

Veteran folk-rockers Midlake hit town on 22 Feb to play the O2 ABC. After the departure of original vocalist Tim Smith in 2012, the band pulled off an AC/DC with last year’s Antiphon, as Eric Pulido took over songwriting and vocal duties. Midlake are back on a roll again, and this genuinely feels like a whole new era for the Texan

six-piece.

On 23 Feb, there’s a difficult choice – either you can catch cult experimental chanteuse and live-looping one-woman band Ela Orleans at the Glad Cafe, or head along to the 13th Note for Edinburgh’s folk-tinged indie mob Book Group, featuring former members of The Kays Lavelle and Come On Gang.

Midlands-based psych-rockers Temples visit Òran Mór on 24 Feb – tipped for the top by none other than Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher (and they should know!), these melodic startravellers are bound to entrance. If it’s immersive music you want, head back to Òran Mór on 25 Feb, and catch Godspeed! affiliates and majestic post-rock royalty in their own right, Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, as they make their way across Europe.

On 26 Feb, as the Glasgow Music and Film Festival gets into full swing, you can catch the triumphant return to The Arches of Detroit hiphop ambassador Danny Brown, who is sure to tear the roof off in the same spectacular fashion as he did last year. Also making a welcome return this year are Goblin, the seminal synth-driven

Photo: Vito Andreoni

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rock band behind the soundtracks to cult classics like Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead. Their influence on the current crop of retro-futurist synth acts like Ubre Blanca and Com Truise cannot be overstated.

On 28 Feb, a trio of gigs to round out the month – catch Italian noise rockers Father Murphy with support from Glasgow’s own No Island at the 13th Note; alternatively, pull up a pew and call the cat a bastard with the live insanity that is Skinny favourites and Art School noise terrorists Casual Sex; or if you’re in Edinburgh, head down to cross-platform art happening Neu! Reekie! at Summerhall – they’ve got visiting artpop royalty in the form of Momus, plus music from 80s ‘urban folk’ legends The Band of Holy Joy, poet Luke Wright and others.

And finally, just because we might not squeeze it in next issue, and it looks like a day of solid awesome – catch a host of the best emerging bands and artists in Scotland at the Brew Dog-sponsored all-dayer at SWG3 on 1 March, featuring Prides and Miaoux Miaoux amongst others.

Do Not Miss Admiral Fallow – We Are Ten

To celebrate, the band have commissioned a series of collaborations with up-and-coming filmmakers from across the UK, and on 1 March, they s part of the Glasgow Music and Film Festival, will perform a very special one-off set, exploring Scottish indie giants Admiral Fallow will their back catalogue, and soundtracking these be giving a very special one-off performance unique visual poems created in response to their at the Old Fruitmarket, itself one of Glasgow’s work. The band have also hinted that they will be most iconic and atmospheric venues. It’s ten debuting new material, making this all the more years (who knew?) since Admiral Fallow (foressential for Fallow fans. Engaging with the rich merly Brother Louis Collective) began making cultural and social history of Glasgow, its architheir sweeping, orchestral brand of indie-folk, tecture, its people, and its spirit, and using clips which has seen them become one of the nation’s from William S. Manson’s seminal 1951 documenbest-loved bands both at home and abroad. It’s tary No Mean City, this promises to be a highlight also the tenth anniversary of the Glasgow Film not just for music enthusiasts, but for students Festival, which makes this performance all the of the moving image as well. more special.

The Old Fruitmarket, 1 Mar

February 2014

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Admiral Fallow

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Photo: Euan Robertson

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Connan Mockasin / Teleman

Celtic Connections: Mogwai / RM Hubbert

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 28 Jan

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As much a charismatic banter machine as he is an emotionally charged singer-songwriter, RM Hubbert has the vast hall completely captivated and respectfully silent (except when he’s making us laugh) with a set demonstrating his talent for both technical flamenco guitar playing and weary balladry. His banter ranges from the hilarious and bizarre (non-sequiturs involving Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts, pube shaving) to extremely honest and heartfelt (depression, the deaths of good friends). His rendition of For Joe, from 2012’s SAY award-winning Thirteen Lost & Found, is a subtly powerful highlight, but the set gets really special when Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat joins him at the end for the anecdotal Car Song.

Mogwai could call it quits now and leave an impressive legacy behind them, but the stellar Rave Tapes proves they’re still discovering new avenues while retaining their core sound.

The set opens with Heard About You Last Night, the sleepy lead track from that record. They continue to subtly promote its release (the

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Review

ominous slow-build / hyperactive synth assault of Remurdered is jaw-dropping), but the local legends never forget what got them here, treating old-timers to the sparkly loud-quiet dynamics of Young Team’s Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home and the gorgeous, vocally-driven Cody.

The remainder of the set’s material is culled from relatively recent releases: I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead is a sure-fire high point; its swirling guitar textures completely engulf the auditorium.

The false-start to Mexican Grand Prix actually comes as a relief, reminding the audience that these are indeed human beings conjuring up these grand sounds. For the encore, they revisit well-worn ground with a triple-threat of Hunted

By A Freak, Auto Rock, and the deafening Mogwai Fear Satan. From festival tents to nearly-arenas, Mogwai don’t always get the opportunity to channel their earth-shaking catalogue through a PA impressive enough to cope with their widescreen ambitions; tonight they grab it with both hands.

[Ross Watson] Mogwai play Edinburgh Usher Hall with Remember Remember and The Pastels on 8 Mar www.mogwai.co.uk

Teleman’s ‘we sound like the Beach Boys but look like Kraftwerk’ schtick carries remarkably well – in button down shirts, hair neatly parted, the London lads harmonise and churn out choppy, keyboard-driven riffs in an agreeable fashion.

What they lack in edge and dynamic, they make up for with a reserved cool, and polished musicianship. Debut single Cristina, in particular, achieves the union of breezy pop and moody electro remarkably well, pitched like a more sedate Django Django.

“Your hair’s gorgeous, Connan,” calls a heckler, commenting on Connan Mockasin’s shoulder-length blonde locks. “But what’s the deal wi’ hairdo?” The ‘hairdo’ in question is Mockasin’s guitarist, whose backcombed fringe is sculpted

connanmockasin.tumblr.com

Haim

Haim / Saint Raymond O2 ABC, 12 Dec

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Nottingham’s Saint Raymond, aka Callum Burrows, feels slightly awkward as an opener for Haim; on guitar and vocals, and backed by guitar, bass and drums, he suggests a songwriter at pains to stress the contemporaneity of his sound. In practice, this involves a kind of anthemic, Afrobeat-borrowing post-punk, laced with delay-heavy guitar soloing; it’s an intricate and smoothly-meshed combination, but one that can nonetheless feel oddly formulaic.

The three Californian sisters that comprise Haim, conversely, engage unashamedly with the clichés of 70s and 80s rock and pop. Having finally released their debut LP, Days Are Gone,

MUSIC

in September, Alana, Danielle and Este now find themselves selling out increasingly large venues; as they open with Falling’s mixture of snappy, Quincy Jones-esque beats and overlapping vocals, it’s easy to see why.

Highlights are the handful of instant MOR rock classics (to Falling, add The Wire, Don’t Save Me and Forever); but the trio are adept at structuring their set, lending things an increased sense of energy through the use of additional percussion, and plenty of crowd interaction. As the brevity of the show suggests, they still lack enough strong material to warrant A-list status, but you sense they’ll produce a lot more in time.

[Sam Wiseman] haimtheband.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jassy Earl

Mogwai

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into a cone, like one of the helmets from 80s cartoon Battle of the Planets. Mockasin handles the Glasgow banter well, getting the crowd to contribute ethereal ‘ooohs’ and harmonies.

Tracks from Forever Dolphin Love are greeted warmly, and a closing I’m The Man That Will Find You is rapturously applauded. It’s all very sexual. Connan Mockasin makes the weirdest baby-making music you’ve ever heard, woozily swaying from Prince-like R&B crooning to gentle, fragile folk, it’s immaculately played; the occasional cracks in Mockasin’s reedy falsetto adding even more charm. Prog rock sections laced with noodling guitar and gently brushed drums are hypnotic. The crowd leave feeling decidedly postcoital. [Bram E. Gieben]

Photo: Jassy Earl

Mogwai

Photo: Jassy Earl

King Tut’s, 22 Jan

Photo: JayJay Roberston

Connan Mockasin

The Dirty Dozen

Never shy of a withering put-down in song, in the flesh we find February’s guest single surveyor Stephen Malkmus grappling with the role of the critic

Interview: Gary Kaill Photography: Elinor Jones

Louise Rutkowski – Bedtime Story (from the album Diary of a Lost Girl, released 14 Feb via Jock Records) Stephen Malkmus: It sounds like she’s trying to be a little Kate Bush but it’s too much of a pop tune. It’s dramatic. It’s in a minor key and stuff. Her name is very… long. It sounds Polish. It’s like the name of a Holocaust survivor. I hope her fans don’t feel like that when they listen to her. It says she was in This Mortal Coil. Really?

They were on 4AD, right? If The Cocteau Twins were The Sex Pistols, This Mortal Coil were like the Wire of the 4AD sound. This is so-so.

Rare Monk – Splice (single released 18 Feb via B3SCI records) SM: Mmm. It’s well recorded and stuff. I can’t hear what they’re saying – I’m trying to hear the words. It’s a little…

It’s okay, you know? They’re kinda cool. I don’t wanna make them feel bad. I’m not dismissing it.

It can’t be easy being a critic. People are spending a lot of time doing this, you know? They’re spending their lives on it. What do I know?

Lacrosse – 50% of Your Love (from the album Are You Thinking of Me Every Minute of Every Day, released 24 January via Tapete) SM: They’re called Lacrosse? That’s crazy. That’s just the craziest name for a band. When I had Sirius radio in my car, they’d play this band called Tennis. Non-stop Tennis. (Ponders.) Golf… I don’t know what they mean by calling themselves that.

It’s a rough game but played by posh kids. Preppy guys from Maryland.

The Skinny: Ever play?

SM: Yeah! Well, I tried. Cos I was a bit of a nouveau riche preppy guy for a while when I was 17. But I was way too skinny. That was always the downfall for me – for every sport. Too skinny.

The Skinny: What were you like at that age?

SM: (laughs) I was just a… young California asshole.

The Skinny: Not a fan of Lacrosse, then? The band.

SM: (shakes head) Young Fathers – Low (single, out now via Big Dada/Anticon) SM: Young Fathers. That’s a funny name. I like that name.

(Listens to first few bars.)

They’re not a funny band, though. They got a real singer. Yeah, I could hear this on the radio. Is that a good thing? It could almost be Macklemore, you know? He’s like this lad rapper. My kids listen to him. It’s low stakes rap or whatever, but at least it’s trying to be politically fresh, maybe. But this doesn’t seem to have very high stakes either. It’s more like pop, really. I like the idea of rap, though. I’m more forgiving to rappers than I am to most indie rockers.

Adam Holmes – Oh My God (from the album Heirs and Graces, out now via Gogar Records) SM: This is classy so far. Almost sounds like Gordon Lightfoot.

The Skinny: There’s some John Martyn in there, too, I think.

SM: Yeah, I hear that. I always thought I was supposed to like John Martyn but I never did.

The Skinny: Same here. I could never find a

February 2014

way in. album Sonic Bloom, out now via SM: Yeah, I don’t know why cos I love Fairport Reverberation Appreciation) Convention and Nick Drake. It’s hard. I mean this SM: There’s a lot of ‘Night’ bands. guy’s 23. I could never have done this at 23. He My drummer’s in a band called sounds like he’s 37. I guess it’s a little conservaStreet Nights. He wanted to be tive but some conservative music is good. called Night Moves but then he found out there The Skinny: Like what? was another Night Moves. It’s supposed to be reSM: I don’t know! Gordon Lightfoot? ally cheesy, kinda 80s.

McCartney? I like McCartney – well, some. Even The Skinny: Do you know Night Beats?

Elton John sometimes. Well not always. Not often.

SM: No, I don’t. It says they’re from Tacoma.

That’s a small town. It’s like the asshole of Rufus – Desert Night (single, Seattle. But this is good. I like that, that twangy out now via Sweat It Out) guitar. This is more in the vein of The Sonics or SM: This is on a major label, 13th Floor Elevators. This would be popular at Columbia. (Reads promo sheet.) home in Portland. This would be more fun to see The Huffington Post like this. played live.

Mmm. That’s an odd place to get your quotes from. The production and rhythm is a little bit New Mendicants – Follow You ham and eggs. I’m trying to imagine it making it Down (from the album Into the Lime, out now via One Little to pop radio in the US. I can’t see it. I can see it Indian) being bigger here, in Europe. It’s a bit ‘bedroom SM: Oh this has Norman Blake artist’ but it’s not as good as, say, Lorde. I saw from Teenage Fanclub. He’s the main guy, right? her play a radio show on Portland. It was abuAnd the guy from the Pernice Brothers. It’s going sively loud, super-bass loud. She’s good. She’s on a definite lo-fi kick. Maybe even four track. got zero charisma. But she’s 18, you know? Her wardrobe consists of just this one black shirt and Okay, sounds like the guy’s really far away from the mic. But that toy piano isn’t far away. It’s got a these really blocky shoes she shouldn’t wear. If lot of atmosphere – was that a car driving by?

I’m the one saying she needs a makeover, there’s The Skinny: Norman’s holding up a glockena problem. spiel on the cover.

The Skinny: There’s not a lot to say about SM: Yeah ok. You’re right. It was a glock.

Rufus, evidently.

Yeah, it’s like early Simon and Garfunkel. They’re SM: No, there isn’t. good singers. I like it. It’s pretty.

Doug Tuttle – Turn This Merchandise – Begging For Love (from the album Doug Your Life (single, out now via 4AD) Tuttle, out now via Trouble In SM: They’re from Florida? That’s Mind) cool. Is that horns? I’ll give them SM: I like the album cover. His credit for that, in a weird way. sound’s got an obvious 60s influence. A little Is it saxophones? It’s kinda confusing sounding, Beatles. It’s got like a blown-out sound. It’s just which I sort of like, but I think if I heard it a few fine you know? I’m a little bit tired of that kind times it might not sound so confusing. At first it of music but it’s not that it’s bad. Who knows, was a bit ‘where’s the tune?’, which is a good sign, maybe it goes further. That might be the poppy but then I’m worried if I heard it more I’d realise first song to pull you in. It’s totally fine. It’s sunit was just this straight beat with weird horns. I’m shine pop. not sure, but you know…

Night Beats – Love Ain’t Strange (from the

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Helms Alee – Pleasure Center (from the album Sleepwalking Sailors, out 10 Feb via Sargent House) SM: There’s this band from Portland called Red Fang and they’re a real ‘Rock Band’, you know? And I can hear them in this a little. Okay. Not bad. Not my kind of music. But then they probably wouldn’t like my band, either.

The Skinny: You can tell they’re from Seattle – it’s a little Alice in Chains.

SM: Yeah. It could have been very Seattle – you know, the singer could have come in and been all “aaaaarghhhh!” but that singer was really melodic. I liked Alice in Chains. They were one of those spooky, heroin-sounding bands. That guy there did have a little Staley in his singing and that’s a good thing. But I don’t listen to that kind of music much around the house. (Looks across at Eli, The Skinny’s photographer, who’s been quietly taking his picture throughout.) Do you?

You do? Sometimes? No? Something a little more, I don’t know, doom-y? Yeah? OK. That’s cool.

TRACK OF THE MONTH Augustines – Nothing To Lose But Your Head (from the album Augustines, released 3 Feb via Caroline International) SM: Yeah, bit of U2 in there. I don’t know if there’s an audience for this, but if there is, they’ll like this.

The Skinny: You should be their manager.

SM: (laughs) I should! It’s got an anthemic feel to it and a communal quality. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s alright with me. You’re serving the people. ‘People music.’ It doesn’t make me so mad. No, it’s good. I like it. Like the singer with that big voice. This is the best. Yeah, it’s good.

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Album of the Month

Neneh Cherry

Blank Project [Smalltown Supersound, 24 Feb]

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Anyone tempted to write off Neneh Cherry as a mainstream pop artist needs to check their history – having worked with a selection of the most respected producers and bands over the past 25 years, including The The, Michael Stipe, Bobby Womack, and notably 3D and Mushroom of Massive Attack; she’s been a muse, an inspiration and a vital collaborator in the margins of UK pop, urban music and beyond since the late 80s.

In many ways, this understated, stripped return to the fray is long overdue – and it’s no surprise to find her seeking out collaborators with a vital underground pedigree, namely Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, and his regular allies Rocketnumbernine. From the

stripped drums of opener Across The Water, Hebden positions Cherry’s bold, adventurous, poetic vocals at the luminous heart of a production style that nods to jazz, hip-hop and post-rock; her lyrical concerns addressing motherhood, spirituality and mortality.

Blank Project ’s title track plays with distorted, Death Gripslike bass hits and driving percussion, Cherry emoting powerfully over the top, her voice more real and vital than any modern pop warbler. Naked’s atmospheric trip-hop harks back to her 80s heyday without sounding dated, Hebden’s lush instrumental bridge adding a weight to the stop-start beats. Then there are the urgent, chopped guitar riffs of Weightless; the drifting pyshedelic R ‘n’ B of 422; the frantic techno beats of Dossier; and the infectious pop of Out of the Black, featuring counterpoint vocals from Robyn.

Nothing short of a triumph. [Bram E. Gieben]

Illum Sphere

Kristian Harting

Broken Bells

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Ghosts of Then and Now [Ninja Tune, 10 Feb] Manchester’s Illum Sphere has been making waves for some time now, as founder of the HoyaHoya club nights, winning the BBC Radio 1Xtra Urban Music Award in 2010, and releasing a string of critically-acclaimed EPs and 12”s on labels like Fat City, Tectonic, 3024 and Young Turks.

For Ghosts of Then and Now, he broadens his sonic pallette to reflect the diversity of his new home on Ninja Tune, incorporating lush broken beat, understated atmospheric hip-hop, and aesthetic flourishes which borrow from the LA beat scene, 90s underground electronica and UK soul.

The spectral 2-step of At Night, with vocals from Mai Nestor, nods to the understated UK bass sounds of producers like Ikonika; first single Sleeprunner plays with a retro-futuristic synth arpeggio; The Road, one of three cuts featuring vocalist Shadowbox, investigates the template of ghostly 2-step to profound effect.

Elsewhere, flashes of electronic folk and muted house, and washes of delicate post-dubstep round out an ambitious and rewarding debut. [Bram E. Gieben]

Float [Exile On Mainstream, 3 Feb] Kristian Harting may be well-versed in noise rock and thrash metal, but the Danish singersongwriter puts the past aside, favouring personal acoustic music on his debut solo release. The material is mostly minimal, ranging from simple, strummed melodies to more drone-based, effectsdriven pieces.

There’s a weariness flowing through from beginning to end; even the more childlike songs are underpinned by a creeping sense of dread and emotional turmoil. Feathered Ghosts has Harting sounding both nervous and confident – there’s something fascinating about his ability to display both sweetness and mild panic at the same time.

Float’s more ambitious moments are often its strongest: Queen of the Highway’s sickening desert rock dirge makes some of the other cuts look pedestrian by comparison. The muted, minimalist nature of these recordings will perhaps leave some yearning for more layers of sound to get lost in, but this is still an accomplished work of soul-bearing solemnity. [Ross Watson]

After The Disco [Columbia, 3 Feb] The first Broken Bells record should’ve been a breeze – the moment where Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton’s potent spark would prompt Shins frontman James Mercer’s fading fires to burst back into flame – but sadly it felt like little more than the sum of its (admittedly very pleasant) parts. Mercer’s songs would change our lives, Natalie Portman promised us in Garden State. It seems an awfully long time ago.

Sensibly, this sophomore effort refocuses the spotlight and pushes Danger Mouse’s pristine production into the foreground, as per the taut groove of The Changing Light. There’s more sass in Holding On For Life alone than the whole of that 2010 debut, somehow channelling Prince and the Bee Gees simultaneously, while the sumptuous backdrop feels like Hall & Oates given an indie makeover. Coupled with Mercer’s strongest set of tunes in years, After The Disco justifies flipping the adage: if it’s broke, fix it.

[Will Fitzpatrick] brokenbells.com

soundcloud.com/illum-sphere

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

Let’s Wrestle

Lo-Fang

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Chambers [Sonic Cathedral / Captcha, 17 Feb] Garage rock, psych and lo-fi stoner rock aesthetics collide on the new album by Mexican husband and wife duo Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, and it’s difficult to credit how the pair have managed to achieve such a well-rounded, expansive sound with just two players. The much-touted lead single What’s Holding You? sets the pace with caterwauling guitars, tweaked-out organ sounds and shuffling, clattering drums, and the vocals of Lorena (aka Lorelle).

A shoegaze influence can be heard on The Myth of the Wise and Music For The Dozens, attributable in part to the presence of Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, who produces the record. Alberto (The Obsolete) takes vocal duties on a few tracks, bringing rasping blues chords and dazed, muted murmurings to I Can’t Feel The Outside. Chambers is a record that, while offering little groundbreaking or earth-shattering, is impeccably written and played, with a washed-out lo-fi aesthetic that elevates it to the essential.

[Bram E. Gieben]

Let’s Wrestle [Fortuna POP!, 17 Feb] After two full doses of rewardingly ramshackle indie-rock (2009’s In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s and 2011’s Nursing Home), Let’s Wrestle’s self-titled third album sees the band tuck in their shirts and leave dishevelled adolescence behind them. The transformation is pronounced, with the scruffy guitars of yore given a jingle-jangle refit and horns and strings creating a notably fuller, richer sound. But while the results are unerringly pleasant, if feels as if too many of the band’s youthful assets have ended up jettisoned or muted in the name of maturation.

One thing Wesley Patrick Gonzalez and his cohorts haven’t misplaced is their knack for crafting catchy hooks, and tracks like Rain Ruins Revolution and Pull Through For You (featuring Veronica Falls’ Roxanne Clifford) are effective examples of the band’s sonic facelift. But the likes of Care For You’s B-list Britpop let the side down, rendering Let’s Wrestle uncharacteristically underwhelming. [Chris Buckle]

Vulkano

Augustines

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Live Wild Die Free [Vulkano, 3 Feb]

Releasing your debut album can be a nervewracking experience for any artist, but expectation levels are increased to gargantuan proportions when you’ve been tipped as ‘ones to watch’ for the past five years. Young Fathers were being hyped as long as ago as 2009, but this, their first album proper, is poles apart from the pop-leaning songs that first gained them attention.

Dead continues the bass heavy, free-form direction that the Edinburgh trio explored on well-received EPs Tape One and Tape Two. No two songs sound the same; this is an album full of playful inventiveness. Alloysious Massaquoi and Kayus Bankole sing as much as they rap on stand out tracks No Way and WAR, with Graham Hastings’ production charting a unique course through done-like synths and thunderous bass. Songs like Get Up show they’ve not completely shed those pop sensibilities, but ultimately Dead requires repeat visits before the extent of its powers are fully unveiled. [Chris McCall]

This Swedish duo’s overdriven garage-pop sounds something like a more cutesy, melodic take on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ sound, its relentless energy channelled through pounding percussion, sharp guitar hooks and organ arpeggios. Cissi Efraimson’s vocals veer drunkenly between breathy whispers, gasps and yelps, and the lyrics range across scifi, mythology and the paranormal; on infectious closer Wizard of Odd, she insists that “aliens from outer space” are “all around us... eating your hate.”

Vulkano’s trick – an effective one – is generally to blend these elements within riff-driven songs at a frantic tempo (Choir of Wolves, 2 Young 2 Die); on slower pieces like Trolls, the sparseness of the arrangements can feel like a limitation, rather than a conscious decision to streamline their sound. In terms of its sonic palette, there’s nothing particularly fresh about Live Wild Die Free, but its idiosyncratic themes save it from generic blandness.

[Sam Wiseman]

young-fathers.com

facebook.com/vulkanotheband

Review

The debut album by LA’s Matthew Hemerlein, aka Lo-Fang, sits comfortably alongside the neosoul of James Blake, the spectral, ethereal hip-hop/R ‘n’ B of Twin Shadow and How To Dress Well, and the quirky synth-pop experiments of Matthew Dear. His voice ranges from a burnished croon recalling Ninja Tune’s Fink (on the darkly-hued, string-led ballad Boris) to a smooth, soaring falsetto (on the magnificent opener Look Away), elevated considerably by conversational, lovelorn lyrics.

The lithe, stop-start beats of Light Year and the euphoric electro of album highlight Animal Urges show he has considerable chops as a producer. As a classically-trained multi-instrumentalist, he fills Blue Film with interesting compositional approaches and orchestral flourishes, while retaining a sparse, roomy minimalism. Although, occasionally, there is a blandness to both his subject matter and his delivery, there are enough glimmers of originality and invention to make this a rewarding listen, and a promising debut. [Bram E. Gieben]

Young Fathers Dead [Big Dada, 3 Feb]

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Blue Film [4AD, 24 Feb]

RECORDS

Augustines [Caroline Records, 3 Feb] ‘Earnestness’ has almost become a dirty word when applied to music. But on their debut album, Augustines managed to tread the tightrope successfully, producing a lovely set of power indie that fell just on the right side of cliche. On their eponymous second outing, however, they don’t strike nearly so lucky. Augustines is a half-baked eulogy to stadia the world over, which slides steadily downhill after the interesting Afrobeat twangs of first track ‘proper,’ Cruel City.

