The Word On The Streets 7 Summer 2016 by Gerry Cassidy

SE TAK E ONE

Hellbound Photography/James Sinclair

Issue 7 Summer 2016

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SO LONG, FANNYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Page 3

Curtain down on a musical institution

INSIDE: TRASH CAN SINATRAS ARE BACK!

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Editor: Gerry Cassidy M: 0798 543 9752 E: gerry@thewordonthe streets.co.uk Advertising: Fiona Atchison 01563 522198 0798 543 9752 E: ﬁona@thewordonthe streets.co.uk Design and Production: Raspberry Horse Ltd 97 Crofthead Road Ayr KA7 3NE Contributors: Fiona Atchison Lynn Baird Martin Bone Duncan Lunan Craig McAllister Shaun McCluskey Ryan McDougall Rosie Mapplebeck Thomas Neil Scott Nicol Greta Yorke Issue 7 Summer 2016

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SO LONG, FANNY’S Curtain down on a musical institution

INSIDE: TRASH CAN SINATRAS ARE BACK!

Cover image: James Sinclair Hellbound Photography

KILMARNOCK’S famous Fanny By Gaslight as we know it bade the town goodbye with a handful of last gigs before changing management. Performing at one of these was Killie’s very much loved and missed Mechanical Smile, who reformed as a one-off to both celebrate, and commiserate the occasion. The band, who consisted of Murray and Dawn Baxter, Callum McClune and Owen Burt, shared some of their memories of the pub as well as their good friend and owner of the establishment, Lawrie. They told TWOTS: “Laurie supported us throughout our time in Mechanical Smile by believing in us as a band, and supporting us in our ventures. “He was kind enough to sponsor our tour and fund our flights to play some shows over in Germany. The kindness was always returned as we played a hometown show at the end of our tour as a thank you to Lawrie and our fans.” The quartet believe that having reformed for a send-off gig was fitting: “It’s essentially where we started as a band. We had played to a new audience when we played Fanny's for the first time and this is where we found and kept our loyal fans. This is where we always felt welcome. I think ending as we began was a fitting tribute to

Lights SO LONG, dimmed at FBG FANNY’S!

RYAN McDOUGALL laments the loss of a cultural institution as landmark venue hosts its ﬁ last nalgig gig our fans and to the pub and to Lawrie. It was a very special thank you. “ “Fanny's is just Fanny's. It will always be. The people, the staff, the music and that lovely smell. That is Fanny's. Everything about the pub would and will stay with you. It was a special place. The name always got people talking. Bands from far and away know this place from

Wales, to Germany and back. Fanny by Gaslight will always have a special place in our hearts.” Also performing that evening was Losing Ground, who were equally sorry to see FBG go. Frontman Jack Sutton said: “FBG under big Lawrie will be a huge loss to the local scene. It has played host to some massive bands throughout the

years and been an amazing venue for new bands to cut their teeth, but for us and many others it has been a central part of our development. We've had some unforgettable nights Fanny’s, not least having had the honour of playing the last gig there along with Mechanical Smile. Awra best Lawrie!” Given the legacy that FBG has built up

over the years, with musicians all over the UK and further having had the pleasure of performing and visiting, it will likely be a difficult gap to fill for the new owners and the pressure will definitely be on. However, one can only assume that it will hopefully remain the central point of Kilmarnock’s energetic and flourishing music scene.

Lemons promise big shows PROMOTIONS team Twisted Lemon are making their mark on the Ayrshire music scene. Fiona Torbet and Boab Williamson are the duo behind the recent From the Jam event in Troon which featured Bruce Foxton’s band with Seaside Sons and Dogtooth. They have two more events lined up for later in the year at Ayr Town Hall. First up is Mod Mania which will see Who’s Next, The Kinks Experience and the Jam Project take the stage with The All or Nothing DJ Show kicking off the day with an all-vinyl set. The Undertones visit on November 13 with support from local band Outstandifold & the Wetty Grippers and Glasgow band Re@ction. Tickets for both events are available from twistedlemon. bigcartel.com Fiona said: “Our aim is to bring good music to Ayrshire on a slightly bigger scale. Looking ahead to next year, we hope to have six events booked and possibly an outdoor event.”

Roses back in the frame The Complete Stone Roses play at the Volunteer Rooms, Irvine, on Friday June 24 after their earlier date was re-scheduled. Support from Patersani, Old Bull Lee and Colour Trap. Ticket from The Music Room, 116 High Street, Irvine, 01294 272111.

Yellow fever THE massive and growing queue outside the Edinburgh venue said it all: this crowd were well up for the Jamie and Shoony gig.

The Yellow Movement were out in force – myself included – decked out in the colour stipulated by Jamie. Once inside Stramash, which sits in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town near the Grassmarket, I carried out a quick recce. Spread over two floors, there is a live music stage, accessed from all areas with a mezzanine floor. I noticed the stage was fairly high up and thought maybe I should take my photographs from second floor. I couldn’t see a photographers’ pit and guessed that there would be a few people crowd surfing later. Yes, better to capture this from above. The stage lighting was a concern – red and blue lights, which are a nightmare for photographers. They play havoc with skin tones. I knew this would be a challenge, but that’s all part of the fun of being a music photographer. We were in for a night of full-on music, with four support acts. First up was Ally McNeilly, who wowed the crowd with a set which included Don’t Look Back

REVIEW JAMIE AND SHOONY Stramash, Edinburgh Words and Picture by MARTIN BONE in Anger, his vocals string with a slight and some Johnny Cash – a great performance and, at only 15 years old, I’d say the future looks bright for this young performer. Up-and-coming locals Return to the Sun followed, with their indie-rumble tunes going down very well. Velvet Sky, their new single which you can download free on their website is a belter. Blackmail Letter, with clear influences from Wolfmother and Foo Fighters, had a great guitar sound, sending some of the crowd moshing during their performance. Once highlight for me was I Am. Be Charlotte, the final support act, brought echoes of Ellie Goulding in her stage presence and her looks and the presence of a snare drum in her set. She can rap and beat box. A highlight for me was Face. So. At last, Jamie and Shoony made their appearance, their sheer energy firing up the crowd to fever pitch. They clearly love

their music and love to connect with the crowd. It was all about the Yellow Revolution and Jamie with his radio mic jumping among the crowd. Everyone was getting in on the act and joining them on stage and at one point Jamie telling them: “There are too many on stage!!” There was no damping the audience’s enthusiasm, though and at one point, while crowd surfing, Jamie even managed to grab a drink from a bottle of beer while he was being carried back to the stage. Then came Settle Down. And did the crowd settle down? No, they didn’t. They went mental, bouncing around the floor and stage with everyone having an amazing time. With showers of confetti and colourful streamers raining down on the adulating fans it was time for a bit more crowd surfing. What a sight! No wonder their fan base is growing at a rate of noughts. Last year they played to sell-out crowds in Glasgow O2 ABC, King Tut’s and The Electric Circus, won a Local Music Scene Best Live Act award and played to 8,000 as support to Nile Rogers’ Chic in Linlithgow. The good news is they show no sign of slowing down.

NINETIES pre-Brit Pop hitmasters Space touched down at the Bellfield in Kilmarnock and proved they’re just as fresh, wacky and energetic as ever. They rolled out the hits, with pin sharp versions of The Female of the Species, Neighbourhood, Avenging Angels alongside tracks from 2014’s Attack of the Mutant 50-foot Kebab. By the time they got to Tom Jones,

Back to the Space age the packed pub was screeching aloing with every word. The new album, Give Me Your Future is going through the final tweaks in the studio at the moment, to be launched with a pledge campaign soon. Playing gutsy support were the Seaside Sons, who had the crowd well ramped up by the time Space took the floor.

Really smokin’ THERE’S a bit of a buzz building around Up In Smoke, one of Ayrshire’s most exciting emerging bands.

They’ve just launched their very impressive debut album, Time Just Flies, the title track of which has been getting big licks on the internet and looks like being their next single. They’re a very fired-up trio, guitarist Ryan Thomson and vocalist Dylan Lorimer – both from Cumnock – and guitarist-producer Peter Harper, who joined the band after inviting Ryan and Dylan to his home recording studio. He told us: “I heard them live last March and I just had a feeling about them, so I asked them to come to the studio to see what we could do. “We used the studio time as a creative

process. Ryan would write some basic chords and we would develop different sounds and architecture and arrangements in the studio. “We spent last summer writing the album – it’s full of surprises. Every song has its own identity and we had it mastered by Peter Maher, who has worked with U2, The Killers, Katy Perry, the Rolling Stones, Goldfrapp… the list goes on.” The band’s highly polished sound is very distinctive, immediately accessible and a fusion of styles – a bit soul, a bit R’n’B, a bit hip-hop, some really laidback guitar with some funky rap thrown in for good measure. “We all contributed to the album,” says Peter, “but Ryan, who does some vocals and also does the rap, is a

songwriting machine. We’re already working on songs for the next album.” Their appearance at Acoustic Bliss in Ayr earlier this year was sensational. The open mic sessions are known for their quality acts, but few are begged for an encore. Up In Smoke were. “We are just blown away with the reception we have been getting wherever we play,” added Peter. They have played throughout the UK and in June nipped across to Belfast and Dublin to support Mick Hargan, where once again they went down a storm. “We are just so grateful for the great reaction and the love we are being shown,” added Peter. Time Just Flies can be purchased on iTunes and Amazon from June 24. Their debut EP is also available.

