SNACK Magazine: May 2021 – Issue 27

SNACKMAG.CO.UK

ISSUE 27

YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO WANT TO BE IT

MAY 2021

CAT HEPBURN | GRUFF RHYS | LOTOS SARYA | RANSOM FA | REBECCA VASMANT | AFRICA DAY MUSIC | FILM | VISUAL ART | BOOKS | FOOD & DRINK | THEATRE | LGBT+ | REVIEW | LIFE

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We believe that 'you have to see it, to want to be it'.

SNACK is a supporter of the global Keychange movement and has pledged to achieve at least 50% representation of women and under-represented genders in our content, staffing, and beyond.

We will ensure women and people of under-represented genders working within SNACK have a strong and ongoing influence in decisions made within the organisation.

SNACK gives priority in our coverage to organisations who work to ensure even gender representation in their activities.

CONTENTS WHAT'S ON

P10

INTERVIEWS

P16

Cat Hepburn – Gruff Rhys – sarya – Rebecca Vasmant – Lotos – Ransom FA

AFRICA DAY

P68

Africa in Motion – Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra – Johfrim Art & Design

ACCESS

P90

LGBT+

P96

The (not) Gay Movie Club – Eurovision

FOOD & DRINK P112 Recipes: Belgian Buns, Mackerel Kedgeree – It's a Total Picnic

REVIEW

P130

BSÍ – Gruff Rhys – Swim School – Bachelor – Bedrooms – Dutch Wine Lumison – Raveloe – Rylah – Linzi Clark – Poster Paints – Weekend Debt Washington – Glüme – Jayda G – Noctambulant – Tonic Note Charlotte de Witte – Post Coal Prom Queen – Fergus Hall Songs My Brothers Taught Me – Black Bear Zappa – Helen McClory – Aidan Martin – Linda Cracknell

GAMING

P184

CREDITS Editor/Sales: Kenny Lavelle Sub Editor: Leona Skene Food and Drink Editors: Emma Mykytyn and Mark Murphy LGBT+ Editor: Jonny Stone Design: Kenny Lavelle Cover photo credit: Etuski Usui

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Hello and welcome to issue 27 of SNACK, Things are beginning to return to some semblance of normality. It even looks like there may be outdoor gigs and festivals on the cards for later in the year – we can’t wait.

You might have noticed, with international travel still some way off, festivals are mostly booking artists who live and work in the UK – great, more opportunities for our artists. You will probably also have noticed that most festivals will again feature more men than women, especially towards the top of the bill.

It’s not just festivals. Have a look back at pre-pandemic gig listings and you’ll see the same story play out. It’s not even just confined to music: theatre, comedy, literature, and film all have uneven gender issues of their own.

We believe that 'you have to see it, to want to be it’. So we’ve signed a Keychange pledge to achieve at least 50% representation of women and under-represented genders in our content, staffing, and beyond. We’ve always aimed for this parity, but think it’s important that we and organisations like us publicly formalise our goals – please hold us to account.

As for this month’s magazine, I’m sure you’ll find your way around.

Kenny Lavelle Editor

WHAT'S ON Back to Contents

NIGHT FEVER: DESIGNING CLUB CULTURE Till 9th January 2022 V&A Dundee is the only UK venue for what looks like a must see exhibition, Night Fever: Designing Club Culture, the first major exhibition exploring the relationship between club culture and design from the 1960s to today.

Delving into iconic clubs in New York, Paris, Florence, Manchester, London, Beirut, Berlin – and towns and cities across Scotland – the exhibition uncovers the progressive and subversive history of nightclub design, and its far-reaching influence on popular culture.

As spaces for adventure and escape, nightclubs have always encouraged experimental and radical design – from Studio 54 to the Haçienda. Discover how architecture, art, fashion, graphics, lighting, performance and sound all come together to create an immersive sensory experience where design, music and technology meet on the dancefloor.

There’s also an exclusive section on Scotland’s club scene, revisiting legendary club nights from across the country and highlighting the scene’s DIY attitude, togetherness, humour, and a tightly knit network of DJs, clubs, and promoters.

In a Whisper

Ballad of theHYYTS Crone Denise Mina What’s on Page 11

SCOTTISH BALLET: SAFE TO BE ME FESTIVAL Online – 10th May till 31st May Safe to Be Me Festival is an opportunity for schools and young people aged 10-23 to explore their identities through creative, interactive experiences and digital dance workshops. It supports young people to feel safe and confident in who they are. During the three-week digital festival, young people will address topics such as homophobia, racism, ableism, transphobia, bigotry and family diversity.

Dance workshops will introduce the core project themes and teach movement and expression. The young people will work creatively with experienced dance practitioners exploring: ethnicity, family makeup, LGBTQ and disability.

There will also be opportunities to hear from inspiring professional dancers from a wide range of backgrounds sharing their experiences in the professional world of dance.

Viv Gee

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NOVA SCOTIA THE TRUTH

Making All Things New, Victoria Crowe

I'll Be Your Mirror

SCOTTISH MENTAL HEALTH ARTS FESTIVAL 3rd till 23rd May Now in its 15th year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is one of Scotland's most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance, and literature.

This year the festival will take place online at mhfestival.com and in regions across Scotland and explore the theme of 'Normality?'.

It aims to support the arts, explore how engagement in the arts can help prevent mental ill health, and challenge mental health stigma. Led by the Mental Health Foundation, SMHAF combines high artistic quality with strong grassroots support, community engagement and social activism.

What’s on Page 13

AYE WRITE! Online –14th till 23rd May After last year’s postponement, this year's Aye Write!, Glasgow's annual book festival, will take place online for the very first time. This year's fest is as chock full of names as always with Tracey Thorn, Salena Godden, Ewan Morrison, Janey Godley, Alan Bissett, Andrew Marr, Andrew O'Hagan, James Yorkston, and Kirstin Innes all appearing. The Wee Write, Glasgow’s Book Festival for Children and Young people, is also back. Budding writers can take part in creative writing masterclasses with Victoria Gosling discussing ‘Building Character’, Ruth Gilligan on ‘Finding (and Refinding) Your Voice’, Abir Mukherjee on ‘Getting The Setting’ and Lucy Caldwell dealing with ‘Plotting Structure’. Something for everyone then.

Photo credit: Edward Bishop

Tracey Thorn

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for all your retro/vintage wishes 0141 553 1936

info@mrbenretroclothing.com Kings Court King Street Glasgow G1 5RB What’s on by Gregg Kelly Page 15

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INTERVIEWS

CAT HEPBURN GRUFF RHYS SARYA REBECCA VASMANT LOTOS RANSOM FA

Photo credit: Etuski Usui

CAT HEPBURN

Cat Hepburn is a poet and scriptwriter whose latest collection of poetry and prose, Dating & Other Hobbies, is out now. She is also a central figure in Scotland’s thriving spoken word scene and co-host of the popular Sonnet Youth, which have managed to remain must-attend events, if online only, during the last year.

SNACK caught up with Cat to talk about all of the above and a whole lot more.

Your new collection is called Dating & Other Hobbies.

How do you describe it to people?

Dating & Other Hobbies is a collection of poems and short stories that explores the world of dating, casual sex and relationships through a female lens. It's full of fictional characters and situations, but it's coming from a place of truth.

I wanted to summarise the experiences that we go through in our twenties – the chaos, the drama, from awkward one-night stand, to ghosting, to affairs. It's toe-curling and relatable and I loved writing it!

It's been three years since your previous published collection, #GIRLHOOD. In what ways, if any, have you changed as a writer in that time, and how do the two books relate to each other?

As a writer, I'm always developing, and hope I'll never stop!

In the past few years I've had a lot more practice onstage and writing for other people, so I think I am more confident in my own voice and knowing what I want to say. I've become less self-critical and more relaxed about writing. #GIRLHOOD was all about nostalgia, growing up, and the experiences that shape and harm young girls. Dating & Other Hobbies is all about what happens after we supposedly grow up, when we are officially 'adults'. Life's awkward and fun and messy in our twenties, and I wanted to reflect that.

We're still evolving and we still make mistakes, and at the end of the day that's what that period in our lives is for.

Books by Alistair Braidwood Page 19

Dating & Other Hobbies includes short stories. In what way was writing those different to poetry and to how you write for TV? Is there an essence at the core of all three?

Storytelling has certain DNA that's shared between all these different art forms, and they all interconnect with one another. I kept my scriptwriting hat on when I approached the short stories, asking myself the same questions I would ask as if I was writing for the screen: ‘Why do we care?’ ‘Does the main character change?’ ‘What do they need and want?’. It helped keep me on track because stories are so fun to write they could go on forever, and nobody wants that.

My experience with writing poetry helped me lean into certain aspects of the story writing. Hannah Lavery [fellow poet and playwright] gave me some really beautiful advice early on, which was ‘focus on the detail and the poetry of the moments, keep your rhythm, be in your voice.’ As as soon she said this, something clicked and I started to find poetic corners in these imaginary worlds where I could allow my spoken word experience to hold court for a moment.

You are perhaps best known as a spoken word artist. Do you write with that always in mind? And, if so, does that pose a challenge with how the poetry looks on the page?

Admittedly, my spoken word poetry was a bit of a riot when it was first written down, so I did have to adapt to the page and cut into my big lengthy one liners. But once I started chipping into it, it got easier. When the words are on the page for someone else to read, you unfortunately can't rely on things like the atmosphere of a venue, or your confidence, or the way you deliver something.

You have to convey the tone and feeling through the written word alone, so you need to make it all count, which is pretty daunting.

But it's also out of your hands by the time someone reads it, so you need to just trust that you've done your best.

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The collection is carefully structured, with a prologue and then four distinct chapters. Can you explain what they are, and why you decided to collate the work in this way?

The four chapters are ‘Casual’, ‘Digital’, ‘Wanting’ and ‘Missing’.

Any writer will tell you we work a lot on instinct, so after trying out a few different chapter titles and working out the main themes, these four just felt right. They summarise the nuances of dating and relationships that many of us experience. The illustrations of the little heart characters, by Robyn Claire Anderson, that accompany the chapter headings really brought these ideas to the forefront.

Do you ever anticipate readers', or audiences', reaction to your work? If so, does that affect the writing?

I never let any worries about what people might think of my work get in the way of the most important thing - the story. The joy of being a writer is getting to live many different lives through our characters, so I can allow them to be bold, brave and daft, and if people judge them then that is fine. And if they want to judge me, that's their right as a reader. I would prefer a line stuck with a reader, for whatever reason, than them not being able to recall it.

Life's too short to worry about other people's criticisms.

Books by Alistair Braidwood Page 21

Photo credit: Etuski Usui

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You also host, alongside Kevin P. Gilday, the spoken word event Sonnet Youth, managing to keep it going online during lockdown. What have been the pros and cons of this shift, and do you have anything planned for when we can all get together once again?

As soon as the first lockdown hit, Sonnet Youth managed the move to go digital quite well, all things considered. Because we responded so quickly we didn't take much time to reflect. But we're now reaching 30 online shows of SY Social Club, which has been fun for us, the talented artists we hire for every show, and our audience members, old and new.

The pros are we can access people further afield, and reach new viewers. The main con is our performances are limited to a Zoom rectangle, but we've done our best to recreate the same vibe as our ‘in real life’ shows. Looking to the future, I'm sure that our poetic piss-ups will return to real life venues, and we'll retain an aspect of our virtual gigs too, so you can expect a hybrid of entertainment.

Dating & Other Hobbies is published by Burning Eye Books

Photo credit: Etuski Usui Books by Alistair Braidwood Page 23

GRUFF RHYS

Photo credit: Mark James

We live in exciting times, and there is no shortage of interesting people. However, the actual creative artists of our time can grab something that is taken for granted and craft it into something we hold close to our hearts.

You might not think an album about an active volcano in East Asia is pertinent to your life, but that’s about to change.

SNACK caught up with Gruff Rhys to discuss his new Seeking New Gods album, mountains, pandemics, language barriers, technology and most importantly, The Velvet Underground.

When and why did you first realise you wanted to make an album about Mount Paektu (an East Asian active volcano)?

I liked the name! I was reading a book that was completely unrelated when I came across the name of the mountain. I started looking it up, and at that point, I had written a few biographical albums about people.

I was keeping an eye out for interesting characters but on the other hand, I thought I had done too many of them anyway. I thought it would be interesting to try something different.

It felt kind of silly, and at the time, I felt it was a good idea!

How did it feel when you switched from a factual record to a more personal or emotional record?

I recorded some songs that I didn’t put on the album because they were too specific. I liked the tunes, but there was something unlistenable about it, there were so many lists and dates. It didn’t make much sense, and it didn’t connect very well. The songs that were loosely inspired by the original idea scanned much better.

Music by Andy Reilly Page 25

It’s a record written and recorded before the pandemic hit, but it’s likely many people will find relevance to right now, won’t they?

I think so. It’s a record that doesn’t engage with the moment. I wasn’t worried about sitting on it for a while. I finished mixing it in the summer of 2019, so it's almost two years old.

How do you feel about the gap between recording and releasing an album?

It’s a bit strange, but I don’t mind. What I find most frustrating is if I can’t record ideas. If an idea gets too old before I record it, I discard it. Also, it’s out of my hands.

With this new record, it’s not engaging in new technology, or a political moment. It’s not like I devised the world’s first NFT and I had to get it out tomorrow, it’s not that kind of record.

From what I’ve read, most of the album was recorded quickly. Did it just come together, and is that usual for you?

I was on a tour when I finished these songs, and I started rehearsing the songs in soundchecks. They came together very quickly when we played live, so I booked a studio at the end of the tour. It was the most practice I ever had when recording something.

Most of the work happened before the recording, and the band was amazing. It took about three days to record the album, and then there was a week of overdubs and things like that. It was fairly fast.

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‘Hiking In Lightning’ is a song that makes me instantly think of The Velvet Underground. You’re a big fan aren’t you?

I love the band, and if I went on Mastermind, The Velvet Underground would be my topic.

It’s tricky to sound like them. When you have lyricists like that, it’s almost impossible to mimic them. ‘Hiking In Lightning’ has that John Cale piano which was on The Velvet's first album, and The Stooges record. It has that drive and lift I grew up listening to, so it finally came out in a song!

The early reviews of the record are positive. Do you pay attention to reviews?

If they are informed, I’m happy. If they’re critical, they’re okay.

I’ve had good ones and bad ones, but it’s only frustrating if someone hasn’t listened to the record. That’s all I can ask for. If someone listens to it, then it’s out of my hands whether they like it or not.

While there are many bad points to streaming, it gives people more chance to listen to albums, and make up their minds without reviews.

There’s maybe less places that review albums these days.

The album is a format created for vinyl and that technology.

With streaming, there is an element of payola with sponsored algorithms. You can’t win either way!

The priority for me is making the music, not the distribution. I didn’t mind piracy; it was born out of enthusiasm for sharing music whereas these giant streaming platforms are essentially piracy with a veneer of respectability. Which is misleading.

Music by Andy Reilly Page 27

Photo credit: Mark James

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Throughout your career, you’ve been innovative with sound and technology. Can you tell me about the immersive listening experience you are looking to offer to fans with the new album release?

We’ve been testing out orchestrated technology that BBC Tech have developed. It’s a way of making portable surround sound experiences. In this time of distancing, you can do it alone, but the nice idea is if people are gathered in one place and have a device, you can do it together.

You’ll get a QR code for the album, and if everyone has their phone in a room, when they click on the QR code, they’ll get a different signal. This will hopefully create a quadraphonic sound in a room, or even in a park, although you’ll need Wi-Fi. One feed will have vocals, one will have drums, and so on.

Is it like a more technological version of The Flaming Lips' Zaireeka album?

Yes, it’s very like Zaireeka, but you don’t need to run about the house coordinating play buttons! That was great as well.

It is similar. I’m still working on it, and will do more on it today, and we’re trying to work out if you can do something with 22 phones!

Most of it will be a quadraphonic sound. Most people have a couple of devices at home, or know people with phones; but we’ll look to the extremes too.

You’re scheduled to play socially-distanced shows later this month – How are you feeling about those gigs?

If they go ahead and they’re safe, great; but I don’t mind if they don’t happen. I don’t want anyone to get sick, so I don’t mind if I don’t play. If they go ahead, it’s hopefully for the right reasons.

Music by Andy Reilly Page 29

Did you see the footage of the trial gigs in Liverpool? it seemed like a different time.

I found it weird. I know there was an equivalent in Germany and in Barcelona. I think attendees wore masks at the one in Barcelona. I hope its okay. If it turns out good, great, but after the last year, it looked weird!

Hopefully the tests come back clear, but if it goes wrong, it could be a disaster.

Evidently, Boris Johnston doesn’t give a shit, and in that context, it’s scary stuff.

There’s a full tour in October, including a Glasgow gig at Oran Mor. Is there anything you’ve missed about touring life in the past year?

I haven’t had time to think about it. I’ve been at home doing domestic things. My kids couldn’t go to school so I’ve been looking after them, all day every day. I haven’t had time to do anything but live; but I feel fortunate I didn’t get sick when so many people were having a terrible time.

I love touring, but I didn’t have nostalgia for it. I made the most of being at home, and with my kids. If anything, it made me realise how often I travelled for no reason. Gigs are justifiable, but it’s handy to do interviews like these from home, and it’s better for everyone.

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You said earlier that many of the new songs were worked out at soundchecks during your 2018 tour. That’s a big creative force that artists have missed in the past year, isn’t it?

With my solo records, I’ve been getting more into capturing the moment. I’ve made records constructed in the studio with everything recorded separately. In the past few years, I’ve been getting into live recording and then adding a few overdubs.

