ISSUE 02 AIDAN MOFFAT L-SPACE STUART BRAITHWAITE MUSIC FILM FOOD AND DRINK TRAVEL LGBTQ VISUAL ARTS WORDS
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CONTENTS WHAT’S ON MUSIC FILM FOOD & TRAVEL EVENTS | PAGE 07
AIDAN MOFFAT, L-SPACE, S. BRAITHWAITE . . . | PAGE 14
DOCUMENT FILM FEST, KIN, JACKIE CHAN . . . | PAGE 26
BELFAST, REVIEWS, OPENINGS, THE BAR . . . | PAGE 34 Disclaimer: Snack Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine in part or in whole is forbidden without the explicit written consent of the publishers. Every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content of this magazine but we cannot guarantee it is complete and up to date. Snack Publishing Ltd. is not responsible for your use of the information contained herein.
E: hello@snackpublising.com Editor/Sales: Kenny Lavelle Food and Travel Editors: Emma Mykytyn and Mark Murphy LGBTQ Editor: Jonny Stone Words Editor: Leona Skene Designer/Illustrator: Fionnlagh Ballantine
LGBTQ STAGE VISUAL ARTS WORDS
GLASGOW WOMAN'S LIBRARY, BRAZIL . . . | PAGE 47
THE BRITANNIA PANOPTICON | PAGE 54
SCOTTISH PORTRAIT AWARDS | PAGE 56
CABBAGES | PAGE 58
WHAT’S ON GUIDE TOM MCGUIRE AND THE BRASSHOLES ALBUM LAUNCH 3rd February, QMU, Glasgow Glasgow based modern-soul-funk band The Brassholes are set to hit the QMU to launch their new album. Led by bearded soul-bearer Tom McGuire, the colourful band deliver good time funk in spades. Love making your Saturday night dinner to the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show? Then you’ll love this. The video for single ‘Ric Flair’ has earned them tonnes of YouTube views and a sell-out November gig. Due for release in January 2019, the new album hype promises exciting times for one of the most all-out-fun bands in Scotland.
24 DAYS OF ADVENT Edinburgh Like Doors Open Days, but Christmas. Edinburgh opens its doors to showcase its unique buildings in this real-life advent calendar. Throughout the month, each day there’s a new treasure to explore, including Dovecot Studios, The Old Dr Bells Baths, the Anatomical Museum and Edinburgh Printhouse. Some venues do have to be booked in advance so head over to their website to find out more. http://w w w.edinburghschristmas.com/ whats-on/24-doors-of-advent18
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JAZZ//FUNK//SOUL//BLUES//ACOUSTIC @thejazzbar www.thejazzbar.co.uk What's On Page 7
WEEGIE HINK AE THAT? 30th November, Glasgow Panopticon The Glasgow based sketch group are putting on a fundraising comedy show at, and in aid of, the Glasgow Panopticon. From Scotrail to Scotch Pies, no element of Scottish culture is safe from the quick wit of Gregor MacKay, Conor Hardie, Jack Jarvis Gouther and Elliot Hannigan. Having performed sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe for two years running, the group are in high demand and have a reputation for distinct and unforgettable comedy and songs.
DUNDEE ETHICAL CHRISTMAS FAIR 5th-22nd December, City Square, Dundee Returning for its twelfth year, Dundee Christmas Fair brings international exhibitors together in the City Square under the banner of fair trade and production. Fun fact - one trader from rural Zambia brings in 40% of her annual income from this fair fortnight alone - see the difference you can make? Browse over 40 stalls filled with hand-crafted and distinctive pieces from Zambia, Kenya, Cambodia and Peru - alongside local traders - all under a beautifully festive marquee.
LOCH LOMOND DRIVE-IN MOVIES 18th-24th December, Loch Lomond Shores The Christmas film showcase at Loch Lomond Shores is pretty much settled as an unmissable modern Christmas tradition. This year, holiday favourites like Elf, Home Alone 1 & 2, It’s a Wonderful Life, Die Hard and (Shut it) Love Actually are on-show for £30 per-car. You can park-up under the stars and indulge in some cracking food including wood-fired pizzas, deluxe hot chocolate and marshmallows to toast over the cosy beach fires. Tickets sell fast for these - with some screenings already sold-out, an additional date has been added. Best get in quick.
QMU TURNS 50 30th November, QMU, Glasgow On the anniversary of their legendary 1991 Nirvana gig, Glasgow’s QMU officially celebrates its 50th anniversary with a night of music and spoken word. Working in partnership with the Glasgow Glam Rock Dialogues, this event looks back on QMU gigs by the likes of The Smiths, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Queen, Orange Juice, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Courtney Love. Testimonials and archived materials have been collated into a video essay to be shown on the night that includes memories, images, ticket stubs and merch stall treasures sent in by the public.
CAGE-A-RAMA 4th-6th January, Glasgow Love Nicolas Cage? Feel the need to revel in Nouveau Shamanic acting? Hate bees? Europe’s longest-running Nicolas Cage film festival returns to Glasgow with nine films over three days. Cage-a-Rama includes the weird and confusing Vampire’s Kiss, along with another chance to catch the more recent Mandy and Mom and Dad. You’ll also be able to access loads of bonus content and special guest features throughout the weekend, including the feature-length live event ‘Going Full Cage: Exploring the Enigma of Nicolas Cage’. Cage.
SQIFF 5th-9th December, Glasgow Since 2015, the Scottish Queer International Film Festival has showcased boundary-pushing programmes of contemporary LGBTQ+ shorts from around the world. This year they’ve everything from Scotch Porn to Queer Arab Lives covered. Running across various Glasgow venues including Kinning Park Complex and the newly reopened CCA, tickets are on priced on a sliding scale of £0£8 depending on what you can afford. Ticket sales go towards supporting the vital work of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, artists and organisers. http://www.sqiff.org What's On Page 9
VISIBLE GIRLS / INVISIBLE SPACES
THE GIANT LANTERNS OF CHINA
27th November – 21st December (selected dates), Summerhall, Edinburgh A double feature of photographs and portraits of Scottish women, this Summerhall exhibition is a tale in two parts. ‘Visible Girls: Revisited’ retraces the work of Anita Corbin and her focus on women from various 1980’s subcultures from skinheads to new romantics. She follows their experiences into the modern day with newly commissioned portraits of these same women. ‘Invisible Spaces’ features photography by young scots aged 1826, exploring the ways the spaces they inhabit shape identity.
1st December-25th February, Edinburgh Zoo Over 50 magical nights, Edinburgh Zoo will be host to an illuminating tribute to Chinese legends and Scottish folk tales. They’ve over 200 bespoke lanterns in the form of large-scale animal sculptures (both real and imaginary), from giant pandas and lions to unicorns and kelpies. They’ve also a festive marketplace where you can pick up handmade crafts from Chinese artisans or warm up with your favourite festive hot drinks and snacks.
RNJO: THE COUNT AND THE DUKE 6th December, Usher Hall, Edinburgh In celebration of the great two of jazz legends, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra have chosen to feature two of their landmark albums: The Atomic Mr Basie and Ellington’s Black, Brown and Being. Playing these suites in full for the first time in their 23-year history, the RNJO brings swinging melodies to audiences in a performance that highlights their founding influence on the history of Kansas City and New York jazz styles. The Glasgow show has already sold-out, tickets are still available for the Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
PAISLEY FARMERS MARKET 8th & 22nd December, Paisley Ayrshire Farmers Market brings a host of quality produce to Paisley’s newly refurbished and pedestrianised Paisley County Square on two Saturdays this December. BBC’s Good Food Magazine has recognised the community market as one of the UK’s best. They’ve over 30 stalls and you might even catch the odd celebrity chef showing off at a cooking demonstration.
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BABA YAGA 19th-21st December, Govanhill Baths, Glasgow The character of Govanhill Baths should lend an air to the story of the most infamous witch of Russian folklore: Baba Yaga. Known for her steel teeth, taste for children, and her hut that runs on giant chicken legs. Heroine Vasilisa must outwit the witch and ensure the sun’s rise in this dark play. Performed in the main pool, audiences should dress to beat the cold if they want to survive this chilling wintery encounter.
STRATHCLYDE XMAS CONTENDER FIGHT NIGHT
DATES-N-MATES INCLUSIVE CHRISTMAS PARTY
15th December, Strathclyde Union, Glasgow In need of a way to de-stress and mark the end of a busy time at uni or work? How does a night of music, booze and martial arts sound? Strathclyde Union’s annual Muay Thai showcase is back with a night of interclub bouts where skilled fighters from Scottish universities and local gyms battle it out. Hosted on the top floor of the Union, students and non-students are welcome. Ticket sales go towards supporting local foodbanks. There will also be a food collection point set up on the night so please take along anything you can spare - Christmas is a critical time for foodbanks!
6th December Gabriels, Paisley Dates-n-Mates is Scotland’s leading national friendship and dating agency run by and for adults with learning disabilities. They’ve a fabulously inclusive Christmas singles night out planned with a DJ, karaoke, buffet, raffle and a Cupid Message Board for us eager and not so eager singles. Even better, it’s an open invite meaning you can bring your pals along for support. Ticket prices are £8 for members and £10 for non-members. What's On Page 13
AIDAN MOFFAT Following on from the success of ‘Here Lies The Body’, Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert are back in time for some festive cheer with ‘Ghost Stories For Christmas’. We caught up with Aidan in advance of its release. We usually associate Christmas with a bearded man but this year we get two, so surely that’s value for money? You know what, we got the promo pictures done for the Christmas album and we tried to recreate the images for the first album and the colour of my beard between the albums has completely changed.