Trashcan

sonatas

With a little help from the thousands of fans who donated to their Pledge Music campaign, the boys are back as lush as ever, says CRAIG McALLISTER, with a wonderful new album, Wild Pendulum

THE Trashcan Sinatras are unlike any other group. Theirs is a complicated story of record label highs and lows; the brushes with the bottom end of the actual charts when such things still mattered, the celebrated appearances at all the big festivals (Glastonbury, Fuji) a duet with Carly Simon and the co-headline American tour with Radiohead being a small fraction of a glorious yin to the hideous yang of bankruptcy, studio closures, serious illness, the challenge of transatlantic songwriting and a peripheral rotation of essential musicians working alongside the core of a group who have been together for over 30 years.

Not for nothing did fourth album Weightlifting contain a song with the lyric ‘It’s a miracle we try anything at all’. The hardest-working band in slow business, they’ve amassed a compact but brilliant body of work – just six studio albums and 12 singles over their course of time, with the most recent, Wild Pendulum, unwrapped at the end of April. Every one of those albums oozes tuneage, melody and the world-weary uplifting melancholy that has come to define the band in recent years. Now based between California (original members Frank Reader and Paul Livingston) and the West of Scotland (Davy Hughes and brothers John and Stephen Douglas), their songs come no longer from the ragged sessions they were involved in long ago in Irvine’s Castlepark Community Centre. “As part of a youth project,” explains

Frank, “we got together to entertain the rest of the group by banging dustbins and whistling down plastic tubes, while singing The Lady Is A Tramp. We called ourselves Trashcan Sinatras and it just sort of stuck. We’ve grown into the name – I think it reflects our punky struggles to achieve sophistication.” Nowadays they achieve that sophistication by sending digital ideas over the ether rather than down plastic tubes. The band email fragments of tunes and sonic palettes to one another across multiple time zones and they’ll be chopped, changed and channelled before slowly creaking into life as an actual living and breathing Trashcan Sinatras’ song. It’s a long process, one that their dedicated fan base has grown used to. And good things come to those who wait. “We recorded the album in 2015, having worked on writing it for three-four years before that. The album was funded by a Pledge Music campaign. Crowd-funding is probably the only way we could have made another record, and thankfully, there’s still enough interest in us out there to bump the fund up to a point where we could afford to make the kind of record we had in mind. This is the third album we’ve funded ourselves, and it feels good to be in control. Maybe if I’ve just watched a documentary on The Eagles or Queen I might think, “It’d be nice to have a couple of aeroplanes…”, but that wears off pretty quickly. It’s good where we are - like a halfway point between being signed to a book publisher and putting out vanity publishing. I’m not sure in which direction we’re travelling, though.” Wild Pendulum is melodically-rich and sonically unlike any other previous Trashcans’ records. As always, the clever wordplay is there, and the tunes reveal

greater things with each listen, but the guitars have grown more into their role as soundscape architects, providing aural colour rather than hooks and riffs. Steeped in a beautiful production courtesy of Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis, Wild Pendulum brings to mind the lush arrangements of Harry Nilsson or lateera Beach Boys, melodies blown in on the breeze, scented in jacaranda and sprinkled with the golden touch of Frank’s near neighbour Van Dyke Parks.

“We already had a fairly well-developed idea of the kind of sound and atmosphere we wanted to create for this record, which is not usually how it works with us - at least not for a whole album. We’d written a lot of the songs with Simon Dine (Paul Weller’s musical director of choice in recent times) who’s been a pal for many years, and we’d put up a lot of the sonic scenery with him before shipping the wobbly set over to Omaha to Mike, who, with his tasteful sensibility, really pulled the production together.”

Wild Pendulum is a welcome addition to a rich back catalogue. Arriving on an eager wave of anticipation from those pledgers who’d paid for it last year without hearing so much as a note of it in advance, it lives up to all expectations. There are sweeping widescreen Western strings, swirling slide and wah-wah guitar, jazzy shuffles bemoaning noisy neighbours and all-out radio hits-inwaiting every other song. Last track I See the Moon is potentially the best song the band will ever record; simple, evocative

and tear-jerking. The whole album is a terrific piece of work, equally at home on the commute to work as it is at 3am with a decent malt to accompany it. The Trashcan Sinatras are currently on tour in the US and will once again play the Fuji Festival in Japan this summer. Depending on circumstances, they hope to be back in the UK for a series of live dates to promote the album “sometime soon.” I would say I can’t wait, but as a Trashcans fan, I’ve long-been used to doing just that.

California dreaming HE sits there looking for all the world like a diminutive rock god, cradling his coffee and talking about gigs in Russia, visiting California to cut his debut album – an absolute stunner – and reminiscing about growing up in Ayr.

Steven Young, multi-instrumentalist, song writer, lyricist, session musician and guest musician with trip-hoppers Unkle is nothing if not a grafter. Steven left for London at the age of 17 seeking his fortune and, like many before him, found that finding your feet in the most cosmopolitan city in the world is no cakewalk. But skill, setermination and sheer hard work have earned him chances that others can only dream about. “I worked solid, every day for about three months to save up to go to America to record my album, Moveable Feast,” he said. But let’s rewind. It’s not everybody who gets the chance to jet off to the States. Living in London has brought its benefits. Getting to know and work with great musicians is one of them, and Steven got to know Paul Newsome (or Spot, as he is known) guitarist and songwriter with rockers Proud Mary. “He has always been a big fan and has always encouraged me,” he says. Spot suggested sending some tracks off to a big-time producer friend of his in Los Angeles to ask his opinion. “We heard back from him with just two words: ‘I’m in!’ So a few months later I was heading out to America.” The producer, Eric Ryan, has a bit of a pedigree, James Brown and Dylan being just two of the stellar names he has worked with. “It was an amazing experience,” he adds. “We are sitting in the sun, having barbecues and making music.We worked in Eric’s studio and then went out to the Rancha de la Luna studio and Starlane Studios in Joshua Tree to do more on it.” Steven’s cash went a long, long, way – helped by the fact that other musicians would drop by and help out for free. He plays a lot of the music himself, but Eric’s friends would occasionally drop by

and want to become involved. “We just absolutely went for it. I would just say: ‘Right, we need mandolins and drums,’ and it would be done.” Moveable Feast has definitely benefited from all the input. It is a highly polished, mult--layered piece of work packed with great songs all encased in stunning artwork. So, the sound. It’s kinda trippy, psychedelic progressive, right? “It’s alternative, progressive, psychedelic fuckin’ rock!” he corrects me with a laugh. However you describe it, the album is a memorable collection of tightly written, densely produced songs. There’s a very personal feel to the songs. A lot of anguished love here, I offer. Are the songs written from personal experience? “Of course they are,” he answers. “I don’t believe anybody who says their work is not at least partly autobiographical. “It is all love and hate, good and evil.” So you must have been in a pretty bad place to write those songs, I asked. “I have been in a lot of bad places a lot of the time but I have also had a lot of good times and recording this album was definitely one of them.” Back in the UK, Moveable Feast has been well received since it was completed in 2015, but Steven’s next step is to reissue it on vinyl. He has also signed with a management company called 1888, a date beloved by Celtic fans the world over as the year the club was founded. “The great irony is that I was brought up a Rangers fan,” he laughs. Meanwhile, Steven will be kept busy playing live with Unkle, with whom he played gigs in Russia in early summer. He is looking forward to playing a series of five Unkle gigs in short succession, including a date at Somerset House, a massive arts and culture venue in the centre of London. And who know, maybe some time soon he will be gigging in Scotland letting friends, family and local music lovers. catch up with his unique sound.

Hector Bizerk, Col Mustard Crash Club & Soldier On top acts for Live@Troon

BOOK your tickets now!. Hector Bizerk, Crash Club, Soldier On and Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 are set to send Live@Troon into the stratosphere this September. Hector Bizerk, a growing phenomenon on the Scottish music scene are headliners on the Saturday night. Drummer/producer Audrey Tait and rapper Louie lead the band who have been building up a solid fan base in recent years. Sharing the billing will be the outrageous collective Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5, who almost defy description. Imagine a wild party of frantic funk swirling in an ocean of yellow confusion and mayhem. And if that’s not enough to keep you going, they will be joined by the sensational SAMA award-winning Crash Club and Soldier On, one of Ayrshire’s most promising and exciting acts. Catch these four amazing acts for just £15 – it might just be the best three fivers you’ve ever spent. But hurry, tickets are going fast. The festival kicks off with what promises to be a raucous night of comedy hosted by Billy Kirkwood. Appearing alongside him are Gary Little, Ross Leslie and Gary Meikle. Troon Futures at the South Beach Hotel is a free showcase of some teriffic Ayrshire acts. Heavily metallic Twin Heart, formed from the remnants of Mechanical Smile, top the bill with support from progressive punks Losing Ground, Embers, an alt-rock foursome and 18 Crows, a funky blues rock band. This year’s Live@Troon is being pushed back by a week to avoid clashing with the Scottish International Air Show at Ayr and Prestwick. The fun begins on Thursday September 8 and runs until Sunday 11th with a packed schedule of events and entertainment. Find out the latest news at www.liveattroon.com

