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Who's top in 2016? Our rundown of Scottish cultural trailblazers is back

3 NOVâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;31 JAN 2016 | ISSUE 741

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FRONT

CONTENTS

Realist

o long, 2016 – it’s been . . . unreal, to say the least. But before we say goodbye forever to this mind-bending year, there’s plenty of fun to be had. Knuckling down to some festive-period planning? Pick up our annual Christmas Wish List for everything from pantos to gift ideas, and your ultimate guide to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay – both bundled up in this bumper edition. There are more Christmas tips in this issue, too (page 48), and the lovely Paolo Nutini took some time out to talk to us before his historic two-date Edinburgh’s Hogmanay appearance (page 52). We’ve also been chatting to director Amma Asante about her upcoming film, A United Kingdom (page 56), and as Oscar season comes calling, turn to page 88 for reviews and round-ups of winter’s film releases. But most of all, this issue is all about The List Hot 100 – our very favourite time of year. Our annual list of the most exciting figures in Scottish arts and culture is back for its 14th outing – and we can assure you, we’ve had plenty of heated discussions about this one. Turn to page 21 to start the countdown, and join the infighting friendly debate at #ListHot100.

Celtic Connections

Hogmanay

A United Kingdom

FOOD & DRINK

COVER STORY

FR į

Who's top in 2016? Our rundown of Scottish cultural trailblazers is back

3 NOV–31 JAN 2016 | ISSUE 741

FREE

list.co.uk

Recent openings

AROUND TOWN

Highlights

BOOKS

Book Week Scotland Ali Smith Highlights

COMEDY

GREAT OFFERS

Amma Asante’s vital new film recalls the international post-war incident triggered by a case of forbidden love.

Win a 12-week course at Dance Base

Win tickets to Monkey Business at NMS

Win tickets to Alice’s Adventures at Lyceum Theatre 12

Win tickets to Glasgow Film Festival Opening Gala

Free £25 gift voucher from Gousto

Win a family ticket to Hansel & Gretel at the Citz

Win Edinburgh Christmas Markets ice skating tickets

Win afternoon tea for 4 on a 1966 Routemaster Bus

Win tickets to manipulate’s 10th birthday celebration

Win a meal for four at Glasgow’s Ibérica

Highlights

All Night Horror Madness

La La Land

Highlights

KIDS

91 93

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Highlights

MUSIC

Sadie Dupuis

Babymetal

102

Highlights

109

The Black Madonna

113

Classical Highlights

114

115 115 117

Rambert

120

Highlights

121

123

Karla Black and Kishio Suga

123

Joan Eardley

124

Highlights

125

126

Planet Earth II

126

Doctor Who

127

FIRST & LAST Griff Rhys Jones

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VISUAL ART

10% off tickets to Edinburgh Craft Beer Revolution Festival Opening Night Party 13

81 82

Trailer Park Boys

The Broons

Almost time to raise your glasses to a brand new year, but what will you do to mark the moment and where you should be doing it?

Catherine Tate

THEATRE

A UNITED KINGDOM

The Glasgow Tattoo

manipulate

HOGMANAY

Ibérica

Manchester by the Sea

HOT 100 Every year we have a right old bun fight over who should appear in our countdown of Scottish culture’s major players. 2016 was certainly no exception, but the ongoing battles have been worth it as we now have a Hot 100 to be proud of. Actors, authors, comedians, DJs, festivals, film directors, foodies, musicians, poets, venues and visual artists are all represented. But who has claimed the coveted number 1 slot previously occupied by the likes of Peter Capaldi, Franz Ferdinand and Armando Iannucci?

Hot 100

FILM Editor

News

FEATURES

3 NOV 2016–31 JAN 2017 | LIST.CO.UK

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GRAPHIC CONTENT

CONTRIBUTORS

What we’ve been talking about There’s one particular point in each year when we start thinking about how generally awful we are and what on earth we can do to change. Curiously, these so-called ‘resolutions’ always seem to come around the New Year mark. Maybe there’s a clue in the title. Below are some offerings which may or may not bite the dust come 4 Jan

To stop defending comic books and accept that they are art and someone doesn’t get that. It’s their loss.

I plan to watch my mouth: more listening, less reaction. I’m a passionate lassie but I know I can be a mouthpiece. My vow is to simply ignore any news story which has ‘Trump’ in the headline.

I shall tirelessly campaign for the dissolution of Post-it notes. They give me the creeps.

Try and stress less about everything and chill out more.

Every year, it’s ‘tighten shit up’ in my life, in my work, in my body, in my mind, in my health. Everything is still slightly flabby.

To go somewhere new every month. Even if it was at the weekend just getting to another part of the city that I hadn’t been to before. It’s just nice to do something different.

EDITORIAL Editor Yasmin Sulaiman Senior Digital Editor Scott Henderson Research Manager Rowena McIntosh Senior Researcher Murray Robertson Research Alex Johnston, Rebecca Monks, Henry Northmore, Kirstyn Smith, Louise Stoddart Subeditors Brian Donaldson, Paul McLean, Tracy Taylor Editorial Assistant Arusa Qureshi SALES & MARKETING Media Sales Manager Chris Knox Senior Media Sales Executive Debbie Thomson Media Sales Executive Rachel Cree Sales Support Executive Jessica Rodgers Promotions Executive Jade Regulski Events and Promotions Assistant Arusa Qureshi Digital Business Development Director Brendan Miles Partnership Director Sheri Friers PRODUCTION Senior Designer Lucy Munro Designers Stuart Polson, Carys Tennant DIGITAL Senior Developer Andy Carmichael Digital Designer Sharon Irish Software Developer Iain McCusker Senior DBA Andy Bowles ADMINISTRATION Accounts & HR Manager Sarah Reddie Publisher Robin Hodge Director Simon Dessain

I always make it my resolution to finally learn how to drive. It’s been ten years since my first lesson and I’m still not there yet.

I will bear in mind at all times that John Milton’s great tribute to debate, ‘I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat’, does not apply to comment sections.

‘Learn how to do basic maths, you moron’. It’s time.

Join some sort of class and actually stick to it! I’ve left a trail of forgotten hobbies behind me from pole dancing to mindfulness. I guess I have commitment issues.

Every year, I resolve to spend less time reading comics and more time reading big books of philosophy. However, Grant Morrison is a more interesting postmodern thinker than Foucault, so that lasts about six hours before I get The Invisibles off the shelf and the History of Sexuality goes back under the bed.

SECTION EDITORS Around Town / Music Kirstyn Smith Books / Film Scotland Yasmin Sulaiman Comedy / Front Brian Donaldson Dance / Kids Kelly Apter Film Reviews Emma Simmonds Food & Drink Donald Reid News Rebecca Monks TV Henry Northmore Theatre Gareth K Vile Visual Art Rachael Cloughton Published by The List Ltd HEAD OFFICE: 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE Tel: 0131 550 3050, Fax: 0131 557 8500, list.co.uk, email editor@list.co.uk GLASGOW OFFICE: at the CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD Tel: 0141 332 9929, glasgow@list.co.uk ISSN: 0959 - 1915 © 2016 The List Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the publishers. The List does not accept responsibility for unsolicited material. The List provides this content in good faith but no guarantee or representation is given that the content is accurate, complete or up-to-date. Use of magazine content is at your own risk. Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd, W.Yorkshire.

4 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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2 Edinburgh’s Christmas

The capital gets truly festive for the best part of two months with a feast of entertainment including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Black Beauty, balloon rides, a Christmas tree maze, ice skating, the Santa Run and, of course, that Big Wheel. See feature, page 48. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Nov–Sat 7 Jan.

PHOTO: HUGH CARSWELL

PHOTO: ANTHONY CRICKMAY

1 Anna Meredith MUSIC

Scottish Album of the Year Award winner Anna Meredith brings ‘Anno’ (pictured), her take on ‘The Four Seasons’, to Edinburgh and Glasgow, while ‘Fringeflower’ will be performed by the BBC SSO (City Halls, Glasgow, Sun 27 Nov) and Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Dec). See Hot 100 feature, page 42. Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 10 & Fri 11 Nov; The Hub, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Nov.

