The Skinny Scotland November 2016

.CO.UK

INDEPENDENT FREE

CULT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

November 2016 Scotland Issue 134

“ Fear Is What Drives People ” Shogun takes on the system

MUSIC Kristin Hersh Sad13 Honeyblood Indigo Velvet Biffy Clyro Save As Collective

CLUBS Groove Armada Moscoman

BOOKS Naomi Alderman Cixin Liu

FILM Amy Adams Paul Schrader French Film Festival

THEATRE Chrysalis Festival

ART Ewan Murray Judith Hagan Jacky Sheridan NEoN Digital Arts

COMEDY Scott Gibson Romesh Ranganathan DEVIANCE Reclaim the Night No Make-Up Movement

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

2

3

P.16 Groove Armada

P.39 Indigo Velvet

P.32 Jacky Sheridan

P.35 Meal Planning for a Nuclear Winter

November 2016 I N DEPEN DENT

CULTU R AL

JOU R NALI S M

Issue 134, November 2016 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.

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

Printed by Mortons Print Limited, Horncastle ABC verified Jan – Dec 2015: 30,875

printed on 100% recycled paper

4

Contents

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 Executives

General Manager Publisher

George Sully Sandy Park Grant Cunningham Kyla Hall Sophie Kyle

THE SKINNY

Contents Chat & Opinion: Horoscopes, Shot of 06 the Month, a guide to the website and our Jock Mooney cartoon. We celebrate the late Dario Fo, legendary playwright who departed last month amid a festival honouring his work.

Heads Up: Your at-a-glance guide to 08 cultural happenings in November.

FEATURES

11 Scotland’s ‘best MC’ Shogun tells us

why good music is like drugs (A: it sells itself).

12 Throwing Muses’ Kristin Hersh talks

us through her new book slash album release ahead of her appearance at Summerhall this month.

13 Sadie Dupuis aka Sad13 on new album Slugger, stage fright and why we need more female songwriters.

15 Asian Provocateur Romesh Ranganathan discusses being upstaged by his mum on his own TV show.

16 Ahead of their 20th anniversary, Groove Armada return to play Glasgow’s SWG3.

18 Amy Adams can do it all: sing, dance,

and in new sci-fi film Arrival, talk to aliens. The talented actor tells us about female characterisation and the freedom of this latest role.

19 Scott Gibson chats about winning Best

Newcomer, The Hashtag Show podcast's anniversary and defying death to pursue a career in stand-up.

e meet painters Ewan Murray and 21 W Judith Hagan, showing at Hospitalfield House this month alongside mid-20th Century artist Frank Dobson.

22 Naomi Alderman discusses her new

novel The Power, which imagines what the world would look like if women had the power to electrocute at will.

his last film was taken out of his 25 After hands, director Paul Schrader is back with full artistic control for wild crime caper Dog Eat Dog. He talks to us about independence. hrysalis Festival, Scotland's forward26 C thinking youth theatre festival returns, bigger and better, for a second year.

As NEoN Digital returns for its eighth outing, we look at the themes explored in Dundee's boldest digital arts festival.

LIFESTYLE

29 Travel: Travelling with a stupid phone.

It’s good, although you have to ask for directions more.

30 Deviance: We shouldn’t be sham-

ing women for wearing make-up. Our Deviance editor explores what it’s like to feel absolutely fucking shit without it. November is the month of national solidarity march Reclaim the Night.

Why are we still not out of the dark ages when it comes to women living their lives after nightfall?

32 Showcase: Long-time Skinny illustrator Jacky Sheridan shows off her portfolio.

35 Food & Drink: Food planning for a nu-

clear winter, Phagomania looks at some meat and Food News tells you about a festival celebrating kale. Sounds rough.

REVIEW

39 Music: We talk to Honeyblood, meet

Indigo Velvet, explore the Save As Collective and look forward to this month’s live highlights, as well as running through our favourite album releases for November.

47 Clubs: Moscoman offer up a guest selector, and we earmark the dates for your November clubbing diaries across the country.

49 Art: Your monthly exhibition highlights

plus reviews of Nicolas Party and Sharon Hayes.

50 Film: November and December in a cinema near you, reviewed.

51 Theatre: Auntie Trash is here to solve your problems.

52 Books: This season’s reading rated.

53 Comedy: Spotlight turns on the appropriately-named regular night Spotlight (at The Stand).

54 Competitions: You could win some stuff.

55 Listings: Your what’s on guide to

Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.

63 Out Back: Biffy Clyro talk influences, from Beyoncé to Stanley Kubrick.

28 Chinese sci-fi author Cixin Liu discusses the cultural differences caused by an absence of apocalypse expectation.

French Film Festival returns to remind you that there’s more to that nation’s cinema than Amélie.

November 2016

Contents

5

Editorial

W

elcome to winter and the month when a demagogue might actually be given control of the US nuclear button. Fingers crossed we all survive, eh?

On the cover this month you will find a hallucinatory kung fu-inspired depiction of Shogun (aka Joe Heron), the Paisley native and much-renowned MC widely associated with Scotland’s ascendant grime scene. He speaks out about ignorance, politics and the weird caricature that reality has become in 2016.

This month we welcome new Music editor Tallah into the Scotland office. She’s done a banging job, lining up a whole array of interesting interviews with local heroes, new talent and international stars despite having basically a fortnight to sort everything out. After Shogun and a short intro to Scottish grime, we’ve got words with Kristin Hersh, alt-rock goddess of Throwing Muses fame currently touring her new solo book-slash-album. Rejected headlines for this article included Upper Krist, Krist on a Bike, Krist Kross and “something to do with Hershey’s or Wile E Coyote, although that doesn’t make any sense,” according to our central punning team.

Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis has produced a solo record in her bedroom under the name Sad13 (her Twitter handle). She discusses refocussing the male-centric narrative of pop and dealing with stage fright when you’re suddenly up there on your own. Honeyblood are back with their second album, so we have some chats with them, and meet Edinburgh new blood Indigo Velvet, one of whom looks extraordinarily like our Deviance editor. Finally, Biffy Clyro tell us about being right into Beyoncé these days.

There’s an unusually large amount of science fiction in this issue, perhaps due to 2016 reality being so generally terrifying. Celebrated Chinese sci-fi author and Obama fave Cixin Liu raises many

Online Only

fascinating points during our Books editor’s interview, the most startling of which is the idea that there is no doomsday mentality within Chinese culture. Imagine a society where we’re not all constantly heralding the apocalypse (see above) like a bunch of Medieval peasants? Books also meets Naomi Alderman, whose new novel The Power imagines a world where women suddenly become the (physically) stronger sex. She discusses the implications of this reversal and the fabrication of gender roles.

In Film, we meet the all-singing, all-dancing, all-acting Amy Adams to hear about Arrival, her new sci-fi movie. Then we talk to director Paul Schrader about regaining creative control of his work for new film Dog Eat Dog. Reaching the end of the 2016 film festival season we look forward to the UK-wide French Film Festival, coming to a screen near you to show you a more nuanced take on French cinema than we see in the mainstream.

Continuing the festival theme, we anticipate the second Chrysalis Festival which returns to the Traverse with another programme celebrating Scottish youth theatre. We also take a look at NEoN Digital Arts, which aims to reflect the creative diversity of the tech community of Scotland’s north-east.

Comedy meets Romesh Ranganathan to hear about life being upstaged by your mother on TV, and talks to 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer winner Scott Gibson about Life After Death and The Hashtag Show.

And that’s November. Well, some of November. Maybe about a third of what’s actually in this typically jam-packed magazine. See you in December for some Christmas-based mania.

[Rosamund West]

theskinny.co.uk/music Our DIY Dundee column returns we delve into Manchester’s experimental music scene, plus chats with Jagwar Ma, The Wytches and rising Liverpool R&B star XamVolo. theskinny.co.uk/films Ken Loach discusses his latest film (and Cannes Palme d’Or winner) I, Daniel Blake, a damning portrayal of the UK's humiliating welfare system.

Plus, interviews with Doctor Strange’s Benedict Wong and Justin Kelly on James Franco-starring true-crime tale King Cobra. theskinny.co.uk/art Stay up-to-date with the latest in Scotland’s art scene with our Art News columns every Tuesday. theskinny.co.uk/food Our New in Food columns continue, collating the best new venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow for

your perusal, and it’s your last chance to vote in this year’s Food & Drink Survey so you’d better go and do that.

It’s that time of year again: we’re in the super-secret process of compiling our albums of the year, and you could win the top ten thanks to the good folks at Fopp!

Want to fill out your record collection? Just head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and tell us your favourite album of 2016 – you’ll be entered into the draw.

Competition closes midnight Sun 20 Nov. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny. co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions

Cover by Mike Hughes: m-hughes.com

Spot the Difference SPOT THE DIFFERENCE Is there a more striking view than the noble mountain? Whether volcanic or tectonicallyformed, humankind has gazed upon these enormous slabs of earth and rock since the dawn of time, only to imagine, 'You know what? I bet I could fucking climb that.' It's a hobby, we suppose.

By Jock Mooney 6

Chat

Gaze, dear reader, upon these two near-identical mountain ranges. Something's not right, is it?

If you can tell us the miniscule difference between the two, you could win a copy of Docherty by William McIlvanney, thanks to those nice folks at Canongate – head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions with your answer.

Competition closes at midnight on Sun 27 Nov. 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

THE SKINNY

Crystal Balls

With Mystic Mark

ARIES Flowers may be growing in your heart, a lark may be singing boisterously of love in your brain, but in your trousers a worm dies of loneliness.

blown dead in a war. Lots of people have been killed by death over the years and it didn’t do them any harm, so why not kick back with a delicious Snickers® chocolate bar.

Brought to you by Snickers.*

TAURUS This month you buy a new Glade buttplug. Now when you let one off at work it smells like weird strawberries.

SCORPIO Dolphins believe that humans have special healing vibrations, which is why you’ll often find sick pups flopping around next to your desk at work, rubbing their snouts against your shoes and screeching.

GEMINI In November your team finally makes a breakthrough at the weapons lab, developing a bomb which papercuts the bellends of everyone in a five mile radius. The boss strolls into the lab with a bottle of champagne to toast your achievement.

SAGITTARIUS Due to the hardened scab which has formed over your nihilistic psyche, you can only cry by chopping onions.

Bringing a chopping board to your mother’s funeral, you give a heart rending eulogy while standing right above a blender, dropping onion after onion into its whirring core.

CANCER Along with your team of top archeological theologians you discover that the Holy God-Sperm used to impregnate the Virgin Mary must have been at least the size of an eel.

LEO Learning that every particle inside your body was once inside a star doesn’t stop you from reading The Sun.

A Tribute to Dario Fo After the death of the renowned playwright and satirist, our Theatre editor pays tribute to the man and his work, which found a loyal following in Scotland Words: Amy Taylor

D

ario Fo, who died in October, aged 90, was one of the most influential playwrights, directors, artists, and actors of his generation. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, his work, which satirised post-war Italian politics and society, was translated into over 30 languages, and widely performed. His most famous play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, was written after a man who was suspected of being involved in a terrorist attack, died after falling from a window while in police custody.

However, his work always seemed to gather special momentum in Scotland, and in the 1980s, Fo, and his wife, Franca Rame, who was his frequent collaborator, performed a number of times at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Notoriously critical of foreign productions of his work – Fo was said to be so incensed by the West End staging of Accidental Death of an Anarchist that he threatened to withdraw the production rights – he gave his blessing to Borderline Theatre’s production of Trumpets and Raspberries, which starred Andy Gray and Elaine C. Smith, and was directed by Morag Fullarton, and was regarded by Fo as, “The best my play’s ever been done outside Italy!”

“His work was brave, revolutionary and masterful at communicating the tragedy of politics through comic satire and farce,” begins Rishaad Moudden, Assistant Producer at Borderline Theatre.

“We’re proud to have brought seven of his wonderful plays to life in Scotland since 1983, with a highlight being our 1990 production of Mistero Buffo starring Robbie Coltrane.”

It’s perhaps poetic that Fo left just as Whipping With Colours, Dancing With Words, the

November 2016

festival created in his honour, was beginning. Fo himself was due to appear at the Lyceum to give a talk about his life and career, until his failing health forced him to pull out. The festival continued, but his absence, and later his death, was felt.

“Dario Fo was a great theatre maker. He forged a link between theatre, carnival and protest,” begins David Greig, the Artistic Director at the Lyceum Theatre. “Scottish theatre owes him a great debt. His methods and ideas fuel much of our work today. That’s why we wanted to honour him with a festival and to welcome him onto our stage to speak. We’re very sad he could not come, but proud that we at the Lyceum, and Scottish theatre more generally, were able to demonstrate our affection and respect for The Maestro in his final days by planning and staging this festival.”

Performers at the festival also paid tribute to Fo, with Mark Thomas, who performed 100 Acts of Minor Dissent at the Traverse, saying, “Dario Fo was a genius who pried open the gates of a glorious pasture in which political theatre makers now frolic. At the age of 18, Accidental Death of an Anarchist left me delirious with joy and anger. It threw down a gauntlet to the establishment and screamed at every one of us to raise our game.

Salut!”

Dario Fo leaves behind a large and impressive body of work, but this legacy and his commitment to his work are what will inspire future generations for years to come. As Eleven Press, who helped organise Dancing With Colours, Whipping With Words said, “We look forward to seeing today’s theatre-makers continue his legacy.”

VIRGO Reading your Bible you’re shocked to discover that when Jesus came back as a zombie he didn’t immediately seek out Pontius Pilate and eat his brain.

LIBRA What happens when we die? Are we reincarnated, as the ancients told us?

Do we ascend to a higher spiritual plane, as the gurus tell us? Or, like my mother told me, do we all go to Hell?

There are as many questions for what happens to us upon death as there are ways to get dead in the first place. From accidentally dying of old age to getting

CAPRICORN You’re alarmed when you notice that the whole world is shrinking, but you’re even more worried by the fact that you’re shrinking at exactly the same rate.

AQUARIUS Your relationship prospects would be improved if you occasionally washed the flap which covers your single, high-pressure sweat pore.

PISCES This month you catch your head in the gears of the head crushing machine. ironically crushing it in the one section heads were absolutely not designed to be crushed in. *This wasn’t brought to you by Snickers

Shot Of The Month Jagwar Ma at The Art School, Glasgow, 20 October by Ryan Johnston

Opinion

7

Compiled by: Kate Pasola

Behold! A cultural guide to the month ahead, guiding you from the fireworks right through to St. Andrew's Day, with some subtle festive anticipation in between. Just as November should be.

Wed 2 Nov

Let’s start as we mean to go on – divisively, with World Vegan Day. Flying Duck are hosting an Underwater Love Affair, with one-off burgers, paella and aquatic cocktails (and a so far unexplained ‘octopie’). The place will be decorated with bespoke decor and you’ll also have the chance to catch all kindsa fishy screenings.

Cos, y’know, vegans. Flying Duck, Glasgow, 12am-1pm, free entry

Guerilla dining gang Section33 have taken it upon themselves to throw a Halloween Pop-up in a TBC location in Glasgow.

Sure, it might be getting on for Guyfawkes, but with promises of divine slowcooked food, live entertainment and cocktails in an iconic, spooky location, surely we can let them off on that minor detail? Keep an eye on section-33.com for venue and menu info.

Location TBC, Glasgow, 2-6 Nov, 5pm, £5 entry

Credit: Lucy Letherland

Heads Up

Tue 1 Nov

Mon 7 Nov

Tue 8 Nov

Wed 9 Nov

Make time tonight for the marvellous music of Margaret Glaspy. She's from Brooklyn and is as raspy and rocky as she sounds, complete with clever lyricism and lovely fuzzy guitar hooks. She released Emotions and Math, her debut full-lengther back in June of this year as a follow-up to a couple of well-received EPs. Get your ears involved tonight at a show in Glasgae. Stereo, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £8

Firstly, find out whether the USA have put the nail in the international coffin by electing a morally abhorrent, saggy tangerinefaced dicksplash to lead their country. Then Trump or no Trump, ‘beach goth’ band The Wytches will see to your evening; their spiralling guitars and glorious screeching might be enough to take your mind off the state of, well, The States. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £10

This month also sees the return of NEoN (stands for North East of North) a five-day digital arts festival as it complements Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design with a programme of new media art in a variety of venues, including West Ward Works (the former DC Thomson print works), CentreSpace, Wellgate Shopping Centre and Hannah Maclure Centre and Dundee Science Centre. Various venues across Dundee, 9-13 Nov, times vary, free

The Wytches

Margaret Glaspy

Section33

Sun 13 Nov

Mon 14 Nov

Tue 15 Nov

On a slightly more solemn note, 18 Nov marks 100 years since the end of The Battle of the Somme.

To mark the occasion, Glasgow Film Theatre will screen The Imperial War Museum’s The Battle of The Somme by Geoffrey Malins and JB McDowell. The film will be soundtracked by Glasgow Studio Orchestra, playing a specially commissioned score from Laura Rossi. GFT, Glasgow, 1pm, £10

The Goldfinch is one of only 12 surviving paintings by Carel Fabritius, scholar of Rembrandt van Rijn, who died tragically in a gunpowder explosion which also destroyed many of his works. A sumptuous painting, it’s considered by many to be his masterpiece. See it IRL as it’s exhibited for the first time in Scotland - it’s only around til mid December, so get yourself along stat.

Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, 4 Nov-18 Dec, free.

Keeping things filmic, Glasgow celebrates its status as a twinned city with Havana this month as The Havana Glasgow Film Festival (HGFF) brings a lil’ Cuban culture to our shores. Along with a programme of films, there’ll be masterclasses with visiting directors and all kinds of multi-arts events – get stuck in and who knows, maybe you’ll forget you’re in rainy ol’ Scotland for a bit? 11-19 Nov, times, locations and prices vary

The Battle of The Somme

The Goldfinch

The Havana Glasgow Film Festival

Sat 19 Nov

Sun 20 Nov

Mon 21 Nov

Dundee’s certainly giving its sibling cities a run for their money this month; another tasty night of music’s on the horizon courtesy of veteran turntable trickster Andy Carthy aka Mr. Scruff, who’s promising us a ‘disc-jockeying session’ of epic proportions (five hours, to be specific) at the Reading Rooms. Expect a blizzard of genres and a real good time. Reading Rooms, Dundee, 10pm, £12.60-£16

Might be a little early to start contemplating the existence of Christmas, but let’s face it – the world’s fucked and the last remaining thing anyone can be sure of is the relentless recurrence of Yuletide. Go watch Edinburgh’s Christmas lights being switched on, check out the Christmas tree that Norway kindly gifted us and hopefully you’ll have a lil’ festive hope bubbling in your heart. George Street, Edinburgh, 1-5pm, free

Hey, Francophiles! Wanna catch some French flicks?

We’ve got just the thing for ya – the French Film Festival! It’s taking place between 4 Nov-1 Dec, and features a pretty massive programme of screenplays, animations and documentaries about everything from painters to kings, vineyards to orphaned courgettes.

Participating venues include Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh Dominion, Glasgow Film Theatre and Aberdeen Belmont Filmhouse. See frenchfilmfestival. org.uk for a full programme of events

Mr. Scruff

Fri 25 Nov

Sat 26 Nov

Karla Black and Kishio Suga share in common their knack for taking ordinary everyday materials and using them to create beautifully complex sculptural works which respond to specific spaces. Their exhibition, A New Order at Modern One combines their work for the first time – it opened in late October, catch it while you can. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Until 19 Feb, free

It’s another one of those days where there’s just too much to recommend to fit it all in one wee oblong, so have a central belt round-up; dose up on IDM with Andrew Weatherall at Subculture (Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £12), or hang out with the Neu! Reekie! lot at Pilrig Church Hall in Leith as Emelle launch a new LP (7.30pm, £5-7). Sorted.

8

Chat

French Film Festival

Edinburgh Christmas Market

Karla Black

Sun 27 Nov

Neu! Reekie!



Just think, this time next month you'll be broke, chubby and in a state of family-induced exasperation. So let's live in the moment, yeah? Glasgow's George Square Christmas Market opened yesterday, why not head along, sink a glass of something warm and boozy, buy some crimbo tat and have a go on the fairground rides? Perhaps not in that order, though.

George Square, Glasgow, opens 26 Nov, free

Blindtext

THE SKINNY

RSA

Thu 3 Nov The Society of Scottish Artists’ 119th Annual Exhibition returned late October and remains pitched up at RSA until 24 Nov, so get yourself along and peruse what should be a pretty interesting selection of work from established and new artists based in Scotland and beyond. There’ll be a mix of traditional media along with performance, computer, video and installation art. RSA, Edinburgh, Until 24 Nov, free

Fri 4 Nov

Sat 5 Nov

Sun 6 Nov

Our gal Peaches has had a hectic half-decade, working in theatre, film and book-writing before getting started on a brand new album, entitled RUB, which she released in 2015. She’s stopping off at Glasgow as part of her European tour, so head to SWG3 today to finally get to the bottom of what exactly is in the teaches of Peaches. SWG3, Glasgow, 7pm, £15

It’s unlikely you’re going to forget fireworks night (remember, remember etc), so let’s talk about something you might not have heard of: Fiesta Bombarda. They’re a pretty big party institution in the North – they started in Liverpool, but have since taken on Manchester and Leeds. They're launching in Scotland, and tonight will transform Studio 24 into a tropical, reggae-filled carnival, complete with performers, live music, face-painting, and braiding. Studio 24, Edinburgh, 9pm, £14-16

Mixed bag today, your choices include a Veggie Taxidermy lesson at Paradise Palms (long story short, make your own stuffed toy and mount it on a wall-plaque) or the first in a series ofLyceum Variety Nights. The latter will be hosted by Jenny Lindsay and Sian Bevan, and feature performances from Luke Wright, Emma Pollock and Christopher Brookmyre among many, many others. The Lyceum, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £15

Fiesta Bombarda

Peaches

Sat 12 Nov

If, like us, you think Edinburgh is FRICKING FANTASTIC and deserves to be celebrated, head to the Creative Edinburgh Awards tonight at Central Hall. Summerhall’s NEHH folks will be curating live music to soundtrack the occasion along with Rhythm Machine and silent disco specialists She-Bang Rave Unit. Unstable Creations will be bringing the visuals; Jelly & Gin’s in charge of the cake. Oh, and there’ll be awards too. Loadsae them.

Central Hall, Edinburgh, 6pm, £7-10

Tonight’s your chance to catch not only the gorgeous Scottish Ensemble, but also 2016 SAY Award Winner Anna Meredith in a performance of Anno. The piece is Meredith’s hour-long sonic tapestry which reworks and weaves Vivaldi’s baroque masterpieces The Four Seasons into her own electronic compositions. The music will be accompanied by lighting and visuals, making for a pretty absorbing evening, we imagine. Tramway, Glasgow, 10 & 11 Nov, 6.30pm & 8.30pm, £0-17

If you’re Edinburgh-side tonight, your evening’s dancing’s sorted courtesy of Bondax, a duo of British electronic musicians also known as Adam Kaye and George Townsend (you might know ‘em from their early singles Gold and You're So). Nightvision are bringing them to La Belle as part of a return to UK shores, so catch them for a late night sesh while you can. La Belle Angèle, Edinburgh, 11pm, £10-15

Wed 16 Nov

Thu 17 Nov

Fri 18 Nov

Today sees Dundee Jazz Festival limbering up for a five day fiesta of jazz from across the ages, bringing in the likes of The Scottish Swing Orchestra, Nikki Hill Band, Charlotte Marshall and the 45s and double MOBO Award winning saxrapper extraordinaire Soweto Kinch for the occasion. See a full programme at jazzdundee. co.uk. 16-20 Nov, times, prices and locations vary

Throwing Muses ultrababe and acclaimed soloist Kristin Hersh heads down for a date with Summerhall’s Nothing Ever Happens Here series tonight. The show, quaintly entitled An Evening With Kristin Hersh is in support of last month’s release Wyatt At The Coyote Palace, a hardcover book of essays and lyrics with a double CD. Expect readings and songs from throughout Hersh’s entire career. Summerhall, Edinburgh, 8pm, £20

After a successful inaugural weekend in 2015, Youth Theatre Arts’ Chrysalis festival returns to Edinburgh today, bringing together a selection of seven European youth theatre groups to perform before a Trav audience over the course of the weekend. Festival passes and three-show passes are available – check out ytas. org.uk/chrysalis for all the deets. Traverse Theatre, Ediburgh, 18-20 Nov, times and prices vary

Creative Edinburgh Awards 2015

Thu 10 Nov

Charlotte Marshall

Anna Meredith

Kristin Hersh

Photo: Leah Henson

Fri 11 Nov

Emma Pollock

Bondax

Club

Tue 22 Nov

Wed 23 Nov

Thu 24 Nov

It’s a good couple of years since bae of baes How To Dress Well captured our hearts with his silky vocals and affecting R‘n’B on LP What Is This Heart.

But then, joy of joys, at the turn of autumn this year he dropped the eclectic, accessible and bouncy as hell Care. Catch him performing his arsenal of poppy masterpieces in Glasgow this month.

Stereo, Glasgow, 8pm, £12.50

Even if you’re not massive on contemporary dance, you really, really have to see Rambert’s performance of Christopher Bruce’s chilling Ghost Dances. A tribute to victims of political oppression in South America, it illustrates the disruptive force of death with moving finesse. This is the first performance of the work in 13 years. Rambert will also perform two new pieces, Tomorrow and Frames. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 23-25 Nov

In a TRULY UNPRECEDENTED move, Edinburgh’s holding a craft beer festival. Sarcasm aside, Edinburgh Craft Beer Revolution Festival looks to be pretty craft-tastic, with Assembly Roxy (that big old church near Pleasance) being transformed into a Beer Hall, showcasing 13 breweries and over 60 beers. You can also chomp down on street food and visit the gin and wine corner before skipping home with a free beer glass to remind you what a lovely time you’ve had. Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, 2426 Nov, £10-33

How to Dress Well

Mon 28 Nov Artist Beatrice Catanzaro is a very interesting person. Along with an activist and a cultural manager, she founded Bait al Karama, a Women’s Centre and Cookery School in the city of Nablus, West Bank.

She’s visiting MILK for one night only this month to ‘share her understanding of food as cultural means for political resistance’ – sounds like just what the doctor ordered, if you ask us. MILK Cafe, Glasgow, 6.30pm, free

November 2016

Beatrice Catanzaro

Ghost Dance

Tue 29 Nov

Wed 30 Nov

What’s winter without toothy cats, magic mushrooms and top-hatted eccentrics? NOTHING, that’s what. Luckily, the Lyceum’s done us all a solid and is hosting a run of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland throughout the festive season. Why not offer to treat a pal’s little one?

Wham bam, you’ve got an excuse to have yourself a magically childish time.

The Lyceum, Edinburgh, 27 Nov-31 Dec, 2pm & 7pm, prices vary

Got the day off for St Andrew’s day? Excellent, we’re very happy for you.

Mark the occasion by doing something utterly unrelated – heading over to Edinburgh Artists’ Moving Image Festival (21-29 Nov). It’s happening in venues across the city, including Fruitmarket, Collective, Talbot Rice, ECA and Filmhouse, so you’ve got ab-so-lutely no excuse not to shimmy on down and soak up some movie-art goodness. More info at eamif.com

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland



African Lines

Chat

9

Kick-start the Christmas season with our festive tasting menus and revamped dining room.

Book now to avoid disappointment

seasons RESTAURANT & BAR

A passion for seasonal produce, sourced locally from Scotland and with influence from Scandinavia.

Liquor Library is a Speakeasy Cocktail Bar located in the heart of New Town Edinburgh on No.1 Barony Street beneath Seasons restaurant. Mixing seasonal ingredients with prohibition style cocktails in a relaxed, Speakeasy setting.

Bar & Restaurant open Wed-Sun 12:00-01:00 Lunch Served 12:00 - 14:30 Dinner Served 17:30 - 21:30

Seasons Restaurant & Bar 36 Broughton Street Edinburgh EH1 3SB

Liquor Library Open Wed - Sunday 4pm - 1am

0131 466 9851 seasonstasting.co.uk

Unrivaled and Unapolagetic Unrivaled? Paisley’s Shogun tells us why he’s Scotland’s best MC

“I

n Paisley, we talk too loud sometimes,” says Shogun, a 19-year-old MC who took the internet by storm with Vulcan, a surprisingly selfreflective track for a teenager, earning him over 700K views on YouTube. The rapper from Renfrewshire is indeed unapologetically outspoken about his political views and the fact he won’t bow down to a certain genre, even though he’s been hailed as Scottish grime’s biggest talent.

Grime in Scotland has been flourishing for over a decade, with the Levels crew repping the country on London pirate radio stations since 2005. Now artists and producers like Ransom FA, Chrissy Grimez and Polonis are coming up, there’s a buzz about Scotland as the site of the genre’s next incarnation. With Eskimo Dance taking place in the country for the first time last month, and the MOBOs descending on Glasgow this November, it seems apt to shine a light on the MC who’s been getting the most attention recently. We catch up with Shogun, aka Joe Heron, one Friday afternoon to find out what gets him riled up about the current state of affairs.

On Unrivaled, the follow-up to Vulcan, Heron namechecks politicians such as Tony Blair and Nigel Farage. When I asked him why he chose to hone in on the ex-UKIP leader, he says, “the most dangerous person is someone who doesn’t have intelligence but seems like they do. During Brexit, Farage just needed to seem like he knew what he was talking about. It was like, you couldn’t write this shit. That’s what reality is now, it’s like a caricature of itself.

“ We do what we do, and then we get fucked up at the weekend” Joe Heron

Interview: Kamila Rymajdo

values to some degree. “I’ve been programmed to want to be a rapper because we’re all programmed to want a certain life, to just pick a fucking avenue. Fear is what drives people,” he says. “The difference with me is, I don’t care if I don’t go to uni, or get a job.” The other difference is that people are paying attention to him, and Shogun is getting young Scots as aggravated as he is.

While much of his rhetoric is anti-establishment, music is fast becoming Heron’s job. With countless shows already under his belt, and a recent run supporting conscious hip-hopper Akala, in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Heron’s work ethic is evident from his output on YouTube, both alone, and as part of the MFTM crew, and in his considered but confident approach. “I like to drop shit without promo,” he says. “Promo is a vital tool, but it’s all about context for me. Who’s doing it because they need to, and who’s doing it because they want to? The only time you need to do promo is when your tune isn’t the best, but obviously, when your shit is the best it can be, it should be instantly noticeable upon listening. Good music is like drugs. Weed sells itself, coke sells itself.”

He puts what he sees as the substandard quality of a lot of urban music down to people not trying hard enough. “What the fuck is happening,” he almost shouts. “Where are all the lyrical cunts who are spitting 140 BPM [beats per minute]?

Where are people using compound syllables?

Grime recently has gone a bit pop-ish, then you have the massive polar opposite where it’s trying to be thuggish. There’s too much mad distorted bass with shit lyrics. I thought you’re supposed to use illusions to tell reality, it’s meant to be a journey, a cerebral challenge,” he bemoans.

Shogun’s confidence in his ability to deliver on a level extends to his distancing himself from both Scottish rappers who have gone before him, and the current Glasgow grime scene, which by association at least, he is a part of. “I don’t like half the people I’ve met through this music scene,” he tells me. “I’ve met a lot of pretenders. Cunts that didn’t used to give a fuck about me. But

when they hear me spitting on grime beats now, they don’t say fuck all, as I spit better than their favourite MCs do.”

He has a few choice words for some of the people he encounters in Glasgow as well. “For this ironic youth, or the university cunts, everything is a joke. Everything is a meme to them.

They’ll do Snapchat and Insta [Instagram], but it’s the extent that people go to here that fucks me off. Some people are too weird for me, they’re too artsy, too nuanced, they think they’re a new wave, but they dress like people from the 90s. ‘You’re not the new wave, you’re an old wave re-lived.’ In Paisley we don’t have time for all that fake stuff; that modern version of sitting around a campfire, sitting around a wee poofie. We do what we do,

and then we get fucked up at the weekend.”

Heron explains that getting in trouble with the law is what led to his enlightenment. “I was chasing guidance in the form of older boys, who were doing fucked up shit, and they were using me to get them shit. It took me trying so hard to be real, to finally understand, that I was a pure victim in my mind.” The maturity of lyrics such as those on Vulcan, is no doubt what has so quickly propelled Shogun to where he is today, but his disregard for paying respect to older Scottish rappers is likely to piss a few people off. Shogun is confident it doesn’t matter though. As our conversation draws to a close he says, “everyone wants to be the sheep instead of being the shepherd, but not me.”

An Education in Scottish Grime Levels Syndicate Formed over a decade ago, Levels today comprises of one original crew member – Gallus One, but since 2015, a new generation of MCs and producers are repping the Glasgow collective who also run their own radio station Levels. MCs 2T, A.D.Y, A-Macc, Chrissy Grimez and Skola often feature, as well as producers Polonis and Rapture 4D, with the crew’s music now reaching the highest echelons of grime’s gatekeepers, such as Gallus One being played

by Apple Music Beats 1 presenter Julie Adenuga.

MFTM The Glasgow-based crew that Shogun is a part of is in frequent demand by the city’s club promoters, with a slew of gigs this summer preparing them for their first London show in October, where Shogun was supported by fellow MCs I.D. and Remark. Currently working on a debut EP, the crew’s work ethic is evident

not only in the number of shows they do, but the volume of YouTube videos they’ve released.

Ransom FA Aberdeen hailing MC Ransom FA has been getting a lot of hype recently thanks to reload worthy tracks such as North Face and Shogun featured Wake Up, his Eskimo Dance appearance and support slots at Skepta and Wiley shows. Before the year is out he plans to drop his EP R&G (Rhythm & Grime).

Polonis Eighteen-year-old Glasgow-based producer Polonis broke his teeth on re-fixes and has produced for MCs such as Shogun and Ransom FA, but it’s his Classic Trax debut EP M which caught the attention of producers like Mumdance and Murlo, and BBC 1Xtra grime DJ Logan Sama.

Currently collaborating with fellow Levels crew member Rapture 4D, the more industrial leaning artist is soon set to release tracks on their label Plastic Abuse.

November 2016

Photo: Jonathon Marshall

“I don’t want to see good caring people get sent back to where they came from, just because a rich politician says so,” he continues, getting gradually more incensed. “The system we have in the western world just hurts people. It all leads to more problems because we don’t know how to fix our problems.” It’s not only Brexit which he feels politicians need to be held accountable for either.

For him, the neoliberal system is broken. “It’s like advertisement. We’re being told to buy shit that’s telling us to be a certain way, or we’re being told to buy luxuries. There’s so many people who patch their dreams to get a job to afford all that.”

Heron cites a lack of self-education as a reason for why British society has grown divorced from reality. “There’s so much that people don’t think about on a daily basis. If you went up to an average cunt in Paisley and asked him to draw an African they’d draw a skinny cunt. Even the maps are drawn wrong; the Northern Hemisphere is drawn bigger.” He believes ignorance is so prevalent, because it’s been bubbling underneath the surface for generations. “We’ve been fed European supremacy since the 18th century, so there’s never been such a thing as a good politician.

“The whole idea of politics is to overcomplicate simple shit,” he continues, “but if you can’t explain something complicated in a simple way then you’re stupid. It’s obvious to me that we’re being ruled by fools.” This is why Heron’s not interested in getting involved in voicing his anger in the traditional way. “How can you protest a corrupt system by abiding by their rules?” he implores.

Still, he understands, even he is a victim of western

Music

Feature

11

Muse of the World Kristin Hersh formed seminal alt rock act Throwing Muses when she was 14. With the band still a well-loved draw, and with Hersh set to tour her new solo work, she explains why her audience’s loyalty is at the root of her ongoing creativity

K

ristin Hersh knows how to laugh. For an artist whose distinct and vast catalogue of work is often unfairly perceived as troubling and difficult, that might surprise some. But her various modes of expression – often, yes, almost unbearably intimate – have always been leavened by a black and absurdist humour. And as we speak (she’s at home in Rhode Island preparing to tour new CD/book release Wyatt at the Coyote Palace), she laughs throughout: a full and infectious rumble that punctuates and lifts our conversation. A generous storyteller for over three decades now, she’s as compelling in interview as she is on the written page or on record. And boy, does she laugh when asked if we can start at the beginning and share some memories of the early days – in particular the first Throwing Muses headine tour, a 4AD double-header in 1989 with Pixies as support.

“Sure,” she says. “I may not know the answers.

You’ll probably know everything else better than me!” But she’s better on the detail than she makes out. “You saw us in Manchester? Yeah, that was a good one. I think...”

Like many prime movers of the emerging late 80s US alt scene, Hersh has managed to retain her audience, as a month-long tour of the UK in November attests. With the likes of Bob Mould, J Mascis and Thalia Zedek making some of their best work of late, it’s a peer group that injects a middle-aged viewpoint with youthful endeavour. “That’s so nice to hear. That’s really touching,” Hersh responds.

“We’ve been doing the same thing since we were 14. We knew that nobody would ever care and so, when people did, we sort of didn’t notice. And if they didn’t care, it didn’t matter. You know, I’ve never really paid too much attention to whether I’m playing a theatre or a tiny club. Those things are no indicator as to the quality of your work or how well you’re going to play or how great the audience is or how successful your record is, even.

I mean, I’ve sold millions of records – it just took me millions of years to do it!

“ The musician is no different from the listener, in many ways – we all make the song float around the room” Kristin Hersh

“I’ve come to appreciate a simplicity and level of response from the listener,” she continues.

“That is, to appreciate that this is my day job and for them to get up for it. That’s all I ever wanted: to be able to play. It sounds silly, I know, but it’s everything. It’s working. The music is working.

And that’s because it resonates, not because it’s trendy or because there’s money behind promoting it. It’s because the listeners care.” All these years on, it’s still a powerful dialogue. Are we still good listeners? “Absolutely you are! There’s a difference, too, between a fan and a listener. Fans can be scary, and they’re not necessarily into what I do in any great way, and they act... nutty. But a

12

Feature

listener... they’re a friend.” She pauses. “God, that sounds lame! I just can’t think of a better way to put it. The musician is no different from the listener, in many ways – we all make the song float around the room.” Well, maybe it doesn’t really exist until we do our bit? “Exactly. And as a shy person, I hate that equation and yet I have found it to be true: that we are social animals and this noise is a social endeavour. But the fact that my listeners continue to allow me to engage in that equation, one that is so off-putting, well... that’s a gift.”

Paid for in part by those listeners (the Strange Angels who sign up to her CASHMusic subscription service), Wyatt at the Coyote Palace is a 60page, two-disc thumbs-down to the casual download mode. “Dave Narcizo [her Muses partner from day one, who Hersh once called a loser for coming second in a poll of the world’s best drummers] worked with me on the design. He knew that the beauty of the music was not being expressed in the package. We’d try, you know, but a CD has no inherent value. Nobody cares about it, no matter how valauable the songs on it are. So, to make a book happen, even though it costs a lot of money, means that we’re creating something that can last.

We’re making something that people can share without being embarrassed. It’s a little presumptious to ask somebody to adopt your soundtrack, but if you give them a book...”

The album’s 24 songs are annotated by accompanying prose pieces and photographs, and a deep relationship between the two emerges. “Well, the music is the product and whatever words and images accompany it are meant to fill in colour and expression,” Hersh explains. “I guess it reminds you of stories. It’s that simple. I tell them – that’s all. I certainly would never presume to explain a song. I kind of talk around it, hint at the stories that happen inside of it. A song is never as small as me. It just uses me to tell itself. And the stories around the songs... I just choose the nicest ones.

I don’t like hurting people’s feelings more than the music already does!”

If Hersh’s stories so often feel like fiction, it’s perhaps because they’re elevated by her oblique wordplay and because the events she recounts so often feel larger than life. The two-person dialogue that accompanies the song Sunblown is a vivid, troubling account of a tour bus crash in the middle of nowhere that revels in the blackest humour when someone mistakenly hears ‘Frank Capra’ as ‘Frank Zappa’. “Well, that actually happened, and it’s a much longer story than I present in the book. I think it’s important to take life seriously but not necessarily take yourself seriously.” Every time the songs and the stories brush with death, a dark seam of humour gives mortality the finger. “Yeah, well what else are you gonna do? I was in a meeting recently and someone said: ‘Well, no one’s gonna die.’ Well, they are, actually. You can’t really take anything seriously apart from life itself, which deserves a certain amount of gravity and gratitude.

“I always said that there was a lot of humour in whatever I’ve done,” she continues. “People presumed that because it was tangled and noisy, it couldn’t possibly be funny – that to be happy or nice, it had to be dumb or simplistic. People superimposed this dark poetry idea onto what I was doing, that wasn’t really there. I cared a lot. I wasn’t complaining.” Us listeners, we weren’t using the music for self-reflection or to suck the poison out. We were making connections that were

Photo: Peter Mellekas

Interview: Gary Kaill

joyous and celebratory. “Exactly. That’s a really sweet way of putting it. Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s a complex thing but, yes, it was like: if you feel a particular way, you don’t have to be cheered up by it or care less, but let’s remove the shame, say, and invest it with... energy.”

With Hersh as busy as ever – “I have this tour to do but the Muses are in the studio right now in LA, making something very different. And, yes, we’ll tour that” – we finish by talking about her young son Wyatt, whose fascination with a local derelict apartment building gave this latest work both life and title. “He’s moved on now,” says Hersh. “It was a beautiful obsession, a circular notion that he

Music

eventually excised from his psychology to keep encapsulated as a sense memory. He has the most brilliant mind I have ever encountered. It’s hard to impress him but he’s so kind and I can do no wrong. He was in the studio with me while I was making this record, unless he was in the Coyote Palace. He sees it as very personal to him, like it’s his own big budget home movies.” She laughs one more time. “And I take it as a great honour for him to see it that way.”

Wyatt at the Coyote Palace is available now, released by Omnibus, RRP £14.99 Kirstin Hersh plays Summerhall, Edinburgh (17 Nov) and Macintosh Church, Glasgow (18 Nov)

THE SKINNY

A League of Her Own Taking a break from her work in Massachusetts guitar manglers Speedy Ortiz, Sadie Dupuis goes solo and scores one of the year’s most important albums in the process. Here she tells us about the importance of refocussing pop’s male-centric narrative

S

he’s a formidable musician, but Sadie Dupuis is remarkably accessible too. Prior to our chat with the Speedy Ortiz singer, Dupuis makes a curiously ellipitical tweet: “Every time I play solo it takes years off my life.” Happy to oblige our pulling on that thread, as she chats via Skype from her Philadelphia home, she’s typically candid about the trials of preparing to tour solo LP Slugger – getting to grips with playing alone, for example, or having to tone down the backing tracks where she’s enthusiastically overdubbed the same synth line five times.

“It’s so strange – if I have one other person on stage with me, I don’t have any kind of stage fright,” she laughs, fighting off a cold. “Speedy [Ortiz] tours all over the world, we play big festivals and I never feel nervous, but if I am by myself on stage…

Last night I played in a kitchen to 30 people sitting on the ground and I was sweating and shaking. I can’t do it! I feel like if I’m in a band I can be Courtney Love, and if I’m alone I’m like Cat Power!”

Self-determinism is a big theme of Slugger, Dupuis’ debut solo record under the moniker of Sad13, her Twitter username. On the back of two critically-acclaimed albums, Major Arcana and Foil Deer, Dupuis’ band Speedy Ortiz have gained a reputation at the vanguard of the DIY indie rock scene, owing in no small part to Dupuis’ intricate lyrics and gnarly guitar arrangements. With the band currently taking a short break to work on other projects, this latest work sees Dupuis trying on the pop jacket in an attempt to hit a home run by herself.

“ Men are allowed to exist! It’s just that we need more space for other voices” Sadie Dupuis

Written in two weeks following her move from Massachusetts to Philadelphia, Slugger is a playful bedroom pop record which shows Dupuis successfully fusing sugary modern synth lines and drum machine beats with 90s pop and R’n’B references, without abandoning her distinctive guitar squalls or knotty reflections on relationships.

With Philly renowned for its highly inclusive and feminist punk scene (it’s also the home of artists such as Waxahatchee and Girlpool), Dupuis believes that although Slugger could have been written anywhere, the city certainly contributed to the record’s political mindset.

“A big reason I moved here was just to be closer to my friends, many of whom are songwriters that I really admire,” she says. “I knew I didn’t want to live in Massachussetts anymore but I still had a house there so I sub-let a friend’s bedroom.

I was going out all day hanging out with my Philly friends, then I’d come home at night and work on these demos until five in the morning. The excitement and energy of being around my friends, who I had up until that point only hung out with on tour, was inspiring and I think a lot of the songs certainly had messages about women supporting

November 2016

and lifting each other up.”

Slugger’s feminist overtones are one of the record’s most striking aspects, from the haunting, Britney Spears-tinged Tell U What (which shows Dupuis defending herself against abuse from an ex against whom she nearly had to get a restraining order) to the celebration of affirmative consent on woozy lead single Get a Yes. These themes are by no means new for fans of Dupuis, with Speedy Ortiz dedicated to making their shows accessible safe spaces, even setting up their own ‘help hotline’ so that concertgoing fans can call them directly if they feel they are being harassed. However, on Slugger these messages are more direct than ever, which she explains is due to the record’s pop medium and the importance of her songs’ topics.

We venture to Dupuis that it feels quite radical to hear such complex depictions of relationships in a pop format, of women being independent without adhering to the aggressive male trope often found in pop songs such as Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money.