The formula is so simple, it could’ve been kicked out of an Excel spreadsheet: start slow, introduce a kickdrum, gradually escalate to roof-raising crescendo, complete with choral harmonies, repeat. After a few listens, the sound of an advancing 4/4 in the distance will help you realise that even the most promising tracks (Walkabout, This Ain’t Me) are doomed: destined as they are to be swept away by the merciless tourbillon of schmaltz.

[Finbarr Bermingham] Playing Glasgow The Arches on 11 Apr; Manchester Academy 2 on 16 Apr; Liverpool East Village Arts Club on 14 May and Edinburgh Liquid Room on 15 May

THE SKINNY

The Notwist

Robbie Lesiuk

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Close to the Glass [Sub Pop, 24 Feb] Where some bands trade in vitriol, the Notwist prefer icy chill. Their sound is clinical and emotionally lobotomised – you can imagine it being produced, drip by drip, in a bright white laboratory. Close to the Glass is the German band’s first record since 2008’s excellent The Devil, You + Me, and is more varied and ambitious, with the pitfall being that it’s at times less cohesive.

7-Hour-Drive is the most jarring track the band have produced in over a decade, but lives briefly in the memory, given the quality of the rest of the album. There’s a sense of eeriness when the disembodied voice of Markus Acher sings, on Signals, “We want to be you / We want to be like you”, that returns, notably, on Run, Run, Run. But it’s the production that steals the show: the back five tracks, are a wonderful reminder that despite their frequent and long hiatuses, nobody makes music quite like the Notwist. [Finbarr Bermingham]

Falkirk artist Robbie Lesiuk is best known as a former member of Y’all Is Fantasy Island. Now he takes centre stage by releasing a self-produced but accomplished album which gives an insight into an intriguing musical talent that deserves recognition its own right.

Calling this record Nobody’s Listening suggests that Lesiuk may not be expecting it to be heard by the masses, but the Nick Drake-inspired Hey! Slow Repeater is certainly worthy of a wider airing, and charming acoustic numbers like Freeman will delight fans of Scottish alt-folk contemporaries such as Beerjacket. There’s a warm, friendly feel to each song on show, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed one of Lesiuk’s solo sets. With bigger ideas made flesh by additional instruments, and assistance from long-term collaborator Paul Tonner, it’s a firm step in the right direction. [Chris McCall]

Nina Persson

Poemss

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Animal Heart [Lojinx Records, 10 Feb] With A Camp having last borne fruit in 2009 and The Cardigans’ recording hiatus ongoing, Nina Persson’s debut solo record qualifies as something of a comeback: the first sign of her dulcet voice in half a decade, guest appearances notwithstanding. Her vocal performances remain disarmingly superb, with a seductive huskiness having crept in somewhere in the interim to add depth to her erstwhile carefree croon. But a singer’s nothing without a song worthy of their talents, and in this regard, Persson’s return falls short.

Throughout, Animal Heart plays things dispiritingly safe, with tasteful-but-tepid arrangements and blandly accomplished songwriting that tries on a range of hats (mild electro-pop on the title track; Disney Princess ballad on Dreaming of Houses; country lament on The Grand Destruction Game), none of which really fit.

Here’s hoping that, whichever one of her outlets it comes from, Persson’s next outing furnishes her with material more befitting her vocal abilities. [Chris Buckle] facebook.com/ninaperssonofficial

Keel Her

Nobody’s Listening [Self-released, Out now]

Keel Her [Critical Heights, 10 Feb]

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Rose Keeler-Schäffeler is no debutant. Since 2011, the Brighton-based songwriter has shared songs online seemingly as fast as she can finish them. Her DIY inventiveness has already won admiration from kindred spirit R. Stevie Moore (amongst others), and for those who haven’t been following her evolution in real-time, these 18 tracks present the perfect entry point.

Underwritten by an inherent understanding that lo-fi needn’t be limiting, Keel Her never deigns to settle on single, clear style.

Reflecting its creator’s raw curiosity, the album’s free-roaming aesthetic ventures from the scratchy post-punk of Go to the dense synth swirls of In My Head; the piercing fuzz-pop of Riot Grrl to the echo chamber fog of Pussywhipped. And best of all, should this economical taster menu appeal, there’s a buffet-load more where it came from. [Chris Buckle]

Wild Beasts

Poemss [Planet Mu, 10 Feb] Showing a different side of Planet Mu mainstay Aaron Funk, better known as Venetian Snares, this collaboration with Toronto producer and vocalist Joanne Pollock has none of the brutalist, high-impact weirdness which is Venetian Snares trademark, instead combining languid avant garde synth-pop with modern production flourishes and bizarre, fantastical, sometimes whimsical lyrics.

“I hereby present you with this hair follicle of an ancient pony, who was once known to save the children in distress,” Funk intones in a pitch-bent voice on opener Ancient Pony. This sets the tone; the deeply strange Heads On Heads sounds like a mixture of early Human League produced by Aphex Twin. Moviescapes offers beatless synth washes and a gentle ballad. Pollock’s Liz Fraseresque vocal contributions, on their own, might have felt ephemeral, but tied to the obscure intonations of Funk, something beautiful and unique emerges, a synthesisied phantasmagoria peopled by mythical creatures, full of imagery both menacing and cloyingly sweet. [Bram E. Gieben]

Present Tense [Domino, 24 Feb]

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Wild Beasts’ fourth album finds the Kendal quartet comfortable in their own skin, yet choosing to funnel that confidence into a development of their sound, rather than rest on their laurels. And what a sound it is: oxygenated by clean synths and carried by Chris Talbot’s sentient percussion, Present Tense is an exercise in delivering impact through seemingly minimal means.

‘Seemingly’, because for all the record’s block-colour electronics (Wanderlust, Sweet Spot) and tight lyrical vignettes (A Dog’s Life), there is exquisite detail here, not least on Nature Boy, co-vocalist Tom Fleming’s sinister show-stealer, in which his lupine baritone flexes and seizes above an interplay of piano, disgruntled frequencies and timid, tensile guitar. At points, you can almost taste the dust disturbed from the chalky skein of Talbot’s hand drums. Hayden Thorpe’s vocals, meanwhile, tend to be the gold to Fleming’s coal – Mecca showcasing their aerial acrobatics to the fullest, album-closer and unabashed love song Palace giving them wings. [Lauren Strain]

Angel Olsen

Tomorrow We Sail

Temples

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Burn Your Fire For No Witness [Jagjaguwar, 17 Feb] Four songs into her exquisite second LP, Angel Olsen’s deeply expressive voice alights upon the album’s title. “If you’ve still got some light in you then go before it’s gone,” she whispers over skeletal arpeggios, “and burn your fire for no witness, it’s the only way to die.” Suddenly, a phrase that in isolation suggested defiance becomes profoundly sad; just one example of Olsen’s acute lyrical gifts.

The song in question (White Fire) is a fragile solo performance, and thus harks back to Olsen’s delicate debut Half Way Home. But elsewhere, Burn Your Fire for No Witness proves a bolder, more assertive expression of the Missouri-born songwriter’s talents, with Forgiven/Forgotten delivering crunchy, Breeders-like guitars and Hi-Five dressing its country crooning in distorting fuzz. Furthermore, upping the volume in this way renders the remaining quiet moments all the more intimate, with Windows a starkly emotional conclusion to an album of true beauty. [Chris Buckle]

For Those Who Caught the Sun in Flight [Gizeh Records, 10 Feb] Gizeh Records is a paragon of consistency, not only in terms of the quality of its output but in the overlaps and similarities between those on its roster. With post-rock, slowcore and neoclassical the key genres shaping For Those Who Caught the Sun in Flight, it’s fair to say that Tomorrow We Sail are a comfortable fit for the Manchester label – perhaps even too comfortable, since there’s little here that admirers of these gentle arts won’t have heard in some form before.

Yet, demonstrating that familiarity need not breed contempt, the Leeds 7-piece trigger shivers at all the right moments, crafting heavenly symphonies by turns sombre and soaring. It’s taken them five years to get to this debut, and their unhurried diligence is reflected in the careful precision of every slicing violin, solemn vocal and bristling crescendo, and while it may not break new ground, it treads the already turned earth with exceptional grace. [Chris Buckle] tomorrowwesail.co.uk

Echaskech

Katy B

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Origin [Just Music, 24 Feb] With Origin, Hackney’s Echaskech return to the more beat-driven, stargazing material of their first two albums, incorporating a wealth of new analogue studio gear, live percussion, and densely textural field recordings. The new tracks have as much in common with the genre-disregarding electronic experiments of Planet Mu artists like Machinedrum and Kuedo as it does with the beat-driven, post-rock soundscapes of Fuck Buttons or even Mogwai; a sense of exploration pervades, and although no astonishingly new vistas are revealed, a great many peaks are conquered.

There are spectral shoegaze guitars and layered synths on widescreen opener Scanners; spare, crunching post-dubstep on Metic, and Paper Scissors (which finishes in glorious static, like an offcut from the Black Mill Tapes by Pye Corner Audio). There is slowly coalescing breakbeat on Telomere; and finally, looped, cosmic techno and reverb-laced piano and guitars on Anomie.

The album flows impressively, and while it might meander once or twice, it’s easy to be swept away. [Bram E. Gieben]

February 2014

Little Red [Columbia, 10 Feb] A whopping 17 tracks on this, the second album from the Brit School graduate, offers value but, as is increasingly the case with major label releases, puts quantity before quality. Coming three years after refreshing debut On a Mission, an extended running time contributes to a certain lack of spark and misses the genre-crossing exploration that suggested Kathleen Brien had identity beyond the ‘feat. Katy B’ credits that had kick-started her career.

Take the shears to Little Red and there’s a wily mix of beats (Next Thing) and smart pop (Blue Eyes) elbowing their way to the front. But it’s the more by-number moments (the predictable balladry of Tumbling Down and Emotions) that weaken the whole. That voice, its earthy burr becoming oddly reminiscent of Rihanna, is a marvel. It’s just a shame the material doesn’t do it justice more consistently than here. [Gary Kaill] Playing Manchester Academy 2 on 29 Mar katyonamission.com

RECORDS

Sun Structures [Heavenly Recordings, 10 Feb] Psychedelic. There, it’s been said. This record is so unmistakably of the genre and of an era that you can’t avoid the word, but Temples’ hotly tipped debut is by no means dated or lacking innovation. They’ve got rhythm, damn it, by the sandcastle-shaped bucketful. Four floppy-haired lads from Kettering have managed to self-produce an LP with confident, tasteful charm; Sun Structures sways and breathes with all the warmth and colour the name depicts, its dozen tracks proving a savvy synthesis of the influences they so transparently parade.

From the woozy sleaze of the title track, to the dusty bravado of Sand Dance, to the cheekily self-aware chorus of Test Of Time (‘standing the test of time,’ are we, boys?), to the hypnotic Colours To Life; frontman James Bagshaw’s curls have imbued him with an ear for the timeless. Heavenly in both signing and vibe, Temples are a band worthy of a little worship. [George Sully] Playing Glasgow Òran Mór on 24 Feb and Manchester Academy 2 on 1 Mar templestheband.com

The Top Five 1 2 3 4 5

Neneh Cherry

Blank Project

The Notwist

Close to the Glass

Wild Beasts

Present Tense

Young Fathers

Dead

Illum Sphere

Ghosts of Now and Then

Review

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The Stars And Psychs French revivalists Sudden Death of Stars are quietly yet assuredly leading the way in bringing the psych back into pop. Or should that be the other way round? We went all the way to Rennes to investigate

Interview: Colm McAuliffe

he Breton city of Rennes is steeped in medieval histories, a haven of Celtic and Roman influences and rich in mystic folklores and sagas.

If ever a city was to propagate itself as a hotbed of psychedelic sounds in thrall to the recent and distant past, this beautiful French outpost fits the bill. Famously, the city boasts two simultaneous festivals, renowned for their idiosyncrasy and penchant for attracting ‘the next big thing.’

And during their respective 2013 editions, Trans Musicales and Bar-En-Trans festivals peppered a striking number of local psychedelic treats throughout the programming of both festivals with the local Sudden Death of Stars rising highest above the parapet.

Of course, the fact that SDOS are signed to Tjinder Singh and Ben Ayres’ ultra-hip label Ample Play is a contributing factor, but listen to the sextet’s debut album Getting Up, Close Down and recent Christmas 7” What Is Winter Good For? and you encounter a band certainly familiar with their Brian Jonestown Massacre records but also muscling up to the vintage dark folk tales of Comus or even the galloping psych jangle of The Feelies, mumbled vocals intact. Dreamy melodies abetted with organ trills, stabs of sitar and often magnificent facial hair mould into a deceptively gentle calibration of celestial sounds. Despite their relative youth, SDOS are a band fully formed with sitar at the ready and are on the verge of releasing their second album proper on Ample Play later this year. The Skinny met the band’s frontman Goulwen Ory on a disarmingly sunny winter morning in Rennes, the band having played to a sell-out audience the previous evening as part of the aforementioned Bar-En-Trans music festival.

“We were lucky [to end up on Ample Play records],” reflects Goulwen. “Tjinder [Singh] from Cornershop and his wife Maria were on holidays in Brittany and they were looking for bands or gigs to see on their trip. They came across a festival where we were on the programme. Tjinder liked the description of our band, he thought it sounded interesting but they couldn’t make it to the show because they had to go back to London!

Instead, they met us in Rennes during the holidays where we talked and that was it! That was November 2012.”

Sudden Death of Stars originated in Rennes but it took a little bit of time before they found their feet as purveyors of psych pop. “We started in 2009, five years ago,” reflects Goulwen. “There were three of us, a drummer, me and a twelve string guitarist. We tried to do something really pop with a girl singing but it didn’t work out. I was just playing guitar. We brought three people into the band to replace her and I realised the songs I was bringing to the band now were in a different style to before. It was during our second recording session for the album we had the song Supernovae and at first there was no sitar. But when we heard how it sounds, we realised ‘there has to be a sitar on this!’ So, by talking to each other, it turned out that Xavier, our drummer, had a co-worker whose boyfriend was playing sitar! Easy! And you don’t see sitar on stage every time.”

It took the band two years to make their debut album which was initially released on French label Close Up before Ample Play took the reins, with the vinyl copies completely selling out on release. Witnessing the band play on home turf, the audience is swelled by noisy and occasionally boorish friends of the band, suggesting they are something of a big draw in their native France. “I think we are really famous in Rennes because we have a lot of friends!” laughs Goulwen. “I think our

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Feature

Photo: Richard Gray

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name rings a bell in France but not so much in other countries as it’s so difficult to get people to see our shows. There are lots of bands in Rennes but not really in the same form of music as us. There is quite a small scene in France, you have maybe ten groups as part of the scene here. We can really identify with these bands. For us, Brian Jonestown Massacre was definitely an influence but at the beginning, it was more The Warlocks and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. There is also a strong pop thing in the band, a definite 1960s influence.”

Like many of their contemporaries at home, Sudden Death of Stars choose to sing not in their native French but in English. This can often go either way but luckily, Goulwen is quite the impressionist – or is it mere impressionism? Why

not sing in his native language? “It’s more easy to write lyrics in English than in French – which you might not believe when you hear me talking!” he says. “But it’s true, I’m not used to listening to French music, we’re more used to hearing English-speaking music. That’s natural for us to sing in English. It is considered acceptable, there are more French bands who sing in English than in French, in all kinds of music. “ 2014 is gearing up to be a pivotal year for the band. Their next album is due along with bouts of heavy touring as Sudden Death of Stars return to the UK in March and have just been announced as one of the acts playing the increasingly influential Liverpool Psychedelic Festival in September, alongside such luminaries as Goat, Teeth of the Sea and the mighty Gnod. Goulwen

MUSIC

is rather confident about the band’s live appeal.

“The first time we played in London was with [Damo Suzuki’s] Reverb Conspiracy last year and the second time was just as a support. Both gigs were really great, in fact they were perfect. But you know we are not professionals, we tour once a year! We toured last November. The next album is coming out on 10 March. Ample Play are really involved in what we are doing, they do lots of promotional work for us. Ample Play is a seal of quality.”

Playing Liverpool Shipping Forecast on 28 Feb and Manchester Band on the Wall on 3 Mar All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown is released on 10 Mar via Ample Play facebook.com/suddendeathofstars

THE SKINNY

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February 2014

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Advertise in The CineSkinny We’re gearing up for The Cineskinny, our daily guide to The Glasgow Film Festival providing up-to-date and inside festival information.

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I N D E P E N D E N T

C U LT U R A L

Illustration: Studio Monik

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J O U R N A L I S M

THE SKINNY

Brain Floss Multi-talented Glasgow artist Tom Scholefield aka Konx-Om-Pax sheds light on his upcoming foray into more dancefloor-focused music, his hyper-real visual work and his continuing association with The Art School

Interview: Calum Sutherland

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ou could be forgiven for thinking yourself unaware of the work of Tom Scholefield, aka Konx-om-Pax. A man with one face but many facets of work, Scholefield’s output encompasses a myriad of avenues of visual activity and musical projects. As a graphic artist, sleeve designer and 3D film director he has lent his services to, amongst others, Hudson Mohawke, Mogwai, Martyn, Oneohtrix Point Never, Rustie, and King Midas Sound. He is also, in his own quiet way, one of Glasgow’s best kept secrets in terms of lo-fi electronic music production, broad-ranging and generally perplexing DJ sets, and a master of marrying these varying yields into one unified and engaging gross domestic product.

2012 saw the long awaited arrival of the Planet Mu-released debut LP from Konx-om-Pax, Regional Surrealism. With nods to the Selected Ambient Works series, early Kelpe and Boards of Canada, this is a record which also occupies a sound very much of its own; at times a meandering, understated trek through a psychoactive countryside, and at others the perfect soundtrack to a less than graceful stumble home from the city centre on a Sunday morning. It is often said that a sign of a great piece of art is its ability to not only motivate, but bend the imagination of its audience, until both parties are engaged in conversation – Regional Surrealism does just that, and leaves the listener with the conclusion that there really isn’t that much separating what’s coming out of the speakers and the pictures we see, whether internally or externally.

As The Art School reopens its doors to Glasgow’s various and limitless supply of clubbers, music aficionados and promoters, there is a distinct sense here that 2014 will be an altogether different prospect for nightlife in the city. Tom falls into all three categories, and his involvement with The Art School goes way back to his Eskrima nights, bringing artists like Autechre, Squarepusher and Luke Vibert to the venue. With this in mind, we thought it only right to organise a long overdue catch up.

The Skinny: So you’re going to be smashing up The Art School over the coming months?

Tom Scholefield: Yeah I hope so! Got a couple of events coming up… I’m hosting a Display Copy event with Zoviet France from Newcastle.

They’ve not played Glasgow in years and this is going to be a special return. At the end of March we’re doing a show with Cut Hands and Florian Hecker (Mego Editions). Most people will be aware of Hecker from his recent sets with Aphex Twin. I can imagine his intense, granular computer music set on a Saturday night at The Art School isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking. We’re planning a special laser-based installation for it also. I recently saw an old video of him performing at All Tomorrows Parties in 2003 where there was a man rolling about the floor pretending to be a dog. His music has that effect on some people!

You’re playing with Zoviet France in Glasgow, and I know you were in Milan with Cut Hands late last year – how much of an influence has ‘noise music’ been on your work and how did you begin to get interested in the more abrasive side of things?

I wouldn’t really describe it just as “noise music,” it’s too limiting a term to describe some of my influences. Of course acts that would be considered “noise” like Whitehouse and Merzbow have played their part but there’s way more non-traditional music out there that’s had an effect. I’m a big fan of musique concrete, artists like Bernard Parmegianis’ De Natura Sonorum is

February 2014

one to check out. Or the work of Tod Dockstader, who describes his music as “organised sound.” I also love the granular micro sound compositions of people like Curtis Roads and Florian Hecker.

The link between these artists is probably the way they use sound like an abstract painter constructs a picture. It's music made from processed layers and textures; sounds evolve and develop along a linear timeline, almost like a sound narrative in contrast to the traditional verse/chorus structure of pop or dance music. I think I got into the more abstract side of things out of boredom… when you hear Stockhausen for the first time it’s like ‘what the fuck is this? This isn’t music!’ It kind of threw the rule book out of the window when I’d been listening to mainly techno at the time… it was like stepping into a new sound reality.

and some of the times the sound guy would just pull the plug saying: “This isn’t music.” I’m sure William would describe Whitehouse as “music” but at the time a lot of people would says it's just noise. I would describe it as anti-music possibly, it seems like they flipped tradition on its head, but for me it still has a similar effect as music.

I’ve been to loads of extreme shows, even Mogwai at their loudest have more of a physical effect, you enter a different, Zen-like calm headspace sometimes, listening to incredibly loud, extremely harsh sounds. Its like brain floss.

What about the more visual aspects of your work?

I’m into very bright surreal or hyper-real images. Its like colour porn to me, the more vivid the better. Shiny reflective surfaces, organic curves… it’s all subconsciously quite sexual when I think about it. Everything always ends up looking like an abstract penis or vagina. I never intentionally set out to create things this way, it just sort of happens, these forms and shapes are quite pleasing to draw and satisfying to look at. I’ve got female friends that are artists that seem to be fascinated by breasts too. Very much like HR Giger, but less horrific. I suppose artists have been celebrating sexual parts of the human body since the birth of man, we wouldn’t be here Tom Scholefield without them!

You have a new record coming out this Thurston Moore once said: “Any music that year hopefully. How does it differ from Regional proclaims itself as having no interest in being Surrealism? Do you view it as a progression? music, is kind of the most interesting music.”

It’s a progression to the dance floor definiteWhat do you think? ly. I was getting bored of performing ambient live William Bennett (Cut Hands) was telling me shows as I’ve been DJing more and more in clubs, some really funny stories about the early days of playing rave and party sets. I wanted to create a Whitehouse gigs in the 1980s. They would have to record I could drop some tracks from at our 48k record fake demo tapes to send to venues to play parties and make people dance. I’ve been road shows, perform fake sound checks pretending to testing some of my new tracks at parties and it’s sound like the fucking Human League. Then when a thrill seeing a crowd dance to something I’ve it came to play they’d do their power noise set made. Lots of hardcore influences thanks to my

“I got into the more abstract side of things out of boredom”

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mate Rob Data, who is like a walking encyclopaedia of 90s breakbeat music; he’s up at 5am most weekends hitting the car boot sales digging for records. The amount of rare and weird tunes he’s let me hear is crucial. Another important influence was when I DJ’d back to back with DJ Traxman at a Planet Mu party in London last year.

I hadn’t really heard that much footwork in a club before, and the more acid side of his style blew my head off. The simplicity of the tracks was great. Another key factor has been listening to lots of different mix tapes… from Legowelt’s Memphis Rap tapes to all the 48k mixes we do.

What is your past relationship with the Art School and how important do you think it is for it to have finally made its return?

Well, I figured out last week I must have played my first record there just over 10 years ago on a Tuesday night after the quiz. I think it’s going to fill a certain hole in a lot of people’s lives… mine for sure. It’s a creative hub for a lot of my friends and I’m so happy for it to return.

To quote Arthur Russell, I’ve been “a little lost” without it!

What impact do you think staying in Glasgow has had on your work? You recently went to LA… It’s the people that I surround myself with that keep me going… the humour of Glasgow folk is second to none. I enjoyed LA but found the sense of humour out there to be so much different and less inspiring. I noticed I had to slow down a lot and there was little back and forth dialogue there when we’d be joking about things. I dunno if I could stay there for a long time, I’d miss the chat too much!

Zoviet-France, Konx-Om-Pax, JD Twitch, Mark Maxwell, Glasgow School of Art. 15 Feb, 11pm-3am soundcloud.com/konx-om-pax

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Clubbing Highlights Words: Ronan Martin Illustration: Yvette Earl

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lasgow up first and, after a successful opening night last month, The Art School is determined to make its presence known again after a long absence from the city’s club flyers.

An early highlight this month comes in the shape of Shackleton, a producer who can claim the rare feat of having been at both the respectable end of things during the early dubstep explosion, as well as remaining reputable in the aftermath of that scene’s peak. From his early work at the deepest, darkest core of bass music, to his more recent productions on his current label, Woe To The Septic Heart!, Shackleton has remained equal parts experimental and engaging. Last month he released Freezing Opening Thawing, an EP said to progress his rhythmic sound with a “psychedelic edge.” He is joined on the night by former Skull Disco co-owner Appleblim, while the Vic Bar is taken over by party promoters and label heads Huntleys and Palmers (7 Feb, £12-15).