DANCE

3 Rambert

Alongside two new pieces from the acclaimed dance company is their undisputed classic, Christopher Bruce’s ‘Ghost Dances’. This gem is revived for the first time in over a decade. See preview, page 120. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 23–Fri 25 Nov.

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So much culture, so little time. We boil it down to 25 of the best events

4 A United Kingdom

5 Five Guys Named Moe

Amma Asante directs Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo as lovers whose affair became an international incident immediately prior to South Africa’s introduction of apartheid. See feature, page 56 and review, page 88. General release from Fri 25 Nov.

Clarke ‘The Wire’ Peters’ hugely popular Broadway musical featuring Louis Jordan’s greatest hits follows a guy seeking solace in in the titular Moes, who lift his spirits and tap into his soul. See preview, page 48. Festival Square Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Nov–Sat 7 Jan.

6 Zofia Kulik

7 Planet Earth II

8 Book Week Scotland 9 The Very Hungry

This Warsaw artist’s work has been on the receiving end of an upswing in interest over the last decade, and Instead of Sculpture marks the Glasgow Sculpture Studio’s first historic exhibition. See Highlights, page 125. Glasgow Sculpture Studios, until Sat 3 Dec.

National treasure David Attenborough’s sequel to his landmark 2006 series is another startlingly up-close examination of our fragile yet beautiful world, with images enhanced by the latest technology. See review, page 126. BBC One, starts Sun 6 Nov.

Among the many authors doing their bit for the Scottish Book Trust’s annual event are Muriel Gray, Chris Brookmyre, Mairi Hedderwick, Karen Campbell, Alexander McCall Smith, and Ann Cleeves. See preview, page 80. Various venues, nationwide, Mon 21–Sun 27 Nov.

FILM

THEATRE

BOOKS

PHOTO: CAROL ROSEGG

PHOTO: ROB MCDOUGALL

VISUAL ART

KIDS

Caterpillar Show

Eric Carle’s legendary children’s illustrated book takes to the UK stage having already stormed Australia and America, numbering Chelsea Clinton and Emily Blunt among its fans. See preview, page 96. King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 20 & Mon 21 Nov.

CHOSEN BY SINGER-SONGWRITER HORSE

10 The Battle of the Somme

I’m both fascinated and revolted by war. Whether we realise it or not, every one of us will be related to someone who fought in the First World War. In this centenary year, it’s fitting that we see this: ‘Lest we forget’. In this remastered work, the scenes were all filmed during the opening phases. As the war continued to rage, people queued to see the film and an estimated 20 million saw it in the first two months. The dreadful reality and horror is shocking. It’s accompanied by a specially commissioned score composed by Laura Rossi. Jo Sohn-Rethel of National Museums Scotland will open this special screening and Laura Clouting from Imperial War Museum London will introduce the film and explain its context. Horse is at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 4 Nov; Dundee Rep, Sat 5 Nov; The Union, East Kilbride, Thu 8 Dec; The Battle of the Somme, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Nov. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 7

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1 Edinburgh’s Hogmanay The world’s biggest and best New Year bash explodes into life in the middle of your capital city with three days of festive frolics. A mere taster of the exciting goings-on would include Paolo Nutini headlining the Concert in the Gardens, the Stoats Loony Dook, the fiery spectacle of the Torchlight Procession, and some kids’ stuff with the superbly titled Sprogmanay. See feature, page 52. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 30 Dec–Sun 1 Jan.

2 Scottish Ballet

3 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Scottish Ballet’s seasonal treat is their take on the classic Hansel & Gretel fairytale. An extra delight is the ‘Wee’ version for kids which is sprinkled throughout the run. See preview, page 120. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sat 10– Sat 31 Dec; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 5–Sat 14 Jan.

Fans of a galaxy far far away are becoming spoiled with festive additions to the George Lucas franchise, and this edition looks set to disappoint no one with a cast including Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and Diego Luna. May the force . . . and all that. See Highlights, page 93. General release from Wed 14 Dec.

DANCE

FILM

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4 Alice’s Adventures in

5 The Snaw Queen

6 Teenage Fanclub

Lewis Carroll’s timeless and bonkers classic arrives in a new version by Anthony Neilson, with everyone over the age of five going deep into the rabbit hole. See Highlights, page 121. Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Nov–Sat 31 Dec.

Kristine Cagney Kringle is back for another dose of Chrimbo chaos as Johnny McKnight has more fun with the season’s canon. But will Rudolph be saved from the evil one’s clutches? See preview, page 48. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 29 Nov–Sat 7 Jan.

The evergreen jangly rock’n’pop band returned with a bang earlier this year by releasing Here, and a pair of heavily attended gigs will cement the love that Glasgow has for Norman and the gang. See Highlights, page 109. Barrowlands, Glasgow, Sat 3 Dec; O2 ABC, Glasgow, Sun 4 Dec.

7 Trailer Park Boys

8 The Black Madonna

9 Doctor Who

The cult Netflix series elbows its way into Glasgow as Julian, Ricky and Bubbles attempt to find the real Father Christmas. For anyone who has seen the show, such a prospect will make you simultaneously shudder and giggle. See preview, page 84. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sat 10 Dec.

The former Crawford’s biscuit factory plays host to arguably the party of the year as The Black Madonna makes her long-awaited capital debut. For those lucky enough to get a ticket, there’s much fun to be had over two floors. See preview, page 113. Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh, Sat 31 Dec.

Another staple of the season is an adventure with the Time Lord, and in the guise of our boy Capaldi, the good Doctor goes toe to toe with some nasty aliens. Fortuitously, he’s backed by a New York comic-book superhero. See preview, page 127. BBC One, Sun 25 Dec.

THEATRE

Wonderland

THEATRE

MUSIC

PHOTO: ALDO PAREDES

COMEDY

MUSIC

CHOSEN BY COMEDIAN DES CLARKE

10 Status Quo

DES CLARKE PHOTO: J COOPER

When it comes to Christmas I’m all about tradition. And nothing says Christmas more than rock lordsa-leaping about in double denim. Status Quo has become as much a part of Christmas in Glasgow as the George Square lights and getting elbowed in the baubles walking round Buchanan Galleries. Their three chords of doom are my guilty musical pleasure. Hearing ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’ was as much a part of my childhood as watching Bullseye and eating Angel Delight. This year’s gig is even more special as it’s their Last Night of the Electrics tour. That’s right, after 50 years, this is the last time they’ll ever play an electric guitar on stage. Rock history, mass headbanging, catchy riffs, old-school nostalgia and a truly alternative way to mark the Christmas week. Go to the Quo: it’ll be electric. Des Clarke is in Cinderella (yes, he’s Buttons) at King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 2 Dec–Sun 8 Jan; Status Quo, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Tue 20 Dec.

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Y R A JANU

FILM

MUSIC

2 Celtic Connections

1 La La Land If you wondered whether director Damien Chazelle could produce anything close to the coruscating verve of Whiplash, here’s the definitive answer to all you doubters: a truly sensational homage to Hollywood musicals starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, set in a near-fairytale Los Angeles. This is another new movie being tipped for glory come the Oscars. Unless, of course, Prez Trump has banned them by then . . . See review, page 90. General release from Fri 13 Jan.

The UK’s top festival of Celtic music (though it’s much more than that) delivers another terrific bill including Karine Polwart (pictured), Shooglenifty and Laura Marling. See preview, page 17. Various venues, Glasgow, Thu 19 Jan–Sun 5 Feb.

3 manipulate

4 Jack Whitehall

5 Manchester by the Sea

Scotland’s renowned puppet and animation festival raises a glass to its tenth birthday with work on the way from Tortoise in a Nutshell and Agrupación Señor Serrano. See preview, page 115. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Jan–Sun 5 Feb.

The man labelled a ‘professional posho’ by (probably) jealous types continues his march towards world domination. With At Large, Whitehall aims to get a little bit ruder than usual. See feature, page 61. Edinburgh Playhouse, Wed 11 & Fri 12 Jan; Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Wed 1–Fri 3 Feb.