VINYL JUNKIE THE SPECIALIST Dick Mac

An Apple a day was my way to a vinyl obsession I PURCHASED my first record at Sears & Roebuck on Park Drive, in Boston, during the Summer of 1964. I was 6 years old. My mother was a music fan, and although most of her collection was LPs, I coveted her box of singles. Perhaps it was because they were easier to handle than LPs, and perhaps because my 7” yellow vinyl nursery rhymes were in there. For my tenth birthday in 1968, I received three singles as gifts from friends, and I have never forgotten them: • Funky Broadway – Wilson Pickett • Get On Up – The Esquires • Say A Little Prayer – Dionne Warwick Until the early-1970s, singles were the way I listened to music. Then albumoriented radio became popular and stores reduced their selection of 45s. For decades after that, one carrying case of 7” singles followed me around the world. It was mostly David Bowie records, but also The Supremes, The Carpenters, an odd assortment of punk songs, and Get On Up, by The Esquires! One day, I was listening to my scratchy copy of Instant Karma, by John Ono Lennon when I decided I would try to find a cleaner copy of it. I gazed in awe at a screen full of Instant Karma on ebay. I changed my search to Apple Records 7” and well over a thousand hits came back. That’s when I came up with the idea that has monopolized my singles shopping ever since: Collect all of the Apple Records 7” singles that were released in the USA. There were 93 of them, not counting the three posthumous singles released in the mid1990s. On August 26, 1968 Apple Records released its first four 7” singles in the USA: • Thingumybob/Yellow Submarine – John Foster & Sons Ltd. Black Dyke Mills Band (#1800) • Those Were The Days/Turn Turn Turn – Mary Hopkin (#1801) • Sour Milk Sea/The Eagle Laughs at You – Jackie Lomax (#1802) • Hey Jude/Revolution – The Beatles (US Catalog #2276) I have those four. Oh, my first record? “Bits & Pieces,” by The Dave Clark 5. ■ Read Dick Mac’s blog at: dickmacalive.blogspot.com/

A word from Thomas Neil meets Nothing But the Night vocalist Ryan McDougall to discover the stories behind the sound of Ayrshire’s metal gurus

So ﬁrst of how did you all meet? The original line-up all went to school together, albeit we’re all different ages. After our original guitarist left we got Paul and Kieran in. Where are you all from? George and I are from Stewarton, Paul’s from Kilmarnock, Kieran’s from Springside, Jordan is from Fenwick, Gav’s from Kilmaurs. What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Good question. We definitely fit somewhere in the “core” bracket. Though I’m not really sure which part of it specifically. We all have different tastes in Metal, and we all take turns at songwriting. The stuff Paul and I write is quite choppy and technical. Whereas the stuff Jordan and George write has more of a traditional Metalcore sound. It’s open to debate. Could say we’re a mix of Post-hardcore, Metalcore, Techmetal with tons of other bits thrown in. What are your inﬂuences? Melodic Hardcore’s a big one for me. Although it’s not really apparent in our sound, I’m really influenced by bands like Defeater, La Dispute etc. The passion and emotion behind the music and lyrics is something any lyricist

the WORD on the Streets

NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT Genre: Post hardcore/Metal Members: Ryan McDougall Vocals Kieran Orr Vocals George Burt Bass Jordan McDowall Guitar Paul Summers Guitar Gabon Wells Drums

the Night watchman should appreciate. George is into bands like Trivium. Paul is into stuff like A Day To Remember, Gavin and Jo are into everything from really heavy stuff like Parkway Drive to Hard Rock, and Kieran’s into a lot of Alternative rock, and Yashin’s a huge influence for him. Do you do covers and if so what’s your go to? We used to play covers a lot back in the early days. We’ve covered Trivium, and briefly covered Lionheart by Bury Tomorrow. Nowadays we just play our own stuff. What does your name mean? When we were about to play our first gig, we still hadn’t thought of a name. We had a matter of days to come up with one so that we could be mentioned on the poster, so we looked at old Horror movie titles and stumbled upon Nothing But The Night. I really didn’t like it at first, but it’s grown on me. What are your rehearsals generally like? Our rehearsals consist of Kieran ripping into Gavin, me ripping into Kieran, George telling us to shut up, Paul playing riffs over the top of

people talking, and Jordan looking like Sheeran. Sometimes we play songs. Do you have a process for writing your songs? We all contribute and take turns. Basically, we’ll write a riff, put drums to it, then Kieran and I will work on lyrics. Do you have any interesting/ funny gigging or touring tales? Well, our tour was a bit wild. Kieran put Bonjela on his arse once for a start. I went for a shower and the pricks barged

‘

single with Mechanical Smile, and a live music video. Most of it had mixed reviews to be honest! We’re grateful for any feedback though, positive or negative. We’ve got a Bandcamp account where everything we’ve released to date can be found. Where have you performed and what are your favourite and least favourite venues? We’ve performed in Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Stewarton, Dundee, Ayr, Kircaldy and Edinburgh. We’re quiet at the moment, though we’ll likely have a few gigs over summer. What do you think about downloading music online? I’d be a hypocrite if I said it was wrong, as I do it myself. I generally pay for it though! What’s your outlook on the record industry today? I think it’s good! Plenty of good opportunities for young bands. There’s a good local scene in Kilmarnock. A lot of promoters who work their backsides off to give bands like us opportunities to do something in music. Can’t complain!

Our tour was a bit wild. Kieran put Bonjela on his arse once, for a start... and Gavin whitied in Jo’s sink into the toilet, took a photo of me and put it on Facebook. Gavin whitied in Jo’s sink as well. What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? Putting up with Kieran’s dire patter. A barrier we’ll never get over. Have you released anything yet? We’ve released an EP, 3 singles, a split

’

the WORD on the Streets

I’m not a waster any more IT’S really not an exaggeration to say that music has transformed guitarist Jamie Robert Ross’s life.

He has just appeared alongside The View frontman Kyle Falconer at Baker’s Nightclub in Kilmarnock, six months to the day after sharing billing with Ben Otwell of Gomez. “It was great to play alongside Kyle Falconer,” he said. “We jammed some Beatles songs together, which was cool.” And yet around a year ago Jamie was drifting, aimless, living in Drongan and not sure what to do with his life. “I was a waster,” he says frankly when asked about what he did before regular gigs started coming his way. “A pure waster.” So what triggered the big change in his life? “I owe it all to my mum, to be honest,” he continues. “I got in touch with Neil McKenzie from Keep it Creative and we did a video of Lana del Rey’s Video Games and put it up on Facebook and it got hundreds of hits. “We filmed it in the New Hellfire Club shop and Stumpy Hanvey, the music promoter, saw us and offered me the spot with Ben Ottway there and then, which was my first gig. “Then Neil and I did more videos,

with my own songs, a series called The Purple Couch Sessions filmed in Neil’s mum’s house in Mauchline and uploaded them as well. Then one day we had the idea to shoot some videos under bridges all over Ayrshire and called them the Troll Sessions and people seemed to like them. That has all led to me getting more and more gigs – but it all comes down to my mum, really, because she financed the videos.” If you haven’t heard Jamie’s music, check out his Facebook page where you can see the videos. His guitar is mesmerising and the idea of shooting under bridges in the open air, sometimes sheltering from the pouring rain, is genius. Having started afresh from his new home in Paisley, Jamie seems full of enthusiasm for his music and has just taken part in the Refuweegie Charity at Kelvinside Hillhead Church, an experience he said was awesome. The idea behind the charity is to welcome refugees and immigrants to Glasgow. Jamie and the other performers, including Ross Clark (Three Blind Wolves), Kim Edgar (Cara), Dave Frazer, Lucy Cathcart Froden (Raukarna), Andrew Howie, and

Nicolette Macleod – and some brand new Glaswegians – all wrote an original song for the concert and added letters of welcome to others written by local people to give to new arrivals to let them know they were being supported. Meanwhile, Jamie was looking forward to his next appearance behind the mic in a free entry double headliner with Steve Grozier at The Hug and Pint in Glasgow on Sunday July 3 with four supporting artists. “It’s going to be a bit of an Ayrshire invasion,” he laughed. “Myself, Aimee Penman, John Harvey and Taylor Buntain (The Stumblers) are all from Ayrshire. Aimee Penman runs the open mics at Lido in Troon and Taylor is a regular at the Treehouse in Ayr.” He is also making an appearance at three different stages at the Belladrum Festival in early August and promises more gigs in an around Ayrshire.He has just signed with newbie management company Method Management and is looking forward to working with them. “We are both at the same stage in our careers,”he said, “so it should be interesting to see us both developing at the same time.” Jamie is currently working on an EP which he hopes to release in autumn.

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HOW much would you love to own you own, hand-crafted guitar, built precisely to your own speciﬁcation.