“But I love that song too!” she laughs. “I wouldn’t look cool in a music video with a gun so I can’t do the Rihanna! We’re in such a great golden era of the political returning to pop music, I think – the Solange album just came out and it’s stunning – so I don’t think it’s completely rare. Maybe we’re seeing an increase in the amount of topics that can be explored in pop music. It’s such a state of political unrest – basically, young people who are frustrated by the bigots who are in control – that of course pop music’s reflecting that tension.”

We move on to the the systemic themes in her work. “I think my music is often based on my own personal history, but often that’s a very shared history with other friends who have a similar identity to me,” she explains. “Obviously, with regard to consent, 20% of women experience sexual assault and so much of that could be prevented if we had better conversations about consent and sexual education early on. If I’m writing a song like [Get A Yes] I’m not just thinking about my own history; I’m thinking about the way my history has been caused by the way our society works.”

What is clear from this conversation is Dupuis’ deep love for the pop genre and the sincerity of her hopes for it. With her history of teaching songwriting at summer camps in her pre-Speedy days, Dupuis knows that one of the earliest educations one receives in life comes from pop music. Its ubiquity therefore gives it a certain responsibility to send positive messages to its young listeners, particularly, Dupuis argues, regarding issues of sexuality.

“I think often that the ways in which eroticism works in pop music is not in a way that’s particularly women-friendly, especially when the artist is male,” she says. “Often the songwriters for the pop I grew up loving as a kid, it was men writing for women which I think we see a lot less now.

Often the narrative tension in these pop songs would be about trying to convince a woman to dance with you or sleep with you when they’ve already said no. [Positive K]’s I’ve Got A Man, for example, is a song I love but it’s basically just about pushing past someone’s boundaries after they’ve just stated no. So while I still like a lot of these songs I wish that I’d heard other things as a kid. It’s not romantic to have your boundaries denied. Not sexy. It’s shitty.”

As Dupuis readily admits, it’s unlikely that any songs from the subversive Slugger will find

their way onto the American Top 40. However, at least Slugger is using the pop format in a positive way that gives voice to less fashionable topics. It also continues a trend which gives Dupuis cause for optimism; of young female pop stars writing their own songs, such as the thoughtful Lorde.

“Men are allowed to exist!” she offers reassuringly. “It’s just that we need more space for other voices, especially when people are speaking for other identities. I think that we’re starting to reward women creatively [in ways] that were sort of unforeseeable ten years ago.” Here, she points us towards the prodigious Julia Michaels who, at 22, has already written for Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.

“Let’s have some young women writing songs for adult men because I think that the messages are going to be better.”

Dupuis stresses that one of her proudest achievements on Slugger was recording and producing the record entirely independently. Not just extending her praise to female singers and songwriters but also to female guitarists and pro-

Music

Interview: Chris Ogden

grammers, then, she hopes that the record will encourage more women to get involved at all levels of the music industry.

“I was very inspired to do this album because I knew about other women who were home producing their own pop music,” she concludes. “I think just adding my name to the list of women who can home record and home produce offers a level of representation to women who still feel very shut out from engineering fields and production fields. If I meet any kids who are like, ‘I didn’t think I could produce my own pop record but I did because you did,’ that would be the ultimate goal.”

With Dupuis already thinking of other songs that would work for her Sad13 project, one can’t help but admire her sense of fun, determination and dedication to helping others knock it out of the park. After Slugger, the major leagues surely can’t be too far away.

Slugger is released on 11 Nov via Carpark Records

Feature

13

14

THE SKINNY

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em W

hen Romesh Ranganathan last spoke to The Skinny, Ed Miliband seemed on the brink of becoming PM and his mother wasn’t a celebrity.

“I did the Alternative Election special on Channel 4 with Aisling Bea,” he says of the May 2015 vote, “she had a bit about how Labour were going to need to form a coalition with the SNP in order to get enough seats. All of a sudden the polls came in and the Tories were absolutely smashing it. It was a massive surprise and a good illustration, to me, of how we get our views from social media. I only tend to be friends with people who share my views and perception of things. What you don’t realise is that there are loads of people who don’t think like you. That election really blew my mind showing this.”

About 18 months later, that same social media bubble showed no sign of bursting during the EU referendum. “With Brexit it seemed almost like it was a formality we were going to stay in the EU. Then, all of sudden, people are shocked. My Facebook feed after Brexit was full of people talking about how angry they were and calling Leave voters idiots. Now, there is a debate to be had about how the Leave campaign conducted themselves – such as the funding to the NHS and how that’s not actually true – and how that process wasn’t managed properly, but to protest against a vote strikes me as antidemocratic. The idea that people who voted Leave are meatheaded racists is very naïve. Over half the turnout voted for Brexit and to dismiss them, to be honest, I think is offensive. It’s elitist to suggest that your viewpoints are better than anybody else.”

“ If my mum gets her own cookery show and I’m only allowed a cameo on it – then I’ll know things have gone a bit too far” Romesh Ranganathan

Ultimately, however, it is better that polarised viewpoints are in the open where they can be debated. “It’s a good thing because now we’re aware how people feel and we can acknowledge it.”

When Ranganathan was writing his current show Irrational, he hoped to include material which was slightly more “outward” than his previous work. About to be released on DVD, was he able to capture topics which shift, such as the political landscape, in the finished show?

“I talk about how the political climate has changed and about how what we thought were commonly held views are not actually commonly held views... But, comedy is often a snapshot.

When I watch stand-up shows from the past, or even old recordings of Mock the Week, you appreciate that this was what was going on at that time. And also,” he adds, “it can be funny to see something said that we now know is completely wrong.”

Ranganathan is usually more personal than political on stage, with material that centres on misanthropic gripes towards his family, albeit with a subtext that the joke is on him: “I hope it comes across when I’m complaining about my kids that if I was actually good at being a parent I wouldn’t get so frustrated with the situation to complain.”

November 2016

It’s interesting that it is actually Ranganathan’s family material that has developed in the most outwardly direction – outward by some 5,000 miles.

His TV Series Asian Provocateur charted Ranganathan’s trip to Sri Lanka, sent by his mother to find out about the culture, customs and family members he’d spent a lifetime in ignorance of. A comedic take on a travel documentary, with a dash of Who Do You Think You Are?, the show is a phenomenal success. Furthermore, the series has not been without some unexpected consequences to the family dynamic closer to home.

For while life must be difficult for the children of celebrities, we must spare a thought for Ranganathan. His mother, Shanti, has become famous only after his success. Worse, she’s celebrated for the ease with which she upstages her son. Shanti is forever goading him about every aspect of his personality and appearance, winning every exchange by tying him up with her barbed knots of circular logic.

“The reason that my mum is in it is because she wanted to get me in touch with my heritage.

There is something always engaging about somebody speaking to their mum, so we knew that was going to be interesting. We filmed the first couple of minutes and she was a little bit awkward but then Ben [Green, series director] said, ‘you just need to be yourself ’ and as soon as that happened she was absolutely great. But there was no plan, I did not expect people to be asking me where my mum is when I’m on tour. The only fear is that if my mum gets her own cookery show and I’m only allowed a cameo on it – then I’ll know things have gone a bit too far.”

Now streaming a second series, that fear has really already come to pass. Asian Provocateur is now very much their show as the mother and son double-act visit North America together. It’s even arguable the format is as much like a family sitcom as it is a travel documentary. “My brother is in this series, and what is quite funny is how he throws himself into stuff and he’s actually good at it. If they were making a straight down the line travel show, he’s the guy who should obviously be hosting.”

This all further exaggerates the show’s fishout-of-water premise, with Ranganathan the odd one out now both in the situation and with his family – such as when his brother literally runs rings around him during a day at a wrestling school.

It also leads to some touching scenes where he has to be rallied by his brother. “I’ll be honest with you, it’s funny you pick up on [the wrestling episode] because it was the most upsetting experience on the whole thing. It really was how it went down and I was worried about it afterwards because I thought it was so raw. I felt like I was back as the fat kid in PE class. My brother said that he found it difficult to watch me so upset and the instructor having a go at me. That’s why he came outside, to try and talk me back up. Underneath, we are a really solid unit.”

That unit shows most when Ranganathan casts aside his grumpiness and takes part in some gloriously unsuited activity, whether it’s cheerleading or skydiving. On jumping from the plane he says: “My family didn’t know I was going to do it. So when I did, I thought it’d be like I was proving them wrong – flicking the Vs to them saying, ‘see, I did it!’ But they just came and hugged me and said how proud they were.”

With such a close family the absence of his father – who died suddenly in 2011 – is felt on screen. “One of the biggest sadnesses of my life is that he isn’t around. He had a belief in my ability that was greater than my own. He used to say, when I first started, ‘why are you not on TV?’ – and I’d say, ‘Dad, I’ve done six gigs, I have five minutes of material.’ He came to all of my early gigs and sat

at the back with a beer. I remember one, at the Komedia in Brighton, when Jeff Innocent was MC and he smashed it. Dad said, ‘You need to be like that guy, how he is with the crowd and aim at that.’

He could be an honest critic too, but he was a supportive one. With Asian Provocateur he would be over the moon, it’s a show about seeing his family.”

There is also something fitting that Ranganathan’s family and career remain so aligned.

After all, this is the comedian whose wife opted to give birth to their third child in Edinburgh so the family could stay together during his 2014 Fringe run. And this was in keeping with family tradition; she also supported him as he gave up his secure teaching career for the rather riskier option of comedy: “I started doing stand-up just when we had our first child,” he says, “while doing open mics, Leesa would bring our eldest son in the car seat. He watched so much comedy. Well, he was asleep for most of it. There was a time just after I’d left teaching, when my dad had just passed away and we really weren’t making ends

COMEDY

Interview: Ben Venables meet. Our car was taken away and we couldn’t pay the bills. We were really struggling... we didn’t tell anybody because it’s a very personal thing.

I was very conscious that if Leesa turned round and said ‘go back to teaching’ then I would have to because I couldn’t have put my family through that for much longer. But she never said that and now it’s part of the reason why I try and work as hard as I can. Also, comedy can be so transient.

Who knows, next year maybe no-one will want to touch me with a bargepole and I’ll be struggling again. You have to work and make the most of opportunities when they are there.”

Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live DVD and digital download released 21 Nov, £9.99 Asian Provocateur Series 2 is available on BBC iPlayer Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational, Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, 6 Dec, 8pm, £18.50; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 7 Dec, 8pm, £22.65; Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, 8 Dec, 7.30pm, £19

romeshranganathan.co.uk

Photo: Andy Hollingworth

Ahead of his tour dates, we catch-up with Romesh Ranganathan about Irrational, the changing political times and sharing the spotlight with his family

Feature

15

tion for the venue where their career took off is obvious. “Fabric is the one that’s kind of interesting, because we played the first weekend that it opened in 1999. It’s is an amazingly well-run place.

There are people who are really making an effort there and that’s great.

“I think you’ve got to be careful, you know.

You can see what’s happening in places like Berlin, we need to hold on to these places. We want to keep our position. We need to cherish these types of places, you know – it’s not galleries and restaurants in Mayfair, it’s nightclubs in the East End of London that are actually essential to the health of the city.”

Having been active in the campaign to stop Fabric’s closure, we ask Findlay what he believes is the best course of action for the many club goers currently feeling powerless to forestall the club’s fate.

“ It’s not galleries and restaurants in Mayfair, it’s nightclubs in the East End of London that are actually essential to the health of the city” Tom Findlay

Keep On Groovin’ We catch up with Tom Findlay, one half of the UK dance music giants Groove Armada, to talk about past successes, current tours, and plans for the future Interview: Claire Francis

M

ore than any other British dance music outfit of their era, in the late 90s Groove Armada successfully realised both critical and commercial acclaim. With hits like At The River, I See You Baby (Shaking That Ass) and Superstylin’, Andy Cato and Tom Findlay secured their big room dancefloor credibility while maintaining their diverse production approaches. The duo’s releases first aired in 1997; by 2004, they had a greatest hits album, The Best of Groove Armada. The wealth of years has also honed the renowned Groove Armada live performance, which culminated in the 2010’s Black Light tour.

Following their acclaimed Fabriclive 87 release in May this year, September saw the British dance music legends return to Edinburgh for their first club show in almost eight years, and this month they’ll also take to the turntables for a special Bonfire Night DJ performance in Glasgow’s SWG3 TV Studio. On the day that The Skinny calls Findlay for this interview, Riva Starr’s remix of Superstylin’ had held the top spot on Beatport for three weeks running. Surely, we ask, it’s just further proof of Groove Armada’s enduring influence?

“He’s done an amazing job with it really,” Findlay states modestly. “Keeping it really simple, letting the vocal do the work… it’s lovely. It’s been

16

Feature

rooted to the top of the Beatport chart! There’s something magic about that vocal – which is obviously nothing to do with me – but it sort of takes any kind of groove really well.

“I think that’s what he’s done really cleverly; he’s sort of not over-egged it, you know? It’s got a couple of great breakdowns, he’s put the vocal to the forefront of the mix… yeah, he’s just done a lovely job. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how successful it’s been. We’ve been playing the original version for about 17 years, so it’s nice to have somebody else play it for a change!”

Findlay certainly puts into perspective the length of the duo’s career; next year marks the 20th anniversary of Groove Armada proper, with the aforementioned At The River released as a single in 1997 and limited to just 500 copies (it also appeared on their debut LP Northern Star).

You could forgive the pair if, in the intervening years, inspiration had began to run dry. But a run of EPs on Hypercolour, Moda Black, Defected, and Danse Club later, plus a new single – Tune 101 – out on Steve Lawler’s VIVa Warriors, only underscores Groove Armada’s vitality.

“We’ve got a new tune coming out in the New Year,” Findlay reveals, “which is great – not unlike Superstylin’, in some ways. It’s a tune we’ve been

playing out a lot and it’s been doing really well.

“It’s kind of the 20th anniversary of us,” he explains. “I don’t know when you’d say the first moment is, but we recorded in 1997, so 2017 is twenty years! I’m not one of these people that’s massively into nostalgia, but when you’ve got a landmark like that, you do kind of think back.”

With a massive summer of touring behind them, including sets at Eastern Electrics and Parklife festivals and the Elrow opener at Space in Ibiza, Findlay also reflects on Groove Armada’s longevity as a live act.

“It’s a change of pace with everything, we’re not as intense about it. I see some DJ schedules now and they just kind of make me wince. I guess we just don’t want to do that anymore.

“But I just came back from DJing in Colombia and Chile, and playing places there and generally feeling really enthused about what I’ve got in my record box. We maybe do things a little bit differently to how we did 10, 15 years ago, probably pace ourselves a bit better.”

Recounting the earlier days of Groove Armada’s career inevitably leads us to a discussion of the controversial closure of London’s Fabric nightclub.

With the duo’s Room 3 residency back in the club’s early days still the stuff of legends, Findlay’s affec-

CLUBS

“There seem to be a lot of events taking place, people making noise; that needs to happen. And I guess there is an appeal process which I think is underway. Hopefully Fabric are in a position to get some decent legal minds involved and turn it around. Hopefully common sense will prevail there. I think everyone is optimistic that might be the case.

I get the feeling that people are wanting to do more, but I think they’ve actually done a lot already.”

From their roots in raw house music and 90s raves, there’s little that Groove Armada haven’t turned their hand to over the course of their two decade career. Aside from their own instantly recognisable productions, Cato and Findlay have clocked up a famed Late Night Tales compilation; played a key part in establishing one of London’s biggest music festivals, Lovebox; played iconic live shows at some of the world’s best venues, and released eight studio albums which collectively have sold millions of copies and garnered both Grammy and Brit nominations. As their 20th anniversary looms, is there anything that remains for Groove Armada to accomplish?

“For the 20th anniversary there’s maybe an idea, a chance of doing some live shows again, which would be really lovely. We stopped doing the band in 2010, and that felt like the right thing to do at the time. Treading those sort boards one more time with a band would be an amazing thing to do.

I’ll see if we get any offers first!” Findlay laughs.

“For me, I’ve got my kids, my son’s 14 and my daughter’s 10, and they never really saw us play with a band. That would be a really nice thing, to do that one more time. There’d be a sense of closure I think, if we could do that.

“Sometimes we’ll be playing together and something will work great, there’ll be a combination of three records that’s brilliant, and we be like, ‘remember that’. But we never do,” Findlay explains. “But that’s the joy of DJing live, just trying different things out and trying to find a connection with people. And once you do, then trying to stay on that peak for a while.”

Groove Armada play Glasgow’s SWG3, 5 Nov, 10pm, £18

THE SKINNY

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Jack Rocks Glasgow with Twin Atlantic Ahead of an intimate Jack Daniel’s-supported gig curated by rock quartet Twin Atlantic at Glasgow’s St. Luke’s, we consider the whiskey’s deep connection to rock’n’roll and blues, and its current role supporting the UK’s grassroots music scene

W

e’re all used to seeing major brands’ logos at large-scale music events: festooning the stages of massive festivals or as the backdrop to an arena gig. You’re less likely to see them at more intimate venues in support of wet behind the ears bands, however, and this is where Jack Daniel’s is bucking the trend.

Where many major brands use their vast coffers and clout to sponsor already established artists, hoping some of the famous act’s cache will rub off on them by association, JD take the opposite approach. With their live music series Jack Rocks, the whiskey purveyors have been using their world renowned brand to lend support to artists at grassroots level. “We are in the fortuitous position of having high brand awareness and an existing association to music,” says Michael Boaler, JD’s brand manager, “and we realised that we should use this equity and reach of Jack Daniel’s to give something back.”

The result of this epiphany was Jack Rocks, the core umbrella platform for JD’s music programme, which has been putting a spotlight on emerging bands with special gigs up and down the UK – over 250 in the past two years. Not only does this approach give a platform to potential icons of tomorrow, it also helps support both small-scale venues and independent promoters.

“Local music scenes are important in creating local communities,” notes Boaler. “There’s nothing better than seeing artists hanging out together,

November 2016

sharing fanbases and good times. We’re proud to enable or enhance that in any way we can.”

Throughout its 150 year history, Jack Daniel’s has had a deep-rooted connection to music, from Sinatra, BB King and The Rolling Stones to Patti Smith, Guns N Roses and Led Zeppelin; Where does this close association come from?

“Local music scenes are important in creating local communities” Michael Boaler

“I don’t think anyone truly knows the answer,” says Boaler, “but I’d hazard a guess that our distillery’s proximity to Nashville in the state of Tennessee has something to do with JD’s unique, modern day standing in pop culture.” It’s a good theory. It’s easy to imagine the rock & roll and blues icons of yesteryear acquiring a taste for JD on their tours through ‘the music city,’ and this in turn seems to have rubbed off on today’s generation of musicians.

Boaler also has a simpler hypothesis: music

and whiskey go hand in hand. “They bring people together,” he says. “It’s like Mr Jack said himself over 100 years ago: ‘Everyday we make it, we’ll make it the best we can.’ The same applies to music. It’s a shared set a values we still live by to this day.”

One example of Jack Daniel’s support to newer bands is the work they've done with the swaggering Glasgow rock act Twin Atlantic since the four-piece’s early years. “They epitomise what Jack Rocks is all about,” says Boaler. “Making your own music on your own terms. Top lads.”

Twin Atlantic’s first Jack gig took place in King Tut’s back in 2012, while more recently they took a break from rocking larger venues like Camden’s Roundhouse to play a stripped-back set at Jack Rocks The Macbeth, in Hoxton in 2014.

“We’ve worked with them on their journey to this point,” says Boaler of the Glaswegian band, “and want to demonstrate that Jack Daniel’s isn’t here today gone tomorrow, but a long-term supporter of great music, regardless of geography or genre.”

For evidence of this continued support, look no further than Jack Rocks Glasgow, an upcoming one-off gig curated by Twin Atlantic, which will take place 30 Nov – St Andrew’s Day – in the band’s hometown in the beautiful surrounding of St. Luke’s, in front of an intimate crowd of 450 attendees. Boaler promises an unforgettable night: “You’ll not only see one of the biggest UK acts of today, but hopefully

Interview: Jamie Dunn some of the biggest of tomorrow too.”

Details of the other acts Twin Atlantic have roped in to perform remain under wraps, but we can guarantee one thing: the surroundings will be very special. “St Luke’s is a great venue,” agrees Boaler. “It’s a relatively new project that’s purpose is to give creative space to those who need it most.”

Sounds like a venue after Jack Rocks heart? “We’ll drink to that!”

Pour us one too while you’re at it. Jack and coke, of course.

Give a good performance. Please drink responsibly. ©2016 Jack Daniel’s. Jack Daniel’s is a registered trademark, all rights reserved

17

Loving the Alien

Amy Adams can do it all: sing, dance, and now, in new sci-fi film Arrival, talk to aliens. Here the talented actor tells us about female characterisation and the freedom of this latest role

S

ome actors have a type. Tom Cruise is the running action man. Tom Hanks is the sweet-hearted guy next door. Clint Eastwood is the laconic cowboy. Who says you need range to be a movie star? Amy Adams, however, has it in spades.

She’s been a live-action Disney princess (Enchanted) and a naÏve nun (Doubt); a glamour puss con artist (American Hustle) and a hard-asnails girl from South Boston (The Fighter). As Lois Lane, she’s the most alive element of Zack Snyder’s DC comic movies, despite her role being limited to damsel in distress cliches, while in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, she’s terrifying as the forceful wife of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s eponymous religious leader.

“She can do it all,” said Anderson about Adams when we interviewed him back in 2012. And by all, he means the movie star triple threat: she acts, she sings, she dances. “She’s more like an old time actress when they could do everything,” suggests Anderson. “They don’t make them like that so much any more.”

Adams adds another string to her bow with new film Arrival. Directed by en vogue Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners), it’s a sombre science fiction film of ideas, filled with jaw-dropping spectacle and spine-tingling setpieces, but the film’s most potent image of all is Adams’ expressive face. She grounds the movie; she gives its chilly sci-fi visuals and grand philosophising a human dimension.

Arrival is an alien invasion movie, but not the kind with which Roland Emmerich is associated.

At the beginning of the film, a dozen pairs of aliens have appeared on Earth overnight, arriving in elegant space ships that look like skyscraperdwarfing grains of rice. The first clue that this movie might be low on bombast is the locations

18

Feature

the aliens choose to park their ships: not hovering over the White House, Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, but in less iconic locales like Siberia, off the coast of mainland China and in rural Montana.

It’s to the latter ship that brilliant linguistics professor Dr. Louise Banks is whisked by Forest Whitaker’s no-nonsense Colonel to help establish communications with the extraterrestrials. “You made quick work of those insurgent videos,” he says of Louise’s last freelance translation commission with the US department of defence. “You made quick work of those insurgents,” she replies.

From this tantalising opening, Adams was hooked. “The first five minutes of something usually makes me decide whether or not I’m going to like a script and this one begged me to keep going,” she says, holding court to a group of journalists at London Film Festival ahead of Arrival’s UK premiere. “When I got to the end of it I had to go back and read it again, knowing what I knew.”

As well as the alluring story, her character’s intellect was also a big draw. “I think sometimes females are written as if they’re smart but then not given anything smart to do or say!” she says.

“So the fact that she gets to be smart, not just act smart, is awesome.”

Louise’s sense of awe on her first encounter with the aliens and her obsession with understanding them – they communicate using inky circles that look like the rings coffee cups leave on napkins – calls to mind Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It’s a performance of pure empathy and compassion, and Adams knocks it out the park. “I thought it was a great role for her,” Adams co-star, Jeremy Renner, tells us. “It’s roles like Louise that are lacking in Hollywood for actresses of Amy’s caliber; women often just get victim roles” – we turn your attention again to Zack Snyder’s DC

comic films. “It’s a fantastic script which shows the leading woman as smart, and as a kind of superhero! She saves the world, and I think that’s just a fantastic thing.”

“ She’s more like an old time actress when they could do everything” Paul Thomas Anderson on Amy Adams

Adams has some less lofty reasons for enjoying playing Louise too. “One of the things I loved about the role, and it sounds so base, was feeling OK to just roll out of bed in the morning and go to work,” she laughs. “I’ve played roles where I’ve lost my vanity before but this one was different because she was so intelligent, and so imagining this as a woman without vanity was incredibly freeing to me.”

It’s strange to hear Adams say this, given that she is very much the film’s focus; so much meaning is communicated through her close-ups. Despite being a global story told on a grand scale, Villeneuve’s reliance on Adams' face make this feel like his most intimate work yet. Renner gives some interesting insight into the director’s process: “Denis is very Kubrick-like in his style, with his cranes and his shots and his framing.

But when he’s shooting, he’s actually very focused on what the actors are doing, on [Adam]’s beautiful face, and what’s going on in her brain.”

FILM

Interview: Jamie Dunn This is the second film on the trot where Denis Villeneuve has sensitively depicted a male-dominated world from a female perspective. In slick crime thriller Sicario we followed Emily Blunt’s FBI agent as she deals with male corruption within a task-force set-up to take down a Mexican drug cartel. Similarly in Arrival, Louise becomes the lone voice of sanity when she has to convince the all-male heads of state of the various territories in which alien ships have landed – including China, Russia and her own government – to steady their trigger fingers while she tries to find out the aliens’ intensions here on Earth.

Both films are also slyly critical of America’s current political landscape. Arrival is particularly scathing, showing the US government to be paranoid, fearful and, crucially, unwilling to communicate with other nations, particularly Russia and China. US officials are also shown to be terrified of the right-wing media, who are egging the government on to join China on the offensive. Given that it’s being released worldwide a few days after Americans vote on who will be the new Leader of the Free World, it’s tempting to assume Villeneuve had this upcoming election in mind while making the film.

“I don’t think anybody had this election in mind,” counters Adams. “The politics were kind of implied in the script, and because of what’s going on now that kind of pops out of the film. But it’s been a year and three months since we finished filming and the world is a very different place now.”

If Villeneuve didn’t have this current election in mind then he’s been uncannily prophetic. After all, the film’s sly suggestion is that it takes a smart, steadfast woman to temper the US goverment’s macho bullshit and get it talking to the world again.

After 8 Nov, this might not sound like science fiction.

Arrival is released 10 Nov by Entertainment One

THE SKINNY

Living to Tell the Tale Scott Gibson chats about winning Best Newcomer, The Hashtag Show podcast’s anniversary and defying death to pursue a career in stand-up

Interview: Ben Venables

fter picking up the Best Newcomer award at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, Scott Gibson has no time to bask in the glow of his summer victory.

There’s a busy tour schedule about to begin, his podcast – The Hashtag Show – is a year old and, what’s more, he’s trying to hide how long he’s spent playing FIFA 17 from his fiancé on the week of the game’s release.

“About half-hour,” he says at first, but Gibson knows full well it’s game over, so to speak, and a confession quickly follows: “Two days solid,” he admits, adding, “I’m trying to get the skill-set back before I go online and get panned by a 14-year-old sitting in China.”

His triumphant Fringe show, Life After Death, chronicles an epic stag weekend in Blackpool and the return home to Glasgow where Gibson gradually realises his ‘big headache’ might be symptomatic of something other than a colossal hangover.

The brain haemorrhage almost kills him. For someone with such death-defying experience, is playing on a games console really the best use of his time on earth?

“There are other things I could be doing,” he says, “but you need an escape from reality. You need FIFA in your life.”

There is a warmth and honesty to Gibson, it’s perhaps part of his appeal that he says things more as they are rather than how we’d like them to be. When asked if his experience changed him he replies, “The reality is it’s just great medical treatment from very well educated staff, or it’s just luck. I mean, it has changed my life because it gave me the push I needed to do something.

But, no, I don’t feel as though I’ve changed as a person. I still have the same thoughts – I’m still grumpy, I’m still moody. If you’re a horrible person before you’re probably a horrible person after, and if you’re a nice person the same. But it did give me that push.”

Now in his early 30's, Gibson is a familiar face to comedy audiences in Scotland but, as is often the way, he was still an unknown quantity to many at the Fringe. As such, despite the obvious merit of his show the award came as a surprise, even to Gibson himself. “If I’m honest my dream was to get enough people to see the show to break even. The only other thing I hoped is if I could get someone from Soho Theatre to see the show and if they liked it they might give me a Monday or Tuesday there.”

After his dates at Eden Court, Inverness and The Stand, Glasgow, Gibson takes Life After Death down to Soho for a run over Christmas and New Year. Not bad for someone who only dared hope to break even. “The idea of getting nominated for the award doesn’t even enter your head. You never think it is going to happen to you because – rightly or wrongly – you don’t think a Scottish act will ever get nominated.”

That may seem a curious remark after the 2016 Fringe, where Gibson and Richard Gadd swept Scotland to a double award win. However, it has been difficult to shake off the suspicion Scottish acts have been overlooked when three decades have passed since Arnold Brown scooped the main prize in 1987. Over these years, whether justified or not, it is unsurprising that local comedians have come to experience or view the Fringe more as an event Scotland simply hosts rather than plays a part in. Gibson has a rather more positive outlook than this, as his acceptance speech showed: “Sometimes in Scotland we think we’re not part of the Fringe, bizarrely.

Hopefully this will show we can be here and tell our stories.”

Yet, an outsider feeling lurked within even after his name was called out, to the point he feared his prize might jeopardise another Scot’s

November 2016

Photo: Jo Donaldson

A

chances. “I hoped they hadn’t decided I was the Scottish act that’d win and then they wouldn’t give the main award to Richard Gadd. I was just so glad when they called his name.”

“ You never think it is going to happen to you because – rightly or wrongly – you don’t think a Scottish act will ever get nominated” Scott Gibson

While Gibson hopes the brace of awards might help begin to overturn old ideas, he does think a practical obstacle is the gap between regular gigs and the Fringe, which is perhaps slightly more pronounced in Scotland. “We’re very lucky in Scotland in the circuit we have. It’s a very tough

place to learn stand-up, in the back of pubs and rooms that aren’t designed for comedy. If you can come through it’s a great base because you’re right in at the deep end.” The downside to this is that it’s a very different terrain to the preparation needed for August in Edinburgh. “The Fringe is a completely different beast,” he says. “You need to bring a full product to fruition.”

There can be little doubt when Gibson adds, “we have to knuckle down and make something of it,” he takes his own advice, whatever his lost FIFA hours suggest.

Alongside local comedy hero Gary Little and accomplished DJ Mallorca Lee, Gibson is also celebrating The Hashtag Show podcast’s first anniversary. “It really is just three guys talking about everything and anything interspersed with music,” says Gibson. If that seems understated, the ‘everything and anything’ really is quite literal – previous conversations include a range of topics, including NASA, Marti Pellow or farting in a lift.

“Sometimes it can go down quite an interesting path,” he says, “and other times it is just filthy; we try to let it flow as much as we can rather than having set times for things. When we’ve tried things like that it felt too forced. What we’ve been doing seems to be working so far.”

He adds: “I’d wanted to do a podcast for a long time and I thought it would be nice to have a

COMEDY

different voice other than only comedians – it’s a nice mix of music and chat.” Gibson is particularly grateful for the support Lee’s fanbase has brought along with Little’s and his own. “It’s been good because it’s brought new people to comedy. From the start we had about 2,500 listeners per episode.

I thought we’d get maybe 100 people, but we’ve been lucky that it’s gone quite well and we managed to sustain that. The podcast has helped introduce me and Gary to another audience, and I think vice-versa.”

Such has been its snowballing success the pod’s live shows have sold out, with the next added in early December at Glasgow’s Wild Cabaret. With such a packed schedule it seems appropriate to warn Gibson the next instalment of the all-engrossing simulation game Football Manager should be out by then. “I’ve lost many an hour to that,” he agrees, and soon – characteristically – he is speaking of that flawed logic we all share when trying to combat distraction: “I thought if I put it on my iPad it would cut my addiction. It just made it easier to play it so I had to delete the app.”

Scott Gibson: Life After Death, Eden Court, Inverness, 18 Oct, 8pm, £11 The Stand, Glasgow, 26 Oct, 8.30pm, £8-10 The Hashtag Show Live, Wild Cabaret, Glasgow, 11 Dec, 2pm, £16.50

Feature

19

20

THE SKINNY

Painting as Process and Poetry Judith Hagan and Ewan Murray have their first major show in Hospitalfield as part of the DUSK Winter Season later this month Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

Ewan Murray The street, 2016, oil on board, 27 x 36 cm

Judith Hagan, All around him, funny and lonely, oil on canvas

F

or their Winter Season programme this year, Hospitalfield present the work of two emerging Glasgow-based painters – Judith Hagan and Ewan Murray – alongside mid-20th century artist Frank Dobson.

For Hagan and Murray, the exhibition comes after a long and productive period of making work.

A visit to Murray’s studio, a month prior to the exhibition, it appears he already has all of the paintings done, long dry and ready to go. He’ll be showing paintings exclusively, all made over the course of the previous 18 months. Looking over these works, there’s a range of different subject matters from Venetian architecture to gathered crowds; unpeopled dark landscapes to denim stitched together and sprayed with a line of paint. He considers the kinds of variety and similarities between them, saying, “I’m not really concerned with making them stylistically the same. They’re involved in quite a small set of conventions of painting and its history... all quite small scale and involved with the materiality of painting.”

Murray embraces the unplanned within his paintings. He seeks the moment when “it starts to talk back to you or do something that you don’t expect.” He describes how he processes different photographs and other visual materials to become paintings. One is of a shopfront, a detail from a painting by Walter Sickert that was once on display in the Hunterian Gallery. Another painting of an apartment building was initially the subject of a lo-fi woodcut print Murray made at his desk, when it was flipped around as part of that printing process – at which point the final composition suggested itself.

It’s through these little reworkings and reversals that Murray gradually gives significance to the initial decisions of subject matters. In this way, a painting of an architectural detail becomes something else entirely, with a kind of retroactive

November 2016

Ewan Murray, Tall buildings, 2015, oil on board 21 x 24.5 cm

poeticising of these initially banal-seeming images.

In one, there’s the silhouette of a head. With the paintings all within the smaller range of easelsized, this head features surprisingly at life-size.

It’s unusual but sets up an interesting relationship of scale and expectation. Without any defined features, yet so ostensibly close, it succinctly brings out the strangeness that often endures (with people, ideas, institutions) despite touching-distance closeness.

“I'm just thinking about these ideas, looking at things that make no sense, and being constantly arrested by the idea you're in existence.”

Judith Hagan

Murray promotes little references like the Sickert detail through the lines of books and postcards on his studio walls. For Murray, his productive relationship with histories of art is a way into his co-exhibitor Frank Dobson’s work. More specifically, he thinks of the Italian artists and movements of the same time as Dobson that made the reactionary or radical move (depending on how it’s spun) at the start of the 20th century of being conscious of their place in a historical lineage of artistic influence.

Hagan also talks about her own experience of coming from painting legacies and different movements. She’s managed to fit in time for a phone call in between her rigorous studio and drawing schedule, as she’s just recently begun the intensive Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School. Just back into the studio properly this week after making the move from Glasgow to London, she describes her routine: “I have a painting I look at every day before I paint, a Bonnard…

His technique and handling changes throughout that one painting.”

Nevertheless, she thinks more about the kind of postcards and images she’ll continuously refer to, and thinks that “it’s often not the paintings themselves that are doing it for me, but the idea of the painters and their freeness.” In this regard, she remembers recently seeing the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition, and “the fact that this is what she wants to paint and she went through phase after phase after phase [with the same subject] and that in itself is an encouragement.”

Her own paintings often feature figures crouched in complicated and imaginary landscapes, and are complex experiments in pictorial depth and space, composition and interactions in flatness and depth. There’s a strong sense of symbolism, but without entirely prescribing specific meanings. For instance ponds feature in several of the landscapes, each time taking on a different role or significance.

Hagan sees some parallels between her processes and Murray, who often works from a photographic image to begin, from which he’ll often work into having entirely new realms of significance and reference. Nevertheless, Hagan works not from concrete images but rather “those moments you have during your life that are in themselves a world of meaning.” Describing this further, she remembers one night in a cloakroom when

ART

someone brushed the underside of her arm.

Coming after a period of travel, there was a jolt as she realised suddenly that it had been some time since anyone else had touched her. “I ended up making a drawing from that and a painting and another painting.”

Nevertheless, a certain processing of these singular moments is important as they become the paintings and sculptures she makes. For her, while there’s always a huge subjectivity to making, during the painting process, a work “will become less specific and hopefully more universal, and that’s why people can be moved by these same moments” that have been unpicked and reflected on. In this way, an accidental graze can become an entire affective and literal landscape.

“I make a lot of [the elements of these landscapes] up, but… I’m constantly engaged with external reality. The way Ewan thinks about these photographs, I’m just thinking about these ideas, looking at things that make no sense, and being constantly arrested by the idea you’re in existence.” Painting is a different kind of career for Hagan because these ideas can be constantly addressed: “You’re thinking and using your senses, [and engaged] with the strangeness of it all, whether it was a lonely moment or some beautiful reflection in a puddle in Glasgow… it doesn’t matter.”

These are all, for her, “sublime moments.”

Murray speaks in similar terms: “All the potential [of an artwork] for me is built up in the translation and the making process [of painting] and looking to be surprised and looking for something that seems to relate to things going on or things I’ve seen. And it has a relation with poetry in a way, when you have a thing that captures a moment, or feeling or a way of describing something. And in a really good painting that’s what you have.”

Hospitalfield Winter Season Open Weekend takes place from 19-20 Nov. See hospitalfield.org for full details

Feature

21

Role Reversal It’s one simple change – the world’s women develop the power to electrocute people at will. There is a reversal of gender roles, a transfer of power. Author Naomi Alderman discusses her speculative feminist sci-fi novel The Power

“I

would encourage any woman to imagine that they could electrocute people. Imagining won’t hurt anyone. But it might change how you think and feel about yourself.”

This call to virtual arms comes in the middle of a conversation between Naomi Alderman and The Skinny about gender, feminist science fiction and the apocalyptic goings on of 2016. Alderman’s latest novel, The Power, takes the world we live in, and changes just one thing: in the fictional world of The Power, women develop the ability to electrocute people at will, shifting the capacity for violence from men to women.

“There’s no country you can go to so as to escape gender,” Alderman points out. “We can’t actually leave planet Earth. So science fiction is the closest we can get to imagining how things could be different.

“This book is my hypothesis,” she continues, “and if the novel convinces, then the hypothesis is supported. If it works for you, the reader – do you go, ‘yes!’ or, ‘mmm, yeees,’ or, ‘no but this bit’, or, ‘no no no no no’ – if it works, then we’ve found something out about gender together.”

The novel certainly does convince. Told through the eyes of four different characters – three women and one man – who experience the change from very different places, The Power offers a brilliant dissection of both power and gender.

Far from becoming heavy or overtly moralising, however, at its heart the book remains an adven-

22

Feature

ture story in which the boundaries between good and bad constantly shift. Part of the book’s strength lies in this portrayal of victim and villain as hopelessly intertwined and, as a result, its power to make us relate to and root for mob bosses, politicians and cult leaders. “I don’t think anyone gets off lightly in this book,” Alderman muses.

“There are people who think they’re winners but I don’t think they are.”

This is true of both genders in this narrative, with Alderman making clear that the solution to gender inequality isn’t complete reversal. She laughs. “Men have feelings too!” And as she passionately points out, society’s enforcement of gender norms doesn’t just negatively impact on women; it denies men the ability to fully live as themselves too.

“The idea that there are particular qualities or emotions that are reserved to one sex is a crime that we perpetrate on children from the moment they are born,” she insists. “All of us have moments when we are strong and when we are weak, when we are angry and we are also kind. We are vulnerable and we are victorious. We like to have careers and we take joy in our relationships with our children. All of us have moments when we really are very horny and when we actually don’t want to have sex right now. When we deny ourselves one of these things we cut off a part of ourselves. An essential and vital and beautiful part.”

The book takes its tone from current events,

and its focus on the young generation of millennials emphasises its feeling of prescience. As ideologies shift to match changing power structures, young women are mobilised through videos shared by a tap on a smartphone screen. Men’s rights activists spread conspiracy theories in online forums whose rhetoric is sickeningly familiar. And televised political debates can make and break careers.

“ I’m so excited by young feminists today... They aren’t afraid of not being nice” Naomi Alderman

In some ways the book is surprisingly, frighteningly relevant. “At the start of the year, my American editor reading this novel said, ‘Nuclear weapons, are we still concerned about who has their finger on the button?’ And now…” Alderman breaks off in despair. “It’s been quite a horrifying year for the retrenchment of value systems as to who can make the more horrifying shows of vio-

BOOKS

Interview: Annie Rutherford Illustration: Louise French lence.” In one of the key scenes in The Power, a politician is elected despite, or rather because of, losing control during a public debate. “My editor also didn’t think that Margot was still electable.

I was quite careful when writing that part. I didn’t think she could be running for president, but I figured a government senator was maybe okay.

Now I think, 'Oh my God, I could have made her president of the world!'"

Yet while The Power rings true with all that has been apocalyptic in 2016, it is also a book that offers hope. Alderman’s depiction of the early days of revolution brims with joy and excitement. The power to electrocute is passed from teenage girls to older women, and in one particularly moving scene a girl passes the gift to a group of women imprisoned as sex workers, offering them not just the light they ask for but the freedom they desire.

“That was conscious,” Naomi explains. “I’m so excited by young feminists today. I’m inspired by how these young women are not afraid to show their anger. They aren’t afraid of not being nice.”

In a move somewhat reminiscent of that classic of feminist science fiction, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the narrative of The Power is framed by letters written thousands of years later.

Exchanges between their author Neil and his mentor, Naomi, discuss the possibility of a past in which men were the stronger sex. “I feel that those letters are hopeful,” Alderman remarks. “Because the novel is still going to be published. Even in that world. My thought is, if you change who has the power to inflict violence and change nothing else, there would be a period of violence and revolutions and it would be horrible. But I also do believe that justice is also an instinct in humans. We would find our way back.”

At the same time, the letters offer a wry criticism of today’s culture of publishing and the wider workplace, with a nod to the fact that the novel is published under Naomi’s, not Neil’s, name.

Alderman laughs. “We know these things have happened, right? Take the thing around Ferrante.

Since she’s been named people have started saying, 'I bet her husband helped her with this.'

Now the truth is, as we know from history, we should much more often be asking this about men. We should be looking at male composers, male writers, male scientists and be saying, 'I bet his wife, or his sister, helped him with that.'

But we don’t.”

Has she ever considered publishing under a man’s name? “Ha. I have. I mean, I have thought of it. I would hire an actor, a nerdy Jewish guy. I’m curious – because you know, the invitations you don’t receive are invisible.” She pauses. “Have you ever considered what would happen if people considered you be that bit more competent?”

The talk turns to workplaces: to female bosses, and male colleagues, and the multiple insidious ways in which women, throughout their lives, are taught not to be confident. Alderman mentions the annual VIDA survey, which examines which books are reviewed and in what terms.

“Men’s books are far more likely to be called important,” she explains. “A woman might write a ‘family saga’. A man would write a ‘sweeping multi-generational epic’.”

For the record, and for VIDA: this is an important book. Pick it up for the gripping plot; keep going for the characters you are proud for and terrified of. Put it down, go out into the streets and feel your hands beginning to tingle with power. And like the young women in the novel, pass the book on.

The Power is out now, published by Penguin, RRP £12.99

THE SKINNY

November/December 2016

23

24

THE SKINNY

Old Dog, New Tricks After a bruising experience on his last film, Dying of the Light, which was taken off him on completion and re-cut, Paul Schrader is back with full artistic control for wild crime caper Dog Eat Dog

T

he 1970s are routinely hailed as the greatest period in the history of American film, but the filmmakers responsible for those extraordinary achievements have experienced wildly divergent career paths over the subsequent four decades.

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg became moguls, Martin Scorsese managed to sustain a career attempting to make personal films in the studio system, while directors like Brian De Palma and Francis Ford Coppola enjoyed periods in Hollywood’s good graces in the 80s and 90s, before being cast out once more.

Paul Schrader has always felt slightly removed from that group, however. He didn’t make his directorial debut (Blue Collar) until 1978, when the freedom enjoyed by directors in that era was on the verge of being curbed. Schrader can pinpoint the moment when he felt that the ground had shifted, as he left Hollywood in 1984 to make Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. “The first three or four films I made for the studios,” he recalls. “Then I went to Japan, I came back, and the studios weren’t making those kinds of films anymore. They were now independent films. I just kept making them.”

A sense of independence is important to Schrader. He has never received the widespread acclaim of his peers, he has never received an Oscar nomination (not even with his screenplays for Scorsese’s films), and a number of his films have barely been released, but over the course of his career he has quietly put together one of the most impressive and distinctive bodies of work in American cinema. As eclectic as they are, each film has Schrader’s unmistakable stamp of artistic and intellectual provocation, which is why the experience of making Dying of the Light in 2014 hurt him so badly. The film was taken away from Schrader and re-cut against his wishes, leading to an online campaign by the director and stars Nicolas Cage and Anton Yelchin, to no avail. Schrader walked away from that experience bruised but resolute.

On the next Paul Schrader film, he was going to make sure he had final cut.

November 2016

The film that Schrader has chosen to exercise his editorial rights with is Dog Eat Dog, a film that’s quite unlike anything he has ever made before.

When I suggest that some of his stylistic choices here are as audacious and surprising as those in Mishima, he responds with laughter. “Sure, but it’s not quite as intellectual.” Schrader attacks this adaptation of Edward Bunker’s novel with the verve and energy of a man secure in his artistic freedom, and excited by the opportunity to venture into uncharted territory. “I had been involved in an unpleasant situation with Nic and we just wanted to work together again, to prove that we could make a film that people would see,” he says. “I read this script and I thought maybe this is the one.

Nic wanted to do it, but now I was doing a crime film and I thought, I’m not a crime film director, you know, so I’d better start studying. I had a whole summer studying crime films, and how do you make one after Scorsese, after Tarantino and after Guy Ritchie? So that became the goal, to make a crime film that felt like it was made in 2016.”