It was initially black with white bits but now it’s grey with white bits. I think it’s a message and I’m destined for a Santa role. How did the recording for the Christmas album go? We planned to do a one-off Christmas song and then we had more time, so we did a couple of B-sides and it was good fun. We started in the first week of August and it was a gloriously sunny day. Every day in the studio, I’m in shorts and a t-shirt but of course, this is when all Christmas records are made. When Slade recorded theirs, it was in New York during a heatwave and you had these four mad English guys doing handclaps in the corridor! It’s great to think that even for a moment I experienced the same sort of thing as Slade did! I do love Slade. Is the album your chance to share your thoughts on Christmas? I’m an atheist, I’ve never been religious, and I’ve never had a religious background in my family but we’ve always celebrated Christmas. The last song has lyrics that I took from a story by Dickens. It’s not A Christmas Carol but what A Christmas Carol did was it gave everyone a text to reference that allows them to celebrate Christmas.
MUSIC “I THINK THERE’S SOMETHING DEEP WITHIN US THAT WE NEED TO CELEBRATE AT THAT TIME OF YEAR.” People have been having feasts in winter and December long before Christianity came along. In fact, Christians chose the date of Christ’s birth to coincide with the festivities that were already happening. There’s a big long story to the season that goes beyond that and I think there’s something deep within us that we need to celebrate at that time of year. Are you a Christmas or New Year man? When I was younger, I was more of a New Year person but as I get older, I enjoy Christmas more. Hogmanay is a young person’s game and the last Hogmanay I enjoyed was at a family house and we had a couple of drinks and watched TV. 10 to 15 years ago, I’d have been clubbing but I prefer a quieter one now. Does the process of writing Christmas songs differ from standard songs? It reminded me of when I was writing songs for the film Where You’re Meant To Be. There was source material and a focus before you even started. It’s not necessarily the most cheerful Christmas record you will ever hear but I can assure you it was great fun to write and make.
Music by Andrew Reilly Page 15
There are two covers on the album, what was the thinking behind choosing these two songs? The Yazoo one, Only You, we’ve been doing live and I’m very fond of the Yazoo version, although I’m not so fond of the Flying Pickets version, which got to number one at Christmas. The song is based on the Yazoo version, but we tried to add a wee Flying Pickets bit to it. I went through a list of Christmas number ones and you’d be surprised at the amount of shite that was Christmas number one. We were going to do East 17’s Stay Another Day and then it dawned on me, Mud with Lonely This Christmas and it sounded absolutely perfect and it fitted with the themes of virtually every other song on the record.
Do you have any other plans for next year yet? To be honest, the Christmas record was a bit of a surprise. I think we’re going to do a live record for Record Store Day. We might do another single, but I think we'll do gigs in Europe and festivals but beyond that, I don’t really have many plans.
Any surprises for the festive live shows? I’m not sure, we’ve not rehearsed yet. We’ll be playing most of the new album and we’ll have a new line-up from November as Siobhan Wilson
Wireless Festival issued a warning to bands about swearing, saying they’ll ban acts that swear. Do you have any thoughts on that? Aye, they can fuck off!
is moving on to do her solo work. You’ve been announced for Celtic Connections next year. I’m very much looking forward to it. People come from all over for this festival and they’ve put us on in a brilliant slot. I think we’re the closing night at the Fruitmarket. It has the biggest festival audience in Britain, every business in Glasgow looks forward to January for Celtic Connections.
Festivals seem to be taking over the live music scene these days, any thoughts on that? We did 17 festivals last year and that’s ridiculous. We thought we could go away, do festivals at the weekend and come back home during the week but that made it worse. We got home, totally burst all midweek and then away again. There’s a lot of good stuff out there, there’s never been so much great music. I love Bandcamp but live, it's becoming harder for bands at the level of Hubby and me to get gigs in Europe and America because it is so expensive. I can’t complain, I did all those festivals last year, so, you just have to go with it and be prepared for failure in music.
OLD FRUITMARKET 3RD FEBRUARY 2019 AS PART OF THE CELTIC CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL
To finish up, do you have a Christmas message to share? Prepare for disappointment. No, I’m just happy and thankful I can still do what I love and get by. Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert release ‘Ghost Stories For Christmas’ on 7th Dec and they play the Old Fruitmarket on 3rd February 2019 as part of the Celtic Connections festival.
“I CAN’T COMPLAIN, I DID ALL THOSE FESTIVALS LAST YEAR, SO, YOU JUST HAVE TO GO WITH IT AND BE PREPARED FOR FAILURE IN MUSIC.” Music by Andrew Reilly Page 17
STUART BRAITHWAITE Even though 2018 hasn’t been the biggest or busiest year of Mogwai’s existence, they’ve released the Kin soundtrack and played countless shows, home and away. We caught up with Stuart Braithwaite as the band gear up to go on the road again and look forward to 2019. You’re becoming soundtrack specialists, how does the songwriting process begin for these projects? We usually get a remit from the director about the music they want and hopefully it’s music that sounds like us or it wont work! We send work back and forth and then work on it from there until we get enough Is Kin the sort of film you would go see and does that matter when you get asked to do a soundtrack? It is a Sci-Fi film with an indie road-movie vibe, so it is definitely something I would go and see. I wouldn’t say we would never do something that wasn’t up our avenue, even if it wasn’t something we would watch. Does the soundtrack work you do feed into your own songwriting and recording? Yeah, I’m sure it does. The instrumentation that we have used on some of the soundtracks, fallen in love with those sounds and then we kept on using them in our next album. You’re playing a charity gig to support the Scottish Circle at SWG3 on November 21st, a charity that supports women’s empowerment, obviously a cause that matters. Is it important you get the chance to support these causes as a band? Its hugely important, the fact that we can do something that will help people’s lives is really good. Being in a band is a privileged thing, you
often do things that help yourself so when you can do something that helps others, it’s great. When you play a gig like this, how do you feel about the gigs selling out in seconds? 90% pride, 10% worried about people moaning at missing out on tickets.
Yeah, it’s probably best you avoid Facebook in the immediate aftermath. I’ve lost my Facebook password and I’m locked out, so I can’t see anything. You’ll be supporting The Cure at Bellahouston Park in the summer of 2019, is it too early to look forward to that gig yet? No, I’m really excited about that, it’s going to be a big highlight for next year I’m looking forward to that. Following on from that, do you have many plans in place for 2019? Not really, there’s a TV soundtrack I can’t say much about, that will stretch into next year. After that, we’ll see what happens. We are under no pressure to do anything quickly, do our best to enjoy it. Great news from the Mogwai camp is that Martin is back. It’s good to see him back but when Cat Myers was playing with you did, did you feel there was any difference in the band’s style of play? Martin is in good form, totally fine. As for Cat, she has got her own style; all drummers play their own way. I think she did an excellent job in playing Martin’s parts. We can’t be grateful enough for the great job that Cat did. She’s a really good person and it was great getting to know her, so yeah that worked out well. We’re getting close to the end of the year, have you put any thought into your favourite albums of the year? I always get a totally blank mind whenever I’m asked that. I always think of bands on our record label, which is nepotistic, but I really love the Aidan and Hubby album, Kathryn’s record and the new Twilight Sad record is sounding great. The new Low album is amazing, that’s one of the best records I’ve heard in a long time. Returning to soundtracks, do you have any favourite soundtracks that you return to? I love a lot of the Stanley Kubrick ones, 2001 and A Clockwork Orange. Escape from New York by John Carpenter, Hellraiser. I really like the
“THE FACT THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP PEOPLE’S LIVES IS REALLY GOOD. BEING IN A BAND IS A PRIVILEGED THING.” Natural Born Killers soundtracks, that introduced me to a lot of good music. More recently, the Jonny Greenwood There Will Be Blood soundtrack is great. If you had the chance of scoring any genre or working with a director, would you have a favourite? I’d really like to do a horror thing, there’s a lot of great horror directors working right now. Stuff like The Witch and Hereditary would be brilliant. I really love Mandy, that is tremendous and the score by Jóhann Jóhannsson is amazing. Mind you, even with the fantastic range of horror films about at the moment, surely real life is scarier? That’s the thing, it’s a pleasant escape from reality. And to round off, but maintaining the horror theme, what were your thoughts on Bobby Gillespie on the This Week Show? I would be the exact same as Bobby but I’m not sure if I have as good an unimpressed face as Bobby or if I could have had handled that as well as he did. Bobby handled that very well. Kin is available for digital download. DVD and Blu-Ray versions of Kin will be available from 26th December. Mogwai released their Kin soundtrack on 31st August and are playing live in the UK and Greece before the end of this year, as well as supporting The Cure at Bellahouston Park in August of 2019. Music by Andrew Reilly Page 19
L-SPACE Released earlier this year on the innovative Last Night From Glasgow record label, L-Space’s excellent debut album Kipple Arcadia is an ambitious exploration of what it might be like to live in a future utopia/dystopia where humans can make copies of themselves and you can drift off into the atmosphere to lose yourself if it all gets a bit noisy on earth.
The album is full of twitchy rhythms, complex layers and the occasional futuristic soundscape tic but, as it progresses, there’s a stillness and space that develops and settles round Lily’s voice. It’s this sense of stillness that gives room for their vision of a future techno culture to grow and settle in the mind, even in the midst all the whirs and clicks. If this all sounds a bit heavy, really it’s not. They definitely know their way round a breezy pop melody or two and Lily’s gently calling, lullaby vocals tend to keep things floating along in the right direction. When Lily and Gordon first met, they discovered a common interest in science fiction, they would chat about it on their lunch breaks and it was from there the idea for the band came from. But according to Lily they didn't really become a full band until they met Dickson. “[Dickson] he's an author and he was doing a reading at one of Gordon's arts events. We soundtracked his story he was reading and that worked quite well and it turns he’s a bassist as well. So that's how the three of us came together.” In today’s musical landscape where so many bands opt for a pretty bleak view of technology, L-Space see things a little differently. Lily explains, ”Our songs have an element of dystopia and utopia mixed together. I think it's quite good to have that balance because one person's utopia is another person's dystopia and it's never going to be perfect. I think it's also important to realize where we've got good things going. You could say there’s a lot to be scared about with technology, but it’s the thing that’s going to solve a lot of the problems we have at the moment. The obvious one is medicine. Diseases that in western world city life we don't really think about that much. There are developing agricultural technologies that can help people in rural settings, making their work easier and to make the yields higher so that they can feed more people. Technologies that will solve climate change problems such as rising sea levels causing farmland to be salty. We're going to need to use technology to solve these problems. So I think there's a lot of hope, more hope than there is despair in the way technology is going” Photograph: Gordon Johnstone
There’s a second variety of L-Space in the works too. They were asked to play a synth party, saw the other acts on the bill and thought “okay we need to do something different here”, and so The Unreliable Narrators was born. Lily describes the project as as being more focused on heavy synths and beats, their normal setup is full-band and produces a kind of “dreamy noisy fuzzy synthy sound”. It’s still in development but the pared down Unreliable Narrators incarnation looks likely to be the tougher sounding version. She turns it over, “maybe you could dance to it?”