Enough to build it yourself? Enough to travel half-way around the world to build it in a garden workshop in rural South Ayrshire? Searching on the internet at his home in Sao Paolo, Daniel Melo didn’t think twice when he came across information about Bailey Guitars. A quick consultation with his partner Renata Soto and soon they were making plans for their first visit to Scotland. “We have been to England once or twice,” Daniel said when we met up at the Bailey Guitars workshop at Culroy near Maybole. “So we decided to combine the guitar building with a vacation.” And the couple’s first impressions of Scotland were favourable. Renata said: “We cam prepared for really nasty weather but it has been very pleasant. “And the countryside here is beautiful, added Daniel, and everyone we have met is very friendly.” It was Day One of their four-day guitar building course when we called in and both were grafting away using specialised industrial equipment to craft the fingerboard of their electric guitars. Mark Bailey, who runs Bailey Guitars with his partner Carol Davies, is with the guitar builders through every stage of the build, keeping an eye on health and safety and guiding the builders through the intricate processes involved. Mark, a master 0, trained with some of the finest guitar makers in the country for a career that seemed destined for him. “I was always making things when I was young,” he says. “I didn’t actually start playing guitar until I was 14 and when I did, it wasn’t long before I had the

South American couple give t neck off, adjusting the action.” Mark and Carol moved to Ayrshire 13 years ago from their Coventry home after being involved with the Kirkmichael Guitar Festival for a number of years. Their first visit was by invitation when they were asked to take a stall at the festival to sell their guitars. Carol takes up the story: “Our first festival was in 1999 when we brought up 18 guitars with us, Mark had built 10 for the festival. We loved coming up to Kirkmichael because everyone was

so friendly and people here seemed to appreciate what we were doing. “We felt that not only did people here really love their music, but they loved the craft, too. “Mark was doing workshops, too, and eventually he said: ‘Why do we live in Coventry when we could be here?‘” They are now a central part of the music scene in Ayrshire. Carol runs the Acoustic Bliss open mic sessions every Thursday in the Twa Dugs in Ayr and more than a few local musicians

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e their verdict on guitar building workshop play a Bailey guitar. Melisa Kelly, one of the most respected performers on the Ayrshire and West of Scotland music scene plays a Bailey – which was a gift from Carol and Mark. Carol says: “We heard her sing a few years ago and at the time she had a really rubbish guitar, which was wrong. It was just wrong. You can”t have an amazing voice like that and play a rubbish guitar, so we gave her a guitar that Mark had built. A lot of rich and famous people are given free guitars

when they could easily afford to buy one – they don’t need to be given free guitars. “We just wanted to help people out and it is lovely to know that Melisa has written some brilliant songs on her Bailey guitar. A few Baileys have ended up in some very exalted homes. World famous guitarists such as Martin Taylor (who launched the Kirkmichael Guitar Festival) and guitar aficionado Preston Reed have bought Bailey guitars. Meanwhile, the Bailey Guitar workshops continue along the road of world

domination. Guitar builders from France, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Iceland – and from as far away as South Africa and Tasmania – have found their way to Mark’s Ayrshire base. And if anything, it looks like Bailey Guitars will in future reach out even further around the world with the launch of their new distancelearning workshops online this summer.

● Pictured above, left to right are: Mark, Daniel, Carol, Renata and Fiona and Billy McMillan, friends of Bailey Guitars

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THE fans who were fans of The Jam in the 1970s and 80s were clearly here in number – but so were plenty of others.

They were younger fans keen to see a legend relive those old days of sharp suits and sharper lyrics of inner city anthems and suburban hymns, music from The Jam albeit minus Paul Weller and Rick Buckler and original member Steve Brookes. Troon Concert hall is a wonderful venue and brought out the best in them. They played a blinder, winning new fans along the way. Long live the Underdog! It must be strange for Bruce Foxton to find himself, at the age of 60, playing in what is essentially a tribute band to his own group from three decades ago. Not that this was reflected in their performance, however, as Foxton – looking remarkably well – clearly loves playing the classic Jam songs as well as his own solo material. The crowd danced their way

SET LIST Town Called Malice To Be Someone David Watts Pretty Green Butterfly Colector But I’m Different Now Monday Smithers Jones Boy about Town When You’re Young Saturday Kids Time Will Come Pictures and Diamonds That’s Entertainment Start! Slow Down Man in the Corner Shop Eton Rifles Down in the Tubestation at Midnight In The City The Gift Going Underground to a frenzy. Bet there were a few sore knees and necks the next day, as older fans relived their glory days with some pogo action as Foxton led From The Jam through In The City, Strange Town, That’s Entertainment, Beat Surrender and Going Underground. The social comment of That’s Entertainment, the antiviolence anthem Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, The Eton Rifles’ class war parable,

We’re Jammin’

REVIEW FROM THE JAM Troon Concert Hall Words and picture by MARTIN BONE

the nuclear war nightmare of Going Underground and the giddy optimism of Beat Surrender were amongst the songs they belted out. As a big Jam fan I was singing along as I took the shots, stopping to listen to Start! a personal favourite. Bruce Foxton remains a legend in eyes of the Mods and Rockers who have followed him since the beginning of The Jam, and as the band left the stage towards the end the chants of “WE ARE THE MODS!” went up. We hadn’t heard Down the Tube Station at Midnight and we knew the night wouldn’t be complete until we did. Then, the unmistakable sound of a tube train filled the hall and we knew our time had come. The band came rushing back onstage for the encore and true to expectations we were Down In a Tube Station At Midnight. They finished with another top song, Going Underground, maintaining the crowd’s state of delirious frenzy. The whole performance was truly sensational, proving that good music never dies and can be enjoyed whatever your age. Well done to Twisted Lemon Productions for organizing the event.

We can be heroes.. THEY get about, those Seaside Sons. One minute they’re warming up for 90s giants Cast, the next they’re playing support to hit rockers Space and then they’re appearing on the same bill as Bruce Foxton’s From The Jam. Is there a pattern forming here?

Front man Jason Skimming laughs. “Yes, there is. We’re targeting support slots with band that we love.” And when they’ve not been rubbing shoulders with personal legends, the guys have been busy putting down tracks for the follow up to their cracking debut album Out of Time. Of course, it wouldn’t be the Seaside Sons if there wasn’t at least a glimmer of stardust and here it comes courtesy of Andy Crofts of indie band The Moons, who has worked with that other Jam legend Paul Weller. “We had recorded four tracks at a studio in Crawfordjohn,” said Jason,

but we weren’t happy with the mix, so we sent one down to Andy Crofts and he worked on it for us.” The result is to be their next single, Love Shines On, which will be released at the end of July. With four further tracks laid down at Teapot Studios in Perth, the new album is almost complete and should be launched soon after the single. Meanwhile, there are a few summer gigs lined up for the Ayr band, including an appearance at the Glasgow Mod Weekender in McCoull’s in August. They are playing at Musicians Against Homelessness in Dundee on September 26. Later in the year they are booked to play alongside The Red Hot Chilli Pipers at Ayr Town Hall. Before then, the band are looking at putting together a short tour, possibly around October/November. “The trouble is we are all working full-time,” added Jason. “What we might have to do is play a few consecutive Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

So what have

music, arts

■ EVERY SUMMER, graduates pour out from Ayrshire College and the University of the West of Scotland armed with diplomas, certificates and degrees in media and the creative arts. But what becomes of them? ■ The latest figures suggest that more than 60,000 people are employed in the creative industry in Scotland, raising a phenomenal £5 billion for the economy. Ayrshire graduates are helping to boost that figure – some by finding work in established companies and others by setting up their own businesses to use the skills and experienced they picked up during their courses. ■ We spoke to a few recent graduates to find out what might lie ahead for students entering creative arts courses.

Morsecode Management, Glasgow MICHAEL MAVOR came down from Aberdeen to Ayrshire to study for his Honours Degree in Commercial Music at the UWS Ayr Campus – and liked it so much he not only stayed on in Ayr, but found himself back at the university as an associate lecturer on the same course. The Commercial Music degree covered technology, business, performance and production and last May, armed with his new qualification, Michael found an internship with Morsecode Management, an artist management and consultancy company based in Glasgow. One year on, Michael

is in charge of the company’s social media management. With a particular interest in electronic music, Michel is involved in delivering that aspect of the UWS course to new students. Agreeing that Ayrshire is among the most creative areas in Scotland, Michael added: “There are a lot of very positive things going on and there is a of creative potential in the area. “But there is still a lot of growth to be done. As an outsider the experience I have is that at the moment everything is still too Glasgowcentric.”

Bombshed Music, Prestwick LEE BRADY’s route into the creative industries took him first to Ayr College where he completed a sound and Audio Technology HND and then to UWS in Ayr where he gained an Honours Degree in Commercial Music. As founder of Bombshed music in his home town of Prestwick, he offers recording, mixing and mastering services and promotes fun packages such as Star For a Day and Sing With Frozen – gift ideas for children and adults who always dreamed of hiring a studio and making a professional recording. He also hires out PA equipment for concerts and events. “I really enjoyed the college course, which was more hands-on,” he said.“But the UWS course was great too although there was a lot more theory involved. “I was never great at English at school, but I found that when I was writing about something I really enjoyed – such as music – it was fine.”

Kelly Craig and Ross Hunter of Film School

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Prancing Jack Productions Ltd, Ayr. WHAT began as a bit of “me time” turned into a new career for Eileen Frater when she took redundancy from her accountancy and admin job. “I wanted to do an acting course, just for myself,” she said. Theatre and Performing Arts at Ayr College seemed to ﬁt the bill and an HND followed her HNC after which she moved to UWS, straight into third year

of the Contemporary Screen Acting degree course. “We had a small video camera and I used to go out ﬁlming the other students’ pieces for their acting-to-camera work and found I really enjoyed it,” said Eileen She bought some editing software and became more involved in video production. After graduating, Eileen returned to the workplace and was

working with a group of ex-offenders when the opportunity arose to make a ﬁlm of their trip to Auschwitz. “After that, it really took off,” she continued. “I set up Prancing Jack Productions in April 2012 and the following year it became a full-time job for me. “It’s going so well that I am able to employ some of the other students.”

