The Skinny Scotland March 2017

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CULT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

March 2017 Scotland Issue 138

Music Grandaddy Austra Pulled Apart by Horses Blanck Mass Former Bullies The Little Kicks Desperate Journalist Start to End Manuela Ibibio Sound Machine Art Kevin Harman Travis Alabanza Mads Holm Comedy Glasgow Comedy Festival Fern Brady Scott Agnew Susie McCabe

Clubs Eats Everything Nightwave Film Paul Verhoeven Kelly Reichardt Ben Wheatley Olivier Assayas Books Aye Write!

Megan Bradbury Nasty Women / 404 Ink Hull City of Culture Featuring John Grant, Humber St Gallery & Neu! Reekie!

A World of Music SPRING INTO 2017 WITH OUR GUIDE TO FESTIVALS AROUND THE GLOBE

MUSIC | FILM | CLUBS | THEATRE | ART | BOOKS | COMEDY | TRAVEL | FOOD & DRINK | DEVIANCE | LISTINGS

3

P.36 Mads Holm

P.44 All Access Areas

March 2017 I N DEPEN DENT

CULTU R AL

JOU R NALI S M

Issue 138, March 2017 Š Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, 1.9 1st Floor Tower, Techcube, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Pl, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL The Skinny is Scotland's largest independent entertainment & listings magazine, and offers a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business.

Get in touch to find out more.

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Printed by Mortons Print Limited, Horncastle ABC verified Jan – Dec 2016: 27,332

printed on 100% recycled paper

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Art Editor Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor Events Editor Film & DVD Editor Food Editor Music Editor Theatre Editor Travel Editor

Rosamund West Will Fitzpatrick Adam Benmakhlouf Alan Bett Claire Francis Ben Venables Kate Pasola Kate Pasola Jamie Dunn Peter Simpson Tallah Brash Amy Taylor Paul Mitchell

Production Production Manager Designer

Sarah Donley Kyle McPartlin

Sales Sales Manager Sales Executives Online Digital Editor Web Developer General Manager Publisher

4

Contents

Sandy Park George Sully Victoria Brough Peter Simpson Stuart Spencer Kyla Hall Sophie Kyle

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jessica McDermott

P.28 Glasgow Comedy Festival

Illustration: Eunjoo Lee

P.10 International Music Festival

Contents Chat & Opinion: Crystal Baws, Stop the 06 Presses, Shot of the Month, Online Only, Jock Mooney’s What Are You Having For Lunch?

Heads Up: Get your dobber out for our 08 Scottish cultural bingo! Everything you need for a stimulating March, from club nights in secret locations to lectures about psychopaths.

FEATURES your summer escape? We’ve 10 Planning searched high and low to bring you a careful selection of the best International Music Festivals happening in 2017, from Mexico to Japan (also includes Dumfries).

12 Austra frontwoman and driving force

Katie Stelmanis, talks utopian visions and third album Future Politics.

15 Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle discusses the band's collapse and resurrection, 11 years after their last album.

16 Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven returns af-

ter a ten year absence to promote Elle. We take the opportunity to talk to him about sex, satire and Isabelle Huppert.

18 Kelly Reichardt opens up about her singular approach to filmmaking ahead of the release of Certain Women.

19 Pulled Apart by Horses’ Robert Lee on getting the band’s attitude and spirit back for new album The Haze.

21 Eats Everything aka Dan Pearce talks Fabric mixes and dream collaborations ahead of an appearance at this year’s Snowbombing festival. done everything from smashing in 22 aHe’s gallery window to shitting on a pigeon.

Now Kevin Harman returns with an early career retrospective down Leith Docks.

24 Megan Bradbury discusses telling the

story of New York ahead of the release of Everyone is Watching, which strings together the tales of four historical figures.

25 Nasty Women, 404 Ink’s first book is out

this month and has already smashed its Kickstarter target.

26 Benjamin John Power aka Blanck Mass

aka one half of Fuck Buttons introduces third album World Eater.

27 Former Bullies singer Nick Ainsworth

on longevity, sadness and Evan Danco.

28 As Glasgow Comedy Festival rolls into

town we speak to Scott Agnew and Susie McCabe, and case an eye over some rising talent. Fern Brady reminisces about that time she met a pseudo political pundit by the name of Milo.

Maya Medvesek, or DJ and producer 30 Nightwave, on her Producergirls workshops.

31 Director Ben Wheatley teams up with

one of his stars, Sharlto Copley, to discuss his latest release, Free Fire.

32 Glasgow book festival Aye Write! Is back

– here are some highlights. Plus, we look forward to the latest CCA programme of art, music and film.

33 Manuela are wife and husband duo

Manuela Gernedel and Nick McCarthy.

We talk to the couple about their intimate and eccentric debut album.

34 North London alt-goth-rockers Desperate Journalist talk growing up and their sophomore album, aptly named... Grow Up

35 Artist Travis Alabanza seeks collabora-

tors from the Scottish black community ahead of a Transmission show in May.

HULL CITY OF CULTURE SUPPLEMENT

39 Have you seen what’s happening in Hull

in 2017? We talk to John Grant about his North Atlantic Flux programme, Neu Reekie about ‘festival of the counter culture’ Where Are We Now? and Showcase the Humber St Gallery programme.

LIFESTYLE

36 Showcase: Glasgow and Copenhagenbased photographer Mads Holm displays a project exploring borders and modern politics.

43 Travel: The Living Abroad series takes a trip to Vietnam with a guide to starting over in Ho Chi Minh City.

44 Deviance: We take a closer look at the issues around disabled access in the cultural realm.

45 Food & Drink: Roasting is the next big

thing. Plus a guide to the latest news in venue openings and events.

REVIEW

49 Music: March’s albums reviewed, plus

words with Aberdeen’s Little Kicks and Glasgow’s Start to End.

54 Clubs: 100% pure bangerz.

56 Books: Literary bonanza ahoy!

57 Art: Reviews of last month's exhibits

at Queenspark Railway Club and Mary Mary, plus tip-offs for the month ahead in Scottish art.

58 Film: Personal Shopper filmmaker

Olivier Assayas tells us why Kristen Stewart is the bomb, plus a critical glance at the gems of GFF.

60 Theatre: Auntie Trash pays tribute to a

theatre buddy lost too soon, while the reviews team take a look at surrogacy drama Made In India and Max Webster's A Winter's Tale remix.

61 Comedy: Fringe Dog is a very bad dog who can’t review KellyAnne Conway’s stand-up.

62 Competitions: TREATS up for grabs. Gig tickets? Free books? Festival entry? Oh, we're good to you.

63 Listings: Things to do bonanza ahoy!

71 The Last Word: Ibibio Sound System

frontwoman Eno Williams talks influences ahead of the release of new album Uyai.

March 2017

Contents

5

Editorial

W

elcome to the magazine. This month we optimistically hail the advent of spring as storm Doris rages outside our window. The upside of the calamitous weather conditions is they show off the flag we recently planted atop Summerhall to wondrous effect. Did I mention we have a flag? We have a flag now. Three in fact – one on the building our office calls home, one for our Salford office, and one that we shall use in media partnerships as soon as we can find another media partner who’s willing to let us claim symbolic ownership of their building. FLAGS. The promise of spring is also allowing us to turn thoughts towards the idea of summer, a possibly mythical time when people can go outside in the daylight and enjoy watching live music. This still seems like an impossible dream here in Scotland, so we’re going to start off our annual music festival extravaganza by looking at where you can go around the world to listen to some sweet sweet bangers and bask in the sunlight. From Brooklyn to Mount Fuji via Istanbul and… North Ayrshire, our music team have worked tirelessly to provide you with a carefully curated rundown of their dream destinations for 2017.

Also in Music this month you will find interviews with Austra’s driving force Katie Stelmanis, discussing utopianism and the need for her generation to start thinking about changing the system from within. Grandaddy are back with their first album in 11 years, so we meet frontman Jason Lytle to hear about living in the hills and his struggles with touring. Ibibio Sound System’s Eno Williams offers us a guided tour through their diverse creative influences and inspirations, ahead of the release of sophomore album Uyai. We’ve also spent time with Blanck Mass, Eats Everything, Pulled Apart by Horses, Nightwave, Manuela, Desperate Journalist, the Little Kicks and the brains behind Glasgow completist covers night Start to End. A pretty jampacked musical issue, all in all, and that’s before you even get to the albums or event highlights.

Film had a busy February, what with Glasgow Film Festival and our extra special mini-edition the CineSkinny. That didn’t stop them from scoring a clutch of interviews with such fascinating figures

as Paul Verhoeven, back after a ten year absence and ready to talk about sex and satire. Kelly Reichardt discusses a career on the Hollywood fringes as her latest, Certain Women, becomes her first film to pass the million dollar mark at the US box office. Ben Wheatley and Sharlto Copley team up to discuss Free Fire, while Olivier Assayas speaks in startlingly glowing terms about his star, Kristen Stewart, ahead of the release of Personal Shopper.

Two festivals arrive in Glasgow this month.

There’s the Glasgow Comedy Festival, previewed by our team with interviews with Susie McCabe and Rutherglen native Scott Agnew, plus the first in a new series of comedians on ethics, this month starring the wonderful Fern Brady reminiscing on a time she filmed a pilot with some micro pigs and a little known posho named Milo. In Books, Aye Write! comes to town with another fine array of literary events. We also meet publishers 404 Ink to hear about their debut book Nasty Women, which has already drawn praise from none other than Margaret Atwood, and smashed its Kickstarter fundraising target, so great is the appetite for a work celebrating the thoughts and words of said nasty women. Author Megan Bradbury introduces her work Everyone is Watching, which contributes to the narrative of New York through the lives of four famous inhabitants.

Art looks forward to a Leith Docks retrospective of the inimitable Kevin Harman, taking a trip down memory lane to celebrate the various atrocities he has already committed in a career spanning less than a decade. We also meet Travis Alabanza, who will be presenting a show in Transmission in May, and seeks artists from Scotland’s Black community to engage and collaborate. Details on how to get in touch are in the feature, p35. The Showcase this month comes from RSA New Contemporaries, on display on the Mound until the middle of the month. Mads Holm is a Copenhagen-Glasgow-based photographer, and this series offers a fascinating meditation on borders, migration and current political systems. The spread in print provides a snapshot of the series – you can see it in greater detail on his website. [Rosamund West]

The Skinny x Black Bottle @ The Caves Join us at The Caves in Edinburgh on 20 April for an evening of live music, art and other cultural loveliness, in association with the good people at Black Bottle Whisky. The action will be paired with cocktails from some of Edinburgh's top mixologists.

For full line-up details, keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@theskinnymag), but keep the 20th free – you won’t want to miss this.

Optimo announce Optimo 20 all-dayer Celebrate 20 years of JD Twitch and JG Wilkes’ seminal club night with a huge party at SWG3 on 6 Aug. The line-up features DJ sets from Ben UFO, The Black Madonna, Midland and Apeiron Crew,

With Mystic Mark ARIES You become hooked on the new fight-date website, OkDickhead! Thanks to its revolutionary matching algorithm it’s now easier than ever to find someone in your area to fight. Hone down possible matches based on incompatible likes and dislikes, check out each arsehole’s photos before you give them a ‘shove’ or send them an insult-filled chat message. After a bit of goading you can see if they’re starting, and if you really don’t get on, arrange to meet up for a drink and have a fight about it.

VIRGO This month you go to the shamanic sex-health clinic to find out the results of your test. The card is turned to reveal a giant tombstone with the word DICKROT on it. But the tarot reader explains that may just mean “rebirth or something.”

TAURUS Going out with Jigsaw from the Saw movies is hard work. You understand that it’s his passion and you want to support him as he spends long hours developing his fiendish and ironically symbolic torture devices, but is it too much to ask that he just empties the dishwasher now and again?

SCORPIO Your dream is to one day be able to untie the shoelaces that your mother tightened with her iron grip back in 1993. Then maybe you’ll be able to choose your own shoes.

CANCER The only emoticon that could ever speak to how you feel would be a crying poo on fire emoji.

EO L You have started to think that naming train stations after monarchs is a terrible idea after spending five hours defusing a row with your spouse following a text you sent them saying you were “just coming into Victoria now.”

6

Chat

BBC 6 Music Festival set for Glasgow The line-up for the station’s fourth music festival throws up some outlandish bills across a weekend of gigs at the Barrowlands, O2 Academy and Saint Luke’s this month. Depeche Mode, Car Seat Headrest, The Shins, Belle and Sebastian and Anna Meredith are just a few of the names on the bill for the evenings, while Father John Misty, Limmy, Edwyn Collins and John Lydon are all set for the daytime events at Tramway. 24-26 Mar, prices and times vary, full details at theskinny.co.uk/festivals

Crystal Balls

GEMINI This month you make uncomfortable third eye contact with God. He always comes over when this happens, all chatty, telling you to start setting fire to people’s houses and slaying the demons that disguise themselves as children.

By Jock Mooney

plus live sets from The Bug, King Ayisoba, Happy Meals and K-X-P.

LIBRA The wonderment of life: a beetle has probably just crawled right inside another animal’s butt and it didn’t even care. Simply amazing.

SAGITTARIUS In March you’ll cry so much water it puts out the sun. All that’s left will be billions of bodies boiling in an endless sea of dark water.

CAPRICORN While there are people starving to death there are people out there getting their cats liposuctioned because they’re too fat. If only there were a charity that fed the liposuctioned fat to hungry people. You must start this charity – it is your life’s work.

AQUARIUS Like your symbol, the jug, you’re always full to the brim with liquid, get smashed easily and aren’t at all conscious of your surroundings.

PISCES What would you do if it all went to shit tomorrow, every man and woman for themselves? I’d go down to the British Museum and eat Cleopatra.

THE SKINNY

Shot Of The Month

Loyle Carner, The Garage, 3 February, by Ryan Johnston

Online Only

theskinny.co.uk/film Recap the best bits of Glasgow Film Festival with an archive of all of this year’s Cineskinny interviews, lists and reviews, and get a glimpse at the

theskinny.co.uk/food Our brethren in the North try a week of living packaging-free (spoiler: they don’t exactly have a whale of a time), and we dish up some tasty and almost-entirely serious pancake recipes for those of you who’ve grabbed an early copy or are just sticking two fingers up at Lent. theskinny.co.uk/comedy We dive into the Indian stand-up comedy scene and highlight some of the subcontinent’s best comics, plus we get our best petitioning voices ready looking at hidden comedy classics crying out for reissue. What do we want? A We Are Klang boxset! When do we want it? Now, ideally.

Convexe et Concave, 1955, Maurits Cornelis Escher

Photo: Frazmatazz

theskinny.co.uk/music Track premieres from bands and artists from across the music scene! Weekly gig guides to the best live music across Scotland! Interviews with Wild Nothing and Andy Shauf! A playlist selected

by Wild Beasts!

year ahead with our scouting report from Berlin Film Festival.

Credit: Creative Commons

theskinny.co.uk/festivals As if the two pages of fest picks further on in the magazine weren’t enough, head over to the website for details on the programmes from Edinburgh Science Festival, Carnival Fifty Six festival in Dundee, Stag and Dagger in Glasgow, Eden Festival, Kelburn Garden Party and many many more.

Wild Nothings

March 2017

Photo: Claire Maxwell

Spot The Difference Stairedy Cats At first glance these images seem indistinguishable, but like any good M. C. Escher picture, it’s all a trick of the eye.

You see, there are a few important differences between these images. One’s a mind-boggling lithograph, the other a photo of a kitten’s gaff. One features a badly designed staircase, the other a happy feline homebase. One’s a catacomb, the

other a cat’s, er, home. You get the picture.

But which one’s which? Take a step back, get a bit of purr-spective and see if you can spot the difference and let the cat out of the bag. Meow-be you’ll end up our lucky winner and land a copy of The Abundance by Annie Dillard, courtesy of our pawsome pals at Canongate. What you waiting for – cat got your tongue? No prEscher.

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

Opinion

7

Compiled by: Kate Pasola

It's March! Shake off that wintery existential dread and sink your molars into comedy and short film festivals over in Glasgow, a poetry festival in St Andrews, jazz in Aberdeen, and pretty much anything else you fancy in Edinburgh. Wahoo.

Thu 2 Mar

St Andrews' literary bonanza StAnza returns on the first of the month for its 20th anniversary edition.

Stretching until 5 Mar, the programme features the likes of Jackie Kay, John Agard, Patience Agbabi and Jim Carruth. Head to the launch tonight, where Joan Margarit and Sasha Dugdale will whet your appetite in time for the lyrical feast ahead. The Byre Theatre, St Andrews, 6.30pm, free

Tonight, head down to The Scottish Design Exchange, a not-for-profit shop in Ocean Terminal designed to unite fashion designers, artists, publishers, photographers, and makers in obtaining retail experience. They’re launching a brand new textiles department, and are out to lure you into their fabricky realms with fizz, chat and a set from singer-songwriter Jack Hinks.

We won’t say no, tbh.

Scottish Design Exchange, Edinburgh, 7pm, free

John Agard

Scottish Design Exchange

Mon 6 Mar

Tue 7 Mar

Wed 8 Mar

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Brighton-based band Tall Ships. Despite hearty acclaim for their early EPs and 2012 mathrock album Everything Touching, they more recently found themselves stuck without a manager or a label. Nevertheless, due to true grit (and a little bit of help from Fatcat), they persevered and will release a brand new album, Impressions, on 31 Mar. See a preview tonight.

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 8.30pm, £10

Take Me Somewhere, Glasgow's Arches-inspired performance festival of weirdness and queerness continues today after kicking off back in February. We recommend Nando Messias' new show Shoot The Sissy a piece investigating the fear of death experienced vastly across queer people.

Head to takemesomewhere.co.uk for full programming information.

The Art School, Glasgow, 7 Mar, 7.30pm, £5-8

Women. Worth celebrating, right? Yes, correct.

Well, luckily today's International Women's Day and there's a whole loada lady-praising to be done. Mono's hosting a celebration with an all-female line-up of poets, artists and musicians including Rebecca Vasmant, Cat Hepburn and Michelle Cohen, with all profits going to Glasgow Women's Aid. Why not check it out and have a toast to womankind? Mono, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £donation

Tall Ships

Shoot The Sissy

Rebecca Vasmant

Sun 12 Mar

Mon 13 Mar

Tue 14 Mar

Wed 15 Mar

If you couldn't make the Glasgwegian Record Fair back on 4 Mar, here's another chance to get your gnashers into some beefy tunes. Glasgow Music Fair is a two-day congregation of the city's musical mover-shaker folk. Hosted

by Hijacked Records and BAaD and featuring all sorts of industry insight and live performance, it's deffo worth your time.

Barras Art and Design, Glasgow, 12-6pm, free

The lovely keyboard-wielding David O'Doherty isn't one to miss a festival, and it only makes sense that he bring his trunk of heartwarming, silly ditties old and new to the Citizens Theatre as GICF rolls on through March. His new show, Big Time is a little more world-weary than his earlier, more naÏve material, making a night of lovely, for some bittersweet banter. 13-14 Mar, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, 8pm, £15.50-17.50

Thanks to his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show Monkey See Monkey Do, comedian Richard Gadd is known not only for his pun-based show titles and ridonkulous gimmicks, but also his ability to stir the souls of his audiences too. Head to The Stand tonight to see something slightly more raw and introspective from the man who brought us Breaking Gadd and Waiting for Gaddot. The Stand, Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £1012 (also 11 Mar, The Stand, Glasgow, 5pm, £10-12)

Those who prefer to take their films neat, short and sweet should keep an eye our for Glasgow Short Film Festival, Scotland's biggest annual showcase of cinematic talent and expression. Approaching its 10th birthday, the festival is squaring up to its doublefigure legacy with all kinds of juicy programming; a 10th anniversary thread; a selection of prize-winning films, competitions and symposiums galore.

Various venues in Glasgow, 15-19 Mar, £5-6.50

Barras Art and Design

David O'Doherty

Richard Gadd

Tue 21 Mar

Wed 22 Mar

Glasgow gallery The Lighthouse continues its exhibition UNCOVERED: still homeless, still an issue, a unique showcase of street paper covers and vendors’ stories aiming to celebrate the hard work and glowing results of initiatives like The Big Issue. It's the first exhibition of its kind, so get down and be part of it. Long Gallery & Gallery 5, The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Until 9 Apr, free

The Glasgow School of Art Fashion Show has been around for 70 whole years, since it began as a humble event within GSA's Charities Week.

To mark the occasion GSA's hosting a showcase of film, press clippings and more to build a visual histography of the show since its launch in 1947. Head down and get stuck into a tasty combo of fashion and history. Glasgow School of Art, 4-26 Mar, 11am-5pm, free

Sparkling silent films and original soundtracks are on the menu at HippFest, the Bo'ness Hippodrome-based movie festival. There'll be all sorts of classics, oddities and stunning restorations of films dug up from archives; and artists like RM Hubbert and Jane Gardner & Friends will be responsibe for decking them out with brand new underscores. Check out hippfest. co.uk to browse the programme and choose a flick.

Bo'ness Hippodrome, 22-26 Mar, times and prices vary

UNCOVERED

Credit: Courtesy of The Glasgow School of Art

Mon 20 Mar

Sun 26 Mar

Mon 27 Mar

Tue 28 Mar

The bloody hiLOLrious Fern Brady hit Edinburgh Fringe so hard that by the time she was done, she was more star-laden than the crown in her publicity pics. Thanks to GICF you can be part of the live recording of her second solo show Male Comedienne, which as you can imagine was a huge sell-out last August. The Stand, Edinburgh, 6.45pm, £5-6 (also performing Blackfriars Glasgow, 24 Mar, 7.30pm, £8-10)

Selfies: unnecessary relics of our unbridled narcicissm, or a brand new form of self portrait and expression? Nope, we're not about to launch into a think-piece, we're gonna recommend you settle the debate once and for all at Paradise Palms' Selfie

By Numbers workshop, at which a photo you supply in advance of your face will be illustrated and transferred to a canvas – ready for you to paint on the day.

Paradise Palms, 6pm, £12

There's so much more to the art of the Kiki than Ana Matronic and her wigs/heels/smoke machines. Wanna know more? Head to GLITCH Film Festival, created by and for LGBTQI+ people of colour (24 Mar-1 Apr).

Tonight they're screening Kiki, a film by Sara Jordenö which follows young members of the predominantly black contemporary ballroom scene in NYC. CCA, Glasgow, 8pm, free

8

Chat

Fern Brady

Borders

Chicago

Kiki

Selfie By Numbers



THE SKINNY

Credit: Flicker Alley

Heads Up

Wed 1 Mar

Fri 3 Mar

Sat 4 Mar

Sun 5 Mar

Keep March ticking over nicely with a glass of the mother's ruin (or two (or fi ve)) at the UK's largest gin festival (entitled, er, Gin Festival) as it passes through Glasgow. There'll be over 100 gins, some of which you're guaranteed not to have tried yet, and all kinds of masterclasses, tastings and talks. Clinketty clink. The Briggait, Glasgow, 3-5 Mar, £10.50

Joy to be had both ends of the M8 today. The Glaswegian Record Fair's happening at the Old Hairdressers from 1pm-6pm, where you can have a natter with the glitterbrains of the local music industry, including Olive Grove Records, Fuzzkill, Struggletown and Twin City. After, there'll be performances from Catholic Action, Sweaty Palms and the Van T's. Over at Edinburgh's Summerhall, it's Mardi Gras party-time with, in their words food, dancing, booze, brass and disco nuns'. 11pm, £8-10

Just as Scotland's climes become slightly less frigid, Wee Dub Fest arrives on the Cowgate to soundtrack it. If dub, reggae and soundsystem are your kinda thing, buy yourself a ticket and get stuck into four gig and club sessions and a bunch of fringe events spread across seven venues. Line-up includes Mad Professor, Macka B and the Roots Ragga Band, Iration Steppas and, of course Glasgow's very own Mungo's Hifi.

Cowgate, Edinburgh, 3-5 Mar, weekend ticket £40

the Van T's

Gin Festival

Catholic Action

Thu 9 Mar

Fri 10 Mar

Sat 11 Mar

Aw, Glasgow International Comedy Festival is now 15 years old. Where does the time go? These comedy festivals grow up so fast. This year's edition takes place from 9-26 Mar, and we've scattered our reccommendations throughout the rest of Heads Up (and the rest of the mag too!).

Tonight, we're pinning Watch Bad Movies with Great Comedians ft. Joe Heenan & Billy Kirkwood.

Comedian Tattoo Studio, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £5.50

Spend the night at Electric Circus, where Japanborn NYC-based artist Mitski will be present in all her rich, confessional glory (7pm, £10). Then stick around for Skinny Bitches, a cloob featuring the women of The Skinny playing their favourite feminist anthems, breakup bangers and the odd bit of Björk, prolly. Free before midnight.

Banks is back. Did you hear? For her devotees she never went away, her debut album Goddess a sultry staple stuck in our heads (and on repeat) since its 2014 release. But new material is always fun, and her 2016 record The Alter was happily received.

And do you know what'll be received even better? Her live show, tonight. O2 ABC, Glasgow, 7pm, £18.50

Fri 17 Mar

Psychopaths: manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, delusional, and surprisingly prevalent – apparently around one in every hundred of us. Jon Ronson’s Psychopath Night, touring in venues across Scotland and the rest of the UK, details then discusses the freaky (and hilarious) events that led him to his bestselling book, The Psychopath Test. We think it's worth checking out. Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, 16 Mar, 8pm £15-16 / The Lyceum, Edinburgh, 19 Mar, 7.30pm, £18-20 / Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow 22 Mar, 7.30pm, £17.50

If StAnza up in St Andrew's is a little too far away to get your literary fix, check out Glasgow's book festival Aye Write!.

The line-up of poets, authors, books and writers signed up to bring you their wordy wares is splendidly huge, from Makars past and present Jackie Kay and Liz Lochhead to Ian Rankin and Chibundu Onuzo; you're not going to know where to start. See ayewrite.com for times, locations and prices.

Sat 18 Mar

Sun 19 Mar

Aberdeen Jazz Festival's got a few banging numbers on the bill this year. There's corsucating funk collective Ibibio Sound Machine headed up by London-born Nigerian singer Eno Williams; gravelly crooner Curtis Stigers and jazzy trad crossover Fat Suit. The fest takes place between 1517 March in Aberdeen's finest music venues – get your tickets and wrap your ears around something delightful.

Various venues in Aberdeen, times, dates and prices vary, see aberdeenjazzfestival.com for the full programme

Here's the thing. Comedy collective CHUNKS have troll called Craigy Blake who's devoted an exorbitant amount of time to pissing them off since they coincidentally used his name online. He's even called them 'CHUNTS'. In retaliation, they've organised him a stand-up show so ol' Craigy B can prove his claim to being better at comedy than them. It'll be dead funny if he turns up, and probably even funnier if he doesn't. McPhabbs, Glasgow, 3.30pm, free

Aberdeen Jazz Festival

Chibundu Onuzo

Credit: Blayke Images

Thu 16 Mar

Jon Ronson

Banks

Mitski

Thu 23 Mar

Fri 24 Mar

Sat 25 Mar

The Scottish Storytelling Centre's got a treat in store for you tonight; Josephine Sillars' Ripped From The Wire Spine, an hour-long patchwork of music, storytelling, film and spoken word about what happens when you grow up in the Highlands then move to the central belt. The piece also concerns itself with the local creative scene, meaning you'll see such familiar faces as Rachel Sermanni, Emma Pollock, Ross McFarlane in the mix.

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £10

It's Friday night – what better way to spend your eve than by helping Incept celebrate their second birthday? They're drafting in elite DJ/producer Sam Paganini (techno buffs will know him from his insta-classic Rave, released as part of his Satellite LP on Adam Beyer's Drumcode imprint).

Warming up your bodies and whetting your appetites will be Frazier, Nick McPheat, Lindsay Green and Raymond – plenty techno smarts for your buck.

SWG3, Glasgow, 9pm, £15

Y'know Casanova, the racy adventurous ragamuffin?

Turns out he wasn't such a saucepot after all. His memoirs were just translated so badly that by the time they were in English they'd become some sorta Chinese-whispered 50 Shades. Luckily, Kenneth Tindall is on it and Northern Ballet are touring a ballet inspired by the real Casanova. 2325 Mar, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £16-37

Josephine Sillars

Casanova

Sam Paganini

Wed 29 Mar

Thu 30 Mar

Fri 31 Mar

The Stand is on a ROLL this month, with their Edinburgh outpost giving Glasgow Comedy Fest a run for its money. Here's yet another highlight from their programme this month; Rob Auton. Rob's a whimsical fella, but he sure knows how to construct a nugget of lyrical tomfoolery that'll warm and wrench your heart simultaneously. His new show, The Sleep Show is aimed at anyone who likes sleeping. The Stand, Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £10

Katy Baird has worked at Butlins, Burger King, Wetherspoons, as a drugdealer, as a kitchen porter, on the dole, on the sick, in nightclubs, as a sex-webcam model and most recently as an artist and arts administrator. In her new piece of political theatre, Workshy, she investigates what we are and aren’t willing to do for money.

Catch her live as the show tours the UK and beyond.

Platform, Glasgow, 7pm, £4-8.50

If you're up in Aberdeen, how's about wrapping up your month with a night with Richy Ahmed, South Shields house producer with hooks sunk in Hot Creations, and RINSE? He's fresh off a string of sets in Italy, Spain and Austria and there isn't much time to catch him before he goes on to Manchester, Bristol and Beyond, so this set (at a secret location TBA) is one worth heading North for. Location announced 31 Mar, 10pm, £15

March 2017

Rob Auton

Illustration: Jaime Jacob

Billy Kirkwood

Mad Professor

Workshy

Richy Ahmed

Chat

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SÓNAR ISTANBUL

SxSW (South by South West) festival in Austin, Texas has been running now since 1987 so chances are, you’ve probably already heard of it? The annual festival combining film, interactive media and music sees every single nook and cranny of Austin turned into a venue, to the point where it’s impossible to go anywhere without stumbling upon a band. This year Scottish performers include Happy Meals, Anna Meredith, Be Charlotte and The Spook School.

Industry passes from £1055, but there’s loads of free stuff too

Having first taken place in Barcelona back in 1994, Sónar festival has now set its sights further afield, with bonus editions taking place in Reykjavík and Turkey’s largest city. It’s an electronic music festival with a difference, where the focus is squarely on sounds and styles from forward-thinking artists from across the globe: Moderat, Floating Points, Róisín Murphy, Tim Hecker, Nina Kraviz…

Not shit, basically. Definitely not shit at all. From £38

Istanbul, Turkey, 24-25 Mar

Bored of the same old festivals?

Check out our handy guide to 2017’s finest international gatherings, including a few locals for good measure… the UK is part of the world after all, right?

Happy Meals

ANNIE MAC PRESENTS… LOST & FOUND

VIVID SYDNEY

Sydney, Australia, 26 May-17 Jun

St Paul’s Bay, Malta, 13-16 Apr

Fancy getting away for the Easter Weekend? You could do worse things than head to a music festival on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta. This will be the second year that Mac will be bringing her all night raves, pool parties, boat parties and castle raves to St Paul’s Bay, and as well as catching Nadia Rose, Heidi and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard you can also treat yourself to a slice of J.E.S.u.S (Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Seth Troxler und Skream). From £85

‘The world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas,’ they say, and rightly so. Annually transforming Australia’s Harbour City into an outdoor art exhibition, bolstered by unique collaborative performances and must-see live acts (last year saw Oneohtrix Point Never bringing his experimental compositions to the Sydney Opera House), this is a dream festival in a dream setting. No line-up details for 2017 yet, but trust us when we say it’ll be very special indeed. £TBC

Eats Everything

BODY&SOUL

Ballinlough Castle, nr. Dublin, 23-25 Jun

Aphex Twin

KELBURN GARDEN PARTY

One of Europe’s largest festivals, and a mainstay event on the calendar since first taking place in 1971, Roskilde has long since outgrown its hippy origins. This year sees A Tribe Called Quest and Justice topping the bill alongside the much-anticipated return of Canadian showstoppers Arcade Fire – there’s always good reason to visit Denmark, but this might well be one of the best. From £114

Award winning festival Open’er is based on the north coast of Poland in the city of Gdynia. 2016 saw them celebrate 15 years of parties with performances from Red Hot Chili Peppers and LCD Soundsystem – the 16th installment sees them welcome Radiohead, James Blake, Foo Fighters, Mac Miller, The Weeknd and The xx to the festival. With day, weekend and full festival tickets available, pick the days you like or go for the whole damn thing!

From £47

Roskilde

HAVEN

ty rapidly and is now one of Norway’s biggest festivals. Over the years it’s moved around the city and currently resides in the capital’s Tøyenparken, near the Edvard Munch Museum, which will make for a nice visit while you’re in town. That aside this year’s Øya line-up includes Lana Del Rey, Chance the Rapper, Danny Brown, Ryan Adams, Mac Demarco, Angel Olsen, MØ and Pixies among others. From £91

Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National have teamed up with food activist Claus Meyer and Danish microbrewery Mikkeller to put this li’l ol’ thing together, and it looks like it was worth the effort. The Dessners and pals are joined

by Perfume Genius and Beach House, plus the likes of Copenhagen electro-meisters When Saints Go Machine; meanwhile expect a distinct pushing of the boundaries between art and music. Sounds good to us. £147

Øya

ELECTRIC FIELDS

Dimensions is an underground electronic music festival, staged at a legit fort, which has been running since 2012.

With a higher technical specification of sound systems than you’re likely to find at other festivals of its size, Dimensions is the perfect place to enjoy the deep end of electronica, the finest in house, techno, world, disco, dubstep and other electronic sounds. Grace Jones, MNDSGN, Romare, Daphni, Nina Kraviz, Gilles Peterson and Joy Orbison are just some of the acts you can catch this year. From £140

Electric Fields festival heads back to the beautiful surroundings of Drumlanrig Castle in the Scottish Borders this year, and slightly later than usual too, so it doesn’t clash with the Edinburgh Festival.

Huzzah! A strong Scottish contingent has already been confirmed including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Frightened Rabbit and Arab Strap, and with loads more to be announced, including the likes of Car Seat Headrest (and the promise of good food and drink), you can’t really go wrong with this one.

From £95

Kelburn Castle, North Ayrshire, 30 Jun-3 Jul

Situated in the grounds of the 800 year old Kelburn Castle – home of the unique and internationally renowned Graffiti Project – Kelburn Garden Party is an audacious, thrilling, cultural safari consisting of art installations, carnival entertainment and a multi-genre music programme including Mr. Scruff, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Prince Fatty, Flamingods and more making for an amazing three days and nights of music, art and adventure in a fairytale setting. From £104

Open’er

Kelburn Garden Party

OUTSIDE LANDS

FLOW FESTIVAL

Helsinki, Finland, 11-13 Aug

Everyone loves a festival at an unexpected location, and Flow’s home just happens to be a defunct power station in downtown Helsinki. Frank Ocean, Aphex Twin and Lana Del Rey add up to a solid set of headliners, but there are even more treats to be found lower down the bill: Sparks, Car Seat Headrest, Jenny Hval, plus a plethora of local talent… our advice? Load up on Lonkero and Salmiakki and bliss out. From £84

The Natonal

DIMENSIONS

Features

Barcelona’s Primavera Sound celebrates its 17th installment this year; now based mainly at the magnificent Parc del Fòrum overlooking the sea. Arriving during the day, partying through the night and leaving when the sun comes up, often via the beach, makes long days at Primavera some of the best days. This year the line-up includes Aphex Twin, Frank Ocean, Slayer, Death Grips, Solange, Arcade Fire, Grace Jones and more!

The full festival is sold out but day tickets are still available. From £68

Gdynia, Poland, 28 Jun-1 Jul

Tøyenparken, Oslo, Norway, 8-12 Aug Refshaleøen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 11-12 Aug Since its inception in 1999, Øya festival has grown pret-

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Barcelona, Spain, 31 May-4 Jun

OPEN’ER

ØYA

Grace Jones

PRIMAVERA SOUND

ROSKILDE

Body&Soul

Fort Punta Christo, Pula, Croatia, 30 Aug-3 Sep

Sónar Istanbul

Sydney

Roskilde, Denmark, 24 Jun-1 Jul

Appealing to electronic music lovers and nature lovers alike, Body&Soul is an arts and music festival where like-minded people come together for three days to explore and discover new music, secret hideaways and glittering late night discos in the woodlands. Featuring art trails, spoken word, a masquerade ball and steaming hot tubs, Body&Soul celebrates life in all shapes and colours.

Metronomy, Vitalic, Anna Meredith and Optimo are already confirmed. From £140

Photo: Claire Maxwell

Austin, TX, 10-19 Mar

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA, 11-13 Aug

Every August since 2008 San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park has transformed into an otherworldly celebration of music, food, wine, beer, art and comedy. They’re currently keeping their 10th anniversary line-up under wraps, but from looking at past line-ups we can tell it’s probably going to be pretty damn good, with previous performers including Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Nine Inch Nails, Elton John, LCD Soundsystem, Lionel Richie and Kanye West. £TBC

Flow Festival

Radiohead

REEPERBAHN

Hamburg, Germany, 20-23 Sep

Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, 1-2 Sep

Like most club festivals the world over, Reeperbahn includes its own set of business platforms and art programmes, but the music is undeniably the focus: last year it was held across more than 70 venues in the St Pauli district, and 2017’s scope should be equally vast. Indeed, it’s the biggest festival of its type in Germany, and while the line-up has yet to be unveiled, you can bet its dizzying enormity will leave you spoiled for choice. From £25

Electric Fields

MUSIC

Photo: Martin Senyszak

International Festivals

SXSW

Reeperbahn

THE SKINNY

SÓNAR HONG KONG

Foro Pegaso, Mexico, 1 Apr

SNOWBOMBING

Hong Kong Science Park, China, 1 Apr

Sorry, what were we saying about Sónar setting its sights further afield? Whatever you do, don’t overlook this mighty installment, taking place across six stages in Hong Kong Science Park. Sticking to their remit of mind-bending electronic sounds, an excellent line-up sees grime heroine Lady Leshurr spitting hot fire alongside established technohead Dave Clarke and trip-hop figurehead DJ Shadow. Think we also said something about ‘not shit’ too, didn’t we? From £80

Björk

NORTHSIDE

Porto, Portugal, 8-10 Jun The Portuguese offshoot of Barcelona’s Primavera Sound; Primavera NOS enters its sixth year of hosting their festival on the sublime grassy surroundings of the Parque da Cidade, translating quite literally as Porto City Park. When you’re not stuffing your face with piri-piri chicken or Portuguese egg custard tarts, you’ll be revelling to the sounds of Bon Iver, Justice, Aphex Twin, Teenage Fanclub, Run the Jewels or maybe even Michael Gira’s Swans. From £93

Brooklyn, New York City, NY, 7-11 Jun

Primavera NOS

BILBAO BBK LIVE

Bilbao, Spain, 6-8 Jul

How many festivals take place at a complex specifically designed for that very purpose? OK, you’ve got us there: we don’t know. Still, it’s just one of the many impressive facets of this summer shindig, and with Depeche Mode, Die Antwoord and Phoenix lining up among the headliners this summer, we’d wager you’ll find a few more things to admire about it. Three days in the glorious Spanish sun? Why, that’s just a bonus… From £98

SECRET SOLSTICE

AFRICA OYÉ

Experience 72 hours of daylight at Secret Solstice, aka the midnight sun music festival, as at this time of the year there’s no such thing as a night sky in Reykjavík, so you really can party all day! The line-up includes big guns like The Prodigy and Foo Fighters, but there’s also a strong contingency of Icelandic artists on offer from the energetic hip-hop of GKR to minimal experimental techno duo Kiasmos. Oh, and apparently if you’re lucky you can even catch some live music inside a frickin’ glacier! From £143

The largest festival celebrating African music in the UK, famously – and all for the princely sum of… oh, that’s right, it’s all for free. This year’s bill has yet to be announced, but with previous years starring the likes of mind-spinners Mbongwana Star and the redoubtable Ibibio Sound Machine, you can bet any amount you like that it’ll be killer. Oh, and did we mention that it’s free?

IT’S FREE. Free

Sefton Park, Liverpool, 17-18 Jun

Reykjavík, Iceland, 16-18 Jun

Spend two days getting to grips with the latest in tech and media innovation, before Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue becomes a ‘creative oasis’ of art installations. Not enough?

How about this: 9-11 June also features a stunning music programme across the streets and clubs of Billyburg, still one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods. No line-up details yet, but they’ve previously hosted Grandmaster Flash, Black Flag, Courtney Barnett and more: yep, it’s gonna be good. From £60

Snowbombing

Northside

The Prodigy

Photo: Amy Muir

PRIMAVERA NOS

DJ Shadow

Photo: Ryan Johnstone

When the line-up for Ceremonia came out we dropped everything and were pretty much already at the airport ready to go, then we realised it wasn’t until April… With artists like Björk, M.I.A., Underworld, Beach House, James Blake and The Black Madonna playing for not that much money, and the opportunity to catch some Mexican artists in the form of hip-hop act Simpson Ahuevo and rockers Rey Pila. Oh, and Mexican food, what’s not to love? From £55

Mayrhofen, Austria, 3-8 Apr

Snowbombing is unique as far as festivals go; for a start it’s set in the Mayrhofen Ski Resort, 8,497ft above sea level in the Austrian Alps, letting you combine a skiing holiday with a music festival. With live sets from Run the Jewels and De La Soul, plus a jam-packed DJ line-up including Groove Armada, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Koze, Mike Skinner and Roni Size, you can hit the slopes by day and party hard all night. From £299

Africa Oyé

ELECTRIC CASTLE

MELT! FESTIVAL

FUJI ROCK

Electric Castle is another festival in a unique setting, this time on the amazing site of Banffy Castle, near ClujNapoca in Transylvania. It shakes up the way people interact with a festival by combining an eclectic musical lineup with arts, technology and a visually innovative concept.

Musical offerings this year include a strong cross-section of dance-heavy acts from deadmau5 to Moderat, Duke Dumont to Sohn and House of Pain to Soom T. From £75

Kamasi Washington, M.I.A., Bonobo, MØ, Hercules and Love Affair. Huh? Whassat? Oh sorry, just reading through this year’s line-up at Germany’s biggest open-air festival of electronic music… as you can see, it’s pretty rad. Now in its 21st year, Melt!’s secret largely lies in the tried and trusted method of an excellent booking policy – hey, it’s done us right thus far, and this year looks set to be no exception. From £119

Named due to its original location at the base of Mount Fuji, Fuji Rock relocated to the Naeba Ski Resort in 1999, but don’t expect to do any skiing at this festival as there won’t be any snow. The three-day event features over 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. The line-up so far includes Björk, LCD Soundsystem, Aphex Twin, Bonobo and Father John Misty. If you’re not put off by the price, you should go! From £120

Bilbao BBK Live

Naeba Ski Resort, Japan, 28-30 Jul

Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen, Germany, 14-16 Jul

Banffy Castle, Cluj, Romania, 12-16 Jul

Electric Castle

Melt

PUKKELPOP

LCD Soundsystem

THE LOST DISCO

LA ROUTE DU ROCK

Scotland’s much loved Eden Festival, renowned for being one of the most colourful and laid-back festivals in the UK, is taking its most popular stage, The Lost Disco, to Croatia’s Garden Resort for a festival all of its own with boat parties and DJs aplenty. Enjoy the cooling waters of the Adriatic Sea by day and dance the night away to a packed programme of funk, soul, Balearic house, Italo disco and party beats. From £99

Four days on France’s northeast coast? With some of the best music in the world? Aye, go on then. Admittedly no information has yet been released about who to expect on Route du Rock stages this year, but with The Cure, Nick Cave and Belle & Sebastian having featured in years gone by, there’s no need to fear: something excellent awaits. And for the committed festival-goer, why not look ahead to next February and their winter edition? May as well, eh. From £83

Garden Tisno, Croatia, 17-20 Aug

Or ‘pimple pop’, if you want us to get all Babelfish about it. First held in 1985, it plays host to a wide variety of what used to be known as ‘alternative music’ and is now largely known as ‘music’, and with The xx, Chance the Rapper and Bastille set to play, it looks as though they’re doing their usual sterling job of selecting both the biggest and the best artists around. Lovely stuff.

From £84

the XX

Photo: Robert Martin

Kiewit, Belgium, 16-19 Aug

St Malo, Brittany, France, 17-20 Aug

The Lost Disco

Belle & Sebastian

PITCHFORK PARIS

ICELAND AIRWAVES

LE GUESS WHO?

TRANS MUSICALES

Festivals aren’t all about sunshine, which is where we turn to Pitchfork Paris. Usually taking place over the last weekend in October it’s set at the Grand Halle de la Villette in the science park in the north of the city. Two stages face each other and it’s back-to-back hand-picked Pitchfork (the online mag) artists for three days – past line-ups have included The Knife, M83, Animal Collective, Robyn, Grizzly Bear and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. £TBC

We’ve already told you to go to Reykjavík, but winter and summer in Iceland are two very different things. Iceland Airwaves offers off-venue performances by day in bars, launderettes, hostels, cafes, record shops and cinemas while the evening opens up the city’s bigger venues like the Harpa Concert Hall for the official festival. Arab Strap and Be Charlotte are already announced for this year and we guarantee you’ll love the Icelandic music selection on offer. Oh, and it’ll be dark a lot of the time so you might see the Northern Lights too! From £65

A club festival that takes place across one of the Netherlands’ prettiest cities, Le Guess Who? takes the multi-venue arts complex of TivoliVredenberg as its centre, providing a stage for indie rock heroes, experimental adventurers and obscure gems alike. It’s a music nerd’s paradise, in fact; not only are there chances to see your heroes up close and personal, but concurrent spin-off festival Le Mini Who places the spotlight on up-and-coming acts from Europe and beyond. A genuine must-attend. From £78

A lovely retreat just before Christmas will take you to the picturesque city of Rennes in the northwest of France.

Not only are the old streets and architecture breathtaking, but Trans Musicales will blow you away. You may not have heard of anyone who’s playing, but the production and staging of the festival is such that you’ll leave confused as to why you didn’t. And who knows, you might discover the next Nirvana or Björk, because – you guessed it – they both played some of their earliest shows there, a fact the locals are very proud of. £TBC

Reykjavík, Iceland, 1-5 Nov

Animal Collective

March 2017

Utrecht, Netherlands, 9-12 Nov

Iceland Airwaves

MUSIC

Le Guess Who?

Rennes, Brittany, France, 6-10 Dec

Photo: Jelmar De Hass

Paris, France, Oct TBC

Photo: Eric Pamies

CEREMONIA

Trans Musicales

Features

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Utopian Dreams The Skinny caught up with Katie Stelmanis, frontwoman and driving force of Austra, at the end of last year to find out about the inspirations for third album Future Politics and to talk about life in a Utopian world

C

anadian-born Katie Stelmanis is a classically trained musician who has been performing from a young age, including as a member of the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus at the age of 10. Since then she’s gone on to work with the likes of Fucked Up and Death in Vegas, and in 2009 founded electronic project Austra, which coincidentally is Stelmanis’ middle name.

In 2011 Austra released debut album Feel It Break which went on to be shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize – the Canadian equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize in the UK – although it was subsequently won by Arcade Fire for their third effort, The Suburbs. Three albums in now, and six years down the line, we ask how Austra has changed over the years? “I feel like Austra is a constantly evolving thing – It evolves a lot more than other bands do,” explains Stelmanis.

“Future Politics is definitely more similar to how I wrote Feel It Break for sure. I felt like I did give up a lot of creative control with the band’s record [Olympia], which is what happens when you collaborate with people,” Stelmanis tells us.

“I guess I was feeling like I wanted to get that back, and so this record was good because I definitely did most of it by myself. I was so involved with every single aspect of it that I feel ready and excited to collaborate again – I feel like I’ll be better at it or I’ll just be more confident in what I can do.”

Politics were at the heart of 2016, with Britain deciding to leave the EU and the American presidential race taking centre-stage in newsfeeds around the world. Future Politics was released on 20 Jan 2017, which just happened to coincide with the date Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America.

“It’s obviously an extremely dark and terrifying time for all of us,” Stelmanis says with a quiver in her voice. “I definitely – when I started writing the record – did not even fathom that we would be in a position of dealing with a Trump presidency and with Brexit, so that really wasn’t what the record was about, it’s just taken on this new meaning.

“The original intention with the concept of Future Politics was about encouraging people to constantly be imagining a new future because I think the greatest form of oppression is making people believe there are no other options,” enthuses Stelmanis. “I think as long as people are aware there are other options and are able to think about them and imagine them and spread ideas then I think that these forms of oppression are a lot weaker.”

One of the stand-out tracks on the album is the upbeat and uplifting Utopia – ‘I can picture a place where everybody feels it too / It might be fiction but I see it ahead / There’s nothing I wouldn’t do’ – so we ask Stelmanis what her true idea of a utopian world would be? “I don’t really have a specific vision of Utopia because I think it’s something that will constantly evolve and will be different for everybody.” Stelmanis explains, “I think it’s impossible for a Utopia to actually exist, but I constantly think about what it might look like. I imagine a world that’s based on sustainability instead of profit where we value things that as of now capitalism doesn’t. A world without oppression – things that we all sort of hope and wish for.”

In a recent press release sent out about Future Politics, one line really stood out: ‘the less you can ignore, the more you have to act.’ So what does Stelmanis think we should be doing with the state of the current political climate? “I think that is something a lot of people are grappling with – trying to figure out the best way to act,” Stelmanis firmly responds. “I was recently reading this book by the guy who started the Occupy Wall

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Feature

Interview: Tallah Brash

Street movement [Micah White] – The End of Protest – and basically the whole thing in the book is that protest doesn’t work anymore.

“It’s obsolete because it’s an expected component of our current society so it’s not subversive.

I don’t necessarily agree with that but then he goes on to say that the best way to act is to join the system,” Stelmanis continues. “I think our generation, specifically millennials, is not really involved in government or in those processes and I don’t think ever really consider joining those ranks and that’s maybe something to rethink.”

Other inspiration for Future Politics came from “reading a lot about the environment,” Stelmanis explains. “I pretty much realised that capitalism, or our current way of governing is just absolutely impossible to solve our world problems.

If we want to decolonise North America, you need a completely different system so when I was thinking of Future Politics I was thinking about creating an entirely new system that doesn’t exist yet, and you know…” She laughs, before concluding that it’s “super easy...” with some sarcasm.

“I just think that it’s really liberating to step back and realise just how many of the paradigms we’re guided by are totally fake and not real and not important,” she continues. “Once you start tearing those down the world becomes this endless possibility. Like Buffy Saint-Marie – she’s a Canadian folk artist from the 60s and 70s and she’s still making music now – she’s quoted saying something along the lines of ‘money is just this weird blip in humanity that we’ll look upon in 5000 years and be like, that was weird… when we had that,’ so it’s interesting to think about how many of the things we take for granted that are just fabricated in order to keep people in power.”

Aside from politics, what is quite telling from the striking artwork and music videos that have so far accompanied the record is that art was as much a part of Future Politics. Stelmanis excitedly agrees: “I think this record is for me the most heavily conceptualised record I’ve ever done. In the past I’d just make music and then later on try and figure out what it’s about; figure out a theme or how to represent it visually, but this album, all the art, the visuals, the lyrics, the concept, it all was birthed at the same time.

“ I think the greatest form of oppression is making people believe there are no other options” Katie Stelmanis

“I was really influenced by a lot of retrofuturism stuff and a lot of really early Technicolor films,” Stelmanis recalls. “I was watching a lot of Stanley Kubrick stuff, and I loved Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. I had thousands of images in this little folder that I’ve been using; everything has been really colourful. Mexico as well was hugely influential – I don’t know if you’ve ever been there?

All the buildings are pink and blue and purple, it’s the most colourful, amazing place.”

When it came time to make the album art and imagery that would accompany Future Politics, Stelmanis had two years worth of references that she was able to give photographer and cinemato-

grapher, Renata Raksha, who she was eager to work with. “She’s this crazy Russian lady who lives in LA – she’s so good,” Stelmanis enthuses. “We ended up coming up with this concept that felt like it represented the project really well. Art was always not as important to me and with this one [album], it really was.”

Stelmanis is set to tour Future Politics for the next couple of years with her band (consisting of Maya Postepski, Doran Wolf and Ryan Wonsiak) and she seems excited about three main objectives: to “rework the songs to make them really work with the band,” to “try and do as much live stuff as possible,” and to make the live show

Music

“really feel like it’s its own thing.” When asked about her thoughts on real life future politics, however, her response isn’t quite as upbeat.

“I have absolutely no idea how things are going to fare politics-wise. The distinguishing factor of the situation that we’re in is that we’re just living in a time of complete uncertainty; nobody has any idea what’s happening and that’s why it’s scary.

I don’t know. Every day something new and crazy happens, So it’s impossible to guess.”

Future Politics is out now Austra plays Summerhall, Edinburgh, 23 Mar austramusic.com

THE SKINNY

March 2017

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THE SKINNY

Welcome Back, 2000 Man Eleven years since their last album, The Skinny catch up with Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle to discuss the band’s collapse and resurrection Interview: Finbarr Bermingham

I

t’s a strange thing, speaking to Jason Lytle via Skype. This was the man who, at the turn of the century, foresaw a digital society that was riddled with anxiety. He wrote songs about building alcoholic robots in his kitchen, about table top devices through which you could dial-up live video streams of any place on earth or the colonised planets beyond, and about time-travelling pilots – all of this, at a time when something like Skype was barely conceivable. Yet, here he is: coming through the laptop speakers, loud and clear, beamed digitally from the other side of our planet. It’s all I can do to refrain from asking: “How’s it going, 2000 man?”

The Sophtware Slump, released by Grandaddy in the year 2000, captured the mood of uncertainty felt about a swiftly modernising world as it moved into a new millennium. It was widely-cited alongside OK Computer as a work of prescience, one which explored the complex relationship between man and machine, and it was largely the handiwork of Lytle, who got the band together to play the songs he had written in a band in the middle of nowhere. Unlike Radiohead’s offering, it was playful, fun and served with a large dollop of irony.

Lytle said at the time that he was sorry that the Y2K bug didn’t hit – perhaps dreaming wistfully of the material such an event would have yielded.

But his album kind of inadvertently imagined what the world would have looked like if it had. The Sophtware Slump envisioned the blurring lines between the digital and analogue worlds, often with Orwellian outcomes. Speaking from his home in Modesto, California, he remembers it as a “weird little album,” but one of the most exciting times of his life.

“I had stupid, messed up, backwards recording procedures,” he says. “Singing about anything, throwing whatever at the wall and I think that definitely influenced the songs that ended up on the album too. It was a really exciting time for all of us, because I saw a lot of potential for a lot of wild fun and weirdness.”

The band went on to record two further albums, the excellent Sumday and the underwhelming Just Like the Fambly Cat, before splitting up in 2006.

Their collapse was largely the result of Lytle’s struggles with the demands of being head of a successful, touring rock band – which made the news of a comeback record and tour a little surprising.

“The travelling with Grandaddy was a big contributor to me having to shut all that down. I’m not good with too much noise, too much chaos. I can handle little stints, my preferred tactic is to get in and get out. I have learned even at this point that somewhere between two and three weeks I have to check the fuses, I have to be worried. I start wearing down, things start going awry somewhere between two and three weeks. I just don’t deal well with, like… mechanical sounds, bustle, stimulation, it’s too much. I have to have a quiet space, preferably something that has no evidence of humans. It’s the chaos, I mean chaos in a manmade way,” he says.

Lytle was dealing with these stresses by “pouring booze” into his body, until that turned into a problem of its own. He was the first to arrive at the party, last to leave, drowning his sorrows, finally finding himself on the verge of a breakdown. “It was just the pressure, and the pace and all of it,

March 2017

it was on the verge of snuffing out my love for music too, which would have been the biggest crime in my mind.”

He got out before a total collapse ensued, and moved to Bozeman, in the Montana mountains.

Bozeman was the setting for part of the philosophical novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

In the book, Phaedrus is a mysterious academic teaching at the local college, who becomes obsessed with his own efforts to define “quality”, escaping to the mountains and eventually, in Chicago, suffering a complete mental breakdown and receiving electroshock therapy. Thankfully, Lytle never reached such depths, but his relationship with “the back country” of Bozeman was a contributing factor to his recovery and plays as crucial a role in his story as it did in Phaedrus’.

“ Obviously I need a break here because I’m going fucking nuts” Jason Lytle

“I do feel like I benefitted a lot from that, creatively,” he explains. “I had these incredibly intense work stints and then I was like: ‘Obviously I need a break here because I’m going fucking nuts.’ I would head up to the hills and next thing you know, all these blockages, all these things I am trying to figure out start revealing themselves. Plus I am thinking differently. I am completely out of that controlled electronic, overthinking scenario, into one where I could be all of a sudden very concerned about falling off a cliff, dying of hypothermia or getting eaten by a grizzly.”

Having grown up skateboarding around the agricultural community of Modesto (to which he has recently returned), Lytle was made to feel claustrophobic by the harsh, urban schedule of touring. In Montana, he was able to rediscover part of his freedom. He says that the outdoors “wakes up a part of a lot of us that exists, that a lot of people might not be able to find as well.” In this, he echoes the thesis of another book, The Outrun

by Amy Liptrot. In this memoir from 2016, the Scottish author returns to Orkney having sunken into alcoholism amid the pressures of city life in London. On the island, she discovers a passion for nature she previously supressed and this, in turn, feeds her creative side.

Similarly, Lytle recorded two excellent solo albums in Montana and was, for the most part, happy walking in the hills, cross-country skiing, “just chipping away at music, getting the occasional project, staying afloat.” After producing a record for Band of Horses (Why Are You OK?, 2016), he realised that he needed something to call his own.

It was around this time, too, that his marriage collapsed. Having previously resurrected Grandaddy for some Sophtware Slump anniversary gigs in 2012, he had been approached by band members and management to reform and record, advances

he had previously resisted. Now, however, the timing was right. The new album, Last Place, became “a matter of survival”.

The first thing to say about the record is that it is seamless: it contains some of the best Grandaddy tracks to date and stylistically, is inseparable from their earlier work (Lytle’s solo albums, too, are sonically consistent). He explains that when he was wondering what direction to take things, he looked to the past for guidance. “I was continually referring back to Grandaddy,” Lytle says. “It was kind of cool, I went back to ‘Grandaddy school’ to make another Grandaddy record. In my mind, it’s a pure place. It’s not much of a stretch, it’s kind of what I have been doing for a while and a lot of it draws of influences that I was growing up with, it’s kind of a natural process to me.”

For those unfamiliar with the band, Grandaddy’s sound is somewhere between ELO and Mercury Rev. It’s space-rock, delivered in a trucker cap and a beard. Last Place explores some of the themes that fascinated Lytle back in the day, technology, existentialism, sci-fi, and the human condition. Like previous works, it is emotional, it is funny, it is weird and it is, occasionally, very sad.

Despite his qualms about digitalism and society, in music Lytle views technology as “another tool in the toolbox”, he says, “to get the thoughts out of my head in the best sounding and most expeditious way as possible”.

He talks of the turn of the century being a time when he was inspired as much by the latest

Music

recording gear as he was by the world around him.

Nowadays, he needs to switch off and unplug regularly, but his obsessive nature means that he comes back and immediately has to clear his inbox.