“ When audiences don’t think art is important, well then it’s awful hard to make important movies” Paul Schrader

Schrader distinguishes his take on the genre by turning everything up to 11. Dog Eat Dog is an outrageous caper centred around three unapologetic scumbags (played by Cage, Willem Dafoe

and Christopher Matthew Cook) as they attempt to pull off a big score and avoid getting sent back to the jail at which they first met. It’s wilfully offensive, gruesomely violent and frequently hysterically funny, with Willem Dafoe’s unhinged performance as the psychotic but needy Mad Dog setting the tone. The opening five minutes alone will have you either shaking with laughter or shaking your head in disgust. “As we got into it, more and more I kept thinking, this stuff is funny, I can’t take these guys seriously,” Schrader says, “and we just kept moving more and more along that road. Then when I was editing it, I realised that if people started laughing in the opening scene they’d laugh throughout, but if they don’t then they’ll never laugh.

So we had to really amp up that opening scene in the editing to make it very, very clear that if you’re taking this movie seriously, you’re in the wrong theatre.”

Working on such a tight budget can bring its own problems - and Schrader tells me that Nicolas Cage temporarily quit Dog Eat Dog on the first day of filming after discovering that he hadn’t been paid - but for the most part he is happy to work on this smaller scale. “I don’t need that much money,” he explains. “I don’t need that much money in my life and I don’t need that much money on screen. I’d rather just do something lower key, I don’t need the big toys. There was a documentary that I watched about De Palma, where Brian said all he wanted to do was to get the big toys – the cranes, the cameras, the big sets – and I’ve never felt that. It has become relatively inexpensive to make a film now, so the film that took 45 days when I began now takes 25 days, and you have more footage.”

But while Schrader is keen to embrace the new tools available to him, he admits that it’s hard to keep apace with cinema’s technological advancement. “I used to think that we were entering a period of transition,” he says. “I now believe that we have entered into a period of constant transition, and we will never get out of it. Just like the

FILM

Interview: Philip Concannon computer is out of date by the time you open the box, every film model is out of date by the time you finish the film. The distribution models, the technology models, it’s all changing very quickly.”

What does all of this mean for cinema as a popular art form? Schrader came up in an era when films mattered, but in the age of streaming precious few contemporary films seem capable of making the kind of cultural impact that we once took for granted. Schrader believes the responsibility for this lies not with the filmmakers or the studios, but with us. “Movies aren’t going away, but the 20th century notion of them is going away.

Movies used to be the centre of the social conversation and audiences were turning to artists for advice: what do we think about the war? What do we think about gay rights? Women’s rights? Black rights? And the moment audiences ask artists for input, great art will emerge, it’s that simple.

When audiences don’t think art is important, like my kids don’t think movies are important, well then it’s awful hard to make important movies.”

OK, so we might not be able to make a case for Dog Eat Dog being an ‘important’ movie, but it does represent the return to prominence of a vital American filmmaker. Schrader has put the unpleasantness of Dying of the Light behind him and he is determined to keep pushing forward, reinventing himself and exploring new possibilities as he has done consistently for over 40 years. “What can I do that I haven’t done before? What can I do that’s different? What new challenge can I try? Can I self-finance a movie and pull it off? Can I make a film about a girl in a closet, you know?” he says, referencing his 1988 film Patty Hearst. “I go to the cinema sometimes and look at the screen and I think, how do they stay awake? They’ve all made this film five, six times before. The next film I’m doing will be a film unlike any I’ve ever tried to do.”

Paul Schrader celebrated his 70th birthday this summer, but this old dog can still bite.

Dog Eat Dog is released 18 Nov by Signature Entertainment paulschrader.org

Feature

25

The Rebirth of Chrysalis Festival Scotland’s forward-thinking youth theatre festival returns, bigger and better, for a second year Words: Amy Taylor

Lighten Up As NEoN Digital returns for its eighth outing, we look at the themes explored in Dundee’s boldest digital arts festival Interview: Will Fitzpatrick

C

ity of Culture? It should have come as no surprise that Dundee chose to launch a bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2023, following its shortlisting for the 2017 UK equivalent.

Regardless of Brexit’s potential effects on the outcome, the city has famously become a hub for the digital wing of arts and culture: videogames and other technologies have made a Caledonian Silicon Valley out of the fourth largest city in Scotland. And what better way to celebrate the art of tech than with an entire festival?

NEoN Digital Arts festival began in 2009 on a much smaller scale than its current status. A oneday affair celebrating the region’s videogame developers and digital artists, it’s since expanded to a full five days, even gaining charity status in 2012 as it explores those artforms on both national and international levels.

“Let’s not have another conference,” explains curator Donna Holford-Lovell of the thought process behind NEoN, or ‘North East of North’. “Let’s have something that actually celebrates the digital and new media in the city – a festival platform to start bringing national or international artists into the city, as well as looking at what’s going on locally.

“Obviously Dundee’s very well known for its games and suchlike, but there’s a broader understanding of what digital and tech-driven art can be – that’s what we’ve tried to do.”

Comprising a wide variety of exhibitions, installations and performances, and drawing from an impressively wide pool of remarkable talent, this year’s theme is The Spaces We’re In, which promises to ask questions such as: ‘How does being digital change our sense of our spatial surroundings? Can we play in or animate the hybrid or glitched spaces in-between? Is there negative space in cyberspace?’ Weighty concepts, then, and Holford-Lovell is only too happy to break down how these issues relate to our everyday lives.

“We’ve asked artists to look at the space that they work in,” she says, “so that could be either physical or virtual. It’s about where they cross over, and how they’ve become linked to each other – the virtual has become inseparable in some ways.

It’s become quite comfortable that you’re in a virtual space; it’s become as familiar as physical. So that changes our perception of space.”

This can even be as simple as the differences between our social media and IRL personae, she explains. “It’s also about how can digital help us understand space – or can it even do that?”

26

Feature

Among the many fascinating works exploring this theme is The Nemesis Machine, created by London-based artist Stanza, which examines notions of surveillance and privacy. “It has the physical aesthetic of a city grid, connected to the internet,” says Holford-Lovell, “and it reads and reacts to surveillance data.

“ It’s re-looking at where your space is and what that can mean to you” Donna Holford-Lovell

ollowing their successful debut last year, Chrysalis Festival returns to the Traverse Theatre this month. Continuing its mission to showcase new work within the youth theatre scene, the three-day event places its focus squarely on new and unusual works by youth theatre companies.

Run by Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, the festival was set up to provide a platform for new and provocative performances, for and by young theatre makers. Creative Scotland funding has been secured, as has a three-year partnership with the Traverse, and it’s only right that Youth Theatre Arts CEO Kenny McGlashan refers to Chrysalis as “an important new festival on the capital’s cultural calendar” – at present it remains the only festival of its kind in Scotland.

Starting with their expansion from two days to three, Chrysalis organisers are aiming to build on last year’s festival by bringing seven different youth theatre groups from across Europe to perform their work at the Traverse. Accordingly, you’ll see acts hailing from both the UK, such as Deptford’s Sounds Like Chaos and The Albany, and much further afield, like Malta Teatru Manoel, a theatre company from Malta. Naturally, there’s also a variety of Scottish talent, with Glasgow’s own Platform Young Company and the Tron Young Company taking pride of place on the line-up.

This year, the plays are set to focus on themes of war, propaganda, gender roles, a post-apocalypse world, grief and physics.

One new addition for the 2016 festival is the creation of the Chrysalis Emergence strand, an exciting venture which will see three 20-minute (and highly experimental) pieces of work-in-progress performed by up-and-coming theatre makers, giving the audience a chance to see bold,

unusual and extremely unique work from around the world. After viewing the pieces, the audience are welcome to contribute their thoughts and ideas about the future of each one.

“ The nation can be proud of its creative reputation around the world” For those who want to learn more about youth theatre, meanwhile, Chrysalis Too is set to run alongside the main performance programme, presenting a series of workshops and talks with a focus on new trends in contemporary youth theatre, and the challenges it currently faces.

With Edinburgh playing host to other festivals throughout the year, McGlashan is confident that Chrysalis Festival will not only help give new work a platform, but also add to Scotland’s already impressive reputation for quality theatre. “With the 12 main Edinburgh Festivals confirming that they attracted as many visitors as the World Cup,” he says, “the nation can be proud of its creative reputation around the world.

“But there are other important grass-roots festivals helping to push the vanguard of new work and activity year round in the city. Chrysalis joins a number of other mini-festivals that help to grow Scotland’s reputation for innovative arts.”

Chrysalis Festival, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 11-Sun 13 Nov. Full details and ticket info can be found at traverse. co.uk

“It’s presented next to the work of Charles Young, who has been making these small paper buildings and animating them into a gif. There’s 635 of them, put together in a series of islands, so it’s almost a utopian landscape next to this quite complex, morphing data surveillance of a city.”

It’s also worth noting that NEoN Digital will make use of spaces like West Ward Works, the former DC Thomson printworks, suggesting a natural succession of paper to digital that neatly ties in with the theme of physical vs virtual. HolfordLovell laughs at this suggestion. “We liked [West Ward Works] because of the industrial feel to it; however it’s quite ironic that printed material isn’t printed there any more, so I suppose there could be an ironic statement attached to that. But it’s more about location in what is considered to be an industrial area of Dundee, and it’s become focus of creative speculations; making industrial areas a creative hub.”

As well as this bold programme, the festival also has plenty of plans for the future, from events at Dundee Science Festival, Light Night and Dare to be Digital to potential residency exchanges between Scotland and Japan. In terms of what audiences should expect from the 2016 event, however, Holford-Lovell offers a succinct explanation: “On a practical level it’s a mix of new commissions and ongoing developments for artists. It’s re-looking at where your space is and what that can mean to you.”

NEoN Digital takes place between 9-13 Nov

The Island

northeastofnorth.com

ART / THEATRE

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jassy Earl

F

October 2016

27

Sci-fi Beyond Borders Chinese Sci-fi sensation Cixin Liu discusses the genre’s cultural anomalies while visiting the UK to launch Death’s End, the final part of his Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, and introduce The Wandering Earth, a collection of short stories Interview: Alan Bett

C

ixin Liu is China’s leading science fiction writer and quite simply a phenomenon. He is author of the multi award-winning Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, which includes The Three-Body Problem, the first work of translated fiction to win a Hugo Award. In addition, he has won the China Galaxy Science Fiction Award nine times, and the Nebula award twice. His writing has stretched far beyond China’s borders and fans in high places include Mark Zuckerberg, who selected The Three-Body Problem as one of the titles for the Facebook book group, A Year of Books, and Barack Obama, who chose it for his holiday read in 2015.

The Skinny: Do you recognise any noticeable differences between Chinese sci-fi and Western works?

Cixin Liu: I feel that science fiction is the most universal genre. Science fiction is the only genre in which mankind appeals as a whole, whereas in other genres nations and individuals are divided. In science fiction, the crisis is faced by all of humanity, not just individual nations, and in this way it is a unifying genre. In most mainstream fiction, the author depicts the differences between humans, but in science fiction there is a focus on commonality.

In terms of elemental differences, Western science fiction often comes from a Christian background, and focuses on the crisis or morality of certain acts, such as the impact of cloning and life-creation, and this impact is often portrayed as severe and significant because of this Christian background. This is not apparent in Chinese science fiction and we do not have this crisis. In Chinese culture we do not have a ‘doomsday’ mentality; the sense of time is infinite, and I think this is reflected in all Chinese literature, not just science fiction. It makes for a more optimistic outlook.

“ In Chinese culture we do not have a ‘doomsday’ mentality; the sense of time is infinite” Cixin Liu

What social concerns feed into your own work?

Whether East or West, there is a proportion of authors who have used science fiction as an angle to supplement what mainstream literature is lacking in social commentary and use it as a form of criticism. A lot of good works take this approach and in China, the term for this is Sci-fi Realism.

However, I was a science fiction fan who became a science fiction writer, and my intention has never been to comment on social issues, but to fly with my imagination and deliver these science fiction concepts.

How did it feel for The Three-Body Problem to be chosen as a ever Facebook book group title and Barack Obama’s 2015 holiday read?

There is a peculiar phenomenon happening with The Three-Body Problem. Although literary circles care less about the trilogy, it has caused some ripples in IT and tech – especially with big companies. In the States this is reflected also, as with Mark Zuckerberg’s selection. Stories like The Three-

28

Feature

Body Problem create extreme environments, and these may inspire and engage entrepreneurs.

I hope Barack Obama finishes the trilogy, and then perhaps he will be motivated to increase research into alien life. It is the one uncertain element faced by humans in today’s age. We could be meeting aliens tomorrow, or in 10,000 years in the future – or maybe never! But when it happens, all the problems we face today will become negligible. A superpower like the States should be allocating more money to researching this.

Why do you think the book has resonated so strongly with readers internationally?

I think humanity as a united force is key to the success. Back in the 1980s there was a new wave of activity and science fiction was pushed forward to the mainstream. In my opinion this took away the vibrancy and lightness of science fiction at its best. I think The Three-Body Problem appeals as something new, something unapologetically science fiction. Imagination is everything, it has no boundaries, and this appeals to readers of the trilogy because it is so new to them. Some young writers have a lot of influence in the science fiction community because of this.

Another factor may be that China as a nation is itself on the rise. The economy is growing, it is centre-stage and under the spotlight across the world, so readers are paying attention for the first time. Literature can be a forecast for a nation’s power. Britain had a strong export market, now the States dominate. China may be next, and many more will follow me to be centre-stage.

Death’s End is available now and The Wandering Earth will publish in 2017, both from Head of Zeus, RRP £18.99

The Red Turtle

Cinema Voyage Ahead of its 24th edition, we consider the importance of the French Film Festival in cultivating an appetite for the cinema of our closest neighbour Words: Lewis Porteous

A

s is the case with fungus and sea monkey colonies, great festivals are marked by potential for growth. If programmers successfully communicate their enthusiasm to audiences, events can take on a life of their own, penetrating the consciousness of die-hards and casual consumers alike as familiar subjects are approached with varying degrees of distance and detail.

For evidence of this phenomenon in action, one need look no further than the French Film Festival. Having entertained and engaged with audiences for 23 years, the FFF is set to return this winter for its most ambitious and extensive programme yet. While it’s previously been largely confined to London and Scotland – the Central Belt in particular – this year’s programme will expand to reach 36 locations across the UK. It’s taken decades of quality screenings to establish the existence of a wide and diverse audience for French cinema on these apparently Euro-sceptic shores, at least for a few weeks each year.

As any cineaste will know, what makes film an especially rewarding interest are the unexpected tributaries audiences are compelled to explore, each discovery informing the next. In the case of foreign language cinema, however, this process is frequently disrupted by availability and subtitling issues. Too often we find ourselves resigned to taking what we can get, living on a healthy if predictable diet of movies. In effect, our viewing decisions are made for us, testaments to a history we never got to write.

Those with the slightest interest in the moving image will likely know all about the giants of French cinema, from the pioneering Lumière brothers – whose Train Pulling Into a Station kick-started the film industry as we know it – to the incendiary New Wavers whose intellectual rigour helped contextualise and validate what was then still a nascent and populist art form. The French film industry continues to exert an influence over the rest of the world, yielding the occasional international mega-hit along the lines of Amélie or The Artist.

It’s difficult to imagine a credible argument against the talents of Jean Renoir, Francois Truffaut or any other master you’d care to mention, but history is written by the victors and their work represents only a tiny sum of what the country has produced. The FFF recognises this injustice and goes some way toward putting things right for us. It can introduce us to fantastically strong work which would otherwise languish in obscurity across the English speaking world, while painting a compelling portrait of the industry’s diversity and inherent strengths. Fanciful and realist documentaries rub shoulders with each other, while shorts point toward a new generation of emerging talent engaging with their country’s pedigree in a variety of ways.

FILM / BOOKS

The work of less lauded auteurs such as Marcel Carné and Julian Duvivier often seems to straddle a divide between the iconic and the obscure. Only a handful of their films can be accessed through the usual commercial channels, while even their best known pieces are rarely revived. The FFF will feature both directors in their Classics strand, along with the rarely discussed Gérard Oury, whose La Grande Vadrouille was a domestic smash, holding the country’s box office record for over three decades (In a fashion symbolic of America’s encroaching industry dominance, James Cameron’s Titanic put an end to its reign.)

Perhaps the highest tribute of all will be paid to Jean-Pierre Mocky, a star who rose to prominence in the 1940s when he took a memorable role in Jean Cocteau’s Orphée. The sole entry in the festival’s ‘Tribute’ strand, Mocky will be appearing in person at three screenings to introduce his darkly satirical Kill the Referee, a cult classic dating from the mid-80s. 83 years old himself, the director will address audiences as ambassador for a nation whose also-rans ooze more class and sophistication than many of our own homegrown talent would dare dream of.

The French Film Festival runs 3 Nov-7 Dec at various venues across the UK |frenchfilmfestival.org.uk

Five must see films at FFF The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) A dialogue-free fable about a shipwrecked man’s journey for survival.

The Death of Louis XIV (Albert Serra) Nouvelle Vague posterboy Jean-Pierre Leaud stars in Albert Serra’s claustrophobic and grimly funny study of death.

Dark Inclusion (Arthur Harari) The French know how to do a heist-movie, and word is good on this stylish thriller set within the diamond trade from first-time filmmaker Arthur Harari.

Pépé le Moko (Julien Duvivier) A touchstone of French poetic-realism, the great Jean Gabin stars as a charismatic gangster hiding out in the labyrinthine netherworld among Algiers’ kasbahs.

A Journey Through French Cinema (Bertrand Tavernier) Talking of classic French films, post-Nouvelle Vague stalwart Tavernier takes us on a journey through his country’s cinema history.

THE SKINNY

LI FE ST Y LE Finally, translation apps are an admitted godsend in those regions of the world where English is not widely spoken. In particular, those incredible pieces of witchcraft which can translate text simply by focusing on it with the camera are outrageously impressive tools, and you’ll hear little in the way of a rebuttal regarding them from me.

On the other hand, smiling, pointing and nodding enthusiastically will get you out of nine out of ten scrapes, and invariably make for good stories after the event.

“ For travel junkies who are supposedly living the free-asa-bird lifestyle, dispensing with their fifth limb in favour of a cheap, durable model can be unspeakably refreshing”

Savvy Travelling with a Stupid Phone Is the use of telephones which are smarter than us hampering the travel experience?

T

here was a time when travelling the world involved nothing more than knotting up your worldly belongings into a bundle and trotting off into the sunset. Back in the good old days, it would have been enough to explore the four corners of this vast and vibrant planet merely for the pleasure of it; for the excitement of meeting like-minded wanderlusters and diversely different locals, for seeing new marvels and hearing new stories, for tasting exotic and sometimes squeamish delicacies in far-flung lands, and for maybe, just maybe, ‘finding yourself.’

With the arrival of the digital age, however, today’s whippersnapper travel addicts have no time for such quaint, antiquated clichés. Why eat a beautifully-prepared Middle Eastern dish when you can slap a garish Instagram filter on it? Why talk to your fellow travellers – or bother learning the native lingo, for that matter – when you can Snapchat yourself silly? Why bother taking in the sights, smells and sounds that this brave new world has to offer when you can bask in the reflected glow of your smartphone’s display in darkened hostel rooms? And as for finding yourself… well, no one actually gave a fuck about that apart from you and maybe your mum in the first place, come to think of it.

Expletives and acerbity aside, the inception of telephones more intelligent than ourselves is threatening to ruin all aspects of human interaction and travel is no exception. Whereas hostel staff used to be a fount for all sorts of local info and titbits, nowadays they merely need to point to the Wi-Fi password and go back to their Clash of Clans or Angry Birds or whatever shiny thing is

November 2016

Words: Jonny Sweet Illustration: Elena Boils

distracting the technophiles these days. The smartphone has made a mockery of the freedom that globetrotting once embodied… but it doesn’t have to be like this.

For the last six years, I’ve visited every continent on the Earth bar one, navigated all manner of travel hiccups and unforeseen obstacles, conversed with countless natives in tongues both foreign and familiar and seen more sunsets than the number of hot dinners that Dave Lamb has ridiculed… and I’ve done it all without the help of Siri, Cortana or any other AI jiggery-pokery. Armed only with a battered Nokia 3210 (or whatever other antique I could get my hands on), I’ve ignored the inexorable creep of cyber-centricism with dogged perseverance, all the while swanning around this planet like I had a vague idea of what I was doing.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly of ditching your smartphone in favour of a stupid one, so that you too can become a savvy traveller just like the nomadic knights errant of yesteryear.

The Good While the queues which materialise annually outside of Apple shops across the globe might have you believe that iPhones and their ilk are the best thing since sliced bloomers, I genuinely think there’s much to be said for the humble Nokia. Not only does its battery last longer than most of my relationships (no fretting about where to get your next fix of electricity on the road), it also comes equipped with an alarm, calendar and flashlight function. What more could you need?

Plus, it’s pretty much indestructible. At this year’s Fringe festival, one outspoken comic pro-

fessed to feel more pain when his smartphone died than when his granny did. Of course, it’s to be hoped that the assertion was hyperbole, but the underlying point remains – people are far too attached to their phones these days. For travel junkies who are supposedly living the free-as-abird lifestyle, dispensing with their fifth limb (not that one, you pervert) in favour of a cheap, durable model can be unspeakably refreshing.

Meanwhile, with the hipster revolution in full swing, your retro device will be the envy of all and sundry in the hostel. Nothing screams edgy trendsetter like the ability to play Snake at any hour of the day – they’ll be queuing up to befriend you in next to no time.

The Bad Okay, okay, so I’m well aware that the advantages outlined above might seem piffling in the extreme when set against the boundless capabilities of a smartphone. While having the world at your fingertips certainly does smooth over certain aspects of the travelling experience, it also distorts many of them horribly.

Google Maps is undoubtedly an ingenious tool for preventing you from ever becoming lost again – but it also discourages the age-old practice of asking directions. People are generally more than happy to help disorientated tourists on their way and such an ice-breaker has been the beginning of more than one enduring friendship during my worldly exploits. What’s more, surviving without a smartphone helps to sharpen your sense of direction and street smarts, both of which are at risk of falling into disrepair while a map app is in play.

The internet is also adept at answering all manner of local questions, from recommending a good place to chow down to the best exchange rate you can expect at a bureau de change. Sure, this information is indispensable on the road… but again, it can normally be gotten from your hotel, hostel or a well-meaning passer-by. Smartphones certainly make things easier… but this is travelling. It’s not supposed to be easy! If you wanted that, you would have been as well staying in the pampered comfort of your mother’s basement.

TRAVEL

The Ugly Intrepid explorers will inevitably find themselves in more impoverished areas than the one from whence they sprang, and though nefarious ne’erdo-wells are found in all walks of life, social inequality is a tried and tested breeding ground for thieves, bandits and ragamuffins. What better way to discourage such opportunistic crime than by brandishing a relic their grandparents wouldn’t be seen dead with?

What’s more, if disaster strikes and you are robbed of your precious communication device, I can promise you that the grief felt in the loss of a 3210 pales in comparison to that referred to by the Aussie Fringe comic above. Having one less thing of value means you have one less thing to worry about losing, and if you’re really intent on living the wanderlust lifestyle to its limits, downgrading your phone is a sure-fire way to do that.

Finding the Middle Ground So am I advocating a full-throttle abandonment of modern technology in all its forms while on the road? Good God no. The only way I managed to fund my extravagant exploits over the last six years is through freelance writing, which requires an internet connection and a laptop. However, a device as cumbersome as my current model is a bit trickier to use outdoors, meaning you’ll spend more time actually watching sunsets, whale breaches and turtle births than recording them on your smartphone.

Similarly, there’s nothing wrong with invoking a little social media jealousy via photos of your improbably amazing lifestyle now and again – but everything in moderation. Not only does an actual camera take better photos than the one on your device, it’s also a damn sight harder to take selfies with, which can only be a good thing for all of us.

Even the name makes me want to have a shower.

By all means, combine your travels with your latest gadgets and gizmos… just remember to sit back and smell the roses once in a while. Freeing yourself from the shackles of a smartphone is an excellent way to do so; why not try it on your next adventure? You might be surprised how liberating a stupid phone can really be.

Lifestyle

29

Reclaim the Night

Words: Chloë Maughan Illustration: Holly Bagnall

Why are we still not out of the dark ages when it comes to women living their lives after nightfall?

L

ate one night, the doorbell rang. I’m typically not inclined to answer past midnight, as it reads all too often like the beginning of a horror film, but having not heard my housemate arrive home, I ignored my better judgment and shuffled across the hall to the front door.

I stopped short. Through the translucent glass I could see a figure I didn’t recognise. A man. Broad and tall.

I was fully aware he’d seen me, but not wanting to play out the plot of Scream that particular night, I ducked and crawled back to my room. He had to be in the wrong place. He’d go away.

Some minutes passed. The doorbell rang again. I stood my ground, or more aptly cradled it, as I peered at the window from a crack in my door. He started pounding at the window.

I grabbed my phone and typed to anyone I thought might still be awake: “There is a man trying to get into my house and I don’t know what to do.”

At least that way, when I couldn’t be found the following morning, someone would at least know where to look.

After ten minutes things went quiet. I left my watching post and armed myself with my duvet, and lay in the light until exhaustion pulled me to sleep.

I awoke, safe, light still on. At breakfast I told my flatmate of my ordeal. “Shit,” she said, sadness filling her eyes, “I fell asleep waiting for pizza.”

Often when I recount this tale, I tell it as a humorous story, in which my nervous nature is the punchline. Silly woman fears murderer, accidentally leaves pizza man stood out in the cold. But the story is about something much more sinister...

Talk to your friends about their night time routines, and very quickly you’ll see a pattern emerging. Women talk of walking with keys clenched between fists and dialling fake calls to deter strangers. They work on de-feminising themselves, by tucking their hair into the collar of their shirt and standing broader. They place headphones in their ears, with no music. They are forever protecting their boundaries, and forever in a state of hypervigilance.

This constant state of fear is why, for a lot of women, it hurts when men in authority brag about sexually assaulting women as just “locker room talk”.

30

Lifestyle

It’s why it hurts when a woman’s sexual history is brought into court, and used against her. Because for so many women that scenario – of being the complainant in the witness box – evokes our biggest fear. A fear that we too will be assaulted, and left without juncture to turn to, harassed and unbelieved.

A lot of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by men that don’t treat women as objects for their clawing hands. But if the last month in politics has been a reminder of anything, it is just how many of those ‘other’ men exist. Those men who have suggested that, as a reward for doing time, in light of the recent not guilty verdict, Ched Evans should get a free pass to do what he wants to women. Those who think that bragging about assaulting women, and berating them on stage is just politics, or just what men do. And even the ‘nice guys’ who fail to recognise that headphones, for many women, are a piece of armour. A way of saying to the world, ‘Hey, just leave me be.’

Michelle Obama discusses the horror Trump’s misogyny has evoked, highlighting that we are not past the point where men believe they can simply do anything to a woman. What’s worse, I think, is that it’s taken these extremes to highlight the scale of the problem, when in reality we never were past that point, and nor have our behaviours suggested we ever really believed we were.

This month marks the beginning of Reclaim the Night season, a movement with roots spanning as far back as the Take Back the Night marches of the 1970s. That’s 40 years of women marching in their thousands to protest the fears they face everyday, and the constant state of hypervigilance that has been flung upon them.

Indeed, in her research at the University of Durham, Fiona Vera-Gray found that women are walking to shield themselves from sexual assaults every day. It’s scattered throughout the choices we make in our daily routines. Questions over whether the colour we’re wearing draws too much attention, which route home will give most freedom from interaction, and what facial expression will most shield us from the unwanted calls of strangers.

A lot of the time we ignore just how pervasive and commonplace these are, allowing us instead

to adopt that easier lens Michelle Obama critiques: the idea that we are past this. But even before Trump, before Evans, before How to Talk to a Woman Who is Wearing Headphones, there was already the fear that the man staring across at us might be the murderer instead of the pizza guy.

It’s time to erode that lens. So women, attend your local Reclaim the Night marches, and talk

loudly and openly about those barriers you so often find yourself having to put up. And men, support us, and when you see the walls (the headphones, the mobile phones, the doublelocked front doors), respect them, instead of knocking them down. reclaimthenight.co.uk

A Guide to Locker Room Talk Sick and tired of the men around you bringing their locker room talk into the outside world? Find yourself wishing these chaps came with a handy pamphlet to help you decode their slurs? Get up to speed with Deviance’s handy phrasebook...

Words: Kate Pasola What he says: “You know, it doesn’t really matter what they write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”

What he means: Women are currency. Also, I'm unaware the term ‘piece of ass’ died a death in the late 80s along with acid wash denim and my current hairstyle How to respond: If you don’t have a reaction gif to hand, perhaps simulate vomiting. Not only will it demonstrate your repulsion, harkening to the idea of bodily functions might jolt your target into realising women are sentient beings rather than walking, talking ass-hosts.

What he says: “If that woman weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”

What he means: Even the prospect of interfamilial intercourse won’t deter me from my warpath of sexual terror How to respond: Consider calling the police.

DEVIANCE

What he says: [Re: a ten-year-old girl] “I’m gonna be dating her in 10 years, can you believe it?”

What he means: My scumbaggery knows no limits. Sexualising children is okay if it elevates my social status.

How to respond: Maybe call the police? Idk. What he says: “Grab them by the p**sy. You can do anything.”

What he means: You think i’m intrusive now?

Just wait till you see what I can do with your fundamental human rights...

How to respond: Yeah, no – you should definitely call the police.

What he says: “Such a nasty woman.”

What he means: I'M FLAILING How to respond: Smile back. Nastily.

THE SKINNY

Why I’m Rejecting Alicia Keys’ No Makeup Movement Living with adult acne is difficult enough. Shaming me for ‘hiding’ isn’t liberating – it’s bullshit

I

’m obsessed with my own face. Before I sat down to write this article, I spent over ten minutes peering at my cheeks, my chin, my jaw in the bathroom mirror. I take pictures of it every day from three different angles, before digitally stitching them together into a collage which I save in a folder on my phone named ‘Progress’. I probably think about my face at least once every couple of hours, if not more.

And that sounds grossly vain, but there’s pretty much no way to talk about the way adult acne can swallow up huge chunks of a day, how it can demolish a person’s self esteem, rationality and social life without sounding a bit frivolous to the average listener. Unless you suffer from adult acne, you might forget it even exists – let alone that it’s a burden 40-55% of adults are reportedly bearing. You most definitely won’t have considered that over a third of those people suffer from some sort of depression or suicidal thoughts due to the condition of their own face.

As a teenager I had enviably smooth, freckled skin which I abused with multicoloured sins from an expanding make-up collection; mosaics of eyeshadows in mirrored palettes, pots of glitter, violet eyeliners. I learned to base my self esteem on the compliments I received for my experimen-

November 2016

tations. Though my parents were often exasperated, my teachers disapproving and my pillowslips stained, never once was I punished by my lovely forgiving skin. No, no – that came later.

“ Keys is allegedly here to save me from feeling like absolute fucking shit without makeup. But where are the role models with acne?”

When I was 19, shit hit the dermatological fan. A couple of inoffensive bumps evolved into a fully-fledged breakout, and the break-out turned

into never-ending cycles of volcanic constellations.

The harder I tried to control it, the harder my face revolted. In desperation, I abstained from dairy, peanuts, wheat, sugar, caffeine; I begged for expensive skincare and concealers for birthday presents; I grew a swooshy blanket of hair to obscure my face; I developed obsessive habits in attempt to keep bacteria away from my skin.

My relationship with make-up changed dramatically – no longer was it a creative outlet I opted into: it was a saving grace and a self-imposed prison which took me 45 minutes to apply once or twice a day, depending on my evening plans. I ruined relationships by refusing to wake up make-up-less next to another person. I avoided bodies of water and walking in the rain, kissing if I didn’t have concealer in my bag, trips to the beach if it meant applying suncream and causing further breakouts. I dreaded sharing tents at festivals, moving into new flats, staying in hostels and basically any environment where my fake face might be removed to reveal what I regarded as a farce beneath. I experienced the closest I’ve ever come to an anxiety attack when my best friend gently convinced me to walk across my university campus to buy a coffee without make-up.

And the weirdest part of that all? I didn’t even

DEVIANCE

Words: Kate Pasola Illustration: Alessandra Genualdo

notice my life was being slowly ruined. Not until four years later on Christmas morning of 2015, when a relative recoiled in faux-horror at the sight of my bare face on Skype. I lost half of my favourite day of the year to tears in my childhood bedroom, privately resolving to fix the problem, somehow.

And it’s for this very reason that Alicia Keys’ #NoMakeup movement makes me uneasy. To catch you up, in May 2016 Alicia Keys contributed an article called Time to Uncover to Lenny Letter, describing a decision to live a new life without makeup; a ‘revolution’ intended to enlighten women who spend their lives ‘hiding’ their ‘true selves’.

And yeezus, did we run with it. Between May and September, the term ‘No Makeup Movement’ soared by 88 percentage points on Google; Mila Kunis was applauded for going make-up free on the cover of Glamour in August; Kim Kardashian attended Balenciaga’s show at Paris Fashion Week barefaced; a tsunami of celebs posted fresh-faced, glowy selfies in demonstration of support.

A couple of think-pieces raised a tinted eyebrow at the whole affair, pointing out that for many, make-up is a medium of artistry and expression, and that those who indulge in it for this reason shouldn’t be shamed. But nobody mentioned what seemed, to me at least, a glaringly obvious point – what if you feel like absolute fucking shit without make-up?

I mean, I understand the premise. Keys is allegedly here to save me from feeling like absolute fucking shit without make-up. If celebs and role models would only promote bare faces and reduce the pressure on we mere mortals, a virtuous circle could begin. In a newfound utopia, we’d all throw our make-up bags into the sky and march in a victorious tickertape parade of discarded lipsticks. That’s the idea. But where are the role models with acne? Where are the people teaching me to be proud of my disordered skin?

Where are the models bearing their usually hidden eczema? Where are the rosacea-ridden popstars taking a face-wipe to their cheeks? That’s right, they’re staying well away, because bare faces are only welcome and applauded when they’re comfortable for the rest of the world to behold.

Even Keys’ make-up artist stated that she undergoes a rigorous regime (which includes painstakingly rubbing ice on her face and applying hundreds of dollars worth of skincare) before appearing in public. Of course she fucking does – public judgement is petrifying. Remember when Renee Zellweger had the audacity to age facially and return to the public eye to promote her new film? Hollywood anarchy.

Sure, it’s vaguely encouraging to see a famous woman being celebrated rather than berated for refusing to pander to scrupulous beauty standards.

But Keys’ personal decision shouldn’t be blown out of proportion and used to shame others. We need more than a humblebraggy hashtag – the No Makeup Movement is just a single puzzle piece in a picture of facial freedom.

So where are the other puzzle pieces? Well, how about the fact that CoverGirl magazine just appointed their first ever male ambassador and coverstar, YouTuber James Charles? How about removing gendered expectations altogether, so every single person on Earth can choose whether to paint themselves like a chameleon or abstain completely? If we care so deeply about feeling proud of our skin, why don’t we allow our screens and magazines to be full of completely normal blemishes, wrinkles, spots and marks? Because it’s then, and only then that those who feel helpless at the sight of their own face will feel empowered, adequate and welcome – make-up or no make-up.

Lifestyle

31

Jacky Sheridan J

acky Sheridan is an Irish illustrator originally from Dublin currently working and based in Belfast. She graduated from Belfast School of Art in 2014 and has since worked as a designer, gallery manager, event manager, studio manager, artist in residence, typographer and has helped in establishing Northern Ireland’s first illustration agency UsFolk, who currently represent her in Ireland. In between all that she works primarily as a freelance illustrator – her self proclaimed description as a ’Jacky of all trades’ is fitting.

Sheridan’s illustration work draws inspiration from her youthful fixation on drawing swear words and crude imagery on her school journals, its current evolution being bold striking ink work with a contrasting limited flat colour palette. Her illust-

32

rations have a stark feminist influence through layers of dry Irish wit.

Although she produces the main bulk of her work for editorial purposes, she has also done large scale murals, typographical branding projects, band merchandise, food packaging and exhibited her work internationally.

Her dream job would be to combine both her loves and illustrate a beer bottle label.

Clients include Subway, Coca Cola, The Debrief, Vice and Computer Arts amongst others FB: facebook.com/jackysheridanillo T: twitter.com/JackySheridan I: instagram.com/jackysheridan Shop: jackysheridanillustration.bigcartel.com

SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

November 2016

SHOWCASE

33

34

THE SKINNY

Meal Planning for a Nuclear Winter Words: Rebecca Chan Illustration: Luis Pinto

As we reach the winter of one of the most apocalyptic years in recent memory, one writer shares her store cupboard tips for making it to the other side

‘R

upert’ is a prepper. He’s a survivalist. I can’t tell you who Rupert is, only that we’re close, and that he has two machetes in his home in case of the collapse of law and order. We’ve had heated disputes about survivalism before; I’m suspicious of the YouTubers stirring up anxiety about the impending nuclear winter, or the electrical blackout we’ll have to face when a solar flare blitzes the National Grid. It’s not that this stuff couldn’t happen, I just don’t think society will benefit from panicking any more than we already are. Besides, the occasional overlap in survivalist and neo-Confederate thought makes me a bit queasy.

For months, Rupert has been urging me to fill my empty kitchen cupboards with preserved food, enough to get through the first days of disaster. I’ve resisted, out of nothing but an unwillingness to concede any ground to the survivalist movement. We have stubbornness in common, me and Rupert. Still, it’s a lot easier to argue against illegal weaponry than it is tinned milk, and I find myself thinking of the great Edinburgh winter of 2010/2011, trudging to Scotmid through knee-deep snow only to find bare shelves.

I wonder if my ancestors are watching me now, shaking their heads, as I fail to fulfil the basic survival requirement of planning for the lean months.

Maybe it’s the first nip of frost in the air that nudges me over the edge, but I finally agree, and am faced with the question: How does one plan a meal for the (nuclear) winter?

Step 1: Carbs are your friends Of all the starchy things you could base your meal on, rice has got to be the best. Half a cup of it will fill an empty belly, and if you need to make it stretch further, you can feed twice as many people with that amount by making congee (savoury rice porridge). Picking up a 10kg bag of rice from the Chinese supermarket in town, upon arriving home with dead arms half an hour later, I decide to do the rest of this stock-up with the help of home delivery and the internet (while they still exist).

November 2016

Once I settle into the online shop, I realise I’m enjoying myself. I feel like I’m in an Enid Blyton book, packing my jam sandwiches and ‘lashings’ of ginger beer, ready for adventures. Cheery, apocalyptic adventures. Three kilos of pasta, 12 tins of legumes (black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas) and a bag of dry lentils all go in the basket – the kind of things you’d eat anyway over the course of a winter, to bulk out chilis and stews.

A quick note on bread: pfft. Don’t even bother.

It’s bulky, will go mouldy before you can get through it, and the vacuum-sealed bake-at-home variety won’t be much use to you when your gas and electricity is cut off post-annihilation. In fact, now may be a good time to figure out what you’ll be cooking on once the grid is down. A camping stove is probably a good bet (don’t forget the extra gas canisters, oil and water).

Step 2: Friends are also your friends Do you live in an expensive city? If so, it’s likely that you have extra people living in your cupboards/ under the stairs/in between the walls to make rent affordable. The hard truth of the apocalypse is that, when the shit hits the fan, you’re going to have to feed these people too.

You might not feel like it, especially as they’re going to smirk at you when they see you hauling your tins of canned tomatoes up the stairs, but you will feed them. What good is surviving Armageddon if you haven’t got friends to help you hunt rats and burn chairs? All this is to say, while you might order enough to feed yourself for a few months, it will actually only be enough for a few weeks once you factor in all the pals you’d quite like as company in the dark days ahead.

Step 3: Fat It is with great satisfaction that a kilo of peanut butter drops into the online basket. If you’ve ever taken a jar of peanut butter with you on a camping trip and felt the joy of dipping a finger into it after an unsatisfying dinner of dried soup mix,

you’ll agree that this is indispensable.

A couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter is also a delicious way to transform a plain tomato-based, root veg stew into something more interesting.

Cured meat like chorizo adds fat and flavour too.

My computer is inhabited by a spirit and adds five bars of cheap, own-brand dark chocolate to my basket while I’m not looking.

Step 4: Fermentation It’s tricky to take vegetables with you to the other side, and while you’ve seen The Martian and now know how to grow potatoes, it’s going to take a little while before your crops come through. In the meantime, why not consider what fermentation can do for you? Sauerkraut and kimchi will keep forever if they’re sealed, and if you have a few tablespoons of salt, sugar and rice vinegar, you can turn your carrots and cucumbers into an approximation of Vietnamese pickled vegetables with the addition of some warm water and a few jars. Either way, you can save these sour garnishes for treat days, as a welcome break from flaccid tinned green beans (a necessary evil in apocalyptic times).

Step 5: Booze Some preppers recommend keeping bottles of high-proof spirits in your store cupboard, to use as currency for trading with other survivors, as antiseptics for minor wounds, or just to liven up another damp evening in the bunker. If you think you can keep alcohol in the house without drinking it, this might be a prudent choice. If you’re not sure you can be trusted and don’t want to part with the money, you could also just wait until the next party you host and round up the dregs of the cheap vodka people bring over. Satisfying my inner miser, I choose the latter.

Early on Monday morning, the buzzer goes.

Expecting it, I run down the stairs to meet the delivery man, and we haul the tins up together. I wonder if he thinks I’m crazy. Perhaps he gets this

FOOD AND DRINK

all the time. Side-eyeing him and looking for facial clues, the conclusion comes that, of course, he doesn’t care. He has places to get to and things to get done; the world carries on for another day.

In the spirit of things, I pack the food away, immediately eat one of the bars of emergency chocolate, and carry on with my life while it’s still there. theskinny.co.uk/food

A Survival Recipe Ginger & Shiitake Congee Ingredients Any rice except basmati, rinsed (½ cup per person ideally but a little goes a long way) Water (2.5 cups per cup of rice) Thumb of ginger, grated Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes Century egg Pork floss Method Bring the water (and the mushroom liquid) to the boil in a heavy pot. Add rice, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and ginger and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Serve with sesame oil and white pepper. For an extra traditional experience, hunt down century eggs and pork floss in your local Asian supermarket, both of which will keep nicely in a dry store cupboard as the apocalypse rages around you.

Lifestyle

35

Food News This month’s food round-up, with beer festivals, kale celebrations and the chance to play golf and eat burgers at the same time

F

irst thing’s first, a reminder to cast your votes in our Food & Drink Survey – after all, those sandwiches and cups of coffee won’t vote for themselves, will they? At least, we hope not. Anyway, voting closes at the end of November, and all the details can be found at theskinny.co.uk/food.

We’ll kick off this month’s round-up with a pop-up from London street food veterans Big V at bakery47 in Glasgow. After ten years in That London, Big V are now hosting a monthly residency at the Southside bakery – expect to have your meat-based preconceptions smashed by some exciting veggie burgers. 8 Nov, 6pm & 8.30pm, from £12, bigvglasgow.bpt.me On a slightly more liquid tip, Edinburgh’s Hanging Bat play host to a tap takeover from upand-coming Leeds brewery Northern Monk. The Monk crew will present 20 – twenty! – of their beers, with some brand new brews and unique collaborations on the menu. Get down early, try many beers, attempt to pull a Homer Simpson-esque skive from work the next day. You can’t come in; you were with the Monk, etc etc. 10 Nov, from 6pm, twitter.com/TheHangingBat

Staying on the subject, a new beer festival launches in Edinburgh this month – the Edinburgh Craft Beer Revolution Festival to be precise. Over its three days, ECBRF will feature beers from (among others) Pilot, Up Front Brewing, Six Degrees North, Alechemy and Northern Alchemy – that won’t get confusing – as well as a mixture of masterclasses, street food and other beery chit-chat. 24-26 Nov, Assembly Roxy, various times, from £8, revolutioncraftbeer.com Now, a question: ‘How much do we really know about kale?’ Honestly, not much! Not to worry though, for the Woodlands Community Garden hosts a Kale Fest this month, featuring tastings, storytelling, performance, talks, and films, all inspired by that vegetable that looks a bit like the lovechild of brocolli and spinach. 20 Nov, from 2pm, free tickets via CCA Next up, golf! Specifically, mini golf, courtesy of Street Food Putter Club at the Glue Factory.

The street food in question comes from Burger Meats Bun & Bó Kantina, the drinks are from Harviestoun and Thistly Cross, and if you aren’t a big golfist then head for the ping-pong tables. Try

not to get burger grease on the golf... pitch? Is that right? 26 Nov, 1pm, £6, tickets via Eventbrite We close this month with a look ahead to VegFest, which returns to the SECC in Glasgow at the start of December. If you’re the slightest bit interested in going vegan, this is the place to be – around 160 stalls, a dozen food options to try

on the day, a host of talks and events and thousands of fellow veg-lovers to chat to. If nothing else, you’re bound to come back with some decent ideas for a veggie Christmas dinner. 3 Dec 11am-6pm, 4 Dec 10am-5pm, from £6, vegfestscotland.com theskinny.co.uk/food

Phagomania: Light Relief We talk to artist Stefanie Herr about the background to her anti-#foodporn topographic artwork

B

eguiling and peculiar, Stefanie Herr’s photographic relief art depicts everyday food items.

The Barcelona-based artist, originally from Germany, creates painstakingly hand-cut contours of layered card, resulting in work that comes across as paradoxically real and unreal.