On the same night, Offbeat continue their impressive form with a night showcasing the ever-exciting Tabernacle Records. The label which developed from club night Slabs of the Tabernacle has continually impressed since its inception in 2010, with strong releases from the likes of Mark Du Mosch, Fancy & Spook and Trackmaster Lou of Scan 7. Headlining the night is Liverpudlian producer and long time Tabernacle collaborator John Heckle. Having made his name with sterling releases on Mathematics Recordings, Heckle has cemented his reputation for producing house and techno of the most engaging kind with the release of his Desolate

Figures album on Tabernacle last year. He is joined by Mark Forshaw and label co-founder, Andrew Ingram (La Cheetah, first 50 people get in free, £6 thereafter).

On Saturday 8 Feb, The Drake hosts NYC pairing Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin AKA Mister Saturday Night, who’ve steadily built a name for themselves since they first started to throw parties in and around Brooklyn from 2008 onwards. Now boasting a celebrated label, graced by releases from the likes of Anthony Naples and Alex Burkat, Mister Saturday Night tend to delve into the funkier threads of deep house, soul and disco, with smatterings of techno and experimental sounds thrown in along the way. Also appearing at The Drake is Martin McKay, a Glasgow stalwart of Rubadub and Club 69 fame, and Bobby Cleaver of the formidable Numbers crew (£11 adv).

On Friday 21 Feb, Numbers themselves pop up in the Sub Club to welcome two acts making their debut for the Glaswegian promoters. First up is Midland who made his mark with releases on the likes of AUS and Phonica before starting his own label, Graded, last year. Joining Midland on the bill is one of the revelations of last year – Galcher Lustwerk. Having released just one EP, the slickly minimal yet deeply funky Tape 22 on White Material, the Brooklyn-based producer has made most impact thus far through last year’s 100% Galcher mix. Voted mix of 2013 by the users of Resident Advisor, this is definitely the one to check out if you are considering a jaunt down to the Subbie (£10).

In Edinburgh, an early tip comes in the form of Floating Points, who visits The Caves to play all night long for Notsosilent. Sam Shepherd is a bit of a jack of all trades, in more ways than one.

With an esteemed production career, seeing him release stunning records on the likes of Eglo and Planet Mu, and with his classical training put to good use with the Floating Points Ensemble, you would think he would have no room left for other ventures. Yet, he also finds the time to study for a PHD in neuroscience and, perhaps most importantly, travel the globe as one of the most respected DJs around. With an effortless knack for combining techno, house, disco and everything in between, Floating Points is the ideal choice to man the booth for an all night session.

He’s in town to play Notsosilent’s Dimensions Festival party, of which the promoters are an official partner. This one should be special (7 Feb, £10-14).

Our next recommendation for clubbers in the capital, and the last highlight we can squeeze in this month, is the Nu Fire night at Sneaky Pete’s which will host one of the most respected and influential hip-hop producers around. Just Blaze has put his name to tracks by the likes of Jay Z, Eminem and Kanye West, and more recently cemented his reputation as a skilled touring DJ, while also collaborating on the viral hit Harlem Shake, with Baauer – you may have caught a variation on YouTube, perhaps (24 Feb, £7.50 early bird). We literally can’t cram anything else in, but that lot should leave you with something to ponder, at least. Get in amongst it!

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Own Art: RSA New Contemporaries Words: Ilya Kuryakin

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ach year, the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries exhibition offers a space for emerging artists to challenge preconceptions, break boundaries, and, perhaps most importantly, to amaze and astonish a new generation of art lovers with their work.

Curating the best of the recent Art School graduates and independent movers and shakers is no easy task, and as is to be expected, not every single artist involved makes the kind of work that a collector can take home and hang on their walls – as you’ll discover if you read our feature on some of the highlights from this year’s show on p25.

Nevertheless, each year, there is always a selection of artists in the show who produce the kind of pieces collectors can’t resist – and each of them is available under the Own Art scheme.

We asked RSA Director Colin Greenslade to pick four artists who are making irresistably collectible art for this year’s New Contemporaries.

Charlotte Rosebury graduated from Edinburgh College of Art, and the University of Dundee. “Her paintings are bold and although small in stature make very loud statements,” says Greenslade. “Her signature style plays with geometry and Pop styling in cool ice-cream colours and chequerboard blacks and whites.” In

addition, “Charlottte has been chosen for inclusion in the prestigious Catlin Guide for 2014 – joining peers selected from across the UK in this national guide to new art.” A name to watch, then – and perhaps one to add to your collection.

Gabriele Jogelaite is a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, and the University of Dundee. “Her prints, drawings and installation objects make a strong stance yet balance quiet understatement and delicate intricacy,” says Greenslade. “Her ‘drawn’ lines are painstakingly stitched in thread, layering tone and suggesting structure but remaining honest to the fragility of the materials used. Hand-made papers and monochrome threads come together in elegant, seemingly effortless compositions.” She has been showered with awards, too: “Gabriele was the winner of the RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award for 2013 and will also highlight new work in the major RSA Annual Exhibition following RSA New Contemporaries,” Greenslade explains; so she gets “a double bite at showcasing on The Mound this springtime.”

Calum Sutherland is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art who makes “intriguing and instantly pleasing paintings,” according to Greenslade.

“His still lives are built in up washes of flat colour, sometimes with a hand-drawn composition, and

a series of representational objects [which] suggest depth and space. In tooth-paste pastels and subtle tones, his work is very accomplished.” As with many of the featured artists in this year’s exhibition, Greenslade says: “We expect that he will win many followers from this showcase at RSA New Contemporaries 2014. Collectors will definitely want to invest in the work and galleries will want to sign Calum up – we’re sure of it.”

Last but not least, Laura McGlinchey, a graduate of Gray’s School of Art, and The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. This one comes with a word of warning from Greenslade: “Laura McGlinchey’s paintings are not for the fainthearted,” he says. “Large, bold and aggressively three-dimensional, they will grab gallery visitors and demand to be seen.” The paintings are “built up in layers which are painted, peeled, splattered and revealed; these works strike out from the wall in thick floating slabs of excellence.”

Greenslade describes McGlinchey;s work as “attention-grabbing and thought-provoking in equal Callum Sutherland, Plane 2013 measure,” and believes that these “statement works” are “suitable additions to even the most advice: “Fortune does indeed favour the brave!” discerning of private and business collectors.”

When buying art, whether for investment purRSA New Contemporaries runs from 15 Feb-12 Mar at The poses or pure aesthetic pleasure, one could do Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh worse than to follow Greenslade’s final words of

Galleries across Scotland are members of the Own Art scheme. By offering interest-free loans of £100-£2,000 through Own Art, buying an original piece of quality contemporary art or craft couldn’t be easier. For more information about Own Art and a list of participating galleries see the Own Art website: www.ownart.org.uk

Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. You will need a UK bank account that can handle direct debits, proof of identity and address, and you will also need to be over 18. Own Art is an Arts Council England initiative operated by Creative Sector Services CIC, a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales under number 08280539. Registered address: 2-6 Cannon Street, London EC4M 6YH.

Look for the pink logo. (representative 0% APR)

249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE

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Review

CLUBS / ART

THE SKINNY

Once Upon an Apocalypse Set among the post-apocalyptic ruins of a vast empire, Rachel Maclean’s latest exploration of national identity is set to be one of the most stunning highlights of Glasgow Film Festival.

We grabbed a quick chat with her ahead of the premiere

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n the wall of Rachel Maclean’s Dennistoun studio, a still of Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres in the 1921 film The Sheik is given the same pride of place as a Vermeer. These are the visual inspirations for A Whole New World, the work Maclean has made as winner of the Margaret Tait Award for this year’s Glasgow Film Festival: a left-field take on the upcoming independence vote, fusing narratives of St George and the Dragon with Avatar and Disney’s Tarzan. There’s also a screenshot from The Lord of the Rings.

Not otherwise a fan, Maclean is nevertheless impressed by “its aesthetic amalgam of Caspar David Friedrich and Art Nouveau.”

Making reference to these fantasy blockbusters and conscious that the film will be shown in the cinema (Glasgow Film Theatre), A Whole New World will be presented in surround sound, “something that’ll be noticeable; it’s not typical in art house cinema.” Despite this technical difference, as in Maclean’s previous works, all of the audio is found, pulled from the internet. “That’s the most fun bit, when I start getting ideas, piecing it together into a structure.” Above her walls’ meticulous rows of rich visuals, and with tantalising casualness there’s a handsome handmade pink lion’s head balanced on the wardrobe in the corner.

A lot of the idiosyncratic appeal of Maclean’s energetic, off-kilter and highly colourful video work is founded on these sumptuous, handmade

costumes and props. So it’s a bit surprising when she mentions that this is the quickest part of her process. “But that’s still a month,” she adds, immediately giving a sense of the labour- and timeintensive post-production that underpins her skilfully edited, carefully produced video work.

With the work still in progress, Maclean has not made life any easier for herself by taking influence from the lush backgrounds of big budget videogames like the Prince of Persia. She tells me she is “keen on a strong source of light: dramatic, painterly chiaroscuro. Though it’s different from the pop and neon of the older work it seemed appropriate as the film’s set in a Victorian or Scottish country manor in the ruins of a vast empire. There’s a low sun rising or setting on a hot dying planet.”

Right away there’s a strange sense of dreamy introversion as every character in a post-apocalyptic setting is played by Maclean, as in all her work. With her typical slippage between high and low culture, she responds to the weighty subject of respective British and Scottish identities through a narrator inspired by Arabian Nights, where “figures are turned to stone and back to life again.” Opening the film following a rip-off of the Universal Studios intro, the narrator is a statue of a Britannia Goddess, played by Maclean miming to a male voice.

As much time as Maclean spends rendering the sophisticated finish of her work, there’s still

Thomson & Craighead, Broken Webcams, 2013, Courtesy Carroll/Fletcher, London

February 2014

Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

A Whole New World

potential for happy accidents. This latest work features a blue Avatar/Disney-inspired princess character. “The nose didn’t work, she looks like a beautiful Disney princess but with a horrible nose.” And since the whole film will be shown in HD, Maclean jokes that it might be more hideous still “if the make-up and glue’s really obvious.”

Though not quite enthusiastic about it, she’s not averse to this grotesque deformity.

Closing the interview, it’s clear that Maclean’s

imagination is already onto the next work. “Every time you do something you see the possibility for the next thing. I teach myself more.” Maclean’s impressive brazen impulse to rubbish anything comfortable and experiment without promise of success makes GFF’s screening of A Whole New World a white-hot ticket.

Margaret Tait Award: A Whole New World, GFF, Mon 24 Feb, 9.30pm, free but ticketed

Scottish Charity no. SC026631

ART

Review

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February Film Events Tommy Wiseau is to bad movies what Hitchcock is to good ones.

The ‘director’ brings his magnum opus, The Room, to Edinburgh in person. If hate-watching is not your bag, there are plenty of great films screening this month too Words: Becky Bartlett The Only Lovers left Alive

Her

Stranger by the Lake

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Director: Spike Jonze Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams Released: Out Now Certificate: 15

Director: Alain Guiraudie Starring: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou Released: 21 Feb Certificate: 18

Each of Spike Jonze’s films to date has hinged on a far-fetched premise, but, crucially, they have all possessed an insight and depth of feeling that makes them much more than a mere flight of fancy. His first original screenplay Her is set in a future society cleverly extrapolated from our own, with the hordes of people constantly engaging with their handheld device being a very familiar sight.

Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely geek who falls in love with his computer’s new operating system, an artificial intelligence called Samantha (voiced by a sultry Scarlett Johansson), and Jonze mines this odd situation for an extraordinary range of emotions, with Phoenix’s reactions to his unseen paramour speaking volumes through the smallest gestures.

Jonze ultimately allows his bold concept to drift away into a rather trite conclusion, but so much of his film is sincere, thoughtful and lovingly crafted. Her asks us to consider what constitutes a “real” relationship in a world where every interaction is filtered through technology, making it feel like a vital contemporary romance. [Philip Concannon]

When was the last time you saw an erotic thriller that worked simultaneously on both levels? Stranger by the Lake is the rare film that integrates explicit sex into an increasingly taut narrative, while also functioning as a compelling look at amour fou and a wry comedy of manners.

Alain Guiraudie’s film takes place entirely within the confines of an idyllic lakeside hideaway, where naked men sunbathe, check each other out and occasionally disappear into the bushes together. Franck (Deladonchamps) is a newcomer at the site, unwisely looking for love in this sex-charged atmosphere, and he becomes besotted with the mysterious Michel (Paou); a fixation that isn’t dampened – perhaps it’s even intensified – when he sees Michel murdering a previous lover.

Brilliantly filmed by Claire Mathon in glistening natural sunlight that gradually segues into nightmarish darkness, Stranger by the Lake is a provocative examination of homosexual desire and a first-rate work of Hitchcockian suspense. The whole film pulses with a tangible sense of danger and obsession. [Philip Concannon]

Dallas Buyers Club

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

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Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Released: 7 Feb Certificate: 15

Director: Terence Nance Starring: Terence Nance, Namik Minter Released: 7 Feb Certificate: 12A

There’s something terribly banal about Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallée’s old-fashioned redemption piece about a crooked Texan bigot finding open-mindedness and compassion only when faced with his own mortality.

However, thanks to the magnetic performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, this familiarity never quite breeds contempt.

McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a homophobic Dallas electrician diagnosed with HIV in 1985 who spent his last years sourcing and distributing AIDS treatments that were not approved by the US Government. McConaughey’s changed physicality brings tragic irony to Woodroof’s macho posturing of the first hour and sympathy for his struggles in the last. Leto, similarly transformed, offers sass and sadness in the role of Rayon, Ron’s drug-addled transgender business partner. The quality of these turns provides the only surprise, though, as every expected narrative beat is hit; one scene in a supermarket is particularly inelegant in demonstrating the protagonist’s evolving world view. Hallmark stuff, elevated by on-screen class. [Chris Fyvie]

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty is a love story, and it appropriately feels as if it has been made with the heart more than the head. This debut feature from artist Terence Nance is overstuffed with ideas and full of clashing styles and tones, but as he imaginatively explores his unrequited longing for fellow artist Namik Minter, he comes up with some piercing insights and resonant truths about the nature of love and relationships.

There’s an arresting sense of freedom and playfulness in Nance’s rejection of cinematic convention here. He moves back and forward in time through the ejection and insertion of VHS tapes, and he incorporates a breathtakingly varied and striking series of animated sequences to bring his past romances to life. This is bold, ambitious and beguiling filmmaking from a young talent who has burst forth with a distinctive vision and a clear, heartfelt voice. Sure, you can accuse An Oversimplification of Her Beauty of being ungainly, contradictory and confusing, but then, so is love.

[Philip Concannon]

Bastards

Only Lovers Left Alive

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Director: Claire Denis Starring: Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Lola Créton Released: 14 Feb Certificate: 18 Noir-infused tragedy Bastards sees director Claire Denis back in her more polarising mode as the dark queen of French cinema with a work of bewitching atmosphere that veers between both the sensual and repulsive.

Its elliptical narrative concerns a ship captain, Marco (Lindon), returning to land when a series of hardships strike his sister’s family. The abuse of his troubled niece (Créton), the collapse of the family business, and the suicide of his brother-in-law all seem linked to a sinister businessman (Subor).

Driven by mysterious motives not entirely predicated on overt vengeance, Marco begins a heated affair with the businessman’s wife (Mastroianni), while all involved find themselves caught in a hell they can’t escape, directed by impulses not fully comprehensible, even to them. Endlessly propulsive in its lean storytelling, sublimely shot by Denis’ long-time cinematographer Agnès Godard (her first time shooting on digital for Denis), and bolstered by a hauntingly ghoulish score by Tindersticks, this is a beautiful nightmare of a film that sears in the brain like few others.

[Josh Slater-Williams]

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Director: Jim Jarmusch Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston Released: 21 Feb Certificate: 15 If you have ever taken a moment to wonder what a vampire romance directed by Jim Jarmusch would look like, then Only Lovers Left Alive probably comes pretty close to the film you imagined. Detached, languid and drily amusing, this is a tale of vampires whose biggest problem is not sunlight or garlic, but an overwhelming sense of ennui. Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) have been together for centuries, but they have grown weary of the cultural decay and aimless zombies (i.e. us) that they see all around them.

There’s not a lot of plot to sustain Only Lovers Left Alive’s casual pacing – that is until a sparky Mia Wasikowska turns up as Eve’s petulant younger sister – but it’s just fun to hang out in this world and share these vamps’ fetishistic pleasure in physical media. Like most Jarmusch films, Only Lovers Left Alive occasionally threatens to be a little too cool for its own good, but at least the characters’ undead status make their namedropping more interesting than most: “Byron – what a bore.”

[Philip Concannon]

FILM

W

riter-director-producer-actor Tommy Wiseau, with co-star Greg Sestero, will be at the Cameo in Edinburgh for a special screening of The Room (14 and 15 Feb). Wiseau’s melodrama, now widely acknowledged as one of the worst films of all time, has gained a substantial cult audience – tickets will sell fast. Bring some friends (or your Valentine) and some plastic spoons, and enjoy a cinematic experience like no other.

The DCA in Dundee is showing Victim (9 Feb), a groundbreaking, award-winning 1961 thriller starring Dirk Bogarde as a secretly gay lawyer in a time when homosexuality was still illegal. Praised for its tolerant, sympathetic approach towards its subject, the film has garnered a spot in the history books for being the first English language film to feature the term’“homosexual’ and was influential in the UK’s subsequent legalisation of relationships between consenting males.

There are a number of Hollywood classics showing at the GFT this month. Frank Capra’s patriotic masterpiece Mr Smith Goes to Washington (21 Feb) stars a young James Stewart as a young senator whose plans for a good ol’ American boys’ camp are threatened by his corrupt mentor (Claude Rains) – the Oscar-winning film features powerful performances by all involved, and one of the greatest filibusters in cinema history. Also included in the programme are Ninotchka (25 Feb), and Of Mice and Men (22 and 28 Feb), both of which include roles by acclaimed horror stars – Bela Lugosi in the former, and Lon Chaney Jr in the latter.

Three films are showing as part of the Filmhouse’s Screening Irish History season, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.

Screenwriter Colin Carberry will be attending a screening of Good Vibrations (1 Feb), charting the success of Terri Hooley’s iconic record label.

Steve McQueen’s debut feature Hunger, starring Michael Fassbender as IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands, screens on 15 Feb, followed by Kings (1 Mar), featuring Colm Meaney. A special Q&A session will feature after each film; guests yet to be confirmed.

Glasgow Short Film Festival returns to the CCA this month, from 13-16 Feb. Now in its seventh year, the festival has grown to be Scotland’s leading short film festival. As well as the usual short film competitions, workshops, and parties, the programme also promises to explore ‘the slippery relationship between music and film.’ We’re particularly looking forward to the focus on Miami’s anarchic filmmaking collective The Borscht Corporation (see our interview with Borscht’s ‘Minister of the Interior’ Lucas Leyva on page 15) and a major discussion on the potential impacts of independence on the Scottish film industry.

Visit www.glasgowfilm.org/gsff for more details

THE SKINNY

Wings

John Dies at the End

The Stuart Hall Project

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Director: William A. Wellman Starring: Charles Rogers, Clara Bow, Released: Out Now Certificate: PG

Wings, one of the final big Hollywood productions of the silent era, is most famous for being the Best Picture winner at the inaugural Academy Awards, or rather the winner of what was first called ‘Best Picture, Production’ (F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise picked up ‘Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production’ the same year). A wartime melodrama of an enormous scale, whose DNA can be found in many a film that went on to win the same accolade (e.g. Gone with the Wind) and many that disastrously tried (Pearl Harbor), it contains camerawork and set pieces that still marvel today.

In its tale of two rival pilots turned best friends in World War I, who share love for the same woman back home, director Wellman captures elaborate, death-defying dogfights. It’s Clara Bow, however, as the pining ‘girl next door’ friend of one of them, who proves the perky highlight, making up for the drippy leading men and exhausting final stretches. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Director: Don Coscarelli Starring: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Released: 17 Feb Certificate: 15 Don’t worry, the title isn’t quite as spoilerific as it may first appear in writer-director Don Coscarelli’s latest film (his first since 2002’s Bubba Ho-Tep). It would be easy to offer comparisons between this and any number of other movies, from the stoner humour of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, to the psychedelic stupidity of Dude, Where’s My Car?, or the cult appeal of Slither.

Coscarelli’s vision is a sometimes overly ambitious, frequently confusing, time-travelling tale of friendship between Dave (Williamson) and John (Mayes) and their adventures after dabbling with an otherworldly drug called Soy Sauce. Most of the action is flashback, narrated by Dave to cynical reporter Arnie (Giamatti), and it’s a fast-paced, delirious tale – quick enough to hide the fact that quite possibly it doesn’t make any sense at all. Still, for the right audience, it’s a joy, and worth a watch if only for the fight between Dave and an evil moustache. [Becky Bartlett]

The Selfish Giant

Blood Glacier (aka The Station)

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Director: Clio Barnard Starring: Conner Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Released: Out Now Certificate: 15 In this Oscar Wilde-inspired addition to British cinema’s social realist canon, all of its Bradford milieu is in the gutter, but two boys are looking at the stars. The young lads are best friends: Arbor (Conner Chapman), a feisty, ADHD-suffering scrapper; and Swifty (Shaun Thomas), a gentle giant with a knack with horses. Following expulsion from school, they're drawn into a world of making money procuring scrap metal in increasingly dangerous ways for a local roughneck (Sean Gilder).

This second feature from writer-director Clio Barnard is elevated above its plot’s familiar feel by the astonishing performances she elicits from her leads, a sensitively constructed screenplay, and Mike Eley’s cinematography. The tension of the story naturally builds towards its shocking climax, punctuated only by haunting shots of Bradford’s industrial and natural landscapes. [Danny Scott]

Director: Marvin Kren Starring: Gerhard Liebmann, Brigitte Kren, Released: Out Now Certificate: 15 “The gates of hell are open. We melted them,” laments Janek (Gerhard Liebmann), a technician working against climate change in the remote German Alps. The rapidly shrinking glaciers give birth to a bloody eco-apocalypse of mutant hybrids. They replicate with ferocious fecundity, viciously attacking animals and humans, in the most violent form of Darwinism.

Blood Glacier has moments of pure bloodletting glee, notably an Angela Merkel-lookalike minister drilling a giant beetle-eagle hybrid in the eye, and scientists, more interested in their ‘historical discovery’ than preserving nature and human life, get their gory comeuppance. Blood Glacier poses difficult questions, such as, how can we reconcile love of humanity and the fight against climate change? The answer is disturbing to say the least.

[Rachel Bowles]

Director: John Akomfrah Starring: Stuart Hall Released: Out Now Certificate: 12A Ghana-born British director and rogue historian John Akomfrah revisits the themes of postcolonialism, the Jamaican diaspora and Homer’s Odyssey to tell the story of immigrant Stuart Hall, heavyweight cultural theorist and key figure of the New Left.

Shunning the conventional talking heads approach of most biographical documentaries, Akomfrah weaves a patchwork narrative from archival footage and soundbites, many from Hall’s own Open University programmes, resulting in a bricolage of home movies, family photographs, and documentary footage of social upheaval.

The music of Miles Davis, which plays in chronological order, provides a soundscape for this cinematic collage, and forges a sense of history unfolding as world events and Stuart Hall’s experiences as black immigrant/academic play out before our eyes [Rachel Bowles]

The Banshee Chapter

Director: Blair Erickson Starring: Katia Winter, Michael McMillian Released: Out Now Certificate: 18

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H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond gets a 21st century revamp in Blair Erickson’s solid first feature. When a journalist investigates the disappearance of a friend she discovers a drug that puts users in contact with malevolent entities from another dimension.

Opting for a restrained, serious tone over a jokey gorefest, Erickson works hard to maintain a creepy atmosphere. Katia Winter (TV’s Sleepy Hollow) is an engaging lead, ably supported by Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs) as a Hunter S. Thompson-style writer in over his head.

What’s really going on might not hold up past the credits, but it almost doesn’t matter when the film gets so much right. This is a polished, well-made horror with some great ideas and enough scares to keep fans happy. Once you’ve watched it, you might want to keep the lights on. [Scott McKellar]

The Skinny / Innis & Gunn Short Film Competition The Skinny and Innis & Gunn, in association with Glasgow Short Film Festival, launch a new short film competition to find the best low-budget short films made in Scotland Words: Jamie Dunn Illustration: Eva Dolgyra

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hen it comes to filmmaking, money is no longer the barrier it once was: if you have a camera phone, a laptop and some invention, you can make a short film for pennies. For evidence, head to Glasgow Short Film Festival this month and you’ll find great short films made for less than the average round at your local pub.

But it would be nice if your production budget could stretch to feeding that friend who’s given up his weekend to play zombie number 5, wouldn’t it? And your mother would certainly appreciate it if you could afford to stop raiding her bathroom cabinet for your film’s hair and makeup department supplies.

It’s with this in mind that The Skinny have teamed up with Innis & Gunn to launch a competition to find the best micro-budget short film (a short film produced for less than £1000) made in Scotland in the last year and give its filmmakers a modest budget to help take their creative vision to the next level.