“I feel like continually, the wind is blowing, the leaves are falling and rather than letting it all pile up and dealing with it later, I am out there with my rake, just raking. The wind keeps blowing, the leaves keep falling, I keep raking,” he says, laughing. In his late-40s, his anxieties are not getting any better.

He doesn’t have kids, he says, and so ploughs his obsessions into other areas: “I end up obsessing over some pretty weird stuff,” Lytle explains.

“I have this one thing right now where if I open the door and the handle isn’t facing towards me… well, I have to figure out the perfect number so that when I open the door the handle is facing me. I have all these strange little OCD things that have always been there and they’re getting worse and worse and worse. It’s like this fussy old man kind of thing that’s partly funny, but is very concerning.”

For now, he seems content enough. Grandaddy has a two-record deal with 30th Century Records, Danger Mouse’s label, and he’s about to take the band on the road. Jason Lytle is excited, and rightly so. It’s good to have him back.

Last Place is released on 3 Mar via 30th Century Records Grandaddy play Potterrow, Edinburgh, 23 Mar grandaddymusic.com

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Shock and Awesome Paul Verhoeven has been shocking and thrilling audiences for 46 years. He’s back after a ten year absence with Elle, which might be his most daring work yet. We sit down with the Dutch auteur to talk sex, satire and Isabelle Huppert

“T

he translation is false!” Paul Verhoeven is sat in front of a sold-out audience within London’s film-lover Mecca, the BFI Southbank, for an onstage overview of his 46-year film career, but he’s not happy with the subtitles on the first clip of the night. The scene in question comes from his Dutch box-office smash Turkish Delight, which shows the film’s protagonist, sculptor Eric (Rutger Hauer), frantically masturbating over a photograph of his ex, Olga (Monique van de Ven). The Dutch auteur is quick to correct the error: “[Eric] says ‘I’m coming now,’ but in reality he says in Dutch, ‘I’m licking the shit off your asshole.’”

If anyone in the audience is offended by Verhoeven’s frankness, they’ve clearly not been watching his films. For five decades he’s been one of cinemas great provocateurs; shocking us is what he does. There are his comic, open-hearted and non-judgemental studies of women making livings off their bodies (Business is Business, which started his career; and Showgirls, which nearly ended it). He’s made outrageously sexed-up film noirs (The Fourth Man, Basic Instinct) that got mainstream audiences hot under the collar. His big budget sci-fis (Total Recall, Starship Troopers) run red with gleefully brutal, often sickening violence.

On paper, his latest film, Elle, which is part rape revenge thriller, part bourgeois comedy, might be his most controversial yet. Suffice to say, this mischievous Dutch auteur has never been one to spare our blushes.

When we sit down to speak to Verhoeven in a London hotel the following day, the 78-year-old, still trim and roguishly handsome, is as forthright as he was on stage. “When you look nowadays at American movies, sex is expressed in a completely cryptic way,” he laments. “Whenever there is a sex scene, the woman keeps on her bra. In my experience, that is really exceptional.”

For all the outlandish, satirical elements of his films, he insists he’s completely earnest when it comes to depicting carnal pleasures. “What I try not to do when I’m making movies is imagine the sex scene, to construct a sex scene out of my imagination,” he explains. “I always feel it should be based on sex that I know, otherwise I think you easily drift off into pornography.”

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We raise an eyebrow at this, thinking back to the notoriously daft scene of swimming pool rumpy pumpy in Showgirls where Elizabeth Berkley’s ambitious stripper flails about in ecstasy while jets from a dolphin fountain almost drown her. But we don’t get a chance to interrupt; Verhoeven is on a roll.

“ I represent sex in a real way because it’s something wonderful” Paul Verhoeven

“I like sex, of course. I represent sex in a real way because it’s something wonderful.” He suggests the Dutch culture might be the reason for his more relaxed attitude. “I didn’t invent it. If you look at Dutch paintings, say, in the 17th century, and compare them to paintings in Italy and France and Britain, you see an enormous sense of reality.

Rembrandt would sketch his copulations with his wife, for example, or a woman pooping or peeing.

You wouldn’t see that in an Italian renaissance painting. We grew up in that atmosphere of reality – yes people are peeing and pooping, and why hide that?”

Hollywood’s reluctance to show the realities of sex isn’t necessarily to do with moral objections, however. “It also has to do with making more money,” agrees Verhoeven, “because then the movie is not an R, it’s a PG-13, and everybody can go in. It’s all to do with this generation of the capitalist system.” Verhoeven came up against this immovable force when he tried to make Elle – which is based on Philippe Djian’s French novel Oh... – in the US. “We found that there was really no appetite in the United States to cooperate with this movie – not financially and certainly not artistically. There were five or six actresses that we approached but they didn’t want to do it. It

was a straight no. They didn’t like it at all. After a couple of months I said ‘we’re on the wrong road.

Let’s go back to France.’”

Does he think the American film would be very different if he’d manage to get it made? “Oh yeah sure, it would have been a failure,” he says with a shrug. “I didn’t think so at that time, but now that I have made this film, and made it with Isabelle Huppert, I think, ‘My God, what did I think?

That it was possible in the United States?’”

What would have been different? “It would have been so much flatter and so much more banal,” he says confidently. “And so much more irritating and, and even… disturbing, but in a very negative way.”

We’re glad he made the switch, because Elle should be filed alongside the other Verhoeven masterpieces like The Fourth Man and RoboCop. And like those films, it’s not without its controversies. It opens with the savage, horrifying rape of Huppert’s character Michelle, the fierce head of a video gaming company, by a masked assailant.

Michelle’s reaction to the encounter is hardly conventional. In fact it’s downright startling. She doesn’t call the police, or a friend, she simply cleans up the mess, has a bath, orders some sushi and scolds her cat for not intervening: “You didn’t have to claw his eyes out, but scratch him at least.”

She refuses to be a victim, but she’s no vigilante out for revenge either. She does try and discover who the masked attacker was, but her motivations remain clouded in mystery. When Verhoeven premiered the film at Cannes he was prepared for a backlash – “as I’d been showing the movie around before Cannes, people were telling me this will be extremely controversial” – but it never materialised. “I’m surprised it didn’t happen,” he says. “I mean, pleasantly surprised that it didn’t happen, but I thought that based on the warnings of other people that there would be controversy.”

In particular he thought that audiences would be unwilling to accept a film with multiple, brutal rape scenes that was, in parts, also laugh-out-loud funny.

Does he have any theories as to why the film has been so embraced? “I think, perhaps, it’s the French culture or Isabelle Huppert,” he

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Interview: Jamie Dunn

muses. “She protects the movie in some way.

These pretty weird moves that Isabelle’s character makes are acceptable to audiences because it’s Isabelle Huppert doing it. You believe her. Even if you don’t understand her, even if you do not sympathise with her, even if you think that you strongly disagree, but you accept the fact that this woman exists this way, and that is the beauty of her performance.”

We’d also argue the acceptance might have a lot to do with the critical establishment's changing attitude to Verhoeven, especially with regards to the films he made in Hollywood. As the years go on, their intelligence and artistry seem even more apparent, particularly the two brilliant sci-fi satires he made with Edward Neumeier, RoboCop and Starship Troopers. “When we were making those films, we felt there was a certain movement in American society towards fascism,” he explains. “RoboCop is more urban – fascism in the police – and Starship Troopers is very much about American foreign policy.”

Starship Troopers in particular was wildly misunderstood on its release, its combination of soapy teen love story, Leni Reifenstein-style fascist imagery and brutal scenes of intergalactic warfare obscuring the fact to many critics that this was a blisteringly funny and deeply self-aware lampoon of right-wing warmongering. Despite the poor reception, Verhoeven clearly has fond memories of the film’s making. “[Starship Troopers] was really written with pleasure, with fun. We were lighthearted when we wrote these scenes, sitting over coffee and laughing. We weren’t saying this was America: we used elements of reality in both films and extrapolated them in a hyperbolic way.”

Looking back, we’re not sure they’re even hyperbolic. Six years after Starship Troopers’ release the people of the USA and the UK would find their nations invading an enemy that were as dehumanised as that 1997 film’s bug civilization.

And let’s remember that the antagonist trying to make Detroit great again in RoboCop was a callous property tycoon who was getting into politics to make himself lots of money. Remind you of anyone?

Elle is released 10 Mar by Picturehouse Entertainment

THE SKINNY

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March 2017

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Kelly Reichardt on Certain Women Certain Women, the latest film from American filmmaker Kelly Reichardt, is a bittersweet triptych concerned with the lives of several women living in rural Montana. After a guarded start, the director opens up about her singular approach to filmmaking

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elly Reichardt makes quiet, contemplative movies about the American West and the quiet, contemplative people who live there. Though she was born in Florida, and her first film, River of Grass (1994), was set in the Everglades, she then became fascinated by the landscapes of Oregon, setting her four subsequent features in its mountainous wilderness. Old Joy (2006) regarded the silences of two old buddies reuniting for a hiking trip; Wendy and Lucy (2008) followed Michelle Williams as a drifter heading up to Alaska, getting sidetracked by circumstances that led her to lose her dog; Meek’s Cutoff (2010) saw Williams return for a harsh 1840s Western of settlers struggling to survive; Night Moves (2013) featured Jesse Eisenberg as an environmental activist looking to blow up a hydroelectric dam.

Reichardt is back on mountain time – in Montana, on this occasion – for Certain Women, her masterful new triptych about several women determinedly living their lives despite being faced with roadblocks from other people’s emotional baggage. That’s a simplistic, even slanted, description of the plot, because Certain Women is about so much more than one theme and so much less than dramatic incident – it’s a short story collection of rich, subtle characterisation, with evocative, incisive, complex spaces in between the stage directions, and loose, haunting conclusions to the chapters.

These certain women represent one of the best casts Reichardt has yet assembled: Laura Dern plays a lawyer trying to get through daily business and even conduct a semblance of a personal life, while harangued by a former client (Jared Harris) who settled his case but can’t get over his medical problems or the fact he was screwed by

the system. Michelle Williams is a young matriarch, who is made to feel by her daughter and husband, and by a neighbour who’s donating some building materials, that she’s occupying the wrong place in the world. Kristen Stewart is a teacher moonlighting for a night school class, who is doted on by a local farmhand, devastatingly played by relative newcomer Lily Gladstone.

“ I wouldn’t even go see a Wonder Woman movie, so I doubt I’d end up making one” Kelly Reichardt

Because Reichardt is a subtle, thoughtful filmmaker, the yammering carousel of the publicity junket might not be the best forum in which to converse with her at ease. The Skinny shouted down the speakerphone to her in a ten-minute segment as she was shunted around by PR handlers; the previous journalist had asked her if she’d consider doing a Wonder Woman movie, to which she replied, “I wouldn’t even go see a Wonder Woman movie, so I doubt I’d end up making one.” And then wryly added, “They’re all wonder women.”

In this context, it took a while for Reichardt to open up to us. We asked her about the title of the film, which could mean women who are sure

of their position, or could mean examples of some women among many. “There are different ways to look at the title,” she said guardedly. “I would agree with that.”

We asked her about why she was drawn to this material – Certain Women is based on stories by the PEN Award-winning writer Maile Meloy, one from her collection Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, two from her book Half in Love. We remind Reichardt that in a previous interview, she said she liked that these tales evoked the politics of everyday life. “I said that? Oh boy...” she wonders at first. And then adds: “All those women’s issues are relatable to me. The Lily Gladstone character was not a woman in Maile’s stories, so that changed the face of it a little bit.

But all those women’s daily struggles – and all their faults – they’re all relatable. So that’s a good place to start, if you can have some empathy for the characters in their shortcomings and their bigger, more generous selves.”

Meloy paints character portraits from scraps of personal history and furtive secrets; the stories throb with inner life even though not a lot of incident happens, just like Reichardt’s film. “I think Maile writes these really clear characters. You know, the stories get expanded upon as do added relationships. The middle story, [in the book] it’s a young couple, they’re not necessarily married, and they don’t have a kid or anything, but, you know, [it’s] the stepping off point. All of Maile’s stories are there, and they maybe get a couple of things put on top of it.”

We mention the imbalance of happiness in the film – the fact that the main characters carry on through life, while those they encounter are deteriorating. Perhaps we hit a professorial nerve,

Lily Gladstone

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Interview: Ian Mantgani

because Reichardt, who teaches film at New York’s Bard College, has a lot to say about the semantics of this: “[Jared Harris’s character] is falling apart, and Albert, age is bringing things to him, but... I don’t want to say anything too large, but, I don’t know. The whole idea that everyone’s supposed to be happy all the time... I mean, I think happiness and connection come in small moments. Happiness is such a strange word, because one can be satisfied in different ways; in large ways and in momentary ways. Completing a chore can be so satisfying. So – you know, I don’t... happiness is such a sort of blanket idea.

“I think these women are like anybody, and they have moments in their day where they hit upon something, and there’s some kind of connection... or you have a nice moment alone... and your connection might be with a person, or an animal, or you have the joy of completing a task well done, or you have an exhaustion from that, from your task. Just eating a sandwich after a strenuous morning can bring a satisfaction, or just observing something.”

We mention the bittersweetness running through the film, and how the landscape, even the temperature, seem to be characters, intermingled with the human characters’ loneliness.

Again, Reichardt examines our choice of detail: “Some things that I see as aloneness, I see very much gets interpreted as loneliness. Even Laura Dern, being alone in her house with her dog, people say, ‘Oh my god, she’s so lonely.’ It’s like, she’s [just] alone!

“The person that seems the most lonely to me – the Michelle Williams character – is in the trappings of a family. [Gladstone’s] rancher can go back to a job that can be accomplished at the end of the day, and to animals – and she has loneliness, for sure, but I don’t think that’s all she has.

“I think there’s something about women being shown alone that always equals loneliness for people. If you have, like, a dude, living on his own on a ranch, with animals, it would be like, he’s alone, he’s with the land, he’s free! He’d be free!

I’m not saying there’s not a bittersweetness to the film, but I also think... it’s not the loudest thing that occurs to me.”

As we speak to Reichardt, Certain Women has just become the first of the director’s films to pass the million-dollar mark at the US box office. We congratulate her, and ask what the advantages are of working outside the Hollywood studio system. “I can only speak for myself,” she notes. “I would like to have more money, to have more time to shoot. I would like to not be always making films where there’s just no room to breathe.

But on the other hand, I’m simultaneously amazed that these films even get made and get out.

There are obviously people who want a quieter, more reflective kind of filmmaking, but you’re up against a big machine. People like loudness and things in big strokes.

“I have budgetary constraints, which equals creative restraints, but I don’t have creative limitations in the sense that there’s no agenda handed to me. I have final cut. I go off and make these films, and no one even knows we’re making them.

It’s very, sort of... private filmmaking.”

Private and delicate, and personal and considered. Like the films themselves, Reichardt hasn’t made any sudden movements in our conversation, but she’s revealed a personality that’s meticulous and engrossing.

Certain Women is released 3 Mar by Park Circus

THE SKINNY

Back to the Wild Robert Lee explains how Pulled Apart By Horses rediscovered their youthful spark for new album The Haze

Lee cites bands like At The Drive-In and Refused as early influences on their hyperactive style.

Following in the footsteps of cult mid-2000s UK acts like Reuben, Blakfish and Meet Me In St. Louis, the band’s early material was a balance between beefy grooves, light-hearted lyrics and erratic song structures.

“Our sound really reflected our personalities at the time,” he says. “It wasn’t necessarily our intention to revive that scene or anything, but we definitely went down that route because we liked the energy and authenticity of it. What I would say is we were a bit scrappier and not so serious. We put a lot of effort into our music and worked hard when we toured, but the actual content was light.

It wasn’t all about broken hearts and all that – we had a sense of humour.”

The band’s tastes had broadened by the time they made third record Blood, which drew more than a little from the group that inspired their name in the first place (see Radiohead’s Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses). “We were into darker and more atmospheric stuff at the time,” says Lee. “I think it reflected where we were as a band on a personal level. In the first few years you throw yourself headfirst into everything and have too much fun. It can get too much and you need to come down a bit.

Day-to-day frustrations kick back in and some of that feeling went into the album.”

“ The new album brings back that element of spontaneity and naïveté. The attitude and spirit is back” Robert Lee

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ulled Apart By Horses have always been something of an anomaly in the UK rock landscape, ever since emerging at the turn of the decade. At a time when faceless post-punk revivalists ruled the airwaves, the Leeds four-piece carved their own riff-based niche. And unlike many of their underground hardcore peers, their irreverent tunes seemed to resonate with every crowd they played.

The band’s chaotic live shows quickly gained notoriety. Venues were rammed, mosh pits were wild and injuries were common, including for band members themselves (onstage accidents included concussions and a near leg amputation for guitarist James Brown). It’s little surprise, then, that by 2014 album Blood the band’s sound had become darker and more nuanced.

March 2017

After parting with management and finishing a one-album record deal with Sony, however, they found themselves back at square one. Bassist Robert Lee says that this newfound independence was vital when it came to writing new album The Haze: “It was quite refreshing to be back where we’d been at the very start, so we thought, ‘Let’s have fun with this,’” he says. “All that pressure we’d felt over the past few years – some of it from ourselves – was off. While our musicianship has progressed and gone in a different direction since our early days, I think the new album brings back that element of spontaneity and naïveté. The attitude and spirit is back.”

It’s impossible to overstate just how important that sense of spirit has been over the years.

For Lee, The Haze refers to “coming out of the fog” they’d been engulfed in and rediscovering their mojo to some extent. There’s certainly a palpable dynamism to new singles like Hotel Motivation that hark back to the band’s sweaty club days. This rejuvenation is all the more impressive given the band parted company with drummer Lee Vincent, arguably their most manic instrumentalist, in 2015.

Replacement Tommy Davidson, who was drafted in almost immediately, seems the perfect fit.

“He’d always been in the wings saying how much he loved the band and he was there as soon as we needed him,” says Lee. “It was amicable when we lost Lee – he had moved down to London with his family and wanted to do the band thing parttime, whereas we wanted to keep slogging away.

“Tommy was local which was useful for us all, being in the same practice space. He was part of that local Brew scene [a post-hardcore record label that closed in 2013] and really understood the ethos of the band. But he also opened up our sound a lot.

Stylistically, Lee was really frenetic and had that aggression and uncontrollable energy that’s hard to maintain over the years. Tommy’s a bit more controlled and fits the direction we’ve gone in.”

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Interview: Jonathan Rimmer

If the band sound like more of a tight-knit unit on The Haze, it’s partly due to their intense writing and recording process. Despite all finally being based in Leeds with their own practice space, they lived up to an old rock’n’roll cliché and retreated into the wilderness. Renting a cottage on an old dairy farm in rural Wales, the band set about “just making music and having fun again.”

“We locked ourselves away for weeks with no distractions from family or internet or anything,” Lee says. “We needed that time. To be honest, when you’ve got four guys in a band on their own in the middle of nowhere, there are a lot of late nights.

In the past there was perhaps more collaboration on the writing, but this time Tom [Hudson, guitar/ vocals] wrote most of it. He really grafted this time around.

“It could be difficult for him because often we’d be jamming something and there’d be this real pressure on him to write lyrics that really fit the atmosphere of what we were trying to do. I think the words are a lot more open to interpretation this time around – it was all very stream of consciousness. There were also so many days where we woke up and went, ‘Ugh, what are we doing?’ But once we knew we had nothing to do but play, it was the obvious and easy thing to do.

We snapped back into it and it was invigorating.”

It makes sense for Pulled Apart By Horses to try to revive the essence of what initially galvanised them as artists – sheer exuberance was a huge part of their early appeal – but it remains astonishing that they’ve maintained the same levels of passion nine years on from their first show. Having supported the likes of Muse, Foals and Biffy Clyro after touring their first record, many assumed the band’s rise would be stratospheric. It remains to be seen whether that jump is still to come.

“I remember sitting in the Barrowlands dressing room when we supported Biffy many years ago,” says Lee. “We were looking at the famous stars on the walls and the tour manager was telling us that you get to take one of those stars once you’ve headlined there. Well, it’s several years on and we still don’t have that star! When we released Tough Love, our second album, we were playing some huge places and then it dipped and levelled off again. Everything goes in waves so it’s impossible to know where your trajectory is going to be.

To be honest, though, we were never in it for that.”

It’d be obtuse to suggest Pulled Apart By Horses have travelled entirely full circle, either commercially or artistically. After all, Blood was their first album to break the UK Top 40 and their newer tracks are their most technically accomplished yet. Regardless, The Haze represents a fresh break for the band and after being cooped up making the album, they’re ready for a return to the road.

“We’re still not tired of either writing or performing,” says Lee. “Neither part of it is less enjoyable than the other. It’s been a while since we had the opportunity to tour a new record and the physical aspect of being a band is something we’ve always loved. We’re absolutely itching to get out there.”

The Haze is released on 17 Mar via Caroline International.

Pulled Apart By Horses play King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, 5 Apr pulledapartbyhorses.com

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THE SKINNY

Recipe For Success We catch up with Dan Pearce, aka Eats Everything, to chat about his Fabric mix, inspirations and his busy 2017 touring schedule

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sk Dan Pearce, aka Eats Everything, to describe the best DJ set he’s ever seen – Thomas Bangalter, on the Space Terrace in 1998 – and the enthusiasm in his response is palpable. “He was just a wizard on the decks,” Pearce recounts. “He had three decks and was doing all these tricks with reversing the record and stuff, then he dropped this massive 909 kick drum à la Daft Punk, then after four bars of high hat; after another four bars, a clap, and so on.

“After about a minute of this drum track evolving into life, he took the mixer out of the console, pulled the phono leads out the back of the mixer and started to use the feedback from the leads to play a bassline on his hand. I stood there openmouthed along with the rest of the crowd – then everyone in unison went absolutely fucking mental.”

The passion with which Pearce speaks about Bangalter’s set reflects the vivacity he applies to his own craft. Since his beginnings as a DJ in Bristol, to his ‘breakthrough moment’ in 2011 with the single Entrance Song on Pets Recordings, Pearce’s career has deservedly gained steady momentum.

He launched his own label, Edible, with fellow Bristolian Nick Harris in 2015, an imprint with the ethos of “good music, good sound and a lot of fun!” he exclaims. His skill in the booth – Pearce is renowned for the spontaneity of his sets – has also cemented his reputation as a certified party-starter.

“I don’t think the setting matters. When you’re playing a set the music you play reflects the mood of the crowd and the overall feel. As a DJ you bounce off the crowd,” he continues. “I don’t really like to plan my sets but I always make sure that I have new music for each one I play, so my sets are consistently fresh and exciting.”

That said, he does let us in on one go-to track: “It has to be Life’s Too Short by Hole In One – I’ve been playing this for 21 years now but it has played a massive part in some of my favourite gigs over the past few years.”

Going back to new music, Pearce’s advice is to keep an ear out for Elliot Adamson, a young up-and-coming DJ from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

“He has released a track on my label as well as (producing) that sick remix of The Streets that Seth (Troxler) played as the last track at the Printworks opening (in London). I think he’ll have an exciting year, I hope he does! There will be more from him on the label this year.”

Collaborative projects are also a passion

for Pearce, reflecting his easy-going, personable nature. Having released a collaborative single with Green Velvet last year, we ask him what he enjoys most about working with others in the industry.

“The best thing about collaborating is that you get to work with your mates!,” he responds. “You get to bounce ideas off each other and each person will have a different set of experiences to bring to the table. It is a lot more fun than sitting in the studio on your own staring at a blank wall.

“My dream collaboration would be with The Chemical Brothers,” he adds, “but I doubt that’ll ever happen. I don’t know who I would like to work with most, these collaborations just happen naturally – so I’m excited to see who it will be next.”

Pearce is also a vocal presence on social media, taking to his cheekily-named ‘TwEats Everything’ Twitter account to share his thoughts on everything from new music and favourite tunes, to politics and most recently, to back up Jackmaster’s Twitter comments about sexism in the dance music industry. Of this inequality, he

Interview: Claire Francis

states: “There are so many men behind the scenes with big egos and lots of power and they’re the problem. They don’t share the same views as the artists and they have the power over the bookings and signings. We need to get rid of them or make them change their views in order to improve. It helps when you have so many artists and collectives coming together and calling out all these arseholes and putting a stop to it themselves.”

With that same admirable frankness, Pearce leaves us with a reflection on the highs, and occasional lows, of a career in the music industry.

“Being away from my family is probably the hardest part of my career and the unsociable working hours,” he admits, “but the best things are incredible perks, like making a crowd of people feel really happy and just dance the night away, and being able to play with all these incredible people. It honestly is a dream come true.”

Eats Everything plays Snowbombing, Austria, 3-8 Apr snowbombing.com

“ There are so many men behind the scenes with big egos and lots of power and they're the problem.”

Dan Pearce

Last year may have been the biggest yet for Eats Everything, with a string of international tour dates, the release of his Big Discs EP, plus an accolade many in the industry would describe as a career watershed moment – a Fabric mix series release (in his case, the highly regarded fabric 86). Pearce agrees, stating that if he had to pick a highlight from the past year, “I would definitely have to say the Fabric mix. It’s such an honour to be asked to create a Fabric mix,” he continues.

“All of my heroes have produced one and it was an amazing achievement.”

A busy touring itinerary likewise saw Eats Everything reach even bigger audiences than before, with shows in South America and the USA, several major festivals across Europe, a residency at Elrow Ibiza and dates at Paradise DC10 – plus an appearance at Carl Cox’s now legendary final residency at Space. Of that historic moment, he reflects, “It was such an honour but such a bittersweet event – so sad to see it close down, but the atmosphere was incredible, the best I’ve ever witnessed. The island won’t be the same without it.”

This year sees no signs of Eats Everything slowing down his touring schedule, with upcoming dates at a diverse range of festivals including Snowbombing in Austria, Nassau Festival in The Netherlands and Croatia’s Hideout. When asked how his approach to a festival set differs to that of a more intimate club setting, Pearce is frank:

March 2017

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Grievous Bodily Harman We catch up with Edinburgh’s most controversial artist Kevin Harman in advance of his huge early career retrospective at Edinburgh’s Leith Docks

Photo: Cambridge Jones

Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

Chanks3, 2017, Felt-tip Pen on Cardboard

K

evin Harman. You might remember him from such artworks as shitting on a pigeon, smashing the Collective gallery window for his Masters degree show (followed by a brief incarcertation and legal proceedings), and latterly a Fruitmeerkat Gallery website, a ribbing clone of the Fruitmarket Gallery site. If not, there will be plenty to acquaint yourself with come 17 March at Edinburgh’s Leith Docks.

Fruitmeerkat is a useful entry point for the upcoming Ltd Ink Corporation. Speaking broadly about the intention and attitude of the show, Harman says “Every aspect of the show pivots between the real and unreal, true and untrue. It could be an object or online, but will be mixed with real hard evidence of criminal activity in the past. If they were small enough they would be taken for police evidence.”

Further complicating the layers of un/reality, he goes on: “We really got a Sex Pistols tribute band.” Realising the odd paradox there: “There’s the ideas of angry faith and hope, then absolutely slapping that out elsewhere and bringing you back to earth with a corporate rod.” With this idea of ambivalent truth and falseness, construct and authenticity, Harman’s assistant Phoebe Mitchell brings up its paralleling with the present warrens of fake Facebook news and doublespeak. It’s “utter confusion, an echo chamber, how do you break free from messages being fed from your peer group or higher beings?”

So it is he came up with the strategy of some of the works included in the upcoming exhibitions: “You show it quite obviously that what you’re doing is a commentary on things you’ve fallen for or been duped by. You put it out, its purpose is to show you the confusion that’s happening.”

He thinks in particular of Hope Less, a work that’s seen him go around the pawn shops picking up secondhand crucifixes and the receipt that comes with the cross. In reclaimed oak, he laser etches these receipts, then from the top there’s a little copper gallows, and the crosses hang from golden thread, taken from Ministers’ gowns.

“It’s an object that’s associated with a bit of faith,” Harman describes the crosses in the work.

“What stage does it get to before you hand these in? Maybe they’ve been stolen, but the fact is

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they’re there to go in and acquire and display.” It’s a general theme of the exhibition: “So many aspects come from worship and iconography.”

As well as Hope Less, then, there’s a confession booth titled CoBe.co, short for ‘collective being.’ “It’s made by vulnerable adults at Grassmarket Projects. I gave them the design and wood from Church of Scotland. It’s a safe place to release secrets and confession. They’re taken into an online universe and become a star in a galaxy.”

Harman’s referring to the user interface that is based on a virtual night sky, through which users can navigate and listen to confessions.

“That’ll be something that keeps going, hopefully gets taken around the world gathering different conversations.” As travelling box for broadcasting secrets, there’s an imbricating of channels of social media and old school spaces of privacy and revelation.

“ There’s the feeling that something’s dying, that’s bigger than us” Kevin Harman

One of the most noteworthy collaborations of the exhibition comes with the relationship Harman has built with a homeless man, Stevie. “It’s an installation for over 200 of his signs.” One reads “Can you spare some change for a B+B tonight?

It is £20 a night for it. Can you please help me?

Thanks for your help, take care and God bless.”

“They’re works of art, beautiful things,” he says, speaking of Stevie’s richly patterned and careful felt-tip drawn signs. “ They’re mounted on the back of old letting signs to keep them straight and they’re displayed like a demonstration. All those 200 signs face out in a semi circle of a stage [and around] a four-poster bed clad in velvet,” printed with the signs. “We’ve got curtains made, bedsheets and a 10 by 8 foot rug of one of his signs.”

Don’t Think About It, print, bulldog clips

Also in the gigantic hangar space, Harman’s visiting a past idea of a speakeasy he previously ran: a steak and absinthe bar at the Edinburgh Art Fair 2014. It’s an early career retrospective, as Harman’s assistant Phoebe Mitchell describes, and he’s not shying away from bringing threads together, “going back to older works then reimagining, not as finished or closed projects.” In the exhibition, there’ll be a colossal version with a very different endpoint of some previous projects.

“There’s the bar from 2014 that was in [Harman’s] studio that’s been reincarnated and stripped back. There’s a lot of revelation in it, hedonism meets mixing ideas, germinating, letting loose, the idea of an underground bar, not legitimate. It’s reaching out to carnal desire: feed, physical contact, interact. At the same time, it’s funding art.”

“I’m exposing the transaction and the inner workings.” Harman has been working with Mitchell to decide what’s in the bar, “Everything is thought out. It’s not just a bar for the hell of it, it’s the best it can be. We’re looking at the mark-up of a wine, something that you can get for three pounds that’s sold for 20.” They think of “the creative endeavour” involved in “setting up a bar or a company. How much work is going on in just pouring a pint. Everything is done on a margin.”

Speaking of the huge scale of the different elements, he’s chosen only a select few to discuss: “It’s all getting built right now. It really is the launch of a range of different facets,” including a new pro-

ART

ject space down the road from the exhibition. “The show’s going to Hull a few months after the launch.”

Harman speaks as well about the “freedom of the show, it’s not governed by curators or a gallery.

I’m thinking about getting drones in as an added element of surveillance.” Mitchell describes the opening night as “live immersive theatre.” She mentions that Harman will be there, but wonders about his role, if he’s “playing” himself or if he’s part of it all.

“There’s a darkness to the show,” Harman adds. That’s to say, as well as a Steak and Absinthe Bar, there’s a locker room filled with riot gear.

He thinks of the post-apocalyptic cannibalistic dystopia The Road in relation to contemporary politics: “There’s the feeling that something’s dying, that’s bigger than us. Somehow the hope that you can try to hold on to seems really futile.

“I see the riot gear as something I’ll need in the not too distant future. Maybe it’s paranoia, but the things I’ve thought were gonna happen [reading the news over the last few years] are all sort of happening.” There’s a humour aspect, but it’s very close to the bone. “These things could happen and there could be a breakdown of what pins everything together. There’s the riot gear and the absinthe. Let yourself go.” Following his own recent ideas and projections: “I’ll need a suit of armour.

There’s a funny five years to come.”

Kevin Harman, Ltd Ink Corporation, Preview 17 Mar 6-9pm, 31 Bath Road, Leith Docks, 18-20 Mar, Sat-Mon 11am-7pm

THE SKINNY

March 2017

23

Sex, Art & Urban Planning As her hypnotic debut novel Everyone is Watching publishes in paperback, Megan Bradbury discusses telling the story of New York. A city whose narrative arc she imagines as a gallery of moments; stills taken from the lives of four famous men

‘F

uckfest’ is written on the notepad. The word ‘fuckfest’. Then, the recollection. This, unfortunately, is not weekend plans, but a reminder of the term coined by The Guardian to celebrate Megan Bradbury’s haunting debut novel, Everyone is Watching. So, a line of questioning for the conversation between The Skinny and Bradbury currently underway in an Edinburgh hotel lounge.

The author had earlier tweeted the corresponding Guardian review in delight, highlighting this adjective. She obviously liked it. And this lack of pretentiousness around what is essentially a very serious novel makes it easy to like her.

While the description is certainly apt – parts of the novel are saturated in sex of all types and flavours – this theme is balanced against an overarching strand on urban planning. Everyone is Watching is a story of New York, told through the lives of four famous historical figures. “It just came down to art, sex and urban planning,” laughs Bradbury, “which is a very bizarre collection of interests!” Somehow they connect to form a narrative of the great city. Its most infamous planner has snapshots of his life shuffled among those of an artist infamous for images of self-gratification.

Master-builder meets masturbator.

The artist is Robert Mapplethorpe: Robert meets Patti Smith, he creates art. Robert leaves his suburban home but never the edge. His photographs capture guns and dicks and snakes and leather. His father’s friend visits his exhibition: “Harry, I’m no expert, but there’s something seriously wrong with that kid.” Robert lives, he loves, he becomes ill, he dies.

The planner is Robert Moses: Moses constructs the world others inhabit. He forms the city’s mould and the people fill it like jelly. He connects them with bridges and divides them with roads.

Moses exerts power like a modern-day god. He ignores the red tape that entangles lesser lives.

He says “Once you sink that first stake they’ll never make you pull it up.”

The quartet are made up by the legendary American writer, Walt Whitman. Walt remembers a younger melting-pot city growing around him.

Then Edmund White, author of The Joy of Gay Sex. Back in the city of his awakening, Edmund reminisces over youthful love; memories stained sepia over time.

But how to choose just four lives out of New York’s multitude? Why these individual men? Why exclusively men, and predominantly men who loved men? “There’s a lot of men, yeah,” Bradbury agrees [although Patti Smith naturally features next to Mapplethorpe, and the urban activist Jane Jacobs locks horns with Moses]. “I think I’m more interested in men generally. I’ve been writing other things since then and it just seems to be my natural way, to go to the male characters.” The author pauses and ponders. “I don’t know if it’s more of a curiosity... I like writing things I don’t know too much about initially, because I find the kind of language that comes up when you’re stretching to reach this thing is more interesting... I read a lot about Diane Arbus [traveller of an equally creative, radical and ultimately tragic arc to Mapplethorpe].

For a while I was thinking of writing about her but it just didn’t click and the types of themes, to do with the body and sexuality and very specific viewpoints; Mapplethorpe entirely captures that for me.”

The book begins: ‘Robert Mapplethorpe rips out a page from the magazine and cuts around the guy’s torso, leg and dick.’ Its author laughs once more. “Yeah! I thought I’d lay it out straight away.

What people are in for.” What they are in for is one of the most arresting and inventive debut novels of the past year. You might also describe it as reck-

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Interview: Alan Bett Illustration: Louise French

lessly brave. Bradbury attempts to reflect a city already saturated across art forms. It is, of course, the literary stomping ground of DeLillo and Wolfe, the cinematic canvas of Woody Allen, Scorsese and Spike Lee. But Bradbury has – in the way that New York’s musical offspring, hip-hop, makes new by sampling the work of others – made something very much her own by channelling the lives of others. She has chipped away at this monolith of a city and found the sculpture within the stone.

Revealed it through a collage of past moments, drawn from the ether and projected onto the walls of the reader’s mind. Bradbury admits that the theme of photography made her think about writing fiction in a completely different way. “I wanted it to be like walking through an exhibition and looking at individual stills,” she says, “because photography is so tied up with New York history. I just thought that the book, if it was going to work at all, had to reflect the city, and had to reflect photography somehow as well. It just made sense to me.”

These moments are presented through fragments of glacial third person, present tense descriptions.

It’s a voice which can, with equal validity, be described as lifeless monotone or gloriously effective stylisation. “It’s quite a deliberate thing,” Bradbury argues the positive take. “I wanted the effect to be this, this, this, this,” she chops her hand down onto the table, “… end. There had to be rhythm, because that’s kind of what the city’s like in a way, that’s the experience of it.” And how memory works?

“That’s exactly right. I wanted it to be without judgement, without commentary.”

“ Themes, to do with the body and sexuality; Mapplethorpe entirely captures that for me” Megan Bradbury

And thematically? Well the book is preceded by a quote from DeLillo’s Underworld: ‘Longing on a large scale is what makes history.’ Bradbury lists the author among her key New York influences, but its inclusion is more than a simple bow to an idol. “I certainly wanted to use something from Underworld,” Bradbury says, “because it had been this symbol for me. It’s all about New York… it’s about longing and desire, however you want to interpret that, whether its Moses’ vision and ambition for the city, the longing to put this city into practice and to get it working… Longing, it’s a wonderful word, slightly more muted than desire and it has more than a shade of what that means.”

The novel reflects this, lamenting the unsanitised New York of the late 70s and early 80s. The city that offered the personal freedom for the suburbanite Mapplethorpe to create his uncompromising art. As Bradbury puts it: “this idea of a place allowing you to choose a life that you want to live.” But this city no longer accommodates these artists and outsiders so readily. While the South Bronx remains 80 blocks from Tiffany’s, the cultural gradient from cut diamond to urban wasteland is no longer so steep. We contrast the current day with 80s exploitation movies which reflected a city on the brink of moral and financial bankruptcy. Enzo Castellari unearthed readymade sets for his post-apocalyptic Bronx Warriors

films. “It’s horrific,” admits Bradbury, “… when you look at that and think, they haven’t built that for the film, this is exactly what it looks like.”

Manhattan sharpened its own edge during this period. A borough now tamed through a gentrification process seeping out into Brooklyn and beyond. “Manhattan in that period, it’s such an interesting time.” Bradbury says. “I think one of the artists who really represents that is Nan Goldin [who also features in the book] in her photograph collection The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. At that time the city was attracting artists who didn’t have a lot of money, who could find these wonderfully supportive communities and could afford to live together and try things out together. It’s an incredible piece of history which I just don’t know exists in the same way there anymore.” Patti Smith, when questioned some years back on how artists were supposed to afford New York, stated simply; get out. “New York City has been taken away from you… So my advice is: Find a new city,” suggesting Detroit as a replacement.

“In terms of art production, it changes the nature of how people can relate,” Bradbury suggests. “When people are living so far apart they’re

BOOKS

not sharing meals together, in the way of Soho in the 70s; everyone living in one big factory building together and squatting or paying very low rent.

They came up with projects together… where you have lots of people living very far away where do you have that crossover? Maybe you have that through technology, maybe you get it in a different way.”

Patti was sent a copy of the finished book, but has not yet offered an opinion. Edmund White did; his flattery on being included delights Bradbury.

The other main players are of course all dead.

‘Entering the city is like getting into a stomach that has swallowed several million people and is grinding and digesting them’. So stated Gorky of New York in his purple prosed 1906 propaganda work, The City of the Yellow Devil. That city may have consumed many of Bradbury’s protagonists, but they leave behind memories in the form of photographs, books and constructs which stand to this day. And they exist still on the pages of Everyone is Watching. As Patti Smith muses on one of those: “We all want souvenirs, we want relics… objects take on the power of moments.”

Everyone is Watching publishes in paperback on 9 Mar, from Pan Macmillan

THE SKINNY

Sugar & Spice be Damned Publishing on International Women’s Day, fresh and fierce new publishers 404 Ink’s Nasty Women is an anthology Margaret Atwood describes as ‘an essential window into many of the hazard-strewn worlds younger women are living in right now.’

1

9 October 2016 in Las Vegas. During the third USA Presidential Debate, Hillary Clinton, answering a question on social security, was interrupted by a finger-pointing Donald Trump: “Such a nasty woman.”

Within moments #NastyWoman began trending on Twitter, as women around the world co-opted the term, embracing and celebrating that which made them ‘nasty’ and standing against the misogynistic presidential candidate.Thousands shared their stories, wearing Nasty Woman t-shirts with pride. Sugar and spice be damned – nastiness united a community of women in defiance, solidarity and subversion. And, when the election results became clear, in shared sorrow.

In Scotland, freelancers – and co-founders of new publishing house 404 Ink – Laura Jones and Heather McDaid were reeling in the aftershock of the election. “I was on my way home from a show and everyone was so sad,” recalls McDaid. Reflecting on the new president-elect and his remarks, the idea for a Nasty Woman book struck her. An anthology, a space for women to share their stories.

She called Laura – at the time enjoying a welldeserved holiday after the duo’s first magazine was published last November – and within days the two had set to work.

“The name was the beginning, I could just visualise it,” remembers McDaid. “And in a way it sells itself. The key was in being the first to do it.”

Two weeks later the anthology was announced, its tagline ‘keep telling your stories and tell them loudly’. They began by approaching friends in the UK and the USA, then put a call out on social media for submissions. “All of our briefs have been phenomenally brief,” reflects Jones. “But then we’ve

been surprised,” McDaid adds. The two have lost count of how many submissions they received, and the unexpected breadth and diversity of topics covered (Jones notes Alice Tarbuck’s composition on witchcraft and foraging; McDaid the insightful piece on contraception by Jen McGregor).

While some contributors are professional writers, others are students, musicians, or come from the fields of teaching or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“We could have had lots of people writing the same thing but it would have been an echo chamber,” McDaid reflects. Instead, 404 Ink actively sought to engage writers with different backgrounds and perspectives and, keenly aware of their own privilege, neither editor wrote pieces themselves for inclusion in their anthology. “We’d both heard our stories,” says Jones, explaining their mutual desire to give a platform to people whose stories are not so often heard.

The result is a beautifully tailored collection of essays and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century – what it is to be a working class woman, to be a queer woman, to be a Latin woman, to be a black woman. What it is to be a woman who has survived sexual assault, what it is to be a woman who doesn’t want children, what it is to be a woman who is mentally ill. “We are imperfect selves with messy lives,” reads Becca Inglis’s Love in a Time of Melancholia. In Go Home, Sim Bajwa writes, ‘Sometimes, it feels like rebellion to claim our place without apology.’

It is a book of our times, forged in the shadow of a Trump presidency and looming Brexit; a book that marks this moment between what has been and what is yet to come. Nasty Women begins:

‘They are calling him my president and I am scared out of my mind. They are calling him my president and there is bile in my throat as they ask me to respect him... They are calling him my president and my future has never seemed so bleak.’ Rallying, powerful and personal, Katie Muriel’s Independence Day might be read aloud in the biting cold to lend resolve to mittened protesters: “I try my best to keep the peace. Sometimes, however, peace has to take a holiday. Sometimes there are battles to be fought.” Jones reflects upon the collection, “You need the anger, you need the backlash – that’s the point of art.”

“ We can’t be on the wrong side of history... if you sit on the fence, you’re sitting on the wrong side” Heather McDaid

Angry, reflective, sober and hopeful in turns, Nasty Women is not always comfortable reading.

Why should it be? In The Nastiness of Survival Mel Reeve confronts society’s destructive narratives around the ‘perfect’ and the ‘bad’ survivor of rape in a painful yet affirming essay that connects

Interview: Ceris Aston

them with all of the roles which women are expected to fit neatly, nicely and uncomplainingly into.

“I know it is impolite,” she writes, “to talk about the time my humanity was stripped from me and I was treated like an object to be used.” She ends on the nastiness of being a survivor: “ceasing to be nice and choosing to be a little nasty instead, does not mean I cease to exist and I think that is a victory of some kind.”

“Nobody is perfect,” writes Becca Inglis, a borrowed line lends added poignancy her aforementioned Love in a Time of Melancholia, an essay on heroes and mental health, on Courtney Love and being given permission to get things wrong sometimes. Inglis – “Starved of female icons” – felt a flash of recognition when she first saw Love: “There was a woman I could follow. That was who I could be.” And despite Love’s “relentless appetite for self-destruction”, Inglis pays homage to “her resolve to keep living, even when she is walking through hell.” Leave the YouTube comment threads behind – this loving, nuanced reflection on celebrity is all you need. “I have looked to a woman with flaws and many enemies.”

It’s hard to single out pieces for praise in a collection where each essay is stellar. We read Claire L. Heuchan’s reflections on race and the digital revolution: “Writing online built a path I wasn’t sure existed.” Laura Waddell’s vivid evocation of teenage years and the absence of working class stories ‘as though art and education is for one class, and gravy and labour the other’. Sim Bajwa’s tribute to immigrants and especially her parents: ‘It’s beautiful. It’s a triumph’. Rowan C. Clarke facing her mother’s homophobia: “How dare I be abnormal and happy at the same time?”

Even before its publication, the book is making waves on social media. A Kickstarter campaign, expected to cover the costs of publication and the payment of writers, reached over three times its original target, with a total of £22,156 pledged by 1,336 people. Having grown up backing things on Patreon, it seemed a natural step for 404 Ink to crowdfund the anthology. Pledges for Nasty Women rocketed when Margaret Atwood, author of the alarmingly prescient The Handmaid’s Tale, tweeted her support, introducing the book to her many fans. She’s since described the essay collection as “an essential window into many of the hazard-strewn worlds younger women are living in right now.”

Many are keenly anticipating the arrival of the book their pledges helped make a reality, and it's unlikely they’ll be disappointed. In Nasty Women, 404 Ink have created something special – øa book that will continue to resonate long after the first aftershocks of the new presidency have subsided, and a valuable guide to empathy and resistance in troubled times. “The next few years are going to be atrocious – we can’t be on the wrong side of history,” McDaid asserts. “Someone once said that if you sit on the fence, you’re sitting on the wrong side.”

The women at 404 Ink are Nasty Women with integrity. They also have ideas, drive and organisational finesse that would put many a more established publishing company to shame. It’s easy to forget that this is their first book – but how are they feeling?

Laura Jones: “This is our first book. Total legitimate fear.”

Heather McDaid: “I hope they like the book.”

Laura: “They better fucking like the book.”

We laugh. But I suspect they will.

Nasty Women is out on International Women’s Day (8 Mar), published by 404 Ink, RRP £8.99 404 Ink literary magazine publishes bi-annually, RRP £7.99 404ink.com

March 2017

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One to the Power of Fun Benjamin John Power aims to “confuse and baffle” with his solo electronic project, Blanck Mass. As he prepares to release an anger-tinged third album, the producer tells The Skinny why he’ll try anything once when it comes to making music

W

Power carried on the intensity of Dumb Flesh?

A big clue lies in the new LP’s name: World Eater.

“The title is a reference to both the inner beast inside human beings, that when grouped en masse, stops us from moving forward towards good,” he explains. “We do have these beasts within us. It’s a case of understanding the beast as opposed to letting it run amok.”

“ You can just start throwing in patch cables and you end up with something that sounds fucking cool” Benjamin John Power

It would be easy to pigeonhole World Eater as a product of 2016’s political upheavals, given the controlled rage that simmers throughout and its aggressive changes of direction. But anyone who has followed Power’s career will know this is not a new approach to songwriting. World Eater began life shortly before Brexit and was in the

can before Biff Trump snatched power. “When all this stuff was going on, I was in the thick of making this album – so it certainly had some impact on the process itself, or the way I was feeling when I was writing these tracks. Even though I try to keep myself away from too many cultural reference points when I’m writing, obviously the things that affect it are what’s going on with me personally and a more global scale. They shine through,” he says.

Power grew up in Worcester, where he met his future Fuck Buttons collaborator Andrew Hung.

Together, the duo produced some of the most original and striking music of the mid-2000s, a sound far removed from the indie revival that dominated much of the music press at the time. While they earned plenty of stellar reviews and won festival bookings around the world, it was Danny Boyle’s inclusion of two Fuck Buttons tracks – and one by Blanck Mass – at the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony that introduced them to a wider audience. You’re still unlikely to hear any of Power’s work on BBC Radio 2, but the exposure came at exactly the right time for an artist looking to build his solo brand.

World Eater is the first full-length album to be produced at Power’s home studio in East Lothian. He made the move north, initially to Edinburgh, a couple of years ago and is now happily based in the countryside near Tranent. His enthusiasm for the peaceful coastal county may seem at odds with the propulsive anti-anthems he writes there, but the move has obviously paid

Photo: Harrison Reid

hen the lights dim at Edinburgh’s Pleasance Theatre and a solitary male in black approaches a table filled with electronic equipment, there’s little to suggest the hour of musical intensity that follows. Numerous bands rely on theatricality to make up for their rehashed guitar songs, while countless DJs would die on stage if it wasn’t for the lavish lightshows that carry their piss-weak beats. But then there’s Blanck Mass. The solo project of Benjamin John Power requires no fripperies when he can drop a rhythm as devastating as Dead Format. This six minute assault on the senses makes other songs – whole genres, even – suddenly seem tame in comparison.

Before that show in October 2015 some had questioned whether the Pleasance, all-seated Victorian theatre, was an appropriate venue for someone best known as one-half of sonic experimentalists Fuck Buttons. Yet anyone who saw Power that night, or on his wider tour, can attest his music carries such power it swats aside minor complaints in an instant. Back then, the producer was promoting Dumb Flesh, an incendiary record that won huge plaudits around the world. “I think I’d need some kind of psychoanalysis to try and figure out exactly why (Dumb Flesh) became what it did,” he told The Skinny two years ago, describing the sudden charge of energy that set his second solo LP apart from the ambient calm of his early material.

Two years on, and we’re back on the phone to talk Blanck Mass album number three. Has

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Interview: Chris McCall

off. “This LP is the first one I’ve done in one solid space in isolation. Dumb Flesh was written all over the place,” Power continues. “It started out in a windowless attic space just outside of London and ended up in Edinburgh. There was a lot of moving around going on at that time, which might have resulted in more of a mixtape approach. The new album, to me at least, feels more direct, I think.

There’s a lot to be said for both practices – one’s not necessarily better than the other. You do want a level of cohesion – I do enjoy a listen that’s very jarring, but this is something more focused.”

So how do you go about writing a nine-minute epic like Rhesus Negative, one of the stand-out tracks on World Eater? Power insists his approach is largely the same now as when he first started writing tunes as a teenager. “It’s emotionally charged, this music,” he says, with characteristic understatement. “When you reach that stage, you begin to think about structure. But before that my process is very explorative, which is how I approach either Fuck Buttons or Blanck Mass. Experimentation to begin with, and then you feel your way in. It really is quite a naïve approach in the first instance. I guess my filtration device is more my subconscious.”

Another key aspect to the Power approach is to learn all musical equipment – whether guitars, samplers or modular synths – without the use of a manual or YouTube tutorial. “If you read the book on these things you adopt someone else’s practices, rather than making them an extension of you,” he continues. “That’s why I try not to use too many softsynths (a plugin that generates audio) or things like that. I like machines to act like an extra appendage or at least operate with some symbiosis. You get more out of it that way.

I’ve always been self-taught in everything I’ve done. It’s an extension of that. It’s how you put a stamp on things.”

Power’s try-anything-once approach to music is summed up when The Skinny asks, half-jokingly, if a Blanck Mass acoustic album is beyond the realms of fantasy. “Never say never,” he enthuses.

“I’d hate to say no to anything, creatively. I want to open up more means to confuse and baffle.” Is there any piece of musical equipment that has defeated him, or even caused too much irritation to be worth pursuing?

“The modular synth stuff is one of the most eye-opening pieces of equipment – and one of the most ridiculous as well,” Power explains. “It was good getting into that – it opened up a realm of understanding, but it takes away some of the childlike nature of writing I talked about before.

I used it a lot on Dumb Flesh but I was learning at the same time. On the flipside, you can just start throwing in patch cables and you end up with something that sounds fucking cool anyway. It depends if you want to take the scientific approach, or take the fun approach.” For Power, the latter always wins.

Looking beyond Blanck Mass, fans of Fuck Buttons can rest assured that a fourth album is on the horizon. Just don’t hold your breath for a release date. “We’re writing new material at the moment,” Power confirms. “But when you’ll get to hear it is another matter.” For now, he’s content to enjoy some domestic comforts before hitting the road to promote World Eater. “I’m kind of enjoying not touring and having time at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, and I feel very humbled to be in a position to share with people what I do, but it is also nice to be at home.”

World Eater is released on 3 Mar via Sacred Bones Records Blanck Mass plays CCA, Glasgow, 21 Apr blanckmass.bandcamp.com

THE SKINNY

Stranger Things Dreamy new album Stranger is another fine addition to the Former Bullies canon – here singer Nick Ainsworth talks longevity, Evan Dando and the universality of sadness Interview: Jamie Bowman

I

f, as the old saying goes, slow and steady wins the race, Manchester’s Former Bullies should be easing their way to the finishing line by now.

Since coalescing around singer Nick Ainsworth 14 years ago, the band have been a regular presence on Manchester’s pop underground, becoming spiritual godfathers to artists such as Kiran Leonard, Irma Vep and PINS. Though prolific performers, the pace of their recorded output has been somewhat slower, with new release Stranger being just their fourth long-player in all that time.

“It’s taken us a long time to get it sorted,” Ainsworth admits. “The recording started about three or four years ago, but because of life happening to us and organisational issues it’s taken to this point to reach the listening public. But now it’s here I’m chuffed.”

Harnessing this joyous feeling is key for a band keen on keeping things simple. Sparse arrangements allow Stranger’s jangle-pop tunes to spring into life, with the listener left wondering if they’re listening to the demos of some classic 60s garage band rather than the home-recorded dabblings of three college friends from Manchester.

“We recorded it in Matt (Taylor) the bass player’s basement,” says Ainsworth. “It feels like we did exactly what we wanted to do and there was no pressure. The influences are worn like a heart on a sleeve on this record – I hope people can tell there’s loads of Byrds in it, and Velvet Underground.

The Bachs’ Out of the Bachs [the 1968 debut album by the Chicago garage outfit] was probably the one record that we really wanted it to sound like – pop songs with a haunting backdrop to them. I think you can pick out the influences on each song.”

If this all sounds rather happy-go-lucky, a quick scan of Ainsworth’s lyrics suggests not everything was hunky dory in the 33-year-old’s personal life.

“I didn’t know if it was abundantly clear but there is definitely a bit of heartbreak about the recordings,” he laughs. “In a lot of the music that was influential on this album there is that poignancy; a knife edge between joy and sadness. I find that irresistible. I wouldn’t want people to listen to it thinking this is dark – I want them to be uplifted. They are natural human emotions and everyone understands them so I wanted to invite people in.”

March 2017

Mention the band’s longevity and the members’ ages and the frontman gets understandably defensive, especially when we question their ambitions.

“If you asked me ten years ago if I would still be playing in a band now I’d have probably said no, but until that feeling of being ‘on the outside, looking in’ creeps in, I feel it would be stupid not to do it,” he argues.

“I want people to be uplifted” Nick Ainsworth

“Everyone’s growing older but the idea of being creative doesn’t get old. If a visual artist was making art at 33, people would be like ‘he’s a young pup’ and it’s the same for a writer or a filmmaker, but being in a band is often seen as a young man’s game. People are getting married when they’re older and now they’re staying in bands when they’re older. Besides, I feel like I’ve only just got my head screwed on.”

Touring, however, is rejected – Ainsworth’s job as a secondary school teacher makes such fripperies rather tricky, especially when you’ve already had the sainted experience of touring Europe alongside the Lemonheads “I went to see Evan Dando at Manchester University,” Ainsworth remembers. “I was having a few beers and was just knocking about. I took a demo with me just in case and I bumped into him in the toilet! A few months later his wife emailed me – she said they’d both listened to it and loved it, and then he took me on tour for three months.

We were playing huge venues we hadn’t played before and haven’t since – I paid my rent for about four months when I got back.

“There’s a lot of industry pushing and shoving, but for everyone who acts like that you hope there’s someone acting and behaving in the way their heart tells them.”

Stranger is out now on Towed By The Ghost. Former Bullies play Gullivers, Manchester with Irma Vep and Toucans, 10 Mar

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Tomorrow’s People Six Glasgow shows featuring emerging artists from the comedy scene Words: Ben Venables Illustration: Jaime Jacob Gareth Waugh: Honestly?

Rumour is that Waugh’s debut show has the kind of ambitious premise befitting a comedian with his obvious talent. Using one microphone he’ll present a set based on truth, but with another mic he’ll fib with all the aplomb of Horatio Nelson holding a telescope up to his blind eye. Always impressive live and in his appearances on Scot Squad and Breaking the News, Waugh has a bright future ahead of him. YesBar, 10 Mar, 7.15pm, £8/£7 Daisy Earl: Get hAPPy Winner of the 2015 Scottish Comedian of the Year – a platform which mainly attracts and supports newer acts – Earl has since performed at Perth and Adelaide festivals before a full run at last year’s Fringe. She has a relatable style but with a sharp edge and snap to her humour. Mentored on the local scene by Jojo Sutherland, it is little surprise such acerbic wit shows. Liberté, 16 Mar, 8.30pm, £5 Rahul Kohli: Not So Chubby, Brown Kohli’s spirited and slick delivery has already scooped him ‘Top of the Bill’ at the prestigious NATYS final this year. Notably won by Stewart Lee in 1990, it’s one of the few comedy competitions with a long history for establishing new acts. A worthy winner, his first hour – Newcastle Brown Tales – was enough to place him in our Best of the Fringe 2016. YesBar, 18 Mar, 6pm, £8/£7 Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: The Boyd with a Thorn in His Side It’s a storytelling style which suggests MacarthurBoyd is a comedian on the ascent. He has an eye for characterisation and setting, populating his set with vivid details of encounters in his portion of Glasgow. This show combines the rise of

far-right politics with a break-up and we expect the personal and political to be housed seamlessly with confident delivery. The Stand Comedy Club, 23 Mar, 7.30pm, £8/£7 Hari Sriskantha: Clown Atlas Since winning the Edinburgh Revue stand-up championship in 2013, we’ve looked forward to physicist-turned-comedian Sriskantha’s full debut hour. Here’s a chance to catch a first glimpse of the current work-in-progress in which the BBC Radio Award finalist sets out to atomise the subject of happiness. McPhabbs, 25 Mar, 5pm, £4/£3 CHUNKS: World’s Strongest Chunks 2017 Watching CHUNKS sometimes recalls the birth of alternative-cabaret in the 1980s. Like Alexei Sayle and co, some of this growing and talented collective could make it big, although we have no idea if the world is ready for, or attuned to, CHUNKS’ off-beat style. Furthermore, we have even less an idea of who among their number will blast into a comedy stratosphere when opportunities are sparse and random. But, if you want to see alternative comedy now – and support a movement which has done so much to encourage new acts to try different ideas on stage – then check out their full programme of events at McPhabbs across the festival. And, as far as the Glasgow Comedy Festival goes, this final night celebrates the only comedy award that matters. Watch as the backslapping and backstabbing of a normal award ceremony gives way as each individual CHUNK attempts to emerge victorious with the most coveted prize of all – the Golden Pineapple. It’s a last hurrah like no other. McPhabbs, 26 Mar, 9.30pm, £1/PWYW

‘It’s OK to be grumpy’ Susie McCabe is starting to attract the recognition she deserves, even if her new show is taking more willpower than quitting the cigs Interview: Ben Venables

“I

was at the Doctor’s,” says Susie McCabe, “and I told him I was trying to lose weight. I have a health condition – polycystic ovaries – and I can’t really eat refined carbohydrates. I said I was struggling and that I was trying to give up the cigarettes. Now, only a doctor in the East End of Glasgow would say, ‘stay on the cigarettes and concentrate on the food’. OK, fine, I’ll go on the fag and coffee diet then.”