L-SPACE PLAY, 28th November, Bloc+ 1st December, The Safari Lounge 12th December, Drygate 13th December, King Tut’s - BBC Introducing 20th January, The Hug and Pint
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PARQUET COURTS Review – SWG3 6th November Kicking off, as it were, with Total Football, Parquet Courts wasted no time in showing why they will be in the running when it comes to the album of the year. It’s the call for collectivism with sweepers and strikers you never knew you needed, and it had the crowd locked in from the start. The evolution of the band has been slow and steady, best exemplified by One Man, No City. Previously, a Velvet Underground-esque stomper, in SWG3, the band brought the funk on the elongated track. The title track of their most recent LP, Wake Up, is also a game-changer with respect to the evolution of the band’s set. The longstanding 1-2 of Master of My Craft into Borrowed Time remains as life-affirming as ever. It has company though - Almost Had To Start A Fight into In and Out of Patience rattles along at a fair pace with backing vocals that soar before Freebird II swoops in.
If we've learned one thing from American bumper stickers, it's that you don't mess with Texas. When a playful comparison between Scotland and Texas by Austin Brown was met with boos, it was time for the band’s customary run-in with their audience. This led to a song being dedicated to Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, far too many American footballers for a Scottish audience to care about and The Alamo. Oddly enough, no mention of Ted Cruz, who the good people of Texas voted in as Senator that day. Mind you, when the songs are good, the band can say what they want. Are Parquet Courts prickly? Absolutely. Are Parquet Courts pricks? Possibly. But even if they are, they're our pricks and you should love them like the wayward sibling or roguish pet who always turn up trumps when you need them. Parquet Courts remind you of countless bands in one set but most importantly, there are not too many bands in the present day who bear comparison with the group.
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POSSIBLE DUST CLOUDS Review – Track by track. If songwriting heroines existed in a Marvellike expanded cinematic universe, Kristin Hersh would have the best origin story. A childhood pitched between the conflicting realms of Georgia and Rhode Island, a parental split, settling with her mum and a stepfamily before her “radioactive spider” moment. Aged 16, she was in an accident involving her bike and a car. From that moment, she was able to hear ambient “music” no-one else could hear and across the next 4 decades she would channel that unique interaction with the world into songs for Throwing Muses, 50FootWave and her numerous solo albums (Possible Dust Clouds is the tenth or eleventh depending how you count them).
Hersh was actually suffering from PTSD-related dissociation – although this was misdiagnosed throughout her life as many things including schizophrenia. From a listener’s perspective, it gives Hersh’s output a backstory for her ethereal edge and certainly informs her varying vocal delivery. Songs come from outside of her via her indie rock goddess persona (“Rat Girl” as Hersh calls her) and her dissociation extends to the point where she is unable to explain the influences, stories or feelings involved in most of her songs. Either side of the Muses comeback record, Purgatory Paradise, Hersh’s last two solo albums were solo in the literal sense – Kristin plays everything you hear on 2010’s Crooked and 2016’s incredibly personal yet broad Wyatt at the Coyote Palace. On her signature 1994 solo record, Hips & Makers, her acoustic guitar was only occasionally accompanied by the odd cello, yet the feeling of a record created by one idiosyncratic soul rather than a collective just oozes out of that album. Possible Dust Clouds is different. This is a band, man. This is the sound of a band finding their collective rhythm in a darkened room, not the sound of an autocrat chanteuse. It was actually recorded using several musicians including at least 3 drummers but somehow it locks into the positively insular feel of a working band. Overall, the production has a slightly muted quality – no sparkling clean, vocals at the front of the mix treatment here. The record sounds like it’s been wrapped in a blanket and particularly suits being listened to on vinyl. If one of these songs appears in your streaming playlist, it will probably stick out for this reason. The delayed guitar lines play with the rhythm and groove of the opening two tracks LAX and lead single No Shade in Shadow almost to the point of disorientation. The former is a far more human sounding swagger of a song than an infamously inhuman airport deserves, while No Shade in Shadow manages to sound like classic era Muses over a delta blues shuffle with a
campfire sing-along chorus/outro. The repetition of the phrase No Shade in Shadow with the assonance and alliteration inherent in the phrase gives the song a hypnotic feel while those muddy guitar lines surround Kristin’s lead vocal harmony like a swarm of supportive, benign midges. After the fairly bombastic first two tracks, Halfway Home starts with the first obvious appearance of an acoustic guitar, although it’s less than a minute before an overdriven guitar clatters over the top of it. The harmonising vocals cascading throughout the extended outro, build in emotional pitch until the loudest vocal track becomes a haunted shriek. It’s not clear whether LA is the home she’s halfway towards or the non-home she’s halfway from. Fox Point has a similar tempo and feel – a winding intro gives way to dramatic rhythmic strumming and a very Kristin Hersh vocal. Thematically it seems to be blending crowd surfing with actual surfing (a passion of one of her sons that led them to live in California). The repetition and delivery of the words “Mind Blowing” is exceptional, gradually the word Mind being bitten at rather than sang and countered with the exhale of Blowing. Words as abstract entities that lose their literal meaning and become emotional objects themselves. I love it. Lethe begins with a rhythmic awkwardness before tumbling tom-heavy drums drive a spiralling chord progression. The lyrical repetition of various verbs happening “in the sand” sits within the instrumentation while the line “I see you fall to pieces like a hero” jumps out as if it deserves to be tattooed on a fan’s face at some point. The album takes a step back to the noisy swagger of the first two tracks with Loud Mouth – a technicolour swirl of a tune shoving its noisy lead line right in your face over a driving beat that kicks more than it snares. Gin slithers along and contains the sort of solo wich all guitarists should aspire to – not a single note is wasted. Tulum marries clean-ish guitars over a dirty bass line and Kristin’s voice at its sweetest. It appears to relay a tale of being in Mexico although I
doubt whether the refrain of “Lying in a Mexican mortuary” is a first person recount. Towards the end, the breakdown creates an atmospheric soundscape that’s not particularly over-layered but conjures images of something shaking from the impact and force of the main body of the song. Following this, one of the album’s cleanest vocal deliveries, Breathe In is all distorted vocals and an occasional guitar line that ghosts in to build the squall of background noise and leaves to allow the other instruments to force their way through your guts. The album ends with Lady Godiva which lyrically transports Coventry’s most famous scud merchant to California “Her fries and coke tipping over”. Time may temper my fondness but, right now, this is already my favourite Kristin Hersh solo album and even solid Throwing Muses fans might be forced to admit that this is better even than The Real Ramona or the slightly more niche Red Heaven. Kristin might well pump out crowd and selffunded solo albums for the rest of eternity. If they continue to mesmerise, shake rumps and force introspection like Possible Dust Clouds, only the soulless won’t be better off for it. Music by Stephen McColgan Page 25
KIN The science fiction action genre, with roots as strong as its stalwarts The Terminator and Aliens, is a genre mash up that can be consistently entertaining. That Kin has the budget, actors and style to achieve this but suffers from an unoriginal plotline seems a wasted opportunity. In fact the film feels like a combination of the video game Halo and the classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Still, the thrills and spills come thick and fast, and the lead performances lend some depth that sets the film apart from recent efforts in the genre. Eli (Myles Truitt) and his adoptive father Hal (Dennis Quaid) live the quiet life until Hal’s son Jimmy (Jack Reynor) reappears, having spent some time in prison for theft. When a bunch of gangsters (led by James Franco) turn up with a score to settle, Eli and Jimmy must go on the run. The twist is, Eli has in his possession an otherworldly ray gun that he found scavenging for scrap metal (he’s also being pursued by the owners of the gun). Along the way their paths cross with dancer, Milly (Zoe Kravitz) who helps them before all hell properly breaks loose. The basic storyline is so much like T2 it’s a little derivative, but filmmakers Jonathan and Josh Baker know this and litter the film with references to the two classics. The weaponry and armoured suits that Eli’s pursuers wear are straight out of Halo, to the point where it’s a wonder the makers didn’t sue. Eli begins an innocent youth who goes on to discover his inner power. Truitt plays him
convincingly and looks to have a bright future. Jimmy is an incredibly faulted, reckless and thuggish young man who knows what he is, learns to accept this and look beyond his shortcomings. Reynor does a good enough job, but his overenthusiasm does become a little annoying as things progress. Quaid is perfect as Hal, a man with old school values that chime with his need to do right by his adopted son, Eli. Zoe Kravitz does well with the underwritten role of Milly, and works out some good emotionally honest scenes with Truitt. The real ace in the hole is James Franco as a greasy-looking, mulleted gangster with shades of Gary Oldman’s psychotic villain in Leon. I only wish he was in the film more. Despite only having written and directed short films prior to Kin, the twins prove they can handle a feature and juggle science fiction and action well. However, the film’s tone and pacing feels uneven at times with the buddy-buddy aspects of Eli and Jimmy’s relationship not sitting comfortably with the dark style. The feel good moments slow down
FILM
“THE WEAPONRY AND ARMOURED SUITS THAT ELI’S PURSUERS WEAR ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF HALO, TO THE POINT WHERE IT’S A WONDER THE MAKERS DIDN’T SUE.” the plot and seem forced. There are problems with the action choreography, with gunplay lacking bite due to bad framing and squib effects. For all that, Kin is a fun ride. Eli’s ray gun, when he gets to use it, is mightily impressive in its devastation. The characters are well
developed and the film never becomes boring. A neat twist and visual innovation at the end ensures the viewers attention is kept till the lights go up. A special mention goes to Scottish post-rock masters Mogwai, a band whose growth in stature as soundtrack artists has been meteoric. Their music lends a haunting atmosphere to a film that rises above its influences despite some faults. Film by Martin Sandison Page 27
DOCUMENT FILM FESTIVAL
The Document Film Festival has been bringing light to important human rights issues and carving its own niche in the Scottish film scene since 2003 . In recent years they’ve condensed the programme to 3 or 4 days, which has by all accounts reinvigorated the festival, successfully drawing in audiences and maximising engagement. This year it will run from 30th November to 2nd December in Glasgow’s Scottish Youth Theatre located in the Merchant City, due to the CCA’s temporary closure Under the Permissible Dreams strand, two things stand out. Firstly, Cinema of The Palestinian Revolution sheds light on films made by the Palestinian Film Institute. Since the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon these films were thought to be destroyed or lost. Now thanks to Sheffield Hallam University some of these artefacts have been discovered and digitised. The presentation also features modern films reflecting on the pieces.