I’ve moved away from musically using the click track, I’m trying to capture humans playing together in a room. It’s very different, it has a different energy, and it’s impossible to recreate.

There’s a magic to it, for sure. I love electronic music and there’s no rules, but for me, this album is about capturing moments.

The release of the Creation Stories film has got a lot of people talking about the label, and many people, including Norman Blake in an interview with SNACK, named you as one of the best acts on the label. What are your overriding memories of your time on Creation?

It was a rollercoaster for us, it was genuinely life-changing. We were signed at a time when they were a big label. It was wild. I don’t know where to start! I’ve only got positive memories, it was like a dream, a really weird but good dream.

Is the story about Alan McGee praising you but advising you to sing in English, when you had been, true?

Yeah. He came to see us play in a pub in London, we had only played a handful of gigs. We sang some songs in Welsh, but a lot were in English. He couldn’t distinguish them.

I hadn’t sung in English before, I had only sung in Welsh language bands, so I didn’t know how to sing in English at the time.

Image credit: Alasdair McLellan

Music by Andy Reilly Page 31

With Fuzzy Logic [Super Furry Animals' debut album], when you listen to it, I’m trying out a few accents. It’s a funny story, but he booked us into a studio the next day. We stayed in London, and he put us in a studio in Fulham for a couple of days, so he could hear what we really sounded like!

We recorded a few songs and he signed us a couple of days later. He wasn’t sure what he heard in the gig so he had to verify it. We couldn’t believe it. He came to the studio and said; ‘I can’t make you millionaires, but I’m happy to sign you and put your records out.’

There was a Super Furry Animals tribute album released earlier this year – supporting Llamau, a Welsh based organisation who help the homeless. How does it feel when artists cover you, and what are your thoughts on the project?

For me, a cover version is like the ultimate accolade. I don’t think a band or songwriter can get a bigger accolade than a cover version. To get a double-album of them was mind-blowing. The people who put it together aren’t a big organisation, and they placed a lot of effort into it.

It was mostly recorded at home, and it’s a worthwhile endeavour which raised a lot of money for the homeless charity. That’s a really positive thing for us in the band.

It’s a good collection, and even having someone like Martin Carr on it makes it worthwhile.

He was texting me for translations!

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Photo credit: Mark James

Image credit: Alasdair McLellan

Will there be anything to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rings Around The World?

Yeah, we are working on the whole Super Furry side. The catalogue at Creation and Sony ended up at BMG. There was a merger between Sony and BMG, and then the Monopolies Commission split them up, and the Super Furries catalogue ended up at BMG. We didn’t know for two years, but we’ve been working with them in recent years, and with Kliph Scurlock, to remaster everything in high-resolution.

The tapes are in good condition, so we’re in that process.

We’re doing Ice Hockey Hair for Record Store Day, and once everything is ready, we’ll release Rings Around The World.

We’ll release them when they’re ready as opposed to pushing them for an anniversary. We are definitely working on it though.

As we talk, it’s quite strange that elections were held yesterday, but we won’t have results until later today or tomorrow. How are you feeling politically at the moment?

It’s an interesting time in Wales politically, but I have no idea how the Election has gone. There’s a lot of weird things in politics with the manipulation of Facebook campaigns. That hurt Wales badly in the Brexit vote, so I don’t know how that will pan out. There is fewer independent media in Wales, so we’re more influenced here by London media, than Scotland, I think.

The pandemic changed everything here. The people realised there was a clear manifestation of the power of the Senedd Cymru [the Welsh Parliament] that people hadn’t seen before.

The border was closed for the first time in six centuries, or something like that!

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These were huge symbolic acts and big psychological shifts.

Support for independence has doubled and I’ve no idea if that will manifest itself in this election, but politics is going through a big shift here. It’s hard to tell where it will end up, things could get polarised here.

I think there’s still a social democratic majority in Wales even though Brexit and Unionism is having a big influence here. I can’t predict though; we’ll see in a few hours.

There’s a lot of new independent media setting up, on the web, and that’s a positive development. It covers a lot of ground politically, and the campaign for radical independence has their own media. It’s a really interesting time for sure.

Seeking New Gods is released on 21st May via Rough Trade Records

Photo credit: Mark James Music by Andy Reilly Page 35

Photo credit: Erietta Ioanna Florou

sarya

sarya came to our attention deep in lockdown fog, their song ‘a good day’ was a welcome ray of affirmative sunshine breaking through the seemingly unending murk of early 2020.

Recently based in Edinburgh, sarya is currently in Taipei due to the pandemic. With a run of singles and interesting collaborations due throughout the rest of this year, along with a booking for Glasgow’s The Great Western festival, we thought we should catch up and see what else is happening.

What are you up to today?

I was just working on some music. I’ve also found this YouTube channel which does covers of pop songs that have been rewritten in medieval lyrical form. So it's very fun.

You’re in Taipei at the moment. How are things over there?

It's very odd. I think because Taipei has been largely unaffected

by Coronavirus – there's never been a proper lock down here.

When I got back, it was great because I was allowed to do gigs and go outside and go to restaurants, and hang out with people, and hug them. So it's been very great on that front, but also just very odd in a creative perspective. Every time I come back here, I'm just hermiting, and just waiting to go back to the UK. It's been nice for accumulating knowhow and skill-points, I suppose. It's been nice to perform, and try to check out the music scene while I'm here. Which is very, very different from the one in Edinburgh.

So I definitely, definitely miss it.

Music by Kenny Lavelle Page 37

In which ways is the music scene in Taipei different to the one in Edinburgh?

I think it's not as friendly. Probably it's not as accessible. I don't think the musicians themselves are as open to having a bit of a laugh, at least this is my perspective. Taipei is a massive city and there's a lot less people who are very open to experimenting or playing with music. The places to go listen to music are also fewer, even though it's a much bigger city than Edinburgh. The attitude towards live music is very stuck in rock, a dream pop kind of scene that's not very accessible. I think when you go to gigs in Edinburgh, you at least will be chummy. With the people who are also on stage, it's not a huge emotional gap. You wouldn't be afraid to talk to the people performing in some ways.

[In Taipei] I feel like there's a huge emotional distance from the people who are performing and the people watching – they’re a lot less likely to interact unless you already know them. And so I think that translates to the music scene also being a little bit more private.

I don't think you would as much go up and be like, ‘Oh, sweet man, let's go play together.’

Sometimes I feel like in Edinburgh, it's such a small tight knit community that you don't feel fear if you want to do that. So yeah, that's kind of a huge difference. Also, I like folk and other types of music, it's a lot harder to find here. I think, especially for folk music, because there's so much folk music in Scotland. There's a lot more focus on rock and pop in Taipei.

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Photo credit: Asuka Chen Music by Kenny Lavelle Page 39

I think that's one of the things that's great about Scotland: the music scene is really welcoming. People try to take down barriers, whether those barriers are personal or money or whatever – people try to help each other.

Yeah, like, it definitely feels a lot less about the money in Scotland, cuz I'm here and everything is very, ‘You must make this amount of people come if you want us to pay you. And if you know, we work together, then we've got to guarantee that what we're doing is gonna make money.’ It’s a little bit harder to ask people to commit to you, when they know that money might not be something that they will get.

But I think just for the creative process, I’m thinking: ‘Okay, I won't be as willing to maybe ask people to perform with me, because this is all just kind of experimenting, and having fun.’

Collaboration is a big part of what you do. That seems to be important.

Yeah, for sure. And, yeah, I've been collaborating with a lot of people, I think what we've done has been interesting, because everyone’s just stuck at home, nothing to do. And so we're all just kind of floating around in the internet sphere, you know, desperate to do something. Everyone has been quite keen, which is good.

And you've got a new single coming out soon?

Yeah, ‘professional woman’ is a song that I wrote last year, and got mixed by a really good artist friend of mine called maniatrix. And then they did a remix of that song. So we're releasing that together.

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I originally wrote it in celebration of International Women's Day: it’s a song dedicated to the women in my life. It's also dedicated to all of the non cis trans women in my life: it's called 'professional woman' because sometimes femininity can be kind of performative. And for me personally femininity is a little bit performative. But then I meet like, all of these incredible trans women and trans people who exude femininity and such an incredible way, it seems professional to me.

So that song is also dedicated to them.

It’s like a fun kind of dancey, Vogue inspired track. It's meant to inspire you to pose a lot while you hear it. It's very cute, it's a very fun song.

The next single you’ll be releasing is called ‘n0thing’. That song couldn’t be more different to ‘professional woman’.

Yeah, absolutely. It's funny because I think I have three speeds recently, which is weird. I have dancey electronic music and then, incredibly simple folk music, and then there’s my cutesy-wutesy, synthy electropop.

So ‘n0thing’ is in the first category, which is a lot more like the music that I made when I had just started to learn how to play guitar. ‘n0thing’ is kind of like a Daniel Johnston inspired high pitched siren, melancholic song about how people who break your heart make you feel like absolutely nothing. And you feel just completely obliterated, your sense of self worth is just completely non existent. You are not even matter. You're nothing. And that's what that song is about. And the fact that people are able to do that to you.

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Yeah, you do have different modes, and they’re very distinct.

I quite like many kinds of music, so I want to make so many different kinds of music. I think you obviously start with the ones that you like the most, but then the more you listen to different kinds of music, the more you understand that you do have the capacity and the know how to actually learn how to make certain styles of music.

So for me, I started with a lot of folk, a lot of light rock, and then I started listening to electronica and then really wanted to make some electro pop and electronica. You kind of just keep listening to what you like, and try to expand because emotions can be expressed in such different ways in different genres, I think. And also the use of poetry.

So, singer songwriter stuff is really good to practice like your songwriting skills and your personal poetic feelings. But then if you want to have something less emotionally manipulative in terms of words, then you've got to use sound and if you just have sound, how are you going to use that to convey a certain emotion?

It's really fun to see what you're capable of. Flitting back and forth between writing really lyrical music and then writing music that has barely any lyrics at all, it's just very interesting to see how far the length of emotion can be conveyed through sound.

I also have a huge interest in video game music, sound design, and also these weird little noises that you hear every day and trying to make that into something that will allow the listener to experience Back to Contents

Photo credit: Asuka Chen Music by Kenny Lavelle Page 43

something different or new. I'm really curious about how to make those kinds of noises. I also really like toy instruments. I like to collect toy instruments.

I think I would consider myself mostly a songwriter and a vocalist.

I think it is really fun to make noises and find the limits of what your mouth can do. How high can it go? What noises can it make and how can you distort it so that it can sound like other things?

Where do you search for your musical toys?

I've stolen some from my friends' children, for sure. Yeah, like ‘Hey, is your five year old son still using this piano?’

I once went all the way to Dunbar, to their Zero Waste shop. And I spent about two or three hours going through all of their spanners to try to make a glockenspiel out of spanners. There's also loads of toy instruments in that place. You should absolutely make a glockenspiel out of spanners because it is a beautiful noise.

Photo credit: Asuka Chen Back to Contents

Are you planning on returning to Scotland this year, if you can?

I'm really keen to go back. It's difficult because we’re not even sure when travel will be easy. I’ve been asked to play at The Great Western festival in Glasgow in November. Hopefully by November a performance will be possible and I will be back in the UK for that.

But I don't know, I would still feel quite nervous to be performing. I'm very curious to see how they would set that up and allow for social distancing. I'm excited to go back, though. But it is very nice to be here in a place where COVID is not a problem. Because now that I'm outside of it, it's so scary to see everything going on.

It must be great to be able to go to gigs. It’s an effort now to remember what that’s like.

It's mad like how something like that can just feel so alien. I think the first time I went to a gig when I got back, I was just so on edge. I was thinking, are we allowed to touch? Are we allowed to feel? Are we allowed to take off our face mask? And no one was feeling the same way, because all the people that were there obviously have been in Taiwan for a while. They don’t have the need to feel these things, because they've never had to not feel it.

I've been talking to lots of people who've been here since the start of the pandemic and they truly have no idea what it’s like. I think once you get out of lockdown and you just do everyday stuff, even if you're kind of complaining or feeling sad, at least I can go outside and buy stuff and not be anxious about going on MRTs [Taipei Metro] or the train or anything. Or just even buying a sandwich in a restaurant.

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You’ve lots of singles planned for the rest of the year. There’s an album in the works too, is that right?

Yeah, it'll be my first album. I'm hoping to finish it by November or December and then release it in the next coming year. I'm working on it with my friend who's in Yoko Pwno, Calum Cummins. He's the one who did my take care of yourself EP. I don't know if I'm supposed to feel that differently about it, because EPs are kind of just shorter albums. But then I guess albums get a really different media coverage. Though, the music industry is really changing ; because of lockdown, digital music releases have become more of a norm.

And also the advancement of technology: music is more single-tosingle and people have really short attention spans. So I think now, you can release single after single after single after single and that would perhaps be a more successful digital presence than releasing an album.

The singles 'professional woman' and 'n0thing' will be released via sarya's Bandcamp saryaisok.com

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Photo credit: Erietta Ioanna Florou

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REBECCA VASMANT

Photo credit: Steven Khan

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Rebecca Vasmant has been a mainstay on the Glasgow electronic music scene for many years. A household name for clubbers across Scotland and a residency at the world famous Sub Club is a testament to that.

A jazz fan her whole life, she has made her passion her main focus over the last five years, touring over 22 countries and hosting shows on BBC Radio Scotland and Worldwide FM, along with playing at the Glasgow Jazz Festival, Jazz Cafe London, Kasheme Zurich, Casper Montenegro, The Baltic Soul Weekender and a residency at the world-famous Ronnie Scott’s as part of the PaNrO Collective.

As Vasmant prepares to take the next step in her career, we talk about her new label Rebecca’s Records, new album From Glasgow, With Love, and providing a platform for the talented young musicians in Scotland.

When was the switch in focus from being a DJ who plays house and techno to concentrate on jazz, and why?

The short answer is – there never has been a switch. I still play, I still collect and I still love all of those things, so when I DJ, I play house, techno, and I play jazz. Maybe that is quite difficult for people to understand.

When I was young, my taste in music formed from being into music that used samples: hip hop, house, techno, a lot of the records that I had collected, sampled jazz. I like that all of the music that I play doesn't have a common theme or identity.

When I first started [DJing] I was exclusively playing house and techno, so it was easier for people to understand who I was and what I did, but I still loved jazz – I just wasn't vocal about it. I did have a couple of techno edits of jazz tunes that I played.

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Maybe from the outside looking in it doesn't make much sense; house, techno, and jazz, those things don't relate. Originally jazz was made to dance to – it was never made for you to sit around stroking your chin.

Do you feel there is a bit of a jazz resurgence at the moment?

There is a new movement with Giles Peterson and the London jazz scene. Maybe we are a wee bit behind in Glasgow. Glasgow's got a really strong identity for indie and house, and Soma Records for techno and releasing the first Daft Punk tracks. Glasgow is a really diverse city musically though, and jazz is here – as you know, having interviewed Liam from corto.alto in a previous issue.

Has the mainstream appeal given young Scottish jazz musicians an easier path to follow?

It’s only been for the past eight years or so that musicians have graduated from the RCS (Royal Conservatoire Scotland) in jazz; that's one of the reasons why the scene in Glasgow was behind and now is changing so much. The general positivity around modern jazz has some of the festivals that previously would never have jazz booking those bands now.

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As noted in your discussion with jazz muso Joe-Armon Jones on your Worldwide FM show, the big cities suck in all the talented musicians, but moving isn't always the answer.

Is the idea to provide a platform for Scottish musicians with your label Rebecca’s Records?

Yeah, well that's what I hope. I’ve tried to use my unique position in that I'm a massive music fan, I'm a DJ, and I'm also really closely connected to a lot of jazz musicians in Scotland. I feel like if you have a platform, then use it to benefit the music scene and do something to give back – fly the flag and show support.

The next step in doing that was by starting a label to platform all these amazing Scottish musicians to release on. And not covering just jazz; I want to cover hip hop and neo-soul and electronic stuff.

Maybe some techno as well. But no matter what, if it's good, then it could potentially get released.

The label isn't all about me, and yes, the first release is my album, but that album was a long time coming – the music was finished two years ago. I just want to help the world hear some of the amazing stuff we have in Glasgow and Scotland.

How easy is it to start a jazz label in Scotland?

I would say not easy. It's been a massive learning curve for me because even in the six months before this label got up and running, a lot of people on my list for my label had been signed to other labels. Maybe I had an idealistic view of this label as the only place where people would create music, but releasing on other labels benefits everybody. It’s been hard work and a lot of tears along the way, but I’m glad and grateful that we’re here now.

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Did lockdown give you the time to get the label started?

It has been a life-long ambition of mine. I just felt like it was the right time with the group of musicians and the new friends that I’d made through making my album. It has the potential to be a wonderful thing because of this horrible pandemic over this last year, and we’ve all had such a tough time – to be able to look back and say that something positive came out of it is really good for me and hopefully for everyone involved.

Was the album recorded in your flat?

We did one session at the SAE Institute in Glasgow as part of a student assessment, but apart from that it was all recorded in my flat, on one microphone.

You composed all of the tracks on the album. How much of the end product was the result of jamming and riffing?

The process was like a musical jigsaw. I’d start with samples, maybe some drum samples from a jazz record, stick into my MPC and then take some, I don't know... Rhodes keyboard from a Brazilian record, and I'll start messing around with those till I get something. Then I might think to get some brass on it and we'll see what happens from there. Usually, by the time I invite musicians over, there are the bare bones of a track, then we’ll sit and listen to it a few times and discuss what will sound good and where. I wrote the lyrics for all the tracks, but the musicians are an integral part of the album.