McCabe’s new show Let’s Get Physical opens at Glasgow Comedy Festival. When deriding spurious health claims, McCabe makes fags and coffee sound a paradigm of robust health.

On well-known meal replacement shakes she gives a blunt assessment. “Yes, you’ll lose a tonne – because you are not putting any food into your body.” And, for the infamous and gaseous ‘cabbage diet’ she may have patented an honest slogan.

“Nobody is coming round your house.”

Dodgy diets provide plenty of comedy fodder, but McCabe offers a a wider context. Even a

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‘chicken supper’ can’t exist without marketing.

“We no longer call chicken ‘chicken’ or steak ‘steak’, we say ‘protein.’”

Scepticism of this kind is a thread woven through McCabe’s work. In The Drugs Don’t Work she spoke of how treatment for depression does not replace deeper needs. “It is loved ones and family that get you through it, getting out and walking the dog.” In There’s More to Life than Happiness she centred on the fuzzy logic of buying stuff for fulfilment. “Sometimes you’re not a happy person,” she says, “and it’s actually OK to be grumpy.”

Let’s Get Physical didn’t start in happy circumstances. She separated from her partner of 16 years and her grandmother passed away. This left McCabe without the two people who’d always been there. “My Nana was like a mother and best friend,” she says. This relationship made it natural for McCabe to make her Nana a promise. But it’s one now proving a bittersweet experience.

“I promised I’d look after my health. She hated

that I didn’t. I said I’d get off the cigarettes and I’ll lose weight. Now, I’m... argh! As if life isn’t hard enough without her being here, I’m now stuck with a fitness regime! And I think, ‘you’re not even here to see this.’” She adds: “I’m raging.”

McCabe is happy in a new relationship, but this has also been a two-edged sword when it comes to the healthy regime.

“My new girlfriend is into hillwalking and stuff like that. I like to walk to the shop for sausages and rolls.”

Yet, McCabe has plenty of perseverance to help her. It is through constant gigging that she’s built a following on the local scene. In a Stand programme packed with well-known names, McCabe’s show sold out first. An extra date was soon added.

COMEDY

The Stand have every confidence in her, putting McCabe forward for Chortle’s 2017 Comedians to Watch list. “It’s nice to get recognition,” she says.

She has many kind words about the ethos of The Stand. She also mentions her early champion Janey Godley and others who have given her advice.

“It is supportive,” she says of the local scene. But, McCabe seems to appreciate a tough-love approach.

Where a comedian can watch another’s set and say, “that line there needs work. Or, that bit doesn’t work – drop it.”

“Support comes,” she says, “when you show you have a keenness and a willingness to work.”

Susie McCabe: Let’s Get Physical, The Stand, Glasgow, 18 & 24 Mar, 8pm & 10.30pm, £10/£8 glasgowcomedyfestival.com

THE SKINNY

The Saint After a break from live performance Scott Agnew returned to the 2016 Fringe with his best show to date. He now brings I’ve Snapped My Banjo String, Let's Just Talk and a brand new work-in-progress to Glasgow Comedy Festival Interview: Holly Callender

“I

’m conscious of the children running around my knees,” Scott Agnew warns. “None of them are mine, of course.”

The Rutherglen comedian with a penchant towards the outrageous and taboo is speaking to The Skinny from Leeds Botanical Gardens, and it is half-term. “I’m just taking some time out, and looking at the meerkats.”

Rest is required before the Glasgow Comedy Festival. This year, Agnew is organising and performing four separate shows: “I’ve hit 36 and finally found some motivation,” he says.

The festival is hosting the last performance of the stupendously successful, I’ve Snapped My Banjo String, Let’s Just Talk. Agnew wrote the admirably honest 2016 Fringe show after discovering his HIV positive status.

“The show was for me, not an audience,” he says. “I had been in the wilderness for a couple of years, just hanging on by my fingernails, professionally. The Fringe gave me a goal to work towards.

I had to strike a balance between not looking for self pity, or making the topic a laughing stock,” he says. “It’s important to explain why people have a dead end view of HIV. They think you have it because you didn’t wear a condom. Well, there’s loads of other reasons.”

I’ve Snapped My Banjo String gained a slew of complimentary reviews and Agnew’s honesty about his health status went national in an interview with The Daily Record. He received countless messages of

support despite expecting the opposite. “I was bracing myself for nasty messages, and I didn’t get one.”

“ They sat through an hour of a Glaswegian shouting at them, and that’s the sweetest thing in the world” Scott Agnew

This was mirrored during one tense Fringe performance. Two older guys in the front row stared blankly at Agnew the entire hour. “I thought they’d come to the wrong show, but they pulled me aside after. One was French and the other Brazilian, and they hadn’t understood a word, but just wanted to show their support. They sat through an hour of a Glaswegian shouting at them, and that’s the sweetest thing in the world.”

Scott ventured into stand-up comedy at the

relatively late age of 26, with a background in journalism. “My first full time job was with the Rutherglen Reformer, and I got to the Scottish Sun at 24.

Then I had my first breakdown, sold my house, walked out my job, went missing for two years, then came back as a stand-up.”

“I then spent years schlepping around, getting lost in the world of drugs and sex, but it gets to a point when you just need to calm down.

Now, one is living like a fucking Saint. It’s lovely, but boring as fuck.”

Plus, he’s writing this year’s Fringe show, an almost follow-up to I’ve Snapped My Banjo String..., currently titled Spunk On Our Lady’s Face. The workin-progress show premieres at the tail end of the Glasgow festival.

“I find the best way to write is onstage by boxing yourself into a corner then finding a way out, rather than sitting in the house pondering about it. In the new show, I attempt to find out what did

more harm – HIV or Catholicism. The latter wins hands down. The diagnosis of HIV had, excuse the pun, a much more positive effect on my life than any religious teaching.

“I tackle difficult topics without over intellectualising them, but the criticism I get is for going for the lowest common denominator. That’s the Pay-off; I talk about topics other folk wouldn’t, but there’s a crude joke at the end of it.”

He adds: “We can’t all be Stewart Lee. And you can quote me on that.”

Scott Agnew: I’ve Snapped My Banjo String, Let’s Just Talk, Blackfriars Basement, 10 Mar, 7.30pm, £8 Scott Agnew: NEW Work in Progress, The State Bar, 25 Mar, 7.30pm, £7 Scott Agnew’s Afternoon Blether, Spoon Cafe, 12, 19 & 26 Mar, 2pm, £5/£4 Pick 'n' Mix stand-up with Scott Agnew & Friends, Spoon Cafe, 17 & 24 Mar, 7.30pm, £7/£5 glasgowcomedyfestival.com

Milo and Me Ahead of recording a comedy album at The Stand and her appearance at Glasgow Comedy Festival, Fern Brady kicks-off a new column where comedians discuss ethical issues

F

ern Brady is often asked to talk on TV, and this becomes problematic when she’s asked to share the stage with different types of swine.

Much like stripping, comedy often involves degrading yourself for money. At least when you’re a female stripper and walk onstage people sit up and go: ‘this will probably be great.’ Whereas when you’re a female comedian and walk onstage people generally use that time to go for a poo or check their Twitter.

I worry that when I die I’ll flashback over every horrifying gig I’ve had to do for money over the years. There’d be the time an entire audience chased me out of the picturesque English village of Hampton Court screaming: “GO BACK TO GLASGOW, SCOTTISH BITCH.” Or the time I did a gig at a Curry and Comedy night: as I stood in front of silver tureens of chicken korma and onion bhajis, people muttered ‘slag’ under their breath.

It turned out no-one was allowed to eat until I’d finished. As recently as last week a student loudly – and I believe deliberately – farted during the opening five minutes of my set.

But this is all depressingly everyday fare for circuit comics. The real ethical dilemmas over what work you should accept start once you do more TV stuff. One of the worst people I ever met in my life was at a chaotic TV runthrough two years ago. A runthrough is where they test if a

March 2017

show idea will work for TV, and this one definitely didn’t work. I imagine all the producers involved were sacked afterwards.

They got a bunch of comedians and media types to get drunk and debate serious issues. I knew this was a mistake in the run up to it. For example, the producers repeatedly asked me if I would like to defend the innocence of Ched Evans, the footballer accused of rape.

“ I know for a fact Milo Yiannopoulos just wants to be a comedian” As I got in trouble for fighting when I was at school, to middle-class media luvvies I’m basically Al Capone. But, I did warn them not to let me get too drunk. They disregarded it, so hell mend them.

The next thing I remember is shouting at this awful private school wanker and him looking quite frightened. Then, for reasons still unclear to me, they released micro pigs onto the set. I dunno what people expect to happen when they release cute pigs next to a drunk woman. Everyone got

Words: Fern Brady

pissed off when I grabbed the pigs and started kissing them. I whispered in their soft bacon-scented ears that I would never eat pork again as the animal handlers wrestled them off me.

The producers kept trying to force coffee on me, but by now I was intent on going daft at the cravat-wearing goon who was surprisingly meek and sweet natured every time we stopped filming.

Turns out Poshy McPoshface was a then relatively unknown Milo Yiannopoulos.

I find it mind-blowing that this lad is now famous. I know for a fact the guy just wants to be a comedian. He enjoys saying stuff to get a rise out of people but is somehow taken seriously as a political commentator.

I went through a phase of frequently being asked to go on serious news programmes as if I was a serious commentator (a live TV debate on the IndyRef with Owen Jones was the most surprising). I turned them down as I knew I’d talk pish, get bored and change my opinions from one minute to the next just to see what would happen.

I now realise that I too could be Milo Yiannopoulos levels of famous if I went around confidently insisting all my mental political views were right, and could keep a straight face.

Fern Brady: Male Comedienne, Blackfriars Basement, 24 Mar, 7.30pm, £10/£8 Fern Brady: Live US Album Recording, The Stand (Edinburgh), 26 Mar, 5.30pm, £6/£5.

COMEDY

Features

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Redressing the balance in dance music Photo: Natalie Davidson

The Skinny catches up with Glasgow-based DJ and producer Nightwave, aka Maya Medvesek, to chat about her forthcoming EP release, her Producergirls workshops – and why we need to ditch the term ‘female DJ’ Interview: Claire Francis

T

he Skinny: Can you tell us a bit about how you first got into DJing?

Maya Medvesek: I got into DJing as a teenager. I thought DJing looked even more fun than dancing, so I used the money I earned from acting in a sitcom to buy my first turntables. That was about 18 years ago.

You’re originally from Slovenia; what is the dance music scene like there, and what kind of music influenced you growing up?

I’ve lived in the UK for 15 years so I’m pretty out of touch, but the few people doing nights there are putting on very exciting and progressive music.

When I was a teenager in Ljubljana the techno scene was very healthy and I think that definitely helped me shape my sound.

You moved to the UK to pursue a career in production, how has that benefitted your career?

What were the advantages of living in London, and now Glasgow?

I moved mainly because Slovenia felt too small and I wanted to learn and grow – back then it was impossible to do that since there was no internet, no opportunities... it took many years and lots of odd jobs to do music professionally, but I got there in the end. London was great for discovering new sounds – garage, grime and dubstep for example.

Glasgow is fantastic because of its people and overall energy. It’s also got a fantastic club scene.

What’s the story behind the Nightwave name?

To be honest it was quite a quick decision as I used to have a rather funny and PR-unfriendly artist name (8Bitch). I love the sea so I thought Nightwave was cool.

What projects do you have planned for 2017 on your own Heka Trax label?

The label is doing well, I released four different

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artists last year and I’m sorting the schedule for this year. The first record is by a band called Tree Trunks, it’s something a bit different. I’ve been very busy with my own stuff, so the label took a little break I guess.

You’ve got a new EP coming out next month – what can you tell us about it?

Yes, the Wavejumper EP is out soon on Fools Gold.

It’s a six-track record with three vocal features (Chippy Nonstop, Rye Rye and Rell Rock). The record is fun and upbeat with a grime-rave-club kinda feel to it.

What music are you listening to currently, and what were some of the influences behind your EP? If I’m not making music I usually listen to jazz, it’s a nice break. Some of my favourite producers at the moment come from Japan – Carpainter for example makes crazy jazzy juke... I love a bit of Beyoncé as well.

You’ve just debuted your live show in Glasgow – how did you feel the show went, and can we expect to see some more live sets from you in the near future?

I think it went well! I was absolutely terrified as so much can go wrong... but I think I pulled it off. I do enjoy doing a live set and I want to build on it and make it more exciting. It’s definitely nice to showcase my production.

You also run a production workshop for girls, how did this come about? Was this inspired by your own experiences with starting out as a female in the industry? What has the feedback been like from the participants?

I teamed up with E.M.M.A. who started the ‘Producergirls’ workshop and has already put on a few events in London. We’ve been overwhelmed

by the number of applications and as we only offer 15 spaces, it’s going to be really hard to turn people away, but we are looking at ways of making it happen on a regular basis. When I started producing there was nothing like that around and I was too shy to ask for help or even join a course, so I think I lost a lot of time trying to teach myself.

What do you think needs to be done to address and combat these problems?

Book more women, write about them, make us more visible and include us in regular events and press, not as some sort of curiosity. Even the words ‘female DJ’ make my skin crawl. Stop focussing on the gender.

“ It’s just a reflection of our society, which is very sexist – women do not have a seat at the table”

In your opinion, what are the best and worst things about having a career as a DJ/producer?

Living your dream is amazing and so rewarding but it can be quite solitary and antisocial. The club environment is hedonistic and that can get out of hand, not all people you meet are genuine... the touring lifestyle is extremely taxing, especially for one’s mental health. Apart from that it’s the best job in the world and it’s a huge privilege to make people dance.

Maya Medvesek

There have been a lot of comments recently about the sexism in the dance music scene, with Jackmaster and others opening up about the problem on social media. What has your personal experience been regarding inequality in the industry?

We’ve been going on about this for years and we still get ignored... I am so tired of all this. The main issue is still banging on about the issue instead of things being done. For example the press love to write about ‘all female’ stuff but fail to support and feature women’s work. We need men to speak up and it’s great that Jackmaster did, but it’s also sad that it takes a man for some people to listen.

It’s a tough industry but it’s just a reflection of our society, which is very sexist – women do not have a seat at the table.

CLUBS

If you had to pick a career highlight to date, what would it be?

Probably working with DJ Deeon. He is a hero of mine and to think we have now become friends and collaborators is just amazing.

What are your goals and ambitions for the future?

It’ll be time to make an album soon, more collaborations, more gigs, travel to new countries... try and explore new sound and directions and learn.

Finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of DJing?

How do you like to spend your free time?

I don’t do much to be honest! I love to read, I study Ancient Egyptian language part-time and spend a lot of time learning about ancient civilisations, Tibetan buddhism, yoga, meditation. I also started boxing recently, which is a lot of fun.

Nightwave’s Wavejumper EP is released on 24 Mar on Fool’s Gold

THE SKINNY

Brothers in Arms Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire assembles big names for smaller scale action, with a film devoted to an extended shootout between all kinds of shady people. Alongside one of his stars, Sharlto Copley, we discuss single-location thrills and spirited scumbags

“W

AS IT LOUD?! If the volume’s up it can be a little intense.” South African actor Sharlto Copley is responding to the news that The Skinny has come to interview him pretty much straight from a press screening of his new film Free Fire, a 1970s Boston-set action movie from British director Ben Wheatley, the other interviewee present. “After one screening,” Copley continues, “I was like, ‘OK, I lived through it once. I could have sat a little further away from the speaker.’

In Free Fire, Copley is but one member of an impressive ensemble (including Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, Jack Reynor, Sam Riley and Wheatley favourite Michael Smiley) trapped in a deserted warehouse, who are left to fight off everyone else after an arms deal goes wrong. And while many directors would make that just one scene of many, Free Fire’s calling card is that the ensuing shootout takes up the entire rest of the film.

About a year ago, when The Skinny chatted to Wheatley about his prior film, High-Rise, we got a sneak peek of his intentions for Free Fire, which was in post-production. Among the influences Wheatley cited during our full conversation at the time was John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, but the director is now keen to establish key differences between that classic siege thriller and his new film.

“It was all those kind of spare 70s movies,” Wheatley clarifies. “I suppose Assault is one. But this is a bit fiddlier than Assault is, because ultimately it’s a bit

more austere, and a modernist thing.” Wheatley explains that it’s more the intent that’s austere than it is the look of the film. “It’s shot with all the modern tools, so it’s a lot of technocrane stuff and all the slow motion stuff, and odds and sods like that,” he says. “And it’s shot digitally as well, so there’s no concession to oldie world-y style, particularly.

But I just like the way that the Carpenter stuff concentrates people into a space and he’s happy with that. And that makes the drama work.”

In that earlier interview, Wheatley also revealed that dissatisfaction with contemporary action filmmaking was a motivator for the project. Specifically his beef was with huge blockbusters, where the human scale of the conflict tends to be overshadowed by an overwhelming focus on computer-generated mass destruction. His fellow interviewee is no stranger to those sorts of CG effectsheavy films, with the likes of Maleficent and The A-Team on his resume, alongside a trio of Neill Blomkamp collaborations (District 9, Elysium, Chappie).

On the topic of differences between the two modes of action filmmaking, Copley is effusive.

“It was definitely one of the highlights of my career,” the 43-year-old actor says of working with Wheatley. “The process of making the film was just so, so actor-friendly, and I’d heard this from my agent about Ben being somebody actors just truly rave about.” Their first meeting was via Skype. “I was like, ‘Wow, this feels like it would be fun work-

ing with someone who’s very sensitive to what actors like or what actors need,’” he recalls. “You couldn’t ask for a better situation: everyone’s in one place, you’re kind of almost doing it as a play; Ben shoots very fast; it’s shot in order; everything’s real, practical.”

“ I’m an actor so you need to be able to be mocked by everyone in order to do the job” Sharlto Copley

This latter point, explains Copley, was particularly congenial to the acting process. If you think the film is loud while watching it, you can imagine the process of making it. “For two thirds of the film you’re just sitting with earplugs in and you’re just having this bombardment of gunfire,” he says. “So it really makes your job easy. It’s a lot harder to go in and do green screen stuff and deliver a good performance. It’s much harder.”

Interview: Josh Slater-Williams

Though Copley’s career since 2009’s District 9, the actor’s feature film debut, has been rife with those aforementioned CG spectacles, there are also smaller, feistier genre movies peppered throughout his filmography. These include Spike Lee’s stylish take on Oldboy and the divisive Hardcore Henry, an action film shot entirely from the first-person POV of its eponymous character.

We ask what draws him to these smaller films, like Free Fire. “For me it’s just [that] I like people that are pushing the envelope in some way, I guess. I’m a pretty extreme person, so I just love the fact that people have the balls; that Ben would make a movie like this. A lot of directors would be like, well, I need more narrative things, I need more happening. It’s really a confidence thing.”

Whether in the studio pictures or the indie films, there’s a particular characteristic that regularly recurs in Copley’s roles: that of playing figures that enter a narrative and disrupt the bearings of everyone around them. Indeed, that’s an element of his arms dealer character, Vernon, in Free Fire, who inspires the film’s other characters to openly take the piss out of him, even before they want to kill him. The film’s production notes suggest that Wheatley rewrote the part for Copley once he signed on, so in a move that could perhaps have been thought through with more care, we essentially ask Copley if he feels he often plays annoying characters.

“I mean... wow, thanks,” he says, which provokes cackling from Wheatley on the sidelines. “Thank you! Well, I’m an actor so you need to be able to be mocked by everyone in order to do the job. So it’s useful! You need a certain degree of thick skin to be able to attempt the job in the first place.”

We acknowledge that the question could have been phrased better. “No no no, I love how you phrased the question, because it’s absolutely true.

District 9, the first character that I did, essentially has that element too, where people are like, ‘Is this guy ridiculous? Do I like him? Do I not like him?

He’s annoying me, but, oh, he’s got some heart.’

“There’s something Dustin Hoffman said once in an interview which really resonates with me,” Copley continues, “which might not be totally obvious in my work because a lot of my work is quite caricatured – I like to do more caricatured performances if an opportunity presents itself. But Hoffman said, ‘I play what we are and I leave what we want to be to other actors and movie stars.’

And so I think that to be mocked or to be laughed at, or to not be cool is, in some ways, the opposite of movie stardom. But it really does require you to be able to put your flaws or your insecurity out there, and try to find a strength in that, because you try to be as honest as you can.”

Wheatley chips in to defend these misfits too: “And there’s spirit in those characters, isn’t there?

In the same way, there’s Sam Riley’s character.

He has a similar issue, doesn’t he? He’s absolutely despicable [and] he disrupts the whole film. He causes all the trouble in it, right up until the end.

And I think the spirit of those two characters is really exciting because they’re just tearing the film up, smashing the film, breaking the film as it’s happening in front of you. And it should really be a film about Armie Hammer. In a normal movie the main character would be him and then everything else would be moving around him. But it’s not. It’s all these smaller roles coming to the front and fucking everything up for everybody else.” And with that, the freewheeling nature of Free Fire is succinctly summarised.

Free Fire is released 31 Mar by StudioCanal

March 2017

FILM

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CCA Highlights This month's programme includes books, film festivals, 70s pig masks and socio-political art festival Dokufest and ImagineNATIVE. Relax with a range of screenings, masterclasses and competition with fun for all the family.

It’s not the matrix, GLITCH really is happening a second time round, and these agents of change are coming once again to bring you a quirky and bizarre arsenal of LGBTQI+ art. Queer Black Vampires. I need say no more. But I will: with premieres of films, performance art and documentaries, and Q&As with the directors, see things from every imaginable side at GLITCH starting Friday 24 March.

LGBTQI+ art is further represented by the marvellous PWR BTTM. American College buddies Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce bring their cavorting queer punk ebullience to the stage. Arrayed in

Katia Kameli, Stream of Stories, 2015.

Forms of Action at CCA Glasgow

drag and ready for an assault on your nervous system and your preconceptions; bombastic, ballistic, and catchy as hell, go find what you truly want on Saturday 15 April.

Oddly sensual 1970s pig masks hammer in the pathos in hippie bildungsroman The Telephone Book, where a Woodstock rejectee seems to find dirty phone jokes the very height of amore and tries to track the ribald Romeo down. Although largely forgotten, the work is a seminal piece from the New York underground film scene by writer/ director Nelson Lyon. Go give it the appreciation it’s always deserved on Thursday 20 April.

Twitchingly rich in melancholy, endlessly hazy as it fans out with its ambulant chords, yet filled with – in his words – “a hopeful, utopian element

that reminds you of the possibility of a different life.” Ulrich Schnauss is playing live at the CCA ready to let the audience swim in his hypnotic river of melancholy electronica following the release his fourth album. Be part of the tide on Wednesday 22 March.

Don’t forget Forms of Action – and if you went, you couldn’t – to witness how art survives contact with the absurdity of our real world, and what on earth we can do as we watch reality end. The exhibition takes on everything in a superb array of storytelling, photography and performance that tackles the socio-cultural implications of food and agriculture, second-wave feminism and the simple hope of being alive. cca-glasgow.com

Dimitri Launder, Towards a People's Apothecary Glasgow, 2017. Forms of Action at CCA Glasgow

Photo: Alan Dimmick

iterary bonanza ahoy! Glasgow Book festival Aye Write is on the horizon and coming in to moor at the CCA from 9-19 March. There is a veritable trove of literary loot for you, dear adventurer, to plunder. Treasures such as Welcome to Lagos author Chibundu Onuzo is just one of many famous authors appearing at a roster of events. There’s a focus on the burgeoning graphic novel form and LGBTQI+ representation as Aye Write looks ever outward on the good ship CCA. Glasgow Short Film Festival is back for its 10th year at its ancestral home from 15-19 March.

As article 50 becomes the last and only minutiae of European diktat we ever care about again, this year there is a focus on sovereignty, with three programmes in conjunction with Kosovan film

Photo: Alan Dimmick

L

Words: Sebastian Fisher

Glasgow meets the world Glasgow’s book festival Aye Write! has spread its wings from the Mitchell Library in 2017, just to fit its packed programme into the city – one that includes old favourites like Ian Rankin and Christopher Brookmyre alongside Bowie, fitba and Tim Burgess

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he brochure for this year’s Aye Write! festival humbly claims that things might ‘look and feel a little different this time around.’ For the first time, the Mitchell Library-based literary festival has branched out to include the Centre for Contemporary Arts and Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall as venues for the some 200 authors it has assembled, broadening the scope of the festival in the hope of drawing in an even larger and more diverse crowd than ever before. This desire to strike out into new territory is reflected in a line-up which incorporates writers from the worlds of literature, sport, music and politics, drawing in authors from nations all across the world that range from literary debutants whose works have barely hit the bookshelves to the old hands whose names have adorned them for years. As a dazzlingly diverse city with a charged political history, deep musical roots and fierce sporting passion, for Glasgow’s literary festival to be given the task of reflecting even half of its kaleidoscopic whole would be a challenge. One that Aye Write! 2017 does its very best to rise to.

As much as it acts as a celebration of Scottish literature and culture, Aye Write! also operates as a platform for the stories of authors from all around the world. At a time when the boundaries of national identity are being violently fortified,

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literature’s capacity to breeze through borders and evoke simple, human empathy is more valuable than ever. The wave of writing tearing out of Nigeria in recent years has been incredible with the likes of Ayobami Adebayo and Chibundu Onuzo (12 Mar) sitting at its crest, both of whom will appear for a Welcome to Nigeria discussion of their latest works. As one of the most turbulent nations in the world, Afghanistan is represented by both the fictions of Jason Donald and Laura McVeigh (19 Mar) and the very real account of Gulwali Passarlay (9 Mar) whose exile from the country at the age of 12 saw him embark on a 12-month quest for refuge. As another nation that is seldom absent from our television screens but also rarely discussed in its own terms, Burning Nation authors Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami aim to shed a little light on the true state of Syria today (12 Mar).

Having now grown into the third largest literary festival in the UK, this year Aye Write! has sprouted a whole section dedicated to the city’s love of music with a name that sits some way between fantastic, terrible and inevitable – ‘Aye Tunes!’. Even with the man himself having now been gone over a year, the shadow of David Bowie looms as large in Glasgow as anywhere else in the world with two events scheduled to offer fresh

perspectives on him and his work – drummer Woody Woodmansey sheds light on what it was like to work on four of Bowie’s most acclaimed albums (11 Mar) while respected music critic and author of The Age of Bowie, Paul Morley lends an expert eye to the seismic impact of the pop icon (both 11 Mar). Also appearing for this new musical appendage of Aye Write! will be Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble (10 Mar), The Incredible String Band’s Mike Heron (18 Mar) and The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess (17 Mar).

On the sporting side of things, Aye Write! diplomatically offers something for both the city’s green and blue halves with past Rangers boss Alex McLeish to appear for a conversation with Graham Hunter (9 Mar), reflecting on his time on both sides of the sidelines, while the golden anniversary of Celtic’s European Cup win will be celebrated with a panel of well-informed die-hards – Professor Willy Maley, Celtic View Editor Paul Cuddihy and writer Martin McCardie – assembled to reflect on Scottish football’s highest honour (12 Mar). With Glasgow having played host to the Homeless World Cup last year, Aye Write! will also proudly launch Home Ground, a new collection of fiction inspired by the tournament which incorporates the work of volunteers, MLitt students and esteemed authors like Alan Bissett and Jim Carruth.

ART / BOOKS

Words: Ross McIndoe While it’s known for its love of music and football, the dark underbelly of Glasgow plays a large part in its popular conception, and it’s the novels filled with dark alleys, gunshots and worldwearied detectives which have come to be most closely associated with the mean city. Fittingly then, Aye Write! has assembled a veritable Suicide Squad of criminal masterminds. Scandi-Crime giant Jo Nesbø will be discussing Harry Hole’s latest exploits in The Thirst (one of two April events, on the 18th), while the king of Tartan Noir Ian Rankin will appear to celebrate the 30th anniversary of John Rebus’s literary conception. His fellow Scottish crime lord Christopher Brookmyre will also be there to talk about his latest novel Want You Gone, (20 Apr) and to introduce the latest entrants into the their hard-boiled world, Helen Fields and Daniel Cole (9 Mar).

With poets, politicians, graphic novelists, children’s authors, journalists, athletes, musicians and much more all present and correct, it’s no wonder Aye Write! 2017 has had to spread itself across the city.

Aye Write runs from 9-19 Mar, across three locations in Glasgow: The Kelvin Hall, Mitchell Library and Royal Concert Hall. Tickets are available from the website www.ayewrite.com

THE SKINNY

A Family Affair Manuela are wife and husband duo Manuela Gernedel and Nick McCarthy. We talk to the couple about their intimate and eccentric debut album, recorded following McCarthy’s departure from Franz Ferdinand and in between raising their kids

Interview: Andrew Gordon

‘G

ood things come from nowhere,’ is a line that exemplifies the quiet but persistent optimism of Manuela, the new album and collaborative venture from London-based artist Manuela Gernedel and her husband, ex-Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy. The line comes from Invincible, a tribute to the couple’s young son, and it sums up Gernedel’s knack for finding emotional sustenance in the most innocuous details of everyday life. ‘There are crumbs between your fingers and milk on your tongue,’ she sings. ‘There is grass and there is milk, and love, you’ve made me invincible.’

That Manuela’s debut should reflect on parenthood is unsurprising given that it was partly out of their becoming parents that the project came about. Last summer, Franz Ferdinand announced McCarthy’s decision to leave the band, citing his desire to spend more time at home with Gernedel and their children as his reason for calling it a day.

A quiet life as a stay-at-home dad wasn’t exactly what he had in mind however.

Since then he and Gernedel have been hard at work on new material together at his own Sausage Studios, which he recently set up with longtime pal Sebastian Kellig. “That was like a teenage dream of mine,” he admits, “I always wanted to have a room full of instruments where you can just jump around and go off on one.” He, Gernedel and Kellig, who helped produce the record, all grew up in Bavaria and have known each other for some time, so in a sense Manuela’s been decades in the making. It certainly has some precedence in Box Codax, the band McCarthy and Gernedel formed with Alexander Ragnew after the pair moved to Glasgow so Gernedel could pursue painting at the Glasgow School of Art. As the name suggests however, Gernedel is the chief creative force behind Manuela. McCarthy still handles most musical duties, like he did with Codax, but the project centres on her perspective.

“We’ve got a bit of a weird way of writing,” Gernedel explains. “I don’t actually play music so I just write text or lyrics and basically just try and sing them like melodies.” For inspiration, she turns to her everyday experiences, assembling thoughtful collages from stray thoughts and observations. “I’m trying to describe an atmosphere of going through just ordinary days,” she says.

Take Supermarket, which follows Gernedel on weekly trips to the shops. You’d struggle to imagine a more banal premise for a song, but her attentive telling reveals unexpected emotional depth in a chore we all take for granted. Gernedel says she wanted to be “quite realistic about there being loads of stuff and crap that you surround yourself with” while also paying heed to the notion of “consumerism as a sort of remedy.” Sure enough, the song has a kind of woozy ambience that seems to convey the hypnotic, almost soothing repetitiveness of grocery shopping, reflecting the way in which such routines both wear us down and can be strangely comforting.

This same kind of ambivalence shows up time and again on Manuela, but the overall mood is positive. Where anxieties or complications do appear, they’re either worked out or simply acknowledged and accepted as a small part of the bigger picture.

It all sounds very healthy, especially when you hear the pair singing about what is presumably their own relationship – like a kind of mock couple’s therapy.

“It’s a weird album,” McCarthy admits. “I sing songs with my wife about a break-up which is quite bizarre but [it] still feels optimistic and nice. It’s something everyone thinks about but you don’t actually say it.

Just through song and dance!”

The two certainly have a unique dynamic, resulting in music that’s often as odd as it is moving.

March 2017

Nowhere is that more true than on Silent Dome, which finds Gernedel lying awake at night, coming to terms with the idea that she might be over the proverbial hill: ‘The light on the floor it reminds me / That I’ve already had my best ideas,’ she muses soberly to herself. But then the drums hit, and just as she transitions into a heart-on-sleeve chorus about love overcoming self-doubt, McCarthy drops the dopiest, most unabashedly tacky synth line that somehow makes the whole thing sound even more earnest and endearing. “I think it’s got something magical about it,” he agrees. “I quite like a cheesy line – a cheesy, quite straight ahead melody – [Manuela’s] far [less] guarded but maybe doesn’t show too much emotion in her music or in her art.”

It’s hearing that tension play out in real time, he suggests, that makes it so effective. “I reckon it’s the combination of our two personalities, the fight between us – or the love!”

That’s not to say Gernedel can’t be just as silly. Yes there’s Invincible, the candid and affectionate ode to motherhood mentioned above, but there’s also the opening line to Easy, in which she recounts the moment when it all began as such: ‘You fell from my crotch with your eyes closed’.

Ah, the miracle of childbirth!

Speaking of which, how do you go about recording an album when you’ve got tiny versions of yourself to keep an eye on? “You just have to organise yourself a little bit more than you used to, that’s all it is really,” McCarthy explains. “And then [the kids] don’t have to take centre stage all the time you know, it’s totally fine. Anyway, they come round the studio all the time, I’ve got them soldering things and stuff, you know.”

Even without turning Sausage Studios into a makeshift nursery, it sounds like the recording booth was plenty busy during the making of Manuela. Also involved besides Kellig were Jim Dixon (“We used to live with him in Glasgow for ages and he’s started playing with Django Django now”), ex-Veronica Falls singer and recent Night School signee Roxanne Clifford, and William Reese of the Mystery Jets (“One of those annoying people that can just play everything, you know, picks something up and makes it sound amazing”) – and those were just the musicians they’d planned to take part.

“ I sing songs with my wife about a break-up which is quite bizarre” Nick McCarthy

Amazingly, Gernedel and McCarthy also recruited their neighbour to play sax on an instrumental track after overhearing him practise. “I just knocked on his door and he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it’,” explains McCarthy. “He’s an older guy and he came to studio with a whole bottle of whiskey and it was gone in about two hours. But his playing didn’t get any worse, it was quite amazing! He was absolutely fucked by the end of it but he could still

Music

play. Funny guy and he’s an amazing saxophonist – I still hear him twittering away.”

Having sax on the record was something Gernedel had been secretly hoping for for some time. “I just really thought we should have a piece with saxophone in it because I’ve always thought it was such an odd instrument,” enthuses Gernedel.

“I used to hate it and I’ve really come round to it.

I don’t know, it just seems to produce certain sounds that are quite offensive.” Accordingly, they chose to deploy the sax on what they’re calling their protest song, March Against It, their own take on the kind of jazz marches that soundtracked the civil rights movement.

“Obviously from that era there was a massive protest movement and now it feels like we’re getting…” McCarthy trails off. “Well I grew up being very unpolitical, I didn’t know what to be political about weirdly. I don’t know why. But now it seems a completely different era and there’s a lot of anger.”

Gernedel agrees: “I think it’s a general sense at the moment that everything’s all potentially just going to shit politically in our part of the world, where we’ve had 80 years of peace around us and then suddenly everyone flips back.”

But Manuela aren’t the kind to give in to despair. Yes, good things might come from nowhere, but the unspoken part of that line – and the quality the duo exude in spades – is that you have to go looking for it; to take a hard, patient look at the world around you and then find and share its positive sides. “I mean we can talk about these things,” Gernedel states, “but at the end of the day you want to send out some love.”

Manuela is released on 31 Mar via Lost Map

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Adults Only We speak to north London alt-goth-rockers Desperate Journalist about growing up and their sophomore album, aptly named... Grow Up

“C

an I ask you a question?” Absolutely, we reply. “What music are you into – you know, apart from us?” A pause. Just long enough for Simon Drowner’s bandmates to check that he’s serious before they collapse into incredulous laughter. “You know, apart from us?” mimics singer Jo Bevan, but Drowner is unruffled: “I didn’t mean it like that.” They leave him on the hook for a little longer but he’s in the clear. It’s only fair, after all, to assume that interviewing a band for the third time is indicator enough of something other than duty. Warm, conversational and able to smartly critique their own work, Desperate Journalist are an interviewer’s dream. This time around, it’s the imminent release of second album, the excellent Grow Up, that sees us decamp to the back room of a Derby club – where, later that evening, the band will blitz a sold-out and receptive room – to explore the creative process behind the record.

“The first album was really not so considered at all,” begins guitarist Rob Hardy. “We really didn’t know we were making an album until about half way through. It was only as we got to the end of five days of studio time that we realised that it was definitely an album we were recording. We were like: ‘Shit! Better get some more songs!’ Whereas this one was entirely written, conceived and recorded as an album.”

And you can tell. That eponymous 2015 debut was an invigorating re-write of classic Brit indie guitar pop; Desperate Journalist’s post-punk spirit and Bevan’s lyrical acuity made for an immersive and powerful experience. But Grow Up is fuller, richer by some distance: more complex arrangements; bigger, brighter hooks; a lyrical endeavour that deftly shifts viewpoint and tone throughout.

“I think that came naturally,” says Bevan. “We’ve played together for a while now and so we know what we can do. Like, you come to know what Caz (Helbert, drummer) might come up with on drums and what Simon might come up with on bass.”

Hardy agrees: “It’s the natural outcome of having spent more time together and so you do become better musicians, of course. Caz’s drumming is a big thing. She had never really played before we started and so we almost had some limitations with the first album – in a nice way.

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Everything had to be simple and straightforward.

You couldn’t go, ‘Oh Caz, do this really complex, syncopated thing.’” Which wouldn’t have fitted anyway, perhaps? “No, absolutely. It wouldn’t. But as we started to write for this album, and you know your drummer really can do this stuff now, well that becomes very freeing as a writer. It allows you to push yourself,” concludes Hardy.

“Also, in the studio,” adds Drowner, “we don’t get someone in to record us. We make all the decisions ourselves. So this time around, we’d learned how to make it sound better. We listen to the first one and we can tell you what we don’t like about it. The new one was done to a click track so it’s actually broadly in time.” Helbert knots her brow: “Broadly? Perfectly in time, Simon. Perfectly.”

“ This was never about being a vehicle for showing off how good any of us are as individuals” Rob Hardy

Two albums in, Desperate Journalist are a deeply connected unit. Not just as a live act, where they perform with a violent energy and an unerring precison, but as a group of individuals, too. As we hunch over afternoon pints, they commit to discussing their music with passion and with great care. As one speaks, the others pause and listen.

“We knew we had a deep bond when we first got together,” says Hardy. “In terms of me and Jo, certainly, I can’t now imagine writing with another singer. I can’t imagine someone else singing my songs or someone playing bass on them in such a distinct, aggressive manner, or anyone but Caz playing drums on them.

“When we did the first one, I was obsessed with making it really coherent,” explains Hardy.

“So with this one, there was a real intent to recognise bits that we had only touched on and to push them that little bit further. There are more distinct changes in speed and feel, and I was quite keen to do some slower songs. I thought we had the potential to be really good at that but we hadn’t really done it before.” Bevan agrees: “There’s a depth that there perhaps wasn’t on the first. I still really like the first album and I think there’s a charm in how we throw everything screaming at the wall, in a way. But it’s cool to now know that we can do things that have more space, more atmosphere.”

Helbert sums up the band’s collective intent when she says: “It’s all about the song. My favourite drummers are all just very, very tight. Take Sean from the Manics. What he does doesn’t sound at all overly complicated but it is very musical and, ultimately, it serves the song.” Bevan adds: “I think that’s the thing for all of us. We all sing or play in a way that brings the best from the song. It’s not the ‘me’ show and when that starts to happen, it all becomes less connected to the message and the intent of the music.” Hardy chimes in: “Yes, that’s true, this was never about being a vehicle for showing off how good any of us are as individuals.” Pause. Everyone’s thinking it. “Apart from me, occasionally...” This time the laughter goes on for perhaps a little too long. “But, seriously, there’s not a guitar solo there because I fancy it but because there should actually be one,” continues Hardy. “Similarly, I imagine Jo doesn’t just go nuts at one bit because she wants to show off the range of her voice.”

Aside from its expansive musicality, Grow Up is a showcase once again for Bevan’s lyrics. Her dense narratives and heightened language fashion drama and poetry, and feed much of the album’s connective tissue. There are pointed dialogues, dark reflection and she prods fearlessly at the gauze of memory. When she sings, ‘Oh like a freight train I’m coming for your head / I am the chest pain that pins you to your bed’ (All Over), that’s Grow Up’s untrammelled fury in a nutshell but there are moments of fragility and often harsh self-assessment that are as relatable as they are startling.

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Interview: Gary Kaill

“Well I think that is a fair assessment and, obviously, very complimentary, so thank you. I think, on the first album, I was just randomly picking from bits and pieces of things that just occurred to me,” explains Bevan. “With this one, I started writing a few things and realised it was going along a sort of theme of...” She stops for a moment. “It was kind of organic in that I’m at the stage in my life where I’m considering what it is to be, like, a proper person. So that naturally came out in all the stuff I was writing about anyway. So, yeah, it is more consistent, more thematically cohesive, and the general emotions I have around that situation are fury and self-doubt. I think it’s a bit more reflective, this record, lyrically, than the first one, which was a bit more outwardly aggressive. This one is a bit more introspective, which is a bit of a cliché but... I can’t not just write about how I feel about things. I’m not going to make anything up.”

The great myth of the shared musical/lyrical experience is that the trade-off always works in both the artist’s and the listener’s favour: a problem shared is a problem halved. And while Bevan confirms that the process is cathartic and unstoppable, it is entirely possible, as a listener, to come away from Grow Up feeling great empathy and very connected while not necessarily feeling any better. Bevan laughs. “Can we have that for the press release?” deadpans Drowner.

“Look,” says Bevan, “all of the bands I’ve cared about and connected with, I’ve had the reaction you’ve just described – where it’s felt incredibly personal and that the emotion was real, and also expressed in either such a poetic or identifiable way that it becomes a universal thing and beyond just ‘oh this particular person just did this to me or whatever.’ That’s just very specific and so it doesn’t transfer. You have to broaden. So, that’s a really, really good thing to hear. That’s what I want people to take from it. I want people to have that sort of reaction to it and connection with it, and I want people to find it useful and important.” A final pause. “And enjoyable... hopefully!”

Grow Up is released on 24 Mar via Fierce Panda Desperate Journalist play Nice’N’Sleazy, Glasgow, 31 Mar desperatejournalist.co.uk

THE SKINNY

The Other’d Artist Performance artist Travis Alabanza talks to The Skinny ahead of their ambitious collaborative exhibition of Black artists The Other’d Artist with Transmission in May

Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

T

his May, London-based artist and performer Travis Alabanza opens their project The Other’d Artist in Transmission Gallery. Right now, Alabanza is working with a group of Black artists and collaborators to develop an ambitious collaboration that will come just over a year after their first trip to Glasgow last April.

For Alabanza, their first invitation to Glasgow for a performance in Transmission made for a moment of “real parallel.” They describe “being invited up to a space as a Black person then realising there was this whole Black community that already exists and is struggling,” referring to the African Carribean Network Centre, “who were facing eviction and there was no noise about that or anything.

So Linda [Stupart] and I really tried to turn that around and use our voice there.”

Soon after, Transmission invited Alabanza to mount a solo show this year. But the same concerns for the existing Black community in Scotland have led Alabanza to greatly expand the project. “I felt very conflicted about a Glasgow and Scottish space responding to a lack of diversity by inviting a London-based Black artist to come up and I felt uncomfortable about how much space there is at Transmission, and that I would be filling that with my voice.”

As a way of considering and deepening these ideas and their sense of the occasion of being invited by Transmission to make an exhibition, Alabanza thinks in particular of concepts of the archive. “How are we being archived? Where will we be in ten years? How do we know we existed and were in these spaces? It’s really an exhibition about archiving ourselves and doing the archiving and us talking about our experiences and them being documented in a space. So for me in short the exhibition’s looking at these experiences of Black artists within the institution and how they navigate those institutions and also wanting to record – I call what Linda and I did a ‘clapback’ – the fact that Black people have [always] been doing clapbacks.”

In the last year, Alabanza describes being invited by different institutions and in many cases declining these opportunities. Out of a sharp awareness for the people that might otherwise be excluded, it is often out of principle that Alabanza will opt for stepping back or creating a means of sharing the space with others. “Unless I have the burning desire to say something, it’s so much more interesting and important to invite multiple people into that conversation. Especially for me, because I’m always brought in as a token and when [that happens] we really limit our conversations around race because I’m constantly trying to clarify that I’m not speaking for everyone. By inviting 20 plus Black artists to the space, we can talk honestly without fear of who we have to represent.”

This process of opening out Transmission to Black artists and voices brings Alabanza to a specific thought about buildings and ownership. “I think a lot about Black people and space and how much our organising could reach another level if we actually owned space.” As a live example of Alabanza’s attempt to transform spaces, through January they were a weekly host at Royal Vauxhall Tavern – a queer space notorious for its whiteness. Now, each Tuesday Alabanza puts together a programme of queer Black artists. “We’ve seen the demographic change from being two Black people in a room to last Tuesday [speaking during January], we had 85% of the room were people of colour. To me I’m interested in that same process of transition in Glasgow. How can we turn the footfall and function of Transmission to a space of Black hangouts.”

It’s for this reason that Alabanza has not

March 2017

programmed artists’ talks to accompany their project. Instead there will be a Black haircare workshop, and a voguing workshop, and other kinds of skillshares. “I want to change the function of the gallery to something that is more accessible and interesting.” The exhibition will also start “quite empty.” After collecting interviews, Alabanza will use them as a soundtrack in the space across several Walkmen. In this way, as they go through Transmission, visitors hear accounts of Black artists within art school and gallery institutions.

Crucially still, as a means of thinking of ways to create a safe and comfortable open space, Alabanza plans on a two or three week period when Transmission will at moments be differently exclusive to certain audiences. So there will be events that “are Black only, maybe Black queers in some only, and I might not be in some of the spaces if we invite Black disabled activists in, as well… Then when we do invite white people in to see it, we’ve already created a space that we feel we own [which is a better strategy than if] I went straight to it and wanted these Black people to come through but haven’t done the work to build safety in the space.”

Some events might not be highly publicised, but rather for smaller audiences of the participants only. They think specifically of an artists’ critique group in Transmission formed of Black artists.

“Whenever Black people make work, we always have to think about how it will be consumed by whiteness, so creating work just to be seen by each other… A lot of my Black friends talk about these

horrible experiences in crits when loads of people in the room don’t understand their work, so they’re getting basic levels of critique around race.”

“ I want to change the function of the gallery to something that is more accessible and interesting” Travis Alabanza

This comes close to the heart of the title, The Other’d Artist. “When you exist in Otherness, you’re constantly not relaxed or constantly not at ease which means you can’t really make the work you want to make. The art world survives off of playground cliques that have been now given a bit more age and a lot of money to do it. I think a lot about the awkward Black person in that clique and why they need the clique and if they stay in the clique how are they still surviving in the clique.

They’ve probably had to sacrifice not speaking up when so and so said this. It’s about time these

ART

people got given the space to create safely.”

Alabanza mentions they’ve not been up to Glasgow very many times yet, before giving a sense of the kind of artistic circulation and economy of the area. “Just listening to people’s conversations, there’s a huge art school there that creates a group that then has a show, and there’s the pattern of work that happens in the progression of their art career. And I just always think that Black folk are left out of that, and that goes back to the feeling of being invited by Linda (and Linda and I have spoken about this a lot), that whenever Black folk are put in spaces we’re always the afterthought and not the first thought. We’re brought in after something’s been created because someone’s realised there’s been a mistake. And what would it look like if someone said you’re being invited here because I care about your work and I want to hear your work, make whatever the fuck you want. There’s no pressure here, I just really dig your work and I want people to see your work.”

Alabanza excitingly is still wanting participants, collaborators and conversations with Black artists in Glasgow and wider Scotland. If you are a Scottish Black artist, or a Black artist residing in Scotland, and want to discuss how you can be involved in the exhibition, please contact Travis Alabanza at travis_alabanza@hotmail.com or their website – and send an email introducing yourselves.

The Other’d Artist opens in Transmission in May travisalabanza.co.uk

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Mads Holm C

urrently based in Copenhagen and Glasgow, Mads Holm graduated from Photography at GSA in 2016 and has work on show in RSA New Contemporaries, Edinburgh, until 15 March.

ABOUT COMMON GROUND About Common Ground is an experiment in continuous photographic investigation of states and movements in a world bridged by information and trade while strongly divided by national borders. Attentive to political tension, collective consciousness and the influence of advanced capitalism I try to encompass some of what seems ungraspable, fascinating and scary. The work consists of a large visual material curated and presented differently for each exhibition and publication of it. Urbanity is key to the work – the photographic pictures examining the beauty, ambiguity and absurdities of the urban space as centre for capital and revolutionary politics. madsholm.com

Border Water II, 2016

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SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

Renaissance II, 2016

Refugees Welcome Here, 2016

Carrefour, 2016

March 2017

SHOWCASE

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THE SKINNY

Photo: Thomas Arran

Welcome to Hull!

A world-class programme of art, music and cultural activity of all kinds is unfolding for Hull UK City of Culture 2017. CEO and director Martin Green discusses his vision for a city “in glorious technicolour”

T

he city of Hull isn’t used to making a fuss.

Defined by the down to earth, no nonsense attitude of its people, Hull’s charm has been modestly hidden in its cobbled alleyways, in tales of mirth in one of many local boozers, or in the minds of its elder generation perched on the sea front, nursing memories of times gone by. Although Hull’s rich history is well known among its people, it has never been a city to boast its prospects to the rest of the world, rendering it misunderstood, and even forgotten, in the UK’s catalogue of cultural communities. When Martin Green, CEO and director of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, was gifted with the task of bringing Hull’s cultural identity into the limelight, he faced a daunting yet enticing project: how will Hull celebrate its culture while remaining true to the heart of the people who carry its history?

If the UK City of Culture status is unfamiliar to some, that’s because it’s so new. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was the first city to receive the accolade in 2013, designed to boost the city and its tourism as well as bring in 3000 jobs. After the success of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture status in 2008, it was decided that similar benefit could be brought to cities across the UK every four years.

For Green, the project had to be wanted and rooted in the needs of Hull’s people in order to work. “Although the document was many pages long, its key phrase was ‘we want it and we need it,’ written in that refreshingly Hull way,” he says of the bid. “A lot of people in the city were consulted, so you were safe in the knowledge that that document was fed into by lots and lots of people. So our

March 2017

job was to curate that. In all parts of the programme, you can trace that genealogy back to that document. Things may be larger, or have been brought together, but everything sprung from the bid.”

the community, the city; and you spend the year pushing, pushing and pushing the walls back, breaking the walls down, and connecting with the rest of the world.

The four seasons Green, with the city’s residents, has created a 365day festival that sees Hull brought to life through world-renowned art, theatre, literature and music, and the city’s wealth translated into a certified bragging right. Staged in four seasons – Made in Hull, Roots & Routes, Freedom and Tell the World – the phases of the programme are integral to the Hull 2017 vision.

Learning from Liverpool and Londonderry, Green says that, while the four themes were originally planned to run concurrently through the year, “we made just a simple decision to assign them all a season. That was down to our research, and through talks with Liverpool and their Capital of Culture bid, and Londonderry. They both said, ‘Don’t try to release a year’s work in one go.’

“What we also realised was that if we assigned each season a theme, it allowed us to build a narrative throughout the year,” he explains. “Now that Made in Hull is over, we move into Roots & Routes – to talk about this city as a port city, its international connections and particularly its historic connections with Reykjavík, Rotterdam and Freetown in Sierra Leone, and its new connection with Aarhus in Denmark, which happens to be European Capital of Culture 2017 and, likewise, a port city, a re-emerging port city. With this, you can see that you start with the individual, the story,

“Everyone will find something they share a connection with” Martin Green

“We then move into Freedom in the summer, which widens the lens again. You know, this is a city that’s built itself on the respective freedoms from William Wilberforce – we annually host the Freedom Festival here, which sees 130,000 attend a great programme of art and street art, all linked to ideas of freedoms.”

A vibrant programme The events that are unfolding in the city are constant and unmissable. Whether it’s John Grant’s North Atlantic Flux festival celebrating the links between Hull and Nordic creativity, the work of Hull-bred art collective COUM Transmissions brought back to life in the independent jewel that is Humber Street Gallery, or the birth of Hull Comic Con, the city is delivering both residents

HULL UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

Interview: Jasmine Andersson

and tourists a cocktail of events that understand the balance of timing and local and national communities. There is so much going on, Green says, that the seasons were necessary in order to break down the platter of stories.

“What you realise is you’ve got this absolutely unique opportunity – because everywhere else is a two-week festival – to take your time to tell many stories, in many ways, to different audiences,” he says. “Through the year we’ll enjoy those lesser-known stories which are for smaller, more definitive audiences, but over the year you accumulate and collect everyone, and everyone will find something they share a connection with.”

While the programme promises to put the city on the map, Green is keen to stress that Hull’s City of Culture status is for life, not just for 2017.

“I don’t think it was necessarily the case that people had a negative perception of the city, I think they had no perception of the city,” he says.

“And now they do. And that will continue, and hopefully now people know that, through the programme, the city is no longer operating in black and white – it’s now operating in glorious technicolour.”

Turn the page to find out more about Hull UK City of Culture 2017

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North Sea Sounds From one port city to another, John Grant’s North Atlantic Flux: Sounds from Smoky Bay festival celebrates Hull’s relationship with sister city Reykjavík via innovative electronica and haunting soundscapes – with an extra surprise, too Interview: Katie Hawthorne

THINGS TO DO

ARTIST ROOMS: Ron Mueck

Opera North: The Height of the Reeds

One of the major events of Hull 2017 is the reopening of the Ferens Art Gallery. Pop in and see the photorealistic sculptures of Australian artist Ron Mueck, who became notorious in the 90s for his iconic piece, Dead Dad, which featured alongside the work of Hirst and Emin et al at the Royal Academy’s Sensation exhibition. The Ferens welcomes two of Mueck’s 2005 sculptures, Wild Man and Spooning Couple. 22 Apr-13 Aug, Ferens Art Gallery, various times, free, hull2017.co.uk/skin

Ever wondered what the Humber Bridge sounds like?

Well, now you can find out, as Norwegian composer Arve Henriksen teams up with Hull-based sound recordist Jez Riley French and the chorus and orchestra of Opera North to create an original piece of music, which you can hear through headphones as you cross the bridge. Each experience is different, with the sound influenced by weather and traffic. 1-30 Apr, Humber Bridge, all day, free, hull2017.co.uk/operanorth

“ That’s why we’re all here: to get to know Hull, to hear the voice of Hull” John Grant

Photo: Patrick Mateer

It turns out that Grant is perfectly placed to examine the musical flux between the twinned cities: the American born musician, formerly of 90s band the Czars, has called Reykjavík home for over five years. Grant’s two most recent solo records Pale Green Ghosts (2013) and Grey Tickles, Black Pressure (2015) found inspiration and fellow collaborators in his new Icelandic neighbourhood, and he even acted as an ambassador for his adoptive city by co-writing Iceland’s 2014 Eurovision entry – that’s how you know you’re a bonafide local.

Grant’s fervent UK fanbase appears equally determined to dub him an honorary Brit, which he describes as “a huge compliment. I’ve been in

a love affair with the UK for decades now – I mean, the humour that comes out of your small island is mind-boggling!

“There are three people connected to Hull who I feel really connected to,” he explains. “Cosey Fanni Tutti, Tracey Thorn [of Everything But The Girl, and collaborator on Grant’s single Disappointing] and Lene Lovich, who’s someone I’ve listened to a lot, these past thirty years. Hull is this place that I’ve been to a little, but has inspired some incredible music.”

As a result, the “selfish wish list” of innovative electronica that Grant has curated for North Atlantic Flux encompasses artists from Iceland, Norway and the UK, with thin threads binding the line-up to his own musical history and winding back to Hull’s own harbour.

Pioneering Icelandic electronica outfit GusGus formed in 1995; they’ve released nine albums and counted even more members. Today the group consists of Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson, Högni Egilsson, and Birgir Þórarinsson – aka Biggi Veira, a close friend of Grant, who co-produced Pale Green Ghosts. “Inviting them was a natural decision for me,” Grant enthuses. “They put on such a great show, and they’re an important part of my history.

They had this album, 24/7, and it helped me through a particularly rough time; I listened to it non-stop. One of the things I love about them is that they continue to develop their sound, album to album, becoming better and better sound designers – it’s something I aspire to.

“You know, I’ve yet to be disappointed by people I’ve met who have made records that were really important to me,” Grant jokes, and points to Stephen Mallinder as another example of meeting – and working with – an idol. Once a founding member of Sheffield bizarros Cabaret Voltaire, Mallinder’s new band Wrangler (with Tunng’s Phil Winter and powerhouse producer Benge) recently remixed Grant’s track Voodoo Doll, and collaborated with him for Rough Trade Records’ 40th anniversary. Grant recalls first meeting Mallinder after a Brighton show: “He said he could definitely hear where I was coming from – that was huge for me,

because I wanted him to see how much he inspired me through the years. He’s been very gracious, he doesn’t laugh at my love for Cabaret Voltaire!”

Grant describes working with Wrangler as “a huge learning experience. I’m sort of a baby when it comes to sound design; you can’t believe how hard it is to get to what you hear in your head. But with people like them around, it’s easier.”

Coincidentally, Mallinder provides the connection with Grant’s next choice: Steve Cobby and Russ Litten’s haunting spoken word collaboration. Cobby, once half of Hull duo Fila Brazillia, is a “beat maker at the top of his game” and has teamed with Mallinder in the past. Litten is a Hullensian author and poet who, in a project tailormade for the festival, will narrate the consequences of a tragic Atlantic storm in 1968 when 58 local men drowned as three trawlers were wrecked on course for Iceland. “When I listened to what Cobby and Litten are doing, I got really excited,” Grant explains. “That’s why we’re all here: to get to know Hull, to hear the voice of Hull. And these stories, the way Litten tells them is really quite beautiful.”

Completing the first wave of announcements

Sea of Hull

Mark Wigan

Spencer Tunick: Sea of Hull

Make the most of your weekend in Hull by checking out the graphic art of Mark Wigan, who studied locally at Hull School of Art and Design and went on to become highly influential on urban styles in London, New York and Tokyo in the 80s and 90s. You might recognise his distinctive, street culture-informed work from a recent collab with Dr Martens, while this show will reveal 30 years of video, photography, prints and more. 6 Apr-7 May, The Museum of Club Culture, 10.30am-4.30pm, free, hull2017.co.uk/ whatson/events/transglobal-art-mark-wigan

Last summer, thousands of people gathered in Hull to stand in the buff wearing nothing but blue paint.

Emulating the flow of a river, or the mouth of a sea, this ululating mass of bodies was exhilarating, liberating and strangely moving to watch. The ‘installation’, paying tribute to Hull’s maritime history, was the project of photographer Spencer Tunick, whose pictures of the event go on display for the first time in April.

