The Skinny August '08

THE SKINNY .CO.UK

ISSUE 35 :: AUGUST 2008 :: FREE

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS:

TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS 15+ PAGES OF FESTIVAL PREVIEWS...

EIF DIRECTOR ON THE FESTIVAL OF IDEAS CHUCK PALAHNIUK BREAKS A PORN WORLD RECORD AND ELSEWHERE:

GENIUS FILM-MAKER KENNETH ANGER COMES TO DUNDEE SPIRITUALIZED, JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN AND MERCURY REV PREPARE TO ROCK HYDRO CONNECT

MUSIC I ART I THEATRE I FILM I DVD I GAMES I COMEDY I FASHION I LISTINGS

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THE SKINNYShowcase

For our Festival Showcase, The Skinny presents a selection of works by Jock Mooney, who graduated from ECA in 2004 and has since been living in Newcastle and London, making and exhibiting his unique works of sculpture, drawing, film and performance both locally and internationally. Jock describes his work thus: "My sculptural works and installations are comprised of numerous small-scale hand made objects. In the case of my ongoing project 'Inventory', the bombardment of data currently numbers over 1,500 individual elements. Presented en masse to the viewer, these apparently random images are drawn from a wide range of sources, including mythology, religious iconography, historical occurrence, popular culture and mundane reality. Taken from similar sources, my drawings and random lists written off the top of my head, function in parallel to the sculptural works and share the same stream-of-consciousness aesthetic."

After the Showcase, Jock will be exhibiting in Edinburgh again in September as part of a group show in Evolution House.

Upcoming London shows include The Future Can Wait in the Truman Brewery in October, and a collaborative exhibition with his father John Mooney in the Whitecross Gallery in November.

To see more of his work, go to www.jockmooney.com A selection of Jock's drawings will be exhibited in the Bongo Club throughout the Edinburgh Festival. An opening event/book launch will be taking place on Thursday 7 Aug from 7 – 9pm.

Welcome Editorial After two years of living without a telly, I now find myself in the same flat as a Sky box (I love the idea of a ‘sky box’, even if it doesn’t have any real sky in it), and watching a channel called ‘Dave’. Dave is a fairly daft channel too, effectively just selling second-fiddle ads to run alongside re-run comedies originally produced by the BBC. But I suppose as long as their fee is re-invested by the folks at the Beeb to produce more quality comedy, then little harm can come from this curious set-up.

Lee will describe (and eviscerate) a high-concept theme defies a quick turn-around time; and the way Doug Stanhope (not likely to be at this year’s festival, despite his Fringe Guide PR stunt) feeds off the audience is much more effective in a grimy basement than on a cardboard cut-out set. But still, my recent television comedy viewing will be affecting my plans for Fringe 2008:

What watching Dave, and the comedy shows on it – like Have I Got News For You and QI - has made me realise, is that this stuff is better than a lot of live stand-up comedy. This is an unusual state of affairs; we are used to the immediacy of a live performance being more enjoyable than watching something similar on the box, particularly when it comes to music, but with all kinds of events from the arts through to sports.

One of the best places to look for the last in that list will be the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with which The Skinny is proud to be media partners this year. Lots of the more affable performers will be just as funny as most stand-ups on the Fringe, while the intensity of their thoughtprocesses is likely to make their show only more rewarding. On this tack I’d particularly recommend the shows with which we are directly affiliated: novelist Chuck Palahniuk and performance-poet Shane Koyczan. Palahniuk’s readings are the stuff of legend, and this year, as he debuts a new novel about a porn industry world record attempt, things should be even further off the handle than usual. Koyczan is by turns hilarious, introspective and passionate, and he is a master of crowd-control.

Read more about both on page 32.

Several of the performers on the best comedy shows, of which there are also a number on the radio, are also stand-up comedians: Frankie Boyle, Bill Bailey, Russell Howard, Paul Merton. What is usually most funny – and the producers seem fairly clued-up to this formula – is seeing them improvise absurdities in response to something tangible and familiar: an image of something in the news or a phrase they can turn.

The show that does the most to combine such ‘response-humour’ with stand-up material is Mock the Week, for one round of which comedians are asked to respond with a skit to a given topic. The best audience reaction always goes to those who try to improvise, rather than those who just find a bit of one of their routines that can be crowbarred into fitting the bill - even if the improvised humour is less technically funny. On HIGNFY (now there’s a catchy acronym!) and QI, the best bits tend to come from two or more people playing off each other, improvising lines back and forth. Curiously, this freewheeling is more easily arranged in the studio than live in a venue.

Of course there are talented exceptions, who know exactly how to craft a live show. The way Stewart

- no big name comics unless they’re never on the TV more far-out or high-concept comedy that wouldn’t fit on TV more things-that-are-funny-that-aren’t-comedyper-se

Humour has its place in visual art too, of course, and if you want to see one of the best up-and-coming artists with a full grasp of the surreal and the profane, then you could do far worse than heading along to see Jock Mooney’s Skinny Showcase, on at the Bongo Club Café from 8 August. However, the very best will also be on show throughout the Edinburgh Art Festival, another of our prideinducing affiliations, about which you can read more on page 35.

There’s tons more goodness throughout the mag: the Music section looks forward to the excellentlooking Hydro Connect; Slutty McWhore is her usual combination of sass and wisdom in Deviance; and in Film, along with an interview with the director of Man on Wire, we have reviewers Laura Smith and Lindsay West at their bitchiest – and funny as hell.

The Skinny Let us know what you think: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk P: The Skinny, The Drill Hall, 30-38 Dalmeny St, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG Issue 35, August 2008 © Radge Media Ltd. The Skinny 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 T: 0131 467 4630 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.

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Publisher Sophie Kyle editor Rupert Thomson Creative Director MATT MACLEOD ENterprise Manager Lara Moloney Production editor David Lemm Sales executives Caroline BAIRD

David Lockhart online & Music editor Dave Kerr Clubs & music EDITOR Alex Burden Deviance EDITOR Nine Film EDITOR Paul Greenwood Fashion Editor Lindsay West theatre EDITOR Gareth K. Vile comedy editor Emma Lennox Books EDITOR Keir hind games EDITOR Josh Wilson ART editor Rosamund West FOOD & Drink editor Ruth Marsh Competitions Editor Finbarr Bermingham Club Listings andrew cooke Subeditors Rosamund West

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Jenni cruickshank Showcase curator Rosamund West Get involved with the skinny in aberdeen:

listings and Queries about advertising or editorial in aberdeen should be directed to aberdeen manager Jaco Justice: jaco@theskinny.co.uk

6 THE SKINNY

August 08

Contents

8 14 16 20 22 24 26 30 32 34 36 48 56 60 68

Contents

Contents

Issue 35 :: August 2008

Heads Up

Go out? Pah, sit at home and catch the best of the festival on edfest.tv

comedy

Our pick of this year’s acts, including satirist Andy Zaltzman

Theatre

National Theatre of Scotland shows at the Edinburgh Festivals

FASHION

Lindsay’s usual mix of humour and hot tips

food & Drink Some old bars and new places to eat

Joan as police woman :: 37

deviance We go sex shopping

film

An interview with Man on Wire director James Marsh and a look at forthcoming releases

Games

A preview of Edinburgh Interactive Festival and the latest reviews

books

We preview Chuck Palahniuk and Shane Koyczan in the run up to the the Book Festival Al Seed : 18

Art

Including Edinburgh Art Festival and Annuale previews, and Altered States of Paint in Dundee

Music

Tricky on his new album, 20 years of Sub Pop, and an interview with the elusive T++ before his Glasgow gig

Records

Including album of the month from The Cool Kids, and an interview with Michael Franti on his new album

Clubs

Festival clubbing, and our pick of upcoming events

Listings

Who what where when. Sort your life out.

Competitions Featuring Uncle Finbarr’s Quiz Time

www.theskinny.co.uk

Jane Frere ::35 Malcolm Crowthers

August 08

THE SKINNY 7

HEADS UP We are telly addicts:

Edfest.tv at Edinburgh Festivals 2008 Everyone knows sifting through the plethora of promotional material to find something to go to in the festival can be time consuming at best, and The Skinny and edfest. tv believe watching previews of shows could be invaluabe for the discerning festival attendee. edfest.tv, as the name suggests, are the Edinburgh festivals’ online television channel. Their mission: to root out the highlights, low lights and best sights of the Edinburgh Festival in all its glorious guises, and capture them on video.

In 2007 edfest.tv produced almost 200 video previews and this year they’re doing the same thing but better. Everyday, their production crews will be out in Edinburgh to chat to artists and audiences, gleaning the the gossip and capturing the glitz before editing the evidence within 24 hours, and uploading a host of new shows to the interweb at edfest.tv. You can watch the picks of what they have been up to throughout August’s madness, on the video player at www.theskinny. co.uk and on The Skinny’s sister publication Fest’s site www.festmag.co.uk.

Of the festivals, the interviews they have lined up include some of the biggest stars visiting the country: Tracey Emin will chat about her biggest ever retrospective, taking place at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Britpopper turned musing journo Alex James will talk to Edinburgh Book Festival audiences and edfest.tv about his book A Bit of a Blur. Plus, The Skinny Selected EIBF author Chuck Palahniuk, who is in Edinburgh to talk about his new, stomachturning novel Snuff, is also in line for a chat.

Along with a long list of interviewees, edfest.tv will also be chatting with famous funny people such as Reginald D Hunter, Jason Byrne, Jim

AILSA

JENNY

MAX

MALCOLM

WILLIAM

ESME

Gutter Talk

by Jess Travis

THE MEAN STREETS OF GLASGOW AILSA DOAK, 18

WALKING SONG?

WILLIAM BOLES, 22

WITH AUGUST ALL ABOUT EDINBURGH, WHY GLASGOW?

‘Bittersweet Symphony,’ The Verve. It makes you think.

GLASGOW DAY - OR NIGHT LIFE?

DESERT ISLAND?

Nightlife. There’s so much variety. Even if you’re not into music you can just go into a pub. There’s something for everyone.

esting and into his music opposed to

The shops are better, we’re here…and there’s so much to do, loads of different things, a range of shops, and the nightlife is better than Edinburgh.

GLASGOW’S BEST KEPT SECRET? I love this place in the West End called the Liquid Shop. It does really good food.

Jeffries, Lucy Porter, Miles Jupp, and Rick Shapiro.

On top of this madness, edfest.tv are producing Richard Mackney’s edfest.tv Show, a free chat show every Thursday in the Pleasance Courtyard, starring yet more celebrities such as Mark Watson, Andrew Maxwell and Jim Bowen.

Not ones to ignore the masses, edfest.tv will also broadcast the opinions of the most important festival critics of all - the audience - so you can view some real feedback on shows and not the PR-driven spiel. Moving along the same editorial vein as The Skinny, edfest.tv aims to have every cultural base covered, from comedy to art, theatre to music, and books, ensuring the choice is as diverse and accessible as ever. So, all round, a pretty valiant effort: with Fest bringing you free coverage of the festivals twice a week in print (available in all your favourite festival venues), edfest.tv bringing you a plethora of video previews, and The Skinny filling you in on everything else, you can’t really go wrong in Scotland in August.

CHECK OUT EDFEST.TV AT WWW.EDFEST.TV, OR GO TO WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK FOR A LOOK AT SOME OF THE PICS OF THE FESTIVAL.

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT BAND WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU? Coldplay. I love Chris Martin and the new album.

Bruce. He seems as if he is quite interjust doing it.

HAIRBRUSH SONG? One of the Pussycat Dolls’ songs. Any

MAX HENDERSON, 21

of them.

WHY GLASGOW?

WALKING SONG?

I think it is a significantly more dynamic city, more directed to a much younger group. Everyone can find their own niche. I just think it’s more fun.

‘Get it Faster’ by Jimmy Eat World. I like that one. It starts off and it just grows.

It’s so unexpected where you end up

DESERT ISLAND?

with the song.

WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE, DANCE AROUND WITH A HAIRBRUSH SONG?

Kid Carpet. The guy is nuts. He finds old toys that make noises and he reprograms them to play music.

LIVE PERFORMANCE?

‘I Want to Dance with Somebody.’ It reminds me of the holiday we were just on in Kos, Greece. They played it everywhere.

SONG TO WALK TO?

DAY - OR NIGHTLIFE?

I’m really into Dan Le Sac and the song called ‘Fix’.

It depends on what you’re wanting.

WHAT IS THE BEST SONG TO WALK TO?

Gritty (but) good fun.

I’ll just go for The Proclaimers, ‘500 Miles’ because it’s about walking.

MALCOLM PICKARD, 20

EMSE CAMLEY, 18

WHY GLASGOW?

WHY GLASGOW?

Edinburgh is more metropolitan. Glasgow has more to do, better nightlife, better shops as well. Sounder people.

The people are nicer and its more

WHY GLASGOW?

BEST KEPT SECRET?

Matt from Muse because he’s interest-

The people are generally friendly with great places for gigs like the Union and Carling Academy.

A vintage shop called We Love to Boogie. It isn’t open yet but it’s going to open soon.

ing and probably has a lot to say. He

BEST KEPT SECRET?

DESERT ISLAND?

The West End in general. It has a whole different feel. It’s really quirky.

The Clash. They’re cool as fuck.

HAIRBRUSH SONG?

music.

DESERT ISLAND?

White Snake, ‘Here I Go Again On My Own.’

WALKING SONG?

DAY - OR NIGHTLIFE?

of bass. Nothing in particular.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE GLASGOW IN THREE WORDS? Fun, diverse, rainy.

GLASGOW IN THREE WORDS?

JENNY MACLEOD, 17

Bruce Springsteen. I just think he’d be really interesting to talk to. He seems like he has lived.

GUILTY PLEASURE SONG? Girls Aloud, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now.’

Nightlife. Everything is happening.

It’s non-stop. Twenty-four hour party people.

Rage at T in the Park.

THREE WORDS? Aggressive but nice.

about Scottish people than tourists.

DESERT ISLAND?

could think of a cool way to get home.

HAIRBRUSH SONG? I don’t have one. I only listen to good

Something with a good beat and a lot THREE WORDS? Vibrant, alive and stylish.

THE SKINNY ON TOUR SUMMER HOLIDAYS!

AGNES JONES: MOTSAMETA STATION, GEORGIA

SEND YOUR PHOTOS FOR SKINNY ON TOUR TO: HELLO@THESKINNY.CO.UK

8 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

JESSICA HARRISON: BERLIN

CHLOE LEIPER: GELATI BELLTOWER, GEORGIA

HEADS UP

CPL Skinny Ad August PRINT.pdf

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10 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS

THE FESTIVALS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 THE MEDIA 10 11 12 13 14 THE REST 15 16 17 18 19 20

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL = THE EMPEROR Only appears near the end, expects own high standards to be met.

Wields strange powers.

THE FRINGE = BLOODY GIANT WORM THING HIDING IN CRATER

You think you’re safe, but before you know it the whole thing is trying to swallow you in a gulp.

COMEDY FESTIVAL = THE DEATH STAR Something of a galactic talking point, powerful self-defence force-field part of the package.

THE FREE FRINGE = JAWAS

They take any old crap, but you’ve got to love ‘em.

MILITARY TATTOO = DARTH VADER Traces of remorse behind mask of evil?

BOOK FESTIVAL = OBI WAN KENOBI

Supposedly a dead form but continues to hold sway with certain privileged types.

JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL = MOS EISLEY CANTINA BAND Broadly irrelevant, but loved by a cult following.

STREET PERFORMERS = BOBA FETT “I do this for a living...”

ART FESTIVAL AND ANNUALE = C3PO AND R2D2 Shiny. Speak their own language.

THE SKINNY = HAN SOLO

Maverick hero. Popular, lives fast, badly organised.

FEST = PRINCESS LEIA

Young and attractive. Probably getting it on with Han.

THE GUARDIAN = EWOK MOON OF ENDOR

Thinly disguised hippy commune with naïve beliefs.

THE SCOTSMAN = LANDO CALRISSIAN Making the best of it following takeover.

THREE WEEKS = YODA

Loveable. Dubious use of grammar.

THE SHOWS = MILLENIUM FALCON

Frequent technical hitches, then when it’s good it’s gone so fast you’ll never catch it.

YOU, THE AUDIENCE = IMPERIAL STORMTROOPER Faceless, disinterested, predominantly white.

THE SPIEGELTENT = THE FORCE

Everyone talks about it all the time, but what’s it actually for?

PROMOTIONS TEAMS = ATTACKING TIE-FIGHTERS If you don’t get this now, wait ‘til you’ve been here a week.

EDINBURGH BUSES = JABBA THE HUT Slow.

THE WEATHER = LUKE SKYWALKER

Mostly wet, could go either way.

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AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 11

Jonathan Mills:

A Festival of Ideas Jonathan Mills was considered to have comparatively little experience when he took up the post of Director of the Edinburgh International Festival last year. The Skinny tends to favour the outsider, though, so RJ Thomson is pleased to find him abounding in ideas on how the face of the 61 year old institution is changing under his watch.

There are loads of folk out there who will readily make vague general statements about how inter-disciplinary practice, and breaking down the boundaries between things, are what they're 'all about'. But for Jonathan Mills, the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, there's a track record in place: this is the man, after all, who filled an early music recital at the Brisbane festival half-full of enthusiastic punks.

There is a story behind the achievement, of course. A punk DJ on the local grass-roots radio station, 3ZZZ, was already a fan of early (medieval) music, and allowed Mills to appear on his show to promote this 'alternative' event to his listeners. But you still need to acknowledge the fact that it all worked out for various reasons: that Mills, himself a passionate fan of early music, was able to convince a broadly punk listenership to try something very different; that the pieces that had been commissioned - by Mills - were of a sufficient standard to impress traditionalists and newcomers alike.

This kind of pedigree bodes well for his tenure as Director here in Edinburgh. And, sure

enough, one of the successes of his first year in charge, 2007, was that the range of early music performances he added to the spread of opera, theatre, classical music and dance, were all well-attended and enjoyed. Mills was off to a good start.

While enthusiasm for a particular genre should work as a strength, clearly there is much more at stake in the business of running an international festival than just throwing together what you like. In the context of this series of Hyperculture interviews, I wanted to catch up with Mills to find out his perspective on the state of culture today, from his unique and elevated position.

I was particularly interested by his observation that the way we receive information - the suggestion being via the internet - has changed the way festivals ought to perceive and present themselves, and was amused by his implication that much of Fringe culture now has more to do with a mating ritual than the art itself. He touched on that many subjects, though, that I've just structured his comments under headings relating to the areas he spoke about.

Jonathan Mills Jethro Collins

MIXING IT UP

"For the International Festival, there is a real opportunity to reposition ourselves in relation to the audience you’ve spoken about [young(ish) and culturally adventurous - Skinny readers, like you]. And I think what I'm trying to do gradually and carefully is say that it’s not about one thing or another. In 1947, it was very much about the Fringe and the main festival. There were kind of opposing views. I don’t think that’s the case these days for a fundamental reason: the way in which we receive information is completely different, and comes from so many more sources. You cannot simply say that the web is counter culture to writing on a blank piece of paper. It's not the way the world works. And I think, more fundamentally, that [change] has lead to both a democratisation of the way in which culture is perceived, and a few fragmentations."

THE FRINGE

"Michael Billington,(1) who is very critical of the Fringe, has often said that he sat in things that were really edgy and really experimental in the main Festival, [things that were] the counter culture if you like, and they’ve been half empty; and he’s seen things that have been incredibly conservative in the Fringe that have been full. So, is this a mating ritual or is this actually for people who are interested in art? If there is a genuine interest in the art, if there’s a genuine interest in exploration, then I think we [at the International Festival] have every opportunity to claim that audience for ourselves. And I think you need to be confident, you need to be robust in the way you programme in order to achieve that.

"I think the challenge for us is to be open, and to say to our audience: 'look, come to a couple of these shows - they’re at least as interesting as anything you’ll see at the Fringe and the tickets aren’t more expensive. Try us out.'"

12 THE SKINNY

August 08

ON THE PHENOMENON OF THE 'INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL'

"I think what a festival can do, and what a festival is uniquely well placed to do in the world today, is have its own narrative. Have its own journey. And if one allows a festival to have a narrative in the way that I hope I've encouraged this programme to do, we’re not having a narrative about a performer in Poland or a company from Sarajevo or a group from Palestine. [...]

What I think it does is attempt to encourage different artists to tell stories that all resonate with each other. They don’t tell the same story, by no means do they tell the same story, but I think there is coherence to that story and even at times a contradiction. But that story is about issues beyond the arts and that question is, 'what’s our world like?'

"For me, the most fundamental opportunity that an international festival provides is asking, 'what does it mean to be international?' And what I hope to be able to do is interpret precisely what that means in a number of different ways over a number of different years. So I think what that means in 2008 might change in 2009 or '10. So it's not static in any way. I’m not saying that in 2008 I'm going to new parts of Europe and then in 2009 it will be some other new parts of Europe. I'll be on a different journey."

EUROPEAN CULTURE

"When I came to Europe from Australia two years ago, I thought I would come to a place that was very staid and very hidebound and very strong in its embrace of its traditions - where things were not transformational and where the pace of change was fairly slow.

"It’s not true. Europe today is an incredibly different place from what it was 5 years ago. I

guess you can chart the beginning of that seismic change to the fall of the Berlin Wall. But [it's important] to ask that question of artists, of 'what's it like to be in Europe today? What are your boundaries? How do you define your territory?' and to think about how in the end one comes up with the conclusion that, actually, artists can go beyond boundaries and borders."

CONNECTIONS & UNDERSTANDING

"What I’m trying to do with the programme and the theme of the programme is say, 'this isn’t just about the arts. This is not about how marvellous Beethoven is. This is trying to speak about how the arts reflect the world you live in and how they can speak to you directly about your experiences in that world. And they might give you some sense of insight, some sense of order, some sense of priority in terms of you coming to terms with the world that surrounds you.' The world can be very frightening and very hard to know. Our festival runs over a period of three weeks: the more you go to the more you will get out of it; the more you will see connections between various disparate elements.

"I don’t believe that the territory of the Fringe and the International Festival, or the Book and the International Festival, is as cut and dried as it used to be. I think all festivals are about ideas and I think all festivals need to understand that we can have relationships that are more osmotic, more organic."

COMMISSIONING & EXPERIMENTATION

"We are not funded to do an enormous amount of commissioning, [but] we have a big audience.

They might not take the sorts of risks that one has in a show like the Kunsten Festival in Brussels, but we have [at least] 5 times the audience

of the Kunsten festival.(2) So it’s a question also of how you make this work in a practical sense.

How do you make all of the money, all of the artistic ideas, stack up? That’s a very complex logistical exercise. But it's one that we’re very good at here, and very experienced at.

"I'm not programming to be everyone's best friend. I'm programming to give enough work that is accessible, experimental and challenging.

And that to me is the secret of the balance of the festival programme. I want to make sure that some of our more conservative audiences end up going to some radical things - for them - and vice versa." ...

If that vice versa means punks going to early music recitals, then so much the better. But though Mills is promoting his own agenda here, he is also in the right: though there is a lot to celebrate in the sheer size and diversity of the Fringe, for quality and, increasingly, excitement, the International Festival is the place to look the theatre programme in particular. As Mills professes, festivals should be about ideas. And if it's intellectual inspiration you're after, well, why settle for less?

(1) Michael Billington is Britain’s longest-serving theatre critic, currently with the Guardian.

(2) The Kunsten Festival is a three-week festival that features leading contemporary work in a range of fields, taking place in May. It specialises in commissioning top-quality artists who are not yet widely known. see page 67 for Mills’ beskpoke eif recommendations www.kunstenfestivaldesarts.be www.eif.co.uk

Edinburgh FEstivals

Edinburgh Festivals www.theskinny.co.uk

August 08

THE SKINNY 13

FESTIVAL COMEDY EDITORIAL And welcome to the this year’s summer madness, when Edinburgh becomes a battle arena for Comedy and Corporate to fight to the death, only to become unlikely bed fellows with some awkward pillow talk.

It’s also a time when journalists dredge the English language for another word for ‘funny’, the term ‘genius’ is over used by idiots and metaphors go wildly out of control (see first sentence). The language of reviews takes a turn for the absurd during the Fringe when it seems all we masochistically desire is for punch lines to physically hit their mark; suddenly we want our sides to split, our jaws to ache, we want to be smacked off the funny bone so that we can roll in the aisles in painful ecstasy. Why not take it further? ‘He was knee capping-ly outrageous!’

‘I laughed so hard I ripped out my own tongue!’ and ‘I was bludgeoned to death with the golf clubs of her wit’?

If this sounds too violent then there’s always refuge in Glasgow, where comedy clubs will be using the M8 as a kind of giant straw to reach across the country and drink up the best of the Fringe’s milkshake....Oh that metaphor’s been done already apparently. Nothing is original. /Emma

TOP FIVE EVENTS 1. DAVID O’DOHERTY LET’S COMEDY THE STAND

1 AUG- 24 AUG (NOT 11)

Lo Fi music and observational style humour from this self deprecating Irish charmer. His Yamaha beats have been rocking the comedy world: he was nominated for the Eddies in 2006 and surely will be in the running again at some point.

Fair and unbalanced

‘CHANGE’ IS THE BUZZ WORD OF TODAY’S POLITICAL SCENE, SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE POLITICAL SATIRISTS? ROBERT DUFFIN SPEAKS TO ANDY ZALTZMAN AND JEFF KREISLER FOR A BRITISH AND AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE Everyone has a George W. Bush joke. Not since a certain ex-President forgot to hand his assistant a Kleenex to dab her dress has a Commander in Chief generated such an industry of humour around his occupancy. The same goes for Tony Blair, forever cast as the perma-grinned lap dog.

With the latter gone and the former on his way out, this is a period of vast transition in political comedy. With the easily lampooned leaders departing, will satire led personality politics continue to thrive or recede back into the fringes?

Andy Zaltzman, writer for Bremner, Bird and Fortune, co-founder of The Bugle Podcast and host of Political Animal at this year’s Fringe, notes, “We spent years complaining about the leader who gave us style over substance, now we are complaining that his replacement gives us no style and a substance that we don’t like. Personality politics is essentially shorthand for a lazy concentration on figureheads, at the expense of genuine examination.”

Jeff Kreisler, the Comedy Central writer who appears at the Fringe this year with his first two shows Jeff Kreisler ’08 and The Americans, remarks, “Personalities are great to mock, but that’s really just substituting the characters of politics for standard characters of comedy. Satire still has the edge when it examines actions and motivations. Making fun of Bush’s stupidity is one thing, making fun of his secret plan to ignite the rapture by seducing Condoleezza Rice at the Wailing Wall is another.”

GOODBYE SCARS UNDERBELLY

1 AUG- 24 AUG (NOT 12)

In proud moustache and ripped jeans, Wool provides refreshingly thoughtful satire which combines his laid back persona with tough politics.

3. SAMMY J

IN THE FOREST OF DREAMS UNDERBELLY

1 AUG- 24 AUG (NOT 11)

Nominated for the Barry award at this year’s Melbourne Comedy festival, Sammy J and a host of puppets take a magical adventure somewhere leftfield of Disney. Strong language and themes makes it assuredly adult.

Symptomatic of being an American liberal in 2008, Kreisler sees things differently. “I think there’ll be less of it for two reasons: one, no one can match the sheer comic brilliance that is George W. Bush; and two, things are going to get a little better. They have to, right? Right?”

Two or three easily lampooned politicians do not define the evolution of contemporary political humour; instead it can be attributed to the collapse of public trust in our news, media and political institutions.

From The Queen’s questionable quarrel with Annie Leibowitz to Fox News’ ‘fair and balanced’ coverage, we engage with

Zaltzman elaborates, “Britain is bored with electoral politics, with its interminable twittering and self-regarding twattery. And we are bored of petty fraudulences – if politicians are going to fiddle the system, they should have the bared-faced balls to go in hard, and screw the state out of millions of pounds, or some helicopters.” Despite this continued zeal, the difference now compared to the domestic issue led satire of the 1980s Thatcher era, is the switch to a greater engagement in global politics.

With the mounting impact of mainstream media on public culture and the recent popularity of the irony-laden political satire found in the likes of The Daily Show, humour plays a much more serious role in global politics than ever before. The American and British governmental institutions have made the job easy, but the success of politicised comedians is in their irreverent checks on power; it is in fact political comedy shows, from television to stand-up, that are doing the job that has been abandoned by the news media.

Kreisler concedes, “I’m deluded enough to think comedy can help. In the States, people are so disengaged that humor may be the only way to get them involved. Sneak a little knowledge into the laughter. Then we might start thinking critically, and that’s the first step towards competent government. Dreaming isn’t outlawed yet, is it?”

Kreisler concurs, “I think comedians would make great leaders: they’re perceptive, relatable, and somewhat humble. Then again, none of those traits make a successful politician. So, comedians are probably more useful as Court Jesters than as King.

At least Jesters get to tell the truth and wear curvy shoes.”

4. MORGAN MURPHY I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM EITHER THE GRV

1 AUG-24 AUG (NOT 12)

Deadpan almost to the point of morose, Morgan Murphy’s cutting humour is making a big impact Stateside.

This year marks her first Fringe show; I would say be nice, but hell, she won’t be.

5. SEYMOUR MACE

ANDY ZALTZMAN BOLDLY UNBUTTONS THE CLOAK OF CIVILISATION, BUT IS PERPLEXED AND PERTURBED BY WHAT HE FINDS LURKING BENEATH, THE STAND,14:40, 1 AUG- 24 AUG (NOT 11).

TESTAMENTAL BIBLE STORIES TOLD

BY AN IDIOT THE STAND

1 AUG-24 AUG (NOT 11)

ANDY ALSO HOSTS POLITICAL ANIMAL, UNDERBELLY, 22:30, 2 AUG-24 AUG (NOT 4,5,11,12,18,19).

Most recognisable for his role in Johnny Vegas sitcom Ideal, Seymour Mace’s comedy is endearingly shambolic and mischievous. This show promises to be extra blasphemous for good measure.

KATE COPELAND WWW.KATECOPELAND.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

“THERE IS AN ARGUMENT THAT ANYONE WHO EXPRESSES AN INTEREST IN ENTERING POLITICS AS A CAREER SHOULD BE CONSTITUTIONALLY BARRED FROM DOING SO.”

the mainstream news media with an inbuilt belief that we are being lied to by everyone in the age of spin. Contemporary British political satire since its emergence in the 80s reflects the nation’s exasperation with Government.

With boundaries blurring, it was only a matter of time before a comedian ran for political office and Saturday Night Live alumni Al Franken is now running for the Senate. Zaltzman believes it won’t be long before someone in the U.K. follows his lead: “I could see Mark Thomas running as an independent candidate in an election. Although whether he has the inclination to throw himself into the Westminster temple of futility is doubtful.

There is an argument that anyone who expresses an interest in entering politics as a career should be constitutionally barred from doing so.”

2. GLENN WOOL

14 THE SKINNY

With the incumbent whipping boy on his way out, there is dissent regarding the perceived impact of new faces entering the arena of political satire. “I don’t think the change will be especially radical, other than the removal of a source of easy and largely uninteresting jokes. The legacy of the Bush era will remain with us for an irritatingly long time as neither Obama nor McCain will provide such a throbbing target,” states Zaltzman.

JEFF KREISLER ‘08, THE STAND, 18:10PM, 1 AUG24 AUG (NOT 11). THE AMERICANS, GILDED BALLOON, 15:00, 1 AUG- 24 AUG (NOT 11)

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS

EMMA LENNOX INVESTIGATES THE CHAOS KRISTEN SCHAAL IS CREATING IN THE ALTERNATIVE SCENE Kristen Schaal is a horse. She is also an actress (Flight of the Conchords), a writer (South Park series 11) and a comedian (The Daily Show), but what she has proved, beyond her industry awards and TV appearances, is that she can dance like a horse. Watching the baby faced, curly haired stand up bounding around the stage with her endless energy is one of the joys of New York’s alternative comedy scene, where Schaal and performance partner Kurt Braunohler established their popular variety show, Hot Tub. Now the pair are bringing their wickedly bizarre humour to unsuspecting audiences in Double Down Hearts; a show, at the very least, likely to be described as ‘different’.

F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! Cutting-edge standup from Australia’s own Jim Bowdler. With material ranging from ‘George Bush is stupid’ to ‘men and women are different in some regards’, Bowdler isn’t afraid to tackle the big subjects.

Watch out for his infamous catch-phrase: ‘Fuck me!

That’s fucking ridiculous!’

FLYERING HIGH City-wide performance art project featuring the distribution of thousands of A5 flyers to uninterested passers-by. The garish designs and overabundance of adjectives on the flyers are intended as a comment on our celebrity-obsessed consumer society and should not be mistaken for marketing.

In the context of what is now ‘the largest comedy festival in the world’, alternative comedy is as radical to Edinburgh as tartan shortbread. So when alternative isn’t alternative any longer, does that necessarily make it mainstream?

Schaal’s performances offer an ulterior edge to bring back the cult of comedy and redefine a word meant to encompass everything from political satire to observational humour. The new alternative (although ‘new’ perhaps isn’t quite the right word either) has an international flavour and an inclination toward the whimsical and absurd. Current examples include Reggie Watts, whose beat boxing sound effects don’t even require speech, never mind punchlines, and Tony Law, who won’t be appearing at this year’s Fringe due to miscalculations of his time travelling dog, Cartridge Davison. This is a comedy world inhabited by the Mighty Boosh’s spirit of jazz, Flight of the Conchords’ killer robots and Demetri Martin’s psychotherapist Dr Earnest Parrot; they come from a free and childlike imagination, but like to play in the dark, twisting our minds with their taboo corkscrews.

In 2005 Schaal won the Andy Kaufman Award (previously won by Watts) which was set up to encourage originality and rule breaking, inspired by the American innovator. It’s not the first nor only one of its kind: Schaal also picked up Best Alternative comedian at the Aspen Comedy Festival in 2006. Through these contests and showcases the North American industry defines the genres of stand up, particularly at festivals Montreal and Aspen, where HBO (the producers of Flight of the Conchords) like to talent scout.

In the second largest arts festival, Melbourne, there is no such categorising, but their big award, the Barry, is named after Barry Humphries: the man behind the woman, Dame Edna Everage, who launched the festival alongside Peter Cook in 1987. The subversive and surreal is already

DAVE BASTIN Channel 4’s Dave Bastin, star of the hit comedy Dave Bastin, presents Dave Bastin - an all-new live experience that fans of Dave Bastin, as well as those new to Dave Bastin, will be sure to love. The show consists for the most part of Dave Bastin sitting on stage next to a huge television showing old episodes of Dave Bastin, laughing and saying things like, ‘Watch this. I like this bit.’

AGONY & SUFFERING IN THE HIDDEN WORLD OF THE SOUL A high-minded meditation on depression and loneliness from a small independent theatre group that is set to become the surprise comedy hit of the Fringe.

The Scotsman described it as ‘piss-your-pants hilarious’, while Fest praised the cot-death scene as ‘the funniest moment of 2008’.

MICKY RAGGETT (OBE) AND FRIENDS PRESENT A CAVALCADE OF COMEDY FUN! embedded into the make up of the festival which has awarded top prize to free spirits Maria Bamford, Ross Noble, The Mighty Boosh and joint winner this year (can you guess?) Kristen Schaal.

With her pretty dresses and high pitched, cutesy voice, Schaal’s idiosyncrasies embody the leftfield scene and its emphasis on improvisation, character creations and lunacy. Surprisingly this is an acquired taste not favoured by the UK industry, which prefers the old school style of social irritant with a mic set up. Double Down

Hearts, and others shows like Simon Munnery’s AGM 08, offer an inventive and lyrical option growing in popularity in the rest of the world in underground clubs, online, and cable channels. So is it alternative or is it just semantics? And above all, why is Kristen Schaal dancing like a horse?

The easy answer to this, most importantly, is because it’s funny; “look at her dance like a, look at her go like a, look at her dance like a horse!”

KRISTEN SCHAAL AND KURT BRAUNOHLER: DOUBLE DOWN HEARTS, ASSEMBLY ROOMS, 21:10, 11 AUG- 23 AUG

Death Proof Comedian EX LAWYER TURNED COMEDIAN KEITH FARNAN TAKES ON THE AMERICAN DEATH PENALTY SYSTEM IN HIS FIRST FRINGE SHOW, TITLED CRUEL AND UNUSUAL. What made you give up being a lawyer?

There was no money in law, obviously! I’m writing a new show about leaving law for comedy. It’s entitled What the hell was I thinking? My family are writing most of it. On top of that I was kind of tired of making people cry - seems more fun to make them laugh.

You did your internship on death row; are trainee lawyers popular with people whose lives are in your hands?

I think they’re happy to have anyone on their side, doing whatever they can, so yeah, even the guys who are just in charge of holding David’s sling while he waits for Goliath are a vital commodity, just as long as they don’t do anything stupid like lose the sling.

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

JOEL STICKLEY AND LUKE WRIGHT, AUTHORS OF THE COMEDY SHOW, BOOK AND WEBSITE WHO WRITES THIS CRAP? GIVE US THEIR PICK OF THIS YEAR’S EDINBURGH FRINGE.

Does gallows humour exist?

I’ve met and become friends with Sunny Jacobs (of the “Exonerated”) who spent 15 years on Death Row. She lost her partner to the electric chair, and was eventually exonerated of the crimes she was accused of. And yet, she’s full of life and makes me laugh with her jokes, one of which I recorded for the show.

What does the term ‘cruel and unusual mean?’ It sounds kinky.

The auld Founding Fathers of America forgot to be specific on the terms of the Constitution, and so the idea of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment has been decided on by the Supreme Court. They decided in ‘73 that the death penalty was cruel and unusual, but changed their mind in ‘76. It’s complicated, but if by kinky you mean the 8th amendment of the US constitution which prohibits any cruel or unusual punishment - then yes by all means, slap on a leather version

Aging comedian Michael ‘Micky’ Raggett appearing in his fifty-second (and very possibly last) Edinburgh Fringe. Joined by a series of disillusioned, alcoholic contemporaries who can’t get solo work anymore, Raggett jokes about subjects such as death, impotence and his failing health. A must for fans of grim, unrelenting pathos.

AN ACTUAL SCOTTISH PERSON Likely to be one of the most unique events of the Fringe, this show consists of an actual Scottish person who was born in Scotland, lives in Scotland and speaks with a Scottish accent, standing in the middle of the Royal Mile for Americans to stare at and take pictures of. WARNING! CONTAINS SCOTTISHNESS!

WHO WRITES THIS CRAP?

by Emma Lennox

A hastily rehashed version of the Penguin paperback of the same name, Who Writes This Crap is likely to suffer from a lack of rehearsal time, as its authors chose to spend July writing silly features for magazines instead of preparing for their Fringe run.

of the bill of rights, whip up a legal brief and get down with your kinky self.

Why is America the only developed Western country to still have the death penalty?

Law in the States is about politics. If you’re a judge or sheriff or District Attorney, you are elected. If you want to get elected you need to be hard on crime. If you don’t support the death enalty, you are soft on crime and you lose! It’s as simple as that. Hard. Soft. Hmm, they’re obsessed it seems.

Do you have a Texas tour lined up?

I’m working on bringing the show to various parts of the Southern United States, and other places where I’m likely to get shot.

KEITH FARNAN: CRUEL AND UNUSUAL UNDERBELLY, AUG 1- AUG 24 (NOT 18), 18:10, £10.50 (£9.50)/ £9 (£8) WWW.UNDERBELLY.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 15

EDINBURGH FESTIVALS

The Kult of Kristen

THE WORST OF THE FRINGE

Festival theatre The Glasgow Scene Edinburgh may have the most tunes, but Glasgow might still have the best. Gareth K Vile reports on a quiet month.

A Genuinely National Theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland made its name at the Festival with Blackwatch.

Michael Cox interrogates the company about their plans to evolve in Edinburgh this year.

"One thing that's vital for us is creating 'worldclass theatre', or theatre which can hold its own on the international stage for us to justify being a national theatre." Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone, speaking about the National Theatre of Scotland's presence at the Edinburgh Festival, is rehearsing one of two productions NTS is premiering this summer. "So, to have this platform is really vital to us as part of our work.

Less than three years ago, the National Theatre of Scotland was an idea on the verge of emergence. Its first few productions were moderately received, but the organisation seemed to have as many critics and doubters as it had supporters

It might seem that the entire theatrical world has disappeared across to the East Coast: for one month, at least, Edinburgh dominates the performance pages.

Glasgow isn’t entirely dark, however. Apart from those companies who have crossed the divide to take on the Fringe, some Glasgow theatres are holding their own.

The Tron has quite a special event on the 15th and 16th August- Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last tape, by San Quentin Drama Workshop. While the Tron’s boss Andy Arnold has demonstrated his facility with the dark absurdist’s work on many occasions, this production has an even more impressive director: Beckett himself.

Rick Cluchey is one of the last performers to have worked with Beckett. Cluchey first performed while an inmate in San Quentin, and developed a working relationship with Beckett during the time of his parole.

This led to the production he is now touring, directed by the Irish master himself. Having dedicated his subsequent life to the drama workshop, he is taking this production around prisons, including Barlinnie, to promote the importance of drama in prisons.

Krapp’s Last Tape is a stunning solo, a reflection on one man’s life, dreams and failure: it incorporates slap-stick comedy (watch out for the banana skin gag) and existential horror as Krapp listens to his younger self, desperately trying to ignore his lost confidence and ecstasies.

Elsewhere- and on a lighter note- The Ambassadors Group is putting on a pair of musicals between 18th and 23rd August: Flashdance at The King’s, and Fiddler on the Roof at the Theatre Royal. Without a Lloyd Weber in sight, these two represent the two extremes of the modern musical circuit: Flashdance is a modern work, forged from a successful movie and featuring recycled pop hits- including the title track, Maniac and I Love Rock’n’Roll. Fiddler on the Roof is more old school- it has won nine Tony awards, became a successful movie and has a rousing, recognisable score.

The Ambassadors seem to be offering Glasgow audiences a clear choice: both are nostalgic, but come from very different traditions. Flashdance is the story of a welder who wants to dance; Fiddler is the story of a Russian Jew who wants a quiet life. In Arlene Philips, Flashdance does boast a choreographer who defined TV jazz dance in the 1980s. Fiddler has got Joe McGann and a tragic depth drawn from a community’s resilience. Musicals are very much the fashion just now, with more films, bands and eras being strip-mined for Broadway runs. This seems like a good chance to compare the old and new styles, to see how times have changed and whether the pretenders can claim the same resonance and depth as the classics.

Finally, the Theatre Royal ends the month with The Vagina Monologues. This unexpected hit keeps on touring- this production sees Karen Dunbar playing to a home crowd. It is a quiet month on the West Coast, but there’s a few gems a foot.

16 THE SKINNY

August 08

All of that changed during the 2006 Edinburgh Festival. Featherstone's decision to take a gamble and launch two productions, one at the official Edinburgh International Festival and the other as part of the Fringe Festival, showcasing at the Traverse, was to pay off. Realism, NTS's International Festival entry, enjoyed not only critical but public success. However, it was NTS's Fringe production, Black Watch, which would not only become a worldwide phenomenon but also firmly establish the new company in the eyes of the international theatre community Two years later, and Featherstone's two-play tradition continues. After another successful run last year with its International Festival's sell-out hit The Bacchae and the critically acclaimed Fringe production of Venus as a Boy, the pressure is on for NTS's artistic eminence to continue. Rather than playing it safe, Featherstone has selected two challenging pieces for this year's productions.

For the International Festival, with Featherstone herself at the helm, is the play 365; for the Fringe, NTS and New York-based company the TEAM are co-producing Architecting.

Featherstone is clearly passionate about the subject matter at the heart of 365: Britain's childcare system. "It's about that kind of crossover between childhood and adulthood for children who have had very complicated lives." Set in a 'Practice Flat', a place for young people to learn the basics of adult life (such as cooking and cleaning), the play follows a group of youths caught in 'the system'. "We think we know about it and we think we understand it… but actually it's much more complicated than we know.

Calling upon extensive research, Featherstone is collaborating with both her cast and acclaimed playwright David Harrower to shape the production. "Some of the characters David came up with before we went into rehearsal. And we've given some of the cast some sort of stimuli to come up with something; and we've taken these characters further (in rehearsal) and David then goes home and actually writes the scenes.

Working on the piece has made Featherstone even more fervent about the subject matter. "It feels to me that the tolerance level for child misery just gets higher and higher and higher and we have to understand it in a different way.

Choosing to focus on the political rather than the emotional, spending more time with character than plot and incorporating highly stylised movement to convey story, Featherstone is attempting to ask pertinent questions rather than relying on the driving forces of sentiment and guilt.

Ashley Smith from 365 Mark Hamilton

Also relying on stylised theatrics will be NTS's other production: Architecting. Using multimedia and music, Architecting gives a theatrical reflection of America through the ages. Associate Director Davey Anderson describes the play as "drama, but not as we know it.

Anderson, formerly the director-in-residence of NTS, was sent to New York to collaborate on the production. Describing the play, Anderson said it's "about reconstruction in many different ways.

The way that a nation rebuilds itself, re-imagines itself, the way that one nation reconstructs others in its own image, and how individuals kind of reconstruct themselves as citizens of a nation.

The TEAM and Anderson used a hodgepodge of stimuli in order to create the play, including historic figures, classic books and important events in America's past. Anderson, himself an accomplished writer and director, was impressed by the TEAM's overall warmth, calling the company big-hearted and describing their work as "being given a hug and made to think at the same time.

As to a play focused on American culture, Anderson believes the piece has much to offer Scottish audiences. "The kind of themes that they're exploring, in terms of the rebuilding of nations and the kind of reconstruction of ourselves and our

identities is something that has a kind of appeal to lots of different places. It's a bit more universal than being just an American issue.

But Anderson insists the production isn't heavygoing, instead describing the play as "an interesting piece of work and very stimulating.

Featherstone too is adamant about how both productions are shaping up. "Both pieces really want to entertain an audience and give the audience a big theatrical experience as they are both about something which is important about where we live and how we live today.

With their themes of growth, discovery and reconstruction, both 365 and Architecting show NTS and Featherstone's continual push to be major players in world theatre. Whether either, or both, productions will prove successful remains to be seen. However, given their daring content and focus on the theatrical, it's plain to see that they’re both are still happy to challenge theatre goers' expectations and continue to redefine and elevate Scotland's international position in the arts.

National Theatre of Scotland in Edinburgh. Traverse, Playhouse, 1-25 August. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Edinburgh FEstivals

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The National Centre for Dance throws open its studios to audiences but once a year in an explosion of possibilities.

Gareth k vile investigates.

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Not only has this year's programme been extended- "I couldn't make the theatre bigger, so I made the season longer," she chuckles- it features more new work, more experimentation. "I call it my gift to the Edinburgh dance audience," she says. "I am interested to see what audiences get from it- because there is a mixture of things, no theme, only original work with bags of integrity.�

The main programme consists of two works for families, three mixed bills and Plan B's siteresponsive Parallel/Parallels. This is followed

by Stripped- a week of performances in daylight, featuring both completed works - Aurora Borealis by Lazzi and Inbetween by Willi Dorner-and many works in progress. Morag's enthusiasm is only halted by an unreasonable question.

"Which one of my children do I love the most?

How can I say that?" She appears shocked when I ask which pieces she is most anticipating. "But it's not so much what I want to see- it's more what I know that the fringe audience is going to get. Recently I saw this duet from Iceland, Crazy In Love with Mr Perfect and it was an unexpected joy. People are going to pitch up and think, this looks weird and then it will change the way they look and think about dance. It's an absolute gem.

Closer to home, Morag also selects the return of a British choreographer. "I am really excited about Rosie Kay's Double Points: K, because it

www.theskinny.co.uk

is very rare to see such a contemporary piece remixed. And this is absolutely pared back- and really full-on dance, and a reminder what an amazing dancer she is."

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Many of the works demonstrate how versatile dance can be, by taking on difficult subjects and giving them a resonance that other art forms would struggle to replicate. Morag's third choice is a case in point. "Hanging In There is a deconstruction of the Good Friday Agreement- it seemed a bit dry at first," she acknowledged.

"But actually, it is about any negotiation that is happening on the planet- from the one you are having with your partner to the ones at the UN."

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It's exactly this quality that makes dance so vibrant and appealing: so much of the fringe uses the same old tricks- tried scripts, tested musicals, big name authors, fashionable issues or news items. Dance is capable of breaking past the predictable, shocking and representing the impossible. "A lot of the time, dance doesn't need language- in fact, language just makes things more complicated," Morag affirms. The Stripped programme is especially revolutionary, being a response to Morag's desire to extend the programme and offer an opportunity to more performers. "We offered this fabulous space bang in the middle of the city to dancers for free. The stuff that is going to be in that programme there is going to be challenging. You are seeing the possibilities of what dance can do. You know that they are going to take a chance."

A programme of this size does offer something for all tastes, but it also offers the unexpected, the random: it is best enjoyed as a whole. Dancebase becomes more than another venue- it is a hub for argument, for discussion and resolution, a gift for anybody who loves theatre and wonders where it’s going to go next.

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Even spending a short amount of time with Morag Deyes is to be plunged into a whirlpool of enthusiasms and informed opinions. Her Fringe programme at Dancebase is a perfect expression of her attitude; diverse, inclusive and challenging, but not without humour. Explicitly political works jostle with the intimate, breaking meets contemporary, film challenges choreography. The double and triple bills- along with the bargain prices for Heads Up events- offer audiences the chance to catch rising talents and cutting edge experimentation.

