Love Bites: Dual Carriageway Dreaming

Words: Lucy Fitzgerald

The places many dream of visiting to restore personal peace are typically locations of idyllic escape – tropical beaches, Mediterranean verandas, or cypress tree-filled Tuscan fields. But my desires lead me somewhere different: motorway service stations. Yes, I choose to fantasise about the concrete complexes that border our dismal dual carriageways.

I recognise that fixating on these glorified car parks perhaps su ests a grim reality, but my love for them is bound up in the romance and adventure of cinematic road trips, from renegade lovers hitting the open road in Badlands, to the daring abandon of Easy Rider. I think fondly of the rustic glamour of rest stops presented in American film, with their Googie architecture and kitschy signage; I think of the wheels of a Cadillac or camper van scuffing sandy desert ground as it exits Route 66 and pulls up to the pump; I think of True Romance and Thelma and Louise. And so, as I descend the stairs of my National Express bus somewhere outside Penrith and take in a panoramic view of Eddie Stobart trucks, I indulge an Americana delusion that I too am an elusive vagabond – high on counter-culture and low on gas.

When refuelling, re-stocking, and relaxing in this liminal space, I feel revitalised and bound by no law, only loosely tethered to society by the headlines on newspaper stands. I revert to a toddler-like state: I dance on the linoleum floor, I’m in desperate need of the toilet, and I’m overly excited at the prospect of a snack. With no duty to be productive, I am free to play, nap, and surrender to silliness. Whenever my inner child hits those brakes, I find myself reimagining Tebay Services as Utah and my Costa coffee as bootleg cargo.

Galloway, 25-28 May

Set along the banks of the gorgeous Water of Deugh and at the foot of some of Scotland’s most beautiful hills, Knockengorroch is one of Scotland’s most charming outdoor festivals, bringing a love of nature and a real family vibe to the often hectic festival calendar. This year they celebrate their 25th birthday, with a lineup including drum ‘n’ bass supergroup Bad Company UK and party legends Los Chicanos.

The Modern Institute, Glasgow, until 20 May

Japanese mythology, figurative painting and sculpture come together in Yuichi Hirako’s ecologically minded exhibition, which draws on the figure of the kodoma, or “tree-man”, to stage an inquiry into our inconsistent and complex relationship with nature. Through fantastical, purgatorial landscapes that trap the viewer into a new and haunted kind of nature, Hirako demands we reorient our own sense of self within our environments.

Spring continues to creep in as events move outdoors, festival shenanigans ramp up, and the cities fill up with art and music.

Compiled by Anahit Behrooz

The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 7 May, 7pm

The noughties indie rock band that just keep getting better and better, FOALS’ new album Life Is Yours is one of their best yet – and that’s saying something. Melding infectious rock and disco riffs, intimate lyricism, and a startling, grunge-y romanticism, this is music that is simultaneously wrenching and irresistible. Their show, unsurprisingly, sold out in minutes but beg, borrow, or steal a ticket if you can.

Zineb Sedira: Can’t You

See the Sea Changing?

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, until 6 Aug

Marking the artist’s first UK project in 12 years, Zineb Sedira’s newest exhibition brings together film, photography and installation to explore ideas of identity, belonging, and collective memory. Her work draws on her own personal experiences of belonging to different cultures: caught between France and Algeria, Sedira holds up the sea as a symbol of a fluid border space that can articulate conditions of transnationality and migrant consciousness.

Hopetoun House, Edinburgh, 20-21 May

A two-day dance music extravaganza taking place in the atmospheric grounds of Hopetoun House, FLY Open Air Festival brings together the best of house, techno and disco, from big international names to the FLY residents who make the Scottish club scene what it is. Highlights from the lineup include Berlin duo DJ HEARTSTRING, FLY legend Denis Sulta and Glasgow rave sensation AISHA.

Edinburgh Tradfest

Various venues, Edinburgh,until 8 May

Scottish Ballet: A Streetcar Named Desire Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 3-6 May, 7:30pm

A Streetcar Named Desire has been on everyone’s minds recently (hello, Paul Mescal), so there’s no better time to see Scottish Ballet’s subversive and outrageously sexy interpretation of the classic Tennessee Williams play. This is contemporary narrative ballet at its most sizzling and expressionistic, featuring a stunning score, mesmerising choreography, and the kind of sultry production design that transplants you immediately in 1940s New Orleans.

Brownbear

The Caves, Edinburgh, 12 May, 7pm

TS7

SWG3, Glasgow, 19 May, 11pm

Having immersed himself in the UK’s garage scene in his hometown of Bradford, TS7 (aka Thomas Sampson) is now one of the country’s most exciting garage DJs and heads up to Glasgow this month to make his Scottish debut, playing everything from garage-influenced cuts of chart-topping hits to original beats.

Radio 1's Big Weekend

Camperdown Park, Dundee, 26-28 May

For the first time since 2006, Radio 1’s Big Weekend is headed to Dundee. Catch the likes of Wet Leg, The 1975, Self Esteem, and Arlo Parks, while more local acts include Bemz and The Snuts. Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday are sold out, although keep an eye on resale, but tickets for the Friday dance event – featuring the likes of Jamie xx, Eliza Rose and Barry Can’t Swim – are still available.

Brooke Combe

Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow, 12 May, 7pm

Edinburgh-based singer Brooke Combe saw her star rise during the shut-ins of the pandemic, and is now bringing her irresistible brand of pop-soul – with influences as diverse as Whitney Houston and Arctic Monkeys – out in the real world. With a host of festival slots through the summer, this relatively more intimate show at Queen Margaret Union is one of the last of her tour.

Love the Sinner

Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 11-13 May, 7:30pm

Having started out life as a performance poetry collection, Imogen Stirling’s acclaimed Love the Sinner is transforming into a fully staged theatre show. Following the embodiments of the Seven Sins as they negotiate the contemporary world and their place within it, Love the Sinner melds Stirling’s lyricism with dynamic visual theatre and electronica for a mythic investigation into what it means to be human and flawed.

CineMasters: Wes Anderson

Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, 7 May-5 Jul

With the release of Asteroid City just round the corner, Glasgow Film Theatre are delving into the work of quirky king Wes Anderson this month. Kicking off with a screening of the director’s breakthrough sophomore feature Rushmore, find all the classics – from Fantastic Mr Fox to Moonrise Kingdom – in the programme, as well as 35mm screenings of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Palidrone: De Grandi

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 5 May, 11pm

Edinburgh techno party Palidrone welcomes Parisian wunderkind De Grandi back. Now one of the Paris underground scene’s most propulsive artists, De Grandi is known for his experimental cuts that bleed the boundaries between techno, trance, and grime. Support on the night comes from beloved Palidrone residents J Wax, Provost and Dansa.

All details were correct at the time of writing, but are subject to change. Please check organisers’ websites for up to date information.

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival

Various venues, Edinburgh, 27 May-4 Jun

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 11 May, 8pm

Leith Folk & Lore

Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, until 26 May

Various venues, Dumfries and Galloway, 20-28 May