22 Apr-13 Aug, Ferens Art Gallery, various times, free, hull2017.co.uk/skin

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Ron Mueck, Spooning Couple, 2005, ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate

Photo: Marcus Leith for Tate

The Transglobal Art of Mark Wigan

HULL UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

is stellar Norwegian producer and musician Lindstrøm: “He’s amazing – whenever something new comes out I just snap it up. I’m over the moon that he’s agreed to come and play.”

With North Atlantic Flux featuring his favourite musicians, old and new, from each corner of the North Sea, surely Grant feels tempted to step out from the sidelines? “Well, nobody told me not to say anything about it…” he pauses, before annoucing: “But I’m definitely playing!”

What form this will take – collaborative or solo – has yet to be confirmed, but he muses, “It would be good to play Glacier right now, in the midst of everything that’s going on.” His devastating ballad details the everyday struggle for LGBTQ rights and transforms pain into power of mountainous proportions; as ever, John Grant knows exactly what this world needs to hear. He summarises, neatly: “I think you’re going to find some new inspiration for yourself, for sure.”

John Grant’s North Atlantic Flux: Sounds from Smoky Bay, 28 Apr-1 May, Hull City Hall / Fruit / Gate No 5, 7pm, £82-£119 hull2017.co.uk/johngrant

Credit: Hull City Council

fter twenty years in the business, John Grant’s rolodex of musical collaborators spans punk rock heroes, pioneering producers and powerful pop queens like Kylie Minogue. He modestly speaks of “holes” in his musical education, but we’re not buying it.

When organisers from Hull UK City of Culture 2017 invited him to curate a festival exploring Hull’s Nordic connections, he hesitated – but only for a heartbeat. “I was really flattered, but also worried that [curating] is something that’s difficult to do?” He laughs. “But all I have to do is pick a bunch of great artists that I love, go and hang out, and then watch them play. I mean, the hardest part [of curating] is getting the opportunity to do it! The people in Hull worrying about the logistics are doing all the hard work, so I feel like I would be lying if I said it’s been difficult.”

Opera North - Height of the Reeds

THE SKINNY

Credit: Tom Arran

A

Countering the Narrative Provocative collective Neu! Reekie! present Where Are We Now?, a festival of politically minded performance, at Hull UK City of Culture 2017. In this era of global turbulence, The Skinny asks organiser Kevin Williamson: Where is the counterculture now?

Interview: Alan Bett

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Credit: James Mulkeen

rom his infamous and invaluable 90s publishing company Rebel Inc. – with its slogan ‘fuck the mainstream!’ – to his current position as one half of Scotland’s favourite avant-garde noisemakers Neu! Reekie!, Kevin Williamson has counterculture pedigree. Here is a man who was among the first to publish Irvine Welsh, reminded the world of cult writers such as Knut Hamsun and Jim Dodge, and now provides a page and a stage for bold and dissenting voices to interact with audiences and communities across the country.

With co-conspirator Michael Pedersen, in June he brings a gathering of Neu! Reekie! affiliates to Hull, including rappers and poets, filmmakers, visual artists and musicians – all asking the question: Where Are We Now? The Skinny: In all your incarnations, from Rebel Inc. to Neu! Reekie!, what specifically have you been opposing in the mainstream?

Kevin Williamson: I don’t think counterculture starts from an opposition to anything else within culture necessarily. There’s a broader context and the context for Rebel Inc. was very specific. It was the 1990s. And the context for Neu! Reekie! is now.

These are very different and this is what really interests me. The 90s will be looked back on as a time of relative social stability in the west, compared to now. There was more hedonism, more drugs, more emphasis on the individual, and art and culture reflected that to a degree… At Rebel Inc., more than anything else we were reacting against the idea of working class people being marginalised and their voices not being heard. We put an emphasis on the legitimacy of our language and our tongues, and that was a big battle of the 90s.

That’s not the same as now, this is a very different context we’re operating in.

“ I don’t see any other way of changing society except through art”

Does this feed into the idea that specific countercultures have life cycles?

There are definite cycles. You look at the art I’m talking about in the 90s; music, visual art, even types of poetry. It was quite personal, quite laconic.

A very different type of poetry from what was produced in the 60s and 70s, because they had their own context as well, or the poetry in the 30s, which is a very different context – maybe with more parallels to the period we’re coming into now… We’re

Is it naïve and simplistic to suggest that art reacts strongly to such pressures?

I think that art responds to its time and its context.

The idea of the artist disconnected from society is a total fallacy. I’m with Pablo Neruda who said that the life of a poet must be reflected in their poetry. That’s a law of art, that’s a law of life. I’m watching poetry and how it’s changing. I’m looking

at the new stars of poetry and how they communicate with their base of followers, and it’s very oral, it’s using technology… Kate Tempest, Hollie McNish, Salena Godden and Luke Wright, these are the pioneers, the ones who are breaking down the barriers. Some of them are getting millions of views on YouTube, they started out almost as YouTube poets but are now getting contracts with Faber and Bloodaxe and so on, because they have something to say.

looking at a period now, post-Brexit, post-Trump, where the global context has changed. We’re hearing people talk about nuclear war and war with China in an open way at the tops of government.

So, I think we’re moving into a time of great anxiety. The optimism of the 60s and the hedonism of the 90s are going to seem quite alien to a lot of people now.

But do you see this acceptance and absorption into the mainstream as a positive or a concern?

This is an age-old concern. As an old Clash fan, that line, ‘turning rebellion into money’, it goes back 40 years. Part of the modus operandum of being in a counterculture is being aware that corporations will try to take your work and neuter it by turning it into advertising. Taking it mainstream and repackaging it back to the public. You have to be aware of that all the time.

Kevin Williamson

Your programme for Where Are We Now? has a strong focus on poetry and hip-hop. Is this due to their history of protest?

I don’t think hip-hop is separate to poetry. We [at Neu! Reekie!] present poetry and music, and nothing presents poetry and music better than hip-hop as far as I’m concerned. It’s the perfect

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

March 2017

Finally, in our current political situation, do artists of the counterculture have a responsibility to react?

Artists are the only people who can make a difference. Politicians can’t. All they can do is make institutional changes that artists can operate in.

And by artists, I mean everyone. It’s a non-exclusionary term. The idea that someone is not an artist is alien. I’ve worked in prisons, I’ve seen that every single person can express themselves in a cultural and creative way... I don’t see any other way of changing society except through art because that’s what makes life worth living outside your personal domain. Art and culture is primary in a society. Take that away and you’d have nothing left but survival.

Where Are We Now?, 2-4 Jun, various venues, Hull hull2017.co.uk/wawn

Credit: James Mulkeen

Hollie McNish

Supergroup The Four Owls epitomise the multi-skilled dynamic of UK hip-hop: four emcees in their own right, on mighty underground label High Focus Records.

Akala is arguably one of the most important voices in UK rap. Winner of Best Hip Hop Act at the 2006 MOBO Awards, his informed, critical engagement with issues of race, place, identity and inequality is musical, lyrical and incisive.

Last year saw genre-blurring singer, songwriter and emcee Eva Lazarus tirelessly smash through the festival circuit, including an epic show at BoomTown with Mungo’s Hi Fi. Her most recent collaborative release Flash Your Lighter features in British movie Brotherhood.

Co-founder of underground hip-hop heroes TaskForce, Chester P and his brother Farma G have had a huge impact on the course and content of hip-hop in the UK. The social commentary in Chester’s writing is much more than rhetoric; he is also a community activist. He’s the embodiment of hip-hop culture with a social conscience – authentic, reflecting his locality and continuing the skills of emceeing and freestyling that are hip-hop’s core. 3 Jun, The Welly Club, 6.30pm, £12-£15, hull2017.co.uk/wawn [Dave Hook]

HULL UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

Kayus Bankole of Young Fathers

Credit: James Mulkeen

Where Are We Now? #2

Where Are We Now? #1

Young Fathers are one of the most powerful, propulsive, penetrative, pulsing, poignant, evocative and necessary musical forces in the world today: the heartbeat of Trainspotting 2, 2014 Mercury Music Prize winners and a band that disintegrate genres, currently engaging in international tours and releases with Massive Attack.

Charlotte Church – a voice of an angel becomes a voice of our generation, politically and socially with unwavering pop credentials. Charlotte can transform some of the best held pop songs into diverse and interesting beasts that will win your love all over again.

Speaking of voices of our generation, Hollie McNish has amassed millions of YouTube hits for her poems and her progressive, hilarious and arresting verse tackling major social issues. She’s won formidable spoken word prizes; has fans ranging from American artist Pink to Kate Tempest and the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas, and was the first poet to record an album in Abbey Road Studios.

She can also walk on her hands. 2 Jun, Hull City Hall, 6pm, £17.50-£20, hull2017.co.uk/wawn [Michael Pedersen]

marriage. Hip-hop artists can be the most socially aware and tuned into what’s happening on the streets. We’re working with a lot of local artists in Hull, working in the community as part of the bigger project. These are people who can relate to working class and marginalised communities.

This is important, it’s not all about the stage, the audience and entertainment.

Jamie Reid’s artwork was the defining aesthetic of the punk revolution of 1976-77. His collages were direct, provocative and stark; connecting with an alternative DIY culture finding its voice and calling out the slick commodified mainstream. This DIY punk attitude, two fingers to what can’t be done, has been been a guiding light for Neu! Reekie! since day one. Jamie Reid has provided the identity for Where Are We Now? and will appear at the festival [Kevin Williamson]

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Humber Street Gallery A

t the heart of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 is a new contemporary art space, Humber Street Gallery. Curated by David Sinclair, this former fruit warehouse provides a home for debate, discussion and delight throughout the year.

Highlights include the first ever exhibition of materials drawn from the archives of COUM Transmissions – a subversive Hull-based music and art collective led by Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis P-Orridge in the late 60s, whose influence on experimental aesthetics and sounds cannot be underestimated. At the same time, Sarah Lucas presents a series of casts of the female form in the downstairs gallery.

In late March, arts festival ReROOTed takes over the gallery with performances, installations and conversations, paying homage to the former commissioning agency Hull Time Based Arts.

More than 25 international artists will descend on the space to present time-based and durational work, from film to new media via mask-making and, wait for it, drystone walling using redundant electronic equipment.

Then in June, Rotterdam’s avant-garde venue WORM – ‘born under the stars of punk, Dada, Fluxus and hacktivism’ – takes up residence in Humber Street for a weekend of workshops and events showcasing the talent that’s driving Hull’s underground. Expect alternative club nights, theatre and multimedia from WORM’s crack team of filmmakers, musicians, DJs and performers.

Humber Street Gallery, 64 Humber Street, Hull Mon-Sun 10am-8pm (during exhibitions), free

Credit: Larissa Monteiro

Credit: Coum Transmissions

humberstreetgallery.co.uk

Sarah Lucas, Margot, 2015

Flood

Flood Theatre company Slung Low present their most ambitious project yet, a story told throughout the year in four compelling parts. The tale begins online, unfolding in a digital prologue, before an audience gathers on Hull’s Victoria Dock for part two, Abundance: one day it starts to rain, and no-one knows why. Watch live on the shore as, far out on the North Sea, a fisherman raises a girl from the deep. The experience continues on TV, then back to the Dock for the finale. Various dates until 1 Oct, free-£12.50, hull2017.co.uk/flood

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Credit: Perry Curties

ELSEWHERE IN THE PROGRAMME

Richard III

Contains Strong Language

Respected Yorkshire stalwarts Hull Truck Theatre team up with Halifax-based company Northern Broadsides for a visceral telling of Shakespeare’s classic history play. King, lover, murderer: Richard, Duke of Gloucester, sees a chance for the crown in the midst of the Wars of the Roses and stops at nothing to remove all other contenders to the throne. Neatly, this show marks 25 years since Northern Broadsides’ first ever production – a staging of Richard III, in Hull. 4-27 May, Hull Truck Theatre, 7.30pm (2pm matinees), £10-£22.50, hull2017.co.uk/richardIII

As part of BBC Radio 3’s commitment to being “unashamedly Hull-centric in 2017,” they’re supporting a new national spoken word and poetry festival, Contains Strong Language, produced in association with Hull Humber Mouth literary festival. The four-day event will open on National Poetry Day itself, offering a celebration of poetry new and old with voices both contemporary and familiar, including a series of programmes led by Ian McMillan of The Verb. 28 Sep-1 Oct, hull2017.co.uk/containsstronglanguage

Depart

Depart Gravity defying Australian acrobatics group Circa have stunned audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe with their intimate and lyrical shows Beyond and Closer, and for Hull 2017 they’re presenting a collaboration with emotive electronic artist Lapalux, video artists and choral singers billed as ‘a playground for the soulful, an art gallery without walls, a circus in search of transcendence’. Sounds like a match made in heaven to us. 18-21 May, General Cemetery, £9-£12, hull2017.co.uk/depart

HULL UK CITY OF CULTURE 2017

Contains Strong Language

THE SKINNY

Living in Ho Chi Minh City Our living abroad series takes us to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, where there’s an energy that just gets into your system

Words & Images: Lilly Pugh

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ith eight million bikes circulating the cluttered streets, Ho Chi Minh is a city in constant motion; everyone just keeps pushing forward.

It can be overwhelming at first but before long you’ll take up the pace.

Vietnam is still a communist country but it’s easy to forget it in the Southern hub. The only signs of The Party are the compulsory red and gold star centered flags above each household on national holidays and the government officials dozing in alleyway corners. Ho Chi Minh City is the more liberal and laid-back sibling to Ha Noi and for better or worse, you can do pretty much anything you want. With around 30% of the population under 25, Vietnam is a young country and Saigon is a land of entrepreneurs, opportunity, optimism and experimentation. It has a contagious sensibility which can easily turn a one-month visit into a five-year stay.

The neon signs and red/yellow glare of moto lights prevail at night but Ho Chi Minh City isn’t the chaotic megalopolis it may seem passing through.

By day, the sun-bleached pink and turquoise painted houses make up a pastel cityscape, and between the busy roads warrens of quiet alleyways are home to communities that feel like villages. It’s a varied landscape: wooden stilt houses on the river, decaying colonial villas on imperial remains and Singapore-style condominiums on recently reclaimed swampland. As the heat seeps into your step, you hang out on street corners for one more cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk).

Saigon kisses and motorbike hugs Motorbikes define Saigon life – just crossing a road is a daunting task for any new arrivaI, but you’ll have to brave it because driving is simply the only way to get around. Locals wouldn’t be caught dead walking, favouring the gasoline-fuelled prosthesis to travel the smallest of distances. The pavement is clogged with parked bikes, forcing sunburned pedestrians into the street. I admit, it takes a bit of cultural adjustment to embrace the roads. It’s common to see five helmetless children crammed onto a bike or a couple of guys sandwiching a threemetre pane of glass between their legs, but it’s the only way to do it, so they get it done.

However, if you absorb the rhythm of the roads you’ll soon realise there’s an organic logic and a spectrum of unwritten rules which govern driving in Ho Chi Minh City. Sure, every newbie gets a Saigon Kiss (a small circular burn on your inner right leg from the hot exhaust pipe. Always exit left!) but you’ll soon learn to group with other bikes, like schools of fish, to edge your way through a cross section. The first and most important rule: always expect the ridiculous.

At least for now, movement is fluid for a city of six million – unlike the congestion in Bangkok or Manila or the Underground in London or New York you can move pretty freely. You can rent a bike for £30 a month but if you have the cash, buy one up front – it’s a good investment as you can usually sell them on for the same price. Spend some time getting to know the traffic with motorbike taxis (adorably named ‘Xe Om’s’, aka motorbike hug) before you take the plunge.

Chay, cháy, chay, chay, chai, trai, trái: vegetarian, burn, run, melt, bottle, boy, left Vietnamese is a tonal language, which means ‘Yes’ you’re going to get it wrong and ‘No’ you’re not going to be able to hear how or why. In fact, there are eight vowel sounds and five tones (six in the North), so there is a lot of room for error. Be prepared to be laughed at – the Vietnamese don’t often hear non-native speakers use their language and apparently nothing is funnier – but the shock response when you start getting it right is well worth it.

March 2017

conut and bamboo shoots to be wrapped up in mustard leaves and dipped in creamy peanut sauce).

If you’re new to the city, sidle up to some more experienced expats to show you how to order and what food is what. VN food is pretty varied and you might miss the Western staples like chocolate or cheese – for some reason chocolate tastes like plastic and Dairylea triangles (worryingly impervious to the heat) seem to be the only cheese in regular use – but embrace the local cuisine and you’ll eat affordable, fresh, home-cooked, healthy food for every meal.

Begin with numbers, food and basic conversation and you’ll soon tune in. The trickiest thing for any rookie is to master personal pronouns. Even in the least formal conversation you will be called ‘little sister’, ‘older sister’ or ‘aunty’ to denote your status in a Confucian-style hierarchy. As such, people almost always ask how old you are at the start of a conversation to set things straight.

Perpetual summer If you’re from the UK you probably can’t imagine what it’s like to live in hot weather all year round.

You may need a few showers a day when you arrive but you’ll quickly learn to be content with being a bit sticky. Women layer themselves head to toe with long skirts, scarves, masks, gloves and even toe socks to shield their skin from the sun, their clothes from the dust and their lungs from the pollution but don’t be fooled, underneath they’re sporting high heels and cocktail dresses.

Rainy season is another story. The rain is usually in full force from 3pm right through to rush hour. The downpours can be intense and it’s common to see the roads turn into rivers, sometimes

waist high. You’ll need a full body mac to stand any chance of keeping dry but if you’re brave, there’s no rush like driving over the colossal Saigon Bridge as thunder and lightning rattle the skies.

“ The first and most important rule: always expect the ridiculous” Ngon quá – ‘delicious’ Get down low on tiny plastic stools with the locals for the best food. You can find the classics on every corner: Phở (noodle soup), Bánh mì (meat or egg sandwich) or Xôi gà (sticky rice with chicken and quail eggs). If you’re lucky/unlucky you’ll get some impromptu karaoke. There are also some less well known local gems like Bánh Xèo (pancake made with rice flower and turmeric filled with shrimp, co-

TRAVEL

Where to live in Ho Chi Minh City Get used to lots of space, balconies and foliage.

You can get a nice room in a shared house in Saigon for round £200 or 5,000,000 VND. Houses were once taxed according to their width against the street, so Vietnamese ‘tube houses’ are narrow but tall with five or six stories. Make sure you get a great rooftop for the cool evenings.

Areas of the city are mostly named as numbered districts, Hunger Games-style. Most foreigners live in District 1 or District 3 for a cosmopolitan/Vietnamese feel, where people are less likely to be baffled by you wandering down the street in shorts and shades. District 2 is expat suburbia with huge villas with pools and gardens for just a little bit more of your Dong. District 7 is the place for Korean and Japanese expats with modern condominiums Singapore-style, huge shopping malls and wider roads awaiting the arrival of cars. Here you can live a life of comfort and luxury.

Working in Ho Chi Minh City Most foreigners in Vietnam are English teachers.

The demand for teaching is so high that it is actually a little concerning how easy it is to get a job.

You won’t need a degree or a native tongue, a TEFL or even a police check. Teachers get roughly $20 an hour. However, there are opportunities in most industries in Saigon. I know people working in advertising, marketing, production, writing, fashion, construction, architecture, personal training, yoga and much more. There is also a huge start-up scene with plenty of digital nomads hot-desking in cafes and co-working spaces if you’re looking to start your own thing. theskinny.co.uk/travel

Lifestyle

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Access all Areas Deviance speaks to EUSA’s Disability and Mental Wellbeing Convenor about Edinburgh’s accessibility problem and the people who’re trying to fix it...

I

’m in good company in saying that Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.

I come from a small Welsh town, meaning this city was an absolute wonder the minute I set foot in it.

I was ecstatic thinking about all the places I would visit and experiences I would have during my time spent living here. I was far enough away from home that I could be as independent as possible; I felt I was free to go and do whatever I pleased.

But as I settled into my new home, it began to dawn on me; maybe I couldn’t do all the things I’d planned, because the places I most wanted to visit are also difficult for me to deal with. I have an invisible disability, and finding places that are accessible to my needs can be difficult. Large crowds, loud noises, and bright lights are a stressful and a painful experience. While you cannot see the symptoms of my disability, it often deters me from going to cultural venues as I know, more often than not, that my experience will be troubling.

Here’s an example. Museums are difficult for me to appreciate because I feel I cannot fully immerse myself. I’m anxious, anticipating loud noises (you’d expect museums to be somewhat quiet, right? Nope). That, or I’ll forget my colour-lensed glasses and am left squinting at the exhibitions.

I’ve also been to restaurants and bars where the music was far too loud, yet due to an unexplained policy they refused to turn it down. It tends to ruin the experience of going out, leaving me feeling like a burden.

And I’m not alone. As EUSA’s Disability and Mental Wellbeing Convenor, I’ve heard over and over that students have been prevented from participating in Edinburgh’s cultural scene because it’s inaccessible. Issues range from being physically unable to get into buildings to being unable to attend events because organisers haven’t taken measures to help avoid undue emotional or mental impact.

More often than not, when we ask why Edinburgh’s venues are frequently so inaccessible, we’re told something along the lines of “It’s an old city, there’s nothing we can do about it.” No matter how we go about it, whether we complain to the council or to the venues themselves, we’re constantly given this answer. And that feels like a slap in the face. It implies that buildings are, and should continue to be protected more than disabled people. This feeling of being a burden is far too common among differently abled people. It is isolating.

We end up being forgotten about because, really, we’re not there.

Access Scottish Theatre Yet, while for the most part it all seems like doom and gloom, there are initiatives, communities and individuals trying to combat this problem and open up culture to disabled people. Access Scottish Theatre is one of these organisations. Its website, launched in 2010, is dedicated to helping patrons find accessible performances in theatres across Scotland. 60% of its users claim its very existence has increased their attendance at the theatre.

What’s more, lots of Edinburgh’s theatres now provide listings of accessible performances on their own websites, with the likes of King’s, Festival Theatre, Lyceum and Trav specifying how each performance is accessible to theatre-goers (audio described, captioned, etc).

Relaxed performances Relaxed theatre performances are also becoming more frequent. During these adapted performances, specifically crafted for people with autism, sensory and communication disorders and those with learning disabilities, the house lights stay on for the whole performance. There are warnings for

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Lifestyle

Words: Leah Morgan Illustration: Eunjoo Lee

loud noises, and if anyone is overwhelmed, they can head to a designated ‘chill-out zone’, which allows punters to follow the show through speakers. Some venues even offer a walk around the theatre prior to the show starting, allowing people to see the set and backstage. It seems that theatres are becoming aware that disabled people want to engage with theatre and culture, and that they should have the opportunity to do so. Venues accommodating those needs should be praised.

Praising progress ...Speaking of which, Disabled Access Day takes place this month (10-12 March), and was specifically created to promote accessible venues. The weekend-long event allows businesses to demonstrate just how accessible they are, meanwhile encouraging disabled people to visit new places; museums, theatres, art galleries, music venues and beyond.

It’s the hope that events like Disabled Access Day will demonstrate that increasing accessibility not only engages the wider disabled community, but that improving access is also pretty good for business.

We’re still a long way from a completely accessible city, but this is a good start and hugely encouraging. It’s also refreshing to see a shift in nuanced empathy and understanding from the wider public. Accessibility is not just a matter of wheelchair ramps and lifts – there’s a whole range of disabilities that must be catered for in public spaces. In testing times like 2017, where disabled people are often forgotten about, it inspires hope to see people helping others to feel part of Edinburgh – not just a resident within it.

“ Feeling like a burden is far too common among differently abled people. It is isolating” Tips for trips out Create a plan – While this may take the spontaneity out of a day out, plan your day out as much as you can, and include on that list where you can enter from a building, use an accessible toilet, etc. Call the venues ahead of time, check out their websites for accessibility information. This should help reduce anxiety before heading out.

Find space – If you are in an area that has a large crowd or is a confined space, keep in mind a place you can escape to if you’re feeling overwhelmed. This can be to go outside, to the foyer or the bathroom.

Use Euan’s Guide – A website which aggregates user reviews based on accessibility. If a building or area is registered, euansguide.com will detail how accessible it is. This is a great way to check accessibility as they are honest reviews from other disabled people, so they may share things that venues and businesses wouldn’t necessarily share on their website.

Keep in touch – When you find a cultural venue, bar or restaurant which caters to your needs, keep an eye on their website or sign up to a mailing list to make sure you’re on top of their programming, new menus or offers.

DEVIANCE

THE SKINNY

Absolute Roasters

We catch up with two of Scotland’s best coffee microroasteries to find out what it takes to make delicious coffee in chilly Scotland

I

f you want a job done properly, sometimes it’s best to do it yourself. You can control the process, you can decide who to shout at when things go wrong, and you can accept the rightful adoration when everything goes to plan. It’s true in many walks of life, and an increasing band of tiny microroasters are applying the logic to the art of producing coffee (although probably with less shouting and more skill). But, we hear you ask, why make your own coffee?

For Matt Carroll of Fortitude Coffee, the benefits of taking charge are twofold – you know where everything comes from, and the more control you have, the easier it is to steer the final cup of coffee in the right direction. Carroll says: “We liked the idea of having complete traceability from farm to cup. Our customers know when, where and who roasted their coffee and we can tell them a lot about where the coffee came from and the journey it took to reach their coffee cup in Edinburgh. We also liked the idea of being able to tailor our coffee menu to the types of coffee we particularly enjoy by exploring how to roast really sweet coffee.”

For Todd Johnson, one half of Leith-based roastery duo Williams and Johnson, the idea of roasting one’s own was part and parcel of starting their own venture. W&J first met working together at a branch of local coffee legends Artisan Roast – “I had met Zack playing rounders in the Meadows before but didn’t know him very well when we hired him” – and soon hit on the idea of starting their own place. Johnson says: “We didn’t even know if it would be coffee, for a long time we wanted to open an oatcake and hummus bar. Basically we just liked hanging out in a cafe.”

After spending two years at Market Lane roasters in the coffee hotspot of Melbourne, with Zack working at North Berwick’s Steampunk Coffee, Todd returned to Edinburgh to make the duo’s dreams come true. Well, almost: “The problem was that I didn’t want to open a cafe with any of the coffee that was locally available at the time, and an interest in roasting had taken over. Zack was on his own journey of wanting to do things his own way and for himself, so that was it, we bought a very expensive coffee roaster.”

So with the ‘why’ out of the way, now we’ll get to the elephant in the room. Coffee is grown in the Tropics, across Latin America, Africa, Asia and Brazil (ironically enough, plenty of elephants in some of those places). Scotland is categorially not in the Tropics; we’re lucky to get the occasional day or two of sunshine before the sideways rain comes on again. For the intrepid microroaster, a keen logistical mind and eye for meteorology become almost as important as a good palate and a dab hand with an espresso tamper.

The weather can play havoc with what is a very particular craft. As Johnson says: “When you need to put 12kg of zero-degree coffee beans in the roaster, that really changes the way you need to roast the coffee, compared to a roast profile that was designed when it was twenty degrees hotter the week before. But I guess that’s what keeps it fun.”

And he’s able to see the bright side to Scotland’s position: “One benefit we have compared to Australasia is that we are closer to almost all of the great coffee-producing countries so it takes less time to ship, and it’s fresher when it arrives here. Edinburgh has a great cafe scene and it’s always changing, so we think we are in a pretty good spot for what we do.”

For Fortitude it was a North American purchase that caused the first issues. As Carroll says: “The biggest challenge was ordering our 12kg Diedrich roaster; it took about three months to make and ship from the United States. Manoeuvring the half tonne piece of kit into place was terrifying.”

March 2017

Fortitude get their coffee as green, unroasted beans from importers who source single origin coffees from across Africa and South & Central America. Carroll says: “It’s really exciting to be part of the journey the coffee makes, starting as green beans and finishing as a brew on the coffee bar.”

Over at Williams and Johnson, importers are a key cog in the chain as “Arthur’s Seat is not tall enough or hot enough for us to grow coffee on, and we probably wouldn’t be allowed.”

“ Arthur’s Seat is not tall enough or hot enough for us to grow coffee on, and we probably wouldn’t be allowed”

Words: Peter Simpson

great that there are lots of small coffee roasteries popping up. We also think a lot of people probably think it’s easier than it is. We actually probably thought it would be easier than it was.

“It has been a long year-and-a bit for us.

There are a lot of expenses involved with running a roastery, and for us to sell the coffees we want to at a competitive price we need to be getting pretty busy just to break even. Don’t get me wrong, we love it – but it ain’t easy.”

On the diversity front, Carroll believes that the proliferation of small roasters is a key part of Scotland’s ever-growing coffee scene: “Smaller roasteries bring a lot of creativity and individuality. No coffee is roasted the same and there is always something new to try.

“It provides Edinburgh cafes and coffee shops with some really interesting local choices. Microroasteries can also ensure a very high quality product by roasting and buying in smaller lots. Using higher quality, speciality importers also ensures that the farmers receive the highest price for their product. We feel Scotland has a very strong roas-

ting scene and we are proud to be part of it.”

And the end product? At Fortitude, Carroll says the goal is to “roast with sweetness in mind”.

He says: “We want this to be the first impression of the coffee. We will then begin to enhance the inherent flavours of the coffee. We tend not to roast with a set idea or signature style. When roasted gently, the coffee is normally pretty good at revealing its flavour profile. Whether the coffee is fruity and zesty or delicate and floral, we try to highlight this in the cup.”

Williams & Johnson’s seasonal espressos, says Johnson, are designed to be “sweet and fruity but with enough body and depth to back it up whilst always being very clean”. As Johnson puts it: “That’s a lot to ask of a coffee, but when it is good and fresh that’s how it should be.” And when you put in the time, effort and dedication into your coffee like Scotland’s microroasteries do, you’ve earned a bit of help from your beans. fortitudecoffee.com / williamsandjohnson.com

Williams and Johnson

Luckily, the number of microroasteries trading has led to an increase in small importers handling expertly-sourced beans in handy quantities. One of W&Js importers recently turned up at the roastery with samples they’d brought straight back from a trip to Ecuador, and these scouts head out around the world to act as middle men between the farmers and the people who turn their hard work into a great cup.

Much like the diversity that independent bars, restaurants or coffee shops bring to a local food scene, locally-roasted coffee from small suppliers brings an air of intrigue to proceedings.

Coffees might – gasp! – taste different from one another, and you might end up with a favourite to look out for when it’s on the bar. Maybe you think ‘I could make my own coffee, as I know what I like and that’s the most important thing’. Well cool your jets hotshot, as Todd Johnson is here to remind you of the challenges involved: “We think it’s

FOOD AND DRINK

Lifestyle

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Food News Water-inspired dinners, cake-based comedy and a healthy dose of food anthropology lie ahead in March

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e start March’s round-up with the return of everyone’s favourite bluntly-named drinks event, as Gin Festival returns to Glasgow. The Briggait hosts more than 100 gins, along with chat from gin experts, music to aid in the drinking of gin, and food to go alongside your gin. Gin. 3-5 Mar, various times, 141 Bridgegate, tickets £10, ginfestival.com Meanwhile in Edinburgh, there’s new fortnightly 'adventure oriented dinner & film night' Eat + Wonder Supperclub. This month’s theme is Water, but luckily for all of us, the action remains firmly on dry land, centred around a host of local, foraged, wild and preserved ingredients in a threecourse meal. There are a quartet of short films screening alongside the meal, and everything’s wrapped up in a watery theme. Ideal for those of you who fancy being outdoorsy, but would rather just go for a nice meal instead; now you can do both.

10 Mar, 7pm, £32.45, book via Eventbrite.

Also in the capital this month is SpontanScran, a celebration of spontaneously fermented beers at the Edinburgh Food Studio. Headed up by the dream team of top beer man Joe Dick (formerly of The Hanging Bat) and chef Craig Grozier, the evening will explore the unique way in which spontaneously fermented beers get their flavour and oomph, while pairing dishes to go alongside. You’ll learn a lot, you’ll have some delicious food and beer, and you might even misunderstand the science and spend the next week trying to ‘catch’ yeast – highly recommended. 9, 10 & 11 Mar, 7.30pm, 158 Dalkeith Rd, from £42, edinburghfoodstudio.com One of this food section’s highlights of the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, Bilal Zafar’s Powerpointinfused stand-up hour Cakes hits the Glasgow Comedy Festival this month. A look at what happens when one ends between a rock and a hard place surrounded by Twitter idiots, Zafar tells the tale of an identity mix-up that saw him accused of running a Muslim-only cake shop. 14 Mar, 9.45pm, YesBar, £7.

At the other end of the bleak-but-tasty comedy spectrum, GCF also screens Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s cult ‘cannibalism for laughs’ film Delicatessen. A comedy-horror-drama in which a dodgy landlord and part-time amateur butcher take on an apartment block full of French character actors, it’s a welcome reminder that if things get apocalyptic and some higher-ups decide it’s time to eat the poor, they’re going to be in for a fight. 17 Mar, 11pm & 18 Mar, 8.30pm, Cineworld Renfrew St, £10.20.

Next up, a pair of events from Glasgowbased food enterprise Küche, looking at food anthropology and the culinary habits and traditions of communities around the world. First is The Architecture of Hospitality, an event featuring five courses drawn from five chefs each representing a different global cuisine. The chefs will discuss the pieces that make up hospitality – what to serve, where to serve it, how to behave – in their cultures, with tasty food on the go all the while. 11 Mar, 7pm, Milk Cafe, 452 Victoria Rd, £15, book via CCA. The following weekend, they team up with grain aficionados Ruzbowl for An Iraqi Kitchen.

The event explores the culture, cuisine, landscape and stories of the country, over the course of a three-course meal. 18 Mar, 7pm, Project Cafe, 134 Renfrew St, £20, book via Eventbrite. theskinny.co.uk/food

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Lifestyle

Disloyalty Rewarded Keen to explore the world of very, very good coffee? Edinburgh’s best independent coffee shops have just the thing to help you – a small, heptagonal thing...

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e tend to think of loyalty as a virtue, and it’s a virtue that often ends up rewarded, albeit in comically small ways. If you’ve ever received a coupon in the post for 20p off cheese (valid when you spend more than £5 on cheese), you’ll know what we mean.

Launched at the end of 2016, The Disloyal 7 is a loyalty scheme with a difference. Instead of challenging you to funnel as much of your cash as possible into one shop, The Disloyal 7 is about getting you to go to... wait for it... lots of different places.

It hits upon an interesting point that’s at the heart of building a community, but it can seem a bit counter-intuitive. Think of it like a music scene – it can survive off the buzz of one or two key bands for a while, but if those bands change direction for whatever reason, their fans might disappear having not engaged with the genre itself. Better to get people into the scene itself, so everyone benefits.

The Disloyal 7 applies this mentality to coffee, with a baker’s half dozen of the city’s best coffee spots all involved. Get a loyalty stamp from a coffee in each of them, and get a free drink in the one you liked the most. The seven all have things in common, but each of them has its own little foibles and quirks. There’s Cult Espresso, a bricklined semi-subterranean spot just off the Meadows that serves up a killer flat white; round the corner is Filament, with its natty decor and great bagels to go with your coffee.

The Scandi loveliness of Lowdown on George Street is the perfect antidote to city centre shopping, and Baba Budan at the Waverley Arches serves up top-drawer doughnuts alongside coffee from Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective.

Cairngorm have spots at either end of the city centre – one is bright, airy and modern, the other a cosy underground lair that’s all wooden benches and coffee bags on the ceiling – while Fortitude’s cafe upstairs from The Stand on York

Words: Peter Simpson

Place is the definition of small but perfectly formed. Brew Lab rounds things off for those who are super-serious about their coffee, or simply want to sit in their enormous red chesterfield chair giggling like a Bond villain.

Each venue has its own unique vibe, and they’re each doing interesting things with their coffee. Which one will be your new favourite?

Better try them all and find out; that card won’t stamp itself...

New in Food Need somewhere new to hit up this spring? Here are a collection of the most intriguing new spots to arrive on the scene in recent months

RAMEN DAYO! RAMEN DAYO! appeared in the lives of Glaswegians, dispensed authentic ramen in a lantern-packed on-street setting, then looked like it might vanish as quickly as it arrived. With a relocation to La Cheetah Club on Queen Street, they’ve garnered a host of rave reviews and drool-soaked Instagram hype from all and sundry; we recommend hitting them up for a bowl of tonkotsu while you have the chance. 73 Queen St, Glasgow.

The Bearded Baker His wheat-based wares are a fixture of some of Edinburgh’s best cafes, and now Mr Bearded has branched out to his first brick-and-mortar location in Canonmills. Expect tasty cakes, bagels and doughnuts in a cosy little hideaway, capped off with top-drawer coffee from Leith’s own microroasters extraordinaire Williams & Johnson.

46 Rodney St, Edinburgh.

go to tacos and shots of tequila, but that’s what’s in store here. There’s an exciting menu featuring a host of veggie and vegan choices, £2 tacos every Tuesday, and enough tequila to float a battleship, so we are fully on board. 1038 Argyle St, Glasgow.

Street Food Markets in Edinburgh & Glasgow There are also a pair of major street food developments to report on, the first being Food and Flea. From the team behind The Pitt, the market space opened at the Waverley Arches in the centre

of Edinburgh at the turn of the year with a rotating cast of street food vendors seven days a week. facebook.com/foodnfleamarket Over in Glasgow, The Big Feed street food market in Govan on 4 Mar brings together a dozen vendors including wood-fired pizza aces Nomad, Shrimpwreck, Chompsky, and FizzBuz, who’ll be dispensing prosecco from the back of a tiny little van. Intriguing, we’re sure you’ll agree. facebook.com/bigfeedgla Find more new food and drink venues at theskinny.co.uk/food

Super Bario Do you like video games? Follow-up question – do you also like beer? If the answer to both those questions is a ‘yes’, then Super Bario is the spot for you. A bar-slash-retro arcade stocked up with a range of craft beers, it offers the chance to sit in the pub and angrily accuse each other of cheating at Street Fighter at the same time.

7 King Street, Glasgow.

The Duchess of Argyle The latest venue from the team behind Lebowski’s, Porter & Rye and the Finnieston, the name doesn’t really do the Duchess’s concept justice. Think of duchesses, and your mind doesn’t automatically

FOOD AND DRINK

The Duchess of Argyle

THE SKINNY

ADVERTISING FEATURE

The Spice Is Right Know the Fringe inside out?

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othing beats a curry, packed with spices and flavours that blend together perfectly to form an elegant and exciting whole. But unfortunately, sometimes a curry beats you – you overestimate your tolerance for spice, or underestimate the chef ’s love for bold flavours, and before you know it you’re in a bad spot. What you need, friend, is a refreshing beverage to wash that down.

Something cold, and sweet, but with a savoury twang and a nice fizz to it. We know what you’re thinking, but we are not talking about beer; instead, it’s the Shikanji – Indian limeade – that will keep you refreshed through your meal. A traditional beverage commonly found in Northern India, Tuk Tuk’s Shikanji recipe blends fresh lime and mint with masala spices and kala namak, or black salt, to give an authentic flavour.

As Tuk Tuk themselves put it: “If you need something refreshing with a bit of punch, our Tuk Tuk Shikanji is the perfect choice!” That bit of punch and spice is just what you’ll need if you’re making your way through a delicious if devilishly spicy curry – after all, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

You’ll find Tuk Tuk’s Shikanji on the menu in both their original restaurant on Leven Street in Edinburgh, and their new spot on Sauchiehall Street in the centre of Glasgow. If you fancy making it at home, the Tuk Tuk team have shared their recipe to help you get started...

Tuk Tuk Shikanji Ingredients (for single serving): 1 tablespoon of masala spices Black salt 2 limes Sugar syrup Soda water Crushed ice Fresh mint (for Garnish)

Fest Magazine, the biggest free guide to the Edinburgh festivals, is looking for a team for 2017.

Full job specs at: theskinny.co.uk /about/getinvolved

@festmag /festmaguk

Illustration: Ailsa Sutcliffe

Method: Take a glass and half fill with crushed ice. Cut the limes into two and squeeze into the glass. Add the masala spices and a pinch of black salt. Drizzle a tablespoon of sugar syrup, and top with soda water.

Stir until the spices and salt are fully dissolved.

Garnish with mint leaves.

Tuk Tuk Edinburgh, 1 Leven St; Tuk Tuk Glasgow, 426 Sauchiehall St tuktukonline.com

March 2017

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Win VIP tickets to Sónar Festival Barcelona!

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ónar has been celebrating electronic and forward-thinking music for over 20 years, with the very first edition taking place in Barcelona in 1994 and playing host to the likes of Laurent Garnier and Sven Väth. It’s since grown to become one of the foremost festivals of its type, hosting events scattered across New York, Hong Kong and beyond.

This year Sónar Festival Barcelona gathers yet another all-star line-up for its 24th edition, featuring Soulwax, Nicolas Jaar, Justice, DJ Shadow and many, many more. The event takes place between 15-17 June and we’ve got two VIP tickets to be won! To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is head to theskinny.

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co.uk/competitions with the correct answer to the following question: Including the 2017 edition, how many Sónar Festivals have taken place in Barcelona? a) 24 b) 9 c) 16 Competition closes midnight Sun 16 Apr. Entrants must be 18 or over. The winner will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms sonar.es

THE SKINNY

RE V IE W

Tegan and Sara

O2 ABC, Glasgow, 17 Feb

rrrrr

There are two things to pay attention to at a Tegan and Sara gig. One is the band themselves, the other is the audience you’ve surrounded yourself with.

There are very few other bands who can claim to have as devoted a crowd as Tegan and Sara, very few audiences for whom a band is clearly so important.

According to Tegan (we know, they’re twins, and so this should go without saying, but they are really hard to tell apart), Glasgow saved their band 10 years ago when they were touring The Con. The sisters had an argument backstage, were an hour delayed in coming on, but the audience kept chanting, kept insisting they come and play. After a while their manager suggested that maybe a Glasgow audience wouldn’t accept this kind of tardiness, and so they went and played the show, settling their differences in the process.

They’re a different band now than they were 10 years ago, as their set tonight shows. The spiky, angular, guitar-driven indie rock has given way to synthy power-pop that approaches perfection.

The Con single Back In Your Head is given a small,

electro makeover to start the set, although in truth, it takes a few songs for the band to get going – fatigue from a gruelling touring schedule perhaps showing, although they rally and pick up as the night goes on.

Despite the spontaneous dance-alongs that occur for tracks like Boyfriend, Closer, Drove Me Wild, and White Wedding, the moments where it’s just the two of them, with a small acoustic guitar, drive home their appeal. Playing The Con, they give the song a lot more space than it has on record, pulling it back at the chorus to show the range of their voices. Nineteen, off the same record, gets a similar treatment.

It’s strange, as an audience, to think of pop stars as being within reach. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kanye – they all seem to exist on a different plane, and even when you see them live, it feels like they’ve been parachuted in from another world. Tegan and Sara are the opposite – they connect, they talk to their audience, they try to get them dates, they console them through heartbreak, they say “this song’s for you”, and they mean it. They’re two of the best pop stars around. [Harry Harris] Tegan and Sara

teganandsara.com

Photo: Amy Muir

Live Reviews

Nadia Reid

Broadcast, 12 Feb

Sacred Paws

Sacred Paws

Summerhall, 10 Feb

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“Sorry for being such a downer on a Friday evening...” remarks The Doozer halfway through his performance. We have to be honest: he's an odd opening choice for Sacred Paws. Armed witha microphone and a mic’d up acoustic guitar, The Doozer sits obscured behind a music stand homing his cheat sheets – his music has a very old-fashioned folky feel, and he seems a bit uncomfortable and out of place, even commenting at one point that a particular track “has a really nice keyboard beat (on the recording) which would make things a bit more appropriate…” Nevertheless, pleasant enough and a nice way to ease into a Friday night.

Up next are Spinning Coin, who have been get-ting a heck of a lot of attention lately – they’ve just toured with Teenage Fanclub and have a second 7’’ coming out at the end of March via Domino.

Listening to them live, we can hear the appeal – they are a meticulous, well-oiled machine, and are

March 2017

clearly talented musicians, but we can’t help but feel they need to work on their stage presence. Their set falls a bit flat, and for much of their time on stage it feels more like witnessing a practice session than a live show.

Showing us exactly how it should be done are the snazzy-shirted, barefoot Rachel Aggs and the effortlessly cool Eilidh Rogers, aka Sacred Paws, proud creators of Rock Action’s latest release Strike a Match.

For half the set they play as a duo and the rest as a four-piece when joined by guest bassist Moema Meade, aka Lady Neptune, and Spinning Coin guitarist Jack Mellin. What a difference in Mellin this time around – he looks like he’s having bags of fun and we’re with him every step of the way.

To say Sacred Paws’ music is uplifting would be an understatement. On one of the coldest, crappiest days of the year so far (it was snowing earlier), the Summerhall crowd are transported away with the infectious Afrobeat-influenced tropical pop sounds of the London-via-Glasgow duo and it’s impossible to stand still. Think Paul Simon’s

Photo: Kate Johnston

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Graceland with an angular post-punk makeover.

It’s an amazing combo and we can’t get enough.

Throughout the set Aggs and Rogers share vocal duties and if Rogers could leave her drum kit we’re sure she’d be running about just as much as Aggs, who must’ve burned off a good 800 calories or so during their set – it's genuinely like watching a musical aerobics class. During the set Aggs runs laps back and forth of the Dissection Room’s ample stage; she also impresses with a bout of imaginary keepy-uppy and a plethora of star-jumps. It’s both exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure.

For the last song Aggs jumps in front of the centre-stage monitor and plays into the crowd before one final lap… or so we think. We’re now all full of beans so the duo treat us to an encore of Vince from their debut EP 6 Songs, and Aggs has one final workout before the duo finish up and the audience erupts in ear-bursting approval of this Friday night party. Whatever Sacred Paws are on, we want some. [Tallah Brash]

The Sunday night dreads seeped into the Broadcast basement tonight. Nadia Reid greets the undeservedly sparse audience with an a capella rendition, before launching into the title track of her forthcoming new album, Preservation. It’s the follow up to her exceptional 2014 debut Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs; chock-full of knowing lyrics and moving vocals, the New Zealand singer songwriter has drawn Preservation from the same vein.

We’re told about the delay of the album’s release, initially due to coincide with the European tour, but now seeing the light of day on 3 March.

“These things take a very long time,” says Reid, with a hint of weariness. In fact, the entire set is littered with anecdotes and titbits, displaying the platonic closeness between Reid and her guitarist Sam Taylor. They recall their last visit to Broadcast nine months ago, with their support act who was also the tour manager; they complain about unglamorous sleeping arrangements and Taylor’s awful snoring.

“Any requests?” prompts the world’s friendliest drunk heckler to call out the beautiful Track of the Time. “That’s such an amazing song, I love it,” she continues, and she’s quite right.

The simple stripped-back performance tonight allows Reid to showcase her remarkable talent. Each track is full of emotion, and it’s entertainment in itself to watch her jump from berating her Starbucks habit to singing about heartbreak. Despite a setlist complimenting the end of the weekend blues, we all leave the Sauchiehall basement feeling quite uplifted.

[Holly Callender] nadiareid.com

facebook.com/sacredpawsband

Music

Review

49

W IE V RE P

Cult Classics We talk to the Start To End team about the inspiration behind their covers project and their plans for the future

Interview: Claire Francis

Photo: Camerson Brisbane

On the albums they’ve tackled so far “The Radiohead one is, for the first one, a nice balance of ‘music geek’ and just a generally good album. If you can pull it off, you’ll earn the respect of musicians, but also the people that just like Radiohead would enjoy it anyway. It fits the bill as a cult album as well, it’s a less obvious [Radiohead] choice.

“In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is again kind of a cult album… and we thought it would be easy,” they laugh. “We decided on it, and then listened to it and there’s like trombones and trumpets and banjos and stuff. [We] kind of underestimated how much went on in that album! And we’d wanted to do Discovery, but Daft Punk is hard music. So we were like, why not just do it now, when we have a whole month and a bit [to practice].”

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f there’s a silver lining to be had in David Bowie’s death, it’s the birth of Start To End. At a tribute night organised at Glasgow’s Bar Bloc last year, Craig McMahon of soul-pop sextet Pronto Mama joined organiser Scott Murphy and a handful of other local musicians for a start-to-finish performance of Bowie’s final album Blackstar.

“I just wanted to do that with other albums that I liked,” explains McMahon, reflecting on the success of that night. “So I contacted Joe (Rattray, of Admiral Fallow) and Martin (Johnston, also of Pronto Mama) to see if we could put something together for a regular monthly thing.”

What resulted was Start To End, a unique musical event that sees the trio (and a rotating cast of supporting musicians) play a classic album, from – you guessed it – start to end. So far, the collective have tackled Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Daft Punk’s Discovery, with each event selling out The Hug & Pint’s cosy bandroom.

Ahead of the next Start To End event (featuring Feist’s The Reminder) on 15 March, the Start To End fellows tell us about doing justice to the classics.

On living up to expectations STE: “People turn up and you can feel that there’s a bit of skepticism, initially. As long as you do your homework though, you can make it sound good, and you just see people going ‘ahhhh’ – their eyes instantly light up when it actually sounds like what they’re expecting!”

“The biggest pressure can actually be the first rehearsals. You get like two rehearsals, maybe three, and you turn up and it’s like a three-hour stint in the studio. But everyone does their homework. The people in the band aren’t just random musicians – we know them and we’ve played in various things with them over the years. It makes it easier, and it takes the pressure off a bit.”

Do Not Miss

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Preview

Paws / Savage Mansion + Summerhall’s Mardi Gras Party, Summerhall, Edinburgh, 4 Mar

Photo: Solas Nicol

Paws

Photo: Ben Webb

Alasdair Roberts

On what makes a ‘classic’ “These albums have kind of defined a part of your life. Speaking personally, but also speaking generationally, people of our age group kind of grew up on these albums. All these albums have a special place in people’s hearts.

“You naturally gravitate towards certain albums that you consider ‘cult’, more than the greatest hits, for example. People will say things like ‘oh, do a Queen album!’ and that’s obvious, but if you actually look at a Queen album, their hits are spread across multiple albums. It would be hard to pick one and have everyone know it.”

On the selection process “We have it in our minds to try to branch out and do different styles and not just have male-centric

On navigating the Scottish classics “We were talking about this the other day; about maybe trying to do a Mogwai record, for example.

They’re without doubt one of the most successful products to come out of Scotland.

“It depends how far back you’d want to go.

Maybe to do something like The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, there’s definitely an audience for that… or a Blue Nile album, although it would be tough, because they’re a lot of people’s favourite band, especially in Glasgow. We wouldn’t want to mess it up.

“They need to be of a certain era as well, because there’s a lot of Scottish bands out just now that have got great albums, but they might be at the gig!”

On the strangest suggestions they’ve received “Darude’s Sandstorm. All three Carly Rae Jepsen albums. Also someone came up to us after Radiohead and was like, ‘You should do Radiohead next month again, another Radiohead album.’ Just a year of Radiohead!”

The beauty of Start To End is that (along with a bunch of exceptionally talented musicians, and a liberal dose of Scottish humour), nothing is off limits. The strange suggestions “are part of the appeal,” they agree. “You can’t say, ‘Oh you’re wrong’… we might do K-pop or something that obscure… Frozen. A Disney sing-along. Any weird suggestion is usually a good suggestion!”

Start To End perform Feist’s The Reminder at The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, 15 Mar

Vukovi King Tut’s, Glasgow, 10 Mar

Alasdair Roberts The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, 2 Mar Over the past 15 years, Alasdair Roberts has released eight albums of both self-written material and interpretations of traditional songs, all played in a variety of diverse electric and acoustic arrangements, bringing a certain modern thrust to the music. Roberts is currently touring ninth album, Pangs (which received rrrr on these pages), and will take in Glasgow’s Glad Cafe this March with cohorts Stevie Jones and Alex Neilson.

“ Their eyes instantly light up when it actually sounds like what they’re expecting!”

records, or guitar rock albums. We almost got close to announcing that we were going to do Dr. Dre’s 2001… but then we listened to the album properly and went, nahhhhh,” they laugh. “It’s so long, and it’s so filthy!

“Challenge is definitely good, because otherwise it’s… not boring, but you want it to be, visually, something that’s really good for the audience to actually see, and not just hear. So if there’s a lot of weird instruments on stage, or a lot of strange ways to get a sound, then that’s what you’re aiming for.”

Glasgow-based rock four-piece Vukovi, fronted

by Janine Shilstone, release their much anticipated self-titled debut album this month. In fact, it comes out on the exact date of this gig. Convenient or what? You might call this show an album launch party... well, you might not, but we certainly will! Their brand of rock is powerful, high-energy and loud. There’s a strong chance this one will sell out, so best get your tickets pronto!

An unlikely but undeniably juicy double. First up are Glasgow pop-punk trio Paws – expect them to shake Summerhall to its rafters, and be prepared to get sweaty! Once that’s over, why not make the most of it and stay out for Summerhall’s Mardi Gras Party? There you can dance the night away to a fine array of aural treats including a troupe of disco nuns, aka Rides of Christ, as they play their take on the likes of Prince.

MUSIC

Vukovi

Factory Floor

Factory Floor SWG3, Glasgow, 16 Mar Factory Floor are two of The Skinny’s favourite noise-making humans and they’re bringing their unique brand of post-industrial dance party music to Glasgow’s SWG3 this month. Yay! With both their excellent albums released on the eternally hip NY label DFA, co-founded by James Murphy, this London duo really are about as cool as they come. Oh, and they’re really loud as well so don’t forget your earplugs! Your ears will thank you in the morning.

THE SKINNY

Shake It Off We catch up with The Little Kicks’ frontman Steven Milne to chat about their brand new album Shake Off Your Troubles and their ambitions for the future Interview: Susan Le May

S

ince 2013’s Put Your Love In Front of Me, The Little Kicks have been letting go of the anxieties of their younger years. That continues with fourth LP Shake Off Your Troubles and its carefully crafted indie-pop songs of acceptance, swollen with strings, synths and a quietly garnered ambitious self-assurance.

The band is older, wiser and clearly aiming higher. Unsigned but reemerging with the confidence of a slickly managed group with the backing of a major label, The Little Kicks’ newfound belief is largely attributable to the quartet’s driving force – main songwriter and frontman, Steven Milne. His wealth of industry nous, gained largely as booker for Aberdeen venue The Lemon Tree, has been invaluable for the band, but there’s also a divvying up of day-to-day duties between all four members, who sensibly treat being in a group like a small business.

“There’s no reason why we can’t make our artwork nice, and get vinyl, and just act professionally and confidently. That hopefully reflects in the music too,” suggests Milne. “We obviously would love to win a SAY Award or get a tour support with a big band, and why not? A few years ago we would have been like, ‘that’s not going to happen for a band like us,’ but there’s no reason why you can’t try. You’re only going to get it if you push yourself for it.”

Feeling slightly removed in Aberdeen from Scotland’s musical heart in the central belt, the band has perhaps had to push themselves that bit harder, and it’s paid off. “I sometimes see us doing similar shows to bands with management and labels and a lot more help than we have, and I think we’re obviously doing something right if we’re still there on the same bill,” he reflects.

“We’re quite pally with a lot of big bands in Scotland and kind of see them as contemporaries in a way, although they’re doing much better than us and don’t have jobs full-time… that kind of thing does encourage you to try harder.

“You do see bands kind of leapfrog us in a way because we’ve been around for such a long time

that you do think, ‘how come some bands are getting such and such and you’re not?’ But then we just quietly do what we do with the time and the budget and the resources that we have.”

Mastered at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London, Shake Off Your Troubles was met with a different approach than previous records, with the band holing up in a lochside lodge in the Highlands to record it. Working 24/7 to get just the right aural aesthetic, Milne sometimes spent hours on solitary synth parts until they were exactly as he’d envisaged. After initial trepidation, the setup on the banks of Loch Ness afforded them the space and time to gain the confidence to experiment with new sounds and technical approaches.

“ It’s not really our desire to become famous and all that bullshit” Steven Milne

“You’re quite exposed being in a band together, singing about things that are quite personal to you,” Milne admits. “There needs to be the ability to just try stuff without feeling judged, or that someone’s going to laugh at you for making a mistake. We definitely achieved that in the lodge, everyone was very relaxed and just trying things.”

Adding to the experimentation was the inclusion of the Cairn String Quartet on several tracks.“We’ve never had strings on a record before,” says Milne. “We would never have done that a few years ago; we would have just thought, ‘we can’t do that, we don’t know how to do that,’ but now there’s a bit more of a feeling of ‘let’s try.’”

Shake Off Your Troubles is far less crestfallen than previous work, with Milne admitting the

last album was written at a vulnerable time. “I felt a little bit uncertain in the period of that last record but prior to the finishing stages of this one I was in a really good place,” he offers. “You get a little bit older and you realise you’re actually very fortunate, especially with all the stuff going on in the world at the moment, people have got a lot less than me. For me to be singing about being heartbroken didn’t really feel right. It was more about being a bit more grateful for what you’ve got and, I don’t know, just relax a little bit.”

He continues: “We had a bit of a turbulent time at the end of the last album. The band lost a close friend, which is reflected in one of the tracks pretty obviously; that’s our way of paying tribute.

But other than that song we wanted to make something that was a pretty straight upbeat album.”

Doing things their own way has so far worked, with strong support from a variety of nation-

State Broadcasters, The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, 24 Mar; St Peter’s Church, Partick, 26 Mar

Bloodlines

Motherwell Makes Music, Motherwell, 17-19 Mar Motherwell Makes Music is a brand new festival taking place across multiple venues in Motherwell this March. With a focus on emerging Scottish talent, think of this as a great way to discover your new favourite band – with three days of live music on offer, you’re bound to leave with a few. Tickets are priced at the measly sum of £10. For three days of music, we hear you cry? Yes! Just think how much extra money you'll have for the merch table.

March 2017

al radio, and anticipation around the new record’s release. While The Little Kicks wouldn’t rule out getting help if it was “the right deal”, they’re happy having full creative control, and they’re doing just fine.

“The music is the most important thing for us,” states Milne. “It’s not really our desire to become famous and all that bullshit, we just love playing live, we love playing gigs, and as long as it’s music that we believe in and enjoy playing we’ll continue to do that. Hopefully there’s people that come to see it and support it, and they have for the last three records or so, so that keeps us going.”

Shake Off Your Troubles is released on 3 Mar via Loosen Up Records The Little Kicks play The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 3-4 Mar. The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, 10 Mar. Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 11 Mar thelittlekicks.co.uk

Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains Mono, Glasgow, 30 Mar

Glasgow four-piece State Broadcasters are having not one but two launch parties this March, celebrating the release of brand new album, A Different Past. Marking four and a half years since the release of previous LP Ghosts We Must Carry, this also marks a new chapter for the band as they bid farewell to founding member Graeme Black and welcome new bandmate David McGinty (ex- of Endor and Fake Major) into the fold.

State Broadcasters

Idles

Idles Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 25 Mar ‘Well done / Why don’t you get a job / Even Tarquin’s got a job / Mary Berry’s got a job’ – just some of the choice lyrics you can expect to hear at an Idles gig. Not particularly punk singing about Mary Berry, you say? But pair that up with their pure musical force and the anger in frontman Joe Talbot’s gravelly voice and you’ve got yourself a show. This one’s guaranteed to be a cosy and raucous affair!