From 14 Feb, the day Glasgow Short Film

February 2014

Festival kicks off, to June, we’re inviting filmmakers to submit a short film to be judged by our panel, who’ll include representatives from The Skinny, Innis & Gunn, The Glasgow Short Film Festival and DigiCult. The winning filmmaker(s) will receive a prize of £3,000 from our partners Innis & Gunn to spend on making a second short film that will receive its world premiere at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2015.

Matt Lloyd, the director of Glasgow Short Film Festival, had this to say about the competition: “GSFF is stoked to be supporting this initiative to nurture new Scottish filmmakers.

At a time of limited public funds for short filmmaking, we’re astounded that more and more great voices are emerging. Talent will out, but it needs a little help along the way, and we applaud The Skinny and Innis & Gunn for rolling up their sleeves and lending a hand.”

“This new competition is great news for independent filmmakers in Scotland and further afield,” added Paul Welsh, award-winning

producer and founder of DigiCult, and one of the competition’s judges. “It’s going to put a spotlight on talent and push more than one team forward in 2015. We need more grass root incentives like this to make great films, rather than simply watch them.”

Innis & Gunn, The Skinny's partners in this venture, are similarly thrilled to be launching this competition with the magazine: “As a Scottish brewing ‘indie’, Innis & Gunn are excited to be on board with this new competition to find some fresh new Scottish film-making talent,” said Lucy Hine, Marketing Manager at Innis & Gunn. “We’re looking forward to sitting down with the judging

FILM / BOOKS

panel to check out the results!”

If you’re a talented filmmaker, or group of filmmakers, with a short film you’d like to enter into our competition (the film should have been in production at some point between May 2013 and June 2014, and should not be available to freely screen online), go to www.theskinny.co.uk/ film/short_film_competition from 14 Feb to find out more information about how to submit your film. Winners will be announced in August, giving them five months to write, direct and edit their film for its premiere at Glasgow Short Film Festival. theskinny.co.uk/film/short_film_competition

Review

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The King’s Theatre, Glasgow

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West Side Story is often revered as the grand modern translation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, one of the masterpiece musicals of the 20th century. At first glance this is a very seductive adaptation, as it considers modern-day issues like racism, poverty, gang violence, and police corruption.

Katie Hall as Maria showcases an extraordinary voice as does Louis Maskell in his role as Tony. However, both the main stars and the rest of the cast appear to be struggling with the various accents, such that their speech becomes unintelligible at times. On the other hand, they seem to have invested most of their energy in the dancing, which is technically intricate, and extremely intense, even for a young, energetic cast.

However, as a story, the musical’s plot is not particularly well-formed. Certain moments very clearly don’t have 20th and 21st century counterparts. For example, the Jets raping Anita. While

this moves the plot forward and is potentially a realistic reflection of the time when it was written, it seems to trivialise the act of rape, since the ‘boys’ only receive a reprimand for it – and yet, it is crucial for Anita to despise them.

Nonetheless, it is never resolved, but rather brushed off to the side, which appears very counterintuitive in the context of today’s consent discourse.

As a result, while this adheres as closely as possible to the original version of West Side Story, it doesn’t seem the most relevant or appropriate version.

Ultimately, any company performing West Side Story is bound to face the same problems Shakespearean companies do. Many people who turn up already know the plot, or are aware of similar material. The work itself is more wellknown than the company, while also fixed in form and story. Thus, making it interesting and innovative and not just a show that goes through the motions is extremely challenging. [Eric Karoulla] Until 25 Jan, The King’s Theatre Glasgow

Rantin

West Side Story

Photo: Alastair Muir

Rantin’ on Tour

The National Theatre of Scotland is bringing new work Rantin to ‘intimate venues’ around Scotland this January and February. In these welcoming, and often rural surrounds, Rantin' weaves together images of Scotland, exploring the influence of the past on the present, the creation of the culture and identity of a nation.

It is safe to assume that this strong Scottish performance will in some way engage with the independence debate, with Kieran Hurley, the acclaimed theatre-maker behind it, an active part of National Collective – a group of artists and creatives in support of Scottish Independence.

Hurley has already been lauded for his previous productions, with solo show Beats recently completing a tour of the UK after much success as part of the Arches Behaviour Festival in 2012 and two years of Fringe success, and he’s just completed a year in residence with the National Theatre as a recipient of the Pearson Playwrights’

1933: Eine Nacht Im Kabarett Summerhall

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This Wild Night

This Wide Night

Tron Theatre Written by Chloë Moss, and directed by David Greig, the award-winning play This Wide Night comes to the Tron.

The play examines how the relationship between two cellmates – Marie and Lorraine – changes when they are forced to navigate the outside world together. Twelve years after Marie gets out, Lorraine turns up on her doorstep. Featuring Jayd Johnson as Marie, and Elaine C. Smith as Lorraine, This Wide Night explores the effects of institutionalisation and how it can alter the concepts of friendship, family, security,

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love and fear.

Both members of the cast are better known for their roles on television than on the stage, yet their track record is extremely promising. Jayd Johnson earned a Best Actress BAFTA (Scotland) award in 2011 for her role as Paddy Meehan in the series The Field of Blood, while the play itself won a Susan Smith Blackburn award in 2009.

This prize is awarded annually to women who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre. [Eric Karoulla] Tron Theatre, 20 Feb-15 Mar, various times,various prices tron.co.uk

Co-produced by Tightlaced Theatre and Sporadic Music, under the direction of Susanna Mulvihill, 1933: Eine Nacht Im Kabarett travels back to Berlin on the day Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany – January 30, 1933.

Anke’s is the place to be if you do not fit in with society’s norms. As the song says, the good and great of society will not be seen here. With her son Dieter (William Mitchell) joining Hitler’s ‘brownshirts’ and daughter Marieke (Hazel DuBourdieu) wanting to perform, Anke (Danielle Farrow) is struggling to keep it together when Captain Voehner (Andy Corelli) – member of the National Socialist party – walks into her cabaret.

As if this isn’t enough, Simone (Bev Wright), the compere for the evening, seems hellbent on making fun of the new Chancellor.

Over a period of two hours, this entertaining and intelligent play explores the situation that allowed Hitler to rise to power. While there is no direct reference to modern day events, the

THEATRE

Scheme bursary.

Seen already as part of the Auteurs project for the 2013 Arches Behaviour festival, Rantin' brings together music and theatre, with Hurley working alongside musicians Gav Prentice and Drew Wright, as well as theatre-maker Julia Taudevin and collaborative writer and dramaturg Liam Hurley. This interplay of music and storytelling aims to emulate and bring out the Scottish folk tradition, aided only by the locating of a character from the performance as coming from each different town the tour will be stopping at, starting at Cove Burgh Hall, Kilcreggan on 28 January and ending at the Paisley Museum on Saturday 1 March. The politics, the storytelling, and the folk-like feel are bound to weave together a fantastically enjoyable and thought-provoking evening. [Emma Ainley-Walker] Various Venus On Tour, 28 Jan-1 Mar, £12-£10/£10-£6 nationaltheatrescotland.com

parallels are clear. There is a constant mention of young people, their place in society and productivity, and how they lack – and hence require – direction. One of the songs about choosing red, white or black, reflects this need for something to cling to. It also, at the same time, seems to allude to the nature of consumerism and politics, promising that one thing will be better than the previous one.

Although a great deal of fun is had (after all, it’s not every day you hear songs with the chorus ‘Everyone wants to be a Nazi’) this is not just a cabaret night. It is a well-crafted reminder of the terrible toll racism, nationalism, xenophobia and desperation can take in difficult times – a climate currently being reconstructed in Greece. In the case of this play, American journalist William (Robert Howat) tries to be diplomatic, and reflects how being passive allows things to get worse and worse. [Eric Karoulla] Until 2 Feb, Dissection room, Summerhall summerhall.co.uk/2013/1933-eine-nacht-im-kabarett 1933kabarett.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Eoin Carey

West Side Story

Book of the Month: Docherty

Vicious

The Insufferable Gaucho

rrrrr

rrrrr

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By Metaphrog

By William McIllvanney

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The story of Ayrshire miner Docherty covers three generations, telling how Tam Docherty came to be the giant of his local community and his subsequent fall from grace as his sons grow up in his shadow, and as his aging father comes to stay, bringing with him all the ghosts of the family’s Irish immigrant past.

Set against the backdrop of the Great War, the rise of the labour movement under Keir Hardie, and the growing revolutionary political consciousness of the early 20th century, Docherty maintains a tight focus on a single family and a small community, using their experiences as a lens through which to view the tail end of the Industrial Revolution.

The characters are intimately drawn, and McIlvanney’s effortless perspectival shifts give moving context to the human drama, showing us life in the small town from the eyes of Docherty’s sons and daughter, his wife, and his friends. In particular, the street corner, which serves as courtroom, duelling spot and philosophical locus in the novel, is vividly drawn, evoking a lost era before working class communities in Scotland were blighted by the evils of social housing, slum clearances and heroin. McIllvanney’s prose is terse, muscular and dramatic, deploying metaphors and similes like half-bricks. A riveting family saga, with genuine importance as a piece of social history, at once elegiac and full of righteous fire. [Bram E. Gieben]

Winter’s Tales

By V.E. Schwab

By Roberto Bolaño

With most ‘graphic novels,’ despite the term, barely boasting the page-count of a short story or novella, it’s welcoming to immerse yourself within these two, beautifully realised ‘graphic shorts’ from the acclaimed Metaphrog duo. Selfconsciously brief, these are beautifully produced, heart-touching fairytales that linger in the mind and deserve contemplative re-reading.

Shorter of the two (at just six pages) is The Glass Case, the story of a lonely, imaginative young boy and an old doll in Edinburgh’s iconic Museum of Childhood, and it comes with a sucker punch worthy of the best horror story; the longer (albeit only by four pages) work is a straightforward transposition of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl into what could also be the present-day Scottish capital.

Both are narratives lacking affectation or undue sentiment; visually, they are lucid, uncomplicated and (it has to be said) distinctively unlikely to be accused of straying towards the blue end of the rainbow. (With good reason, of course; our sodium-illuminated city nights seldom look chilled from the safety of indoors.) If the thought of anyone selling matches seems somewhat anachronistic, it’s a suspension of disbelief worth retaining on this occasion. Bold, tender and heartfelt. [Paul F Cockburn]

Eli and Victor are straight-A students and best friends until they decide to investigate the existence of EOs (ExtraOrdinaries – people with superhuman abilities) for their final thesis. As every evil scientist in every comic book ever created already knows, the thrill of theoretical research soon wears off and they turn to practical experimentation, risking their lives in the hope of acquiring superpowers. Though they succeed, both are left wondering what they might have lost in exchange for their newfound power.

The ‘people with powers’ premise, the enticing ‘what if?’ of what would occur if regular citizens were to find themselves suddenly imbued with superpowers, is one that we seem to be drawn back to time and time again from the original spandex-clad comics to the more modern movie and television iterations. Vicious wears its comic book genealogy on its sleeve, drawing its characters large and loud, and making use of actual science when and where it sees fit, jettisoning it the moment it threatens to get in the way of its neatly plotted narrative. V.E. Schwab brings a sharp turn of phrase and pitch-perfect pacing to her take on a well worn story, drawing the reader along just briskly enough to keep their disbelief from crashing to the ground until they’ve turned the final page. [Ross McIndoe]

SOLD OUT, published by Metaphrog, RRP £3.50

Out now, published by Titan Books, RRP £7.99

metaphrog.com

Though one of the most esteemed Latin American writers of his generation, Roberto Bolaño’s reputation in the English-speaking world is sustained by translations that appeared mostly after his death in 2003. The Insufferable Gaucho was among the last works he prepared for publication in Spanish, and received its first English translation only recently.

It wasn’t quite worth the wait. A collection of five stories and two essays, it’s enjoyable enough, but it highlights Bolaño’s relative weakness with short forms. He’s more suited to the sprawling novel: when it comes to concision, he can’t approach his master, Borges, who needed only a few pages to birth worlds.

Admittedly, the collection’s most overtly Borgesian stories, Álvaro Rousselot’s Journey, in which a writer searches for an enigmatic director who’s been filming his books without acknowledgment, and the title story, in which a lawyer attempts to live like a gaucho, are also its strongest, achieving a fullness that belies their brevity.

The essays, though, are pretty weak: unlike Borges, Bolaño isn’t much of a thinker. The Myths of Cthulhu is an invective against vulgarity in Latin American literature that is itself a model of vulgarity; and Literature + Illness = Illness, written during Bolaño’s final stages of liver failure, ought to be affecting but is instead cheap and flashy and cold. [Kristian Doyle] Out now, published by Picador, RRP £14.99

Out now, published by Canongate. RRP £8.99

Skinny ad 126Wx155mm.qxp_Layout 1 29/01/2014 11:39 Page 1

Janice Parker Projects

in association with

Tramway

Choreographed and Directed by Janice Parker Designed and co-directed by Richard Layzell Music composed by Michael John McCarthy Lighting designed by Pete Ayres

GLORY

A LARGE-SCALE DANCE EVENT THAT CELEBRATES THE CITY’S RICH COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY & GLASGOW 2014

St Andrews 5-9 March

Carol Ann Duffy Paul Muldoon Louis de Bernières John Burnside Tishani Doshi David Lee Morgan Ron Silliman Ross Sutherland TJ Dema

Wed 5 - Mon 10 March ••• 7:30pm Sat 8 March ••• 2:30pm Tickets £12/£8/£6 ••• 0845 330 3501 www.tramway.org

poetry spoken word drama film music contemporary circus installations

www.stanzapoetry.org

www.janiceparker.co.uk February 2014

BOOKS

Preview

55

Enterteasement We take a trip to a slightly unusual burlesque night Words: Jennifer McKiernan Illustration: Louise Lockhart

R

ude, crude, but not-very-nude, Enterteasement ditches the usual burlesque for a line-up of half a dozen comics instead.

Glasgow’s The Admiral hosts a monthly night of comedy, magic and cheeky dancers, though tonight it’s just the comics bringing a healthy blush to the cheeks of the sold-out January show.

Headliner Gary Little’s handy survival guide to dog-walkers will see you safely through the local park. Translating extraterrestrial junkiespeak, giving tips on avoiding dog-embarrassment and generally out-weirding the weirdos, his material is original without being alienating.

Some unreconstructed material on girlfriends letting themselves go splits the crowd but he pulls it back with a cringe-inducing quip on funeral sex. At his best with awkward observations, he finishes with hilarious anecdotes about flatmates, boundaries and nudist tendencies.

Patrick Rolink looks a bit like Little before he started researching smack, and puts his weight to good use in his act. He moves from fine wine through wheelies and executions, threading jokes together with a string of expletives. Wives and the English come in for stick, but his best material is on a recent trip to America and who has the best scams going.

Sitting in the front row when seven-foot drag act Nancy Clench takes to the stage is not for the faint-hearted. Savage quick-wit allows her

56

Review

COMEDY

to expertly grill the audience and sift through responses for the most excruciating topics to build on. Victims identified, Clench drags the unsuspecting punters into a world of promiscuous gay sex where dignity – and sometimes limbs – are lost.

Ryan Dooley is no less dirty, cracking a joke about losing his cool in bed. He mines material on relationship problems and while he veers towards the self-deprecating, still makes a sharp study of his partners’ failings. Much like Mogwai, Dooley swings between extremes of quiet and loud with perfect timing and attitude.

Kavita Bhardwaj riffs on girls out in Glasgow, reeling off local bars and groups while getting an enthusiastic response from those in the know.

She fizzes with nervous energy that occasionally overshadows her jokes, but her intensity is winning.

It would be a mistake not to mention compere Billy Kirkwood, who is every bit a star in his own right, not just filler. Introducing himself in the style of a jealous ex-girlfriend, complete with imaginary fag, is a brilliant idea. His combination of banter and bizarreness leaves the 120-strong crowd roaring. All in all a great night, and one to catch if you’re looking for something a bit different.

The Admiral, 8 Feb, £sold out, 8 Mar, £14 (10) www.enterteasement.com

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Music Tue 04 Feb LATECOMERS

AVANT GARDE, 20:00–22:30, FREE

More acoustic pop loveliness from the Glasgow-based outfit.

TERA MELOS (THE UNPEOPLE + BELLOW BELOW)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

Californian math rock tweaked to freakout, yet melodic at its songwriting core.

MIKILL PANE (BIGG TAJ + SPEE SIX NINE)

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £9

The Hackney-born rapper – aka Justin Smith Uzomba to his mam – brings his mix of satire, comedy and pop rhyme to the UK.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE + TRIVIUM (MISS MAY I + BATTLECROSS) O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £20

Metal overlords and Roadrunner labelmates Killswitch Engage and Trivium embark on a string of co-headline UK shows.

Wed 05 Feb ANNA CALVI

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £14

Ballsy singer/songwriter and guitarist whose debut LP received a Mercury Prize-nomination.

PROTEST THE HERO (TESSERACT + THE SAFETY FIRE + INTERVALS)

CLASSIC GRAND, 18:30–22:00, £12

The Ontario progressive metal quintet do their headcaving-cumdanceable thing.

LESS THAN JAKE + REEL BIG FISH (ZEBRAHEAD) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Florida’s ska-pop pioneers Less Than Jake take to the road for their co-headline UK tour with Southern Californian favourites, Reel Big Fish.

Thu 06 Feb

THE WINTER TRADITION (CICERO’S SECRET)

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £7

More noisy powerpop-meets-rock from the loveable Scottish quartet.

PSYDOLL (METALTECH + DAMNABLE CONTRAPTION)

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £8

Tokyo cyberpunksters who incorporate industrial and electropop with cyberpunk imagery, musical and lyrical content.

Fri 07 Feb POLICA

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £13

Super slick electronic pop-meetssoul outfit fronted by icy cool vocalist Channy Leanagh.

THE 1975

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

Manchester alternative indie rock lot, touring with their debut selftitled studio album.

WILL AND THE PEOPLE

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £7

Multi-genre chilled pop ensemble who write and play as a unit.

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: 40TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14

40th anniversary event taking in works by Chopin and Beethoven, plus a specially-comissionsed new work by Martin Suckling to open the show.

SPEAKEASY (JAMIE AND THE BUZZ) (JAMIE AND THE BUZZ) KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6

Fledgling alternative rock quartet hailing from Ayrshire.

PAWS (RUNGS)

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £8

The Glasgow noisemakers of the tropical thrash variety play a hometown set in the intimate surrounds of Mono.

KEVIN DEVINE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £9

Brooklyn songwriter best known for his melodic tunesmithery built on alternately introspective, political lyrics.

Sat 08 Feb

FANFARLO (LILIES ON MARS)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £8

Winsome chamber pop with Swedish musician Simon Balthazar at the helm, set off with strings, glockenspiels, clustered pianos and churning basslines.

February 2014

THE HAZY SHADES (BIG DIRTY RIDE + THE PATRIOTS + THE ROCK-FORD FILES + MICHAEL MCGURN) PIVO PIVO, 19:30–22:00, £5 (£4)

Glasgow-based rock’n’rollers building their sound on drumming, strumming and Alasdair and Scott Beattie’s vocal talents.

RSNO: OUNDJIAN CONDUCTS WALTON

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

RSNO music director Peter Oundjian leads a special concert taking in William Walton’s volcanic First Symphony, amongst other works.

PUP + SLAVES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Double headline set, with Canadian punk rock quartet Pup appearing alongside Kent’s Slaves; tour buds to the likes of Drenge and Andrew WK. MODERAT

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £19.50

A DAY TO REMEMBER (MALLORY KNOX + EVERY TIME I DIE) O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

American rock outfit residing in sunny Florida, formed back in 2003

by Tom Denney and Bobby Scruggs.

Tue 11 Feb

LITE (THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND)

STEREO, 20:00–22:00, £7

Math rockin’ Tokyo instrumental foursome big on the emotionallycharged cinematic compositions.

THE TREATMENT (CAGE THE GODS + STATES OF PANIC)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9.50

Classic rock sounds from the Cambridge quintet of 18-year-olds.

LONDON GRAMMAR (BONDAX)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

The indie-pop Mercury Prize favourites take their debut album on tour.

SHY NATURE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

The Berlin electronic audio-visual collaborators treat fans to one of their now renowned live outings, playing a duo of sets over the evening (7pm and 11pm).

Alternative rock quartet hailing from North London, navigating jangly 60s sounds and garage group influences.

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:30–22:00, £7

Indianapolis folk-pop sister duo built on sweet, radio-friendly melodies, and currently residing on the Asthmatic Kitty roster.

ROOT SYSTEM (GIROBABIES)

The Fife lot bring their high octane hybrid of ska and punk Glasgowway, launching their new LP on the night.

POP!SOUTH ALL-DAYER AND A HALF (THE JUST JOANS + MARTHA + TEENCANTEEN + THE SPOOK SCHOOL + THE SWEET NOTHINGS) THE GLAD CAFE, 15:30–23:00, £12 FESTIVAL PASS (OR £10 SAT/£5 SUN)

Indie promoters Pop!South host a February-brightening mini-fest, with Saturday’s ‘all-dayer’ part featuring The Just Joans, TeenCanteen and The Spook School, before a half-day acoustic chilldown on Sunday with Adam Ross, A New International and more.

THE APPARELLS + MOON RUNNERS

STEREO, 20:00–22:00, £3

Twin City Records showcase, featuring a double dose of acts: The Apparells and Moon Runners.

Sun 09 Feb

THE GRAND GESTURES (MAN WITHOUT MACHINES)

CCA, 20:00–22:00, £7

Jan Burnett’s collaborative project with the likes of Sanjeev Kohli, Emma Pollock, Jill O’Sullivan, RM Hubbert and Calamity Horse, based around loops, vintage synths and vocals – making their only live appearance previewing new LP, Second.

FOALS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The Oxford rock ensemble tour their new LP, Holy Fire, the rather fine three-years-in-the-making follow-up to Total Life Forever.

LILY AND MADELEINE (BEERJACKET)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

DEAD PREZ

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

The politically-charged hip-hop duo, formed in New York City in 1996, bring their confrontational stance to the fore as they embark on a Europe-wide tour.

Wed 12 Feb

NEWTON FAULKNER (SAM BROOKES)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £19.50

London-based singer/songwriter known for his guitar playing which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar’s body.

CATE LE BON (SEA LION)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £10

Welsh singer/songwriter with a rich vocal style, genteel warmth and a fine-line in lightly-weird alternative folk.

HEATHER PEACE

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £21.50

The Lip Service actress does that other thing wot she does: setting soaring vocals to jazz-soaked piano and pop guitar riffs, touring on the back of her second album.

Thu 13 Feb THE BOXER REBELLION

SWG3, 19:00–22:00, £14

The London-based DIY rock lot take their arena-sized tunes on the road, playing tracks offa their latest album and generally bringing venues to a standstill.

CIRCA WAVES (ALGERNON DOLL)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

POP!SOUTH ALL-DAYER AND A HALF (ADAM ROSS + A NEW INTERNATIONAL + MJ HIBBETT + DAVID LEACH + THE STRANGER’S ALMANAC)

Liverpool garage-pop quartet taking their cue from the early-00s indie scene.

THE GLAD CAFE, 16:30–22:00, £12 FESTIVAL PASS (OR £10 SAT/£5 SUN)

Chicago based singer/songwriter, formerly of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, now hitting the road solo.

Indie promoters Pop!South host a February-brightening mini-fest, with Saturday’s ‘all-dayer’ part featuring The Just Joans, TeenCanteen and The Spook School, before a half-day acoustic chilldown on Sunday with Adam Ross, A New International and more.

TAV FALCO’S PANTHER BURNS (THE PRIMEVALS + THE REVERSE COWGIRLS) BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £10

Tennessee-hailing rockers – oft shortened to Panther Burns – led by hirsute frontman Tav Falco.

Mon 10 Feb PHOENIX

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

The Versailles-based rockers take to a live setting, with 2013’s Bankrupt LP marking a heavier dependence on retro synthesizers and tinny, artificial-sounding drums (aka never a bad thing).

THE DEFILED (BUTCHER BABIES + THE KILLER LIGHTS)

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £9

London-hailing industrial metal quintet touring the hell outta their latest LP, Daggers.

EZRA FURMAN (THE DOTS)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

Fri 14 Feb THE BEAT

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £19

Popular Birmingham ska and 2-tone revival band, founded way back in 1978.

PLANNINGTOROCK

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

Alter ego of multi-instrumentalist, artist and videographer Janine Rostron; a dazzling audio-visual presentation that borrows from classical music, glam rock, cosmic imagery, disco and hip-hop.

RIZZLE KICKS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Teenage talents Harley AlexanderSule and Jordan Stephens do their thing, mixing pop with some old-school hippity-hop. In baseball caps. Obviously.

LOUISE RUTKOWSKI

GLASGOW PRINT STUDIO, 19:00–22:00, £15

The former This Mortal Coil vocalist performs tracks from her forthcoming new album, Diary of a Lost Girl.

CHERYL RISK (SI SI RAE + AARON FYFE)

CALEB MAJOR (JACK ABBOTT + LEWIS GORDON)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £3

Young Coatbridge singer/songwriter of the jazz-meets-blues persuasion.