High drama, quirky characters and dark intrigue are rife in this astonishing Casey Affleck-starring movie about ordinary lives being bent tragically out of shape. The patter of not-so tiny awards might well be this wonderful film’s reward. See review, page 91. General release from Fri 13 Jan.

THEATRE

COMEDY

FILM

10 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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READER OFFERS WIN A 12-WEEK COURSE AT DANCE BASE

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THE OPENING GALA OF GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2017

Dance Base have been promoting dance in the city of Edinburgh since 1994, encouraging and inspiring people of all ages and abilities to try out the art form. Is taking up dance at the top of your new year’s resolutions? Then look no further than this prize giveaway, which gives one lucky winner the chance to whirl their way into a dance course. Options include ballet, Bollywood, contemporary and hip hop, plus dozens more. The List are giving away a full 12-week course at Dance Base to be taken in the Spring Term 2017. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which dance form, often related to rap music, was inspired by the famous Cotton Club in Manhattan, New York? Dance Base 14-16 Grassmarket Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

dancebase.co.uk @DanceBase TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Fri 16 Dec 2016. Subject to availability. Non-transferable and no cash alternative. Usual List rules apply.

WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO HANSEL & GRETEL AT THE CITIZENS THEATRE

Glasgow Film Festival returns for its 13th edition from 15 – 26 Feb 2017. While programme details remain tightly under wraps for now, we can guarantee audiences 12 exciting days of premieres, parties and unforgettable special events. Last year, events ranged from Raiders of the Lost Ark at Kelvingrove to Con-Air at a Secret Location. Guests over the 12 days of the festival included actors Richard Gere and Hannah Murray plus directors Joachim Trier and Ben Wheatley. The full line-up will be revealed at the programme launch on Wed 18 Jan, with priority tickets on sale to GFF Members from Thu 19 Jan. The List are giving away one pair of tickets to the Opening Gala of Glasgow Film Festival 2017 on 15 Feb 2017. To be in with a chance of winning, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

When will the 2017 programme be revealed? glasgowfilm.org/festival @glasgowfilmfest TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 6 Feb 2017. One entry per person, tickets are non transferable and cannot be exchanged. The List’s usual rules apply.

WIN AN AFTERNOON TEA FOR FOUR ON A VINTAGE 1966 ROUTEMASTER BUS

If you’re looking for an alternative to the usual festive entertainment, the Citizens Theatre is the place to find it. This year, the Citizens Theatre presents their take on Hansel & Gretel, a colourful forest adventure filled with suspense, laughter and some unexpected twists. Artistic Director Dominic Hill directs Stuart Paterson’s version of the classic tale, and is joined by many of the creative team behind the 2014 5-star production of A Christmas Carol. The List are offering readers the chance to win a family ticket for up to five people for performances of Hansel & Gretel between 3-7 Jan 2017. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Who directs the Citizens Theatre’s production of Hansel & Gretel? Hansel & Gretel Citizens Theatre 119 Gorbals St Glasgow, G5 9DS 6 Dec – 7 Jan

citz.co.uk @citizenstheatre TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Mon 28 Nov 2016. Tickets subject to availability. Tickets must be booked in advance by contacting the Citizens Theatre’s Box Office. The List’s usual rules apply.

Enjoy an afternoon tea tour on a vintage 1966 Routemaster Bus, while you take in the stunning sights and historic culture of Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh. You will tour the city while you enjoy a sophisticated afternoon tea, consisting of a selection of freshly made sandwiches made up of some of Scotland’s best local ingredients combining traditional flavours with the finest produce. You will also be offered a selection of pastries, cakes and warm home baked scones with traditional preserves and clotted cream. The selection of sweet treats and delicious savouries will be accompanied by an array of specially selected breakfast and herbal teas, and your choice of freshly brewed barista coffees. The List are offering readers the chance to win a luxury afternoon tea tour for four people on the 1966 Routemaster Bus. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What time does the afternoon tea tour start this season? redbusbistro.co.uk facebook.com/redbusbistro @redbusbistro TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Sat 3 Dec 2016. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Winning voucher valid until 13 Feb 2017. The List’s usual rules apply.

3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 11

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO SEE ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

WIN TICKETS TO MUSEUM LATE: MONKEY BUSINESS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND

LEWIS CARROLL’S

The legendary Museum Lates events have been entertaining the city of Edinburgh for years, providing top-class late night entertainment in the glorious setting of the National Museum of Scotland. The next event on the calendar will be one not to miss as guests are treated to an evening of monkey madness with live music, pop-up bars and entertainment inspired by the Museum’s major exhibition Monkey Business, which takes place from 9 Dec 2016 – 23 Apr 2017. The event will also give audiences the rare opportunity to explore the National Museum of Scotland at night. The List are offering readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the National Museum of Scotland’s Museum Lates on Fri 10 Mar 2017. To be in with a chance of winning, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What is the name of the National Museum of Scotland’s major exhibition, opening on Fri 9 Dec 2016? Museum Lates National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF Fri 10 Mar 2017

nms.ac.uk/lates @NtlMuseumsScot TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Wed 1 Feb 2017. Strictly ages 18 and over. The List’s usual rules apply.

‘Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’

FREE £25 GIFT VOUCHER FROM GOUSTO

When Alice sees a snappily dressed white rabbit holding a pocket watch, she knows today is not going to be like any other – an adventure is beginning! Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and tumble into Wonderland – a place where everyone and everything seems to be stark raving mad and things keep getting ‘curiouser and curiouser’. There are drinks to make you shrink smaller and cakes which make you grow taller. You’ll meet a mad March Hare, see a cat disappear, take advice from a caterpillar, and that’s just the animals! Will Alice ever be able to solve the Mad Hatter’s riddles or will it be ‘Off with her head!’ at the Queen of Hearts’ command? Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been the best loved of all children’s stories for over 150 years. This Christmas The Lyceum will bring Lewis Carroll’s classic to life with a magical new production in a magnificent Victorian setting. The List are giving away a family ticket (four tickets, one of which must be a child) for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on 7 Dec at 7pm. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which character from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is always falling asleep? Gousto lets you choose recipes online and get the ingredients delivered to your door in exact portions. It’s home cooking made easy! Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland By Lewis Carroll In a new version created and directed by Anthony Neilson Composer Nick Powell Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh 26 Nov – 31 Dec 2016

lyceum.org.uk/Alice @lyceumtheatre #aliceinwonderland TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Mon 28 Nov 2016. Recommended for all ages 5 and upwards. Tickets subject to availability. The List’s usual rules apply.

Each week, they post a new menu of 10 recipes from cuisines across the globe online. You pick the ones you like the look of and they’ll send you all the ingredients in measured portions (so there’s no food waste) and easy-to-follow recipe cards. Recipes take around 30 mins to cook and they’re passionate about sourcing quality produce. The List are offering readers a £25 gift voucher to use on their first Gousto box. 6. Just log on to list.co.uk/offers and use the code LIST2016.

gousto.co.uk/list2016 TERMS & CONDITIONS: Your £25 voucher is valid against a first-time order for new customers, when you buy a 3-meal box. Customers buying a smaller trial box will be rewarded with a £22 discount. Put on hold or cancel deliveries by logging in to your account. The List’s usual rules apply.

12 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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READER OFFERS WIN ICE SKATING TICKETS WITH BAILEYS AT EDINBURGH’S CHRISTMAS MARKETS

WIN TICKETS TO MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL’S 10TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Get your skates on and glide all the way round the Melville Monument on a circular ice rink in St Andrew Square as part of Edinburgh’s Christmas 2016. Make a pitt stop at Edinburgh’s Christmas markets and try a range of beautiful Baileys serves from a warming Baileys Coffee to a luxurious Baileys Hot Chocolate. The List have teamed up with Baileys and Edinburgh’s Christmas to offer you and a friend the chance to go ice skating in St Andrew Square and afterwards share a Baileys of your choice at the Baileys winter bar. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and Complete the name of one of the Baileys serves available:

Baileys Hot _________________ baileys.com edinburghschristmas.com

Baileys Winter Bar St Andrew Square Edinburgh 18 Nov 2016 – 7 Jan 2017

Terms and Conditions: Competition closes Mon 5 Dec. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. Subject to availability. Redeem at the Baileys Winter Bar between 18 Nov-7 Jan only. Non-exchangable. Usual List rules apply.