The films provide a crucial framework within which to understand the historical and cultural conditions which gave rise to the revolution of the 70’s, and with that the Palestine armed resistance. There are five short documentaries, each with their own unique take on the subject. The mother of Egyptian Documentary-making, Ateyyat El Abnoudy has a strong presence at this year’s festival where Document will present three of her early works and a host a talk on her socialist poetics and politics. Trained as a lawyer, El Abnoudy became a film-maker in the early 70’s. Her work addresses the concerns of the underclasses in Arab countries, especially the plight of women, much to the irritation of some Arab Governments. In the West she is one of the most recognisable and celebrated documentary film-makers. From The Strangers In the Archive strand short film programme Looking At Others considers the ethics of gaze, whether it be the tourist, the
film-maker or the audience. Dennis Stormer’s short concentrates on an American tour guide bringing tourists to visit and ‘experience’ a Roma community, questioning the relationship between the three gazes and how they can become interchangeable. Yama - Attack to Attack in the No Life To Be Lived Strand uncovers the essential suffering the class divide brings. The film follows day-labourers caught up in a class war during Japan’s economic boom of the 1980’s. Director Mitsuo Sato intention was to expose the Yakuza for their role in the restructuring of the job market. As a result, he was killed by the Yakuza, as was the director who took up the reins, Kyoichi Yamaoka. My previous view of the Yakuza was that despite being criminals, they are an essential part of Japanese society; helping the less fortunate is claimed as one of their ideals. Clearly, the situation is much more complex than that. This is certain to be a mind opener. One of the most mysterious and intriguing happenings of recent years was the story of fortythree students in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico who seemingly vanished into thin air in 2014. The Sun Quartet addresses this event in an experimental, psychedelic visually poetic way, over the course of four short films. The film challenges the grammar of mainstream film and television to reach it’s political point on the failure of the Mexican police in dealing with violent crime. These picks represent only a small selection of what’s on offer at this year’s Document, which is sure to challenge, provoke independent thought and inspire. That its audience is growing is heartening, more support is needed to bring human rights issues into the light, and to be sure that they remain there. Document Film Festival 2018 runs from 30th November to 2nd December at the Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow http://www.documentfilmfestival.org/
HELLO.
If you’re reading this in December then we’re already working away on the lovely January edition of Snack. If you might like to advertise here, or anywhere else in the magazine for that matter, then give us a shout. 0141 632 4641 hello@snackpublishing.com
Glasgow | Paisley | Dundee | Edinburgh Independent since 2018
“THESE PICKS REPRESENT ONLY A SMALL SELECTION ON OFFER IN THIS YEARS DOCUMENT, WHICH IS SURE TO CHALLENGE, PROVOKE INDEPENDENT THOUGHT AND INSPIRE ITS AUDIENCE”
Film by Martin Sandison Page 29
CHANOLOGY MY PASSION
You see, Benjamin? A guy can change anything. His face, his home, his family, his girlfriend, his religion, his God. But there’s one thing he can’t change, Benjamin. He can’t change…his passion. (The Secret in Their Eyes, Pablo’s speech, Dir Juan Jose Campanella) When I was a child I had a babysitter, although no relation, my Auntie Liz. I remember being in her house and relishing any opportunity to go into her son David’s room. His room was cool; he had an old betamax player with a few films and a life size cut out of Steven Segal (acquired from a video store, I believe). I distinctly remember the two betamax tapes I was drawn to, No Retreat No Surrender and Gymkata. Both films are of questionable quality, at best, but they provided a window into what would become my Chan passion. No Retreat No Surrender, a Rocky knock off involving a reincarnated Bruce Lee (this is not made up), and Gymkata, a film about a gymnastic pro put into a battle royale scenario where he has to use his gymnastics to outrun and evade the local army (again, this is not made up). Both had lengthy, glorious trailers, all of which were more exciting than the actual films. It was here I had my first taste of Jackie Chan in the form of a trailer for Project A part 2. This was a revelation to me. When picked up by my Mum at the end of the day I recall trying to summarise what I had seen and not being able to, likely driving my beloved mother to distraction, and ultimately repeating the process at dinner with my Dad. So, with this new found obsession, I found myself at the local video rental (AZAD in Monifieth) trying to rent a ‘suitable’ kung fu movie. This wasn’t easy: I was an impressionable child
and my dad would never allow me anything above my age range. Back then there were 4 certificates; U, PG, 15 and 18. I was allowed what was legal and nothing else. As a 5 year old this put me into a challenging position. I remember being unsuccessful a few times, and being scolded for running into the ‘adult’ section of the shop; the two rows of kung fu films were housed directly below the soft core porn shelves above. I could only ever find 15 or 18 kung fu films until one day I found my masterpiece. In amongst all the oversized rental boxes, tucked away, stood a standard sized video box holding Project A. When looking at the bright yellow ‘PG” certificate I knew I was in luck. My Dad, an avid film fan, didn’t have knowledge of Chan, or kung fu cinema, at that time. Despite scepticism, he dutifully allowed me Project A. Project A is a masterpiece! More than that, it is MY masterpiece. It is the one film I always go back to and it still gives me that awe inspiring feeling of watching something perfect. It is the ultimate example of physical cinema projecting action sequences that have only ever been
rivalled by Chan himself. Project A solidified Chan’s growing reputation for performing death defying stunts too. The action, the comedy and the sheer physical prowess of the film’s cast have justifiably benchmarked Project A as a definitive example of action cinema. It is MY definitive example of cinema, period. As a child my hero was my Dad, he still is, and naturally his acceptance was key. I had watched silent cinema as a child with him, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd were regulars. The day I brought Project A home, so sure of the quality on screen, I forced my Dad to sit and watch the film with me. A particular set piece resulted in roaring laughter and gasps of awe. The stunt sequence where Chan falls from a clock tower is a direct nod to Harold Lloyd’s seminal Safety Last and this was something that resonated, a real moment between father and son (it’s important to note that as much as I love Safety Last, Lloyd was safe, with a platform just out of camera view below him. Chan was not. Any thought of safety nets or platforms dissolves in the single take of him falling to the ground). My Chan obsession only grew from there. My
Dad allowed me the ‘15’ Chan films, and my visits to AZAD became the highlight of my week. The employee behind the counter ultimately gave me the store’s copies of Project A, Wheels on Meals and Miracles (all Chan masterpieces) when the videos were recalled. I still have them. I have moved several times and these pieces of my childhood are still with me. I have advocated for Chan all my life, friendly spars with Religious Studies teachers had me creating a religion, Chanology. My argument being I can SHOW you a miracle: I can rewind it, pause it, enhance it and prove it. I stand by it, and it is my opinion that Chan will always beat Jesus. My passion has been there for me through the hardest of times, too. My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was 23, succumbing to the disease a very short 16 months later. That period of my life is largely unknown, to me anyway, as I guess I developed my coping mechanism of not talking about it. Grief is a horror, something no one can prepare for, despite how you try, and the world’s continuous spinning becomes ever more apparent while you are left, standing still. Truth be told, I know I have lost time, around 10 years being patchy and unknown. That being said, I remember the day my Mum left. I remember saying goodbye, I remember going to my flat, and I remember watching Project A. It did its job, it took me back, away from the pain, to a time when life was perfect. The Blu Ray release of Project A has the original English dubbing track from the films UK release and it takes me back, back to the living room, surrounded by my family watching my masterpiece. In writing this article, putting pen to paper about the film I so love, I realise it is so much more. It encapsulates what film can be, a time machine to a safer and better place. I’ve said more about my Mum, and my grief, in this article than I have to anyone in the last 10 years. Project A is on, I am in, and I think I am ready to talk about it now. NB Project A part 1+2 were released on Blu Ray by Eureka films in November and this is the perfect Christmas gift for a family member, or if you are new to Jackie Chan, the best place to start. Film by Chris Grant Page 31
SIE
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.
WHAT WILL YOU START? The word “entrepreneur” carries with it a lot of associations in pop culture and not all of them positive. You might hear it and think of someone who completely did your head in on the Apprentice, Gordon Gekko or someone like Ayn Rand. To be an entrepreneur is just about making money, “greed is good”, and you might easily think “that’s just not me at all.” Who would blame you?