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7 - 16 Aug (not 11 or 15), 20 - 23 aug see www.dancebase.co.uk for booking details

August 08

THE SKINNY 17

Edinburgh Festivals

Dancebase's Gift Selection

festival Theatre Previews

The Fooligan Pleasance, 1-25 Aug

Al Seed is never good first date theatre- or family friendly, even if he does do a fine clown. He is sinister, abrasive, sometimes mysterious, frequently frightening. In previous works he evoked spectres of nuclear destruction and famine, invited the audience to steal his equipment and plunged physical theatre into dark, and wildly funny, new territories.

experience- his performances are like a manifestation of the venue's bleak space. As one of the few experimental artists who make the annual trip to Edinburgh, his journeys into terror are set apart by his professionalism and seriousness.

The Fooligan takes Seed into a new direction. Apart from two sudden bursts of mania, he is static throughout this performance, preferring to tell stories that have an archaic, mystical aura. Unexpectedly, Seed reveals skill as a pure storyteller, capturing the atmosphere and cadences of Sufi parables and Grimm fairytales.

His usual emaciated body is padded to obesity. He wears the frayed costume of a degenerate nobleman, weaving his tales of cruelty, finding the parallels between our era and his archetypal characters. Subtle use of lighting- always a key Seed feature - and a measured, sinister ease of delivery- entice the listener.

Seed smoothly renders absurdist nightmare as pompous anecdote.

The Edinburgh Fringe has been kind to Seed: nominated for a Total Theatre Award in 2006, he won a Fringe First in 2004. His association with The Arches is appropriate, as his work thrives in the dank recesses of human

The vitality lies in Seed's willingness to expand his techniques, but also his subversion of genres. An easier work, perhaps, than his usual physical tours de force, but certainly seductive and equally unsettling. [Gareth K Vile]

Scottish Dance Theatre: Be Challenged and Thrilled!

Zoo Southside, 12-24 Aug

Edinburgh gets a chance to see a great double bill this Augus with Liv Lorent's tenderhook and Hofesh Shechter's DOG, two original works choreographed especially for the Scottish Dance Theatre.

Working with different choreographers during the creation of a work is a great opportunity for young dancers. 'One of the exciting things about working for a repertory company is that each new creative process can be totally different from the last' says James MacGillivray, a dancer with SDT. 'Each choreographer will bring to the studio their own set of creative tools, methods and approaches in order to best serve the needs of the work they have in their mind.'

He compares the different ways of working. 'Liv Lorent has an extraordinary way of drawing movement vocabulary from the dancers' bodies through image based tasks.' Shechter works in a different way. 'His movement language comes almost entirely from his own body and is then crafted onto the dancers as he

Betrayal

structures and sculpts the work.'

Performing each piece brings different challenges. tenderhook combines complex choreography with props. The props 'had to become an extension of the dancers' bodies and not just a distracting 'effect'.'

The end result is breathtaking. 'DOG is aerobic and intricately detailed!' says MacGillivray. 'As the dancers tire throughout the piece it becomes increasingly more difficult to push the energy into the space and retain the clean, sharp detail of Hofesh's movement.' It's a treat to watch this energetic piece explode onstage with a frenzied energy.

There's a real theatricality to SDT shows. 'An audience can expect to be challenged and thrilled!' MacGillivray exclaims. 'One of the fantastic things about watching SDT perform is that you'll be seeing some of Europe's finest dancers performing original works by internationally acclaimed choreographers all in one evening.' Bring on that evening.(Susannah Radford)

For Your Observation

Rocket, 3-16 Aug

Enclosure 44, Edinburgh Zoo, 5-16 Aug

St Andrews is not well known for its drama: tucked away on the coast, fifty minutes from Dundee, it is often regarded as isolated. Fortune Cookie Productions, led

by Richard Tan and emerging from the Fife University aims to correct this with a production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal.

Tan believes that St Andrews’ vibrant culture can be traced to the University's attitude towards drama. "The best thing is that all students are automatically members of Mermaids, the umbrella theatre funding body.

Any student can produce a show. Mermaids provides advice and funding." He praises the non-student venue. "The Byre collaborates with the University and international touring companies to bring many contemporary dance and theatre pieces."

In what promises to be a compelling and adventurous piece, the Fringe stretches its boundaries to the Edinburgh Zoo as the latest venue for Enclosure 44 - Humans which explores the nature of the animal within us all.

Exploring unfaithful relationships in marriage and friendship, Betrayal tells the story in reverse-chronological order showing the destructive nature of time in an effect-cause sequence. The play opens with a meeting of ex-lovers, Emma and Jerry whose illicit relationship started seven years earlier. As the story 'infolds' it turns out that Emma's husband knew about his friend's affair with Emma and used their liaison to justify his own amours. Lies, deception, failed expectations and manipulation entwine in the intriguing tale of love triangle.

"This play appears rather simple at its core: it simply depicts an adulterous love triangle," admits Tan. "But with this common premise, it sets out complex intricacies through its reverse order." The surface is peeled away to expose darker truths and deceptions. "The main 'betrayal' that the title refers to isn't just about the principal act of marital infidelity, it encompasses all the other 'betrayals': the white lies, empty promises, denials, withholding information from one another which fill all our lives."

18 THE SKINNY

August 08

Tan is clearly a man with a mission. "Fortune Kookie Productions came about for two reasons," he claims.

"To indulge my need to rectify the lack of Pinteresque productions at St Andrews, but more importantly to create a niche for performances with a sinocentric and East Asian slant." Beyond that, in the hectic arena of The Fringe, he might put St Andrews firmly on the theatrical map.(Agata Maslowska and Gareth K Vile)

Inspiration for Enclosure 44 – Humans hit creator and performer Janis Claxton while she was visiting a New Zealand zoo. A subsequent dance class at a Holland zoo had a remarkable effect on the dancers' movements back in the studio. “It seemed that the animal observation had a deep somatic influence on the dancers and that co-ordination, ease of movement and a realm of other necessities for dance, kicked in with much less effort than before the zoo visit.”

The work has developed into an improvised piece set around certain structures and rules. Sustaining individual intention over the day is a stretch. “I think the greatest challenge will be the length of time and the subtraction of speech as a communication tool' says Claxton. 'We will be together in one place for seven

hours a day, for 12 days (one day off)…Part of the thrill and the challenge is to be real with our states - emotional and physical, but all of our communication must be sensed and expressed and read through our bodies and states of presence.”

Being able to watch all this will no doubt amuse and challenge our concept of what it is to be human, especially with the opportunity to observe the other animals at the Edinburgh Zoo. Claxton “hopes that audiences will think a little about our connection to animals and the animal nature within us, the instinctual being that we are so discouraged to experience.” It also highlights dance as a medium. “I really I hope that many new audiences will open up to the language of dance as a beautiful form of communication and human/animal expression.”(Susannah Radford) Dance Base Presents…Enclosure 44 – Humans, Edinburgh Zoo, 5 – 16 Aug (no humans on display 11 Aug), 10 – 5pm, feeding times 1pm daily, The Human Animal Talk 3pm daily, normal zoo admission applies.

Edinburgh FEstivals

FASHION

Master Pieces SKINNYjeans ALL BANGED UP

Due to unprecedented levels of festival-related busywork in other sections, you might notice that Fashion has been cut a little shorter this month.

Apt, really; given that the thrust of today's sermon is a hats off, a thumbs up, and a high five to that most holy of trimmable institutions: the fringe.

Although Edinburgh's Fringe-with-a-big-'F' is admittedly a vital cultural institution, clearly worth in-depth consideration and a justifiable degree of reverence, here we like to keep things lower-case and shallow, so you'll find no trace of Polish street theatre in the following 458 words. Rather, the matter at hand is the facial proscenium arch: the noble straight-across bang, and all those who wear her.

If reliant on the weekly glossies for information, you'll be under the impression that the bang's recent explosion is due wholly to Kate Moss' recent chop. However, given their predilection for attributing pretty much everything, from the return of ankle boots to perestroika and glasnost, to a model from Croydon, this clearly is neither accurate nor well-researched information. Moss was not, in fact, the first human ever to prune herself a fringe and, truth be told, the recent resurgence probably has more to do with the mainstream onslaught of the chronically self-documented MySpace/Nu-Rave/Cory Kennedy revolution.

But these fairweather friends are not our main point of interest. Moss' fringe is already growing its way out, anyway - untrimmed and on its way behind her ears as we speak. No, the straight-

by Lindsay West

across fringe is an institution unirked by noncommittal, flippant dalliances. In its long-standing parish is a dizzying array of staunch believers; essentially nothing without their hair-headbands (apart from all that talent, of course), and in it for the long-haul, until the black turns grey. Would you recognise a bang-less Ramone; and would Bettie Page have been pinned up quite so much without that shorty-short fringe? Then there's Chrissy Hynde and Cat Power's Chan Marshall - both long-term disciples whose allegiance to the horizontal bang (steady...) knows no end nor bounds.

This is why, you see, Kate doesn't count. The straight-across fringe is a rugged entity, demanding upkeep and commitment, leaving those who can't take the heat of those straighteners begging for a hairband. The horizontal eye-skimmer is the full-fat to the side-swept's low maintenance diet version; the marriage versus the easily outgrown fling. But despite its demanding personality, the ruler-cut edge garners extraordinary fidelity Hynde and the Ramones must have notched up a century's worth of monogamy alone, and we're much too polite to ask Vogue's Anna Wintour how long she's been in the club. We only know she's not leaving any time soon.

ALL THIS CULTURE FLYING AROUND THIS MONTH HAS MADE LINDSAY WEST COME OVER ALL DISCERNING, AND AS SUCH, SHE’S PICKED OUT A FEW KEY PIECES THAT MIGHT REMIND YOU THAT FASHION IS ART TOO, GODDAMN IT. IN FACT, THE ART WORLD AND THE FASHION PACK CAN'T SEEM TO STOP ROLLING AROUND IN THE HAY TOGETHER, AND WHAT CONSEQUENTLY EMERGES FROM THE UNMARRIED MOTHERS' HOME IS OFTEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF OFFSPRING. GRAB YOUR GLASS OF WARM CHARDONNAY AND LET'S TAKE IN THE EXHIBITS.

GILBERT & GEORGE BY TATTY DEVINE

The biform, eccentric world of art stars Gilbert & George has been delightfully extended to incorporate a range by London-based jewellery geniuses, Tatty Devine. Highlights include gin bottle pieces inspired by their 1972 work, Gordon's Makes Us Drunk; an example of which is these rather natty cufflinks for the artistically-aware, but perhaps borderline alcohol-dependent, gent about town. Our personal favourite is, however, the classic G&G glasses-on-a-string necklace, that we'll be investing in so as to wander around feeling slightly akin to Janine from Ghostbusters.

GILBERT & GEORGE SIGNATURE NECKLACE, £36, GIN CUFFLINKS £27, AND SMALL GLASSES NECKLACE, £27; ALL BY TATTY DEVINE. WWW.TATTYDEVINE.COM

The ones who stay are the ones who know there's nothing more rock & roll than glowering out from beneath a real eye-skimmer, even if you're not in a band or running Condé Nast. Fringes are magic - making hair-up still hair-down, and given some selective grooming and an elastic band on bad days, offering the illusion that the whole head is luxuriously well-finished.

MAC'S PLASMA BLU If you were really committed to pulling off Louis Vuitton's Spring/ Summer 08 catwalk look, inspired by artist Richard Prince, you'd be dressed in a see-through nurse outfit, complete with lace hygiene mask and blue lipstick. Failing this, however, why not take a cue from LV's neon nails, and test out the blue cosmetic trend on a far safer region, while getting in some quality painting time. MAC's Plasma Blu, from their limited edition Neo-Sci Fi collection, is the most vibrant shimmery blue we've found, and the collection also includes a yummy bumblebee yellow, Phosphor, for a heftier neon punch.

Fringes are fantastic. So much so, I want one. And were it not for a gnarly theoretical brawl between my hairdresser and bank manager, and a lack of colour printer with which to run off a hundredweight of photographs of Jane Birkin and Grace Slick from Jefferson Starship, I'd have one already.

MAC NAIL LACQUER IN PLASMA BLU, £8; AVAILABLE FROM MAC COUNTERS AND WWW.MACCOSMETICS.CO.UK

SÉBASTIEN TELLIER @ AMERICAN APPAREL Last spotted careering around a Serbian stage in a golf cart as France's 2008 Eurovision entry, avant-garde musician Sébastien Tellier is now turning his attention to a rather sexy collaboration with one of our very favourites, American Apparel.

In honour of his new Daft Punk produced album, Sexuality (an eleven-track ode to the physical act of love), AA and Tellier have created the 'SexualiT' and 'SexualiTank', available from stores for a limited time. Given that Tellier was frankly robbed in Belgrade, you might want to further show your support by making like his backing singers and teaming the tops with a beard and sunglasses combo. Please?

AVAILABLE AT AMERICAN APPAREL, NELSON MANDELA PLACE, GLASGOW AND WWW.AMERICANAPPAREL.NET

20 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

FASHION

Food and drink

Pints and Progress Dave Hynes and Louise Loftus look at two inner city boroughs clinging on to their drinking culture in the face of 'regeneration', and ask how harmoniously gloss sits with grit.

PARTICK

LEITH There’s something strange happening in Leith’s pub culture at the moment. In fact, it’s been happening over the last ten years, but what started out as a few brave attempts to introduce newlyrefurbished and redecorated modern bars has now developed into a full frontal attack on Leith’s traditional drinking dens.

There are still countless nods to the Leith of old, with dark, dungeonesque pubs still populating much of Leith Walk and Great Junction St. Most of these haven’t changed in years, and you see brazen-faced septuagenarians smoking outside them, as though they were gatekeepers to the old secrets of the watering-hole. They stubbornly refuse to submit to the gastro pub fever and are strictly for liquid refreshment only. Largely locals-orientated rather than all-welcoming, these are defiant drinking temples which helped sustain the stereotype of Leith as the sick man of Edinburgh. Epitomised by the likes of Balfour’s, The Spey Lounge and the unforgivably derelict Marksman, their aim is clear - renovation equates to devastation. For the publicans and punters alike these pubs offer familiarity and escape from a community in flux

If there is one lesson that all encompassing goliath Tesco was taught last year, it was that Partick, that little burgh of Glasgow, will not tolerate bullies lightly.

There is a traditional pub in this image. Can you spot it? Fereuse MacDonald

‘Shieldinch’, the fictional Glasgow burgh in which BBC Scotland's River City is set, found its inspiration in Partick. The show’s creator Stephen Greenhorn wanted ‘to tell a story about a working class community swept up in development and gentrification - some embracing the change and others quite fearful'. Swept up it is. And yet, as development in Partick continues unceasingly, somehow the community holds together.

Mecca bingo sits incongruously, but contentedly, alongside small businesses like Glamorous Geggies: ‘the finest cosmetic dental technician in the world’.

So what of the new bars with their laminatefloored, airy, light and spacious preoccupation with all things miniaturist? Sofi’s, Boda Bar, Victoria and a host of others which populate the ever-changing Shore area reveal a new chapter in this community’s drinking culture. They seem gay-friendly, overtly trendy, with an emphasis on cocktails, wine lists and food on the side of gourmet. Acting as marketing vehicles for brands of exotic bottled beers, they run at an altogether faster pace than their old Leith counterparts, harbouring yuppies and businessmen on working lunches and a cheeky after work glass. However, as part of the bigger picture they help to make Leith feel the most alive and urbane part of Edinburgh to live and drink in.

Then there are the Partick locals, for local people.

The Lismore, with its stained glass windows and fishing regalia was made for endless afternoons, drinking malt of the month and quietly watching the tennis. Or endless evenings drinking Guinness and maybe being privy to one of the impromptu folk singalongs. That other Partick cornerstone, the Three Judges, which looks just like a pub ought to look - all art deco lighting and well worn wood. A Partick favourite because it serves up speciality ales with names like ‘Rambler’ and ‘Bees Knees', it is well known for inciting booze snobbery. A mostly-over-70 contingent traipse along on Sunday to listen to jazz.

That said, Leith’s imbibers have become somewhat polarised into two camps - the old and the new - with not much crossover and customer loyalty tending towards either rather than both camps. Nowhere is this contrasting ambivalence more pronounced than on Henderson Street, where the delicate pastel blue, pink-curtained Sofi’s sits proudly under the banana flats and next to Wilkies, The Trafalgar and Anderson’s - three pubs very much of the old school. Just round the corner lies the hip Waterline and very suave Bar Diesel, a symbolic testament to the extent that Leith's development sits side by side with its ingrained heritage.

Naturally, bar life in Leith is a barometer for wider changes in the community: trams, expensive housing redevelopments and corporate investment mean that Leith’s face will be unrecognisable to those who remember Sick Boy, Renton and Spud heading down to the Volunteer Arms to help their heroin-induced comedowns.

While Leith stands to gain from this new chic gastro pub culture - affluence, class, panache, she will also risk losing something too - her roots and her soul.

AUTHENTIC THAI & INDIAN CUISINE

22 THE SKINNY

It may feel at times that there is no limit to the West End’s appetite for the sun-dried and handmade, the home-grown and over-priced. But in Partick this pseudo-gentrification is tempered with a working class realism. So that even while the trendiness of Hyndland seeps downhill with cheeky young upstarts like the Rio café, with its candy-coloured 50s diner cool, there will always be doomsday relics like the Hayburn Vaults and the Quarter Gill to keep it in line. And to laugh, good-naturedly, at its precocious attempts to tout knickerbocker glorys to Glaswegians.

Looking for a new local?

check out our comprehensive pub reviews online at Cruz - the shiny side of the coin in Leith Fereuse MacDonald

Delicious, authentic, Thai and Indian food for delivery & take away, bespoke catering for events, plus stunning fruit & vegetable carving.

August 08

Partick locals were, and I quote, ‘raging’ when Tesco demolished the Old Partick Railway ticket office at 7am on a Sunday morning, without permission. Enraged, residents launched a campaign against the giant which included petitions, seed bombs and …erm… breaking the world record for group massage. Eighteen months on the store is yet to get its way. So what is it about this Glasgow village that illicits such a strong sense of community? What is it that residents want to protect? Just what is it about Partick?

theskinny.co.uk

www.spicebox201.co.uk TEL: 0131 662 4411 or 0131 667 9998 OPEN: Sun-Thur 4.30pm-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-12pm Food and Drink

Windows Restaurant

The Lansdowne Bar and Kitchen

My starter had a lot going on, but everything gelled perfectly on the palate.

A safe bet for solid, confident pub classics.

For a city with such an architecturally diverse skyline, Glasgow is curiously bereft of rooftop restaurants. While Edinburgh boasts The Tower, Oloroso, The Forth Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nicks etc etc, Windows Restaurant on the seventh floor of the Carlton George hotel is your only option if you want to dine in the sky in the Dear Green Place. Given this head start, it would have been tempting for them to rest on their laurels and churn out undemanding culinary staples. It’s all the more exciting, therefore, to happen upon head chef Will Hay’s new menu, which scores big points by being both strikingly ambitious and plate-lickingly edible.

Tucked discreetly away in a townhouse basement, The Lansdowne is easy to walk straight past but nonetheless remains a busy haunt for twenty-something West Enders. Offering an eclectic mix of surrounds - bright conservatory out back,sociable sofas up front and cosy booths perfect for spreading out the Sunday papers - their recently revamped menu follows the same vein of offering something for everyone.

at Carlton George Hotel, 44 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1DH, 0141 354 5070

7A Lansdowne Crescent, Kelvinbridge, Glasgow G20 6NQ, 0141 334 4653

Smoked chicken caesar was generous with the romaine lettuce and shavings (rather than decimated sprinkles) of parmesan, but the smoked chicken seemed to be have been whacked on the plate straight from the fridge and it was impossible to detect any smokiness through the chill. My companion’s chicken liver paté was smooth, offally and the right side of pink.

To start, my companion Ryan (I realise this makes me sound like an elderly EM Forster dowager) tucked into a suitably bucolic slab of country-style terrine; coarse and toothsome, it was pepped up with homemade chutney. My opening course was the polar opposite daintily plated slivers of undyed smoked haddock with baby asparagus, sweet raw peas, crispy crab fritter and a tongue-tingling lemon jelly. A lot going on, but everything gelled perfectly on the palate.

My main course saw a fat breast of chicken stuffed with spicy Stornaway black pudding and sitting atop some top-notch sautéed potatoes- crunchy, moreishly savoury and just the thing for mopping up the creamy whisky sauce.

The same could be said of Ryan’s main, a meaty slab of slow cooked lamb topped with puy lentils and accompanied by goats cheese, crisped pancetta and a spring-green pea puree. My main was a more conservative choice, but fell on the right side of comfort food moist supreme of chicken with mash, cream sauce and a tangle of genuinely wild mushrooms.

derek M Chapman

with snap-thin pistachio biscuits.

Gratifyingly, desserts weren’t a hasty afterthought and showed the same level of artfulness - three mini torpedoes of dense chocolate and hazlenut mousse came crowned with mascarpone ice cream, while the lemon jelly of my starter made a re-appearance, this time smothered in a divine basil and black pepper cream

www.theskinny.co.uk

Food and Drink

Reviews

Windows Restaurant is ideal for special occasions and the prices do reflect this. The perfect location to show off the city to visitors, it proves that Glasgow isn’t and shouldn’t be afraid of a spectacle restaurant. [Ruth Marsh]

Him over the table had plumped for the tapas menu and was tucking in to decent sized platters of perfectly cooked garlic king prawns, seasonal asparagus grilled in parma ham and chilli-infused wings plucked from what must have been some seriously buff chickens.

For pud, the chef’s special white chocolate and raspberry panacotta was a decadently wibbly pile of rich cream nicely set off by a tart fruity lid. The cheese platter was a little underwhelming, with bog-standard supermarket grade blue and brie. One would think they could have made better use of their proximity to Mellis Cheesemonger.

derek M Chapman

All in all, The Lansdowne’s kitchen is a safe bet for solid, confident pub classics. Nothing is earth-shattering, but ultimately this suits the laidback vibe and makes for an affable mid-week treat. [Ruth Marsh] www.lansdownebar.co.uk

August 08

THE SKINNY 23

DEVIANCE EDITORIAL "I don’t like threesomes," observes my friend Lukas. "Either it’s two guys who are really into me and I’m like, 'Guys, I’m exhausted', or they’re really into each other and I’m like, 'Guys, I’m over here'." I guess my own experiences have been more positive: the threesomes I’ve had have generally been spur of the moment, fairly low-key, and plenty of fun.

Can't buy me love?

by Debbie Martin

SEX SHOP, EROTIC EMPORIUM, CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL: IT'S NO LONGER JUST FOR DIRTY OLD MEN

A couple of friends of mine recently started fucking each other’s brains out, and they’re having such an epic time of it that I wish there were greetings cards available to mark such an occasion. They’ve started throwing around the idea of a threesome, too, and my name came up, which is, you know, sweet of them. I’ve already slept with one of them and made out with the other, but here’s my confession: the prospect of a planned threesome fills me with some sort of stagefright, so I think I might pass. This may be proof that I’m unadventurous. On the other hand, it seems like the majority of the populace is unlikely to experience threesomes at all, so you could say I’m already winning.

Thing is, it’s not a competition, and people often talk as if it is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about swapping scandalous stories, but in some circles I’ve felt almost inadequate because I haven’t had sex in enough interesting places, or I’m not into fetish clubs, or so forth. It’s just a step up from the race-to-lose-your-virginity pressure from when we were younger - and many people know how that can lead to disappointing first experiences. So I'm much happier letting things evolve at a pace that suits me, even if it doesn't follow expected scripts. Besides, the unexpected can be way hotter. /Nine

EVENT PREVIEW QUEER-A-GO-GO

VARIOUS VENUES, THROUGHOUT AUGUST QueerMutiny has been radicalising Edinburgh’s gay scene with its ‘Do-It-Yourself, Doing-EachOther, Diversity and Perversity’ attitude since January of this year. This ‘non-hierarchical kollective’ offers an autonomous space free from sexual and gender based prejudice. With branches in London, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, and Edinburgh, QueerMutiny speaks out against the commercialisation and assimilation of ‘the gay lifestyle’ and, more narrowly, the growing popularity of Gay Pride events.

With Pride Glasgow just around the corner, QueerMutiny Edinburgh is offering a free, week-long alternative event, Queer-a-Go-Go. Queer-a-Go-Go kicks off on Friday 1 August at The Forest. Starting at 9pm make your way to the hall for an evening of delicious tunes, food, and a little unadulterated dancing. Well. A lot of unadulterated dancing. Following Friday’s launch, QueerMutiny’s Queer-A-Go-Go is jampacked, with further events including: SAT 2 AUG

The first time I went into a sex shop, it was with a former boyfriend. He persuaded me by degrees.

First it was, "Let’s just look in the window." Then, "Let’s buy you some seamed stockings," then, "let’s have a peek at the accessories." I ended up leaving with my first sex toy.

I realised afterwards why I’d avoided sex shops for so long. I’d never forgotten the story told to me by a friend who’d visited a shop in Amsterdam, only to have a pushy salesman line up a rainbow assortment of dildos on the counter, before slamming down a 12-inch studded leather vibrator.

“This looks like the style for a girl like you," he’d chuckled. For years I’d dreaded having a similar experience - however I now think that my friend was unlucky, for your average salesperson of erotic merchandise tends to be a tad more discreet.

Jonathan, a former sex shop assistant, agrees: "It’s all about making the client feel comfortable, and putting them at ease. You get such a wide range of customers – gay, straight, cross-dressers, couples - that you can’t really afford to be shocked by anything."

Yet there are still many people who feel uncomfortable about shopping for pleasure accessories.

Businesswoman Lucy Tanat-Jones is attempting to address this. A classically trained singer, designer and product developer, she is also the owner of Organic Pleasures, a niche store in Edinburgh that stocks lingerie and sex toys made from natural materials. Dressed in a 1950s cardigan with lips painted matinee icon scarlet, it’s obvious that her vintage style has inspired the shop’s decor. A feeling of decadence, glamour, and opulence informs the merchandise range, which includes lingerie, oils, and borosilicate glass dildos in a delicate shade of rose. The tone of the shop is discreet, rather than coy.

"In Britain there’s still a fear of owning up to your sexuality, and a reticence about talking about it.

We still need to work on that as a culture," she observes.

A young woman enters the shop. She’s looking for a corset for a friend who’s just had gender reassignment surgery.

What then, is a 'sex shop'? Is it in the merchandise, the clientele, or the aesthetic? Is it hardcore or softcore, whips or lace? And do these definitions really matter, in the end?

"It’s tricky," she explains. "I have to find one that fits around male ribs, as she’s very sensitive about her body shape." Lucy tactfully suggests suitable styles. Like any good salesperson of erotic merchandise, she acts as a confidante, expert and advisor.

Perhaps the important thing is that nowadays, people of different ages, tastes and sexual orientations can purchase aids to pleasure and fantasy, without feeling the need to sport a raincoat and a shifty expression. However we name, label or define today's specialist stores, there’s no question

POOF’S PICNIC @ THE MEADOWS

SAT 2 AUG FILM SCREENING: THE COCKETTES @ ACE AND DISCUSSION ABOUT FORMING AN EDINBURGH COCKETTES

SUN 3 AUG FILM SCREENING: XXY @ ACE AND DISCUSSION OF GENDER LED BY POLYGENDER SCOTLAND

MON 4 AUG DOCUMENTARY SCREENING: SEX WORKERS RIGHTS @ ACE

[Jess Travis]

24 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

"I don’t think that the term 'sex shop' is appropriate for my store," she stresses, "mainly because I don’t sell porn, but also because the atmosphere here is very feminine and sensual. I prefer the phrase 'erotic boutique'."

that they are evolving. Nowadays people can shop for erotic accessories in an atmosphere of discreet privacy, rather than shameful secrecy. The difference is profound.

"I think that going into a sex shop is a new rite of passage, like trying your first dodgy alcopop, or losing your virginity," muses a regular. "And once you’ve crossed that barrier, it can become a regular pastime. It’s about experimentation, and it’s about pleasure. Where’s the harm in that?"

ORGANIC PLEASURES IS AT 71 BROUGHTON STREET, EDINBURGH, EH1 3RJ, UK 0131 558 2777 WWW.ORGANICPLEASURES.CO.UK

DEVIANCE

Slutty McWhore From John Cleland's Fanny Hill to Jack Kerouac's Tristessa, prostitutes - or sex workers in modern parlance - have often made an appearance in works of fiction. It is, however, Scotland's very own Luke Sutherland who has most impressed me with his depiction of Desiree, a male prostitute, in Venus as a Boy. Desiree's discovery that he can spiritually transform his punters through sex may seem to belong only in the realm of fiction, yet it is closer to reality than one may realise. In recent years, many real-life sex workers, fighting back against the stigma of their profession, have begun to speak out about the positive sides of the sex industry, arguing that the work they do can be considered as 'healing' or 'therapeutic'.

My own views on this topic are, as always, ambivalent. In two years of being an erotic masseuse, I have certainly come across clients whose lives I touched in some meaningful way. Lonely men have left my massage room feeling less isolated; the shy have left with a little more confidence; the unhappily married with a release of tension and anxiety. One of my most memorable clients was a social worker who was unable to sleep with his wife because her body was ravaged by the pain of chronic MS. This man clearly loved his wife and looked after her to the point of exhaustion, and yet he had sexual needs which could not be met at home. I was more than happy to help this man relax, and after he left I felt good about myself and the service I provided.

For every client like this, though, there are countless others who just want to get their rocks off in their lunch hour. It's not for me to judge whether these men are spiritually and morally bereft but,

www.theskinny.co.uk

The perception of sex work as a healing profession may make a welcome change from negative stereotypes, but the reality is somewhere in between

if they are, I seriously doubt that a quick handjob is suddenly going to transport them to a new plane of spiritual awareness. The power of touch should not be underestimated, but it can only be as meaningful as my clients want or allow it to be, and, for this reason, I find it hard to see my profession as 'healing'.

It is perhaps understandable that many sex workers now choose to interpret their services in a more positive light. After all, if we were to believe the media hype (that we're all 'homewreckers', 'abused victims', 'mentally and morally unsound') we'd probably never have the strength to get out of bed in the morning. Viewing ourselves as offering a therapeutic service helps boost our self-esteem. I am, however, uncomfortable thinking of myself as 'nurturing' my clients, because this smacks of gender stereotyping.

Women have traditionally always been caretakers (mothers, nurses, teachers, etc) and I fail to see why, as sex workers, we must also display such self-sacrificing characteristics.

I enjoy meeting my clients and am genuinely interested in their lives but, ultimately, I'm only in this for the money, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If I can help some men along the way, then all the better - but that certainly wasn't my main motivation. I just wanted to earn as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, to pay for my education. I find it hard to believe that any sex workers could have entered the profession with a more altruistic and selfless outlook than I did.

After all, it's unlikely there will ever come a day when fresh-faced college students are lining up to spend their gap year as members of 'Handjobs without Frontiers'.

e Boyc dair Alas

August 08

THE SKINNY 25

Deviance

The Healing Hooker

FILM EDITORIAL The final month of the summer blockbuster season is upon us already, and as usual we can look back on another mixed bag.

Batman triumphed almost beyond expectation, while Wall.E matched the glorious standard Pixar had set themselves. The only true stinkers were probably The Happening and Speed Racer, while Indy had his moments without really going either way. But let's not write off August as the month that summer forgot – there are still several big hitters coming towards us before we start packing up for the autumn. Sequels to long dormant, if not totally lifeless, franchises rise up with the next chapters of the X-Files and The Mummy, not to mention the return of actors you thought were dead: Vin Deisel, remember him? He's back with Babylon AD in what could be a sci-fi version of The Transporter. Which is in no way a bad thing.

Have fun and see you in September.

Paul.

RELEASE SCHEDULE 1 AUG CASS (18) EL BANO DEL PAPA (15) THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (15) THE LOVE GURU (12A) MAN ON WIRE (12A) MARRIED LIFE (PG) SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC (15) SPACE CHIMPS (U) X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (15)

8 AUG THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (12A) BLINDSIGHT (TBC) CJ7 (TBC) DEATH DEFYING ACTS (PG) ELEGY (15) ELITE SQUAD (18) THE FOX AND THE CHILD (U) MAKE IT HAPPEN (PG)

15 AUG BANISHMENT (IZGNANIE) (12A) JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS (TBC) MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (PG) STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (PG) WILD CHILD (12A) YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (12A)

22 AUG HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY (12A) COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (U) FACE ADDICT (TBC) GET SMART (12A) THE ROCKER (12A) SOMERS TOWN (12A)

29 AUG BABYLON A.D. (12A) BADLANDS (15) BEN X (15) DAYLIGHT ROBBERY (15) HIJACK (TBC) STEP BROTHERS (TBC) THE STRANGERS (15) TRIANGLE (TBC) THE WACKNESS (15)

26 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

Balancing Act MAN ON WIRE IS THE ASTONISHING TRUE ACCOUNT OF HOW FRENCH HIGH WIRE ARTIST AND PERFORMER PHILIPPE PETIT WALKED ACROSS A ROPE SUSPENDED BETWEEN NEW YORK'S TWIN TOWERS. ITS DIRECTOR JAMES MARSH TOOK SOME TIME OUT DURING THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TO SPEAK TO PAUL GREENWOOD

How did you first hear about Philippe and how did you come to be involved in making the film?

Everyone in New York knows about it in some shape or form, it’s one of those folk memories that people have. I've lived there for 14 years and it’s just one of those stories you hear about.

More specifically, a producer in London called Simon Chinn was trying to option Philippe’s book and asked me to read it. I read it, thought it was amazing and knew I had to do it. It’s such a gripping read that immediately gives you the idea that you should make it as some kind of heist film, as opposed to a conventional documentary or biography. It was like a genre film and it should be confined to this one event and how it happened. So after reading the book I had to convince Philippe that I was the right person – we weren’t the first to approach him about making a film. The film was obviously influenced by discussions with him; it’s his story and he tells it so beautifully. So that was the second element, convincing him that I was the right person to do it.

Did you always intend for it to be a documentary, or could it have been filmed as a drama?

Not for me. I'm sure it could and will be, but for me it presented itself so clearly as a true life story that it could never be improved, at least by me as a director, by fictionalising it or dramatising it. Of course, what I did do was take the unfolding of the break-in story of the night they're in the Towers and I dramatised that in a fairly expressive and comic way; it’s not supposed to be archive.

Why did it take so long to bring the story to the screen?

Philippe had resisted having the story told. He wanted a certain amount of influence on it. And after the Towers were destroyed, the story took on this whole other meaning which we don’t really address in the film but which is implicit for anyone watching. And it felt to me, having lived in New York for a long time, like a good time to do this film and to use the buildings around this wonderful story as a backdrop, as a canvas for playing out this brilliant story.

Why did you choose to make no mention whatsoever of the fact that the Twin Towers are no longer there?

For me it was a really easy choice because the two events had nothing in common, even though obviously they really do. One happened in 1974 and the Towers had just been built, which was one of the reasons Philippe wanted to do the walk. But it seemed that it was a really wonderful story and why confuse that by adding some sort of sentimental, crass, stupid interpretation of the event in light of what then happened? But the point is more that you trust the audience to do that for you (! - ed.) – you don’t need to make anything overt. You look at the archive of the buildings and you have those feelings and you know their fate, but it just seemed a dimension best left unspoken and to allow the audience to engage with that to whatever degree it wants to.

How did you go about getting the footage of the Towers being built?

That was actually really hard because the archive of the Port Authority was kept in one of the

Towers, so it was all destroyed, so we had to ring around and track down the bits here and there to put together. They actually shot the whole construction so the film was really great but it had all been lost so we had to piece it together from other documentary filmmakers and news organisations, then use it to show the parallel of Philippe’s ambition to do this, which pre-dates the building of the Towers, and allowed us to build them up again, which was a very beautiful thing to do in a film.

guard who’s virtually ambling around. So they're both in preposterous positions: in the North Tower you have Jean-Louis and Albert in suits cowering behind boxes and it’s just ridiculous, they're grown men. In the other tower, Philippe and another Frenchman are hiding under a tarpaulin beside a beam and a drop of 200ft. So it’s absolutely ridiculous as well as being really serious and therein lies the comedy. So I hope there’s a certain amount of narrative suspense which is leavened by this.

The amount of home movie footage that Philippe and his associates took must have come in handy....

With all the footage that was available, why wasn’t a camera taken to the top of the Towers?

That was a real gift. The best of it was the stuff they shot in France on very nice 16mm stock, which shows you some of the obstacles they had to overcome, like how to get the line from one tower to the other, which was a major undertaking. So you see them worrying away at these very specific problems but more importantly you see the spirit of the whole thing – a young Frenchman and an Australian gambolling in the fields, and it’s all very fun and it doesn’t feel very serious. But then you have this sort of frisson where they're rehearsing the walk and Philippe is trying to get them to create the wind conditions by shaking the wire and you realise, oh my god, a man’s life is at stake here, despite all this carefree capering. But you also see how people believe in what’s happening; it has many dimensions.

Was it important to keep the reconstructed footage quite light and funny?

Absolutely. What’s comic about any situation is people taking something very, very seriously and it not going to plan. So when they go into the Towers, both teams get trapped by a security

Well it was. On the North Tower there was a 16mm camera loaded and ready to go, but JeanLouis had been pulling on the wire for so long that he literally couldn’t pick the camera up to film. Even with the photos he took, the first ones were out of focus because he’s shaking. He was having his arms almost pulled out of their sockets for almost four hours so by the time he got the strength back to pick up the camera, the police were already on their way. He had to go and hide and so no footage exists of the walk. Ultimately perhaps for the film it was a good thing, because if we did have footage everyone would have seen it already and it would have taken away some of those magic moments in the photographs, those frozen moments in time that are so miraculous and ephemeral.

How was the editing process?

I wrote a very detailed outline of the structure which is more or less what I did in the cutting room. I filmed all the interviews and then spent about a month assembling a story, then on the back of that I then shot the reconstruction elements. Doing it that way it became very clear what the story should be.

FILM

Film It must have been a huge advantage having a character like Philippe telling the story....

The first interview quickly broke down into a theatrical acting out of the story. I had two choices – I could either have told him we’re not doing it that way and to sit down and be sensible, or I could just say “fuck it” and get on with it, which was very liberating. It has a wonderful energy because we allowed him to tell the story in his way, and it adds

www.theskinny.co.uk

another layer to the story when he runs around and hides behind curtains. At one point he got so carried away he ran out the door. It was infectious and enervating but at the same time it defines the film and sets a level for the editing to follow. We don’t fuck about and it’s always moving forward.

be honest more than they were expecting and I think it came as a surprise to all of us when it became very emotional. Jean-Louis was very conflicted and upset about recalling this broken friendship but he never said don’t use it.

Is Philippe still a celebrated figure in the States?

And yet it ends up being surprisingly moving....

The intimacy that we created allowed them to

Very much, particularly in New York, he’s literally a folk hero. People who live in New York

see what he did as something quite unique, not just because of 9/11, but because it was almost impossible even then. And you can’t imagine the authorities responding in the same way, someone walking through the airport with a bow and arrow. There was a very emotional response in New York; half the audience was in tears. But people weren’t upset, they were just moved by this maelstrom of emotion that I think we all felt.

Man On Wire is released on 1 Aug

August 08

THE SKINNY 27

Film Reviews The Rocker

DIR: Peter Cattaneo Released: 15 Aug

rrr Original, inspired, staggeringly unpredictable – The Rocker is none of these things and less. Feeling like a Saturday Night Live skit stretched until it cries out in pain, the plot of a film about a slacker has-been who finds a new lease of life when he joins his teenage nephew’s emo band will be pretty familiar to anyone who has seen any film ever. Part School of Rock, part That Thing You Do! , with a soupcon of Almost Famous, and some inevitable Spinal Tap aspirations (which really go without saying), the rock ‘n’ roll fantasy movie is re-imagined for an audience of post-punk teeny boppers who get to sigh over puppyish Geiger (who apparently is, like, a dreamboat rock star in real life. Yegads.) as the angsty, dopey-eyed lead singer of the band. We also get to chuckle over the hee-larious antics of Rainn Wilson – previously known as ‘that weird, tall guy’ in everything else he’s done – as a one-time member of the shaggy-haired, spandex-wearing eighties band Vesuvius, kicked out before they hit they big-time and now restyled as ‘The Naked Drummer’, Youtube phenomenon and purveyor of tired slapstick.

But it’s genial enough fare, with some fun concert scenes, a very funny Will Arnett stealing the few scenes he’s in and a canny turn from Jason Sudeikis, walking off with every single funny line in the movie as a brilliantly slimy A&R guy. [Laura Smith] Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Teddy Geiger CERT: 12A www.rockermovie.com

Man On Wire

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Released: 1 Aug

Released: 15 Aug

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DIR: James Marsh

DIR: Bharat Nalluri

On 7 August, 1974, Frenchman Philippe Petit spent 45 minutes walking on a high wire between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Centre.

Though he was arrested on completion, all charges were dropped and he quickly became celebrated throughout the city. Using a beautifully edited combination of talking heads, reconstruction and archive footage, James Marsh’s riveting documentary tells the story of the walk, from its build up through the feat itself to the aftermath. His two biggest assets are having access to the many hours of home cinema footage taken during the planning stages by Petit and his friends, and the unbridled energy and enthusiasm of the man himself as he recounts his triumph. While the dramatised scenes occasionally take you out of the story, and the other participants can’t hope to compete with Petit in terms of interest, Man On Wire is still a thoroughly absorbing account that even ends up being unexpectedly moving. [Paul Greenwood]

DIR: Sergio Leone

It seems every other review I’m writing these days is loaded with “best suchand-such ever”, but in the case of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, every overstated commendation is entirely justified. Not only is it one of the best westerns ever made, it’s one of the most rousing action adventures ever.

And few films manage to carry such a poignant anti-war message while revelling in bloodthirsty carnage. Hyperbolise much? Sprawling and hugely ambitious, it grips effortlessly for three hours as a trio of desperadoes - Van Cleef’s Angel Eyes, Wallach’s Tuco and Eastwood, the ostensible Good, only marginally less brutal and ruthless than the others - search for buried treasure against the backdrop of the US Civil War. Sergio Leone leaves the first two films in his ‘Dollars’ trilogy in the shade with this his masterpiece, laced with devilish humour, beautifully orchestrated shoot-outs and buoyed by an exhilarating Ennio Morricone score that is among the best ever written. There I go again - believe the hype. [Paul Greenwood]

Starring: Philippe Petit CERT: 12A

The Strangers DIR: Brian Bertino Released: 29 Aug

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A wonderfully breezy, champagne cocktail of an old-fashioned comedy, that fizzes away with all the madcap, feel-good fun of a 1930s screwball classic, Miss Pettigrew is largely buoyed by the charms of a wigglesome, wide-eyed Amy Adams, doing her ditzy naïf thing as a kooky but kindhearted American ingénue, juggling three beaus (a gangster, a cad and a penniless piano player – gee, which one will she end up with?) and a nascent theatrical career on the eve of World War Two. Frances McDormand is the dour, frumpy London governess who finds herself employed as ‘social secretary’ to the fluttery Adams – the Jeeves to her Wooster – and sets about untangling her love-life and stumbling on a spot of romance for herself. Entirely populated by the bright young things of a Noel Coward London, trading rapid-fire quips at cocktail parties in a heady swirl of cigarette smoke and swing band music, while it lacks the sardonic spikiness of its predecessors, Miss Pettigrew is still a fun and frothy nostalgic delight – they don’t make ‘em like this anymore. [Laura Smith]

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef CERT: 15

Elite Squad

DIR: José Padilha Released: 8 Aug

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Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds CERT: PG

You Don’t Mess With the Zohan DIR: Dennis Dugan Released: 15 Aug

In The Strangers, a simple-enough plot revolves around a couple returning to their home in the country. But once back, their every move is watched, by strangers in the dark waiting to terrorise them on the longest nights of their lives. The climax may be the usual ridiculous over the top horror nonsense but the first 50 minutes provide some of the best scenes to grace the genre in years. Shaky cameras and obscure angles make you feel like it’s you being terrorised, not just the cast; but it’s the simplistic, realistic and believable story and excellent performances from Tyler and Speedman that make this fresh and interesting. Screen violence has lost its edge but Bertino has left a lot of the violence off screen and lets your imagination take over.

Plenty of scares and tense moments will make the idea of a romantic weekend away in the country a frightening prospect. [Kevin McHugh] Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Kip Weeks

rr ‘Hairdresser assassin’ sounds like it could be the perfect cut. Zohan (Sandler) is Israel’s finest undercover agent, who men want to be and woman want to, you know, bed. But his dream is moving to New York and becoming a famous stylist, so he fakes his own death and flees to the Big Apple. There he ends up working for Palestinian shop owner Dalia, until The Phantom (a brilliant Turturro) arrives to kill Zohan once and for all. Star and director team up for their fifth outing together and it’s all too familiar territory. Sandler, who co-wrote this project, seems to think that if a gag is funny once he can stretch it out 20 times throughout the movie although, admirably, his attempt at tackling the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict is biased against neither side; instead he ridicules both head on. More of a blue rinse than a perfect cut, wait for the DVD. [Kevin McHugh]

A tough, uncompromising look at police corruption and street crime in the drug saturated favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Elite Squad blasts across the screen with both barrels, blending the sweaty, frenetic, visual flamboyance of co-writer Bráulio Mantovani’s similarly themed City of God with lots of very Hollywood violence. Following the taciturn, slightly unhinged Captain Nascimento’s attempts to find a suitable replacement for himself on the titular Team Special, and his rather interminable narration of the same, director Jose Padilha’s film piles on the blood, bullets, ferocious pacing and jumpy camerawork to give some sense of the nightmarish brutality of life in the impenetrable, honeycombed slums packed around the hillsides of the city. But the film is let down by an unfocused structure, with too many converging, underdeveloped story strands lost beneath all the mayhem, and there’s a troubling fixation on counter-violence as the only solution. While the only insight it really offers goes roughly: corruption is not cool, ditto drug dealers, it’s still loud and flashy and exciting, and will make you really, really not want to go to Brazil. [Laura Smith] Starring: Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira, André Ramiro

CERT: 15

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui

CERT: 18

www.thestrangersmovie.com

CERT: 12A

w ww.tropadeeliteofilme.com.br

28 THE SKINNY

August 08

Film

THE LION IN WINTER

UNEARTHED

FASHION VICTIMS

STARS: PETER O’TOOLE, KATHERINE HEPBURN, ANTHONY HOPKINS, CHRISTOPHER DALTON CERT: 12 RELEASED: 25 AUG

STARS: EMMANUELLE VAUGIER, LUKE GOSS

STARS: FLORIAN BARTHOLOMÄI, EDGAR SELGE, ROMAN KNIZK

CERT: 18 RELEASED: 18 AUG

CERT: 15

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DIR: ANTHONY HARVEY

Vicious, vitriolic, scheming, manipulative: The Lion in Winter paints a portrait of an utterly venomous royal family. King Henry II (O’Toole) lets his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Hepburn) out of her castle prison twice a year at Easter and Christmas. However, the boys, Richard, John and Geoffrey, are getting older, and Yuletide 1183 is shaping up to be the ultimate Plantagenet power struggle. O’ Toole was hot stuff in the 60s, and he’s on top, roaring, wildman form. However Hepburn, 25 years his senior, simply blows him off the screen.