Celtic plc / Rangers FC TWO graduates from UWS landed dream jobs after ﬁnishing their degree courses. Andy Jess, who has a BA in Broadcast Production is now a videographer with Rangers while Laith Al Namae is Social Media Ofﬁcer with Celtic. Andy, from Tarbolton, did voluntary work with Rangers TV while still at uni and the team liked his work so much they offered him a job. “I got a phone call out of the blue during the close season

asking if I wanted to travel to Aberdeen with the team – and then go on to North America for the pre-season tour. After completing his degree, BA Honours Sports Journalism graduate Laith had a seven-month internship with Al Jazeera in Qatar. But back home in Glasgow, he is overjoyed to become Celtic’s Social Media Ofﬁcer. “I have had a season ticket for nine years,” he said. “This is massive for me.”

Film School, Mosshill Estate, Ayr. ROSS HUNTER graduated with an Honours degree from UWS in Film-Making and Screenwriting then studied for a Masters in Creative Media Practice. Now he works in partnership with Kelly Craig in Film School, the company they set up around three years ago. They work mostly in South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, but travel all over Scotland delivering Film School workshops. They visit schools and help children to develop scriptwriting, acting and production skills. Kelly said: “The young people don’t tend to have a background in arts, however after a seven-week workshop course they have up-skilled and learned how to produce a piece that they can be really proud of.”

They work with young people from primary school upwards, but tend to focus on pupils from S3 to S6. Ross added: “There are a variety of different opportunities the young people can move on to after having worked with us. “We had one young person who at first didn’t seem particularly interested but has since moved on to become a professional photographer. Very soon after working with us she bought her own camera. She did a lot of work on our shoots and I am very pleased to say she is now taking on work of her own.” Talking of his creative courses, Ross said: “I found the whole experience entirely beneficial. It gave me the confidence to understand that this was a viable source of work and that this was what I wanted to do and it gave me the skills to take that forward.”

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Still Futures II at the Dick Institute where artists wonder whether a society of greed and inequality lies ahead of us

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Campus fashion Student style on the catwalk Pages 10-11

Also inside this issue Picasso: pictures at an exhibition. See candid shots of the great artist plus three paintings at the Baird Institute

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Credit: ‘Picasso wearing hat and mask’, Villa La Californie, France, 1957, by Lee Miller © Lee Miller Archives, England 2009.

■ KILWINNING artist Kevin O’Rourke has a new exhibition at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine. Hope Over Fear, which runs in the main galleries until August 7 challenges perceptions of power, exploring the contrast between the fragility and necessity of those weilding power and those in hope and the concept that one cannot exist without the other. other. ■ Ayrshire’s biggest open art exhibition takes place at Eglinton Country Park between July 9-23. A huge range of artwork will be on display for sale in the Racquet Hall in the Irvine park. This is the 20th year of the annual exhibtion which attracts thousands of visitors during its run.

■ Linda Green, an internationally respected textile artist brings her latest exhibution to the Maclaurin Galleries at Rozelle Park in Ayr. She has exhibited in Japan, the USA and widely in Britain. Based in Edinburgh, she has created a dedicated space for creating, making and learning - Studio Green. Her work is unique and diverse, ranging from small scale for a domestic interior to large installations for public spaces. Her show runs from June 18 to July 30.

Picasso in Cumnock YES, you read that correctly. If you would like to feast your eyes on three original Picassos, get yourself along to the Baird Institute in Cumnock where a two-part exhibition of the master’s work is running. The larger part, Picasso at play, is a collection of 28 photographs of Picasso at work and with his family and many friends from the art world. It features original photographs from the Lee Miller Archives at Farley Arts Trust, many of which were taken by Lee Miller and Roland Penrose, the American and British Surrealist photographers who were close friends of Picasso. They offer a fascinating glimpse into his personality and his fondness for play, and an insight into the process of creating some of his famous work. Also on show are three original works

by Picasso, on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland: Bacchanal [Bacchanal], 1959, Homme et Femme [Man and Woman] 1967 and La Mort de Marat [The Death of Marat] 1934. They deminstrate the artist’s versatility through three mediums: printmaking, linocut and drawing, and his radical approach, depicting his personal feelings as well as the outside world, through expressing violence, fantasy and humour. Picasso at Play continues until Saturday August 6. The Baird Institute and Picasso at Play is open Thursday 12.30-4.40pm & 5-8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-4pm and entry is free. A free family event exploring the work of Picasso through creative art activities takes place at The Baird on Saturday 11 June from 1pm-3pm.

Exploring mysteries of space

Excavators move in as stone circle makes way for houses

THE ﬁrst astrological stone circle to be built in 3,000 years has been put into storage, awaiting the dawn of a new day.

Astronomer and science writer Duncan Lunan from Troon was the driving force behind the creation of the stone circle at Sighthill in Glasgow when the city’s Parks Department commissioned him to build the monument in 1978. In the intervening years, the stone circle has become a much loved and visited site by local people in search of a quiet place to meditate or just to enjoy the panoramic views over the city. But Easter Equinox this year saw the last ceremony at the circle before construction begins on a new housing development on the site. The stones have now been carefully stored away

Jack Forbes at the cross which marks the spot where the ashes of his wife and mother were left. Local people arrive to mark the equinox until they canbe re-located at plan, the developers have a new site nearby. removed the top layer of soil from the site to re-lay it At the Easter Equinox, one regular visitor to the site, Jack when the new circle is being created in respect to the Forbes, told how he had been visiting the stone circle since people whose ashes were left the early days. over the years. “ I got very attached to Duncan Lunan gave a short speech as the developers the stones,” he said. “My mother died in 2005 and we hoisted the stones out, scattered her ashes around paying tribute to the friends, here and when my wife colleagues and expert who passed away last August I did offered advice and help the same with her ashes. during the construction: Prof. “We all used to enjoy coming Alexander Thom, Dr Archie up here for the peace and Thom, Dr Ewan MacKie and quiet.” As part of the relocation Prof Archie Roy.

ASTRONOMY enthusiasts heard about the search for extraterrestrial technology when Professor Colin McInnes of Glasgow University visited Troon. An expert on Space Technology, his address to the Astronomers of the Future Club touched on the future possibility of harnessing energy from the sun using a sphere of asteroids. Reflectors in space could be used to decrease temperatures on Earth or increase them on Mars, opening up the possibility of making Mars habitable, her told his audience. He also discussed the discovery of what has become known as Tabby’s Star by the Kepler space telescope. The star’s light emissions dip every 20 days with occasional large dips which are seemingly random. The findings are causing great interest among space scientists who are keen to discover the reasons behind the star’s odd behaviour. The AOTF Club meet on the last Thursday of every month in the RSAS Club in Shore Road, Troon. Summer guests include Robert Law from Mills Observatory on June 30 and John Pressly from Coates Observatory in Paisley, who will discuss 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Camera club skills on show LARGS Photography Club are holding their ﬁrst ever exhibition this summer. Formed last December by James McKinnon, a professional photographer from the town and owner of Blue Kiwi Photography, the club has around 50 members with skills ranging from beginner to experienced photographer. The exhibition will take place during Largs Viking Festival

week, which takes place from Saturday August 27 until Sunday September 4. Featuring a range of quality images including many fabulous shots of local scenery and wildlife, the show will run in Vikingar! on Greenock Road, Largs. Other events in the town this summer include Largs Live at the end of June and a fun day at the beginning of July.

So Bard it’s good YOUNG theatre lovers performed Shakespeare in the Park when theatre company Capall Dorcha held a workshop to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death.

During the build-up to the free eightday workshop, more than 300 Ayrshire high school pupils took part in a series of smaller events looking at the work of Shakespeare. Barry Robertson, Artistic Director of the Ardrossan-based company said: “Since the company was founded here in North Ayrshire less than a year ago over 500 young people aged 11-25 have participated in a free drama workshop in the local area. “Our Shakespeare workshop was our most ambitious yet. Eglinton Country park was a perfect location to fully

capture the period text and allow many of the friends and family on the day to watch a Shakespeare performance for the ﬁrst time. “None of this would have happened without the help of our funders who support our Ensemble vision to provide the Ayrshire community the opportunity

to reach their creative potential through a theatre arts experience. With thanks to Eglinton Country Park, Ayrshire Youth Arts Network, North Ayrshire Council, Cooperative Food, TSB Bank, Saltcoats, Our Place Ardrossan Central and Caledonian MacBrayne Hebridean & Clyde Ferries.