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Away from reality tv and fiction though, things are thankfully a lot brighter. Right here in Scotland, people are using entrepreneurship and enterprise skills to change things for the better by tackling problems they see in the world around them and their local communities. More and more young people are challenging the cliche that entrepreneurs are privileged white men in expensive suits who are just in it for themselves. Enterprise skills can be tools for starting something positive and making an impact. And it doesn’t take a degree in a business subject or family money, just a good idea and the right opportunity. So what’s happening out there? Martina Zupan came up with brand new biodegradable packaging using egg shells that can replace plastic and other non-sustainable materials and has the potential to make a huge impact. Saskia Goeres’s Sofa for Life is a sustainably produced couch which is designed to be easily repaired and updated to suit the owner over the years. The model shows how the principles of the circular economy can be applied without sacrificing quality, and is designed to help reduce one of the UKs biggest contributions to landfill waste. Thomas Bayne has started a company offering paid employment to people with additional support needs in Tayside which tackles inclusivity and could be expanded to other regions. Up in the Highlands, Anna Renouf is developing a new saddle design to help improve animal welfare. These are just a few examples, all of which benefited from business competitions run by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise. Fresh Ideas is a perfect starting point for students and graduates with ideas they want to investigate and see if they can take things further. Fresh Ideas levels the playing field so that everyone has a chance of making a difference. Entrants have the opportunity to win cash prizes and support from a £20k prize package as well as receive free one to
one coaching from an SIE Advisor. All you need to enter is an idea. No business plan is needed. Want to make a difference? This is your chance. What will you start?
“I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND ANYONE WHO IS THINKING OF ENTERING FRESH IDEAS TO DO IT, BECAUSE OF THE WHOLE JOURNEY – THE THINGS THEY’LL LEARN, PEOPLE THEY’LL MEET AND THE AWARDS THEY COULD WIN.” MARTINA ZUPAN, 2017-18 WINNER
Stage 1 of Fresh Ideas runs until the end of January 2019. Students at any Scottish university or college, or those who have graduated within the last two years, can submit ideas. Enter online at: www.sie.ac.uk/freshideas
Scottish Institute for Enterprise Page 33
MAD FOR
PIZZA? MAD FOR MOZZA! Have we reached peak pizza in Glasgow? Is there life beyond the queues of Paesano? Foodie Explorers Emma and Mark visited new pizza chain Mozza to try out their Neapolitan style of pizza. We know that Italians love their food, and rightly so. However, to get the real taste of Italy, especially where pizza is concerned, you need to try something more than just *insert pizza chain here* or the deep-fried kind from your local chippy! (Did you know that frying the pizza is the traditional Neapolitan way? Who knew Scottish chippies were right!). There are of course varying pizza base styles across Italy but our favourite is Neapolitan.
So, the basics - Neapolitan pizza (the type served in Mozza and Paesano) is often considered the true original pizza. It's handkneaded and cooked at high temperatures in a wood-fired pizza oven for no longer than 90 seconds and the finished product has a soft airy dough you can tear, unlike the thin and crispy or deep pan bases of elsewhere. In order to be truly Neapolitan, the pizza topping must be made with either San Marzano or Roma tomatoes from Campania. On its own, this isn’t enough to make it real, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana must be used as well.
FOOD AND TRAVEL “DID YOU KNOW THAT FRYING THE PIZZA IS THE TRADITIONAL NEAPOLITAN WAY? WHO KNEW SCOTTISH CHIPPIES WERE RIGHT!”
The Mozza menu states that their tomato sauce uses San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella from Naples and olive oil and flour from Italy as well. So far so authentic! Anyway, enough of the theory! There are 13 options on the menu from the traditional Neapolitan tomato sauce with mozzarella, basil and olive oil to the indulgent mix of mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parma ham, fig & balsamic ham, rocket and crushed walnuts. If you’d like something a little bit more adventurous, pick Number 13 off the menu. Unlucky for some or not as it’s a surprise from the chef and not something normally on the menu.
When our choices arrive the dough is soft, charred and chewy, with just enough of a base to hold the ingredients together and a crust spongy enough to wipe up excess olive oil. Fresh toppings with intense flavour make these pizzas worthwhile making a trip for. We were smitten! As well as pizza there are sides of salad with the creamiest burrata cheese we’ve tasted. For the curious, there is also friarielli broccoli. Preserved Italian broccoli lightly fried in olive oil. It is served cold so it’s a bit of an acquired taste. Desserts are also available if you have room. I think we’ve made it to dessert once on our numerous visits! The Birramisu is worth a mention - tiramisu in a beer glass. Maybe one to share on a date night? Until we can afford a proper pizza oven or a villa in Naples, we’ll keep visiting Mozza for our pizza fix! You can find Mozza at the following locations across Scotland: Aberdeen, Union Square Dundee, 13 Whitehall St Glasgow, 39 Enfield Street St. Andrews, 39 Bell Street
Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 35
WHAT’S THE WORD ON ALBERT STREET? Word of mouth is a cafe & coffee roasters just off Leith walk. We came not because of word of mouth, but because we were staying nearby and every time we passed it was packed. A sign that something was drawing people inside, so being the explorers we are, we took up that challenge. On the morning we visited it was still packed but well, there are too many tables crammed into the small space so you may need to ask others to move over a bit and then a bit more! The customer base appeared to consist of local bearded hipsters and Spaniards Were they there because of ‘anunciar boca a boca’? We took our places in the room busy with chatter from various languages. It has a slightly similar feel to Trans Europe Cafe in Glasgow. Vintage travel posters adorn one wall, Edinburgh festival posters cover the way to the toilet downstairs, it’s a bit manic, especially with all the people crammed in. There’s a wide variety of dishes on the menu to suit the time of your visit. Both breakfast and lunch menus are served all day, so no need to miss out on Eggs Benedict just because it’s 4pm. Dishes range from poached eggs to steak sandwiches to Spanakopita. We decided to keep it simple by ordering a cheese & ham croissant and yogurt with fruit and honey along with a flat white and Earl Grey. As they roasted their own coffee beans it made sense to try it out - the flat white was nice enough but not presented quite as well as, or as strong as, the flat white we had at Toast in Leith the day before.
Food was delivered quickly and devoured at top speed. The croissant was simple but tasty. With good quality ham and cheese melting inside a fluffy and warm croissant. The thick, creamy yogurt had a mix of both fresh and dried berries with a good amount of honey too. As we were leaving we saw a massive croque monsieur arriving at a table - that’s what we will order next time, and we would like to come back for sure, when it isn’t quite so busy, for a more relaxed brunch as what we saw from surrounding tables made a return visit look like a good idea. Some staff seemed a little bit stressed by the number of customers so it’s the sort of place that probably needs and merits bigger premises with more staff. In Brief + A very popular place + Quirky vibe + Quick inexpensive food + They roast their own coffee - Cosy…but a bit too cosy! Location Word of Mouth, 3A Albert Street, EH7 5HL
URBAN WEST 537 Great Western Road G12 8HN
Special new brunch menu launching in December. Tel: 0141 334 3068 LGBTQ by Jonny Stone Page 37
FOOD AND DRINK NEWS
GLASGOW
BREL'S WEE BROTHER MOVES INTO FINNIESTON Cheese lovers rejoice! Jacques, the younger brother of Brel in Ashton Lane has moved into what was Chelsea Market on Argyle St. Raclette and all you can eat Fondue Night's beckon at this cosy, twinkly bar.
TORO COFFEE Recently opened near to Pollok Park (in a former vets!) is this new hip coffee joint. Rather than just have one coffee one way you can order a coffee flight made with the same beans three different styles (e.g. filter, espresso and flat white). Bread and cakes are supplied by the excellent Freedom Bakery and great new vegan cafe, Mayze in Finnieston.
PUBLIC HOUSE BY NICO The Mallard on Great Western Road is now Public House by Nico. Opened by the folks behind Six by Nico and 111 by Nico. It’s set to serve real ale, and hearty foodie favourites such as Sunday roasts, fish and triple cooked chips and more. Just don’t steal our seat by the fire!
MOXY HOTEL Looking for a cool new place to stay or hang out in Glasgow? Then Moxy Hotel next to High Street railway station could be the spot. This
budget boutique concept from Marriot is quickly appearing all over Europe but this is the first Moxy hotel to open in a city centre. There's space for meetings or lone working, a guarantee of superfast WiFi, well-stocked bar and food area to keep energy levels up.
BELL JAR Sparklehorse in Dowanhill has a sibling. Dixon Avenue in Govanhill is the location of Bell Jar. Food includes fried halloumi and pomegranate, mussels with cider and bacon and more delish sounding bites. Just look out for the dark frontage and the bright WEST brewery sign.
THE STAG & THISTLE The same team who turned around pubs in Kilmaurs and Stewarton have now taken over the popular Mulberry Street in Strathbungo. We look forward to seeing what changes they make here!
EDINBURGH THE LOOKOUT BY GARDENER'S COTTAGE
The first ever restaurant on Calton Hill, promises commanding views all over Edinburgh and towards the Firth of Forth! Working with The Collective, an organisation currently redeveloping the City Observatory site on Calton Hill into a new home for contemporary art, the site will incorporate a restored City Observatory and City Dome as well as exhibition space. Built on a cantilever the restaurant will be partly suspended over Calton Hill! Menu items include Arbroath smokie, potato & egg yolk ravioli, truffles, Flower Marie and Mutton loin, crispy belly, fermented turnip, pulled mutton neck & winkle pie, elderberry ketchup.
BRUNCH AT GALVIN BRASSERIE DE LUXE Brunch has arrived at Galvin Brasserie de Luxe. The menu is well-balanced with something for everyone with choices of eggs benedict to a full Scottish breakfast and our favourite: baked duck egg, truffle potatoes and Parmesan. If that’s not enough there is also a full lunch menu for late brunchers.
Terrace and Scran and Scallie, Tom know adds The Bonnie Badger in Gullane and Southside Scran in Bruntsfield. Southside Scran sounds very much like Stockbridge’s Scran and Scallie. The Bonnie Badger will be in the former Golf Inn Hotel and will have 12 bedrooms, a bar and a 60 cover dining room.
PIZZA GEEKS Pop-up pizza gurus, Pizza Geeks have opened up a home at 19 Dalry Road, Edinburgh. Showcasing their crisp pizza and love of all things geek. Play with the arcade games whilst you wait for your dinner!
THE WILD YARROW It’s all change at the Whistlestop Barber Shop in Edinburgh’s Southbridge which has now become The Wild Yarrow Bar and Bistro. A regular feature will be gin and sushi tasting.