The unique way that we worked was just so lovely because everybody's part was as important as everyone else's. Brass, or the drums, or the singers. Some of it will be jamming, and I'll ask them to do like four or five takes in different styles, then I'll chop and change all the parts.

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Were there any pleasant surprises, with a track that you imagined sounding one particular way that turned out completely different?

Pretty much every track.

So the music was new to you, as well as to the musicians playing it for the first time?

Definitely. I cannot rate highly enough the musicians that were on my record. They just got it; they’re just amazing. I could describe an energy or an emotion or say ‘could you imagine that it's about this’ and they just nailed it every time. So talented.

Photo credit: Steven Khan Music by Donald Shields Page 53

You have an amazing array of talent on the album; Harry Weir from AKU! and Cameron Thomson Duncan to name but two. How did you decide on who would be on the album?

Harry Weir (saxophone) and Cameron who plays the trumpet on a lot of the tracks, we all used to get together and have music days. Listen to music or play around with tracks.

I feel like Harry gets the whole spiritual jazz thing. He’s really into Pharoah Sanders, and with Cameron, he's into a lot of the Scandi, deep, ambient spiritual jazz. I think it comes down to music tastes and understanding a feeling or perceiving a bit of music in exactly the same way. It's like, why change it if it works?

Can you elaborate a little more on future releases from Rebecca's Records?

We’re going to aim to do a minimum of four releases a year. As I've discovered, it takes a lot of effort from the very starting point to endpoint and releasing an LP. The next release is going to be a compilation; double (potentially triple) vinyl, featuring tracks from Scottish bands – some of whom you’ll know and some you won’t.

A lot of the tracks are exclusively done for the compilation, so they won't be available anywhere else. There are some collaborations of some people that don't normally work together, so it's all quite exciting. Then we are looking to do a release from a band with our good friend Harry, which is potentially going to be a big band with Sun Ra covers in the style of hip hop, and maybe some Scottish rappers involved as well. I think it's important to represent the Scottish hip hop scene. To be honest, all of this is so fast-paced – it’s a work in progress.

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Have you thought about touring and Djing again?

I miss travelling so much. Meeting different people every weekend and making connections with people with whom you had something in common. I feel like that's what led us to feel so connected within music.

Do you feel it will be a little bit different, touring in the future with the added responsibility of the label?

You mean I have to be sensible now? Haha! I guess it's going to be down to time management. My day job is running a label and my extracurricular activities are DJing – which is first and foremost what brings in all my income. As everybody probably knows about Spotify etc, it’s really difficult to make any money from releasing music. Being upfront about it, I’m not in it for the money. I’m trying to create a platform. If I can maintain that and get touring again I’ll be happy.

With Love, From Glasgow is out from 4th June via Rebecca’s Records and is available to pre-order now from your local record shop

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LOTOS CHECK MATE EP

ARTIST TRACK BY TRACK Image credit: Lewis Milne

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LOTOS is undoubtably one of Scottish hop-hop's top talents. Her first album The Last Piece of The Puzzle is currently in the National Museum of Scotland, and has toured with Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots, Estelle, Skeptar, Busta Rhymes, and Roots Manuva.

Her 2020 track 'Home' was one of our favourites of the year – it's still on heavy rotation in the SNACK office. All in all, we're delighted to present this special artist's track-by-track of her new EP, CHECK MATE. Follow this Spotify link to listen along.

QUEENS GAMBIT The crew and I all love chess, it’s the intricacy and your ability to learn so much that’s so fascinating about the game. When approaching this EP, we just wanted to make something about this place and time in the Scottish hip hop scene, so we went for fresh current sounds.

For me personally I’ve always prided myself on my ability to fuse different styles, it’s amazing being told by fans it’s like alchemy.

Also, as artists demonstrating our versatility and longevity.

We always want to make music that’s great but grounded in consciousness - that is thought provoking and makes you just feel a great vibe. That’s why Queens Gambit was an obvious choice for one of the tracks on the brand new EP (track produced by Prophet 64). It features MC Revelations: it was absolutely a pleasure, and natural too, to work with one of Scotland’s early pioneers in rap music. Where else would you find such talent, vocabulary, skill, with an epic slow flow that is extremely unique in the scene?

For me I love a lot of the grime, my drilly sounds, so it seemed natural to incorporate that element in the aftermath of 2020.

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WINGS 'Wings' was like making a piece of art in terms of how it just happened in the studio. Completely spontaneous and unrehearsed, it’s an example of what you can do when likeminded musicians come together. It was amazing to make this roots reggae meets underground drill, hip hop vibe with the legendary Jamaican artist Izreal. I loved making it, and reminded me of the days touring with Mungo's Hi Fi, Damien Marley, Spragga Benz, and Nas – where you can just experiment and be free.

Next level production by Mazza at Money Sound Entertainment who’s also worked with DigDat, Gigs, and AJ Tracey – especially after working with Show N Prove on ‘HOME’. We do it for the fans and you cannot create something excellent without taking risks occasionally. Which is intense but if it means we make a brilliant song then it’s worth it. That’s what it’s about really: freedom of spirit, flow and freedom of mind. Peace.

Image credit: Lewis Milne

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M8 'M8' is yet another Mazza banger – it was too easy to jump on this beat and just spit straight bars. As always, although the music is current it’s still steeped in real issues that draw our attention to how we can make life better through understanding past and present social economic and political issues. That’s really our ethos, hence the name Last Of The Old School. A great honour and, every piece of music, it’s about trying to do something that you not only enjoy but that adds something to you. Based on nights touring from Scotland to London with UK legends from Roots Manuva, Akala, Skeptar, Wiley, Skinnyman, Klashnekoff, Jehst, Black Twang, and so many other legends.

HIGHER There was nothing more amazing to come out of lockdown with than a studio session with the legend that is Fumez The Engineer, one of the hottest producers in the UK. Known for chart topping hits and working with the best of the best in the UK scene on his show Plugged In. For us this was about creating something that’s inimitable, no imitation. Again taking a risk because usually on a beat like this you're naturally wanting to go really hard. We decided to keep it authentic, spacious and stripped back to raw rap. Again, with the incredible talent that is MC Revelations aka Anonymous and Rude Boy. We recorded it in London and it’s just great to finally get back in the lab.

The video for CHECK MATE drops on 12th May. lastoftheoldschool.com Music Page 59

RANSOM FA

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Ransom FA brings the Granite City to the main stage of the grime scene, whilst exuding nothing but positivity and genuineness. From starring in BBC’s The Rap Game to going on and hosting his show, The Rap Trip, the buzz surrounding Ransom FA is a testament to his work ethos. And unsurprisingly, his new release is emblematic of that.

Plus who doesn’t want to listen to grime that gives shout-outs to Nicola Sturgeon? SNACK caught up with Ransom FA ahead of the release of his new four-track EP, Momentum.

How have you found the past year? It seems as if you're still working hard, with the new release of Momentum.

Yeah, I guess Covid has been a bit of a difficult one. You know, everyone is tired of just being held up for so long. But for me, I’ve tried to keep moving forward and keep that energy going. That’s why this release is called Momentum, because we’re just trying to keep pushing forward.

It’s great to hear grime lyrics that rhyme Raekwon with ‘yer da sells Avon’. How do those Scottish references travel down south?

Haha. Well, I’m down South and I say them, so they have no choice.

I guess what I’ve noticed over time is that some of the references may go over people’s heads; but music is like that worldwide. We listen to American music and half of us don’t even know what they’re referencing the majority of the time. I was raised in Aberdeen, so when I put that in my music I feel people can relate to the authenticity of what I’m saying even if they don’t necessarily understand what it means.

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Although I’m sure if anyone heard ‘yer da sells Avon’ they’d still be like, ‘nah, I can't have my dad selling Avon’.

You’re also routinely maintaining your loyalty to Aberdeen FC with choruses filled with the ‘Stand Free’ mantra.

Stand Free is an interesting one; if you're from Scotland you know it’s the Aberdonian football slogan, but when you take it away from football it has a different meaning. I think for any individual pursuing anything it’s the perfect representation that you don’t necessarily need a big movement or big label behind you. Stand free and still get things done. That’s kind of how I’ve seen it in my music and people have resonated with it.

I saw that you also filmed within the stadium?

Yeah, it’s crazy. As time goes on, I’ve built up my connection with Pittodrie. It feels surreal, playing football as a kid and dreaming of playing inside the stadium, to then go on and film a couple of music videos in the grounds alongside BBC Scotland’s Insider Guide to Aberdeen. It’s a sick feeling.

You are between Aberdeen and London, but did you feel a move to London was necessary for the career?

Well, it’s an interesting one. People ask me that quite a bit. It was more to take full advantage of the situation after The Rap Game; there were a lot of opportunities and events in London. I felt it was important to move down here for my career.

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I thoroughly enjoyed watching your journey on the show.

From AJ Tracey to Stefflon Don, you met some serious titans of the industry. Any particular ‘wow’ moments?

We met a lot of people, but for me, Ghetts was one of those pinnacle moments, cause he’s always been my favourite MC. His talent is sick and he’s such a humble guy. Even recently he messaged me wishing me luck – you just can’t fake that kind of shit. He’s such a real and genuine guy.

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Alongside Ghetts, who else were you listening to in the early days?

I grew up on both grime and hip-hop because of my older brother, who was heavily into grime from 2002. So this is like Sway, Bearman and Aggro Santos. I just felt like grime was the UK's answer to rap, and they're technically very similar. It's about the speed and time. But I would say I lean more to grime because it was more representative of the stuff I knew.

It’s always the big brother that moulds the music taste.

Yeah, legit. I always wonder who helps the big brother get their taste?

Good question. Funnily enough, I was reading your brother's blog, The Black Scotsman, and it touched on you supporting Ghostface Killah. What was that like?

It was a crazy time. A couple of the Wu-tang were there in Glasgow for it and I’m sure you can imagine the energy was nuts. Ghostface Killah is someone I grew up on, so to be asked to support him was quite a surreal moment. And that was a few years back now. I would have been maybe 19 or 20.

I’ve opened up for so many people now, from Skepta to Big Narstie, and that was one of the main ways I was able to get a lot of people to recognise me in Scotland. I realised from a young age that you can earn respect in this industry by rubbing shoulders with those who already demand it. Particularly when Scottish rap was not being taken seriously. It was the best route for me to gain respect.

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It’s great to finally witness the credibility of Scottish rap and grime grow to a UK wide level.

Definitely, and I think that’s the case within the likes of The Rap Game and these things as well. Since the first season now, there's always a want to have a Scottish person involved. It’s becoming something they almost have to have.

And of course, after The Rap Game, you went on to present The Rap Trip. How have you been enjoying the role as a presenter?

Yeah, that was great fun. I’m loving the presenting process. I’ve done a fair few things now, but I also did a football documentary last year with Goal on YouTube, called the Jadon Sancho Dream. It followed kids from areas who don’t have good links to the football academies or those that have become maybe a bit too old; it’s worth checking out. I just like speaking to people and it also lets me show people who I am. So yeah, it's an aspect I’m really enjoying.

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Can you tell us more about Ransom HQ? Essentially it’s a studio space that I’ve set up in Aberdeen for artists to come in and explore music in a way that wasn’t possible before.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure we have there isn’t good for artists in the same genre as me. I wanted to give the young team an affordable chance to use the equipment that I used to come up. The engineer I first worked with is running it at the moment, but unfortunately, with Covid, it's been difficult to keep running everything. But the mission is still there. Hopefully we can do something different with it and change things in Aberdeen.

Hopefully, we are due to hear more voices coming from Aberdeen, then. Any listening recommendations from home?

Yeah, definitely. There are a lot of young artists coming up, so I’m just trying to get myself in a position where I can help them and get things going. But yeah, I could list a few: my mate Gidd Gamz, who's a sick artist, is going to be doing a lot. Then there's JusHarry, another young guy from Aberdeen that's doing crazy bits right now. The scene is bubbling up. I’m just looking forward to coming back up to Scotland post-Covid to try and solidify that infrastructure.

Momentum is out now via Ransom Records

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Poetry by Ross Wilcock Page 67

AFRICA

AFRICA IN MOTION GLASGOW AFRICAN BALAFON ORCHESTRA JOHFRIM ART AND DESIGN

AFRICAN ART IN SCOTLAND Louis Azaria Mbughuni, The Fishermen, c.1965

On 19th April, after two years of confirmatory research, the University of St Andrews rediscovered the provenance of twelve works by some of Africa’s most prominent 20th century artists which had been scattered between various Argyll and Bute schools and libraries – knowledge of their significance lost over time.

The pieces, by the likes of Samuel Ntiro, Jak Katarikawe, Henry Tayali, and Lucky Sibiya, had been bought by Naomi Mitchison for the Argyll Collection from the galleries of Dar Es Salaam, Nairobi, Lusaka, and Kampala in the 1960s and 70s to promote art education for Scottish children, only to become overlooked. The works will now be exhibited in Dunoon Burgh Hall from 21st May. Back to Contents

That journey from African art hotspot to being lost within the Scottish arts landscape is one that may resonate with individual African artists in Scotland. It is also one which cultural bodies stress they are keen to avoid. In February, Creative Scotland created a new advisory group to be ‘reflective of all Scotland’s communities’, and four of the nine recipients of its 2021 New International Collaboration Funds are Scottish-African partnerships.

So how healthy is Scotland’s relationship with its African arts? As Africa Day, 25th May, approaches, SNACK asked representatives of Scottish organisations working in African film, music and art how the cultural landscape looks to them.

Samuel Ntiro, Chopping Wood, c. 1967 Images courtesy of The Argyll Collection Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 71

AFRICA IN MOTION Africa in Motion is the largest African film festival in the UK. Primarily based in Edinburgh and Glasgow, it will be held online in October 2021. Submissions for its short film competition are currently open.

Liz Chege is the Festival Director at Africa in Motion, a position she has held since August 2020. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, she currently lives in Glasgow.

How would you describe Africa in Motion?

This is an interesting question because I am in the middle of revising what it means. Primarily it is a film festival, but I love the title ‘Africa in Motion’ because it doesn’t restrict it to just film. We do art exhibitions.

We are very involved in VR. Gaming is a very big industry now on the continent. Something that I launched last year is the Notes Unbound critics circle for African or African diaspora critics. So we are involved in a lot of different aspects of creativity. I would say it is an organisation committed to the discovery of new African talent, both on the continent and in the diaspora, and to introducing these artists to audiences in the UK.

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Africa is a large, diverse continent. Is all of Africa equally represented in film?

Africa is huge. You can fit China, America, Europe, and Australia in it with room to spare. In Kenya we have 43 languages, which means 43 cultures. Nigeria has over 200. So it is impossible to capture everything. But yes, there are regions that have more of a platform because of heritage.

West Africa, because the French colonised there, tends to have a successful track record. Nigeria is rich in resources, which is why Nollywood has grown. North Africa, especially Egypt and Tunisia.

And of course South Africa has resources, and Hollywood films there because of tax cuts. But across the continent making money from art is difficult because it is not seen as a respectable field. We do try to give as big geographical cover as possible, but recognise some areas are more represented than others.

Kmêdeus (EatGod) Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 73

Why is an African film festival important for Scotland?

First, the amnesia in the UK about its colonialism cannot be ignored.

The histories of Africa and the UK are so entwined, even in the present day – not just the fact that African people are here, but there are also British people across the continent. Second, there tends to be only one perspective of Africa. I know the existence of the NGOs is important, but bombarding UK audiences with those adverts doesn’t help the narrative. There is a disconnect with how Africa is represented here.

What change would help African films get more established in Scotland?

Helping more artists will naturally – depending on who is moderating this – mean there are more Black and African Scottish artists represented. I actually think there needs to be more investment in the initial stages of film: the writing, script development, the craft of filmmaking, rather than just production. Invest more in the development phase because you will get good work rising to the top, and that work produces more funding.

No Traveller Returns Back to Contents

Does using the term ‘African’ risk making Scottish audiences see African filmmakers as ‘other’?

I think specificity is incredibly important. I do see both viewpoints: someone says ‘I just want to be known as an artist’, but on the other hand saying you are colour-blind, which I despise, means you erase somebody’s identity. My opinion is that it does matter and should be included, but I also know that I don’t speak for all Black people and opinions will differ. I think if you can be more specific about where someone is from – if you can say Kenyan-Scottish, Egyptian-Scottish – it is much more helpful than just saying African.

Tinghir - Jerusalem, Echoes from the Mellah Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 75

Has having African heritage influenced your career path in Scotland?

Absolutely. This is the first time the festival has been led by a Black person, and not just a Black person but a Black African person. It is hard to put this stuff into words – and I can see why people don’t want to speak about identity because it can be so easy to misconstrue – but I think my experiences will inform how the films are talked about and what kind of people are invited to speak. This is a good and bad thing because it can become hard to separate yourself from the identity of the festival, but I have worked hard on having boundaries in place.

Rooted

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Where would you recommend a person start in order to improve their knowledge of African film?

Thank you for asking this question. There are some amazing curators out there who have collected and produced DVDs of great works. Criterion Collection has an amazing resource of not just African filmmakers, but also Black directors from all over the world.

BFI also has, but not on the same scale. And we have an African film database which programmers and curators can look through. Also read magazines like Film Comment. And just keep attending these festivals; that is where the new work is coming, as well as archive work that is being restored.

Finally, how can people learn more about Africa in Motion beyond the festival?