MUSIC

One of France’s finest, Frànçois Marry is back with his Atlas Mountains, and they’ll be making a stop at Glasgow’s Mono at the end of the month. This tour marks the release of their fifth album – their third with Domino – Solide Mirage. Comprising members of various groups from France and the UK, including Petit Fantôme, Jaune!, Archipel and Glasgow’s own Babe, together they make glorious dreamy French indie-pop. It’s a delight.

FrànÇois & the Atlas Mountains

Preview

51

Album of the Month Grandaddy

Last Place [30th Century Records, 3 Mar]

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Eleven years ago, Jason Lytle pulled the plug on Grandaddy after four albums of intriguing and often wonderful indie rock music. They fused the archetypal 90s scuzz of Pavement with the more psychedelic wanderings of The Flaming Lips and even ELO to create something utterly individual.

Last Place sounds as though they’ve never been away: it’s an album loaded with ideas and melodies, on occasion hitting the dizzy heights of their stellar first albums, Under the Western Freeway and The Sophtware Slump.

Grandaddy were a band that always sounded nostalgic, even when they were singing about the future, robots and time-traveling. Last Place is as melancholic as anything we’ve ever heard from the band, understandably so given that much of it is inspired by the breakup of Jason Lytle’s marriage.

You can read elsewhere in this issue about how the reunion of Grandaddy was a crutch for Lytle as he looked to rebuild his life.

‘Nothing lasts forever,’ he sings on opening track Evermore, a song dominated by a scuzzy riff that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Yes, Last Place is sad, but it’s so melodious, so warm and so peculiar that it’s difficult to feel anything

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but love for it. From the gasp of relish that opens proceedings (‘Aaaaaaaahhhh’), to the cartoonish intro that follows it, this is fresh and fun – a record that sounds as though it was as fun to make as it is to listen to.

Lytle has spoken about using previous Grandaddy records as a reference point for this one, and this self-reflection provides some of the album’s loveliest moments. On Jed the 4th, he resurrects the humanoid character from The Sophtware Slump, using a reprise to Jed’s Poem from that record to tell us that Jed the robot ‘was a metaphor’ for his own boozing at the time.

Similarly, Lost Machine – the grandest track here – revisits the story of Broken Household Appliance National Forest, whereby nature coexists with dumped ‘audio surveillance equipment’ and toasters. This is clearly a metaphor for his own lost love.

‘Everything about us is a lost machine,’ he sings over swirling strings and synths, on surely the saddest song about white goods you’ll ever hear. It’s sentimental, it’s oddball and it’s beautiful. In other words, it’s Grandaddy at their finest. [Finbarr Bermingham] Grandaddy

Listen to: Way We Won’t, Evermore

Charlotte OC

Careless People [Polydor, 31 Mar]

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The Shins

Real Estate

Ibibio Sound Machine

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Heartworms [Aural Apothecary/Columbia, 10 Mar]

In Mind [Domino, 17 Mar]

‘It’s the means to a terrible end,’ James Mercer sings about halfway through Name For You, the first track on the new album by The Shins – and he might as well be talking about the terrible things he has done to a oncegreat band.

There isn’t a song on Heartworms that doesn’t have you pining for older, better Shins songs; the voice is way too high in the mix and the lyrics are charmlessly self-conscious.

Aimless and fussy, it sounds like the kind of album a person with slightly too much money, their own studio and a massive ego would make. Crushingly disappointing, this is, alas, no return to form. [Pete Wild]

Very little seems to have changed in the world of Real Estate’s jangly indie rock. Martin Courtney still knows his way around a delicately picked piece of dreampop, and on opener Darling he produces another classic of the genre to join previous favourites like Talking Backwards and It’s Real. From then on it’s pretty much as you were, with Real Estate getting into a comfortable groove of their own making as each beautifully crafted piece of chiming six-string supineness washes over you like a warming bath. In Mind shows that Real Estate are a band you can rely on in uncertain times, and that’s as good a reason as any to stick around. [Jamie Bowman]

Listen to: Name for You, Mildenhall

Listen to: Darling, Serve the Song, White Light

52

Review

Uyai [Merge, 3 Mar]

Ibibio Sound Machine up the ante on all fronts for Uyai with racing percussion and busier, more ambitious arrangements than 2014’s self-titled debut.

Give Me a Reason opens the album like a firecracker, propelled ever forward by synths and Williams’ ecstatic shouts. One by one, it introduces the sounds that comprise the record’s brimming sonic palette, like the spunky highlife guitar, the horns that hit like bursting piñatas and the infectious layered percussion; a cybernetic mixture of acoustic and programmed drums that brings to mind the likes of Caribou and LCD Soundsystem. Let’s hope Williams can forgive our bad pronunciation, because we’ll still be singing along with Ibibio for months to come. [Andrew Gordon] Listen to: Give Me a Reason

In Charlotte OC’s world, every line has a shadow; ‘We keep on running like a river! Riveeeer.’ The popminded theatricality of her debut album Careless People pays homage to the boldest voices in the business, but loses OC’s individuality in the mix.

The Lancashire-born musician’s been preparing for this moment for years. She grew up attending weekend classes at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and subsequently released three EPs between 2013-2016. Astute fans have already noticed that favourite songs from those records haven’t been re-recorded for Careless People: this debut is no retrospective, it’s a mission statement.

Desperate Journalist Grow Up [Fierce Panda, 24 Mar]

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In a garden, a teenage Jo Bevan faces the camera.

The dappled sunlight and party dress are immediately at odds with her band-to-be’s brooding aesthetic. And yet, the second Desperate Journalist album is packaged not for laughs but with sombre recognition that, even as a child, you can see the trials of life rolling your way. Bevan is almost expressionless, staring into the future. Grow Up. You should always judge an album by its cover.

This time around, the London-based four-piece

RECORDS

Glossy and calculating, Careless People rarely pulls back. OC has a formidable voice but she throws all her tools at every track. Each of Careless People’s 11 radio-friendly numbers are scaffolded so securely by echoing, metallic hand-claps and perfectly timed backing vocals that her songwriting starts to feel synthetic. The warm, earthy bass which grounded her earlier EPs has been replaced by a technically perfect chill.

The album’s few intimate moments offer welcome shelter, but songs like Running Back To You and Medicine Man are belters built for public spaces, and it’s easy to imagine how OC’s carefully structured singles will leak through the airwaves and embed themselves within your psyche.

When you wake up humming Darkest Hour, blame it on the time you accidentally walked through Topshop. [Katie Hawthorne] Listen to: Shell, Running Back To You stretch and strive, and mould legacy materials with adroit artistry. Underpinned by the stark poetry of Bevan’s lyrics and guitarist Rob Hardy’s melodic enterprise, the likes of All Over (‘I wandered through battlements of birthday cards’) and I Try Not To (‘Happily I’ve lost my nerve / To give myself the kicking I probably deserve’) twitch and spark. Elsewhere, potent anthems (Lacking In Your Love) and tender balladry (Radiating) confirm an expanding palette and a deepening song craft.

Throughout, Grow Up is a bracing and vital antidote to genre norms, and shares a worldview that nourishes both heart and head. A huge undertaking, a staggering achievement. You need this. [Gary Kaill] Listen to: All Over, Why Are you So Boring?

THE SKINNY

The Little Kicks

Shake Off Your Troubles [Loosen Up Records, 3 Mar]

For some, ‘inoffensive’ is the most scathing insult you can hurl at a band, but Aberdeen’s Little Kicks are proof that there can be dignity in making modest, straightforward pop music with a consciously broad appeal. Their breezy third record Shake Off Your Troubles has a familiar sound that draws liberally from the last two decades of mainstream British indie and demonstrates a strong grasp of the form; choruses always arrive right on time and there are sing-along moments aplenty.

Frontman Steven Milne certainly isn’t afraid of a cliché but has a sweet and quietly outstanding voice that eschews mawkishness – marvel as he dips in and out of falsetto with a skillful nonchalance that could walk all over some of his big money peers. And more so than, say, your Chris Martins, he is genuinely likable throughout, even despite a few irksome moments of navelgazing (there are two songs about songwriting on here).

Shake Off Your Troubles is a more conservative effort than their dance-oriented previous album and these songs are perhaps more tasteful than they are exciting, yet the more resplendent production choices – like the candyfloss strings on Often – are a good fit. There are some misfires for sure – the band go full Kaiser Chiefs on Bang the Drum Slowly by mistaking shouty, blunt repetition for catchiness – but the level of polish and graft evident even in these weaker spots in undeniable.

And then there’s moments like Don’t Get Mad, Get Even’s blissful intro, where the musicians get to stretch their limbs and settle into an easy and evocative vibe, however short-lived. Sure, The Little Kicks’ lane might be squarely in the middle of the road, but they ride it competently. [Andrew Gordon] Listen to: Don’t Get Mad, Get Even; Let’s Get Lost Together

Manuela

Manuela [Lost Map, 31 Mar]

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Blanck Mass

Blanck Mass

World Eater [Sacred Bones, 3 Mar]

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The third album from Fuck Buttons’ Benjamin John Power is as dark and brilliant as we’ve come to expect. In an interview with The Skinny last year, FB bandmate Andrew Hung announced that if he was “the buttons,” then Power must surely be “the fuck.” He was speaking specifically about their musical stylings: Hung’s solo offerings at that point had mainly been playful 8-bit recordings made on

an old Game boy. Power’s solo work, on the other hand, sounds altogether more sinister. The Blanck Mass project has enthralled from the start, delivering two delightful courses of dark, dense electronica. It’s a pattern that continues on World Eater, Blanck Mass’ third outing, and arguably his best yet.

Everything about this record, from the macabre title to the snarling big cat on the cover, and the horror movie stylings of the opening track John Doe’s Carnival of Error, screams aggression. The title is a reference to the destructive nature of human beings, both collectively and individually.

The ‘world eater’ is both the beast inside of each of us and the beast we combine to create as a society, a cancer eating away at the planet we inhabit.

That thesis in mind, the album feels like something

that has been unleashed from deep within Power: a furious outburst at the state of the world.

Each of the seven tracks are heavy and layered. The sonorous bass and thundering drums are peppered with snippets of melody that feel like sharp gasps of breath, such as the searchlight of a synth wail that pans across the top of the asphyxiating Rhesus Negative, the clipped, soulful vocals on Silent Treatment, or the ripple of water and pop outro that fracture the nigh-on opaque Minnesota / Eas Fors / Naked. World Eater is ferocious and intense, but it’s also thrilling and bristling with life – and it’s these contrasts that make it such a blast to listen to. [Finbarr Bermingham] Listen to: John Doe’s Carnival of Error, Silent Treatment

Laura Marling

Semper Femina [More Alarming via Kobalt Music Recordings, 10 Mar]

rrrrr By the time the second chorus rolls around on Everything Goes, the gauzy, unassuming opener to Manuela’s self-titled debut record, you know you’re in good hands. In a subtle display of pop magic, everything is slyly shifted up a third, Manuela Gernedel’s winsome voice now floating at cloud level while Nick McCarthy’s prickly guitar provides the current. The effect is twofold; the extra levity sweetens Gernedel’s invitation to take a walk on the brighter side while also gently kneading the melody into your brain, where it will soon be joined by a shoal of other little moments and phrases from across this album.

McCarthy’s minor pentatonic lick here is unmistakably Franz Ferdinand, and fans of his former outfit will find plenty to like on Manuela – the peppy angular saunter of Cracks in the Concrete is a prime example, but as the title suggests, this is primarily Gernedel’s record, and it’s her thoughtful poetry and wry charm that set the tone and give shape to McCarthy’s knowingly cheesy but clever, eclectic arrangements. Gernedel conveys a range of moods and experiences, from the joys of parenthood to the profound, almost meditative dullness of supermarket shopping. Her delivery throughout is almost like mumblecore movie dialogue but in a way that comes across as honest and endearing. An eccentric listen? Definitely.

But great fun too. [Andrew Gordon] Listen to: Supermarket, Farewell, Invincible

March 2017

The bulk of Semper Femina, Laura Marling’s sixth album, mines the territory that she is a master of manipulating: femininity, heartbreak, nature.

The title alone reaffirms Marling’s feminist beliefs, with a militant nod in case the message wasn’t getting across. Many of her songs showcase her fearlessness in defying a society that expects her to be a passive spectator in her own life (Always This Way and Nothing, Not Nearly). It is this overt agency that threads together all of her music, from older cuts like Ghosts to All My Rage, through I Was an Eagle and now into this album.

A few tracks have a variety and playfulness that keeps the album from feeling monotonous.

Nothing, Not Nearly picks up the pace and adds some honky-tonk guitar blasts; Wild Once straddles the border between singing and spoken word, while Soothing hints at Marling’s torch singer ambitions. However, it’s with a simple melody, an acoustic guitar and some swooping strings that Marling really shines.

Semper Femina continues Marling’s decadelong hot streak with another collection of finely wrought vignettes on love, loss, and the empowerment that can be found in both. She hasn’t reinvented the wheel, nor has she needed to, but there will always be a place in the musical landscape for sincere, well written songs that attempt to make sense of the world. [Lewis Wade] Listen to: Soothing, Wild Once

sir Was

Nathan Fake

Porter Ray

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Digging A Tunnel City Slang, 10 Mar Previously a professional jazz saxophonist, sir Was has travelled the world and picked up a range of musical influences along the way, which have helped shape the sonic landscape of debut Digging A Tunnel. Opening with lead single In the Midst, you’re thrown straight into Was’ world of funky, soulful electronica, merging its pop chorus and melody seamlessly with its rap verses and unique instrumentation. While the bagpipes on A Minor Life might not make much sense, the harmonica is a welcome addition to the bluesy rhythms on Bomping.

Despite the obvious Tame Impala similarities, sir Was manages to carve out his own brand of psychedelic pop on Digging A Tunnel. [Nadia Younes] Listen to: Falcon, Interconnected

RECORDS

Providence Ninja Tune, 10 Mar After a two year music-making hiatus, Nathan Fake returns with Providence, an album which sees him take his music in a new and wholly unanticipated direction.

While Fake is best known for danceable techno releases like 2003 single Outhouse, Providence feels more experimental than anything he’s done before.

The album’s glitchy, distinctive sound is perhaps due to the use of a Korg Prophecy VA synthesiser. The limitations imposed by this vintage tech on the production process have clearly pushed his work in a different direction, resulting in a more complex, layered sound. Fake has created a truly impressive release in Providence, managing to weave together diverse and eclectic sounds into a cohesive whole. [Megan Wallace] Listen to: DEGREELESSNESS

Watercolor Sub Pop, 10 Mar Great rapping is quite simply just great storytelling, and what a great storyteller Porter Ray is. There’s a vulnerability to his voice that’s so alluring, allowing emotion to filter through every word he says, while at the same time owning every beat he jumps on.

Laying his bars over a mixture of trippy, experimental rhythms and old school hip-hop beats, Watercolor has as much style as it does substance. There’s a certain depth and outright honesty in Ray’s lyrics that sets him apart from many of his peers and shows that he’s not afraid to bare his soul in his music; and that openness makes for incredibly powerful listening.

[Nadia Younes] Listen to: East Seattle, My Mother’s Words

Review

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Photo: Harrison Reid

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Clubbing Highlights Words: Claire Francis Illustration: Michael Arnold

Two huge Pressure nights bookend our March clubbing calendar, plus there’s plenty of local and international talent on offer this month

Don’t Drop 4th Birthday – Part 1 – Sonja Moonear @ Sub Club, Glasgow, 2 March The Don’t Drop crew are turning four, and they’re celebrating with a three-part series of parties.

The first installment features Swiss native Sonja Moonear, a Perlon mainstay, Ricardo Villalobos protégé, and regular at clubbing institutions Robert Johnson, Panorama Bar and Club Der Visionaere. Moonear specialises in a lean, trippy style of house and techno, and she’s renowned for her technical skills in the booth. She also managed to steal the show from Carl Craig on their joint Cocoon Ibiza Cocoon In The Mix effort, released last August. Support comes from McEwan & Torrance and RJay Murphy.

Kapital presents Max Cooper’s Emergence @ The Caves, Edinburgh, 3 March Belfast-born, London-based Max Cooper returns to The Caves this month for a full audio visual performance showcasing his new album Emergence, the follow up to his 2014 debut Human. Known for his distinctive, emotive techno productions, Cooper has spent the better part of the last decade crystallizing his complex yet melodic sound.

Emergence is accompanied by a series of visuals featuring collaborators including animator Nick Cobby, mathematician Dugan Hammock, and visual artist Andy Lomas, and film composer Tom Hodge also lends his talents to several of the tracks on the new record. The event will also feature support from Kapital’s resident DJs. Pressure: SLAM, Chris Leibing, Pan-Pot (3 hour set) @ SWG3, Glasgow, 3 March Iconic duo SLAM head up the first Pressure offering of the month, taking control of SWG3’s TV Studio as their Soma label enjoys its 25th anniversary this year. Techno pioneer, producer, radio host and founder of the record label CLR Chris Liebing will also be squaring off in the downstairs

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Preview

space. In the Warehouse, German duo Pan-Pot will be throwing down an extended 3-hour set. The line-up also boasts Belgian export Amelie Lens, plus Clint Stewart and BEC (aka Rebecca Godfrey), both of whom are signed to Pan-Pot’s Second State label.

Odyssey. 007 – Gorgon City @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 9 March Gorgon City, the production duo consisting of North Londoners Kye 'Foamo' Gibbon and Matt 'RackNRuin' Robson-Scott, stop in at Cab Vol this month for a special extended set. Signed to the London-based independent label Black Butter Records, they’ve collaborated with an eclectic mix of artists including indie rock group Klaxons, Yasmin, and Wyclef Jean. Expect house, garage, electronica and lots of feel-good vibes.

Nightvision // Musika x Part 1 – Patrick Topping @ The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 11 March Musika’s 10th birthday celebrations continue, with the second event featuring Newcastle born DJ and producer Patrick Topping. Having spent his student years in Edinburgh, Topping is no stranger to the capital; as he put it on his Facebook page, “At Uni in Edinburgh Musika was my favourite night, I even hosted a couple of their after parties in my student flat!” Topping will be playing all night long, with further acts in the Warehouse to be announced.

Artwork & Headway presents Art’s House @ The Reading Rooms, Dundee, 17 March After playing a blinding show with Denis Sulta at Subbie back in December, Arthur Smith is back in these parts, bringing his notorious party starting ways to Headway for an all-night-long Dundee

debut. You can also catch him in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s on 15 March and in Glasgow at Sub Club on 16 March.

Cooking with Palms Trax @ La Cheetah Club, Glasgow, 17 March Berlin-based producer and DJ Palms Trax (real name Jay Donaldson) has carved out a name for himself with his Detroit house inspired workouts.

His first record came out in 2013 on London-based imprint Lobster Theremin, and he’s since dropped further releases on the Dekmantel label, as well as notching up sets at the likes of Panorama Bar, Phonox and The Warehouse Project. This event kicks off a series of four shows that Donaldson will be curating at La Cheetah, and he’s invited some of his favourite acts and good friends to join him throughout 2017. Don’t miss this Part 1 show, which will see him set out on a four-hour solo mission.

Slam (Soma) 25th Anniversary DJ Set @ The Reading Rooms, Dundee, 24 March 2017 promises to be one of the biggest years yet in the glittering career of the dynamic Glaswegian duo SLAM (aka Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle).

Their label Soma continues to go from strength to strength, remaining on the cutting edge and firmly at the forefront of musical innovation. Slam continue their celebration of 25 years of the imprint with this special anniversary set in Dundee.

Melting Pot with Gilles Peterson @ Sub Club, Glasgow, 24 March He reportedly coined the term acid jazz, so it’s no wonder DJ Gilles Peterson has built a reputation on his expansive musical knowledge, spanning everything from jazz, Latin beats, house, drum’n’bass, soul and trip hop. As Melting Pot themselves put it, “it’s been a long time coming, 16 years since we started,” but they’ve finally secured Peterson’s

CLUBS

talents for their own club night, playing for Melting Pot. He’s joined by collaborator and experimental music artist Earl Zinger and local jazz guru Rebecca Vasmant .

Blackout // Dax J, Abdulla Rashim, Somewhen (live), Stephanie Sykes, Animal Farm @ The Glue Factory, Glasgow, 25 March Born from a desire to go beyond the standard clubbing formula, Blackout is curated by local party starters Animal Farm. Kicking off at Glasgow’s Glue Factory, it promises a mammoth 11-hour techno marathon, making unique use of the space for a sensory audiovisual experience. Manchester’s Stephanie Sykes will lead off, after impressing with an explosive set at the Art School for her Scottish debut last year. Abdulla Rashim will also be making his second appearance in Glasgow, showcasing the dark and brooding sound typical of his Northern Electronics label. A rare live set is also on the cards from Berlin’s Somewhen, with a hardware setup specially curated for the event, and rounding off the stellar line-up is the Berlinbased Dax J, famed for his epic 10-hour techno set at Berghain. The event continues into the wee hours at The Joytown Electric Theatre, the city’s newest clubbing venue.

Pressure: SLAM, Len Faki, Jeroen Search (live), Claude Vonstroke, Terry Francis & more @ SWG3, Glasgow, 31 March The month ends with another huge Pressure event, this time led by SLAM and German techno legend Len Faki. The bangin’ bill also features a live set from Dutch techno master Jeroen Search, Dirtybird boss and perennially cheerful house aficionado Claude VonStroke, and famed UK artist Terry Francis, with further acts to be announced. Ooft.

THE SKINNY

March 2017

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Bard is a Four-Letter Word Our poetry columnist highlights a big month for Flint & Pitch, by both hosting their regular Revue and presenting a special performance, Show Me The Money

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ith StAnza Festival currently underway (1-5 Mar), it’s easy to assume that little else is going on in the poetry world, but that’s far from the truth. First on the things to see list this month are two fantastic evening events courtesy of Flint & Pitch. Following their sell-out event in February (Luke Wright’s The Toll), the first is a spoken word theatre show, Paula Varjack’s Show Me The Money (10 Mar, Scottish Storytelling Centre), which is advertised as ‘a playful investigation into making art in a time of austerity.’ The piece is a result of investigations undertaken personally over the past year, interviewing ‘professional’ artists about how making art impacts their lives. It explores issues like paying the rent, balancing the boring side of earning a crust with creativity and the ins and outs of public funding.

This sounds like an excellent all-rounder of a show, as it not only provides a sympathetic mirror for so many in the creative industries, but, in terms of potential audiences from other disciplines, will hopefully improve understanding of the hardships

which come with life as a professional artist. No matter how much we love what we do, the task of fielding inane questions (‘So why can’t you do this full-time?’) and unsympathetic comments (‘Try working in x, y, z – that’s hard!’) from people who just don’t understand the industry or the urge is a humungous one all in itself, even before you start trying to create original ideas. I can think of several big noises who might benefit from being dragged along.

Secondly, Flint & Pitch are fast approaching their 4th Revue (Fri 24 Mar), and as usual it’s a fruity mix of talent. This month’s sparkling line-up features smooth-voiced poet Ryan Van Winkle, multi-award-winning slammer Sophia Walker, blazing young star Ellen Renton and up-and-coming French-Cameroonian singer songwriter Djana Gabrielle, who will be making her debut in the exciting ‘new voice’ slot. The evening will also showcase the debut album from Urban Farm Hard, Tell Me The Place, with Inge Thomson on ‘everything’ (accordion, sampler, percussion,

Words: Clare Mulley

vocals), Siobhan Wilson (Reveal Records) on guitar and Prophet 12, and Calum McIntyre on drums.

It’s not all performance on the menu though.

For those up for travel, several miles south of the border, a special writing day will also be taking place in Warwick on 11 March with Ann and Peter Sansom of The Poetry Business. These are the editors of The North, whom the Guardian has impressively dubbed ‘the best poetry writers in the world.’ The day includes exercises using existing poems as stimuli, as well as workshopping one of your own pieces. Interested creative writers should e-mail peter.sansom@poetrybusiness.co.uk to book a place, or for more details; even if you’re too late to buy tickets, it’s worth at least keeping a look-out for the next workshops in the pipeline.

which deals with the various passions and tensions in relations between both individuals and our various selves. While boxing them in such general terms is questionable, particularly as the topics vary so colourfully and a great many collections could adopt the same vague label, the tone of the poems as a whole work better than any thematic label to thread them together. Dunn’s voice is like a letter – something to be spoken softly to oneself while read. Something which does not whisper or shout, but quietly, firmly states. Although some of the rhyming pieces like Star Slime and Eighteen are a little clunky, the stiller moments portrayed in Torch Song and You, You are wonderful. Spider Hours also offers a great take on a popular myth.

In Print: The main find of the month is Take This One To Bed, the newest collection by Antony Dunn (Valley Press),

Take This One to Bed is out now, published by Valley Press, RRP £8.99

Flint & Pitch Presents Paula Varjack, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 10 Mar, £10 The Revue, Bongo Club, 24 Mar, £6

The Poetry Business’s March Writing Day, 25 Mar poetrybusiness.co.uk flintandpitch.com

The Sad Part Was

By Mohsin Hamid

Lincoln in the Bardo

The Patriots

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Due to their condensed nature, short stories often rely on novelty to hold attention; whether that be a quirky cast, unusual perspectives or unlikely scenarios. The Sad Part Was, a short collection of tales from celebrated Thai author Prabda Yoon, employs all three to excellent effect.

The very fact that Yoon is bringing a contemporary South East Asian consciousness to a wider audience with this collection (superbly translated

by Mui Poopoksakul) contributes to this novelty, but to say it overly depends upon this for its attraction would be hugely unfair. Yoon is never one to shy away from invention, with his stories a playful mixture of pop culture references, abstract concepts and metaphysical self-awareness.

Indeed, in perhaps the most memorable tale from the collection ‘Marut by the Sea’, Yoon calls into question the sagacity of supposedly omniscient authors and their validity in society as a whole.

This derisive stance on his own career is an interesting and original exploration of the relevance of writers in a modern world, challenging us to think above and beyond the words on the page.

For a refreshing, engaging respite from the exhaustion of the daily grind, The Sad Part Was is an accomplished balancing act between sadness and silliness, wit and whimsy, wry insight and incisive rhyme. Well worth the few hours it takes to knock the stories out, not least for the fresh perspective they may provide for your own life.

[Jonny Sweet]

Nadia and Saeed meet at an evening class and fall in love while the city around them swells with refugees and slides towards crisis. When they can no longer ignore and endure the situation around them – the bombs, the shootings, the blackouts – they’re forced to leave Saeed’s father and step through one of the black doors that are appearing all over the city: doors to Greece, London, San Francisco.

It’s a powerful story beautifully told. Hamid’s prose is casually vivid: sentences unspool with just enough off-hand detail to make the life they describe seem real. The simplicity of his technique amplifies the emotional intensity of the situation, as ties to family, tradition, and society begin at first to fray, and then to fail, and then to disappear.

Exit West is a book full of beginnings: falling in love; leaving the city; surviving the camps; surviving the West. This novel’s extraordinary feat is to humanise and localise the crises of a changing world. It records the moments and pressures that push Nadia and Saeed from first love to duty, then from exhaustion to irritation and finally to the moment when they are no longer in love at all. Hamid does not dramatise any of this. He doesn’t need to sculpt a story arc, and this is no sanitised survival tale. He’s found a simple voice for a complex mess of fear and desire, and it rings true. [Galen O’Hanlon]

Out 3 Mar, published by Tilted Axis Press, RRP £8.99

Out 2 Mar, published by Hamish Hamilton, RRP £14.99

“Vain, weak, puerile, hypocritical, without manners, without social grace…” As America’s literary voices steel themselves to document the shockwaves of Donald Trump’s improbable ascendancy, Saunders makes his long-form debut with a vivid account of a day in the life of a leader of less questionable stature. However, the text book references that form, in part, the novel’s audacious construction, reveal a president not entirely as conscientious as history would have you believe.

A dizzying chronicle of the unexpected death of Lincoln’s young son Willie, Saunders inverts traditional musings on mortality. Take life seriously he insists, and death, perhaps less so. Lincoln in the Bardo is deeply moving and very, very funny. The narrative is fleshed out by the disembodied voices of those who shepherd Willie through the ‘bardo’ (an intermediate state between this life and the next) and keep solemn watch over his grieving father. Those voices – a deeply characterised array of madcap provocateurs and wry commentators – fire a story (ostensibly) about death into uproarious life.

The darkly comic pairing of Roger Bevins III and Hans Volmann, who track events with wry detachment, and the Reverend Everley Thomas (who inadvertently discovers the true nature of their plight and that his actions in “that previous realm” will have unexpected consequences), lead a deftly drawn supporting cast. Throughout, Saunders’ elegant, forceful prose elevates his surreal tragedy. It is a unique and uncommonly powerful re-staging of across-the-great-divide norms. [Gary Kaill]

A 538-page debut novel set across continents and over 74 years of personal and political turmoil certainly shows intent. Largely living up to it, Krasikov’s sweeping epic – likened to Dr. Zhivago

by Yann Martel – is at its lesser moments a Soviet-era soap opera, and at its best, a believable and astonishingly accomplished tapestry of lives caught between the turning cogs of history.

In 1934, Florence Fein travels from the US to become part of the Soviet dream, only to have her idealism eroded by repression then terror.

Her son Julien returns to Moscow in 2008, to retrieve his son Lenny, mired in the gangster capitalism of the modern state; a neat inversion of the dangers of the past. There feels a sepia filtered romanticism to Florence’s early third person passages, possibly an intentional creative flourish to demonstrate the passage of time. Julien’s first person narrative offers the most clear and effective voice; a cynic with a foot in both the past and present. One who condemns his mother’s naïve idealism, yet also his son’s life choices; Julien’s hide was toughened by Soviet realities while the US-raised Lenny (at times an underused plot device) is flabby in both constitution and character.

There are many fine non-fiction accounts of suffering under the Bolsheviks, but fewer novels.

Here is one echoing the consequences of idealism and nationalism down the generations, from the vantage point of history. A tragic, poetic and intimate epic. [Alan Bett]

Out 9 Mar, published by Bloomsbury, RRP £18.99

Out 2 Mar, published by Granta Books, RRP £12.99

By Prabda Yoon

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Review

Exit West

By George Saunders

BOOKS

By Sana Krasikov

THE SKINNY

This Month in Scottish Art March’s new exhibitions include a three-gallery strong Scottish art takeover from Mark Wallinger, and the latest work from Edinburgh’s most controversial artist, Kevin Harman Words: Adam Benmakhlouf

U Install View

Conor Kelly

Queenspark Railway Club

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A patiently glazed oil painting of monkeys is in each room of Conor Kelly’s Daddy in the Algorithm, shining in evidence of their old school technique – Kelly often spends years on a single painting. Next to these wrought works, there are the remaining stains from the opening night that have been left at Kelly’s instruction. Referencing his children in some works, there’s a resistance of clean finish in favour of messy autobiography, keeling over into everyday stains and clutter.

Progressing through the installation, green’s made to signify at moments coolness, then depth and a kind of mossy corporeality, or the brightness of chroma key. When it’s juxtaposed with the mottled wine stains, as the stretched felt of a deadpan inclusion of a notice board, it’s an orderly contrast. But looking above the

fabric, in another piece the paint is trapped still wet under plastic sheeting. At once, the palette suggests a unifying motif, but then fragments.

Over the course of its run, the show’s been moved around in places. One work moves to the floor, a chair is shifted, a canvas wall was burst then set back in place. That first work mentioned, a canvas coated in green oil paint and body hair, is taken from what was a busy wall, then placed under a bag with ‘where d’ya get that body’ written in splashy, excited gold ink. It’s difficult not to see this as a single work, falsifying or frustrating Kelly’s attempt to create a single installation.

The arts and craft architecture of Queens Park Railway Club begins to insist on tableaux and composition with its four walls. Formal order remains insistent, but more complicated when its elements are amassed detritus and garbage – see Kelly’s beard.

So it is that the most interesting oscillation – between pushing against then slipping up into an elegantly cohering tastefulness – repeats. [Adam Benmakhlouf]

ntil 15 March, at the Royal Scottish Academy, there is the New Contemporaries exhibition.

With 66 graduates, it’s as huge and rewarding an endeavour as ever. Admission is £5/3, and includes the exhibition catalogue.

At the beginning of the month, on 4 March, Dundee’s Cooper Gallery holds a closing event for its ambitious project (Of Other Spaces: Where does Gesture Become Event?) The two-part show has involved many artists from the last 40 years, as well as a wealth of archival material on feminist activism, protest, writing, practice and art-making. A performance event will take place from 2-6pm and feature the artists Anne Bean, He Chengyao and SiÔn Parkinson.

Also from 4 March, Mark Wallinger begins his Scottish art takeover, with parallel exhibitions in the Fruitmarket Gallery, Dundee Contemporary Arts and Ingleby Gallery. Between Fruitmarket and DCA, Wallinger shows a selection of vast id Paintings, in which he paints with both hands, trying to mirror his own movements. Meanwhile, in Ingleby Gallery, screens an older 2006 film titled The End. From 4 March again, Glasgow School of Art Exhibitions present the work of photographer Franki Raffles (1955-94) “focusing on her projects recording women workers in China and Russia, a well as her Zero Tolerance Campaign against domestic abuse.” In one section of the exhibit, her work will also be contextualised with key early women photographers.

Still on 4 March, previewing 6-9pm in CCA, artist-curator Alexander Storey Gordon, who constructs a body of work around a period of time spent with his grandfather. Titled A Apopheny!, Gordon mines into a single but expansive and strange anecdote from his grandfather about an illiterate coal miner who became an extraordinary filmmaker. As a response, Gordon constructs “a series of text and film works that try to communicate the opaque relationship between time, meaning and mental representations.”

The next week, there’s the private view and opening of The Amorist at Edinburgh’s Arusha Gallery on Thursday 9 March from 6-8pm. For this, they’ve brought together “nine artists whose work explores themes relating to love, sexuality, and the tensions between personal and constructed femininity.”

Opening on 10 March, Dovecot takes a look at its own history and the intervening WWI, which saw the loss of their founding master weavers John Glassbrook and Gordon Berry in 1917. After their death, Dovecot was left without masters and it was the apprentices that kept the studio going. Taking this crucial moment as a starting point they survey the following generations of apprentices with The Weaver’s Apprentice.

On 17 March from 6-9pm, infamous Edinburgh artist Kevin Harman unleashes an early career retrospective on the Leith Docks. With a limited weekend run, he advises making the opening where possible for performances and a functioning restaurant.

On 21 March, LUX has arranged two major events for the launch of Here is Information.

Mobilise. which celebrates the work of artist and writer Ian White (1971-2013). In Cineworld, there will be a simultaneous screening with seven films pertaining to the question ‘what is a conversation’. This will coincide with an event at the Old Hairdressers, where LUX Scotland presents ‘a mediated and interpretive reading’ featuring the contribution of seven artists.

Rounding off the month, CCA previews a group show The Sky is Falling on Friday 31 March 7-9pm, looking to the city as a catalyst and often a site of difficult survival. Some of the included artists look to Glasgow and its city planning, as well as the formation of Brasilia and the idea of Global City. There’s a work by Reece Auguiste for Black Audio Film Collective Twilight City, which is introduced by a poetic, rhythmical narrative, binding personal stories with the constant pressure of London’s changing form.

Install View

Curve of a Hill ...

Mary Mary

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The left hand of a black glove greets you as you enter the newest exhibition at Mary Mary.

Speckled with white acrylic, the glove could have been plucked from the artist’s, Amanda Ross-Ho’s, studio – if it wasn’t the height of a human. Judith Hopf ’s serpent is next. Its slither is disguised as an angle of concrete, and it teases with a waggle of a newspaper tongue.

Curve of a hill like the curve of a green shoulder draws a slapstick giggle.

Like Amanda Ross-Ho’s glove, Erika Vogt’s machéd knives are inflated for cartoon effect.

Any threat of attack is offset by their pastel colouring, and the knives loiter placidly along the walls of the gallery. Mary Heilmann’s furniture set uses similar hues: baby blue and pink chairs are tucked against a mint green table.

The exhibition stands between irony, and

meaning held, reticently, in reserve. Serious themes are explored alongside light laughs. Take, for instance, the title of the show, which seems borrowed from a stanza of thoughtful imagist poetry.

HD’s poem Oread, or even William Carlos Williams’ Flowers by the Sea spring to mind.

This is most the case in Aleana Egan’s work, which looks to modernist writing and is interested in their weighty themes of time and memory, and describes intangible experience. Egan’s exhibit entitled small waves go back on themselves is particularly well considered. Recalling Sara Barker’s recent show at Fruitmarket, the piece uses painted cardboard to delineate space and recall the character of a wave’s swell, swash and backwash.

The pairing of these themes isn’t totally convincing, and each is impeded by the other. To use the chosen rhetorical trope of the show, Curve of a hill like the curve of a green shoulder draws together two images, and its simile doesn’t sit quite right.

[Figgy Guyver]

Mark Wallinger, id Painting 65, 2016, Acrylic on canvas

Mark Wallinger, id Painting 53, 2015, Acrylic on canvas

Until 11 Mar

March 2017

ART

Review

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In Cinemas All This Panic

Free Fire

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Director: Jenny Gage Starring: Lena M., Ginger Leigh Ryan, Dusty Rose Ryan, Olivia Cucinotta, Sage Adams, Delia Cunningham, Ivy Blackshire, Nichole R. Thompson-Adams Released: 24 Mar Certificate: 15

The closing credits of documentary All This Panic commence with “A Film by Jenny Gage and Thomas Betterton,” an unusual credit in that Betterton is otherwise not listed as a director for the film, but as cinematographer and also one of the producers. The attribution feels appropriate, though, as the combination of Betterton and Gage (who herself has a background in art photography) both went about documenting the subjects of their movie over the course of three years, primarily in intimate, small group set-ups and with camera lenses more commonly used in narrative filmmaking.

Gage’s film follows seven very different girls from Brooklyn across the three years, some a few years apart in age and a few connected by blood or years-long friendships. What ties them all together outside of area codes is articulate introspection on their hopes and worries for how their lives are going, from issues of feminism and sexuality to the concern they’re growing up too fast and the uncertainty that comes with losing support systems. Regarding the latter, ostensible ‘lead’ of the doc, Lena M., has her parents’ divorce to contend with alongside a move to college education, but when it comes to the other players, the doc is particularly astute in examining the familial tensions that arise with anyone in the stirred up ‘panic’ years of late adolescence.

The overall result is a tender, kaleidoscopic portrait that captures the dreamy haze of a particular point in youth, in all its freneticism and fragility. Though a far shorter project, it is worthy of comparison to the likes of Michael Apted’s Up series, in offering a considerably more complex, compassionate depiction of the transition into adulthood than is provided in most films, whether fiction or documentary. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Director: Ben Wheatley Starring: Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Michael Smiley, Sam Riley, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Noah Taylor Released: 31 Mar Certificate: 18

Jean-Luc Godard once said that all you need to make a movie is a gun and a girl. What he may have meant is that all you need to make a movie are several guns, a girl, and nine largely incompetent guys. And that, for all intents and purposes, is Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire.

You could superficially read Free Fire as a riff on the formula of Reservoir Dogs, given its single-location setting in an abandoned building formerly used for manufacturing, where the personalities on display are as loud as the gunfire that disrupts the hardly calm proceedings – one specific moment in the final act even recalls Tarantino’s film fairly explicitly. But Wheatley’s cinematic ancestry stretches back further and is far richer, both tonally and in terms of craft, than that description; this is hardly among the ilk of Very Bad Things to Do for 2 Days in Denver When You’re a Dead Boondock Saint.

A penchant for the Hong Kong action cinema aesthetic is clearly shared between Wheatley and Tarantino, and that influence is most evident in Wheatley’s set piece staging, but Sam Peckinpah would seem to be the most overt

Free Fire

inspiration in terms of the effect guns have on the human body. Though played considerably more comedic than something like The Wild Bunch, Free Fire is concerned with the fuckery that even a single, small gun-induced wound to a non-vital area will do to a person.

There are almost no swift, clean kills in this film: no immediately fatal shots to terminate

The Age of Shadows

Director: Kim Jee-woon Starring: Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-min Released: 24 Mar Certificate: 15

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Review

Graduation

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Director: Cristian Mungiu Starring: Adrian Titieni, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Rares Andrici, Lia Bugnar, Malina Manovici, Vlad Ivanov Released: 31 Mar Certificate: 15

Early on in The Age of Shadows, Kim Woo-jin, a Korean Resistance fighter posing as an antiques dealer, meets the police officer who’s on his tail – Lee Jung-chool, a turncoat Korean working for the colonial Japanese regime. Both recognise what’s happening, but they’re willing to humour the charade. Woo-jin pushes two seemingly identical vases towards Jung-chool and asks with a smirk, “Which is genuine?”

It’s a telling moment in a film full of carefully crafted duplicity and it’s the encounter that launches Jung-chool headlong into the world of deep cover, a place where pragmatic allegiance butts heads with patriotic duty and spies switch sides at the drop of a fake moustache.

After the taper is lit on a firecracker opening set piece, The Age of Shadows barrels through its opaque web of double-deceptions and quadruple-crosses like a steam train – in fact, it’s got one of those too, and it’s laden with explosives. Things run out of puff a little in the struggle to settle on an ending, but it’s an easy indulgence to forgive in a film that’s always reaching for one last trick up its sleeve. [Phil Kennedy]

Teen Eliza (Maria-Victoria Dragus) has been raised by her physician father Romeo (Adrian Titieni) with the idea she will one day leave their Transylvanian town to study and live abroad. On the eve of her final exams, an assault jeopardises her pending UK scholarship, causing Romeo to pursue shady solutions to ensure her future.

If asked to name one recurrent concept in the films of Cristian Mungiu, the arguable poster boy for the so-called Romanian new wave of the last decade, one might be inclined to go with compromises. Though his past features like Beyond the Hills are rooted in the specificities of the institutions they concern, they are all broadly concerned with how you can never come away clean when dealing with broken systems.

Graduation, his latest great work, offers another suspenseful web of compromises, with an achingly sad figure at its centre: a man trying to secure better prospects for his daughter in terrible circumstances, while only serving to set off a proverbial ticking time bomb for his own life and so many others. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Headshot

Aquarius

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Director: Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto Starring: Iko Uwais, Chelsea Islan, Sunny Pang Released: 3 Mar Certificate: 18

All This Panic

characters from the narrative. In what one suspects is a more realistic depiction of criminal warfare, even professional killers tend to be crap shots in the midst of a melee brought about solely through the fiery temperaments of an arms dealer’s younger hired hands. If a peak John Woo film can be described as a bullet ballet, Free Fire is more like a bullet brouhaha. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Martial arts films have a great talent for testing the technical boundaries of cinema, mostly by hurling body after body up against them until they break through to something new. The Raid star Iko Uwais will be the main draw for bloody vengeance thriller Headshot but the camera itself is the star: throughout the film we see a rogues’ gallery of foes try to match his lightning blows but the only one able to meet him step for step is the camera itself, converting what could have been a blur of blood and battery into something visceral, intense and gripping.

La La Land drew praise for the gymnastics of its camera as it twirled through Chazelle’s candy-coloured dream: the view in Headshot is a little like that after a line of coke and a punch in the head. With the feel of an overloaded nervous system, Headshot has a twitching taut style that perfectly captures the mad violence of Uwais’ amnesiac hero as he tries to tear his way back to his identity. Stamboel and Tjahjanto’s blistering action film holds up over two hours of brutality through a constant supply of violent innovation and a well-used handful of visual gags. [Ross McIndoe]

FILM

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho Starring: Sonia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irhandir Santos Released: 24 Mar Certificate: 15 In his critically acclaimed debut, Neighbouring Sounds, Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho presented audiences with a multifaceted portrait of a middle-class community in Recife. His follow-up, Aquarius, shares the same location, but centers on the struggle of one woman, Clara (Sonia Braga), a 65-year-old music critic fighting to save her home from the clutches of a property developer. The focus might have narrowed, but both films share the same obsession with class and memory, with Filho once again using intelligent sound design to allude to the world outside the frame – one teeming with anxiety and political anger.

The film is constructed entirely around Braga’s performance. A sensuous blend of anger and stubbornness, Clara shows only the faintest signs of weakness, yet the fragility that seeps through elevates this tale of individual resistance into a wider contemplation on inherited guilt and the distinction between house and home. Combining formal inventiveness with a flair for storytelling, Aquarius is a triumph of socially conscious filmmaking; a bold and electrifying film that’s grand in scope, but intimate in its execution. [Patrick Gamble]

THE SKINNY

Credit: Carole Bethuel

Prêt-à-Poltergeist The ever versatile Olivier Assayas returns to genre territory with strange and mysterious ghost story Personal Shopper, which centres on a knockout performance from Kristen Stewart. When we meet the French filmmaker, he’s nothing but praise for his star

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sk any director the aspect of filmmaking they enjoy least, and 99 times out of 100 they’ll tell you it’s talking to the press. And who could blame them? Having to hear those same unoriginal questions over and over again. “Where did you get the initial idea?” “Who are your influences?” and then of course the obligatory topical question, which for the next four years will be: “What do you think of Trump?” French filmmaker Olivier Assayas, however, is part of the elusive one percent.

“It’s always interesting to discuss your own films because somehow you are reinventing them by talking about them,” Assayas says when we sit down to chat at a London hotel. He explains that while in director mode, he doesn’t have the opportunity to verbalise to his cast and crew his intentions for the film. “I’m not a very theoretical person when I’m on the set, I’m just all about action; I think that’s how movies get made. There I’m making decision after decision after decision every day, and once the film is finished, it’s then that you can try to understand why you made those decisions and understand, basically, what was the subconscious drive to it all.”

This is music to our ears, as we’re here to discuss Personal Shopper, a beguiling and unclassifiable film full of mysteries and nuances. It centres on a dissatisfied young American woman called Maureen, played by Kristen Stewart – who became the first American actor to win a César Award (basically the French Oscars) for her performance in Assayas’ previous film Clouds of Sils Maria. By day our hero works as personal shopper and general dogsbody for a bitchy supermodel who’s based in Paris. Maureen’s side gig, however, is far more interesting.

She’s a medium, and the film opens with her on the job, but it’s one to which she has a personal

March 2017

connection. Maureen’s been commissioned to check out the dark and creaky villa her twin brother Lewis’s girlfriend inherited to see if any unwanted spirits linger there. It turns out, however, that Maureen has her fingers crossed it is haunted, as she’s eager to speak to one spirit in particular: Lewis, who died in the house of a weak heart (a defect his sister shares) a few months back.

Maureen insists she must spend a night alone in the house to check it out, and as expected, things do go bump in the dark: a ghostly apparition appears, but it’s benevolent. Lewis, however, does not make his presence known. “It’s difficult to find a portal into the spirit world,” Maureen shrugs, “That’s just the way it is.”

While this description might be conjuring up ideas in your mind of a hipster Conjuring, Assayas, as he often does, has wrongfooted us. The rest of his ghost story won’t take place in the usual spaces of haunted attics, creepy basements or spooky cemeteries, but very much in the modern world of boutique hotels, penthouse apartments and, in one of the film’s most thrilling setpieces, the Eurostar.

And instead of communicating via ectoplasm stains or creaking door hinges, the ghosts in Personal Shopper use iPhone text messages.

What makes the film so unusual and compelling is this tension between the real and the supernatural. “I really wanted a character who is anchored, who is grounded, and who’s very human,” explains Assayas. “That’s what Kristen brought to me.

She has this screen presence, she’s this really solid person. It really matters that we relate to that character, because she opens those doors into the unknown.”

Much of the joy of Personal Shopper is the opportunity to observe Stewart at her most strip-

ped back, her most raw. She dominates the film, but in a understated way. It’s a performance that feels very alive, full of subtle gestures and tiny character details. It’s a very quiet performance too, with none of the histrionics that characterised the role that made her famous in the Twilight franchise.

Like all great actors, her charisma pulls you closer to the screen, like a magnet.

“When I was writing [Personal Shopper] I didn’t know I was actually writing for Kristen,” explains Assayas, “but I think if I had not made Clouds of Sils Maria with Kristen, had not spent time with her, then I would not have created a character similar to Maureen. And when I finished writing and I ended up giving Kristen the screenplay she read it and loved it, and all of a sudden there was an inner logic to it all.”

“ I think Kristen has an unlimited range” Olivier Assayas

As is the case with many critics, it took Assayas a while to realise just how talented Stewart is. His first experience of her was in Walter Salles’ On the Road. “I liked what I saw on screen,” he recalls, “but I never saw something that I thought was completely accomplished.” It wasn’t until working with her on Clouds of Sils Maria that he realised how good she really is. “She was something else, she was unique. She really has this extraordinary mix of intuition. She’s completely, incredibly natural.

She’ll never do the same thing twice. She needs

FILM

Interview: Jamie Dunn

to feel things and simultaneously she has so much control over what she does.”

Assayas was so impressed, in fact, that he felt his material had let her down. “I was a bit frustrated because the character I wrote for her in Clouds of Sils Maria was one-dimensional,” he laments.

“She didn’t have a lot of space to create a character. I was extremely happy with what we did together, but it was a bit frustrating because I felt that we could have gone much further. She’s a very smart actress, and I think that she has an unlimited range that need to be challenged.”

With Personal Shopper, they’ve done exactly that. What so impresses is that most of the film plays out focused on Stewart’s character on her own in medium shot, dashing through the Paris streets on errands or simply reacting to the latest – possibly supernatural – text on her phone. So compelling is her performance, however, that you never want to take your eyes off the screen, even when she’s seemingly doing nothing. Assayas thinks, as an actor, she’s innately cinematic: “She moves within the frame like a dancer, you know? She has a way of playing with her body and with the camera, and she has this understanding of the space. For a filmmaker that’s pretty unique.”

Perhaps what’s so exciting for film fans is that Assayas reckons Stewart has only just scratched the surface of her talents. “After two movies, I feel that I don’t know her yet,” he says. “I get the sense there’s more space there. I think it’s the first time that it’s happened to me with an actor that I’m not sure where their limit is.”

This sounds like the start of a beautiful director-actor partnership.

Personal Shopper is released 17 Mar by Icon

Feature

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Ask Auntie Trash:

Dim the Lights In a break from her usual rant, Auntie Trash pays tribute to an old friend, taken too soon

The Winter's Tale

Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Illustration: Stephanie Hoffmann

The Winter’s Tale Lyceum

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y friend died a few weeks ago. Those five words are hard to write, and even harder to say. My friend died suddenly and we don’t know why. It’s not really something that you can casually slip into conversation: “Hey, how are you? What are you up to? Oh, by the way, my friend died last week.” It is the most unnatural of sentences, for the most surreal of days. He is gone. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Dim the lights on Broadway, we have lost one of our best.

Mark was exceptional. He was fabulous; loud, riotous and welcoming; you knew you were safe with him. He was a ball of energy, he made everyone welcome. We met when he was transferred to a restaurant that I had somehow found myself working in the year before. I was a 23 year-old drama graduate working in the kitchen and he was an 18 year-old waiter who’d just left home to go to university. A born performer, he would happily belt out a musical number whilst pirouetting perfectly, and always with that smile across his face.

Mark’s grin could light up a whole building, not just the room that he was standing in.

He loved to dance and sing. I loved to stand and watch when the kitchen wasn’t busy. Even when the kitchen was busy, he would come running in from the restaurant, grab me by the shoulders and spin me around singing Don’t Rain on My Parade’(‘Don’t tell me not to live, just sit and puttaaaa, life’s candy and the sun’s a ball of buttaaaaa’). Despite my reluctance to dance, and a worldview that was infinitely more pessimistic than his, we became friends.

When he wanted to try a deep fried Mars bar for the first time, I took him to Cafe Piccante. He took me to get one of those once oh-so fashionable fish pedicures in the dead of winter, and we

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Review

sat side by side as these tiny fish nibbled at our toes. We once gatecrashed a pub quiz, took over the losing team and still lost. But Mark oh-so suavely managed to give his number to one of our team mates.

Mark had a packed social life; so many friends, dance practice, rehearsals, shows, university work, internships, volunteering, he gave his time and his enthusiasm so generously. A few years ago, he started going to New York to train, to dance and after a while, we fell out of contact. The last time I saw him was during the Fringe a few years ago, and we chatted about the musical I’d just been to, which of course, he’d already seen. We promised to gatecrash another pub quiz when he came back from New York, but we drifted apart instead, each of us too busy, too distracted, too far away.

I kept an eye on his adventures on Facebook.

I knew he was due to be in a show in late February, and made a note to get back in touch. As the opening night drew nearer, I would often pass the theatre where he was due to perform and thought, “I will message Mark when I get home.”

I said this to myself for weeks, “I must, no, I will message Mark when I get home”, repeating that line in my head and then forgetting as soon as I walked in the door. A few days ago I found out that it was too late, and the message remained unsent.

So here it is: Hi Mark, it’s Trash. I’m sorry I’m rubbish at keeping in touch. I’ve got so much to tell you. How’s the show going? I’m so proud of you. Do you fancy going back to the pub quiz at The Street? I’ll buy the first round.

I love you. xxx Mark Hewitt 1991 – 2017 If you are struggling with a loss, call Cruse Bereavement Care on 0845 600 2227, or visit crusescotland.org.uk

One of the major criticisms levelled at Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is the disjointed discord between the first and second halves; while the opening three acts play out like a tragic psychological trip down the rabbit hole, the final two are overly simplistic and characterised by out-of-place comedy. This bold new production from awardwinning director Max Webster attempts to turn those weaknesses into strengths by wholeheartedly embracing that juxtaposition and playing upon the zaniness of its humour.

While remaining largely true to the source material, the creative team are not afraid to play fast and loose with the language in the second half and imbue a thorough sense of Scottishness to the production throughout. This generally works very well at bringing the play into a contemporary and localised sphere, especially with regards to the musical interludes. Aly Macrae is characteristically excellent as the lynchpin of the soundtrack, while Fiona Wood displays a powerful musical range and Brian James O’Sullivan and Annie Grace provide ample backing.

Elsewhere on the stage, John Michie gives a credible portrayal of Leontes’ rapid descent into paranoid madness and subsequent remorse and Frances Grey’s performance is heartfelt

and emotive. However, Maureen Beattie steals the show with her powerful Paulina, injecting some much needed impetus and authority into the show. On the comic side of things, Jimmy Chisolm is his usual irreverently hilarious self and John Stahl also shines in a slapstick role in round two.

The decision to go full throttle with regards to the farce aspects come the fourth act sees the production careen more into Burnistoun or Still Game territory than anything befitting the bard.

However, the nature of the play lends itself to this gambit, paying off in spades thanks to some welldelivered updates on the original text and expert clowning from Chisolm and Stahl. It’s certainly a play of two halves, and while the end result might be something of a mess, that’s more the fault of Shakespeare than the production itself.

It’s hard to shake off the feeling that Shakespeare phoned in this play – especially when compared to his other masterpieces – but the same certainly can’t be said of Webster and his production. By turning weaknesses into strengths and modernising the play for a contemporary Scottish audience, the team elevate The Winter’s Tale into a thoroughly enjoyable winter’s evening. [Jonny Sweet]

Made in India Traverse

rrrrr Made in India, Satinder Chohan’s new play, directed by Katie Posner, begins in a surrogacy clinic in Gujarat, western India, where rich and professional Londoner, Eva (Gina Issac), is meeting with Doctor Gupta (Syreeta Kumar) and her surrogate, Aditi (Ulrika Krishnamurti), after years of failed IVF treatments. But a simple ‘transaction’, (as Doctor Gupta informs Eva, she is “renting a womb”) becomes a race against time as a surrogacy ban for foreigners is introduced just hours before the procedure takes place.

The added pressure of the political disrupting the personal becomes the crucial turning point for the play. An already complicated situation of poor Indian women being used to carry and give birth to the children of foreign couples evokes shades of colonialism. And while the situation for the three characters becomes more fraught, unearthing more moral, ethical and political questions with their arrangement, powerful forces come into play.

THEATRE

Although Chohan never answers these questions, they create a stunningly conflicted tapestry, that each character unravels in turn. The performances are sublime, but it is Krishnamurti, in her role as the first-time surrogate, exploited by both the other characters in different ways, that lingers long after the lights have dimmed.

Although, at points, the play feels like it’s tumbling towards a predictable ending, with inevitable culture clashes and issues of parenthood and just who is the mother of a surrogate baby by law, Chohan manages to hold the audience in complete suspense, navigating the murky waters of surrogacy in contemporary India Intense and unnerving from the very beginning, Posner’s production is engrossing and thought-provoking, delving into the fraught and conflicting emotions of motherhood, surrogacy and colonialism. [Amy Taylor] tamasha.org.uk/made-in-india

THE SKINNY

5star Political Satire When Fringe Dog was asked to critique President Trump’s strategist Kellyanne Conway’s brief 1990s foray into stand-up, the happy canine critic finally discovered his dark side

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dont mean any ofence to moles ,or any other animal friends who live under ground , but unless you been livin in a hole ,you will know that there is a lot of crazy bonkers people in the white house right now . if the current US govingment was a edimbrugh show ,you would say “that too far fetched, and a bit bad taste !!” but it is not a edimbrugh show !! it is all real !! probably you also will have heard of kellyanne conway ,who is counselor to president mr trump . a acronym of her name is k.a.c., which is a word that means poop ,and trump means when you do a squiffy gas poo while sittin on owner’s lap ,so it is a very scatalogical cabinet they have goin there !! anyway ,ms conway has very active imagination ,and while most edimbrugh performers use imagination to make 5star briliant art ,she prefer instead to do things like invent terorist attacks – it certainly interestin storytellin but there is time and place !! not really appropriate for very important top job like that !! o boy o boy !! another important top job is bein a comedian . when you a comedian ,you hold a wonky carnival mirror up to authority and you ask tough questions in a funny way ,cos you have to laugh dont you . especialy when things are gettin scary . most importantly ,comedy is about getting to the truth. so when i found out that kellyanne conway ,inventor of alternative facts ,had a go at being a briliant 5star stand-up comedian ,i growled for the very first time in my life !! i was amazed to discover my inner wolf !! it was quite empowerin !! and then i did something i never done before . i disobeyed a direct order from my editor ,who had asked me to review her comedy set . i did not and will not watch it .

March 2017

Illustration: Fran Caballero

but i am not a disobedient bad boy !! it is just that i believe in the sanctity of the comedian . kellyanne conway is not a comedian . the trump administration are not suposed to be entertainers , they suposed to be politicians. at the moment ,they are barely politicians ,they just bad bad boys and girls !!

“there is a lot of crazy bonkers people in the white house” this summer ,i will be at briliant edimbrugh fringe ,where audiences from all over world come together to watch briliant 5star comedians preach truth and messages of love . havin said that , i am still very exited to watch all 600 productions of “trump : the musical” that will be at the fringe in 2017 ,because i bet they will all be 5star political satire briliants !! i will also make a quick detour to trump international golf course in aberdeen to do dirty protest on the 18th hole . i would like to invite you all to join me in this dirty protest ,especialy 5star scottish comedian janey godley ,who i am pretty sure will be well up for it and might have even done it already !! love from fringe dog Follow Fringe Dog on Twitter @FringeDog

COMEDY

Review

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Win tickets to see Glasgow Music The Seshen in Glasgow!