Seeing familiar food rendered this way is strangely engaging, but behind the stark images lie a deep socio-political message. It is the artificial and laboured appearance that Herr wants to draw you to. “Unfortunately, today’s society puts extreme emphasis on appearance,” she states, “and food is not exempt from that.”

Tackling the food industry, consumerism and the environment was the catalyst for the former architect’s food-related work; to highlight the dis-

36

Lifestyle

connect between consumers and the source of produce in order to confront an attitude to food that is “based on desire rather than reality.”

Herr elaborates: “[We have a] perverted relationship with the natural environment. Skinned and eviscerated, filleted or portioned, neatly packaged and appropriately labelled, animals are treated as mere commodities today and are no longer considered an integral part of a unique ecosystem.”

Alcampo (2012) is Herr’s first series of food works. Named after the Spanish supermarket chain, the title emerged when the irony of the store’s name struck her. It translates roughly to ‘into the countryside’, yet Herr found herself anywhere but a scene of nature in the environment of the shop, surrounded by processed foods and

farmed meat sustained by steroids and antibiotics.

“We clearly need to be smarter and more sustainable about the way we produce our food,” she says. “However our food looks – cooking also transforms food and may render it unrecognizable – it is vital that we understand its origins and the way it is produced. The individual should regain a more active and mindful role in sourcing, selecting, cooking and eating food.” All very well, but what can the average consumer do about the food industry? “My advice: Ugly potatoes are just as edible as regular ones, or might even be the better choice!”

Posing such serious questions may not always succeed with viewers of the art though. “Most people find it rather disgusting and difficult to digest,”

FOOD AND DRINK

Words: Lewis MacDonald

Herr confesses. But again, she notes the irony of the supermarket shoppers. “How is it possible,” she asks, “that the same people who show a limited ability to digest some of my food-related pieces, are able to ingest precisely those meat food products that served me as models, without experiencing the slightest feeling of uneasiness?”

More recently, Herr has been grappling the egg industry, producing a hand-crafted egg every day throughout this year: “Now that 2016 is gradually approaching its end, I feel like an emaciated, exhausted chicken!” And while 2016 hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for any of us, Herr’s art reminds us that, even as chaos reigns outside, it’s important to keep an eye on what we’re eating. stefanieherr.com; follow Stefanie on Instagram at @oeufre

THE SKINNY

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Spice World

W

e don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s become pretty cold out there. Winter is very much with us; all frosted windows, big coats, and hot drinks. And when it comes to winter warmers, they don’t get much better than a cup of spicy, sweet chai tea.

And we know, ‘chai tea’ is something of a redundant phrase – the culinary equivalent of ‘PIN number’ – but it does have an interesting origin.

Turns out there are two main pronunciations for tea that crop up in languages all over the world – ‘Te’, from the Min Chinese dialect in the south of China, and ‘cha’ from Mandarin and Cantonese.

When Portuguese merchants were taking tea to Europe, they were going through Macau where everyone called it ‘cha’, while the Dutch were travelling through Fujian where ‘te’ was the name; eventually, we all realised that we were talking about the same, tasty thing, Chai’s name may come from China, but its traditions are rooted firmly in India. When the Brits hatched a plan to increase tea consumption within India after exhausting their home market, the local tea vendors took one look at the English method of drinking tea and decided to jazz it up a bit. The masala chai was soon born, with plenty of milk, spices and sugar and an ever-changing recipe.

To help you get through the chill, chef Anil Panchil of Tuk Tuk Street Food has shared his recipe for a Christmas Chai Tea. You’ll find this chai on the Christmas Menu at Tuk Tuk, served from 21 Nov to 8 Jan. Chai Tea Ingredients: 4 whole cloves 2 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces 3 cups water 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons black tea (decaffeinated if possible) Method: In a mortar and pestle, crush the cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon together.

Put the crushed spices in a small saucepan, add the water, ginger, nutmeg and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to steep for 5 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the pan and return to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the tea. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes.

Stir the chai, then strain it into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups.

Tuk Tuk Edinburgh, 1 Leven St; Tuk Tuk Glasgow opens mid-Nov, 426 Sauchiehall St tuktukonline.com

November 2016

37

38

THE SKINNY

Babes Never Die We speak to Honeyblood’s Stina Tweeddale and Cat Myers about the dreaded second album syndrome, drawing inspiration from Britpop, and the meaning behind the mantra Babes Never Die

“I

t was David Bowie who said you should always be just outside of your comfort zone when you’re creating stuff, and now I know how that feels.

This is the first time I’ve really felt like that. I don’t really get nervous on stage, but last night I was very nervous before we went on.”

The Skinny has caught up with Scottish duo Honeyblood in Glasgow’s intimate haunt The Hug & Pint, just a few hours before they’re due to take the stage. Tonight’s show is only the second in a string of UK dates, with Stina Tweeddale and Cat Myers on the road to promote their new album Babes Never Die. As the pair calm their nerves with whisky – and the chat briefly deviates to a discussion on the correct pronunciation of the brand Jameson – Tweeddale expands on her reservations: “We have done everything new. We have played new material, we have new gear, a new show, now we have new lights…”

“It’s very different to the old Honeyblood, basically,” chimes in Myers, who joined the band in 2014 after the departure of drummer Shona McVicar.

You may be wondering why, after the success of Honeyblood’s self-titled debut release, the two would so willingly seek to alter the blueprint? In the short space of time that has elapsed since Honeyblood was released in 2014, the duo have clocked up an intimidatingly impressive résumé of shows that has seen them play the likes of The Great Escape, T in the Park and SxSW, as well as support slots for Palma Violets, Belle & Sebastian, and Foo Fighters at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh last year.

As Tweeddale explains, Babes Never Die is the product of a refocused energy that reflects the new writing partnership: “Musically, we wanted it to have more of an urgency. The first album was very shoegazey, and quite dreamy. We wanted to be attacking and quite high-octane. Lots of drums.

Because that’s what our live show is like now!

“The first album was written without me even thinking that anyone would ever hear it,” she continues, laughing. “I wrote it to play in my bedroom, and then put some gigs on. But this album obviously started off with, ‘Oh shit, now we have to do a follow-up’. It’s the whole second album syndrome – you want to progress, you want to do better, you still want to keep that integrity that your band has developed… but then you’ve got a completely different writing partner and you’re trying to morph the band into a different place.”

November 2016

This different place has resulted in a supercharged, 12-track assemblage of songs that retain the caustic wit, sugared melodies and 90s nostalgia that made their first release so appealing. But this time, the riffs are fuzzier, the lyrics are spikier and the drumbeats fall with ever-increasing insistence. Recorded at London’s Fish Factory studio with acclaimed producer James Dring (Jamie T/ Gorillaz) at the helm, Babes Never Die wears its anthemic mantra on its sleeve, with the duo sounding markedly more formidable than before. The new album also reveals what are, perhaps, some of Honeyblood’s more unexpected inspirations.

Myers begins, “Before we jammed Love Is A Disease, Stina just had a marathon day of staying in a house just listening to Blur.”

“I was just under my table, lying down listening to Blur for eight hours” Stina Tweeddale

“I was supposed to be doing work,” Tweeddale admits sheepishly. “She [Myers] phoned me, like, ‘How’s it going?’ and I said, ‘Oh, I’ve just been listening to Blur all day.’ A Blur hole! That’s what it was. So I’m sitting like, ‘Gotta write this song, gotta finish this song, cos we’re in rehearsals tomorrow and I want it to be done by then.’ I was just under my table, lying down listening to Blur for eight hours.

“That’s a very thing strange to do,” she admits.

“But I do think that sometimes you can get so wrapped up in your own music, that the best thing to do is listen to someone else’s. That’s what happened, and Love Is A Disease was born.”

With titles like Sea Hearts, Love is a Disease and Ready For the Magic, the songs on Babes Never Die reflect a self-assured mentality, and an overarching narrative that conjures an image of an army of strong, brave, take-no-prisoners women.

Tweeddale agrees: “The first album is a collection of songs, over a long period of time. There’s hardly any consistency between them all. This one, they

were written in a really short period of time, but every single song links into the next one.

“The whole album’s got a sort of imagery that goes all the way through, which includes all the videos and the artwork and everything. It’s pretty much just a big, witchy horror movie!”

Just don’t pigeon-hole Honeyblood as yet another retro-act mimicking the riot grrrl bands of the 90s: “There are a lot of bands that intentionally go down that route. I don’t think we do it intentionally,” Tweeddale confirms. “We get the riot grrrl thing, there is influence from it, but it’s not technically what the music is. I think we’re more of a 90s Britpop band now. It’s like a mixture between Britpop and pop-punk.” They both laugh.

Interview: Claire Francis Photography: Amy Muir Finally, we discuss that assertively affirmative album title. “I really didn’t think it was going to become an album title,” Tweeddale muses. “It was kind of a joke, in a way.

“I always think it’s so much better to have something to say and be passionate either way on something, than just sit on the fence,” she says after a pause. “That’s kind of where the whole idea of it comes from. The ‘never die’ bit, I guess, is like, you’ve got to have self-respect, that’s number one. No matter if anyone’s going to tell you you’re shit, or your music’s shit, or whatever. Just know where you’re going yourself.”

Babes Never Die is released via FatCat on 4 Nov Honeyblood play St Luke’s, Glasgow on 8 Dec

Stina’s Top Five Game-Changing Albums The Breeders – Pod “I think Last Splash probably has a bit more influence on Honeyblood, [but] Pod is the first one I got, and I just love that album – I love the fact that it was recorded in Edinburgh, where I grew up. I feel so connected to it, in ways, and it’s the first Breeders album that I listened to. If I was to be in any other band, it would be The Breeders. That would be my dream, to make that sort of music.”

PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love “I love kind of down-tempo albums – I know I just made an album that is really up-tempo, but I love slow, slow tunes! This album was the first PJ Harvey album that I ever had, and I just love the storytelling. I think there’s a good mixture of influences in that one. You can hear the blues side, the folk side, and the beats in it are proper groovy.”

MUSIC

Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat “It’s been 10 years since that album was released. I listened to it at uni, and I remember

having it on my headphones and just walking about around the campus... probably being super depressed about something, you know, like coursework! She’s got this happy way of talking about how depressed she is.”

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead “The aggressiveness of what Morrisey says sometimes offends people. Whatever; I think it’s good sometimes to offend to people. I just remember listening to his voice and I’d never heard anyone sing with a meter that was so out of time, and it really made me think about melody. A lot of people don’t really realise, especially with the first [Honeyblood] album, a lot of the melodies are very Morrisey-esque.”

Kate Bush – Lion Heart “My mum is such a big Kate Bush fan, it was just on all the time. I just think she’s such an amazing creature: as a human being, as a performer, as an artist. How can one person just have all that good stuff? It’s not really fair!

She kind of just does what she wants to do, and no one can tell her otherwise, and I really appreciate that.”

Feature

39

W P

RE

V

IE

Electronic Musicians Anonymous

A

solid example of great minds, thinking alike: Save As is a Glasgow-based musical collective that harbours off-kilter electronic musicians and their very often oddball releases. Home to the brains behind Jonnie Common, MC Almond Milk, CARBS, Miaoux Miaoux, Globules, Jay Rolex, Weep Squad and Bronze Wave, the group started out as a pub session and has since become a community, a gig series, and a record label to boot. We gave their premier non-dairy half-rapper MC Almond Milk – aka James Scott – a quick ring ahead of the November release for Smell the Audi, a joint album with pal and beatmaker Jay Rolex.

We catch up with Save As member MC Almond Milk – James Scott, to his mum – and chat about the collective’s weird releases, file management systems and the importance of local rap

Interview: Katie Hawthorne

“ The more people that are doing different things, the better”

Do Not Miss Alberta Cross, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 6 Nov Sneaky’s welcome Anglo-Swede, Petter Ericson Stakee’s Alberta Cross project for a solo show this month. With three albums-worth of beautifully arranged and produced compositions – heavily inspired by the late 60s / early 70s Laurel Canyon, California sound – Albert Cross make big, stately songs, packed with rue as much as brio. Stripped back, and in an intimate setting, this show promises to be just a wee bit special.

Alberta Cross

40

Preview

I do!” Scott jokes. “Then other times it totally works.

My vocal style has this almost slightly sarcastic element to it, which I don’t necessarily mean, but there’s something about rapping in a Scottish accent... there’s a bit of self-awareness to it, isn’t there? No-one’s really sure about the right way, or the wrong way to do it.”

In the presence of “actual Scottish rappers” like Loki, Scott confesses slight reluctance to describe his “mumbling” as rap, finding inspiration in the legacy of the internet-famous Rap Battle (Parody) YouTube videos. Mostly, though, he emphasises that “the more people that are

doing different things, the better”, and it’s that willingness to experiment; to be unafraid of cracking a joke while still taking your work seriously, that defines the Save As ethos. For further example, Smell the Audi will be released as a cassette and a download – a decision Scott confirms is entirely practical, rather than the product of hipstered nostalgia. “The instrumentals stand by themselves,” he enthuses, so they’ll make up the flip side as a “kind of beat tape.” It’s important for artists to find a format that best suits their music, he explains. “What does the release call for, and also what would be fun? We

Christine and the Queens, O2 Academy, Glasgow, 7 Nov

The Wave Pictures, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 10 Nov. CCA, Glasgow, 12 Nov

Héloïse Letissier, known by her stage name Christine and the Queens, is a French singer and songwriter.

Letissier has been making music for almost ten years now and her latest album, Chaleur Humaine, meaning human warmth, was released earlier this year to critical acclaim.

It’s a synthpop delight from start to finish, and her live show promises contemporary dance, as well as dreamy pop music.

Not to be missed.

Alternative rock trio, The Wave Pictures, led by Dave Tattersall, are on tour this month to celebrate the release of their second album of 2016.

After releasing entirely acoustic DIY A Season In Hull earlier this year – recorded live through one microphone, in a room, on Tattersall’s birthday – they are set to release Bamboo in the Rain on 11 Nov. Get your lo-fi, rock'n'roll fix in Edinburgh and Glasgow this month.

Christine and the Queens

MUSIC

The Wave Pictures

don’t feel too much pressure – things take as long as they take.” The most recent CARBS release came on a pizza-printed CD in a miniature pizza box (of course it did), and they’re planning a novelty sunglasses-based release for a new Bronze Wave EP. “Though, I mean, can you even buy a hundred [pairs of] sunglasses? Um, I don’t really know what the quantities of sunglasses are.”

Smell the Audi is released via Save As Collective on 18 Nov, The album will be launched, with a live show, on the same date at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe shiftcmds.tumblr.com

Julia Holter

Julia Holter, The Art School, Glasgow, 17 Nov Julia Holter received the highest of Skinny accolades (*****) in September 2015 when she released her majestic fourth album, Have You in My Wilderness. She is curating a day’s programming at Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht as part of her autumn tour schedule. Straight after, she brings her unique sound to the UK, stopping by The Art School just a few days later, with hand-picked support, Circuit des Yeux.

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jelmer de Haas

Scott estimates that the Save As origin story stems from a joint gig at The Glad Cafe in 2012: “When we first started meeting up for a drink, it was like electronic artists anonymous. You needed to see that there were other people doing the same thing! We could share ideas, and that’s so important when you’re working on your own all the time. It’s a support network.” The group’s name reflects their collaborative approach, referencing Common’s “incredibly boring, organised and sensible” method of file management, as Scott explains, laughing. “He’ll always save a new piece of work as something else, so that he can go back to the original. So it’s a good name to cover the way that we’re working – you’re never quite sure where the boundaries are with collaboration.”

Many of their releases, aliases and samplers see a cross-referencing of the various artists involved, and Smell the Audi is a prime example of inter-Save-As musical creation. Scott’s distinctive lyrics and wry delivery, backed up by Jay Rolex’s extensive, atmospheric crate-digging, creates a hyper-localised rap record that references Blue Lagoon (a fish and chip shop), Larkhill and Kathryn Joseph’s effusive Twitter style.

“Sometimes Jay will send me a beat and he’ll say, ‘Can you not just go really hard on this one?’

I’m like, ‘I can’t.’ I can’t go really hard! It’s not what

Photo: Emma Lindsay

MC Almond Milk

Tropical Punch We chat with upcoming Edinburgh-based four piece Indigo Velvet about their genre-defying sound, upcoming tour, and their ambitions Interview: Claire Francis Photography: Kat Gollock

Adam explains. “We’d never been called tropical before; I think it’s the shirts! It goes hand in hand with the shirts, the long hair, the colourful guitars.

It’s a like pop culture, tropical vibe going on.”

“Jason plays at church sometimes on a Sunday,” continues vocalist and guitarist, Darren Barclay. “He’s got the African influence, sort of like all gospel music, it’s kind of all happy and uplifting. It comes into the songwriting when me and Jason sit down and write guitar parts. You can kind of feel a happy vibe.

a bit,” Adam points out. “In Edinburgh, recently, it’s been up and down. It’s starting to pick up now, but when you go back to supporting local acts, that really helps to pick it back up.”

Indigo Velvet are yet to release an EP, let alone a full length album, but already the Edinburgh quartet have amassed a hugely enthusiastic and dedicated fan base, drawn by the lure of their upbeat, playful, and irrepressibly bright compositions. “We’re going on tour in November,” Adam excitedly exclaims, “so we’re releasing a single – (Sunrise comes out on 4 Nov.)” McMahon continues: “We’ve played T in The Park, [but] it’s our first tour. It’s been said this is like a breakthrough year for us. This is a completely different direction of music [for Indigo Velvet].

And I think it’s the first time we’ve written a song primarily in the studio. To me, it feels like this is the pinnacle point of where we’re going to go.”

“We just want to be heard!” Barclay interrupts. “I think we’d settle for being… um, nationally famous,” he says, met with cackles of laughter from his bandmates. “Up and down the UK – even just Scotland! To be known.”

The truth is, they’re a band who want to inspire others, like others have inspired them, Tucker explains: “For someone to look up to you and appreciate what you’ve done, and want to replicate that in their own way. I think that would mean a lot, because it shows that your music is doing something for others as well.”

They agree that “playing festivals across Europe, playing internationally – being asked, not applying! – being actually invited to play the likes of SXSW” would be an achievement, as well as “not having any stress, and making a comfortable living for yourself and your family. That’s what we really want.”

Anything else?

“And that Brit Award!”

“ We’d never been called tropical before; I think it’s the shirts!”

Laurie Adam

or a group that evolved from a high school band “in the summer of 2013,” Indigo Velvet “have done a lot in a short space of time,” bassist Laurie Adam reflects. “We’ve supported Fickle Friends down south, we’ve supported local bands like The LaFontaines in bigger venues, we’ve played major festivals and now we’re going on tour.” With that in mind, we’ve gathered the lads in Glasgow’s West End for an afternoon pint

Soweto Kinch

Soweto Kinch, Reading Rooms, Dundee, 18 Nov Dundee’s annual jazz celebration takes place this year from 16-20 Nov, with live music across several venues in the city, presenting a host of musical styles – from swing to cutting edge modern jazz; bebop to hip-hop and blues. Double MOBO award winner, Soweto Kinch, promises to be a highlight.

Get ready to be blown away by his brilliant bebop-influenced alto saxophone, masterfully combined with his deft hip-hop lyricism.

November 2016

and a chat, in their own words, about the rise of Indigo Velvet.

“I think it took a while to figure out what we wanted to sound like. For the first year, the set changed every month. We’d write new stuff, drop stuff, and I think it was around 2014, when we decided ‘this is what we want to be’. That’s when the Indigo Velvet name came in, the branding, and in a couple of interviews we got told we were ‘tropical’,”

Indigo Velvet release single Sunrise on 4 Nov. They play Glasgow’s The Hug & Pint on 5 Nov, Edinburgh’s La Belle Angèle on 12 Nov, and Dundee’s Buskers on 18 Nov

RM Hubbert + Rick Redbeard Electric Circus, Edinburgh, 21 Nov

Muncie Girls, King Tut’s, Glasgow, 28 Nov

Two of Chemikal Underground’s finest, each with acclaimed new releases under their belts for 2016, are setting out on the road this November for a clutch of Scottish gigs. RM Hubbert and Rick Redbeard – who will be touring together for the first time this month – respectively released Telling the Trees and Awake Unto earlier this year.

This is a must for fans of acoustic, flamencoinspired folk and Americana.

Catchy Exeter punk rock band, Muncie Girls – who are actually one girl and two guys – last played Scotland while touring with Philadelphia-based Beach Slang in June of this year. This time, they’re on a headline tour and are set to take King Tut’s infamous stage by storm! Going along for the ride are two more trios; Plymouth-based WOAHNOWS and London’s Happy Accidents, making for a punk pop trio of trios. Yum.

RM Hubbert

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well, Stereo, Glasgow, 23 Nov A master in dealing with matters of the heart; we’re pretty big fans of American singer-songwriter Tom Krell, aka How To Dress Well. This is the only Scottish date on Krell’s very concise UK tour (one of only three dates), in support of his fourth studio album Care, so don’t be a dafty – if you like your emotive, electronic pop, this show is an absolute must for you. Oh, and lo-fi ambient producer Ricky Eat Acid is supporting. Nice.

MUSIC

Photo: Alexander Bell

F

“We grew up listening to bands through high school – Bombay Bicycle Club, Vampire Weekend, Two Door Cinema Club... it’s a compliment being compared to these bands, but I think now, without sounding arrogant, we’ve got our own unique sound. But those influences definitely helped us along at the start, for sure.”

“We’re influenced by unsigned local bands too,” Adam is quick to point out. “We try to go to as many gigs as we can. We’ll go see a band that sound nothing like us, but we take away maybe a bit of the live show. I think it’s because we go to gigs as musicians, we analyse it differently, we’re like, ‘that’s brilliant; that bit’s really good’.”

Drummer Billy McMahon agrees: “You learn a lot more that way as well. It’s been picked up quite a lot in (other) interviews, people have said: ‘you’re constantly at gigs; we always bump into you at gigs’. We do it to support bands.”

“It’s important as well, if the scene dies down

Muncie Girls

Preview

41

Album of the Month Sad13

Slugger [Carpark Records, 11 Nov]

rrrrr

‘I say yes to the dress when I put it on / I say yes if I want you to take it off / If you want to, you’ve gotta get a yes.’ God, how good does it feel to hear these words out loud?

At the time of writing (pre-8 Nov/potential doomsday), eleven women have raised their voices with allegations against presidential candidate Trump’s grab’n’grope policies. Footballer Ched Evans literally got out of jail free after his accuser had her sexual history used against her in court.

A legal battle for Ke$ha’s freedom from producer Dr. Luke disintegrated into a slut-shaming circus that prioritised capital investment over her emotional and physical safety, as well as her career.

These are just a chosen few; a handful of bleak examples of our culture’s thoroughly fucked attitude towards sexuality. Are you angry? So are we.

Sad13 is Sadie Dupuis of US indie band Speedy Ortiz, and she’s turned her frustrations with the music industry’s male gaze into Slugger; an album that speaks to the soul of any person who feels threatened by a cavalier approach to gender politics, be it at work, at home, or at a rock show. Like the advice column we’ve never had, Dupuis covers ‘just a friend’ conversations, consent, trust, arseholes (real and metaphorical), self-worth, solitude and emotional abuse

with eloquence and empathy. Crunchy, catchy hooks mean you’ll be humming these anthems all day – and there’s nothing more satisfying than an earworm that’s also shouting out for equality.

Slugger dances from indie jams to synthpowered bedroom discos, and American rapper Sammus’ bars on the record’s closer, Coming Into Powers, are a roof-raising celebration of selfpowered creative independence. Tell U What (‘I’m worth every dime you have / Tell you what, I’m not worth your violence’) is a succinct suckerpunch that says it all, standing up to bullying partners with assertion and awareness. Dupuis’s rock gems may be concise (and often extremely personal), but they capture a whole world of complexities and contradictions.

She turns internet slang into kitsch curation on <2, a spiralling, laugh-track spit-back with a truly noughties put-down, and Line Up borrows pop-punk pacing for a thrill ride, with shoutouts to wealth redistribution and supposed safe spaces. Nuanced, thoughtful discussions broadcast with power and volume: please give Sad13 all your yesses. But only if you want to. [Katie Hawthorne] Sad13

Listen to: Get a Yes, Coming Into Powers

Kristin Hersh

Wyatt at the Coyote Palace [Omnibus Press, 28 Oct]

rrrrr

XAM Duo

Loscil

Lambchop

rrrrr

rrrrr

rrrrr

XAM Duo [Sonic Cathedral, 4 Nov] XAM Duo is the self-titled debut from Hookworms’ Matthew Benn and Deadwall’s Christopher Duffin. Comprising six tracks in total, it’s a collection of ambient improvisations where synths meet saxophones – scuzzy, jazz-tinged, bleepy, and in places, euphoric.

At 23 minutes long, I Extend My Arms Pt I & II is a highlight, gradually building over an unnerving drone before getting squelchy and dark midway through, gradually morphing into a glorious Dan Deaconesque pounder that’s easy to get lost in; the similarly epic René (a mere 18 minutes this time) brings proceedings to a perfect close. It isn’t always the easiest of listens, but persistence pays off: XAM Duo is ultimately very rewarding. [Tallah Brash] Listen to: I Extend My Arms Pt I & II

42

Review

Monument Builders [Kranky, 11 Nov] Do we have any control over our own realities? Can beauty exist amid wanton destruction? If so, should we enjoy it? On Monument Builders, ambient maestro Loscil creates a post-industrial hinterland that’s one of the most captivating releases of 2016.

A breathless and dense record built on crackle, fuzz and fugue, what really captures the imagination are the fleeting, stark melodies on almost every track. These are the flowers sprouting through the cracks of an abandoned factory, in the form of a horn (Red Tide), a piano (Drained Lake), or chopped up vocals (Weeds), recalling the jarring juxtapositions of the Notwist or Ben Frost. Monument Builders is an augmented reality to spend time with, explore and get lost in. [Finbarr Bermingham] Listen to: Weeds

FLOTUS [City Slang, 4 Nov] The term ‘alt-country’ never sat well with Lambchop, whose music owes as much to blues, soul and jazz, as it does to their Nashville roots. FLOTUS sees Kurt Wagner’s troupe sever links with the genre completely; only the superb 12minute opening track In Care of 8675309 sticks within the parameters of traditional song structure.

The rest of the record sees Lambchop venture further down an electronic rabbit hole than expected. Wagner’s vocals are morphed with vocoder and distortion. Pedal steels have been replaced with samplers and synthesisers, and it works. 18-minute album closer The Hustle is ethereal and appropriately epic.

Lambchop are at their most adventurous, and it sounds wonderful. [Finbarr Bermingham] Listen to: NIIV, The Hustle

‘I’m doubled over on my knees again,’ sings Kristin Hersh on her tenth solo album. ‘Only way I know how to be.’ Of course, the raw emotion in her remarkable songs has only ever been the entry point rather than the crux; as with everything she’s done since Throwing Muses began rubbing salt in their own wounds (along with sugar and dynamite), these songs smoulder with mystery.

Wyatt… contains 24 tracks of largely acoustic beauty, fraught with a tension that tantalises, comforts and baffles in turn. The likes of Shotgun blister

Justice

Woman [Ed Banger, 18 Nov]

rrrrr

It’s been almost a decade since French electronic duo Justice unleashed their debut record on the world – potentially grim reading for readers old enough to remember that. In Justice’s defence, the Parisian act never over-saturated themselves, only releasing three albums in nine years (lest we forget: 2007’s †, 2011’s Audio, Video, Disco precede this new offering). It’s a nice surprise to have them back, and even nicer to find the duo have retained their pleasurable take on industrialinfused electronica, with 70s disco touches.

RECORDS

like scalded flesh, while elsewhere raw verses suddenly bloom into delicate sweetness, keeping you on the very tips of your toes. Published in the form of a book (containing stories and photographs that may not illuminate the album’s meaning, but certainly expand the conversation surrounding it) with the music spread across two CDs, it’s a beautiful package, albeit potentially daunting to absorb.

Still, the obliqueness is only a challenge if you allow it to be; the depth of Hersh’s music has always revealed itself over time rather than through simple earworms (although they’re present on the mighty Killing Two Birds). Secret Codes contains the record’s biggest clue, however, homing in on its subtly spiritual nature: ‘Sorta know how to pray / You just ache with hope til it goes away’. Beat that. [Will Fitzpatrick] Listen to: Killing Two Birds This is chiefly because Woman is fresh, exciting and more than anything, a fun listen. Early singles such as opener Safe and Sound lean into the band’s deep knowledge of all things disco, while Randy manages to strike pop gold once again, and Alakazam! masterfully blends that exciting combination of disco and electronic music for which they have become famed.

While nothing on Woman is quite as bombastic as when † was first unleashed on an unsuspecting public, there’s plenty of intriguing stuff to chew on here with deep cuts such as Chorus and Heavy Metal, resulting in a terrific return from the French duo. Much like Daft Punk before them, Justice have maintained their high standards.

[Adam Turner-Heffer] Listen to: Chorus, Safe and Sound, Alakazam!

THE SKINNY

Romare

Love Songs: Pt Two [Ninja Tune, 11 Nov]

Archie Fairhurst’s new album, Love Songs Pt. Two, is a more intense, yet at times more tender, follow-up to his debut EP Projections.

Singed to Ninja Tune and making music under the moniker Romare, the artist uses a collage-like approach to his production, inspired by the method adopted by American artist Romare Bearden.

Cutting and pasting together samples, bass lines and percussion, Romare’s sound is warm and groovy with the disco influences on this record evident. Tracks such as All Night, and My Last Affair boast soulful vocals which offer some clear references to the glorious sounds of the 70s.

Without many lyrics to further decorate the music on offer, the album often feels like a perfectly extended DJ mix, a factor assisted by its coherency and fluidity. The use of such an eclectic melting pot of samples also gives it an incredibly timeless feel. Long Songs Pt. Two succeeds most, however, in its striking use of crescendo. Within tracks, and across the LP as a whole, Romare develops an intensity that distinguishes it from his past releases, as the sound constantly builds in layers. At times, the record feels more dominating than Projections ever was. Romare explores different elements of love, as summarised in each track’s name: from New Love, to Honey, and My Last Affair, we experience first dances and explore new lovers, passionate anger and sexual desire.

While Romare is a master when it comes to constructing unique and unusual sounds in his music (the opening of his 2015 single Roots for example), sometimes this can be more abrasive than enjoyable – New Love, we’re looking at you. Overall though, this is a warm piece of percussive and melodic greatness; stand-out single Who Loves You? is sure to explode across dancefloors. [Kenza Marland] Listen to: Who to Love, My Last Affair

Jay Rolex & MC Almond Milk

Smell the Audi [Save As Collective, 18 Nov]

rrrrr

‘Hi, I’m Scotland’s best rapper,’ is how James Scott aka MC Almond Milk introduces himself on his debut LP. ‘Like Blue Lagoon are Scotland’s best chips’. As every 3am carb-seeker knows, ‘best’ is often a question of context, and like that notorious purveyor of drunkards’ scran, Scott finds his niche and owns it on Smell the Audi.

An introspective overthinker who mixes downtrodden existential ruminations with whimsical wordplay and pop culture references, MC Almond Milk has more in common with Serengeti or Open Mike Eagle than his fiery, more politically charged fellow nationals like Hector Bizerk or Young Fathers. When he’s not sending up his lackluster flirting game (‘like Danny Dyer, but shyer though,’ or rhyming ‘on fleek’ with ‘breeks’), he’s stealthily tackling the big themes between goofy one-liners, from love gone sour, to depression, to ageing: ‘men who pause pensively are not yet doomed’.

Jay Rolex’s sumptuous, classic-leaning beats reinforce the above mentioned comparisons. Built from crackly soul samples, they echo Paul White’s work with Open Mike Eagle, as well as the warm analogue collages of frequent milo collaborator Kenny Segal.

While the humour can be hit and miss – what to do with the line ‘I’m at the world music night, like ‘where the ethnic girls at?’’ – this is a likeable helping of quirky Glaswegian rap. [Andrew Gordon] Listen to: Rob Ford, Ex-Best Friends

November 2016

Honeyblood

Honeyblood

Babes Never Die [FatCat, 4 Nov]

rrrrr

Glasgow’s Honeyblood, aka Stina Tweeddale and Cat Myers, are back with sophomore album Babes Never Die, a follow-up to 2014’s self-titled debut. Boasting 12 tracks, with the first and last acting as musical bookends, it’s a well wrapped package with no obvious signs of ‘difficult second album syndrome’.

After the crescendoing mantra of ‘babes never die, babes never die’ on Intro, we’re thrown head first into the heavily percussive title track,

complete with a supremely catchy chorus.

Following this is the album’s first single Ready For the Magic, a powerful track with bags of sing-along potential, then we’re straight into Sea Hearts, which sucks you in with its Britpop-esque intro.

The drums kick in, and before you know it, they’re sipping tequila and not giving a fuck who knows it – as you quickly learn, the reason for all this is ‘just a little heartbreak’. Honeyblood promise to ‘break hearts that get in our way.’ You believe them.

Love is a Disease and Walking at Midnight offer a brief breather, following that high-energy triumvirate, before the muscular Justine, Misery Queen grabs hold of you again. The album loses momentum a little towards the end, but the bittersweet Cruel – Babes Never Die’s sole ballad – regains your trust and interest; there’s a vulnerability in Tweeddale’s vocal

that makes you hang on her every word.

Finally, there’s Outro, a cheeky little samba number reminiscent of a Casio keyboard demo.

It’s embellished with an adorable melody played on a recorder, with Tweeddale’s distant ‘ba da ba daaah’s layered on top: dreamy.

Overall, and despite a brief lull, Babes Never Die is enjoyable from beginning to end. Peppered with catchy choruses and heroic riffs, and with sing-along moments galore, it’s much fuller, better rounded and more complete than 2014’s Honeyblood. The best thing? When it finishes you’ll head straight back to the start to relive it all over again. [Tallah Brash] Listen to: Sea Hearts, Love is a Disease

Papa M

Highway Songs [Drag City, 11 Nov]

rrrrr

12 years have somehow passed since the last Papa M record (rarities compilation Hole of Burning Alms).

Since then David Pajo’s played with The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol, and reunited once more with seminal post-rock progenitors Slint, but little was then heard from him until February 2015, when Pajo tragically tried to take his own life.

The largely instrumental Highway Songs documents his difficult journey since then, from the depths of despair to his current position (finally playing guitar for its own sake again, and happy to be alive). Opener Flatliners is a crushing, sludgedout cry unto the void, easily the heaviest piece of music Pajo’s recorded since his stint with stoner metal quartet Dead Child.

It’s followed by The Love Particle, where sampled strings disintegrate into a frantic series of glitches and static. At the centre of the piece, a child’s voice whispers, ‘I love you, Daddy’ – rare poignancy amidst the clatter. Elsewhere, Dlvd provides a tentative flash of fragile optimism, while Walking on Coronado is a shot of sunlight injected straight in the heart.

The best is saved for last, however, as Pajo’s true shot at self-redemption makes for a stunning close: Little Girl is a country ballad with a plea for his daughter to “teach me to love again.” Here, with the guitarist solo-ing flashily and emotively like Slash at the cliff’s edge, it’s the only way the record could possibly end.

[Will Fitzpatrick] Listen to: The Ballad of a Small Player

Yama Warashi

Bayonne

rrrrr

rrrrr

Moon Egg [Stolen Body Records, 11 Nov] Yoshino Shigihara’s eclectic collective marry Japanese folk with psych grooves, and African beats with madcap flights of fancy. This is dreampop from another realm entirely, and while it strays all over the shop, digging around its various influences like a sniffer dog, there are enough foundation components in play to keep the whole thing smartly grounded.

First, Shigihara’s voice is a sweet treat, an instrument that flexes around the elastic challenges of the music, and leads the likes of Quagmire Moon with soul and no little authority. Moon Egg is less of a showcase of songcraft, and more a demonstration of deep musicality. [Gary Kaill]

Listen to: Quagmire Moon

RECORDS

Primitives [City Slang, 4 Nov] If Primitives feels familiar, it might be because you’ve heard it already. Texan producer Roger Sellers released this LP on Punctum Records in 2014, but he returns with a brand new alias, a new record label and three extra tracks to wrap up the ceremony. If you missed it the first time, you’re in for a trip.

Bayonne twists and folds thousands of layers and loops, utilising the echoes of old pianos and draining sinks to add some earth to his technical wizardry.

Warm, cavernous drums provide the heart and backbone of the record, but for all Primitives’ hypnotic powers, when it’s over you’ll wake up on the same sofa.

[Katie Hawthorne]

Listen to: Appeals, Omar

Nadja

The Stone is Not Hit by the Sun, Nor Carved With a Knife [Gizeh Records, 7 Nov]

rrrrr

Three tracks. 80 Minutes. By the time opener The Stone shudders to a halt, and there’s still nearly an hour to go, this much is clear: unlocking this remarkable work is the key to connecting to its uncompromising mode.

Learning its language, breathing its rarified air and braving its mass of driving beats: The Stone is Not Hit by the Sun, Nor Carved With a Knife is a record to learn.

Exultant soundscapes are constructed from the kind of dark matter that recalls the arch riffery of doom-metal, composed with skill and care. This record is generous throughout, asking much of the listener, and paying back with interest every time. Superb. [Gary Kaill] Listen to: The Stone, The Sun, A Knife

Review

43

Photo: Amy Muir

rrrrr

Live Reviews Arab Strap

Barrowlands, 15 Oct In the decade since Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton amicably, but devastatingly, called time on Arab Strap, both have navigated successful projects on their own. But the announcement of reunion gigs to mark their previous band’s anniversary was a thrilling development for fans of the pair’s peerless tales of meaningless sex and drug-wasted weekends. By Moffat’s own admission, tonight marks The Big One – the first night of two at Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom.

The death of the mixing desk cuts short Bossy Love’s support set and delays the main event. With panic over (thanks to the arrival of a replacement, the 1982 World Cup song We Have a Dream, and the rain-soaked pipes and sad strings of Loch Leven’s intro), Moffat, Middleton and co. emerge to a crowd that has well and truly waited for this moment.

Opener Stink is Moffat’s stark poetic realism at its finest, with the assembled band of impressive musicians treating the songs as they deserve.

Few groups do light and shade like Arab Strap, and tonight sees a cross-section of gems from across their catalogue. The Clearing and New Birds are incredible, as are the stripped-back betrayal of Piglet, the bleak regret of Blood, the tubthumping bitterness and intensity of Fucking Little Bastards and the beefier pop of There is No Ending.

Predictably, The Shy Retirer and The First Big Weekend cause a stir, the latter’s lyrics updated to reflect Moffat’s maturity, but the more sedate Packs of Three and Here We Go are equally appreciated. Acoustic audience request Hello Daylight is beautiful, as is final bonus encore Serenade, closing a night that many wish wouldn’t end.

If this is their final flirtation, it is a bittersweet triumph. The break has only served to enhance the pair’s strengths, and the songs still reach places other artists can’t, or won’t. Arab Strap were never just of their time, but truly in a league of their own, and tonight’s reunion is a glorious reminder of just how vital they will always be. [Susan Le May]

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen / Little Wings SWG3, 15 Oct

rrrrr

A lot’s been said (and written) about Angel Olsen’s phenomenal new record My Woman, but to see is to truly, deeply believe: a 1000+ sold-out crowd at SWG3 will attest that Olsen’s autumn tour is already a lap of honour.

Photo: Claire Maxwell

rrrrr

It’s Saturday night, and the warehouse is swollen with excitable, noisy punters. Seasoned California-based singer songwriter Little Wings puts in a charming turn, but resorts to occasional pleas for silence that see “ssssh”s reverberate from the front to the back. By the time Olsen and her many-membered band take to the stage, the room still feels unsettled, yet to be won. Luckily – or, obviously – Angel Olsen knows

exactly how to handle unruly voices. Her hair is teased to a height that Dolly Parton would give a tentative thumbs-up, and the band are dressed in sharp powder blue, replete with bolo ties. The alt country twang to the artful wobble in Olsen’s voice strikes your soul even harder than it does on record, and opener Never Be Mine feels dusted down and spiked with extra gravel. Hi-Five (from 2014’s Burn Your Fire For No Witness) and recent single Shut Up Kiss Me follow suit – powerful choices from Olsen’s apparently endlessly rich songbook. As the band pause, Olsen picks up an object from the stage floor. “I don’t like things thrown at me,” she says, completely poised, and flies through Lights Out before throwing the scrunched up piece of paper back into the crowd twice as hard. Long term listeners will know all they need to from Olsen’s music, and tonight the sentiments of Heart Shaped Face feel razor sharp – and sound utterly flooring. Every detail is crystal clear, each guitar is perfectly employed, and Olsen’s backing vocalist offers shadowed howls that offset her wry lyricism and achieve complete heartbreak in the process. Sweet Dreams is dedicated to all of our mums, and the shifting, surging pace of Sister is staggering, a true, once-in-a-lifetime rarity.

The set wraps up, all too soon, with Give It Up, and Olsen leaves the stage while the rest of her band storm an extended play-out. The venue’s concrete pillars shake as the warehouse pleads for an encore, and as the band agree to just one more tune, a hoarse voice shouts out a hearty “We love you!” Again, Olsen pauses: “Do you mean it? We’ll see.” [Katie Hawthorne] angelolsen.com

Kano

The Garage, Glasgow, 16 Oct

rrrrr

Photo: Louise Connor

arabstrap.scot

For all that grime has been the hottest international trend of 2016, Kano seems pretty unfazed by it all. The East London veteran might not have the pulling power of Skepta or Stormzy, but his track record speaks for itself; chart successes, MOBO awards and a Mercury Music Prize nomination.

Still, The Skinny is taken aback by the army of fans that greet his arrival at The Garage on a cold Glasgow evening. Backed by a full band, including a lively brass contingent, Kano barely stops to breathe as he races through cuts from Porches new album, Made in the Manor. From the blistering rap-rock opener Hail to the sprawling new 2014, and that hook (“You won’t take it back / I single T-Shirt Weather in the Manor, every flow won’t take it back”) still captures every excruciatand nuance is delivered immaculately. ing second of an impending relationship imploIt almost feels too spotless at points. His sion. Porches’ second album Pool dropped back in live band give the new tracks a precision and February, but this crowd could convince you that dynamism that you won’t get from a DJ, but they they’ve lived with these songs for years. also feel a tad overrehearsed. Kano makes up Maine’s writing dives deep, and dances high; for this by being a natural performer, dropping introspective and crystal clear, his watery metafresh references into his rhymes and interactphors often come mixed with a sprinkling of the ing with the crowd well – he even gets them on cosmos. Showered in twisting, sparkling light, the board with his bold ‘This is England’ refrain. lonerism of singles like Hour and Be Apart makes Although the set takes a while to get going, total sense. Cathartic and fixated, Black Dress a party atmosphere ultimately prevails by the sharpens the focus, but Maine remains lightheart- time he draws for the big guns. The stirring A ed, cracking jokes and pulling slow, dream-like Roadman’s Hymn yields the first major ‘reload’ poses throughout Car. “It just feels really good to of the night while the reaction to throwback be in this city, in this small room, with all of you banger 3 Wheel-ups is nothing less than explohere,” he says, beaming. “You look beautiful.” sive, forcing Kano to go up another gear for the Maybe Porches do say that every night, in eve- encore. ry city, but The Hug and Pint’s sold-out audience When it comes to the nitty gritty, Kano has are more than ready to believe it. Closing with enough ammunition to finish off any rival emcee.

Underwater, a brooding, synth-noir thriller that However, getting hyped and screaming down shimmers with melancholia, Porches send us out a mic isn’t all that gives him a buzz anymore. into the depths of a Friday night feeling like we’ve Judging by his meticulous approach, he has half spent an hour sharing secrets. [Katie Hawthorne] an eye on his legacy. [Jonathan Rimmer]

Porches / Japanese Breakfast The Hug & Pint, 21 Oct

Arab Strap

44

Photo: Cameron Brisbane

rrrrr

The Hug and Pint’s basement is packed out; we’re standing on benches, perched on chairs and tucked in, shoulder to shoulder, in a bid to see the stage. It’s corny to compare it to a big, squishy embrace, isn’t it? But under the disco ball with Aaron Maine’s band for company, it comes pretty close.

Japanese Breakfast arrive almost as anticipated as the headliners. Michelle Zauner put her band Little Big League on hold after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and turned to writing (and re-writing) elegant, furious, painful songs under something of a solo moniker. Zauner is a mesmerising performer, and cuts like Heft and Everybody Wants To Love You hit – and hold – their bittersweet mark. Her band play with total joy, and it’s a pleasure to witness.

Porches begin with a couple of difficulties, or so they profess: two minutes of sound-checking later, they lead us in a round of applause for The Hug and Pint’s sound engineer – and then blow the lid off Glow. The track’s made the rounds since

porchesmusic.com

Music

kanomusic.com

THE SKINNY

November 2016

45

46

THE SKINNY

Clubbing Highlights Here is where to go in November for your fix of 100% pure bangers

Words: Claire Francis Illustration: Terri Po

GLASGOW Alright, Glasgow – shall we have a disco entree?

There are two tasty options in store; firstly, when our monthly dose of disco returns in the form of the smoky, sweaty Supermax on Saturday 5 November. As the crew themselves put it, “yes that’s right, next Supermax just happens to fall on Bonfire Night and as you know we have a penchant for disco fire, sparks and smokin’ hot outfits! Feed the flame and get down with the God of Disco Fire, DJ Billy Woods... it’s gonna be dynamite!” Later in the month, local outfit Thunder Disco celebrate seven action-packed years in the game with a birthday bonanza at Sub Club, featuring none other than those beloved stallions of funk, Horse Meat Disco (25 Nov).