They should sign up to our newsletter! But we do year round screenings, which are usually free, and we are part of an African festival consortium called Tano – Tano means five in Swahili, as there are five festivals. And there are various ways people can participate.

They can volunteer. They can spread the word. They can follow us on social media. And they can donate! africa-in-motion.org.uk

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 77

GLASGOW AFRICAN BALAFON ORCHESTRA

GABO Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra (GABO) is a platform promoting Afrobeat, Afro Jazz, and collaboration. Established in 2018, it currently offers a band, studio, radio station, and workshops, and is launching a festival this summer. It is part of the broader AfroCeltic Connections project. Chief Bapula Chebe, 50, founded GABO and works as its Music and Artistic Director. Born in Pulima, Ghana, he currently lives in Kilsyth and has recently also started African Dreams Publications.

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Photo by Harrison Reid at Dystopia Studios

Kmêdeus (EatGod)

What brought you to found GABO? It was a combination of frustration and hope. The frustration being that I am a musician and author in Scotland finding it difficult to see African authors and musicians develop professionally – including myself. Knowing that the talent is there and not being able to do anything. The hope is because I come across a lot of musicians and artists and can see the cultural fusion that African music can bring.

How healthy is the African music scene in Scotland?

That is one of the questions I have been waiting – waiting, waiting, waiting – for somebody to ask me. African music in Scotland is at a chronic anaemia stage. Chronic, as in suffering. And anaemic is malnourished. I say this because in Africa music is normally part of an inheritance culture – my grandfather played balafon, his grandfather played, and so on. Scotland has people who have found themselves here and who have these unique cultural inheritance legacies, but our situation is impoverished by a lack of network organisation and targeted resources.

An example: I have worked as a community artist in schools, and have been happy doing it because a cultural artist has responsibility.

But when I reached the point to develop my art, I struggled for any funding or resources. I have made five applications to Creative Scotland and failed. You get small funds from the Lottery, then hope for a fund from Creative Scotland which you don’t get so the thing you want to do becomes a mess. The amount of time you spend as an artist on applications is frustrating. If somebody as established as myself cannot get access…That is why I say we are in a chronic state of anaemia.

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 79

Does Scotland still see its African artists as outsiders?

The problem is poor presentation. But art is the best opportunity to make Africa a desirable brand. Art can help people up from the streets. There are talented people, but they have to sell drugs – it is so embarrassing. Scotland is a welcoming place, but how are we enabled to contribute effectively to the social economy? We are actually most welcome when we have no place to live: once we find a place, we are abandoned.

That abandonment does not come from hate but the way people logically think. But there is an opportunity here. Art offers that hope because there is talent out on the street. We need to find ways to find it. It is not about equality, but opportunities. If you support ten artists, maybe none of them will become Rihanna. But if you continue supporting, one of them will become somebody that moves out of this targeted effort.

Photo by Harrison Reid at Dystopia Studios

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Are there expectations inside Scotland’s African community about what art it should be producing?

A lot of our educated people don’t embrace our artists. They think ‘Why would I bother seeing someone playing a drum when I can just play Dr Dre or Kanye West?’ We are not professional artists in their eyes. Yes, you have a community festival, you play the drum, and they will enjoy the spirit, but unless we gain a lot of people’s attention our own people discriminate against us. ‘You are an artist but your car is breaking down all the time!’ (laughs) ‘You are an artist but we see you wearing the same jacket!’ So that is quite complicated within the community.

A lot of people just give up. Many of the refugees from West or Southern Africa are musicians, and their music asks intelligent questions, but here frustration comes and they do a security or cleaning job.

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 81

Does money influence the type of art that African musicians are producing?

Definitely. It influences not only the art people are producing, but the art people are consuming. I have visited thousands of schools and done so many community workshops, and at that level some of us are effective contributors. But when it comes to big events there is no strategic money there. I can only present my art to people where it is nearly free: I don’t have the capacity to develop an orchestra and make it not just me banging drums for 300 people. So you become a general consultant rather than a specialist. I have to be a writer, I have to do this, have to do that. Sometimes I have to combine everything.

You can’t focus on your own special area.

After you develop art to a certain standard, it becomes universal, and I think Scotland is missing a big opportunity. If a mega national funder like Creative Scotland could have an African community art fund, it could give Scotland, a small place, a lot of global linkage.

Now when they play my music in Ghana, I go there as a Scottish export. The cultural and economic benefits cannot be underestimated. gabosounds.com

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Photo by Harrison Reid at Dystopia Studios

Suleman Chebe with Balafon Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 83

JOHFRIM ART AND DESIGN Chief Josephine Oboh-MacLeod

Photo credit: Olumide Fadeyibi

Chief Josephine Oboh-MacLeod is the Artistic Director at Johfrim Art and Design – an art exhibitor and seller based in Milngavie.

Started in 2016, Johfrim hosts cross-cultural events and represents work by 30-50 artists, approximately 70% of whom are from Africa. From Lagos, Nigeria, she is also an artist, photographer, and businesswoman.

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How did you come to be representing African artists in Scotland?

I have been working with art for over thirty years. When I was 16 I wanted to be an artist, but my mum wanted me to be a businesswoman – I said if I am going to work for you, you have to sponsor my art! Later, I set up an African art gallery with an English partner in Guildford, and after my MBA I started an art hotel on Victoria Island [in Lagos].

I started this in Scotland because I married a Scottish husband. We met in Nigeria – it was his bagpiping that did it for me. When I got to Scotland I went to the artists guild where I am from and asked them whether they would trust me with some works so that I could market the work internationally.

The Milk Maid

by Titus Akgbara, Oil on Canvas

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 85

Are there similarities between African art and Scottish culture?

I find that a lot of your Celtic symbols and colours are very similar to ones in Africa. Even the kilt. In our tradition, during the ceremonies, men wear things like the kilt. And when my husband went to my village for the first time and played his bagpipes, the oldest man was saying the sound was like an instrument they used to have in the olden days.

Why do you think exhibiting African art is important for Scotland’s cultural landscape?

Scotland is becoming a cosmopolitan place. There are a lot of Africans now proud of being Scottish. I’m one! So for the sake of those Africans, including myself, who are Black Africans, I do want something that represents me within the landscape of Scotland. I feel it is also good that Scottish people know about the rest of the world, and are positively influenced by other parts of the world.

I want us to prosper and work together so we can reduce racism.

Art is the strongest weapon to reduce racism and classism. You meet yourselves as equals when you are artists.

How is African art trending in Scotland? Is it becoming more popular?

I think it is positive. I think there is a future for African art, definitely.

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with one footstep, and we have started that step. People are responsive to it: Gavin’s Mill [in Milngavie] has Africa Days to make African art and meals and they have been very successful. People are ready for it.

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Are there any specific challenges in getting African artists shown?

We need a space to do things and the support of the government.

The people and the Lottery can’t do everything. If the Lottery is giving funding, then the government should give a space – there are so many run-down properties they could do up with a little funding, then say ‘OK, Black Africans, you have this here, showcase your work’.

We can do that with other Scottish people too, it doesn’t have to be only Africans. So funding and spaces. If we get those two we are good to go.

Sisters

by Emmanuel Dudu, Oil on Canvas

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 87

Do Scottish art watchers have expectations about what African art should be?

I think the expectation for some is it is going to be ugly. But I promise them it is not going to be ugly; we just need to explain that there are different aspects to know about African art. You have art intended for a shrine where the intention is for us to be afraid of our ancestors, so the artist portrays fear.

If, after 500 years, you are still afraid and say it is ugly, it means the artist has done what he intended to do. But when you look at other art, and they have streamlined faces like the bronze work in Benin in praise of the obas or iyobas, you find them handsome. This art is for beauty.

On the flipside, do African artists have expectations of what will sell in Scotland?

No, but we are still testing the market. So far I know people love bright colours. During the winter they say ‘No no no, I want bright colours!’ But cool colours can also be relaxing, for example in office spaces. So we are still testing to see the reaction – but the reaction is mostly ‘we love the bright colours’.

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Is there a way for people who are not artists to participate in Johfrim’s work?

Yes. During all our exhibitions we have community participation where you paint with us, or we do something with you and we display it. We show things from people who have never painted before but who have taken part in the exhibition. And if a buyer wants to buy it, that is fine. johfrimartanddesign.com

Let Rhythm Flow

by Edisson Ekweme, Oil on Canvas

Art & Culture by Jamie Wills Page 89

ACCESS

DISABILITY: THE REALITY OF NORMALITY

DISABILITY: THE REALITY OF NORMALITY Photo credit: elevatebeer via Unsplash As we begin to see the world reopening after so long in lockdown, and with the future looking brighter, as a disabled person, something comes to my mind. I’ve been very aware that many features introduced to meet Government Covid-19 guidelines have had unintended positive consequences for ease of access for people like myself.

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Alycia Pirmohamed

In hospitality, I’ve noticed easy-to-read online menus, table service, and booking in advance becoming the norm – all important for anyone with sight and/or mobility needs. It made me feel that, finally, disabled voices were being heard – it only took a global pandemic.

However, it frightens me that once the world is back to some degree of whatever counts as normality, these small changes that make the world of difference to someone like me, will be taken away, despite the benefits. I guess the question is: are we being listened to, or will these improvements fall by the side of the road when the majority don’t need them so much?

As a visually impaired person, I worry about the two-metre rule, and whether I am having my space invaded or if I'm accidentally invading the space of others when waiting in queues for shops.

Isla Mcintosh, Community Development Manager for Glasgow Disability Alliance, says that other members with visual impairments are similarly concerned about how to socially distance and maintain hygiene, especially if they rely on guides or touch to navigate.

Street furniture is an issue which causes me some concern, especially now that many bars and cafes have no other option than to provide outside seating areas in order to trade. This means that people who are wheelchair users or visually impaired are put at risk due to increased trip hazards. Local councils should be looking at their lockdown easing measures more closely to make sure everyone is kept safe, not just the abled. This is from someone who has found themselves walking into beer garden barriers many, many times.

The Euphoria of Being Access by Ross Wilcock Page 93

Isla Mcintosh of GDA mentions that members of GDA have also repeorted concerns about the expansion of outdoors areas encroaching on accessibility of pavements. I'm not alone, it seems.

Hospitality has had it tough in the last year, but it is the responsibility of the local council to implement rules which make sure that the public, especially those with disabilities and access needs, are able to use public spaces safely.

According to the council, accessibility is a consideration when deciding on whether a premises can have a temporary outdoor area.

The Lord provost Phillip Braat, who is the councillor for the Yorkhill area of Glasgow replied to us: 'The swift increase of street furniture is to help hospitality to open up safely during this time. But I understand the concern around the help and safety for those with mobility issues.

The council will have this in mind when deciding the way to reopen society for everyone.' We'll have to wait and see how much consideration it's given when we're in the full flow of summer.

Table service is now more common in Scotland than ever before, benefiting those with anxiety disorders; waiting at a crowded bar is a stressful thing for many people, so a table service option takes away that fear and allows more people to access venues. Knowing that I can have a table booked in advance, as someone who has mobility issues, means that there is no fear of having to stand and wait at the bar for a table when I could be having a bad pain day. I’m already noticing that pre-booking is becoming a thing of the past with some venues.

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If you run a bar, restaurant or cafe, ask yourself, is it possible to keep pre-booking as an option? If it is, you’d be well on track to keeping me, and others with similar needs, as customers. For example, people with invisible disabilities, such as autism, often benefit from familiar routines and have an increased need to pre-plan activities. Giving everyone the option to pre-book a table and having menu options freely available online goes a long way to avoiding surprises and last-minute changes, which can be difficult to deal with.

Indeed, online menu systems are now more prevalent than they have ever been. Many venues now have methods of ordering what you want straight from your phone. Some also give the capability of zooming in and out of menus, which means that people who are visually impaired or those who use screen readers can confidently and easily access menus which should have been made universal in the first place.

I have been really pleased with, and taken aback by, the increase in restaurants and bars implementing online menu systems. These changes are something I, and many others, I'm sure, would like to see maintained even after Covid restrictions are a distant memory.

With restrictions easing and the world finding its feet again, I just hope that the voices of those which went unheard before are listened to now. This is a chance for the world to become more accessible for those living with disabilities. Everyone benefits from increased accessibility for all.

Access by Ross Wilcock Page 95

LGBT+

THE (NOT) GAY MOVIE CLUB EUROVISION

XANADU

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Have you ever asked yourself: why didn’t Gene Kelly do more roller skating? I doubt you have, but watching 1980s fantasy-musical Xanadu has provoked me to question many things, with the most pertinent being why it had taken me so long to see this film.

Xanadu is considered a major box office bomb and cultural eyesore. It was viewing Xanadu that inspired John J. B. Wilson to found the now-legendary Golden Raspberry Awards (the Razzies), the Oscars-alternative celebrating the worst of cinematic underachievements. For this, we should be eternally grateful to Xanadu, a film so outrageously camp and nonsensical I can’t think of a single film quite like it. As The Guardian’s Guy Lodge once wrote: 'There’s something to love in the creative liberties it so extravagantly abused.'

It is with bewildered glee and bemusement that we welcome Xanadu into The (not) Gay Movie Club. We encourage you, reader, to don roller skates when reading, to truly feel like you are a part of the experience. I am wearing them right now.

Olivia Newton-John plays Kira, a muse who comes, somehow, from Mount Olympus to encourage Sonny, a struggling and uninspired commercial artist, to pursue his dream of opening a fantastical nightclub, Xanadu. That is the skeleton of the story. It is important to remember this when viewing, as it is very easy to lose awareness of what is happening and why things are happening.

I enjoy very much that Kira has been a muse to all the greats – Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Beethoven – but it is Sonny and his dream of what is effectively running a roller rink that she finds unable to detach herself from emotionally.

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We also meet Danny McGuire, a washed-up big band orchestra leader, played charmingly by Gene Kelly. He too had Kira as a muse in the 1940s; there is a bizarre sequence in which he dances with a past version of her, dressed like an Andrews Sister. Watching Xanadu by myself (my partner excusing himself to do literally anything other than view this film), I muttered and jotted down the phrase 'What is happening?' at several points. Oh! And there is a strange animated sequence in the middle. Why? Who knows. I learned very quickly into my viewing that logic and reason have no place in Xanadu.

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It is hard to pin down exactly where the film goes awry, but a safe place to start is the diabolical script; it feels like it was conceived in a 'there’s no such thing as a bad idea' type of writers’ room, but NewtonJohn contends that the dialogue was being written as the movie was being filmed. Every line is cheesy, and the lack of deliberate humour only adds to its overall camp value. This is reinforced by the movie’s often nauseating aesthetic. I trust the film would somehow have felt dated on its 1980 release, projecting a shiny, neon prediction of the future with cheap production and a lack of style. What is truly baffling is how many points of reference are drawn on, with every conceivable era (old Hollywood, Greek mythology, disco) crammed into this bizarre time capsule.

LGBT+ by Jonny Stone Page 101

What truly saves this film is its soundtrack, split between NewtonJohn tracks and ELO songs, with the two parties joining forces for the iconic title song. The music is excellent, and ONJ’s voice is sublimely hypnotic over no. 1 single 'Magic.' My favourite number, 'Fool Country', is a Pat Benatar-esque banger that is bafflingly not on the soundtrack, but God doesn’t give with both hands. In a bizarre twist, the song snaps unceremoniously mid-track into a woeful country number, encouraging the viewer to ask once again: what is happening? But there is no denying that the track Xanadu itself is stupendous; so good, in fact, that ONJ’s performance at the end manipulated me into thinking this was a good movie, that the last 90 minutes had been a fever dream and that I was wrong to be so cynical.

Olivia Newton-John is everything. She is a talented singer, noted humanitarian, and has cultivated an enormously successful show business career for nearly 60 years. She is a gay icon, who between countless amazing songs, her turn as Sandie in Grease and arguably laying the groundwork for Kylie, is a pop culture darling. What can’t she do?

Act. She simply can’t act.

And I guess that’s not the end of the world when you sound like Olivia Newton-John, or have her charisma and stage presence. Her energy and pep definitely keep the film afloat, and while her acting chops leave much to be desired, her star quality is hard to deny. In the final number, when she sings the titular track, the hairs on your neck stand on end. This is a star, someone so in their element, emanating Back to Contents

such joy. When she turned round – hair perfect, looking radiant in a gold jumpsuit – I gay gasped. Acting may not be her gig, but ONJ is the perfect popstar, and that is a major takeaway from the film.

Typically, I go into detail microanalysing what makes our choice of the month quintessentially queer. For Xanadu, little dissection is required. The visual indulgence and the film’s 'more is more' attitude make the film outrageously camp and over the top: even the transitions between scenes rocket across the screen with a 'futuristic' sound effect. The choreography is frankly excellent (designed by legendary choreographer and director Kenny Ortega), and the roller-skating sequences are as absurdly camp as you imagine, but executed perfectly. Even Gene Kelly is a skating pro, and he was 68 at the time!

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Against your better judgement, one must look too at the costumes, particularly Kira’s: as a muse, she appears in a vast array of outfits, but her go-to look is tragic. She skates around in frilly satin dresses and leg warmers, providing a stark contrast to the leopard print 'punk' number adorned at the end. However, there’s something inherently queer about the film’s culture clash between old Hollywood glamour and the futuristic disco/new wave hybrid, as well as the suggestion that there is a message behind this meeting of worlds. Perhaps the film’s creators are attempting to make a commentary on paying homage to the past and embracing the future. Perhaps I’m clutching at straws to make sense of a film one can only describe as an exercise in excess.