10% OFF TICKETS FOR THE OPENING NIGHT PARTY OF EDINBURGH CRAFT BEER REVOLUTION FESTIVAL Produced by Puppet Animation Scotland, manipulate Visual Theatre Festival is Scotland’s festival of visual theatre, puppetry and animation, providing audiences and Scottish artists the opportunity to see and engage with worldclass visual theatre and animation. The festival, which runs from 27 Jan-4 Feb 2017, will take place in the Traverse Theatre and Dance Base, Edinburgh and The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen as well as a number of satellite venues across the UK.

Start your weekend early and enjoy a beer and fun filled night out with friends at the Opening Night Party of the Edinburgh Craft Beer Revolution Festival on Thu 24 Nov. Readers of The List can save 10% on tickets by quoting PARTY10 when booking online. Join in the launch celebrations and enjoy over 60 craft beers from 13 of the best breweries from across the UK and Europe including Pilot, Top Out, Brewgooder, Howling Hops, Panda Frog Project and Parisis. With beers to suit every taste – from pale ales to malty 10% brews – plus a Wine, Gin & Cider Corner, you’re guaranteed to find a tipple to tickle your taste buds. Delicious street food and meat boards from charcuterie trollies accompany the steady flow of beer plus music, masterclasses, pub quizzes and beer drinking competitions promise you a great night out!

The List are giving readers the chance to win tickets to manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. The prize winner will be provided with two tickets to all of the events and performances taking place on their 10th Birthday on Sat 28 Jan. This includes the UK Premiere of Tortoise in a Nutshell’s new performance Fisk and an evening of short animated films selected from manipulate’s 10 year history of programming the best international animated films. To be in with a chance of winning just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What birthday will manipulate Visual Theatre Festival be celebrating in 2017?

Tickets include entry, a festival branded glass to keep, a £2 drink/food voucher, masterclasses and a programme. Edinburgh Craft Beer Revolution Festival Assembly Roxy 2 Roxburgh Pl, Edinburgh, EH8 9SU 24 – 26 Nov 2016

manipulate Visual Theatre Festival Traverse Theatre Sat 28 Jan 2017

revolutioncraftbeer.com @edcraftbeerfest

manipulatefestival.org @manipulatefest

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer ends Thu 24 Nov 2016. Enter discount code at checkout. Offer applies to tickets for Thu 24 Nov only. Must be 18+ to attend the festival. The List’s usual rules apply.

Terms and conditions: Competition closes Fri 6 Jan 2017. No cash alternative. Usual List rules apply.

3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 13

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14 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016â&#x20AC;&#x201C;31 Jan 2017

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LIST.CO.UK /NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS, LINEUPS AND OPINION

OV E RL E ITH

this year’s International Literature Showcase, namely Hollie McNish, Jenni Fagan, William Letford, James es Meek, Denise Mina, Kerry Hudson and Karrie Fransman. The ILS, as it is fondly known, is a ten-month programme which helps writers and literary organisations promote e their work worldwide.

JONES

Inverleith House, the modern art gallery that has stood in the Royal Botanic Garden for 30 years, has closed. The garden’s Regius Keeper Simon Milne said running the house as a gallery is no longer affordable for the institution. A petition to keep the venue as a gallery has amassed over 7000 signatures.

PHOTO: TREVOR

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BOWEN

NEWS

For more news go to

NEW HE AD FO R N TS The National Theatre of Scotland has appointed Jackie Wylie (pictured above) as its new artistic director, succeeding Laurie Sansom. Wylie was artistic director of The Arches in Glasgow from 2008 to 2015, and is currently co-director of the new Tramwaybased contemporary and experimental performance festival, Take Me Somewhere.

A B RAV E N EW P O P - U P Glasgow Film Festival is hosting pop-up screenings at Mackintosh Queen’s Cross church to celebrate St Andrew’s Day. On Sat 26 Nov, viewers can pop along to see a trio off Scottish classics: Annie Laurie, Highlander and Brave.

OH HI, RGI SCOTS SET ON SUNSET SONG Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s novel Sunset Song has been voted Scotland’s favourite book in a recent poll conducted by BBC Scotland. First published in 1932, the novel is set in north-east Scotland, and explores the impact of WWI on the rural community. Iain Banks’ The Wasp Factory came in second place, followed by Alasdair Gray’s Lanark in third.

After a short hiatus, the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts’ (almost) annual exhibition is returning. This year, the 153rd show will take place Sat 12–Sun 27 Nov at the Mitchell Library, with its focus on iconic Scottish architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, for whom 2017 is the bicentenary of his birth.

N OT S O RU B B I S H WO RL D- C L ASS W R I T I N G Seven Scottish writers are participating in

Leith artist Trevor Jones is using rubbish from the streets of Edinburgh to create portraits of

politicians (pictured, inset), including Donald Trump, Theresa May and Hillary Clinton. His exhibition, Would I Lie To You?, is being displayed at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Thu 3–Tue 15 Nov.

E AT, D R I N K , VOT E We love food, but then again, so do you. That’s why we’ve launched The List’s Reader Award in association with Birra Moretti. We’re asking our readers to hop online to list.co.uk/ readeraward and vote for their favourite restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The winners will be announced at the 2017 Eating and Drinking Guide awards and you could win tickets to the bash in April. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 15

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NEWS Creativity is its own reward Rebecca Monks looks at the shortlisted entrants for the ﬁfth annual Creative Edinburgh awards

COMING UP • NEON DIGITAL ARTS The only international digital arts festival in Scotland, NEoN features moving image, performance, music and technology-driven arts. Various venues, Dundee, Wed 9–Sun 13 Nov. • EDINBURGH’S CHRISTMAS Auld Reekie turns into a winter wonderland for six weeks. This year, the Street of Light move to George Street, and the festivities expand to the West End. Entertainment highlights include the musical Five Guys Named Moe and magic act Morgan & West. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Nov–Sat 7 Jan. • CHRYSALIS Theatre companies from across the UK meet in Edinburgh for a weekend of youth theatre. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 18–Sun 20 Nov.

The Library is Open! Drag Queen Poems

years, we’ve been welcoming tech startups. As the network grows with us, we wanted to explore ways that creatives are part of our everyday life.’ Moreover, the awards tap into a specific niche: celebrating a cross-section of creative talent on a hyper-local basis. ‘There are other types of awards for sure,’ Mathieson says, ‘but there isn’t anything locally shining the light across all different creative disciplines.’ The shortlisted names are below with the winners announced at the prizegiving ceremony on Thu 10 Nov at the capital’s Central Hall. • The City Award: Konishi Gaffney Architects, Jupiter Artland and Local Heroes • The Collaboration Award: Werewolf & Unstable Creations, Janis Claxton Dance & Pippa Murphy ‘Pop-Up Duets’, and Rob St John, Simon Kirby, Tommy Perman and Random Spectacular • The Commercial Award: Nile (& the People’s Money team), StudioLR (Terex Truck Factory Experience Project) and Disney Research – Maggie Kosek • The Creativity Award: The Scottish Poetry Library for The Library is Open! Drag Queen Poems, Janis Claxton Dance POP-UP Duets and Heather Marshall / Creative Electric • The Independent Award: Kam-Ling Design, Scott Willis and LeithLate • The Leadership Award: Danielle Trudeau, Tribe Porty, Jack Nissan, Tinderbox Orchestra and Adam Castle • The Social Award: Lung Ha Theatre Company, WHALE Arts for the Street Arts project and Edinburgh Tool Library (ETL) • The Startup Award: Werewolf Tube Map Ltd for WineTubeMap and Bright Side Studios • The Student Award: Ellie Vallely, Michal Wdowiak and Paula Caffrey