Book your ticket to hear it here first WORLD premieres of songs from international and Scottish composers will be at the heart of Capall Dorcha’s latest project, Songs Unseen. It follows on from the success of New Inck Theatre’s Scenes Unseen, produced in association the Glasgow’s Tron Theatre, which received rave fourstar reviews from critics. The evening includes songs from Tony Nominated Bill Russell and Janet Hood (Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Sideshow) and Olivier

Award Winning Stiles and Drewe (Mary Poppins, Honk) sitting side-by-side with unseen songs from Scottish composer Karen MacIver (pianopiano) and lyricist John Cairney; Andrew Cruickshank (Bafta Scotland Award winner) and emerging Scottish composers Finn Anderson (Streets) and Gus Gowland (The Red Virgin). It is directed by Dr Donna Soto Morettini (Performance Coach for Andrew LLoyd Webber’s BBC shows I’d Do Anything, Over the Rainbow

and How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?; and Casting Director for ‘The Voice’), and features a stand-out cast including Natalie Arle-Toyne (Hairspray & Company), Barry Robertson (Closer Than Ever, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Neil Thomas (Little Shop of Horrors, Company). The show opens on July 1 at Glasgow’s Oran Mor, then tours to the Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, the following day, ﬁnishing at the Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh on the third.

Gregor Fisher, The Boy From Nowhere, has star billing at book festival IT’S a bit of a cliché to regard a comedian as a tragic clown but two of the top attractions at this year’s Bowell Festival of Biography seemed tailor-made for the description.

Comedy actor Gregor Fisher and comedian and actress Susan Calman drew capacity crowds as they spoke about their recent books. Gregor Fisher, known and loved by millions as Rab C.Nesbit, was joined by co-writer Melanie Reid in the festival ﬁnale as they coursed through episodes from his life as portrayed in his biography The Boy From Nowhere – which, while not exactly tragic, was peppered with dark periods, particularly his early life, which saw him with three sets of parents before the age of four. Meanwhile, Susan Calman’s book, Cheer Up, Love, dealt with the comic’s ongoing struggle with depression. And both authors appealed jokingly to their respective audience that despite their fears, both books were actually funny. And no-one in the audience could doubt that would be the case after sitting through what were two hilarious anecdotal shows. The Mel and Greg double act was a warm, intimate experience which told how they met through a common friend and how they worked out how to tackle telling Gregor’s story. Melanie Reid, a newspaper columnist, said of the book: “It is not a celebrity biography, it’s a bit of a travelogue, it’s him and me going back.” “Boswell and Johnson,” offered Gregor Fisher with a smirk. “Dastardly and Muttley. And I’m dastardly,” replied Melanie. “Which one was Muttley?” asked Gregor. “Was he the dog? Oh well, we’re off and running now.” The show continued in this style, very informal and demonstrating a clear deep respect and affection between the two. At times, it felt like sitting with old friends with one prompting the other to tell a favourite story. “Tell them about your

Clockwise from top: Susan Calman; Gregor Fisher with Melanie Reid; Catherine Czerkawska

It’s a funny o mum,” said Melanie at one point – after pointing out that the woman who brought Gregor up from the age of four was the only one he regarded as Mum. “Tell us what she looked like.” Gregor obliged: “She was a small woman and never seemed to find it necessary to cut her hair and over the years it had gone grey and had come halfway down her back. She didn’t like the grey, so she had a jar with an orange, noxious liquid in it. It was quite bright, you could see it in the dark. And she would dip a comb into it and comb it through her hair. And if that wasn’t sufficient, she’d put it into pigtails – and there was a bun involved, a lot of Kirby grips and a hair net. And then she would tie a headscarf around it. And she wore a pinny, a wrapround pinny. But a formidable woman, not one to mess with. “But she was very funny, my mother. She would go into helpless fits of laughter. We hit it off. She made me laugh and I made her laugh. Laughter was a constant theme.” He told about the time he had given his mother and aunt tickets to attend a Royal Variety performance he was in. “She

turned up wearing a tiara,” he roared. “Where the hell she got this I do not know. But the trouble was there were several stones missing. My father in those days smoked Capstan cigarettes, with a huge piece of silver paper inside the pack. She obviously spotted this and thought: “The very thing!” so she tore bits off and rolled them up and stuffed them into the holes in the tiara.” Susan Calman’s journey through her book was also memorable. It is sub-titled Adventures in Depression with the Crab of Hate, which is how she refers to her “black dog”. “My depression is always with me. I call it the crab of hate because it is a little crab that crawls up my back, grabs on to my earlobes and whispers in my ear and tells me that I am awful. The trick of my life is to try to shake it off.” The book is packed with hilarious stories, but it is also a serious offering to help others trying to cope with mental health issues, a phrase she describes as “horriﬁc”. She says: “You see it in the papers– oh, they have mental health issues. They stabbed somebody!” She paid tribute to Victoria Wood, “the

Old Aunt Ursula recorded blood and fury of the days of the Raj

y old Boswell brightest, shining star in my life” with whom she felt an afﬁnity because she, too, “looked odd” but could make people laugh. And she passed on some tips she has adopted to help lift her spirits when she feels down. “I have things that I do now which cheer me up. I have prawn cocktail for breakfast, because that is a Christmas treat. Or I’ll have a whole Vienetta because when I was younger Vienetta was a posh pudding and you only got a wee slice but now I can eat the whole thing with my hands, sitting in my pants. “Another thing I do is go bowling because I was never allowed to go to Cydebank because it was full of rough boys so now I go bowling in the morning and I tell my mum: ‘Look, Mum, I’m bowling with rough boys!’’ Elsewhere during the three-day event at Dumfries House near Cumnock, author, dramatist and scriptwriter Catherine Czerkawska launched her latest novel, The Jewel, a ﬁctional account of the life of Jean Armour, Robert Burns’ wife. (See page 16 in this section for the review.) She took part in a discussion with biographers Andrew Lownie and AN

Wilson on the subject of writers’ wives. During a wide-ranging discussion covering John Buchan’s wife, Susan, and Leo Tolstoy”s wife, Sophia, Catherine spoke about part of her motivation for writing the book: “I think Jean has been a much neglected figure. That was my first inspiration in wanting to write about her. “The women in Burns’ life who got most attention were people such as Highland Mary, a tragic heroine and Clarinda McElhose – and that was a very shortlived affair. The one person that was a part of the poet’s life from his early 20s was Jean. I thought she deserved more examination.” Among the other many fascinating guests at this year”s festival was 87-yearold supermodel Daphne Selfe whose career began in the 1950s and is still going strong. Martin Jarvis, actor and raconteur was on top form and Charles Jencks gave a fascinating address about his Dumfriesshire garden – called The Garden of Cosmic Speculation – which has become one of the world’s most influential gardens. A truly stellar slate of guests took part in Boswell 2016. Roll on next year’s event.

POLITICAL journalist Ferdinand Mount gave a detached and unsentimental account of British involvement in India as he spoke about his book, The Tears of the Rajas. As a second cousin of Prime Minister David Cameron, he has enjoyed a privileged life, but he pulled no punches in his depiction of how the British imposed their authority in late 19th Century India. And he recounted how he became fascinated in the history of his Scottish ancestors after reading a report in the Times about a great grandfather he shared with Cameron. He realised the research had come from a book written many decades ago by his “much neglected and, let’s face it, largely unloved” Aunt Ursula. “I had the book on my shelf and to my shame I had never opened it because, to be honest, any book by Aunt Ursie didn’t sound as though it was going to be very readable,” he confessed. But the book led him through a journey of discovery about the deeds and misdeeds of his relative, Sir John Low, whose family came from near Cupar in Fife. Despite being generally known for his passion for “benign overlordship” and respect for local customs, Sir John played an active part in deposing three Indian kings, deprived a fourth rajah of a large portion of his kingdom and survived three mutinies. The book, subtitled Mutiny, Money and Marriage in India1805-1905, is rich in detail of the relationship between the British and their colonised charges, the friendships and enmities and the eventual resentment which led to the end of the days of the Raj.

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

THERE is a lot more than meets the eye to the Artisan Lounge, Ayr’s ﬁrst vegetarian and vegan coffee house. Tucked away down a couple of ﬂights of stairs through a doorway off the cobbled walkway that leads from the Fishmarket to the Auld Brig, it’s a fragrant oasis of calm. Artwork and handicrafts produced by local artists decorate the walls of the stairwell and the compact cafe while a tempting display of home baking sits begging for attention beneath glass domes on the serving counter. With vegetarian, vegan and glutenfree options on a varied menu, this is a cafe which takes the requirements of its customers very seriously indeed. And it’s not just food for the body that is on offer here but also, some might say, food for the soul in the form of tai chi and kung fu classes every Sunday morning from 10 until noon. True to the aims of owner Jackie Campbell, who runs the Artisan Lounge with son Garreth, this is more than just a place with fabulous food and awardwinning coffee. “We want to be a real part of the community,” says Jackie, as she goes on to list the range of classes and

There’s more to the Artisan than simply wonderful food

interest groups she is planning to offer her growing clientele. Chief among them will be classes in signing for the deaf. “It is something I have always been passionate about,” she says. “We used to have one young boy come in and it upset me to my core that I had to speak to him through his mum and she would translate for me. I think it is

very rude not to even try to be able to communicate with people.” Vegan cosmetics evenings are also on Jackie’s planner as are live music nights and perhaps an open mic night. But at the heart of it all is fantastic food. “The food is king,” she adds. “We source local produce wherever we can. If you start with the very best ingredients you really can’t go wrong.”

THE ARTISAN LOUNGE Vegetarian coffee house & Deli

Try our delicious menu of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food, wonderful home baking and prize-winning coffee. Take-away service also available

01292 288699

13 Old Bridge Street, Ayr KA71QA | www.artisanlounge.co.uk

The vikings are coming! LARGS celebrates its Norse heritage every year with the vibrant Viking Festival.