Wed 01 Mar BARBARA DICKSON

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 19:30, £25 - £29

The folk singer and actor performs songs from her back catalogue.

NU-LUKE (STEVO + PHOTOSHOP)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5

Fresh new night at Sleazy’s featuring some of the most exciting and promising young Scottish DJs. RED NOTE ENSEMBLE

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

The Night With… Red Note features music for cello, flute, percussion and electronics by David Fennessy, Michael Gordon, Kaija Saariaho and Kokoras Morphallaxis.

THE BILL LAURANCE GROUP

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £16

The original member of Brooklynbased fusion group Snarky Puppy returns with a brand new album, packed with deep world grooves and his signature genre-straddling sounds.

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support from Bryony Jarman-Pinto, but in the meantime we've got a pair of tickets to be won!

To be in with a chance of winning, simply head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions with the correct answer to the following question: What is the name of The Seshen’s debut album?

F

ree Fire hits UK cinemas on 31 March – an all-action tale from the High-Rise team of Amy Jump and Ben Wheatley, with an all-star cast featuring Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson (winner of a Best Actress Academy Award for Room in 2016), Cillian Murphy and more. Funded by the BFI and Film4, with Martin Scorsese serving as executive producer, it's sure to be one of the films of 2017! Book your tickets at FreeFireFilm.co.uk.

To mark the nationwide release of Free Fire, we've teamed up with Studio Canal to give away three bundles of exclusive and limited edition movie merchandise. To be in with the chance of

A free show at Tut’s if you sign up to the guestlist via kingtuts.co.uk THE ORWELLS

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10

Raunchy flower punk from the Illinois-residing five-piece outfit, bringing fresh-faced rock’n’roll energy by the bucket load.

Seemingly a protégé of NME and The Libertines alike, Trampolene had a bit of a batshit 2016 warming up the stage for Pete Docherty himself on a tour of the UK.

Thu 02 Mar JACOB WHITESIDES

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £15

WILLIE AND THE BANDITS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Genre-spanning British ensemble mixing genres of blues, rock, Latin and folk.

BOB DRAKE (BLOKE MUSIC + HERBERT POWELL + LUMINOUS MONSTERS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

winning, simply head to theskinny.co.uk with the correct answer to the following question:

Midwestern recording artist performing his solo albums with nothing more than his trusty guitar.

WILLIE AND THE BANDITS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

For which film did Brie Larson win an Academy Award for Best Actress?

Competition closes midnight Sun 30 Apr. The winner will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

Perth trio straddling 2016 and 2017 with a mammoth world tour - and their first batch of new material in 18 months.

TWIN WILD

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £7.50

The somewhat slick looking pop rock four-piece hit the road.

SOCCER96

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Analogue synth/drum duo Soccer96 play Broadcast.

GLASGOW GLAM ROCK DIALOGUES 3: COMMUNE THE ART SCHOOL, FROM 19:30, FREE

UBRE BLANCA (MAI MAI MAI + HAUSFRAU)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

Glasgow-based horror-disco synth duo making waves at Sleazy’s.

SPACE

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £15

Space return to Classic Grand as part of their Give Me Your Future tour.

MARTIN JOHN HENRY (L-SPACE)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Martin John Henry (aka the frontman of De Rosa) does his solo thing.

SPACEHEADS (RUCKSACK CINEMA + HOWIE) THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £7

Experimental duo consisting of Andy Diagram’s hotwired trumpet and Richard Harrison’s drums, percussion and bent metal sheets.

CAEZIUM (FRANK’S RED HOT WINGS + PARIAH SOUL + DOLOS) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, TBC

Young Edinburgh psych-rockers rich with synth-laden, guitar-totin’ electro-rock sounds.

DUB PISTOLS

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10

London-based dub ensemble chewing up hip-hop, dub, techno and ska-punk and spitting it out in a renegade futuristic skank.

Sun 05 Mar

THE SNUTS (SEASIDE SONS + UP IN SMOKE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7

The Snuts bring raspy, fuzzy indie rock to Sleazy’s.

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £10

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5 - £7

MIA AND THE MOON (NORTHERN CENTRAL + SAPPHIRE NOTION + THE GRACIOUS ATTEMPT)

Alasdair Roberts, a Scottish songwriter and composer who released his first single back in 1996, plays The Glad Cafe with bassist Stevie Jones and drummer Alex Nielson.

Live set from the Leicester-based sisters.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £12

BONAFIDE (TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD + KILLER BEE)

WITH CONFIDENCE (SAFE TO SAY + BROADSIDE + MILESTONES)

Australian band performing their first ever UK headline tour.

CRYPTIC NIGHTS: THE SAME HILLSIDE

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 20:00, FREE

An immersive audiovisual exploration of human links to upland ecosystems, The Same Hillside presents a unique view of the source of the Annan, Clyde and Tweed, three of Scotland’s mightiest rivers.

BONFORE NIGHTS

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6.50

Combining raw, abrasive guitars, layered drones and hypnotic beats, Bonfire Nights emit a fierce wall of noise on stage.

CONTROL SOCIAL CLUB (AUTUMNS + KASPAR HAUSER + DEAD BEET RECORDS) BROADCAST, FROM 23:00, FREE

Another late night showcase at Broadcast. Tonight’s menu features post-punk and industrial flavours.

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METHYL ETHEL

Genre-spanning British ensemble mixing genres of blues, rock, Latin and folk.

ALASDAIR ROBERTS TRIO (SOUNDS OF YELL)

a) Room b) Carol c) Brooklyn

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £8

Alternative alt-rock five-piece.

Sat 04 Mar

FCK YES: RASCALTON (AYAKARA)

The Tennessee-born singersongwriter pops by for a set of something wholesome.

Win Free Fire movie merch!

STOP THE RAIN (ROYAL THIEVES + PARLIAMO + JUST HOPE)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, FREE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

Competition closes midnight Sun 5 Mar. Entrants must be 18 or over. The winner will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6

Cerebral pop with sherbetty vocals and electronic production.

American singer, songwriter and dancer, out trailing debut studio album, SweetSexySavage.

TRAMPOLENE

a) Flames & Figures b) Fire & Numbers c) Ashes & Digits

ALICE JEMIMA

An attempt to “perform thinking” in front of a live audience, and mix Brechtian techniques with a glam rock aesthetic. Music, poetry and eyeliner.

KEHLANI (NOODLES + ELLA MAI)

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £17.50

ailing from San Francisco's Bay Area, The Seshen are a genre-defying melange of R'n'B, synthpop and electronica. With the release of last year's debut LP Flames & Figures, the band's endlessly imaginative sound provides the perfect frame for singer Lalin St. Juste's lyrical stream of consciousness, exploring themes of femininity, power, illusion and loss through experiences both real and imagined.

Having supported the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, tUnE-yArDs, Thundercat and Petite Noir (among others), the band have honed their live act to develop a formidable reputation, and now they're coming to the UK! The Seshen play Broadcast in Glasgow on Thursday 9 March, with

Fri 03 Mar

COMPETITIONS

BLACK SNAKE ROOTS

ORAN MOR, FROM 17:00, FREE

A free evening of stripped down blues at Òran Mór from the Glasgow trio.

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12

Mon 06 Mar

TALL SHIPS (FOXES FOLLOW + BEN MHÒR)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10 - £11

The Falmouth-born and Brightonbased math-rockers are built on honed indie-art-rock compositions with explorative arrangements and understated production.

EMME (MILESTONE FOLK BAND + FLEWTHEARROW + MICKEY GERRY)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5 - £8

Holland-born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist FFO Ane Brun and Lianne LaHavas.

STORNOWAY

OLD FRUITMARKET THEATRE, 19:00, £16

Alternative indie-folk band hailing from Oxford say their goodbyes in a show so popular it got moved to the Old Fruitmarket.

Tue 07 Mar BASEMENT

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £15

English rock unit who returned from brief hiatus in 2014.

GRAILS (MAJEURE)

STEREO, FROM 20:00, £12

The Portland-based side-projectturned-main-project Grails tour their latest musical offering, Chalice Hymnal.

NATHAN GRISDALE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10 - £30

BROADCAST, FROM 17:00, £10

PRESS TO MECO (VASA + REAL GHOSTS)

AUDIO, FROM 19:00, £7

The alternative-styled progressive rock thugs go heavy duty on the guitars, as per.

THE SESHEN (BRYONY JARMANPINTO + FENELLA)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

Electro-popping seven-piece from San Francisco Bay, led by singer/ lyricist Lalin St. Juste and bassist/ producer Akiyoshi Ehara.

Fri 10 Mar VUKOVI

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £10

Kilwinning experimental rockers headed by the rather magnificent (at screaming) Janine Shilstone.

THE WEEKND

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £30 - £40

Ethiopian-Canadian recording artist and record producer, known to his mammy as Abel Tesfaye, who started off releasing songs via YouTube in late 2010.

JAMES ARTHUR

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £29.50

The 2012 X-Factor winner now tumbling down the rungs of the pop world.

WILD CHILD

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

Wed 08 Mar BLACK STAR RIDERS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £26.50

The latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy – made up of Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson and Marco Mendoza – take their new project on the road.

SLEEPTALKING (BRAINGLUE + ONE BIG FUSE + TRUE ROMANCE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

Bristol five-piece headed up by dynamic vocalist Tom Nozek. Claim to fame: they were scouted in person by founder of Glasto Michael Eavis himself and asked to play the festival in 2017.

THE DAN REED NETWORK

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £18

Funk rock guitarist par excellence, Dan Reed takes to the road with full band in tow – showcasing new album Fight Another Day. THE COMET IS COMING

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15.50

Experimental cosmic funk inspired by everything from Sun Ra and Funkadelic to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

MINUS MILITIA

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 21:00, £25 - £40

THE LITTLE KICKS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

More upbeat and catchy tunes from the Scottish four-piece, peddling their own chirpy brand of indiedisco-pop.

LAURA MARLING

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £21.50

The Hampshire-born nu-folkster moves from slow-burning tales of forbidden love to building barnstormers, as is her merry way.

TRIBAL HIGH (RASCALTON + BRONSTON)

BROADCAST, FROM 23:00, TBC

The fast-rising Glaswegian indie newcomers do their thing.

ST DELUXE (FILTH SPECTOR)

13TH NOTE, FROM 20:00, £5

Noise-mongering slacker-rock three-piece St Deluxe launch their new single On your own/Wisdom of the ages at 13th Note.

Sat 11 Mar THE STRANGLERS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £26

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £15

The long-standing punk-rockers take to the road once more, marking some 40+ years and still standing.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £19.50

BASEMENT

English rock unit who returned from brief hiatus in 2014.

MONO, 20:00–20:00, TBC

A celebration with an all-female line-up of poets, artists and musicians including Rebecca Vasmant, Cat Hepburn and Michelle Cohen, with all profits going to Glasgow Women’s Aid. EVAROSE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6 - £8

Thu 09 Mar

An all-day charity event in aid of Alzheimers Scotland.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7

Five-piece original and diverse rock band from Ayrshire, Scotland.

Minus Militia play Classic Grand as part of their Militant Mayhem world tour.

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

BACK IN THE GARAGE (THE CUNDEEZ + THE MEDIA WHORES + REACTION + THE REVERSE COWGIRLS + 4PAST MIDNIGHT + PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUPPOSITORIES + THE ZIPS)

REDWOOD RIDGE (LYNNIE CARSON + KATEE KROSS)

Folk-meets-pop Texans with Alexander Beggins and Kelsey Wilson sharing lead vocal duties.

All-female rock/pop band from Oxfordshire.

By-the-numbers indie rock, chockfull of staccato and jangly guitar riffs intermixed with unassuming basslines and hip-swaying beats.

O2 ABC, FROM 18:30, £5

Music competition championing local talent – the regional heats.

A Preston-based pop artist whose voice sounds a little bit like a cross between Diana Vickers and Brendon Urie. Make of that what you will.

The Swedish rockers return, treating Bannermans to a live set.

THE PIGEON DETECTIVES

THE POGUES IRISH WHISKEY PRESENTS: A SHOT AT DISCOVERY – THE HEATS (BLACK CAT BONE + SCHNARFF SCHNARFF + THE VIOLET KIND + THULA BORAH + THE BAR DOGS + PANIC ANCHOR + REAL LIFE ENTERTAINMENT)

BLACK STAR RIDERS

O2 ABC, FROM 18:00, £26.50

The latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy – made up of Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson and Marco Mendoza – take their new project on the road.

FVNERALS (SUNWOLF)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

Glasgow-based three-piece ft.

Syd on guitar, Tiffany on vocals and synth and Chris on drums.

FRONTIER RUCKUS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

Michigan-based modern indie-folk quartet built on banjos, melodicas, acoustic guitar and a genuine deep American drawl.

BANKS

Los Angeles born’n’raised singer/ songwriter and self-taught pianist (aka Jillian Banks) touring with her new album, The Altar, in tow.

NORTH OF THE WALL FUNDRAISER (CRUCIAMENTUM + VACIVUS) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £10

A brutal line up of abyssal death metal with profits going towards North Of The Wall fest.

HAMILTON LEITHAUSER

THE ART SCHOOL, FROM 19:30, £15

Former lead singer of American rock units The Recoys and The Walkmen, out and touring his solo material.

DAS PLASTIXX (FLOSS + FLAT STANLEY)

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £6 - £7

Psych-grunge for people bored to their eyeballs of Arctic Monkeys.

THE MANNY CHARLTON BAND

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:30, £15

Texan hard rock, heavy metal and rootsiness headed up by Manny himself.

BABY CHAOS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

The riff-heavy Weegies playing at Tut’s.

LIFE MODEL + FAIIDES + PROFUMO

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £4

Beautiful dream pop from locals Life Model.

THE SKINNY

Sun 12 Mar

ATLAS:EMPIRE (NOTHING>UNIVERSE + FUSCHIA)

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £14.50

The Glasgow progressive rock quartet play their mighty mix of alternative rock, ambient electronica and energetic post-hardcore.

LUCY SPRAGGAN

Little Lucy Spraggan, of X Factor fame, now a fully fledged touring musician making ‘flop’ - that’s folk meets hip-hop for the uninitiated.

LEE SCRATCH PERRY

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £22.50

Hugely influential reggae and dub producer who was behind Bob Marley’s early studio output.

RONNIE AND OLIVIA

ORAN MOR, FROM 17:00, FREE

Ronnie and Olivia play tunes from their Classic Acoustic Songbook in the cosy bar.

MARK MORRISS

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10

Intimate acoustic show from The Bluetones frontman.

HELMET (LOCAL H)

CATHOUSE, FROM 23:00, TBC

The much-respected metal group play Cathouse.

Mon 13 Mar DODIE

O2 ABC, FROM 18:00, TBC

Singer-songwriter of the YouTube stable, with a channel called ‘doddleoddle’ and a side channel called ‘doddlevloggle’. Eh? FOXING

STEREO, FROM 18:30, £14

A bunch of St Louis musicians peddling post-rock sounds.

Tue 14 Mar

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £22.50

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7

IMMI

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5 - £6

Neo soul and R'n'B pop beats in a show from Immi, who’s due to release her EP in early March.

Fri 17 Mar

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £18.50

70s punk-pop foursome par excellence, on the go now for a ridiculous amount of years.

ADRIAN SHERWOOD

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

The English record producer and founder of dub label On-U Sound comes our way.

THE VIRGINMARYS

CATHOUSE, FROM 19:00, £10

Macclesfield-born rock trio with their sights set on America, drawing on influences including Nirvana, Mudhoney and Screaming Trees.

REBEL WESTERNS (MADE AS MANNEQUINS + DELPHI)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

The alt pop Edinburgian quartet headline The Mash House.

ST PATRICK’S DAY

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:30, £10 - £15

A party in honour of Paddy’s day with Glasnevin and the first show in 15 years from Shebeen.

GOJIRA

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £23

BACKBEAT: NON-STOP 60S POP ORAN MOR, FROM 17:00, FREE

Journey back to the swingin’ sixties with an evening of nothing but beat-boom, mod music and dripping psychedelia.

MONSTER TRUCK

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12.50

Canadian rock outfit, following up their debut with second album Sittin’ Heavy.

SUPERFOOD (KING NUN + PALE WAVES)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

West London-based indie label Dirty Hit showcases its wares on a tour of the UK. TEN FE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

London-based duo out touring Berlin-produced debut album Hit the Light.

Mon 20 Mar

WHERE THERE’S LIFE (MIAMI MONROE + HIGH TIDES + FINDING ARGYLE)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6

Deliciously heavy pop-punk who’ve toured with Milestones and Napoleon.

THE EARLY NOVEMBER (DRYJACKET + HELLO FUTURE) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14

New Jersey rock ensemble formed way back in 1999, back at it for The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path 10th anniversary.

CIRCA WAVES

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £15

Liverpool garage-pop quartet taking their cue from the early-00s indie scene.

Canadian musician and producer Devin Townsend takes to the road with his live band of players.

French heavy/prog metal band.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £14

The Warner Music-signed Nashville songwriter crosses the pond.

American alternative rock unit.

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS

STATE CHAMPS

The pop punk revivalists – a chilling phrase if ever there was – head out on another major headline tour.

YORKSHIRE RATS (THE STUMBLERS + STRUNG OUT NIGHTS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7

Indelirium Records-signed chaps straddling the line between punk and rock’n’roll.

CHRIS CUNDY (PEFKIN + BELL LUNGS)

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £4 - £6

English composer and multiinstrumentalist playing bass clarient, sax and woodwind.

CHALI 2NA + KRAFTY KUTS (SHAKA LOVES YOU)

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £14.50

Part of the legendary Jurassic 5, Chali 2Na and his rich baritone vocals are backed by the typical cut and paste style of Krafty Kuts.

CANAAN SMITH (ASHTON LANE)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £12.75

Virginia-born, Nashville-hailing songwriter signed to Mercury Records.

Wed 15 Mar LOWER THAN ATLANTIS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £16

Hard-rockin’ foursome hailing from Hertfordshire.

QUEER THEORY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5

An alternative evening of music, poetry, comedy and drag.

START TO END: FEIST’S THE REMINDER

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:00, £8

Start to End – a project which brings in live bands to interpret selected albums in full – tackles Feist’s 2007 breakout third album The Reminder.

CHARLIE WORSHAM

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12.50

CLOUD NOTHINGS

Dylan Baldi’s DIY project – which started life as lo-fi pop recordings done in his parents’ basement – now a fully-fledged live band.

RICH HALL’S HOEDOWN 2017

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:30, £18

Join Rich and his virtuoso musical mates for a mash-up of music, comedy and gratuitous coloration featuring the very best of comedy and music.

Sat 18 Mar

SO MANY ANIMAL CALLS (SUDDEN BURST OF COLOUR + WOLVES AT HEART)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

Glaswegian quartet who rather self-deprecatingly term their sound as ‘failpop’.

CHERRY SUEDE

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £15

Ottowa rockers nip into H&P as part of their UK tour. Expect lots of woahs and whammy boards.

JARROD DICKENSON (JP RUGGIERI + JOHN RUSH)

London duo blending dance, industrial and post-punk sounds.

EMPIRE (CHAPTER & VERSE + CAST UNDER THE LAKE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7 - £9

Multi-million-selling singer, who once promised never to give you up (or let you down, run around and desert you, make you cry, say good bye or tell a lie and hurt you, while we’re on the subject), out touring his new album.

ANELSIS (FRASER WHALEN + LUDE + THE KUNDALINI + GENIE + BACKSTAGE PARADISE + THE VISTAS) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC

The Glasgow based Electronic Music Producer and DJ plays Sleazy’s.

HAKEN (WE HAVE THE ALGORITHM + NEXT TO NONE)

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15

London progressive metal types bringing the heavy to their expansive song structures.

DRAKE

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £55 - £90

A recheduled show from Drizzy boy.

THE MOONLANDINGZ

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12

An unholy and potentially calamitous union between members of the Fat White Family and the Eccentronic Research Council.

Toronto-based DJ and producer Jacques Greene, considered to be one of dance music’s most captivating and enigmatic talents, plays live at CCA. JAKIL

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £7

Edinburgh-born, London-living pop-rock band led by frontman Kieran O’Brien.

Fri 24 Mar IN STATIONS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £6

Energetic indie four-piece releasing their debut EP.

SONATA ARCTICA (THUNDERSTONE + STRIKER) CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:00, £22.50

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £8

SUICIDE SILENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £15

American deathcore band formed in California.

MARTI PELLOW

AMBER ARCADES

The musical moniker of Dutch-born Annelotte de Graff, whose previous credits include working as a legal aide on UN war crime tribunals before funding her own album.

L.A. GUNS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £20

Hard rock from America, featuring a reunited Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

CLYDE AUDITORIUM, FROM 18:30, £28.50

BROADCAST, FROM 22:00, £10

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £15

Sludge metal trio hailing from New Orleans, crafting a slow and brooding sorta sound interspersed with fast hardcore punk influences.

RICH HALL’S HOEDOWN 2017

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:30, £18

THE BLINDERS

THE RECORD COMPANY

CATHOUSE, FROM 19:00, £10

American rockers from LA, inspired by the blues of John Lee Hooker and early punk bands.

HASHTAG SHOW

CLASSIC GRAND, 14:00–18:00, £17.50 - £40

Join the #boys as they mix #banter, #standup, #sketches and #music for a #relatable session in the city.

BLACK SNAKE ROOTS

ORAN MOR, FROM 17:00, FREE

THUNDER

Hard rock/heavy metal outfit formed in the late 80s.

TANGLES + YOUS + LYLO

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Triple heider with Tangles on warm-up duties, Yous to follow and Lylo up last.

SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE: BAROQUE DANCE PARTY

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £5 - £14

Top UK string orchestra setting up camp in Òran Mór for an evening of Baroque music with a contemporary twist.

JONNY FRITZ (JOSHUA HEDLEY)

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15

Nashville songwriter who released his third full-lengther in 2013 with ATO Records.

DRAKE

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £55 - £90

A recheduled show from Drizzy boy.

ULRICH SCHNAUSS

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

Following the release of his latest album No Further Ahead Than Today, German-born electronic artist Ulrich Schnauss plays CCA.

Grammy award-winning global superstar, who shot to fame after his performance at Live Aid in 1985 reached an estimated 1.9 billion people.

ANXIETY (ES + NACHTHEXEN + CURRENT AFFAIRS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

Glasgow-born punk at Sleazy’s.

THE TARTAN SPECIALS (THE LUMBERJOCKS)

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 15:00, £5

The Tartan Specials return to warm up the masses for a Slovenia prematch party.

RONNIE AND OLIVIA

ORAN MOR, FROM 17:00, FREE

Ronnie and Olivia play tunes from their Classic Acoustic Songbook in the cosy bar.

HOWARD JONES

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £23

The synth-pop master draws on his back catalogue, including renowned albums Human’s Lib and Dream Into Action.

Mon 27 Mar

NATHANIEL GOW’S DANCE BAND: CEILIDH NIGHTS

ORAN MOR, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £8.50

Compelling Manc soundclash of punk-heavy, dancefloor-savvy beats mixing elements of reggae, jungle and ska with the rigorous commentary of hip-hop.

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 18:30, £22.50 - £45

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £11

Finnish power metal band known for their fast-paced, melodic and keyboard-heavy music.

SONIC BOOM SIX (GHOULS)

BILLY OCEAN

JACQUES GREENE

Soulful trio of sisters from The Mississippi Delta.

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Sun 26 Mar

A reinvention of the 18th-century ceilidh, bringing together Concerto Caledonia with a roster of top trad talents.

CROWBAR (WARHEAD)

CCA, 19:30, £10

FACTORY FLOOR

RICK ASTLEY

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 18:30, £22.50 - £35

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £14

Bluesy rock’n’rollers from Birmingham.

Sun 19 Mar

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £13

Thu 23 Mar

Former Wet Wet Wet frontman, out on tour again.

Alt trio hailing originally from Doncaster, now based in sunny ol’ Manchester.

Thu 16 Mar

SOUTHERN HALO

BROKEN WITT REBELS (BAD TOUCH)

Philadephia-based musician who cut his chops as a roadie before becoming a performer proper.

American queer punk duo, with Ben Hopkins on guitar and vocals and Liv Bruce on drums and vocals

FRANTIC (MILKTOAST + ADULT FUN)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £4

Twinkly, tappy, math rock with catchy vocal bits. For fans of Feed Me Jack.

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, TBC

Big scoop of country from the Nashville singer-songwriter.

Sargent House stalwarts Russian Circles head our way following the release of post-pock record Guidance.

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5

PWR BTTM

Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford and his new generation of ‘The Mechanics’ take to the road to play the hits.

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 19:30, £39.50 - £55

Texas-born singer-songwriter of the folksy variety.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £13

DAVE HAUSE AND THE MERMAID

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 19:30, £37.50

Wed 22 Mar

Irish vocalist who’s made his way independently, free of a record label.

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £11.50

Tue 21 Mar

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £9

Join Rich and his virtuoso musical mates for a mash-up of music, comedy and gratuitous coloration featuring the very best of comedy and music.

JACK LUKEMAN

SURFER BLOOD

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8.50

DAWSON REIGNS (THE RISING + GARY QUINN)

ONRA

Globetrotting producer Onra has staked his claim as one of the most exciting beat-makers of the past few years.

Sat 25 Mar NINE BELOW ZERO

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £15

An explosive mix of blues and rock that’s been leaving audiences illuminated and exhausted for three decades.

ILL NINO

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:00, £17.50

The American metalheads perform Revolution Revolucion in full in support of its 15th anniversary.

WARHEAD

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £15

Rock and metal courtesy of Fortune of Sorrow, Dominicide and Lethal Tender.

IRA

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £25.50

Polish rock band who formed in 1987.

ALEX KEAL: TOO EARLY TO TELL

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

The comedian and self-professed vertebrate Alex Kealy presents his second comedy show.

Five-piece rock band.

A free evening of stripped down blues at Òran Mór from the Glasgow trio.

March 2017

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

TIM KASHER

Indie rocker from Nebraska, known for his emo duties with Cursive.

WEEKEND DEBT (CERTIFICATES + MOON STRANGE)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

Lanark-hailing four-piece who’re inspired by Fatherson, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Arctic Monkeys...

Tue 28 Mar GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £12.50

Johannesburg-born indie folk singer-songwriter more at home on the road that not.

ALL TIME LOW

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £28.50

The chirpy American punkpopsters, all fast-paced and fizzy with hooks, hit town.

GRAND MAGNUS

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:30, £15.50

Metal trio with new record Sword Songs out now.

LVL UP (COLOUR ME WEDNESDAY)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7.50

Lo-fi indie rock types from Purchase, New York.

LIZABETT RUSSO

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £6

A clutter of genres from an artist with a rich personal history of travel, making for pretty diverse and eclectic music.

SAVOY MOTEL

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7

Nashville-based rock quintet signed to NYC label What’s Your Rapture?

Thu 30 Mar NE-YO

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £49

LA-based R'n'B artist, producer, actor and dancer who’s so sick of love songs; so tired of tears. Poor tyke.

DESPERATE JOURNALIST

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5

Blaring riffs, spiralling melodies and an inevitably sweaty live show.

THE DEAD MAN’S WALTZ (INJUNS)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

A very aptly named filk noir project using song, storytelling and film to tell a tale of dark romance and smalltown criminality.

FRANÇOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS (SPINNING COIN) MONO, FROM 19:30, £11

Indie pop and Afrobeat from the Saintes-hailing band.

ALTERED SKY (AUTUMN RUIN + WITTERQUICK)

TRAMPOLENE (THE DURTY WURKS + NEIL MORRISON)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Seemingly a protégé of NME and The Libertines alike, Trampolene had a bit of a batshit year warming up the stage for Pete Docherty himself on a tour of the UK. ERIN BENNETT BAND (EMERALD OVERLOAD)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £5

Expect more catchy pop-rock from the all-female power trio, previously called Syren, and fronted by Erin Bennett.

THE DIRTY LIES (SLEET WALLS)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 20:00, TBC

Edinburgh-formed, Leeds residing pop noir troupe signed to Electric Company.

THE MANFREDS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £23

Well and truly one for the Paramore fans.

BROADCAST, FROM 18:00, £7

Playing with both lead singers from the 1960s group, the band play through their old hits.

Fri 31 Mar

Fri 03 Mar

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 18:30, £22.50 - £47.50

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £39

CARO EMERALD

Dutch singer/songwriter specialising in lyrical tales of romance set over a blend of Samba, jazz, bossa nova, mambo and crackling vinyl.

NHC MUSIC BIG BAND PAYDAY (DAS PLASTIXX + WOODWIFE + STEVE GROZIER BAND)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6

NHC MUSIC’s annual multi-venue anti P2P festival.

YORKSTON THORNE KHAN

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £15

Following a 2012 experiment – where musicians from India and the UK were placed in a recording studio in Edinburgh for a week to come up with original songs – a trio of the artists unveil the fruits, amongst them Fife-dwelling folkie, James Yorkston.

LOUIS BERRY

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, TBC

Young local singer-songwriter, whose lyrics cut through politics and crime, love and loss.

NATHAN FAKE

STEREO, FROM 19:30, £11

Cambria Instruments head-honcho, who’s been at the forefront of British electronic music for a good decade or so.

MIRACLE GLASS COMPANY

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

The fledgling power rock trio play a polished set of psychedelic grooves, built on their tight vocal harmonies and ingenious song structures.

GREEN PEPPERS

MONO, FROM 19:00, FREE

Green peppers launch their album Respectively Yours with an acoustic set.

RSNO BEETHOVEN’S EROICA

Young dynamo Lahav Shani leads the RSNO in a performance of Beethoven’s Eroica.

THE JETS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 20:00, FREE

Young and talented five-piece who pay homage to the pop tunes.

BONFIRE NIGHTS (DTHPDL + FOTZEPOLITIC)

SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5

Combining raw, abrasive guitars, layered drones and hypnotic beats, Bonfire Nights emit a fierce wall of noise on stage.

WEE DUB FESTIVAL: SESSION 1 (ASBO DISCO & GARDNA + ILLBILLY HITECH + ROB SMITH + SINAI SOUNDSYSTEM + MIGHTY OAK SOUNDSYSTEM) THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 22:00, £9 - £12

If dub, reggae and soundsystem are your kinda thing, head to Wee Dub Festival. See weedubfestival.co.uk for full line-up.

HANLEY AND THE BAIRD

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £9

The Sing in the City women responsible for selling out Festival Theatre and Usher Hall in 2016 return as a band for a set of original songs and covers.

SCO: ANDREW MANZE CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

Andrew Manze unites Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Principal Horn Alec Frank-Gemmill in a performance of MacMillan’s newly arranged Horn Quintet, along with a bit of Britten and Beethoven.

Sat 04 Mar

PAWS (SAVAGE MANSION)

SUMMERHALL, 19:00–22:00, £12

Edinburgh Music

SAMANTHA CRAIN

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7

Thu 02 Mar

The Oklahoma-residing singer/ songwriter navigates her American roots through song.

Wed 01 Mar

Wed 29 Mar

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £7 - £10

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: DAMIEN BARBER & MIKE WLSON

PAWS are Phillip Taylor, Josh Swinney and John Bonnar. Third PAWS record, No Grace is representative of a transformative period of time in the band’s life – a gravelthroated affirmation of that ‘do it or die’ attitude.

SUMMERHALL’S MARDI GRAS PARTY (RIDES OF CHRIST + RISE KOGONA + THE JIT JIVE BAND + BRASS GUMBO) SUMMERHALL, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £10

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £18.50

It’s difficult to accept that these relatively young men have a combined 40+ years experience of performing at folk venues. Trad artists at the top of their game.

Say farewell to the flesh as Summerhall welcome you to dance off with rivals and romances in Summerhall’s first take on the New Orleans grandiose extravaganza of Mardi Gras.

10CC GREATEST HITS & MORE

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £12

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, TBC

BEAR’S DEN

London-based trio led by folkster Andrew Davie (formerly of Cherbourg).

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 19:30, £32 - £35

The 70s hit-makers celebrate 40 years in the business with a set of greatest hits.

SLAVES

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

A group of white guys who play post-hardcore music and honestto-god decided to call their band Slaves.

UNDERGROUND EXPLORATION

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £0 - £7

Ardour takes over the Sleazy basement to showcase the underground music scene with a club photography exhibition and an afterparty from 11pm.

TRUDY AND THE ROMANCE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

Liverpudlian trio channelling what they descrive at ‘50s mutant pop’.

TROPIC OF CANCER

LA-based Tropic Of Cancer is the solo project of Camella Lobo.

Though her music has been labeled gothic, shoegaze and drone pop, Lobo’s take on her influences is anything but nostalgic.

DUTCH UNCLES

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £10 - £12

Manchester’s idiosyncratic art-popologists return to Electric Circus to perform their new studio album Big Balloon expect atypical time signatures and androgynous vocal.

THE VIOLENT KIND (AURORA BLUES + THE COMMON PEOPLE + CHEAP TEETH) SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

WTNP present the best of upcoming central belt talent, as per.

THE PIGEON DETECTIVES

By-the-numbers indie rock, chockfull of staccato and jangly guitar riffs intermixed with unassuming bass lines and hip-swaying beats.

WHAT’S THE NOISE PRESENTS (F.T.G.; STELLAR; NASARI; ALTIUS) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £6 - £7

What’s The Noise Presents a showcase with local talent live at CabVol.

WEE DUB FESTIVAL SESSION 2 (MACKA B & BAND + IRIE YOYO)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £12 - £15

If dub, reggae and soundsystem are your kinda thing, head to Wee Dub Festival. See weedubfestival.co.uk for full line-up.

Sun 05 Mar 80S INVASION

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, FROM 18:00, £34.50

Four of the 1980s’ most memorable acts come together for an evening at the Phil.

JULY TALK

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £12 - £14

With their sleek yet gritty brand of alt-bluesy garage rock, Toronto-based five-piece July Talk create rock’n’roll that’s both boldly intimate and wildly confrontational.

LAUREL

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Welsh-British chamber pop and indie musician from Southampton.

SUNDAY CLASSICS: VIENNA TONKUNSTLER

USHER HALL, FROM 15:00, £12.50 - £39

Yutaka Sado directs the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra as they return to the Usher Hall to play Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Brahms.

Mon 06 Mar LUCY SPRAGGAN

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £14.50

Little Lucy Spraggan, of X Factor fame, now a fully fledged touring musician making ‘flop’ - that’s folk meets hip-hop for the uninitiated.

CAITLIN KOCH (KRIS BARRAS BAND)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £9 - £12

The American Idol act and blues rock artist team up for special tour.

SOUNDHOUSE: BRONWYNNE BRENT

TRAVERSE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £11

Mississippi-born roots songwriter channeling the Southern sunshine.

Wed 08 Mar

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: HANNAH SANDERS & BEN SAVAGE

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £7 - £10

Huddled round a single microphone, singing intimate duets with just mountain dulcimer, dobro and guitar Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage are a folk duo that look and sound classically timeless, yet feel refreshingly unique.

EYRE LLEW

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Hotly tipped new act who’ve been praised by everyone from the BBC to Kerrang.

JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE (KNOCK OUT KAINE + EMPERORS OF THE WASTELAND)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £13 - £15

A night of acoustic tunes and storytelling.

GLASS ANIMALS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, TBC

Baroque folk trio with distinct pop(ish) influences, returning with new album, How to be a Human Being. Sold out.

Thu 09 Mar SAM COOMES

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Best known as half of the longrunning underground pop duo Quasi, alongside Janet Weiss (Sleater Kinney). Coomes has played and recorded with the likes of Built to Spill, Elliott Smith and Jandek, worked as a producer and scored numerous soundtracks.

SLEEPTALKING

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £6.50

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Bristol five-piece headed up by dynamic vocalist Tom Nozek. Claim to fame: they were scouted in person by founder of Glasto Michael Eavis himself and asked to play the festival in 2017.

SOMAESTHESIA (BLOOD THREAD + OF SPIRE & THRONE)

Hugely influential reggae and dub producer who was behind Bob Marley’s early studio output.

BOTTLE NOTE (CASSIA + THE CARVELLES + THE TAKE HOME)

Mixing warm tropical grooves with infectiously raw guitar melodies, Cassia have grown to be one of the most buzzing bands coming out of the North of England.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

Edinburgh-based metal/post-rock band, who believe their role in this universe is to explore crushing riffs and rhythms with powerful vocals.

LEE SCRATCH PERRY

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

GLASS ANIMALS

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, TBC

Baroque folk trio with distinct pop(ish) influences, returning with new album, How to be a Human Being. Sold out.

Listings

63

Edinburgh Music SCO: THE PARIS CONCERT THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

One for the Francophiles – Scottish Chamber Orchestra whip up some Parisian vibes with Rameau, Mozart, JC Bach and Haydn.

UNDERGROUND LIVE (ACE ELEMENTARY + BRAIN GLUE + FAVOURITE CUSTOMER)

TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

Regular live music night showcasing up-and-coming Scottish musicians.

Fri 10 Mar MITSKI

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £10 - £12

Japan-born, New York-based singer-songwriter, touring in support of new album, Puberty 2.

MARK MORRISS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Intimate acoustic show from The Bluetones frontman.

EMPTY LUNGS (PAPER RIFLES + AGONY ANT + BAD YEAR)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £5 - £7

Belfast-based punk rock quartet known for their high energy live outings.

LAO CHE

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £20

Genre-blending band named after an Indiana Jones villain.

SISTERAY

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 19:00, £4 - £6

Four-piece band from Walthamstow who claim to be re-writing the indie guitar rule book.

THE HOMECOMING

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11

A concert featuring a mixed programme of work by current students at The City of Edinburgh Music School and guest performances by four specially invited alumni.

RSNO: BENEDETTI PLAYS BRUCH

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £39

The acclaimed violinist returns to Scotland with RSNO to treat an Usher Hall crowd to Bruch Violin Concerto No1, plus work by Debussy and Beethoven.

JAZZ CLUB TIME MACHINE

POTTERROW, FROM 20:30, £5 - £8

A live 18-piece big band covers 10 decades of jazz, swing, funk, soul and R'n'B B hits from the 1920s to the present.

Sat 11 Mar THE LITTLE KICKS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–23:00, 10

More upbeat and catchy tunes from the Scottish four-piece, peddling their own chirpy brand of indiedisco-pop.

THE BLACK DELTA MOVEMENT (FRANTIC CHANT + THE CHANGES) BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

Neo-Psychadellia rock at the Voodoo Rooms.

EDINBURGH HIGHLAND REEL & STRATHSPEY SOCIETY ANNUAL CONCERT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £8 - £14

A varied programme of traditional Scottish Fiddle music at Queen’s Hall.

SCOTT BRADLEE’S POST MODERN JUKEBOX

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £27.50 - £71.50

Vintage reworks of contemporary pop hits courtesy of pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee.

Sun 12 Mar AGAINST THE CURRENT

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £15

Pop rock trio from Poughkeepsie, NY. Pop rock trio from Poughkeepsie, NY, on tour following last year’s release of their debut LP, In Our Bones.

EDINBURGH COMPETITION FESTIVAL 2017: FINAL CONCERT THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £0 - £7

The second half of a two-part concert; four soloists perform movements from major concertos, accompanied by The Friends of The Festival Orchestra conducted by David Watkin.

64

Listings

Mon 13 Mar EASY

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, 5

With fresh grooves, slappin’ bass and addictive hooks, Glasgow band Easy design their live shosw to get you moving. Funk? Blues? Jazz?

Soul? Easy does it. Ha. BANG TANGO (LAST GREAT DREAMERS)

Fri 17 Mar

USHER HALL, FROM 20:00, £38.50 - £82.50

The four-piece from Kent dive into the realm of self-proclaimed melancholic alt-pop.

HOME$LICE (THE EDIOTS + FAIIDES)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 21:00–23:00, 12

SOUNDHOUSE: LIZABETT RUSSO TRIO

TRAVERSE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £11

Big dose of folk for you from goosebump-inducing Lizabett Russo and pals.

Tue 14 Mar

THE HOLY SMOKES (MICHAEL BARKER)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Indie rock duo launching their garage rock-influenced EP.

RESONATE 2017: FROM STUDIO TO STAGE

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 18:30, £5 - £10

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

Wed 15 Mar

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: WIZZ JONES

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £7 - £10

Inspired by hearing Big Bill Broonzy and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Wizz Jones learned his guitar licks from the likes of Davy Graham and Long John Baldry while playing in the coffee bars of London’s Soho in the late 1950s.

WOOHOO BAND: SHOWCASE

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, 0

DIRRTY

Comedy, burlesque, boylesque, magic, and cabaret in a late night underground variety show. Hosted

by Elena Gabrielle.

CONNIE LUSH BAND

THE CAVES, 19:30–22:30, £12

British Blues bastion and local lass brings her dynamic band our way.

Her powerhouse performances and soaring blues vocals have had her tagged as the UK’s answer to Janice Joplin.

RESONATE 2017: ROCK NIGHT

SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:00, £5 - £10

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

Sat 18 Mar ELVIS COSTELLO

FESTIVAL THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £40 - £45

The Grammy Award-winner and Music Hall of Fame inductee draws upon 35-odd years of – let’s face it –­ a pretty damn impressive back catalogue.

MATT GLOSS & THE EMULSIONS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £5

LA BELLE ANGELE, 20:00–22:00, £15 - £17

RESONATE 2017: JAZZ NIGHT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £5 - £10

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

Thu 16 Mar

SHERWOOD AT THE CONTROLS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, 12

An evening of music with Adrian Sherwood at the mixing desk, armed with multitrack tapes from his back catalogue and effects galore.

JACK LUKEMAN

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, 0

Irish vocalist who’s made his way independently, free of a record label.

MIKE TRAMP (JON DAVIE)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £11 - £13

The White Lion front man returns with a full band for a show mapping out his entire career.

J-BONE: LET’S LURK SCOTLAND (67)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £10 - £12

It's time to venture North for J-Bone's first party in Scotland's capital, bringing in the 67 boys after their successful 2016 tour.

CRYPTIC SHIFT

STUDIO 24, 19:30–23:00, £5

The sci-fi death-trash act return for their first headline show in Edinburgh.

RESONATE 2017: STRINGS AND GUITARS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £5 - £10

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

BONAFIDE (TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD + KILLER BEE)

The Swedish rockers return, treating Bannermans to a live set.

REBEL WESTERNS

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £6

The alt pop Edinburgian quartet headline The Mash House.

BRONSTON (REDOLENT + ACRYLIC)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

Bronston, a groovy new four-piece hailing from Edinburghian turf bringing alt rock treats to a local crowd.

Sun 19 Mar

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS

FESTIVAL THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £37.50

Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford and his new generation of ‘The Mechanics’ take to the road to play the hits.

JAGWAR MA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Australian trio Jagwar Ma tour the release of their second album Every Now & Then, bringing their unique brand of hazy neo-psychedelia fusing post-screamedelia/ Madchester-era dance sound through a hypnotic prism of Ozmatic electronic sounds.

CHRIS THILE

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £17.50

Known for his roles in both Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, Chris Thile continues his role as lead figure in the modern bluegrass revival.

Mon 20 Mar

RESONATE 2017: TRADITIONAL NIGHT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £5 - £10

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

Wed 22 Mar

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: THE FAIR RAIN

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30, £7 - £10

Seven-piece contemporary folk band from England. Until 2015 the band operated under the name The Old Dance School, under which they released three studio albums and a live album.

JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH: MY LAST WILL AND TASTY MINT THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £14 - £16

John Shuttleworth hits the road for his latest tour, following appearances on Celebrity Antiques Roadshow, Pointless, and the second series of Radio 4’s John Shuttleworth’s Lounge Music.

JACK SAVORETTI (JOSEPH J JONES)

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £24.75

EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (NINE BELOW ZERO + THE TROUBLEMAKERS)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, 15

Edinburgh Blues Club is a social enterprise established to harness popular support for a regular blues events in Edinburgh to ensure that the city, bringing in a roster of quality touring blues acts.

PETER BRUNTNELL

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, 12

One of the UK’s most consistent songwriters with countless high-profile fans including Rumer, REM’s Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner and Son Volt’s Jay Farrar.

WEAPON

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

NWOBHM unit bring playing a set in Edinburgh.

A MASTERCLASS WITH PAUL GILBERT

THE CAVES, 19:30–22:00, TBC

SCO AND THE SIXTEEN

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

UNDERGROUND LIVE (RACHEL ALICE JOHNSON) (DMS)

TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

Regular live music night showcasing up-and-coming Scottish musicians.

Fri 24 Mar RACHEL SERMANNI

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £14 - £15

The music of folk-noir balladeer, Rachel Sermanni, has the flesh of folk but, if you were to cut the skin, you’d find it pumped with contemporary, genre blended blood.

STREET LIFE

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, FREE

Fife five-piece playing hits to get you offa your seat.

PUNK FOR PAM (CRITIKILL)

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £5

A charity punk event taking place in memory of Pam Blyth (sister of Jock GBH) who was a much-loved member of the Edinburgh punk/ska community and sadly passed away in 2011 after a 30+ year battle with HIV. All profits donated to Waverley Care.

NOAH NOAH

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, TBC

Indie, electro-tinged pop-rock quarted launching their Thick as Thieves single at Mash House.

THE FLINT & PITCH REVUE #4 (URBANFARMHAND + RYAN VAN WINKLE + SOPHIA WALKER + ELLEN RENTON + DJANA GABRIELLE) THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £6

Flint & Pitch rustle up another beauteous eve of poetry and music for your delectation. Hosted by Jenny Lindsay and Cameron Foster.

BARE KNUCKLE PARADE (DAN COLLINS BAND)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 19:30, £6

A band of five indie folk-rockers from the cobbled streets of Bath who refer to themselves as ‘sweat drenched, beer soaked pandemonium’.

STATE BROADCASTERS

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £5

The local folksters play The Wee Red.

The Irish country crooner comes our way.

Melodic metalcore from the south coast of the UK. KEVIN BLOODY WILSON

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £29.50

Comic tunes from the Aussie satirist.

Pop-meets-rock quintet named after Juliette Lewis’ psychopathic character in Natural Born Killers, in case you were wondering.

HORSEBEACH

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £7 - £9

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

A 50s inspired pop racket.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £6 - £8

Sat 25 Mar

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

JONNY JEWEL

Sun 05 Mar

OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME (SWORN AMONGST + AS I WAS HUNTED)

Wed 29 Mar

Austra is an electronic music project from Toronto, Ontario, founded

by Katie Stelmanis in 2009.

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £12

Tue 28 Mar

The Italian-English solo acoustic singer plays a set accompanied by his trusty guitar.

Manchester’s Horsebeach execute reverb-drenched, chorus-heavy chiming guitars and brooding melodies with all the class of Wild Nothing or The Cure.

AUSTRA

The glorious choral sound of The Sixteen captivates and inspires Sir James MacMillan – and his latest major work for them is the climax of this special concert.

BANNERMANS, FROM 15:00, £12 - £15

A heady cocktail of old school soul and authentic, gritty R'n'B delivered straight from the hip with a whole lot of style and attitude.

Thu 23 Mar

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE RISING SOULS (CAEZIUM + RICHY NEILL + THE REINFORCEMENTS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

THE EXCITEMENTS

Vocalist Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin and keyboardist Rick Wakeman return after a quartercentury hiatus. ‘Bout time.

Guitarguitar brings in Paul Gilbert to share

WTNP with another lineup of rising Scottish talent.

YORKSHIRE RATS (POWDER KEG)

YES

Hits from the past six decades courtesy of Matt Gloss and The Emulsions.

Band specialising in high-energy music for festivals, weddings, corporate events and private functions.

Indelirium Records-signed chaps straddling the line between punk and rock’n’roll.

BANNERMANS, FROM 18:00, £6 - £8

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £5

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:45, £12 - £22

Piano trio who formed in 2007, playing Turina, Ravel and Schubert.

HVMM

GLASS PEAKS (THIRTYTHREECONNECTION + ANNAHAR)

Home$lice are Glaswegian purveyors of the kind of slacker rock of which Mac DeMarco is king.

SITKOVETSKY

Globetrotting producer Onra has staked his claim as one of the most exciting beat-makers of the past few years.

A debut Bannermans gig for this upcoming alternative rock act.

Hard rock band who formed in LA back in 1987.

BANNERMANS, FROM 18:00, £5

ONRA (WUH OH) SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

IDLES

Bristol’s savage post-punk lot take debut album Brutalism onto the road, socially-aware and politically-potent lyrics setting the pace for thunderous drums and growling guitars. Expect equal measures of swears and sweats.

THE TRACKS

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £5 - £7

EP launch for a killer local band.

PUNK FOR PAM (THE EXPLOITED + GBH + VARUKERS + PARANOID VISIONS) STUDIO 24, 13:00–23:00, £20

A charity punk event taking place in memory of Pam Blyth (sister of Jock GBH) who was a much-loved member of the Edinburgh punk/ska community and sadly passed away in 2011 after a 30+ year battle with HIV. All profits donated to Waverley Care.

FEEDER

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £22.50

The Newport pop-rock ensemble return with more catchy guitarfuelled choruses.

MIA FARROW: A LECTURE SERIES BEYOND WORDS

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £27.50 - £46.75

From her earliest childhood memories of Ireland to her painful custody battle with Woody Allen, you’ll hear it all in what is nothing less than the extraordinary life of Mia Farrow.

Sun 26 Mar

WYLDE (SWAY + NASARI + SAM SMITH)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Drawing influence from the likes of DIIV and Echo and The Bunnymen, Wylde are a four-piece post-punk and dream-pop band.

IRA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £25

Polish rock band who formed in 1987.

SCO: CHAMBER SUNDAYS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 15:00, £14

Beethoven, Reger and Mozart on the menu at this month’s edition of Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Chamber Sundays series.

SUNDAY CLASSICS: KREMERATA BALTICA

USHER HALL, FROM 16:00, £12 - £32

A programme of music inspired

by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to (hopefully) celebrate the breaking of spring.

Mon 27 Mar ALL TIME LOW

CORN EXCHANGE, FROM 19:00, £28.50

MALLORY KNOX

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £16.50

SUICIDE BY TIGERS

BANNERMANS, FROM 18:00, £6 - £8

An Edinburgh debut for this swedish rock outfit.

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £12.50

Johannesburg-born indie-meetsfolk singer-songwriter more at home on the road that not.

MALLORY KNOX

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £16.50

Pop-meets-rock quintet named after Juliette Lewis’ psychopathic character in Natural Born Killers, in case you were wondering.

CASABLANCA DRIVERS

WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £5

Casablanca Drivers are a band from Paris who play a mix of surf/garage rock and 70s psychedelia.

Thu 30 Mar

JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £10 - £12

A night of acoustic tunes and storytelling.

WAX & WAYNE

WEE RED BAR, FROM 21:00, £5

Live music from Scotland’s finest and white hot wax from the Triassic Tusk DJs.

Fri 31 Mar

CIRCUS LATES WITH THE BEARDED LADIES

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 20:00, FREE

Ever wanted to sing on stage at The Electric Circus backed by a full band? Now’s your chance, with the Bearded Ladies’ Bandaoke.

FAHRAN

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

Derby-based hard rockers make a welcome return

TWIN HEART (AUTUMN’S FALLEN + SKELFS)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

Emo band from Ayrshire. You probably wouldn’t understand.

HEAVY SCOTLAND: PRE-SHOW PARTY (CERTAIN DEATH + KINGPIN + HIGHER THEN HELL + FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD)

STUDIO 24, FROM 19:00, £0 - £3

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £14 - £16

EDINBURGH QUARTET: REVOLUTION

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £12 - £15

The Edinburgh Quartet mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution with a programme acknowledging the impact of Russian politics on Shostakovich, and drawing parallel’s with Beethoven’s writing at the time of the French Revolution.

MARRYAT HALL, FROM 19:30, £14

Timothy Ridout, winner of the 2016 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition teams up with young prodigy Ke Ma for an evening of Schumann, Brahms and York Bowen.

Thu 09 Mar EASY (KASHMIR CROWS)

CLARKS BAR, 20:00, £5

With fresh grooves, slappin' bass and addictive hooks, Easy are committed to bringing an energetic and memorable live show we know will get you moving. Funk? Blues? Jazz?

Soul? Easy does it.

Sun 12 Mar

BLACK DELTA MOVEMENT

BAR 15, FROM 19:00, £5

Indie rock outfit BDM make a trip up our way.

Wed 15 Mar CURTIS STIGERS

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £25

Singer, saxophonist and general smooth man Curtis Stigers returns.

Fri 24 Mar IDLES

BAR 15, FROM 20:00, £5

Bristol’s savage post-punk lot take debut album Brutalism onto the road, socially-aware and politically-potent lyrics setting the pace for thunderous drums and growling guitars. Expect equal measures of swears and sweats.

Sat 25 Mar

DSO SPRING CONCERT 2017

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:30, £6 - £12

Robert Dick conducts Dundee Symphony Orchestra and pianist Fali Pavri in a performance of Elgar’s 15-minute Cockaigne Overture and more.

JUNKYARD DOGS

BAR 15, FROM 19:00, TBC

No nonsense’ rock’n’roll band who formed over three decades ago and play energetic rhythm and blues and classic/country rock.

Mon 27 Mar KEVIN BLOODY WILSON

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:30, £29.50

Comic tunes from the Aussie satirist.

Tue 28 Mar LLYR WILLIAMS

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:30, £1 - £14

DON’T DROP: 4TH BIRTHDAY PART 1 (SONJA MOONEAR) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Don’t Drop celebrates four big ones with help from Swiss electronic artist Sonja Moonear.

WALK N SKANK (SIR WILSON)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.

Fri 03 Mar OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

DARKSIDE (PARTYRAISER + N-VITRAL + RE-STYLE + AMADA + DOLPHIN + VANDALISM + CHAOTIC HOSTILITY + FRACTURE 4)

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 21:00, £17 - £40

Another techno extravaganza with Partyraiser at the top of the bill.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

HARSH TUG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Hip-hop and rap brought to you by Notorious B.A.G and pals.

WTF FRIDAYS

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £6

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing (as one might expect) cheesy classics of every hue.

FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

QUEERIOSITY: COME OUT TO PLAY (UNDERGROUND CABARET, BORIS GAY, KATHRYN CREEPSHOW) THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

A painting and printmaking fundraiser and a party celebrating all things queer. What was formerly known as Drag Night has evolved, boldly emerging from its silky chrysalis to reveal a fuller spectrum of glamour and QUEERIOSITY.

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:00, £5 - £10

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £12

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £20 - £23

RESONATE 2017: BANDS AND ORCHESTRAS

Resonate is a collaboration between The City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Service and Queen’s Hall.

HUNDREDTH

Get yourself some melodic hardcore from Hopeless Records quartet Hundredth.

Fri 31 Mar THE BAD KIND

Dundee Music CONROY'S BASEMENT, 19:00, £6

English folk-rock band signed to Transgressive Records. They are fronted by Johnny Flynn, an actor, poet and songwriter who cites W.B. Yeats and Shakespeare among his influences.

RIDOUT MA DUO

MISSING PERSONS CLUB (INNERSHADES)

BANNERMANS, FROM 15:00, £5

JOHNNY FLYNN & THE SUSSEX WIT

Wed 08 Mar

Dance and electro artist Dalfie has picked up massive support from the likes of Richy Ahmed, Monki, Steve Lawler and more.

The hypnotically intense performances of pianist Llyr Williams have thrilled audiences with their breathtaking power and revelatory insights.

Fri 03 Mar

A mix of mutant blues and punk.

WHITEHALL THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £20

BASSMENT (DALFIE) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

The night before the Corn Exchange weekend, Heavy Scotland warm up with live bands, specials guests and Keep It Steel DJ’s till late.

The chirpy American punkpopsters, all fast-paced and fizzy with hooks, hit town.

TIM HOLEHOUSE (GREG REKUS)

ROBERT MIZZELL

TRAMPOLENE

Seemingly a protégé of NME and The Libertines alike, Trampolene had a bit of a batshit 2016 warming up the stage for Pete Docherty himself on a tour of the UK.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £8

Monthly evening of techno from the MPC crew and guests.

PRESSURE (CHRIS LIEBING)

Mighty deep house and techno monthly, tonight bringing in producer, radio host and CLR boss Chris Liebing.

NUMBERS (JD TWITCH + SPENCER)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £5 - £6

The mighty Numbers crew enlist one half of the Optimo tag team, JD Twitch and resident Spencer.

Glasgow Clubs

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £24.50

A local show for Dundonian DIY altrock four-piece The Bad Kind.

Wed 01 Mar LIGHTSOUT

COLOURS TWENTY TWO: WILL SPARKS

The Colours crew celebrate 22 years in the business with a freakin massive trance night.

MAGIC CITY (SHAUN VITAMIN) (KEOMA + MULLY KUSH)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Italo disco, funky house and detroit techno.

Glasgow legend Shaun Vitamin has played with the likes of Baauer and Hudson Mohawke, so is no stranger to whipping up a party.

Sat 04 Mar

Thu 02 Mar

Sat 04 Mar

BAR 15, FROM 19:00, £5

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

DOGTOOTH

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

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R'n'B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

LIVE TRANSMISSION! (BENEDICTUS + BOB FLAMBE AND THE ATOMS OF DESIRE + CATCH JOSHUA GRAY + STOOR + THE MIRROR TRAP + TONGUE TRAP + VFLAMBDA)

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 16:00, £10

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Beat Generator’s very own festival, showcasing their ab-so-lute faves.

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

UNHOLY

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Clubs

Thu 16 Mar

THE ROCK SHOP

JELLY BABY

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

JELLY BABY O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £5

Ross McMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

LOVE MUSIC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

COLOURS (JOHN O’CALLAGHAN + SOLARSTONE + WILL ATKINSON + JOHN 00 FLEMING + SNEIJDER + COLD BLUE + THE NOBLE SIX + PAUL DENTON & WILL REES.) SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £21.50

The Colours crew celebrate 22 years in the business with a freakin massive trance night.

SUPERMAX (DJ BILLY WOODS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, TBC

DJ Billy Woods, start to finish, open to close.

DIVINE

THE ADMIRAL, FROM 23:00, £4 - £7

Glasgow’s original vintage night moves to the first Saturday of every month. Resident Mr Divine spins an all vinyl blend of northern soul, deep funk, sixties psych, dynamite ska and scorching latin.

I LOVE GARAGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you.

LEZURE (SHANTI CELESTE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Shanti’s sets are characterised by their dusty, groovy, colourful twists and turns, taking in forgotten classics, obscure rarities, fresh new tracks

CLONE RECORDS 25 YEARS (SERGE) (ALDEN TYRELL) SUB CLUB, FROM 22:00, £12

Seminal Dutch record label Clone embark on a tour to celebrate 25 years of consistently supporting and releasing some of the most exciting music.

Sun 05 Mar SUNDAY SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

As scientific as a club filled with tipsy Sunday night partiers can get, really. LED lights, glow in the dark wands, ‘Science’ cocktails and cannons. Unlikely to instigate any eureka moments, but it’ll do.

MONO BABY DISCO

MONO, 12:00–14:30, FREE

A disco designed especially for the wee ones.

Mon 06 Mar BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

BURN MONDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 07 Mar KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005’. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 08 Mar BREEZY AT SLEAZY’S

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Non-stop party house and techno stompers!

Thu 09 Mar HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R'n'B and hip-hop.