PHOTO: CHRIS WATT

reative Edinburgh’s awards have garnered quite a reputation in the five years since they’ve been running. Known as the ‘Oscars of the creative sector’, they celebrate innovation and imagination in a variety of disciplines, recognising artists, musicians, and writers alongside commercially creative thinkers and social entrepreneurs. The criteria for winning, or indeed being nominated, is quite simple: you must be creative, and you must be associated with Edinburgh. This year’s shortlist reflects the diversity of talent that these awards attract. There are nine categories with finalists including organisations, establishments and individuals, but the event isn’t simply about those nominees. Creative Edinburgh was established five years ago, and the awards ceremony is something of a birthday party for the organisation, which reaches out to a creative community of thousands. Speaking about the event, director Janine Mathieson said: ‘It shines a light on what amazing talent we do have here in Edinburgh, but it’s also a chance to celebrate Creative Edinburgh. This is a real opportunity to develop our community, and also to spread the word about what part we play in the city.’ As the organisation grows and changes, so does the nature of the awards, and Mathieson says they are constantly adapting to meet the needs of their network. ‘Creative Edinburgh now has 3000 members, and the diversity within the community is massive,’ she explains. ‘We have creatives that are practitioners, artists or musicians, writers or photographers, and we also have a lot of creatives that work in more commercial environments: lots of agencies, design, PR firms, architecture firms, digital firms, and increasingly over the last few

• TO ABSENT FRIENDS This festival of storytelling is based on remembrance. Its events are located in Edinburgh, but encourages people all over Scotland to remember their loved ones who have passed on, to reminisce about them and tell stories. Various venues, Edinburgh, until Sun 27 Nov.

• EDINBURGH’S HOGMANAY A New Year celebration so impressive that it actually takes place over three days. Events include the Torchlight Procession, Concert in the Gardens headlined by Paolo Nutini and the Street Party, led by the mighty Charlatans. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 30 Dec–Sun 1 Jan. • GLASGOW LOVES HOGMANAY Family-friendly New Year activities taking place in the daytime and early evening. Just don’t tire yourselves out before the bells. George Square, Glasgow, Sat 31 Dec. • THE SALTIRE FESTIVAL East Lothian celebrates its heritage as the birthplace of the Saltire Flag. Various venues, East Lothian, Thu 24–Wed 30 Nov.

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BIG PICTURE

CELTIC CONNECTIONS The metaphorical, and often literal, hangover that is a Glasgow January is in receipt of its annual booster with another Celtic Connections, a festival that has no truck with notions of first-month-of-the-year fatigue. Wipe away those blues with, well, quite a lot of actual blues, as over 2000 artists perform in 20 venues across the city. Among those appearing are the mesmeric Black Country rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor, the raucous yet poignant Felice Brothers, Mexrrissey (Morrissey-lovin’ Mexicans, obviously), Billy Bragg, King Creosote, and our pictorial stars, Scottish folksters extraordinaire, Breabach. Various venues, Glasgow, Thu 19 Jan–Sun 5 Feb.

PHOTO CHRIS WATT

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LIST ADVERTISING FEATURE

SEE OUT THE YEAR IN STYLE The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design has shone a spotlight on Scotland’s creative industries, from science and technology to fashion and contemporary craft practice, against a backdrop of iconic built architecture.

A programme of events and festivals celebrating Scotland’s pioneering spirit, innovative character and its rich built and natural heritage has captured

worldwide attention for some of Scotland’s unique assets. From luminous origami birds to Harris Tweed celebrations and a pop-up design exhibition, the country’s ﬂare for creativity has earned it a worldwide reputation for design. An exciting line-up of events has taken place during the year and there’s still plenty to see and do during the winter months.

EVENTS The Scotland Re:Designed Showcase (9–13 November) will present ﬁve days of events in Glasgow. Aside from acting as a shop window for Scottish design, you can pick up stylish items at the pop-up shop. The events will feature displays and collaborations with Glasgow art legends SWG3, Scot Street Style, new design talent from Fashion Foundry and the Glasgow School of Art, with the awards panel featuring names including the Director of 100% Design and Clerkenwell Design Week, William Knight. The showroom and pop-up shop is free and open to the public 12 & 13 November.

Building on the ten new stateof-the-art galleries opened at the National Museum of Scotland in July dedicated to decorative art, design, fashion, science and technology, Styling the Nation is a weekend of exciting events where you can learn fashion illustration, share in discussions about style and design and express yourself! The latest in a masterplan to transform the museum, collections ranging from three Formula 1 racing cars to French wallpaper and items from the celebrated Jean Muir collection are now given pride of place in the museum’s displays (also 12 & 13 November).

Dundee is preparing to host the Light Nights spectacular, marking the end of the Festival of Architecture 2016. Following a theme of past, present and future, the city’s historic and contemporary architectural spaces will be highlighted, with light installations highlighting the construction of the V&A Museum of Design and the Steeple. Exhibitions and events will take place around the city: Lateral North’s 3D timber map of

Scotland, Scotland’s contribution to the 2016 Venice International Architectural Biennale, will be hosted at West Ward Works, and visitors will be able to see Luminous Birds, the Cryptic commissioned piece situated in The Howff. A torchlight procession will also connect two of Dundee’s best-loved buildings, the McManus Galleries and the Caird Hall. Light Nights take place on 18 November and projections are repeated on 19th.

& Philip Vile © Sean Deckert

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EVENTS The Scottish Maritime Museum has launched Scotland’s newest winter light spectacular. Irvine’s historic waterfront will shimmer into life this St Andrew’s Day as part of illumination: Harbour Festival of Light. The event will feature a water-themed trail of sculpted light installations by the groundbreaking art and design collective Aether & Hemera, exhibiting in Scotland for the first time. Nearby, at the Harbourside Museum, the façade of the A-listed Linthouse will be animated for the first time in its 150 years with pulsating colours and breathtaking aerial acrobatic performances (30 November – 3 December).

, Universit y of Glasg ow

Glasgow Film Festival is celebrating Scotland’s national day, presenting a trio of screenings in the beautiful and iconic Mackintosh Queen’s Cross, the only church built to Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s design as part of Hollywood Dreams of Scotland (26 November). Also in Glasgow, over at The Hunterian Museum, you can enjoy a special Night at the Museum, marking a fascinating exhibition commemorating the centenary of the famous Erskine Hospital (25 November).

Until 31 December you can take part in the new Garden trail Building for Nature at RBGE, urging visitors to pay attention to the remarkable collection of buildings in the gardens ranging from a grand Georgian villa to stunning Victorian glasshouses.

McKen © Rhys

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s After the Storm project, in partnership with the Scottish Furniture Makers Association and Forestry Commission Scotland, will culminate in an exhibition in the Garden exploring the theme of regeneration, recovery and resilience. The speciﬁc storm inspiring the project was Cyclone Andrea, which in 2012 swept across Scotland, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The gardens will consider the legacy of this dramatic ‘oncein-a-lifetime’ event with an exhibition that includes pieces of distinctive furniture made of wood ood od fro from th the Garden’s arden’s stormstorm damaged maged tre trees es (2 (2 December 2017) – May 2017).

The Scotlan Showcase tad Re:Designed St Enoch Ce kes place at the November. ntre, Glasgow 9 – 13 T pop-up sho he Showroom and p is open to the public 12 – 13 Novem ber. Enjoy a sty li by the Nati sh weekend inspired onal Museu Scotland's m of n galleries at ew art and design 12 – 13 Nov Styling the Nation, e everything mber, featuring fr art to curato om performance r talks. Luminous B and sight s irds is a FREE sound p magical exp ectacular that is a family, best erience for all the Catch it in viewed after dark. lo Dundee and cations in Dumfries, November a Glasgow until 16 Tower at Th nd in the Mackintosh Glasgow un e Lighthouse in til 8 January 2017. From city’s ceilidh danc lit up to crafts, drink, catch ing and food and St Andre festivals celebrating country in Nw’s Day across the ovember.