KID CANAVERAL’S LUMBER PARTY (MALCOLM MIDDLETON + RANDOLPH’S LEAP)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £10

Indie-pop lot Kid Canaveral host their own fun take on Valentine’s Day – celebrating the release of their new single, Who Would Want to be Loved?, on hot pink heartshaped vinyl, joined by musical chums Malcolm Middleton and Randolph’s Leap.

Sat 15 Feb

TIJUANA BIBLES (THE HENCHMEN)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6

Glasgow rock’n’rollers built on a diet of gritty guitars, driving bass lines, baritone vocals and rocksteady drums.

ZOVIET FRANCE (KONX-OM-PAX + JD TWITCH + MARK MAXWELL)

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

The collective of anonymous post-industrialists, dronologists and pseudo-ethnomusicologists bring their dub trickery to the Weege – built on old-fashioned tape recorders, homemade instruments, primitive looping and sampling devices.

RSNO: ROMANTIC VALENTINE’S CLASSICS

Having unleashed his Caleb Major alter ego onto the Scottish music scene in late 2012, Glasgow-based singer/songwriter Stephen Durkan launches his new EP under said moniker, accompanied live by Emma Durkan.

MATT PRYOR

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £9.50

The singer/songwriter of The Get Up Kids and The New Amsterdams plays a selection of melancholy folk tunes.

OF MONTREAL (CALVIN LOVE)

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 19:00–22:00, £14

The unpredictable and ofttheatrical Kevin Barnes and his Of Montreal crew return to Glasgow to promote their latest album, Lousy with Sylvianbriar.

CHEATAHS

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £6

London-based grunge rock-revival four-piece touring their debut self-titled LP.

Wed 19 Feb

LOSCIL (MATTHEW COLLINGS)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £8 EARLYBIRD (£10 THEREAFTER)

Vancouver-based electronic chap weaving his magic on a series of cinematic-sounding pieces rich with his trademark beautiful textures.

CALUM INGRAM

CCA, 19:00–22:00, £10

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

Special acoustic set from the Paisley-born classically-trained cellist and songwriter, imbued with Celtic, folk, jazz and blues influences.

SPEEDY ORTIZ (JOANNA GRUSOME + PINACT)

Thu 20 Feb

Just in case you forgot it was Valentine’s weekend, RSNO host a special night of romantic operatic greats.

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

BOY & BEAR

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

US-of-A-hailing indie rock quartet, built up on the lo-fi output of singer Sadie Dupois.

Sydney-based indie quintet deftly mixing driving indie-folk sounds with dainty choral harmonies.

Sun 16 Feb

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

RUARRI JOSEPH

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £6

Edinburgh-born, New Zealandraised acoustic folk singer/ songwriter.

AESTHETIC PERFECTION + FADERHEAD (TERROLOKAUST)

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £14

All-industrial noisefest, taking in a double headline slot from Daniel Graves’ electronic project, Aesthetic Perfection, and the electronic assault of Faderhead.

HATCHAM SOCIAL

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £10

Indie pop lot hailing from London, named after the old English word, Hatcham, meaning a ‘clearing in the woods’, don’tchaknow.

LAUREN AQUILINA

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £8

Melancholic piano-pop from the 17-year-old Bristol dwelling songstress.

KERRANG! TOUR 2014 (LIMP BIZKIT + CROSSFAITH + NEKROGOBLIKON) O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £20

A three-strong bill of headliners come together to headline Kerrang!’s 2014 tour, showcasing loud punk-rock sorts from near and far.

Mon 17 Feb ORLA GARTLAND

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

18-year-old singer/songwriter from Dublin, crafting delicately quirky pop songs.

SILENT FRONT (THIN PRIVILEGE + THE CHERRY WAVE)

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 19:00–23:00, £3

The London trio bring the all-out noise (seriously, it’s eardrumbursting), launching their new LP – Function – on the night.

Tue 18 Feb TICH

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

The young popstress hits the road solo, having previously supported the likes of Olly Murs, Little Mix and JLS. THE PREATURES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8.50

Sydney-hailing rock’n’roll quintet combining classic songwriting with raw, infectious delivery.

ROOM 94

North London band of brothers – made up of Kieran, Dean and Sean Lemon, joined by Kit Tanton on bass – doing their pop-meetsrock thing.

BEYONCE

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £55

The ambitious pop diva adds some extra dates to her Mrs. Carter world tour.

FOOTBALL, ETC. (CUTTY’S GYM + PAPERMOONS + BONEHOUSE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6

The Houston-based emofied indie trio play tracks offa their new LP, Audible.

Fri 21 Feb THE TWANG

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

Indie-rockers taking their inspiration from Madchester and Britpop times, showcasing material from their fourth LP. PAPER AEROPLANES

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10

Acoustic alternative folkies from Wales, led by vocalist and songwriter Sarah Howells.

FAT WHITE FAMILY

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £6.50

Psych blues bunch from London, known for their unpredictable live shows.

SEASIDE SONS (KLEPTOCRATS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6.50

Ayr-based indie rock’n’rollers mixing social poetry with funked-up bass lines, guitar riffs and noisy drums.

DASH BERLIN

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £25

The Dutch trance DJ/producer plays his biggest solo show to date, complete with some very special guests being kept under wraps for now.

PARTIR TO LIVE (SCORED BY JOSEF VAN WISSEM)

CCA, 20:30–22:00, £8.50 (£6.50)

Domingo García-Huidobro’s experimental directorial debut gets a special screening, accompanied by a live score from Dutch minimalist composer Jozef van Wissem. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

METALHEAD

GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, 15:30–17:30, £8.50 (£6.50)

UK premiere of Ragnar Bragason’s ode to the healing powers of heavy metal music. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Sat 22 Feb

THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £28.50

Pink Floyd tribute act.

THE ORWELLS

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

Raunchy flower punk from the Illinois-residing five-piece outfit, touring with their latest EP, Other Voices, bringing the fresh-faced rock’n’roll energy by the bucket load.

GEORGE EZRA

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Young Bristol singer/songwriter known for his bluesy, acoustic balladry.

THE FURROW COLLECTIVE (ALASDAIR ROBERTS + RACHEL NEWTON + LUCY FARRELL + EMILY PORTMAN) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £12

Delving into the world of balladry at its darkest and most quirky, The Furrow Collective present the talents of four folk musicians from both sides of the English/Scottish border: Alasdair Roberts, Rachel Newton, Lucy Farrell and Emily Portman.

MIDLAKE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £18

The Texas-residing folk rockers return with a re-jigged line-up and a newly-honed sound as rich and symphonic as it is dynamic and kaleidoscopic.

DRY THE RIVER + MODEL AEROPLANES + HEUVO AND THE GIANT

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Glasgow leg of the Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING tour, headed up by London-based quintet of the ‘stealth rock’ variety (so say they), Dry The River.

SPEEDY

POLLOKSHAWS BURGH HALLS, 15:00–18:00, £8.50 (£6.50)

Harold Lloyd’s Oscar-nominated silent film gets a special screening, with musical accompanied by Pollokshaws Burgh Hall’s majestic Wurlitzer pipe organ. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Sun 23 Feb

ELA ORLEANS (ERIC BOROS + HOWIE REEVE)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £7

The Clan Destine Records star and cult chanteuse plays a set of her loop-based, lo-fi soundscapes and Gainsborough-esque songs.

J RODDY WATSON AND THE BUSINESS

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £8

Rock four-piece hailing from Tennessee, steeped in gospel and country influences.

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10.50

Aussie pop-meets-rock boyband formed in Sydney back in 2011.

THE HEART OF BRUNO WIZARD

GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, 21:00–23:00, £8.50 (£6.50)

New documentary on the all-butforgotten legend of the 70/80s London underground punk scene, Bruno Wizard, who’s performing at The Old Hairdressers the night prior. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Mon 24 Feb RUDIMENTAL

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £18

The Hackney-based quartet hit the road armed with their newest LP, blending drum and bass with souldrenched lyrics along the way.

TEMPLES

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £11

Neo psych bunch hailing from the midlands/the early 80s, built on frontman James Bagshaw’s impressively polished vocals.

ABOUT GROUP

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £10

Hot Chip co-frontman Alexis Taylor links up with Spritualized/ Spring Heel Jack member John Coxon, This Heat drummer Charles Hayward, and former Derek Bailey sideman Pat Thomas for an all-new electronic project.

Tue 25 Feb BLACK STONE CHERRY

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Kentucky rockers riding along on their anthemic tunes and longflowing locks.

JOHN MURRY BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £10

The Bay Area (by way of Mississippi) songwriter and noisemaker plays a set of his sparse and emotive rock’n’roll.

RECONNECTED

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

British vocal group formed from the boy band, Connected – finalists in the fourth series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2010.

ROCK SOUND IMPERICON EXPOSURE TOUR 2014

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £12

Annual rock tour, this time headlined by American melodic metalcore upstarts We Came as Romans.

THEE SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Classic Canadian post-rockers boasting members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, touring their catchily-titled new LP, Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything.

CHRIS MILLS AND THE DISTANT STARS (CITIZEN BRAVO)

PIVO PIVO, 20:00–22:00, £7

Alternative country stalwart Chris Mills and his live players tour their new LP, Alexandria, with support from Zoey Van Goey’s Matt Brennan in his brand new Citizen Bravo alias.

MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS (ROZI PLAIN)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10 (£8)

Scottish premiere of The National’s tour documentary, Mistaken for Strangers – frontman Matt Berninger’s younger brother’s chronicle of the band’s largest tour to date. Includes a live performance from Rozi Plain. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

20 FEET FROM STARDOM

GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, 18:00–20:00, £8.50 (£6.50)

Documentary salute to the unsung heroines of the music industry – the back-up singers. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Wed 26 Feb THE JEZABELS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £10

Fri 28 Feb

THE STRANGLERS (NINE BELOW ZERO)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £23

The long-standing punk-rockers take to the road once more, marking their 40th anniversary with dates up and down the country.

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £6

Indie rock’n’roll quintet full of guitars and songs about love an’ that.

COKE BUST (DTP + GUNFINGER + BLACK COP + BOAK)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00, £6

No frills, straight-edge hardcore bulldozer of a band hailing from Washington DC. MARK MORRISS

THE ADMIRAL, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

The Bluetones frontman takes to the road lonesome, now firmly a solo entity following the band’s split (and farewell tour) at the end of 2011.

ASHLEY COLLINS

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Scottish New Music Award nominee does her uplifting pop thing.

BLACKBERRY SMOKE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12

Georgia-based rockers who have been together for more than a decade.

REQUIEM FOR DETROIT

THE ARCHES, 19:30–22:00, £20

Julien Temple’s documentary portrait of how hope is creeping back into the city of Detroit, complimented by a DJ set from legendary Detroit techno producer, Carl Craig. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

THE PUNK SINGER

GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, 21:00–23:00, £8.50 (£6.50)

Director Sini Anderson’s documentary of feminist activist and founder of key riot grrrl acts such as Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Kathleen Hanna. Introduced by Lauren Mayberry. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Sat 01 Mar

Attitude-heavy five-piece with their balls-to-the-wall brand of rock’n’roll.

BREW DOG: AIDAN MOFFAT + MIAOUX MIAOUX + PRIDES + THE NEW PICCADILLYS + THE SHIVERIN’ SHEIKS + DETOUR DJS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

Brew Dog (aye, the beer folks) present a curated day of music, featuring sets from Skinny faves Aidan Moffat and Miaoux Miaoux, amongst others. Plus, there’ll be guest breweries offering beer tastings throughout, if yer swayed by that sorta beery thing.

JAKE MORLEY (KAT HEALY)

More acoustic loveliness from the London singer/songwriter.

DANNY BROWN

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £16

The gap-toothed Detroit rapper makes his return visit to The Arches to spread his usual craziness, accompanied by a series of short videos by director Rollo Jackson. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

FOXES

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

One-woman band riding along on Louisa Rose Allen’s resplendent synths, industrial percussion and by-turns-searing-and-soaring vocals.

THE GAME

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £28.50

The American rapper – aka Jayceon Terrell Taylor, Dr Dre protégé and multi-platinum selling artist – takes to the UK. Rescheduled date.

Thu 27 Feb

TOY (PROPER ORNAMENTS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

SWG3, 13:00–02:00, £15

ADMIRAL FALLOW: WE ARE TEN

CITY HALLS, 19:00–22:00, £15 (£12)

Orchestral indie lot Admiral Fallow mark their ten-year anniversary with a special cross-genre event taking in tracks from their back catalogue, enhanced by collaborations with emerging UK filmmakers. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSES

CINEWORLD GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £8.50 (£6.50)

UK premiere of David Trueba’s new film – which uses John Lennon’s 1966 visit to Spain, when he shot a film in Almeria, considered leaving The Beatles, and started composing the song – as a backdrop. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

Korg Delta led five-piece fueled on a chugging motorik rhythm.

KELLEY STOLTZ

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £6

San Francisco-residing singer/ songwriter and in-demand knobtwiddler for the likes of The Mantles and Tim Cohen.

GOBLIN

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £20

Legendary Italian progressive outfit, chiefly known for their luridly engrossing soundtracks to Dario Argento classics, backed by e’er gory live visuals. Part of Glasgow Music and Film Festival.

ERIC CHURCH

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £20

American country singer/songwriter (aka Kenneth Eric Church) returning to the UK to air his fourth LP.

Listings

57

Edinburgh Music Tue 04 Feb

SONGWRITER’S CELLAR

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:30, FREE

Songwriter’s special featuring a variety of touring and local acts, followed by a psychedelic-styled live band party (10pm-1am).

Wed 05 Feb PSYDOLL (METALTECH)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £7

Tokyo cyberpunksters who incorporate industrial and electropop with cyberpunk imagery, musical and lyrical content.

Thu 06 Feb

SKETCH (ENDEMIC + MOUTH COMFORT)

SPORTSTERS BAR, 20:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

All-new comedy sketch show, for which groups from all over Scotland will perform their latest material.

JULIAN AND JIAXIN LLOYD WEBBER: A TALE OF TWO CELLOS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £25

The two cello greats present a concert featuring world premiere performances of duets for two cellos with piano.

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: 40TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

40th anniversary event taking in works by Chopin and Beethoven, plus a specially-comissionsed new work by Martin Suckling to open the show.

Fri 07 Feb LITTLE COMETS

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £7

Kitchen sink-styled indie-rock quartet led by the somewhat dynamic Robert Coles.

CONTROL (PANIC ATTAK + LAST STAND)

BANNERMANS, 22:00–23:00, £8

The self-proclaimed hooligan rock’n’rollers play a trademark set, chock with their usual attitude.

MIASMA (CANCEL THE ASTRONAUTS)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Edinburgh-based alternative poprockers made up of various local musos and songwriters.

LYNDSEY CRAIG

COUNTING HOUSE, 20:00–22:00, £6

Following a lengthy stint in the studio, Lyndsey Craig takes to Edinburgh’s Counting House to debut her new EP, Blue Jays.

ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND + SCOTTISH OPERA

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £13.50

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Opera Department continues its annual collaboration with Scottish Opera, this year inspired by the works of Sir Walter Scott.

RSNO: OUNDJIAN CONDUCTS WALTON

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

RSNO music director Peter Oundjian leads a special concert taking in William Walton’s volcanic First Symphony, amongst other works.

LADYKILLER CATERPILLAR (JEN AND THE GENTS + GARETH FITZGERALD)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–23:00, £5

Edinburgh-based rockers who formed in late 2013, taking to a hometown setting to launch their new EP. 7TH HARMONIC: 1ST BIRTHDAY (RADIO PACHUCO + ONEWAYCHEMISTRY + BLACKJACK + UNIVERSAL THEE + THE RICH + BLACK RIOT VALVES + DAVID ELL)

VOICE FOR CLUTHA (FORBES ACOUSTIC + DAVE MCNEIL + THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD + THE MONA LISA’S + BROKEN BOY + THE WINGNUTS) ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–03:00, £5

Clutha Vaults fundraiser, featuring acoustic acts Forbes Acoustic and Dave McNeil, with some additional rowdy bands to get the party going.

NEW SCOTLAND, NEW CULTURE?

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £5

Conceptual performance and discussion event organised jointly by Greenlight and the Post collective, asking musicians, artists, poets and politicians what Scotland’s future means to them. Features live sets from BEAM and Andrew Eaton-Lewis.

Sat 08 Feb

ECHO ARCADIA (STEVE HERON + WOZNIAK)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Edinburgh-based indie-pop ensemble mixing it up with gritty rock backbeats, grumbling guitars and catchy pop melodies.

WILL AND THE PEOPLE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £7

Multi-genre chilled pop ensemble who write and play as a unit.

FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS

CORN EXCHANGE, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

The former Million Dead singer turned folk troubadour does his thing – full of his usual rockabilly charm – backed by his live band, the Sleeping Souls.

IRVING BERLIN: FROM RAGS TO RICHES

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £24.50

ANDY WHITE (KAT HEALY)

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

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Indianapolis folk-pop sister duo built on sweet, radio-friendly melodies, and currently residing on the Asthmatic Kitty roster.

Tue 11 Feb HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £14 (£10/£5 STUDENTS)

The contemporary chamber orchestra display their diverse craftmanship, this time marking the centenary of the outbreak of WW1 with a programme commemorating that era.

NEWTON FAULKNER

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, £21.50

London-based singer/songwriter known for his guitar playing which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar’s body.

GEORGE EZRA

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8

Young Bristol singer/songwriter known for his bluesy, acoustic balladry.

SONGWRITER’S CELLAR (NICOLE STRACHAN + CALUM WHITE)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:30, FREE

Songwriter’s special featuring a variety of touring and local acts, followed by a psychedelic-styled live band party (10pm-1am).

Wed 12 Feb TOM ODELL

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Listings

CARNEVALE (THE BADWILLS + SECRETO TROPICAL)

SUMMERHALL, 21:00–01:00, £8 (£6)

Live music masquerade (i.e. wear a mask) featuring a duo of bands with 15 musicians in total, performing music from Italy and South America.

Fife-based indie five-piece ranging from fast-paced numbers to more melodic and chilled soundscapes.

Indie-driven Edinburgh rock band formed in the long, dark winter of 2012.

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Chicago based singer/songwriter, formerly of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, now hitting the road solo.

DRILLER

The local rockers launch their new LP in Bannermans’ murky lair.

ELECTRIC SOCK (CAT NAMED JACK)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Raggle-taggle locals mixing it up across genres of soul, funk and a bit of ska.

LIMBO (THE TIDE INSIDE + BIRDHEAD + HIVA OA) THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

Beloved gig-in-a-club night, this time taking a slightly darker bent – inviting a trio of Edinburgh’s more brooding bands to the stage – before discoing down into the wee drunken hours with the Black Spring DJs. BRUNCHEON!: THE SONGS OF DAVID BOWIE

OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL, 11:30–15:00, FREE

Some of Edinburgh’s best loved musicians interpret the songs of David Bowie, accompanied by a Bowie-inspired menu in’t cafe.

Sun 09 Feb

LITTLE LOVE AND THE FRIENDLY VIBES

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–23:30, £5 (£4)

Catchy melodies and quirky hooks from the self-dubbed ‘fun pop’ Edinburgh quartet.

THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 20:00–23:00, £4

THE RED PAINTINGS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Orchestral art rockers formed in Victoria, but relocated to sunny LA.

Mon 10 Feb ANGELA HEWITT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:45–22:00, FROM £12 (£11)

The pre-eminent Bach pianist brings together a programme of some favourite Bach transcriptions.

EZRA FURMAN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Thu 13 Feb

CLASSICAL CONCERT CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

California-based virtuoso ensemble consisting of 28 worldclass musicians.

PLUM DUFF (JONNY RAPESEED)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, FREE

Recently reformed band of rock leviathans, playing a selection of new and old songs.

WAHWAH

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 20:00–23:00, £3

Guitarist Taj Wyzgowski showcases his new bluesy rock project – joined by Nico Bruce on bass and Cat Myres on drums – playing songs from his forthcoming EP.

Fri 14 Feb LUX LIVES

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–03:00, £6

Annual tribute to Lux Interior (aka Ericj Lee Purkhiser), the singer and founding member of garage-punk specialists The Cramps.

RSNO: ROMANTIC VALENTINE’S CLASSICS

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

Just in case you forgot it was Valentine’s weekend, RSNO host a special night of romantic operatic greats.

LIBERTY LIES

BANNERMANS, 22:00–23:00, £5

The alternative rock lot tour their latest LP, Reflections.

Sat 15 Feb THE BEAT

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £19

Popular Birmingham ska and 2-tone revival band, founded way back in 1978.

THE SENSATIONAL DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE BAND

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £10

David Bowie tribute act.

STILLMARILLION

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, £8

MOURNING BELOVETH (OF SPIRE AND THRONE + BARSHASKETH + ATRAGON)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £8

The Irish doom lords do their usual skull crushing thing.

Sat 22 Feb

SONIC BOOM SIX (RAT ATTACK)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £10

Compelling Manc soundclash of punk-heavy, dancefloor-savvy beats mixing elements of reggae, jungle and ska with the rigorous commentary of hip-hop.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £20 (£17.50)

Sun 16 Feb THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, FREE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £15

SEAFIELDROAD

Fingers in many pies chap Andrew Eaton-Lewis plays a rare outing in his solo Seafieldroad guise, previewing tracks from his new LP, The Winter of 88.

THE QUIREBOYS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–23:00, £17

Hard rock group formed in 1984 in London – on-and-off until 2001, when they reformed with their current line-up.

MIKE PETERS

The frontman of Welsh band The Alarm goes it alone.

JAKE BUGG

CORN EXCHANGE, 19:00–22:00, £20

Young Nottingham-born folkmeets-indie singer/songwriter, known to his mammy as Jake Edwin Kennedy.

THE STANTONS (FALLOW FIELD + COLDSVILLE)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £11

Edinburgh ensemble built on a mixture of gypsypop, American folk, sea-shanties and acoustica, using boy/girl harmonies and a combination of country and folk instruments to tell their stories.

SONGWRITER’S CELLAR

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

Tue 18 Feb PAPER AEROPLANES

Acoustic alternative folkies from Wales, led by vocalist and songwriter Sarah Howells.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:30, FREE

Thu 20 Feb

RETURN TO THE SUN

MIKE MCGEARY AND FRIENDS THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £15 (£12)

Edinburgh guitarist Mike McGeary returns to The Queen’s Hall to lead a talented band of 30+ from across Scotland.

The SNJO play a selection of jazz tunes, joined by Grammy Awardwinning jazz singer Kurt Elling.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £5

HAVANA RISING

Marillion tribute act.

58

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–03:00, £6

Specially-curated night of punk courtesy of Bombjuice promotions, with Welsh streetpunk lot Foreign Legion leading the bill.

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

SHARON JONES: LISTENING PARTY

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

LILY AND MADELEINE

FOREIGN LEGION + CRITIKILL + CRIMEDESK + UGLY BABY + MOLOTOV + MAXWELLS DEAD + DEFENESTRATORS + SUNDAY PUNK CLUB

Songwriter’s special featuring a variety of touring and local acts, followed by a psychedelic-styled live band party (10pm-1am).

Leeds-based lads of the reggaetinged, folk-punk persuasion – fueled pretty much solely on gigging and beer.

Stockbridge’s Oxfam Music host a listening party for American soul/ funk singer Sharon Jones’ sew album, Give The People What They Want, followed by a funk DJ set and a raffle.

Chuck Garric (aka Alice Cooper’s bassist) brings his supergroup to the ‘burgh for a Scottish exclusive.

Chichester-born singer/songwriter who studied at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.

JAKE AND THE JELLYFISH (TURTLE LAMONE AND THE PROHIBITIONS + THE WALKING TARGETS)

OXFAM MUSIC SHOP, 20:00–23:00, FREE

BANNERMANS, 20:00–22:00, £12

Indie-pop collaboration between Alan Clarke (who’s previously played with strangethatway) and a team of musicians from both Glasgow and Dunfermline.

Celebration of 125 years of American songwriter Irving Berlin, with full orchestral accompaniment.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–03:00, £3 ADV. (£5 DOOR)

7th Harmonic studios celebrate their first birthday with an eclectic line-up of handpicked acts.

BEASTO BLANCO (EVER SINCE + THE KING LOT)

EASTCOASTDEFECTOR (CUDDLY SHARK + FIRST REAL TARGET) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4

CLICK CLACK CLUB

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 20:00–23:30, £5 (£3)

Monthly experimental music club bringing the good times with their Beefheart-inspired funk.

THE ANSWER

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £14

Geordie/Northern Ireland foursome sounding pretty much like what you get when you cross classic, hard and blues rock together.

SON OF DAVE

The Canadian singer/songwriter and former Crash Test Dummies guitarist, otherwise known as Benjamin Darvill.

Instrumental rock trio featuring Guthrie Govan (guitar), Bryan Beller (bass) and Marco Minnemann (drums).

THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £28.50

Pink Floyd tribute act.