Largs was the scene of the last mainland battle between the Scots and the Norse in 1263 when Alexander III’s army sent King Haakon’s ﬂeet of longships to a watery grave This year’s festival runs Sunday to Sunday from August 27 to September 4 with a series of events daily. The main attraction is a large living history Viking village on the Promenade grass. Viking re-enactors occupy the village for the duration of the Festival and entertain and enthral visitors on the Viking way of life. Look out, too for the Scottish Food and Craft Market; the fabulous owls of Owl Magic and weekend displays from an RAF Lancaster bomber. There will also be street performers, dance workshops, children’s activities and a bookfest. Check out what’s in store on the website: www.largsvikingfestival.com

Thumbs up for video game show CLASSIC video games from the 70s up to the present day form a great fun show at Rozelle House throughout June and July. The exhibition Pong to PlayStation covers the design, culture and history of video games and their transition from arcades to the home and into hand-held devices. Visitors can get a chance to play on vintage consoles as well as the latest models.

New for Old Thailand Exhibition Collaboration in craft and design between Thai and Scottish artists. June 18-July 31 The Barony Centre, 50 Main Street, West Kilbride, North Ayrshire. KA23 9AW.

Open 7 DAYS Mon-Sat: 10-5pm Sun: Noon-5pm

Catwalk creations FASHION students at Ayrshire College put on a stunning display of their work with their end-of-term show at the Burns Birthplace Museum.

Family, friends and guests were treated to a slicky-run event showcasing the skills picked up by not only HNC and HND students but also by young designers studying for their Fashion and Textiles Highers and Level 5 and Level 6 Fashion students. From monochromes through earthy tones to vibrant colours, imaginative design was very much in evidence with styles covering Autumn/Winter wear alongside a range of indvidual themes selected by the students. The HNC students offered their interpretation of themes suggested by weather or historical inﬂuence,

clashing colours and prints or bespoke craftsmanship. The nine HND students put their focus on themes which were decided at the start of year, offering a dazzling range of styles, some inﬂuenced by chaos or reﬂection, another inspired by the landscapes, plants and animals of Scotland and another drawing inspiration from prerevolution Russia and the Stalinist Soviet Union. Three HND students presented their ideas on a brief set by Remnant Kings. First prize went to Bronwyn Dempsey with David Collins second and Lyn Hughes third. Hair and make-up for the show was provided by the college’s Hair and Beauty students while music was organised by Sound Production students.

Sound Vision Artist Keith Salmon talks to LYNN BAIRD about his intriguing project to bring the visual arts to visually impaired people WHEN it comes to paintings and pictures, art is a visual experience, but it doesn’t need to be. What if there was a way for the visually impaired to experience a painting on a different sensory level?

Scottish Landscape painter Keith Salmon will be travelling to Seattle in the USA to take part in a project with Microsoft that aims to make this possible. The Irvine landscape artist had already started thinking about putting sound with paintings before this project came along. A hobby of Keith’s is to walk in the Scottish hills and mountains; his interest in walking in the natural Scottish landscape is what inspires his art. Over a year ago Keith thought that pairing sound recordings with his more abstract work would help to bring those viewing the art experience his perspective. Keith says: “Graham Byron, the former sound engineer at the Harbour Arts Centre, lent me equipment last year and I was going out when I was walking and experimenting and what I found was that as we started doing this I started to listen differently because I was listening to things which I might record. It was quite strange because suddenly the emphasis was changed. So, what I’ve started to do is work on what’s going to be a really big, sort of multiple section drawing based on being up on Ben Dhu, a small hill above Luss at the southern end of Loch Lomond. I’ve been walking up there two, three times a year, making recordings.” Keith said that the final piece will be made up of seven large drawings from different viewpoints of Ben Dhu in different conditions, the first of which he has already completed. “I’m hoping to then incorporate the recordings so that when this series of drawings is shown there will be a soundtrack that goes with them,” he added. During a chance meeting with Seattle film maker Dan Thornton, who turned up at one of Keith’s shows, the subject of the Microsoft project arose. Microsoft needed artists to work alongside scientists to explore ways of making art accessible for visually impaired people. Keith, who creates magnificent paintings and sketches of Scottish landscapes fitted the bill perfectly, not only by virtue of being a talented artist but also because he is visually impaired. “I’ve been registered blind for 16 years,” he says. “I’ve got a little bit of sight in the sort of upper left hand part of my right eye and that little bit of sight is now getting worse again. It’s pretty poor but you don’t need very much to do virtually everything. The secret I’ve found over 25 years is that you have to be willing to adapt, able to adapt and then you can do most things.” Keith lost his sight due to diabetes retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that causes damage to the retinas.

His condition is now stable but Keith has now developed a cataract in the one eye that still has slight vision. Film maker Dan Thornton asked Keith to take part in a documentary he was making about mobility. This led Dan to the idea that he could make a full length documentary about one of Keith’s art pieces and all of the work that went into its creation. Keith spoke about the making of the film: “We’ve spent I’d say, the last two years making this documentary. The film has been kind of centred around the big Glen Rosa drawing project which I finally did back in December 2014 in the Harbour Arts Centre on the main wall. It was a five-metre-long drawing, metre and a half high.” Now that the filming has been completed, Keith and Dan are looking for funds to edit and finish the film. Through work connections, Dan found out about a project run by Microsoft to create a software to help the blind and visually impaired experience art. Keith continued: “Dan knew I was experimenting with sound and through his work in Seattle he knew some guys who worked for Microsoft. They’re taking part in quite a big arts project which hooks up artists and scientists and pairs them up to work together. “They were looking to work with an artist and Dan suddenly said ‘Well look, I’ve been working with this guy in Scotland for several years and he’s not only an artist but he’s also visually impaired so you’ll get both sides and he also works with sound,’ and they were quite keen so we’ve now joined forces.” Keith will visit Seattle later this year to meet Microsoft to discuss how far the software has been developed. The next part of the trip will see the artist spending 10 days in Oregon walking the landscape while recording sounds and visuals. When he returns to Scotland he will begin creating another large artwork based on the landscape of Oregon. This piece will be viewed by Microsoft during the creative process so that they can work out what sounds and other sensory signals will be paired with it when using the software. It will be transported to Seattle once it is complete. Microsoft will use a number of artworks along with the software they are developing to help the visually impaired experience art. Keith said he will be one of nine artists taking part in the project. “It’s really quite exciting, it’s sort of taking what I rather tentatively started to do and pushing it in a different direction. In hindsight, it’s getting more and more difficult because of my deteriorating sight. I’m now seeing a different side to it. I’m producing artwork that will allow both myself and other visuallyimpaired people to interpret it.” Learn more about Keith, and view his artwork at: http://www. keithsalmon.org/

Alanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art hits the wall THE work of Kirkmichael artist Alan Lees is on show at the Many Thanks craft shop in Mauchline throughout June. Alanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bright, colourful paintings are bursting with life, some of them depicting street scenes peopled with local characters. His subject matter is diverse, ranging from landscapes to animals, children, abstract, quasireligious and others with a nautical theme, reflecting his time in

the Navy. The monthly exhibitions are a regular feature of Many Thanks, with shows from Gillian Downie, Lainey Beatson and Jenny Brown taking place over the summer months. There are also frequent artist-at-work events when visitors can watch work being created. The shop at 3 The Cross, Mauchline, stocks a range of Scottish products,much of it produced by local designers, artists and crafters.

the WORD on the streets.co.uk

Putting on the style FURY’S Nightclub in Ayr became a part-time art gallery when digital art graduates put on their end-ofterm show.

Twenty-three graduates from the University of the West of Scotland displayed three or four pieces each as the walls of the nightspot became a showcase for a display of digital paintings, digital drawings, artistic videos, logo design and even comic strips. Other works of art by the

students were hung in the corridors of the university’s Creative and Cultural Industries corridor at the Ayr Campus. Emma Merrilees, the curator of the hallway exhibit and a graduating student whose art work was on display said: “These exhibitions are a way to showcase the work we have done this year before graduating. “We all have different styles and now we can see them all in one place. It gives us the chance to be a part of something and even sell some of our work.”