Find more events and festivals at visitscotland/IAD2016

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#IAD2016

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VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT AND WIN A VIP EXPERIENCE FROM BIRRA MORETTI

A celebration of the best restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as chosen by you, The List is proud to be launching The List’s Reader Award in 2017 The List’s Reader Award, in association with Birra Moretti, will be presented to the restaurant in each city that receives the most online votes from our readers. The winners will then be announced at our Eating & Drinking Guide Awards in 2017 in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Birra Moretti have partnered with The List to support food and drink in Scotland, helping to promote the businesses and products making a difference to Scotland’s rich gastronomic culture since 2009. To vote, just log on to list.co.uk/readeraward and you could win a VIP experience from Birra Moretti plus tickets to the Eating & Drinking Guide Awards. @thelistmagazine #ListReaderAward See list.co.uk/offers for terms and conditions

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SUPPORTED BY

Discussions have been had, arguments made and counsels taken. But now the talking is over (or perhaps just beginning) as we commence the countdown to reveal who is the hottest of the hot among this year’s Scottish cultural community. Over the following pages, we also acknowledge the record labels we love, pay tribute to those who left us this year, and name and shame those who totally did not ﬂoat our Boaty McBoatfaces in 2016

WRITERS: Kelly Apter, Niki Boyle, Brian Donaldson, Lorna Irvine, Alex Johnston, Rebecca Monks, Henry Northmore, David Pollock, Arusa Qureshi, Murray Robertson, Kirstyn Smith, Stewart Smith, Louise Stoddart, Gareth K Vile ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Rachael Cloughton, Sasha de Buyl, Eddie Harrison, Scott Henderson, Rowena McIntosh, Carol Main, Donald Reid, Fiona Shepherd, Yasmin Sulaiman

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DEARLY DEPARTED No doubt 2017 will give it a right good go, but 2016 may well go down as being the mother of all years for celebrity deaths. David Pollock reflects on those mourned in Scotland and beyond

Call it simple bad luck on the planet’s behalf, but the idea that 2016 featured more famous people dying than ever before (it probably didn’t) was reinforced by the fact we undoubtedly lost more bona fide icons in a shorter space of time than in recent memory. David Bowie went first, leaving behind an instant classic which explored the knowledge of his imminent death in Blackstar; otherworldly funk icon Prince’s passing was equally sudden and unexpected; Alan Rickman was beloved by fans of both Die Hard and Harry Potter; Harper Lee, the reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and Muhammad Ali, the 20th century’s top sportsman, had both been ill for some time, but their deaths still caused much grief. Italian playwright Dario Fo died just as a celebration of his work which he had been due to attend was taking place in Edinburgh. English film director Robert Hardy had brought cult notoriety to the Dumfries and Galloway countryside with his 1973 film The Wicker Man, while the passing of Parliament / Funkadelic keyboard player Bernie Worrell was recognised in the Scottish Parliament at the request of his collaborator Jesse Rae. Glasgow International was saddened by news of artist Kevin Hutcheson’s death prior to his show’s opening, a passing every bit as tragic and too-young as that of the admired architect Gareth Hoskins. Also taken from various generations of Scots creativity were Shooglenifty fiddle player Angus Grant, bassist in rock groups Rainbow and Dio Jimmy Bain, jazz saxophonist Joe Temperley, comedy star Ronnie Corbett, and Gaelic folk singer Maggie Macdonald. In other finalities, Scots rap contingent Hector Bizerk called it a day, Rally & Broad closed up shop, and Edinburgh’s Inverleith House got the chop as an art gallery.

100 JK ROWLING POTTERING ABOUT

Between the stage adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the film of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, JKR has had yet another incredibly lucrative year. Her penchant for Twitter spats and political soapboxing is, perhaps, less treasured. (NB)

99 BILLY CONNOLLY FUNNY YIN

Hopping on his High Horse in November for what will probably be his final national live tour, Billy Connolly also received the Inspiration Award from GQ in amusingly brusque fashion. His body may be slowing down but that mind remains mercurial. (BD)

98 JACK LOWDEN HAND IN GOLF GLOVE

The War & Peace star went on to take the lead in Tommy’s Honour, the drama based on legendary golfer Tommy Morris that opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year. We’re also really excited to see this charming man become Morrissey in the forthcoming biopic. (RM)

97 CHRIS BROOKMYRE CLASS SPIDER

Black Widow, Chris Brookmyre’s newest twisty thriller was released at the beginning of 2016. The book went on to rake in plaudits, including the McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish crime novel. (KS)

96 SUMAYYA USMANI KITCHEN MAGICIAN

Sumayya Usmani has shared her passion for Pakistani cuisine through her My Tamarind Kitchen blog as well as hosting various

cookery classes in London and Glasgow, where she now lives. Her cookbook, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, was published in April this year. (LS)

95 HELEN SEDGWICK NEW SEEKER

Physicist-turned-author Helen Sedgwick’s debut novel The Comet Seekers was released in August to acclaim from critics and peers alike. Since then, the author has appeared at festivals across the country, including Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Book Fringe and Wigtown. (KS)

94 THEO KOTTIS DOWN TO EARTH

With releases on Moda Black, Anjunadeep and Sasha’s Last Night On Earth label, Edinburgh-based producer Theo Kottis is a rising star on the Scottish electronic music scene, having formerly been a promoter of some legendary club nights. (AQ)

93 CHVRCHES STEEPLE POWER

Sadly, there was no new album to get our teeth into during 2016, but the remix of ‘Bury It’ featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams was huge. As are Chvrches themselves: they’re still one of the biggest pop bands in Scotland, and we’re bracing ourselves for more excellent material to come. (RM)

92 SANDY GRIERSON BRIGHT STAR

Apart from being the go-to performer for any Scottish icon, Grierson has played Faust at the RSC, a sardonic everyman in the National Theatre of Scotland’s Anything That Gives Off Light and won the Best Male Performance at the CATS for the title role in Lanark. (GKV)

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SUPPORTED BY

#SCOTLITFEST

YOUNG FATHERS

FREAK CIRCUS

DAD’S THE WORD

A magazine packed with brilliant writing and eye-catching illustrations, FREAK Circus features stories with a twist, having focused on themes like ‘Broken Hearts’ and ‘Shame’ in previous issues. They also put on cracking spoken-word events with emerging poets and musicians regularly on the bill. (AQ)

DIGITALISING LITERATURE

This online literary festival was held in June as part of the Saltire Society’s 80th anniversary celebrations, and featured digital chats with the likes of Michel Faber, Diana Gabaldon, AL Kennedy and more. It was accessible, modern, and, frankly, #genius. (RM)

90 NEIL SLORANCE GETTING STRIPPED

Illustrator and comic artist Neil Slorance has spent the year doing what he does best: gracing the country’s comic cons and live drawing along to TV shows, while in August he released Modern Slorance, an autobiographical collection of short comic strips. (KS)

89 RACHEL MACLEAN VIDEO STAR

PHOTO: CHRIS SCOTT

The Edinburgheducated, Glasgowbased creator of immersive, digitalised characters and landscapes exhibited at British Art Show 8 in Edinburgh, but the big news was her announcement as Scotland’s representative at the 2017 Venice Biennale, with a new video work co-commissioned by Talbot Rice Gallery. (DP)

The genresmashing Edinburgh trio didn’t keep up their annual formula of releasing albums and winning awards, but playing tour support for Massive Attack (including at Hyde Park’s British Summer Time festival) placed them alongside their perfect mentors. The Edinburgh International Festival also booked them. (DP)

86 BARROWLAND BALLET DIVERSE ATTRACTIONS

Choreographer Natasha Gilmore excelled herself this year with three diverse shows touring both at home and abroad to great acclaim. She proved equally popular with children (Poggle and the 5-star Little Red) and adults (the thought-provoking yet joyful Whiteout). (KA)

85 OOR WULLIE BUCKET TRAIL BIN BOY

Scotland’s favourite son re-cemented his place in our hearts after the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail, a series of 55 sculptures (at 5ft each) designed by local artists, was scattered throughout Dundee. They were subsequently auctioned off, raising almost £900,000 for local charities. (KS)

VISCERAL VOICES

82 KIERAN HURLEY HEAD BOY

Kieran Hurley’s Fringe First-winning Heads Up revived the DIY energy of his earlier work, reaffirming his status as a passionate, politically engaged monologuist who weaves social commentary into a direct counterblast to disempowered despair. (GKV)