March 2017

ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, TBC

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

KEEP FIT (ROMEO TAYLOR)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Romeo Taylor gets on the ones at Sleazy’s for a midweek disco.

VICIOUS CREATRES: SECRETSUNDAZE

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8

For their second night in their Spring series Vicious Creatures sign up the secretsundaze boys for a four hour set.

WALK N SKANK (STALAWA SOUND)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , FROM 21:00, £3

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R'n'B and hip-hop.

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

Berlin DJ team in Glasgow for the first time. Indie pop, post-punk, new wave and 90s.

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

Sat 11 Mar

Ross McMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £5

ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, TBC

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Two great DJs who have been regulars on the Stereotone dancefloor taking to the DJ booth.

ART’S HOUSE

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

I LOVE GARAGE

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you.

HIGHLIFE (AFRICAINE 808) (AUNTIE FLO + ANDREW THOMSON)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £7 - £8

Africaine 808 visit The Art School for the very first Highlife of the year.

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

LET’S GO BACK TO THE 80’S (BOSCO & ROB MASON)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8 - £10

The sound of clubs before house music ruled. New Wave, New Beat and new romantic.

RETURN TO MONO (SLAM)

Monthly night from Soma Records taking in popular techno offerings of all hues, this month welcoming Slam for a set.

WTF FRIDAYS

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £6

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing (as one might expect) cheesy classics of every hue.

FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

FORMAL INVOCATION

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Goth, post-punk, EBM, synth, coldwave, house, noise and disco.

Aaaand breathe.

JUKE TILL U PUKE (F17 + DJ DOUBLE NUGGET + DJ MILKTRAY + SIERRA ALLIANCE)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £5

Chicago vibes in the second JTUP at The Art School.

I LOVE THE 80’S (GEORGE & CASSI)

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £28

The Old School Challenge Quiz.

Expect a drinks reception, retro food while you play, fantastic prizes and an old skool disco to round off the night. All proceeds to NSPCC Scotland.

HAVEN (YOUANDEWAN)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £10

With releases on labels like Hypercolour and Secretsundaze and Aus music, Berlin based Ewan has amassed quite a following.

DRAKE, ALL NIGHT LONG

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £6 - £8

Last name All Night Long, first name Drake. A celebration of the most sensitive rapper alive at SWG3.

VITALIC

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £17

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £8

THE APACHE: EGEBAMYASI

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 23:00, TBC

A second birthday stomper from ‘proper techno’ specialists The Apache, ft. Egebamyasi’s Acid Live Hardware set.

CIRCUS 15 (YOUSEF + HEIDI + CATZ ‘N DOGZ + CRISTOPH + KI CREIGHTON + JAMIE ROY + ILLYUS & BARRIENTOS + MIA DORA + VILMOS + RAESIDE + DALFIE) SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £18 - £22

Circus celebrates a decade and a half with a tour of 15 cities, kindly making Glasgow one of them.

NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR

WALK N SKANK (DISRUPT)

OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

FROGBEATS

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Back after a brief winter hiatus, Frogbeats and Handpicked team up to put a little spring in your step, providing you with those forgotten flavours, dusty breaks and crispy cuts.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

ST PADDY’S DAY

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Bit of rock and some green jelly shots to get the Paddy party rolling.

WTF FRIDAYS

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £6

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing (as one might expect) cheesy classics of every hue.

FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

LANCE VANCE DANCE

Multi-hued adventure travelling through 70s funk, motown and 80s R'n'B, highlighted with glorious rays of disco sunshine. Or summat.

I LOVE GARAGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you.

ELROW

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 18:00, TBC

Spain’s famous Elrow night heads to SWG3 for two consecutive sizzlers.

POP ROCKS (GRANDMASTER BRASH)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Nothing but the best pop, indie and dance from the 80s and 90s. Expect Kelis, N Trance, Blur, Wheatus, Hall & Oates, Blackstreet, Beastie Boys, Coolio, Madonna, Wham! and more...

Sun 19 Mar SUNDAY SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

As scientific as a club filled with tipsy Sunday night partiers can get, really. LED lights, glow in the dark wands, ‘Science’ cocktails and cannons. Unlikely to instigate any eureka moments, but it’ll do.

YELLOW DOOR

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

As scientific as a club filled with tipsy Sunday night partiers can get, really. LED lights, glow in the dark wands, ‘Science’ cocktails and cannons. Unlikely to instigate any eureka moments, but it’ll do.

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

ELROW

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 14:00, TBC

Spain’s famous Elrow night heads to SWG3 for two consecutive sizzlers.

BARE MONDAYS

A night of contemporary classics, unheard of gems and well-kent belters, all for your general dancing pleasure, natch.

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

ULTIMATE BELTERS (DJ TEACHERZ)

BURN MONDAYS

Mon 13 Mar

Suzie Rodden melts the ego and burns the flag of inhibitions.

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £10

Tue 21 Mar

BARE MONDAYS

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

BURN MONDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 14 Mar SOULJAM

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Wed 15 Mar

COOKING WITH PALMS TRAX

First of four quarterly resident parties curated by Palms Trax in which the tone will be well and truly set.

BIGFOOT’S TEA PARTY (KASSEM MOSSE) (WILLOW)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8

The Nomadic techno and techhouse night makes its regular(ish) trip to Subbie’s basement, this time handing over the decks to Kassem Mosse.

Sat 18 Mar NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

NOT MOVING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Golden Teacher and Dick 50 DJs spinning outer-national sounds.

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

ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Ross McMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005’. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Wed 22 Mar DRUGSTORE GLAMOUR

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Trashy, tacky, glamorous and ridiculous. Oh, and fun, too. Very fun.

Sat 25 Mar NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

BREAKFAST CLUB

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £5

UNHOLY

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE

Gerry Lyons delivers 80s and 90s pop and rock hits.

ALL NIGHT PASSION

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £15

CODE (TRUNCATE)

Mon 20 Mar

Get your fill of house and techno.

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £5

SUNDAY SCIENCE

JELLY BABY

Another night of disco, love and magic. All profits donated to the Drumchapel food bank.

Sun 12 Mar

DOJO

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Night of The Jaguar play weird and enthralling dance music from the dark side of disco ball.

Glasgow party starters welcome former DMC Team Champions: Scratch Perverts.

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £7 - £8

One of the UK’s premier touring soul, funk and disco parties, currently bringing the best in boogie to thousands of students every month.

The obscure collective visit our way for something mindblowing, probs.

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 20:00, £20

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

WSHOM (SCRATCH PERVERTS)

Pascal Arbez-Nicolas is often credited with having redefined techno, drawing from his native French sensibility. See for yourself at SWG3 as he plays live.

SCIENTIFIC DREAMZ OF U

1994

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

Fri 17 Mar

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £5

A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.

Fri 10 Mar BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Constantly in demand as an producer, remixer and DJ (including regular B2B appearances with Ben Sims), Truncate (aka Audio Injection) has evolved to become a hugely respected member of the global techno scene.

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8

Subbie leaves Artwork to his own devices all night long.

Pop, disco and rock action at Sleazy’s Singles Night.

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

THE ROCK SHOP

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

OLD SKOOL

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

STEREOTONE (DOUGIE) (SPUTNIK + WHEELMAN)

DJ Adidadas brings vaporbeat and Eurowave hits to Sleazy’s.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R'n'B and hip-hop.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

SMALL TALK (DJ ADIDADAS)

Thu 23 Mar

Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

One-off rave dedicated to the sounds of 1994, mixed by a quartet of legendary names from the era: Ultra-Sonic, Bass Generator, Jon Mancini and Craig Wilson.

A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.

SINGLES NIGHT

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

SHOW (GORGON CITY)

The north London production duo – known for their club-savvy pop soundscapes ripe for dancing feet – hit the March edition of SHOW. WALK N SKANK (527 CREW)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.

Fri 24 Mar OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Screamy, shouty, post-hardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

CIRQUE DU SOUL (ONEMAN + WEAVER BROS + LUKE WOLFMAN + DIRTY BURB)

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £12

Cirque Du Soul is a travelling collective energy of colour, magic and dance.

WTF FRIDAYS

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £6

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing (as one might expect) cheesy classics of every hue.

FRESH BEAT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

HOT HOUSE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Cat Reilly spins the best in joyous party magic.

TRANCE PARTY VI (EVIAN CHRIST + LAUREL HALO + MSSINGNO + TOTAL FREEDOM + VISIONIST)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £8

Tri Angle’s prodigal son and Kanye West collaborator Evian Christ brings his self-curated Trance Party to the Art School.

PARTIAL (HASHMAN)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £8

Moodhut affiliate and dope selector Hashman DJ is in the building.

INCEPT: 2ND BIRTHDAY (SAM PAGANINI) (FRAZIER & NICK MCPHEAT + LINDSAY GREEN + RAYMOND)

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, £15

The Incept gang kick off 2017 in true form, with a big old birthday party.

MELTING POT: GILLES PETERSON (EARL ZINGER + REBECCA VASMAN) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £15

Disco, house, jazz, latin, Brazilian, Afrobeat, soul, techno, classics or future classics – as long as it’s great music, Gilles plays it.

BD010: BODY FUNDRAISER (PHIL KEARNEY (BIXON), JACK STANLEY, ADAM SEARLE)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

A Body residents and friends fundraiser for the Meningitis Research Foundation.

LOVE MUSIC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

BLACKOUT (DAX J + ABDULLA RASHIM + SOMEWHEN + STEPHANIE SYKES + ANIMAL FARM)

THE GLUE FACTORY, 16:00–03:00, £17 - £25

Born from a desire to go beyond the standard clubbing formula, Blackout is curated by local party starters Animal Farm. It promises a mammoth 11-hour techno marathon, making unique use of the space for a sensory audiovisual experience.

SESSION VICTIM (SESSION VICTIM + OOFT!) THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, TBC

House, soul and sweet-ass disco from the Hamburg/Berlin duo.

SHAKA LOVES YOU

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £3

Hip-hop and live percussion flanked by wicked visuals.

I LOVE GARAGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you.

WALK N SKANK (DAVID RODIGAN + MUNGO’S HI FII + TOM SPIRALS)

THE ART SCHOOL, 20:00–03:00, £9 - £15

Join David Rodigan in conversation with Mungo’s Hi Fi, followed by a one-off exclusive set as David narrates through his vintage dubplate collection.

CRIAGIE KNOWES (DJ OVERDOSE)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Overdose is a power house with releases spanning Viewlexx, WT, Murder Capital, L.I.E.S., Crème Organization, Pinkman, Berceuse Heroique and other strongholds.

TRANCELATE (PSYZ) (BLASTOY)

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:00–04:00, £10

More in the way of Trance at Classic Grand as Trancelate celebrate their fifth birthday.

Sun 26 Mar SUNDAY SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

As scientific as a club filled with tipsy Sunday night partiers can get, really. LED lights, glow in the dark wands, ‘Science’ cocktails and cannons. Unlikely to instigate any eureka moments, but it’ll do.

Mon 27 Mar BARE MONDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

BURN MONDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 28 Mar KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005’. #TAG TUESDAYS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

Thu 30 Mar

JELLY BABY O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

HUNTLEYS + PALMERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, TBC

H+P’s Andrew and pals play tunes across the board at Sleazy’s.

ELEMENT

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Ross McMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

SILVER DOLLAR CLUB (PERSEUS TRAXX)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

A stripped back hardware-orientated approach toward production, resulting in an impressively varied back catalogue of rich analogue jams.

VICIOUS CREATURES: JULIO BASHMORE (FORBES + ANTON)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12.50

One of the biggest names on the UK house music scene (erm, that’d be Julio Bashmore) takes to Vicious Creatures, a fledgling party night intent on breaking free from the chains of normality.

WALK N SKANK (MUNGO’S SPRING SESH)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.

Fri 31 Mar

PRESSURE (LEN FAKI + SLAM + JEROEN SEARCH + CLAUDE VONSTROKE + TERRY FRANCIS) SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £20 - £23

The mighty deep house and techno monthly come out all-guns-blazing with a dashing line-up.

SENSU (SETH TROXLER) (JUNIOUR + BARRY PRICE)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £15 - £20

One of electronic music’s most memorable personalities, Seth Troxler, hits up Sensu for a guest set.

JOY ORBISON (DOM D’SYLVA + WARDY)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10 - £12

Joy Orbison plays a three-hour set with LA Cheetah Club residents in tow.

I AM X MODA BLACK (JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE + IDAMOS + BETA)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, TBC

Moda Black label showcase with local dudes i AM.

Edinburgh Clubs Wed 01 Mar COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–05:00, £0 - £2

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

JP SILVER

LEITH DEPOT, 19:30–23:00, £5

The Cape Town DJ visits Leith Depot, bringing a decade of playing everything from gypsy swing to Afro house.

Thu 02 Mar

JUICE (KA MI + DAN JUICE + DECLAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–05:00, £0 - £2

Dan, Declan and Kami make weird waves through house and techno.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Early weekend-welcoming (y’know, for students) chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, R'n'B and urban in the back room.

LORDS OF THE RING AFTERPARTY

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:30–03:00, £6 - £8

After a three hugely successful instalments, Lords of the Ring returns for a 4th round. The official afterparty, don’tyaknow....

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R'n'B and hip-hop.

Listings

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Edinburgh Clubs PLAYROOM (MARTIN VALENTINE) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Slo-jams, edits, Afro, disco, house played by the one and only Martin Valentine.

Fri 03 Mar PROPAGANDA

THE BOROUGH COLLECTIVE: FIND YOUR RHYTHM (CRAIG SMITH AND THE REVENGE) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Launch night for Craig Smith and The Revenge’s new album Find Your Rhythm.

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

HECTORS & ULTRAGROOVE’S 90S RAVE (DJ DRIBBLER + GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

EVOL

Original Pure resident Dribbler makes his Sneaky Pete’s debut.

Sold out.

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 23:00, £0 - £5

Edinburgh’s original rock’n’roll bash, mixing indie, pop, electro, hip-hop and alternative styles to make one hell of a party playlist.

DOMINO CLUB (P-STYLZ)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Weekly institution Domino Club is back, with DJ P-Stylz at the helm of the mighty ship every Friday evening.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

GLOBAL ROOTS

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Expect a mixture of danceable oddities and driving bass lines as these Andrea Montalto and DJ Ata Stalic raise the roof once again.

MINIVAL EDINBURGH (CALL SUPER + CRISTOF) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £10

Call Super! makes his debut at Minival, at Edinburgh AND at Sneaky’s.

From tearing up Magnetic Festival to destroying Dekmantel, his sets express the perfect amalgam of adventurous selections and dancefloor sensibility, always with a hazy nostalgia.

JACKHAMMER (RADIOACTIVE X NEIL LANDSTRUMM)

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £10

Jackhammer and Stepback unite to bring Neil Landstrumm Live and Radioactive Man to the Bongo booth.

WEE DUB FESTIVAL (ASBO DISCO & GARDNA + ILLBILLY HITECH + ROB RSD + SINAI SOUND + ELECTRIKAL SOUNDSYSTEM + SKA YA MAN + MIGHTY OAK)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:00–03:00, £9 - £12

If dub, reggae and soundsystem are your kinda thing, head to Wee Dub Festival. See weedubfestival.co.uk for full line-up.

DORSIA (DCLN B2B SKILLIS)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 23:00, £3

DCLN goes b2b with Skillis with Cee Mac and CPTN on the warm-up.

MAX COOPER: EMERGENCE

THE CAVES, 23:00–03:00, £14

Catch a full set from the Londonbased electronica and techno producer known for his remixes of the likes of Hot Chip and Sasha.

HOUSE OF TRAPS + DJ CRUD

WEE RED BAR, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Firecracker Records’ House of Traps holds down the Wee Red, with 12th Isle’s DJ Crud on hand to help.

Sat 04 Mar TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

SPEAKER BITE ME

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

There’s a fine line between poptimism and cheese. Speaker Bite Me is a club night that values good party music for dancing, drinking and having fun. This is pop music with bite and attitude.

TWEAK_

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Weekly house and techno club bringing the world’s most credible artists to Edinburgh, every Saturday at the newly upgraded La Belle Angele.

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Listings

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £10

FRACTAL (PROSUMER)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £6 - £15

Another edition of Fractal Club at The Mash House ft. Berlin Panorama Bar resident Prosumer.

NIGHTVISION: XPLICIT 12TH BIRTHDAY (NOISIA & LENZMAN) (ENO + GMAC + MC BZ + 2SHY MC)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £14.50 - £16

Xplicit celebrates early adolescence with a mix of artists old and new, headlined by Noisia and Lenzman.

WEE DUB FESTIVAL (MUNGO’S HI-FI & SN. WILSON + IRATION STEPPAS + RADIKAL GURU & ECHO RANKS) STUDIO 24, 22:00–04:00, £12 - £15

If dub, reggae and soundsystem are your kinda thing, head to Wee Dub Festival. See weedubfestival.co.uk for full line-up.

Sun 05 Mar THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

COALITION (DENNEY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Named ‘Future Hero’ in Mixmag and with support from heavy-weights Sasha, Damian Lazarus, Seth Troxler, MANDY, Pete Tong and many more, Denney’s paving a path to success.

WEE DUB FESTIVAL (MAD PROFESSOR) (MESSENGER + AFRIKAN SIMBA)

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £11 - £13

A closing party for dub, reggae and soundsystem festival Wee Dub.

Mon 06 Mar MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

Tue 07 Mar TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £6

Affectionately known to many simply as Hector's, this club has become one of Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindigs, ft. house, disco, techno, garage, hip hop, soul, funk across three rooms.

HI-SOCIETY THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Early weekend-welcoming (y’know, for students) chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, R'n'B and urban in the back room.

BASS BELLY (EL-B)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7

Bass Belly’s back, bringing UK garage, disco funk and Chicago house to Edinburgh.

ODYSSEY. 007 (GORGON CITY)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £15

Gorgon City go back to their underground roots with an extended set at Cabaret Voltaire for Odyssey.

PLAYROOM (MARTIN VALENTINE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Slo-jams, edits, afro, disco, house played by the one and only Martin Valentine.

Fri 10 Mar PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

A LOVE FROM OUTER SPACE

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 22:00, £13

Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston’s rather ace London night takes a trip to the North, with the mighty duo playing back-to-back over an all-night takeover of the Mill.

DOMINO CLUB (P-STYLZ)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Weekly institution Domino Club is back, with DJ P-Stylz at the helm of the mighty ship every Friday evening.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

SKINNY BITCHES

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 22:30, £0 - £3

The women of The Skinny spin the very nastiest in lady pop and hip-hop with a feminist bent. Free before midnight.

AUNTIE FLO REMIX TOUR (THE REVENGE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £10

In 2015 the Glaswegian released his award winning debut full-length LP Theory of Flo, which has been remixed by a number of artists including The Revenge. Flo will play in a number of cities inviting remixers tp join, with Sneak’s being one of the hosts.

DUB LOONS HI-FI

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £4

Dub Loons Hi-Fi lay out a spread of their favourite local talent, taking in jungle, drum and bass, techno, dub and more.

HEADSET (PEVERELIST) (KOWTON)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

Honchos of the Livity Sound label Pev and Kowton play four hours of sound system, garage, techno and house.

Wed 08 Mar

PHONIK (ANNA) (ASHLEY SHABZ + VIDAL)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

With massive releases on Monika Kruse’s Terminal M Label, Solomun’s Diynamic Label and Christian Smith’s Tronic label, ANNA is a rising star in the techno galaxy.

COOKIE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

LOCO KAMANCHI (GENERAL LEVY)

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

CRIB

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Crib brings you the finest in R'n'B, disco, house, techno and drum and bass.

ANTI-SOCIAL PANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, TBC

New rave-flavour midweeker at Liquid Rooms, founded by a promoter who has literally NO chill.

Thu 09 Mar

JUICE (KA MI + DAN JUICE + DECLAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Dan, Declan and Kami make weird waves through house and techno.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:00–03:00, £6 - £12

XOXO

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Fledgling queer night who launched only last month.

ASYLUM: 2ND BIRTHDAY

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £5

Pulse are back at their usual stomping grounds Studio 24 to cause carnage as they reminisce two years of partying. Techno giants Darrell Harding and Sean Laird from Pulse Edinburgh, along with Studio 24 residents will be on hand to soundtrack the shindig.

THE COCONUT CLUB

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

New regular night with Palms residents Jacuzzi General and Nik Nak Nik.

Sat 11 Mar TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

THE GREEN DOOR

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 - £5

A tropical tiki paradise for the mad March Green Door! Expect a mix of rock’n’roll, rhythm and blues, doowop, garage, surf and soul. Oh, and there’ll be the infamous Green Door cake to fuel you through the night.

SOULSVILLE

Tue 14 Mar HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £6

Affectionately known to many simply as Hector's, this club has become one of Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindigs, ft. house, disco, techno, garage, hip-hop, soul, funk across three rooms.

HOT SINGLES 45 RPM SPEED DATING

PARADISE PALMS, 20:00–22:00, FREE

THE VILLAGE, 20:00–01:00, FREE

Chicago, deep and funky house music old and new with resident DJs Foxxy DJ and Hi Tech John.

TWEAK_

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Weekly house and techno club bringing the world’s most credible artists to Edinburgh, every Saturday at the newly upgraded La Belle Angele.

DECADE EDINBURGH

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 - £5

The pop punk pizza party returns for a second slice of the action.

They cut the pizza, you cut the shapes.

EQ (SHMITT & BEN ROTHES)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5

Head honchos at Dundee-based imprint Hilltown Disco Shmitt and Ben Rothes join the EQ residents to let loose in Mash House’s upgraded upstairs quarters.

SHAPEWORK

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £19

Residents Crimson, Rugman DJ and Sholto spin techno and house at Shapework’s monthly.

THE BOROUGH COLLECTIVE: TOUCHE (HUGGY + MARCO CAPOZZELLA) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Monthly celebration of house and disco by some of Edinbrugh’s finest and most experienced spinners.

NIGHTVISION: MUSIKA (PATRICK TOPPING)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £16.50

Fast-rising Hot Creations star Patrick Topping plays all night long at Musika.

DISCOBOX

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £5

Disco, house and funky funky grooves at Wee Red.

OTHER THUMPERS #2: HOLLICK

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The Edinburgh label’s residency returns with London’s Hollick, known for running labels such as Church, Coastal Haze and No Bad Days – the new home of monthly host Donald Dust.

Sun 12 Mar

COALITION (BELIEVE + GAV MILLER + STU + JORDAN COCHRANE + GED & SKANKY B) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and friends.

THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

PARADISE VINYL

PARADISE PALMS, 17:00–01:00, FREE

Purveyors of the most choicest of cuts committed to wax, Percy Main and Andrea Montalto present a monthly showcase of their fave sounds from the Paradise Vinyl collection.

Mon 13 Mar MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

LOCO KAMANCHI (DJ MARKY)

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

WITNESS (ART’S HOUSE) (ARTWORK)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s leaves Artwork to his own devices all night long.

DISCO BISKIT (JESS COHEN + MUNGO FAWCETT + TOM NEVILE + ADAM JONES + MICHAEL HAJIANTONI)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4 - £6

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 22:30, £0 - £3

Mon 20 Mar

XXXY ALL NIGHT LONG

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

NETFLIX & TRILL

With a deep knowledge of acid house, New York and New Jersey house, as well as UK garage, UK bass and techno, XXXY’s DJ sets are as eclectic as his productions as evidenced on mixes for Rinse FM, NTS, Fact, XLR8R and Solid Steel.

STORYTIME (MARIBOU STATE)

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £8 - £12

The first chapter of the Storytime tale launches in Edinburgh this month, with special guest Maribou State playing alongside Pugz and Adam Saville.

Sat 18 Mar TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, TBC

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

New rave-flavour midweeker at Liquid Rooms, founded by a promoter who has literally NO chill.

Thu 16 Mar CHURCH

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5

All bass everything at Mash House’s Church.

JUICE (KA MI + DAN JUICE + DECLAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Dan, Declan and Kami make weird waves through house and techno.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Early weekend-welcoming (y’know, for students) chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, R'n'B and urban in the back room.

RITUAL

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5

Deep, soulful house and disco at Bongo’s midweeker Ritual. Tonight features guests from Sneaky Pete’s Soul Jam. PLAYROOM (MARTIN VALENTINE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Slo-jams, edits, Afro, disco, house played by the one and only Martin Valentine.

Fri 17 Mar PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

HORSE MEAT DISCO (BYRON THE AQUARIUS + DIMENSIONS SOUNDSYSTEM)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £11.50 - £15

Kubic Music presents a Paddy’s Day afterparty with James Hillard and Severino (Horse Meat Disco), Byron The Aquarius and Dimensions Soundsystem. Let ‘em fuel your footwork through jazz-infused house, infectious disco and moody techno rhythms.

DOMINO CLUB (P-STYLZ)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Weekly institution Domino Club is back, with DJ P-Stylz at the helm of the mighty ship every Friday evening.

SAMEDIA SHEBEEN

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Edinburgh tropical fun machine Samedia Shebeen continue their monthly residency at Paradise Palms.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

THE EGG

A salad of genres: 60's garage and soul plus 70s punk and new wave, peppered with psych and indie for good measure.

BUBBLEGUM

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

Tue 21 Mar TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £6

Affectionately known to many simply as Hector's, this club has become one of Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindigs, ft. house, disco, techno, garage, hip hop, soul, funk across three rooms.

Wed 22 Mar COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM (MC JEREMIAH)

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger soundsystem.

TWEAK_

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Weekly house and techno club bringing the world’s most credible artists to Edinburgh, every Saturday at the newly upgraded La Belle Angele.

WASABI DISCO: DJ FETT BURGER (KRIS WASABI) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £7

DJ Fett Burger has a habit of playing wild sets where it’s not just that you haven’t heard most of the music before, but rather that you haven’t heard anything LIKE most of the music before. Weird, danceable and uplifting.

TEXTURE (DJRUM) (RECLEAR + MISS WORLD)

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8 - £10

Texture continue their mission to unite talented selectors with banging venues by beinging in dance DJ Felix Manuel (DjRUM), Threads MCR’s Sean Hughes (Reclear) and all-female collective Miss World.

THE BOROUGH COLLECTIVE: FIFTY FATHOMS DEEP (FREDERICK)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Fifty Fathoms Deep head honcho returns to Cab Vol for a TBC debut showcasting his record label.

NIGHTVISION (DJ EZ)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £22.50

North London-born DJ EZ’s following regard him as a true pioneer of garage. See for yourself as he plays at Nightvision.

AUDIO SOUP: EQUINOX 2017 (THE CORRESPONDENTS + SPLIFF RICHARDS AND THE SNAPPING TURTLES)

STUDIO 24, 16:00–03:00, £15

Bringing home the light with a day and night of live bands and DJs that you know and love.

PERCY MAIN SOCIAL CLUB: TUESDAY GONZALEZ

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5

Sun 19 Mar

Another dose of techno from Edinburgh night Disorder.

MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

A monthly social with Percy Main and pals spinning shakin disco, balearic boogie, garish gospel and hermetic haus.

DISORDER

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

An sparkling odyssey through 40 years of disco and nu-disco, from Chic to Chaka and beyond.

ANTI-SOCIAL PANDA

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

Wed 15 Mar

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

ELECTRO CYCLE (HI TECH JOHN + FOXXY DJ)

House, techno and electro club Substance celebrates the turn of a decade.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £9

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6

Expect only the best pop tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s at this retro pop club night.

FLIP THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Binge on Netflix while dancing to some tunes. Electronic remixes of pop, hip-hop, indie, R'n'B and trap bangers.

Raw, high energy R'n'B at Bongo.

BEEP BEEP, YEAH!

THE CLUB THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Gender neutral speed dating where each date lasts the length of a song, spun by PP DJs. Ice breakers, lovegames and free cocktails with each ticket.

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

SUBSTANCE THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, TBC

COALITION (BELIEVE + GAV MILLER + STU + JORDAN COCHRANE + GED & SKANKY B) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and friends.

LOCO KAMANCHI

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

NO SCRUBS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 23:00, £0 - £3

D’you miss the days when Mariah was queen of R'n'B? When Ashanti and Ja Rule were the ultimate power couple? Of course you do, because that was the best of times.

No Scrubs is a night of 90s and 00s hip-hop and R'n'B vibes, ft. remixes and mash-ups to boot.

LEZURE 020: WILLOW (WORKSHOP) (WILLOW + LEZURE RESIDENTS) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

Willow’s unique sets match the left-field aesthetic of the Workshop sound; joining dots between minimal, house and techno. In 2016, Willow released her landmark follow-up record A2 (Workshop 23) – it’s since been on rotation in all the best DJ’s sets.

ELECTRIKAL: DANCEHALL & BASHMENT CARNIVAL

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £10

The Bashment & Dancehall Carnival returns, under the roof of beautiful Bongo. Expect dancers, steel drummers and a LOT of sweat.

DISGRACELAND (JOHNNY WRONG)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Disgraceland is Edinburgh’s premiere purveyor of leftfield punk rock, dirty blues, sleazy lounge, filthy rock’n’roll, black-hearted post-punk and hellish, tinnitusinducing noiserock.

FLY CLUB: SULTA’S SHEIKH DOWN (BIG MIZ)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

ETC: HEROES & VILLAINS 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY (ALIIAS23 + LUKA + MORPHAMISH + STEVOID + TOXICOLOGIST)

JUKEBOX BINGO

Edinburgh Tekno Cartel is old enough to go to primary school!

In celebration they’re throwing a down and dirty residents’ party. As per, costumes necessary: heroes and villains for an epic battle of good vs evil (or sober you vs drunk you).

PARADISE PALMS, 19:30–01:00, £5

Instead of balls and numbers, match songs and artists to Paradise Palms’ speedy soundtrack and pit your wits against the room in a fast-paced musical challenge to win fabulous prizes.

CRIB

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Crib brings you the finest in R'n'B, disco, house, techno and drum and bass.

ANTI-SOCIAL PANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, TBC

New rave-flavour midweeker at Liquid Rooms, founded by a promoter who has literally NO chill.

Thu 23 Mar

JUICE (KA MI + DAN JUICE + DECLAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Dan, Declan and Kami make weird waves through house and techno.

HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Early weekend-welcoming (y’know, for students) chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, R'n'B and urban in the back room.

CIRQUE DU SOUL

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £10 - £14

Cirque Du Soul is a travelling collective energy of colour, magic and dance.

PLAYROOM (MARTIN VALENTINE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Slo-jams, edits, afro, disco, house played by the one and only Martin Valentine.

Fri 24 Mar PROPAGANDA

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £4 - £5

RHYTHM MACHINE (PILOTWINGS)

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £6

Rhythm Machine welcome Marseille’s deep ocean dancefloor pioneers Pilotwings joining DJ Yves and M Favors in the main room.

Meanwhile, March resident artist Naomi Garriock unveils her Temple Grandin-inspired installation and performance piece.

SWEET ‘N’ VICIOUS

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Sweet ‘n’ Vicious is a night of musical delinquency, combining saccharine sixties girl group sounds, popcorn, YéYé and borderline kitsch classics with mean rockabilly, wild rock‘n’roll and sleazy instrumentals spun by DJs Killer Kim and Laura Lurex.

Sat 25 Mar TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

MUMBO JUMBO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £7

Funk, soul, and birthday beats and bumps from the Mumbo Jumbo regulars and pals.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

DOMINO CLUB (P-STYLZ)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Weekly institution Domino Club is back, with DJ P-Stylz at the helm of the mighty ship every Friday evening.

MJÖLK

WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Swedish Indie pop, 60s, 70s and indie goodness from near and far at the Wee Red. HEADSET

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Fledgling night mixed up by a selection of Edinburgh DJs, including the chaps behind the Witness, Coalition and Big ‘n’ Bashy nights.

RIDE (LAUREN ILL + CHECK YERSEL)

A monthly nineties and noughties hip-hop and R'n'B jams party. Live fast, die young, RIDE girls do it well.

PULSE

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Techno-rammed monthly at Mash House.

MADCHESTER

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £5 - £6

Established in 1994, Madchester’s a long running Edinburgh club night celebrating the baggiest beats from the late 80s and early 90s.

THE SKINNY

BETAMAX (CHRIS FAST + BIG GUS)

HI-SOCIETY

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £5

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

bETAMAX returns with a ‘communist disco’ theme – Cold War visuals and Soviet synth. Science fiction, obsolete technology and synthetic sounds for your dancing pleasure.

Early weekend-welcoming (y’know, for students) chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, R'n'B and urban in the back room.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Bass Belly’s back, bringing UK garage, disco funk and Chicago house to Edinburgh.

TWEAK_

Weekly house and techno club bringing the world’s most credible artists to Edinburgh, every Saturday at the newly upgraded La Belle Angele.

THE BOROUGH COLLECTIVE: CRASH GOES LOVE (GARETH SOMMERVILLE & CUNNIE) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

A showcase of sexy, soulful, and disco fuelled side of The Borough Collective.

EGEBAMYASI

WEE RED BAR, FROM 22:30, £4

A nicht of MacAcid house with Egebamyasi and various techno talents.

FINITRIBE (HI & SABERHÄGEN)

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–02:00, FREE

Following their debut EP on Huntleys + Palmers last year and with a highly anticipated release coming soon, Edinburgh-based duo Hi & Saberhägen are ones to watch.

Sun 26 Mar

COALITION (BELIEVE + GAV MILLER + STU + JORDAN COCHRANE + GED & SKANKY B)

BASS BELLY (DOUBLE 99)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £9

PLAYROOM (MARTIN VALENTINE)

Fri 31 Mar PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

DOMINO CLUB (P-STYLZ)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Weekly institution Domino Club is back, with DJ P-Stylz at the helm of the mighty ship every Friday evening.

FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

HEY QT!

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

Sweaty dance disco for queer folk and their pals.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 23:00, FREE

The March edition of DILF (you know what it stands for).

THE SCOTTISH TATTOO CONVENTION OFFICIAL AFTERSHOW PARTY HOSTED BY THE GREEN DOOR.

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £2 - £5

Annual wrap party for Scotland’s prestigious tattoo show featuring live music from The No-Things, a limbo contest, a tiki photobooth and a scorching soundtrack of rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, doo wop, garage, surf and soul.

Mon 27 Mar MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

Tue 28 Mar TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £6

Affectionately known to many simply as Hector's, this club has become one of Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindigs, ft. house, disco, techno, garage, hip hop, soul, funk across three rooms.

Wed 29 Mar COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

ANTI-SOCIAL PANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, TBC

New rave-flavour midweeker at Liquid Rooms, founded by a promoter who has literally NO chill.

Thu 30 Mar

JUICE (KA MI + DAN JUICE + DECLAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Dan, Declan and Kami make weird waves through house and techno.

March 2017

ETHOS 09 (AL KENT)

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £5 - £7

Sat 11 Mar

PARADISE PAINS

WEE RED BAR, FROM 22:30, £3 - £5

Queen, queer or just straight up zany, it matters not to Such A Drag’s groundskeeper Fanny (nor to her friends). Leave your judgements and dignity at the door and get involved in the live acts and dancing.

Thu 09 Mar

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Paradise Pains brings ECA students together for a night of performance art, music and dancing. Expect an eclectic mix of live art and DJing.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

SUCH A DRAG (GROUNDSKEEPER FANNY & FRIENDS)

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £5 - £7

Make room on the first Saturday of March for funk, soul, disco and Latin with JCJ.

Slo-jams, edits, afro, disco, house played by the one and only Martin Valentine.

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and friends.

THE CLUB

JUTE CITY JAM (MAX GALLOWAY + CALVIN CRICHTON + RONAN BAXTER)

The Million Dollar Disco head honcho plays everything from old gems to new edits with support from residents Matt & Spam

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sat 04 Mar

DILF

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £8

NIKNAK

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Nik and Nak are back for their lastfridayofeverymonth take over.

Expect boogalo, humpers, star funk, pumpers, discotechno, italo fudge, POP, electroniqueefa, wild dance moves and possibly a special guest or two.

HOT MESS: EAST COAST (SIMONOTRON)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

Queer dance party for friends and lovers. Simonotron plays the music all night long: disco, house, acid, synth, techno and all that jazz.

HOTLINE

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Brand smashin’ new cloob at Bongo, ‘run by women, for everyone’. R'n'B, disco, funk and freeee dancing.

TWEAK_ (MANO LE TOUGH)

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, TBC

Weekly house and techno club bringing the world’s most credible artists to Edinburgh, every Saturday at the newly upgraded La Belle Angele.

JOSEPH CAPRIATI (OLIVER ORTON)

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £20

Bright new techno star Joseph Capriati plays The Liquid Room.

SURE SHOT

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30, £2-4

Golden age hip-hop and R'n'B night hosted by two bearded men with an equal love of food and music; The Skinny's Food Editor Peter Simpson and one half of Kitchen Disco, Malcolm Storey.

Dundee Clubs Fri 03 Mar MIKE JOYCE DJ SET

LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £10

A night dedicated to the 50s and 60s that’s been running for over half a decade.

Thu 16 Mar

RECKLESS KETTLE (LYLO)

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £3.50 - £5

Party throwers, Reckless Kettle bring Glasgow based band, LYLO for live set before residents Fergus Tibbs and Mikey Rodger take to the decks.

Fri 17 Mar

ARTWORK + HEADWAY: ART’S HOUSE

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £10

Artwork’s left to his own devices all night long.

Disco music, pop culture and free chips set the scene as Katy Baird shares her webcam modelling, drug dealing and burger flipping stories to explore what we are and aren’t willing to do for money.

The Art School SHOOT THE SISSY

7 MAR, 7:30PM – 11:00PM, £5 - £8

Nando Messias is back with a new work, Shoot the Sissy – his own disturbingly beautiful freak show, a queer menagerie of carnivalesque contortion and florid fantasy.

The King’s Theatre THE FULL MONTY

1-4 MAR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

New stage adaptation of the BAFTA award-winning film about six steelworkers with nothing to lose - well, except their clothes.

With former Hollyoaks stars and, er, Eastenders’ Jack Ryder directing (?!). Matinees available.

SUE PERKINS

12 MAR, 7:30PM, £23.65

The very brilliant Sue Perkins presents the best bits from her best-selling memoir, Spectacles.

13-16 MAR, 7:30PM, £29.15

Phazed returns to Dundee’s Reading Rooms, sorting ye Dundonians out with a right good night.

Fri 24 Mar

SLAM (SOMA) 25TH ANNIVERSARY DJ SET (STUART MCMILLIAN + ORDE MEIKLE)

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £10

Glaswegian duo Slam celebrate 25 years of the Soma label with a bit of banger at Reading Rooms.

FRANKIE BOYLE AND FRIENDS

Old grumps is back with his controversial comedy off the back of his BBC show American Autopsy.

The SSE Hydro GOOD MOURNING MRS BROWN

29 MAR-25 NOV, TIMES VARY, £22.50 - £39.50

Mrs Brown's boys return with more cheap laughs on a 2017 tour.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: VAREKAI

15 MAR, 8:00PM, £45 - £55

Cirque du Soleil’s kid-friendly show: a tale of destiny in a hidden forest.

Glasgow Theatre CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art TRICKY HAT: THE FLAMES: INFORMATION SESSION

1 MAR, 1:30PM, FREE

Looking for a new challenge? The Flames is a theatre company for people age 50+. Go find out more about the next creative project in this information session ahead of performances this Spring.

Citizens Theatre CUTTIN’ A RUG

1-11 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

The follow-up to The Slab Boys in John Byrne’s era-defining trilogy; a witty and moving play about double act Phil and Spanky, two lads employed at a carpet factory whose dreams reach far beyond.

RUBY WAX: FRAZZLED

18-19 MAR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

A good ol’ chinwag with Ruby Wax about mindfulness (she’s got a Master’s in Cognitive Therapy from Oxford, did ya know...).

THERE’S BEEN A LIFE: AN EVENING WITH ALEX NORTON

17-20 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Alex Norton tracks his journey feom the streets of Glasgow’s Gorbals to Hollywood.

MY COUNTRY: A WORK IN PROGRESS

28 MAR-1 APR, 7:30PM, £12.50 - £22.50

Oran Mor

THE CAUSE OF THUNDER

12 MAR, 7:00PM, £12.50 - £14

David Hayman plays Bob Cunningham, a raconteur sharing his musings on early retirement; politics, the No vote, Brexit, Corbyn, refugees…and having seen a man spontaneously ascend into heaven...

Theatre Tron Theatre ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS

23-25 MAR, 8:00PM, £7.50 - £10

An award-winning new play by Jane Upton about three girls searching for friendship, family and themselves.

FASLANE

29 MAR-1 APR, 8:00PM, £7.50 - £10

Award-winning artist Jenna Watt presents Faslane, a hugely powerful and timely insight into the UK’s current nuclear debate. Jenna endeavours to understand her relationship to Trident, the wider nuclear debate and activism.

EUGENE KELLY

31 MAR, 8:30PM, £8

Eugene Kelly of Vaselines fame drops by.

Edinburgh Theatre

SUMMER HOLIDAY

7-11 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:30, £8

PHAZED (XXXY) (TEDDY HANNAN, CORRELATE)

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:00, £14

The All Good chaps return with Panorama Bar resident, Tuff City Kids production man and music journalist Gerd Janson.

30 MAR, 7:00PM, £4 - £5

Sat 18 Mar

National Theatre of Great Britain in collaboration with Citizens Theatre and seven other UK theatre companies in a play about the EU referendum.

ALL GOOD (GERD JANSON) (VAN D + CALUM & ADDY)

WORKSHY

Bizarre but heartwarming musical about Cliff Richard and his buds going on a summer holiday (via bus).

The Smiths’ Mike Joyce sorts out The Venue Formally Known As Buskers with a sprawling DJ set.

BAR 15, FROM 20:00, £10

Platform

Theatre Royal THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

6-11 MAR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

The hit West End comedy mashing up the theatrical side of Noises Off with the farcical qualities of Fawlty Towers, following a polytechnic drama society as they attempt to stage a 20s murder mystery.

SCOTTISH OPERA: PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE

1-4 MAR, TIMES VARY, £11.50 - £77.50

Acclaimed director Sir David McVicar returns to Scottish Opera to direct Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, with set design by the team behind War Horse.

NATIONAL OPERA STUDIO: SCOTTISH OPERA

3 MAR, 6:00PM, FREE

National Opera Studio’s talented young artists complete their residency with ScOpera in a showcase directed by Max Hoehn.

BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE & THE 8TH DOOR

28 MAR-1 APR, 7:15PM, £11.50 - £79

Scottish Opera and theatre company Vanishing Point collaborate over a production of Bartók’s mysterious Bluebeard’s Castle and a new original piece entitled The 8th Door.

Assembly Roxy H.M.S PINAFORE

21-25 MAR, 7:30PM, £12

EUSOG perform their rendition of G&S classic H.M.S Pinafore.

Festival Theatre

DANZA CONTEMPORANEA DE CUBA

14-15 MAR, 7:30PM, £21 - £26.50

Cuba’s flagship dance company returns with a blend of Afro Caribbean rhythms, jazzy American modernism and inflections from European ballet.

BRENDAN COLE - ALL NIGHT LONG

26 MAR, 7:30PM, £33.50 - £38.50

Gender-discombobulating star who landed herself in the eye of a shitstorm when her speech about homophobia went viral and ended up being remixed by Pet Shop Boys.

BARROWLAND BALLET: WOLVES

18-18 MAR, TIMES VARY, £4 - £6

A world premiere from Barrowland Ballet, performed by an intergenerational crew of dance artists.

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

Noel Coward’s classic 20th Century comedy follows the Bliss family and their eccentric behaviour.

JON RONSON’S PSYCHOPATH NIGHT

16-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

The author of The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test brings a live show of storytelling, twists and turns to the theatre, ft. special guests Mary Turner Thomson and Eleanor Longden.

Scottish Storytelling Centre 23 MAR, 7:30PM, £10

An hour-long patchwork of music, storytelling, film and spoken word about what happens when you grow up in the Highlands then move to the central belt.

PAULA VARJACK: SHOW ME THE MONEY

10 MAR, 7:30PM, £10

Paula Varjack is a writer, filmmaker and performance maker. Her work explores identity, the unsaid, and making the invisible visible. This show is a must-see for anyone with even a passing interest in sustainable arts culture.

1 MAR-29 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

14-18 MAR, TIMES VARY, £16.90 - £41.90

BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY

A feel-good West End show featuring two hours of Buddy Holly bangers, charting his rise to fame and legendary final performance in Clear Lake, Iowa.

SCOTTISH OPERA: PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE

7-11 MAR, 7:15PM, £19 - £82.50

Celebrated director Sir David McVicar returns to Scottish Opera to direct Debussy’s opera Pelléas and Mélisande, with set design from the folk behind War Horse. Sung in French with English supertitles.

CHESS THE MUSICAL

30-31 MAR, 7:30PM, £17.50 - £29.50

A unique interpretation of this legendary musical featuring music

by ABBA’s Benny and Bjorn, detailing Cold War rivalries on and off the chessboard.

King’s Theatre Edinburgh CUTTIN’ A RUG

1-11 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

15-18 MAR, 7:30PM, £16 - £20

10 MAR, 8:00PM, £10 - £14

HAY FEVER

10 MAR-1 APR, 7:30PM, £10 - £30.50

The Edinburgh Playhouse

9 MAR, 7:30PM, £4 - £6

PANTI: HIGH HEELS AND LOW PLACES

Max Webster is reunited with The Lyceum’s Artistic Director David Greig in as they bring their production of Shakespeare’s passionate tragedy of wit and wisdom to the Lyceum.

Brendan Cole unbuttons his shirt to the sternum and gets set to host another night of Strictly-esque grooving.

Tramway

Yet another vibrant and talentsoaked showcase of performances from one of Scotland’s best youth dance troupes.

THE WINTER’S TALE

1-4 MAR, 7:30PM, £10 - £30.50

RIPPED FROM THE WIRE SPINE

The follow-up to The Slab Boys in John Byrne’s era-defining trilogy; a witty and moving play about double act Phil and Spanky, two lads employed at a carpet factory whose dreams reach far beyond.

Y DANCE: DESTINATIONS

Royal Lyceum Theatre

9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL

Musical tale of the blonde queen of country-tinged pop, based on the film of the same name.

EDGAS: RUDDYGORE

21-25 MAR, 7:30PM, £16 - £24

More Gilbert and Sullivan silliness from one of Edinburgh’s resident G&S performance groups.

ANITA AND ME

28 MAR-1 APR, 7:30PM, £20.50 - £30.50

Meera Syal’s much-loved novel bursts on to the stage for the very first time.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

Joe McElderry dons the dreamcoat and takes on the role of Joseph.

How fitting. Matinees available.

MOTOWN’S GREATEST HITS: HOW SWEET IT IS

29 MAR-26 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Live show taking you through all of the favourite Motown hits, including tunes from Lionel Richie, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson Five and more.

ELLEN KENT’S NABUCCO

31 MAR, 7:30PM, £17.90 - £41.90

Giuseppe Verdi’s opera of four acts, featuring the famous Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, presented by Ellen Kent.

ELLEN KENT’S LA BOHÈME

24-30 MAR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

Puccini’s romantic opera is brought to the stage under the direction of Ellen Kent, telling the tale of the doomed Mimi, dying of consumption while falling in love.

THE COMMITMENTS

1 MAR-8 APR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

Based on the BAFTA award-winning film, following a young working class music fan produce the finest soul band Dublin’s ever seen.

Matinees available.

LORD OF THE DANCE: DANGEROUS GAMES

22 MAR, 7:30PM, £27.15

Directed by Michael Flatley and featuring forty premium dancers, so says they.

MICKY FLANAGAN WARM UP

21 MAR, 7:30PM, £27.15

A warm-up show from the touslehaired English comic with razor sharp observational wit.

Traverse Theatre CITIZEN

17-18 MAR, 7:30PM, £8.50 - £16.50

A playful, perceptive and thoughtprovoking piece that explores identity and aspirations.

GIRLS LIKE THAT

ALBERT LEE AND HIS BAND

9-11 MAR, 7:00PM, £10.50 - £12.50

19 MAR, 7:30PM, £21 - £23

Directors, Eszter Jokay and Fiona Hollow, present a thought-provoking and dynamic time-shifting production about the break-down of a community and the female experience.

OFFSIDE

30 MAR-22 APR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

It is 1881. It is 1921. It is 2017.

Four women from across the centuries live, breathe, and play football. While each face different obstacles, the possibility that the beautiful game will change their future is close.

IF I HAD A GIRL...

2-16 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

A verbatim play by Mariem Omari which speaks on behalf those who have survived honour-based violence in Scottish ethnic-minority communities.

DREAMERS / TUTUMUCKY

3-4 MAR, 7:30PM, £8.50 - £16.50

A double bill: Lachky’s dance work demonstrating his pleasure in making sense from nonsense and exploring links between reality and surrealism; and Botis Seva’s ‘post hip-hop theatre’ piece Tutumucky.

NATIONAL THEATRE CONNECTIONS 2017: THREE / THE MONSTRUM 22-25 MAR, 7:00PM, £5.50 - £8.50

The National Theatre Connections festival is a celebration of young people, theatre-making and the importance of access to the arts.

SOUNDHOUSE: SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION

27 MAR, 8:00PM, £11

The Edinburgh-based folk-meetsbluegrass seven-piece play a Soundhouse gig at the Trav.

Dundee Theatre Caird Hall ANTON & ERIN

3 MAR, 7:30PM, £39.50

Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag dance their way through a selection of golden musical classics, backed by a 25-piece orchestral band.

ANTON AND ERIN

3 MAR, 7:30PM, £39.50

A night of spangle, forced smiles and ballroom dancing from the well-known duo.

Dundee Rep DEATH OF A SALESMAN

1-11 MAR, 7:30PM, £10

Reworking of one of Arthur Miller’s best-known plays, inspired by an encounter Miller had with his uncle, a salesman, at a performance of his first hit play, All My Sons.

IF I HAD A GIRL...

2-16 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

A verbatim play by Mariem Omari which speaks on behalf those who have survived honour-based violence in Scottish ethnic-minority communities.

The country-rock veteran is joined by his backing band for potentially his last trip around UK shores.

HORSE MCDONALD: CAREFUL

31 MAR, 7:30PM, £11.50 - £13.50

Horse McDonald takes us on a journey from wearing two-tone velvet loons to being one of Scotland’s most celebrated singers, and through those times when she had to be careful.

Whitehall Theatre LEGALLY BLONDE

16-18 MAR, 7:30PM, £13 - £15

All-singing, all-dancing musical adaptation of the hit movie featuring teen queen Elle and her trusty chihuahua, Bruiser.

Glasgow Comedy Wed 01 Mar ACS IMPROV NIGHT

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:30, TBC

A night of ridiculousness at Classic Grand with ACS, the Improv Ninjas and the Woman Up troupes.

COMIC RELIEF LIVE: JO BRAND

THE STAND GLASGOW, 17:30–19:30, £14 - £15

Red Nose Day comedy spectacular with a top bill of comics and hosted

by Jo Brand.

GARY MEIKLE: IN JAIL OR DEAD

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:00, £6 - £8

Rising comic Gary Meikle tells of his upbringing in children’s homes where he was told by staff he’d end up in jail or dead.

Thu 02 Mar

THE THURSDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + BETHANY BLACK + JOHN GAVIN + GARETH MUTCH + MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £5 - £10

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 03 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + BETHANY BLACK + JOHN GAVIN + GARETH MUTCH + MARTIN MOR) THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Sat 04 Mar

THE SATURDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + BETHANY BLACK + JOHN GAVIN + GARETH MUTCH + MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–23:00, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

18 MAR, 7:30PM, £10 - £20

Sun 05 Mar

DR PHIL’S HEALTH REVOLUTION

Chilled Sunday night laughs to see the weekend out.

THE DOLLS ABROAD

A new comedy starring Two Doors Down’s Louise McCarthy and River City’s Gayle Telfer Stevens as ‘The Dolls’, who’re embarking on the trip of a lifetime... to Greece.

20 MAR, 7:30PM, £10 - £15

Doctor, campaigner, health writer, investigative journalist and whistleblowing comic Phil Hammond combines both of his sell-out Fringe shows into one lolsome evening.

The Gardyne Theatre TWIST AND SHOUT

4-30 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

50s and 60s themed evening – vintage variants of rock’n’roll, pop and soul at the ready.

RUBY WAX: FRAZZLED

18-19 MAR, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

A good ol’ chinwag with Ruby Wax about mindfulness (she’s got a Master’s in Cognitive Therapy from Oxford, did ya know...).

THERE’S BEEN A LIFE: AN EVENING WITH ALEX NORTON

17-20 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Alex Norton tracks his journey feom the streets of Glasgow’s Gorbals to Hollywood.

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (BETHANY BLACK + SCOTT AGNEW + GARETH MUTCH + JODIE MITCHELL + MICHAEL REDMOND)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £1 - £6

GLASGOW KIDS COMEDY SHOW (BETHANY BLACK + ASHLEY STORRIE + JAY LAFFERTY) THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:30, £4

Comedy session suitable for little ears (i.e. no swearies), for children aged 8-12 years-old.

Mon 06 Mar

MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV (BILLY KIRKWOOD + STUART MURPHY + GARRY DOBSON)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £4 - £6

Two teams of comics battle it out for the biggest laughs under the watchful eye of ‘Improv Warlord’ Billy Kirkwood.

Tue 07 Mar

RED RAW (SUSIE MCCABE + JAMIE MACDONALD)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:45, £3

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

Listings

67

Comedy Wed 08 Mar

COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES (THE WEE MAN)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:00, £4 - £6

Ro Cambell and The Wee Man’s comedian rap battle-off, where a select batch of comics compete to see who’s got the most swagger when it comes to hippity-hop wit.

Thu 09 Mar YESBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

RUSSELL KANE: RIGHT MAN, WRONG AGE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:30, £17

The shiny-quiffed Kane returns with a show all about growing up, growing down, and not quite feeling the right age.

JOSIE LONG: SOMETHING BETTER

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–21:30, £10 - £12

The triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and cult optimist returns with a new show about hopefulness, and looking for people and things to look up to.

ABIGOLIAH SCHAMAUN: WORKING ON IT

MCPHABBS, FROM 19:30, £5

Abigoliah returns to the Glasgow Comedy Festival to talk of her love for healthy living by day and debauched shenanigans by night.

TWISTED EDGE SHOWCASE

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, FREE

A pay-what-you-want show showcasing the best of Twisted Edge’s comedy workshops.

Fri 10 Mar

CRAIG HILL: UP AND COMING

CHRISTOPHER BROOMFIELD: GAME OF TONES STATE BAR, FROM 21:00, £7 - £10

A comedy show from Chris Broomfield about those tones that make up our daily lives and how they sound to a hard of hearing person.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY AT DRYGATE

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 20:30, £11.50 - £12.50

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for its residency.

PLANET CARAMEL: A TASTE OF PLANET CARAMEL

MCPHABBS, FROM 20:00, £3 - £4

FREE CARAMEL WAFER. A monolithic sketch comedy trio, formed when three kinds of caramel (David, Richard and Alex) collided at speed.

RICHARD GADD: MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO

THE STAND GLASGOW, 17:00–18:00, £10 - £12

The comic talent responsible for Waiting for Gaddot and Breaking Gadd returns with his introspective 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show.

GARY DUNN: MONKEY MAGIC

THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £5

Kids Show – part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

CARINA MACLEOD: 44

YESBAR, FROM 22:00, £8

Hebridean hero returns with a follow-up to last year’s sell-out show. This time, age is on the brain.

GARETH MUTCH: TOO MUTCH TOO YOUNG

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £4 - £5

Mutch makes a trip back to Glasgow Comedy Fest with a brand spankin’ new hour of comedy.

JAY LAFFERTY: BESOM

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £6 - £8

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £16.50

Wee, cheeky, nosey, silly, gallus the besom is back at GICF.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY AT DRYGATE

YESBAR, FROM 16:45, £5

The kilted cheeky chappie brings his new show to Glasgow.

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 20:30, £11.50 - £12.50

JIM MCCREADIE & CALUM WARK: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

A mid-life crisis comedy double-up.

GIGGLE FOR GLEN

YESBAR, FROM 15:30, £5

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for its residency.

A comedy show raising funds for the Butterfly Trust.

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:00, £10 - £12

DAVID KAY

TERRY ALDERTON’S ALL CRAZY NOW

Off-beat performer big on the physical comedy daftness.

GARETH MUTCH: TOO MUTCH TOO YOUNG

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £4 - £5

Mutch makes a trip back to Glasgow Comedy Fest with a brand spankin’ new hour of comedy.

GARETH WAUGH: HONESTLY?

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £7 - £8

One comic, two microphones. A show all about lying and honesty.

MC VIV GEE: LATE LAUGHS

YESBAR, FROM 23:15, £10

Nightcaps and lols and Yesbar. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

MC VIV GEE: THE EARLY SHOW

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £10

Yesbar resident MC Bib Gee introduces the cream of the festival.

ROBIN GRAINGER: BE THE PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE

YESBAR, FROM 22:00, £3 - £4

Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

CBGB: GLASGOW EDITION III

MCCHUILLS, FROM 20:00, FREE

Glasgow Edition is back with another round of comedy, bands, glam and booze. Line-up features Kavita Bhardwaj, Amelia Bayer, Brian Miller, Sean Wilkie, Anthony Forest, Adam Cook and more.

Sat 11 Mar THE FESTIVAL CLUB

THE STAND GLASGOW, 22:30–00:30, £18

Catch The Stand’s pick of international comedy acts who’ve flocked to Glasgow comedy Festival.

JOSIE LONG: SOMETHING BETTER

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–20:30, £10 - £12

The triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and cult optimist returns with a new show about hopefulness, and looking for people and things to look up to.

CRAIG HILL: UP AND COMING

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £16.50

The kilted cheeky chappie brings his new show to Glasgow.

68

Listings

Sun 12 Mar THE STAND GLASGOW, 18:30–19:30, £9 - £10

David Kay delivers his set full of leftfield rambles and senior citizen-esque chatter to a Glasgow crowd.

YESBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

BEC HILL AND TIERNAN DOUIEB: WORK IN PROGRESS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:00, £8 - £10

A year of new and old chat from comedian and presenter Bec Hill, along with gags and musings from Tiernan Douieb.

IMAGINARY FRIENDS: LIFE, DEATH, AND IMPROV COMEDY

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , FROM 19:30, £3 - £4

Local comedy troupe, taking audience suggestions at The Old Hairdressers.

GUNGE: A SHOW WITH GUNGE IN IT (LEE KYLE) THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £5

Kiddie-friendly show in which two teams of comedians compete to be spared a loser's gunging. Hosted

by Lee Kyle.

DAVID TSONOS: WALKING THE CAT

YESBAR, FROM 15:30, £5 - £7

David tells us of what it’s truly like to be a cat guardian and the hilarious experiences that come with it.

IAIN CAMPBELL & DAVID CALLAN: IC/DC

YESBAR, FROM 14:15, £4 - £5

Returning to Yesbar for the second year running, join the English Scotsman and the Scottish Englishman for one afternoon only this March MOLLAND & SULLIVAN: FREEDOM OF SPEECH

YESBAR, FROM 16:45, £5

A comedy event so controversial its first week at the Edinburgh Fringe saw an audience member forcibly ejected for hurling abuse.