The thriving, creative community of UWS artists encouraged attendance from the general public during the week long display. Pictured here are works by Debra Campbell (opposite page and below left) Niall Stewart (both images above) and Gordon Docherty (both pics below). If you wish to purchase any of the art work you may contact UWS Ayr Campus who will contact the artists for pricing.

the WORD on the streets.co.uk

LYNN BAIRD

READ AN AYRSHIRE AUTHOR BAD SAMARITAN Michael Malone (Contraband) ■ IF you enjoy multiple climaxes in your crime thrillers, this one might just be for you. The deeply flawed but likeable DI Ray McBain is back to the fore, oxter deep in the investigation into the murder of a young Glasgow student. As ever, he’s holding the fragments of his personal together as he leads the crime squad through the odds and ends of evidence, suggesting lines of enquiry, following hunches. Then out of the depths rises a demon from the past, a serial killer from a case earlier in the officer’s career who seems intent on bringing an end to McBain’s life by whatever means possible. It’s riveting stuff, dredging up childhood nightmares of McBain’s early years in an orphanage amid the fear that the killer is drawing ever closer. There are shades of Gothic horror in the shadow of the orphanage as McBain recalls his boyish terror at the hands of sadistic adults. Meanwhile, there’s another murderer to catch and as the double plot becomes increasingly complex, McBain discovers he’s in the frame for the murder of the student as he gradually becomes isolated from his colleagues and has no option but to go on the run. Another gripping tale from the masterful Malone, so gritty and credible you can almost smell the sweat through the pages. THE JEWEL Catherine Czerkawska (Saraband) ■ Who knew Robert Burns’ wife, Jean Armour, was such a complex, loving and creative woman? Burns historians, probably. But here, for possibly the first time, Jean Armour, her life, her loves, her many troubles, her determination and her courage take centre stage. Finally she emerges from the massive shadow of her poet husband as we catch a glimpse of life as an ordinary 18th century woman. The Jewel is a fictionalised story of Jean’s life from her teenage years until after her husband’s death but you can bet this year’s wages that the detail is gleaned from thorough investigation and endless poring over historical records and contemporary writings. Catherine Czerkawska is meticulous in researching background information for her work. And what emerges is a portrait of a vulnerable but feisty young woman who defies convention and overcomes the

disapproval and hostility of her Mauchline neighbours, not to mention the outrage of her own parents. Far from being a victim or down-trodden housewife, Jean is portrayed as a strong woman who knows what she wants and makes her own decisions despite what others tell her is best for her. And she doesn’t have it easy. Her lovers’ trysts with Burns in a room above a pub results in the birth of twins, a shameful occurrence in those god-fearing days. Followed a period of estrangement between the couple they got back together again – only for Jean to fall pregnant once more with twins. The Jewel is beautifully written and runs the gamut of emotions from tragedy to joy and while the scent of death is ever present, it’s also a story bursting with life. OPEN WOUNDS Douglas Skelton (Luath Press) ■ Another ripping yarn as Douglas Skelton brings the much-praised Davie McCall series to an end. As ever, there’s a complex network of characters, most of them unsavoury and the rest very unsavoury nipping in and out of focus as old scores are settled, new alliances formed and the body count as might be expected. The good-cop-very-bad-cop relationship between Donovan, now a private investigator having been thrown out of the force, and bent cop Knight enters new territory as Donovan doggedly pursues his former colleague in a bid to expose the depth of his corruption. Knight’s not going to take this meekly, of course, and his killer instinct, never far beneath the surface comes to the for. But what has happened to David McCall, the ruthless psychopath who once revelled in smashing every bone in his victim’s arms and legs? Is he losing his touch? Make sure you have plenty of spare time ahead of you when you pick this one up. You won’t want to put it down in a hurry. THE ELEMENTS OF TIME Duncan Lunan (Shoreline of Inﬁnity) ■ This collection of Short stories from Troon science writer and Word on the Streets contributor Duncan Lunan brings together some of his most popular work. Dating from the early 1970s, the collection hinges around time travel by earth, sea, water and ﬁre, hence the elements of the title.

A number of the stories appeared in cult science fiction magazines including Analog and Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine while others have appeared in SF collections. Scheduled for a September 7 launch at the Railway Club in Troon, the book is being published in paperback and on pdf by Shoreline of Infinity, the first new Scottish sci-fi magazine since the 1950s. It is illustrated by Sydney Jordan from Dundee, an internationally renowned illustrator of the Jeff Hawke series which, with 10,000 episodes, became the world’s longest-running SF comic strip.

THE WOO IN THE WILD WOODS Greta Yorke (Mags2Publishing) ■ The latest picture book publication from Greta Yorke of Ayr Writers’ Club, The Woo in the Woods tells the story of Jamie, a would-be wizard, who cannot complete his training and become a real wizard unless he has a familiar, usually a cat, and he is allergic to furry animals. Jamie sets out on a journey to solve his problem and along the way he meets animals with problems of their own. Can Jamie help them? Will he ever become a wizard? The story is beautifully illustrated by Maggie Bolton, who recently illustrated Stomping Good Stories for Children by Litereight, published by Alﬁedog.com. Both books, along with Witch Hitch, are now available on Amazon UK. KERBY Graeme Johnstone (Amazon download) ■ Subtitled Funny Tales From a 1990s Scottish Childhood, this part-diary entries, part reminiscences book will strike a chord with many pre-millennials as the no-holds-bar commentary recalls episodes that some of his fellow traveller will probably wish had remained untold. We read about bogies – both the wheeled and the glutinous kind – and jobbies, snogging and teachers, the stuff small lives are ﬁlled with. If you were ever a child, this is for you. Among many hilarious entries, a personal favourite is the message inside the Christmas card he sent to his mother: “To Mary Johnston, wishing you good luck for your diet and also Merry Christmas. Love Graeme xx”

Drained

by Greta Yorke

Seven Days

.. a week in poetry by Rosie Mapplebeck 1. Mayday Mason bees building clay, pollen, fruit of the garden so sure of the future.

3. Woo d-watc h Stretche d taut till it splits bark frac tures to zebra stripes blossom s twitch and tum in air-pr ble essure ze ph “leik sna w aff a d yr yke”.

2. Not passive For Bodi, Sheila and me its more than hair twirling, a tic an endorphin-rousing relief for stress When is a bad habit really a blessing? When the politician is caught out by unrehearsed uncontrollable airs? Self-mutilation brings comforting pain fingernails preserved by parental bitters i deflect twitching fingers to scalp and I bleed

5. Beltane light The waking light filtering through my room moves from umber to emerald as trees re-leaf in a burst of May sun-after-showers. Branches once framing views are softened by bowls of blossom Tanned hides of roof-moss light vibrantly as they fruit; roses coppering the fore-ground, showing missed pruning (too late, buds are formed). Birds fill any vacant space chirp and chant, peep and craark assault the senses and the top fruit buds. Amongst the long grasses, hens flatten out nests, supposedly secret, till they cackle their conspiracy in mirth.

7. peaceful limbs d stretch of her It was the relaxe h at de an stiller th though she lay y to rise again. ad re ed she look ing dark fur gleam It was her thick sun in the summer ed her er w lo e before w root g of earth and into a wrappin n melting It was the tensio e as le re ’s with pain r just getting up he e’ ‘se d ul co “you . It was nice”. and running off g, with love. It was her leavin

4. Him I feel you breathe on my ear, turn me over for your Sunday treat Command me then recoil Its been eighteen years since I made you leave How is it you‘re still under my skin? 6. Bob At 20 some would say you’d had enough time, plenty love, several owners and a history long enough for a novella You’re just a cat but you’re a best friend too a deeply felt wound in your leaving He can’t see you lie in pain That’s not being a friend and after all the sharing nights of lost sleep and comforting he can’t accompany you on this last ride.

‘No-one will hear you no-one will come.’ But I’ve escaped them, or so I think, into the night. I lean against a mossy bark breathless my sweat fusing with its gooey sap, seeping essence sweeps susceptive nostrils. I am tortured to the trunk by invisible tendrils, an acrid stench pervades the trees the voids between and me. My mouth emits a silent scream into the night as something hears me something comes. Snap.

Clown Feet

by Joan Elliott The skies have wept for us today, did you see? The teardrop droplets coursing down the pane; hitting with startled fury then stretching, like clown’s feet. A stop-start drumming on the glass that bursts in fits and starts, like weeping. Like a good heart breaking in the dark.

Piazza Navona By Night

by Joan Elliott

He’s moved. Adopting the same persona, he’s chosen a pose alike the last. I-pad slate grey cloak Venetian hidden agenda. Stubbled; cool; aloof. Insecurity packs a bigger byte. He waits. Tiny tap-dance touches; Finger - tip darts. Scrolling the scene with tumbling word-play and a timely raised eyebrow. Dancing a modern amore.

the

ISSUE 2 SPRING 2015

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Ayrshire’s arts music & culture magazine

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Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2015

on the streets

Ayrshire’s arts music & culture magazine

Once upon a time, a girl dreamed of becoming a comic artist... then she got the chance to work with some of the biggest names in the Meet business. Rossi

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Spring 2016

JAMES OSWALD • IRENE WALKER • MADHUMATI MANDA

Picture by Miff Morris N.H.C Music Photography

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the cling film kid

Illustrations from the How to Train Your Dragon books © Cressida Cowell reproduced with kind permission from Hodder Children’s Books

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The Barony Centre plays host to a major exhibition of ceramic art Pages 6-7

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Campus fashion Student style on the catwalk Pages 10-11

Also inside this issue Picasso: pictures at an exhibition. See candid shots of the great artist plus three paintings at the Baird Institute

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Susan Calman & Gregor Fisher laugh in the places where it hurts, plus all the buzz of the Boswell Festival

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Irvine artist Keith Salmon teams up with Microsoft as they explore new ways to let sight impaired people experience art Pages 12-13 Pages 12-13

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ADRIAN WISZNIEWSKI CALLS IN AT AYR SKETCH CLUB

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Also inside this issue Armed only with knitting needles, wool and a foldup bike, Janet Renouf-Miller crossed Scotland spreading yarns Pages 8-9

Still Futures II at the Dick Institute where artists wonder whether a society of greed and inequality lies ahead of us

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Open Studios Ayrshire, Friday 22 - Monday 25 April. When local artists let us see what on earth they get up to. Pages 16-17

LET US SPRAY

Tragic gets his act together with an art and music show Pages 8-9

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