My sister, asking what I did over the weekend, asked me what Xanadu was like. I struggled to articulate my feelings: it is objectively terrible and often difficult to endure, but I have taken so much joy from discussing it here and to every person I meet that it must have impacted me more than I care to admit. I am listening to the soundtrack once a day. I am looking forward to dusting off my knee and elbow pads to return to roller skating.

There is a hypnotic, irresistible quality to Xanadu; perhaps that was what the intention of the film was all along. We welcome it with open arms into The (not) Gay Movie Club, and hope no one ever tries to erect a Hollywood/punk/disco/country hybrid roller disco in the Southside. Because I will never leave.

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LGBT+ by Jonny Stone Page 105

James Newman (UK) I’ve said it before: Eurovision is the gay World Cup. The biggest party in the world, Eurovision is arguably the closest thing I’ll get to watching national football teams compete. It is celebrated as the gayest night of the year, and with good reason. After all, this institution boasts champions as iconic as ABBA, Olivia NewtonJohn, Celine Dion, Dana International and Conchita Wurst, and the ethos of the whole contest – as ridiculous as it undoubtedly is – is global community and joy. Strip away all the polyester and confetti and you’ll find Eurovision is a celebration of unity, a kaleidoscopic carnival of dance, fun and high camp (whether that is the intention of the artist or not).

At the risk of sounding sentimental, Eurovision has the power to bring the world together for one glorious night of indulgence, and after this year there is no question that this is what we need.

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Photo credit: Victor Frankowski

EUROVISION '21

Last year’s ceremony in Rotterdam was, of course, cancelled, a first in the contest’s history. While last year’s artists were invited to compete again, the songs selected for the 2020 contest are not eligible. Like we all did, Eurovision made it work, curating a rich programme of commemorative shows throughout the year to tide us over until 2021’s ceremony.

Naturally, this year’s show will feel different. Each country’s representatives will head to Rotterdam, all going to plan, and perform.

They have been asked to record a music video in the event they cannot reach the Netherlands or have to quarantine onsite. There will be an audience, though it will solely be Dutch Eurovision fans, and about half the capacity of the arena will be filled with people (3,500 audience members can attend the show). It will be strange seeing so few in the crowds, but it’s tremendous that a safe solution was possible. Never has a Eurovision annual theme ('Open Up') been more pertinent.

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Of course, Eurovision isn’t exempt from controversy, mostly thanks to political interference. Belarus’ entry was disqualified from the 2021 games due to concerns the subtext in their lyrics and the group’s offstage views risked criticising anti-government protest, while in 2019’s contest in Tel Aviv, anti-capitalist band Hatari were fined for waving banners of the Palestine flag during the live televote. As well as politics, there is a conflict I certainly feel when countries with a troubling record on LGBTQ+ rights compete alongside inclusive nations proactive in the fight for equality. It is jarring to see nations like Russia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine represented on the global stage – at an event designed to be a celebration of diversity – given their atrocious stance on LGBTQ+ progress and in some cases blatant human rights violations. Why these nations partake in an event like Eurovision is difficult to grasp, but my hope is that LGBTQ+ citizens in these countries can access the contest and enjoy being part of our global community without fear, even if it’s just for the night.

Photo credit: Egor Shabanov

Manizha (Russia) Back to Contents

Photo credit: N. Gordienko

Natalia Gordienko (Moldova)

But who stands a chance of bringing home the iconic glass trophy?

Despite all I just said, I have a soft spot for Russia’s entry, 'Russian Woman'. The track comes from Tajikistan-born performer Manizha, who has become a target of controversy and criticism in the Russian media. Her fiery activism in promoting LGBTQ+ equality and advocacy against domestic violence and xenophobia have resulted in her becoming a divisive figure. I also adore Ukraine’s earworm ‘Shum’ and Moldova’s entry ‘Sugar’: there is little to no substance to this song, but I can’t wait to dance to it in my post-show kitchen disco once it inevitably doesn’t win.

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However, to me, Iceland deserves to take the trophy this year. Last year’s competitors Daði og Gagnamagnið made a huge impact with their wholesome disco number 'Think About Things’, and while '10 Years' doesn’t quite match its predecessor’s glory, it’s charming and catchy. The group just might have garnered enough momentum and goodwill to make it to the top, and finally lead to an Icelandic win (they are the only Nordic country not to achieve this feat).

If I were a betting man, however, I’d put my money on Malta, who have never won the contest either; their track is leading the bookie’s polls and seems to have captured the hearts of the Eurovision fandom.

But it’s important to remember that while it can be a platform for stellar songwriters and performers, Eurovision is a celebration of all things camp and outrageous. So, I encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for Lithuania’s entry. To me, it epitomises the bizarre beauty of Eurovision, boasting bright colours, high energy, and camp humour.

Is this what it feels like when straight people watch the Champions League?

Daði og Gagnamagnið (Iceland)

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Photo credit: Birta Rán

I am Samuel

The Roop (Lithuania)

Photo credit: Jurga Urbonaite

As if the Eurovision gods are smiling down on us, four people from two households can socialise indoors the day before the finale: never has it been more important to get your Eurovision celebrations organised. Choose your audience carefully and ask yourself – what energy/commentary will this person bring to the proceedings? Do you need to prepare national drinks and snacks to accompany the contest, or should you prepare a quiz to tide everyone over during the vote count? You may wish to designate a country to everyone which they will support; in a contest where the worst can be best, you might just find yourself the reigning queen of the night.

It feels so good to have Eurovision back in our midst. Celebrate the contest for what it is – an escape from a traumatic year, a celebration of joy, and an excuse to indulge in your guilty pleasures and have fun. Especially when it is unclear if and how Pride celebrations can run this year, take Eurovision as your night to celebrate our community in all its glory.

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FOOD &

DRINK

RECIPES MACKEREL KEDGEREE BELGIAN BUNS IT'S A TOTAL PICNIC

MACKEREL KEDGEREE Back to Contents

Kedgeree is a dish that can trace its roots back to the British colonisation of India, where an existing dish, khichri, was transported to the British Isles and adapted for western palates.

The earliest mention of the dish is from 1790, recorded by a Scot, no less.

Stephana Malcolm of Dumfriesshire collated a number of dishes in a handwritten recipe book, and you can even view the original, as it has been scanned and archived on the National Library of Scotland website (digital.nls. uk/102826548).

Eaten hot or cold for breakfast/brunch, kedgeree is something we don’t see all that often, despite the increase in places ‘to brunch’ at in Glasgow and Edinburgh. So all the more reason to make it at home. Traditionally, smoked haddock is used, but for this recipe we have chosen mackerel. You could substitute it for any number of different fish, or forgo the fish entirely to make it vegetarian.

INGREDIENTS ▌ 1 packet smoked mackerel (approximately 250g) ▌ 1 onion, finely chopped ▌ 1 tbsp medium curry powder ▌ A handful of chopped kale ▌ 200g basmati rice ▌ 600ml vegetable stock ▌ 2 eggs ▌ 150g frozen peas, defrosted

Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 115

METHOD ▌ Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion and chopped kale. ▌ Cook until softened and add curry powder. ▌ Cook for a further couple of minutes. ▌ Add the rice and combine the rice with the onion and curry powder well. ▌ Add the vegetable stock. ▌ Bring the mixture to a simmer, then place a lid over the pan and cook for 15 minutes. ▌ Whilst the rice is cooking, boil the eggs for around 6 mins, or to your own preference. ▌ Peel and set aside the cooked eggs. ▌ Remove the pan from the heat and add the peas to the mixture. Cover and leave to sit for 5 minutes. ▌ Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and break into large flakes, then mix gently through the rice. ▌ Cut the eggs into quarters and serve on top of the kedgeree.

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Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 117

BELGIAN BUNS

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Belgian buns might not even be from Belgium, but wherever they’re from, they are damn tasty. Similar to Chelsea buns, which can trace their origin to the early 1700s and the Chelsea bun house (sadly no longer in existence) in London that was once frequented by royalty, and even found its way into novels written by the likes of Charles Dickens, a Belgian bun probably came along later.

It takes the concept of this sweet, fruit-laden pastry and adds even more sweetness in the form of icing and a glacé cherry on top.

Not all recipes use lemon curd, but we feel that including it gives it a zingy, citrus edge that makes it stand out from other sweet bun recipes.

INGREDIENTS ▌ 450g strong white flour ▌ 7g yeast ▌ 75g caster sugar ▌ 165ml warm milk ▌ 1 large egg, beaten ▌ 50g unsalted butter, melted ▌ Lemon curd ▌ 150g sultanas ▌ 250g icing sugar ▌ Glacé cherries

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METHOD ▌ In a large bowl mix together flour, yeast and sugar. ▌ Add the warm milk, melted butter and beaten egg to this mixture and combine until all the ingredients are mixed together. ▌ Dust a work surface with flour and tip the mixture onto it. ▌ Knead the dough until it feels smooth and elastic. ▌ Place the dough into a large bowl, cover and leave to rest in a warm place for an hour. ▌ After an hour, roll out the dough to an area about 30 by 45cm with a thickness of around 5cm ▌ Spread the lemon curd, around 5 tbsps, over the dough. ▌ Sprinkle the sultanas over the lemon curd. ▌ Roll the dough up lengthways from the shortest side, like a Swiss roll. ▌ With the dough shaped like a log, slice into equal-sized buns. ▌ Place the buns onto a lined baking tray. ▌ Leave to prove for 45 mins.

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▌ Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4. ▌ Bake for 20 mins, or until the buns look golden brown. ▌ Remove from the oven and leave to cool. ▌ Whilst cooling, sieve the icing sugar and mix with 3 tbsp water until a thick, white icing forms. ▌ Spread the icing on top of the buns with the back of a spoon. ▌ Place a cherry in the middle of each one. ▌ Voilà!

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IT'S A TOTAL PICNIC This summer is going to be like no other. After having spent nearly a whole year at home with minimal contact from those outside our households, and enduring less than ideal weather when we could venture outside, it won’t be a surprise to see any comfortable green space in the sun saturated with revellers.

To help inspire anyone wanting to take to the great outdoors for the day, we asked some of our writers to give their recommendations for how to fill the perfect picnic day. From 80s music to good buddies, here are our must-haves for a fun meal on the grass this summer.

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LINDSAY CORR Food Chorizo and Gouda rollitos - beyond delicious and easily done in a vegan and veggie format, so win-win!

Drink

Music

Gin and ginger beer. A winning combo for me, and oh so refreshing on a nice day.

A playlist of 80s and 90s classics, No doubt there’d be a few musical numbers thrown in too.

Place

Company

Sandeman House Garden, which is just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Torn between my family in Belfast, my family in Coventry and my homefrom-home Scotland family. But this is my fantasy, so they’re all there!

I used to work at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and this gorgeous space behind the building, down the little cobbled close, is a stunningly picturesque green space reminiscent of 17th century style. Apparently!

My mum would be fussing over the food while my five nieces make up adventures, with me being happily pulled from conversations for play.

My siblings and their partners would relish Auntie taking over, while my pals would happily keep the drinks flowing with no doubt a singsong or two.

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HOLLY FLEMING Food

Music

I recently found a simple, lowingredient bread recipe so I’m definitely making my own bread for sandwiches.

Anything that gives off bright summer day vibes. If you’ve got a group going, message around beforehand and ask for requests to be put into a playlist.

That way, you have the collection of songs as a memento for the fun day

Warm fresh bread really elevates the game. Every picnic needs to have a sweet presence – cupcakes or brownie bites are ideal with strawberries.

Drink One bottle or cans: pre-made spirits and mixers. For me, it has to be cold, fruity ciders! For anyone not drinking, fresh lemonade is so perfect.

Place Calderglen Country Park. It can be a bit crowded, as it's a fantastic family spot, but if you spend a bit of time searching you can definitely find some lovely quiet spots, ideal for a picnic. I like the spaces with some grass and some trees for shade, near the babbling streams.

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Company My partner and I really enjoy a picnic together – we go way overboard on how much food we bring, so we’d need lots of our friends to join us.

A few of us have gotten right into chess (thanks to The Queen’s Gambit).

Maybe we’ll bring a chess board along for a classy, cultured day in the sun, getting absolutely hammered with less than classy drinks.

I love when my picnic companion is as equally excited about food as I am, and my mum does a wonderful job of matching my energy!

DOMINIC CASSIDY Food Biscoff doughnut from Considerit, or the closest analogue.

I have many happy memories of chilling in Edinburgh munching a delicious vegan snack; the main challenge is getting to your destination before wolfing it down.

Drink

Music

A cold bottle of Lilt, or an oat milk flat white, weather dependent.

If I’m just on my own, something ambient is good. Currently I’m enjoying Bird World and Return to Bird World by Leon Chang, soundtracks for video games that don’t exist.

Place Calton Hill in Edinburgh, sitting right on the big plinth thing with the columns.

Cracking view.

If there’s a few folk you can’t go wrong with some Run the Jewels, Mitski, or Orville Peck.

Company Sammy the dog, best black lab going.

Will need snacks.

Let's go outside Page 125

JAMIE WILLS Food One loaf of rustic farmer’s bread, bought yourself that morning from a proper bakery, and sliced in their big bread slicer machine. Butter, having melted slightly in your bag, applied seconds prior to eating.

Drink

Music

Cold, high quality Scottish tap water in a thermos. Akin to drinking a Highland stream. No packaged product comes close.

Commercial radio. Much scorned, but blossoms at a picnic because of the broad mix of tunes and brief excitement when a universally liked song is played. Side note: anyone who brings their guitar must sit 200m away.

Place If with football: The Meadows in Edinburgh. If without football: a beach in North Berwick.

Company Friends made in your early 20s. These are the best friends.

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STEPHEN McCOLGAN Food Pork pies and Bombay mix.

Drink A well-made pina colada. If a professional cocktail mixer isn’t available, then red kola.

Place

Music

With transport, at the foot of the Cobbler’s peak in Arrochar. Without transport, Barshaw Hill, Paisley.

Depends. I’m a pretty grumpy, middleaged, negative-vibe merchant so whatever annoys bystanders.

Cannibal Corpse, some old skool Dutch Gabber, or Frank Ifield for the young team.

Company Any old random jakeball in the vicinity, really.

Either that or my bandmates. And I definitely am in a band, even though we don't have a name or any songs and you wouldn’t know them anyway cos they live up my gran’s bit.

Let's go outside Page 127

EMMA MYKYTYN Food Sausage rolls. I used to think I was being posh by buying M&S ones when younger, but making your own is so much better.

There’s got to be an ice cream cone at some point as well, either from Brooklyn Cafe or Queens Cafe.

Drink I always seem to pick Dr Pepper when out, maybe a throwback to younger days when it was rare to find it.

Place

Music

Growing up it was 'The Glen’ in Cumbernauld and a walk to Cumbernauld Village. Nowadays, it’s a wander to Queens Park to see the swans and ducks and the view from the flagpole

I like the sound of peace and quiet but more likely it’s the sounds of kids screaming around me in the park.

Feature by Holly Fleming

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Company My husband and writing partner Mark – to give us some time to sit together and plan our next adventure.

All images courtesy of the SNACK writing team

MARK MURPHY Food Cheese, bread and houmous because simple is best when having a picnic.

Drink Elderflower cordial. A refreshing summer’s drink plus you can add it to cheap wine to make it taste palatable!

Emma made homemade cordial last year from locally sourced elderflower so we also keep our eyes peeled for foraging opportunities on picnic trips.

Place There are a few fairly unknown places near us, one where we’ve seen kingfishers and otters. I’m not saying where though cos then it wouldn’t be quiet anymore!

Music Nils Frahm is always good.

Company Well, I’ve got to say Emma.

Haven’t I?

Let's go outside Page 129

REVIEW

BSÍ GRUFF RHYS – SWIM SCHOOL BACHELOR – BEDROOMS – DUTCH WINE LUMISON – RAVELOE – RYLAH LINZI CLARK – POSTER PAINTS WEEKEND DEBT – WASHINGTON – GLÜME JAYDA G – NOCTAMBULANT TONIC NOTE – CHARLOTTE DE WITTE POST COAL PROM QUEEN – FERGUS HALL SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME BLACK BEAR – ZAPPA HELEN MCCLORY – AIDAN MARTIN – LINDA CRACKNELL

BSÍ

TRACK BY TRACK

SOMETIMES DEPRESSED… BUT ALWAYS ANTIFASCIST

What’s in a name? Well, to their fellow Icelanders, BSÍ’s name probably conjures images of Reykjavik’s boxy, brutalist central bus station. However, the band’s url on Bandcamp would seem to suggest that the initialled name stands for ‘Brussels Sprouts International’. Personally, I like the image of the bleak, functional, Nordic transport hub more than the image of a multinational body promoting the branding of a perpetually overcooked vegetable.

While we’re on the subject of names, ‘Sometimes Depressed…But Always Antifascist’ is a screamer, frankly. Taken from a slogan used on t-shirts by football fans, it sums up both a healthy outlook on life and a record split very much in two halves. Side One is lo-fi, reflective and has a lot of gentle synth pads, while Side Two has been likened to the nineties Riot Grrrl movement. It’s not necessarily in the same style as Huggy Bear or Lung Leg (one for older Glaswegian gig-goers there) but it is faster than the first side.

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Composed of Sigurlaug Thorarensen (hereafter referred to as Silla – drums and vocals) and Julius Pollux Rothlaender (bass, synths etc), BSÍ have a novel approach to making music. Focusing on attempting to play instruments with which they were unfamiliar, the duo has hit that genre-surfing sweet spot managing to convey extremes of soundscapes and emotions. Silla also records under the moniker Sillus, with a much more electro-driven sound.