With the wit and rage of a medieval Tallulah Bankhead, she is absolutely magnificent as the conniving Eleanor, clawing tooth and talon for her favourite son Richard (Hopkins) to inherit Henry’s kingdom. The lust, bitterness and passion of the collected cast is a sight to behold, and the three Oscars it garnered (including Hepburn’s fourth Best Actress award) were wholly deserved. [Cara McGuigan]

DIR: MATTHEW LEUTWYLER

For those of you who, like me, fondly remember ‘80s pop legends Bros as a formative part of your early sexual development, you might be interested to learn that chief percussionist, Luke Goss, is not dead. Apparently having spent his 15-year hiatus in the gym, Luke and his deltoids have resurfaced in archaeological thriller Unearthed. Gorgeous but alcoholic sheriff (put that on your speed dating card, I dare you) Annie (Vaugier) is a chick with a rifle and a past, guarding the desert and dealing with a disproportionate number of ‘wolf’ attacks and disappearing bit-part actors. Despite having been drinking screwdrivers since 7am, Sheriff Annie must join with renegade archaeologist-with-a-face-tattoo, Kale (Goss) to defend the town. With films like this, there are inevitably a few illogical insanities you’re expected to buy without refund policy, but the execution is sufficiently slick that it just about gets away with its punches of silliness. As subtle as you’re likely to get with a bouncy, baby Predator haring around with a member of Bros in a tank top, Unearthed is just about worth a punt. [Lindsay West]

DIR: INGO RASPER

RELEASED: 25 AUG

Despite its vague billing as a risque German ‘gay interest’ comedy, Fashion Victims is in truth a far straighter affair than the rainbow titles and sartorial subtext might first imply. Looking more like a mortgage advisor than a fashion rep, Wolfgang (Selge) is a man condemned to roam the suburbs in the Mercedes he can’t afford, hawking rails of polyester monstrosities to a pool of boutiques that style has clearly forgotten. All is well until young upstart Steven (Knizka) enters, all dimples and pastel colours, cramming Wolfgang’s frankly delighted customers into on-trend capri pants, and stealing all his sales. Faced with financial ruin, Wolfgang ropes in his closeted teenage son (Bartholomäi) and the race for menopausal hearts and minds is on. Though somewhat tame, its light touch and innocence actually paves the way for a fairly sophisticated study of family relationships, and some well-executed observational comedy and pathos. So what if it’s a little conservative, a little conventional? Even the most outrageous wardrobe has room for block colour basics, and as sensible purchases go, this one isn’t half bad. [Lindsay West]

VAMPIRE DIARY

DEATH NOTE

EDEN LOG

STARS: ANNA WALTON, MORVERN MACBETH

STARS: TATSUYA FUJIWARA, KEN’ICHI MATSUYAMA, ASAKA SETO

STARS: CLOVIS CORNILLAC, VIMALA PONS, ZOHAR WEXLER

CERT: 18 RELEASED: 11 AUG

CERT: 15

CERT: 15 RELEASED: OUT NOW

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DIR: MARK JAMES, PHIL O’SHEA

Probably made mindful only of those who thought the lesbian action in Buffy didn’t quite go far enough, Vampire Diary is one of those wonderful British movies made thanks to the Hollyoaks school of the dramatic arts (see Donkey Punch): an am-dram cast delivering excruciating dialogue with the intensity of a Garcia Lorca play. Holly (Macbeth), a whiny documentarian, takes as her subject the ‘weekend’ vampire scene, a project which appears to mainly involve operating a camcorder in nightclubs, simpering behind her subjects like a creepy supply teacher. One night on the dancefloor, Holly realises she’s being handicammed herself by the ridiculously named Vicki the vampire (Walton), who is a real vampire, honest, with a very high coat collar and everything. The two are soon drawn to each other and it isn’t long before there’s some softcore girl-on-girl action, but soon the irritating band of vamps begin to meet sticky ends, and there’s a pregnancy storyline I can’t begin to go into without hurting myself or others. The film’s only grace is V.V. herself: every bit as luminous as a vamp should be, it’s just a shame about all the other suckers. [Lindsay West]

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

DIR: SHUSUKE KANEKO RELEASED: OUT NOW

A notebook falls from the sky into the path of too-cool-for-school law student Light (Fujiwara). Its opening page explains that if someone’s name is written in it then they will die. Unconvinced and with a sneer, Light gives it a go. A hapless criminal dies of a heart attack, setting the scene for a long, long line of heart attack deaths, each acted less convincingly than the last. Light chooses criminals as his prey after hacking into the police database and finding that, shockingly, some people charged with offences are actually found innocent; if in doubt, the notebook comes out. He’s equally unfazed when the god of death flies straight out of a Playstation game to retrieve his book. Lazily rendered, unrealistic and expressionless, Death is almost as unconvincing as our lead. Unlike Ring and The Grudge, there are no scares or gore to offer horror fans either, as victims are dispatched with a scribble. Based on a popular manga, Death Note manages to sap any life or colour from the original, capturing all the cinematic tension of an efficient librarian taking note of a checked out book. [Alastair Roy]

DIR: FRANCK VESTIEL

rrr In today’s film universe of blue screens and CGI, Eden Log is a kick in the hard drive, matching money with painstaking set design on a shoe-string budget. Our hero awakens in a dark, muddy pit, a flickering light guiding the way to a distant exit, just the beginning of a struggle to regain his memory and escape a strange underworld of tree people, scientists, Imperial Stormtroopers and monsters. We join him as he stumbles about in the dark, drip fed clues as to why he’s befallen this fate. Big Brother (or Sister in this case) projections speak of Workers, The Council and The Surface, while maze-like maps reveal an energy plant of sorts, manufactured by the Eden Log corporation, and powered by a dark secret. Hand held cameras, subtle lighting and clever editing transform sets of corrugated iron, spray-painted tubes and tree branches into an impressive dystopia. This is the Blue Peter Garden, designed by Marilyn Manson and tended to by Beijing’s labour work force, and while director Vestiel may have scavenged from a range of sci-fi films to build his story, the bricolage world he’s created for Eden Log is truly original. [Alastair Roy]

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 29

FILM & DVD

DVD REVIEWS

GAMES Edinburgh Interactive Festival ‘08 THE SKINNY'S GAMES CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY FIDGETONLINE.COM

by Josh Wilson

For the last eight or so years the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival has joined the other hoards of arts based festivals over the month of August, normally playing host to an industry conference and a few videos of upcoming games. This year’s fest aims to have an expanded presence and is taking a step away from the mainly industry focused nature of previous years.

As such it has (bizarrely) dropped the ‘E’ for entertainment, to become the EIF (not to be mistaken for the other EIF, the International Festival).

Along with this slimline acronym come a host of new events to raise awareness of the culture that surrounds gaming. With an ever expanding remit aimed firmly at the wider appreciation of games, this year the organisers are putting on a whole ‘Film Season’ during the festival. While film season could arguably be an excessive turn of phrase for two movies (announced so far...), it is undeniably a good start.

Screening at the Filmhouse, each of the movies on show will be preceded by several short machinima peices; machinima being the use of games graphics engines and characters to produce movies.

While it doesnt sound amazing, the things that can be done using today’s games, and with a creative mind, can actually be quite impressive.

Tilt: The Battle to save Pinball follows the world’s largest Pinball manufacturer as they try to revitalise their ailing industry by combining the classic Pinball machine with video games. Having been well received amongst critics and praised for its story telling, this could well be on to watch (Sat 9).

A TYPICAL AUGUST DAY IN EDINBURGH (FAR CRY 2)

Second Skin is the award winning documentary about the life and times of a selection of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) players through theirs lives, delivering a unique view of some of the people that play these games (Sun 10).

Channel 4 are stepping into the fray with their 4Talent Arcade workshops, a set of training presentations and competitions aimed at helping young talent get involved in the video games industry.

There will be expert panels offering advice on a range of things including acquiring funding and

REVIEWS

the management of projects. 4Talent Arcade will also be running a design competition at the festival, with the brief provided by four Scottish game developers, with the chance for anyone who enters to win coveted work placements at these studios.

On top of all this extra goodness there will be an expanded array of game screenings and play sessions taking place during the festival at the Edinburgh International Conference centre. Ubisoft will be showing off the astounding looking Far Cry 2. Dundee locals Proper Games will be showcasing their sheep-based, alien hoarding problem-solver

Flock and Codemasters will be showing a whole selection of their latest online offerings.

With all these extra events in the offering, along with the more usual game screenings, all being offered up for free, EIF is clearly expanding its horizons. While maintaining and expanding the offerings for the hardcore gamer, there are a few things to get those less gamepad inclined involved.

Which is no bad thing.

THE EDINBURGH INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL RUNS 10 AND 12 AUGUST, AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE.

UNREAL TOURNAMENT 3

BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY

OUT NOW ON XBOX 360, £34.99

OUT NOW ON XBOX 360, £34.99

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MIDWAY GAMES

MIDWAY GAMES

As Preston Marlow, you fight alongside your team in an effort to kill lots of terrorists/Russians and find some gold in the process ( Three Kings acts as an excellent synopsis). While the whole story is nothing epic, it does provide the basis for what Bad Company excels at - the characters. So well scripted are the characters and, for a change, so well acted, that it is impossible to dislike them. Which all aids the movielike feel of the game, easily setting it apart from other standard shooters. As for the gameplay itself, while not wholly revolutionary, there is a fairly solid shooter here. Sprawling landscapes stretch for miles, filled with little towns and farms in which to fight and destroy. Which is the other nice little touch - all buildings can be (and usually are) destroyed, meaning that

there is nowhere to hide. Not for long anyway. In an effort to make the gameplay as hectic and gung-ho as possible, the developers have introduced two fatal flaws: one is a massive abundance of ammo; secondly, probably again to keep you rushing in, you are effectively immortal - you have a magic stick of health, which never runs out. But if you do somehow ‘die’, you respawn with all the death and destruction you just dealt still in place. Which is a huge shame.

Bad Company is an excellent game otherwise, well written and good looking, and the whole shooting bit does work solidly. It’s just that without a sense of risk the experience isn’t quite as compelling as you would hope for. [Josh Wilson] WWW.BADCOMPANY.EA.COM

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS OUT NOW ON XBOX 360, £49.99

There’s an old saying, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’, and it’s never more obvious than when you’re looking at the latest model of your favourite consumer franchise. Whether it’s a new Mobile phone, an MP3 player, or just the latest model of the Ferrari there’s one question you always ask: what’s changed? Well, the second you start looking at Unreal Tournament 3, the fourth instalment of the UT series (no, we don’t understand it either - ed) you’ll be hard pressed to answer. It sounds and looks better than ever; running on the same engine as Gears of War, with exactly the same kind of roaring battles happening, dirt, blood and debris flying round in the explosions aplenty. But there’s an unnerving feeling that you aren’t actually playing a new game. Epic have succeeded in

30 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

creating a perfect clone of their earlier games just with better graphics and a few new vehicles added into the fray. So it plays exactly like you’d expect, even as you’d hope it would, but is that enough? To confuse things even more, the single player mode has chucked out the Tournament concept in favour of a hackneyed ‘aliens killed my family’ type revenge story which never makes much sense. If you’re desperate to get some classic UT action then it’s a good enough game, and this later release on the 360 means that ALL of the extra add-ons are included here, but long-time fans might just find there isn’t enough new here to make it work forking out the cash. [Graeme Strachan] WWW.UNREALTOURNAMENT3.COM

rr Prince Caspian is a little better than the average movie tie-in. But not by much. The graphics are neat enough, but the game itself is only so-so, hardly worth your cash. The gameplay is overly simplistic – basically you charge around swinging a sword, mace, axe or other heavy metal thing to fight, and you seem to solve the puzzle elements of the game while doing so. There are several bonus levels to unlock, but these are a total chore - why would you want a bonus level when you don’t like the one you’re playing?

And you won’t like the one you’re playing. This is only

really for people who harbour secret fantasies about becoming a centaur, or crazy fans of C.S Lewis. But it’s aimed at the gift market – it’s for clueless parents to buy for kids who have seen the film. Don’t bother, mums and dads! Or anyone else. [Keir Hind]

MORE GAME REVIEWS ONLINE! THESKINNY.CO.UK/ARTICLES/GAMES

GAMES

BOOKS bookfest skinny:Layout 1

25/6/08

11:07

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9 – 25 August Charlotte Square Gardens in association with

750 events, 800 authors One beautiful garden £5 ticket offer for these events (just quote ‘The Skinny’ when booking): TV presenter and writer Danny Wallace, 13 Aug 8.30pm Writing about rock Doug Johnstone & Toby Litt, 16 Aug 8.30pm Creative thinker on new technology Charles Leadbeater, 18 Aug 8.30pm Cutting edge graphic novelist Dave McKean, 19 Aug 8.00pm Hilarious slam star Shane Koyczan, 22 Aug 7.00pm

Tickets on sale now

Hundreds more events to see: Chuck Palahniuk, Alex James, Kate Mosse, Christopher Brookmyre, Jenny Colgan, Xiaolu Guo, Iain Banks, Irvine Welsh, Hanif Kureishi, Mark Thomas, Will Self, Andrey Kurkov.

Comedians and crime writers, filmmakers and poets, comic book artists and the best contemporary novelists. Don’t miss them.

www.edbookfest.co.uk 0845 373 5888 WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 31

Books The Book Festival of Book Festivals...

by Keir Hind

The massive names sell out quickly, so here’s a few others you might want to consider.

Oh, and we’ve also arranged a couple of events of our own...

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is upon us, and it features the usual massive, yet well-judged, selection of famous names including film stars, poets, news reporters and cult novelists, but mostly just some very fine writers.

The really big names include the likes of Sean Connery and Richard Dawkins, but they sold out in minutes – lots of people swiftly sell out at this party. Fortunately, The Skinny has selected a few great events that haven‘t sold out yet for you to consider. Oh, and we’re promoting a couple of events of our own, the performance poet Shane Koyczan and novelist Chuck Palahniuk, best known for Fight Club. There’s more about them below, but first here are some other events to consider: Firstly, some Scottish writers. The ever-controversial Irvine Welsh is appearing on Thursday the 21st to promote his new novel, Crime, which is his first novel to be set mainly overseas, specifically in Florida. One day before this, on Wednesday the 20th, the up-and coming Ewan Morrison will be appearing, along with Scots-based Californian Cynthia Rogerson. Ewan is an-

other Scot looking westwards; his excellent book Distance relates the tale of a transatlantic affair, carried out over the phone. Agnes Owens is also highly recommended – she’s often mentioned as one of the most overlooked authors in Scotland.

She’s the author of several note-perfect novels and short stories, and it’s an indication of the esteem in which she is held that she’ll be in conversation with James Kelman on Thursday the 14th.

Alasdair Gray will not be at the festival exactly… but his biographer, Rodge Glass, will be in conversation with another Gray admirer, Will Self on Monday the 25th of August, the last day of the festival, which should be enjoyable. There’s another real treat on the last day of the festival as two rather brilliant poets, Sam Meekings and Kei Miller appear together. Meekings is the author of one collection, The Bestiary, and his accessible yet technically complex poetry is full of memorable images. Scots-based Jamaican Kei Miller writes distinctive poems which are memorably powerful in many cases. Another poet, – Thurso’s George Gunn, will be showcasing his work on Thursday the 14th, and he’s been paired

Poetry not your thing? Then some of these should be: legendary radical journalist Tariq Ali will speak at two events on Sunday the 10th of August, firstly describing the political upheavals of 1968, and then at the second event talking about modern radicalism in South America. Both recommended. Charles Leadbeater deals with a different modern situation on Monday the 18th – his book We-think looks at the rise of mass creativity through technology. Some others will be taking a less serious approach to modern issues.

Comedian Mark Watson will be talking about his book Crap at the Environment on the 23rd of August, about his efforts to half his carbon footprint over one year.

Or if you fancy something entirely different, then there’s a very special event for graphic novel fans when Hannah Berry, Alan Grant and Bryan Talbot appear on the 22nd of August. Berry produced a distinctive debut earlier this year

by Lindsay West

Everything smart that Brad Pitt parroted in Fincher’s Fight Club came straight from Palahniuk’s keyboard

Probably best known for Fight Club, Palahniuk’s oeuvre might crudely be summarised as tales of offbeat emotional crutches, perverse coping mechanisms and adventures in extremism, set within an eerily familiar world of bigger, faster, more, again. His sex addicts, sociopaths and cultists scrawl obscene grafitti and hijack planes, cursing, blaspheming, and revelling in the dankest of details. But don’t be fooled by this penchant for the extreme - there isn’t a ‘fuck’ in Palahniuk’s work that’s just for fuck’s sake. From Choke to Rant, this is considered, compact minimalism; drum-tight and rife with research, no matter how

32 THE SKINNY

August 08

The Edinburgh International book festival will run from 9 - 25 August.

Tickets were available for all authors mentioned at date of going to press, however, an updated guide to who has sold out can be found here: http://online. edbookfest.co.uk/SoldOut/SoldOutList.php www.edbookfest.co.uk

Shane Koyczan

you might feel about the choice of topic. Know that the housewive’s remedies punctuating Survivor will really get your stuff clean. And know too, that everything smart that Brad Pitt parroted in Fincher’s Fight Club came straight from Palahniuk’s keyboard. The centrepiece of Palahniuk’s Edinburgh visit will be his ninth novel, Snuff; the tale of a six-hundred-men-on-one-porn-star world record attempt. If this prospect weren’t enough to get Book Festival bums-on-seats, potential Edinburgh attendees might also be interested to note that Palahniuk’s book readings and signing sessions have become legendary in and of themselves.

With random prop ‘rewards’ frequently exchanged for audience questions, and the last documented number of faintings standing at 73 (thanks to readings of the literally stomach-wrenching short story ‘Guts’), the odds of a dull Q&A session are about as high as they are of the novel being tame.

So stop resisting: join the cult, and test out the idea that the provocative and the intelligent may not actually be mutually exclusive. We’ll save you a seat.

Chuck Palahniuk will be appearing at The Edinburgh International Book Festival on 16 of August from 8pm til 9pm.

by Keir Hind

Koyczan’s ‘We Are More’ is the only poem I’ve ever read that made me want to be a Canadian

Shane Koyczan Michelle Mayne

Chuck Palahniuk shawn grant

Friends, readers, cult fiction fanciers; you are hereby cordially invited to the union of two fractious, brazen youths of the literary world - prodigious U.S. novelist Chuck Palahniuk, and your humble Skinny magazine. If this were a real wedding, it would be the kind where the plates are paper and the night ends with a nice, cleansing brawl. We’d all say too much, drink too much, and live happily ever after. Failing this, however, we’ll settle for an hour of quality time at the Edinburgh Book Festival, gleefully egging on the antics of one of the most exciting and subversive novelists around.

with Britten and Brulightly, a kind of English noir comic. Alan Grant has worked on everything from Judge Dredd through Batman and even the One Book, One City graphic novel versions of Kidnapped and Jekyll and Hyde.And Bryan Talbot? Well, he only produced the first ever British graphic novel with The Adventures of Luther Arkwright. Unmissable.And a personal pick to finish off. Linn Ullmann, who will be appearing with Jan Kjaerstad, was one of the surprises for me at the 2006 book festival, where she appeared in a small venue, but read from what turned out to be a surprisingly moving book called Grace.

Her newest, A Blessed Child, is said to be her most autobiographical to date, and so I’m sure she’ll be good value. And if none of that grabs you, you could always try, vainly, to get returns for Shir Sean. Moasht Ekshellent!

Skinny Selection:

Skinny Selection:

Chuck Palahniuk

with Rebel Inc founder Kevin Williamson, who will be reading from his debut poetry collection In a Room Darkened.

…and we’ll also save you a seat for Canadian master poetry slammer, Shane Koyczan. Grab a ticket quick, because the fantastic Mr Koyczan was one of the hits of the festival on his last appearance in 2005, so they’re in demand.

What are his poems like, you say? His poems are varied. He can hold an audience spellbound in numerous ways. Have you ever thought it strange that we’ve all seen stand-up comedy, and yet there’s an absence of stand-up drama?

Have you ever wondered why stand-up acts even need to limit themselves to evoking one thing, that one thing usually being laughter? Having read this do you miss feeling fear, anger and sympathy, all from a spoken word perfomer, or even schadenfreude, hubris and ennui? Ah, then you need to see Koyczan.

This is not to say he isn’t funny – not to say that at all, because he can be hilarious if need be.

But he’s more than that, and stand-up poetry in general is more than that. The strength of the form is that it, like music, can convey so much more than just laughs, and Koyczan can make an audience feel just about any way he wants.

And what does he want? Often, he seems to want

to be uplifting. He often leaves the stage to mass cheering from audiences who feel a lot better than they did when they went in, however well they may have been feeling before. What are his poems about? All sorts of things. Koyczan’s ‘We Are More’, commissioned by Canada’s tourist agency, is the only poem I’ve ever read that made me want to be a Canadian. His ‘Beethoven’ somehow conjures up the mindset of a tortured genius, his ‘This Is My Voice’ explains the importance of being able to speak out, his ‘Grandma’s Got It Going On’ finds new meaning in that old phrase ‘rise and shine’, and they all do these things in around three minutes each.

We’ve linked to some of them online in the web version of this article. At our event he’ll be on for an hour and a quarter, so God knows what he’ll put us through. But I know we’ll be richer for the experience. I like him, and The Skinny likes him. Come along, because we think you’ll like him too.

Shane Koyczan will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 22 August from 7-8.15 pm. www.theskinny.co.uk/bookfestival

Books

AFTER DARK

BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

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THE REDEMPTION OF ALEXANDER SEATON

BY SHONA MACLEAN

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ST. LUCY’S HOME FOR GIRLS RAISED

BY WOLVES

BY KAREN RUSSELL

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A GOOD AND HAPPY CHILD

BY JUSTIN EVANS

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HE CAN TAKE YOU TO A LIBRARY OF UNICORN SKULLS AND IT’LL SEEM LIKE THE MOST NATURAL THING IN THE WORLD.

MACLEAN WRITES WITH A HISTORIAN’S EYE FOR DETAIL

TWO YOUNG BOYS SET SAIL IN THE EXOSKELETON OF A GIANT CRAB...

EVANS SEEMS TO HAVE WRITTEN THIS WITH A FILM TREATMENT ALREADY IN MIND.

Haruki Murakami’s style is deliberate, economical and has a unique ‘sufficiency’ which lends itself startlingly well to magical realism. His style somehow succeeds in making everyday non-adventures – say, cooking spaghetti - into engaging portraits of human activity and when he finally pulls you into wonderland nothing could seem more normal. He can take you to a ‘reconstituted elephant factory’ or a library of unicorn skulls and it’ll seem like the most natural thing in the world.

In his latest novel, an intelligent nineteen-year-old student gets sucked into a world of Chinese gangsters, prostitutes, sleazy motels and spooky doppelgangers.

It’s David Lynch territory. Meanwhile, another girl finds herself in a Ring-like situation in which she is sucked into her television by a silent man in a cellophane mask.

There’s nothing too original here but it is chilling enough to entertain, though After Dark isn’t an essential piece of Murakami. If you’re a Murakami virgin, go and read his magnum-opus stuff first: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Norwegian Wood. After Dark doesn’t add anything to his world but it does certainly deliver the quality a Murakami reader would expect. It also helps that it’s translated by Jay Rubin: he’s arguably the best of the three main Murakami translators, and his work adds to the story’s beautiful austerity. [Rob Wringham]

On a dark and stormy night the disreputable Dawson sisters stumble across the dying body of Patrick Davidson, the apothecary’s apprentice. Unwilling to be implicated in his demise, the sisters drag the body to the School House in the hope that the young man may be found in time. Instead Patrick is left to die an agonising death. Thus begins Shona MacLean’s debut novel, set in the Scottish town of Banff in the 1620s.

When his close friend is accused of the murder, Alexander Seaton resolves to solve the crime. Burdened by his own unsavoury past, Seaton is soon immersed in a world of witchcraft, poison and murder. MacLean writes with a historian’s eye for detail and captures the oppressive nature of rural life in 17th Century Scotland well. At times elements of cliché are allowed to creep in, particularly with characters such as the Wise Woman of Darkwater, who is everything the reader would expect her to be (… three things, my Lord, must ye know of the Wise Woman of Darkwater!) Yet the novel is redeemed by a gripping climax and with the indication that there will be further literary outings for the amiable Seaton, MacLean proves herself to be a notable new voice in Scottish fiction. [Katie Gordon]

This impressive collection of wicked, fantastical fairytales has already garnered much praise; at the age of 24, when the book was first published in hardback, author Karen Russell was included in the New York magazine’s “25 under 25 to Watch”. At the heart of Russell’s stories are children who all find themselves in peculiar circumstances. In ‘Z.Z.’s Sleep-Away Camp for Disordered Dreamers’ Elijah experiences dreams foretelling merciless catastrophes, while in the collection’s thought-provoking title story, 15 girls raised by wolves are re-humanised for polite society by a group of nuns. Particularly apt for fans of Angela Carter, Russell employs magical realism in buckets and spades. Two young boys set sail in the exoskeleton of a giant crab, discovering phantom fish and subaqueous grottos, and in ‘Ava Wrestles the Alligator’ a young girl witnesses her older sister’s forays into adulthood with her imaginary ghost lover, Luscious. Written largely in the first-person, with children or early-teens as the storytellers, there is a real freedom and innocence to the author’s surrealistic tales. Russell’s elegant prose may seem a little too mature for such young narrators, but if you can suspend your doubt for a moment you will not fail to become completely enchanted by her witty, imaginative fiction.

[Rebecca Isherwood]

The devil and all his works have always been fodder for fiction, and now Justin Evans has added George Davies to the playgrounds of the possessed. We meet Davies as a new father seeking help for a peculiar problem: he’s afraid to touch his son. Clunky second person sections between the adult Davies and his psychiatrist serve as segues to the real story, told unreliably through Davies’ diaries, of his possession at age 11 by demons. But Evans has a mild case of intellectualism: Davies’ parents are both academics. His father wrote a critically unacclaimed book on evil and his mother is a feminist who can’t get a job. Marx, Lacan, and Jung get dropped in a haphazard way, and characters are summed up as specimens of scholarly ‘unconventionality’: “My mother’s fantasy of fulfillment… was living in Berlin, androgynous, underdressed, and steeped in literary theory.” There is tension between the adult George, trying to make sense of his horrific past, and his younger self, diving head first into his own personal horror flick, but Evans – a former film scout for Paramount – seems to have written this with a film treatment already in mind; the big questions are picked up and put down, but the real energy is saved for some really cool exorcism scenes.

[Hannah Brooks-Motl]

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OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY QUERCUS. COVER PRICE £14.99 HARDBACK.

RELEASE DATE: 7TH AUGUST. PUBLISHED BY VINTAGE. COVER PRICE £7.99

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GET MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PREVIEWS AND FEATURES ONLINE AT WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 33

BOOKS

REVIEWS

ART EDITORIAL August, the lost month for any long-term Edinburgh resident. Population explosion, extended licensing hours and too much general fun to be had means it’s time for us all to reconcile ourselves to the impending four-week insomnia.

And so to the Art Festival, and its grassroots sister, The Annuale. The first 2008 Festival event I witnessed was the brilliantly awful Matthew Collings’ talk in conjunction with the Impressionism and Scotland exhibition in the RSA. I use “talk” in its loosest form. “Purposeless ramble” might be more appropriate terminology. The audience bit its collective tongue as the Renowned Art Critic struggled with the projector, forgot all salient facts and meandered through the profundities of Impressionism as taught at Higher level, displaying a singular inability to make any kind of point. The subsequent Q&A session brought Collings face to face with the full force of the tweed-clad Edinburgh Establishment. In his defence, he took the systematic deconstruction and disparagement of both his delivery and content with a remarkable equanimity, answering one particularly pertinent attack with the words “Thank you for your cruelty.” It was a fair punishment for a talk that was ultimately reminiscent of a tutorial presentation by an ill-prepared, hungover first year who is possibly still drunk after one too many double vodka red bulls at the Cavendish.

So all in all a very enjoyable start to the festival, providing proof if proof were needed that TV critics owe a lot to good editing. On a more general note, this month I am mostly looking forward to... The Skinny Annuale tour bus, ensuring ease of access to the more far-removed venues of this wide and varied range of satellite events and exhibitions across the city. Timetables and itineraries to follow on our website and in ECA’s Embassy Annexe. /Ros

TOP 5 EVENTS 1. THE ANNUALE

EMBASSY ANNEXE ECA / VARIOUS VENUES, EDINBURGH, TIL 3 SEP “An opportunity for local artists and instigators to remind ourselves, the city and its visitors that we are here.” Pretty much sums it up.

There’s a ridiculous amount going on, see www.annuale.org for more details.

2. THE GOLDEN RECORD – SOUNDS OF EARTH

COLLECTIVE, EDINBURGH, 1 AUG – 13 SEP A truly original response to the challenge of bringing art into the Fringe: the programme brings together a plethora of artists Scottish and international in the gallery, and throws in a sister show at the Pleasance to get the comedians onboard.

3. ABOUT MISSING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES +44 141, SWG3, GLASGOW, 9 – 17 AUG Maria-Brigita Karantzi, Jamie Kenyon & Dan Scott. Work made in response to the Studio Warehouse exhibiting space by artists from London and Glasgow.

4.RETURN OF THE SOUL: THE NAKBAH PROJECT PATRIOTHALL GALLERY EDINBURGH , TIL 18 AUG

An exhibition with educative intent, it’s already attracted criticism from the Jewish Chronicle.

5.MAGAZINE 08

EDINBURGH SCULPTURE WORKSHOP, 3 – 24 AUG The annual group show in and around the studio spaces of the Sculpture Workshop is always reliably intriguing, mixing up the work of established artists and recent graduates. This year it’s being formally curated for the first time.

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AUGUST 08

Altered States of Paint ANDREW CATTANACH GIVES THE PRESS RELEASES A BODY SWERVE TO LOOK AT AN EXHIBITION OF RARE SCOPE AND FLAIR Altered States of Paint is one of those rare curatorial gems not often seen outside of London.

There is a certain implicit logic to the selection of works that is so understated that it can only be put down to curatorial intuition. And on first viewing the show I couldn’t help thinking (being Greenbergian at heart) that its brilliance had a lot to do with it being medium specific. It’s about painting and what painters do these days. And like all good painters, the selected artists are exploring what it means to paint, eking out those boundaries that define the medium and fiddling with them like deviants on a crowded train.

However, a word of warning: to fully appreciate the curatorship, do not read any of the official gallery information or press release – a mad load of wank.

As well as referencing Ken Russell’s film, Altered States, the gallery hand-out quotes from Aldous Huxley’s book, Doors of Perception, which is all about how it feels to get mad-with-it on drugs and is said to have had a profound effect on the Hippie generation of the 1960s. But just as there is no doubt that most Hippies necked acid before reading this classic work of writer-come-tripper, I have no doubt the curator had seen the underlying relationship between these disparate works before grafting Huxley into the picture. For instance, whilst Till Gerhard, Rabiya Choudry and Andreas Dobler are all definitely in the stoner camp, no door of perception through the Huxley household connects their work with the work of Angela de la Cruz or Neil Clements – straight edge gloss that alludes as much to decay as it does to modern ideals. But let's pretend we never read any of that guff and talk about the art instead.

Neil Clements’ large, shaped canvases taunt the architecture of the gallery with their measured asymmetry. Morosely black, with a little touch of grey caressing one arm of an obtuse angle, ’85 unashamedly references 1950s art history. It reenacts the turn from abstract expressionism and the usurpation of Clement Greenberg’s theory of modernist painting. And to add insult to injury, its shape is derived from a guitar associated with curly-haired metal bands of the 80s. A little room at the back of the gallery seems to have been given over to a collection of his lesser works, curiously lit by a window with a pleasant view – not very rock and roll.

Angela de la Cruz’s works become wonderfully painterly in the context of this show. She has a love of folds and creases akin only to Ingres’. And like Ingres’ fetishistic sheets and garments, de la Cruz’s Super Clutter XXL manages to reference the body in all its pink grotesqueness. A labial canvas is pushed in on itself to reveal a wooden structure beneath. It seems to have had suffered some entropic nightmare: a painting crushed by the gravitational pull of its own historical context, perhaps?

Rabiya Choudry’s paintings seem pleasantly playful from a distance; a number of small colourful images with black outlines fill the surface from edge to edge, at once carefully arranged and yet wanting to burst out of their confines. On closer inspection you see that the depictions are a little less wholesome than first expected. One painting in particular seems to be mainly made up of cocks. They are here presented in all shapes and sizes, and one in particular has a cracking big bend in it and a helmet that flares out like a mushroom head. The whole ensemble is oddly macho for a work that seems to be attacking

ANGELA DE LA CRUZ: SUPERCLUTTER XXL (PINK AND BROWN) 2006 COURTESY OF ARTIST + LISSON GALLERY LONDON

(LEFT TO RIGHT) NEIL CLEMENTS, RABIYA CHOWDHRY, ANGELA DE LA CRUZ

machismo. Nevertheless, there appears to be enough humour there to rival any dick-swinging antagonism.

Till Gerhard’s works are both nostalgic for the Hippie ideal and an epitaph to its decaying ideology. They are figurative and psychedelic in equal measure, peopled by strange cults that emit rays of coloured light from their heads. One painting, Solar System, shows a large reproduction of The Rolling Stones' album cover, Hot Rocks, which shows silhouettes of the band members’ heads, one inside another like a Russian doll. But Gerhard has added a dual light source at the centre of the picture, like two wide, benign eyes, staring out at you from the depths of Keith Richards’ head. Evil seems to lie beneath.

If this show is really about altered states and perceptual transcendence, it only arrives at this

through an obsession with the past. These works clearly have a specific relationship with history and how ideas and ideals come and apparently go, only to be found rotting in the cellar, stinking up the rest of the house. Occasionally we might venture downstairs, lift the corner of the tarpaulin and take a peek at the mangled bodies beneath – Greenberg’s dead eyes peer past you into the horizon of categorical perfection; a Hippie, long dead, still wears the horrified expression of his last, fatal trip; a feminist, kicked to death by her own misogyny, breathes her final breath.

But this show goes that bit further. The dead are taken upstairs for a while and introduced to some untimely friends. The dead walk the DCA until 7 September.

DCA TIL 7 SEP WWW.DCA.ORG.UK

ART

Art

Return of the Soul:

The Nakbah Project Nancy Katz anticipates a politically loaded exhibition that brings a touch of international consciousness to the Art Festival Scottish artist Jane Frere will present perhaps one of the most thought provoking exhibitions of the Edinburgh Art Festival. Reactionary interdisciplinary debate will range from the politics of displacement, and most specifically the 1948 Palestinian exodus, to the role, power, purpose and limitations of art. Frere's work is presented as entirely inseparable from its genesis, an insistence which puts the artist’s words, and those of the souls that she strives to represent, at the very heart of this exhibition.

Three thousand small wax figures will be suspended from the ceiling, as if caught mid-flight.

Each figure has been made by a Palestinian and holds its own testimony to someone directly affected by the 'Nakbah', literally translated as 'the catastrophe', the term used by Palestinians to describe their own forced exodus. Layered audio clips, from a series of interviews with first hand witnesses, will also be presented as a sound sculpture. The exhibition will be accompanied by a contextualising publication with an artist's statement, Palestinian testimonies and a time line of British Rule in Palestine up to 1948.

Frere declares that it is the journey that the artist takes to arrive at the final 'product' that interests her. Her journey started in the Nazi concentration camp Majdanek in Poland, where an Israeli flag prompted her to consider the next stage in the history of that period, the creation of Israel. Appalled that this "required a very deliberate strategy to pursue what has only latterly become known as ethnic cleansing", Frere would embark on a journey of exploration to learn about the history of Palestine through artistic fieldwork. Working with Al Hoash Gallery in East Jerusalem and with UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, Frere was able to work with Palestinians in the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan. She engaged artists in a training programme that equipped them with the skills to pass on the methodology for the 3,000 piece exhibition to other young Palestinians. Having found that the "new generation was woefully uninformed about the history of the Nakbah", Frere's workshops consisted of anatomy lessons, costume research and 'cross-disciplinary

PReviews gleDinBow

education'. The resulting figures and testimonies were first exhibited in Jerusalem in May of this year, a duplicate exhibition will be concurrently shown in Ramallah, and the project is scheduled to travel to Beirut in September.

Talking to a small Edinburgh assembly on the 17th of July, Frere admitted that her identity as an artist allowed her to cross borders and say things that a politician or journalist could not.

The crossover presented by this project between

artistic whimsy and the politically motivated desire to 'launch a cause' and re-address a 'grotesque injustice', is one that many will find difficult to harmonise. Last year, however, the Turner Prize was won by 'State Britain', a faithful re-creation of peace protester Brian Haw's tireless Parliament Square campaign. Haw's display was removed in 2006 for breaching the border of the 1km protest exclusion zone which surrounds Parliament. The edge of this exclusion zone bisects Tate Britain, with the gallery space

that housed Wallinger's homage to Brian's display, within it. Art, working from its privileged remove, lends a similarly useful cloak to Frere, as she silently strives to further the voices of others.

With the position of artist-facilitator, however, comes great responsibility and the insertion of this exhibition deep into the fabric of Edinburgh's August, is an intriguing and provocative move.

Patriothall Gallery, 30 Jul - 18 Aug www.alnakbah.net

The Golden Record

St Margaret’s House, 7 - 12 Aug Collective Gallery, 1 Aug - 13 Sep Edinburgh and Glasgow, two cities sitting on opposite sides of a small nation: it’s barely necessary to go into the age-old series of jokes, comments and clichés that set the two apart despite their actual geographical proximity.

Presenting the exhibition, gleDinBow: as a chance for artists of the two cities to mix it up and play with the notion of sibling rivalry and kinship, artist-led initiative echo has asked five artists from the capital to pick five of their west coast colleagues to show together in the new art space art's complex. One of the most recent additions to Edinburgh’s artist-led initiatives, echo first appeared earlier this year showing work in a city hotel room and hosting a film night in a bar.

On the Edinburgh side, artists Satoko Kiuchi, Steve Mykietyn, Tonya McMullan, Paulina Sandberg and Derek Sutherland bring a potentially heady mix of photography, drawing, performance and installation. All of which should complement the contributions of the Glasgow contingent of TS Beall, Jim Colquhoun, Vicki Fleck, Martine Myrup and Shelly Nadashi whose various practices cover sculpture, video work, writing, drawing and performance.

Given the broad sweep of artists showing in this former office space in Meadowbank, gleDinBow doesn’t risk slipping too far into parochial sniping or hackneyed stereotypes. Rather, with the emphasis perhaps leaning towards the mythical and more abstract notions of place, the cities themselves might well become unrecognisable.

[Sam Stead] 151 London Road, Edinburgh, Open daily 12 - 5pm

www.theskinny.co.uk

Fuelled by ambition of gargantuan proportions and driven with an intent in line with the joviality and ingenuity to which we have become so accustomed during August, this year's Art Festival sees Collective firmly propel The Golden Record – Sounds of Earth onto our exhibition to-do-list. Remaking a phonograph projected into the great beyond by NASA in 1977, The Golden Record is a veritable Wikipedia of visual, acoustic and conceptual offerings. The original record, launched on the Voyager spacecraft, held 116 images and various insightful sound recordings of weather, animals, music and spoken languages, complete with written greetings from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

While the original sought to represent the complexity of the human race to any curious extra-terrestrial life form that may stumble upon it, the Collective Gallery’s reinterpretation - curated by Mel Brimfield in association with Pleasance Theatre, Go Faster Stripe and Battersea Arts Centre – seeks to present an account of humanity to any festival goer who may, quite understandably, have momentarily forgotten what it is.

Straddling the Art and Fringe Festivals, the project will see 15 comedians battling it out at the Pleasance to win the honour of representing mankind, with Stewart Lee and If.comedy’s Best Newcomer of 2006, Josie Long, among the contenders. Meanwhile, on site at Collective a range of short video works will be among the many didactic creations that have been commissioned to explain such intricate and multifaceted topics as ‘Sainsbury’s’ and ‘Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle’. In addition, the original 2-D images found on the Voyager have been re-imagined in guises no doubt a tad more liberal than

(left to right) Andrew Bailey, Paul McDevitt’s Solar Spectrum

the initial collection (the inclusion of a photograph of a nude man and woman being deemed too risqué back in 1977). Covering vast topics with great specificity, anyone slightly unsure of the exact particulars of homemade love songs, ventriloquism or egg cups could do worse than paying Collective a visit next month.

star, it’s marginally doubtful that NASA’s Golden Record will ever reach its intended audience, to fulfil its initial purpose as a “present from a small, distant world”. Collective’s re-make however, is one gift which will most certainly make it. [Rebecca Pottinger]

Considering the estimated 40,000 years it will take the Voyager spacecraft to come into contact with another

Collective Gallery / Pleasance Dome www.collectivegallery.net

August 08

THE SKINNY 35

MUSIC EDITORIAL Whether it's Shelter's campaign to push homelessness back onto the agenda at Holyrood, East Glasgow's by-election drama or Barack's inaugural (and no doubt consolatory) afternoon of Tea and Jaffa Cakes with Big G fae Fife at 10 Downing Street, the political showdown seems as omnipresent as the music festival this summer.

Excuse my inner hippy, but where's our Woodstock? Trust Zack de la Rocha to sidestep the all too familiar 'Scotland, you're a great crowd' patter and fuse a virile dose of polemics with a fat Morello riff during his powerful speech at T in the Park a few weeks ago – man was like an articulate Hulk - a booming, direct, inciting voice at a time when FM radio struggles to interrupt the Hoosiers for long enough to squeeze one in.

Bopping to pop and boozing to the blues is all well and good, but the world would be a boring bag of mince without a revolution song. In the spirit of that – but not by design – we have more than a few rebels in our midst who can even that score in this particular issue. /Dave

A MUSO’S TOP 10:

THE PICTISH TRAIL

Tricky:

Real Gone Kid

HAVING BUILT UP A HEAD OF STEAM DURING HIS ABSENCE FROM THE MUSIC SCENE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, TRICKY RETURNS WITH A DARING NEW RECORD AND TALKS TO DAVE KERR ABOUT RECLAIMING HIS YOUTH, THE REAL PROBLEM BEHIND GANG CULTURE, AND WHY HE CAN'T WORK WITH BERNARD BUTLER He was trouble as a young ‘un; did time in the slammer for committing 'forgery of the crown'; bounced back to carve his own niche with 1995’s seminal Maxinquaye and still had a minute to anger Gary Oldman when he ate a Twix with his back to the camera on Luc Besson’s film set.

Growing up with the nickname Tricky Kid, it’s no secret that Adrian Thawes endured more grit and glory than most do in their adolescent years.

Entirely in tandem with the subject matter of new album Knowle West Boy, I find the polymorphous Bristolian vagabond in retrospective mode.

“When you’re a kid it’s all a good laugh,” Tricky reflects. “But I found the transition from Wild Bunch to Massive Attack hard. From writing lyrics for no reason - where you’ve got one or two chances to get it right live - to going in the studio and working an hour on one vocal, I found that a hard transition; me and 3D doing the vocal over and over again. We’d work all night on them and end up using the first vocals we ever did! That stuff I couldn’t get into.”

With old acquaintances on his lips, Portishead back to their jaw dropping best and Massive Attack’s overdue studio return mooted for release in a matter of months, it seems mandatory to ask whether Tricky gives any credence to the perceived reprisal of ‘the Bristol sound’.

“It’s coincidence. To be honest with you, Portishead and Massive Attack, I don’t know anything about their music; last time I heard Massive Attack’s music was when I was in it, and I’ve never listened to Portishead. Even if I hadn’t been in Massive Attack, that’s not something I would listen to, it’s not my thing. I don’t know much about these bands.”

“Just spent a week writing and recording with Adem - the results are pretty bonkers. Crazy electro stuff.

Looking forward to putting that out at some point next year. It’s a busy few months ahead - my album, Secret Soundz, is coming out in September, Rozi’s in October, and a new collaboration from King Creosote + H.M.S. Ginafore in November. On top of that we’ve got a Fence Club show with James Yorkston headlining on 17 September in Edinburgh. Malcolm Middleton has just confirmed as support - so it should be a crackin’ night. See yiz there?”

1. WHITE WILLIAMS - NEW VIOLENCE 2. LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III - THE SWIMMING SONG 3. ROZI PLAIN - FOOT OUT 4. HOT CHIP - CRAP KRAFT DINNER 5. HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR - BLIND 6. KID CANAVERAL - SECOND TIME AROUND 7. SMOG - SAY VALLEY MAKER 8. THE NATIONAL - FAKE EMPIRE 9. TALK TALK - I BELIEVE IN YOU 10. JAMES YORKSTON - THE CAPTURE OF THE HORSE THE PICTISH TRAIL ALSO PLAYS RETREAT! AT ST. JOHN’S CHURCH HALL ON 6 AUG. SECRET SOUNDZ VOL. 1 IS RELEASED ON 8 SEP VIA FENCE WWW.THEPICTISHTRAIL.COM

36 THE SKINNY

No bonhomie in the Bristol set then, and Tricky’s ties with Massive Attack might be long severed, but he talks emphatically about an undiminished love for his early influences. “Polly Harvey still inspires me, lyrically, and people like Rakim and Public Enemy. I don’t listen to a lot of new music.

The last album I bought was the Kaiser Chiefs for that one single [Ruby] and there was nothing else on the album! I find with a lot of new albums, they write two singles and then it’s over.”

Having flitted between New York and Los Angeles as part of a self-imposed exile for much of his adult life thus far, Tricky suddenly found himself at the centre of homeland affairs when he recently remarked that hip-hop should be held accountable for the UK’s gun and knife pandemic. “Nah, I didn’t really say that, see. I did an interview with Uncut; some editor took the lines and made it sound like that,” he shrugs. Broaching the subject now, he’s quick to clarify that the villain’s not Fiddy or the beef culture he perpetuates, but Maggie and the mess she left.

“Margaret Thatcher’s fucked everything up and no one’s made it better, everyone since has put a band aid over it. The [Government] keep talking about asbos, knife culture, gun culture; there’s a really simple solution; you’ve got to get the kids when they’re young. Instead of building an opera house for so many million pounds, and building the millennium dome – I mean what the fuck is that thing doing there? 50 million pounds and there’s nothing there, put that money into schools.”

I mention the amount paid by taxpayers on the

AUGUST 08

‘architectural marvel’ that is the Scottish Parliament, and the fact that syringes still litter the streets nearby. Tricky hits the roof.

“Unbelievable. £400 million? See, they don’t give a fuck. Basically, you need rich and poor. You’ve got to have communality, you’ve got to pay judges, policemen, insurance companies, locksmiths; without crime these people cannot exist and they cannot have a good life. So what [the Government] does is set up a social security – or dole - which isn’t really enough to get by, you need to have another hustle, you have to sell a bit of weed and do a bit of this or that. No government wants a place free of crime; it’s like the CIA bringing coke into the ghetto. The first time crack was ever in America: that was the CIA boys. It’s the age old story, the government might complain about knife crime, but they don’t want to do anything about it because there isn’t any where they live.”

Tricky’s own extracurricular endeavours have proven more fruitful than any Harlem crack deal and his recording sabbatical since 2003’s Vulnerable shouldn’t be mistaken for thumb twiddling.

Apart from putting score work together for Jerry

Bruckheimer, there’s a film on the way to document the genesis of his record label, both called Brown Punk. “It’s kind of like Spinal Tap and The Office but not funny,” he deadpans. “Well, not as funny. You don’t know what you’re watching - whether it’s a movie, a documentary - and it’s just about me trying to set up a label: what I’m willing to do to make it happen, what artists are willing to do to get their music out, just struggling.”

Knowle West Boy itself proved to be no exemption from struggle as Tricky breached his usual comfort zone by forging an ill-fated production partnership which ultimately meant he had to rerecord the album. “I was working with [ex-Suede guitarist] Bernard Butler,” he explains. “I was like ‘Right, this is the first time I’m going to let someone co-produce,’ but the guy’s shit, he’s got no clue! So I just took it home and re-did it all, protected some of my songs.” Somewhere 3D and Brett Anderson must be feeling some empathy.

KNOWLE WEST BOY IS OUT NOW VIA DOMINO WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TRICKOLA

MUSIC

Music

Joan As Police Woman:

Nothing is Not Arresting Having spent the early years of her career in such esteemed company as Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright and Antony Hegarty, Joan Wasser tells Paul Mitchell why it was necessary to step into the light on her own

Joan Wasser struggles to come to terms with the increasing public and critical adulation her sophomore album To Survive is currently receiving. “I can never know what people are gonna think or feel about the record. It’s always a personal experience for each reviewer. I just try to make the most honest music I can and hope for the best. I felt like this record needed a little bit more time than Real Life to listen to and get the hang of, so I just didn’t know if people would get it or expect another Real Life; but people seem to be in tune with it and I’m just really thankful for that.”

What she hasn’t been thankful for of late are continued enquiries about her relationship with the late Jeff Buckley. Having discussed the issue openly in the aftermath of Joan as Police Woman’s debut release, Wasser feels it is perhaps time for everyone to move on. She does however acknowledge that dealing with the press is a necessary aspect of her job. “You definitely learn a lot about yourself by doing all the press that accompanies the record. Making the music is very natural for me, but talking about it feels unnatural, which is ok, because doing unnatural things is definitely part of life. I know I have learned a lot about myself throughout the process, by talking about the songs and the inspiration behind them.”

It has been frequently suggested that the dominant theme of To Survive is Joan’s mother’s ultimately unsuccessful battle with breast cancer.

Wasser certainly doesn’t shy away from addressing this emotional time in her release, but she insists her work is about much more. “I think [the album] reflects my personality, I am a very positive person. When I wake up in the morning I’m happy. I am compelled to write music when there’s something on my mind that’s troubling it. I do address myself and my emotions through music.

The process helps me figure out a lot of confusing places, events and people in my life.”

www.theskinny.co.uk

Tp HE S resents KIN NY artist

Joan as P Wasser has been involved in olicewoman festiv the music business since the al Hydro C early 1990s, when she sang onnect date with indie-rockers the Dambuilders. She also spent time 30 Augu st as the frontwoman of Black Beetle, a band comprising of all the former members of Jeff Buckley’s band. However, it was when acting in a supporting capacity on Antony and the Johnsons' Mercury award-winning I Am a Bird Now that she recognised she owed herself the opportunity to fulfil her creative destiny. I got to work with Antony (Hegarty) and Rufus (Wainwright).

They are both really dedicated to following their own artistic path. They have their own style and they live in it. Personality-wise and musically, they really care about making art. I wanted to do the same.”

The subtle nuances and technical accomplishments of her new record suggest her confidence is ever-blossoming, but Wasser hasn’t set herself any career goals, or identified any particular styles she would like to try her hand at. “I just try to write more honestly and directly. There are times I have written things I was really uncomfortable with, in that they were too revealing or rendered me vulnerable. Then I would really come around to believing that if I felt that way it was probably the most important thing to leave in the song. I think that if something makes you uncomfortable it’s the thing you have to deal with. I know my feelings are not unique. If I’ve felt them, I know everyone else has in some way. If I can express the comfort in them I feel like it helps other people too."

Joan as Police Woman plays the Oyster Stage at Hydro Connect, Inveraray on Sat, 30 Aug To Survive is out now via Reveal www.joanaspolicewoman.com

August 08

THE SKINNY 37

Spiritualized:

The Next Dimension

by Paul Mitchell

The Large Hadron Collider near the Franco-Swiss border is a particle accelerator designed specifically to test the limitations of current particle physics theory and unlock many mysteries regarding the origin and nature of the universe. It is a marvel of modern ingenuity and naturally, Jason Pierce, aka J Spaceman, figurehead (and the only everpresent member) of ‘space rock’ band Spiritualized, is a little bummed he won’t be playing a gig there.

Over a decade after playing ‘the Highest Show Ever’ in Toronto’s CN Tower, there was a strong possibility it might have actually happened, thus continuing to propagate the band’s sense of the extravagant. “Yep, another one of Spiritualized’s missed opportunities!” he says ruefully. “They came to the idea and asked us to play too close to the time when it was going to be switched on.

Once they do that, there’s no going into that thing.

Ah well!”

Back on safer, solid ground, Pierce is on board a tour bus, zipping down a highway in the USA when we catch up with him. He seems genuinely pleased that his latest album, Songs in A&E, has been received very favourably, though he is loathe to get carried away. “It’s nice to get good feedback, but you can’t pay much attention to it because you start believing the good and hating the bad.