Further groovy tunes can also be found at Nite Tripper, which returns to Broadcast this month for just the fourth outing to date. Join the Nite Tripper gang on a journey through the decades down in the basement, with resident DJs Holly Calder and Craig Reece playing a soundtrack of fuzz, garage and 60s-modern psych (19 Nov). There’s also the Highlife x Havana Film Festival club night on Friday 11 November, which sees Auntie Flo bringing his Highlife party to The Art School, featuring a one-off exhibition of photographs he took on his recent trip to Cuba, plus jackin’ music from all corners of the globe. And for what might be this month’s biggest dance-athon, on Bonfire Night British dance music legends Groove Armada will take to the turntables for a special DJ performance in SWG3’s TV Studio. More used to playing to sell-out festival crowds, this oneoff warehouse party will let you get up close to this multi-award-winning and internationally renowned live act, who have been going strong now for just shy of 20 years. Plus support from Edinburgh’s Theo Kottis (5 Nov).

November 2016

Moving further into house music territory, on Friday 4 November, Numbers host Netherlands-based Hunee, who is sure to fill Sub Club’s dancefloor with his playful, innovative take on soul-infused house music. Last year’s release Hunch Music polled at number 10 in Resident Advisor’s Top 20 Albums of 2015, so that’s your pre-gig soundtrack sorted. Numbers’ own Spencer will be on warm-up duties. Over at Stereo, house music punctuated by the sounds of the Middle East comes courtesy of Moscoman, a DJ, producer, remixer and Disco Halal label owner from Berlin via Tel Aviv. His unique blend of house, techno and new wave has seen him tear up dancefloors across the globe, from Glastonbury to Panorama Bar, where he regularily performs (11 Nov).

On Saturday 12 November Subculture plays host to Dutch collective Dekmantel Soundsystem.

Spearheaded by Thomas Martojo and Casper Tielrooij, they are responsible for a revered underground label, a much loved three-day festival in Amsterdam and a Soundsystem DJ crew. Their back-to-back DJ sets offer a 360 degree take on electronic music and for this show, they’ll be putting on a special Subculture takeover from start to finish. Continuing in a house/techno hybrid vein, FLY Club welcome German heavyweight Nick Curly and Leeds lad Darius Syrossian on 13 November, where the duo will bring their well-honed skills to Sub Club for a serious Sunday night stomp.

Elsewhere in the house-slash-techno spectrum, there’s a Subculture offering with the ever-consistent Andrew Weatherall (Sub Club, Sat 26 Nov); Harry Agius aka Midland, described as ‘a house DJ always flirting with techno’ also makes an appearance at Subbie (Tue 29 Nov); and for their last event of 2016, CODE bring UK legendary techno innovator Inigo Kennedy to La Cheetah (19 Nov).

EDINBURGH

It’s an eclectic handful of top picks in the capital this month, not least with the appearance of everyone’s favourite Peep Show character Super Hans, who turns his talents to the turntables for a madcap Thursday night at La Belle Angele (10 November). Later in the month, La Belle also host Phil Kieran for the second show of his Blinded

By The Sun album tour. The LP’s sun theme is a metaphor for Kieran’s experiences with electronic music: “in an industry with all of its supposed glamour and beauty, it is the same industry that burns so many” reads the accompanying press release. No samples were used on the album, with Kieran instead incorporating musicians and original sounds into the mix (19 Nov).

From his beginnings in the experimental clubs of 80s Madrid, Spain’s Oscar Mulero boasts a DJing career as prolific and long lasting as the development of dance music. His Spatial Sequence Synesthesia landed in July this year and is label Mord’s 30th release – catch him with support from Darrell Harding, Dari J, Sean Laird and Elhoi VG at The Mash House on 4 November.

Over at The Bourbon Factory, there’s the limited capacity Lionoil 2nd Birthday event with Gav Sutherland aka Fudge Fingas and disco lord David Barbarossa, plus support from Percy Main and DJ Yves (12 Nov); on the same night, Nightvision present Xplicit with hardcore legend Andy C, alongside MC Tonn Piper, ENO and others.

Skream’s move towards 4/4 might have floored some loyal dubstep devotees, but Oliver Jones has proven himself a genuine enthusiast of techno and house. Giving himself a change of pace from arena and festival performances, Jones has embarked on an extensive tour which sees him opting to play three-hour gigs in small clubs, with a greater incorporation of disco, house, and techno in his sets. Witness the transformation for yourself at Cabaret Voltaire (Thu 24 Nov).

CLUBS

DUNDEE

There’s a special night in Dundee on the cards this month as Headway welcome Joy Orbison for his Dundee debut. Joy Orbison’s brand of garage-house has been celebrated for finding a sound that marries elements of house, twostep, jungle, techno and dubstep. If you’ve caught him in the Slam Tent, Riverside Festival or Sub Club in recent years, you’ll know that his style will be perfectly suited to The Reading Rooms, and to make it extra special, he’ll be playing an all night long set (4 Nov).

Venturing further afield, Nigerian-born Lebanese DJ and Mood Records label founder Nicole Moudaber puts on a special 4-hour long set at The Tunnels in Aberdeen, with support from Audiø Perversiøn and Geniko (18 Nov).

Do Not Miss Overground with Mall Grab The Mash House, 12 Nov

If you missed out on Mall Grab the first time round, here’s a second chance to witness his intoxicating live show. Earlier this year, Mall Grab, aka Jordon Alexander, made his debut Scottish performance as Overground’s first ever booking.

With a huge wave of hype around the Australian house producer, he is one of the fastest-rising artists to emerge from the new wave of lo-fi, raw house and techno. Last time, Mall Grab sold out The Mash House with advance ticket sales on a weekday, so move fast if you want to see what all the fuss is about.

Preview

47

Guest Selector: Moscoman Moscoman takes us on a tour of Tel Aviv’s best clubbing locations, and shares ten of the best tracks from his homeland ahead of the release of his Subaru Pesha collaboration EP Interview: Claire Francis

S

eptember 2016 marked a defining moment in the burgeoning career of Israeli-born DJ, producer, remixer and label owner Chen Moscovici – specifically, the release of A Shot In the Light, his debut album. Now based in Berlin, Moscovici aka Moscoman is best known for his playful house music productions that incorporate the unique sounds of the Middle East.

On 4 November the Disco Halal label boss will unveil his latest project Subaru Pesha, a collaborative EP with friends (and fellow Tel Aviv natives) Red Axes and French artist Krikor, with Roman Flügel providing remixes. Ahead of the EP drop, these ten selections for The Skinny reflect Moscoman’s influences while growing up in Israel, along with the tracks that currently inspire him.

“There is no specific kind, every night is a different story,” says Moscovici of the most heavily played types of club music in his homeland.

“There are a lot of imports every week and it sets the tone of what’s up. But the locals play local music mainly and there is no shortage of local talent.

“I think Tel Aviv is much more happening in the small places. Of course, Berlin has the big clubs which is great, but I really love small places – in any given night of the week at any given bar, you can hear an awesome DJ, whether a local or from outside the city.”

When asked how Israel’s clubbing community operates amidst the country’s longstanding political and religious tensions, Moscovici asserts, “It’s really a non-issue. There’s no connection between political and religious views and clubbing; there’s no place for it. It’s a place of unity and love, and pretty much people that come to listen to good music and get fucked up.

The rest can be dealt with on a daily basis. The night time is not the right time.”

And speaking of the night time, where does Moscoman consider the best of Israel’s clubbing hotspots?

“Block, Breakfast, Bootleg, Alphabet. The order doesn’t matter.”

Nosei Ha-migbaat – Bikur Bahar I think I first heard this track around ten years ago, perhaps more. It came out on their first cassette 1988. I came across it at the only normal Tel Aviv record store, Black Hole Records, which reissued it. I totally forgot about it ‘til I released my first EP on I’m A Cliché, the Moscoman EP , and it reminded Autarkic of this track. Punk at his best.

Autarkic – Asi Keta Ga Autarkic is the legacy of the Israeli punk/new wave scene, adding to it his sense of the dancefloor. I don’t think there’s something more on point than this dude now – luckily I signed him with blood! He has so many things coming soon, and each one is amazing!

Rhetorical Band – Shomer Arayot When I first heard the late Yossi Elephant’s vocal, it was magic. It feels like the only thing that kept us apart was the reverb on the track. Every song that he released, which sadly wasn’t so many, is the best song in history. This is the kind of artist that makes you a music addict. Plus his guitar sound is what I’ve been trying to recreate all my life. Rest in peace.

Shlomo Artzi – Tirkod (Dance) This weird waltz was the first time I ever heard a

48

Review

CLUBS

Jupiter-8. I could never understand this singer when I was young. He is a ladies’ man, he is a father; the real Israeli pop star. You can hate him as much as you love him. I used to hate him, but you can’t ignore him. Now I love him. I got older, and I can understand what he is talking about.

Asaf Amdursky – 15 Min. This man, once my idol, now my friend and idol, is an Israeli artist who is always with the times, with the most adjustable and innovating sound. He produced dozens of other artists, he is a great singer and a great lyrical gangster. The first time I met him I was 18. He won’t remember it, but this song from Silent Motors reminded me of Herb Alpert’s song Rise, and I told him that. He didn’t take it well (I didn’t say ‘reminds me’, haha).

“There is no specific kind, every night is a different story” Eviatar Banai – Russian Theatre The best descendent of the famous Israeli Banai family. This song, from his first album, which was produced by Said Amdursky, is the most amazing break-up song in history. These days he found God again and he won’t sing this song anymore.

He says it doesn’t speak to him anymore but it will never stop speaking to me.

Matti Caspi – You Will See The Way Say what you will but Matti Caspi is the most important artist in the history of Israel. He composed or took part in the composition of perhaps 1000 songs (no exaggeration) that are all part of the Israeli pantheon. I can’t choose one, not even 100, that I love the most. This is an amazing one though.

Sharon Rotter – Run to You Written by Barry Shaharof, ex-Minimal Compact and one of the most famous Israeli singers, with a distinctive guitar sound and Middle Eastern tastes. The song is sung by Sharon Rotter, who has since disappeared, and appears on the soundtrack of one of the weirdest movies shot in Israel in the ‘90s, Clara The Saint. Go watch it, it makes more sense over there.

Ilan Virtzberg – Couldn’t Do Anything With It A simple and beautiful ballad that shows the strength of Israeli music with its guitars. For a small country, there are so many great guitar players, they all hit the perfect spot.

Soda Fabric – Teenage Illusions The future of the Israeli rock scene. With international appeal, this shoegazing band is a bunch of 25-year-old dreamers. I’m happy to say we’re good friends, two of them even play in my Moscoman Live band. They have a really good album out and more to come, I’m sure.

The Subaru Pesha EP is released on Disco Halal on 4 November.

Moscoman plays Glasgow’s Stereo on 11 November.

THE SKINNY

Art News November starts strong with a two-day artist film event, and also brings a brand new exhibition from renowned ecstatic performance artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. Hospitalfield unveils its Winter Programme, and Cooper gears up for a large two-chapter project Words: Adam Benmakhlouf

Nicolas Party, installation view, 2016

Three Cats, Nicolas Party

The Modern Institute

rrrrr

At Three Cats a jug is an elephant, and an elephant is a jug. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a poorly-translated proverb, but it illustrates the sense that Nicolas Party’s newest exhibition (entitled Three Cats) is full of indeterminate things.

There’s a still life of fruit, or perhaps candles.

The figures in Profiles are androgynous. The cats in Three Cats look placid, yet the painted gallery wall features a green malachite scratch: maybe the culprits are hidden in plain sight?

Party returns to The Modern Institute for the first time since Still Life Oil Paintings and Landscape Watercolours (2013), in a flourish of purples, greens and blues. There’s a similarity to the subject matter in this new show, as Party returns to classical genres such as still life and portraiture with the same droll humour.

Each way you turn, the compositions have a knowing look about them, as if the classical themes have been inserted for added symbolism. There are art historical references, as the supporting statement notes the cats are a nod to Balthus. However, there’s a sense that ‘still lives’ or ‘portraits’ are composed with the very purpose of making us ponder their symbolism.

This is most the case in Purple Fruits, where a single needle leans against a bowl of particularly peachy-looking plums. There may be a hundred and one art references to support the work, or perhaps there’s just a wry smile.

Party is at his most dazzling in his large pastels.

Four Green Birds and Still Life are bounds ahead of smaller works such as Tree, which lacks the impressive lustre of the larger pieces. However, there’s an integrity to the exhibition that carries the less notable works. Three Cats chimes like a dissonant yet pleasing chord. [Figgy Guyver] Run Ended Marvin Gaye Ghetwynd

B

Sharon Hayes

Sharon Hayes

The Common Guild

rrrrr

Echoing through the floors of The Common Guild, Sharon Hayes’ Our Little Corner of the World sounds itself out through the building as different voices reading aloud letters written to different lesbian publications and newsletters from the 60s and 70s.

Projected onto plywood hoarding, the large video installation spans two floors. The large structures bissect the space diagonally as part of the room is completely screened off in the first gallery, and a new corridor is created in the second. This new configuration and roughness engages or effaces the smooth finish and elegant detailing of the rooms that house them.

Also emphasing the homeyness of the former townhouse, the different fixed shots show different rooms of a single house. In these settings, ten or so different people revoice these letters

November 2016

from different UK and US archives (including the Glasgow Women’s Library). Their writers variously ask to cancel their subscription out of fear of being found out by snooping neighbours in mailboxes, or around their home by unsuspecting family members. There’s also much discussion of the place of the butch lesbian and transvestism within gay communities, and calls to exclude closeted women or accounts of painful intersections of gender, race and sexuality.

A soft daylight illuminates the filmed space, as well as the gallery. Though the windows are thinly papered over, the image is at points bleached out by sunshine, making itself contingent on the changing daylight.

Speaking out these accounts of anxieties and feelings into these home/gallery spaces, the living room, bedroom and kitchen and exhibition space feature as ambivalently safe and invaded by contested and variously close-to-the-bone histories. [Adam Benmakhlouf] Until 4 Dec

eginning the month in Tramway, there’s the Artists Moving image Festival. Split into two days’ programming, Saturday is curated by artist and educator Sarah Tripp and is titled Making People Up. The first day is intended to “unfold within the exposed, theatrical machinery of Tramway 1” as it “manifests characters on the screen, stage and page.” On the second day, filmmaker and writer Ed Webb-Ingall brings “presentations that reflect on notions of dissonance and disobedience in the cinema." Throughout the weekend, existing artist video will be combined with new commissions especially for AMIF 2016. Day pass £6/5, festival pass £10/8 (plus 50p booking fee).

Previewing 11 Nov 7-9pm, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd makes an eventful return to the Glasgow art scene, having not being seen since the papiermâché and hand painted extravaganza of opening performances of this year’s Glasgow International. For her first full solo show in Scotland, she’ll be transforming the CCA into a set and presenting the third chapter of ongoing project Hermitos Children.

We’ve already profiled the two young artists (Judith Hagan and Ewan Murray) who will be part of the Hospitalfield Winter Prgramme this month from 19-20 Nov. Always a big event on the Hospitalfield calendar, they’ll be hosting a pop-up bakery and deli, and a mono printing workshop with Hagan – for trying out techniques for drawing and mono printing from imagination. Later, they’re also putting on an in-conversation event with the the artists, with artist and lecturer Richard Walker on Sat 19 Nov from 4-5pm, before the opening cocktail reception from 5-6pm. The next day, artist Sally Hackett will present a clay modelling workshop to model figures inspired by the work of twentieth century artist Frank Dobson.

The excellent Katy Dove exhibition continues in Dundee Contemporary Arts this month.

Spanning the late artist’s video work and paint-

ART

ings, this month also brings two events for new perspectives on the show. On 10 Nov, DCA invites local artists to make presentations and provoke discussion as part of their ongoing (((echo))) events. It’s free, and no need to book.

Drop in from 7pm.

The following week on 17 Nov, dance artist, educator and one of Dove’s collaborators Sheila MacDougall presents a one-off performance in response to Dove’s work. It’s been formulated throughout the run of the exhibition, and will take place from 7-9pm. Also free, but please book in advance through dca.org.uk or by calling 01382 909 900.

Throughout November and into December, the Cooper Gallery in Dundee presents the first chapter of an ambitious project, titled Of Other Spaces: Where Does Gesture Become Event.

Taking its cue from “the collaborative and political ethos of feminism” as well as “a strong working women’s culture in Dundee,” 19 artists from different generations have been brought together by curator Sophie Hao. Into next month, on 3 Dec, the gallery will host a 12-Hour Action Group from 11am-11pm, including performance, readings and screenings as well as keynotes from esteemed speakers including art historian Amelia Jones, filmmaker and theorist Laura Mulvey, curator and art historian Lynda Morris, Adele Patrick from Glasgow Women’s Library and writer and critic Marina Vishmidt.

Also through the month and into December, Glasgow-based artist Rob Kennedy brings together a series of artworks and participatory events to reframe the gallery experience in Talbot Rice.

Instead of looking for audiences to ‘get’ work, there’s an exploration of what it is to find yourself in an art gallery surrounded by objects, images and sounds. Every Saturday until 17 Dec, a new performer will take on the figure of a 17th Century painting by David Teniers, Peasants Playing with Bowls.

Review

49

In Cinemas

Arrival

Director: Denis Villeneuve Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Released: 11 Nov Certificate: 12A

Paterson

rrrrr

Director: Jim Jarmusch Starring: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Released: 25 Nov Certificate:

rrrrr

Jim Jarmusch’s films have always been fascinated with outsiders. His characters are often loners (Only Lovers Left Alive), reprobates (Down by Law) or more often than not, misanthropes (Broken Flowers and Stranger than Paradise). Although they come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, they’re all united by their inability to integrate into modern society.

Jarmusch’s latest film is no different. Adam Driver stars as Paterson, an unassuming bus driver and aspiring poet, who rejects smartphones and laptops, choosing instead to write his ideas in a secret notepad. His life is one of routine: he wakes up at 6.30am, drives his routes, returns home to eat with his girlfriend, Laura (Farahani), before walking their English Bulldog, Marvin, to a local bar where he enjoys a solitary beer. Each day feels the same, but it’s not. Jarmusch is a master in the art of conversation and each journey offers Paterson the occasion to listen to the stories of his passengers and perceive the beauty that resides in the world. He then jots it all down in his notepad

Paterson

in an attempt to emulate the raw, observational poetry of his idol, William Carlos Williams.

Like a sonnet that grows more profound with each reading, the cyclical rhythms of Paterson take the monotony of working-class life and transpose it into art. This isn’t to say Jarmusch is blind to the harsh realities of life, and the film is peppered with subtle allusions to the outside world, be it the toy gun one character wields

Francofonia

The Unknown Girl

rrrrr

rrrrr

Director: Alexander Sokurov Starring: Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Vincent Nemeth, Benjamin Utzerath Released: 11 Nov Certificate:

Alexander Sokurov’s latest is a complex and intermittently absorbing film about the Louvre museum in Paris, and its colourful history from the late Renaissance to the present day.

The film begins with Sokurov himself silhouetted in a crowded study as he broods on the film he has just created. Frequent digressions, reflections and interventions by the director follow, so much so that Francofonia sometimes feels a little too abstract, occasionally getting in its own way as it attempts to cover such a wealth of material.

But what never stutters is Sokurov’s bravura camerawork as he winds his way through the corridors of the Louvre – each sculpture and painting is captured in vivid detail, providing the perfect visual articulation of Sokurov’s often philosophical observations about art, its importance to humanity and place in history.

While unlikely to appeal to those not willing to convert to the Russian auteur’s idiosyncratic style, Francofonia is nevertheless an intriguing look at art, history and perhaps the greatest museum in the world. [Michael Jaconelli]

during a protracted break-up, or the framed photo of Paterson in full army regalia that suggests the film could be read as an allegory for PTSD. But this effortlessly cool film inhabits its own world, a wistful one in which language still has the power to cultivate art from the mundanity of everyday life. [Patrick Gamble] Released by Soda Pictures

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne Starring: Adèle Haenel, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Thomas Doret, Christelle Cornil, Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne Released: 2 Dec Certificate: The Dardenne brothers are not the kind of directors one associates with genre fare, and while The Unknown Girl meets all of the prerequisites of their social realist oeuvre, it also plays as something of an ultra-low-key film noir. Dr. Jenny Davin (a brilliantly subtle Adèle Haenel) is a GP in Liège who becomes inexplicably entwined in – and consequently obsessed by – an unexplained death. Having ignored the buzzer at her surgery door only to find the unidentified woman mysteriously dead shortly after, Jenny is driven by guilt to investigate.

The stylistic flourishes of genre are nowhere to be seen, nor is the narrative vim. Patients come and go and Jenny goes on house calls, as the Dardennes continue to explore the commonplace difficulties of life for the working classes. Each patient adds to the tapestry of a stratum of the city’s life, and also to Jenny’s demonstrable devotion. Banal check-ups are punctuated by sometimes quite dramatic skirmishes with the local underworld, but it’s the icy grip of self-loathing and remorse that make Haenel riveting to watch. [Ben Nicholson]

Crafting science-fiction films that are both smart and thrilling isn’t easy. Just ask Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special) or Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), to name two recent examples of filmmakers who’ve crumpled under their film’s existential weight.

With Arrival, Denis Villeneuve’s shoulders prove far more sturdy.

At the beginning of the movie a dozen pairs of squid-like aliens have appeared on Earth overnight, arriving in elegant spaceships that look like sky-scraper-dwarfing grains of rice. The world, unsurprisingly, goes into meltdown. Across America there are riots, looting and mass suicides. Russia and China train their nukes on the alien ships, their trigger figures itching. The voice of sanity within this storm is master linguist Louise Banks (Adams), who’s shipped in by Forest Whitaker’s no-nonsense Colonel to help communicate with the extraterrestrials.

The film is at its absolute best during Louise’s first visit aboard the alien ship, with Villeneuve conjuring up some thrillingly disquieting images for the encounter. In films like Prisoners and Sicario, Villeneuve displayed technical precision but little humanity. Thanks to Adams’ deeply felt performance, Arrival overflows with the latter.

Louise’s task is straightforward enough: determine the aliens’ purpose on Earth. Communication proves difficult, however, as their language takes the form of inky circles with each splodge a nuance to be decoded, save mistaking a benevolent nature for malevolent intentions. Conversing with the 11 other nations with alien ships in their backyards proves even more problematic, however.

These creatures could be ready to gift mankind the answers to our energy problems or the secrets of time travel, but the belligerent military men surrounding Louise are eager to join China on the offensive. The film’s sly suggestion is clear: perhaps it takes a brilliant, steadfast and capable woman to temper the US’s macho bullshit and get it talking to the world again. Doesn’t sound like science fiction anymore, right? [Jamie Dunn]

Released by Curzon Artificial Eye

Creepy

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yûko Takeuchi Released: 25 Nov Certificate:

Dog Eat Dog

rrrrr

Director: Paul Schrader Starring: Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe.

Christopher Matthew Cook, Paul Schrader Released: 18 Nov Certificate: 18

Like most Kiyoshi Kurosawa films, Creepy burns slow as asbestos, with similarly poisonous possibilities. The Japanese auteur once more drags horror from the backwoods into the lonely spaces of the urban everyday; the banality of evil so true a term to apply to the director’s unsettling oeuvre.

In Creepy Kurosawa plots conjoined narratives. A retired detective pursues the cold case pet project of a family disappearance.

Simultaneously, his wife encounters their creepy neighbour. Coincidence brings these strands ever closer on the journey to a disturbing destination.

As with past masterpieces Cure and Pulse, here Kurosawa remains a maestro of ominous mood building, offering only the slightest show of ankle and what’s to come. Again, the lurking subtext is of a disintegrating national sense of self. What differentiates Creepy from his best work, however, is format rather than theme or tone. Behind the curtain can never match imagination, and after the reveal halfway through the film’s twohour running time, a second act of overt horror is a very different proposition to the masterfully played mystery of the first. [Alan Bett]

Dog Eat Dog is a Paul Schrader film, but not as we know it. From the opening scene, which is reminiscent of Natural Born Killers in its delirious violence, this is a film that hurtles forward with a manic, unflagging energy and a complete disregard for the rules of storytelling or good taste.

Schrader’s high-octane adaptation of Edward Bunker’s novel reunites him with Nicolas Cage, but it’s his regular collaborator Willem Dafoe who steals the movie, with his performance as the unhinged Mad Dog setting the tone for a film that can be simultaneously repellent and hilarious.

Along with the hulking Christopher Matthew Cook, there’s a Three Stooges-like quality to this despicable trio as they embark on a lucrative kidnapping venture that can only end badly. The plotting might be messy but it’s the style that grips, with Schrader and his young crew ensuring that almost every scene is vibrant, shocking, alive. Dog Eat Dog is the work of a director determined to make the most of his freedom, and it’s Schrader’s best film in years. [Philip Concannon]

rrrrr

Arrival

Released by Eureka Entertainment

50

Review

FILM

THE SKINNY

Ask Auntie Trash:

The C Word Illustration: Stephanie Hoffmann

Dearest Trash, In the wake of Donald Trump’s comments about women, I was wondering how important consent is to actors on the stage? As an aspiring actor, can I say no to something that I don’t want to do for a role?

Best, A Concerned Citizen

G

reetings, Concerned Urghhhh, Trump. Fucking Trump. What he said he does to women was wrong. Anyone defending him is wrong, and I’m horrified that in 2016, people still need to the basics of consent explained to them. Enough of this.

Acting aside, no one has the right to touch you, or your junk, or your whatever, without your consent, preferably your enthusiastic consent. If someone puts their hand on you, where you do not want to be touched, then we have a problem and we need to address it right now, preferably with a full-force kick between their legs.

Consent is everything in theatre. Sure, venues, sets, lighting and all that are also very helpful, but consent and trust help build a comfortable, safe space for actors. It doesn’t matter if they’re a new actor or a more experienced one, consent has to be established before anything happens on the stage. Actors need somewhere that they can feel safe, because when they are on stage, they are vulnerable, especially in the case of shows involving sex scenes, fight scenes, torture scenes, nudity and just about everything else I can think of.

As audiences, we are used to seeing simulated acts of violence (and whatever else) on stage, and so we’ve been somewhat desensitised to it – but for the actor, it can be terrifying. For example, take a play like Equus, which is pretty famous for its nude scenes (I saw it on tour with Alfie Allen back in 2007. Or 2008.

I dunno, I got a bit distracted at the time). In

November 2016

order for the actors to be able to get naked on stage there has to be a mutual trust, they have to be relaxed with each other, they’ve got to be in a place where getting their junk out in public is not a problem (It was not a problem for Alfie Allen, he did very well).

When the trust between actors is violated, the stage is no longer safe. Take, for example, the very recent scandal involving Profiles Theatre, a Chicago-based company with a reputation for creating “edgy” work. Earlier this year, allegations surfaced that the company’s artistic director Darrell W. Cox (who denies the allegations) had abused 30 of his actors by, amongst other things, injuring the actors by changing choreographed fight sequences without their knowledge, ignoring safe words during fight sequences, bullying actors and sexually assaulting the actors while they performed on stage, in front of an audience.

Cases like the allegations (and I have to keep calling them allegations, but for the record, I think Darrell W. Cox’s alleged actions allegedly show that he is an alleged piece of shit, allegedly) made by former Profiles Theatre actors really underline the point that acting is an incredibly vulnerable vocation. As an actor, you do have to be willing to do things that you might not normally do – but you are NOT obligated to do anything that you don’t feel comfortable doing. You don’t have to explain why. And if anyone, be they casting director, artistic director, fellow actor, or your partner tries to guilt you into something, or pressures you, get out. That is not normal behaviour. That is abusive behviour.

You owe them fuck all. Don’t even be nice, just get the fuck out.

Actors are sexy, theatre is sexier, but consent? Consent is sexy as fuck.

Yours sexily, Trashie x

THEATRE

Review

51

Bard is a Four-Letter Word Another delivery of poetry news for your perusal, covering page, stage, awards and even a live album from Salena Godden

T

he evenings are drawing in, and with them poetry retreats indoors again. Top of the mustsee list this month is Flint and Pitch’s first ever Variety Night at The Lyceum on 6 November, a melange of spoken word, song, poetry and music hosted by Sian Bevan and creator Jenny Lindsay.

When we spoke to Jenny about these new nights, she was absolutely buzzing with excitement – a good indicator of the treat we’re in for. This month’s debut features a splendid line-up, including Emma Pollock, Luke Wright, Christopher Brookmyre, A New International, Rachel Amey, Jenna Watt, Andrew Greig and Leo Glaister.

A little further on in the calendar is an evening with Blind Poetics, who run regular, free spoken word events at The Blind Poet, West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, hosted by Alec Beattie and Roddy Shippin. This month’s shindig takes place on 14 November and features Ellen Renton, a young poet with a heap of accolades already up her sleeve. A regular at various Scottish spoken word nights such as Loud Poets and Rally & Broad, Ellen took part in Words First run by BBC1Xtra and the Roundhouse, and is the winner of The Time Is Now Prize 2015 and the Blind Poetics Slam 2016.

As it happens, she is not too far from the bard side of things, having released Beginnings in September 2016 – a CD which combines poetry and music, supported by the Young Scot Nurturing Talent Fund.

Absolutely On Music

Words: Clare Mulley

Speaking of poetry and music combined, Salena Godden has also just pulled a real treat out of the bag; her new album LIVEwire is a compilation of various performance tracks, sometimes accompanied, sometimes leaving her husky, bounce-filled voice to play its own music unadulterated. Topics range from the Paris attacks to lighter fare such as coupledom and snooker – she can make you giggle just by riffing on one carefully-chosen phrase. If you’ve never heard her before, pour a drink, pop it on and let yourself be carried away… One for rainy afternoons and quiet nights.

In Print: The big news this month is the announcement of the Saltire Society Literary Awards shortlist.

The poetry prize features Kathleen Jamie, Don Paterson, John Glenday, Pàdraig MacAoidh / Peter Mackay, J.O. Morgan and Vicki Husband are all down for best poetry book, and Claire Askew is contesting the first book catagory with her collection This Changes Things. The final decision will be revealed on 24 November – free tickets may still be available by the time you read this.

November seems to make the melancholic side in everyone bubble up in a half-pleasurable, half-agonising way, and two recent collections fit that bill frighteningly well. The first is No Art (Granta Books, 2016) by Ben Lerner, a work

described on the blurb as ‘an argument both with America and with poetry itself.’

The sensation on opening the book is akin to overhearing an extremely intense phone conversation on one side of the line; certain words and phrases blaze a fiery trail, but you’re always missing something crucial. Then again, maybe that’s the point – we’re probably not meant to be clear on anything here.

“ Eileen Myles... a massive day-glo mural on a brick wall” As it is, the tone switches back constantly between light and lead heavy, so we’re never even sure how to feel. Sometimes, the poet plays Aeolian harp to the voice of what seems to be the American media and public, and at others the timbre manages to be both jagged and tissue thin at the same time, as if a voice torn in two is trying to get a hold of what it might be in a world of extremes: ‘Poems about dreams / like moths about street lights / until the clichés / come off

on our hands, / blue prints on the windows. / How pretentious/ to be alive now’. We look forward to untangling him further.

On, then, to another American poet and another first – I Must be Living Twice by Eileen Myles.

While Lerner is a tangle of pale threads, she is a massive day-glo mural on a brick wall. There’s a colourful honesty to her poems, the way her own brand of mingled melancholy and joy expresses itself in warm colours, and her nail-on-head imagery that stays with you for hours afterwards.

This collection is also a conglomeration of older and more recent. Of her new works, What Tree Am I Waiting is the one which most stands out (‘I’ll fly to another island…already I know / it will hurt / this is the hurt country / I came here / to hold the hurt like a bird…’); however most of them lack the sharp definition of many of the older poems, of which The Irony of the Leash is particularly strong: ‘Life is a plot to make me move. / I fill its forms, an unwitting / crayon.’

LIVEwire is available now from Nymphs & Thugs, RRP £5 Flint & Pitch Variety Night tickets are available from lyceum.org.uk No Art is out 3 Nov, published by Granta Books, RRP £14.99 I Must be Living Twice is out now, published by Profile Books, RRP £14.99 nymphsandthugs.bandcamp.com/album/livewire

By Haruki Murakami, Seiji Ozawa, translated

by Jay Rubin

Disappearing Glasgow: A Photographic Journey

Crash Land

Vampire in Love

rrrrr

rrrrr

rrrrr

rrrrr

By Doug Johnstone

By Chris Leslie

By Enrique VilaMatas, translated by Margaret Jull Costa

Music for Murakami is little less than a religion, a major part of his personal life and a vital ingredient in the recipe for his now world-famous prose. There’s a rhythm to his writing that echoes the smooth jazz he’s known to love and seldom a scene goes by in a Murakami novel without a mention of the song playing in the background.

In Absolutely on Music, Murakami sits down with acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa for a series of conversations. Listening to classical records as they talk, their discussion revolves mostly around Ozawa’s own career, spinning off from that central point into anecdotes about the musicians he has worked with and deeper talk of what music has meant to both he and Murakami throughout their lives.

Its cool, conversational style is one of the trademarks of Murakami’s writing – his novels all have the easy calm of a bar room dialogue – and Absolutely On Music has the particular feel of sitting at a table with two friends while they bat around their ideas. How much you get out of it will depend a little on your interest in the subject itself, but even if they lose you as they go deeper into its mechanics, it’s easy to sink back and enjoy the flow of their erudite chatter. [Ross McIndoe]

There’s something about a still image of something gone that’s truly haunting. Perhaps to do with the age we live in, where everything is fast-moving and fleeting, that something grounded can still have such a lasting effect. That’s what Chris Leslie brings to the table in Disappearing Glasgow.

Evoking the harrowing beauty of poetry and the narrative depth of prose, Leslie – please forgive the term – truly captures Glasgow. From the ground up, the keen eye of this acclaimed photographer and filmmaker details the nostalgic poverty that Glasgow is built on with an evident passion for the city. Some photos are included that could only have been taken through some pretty risky means.

Whether you’re from Glasgow or not, the echoes of life ringing in this book make it possible to feel a sense of home, even in the images of rubble and devastation. These images will return to you long after you’ve first viewed them. For this reviewer, it’s the curling wallpaper that pulls back to reveal a mural of a stag in an abandoned tower block flat. For others, visual ghosts might rise from the images of a dilapidated bingo hall or the demolitions themselves.

Leslie finds a certain beauty in those demolitions and shows a city on its knees, looking upwards towards a now-blank skyline, waiting.

[Rosie Barron]

Finn Sullivan, an idealistic and headstrong university student, has his life turned on its head after showing his chivalrous side in the defence of a stranger’s honour. Finn becomes the inadvertent cause of an aeroplane disaster – the novel’s title not only describes its main event but also its after-effects on his life and those around him.

Orkney might seem like an incongruous setting for a crime thriller, yet the barren claustrophobia of the island only adds to the tension and atmosphere. But although the bodies do stack up fairly quickly, the novel almost escapes the typical ambience of the genre, feeling more like a naïve love story for the most part. Less a whodunit than a why-the-hell-are-you-still-doing-it, the reader might feel like smacking their head against a brick wall at the frustrating Finn, who’s not an unreliable narrator but occasionally an infuriating one. You are, at times, as likely to puzzle at the author’s intentions as to second guess them.

That’s not to say that the characters don’t ring true, however. The innocence of inexperience is captured perfectly in Finn, while the doting grandmother, ill-used girlfriend and femme fatale stereotypes are all fleshed out fully and believably. The ever-popular crime novelist Doug Johnstone offers another page-turner to keep you gripped until its denouement. [Jonny Sweet]

This collection of short stories is bizarre, and that’s entirely the point. We witness a dinner party with Margeurite Duras, our narrator hopelessly intoxicated with amphetamines. We see the family life around a mute boy, who seems unnervingly to have come straight out of Kafka.

We delve into the mind of a listless, restless, agitated museum guard, a woman trapped by her family and confronted with suicidal thoughts many times in a single day. “What’s for supper?” her son asks. “Death,” she says, “death.” It is testament to Vila-Matas' style that this reply to her son is delivered with lightness. It sounds brutal out of context, but in the world of the story it is almost off-hand.

The stories are taken from Vila-Matas’ entire career, but they hang thematically: almost too much so. The first few all deal with suicide, and the intensity of the short form gives the reader little space for breath (that is the point, of course). For the most part, the translation captures the lightness and digressiveness that VilaMatas is known for – but there are moments where a stricter editorial eye would have helped refine the whole. Vila-Matas is a highly acclaimed Spanish writer, and it’s refreshing to find a publisher looking to translations of bold works from other languages, this collection the work of Margaret Jull Costa. [Galen O’Hanlon]

Out 15 Nov, published by Vintage, RRP £20

Out now, published by Freight Books, RRP £20

Out now, published by Faber & Faber, RRP £12.99

Out now, published by & Other Stories, RRP £12.99

52

Review

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

The Stand Spotlight: Comedy Spotlight Introduced this year, The Stand’s regular Spotlight nights have become a great gig to both see new acts thrown in at the deep end and raise money for a good cause. The brainwave came from comedy booker Ellen Asquith, who tells us more

T

he Spotlight gigs are tied to an interesting theme, but it isn’t just about the topic – how does the format of the night work?

“Every month we invite some of the best-up-and coming comedians to shine a light on a different topic, tying in with our charity theme. Acts are challenged to write new jokes for the Spotlight shows, so it’s the first chance to see brand new material – and ticket money goes to a good cause!

Each show features six acts who are new to the comedy scene. They each do ten minute sets, plus a young act trying their hand at compering ties it all together.”

What’s it been like seeing your own idea become a regular staple each month?

“I conceived the shows as a way to bridge two of my purposes here at The Stand – I book the Red Raw shows and I book charity benefit nights. We often have lots of good acts who are ready to go beyond Red Raw so I figured this would be a useful way to blend a new material night, encouraging acts to develop their writing, with a fundraiser event bringing audiences to the club who maybe wouldn’t otherwise think to attend a comedy show.

It’s been rewarding receiving positive feedback

from acts who found the challenge of the format useful and from charities who receive a donation with minimal effort on their part. I’m delighted the shows will continue into 2017.”

In the past the spotlight has shone on topics such as Health, Feminism and Taking Risks. What topics do you have planned for the next gigs?

“The final show this year – 23 November at The Stand Edinburgh – will focus on ‘New Beginnings’ with proceeds going to the Refugee Survival Trust.

For the first show of 2017 we’ll be covering the theme ‘Growing Up’ and to coincide with a certain hallmark holiday in February we have a Spotlight planned on ‘Love’.”

Does the topic come first or do you have certain charities in mind when thinking about future gigs?

“Sometimes it’s the topic and sometimes it’s the issue. I’ve particularly focused on charities assisting refugees, as this is urgent work and I must do what I can to help in some small way. Children’s charities and mental health organisations are particularly close to my heart so the first few shows have included them as beneficiaries. I try to choose a good range of charities, particularly

smaller ones who don’t receive a lot of funding.

I also try to programme thought provoking themes that will draw a variety of people to the club and have found the most controversial theme – Feminism – was the best attended.”

Has any comic offered particular insight into a topic you were not expecting, and if so who is this wise comedian?

“At our very first show, Donald Alexander taught us the nuances of feminist issues around buying mascara – thoroughly informative! For the Mental Health show in aid of Penumbra, Daisy Earl brought a set that really knocked it out the park. Her work was massively honest and brave, original and truly very funny – her hilarious bit about the Russian bear is part of her regular club set so go see her if you get the chance. What’s been best to watch is the range of different insights people bring to the same theme; all of the acts have brought an unexpected slant as they spin their own yarns.”

When collecting for a charity someone once bluntly told us, “I’ve never given to charity and I never will.” What powers would you deploy to get such an obstinate person into

Interview: The Comedy Team a charity giving mood?

“Firstly, I’d point out they were being a knob and if they didn’t hit me, I’d invite them down to Spotlight to see that it’s really only the acts who are donating anything for free – the shows are excellent fun, it’s the same high quality laughs you’d get other nights of the week, the only difference is the money goes to charity and you’re supporting the development of new comedy.”

What advice would you give a newer comedian wanting to catch your interest for a gig?

“Graft your way through all the open spot gigs going, be humble and polite and bring a well constructed, polished set to our Red Raw shows. I watch the acts every Monday and these shows are the main basis for progression with us. What I’d also say is the twee and overused ‘be yourself ’ – but it matters. I don’t want to see acts doing well trodden themes to get easy laughs, I want to see something that intrigues and surprises me and delights the audience. The only way to do that is to make it personal, just as the Spotlight shows are to me.”

The Stand Spotlight is next on at The Stand, Edinburgh, 23 Nov, doors 7.30pm, £5. | thestand.co.uk

CCA Highlights We pick out some favourites from this winter's programming at Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts Words: Sebastian Fisher

I

The Raincoats

Marvin Gaye Chetwynd

November 2016

t’s November and Christmas is nearly upon us.

Buchanan Street is starting to sprout red and green buboes. You’ve spent your day scouring St. Enoch’s for just the right shade of festive sock for your niece and stocking up on pre-emptive Easter Eggs; now you need some culture mainlined into your veins to remind you that some things do still matter. Look no further: the CCA has its usual eclectic mix of art, film and music, so grab that advent calendar sent by your over-eager estranged aunt and scrawl these events on the little doors so you can get some use out of it before the jolly oblivion consumes you.

First up, Turner-nominated artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd is here in Scotland with her first full solo show, and she has gone the whole hog; transmogrifying the exhibition spaces at the CCA into an interactive set, Chetwynd has invited performers to populate the space as she explores abandoning her artistic autonomy and imbuing her set with a sense of lived experience.

Scripted and live are spliced as imagination takes over and becomes not just an escape from the world, but a route into it. It runs from Sat 12 Nov until 8 Jan. Go lose yourself.

Not art you’re looking for, but anti-art? Get serious and stupid with a History of Dada, the punkish, puckish, rebellious form that was unveiled to the world a century ago and still wreaks a trail of influence upon contemporary art. That’s a one night event, on 3 Nov, and it’s free!

While you wait for Hollywood’s next pursesnatching blockbuster to arrive, why not get some real cinema in you? The Jewish Film Festival is back with a selection of top-notch films, each exploring the human condition and its intense fragility in our politically fevered and severed world. In Glories of Tango, a psychiatrist wrestles with the familiar problem of a patient spouting

ART / COMEDY

Tango lyrics – and nothing else. 90 Minute War offers a pig bladder kicking disquisition on the melancholic savagery of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rabin in his Own Words is everyone’s favourite Israeli prime minister (unless you’re an ultranationalist of course) seen through uncovered archived interviews. To round off, The Midnight Orchestra explores Jewish/Muslim relationships as a son estranged by the Yom Kippur war returns for his father’s wake and meets his bandmates. It runs from 6-19 Nov, so no excuse.

Once you’re done exploring the semiotics of the Southern Levant, then be prepared for a further eye-opening in the form of Africa in Motion film festival. It’s a tall order to unbundle the identities and histories of the world’s second largest continent but the festival brings a collection of documentaries and shorts that attempt to do just that. The audience will be invited to pick their favourite film, so you pleasingly get to be arbiter of the works on show. Chalk off the weekend starting 4 Nov, you’re needed.

Finally, music! Post-punk stalwarts The Raincoats – who Kurt Cobain thought were pretty rad (although neither he nor they would use the term) – arrive on stage on 19 Nov to bring their heady and determined slush of drums and snarly guitars and do what they’ve been doing for nigh on thirty years: things their own way and give people a damn good time doing it. If you’re in the mood for more upbeat fare, then pop along on Wednesday 2 Nov to check out Anna Meredith render Varmints, the Scottish Album of the Year winner (2016 – that’s this year, no less!), and its relentless ecstatic crescendos in all their glory.

She’s one to watch, so get in early, then you can tell all your friends in five years about how the first album was better and they really should have seen it live because then they’d know.

Review

53

Win Ne-Yo Tickets in Glasgow!

N

e-Yo is a true R'n'B superstar. He’s released a trio of US number 1 albums, won three Grammy Awards, sold over 10 million records worldwide, and collaborated with a host of huge stars including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Rick Ross and Ghostface Killah.

This December, ten years on from the release of his debut album In My Own Words, Ne-Yo returns to the UK for a string of shows. He'll be playing tracks from his 2015 album Non-Fiction alongside cuts from his back catalogue, with support coming from Tanzanian Afrobeat star Diamond Platnumz.

We have a pair of tickets to give away for NeYo’s show at Glasgow Barrowland on 7 Dec. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is fill out the form below with the correct answer to the following question: What is the name of Ne-Yo’s latest album, released in 2015? a) Non-Fiction b) Fan Fiction c) Science Fiction

Competition closes at midnight on Tue 29 Nov 2016. 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

Win tickets to see Twin Atlantic in Glasgow!

J

ack Daniel's host a one-off gig curated by Twin Atlantic – a celebration of new Scottish music at St Lukes in Glasgow, appropriately on St Andrews Day (Wed 30 Nov). With the hard-rocking four-piece currently touring their latest album GLA, 450 lucky attendees will get to see this rare intimate show as part of the Jack Rocks campaign, placing the spotlight back on the people and places that make the grassroots UK music scene one of the best in the world.

We've got ten pairs of tickets to see Twin Atlantic on 30 Nov, with tickets including a Jack Daniel's serve voucher, to be redeemed at St Lukes on the night. To be in with a chance of winning a pair, simply head to theskinny.co.uk/

54

competitions and tell us the correct answer to the below question:

Follow The Skinny on Instagram!