EDINBURGH GIN Edinburgh Gin are expanding with a new distillery taking over three floors on East Market Street. The released plans show a rooftop terrace, private gin tasting rooms as well as street level views of the stills. The visitor centre will also give visitors the opportunity to make their own gin.
ST ANDREWS THE ADAMSON SKI LODGE SOUTHSIDE SCRAN AND THE BONNIE BADGER Tom Kitchin and his team have two more venues to add to their family. As well as The Kitchin, Castle
The Adamson Restaurant and Bar in St Andrews has launched an Alpine-themed pop-up bar complete with fairy lights, fur rugs & skis. They are serving up festive nibbles and hot dogs alongside a selection of warming cocktails for winter. Located in the former BURGER restaurant, the pop-up will be open from 30th November until 6th January.
Food and Drink by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 39
BELFAST Belfast of course was an industrial city, a shipbuilding powerhouse and home of the Harland and Wolff shipyard which built the Titanic in the early 1900’s. Other industries included linen production, tobacco-processing and rope-making. In the eighties, DeLorean (of Back to the Future fame) began producing cars here. Nowadays Belfast is a very different city, tourism is a major part of the economy and it’s just as famous for TV and film production – see Game of Thrones, The Fall and Line of Duty.
SHOP A must see, not only for foodies but architecture buffs is St. George’s Market. The brick-built Victorian market is where to go (Friday to Sunday) for fresh food as well as crafts, antiques and music. The market is a popular destination with both locals and tourists. Award-winning Suki Tea started off at farmers’ markets in Belfast and they still have a stall there. Also look out for S.D. Bell, which sells a selection of tea and coffee from around the world including civet coffee, you know the one that was pooped out of an Indonesian cat for extra flavour, yes, that one... For fashion lovers head to Victoria Square and CastleCourt, these modern shopping centres have all the big names. Smyth & Gibson is where you’ll find stylish shirts that are made in Ulster and you’ll find a pop-up of theirs at Victoria Square this festive season. Their shirts and accessories a link back to the time when Belfast had the world’s largest linen mills. If you’re looking for something a little bit different to bring back from travelling, then a visit to No Alibis is a must. This independent bookshop specialises in crime fiction but has plenty of other genres and hosts book signings, author readings and if you’re lucky, live jazz!
“AN OFTEN BUSY BAR WITH KNICKERS HANGING FROM THE CEILING” DRINK Muriel's An often busy bar with knickers hanging from the ceiling (don't worry, they've not been worn!) Discover the home of the Jawbox Gin perfect serve. Named after the nickname for a Belfast
sink, they started distilling in 2014 and were allegedly the first distillery to be granted a license to distil spirits in Northern Ireland for 130 years. Here, they serve it with ginger ale and a garnish of honeycomb, so ideal for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Duke of York Found down a cobbled walkway, this is one you won't want to miss, this is a classic narrow Belfast pub where every available space is filled with Belfast pub-related ephemera (old ashtrays, whiskey bottles, mirrors etc). Pay special attention to the rounded tables in the back. Hosting traditional music sessions on most nights, you can also visit upstairs as part of the traditional music tour. https://dukeofyorkbelfast.com/
EAT John Long's Belfast's oldest chip shop is over a century old and has been selling fish suppers since 1914!
Travel by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers Page 41
Venture in to see an interior that hasn't changed much since it opened. Sit down at the wooden booths with formica tables and try their fish & chips, recommended with bread and butter, peas and curry sauce! Or try a Northern Irish specialty of a pastie supper, which is a burger shaped piece of minced pork, onion, potato and seasoning which is battered and deep-fried. http://www.johnlongs.com The Muddlers Club Belfast is a surprisingly great source of fine-dining, and hidden away down a lane in the Cathedral Quarter is one of the the hippest restaurants in the city, The Muddlers Club. It’s named after the secret society and local branch of The Society of United Irishmen who sought to create an Independent Ireland and met there over 200 years ago! Nowadays, anyone can visit (should you be lucky enough to secure a booking for your chosen time!) and the only secret is what makes the food taste so good? Open for lunch and dinner, a 5-course tasting menu is also available (including full vegetarian and vegan menus). https://www.themuddlersclubbelfast.com
VISIT The Titanic Experience No visit to Belfast would be complete without learning more about the Titanic. You’ll need to put aside a few hours for this one as there’s so much to take in. There are replicas of rooms inside the ship, the menu from the final luncheon, a motorised ride and you can even stand inside a replica of the engine rooms as RMS Titanic makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean - virtually of course! You can also step on board SS Nomadic, the “Titanic’s little sister”, as part of your visit. The SS Nomadic is the last remaining White Star ship in the world and has now been restored to her original 1911 glory. Open daily £18.50 per adult, £8 per child (under 5s free), £45 for a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children). (concessions £15 Mon-Fri only) https://titanicbelfast.com
SLEEP The Historic Choice - Europa Hotel Here’s one for the bucket list, staying in the "most bombed hotel in Europe"? Now if that doesn't entice you to stay over we don't know what will! You can even stay in the Clinton Suite where Bill and Hillary Clinton stayed (If you really wanted to tick off being in Bills bed on your to-do list!). Though not ideal if you’re on a tight budget, the standard 4-star rooms are a good size and come with a branded rubber duck! https://www.hastingshotels.com/europabelfast/
CULTURE City Hall Opened in 1906, Belfast’s City Hall was opened when the city was rapidly growing (the population had even surpassed that of Dublin). Built in Baroque Revival style, it would not look out of place in Austria or Hungary but here it is taking pride of place on Donegall Square (it even inspired the design of Durban City Hall in South Africa!). It’s well worth a visit to see the beautiful marble interior, the stained glass windows which commemorate historic city events and the Titanic memorial garden in the grounds outside.
TOURIST INFORMATION Find out more about Belfast from Visit Belfast. https://visitbelfast.com/
The Boutique Choice - Ten Square hotel This chic hotel occupies two conjoined buildings just behind Belfast City Hall, making it well placed for exploring all that the city has to offer. There's a range of suites, including one with a rooftop hot-tub and terrace! The hotel restaurant specialises in steak and grilled meat from their Josper grill. https://www.tensquare.co.uk Travel by Mark & Emma, Foodie Explorers
THE BAR EXPEDITION WHISKY
WESTER SPIRIT CO RUM
Looking for a well-travelled spirit? Then how about Expedition from Ardgowan. This blended whisky is made from a malt which travelled to the South Pole (and back!). This bottle was blended together with several other casks from Speyside to create Ardgowan Expedition.
When you think of rum you don’t generally think of Scotland. Wester Spirit Co. has launched a spiced rum which is distilled in Scotland. The name comes from the Wester Sugar House Company in Glasgow from way back in 1667. Vanilla, spices and citrus flavours abound in this not so exotically distilled spirit.
ARBIKIE VODKA In the 1700s Vodka was traditionally made with potatoes, however, over the years this was replaced by wheat, sugar and molasses (there’s a whole book that could be written on this!). Arbikie decided to use potatoes grown from their own fields - Maris Piper, King Edward and Cultra varieties - and make a fully Scottish vodka from field to bottle.
AQUINE GIN A London dry style gin new from Lidl and available in all their stores. Distilled by The Glasgow Distillery, Aquine has eight botanicals including orange peel, lemon peel, juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, rosehip, liquorice and bramble. Serve with lots of ice, tonic slice of orange.
GLASGOW BREWERY COLLECTIVE A group of Scottish brewers including Ride Brew Co of Glasgow, Late Night Hype Brewing Company from Clydebank and Bute Brew Co from the Isle of Bute are working together to start a new social enterprise dedicated to accessibility and providing employment for people with disabilities. To do this they need help with crowdfunding a tap room which will be located in the Gorbals. For more information on the project, go to www.glasgowbrewerycollective.co.uk
VEGAN ON UP Here at the tail end of 2018, Scotland's vegan scene has never been stronger. In fact this year seems to have seen the moment where veganism finally went mainstream everywhere. I’ve been inundated with people telling me how acceptable my diet now is - cheers for that. Most of the big chain omni restaurants now have at least a couple of decent vegan options on their menus and supermarkets are falling over themselves to cash in on the swing towards cruelty free lifestyles. The real heroes of the story though, are the bars, cafes and restaurants that have for years been serving up all manner of tasty and innovative plates of food while quietly supporting their vegan communities. Places like Mono, The Flying Duck, Paradise Palms, Saramago, Hug and Pint and The 13th Note have been crucial in opening minds to plant based food; offering gigs and talks, exhibitions and record shops that appeal to a far wider audience than their vegan roots might otherwise suggest. All the while solidly building veganism into their overall experience without preaching or excluding - seems like the way forward. Loads of indie veggie cafes with strong vegan options have sprung up over the last few years to add to the mainstays like Edinburgh’s Hendersons and Hula. With the opening of Harwicks, Dundee got its first vegan cafe just under a year ago - if you’ve not tried it already, their breakfast is superb. 2018 also saw Scotland’s first ever outdoor vegan festival, V in the Park, and they’ve plans for another next year at Balloch O’Dee Campsite in Newton Stewart. Hopefully with the fair wind blowing, they can build it into a summer must-do
calendar fixture in the years to come. Who knows what 2019 might bring? All the world seems in a state of flux right now and we’ve no guarantee that the pendulum of public opinion might not swing back and consign veganism again to its old box with the mung beans. But things are, for the moment, looking pretty positive. We’ll do our bit to support, with a commitment to a vegan section in every edition of Snack. If you’ve a story to tell or perhaps you want to write for us, email hello@snackpublishing.com and we can shine a light on all the great work being done to help make cruelty free living accessible to all.