It does seem to be touching people, which is quite humbling actually.” There’s certainly no doubting Pierce’s humility these days, because the elephant in the room when discussing this new release is the stark fact that it may never have seen the light of day, such was the severity of the 'pneumonia with complications' he contracted in 2005. The man was technically dead…twice!

Laughing wryly at the notion of a post-posthumous release, Pierce is refreshingly open when discussing the ordeal. “Well, it was a long time ago for me, but I still feel like I can use my illness as

38 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

TPRHE SKIN ESEN NY art

IN TIME-WORN TRADITION, SPIRITUALIZED FRONTMAN JASON PIERCE FINDS THAT THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE DYING TO PROPEL THE ARTIST'S WORK INTO THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS. SO HE DID IT, TWICE! the best possible excuse for my tardy behaviour in releasing the thing in the first place! I can say to people ‘Yeah, sorry the album’s late mate, but...”.

The christening of the album too, makes playful reference to that time as he, in time-honoured Spiritualized fashion, weighs in with yet another drugs metaphor. “It was too good not to have Songs in A&E as the title, there are so many connotations. It’s a record that can go in pill boxes, medication for the soul.”

Is this album best listened to in the context of what he experienced? “No way! Good records are like time capsules. As time passes they move further and further away from the author and the stories surrounding it become less relevant. In fifteen or twenty years time people won’t listen to it and say these are songs about certain circumstances, people will just listen to music in the way it refers to their own lives. For example, I listen to 1930s blues music but it doesn’t give me the sense of being in America in the 1930s. You don’t listen to music from the perspective of an historian, you just listen to it in the way it makes your heart feel.”

Whilst Pierce acknowledges the fact that the back story of the album may be playing an active role in how well it’s being received (“It’s definitely carried it to a point”), he is at pains to stress that it was mostly written before the illness, and that it is not “morbid”, much more “matter-of-fact”. “It’s not a record that dwells on [my illness], it’s certainly not even specifically about that. Yeah, I got ill

when I was making it, I struggled to get back and that helps the songs find the space that they fit in today. A lot of music is borne of accident and it’s the same with a lot of things. I really think the accident and emergency line applies to most people’s lives, and what happens to us every day.”

Songs in A&E, whilst coloured by the monumental events in Pierce’s life, does not in fact deviate radically from the epic themes of life (and death), love, god and narcotics that the band have become renowned for. Musically, it shares the same space too, straighforward rock songs swept through with orchestral arrangements incorporating the blues, jazz, and uplifting choral ascensions. It is grandiose but from a personal, rather than worldly perspective, and begs the question as to whether Pierce’s thought processes are similarly affected.

“Quite the opposite” he laughs. “I’m really simple.

There’s a kind of dark humour to my writing that tends to get missed because of the seriousness of the story behind it. I try to hold on to the beautiful bits of everything that’s rushing by. It’s almost down to my innate ‘lack of talent’ whereby you go ‘Wow, that’s good, I better hold on to that and hold on really tight’, because they don’t come round that often.”

‘Lack of talent’ may be a step too far, but Pierce persists. “Yeah, I think music is a very simple thing. Everybody is playing the same notes, but you could play the same twelve notes as me and mine could be rubbish and yours could be the most amazing thing ever heard. So the magic is

TS

ist between those notes and what you Spiritualized do after - the elusive thing that festival makes it so special.” And then, Hydro C onnec to properly reinforce the point t date that perhaps this is a man who 3 0 A ugust has oversimplified the notion of simplicity, he continues. “You can try to recreate the sound of, say, Phil Spector or the Beatles easily enough by going into the same studios and using the same microphones and find out where they all sat, but you don’t make those records. You make records that apply the same soundscapes but those records aren’t magic because of the microphone or whatever. It’s in these ghosts that hide between the notes.

I think that’s what making great music is about.

It’s like taking the ghosts of these songs that you love and trying to apply it to your own world.”

Whatever the world may be according to Jason Pierce, he'll bring his version of it to Scotland for the second year of the boutique Connect festival.

Reminded of this fact, he laughs with the line “Oh yeah, I forgot this was one of those preview pieces.” At first struggling with the concept of thinking so far in advance, he responds with a glowing appraisal of the discerning Scottish music fan, a statement that could be trite were it not delivered with genuine enthusiasm and careful consideration. “I say it every time, but the people in Scotland watch shows on their front foot and are very enthusiastic. ‘Whatever you’re going to do, we’re up for it’. People in a lot of the world still watch shows on their back foot and are like ‘Yeah, show us what you can do, then we’ll let you know’.

So we’re really excited about that. And we’ll be coming at the tail end of a lot of shows: we’re living on a bus now so every day we’re getting inside of this and working out where it can go. Hopefully it will be really good by the time we roll that way.”

SPIRITUALIZED PLAY THE OYSTER STAGE AT HYDRO CONNECT, INVERARAY ON SAT 30 AUG WWW.SPIRITUALIZED.COM

MUSIC

MUSIC

Onwards, Ever Onwards:

The Evolution Of Mercury Rev TEN YEARS ON FROM DESERTER'S SONGS, MERCURY REV AREN'T DWELLING ON PAST GLORIES. THEY'RE MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY WITH NOT ONE, BUT TWO NEW ALBUMS. FINBARR BERMINGHAM CAUGHT UP WITH JEFF MERCEL TO TALK CHANGE, SNOWFLAKES AND NICK CAVE

This time ten years ago, Mercury Rev were a band in turmoil. Lead singer Jonathan Donahue had been plunged into a deep depression following the commercial failure of 1995's See You On The Other Side, an album he considered to be the best they'd ever made. Frustrated and disillusioned, Deserter's Songs, released in September 1998, was supposed to be their swansong. Those funny little plans, to quote one of the album's many endearing and memorable lines, never really materialised. The desperation within Deserter's Songs found an unlikely place in the hearts of thousands and propelled them towards the bigtime, striking a balance between the commercially viable and the critically acclaimed.

wrong in a band it's due to pressure and it's not being prepared for what's coming at you. There is no way to prepare for the kind of scrutiny, the criticism or the praise, that's coming at you when you make a record, because as soon as you put it out there, it's going to elicit a reaction. And sometimes, it's very intense. People tend to deal in extremes; so it's either the best record they've ever heard or it's a piece of crap. It's hard to deal with that extreme, whether it's good or bad. When you multiply that by thousands of people, it can tear at you. You have to try to stay grounded and tell yourself that you're never as good or as bad as people say you are. You're normally somewhere in the middle.”

A decade later, as the Buffalo outfit are preparing for the release of their seventh studio album and a performance at August's Hydro Connect Festival, The Skinny caught up with percussionist and keyboardist Jeff Mercel to discover that Mercury Rev in 2008 is a much more contented creature.

“We're conscious of not getting caught in the past.

In time, those sorts of wounds begin to heal,” he explains reluctantly from their London hotel room. The past is not something Mercury Rev are keen to dwell on, but they're sure the strains of releasing records had a large part to do with their near meltdown.“A lot of the time, when things go

Over the years though, the middle is the very spot Mercury Rev have never failed to avoid.

Their music is, if not revolutionary, then certainly evolutionary: morphing and moulding with each step further forward. The subject of growth and development is one Mercel is much more comfortable with and indeed, it's ground often covered within their music. Forthcoming album Snowflake Midnight is no exception. “There's a prevalent theme of transformation and state of change,” waxes Mercel, the buzz of their new material proving an effective catalyst for the conversation. “Take Snowflake In A Hot World (the

opening track on the new album). The idea itself is something of a paradox. A snowflake which is crystal and formed but inherently it's water at the same time, it just needs an outside force to change it back to water and again to vapour and back up to the clouds. So there's this idea of change and the natural process that can apply to something as literal as a snowflake or something as ambiguous or strange as a human being.”

A state of flux is no alien condition to Mercury Rev. Since their inception, way back in 1984, seven individuals have come and gone yet the output of the band remains more consistent than the ranks. As the individuals approach middle age though, Mercel sounds happy. The dynamics within the band are as healthy as they've ever been and they are at last comfortable in their own skin. “We have our disagreements. We've learned that we will fall out, that's inevitable.

But when we deal with the music, then that's not personal. It's not an attack on someone's person.

And that takes sensitivity on both sides. It takes you being careful about the things you say and how you say them. It takes a conscious effort to leave your ego at the door when you walk into the studio because at the end of the day we're working on something that's bigger than any one of us.”

TPRHE SKIN ESEN NY artist

TS

Mercury Rev

Appearing at Hydro Connect festiva l this year, Mercury Rev, Hydro C onnec t along with the likes of Grin- date derman, will be veterans 29 August amongst a relatively youthful festival. Mercel admits that the evergreen Nick Cave is an inspiration and is confident the band will only get better with age: “He's (Cave) putting out his best work in years, and that's encouraging. Last summer we were in the hometown of Salvador Dali. We visited the museum that celebrated his work and his life, and just looking at the scope of his work was so amazing and inspiring. It almost appeared as if it was fifteen different artists, such was the variety. Even into his later life, he never stopped. Taking inspiration from someone like that is every bit as valid as taking inspiration or cues from a great musician who's been around for a length of time. We're pushing ourselves to work in that sort of way.”

MERCURY REV HEADLINE THE GUITARS AND OTHER MACHINES STAGE AT HYDRO CONNECT, INVERARAY ON FRI, 29 AUG. SNOWFLAKE MIDNIGHT IS RELEASED ON 29 SEP VIA V2 RECORDS. AN ADDITIONAL ALBUM, STRANGE ATTRACTOR IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FROM THE BAND’S WEBSITE ON THE SAME DAY. WWW.MERCURYREV.COM

5 REASONS TO YOUR HAUL ASS TO HYDRO CONNECT DRINK WITH AN OUTSTRETCHED PINKY AT HYDRO CONNECT AND YOU COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR ROYALTY, AS ALLY BROWN REVEALS 1. The Location - It’s in the grounds of a castle on the banks of Loch Fyne. If you can’t appreciate that you must be a blind man who lives in a castle. You’re not though, are you?

2. The People - There’s no easy way of putting this: everyone at Hydro Connect is there for the music and the good times, as opposed to y’know, other festivals, where you get the impression some folks

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

are there solely to make boke castles after downing enough booze to kill a whale. In contrast, drink with an outstretched pinky at Connect and you could easily be mistaken for royalty or Rick Parfitt from Status Quo (it happens, seriously).

3. The Food - Sure, Glasto’s got its Non-Traditional Meat Source Burgers, and T’s got its famous I’m In A Hurry Curry Bus, but Connect’s got fresh oysters from Loch

Fyne - that’s the one we’re all standing beside - for a pound a pop! There’s nothing quite like a giant salty sea-bogey to stoke a rumbling stomach, that’s for sure.

4. The Summer - This’ll be the last big weekend of the summer, before we settle down for seven months of wondering why the hell we still live in this god-forsaken country. Won’t it be lovely to sit outside past tea time for one last time in 2008?

5. The Music Apparently they’re putting on some bands too. The Roots!

THE ROOTS The Breeders! Grinderman! Spiritualized!

Sigur Ros! Best make that 10 reasons, at the very least.

HYDRO CONNECT, INVERARY CASTLE, 29-31 AUG 2008 WWW.CONNECTMUSICFESTIVAL.COM

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 39

I HEAR

ORLD W

EW AN

INNOVATIVE AND UNUSUAL MUSIC FROM SCOTLAND AND BEYOND, BY MILO MCLAUGHLIN THEE MOTHS

DON’T LET THE CROWS TAKE YOUR EYES

“It’s time to end. Thee Moths has been around in many forms for almost 8 years.

Over 55 releases and hundreds of songs I’ve said all I can say with the project.” So sayeth Alex Botten, the man behind Thee Moths and countless other underground indie bands over the last 20 years, as detailed in his tragicomic self-published book Hanging Around, available from Lulu.com (well worth a read for insights into the Dundee and Birmingham music scenes, and the strange workings of Botten’s own mind). From the recent avian-obsessed download-only EP, Sparrows and more Sparrows, this is an unsettling, sad track, and suitably so, given that it’s quite possibly inspired by one of the more brutal deaths in Omen II and has a feeling of prescience, perhaps foreshadowing the end that was to come. But not to worry, because Botten is continuing along the feathered friends theme with new project Wings And Claws.

EAGLEOWL BLANKET

This song title sums up why Eagleowl are so damn perfect - it couldn’t be more suitable for their music and the way it envelops you in warm fuzziness, and allows you to drift off into a melancholy, untroubled state of consciousness. And with its mournful violins, warmly comforting double bass, delicately played guitars and gorgeous understated harmonies, Blanket is one dream you won’t want to wake up from. The track is from their new EP For the Thoughts You Never Had which they are launching this month as part of Retreat! (see Live Music Previews this issue).

SANS TRAUMA THE DAY I WOKE UP

Sans Trauma are a sleeping giant of the Scottish music scene whose time must surely be about to come. And like a giant that’s woken up on the wrong side of the bed, realising he’s wasted too much time, this epic masterpiece wades ferociously through the listener’s psyche, leaving huge footprints. Live, the band layer shoegaze guitars with krautrock rhythms and post-rock violence, building whispers of lyrics and modulating, fuzzed up guitar into monolithic soundscapes, that judder off instinctively into different directions at the most unexpected moments.

YOU CAN HEAR ALL OF THESE TRACKS VIA THE PODCAST AVAILABLE ON WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK/MUSIC

40 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

The Future Is Left TWO THIRDS MCLUSKY AND ONE THIRD JARCREW IS A POTENT MIX IN ANY ROCK ALCHEMIST'S BOOK. AND SO THE FORMATION OF FUTURE OF THE LEFT AND THEIR DEBUT ALBUM CURSES PROVED TO BE. DARREN CARLE CAUGHT UP WITH THE BAND'S CONSTITUENT PARTS TO TALK ABOUT ANIME, PSYCHOS AND MAGICAL NIGHTS

TPRHE SKIN ESEN NY artist

TS

Future Of Th e L eft

festival

Reading/L eed s 22/23 Augus t

date

“Great rock ‘n’ roll isn’t made of substantive facts.

It’s made of a series of contrasting images and ideas which get people unaccountably excited about a band.” Oh indeed, and there are few bands that can claim to be as contrary or as exciting as Future Of The Left; a trio of socialist, liberal-baiting, hard-drinking, fitness freaks who pen hard pop-punk songs about imagined, bloody revenge and a sentimental love of pussy cats in equal measure.

Andrew ‘Falco’ Falkous, from whom the above quote is proffered, continues to enlighten The Skinny about the band’s non-literal name as we share a word backstage at Glasgow's Stereo.

“We’re all left-leaning individuals, but that’s not what the name's about. When you go for a year-and-a-quarter without a name you start to panic. At one stage, I thought of calling the band just a barcode. You know, having a barcode for a band name.” "Actually, I remember you telling me that,” groans bassist Kelson Mathias with an equal degree of mirth and relief.

Fortunately they opted for their current “good sounding” moniker, but there were other more pressing problems in the two year interim between Mclusky and Jarcrew’s dissolution and the subsequent formation of FOTL. “The first year was pretty difficult for a few different reasons; relationships ending and bones breaking in wrists,” offers drummer Jack Egglestone. “Have you ever seen the Manga film Akira?” asks Falco excitedly. “It was a bit like that. 2005 was Akira, 2006 was Fist Of The North Star, and 2007 was Howl’s Moving Castle - which I haven’t actually seen. Looked too feminine for me. ‘Chick Anime’ – not my genre.”

However, such drastic, if unlikely, teething problems seem to be paying off now as last year the Welsh lads enjoyed more mainstream press coverage than their former bands combined.

“The NME have given us about as much coverage as a band like us could reasonably expect,” admits Falco. “I don’t think they’ve said anything unreasonable about us – I think we’re a fucking good band. I’m just surprised that they’ve decided to tell people that with big pictures and everything.” However, he states he’s unimpressed with the weekly rag’s eight-out-of-ten rating for their album Curses. “I’ve just got a thing where I’m not interested in eight-out-of-ten. Give it a three or give it a nine, you know.”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about meeting the band in person is just how amiable and pleasant they all are, a stark contrast to their photo shoots that have often involved power tools and dead hookers. “Sometimes people are a bit hesitant to come up and see us after shows,” admits Kelson. “Apart from real fucking psychos,” adds Falco. “Well it’s an obvious reaction,” Kelson continues. “If you saw a guy on the street freaking out, throwing his arms in the air, you’re not going to go up to him and say ‘Fuck, good moves’. You’re gonna go ‘I’m gonna take a wide berth past you, you big fucking radge’.”

“When I’m not making a lot of noise I like to be quite quiet,” adds Falco. “I mean, I’ve met certain people in bands who aren’t like that. Frankly I’ve met lots of people in bands who could do with putting a lot of the passion and the chaos they bring to their normal everyday lives into their fucking music because their music’s really boring and polite.” Like? “Nearly every musician you’ve ever met, frankly.”

However, don’t mistake the Future Of The Left

DAVE BURRELL

live experience as some kind of catharsis for the band. “It’s just totally natural. It’s not a catharsis at all,” states Falco. “I’ve been in bands with people for whom it was a catharsis and for me that’s bullshit. If it’s a catharsis you can’t be so rigid with it. You can’t travel around and have your appointed time of catharsis every night between ten and ten-fifty. It’s actively the most enjoyable thing you can do with your time, and the rest of the day is set around creating, hope-

fully, the ideal conditions for playing a rock show.

Playing live and having people really, really like the music and it being appreciated and having magical nights is what it’s about. It’s not about inner demons. Fuck that.”

FUTURE OF THE LEFT PLAY CAPTAINS REST, GLASGOW ON 15 AUG, THEN THE NME/RADIO ONE STAGE AT READING FESTIVAL ON 22 AUG AND LEEDS FESTIVAL ON 23 AUG WWW.FUTUREOFTHELEFT.COM

MUSIC

Music

Metal up your ass!

by Jamie Borthwick

A weekend with Shed Seven and Scouting For Girls isn’t quite the kind of riff massacre MUYA had in mind this month What’s that? Those big outdoor summer festival line-ups just aren’t quite extreme enough for your battle-hardened lobes? True, a weekend with Shed Seven and Scouting For Girls isn’t quite the kind of riff massacre MUYA had in mind this month, but if you take a look beneath the remains, as it were, you’ll find a few shows to keep you in tinnitus.

Embarking on a UK-wide tour together, Edinburgh post-metal boys Hitcher join mentalist Geordiechaps Lavotchkin and superb screamo act Crocus for the Dundee leg at Balcony Bar (1 Aug), going on to hit up Edinburgh’s Hive (2 Aug) and Glasgow’s O’Henry’s (3 Aug).

West coast screamo stalwarts Mesa Verde head up the show at 13th Note Cafe in Glasgow (1 Aug). Support comes from Glasgow punkers Black Channels. Also expect searing hardcore punk rock from the USA as Career Suicide swing by Henry’s in the

capital (11 Aug). Support from cricket-themed Geoffrey Oi!cott and Intentions.

There’s bound to be some shapes thrown in the name of big hitting French metalcore act The Bridal Procession at The Hive (16 Aug). Beefing up the bill, dubbed “Brits v Frenchies”, are Many Things Untold and the newly expanded line-up of Auld Reekie’s Dead at the Scene.

Here’s a tip: Former Icarus Line and Nine Inch Nails axeman Aaron North swings into the intimate environs of Dundee’s Westport with Michael Shuman (QOTSA, Wires on Fire) and their new outfit Jubilee for what’s sure to be an incendiary night of dirty riffage (24 Aug); support comes from local melodic rockers on the up Descartes. And here’s a wee reminder that System of a Down lynchpin Serj Tankian will be making up for his postponed Glasgow date from earlier in the year and preaching his firebrand politics from an ABC-shaped pulpit at the top of next month (1 Sep).

A Serj of Controversy

Jubilee

Since System of a Down went on an ‘extended hiatus’ in August 2006, frontman Serj Tankian went completely solo with last year's Elect the Dead. Shaun Love patched in a transatlantic call ahead of Tankian’s trip to the UK next month to discuss single life, airborne genitalia and the consequences of being an overtly political musician Having almost entirely written, performed and produced Elect the Dead, has the experience of going solo improved or changed you much as a musician?

"Absolutely. As a songwriter it presented a lot of interesting challenges; and as a musician I got to exercise my chops on guitar, piano, string arrangements, bass, programming drums, producing and putting it out on my own label. It was like an all round arts project that came together for me, like a composer’s way of making a rock record."

Your touring band’s called the Flying Cunts of Chaos, what’s that about?

"Well, I was originally thinking of naming the record that, but I thought it might not make it into any retail stores. So when it was time to come up with a name for the band I thought ‘Serj and the Flying Cunts of Chaos’ just for fun, to be honest.

We had two or three different names, I ran them by the guys in the band and, overwhelmingly, everyone liked the ‘Cunts’, so..."

You make it sound like such a reasonable suggestion. You’re well renowned for your activism. can you tell me about your Elect the Dead campaign?

"We set up a website (electthedead.com) to get signatures on electoral reform points that I came up with. I’m working with Axis of Justice and building coalitions between different democratic organisations like RegisterToVote.org, MoveOn. org, DeclareYourself.com and Progressive.org to get signatures. It’s building by the thousands all the time. Once we have a decent number of signatories we want to take it to certain members of congress and see if we can make it into a resolution or a number of resolutions."

www.theskinny.co.uk

What did you make of Bjork’s recent controversy where she was condemned by the Chinese government and knocked off the Serbian Exit music festival’s bill for associating her song Declare Independence with Tibet and Kosovo during her concerts in China and Japan?

"Awesome. To be condemned by any government is awesome."

What do you say to her claim that she wasn’t making a political statement so much as expressing the need for freedom as a human emotion?

"Most artists make their points from an intuitive emotional point of view rather than a political logical point of view, and that’s what we should be doing. I have much respect for that."

I only bring it up because politics have played such a key part in your music. Have you found yourself in any similar controversies?

"I had an article called ‘Understanding Oil’ appear on our website on 12 September, 2001. I got death threats; radio station program directors were dropping our single, Chop Suey, at the time; all over the airwaves in the US people were telling me to get the fuck out of the country if I don’t like America. All sorts of fun stuff. A lot of reactionism prevailed in the US at the time, and people weren’t ready to listen to logical explanations of the after-effects of our oil policy in the last 100 years in the Middle East. So yeah, I’ve had my share. But hers is nicer, I like that better.

I’d rather be condemned by a whole government for having emotions. I want to join her!"

Serj Tankian plays ABC, Glasgow on 1 Sep www.serjtankian.com

August 08

THE SKINNY 41

Burning Bright:

Attic Lights

SPONSORED BY:

JASON MORTON TALKS TO SCOTLAND'S NEXT BIG INDIE-ROCK BAND, ATTIC LIGHTS, WHO'VE SIGNED A 5-ALBUM DEAL WITH ISLAND 2008 has been a big year so far for Attic Lights, and it's about to get bigger. Three singles - Never Get Sick of the Sea, God and their most recent, Bring You Down, which features remixes by Mogwai and Camera Obscura - have slowly built up anticipation of the Glasgow five-piece's Island Records debut.

fans - whether current or yet-to-be converted will have plenty of opportunity to hear the band's sunny melodies as they criss-cross the nation on the festival circuit. The band then wraps up the season by releasing their debut full-length Friday Night Lights in September.

"I guess once we got signed originally, there was a wee bit of sitting about, waiting for things, but over the last six months it's been a 'go go go' kind of thing," says Colin. "Which is good, because there's only so much TV you can watch in the afternoon."

It's a big change from around about a year ago, when Attic Lights first started to leave their impression on the national music scene. The album’s co-producer John McLaughlin sent the album, which the group recorded whilst still holding down full-time jobs, to a number of record labels, stirring up interest. “We played a gig last year at King Tut's with all these big A&R guys" Colin says, "and we knew we were playing that one gig for a record deal with a major so we were all totally crapping it. Afterwards we went back to the studio and were playing some tracks for them, and it worked.”

While the band, which also includes Jamie Houston and Tim Davidson on guitars and Noel O’Donnell on drums, might be breaking ranks with The Weakest Link and Richard & Judy, they've brought their cheery 60s pop-inspired music across the UK through touring, performing in-store shows and opening for big names such as fellow Glaswegians and new label mates The Fratellis. But the summer's not over yet, and

A rite of passage performance at 2007's T in the Park also went some way to elevating the band's platform, and they ended up inking a five-record deal with Island. And while that's astounding in itself, another recent move by the band has also gained them a lot of attention. Through a chance encounter with McLaughlin, the group recently met and collaborated with ubiquitous TV celebrity David Gest, with the former husband of Liza

Even on a dreary Thursday in Glasgow's west end, Kevin Sherry and Colin McArdle, who share vocal duties and contribute guitar and bass respectively, have a cheerful exuberance about them, despite their hectic release and promotion schedule.

El Padre:

What's In A Name?

WITH THE MUSICAL PSEUDONYM FALLING FOUL OF TODAY’S MORE TYPICALLY PO-FACED STANDARD, BILLY HAMILTON CATCHES UP WITH EL PADRE’S BOBBY STEVE JACKSONSON TO FIND OUT JUST WHAT’S IN A NAME

Minelli delivering a Shatner-esque monologue over Bring You Down. According to Kevin, they first thought, “Can we do this? It’s David Gest – not really rock’n’roll.” “Will this destroy us?” was Colin’s thought. “But the music speaks for itself” Kevin says, admitting that “The experience was totally surreal”, but that Gest took an immediate shine to the group. “He phones up the management all the time, saying ‘How the boys doin’? I played the song for Michael Jackson – he loved it.’”

Gest has since invited the band to tour with him on My Life! A Musical Concert Extravaganza.

There will also be a Gest appearance with the band at V Festival in Chelmsford on the 17th of this month, and he’s featured, along with his eccentric entourage, in the video for Bring You Down.

Despite a loving embrace from globe-conquering hip-hoppers, the pseudonym is often much derided in today’s bourgeois indie circles. Keeping it real’s all part of the deal and, unless you’re after a one-way ticket to attention-starved oblivion, that tight little package your band earnestly plugs had better not include any weed-induced appellations. So when I chew the fat with El Padre’s entitled guitarist/vocalist Bobby Steve Jacksonson it’s a shock to discover his mammy didn’t christen him so.

“One day, a long, long time ago when the old version of El Padre was falling apart, I renamed everyone and came up with [Bobby Steve Jacksonson] and when the day came to stop using it I thought: ‘na, na I’m keeping that’,” Jacksonson explains. “Now I kind of like the anonymity of it all.”

Completed by the equally well-monikered Beat-áMaxx [Beats/Vocals] and Papa Flash [Guitar/Vocals], El Padre’s synth-centric furore of jay-walking lyrics and rumbling melodics has been striking a dagger deep in the heart of po-faced fashionistas since the current line-up coagulated just over a year ago. A spate of doom-saying tracks like electro-ballad Monsters In The Blue certainly bely the trio’s playful disposition but Jacksonson is eager to stress that any perceived dolorous moping is an unavoidable trait.

“I want [El Padre] to be fun but it’s very hard to write a happy song with synths,” he says. “When you introduce synths you’re treading into weird territory - you’ve got to do it really well. I guess some of the lyrics are very, very sad but it’s just a bleak way of saying something nice. It really annoys me when you hear that band who wrote that song about dancing to Joy Division (that'll be the Wombats - Ed). I mean, who actually has the audacity to write a song like that. They’re just a terrible, terrible band.”

Having fervently established those not on the group’s hitlist, Jacksonson unveils who actually tickles their electro-shock fancy: “There’s a huge influence coming from Scotland. The three bands who quite accu-

42 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

Aside from contending with their new-found friend’s antics, future plans for Attic Lights include a video and single for album track Wendy, as well as touring to support the forthcoming album, where they say it’d be nice to meet back up with The Fratellis. “I reckon, aye, they seem keen - I guess we'll just wait to hear from 'em,” says Kevin. Following that, the band already has almost 20 unreleased songs in waiting, ready to be fine tuned, recorded and delivered to the masses.

So the lads look poised to burn bright with Friday Night Lights, and it doesn't look like they’ll be switching off any time soon.

ATTIC LIGHTS PLAY THE YOUR SOUND BANDSTAND AT HYDRO CONNECT, INVERARY ON 30 AUG. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS IS RELEASED ON 8 SEP VIA ISLAND WWW.ATTICLIGHTS.CO.UK

SPONSORED BY:

rately form our sound are Errors, Frightened Rabbit and Twilight Sad. El Padre’s really a combination of different styles: Beat-á-Maxx has a lyricless, electro project whereas Pappa Flash is in many, many strange and wonderful bands. Hopefully, he’ll get a wedding gig soon – that’s where the money is and we could do with some new gear.”

Jacksonson’s own solo work is a skewer of introspection that flickers to the tune of dreamy acoustica, far removed from El Padre’s oceanic depths. So how does his work compare to El Padre’s motorwayrolling sonics? “It’s the kind of thing I do for myself, the things I relate to,” explains Jacksonson. “In [El Padre], Beat-á-Maxx is the one who does the sounds and I’m just an instrument for that. I really like that, I like being able to write lyrics for chords I normally wouldn’t produce myself.”

With fingers buried deep in a multitude of pies, surely it’s time for the trio to refocus as one singular unit? Unsurprisingly, Jacksonson disagrees: “Well, right now, we’re working on one of Beat-á-Maxx’s projects which has something to do with twin peaks – it’s a Dr Dre influenced electro song called ‘The Owls Are Not What They Seem’. As for me, I’ve done a poem called a ∏em, where the first word of each line is three letters long, the second one letter long and the third is four letters long – you know, 3.14? It could go on forever.”

Much like that age-old mathematical constant, you get the impression El Padre’s possibilities are endless.

EL PADRE SUPPORT DE ROSA AT ORAN MOR, GLASGOW ON 31 JUL WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ELPADREMUSIC

MUSIC

©2008 Jack Daniel’s. All rights reserved. JACK DANIEL’S and OLD NO. 7 are registered trademarks. www.jackdaniels.com

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU CELEBRATE A 158TH BIRTHDAY. UNLESS IT’S SEPTEMBER.

DXb\ AXZbËj 9`ik_[Xp X d\dfiXYc\ fe\% Gc\Xj\ \eafp i\jgfej`Ycp% DRINKAWARE.CO.UK

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6/26/08 2:23:45 PM

Top of the

Sub Pops

Sub what, you say? Why not come away from the dark side, young pilgrim, you are entreated to delete your Razorlight MP3s and cast an ear over a few of the indelible treasures contained in the bountiful vaults of Sub Pop. Ignore these albums at your peril!

Nirvana: Bleach (1989) Recorded for $606.17 (donated by Jason Everman, who, despite being in both Nirvana and Soundgarden, only recorded a Beatles cover with the latter), Bleach was a downtuned, riff-laden statement of intent from what was to become the most important band of the 90s.

Cited as an influence by everyone from Slipknot to Radiohead, it saw sludge-punk misanthropy meet Beatles pop sensibilities in perfect measure and set the wheels of change in motion. [cc]

Incredibly, it wasn’t to be their finest work, but the Afghan Whigs' classic, Congregation, was the album which properly introduced the red-light sleaze, pseudo-sexuality and boozy, trailer-park tales of Greg Dulli’s world. Geographically and musically removed from Sub Pop’s Seattle - based grunge roots, the Whigs' sound on Congregation was flamboyant, soulful and quite simply irresistible. [pn]

Murder City Devils: In Name and Blood (2000) From the Castlevania keyboards of Press Gang through to the final, primal yelps of Fields of Fire, In Name and Blood saw the Murder City Devils mastering a focused fury unseen on their previous releases. Matching moody ballads with higher-octane rock 'n' rollers, they combined the powers of Supersuckers, Misfits and daresay the Doors almost seamlessly. It’s as much a stand out now as it was at the turn of the millennium. [jm]

Wolf Parade: Apologies To The Queen Mary (2005) This immaculate debut flies the flag for post-grunge Sub Pop better than none other. It should've been an impenetrable mess with Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner trading disjointed songwriting blows, nuances and idiosyncratic vocals, but somehow, with the production of Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock (who also signed them to the label), it became a record of boisterous, unrelenting beauty. [fb]

Comets on Fire: Avatar (2006) If Blue Cathedral was an unpredictable smorgasbord of psychedelia, then Avatar equally confounded expectations by serving up a big dollop of, gulp, accessibility. The face-melting guitar reverb beamed in from space was still present, but suddenly the songs were given room to breathe and take shape, whilst losing none of their rich texture and grandeur. [dc]

44 THE SKINNY

August 08

The record label that unleashed Nirvana on an unsuspecting world just turned 20. Sub Pop's leading ladyMegan Jasper tells Dave Kerr why it's in tougher shape than ever “Everyone here is counting the days until this is over,” sighs Megan Jasper. Fortunately she isn’t talking about any foreseeable end to the Pacific Northwest’s great cultural institution that is Sub Pop records, more looking forward to celebrating the impending retirement of George Bush. Then again, without the kind of political cataclysm that tyrannies like the Bush administration provide, the two fingered punk rock intensity that Sub Pop have been documenting with records since 1988 might never have manifested itself in quite the same way.

Beckoning forth the rise of everybody from Nirvana to No Age, the brainchild of Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman – who were brought together by mutual friend and ex-Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil – has defied the odds and outlived almost every band on its roster, save Mudhoney. Indeed, Sub Pop is so ingrained in Mudhoney’s DNA that front man Mark Arm runs the warehouse. “I think he’s everyone’s favourite co-worker,” says Jasper. “He’s really smart, funny and he’s a super goofball, but he has a strong work ethic.”

Arm’s not the only one: Jasper moved from Massachusetts to take up an internship with the label after meeting Poneman and Pavitt at a Screaming Trees gig in the late 80s. Now speaking as Sub Pop’s executive vice president, in conversation Jasper appears a modest mother figure to the Seattle based independent. While she was receptionist and chief ‘goofball’ in Sub Pop’s early day, Jasper would take bullets from the label’s many creditors and tell porkies to the New York Times (infamously ‘inventing’ Grunge Speak, where ‘Swingin’ on the flippity-flop’ was fictitious slang for ‘hanging out’) before losing her job during one of its darkest hours. It’s no secret that the label has thus far rode a series of financial dramas, purportedly a symptom of Pavitt and Poneman’s initial strategy to have everybody believe theirs was a monolithic enterprise from the off.

“I say that I was fired because it sounds so much better,” laughs Jasper, “but in 1991 [The Year Punk Broke, no less] there began a series of layoffs, the company had grown to almost 30 people and had no money. The biggest misconception is that back in the day we had a lot. Bruce and Jon marketed the label as one that was striving for world domination and this was partially a joke that they tried to take as far as they could. But, like the word ‘Grunge’, if you use something like that as a joke for long enough it starts to become real. It became real to some people and a lot of them thought [Sub Pop] had more money than it knew what to do with. The truth was Bruce and Jon were writing rubber cheques every day and it made for a very stressful situation because we had to answer to it all.”

“And in those middle years, even though there was a lot of money that came in from Warner [who bought a 49% share in the label] and Nirvana, it seemed like the company was trying to grow too quickly and as quickly as it was growing, morale was falling. It felt like the soul was trying to leave the company. I don’t know that one was any worse than the other, they were all pretty brutal times.”

Following a shake up in personnel that culminated in the eventual departure of Pavitt in 1995 – disillusioned by the swooping in of corporatism – the eventual salvation of the label's spirit and finances would arrive in the hands of progressive diversification.

soundgarden charles peterson

Afghan Whigs: Congregation (1992)

Going Out of Business Since 1988

“Yeah, there are a lot of different types of bands right now,” considers Jasper. “These days, the Shins [signed at the turn of the millennium by then A&R man Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse] probably come to mind for a lot of people when they think of Sub Pop. But you have Iron and Wine which is sometimes so delicate and fragile and then Wolf Eyes, which will absolutely destroy your soul through and through,” she lingers slightly before giggling. “And that’s why we love it!”

Now, having weathered all of the above storms, Sub Pop’s personnel were free to bask in the glory of seeing in its 20th birthday with a mini festival that provided “the perfect collision of old and new school” and highlights arriving in the form of “Green River, the Vaselines, Grand Archives, Comets on Fire and a Sub Pop flag on the Space Needle.” Far from the creatively spent force that Rolling Stone prematurely assumed a decade ago, Jasper suggests we could be right in the middle of Sub Pop’s glory era. “Every release has been really strong this year and when I look at all of those records it feels like a statement.”

Flying in the face of the uncertainties faced by the music industry in this heightened digital age and amid global economic recession, strong new releases from Grand Archives, No Age, Wolf Parade, Foals, Fleet Foxes and CSS as well as returning veterans Mudhoney and the dark duo of Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan (as The Gutter Twins) – almost all of whom are touring Europe as we speak - are collectively chanting that statement loud and clear: Sub Pop is here to stay.

What kept the Sub Pop staff muddling through for all that time? “Mostly, I think belief in artists and belief in what we all knew this label could and should be,” offers Jasper. “When you can see it’s within arms reach you just have to focus and do your best and I think that’s what everyone rallied to do.” She continues, “I think when you have a band that’s working hard, a label that’s working hard and it’s the right time, anything is possible.”

Sub Pop’s Singles Club 3.0 launches in August, including 7” and digital releases from Black Mountain, The Notwist, Black Lips, Om and many more. See their website for details on how to subscribe www.subpop.com

Slacker’s Delight Having gone from punter to Vice President snce the label's inception, Sub Pop’s Megan Jasper charts the most memorable gigs across the span of the label’s history so far.

Tad

Central Tavern, Seattle (1990)

Un-fucking-believable; just this heavy motherfucker making the heaviest music I’ve ever heard. I remember watching him play and thinking ‘I so desperately need to live here and stay here’. I moved to Seattle two months later; this was my selling point.

Nirvana

The Off Ramp, Seattle (1990)

This was right before Nevermind came out and they wouldn’t stop playing. So at 2 o’clock they locked everybody in the club - which is not legal – they played for hours, I think I got home around 3:30. There was just this feeling, like everyone knew that something special was about to happen for them, and it was almost as though they needed to get it out of their system.

The Shins

The Bowery Ballroom, New York (2003)

To see The Shins play the Bowery ballroom in New York City when Chutes Too Narrow came out, it felt like a really special moment. It was like one of those rites of passage, they sold out this club – it’s a killer room for bands to play at – and when you sell that out the next venue is significantly bigger.

Pissed Jeans

Khyber Pass, Philadelphia (2005)

A shitty little pub in Philadelphia, I saw Pissed Jeans play here and it was like a breath of fresh air. Actually, it was probably more like air from a dumpster, but it was exactly what I needed at the time. I felt so energised and excited to see that show, for as much as I love Iron and Wine, The Shins and the Postal Service, this was Black Flag guitars, screaming and a hell of a show – so irreverent in so many ways.

Band of Horses

Carnegie Hall, New York (2008)

This literally brought me to tears. To see them in that venue was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen, they’ve so much developed what they are. The first time I saw them play, Ben [Bridwell, vocals / guitar] was so fucking shy; he couldn’t really look at the audience, his microphone was falling over and his songs were just pieced together, but he just had that incredible voice.

Music

T++: No Logo Steve Glencross talks with Torsten Profrock about Hard Wax, Berlin & the changes in techno...

Torsten’s known for a fair few projects like Erosion, Dynamo, Resilent, Traktor and Monolake, but he’s not keen on names and associations - something that has become an obsession for info-hungry people. “Honestly, I don't like pop-alike images. I'm not happy that all synonyms have been revealed and was sad about this too, because people I used to call friends published the information. I don't see the value in knowing who did what.”

Similarly, the mystery and intrigue of names like Drexciya and Chain Reaction have gone, but for what gain? Just so that people can update their Wiki page? The days of mysterious artists/releases and not knowing what the fuck was going on is a stance that Torsten seems quick to support. “I prefer the old school days, where you were buying just white labels and hardly even wondered who did it. The music was great!”

Whilst he continues to be dedicated to pushing the boundaries of techno, he’s also maintained a long-standing relationship with Hard Wax along with some other key figures in the scene. This is a topic that’s generated a fair bit of discussion among trainspotters, an issue that Torsten seems keen to play down: “I'm an employee at Hard Wax and do what shop clerks do - serve customers. When we're working for Hard Wax we're not artists. Our boss is keen to run a proper shop. All others stories are just myths.”

Trainspotter theories aside, Hard Wax is generally considered to be a humble and organic outlet of diverse electronics; which can be considered an artistic statement. Is this the way Torsten sees it?

“Well, Hard Wax isn't about pop in all its facets.

We're not about short living music. We treat music and art with respect.” It's the kind of answer you might hear when people talk about techno standing for something more than just music; for it to have substance and longevity and not simply be disposable dance fodder.

It’s this sort of attitude that’s seen the rise of an intelligent strain of music, the dubstep / techno fusion; an area that Torsten’s found himself involved in, along with guys like Pole, Appleblim and Peverelist. Is this an interesting time for him, and does it represent anything important? “To me the main theme within the dubstep thing was about anti-specialization. Still it appears to me as techno music, where techno always used to have more options than 99.9% of the people involved ever used.”

A fair point, given that the purist end of techno still have a string of names determined to explore new territory, without finding the need for branding or labelling it: as in reality, they’re all mutations of techno. This approach seems to keep the rest of the scene on its heels, and sets producers like Scion, MMM, Apparat, T++ or Dettmann apart from the mass of producers, content with mirroring each other or riding the wave of past glories.

So does Torsten have any new projects planned?

“Making music is something I just do, it's a desire or a need. Releasing music is a completely different issue. For the moment I've chosen to play things out, not sure yet whether a ‘release’ is still necessary.” An honest statement, re-enforcing exactly what he's all about - a serious producer, in it for the right reasons.

David Lemm

There are a few places that spring to mind where techno’s maintained a purist stance. In Edinburgh and Glasgow folk have evolved a passion for the diverse end of the scene, partially fuelled by a good store in the form of RubADub and a history of hardcore clubs. It’s similar in Berlin, with cult clubs like Tresor, E-Werk and Berghain along with the institution that is Hard Wax, opened by Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald in ‘89. They’ve had some well-known staff over the years, including DJ Hell, Electric Indigo, and more recently DJ Pete aka Substance and Marcel Dettmann. Then there’s a string of artists that hold strong links with the store such as Pole, MMM and more than most... Torsten Profrock aka T++.

You can catch T++ LIVE at the Fortified Sessions along with Shackleton and Appleblim on 15 Aug at The Vic Bar, Glasgow School of Art (11pm-3am, £10) www.hardwax.com

Kidz In The Hall:

Head of the Class

Whilst whizzing through a series of phone interviews from Chi-Town, Kidz In The Hall were able to cut past the sonic distortion of the Atlantic ocean to chat with Omar Jenning about their new release The second album for the second coming of... Well that's where the problems begin, as Kidz In The Hall don't exactly fit into a particular comparison box. They sound fresh but retain all the essentials of the early years of hip-hop. Naledge, an MC, and Double O the DJ/Producer are a perfect example of how to innovate without regurgitation. Sorry to get all Jessie Jackson on you, but these compadres know how to make records that are 'timeless'. They break down why this album shouldn't be boxed as 1990s folklore.

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August 08

"I think the album just simply feels good," says Double O. "There are traces of 90s with Masta Ace's hook on Drivin' Down The Block, and the ode to juice with The Blackout, but those are only two songs. People get caught up trying to pinpoint feeling and sounds and their origins. I've grown up on a lot of music so all those things seep into it. There is nothing 90s about the title track The In Crowd, nor any of the other records. A group like Camp Lo doesn't make a record 90s just because that was their introduction."

their own shots usually allows for artist integrity to remain intact. Eventually most artists find themselves allying themselves with labels to gain further exposure and Kidz In The Hall were no different. Naledge was able to land himself a solo deal with the once famed Rawkus label. Things would change quickly once Rawkus caught wind of their indie hustle. "Our initial deal with Rawkus was for a Naledge solo project. So we didn't have any deal for Kidz. So he was the focus. When Rawkus wanted to hold off on his solo to find a 'radio single' we decided to put out a mixtape/street album in between time introducing the Kidz In The Hall and prep for Naledge solo. It was going to go through Eastern Conference Records but when Rawkus got wind, they wanted to put it out. We signed off on a very small budget and put together the record from that point. No one had heard a Kidz In The Hall album before. So essentially it was the impact that the music had on the media that made it what it was. From that point Rawkus responded by promoting it overseas as the resurgence of the label," explains Double O.

The In Crowd is just that, good music without the title box and without the pressure to conform. They are also part of a new regime of versatile hip-hop artists that have enjoyed life as an indie, a term usually associated with UK rock music. Calling

As is the case with most of the past MCs at Rawkus, things eventually went sour. Facebook Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch for the intimate details of why Rawkus was the greatest label that never was. "From the beginning there

were monetary issues with them not wanting to go the extra step and really break the group. They were fans of the music but I don't think they were ready to jump back in the trenches and work their way back to the top as label execs. Of course, they gave us a chance to get our music heard worldwide.

You can't knock that," he laments. Naledge feels that "it's their loss. They (Rawkus) aren't in grind mode anymore."

If one thing is for sure, it's that Rawkus seem to release epic debut albums, from Black Star crafted

by Mos Def and Talib Kweli, to Kidz In The Hall's debut School Was My Hustle. Double explains: "It was the culmination of a lot of years of hard work.

At the same time it was to put together in a fairly short period of time. When we did it we made it a point to achieve one goal and that was make a cohesive thorough hip-hop album. At the time there were no good albums - decent singles but no albums - so we wanted to let folks know that dope records could still be made."

With features from Estelle, Bun B, Black Milk and the highly anticipated return of Camp Lo you are guaranteed some more hot music, or as Chicago Natives put it, "An evolution of the Kidz In The Hall sound. Bigger, better and more sophisticated!"

The In Crowd is out now on Duck Down Records.

Music

MUSIC WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 47

SINGLES

THE DIRTY DOZEN

AUGUST PROVES A LEAN TIME FOR SINGLES, BUT CAN ANYONE EMERGE GLEAMING FROM THE GARBAGE? NICK MITCHELL GETS HIS EARS DIRTY

BY NICK MITCHELL

Punk is all the rage - on the evidence of the first two singles this month anyway. The King Blues are a London act who project a renagade, guerilla-gigging image. Let's Hang The Landlord ( r, 4 Aug), however, is just punk caricature, with its talk of scratching tattoos with safety pins and living in a squat "forever without a care". The Vivians may owe their image to the Sex Pistols - and they have moved to London - but at least the Edinburgh band don't truly believe it's 1977. A Human Angle ( rr, Out Now) is a bit of a disappointment of a debut single though: as tight as their skinny jeans, but oddly generic for such an act.

Talking of generic rock, Biffy Clyro just can't hold back the plastic these days. No sooner have they turned their attentions from last year's Puzzle than they're flooding HMV again with free-standing single Mountains ( rr, 25 Aug). "I am a mountain, I am a sea," sings Simon Neil. Eh, never would have guessed it to look at you sir. The schlock don't stop with Feeder.

They are one band who've happily lost any punk muscle under a layer of soft rock puppy fat. Tracing Lines ( r, 11 Aug) is another stultifying slice of meh. How do they get away with it? If you want a more authentic serving of the dark stuff, look no further than Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Midnight Man (rrr, Out Now) is another late-night, organ-soaked shadow play, but not one of the moustachioed one’s finest moments.

NACIONAL KERRI ANIELO

It's time to leave the badasses behind and step into the sunny glare of upbeat indie-pop.

Sussex-based duo Les Valentine are a good place to start in this respect, but Nervous ( rr,

18 Aug) is like sub-standard Turin Brakes. And who remembers them? Maybe the same folk who remember Delays' debut album Faded Seaside Glamour, which promised much from this Southampton band. But Keep It Simple ( rr, 11 Aug) does exactly what it says on the sleeve: basic, easy-listening guitar pop. Red Light Company don't fare much better.

Meccano ( rr, 11 Aug) is more rainy day rock than knobbly-kneed beach pop, but it merely takes the component parts of bands like Editors and British Sea Power and fails to add anything new. So can Bluetones man Mark Morriss brighten up this Scottish summer of a Dirty Dozen? He does at least provide sunny intervals with Lay Low ( rrr, 11 Aug), a homely country-rocker that builds to a string-laden climax.

No sooner do we get the rays than some diva's reaching for her Gucci shades. Lights Out ( rrr, 4 Aug), the latest offering from Brooklyn's polymorphous popster Santogold, is another case of album track posing as single: a hummable melody but ultimately unexciting.

By now we're usually into four-star territory, so why do The Parlotones choose this moment to stick their oar in? They got a solitary star back in February and that's all they're getting now, with Here Comes The Man ( r, 18 Aug). Say no more: it's just bad. On cue, Nacional come to the rescue of a damp squib month with Telephone ( rrrr, 4 Aug). The latest signing to the Art/Goes/Pop label (who've also supported Scottish up-and-comers Popup, Isosceles and The Low Miffs) could do with the full producer treatment, but the raw ingredients are there for a great band - and single of the month.