RUARRI JOSEPH

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

VOODOO VEGAS

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £7

Mon 24 Feb

LOSCIL (MIKAEL LIND)

SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE: LOVE AND WAR IN BOHEMIA

PILRIG ST PAUL’S CHURCH, 19:30–22:00, £8 EARLYBIRD (£10 THEREAFTER)

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £15 (£5 STUDENTS)

Vancouver-based electronic chap weaving his magic on a series of cinematic-sounding pieces rich with his trademark beautiful textures.

Orchestral concert focusing on treasures from Bohemia, featuring young mezzo soprano Sophie Harmsen.

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Liverpool alternative postrockers make their Bannermans debut.

EL BORN

The London alternative duo hit the road with full band in tow.

CALEB MAJOR (JACK ABBOTT + LEWIS GORDON)

CITY CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £3

Having unleashed his Caleb Major alter ego onto the Scottish music scene in late 2012, Glasgow-based singer/songwriter Stephen Durkan launches his new EP under said moniker, accompanied live by Emma Durkan.

THE KATET (PAUL GILBODY)

FALL OF EVERY SPARROW

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Tue 25 Feb

PENGUIN CAFE (TOM BAXTER)

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Classically-trained guitarist Simon Jeffes leads his collective of musicians in a special performance showcasing tracks from their new LP, The Red Book.

SONGWRITER’S CELLAR

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:30, FREE

The seven-piece funk monster launch their new EP, as part of their current UK tour.

Songwriter’s special featuring a variety of touring and local acts, followed by a psychedelic-styled live band party (10pm-1am).

Fri 21 Feb

Wed 26 Feb

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6 (£5)

FATALISTS

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Edinburgh-based alternative noisemakers celebrating all things loud and quiet – and flickin’ two fingers to anything inbetween – launching their new LP on the night.

Talented blues rocker playing a mix of guitar-driven blues and trash country.

ANAIS MITCHELL

THE PLEASANCE, 19:30–22:30, £13

The US-of-A country-meets-folk singer/songwriter tackles the usual big themes with her trademark emotional intimacy.

TOMMY CONCRETE AND THE WEREWOLVES (NOLTI NAN GANA NAN NOLTA + ENDLESS SWARM)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Old school Edinburgh extreme metalers led by Tommy Concrete.

FACEHANDLE + PROFIT ZERO + THE BLACK CHARGE + DESPERATION A.M. + DEBRASCO + SSEPTEMBRE DJ SET HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–00:00, £TBC

Eclectic showcase night taking in genres of punk, heavy metal, sleaze blues, post-punk and more.

Fri 28 Feb THE LAST BATTLE

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Edinburgh’s own folk-pop outfit do their ever-lovely orchestraltinged thing, playing their debut LP live and in its entirety.

CASUAL SEX

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £7

The Glasgow indie quartet – the sleaze-heavy brainchild of vocalist and guitarist Sam Smith – do their pop-heavy synthesised joy of a thing.

FORTUNE UNSIGNED (ISAAC AND THE RANSEL MEN + FACELESS CROWD)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Evening of hand-selected unsigned indie from Fortune Promotions.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £18

FAIRPORT CONVENTION (EDWINA HAYES)

The longtime British folk-rockers draw on classic songs old and new.

DAVE ARCARI (HAVE MERCY LAS VEGAS)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, £9

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND, 19:00–22:30, £10 (£8)

The Bournemouth hard rockers bring their usual balls-to-the-wall attitude and swagger.

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £20

Dan Smith-led indie ensemble who may or may not have their faces painted as skulls (aka, they definitely will).

MUSEUM LATES: NIGHT OF THE MAMMOTHS

THE ARISTOCRATS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–03:00, £5

Alternative new wave from the Glasgow-via-Ireland trio of cheeky chappies.

BASTILLE

CORN EXCHANGE, 19:00–22:00, £20

Sun 23 Feb

Edinburgh-born, New Zealandraised acoustic folk singer/ songwriter.

YOUNG AVIATORS

Thu 27 Feb

THE FRONT BOTTOMS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–23:39, £8.50

American acoustic-cum-indiecum-dance-cum-punk outfit hailing from New Jersey – hookheavy with a knack for anthemic choruses, natch.

Late night museum happening, this time in celebration of all things mammoth (coinciding with their winter exhibition) – with music from The Pictish Trail and a DJ set from Ladytron’s Marnie, plus facepainting, animal handling, pop-up bars and the like.

RSNO: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

The RSNO take on the Berlioz orchestral showstopper, Symphonie Fantastique.

INDIGO SIXTEEN (SUNSET ABBEY)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £5

Young West Lothian quartet, playing their fast-paced brand of alternative indie-rock.

STAR ROVER

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Unsigned Edinburgh alternative popsters build on brash songwriting and tonnes o’ guitars.

NEU! REEKIE! (MOMUS + LUKE WRIGHT + PATIENCE AGBABI + THE BAND OF HOLY JOY

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £9

Stellar night of poetry, music and short film, this time taking in musical performances from offbeat musician and performance artist, Momus, and ever-changing London Lot, The Band Of Holy Joy, plus myriad other lyrical and literary lovelies.

Glasgow Clubs Tue 04 Feb KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

TV TUESDAY

THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Weekly Tuesday party playing a selection of dancefloor-friendly anthems.

Wed 05 Feb TAKE IT SLEAZY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

PROPAGANDA O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

HARSH TUG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Hip-hop and gangsta rap brought to you by the Notorious B.A.G and pals.

YES!

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

New gay indie night on the block, with a playlist that mixes classic Bowie, The Smiths, Blondie et al alongside new kids like Django Djanjo and Grimes.

I AM

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 22:00–03:00, £15 (£12)

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins.

SUB ROSA

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Disco-styled party night with Alfredo Crolla spinning a selection of favourites, bolstered by karaoke and popcorn stalls, just cos.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

DJs Izzle and Hutchy serve up their usual midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

SHANGRILA

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

New midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by rotating DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

Thu 06 Feb DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

MISBEHAVIN’

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

SHACKLETON (APPLEBLIM + BENEATH + HUNTLEYS AND PALMERS)

The electronic music producer – and co-founder of Skull Disco and founder of Woe To The Septic Heart – takes to the fore, with the Art School Union’s revamped sound capabilities now matching his beefy productions.

FRESH BEATS

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Split up night of chart classics in the main hall and underground hip-hop in the wee room.

POSITIVE EDUCATION #4 (ALI RENAULT + OOFT! + DISCO BLOODBATH + BODY MECHANIC)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Charity-motivated club night dedicated to raising funds for local causes by bringing together a variety of local talent, with this edition manned by Ali Renault, OOFT!, Disco Bloodbath and Body Mechanic.

CROOKERS (SLICK SHOOTA)

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £10

The Italian fidget-meets-electro producer takes to the helm, delivering his usual punishing set to a party-ready crowd.

ASTRAL BLACK (ALEXANDER NUT + RYAN MARTIN + RAKSHA)

BROADCAST, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Astral Black make their Glasgow return, joined by Eglo Records label boss and Rinse FM staple, Alexander Nut, All Caps head honcho, Ryan Martin, and Deadly Rhythm resident Rasksha.

Monthly mish-mash of electro, dance and dirty pop with DJ Drucifer.

OFFBEAT: TABERNACLE RECORDS SHOWCASE (JOHN HECKLE + ANDREW INGRAM + MARK FORSHAW)

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £4

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 (FIRST 50 FREE)

DANSE MACABRE

The Danse Macabre regulars unite those two happiest of bedfellows, goth rock and, er, classic disco, in their regular home of Classic Grand.

NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed night with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Fri 07 Feb OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

Offbeat bring the Tabernacle Records crew to Glasgow for a substantial showcase of the label featuring John Heckle, Andrew Ingram and Mark Forshaw.

SENSU (TOBI NUEMAN + ENZO SIRAGUSA)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10 ADV. (£12 DOOR)

Barry Price and Junior bring the cutting edge electronics from across the globe, joined by Cocoon hero Tobi Neumann and the man behind the infamous east London FUSE after parties – Enzo Siragusa.

Sat 08 Feb NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8

Long-running house night with regulars Harri & Domenic manning the decks.

THE SKINNY

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

TV TUESDAY

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2 MEMBERS)

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

BACK TAE MINE

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

House-party styled night with residents Gav Dunbar and Sci-Fi Steve, plus free toast for all as standard.

BALKANARAMA (TANTZ + KUCHKE + DJ KEZZER) THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 22:30–03:00, £8

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled club orgy, with an early live jam session followed by live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all. As in, we’re there.

I HEART GARAGE SATURDAYS

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

A LOVE FROM OUTER SPACE

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 22:30–03:00, £9

Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston’s rather ace London night makes its now regular trip north, with the mighty duo playing backto-back all night long.

HOT MESS

THE POETRY CLUB, 22:00–02:00, £6 (£4 AFTER 10.30)

DJ Simonotron hosts the gay disco party like no other, playing disco, house and acid on vinyl only.

WRONG ISLAND

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

The legendary Teamy and Dirty Larry spin some fresh electronics for your aural pleasure.

LUSKA: 2ND BIRTHDAY (MARK REEVE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Luska residents Jack Swift and Dara Zahedi celebrate their 2nd birthday with a Scottish debut set from Mark Reeve.

Weekly Tuesday party playing a selection of dancefloor-friendly anthems.

Wed 12 Feb SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Disco-styled party night with Alfredo Crolla spinning a selection of favourites, bolstered by karaoke and popcorn stalls, just cos.

DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Summer-styled party night playing the best in garage, soul, rockabilly, punk, surf and anything else you can sway along to.

DJ Mythic’s Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Mon 10 Feb BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

New midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by rotating DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

MILK: ANTI-VALENTINE’S (HONEYBLOOD + SECRET MOTORBIKES + THE YAWNS + FANTASTIC MAN DJS) FLAT 0/1, 21:00–03:00, £4

Anti-Valentine’s edition of the rather ace gig-in-a-club night, with live sets from Honeyblood, Secret Motorbikes and The Yawns, jollied along by made-to-order pink Russians, free glowsticks and all the romance that a game of Shag Tag can bring.

Thu 13 Feb DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

R.U.IN THURSDAYS

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

February 2014

Monthly night from Soma Records, with producer/DJ duo Slam (aka Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle) sharing deck duty over a four-hour set of underground techno.

Sat 15 Feb NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8

Long-running house night with regulars Harri & Domenic manning the decks.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2 MEMBERS)

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

LOVE MUSIC

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

JELLY BABY

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Fri 14 Feb OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, leftfield pop and Krautrock with resident Charlotte (of Muscles of Joy).

KILLER KITSCH

RETURN TO MONO (SLAM)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Tue 11 Feb

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

Andy R plays chart hits and requests past and present, while DJ David Lo Pan holes up in The Attic playing retro classics.

FRESH BEATS: SPEED DATING

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

SPACE INVADER

THIS IS MUSIC (TEENGIRL FANTASY)

BROADCAST, 23:00–03:00, £5

The This Is Music party-starters welcomes analogue proto-house Ohio duo, Teengirl Fantasy, into their lair for the evening.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £9 (£7)

SHANGRILA

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

HAIR OF THE CAT

MAXI DANCE POOL #5

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:30–03:00, £5

More disco soundscapes from residents DJs MWX and Hush, this time with a loved-up Valentine’s edition bolstered by live visuals and a free mix cassette for the first 50 folk down.

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Special night giving the mushiness of Valentine’s Day the finger, featuring heartbreak country from the Handsome Cadavers, all-girl punk from Sharptooth, tuneful world psychedelia from Woven Tents and full-on rock from Sloth Metropolis.

Split up night of chart classics in the main hall and underground hip-hop in the wee room, with added speed dating in honour of Valentine’s Day.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Sun 09 Feb Residents Garry and Andrew incite more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath, taking in chart anthems, mash-ups and requests.

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–01:00, £5

DJs Izzle and Hutchy serve up their usual midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

Themed night with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs.

SUNDAY ROASTER

THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL VALENTINE’S DAY MASSACRE (THE HANDSOME CADAVERS + SHARPTOOTH + WOVEN TENTS + SLOTH METROPOLIS)

KINO FIST

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £6 (£5)

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

COMMON PEOPLE

THE FLYING DUCK, 21:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Celebration of all things 90s, with hits a-plenty and a pre-club bingo session.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

I HEART GARAGE SATURDAYS

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

SINGLES NIGHT

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy Divine and Chris Geddes’ gem of a night dedicated to 7-inch singles from every genre imaginable.

STRANGE PARADISE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Party night from floral-shirted Wild Combination man David Barbarossa, specializing in leftfield disco, post-punk and far-out pop.

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE

THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–03:00, £5

Wayne Dickson, Malcolm McKenzie and Roddie Gibb host their monthly party, fuelled on uptown funk and soulful disco tuneage.

ODDIO

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Monthly residency manned by Weegie stalwart Jim Hutchison.

BRENNAN HEART + COONE

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £16 (£20)

Special party night celebrating two hardstyle superheroes: Dutch industrial chap Brennan Heart and hard dance specialist Coone.

TYCI VALENTINE’S

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

For their second live outing of 2014, the TYCI crew spread some Valentine’s lovin’ with live set from Manchester electro outfit Letters To Fiesta and Sophie Ellis-Deckstar (AKA PINS’ drummer Sophie Galpin) on decks.

CLUB NOIR: VALENTINE’S IN NEW YORK O2 ACADEMY, 21:00–03:00, £15.50

Glasgow’s burlesque star teasers host the Valentine’s edition of their favourited raunchy cabaret club, transporting revellers to a New York-styled wonderland of gin joints and disco divas.

Sun 16 Feb SUNDAY ROASTER

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Residents Garry and Andrew incite more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath, taking in chart anthems, mash-ups and requests.

HAIR OF THE CAT

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

DJ Mythic’s Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Mon 17 Feb

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

CHASE AND STATUS (RAGE)

TV TUESDAY

GLUE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £17.50 EARLYBIRD (£22.50 THEREAFTER)

THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

THE FLYING DUCK, 22:00–03:00, £5

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

HEX EDUCATION

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£4 AFTER 12)

The Hex residents pitch up for the tease of a promise of an extraspecial guest, being kept firmly under wraps for now.

WE OWN: GLASGOW

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The We Own clothing crew bring a concentrated version of their famed party blowouts to Glasgow.

Fri 21 Feb OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

BURN

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

PROPAGANDA

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

SPACE INVADER

Andy R plays chart hits and requests past and present, while DJ David Lo Pan holes up in The Attic playing retro classics.

Tue 18 Feb KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

OSMIUM

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Italo, disco, synthpop and funk with residents Blair Benzini and Blair Benzini.

BOTTLE ROCKET

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

Indie dancing club, playing anything and everything danceable.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

VOODOO VOODOO

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

TV TUESDAY

THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Weekly Tuesday party playing a selection of dancefloor-friendly anthems.

Wed 19 Feb NOT MOVING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

South African house, grime, jungle, R’n’B and hauntology – tropical mix, ayes.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Disco-styled party night with Alfredo Crolla spinning a selection of favourites, bolstered by karaoke and popcorn stalls, just cos.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

DJs Izzle and Hutchy serve up their usual midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

SHANGRILA

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

New midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by rotating DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

Thu 20 Feb DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed night with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar.

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

JAMMING FRIDAYS

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

SYMBIOSIS

AUDIO, 22:30–03:00, FREE

Innovative D’n’B beats in a relaxed, bass-rich environment.

HUNTLEYS AND PALMERS (ACTRESS + SOPHIE + LENA WILLIKENS) THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 23:00–03:00, £12

Manc DJ duo and dance music’s hot property, effortlessly marrying liquid funk with rich ragga sounds, much to many a clubber’s delight.

I HEART GARAGE SATURDAYS

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

THUNDER DISCO CLUB

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE

Scott Fraser and Timothy J. Fairplay host their favourited music club playing a decidedly left-field selection of Krautrock, electronic, dub and everything inbetween.

HOUNDIN’ THE STREETS

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Resident DJs Jer Reid, Martin Law and guests play music from, and some music inspired by, 1970s and early 80s NYC. #NOTSOSILENT (SESSION VICTIM)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10 ADV. (£12 DOOR)

Belch and crew bring the best in underground house, joined by German duo Session Victim for a three-hour set.

The mighty blend of the best alternative hip-hop, trap and footwork takes to Art School Union for a special Saturday outing, with this edition boasting a set from electronic music-maker Lapalux (aka Stuart Howard).

SUBCULTURE (GEORGE FITZGERALD)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks, joined by George Fitzgerald for his Sub Club debut – expertly reconnecting the dots between house and garage as only he knows how.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

SLIDE IT IN

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes with DJs Mythic and Div. TRASH AND BURN

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £4

SUNDAY ROASTER

Residents Garry and Andrew incite more mayhem than should really be allowed on the Sabbath, taking in chart anthems, mash-ups and requests.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Sat 22 Feb NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

VOODOO

CATHOUSE, 16:00–21:00, £4 (£2 MEMBERS)

Under 18s rock night playing, er, anything and everything rock.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

HAIR OF THE CAT

DJ Mythic’s Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Mon 24 Feb BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

KILLER KITSCH

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Split up night of chart classics in the main hall and underground hip-hop in the wee room, with tonight marking The Garage’s 20th birthday official.

COUNTERFEIT

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Sat 01 Mar

MELTING POT: 13TH BIRTHDAY (JOAQUIN CLAUSSELL) THE ADMIRAL, 22:30–03:00, £12 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

The Melting Pot crew celebrate their lucky 13th birthday in the fine company of guest Joaquin Claussell – a chap whom they gave his Scottish debut many moons ago.

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes with DJs Mythic and Div. NEVERLAND

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed night with a live Twitter feed and a bouncy castle for added LOLs. R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

KUNST (JACKMASTER + CURRIE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

The Kunst lot bring Numbers stalwart Jackmaster and Monox resident Currie for some midweek mayhem.

Fri 28 Feb OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

FRESH BEATS: THE GARAGE’S 20TH BIRTHDAY

SHANGRILA

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Tue 25 Feb

The legendary folk that make up Berlin label Leisure System bring the mayhem Glasgow-way, presenting AV performances from Jon Hopkins and his churning electronics, Clark and his sonic assault and the revived electro of Dopplereffekt.

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits, joined by eccentric house DJ and producer, Maurice Fulton.

DJs Izzle and Hutchy serve up their usual midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

Andy R plays chart hits and requests past and present, while DJ David Lo Pan holes up in The Attic playing retro classics.

LEISURE SYSTEM (JON HOPKINS + DOPPLEREFFEKT + CLARK)

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 23:00–04:00, £15 ADV. (£17 DOOR)

THUNDER DISCO CLUB (MAURICE FULTON)

Long-running trade night with Normski, Zeus and Mash spinning disco beats.

SPACE INVADER

Fresh from their inaugural party smashing night in November, the Glue lads are back with all the best in indie, electro, punk, rock’n’roll and dance.

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Thu 27 Feb

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £12

The Numbers crew host their first Subbie outing of 2014, joined by hotly-tipped White Material producer, Galcher Lustwerk.

DISCO RIOT

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Disco-styled party night with Alfredo Crolla spinning a selection of favourites, bolstered by karaoke and popcorn stalls, just cos.

THE ART SCHOOL UNION, 23:00–03:00, £8 (£7)

The house music specialist (aka Ben Westbeech) brings the infectious blend of bass-heavy grooves, stripped back drums, and seductive vocal hooks.

NUMBERS (GALCHER LUSTWERK)

The party sounds of Ean, Smiddy and Kenny White on decks.

YEBO (LAPALUX) (DANDY RIOTS + TRILL SPECTOR + FLOATINGBOY)

Split up night of chart classics in the main hall and underground hip-hop in the wee room.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

SO WEIT SO GUT

New midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by rotating DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

Monthly glam trash and sleaze tease party, with guest burlesque performers, magicians and a bit o’ belly dancing.

Nightrave bring the party once again with Mixpak’s Jubilee and Rinse FM Shox.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

NIGHTRAVE (JUBILEE + SHOX)

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

Sun 23 Feb

BREACH

Wed 26 Feb

Student superclub playing everything from hip-hop to dance and funk to chart.

Huntleys and Palmers take to the newly-opened Art School Union for their first party of the year back in Glasgow, joined by an assortment of previous guests who continue to excite ‘em – Actress, SOPHIE and Lena Willikens.

FRESH BEATS

Weekly Tuesday party playing a selection of dancefloor-friendly anthems.

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

JAMMING FRIDAYS

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

BLITZED

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–01:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

1940s-themed fun night, with a dress-up vibe, specially-commissioned visuals and dancing into the wee hours to everything from Glenn Miller to Ella Fitzgerald.

MISSING PERSONS CLUB (DJ QU)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 (£10 AFTER 12)

New York HouseDanceConference’s resident, DJ Qu, joins the Missing Persons Club residents for a special guest slot.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

Listings

59

Edinburgh Clubs Tue 04 Feb ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

FLOATING POINTS THE CAVES, 23:00–03:00, £12

UK-based DJ, producer and musician Floating Points gives y’all an education in house, techno, soul and disco as only he knows how, playing a special Dimensions Festival launch party.

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

Sat 08 Feb

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

I LOVE HIP HOP

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Wed 05 Feb COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

New night manned by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

WITNESS (MONKI)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures, this edition welcoming talented lass Monki into the fold.

Thu 06 Feb JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. I AM: EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

Fri 07 Feb MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

FOUR CORNERS

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Soulful dancing fodder, from deep funk to reggae beats with your regular DJ hosts.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. THIS IS MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Regular indie and electro outing from the Sick Note DJs. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, 5 (£4)

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

BALKANARAMA (TANTZ + KUCHKE + DJ KEZZER) STUDIO 24, 21:30–03:00, £8 (£9 AFTER 10.30)

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled club orgy, with an early live jam session followed by live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all. As in, we’re there.

FLY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

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Listings

TEASE AGE

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

BASS SYNDICATE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Wed 12 Feb COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky's resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER MIDNIGHT)

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5

The regular Edinburgh breaks and bassline Manga crew takeover.

New night manned by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Thu 13 Feb

BUBBLEGUM

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

BIG ‘N’ BASHY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle played oot by the inimitable residents.

DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae.

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. I AM: EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s, via a disco tune or ten.

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

BEEP BEEP, YEAH!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

POCKET ACES (THINK TWICE)

Dance-inducing party night, with Craig Smith making his monthly appearance rich with deep, soulful house sounds.

GROWN UPS

SUMMERHALL, 21:00–01:00, £8 (£6)

All-vinyl club for fully-fledged music fans, with DJs Kinghorror and The Spotlight Kid digging into their dusty record boxes.

KARNIVAL: 8TH BIRTHDAY (VIVA WARRIORS)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £16

For their 8th birthday celebrations Karnival host one of the success stories of the last couple of seasons in Ibiza – the infamous Viva Warriors collective – with head honcho Steve Lawler and Philip Bader bringing the noise.

Sun 09 Feb COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Mon 10 Feb MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 11 Feb ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

HI-SOCIETY

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

Fri 14 Feb MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. CONFUSION IS SEX

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Glam techno and electro night, mixing tunes, installation and performance – this time with a prohibition theme to proceedings.

PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

UNPOP

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4

Pure indie-pop dance party for the twee of heart.

FLY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

PEARSON SOUND

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

The Hessle Audio co-founder (alongside Ben UF0) mans the decks for the full four hours, playing some of the best in underground house.

WHAT THE FUNK

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 23:00–03:00, £8

BUBBLEGUM

I AM: EDINBURGH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

SOULSVILLE

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Swinging soul spanning a whole century, with DJs Tsatsu and Fryer.

POP ROCKS!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

POCKET ACES (GASOLINE DANCE MACHINE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party night, with GDM’s Cheap Picasso making their monthly appearance armed with classic Italo, straight-up boogie, contemporary house and disco.

WASABI DISCO (TEENGIRL FANTASY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Yer man Kris ‘Wasabi’ Walker welcomes analogue proto-house Ohio duo, Teengirl Fantasy, into his lair for the evening.

DRUM & BASS ANTHEMS (DJ KID)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, 5 (£4)

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

XPLICIT (BREACH)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £12

Heavy jungle and bass-styled beats from the inimitable Xplicit crew, joined by Amsterdam-based producer Breach.

Fri 21 Feb MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

Mon 17 Feb MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 18 Feb ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Wed 19 Feb COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Sat 15 Feb

WITNESS (SCNTST)

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures, joined for a one-off guest slot by young techno producer SCNTST.

THE EGG

Thu 20 Feb

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5 AFTER 12)

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

Sun 16 Feb

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Jake playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk – now moving to a monthly slot, in what is their 20th year.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

New night manned by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

HULLABALOO

A night of nothing but – yep, you guessed it – drum and bass anthems, with DJ Kid playing a three-hour guest set.

Edinburgh debut for the Falkirkformed night, dedicated to electro, progressive and big room house music.

TEASE AGE

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo.

PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, 5 (£4)

ELECTRIKAL

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Soundsystem party-starters, part of a music and art collective specializing in all things bass.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 17:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems spun by DJs from Electric Circus’ Saturday club nights, including Magic Nostalgic, Beep Beep, Yeah! and Pop Rocks.