Opener ‘My Lovely’ is a hypnotically circular tune. It starts with pulsing synth strings which seem to mature from fairly abrasive in the first few bars to providing epic pads as the song progresses. On repeated listens, they bring to mind the synth strings Queen used in the verses of ‘The Show Must Go On’. The song sounds nothing like Queen. In fact, that reference isn’t even helpful. Forget I mentioned Queen (although once you notice it, you won’t be able to ignore it – like the out-of-time cymbal sound in Small Faces’ ‘Toy Soldier’).

Photo Credit: Maria-Carmela Raso Music by Stephen McColgan Page 133

Stringed guitars don’t make many overpowering contributions, but what is noticeable is that the bass guitar sounds have a lot of attack and twang to them, as if to counter the synths with as much organic energy as possible. A notable exception is ‘TAL 11’, where the bass wanders with a smooth groove that almost licks your face and tells you to thank it, in gushing terms in an email copying in your mum. Compositionally, this showcases BSÍ’s knack of making song structures so seamless that a much-repeated chorus can change in arrangement ‘Old Moon’ is carried by the Motown-y boom-boom-tish (the tish being some manner of arable farming tool) beat and the best use of Silla’s voice on the record. There’s the sort of reverb-soaked guitar hook that begs to be put on a film soundtrack, and the outro seamlessly allows the song to fade into the fresh air it helped create.

Put simply, ‘Old Moon’ is a gem that I will be slipping into outdoor playlists for decades to come.

Photo Credit: Berglind Erna Tryggvadóttir

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Photo credit: Donald Milne

‘Uncouple’ again highlights the duo’s ability to follow a fairly traditional verse/chorus format for three minutes where the development of the arrangement moves the song in a naturalistic, linear fashion. However, the ghostly last two minutes feel like they were developed by the song itself in a self-replicating petri dish incident.

The notion of the album of two halves, two EPs crashing into one release like a pair of fornicating earwigs, is accentuated by using two of the three previously released singles to close the first half and open the second. Eighties-inspired ‘25Lue’ gives way to ‘Vesturbæjar Beach’, a stomping Ramones-lite bop-a-long that will have you swinging an imaginary knee-length skirt.

Music by Stephen McColgan Page 135

‘Feela það’ is more than just an exercise in testing our font’s ability to display Icelandic characters; it’s a sped-up Joy Division-style verse with an air-punching chorus that exudes more joy than it has any reasonable right to express.

The title ‘My Knee Against Kyriarchy’ suggests a screaming wall of angst, but the track actually serves up quite a joyous rallying call. The term ‘kyriarchy’ refers to an extended form of patriarchy that exerts other social biases on top of gender bias. Hard to argue against such a system existing, and I’m sure someone, somewhere is making a living out of doing just that.

‘Dónakallalagið’ was also released as a single in March and is the shoutiest version of Silla on the album. She reaches a sort of shout crescendo on the song’s final minute. Closer ‘Alltaf Alltaf Stundum Alltaf’ literally translates as ‘Always Always Sometimes Always’. It’s a pogo-friendly cocktail of everything you’ve heard up to this point, but with added answerphone messages and a transitional beat slowdown as unsettling as it is relieving.

Is Icelandic music enjoying a bit of a halcyon period? Hard to say.

It feels like they specialise in spacious lo-fi grooves tied to enormoussounding, widescreen vibes, and that seems to strike a chord with certain listeners. Also, acts from smaller countries who previously would've needed extensive coverage to get noticed in the UK are much more accessible in the current cloud-based environment.

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BSÍ embody this admitted stereotyping on my part while exuding a rebellious youthful spirit more aligned to dreamy objectivity than reactive kicking-out.

Sometimes Depressed…But Always Antifascist is out on 21st May via BSÍ, Tomatenplatten, Why Not? Plötur, and postdreifing

Music by Stephen McColgan Page 137

GRUFF RHYS ALBUM: SEEKING NEW GODS

Without going out on too much of a limb, Seeking New Gods is probably this month’s only new album based on Mount Paektu, an active volcano in East Asia. Of course, it hails from the fertile mind of Gruff Rhys.

Rhys’ songs have always explored the topics that no other songwriter dared to commit to, and few would even contemplate. That’s not his charm, though. It’s that the songs are melodically beautiful and joyfully uplifting.

Every track has at least a snippet that will see you smile, while ‘Loan Your Loneliness’ musically hints at his past with glee.

And yes, ‘Hiking In Lighting’ is as spikily cheerful as you’d hope for a song bearing that name. For many of us who are getting on a bit now, Rhys will always be a hero. He doesn’t dwell on this though, and Seeking New Gods is a very worthy addition to a canon of material that still has the capacity to blow people away.

Seeking New Gods is released 21st May via Rough Trade Records Words by Andy Reilly Photo credit: Mark James

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SWIM SCHOOL SINGLE: OUTSIDE

‘Outside’. It’s where we want to be all summer, and it’s also the new single by Swim School.

You hesitate to say the band is on trend for the moment, as that would suggest it’s tailored and deliberate. It’s more a case of a band being in the right place at the right time, and Swim School are punctual.

The group displays the blend of indie-guitar and pop that is prevalent, and let’s be honest, something that has been needed for many years. Pop isn’t a dirty word and removing guitar music from the hands of po-faced people is a public service we all need.

The message is also something that the public needs to hear right now, and the more voices speaking out against negativity and toxic behaviour, the better.

Also, when it’s delivered in a manner that allows others to shout out loud, we all win.

‘Outside’ is released on 7th May Words by Andy Reilly Photo credit: Rory Barnes Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 139

BACHELOR ALBUM: DOOMIN' SUN

Due for release on 28th May is Doomin' Sun the debut album from Bachelor, a collaboration between Ellen Kempner (Palehound) and Melina Mae Duterte (Jay Som). We reviewed the last single ‘Stay in the Car’ in our previous issue and couldn’t wait to share the rest of the album with you, having revisited it several times since then. Though it features collaborations with the likes of Big Thief’s Buck Meek and James Krivchenia, as well as Durterte’s partner Annie Truscott of Chastity Belt, the project is mostly an independent one. In January 2020, unintentionally foreshadowing the lockdown to come, the musical duo sequestered themselves in isolation to write and record the songs that would become Doomin’ Sun. The album opener ‘Back of My Hand’ encapsulates the key indie-pop sounds that Bachelor excel in. It’s a mid-tempo track that begins in relaxed posture before bursting into the chorus. The contrast between lulling vocals and distorted guitars is also used to great effect on ‘Stay in The Car’ and the rock and roll, Velvet Underground-esque sounds of the outro of ‘Anything at All’.

One of my favourite numbers on the album, ‘Anything at All’ displays an ear or two for a catchy hook – the track consistently evolves within the expertly layered production.

Tracks like these give a rousing lift to the album, but the heart of the record is in the tender and emotionally vulnerable lyrics and melodies of songs like ‘Sand Angel’, ‘Moon’, and ‘Went Out Without You’.

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The kaleidoscopic ‘Spin Out’, for me, recalls the work of Melody’s Echo Chamber. There are disorientating and detuned effects galore, which crescendo before falling back to a lonely strummed guitar.

The album culminates with the titular track ‘Doomin’ Sun’, a soft and gentle number which feels like the perfect ending. This is a record illustrating the close relationship between two friends as they explore significant themes, from queerness to climate change – it’s also the sound of a band having a lot of fun.

Doomin’ Sun will be released via Lucky Number from 28th May Words by Aisha Fatunmbi-Randall

Photography: Rene Passet

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 141

BEDROOMS EP: THE AFTERGLOW

The track ‘For Today’ on Bedrooms’ EP The Afterglow was the first I had heard of the band, and I was sold. A semi-shoegaze doomy sound with walls of guitar; that’s the kind of thing I love. I wasn’t expecting the jangly indie pop of second track ‘Dancing at the Circle K’; here is a band that are unashamedly chameleons. Having released a few singles previously, the Dublin-based band are gaining traction and winning over fans with an infectious, nostalgic sound that contains some surprises, but is not completely free of derivation.

‘For Today’ recalls any number of great shoegaze bands at their peak, such as Slowdive or DIIV. There is a reigned-in yet tuneful and clear vocal quality that sets it apart from these masters of the style, however. The production sound keeps the guitar squall in check, but still present. Dev McGarry’s voice has a melancholy feel that is perfect here, and adds a melodic wash to the sombre impression. Second track ‘Dancing in the Circle K’ takes a complete right turn, and joyously so.

The song has a Kinks-like narrative of a young man recalling his love for dancing at the titular Circle K, which at first I thought must be a club in Dublin.

A quick Google search brought up a chain of Irish convenience stores named Circle K. In my mind this means the narrator must have gone there after the club to dance his ass off in the toilet roll aisle, something I used to do as a young man in Edinburgh. The song is a nostalgia-fest in lyrics and 90s indie sound, and a celebration of Dublin’s nightlife that feels anthemic despite its lo-fi leanings.

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The sound is a little bubblegum-y, and can grate after a number of listens – it's twee as fuck. Small doses are the order of the day.

Final song ‘In Yer Pocket’ is slowed-down and ballad-like, again proving Bedrooms’ versatility. While it doesn’t stand out as much as the previous two tracks, there’s a beautiful worn-in sadness that pervades. Come the end this morphs to an uplifting feeling, with blissed-out guitars and McGarry’s quietly sung vocal.

As a teen I listened to bands such as Ash, My Bloody Valentine and Blur, vital music of the time that soundtracked my formative years. Bedrooms have managed to capture the at turns gleeful, melancholic and psychedelic nature of bands such as these while planting their music firmly in the 21st century, though there is a lot of room for growth and expansion. The combination of styles, references to today’s pop culture and harnessing of private emotions in the lyrics reflect an indie scene that is alive and kicking. These three tracks speak of talent just waiting to spring forth, and I can’t wait for their first long player.

The Afterglow was released on 30th April via Bedtime Records Words by Martin Sandison

Photography: Rene Passet

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 143

DUTCH WINE SINGLE: WHISKY

Adding to their recent string of indie-rock tracks, Glasgow’s Dutch Wine have revealed their latest single, ‘Whisky’, featuring a dreamier and softer sound than we’ve heard from the band. It’s described by them as ‘best consumed sat by the fireplace with a wee glass of whisky in hand.’

It sounds like the same band, though; they’re not ripping up their playsheet entirely. ‘Dutch Wine’ features prominent guitar reverb and sombre vocals used within a multi-layered soundscape. The guitar work is sophisticated and the climactic progression cathartic. Lyrically, we hear lead vocalist Calvin Smith discuss the repercussions of a broken relationship as the struggle to fight substance dependencies rises and the emotional stability to care for yourself and others falls.

‘Whisky’ is out now via Negative Hope Records Words by Aisha Fatunmbi-Randall

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LUMISON

(feat. Josie Ducan)

SINGLE: CLOSER

As the country gears up for its usual two weeks of summer sunshine, Lumison’s groovy debut single allows one to picture their hips soulfully swinging to the scorching rays we yearn for. Turning his attention from the folktronica group INYAL, Glasgow-based musician Hamish MacLeod has flowed seamlessly into a trip-hop-styled sound here.

With his creativity being nurtured from the folky soundscapes of the Hebrides to the contemporary Lowlands, McLeod has created a track that is smooth with hypnotizing trumpets and subtle bass glissandos. This newly-found jazzy entrance is only further mystified by the saturated sound of swirling guitars and smudged synths, creating a celestial picture.

The production seems like it was designed specifically for the effervescent purifying vocals of collaborator Josie Duncan. Fingers crossed this won’t be the last we see this perfect pairing together. ‘Closer’ recalls the rhythms of Gold Panda and BADBADNOTGOOD, and is not one to be missed while curating that new summer playlist.

‘Closer’ is out now Words by Paul McTaggart

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 145

RAVELOE SINGLE: NEW HOUSE

Hot on the heels of her well-received Notes and Dreams EP, released earlier this year, Raveloe is back with ‘New House’, and by rights this song should be as warmly welcomed.

Be warned though, the song is a bit darker than the EP, but then again, who hasn’t turned a bit gloomier or reflective in these times? Not that it’s depressing – it’s a song that lifts and builds throughout, culminating in a noisy, passionate, yet measured denouement.

Which is a fair assessment of Raveloe. You get the impression that while there’s an awful lot going on, the artist is directing everything. There’s a lot to be said for freeform wailing at times, but it’s all the better when you achieve that outcome while knowing what comes next.

We’re all counting the days until we can move forward, but if enforced isolation has inspired Raveloe to craft music of this standard, it definitely hasn’t all been bad.

‘New House’ is released on 21st May via Olive Grove Records Words by Andy Reilly

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RYLAH

EP: RUNNING IN THE DARK

Rylah might be a new name to you, but they’re likely to be more familiar than you think. The Running In The Dark EP delivers three songs that place them neatly into the edgy-yet-cool electronic pile.

The EP’s title track is the star, a smashing example of the sound which creators of synth-y electro-pop bangers should aspire to. The lead vocals excel and the instrumentation drops out selectively, playing to the group’s strengths. Musically, it's solid, and worth repeated plays.

You might have been familiar with Neon Seas, who made modest waves across the Central Belt. The latter two songs on the EP were previously available under their former moniker, offering a bridge between old and new.

‘Atmosphere’ features cheery and bold riffs, while ‘Dead Cells’ has the darker edge its name requires and deserves. Are we still doing ‘sound of the summer’ comments, or has Limmy killed that? Either way, check this out.

Running In The Dark was released on 30th April Words by Andy Reilly

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 147

LINZI CLARK SINGLE: THE KITCHEN

Linzi Clark, one half of Paisley electro-pop duo DRIFT, is set to release her debut single ‘The Kitchen’ on the 14th of May. And, boy, is it a treat.

With its calm, bluesy backing, courtesy of Bovine, backing Clark’s rich, deep vocals, ‘The Kitchen’ is somewhere you want to hang out, grab a glass of water and stay a while. Clark’s vocals, while a departure from what you may expect after her work with DRIFT, are sure to please – their rich texture evokes images of a smoky, velvet-couched room.

‘The Kitchen’ also details a most peculiar sadness: a real hole-in-the-heart yearning kind of sad, with the idea of recognising your own self-worth, and not seeing that being met by those around you. Noticing cracks that have been leaking your love out for a long time.

‘The Kitchen’ is a cracking first look at Linzi Clark’s solo material, and you should definiely keep an eye and an ear out for what's coming next.

‘The Kitchen’ is out from 14th May Words by Dominic Cassidy Image credit: Marie Collins and BOVINE

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POSTER PAINTS SINGLE: NUMBER 1

A collaboration between Carla J Easton and Simon Liddell (Frightened Rabbit, Olympic Swimmers)? Count us in. When the team-up results in a track that sounds like 80s scuzz-pop doing its best 60s girl band impression, doubly so. The pair, introduced by mutual friend Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines, crafted the song in the, now common, separate home studios and email back-andforth way – though you’d never guess it if they’d never told us. With Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES) on drums and Suse Bear (Tuff Love, Good Dog) on bass, you couldn't really ask for more. Ok, you want more? How about lines like, ‘Cause kids are so naive, I wear my heart on my sleeve’?

An instant Scottish pop classic.

‘Number 1’ is out 10th May on Olive Grove Records Words by Kenny Lavelle

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 149

WEEKEND DEBT SINGLE: NOBODY EVERYBODY

The new single from Glasgow alt-rock band Weekend Debt dives deep into the break-up experience, with an eruptive approach. Driven by raw emotion, ‘Nobody Everybody’ takes elements from the hazy indie-rock sound of the band's previous tracks and thrusts it up a gear, heading full-throttle to create a fierce, fast-paced anthem.

In the vein of some of their Scottish influences, namely The View and Paolo Nutini, the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist, Grant Scott, retells personal experiences in his instantly identifiable Scottish accent. The initial fear of an Arctic Monkeys retread dissipates past the sharp punctuating guitars, with a vocal delivery that runs from sweet to scream.

Guitarist Calvin Smith says, ''Nobody Everyone' is a song that came from bottled-up emotions about a breakup, The more I let these emotions get to me, the angrier and more upset I got, which probably resulted in such a hard and heavy tune, something we hadn’t really delved into properly. It’s definitely one of our favourite songs to play live.’ It’ll probably be one of the sweatiest too, as a return to gigging will soon let us know.

The four-piece started 2020 with a packed headline show at King Tut’s and release of fan favourite ‘Legato’. Having found a new lease of life during lockdown, Weekend Debt have continued to create. Beached from a sea of sonic lethargy, we’re thankful for their enthusiasm.

‘Nobody Everybody’ is out now Words by Aisha Fatunmbi-Randall

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WASHINGTON SINGLE: WELCOME TO THE ZOO

A Lil Wayne-type beat, a Joey Bada$$-styled flow, and sweet, sweet trumpet.

Sounds like a perfect blend for hip hop heads to bounce along to, right? Well, it gets better and all the more relatable; there’s a touch of Paisley to Washington’s sounds. The Zimbabwean-born 20 year old spent his teenage years in the West of Scotland, the blend of accents resulting in an appealing off-kilter delivery.

With London-based producer Noah at the helm, Washington’s ‘Welcome to the Zoo’ is an energetically charming track filled with catchy hooks, touching on the absolute best and also the absolute worst of TV, Jerry Springer.

Arriving on the back of the atmospheric ‘Pray for Me’ and the RnB sounding ‘Yungin’, Washington’s mix is already becoming eclectic, an impressive feat for someone who only released their first single last year.

I’m sure it won’t be too long until Kenny Allstar is bumping about the Radio 1 Xtra studio to Washington on the regular.