For roving reportage from gigs, amazing design and illustration, photos of people drunk at art festivals and the occasional cat pic (obviously), find us on Insta: @theskinnymag

What is the name of Twin Atlantic's latest album? a) GLA b) GZA c) IDK

I N D E P E N D E N T

C U LT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

Competition closes midnight Thu 17 Nov. Winners' names will be added to the guestlist; winners' names cannot be changed (ID will be required). Entrants must be 18 or over.

Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

COMPETITIONS

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Music Tue 01 Nov AMON AMARTH

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £22.50

Swedish death metallers of the longhaired and melodic variety.

RED SEAS FIRE (BLACK COAST + CAST UNDER THE LAKE + HORIZONS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

Four-piece metal makers from Cheltenham and Harrogate.

PAUW (DOMICILES)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

Psychedelic pop-rockers from Holland.

SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £20

Murder On The Dancefloor informant Ellis-Bextor returns with tunes from her latest album Familia.

SQUARE ONE

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5 - £8

Barbadian soca band, formed in December 1986.

Wed 02 Nov ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £26.50

Still fronted by original members Ian McCulloch and Will Sergent, the longstanding Liverpudlian rockers continue to do their thing.

PJ HARVEY

SECC, FROM 18:30, £37.50

The one-time Mercury prize-winner, and 2011 nominee, cherry-picks gems from her recent beauty of an album.

HAYSEED DIXIE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £17

US novelty metal legends playing a mixture of hard rock cover versions

THE JAPANESE HOUSE ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £9

Dark and dreamy synth-heavy soundscapes from the 20-year-old solo artist less cryptically known as Amber Bain.

THEATRE OF HATE

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £16

Previously disbanded 80s post-punk unit, now putting in the odd live appearance with Kirk Brandon at the helm and various new members.

Y&T

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £16.50

The San Fran rockers swing by The Garage.

THESE MINDS (CATCH FIRE)

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £6

These Minds play a show at Garage in support of their new EP, with support from Catch Fire.

VICTOR HERRERO (LORENA ALVAREZ)

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

Spanish guitarist and singer Victor Herrero performs a set with Andalusian musician and vocalist Lorena Alvarex.

SARAH CALTIERI

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £9.50

Multiple award-winning songwriter and campaigner who’s just made a solo album with Teenage Fanclub producer Duncan Cameron.

JOJO MAYER/NERVE

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15 - £25

Nerve are Jojo Mayer on drums, John Davis on bass and low end manipulation, Jacob Bergson on keys and synths and Aaron Nevezie, sound and realtime audio deconstruction.

GLASGOW LIFE: BUILDING A NATION (TOGAIL NÀISEAN) THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 20:00, £7.50

A solo spoken word performance by Martin O’Connor in English, Scots and Gaelic, which explores the industrial expansion of Glasgow alongside attitudes to tradition, cultural identity and marginalised voices.

SONIC BOOM SIX

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £8

Compelling Manc soundclash of punk-heavy, dancefloor-savvy beats mixing elements of reggae, jungle and ska with the rigorous commentary of hip-hop.

THE MALE NURSE

MONO, FROM 20:00, FREE

Join The Male Nurse as they launch the definitive collection of TMN recordings, remastered and released on vinyl. DJs and free drinks – what you waiting for?

PEACHES

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £15

Find out exactly what’s in the teaches of Canadian electro legend Peaches, live at SWG3.

TIMMY TRUMPET

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 21:00, TBC

He’s more than his trumpet, this one.

Massive prog house music peppered with brass. It’ll be a big night.

NAP EYES (DECEMBER ‘91 + THE PALE KIDS)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8.50

Nova Scotia four-piece who're now based in Halifax, where they refine their alternative folk sound.

THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA (KATHRYN JOSEPH)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £28.50

British nu-jazz and electro music group TCO headline a show at the O2, with a support slot from acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter and pianist Kathryn Joseph.

Sat 05 Nov IAN HUNTER

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £25

English singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of Mott the Hoople.

STEREO’S 9TH BIRTHDAY (JD TWITCH + BONNER + DJ UNLE MARJ + PUSH IT VS TOO NICE + CHUMP + BREAKFAST MUFF + LEATHERETTE + DJ ADIDADAS + APOCALYPSE KARAOKE) STEREO, FROM 20:00, FREE

A gigantic roster of DJs help Stere throw a birthday rammy. Pay what you can on the door – proceeds donated to the Unity Centre.

JACK GARRATT

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £18.50

and original compositions.

BLUES PILLS

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:30, £16

Swedish blues rock troupe who’ve previously supported Rival Sons.

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT (CHAD VALLEY)

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10.50

Bright Light Bright Light (aka Rod Thomas) is a Welsh-born pop artist who now splits his time between London and New York. He’s opened for Ellie Goulding, Erasure and Scissor Sisters.

DAWES (LILY & MADELEINE)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £18.50

LA foursome rustlin’ up a set full of rock for you aural delectation.

SIMONE FELICE

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £15

Simone Felice is a founding member of internationally acclaimed Catskill Mountain-based artists The Felice Brothers, whose early seminal albums remain some of the most influential works of this century?s indie-folk revival.

Thu 03 Nov BEAR’S DEN

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £16.50

Fri 04 Nov MOBO AWARDS

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 19:30, £25 - £45

Annual awards ceremony recognising the talents of artists who perform gospel, jazz, R’n’B, soul, reggae and hip-hop. Line-up features the likes of Lady Leshurr, Craig David and Chase and Status.

GERRY CINNAMON

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12

Glasgow-based muso riding along on a mixture of beat-up acoustic guitars, soulful harmonica and heartfelt vocals.

KSI

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12.50

Rapper, comedian, actor and YouTube personality.

WARREN MCINTYRE & THE STARRY SKIES

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £7

A single launch party for new EP Lost on the Other Side. The band have been busy recording the follow up to their debut album Ask the Animals, and will be playing a range of new songs and old favourites.

JUNEBUG + GENTLEMAN JACKALS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

London-based singer-songwriter starting to rise up the ladder towards a meagre amount of fame.

CIMORELLI

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Band of six Cali-born sisters who found fame through YouTube.

WHITNEY (JULIA JACKLIN)

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £10

Whitney’s debut album, Light Upon the Lake, marks the culmination of a short, but incredibly intense, creative period for the band comprised of guitarist Max Kakacek and singing drummer Julien Ehrlich. Support from Julia Jacklin.

DED RABBIT (THE TELERMEN + STRAWBERRY WINE + RASCALTON)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5

Indie quartet and band of bros Ded Rabbit bring their indie rock talents to Broadcast.

VIDA

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, TBC

Vida hail from the OC and, lead by Josh Cisneros, play a type of music which they claim is influenced by OneRepublic and The 1975. So, erm, yes.

INDIGO VELVET

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Young Tropical-pop quartet from Edinburgh who’re riding the wave of a breakthrough year.

CLUTHA TRUST NEXT GENERATION ANTI BULLYING BARROWLANDS, 14:00–22:00, FREE

A free show (tickets are first come, first served) in recognition of Clutha Trust.

FREDDIE KING + LACHLAN MACCOLL

TRON THEATRE, FROM 20:30, £10

A night of jazz from a man who’s spent a decade performing in concerts, clubs and bars in New York, Hamburg, Seoul, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur (to name a but a couple).

Sun 06 Nov LOCAL NATIVES

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £15

Silver Lakes indie-rockers whose core trio met at high school.

THE WAILERS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £21

MICK FLANNERY

IAIN MORRISON

SAINT LUKE’S, FROM 20:00, £15

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Irish singer-songwriter who honed his craft in Boston and Nashville, lending a stateside twang to his body of work.

A Set from the son of Iain Morrison senior, whose 2015 album Eas was shortlisted for last year’s SAY Awards.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 17:00, £14

Highly respected French electronic producer dipping his toes in the Glasgow crowd.

NEVER SAY DIE! TOUR: WHITECHAPEL (THY ART IS MURDER + CARNIFEX + OBEY THE BRAVE + FALLUJAH + MAKE THEM SUFFER + POLAR)

Avocado's heavy music festival returns with another roster of NOISY bands.

ALCOA (CHOIR VANDALS + ALEX GREEN)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8.50

Solo project of singer-songwriter Derek Archambault in a live show at Broadcast.

THE WYTCHES

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £10

The reggae legends perform their legendary album, erm, Legend in its entirety.

Brighton band making dark and flowery psychedelia, with surf riffs straight outta 1950.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £7

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6

SHVPES

MEGAN BLYTH

Fresh-faced metal lot from Birmingham who’re enjoying a fair amount of buzz in 2016.

Megan Blyth makes warm, richly layered songs accompanied by simple guitar.

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 14:00, £3 - £6

Wed 09 Nov

STU BROWN’S TWISTED TOONS

An eye-popping ride through the wacky world of cartoon music, including zany melodies, themes and complete cartoon scores by Carl Stalling (Looney Tunes) Scott Bradley (Tom and Jerry), Raymond Scott and more.

MONO BABY DISCO

MONO, 12:30–14:30, FREE

A disco designed especially for the wee ones.

BRYDE

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5

Emerging London solo artist, who released debut EP, EP1, earlier this year via Seahorse Music.

UNCLE LUCIUS (CURSE OF LONO)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Texan Americana and folk foursome steeped in classic rock’n’roll and the blues.

Mon 07 Nov LAKE STREET DIVE

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £16.50

Free country’ band formed in Boston, taking on multiple influences from jazz, motown and various other genres.

CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £23.50

The gender-queer electro-pop alterego of French singer-songwriter Héloïse Letissier.

CRYSTAL CASTLES

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £18

Torontoan electronic experimentalists comprised of show-stealing frontwoman Alice Glass and the seemingly reclusive beat maker Ethan Kath.

THE COMPUTERS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

A double-heider from heavyweight champions of rock n’ roll The Computers and rock’n’rollers The Ghost Riders In The Sky. BEACH SLANG

MONO, FROM 19:30, £12

American punk rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who formed in 2013.

SERATONES

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7.50

Louisiana rock ‘n’ rollers, touring off the back of their debut album, Get Gone.

MARGARET GLASPY

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

The Californian singer-songwriter tours her debut album, Emotions and Math.

KONGOS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £10

The South African-born American alternative rock band return with an explosive third album.

Tue 08 Nov WILL VARLEY

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

The rambling folk singer who walked over 500 miles along England’s south coast with a guitar on his back, heads back out on the road for a series of new dates.

London-based trio led by folkster Andrew Davie (formerly of Cherbourg).

Classic rock sounds from Glasgow.

November 2016

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

BRING ME THE HORIZON

ST GERMAIN

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £25

SARAH NEUFELD (STEFAN SCHNEIDER)

PLATFORM, FROM 19:00, £10

Experimental violinist from Montreal, known for her sonic contributions to Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestra.

ANNO (SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE + ANNA MEREDITH)

TRAMWAY, FROM 18:30, £0 - £17

SAY Award winner Anna Meredith collaborates with adventurous string orchestra Scottish Ensemble on a live audio-visual experience, combining Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and new music by Anna to present a year in an hour.

Fri 11 Nov FOY VANCE

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £15

Yorkshire lads known for their rock and metal musical stylings.

Bangor-based musician influenced by the southern states of America, touring with his latest album, The Wild Swan.

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £12

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £35

THE CADILLAC THREE

The Southern American rockers head out on the international circuit with their Don’t Forget The Whiskey Tour.

TIBET

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7

Cardiff indie-rock foursome with a penchant for fuzzy guitars.

JIMMY EAT WORLD

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £22.50

Arizona-hailing rock quartet led by the inimitable Jim Adkins; still going strong after over 20 years.

CALE TYSON AND ERIN RAE

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £13

Texas born, Nashville-based Cale Tyson released his debut full length album through UK-based Clubhouse Records in April. Cale makes his Glasgow debut here with Clubhouse label mate Erin Rae. FLAMINGODS (SLOTH METROPOLIS)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Rhythm-driven psychedelic pop five-piece.

RACHEL NEWTON

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £12

Singer, harpist and multi-instrumentalist, also founder member of The Shee, the Emily Portman Trio and more recently The Furrow Collective.

Thu 10 Nov PICTURE THIS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7

Lumineers-esque makers of 'hey! ho!'-peppered indiefolk.

TOM ODELL

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £23.50

Chichester-born singer/songwriter who studied at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.

DIE! GOLDSTEIN: A DYSTOPIAN UTOPIAN CINEMATOGRAPHIC SOUNDSCAPE

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 20:00, £5 - £8

A terrifying and encouraging experimental visual post rock shoegaze drone noise experience, following a dystopian utopian cinematographic soundscape.

BEING AS AN OCEAN

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 18:30, £14

The five-piece present their latest album How We Both Wondrously Perish.

DABBLA

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £8 - £12

A Year of the Monkey Album Showcase, hosted by Jackal Trades, headlined by Dabbla and with local support from the likes of Shogun and and Physiks.

LIL DEBBIE

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, £17.50

American rapper, model and fashion designer. FFO Iggy Azalea (wherever they may be).

KING

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £9

Dream-pop trio comprising twins Paris and Amber Strother and Anita Bias.

DANCE GAVIN DANCE

Screamo right outta Sacramento, fresh off the back of a brand new release, Mothership.

UNIVERSAL THEE + SUPPORT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

Edinburgh-based alternative indie lot led by husband and wife pairing James and Lisa Russell.

BITCHES BREW

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, TBC

KELVIN QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £8.50

A Glasgow based indie rock fourpiece with infectious hooks and anthemic choruses.

TIGERCUB

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £8

Brighton-based abrasive pop outfit.

REVEREND AND THE MAKERS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £12

Jon McClure and his band hit the road for an intimate acoustic show.

THE WAVE PICTURES

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £10

London based trio The Wave Pictures – Jonny Helm (drums), Dave Tattersall (guitar and vocals) and Franic Rozycki (bass) – return with their brand new album Bamboo Diner in The Rain which sees The Wave Pictures battling against the robot music apocalypse.

A night of top female improv instrumental talent, featuring everything from free improv and world music through to groove and electronics.

25 YEARS OF SLEAZE: LOWEST FORM (M AX NOI MACH + BRATAKUS + SICK OF TALK)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £13

MICHAEL SIMONS + TIM BLACK: BLUES, FOLK AND BEYOND

THE PRIMITIVES (IS BLISS + THE POOCHES)

Indie-meets-psych-meetspowerpop four-piece, fronted by the Coventry-born Tracy Tracy.

JOSEPH ARTHUR (REUBEN HOLLEBON)

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £15

More of Joseph Arthur’s throaty, driving rock and expansive acoustic melodies.

LEDDRA CHAPMAN

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £12

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £6

Sleazy’s celebrates a quarter-decade with UK hardcore band Lowest Form and more.

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £7

Local blues men come together for an evening of eclectic sounds ranging from the music of Robert Johnson through to Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan and touching on many points in-between.

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £22

ANNO (SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE + ANNA MEREDITH)

TRAMWAY, 18:30 + 20:30, £0 - £17

SAY Award winner Anna Meredith collaborates with adventurous string orchestra Scottish Ensemble on a live audio-visual experience, combining Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and new music by Anna to present a year in an hour.

Sat 12 Nov THE UNDERTONES

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £22

Among the 568 bands who claim to be John Peel’s favourite band, The Undertones have more of a claim than most. Come see them play Teenage Kicks and the like.

BASTILLE

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £30

Dan Smith-led indie ensemble who may or may not have their faces painted as skulls (they definitely will).

Indie rock’n’roll quintet full of guitars and songs about love an’ that.

ARCHITECTS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £18

Hardcore Brighton foursome, mixing a pummeling concoction of postmetalcore, metal and progressive to suitably head-mangling effect.

JOE PURDY

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7.50

Known to fans of sci-fi series Lost for soundtracking a brief moment of calm on the beach, wistful folk singer-songwriter Joe Purdy returns with new album, Who Will be Next?

THE RAINCOATS (SACRED PAWS )

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £17

The Raincoats, seminal post-punk band, godmothers of grunge and inspiration to a generation of riot grrrls celebrate over three decades of doing things the way they think they should be done.

LIVE BURIAL + VACIVUS + MONAD

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5

THE MONOCHROME SET (THE CATCHODE RAY)

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12

Indie folk rock hard-knock from Denver, Colorado, touring with his band of spirited musicians.

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

SECC, FROM 18:30, £20

Plume Of Feathers is a band, an album, and a pub (now closed). The band will be playing tracks from the album, which is based on the decline of pubs in the UK.

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £7 - £15

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS

The first major tour in over four years from the singer and actor, who heads down memory lane by revisiting the hits from his 50-year repertoire.

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 18:30, £16

Otherworldly French project created

by Niege (also of Amesoeurs, Peste Noire and Forgotten Woods), taking its inspiration from a faraway fantasy world of his childhood dreams.

Formed in 2008 out of a desire to play music that appealed to the feet as much as to the ears, the Hackney Colliery Band is East London’s unique take on the brass band.

DAVID ESSEX

THE KING’S THEATRE, FROM 19:00, £29.75 - £39.75

Help yerself to some old school death metal courtest of toon five-piece Live Burial.

ALCEST + MONO

Leddra Picked up a guitar at an early age and hasn't looked back since. She has shared the stage with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Katie Melua, and was personally invited to support Sir Tom Jones during his sold out dates.

HACKNEY COLLIERY BAND

Sun 13 Nov

The Monochrome Set were heavily influential in the post punk scene, and feature original members Bid, Andy Warren, Steve Brummell and John Paul Moran.

THE LOVELY EGGS

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

Following the release of their critically acclaimed album This Is Our Nowhere and their sold-out tour, champions of the UK underground scene. The Lovely Eggs hit the road again for another round of punk rock good times.

MEDICINE MEN (MIRACLE GLASS COMPANY + STARA ZAGORA + PAVES)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £4

A sound with roots in the early 90s with added pychedelic stomp aimed at the dancefloor. Sure to appeal to the Parka wearing crowd and beyond.

DANNY BROWN

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £17.50

The gap-toothed Detroit rapper makes his return visit to the UK to spread his usual craziness.

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £22

Indie folk rock hard-knock from Denver, Colorado, touring with his band of spirited musicians.

GIRL GAZE

PLATFORM, FROM 12:00, £4 - £8.50

A session of female and femalefronted performance, music and DJ sets curated by young people.

PLUME OF FEATHERS (BODYHEAD)

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £5

THE ANSWER (THE DEAD DASIES)

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 19:00, TBC

A night at Classic Grand with two celebrated and dynamic rock units.

OKKERVIL RIVER (MICHAEL NAU)

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £20

Will Sheff fronted Texan indie-rock ensemble who more than know how to hook a crowd, so expect the odd tearjerker, acoustic interludes and plenty off-kilter elucidation.

AN EVENING WITH GLEN MATLOCK

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £20 - £35

Punk pioneer and chief songwriter for the Sex Pistols, playing an Evening With session at Broadcast.

Meet and greet VIP tickets available, if you’re feeling fancy.

C.MACLEOD

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

C.Macleod brings his atmospheric, acoustic-led music to H&P in the form of new(ish) album recorded with renowned producer Ethan Johns (Paul Mccartney, Ryan Adam, Kings of Leon).

PETE WYLIE & THE MIGHTY WAH!

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £16

Post-punk veteran Pete Wylie supports his first new studio album in 16 years with a gig at the O2.

Mon 14 Nov BETH HART

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £28.50 - £32.50

The Grammy nominated singersongwriter swings by the O2 with her band, treating a Glasgow audience to her sultry, jazzy blues.

Listings

55

THOMAS RHETT

25 YEARS OF SLEAZE : LOU BARLOW

TIGER ARMY

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:00, £9

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £15

Country singer-songwriter from the States, continuing the legacy of his father, country singer Rhett Akins.

VAN MORRISON

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 20:00, £45 - £75

The OBE-furnished Irish singersongwriter plays a set cherrypicked from his back catalogue.

WALKING ON CARS

QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £13.50

Five-piece indie-rock band from Dingle, Ireland.

JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

Joan Wasser continues to mix sweet pop melodies with a more hardedged guitar nous.

BLACK MOUNTAIN

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15

Canadian rockers, returning with fourth studio album, aptly titled IV. YAMA WARASHI

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6.50

Bristol-based Japanese artist who composes dreamy, evocative songs inspired by Japanese folk dance, free jazz and African music.

Tue 15 Nov

GLENN HUGHES & LIVING COLOUR

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £23

The some-time Trapeze, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath bassist hits the road alongside Grammy winners Living Colour.

EDEN

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7.50

Dublin-based electronic types.

LACUNA COIL

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £16

The Italian metalheads tour in support of their eighth studio album, Delirium.

JACK SAVORETTI

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £20

The Italian-English solo acoustic singer plays a set accompanied by his trusty guitar.

TOURIST

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

London-based electronic chappie with a passion for field recordings and analog wizardry.

ELEANOR MCEVOY

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £11

Naked Music is Eleanor’s new album, her music played in solitude in a beautiful farm recording studio in Norfolk, England. The recordings became a collaboration with famed British artist Chris Gollon after Eleanor purchased one of Chris’s artworks.

Another quarter-century party from Sleazy’s, this time featuring the sounds of Sebadoh's Lou Barlow.

The LA-based American psychobilly band play Garage.

TRON THEATRE, FROM 20:30, £10

Noisy instrumental band who formed in Sheffield in 2001. They have released six albums and numerous EPs and singles, developing a sound that is as compelling as it is divisive.

CHRISTINE BOVILL

Christine Bovill has built her reputation on her interpretation of classic 20th century songs.

JAMNESTY

STEREO, 16:00–22:30, £5 - £8

Glasgow University Amnesty International hosting their fourth annual fundraising event in Stereo, with speakers, musicians, poets and raffles.

Thu 17 Nov STEVE ‘N’ SEAGULLS

CATHOUSE, FROM 19:00, £11

Finnish country group, continuing to put a bluegrass twist on well-known hard rock and metal tunes with their second album.

CABBAGE

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £6.50

Manchester-based five-piece serving up discordant post-punk.

KALEO

SAINT LUKE’S, FROM 20:00, £12

Icelandic rock group formed in 2012, returning with their second studio album, A/B. DINOSAUR JR.

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £20

Dinosaur Jr (aka the bastard kids of Neil Young and Black Sabbath) continue to ride the wave of their reunion years, with J. Mascis’ solos still imbued with the ability to knock a grown man floorwards. We welcome you, bleeding ears.

BEN CAPLAN AND THE CASUAL SMOKERS

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £9

The Canadian folk musician from Nova Scotia is joined by his band.

JULIA HOLTER

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £18.50

The LA-based musician again displays her gift for merging high concept, compositional prowess and experimentation with pop sensibility. Go marvel.

HANDS OFF GRETEL

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7

For fans of L7, Babes In Toyland and Hole. Lauren blows away audiences with her vocal dexterity.

65DAYSOFSTATIC

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £15 - £17

LAURENCE JONES

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £15

Laurence Jones, a blues-rocker from the land of Shakespeare, brings his tunes our way.

SAVE AS #12: JAY ROLEX & MC ALMOND MILK (EDWIN ORGAN + OME SA)

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £6 - £8

The debut album by Jay Rolex (aka the Madlib of the Clyde Valley) and MC Almond Milk is here! Smell The Audi is a 12-track treat of chopped and sliced dug-out- the-crates samples, wrung through a steam press of bedroom rap existentialism.

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £12.50

Country singer from Waco, Texas, back with new album, Watch This.

ALEX CAMERON

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8.50

Aussie synth musician, who does the rounds with debut solo album, Jumping the Shark.

GERRY JABLONSKI AND THE ELECTRIC BAND

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £12.50

Electric blues-styled ensemble hailing from Aberdeen.

SLAVES

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £16

Two white middle class guys who’ve opted for the moniker Slaves. Hmm. Standard two-piece rock.

MÉNAGE À TROIS (ALANSMITHEE ) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , FROM 19:00, £5

Psychedelic hunks Ménage à Trois team up for one night only with alansmithee for a double album release at The Old Hairdressers, also featuring an art expo from Linlithgow based artist Mark Penrose.

Indie-pop musician from Oakland, California.

MUTUAL BENEFIT (SAINT SISTER)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10

Music project of singer-songwriter Jordan Lee and his various gathered musicians, whom he collectively describes as ‘post-lunar buddha turds’, which is kind.

JOHN WILSON & THE JOHN WILSON ORCHESTRA: MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES

An evening of cinematic nostalgia via soundtracks from films including Funny Girl, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, Hello Dolly, Star Wars, Gigi, Gone With the Wind and more.

TOM MISCH

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

THE WINACHI TRIBE BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8

“The psychedelic funk of George Clinton oozing with the brooding menace of Massive Attack”, supposedly.

CHARLOTTE CARPENTER (STEVE GROZIER + HEIR OF THE CURSED)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £6.50

Hotly tipped new guitarist who released her EP The How Are We Ever To Know in June 2015.

Fri 18 Nov PHANTOGRAM

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

Organic-meets-electronic duo hailing from Saratoga Springs, NY, make up of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, out trailing new album, Three.

WADE BOWEN & WILLY BRAUN

Texas country singer-songwriter Wade Bowen is joined by Willy Braun for cosy show at Oran Mor.

Listings

HAZEL ENGLISH

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 18:30, £9.50

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, FROM 19:30, £27.50 - £45.50

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £12.50

56

Having supported heroes Total Babes, Cheetahs and Krill, Glasgow band American Clay hunkered down for the past few months penning a hot record that deserves their new headliner status.

Sun 20 Nov

CHRISTINE BOVILL

Acoustic duo hailing from Long Beach, California, bringing the punk pop sound.

AMERICAN CLAY (REAL GHOSTS)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £5

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

TRON THEATRE, FROM 20:30, £10

THIS WILD LIFE

Don Letts’ reputation has been firmly established in both the film and music world thoughout the 70s, 80s, 90s and into the millennium.

He’s known for turning heads of punks toward reggae.

THE WOLFE TONES

Soulful Texan crooner who weaves gentle melodies with dancefloorready electro-pop sounds.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £12

STEREO, FROM 23:00, FREE

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £20

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7.50

Mick Hucknell once claimed he’d slept with more than 1000 women. So, yep. Simply Red.

DON LETTS DJ SET

O2 ABC, FROM 20:00, £18

SARAH JAFFE (EMME WOODS + CARA ROSE)

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £45 - £50

CLASSIC GRAND, 12:00–18:00, £5 - £13

British rave duo, featuring Mark Archer and Chris Peat in massive one at the O2.

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10

SIMPLY RED

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, FREE

Olive Grove Records’ new release is a split 12” E.P. featuring four of their excellent acts, all four of whom will take to The Glad Cafe stage for a night of heart-tugging and swooning.

ALTERN 8 (HARDFLOOR + SHADES OF RHYTHM + MARK ARCHER + BOSCO + ROB MASON + DAZ 808 STATE)

After releasing a brand new album, Golden Sings That Have Been Sung in August this year, Ryley Walker treats a Broadcast crowd to a night of folky goodess.

Wed 16 Nov

OLIVE GROVE RECORDS EP LAUNCH (JO MANGO + CALL TO MIND + THE STATE BROADCASTERS + THE SON(S))

WADE BOWEN

RYLEY WALKER (ITASCA)

JAMNESTY

Psychedelic folk-rock with flecks of the blues, from the London, Bedford and North Yorkshire-straddling foursome.

A fundraising extravaganza in aid of the The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall.

New York-based guitarist and songwriter out touring his latest LP, Eyes on the Lines.

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7.50

STEREO, 16:00–22:30, £5 - £8

WOLF PEOPLE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £8

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10

STEVE GUNN

Brighton quartet championing dark pop and heavy riffs.

Glasgow University Amnesty International hosting their fourth annual fundraising event in Stereo, with speakers, musicians, poets and raffles.

THE ART SCHOOL, 20:00–23:00, £12

Four-piece band who launched in the summer of 2016 with the release of their debut single Far Side of the World. This show in the Art School will be the first chance for a Glasgow audience to hear their music.

THE PANOPTICON (ESPERANZA + BOMBSKARE + THE FAST CAMELS + DOGTOOTH + GILCHRIST + FUDGIE MCFADDEN)

YONAKA

Christine Bovill has built her reputation on her interpretation of classic 20th century songs.

TIDE LINES (DOL EOIN MACKINNON + TERRY BALFOUR + HÒ-RÒ )

Sat 19 Nov TURIN BRAKES

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:30, £20

Composer, singer, guitarist, violinist, producer and DJ. Can tie his own shoelaces ‘n’ all.

ANNE MARIE

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £9

Yes, though many of your fondly remembered millennium musicians are somewhat frozen in time, Turin Brakes continue to pave their path, over a decade under their belts. See ‘em live this month.

Anne-Marie has been paving the way to pop glory, with her ballsy, crowdpleasing, chart-ready gems climbing Spotify charts and featuring on Radio 1, Kiss and Capital playlists.

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £26.50

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7

CHASE AND STATUS

L.A. WITCH (SWEATY PALMS + KASPAR HAUSER)

Manc DJ duo and dance music’s hot property, effortlessly marrying liquid funk with rich ragga sounds, much to many a clubber’s delight.

L.A. trio comprising the achingly cool Sade, Irtita and Ellie. Punky rock on reverb overdrive.

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £25 - £28.50

Multi instrumentalists Sister John welcome in the winter with their lo-fi lush, nomad harmonies, and spellbinding songs for searchers and dreamers.

COURTEENERS

The popular Manc lads play a string of dates ahead of their fifth album.

RAG N BONE MAN

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

One-man brutal trash blues noise machine, on drums, harmonica, guitar and expletives.

SISTER JOHN (FRANCES MCKEE)

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £7.50

BEANS ON TOAST

HOW TO DRESS WELL

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £11

Politically-charged one man folkmachine from London, via Essex.

INTO IT. OVER IT.

MONO, FROM 19:30, £12

Chicago-based songwriter Evan Weiss brings his third album, Standards, to Stereo under his moniker of Into It. Over It. JUST HOPE (HOWLING HOME + FUMBLE FOX)

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7

Three local bands in a showcase headlined by Just Hope, a four-man who draw influence from the likes of Coldplay, Green Day and Led Zeppelin.

JULIA FORDHAM

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £23

The e’er sultry Julia Fordam returns to the UK with classic hits galore.

THE DAMNED

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £25

The seminal punk foursome take to the road again, now rather impressively celebrating their 40th year of being.ÿ

Mon 21 Nov CIGARETTES AFTER SEX

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10

Ambient pop from one of Brooklyn’s hottest exports, stopping off as part of their European tour.

THE FRONT BOTTOMS

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £15

Possessing more nous than the puerile band name might suggest, the New Jersey outfit do their acoustic-indie-dance-punk thing – packaged up with catchy choruses, an often-galloping pace, and lyrics that mix flip humour with sincerity.

JESS GLYNNE

THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £25

The wild-haired British singersongwriter heads out on her Take Me Home tour.

THE NEW 52 (THE HAMMERING TONGS)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Moniker of experimental pop producer Tom Krell, who shot to fame in 2010 with debut album Love Remains, and continued this upward trajectory through to fourth and latest release, Care.

HMLTD (ROXY AGOGO)

BROADCAST, FROM 23:00, FREE

Stands for Happy Meal Ltd. (not to be confused with Happy Meals, that’s a whole ‘nother thing). Expect a massive 80s glamrock live show experience.

SWET SHOP BOYS

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8

A trio comprising Heems (Himanshu Suri, ex-Das Racist) Riz MC (Riz Ahmed), and producer Redinho, who’re on tour with their new LP Cashmere.

Thu 24 Nov ELECTRIC SIX

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £17.50

Detroit underdogs with enough joyful hooks, mischievous wordplay and unexpected pathos to worm their way into your heart.

AIRBOURNE

BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £19

Longhaired Aussie hard rockers known for crafting underdogchampioning anthems with reckless abandon.

DJ STRETCHMARK (SHITMAT + DJ DETWEILER + COMPANY FUCK + TV’S MR BLOBBY + ASIAN DAD FOUNDATION + PHANTOM CHIPS + QUEERHAWK + SQUIDWIN TRIUMPH + DAIRYLEA DONKER) THE ART SCHOOL, 20:00–03:00, FREE

VANT

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £10.50

FUTURE OF THE LEFT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–03:00, £12

CATHOUSE, FROM 19:00, £16.50

The Welsh alternative rockers tour their new album, The Peace & Truce of Future of the Left.

BRIAN FALLON & THE CROWES

Fri 25 Nov

The Chicago heavy rock act return.

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £22.50

MAN OF MOON

STEREO, FROM 20:00, £10

One for those after hooky choruses and hearty lyrics, Brian Fallon beings his debut album Painkillers to the O2.

The young Edinburgh-based twopiece embark on a UK tour.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £22.50

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14.50

MARTIN STEPHENSON & THE DAINTEES

Sunderland folk/rock/pop band who specialise in rootsy, rockabilly sound.

BOOK WEEK SCOTLAND: WHAT WE WROTE

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, FREE

Readings from The Glad Writers Group and music from local songwriters who will give insights into their writing process.

THREE TRAPPED TIGERS

STEREO, FROM 19:00, £11

Brian Eno-endorsed instrumental noise rockers return with new stuff.

RACHEL YAMAGATA

MONO, FROM 19:30, £12

The US-of-A chanteuse returns to Scotland for a full band set.

THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG

Longstanding London-based folkrock crew in a re-jigged guise, but still featuring founding members Phil Odgers and Stefan Crush on lead vocals and guitar.

SUICIDE SILENCE

Wed 23 Nov FELIX RIEBL

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £20

The co-founder and frontman of Aussie alt troupe The Cat Empire tours his third solo album, Paper Doors.

BLACK GRAPE

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £22.50

English rock trio featuring Shaun Ryder, Danny Saber and Kermit.

TOY

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11

Korg Delta led five-piece fueled on a chugging motorik rhythm.

THE ORB

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £20

The legendary ambient producers drift dreamily towards the end of their third decade in existence.

THE RECOVERY! (WE CAME FROM WOLVES + BRAT AND THE BONEMEN)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Headline set from aggressive Glasgow metalcore chaps The Recovery! (exclamation mark obligatory).

HIPSWAY

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, TBC

New-wave popsters who’ve been around for a good three decades, celebrating the anniversary of their eponymous album with a double-dater.

Sun 27 Nov MELANIE MARTINEZ

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £20

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £20

COLLAPSED LUNG

Pioneers of the UK hip-hop crossover scene live for the first time in 20 years.

WEYES BLOOD

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £9

JPNSGRLS (FIZZY BLOOD)

Canadian indie quartet.

SCOTT MATTHEWS

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, 17

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £6

Sat 26 Nov

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–03:00, £7 - £10

STEREO, FROM 19:30, £13

American deathcore band formed in California.

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £5

Crooner of King Krule proportions Matt Maltese plays a set at SWG3 following a tour with Tom Odell.

VIC GODARD & THE SUBWAY SECT (THE SEXUAL OBJECTS)

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

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 18:00, £15

Solo project of New York-based musician Natalie Mering, aka ex-Jackie-O Motherfucker member and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti associate.

MATT MALTESE

UrbanFarmHand celebrate the release of their first single as part of their inaugural tour. Featuring full visuals – all in all, sounds to be quite the immersive experience...

Scott has garnered serious critical acclaim throughout his 10 year career and has taken this time to nurture his songwriting craft.

Parlophone signed four-piece doing their indie rock thing.

SOIL

URBANFARMHAND

THE GLAD CAFE, FROM 19:30, £6

BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £6

OLYMPUS (THE VIGNETTES + FLOSS + HUNTING GREY)

Tue 22 Nov Playing Regular Urban Survivors and more.

22-year-old London-based singer, songwriter and producer from Southampton, now signed to Ninja Tune/Counter Records.

The legendary songwriter and his band hit Stereo for the eve.

Ambient indie and pop rock from four Glasgae boys.

TERRORVISION

LAUREL

THE ALARM

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £22.50

Welsh new wave rock quartet, heavily influenced by Welsh language and culture.

THE CHRISTIANS

ORAN MOR, FROM 19:30, £18.50

After forming in Liverpool in 1986, The Christians went on to gather a pretty huge following with their blend of soul, gospel and heartfelt acoustic pop.

MICHAEL BALL AND ALFIE BOE

CLYDE AUDITORIUM, FROM 19:30, £35 - £65

Edinburgh Music

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £8

Chin Stroke Records present their Autumn release - a deluxe 7” vinyl from world famous singersongwriter and performing artist DJ Stretchmark.

The musical project of Darragh Cullen, who first entered the music scene as a 16 year old and is now a fully-fledged songsmith.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £20

PALACE KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £9

The London alternative rock foursome plays tracks from their debut album, So Long Forever.

WHITE LIES

London-based indie-rockers who started life as Fear Of Flying, out and touring their new LP, Friends.

THE FACE ON THE MOON (ALL SUNS BLAZING + CANYON)

THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5

Tue 01 Nov

THE BUFFALO SKINNERS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, FREE

Songwriting collective based in Sheffield. Their music stems from a shared passion for songwriting and harmonies.

SIMONE FELICE (CONRAD GRIFFITHS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £16

Simone Felice is a founding member of internationally acclaimed Catskill Mountain based artists The Felice Brothers, whose early seminal albums remain some of the most influential works of this century's indie-folk revival.

Wed 02 Nov O’HOOLEY & TIDOW

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £12

O’Hooley & Tidow are regarded as one of British folk’s mightiest combinations who have the originality and skill to invite comparison with the likes of Simon & Garfunkel.

IDA NIELSEN SANDBERG CLINIC

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 00:00–01:00, £5

Ida Nielsen played for many years in Prince’s backing band, first as part of New Power Generation then as part of 3RDEYEGIRL. CC SMUGGLERS

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £6 - £8

Bedford super-group CC Smugglers swing by La Belle as part of their 16-date UK tour following a summer packed with festival appearances.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: WINTERWILSON

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £7 - £10

Winter Wilson have a fine repertoire of self-penned songs, telling stories of everyday life which often reflect the bigger picture of this life we lead.

THOMAS STRØNEN: TIME IS A BLIND GUIDE

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £18.50

Time Is a Blind Guide combine Thomas Strønen’s skills as a composer and percussionist as part of an all-acoustic Anlgo-Norwegian band.

Thu 03 Nov

AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £22.50

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, TBC

Two decades on from their landmark debut LP Sound Magic, the Afro Celt Sound System gear up for the release of the follow-up, featuring fresh collaborators and guests.

TYKETTO

New five-piece band from Edinburgh, playing original rock music and drawing from the influences of folk, soul, 70s rock and classical.

South Lanarkshire alternative rockers led by singer and guitarist Steven Leonard.

HIPSWAY

New-wave popsters who’ve been around for a good three decades, celebrating the anniversary of their eponymous album with a double-dater.

O2 ABC, FROM 19:00, £16

The NYC rockers celebrate the 25th anniversary of their acclaimed first album Don’t Come Easy.

Mon 28 Nov MUNCIE GIRLS

THE FIRRENES

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £6

SOUFON FANG (OCEANCODE + PRAIRIE WESSMAN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Edinburgh-based garage / blues / psych-rock band who met at University in Edinburgh, where they all study music.

KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £7.50

Catchy Exeter punk rock band.

The Broadway and West End star returns to the stage in his music guise alongside every mum’s favourite tenor, Alfie Boe.

THE SKINNY

Edinburgh Music CORY HENRY & THE FUNK APOSTLES LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £14.50 - £17

You may know Henry as the man behind the funk in Grammy Award winning outfit Snarky Puppy, but his awe-inspiring live solo shows and YouTube performances have gained him a loyal and sizeable following.

FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 19:00, £13

Hardcore punk band formed by former Gallows and Pure Love frontman Frank Carter. Sold out – returns only.

XYLOURIS WHITE

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £14

Master of Cretan lute, George Xylouris, and Jim White, a most innovative and charismatic drummer, come together in an astounding globe-spanning duo.

UNDERGROUND LIVE (THE BOY WITH THE LION HEAD) (DELPHI + ANDREW VALENTINE)

TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

EUSA’s regular live music night showcasing upcoming Scottish musicians.

SCO: BRUCKNER

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

A programme uniting two late romantic masterpieces, Srauss’ Oboe Concerto and Bruckner’s Symphony No 4.

Fri 04 Nov

THE TAKE HOME (PAPER RIFLES + THE DAN COLLINS BAND)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE EDINBURGH LIGHT ORCHESTRA THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £8 - £11.50

Easy-listening classical music from one of Edinburgh’s top concert orchestras, conducted by James Beyer. Expect everything from My Fair Lady, Porgy and Bess and Pirates of the Caribbean to the songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Sun 06 Nov

TOMMY SMITH YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA

FESTIVAL THEATRE, FROM 14:30, £8 - £12

An evening of jazzy triumphs, ranging from classics to big band numbers, courtesy of the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra.

FLINT & PITCH VARIETY NIGHT

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £15

Lyceum’s first variety night, curated

by Flint & Pitch’s Jenny Lindsay.

Features Emma Pollock, Luke Wright, Christopher Brookmyre, A New International, Jenna Watt, Rachel Amey and Andrew Greig with Leo THE BLOCKHEADS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The Blockheads (once known as Ian Dury And The Blockheads) are now fronted by one of Ian Dury’s best friends, Derek ‘The Draw’, the band’s vocalist and wordsmith.

ALBERTA CROSS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Alberta Cross’s mastermind and sole official member, Petter Ericson Stakee, slows things down at Sneak’s.

GET ORGANISED USHER HALL, FROM 13:10, £4

100 points to organist John Kitchen for top notch punning, and 100 more for bringing the art of organ playing to lunchtimes of Edinburghian citizens.

LOVE MUSIC COMMUNITY CHOIR IN CONCERT

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £3 - £5

The UK’s largest community choir treats a QH crowd to genre-traversing concert.

Wed 09 Nov

CADAVER CLUB (HELLO CREEPY SPIDER + JANE DOE & THE BODY SNATCHERS)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £5 - £7

Halloween may have passed but the horror scene is live and kickin’ with Cadaver Club around.

CHRIS BARRON (LACH)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

Chris Barron is a strikingly charismatic and talented performer and songwriter, and most definitely not just the guy who wrote Two Princes.

He’ll play it if you ask, but his current songs are so good you’ll probably want more of the new stuff.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: BRING IN THE SPIRIT

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £7 - £10

Bring In The Spirit combines the incomparable, sophisticated vocals of Rod Paterson and Kirsten Easdale with the sublime, sensitive accordion playing of Gregor Lowrey.

UNDERGROUND LIVE (CEASAR) (THE MICHIGANS + THE BAROQUE) TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, FROM 20:00, £50.15 - £80.15

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

THE MONOCHROME SET

SCO: BEETHOVEN THE PASTORAL

SCO Associate Artist Richard Egarr’s in town, bringing in a programme of sonic beauties for a night surveying Beethoven’s vision of The Pastoral.

CREATIVE EDINBURGH AWARDS

CENTRAL HALL, FROM 18:00, £7 - £10

Head to the Creative Edinburgh Awards tonight at Central Hall.

Fri 11 Nov THE RETROPHONES

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £5

Edinburgh’s full-on funk band are back, straight from from the Belladrum Tartan Heart festival.

NADJA (SUNWOLF + TILDE)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £7 - £10

A Scottish exclusive from ambient doom duo Nadja.

THE LOVELY EGGS (ILL FITTING THOUGHTS + LITTLE LOVE + THE FRIENDLY VIBES)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8 - £10

Following the release of their critically acclaimed album This Is Our Nowhere and their sold-out tour, champions of the UK underground scene. The Lovely Eggs hit the road again for another round of punk rock good times.

WARSAW VILLAGE BAND (BRUK)

STUDIO 24, 19:00–22:30, £15

Unique Polish folk band, Warsaw, are back in Edinburgh after three long years away. Playing with local support BRUK. MIKE DENVER

Irish singing talent Mike Denver makes a return to Whitehall.

RSNO MAHLER ONE

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £39

John Storgårds leads the RSNO in a performance of Mahler’s First Symphony, plus Einar Englund’s Suite from Pojat and Prokofiev’s third Piano Concerto.

ALTIUS DEBUT (ALTIUS + THE CARVELLES + THE BRIGHT SKIES + ANDY BROWN)

THE MARIAN MCLAUGHLIN TRIO (BEST GIRL ATHLETE + CARO BRIDGES)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

New Edinburgh-based, bluesinfused indie rock four-piece.

LEITH DEPOT, FROM 19:00, £6

An Edinburgh Artists’ Moving Image Festival fundraising gig featuring Commie Cars and The Choirey Choir of ECA.

The American songwriter, singer, and guitarist currently pushing the boundaries of folk music, visits Scotland on her winter tour of the UK with band in tow, with support from Aberdeen’s teenage Folk Popster Best Girl Athlete and Caro Bridges.

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8

Sat 12 Nov

SHAKE YER PIXELS

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4 - £5

AND YET IT MOVES

Amazing Snakeheads’ Dale Barclay unveils his new venture.

ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £10 - £12

The Japanese rockers make a welcome return.

FREAK CIRCUS

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Another glittering night of performance poetry and music from the likes of slam champ Iona Lee, Marianne MacRae, Amanda Barker, Elizabeth McGeown and the residents, plus music from Miss Annabell sings.

HORSE

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £16.50 - £18.50

Esteemed vocalist and guitarist Horse plays a show with her full band at Queen’s Hall.

RSNO RACHMANINOV THREE

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £39

Guest conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen whips up a lovely ol’ evening of Liadov, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.

Sat 05 Nov

THE RISING SOULS (THE RISING SOULS + PATERSANI + AARON WRIGHT) ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

Blue eyed soul three-piece band from Edinburgh.