81 ADURA ONASHILE RENNAISANCE WOMAN

Playwright, actor and dancer Adura Onashile has triumphed with her debut play HeLa, which she wrote and starred in, while more recently, a directorial debut with Expensive Shit earned her a Fringe First Award this August. Creating politically charged and provocative work, Onashile is proving that she simply cannot be ignored. (LI)

EDINBURGH BEER FACTORY

YORKSTON THORNE KHAN

CONDUCTOR IN CHIEF

ALE ORDER

SACRED APPLAUSE

This family-owned craft brewery opened to the public just last year, giving Edinburgh a totally fresh brewing concept. Their Paolozzi beer won Silver for Best Lager at the Scottish Beer Awards 2016 and for every bottle sold they pay a charitable donation to the Paolozzi Foundation. (LS)

The new project from revered Fife indie-folk singer and Fence stalwart James Yorkston was a unique one, an equal marriage of styles with Indian sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan and jazz double-bassist Jon Thorne on the Domino-released album Everything Sacred. (DP)

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra chief conductor’s seven glorious years ended with a truly blistering EIF performance of Schoenberg’s suitably end-of-an-era Gurrelieder. He’s now conductor emeritus, so we can expect him to be called out like a veteran gunslinger whenever a big Mahler comes to town. (AJ)

DONALD RUNNICLES

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79 RESTLESS NATIVES THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS

Seven days of walks, talks, film and music (including Ghostface Killah, Tim Hecker, Future of the Left and Tuff Love) was enough to ensure this new festival in May deserved recommendation, but its showcasing of the recently unexplored East End of Glasgow was a strong selling point. (DP)

78 JONNIE COMMON HOUSE MUSICIAN

Branching out from his established combination of free-associating lyrics and folktronic beats, Common released the surprisingly beautiful Kitchen Sync in 2016, created entirely of samples from his kitchen. His work with Jamie Scott in CARBS also continued to be phenomenally entertaining. (NB)

77 DENIS SULTA THE REAL DEAL

Having received accolades from the likes of Four Tet and John Talabot, Denis Sulta has made quite an impression since the release of his Numbers debut ‘It’s Only Real’. The Glaswegian DJ-producer launched his own label, Sulta Selects, with the ‘Nein Fortiate / Dubelle Oh XX’ EP its first release. (AQ)

76 SUCH A DRAG BOOSTING THE DRAG TRADE

On the last Sunday of every month at Electric Circus, you’ll find host Groundskeeper Fanny and her cohort of fabulous fellow queens performing live lip-synchs to classic tracks and hilarious numbers. In the past year, this has done much to promote the art of drag in Scotland. (AQ)

LUCKYME

GLORIOUS TRACES

FORTUNE HUNTERS

GLAD CULTURE

After almost a decade on ice, Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill’s misbehaving neighbours, Jack and Victor, made a triumphant return to our screens. Now a genuine cultural phenomenon, the Craiglang duo are all set to embark on another residency at the Hydro. (MR)

LuckyMe are a force to be reckoned with, thanks in part to their roster of supreme DJs, producers and musicians. Releases from Hudson Mohawke, Baauer and Machinedrum, to name but a few, have cemented their reputation for innovation in the dance music scene. (AQ)

MODERN STUDIES

MATT REGAN

WELL-SCHOOLED BAND

HEART OF THE MATTER

Self-described as a ‘chamber pop band from Glasgow-via-Yorkshire’, Emily Scott, Rob St John, Pete Harvey and Joe Smillie have created what will surely rank as one of the Scottish albums of this year in the fragile, beautifully composed Swell to Great, released on Song, by Toad. (DP)

Riding on the wave of gig-theatre, Matt Regan’s skills as a raconteur and composer came together in Greater Belfast, a personal journey through the city of his birth. Now based in Glasgow, Regan’s performances bring rock’n’roll and poignancy together. (GKV)

STILL GAME CRAIGLANG TIME COMING

The artistic hub of Glasgow’s Southside is assuredly The Glad Café. To celebrate its fourth birthday in August, the Shawlands venue held Glorious Traces, an inspiring weekender curated by local heroes Alasdair Roberts, Alex Neilson, Counterflows and the Save As collective. (SS)

70 JACQUELINE DONACHIE BRAIN STORM

A ‘Glasgow Miracle’-era contemporary of Douglas Gordon, Christine Borland and Martin Boyce, Jacqueline Donachie showed Deep in the Heart of Your Brain at GoMA and deservedly won a Freelands Foundation Award to enable a future retrospective at the Fruitmarket in Edinburgh. (DP)

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RAYMOND GUBBAY presents Friday 18 November 7.30pm

Sunday 27 November at 3.00pm

THE BY

FOUR SEASONS

CANDLELIGHT

A sublime programme of 18th Century classics perfomed in an evocative candle-lit style setting.

HANDEL Arrival of the Queen of Sheba A selection from the Water Music Suites 1 & 2 PURCELL Trumpet Suite BACH Double Violin Concerto MOZART Alleluia from Exsultate jubilate HANDEL Let the Bright Seraphim

Broadway glamour and toe-tapping tunes in an all-Gershwin extravaganza

RHAPSODY IN BLUE' S WONDERFUL LADY BE GOOD STRIKE UP THE BAND SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME A FOGGY DAY IN LONDON TOWN I'VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU FASCINATIN' RHYTHM PORGY AND BESS EXCERPTS

VIVALDIThe Four Seasons

David Juritz violin / conductor Soraya Mafi soprano Crispian Steele-Perkins trumpet

MOZART FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA In full 18th Century costume

GWENETH-ANN JEFFERS guest singer NJABULO MADLALA guest singer VIV MCLEAN piano Plus a glamorous ballroom duo and sensational tap dancers RICHARD BALCOMBE conductor SCOTTISH CONCERT ORCHESTRA

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL

at the ROYAL CONCERT HALL Tuesday 20 December 7.30pm

KATHERINE JENKINS Celebration

Join Katherine Jenkins as she returns to perform a magnificent concert of her favourite music and songs. Anthony Inglis conductor Scottish Concert Orchestra Friday 23 December 7.30pm

CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGALONG ‘A fabulous show.’

Scottish Herald

Sing your heart out as Jamie MacDougall leads you through a fun-filled jamboree of carols and hits. Jingle Bells Sleigh Ride Goodtime Christmas Merry Christmas Everyone Winter Wonderland The Twelve Days of Christmas Frosty the Snowman Jacinta Whyte guest singer Gordon Cree conductor The Consort of Voices Scottish Concert Orchestra Wednesday 28 December 3.00pm

GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

Wartime chart-toppers & hits from the forties. Perfidia Moonlight Serenade Running Wild Sentimental Journey plus all your favourites Guest vocalists Mark Porter and Catherine Sykes And special guests THE SWING TIME JIVERS

Thursday 29 December 7.30pm

Saturday 31 December 7.30pm

With the ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

Join the magnificent ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA for a stirring evening, bursting with all-time favourites. STRAUSS Die Fledermaus Overture TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from Swan Lake BIZET Duet from The Pearl Fishers VERDI La donna è mobile Plus Loch Lomond Auld Lang Syne Amazing Grace Scotland the Brave

SPACE SPECTACULAR MUSIC . LIGHTS . LASERS . FIREWORKS Favourite music from deep space and beyond. Mars & Jupiter from The Planets Close Encounters of the Third Kind Star Wars • Star Trek Superman • E.T. Thunderbirds Blue Danube Waltz Jean-Claude Picard conductor Royal Scottish National Orchestra

THE SOUND OF MUSICALS

Show-stopping music and songs from the greatest Broadway & West End musicals. Billy Elliot Oklahoma A Chorus Line Wicked Miss Saigon Sunset Boulevard The Phantom of the Opera

with an all-star line up from London’s glittering West End KERRY ELLIS JOANNA AMPIL OLIVER TOMPSETT GRAHAM BICKLEY Richard Balcombe conductor Scottish Concert Orchestra

SEATS AVAILABLE FROM

Enjoy a complimentary glass of prosecco to see in the New Year! Terms and conditions apply. Contact the Box office for details.