REVIEWS PUMAJAW

BLOC PARTY

CAPITOL K

11 AUG, FIRE

11 AUG, V2

OUT NOW, FAITH & INDUSTRY

JACKY DAW

MERCURY

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For many, the term ‘folk’ will always evoke scenes of cardigan-clad hippies, perhaps explaining the propensity for critics to regularly weld on a prefix and announce a new ‘movement’. Freak-folk, neo-folk, anti-folk, psychfolk, counter-folk (for folk’s sake - Ed) - and as the divisions multiply, soon everyone with a mandolin will be appointed a peerless practitioner of their own genre. Luckily, Pinkie Maclure and John Wills are more than capable of sustaining the pumajaw-folk subset: part mantric incantation, part Gothic Kate Bush, Jacky Daw pitches Maclure’s remarkable voice over rhythmic instrumentation to create an oneiric sound that loops and swells with eerie intensity. Forget the token folk suffix, this is mesmerising. [Chris Buckle]

It’s a risky business reviewing new Bloc Party material, given the slow burner that Weekend In The City revealed itself to be, but Mercury, I am confident, will still be the worst single they have released even if I locked myself in a room with it until Halloween. A nauseating chorus that could only be excused (at a push) had it been a remix, flanked by horns that suggest an absurd application for the new James Bond theme song and tinny, bored drums that nearly make you forget this is the same band that penned Pioneers and Banquet. It’s a damn shame: not even three albums in and the Party seems pretty much pooped. [Finbarr Bermingham]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PUMAJAW

WWW.BLOCPARTY.COM

BLOCO ELECTRO MARAKATU EP

OUT NOW, EARTH CONNECTION

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Bloco Electro burst onto the scene late last year with huge support from Radio One’s breaks queen Annie Nightingale and since then, everything’s happened really rather fast for the Reading outfit. In the short time since their demo aired on Nightingale’s show, they’ve managed to get on to the stage at Glastonbury and have released their debut album Global Beatbox Pt 1. On Marakatu they combine live percussion with electronic beats in a homage to the Brazilian maracatu rhythm. Sounding like the bastard love-child of Afro Celt Sound System and Pendulum, the EP definitely has a good groove to it and gets the foot tapping. But it all sounds a bit dated and a good deal of the textures used hark back to the late rave generation with little to place it in the present. Also, the vocal is just plain crap.

Given a bit of time Bloco Electro could shine through but their production needs some development. [Don McVinnie]

MANDA RIN DNA

25 AUG, THIS IS FAKE DIY

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It’s become a backhanded compliment to say a band is “big in Japan,” but Bis really were much bigger in the Far East than they ever were in Scotland, despite that incredible 1996 appearance on Top of the Pops while they were still unsigned. Manda Rin, Bis’ memorably excitable wee singer, is finally about to release a debut album, and DNA is the lead single. The bubbly synth lines dancing around a funk bassline are present and correct, but lines like “hey, are you watching me? Attention’s what I seek” and “Why won’t you look over here, you can’t be bored of me” sound like the desperate pleas of a rejected pop idol; and Manda shouldn’t be reinforcing that image. [Ally Brown] WWW.PLANETMANDA.COM

AUGUST 08

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Capitol K (Craig Robinson) returns with an upbeat, carefree release, featuring two tracks from his forthcoming fifth studio album Notes from Life on the Wire with a Wrecking Ball. Libertania showcases Capitol K’s unique sound perfectly, with a genuine pop hook, kooky keyboards, playful bleeps and catchy lyrics recalling a trip into utopia, this could well be his biggest song to date. Second track Go Go Go is inspired by the early days of the beat period (where people shouted “go go go” at poetry jams to speed up proceedings), and is a faster, acid-influenced track which is a fantastic example of how electronica should be done. A truly sublime taster of Capitol K’s work.[Karen Taggart] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CAPITOLK

FUTURE PILOT AKA & CONCERTO CALEDONIA

POPUP

4 AUG, AUFGELADEN UND BEREIT

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SPLIT EP

rrrr Based in Hamburg but enamoured with all music Scottish, indie label Aufgeladen re-teams serial collaborator Future Pilot AKA with traditionalists Concerto Caledonia for this split 7”. Future Pilot’s take on Daniel Johnston’s Devil Town turns the minute-long lo-fi sing-along into a six minute dubsprawl that evokes Massive Attack fronted by a sleepy Jim Morrison.

It’s basically ace, the flipside’s latter half more so: while their version of Johnston lullaby Walking the Cow is merely faithful, Concerto Caledonia’s witty reworking of Buzzcocks’ Boredom replaces guitar with flute ‘n’ fiddle and Shelley with operatic soprano Lisa Milne, clearly taking sheer enjoyment from spitting out lyrics like “ring a-fucking ding” over frenzied harpsichord. [Chris Buckle]

WWW.AUFGELADENUNDBEREIT.COM

WWW.BLOCOELECTRO.COM

48 THE SKINNY

BLOC PARTY HEADLINE THE OYSTER STAGE AT HYDRO CONNECT ON SAT 30 AUG

LIBERTANIA/GO GO GO

GET WELL SOON

IF THIS HAT IS MISSING, I’VE GONE HUNTING 11 AUG, NUDE RECORDS

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With his Edwyn Collins meets Nick Cave delivery, German frontman Konstantin Gropper was always going to harvest ‘miserable bastard’ complaints aplenty, and he does little to allay ‘em with the opening couplet “This time we will end it / This life ain’t got no future, girl.” This ode to suicide, however, is more cabaret than catacomb. Despite his deadpan performance, the Baltic instrumentation is more akin to the sometime faux gothic songsmithery of The Decemberists, with the “Shoot baby shoot” all female backing choruses lifted from some sort of a Rocky Horror Motown Special. Novel, yes: but very, very nice. [Finbarr Bermingham]

LOVE TRIANGLE / PULL THE FUSE 25 AUG, ART/GOES/POP

Opting to side with the emerging crop of exponents of realist Scottish rancour, rather than run with the long-standing trend for whippy university quirk, Popup’s thick regionalism and jabbing beats set them up as an interesting prospect when they arrived on the scene a few years ago, and this double A-side continues that trend. Admittedly, they don’t quite match the weightiness of the Twilight Sad, or the barbed pop of Glasvegas, but there’s more than enough headroom for them to stand above the crowd, if not quite as toweringly so as Scottish music’s current forerunners. [Paul Neeson]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/POPUPTHEBAND

UNUSUAL & ELECTRIC PULSATING TING EP OUT NOW, ZIRKUS RECORDS

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One imagines the air swelling and the floor filling as this 12” hits the turntable. That the creators claim to have “close links with the London clubbing scene” comes as no surprise either. These guys obviously know their audience well and have ably delivered the sounds they want to hear.

Dub appears to be the main influence, but there are also hints of glam and electro at play here – two more tasty wee ingredients which leave a distinctive tang in the overall mix. It makes for that rarest of things – a genuine club-filler, rather than just plain old filler. You’ll remember where you were when you first heard this track. Wonderful. [Jonathan Robert Muirhead] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/UNUSUALELECTRIC

RECORDS

RECORDS

Michael Franti:

Spearheading A Rebellion SPEAKING RECENTLY TO PAUL MITCHELL, MICHAEL FRANTI, SPEARHEAD FRONTMAN AND POLITICAL CAMPIGNER, IS UNABASHED DISCUSSING THE NATURE OF THE ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In 2006, Franti and his funk/soul/hiphop bandmates released Yell Fire! inspired by his trip to Israel, Baghdad, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, coupled with a movie entitled I Know I’m Not Alone based on these experiences. “Everywhere I went in the Middle East, I met peacemakers. Some were Israelis, some Palestinians, some were American soldiers and some were Iraqi heavy metal musicians. I choose to say ‘Let’s work on a community level and get to know each other’.

On a political level, I implore people to always be open to solutions that consider everyone – where people live side by side in safety, with accepted states and a viable economy; I believe those goals are all achievable. It takes compromise and willingness to listen.”

The exuberant 42-year old is expending ever more energy in preaching his message of peace, often to mixed reviews from a cynical press (“I come from a background where the important thing is that we connect with our fans when we hit the stage. If we get one star or five stars, or if what we do is not sophisticated enough then ‘So what?’”).

Spearhead are about to release their sixth studio album entitled All Rebel Rockers, a title designed to act as a clarion call to all would-be peace activists. “To be a rebel is all about going against the system. If the system is bringing us negativity, war, environmental destruction, fear, then to be a rebel is to be bringing positivity, solutions to war, environmental sustainability. Right now there’s a danger of everybody on the planet losing sight of how to do that. I wanted to make a record that’s

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

like ‘Hey, let’s keep up the fight, or this stuff will get us down’. I want songs that people can sing along to. If it’s too complicated in the chorus then nobody gets it. I play a lot of places where English is not the language, so I’m trying to find a way where the message is the sound rather than the text.”

Franti is under no illusions as to how effective one man (or band) can be in offering solutions to global conflict. Admirably, this does not deter him in the slightest from doing what he does best in the hope that he can make a difference.

“I don’t think there is any other way to approach it. A few years ago, I went to Iraq and I played music on the streets for people there. I had just gotten so frustrated watching the news at home and wondering what I could do. I’d protested in the streets, written letters to the President and all those things. In the end I realised that ‘Hey, I’m a musician, I can go play music for these people and listen to their stories’. So I went and played music on the streets for people. When I got there I thought I’d end up feeling depressed and bummed out after the experience, but the opposite was true. I saw the inspiration of people and how much they are trying under extreme circumstances to make the best of things. I ended up feeling quite positive about the nature of humanity.”

MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD PLAY LIQUID ROOM ON 20 AUG AND THE OYSTER STAGE AT HYDRO CONNECT FESTIVAL, INVERARAY ON SAT, 30 AUG ALL REBEL ROCKERS IS RELEASED ON 18 AUG VIA ANTI

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 49

ALBUMS ALBUM OF THE MONTH: THE COOL KIDS - THE BAKE SALE 4 AUG, XL

rrrr Having whetted the palates of everybody’s inner b-boy with 2007’s funkspewing debut EP Totally Flossed Out, The Cool Kids are already well acquainted with praise. Which is just as well really because new offering, The Bake Sale, can only be set to see the accolades escalate. Fusing together fresh-water raps and blithe, minimal beats, this 10 track effort from Illinois based duo of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish is the bastard love child of the Beastie’s Paul’s Boutique if sodomized by The Neptunes’ fleet-footed swagger.

GREEN PEPPERS

ADVENTURES IN THE SLIPSTREAM

AGNOSTIC MOUNTAIN GOSPEL CHOIR

MINOTAUR SHOCK

11 AUG, BALLING THE JACK

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TEN THOUSAND

18 AUG, NEON TETRA

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Tracks like the shout-out invoking 88 and the breathless percussive minefield of What It Is tip their hat to the old skool’s well graffed rhyme slinging courtyards but retain a cleanness of heel with shots of synth sprawling freely in the background. But the free-wheeling Bassment Party is the record’s undeniable zenith, frazzling Jungle Brother-like flows to a Bambaataa-heavy groove that will no doubt become this year’s summertime hip-hop anthem of choice. Unquestionably a buzz band, but The Cool Kids prove that, contrary to Flav’s word, sometimes the hype is to be believed. [Billy Hamilton]

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AMATEUR DRAMATICS 11 AUG, 4AD

Between playing in the Lanegan/Campbell tour band, Jim McCulloch (Soup Dragons) has found time to release a third solo album under his Green Peppers moniker, Adventures in the Slipstream. Accompanied by the vocal talents of four songstresses, most notably The Delgados’ Emma Pollock, the album is an attempt to explore the possibilities of the female register. It is a gentle breeze of a record that struggles to lift much enthusiasm and at times can verge on the drab, particularly when it’s either Melanie Whittle (Hermit Crabs) or Sandra Belda’s (Superete) turn on the microphone. Their subdued tones may be soothing to some, more of an effort for others. The Joni Mitchell-esque, purer quality of new name Anna Sheard’s vocal on In Time perhaps saves it a little. A folk-country feel of distinct Scottish flavour throughout, acoustic tunes are blanketed with layers of harpsichord, melodica and organ creating an album safe to cosy up to, if not to entirely enliven the spirits. [Emma Smith]

With a name like Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, you can’t help but distil it down to its constituent elements to test its veracity. Sadly then, not being in anyway gospel, nor stemming from ‘the mountains’, the Agnostics are about as accurately named as the Alabama 3. Thankfully they’re a hundred times more interesting. Coming across like a quartet of Seasick Steves with life experiences and beards that belie their ages, these gruff, whiskey-soaked men tout a spit ’n’ sawdust, knuckle-bruising, bluegrass bar-room stomp, pondering eternal dilemmas such as “life is long, but not long enough.” And things ain’t likely to get any easier. “I’ve been here ten thousand years and I’ll be here ten thousand more” gurgles singer Bob Keelaghan on the hoe-down finale title track, raising a toast to the repetitive cycle of the cosmos. Still, the Agnostics can clearly crack a knowing smile at life’s knocks and absurdities, and in their company you probably will too. [Darren Carle]

Record buying can be costly in these credit crunching times: all those fancy boxsets and reissues don’t come cheap. But thankfully for the discerning listener, Minotaur Shock-monikered IDM purveyor David Edwards is not one to miss a trick. For his forthcoming release, Amateur Dramatics, he has turned to Radiohead for inspiration, adopting a ‘pay what you want’ policy with his own unique slant: suggested prices for each individual track according to criteria set by the maker himself. But is it worth it? Without a doubt, yes. Pounding Detroit techno funk, Zappa-esque electronic jams, pastoral folk, acid breakdowns, blissful Balearic armlifters, often all combined in the same segue. You could no doubt leach this for free off the internet, but sometimes it’s worth paying fair dinkum for your sonic fix.

And with a suggested price of £6.39 for the entire album, he might just be underselling himself. [Pete Ballantine]

WWW.GREENPEPPER.INFO

WWW.THEAGNOSTICS.COM

WWW.MINOTAURSHOCK.COM

JAKOB DYLAN

JAGUAR LOVE

28 JUL, COLUMBIA

18 AUG, MATADOR

SEEING THINGS

TAKE ME TO THE SEA

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MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD ALL REBEL ROCKERS 18 AUG, ANTI

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Jakob Dylan is either immensely brave or immensely foolish. To pursue a solo career in the shadow of Dylan senior - and in an acoustic, countryblues style at that - must require great self-belief or gross ignorance of the implications. Because, let’s be frank, under the family name the Wallflowers frontman is always going to be judged against pops, and he’s never going to hit anywhere near those heights. This Rick Rubin-produced debut is a serviceable collection of simple, sparse campfire songs that take on the ol’ themes of love, honour and adversity. In such stripped-back surroundings lyrics are important, but the Dylan poetry is obviously not genetic, and one of his lines - “you won’t deliver a masterpiece” - is likely to prove all too prophetic. My unrelenting reference to his father’s opus may be unfair, but the truth is that Jakob sounds uncannily like a watered-down Bob Dylan. Harsh but true. [Nick Mitchell]

Why the hell anyone ever told Johnny Whitney it was a good idea for him to sing is a mystery. The former front-man with Blood Brothers genuinely sounds like Alvin (of The Chipmunks fame) and he does the otherwise fine instrumentation on this debut album from Jaguar Love absolutely no favours. Shrill squealing aside, he’s not even in tune for at least 50% of opening track Highway Of Gold. It’s really very grim indeed. Cody Votolato, formerly of Pretty Girls Make Graves, does a reasonable job of propelling things along with his signature 12-string guitar work and makes Jaguar Pirates a likely candidate for radio play, with the assembled ingredients at their most potent. Yet there’s just no getting away from the strangled yelping of Whitney. Even now, somewhere off in the distance, dogs are howling and babies crying as his words slice through ears like a shattered passenger window in a side-on collision. [Chris Cusack]

Franti and cohorts make no bones about how accessible they want their music to be. They don’t do small scale either: this is an album targeting as large a worldwide audience as possible. Celebrated reggae producers Sly and Robbie have been enlisted on the project to help get the whole globe dancing. Hands are in the air straight away with opener Rude Boys Back in Town and the stupidly fun A Little Bit of Riddim. Franti expressly encourages said hand waving in Life in the City, an optimistic update of Stevie Wonder’s downcast classic Living For the City. A serious nod to old skool reggae in its purest form, musically and lyrically it could grate that absolutely no new ground is being broken. It would be churlish to do so however, because the world needs activists like Franti who can deliver a simple message while being extremely entertaining at the same time.[Sylvia Higgins]

WWW.JAKOBDYLAN.COM

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JAGUARLOVEBAND

WWW.SPEARHEADVIBRATIONS.COM

RIVULETS

XX TEENS

PLUSH

11 AUG, O ROSA

28 JUL, MUTE

25 AUG, BROKEN HORSE

YOU ARE MY HOME

WELCOME TO GOON ISLAND

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FED

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Rivulets is the project of Nathan Amundson who - with help from various contributors including Bob Weston (Shellac), Chris Brokaw (Codeine) and Christian Frederickson (Rachel’s) - has crafted the beautiful new release You Are My Home. It’s a record that relates such apparent loneliness whilst conversely establishing so much contact with the listener. Earnest, simplistic, but nevertheless stirring string passages and austere piano parts coalesce with distorted guitars laden with hurt and frustration in what becomes an unguarded vent of regrette and apology. The acoustic base of each song, combined with Amundson’s sincere vocal - which meets mid range between Elliot Smith and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) - is more than often enough to convey such emotion. His voice literally shivers with uncertainty in Win Or Lose, reflecting the personal context of his childhood in Alaska’s secluded chill. Put simply, this is a therapeutic record for anyone in the process of heartbreak. [Emma Smith]

Some bands have no luck in the name game. After being threatened with legal action by a copier corporation under their previous guise of Xerox Teens, this London quintet settled on the dubious-sounding XX Teens (and they’re not even teenagers.) Never mind all that though, because their debut album Welcome To Goon Island is brimming with the ideas, confidence and dynamism that only a band happy in their own public skin could produce. A discernible post-punk vitality abounds on this record, and when singer Rich Cash isn’t employing a Mark E Smith yowl, as on Round, they’re going all Pigbag in the trumpeted refrain of Darlin’. In truth though, XX Teens are something of a rock chameleon, capable of shifting through styles as they please, from the cowbell dance-punk of opener The Way We Were to the southern-fried blues of Only You. Never mind the name, here’s the XX Teens. [Nick Mitchell]

Fables of lost art buried under the rubble of an industry blinkered against true genius are always appealing. Liam Hayes’ second album, Fed, it has been claimed, is a long lost masterpiece, and is the result of an obsessive project to reflect on tape the songs which Hayes, in his guise as Plush, had meticulously conceptualised and perfected in mind only. Without a label to initially promote the album, Fed has emerged spectre-like over the years, earning a Japanese release, and now, finally, a ‘re-release’ on UK shores.

What’s immediately apparent is that it’s the work of an artist working on the periphery, who unquestionably has imbued his music with something of the visionary. Haye’s musical proclamations, however, regularly conjure up the image of a man and his sandwich board, whooping out wild revelations in the street. Though every now and again, if you stop to listen, there’s just a hint of that promised genius mumbled amidst his rant. [Paul Neeson]

WWW.RIVULETS.NET

WWW.XXTEENS.CO.UK

WWW.LIAMHAYESANDPLUSH.COM

50 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

RECORDS

THE WEE SHOP IS FILLED WITH DELIGHTS OUT NOW, WINNING SPERM PARTY

rrr The Wee Shop Is Filled With Delights is a mini-album that is indeed filled with delights - if your idea of ‘delightful’ is synonymous with ‘eerie’, ‘weird’, ‘fucked-up’ or ‘skewed’. It’s apt that Twilight Sad bassist Craig Orzel has extended his surname into video game territory (Or-Zelda, geddit?), because his first work under this alias is rich in those fantastic, kitsch soundscapes that originated in 1980s Japan. This is no digitised affair, however: the diverse, textured sounds and samples come on like a cross between the brooding majesty of Boards of Canada and the fabricated nostalgia of Animal Collective. One moment we’re floating in some sinister sea of gasped breaths, the next we’re catapulted into muffled garage rock, via a child-like keyboard riff. This is a resolutely lo-fi release, but it should be worth suspending your preconceptions and immersing yourself in its unique sound-world. No, of course it’s worth it: it’s free! [Nick Mitchell] AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOAD FROM: WWW.WINNINGSPERMPARTY.COM/ORZELDA OR £4 AS A CD. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ORZELDAORZELDA

ONEIDA

PRETEEN WEAPONRY 4 AUG, JAGJAGUWAR

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PIVOT

CONOR OBERST

18 AUG, WARP

4 AUG, WICHITA

O SOUNDTRACK MY HEART

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CONOR OBERST

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‘Soundtrack’, it seems, is the operative word for this second album from antipodean electro-garage rockers Pivot. Opening duo In The Blood and the title track bluster in with all the menace of a John Carpenter theme tune pulled apart by Battles after having watched Flash Gordon a bit too much.

The deft handling of ostensibly dance and rock dynamics is Pivot’s trump card, to the point that such distinctions sit awkwardly when describing it.

The flow of styles and emotional highs and lows is seamless, further bolstering that ‘imaginary soundtrack’ feeling. Getting signed to Warp must have been a real triumph for brothers Richard and Laurence Pike, as you can hear the influential label’s back catalogue shining throughout. However, Pivot bring more than enough to the table themselves. Definitely one to savour on a late night on your own, with your headphones on, as a futuristic dystopian world slowly crumbles outside your window. [Darren Carle]

An underwhelming first listen saw the poison pen brandished, ready to decry the celebrated Bright Eyes prodigy’s eponymous effort for the crime of being sub-sub Neil Young. Nothing grates more than shabby, twee folk music in the American tradition, and overwrought lyrical affectations (“the starving children ain’t got no mother, there’s pink flamingos living in the mall”?) with a seemingly uninspired musical backdrop gave the feeling this was indeed one of young Oberst’s more pointless efforts to date. To the absolute contrary, by the third play it becomes obvious that we’re dealing with a genuinely talented songwriter, one who evokes wondrous mental imagery with a combination of genuine poetry and understated but subtly clever instrumentation. Wistful opener Cape Canaveral, ballad Lenders in the Temple, and jaunty folk hymn Danny Callahan in particular display the breadth of his abilities. It’s a grower, to be sure. [Paul Mitchell]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PIVOTPIVOT

WWW.CONOROBERST.COM

V/A

V/A

OUT NOW, STRUT RECORDS

OUT NOW, TOOLROOM RECORDS

DISCO ITALIA: ESSENTIAL ITALO DISCO CLASSICS 1977 - 1985

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TOOLROOM KNIGHTS MIXED BY DAVE SPOON

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Welcome, brave traveller! Welcome to the world of tomorrow! As the pompous guff stuck to the cover of Preteen Weaponry announces, this album is one third of Oneida’s “colossal new vision of a new age in music.”

Well... BEHOLD THAT STRANGE NEW REALITY! No more are we menaced by the tyranny of choruses or tainted by the idle pleasures of melody and structure. Nay, let us beckon forth a future of feedback loops, cyclical drumming and other techniques already used regularly by numerous other musicians. Nope, Oneida didn’t have a vision. They had a flashback of being really stoned at a Tool concert during one particularly indulgent jam.

It’s a less than revolutionary idea already patented by Tortoise amongst many, many others. What we have here is 40 minutes of wanky, muso antiinstrumentalism. That’s not to say it’s entirely awful, but neither is it blessed with the Orwellian insight it professes.[Austin Tasseltine]

The influence of ‘Italo’, the Italian disco sound of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, has never been more prevalent than on today’s dance-floors. Acts from Felix Da Housecat to Prins Thomas to Hot Chip and beyond, have all released productions which tap into the epic, spacey energy and synthheavy style. In fact, Italo played a key role in the early history of dance music, with legendary DJs such as Larry Levan and Ron Hardy regularly playing the sound at influential ‘80s nightspots, Paradise Garage and The Music Box. Disco Italia brings together classics and rarities from the main producers of the period, including Claudio Simonetti, Giancarlo Meo, Peter Micioni and Tullio Piscopopi. The album features Italian and English vocals set atop thick basslines and funky guitar licks; brass and strings are merged with the characteristic ‘Italo’ synths, whilst a selection of tracks get given sneaky re-edits by compiler Steve ‘Chicken Lips’ Kotey. [Colin Chapman]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ONEIDAROCKS

WWW.STRUT-RECORDS.COM/DISCOITALIA

Ever seen stories about those weird guys who marry their cars and thought “Dude, what you doing? That’s an inanimate object….”? Be wary, this CD can spark a similar level of love. This is the fifth instalment of Toolroom Records’ Toolroom Knights series, and sees Dave Spoon take to the decks and spin the music he loves from past and present. The two-disc compilation is split into Main Room and Basement sounds and the former is mainly straightforward house and groove-based electro, featuring the likes of Butch, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke. If you’ve heard a track in a club that prompts you to point ceiling-ward and yell “Mate, what is this?” then the chances are it’s on here. The basement disc is a mix of obscure and mainstream sounds which are less commonly heard out and about, but remain as engaging. Deadmau5 vs Jelo’s The Reward is Cheese and Spoon’s own Reflex of Dizzie Rascal’s Flex are brilliant in themselves, but combined with the best works of Herve, Riva Starr, Tong and even Basement Jaxx, the result is mesmerising. [Emma Kilday]

DIGITONAL

V/A

V/A

4 AUG, JUST MUSIC

OUT NOW, CASA COVE RECORDS

11 AUG, FABRIC RECORDS

SAVE YOUR LIGHT FOR DARKER DAYS

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Digitonal’s blend of orchestral musicians and down-played beats is a surprising success; with subtle symphonic passages and an ear for dynamics, it neatly avoids sounding like the usual guff that emerges when DJs fumble around with classical samples as a substitute for originality. At times the arrangements echo Nick Drake’s pastoral soundscapes, and there’s the same emotional timbre to the likes of 93 Years On that made Bryter Layter such a masterpiece. It’s a rare treat to encounter such genuinely introspective music, but Digitonal also express a driving surety that lifts the listener to the skies, to float above the crass mediocrity of so much electronica.

A Lighter Touch exemplifies their expert attention to detail, with glitchy scratches and pops reproducing vintage vinyl sounds, before evolving into euphoric, potent breaks. They even manage to use a harp without sounding contrived. This is one of the strongest albums of the summer, and a truly powerful piece of work that will be on my MP3 player for months to come.

[Liam Arnold] WWW.DIGITONAL.COM

THE LITTLEMEN

WALKIN’ SIDEWAYS 29 OCT, MOBILE TRAX

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The Littlemen are a funky house duo who hark from Nottingham. Walkin’ Sideways is the debut album for their own imprint Mobile Trax . In the last ten years they have racked up over 20 releases on various labels such as Drop Music and Funky Piranha. The experience they have accumulated over the last decade is evident on this fine debut album, which features a host of guest artists who bring an energetic feel to an already lively production. Think Shapeshifters and you will not be far from the sound of The Littlemen. This long player is thoughtfully put together and is certainly aimed at the dancefloor; it’s no surprise that Gav and Steve have both been DJing on the UK free party scene for the last three years. One criticism is that lyrically it gets a tad predictable and cheesy in places, even if the vocal performances are strong. [Paul Croan]

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

HOUSE IT GOIN?

FABRICLIVE 41: SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO

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The old slogan “Glasgow’s Miles Better” may be a bit of a tired cliché, but when it comes to our music it is certainly “nae blawn’ oor ain trumpet”.

Glasgow’s long been renowned for its excellent clubbing scene and flair for electronic music and this new release from Casa Cove Records sums it all up in 11 cracking tracks by local artists. Weegies will probably be familiar with names like Dirty Basement, Full Phat and Kitsune-signed Big Face, all of whom feature here. Chris Mac and Craig Hamilton’s Sorry I’m Late is a perfect blend of jazz and minimal techno. Esteban Caracas and The Claw’s Preston Ring Road is similarly jazzy and just as good. Other standout tracks include a storming remix of John Hepplewhite’s Under My Skin and Colin Sales’ fantastic Megadrum. The whole thing has been mixed by Chris Williams (Dirty Basement/Diversion) and, as it says in the press release, it’s “in a proper case” and everything. You can pick up a copy in Rub-a Dub, Monorail, 23rd Precinct and Apollo Music in Paisley. Go an yersel, you won’t be disappointed. [Emma Kilday]

The formula behind a Fabric mix is simple: a number of tracks woven together (pun intended and carefully thought up) to demonstrate the artists’ influences and favourite sounds. The result is often surprising, as with this edition, not only because of the vast array of genre bases SMD have covered, but also because it is much more minimal and, dare we say it, ‘sophisticated’, than might have been expected. Your flatmates will still not thank you for caning it at 4am, but it’s definitely more sparing on the raucous sirens and techno distortion. Full of stripped-down disco and sparkling melodies, this features everything from Green Velvet to Shit Robot.

There may have been mutterings recently that Fabric Records are currently selecting too many “flavour of the moment” acts but SMD are playing exactly what people want to hear but didn’t know it yet. Critics be muted, this is a winner. [Emma Kilday]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HOUSEITGOINCD

WWW.FABRICLONDON.COM

LISTEN TO A PREVIEW ONLINE @ WWW.FABRICLONDON.COM/PREVIEWS/FABRICLIVE41

ONLINE REVIEWS

TOP 5 ALBUMS

CSS - DONKEY (SUB POP)

1. THE COOL KIDS - THE BAKE SALE

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LIAM FINN - I'LL BE LIGHTNING rrrr HEATHER GREENE - FIVE DOLLAR DRESS rrr PONYTAIL - ICE CREAM SPIRITUAL rrrr VESSELS - WHITE FIELDS AND OPEN DEVICES rrr LOCAL H - TWELVE ANGRY MONTHS

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THE BLAKES - THE BLAKES rr LONELY GHOSTS - DON'T GET LOST OR HURT rr

2. PIVOT - O SOUNDTRACK MY HEART 3. V/A - TOOLROOM KNIGHTS MIXED BY DAVE SPOON 4. MINOTAUR SHOCK - AMATEUR DRAMATICS 5. DIGITONAL - SAVE YOUR LIGHT FOR DARKER DAYS AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 51

RECORDS

ORZELDA

Live Reviews Hey You Get Off My Pavement!

Mono, 29 jun

“I don’t know why I’m playing this festival. I’m not from Glasgow, I’m not skinny, and I don’t have any tight jeans. Still, there’s a shop up the road..” - The Pictish Trail

Santogold

The Sub Club, 15 Jul

rrrr Two months after her debut Scottish booking, Santogold finally shows up to play Santogold’s delayed again - but at least she’s in the building this time. Originally due to play here in May, we finally get to see Miss Santi White in the flesh two months after she had to cancel her first Scottish performance due to voice problems. The Sub Club is the perfect environment for Santogold’s pick’n’mix artpop, with You’ll Find A Way’s battering bass assault particularly testing the sound system and getting full marks by way of a roaring applause. Crowd-member Vicky gives her all as a subbed-on dancer during Unstoppable, and a bigger (but still tiny) stage invasion during finale Creator only reinforces the impression that such a performer demands a bigger platform. Her vocals are perfect and she’s evidently having a ball, while her stoney-faced backing singers swerve robotically to each new wave and dub bounce. After waiting so long to see her, Santogold’s half-hour set is brilliant but disappointingly brief. [Ally Brown] www.myspace.com/santogold

Camera Obscura @ hey you get off my pavement! James Cadden

After the torrential rain at 2007’s HYGOMP, it took optimism from both organisers and audience to ignore the weather forecast and brave the Mono courtyard once again. However, someone up there must be smiling down on this year’s indie-fest, as dryness prevails and the sun even shines brightly at times.

First up comes instrumental surf-rockers Sparkling Shadazz (***), who get the audience bobbing along with their wheat beers in hand. One track in particular stands out, due in no small part to some great noises courtesy of a Jen Synthetone. Next, Johnny Lynch, aka The Pictish Trail (****) serves up a taster from his forthcoming album with a little help from King Creosote, who seems keen to remain as low-key as possible and let his Fence co-founder take the spotlight for a change.

“I don’t know why I’m playing this festival”, Lynch jokes, “I’m not from Glasgow, I’m not skinny, and I don’t have any tight jeans. Still, there’s a shop up the road..” Thankfully the golden-tonsilled Fifer woos the Weegie crowd with a handful of melancholy, atmospheric and heartfelt tunes that bode very well for the recorded versions.

Former Uncle John and Whitelock vocalist Jacob Lovatt seems to have done a Mark E Smith and hired some fresh-faced youngsters to back him for his latest incarnation. Now under the name of Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers (***), he gives a typically outlandish performance, with some of his lyrics even surpassing UJ&W in their hilariously lurid offensiveness.

Unfortunately, the new band lacks the power and menace of his former bandmates, most of whom are in the audience. Begging the question, why did they split in the first place?

Over on the Mono stage, indoors, HYGOMP promoter Paul Ranter brings a US indie sensibility to proceedings with his new outfit European Union (***), featuring, fun-

nily enough, the former drummer of UJ&W. What could have been a pointless vanity project proves to be nothing of the sort. Belle & Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson (**) should have taken notes. Even the undoubted good will of being a key member of one of Scotland’s most-loved bands doesn’t help him convince the bemused crowd that his gut-clenchingly awful Elton John impression is a good idea. Thank Goodness then for the almost-metal mayhem of Gummy Stumps (****) who provide some of the blistering menace sadly lacking from the Jacob Yates set.

With all of the above in the bag, we’ve still barely scratched the surface of a hefty line-up that also includes local favourites Camera Obscura, Foxface, John B. McKenna and twisted popsters Plaaydoh, as well as two new projects from the Brewis brothers of Sunderland band Field Music called School of Language and The Week That Was. However, the highlight undoubtedly proves to be the strange and wonderful Berlin electro artist Felix Kubin (****) who carries with him a wonkily out of tune vintage Korg synth that he claims is the only one of its kind in Glasgow. From the get-go, Kubin is disarmingly funny, with a slightly unique take on the English language and his tongue firmly in his cheek.

He questions the assembled audience’s judgement for watching him rather than seeing his national team play in the European Championship final, then goes on to entertain with some theatrical knob-twiddling, inspiring a contagious break-out of grins and daft dance moves.

Waving around various props such as a red rose for his track There Is a Garden and a homemade lightning strike for his cover of Klaus Nomi’s outrageously camp Lightning Strikes, he did his part to ensure that HYGOMP 2008 transcended its unfair reputation as a cliquey, incrowd only event. [Milo McLaughin] www.myspace.com/heyyougetoffmypavement

Meursault

Wee Red Bar, 19 Jul

rrr They’re certainly making waves but, tonight, Meursault’s waters were disappointingly still Meursault are finally beginning to make waves in Auld Reekie. The odd dot of national press exposure has been stirring up interest among the capital’s more discerning music fans and tonight’s headline showing has induced a stampede of eager-eyed punters. Alas, the Wee Red Bar’s clearly not to the group’s tastes and, as they furrow through a set primarily composed of riveting long-player Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, frontman Neil Pennycook appears less than impressed with the PA’s limp output.

52 THE SKINNY

August 08

Not to be outdone by stage-side technicalities, the local ensemble perseveres with the glitched-up bleating of a terrific A Few Kind Words and William Henry Miller’s heart-melting folk. But, as alluring as both songs are, most numbers are riddled with frustration and Pennycook’s cackle - often a wind-blown exhale of glass cutting splendour - barely even registers during an awkwardly stagnant rendition of The Furnace. They’re certainly making waves but, tonight, Meursault’s waters are disappointingly still. [Billy Hamilton]

Santogold James Cadden

Radiohead

My bloody valentine

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Once Radiohead begin playing, even being soaked to the skin ceases to be of importance

Shoegazer legends My Bloody Valentine return after 16 years away for two mesmerising gigs at the Barrowlands

Glasgow Green, 27 Jun

Barrowlands, 2-3 Jul

Radiohead Colin Macdonald

“Nice day for it. You should all move down south...”

Perhaps goading the drenched Glasgow Green crowd who paid £40 each for the privilege to see his band isn’t the best way for Thom Yorke to kick off proceedings, and some react with the inevitable boos. Yorke clearly enjoys the wind-up though, and even a tease like this goes down better than the overly polite set peppered with weak between-song banter of tonight’s only support act, Bat for Lashes.

But all is inevitably forgiven once Radiohead begin playing, even being soaked to the skin really does cease to be of importance. Yorke’s vocal performance is sublime - excelling himself on the instant In Rainbows classic Nude, reaching the song’s climactic notes with a breathtaking combination of accuracy and passion. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Reckoner were equally awe-inspiring highlights, proving the strength of their latest long-player lies as much in the content as the much-hyped release method. There’s no doubt, though, that it’s the joy of singing along and thrashing about to career bests such as Paranoid Android, Just, Karma Police and Fake Plastic Trees that truly lift the spirits of the waterlogged thousands who made it here to marvel. [Milo McLaughlin] www.radiohead.com/deadairspace

my Bloody Valentine James cadden

My Bloody Valentine ploughed through any threat of anti-climax with two mesmerising sets after 16 years away, each at unparalleled and ever-increasing volume. The presence in the crows of a who’s who of Scottish indie-rock is testament to the band’s status among the most significant of the past few decades, and during the genre-defining, swerving euphoria of songs like Soon, the power truly has to be heard to be believed. For some, the 20 minute scree of sheer and free distortion that erupts out of You Made Me Realise’s mid-section represent indie cabaret at its silliest; but to more devoted listeners - clearly here en masse - this disorientating ordeal actually compliments an MBV aesthetic that is both famously vague and otherworldly. Surprisingly, Thursday’s performance doesn’t pass as smoothly as the previous night’s - monitors squeal, there’s a false start, and one song collapses completely – but any suggestion of disappointment is obliterated by the unrelenting swoop and soar which draws looks of amazement and disbelief throughout the Barrowlands. [Abe Gangfield] www.mybloodyvalentine.co.uk

Live music

Live Music

LIVE MUSIC PREVIEWS

Highlights

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS LIQUID ROOM, 6 AUG

by Ted Maul

To class a band as ‘Southern Rock’ is as useful as calling them an Indie group. Whatever the original meaning of it was has been ruthlessly diluted over the decades.

Throwing the likes of Band Of Horses and REM in there may be geographically accurate, but categorically, is it really correct? On the other hand, meet Drive-By Truckers. Based in Athens, Georgia - but predominantly hailing from The Shoals, Alabama - there is surely not a band around today that adhere so wonderfully to the typecast. They sing songs of fightin’, drinkin’, lovin’ and losin’ and can cite albums like Alabama Ass Whuppin’ and The Dirty South amongst their burgeoning back catalogue. And while they have recently made efforts to take their sound in a more alt-rock direction, the roots of their sound are inescapably grounded in the deep, deep south. For any fans of bluesy, boozy and intelligent rock n’ roll, this Edge Fest appearance shouldn’t be missed. [Finbarr Bermingham]

ALL HANDS ON DECK FOR AN OLD SCHOOL FREAK OUT AT BARFLY ON 18 AUG

7PM, £15 WWW.DRIVEBYTRUCKERS.COM

NOUVELLE VAGUE LIQUID ROOM, 7 AUG

THE WARLOCKS

EDINBURGH

GLASGOW

Ratatat kick things off in Edinburgh on 1 Aug with a gig at Cabaret Voltaire. Those who are wondering how well this twosome will translate their lush, processed sound into a live setting could well be in for a pleasant surprise – these guys have been refining their sound for years and have a tight, high-energy stage show and an embarrassment of dancefloor-friendly chongs. Look sharp.

Icarus Line, will be laying down a set of hard rock & roll at King Tuts on 6 Aug. These days sounding quite a lot like the Rolling Stones, only on even more drugs, this is a band who always put on a good show. They’re not quite as unhinged as back in the days when Aaron North was onboard, but hey, you’re less likely to get hit in the head by a flying guitar. Whether that’s a positive or negative is up to you to decide.

Sweden is good at pop - this we know. Further proof of this natural law can be observed at Cabaret Voltaire on 7 Aug when Shout Out Louds will be flaunting their atmospheric and emotive chops. We reckon this venue will suit their sound well, so make sure you’re down the front to better soak up this classy troupe.

Veteran Texan three-piece Reverend Horton Heat will be laying down some rockabilly thrills at the Garage on 7 Aug. With almost 25 years of white-knuckle rock & roll history under his belt already, Reverend Heat sure knows how to put on a show – this’ll be a devilish night out.

Edinburgh’s bright young hopes Broken Records are keeping it local with a gig at the Liquid Room on 17 Aug. They’re garnering rakes of national interest at the moment – and with good reason. Their unusual instrumentation and ability to write stirringly powerful songs marks them out as future big-hitters. Should be a great evening.

Every scene needs its trailblazers, and as far as psych rock goes, they don’t come more intense than Acid Mothers Temple. Mixing traditional melody with hyperaggressive playing techniques and improvisation, Kawabata Makoto and his posse of sonic outlaws attempt to redefine their sound with every gig they play.

Take the risk at Nice N Sleazy on 8 Aug.

Straight outta Brooklyn and direct to Cabaret Voltaire on 28 Aug comes Clare and the Reasons. With a grab-bag of influences and some seriously talented collaborators, her orchestral, retro-inflected pop goodness is winning her lots of friends at the moment. Her vibe may be a little MOR for some, but her charms are undeniable.

Seeming relatively tame by comparison, fellow psych disciples The Warlocks imbue their sound with layers of dreamy pop goodness, but they’re an exciting proposition nonetheless. Walls of fuzzed out guitar, menacing drones and woozy melody lines complete the package. All hands on deck for an old school freak out, Barfly 18 Aug.

THE EDGE FESTIVAL

VARIOUS EDINBURGH VENUES, 1-31 AUG With T On The Fringe a distant memory, Edinburgh has a new musical mainstay on its festival calendar. Picking up where T left off, The Edge Festival will be supplying the city’s culture-soaked droves with a smorgasbord of tune-churning local and international talent. Spread over five venues, ranging from the 1,500 capacity Corn Exchange to Bannerman’s homely fissure of bricks and mortar, the August-spanning festival is already shaping up as one of the highlights of the capital’s Fringe programme.

Kicking off proceedings with a night of ass-spanked groove-smuggling are Skinny faves Ratatat at Cabaret Voltaire (1 Aug). The frolics continue with what’s sure to be a jaw-dropping set from ex-Josef K frontman Paul Haig (Cab Vol, 4 Aug) before Stockholm-born indie-ites the Shout Out Louds (Cab Vol, 7 Aug) make a welcome return.

54 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

One can’t help but wonder if Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, the creative forces behind Nouvelle Vague, began their collaboration intending to appeal to advertisers worldwide. Their Bossa Nova, calypso and reggae covers of 1980s New Wave tunes have been featured in several adverts and films; the indifferent vocals and Latin beats of songs like I Melt With You seem a perfect accompaniment to flogging cars and mobile phones.

Unsurprisingly, before Nouvelle Vague, Collin composed ads for Ford and Cartier, so the band at least comes by their commercial success honestly. The Parisian ensemble, with its steady rotation of chanteuses, has potential for the kind of HR confusion that can only accompany multi-instrumental bands with larger numbers (see Broken Social Scene): sounds great in the studio but live can be rife with cacophony if the group don’t gel.

Fortunately, their track record thus far shows that this is not the case for Nouvelle Vague. But if you miss them at this gig you’re sure to hear them soundtracking the next move Volkswagen make. [Marta Nelson] 7PM, £19.50 WWW.NOUVELLESVAGUES.COM

XAVIER RUDD

THE CORN EXCHANGE, 19 AUG If you’ve felt a distinct lack of didgeridoo in your life in recent times, Xavier Rudd can help you fill that void.

The tranquil Australian has a new album and will bring his one man band to Auld Reekie on his way through Europe en route back home this month. Rudd’s earthy, tribal persona might be a put off for some, but the grit remaining in the base of his vocals (and do we need to mention the didgeridoo again?) helps to convince that yes, the man is as much talented as he is sincere. Live, Rudd and his array of Aboriginal friends that join him on tour are mesmerising as they flit through multiple instruments from song to song. With new album Dark Shades of Blue, produced by Joe Barresi (Tool, QOTSA) running darker, rougher and if possible, deeper than previous work, it’s in your best interests to toddle along - at the very least to find out whether he can play that tube of bamboo any better than Rolf. [Marta Nelson]

RETREAT!

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH HALL, BETWEEN 5-24 AUG At last, a much needed respite from the annual explosion of ego and alcohol-fuelled tomfoolery that is the Edinburgh Festival. Retreat! is an alternative event aimed at festival-fatigued natives and the more intrepid visitor who wants a real insight into what actually goes on in the capital’s music scene for the other eleven months of the year. Over three weeks of informal gigs organised by a like-minded bunch of local musicians and promoters, the line-up includes alternative pop merchant Ziggy Campbell (20 Aug), post-folksters Meursault (24 Aug), Eagleowl (16 Aug) and Fence Records co-founder The Pictish Trail (6 Aug), plus the wannabe religious cult leader Withered Hand (15 Aug), who told The Skinny exactly why being involved was a complete no-brainer: “The local underground music scene generally disappears off the map when the Festival rolls around and that’s a shame when it’s been so vibrant recently. Edinburgh is much more than a pretty backdrop to the latest “hilarious” review show or world class opera. I think that can be overlooked unless the communities that already exist here poke their little heads up and make themselves known while the festival visitors are still here.” Amen to that. [Milo McLaughlin] £3, 8PM SEE OUR LISTINGS AND RETREAT’S WEBSITE FOR FULL DETAILS WWW.MYSPACE.COM/EDINBURGHRETREAT

THE FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT

GEORGE SQUARE, EDINBURGH, 25 JUL - 31 AUG The Famous Spiegeltent has quickly become an Edinburgh Festival institution, taking over George Square in the heart of the University area during August and providing an incomparably eclectic entertainment schedule. As always, there’s something for everyone – except that dull bloke in work who talks about the variable merits of toasters – with an emphasis on international musical styles and passionate live performances.

Shows are put on all through the day, and several bands fill residential slots. With over 20 scheduled shows a-piece, the main focus of this year’s programme is the burlesque cabaret of The Tiger Lillies (dates vary between 7-30 Aug) and La Clique (5-30 Aug), but the worldwide reach of Spiegeltent’s talent scouts has also brought in two exciting Australian acts: chamber pop seven-piece My Friend The Chocolate Cake (12-17 Aug, 21-22 Aug), and grandiose folk singer Lior (13-14 Aug). From eastern Europe come gypsy-punks Paprika Balkanicus (31 Aug), while Kansas City hillbillies The Wilders (4-10 Aug) return after a hugely successful run here last year. There’s plenty of homegrown exotica too, with Skinny faves Orkestra del Sol (11, 18 & 29 Aug) lined up for three shows of global party jams, and Scottish folk innovators Shooglenifty (dates vary between 11-24 Aug) and The Poozies (19-20 Aug) both expected in town. Best of all, there’s Princes Square’s favourite one-man band: use your imagination, jump over the moon, over the moon with Mr. Boom (9, 23, 10 & 24 Aug). Or just buy a ticket. There’s plenty more, check full listings in our sister magazine Fest throughout August. [Ally Brown]

7PM, £14.50 WWW.XAVIERRUDD.COM

WWW.SPIEGELTENT.NET

Chart-topping tunesmithery’s the name of the game down at the Corn Exchange with Kate Nash (25 Aug), Pendulum (21 Aug), Scouting For Girls (7 Aug) and reformed perennial brit-poppers Shed Seven (14 Aug) all rearing their mug for an appearance.

But, before you can say 'Edge my arse', if the mainstream melee’s nae quite your thing then a trip to the Liquid Room to see the tartan-hearted triumvirate of Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit and John B McKenna (14 Aug) may be just what you need. Grime king Dizzee Rascal takes the same stage a week later (21 Aug). Or, if you’re a believer of blog-induced hype then get yourself down to Bannerman’s Bar to check whether the praise lavished on folksy songbird Laura Marling (12 & 13 Aug) is justified.[Billy Hamilton] WWW.THEEDGEFESTIVAL.CO.UK

MY FRIEND THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

LIVE MUSIC

Records

Juno About The Mill?

As Edinburgh and Glasgow prepare to pay host to Miller Genuine Draft's flagship Scottish events, Finbarr Bermingham caught up with James Barker of Juno to talk opening nights, friends in high places and, eh, catsuits We’re in the mouth of the Fringe. The Edinburgh and Glasgow band scenes are thriving, as fertile as ever, with Auld Reekie making ground on its more celebrated rival. Local promoters are doing fine jobs with individual and collective band nights in both cities: our ears are in good hands, as it were. All of which could make it seem far-fetched to state that one corporatecreated initiative could be a godsend to a scene that on paper, seems to be doing just fine... But it's true. The addition of The Mill as a regular event in the calendars of both areas presents a unique opportunity to artists plying their trade in Scotland, one that doesn’t come around very often.

Having pumped considerable amounts of money into the set-ups of both Oran Mor and The Caves (lighting, sound systems etc), Miller Genuine Draft are hoping their flagship Scottish event, The Mill, will help separate the wheat from the chaff, in an industry that is becoming more competitive than ever, and present the results to an audience that is being somewhat misinformed by the mainstream media.

With a manifesto of “supporting bands that are pushing the boundaries, both in their music and their approach,” The organisers will be professionally mixing, recording and filming all live performances that are put on under the banner. The sets will then become available as free downloads from themill-live.com, with selected bars in Glasgow and Edinburgh distributing them through Bluetooth enabled downloads. With the financial, time and commitment constraints placed on bands recording that crucial demo and cutting their teeth in the studio, The Mill offers an alternative avenue to those participating, whilst also giving them the chance to share a stage with some of Blighty's more established acts.

Things kick off in earnest on 20 August with performances from Southampton’s Thomas Tantrum, Glasgow's own Juno! and a DJ set from The Futureheads' guitarist, Ross Millard. The Skinny caught up with James Barker of the Scottish outfit on his way to rehearsal at a converted barn in Fife recently to get a quick low-down on the band, and find out that they're unsurprisingly delighted to be involved.

It would seem Juno! are more of a collective than a band. Sure, they've got a dedicated core, but their hospitable disposition extends to an open invitation to their sprawling periphery.

“We're a bit like the Brian Jonestown Massacre”, jokes Barker, “in that anyone that leaves the band is welcome to come and play with us

again!” It's a stance, coupled with their guitars ‘n’ samples style, that has garnered some inevitably superficial comparisons. “I think any band that uses live guitars and samples confuses people. They tend to throw us in with the Go! Team. We’ve even had the CSS thing too. But no,” he quickly announces, before The Skinny has the chance to fire off the accusation, “I don’t wear a catsuit.”