THE LONELY TOGETHER (DEAD ELECTRIC)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Lonely together bring their epic Scots indie akin to the massively successful Frightened Rabbit and Snow Patrol. Support from Dead Electric who channel The Black Angels’ guitarscapes to create a huge sound.

HAYSEED DIXIE

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £19 - £22

US novelty metal legends playing a mixture of hard rock cover versions and original compositions.

November 2016

BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA USHER HALL, FROM 15:00, £13 - £29

BBC SSO conductor Donald Runnicles pulls together a triumphant evening of Mozart and Mahler.

Mon 07 Nov

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE: SHEESHAM, LOTUS AND SON AND THE CROOKED BROTHERS

TRAVERSE THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £11

THE LOW ANTHEM (AND THE KIDS)

TRANSFIGURED NIGHT: HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE AND PSAPPHA (PSAPPHA) THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £5 - £50

The contemporary chamber orchestra display their diverse craftmanship as part of a quarter-century birthday party gig.

Thu 10 Nov KELVIN

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8.50

Continuing its weekly gig residency at Trav, Soundhouse throws on a night of folk.

A Glasgow-based indie rock fourpiece with infectious hooks and anthemic choruses.

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £17 - £20

Texas-born, Nashville-based Cale Tyson plays The Voodoo Rooms following the release of his record Careless Soul, a follow-up to his 2015 debut .

DAN BAIRD & HOMEMADE SIN (DRIVIN N CRYIN + 68-75)

Triple package of Southern rock.

LITTLE EYE (BOTTLE NOTE)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £6 - £8

A band who formed in 2008 by Glasgow-born front man Allan Sieczkowski.

LAIL ARAD

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

With smart, funny songs, Lail Arad enjoys tumbling lyrics that even conjure Lou Reed at times. Stylised vocals, sultry sing-speak passages and modulating licks – equally suggestive of the Mediterranean and the metropolis. Kindred of Courtney Barnett.

CALE TYSON BAND

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £13

ONSLAUGHT (BEHOLDER + ANNIHILATED)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £16 - £19

The UK thrash legends play an intimate show.

THE WAVE PICTURES (GOLDEN ARM)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

London based trio The Wave Pictures – Jonny Helm (drums), Dave Tattersall (guitar and vocals) and Franic Rozycki (bass) – return with their brand new album Bamboo Diner in The Rain which sees The Wave Pictures battling against the robot music apocalypse.

VAN MORRISON

EUSA’s regular live music night showcasing upcoming Scottish musicians.

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £22.50

Alt rock band from Fife, originally formed around singer-songwriter David Latto’s solo project, the group started out playing Americanatinged folk before embracing a bigger, electric sound with both punk rock and country influences.

Sun 13 Nov

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £15 - £17

The Rhode Island indie-folk quintet head our way, admired (by us, anyway) for recording one of their LPs in an abandoned pasta sauce factory.

LEDDRA CHAPMAN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £12

Leddra Picked up a guitar at an early age and hasn't looked back since. She has shared the stage with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Katie Melua, and was personally invited to support Sir Tom Jones during his sold out dates.

INDIGO VELVET

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £7 - £9

Young Tropical-pop quartet from Edinburgh, riding the wave of a breakthrough year.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: CHRIS NEWMAN & MÁIRE NÍ CHATHASAIGH

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £8 - £12

A virtuoso partnership of England’s premier flatpicking guitarist and a man reckoned to be “the greatest Celtic harper of our age”, live at NEHH. SNJOL: THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE PARKER

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £21 - £22.50

Charlie ‘Yardbird’ Parker – a man often credited with changing the face of modern jazz – joins the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra for a night of bebop.

CHARITY SOUL NIGHT

CORN EXCHANGE, FROM 19:30, £10

The Corn Exchange hosts a night of soul music in aid of Marie Curie Hospice in Fairmilehead.

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

The OBE-furnished Irish singer/ songwriter plays a set cherrypicked from his back catalogue.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £12

The Monochrome Set and were heavily influential in the 'post punk' scene, and feature original members Bid, Andy Warren, Steve Brummell and John Paul Moran.

GRAHAM BONNET BAND (CHROME MOLLY + VOID)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £17 - £20

The former Rainbow / Alcatrazz frontman brings latest act to Bannermans.

UNZUCHT

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £8 - £10

German industrial metallers return to La Belle after wowing the audience at THAT famous Puddle of Mudd show.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: CEILIDH HOUSE NIGHT (MARGARET BENNETT + FRASER NIMMO AND DERE STREET)

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £7 - £10

Margaret Bennett, a leading Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster and singer hosts a Ceilidh House night at Summerhall.

EDINBURGH QUARTET: EQ FOLK

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 14:30, £5 - £15

EQ Folk Quartet play Alasdair Nicolson, Kodály and Beethoven in an afternoon show at Queen’s Hall.

ANNO (SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE + ANNA MEREDITH)

THE HUB, 16:30–17:30 + 18:30–19:30, £0 - £17

SAY Award winner Anna Meredith collaborates with adventurous string orchestra Scottish Ensemble on a live audio-visual experience, combining Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and new music by Anna to present a year in an hour.

Mon 14 Nov

THE LAST VEGAS (SHOCK HAZARD)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £10 - £13

Chicago rockers return to bring the sleaze.

LORDI

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50 - £20

Eurovision winners with the pyro in tow, on their way to take LBA. GET ORGANISED

USHER HALL, FROM 13:10, £4

100 points to organist John Kitchen for top notch punning, and 100 more for bringing the art of organ playing to lunchtimes of Edinburghian citizens.

Tue 15 Nov WALKING ON CARS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £13.50

Five-piece indie-rock band from Dingle, Ireland.

Wed 16 Nov

BEN CAPLAN AND THE CASUAL SMOKERS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, FROM 19:00, £9

The Canadian folk musician from Nova Scotia is joined by his band.

LUCKY CHOPS

THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £12.50

After making a name for themselves on the NYC subway system, Lucky Chops are redefining what it means to be a brass band.

RICKY WARWICK & THE FIGHTING HEARTS (VICE SQUAD)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £16 - £19

The Black Star Riders frontman brings his second band to Bannermans for an intimate show.

BEN CAPLAN & THE CASUAL SMOKERS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £9 - £11

A charismatic charmer and smasher of pianos, an earnest poet and a lover of bent and broken melodies, Ben Caplan is not any one thing. Once he has your attention, Caplan can croon smoother than a glass of single malt whisky.

SERENDIPITY

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–23:00, £5 - £7

Edinburgh-based mash-up of music and art in one room.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: CLIVE GREGSON

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £7 - £10

Clive Gregson is an accomplished Mancunian singer, musician and record producer.

LEE RANALDO ( RICHARD YOUNGS) SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £15 - £17

Lee Ranaldo hits the road to Europe one more time with a clutch of brand new songs from his brand new album Electric Trim.

THE BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 20:00, £20

Vivian Stanshall and Rodney Slater’s trad jazz and psychedelic pop band who formed back in 1962.

FORTH AWARDS 2016

USHER HALL, FROM 15:00, £16.50

The Forth Awards return, with a top secret line-up that’s strictly under wraps until the day itself.

Thu 17 Nov CARRIE RODRIGUEZ

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £12

The daughter of David Rodriguez, making her own way in the music world after coming to everyone’’s attention a decade ago.

FOREVER NEVER (DIVIDES + EXCELLENT CADAVER)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10

A broad mix of metal, rock and pop.

JULES & THE BLUE GARNETS (AL SHIELDS AND ANDREW ROBERTSON)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

With a sound that has been described as ‘canned Summer’, ‘perfection’ and ‘stunningly beautiful’, Jules and the Blue Garnets achieve a glittering smooth pop sound through confident melody and an enchanting songwriting style.

WITHIN DESTRUCTION (HUMAN ERROR + SHATTERED HORIZONS + DISAVOWED + WORLD TRUTH)

STUDIO 24, 19:00–23:00, £6 - £7

Slovenian five-piece specialising in a dark breed of deathcore.

KRISTIN HERSH

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £20 - £22

The immensely talented Kristin Hersh returns for a rare solo tour in support of her critically acclaimed new double CD and book, Wyatt At The Coyote Palace.

UNDERGROUND LIVE (MOONLIGHT ZOO + LOU MCLEAN MUSIC) TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

EUSA’s regular live music night showcasing upcoming Scottish musicians.

SARAH JAROSZ

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 18:30, £17

The Grammy-nominated multiinstrumental bluegrass singer does her thing.

MIDLOTHIAN SCHOOLS’ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £5 - £9

An evening of music from 450 of Midlothian’s most talented music pupils in the form of orchestras, ensembles, concert bands, rock bands and big bands.

LAURENCE JONES

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £14.25

Laurence Jones, a blues-rocker from the land of Shakespeare, brings his tunes our way.

Fri 18 Nov INCOGNITO

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–21:00, £25

The enduring success of Incognito is one of the great stories of UK music during the last four decades.

HANDS OFF GRETEL

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £6 - £8

For fans of L7, Babes In Toyland and Hole. Lauren Tate blows away audiences with her vocal dexterity.

PURSON

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8 - £10

In the wake of signing a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records, Purson have played Download festival and became the proud recipient of the Vanguard Award at the Progressive Music Awards 2015.

AMERICAN CLAY (SHREDD)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Having supported heroes Total Babes, Cheetahs and Krill, Glasgow band American Clay hunkered down for the past few months penning a hot record that deserves their new headliner status.

EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (IAN SIEGEL BAND)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £19.50 - £22

Compelling and admired contemporary blues artist celebrating 25 years spent touring with his band.

SFF: DUNCAN CHISHOLM + HALEY & DUNCAN RICHARDSON

SUNDAY CLASSICS: CZECH NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £17 - £19

USHER HALL, FROM 15:00, £12 - £32

Accomplished and authentic interpreter of traditional Highland fiddle music Duncan Chisolm plays a show at Queen’s Hall along with American sibling duo Haley and Duncan Richardson.

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra perform a programme featuring masterful pieces by Smetana, Shostakovich and Dvorák with the cellist, Natalie Clein.

USHER HALL, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £39

Welsh singer-songwriter and co-founder of Twanky Records visits the Caves with a back-catalogue spanning back to 1996.

RSNO DVORÁK CELLO CONCERTO

Dynamic guest conductor Omer Meir Wellber conducts Italian cello extraordinaire Giovanni Sollima and RSNO in a performance of Shostakovich and Dvorák.

Sat 19 Nov THE SKATALITES

THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £25

60s ska veterans from Jamaica featuring an ever-changing roster of musicians.

FICKLE FRIENDS

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8

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

THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING (ANDREW O’NEILL)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £10 - £13

Steampunk outfit hitting Bannermans with support from comedy genius Andrew O’Neill.

VISTAS (THE LUTRAS + GUS HARROWER)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £6 - £8

Indie-rockers Vistas (formerly known as Friend of a Friend) play on home soil in Edinburgh.

SCOTS FIDDLE FESTIVAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £17 - £20

Scots Fiddle Festival stick another candle in the birthday cake in their 20th anniversary celebration concert.

Sun 20 Nov GANGSTAGRASS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £12

A mixture of bluegrass and hip-hop that might repel some purists on either side of the country and rap divide, but might take your fancy if you’re open-minded.

PSYDOLL

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £7 - £9

Japanese electro and industrial duo.

JOSH FUCHS (AMY HILL + HAMISH HAWK)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Josh Fuchs’ songs are personal, nicely so, and his voice portrays them in a slightly downtrodden, melancholic manner. Folky pop played with a sense of irony.

ANAIS MITCHELL

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:30–22:00, £15.50 - £18

Ana‹s Mitchell is first and foremost a storyteller. As a Vermont- and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, Mitchell recorded for Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records for several years before starting her own Wilderland label in 2012.

SFF: ADAM SUTHERLAND & FRIENDS (THE STRATHSPEY AND SURREAL SOCIETY) THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £17 - £19

A SFF night which features Highlands-hailing player, composer and teacher Adam Sutherland and The Strathspey and Surreal Society, a project created with the idea of writing new music based on the traditional Strathspey and Reel Society form.

JUDITH OWEN

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £15

Mon 21 Nov LUCKLESS

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £5

Luckless makes a welcome return with her solo anti-folk, indie rock show.

RM HUBBERT + RICK REDBEARD

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £12 - £14

Extraordinary, tattoo-bedecked, flamenco-inspired guitarist – and dare we say profane raconteur – RM Hubbert returns with a bold new album, Telling the Trees. Rick Redbeard also returns with Awake Unto, a collection of timeless and melodic ditties.

JEAN EFFLAM BAVOUZET

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:45, £12 - £22

The keyboard tinkering star performs his first solo recital in Edinburgh.

GET ORGANISED

USHER HALL, FROM 13:10, £4

100 points to organist John Kitchen for top notch punning, and 100 more for bringing the art of organ playing to lunchtimes of Edinburgh citizens.

PRIMAL SCREAM (BO NINGEN)

USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £30

The Glasgow-hailing alternative rock lot, made up of Bobby Gillespie et. al, performing in support of 11th studio album, Chaosmosis.

Tue 22 Nov TEDDY THOMPSON

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £16

Acclaimed singer-songwriter with a career that has consistently garnered critical praise.

HANNAH LOU CLARK

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

With her opening drum machine thud and flickering guitar, Hannah Lou Clark is assured and sublime. She manages to suspend moments in time before unfurling and hurtling you into something not unlike Sharon Van Etten.

THE HEAVY

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £15

Guitar-heavy neo soul and rock complete with crunchy guitar, funky horns and Curtis Mayfield-like vocals.

Wed 23 Nov

THE MAENSION (THE AMBIVALENT)

BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £10

Alternative rock and metal all the way from Hollywood.

VANT

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8.50 - £10.50

Parlophone signed four-piece doing their indie rock thing.

EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB: MAIRI CAMPBELL (MAIRI CAMPBELL)

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £7 - £10

Mairi Campbell is an influential and pioneering figure in Scottish music.

Her music has a rooted and powerful quality and her musical interests are wide-ranging. See her live at EFC.

Listings

57

Thu 24 Nov THE CHRISTIANS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £19

After forming in Liverpool in 1986, The Christians went on to gather a pretty huge following with their blend of soul, gospel and heartfelt acoustic pop.

THE SPARROWHAWK ORKESTREL

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

Prog punk bouquet with 80’s heavy metal after-taste. Best served live.

CLICK CLACK

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4 - £6

A monthly night of live music and experimental performing arts. Think Zorn and Ornette meet Beefheart, James Brown and Philip Glass in a basement bar.

BLACK GRAPE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

English rock trio featuring Shaun Ryder, Danny Saber and Kermit.

MODERN STUDIES (WOODPIGEON)

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £10

Chamber pop band from Glasgowvia-Yorkshire whose quietly experimental landscape songs are played on analogue synths, cello, double bass, drums, guitars, a wineglass orchestra and, at the creaking centre of things, a Victorian pedal harmonium.

THE LAFONTAINES

GET ORGANISED

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £11

USHER HALL, FROM 13:10, £4

Motherwell outfit deftly combining portions of hip-hop, pop, rock and electro into one thumping melodic block of noise.

KARNIVAL (JAMES LAVELLE’S UNKLE SOUNDS)

Global Underground luminarie and former Fabric resident James Lavelle hits Edinburgh under his renowned UNKLE sounds alias.

DONNIE WILLOW + TOY MOUNTAINS

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 19:00, £6 - £8

Edinburgh’s date in a co-headline tour from the west coast favourites KING KING + SPECIAL GUESTS BROKEN WITT REBELS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £20

British bluesbreakers and multiaward winners at the British Blues Awards.

Sat 26 Nov THE BAD TOUCH

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £6

All new alt-sleaze Edinburgh five-piece, with greasy baritone vocals over emphatic beats. A torrid symphony of guitar, bass, organ and drums.

HAAR (PLAGUE RIDER + OF SPIER & THRONE + WOLF SERMON)

Extreme death metal in all its guises.

TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 21:00, FREE

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £6.50 - £8.50

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: ISRAEL IN EGYPT

THE QUEEN’S HALL, FROM 19:30, £11 - £32.50

Follow the story of leaping frogs, plagues and the splitting of the sea with SCO’s live show at the Queen’s Hall.

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, FREE

PROSE

Three Trafford kids - from Davyhulme and Stretford who defy genres but sound a little like the auditory lovechild of the Chillis and Oasis, punctuated with rap. Make your own mind up.

THE RISING SOULS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £10

Blue eyed soul three-piece band from Edinburgh.

Dundee Music Thu 03 Nov

RSNO RACHMANINOV THREE

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:30, £14 - £18.50

Guest conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen whips up a lovely ol’ evening of Liadov, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.

RAVENEYE

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £7

Milton Keynes power-rock trio embarking on a UK and European tour.

Fri 04 Nov MARTIN TAYLOR

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £16.75 - £19

Witness five decades of guitar expertise come to life, live on stage with the multi award-winning Martin Taylor.

NATHAN CARTER

WHITEHALL THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £24

The twinkly-eyed young Irish country singe brings his Stayin Up All Night Tour to the Whitehall.

HAYSEED DIXIE

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £16

US novelty metal legends playing a mixture of hard rock cover versions and original compositions.

HAYSEED DIXIE

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £16

Sat 05 Nov

FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:15, £5

Songs from the World War periods, parades, pipes, drums and community singing.

HANNAH WANTS

READING ROOMS, FROM 19:00, TBC

THE JOKERS

SINNERGOD (WARHEAD)

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £6

JANET DEVLIN

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £10 - £12

Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who you may remember from her fresh-faced days refusing footwear on stage during an X Factor stint.

Now with added ukulele, just to add insult to the injury.

ST JUDE’S INFIRMARY (HAMISH HAWK + ALLEN GINSBERG TRIO) SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

St Jude’s Infirmary released their second LP (which featured collaborations with Ian Rankin and Jack Vettriano) in 2009 before imploding ferociously mid-tour in Liverpool.

Seven years later they return to debut this savagely cursed album and new material.

PETE BENTHAM & THE DINNER LADIES

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, TBC

Pete Bentham & the Dinner Ladies are ‘kitchencore’ artpunks at the vanguard of the current Liverpool DIY underground scene. They fuse the raw rock’n’roll of The Cramps with the invention of The Fall and the pop sensibilities of X Ray Spex.

Emelle release their mammoth eponymously titled debut album, with support from Withered Hand, Hollie McNish, Hailey Beavis, Michael Pedersen and Kevin Williamson.

Sun 27 Nov GLENN TILBROOK

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £19

Glenn Tilbrook (best known as the frontmas of Squeeze) hits the road this Autumn on his first solo acoustic UK tour in three years.

SCOTT MATTHEWS

The classic-styled rock lot do their, erm, classic-styled rock thing.

Sat 12 Nov

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £15

Fri 18 Nov

ROSE ROOM (KONRAD WISZNIEWSKI + THE CAPELLA STRING QUARTET + VARDO)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £7 - £9

Rose Room have been delight a Dundee audience with their live jazz and gypsy swing.

Hooky and energetic Edinburgh-born rock band.

PURSON

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £6

In the wake of signing a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records, Purson have played Download festival and became the proud recipient of the Vanguard Award at the Progressive Music Awards 2015.

Sun 20 Nov SLOW SESSIONS

ROSEANGLE ARTS CAFE, FROM 17:00, FREE

Traditional Scottish, English and Irish folk music sessions at a slower pace.

Tue 22 Nov

ANDREW O’NEILL IS TRAPPED DOWN A WELL (BILLY KIRKWOOD)

BUSKERS, FROM 19:00, £8

Thu 24 Nov BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who you may remember from her fresh-faced days refusing footwear on stage during an X Factor stint.

Now with added ukulele, just to add insult to the injury.

Fri 25 Nov PROSE

BUSKERS, FROM 20:00, TBC

999

Sun 27 Nov

Bannermans waves tarra to Billy Liar as he plays a farewell show in Edinburgh.

A DAY OVERDUE

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £15

Pianist Aaron Diehl is one of the most sought-after jazz virtuosos, with meticulously thought-out performances, collaborations, and compositions that are a leading force in today's generation of jazz contemporaries.

Thu 17 Nov

Mon 28 Nov

BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £5 - £7

AARON DIEHL (TOMMY SMITH & BRIAN KELLOCK + FERGUS MCCREADIE TRIO)

Punk legends 999 return to the capital.

An explosive rock’n’roll double header featuring charismatic powerhouse Nikki Hill plus the fiery Charlotte Marshall and the 45s for a night of rock’n’roll and roots music.

BILLY LIAR (FREDDY FUDD PUCKER)

DUNDEE REP, 22:30–00:30, £5

One of Scotland's leading jazz musicians, saxophonist Gordon McNeill, kicks off late night session with his band. They recreate the vibe of New York's 7th Avenue South jazz club, paying homage to jazz legends such as Steps Ahead, Mike Stern and Bob Berg.

Irish singing talent Mike Denver makes a return to Whitehall.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £17 - £19

Scott has garnered serious critical acclaim throughout his 10 year career and has taken this time to nurture his songwriting craft.

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £10

NIKKI HILL BAND + CHARLOTTE MARSHALL & THE 45S

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:30, £15

DEACON BLUE

CAIRD HALL, FROM 19:00, £30 - £40

The Glasgow-formed 80s popsters play tracks offa their eighth LP, The Hipsters, some 25+ years and still going strong.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

TAKE IT SLEAZY!

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

BASSMENT

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £7

La Cheetah gets Quail on hand to bring his signature techno stylings to the La Cheets.

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mashup.

WALK N SKANK (MUNGO’S HI FI + STALAWA + TOM SPIRALS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Club night with an emphasis on ska, rocksteady and roots reggae.

Fri 04 Nov 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 (GERRY CINNAMON)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £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.

Listings

GROOVE ARMADA

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £13 - £18

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

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

THE club night for those in their 40s and 50s who claim they don’t go out anymore. You do now. (To this.)

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Thu 10 Nov

HIGHLIFE X HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL (AUNTIE FLO)

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Auntie Flo brings his Highlife party to The Art School as part of Havana Film Festival. The night will also feature a one-off exhibition of photographs Auntie Flo took on his recent trip to Cuba.

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

HARSH TUG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Hip-hop and rap brought to you by Notorious B.A.G and pals.

SUBCULTURE (DJ SPRINKLES)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks, this edition welcoming Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles) into their fold.

LEZURE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Greg Beato is not just a producer, but a killer DJ and selector too. Expect tough techno, electro and deep house, expertly blended together.

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.

Sun 06 Nov SUNDAY SCIENCE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 22:00–03:00, £4

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

MISSING PERSONS CLUB

I-F supplies a La Cheetah crowd with an arsenal of danceworthy, groove-riddled beats, from house and techno to Italo, with some acid lines thrown in for good measure.

AL LOVER

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

The psych-fest legend brings the groove to Sleazy’s.

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.

GLITTERBANG!

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Exactly what it says on its sparkly tin - a dazzling night of disco Europop.

JUKE ‘TIL U PUKE (NIGHTWAVE, INKKE & DJ DOUBLE NUGGET)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £5

CLUBBER

A multimedia performance exploring our need to dance and the necessity of club spaces.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

UNHOLY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mashup.

DOMESTIC EXILE (SHAWLANDS ARCADE + MODERN INSTITUTE + WITH DJS PERCY & TRIX)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

A mixed bag of acts getting stuck into new Glasgow-based party Domestic Exile.

ELECTRIC SALSA

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Aside from his brilliant productions his mixes are a breath of fresh air, not afraid to blur the lines between house, disco and techno and still blow the roof off the place.

FIESTA BOMBARDA GLASGOW (NATTY + ESCAPE ROOTS + CALI P + LIAM BAILEY) SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 20:00, £12

Fiesta Bombarda bring their colourful carnival to Glasgow, with soul reggae sensation Natty.

WALK N SKANK (MUNGO’S HI FI + STALAWA + TOM SPIRALS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 08 Nov 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 drunkeyed existence.

WILEY (JON PHONICS + DJ MILKTRAY + BUSHIDO)

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £15

The Godfather of UK grime plays with support at Subbie.

Wed 09 Nov

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £20 - £23

KRIS BREEZY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Techno, Ibiza bangers and 1998core at Sleazy’s.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10

Optimo Music and Optimo Trax presents Immigrant Tracks, the label?s first Glasgow showcase. The night will showcase the diverse talent and disparate geographic provenance of the label, demonstrating the live prowess of three of the acts releasing music.

RETURN TO MONO (SLAM + GARY BECK)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

Monthly night from Soma Records taking in popular techno offerings of all hues, this month welcoming Slam and Gary Beck for a set.

BABADISCO (MOSCOMAN)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £10

Disco boss bringing his Middle Eastern-tinged house sound to Glasgow for the very first time.

DON'T DROP

BROADCAST, 23:00, FREE

McEwan & Torrance and RJay Murphy return to Broadcast for one night only.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

BURN MONDAYS

LA CHEETAH CLUB WITH OPTIMO MUSIC & OPTIMO TRAX PRESENTS?

Fri 11 Nov

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?

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Sat 12 Nov

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

BARE MONDAYS

The Peep Show hero, the one and only Super Hans, goes on a music tour. Expect things to get weird.

Club night with an emphasis on ska, rocksteady and roots reggae.

Mon 07 Nov

Sierra Alliance bring a Subcity show that’s hosted the likes of Paul Johnson, DJ Deeon and DJ Slugo to the Art School. Expect ghettotech, jit, booty, juke and footwork.

TREVOR NELSON CLUB CLASSICS UK TOUR

SUPER HANS SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £6 - £12

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

SONGS YA BASS XII BUFF CLUB, FROM 19:00, FREE

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

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.

Treat yersel’ to a start of the month party studded with R’n’B hits, forgotten urban treats and old school soul classics.

58

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

Thu 03 Nov

LATE NIGHT JAZZ AT THE REP (GORDON MCNEIL QUINTET)

WHITEHALL THEATRE, FROM 20:00, £21

MIKE DENVER

NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Sat 19 Nov

Sun 13 Nov

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £5

The Fife lot bring their high octane hybrid of ska and punk Dundee’s way.

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005’.

Sat 05 Nov

Sack off firework night for a DJ set from dance music legends Groove Armada.

Three Trafford kids - from Davyhulme and Stretford who defy genres but sound a little like the auditory lovechild of the Chillis and Oasis, punctuated with rap. Make your own mind up.

ROOT SYSTEM

KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

The Numbers crew stage their regular takeover, with Berlin based DJ and producer Hunee and Numbers resident Spencer taking control of the decks.

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunkeyed existence.

JANET DEVLIN

BUSKERS, FROM 19:15, £10

Tue 01 Nov

NUMERS (HUNEE & SPENCER) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10

#TAG TUESDAYS

WHITEHALL THEATRE, FROM 19:30, £24

Sun 06 Nov

A blistering night of metal.

SOWETO KINCH

Glasgow Clubs

READING ROOMS, 20:00–22:00, £8 - £10

The MOBO Award-winning rappersaxophonist plays a gig as part of Dundee Jazz Festival.

A night of hilarity and melody courtesy of a line-up of musical comedy talent.

The twinkly-eyed young Irish country singe brings his Stayin Up All Night Tour to the Whitehall.

NEU! REEKIE!

Young Tropical-pop quartet from Edinburgh who’re riding the wave of a breakthrough year.

British DJ and producer hailing from Birmingham who’s recently dabbled in hitting the UK Top 20 with latest track Rhymes.

NATHAN CARTER

PRILIG CHURCH HALL, FROM 19:30, £5 - £7

Blues ‘n’ Trouble’s Tim Elliott and Sandy Tweeddale get together to refresh some old school blues classics.

BUSKERS, FROM 20:00, £4

US novelty metal legends playing a mixture of hard rock cover versions and original compositions.

Fri 25 Nov

HM FRIGATE UNICORN, 20:30–22:30, £8 - £10

INDIGO VELVET

LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 00:00, £8 - £10

UNDERGROUND LIVE (PEACOCK MASSIVE) (THE IRRESISTIBLE URGES + DOG ON A SWING)

EUSA’s regular live music night showcasing upcoming Scottish musicians.

100 points to organist John Kitchen for top notch punning, and 100 more for bringing the art of organ playing to lunchtimes of Edinburghian citizens.

ACOUSTIC BLUES EVENING (TIM ELLIOT + SANDY TWEEDDALE + MIKE WHELLANS)

PROPAGANDA

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.

THE LANCE VANCE DANCE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Multi-hued adventure travelling through 70s funk, motown and 80s R’n’B, highlighted with glorious rays of disco sunshine. Or summat.

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.

NU SKOOL

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, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

SINGLES NIGHT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Pop, disco and rock action at Sleazy’s Singles Night.

WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Marianne (MWX) is an international gatherer of exotic Italo, disco and synthwave artefacts.

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.

WAX FORMAT

CLASSIC GRAND, 21:00–04:00, £22.50 - £30

Vinyl-only trance night at Classic Grand.

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Clubs SUBCULTURE (DEKMANTEL SOUNDSYSTEM) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10

Subculture stage a joint event with Amsterdam-based music festival Dekmantel.

DON DIABLO: HEXAGON (SHAKA LOVES YOU)

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £24.50

Colours bring Dutch DJ and electronic music producer Don Diablo to SWG3.

Sun 13 Nov 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.

I AM: ENTER TRON (BETA & KAPPA)

JULIO BASHMORE

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £18.50

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £15

Experiment aural and visual wonderment at SWG3 at Enter Tron’s biggest, most expansive night yet.

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.

12TH ISLE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Outsider heavy beats, fully facili-

One of the biggest names on the UK house music scene (erm, that’d be Julio Bashmore) takes to the road for his autumn/winter 2013 tour.

DOMESTIC EXILE

BREAKFAST CLUB

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Gerry Lyons delivers 80s and 90s pop and rock hits.

THE GUTTER MAGAZINE PARTY (JEN HADFIELD + KIERAN HURLEY + PRONTO MAMA) STEREO, FROM 20:00, FREE

Scottish literary magazine Gutter take over Stereo for a launch bash.

Tue 15 Nov

SILVER DOLLAR CLUB

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £6

tating a fresh night out.

YELLOW DOOR (IAIN KERR + PAUL DEY)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

Monthly residents night playing house, techno, disco and electro for the dancefloor.

NU GEN (JUICY M)

CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 22:00, £19.50

Ukranian purveyor of EDM gets up on the ones and twos in her Classic Grand debut.

LA CHEETAH CLUB 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY: PART 2

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10 - £12

Part 2 of La Cheetah’s 7th birthday celebrations, led by masters of the disco edit Tiger and Woods for a versus with hometown heroes Dixon Avenue Basement Jams.

DJ JAZZY JEFF

SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 22:00, £13 - £15

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

The multiple Grammy Awardwinning DJ Jazzy Jeff joins Electric Frog at SWG3.

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

Sat 19 Nov

UNHOLY

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mashup.

KEEEP FIT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Romeo Taylor gets a sweat on at Sleazy HQ.

WALK N SKANK (MUNGO’S HI FI + STALAWA + TOM SPIRALS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Club night with an emphasis on ska, rocksteady and roots reggae.

Fri 18 Nov 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, 23:00–03:00, £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

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, FROM 23:00, £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.

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Thu 17 Nov

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

FRESH BEAT

BURN MONDAYS

Golden Teacher and Dick 50 DJs spinning outer-national sounds.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 - £4

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £4

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £25

Cathouse’s Thursday night rock, metal and punk mashup.

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

NOT MOVING

ABOVE AND BEYOND

UNHOLY

BARE MONDAYS

Wed 16 Nov

Biorhythm join La Cheetah, bringing through three heavyweights: Brassfoot, Paul Du Lac and Marco Bernardi.

Renowned DJ collective bringing their popular electronic music show to the O2.

Mon 14 Nov

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunkeyed existence.

STEREOTONE X BIORHYTM

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £6

Record label and club night Astral Black return to their Art School residency with a showcase of the outer-realms of Glasgow’s electronic music scene following a successful run of grime-focussed shows alongside RBMA with D Double E and Wiley.

The FLY folks sign up international house DJ Nick Curly for a sesh in the booth.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Trashy, tacky, glamorous and ridiculous. Oh, and fun, too. Very fun.

Thu 24 Nov

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15

#TAG TUESDAYS

DRUGSTORE GLAMOUR

ASTRAL BLACK (CREEP WOLAND + DVSTY + DJ MILKTRAY B2B RAPTURE 4D)

FLY (NICK CURLY) (DARIUS SYROSSIAN)

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005’.

Wed 23 Nov

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

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

A mixed bag of acts getting stuck into new Glasgow-based party Domestic Exile.

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.

SUBCULTURE (JENNIFER CARDINI) (TELFORD) SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks, this edition joined by charismatic veteran of the decks Jennifer Cardini.

Sun 20 Nov 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 21 Nov 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

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Tue 22 Nov

LOVE MUSIC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

NITE TRIPPER 004

BROADCAST, 23:00, FREE

The Gimme Shelter clubbing gurus' fledgling new club Nite Tripper, ft. resident DJs Holly Calder and Craig Reese who'll be spinning modern psych, garage, fuzz and golden olds.

CODE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £10

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 drunkeyed existence.

Mark Foreshaw has been involved in Liverpool?s music scene since the late 90s and has released on labels such as Mathematics, Berceuse Heroique and Tabernacle. Catch him at La Cheets.

WALK N SKANK (MUNGO’S HI FI + STALAWA + TOM SPIRALS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5

Club night with an emphasis on ska, rocksteady and roots reggae.

Fri 25 Nov OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

JAMES KING & THE LONE WOLVES NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–03:00, £9

Glasgow ensemble famed in the 80s for their wild gigs. You have been pre-warned.

THUNDER DISCO 7TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA (HORSE MEAT DISCO)

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12

More mischief and disco mayhem from the long-running crew as they get stuck into a 7th birthday celebration.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

NU SKOOL

Nick Peacock spins a Saturday-ready 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.

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.

WTF FRIDAYS

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £6

Student-friendly Friday night party, playing (as one might expect) cheesy classics of every hue.

LA CHEETAH CLUB X EZUP

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10

Off the back of his latest album Orange Melamine, Space Dimension Controller brings his new live show to La Cheetah Club.

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, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Cat Reilly spins the best in joyous party magic.

SHOOT YOUR SHOT!

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, £5

Discotheque provocateurs SYS take you higher at their monthly residence at the Art School with a programme of Italo and synthetic house DJs, as well as live performances and surprises.

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

Inigo Kennedy has played a pivotal role in defining and shaping techno’s sound over the last 20 years with nearly 100 releases in his catalogue. ÿSee him at La Cheetah tonight.

November 2016

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

Bongo’s brand spangling new Tuesday night house and techno party featuring TLFT boss, DJ and producer Telfort, Greenman and H&P faves Hi & Saberhägen.

TUESDAY NIGHT TV

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Wed 02 Nov

SUBCULTURE (ANDREW WEATHERALL)

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, £3 - £5

LOVE MUSIC

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests.

SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £12

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks, this edition joined by DJ, producer and remixer extraordinaire Andrew Weatherall.

PARTIAL

COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

WITNESS (B. TRAITS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–05:00, £5

COSMIC

JACUZZI GENERAL

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £3 - £6

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Edinburgh's longest running night of full spectrum psytrance. Features special guest DJs, VJs, colourful fluro decor and a pumping sound system.

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

PULSE & DISORDER: OSCAR MULERO (DARRELL HARDING + DARI J + SEAN LAIRD + ELHOI VG)

ELECTRIKAL X BUTTERZ: TQD (ROYAL-T X DJ Q X FLAVA D)

Bonfire night plans s-o-r-t-e-d courtesy of Tibal, who’re bringing in Artesfera and Ritmoclectic for an Afrobeat, soul and Latin night at The Mash House.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £6

Bongo’s monthly house, bassline, grime and jungle night brings in Spooky + AJ Tracey for a two-hour session.

GLOBAL ROOTS (DJ CHEERS)

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Global Roots resident Andrea Montalto invites DJ Cheers, curator of TEESH’s ‘All You Can Eat Buffet’, to bring his Afro-disco hip-hop house amalgamation to Edinburgh’s tropical local

Sat 05 Nov TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Hip-hop and live percussion flanked by wicked visuals.

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Thu 03 Nov

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

SHAKA LOVES YOU

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £0 - £3

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.

TOY MOUNTAINS (DONNIE WILLOW)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–03:00, £6

Glasgow’s progressive-alternative and post-hardcore band Toy Mountains headline a show Sleazy’s.

ROBERT BERGMAN

STEREO, FROM 23:00, TBC

Sun 27 Nov SWG3 GLASGOW, FROM 16:00, FREE

Subliminal head honcho and house music legend Erick Morillo returns to Scotland for a night at SWG3. And it’s free!

SUNDAY SCIENCE

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.

STEAKNIFE (JADE NOBLE + DAVIE MILLER)

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

A domestic industrial discotheque headed up by Jade Noble and this month joined on the couch by Davie Miller.

Fri 04 Nov PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 23:30–03:00, £5

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

FIESTA BOMBARDA EDINBURGH

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £15

Fiesta Bombarda bring their colourful carnival to Edinburgh, with live reggae, guest DJs, Gentleman’s Dub Club and tropical, immersive set designs.

BONFIRE NIGHT TRIBAL (ARTESFERA + RITMOCLECTIC)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

Techno, house, electro, EBM and industrial sounds with Argentinian producer NGLY.

Jacuzzi General made his millions selling luxury hot tubs in the mid 70s. Now a Cali household name, he’s bringing his entrepreneurial flair to the music industry.

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £9.50

Prolific dance DJ Oscar Mulero gets involved on the Mash House decks with a shit-tonne of talented supports.

BBC Radio1 DJ, producer and radio presenter B. Traits bridges underground music from techno to jungle to house. A perfect guest for Witness, she’s playing all night long to show her deeper side, in perhaps the most intimate setting she’s played.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £9

ERICK MORILLO

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

NOTION

An eclectic mix of underground house, techno and breaks for your dancing pleasure, featuring David Magowan, Flouche Records Nottingham and special guests.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Sat 26 Nov

Yo favourite DJ’s favourite DJ’s favourite DJ’s favourite DJ’, apparently.

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

Tue 01 Nov Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

PROPAGANDA

Edinburgh Clubs

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

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

REMEMBER REMEMBER (PADDY FRAZER + KEVIN JONES + ANDREW LOVE & MADMAN + JOHN GEDDES + SCOTT GRAY)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £10

Old skool and classic dance music to help raise funds for Radio Saltire.

SPEAKER BITE ME

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £5 - £7

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.

REWIND

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £5

Classics from the past four decades, the only place you’ll hear Beyoncé next to Nina Cherry.

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4

TEMPO: LAUNCH NIGHT (DR. MEAKER + UPFRONT) LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £8

Brand new monthly drum and bass night, kicking off with Dr Meaker live and direct from Bristol, with support coming from homegrown talent Upfront.

Sun 06 Nov

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, FROM 17:00, FREE

Monthly Sundays showcasing the outer reaches of local selectors and vinyl record collections, loosely held together by in-house curators Percy Main and Andrea Montalto.

Mon 07 Nov 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 (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

Tue 08 Nov TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

NOTION

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Bongo’s brand spangling new Tuesday night house and techno party featuring TLFT boss, DJ and producer Telfort, Greenman and H&P faves Hi & Saberhägen.

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.

TUESDAY NIGHT TV

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

An eclectic mix of underground house, techno and breaks for your dancing pleasure, featuring David Magowan, Flouche Records Nottingham and special guests.

Mon 28 Nov 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?

Wed 09 Nov COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

Tue 29 Nov

House, Garage and Bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

BURN MONDAYS

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

ITCHY FEET

SUBCULTURE (MIDLAND)

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £7

SUB CLUB, 23:00, £6-10

The UK bass talent drops into the Shipping Forecast basement.

EVOL ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £5

Edinburgh’s original rock ‘n’ roll bash, mixing indie, pop, electro, hiphop and alternative styles to make one hell of a party playlist.

HECTOR PRESENTS SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £7

Hector’s crew are bringing classics house, often played by the genre’s originators, to new and excited audiences.

One of Edinburgh's favourite students night is back with a mods and rockers theme, playing all the best in rock’n’roll, soul, funk, swing and blues.

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

Listings

59

Edinburgh Clubs Thu 10 Nov

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 (SHY FX + STAMINA MC)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £8 - £14

Cirque Du Soul is a travelling collective energy of colour, magic and dance.

FLY (SUPER HANS)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £12

Super Hans’ infamous band The big beat manifesto takes the stage at La Belle for a night in the hurtlocker.

Fri 11 Nov FOUR CORNERS

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

DJs Simon Hodge, Astrojazz and Johnny Cashback bring tunes from all over the globe to your Edinburgh based eardums.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 23:30–03:00, £5

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

STACKS

THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5

Deep funk and rare soul music, featuring live percussion.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Crackin’ indie, pop and dance from the 80s and 90s. If you don’t hear Kelis or Wheatus at least once, sue us! (Don’t.)

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

WARSAW VILLAGE BAND AFTERPARTY (PARALETIC UNIVERSE + DJ MIKEE + REGGAE VIRUS SELECTA + MAD CARAVAN) STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £3 - £5

Warsaw gig afterparty playing hiphop, Balkan beats, world music, funk, jungle, drum and bass and reggae.

ANYTHING GOES BIRDS SAVIN BAWS

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

A Movember-motivated fundraiser ft. drum and bass, jungle, breaks and techno.

Sat 12 Nov 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, £4 - £5

The Tropical tiki club night playing the hottest old-school rock’n’roll, rhythm & blues, doo wop, garage, surf and soul. And there’s cake.

BIG ‘N’ BASHY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £6

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle played by inimitable residents Brother Most Righteous, Skillis, Tekkerz and Deburgh.

DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £6

60s ska, rocksteady and early reggae.

BEEP BEEP, YEAH! (BEBOP-A-TALLAH + AT THE HOP) ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Expect only the best pop tunes from the 50s, 60s and 70s at this retro pop club night.

MJÖLK

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £5

Swedish indie pop club at the Wee Red.

TEESH (DJ CHEERS + CRUCIAL & FRESH + MAMBA)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

A real little and large operation this month when the All You Can Eat Spice Buffet is roasted by the tall

OVERGROUND: MALL GRAB (WRISK) THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £7.50 - £9.50

Mall Grab follows up his debut appearance earlier this year in a night of lo-fi raw house chaos with Overground.

WILL ATKINSON

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £10 - £15

Sonic Rapture bring a big fat trance line-up to LBA. LIONOIL 2ND BIRTHDAY (FUDGE FINGAS + DAVID BARBAROSSA + PERCY MAIN + DJ YVES)

THE BISCUIT FACTORY, 17:00–22:00, £5

Lionoil celebrate their second birthday by taking over the top floor of the Biscuit Factory with an early session. East meets West for a battle of the beards – expect rare breed of boogie, hermetic haus and tantric techno.

Sun 13 Nov

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.

LOGAN SAMA FOR EAST COAST ENDS (LOGAN SAMA + EASY COAST ENDS) CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £8 - £10

The DJ at the forefront of grime since its inception, first through Kiss FM and now BBC Radio 1, Logan is the grime authority and always blows the bloody doors off.

Mon 14 Nov 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 15 Nov TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

NOTION

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Bongo’s brand spangling new Tuesday night house and techno party featuring TLFT boss, DJ and producer Telfort, Greenman and H&P faves Hi & Saberhägen.

TUESDAY NIGHT TV

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

HEY QT

PARTIPETS

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

Wimmun wrecking the stage with their b2b belters.

PARADIGM ELECTRONIC MUSIC

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £6

Former half of Trouble DJs Hobbes joins electronic music partythrowers Paradigm for a comeback show at their home in the Mash hoos. Visual art from Unstable Creations.

60

Listings

NIGHTVISION (ANDY C)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £15

Nightvision party featuring Andy C for a night fulla jungle and drum and bass bangers.

INTERGALACTIC FUNK SMUGGLERS

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

They say you can’t hear anything in space. They obviously weren’t listening to the right music.

Intergalactic Funk Smugglers send funk waves across the galaxy in their quest for the ultimate supersonic groove.

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

FLIP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

NETFLIX & TRILL (D. JASON WATERFALLS)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £0 - £3

Binge on Netflix while dancing to some tunes. Electronic remixes of pop, hip-hop, indie, R’n’B, and some trap bangers thrown in for good measure. Just one more episode, yeah?

FRANCIS INFERNO ORCHESTRA

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Presenting house and techno classics alongside rare oddities from beyond his years, FIO’s DJ sets are a lowbrow history lesson – respecting the past without being a slave to it.

ETC 34: WILD WEST (CHRIS MOSS ACID +JEROME HILL)

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £10 - £12

Wild West themed party featuring two of the most badass hombres on the techno scene. Eat your beans, swill down some whisky and try not to get caught on a cactus.

NIGHTVISION (MR SCRUFF)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £14 - £18

Nightvision DJ set from the musical mastermind, known for mixing a junk-shop bag of sounds and bringing his beats to life with squiggly, scribbled animations.

HEADSET: GARAGE VS UK FUNKY SPECIAL

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £1 - £5

DJ Greenman, Skillis and Witness get stuck into a versus night in the Bongo booth.

Sat 19 Nov 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 EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

A salad of genres: sixties garage and soul plus 70s punk and new wave, peppered with psych and indie for good measure.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, £0 - £4

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

SOULSVILLE

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £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.

Thu 17 Nov

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.

Phil Kieran plays the second show of an album tour which kicked off at a secret location in Belfast on 15 Oct. PERCY MAIN SOCIAL CLUB

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

A monthly social with Percy Main and pals spinning shakin disco, balearic boogie, gareish gospel and hermetic haus. Bring your friends, your mum and your dancing boots.