LATEBAR LIVEVENUE VEGANDINER ONEFOURTWO RENFIELD STREET 01415641450
Food and Travel by Kenny Lavelle Page 45
GLASGOW WOMEN'S LIBRARY Glasgow Women’s Library is one of Glasgow’s best, most creative spaces. Their aims include breaking down barriers to learning and participation for women, with the intention that they become fully active citizens, develop skills and knowledge, engender selfconfidence and equip themselves to pass on their experience to benefit their families and broader communities. The only accredited museum in the UK dedicated to women’s lives, histories and achievements, GWL this year was named a finalist of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018 Award, and this came as no surprise: it was the only Scottish museum shortlisted this year, as well as the first time a museum rooted specifically in feminist history had been acknowledged as this level. As well as its extensive lending library GWL boasts an enormous number of resources celebrating the history of women in Scotland, including historical artefacts and archive materials. The initiative also provides a range of services and programmes to support Scottish women and girls from all walks of life and tackles issues regarding women’s health and domestic violence. 2019 promises to boast many other events through GWL, including their excellent heritage tours around the city, Creative Learning drop in sessions, packed with engaging workshops, performances and talks. GWL is open all year, with workshops, services and programmes set up to celebrate and support women throughout Scotland.
“ONE OF THE CITY’S MOST UNDERRATED VENUES, GLASGOW WOMAN'S LIBRARY IS AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE FOR LEARNING, SHARING AND LISTENING TO THE STORIES OF WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE.” On Thursdays 8th, 15th, and 22nd November and 6th and 13th December, 6pm to 7.30pm, you can take part in the Suffragette City East Workshops. In the wake of their West Launch, GWL invite you to take part in the development of the Suffragette City East Trail, taking in the area GWL calls home. This is a great chance to identify the Suffragette Heroines who made the changes still impacting women today. Only women can attend this event. As well as specific events and workshops, GWL offers groups for budding writers and book buffs alike; between their Reading Group for women of colour and their Creative Writing Support Group,
as well as a whole host of other groups, there is a support network for people wishing to share their own or celebrate other, diverse experiences. GWL has justifiably been celebrating the centenary of Scottish author Muriel Spark all year. Their festivities conclude with the Story Café Special – a chance to enjoy reading and discussion from authors hailing from across the globe – in which you are invited to join Scottish writer Kirstin Innes, who will be talking about the legacy and impact of Spark on her own writing. Innes’ debut novel Fishnet won The Guardian’s Not The Booker prize in 2015. She won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2008 and the Allen Wright Award for Excellence in Arts Journalism in 2007 and 2011. She will be reading snippets from her favourite Spark books, and examining Spark through her own acute literary lens. All washed down with lashings of tea, cake and
LGBTQ friendly chat. Story Café Special takes place on Thursday 22nd November, 12.30pm to 2.30pm. In short, if you haven’t graced Glasgow Women’s Library, your time to do so is right this minute. One of the city’s most underrated venues, GWL is an invaluable resource for learning, sharing and listening to the stories of women from across the globe. Visit http:// womenslibrary.org.uk/ for more information and be sure to make the most out of the library’s exciting programme.
LGBTQ by Jonny Stone Page 47
BRAZIL The election of Jair Bolsonaro – ultra-right populist leader of the Social Liberal Party – has sent shockwaves around the world, with many concerned that the Presidentelect’s administration will see a catastrophic stripping of LGBT+ rights, as well as a cultural backlash that will set minority communities back decades. According to watchdog group Grupo Gay de Bahia, at least 445 LGBT Brazilians died as the result of homophobic attacks in 2017, which was a 30% from the previous year. While shelters have been created in Brazilian cities, such as Casa Nem in Rio de Janeiro, the long-term protection of LGBT+ citizens is not guaranteed. It is rare, even in 2018, for a politician to be so blatantly and unapologetically cruel to LGBT+ people. Bolsonaro has proudly shared that he “would rather have a dead son than a gay son,” contended that it is the intention of LGBT+ people to “turn the children into gay adults to satisfy them sexually in the future,” and has advocated the abuse of children and young people thought to be gay.
His vitriol extends further than homophobia, however, as it usually does: according to Stonewall, Bolsonaro is “pro-torture, vehemently misogynistic, supports fewer gun controls and more freedom for the police force, which already has one of the highest lethal police violence rates in the world. The majority of those killed are young, Afro-Brazilians.” And it feels justified to fear or at least question this election given his brutal military regime. And while it is impossible to understand the nuances of a nation’s complex attitudes towards minorities and subsequent voting habits from a vastly different cultural perspective, it does make you question why Brazilians voted for him in the first place. For one, Bolsonaro found support, naturally, from the leaders of the religious right and the wealthy, largely male Brazilian elite. In the media, there continues to be anti-gay rhetoric and discourse, with evangelical groups touting the harmful, false beliefs about gay people that used to be commonplace even in the West until not too long ago. This tactic has worked for Trump: maximising on ignorance and fear. While Brazil on the one hand boasts the world’s largest pride festival and same-sex marriage is recognised legally, the country boasts an increasingly conservative streak that threatens the safety of its minorities, with conversion therapy being endorsed by a Brazilian judge in September for one. However, personal politics aside, we have to respect the democratic system: this is what the Brazilian population voted in a majority for. Brazilian Ambassador to the UK Fred Arruda states that “Brazil has once again demonstrated that it is a vibrant democracy, with a free and vigilant press. Our political institutions have proved to be rock-solid. Divergent views coexist as in any functioning and dynamic democratic system.” But with this in mind, what does the election of Bolsonaro – if we read it as emblematic of an increase in far-right politics – mean for LGBT inclusion on the world stage? Brazil may seem a million miles away,
but we need to address the increasing impact farright populists can have on global politics, and in turn how it affects minorities on the ground. It’s important to think even of the influence of Brazil’s harsher stance on equality in Latin America: according to Stonewall, Brazil has actively challenged the perception that LGBT rights are a Western imposition and engaged in consistent advocacy and coalition-building among States. The global LGBT rights movement should be concerned about the potential undermining of these coalitions, which Brazil – along with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and others – has played a leading role in building. My own concern is that UN sanctions set up to protect the rights and lives of minorities begin to be stripped away as an increasing number of nations support the platform of far-right populism. Or on a more grassroots level, far-right groups have the potential to mobilise and support similar groups internationally, creating a pernicious network difficult to control or negotiate with. When people feel they have become disenfranchised, or suffer the effects of austerity measures, that’s when I worry that racist or fascist ideals become logical alternatives to some, and in turn minorities will ultimately pay the price. Perhaps Bolsonaro may not be as dangerous as he claims to be once sworn in; perhaps his ambitions and personal vendettas will be powerless. What is clear is that we must remain vigilant to division when we see it and continue to protect the rights of our LGBT+ and racial minority communities, in countries that seem a million miles away or closer to home.
“WHEN PEOPLE FEEL THEY HAVE BECOME DISENFRANCHISED, OR SUFFER THE EFFECTS OF AUSTERITY MEASURES, THAT’S WHEN I WORRY THAT RACIST OR FASCIST IDEALS BECOME LOGICAL ALTERNATIVES TO SOME, AND IN TURN MINORITIES WILL ULTIMATELY PAY THE PRICE.”
LGBTQ by Jonny Stone Page 49
SQIFF The Scottish Queer International Film Festival returns for another year of cinema celebrating all aspects of LGBT+ life and diversity in its truest sense. Expanded over five days, SQIFF will host a number of events at venues across Glasgow from 5th to 9th December. SQIFF’s aim is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. Tickets to certain screenings are priced on a new sliding scale from free to £8, an honesty scheme which allows audiences to pay what they can based on their personal circumstances and keeps the festival accessible for all. All SQIFF venues are wheelchair accessible, all screenings feature English language subtitles or captions and many events are BSL interpreted. Refer to the website for specific event details. 2018’s festival begins with an exciting
and boundar y-pushing programme of contemporary LGBTQ+ shorts from around the world. Headlining these films is VISIBLE, created by Campbell X and Kayza Rose, who explore QTIPOC (queer trans intersex people of colour) histories, challenging mainstream perceptions and sanitisation of legacies, and celebrating complexity, multiplicity, myths, gossip, and legends. SQIFF’s closing gala is White Rabbit at Scottish Youth Theatre on 9th December 19:00-20.40. Recently single, Korean-born LA artist Sophia Lee – played by performance artist Vivian Bang (who also co-wrote the screenplay) – devotes herself to her public performance art, whether it’s a provocative Korean perspective in the park on the LA Riots or quirky digital art on social media. To pay the bills, she does odd jobs for TaskRabbit. When a stranger makes Sophia late for a TaskRabbit gig, she loses her temper with her, only to run into her repeatedly and discover a strong connection. Sophia develops feelings for her, but it’s unclear if her love is reciprocated. Shakedown follows the story of an all-black lesbian strip club run by women in late-90s Los Angeles. The film chronicles the explicit performances and personal relationships of the party’s dancers and organisers, including Ronnie-Ron, Shakedown Productions’ creator and emcee; Mahogany, the legendary “mother” of the community; Egypt, their star performer; and Jazmine, the “Queen” of Shakedown. Followed by a Skype Q&A with director Leilah Weinraub, Shakedown is not to be missed. It is playing at the Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 9th Dec at 15.30. SQIFF also boasts an asexual reading of The Wizard of Oz at CCA on 7th December 20.4522.40: typically considering the holy grail of gay subtext in cinema, this viewing explores Dorothy as asexual, given her choice of gay non-human companions – that’s the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion – whilst in Oz. Viewers are invited to focus on asexuality and its hiddenness (or not!) in popular culture.
I am particularly excited for SQIFF Schools Out, a screening sponsored by LGBT Youth Scotland. Out is a documentary from French director Denis Parrot which combines the phenomenon of online queer culture with the intimacy of young people’s revelations about themselves. Out presents a collection of compelling videos posted online by young LGBTQ+ people, showing us their experience of telling loved ones about their identity. The screening is followed by a discussion lead by LGBT Youth Scotland about the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people communicating their identity to family and friends and finding acceptance, is free and takes place at CCA on Thu 6th December, 12.00-14.00. There are also many workshops for budding film makers, enthusiasts and everyone in between to attend, including a series of free workshops from leading industry professionals designed for LGBTQ+ creatives at any stage in their career. The festival organisers have made an active effort to be as inclusive and accommodating as possible. Understanding that not all art events and spaces are especially accessible, SQIFF have decided to use only venues that are fully accessible for wheelchair users and have gender-neutral toilet facilities and content warnings for certain subject matter. The CCA has a hearing loop in the Cinema space. Films screening in this space are marked as having a hearing loop in the SQIFF brochure. All films are screened with English subtitles or captions to make the Festival more accessible for D/deaf and hard of hearing audiences. Select events will also have BSL interpretation or audio description. It’s pretty great that a festival strives to be as accommodating and conscious of its attendee’s needs when certain obstacles prevent people from attending such great art events. And importantly, SQIFF aims to create a generally safe and inclusive environment; thus people are asked to respect each other and be sensitive to the diversity of identities which exist within LGBTI and queer communities.