Juno! got involved with The Mill after being spotted playing at a gig with in a Glasgow arts warehouse. Despite attracting label interest from as far afield as Japan, and having their first single released through Oxford imprint Shifty Disco, Barker is still delighted to be given the chance and is sure it opens the realms of possibility further still.

“I think it’s great. It’s given younger bands the chance to do something in front of a decent crowd but they’re also getting something out of it. The fact that they’re taping and recording it is obviously a big plus for emerging bands too.

I think it will be an opportunity for publicity people can’t afford to get off their own backs.

There’s a lot of competition right now and people are finding it hard, so this is a helping hand really and I guess then it’s what you make of it. I think bands need to stick by their guns, be it fashionable or non fashionable. “ One thing that will never go out of fashion is a good show. Dynamic and effervescent performances are integral to what Juno! are as a group, which is perhaps why they’re so enthusiastic about their upcoming shows. “The live element is a huge part of what we do. We tend to have three of us ready to collapse at the end of a show; there tends to be a lot of jumping about, gesticulating and shouting. So yeah, its core to what we do as a band.”

Whilst Barker acknowledges the difficulties faced by up-and-coming bands in getting their music heard, he freely admits that by some simple associations, they’ve had it easier than some. The band are friends with some of the members of Glaswegian legends Bis, and the fact that they've been involved in some of Juno!'s material has had an undeniably positive outcome. “Well, the fact that we had Amanda McKinnon on guest vocals on our debut single didn’t hurt! It gave us a bit of listener exposure we might not have picked up otherwise, as well as extra radio play. To be honest, things have been a lot less difficult from that point onwards.

Steven (Clarke – Sci-Fi Steven) has always produced our work and we met her through him, so she's a friend.”

A useful friend to have, no doubt, but, given the unceremonious dumping of stage-mates, The Futureheads from their record label (679 Recordings) in November 2006, Juno! are certainly not home and dry. The music industry

www.theskinny.co.uk

is a fickle business, as acknowledged by the band.

“Situations like these can certainly help you, but there’s still gonna be a lot of hard work no matter what sorts of exposure we get.” So with the roster for future events at The Mill featuring established names as Frightened Rabbit and Errors, shouldn't it be a platform made available for those starved of such publicity levels?

“Well I’ve seen Broken Records in NME recently, but at the same time, they’re a band that are going to attract crowds, so I can see why they are being involved. Sure, it’s difficult to break through. The reason those bigger bands are there is because they are good. They’re there on merit and will draw a crowd for smaller acts to play to.

To play alongside them should be a huge boost to many.”

The Mill will be holding launch events at The Mill Glasgow (Wed, 20 Aug) and The Mill Edinburgh (Thur, 4 Sep). Entrance is by invitation only, but subscribe to The Skinny’s newsletter to be in with a chance to win tickets and get more info.

Sign up to The Mill’s website to enter for an opportunity to score tickets to the following future events: The Mill Edinburgh, Niddry Street South, Edinburgh,EH1 1NS The Mill Glasgow, 731-735 Great Western Road, West End, Glasgow, G12 8QX

Coming soon at the mill...

GLASGOW Wed, 27 Aug: How to Swim, The Moth & The Mirror Wed, 3 Sep: Tokyoblu, Kazoo Funk Orchestra Wed, 10 Sep: Twin Atlantic, Kobai Wed, 17 Sep: Injuns, Punch & The Apostles Wed, 24 Sep: Endor, Be a Familiar Wed, 1 Oct: Pearl & The Puppets, We See Lights Wed, 8 Oct: Dbass, Underling

EDINBURGH Thu, 18 Sep: Punch & The Apostles, Injuns Thu, 25 Sep: Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised

Jet Packs Thu, 2 Oct: The Ads, FOUND Thu, 9 Oct: Underling, Dbass

www.themill-live.com

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Clubs

Dubstep and Booty with Care

by Al Majik

In a bid to raise funds for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre and Myeloma UK, Volume goes up against Obscene for a night that's so awesome it hurts Before Volume opened its doors last April, genres like dubstep, baile funk and B-more house were relatively unheard of in Edinburgh. Skip to the summer of 2008 and these styles can be heard pulsating through the soundsystem of almost every club in the city. Students are now frantically scouring the internet to find the latest B-more blog or the baile funk mixes fresh from Brazil.

Even the most snobbish DnB head can be found in a basement club skanking to the low-slung wobble of Benga or Skream.

One of the most oft-frequented basements is Volume, and from the outset they’ve maintained a strong policy of pushing new music, rather than lingering on any one genre. Probably the first club night in Edinburgh to actively play dubstep on a regular basis, they have pioneered their own scene and carved a path for others to follow.

Co-promoter of Volume and resident DJ, Termite (aka Alice) feels that “in Edinburgh, dubstep has been developing like an infection! People have definitely caught the bug! There are now more nights on which are featuring dubstep in some capacity. I think it takes a collective, like Volume, to say 'this music is great, we rate it, so… here ya go'.”

Although London’s saturated with two-step bass, Volume are championing music that’s still relatively new, and it can be a daunting task to pro-

mote, even if the nights prove awesome. “It can be very difficult to actually get people initially interested in music that they have never heard before,” Termite points out, “however we have had a great response about the music we push at Volume. The reaction on the dance floor has been immense! Whenever a baile funk tune is on, the booties shake! I don’t think it really matters if people haven’t heard a type of music before – if the beats are good then the response is superb!”

For their event in August, Volume have teamed up with older sibling Obscene for a one-off versus night at new club Luna (previously Ego). Covering two floors, this event will showcase fifteen of Scotland’s finest DJs, as well as three MCs and one live act. Obscene are taking control of the top floor, where the crème de la crème of Scottish drum and bass DJs will be playing. The bottom floor will be hosted by Volume, and they are enlisting a diverse selection of artists including Profisee and Klee. “Alice and I were a bit selfish with this night and cherry picked the people in central Scotland that we personally rate. A couple of the DJs like Nick Fury and Klee, for example, don’t really play out too much any more.

But to me it’s all about the music and regardless of if you’re a well known artist or someone who has not played out in years,” explains Volume’s other promoter, Krish. “Music speaks volumes,” she adds as an afterthought.

krish and alice, volume promoters

The event’s for a good cause: all the money raised goes to Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre and Myeloma UK. The latter was set-up in 1997 to help deal with myeloma and its related disorders, whilst the girls have a strong emotional attachment to Maggie’s after close friend and local talent MC Sonny passed away. Krish explains that “Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre is a local facility that provides a space for people affected by cancer and their families. It is a brilliant centre and MC Sonny, who sadly passed away in October 2005 from a rare form of cancer, used

it whilst he was ill.” Alice expresses similar sentiments, adding that “as Sonny was one of our good friends, and also a key person in the scene, I feel very dedicated to promoting and supporting Maggie’s.”

This is certainly one date to pencil in the diary.

It’s a real rarity to hear this much good music under one roof, and in support of great causes.

Volume vs. Obscene @ Luna, Edinburgh, 16 Aug Doors 11pm-5am, £5

Koochie Koochie Koo!

by Emma Kilday

Parisian DJ Don Rimini makes his first Scottish appearance at the Admirable Koochie Koo as a special birthday treat Electronic dance music: electro, techno, trance, house, minimal, hi-NRG, skacid, ghettotech, breakcore… sometimes it seems like you could fill an entire dictionary just with its sub-genres.

Where the music geeks of the past were content enough just alphabetizing their cassette collection, our generation has a newfound obsession with genre-pigeonholing - and it is an obsession that is starting to make artists uneasy. How many times do you hear new acts describing themselves as 'genre-defying' or 'uncategorisable'? Everyone lives in fear of being pigeonholed, and dance music these days seems to promote a unique form of genre-related claustrophobia: the fear of being 'boxed in'.

This is where new Glasgow club night Koochie Koo comes in. Founded last year by Gary Curley and Chris Monty, it was all about celebrating a plain and simple "love of dance music."

"I was getting bored of purist genre nights so I wanted to create a night where all forms of dance music get spliced together and mixed with a bit of attitude and style," explains Curley, "A no-holdsbarred party where pretty much anything goes."

The philosophy behind Koochie has remained the same over the last 12 months, but its popularity has grown steadily. "We moved from our original basement because it was getting so busy," says Gary. "On our last night at our old venue there were 80 or so people locked outside by the management. We're now at The Admiral which has a deviously dark and dirty basement space. It's a better size and thankfully, has better toilets."

Thus far Koochie has welcomed innovative stars

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such as Streetlife DJs, Silicone Soul and Riva Starr, as well as local talent from Sunday Circus, Death Disco, and Club 69. This month it celebrates its first anniversary and, as a fresh new night on the scene, who better to invite along to play than one of the freshest new musical talents around: Don Rimini.

Already creating a stir with his recent releases Let Me Back Up and his infectious remix of Young MC's Bust A Move, it appears Rimini has a neon-bright future ahead of him. Growing up in France, Rimini (aka Xavier Gasseman) was inspired by the likes of Jeff Mills, Plastikman and Dave Clarke and began mixing at the age of 14. Since then he has produced the EPs Time to Panic and Absolutely Rad alongside an evergrowing list of remixes.

His latest EP Kick 'n' Run is a relentless techno assault, combing brutal pounding melody with Justice-esque grime. It will surely be as well received here as it has been in France, despite variations between the two music scenes. "The sound in France is different, sometimes more radical and violent," explains Rimini. "Some producers like the Ed Banger or Institubes crew are really good, they successfully brought in a new sound. I also really like the UK sound.

At the moment, I am totally into Fake Blood, Herve, Trevor Loveys, Sinden, Machines Don't Care... I definitely think that the British have a real club culture, and a more accurate taste for the music."

is about. He cuts up house with electro, techno and anything else you can dance to. It's crazy."

Rimini himself seems equally enthusiastic about his venture to Scotland, saying, "I am really looking forward to it. I've heard very good things about Scotland and especially the Scottish crowd.

I am very excited!"

Koochie have the privilege of hosting Rimini's first ever Scottish gig, inviting him to play because "he totally represents what Koochie Koo

Without getting too technical, it is about time that someone remembered that 'dance' is not a genre - it's a verb. Remember your primary

school English lessons? That's right, it's a 'doing' word! So forget the pigeonholing, get down to it and boogie your unpretentious socks off.

Don Rimini plays Koochie Koo’s 1st Birthday Party, alongside the Koochie Koo DJs and Johnny Whoop (Death Disco), on Friday 15 Aug at The Admiral. His new EP, Kick ‘n’ Run is out now.

11pm till 3am, £8 before 12/£10 www.myspace.com/clubkoochiekoo www.myspace.com/donrimini

Clubs

CLUBS

Sneakin' in After Hours

AFTER DISPELLING THE POCKET FULL OF FLYERS FOR ‘THE NEXT BIG THING’ OR SOMETHING ‘YOU MUST SEE’ DURING THE FESTIVAL, SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE TREMENDOUS SELECTION OF CLUB NIGHTS. NOT PART OF THE FESTIVAL PER SE, BUT LATE LICENCES AND A BUSTLING CITY ATTRACT THE VERY BEST OF THE ELECTRONIC WORLD. NICOL J. CRAIG PICKS OUT THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE BONGO CLUB Bongo favourites Mutiny and Technical Resistance have come together to present drum and bass duo The Panacea and Limewax for their Scottish debuts (8th, £7). Scamp, Tekamine, Esquire and Naas TSC take up the earlier slots. Upstairs has a more dubby feel with J Bostron, the Physicist and Paranoise.

To celebrate a decade of Headspin, they’ve invited Paul Mogg (The Psychonauts, Mogg & Naudascher) to headline with all the residents offering a four deck mix of hip-hop, funk and house. Live percussion from Bongo Dave and trippy visuals from Foundlight (9th, £5).

Jackhammer have pulled a major finger out this year inviting both Ben Sims and Kevin Saunderson to give a night of unrivalled techno (15th, £TBC). Saunderson has been pioneering the Detroit sound for over 20 years and together with Sims' turntable wizardry, this is sure to leave the crowd in delight and awe.

Drum and bass wonderboy DJ Marky is making a special Scottish appearance thanks to the boys at Xplicit (22nd, £7). Marky is coming off the back of a new album named Influences: “a lot of it is old Brazilian tunes that I grew up with; it’s the kind of album I’ve been waiting to do for years.” On the DnB front Marky is working on new tracks with Random Movement, SPY and a new EP with Makoto has just been released.

Stamina MC will take up mic duties for an evening of acclaimed Brazilian flair.

CABARET VOLTAIRE The Sick Note club have aptly named headliner Selfish Cunt (7th, Free). A post-punk revival group, their new album English Chamber Music has taken the influence of their two new members, making the sound heavier. They have gained notoriety for their aggressive stage performances and provocative lyrics. What should Edinburgh expect, especially since they're playing a club rather than a gig? “A smack in the face if we keep getting asked questions like this.”

Enough said.

Telefunken creates space for the master of disco filtered house. Famous across the globe, DJ Sneak takes influences from the Chicago underground scene and the Latin vibes of his homeland, Puerto Rico. “I’m in this for the music,” he says, “I always have been, and this gives me the right to speak out and tell people that my beloved house music was in danger of being exterminated by rubbish, mindless tunes... In my opinion, the music industry is currently being run by wantto-be superstar DJs, a bunch of phonies, and people just don’t do business unless you ‘snort’ or get high with them.” The industry sorter Sneak plans on putting house back in the mainstream, “The changeover is on the horizon and this ‘house gangster’ will make sure of that." We ask, cautiously, if Scotland has been good to him over the years. “It’s been a while since I was there, but Scotland has always been more receptive to my style of house music than the rest of the UK. You guys have local people like George Thompson, DJ Q, Slam and record stores, weeklies and monthlies that have kept house music alive.” Sneak takes hold of the Cab on the 8th (£12).

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

Renowned daytime tech heads Giles Smith and James Priestly have been summoned by the Karnival gang (9th, £TBC). Founders of London’s Secretsundaze, their parties are notoriously good. The pair are set to release their second mix compilation by friend DJ Tobi Neumann after the huge success of the first.

We Are Electric have struck gold twice in one month. In a return leg from last year, Philipp from M.A.N.D.Y is back (13th, £7). The recent 12 Great Remixes for 11 Great Artists compilation collects some of their finest efforts on one disc and is testament to the variety and reach of their productions. Later in the month, New York electro-clasher Larry Tee will fidget those fingers on the decks (20th, £7). “My specialty this season is the collage tracks that combine elements of several songs within one, that way you never know where things are going to go next. I want surprises and I think Scotland is ready for more surprises too!” He has had recent success with the new single Licky, which features the vocal talent of Princess Superstar. “We laughed so hard trying to think up ridiculous things for her to lick (on the video). Somehow she just made it seem sexy.” This might be his first Festival experience, “but I did sing at the bottom of Edinburgh Castle once when I was in a boy's choir.

Oh, that is sooo uncool to admit isn’t it?”

Off the back of their recent album In Ghost Colours, Trade Union has the company of Australian electro-pop band Cut Copy for a DJ set.

(11th, £0/£2 after midnight) As part of the Edge Festival, Slam continue with their now traditional festival bash (22nd, £8). No line up details as yet, but expect Soma Records related guests.

Musika pay homage to Ibiza for a one-off special featuring Paul Woolford, DJ Alfredo and headliner Smokin Jo (23rd, £TBC). Residents Derek Martin and Marco Smith will also be there to keep the Ibiza atmosphere pumping.

Brighton’s original Dubstep entrepreneurs DubPressure come back with an impressive line-up to fill both rooms (24th, pre-booked £9). The Bug, Sleepless Crew, Dogdaze (2562) plus many more will be blending sounds from grime to jungle, with the emphasis on broken beats.

Kid Kenobi and Crazy P will bounce their way through the Sugarbeat club (29th, £TBC). The former takes influences from across the electronic spectrum but certainly knows how to infuse crunching breaks with tech-based cuts.

THE LIQUID ROOM Musika’s Festival party has main guest Josh Gabriel (Gabriel & Dresden) taking the headliner spot (9th, £12). Residents Derek Martin and Neil Bartley will help out for a night tinged with techno trips and electro blips.

Not sure who the headliner is here, it’s a disputable choice. Edinburgh drum and breaks specialists Bass Syndicate have come up with the Stanton Warriors and Krafty Kuts. On the same night. Awesome. (16th, £14) The Canadian tech-house luminary Deadmau5 stops off from a non-stop Djing schedule (22nd, £TBC). Fans will know he’s well worth a gander.

ABOVE: DJ SNEAK LEFT: DJ MARKY RIGHT: KEVIN SAUNDERSON

STUDIO 24

LUNA (FORMERLY EGO)

Teaze is back (22nd, £5). Presented by Luna Luscious, this Burlesque slash circus slash art slash club night has everything. Dancers like Miss Hells Belle and Impressive Johnson will keep any crowd geed up, as well as six DJs playing anything from big band to techno. Sure to be an eccentric performance and all in the name of charity.

If your beats must be hard, Nuklearpuppy have kept the residency at newly refurbished Luna (1st, £8). Special guest Dr Willis is coming from Australia for the mash up. The residents have set up special festival banter including Mcleod’s GAP (ginger and proud) set.

THE GRV The GRV is getting a reputation for finding some of the freshest sounds around. August sees the dubfusion talents of Dave Hulsman aka 2562 versus residents Steve Glencross and Hektor Ruiez (22nd, £7) Fabrikken has been genuinely pioneering when it comes to bringing minimal broken beat stylings this far north. Check out our recent 2562 interview online!

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR Dave Tarrida (Sativa Sound System) will glitch, twitch and bleep his way back to bonnie Scotland (8th, £8). This tech-based occasion has been the work of Substance whose resident (Gavin Richardson) will warm up the all Scottish affair.

The Obscene residents are back after a notable absence of nine months (9th, £10). Special guest John B (Metalheadz) hasn’t played the capital since Obscene’s 4th birthday bash back in 2006.

He has his own take of the dnb genre labelled, ‘retro-electro new wave synthetic robot pop’, and will keep a highly charged dance floor frenzy.

VOODOO ROOMS Free is not a word splashed around come Festival time. However, Welto present a collaboration of bands and purveyors of the spoken word. Folk infused experimental electronica bands Operator, Meursault and Randan Discotheque come together with poetic interludes from Rodney Relax and Nick E Melville (22nd, free), finishing off with funky house beats from the Headspin DJs and Stevie Wanless.

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Club Previews

Edinburgh Noizteez in Wonderland: 1st Birthday Berlin, 15 Aug

Noizteez celebrates its first birthday this month at Berlin, in what promises to be a banging night, with an eclectic mix of hard drum ‘n’ bass, funky electro, breaks, and a hint of jazzy soul. Run by a collective of French DJs (residents include Redrum, Mr Tea, Harris and Deltron), they’ve successfully managed to create a storming d’n’b night in a predominantly house club. Created to “provide a quality music event for the lovers, the haters, the young, the old, the rich and the poor”, Noizteez really does provide something for everyone.

By experimenting with a different genre each month in room 2 (the club runs across three rooms in Berlin), the Noizteez crew ensure a unique and different night each time they play. With an added bonus of cheap drinks all night and a 5am license, there really is no excuse not to get down and dirty with the birthday boys. [Karen Taggart] 10pm-5pm £4 before 1am, £7 after www.myspace.com/noizteez

The Bug @ Dubpressure

Cabaret Voltaire, 24 Aug This bank holiday sees Dubpressure joining forces with the Electric Eliminators, who’ve been responsible for some of the west coast’s best nights of late. This twoheaded monster will be presenting twisted concotions of bass burps, wonky hip hop, jungle and grime ‘til 5am. Noisemaker and producer Kevin ‘The Bug’ Martin will be playing out in support of his hotly anticipated London Zoo. Featuring the stylings of everyone from Warrior Queen to Tippa Iriem, it’s a physically and mentally exhaustive trip. The cuts already released, Jah War, Poison Dart, and Skeng, have been blowing up clubfloors for months now. FlowDan will also be live and direct driving the message home: “Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons, Congestion, Space, Concussion and Seduction.” Repping the main room will be Unlikley (Clandestine Cultivations/Rinse FM), backed up by locals Sleepless Crew and Gravious, and with the soundsystem of “Scotlands best club”, this should be a night to remember. [Ema Johnson] Deals on selected beers and Mixers www.myspace.com/dubpressurel4lcabvol www.thecabaretvoltaire.com

Glasgow Spirit Aid Fundraiser Soundhaus, 15 aug Heads from Monox and Numbers clash this month to help raise funds for children’s charity, Spirit Aid. All profits from this two-room, heavy-weight collision of electro, techno, dubstep and bass will help their efforts to alleviate the suffering of children all over the world, whose lives have been devastated by war, poverty, genocide, ethnic cleansing and abuse. Chan ‘n’ Mikes label honcho Michael Forshaw will be dropping a live set of his electro techno booty stylings, and Slit Jockey Records’ boss and Philadelphia-resident Starkey will be joining him to deliver a bass-heavy blend of grime, dubstep and hip-hop. Also taking a turn on the decks will be Glasgow’s own DJ/Producer Rustie, responsible for the synth n’ riff heavy hip-hop ‘aqua-crunk’ sound of his widely-praised, Jagz The Smack EP. Ably supporting this trio will be Numbers’ Jackmaster, Dan Monox, Pro Vinylist Karim, Oscillate’s Jongerre and Monox’s Dance Mania Daz. [Colin Chapman] 11pm-4am, £8 b4 12am and Soundhaus members/£12 www.soundhaus.co.uk

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Robert Hood @ Monox Soundhaus, 23 Aug

t Norman Jay r a h C J D

Monox should be extremely proud to bring one of the greatest legends of Detroit techno to the Soundhaus.

As one of the founding members of the influential Underground Resistance label, Hood’s reputation has continued to grow following his departure from the genre-defining imprint. With releases on Peacefrog, Tresor, Music Man, Axis and his own M-Print stable, Hood has been making soulful minimal techno for years now. He has been at the very cutting edge of electronic music since the beginning of the 90’s. His recent Fabric mix was widely-applauded and showcased the power of his stunning DJ sets. Hood never disappoints, so expect this one to be another pounding night of hi-octane techno guaranteed to keep the floor on fire. Also watch out for his upcoming remixes of The Black Dog on Detroit vs Sheffield. [Don McVinnie] www.myspace.com/danmonox

Mofomatronix @ Baller$ 5ocial Club The Ivy, 8 aug

Baller$ 5ocial Club switch gears this month to bring you Canada’s turbo crunksters, Mofomatronix. Prepare to be wowed when duo Philippe Aubin-Dionne and Sebastien Prest-Diamantis hit our shores with their hybrid software/ hardware live set. They’re usually found tearing up dancefloors at their own club night in Montreal, Turbo Crunk. They’ve played host to the musical delights of Ghislain Poirier, Glitch Mob, Modeselektor and Daedelus to name but a few. This is your chance to spontaneously combust to a supersonically charged cocktail of dancehall, glitchified hip-hop, electro and technolaced, crunked-out club bangers. It’s going to be colder than a mercury martini! Lucky Me’s finest party DJs Rustie and Eclair FIFI will be in support. [Ema Johnson] http://www.myspace.com/mofomatronix http://www.myspace.com/ballerssocialclub

Rejected @ Sensu Sub Club, 15 Aug

Sensu returns with another Scottish exclusive: the first live performance of Joris Voorn and Edwin Oosterwal’s Rejected project. The Dutchmen first met in the mid-90s at a DJing competition, later forming a friendship which saw them become residents at Enschede club A-tak’s ‘Basic Groove’ parties. The duo went their separate ways a few years later when Edwin left for Australia and Voorn remained in Holland to focus on his developing production work. This led to his first release in 2002 and later, an album in 2004. Edwin continued to DJ, travelling the world spinning Detroit and minimal techno alongside Chicago house. He recentually returned home, rejoining Joris to form Rejected, a DJ, production and design outfit. Completing this line-up is Paul Swagerman, who creates the duo’s live show visuals, and the graphics for Voorn’s Green label. [Colin Chapman] www.myspace.com/sensuevents

How’s Your Party?

Sub Club, 29 Aug

The How’s Your Party crew throw their second bimonthly Friday-nighter, welcoming the return of A-Trak and Sinden. The youngest ever DMC world champion at only 15, A-Trak’s cultivated a talent that covers more than just scratching and beat-juggling skills. Shelving his uni studies to become Kayne West’s tour DJ (at Kanye’s personal request), his sets mash up a dizzying array of hip-hop, electro and beyond. Thanks to collaborations with New Era, Zoo York and Kid Robot he’s also become something of a style icon. Amongst all this, he’s somehow found time to set up the hipper-than-hip Fools’ Gold label and remix the likes of Digitalism and Kid Sister. Sinden’s quickly become one of the most exciting knob-twiddlers in dance music thanks to his astonishingly prolific output of recent times, covering fidgety house, speed garage, electro-tech and bootybashin’. His recently massive Beeper, alongside The Count Of Monte Cristal, bodes well for the forthcoming, hotly-anticipated album. [Colin Chapman] 10pm – 3am £10 advance tickets available from Tickets Scotland and behind the bar in MacSorleys Music Bar.

We are honoured to welcome a chart from Norman Jay, the man behind Notting Hill Carnival’s Good Times soundsystem, and the successful compilation series of the same name 1. JetTricKs feat. AdeFunke - Free (iTunes) Very Brighton, very British and representative of what’s happening on the downtempo tip; experimental and soulful.

2. Bobby D’Ambrosio feat Arif St Michael - Girl You Need A Change of Mind (SoulShine) I’ve bought every incarnation since Eddie Kendricks recorded it in the early 70s. This is about the sixth version.

Bobby does great versions of classic songs.

3. Black Sheep - Flavor of The Month (Mercury) Even though I was playing all those piano anthems back in the day, I still kept buying hip-hop and I play this at the Carnival every year. Fantastic!

4. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Sankofa (Honest Jon’s) I heard this about a year ago in Honest Jon’s and it hit me straight away. This is the proper sound of afrobeat.

If you’ve ever been to Soweto or Namibia, you’ll know that the music they tout as afrobeat here is so far away from what they listen to in the ghettoes or townships.

5. Lisa Shaw - All Night High (Salted Music) I’ve been playing it in the car and it nags at me, there’s something about it. It’s accessible, you’ve heard it all before, but it’s got great production and has a great melody unlike so many house tunes.

Aberdeen Gene Farris @ Deep End Snafu, 23 Aug

Aberdeen’s leading house night has managed to attract another top quality guest in the form of Chicago House legend Gene Farris. Since the age of twelve, this producer has been developing his mixing skills, which began with making tapes for friends full of mashed up funk, soul and 80s pop. He was quickly signed to Cajmere’s Relief Records and from there began a prolific career, which has seen various singles, mix compilations, and the development of his own record label.

Farris Wheel Recordings is not only focused on fresh, organic house, but also operates the well-established club night Playground in Amsterdam. Farris’ minimal, fluid style, coupled with those early influences, is sure to sit comfortably with the residents Funky Transport’s disco-house leanings, making this one Deep End that’s worth diving into. [Scott Ramage] 10pm-3am £5 www.myspace.com/farriswheelrecordings

6. Richie Spice - Youths Dem Cold (Truth & Rights Riddim) This is going to murder them at Carnival as it did last year. One of the best Jamaican singers to emerge recently, this is based on Johnny Osbourne’s Truth and Rights.

7. Ella Fitzgerald - Get Ready (Warner) My dad was into Ella, which is how I got into her originally. Ella does Get Ready in a jazzy northern soul style: I’ve been reviving it at all the festivals this year and it’s been tearing it up.

8. High Inergy - Lovin’ Fever (Motown) This is a little known Motown track. Very summery, very feel-good and brilliant harmonies. Proper singalong stuff.

9. The Dramatics - Get It (MCA) This was a big roller skate jam. In fact, I’ve been doing some roller skate events recently and this is getting fresh plays.

10. Nash - Keep Rising (Gobea) He’s a West London boy from round my way. He did music, he was an actor and I thought he was destined for big things. Refreshingly different West London music.

Japanese Popstars @ Mixtape Snafu, 29 aug

The Japanese Popstars may actually be from Ireland, but don’t hold that white lie against them. As established DJs in their own right - they hold several residencies at clubs in their home country as well as in Europe they’ve now decided to make the leap into producing their own tracks. Blending current electro trends with the spirit of acid rave and the energy of punk, their club-based productions have a mainstream appeal that’s drawn attention from sources ranging from the Guardian to Popjustice to Mixmag, who’ve all touted the trio as ones to watch. As part of a tour to promote their upcoming album which involves stops at venues such as Fabric in London and Amnesia in Ibiza, this will prove to be a rare chance to see an act just before they take off in a big way, so don’t miss this opportunity.

[Scott Ramage] 10pm-3am £5 www.myspace.com/thejapanesepopstars www.clubsnafu.com

Clubs

CLUBS

Clubbing

Highlights THE BEST BEATS IN SCOTLAND THROUGHOUT AUGUST

HOUSE OF TECHNO The past few months have seen disturbances in the supercontext or collective subconscious, a sociological form of seasonal adjustment disorder, or quite simply a series of bloody great coincidences. As well as my belief that it signifies the apocalypse/the coming of the mothership, it seems equally possible that quite simply, no-one’s had the damn summer they deserve and everyone could do with some time off. There’s a few chances to blow off steam approaching, before we descend into the terminal darkness of Scottish winter, kicking off with Numbers on 1 Aug with I-F, Dutch exponent of wonky electro and all-round bad boy facing off against Truffle Club, Optimo/Oscarr collaborator and a bit of a beast in the live stakes (Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm-3am, £10).

There’s revolution, rebirth and a fresh start inaugurated at the Arches, with new Artistic Director Jackie Wiley taking up her post and hopefully railroading the 8th best club in the world onto new tangents.

The Godhead of techno, the mack daddy of minimal, Robert Hood comes to wreck the Soundhaus on 23 Aug, along with the Monox crew (11pm-3am, £tbc). And for some home worship, check out Twitch from Optimo’s new release under the Betty Botox moniker, a series of re-edits of anything under the sun, including Hawkwind, the Residents and The Jellies. Seriously weird shit. It’s a brilliant antidote to the huge number of unimaginative compilations chucked out every summer to clog up your CD players. I’ll see you on the mothership. [Liam Arnold]

ROBERT HOOD

DRUM & BREAKS CURRICULUM With all the attention on the capital at this time of year, it’s sometimes easy to forget about Scotland’s other cities. If you find Edinburgh slightly daunting around festival time, then here’s what’s happening in the rest of country. Over in Glasgow on 1 Aug, the Stereo MCs will be playing an exclusive DJ set at indoor snowsports arena, Snowzone. Expect some healthy beats and breaks while experiencing genuine snow indoors.

The best part is that it’s completely free (8pm-1am).

On the 2 Aug up in Aberdeen, Scotland’s longest serving drum and bass night, Jungle Nation will be showcasing some of the best in local talent, with a

dual headline event featuring DJ Tez and DJ Davy.

Entry is only a fiver.

Moving to Dundee on 15 Aug, those Pangea boys will be up to their usual tricks, hosting one of their infamous resident parties at the Reading Rooms. The legendary Special Ed and his partner-in-crime Professor Fresh will be digging deep into their record boxes to play some Pangea classics from past and present. Still at the Reading Rooms, new night Hyrule will be following up last month’s launch party with another jam-packed set of house and breaks. Guest for the evening is Dyte.

(23 Aug, £6/£3). [Al Majik]

HIP-HOP HIGHLIGHTS August is always a good month for hip-hop and this year is no different with a great selection of both local and guest artists touching down. Kicking it all off on the west side is a BBQ Bank Holiday special featuring Black Grass touring with new material from his newest offering Three (The Ivy, Glasgow, 3 Aug, £3). First date for your east coast diary is Pass the Vibes (Medina, Edinburgh, 6, 13, 20, and 27 Aug, £5), arguably the missing link in Edinburgh’s hip-hop scene. Despite only beginning a few months ago this weekly event has made Wednesdays the new Fridays, and who can complain about that!

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

For all you crunk lovers, Baller$ Social Club have a treat in store with Canada’s Mofomatronix touching down for a special show (Ivy basement, Glasgow, 8 Aug, £5). If you like your hip-hop mixed with breaks and funk may I suggest you get down to Headspin (The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 9 Aug, £tbc), where they have special guest Paul Mogg playing alongside the always excellent residents. Noizteez celebrate their 1st birthday and will be ‘taking you down the rabbit hole’ with Nasty P amongst the fine local guests manning the 2nd room (Berlin, Edinburgh, 15 Aug, £tbc). Get Tricky! [Lady K]

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 59

Listings Edinburgh Art

Glasgow Art

Bongo Club Café

Embassy Gallery

Patriothall Gallery

CCA

Market Gallery

Jock Mooney, Skinny Showcase, Drawings, a new book

Mutatis Mutandis, Multi-disciplinary work Fri 01 Aug–Sun 31 Aug, 12:00–18:00, Thurs-Sun, Free

Jane Frere, Return of the Soul: The Nakbah Project,

Fred Pederson and Anne Marie Copestake, Intermedia, Tue 01 Jul–Mon 11 Aug, .

Ailsa Lochhead and Moira Ricci, other things seen, other things heard, Newly

and a music video from the Scottish artist Thu 07 Aug–Fri 05 Sep, 12:00–19:00, Mon-Fri, Free

City Art Centre

ESW Group Show, MAGAZINE 08,

China: A Photographic Portrait, The clue is in the title Tue 05

Aug–Sun 14 Sep, 10:00(12:00)–17:00, MonSat(Sun), £5 (£3)

Collective Gallery Group Show, The Golden Record: Sounds of Earth, Ambitious display of newly-commissioned works and comedt festival hook-up Fri 01 Aug– Sat 13 Sep, 12:00–17:00, Tues-Sat, Free

Corn Exchange Gallery Frances Richardson, Playing Against Reason, New

drawings and sculpture Sat 26 Jul–Thu 28 Aug, 11:00–16:30, Tues-Sat, Free

Doggerfisher Alexander Heim, Doves, Thu 31 Jul–Sat 13 Sep, 10:00–18:00, Tue-Fri, Free Dovecot Group Show, Influential Voices, 12 interntationallly renowned

Annual show curated for the first time Sun 03 Aug–Sun 24 Aug, 11:00–17:00, Thurs-Sun, Free

Fruitmarket Gallery Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Collaborative art combining image, sound, video and music Thu 31 Jul–Sun 28 Sep, 11:00–18:00, Daily, Free

Portrait Gallery Vanity Fair Portraits, Portraits from the magazine from 1913 to the present day Sat 14 Jun–Sun 21 Sep, 10:00–17:00, Daily, £6 (£4) Royal Botanic Gardens

Aug–Wed 27 Aug, 11:00–17:00, Tue-Sat, Free

Old Sheriff Court

SWG3

Scottish Youth Theatre, Hero, Part of Summer Festival Wed 06 Aug–

Maria-Brigita Karantzi, Jamie Kenyon & Dan Scott, About Missing The Forest For The Trees, New work by London

The Pavilion

and Glasgow based artists Fri 08 Aug–Sun 17 Aug, 12:00–18:00, Wed-Sun, Free

arestar Fri 01 Aug–Sun 31 Aug, 12:00–20:00, Daily, Free

RSA

Glasgow School of Art

Ingleby Gallery

ReSeArch, Survey of artists who

Christy Cole & Emmanuel Kurewa, Emergent Artists,

challenges perception of words in brand new Ingleby gallery in the old Venue Fri 01 Aug–Wed 27 Aug, 10:00–18:00 (19:00/17:00), Mon-Fri (Thurs/Sat), FreeSusan Collis, Jewel-studded trompe l’oeil Fri 01 Aug–Wed 24 Sep, 10:00–18:00 (19:00/17:00), Mon-Fri (Thurs/Sat), Free

Inverleith House Richard Hamilton, Protest Pictures, Thu 31 Jul–Sun 12 Oct, Modern Art Galleries

Gledinbow, Edinburgh/Glasgow artists

Foto: Modernity in central Europe, Explores the

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Tracy Emin, 20 Years, Retrospective of the YBA narcisist Sat 02 Aug–Sun 09 Nov, 10:00–18:00, Daily, £6 (£4) Stills Nicky Bird, Martha Rosler Library, Open reference library from artis’s personal library Fri 01 Aug–Sun 09 Nov, 11:00–18:00, Mon-Sun, Free

Talbot Rice Gallery

Edinburgh College of Art

pioneering modernist photography of Eastern Europe 1918-1945 Sat 07 Jun–Sun 31 Aug, 10:00–17:00, Mon-Sun, £6 (£4)

Sanford Wormfield, Ecyclorama, Big immersive colourful

National Galleries Complex

playing with gallery interiors Fri 01 Aug–Sat 27 Sep, 10:00(14:00)–17:00, Mon-Sat (Sun), Free

Fantasy and Function, Featuring around thirty intricately engraved designs for jewellery, tableware and ornaments. Sat 03 May–Sun 03 Aug, 10:00–17:00, Daily, Free

The Gallery at Eskmills

Chad McCail, New screenprints Sat 19 Jul–Sat 06 Sep, 10:00–18:00, Tues-Sat, Free

Kate Davis, Outisder, Sat 23

Jim Lambie, Lambie’s biggest exhibition

prize nominee Sat 21 Jun–Fri 26 Sep, 10:00 (12:00)–18:00 (17:00), Mon-Fri (Sat/Sun), Free

artists explore interest in plants Sat 12 Jul–Sun 31 Aug, 10:00–17:00, Daily, Free

Echo

Edinburgh Printmakers

Sorcha Dallas

tive painting and sculpture Sat 28 Jun–Sat 16 Aug, 12:00–17:00, Mon-Sat, Free

Terry George, Rio Carnival, Photography from the Secret Million-

10:00–17:30, Tue-Sun, Free

cylinder Thu 24 Jul–Wed 03 Sep, 10:00–18:00, Daily, Free

Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art

Gang, Milkshake!, My First Musical Thu 28 Aug–Sat 30 Aug, various times, from £11

Modern Institute

GRV

have benefited from the SAC’s residency programme in 2007/08 Sat 12 Jul–Sun 21 Sep, 10:00(12:00)–17:00, Mon-Sat (Sun), Free

Impressionism and Scotland, Sat 19 Jul–Sun 12 Oct, 10:00–17:00, Daily, £8 (£6)

Andrew Grassie, Painting as Document, Painstaking painting

Polarcap, Eskimo, Launching a new art venue with 14 artists ranging from the internationally acclaimed to the emergent. Sat 26 Jul–Sun 31 Aug, 12:00–19:00, Wed-Sun, Free

Showcase of artists at the beginning of their careers Fri 15 Aug–Sat 13 Sep, 10:00–17:00(14:00), Mon-Fri(Sat), Free

Steven Campbell, Wretched Stars, Insatiable Heaven, Selected works created by the artist in the 12 months before his death Sat 16 Aug–Sat 11 Oct, 10:00–17:00(14:00), Mon-Fri(Sat), Free

Natalie McIlroy, Robert

Napier and Foremen, Fri 08 Aug– Sun 17 Aug, 12:00–18:00, Wed-Sun, Free Tramway Kenny Hunter, A Shout in the Street, New and reworked

sculptural pieces and graphic works Sun 13 Jul–Sun 24 Aug, 10:00 (12:00)–17:00, Tue-Fri (Sat/Sun), Free

Dundee Art DCA Altered States of Paint, Challenge your preconceptions about painting with this exhibition of rebellious, spirited and playful works that extend your idea of what is possible with paint, canvas and a wall. Fri 01 Aug–Sun 07 Sep, various times, free

Denise Hawrysio Situational Prints, Denise Hawrysio is a Canadian artist who has lived and worked in San Francisco and London. In her prints she uses chance and ‘situational’ occurrences - mechanical, human or geological - to create marks via the medium of etching. various times, free

Discovery Point Cafe Gallery Kaleidoscope, Members of the

Dundee Photographic Society present their favourite images, illustrating their wide range of interests, skills and talents. Fri 01 Aug–Wed 27 Aug, various times, free

University of Dundee, Lamb Gallery Happy Birthday Beano - Official Exhibition!, a special exhibi-

tion featuring a wealth of original artwork and memorabilia never before seen in public Thu 07 Aug–Sat 20 Sep, various times, free

Glasgow Comedy Fri 08 Aug

Wed 13 Aug

Mon 18 Aug

Sun 24 Aug

Bruce Devlin, Stewart Lee, Liam Mullone, Jeff Kreisler, Eleanor Tiernan, Bruce Devlin’s Pick Of The Fringe,

Bruce Morton, Alun Cochrane, Kerry Godliman, Michael Legge, James Goldworthy, Bruce Morton’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand,

Zoe Lyons, Tiffany Stevenson, Girls with Guns, The Stand,

Karl Spain, Johnny Candon, Fringe Double Bill, The Stand, Karl

Micahel Redmond, Alex Horne, Juliet Meyers, More TBA, Michael Redmonds Fringe Sunday, The Stand, Resident

Sun 03 Aug Michael Redmond, Karl Spain, Tom Wrigglesworth, Terry Saunders, Michael Redmonds Fringe Sunday, The

Stand, Resident compere Michael Redmond hosts fringe comedy on the West coast., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £6/ £5/ £1

Mon 04 Aug Mick Sergeant & Seymour Mace, Fringe Double Bill, The Stand, Mick Sergeant: Ah Shit! I’ts Mick sergeant & Seymour Mace: Testamental: Bible stories told by an Idiot, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:00, £7/ £3.50

Tue 05 Aug John Gillick, Red Raw’s Fringe, The Stand, John Gillick, Doors

Bruce Morton presents four of the best acts from the Edinburgh Fringe. Line up subject to change., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £10/£9/£5

Sat 09 Aug Bruce Morton, Jo Caulfield, Johnny Candon, Michael Fabbri, Bruce Morton’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand, Bruce Morton presents four of the best acts from the Edinburgh Fringe. Line up subject to change., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £12

Sun 10 Aug Michael Redmond, Nick Revell, Jarlath Regan, Steve Williams, Michael Redmonds Fringe Sunday, The Stand, Resident

19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £2/ £1

compere Michael Redmond hosts fringe comedy on the West coast., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £6/£5/£1

Wed 06 Aug

Mon 11 Aug

Zoe Lyons, Tiffany Stevenson, Girls with Guns, The Stand,

Gavin Webster, Carey Marx, Fringe Double Bill, The Stand,

Presenting the elite of female comedy talent and a token male comedian at their “”special guest””., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £7/ £6/ £3.50

Thu 07 Aug Bruce Morton, Kevin Hayes, Jason Cook, Sally-Anne Hayward, Bruce Morton’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand,

Bruce Morton presents four of the best acts from the Edinburgh Fringe. Line up subject to change., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £8/ £7/ £4

60 THE SKINNY

Gavin Webster: described as a cross between “”Bill Hicks & Geoff from Byker Grove””. Carey Marx: “”Expect a devilish spouting of thought..that examines the freaky and farcical nature of morality.””, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:00, £7/ £3.50

Tue 12 Aug Liam Mullone, Red Raw’s Fringe, The Stand, Liam Mullone, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £2/ £1

AUGUST 08

Rupert, Noddy and the

Sat 09 Aug, 19:30, £ 10.00

Battle of The Bulge, Fat fun Wed 06 Aug–Sat 16 Aug, 19:30, from £11

Tony Roper, Celts in Seville, Football fun Mon 18 Aug–Wed 03 Sep, 19:30, from £15

Theatre Royal Jacqueline Wilson, Se-

crets , Popular children’s author brings her wit to the stage Wed 06 Aug–Sat 09 Aug, 19:00, £ 14.00

Joe McGann, Fidler on The

Roof, Classic Broadway hit Mon 18 Aug–Sat 23 Aug, 19:30, from £15 Eve Ensler, Vagina Monologues, Long running and hard hitting

Mon 25 Aug–Sat 30 Aug, 19:30, tbc

Tron Vox Motus, Slick, Fringe Preview Fri 01 Aug–Sat 02 Aug, 19:00, £ 8.00

Scottish Youth Theatre, Oh What a Lovely War, Classic ironic drama Tue 05 Aug–Sat 09 Aug, 19:30, £ 10.00

San Quentin Drama Workshop, Krapp’s Last Tape,

Beckett directs Beckett Fri 15 Aug–Sat 16 Aug, 20:00, £ 12.00

Upstage Theatre Productions, Calamity Jane, Old west

singalong Thu 28 Aug–Sat 30 Aug, 19:30, £ 8.00

Dundee Theatre THE CAIRD HALL

Sat 02 Aug

The Stand, Bruce Devlin presents four of the best acts from the Edinburgh Fringe. Line-up subject to change., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £12

Disney, High School Music,

Cathy Wilkes, Solo show for the Turner

commissioned installation work Sat 07 Jun–Sat 02 Aug, 12:00–18:00, Tue- Sat, Free

Karin Christiansen & Lys Hansen, The Other Side, Figura-

in Glasgow to date and will include a version of his famous black and white, striped ‘Zobop’ vinyl floor. Fri 11 Apr–Mon 29 Sep, 10:00(monthu)/11:00(fri-sun)–17:00(fri-wed)/20:00(thur), Mon-Sun, Free

Kay Rosen, Huen, Amercian artist

King’s Theatre Musical high jinks from the snmall screen to the stage Mon 04 Aug–Sat 16 Aug, 19:00, from £13.50 Flashdance, Based on the film about the dancing welder Mon 18 Aug–Sat 23 Aug, 19:30, from£11

Collins Gallery

Christine Borland, Graham Fagan and Simon Starling, What is Life, Scottish

arists and designers working in silver and metal inaugurate studio and gallery space Mon 04 Aug–Sun 28 Sep, 11:00–18:00, Mon-Sat, Free

in sibling rivalry Thu 07 Aug–Thu 21 Aug, 12:00–17:00, Daily, Free

Installation of wax figures made by Palestinian refugees Thu 31 Jul–Mon 18 Aug, 12:00–18:00, Daily, Free

Glasgow Theatre

Presenting the elite of female comedy talent and a token male comedian at their “”special guest””., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £7/ £6/ £3.50

Spain: Life is Sweet, Johnny Candon: One Careless Lady Owner, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:00, £7/ £3.50

Thu 14 Aug

Tue 19 Aug

The Reverend Obadah Steppenwolfe, Phil Nichol, Ivan Brackenbury, Andrew O’Neill, The Reverend Obadiah’s Pick of The Fringe, The

TBC, Red Raw’s Fringe, The

Stand, The Reverend presents four top acts from the Fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £8/ £7/ £4

Stand, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £2/ £1

Wed 20 Aug Zoe Lyons, Tiffany Stevenson, Girls with Guns, The Stand, Presenting the elite of female comedy talent and a token male comedian at their “”special guest””., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £7/ £6/ £3.50

Fri 15 Aug

Thu 21 Aug

The Reverend Obadah Steppenwolfe, Paul Tonkinson, Henning When, The Reverend Obadiah’s Pick of The Fringe,

Susan Morrison, Keith Farnan, Del Strain, Nick Doody, Susan Morrison’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand, Susan Morrison

The Stand, The Reverend presents four top acts from the Fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £10/£9/£5

presents four great acts from the fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £8/ £7/ £4

Sat 16 Aug The Reverend Obadah Steppenwolfe, Sarah Millican, John Colleary, Bruce Morton’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand, The Reverend presents four top acts from the Fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £12

Sun 17 Aug Adam Hill, Adam Hills Solo Show, The Stand, One night only from one Australia’s top comedians, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £9

Fri 22 Aug Susan Morrison, Michael Legge, Terry Saunders, More TBA, Susan Morrison’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand, Susan Morrison presents four great acts from the fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £10/£9/£5

Sat 23 Aug Susan Morrison, Owen O’Neill, Robbie Bonham, More TBA, Susan Morrison’s Pick Of The Fringe, The Stand, Susan Morrison presents four great acts from the fringe., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £12

compere Michael Redmond hosts fringe comedy on the West coast., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £6/ £5/ £1

Tue 26 Aug Scott Agnew, Red Raw, The Stand, Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £2/ £1 Wed 27 Aug Caimh McDonnell, Niall Browne, Michael Legge, Best of Irish Comedy, The Stand, Night of comedy from top Irish acts., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £7/ £6/ £4

Thu 28 Aug Tom Stade, Andy White, Billy Kirkwood, Barry McDonald, Michael Legge, The Thursday Show, The Stand, Mix of acts to entertain and make you giggle., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £7/ £6/ £3

Andrew Caskie and Jeremy Cull, Summer Organ Concert - ‘Four hands and four feet!’ , Andrew Caskie and Jeremy

Cull journey from their Edinburgh consoles to join forces at the Caird console to entertain with a scintillating programme of organ duets. from Tue 12 Aug, 19:15, Tickets from Dundee City Box Office Tel 01382 434940, £3.25

All Souls Orchestra, Prom Praise, Presented by the All Souls Orchestra under the energetic direction of conductor Noel Tredinnick, Prom Praise is a mix of music, word and worship. A blend of sacred and concert music from popular Orchestral classics to some favourite hymns and worship songs. from Thu 21 Aug, 19:30, Tickets from Dundee City Box Office Tel 01382 434940, £16/£14/£12/£10

Summer Organ Concert ‘Strictly come dancing and romancing!, Bill Hutcheson returns to

the Caird console to treat us to a whirl of organ music from the dance-floor to the movies! from Tue 26 Aug, 19:15, Get the chance to ‘meet the organist’ in the cafe-bar after the concert., £3.25

Downfield Musical Society, Happy Birthday Downfield!, The Caird Hall will host the Society’s highlyentertaining celebration of 80 years of theatre, friendship and fun. Including excerpts from many West End and Broadway musicals. from Fri 29 Aug, 19:30.