Sun 20 Nov

MUNGO’S HIFI (J-MAN + EVA LUZARUS)

STUDIO 24, 22:00–03:00, £10 - £12

Mungo’s classics and fresh dubplates rinsed through one of the UK’s best reggae soundsystems, with vocal stylings from two of the freshest on the scene, both in an Edinburgh debut: Eva Lazarus and J-Man. WASABI DISCO (COWBOY RHYTHMBOX) (KRIS WASABI)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Cowboy Rhythmbox are Nathan Gregory Wilkins and Richard X, coming together to create their own singular strain of music for dancing on Erol Alkan’s Phantasy label.

SKATALITES

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £27.50

Ska legends with wide-reaching influence.

Distinctly retro selections from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £3 - £5

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

SURE SHOT (SURE SHOT DJS)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £2 - £4

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, £0 - £3

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

THE CLUB

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

Mon 21 Nov MIXED UP

FLIP

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and novelty-stuffed. Perrrfect.

NOTSOSILENT: RESIDENT’S SPECIAL (BELCH + MULLEN + RAY) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

House and techno tastemakers notsosilent resident DJs make a trip to Sneak’s from their residency at Glasgow’s infamous La Cheetah Club.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE )

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

Tue 22 Nov TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

NOTION

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

I Love Hip Hop is dead. This is Bongo’s brand spangling new Tuesday night house and techno party featuring TLFT boss, DJ and producer Telfort, Greenman and H&P faves Hi & Saberhägen.

TUESDAY NIGHT TV

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FREE

An eclectic mix of underground house, techno and breaks for your dancing pleasure, featuring David Magowan, Flouche Records Nottingham and special guests.

Wed 23 Nov COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5

Hella fun midweek throwdown playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

WITNESS (AMY BECKER) (CRISTOF + GANGS OF SEATON & DIMBEE AT SNEAKY PETE’S) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

Thu 24 Nov

Monthly pop, punk and metal party this month featuring a beer pong tournament with £50 Vans voucher for the victor.

PLANET EARTH

CITRUS CLUB, 23:30–03:00, £5

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and friends.

DECADE

POP ROCKS

Fri 25 Nov

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 Edinburgh’s Kitchen Disco, Malcolm Storey.

COALITION (BELIEVE + GAV MILLER + STU + JORDAN COCHRANE + GED & SKANKY B)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Wed 16 Nov

WITNESS (ROSS BLACKWAX + FAULT LINES + SKILLIS + SQUELCHY)

FOURBYFOUR (PHIL KIERAN) LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £7 - £10

Inspired by the likes of Oneman, EZ and Benji B, Amy’s radio and gig presence have received international acclaim from some of the biggest names in the industry and propelled her to the forefront of the UK’s thriving bass scene.

Raw, high energy R’n’B from DJs Francis Dosoo and Cameron Mason.

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £4 - £5

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 - £5

CITRUS CLUB, 23:30–03:00, £5

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

COOKIE

Sweaty dance disco for queer folk and their pals.

PLANET EARTH

An eclectic mix of underground house, techno and breaks for your dancing pleasure, featuring David Magowan, Flouche Records Nottingham and special guests.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

guys and the club’s black dog.

Fri 18 Nov

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.

JUICE (SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER) (KA MI + DAN + DCLN)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 - £7

The Belfastie’s sound is typically washed out and homespun, yet exceptionally intricate. With intergalactic funk and smutty techno backed by tastefully trippy visuals, let SDC take you on a trip through time.

AFROFLAVA EDINBURGH (WIZKID + TEKNO + P SQUARE + DIAMOND)

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £4

TUESDAY NIGHT TV

An eclectic mix of underground house, techno and breaks for your dancing pleasure, featuring David Magowan, Flouche Records Nottingham and special guests.

SUBSTANCE 10TH BIRTHDAY (ARPANET)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, TBC

House, techno and electro club Substance welcomes in electronic music pioneer Arpanet for his Edinburgh debut.

TEK’IN’BURGH VS MUTINY

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £10

Tek’in’Burgh returns with the Mutiny crew for a full-on two room takeover at Studio 24. Prepare to dance like robots - the Dutch are coming, with huge kick drums and screaming acid sounds.

NIGHTVISION (BONDAX)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, £10 - £15

The boundary crossing teenage duo play their inimitable house-meetsgarage-meets-pop selections in a set for Nightvision.

SULTA SELECTS EDINBURGH (DENIS SULTA + DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 23:00, £10

Dennis Sulta bring his Sulta Selects tour with house music’s hottest prospects.

PARTY LIKE GATSBY

CORN EXCHANGE, FROM 20:00, £25.50 - £450

Enjoy all the wonderment and hedonism of Gatsby without the crushing isolation and misery, courtesy of a roaring 20s party at the Corn Exchange! What’s more, a VIP table could be yours for only £4.50!

THE POP BINGO DISCO (ANDY JUMANJI & THE MASSIVE HEID) ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, TBC

Clubbing-meets-bingo (finally, right?). 240 minutes of crazy, bawless bingo banter, prizes and footstomping tunes all rolled into one.

Sun 27 Nov

COALITION (BELIEVE + GAV MILLER + STU + JORDAN COCHRANE + GED & SKANKY B) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Dundee Clubs Fri 04 Nov

HEADWAY (JOY ORBISON)

READING ROOMS, FROM 23:00, £15

Catch the top notch funk and oldschool jungle DJ Joy Orbison in Dundee for one night only at Reading Rooms.

Thu 10 Nov LOCKAH

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £3.50 - £5

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and friends.

Minder favourite Lockah leads the way at Reading Rooms.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Fri 11 Nov

SHOOGLE STUDIOS SUNDAY SERVICE

Liverpudlian funk and soul purveyor Craig Charles makes a trip to Dundee to throw a big old bash at Reading Rooms.

THE CLUB

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle on a Sunday.

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 19:00, FREE

A showcase of producers who’ve been through the doors at Shoogle Studios, Scotland’s leading place to learn electronic music production, which is led by Simon Stokes, aka Petrichor of Soma Records.

RHYTHM MACHINE (DJ OKAPI)

PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE

The guys at Rhythm Machine introduce DJ Okapi, a gem who is resurrecting a forgotten era of South African pop.

Mon 28 Nov MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R’n’B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

MINDSET (GARETH SOMMERVILLE )

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £2

Strictly house grooves from Edinburgh house DJ don Gareth Sommerville.

STRAIGHT UP NIKNAK

CRAIG CHARLES

READING ROOMS, FROM 23:00, £12.50

Sat 12 Nov LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, FROM 22:00, £5 - £7

A night dedicated to the 50s and 60s that’s been running for over half a decade.

Sat 19 Nov MR SCRUFF

READING ROOMS, FROM 23:00, £12.50

DJ set from the musical mastermind, known for mixing a junk-shop bag of sounds and bringing his beats to life with squiggly, scribbled animations.

Fri 25 Nov

MAIN INGREDIENT (KEN SWIFT)

READING ROOMS, FROM 23:00, TBC

The M.I folk, naughty as they are, started life running illegal warehouse parties in Edinburgh’s outskirts. They now tour nationally, taking their drum machines, synths and interactive visuals countrywide with them.

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Sat 26 Nov 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.

RIDE (LAUREN WRONGUN + FRANKIE ‘ESTRANGE) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £0 - £5

Hip-hop and R’n’B jams all night long.

MADCHESTER

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 - £6

Long running Edinburgh club night celebrating the baggiest beats from the late 80s and early 90s.

BETAMAX

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £4 - £5

New wave, synth, electro and the best of the 80s in the Studio 24 overpass.

CABARET VOLTAIRE, FROM 22:00, £12.50 - £15

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 - £7

Oliver Dene Jones AKA Skream is a British electronic artist hailing from Croydon. See him at Cab Vol this month.

The Keep It Steel DJs play the best in heavy metal and hard rock.

NikNak blast out their usual b2b moosh up of musical meat on yer bones.

Edinburgh’s Swahili Club brings Afrobeats tastiness to the Mash House.

ODYSSEY. 003 (SKREAM) (KHALID HUSSAIN + NICK PRICE)

KEEP IT STEEL STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

MESSENGER

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger Sound System.

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

THE SKINNY

Theatre Glasgow Theatre CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art BUZZCUT: DOUBLE THRILLS

16 NOV, 7:00PM, £6 - £8

Buzzcut’s Double Thrills programme continues with a night of queer, rad comedy performance! Performances will be BSL interpreted. Free to anyone who lives and/or works in Govan, email glasgowbuzzcut@ gmail.com for info.

Citizens Theatre THE RIVALS

2-19 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

The Citz’s very own Artistic Director Dominic Hill stages his interpretation of the 18th century comedy of manners featuring the escapades of Mrs Malaprop, Lydia Languish and Jack Absolute.

Clyde Auditorium

THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW

8 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

The heinous nan, Bernie the nurse, Sam from Essex and more in brand new sketches by Catherine Tate.

Tramway

WHAT REMAINS AND IS TO COME / BLACK 18-19 NOV, 7:00PM, £8 - £12

A double bill including Katrina Brown & Rosanna Irvine’s investigation into treating materials as equals rather than tools for our desires, and Mette Edvardsen’s solo performance about making things appear, entitled Black.

THE MAN WHO FOLLOWED HIS LEGS (AND KEPT ON WALKING) 1-2 NOV, 7:00PM, £7 - £11

Featuring video images, puppetry, music and performance, this coproduction between Wee Stories and Fife Cultural Trust follows the story of two young Scottish coalminers during World War I. SCOTTISH OPERA: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

9-19 NOV, 7:15PM, £19 - £82.50

It’s Figaro’s wedding day, and to add to the usual worries, Figaro learns that his philandering master, the Count, is out to tempt away his bride-to-be Susanna. Classic story told by Scottish Opera.

Tron Theatre

King’s Theatre Edinburgh

1-2 NOV, 7:45PM, £10 - £14

1-5 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

LADY MACBETH: UNSEX ME HERE

A cast of three male dancers play Lady Macbeth in an exploration of masculinity and femininity within one of Shakespeare’s greatest.

WHERE THE CROW FLIES

2-3 NOV, 8:00PM, £7.50 - £10

Lisa Nicoll’s story of a woman fighting for the freedom of her husband who’s serving time for a crime he says he didn’t commit.

Based on interviews and stories with women in Blackburn, West Lothian.

THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV

18-19 NOV, 8:30PM, £7.50

A rehearsed reading of Chris Donald’s The Brothers Karamazov; a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, suffering, doubt and reason.

THE BROONS

Playwright Rob Drummond brings the iconic characters Granpaw, Paw and Maw Broon, Hen and Joe, Daphne, Maggie, Horace, the Twins and the Bairn to life with a thoroughly Scottish soundtrack.

Matinees available.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

8-12 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Mike Poulton’s bold adaptation of the literary jewel in the Dickensian crown that is A Tale of Two Cities.

KING’S PANTO 2016/17: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

26 NOV-31 DEC, 7:00PM, £16 - £33

King’s Theatre stages their good ol’ Christmas Panto, this year featuring Allan Stewart, Andy Gray, Grant Stott and a fuck-off massive beanstalk (we imagine).

The Glad Cafe

The King’s Theatre

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

1-5 NOV, 7:30PM, £13.90 - £25.90

Glasgow Light Opera Club brings Jerry Bock’s much treasured musical to Glasgow.

RICHARD ALSTON DANCE COMPANY

3 NOV, 7:30PM, £15.90 - £26.90

Alson and his dancers return with an evening of choreographic panache.

THE BROONS

7-12 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Playwright Rob Drummond brings the iconic characters Granpaw, Paw and Maw Broon, Hen and Joe, Daphne, Maggie, Horace, the Twins and the Bairn to life with a thoroughly Scottish soundtrack.

Matinees available.

November 2016

1-5 NOV, TIMES VARY, £12.50

A Play, A Pie and A Pint returns with five new plays to light up your lunchtime. Ticket includes a pie and a drink CHRYSALIS: SHEEP

18-19 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10.50 - £40

Inspired by attitudes to war and militarization – from historical perspectives to current media representation – Tron Young Company asks questions of accepted roles for women and men in conflict and modern society’s use of propaganda.

CHRYSALIS: CLUB

18-20 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10.50 - £40

An original piece created by members of Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre and uses a mixture of and original material scripted by the actors, dance, music and physical theatre. Club explores the world of today’s cyber-teenager.

CHRYSALIS: PHENOMENA

THE SNAW QUEEN 29 NOV-7 JAN 17, 7:30PM, £10 - £19

Join Kristine Cagney Kringle and her toy workshop as they embark on a quest to save the pantosphere from the evil Snaw Queen and to keep Weegietown in a state of Christmas-celebrating joy.

Everyone’s fave furry chomper starring in his very own show.

Cult comedy rock musical written

by Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman, telling the tale of a hapless florist as he raises a plant that feeds on human flesh. Matinee performances also available.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: DR JOHNSON GOES TO SCOTLAND

19-20 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10.50 - £40

20-21 NOV, TIMES VARY, £15.25 - £19.15

14-19 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

Set against the eerie backdrop of an isolated rural community, Grain in the Blood is Rob Drummond’s noirish thriller exploring a timely moral dilemma: how much are we prepared to sacrifice for the greater good? Matinees available.

The Island follows the lives of a group of young people and takes place eight years after ‘The Change’ – an unspecified apocalyptic event which left them scavenging and searching for a better life.

A couple of hours dedicated entirely to the ancient Australian art of genital origami. Yep.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

1-12 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

19-20 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10.50 - £40

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS

Theatre Royal

GRAIN IN THE BLOOD

CHRYSALIS: THE ISLAND

12 NOV, 7:30PM, £21.50 - £24.40

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Four selected companies and artists share their newest creations, at varying stages of development.

The range of companies will be revealed in the run-up to the event, with full details available on the Traverse website and social media channels.

The Chrysalis Emergence strand presents three 20-minute experimental and risk-taking works-in-progress by young theatre-makers. This is your chance to experience a variety of original voices and fresh perspectives, and to contribute your thoughts.

Internationally-acclaimed author Janice Galloway surveys her favourite pieces of writing and explores their attraction in front of a Gladdie audience.

A ma-hoo-sive musical inspired by the famed recording session which united Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first (and last) time. Matinees available.

8-11 NOV, 8:00PM, £4.50 - £6.50

19 NOV, 3:30PM, £10.50 - £40

27 NOV, 8:00PM, £5

14-19 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

TRAVERSE HOTHOUSE

CHRYSALIS: EMERGENCE

BOOK WEEK SCOTLAND: DESERT ISLAND VOICES

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

Traverse Theatre

EDINBURGH GANG SHOW 2016 15-19 NOV, 7:00PM, £11 - £18

Colourful annual music-meetscomedy show performed by over 250 young things from the world of Scouting and Girlguiding.

Royal Lyceum Theatre JUMPY

1-12 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

Edinburgh Theatre Festival Theatre RAMBERT

23-25 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

Christopher Bruce’s most popular work which tells the story of ordinary people as their lives are interrupted by death, which appears in the form of the iconic ‘ghosts’. Revived here for the first time in 13 years.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET

1-5 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

A ma-hoo-sive musical inspired by the famed recording session which united Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first (and last) time.

Matinees available.

An irreverent and #relatable theatrical examination of motherdaughter relationships and life at the age of 50, by April De Angelis.

The Edinburgh Playhouse THE DREAMBOYS

10 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

The UK’s top ‘male glamour’ show.

Expect gallons of baby oil, miles of abs and an audience full of yelping onlookers.

THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW

7 NOV, 7:30PM, PRICES VARY

The heinous nan, Bernie the nurse, Sam from Essex and more in brand new sketches by Catherine Tate.

KEEP DANCING

15-19 NOV, 7:30PM, £17.50 - £48.40

Strictly vibes live on stage. So. Much. Spangle. Matinees Available.

A beginner’s guide to love and physics told through the eyes of young people. Starting with the uniqueness of human experience it questions how we learn to love and how anyone can teach us when the facts are fragile, the universe is fragile and so are we.

CLASS ACT SILVER

23-24 NOV, 7:30PM, £10.50 - £40

WHO WE ARE / 2016 celebrates 25 glittering years of the Traverse bringing young people’s voices to the stage through Class Act, the Traverse’s flagship education project.

Dundee Theatre The Gardyne Theatre SCROOGE

23-26 NOV, 7:30PM, £12 - £17

Warm the cockles of your soul with Broughty Ferry Amateur Operatic Society’s musical retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel.

Whitehall Theatre THE DREAMBOYS

11 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

The UK’s top ‘male glamour’ show.

Expect gallons of baby oil, miles of abs and an audience full of yelping onlookers.

ALAN CUMMING

BBC COMEDY PRESENTS

25 NOV, 7:00PM, PRICES VARY

16 NOV, 8:30PM, £4

A magical concoction of the mischievous, tender, whimsical, and debauched real-life adventures of Alan Cumming.

Dundee Rep

GEORGE'S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE

24 NOV-31 DEC, 7PM, £10-12

George lives a peaceful life on the farm owned by his parents. That is, until the arrival of his nasty ol' Grandma. See Roald Dahl's 1981 triumph realised by the Dundee Rep. Matinees available.

BBC-selected sketch comedy showcase where handpicked new acts get their chance to shine – with each performer getting a quickfire 5-10 minutes on stage.

TOPICAL STORM

28 NOV, 8:30PM, £5 - £7

Radical satire from Keir McAllister, Vladimir McTavish, Stu Murphy and Mark Nelson.

MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV

7 NOV, 8:30PM, £4 - £6

Two teams of comics battle it out for the biggest laughs under the watchful eye of ‘Improv Warlord’ Billy Kirkwood.

ED GAMBLE: STAMPEDE

13 NOV, 8:30PM, £12

Glasgow Comedy State Bar GIGGLES AT NINE

5,12,19,26 NOV, 8:30PM, TBC

A weekly night of stand up comedy, featuring new and experienced acts in a friendly intimate atmosphere.

GONG SHOW

26 NOV, 9:00PM, TBC

Comedians young and old, experienced and new; some trying out new material, others just notching up stage time – all competing to last five minutes and beat the gong.

The King’s Theatre

JOSH WIDDICOMBE: WHAT DO I DO NOW...

8-23 NOV, 8:00PM, £19.25

SEAN LOCK: KEEP IT LIGHT 25 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Every three years the comedian Sean Lock writes and tours a new stand-up show. Well he’s only gone and done it again! What’s he like?

Come and see what he’s blithering on about this time.

The Stand Glasgow

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE

20 & 27 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his handpicked guests.

RED RAW

1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 NOV, TIMES VARY, £3

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

THE THURSDAY SHOW

3, 10, 17 & 24, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Gamble thunders into town with a wagonload of misguided opinions and wild conjecture.

THE GLASGOW KIDS COMEDY CLUB

6 NOV, 3:00PM, £4

Comedy session suitable for little ears (i.e. no swearies), for children aged 8-12 years-old.

Theatre Royal ROSS NOBLE: BRAIN DUMP

4 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Famed for his super quick freewheeling style and highly imaginative flights of fancy, the freewheeling Geordie comic takes to the live stage

Yesbar

LAUGHTER EIGHT

FRI & SAT THROUGHOUT NOV, 8:00PM, £10

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm? Manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

YESBAR VIRGINS

3, 10, 17, 24 NOV, 8:00PM, PRICES VARY

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

NEW MATERIAL COMEDY NIGHT

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

YESBAR VIRGINS: COMEDY SUNDAY SCHOOL

6, 13, 20, 27 NOV, 8:00PM, PRICES VARY

A selection of five fledgling comedians do their best to win over the audience and graduate Yesbar’s ‘Comedy Sunday School’.

THE LATE SHOW

FRI & SAT THROUGHOUT NOV 10:00PM, £10

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm? Manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Platform

GARY LITTLE: A LITTLE BIT OF PERSONAL

18 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10

The charming Gary Little returns, telling tales of paranoia, hillwalking and having prison pen pals.

THE FRIDAY SHOW

4, 11, 18, 25 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

BRIGHT CLUB

14 NOV, 8:30PM, £5

A selection of comedic academics do a stint of stand-up for your entertainment and enlightenment.

Laughs and learning in one neat package = tick.

WILLIAM REGAL: AN AUDIENCE WITH A WRESTLING VILLAIN

5 NOV, 3:30PM, £20 - £35

Death is inevitable and universal.

Let’s laugh in its face while our hearts still beat and our jaws are still attached.

COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES

9 NOV, 8:30PM, £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.

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG FRIDAY SHOW

4, 11, 18, 25 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

No longer is Monkey Barrel sheltered beneath The Beehive – they’ve now got their very own Blair St. digs! Catch some Friday night stand-up with resident Rick Molland.

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SATURDAY SHOW

5, 12, 19, 26 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Laugh yourself into Saturday night stitches with Monkey Barrel’s multi-bill weekend show, featuring resident lol-stirrer Rick Molland.

JAPES

9, 16, 23, 30 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:30PM, £0 - £2

A new material night featuring comedy featuring the impeccably named comedy competition Top Banana.

The Stand Comedy Club RED RAW

7, 14, 21, 28 NOV 18, TIMES VARY, £3

The charming Gary Little returns, telling tales of paranoia, hillwalking and having prison pen pals.

THE THURSDAY SHOW

3, 10, 17, 24 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

GILDED BALLOON COMEDY NIGHTS

A hoot-worthy eve hosted by Raymond Mearns, featuring Felicity Ward, Jim Smith and the musical stylings of BBC Radio 2 star Jonny Awsum.

The charming Gary Little returns, telling tales of paranoia, hillwalking and having prison pen pals.

Glasgow Art

VOICING THE ARCHIVE

MAP presents a series of audio recordings of past MAP contributions, voiced by their authors and installed at a listening station in the CCA foyer and Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.

MARVIN GAYE CHETWYND: UPTIGHT UPRIGHT UPSIDE DOWN

12 NOV-8 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

13 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

26 NOV-18 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

16 NOV, 8:30PM, £5 - £7

5 NOV, 8:00PM, £13.50

GARY LITTLE: A LITTLE BIT OF PERSONAL

13 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10

For her first full solo show in Scotland, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd revisits and extends some of her earlier works transforming the exhibition spaces in CCA into a set. Proposing ideas and sharing information on what might liberate people, in an interactive live cinematic proposal Uptight upright upside down attempts not to shape the world, but rather to visually offer an extension to it.

THE SATURDAY SHOW

5, 12, 19, 26 NOV, TIMES VARY, £18

2, 4, 11, 18, 25 NOV, 10:30PM, £5 - £6

Festival Theatre

The Gardyne Theatre

1-30 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

Bedlam Theatre IMPROVERTS

Dundee Comedy

30 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10

GARY LITTLE: A LITTLE BIT OF PERSONAL

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

Breakthrough stars of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Sketchorama’ Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce hit The Stand.

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art

4, 11, 18, 25 NOV, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

Edinburgh Comedy

THE CROFT & PEARCE SHOW 2-27 NOV, 8:30PM, £10 - £12

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to road test new material.

THE FRIDAY SHOW

THE SATURDAY SHOW

5, 12, 19, 26 NOV, TIMES VARY, £18

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Monkey Barrel Comedy Club

TOPICAL STORM

Radical satire from Keir McAllister, Vladimir McTavish, Stu Murphy and Mark Nelson.

STAND SPOTLIGHT

23 NOV, 8:30PM, £5

The Stand shines its comedy limelight on the topic of new beginnings.

BENEFIT IN AID OF REFUGEE ACTION SCOTLAND

GENEVA SILLS: CONES & EGGS

A showcase of photographic history and technique with an emphasis is on the autonomous practice of the artist as well as the connection between photography and painting.

Large still lifes, presented as mural silver gelatin prints, will act as sexually-charged stand-ins amplified further by smaller accompanying colour prints. What the artist hopes for is that her work will renew and simplify appreciation for the materiality of photography and the female form.

13 NOV, 5:00PM, £12

A night of comedy dedicated to raising funds for Refugee Action Scotland.

ED GAMBLE: STAMPEDE

13 NOV, 8:30PM, £12

Gamble thunders into town with a wagonload of misguided opinions and wild conjecture.

Listings

61

The Common Guild

SHARON HAYES: IN MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD, ANYONE WOULD LOVE YOU

1 NOV-3 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition by the American artist Sharon Hayes, whose work explores the voice of the individual within wider political history. This exhibition draws from feminist and queer archives from the UK and the US to examines how political discourse is formed.

The Lighthouse KITCHENISM

1-28 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

Cyril Gerber Fine Art

THE WINTER COLLECTION 2016

5 NOV-31 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Specially selected paintings, drawings and sculptures collected for this seasonal exhibition, including work by Scottish Masters, Glasgow School, Modern British, St.Ives, Cadell, Colquhoun & MacBryde, Eardley, Fergusson, Kay, Knox, McLauchlan Milne, Paterson, Reeves, Sandeman, Vaughan, Watt and a selection of Scottish Contemporaries.

Glasgow Print Studio ACADEMICIANS IV

19 NOV-22 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow Print Studio present the fourth in their series of exhibitions featuring the work of four Royal and Royal Scottish Academicians: Christopher le Brun, Annie Cattrell, Stephen Chambers, and Kate Downie.

TRIGGER WORDS

1-13 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

PLEASE TURN US ON 1 NOV-22 JAN 17, 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 NOV-17 APR 17, 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.

Hunterian Art Gallery

WILLIAM HUNTER TO DAMIEN HIRST: THE DEAD TEACH THE LIVING

1 NOV-5 MAR 17, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

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.

RENAISSANCE PRINTS: MANTEGNA, MARCANTONIO AND PARMIGIANINO

In an an exhibition reflecting upon the Glasgow Print Studio Press, GPS exhibits ten artists’ works that were inspired by or somehow relate to a piece of Scottish literature.

1 NOV-22 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Glasgow School of Art

Intermedia Gallery

1-10 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

1-12 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

WHEREABOUTS YOU ARE

An exhibition of work by ten GSA PhD Researchers, curated by Allyson Keehan (GSA) and guest curator Viviana Checchia (Public Engagement Curator, Centre for Contemporary Arts), exploring the diverse research practices of GSA PhD cohort.

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

ZOFIA KULIK: INSTEAD OF SCULPTURE

2 NOV-3 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A debut UK exhibition from Polish artist Zofia Kulik, in which she investigate the reinvention of sculpture as a medium via serialised photographic works that are grouped as narrative tableaux.

A collection of prints by three major figures in Italian Renaissance art: Andrea Mantegna, Marcantonio Raimondi and Parmigianino.

JOE SLOAN: PURIFICATION BY MUD

Purification by Mud is an exhibition of new work that will feature and make use of anecdotal storytelling, life drawing, amateur singing, and prosthetic technologies such as voice prompters, POV cameras and medical audio recordings.

Mary Mary JESSE WINE

12 NOV-7 JAN 17, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

Jesse Wine is a sculptor who works primarily with ceramics. See a new collection at Mary Mary this month.

RGI Kelly Gallery CAROL SCOULLER: NEW PAINTINGS

1-19 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of new work by Carol Scouller.

CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

1-2 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

GoMA

Alice McMurrough presents a new collection of work at the RGI Kelly Gallery.

1-13 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

SWG3 Glasgow

WOLFGANG TILLMANS: PICTURES FROM NEW WORLD

Turner Prize-winning Wolfgang Tillmans brings an exhibition of photographs from his series Neue Welt (New World) to the GoMA. After ten years spent abstracting and conceptualising, Tillmans exhibits a re-enchantment with seeing the world for what it is.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF YOUR BRAIN

1-13 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A major solo show from Jacqueline Donachie, a Glasgow-based artist whose ambitious new work explores disability, care and loss following over a decade of research and collaboration with scientific and medical professionals.

62

Listings

BEHIND THE IMAGE

24 NOV, 7:00PM, £10

Brickbat Productions’ ‘creative meet-up’, featuring an exhibition of the work of local artists, photographers, musicians and filmmakers.

Street Level Photoworks

LARRY HERMAN: CLYDESIDE 1974-76

1-27 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

NYC born sculptor Larry Herman revisits his original project (a project unseen since it was first exhibited at the Third Eye Centre, Glasgow in 1976) by adding new set of 78 black and white silver gelatine prints.

The Lighthouse showcases furniture prototypes designed and made in Edinburgh, with the centrepiece of a new kitchen table for the Maggie’s Centre in Edinburgh, made from storm-fallen hardwoods donated by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

KATHY HINDE: LUMINOUS BIRDS

1 NOV-15 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Kathy Hinde brings her musical flock of luminous birds inspired by the flight-paths of migrating birds to The Lighthouse.

GDFS: INTERNATIONAL POSTER EXHIBITION

1-25 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A curated shortlist of entries to GDFS 2016 International Poster Competition which took place between June and August 2016 and received more than 3451 entries from more than 50 countries.

PUTPUT EXHIBITION

1-25 NOV, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

PUTPUT lie in the intersection between art, design and concept, creating distinct visuals through self-instigated projects and commissions for clients. This exhibition is part of Graphic Design Festival Scotland.

DESIGN DISPLACEMENT

1-25 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition which explores the four grand themes of the opera; love, jealousy, ambition and revenge through an immersive audio-visual presentation. Part of Graphic Design Festival Scotland.

PROSPECT NORTH

1-9 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

An immersive exhibition created by Lateral North, Dualchas Architects and Soluis which explores the relationship between people, culture, places, industries and economies.

ARTISTS' MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL 5-6 NOV, TIMES VARY, £5-10

Split across two days programming, in which Saturday is curated by artist and educator Sarah Tripp and is titled Making People Up, and on the second day, filmmaker and writer Ed Webb-Ingall brings “presentations that reflect on notions of dissonance and disobedience in the cinema.

Transmission Gallery

WET FLANNEL ON MY SIDE, LIKE A SADDLE ON A HORSE

1-5 NOV, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A group show exhibiting work by Sebastian Ymai, Angharad Williams, Orestis Lazouras and Lee Lazano.

Edinburgh Art Arusha Gallery MARGARETANN BENNETT: THE UNTOLD

10 NOV-4 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Arusha exhibits the culmination of three years spent working with Margaretann Bennett – over twenty paintings including three of her popular ‘twin or mirrored’ figures and a collection of small portraits.

City Art Centre PAPER TRAIL: DRAWINGS, WATERCOLOURS, PRINTS

1 NOV-21 MAY 17, 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.

A SKETCH OF THE UNIVERSE: ART, SCIENCE AND THE INFLUENCE OF D’ARCY THOMPSON

19 NOV-19 FEB 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

City Art Centre showcases the highlights of a collection of artworks inspired by pioneering Edinburghborn biologist D’Arcy Thompson.

Collective Gallery

HAMISH YOUNG: EXCAVATION

1-20 NOV, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

The Modern Institute

Hamish Young’s new exhibition, comprising carved marble sculptures and a series of screen prints made with the residual marble dust.

11 NOV-16 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Corn Exchange

SHIO KUSAKA

A new exhibition from Japanese artist Shio Kusaka, who primarily works in the creation of mesmerising ceramics.

JIM LAMBIE

11 NOV-16 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

The 2005 Turner prize shortlisted artist brings a new exhibition to Modern Institute.

Tramway

THE BIG PICTURE SHOW

10 NOV-11 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

For the first time Tramway presents a season of artists’ films for children, programmed by LIX Scotland.

ELLA KRUGLYANSKAYA

1 NOV-11 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition of work from the past decade along with new pieces from 2016 by New York-based painter in collaboration with Tate Liverpool.

ASSEMBLY

26-27 NOV, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

A live installation the configuration of which responds to the presence of spectators.

PRESENT TENSE

26 NOV, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

The performers back themselves into a corner by setting several hundred mousetraps in this live installation.

CONSTANTS AND VARIABLES

27 NOV, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

A performer attempts to transport spoonfuls of black ink across her white paper dress in this live installation.

EDINBURGH ART FAIR

18-20 NOV, 11:00AM – 7:30PM, £3 - £5

The 12th annual Edingburgh Art Fair pitches up in the Corn Exchange for a rolicking weekend of art showcase and trade.

Dovecot Studios COLOUR AND LIGHT

5 NOV-28 JAN 17, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Dovecot exhibits a selection of recent projects which share in common a creative relationship between colour and light.

Edinburgh Printmakers TIME IS ALL AROUND

UNTIL 23 DEC, 10:00AM-18:00PM, FREE

Life, death, hope, redemption, tragedy, beauty. Edinburgh Printmakers' upcoming Members’ Exhibition wrestles with big themes. Many of the artists have been working closely with St. Columba’s Hospice, a provider of special palliative care for patients with terminal illness.

Ingleby Gallery

IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: EARLY WORK

2-26 NOV, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

10 years after the death of Ian Hamilton Finlay, and 50 years since he moved to a little farm in the Pentland Hills called Stonypath and transformed its surrounds into a poet’s garden, the Ingleby presents an exhibition centred around the year 1966.

National Museum of Scotland

51ST WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR EXHIBITION 1 NOV-19 FEB 17, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The only Scottish showcase for the 51st Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition, which will feature 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behaviour to breath- taking wild landscapes.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA UNREALISED: ARCHITECTURAL IMAGINATION FROM THE RSA COLLECTIONS

1 NOV-13 FEB 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

RSA showcases the architectural plans, sketches and competition entries detailing plans for buildings that never came to be. Have a wander and wonder ‘what if?’.

THE DAVID MICHIE GIFT

1 NOV-13 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

The RSA exhibits a collection of over twenty works gifted to them by artist, exhibitor, tutor and avid supporter of the RSA, David Michie.

DAVID MICHIE RSA: STUDIO WORKS

1-6 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A companion exhibition to RSA’s gifted David Michie showcase, featuring works from across his career which are available for sale.

Scottish National Gallery ROCKS AND RIVERS: THE LUNDE COLLECTION

1 NOV-30 JAN 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Long-term loan from one of the finest private collections of 19th-Century Norwegian and Swiss landscape paintings, American collector Asbjörn Lunde, taking in 13 works by artists including Johan Christian Dahl, Alexandre Calame and Thomas Fearnley.

THE GOLDFINCH

4 NOV-18 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Carel Fabritius’ iconic depiction of a goldfinch – one of his few surviving works after an explosion in a gunpowder took his life and destroyed many of his paintings – makes a visit to Edinburgh. It is the painting’s debut exhibition in Scotland.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art BRIDGET RILEY: PAINTINGS,1963-2015

1 NOV-16 APR 17, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, 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

1 NOV-18 FEB 18, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, 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.

KARLA BLACK AND KISHIO SUGA: A NEW ORDER

1 NOV-19 FEB 17, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Karla Black and Kishio Suga share in common their knack for taking ordinary everyday materials and using them to create beautifully complex sculptural works. Their exhibition at Modern One combines their work for the first time.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery THE TWEEDDALES: POWER, POLITICS AND PORTRAITS

1 NOV-28 MAY 17, 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 seventeenth century who were known best for contributions to politics and the military.

SCOTS IN ITALY 1 NOV-5 MAR 19, TIMES VARY, FREE

A showcase of the Scottish experience of Italy in the eighteenth century, a time when artistic, entrepreneurial and aristocratic fascination with the country was reaching boiling point.

OUT OF THEIR HEADS: BUILDING PORTRAITS OF SCOTTISH ARCHITECTS

1 NOV-5 FEB 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

An opportunity to peer into the minds of some of Scotland’s greatest architects via The Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s collection of portraits and designs.

THE VIEW FROM HERE

1 NOV-30 APR 17, 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

26 NOV-27 OCT 19, TIMES VARY, FREE

A display collating paintings, sculptures and works from the Portrait Gallery’s twentieth-century collection, ft. a variety of well-known faces, from Ramsay Macdonald to Alan Cumming, Tilda Swinton to Danny McGrain.

BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2016

26 NOV-26 MAR 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

Now in its thirty-seventh 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.

Stills

JILL TODD PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD 2016 5 NOV-22 JAN 17, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Stills showcases the works of three victorious entrants into the Jill Todd Photographic Award 2016, an annual award promoting early career in photography open to photography graduates in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

Summerhall IAN SMITH’S STUDIO

1-27 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A celebratory retrospective of the work of the maverick performer and self-proclaimed ‘art gangster’.

GRAEME WILCOX

1-27 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Glasgow-based painter Graeme Wilcox depicts people and scenes both real and imagined in an attempt to work through the strangeness of daily life and the people surrounding us.

GOOD GRIEF: PART 2

1-27 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Attend a re-working of Ian Smith’s Good Grief installation originally made for the National Review of Live Art and leave tributes to loved ones past.

IN MEMORIAM: A GROUP SHOW

1-27 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A group show forming part of Summerhall’s Death Fest, featuring multi-disciplinary works by friends and loved ones recently passed, including Emma Hermann Smith, Abigail Mclellan, Jean Hendry, Graeme Gilmour and Roger Ely. ROSS FRASER MCLEAN: CEIBA CASA DE TODOS LOS MUERTOS

1 NOV-23 DEC, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Photographer-artist Ross Fraser McLean’s exhibition of works created when carrying out research trips into Mexican culture, investigating Mexico’s relationship with death and dying.

COLIN GRAY: IT TAKES A VILLAGE

1-27 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A powerful and challenging series of portraits and personal stories crated by award-winning Glasgow based artist photographer Colin Gray with help from The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, exploring the notion of offering support to those who are dying.

Talbot Rice Gallery

STEPHEN BRANDES: PARC DU SOUVENIR

1 NOV-17 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new body of work fixating on interests from modern European history to Enlightenment, architectural expressions of ideology in the rural and urban environment to the Northern Romantic Landscape tradition; Dada and Constructivist collage and beyond.

THE TORRIE COLLECTION

1 NOV-17 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

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.

ROB KENNEDY: ACTS OF DIS PLAY

1 NOV-17 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

An installation featuring a new video work, weekly performances, detritus, found objects, philosophical texts and a selection of contemporary and historical artworks by the likes of Merlin James, Conor Kelly, Julian Kildear, Tony Maas and David Tenier.

The Fruitmarket Gallery CONVERSATIONS IN LETTERS AND LINES

19 NOV-19 FEB 17, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Fruitmarket presents an exhibition combining the works of South African artists William Kentridge (animated filmmaker, opera director, performer and draughtsman) and Vivienne Koorland (painter, printmaker and maker of objects).

Dundee Art Cooper Gallery

OF OTHER SPACES: WHERE DOES GESTURE BECOME EVENT? CHAPTER ONE

THE NEMESIS MACHINE 10-26 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A large installation comprising a miniature city which ‘represents the complexities of the real time city as a shifting morphing and complex system’. Part of NeON Digital Arts Festival.

PAPERHOLM

10-26 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A daily project by artist Charles Young in which one new structure is designed, made, photographed and uploaded to the Paperholm archive each day, gradually accumulating to form a series of islands. Part of NEON Digital Arts Festival.

Generator Projects

LUDICROUSLY IDEAL AND BEAUTIFULLY PLACED

12 NOV-4 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of new works by Amy Boulton and Laura Yuile. Through observing the ways that digital and physical architectures serve to control and manipulate their residents, Yuile and Boulton comment on the imposed standards of idealistic living and the tasks we are encouraged to fulfill in order to achieve these ideals of success, happiness and financial well being.

Hannah Maclure Centre

ALL WATCHED OVER BY MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE

11 NOV-24 FEB 17, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A NEoN festival exhibition by Miyu Hayashi, Ruth Kerr, Willy Lemaitre and Tom Sherman, interrogating the idea of whether machines now recognise and understand the spaces they inhabit.

The McManus REFLECTIONS ON CELTS

1 NOV-5 DEC, 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.

1 NOV-16 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, 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.

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts KATY DOVE

1-20 NOV, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

A memorial exhibition of drawings, collages, paintings, prints and animations by Katy Dove, an artist and former student of DJCAD / employee of DCA who passed away in 2015.

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

THE SKINNY

Biff-spiration On the eve of a huge UK stadium tour, Biffy Clyro’s Ben Johnston shares some of their surprising influences (hiya Beyoncé) and talk staying fresh with their most experimental, eclectic album to date – Ellipsis

I

t may be an ugly word in rock circles, but Biffy Clyro’s album Ellipsis is probably their most pop album to date. Not necessarily in terms of commerciality, as 2013 double album Opposites claimed top spot in the UK album charts, a feat Ellipsis impressively repeated earlier this year.

Their ability to take diverse influences from a range of zeitgeist sources and distil that into an urgent, disciplined and punchy eleven track record, is what really shines through on Ellipsis.

“ Simon loves Kanye West but he doesn’t love him as a person because he’s obviously an arsehole” Ben Johnston

“It comes quite naturally through us getting a bit older and listening to more,” explains Biffy drummer Ben Johnston. “When you’re younger, you’re very much one type of music, one kind of genre and a bit blinkered to other styles but then you maybe start listening to more music, and you’re not quite so bull-headed about stuff.

I guess we all listen to a bit of hip-hop and a bit of dance now, and that certainly wouldn’t be the case back when we released our first album. I think it’s about trying to broaden your horizons a bit, to let other forms of art seep in. I guess [Ellipsis] is our shortest album because it’s eclectic, there’s a lot of different styles within that half hour and we’re really proud of that. We’ve always liked a bit of folk and country music and you can hear that in Small Wishes; you’ve got more angry stuff with In The Name of the Wee Man, and then an almost R’n’B/hip-hop-produced tune with Re-Arrange, so I guess we’re just pulling from all corners of our influences.”

Biffy Clyro are known to record in triptychs, with seventh LP Ellipsis being a bold new statement commencing a third album cycle. With it being such a radical departure from their previous work, what inspired the boys to incorporate such a maximalism of musical styles? Johnston tells The Skinny what they’ve been listening to, and watching, over the past three years.

BOOTS – AQUARIA [2015] Jordan Asher, aka BOOTS, has built a huge name for himself Stateside producing for FKA Twigs, Run the Jewels and Autolux. Biffy were listening to his experimental hip-hop and electronic R’n’B layered soundscapes during Ellipsis’ genesis: “He’s a young guy who’s produced Beyoncé, and worked with our [Ellipsis] producer Rich Costey. AQUARIA is an outstanding record.”

Beyoncé – Lemonade [2016] The aforementioned BOOTS worked on Beyoncé’s call to arms Lemonade. Says Johnston, “Beyoncé is just very cutting edge and pretty out there. A lot of hiphop pop people are taking more risks than rock bands, that’s what we felt going into this album.

Rock used to be the stuff you couldn’t play to your parents but now it’s really the hip-hop stuff you wouldn’t want your parents to hear.

“I feel that it’s weird that a day comes when the new Beyoncé record is the most cutting edge thing you’ve heard. I never thought that would happen. It was a shocker when that came out, it was really pretty wild, really brave and it’s quite an angry record too.”

Enter Shikari – The Mindsweep [2015] But there still are angry young men who measure up in the alt-rock world for Biffy, namely post-hardcore quartet Enter Shikari: “You used to look to punk bands for politics, although I’m sure there will still be bands kicking about – you see a lot of angry people but there doesn’t seem to be a rock band that has taken the limelight and embodies that.

The only rock band that comes to mind is Enter Shikari. They’re a band shouting about politics and they’re pretty angry boys, we like that about them.”

Interview: Rachel Bowles

Kanye West – Yeezus [2013] Simon Neil, Biffy’s vocalist and guitarist, in particular is a huge fan of Kanye’s approach to musical production, and that influenced their work in the studio. “Leading up to Ellipsis we were listening to quite a bit of hip-hop, Simon loves Kanye West but he doesn’t love him as a person because he’s obviously an arsehole. He may not be the best rhymer in the world, but his music definitely does break down some barriers, I think he changed the face of hiphop in a way. He broke a lot of rules.”

Brand New – 3 Demos, Reworked [2016] Biffy can’t wait to tour Ellipsis with New York’s post-hardcore rock band Brand New, who the trio feel they should be supporting instead: “They actually approached us, it was unbelievable and really an honour, because we would never have thought to even ask them. In our heads, it was almost like the other way around. All our American contemporaries look up to Brand New. It’s crazy, but that’s definitely how we still see it, they’re a wee bit older than us, and they’ve been doing this for longer than us. For us to even get to see them play right now, it’s incredible, let alone night after night. It’ll be massive and I’m really hoping they actually start writing some new music as well – that’d be great. Some new stuff for them and we can’t wait to hear them play some of our favourite songs ever, it’s going to be fabulous.”

Stanley Kubrick – The Shining [1980] Kubrick’s classic horror was a big influence on the music video for single Howl, as perhaps was Ru Paul’s Drag Race: “We wanted a kind of Stanley Kubrick vibe, and The Shining was mentioned when we were trying to get ideas. We just wanted the whole thing to be really off-kilter. It was meant to be a confusing yet fun video. Hopefully it comes across that way. It was certainly a lot of fun to make. We turned up and the first thing to be shot, I think, was James and I as the evil twins.

That was madness because we got in, and wardrobe just dressed us up in these costumes, and I thought ‘Holy shit! We actually look dead similar,’ because we don’t generally in everyday life. It was frightening for me; it really was, because we never have. Even as babies, we didn’t look anything like each other. We had to learn these little moves in two minutes then shoot. It was just all go, all day, then Simon dressing up as the geisha girl. We still love watching that video. It still makes us laugh a lot.”

Bon Iver – 22, A Million And finally, for post-album release chilling, it’s the new albu from experimental and glitchy Bon Iver: “At the moment we’re really digging him. His new album’s fantastic.”

Ellipsis is out now. Biffy Clyro and Brand New play Glasgow’s SSE Hydro, 29 Nov

November 2016

Music

Out Back

63

64

Listings

THE SKINNY