‘Welcome to the Zoo’ is out now Words by Paul McTaggart

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 151

GLÜME

ALBUM: THE INTERNET Photo credit: Ryan McBride

Elusive singer Glüme describes herself as 'a Walmart Marilyn Monroe', which seems apposite. After all, real guns used to be available to purchase along with chocolate in the American supermarket, until last year when common sense intervened amid the civil unrest. It's this disturbing paradox that lies at the heart of Glüme – her look and the music she makes are mutually exclusive. Both overtly sexual and infantilised, she's problematic, with her wig of Shirley Temple curls and long socks, and theatrical, blow-up doll make- up.

She looks almost like she was designed by Artificial Intelligence.

The music too, fizzes with malevolent, otherworldly saccharine. It's kitsch nightmare pop for the Spotify generation.

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However troubling her image, though, there's no faulting Johnny Jewel's glossy production in this, her debut album . The best tracks – ‘Crushed Velvet' , 'Nervous Breakdown' and 'Don't @ Me' – soar with Glüme's swooning vocals and a cinematic sheen. It feels at once of the moment and vintage, like the glitch pop of late producer and artist Sophie combined with eighties synth-pop records left out to warp in the Californian sun.

Elsewhere, 'Arthur Miller' and 'Body' reside in the kind of torch song shadows we have come to expect from Julee Cruise, Lana Del Rey and Eerie Wanda, a kind of low-key suffering in widescreen.

It's no coincidence that Glüme's fellow labelmates The Chromatics featured in a couple of episodes of Twin Peaks, performing at the Bang Bang Club.

Only 'Blossom' and closing track 'Chemicals' seem to offer a glimpse behind the curtain. The former is a slow jam asking for female body autonomy, with the demand, 'I want it all' ; the latter, an unadorned kiss-off to an ex-lover, ruminating on his cruelty and a lack of closure. Here, the make-up is scrubbed off and seemingly the real woman emerges. Ultimately, such raw confessions as these are possibly the most surprising factor in a debut that relies so much on absolute airbrushed perfection.

The Internet is out now via Italians Do It Better Words by Lorna Irvine

Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 153

JAYDA G MIX ALBUM: DJ-KICKS

After a momentous year that saw her EP Both of Us / Are You Down nominated for a Grammy award, Jayda G bounds into 2021 with a fresh new mix and her latest single ‘All I Need.’ The compilation in question sees the electronic producer/DJ serve up a finessed selection of funked-up house, jazz, and soul for renowned mix series DJ-Kicks, hosted by !K7 Records. As well as flexing her new single, Jayda shares the music of those who have been both personally and artistically influential to her. Get ready to lean back into a sweet, soulful dose of nostalgic bliss.

Jayda leads the intro with 80s jazz-funk number ‘London Town.’ Performed

by Light Of The World, the harmonic uplifting vocals and bassy grooves have us reminiscing about summers gone by and feeling hopeful for those yet to come. For a society embarking on a long recovery, this message feels even more poignant. Jayda herself commented on the compilation: ‘I’m an optimist.

I want people to think. 'We're listening to good music and brighter times are ahead.''

A few tracks in and we succumb to the enchantment of London-based Afrobeat eight-piece, Kokoroko. ‘Uman’ imprints on your mind with its lively saxophone solo, radiant piano keys and unifying vocals. Jayda then introduces influences of Chicago and Boston disco, with tracks from Universal Togetherness Band and Evans Pyramid. There’s not a soul on this planet that can deny the effects of an infectious disco beat on the human body, and Jayda G knows exactly how to play this to her advantage.

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Jayda turns up the voltage, dropping house tunes from Gerry Read with ‘90s Prosititution Racket’ and Naomi Daniel’s ‘Stars (Dos Cult Mix)’. Followed by DJ Boring, Jennifer Loveless, and HAAi, whose individual sounds continue to paint the spectrum of emotions derived from memories and the bittersweet feeling of a moment that has passed, along with deep gratitude for its occurrence.

Just before we get too comfortable in the depths of trance-infused euphoria, Jayda commands a seamless transition into her brand new single ‘All I Need.’

Co-produced with James Ford, the track exemplifies the overall notions and feelings of the mix. It has all of the funky, rhythmic beats and soulful energy to make it dancefloor ready. To complement the release, the song’s video directed by David Ehrenreich features rare early rave footage from British Columbia, Canada. This is a golden find, with the scene at that time being much less established in comparison to Europe and the UK. Video clips of Jayda herself merge into the old footage, to present her in the moment.

After a few more stellar song selections, Jayda G bows out on a chilled-out high with ‘Summerlude’ by Benny Sings. A perfectly peaceful ending to this emotive masterpiece.

Jayda G's DJ-Kicks will be released on 14th May via !K7 Records Words by Jo Dargie

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NOCTAMBULANT SOUND RECORDS COMPILATION: NOCTAMBULISM VA

Breaks, Techno, Dubstep, Grime, Bass, Leftfield, Electro – Noctambulant Sound Records live by the need for the alternative. The label was started in 2019 by Temple Sniper – who also features on the compilation – with the aim of providing a platform for the more leftfield side of electronic music, after noticing the underrepresentation by the more established labels.

Their latest Various Artists compilation has contributors hailing from Glasgow to Dumbarton, Sheffield, Hampshire, London, and North Carolina. These include artists featured previously on the label: DZee, Temple Sniper, Denizens, and Thiskk, and new blood in the form of Amstrad Billionaire, SlugRifle, JD Finburg, Hommel, MAKS, Connor Byrne, and Drumheller.

There are many standout tracks on this one, but to pick a few we’ll start with ‘Aktuator’ by MAKS. Hailing from Yorkshire, MAKS includes some northern English brass within his dark and ghostly piece of music, filtering lo-fi and breaks to get the foot-stomping before building to an understated but highcalibre drum n bass track.

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Next up is Hommel, with ‘Beads (Dub Mix)’. Hommel delivers oldskool D’n’B vibes with off-beat chords and an accomplished rhythm section.

The complexity of the breakbeat and the deep bass all marry to provide flashbacks to a warehouse rave hidden off the M8 somewhere. Serious dance material.

DZee returns to the label having previously performed remix duties, this time with his track ‘S37’. An industrial electro stomper, DZee crosses the Atlantic with elements of durty souf trap music commonplace in North Carolina. A tension-laden affair that has an unnerving energy to it; side effects include delirium & dancing.

‘Perdu a Paris’ by Connor Byrne has connotations of underground raving in the French capital – that is until you hear the vocal excerpt of Paris Hilton explaining her DJ fee and what little she does for it. Connor does well to capture the energy derived from the disappointment of the DJ scene in certain circles. Swelling sub-bass, crystal wind chime synth, thrashing hi-hats and hiNRG on this one.

Noctambulism VA will be available 7th of May on Bandcamp and Soundcloud Words by Donald Shields

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TONIC NOTE COMPILATION: BREATHING SPACE

Indie labels and artists have faced many challenges over the last year during the pandemic, with many people struggling financially and emotionally, and, of course, venues still closed. With this in mind, David Maitland has put together this excellent eight track compilation through his own Tonic Note Records, in association with the mental health charity Breathing Space. Not only do the proceeds raised from sales of this go towards a timely and noble cause, but the scope of artists here is brilliant, fresh and exciting, proving that Scotland is still way out in front in terms of electronic music.

There is enough diversity on offer here for even the most jaded electronic music fan. Tabes' 'Cowboy Dreams' is a frenetic, grimy synth pop banger, and 'Super Sex' by Outblinker is straight up, anthemic 'hands in the air' stuff which should get kids dancing at festivals, while previous cover stars, Post Coal Prom Queen, provide a blissed-out, breathy piece of pop euphoria with 'Wait Wait Dig', invoking scenes of girls with fairy wings quaffing cider in dance tents as the sun comes up.

'Mono' by Black AD channels the dreamiest reaches of eighties synth pop, a retro-futurist pop gem with a pinch of Air and a soupcon of Kraftwerk, whereas Yoker Moon's 'Another Hex' is hypnotic, minimalist electronica which should resonate with fans of Boards Of Canada and their sun-dappled wooziness, and Hostel Freaks (featuring Camshackle) bring early nineties Slam vibes with 'Electrical Storm', techno laced with space age guitar.

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Itchy beats and swooshy synths is what you get with Krytical Mass' 'Boxing Gloves', and Last Of the Fire's 'King Lewis Of Scotland' comes across like an electronic riposte to Gavin Bryars' masterful 'Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet' with an insistent sample of a man declaring himself a new king, over a (lion) rampant rhythm.

When you buy the compilation from their Bandcamp, you get a nice looking T-shirt, featuring the bold and colourful, psychedelic-inspired artwork from Lee Tomasulo, so it's doubly worth investing in. Who doesn't need a bright new T as the warmer nights emerge?

Breathing Space is out now via Tonic Note Records Words by Lorna Irvine

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CHARLOTTE de WITTE EP: FORMULA

‘Count on me, I’m gonna win the race.’ Not since the heyday of Yello have high-octane cars and music gone so neatly hand in racing glove. Charlotte de Witte is back, and on the Formula EP, the revs and power of souped-up machines sync perfectly with her trademark techno.

Lead track ‘Doppler’ is the most expansive track here, its riff set to burrow into your mind.‘RPM’ lives up to its name from the first green light, tearing away and not slowing up until it’s past the chequered flag. There’s not a lot to it, but what it does, it does very well.

The title track hits you harder, and takes you on a more scenic route to the finishing line. The switch-up around the five-minute mark is worth all the wait and more. It’s yet another banger from the KNTXT star, and just like Yello, we can only say, ‘Oh Yeah!’.

Formula was released on 30th April via KNTXT Words by Andy Reilly

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POST COAL PROM QUEEN EP: PCPQ

Post Coal Prom Queen’s debut EP as a duo, PCPQ, sees them distill their sound down to its imaginative and accessibly experimental core. If that makes it sound heavy, it’s not. These are delicately realised pop songs with tonnes of character and stories ready to tell. In the closing track ‘Faraday Cage For One’, Lily’s vocal delivery carries a similar tone and weight to that of Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes). It’s an EP full of crisp and clicky beats, thoughtfully delivered synths that err equally on melancholy and whimsy, and delicately delivered vocals that whisper future dreams.

PCPQ is out now via the band’s Bandcamp Words by Kenny Lavelle

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FERGUS HALL ALBUM: SHORES

Shores is the debut album from Scottish composer Fergus Hall. The album is a suite of four tracks based on settings of poems from Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean, along with two interludes. These poems, taken from MacLean’s collection Dàin do Eimhir, explore love, longing, landscape, and the coastline of Skye. Despite being rooted in Gaelic culture, the album itself is a fusion of Scottish traditions with much more apparent jazz influences and improvisations.

Featuring Fergus McCreadie on piano, Matt Carmichael on tenor saxophone, Mark Hendry on double bass, Dominykas Snarskis on drums, and vocals

by Cameron Nixon, the playing is virtuosic throughout. The instrumental combinations intertwine the genres of folk and jazz, whilst the sweeping strings allow cinematic moments.

Shores is aptly named, as throughout we are taken on a journey through a shifting sea – with the mercurial tides becoming more metaphoric during emotional sections of longing and love. Hall very adeptly creates soundscapes which sympathetically support the poetry - from the eerie mist-like undulations of the glistening string harmonics as the opening of the album, to the piano motif opening of title track ‘Shores’.

The atmospheres often shift imperceptibly to form the melodic content. On ‘Dawn’, a 7/8 pseudo-jig emerges from a delicate piano pedal note - a cleverlywritten take on a traditional Scottish tune structure which feels incredibly natural in the context of the album.

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These melodies themselves are catchy – with the vocal line of ‘Shores’ having the infectious quality of a contemporary slow reel, and Snarskis’ driving kit playing keeping the energy high throughout the final track.

In contrast, ‘But For You’ is much darker, with the string drone providing a moment of space and stillness, creating an almost plain-song, Gaelic psalm texture. Carmichael’s frenetic saxophone brings us on a heightened emotional journey over three minutes, before releasing us back to the original texture.

This subversion of expected and well-known traditional Scottish song structures and textures is what makes this album so special. Care and respect has been taken with MacLean’s source material to create a work of art rooted in traditional Gaelic culture, which allows the overtly jazz ownership of this album to feel authentic. Nixon’s soulful Scottish voice acts as a signpost guiding us in and out of the more musically complex and improvisatory middle sections within the movements, and helps blend the traditional Scottish and jazz elements seamlessly.

Yet throughout, the rooting of the soundscape in the Skye coastland gives the album an inherent consistency. The listener is always firmly surrounded by a dramatic Scottish landscape – with an immediate understanding of what Hall has set out to do and how to react to it. It’s testament to his skills as a composer that an album so intrinsically complicated is so immediately listenable.

Shores is available as a digital download from Bandcamp Words by Sam McAdam

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SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME FILM

The success of Chloé Zhao at the Academy Awards means the Nomadland director’s back catalogue is about to meet a lot of new fans. For The Rider, this will add to the love it reaped on the independent circuit. Songs My Brothers Taught Me, however, was probably initially watched by as many critics as it was by paying punters. A film of quiet heart and social concern, it certainly deserves a greater audience.

As with its two successors, Songs is a naturalistic portrayal of life amongst communities on the fringes of America. Also like its successors, it casts nonprofessional actors to play versions of themselves. Set on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, it utilises the close relationship between high Back to Contents

school senior John (John Reddy) and his 11-year old sister Jashaun (Jashaun St. John) to bring a portion of modern Native American existence to the screen. It is an existence without money, and one that fictional John dreams of escaping by tagging on to his girlfriend Aurelia (Taysha Fuller)’s move to Los Angeles for college, despite him possessing no obvious skills.

Zhao’s film shows that life on the forgotten empty plains of the US is beset by cyclical issues. Alcoholism, negative attitudes towards education, law enforcement (or lack of), and drifting ambition are all present. The consequence, or cause, of these problems are broken family units, with John and Jashaun’s home life established early as a long shadow: at their father’s funeral 25 children, borne by a variety of women, are briefly reunited. John later comments to his incarcerated brother Cody that it’s like their father is more present in death.

Some of the siblings have taken their stepfathers’ surnames in recognition of men more capable of responsibility.

Whilst its set up and setting may suggest misery, Songs is far smarter than a mere tale of woe. Instead, it is a soft film about family evolution within a struggling sphere. Zhao excellently understands how leaving ‘all you know when you grow up’ is not easy, despite its ills, and a few must test the door before one breaks through. Moreover, the sole difference between John and Cody, or Kevin, or any other brother, is Jashaun. Still blessed with youthful positivity, curiosity, and a smile only dimmed upon hearing John will leave her, she is his elixir on ‘the rez’ and is charismatically played by St. John.

Songs' softness is emphasised by its technical aspects, in which Zhao has proven herself superb. Although the protagonists never travel far, the sparse population and open landscapes mean the screen is never cluttered. The dialogue and pacing is also relaxed, meaning that graphic scenes of sex, a Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 165

beating, and the skinning of an animal gain greater power. Meanwhile, Zhao grounds her film through the appearance of classical elements. Fire, clay and wind are frequent visual and spoken references, tying the community to its land.

The only missing force is water, which is sadly replaced by beer.

All of Chloé Zhao’s features to date have been, at least partially, based in South Dakota. One could deem it ironic that commercial success bloomed once she stepped beyond the state lines – Nomadland visits California and Arizona – yet this first film in fact foreshadows its director’s career, with fundamentals maturing across generations before breaking free. And whilst Songs may have been superseded in emotional poignancy by The Rider and in success by Nomadland, it is still a beautifully crafted film from which the others grew. The talent was apparent, and the watching is well worth it.

Songs My Brothers Taught Me is available to watch for a limited time on Mubi Words by Jamie Wills

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BLACK BEAR FILM

Written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, Black Bear is an incredible look into the toxicities which are often entwined with the creative process. It’s difficult to peel your eyes away from – much like a horrific car crash. The premise is clever: a filmmaker travels to an isolated location to play a ‘calculated game of desire and jealousy in the pursuit of a work of art that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.’ Reading this summary after my first watch was surprising: halfway through the film, the viewer is slapped by a second part, a different story told in an alternative universe with the same location and characters.

Part one sees Aubrey Plaza’s character, Allison, take to a remote lakehouse seeking a retreat and peace to write her next film. She is hosted by Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon); the latter is pregnant, and the Back to Contents

two are in a fraught relationship. Often in a bright red and sleek bathing suit, Allison is a dangerously appealing manifestation of chaos. Her very presence causes arguments between Blair and Gabe, and she goads each of them as she condescends to Blair and liaises with Gabe. The second part sees the three characters with different relationships, roles, and characters: Gabe is directing a film that takes place at the lakehouse; Allison is his wife and leading actress; Blair is the secondary lead. Gabe conspires to elicit the best, most passionate performance from Allison as is possible.

Plaza, Abbott, and Gadon work fantastically together – as a group, the chemistry is palpable. In part one, the audience is placed as an awkward voyeur as we observe the undeniable attraction between Allison and Gabe and the intrigue and tension between Blair and Allison as Blair tries to form a bond; then, the breaking down of Blair and Gabe’s relationship, made all the more complicated by their pregnancy. Everyone is still just as captivating in part two, even though everything has been completely flipped on its head.

Watching the three of them together is like observing history’s most dynamic Mexican standoff.