Fri 29 Aug Tom Stade, Andy White, Billy Kirkwood, Barry McDonald, Michael Legge, The Stand, Mix of acts to entertain and make you giggle., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 20:30, £9/ £8/ £5

Sat 30 Aug Tom Stade, Andy White, Billy Kirkwood, Barry McDonald, Michael Legge, The Stand, Mix of acts to entertain and make you giggle., Doors 19.30, Show starts at 21:00, £12

Looking for Edinburgh festival listings?

Pick up our sister publication fest throughout August, or check online at theskinny.co.uk

Listings

Fri 01 Aug Gavin Dunbar, Back Tae Mine, The Flying Duck, Eclectic,

23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Euan Nielson, ABC Fridays, ABC 1, Genre mash-up, 23:00–3:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric Casa, Òran Mór, Classic house, dance, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Geoff M, Junior Campos & Max, Toxic Pop, Bamboo, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00–3:00, £5, free b4 11pm/12am students

Harri (Subculture), The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00,

Free

WISP (Rephlex), MOTHBOY, LAN FORMATIQUE, detritus, STUART CAMERON, Tronic,

Blackfriars Basement, Electronic., 21:00–2:00, £6 (£4) DJBarry, DamnatioN, Classic Grand, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

I-F, Truffle Club, Numbers,

The Sub Club, Eclectic electronic., 23:00–3:00, £10.00

Andrew Divine & David Barbarossa, Curious Curious, Stereo, Yesterday’s sound of tomorrow, today., 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

residents, The Basement, Soundhaus, Techno, electro & house., 22:30–4:00, £8 (£7), £5 b4 11.30pm

residents, Damaged Goods, Nice’n’Sleazy, Punk, noise, pop,

disco, funk, rock n roll., 21:00–3:00, £3, free b4 11.30pm Pinup Nights, The Winchester, Indie, punk, soul & electropop., 21:00–3:00, £5 (£3) SEAN TYAS, Rehab, Byblos, 23:00–3:00, £10.00

The Thanes and guest DJ Tall Paul, Eyes Wide Open, The Twisted Wheel, Live bands & club, 22:00–3:00, £5 (£4)

Mother & the Addicts DJs, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free

Sat 02 Aug

Dominic Martin, Kash &

Max, Disco Badger, Bamboo, Classic house music all night long with other boogie next door, 20:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12pm with matric

Craig Loosejoints & Mark Robb, Sunday Service, Òran Mór, Soul, jazz, latin, funk., 23:00–3:00, £4.00

Mon 04 Aug Shawn Roberts, Passionality, Byblos, Commercial house, 23:00–3:00, £3 (£2)

Tue 05 Aug Killer Kitsch, The Buff Club, New wave, indie, electro, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£3) Andy Wilson & DJ Kash, All Star, Bamboo, Funk & hip pop,

22:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Shazza Halliwell, Audioculture, Byblos, Chart, cheese, rnb,

house, 23:00–3:00, £3 (£2)

Wed 06 Aug Gerry Lyons, After Hours,

The Buff Club, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00–3:00, £3.00 Tongue In Cheek, Bamboo, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£5), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Thu 07 Aug Residents, Psyklopz, Stereo,

Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £2.00

Throbb, The Falconi Bros & Von Trapp, A Big Sweaty Mess, Nice’n’Sleazy, 23:03–3:00, £2.00 DJBarry & Harvey Kartel, AltNation Club, Bamboo, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Rhythm & SOUL, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free Clatty Pats, Òran Mór, Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £4 (Free for NHS workers)

Radiomagnetic Soundsystem, The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs

Tim Sweeney, JD Twitch, Andrew Pirie & Kev Stevens, Melting Pot, The Admiral, Cosmic,

upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Mark E.G., Uberdruck, Infexious, Ivory Blacks, Hardcore,

Fri 08 Aug

disco, house, 23:00–4:00, £10.00

hardstyle, techtrance., 21:00–3:00, £12.00 All Tore Up, Blackfriars Basement, 1950’s record hop, R&B, rockabilly and rock n roll., 22:00–3:00, £5.00 ABC Saturdays, ABC 1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric

HEK + 909, The Third Man, Andrew Ingram, Hobbes, Brian d’Souza, Slabs Of The Tabernacle, The Twisted

Wheel, Techno, Detroit, disco, basement party, 22:30–3:00, £5.00

Katie Siren, Off The Record

& Animal Farm, Soundhaus, House & techno., 23:00–4:00, £8 (£7)

Noj, Mark & Kris, Pandemic, Nice’n’Sleazy, Indie, 60’s garage, soul, rock’n’roll., 21:00–3:00, £3, free b4 11.30pm

DJBarry & Dec, AbsolutioN,

Classic Grand, Metal, rock, industrial, punk & ska., 23:30–3:00, £5 (£3)

DENNIS FERRER, Subculture, The Sub Club, TRIPTYCH special,

23:00–3:00, £12, £8 b4 12am

Ian Thomson & Paul Rea, Sabado Saturdays, Byblos,

House, 23:00–3:00, £8 (£6)

Stevie Sole Middleton, Domenic Martin & Scottie B, Homegrown, Bamboo, House

and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 22:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students Club Noir, The Winchester, Burlesque games, 22:00–3:00, £tbc

Paul Needles, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel,

21:00–1:00, Free

Alex & John, 45 Kicks, The Buff

Club, New York & underground school inspired beats, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

Geoff M, Junior Campos & Max, Toxic Pop, Bamboo, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00–3:00, £5, free b4 11pm/12am students

Gavin Dunbar, Back Tae Mine, The Flying Duck, Eclectic,

23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am Spitfire, Blackfriars Basement, Motown to punk., 21:00–2:00, £4.00

Euan Nielson, ABC Fridays, ABC 1, Genre mash-up, 23:00–3:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric Casa, Òran Mór, Classic house, dance, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Mofomatronix, Rustie & Eclair FiFi, Ballers Social Club, The Ivy Bar, Techno, electronica, hip

hop., 22:00–2:00, £5.00

DJBarry, DamnatioN, Classic

Grand, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Andrew Divine & David Barbarossa, Curious Curious, Stereo, Yesterday’s sound of tomorrow, today., 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Mathew Dear & Slam, Return To Mono, The Sub Club,

House & techno., 22:00–3:00, £10 (£8)

DJ Jaseface & Giles, Derriere, Nice’n’Sleazy, Eclectic., 21:00–3:00,

£3, free b4 11.30pm

TVYKS & VECTIF, Sleaze, The Club (69), House, electro, techno., 23:00–3:00, £tbc Smokin Jo, Club Elements, Byblos, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Maelstrom, Andy Piacentini, Derek Smith, Dance!

Dance! Dance!, The Twisted

ABC Saturdays, ABC 1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric

Big Daddy Daz, Sloop, Kushi & Clouston, Specialitee Discoflex and Robotik, Soundhaus, Techno, house, disco., 23:00–4:00, £7 (£5)

DJBarry & Dec, AbsolutioN,

Classic Grand, Metal, rock, industrial, punk & ska., 23:30–3:00, £5 (£3) ÂME, Subculture, The Sub Club, TRIPTYCH special, 23:00–3:00, £12, £8 b4 12am

Stevie Sole Middleton, Domenic Martin & Scottie B, Homegrown, Bamboo, House

Free

House, 23:00–3:00, £8 (£6) Afterglow, The Twisted Wheel, 60’s northern soul, 70’s soul, 22:00–3:00, Free

and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 22:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students

Friday St. presents Afterglow, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00,

Free

Bob’s Full House, Òran Mór,

Dance & pop, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Sun 10 Aug Marky Mark, Junk, The Buff

Club, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00–3:00, £3, free with matric

Fuzzy Felt Folk & Don’t Mess With Texas DJs., Lou Vargo, MacSorley’s Music Bar,

Americana & folk from Tennessee and country covers from Glasgow’s own Coconut University., 14:00–0:00, Free

Dave Gibson, Chris Bradley, No Hassle, Republic Bier

Halle, 20:00–0:00, Free

Dominic Martin, Kash & Max, Disco Badger, Bamboo,

Classic house music all night long with other boogie next door, 20:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12pm with matric

Sun 03 Aug

Dirty Larry & Teamy, Wrong Island, Nice’n’Sleazy,

Techno, electro, house, 15:00–23:00, Free

Marky Mark, Junk, The Buff

Club, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00–3:00, £3, free with matric

Samantha Seth, MR D, Jack in the Green, No Hassle, Republic Bier Halle, 20:00–0:00, Free

www.theskinny.co.uk

Techno, beats, electronica., 21:00–3:00, £3, free b4 11.30pm

Fancy & Spook, The Wasp, Autokrat, Barfly, House, techno, electro, 23:00–3:00, £5.00

One More Tune, Blackfriars

Basement, Techno, 23:00–3:00, £tbc

Shout Bamalama, Blackfriars Basement, DJs and live bands, country, soul, rock n roll., 23:00–3:00, £5.00 ABC Saturdays, ABC 1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric Billy Woods, David Barbarossa, All tore Up DJs, After Dark, Stereo, Disco, rock n

roll., 23:00–3:00, £5, 2 4 1 b4 12am

Quail, Speedy, The Wasp, Graeme Dunn, Jason Pussypower & Alan Currie, Shift Specialitee and Wooferpitch, Soundhaus,

Fri 22 Aug 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Geoff M, Junior Campos & Max, Toxic Pop, Bamboo, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00–3:00, £5, free b4 11pm/12am students

Friday Street, Blackfriars Base-

Soundhaus, Drum & bass., 22:30–4:00, £7, £5 b4 11.30pm DJBarry, DamnatioN, Classic Grand, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2) Wee Numbers, The Twisted Wheel, 23:00–3:00, £5.00 Casa, Òran Mór, Classic house, dance, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Point To The C, The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Sat 23 Aug ABC Saturdays, ABC 1, Soul, punk,

rock & indie dance, 23:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric

Robert Hood, Monoxians, Monox, Soundhaus, Techno & electro.,

wave, indie, electro, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£3)

Shazza Halliwell, Audioculture, Byblos, Chart, cheese, rnb,

house, 23:00–3:00, £3 (£2)

Andy Wilson & DJ Kash, All Star, Bamboo, Funk & hip pop,

22:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Wed 13 Aug Gerry Lyons, After Hours,

The Buff Club, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00–3:00, £3.00 Tongue In Cheek, Bamboo, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£5), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Thu 14 Aug Residents, Psyklopz, Stereo,

Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £2.00 Wicked Game, The Twisted Wheel, Eclectic, 22:00–2:00, Free

DJBarry & Harvey Kartel, AltNation Club, Bamboo, Rock,

indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2) Clatty Pats, Òran Mór, Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £4 (Free for NHS workers) Alex & John, 45 Kicks, The Buff Club, New York & underground school inspired beats, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

Fri 15 Aug Geoff M, Junior Campos & Max, Toxic Pop, Bamboo, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00–3:00, £5, free b4 11pm/12am students

Gavin Dunbar, Back Tae Mine, The Flying Duck, Eclectic,

Euan Nielson, ABC Fridays, MICHAEL FORSHAW, STARKEY, RUSTIE, dan monox, JACKMASTER, PRO VINYLIST KARIM, DANCE MANIA DAZ, jongerre, Spirit Aid Charity Fundraiser, Soundhaus, One

A-Trak & Sinden, HYP?, The Sub Club, 22:00–3:00, £10.00

Andrew Divine & David Barbarossa, Curious Curious, Stereo, Yesterday’s sound of tomorrow, today., 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Dj Quzzy, DJ ACHREN, Sin, Soundhaus, Metal., 21:00–3:00, £tbc

Slam, Decimal, Pressure,

Classic Grand, Metal, rock, industrial, punk & ska., 23:30–3:00, £5 (£3)

DJBarry, DamnatioN, Classic Grand, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

The Sub Club, TRIPTYCH special, 23:00–3:00, £12, £8 b4 12am

MARK FARINA, Subculture,

JOHNNY FIASCO, Subculture, The Sub Club, TRIPTYCH special,

Ian Thomson & Paul Rea, Sabado Saturdays, Byblos,

Twisted Wheel DJs, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free

Casa, Òran Mór, Classic house, dance, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Sound The Alarm, The Twisted Wheel, Techno party, 22:00–3:00, £1.00

and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 22:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students

Twisted Wheel DJs, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The

Mr Nice (Freakmenoovers), The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Sat 30 Aug Teknika, Blackfriars Basement, Minimal techno., 23:00–3:00, £6.00

Bob’s Full House, Òran Mór,

ABC Saturdays, ABC 1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric

Sun 17 Aug

Ooft Music, The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free Alexkid, Seinan, The Admiral, House & techno., 23:00–3:00, £tbc

residents, Chakra, Soundhaus, Deep, hypnotic, tribal house., 23:00–4:00, £10 (£8)

Marky Mark, Junk, The Buff

Sun 24 Aug

Classic Grand, Metal, rock, industrial, punk & ska., 23:30–3:00, £5 (£3)

Numbers DJs, The Ivy Bar,

The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Club, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00–3:00, £3, free with matric No Hassle, Republic Bier Halle, 20:00–0:00, Free

Dominic Martin, Kash & Max, Disco Badger, Bamboo,

Classic house music all night long with other boogie next door, 20:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12pm with matric

Craig Loosejoints & Mark Robb, Sunday Service, Òran Mór, Soul, jazz, latin, funk., 23:00–3:00, £4.00

Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free

Dance & pop, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Marky Mark, Junk, The Buff

Club, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00–3:00, £3, free with matric

Dominic Martin, Kash & Max, Disco Badger, Bamboo,

House, 23:00–3:00, £8 (£6)

lic Bier Halle, 20:00–0:00, Free

Classic house music all night long with other boogie next door, 20:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12pm with matric

Mon 18 Aug Shawn Roberts, Passionality, Byblos, Commercial house, 23:00–3:00,

Mon 25 Aug

Tue 19 Aug

Shawn Roberts, Passionality, Byblos, Commercial house, 23:00–3:00,

Killer Kitsch, The Buff Club, New

wave, indie, electro, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£3)

Shazza Halliwell, Audioculture, Byblos, Chart, cheese, rnb,

house, 23:00–3:00, £3 (£2)

Andy Wilson & DJ Kash, All Star, Bamboo, Funk & hip pop,

22:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Wed 20 Aug Gerry Lyons, After Hours,

The Buff Club, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00–3:00, £3.00 Tongue In Cheek, Bamboo, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£5), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Thu 21 Aug Residents, Psyklopz, Stereo,

Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £2.00

Mór, Soul, jazz, latin, funk., 23:00–3:00, £4.00

£3 (£2)

Ian Thomson & Paul Rea, Sabado Saturdays, Byblos, Stereotype, The Twisted Wheel, Garage & ska., 21:00–3:00, £5 (£4) Stevie Sole Middleton, Domenic Martin & Scottie B, Homegrown, Bamboo, House and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 22:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students

Twisted Wheel DJs, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free

Bob’s Full House, Òran Mór,

Tue 26 Aug

Dance & pop, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Killer Kitsch, The Buff Club, New wave, indie, electro, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£3) Shazza Halliwell, Audioculture, Byblos, Chart, cheese, rnb,

house, 23:00–3:00, £3 (£2)

Andy Wilson & DJ Kash, All Star, Bamboo, Funk & hip pop,

22:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Jackmaster (Numbers / Dress2Sweat), The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Art of Fighters, Lenny Dee & more, Back To The Future, Carling Academy, Old school., 20:00–3:00, £13.00

Sun 31 Aug

Wed 27 Aug

Marky Mark, Junk, The Buff

Gerry Lyons, After Hours,

Club, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00–3:00, £3, free with matric

The Buff Club, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00–3:00, £3.00 Tongue In Cheek, Bamboo, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£5), free b4 11pm/12am with matric

Thu 28 Aug

DJBarry & Harvey Kartel, AltNation Club, Bamboo, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £2.00

step, electronic, bass., 23:00–3:00, £10.00

21:00–1:00, Free

indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

DJ D’mented, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel,

HARRI & DOMENIC, Subculture, The Sub Club, TRIPTYCH special, 23:00–3:00, £10, £5 b4 12am

Craig Loosejoints & Mark Robb, Sunday Service, Òran

£3 (£2)

DJBarry & Dec, AbsolutioN,

Maeve O,Boyle, Fiona Crawford, No Hassle, Repub-

room of Techno/Electro. One room of Booty/ Dubstep/Bass., 23:00–4:00, £12, £8 b4 12am/ members

Shackleton, Appleblim, T++, Fortified, The Vic Bar, Dub-

garage, blues, soul, ska, R&B., 19:00–0:00, Free

The Arches, Hoouse & techno., 22:00–3:00, £10 (£8)

Classic Grand, Metal, rock, industrial, punk & ska., 23:30–3:00, £5 (£3)

and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 22:00–3:00, £7 (£5), free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students Bob’s Full House, Òran Mór, Dance & pop, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

DJs Rasef & Lobo featuring live burlesque performance art by Vendetta Vain & Cat Aclysmic, Eruption, The Halt Bar, A night of punk,

23:00–5:00, £12 (£10)

The Twisted Wheel, 22:00–3:00, £5.00

Killer Kitsch, The Buff Club, New

Geoff M, Junior Campos & Max, Toxic Pop, Bamboo, House

ment, 22:00–3:00, £5.00

linden, D-Fade, Symbiosis,

Shawn Roberts, Passionality, Byblos, Commercial house, 23:00–3:00, Tue 12 Aug

Euan Nielson, ABC Fridays,

music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00–3:00, £5, free b4 11pm/12am students

Stereo, Yesterday’s sound of tomorrow, today., 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

DJBarry & Dec, AbsolutioN,

Stevie Sole Middleton, Domenic Martin & Scottie B, Homegrown, Bamboo, House

23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Andrew Divine & David Barbarossa, Curious Curious,

ABC 1, Genre mash-up, 23:00–3:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric

Stevie Sole Middleton, Domenic Martin & Scottie B, Homegrown, Bamboo, House

£3 (£2)

Gavin Dunbar, Back Tae Mine, The Flying Duck, Eclectic, ABC 1, Genre mash-up, 23:00–3:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric

DJBarry & Dec, AbsolutioN,

After-hours at the Wheel,

Club, New York & underground school inspired beats, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

Euan Nielson, ABC Fridays,

Techno, house & electro., 23:00–4:00, £7 (£5) The Hop, Bar Bacchus, Indiepop, girl groups, post-punk & electro., 20:00–1:00, £4.00

Ian Thomson & Paul Rea, Sabado Saturdays, Byblos,

23:00–3:00, £4 (Free for NHS workers)

Fri 29 Aug

Gavin Dunbar, Back Tae Mine, The Flying Duck, Eclectic,

House, 23:00–3:00, £8 (£6)

Mór, Soul, jazz, latin, funk., 23:00–3:00, £4.00

20:00–0:00, Free

Sat 09 Aug

Sat 16 Aug

Club, New York & underground school inspired beats, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

Mon 11 Aug

ABC 1, Genre mash-up, 23:00–3:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric

Laurence Hughes, Jamie Thomson, Jason brunton, Bleep By Day, The Courtyard,

23:00–3:00, £10 (£8)

Alex & John, 45 Kicks, The Buff

23:00–3:00, £4 (Free for NHS workers)

House, 23:00–3:00, £8 (£6)

23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Murnbushtansagur, The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs.,

JORIS VOORN & EDWIN OOSTERWAL aka REJECTED, Sensu, The Sub Club, House & techno.,

Clatty Pats, Òran Mór, Eclectic,

Alex & John, 45 Kicks, The Buff

23:00–3:00, £12, £8 b4 12am

Twisted Wheel, 21:00–1:00, Free

Stereo, Live techno, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Boom Monk Ben, The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar, DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00,

Clatty Pats, Òran Mór, Eclectic,

Craig Loosejoints & Mark Robb, Sunday Service, Òran

DJs upstairs., 20:00–0:00, Free

Paul Woolford, Bleep,

The Yard, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The Twisted Wheel,

21:00–1:00, Free Casa, Òran Mór, Classic house, dance, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Wheel, Disco, eclectic, 23:00–3:00, £5.00

Felonious Munk, The Twisted Wheel Bar, The

Stereo, Yesterday’s sound of tomorrow, today., 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am DJBarry, DamnatioN, Classic Grand, Rock, indie., 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2) Jukebox!, The Twisted Wheel, Brit-pop, punk, rock n roll, hip hop, electro, 23:00–3:00, £4.00 Ctrl Alt Delete, MacSorley’s Music Bar, Laptop electronica, 21:00–1:00, Free

Ian Thomson & Paul Rea, Sabado Saturdays, Byblos,

Bob’s Full House, Òran Mór, Dance & pop, 23:00–3:00, £8.00

Andy Ash (Five20East, Liverpool), The Ivy Bar, The Ivy Bar,

Andrew Divine & David Barbarossa, Curious Curious,

Residents, Psyklopz, Stereo, DJBarry & Harvey Kartel, AltNation Club, Bamboo, Rock,

No Hassle, Republic Bier Halle, 20:00–0:00, Free

Dominic Martin, Kash & Max, Disco Badger, Bamboo, Classic house music all night long with other boogie next door, 20:00–3:00, £5 (£4), free b4 11pm/12pm with matric

Craig Loosejoints & Mark Robb, Sunday Service, Òran Mór, Soul, jazz, latin, funk., 23:00–3:00, £4.00

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 61

Listings

Glasgow Clubs

Glasgow gigs Taio Cruz, ABC 2, London-based RnB, 19:00–23:00, £10.00 Pavilion, Barfly, Indie pop sounds, 20:00–23:30, £5.00 The Script, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Irish power-trio, 20:00–23:00, £8.50 Howlin’ Rain, Nice’n’Sleazy, Groove-orientated rock, 20:30–23:30, Roscoe, Mark McCabe, Daffy, Dances On The Sand, Rio Café,

Mesa Verde, Black Channels, Human Era, This Is Our Battlefield, The 13th Note, DIY Hardcore noise, 20:30–23:35, Radio, Roge, Richie Longgomba, Weasal, The Arches, 20:00–23:59,

£15.00

Ampersand, Transaudio, Magistrates, Barfly, Sassy indie from

Essex, 20:00–23:30, £5.00

The Way, Limber, Black Velveteens, Redundant, Shadows of the Sun, Barrowlands 2, assorted rock acts, 19:00–23:00, Kazoo Funk Orchestra, Classic Grand, mad-cap multi-instrumentalists, 19:00–23:00, £5.00

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Pop-flak, 20:01–23:01, £5.00

Wed 06 Aug Clair Tearney, Lovers Turn To Monters, Rio Café, acoustic rock, 20:00–16:28, free

Billy Liar, The Lie Detectors, Roscoe Vacant, The 241ers, The 13th Note, Acoustic punk, 20:30–23:45, Ursula Minor, rewind, Prego, Barfly, Hooky post-rock, 20:00–23:15, £6.00

Holly Throsby, Paul Kelly,

Omerta, D-Rail, Corpses, Room 21 Events, Bloc, mixed noise

Popcorn Superhet, Sean Murray, Super Adventure Club, Captian’s Rest, Hard-riffing prog-

rock, 21:00–23:30, free

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Aussie songsmith, 20:00–23:15, £15.00

post-punk space-rock goons, 20:20–23:30

Gdansk, Running With Horses, My Electric Love Affair, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Nice’n’Sleazy, Collection of some

happening Scottish alt-indie, 20:15–23:30

Sat 02 Aug Jennifer Clark Quartet, Brel, Bassist with accompanying flute, 19:00–16:42, free

Lovers Turn To Monsters, Clair Tierney, Dean Queasy, Dances On The Sand, Rio Café, 20:00–0:00, Free

Thu 07 Aug Conflict Diamonds, NHG, Captian’s Rest, Avante-rock, 20:30–17:58, Dave Dominey, Tchai Ovna, Bsss loops and acoustic experimentalism, 20:00–16:32, £2.00

Jackie Treehorn, Full Tilt Presents, Pivo Pivo, Contemporary

Transfer Audio, Stroszek, The Reward, Flowers in the Dustbin presents SEDITIONARIES, The 13th Note, night of post-punk

heavy rock growl, 20:00–16:51, £3.00

Safe 2 Say, The Adjournements, The Rebel Hearts, El Guapo, Labels, Barrow-

Think:Fire, Energy, Luke Pickett, Barfly, Touching acoustica they say, 19:30–23:00, £5.00

Matadors!, Delta Mainline, Longview, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut,

Year Zero, Detroit Social Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 70s punk

inventiveness, 20:30–23:30, £5.00

lands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00,

Contemporary brit-rock, 20:00–23:00, £7.00

Ratatat, Captian’s Rest, Electro rock, 20:00–23:31, Ratatat, Captian’s Rest, Electro rock, 20:00–23:31

Crash My Model Car,

Nice’n’Sleazy, Catchy upbeat pop rock, 20:29–23:30

Sun 03 Aug D-O.neimagi.N-E with Ruth Campbell, Wounded Knee, Trees, Noma, Lanterns,

Captian’s Rest, Avante-garde mind-expanders, 19:30–17:56, United Fruit, Every-

thingwesayisfact, Popolo, Grozny, Pivo Pivo, Art-punk adventures, 20:00–16:48, free

Cheesecake, The 13th Note, hotly tipped Galchen offshoot, 20:45–23:30

Berry Tweed and the Chas-

ers, Òran Mór, Paisley got soul. Testify., 19:15–23:00

Reverend Horton Heat, The Garage, Rockapsychobilly, 19:00–23:00, £14.50

meets garage, 20:00–23:02, £9.00

Y’all is Fantasy Island, Blood Orange, Cry Parrot Podcast3, The Ivy Bar, Inventive indie DIY, 20:00–23:30, Second Go Lucky, The Moscow Club, Renegade, Nice’n’Sleazy, Rock sounds, 19:30–23:10, £5.00

Super Adventure Club, Bloc, Head-nodding, ass-shaking, monster-riffing spacey alt-rock, 21:00–23:30, free

The Dirt, Wilson Tan, Skeleton Bob, DJ sets from Lady Wurlitzer (Fuzzy Felt Folk) and Splendid Dead DJs, Mutant Music, The Flying Duck, Mutant Music’ is an umbrella term that

Barrowlands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00, Laura Mcghee, Òran Mór, Folk-rock, 19:30–16:55, Kid Canaveral, Captian’s Rest, Alternative indie from Edinburgh, 20:30–18:00, Bad

Reputation, 3 Card Trick, The Hallos, Rockers, Its Classic rock, innit?, 19:00–17:21, Beatnik Prestige, Ewan Butler, Hi 5 Alive,

The 13th Note, tropical indie pop, 20:45–23:45,

The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, King Tut’s Wah Wah

Hut, Always read the label, 20:00–23:00, £6.00

Acid Mothers Temple,

Nice’n’Sleazy, Far-out space-rock, man, 20:30–23:30, The Carreras, A-Lix, Audiodeluxe, The Admiral, Indie alternative, 19:00–23:15, £5.00

Sat 09 Aug Sed Non Satiata, Citizens, Sunset Squad, This is our Battlefield presents, The

13th Note, emotional hardcore from france, 20:45–23:45, Any Colour Black,

Black Affair (feat Steve Mason from Beta Band), The

Arches, Dark pop, 20:00–23:50, £9.00 The Condemned, Barfly, a multitude of promising bands, 12:00–23:59, £5.00

The Harringtons, Samino Karatu, Black Hack, Auto Safari, Kings Die kings, Barrowlands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00, A Band Called

Quinn, Tigers on Vaseline,

Carling Academy, Glaswegian glam rock, 19:00–23:00, £7.00 Saving Aimee, Hot Leg, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Justin Hawkins beams back to Earth, 20:00–23:00, £10.00

The Motion Theory, Mucus,

Nice’n’Sleazy, Snot for the faint hearted. Boom Boom., 20:30–23:15

Tempercalm, Òran Mór, Glaswegian alternative rock, 19:30–16:51, Paul Mc-

The Sleepwalkers, Lean Tales, Dead City Riots, Bronto Skylift, Pivo Pivo, Big rock

Lean Tales, Raleigh Saint Clair, Dances On The Sand,

Les Gars, Louis XIV, King Tut’s

Thu 28 Aug

Jock and Frog Rock, Rama-Lama (Ding Dong and/or Fa Fa Fa) and some mild Moogalooga., 21:00–2:00, £4.00

The Little Kicks, The Martial Arts, The Wave Pictures, Barfly, 4AD alternative pop,

20:00–23:30, £6.00

The Scheme Experience, No Dice, Carling Academy, Hard hard rock,

19:00–23:00, £7.00

Whole Lotta Led, Classic Grand, unsurprisingly, Led Zep tribute, 19:01–23:00, £12.50 The Hostiles, Neville Staple, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Ex-

Specials man, 20:00–23:15, £12.00

Fighting With Wire, Future of the Left, Captian’s Rest, Potentially

noise duo, 20:00–16:54, free

Wah Wah Hut, San Diego rockers, 20:00–23:00, £8.50

Wed 20 Aug Black Arc, The Parlotones, Barfly, Animated rock sounds, 20:00–23:15, £6.00

Fiona Crawford, Mr. D, Dances On The Sand, Rio Café,

20:00–0:00, Free

Thu 21 Aug Vulture Speak, Tchai Ovna, Psychedelic acoustica, 20:00–16:36, £2.00

tish indie quartet, 19:00–23:00, £5.00

Rio Café, 20:00–0:00, Free

Jubilee, The Cathouse, Buddyhead Icarus Line/QOTSA super-group, 19:00–23:00, £7.00

Fri 29 Aug The Darkwave Opera feat.

Kick To Kill, Captian’s Rest, postpunk psychedelia, 20:30–18:40, Wing and a Prayer, Tchai Ovna, Blues based singer/songwriters, 20:00–16:38, £2.00

Zoey Van Goey, Lyons, We Were Promised Jetpacks,

The Phantom Band,

Nice’n’Sleazy, Indie on the ascent, 20:30–23:30,

Fri 22 Aug

Mellifluous, System Arcade, Come On Gang, Must Be Something, Barrowlands 2,

Nice’n’Sleazy, Tripped-out, eerie left-field rock, 20:30–23:30

Emily Scott, Wilson Tan, Woodenbox and a Fist Full of Fivers, Captian’s Rest, Folk tinged

acoustic maestro and his box, 20:30–18:24, Proud Mary, ABC 2, acoustic show from pop rockers, 19:30–22:45, £9.50

Hides in Caves, My Favourite Pornstar, Barfly, 6-piece screamo from Wales, 20:00–23:30, £6.00

assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00

Sat 30 Aug

Kick Off Carnival, The Switchblade Masquerade, Suspire, Mummy Short Arms, Colour Coded, Barrow-

Sat 16 Aug

Summer Slaughter, Suicide Silence, As Blood Runs Black, Abigail Williams, Born of Osiris, Annotations of an Autopsy, Berzerker, Summer Slaughter, The

Sat 23 Aug

DBass, Injuns, Kopparberg

Pearl and the Puppets,

Garage, Multi-headed touring metal behemoth, 17:00–23:30, £12.50

head-crushing small show for Falkous’ men, 20:15–23:30 The Beep Seals, Nice’n’Sleazy, Swaggering, bluesy Mancunian indie-rock, 20:30–23:15

Tour, Maggie May’s, cider meets sound, 20:00–23:30, Gordon Macintyre,

Over The Wall, The Felt Tips, Drive Carefully presents,

The 13th Note, Benefit for Maggie’s Centre feat. ex-Ballboy man, dude, 21:00–23:30, Angel Seattle, The Scruffs, Barfly, homegrown indie, 20:00–23:15, £6.00

Callan, Punktuation, Tango in the Attic, Jumping Flash, Ketimine Deco, Barrowlands 2,

assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00,

Punch and The Apostles,

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Catchy hybrid pop rock, 20:00–23:00, £5.00 Odeon Beat Club, Nice’n’Sleazy, Popular indie, 20:30–23:15, Sun 17 Aug Slow Club, Captian’s Rest, Sultry indie duo, 20:30–18:20, 7 Car Pile-up,

Honesty Fails, Glamour of the Kill, Barfly, Metal-press darlings,

19:30–23:00, £6.00

Paige, Jocasta Sleeps, Go Audio, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut,

lands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00

Captian’s Rest, Acoustic soloist, 20:30–18:29,

Dark Little Poet, Be a

Familiar, Classic Grand, Rising alt-indie stars, 19:00–15:52, Days of Days, Airspiel, The Fire + I, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 2-piece rock machine, 20:00–23:00, £5.00 Eightball, Monrow, The Smoking Sundays, The Verdict, Steven Gladman,

Barrowlands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00 Part-Hero, Nice’n’Sleazy, Acoustic rock fron Neilston, 20:30–23:30

Sun 24 Aug Sparrow and the Workshop, Captian’s Rest, Surf-folk. Countryside meets the beach., 20:30–18:33, Arca Felix, You Can’t Eat The Word Food, Dirty Hearts, Barfly, respected contemporary indie, 19:30–23:30, £5.00

Sun 10 Aug Nacional, Captian’s Rest, Creative

The Warlocks, Barfly, Expansive and experimental modern indie, 20:00–23:30, £7.00

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Rising London indie boys, 19:00–23:00, £6.00

Elephant Micah, If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now, James William Hindle, Predestination Records, Captian’s Rest, cult US underground figure, 20:00–23:31, £5.00

Summer Slaughter, Suicide Silence, As Blood Runs Black, Abigail Williams, Born of Osiris, Annotations of an Autopsy, Berzerker, Summer Slaughter, The Garage, Multi-headed touring metal behemoth, 17:00–23:30, £12.50

The Whiskey Works, Blakfish / Tubelord, The 13th Note, Big Scary Monsters hard rocking double-bill, 21:00–23:45, The Leads, The 13th Note, 19:00–23:00, £6.00

From Paris To Prison, Du Jour, The Wrong Ones, Love Casino, The 123s, Barrowlands 2, assorted rock sounds, 19:00–23:00

Heavy Mama, Nice’n’Sleazy, Jamming Glaswegian blues, 20:30–23:15 The Strike Nineteens, Suicide Underground, Castaway, Classic Grand, Punk rock myoosiz, 19:00–23:1

Mon 11 Aug The Good Fight, Bar Bloc, Alternative Irish rock, 21:00–23:30, free Tue 12 Aug Ross Clark, Jack Butler, Derek Meins, Captian’s Rest, Indie rock, 20:15–18:07

Intro5pect, Moral Dilemma, Intentions, The Wrecking Pit presents, The 13th Note, elecWed 13 Aug

Rhythms, Fuzzy Doo-Wop, aspects of Kraut/Jap/

Hut, Brash post-punk, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Wed 27 Aug Look Left Again, The Capulets, Playtone, ABC 2, tipped Scot-

Alkaline trio, The Garage, Infamous US pop punk heroes, 19:30–23:15, This July, Bombay Bicycle Club,

Glaswegian indie rock. Single Launch., 20:30–18:05, The Easy Orchestra, Blackfriars, Carefree pop bliss, 21:00–16:45, free Career Suicide, The 13th Note, 80s Harcdcore punk, 20:45–23:30

metallic hardcore, 20:00–23:41, £5.00

Black Lungs, King Tut’s Wah Wah

Tue 19 Aug

Mon 18 Aug

tronic punk from California, 20:45–23:30

Never Means Maybe, Rockers, Metal/hardcore, 19:00–17:19, Selfish Cunt, Barfly, Notoriously confrontational

Sick Trick, The Day I Snapped, A Wilhelm Scream,

Mon 25 Aug

Pop, Acid Soul, Gay Punk, Nazi Disco, Globular Noise, Junkyard Racket, Funk Metal, Night

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, punk-metal, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Electronically-enhanced rock, 20:00–23:00, £6.00

covers Death’s Head Country, Crack Jazz, Sexx

Tue 05 Aug

London duo, 20:00–23:30, £7.50

We The Fallen, The Fusiliers, Antikythera Machina, Loose Lips Sink Ships, Decoy,

Kashee Opeiah, Take A Worm For A Walk Week, Kashee Opeiah, Captian’s Rest, extreme german

Thu 14 Aug

Fri 15 Aug Lions.Chase.Tigers, Come On Gang, The Brute Chorus,

Sick Trick, The Day I Snapped, A Wilhelm Scream,

20:00–0:00, Free

20:00–23:30, £5.00 The Talks, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Modern punk export from Hull, 20:00–23:00, £5.00 Dollskabeat, MacSorley’s Music Bar, Electronic pop., 21:00–0:00, Free

Fri 08 Aug

Tue 26 Aug

Academy, Little-known death-metal, 19:00–23:00, £28.50

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, punk-metal, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

Dowell, Anna-Lena Bludau, Tom Snowball, Captian’s Rest, Soloism, 20:30–18:14, Fights + Fires, Reginald, This Familiar Smile, Barfly, melodic and rambunctious,

Fri 01 Aug

Alanis Morissette, Carling

Thought Forms, John W Fail + Neil Davidson Duo, Rendelect Remains, Primordial Undermind, The 13th Note, Hallucino-

genic space-rock from USA, 20:45–23:45, £5.00

theskinny.co.uk/listings 62 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

Listings

Fri 01 Aug

Sun 03 Aug

Thu 07 Aug

Hobbes, Erik d’Viking, Pirate Soundsystem, Trouble, Caba-

Marco Smith, Kaupuss, Miss Chris, Bumfunk, Cabaret Vol-

P-Stylz & Mastercaird, Masterstylz, Medina, RnB, funk &

Tony K, Liam G, Our House,

The Dark Assassin, aka Hobbes, The Hollywood Touch, aka Mr Meaks, New Idols, The

ret Voltaire, The sixth birthday bash with Hobbes & Erik D’Viking & Rookie - eclectic dance, 23:00–5:00, £7 (£6)

taire, Funky house & electro, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£4)

The Speakeasy @ Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–5:00, £7, £6 b4 12am

Speakeasy @ Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00– 5:00, £5, £3 if you turn up (fancy) dressed as your idol

Na, Uplifting house & club classics, 22:30–5:00, £6, £4 b4 11pm

Shake, Shanghai, House, soulful & funky, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

DJ John Hutchison (Tokyo Blu) & DJ Dan, Kandiflip, Po Na Dr Willis, Nuklearpuppy,

Luna, Hard dance, house, trance., 22:00–4:00, £8, £6 b4 11.30pm

John Tokyoblu & Iain Gibson with Niall & Denis McKervey, live percussion from DMG, Tokyoblu Classics Party, The GRV, 22:00–3:00, £6 (£5), £5 (£4) b4 12am

Astroboy, Simon Hodge, Jonny Cashback & Monkeyboy, Four Corners, The Bongo

Club, Funk, afro, beats, latin, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 b4 12am

Wolfjazz, Mike, Steve & Stew Play, Red Eye, Berlin, House., 22:00–5:00, £5.00

Residents, Planet Earth, Cit-

rus Club, 80s tunes with residents, 22:30–3:00, £5, free B4 11pm

Sat 02 Aug Sanctuary, Studio 24, Underage goth

club, 18:00–21:00, £7 (£5) Tease Age, Citrus Club, All things rock, motown, alternative & soul, 22:30–3:00, £6, free b4 11pm

Tall Paul Robinson & Big Gus, The Go-Go, Studio 24, Garage,

pop, mod, ska, beat, psychedelia, 23:00–3:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 12am

Jimpster, Gareth Somerville, Ultragroove, Cabaret

Voltaire, Deep house & techno, 23:00–5:00, £10 (£8)

DJ Keiron, Stuart Braithwaite, Grainne Braithwaite, Extra Width, The Speakeasy @

Cabaret Voltaire, Eclectic dance, 23:00–5:00, £5.00 Mark B, Liquid Soul, Po Na Na, Chirpy music, 22:30–5:00, £7, £4 b4 11pm chris & paul, The Egg, Wee Red Bar, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00–3:00, £5, £4 students/members

Calverto, Scott Grainer, Musicology, Shanghai, Funk, chart,

dance, 21:00–3:00, £10 (£5)

Fisher & Price, The Visitor [AKA Jon Pleased Wimmin ] & Kaupuss, Fever, Luna, Gay friendly

Saturday house club., 23:00–3:00, £10, £8 (£5) b4 11.15pm

POWDERSOUL & ROSS HUTCHISON, Moovn, Berlin, House & live percussion., 22:30–3:00, £8 (£6)

Mosa Funk Club, Saturday Night Fish Fry, The Jazz Bar,

TRIPTYCH special, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 11.30pm Retribution, Studio 24, Rock, alternative, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 students Big N Bashy, The Bongo Club, Dubstep, reggae, dancehall & jungle, 23:00–5:00, £6 (£4 b4 12am)

Fryer & Jason Stirland, Soul Spectrum, The Voodoo

Rooms, Norwegian soulboy special, 21:00–1:00, Free

JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), John Hutchison & Gareth Sommerville, Rise, Opal Lounge,

hip hop, 23:00–3:00, Free Kinky Indie, Citrus Club, Student night, 23:00–3:00, £5/ £2

Selfish Cu. nt, Sick Note,

Cabaret Voltaire, From indie and new wave to fidget house, Baltimore booty bass to nu-rave., 23:00–5:00, Free

The Freaky Family, 100% Organic Hip Hop Live Session, The Jazz Bar, Hip hop & funky beats, 22:30–3:00, Free

DJ John H, Bounce, Po Na Na,

Funky house, electro disco, club classics, mashups & remixes., 22:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Club classics, 22:30–5:00, £5 (£4)

5:00, £5.00

residents, Jagerbomb,

Paul Cunningham & Huggy, Peepshow, Medina, Eclectic., 22:00–

ANDY BROWN, Hobo, The Bongo Club, New & old sounds, live bands, DJs., 23:00–5:00, £3.00 Mon 04 Aug DJ Beefy & WolfJazz, Trade

Union, Cabaret Voltaire, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 23:00–5:00, £2, (£1), free b4 12am M-K-E (Official NME DJ), Happy Mondays, Po Na Na, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock & funk, 22:30–5:00, Free

residents, Forbidden,

Shanghai, RnB, hip hop, urban electro, chart, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£3)

World Safari, Freak Screen, The Bongo Club, Films on

DJ Sneak, Telefunken, Cabaret Voltaire, House., 23:00–5:00, £12.00

Shanghai, Indie, electro, urban, mashups, 22:00–3:00, £5 (£1)

Messenger Sound System,

The Bongo Club, Reggae, culture, roots, 23:00–5:00, £7.50 Audacious, The Bongo Club, Breakcore, gabba, jungle, dubstep., 23:00–5:00, Free Born To Be Wide, The Voodoo Rooms, Social night for musicians, journalists & promoters., 21:00–1:00, Free

Lenny Dee, Timecode Vs.