“AN EXCITING AND BOUNDARYPUSHING PROGRAMME OF CONTEMPORARY LGBTQ+ SHORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.” SQIFF is the perfect platform to showcase queer cinema and culture as a whole; the organisation has created a truly amazing programme that brings the best of queer cinema to Glasgow as well as thought-provoking, engaging workshops that celebrate LGBT+ life in its various forms. Our community is lucky to have such a diverse, challenging and entertaining event in our own city.
LGBTQ by Jonny Stone Page 51
WORLD AIDS DAY
Image: NIAIN flikr.com
World AIDS Day 2018 falls on 1st December and sees a worldwide campaign to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The campaign is a powerful platform to raise awareness and remind people across the world that much is still to be done to eradicate it, as well providing constant support for those affected by the virus. Becoming involved is easy and can be as simple as sharing a link on social media to donate to the National AIDS Trust, visiting their site to learn more about their work and of course showing solidarity with those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their allies by wearing a Red Ribbon, the campaign’s iconic symbol. The Red Ribbon is hugely recognisable and will be forever synonymous with the fight against the virus. I have mine on a jacket mine all year round (it’s a fancy tartan one); I wear it out of pride, as it is a tribute to those who lost their lives to the virus and those who work tirelessly to eradicate it, and as a reminder for other people that HIV/ AIDS is still a prevalent issue that doesn’t reappear once a year for a campaign like World AIDS Day. Since orchestrating the first official public health campaign to raise awareness of the virus in 1988, World AIDS Day has served to remind global citizens and governments of how crucial it is to fund research, provide support to those suffering from HIV/AIDS and prevent it spreading throughout the world. And in 2018, 34 years after its clinical discovery, educating ourselves about HIV/AIDS has never been so crucial. Our generation has not been exposed to the trauma AIDS inflicted on previous generations, especially from the mid-80s to the early 90s.
With effective treatment of HIV and good prognoses for a long, fulfilling life, it is easy to become complacent with the threat of contracting the virus: according to the National Aids Trust, the number of people living with HIV has doubled in the past 10 years, over half of all people living with HIV are aged between 30 and 49 and an estimated 103,700 people now living with HIV in the UK. Complacency is detrimental to the fight against AIDS, and when more than 500 people died from HIV-related illnesses in 2013, clearly the fight against the virus is far from over. Truvada/PrEP continues to be controversial topic in the UK. In a number of other countries like the US, Truvada has already been rolled out as a way of keeping gay men safe from infection with HIV. If taken every day, it prevents infection, alongside other preventative measures like using
condoms to also protect men from other sexually transmitted diseases. The controversy in the UK is not so much over whether it works, but whether it should be government funded, as well as the theory that supporting the drug would lead to an increase in promiscuity. Surely, then, we should be working towards educating more people about safe sex practice, with drugs like Truvada being available on the NHS for those particularly vulnerable to the virus. When statistics of HIV/AIDS are as frightening as they are in the UK, surely we need as much support we can get. Education is crucial and HIV/AIDS prevention is easy to achieve. HIV is avoidable with safesex practices such as using a condom or dental dam as well as water-based lubricant (not oilbased). Universities and colleges often supply free condoms and lube, as well as gay-friendly clubs and bars. It is recommended that gay and bisexual men are tested at least once a year; the Steve Retson Project offers rapid HIV testing with results in 60 seconds, PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis for sexual exposure to HIV) and vaccinations that cover hepatitis and HPV. Whether you have multiple sexual partners or are in a monogamous relationship, the routine of regular check ups gives you control over your sexual health. And the staff is lovely! You have a month to organise an event of your own: pull together all your resources, family and friends and raise money and awareness for a great cause. World AIDS Day may only last one day of the month, but thinking about the way HIV/ AIDS still affects our day to day lives is something we must do throughout the year. The momentum of showing solidarity with those with the virus and working to find an end to it must be sustained. Donate generously to the National AIDS Trust and allow them to continue their excellent work to finally see the end of HIV/AIDS; and if you haven’t done so recently, be sure to develop the habit of having routine HIV tests and take part in making HIV/AIDS a thing of the past.
LGBTQ by Jonny Stone Page 53
BRITANNIA PANOPTICON The festive season is upon us. As the days become shorter and nights become longer, that ‘tis the season’ feeling starts to ignite a familiar fire in our souls. As the shops slowly begin to stay open later, and the giant fairy lit reindeers take up their seasonal residence on Argyle Street, I would like to take you all back 159 years. On the 25th of December 1859, a cherished part of Glasgow opened its doors for the first time, it would later be forgotten and lost for decades to come. The Britannia Panopticon is perhaps Glasgow’s most inconspicuous entertainment
venue. Here amidst busy Argyle Street, down a sullen alleyway, sits a music theatre thought to be the oldest of its kind. In a city historically and currently renowned for the spontaneous ignition of its architecture, that it still stands is something of a minor miracle and a testament to the hard work and care afforded by her current custodian, Judith Bowers. The hall itself was built in the late 1850’s and throughout its lifetime has, in a perpetual state of modification, acquired and discarded many uses. Having ran its course as an entertainment theatre and music hall before falling on harder times, it grew to play host to a freak show, a zoo, a rooftop carnival, even a wax museum in the early 1900’s, before closing its doors in the late 1930’s. Over the years, many a famous face would come to grace the hall. Walter John Buchanan, Harry Lauder, Vesta Tilley, Charles Coburn
and Dan Leno would all go on to perform there. Most famously it was the stage where Stan Laurel made his debut. At the age of 16 he told a joke he’d bought from the Saltmarket for a penny something about butterflies and mothballs. Which with hindsight, given the history of the building seems quite apt. Later he of course became half of perhaps the most famous comical duo in history, Laurel and Hardy. It’s said that you may also have been lucky enough to have caught a glimpse of Cary Grant gambolling in his white tights, or perhaps debonair Hollywood King Clark Gable frolicking about. The Panopticon was more than just an entertainment venue however, it was an escape, a solitude to the men and women who had to endure arduous conditions in Glasgow’s shipyards, factories and mills. It grew to notoriety as a pleasure palace, opening up a whole world of
STAGE vicarious adventure. As many as 1,500 people would gather four times a day to experience imaginations and finer things come alive. Adding to its already chequered past, the hall’s shadowy corners, for a while, gained notoriety as a popular place to pick up a lady of the night or two. As the 1910’s gave way to the 1920’s, music halls did the same to art deco cinemas and picture houses. Unable to compete with over 100 new entertainment venues in Glasgow the Panopticon then settled in the hands of a tailor. As a storefront was built and false ceiling added, the hall itself lay hidden and unused – with the exception of acting as a chicken coop during World War II – for the best part of six decades. That was until 1997, when the social historian Judith Bowers came to town and rediscovered the lost theatre. Thanks to Judith and a group of hard-working volunteers, the Panopticon is slowly being restored to its former glory. Their hope is that they do so while maintaining the feel of stepping back in time which is a large part of its charm. Then the Panopticon will once again be bursting at the rafters, ready to entertain for hundreds more years to come. These days you can catch a wide variety local artists and guest performers within its historic walls, they’ve a modestly stocked bar on the premises and the small price of a ticket goes a long way in supporting its restoration. Offering film noir showings, burlesque, a celebration of Glasgow’s burgeoning queen scene, a night out at the cabaret or having the pleasure of a live orchestra accompany a silent film - there is little reason not to visit. Buy a ticket, show some support, and be part of making sure Glasgow’s Panopticon remains in possession of its title: The Oldest Surviving Music Theatre in the World. Stage Sara McCombe Page 55
SCOTTISH PORTRAIT AWARDS 2018 EXHIBITION
Kate Bogie, The Apple Tree
Scottish Arts Club Saturday 3 November To Saturday 1 December 2018 24 Rutland Square, Edinburgh EH1 2BW Open daily, 14.30 to 17.30 (except Mondays)
Glasgow Art Club, Monday 21 January To Saturday 9 February 2019 185 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4HU Open daily, 12.00 - 1700 (except Sundays)
Richard Coward SPA in Photography, Commendation, Justine Bainbridge Feminist as Fuck Visual Arts Page 57
CABBAGES Mice nibbled nasty faces onto all the cabbages stored in the cellar. We had to chop all the cabbages up, boil them with vinegar and put them in jars. Green cabbage turns an awful colour and texture when you cook it-like dead skin scraped off a foot, and some of the jars of cabbage had mouse droppings in them, and one even a boiled mouse’s tail, but mother said it was just bits of peppercorn, garden dirt and stuff from the vinegar. Mother liked to serve cabbage decorated with dollops of sour cream and prunes. She said the tastes went well together. She put mousetraps all over the cellar and told me not to touch them. It was difficult because the traps were alluring like cheap toys- they reminded me of Jacob’s ladders or cribbage boards, or even something that would look nice in a dollhouse, perhaps a complicated, slightly dangerous thing dolls would use for unknown purposes when no one was looking. My mother went on a class trip to the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens when she was a child and told me there was one glass room with nothing in it but a giant cabbage allowed to grow as big as it could because no one wanted to eat it, and she heard stories of children who got lost in its folds and were never seen again, but she still had a taste for cabbage. She said she felt triumphant eating something so evil. I sometimes peel back the leaves of a cabbage, believing I will find something completely uncabbage like underneath. Camilla Grudova
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