Mon 13 Mar

IAIN CONNELL AND ROBERT FLORENCE: UNCLES

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, TBC

The dudes behind BBC sketch show Burnistoun bring a comedy fest show to the Citz.

STUART GOLDSMITH: COMPARED TO WHAT

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–20:30, £8 - £10

Stand-up talent and podcast know-it-all Stu Goldsmith beings a multiple award-winning show that isn’t entirely about becoming a parent to Glasgow.

DAVID O’DOHERTY: BIG TIME

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £15.50 - £17.50

More rib-tickly, heartbreaking ditties on a crappy keyboard from 1986.

CRAIG HOSIE, GARY MCINDOE + TOMMY LOD: CHANCING BASTARDS

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £5

A star-studded spectacular ft. three up-and-coming comics.

LARRY DEAN: WORK IN PROGRESS

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Fosters Comedy Award 2015 nominee and gallus Glaswegian Larry Dean returns with a work in progress.

Tue 14 Mar

GLASGOW HAROLD NIGHT

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, 20:00–22:00, £3 - £5

One hilarious show, completely improvised by two teams, based off an audience suggestion. Improv comedy at its finest.

IAIN CONNELL AND ROBERT FLORENCE: UNCLES

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, TBC

The dudes behind BBC sketch show Burnistoun bring a comedy fest show to the Citz.

KATHARINE FERNS: IN STITCHES

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10

Exclusive show from an international rising star.

ADAM KAY: FINGERING A MINOR ON THE PIANO

COTTIERS THEATRE, FROM 20:30, £14 - £15

Amateur Transplants frontman, prolific sitcom writer and former doctor Adam Kay returns to the Fringe with his smutty songs. In the key of A minor.

BBC COMEDY PRESENTS: THE BEST OF RED RAW

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:30, £5

Open mic night in collaboration with BBC Comedy, aiming to bring top notch comedy festival talent into the foreground.

DAVID O’DOHERTY: BIG TIME

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £15.50 - £17.50

TONY JAMESON: IS THIS WHAT I’VE BECOME? BROADCAST, FROM 21:00, TBC

Tony Jameson recalls how the game Football Manager ruined his life.

We’ve all been there.

BEST OF BUTCHER’S CHOICE

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 20:00, £5 - £6

Prime cuts of comic meat for your pleasure at The Gladdie.

ANDREW STANLEY: CLASSIC STANLEY

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:30–22:30, £10 - £12

Irish TV and radio star making his Glasgow Comedy Fest debut.

DES CLARKE: DESNEYLAND

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £15

Rising comedy star who goes by Des brings a loada nonsense and topical gags to the Citz.

RICHARD PULSFORD: PHRASES READY

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £5

A show full of gags, puns, one liners and wordplay – part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Thu 16 Mar

DAISY EARL: GET HAPPY

LIBERTE, 20:30,£5

Jojo Sutherland mentee and 2015 scottish comedian of the year plays GICF. STEWART LEE

CLYDE AUDITORIUM, FROM 20:00, £23

One of the country’s most respected comedians prepares new material for his new BBC2 series of Comedy Vehicle.

YESBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

STEPHEN BUCHANAN: GALLERIES

TONY COFFEY: ISABLED

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £6

An obstacle-strewn verbal strool through Tony Coffey’s life.

Wed 15 Mar GREG PROOPS

COTTIERS THEATRE, FROM 20:30, £13 - £15

Master of improv Greg Proops of Whose Line Is It Anyway, back in town exploring the terribleness of America right now.

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT (JULIA SUTHERLAND )

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £3

Willy Maley and Ian Auld’s hit play The Lions of Lisbon is revived at Tron as a rehearsed reading with a 10 person cast and a full live band.

BEST OF BUTCHER’S CHOICE

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 20:00, £5 - £6

Prime cuts of comic meat for your pleasure at The Gladdie.

KEVIN MCPADDEN: #BIGGERTHANKANYE

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:30, £4 - £5

Join Glasgow comic Kevin McPadden, as he skyrockets his way to the tippy-top with one goal in mind: #BiggerthanKanye.

GARY MEIKLE: IN JAIL OR DEAD

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £4 - £6

Rising comic Gary Meikle tells of his upbringing in children’s homes where he was told by staff he’d end up in jail or dead.

CHRIS KENT: MOVING ON

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–20:30, £7 - £9

THE LIONS OF LISBON

THE BARRAS ARTS AND DESIGN CENTRE, FROM 19:30, £17.50

Willy Maley and Ian Auld’s hit play The Lions of Lisbon is revived at Tron as a rehearsed reading with a 10 person cast and a full live band.

IAIN CONNELL AND ROBERT FLORENCE: UNCLES

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £20

The dudes behind BBC sketch show Burnistoun bring a comedy fest show to the Citz.

HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI’S MIX TAPE

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £13

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, TBC

THE KING’S THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £20.40 - £22.40

Big bants from Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove, a duo known primarily for their self-proclaimed ‘petty and ill-informed’ football show on BBC Radio Scotland.

AN ENGLISHMAN, AN IRISHMAN AND A SCOTSMAN WALK INTO YESBAR

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £3 - £5

Ben Morston (Englishman), AJ Sixsmith (travelling Irishman) and Tommy Ashe (resident Scotsman) unpack their complex group dynamics for the sake of comedy gold.

JOHN GAVIN: HAPPY JOHN IS A PURE TATTIE

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £6 - £8

MC VIV GEE: THE EARLY SHOW

Yesbar resident MC Bib Gee introduces the cream of the festival.

MC VIV GEE: LATE LAUGHS

YESBAR, FROM 23:15, £10

Nightcaps and lols and Yesbar. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Sat 18 Mar THE FESTIVAL CLUB

THE STAND GLASGOW, 22:30–00:30, £18

Catch The Stand’s pick of international comedy acts who’ve flocked to Glasgow comedy Festival.

ELAINE MILLER: GUSSET GRIPPERS

YESBAR, FROM 16:45, £4 - £5

A physiotherapist takes an extended look at what would normally be a one liner in a male stand-up routine – get ready to get to know your pelvic floor. (?!)

THE LIONS OF LISBON

THE BARRAS ARTS AND DESIGN CENTRE, FROM 19:30, £17.50

Willy Maley and Ian Auld’s hit play The Lions of Lisbon is revived at Tron as a rehearsed reading with a 10 person cast and a full live band.

BRIDGET CHRISTIE: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £14 - £16

The self-aware British comic exasperated by Brexit brings her fury to Glasgow Comedy Festival.

PHIL DIFFER: SELF PORTRAIT

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £12.50

The man behind Watson’s Wind-Up and Only An Excuse doing more of his own stand-up at GICF. ANDY VANNAN: COMIC BOOKS, TRAVEL AND OTHER STUFF

MCPHABBS, FROM 15:30, FREE

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £10

WitsHerFace return to the Òran Mór with a brand new show after their sell out shows at the West End Festival and GICF 2016.

JOE MCSLOY: THE REAL MCSLOY

BROADCAST, FROM 20:00, £6 - £7

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, FROM 20:00, £5

The dudes behind BBC sketch show Burnistoun bring a comedy fest show to the Citz.

STUART COSGROVE & TAM COWAN: OFF THE BAWL

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

WITSHERFACE: DEAD FUNNY

Dose of dark-as-night comedy for ya.

IAIN CONNELL AND ROBERT FLORENCE: UNCLES

An improv session from a man who Frankie Boyle described as ‘a genuine improvisational genius’.

A feel-good comedy show containing cosplay and life-rants.

Join Joe McSloy as he gives you his unique take on the world as he sees it.

One hilarious show, completely improvised by two teams, based off an audience suggestion. Improv comedy at its finest.

RAYMOND MEARNS: LIVE AND UNLEASHED (RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 22:15–23:30, £8 - £10

The BBC Radio 4 broadcaster, comedian, journalist and chef shares his personal mixtape.

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

GLASGOW HAROLD NIGHT (IMPROV GLASGOW)

A best-of Irish comedy showcase – part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £10

Fri 17 Mar

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £4 - £5

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–22:00, £11 - £12

THE BARRAS ARTS AND DESIGN CENTRE, FROM 19:30, £17.50

YESBAR, FROM 21:45, £5 - £7

One of the fastest rising prospects in Scottish Comedy in his Yesbar debut.

ST PATRICK’S DAY IRISH COMEDY SPECIAL! (ELEANOR TIERNAN + ANDREW STANLEY + MICHAEL REDMOND + MARTIN MOR)

THE LIONS OF LISBON

Chris presents his fifth hour, Moving On at GICF.

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee 2016 and New Act of the Year award winner BILAL ZAFAR brings us his highly anticipated debut show Cakes.

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:30, £4 - £5

Join Glasgow comic Kevin McPadden, as he skyrockets his way to the tippy-top with one goal in mind: #BiggerthanKanye.

The onetime Scottish Comedian of the Year brings a new 60 mins to GICF.

More rib-tickly, heartbreaking ditties on a crappy keyboard from 1986.

BILAL ZAFAR: CAKES

KEVIN MCPADDEN: #BIGGERTHANKANYE

PABLO SERSKI: NOTHING IS PERFECT

BROADCAST, FROM 21:00, £6 - £8

GARY LITTLE & JULIA SUTHERLAND: JAILMATES

COTTIERS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £8 - £10

A comedy of correspondence between recently divorced Jenny and recently imprisoned Gerry.

ASHLEY STORRIE: FULL FRONTAL STORRIE

The self-confessed ‘sexy Hodor of Scottish comedy’ returns.

THE SONG OF FERGUS AND KATE

THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £5

An interactive kids show at Glasgow International Comedy Festival KEIR MCALLISTER AND GUS LYMBURN: TOP OF THEIR GAME

THE STAND GLASGOW, 17:00–18:00, £7 - £8

A combo deal constituting two comedians at the top of their game – pity no-one can work out what the hell they’re playing at.

SUSIE MCCABE: LET’S GET PHYSICAL

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:00–21:00, £8 - £10

A new show about health and fitness from Susie McCabe.

JAMES CAMPBELL’S THE FUNNY THING CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 14:00, £7.50

James Campbell, pioneer of stand-up for kids enchants yet another room of children with only a microphone.

CATHERINE SCOTT: THE LITTLEST HOME OWNER

YESBAR, FROM 14:15, £4 - £6

Catherine Scott is less than 5'1" and has moved 20 times in the last 13 years. She’s lived with insomniacs, sex-addicts, alcoholics and a dude from Middlesbrough. Hear all about it.

CUMBERS & LAIRD: LIVE

YESBAR, FROM 15:30, £5 - £6

Witty storyteller Scot Laird joins one-liner/observational comedy specialist Liam Cumbers at GICF. COME TYNE WITH ME (JULIAN LEE + MARK KENNEDY + MICHAEL HOLFORD)

YESBAR, FROM 00:00, FREE

A three-part showcase featuring a trio of comics from the North East.

LIAM WITHNAIL: WORK IN PROGRESS

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £5

A new show which likely includes chat about love, travel, immigration and Countdown.

MC VIV GEE: THE EARLY SHOW

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £10

Yesbar resident MC Bib Gee introduces the cream of the festival.

MC VIV GEE: LATE LAUGHS

YESBAR, FROM 23:15, £10

Nightcaps and lols and Yesbar. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

RAHUL KOHLI: NOT SO CHUBBY, BROWN

BILLY KIRKWOOD: SHEER UTTER CHAOS THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:00, £7 - £8

An interactive live stand-up from last year’s GICF sell-out Billy Kirkwood.

LOVE OR MONEY

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

Love or Money is a double bill of two comedic one-act two-hander plays: Vote For Love by Karen Barclay and Some People by Tom Brogan.

JORDAN WISTUBA, DANIEL MORGAN & STUART MCPHERSON: BEAUTIFUL MINDS YESBAR, FROM 20:00, £2 - £3

Jordan and Morgan are both in the debut year of their comedy careers.

See ‘em live with support from the laconic Stuart McPherson.

Tue 21 Mar

RUSSELL HOWARD: ROUND THE WORLD

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £25.50 - £32.50

The man who's fulla' good news and smiles returns on a 2017 tour. Of the world, obviously.

DR PHIL HAMMOND: DR PHIL’S HEALTH REVOLUTION

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:30, £15

The NHS doctor, BBC broadcaster, Private Eye journalist and whistleblowing comic shares his smarts at Òran Mór.

AMY GLEDHILL: MAKING A SHOW OF HERSELF

MCPHABBS, FROM 21:30, £3 - £4

The multi-award winning comedian brings her infectious energy and joy to Glasgow Comedy Fest.

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £7 - £8

BBC COMEDY PRESENTS: THE BEST OF RED RAW

Sun 19 Mar

Open mic night in collaboration with BBC Comedy, aiming to bring top notch comedy festival talent into the foreground.

Kohli returns with a follow-up to Newcastle Brown Male.

YESBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

WITSHERFACE: DEAD FUNNY

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £10

WitsHerFace return to the Òran Mór with a brand new show after their sell out shows at the West End Festival and GICF 2016.

CHUNKS: WHO THE F**CK IS CRAIGY BLAKE...

MCPHABBS, FROM 15:30, FREE

CHUNKS invite Craigy Blake (an internet troll who claims to be funnier than them) to perform his very own stand-up show. If he turns up.

MARTIN MOR: FUNNY STUFF FOR HAPPY PEOPLE

THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £5

A kids show at Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

MARTIN MOR: #ROADCOMEDIAN

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:00–20:00, £8 - £10

Martin shares tales of life on the road.

DESKY LEWIS & JOE MCSLOY: THE THING IS...

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £5 - £7

Desky Lewis and Joe McSloy make a bid for ‘safe, stale, politically correct world domination’.

IMRAN YUSUF: WORK IN PROGRESS

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £5 - £6

Yusuf continues his work offering a humanising narrative of Muslims with a new GICF show.

LADY SHONA + NATALIE SWEENEY POTTER: TWO FUNNY LASSES

YESBAR, FROM 00:00, £2 - £3

Oversharers Lady Shona and Natalie Sweener Porter seing by the Comedy Fest.

MARTIN BEARNE: JOKES AND FEELINGS

YESBAR, FROM 15:30, £2 - £3

Podcast show here Martin Bearne and Chris Gallagher interview the UK’s most established and up-andcoming comedians.

Mon 20 Mar

SIMON CAINE: BUDDHISM AND CATS

YESBAR, FROM 21:45, £5

An hour(ish) of hilarity (maybe) about having a girlfriend (honestly), yoga, meditation, depression, death, suicide and how cats aren’t what YouTube makes them out to be.

JOSH HOWIE’S MESSED UP

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:00–20:00, £8 - £10

London-born comic who brought his first solo show to Edinburgh Fringe back in 2008.

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:30, £5

CHRIS RAMSEY: IS THAT CHRIS RAMSEY

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £20

The stand-up comedian, Celebrity Juice regular and the man who once got pizza delivered to a moving train returns with a new solo show, Is That Chris Ramsey?

GRANT GALLACHER: NOTHING COMPARES TO YOUS

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £4 - £5

Sharp storytelling about love and relationships from the Scottish Comedian Of the Year finalist.

SIMON CAINE: LAUGHTER IS THE BEST PLACEBO

YESBAR, FROM 21:45, £5

Caine’s life is a constant search for emotional and electrical outlets.

If you can relate, this is the show for you.

Wed 22 Mar

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT (JULIA SUTHERLAND )

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

RICHARD HERRING

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £15

The thoughtful comedian picks his favourite routines from his 12 oneman shows, cramming them into 90 minutes for your entertainment.

CHRIS THORBURN: OH NO

MCPHABBS, FROM 20:00, £2 - £3

Loadsae brand new material from BBC Scotland comedy writer and CHUNKS performer Chris Thorburn.

JIM SMITH: NORTH COUNTRY BOY

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:00–20:00, £8

Tales of a pastoral tone from the Perthshire farmer slash comedian.

YESBAR VIRGINS YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £5

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

BEST OF WEST BREWERY COMEDY CLUB

WEST, FROM 20:30, £10

Jamie Dalgleish hosts a night of live stand-up CHARLOTTE MACDONALD: BETTER TO DIE ON YOUR FEET THAN LIVE FOREVER ON YOUR KNEES

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:30, £6 - £8

Mad funny comedian sharing tales of her travels from Scotland to NYC, from, er, ‘shags to riches’.

GEEKING AWESOME: STRAIGHT OUTTA COMIC CON

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:00, £6

Straight out of Comic Con and straight into the H&P, Geeking Awesome nerd it up for Glasgae as part of Glasgow Comedy Festival.

CHRISTOPHER MACARTHUR-BOYD: THE BOYD WITH A THORN IN HIS SIDE

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–20:30, £7 - £8

The King of Sad Style returns.

MARCEL LUCONT: WHINE LIST

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:30–22:30, £10 - £12

The finest flâneur at the Fringe brings a new interactive show to the baying masses. A kind of self-help group where everyone potentially leaves more depressed.

Expect louche musings, deadpan wit and Gallic superiority.

LOVE OR MONEY

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

Love or Money is a double bill of two comedic one-act two-hander plays: Vote For Love by Karen Barclay and Some People by Tom Brogan.

NICOLE HENRIKSEN: TECHNO GLITTER PENGUINS

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £5 - £7

Award-nominated alternative comedian Nicole Henriksen returns with a fresh dose of her high energy hot mess comedy variety show goodness.

Fri 24 Mar

CHRISTIAN TALBOT (SPECIAL GUEST: I WANT AN IRISH PASSPORT)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:30, £7 - £10

Since Brexit everyone wants an Irish passport but what does it mean to be Irish? Is there more than just ‘the craic’? (Yes.) FERN BRADY: MALE COMEDIENNE

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

Fern Brady follows up her critically acclaimed sell-out debut People Are Idiots with a new show about gender, class and Catholicism.

JANEY GODLEY: THERE’S ONLY ONE GODLEY

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £11 - £13

The podcaster, broadcaster, writer, comedian tells tales of the things that happen when she simply ‘gets out of the hoose’...

REGINALD D HUNTER

THE KING'S THEATRE, 7:30PM, £22.65

The ever provocative Reginald D Hunter gets set to deliver a set as part of Glasgow Comedy Festival, inevitably full to the brim with nuggets of necessary social commentary, punchlines about politics and wit from within the topics of race and sexuality.

ANDREW DOYLE: FUTURE TENSE

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, FROM 21:15, £8 - £10

Andrew Doyle follows up his Fringe sell-out runs with a stint at Glasgae Comedy Fest.

CHRIS BETTS: BEWILDERBEAST

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:00, £4 - £5

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:00, £10 - £12

Work-in-progress material from Chris Betts, a comic who loves to watch people, and whose favourite view is from behind the bar.

ABI ROBERTS: ANGLICHANKA

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 20:30, £11.50 - £12.50

MICHELLE MCMANUS’S REALITY: THE MUSICAL

Yes, that Michelle McManus. She’s a comedian now.

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £3 - £4

Abi Roberts returns to shed some light on our continental neighbours and tell us what side of a blini is buttered.

Thu 23 Mar JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH

CITIZENS THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £14.50 - £16.50

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY AT DRYGATE

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for its residency.

SUSIE MCCABE: LET’S GET PHYSICAL

THE STAND GLASGOW, 22:30–23:30, £8 - £10

A new show about health and fitness from Susie McCabe.

John Shuttleworth returns with golden oldie tunes and a couple of newbies.

THE SKINNY

FRED MACAULAY LIVE

MC VIV GEE: LATE LAUGHS

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:00–21:00, £11 - £12

YESBAR, FROM 23:15, £10

How is life for Fred? What is life for Fred? Who/what/where is life for Fred? It could be philosophical (Fred likes to probe). It could be medical (Fred has been probed). It’s likely to be topical, satirical, and it’s bound to be bound to be funny.

IAIN HUME: LOOK AT ME NOW

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £5 - £6

Relative newcomer Iain Hume follows up last year’s Look At Me with...er...Look At Me Now, a show about progessive snobbery.

MC VIV GEE: THE EARLY SHOW

YESBAR, FROM 20:30, £10

Yesbar resident MC Bib Gee introduces the cream of the festival.

MC VIV GEE: LATE LAUGHS

YESBAR, FROM 23:15, £10

Nightcaps and lols and Yesbar. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

MOLLAND & SULLIVAN: FREESTYLE COMEDY

YESBAR, FROM 22:00, £5

Nightcaps and lols and Yesbar. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

STUART HENDERSON: AN ACCIDENT LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO HAPPEN.

YESBAR, FROM 14:15, £2 - £7

Comedy and music from Troon’s own.

VLADIMIR MCTAVISH: SCOTLAND IN SIXTY MINUTES

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £6 - £8

Funnyman McTavish brings his 2016 sell-out Edinburgh show to GICF. ZAHRA BARRI: TALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

YESBAR, FROM 00:00, FREE

A fun look into Eastern and Kanye Western Culture. Pay what you want.

HARI SRISKANTHA: CLOWN ATLAS MCPHABBS, 17:00, £3-4

The physicist - turned - comedian Performs her debut full hour.

PETER KAY’S DANCE FOR LIFE

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £28.50

Fri 31 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JOHN GORDILLO + DAMIAN CLARK + ASHLEY STORRIE + BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Edinburgh Comedy Wed 01 Mar

ALLAN STEWART’S BIG BIG VARIETY SHOW

KING’S THEATRE EDINBURGH, FROM 14:30 & 19:30, £26

Comedy, music and entertainment from yer pal Allan Stewart and a roster of guests.

TOP BANANA

Molland & Sullivan specialise in offthe-cuff stand-up shows, making for a unique experience every time they play.

The Farnworth comedian hosts a touring three-hour charity dance-a-thon.

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £2

Sun 26 Mar

WEST, FROM 20:30, £5 - £7

BROADCAST, FROM 21:00, £6 - £7

STAND SPOTLIGHT: SEX (IZZY MOULDER + JAMIE DALGLEISH + DONALD ALEXANDER + PAUL MCDANIEL)

JAMIE DALGLEISH: IMMATURE STUDENT

Returning for his 5th Glasgow Comedy Festival show in a row, the former ‘Scottish Comedian of the Year’ has gone back to Uni.

Sat 25 Mar THE FESTIVAL CLUB

THE STAND GLASGOW, 22:30–00:30, £18

Catch The Stand’s pick of international comedy acts who’ve flocked to Glasgow comedy Festival.

AMERICA STANDS UP (HAILEY BOYLE + APARNA NANCHERLA + JORDAN CARLOS + TIM DILLON ) THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:30–20:30, £10 - £12

Showcase night of all-new American talent. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

JANEY GODLEY: THERE’S ONLY ONE GODLEY

ORAN MOR, FROM 18:30, £11 - £13

The podcaster, broadcaster, writer, comedian tells tales of the things that happen when she simply ‘gets out of the hoose’...

PABLO SERSKI: NOTHING IS PERFECT

BROADCAST, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

Dose of dark-as-night comedy for ya.

CHRIS DINWOODIE: CONFESSIONS OF A CONJUROR

THE ADMIRAL, FROM 20:00, £8 - £10

A bit of abracadabra for ya, courtesy of multi-award winning comedian and magician, Chris Dinwoodie.

CHRIS FORBES: FUNTIME FORBESY

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

BBC Scot Squad’s Chris Forbes brings a new hour of funny stories, songs and sketches to GICF. GILDED BALLOON COMEDY AT DRYGATE

DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 20:30, £11.50 - £12.50

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for its residency.

STAND KIDS COMEDY CLUB: BLABBERMOUTHS (BILLY KIRKWOOD + NEIL THE WEE MAN BRATCHPIECE)

JOE MCSLOY: THE REAL MCSLOY

Join Joe McSloy as he gives you his unique take on the world as he sees it.

ANDY VANNAN: COMIC BOOKS, TRAVEL AND OTHER STUFF

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:00, FREE

A feel-good comedy show containing cosplay and life-rants.

CHUNKS: WORLD’S STRONGEST CHUNKS 17

MCPHABBS, FROM 21:30, FREE

Join CHUNKS for their annual third annual CHUNKS of the Year ceremony and witness the bestowing of the Golden Pineapple.

THE DEATH HILARIOUS: THE SCUM ALWAYS RISES

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 20:30, £3.50 - £5

Welsh sketch duo with a League of Gentleman bent.

FRED MACAULAY LIVE

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–22:00, £11 - £12

How is life for Fred? What is life for Fred? Who/what/where is life for Fred? It could be philosophical (Fred likes to probe). It could be medical (Fred has been probed). It’s likely to be topical, satirical, and it’s bound to be funny.

PAUL MCCAFFREY: FRESH HELL

THE STAND GLASGOW, 19:00–20:00, £7 - £8

The Stand welcomes stand-up comedian and comic actor, Paul McCaffrey.

CUBBY: LOSING SIGHT

YESBAR, FROM 14:00, £3

One man’s look at life, and the darker side of being blind.

JOJO SUTHERLAND: ONE NIGHT ONLY

YESBAR, FROM 16:45, £4 - £5

Auld Tam swings by to chat marriage, age, children, drugs, alcohol, erectile dysfunction and many other topics besides.

BRUCE FUMMEY: HOW CAN I DRIVE TO A GIG WITH A JAKEY ON MY BONNET?

YESBAR, FROM 22:00, £8

Multi award-winning Scottish Ghanaian stand-up tells the story of one night in the life of a standup comic.

March 2017

ALLAN STEWART’S BIG BIG VARIETY SHOW

KING’S THEATRE EDINBURGH, FROM 19:30, £26

Comedy, music and entertainment from yer pal Allan Stewart and a roster of guests.

Fri 03 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (GLENN WOOL + JONNY PELHAM + GARETH WAUGH + RACHEL JACKSON + STUART MURPHY) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

ALLAN STEWART’S BIG BIG VARIETY SHOW

KING’S THEATRE EDINBURGH, FROM 19:30, £26

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £3

Monkey Barrel’s rising comedy star showcase; swing by and catch the stars of tomorrow.

PHILL JUPITUS: WORK IN PROGRESS

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 16:30–17:30, £12

The inimitable Mr Jupitus returns to the stand-up stage with a work in progress show, his quick remarks and cheeky sarcasm as prevalent as ever.

A show about how President Obonjo has quietly been leading a comedy revolution in Britain.

STRUAN LOGAN: STRUAN ALL OVER THE WORLD

YESBAR, FROM 15:30, £4 - £5

RED RAW

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:45, £3

Wed 29 Mar

BENEFIT IN AID OF VISOI CHILDREN’S CENTRE INTERNATIONAL (BILLY KIRKWOOD + ROSS MCLELLAND + SCOTT AGNEW)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:00, £5 - £8

THE BIG SHOW

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city.

Sat 04 Mar

THE SATURDAY SHOW (GLENN WOOL + JONNY PELHAM + GARETH WAUGH + RACHEL JACKSON + STUART MURPHY) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

ALLAN STEWART’S BIG BIG VARIETY SHOW

KING’S THEATRE EDINBURGH, FROM 14:30, 19:30, £26

Comedy, music and entertainment from yer pal Allan Stewart and a roster of guests.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A charity comedy benefit raising funds for Visoi Children’s Centre International.

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city.

Thu 30 Mar

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (JAY LAFFERTY + STUART MITCHELL + RACHEL JACKSON + ROSS LESLIE + DONALD ALEXANDER)

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JOHN GORDILLO + DAMIAN CLARK + ASHLEY STORRIE + BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £5 - £10

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Sun 05 Mar

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:00, £1 - £6

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-to-work blues.

PROJECT X

All-new student night themed around the film of the same name, Project X. RICHARD GADD: MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:00, £10 - £12

Mon 20 Mar

Tue 28 Mar

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:45, £3

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £3

Tue 21 Mar

BENEFIT IN AID OF RNIB (TOM STADE + JAMIE MACDONALD)

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £3

Comedy charity benefit fundraising for RNIB, a leading source of information on sight loss and the issues affecting blind and partially sighted people

RED RAW (CHRISTOPHER MACARTHUR-BOYD + ED PATRICK)

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

PROJECT X

All-new student night themed around the film of the same name, Project X.

RICHARD HERRING: THE BEST (RICHARD HERRING)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–21:30, £15

The comic talent responsible for Waiting for Gaddot and Breaking Gadd returns with his introspective 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show.

The thoughtful comedian picks his favourite routines from his 12 oneman shows, cramming them into 90 minutes for your entertainment.

RED RAW (RAY BRADSHAW + SUSIE MCCABE)

Wed 15 Mar

Wed 22 Mar

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:45, £3

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £2

Mon 06 Mar

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

Tue 07 Mar

RICHARD MELVIN PRESENTS: MORE RADIO RECORDINGS!

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:00–22:00, FREE

Big names and rising stars recorded for radio - free show.

PROJECT X

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £3

All-new student night themed around the film of the same name, Project X.

Wed 08 Mar TOP BANANA

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £2

Monkey Barrel’s comedy competition for new folk on the scene.

JOSIE LONG: SOMETHING BETTER

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–21:30, £10 - £12

The triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and cult optimist returns with a new show about hopefulness, and looking for people and things to look up to.

Thu 09 Mar

THE THURSDAY SHOW (SIMON MUNNERY + EDDY BRIMSON + DYLAN GOTT + JAY LAFFERTY)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £5 - £10

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 10 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (SIMON MUNNERY + EDDY BRIMSON + DYLAN GOTT + JAY LAFFERTY) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

ALFIE JOEY & CAL HALBERT: THE MIMIC MEN LIVE

AULD TAM HAS AN EARLY NIGHT AT YESBAR

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:45, £3

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

Tue 14 Mar

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

PRESIDENT OBONJO: THE RISE OF A COMEDY DICTATOR

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

One of the UK’s top impressions double-acts, part of GICF.

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £5 - £10

RED RAW

PROGRESS!

YESBAR, FROM 14:45, £4.50 - £5

Tue 28 Mar

YESBAR, FROM 18:00, £3 - £5

THE THURSDAY SHOW (GLENN WOOL + JONNY PELHAM + GARETH WAUGH + RACHEL JACKSON + STUART MURPHY)

Mon 13 Mar

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £5

Comedy, music and entertainment from yer pal Allan Stewart and a roster of guests.

THE STAND GLASGOW, 17:00–18:00, £8

One in six people in Scotland suffer from hearing loss. Two of those people are Ray’s parents.

Thu 02 Mar

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

This charismatic comic takes you touring the ups and downs of life, for one night only.

Kids Show – part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

RAY BRADSHAW: DEAF COMEDY FAM

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:30, £5

The Stand shines its comedy limelight on the topic of new beginnings. Features the above, plus Devin Wallace + Stuart McPherson + Rachel Jackson

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 13:30–15:00, FREE

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

YESBAR, FROM 19:15, £5 - £7

Scottish comedian who left the country to hit the road and make people laugh in Australia and NZ.

THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £5

Monkey Barrel’s comedy competition for new folk on the scene.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW (STUART MURPHY + GARRY DOBSON)

THE BIG SHOW

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city

Sat 11 Mar

THE SATURDAY SHOW (SIMON MUNNERY + EDDY BRIMSON + DYLAN GOTT + JAY LAFFERTY)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city

Sun 12 Mar

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW (STUART MURPHY + GARRY DOBSON) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 13:30–15:00, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

PROGRESS!

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £5

Monkey Barrel’s rising comedy star showcase; swing by and catch the stars of tomorrow.

TOP BANANA

Monkey Barrel’s comedy competition for new folk on the scene.

Thu 16 Mar

THE THURSDAY SHOW (ANDREW STANLEY + RAY BRADSHAW + ELEANOR TIERNAN + BOB GRAHAM + MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £5 - £10

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

SEAN LOCK

FESTIVAL THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £25.50

Loved for his wondering, grumbling puzzlement at life, Mr Lock serves up some more deft observations on the world with his new tour, Keep it Light.

Fri 17 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (ANDREW STANLEY + RAY BRADSHAW + ELEANOR TIERNAN + BOB GRAHAM + MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

STEWART LEE: CONTENT PROVIDER

FESTIVAL THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £24.50

The comedian’s comedian returns to unleash his pedantic rage on a room full of gleeful participants.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city

Sat 18 Mar

THE SATURDAY SHOW (ANDREW STANLEY + RAY BRADSHAW + ELEANOR TIERNAN + BOB GRAHAM + MARTIN MOR)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city MARTIN MOR: FUNNY STUFF FOR HAPPY PEOPLE

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 14:00–15:00, £4

A kids show at Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Sun 19 Mar

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW (STUART MURPHY + GARRY DOBSON) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 13:30–15:00, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

JIMMY CARR: THE BEST OF, ULTIMATE, GOLD, GREATEST HITS TOUR

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, FROM 20:00, £28.75

Smugness and one-liners from Jimmy Carr.

PROGRESS!

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £5

Monkey Barrel’s rising comedy star showcase; swing by and catch the stars of tomorrow.

TOPICAL STORM (MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + STUART MURPHY + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:30, £5 - £7

Radical satire from Keir McAllister, Vladimir McTavish, Stu Murphy and Mark Nelson.

TOP BANANA

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £2

Monkey Barrel’s comedy competition for new folk on the scene.

Thu 23 Mar

THE THURSDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + PAUL MCCAFFREY + JOHN GAVIN + SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £5 - £10

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 24 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + PAUL MCCAFFREY + JOHN GAVIN + SUSAN MORRISON)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city.

PROJECT X

All-new student night themed around the film of the same name, Project X.

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:30, £5

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city.

Sun 26 Mar

Cyril Gerber Fine Art

Monkey Barrel’s comedy competition for new folk on the scene.

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–21:30, £10

Whimsical comedian Rob Auton brings his Sleep Show back to Edinburgh (it’s aimed at anyone who sleeps).

IAIN CONNELL AND ROBERT FLORENCE: UNCLES

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–21:30, £17

The dudes behind BBC sketch show Burnistoun bring a comedy fest show to the Citz.

FERN BRADY: LIVE US ALBUM RECORDING

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 17:30–18:45, £5 - £6

Be part of the live recording of Fern’s second solo show Male Comedienne, which sold out the Edinburgh Fringe.

Mon 27 Mar

RED RAW (THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS JELLYBEAN + FERN BRADY)

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:45, £3

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

1-31 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Thu 30 Mar

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £5 - £10

David Dale Gallery and Studios

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JOHN MOLONEY + STEPHEN CARLIN + LIAM WITHNAIL + MARC JENNINGS + JOJO SUTHERLAND)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

ALBERT

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, FROM 20:30, £5

Albert, Monkey Barrel Comedy’s resident sketch group, brings you a selection of its best sketches.

Fri 31 Mar

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JOHN MOLONEY + STEPHEN CARLIN + LIAM WITHNAIL + MARC JENNINGS + JOJO SUTHERLAND) THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 21:00–23:00, £6 - £12

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

THE BIG SHOW

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £12

A great night of premier stand-up right in the heart of the city.

ROB CHAVASSE: LOGICAL SONGS

2 MAR-1 APR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of new work from London-based artist Rob Chavasse, and the first exhibition in the David Dale programme, which is entitled Annex.

Glasgow Print Studio INK: PUBLIC ARCHIVE

1-26 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A selection from Glasgow Print Studio’s extensive archive of over 1500 prints made by artists since the 70's. Works range from early prints by John Bellany and Philip Reeves to more recent prints by artists such as Jim Lambie and Christine Borland.

Glasgow School of Art FRANKI RAFFLES: OBSERVING WOMEN AT WORK

4 MAR-27 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow Art CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art FORMS OF ACTION

1-12 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

5-21 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Monkey Barrel’s rising comedy star showcase; swing by and catch the stars of tomorrow.

19TH-21ST CENTURY BRITISH PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS & SCULPTURE

19th-21st Century British paintings, drawings and sculpture including works by new Scottish contemporaries and leading modern masters.

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £5

PROGRESS!

A CHANGE OF SEASONS: WINTER INTO SPRING 2017

1-31 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

ROB AUTON: THE SLEEP SHOW

TOP BANANA

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB, 13:30–15:00, FREE

Compass Gallery

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY CLUB, 20:30–22:50, £0 - £2

A show exploring current international developments in socially engaged art practices, looking at both form and content. The exhibition also aims to present a diverse series of approaches that transform spectatorship and the role of artists in society.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW (STUART MURPHY + GARRY DOBSON)

An exhibition/event programme that presents disparate visual imaginaries, looking at how we organise in the most challenging cities in our world. Features work

by Black Audio Film Collective, Laura Oldfield Ford, Clara Ianni, Dora Mejía and Carol Rhodes.

Compass Gallery showcases a series of drawings, sculptire, prints and paintings from recent graduates, regular contemporary exhibitors, and some modern Scottish masters.

Wed 29 Mar

Sat 25 Mar

THE SATURDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + PAUL MCCAFFREY + JOHN GAVIN + SUSAN MORRISON)

THE SKY IS FALLING 31 MAR-14 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

ALEXANDER STOREY GORDON: A APOPHENY!

A Apopheny! grew from a period of time Alexander Storey Gordon spent archiving his grandfather’s art work in 2015 and one of his particularly apposite recollections.

The exhibition consists of a series of text and film works that try to communicate the opaque relationship between time, meaning and mental representations.

DANIEL BAKER @ GLITCH FILM FESTIVAL

25 MAR-2 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition featuring works that play with the duality of display and concealment often found in Romani visuality, and by doing so evoke the disruption that remains central to contemporary Roma experience. The complex navigations of visibility highlight both the emancipatory value and the risky politics of being seen.

A showcase of photos and material by feminist social documentary photographer Franki Raffles (1955-94).

THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART FASHION SHOW 70TH ANNIVERSARY

4-26 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

GSA celebrates 70 years of its Fashion Show with a showcase depicting a histography through film, press cuttings and more.

GoMA

PLEASE TURN US ON

1 MAR-31 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

A group exhibition placing Glasgow at the core of a dialogue between early video art and international counterculture. Features What’s It To You?, a seminal work from Elsa Stansfield and Madelon Hooykaas, among other videographic works.

JOHN SAMSON: 1975 - 1983

1 MAR-17 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A showcase of the complete works of enigmatic Scottish filmmaker John Samson (1946–2004), exhibiting the five films made during his lifetime.

MAX BRAND AND JOANNE ROBERTSON: POPPIES

1 MAR-11 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

A debut collaboration between Max Brand and Joanne Robertson, featuring new painting and sculpture along with a musical work co-produced in the lead-up to the exhibition’s opening.

POLYGRAPHS

1 MAR-17 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

A group exhibition with a central point of Hito Steyerl’s film Abstract, which explores truth, fiction and evidence in a complicated world. Features Jane Evelyn Atwood, Muirhead Bone, Boyle Family, Gerard Byrne, Graham Fagen, Ian Hamilton Finlay and more.

Listings

69

Art

The Telfer Gallery

Hunterian Art Gallery

O’Neill concludes her period of residency with Telfer with a new video work built around a science fiction scenario where characters are formed from the cross-fertilisation of personal experiences, historical figures and commercial materials.

This provides O’Neill with a means of considering the perpetuation of dominant ideologies by mainstream media, and the stymying of female energy by these circuits.

WILLIAM HUNTER TO DAMIEN HIRST: THE DEAD TEACH THE LIVING

1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition curated by students on GSA / University of Glasgow’s students of Curatorial Practice, featuring objects and art which explore moments of synergy between the fields of art and science.

ART OF POWER: MASTERPIECES FROM THE BUTE COLLECTION

31 MAR-14 JAN 18, TIMES VARY, FREE

Take the oportunity to see major paintings from the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute.

Exhibition split across two venues, The Hunterian and Mount Stuart – ticket price covers admission to both.

Mary Mary

CURVE OF A HILL LIKE THE CURVE OF A GREEN SHOULDER

1-11 MAR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, PRICES VARY

Named after Aleana Egan’s 2015 work, Curve of a hill like the curve of a green shoulder is a group show from Egan herself, along with Mary Heilmann, Judith Hopf, Amanda Ross-Ho and Erika Vogt. Each work included provides a focus on sculptural objects offering multiple standpoints beyond the traditional idea of the sculptural canon.

Street Level Photoworks ROCK AGAINST RACISM

1 MAR-9 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of photographs by Syd Shelton documenting the streets of the 70s, ‘when racist skinheads danced to Jamaican ska, punks embraced reggae and black kids reached out to punk’.

The Common Guild

MARIA FUSCO: RADICAL DIALECT

1 MAR-30 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

An ongoing project conceived by writer Maria Fusco, including a cycle of events, a series of commissioned publications and a major new performance, all taking shape across 2017 and 2018. See thecommonguild.org.uk for info.

The Glad Cafe

LOUISE DAUTHERIBES MCKERL: CURIOUS WONDERS

3 MAR, 7:00PM, FREE

Half French, half Scottish visual artist Louise Dautheribes McKerl exhibits a selection of photographs featuring peculiar places and solemn people.

The Lighthouse A LIFE IN LETTERPRESS

1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

KIMBERLEY O’NEILL: CIRCUITS OF BAD CONSCIENCE

1-5 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Tramway OLIVER LARIC

1-19 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new exhibition by Oliver Laric featuring sculpture, video and installation; a keen take on internet transmogrification, in-between mental states, and technological reality.

CLAIRE BARCLAY: YIELD POINT

1 MAR-9 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new exhibition from Glasgowbased artist Claire Barclay in Tramway, whose thoughtful installations and sculptures will respond to the industrial setting of the former tram depot, through her sensuous and poetic arrangement of materials.

TIME FOR ART IS 10

1-19 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A retrospective exhibiton celebrating 10 years of Time for Art, a project established at Tramway in 2006 which provides a space for people aged 55+ who wish to realise individual and collective art projects.

Transmission Gallery

CARIBBEAN QUEER VISUALITIES

1-25 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A group exhibition featuring artists from Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Suriname, the Netherlands, Haiti, Germany, Trinidad, Canada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Artists include Ewan Atkinson, Jean-Ulrick Désert, Richard Fung, Andil Gosine, Nadia Huggins, Leasho Johnson, Charl Landvreugd, Kareem Mortimer, Ebony G. Patterson and Jorge Pineda

Edinburgh Art 31 Bath Road, Leith Docks KEVIN HARMAN: LTD INK CORPORATION

18-20 MAR, FREE

A retrospective of Alan Kitchin’s work, spanning six decades of his letterpress typographic design and printmaking. His work is presented alongside artefacts, proofs, sketchbooks and equipment from his studio.

Ltd Ink Corporation illuminates the plight of others whilst serving as a timely reminder of the tightrope we walk to maintain the status quo.

Visitors will be forced to confront their own precarious positions, questioning the truths we take for granted.

1 MAR-9 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Arusha Gallery

UNCOVERED: STILL HOMELESS, STILL AN ISSUE

The first of its kind, this exhibition of street paper covers and vendors’ stories celebrates the hard work, respect and innovation that goes into creating these life-changing magazines.

The Modern Institute CRISIS TOURISM

1-11 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new exhibition from Swiss Artist Tobias Madison at Modern Institute’s Osborne St outpost.

The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane THE GAP BETWEEN THE FRIDGE AND THE COOKER

2-11 MAR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

A group exhibition featuring Liz Larner, Urs Fischer, Rose Marcus, Anne Collier, Marco Giordano, Yui Yaegashi, Martin Boyce and more.

70

Listings

TAHNEE LONSDALE: THE AMORIST

10 MAR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Amorist brings together nine artists whose works explore concepts relating to love, sexuality, relationships and the tensions between personal and constructed femininity. Running period TBC, see arushagallery.com.

Cabaret Voltaire SARAH NEWMAN’S BURLESQUE DANCERS

12 MAR, 7:00PM – 11:00PM, FREE

Second installement of the monthly photography event at Café Voltaire concentrating on promotion of local visual arts talents.

City Art Centre PAPER TRAIL: DRAWINGS, WATERCOLOURS, PRINTS

1 MAR-21 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition exploring some of the many ways artists create works from the starting point of a fresh sheet of paper, including work by celebrated figures like Anne Redpath, Joan Eardley, Eduardo Paolozzi and Paul Sandby.

GENUIS LOCI: THE TEXTURE OF LONGING

25 FEB-5 MAR, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

An ESAF exhibition challenging the contemporary turn towards digital based, post-internet art instead of the physical.

Collective Gallery OURS

1-26 MAR, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

A Satellites exhibition curated by Grace Johnston bringing together a painting by Carol Rhodes, prints made from archival photographs of Beatrice Whistler’s garden and a newly commissioned text by Sophie Collins.

Dovecot Studios THE WEAVER’S APPRENTICE

10 MAR-1 JUL, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

An exhibition featuring objects from the Dovecot’s archive, as well as historic and current works – all intending to tell the story of the Dovecot apprenticeship.

Edinburgh College of Art GERMAN REFUGEE PROJECT

1 MAR-26 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of photography, installations, animation and design which showcase the experiences of a group of University of Edinburgh students who, in 2016, travelled to Zotzenheim in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate to take part in an initiative aiming to help refugees integrate into their new home. Please note, the exhibition takes place at 50 George Square, not on ECA premises.

Edinburgh Printmakers PROCESS & POSSIBILITIES

1 MAR-15 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

An archival exhibition curated

by Lesley Logue, Process & Possibilities features artists who have helped to lay and then build upon the foundations of printmaking as a fine-art practice in Scotland and beyond.

FIREDAMP: REVISITING THE FLOOD

1 MAR-15 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Through installation, sculpture and printmaking Caulfield’s work considers the ways our environment is transformed by forces of urban and industrial growth. Caulfield has transformed the gallery, covering the entirety of the walls with woodcuts.

OUT OF THE FRAME

3 MAR-25 APR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A small-scale exhibition featuring works for sale by the Edinburgh Printmakers studio members.

Ingleby Gallery MARK WALLINGER: AND PER SE AND: PART I

3 MAR-1 MAR 18, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Ingleby celebrates its 20th year with an exhibition programme of 27 ‘pairings’ exploring the ampersand.

The sequence will end in one year’s time.

Interview Room 11 SUSAN BOYLE AND TINE BEK

1-4 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of new works from Glasgow-based photographers Susan Boyle and Tine Bek. Looking at the representation and role of the photograph, Boyle and Bek explore ways of challenging the conventions and expectations of the images by shifting the focus of the lens to the sometimes unseen.

National Museum of Scotland

SCOTTISH POTTERY: ART & INNOVATION EXHIBITION

1 MAR-25 JUN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A lesser known part of Scotland’s pottery history showcased at the National Museum of Scotland.

Select pieces from Wemyss Ware, one of Scotland’s most well-known potteries, will be showcased including original heart plaques commissioned by the Wemyss family who resided nearby at Wemyss Castle and painted by Karel Nekola.

Patriothall Gallery

EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE

15-28 MAR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

A solo exhbition from Ryan Miller, featuring collection of photographs, paintings, mixed media collages and installations that explore ecology, politics and geology while off-grid in remote parts of Scotland.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES 2017

1-15 MAR, TIMES VARY, TBC

Now in its ninth year, RSA exhibits the cream of the graduate crop, taking in painting, sculpture, film making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation from 66 artists.

Scottish Arts Club AT THIS POINT IN TIME

1 MAR-1 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of 33 international artists aiming to prove that the voice of creativity cannot be silenced. Features the likes of Alice Gorton, Jean Gillespie, James Wright, Nectarios Stamatopoulos and more.

Scottish National Gallery LION GETS YOU NOWHERE

1-24 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of film and installation staging a battle for Scotland’s past young people from Edinburgh & Galalshiels, and the lions of Scottish culture. A National Galleries outreach project.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art BRIDGET RILEY: PAINTINGS,1963-2015

1 MAR-16 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

THE TWEEDDALES: POWER, POLITICS AND PORTRAITS 1 MAR-28 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Artwork featuring and commissioned by the Tweeddale family, a highly influential dynasty at the heart of Scottish society in the latter half of the 17th century who were known best for contributions to politics and the military.

SCOTS IN ITALY

1 MAR-5 MAR 19, TIMES VARY, FREE

A showcase of the Scottish experience of Italy in the 18th century, a time when artistic, entrepreneurial and aristocratic fascination with the country was reaching boiling point.

THE VIEW FROM HERE

1 MAR-30 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Taking the theme of landscape through photographs from the 1840s to the present day, this exhibition is drawn completely from the National Galleries of Scotland’s permanent photographic collection and aims to explore the techniques and processes of landscape photographers far and wide.

THE MODERN PORTRAIT

1 MAR-27 OCT 19, TIMES VARY, FREE

A display collating paintings, sculptures and works from the Portrait Gallery’s 20th-century collection, ft. a variety of well-known faces, from Ramsay Macdonald to Alan Cumming, Tilda Swinton to Danny McGrain.

BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2016

1-26 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Now in its 37th year at the National Portrait Gallery and one of the most prestigious international portrait painting competitions of its kind, the BP Portrait Award 2016 makes its way to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

St Margaret’s House Gray’s final year painters present their Interim show in Edinburgh.

A diverse display showcasing the work of 19 emerging artists soon to be graduating from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen.

Stills

THE COLLECTION SERIES

1 MAR-9 APR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A two-part display continuing an annual series of exhibitions aimed at increasing the visibility of photography collections in Scotland.

This show features works from David Eustace’s private collection and Alan Dimmick’s studio archive, 1977-2017.

Summerhall ARCHIPELAGO

1 MAR-18 FEB 18, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

1-18 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

JOAN EARDLEY: A SENSE OF PLACE

1 MAR-21 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £7 - £9

A collection of works from the short career of Joan Eardley, who died at just 42. This showcase will focus on two contrasting themes in her works; candid paintings of children in Townhead and paintings of paintings of the fishing village of Catterline.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery MAKING HISTORY

31 MAR-2 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, 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.

BETWEEN POLES AND TIDES

1 MAR-6 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

For five years, Edinburgh University has been strategically garnering works of contemporary art which it considers reflective of its teachings as an institution and community.

See an exhibition of their acquisitions at the Talbot Rice.

The Fruitmarket Gallery MARK WALLINGER MARK

4 MAR-4 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

A two-part exhibition in DCA and Fruitmarket, focussing on Wallinger’s id Paintings of 2015-16 (a series of Rorschach-esque images) and a selection of his films, sculpture and wall-based work.

The McManus REFLECTIONS ON CELTS

1-26 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A delightfully pun-based name for an exhibition featuring two Iron Age mirrors – the British Museum’s Holcombe mirror and National Museums Scotland’s Balmaclellan mirror – in a partnership between National Museums Scotland and the British Museum.

OUT OF THE FRAME: SCOTTISH ABSTRACTION

1 MAR-23 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of works celebrating the artistic freedom afforded by abstraction, including art by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and Calum Innes, plus a major new acquisition

by Victoria Morton.

A SENSE OF PLACE: TWENTIETH CENTURY SCOTTISH PAINTING

1 MAR-1 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of primarily landscape paintings, including work from the Glasgow Boys, the Scottish Colourists, James McIntosh Patrick and Joan Eardley.

Whitespace SHAN WEEKENDER

3-5 MAR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

A multi-format art exhibition featuring work by Aylson Stewart, Kieran Curran, Dylan Read, Chris Kohler, Star Turbine, Timothea Armour, Jasmeen Kanwal, Declan Kelly and the real Luther Blissett.

SYMBIOSIS

15-23 MAR, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

The Hexagon Collective’s Symbiosis exhibition focuses on the interaction between two beings, and how that co-dependence affects their perception of themselves.

THE PAINTERS

1-17 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of works offering a historical overview of some of the most significant artistic contributions made during the last century. The exhibition also aims to place Scottish modern art within an international context.

A changing exhibition, whereby each week will see complete change around a new object (‘a brain coral, a Gandharan sculpture fragment, a large mannequin head cast by Eduardo Paolozzi, an anatomical eye model…’) from Edinburgh University’s collection, built around a large sculpture cabinet that emanates moving-images and spoken word.

4-19 MAR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A focused display of selected paintings from the works of Bridget Riley, born in 1931. The exhibition chronicles her earlier, iconic use of monochrome, her transition into using a grey palette, before an expansion into using an array of colour.

20TH CENTURY: MASTERPIECES OF SCOTTISH AND EUROPEAN ART

KATE V ROBERTSON: OBJECT(HOOD) 1 MAR-8 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition has grown out of a long process of analysis and discussion of contemporary art in Scotland, and how it measures up against visual practices created in other countries. Features David Blyth, Alan Grieve and Derrick Guild.

Curated by Jon Blackwood.

ANN MARIE GILMORE: ALLOWAY 432

This exhibition of paintings, prints and drawings draws heavily upon the artist’s personal archive which has only recently become available.

HIGHLIGHT ARCTIC

1-19 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

The Highlight Arctic multi-arts exhibition at Summerhall mixes film and artists’ work in an integrated exploration of the turbulent relationship between humans and the landscape of the circumpolar North.

Features Yulia Kovanova, Ulrike Ottinger and Tomi Knuutila.

Dundee Art DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts MARK WALLINGER MARK

4 MAR-4 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

A two-part exhibition in DCA and Fruitmarket, focussing on Wallinger’s id Paintings of 2015-16 (a series of Rorschach-esque images) and a selection of his films, sculpture and wall-based work.

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design

OF OTHER SPACES: WHERE DOES GESTURE BECOME EVENT? (CHAPTER TWO)

1-4 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A contemporary art exhibition and rolling event programme comprising live performances, screenings, collective readings, participatory dance and an international symposium; 12-Hour Action Group.

Referencing art works, artist collaborative groups and activism by women from the 1970’s to the present day, the project looks at the contemporary relevance and cogency of feminist thinking on power as it is enacted through bodies, institutions and systems of representation.

Talbot Rice Gallery

LifeSpace

1 MAR-6 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of drawings and animations by Manchester-based artist and researcher Daksha Patel including recent work based on medical and scientific data and imaging technologies. Her work is shown alongside artefacts and works of art selected by Daksha from the collections of the University of Dundee.

THE TORRIE COLLECTION

The Torrie Collection represents the University’s founding art collection and features Dutch landscape paintings of the ‘Golden Age’ and Italian Renaissance bronze sculptures in the tradition of Michelangelo. It was given to the Talbot Rice in 1836.

DAKSHA PATEL: SIGNAL / NOISE : IMAGING / DRAWING

UNTIL APR 1, FREE

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THE SKINNY

Living the Highlife With the release of West African highlife powerhouse Ibibio Sound Machine’s new album Uyai due this month, we speak to the band’s dynamic frontwoman Eno Williams about her diverse creative influences

T

he Skinny: Where in the world are you just now?

Eno Williams: We’re in Pattaya. There’s an odd vibe, lots of dodgy old man tourists but we’ve come out of town and it’s lovely. I’m sitting on a beach and it seems more like the proper Thailand. We were doing a festival called Wonderfruit. It’s very well run, I think Wilderness Festival has something to do with running it. It’s just been going a short time.

Your new album is out this month – can you tell us about it?

The album is called Uyai, which means beauty in my mother tongue, Ibibio. It’s not the obvious Western idea of beauty so much as referring to the beauty and strength of women in general. It extrapolates further to encompass the beauty of nature: the moon, the sea, even the process of making music. Lyrically, there are themes around this idea and particularly freedom and empowerment of women, and people in general. Musically, we delved further into electronic territory, which is what seemed to capture people’s imagination on our first album.

You’ve said it was a difficult journey completing the album. Why was that?

Well, there are more expectations with a second album. We particularly had more expectations of ourselves I suppose. Also, we had a couple of internal changes in the band which meant it was a more drawn-out process than usual, perhaps.

But every album is difficult to make and is its own journey so that’s more significant.

What’s the story behind the lead single Give Me a Reason?

It’s about the Chibok girls that were abducted in northern Nigeria some years back – you may recall ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ [a series of protests prompted by the kidnapping of 276 female students by extremist group Boko Haram in 2014].

The story struck a chord and I was thinking, ‘Why can’t girls have the simple freedom to go to school?’ And on a greater level, ‘Why can’t we be free to be who we want to be?’ So I ask the question, ‘give me a reason’ – why not? It felt like a positive message, something that should be uplifting rather than melancholic.

Who did you work with on the accompanying video and what was the concept behind it?

We worked with a company called The Forest of Black from Glasgow. They were really cool; our label Merge had worked with them previously and suggested them. The director was called Ciaran Lyons and most of the visual concept was his idea. I guess the idea was to transmit the feeling of the song visually.

On the album, a lot of the songs are given their English titles and then their Ibibio translations.

What were your initial reasons for wanting to sing in both Ibibio and English?

Our initial idea as a band was to try something with the Ibibio language but we also want people to understand what we’re saying. There is something we like about trying to communicate a message with words that the vast majority of people will not understand. It’s a challenge.

March 2017

Interview: Nadia Younes

How would you describe traditional Ibibio music?

There is a lot of chanting, storytelling, as with most tribal languages. In later days, it had quite a highlife aspect to the sound, incorporating the popular styles of West Africa in the 20th century.

What’s your favourite Ibibio record?

My grandparents used to love dancing to a guy called Inyang Henshaw, who had a song called Kpong Me Yie Adesi. It was a funny track about being introduced to rice by Westerners. A lot of highlife tracks have topics that seem very funny or odd in the context of Western songwriting.

I remember laughing about one highlife song that Alfred [Kari Bannerman], our guitarist, told me about that is from the perspective of a man asking a woman, ‘Why have you lost so much weight?

You were so pretty when you were fat.’

“ There is something we like about trying to communicate a message with words that the vast majority of people will not understand” Eno Williams

What records or artists brought you together as a band?

We love all sorts of different stuff. A lot of 70s highlife, funk, and 80s stuff like Talking Heads and Grace Jones. We also get inspiration from people we meet in our travels and hear live: Jupiter and Okwess, The Comet is Coming, a trio we played with a while back called Peluché. It’s always a tough question as there are so many influences.

You get compared to Grace Jones quite a lot.

What’s your favourite Grace Jones record?

Nightclubbing. I guess it’s just the one I connected with as a kid at a certain point. Obviously, she’s an icon and did things no one else before her had or since her has done. She opened the door for black female artists in a new way. The visual imagery was all part of her appeal, of course. I really couldn’t say I’m even a tenth of the artist she was though.

How much does fashion influence you personally and your music?

I love fashion, I try to incorporate that in what we do. I must give props to a very young designer in Berlin called Laura Lang – she designed the outfit on our album cover, she’s very talented. I tend to look about for people but we have had a couple of people asking to work with us and our music on occasion as well.

Who’s your favourite designer?

I always liked Alexander McQueen. I like the hips

in his clothes; his stuff has a femininity about it.

It reminds me somehow of our traditional Ibibio clothing, which emphasises the power of a woman’s middle. We have a dress called abang, which is like a hoop or cage skirt.

What’s your favourite record to dance to?

We recently did a mix for BBC 6 Music and I was enjoying Ohue by Victor Uwaifo. I was dancing to that when I was practising for our video so I’ll say that as my current favourite.

What record always cheers you up?

African Woman by Baaba Maal. I find it an empowering song that takes me back to my upbringing.

Music

I also find a lot of gospel very heartening.

What’s your favourite of your own tracks to perform live?

I like The Chant from our new album, we’ve just started doing it live. It actually features my mum doing a bit of speaking in tongues and I can’t wait to get her up to do that live.

What are you looking forward to most this year?

We’re trying to plan our first trip to the US at the moment and I’m really looking forward to playing there with the band for the first time.

Uyai is released on 3 Mar via Merge ibibiosoundmachine.com

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