Amnezia, The Hive, Hardcore., 23:00–5:00, £5, £4 b4 12am Sinnerman, Marmalade Maslin, James “”Jammin”” Thomas & Jammiwam, Jam The Box, The GRV, Hip hop, jazz, new

wave, dub techno., 22:30–3:00, £4, £2 b4 12am

roots, ska & funk., 20:00–1:00, Free

Fri 08 Aug

Tue 05 Aug

Autobahn, The Drill Hall, New wave, electro, synth pop, industrial., 18:00–20:00, Free

Trouble DJs, The Black Seeds, The Liquid Room, 19:30–23:00,

£15.00

Fryer & Gino, Motherfunk,

Opal Lounge, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00–3:00, Free

Edinburgh locals, Split,

Cabaret Voltaire, Blend of electro, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy mid-week rave, 23:00–5:00, Free

James Longworth & Jamie Morrison, Vibe, Luna, Sexy house.,

Funki Diva, Dejaybird, Boy Toy, Debi T, Furburger, GHQ,

Furburger is for girls who like girls who like music., 23:00–3:00, Free

DJ John Hutchison (Tokyo Blu) & DJ Dan, Kandiflip, Po Na Na, Uplifting house & club classics, 22:30–5:00, £6, £4 b4 11pm

Silent Disco & Giggles with Trendy Wendy & Dowser, Hotty Notty, The Speakeasy @

23:00–4:00, £4.00 Flux, The Bongo Club, Prog, tech, electro, bassline., 23:00–3:00, Free

Cabaret Voltaire, Disco, 23:00–5:00, £tbc

Wed 06 Aug

Les Bof!, Bubblegum Boogaloo, The Voodoo Rooms, French 60’s

Supar Novar & Show n Prove, Pass The Vibes, Medina,

Live hip hop., 0:00–5:00, £5.00

Calverto, Harry Ainsworth, Chairman Meow, Shanghai, Eclectic, chart, dance, indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£1)

Pacman, Joy, Bass Invasion, Secret Arcade, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 21:00–1:00, Free

Black Spring DJs, Black Spring Rocks, The Jazz Bar, Music

to make girls dance, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

DJ Casey Cooper & DJ Dan, Rude, Po Na Na, Remixes & twisted beats,

22:30–5:00, £5 (£3)

Gary Mac & friends, We Are Electric, Cabaret Voltaire, House,

electro, techno., 23:00–5:00, £2, free b4 12am/ members JungleDubd, The Bongo Club, Dub, dubstep, jungle., 23:00–5:00, Free Residents, Freak, Citrus Club, Northern soul, 70s funk, disco, 22:30–3:00, £4, free B4 12am

dave tarrida, cymbol, Substance, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Techno &

electro., 23:00–5:00, £8 (£7)

pop, psyche, retro., 20:00–1:00, £tbc

The Panacea and Limewax, Scamp, Tekamine, Esquire, Nass TSC, J Bostron, The Physicist & Paranoise, Mutiny Vs. Technical Resistance, The Bongo Club, Dubstep, jungle,

drum & bass, 23:00–5:00, £7.00

Residents, Planet Earth, Cit-

rus Club, 80s tunes with residents, 22:30–3:00, £5, free B4 11pm

Sat 09 Aug

Diskokitten, Berlin, House, bootlegs, classics., 22:30–4:00, £8, £6 b4 11.30pm/ members

Colin Cook, Lel Palfrey, Konrad Wiszniewski, Baba Brinkmann, MC Dizraeli, Cosmic:Dust, The Speakeasy @

Cabaret Voltaire, Live performance, the occasional visual artist, creative people and wide angle DJ sets., 23:00–5:00, Free

Giles Smith, James Priestly, Karnival, Cabaret Voltaire, House &

techno., 23:00–5:00, £10, £8 b4 12am

Hostage, Team Skull, Believe, Fake, Sneaky Pete’s, Techno,

electro, bassline, house, rave, 22:00–5:00, Free

Calverto, Scott Grainer, Musicology, Shanghai, Funk, chart,

dance, 21:00–3:00, £10 (£5)

John B, Obscene, Luna, Drum &

bass., 23:00–4:00, £10.00

Brian Dempster & Brett King, Satisfied, Luna, House, prog,

trance, anthems., 23:00–4:00, £6.00

Gerry Love, Norman Blake & Craig Jamieson, Modern Lovers, The GRV, 60’s pop, 70’s rock., 22:00–3:00, £6, £5 b4 12pm

Lucky 7, The Forest Café, Reggae &

ska., 22:00–3:00, Free

The Tremonauts, Saturday Night Fish Fry, The Jazz Bar,

TRIPTYCH special, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 11.30pm Retribution, Studio 24, Rock, alternative, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 students Paul Mogg, Headspin, The Bongo Club, Funk, hip hop, house, disco, 4 deck mix, 23:00–5:00, £8.00

Sanctuary, Studio 24, Underage goth

Sun 10 Aug

Tease Age, Citrus Club, All things rock,

Marco Smith, Kaupuss, Miss Chris, Bumfunk, Cabaret Vol-

club, 18:00–21:00, £7 (£5)

motown, alternative & soul, 22:30–3:00, £6, free b4 11pm Mark B, Liquid Soul, Po Na Na, Chirpy music, 22:30–5:00, £7, £4 b4 11pm chris & paul, The Egg, Wee Red Bar, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00–3:00, £5, £4 students/members

taire, Funky house & electro, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£4)

JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), Shake, Shanghai, House, soulful & funky,

23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

John Hutchison & Gareth Sommerville, Rise, Opal Lounge, Funky house, electro disco, club classics, mashups & remixes., 22:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Paul Cunningham & Huggy, Peepshow, Medina, Eclectic., 22:00–

5:00, £5.00

Craig Hamilton, Esteban Caracus, JuJuBango, The GRV, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£3)

THE XVECTORS, Hobo, The

Bongo Club, New & old sounds, live bands, DJs., 23:00–5:00, £3.00

Mon 11 Aug Cut Copy, Trade Union, Caba-

ret Voltaire, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 23:00–5:00, £2, free b4 12am/members

M-K-E (Official NME DJ), Happy Mondays, Po Na Na, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock & funk, 22:30–5:00, Free

residents, Forbidden,

Shanghai, RnB, hip hop, urban electro, chart, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£3)

Fast Walkers, Freak Screen, The Bongo Club, Films on roots, ska & funk., 20:00–1:00, Free

Tue 12 Aug Fryer & Gino, Motherfunk,

Opal Lounge, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00–3:00, Free

www.theskinny.co.uk

Listings

Edinburgh Clubs

Sat 16 Aug

Edinburgh locals, Split,

Cabaret Voltaire, Blend of electro, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy mid-week rave, 23:00–5:00, Free

James Longworth & Jamie Morrison, Vibe, Luna, Sexy house.,

23:00–4:00, £4.00 Flux, The Bongo Club, Prog, tech, electro, bassline., 23:00–3:00, Free

Wed 13 Aug The Being & DJ Prismat, Pass The Vibes, Medina, Live hip hop.,

0:00–5:00, £5.00

Pacman, Joy, Bass Invasion, Secret Arcade, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 21:00–1:00, Free

Black Spring DJs, Black Spring Rocks, The Jazz Bar, Music

to make girls dance, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

Philipp Jung, We Are Electric, Cabaret Voltaire, House, electro,

techno., 23:00–5:00, £2, free b4 12am/members

Calverto, Harry Ainsworth, Chairman Meow,

Sanctuary, Studio 24, Underage goth club, 18:00–21:00, £7 (£5)

Tease Age, Citrus Club, All things rock,

motown, alternative & soul, 22:30–3:00, £6, free b4 11pm

DJ Keiron, Stuart Braithwaite, Grainne Braithwaite, Extra Width, The Speakeasy @

Cabaret Voltaire, Eclectic dance, 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Gareth Somerville, Nick Yuill, Craig Reid, Ultragroove, Cabaret Voltaire, Deep house

& techno, 23:00–5:00, £8 (£6)

Mark B, Liquid Soul, Po Na Na, Chirpy music, 22:30–5:00, £7, £4 b4 11pm chris & paul, The Egg, Wee Red Bar, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00–3:00, £5, £4 students/members Calverto, Scott Grainer, Musicology, Shanghai, Funk, chart,

dance, 21:00–3:00, £10 (£5)

Shanghai, Eclectic, chart, dance, indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£1) DJ Q, JuJuBango, The GRV, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£3) JungleDubd, The Bongo Club, Dub, dubstep, jungle., 23:00–5:00, Free Residents, Freak, Citrus Club, Northern soul, 70s funk, disco, 22:30–3:00, £4, free B4 12am

Manu, Paranoise Optimal, Tekamine, Fuk-Nut, Nick Fury, Marc EP, Dave Lowe, DJ Calvin & Double Helix, Termite, Profisee, Klee, Monterey Jack, WolfJazz , Brain d’Souza, Obscene Vs Volume (Clash of the Titans), Luna, Drum & bass, dubstep.,

22:00–5:00, £5.00

Thu 14 Aug

Gecko 3, Saturday Night Fish Fry, The Jazz Bar, TRIPTYCH spe-

The Freaky Family, 100% Organic Hip Hop Live Session, The Jazz Bar, Hip hop & funky beats,

Retribution, Studio 24, Rock, alterna-

22:30–3:00, Free

Clash!, Spies in the Wires DJs & guests, Sick Note,

cial, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 11.30pm

tive, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 students

Neil Henderson & Mik Parry, Basics, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Northern soul., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Cabaret Voltaire, From indie and new wave to fidget house, Baltimore booty bass to nu-rave., 23:00–5:00, Free

Sun 17 Aug

hip hop, 23:00–3:00, Free

The Dark Assassin, aka Hobbes, The Hollywood Touch, aka Mr Meaks, New Idols, The

P-Stylz & Mastercaird, Masterstylz, Medina, RnB, funk &

DJ John H, Bounce, Po Na Na, Club classics, 22:30–5:00, £5 (£4) residents, Jagerbomb,

Shanghai, Indie, electro, urban, mashups, 22:00–3:00, £5 (£1)

Laurent, Jules, Tall Paul & Big Gus, Al Capone’s, The GRV,

Ska, funky reggae, blues, rocksteady & 2-tone., 23:00–5:00, £5.00 Audacious, The Bongo Club, Breakcore, gabba, jungle, dubstep., 23:00–5:00, Free Kinky Indie, Citrus Club, Student night, 23:00–3:00, £5/ £2

Fri 15 Aug

Marco Smith, Kaupuss, Miss Chris, Bumfunk, Cabaret Vol-

taire, Funky house & electro, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£4)

Speakeasy @ Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00– 5:00, £5, £3 if you turn up (fancy) dressed as your idol

JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU),

Shake, Shanghai, House, soulful & funky, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

John Hutchison & Gareth Sommerville, Rise, Opal Lounge, Funky house, electro disco, club classics, mashups & remixes., 22:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

Paul Cunningham & Huggy, Peepshow, Medina, Eclectic., 22:00–

5:00, £5.00

First State, Absolute, Studio

D-66, Hobo, The Bongo Club, New &

DJ John Hutchison (Tokyo Blu) & DJ Dan, Kandiflip, Po Na

Mon 18 Aug

24, Hard trance, 22:30–4:00, £tbc

old sounds, live bands, DJs., 23:00–5:00, £3.00

DJ Beefy & WolfJazz, Trade

Na, Uplifting house & club classics, 22:30–5:00, £6, £4 b4 11pm Chris brown, Touch, Luna, Electrohouse, tech-house, breaks., 23:00–4:00, £5.00

Union, Cabaret Voltaire, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 23:00–5:00, £2, (£1), free b4 12am

Berlin, Drum & bass, electro, funk, hip hop., 22:00–5:00, £7, £4 b4 1am

for students & Industry folk, indie, rock & funk, 22:30–5:00, Free

Aztec, Soul Biscuits & Red Alert residents, Noizteez,

M-K-E (Official NME DJ), Happy Mondays, Po Na Na, Night

Kevin Saunderson, Ben Sims, Jackhammer, The Bongo

residents, Forbidden,

Club, Techno., 22:00–5:00, £15.00

Residents, Planet Earth, Cit-

rus Club, 80s tunes with residents, 22:30–3:00, £5, free B4 11pm

Shanghai, RnB, hip hop, urban electro, chart, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£3) Stoked, Freak Screen, The Bongo Club, Films on roots, ska & funk., 20:00–1:00, Free

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 63

EDINBURGH CLUBS TUE 19 AUG FRYER & GINO, MOTHERFUNK,

OPAL LOUNGE, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00–3:00, Free

EDINBURGH LOCALS, SPLIT,

CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of electro, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy mid-week rave, 23:00–5:00, Free

JAMES LONGWORTH & JAMIE MORRISON, VIBE, LUNA, Sexy house.,

23:00–4:00, £4.00 FLUX, THE BONGO CLUB, Prog, tech, electro, bassline., 23:00–3:00, Free

WED 20 AUG WORDSMITH & SHOW N PROVE, PASS THE VIBES, MEDINA, Live hip hop.,

PAUL WOOLFORD, SMOKIN JO & DJ ALFREDO, MUSIKA, CABARET

VOLTAIRE, We Love Space Ibiza party., 23:00–5:00, £15.00

CALVERTO, HARRY AINSWORTH, CHAIRMAN MEOW, SHANGHAI, Eclectic,

THE FONTANAS, SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, THE JAZZ BAR, TRIP-

JUNGLEDUBD, THE BONGO CLUB, Dub,

dance, 21:00–3:00, £10 (£5)

TYCH special, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 11.30pm RETRIBUTION, STUDIO 24, Rock, alternative, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 students

DJ RED6, DECOY ROY, GIVE IT SOME, THE BONGO CLUB, Funk, soul, reggae, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 12am

FRYER & JASON STIRLAND, SOUL SPECTRUM, THE VOODOO ROOMS, Nor-

SECRET ARCADE, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 21:00–1:00, Free

PAUL OAKENFOLD, X-PRESS 2, JO MILLS, LEGENDS, OCEAN TERMI-

make girls dance, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

SUN 24 AUG

BLACK SPRING DJS, BLACK SPRING ROCKS, THE JAZZ BAR, Music to LARRY TEE, WE ARE ELECTRIC, CABARET VOLTAIRE, House, electro, techno., 23:00–5:00, £2, free b4 12am/members

CALVERTO, HARRY AINSWORTH, CHAIRMAN MEOW, SHANGHAI, Eclectic, chart, dance, indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£1)

TELEFUNKEN AND FRIENDS, JUJUBANGO, THE GRV, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£3) JUNGLEDUBD, THE BONGO CLUB, Dub,

dubstep, jungle., 23:00–5:00, Free RESIDENTS, FREAK, CITRUS CLUB, Northern soul, 70s funk, disco, 22:30–3:00, £4, free B4 12am

THU 21 AUG CLASH!, SPIES IN THE WIRES DJS & GUESTS, SICK NOTE, CABARET VOL-

TAIRE, From indie and new wave to fidget house, Baltimore booty bass to nu-rave., 23:00–5:00, Free

THE FREAKY FAMILY, 100% ORGANIC HIP HOP LIVE SESSION, THE

JAZZ BAR, Hip hop & funky beats, 22:30–3:00, Free DJ JOHN H, BOUNCE, PO NA NA, Club classics, 22:30–5:00, £5 (£4) RESIDENTS, JAGERBOMB, SHANGHAI, Indie, electro, urban, mashups, 22:00–3:00, £5 (£1) AUDACIOUS, THE BONGO CLUB, Breakcore, gabba, jungle, dubstep., 23:00–5:00, Free

P-STYLZ & MASTERCAIRD, MASTERSTYLZ, MEDINA, RnB, funk & hip hop, 23:00–3:00, Free

KINKY INDIE, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00–3:00, £5/ £2

FRI 22 AUG RICKY PALYS, MARK BALNEAVES, DARAGH BYRNE (LIVE LAPTOP/ FX SET), MARTIN LIGHTBODY, DEFINITION, SNEAKY PETE’S, House, elec-

tro, minimal & techno inspired by the likes of Sonar, Fabric & Pressure., 23:00–5:00, Free

DJ JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYO BLU) & DJ DAN, KANDIFLIP, PO NA

NA, Uplifting house & club classics, 22:30–5:00, £6, £4 b4 11pm SLAM, SLAM, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Glasgweigian house & techno., 23:00–5:00, £10.00

DJ MARKY & STAMINA MC, XPLICIT, THE BONGO CLUB, Drum & bass., 22:30–5:00, £13.00

2562, STEVE GLENCROSS, HEKTOR RUIEZ, FABRIKKEN, THE GRV,

Dubstep, minimal, broken beat., 22:00–3:00, £7.00 SORTED!, STUDIO 24, Hard trance, hardcore, hardstyle., 22:00–3:00, £5.00 RESIDENTS, PLANET EARTH, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with residents, 22:30–3:00, £5, free B4 11pm

wegian soulboy special, 21:00–1:00, Free

NAL, 21:00–3:00, £tbc

THE BUG, UNLIKELY, SLEEPLESS CREW, GRAVIOUS, JBOSTRON, DOGDAZE, ELECTRIC ELIMINATORS, DJ PHINGA, NAAS TSC, DUBPRESSURE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Dubstep massive., 23:00–5:00, £9.00

JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHAKE, SHANGHAI, House, soulful & funky, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

JOHN HUTCHISON & GARETH SOMMERVILLE, RISE, OPAL LOUNGE, Funky house, electro disco, club classics, mashups & remixes., 22:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

PAUL CUNNINGHAM & HUGGY, PEEPSHOW, MEDINA, Eclectic., 22:00–5:00, £5.00

HARRI, JUJUBANGO, THE GRV, 23:00–5:00, £5 (£3)

THE FNORDS, HOBO, THE BONGO CLUB, New & old sounds, live bands, DJs., 23:00–5:00, £3.00

DJS FISHER & PRICE AND MISS CHRIS, TASTE, THE LIQUID ROOM, Dance music, 23:00–5:00, £6 (£5)

MON 25 AUG DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, TRADE

UNION, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 23:00–5:00, £2, (£1), free b4 12am

M-K-E (OFFICIAL NME DJ), HAPPY MONDAYS, PO NA NA, Night for students &

Industry folk, indie, rock & funk, 22:30–5:00, Free RESIDENTS, FORBIDDEN, SHANGHAI, RnB, hip hop, urban electro, chart, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£3)

ENDGAME, FREAK SCREEN,

CLASH!, SPIES IN THE WIRES DJS & GUESTS, SICK NOTE, CABARET VOL-

TAIRE, From indie and new wave to fidget house, Baltimore booty bass to nu-rave., 23:00–5:00, Free

THE FREAKY FAMILY, 100% ORGANIC HIP HOP LIVE SESSION, THE

TUE 26 AUG FRYER & GINO, MOTHERFUNK,

OPAL LOUNGE, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00–3:00, Free

EDINBURGH LOCALS, SPLIT,

CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of electro, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy mid-week rave, 23:00–5:00, Free

CURSOR MINER, SUBSTANCE, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Techno & electro., 23:00–3:00, £8 (£7)

JAMES LONGWORTH & JAMIE MORRISON, VIBE, LUNA, Sexy house.,

WED 27 AUG

TEASE AGE, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock,

THE BLADES & SHOW & PROVE, PASS THE VIBES, MEDINA, Live hip hop., 0:00–5:00, £5.00

PACMAN, JOY, BASS INVASION, SECRET ARCADE, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 21:00–1:00, Free

BLACK SPRING DJS, BLACK SPRING ROCKS, THE JAZZ BAR, Music to make girls dance, 23:00–3:00, £3.00

AUGUST 08

Scotland’s cutting-edge culture and listings magazine

Reviews Listings Previews Features

JAZZ BAR, Hip hop & funky beats, 22:30–3:00, Free

DJ JOHN H, BOUNCE, PO NA NA, Club

classics, 22:30–5:00, £5 (£4)

RESIDENTS, JAGERBOMB, SHANG-

HAI, Indie, electro, urban, mashups, 22:00–3:00, £5 (£1) AUDACIOUS, THE BONGO CLUB, Breakcore, gabba, jungle, dubstep., 23:00–3:00, Free LIVE LOUNGE, THE VOODOO ROOMS (SPEAKEASY), Monthly live jam session., 20:00–1:00, £5.00

P-STYLZ & MASTERCAIRD, MASTERSTYLZ, MEDINA, RnB, funk & hip hop, 23:00–3:00, Free

KINKY INDIE, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00–3:00, £5/ £2

We’ve got it all (online) WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

FRI 29 AUG DJ JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYO BLU) & DJ DAN, KANDIFLIP, PO NA

NA, Uplifting house & club classics, 22:30–5:00, £6, £4 b4 11pm

KID KENOBI, CRAZY P DJ SET, SUGARBEAT, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Breaks, beats, bootlegs., 23:00–5:00, £8.00

RESIDENTS, DISKOKITTEN, LUNA,

House, bootlegs, classics., 23:00–4:00, £tbc ELEVATION, LUNA, Rave, trance, Ibiza old school classics., 23:00–4:00, £5, £3 (free in rave wear b4 11.30pm) SMEAR, JAKN, STUDIO 24, Hard techno., 22:30–5:00, £5 (£4), 2 4 1 b4 12am

ASTROBOY, SIMON HODGE, JONNY CASHBACK & MONKEYBOY, FOUR CORNERS, THE BONGO

CLUB, Funk, afro, beats, latin, 23:00–3:00, Free RESIDENTS, PLANET EARTH, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with residents, 22:30–3:00, £5, free B4 11pm

SAT 30 AUG

motown, alternative & soul, 22:30–3:00, £6, free b4 11pm CHRIS & PAUL, THE EGG, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00–3:00, £5, £4 students/members MARK B, LIQUID SOUL, PO NA NA, Chirpy music, 22:30–5:00, £7, £4 b4 11pm

SANCTUARY, STUDIO 24, Underage goth

64 THE SKINNY

THU 28 AUG

THE BONGO CLUB, African dance tunes from Senegal & Gambia., 22:00–3:00, £7.00

SAT 23 AUG

motown, alternative & soul, 22:30–3:00, £6, free b4 11pm CHRIS & PAUL, THE EGG, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00–3:00, £5, £4 students/members MARK B, LIQUID SOUL, PO NA NA, Chirpy music, 22:30–5:00, £7, £4 b4 11pm

dubstep, jungle., 23:00–3:00, Free RESIDENTS, FREAK, CITRUS CLUB, Northern soul, 70s funk, disco, 22:30–3:00, £4, free B4 12am

SANCTUARY, STUDIO 24, Underage goth

DJ BOBBY, SENEGAMBIAN NIGHT,

THE SKINNY

chart, dance, indie, 22:00–3:00, £4 (£1)

THE BONGO CLUB, Films on roots, ska & funk., 20:00–1:00, Free

23:00–4:00, £4.00 FLUX, THE BONGO CLUB, Prog, tech, electro, bassline., 23:00–3:00, Free

club, 18:00–21:00, £7 (£5)

electro, techno., 23:00–5:00, £2, free b4 12am/ members

CALVERTO, SCOTT GRAINER, MUSICOLOGY, SHANGHAI, Funk, chart,

0:00–5:00, £5.00

PACMAN, JOY, BASS INVASION,

GARY MAC & FRIENDS, WE ARE ELECTRIC, CABARET VOLTAIRE, House,

club, 18:00–21:00, £7 (£5)

TEASE AGE, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock,

JD TWITCH & JG WILKES, OPTIMO, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Diverse music

policy., 23:00–5:00, £10.00

CALVERTO, SCOTT GRAINER, MUSICOLOGY, SHANGHAI, Funk, chart, dance, 21:00–3:00, £10 (£5)

BT’N’J, SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, THE JAZZ BAR, TRIPTYCH special, hip hop, 23:00–5:00, £5, £3 b4 11.30pm RETRIBUTION, STUDIO 24, Rock, alternative, 23:00–3:00, £5, £3 students

SUN 31 AUG JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHAKE, SHANGHAI, House, soulful & funky, 23:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

JOHN HUTCHISON & GARETH SOMMERVILLE, RISE, OPAL LOUNGE, Funky house, electro disco, club classics, mashups & remixes., 22:00–3:00, £4 (£2)

PAUL CUNNINGHAM & HUGGY, PEEPSHOW, MEDINA, Eclectic., 22:00–3:00, £5.00

LISTINGS

Fri 01 Aug Reformation, Los, Ram Bam Thank You Ma’am, Bannerman’s, Bluesy rock, 21:01–23:13, The Embassy, The Ark, Indie pop, 19:30–0:06, Ratatat, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire,

cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £7.00

Combichrist, Ashbury Heights, The Hive, footloose rock,

19:00–23:00, £13.00

Come In Tokyo, Je Suis Animal, Meursault, Henry’s

Cellar Bar, Psychedelic indie pop from Norway, 19:00–22:00

Sat 02 Aug Keyside Strike, Gimpfist, Swellbellys, Bannerman’s, Swan-

song from Edinburgh’s ounk big men, 21:00–23:15,

The Quakes, Hyperjax, Short Notice, The Wreckin’ Pit presents, Stereo, night o’ loud guitars, 20:00–17:01, DBass, Injuns, Kopparberg Tour, Cabaret Voltaire, cider meets sound, 19:00–23:00, Omar Sosa, Queens Hall, Piano phenomenon, 20:30–23:00, £15.00

Lavotchkin, Crocus, Hitcher, Archives, The Hive, experimental

metal, 18:00–23:00, £5.00

Come On Gang, This is Music,

Henry’s Cellar Bar, hip clubnight, 23:00–3:00, £5.00

Sun 03 Aug Amid Concret and Callousness, Danika Star, Redundant, Third Day Rising, Henry’s

Cellar Bar, loud rock noises, 20:00–22:15, £4.00

Nina Nastasia, Stereo, Brilliant lady

chanteusse, 20:00–17:05, £12.50

Longview, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:02, £7.50

Mon 04 Ag Big Hand, Henry’s Cellar Bar, official single launch, 20:00–22:17, £4.00

Paul Haig, Edge Festival, Caba-

ret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £10.00

Sidelock, I am my own Hero, No Drive Home, Paige, Not Advised, The Hive, assorted nuts, 18:30–23:00 Tue 05 Aug

The Black Seeds, The Liquid Room, Kiwi reggae, 19:00–23:30, £12.50

Wed 06 Aug

Shock and Awe, The Axidents, My -T Hi, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Japanese punk folks, 19:30–22:00, Battle of Burlesque, Edinburgh High Tease, The Voodoo Rooms, 20:30–1:00, £15.00

Sat 09 Aug

Stereo, Psychobilly from Texas, Scotland, 20:00–23:30, Newton Faulkner, Corn Exchange, dreadlocked acoustic rock, 19:00–23:15, £17.50

The Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–3:00, £9.00

Sun 10 Aug Dollar Sent, Prehistoric Pyromaniacs, Bannerman’s, Thrashy punk, 21:00–23:23, Black Affair, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire,

Limber, Molly Wagger, Richard Cook, Bannerman’s, 21:00–23:16, The Terrapin Empire, Skyless, The Ark, Classic rock, 19:30–0:10, Scouting For Girls, Corn Exchange, they’re so hot right now, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

Shout Out Louds, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music

for a month, 19:00–23:00, £8.00

Secta Rouge, Jackie Treehorn, Employee of the Month, Henry’s Cellar Bar, experimental rock of various weights, 19:30–23:15, £4.00

Bleed From Within, Firing Blanks, Stern Chase, Trigger The Bloodshed, Studio 24,

Outside chance of metal perhaps?, 18:00–22:00,

Alternative Rock/Paper/Scissors, 21:00–23:19,

Jack Leven, Lee Paterson, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire,

cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £8.00

www.theskinny.co.uk

Sat 16 Aug

Operator, Meursault, Randan Discotheque, Rodney Relax, Nick E Melville, Headspin DJs, Stevie Wanless, Club Welto, The Voodoo Rooms, Live

man’s, Prog-like Metal and Ska-flavoured support,

21:00–23:26, The Black Diamond Express, Homework, Disciples of Panic Earth, The Sorren McLean Band, Now Do Your Homework Presents, The Ark, An evening of assorted live acts, 19:30–0:13, Angus and Julia Stone, The Liquid Room, Aussie sibling

acoustica, 19:00–23:15, £10.50

Paul Meyer and Eric Le Sage, Queens Hall, clarinet and piano classics, 20:30–23:00

Geoffrey Oi!Cott, Career Suicide, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Canadian punk, 19:30–23:00, £6.00

Tue 12 Aug Laura Marling, Edge Festival, Bannerman’s, Cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:28, Underbelly, The Ark, 4-piece acoustic rock, 19:30–0:16, Sergeant, The Liquid Room, Upbeat indie pop from Glenrothes, 19:00–23:00, £7.00

ret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £10.00

Corn Exchange, poorly coifed emo rock, 19:00–23:15, £18.50 Kevin McDermott, The Liquid Room, solo songwriter, 19:00–23:15, £12.50

Kristin Hersh, Edge Festival,

Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £10.00 Indigo Sons, PhoenixQ, The Ark, Indie rock, 19:30–23:30, If You Lived

Here You’d be Home By Now, Amy Belle, Lynnie Carson, The Miss’s, Stereo, An evening of femalefronted Scottish alternative pop, 20:00–23:30,

Jah Makah plus Prophet George & Guests, One Luv Party, Citrus Club, Feel the love at this night

of reggae, dancehall and roots., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Thu 14 Aug Tie For Jack, Hunting For Melvin, The Hive, punkalikes, 19:00–21:49,

£4.00

Chris Bradley, Gwen Hechle, Richard Cobb, Bannerman’s, Frightened Rabbit, John B McKenna, Twilight Sad, The

Julian Velard, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £7.50 Oi Polloi, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Island of Punk benefit show, 19:30–23:00, £4.00

Stereo, Metal featuring former members of Buried Beneath, 20:00–17:19, Mind Set A

Threat, Buried In Vegas, Dana Walker, Beyond This Oath, Studio 24, an audience with satan, 18:00–22:30, the Beep Seals, The Ark, Early rock gig, 19:00–22:00, Messin’ Around

featuring Adrian Gibson & The Jazz CoTech Dancers, The Voodoo Rooms presents:, The Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–3:00,

cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–21:12, £7.50

The Harringtons, The Ark, Ska powerpop, 19:00–0:26, Kate Nash, Corn Exchange, cockney songbird, 19:30–23:15, £15.00 Sabrepulse, Random, Syphus, Unicorn Kid, Firebrand Boy, Anamanaguchi, The Hive,

Sad Society, Carbona Not Glue, Henry’s Cellar Bar, old-skool punk,

ing German metallic hardcore, 20:00–23:30,

Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:02, £8.50

Gusto Mastivo, Wardead, Pisschrist, Henry’s Cellar Bar,

Australian crust, 19:30–23:30, £5.00

And The Workshop, Limbo,

The Voodoo Rooms, A live music dance party, 20:30–3:00, £5 (£4)

Degrassi, Paper Beats Rock, The Sleepwalkers, Bannerman’s, alternative rock, 21:00–23:52, Hey Vampires, Stereo, Angular bass-heavy trio, 19:30–23:30, Dick Dangerous and the Love BAstards, Sarah and the Snakes, Henry’s

Bombay Bicycle Club, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge

£5.00

US comedian/musician, 19:00–23:00, £18.50

Stereo, Industrial-ish alternative rock, 20:00–23:00, Mersault & Sparrow

Tue 26 Aug

Hides In Caves, Dying Too Young, My Favourite Pornstar, The Hive, rock sounds, 18:00–23:00,

Jay Brannan, Edge Festival,

Sleepmodes, Eightball, Original Fires presents,

Fri 29 Aug

Amid Concret and Callousness, Tabasco Fiasco, Hey Enemy, Bannerman’s, discordant rock

Stephen Lynch, The Liquid Room,

Henry’s Cellar Bar, alternative prog for nubile young things, 19:30–23:30, £4.00

Envelope-pushers unite!, 18:00–23:00, £4.00

Wed 27 Aug

Sun 24 Aug

Flood of Red, The Hive, Emo-tinged rock, 20:00–16:24, Ivan Moravec, Super Adventure Club,

Digitalism, The Liquid Room, Robotic

19:00–22:00, £4.00

Thu 28 Aug

Queens Hall, classical pianist, 11:00–14:00,

music for a month, 19:00–21:13, £7.50

As Winter Burns White, Stabwound,, Blessed By Death,

The Hive, French rock shapes, 19:00–21:53, £5.00

Mon 25 Aug

Sat 23 Aug

The Day I Vanished, Taking Chase, Cue To Eclipse, Banner-

Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–21:05, £8.00

Stereo, self-deprecating indie, 20:00–3:00

music & spoken word., 20:00–3:00, Free

Mon 11 Aug

Liquid Room, Sweeping and brilliant Scottish rock, 19:00–18:10, Dean Owens, The Voodoo Rooms, Singer/songwriter album launch, 20:00–16:23, £10.00 Shed Seven, Corn Exchange, 90s Britpop favourites still going, 19:00–23:00, £16.00

Deadloss Superstar, Apes IQ, Paper Beats Rock, Bannerman’s,

Dels, Jesus H Foxx, White

Heat, Cabaret Voltaire, Post-punk, indie and repetitive beats., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Queens Hall, classical quartet, 11:00–14:00, Cut Hands, Henry’s Cellar Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5.00

honeymoon, 20:30–23:30, £4.00

Battle of Burlesque, Edinburgh High Tease, The Voodoo Fri 08 Aug

A Sailor’s Grave, The Hold Up, The Phantom Rockers,

Underling, Certain Death, Yoshi, Bannerman’s, supermariopoppunkhiphophybrid, 21:00–23:48, Deadmau5, The Liquid Room, Electronic house, 19:00–23:00, Pavel Haas Quartet,

Many Things Untold, Dead at the Scene, Kill All Celebrities, The Bridal Procession,

cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £8.50 Neue Liebe (New Love), The Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–3:00, £tbc

Nouvelle Vague, Nouvelle Vague, The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:30,

Rooms, 20:30–1:00, £15.00

Noah and the Whale, Edge

music for a month, 19:00–21:10, £8.00

electronica, 19:00–23:00, £11.00

21:00–23:40

£19.50

Fri 15 Aug

live music dance party, 20:30–3:00, £5 (£4)

Johnny Flynn, Edge Festival,

Laura Marling, Edge Festival, Bannerman’s, Cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:29, Lostprophets,

Thu 07 Aug

Midnight Juggernauts, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge

Frankie Sumatra, Bugsy Seagull, Dino Martini, Sam Jose plus Nikki Nevada, The Vegas Showgirls & The Fabulous Scott Brothers, Vegas,

Rooms, 20:30–1:00, £15.00

The Hive, rock of many sizes, 19:00–23:00, £4.00 Oso, Denghis, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Tech-folk from California, 20:00–23:00, £4.00

of reggae, dancehall and roots., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Miss The Occupier, Baby Bones & Dead Boy Robotics, Limbo, The Voodoo Rooms, A live music

Clare and the Reasons, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire,

Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–21:02, £8.00

Wed 13 Aug

Jah Makah plus Prophet George & Guests, One Luv Party, Citrus Club, Feel the love at this night

Fri 22 Aug

20:00–1:00, £10.00

Battle of Burlesque, Edinburgh High Tease, The Voodoo

19:00–22:00, £4.00

Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:16–23:00, £10.00

Never Means Maybe, Kenai,

Sexy Kids, Wake The President, TWEE AS FUCK presents,

dance party, 20:30–3:00, £5 (£4)

Room, US rock, 19:00–23:15, £15.00

Melee, Edge Festival, Cabaret

Paul Vickers and The Leg, The Gussets, Henry’s Cellar Bar, 20:00–23:30, Kartta & Tie For Jack, Limbo, The Voodoo Rooms, A

Dregs, Lords of Bastard, Flat Iron, Battle of the War Machines, Bannerman’s, Lots of Rock, 21:00–23:21, Louise Cairns, Story of a Cloud, Henry’s Cellar Bar,

Gabriela Montero, Queens Hall, acclaimed classical pianist, 11:00–13:00, The Presets, Edge Festival, Caba-

Drive By Truckers, The Liquid

Switchblade Scream, Carved From Violence, Grant Me Revenge, F.A.T.E., Stereo, full-on volume, 20:00–23:30, Dean Owens, The Voodoo Rooms presents:, The Voodoo Rooms,

Cellar Bar, sassy rock n roll, 20:00–3:00,

Joe Acheson Quartet, The Voodoo Rooms presents:, The Voodoo Rooms, 22:00–1:00, £5.00

Zillah, Hitcher, Kashee Opeiah, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Crush-

Sat 30 Aug

Mighty Moth Magnet, Jaded Playboy, The Planes, The Ark, Assorted indie, 19:00–23:00, Kevin Seconds, Kepi Ghoulie, Billy Liar, The Wreckin’ Pit presents, Stereo, Cult punk icon, 20:00–23:00, Jah Makah plus Prophet George & Guests, One Luv Party, Citrus Club, Feel the love at this night of reggae, dancehall and roots., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Tyrant Lizard Kings, Man of the Hour, Runemaster, Bannerman’s, Chunky munky hard rock, 21:00–23:54, Bullet Belt Bas-

tards, The Wankys, Oi Polloi, Henry’s Cellar Bar, punk punk punk, 19:00–22:30, £5.00

Questlove, The Voodoo Rooms presents:, The Voodoo Rooms, 22:00–3:00, £12.00

£10.00

Sun 17 Aug Broken Records, The Liquid

Room, much vaunted multi-instrumentalists, 19:00–23:00, £8.00

Isosceles, Edge Festival,

Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–23:00, £6.00

The Circus Electric, Little Doses, Six Storeys High, The

Hive, various rock musics, 19:00–23:00, £5.00

Neville Staple (The Specials), Neville Staple, Citrus Club, Neville Staple is hitting Edinburgh with his half of The Specials so expect a set filled with classic tunes such as Ghost Town, Too Much Too Young and Enjoy Yourself. Recent set at Glastonbury was outstanding., 20:00–0:00, £10/ £8.50

Mon 18 Aug Louis XIV, Edge Festival, Cabaret Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–21:07, £8.50 Carrie MacDonald, The Ark, Solo folk, 19:30–0:24, Maximo Park, Corn Exchange, northern indie, 19:00–23:00, £17.50 Tue 19 Aug Das Pop, Edge Festival, Cabaret

Voltaire, cutting edge music for a month, 19:00–21:09, £8.00 Xavier Rudd, Corn Exchange, multi-instrumentalist semi-psychedelic rock, 19:30–23:15, £12.50 Santogold, The Liquid Room, VO5endorsing hotshot, 19:00–23:00, £10.00

Rising Terror, Human Era,

Henry’s Cellar Bar, Grindcore en francais, 19:30–23:00, £5.00

Wed 20 Aug ThreeThirteen, Blind Ambition, Bannerman’s, Powerpop, 21:00–23:41, Michael Franti and Spearhead, The Liquid Room, American funk/rock/

hip-hop crossover merchants, 19:00–23:00, £15.00

Jah Makah plus Prophet George & Guests, One Luv Party, Citrus Club, Feel the love at this night

of reggae, dancehall and roots., 23:00–5:00, £5.00

Thu 21 Aug The Black Stars, AutoSafari, Maeven, Bannerman’s, Bundles of Rock,

21:00–23:43

Pendulum, Corn Exchange, drum and bass, 19:30–23:15, £17.50 Dizzee Rascal, The Liquid Room, Hip-hop, 19:00–23:00, £15.00

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 65

Listings

Edinburgh gigs

Dundee Clubs Fri 01 Aug Graeme Binnie, Bruce Anderson, Neil Clark, Andy barton, Headway, The Reading Rooms, House., 22:30–3:00, £7, £5 b4 11pm

Resident DJ’s, Fridays @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Eclectic Friday night Tunes,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Simon, UNDERGROUD, Eclectic weekend warmup, 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The finest Urban, up front chart and current floor fillers with resident DJ Ricky Harrison, 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc Flashback Craig Wilson & Mc Arruption, MONDO, 21:00, £tbc Sat 02 Aug Resident DJ’s, Saturday @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Saturday Night Mix-up,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Gautham, UNDERGROUD, Party Mash-up , 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual Saturday night favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc DJ Robert Walker, Back to Reality, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 2, Funky House and club classics

with Resident DJ Robert Walker in the biggest dance night in the city for the past 5 years., 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

ADDICTION w MARK EG + VORTEX + Residents, MONDO, 21:00, £tbc Sun 03 Aug

Pearl Lounge, UNDERGROUD, Ladies Night,

21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 12 £5 after

DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS

- LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Wed 06 Aug Resident DJ’s, Student Pop, UNDERGROUD, Vodka Society, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Student Night, FAT SAMS, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Resident DJ’s, Soul’d Out, UNDERGROUD, R & B + Hip Hop, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Anthems and Classics, FAT SAMS, Expect anthems and classics, plus all the current chart hits and floor fillers you would expect in a club; Rockers to the Ravers all catered for here., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Resident DJ’s, Soul’d Out, UNDERGROUD, R & B + Hip Hop, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Anthems and Classics, FAT SAMS, Expect anthems and classics, plus all the current chart hits and floor fillers you would expect in a club; Rockers to the Ravers all catered for here., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Fri 08 Aug

Fri 15 Aug

Resident DJ’s, Fridays @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Eclectic Friday night Tunes,

Resident DJ’s, Fridays @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Eclectic Friday night Tunes,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Simon, UNDERGROUD, Eclectic weekend warm-

up, 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after

DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The finest Urban, up front chart and current floor fillers with resident DJ Ricky Harrison, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All

your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Bryn Williams > ABLETON LIVE SET! + JONO FYDA, GLiTCH Residents Summer Party , MONDO, 21:00, £tbc Sat 09 Aug Resident DJ’s, Saturday @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Saturday Night Mix-up,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Gautham, UNDERGROUD, Party Mash-up , 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual Saturday night favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc DJ Robert Walker, Back to Reality, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 2, Funky House and club classics

with Resident DJ Robert Walker in the biggest dance night in the city for the past 5 years., 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Sun 10 Aug Pearl Lounge, UNDERGROUD, Ladies Night, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 12 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc Wed 13 Aug Resident DJ’s, Student Pop, UNDERGROUD, Vodka Society, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Student Night, FAT SAMS, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Sat 16 Aug Resident DJ’s, Saturday @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Saturday Night Mix-up,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Gautham, UNDERGROUD, Party Mash-up , 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual Saturday night favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc DJ Robert Walker, Back to Reality, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 2, Funky House and club classics

with Resident DJ Robert Walker in the biggest dance night in the city for the past 5 years., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Sun 17 Aug Pearl Lounge, UNDERGROUD, Ladies Night, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 12 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, Brings you all your favourite songs from the 1970s and 80s with a twist, as requested by you! , 22:30–2:30, £tbc Wed 20 Aug Resident DJ’s, Student Pop, UNDERGROUD, Vodka Society, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Student Night, FAT SAMS, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Thu 21 Aug Resident DJ’s, Jute, DCA - Jute Bar, thur,

Thu 14 Aug

20:00–0:00, free

Resident DJ’s, Jute, DCA - Jute Bar, thur,

Resident DJ’s, Jute, DCA - Jute Bar, thur,

Fri 22 Aug Resident DJ’s, Fridays @ The Jute

Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Eclectic Friday night Tunes, 20:00–0:00, free DJ Simon, UNDERGROUD, Eclectic weekend warmup, 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The finest Urban, up front chart and current floor fillers with resident DJ Ricky Harrison, 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc Sat 23 Aug Resident DJ’s, Saturday @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Saturday Night Mix-up,

20:00–0:00, free

DJ Gautham, UNDERGROUD, Party Mash-up , 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual Saturday night favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc DJ Robert Walker, Back to Reality, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 2, Funky House and club classics

with Resident DJ Robert Walker in the biggest dance night in the city for the past 5 years., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Sun 24 Aug Pearl Lounge, UNDERGROUD, Ladies Night, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 12 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The best current chart, Hip Hop and R&B anthems mixed with the usual favourites with our resident DJ Ricky Harrison., 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, Brings you all your favourite songs from the 1970s and 80s with a twist, as requested by you! , 22:30–2:30, £tbc Wed 27 Aug Resident DJ’s, Student Pop, UNDERGROUD, Vodka Society, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after Student Night, FAT SAMS, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Thu 28 Aug Resident DJ’s, Jute, DCA - Jute Bar, thur,

20:00–0:00, free

Resident DJ’s, Fridays @ The Jute Bar, DCA - Jute Bar, Eclectic Friday night Tunes,

20:00–0:00, free

Resident DJ’s, Soul’d Out, UNDER-

Resident DJ’s, Soul’d Out, UNDERGROUD, R & B + Hip Hop, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after

20:00–0:00, free

20:00–0:00, free

GROUD, R & B + Hip Hop, 21:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after

Fri 01 Aug

The Karma Lounge, Fat Sam’s, All your

Fri 15 Aug

Wed 20 Aug

marcus augustus, MARCUS AUGUSTUS, The Art Bar, HOUSE, 20:00–11:10, Free marcus augustus, The Art Bar, HOUSE,

Concrete Campfire, Drouthie’s,

Kinky Roots, The Art Bar, ECLECTIC , 20:00, free

The Vivians + Myshkin + :Un-Americans: + Superhet Receiver, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5

Sat 02 Aug marcus augustus, MARCUS AUGUSTUS, The Art Bar, HOUSE, 20:00–11:08, Free MARCUS AUGUSTUS, The Art Bar, HOUSE, 20:00, free

Descartes + The Goodnights + Healthy Minds Collapse + The King Hats , The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5 Sun 03 Aug

favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30 neon, The Art Bar, ELECTRO HOUSE, 20:00, free

The Clashed, 4 past midnight, The Eddies, Core, Fed On fear, Tragical History tour and many more!, Dexters All Day Gig, DEXTERS,

15 Local and National Bands play an end of Summer all day gig! , 12:00, TICKETS FROM GROUCHOS, £5 The Cundeez + Support, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £10

Sat 09 Aug kinky roots, The Art Bar, ECLECTIC , 20:00, free

Headroom, Lyrics Bar, 14:00, Grand Scottish Prom, Glamis Castle, Grand Scot-

Jazz Afternoon, Drouthie’s, A Selection of

tish Prom Picnic Concert, tbc

A Selection of Live Jazz, Jazz Afternoon, Drouthie’s, 12:00, free Live Music , Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute

Sun 10 Aug

Live Jazz, 12:00–15:00, free Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–0:00, free

Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–various times, Weather Permitting Phone the Jute Bar for further details (01382) 909 246, free Tayport Instrumental Band, The Magdalen Green, 14:00

Tue 05 Aug Best of New and Local Musicians, Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free Thu 07 Aug The Best in Scottish Accoustic sets, Concrete Campfire,

Drouthie’s, 19:00, free

Fri 08 Aug neon, The Art Bar, Electro House, 20:00–11:11,

Free

Kinky Roots, The Art Bar, 20:00–11:06, Free

AUGUST 08

DJ Simon, UNDERGROUD, Eclectic weekend warmup, 20:00–2:30, £2.50 before 11 £5 after DJ Ricky Harrison, FAT SAMS, FAT SAMS - LEVEL 1, The finest Urban, up front chart and current floor fillers with resident DJ Ricky Harrison, 22:30–2:30, £tbc The Karma Lounge , FATSAMS - LEVEL 3, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, £tbc

Thu 07 Aug

DUNDEE gigs

66 THE SKINNY

20:00–0:00, free

Anthems and Classics, FAT SAMS, Expect anthems and classics, plus all the current chart hits and floor fillers you would expect in a club; Rockers to the Ravers all catered for here., 22:30–2:30, £tbc

The Draymin EP Launch + The Weekend Pickups + Monrow + The Goodfight, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5

Jazz Afternoon, Drouthie’s, A Selection of

Live Jazz, 12:00–15:00, free Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–0:00, free Live Music , Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–various times, Weather Permitting Phone the Jute Bar for further details (01382) 909 246, free Grand Scottish Prom, Glamis Castle, Grand Scottish Prom Picnic Concert, tbc

Tue 12 Aug Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00–0:00, Free Best of New and Local Musicians, Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free Thu 14 Aug The Best in Scottish Accoustic sets, Concrete Campfire, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free Headroom, Lyrics Bar, 20:00

20:00,free

Original Rock and Metal Weekender, Hustlers, Mermaid Rock presents two

nights of Classic Rock. 15th sees the long-awaited return to Dundee for the UK’s leading biker metal band Dollar Sent, a must-see band for anyone into Classic Metal and Motorhead., tbc

The Getdowns + The Common Empire, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5

Sat 16 Aug MASH, The Art Bar, HOUSE, 20:00–0:00, Free Original Rock and Metal Weekender, Hustlers, Mermaid Rock presents two

nights of Classic Rock. 15th sees the long-awaited return to Dundee for the UK’s leading biker metal band Dollar Sent, a must-see band for anyone into Classic Metal and Motorhead., tbc Crawler, THE OLD BANK BAR, Classic rock night!, 21:00

Apres-Skate - DJ’s, The Dundee Skate Frenzy, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00,

19:00–0:00

Thu 21 Aug The Best in Scottish Accoustic sets, Concrete Campfire, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free

Chris Helme (The Seahorses) + The Joots + Ewan Butler, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5

Fri 22 Aug The Karma Lounge, Fat Sam’s, All your favourite classics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Flares and leg warmers are optional!, 22:30–2:30, Headroom, Lyrics Bar, 20:00, Be a Familiar + The Fire & I, The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £5 Sat 23 Aug The Levee Breakers (Led Zeppelin Tribute), The Doghouse, 20:00–0:00, £8

FREE

Sun 24 Aug

Sun 17 Aug

Jazz Afternoon, Drouthie’s, A Selection of Live Jazz, 12:00–15:00, free Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–0:00, free Live Music , Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–various times, Weather Permitting Phone the Jute Bar for further details (01382) 909 246, free

Jazz Afternoon, Drouthie’s, A Selection of

Live Jazz, 12:00–15:00, free

Live Music , Sunny Sunday, DCA - Jute

Bar, Live Bands on the Patio, 12:00–various times, Weather Permitting Phone the Jute Bar for further details (01382) 909 246, free Tiny Dancers, Fat Sams Live, check out www. fatsamslive.co.uk/tinydancers to hear a sample, 20:00, tickets from ticketmasters, £8 Tayport Instrumental Band, Baxter park, tbc, free

Tue 26 Aug

Woodlands Dance Orchestra, Magdalen Yard Green, 14:00, free

Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00–0:00, Free Best of New and Local Musicians, Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free

Tue 19 Aug

Thu 28 Aug

Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00–0:00, Free Best of New and Local Musicians, Local, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free

The Best in Scottish Accoustic sets, Concrete Campfire, Drouthie’s, 19:00, free

Listings

Listings

The Director’s Cut:

Jonathan Mills’ picks of the EIF DYBBUK

CLASS ENEMY

King's Theatre, Sat 9 - Mon 11 Aug, 7.30pm

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Wed 20 - Sat 23 Aug, 8.00pm

"The theatre programme starts with two productions from TR Warszawa. TR Warszawa literally means Teatr Rozmaitosci Warszawa which is the old variety theatre in Warsaw. Dybbuk is, I think, an incredibly powerful statement about a poignant moment of counterculture. What is more counterculture, what is more ghetto than the Yiddish culture or the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw? It’s a very beautiful story and it's brought right up to life. Krzysztof Warlikowski, who is its director, is one of the most sought after young directors in Europe today."

"This is a complete reimagining of the Nigel Williams play of the same name, about social breakdown in South London in the late 70s. It puts it in the context of Bosnia, in particular Sarajevo, in the late 90s during the war. It's about a bunch of school kids who take the radical action of barricading themselves inside the classroom. It features two rap poets who have got themselves into enormous trouble in the little village that they live in in Bosnia, just outside of Sarajevo, because they sent up the local mayor. They made these wonderfully satirical verses about him.

He got upset and got his son to rough them up, which he did rather too much and landed them, I think, in hospital. It gives you a sense that all of the people who are performing in this have lived the story."

tickets from £10

4.48 PSYCHOSIS King's Theatre, Fri 15 - Sun 17 Aug, 8.00pm

tickets from £10

tickets from £10

"Psychosis is a real homecoming in a way. This is a very poised, very simple, paired back, disciplined, not hysterical production. But the acting is so brilliant because of the stillness of it. Grzegorz Jarzyna, who is the director, is the other artistic director of TR Warszawa, and he has created a fantastic young company: all of these kids have grown up together from primary school. They’re in the beginnings of their careers, several of them are famous actors in Polish theatre at the moment, particularly Magdalena Cielecka and Andrzej Chyra. They were in the Foreign Language Oscar-nominated Katyn this year."

MORTAL ENGINE Edinburgh Playhouse, Sun 17 - Tue 19 Aug, 8.00pm tickets from £8

"The other thing that I think will be of great interest to your audience is Mortal Engine from Chunky Move dance company in Australia. This is a show that I think has the most spectacular use of technology that I have ever seen."

Mortal Engine @ EIF. Pictured: Lee Serle Photo: Andrew Curtis

www.theskinny.co.uk

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 67

68 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

Listings

COMPETITIONS

We’re back.

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The ultimate free guide to the Edinburgh Festivals is back for 2008.

Find us in venues across the Festival throughout August, or pick up a free preview guide .

For more information or to advertise in Fest, email hello@festmag.co.uk

WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

AUGUST 08

THE SKINNY 69

Quiz Time with Uncle Finbarr 1.

Who’s third album bizarrely won them the best newcomer at the 1999 Brit Awards?

2.

Richard Melville Hall is the real name of which Harlem born electronic artist and noted vegan?

3.

Justine Frischmann is best known for her work with Elastica. But which other Britpop band was she a founder member of?

4.

Eddie Argos, who once worked as a traffic warden, is the lead singer of which English indie rock band, who’s 2007 album was called It’s A Bit Complicated?

5.

Which geeky New York rock band contributed the theme tune to the Malcolm In The Middle series?

6.

What LA landmark connects Big Bird, Johnny Cash and Tina Turner?

7.

Which David Bowie album featured songs dedicated to both Bob Dylan (Song for Bob Dylan) and Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol)?

8.

What was the first song to reach number one in the UK Singles Charts without any physical sales?

9.

Which experimental minimalist cum respected producer was behind the production of Coldplay’s latest album?

Connect Festival

10. Tom Verlaine is best known as the frontman of which American rock band who came to prominence as one of the pioneers of punk rock in the early 70s?

16. Which legendary Seattle indie imprint is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year?

11. Leslie Ash, Ray Winstone and Sting all appeared in which 1973 film, the soundtrack of which was written and performed by The Who?

17. Frances McKee, whom Kurt Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean is named after, was a member of which Glasgow band?

12. HMS Fable was a 1999 album by which Liverpudlian band, whose members include brothers John and Mick Head?

18. Marie McDonald McLoughlin Lawrie is the real name of which Scottish singer, now 59 years old, who represented the UK in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest?

13. Krist Novoselic was the bassist in which 1990s Seattle band?

14. Kele Okereke is the lead singer of which post punk outfit, performing at Hydro Connect Festival later this month?

15. Sticking with Connect, which Buffalo, NY band’s albums include Secret Migration, Deserters Songs and Yerself Is Steam?

HOROSCOPES

19. Also appearing at this year’s Hydro Connect, what is the name of Nick Cave’s latest musical venture?

20. Which two Icelandic acts recently played a homeland concert that was attended by around one tenth of the island’s population?

by Cystic Meg

leo

The wind and the sun had a contest to see who could get a man’s coat off. The wind blew and blew but the man pulled his coat tighter round him. The sun shone brightly and the man got hot and went to take his coat off, but a lion came along and ate his head instead. That’s you all over, Liono.

scorpio If you put all the rats in the world together, head to tail, it will reach the moon. Follow that ratty trail my friend, if only in your head.

sagittarius

taurus

You may come across a new friend that looks like that little girl from the Moomins during the next few weeks. Be careful; behind that cute, snubby nose is a bad little elf.

Usually so sensible, this month superstitions appear to have gotten the better of you. Don’t step on your partner’s crack pipe and avoid walking under snakes and ladders.

capricorn

GEMINI

This month you may find yourself drawn to thoughts of Andy Murray, that rather strange tennis ferret. Did you cry when he came out?

Bet you did.

The planets in your sign dance to the tune of Prince performing Radiohead’s Creep at a recent concert. Dance with them, its incredible.

aquarius

cancer

Saturn and Jupiter tell me this month you were the fifth member of Abba, and that SOS was a song written about the time you fell down the stairs in Amsterdam. That’s what they say anyway.

Now you know that spitting in someone’s face gets you chucked out without getting your chat with Davina, don’t do it again. You nasty little retch.

pisces

virgo

One is only as attractive as his first pet. You had a dachshund called Greg that dribbled when he ran.

This month put the spark back into your relationship. Light some candles, put some sweet soul music on the hi-fi, and prod your belly till it goes pink.

aries You’re in funny place this month. Flirting with smelly men on the bus gets you nowhere fast, but making an origami bird and leaving it on the back seat may just get you noticed.

70 THE SKINNY

AUGUST 08

libra Mercury in your sign indicates saucy warnings; do not shake the ketchup, you don’t know where it might fetch up.

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