There’s a deep claustrophobic presence throughout. Even when the massive, sprawling lake house only has three occupants, they remain far too close for comfort. They are squashed in at a dinner table; Blair and Allison, then Allison and Gabe, hold one another tenderly as they dance, and they share space in the den and argue. The claustrophobia is amplified in the second part when crew members of the film that Gabe is directing fill every little crevice of the house, and they’re not exactly being pleasant either – they’re getting high, they’re dealing with bum tums, they’re flirting and slacking off together. They’re in every room, in every corner, constantly observing the protagonists and adding an extra barrier to any communication.

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Allison’s character is recognised as difficult in both parts. In the first, she is an actress who struggles to find work due to her nature, and in the second, we can plainly see that her supposed ‘difficulty’ comes from the fact that she is being manipulated. There’s a standout scene in part two that is torturously long and painful to watch, in the best way possible. Gabe and the crew are waiting for their lead to appear, to film their last scene. Allison, drunk and heartbroken, appears alongside Blair and an unnamed actor. One of the senior production assistants is unwell and disappears to the bathroom, and the script supervisor is stoned out of her mind. Everyone is behind schedule due to the set and crew being a mess, but Alison is blamed despite her performing brilliantly. It’s devastating to behold.

All this being said, the ending did leave me somewhat unsatisfied. It’s very ambiguous, which I generally take no issue with, but the film builds to, and possibly needs, a third part. The first two sections see a man controlling two intelligent and talented women, pitting them against each other, and I was so ready to see him get a taste of his own psychological torture. A dissatisfying ending isn’t necessarily a bad thing when executed with purpose – in fact, it can actually be satisfying in a weird, roundabout way. But ultimately I feel an imbalance between Blair and Allison’s characters that I can’t quite rationalise.

Otherwise, this is a phenomenal watch.

Black Bear was released on digital 23rd April and is currently available to watch as part of GFT's Glasgow Film at Home Words by Holly Fleming

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ZAPPA FILM

The importance of Frank Zappa in the musical pantheon, not just in rock, cannot be overstated. Zappa released 62 albums in 25 years, mostly with his band The Mothers of Invention, and broke boundaries with the surreal, comedic, and sexual imagery of his songs. He is regarded as one of the best guitarists who ever lived. He was a true composer; his work is among the most musically complex in modern times, and he notated every piece of music he created before recording it.

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There have been numerous documentaries about Zappa through the years, and now we have Alex Winter’s effort. It was the highestfunded documentary film in Crowdfunder’s history back in 2016, raising almost $900,000, and weaves together interviews and fantastic use of old footage. And yes, that’s Alex Winter aka Bill from the Bill and Ted movies.

As a youngster, hearing Zappa’s albums Freak Out! and Hot Rats stirred my inner weirdo. It gave me, and still gives me, comfort in the knowledge there were people out there who see things differently, and express it with strength and bravery while in the public eye.

Zappa was completely fearless in his artistic expression.

In interviews he was calm, composed, and spoke eloquently, yet his music reflects the surreal worlds of his imagination. Winter’s film contains many of those interviews, and is quite expertly constructed to combine them with footage of Zappa’s live shows and film of him working.

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Winter was also given unprecedented access to Zappa’s personal vault, meaning we are treated to lots of unseen footage and music.

This contrasts with other documentaries, such as Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words from 2016, a fascinating insight into the man that concentrates on his recorded interviews. Winter’s film is a different beast entirely, going for a deep-dive approach that penetrates the enigma around his subject with sensitivity and skill.

The movie moves chronologically, and there is some lovely footage of Zappa as a young boy making movies and playing with his siblings. Unfortunately, despite the loving care in the film's design, the mid-section sees things take a collage-like psychedelic turn. This technique, with fast cuts and seasickness-inducing camera movement, wherein the intention is to disorientate the viewer, has its origins in the 60s. It feels like Winter is using this technique to ground the viewer in that time and place. Maybe it’s personal taste, but here it appears self-conscious and detract from the story of Zappa’s life.

Come the last section of the film things calm down, and I was rapt by stories such as that of Zappa playing one of his last concerts in the Czech Republic, and how he and his music became a symbol of freedom in that country just as they had broken free of Soviet rule in the early 90s. A few years later, in 1993, Zappa passed away from prostate cancer, aged 52. Here, Winter’s respect for the artist and his ability as a film-maker come to the fore: the film becomes poignant, as the interviewees pay testament.

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As well as the footage of Zappa himself, Winter interviewed Mothers of Invention band members, including guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and Ruth Underwood. Zappa’s wife Gail is extensively interviewed, but unfortunately none of his offspring are, though they do give their blessing in the credits. For the record I saw his son Dweezil (love that name) play a concert of his father’s music once, and if you’re any type of fan, it’s more than worth catching him if you have the opportunity..

What emerges is a portrait of a man who always stayed true to himself and his art, and gave voice to the misfits, the weirdos, through incredible music. Though it’s clear he wasn’t the most affectionate of people, and displayed faults as the rest of us do, the film gives a wellrounded picture of Zappa the man and the legend. Visual construction faults aside, this is a fascinating and worthwhile watch if you’re a fan or have interest in one of the most revered and surreal figures in rock music.

Zappa is available to pay-to-watch now on numerous streaming platforms, including Altitude Films website Words by Martin Sandison Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 175

HELEN McCLORY BOOK: BITTERHALL

2021 is already shaping up as a memorable one for Scottish writing, with some of the finest writers around publishing new novels this year. Near the top of the list is Helen McClory’s Bitterhall. McClory’s previous novel Flesh of the Peach is one of the most overlooked of the last ten years – loved by those who read it, although there were far too few of those.

McClory is probably best known for her short story collections On the Edges of Vision (winner of the Saltire First Book of the Year Award in 2015), Mayhem & Death (which was widely praised, including warm words from Ali Smith and Margaret Atwood) and the literary sensation that is The Goldblum Variations.

It’s fair to say that Bitterhall carries a lot of expectations, perhaps more than most second novels, but from the opening pages you are back in McClory’s odd and uncanny world, where nothing is as it seems.

From the opening quote, from literary critic and rhetorician Hélène Cixous, readers are conscious that McClory has written a novel where both writer and reader are aware of their relationship and the act of reading itself (art critic and theorist John Berger also gets a mention). In Bitterhall everyone and everything is there to be read and deconstructed. There is even a book within the book, one which exhibits a strong hold over people and events, and which could be considered a character in its own right.

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The story covers the same events told differently by three central protagonists, in what cineastes often refer to as ‘The Rashomon Effect’ after the Akira Kurosawa film where questions of subjectivity versus objectivity are asked through different points of view. In Bitterhall we are introduced to Daniel Lightfoot’s story first, then Orla McLeod’s, and finally that of Tom Mew. Each seems determined to assure us, or themselves, that theirs is the correct version of events – all three are convincing yet still recognisably unreliable narrators, with the stories interweaving to confuse rather than clarify. In the fine tradition of the strand of Scottish literature where the psychological and the supernatural meet (think James Hogg and R.L. Stevenson, right up to Kirsty Logan and Jenni Fagan), we are never entirely sure who or what we can believe, in no small part because the same goes for Daniel, Orla, and Tom. It merits a second or third reading to try and grasp the full picture, but even then it remains just out of reach.

Bitterhall brings together the literary and the metaphysical, but it’s also an eerie and unusual thriller, where the tension builds towards an authentically tense climax. Almost without readers realising it Helen McClory has taken three distinctive and different characters and made us care for them. You might be drawn in by the writing, but you’ll stay for the stories. And what more can you ask of a novel?

Bitterhall is out now published by Polygon Books Words by Alistair Braidwood Email: review@snackmag.co.uk Page 177

AIDAN MARTIN BOOK: EUPHORIC RECALL

When I first started Aidan Martin’s Euphoric Recall I presumed it was a novel, or at least a fictionalised version of events. This was partly because the first chapter is one of the most engaging and arresting I have read in a long time, the style reading like prose.

The other reason was that it was clearly concerning an event which happens in the middle of the ‘story’, which is usually thought of as a literary or dramatic device (think Pulp Fiction or Goodfellas). When it then clicked that what I was reading was a memoir, everything changed, and the immediacy of what was on the page was taken to another level.

James Kelman, amongst others, talks of the ‘drama of everyday lives’. By taking away the protective layer of fiction from both reader and writer, Aidan Martin offers one of the most brave and honest books of recent times. Euphoric Recall sets out Martin’s life of addiction, trauma, violence, mental health issues and abuse, and the beginning of his road to recovery. In doing so he recounts in vivid detail a time in his life where his addictions always came first, to the detriment and distress of those around him and damage to himself. But even in the darkest times there is a sense of hope, which, despite all odds, manages to prevail.

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It soon becomes clear that Martin wrote Euphoric Recall not only for selfexamination, but also to make the point that sharing experiences with others, no matter how extreme they may seem, can help defeat stigma and shame. There is no wish to apportion blame or seek forgiveness, only to be part of what is a necessary conversation. What should not be overlooked is that it would not have the impact it does if Martin’s writing was not as good as it is. His eye for detail, an uncanny ability to break down and relay his thoughts and actions, and an often wry way with language means the style is as important as the substance in the success of the book.

Euphoric Recall is not an easy read, and nor should it be, but it is one which will help everyone better understand why people lead the lives they do, and that no-one is beyond redemption. Aidan Martin has said in interviews that writing this book was a key part of his recovery – this was a personal story, one he had to tell in this way, and only now is he ready to share it with other people. And with a forthcoming novel based in Scotland’s trance scene of the early 2000s, it feels like this is a writer who is only getting started.

Euphoric Recall is out now, published by Guts Publishing Words by Alistair Braidwood

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LINDA CRACKNELL BOOK: THE OTHER SIDE OF STONE Linda Cracknell’s new novella The Other Side of Stone tells the story of a Perthshire Mill over its many years of existence, and it’s evolution. It sees a travelling stonemason in 1813 working on his final job, carving a secret mark on the dedication stone of the mill which is destined to save its community. In 1913, a suffragette is excluded from the local industry and rails against the building that threatens to consume both her husband and her freedom. In 1990, the mill closes its doors for the final time and an embittered worker bears off a pattern book that contains the last knowledge and mystery of its weavers.

The novella took some time to get into, and in turn, to get through. The stories feel incredibly separate, and I didn’t find myself engulfed in the world and characters as I would have liked. While I appreciate an author landing us right smack in the middle of the action, meeting characters here felt rather inaccessible and I had trouble connecting with them. The suffragette in the 1913 chapters is personable and is given a strong voice, but still, it did take more time than I was initially willing to give before she piqued my interest.

Personally, I didn’t love this book: the chapters feel disconnected, and any intrigue comes too late in the game, for me. That said: I’m aware it may just not be for me, and that’s all right. So, I invite anyone in need of a historical Scottish fiction to give it a try. Across its many years of narrative, it covers a lot.

The Other Side of Stone is out now, published by Taproot Press Words by Holly Fleming

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GAMING

IN WITH THE OLD THE SPLIT SCREEN REVIVAL

IN WITH THE OLD

Hollow Knight Change is necessary: you do the same thing day in day out, you burn out, you eat the same food day in day out, you get fed up. Video games, while less serious, are exactly the same.

After booting up my copy of Red Dead Redemption 2, I was determined to finish the cowboy epic. About 60 hours of gunslinging and exploring later, I was exhausted. I had seen all I wanted to of the Wild West, and after trying to do every side quest I could find and watching the game's amazing movie-level cut scenes, I needed something more manageable. It wasn’t just that RDR2 is too big – it was the game’s ceaseless adherence to realism, the game stops to get on your horse, and the fact that most actions have quite long animations.

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While these expansive, detailed worlds are cool to exist in, if you want to truly complete the game, you have to put in hundreds of hours. And in the case of games like Destiny 2, an infinite amount of time, as the game is updated over its life. If you, like me, have quite a low boredom threshold, you will inevitably get fed up with the game.

After feeling worn out with massive games like these, I took a look at my library in search of something else that suited my needs.

Having shorter, more focused games to get along with can be good. When you start and finish a game in a few hours, you get a nice wee buzz of completion. Getting to see those credits roll is a completely singular feeling; you’re more exhausted than finishing a book, you’re more invested than with a movie, and you can just sit there for a minute and know you did that. For so many of the big open world games, you’re never gonna see the credits – they may just be too large, or the game could peter away with little to keep you invested.

In looking through my library, I was hit with how many games I had added and either never touched or only played for a few brief hours. On the list was: Bloodborne (a challenging action RPG), Hollow Knight (dark platformer, with lots of Metroidvania elements), and Dragon Quest XI (cutesy Japanese RPG). I realised that I had been on a total platformer kick recently, after enjoying games like Dead Cells and Cyber Shadow. I decided to boot up Hollow Knight: it would provide challenge, a beginning and end, and it is super critically acclaimed, so even if I didn't like it, I’d have a spicy take for Twitter.

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Luckily I did enjoy it, and running around as a little bug, meeting and fighting other bugs, and exploring the dark Hallownest was a super gratifying experience.

It’s not all about booting up games and taking them for a spin for a few hours, or checking out new games on sale. Checking back in with old favourites and being blasted back to the time you first started your journey with a game is also a headspace cleaner. A prime example is Skyrim. Make a new character and head out into the icy wastes of a fantasyland for a few hours. It doesn't have to be Skyrim; any familiar friend from the past is great, but I think having a place to centre yourself and take a breather is important. Video games should be a way to destress and hang out in digital worlds, and if these boxes are not being ticked, are you really having fun?

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Adventure for a Bit

Enter the Gungeon

Another easy way to catch up on older games or try out new vibes is Microsoft and Sony’s free game options. On Playstation, you have access to Playstation Plus, which offers games every month for a yearly subscription. You can also take advantage of 100% free games with Playstation’s Play From Home promotion without subscription – you’ll not go far wrong with either Enter the Gungeon or Horizon: Zero Dawn. On Xbox, you can use Games Pass, which is a subscription-based games service with an ever growing library of games; it is arguably the best deal in gaming.

Video games, like other forms of art, are about exploring new ideas and having fun. At the end of the day, if this isn’t being done for you, change it up. This could be trying a new game, heading back to an old favourite and just hanging, or it could just be a way of unplugging from the real world for a bit. Play games, don’t play games, do what you want. Just be sure to have fun while doing it.

Gaming by Dominic Cassidy Page 187

THE SPLIT SCREEN REVIVAL Image courtsey of Nintendo

Hollow Knight It Takes Two

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Any gamers who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s will have fond memories of split-screen gaming with their friends, battling it out on Mario Kart or completing the most recent Halo campaign.

At one point split-screen gaming was a must-have for retro consoles to be successful, but over time there have been fewer and fewer couch co-op games being released (the aforementioned Mario Kart series a brilliant outlier to this trend). The progression into online gaming for consoles and PCs is an easier and more cost-effective way to bring together thousands of players into one space.

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Online gaming has now become the dominant form of gameplay, as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) are taking over the market, with the likes of Fortnite and Call of Duty leading the charge. The ability to connect thousands of players in one space has become a massive draw for gamers all over the world. It is almost an expected addition to the majority of big titles being released.

But why have MMOGs caused split-screen gaming to become a thing of the past? The first reason is the expansion in processing power of consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, allowing developers to make intricate, realistic environments and character models. This causes split-screen modes to put too much strain on the console to run efficiently. In turn, this pushes developers to choose between making a co-op multiplayer campaign work at the expense of graphics, or just ditching the game mode altogether.

Second is profit. By encouraging people to play MMOGs, your consumers must each have a copy of the game, as well as an online subscription to be able to play online. This then encourages players to spend even more money on additional downloadable content. By cutting out the need for AI bots in offline play modes, developers are also saving money on a huge amount of costly development time.

Yet even with the massive rise in popularity for MMOGs, nostalgia seems to be playing more of a role in the video game industry with each passing year. Remakes, remasters and reboots of retro games, have proven themselves to be big money-makers for gaming studios.

Co-op gaming certainly reignites that nostalgic feeling, taking gamers back to some of their most cherished gaming memories.

Gaming by Charlotte Flain Page 189

It Takes Two

One of the most recent split-screen titles to come to both console and PC is It Takes Two. Hazelight Studios’ newest release has recently taken the market by storm and has now officially sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Hazelight Studios shared the news on Twitter, prompting the games writer and director Josef Fares to tweet, ‘This shows that there definitely are players that also want to play co-op only games! Thank you everyone and I hope we see more games like this.’

It Takes Two has proven to be a spectacular game in both its storyline and gameplay. You play as the clashing couple, Cody and May, two humans who have been turned into dolls by a magic spell and have been challenged by love guru, Dr. Hakim, to work together and save their fractured relationship.

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This game only offers a split-screen mode and you cannot pair up online with a complete stranger, but you can connect remotely with one of your friends. The game forces you to speak to each other in order to work your way through the puzzling challenges that come your way. And one of the best parts is that only one of you needs to purchase the game, as this title comes with a free friends pass. It Takes Two proves that it is entirely possible to create a split-screen game without the graphics having to suffer as a result.

The future of split-screen gaming certainly seems bright, as a new console is currently being developed called the Intellivision Amico, set to be released in October 2021. This console is designed to bring gaming back into the living room through fun, family-friendly games.

The console itself will come with two controllers, and a free app can be used to turn your mobile phones into controllers to add up to six more players. It will come with six inbuilt games with a focus on family friendly content. There is also the promise of no microtransactions, loot-boxes or in-game advertising. This console is being designed to appeal to nostalgic gamers and wants to revert back to how video games used to be played.

While the revival of split-screen co-operative gaming may be moving at a slow pace, there is most definitely evidence of its return.

With the enthusiastic support from gamers and developers, there is certainly hope for nostalgic players that split-screen modes will no longer remain a figment of the past.

Gaming by Charlotte Flain Page 191

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