FLY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

4X4

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Two-fold night of house and techno manned by the regular 4x4 crew.

BIG TOES HI-FI

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Collective of bass roots and culture fanatics who’ve been doing their own party-hard thing since 2006.

Sat 22 Feb TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

MAGIC NOSTALGIC

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£7 AFTER 12)

A hodgepodge of quality tracks chosen by JP’s spinning wheel.

Expect anything from 90s rave to power ballads, and a whole lotta one-hit wonders.

MADCHESTER

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Monthly favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

BETAMAX

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Monthly offering of new wave, disco, post-punk and a bit o’ synthtastic 80s with your hosts Chris and Big Gus. DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae.

MESSENGER

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£7 AFTER 12)

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefty soundsystem.

POCKET ACES (I AM) (BETA & KAPPA) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party with an anything goes attitude and rotating rota of guest DJs, with i AM residents Beta and Kappa showing their versatility with a guest appearance.

Sun 23 Feb COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

DIVE: QUEEREVOLUTION PARTY

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 21:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Queer party night flaunting its eclectic wares across a packed programme – with Miss Annabel Sings, Mistress Chipz, and DJ Heavy Flow, plus a selection of queer Russian cinema in collaboration with Edinburgh Film Guild New Cinema and the GSFF.

Mon 24 Feb MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

NU FIRE (JUST BLAZE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£7.50 THEREAFTER)

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hiphop to dubstep, joined by a special guest DJ set from the legendary US rap producer for Kanye, Eminem and Drake – Just Blaze.

Fri 28 Feb MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£6 AFTER 11)

Distinctly retro selection from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music.

XPLICIT

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Heavy jungle and bass-styled beats from the inimitable Xplicit crew, likely joined by a guest or two.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Wed 26 Feb

Sat 08 Feb CONTROL

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

The self-proclaimed hooligan rock’n’rollers play a trademark set, chock with their usual attitude.

DCA, 19:30–22:00, £5

A cast of players take care of all your hardtek and breakcore needs, with full UV decor and glowstick action.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems spun by DJs from Electric Circus’ Saturday club nights, including Magic Nostalgic, Beep Beep, Yeah! and Pop Rocks.

FLY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

LGBT HISTORY MONTH VS DIVE: MARDI GRAS CLOSING PARTY

SUMMERHALL, 21:00–03:00, £5 DONATION

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £6 (£5)

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

The Glasgow noisemakers of the tropical thrash variety cart their wares Dundee-way.

Fri 14 Feb

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

SOUL JAM HOT

PAWS (CAPTAINS + THE ROBOT DOCTOR)

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £6

WONKY

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Thu 06 Feb

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Queer party tricksters Dive join forces with LGBT History Month to close History Month 2014, featuring Hot Mess and DJ Heavy Flow on the decks, plus a showcase of some of the 26 LGBT events supported this year:

Tue 25 Feb

Dundee Music

RAMMED

Intimate club session with an underground vibe, featuring DJ sets from Fini Tribe Sound System, The Baron and Oli Findlay.

SHAKE YER SHOULDERS: NEON CIRCUS

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11.30)

All-new monthly for the techno-heavy SYS crew, staging a fully interactive UV party with Inverness guests Trojan and The House Junkie.

CAM DEAS (USURPER)

London-based sonic experimentalist, making his merry noise by manipulating and processing 12-string acoustic guitar through a series of analogue synthesis patches.

CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew, celebrating their birthday on’t night.

PEAT LOAF

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £10

Meat Loaf tribute act.

Sat 15 Feb LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

Wed 19 Feb RUARRI JOSEPH

BUSKERS, 20:00–23:00, £6

Edinburgh-born, New Zealandraised acoustic folk singer/ songwriter.

Fri 21 Feb

GAUSSIAN (PURPLE FRAGMENT + DARREN CAMPBELL)

NON-ZERO’S, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

Young upstarts who got together with the sole intention of playing live, taking in a formidable covers set spanning various genres.

DAVE ARCARI (ED MUIRHEAD)

BUSKERS, 20:00–23:30, £7

Talented blues rocker playing a mix of guitar-driven blues and trash country.

THE SPRINGSTEEN SESSIONS

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £9

COOKIE

Bruce Springsteen tribute act.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Sat 22 Feb

WITNESS

NON-ZERO’S, 19:30–22:00, £4 ADV. (£5 DOOR)

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

CUTTING CORNERS

Sneaky's resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures.

Unsigned alternative rock quintet with members spread between Carnoustie and Dundee.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £7

CHAMPION SOUND

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

New night manned by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

Thu 27 Feb JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. I AM: EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

THE UNDERGROUND JAM

The Jam tribute act.

Wed 26 Feb MECHANICAL SMILE

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

Two guys and two girls from Ayrshire, combining rock, pop and grunge to create their own melodic and pulsating sound.

Thu 27 Feb

MONOLITH DEATHCULT (TALANAS + BLOODGUARD + BLACKENED RITUAL)

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £8

Netherlands death metallers who pluck their influences from techno, dance and industrial music, completed with Wagnerian classical pomposity.

Fri 28 Feb DESTROYER

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £6

Kiss tribute act.

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

THE SKINNY

Wed 05 Feb FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Thu 06 Feb ANDREW THOMSON

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Huntleys and Palmers Audio Club official ‘big man’, Andrew Thomson, takes a trip to the wee Dundee club for a guest Thursday session.

Fri 07 Feb

MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM (MC AFRIKAN SIMBA)

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 AFTER 11.30)

Conscious roots and dub reggae music from the usual beefty soundsystem, with guest MC African Simba joining proceedings for a Bob Marley birthday special.

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

WARPED

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead.

Sat 08 Feb

DJ FARLEY JACKMASTER FUNK

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £10 ADV. (£12 THEREAFTER)

One of the original members of Hot Mix 5 takes to the decks for a set of his beloved Chicago house.

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

Wed 12 Feb

FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Thu 13 Feb NASTY NIGHTS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£4)

The Fine Art students of DJCAD invite y’all to a one-off set of disco funk and house, raising funds for their students degree show and Teenage Cancer Trust.

Fri 14 Feb CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew, celebrating their birthday on’t night.

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

CASSETTE: ANTI VALENTINE SPECIAL

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

All-new night inviting a guest DJ to play tracks from artists and albums that would make their definitive mixtape, this time with a distinct anti-Valentine feel

Sat 15 Feb LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

Wed 19 Feb

FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

February 2014

Thu 20 Feb ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest) playing anything and everything ‘good’.

Fri 21 Feb

Theatre Glasgow

JACKMASTER

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £10

The Numbers co-founder drops

by Dundee, playing his usual farreaching set of 80s jams alongside rare Detroit classics and straightup house and techno.

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

GORILLA IN YOUR CAR

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Hardcore, emo, punk and scenester selections. Also perhaps the best-named club night in Dundee’s existence.

Sat 22 Feb BOOK CLUB

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Is Kill and Diabetic spin all genres of electro, disco, techno... and anything else they damn well fancy.

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

Wed 26 Feb FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Thu 27 Feb ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest) playing anything and everything ‘good’.

Barrowland

THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS

20 FEB, 27 FEB, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Prepare thyself for a whirlwind of contortionists, flying aerialists, demon dwarfs, sword swallowers, and any other weird thing you can think of – yep, it could only be The Circus of Horrors.

Citizens Theatre MISS JULIE

VARIOUS DATES `UNTIL 15 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £12

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

THE RAT PACK VEGAS SPECTACULAR

15 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £17

Russian State Ballet’s retelling of the classic love story, brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting score.

GLASGOW GIRLS

Inspiring story of the seven teenage girls who became known collectively as The Glasgow Girls, following their campaign to bring back their friend who’d been forcibly removed from her home in a dawn raid.

Oran Mor

A BOTTLE OF WINE AND PATSY CLINE

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 23 FEB, 7:45PM – 10:00PM, £18

Regular musical favourite about the life of Patsy Cline and the songs that made her famous.

The King’s Theatre

MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 12 NOV AND 22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £15

24 FEB – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FROM £12

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

Edinburgh Playhouse

20 FEB – 8 MAR, NOT 23 FEB, 24 FEB, 2 MAR, 3 MAR, TIMES VARY, FROM £12

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Edinburgh

Rat Pack-styled musical favourite, taking a trip back to the glitz and glam of 50s Las Vegas.

Fri 28 Feb

The Locarno regulars host a special outing, joined live by Watfordbased trio The Spitfires, followed by the residents on decks.

Tender study of two women with nothing but each other to hold on to, after having met and formed a firm bond in prison as cell-mates.

New adaptation of August Strindberg’s play – an uplifting tale set in the North of England in the early 50s, following Miss Julie during fast-changing times.

Matthew Bourne (y’know, he who is tirelessly reimagining just about every classic in theatrical existence) presents his re-telling of Swan Lake.

LOCARNO (THE SPITFIRES)

THIS WIDE NIGHT VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 20 FEB AND 15 MAR, TIMES VARY, FROM £8

HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL

The legendary creator of the television series, Garry Marshall, takes the much-loved show to the stage – centred around Fonz’s attempt to save the beloved Arnold’s diner from demolition.

Tramway

SIOBHAN DAVIES DANCE: TABLE OF CONTENTS

28 JAN – 9 FEB, NOT 3 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Live installation using Davies’s history as a choreographer/dancer as a starting point to reflect on the concept of archiving dance, and question how different art forms build on their own history – with audience and live dancers intermingling throughout.

WHIRLYGIG

8 FEB, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £6

Daniel Padden leads a piece exploring music and physical movement, in which everything – musicians and instruments – will be in motion, but not always at the same time.

TEAM EFFORT!

15 FEB, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £6

The culmination of a twelve-month collaborative project for six upand-coming artists from theatre, visual art and music – with the event marking the first time ever that all six will come together to create work for the public.

TIMES’ SHARP TOOTH

21 FEB, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £6

Peter Wiegold leads a group of players from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in an exploratory performance of one page scores inspired by pages from Italo Calvino’s novel, Invisible Cities.

Tron Theatre LOVE 2.0

15 FEB, 8:30PM – 10:30PM, £5

Humourous look at modern dating and how social networking is messing it all up for everyone, with a cunningly-programmed Valentine’s weekend show.

RUSSIAN STATE BALLET: SWAN LAKE

28 FEB, 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FROM £17.50

EVITA

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 8 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £10

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical about the former Argentinian dictator’s wife, Eva Peron, now with added Martibloody-Pellow.

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT

VARIOUS DATESUNTIL22 FEB, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Ben Elton’s musical comedy inspired by the songs of Rod Stewart, taking to the road under the watchful eye of director Cjay Ranger and choreographer Denise Ranger.

Summerhall

DIAL M FOR MURDER 18–22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £14

BLACKBIRD

Frederick Knott’s intense and darkly gripping thriller, famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock, takes to the stage as part of its UK-wide tour.

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 1 MAR, 7:30PM – 9:00PM, £13 (£11)

BRIGADOON

26 FEB – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FROM £15

In the misty Highlands of Scotland, many years ago, two American hunters set out on an unforgettable adventure – with the village of Brigadoon coming to life just one day every hundred years.

Firebrand spark their 3rd anniversary celebrations by bringing David Harrower’s controversial 2005 one-act play back to the stage – a taboo-breaking study of illicit love and sexual passion given a bold new site specific staging.

RANTIN

6 FEB, 7:30PM – 9:00PM, £12 (£10)

Royal Lyceum Theatre

Talented young chap Kieran Hurley presents his collaborative new play-meets-gig session devised and performed with Gav Prentice, Julia Taudevin and Wounded Knee.

21 JAN – 8 FEB, NOT 26 JAN, 27 JAN, 2 FEB, 3 FEB, TIMES VARY, FROM £12

27 FEB – 1 MAR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £7 (£5)

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Pulitzer Prize-winning characterdriven tale following the Tyrone family through a mesmerizing day and night at their seaside Connecticut home.

FOUR STEPS BACK

The University of Edinburgh English Literature Department present a collection of four short plays by four new writers.

The Voodoo Rooms

PRIVATE LIVES

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 FEB AND 22 MAR, 7:45PM – 10:00PM, FROM £22

MISSY MALONE AND FRIENDS BURLESQUE REVUE: VALENTINE’S SPECIAL

All-new reworking of Noël Coward’s 1933 play, in which divorced couple Elyot and Amanda, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Matinee performances also available.

14 FEB, 7:30PM – 1:00AM, £17

Glam burlesque star Missy Malone curates her one-night-only Valentine’s Burlesque Revue; a cabaret spectacular with pals Leyla Rose, Fancy Chance and Desmond O’Connor.

St Bride’s Centre SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

Traverse Theatre

17–22 FEB, TIMES VARY, £10 (£8)

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 6 FEB, 9:15PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£8)

GRIT

Retelling of Stephen Sondheim’s macabre and darkly comic tale of betrayal, love and bloody revenge, performed by not-for-profit youth theatre, A-Team Productions.

A trio of performers intimately examine the stories behind the lens, conjuring up dazzling images with cardboard, sand and shadow, blending puppetry, projection and object manipulation. Part of Manipulate.

PUNCH AND JUDY IN AFGHANISTAN

DARK VANILLA JUNGLE VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 1 MAR, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £15.50 (£12.50/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Philip Ridley’s Fringe First Awardwinning drama about the lengths one girl will go to for a family and a feeling of home, along the way touching on themes of gang culture, female objectification and the impact of trauma on young people.

GO!

7 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £16 (£12 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Mesmerizing work telling the loneliness of those who travel in memories – inspired by the simplicity and speed with which extraordinary people can leave us, based on travel notes scribbled down and saved over the years.

Part of Manipulate.

TORN

4 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £12 (£8)

Faux Theatre present their poignant and powerful portrayal of one woman’s effort to find and experience love. Part of Manipulate.

6 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £16 (£12 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Unique piece combining visual and performing arts with the world of literature, based on four of seminal 20th Century Italian sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s surrealist texts. Part of Manipulate.

PLANET LUVOS

8 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:45PM, £16 (£12 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Editta Braun Company’s hellish vision of one woman, perhaps the last woman on earth, who discovers an eerie world of strange, intriguing beings and begins to explore this brave new world. Part of Manipulate.

YAMA / KINGDOM

20 FEB, 21 FEB, 22 FEB, 28 FEB, 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Scottish Dance Theatre present two compelling works from international choreographers, performed by the company’s dancers – taking in Damien Jalet’s Yama and Jorge Crecis’ Kingdom.

THE SEAS OF ORGANILLO

4 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £16 (£12 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Dundee

Magical piece about a beautiful ocean world populated by weird puppet figures and creatures, inspired by Elaine Morgan’s book The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis and Lennart Nilsson’sbook A Child is Born. Part of Manipulate.

Dundee Rep

AN EVENING OF DIRTY DANCING

6 FEB, 7 FEB, 8 FEB, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, FROM £18 (£14)

SCRAPYARD + UNHINGED

5 FEB, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £16 (£12 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Double bill of all-new performances, taking in Scrap Yard’s tiny bursts of visual theatre (created via masterclass over just two weeks) and the world premiere of Unhinged, incorporating the high skill of circus aerial arts. Part of Manipulate.

RUSSIAN STATE BALLET: GISELLE

25 FEB, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.50

The cult 80s film revamped for the stage with live singalongs aplenty; cue Baby and Johnny, sexy dancing and hungry eyes.

YAMA / KINGDOM

20 FEB, 21 FEB, 22 FEB, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Scottish Dance Theatre present two compelling works from international choreographers, performed by the company’s dancers – taking in Damien Jalet’s Yama and Jorge Crecis’ Kingdom.

Russian State Ballet’s classical ballet about love and betrayal, brought to life with mesmerising sets and lavish costumes.

RUSSIAN STATE BALLET: DON QUIXOTE

26 FEB, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.50

SCOTTISH NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The Spanish classic is brought to life on stage with the help of the Russian State Ballet, telling the tale of Don Quixote and his fantasy world or brave knights and beautiful ladies.

AMERICAN ADVENTURE proudly presents

RUSSIAN STATE BALLET: THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

27 FEB, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.50

Russian State Ballet present their magical re-telling of the classic fairytale, set to Tchaikovsky’s original score.

MIKE STERN | KURT ELLING | BILL EVANS | DAVID LIEBMAN RANDY BRECKER | JOE LOCKE | CLARENCE PENN | DONNY McCASLIN ALYN COSKER | DAVID KIKOSKI | JOEL FRAHM | MICHAEL DEASE

it all, from straight “This band can doahead to free jazz.”

Festival Theatre SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

themselves to the highest “They hold standards of musicianship and

The West End production of Singin’ In The Rain arrives, drenching audiences in feel good vibes with their fizzy re-telling of the first Hollywood musical making its way to the silver screen. Matinee performances also available.

perform new music and classic charts with ingenuity and verve. I am a fan!”

KURT ELLING pleasure to be invited to play “A real on this record. It’s a great band.”

MIKE STERN

“

WAR HORSE

The SNJO is one of the most inventive and contemporary orchestras in the world. I am truly honoured to be a part of it. This record burns!”

BILL EVANS

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 15 FEB, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £20

War Horse continues to tour the UK, telling the story of Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s novel.

You may as well just start weeping now...

“

On the day I was in the studio with the SNJO, the orchestra almost melted the sound tiles.”

JOE LOCKE

SCOTTISH OPERA: DON PASQUALE

“

18 FEB, 20 FEB, 22 FEB, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

They have it all: precision, great soloists, deep swing...and the one and only Tommy Smith at the helm!”

RANDY BRECKER

Scottish Opera’s inspired retelling of the classic comic opera, about a reclusive old man with a crumbling pensione and a love of cats – with a wee twist up its sleeve for the cat portrayal.

AMERICAN ADVENTURE is the result of sessions that took place over two hot days in June 2013 inside Avatar, one of New York City’s most iconic recording studios. This latest chapter in the SNJO story explores musical narratives provided by some of the most adventurous composers, soloists and arrangers in contemporary jazz.

The SNJO and their guests bring 21st century élan to the compositions of Marcus Miller, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Richie Beirach and Chick Corea on an exceptional recording produced by Tommy Smith. The album also features superbly crafted arrangements by Fred Sturm, Jim McNeely, Geoffrey Keezer and newcomer Jacob Mann.

DAVID LIEBMAN

VARIOUS DATES UNTIL 15 MAR, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.50

Release date 17 February 2014

available at spartacusrecords.com

FUTURE DATES - 2014 SEA SON

An Evening with Kurt Ellin g: FRI 21 FEB PERTH | SAT Syntopicon 22 FEB EDINBURGH | SUN 23 FEB GLASGOW Courtney Pine: Revisitin g Coltrane FRI 28 MAR ABERDEEN | SAT 29 MAR EDINBUR GH | SUN 30 MAR GLA Makoto Ozone: Mozart’s SGOW 9th Piano Concerto & Rha FRI 25 APR INVERNESS psody in Blue | SAT 26 APR EDINBUR GH | SUN 27 APR GLASGO W

King’s Theatre BUDDY

3–15 FEB, NOT 9, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

The West End show tribute to the Buddy Holly story – serving up all the classics including La Bamba and Johnny B. Goode – continues its feel-good trajectory, some 25 years and counting.

photo by Paul Thorburn / design by Nadja von Massow [nadworks.com]

Dundee Clubs

spartacusrecords.com

snjo.co.uk

Listings

61

Comedy

THE FRIDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + JOHN ROSS + JONNY PELHAM)

Glasgow

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Tue 04 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 05 Feb NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Thu 13 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (BOOTHBY GRAFFOE + STEVE DAY + CHARLIE ROSS + MC MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

THE KING’S THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

Thu 06 Feb

Fri 14 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (ROB DEERING + LORETTA MAINE + HARI SRISKANTHA + DAVEY STRONG + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 07 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (ROB DEERING + LORETTA MAINE + HARI SRISKANTHA + DAVEY STRONG + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Sat 08 Feb

THE SATURDAY SHOW (ROB DEERING + LORETTA MAINE + HARI SRISKANTHA + DAVEY STRONG + BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Sun 09 Feb

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (LORETTA MAINE + JAMIE DALGLEISH)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

Mon 10 Feb IMROV WARS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as it should be.

Tue 11 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

THE KING’S THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

Wed 12 Feb NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

THE KING’S THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£4)

Ro Cambell and The Wee Man’s comedian rap battle-off, where a select batch of comics compete to see who’s got the most swagger when it comes to hippity-hop wit.

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Listings

THE FRIDAY SHOW (BOOTHBY GRAFFOE + STEVE DAY + CHARLIE ROSS + MC MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

THE KING’S THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

Sat 15 Feb

THE SATURDAY SHOW (BOOTHBY GRAFFOE + STEVE DAY + CHARLIE ROSS + MCMARTIN MOR )

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

THE KING’S THEATRE, 14:30–17:00, FROM £15

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

Fri 21 Feb

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Edinburgh

Tue 11 Feb

Tue 04 Feb

Series of comedy sketches picked by the audience and performed by a varying troupe of actors and musicians.

GRASSROOTS COMEDY

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–22:30, £1

Sat 22 Feb

Showcase night featuring the best in fresh, local talent – bringing together first-time and upand-coming comics in a series of quickfire, 10-minute slots.

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Wed 05 Feb

THE SATURDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + JOHN ROSS + JONNY PELHAM)

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE SECRET POLICEMAN’S BALL (CHRIS CONROY + THE GEEK COMEDY NIGHT + ROSCO MCSKELINGTON + ELEANOR MORTON + CHRIS DINWOODIE + G.L.A.S.S + STU WHO + RYAN DOOLEY + MC BILLY KIRKWOOD) QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:30–23:00, £8 (£6)

Annual student-run comedy benefit, with a whole host of comedy talent pitching in to help raise funds for Amnesty International, under the watchful eye of host Billy Kirkwood. Go support the cause.

Sun 23 Feb

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

Mon 24 Feb IMROV WARS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as it should be.

Tue 25 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 26 Feb BRIGHT CLUB

BROKEN WINDOWS POLICY

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

More fast-paced and anarchic skits and character comedy from The Stand’s resident sketch comedy troupe.

Thu 06 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (ALISTAIR BARRIE + GRAEME THOMAS + KEIRON NICHOLSON +MC JOE HEENAN)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

SKETCH (ENDEMIC + MOUTH COMFORT)

SPORTSTERS BAR, 20:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

All-new comedy sketch show, for which groups from all over Scotland will perform their latest material.

ABSOLUT IMPROV

THE TRON, 19:00–20:00, £5 (£3)

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway, in which the performers create sketches based on audience suggestions.

Fri 07 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (ALISTAIR BARRIE + GRAEME THOMAS + KEIRON NICHOLSON + MC JOE HEENAN)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

IMPROVERTS

BEDLAM THEATRE, 22:30–23:30, £5.50 (£5 MEMBERS)

THE KING’S THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

A selection of comedic academics do a stint of stand-up for your entertainment and enlightenment.

Laughs and learning in one neat package: tick.

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Sun 16 Feb

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR: EAT, PRAY, LAUGH!

Probably best known as Dame Edna Everage, the character comedy specialist plays a series of shows as part of his farewell tour, going out in all-singing, all-dancing style.

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (STEVE DAY)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

Tue 18 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 19 Feb NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Thu 20 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (TONY BURGESS + JOHN ROSS + JONNY PELHAM)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

WEST BREWERY COMEDY CLUB

WEST, 20:30–22:30, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

Jamie Dalgleish hosts a night of live stand-up, headlined by Stu Who, with support from Pearse James and Rob Kane.

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

Thu 27 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JOE ROONEY + STEPHEN CARLIN + DOGSHIT JOHNSON + MC SUSAN MORRISON )

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sat 08 Feb

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

THE SATURDAY SHOW (ALISTAIR BARRIE + GRAEME THOMAS + KEIRON NICHOLSON + MC JOE HEENAN)

MAGGIE MAY’S LIVE COMEDY

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

MAGGIE MAY’S, 19:30–22:00, £10

Live comedy showcase in Maggie May’s basement, featuring regular stalwart o’ the scene, Gary Little, amongst others.

Fri 28 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JOE ROONEY + MALCOLM HEAD + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 09 Feb

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (JIM PARK + MC JAY LAFFERY)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 10 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

THE MELTING POT

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4 STUDENT/£2.50 MEMBERS)

THE SPEAKEASY

SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE, 20:00–22:00, £6

Monthly spoken-word show of the rather ace variety, featuring a feastful of writers, comedians and musicians telling (mostly) true stories, under the watchful eye of host Jo Caulfield.

GRASSROOTS COMEDY

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–22:30, £1

Showcase night featuring the best in fresh, local talent – bringing together first-time and upand-coming comics in a series of quickfire, 10-minute slots.

Wed 12 Feb

BOOTHBY GRAFFOE: SCRATCH

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12

The Barenaked Ladies musician does his stand-up comedy thing, awash with his usual surreal sense of humour.

Thu 13 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JOE ROONEY + MALCOLM HEAD + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN ) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

ABSOLUT IMPROV

THE TRON, 19:00–20:00, £5 (£3)

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway, in which the performers create sketches based on audience suggestions.

Fri 14 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JOE ROONEY + MALCOLM HEAD + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

IMPROVERTS

BEDLAM THEATRE, 22:30–23:30, £5.50 (£5 MEMBERS)

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

A TO Z IMPROV

KILDERKIN, 20:30–22:00, FREE

The A to Z players host their regular free-entry improv comedy night, making merry under all manner of themes from wizards to the Everly Brothers.

Sat 15 Feb

THE SATURDAY SHOW (JOE ROONEY + MALCOLM HEAD + SCOTT GIBSON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

Sun 16 Feb

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (MALCOLM HEAD) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 17 Feb RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Tue 18 Feb GRASSROOTS COMEDY

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–22:30, £1

Showcase night featuring the best in fresh, local talent – bringing together first-time and upand-coming comics in a series of quickfire, 10-minute slots.

Wed 19 Feb

JOKE THIEVES (JO CAULFIELD + DR GEORGE RYEGOLD + JOJO SUTHERLAND + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ANDREW DOYLE + MC WILL MARS) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5

Will Mars hosts his live comedy swapfest, where a handpicked batch of comedians perform their own jokes and then each others.

Thu 20 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (DES CLARKE + JOHN GILLICK + ANDREW DOYLE + MC RAYMOND MEARNS) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

ABSOLUT IMPROV

THE TRON, 19:00–20:00, £5 (£3)

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway, in which the performers create sketches based on audience suggestions.

Fri 21 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (DES CLARKE + JOHN GILLICK + ANDREW DOYLE + LAURA PATTISON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

IMPROVERTS

BEDLAM THEATRE, 22:30–23:30, £5.50 (£5 MEMBERS)

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sat 22 Feb

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

THE SATURDAY SHOW (DES CLARKE + JOHN GILLICK + ANDREW DOYLE + LAURA PATTISON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

KABARET LIMO

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £20 ADV. (£22 DOOR)

The improvised Polish comedy troupe do their thing, deftly perfected since their formation in Gdansk back in 1999.

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

ROCK AND ROLL PING PONG THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–23:00, FREE

Dundee

The It’s Funtime jokers present a free, fun, table tennis evening with a comedy bent, bolstered by dancing discs from DJ Ding Dong (ahem).

Fri 14 Feb

THE STAND, 13:30–15:30, FREE

BONAR HALL, 20:00–22:00, £12

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

The famed comedy club hits Dundee for its monthly outing, joined by three comics and a compere.

Mon 24 Feb

Wed 26 Feb

RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

PANDAMONIUM

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:30–23:30, £3

The Pandamonium Comedy crew return to Cab Vol with a line-up of the best in new, fresh stand-up comedy. Hosted by Rory McAlpine.

Tue 25 Feb BRIGHT CLUB

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30

A selection of comedic academics do a stint of stand-up for your entertainment and enlightenment.

Laughs and learning in one neat package: tick.

GRASSROOTS COMEDY

THE PLEASANCE, 20:00–22:30, £1

Showcase night featuring the best in fresh, local talent – bringing together first-time and upand-coming comics in a series of quickfire, 10-minute slots.

Wed 26 Feb

FAWLTY TOWERS: THE DINNER SHOW

BONAR HALL, 19:30–22:00, £28.50

Comedy dining experience served up by a cast of comic players, in tribute to the TV show of the same name, where anything and everything probably will go wrong.

Thu 27 Feb

FAWLTY TOWERS: THE DINNER SHOW

BONAR HALL, 19:30–22:00, £28.50

Comedy dining experience served up by a cast of comic players, in tribute to the TV show of the same name, where anything and everything probably will go wrong.

Fri 28 Feb

FAWLTY TOWERS: THE DINNER SHOW

BONAR HALL, 19:30–22:00, £28.50

Comedy dining experience served up by a cast of comic players, in tribute to the TV show of the same name, where anything and everything probably will go wrong.

BEST OF SCOTTISH COMEDY

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENT/£3 MEMBERS)

A selection of top comics from the contemporary Scottish circuit do their thing, aye.

Thu 27 Feb

THE THURSDAY SHOW (KEVIN GILDEA + KEIR MCALLISTER + BEN VERTH + NICOLA MANTALIOSLOVETT + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

ABSOLUT IMPROV

THE TRON, 19:00–20:00, £5 (£3)

Improv-styled comedy show in the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway, in which the performers create sketches based on audience suggestions.

PANDAMONIUM

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:30–23:30, £3

The Pandamonium Comedy crew return to Cab Vol with a line-up of the best in new, fresh stand-up comedy. Hosted by Rory McAlpine.

Fri 28 Feb

THE FRIDAY SHOW (KEVIN GILDEA + KEIR MCALLISTER + BEN VERTH + NICOLA MANTALIOS-LOVETT + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

IMPROVERTS

BEDLAM THEATRE, 22:30–23:30, £5.50 (£5 MEMBERS)

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 23 Feb

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (ANDREW DOYLE) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

THE SKINNY

Art

Glasgow CCA

SPEAKING IN TONGUES: SONIA BOYCE + PAVEL BÜCHLER + SUSAN HILLER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 8 FEB AND 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Unique exhibition grown out of archival research on the Third Eye Centre and CCA – focusing on the 90s, and inviting three artists who’d shown at different times in that period to return and take over the space with a selection of old and recent works.

Gallery of Modern Art

NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE: THE ERIC AND JEAN CASS GIFT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 17 DEC AND 16 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of 13 sculptures, one lithograph and other related ephemera by French sculptor, painter, and film maker Niki de Saint Phalle, gifted to Glasgow Museums through the Contemporary Art Society.

IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: POET, ARTIST, REVOLUTIONARY

22 JUN – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of graphic prints and sculptural installations by the late Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006), drawn from Glasgow Museums’ own gifted collection.

LIVING WITH THE WAR

7 OCT – 9 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Work from Glasgow Museums’ art collections, illustrating how artists from places as far ranging as Berlin, Brazil, Glasgow, London, Los Angeles, the Middle East and South Korea respond to the effects and prevalence of war and conflict around the world.

Glasgow Green JANNICA HONEY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 1 MAR AND 13 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Photographer Jannica Honey showcases a selection of photos shot in Kahnawake, a Mohawk reservation outside Montreal, capturing the diverse range of residents she spent two days with whilst walking around the 9000-strong community.

Glasgow Print Studio

IN ABSTRACTION: HETTY HAXWORTH, AIMÉE HENDERSON + ROSALIND LAWLESS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 6 FEB AND 23 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Triple-header exhibition taking in screenprints and landscapes by Hetty Haxworth, abstract oil on paper works by Aimée Henderson and prints exploring architecture and space by Rosalind Lawless.

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

SCOTT ROGERS: NEGATIVE MIRACLE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 JAN AND 1 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Showcase of new work by Canadian artist Scott Rogers, following his year-long Graduate Fellowship at GSS from November 2012 until November 2013 – taking in new works in video, sound, sculpture and drawing.

Intermedia

ALEX MILLAR: NOVELLA

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 FEB AND 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Our RSA New Contemporaries 2013 winner takes to an exhibition setting as part of his prize, showing pieces developed on artist residency in Marseille – with the centrepiece an installation industrial and domestic, organic and inorganic materials.

February 2014

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum JACK VETTRIANO: A RETROSPECTIVE

21 SEP – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, £5 (£3)

The most comprehensive exhibition ever devoted to Scottish artist, Jack Vettriano - bringing together his most definitive works gathered for the first time from private collections around the world.

Mary Mary

ALAN REID: AN ABSENT MONUMENT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 JAN AND 15 MAR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

The contemporary New Yorkbased artist – best known for his delicately-colored pencil images of heiresses, bored fashionistas and aquiline beauties – displays an allnew batch of paintings alongside a 20-metre bas-relief mural.

RGI Kelly Gallery

RGI GROUP EXHIBITION

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 11 FEB AND 29 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

For the first time in its 152-year history, the Royal Glasgow Institute mount a collective exhibition of artworks by current RGI artists – featuring a selection of small works by today’s RGIs.

Street Level Photoworks

HELGA PARIS: FOTOGRAFIE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 8 FEB AND 30 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of work from the renowned German photographer known for her uniquely compassionate approach to her subjects, with this set telling the melancholic vitality of East Berlin corner bars and the poetic dilapidation of old Berlin streets in the 70s.

The Arches

GABRIELLA MARCELLA DITANO

23 JAN – 27 FEB, 12:00PM – 11:00PM, FREE

Exhibition of work from the Glasgow-based designer and the director of Risotto, a risograph print and design studio, specialising in providing events, venues, labels and individuals with a range of print, design, installations and art direction.

The Glad Cafe

SCOTLAND’S DESIGNERS INSIDE THE STUDIO

4–24 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Not-for-profit thrift shop, Glad Rags Thrift, present a special exhibition placing focus on a selection of some of Scotland’s most talented fashion designers.

The Hidden Lane Gallery MARGARET WATKINS: ART AND ADVERTISING

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 9 NOV AND 28 FEB, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Intriguing body of work from the celebrated Canadian-born photographer who lived in obscurity in Glasgow for the last 40 years of her life – exploring, for the time, her innovative approach to photography for advertising.

DERELICT GLASGOW 24 JAN – 4 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Intriguing exhibition exploring the forgotten spaces and buildings in and around Glasgow, as documented by derelictglasgow.co.uk – a photographic record site of the derelict architecture of Glasgow.

SPRING FLING

31 JAN – 22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collective exhibition of work by leading Dumfries and Galloway designers, featuring pieces by 18 ceramicists, jewellers, textile designers, printmakers and others with a national and international profile.

D&G|OUT

31 JAN – 22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collective exhibition of work by Dumfries and Galloway designers and makers, featuring pieces by 18 ceramicists, jewellers, textile designers, printmakers and others with a national and international profile.

IT’S NOT VERY NICE THAT: POLITICS IN CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC DESIGN

21 FEB – 27 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A look at graphic and communication design’s active engagement in an evolving political landscape, examining the resurgence of political practice among designers since the mid-00s.

BRITAIN FROM ABOVE: SCOTLAND’S INDUSTRIAL MIGHT

14 FEB – 27 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition tracing the histories of factories, shipyards, mills, ironworks and their surrounding communities over three decades, from 1919 to 1953, drawing on many rare and previously unseen aerial images.

FRIENDS OF WILSON: ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTIC PANELS

28 FEB – 6 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Major installation of the new modular wall panel system, Tessellate, alongside video and audio that highlights the important benefits that good acoustic design can bring to the spaces we live, work and socialise in.

The Mitchell Library ROBERT MCNEIL: WITNESS

24 JAN – 15 FEB, NOT 26 JAN, 2 FEB, 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Produced over a period of three years, in direct response to his forensic science work in numerous war zones, artist Robert McNeil explores various means by which to express his experience – laden with symbolism in a contemporary iconography.

The Modern Institute TOBY PATERSON

25 JAN – 21 FEB, NOT 26 JAN, 2 FEB, 9 FEB, 16 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Glasgow-based artist showcases a collection of new works, best known for his preoccupation with urban landscapes and architectural structure.

The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane

KIM FISHER: DIRTY KITCHEN

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 8 FEB AND 22 MAR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Lighthouse

Solo showcase of new paintings from the contemporary Los Angeles-based visual artist.

6 DEC – 5 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Virginia Gallery

REACTIVATE: INNOVATORS OF DUTCH ARCHITECTURE

Interesting profile of a number of ground-breaking projects led by architects in recent years in response to changes in society – from a rooftop vegetable garden on a disused office building to a crowd funded bridge over a motorway.

SCOTTISH SCENIC ROUTES

14 FEB – 13 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of the winning and shortlisted entries to the Scottish Scenic Routes competition, involving young architects in the development of a series of interventions along Scotland’s most scenic roads.

MÉNAGE A TROIS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 JAN AND 21 FEB, 11:00AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Group show taking in predominantly black and white images from a trio of French photographers: Aurélie Prissette, Pierre Joël and Anne-Sophie Jal.

Tramway SARAH LUCAS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 31 JAN AND 16 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

First substantial Scottish exhibition of British sculptor Sarah Lucas’ work – known for her provocative pieces which challenge and subvert attitudes towards the body, gender and sexuality – taking in key pieces from over twenty years of work.

SARAH WRIGHT 15 FEB – 2 MAR, NOT 17 FEB, 24 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Glasgow School of Art Painting and Printmaking graduate presents a new body of immersive print installations investigating topics such as authenticity and the duplication of the autonomous artwork.

iota @ Unlimited Studios LOVELINES 2014

7–14 FEB, NOT 9, 10, TIMES VARY, FREE

Back by popular demand, Lovelines invites members of the public to draw, paint and write ‘tokens’ of love – which will be displayed on the walls of the gallery, before being collected by their intended Valentine.

Inverleith House ALEX DORDOY: PERSISTENCEBEATSRESISTANCE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 JAN AND 30 MAR, 10:00AM – 5:30PM, FREE

First UK public exhibition by Glasgow School of Art graduate, featuring new work made for Inverleith House – including two large paintings and decorative plinths which visually overpower the objects they are designed to support.

Old College Quad

THE LANTERNS OF TERRACOTTA WARRIORS

29 JAN – 7 FEB, 4:00PM – 9:00PM, FREE

Edinburgh

In celebration of Chinese new year, Edinburgh University’s Old College Quadrangle exhibits Xia Nan’s brightly-coloured lantern ‘army’ – 90 lit-up lantern figures of men, women and children up to 2.5 metres high.

City Art Centre

Open Eye Gallery

WALTER GEIKIE

19 OCT – 2 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Retrospective exhibition of 19th century artist Walter Geikie (1795-1837), concentrating on his figurative imagery – taking in the etchings for which he is best known, alongside a selection of drawings and paintings.

CITIZEN CURATOR

26 OCT – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Special exhibition exploring and celebrating Leith’s fascinating and varied heritage, taking in works by well known Leithers such as Eduardo Paolozzi, and depictions of the local area by artists including Alexander Nasmyth, Jock McFadyen and Kate Downie.

Collective Gallery

FACTISH FIELD PROJECT 2: BERTILLE BAK

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 17 JAN AND 2 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

For the second Factish Field exhibit, Collective show work by Bertille Bak – a Paris-based artist working predominantly in film, drawing on her observations of the communities she’s visited. Also marking the first exhibition in Collective’s City Dome.

Dovecot

BROAD HORIZONS: DOVECOT POLYMATHS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 24 JAN AND 22 MAR, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Exhibition of works – both past and present – from a selection of some of the most influential and multi-talented artists to have worked with Dovecot Studios in recent years.

Edinburgh Printmakers

MARY MODEEN: THE ABSOLUTELY OTHER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 JAN AND 15 MAR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Installation of prints examining representations of metaphysical states of cognitive awareness, including overlays of visual memory, including new work commissioned and published especially

by Edinburgh Printmakers.

Ingleby Gallery ELLSWORTH KELLY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 11 JAN AND 22 FEB, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Exhibition of prints from the renowned 90-year-old American artist – for which he has handselected twelve prints from his own collection to form a concise retrospective of over 40 years of abstract printmaking.

JONATHAN OWEN

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 1 MAR AND 19 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Solo exhibition presenting a selection of major drawings and sculptural works made since 2012, representing Owen’s unique brand of elegant vandalism – reducing his subjects in order to delicately examine the essential qualities of an object or image.

ABIGAIL MCLELLAN + ALASDAIR WALLACE

3–18 FEB, NOT 9, 16, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of paintings celebrating the life and work of late Scottish artist, Abigail McLellan, accompanied by fellow Glasgow School of Art alumnus Alasdair Wallace.

JENNY SMITH: SHADOW DRAWING

3–18 FEB, NOT 9, 16, TIMES VARY, FREE

Scottish printmaker Jenny Smith showcases a series of seven laser etched prints that investigate sunlight as a drawing medium, inspired by a residency at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in 2010.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall HIMALAYAS AND RAJASTHAN

3–8 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Photographer Ian Preece showcases a selection of images taken across the Himalayas and Rajasthan, offering an insight into the diversity of culture and the environment across the regions.

Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES 2014

15 FEB – 12 MAR, TIMES VARY, £4 (£2)

Now in its sixth year, New Contemporaries offers up the pick of last year’s degree shows, with works from graduates in Fine Art and Architecture jostling for attention in the grand neoclassical gallery.

And we’ll again pick our very own Skinny winner.

Scottish National Gallery ALLAN RAMSAY AT 300

19 OCT – 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of the Scottish National Gallery’s unrivalled holdings of drawings by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), to mark the 300th anniversary of his birth. Coinciding with the major exhibition at the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow.

PICTURE HOOKS

1 NOV – 16 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition featuring work by ten illustrators of books for children, with participants and mentors paired together for a year – with the very first The New Scottish Illustrator Award awarded to one of the artists on show. In the IT Gallery.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art LOUISE BOURGEOIS: A WOMAN WITHOUT SECRETS

28 OCT – 18 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Major presentation of works by the late French-American artist, highlighting a selection of her late work – revealing how Bourgeois, working in a variety of materials and scales, deftly explores the mystery and beauty of human emotions.

THE SCOTTISH COLOURISTS SERIES: JD FERGUSSON 7 DEC – 15 JUN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £7 (£5)

The National Galleries of Scotland draw to a close their Scottish Colourist Series, culminating with a retrospective of the work of Edinburgh-born JD Fergusson – taking in more than 100 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and items of archival material.

NEW ACQUISITIONS

27 JAN – 4 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

All-new display occupying the whole top floor of the Modern One, highlighting some of the most recent additions to the gallery – including a major bequest from the collection of the late Henry and Sula Walton of prints by Picasso, Cézanne, and Hockney.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery VIVIAN SASSEN: IN AND OUT OF FASHION

19 OCT – 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

First retrospective of Dutch-born contemproary fashion photographer Viviane Sassenand - taking to the Portrait Gallery from Huis Marseille Museum, Amsterdam – displaying her trademark flamboyant, formally inventive and occasionally surreal imagery.

WORK, UNION, CIVIL WAR, FAITH, ROOTS

5 OCT – 6 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Group exhibition created during five community outreach projects investigating the contemporary relevance of major transformations in Scottish history – inspired by portraits and personalities from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection.

MAKING HISTORY

12 OCT – 28 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo exhibition of recent work

by Sandy Stoddart (Sculptor In Ordinary to The Queen of Scotland), of which the main focus will be the creation of a new figurative statue of William Birnie Rhind commissioned by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

MODERN PORTRAITS

16 NOV – 11 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collective exhibition bringing together a varied series of 20th and 21st century works of portraiture, including Stanley Curister, Robert Heriot Westwater, Victoria Crowe, Maggi Hambling and William McCance.

THE TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE

1 MAR – 26 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of sixty portraits anonymously selected for inclusion from over five thousand, featuring a batch of emerging young photographers, alongside that of established professionals, photography students and gifted amateurs.

PIONEERS OF SCIENCE

27 JAN – 11 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Revealing exhibition looking at the innovative figures who have helped shape the modern world, moving from portraits of John Logie Baird and Alexander Fleming, to Dolly the sheep’s death mask.

THE MODERN SCOT

27 JAN – 11 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition revealing how Scottish artists and writers expressed a uniquely modern sensibility in the first decades of the twentieth century, looking at the creative men and women who championed a progressive national culture post-WW1.

St Andrew’s Square FIELD OF LIGHT

3 FEB – 27 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Magical outdoor art installation for which the work of internationally acclaimed artist and light art practitioner, Bruce Munro, will illuminate Edinburgh’s St Andrew’s Square using thousands of acrylic stems gradually lighting up as darkness falls.

Stills

CONSTRUCTIONS OF LANDSCAPE: WORK IN PROGRESS 3

1 FEB – 6 APR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Work in Progress series presenting the photography of artists working with Stills’ production facilities and residency programmes, with this exhibition employing techniques of refraction, juxtaposition, montage and alternative photographic processes.

Summerhall STEFAN ROLLOFF: NSA

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Berlin-based artist Stefan Roloff takes to a gallery setting to combine installation with video to create environments that reinforce the message of his politically-committed films.

KARIN GUNNARSSON APPARITIONS

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Known for her work examining the otherworldly-ness and absence associated with ghosts, Karen Gunnarsson displays a new sitespecific installation, informed

by Summerhall’s former life as a veterinary college and hospital.

IAN HUGHES: UNEARTHED TONGUES SET FREE

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Deliberately using shocking techniques as a metaphor for the true horror of the Holocaust, Edinburgh-based Ian Hughes displays a series photographs, paintings and sculptures inspired by his visit to Poland and Russia.

STEPHANIE MANN: INHERIT THIS MANGO

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Stephanie Mann gives a contemporary twist to the still life tradition by using video and photography alongside large wall installations to expand the framing of her works beyond simply the canvas.

THOMAS ANDERSON: REST ASSURED

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Thomas Anderson creates adaptations from memorable works of fiction, rooting them in reality with moving image and stills visually representing the punctuation of life.

COLIN JARVIE: IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Special exhibition exploring two of late photographer Colin Jarvie’s contrasting ‘realities’ from the series My World, My Wife, My Camera and Juan y... and (The Bus Drivers of Acapulco).

KEVIN WILLIAMSON: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Showcase of eight short films inspired by the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, by author, poet and visual artist Kevin Williamson – founder of Rebel Inc. and co-founder Neu! Reekie!.

ALAN SMITHEE: THE GRUDGE SHED

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Scottish artist Alan Smithee invites one and all to admit their sins, and even relish them – setting up a ‘Grudge Shed’ in Summerhall’s courtyard, where visitors can leave small sacrifices and tributes to the gods of grievance.

DIETER ROTH: ROT ROT(H) ROTH

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Small exhibition of the bookworks, printed editions and ephemera of the master printmaker, obsessive cataloguer and lover of all decay, Dieter Roth.

HARRY PAPADOPOULOS: THE EDIT

8 FEB – 22 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Exhibition of legendary Scottish music photographer Harry Papadopoulos, taking in acts the photographer captured of the post-punk waterfront - including Edwyn Collins and Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, Josef K and Edinburgh luminaries Davy Henderson.

Talbot Rice Gallery

EVER/PRESENT/PAST: MARK DION + CLAIRE BARCLAY

16 NOV – 15 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The programme of events exploring the history of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital throughout 2013 – its bi-centenary year – culminates with Talbot Rice’s double-header exhibition, featuring new commissions from Mark Dion and Claire Barclay.

The Fruitmarket Gallery LOUISE BOURGEOIS: I GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY

26 OCT – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Major exhibition of renowned French-American artist and sculptor Louise Bourgeois, taking in a selection of works on paper centered on her Insomnia Drawings – a suite of 220 drawings and writings made between 1994 and June 1995 to combat her insomnia.

The Queen’s Gallery

THOMAS ROWLANDSON: HIGH SPIRITS

22 NOV – 2 MAR, 9:30AM – 4:30PM, £6.25 (£5.70)

Special display of around 100 works by one of the popular caricaturist of Georgian Britain, with the absurdities of fashion, the perils of love, political machinations and royal intrigue all part of his daily subject matter.

Dundee Cooper Gallery NAIZA KHAN: DISRUPTING THE ALIGNMENT

17 JAN – 15 FEB, NOT 19 JAN, 26 JAN, 2 FEB, 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Installation of film works and watercolours by Naiza Khan, a leading figure of Contemporary Art in Pakistan recently awarded the prestigious Prince Claus Award, which supports freedom of cultural expression.

KATHRIN SONNTAG: I SEE YOU SEEING ME

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 FEB AND 5 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Newly-commissioned series of photographs by Berlin-based artist Kathrin Sonntag, marking her first solo exhibition in the UK. AT INTERVALS

27 JAN – 15 FEB, NOT 2 FEB, 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Special satellite exhibition to accompany the Disrupting the Alignment exhibition running concurrently at Cooper Gallery, featuring three moving image works from emerging film artists from Pakistan: Basir Mahmood, Seher Naveed and Fazal Rizvi.

DCA

THOMSON & CRAIGHEAD: MAPS DNA AND SPAM

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 JAN AND 16 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Largest solo show in Scotland to date of the work of Thomson & Craighead, commemorating 20 years working together as collaborative artists – featuring new work and a selection of the duo’s best-regarded installations.

Generator Projects

GENERATOR PROJECTS’ ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 31 JAN AND 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Generator Projects pitch up for their Annual Members Show – an eclectic mix of work from their diverse membership, building on conversations from the previous year and igniting action and dialogues that will follow in the 2014 programme.

The McManus

RE:NEW: CONTEMPORARY ART FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION

23 AUG – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Pieces selected from Dundee Art Galleries and Museums most recent art acquisitions go on display in a temporary exhibition that offers opportunities to engage with a selection of contemporary work from both Scottish and European artists.

A SILVERED LIGHT

6 DEC – 30 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of Scottish art photography selected from Dundee City’s permanent collection, showcasing images from over 50 photographers collected in the 28 years following the purchase of two important early photographs

by Thomas Joshua Cooper in 1985.

Listings

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