Nicky Spence tenor Richard Morrison baritone Jonathan Graham piper Michael Bawtree conductor Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Friday 30 December 7.30pm

ROYAL CONCERT HALL, GLASGOW

HOGMANAY

Saturday 7 January 3.00pm

JOHANN STRAUSS GALA Enjoy a brand new show of all your favourite waltzes, polkas and songs from the Strauss era. Die Fledermaus Overture Tritsch-Tratsch Polka Blue Danube Waltz Radetzky March plus many more JOHANN STRAUSS DANCERS in glorious costumes of the period and the JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA with conductor JOHN RIGBY featuring soprano Corinne Cowling

Box Office 0141 353 8000

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(24hrs/bkg fees apply)

glasgowconcerthalls.com

0844 847 2319

Calls will cost 7ppm plus your network access charge.

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69 GLASGOW RESTAURANT FESTIVAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT

From the end of March until the beginning of May, this inaugural event drew attention to the richness and quality of Glasgow’s eaterie scene, featuring Spiegeltent-based ‘secret dining’ events, pop-up dining with accompanying music and entertainment, and deals at over 60 restaurants. (DP)

68 PAULINE KNOWLES RESTLESS SPIRIT

Pauline Knowles is a familiar face on the Scottish stage, but her award-winning Clytemnestra in This Restless House has established her as an actor with remarkable range. By turns despairing, defiant, brutal and sensuous, she gave a tragic dignity to one of the great stage villains. (GKV)

This project raises awareness of International Women’s Day and promotes women’s voices in Scotland. (KS)

65 FRANK QUITELY

COMIC BOOK BOSS

CHITRA RAMASWAMY

Subject of both an exhibition and an academic study of his contribution to the art, Frank Quitely has become one of the most beloved and in-demand comic artists in the world, with his distinctive style gracing DC’s Multiversity and Mark Millar’s epic Jupiter’s Legacy. (GKV)

64 ROB DRUMMOND FAITH HEALER

An unstoppable playwright and performer, Rob Drummond’s In Fidelity brought strangers together for blind dates at the Fringe, while recent play Grain in the Blood was a dark thriller. Meanwhile, The Broons’ postmodern chuckles prove you can never second-guess his eclectic talents. (LI)

JOHN BUTT

THE BONGO CLUB

CONSORT KING

John Butt has overseen Dunedin Consort’s dynamic recordings of Bach masterpieces, but he’s also a world-class musicologist. In October, the Consort’s collaboration with Cryptic’s Josh Armstrong breathed new life into Purcell’s music theatre. (AJ)

THE DANGEROUS WOMEN PROJECT

RISK TAKERS

THE BISCUIT FACTORY

A digital project launched by the University of Edinburgh asked the question: ‘what does it mean to be a dangerous woman?’ and published an answer a day across the year.

BITE-SIZE CULTURE

DRUMMING UP SUPPORT

Over 20 years and three venues, The Bongo Club has secured its place at the heart of Edinburgh’s club and live music scene. Their 20th birthday celebrations in October featured impressive shows from Ben UFO, Jah Shaka, Frank Carter and Stanley Odd. (HN)

hosting a gin distillery, regular food pop-ups, the month-long Landing Festival of new music, and an exciting guest appearance by The Black Madonna at Hogmanay. (DP)

Opened as a creative studio space in 2015, this former Crawford’s biscuit factory has brought Leith a new and exciting venue,

MUM’S THE WORD

The award-winning journalist released her debut book, Expecting, a touching collection of essays on pregnancy, which put the writer firmly on the literary map. This year, she also spoke at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Wigtown, and was part of the inaugural revue from spoken word organisation Flint & Pitch. (RM)

60 ARIKA HOLDING COMPANY

Undoubtedly Scotland’s most challenging and politically engaged festival organisers, Edinburgh-based Arika returned to their spiritual home of Glasgow’s Tramway with Episode 8: Refuse Powers’ Grasp. This inventive October weekender explored gender and the prison-industrial complex through discussion, film and clubbing events. (DP)

59 MOGWAI GLASGOW ECLECTICIANS

The monumental rock group took another step into their alternative career as eclectic soundtrack composers, this time with Mark Cousins’ Atomic. Released as an album on their own Rock Action Records, it played around the world, most notably at the Edinburgh International Festival and in Hiroshima. (DP)

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SUPPORTED BY

NIGHTVISION

SOPHIE LAPLANE

STABLE DIET

STEPPING UP

From Domestic Exile to Rock Action, Scottish record labels continue to thrive. Stewart Smith pores over both the established and emerging publishing houses

CULTURED CLUBBERS

From a brief ‘curtain raiser’ during Scottish Ballet’s 2015 tour to sharing the main stage in 2016 with the superb Sibilo, dancer Sophie Laplane is skyrocketing up the choreographic ladder. (KA)

BE CHARLOTTE

INTELLIGENT POPSTER

MANIPULATE TOP DRAWER

The full-band project of Dundee’s Charlotte Brimner built up a solid CV of festival appearances this year, playing T in the Park, Hidden Door, Solas and many others. Her earwormy debut single ‘Machines That Breathe’ came out in October. (NB)

Staging exciting work from Scottish and international artists, manipulate’s visual theatre, puppetry and animation festival is unique and uncompromising, and in 2016 included challenging work from international artists Paper Doll Militia, Theatre Incline and AKHE. (LI)

GLASGOW COMIC CON

TRUE NORTH

CON ARTISTS

MOVING UP

Expanding again in 2016, GCC took over the CCA and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for its sixth instalment. Special guest appearances were as impressive as ever, with the likes of Kate Leth, Marguerite Bennett, David Aja and Frank Quitely dropping by to check it out. (KS)

Back for its second year, Aberdeen’s multivenue music festival combined great gigs (from King Creosote, Richard Hawley and more) with talks, a gig for young listeners and a celebration of women in music, including a Kate Bush tribute concert curated by Emma Pollock. (DP)

51 LOCAL HEROES

JANIS CLAXTON

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

POP-UP STAR

Based at Edinburgh Airport over the summer, the Local Heroes exhibition sought to unite Scotland’s leading designers to explore what contemporary Scottish design really means. As the brainchild of curator / producer Dr Stacey Hunter, the exhibition helped celebrate Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design. (AQ)

The Australian choreographer has called Scotland home for many years, but when it comes to performance she’s always looking for new and unusual locations. In 2016, her gorgeous POP-UP Duets brought contemporary dance to the public where and when they least expected it. (KA)

PHOTO: NIGHTVISION

PHOTO: JANNICA HONEY

With the closure of Fabric in London, we desperately needed reassurance that clubbing in 2016 remained a vibrant cultural concern. Nightvision provided it, with events featuring Skream, Groove Armada and more, while Mr Scruff, Kölsch and Bondax are still to come pre-2017. (NB)

One of the UK’s most adventurous independent labels, Night School Records has had a magnificent 2016. Mastermind Michael Kasparis has worked tirelessly to champion the Glasgow underground (Ela Orleans, psychedelic punk trio The Flexibles, lo-fi electronic experimentalist Helen Celle) alongside cult figures from further afield (CC Dust, Billy Bao, David West, Patience). Some of the most exciting new music in Scotland is coming out on DIY cassette labels. Home to all things dank and sinister, Domestic Exile made their mark with tapes from Golden Teacher offshoot the Modern Institute and kinky industrialists Leatherette. Setting itself up as some imaginary research body, the Greater Lanarkshire Auditory Research Council released a debut from dreamy jazzoid pop trio Still House Plants, accompanied by an artfully produced poster-essay. Chemikal Underground enjoyed a strong 2016, beginning with Emma Pollock’s SAY Award-shortlisted In Search of Harperfield (pictured) in January, following it with albums from RM Hubbert, Found and Rick Redbeard, plus the reformed El Hombre Trajeado. Mogwai’s Rock Action, meanwhile, brought us the dark synth bombast of Texan Xander Harris and a terrific new single from Glasgow-London duo Sacred Paws. Optimo Music issued a steady stream of 12”s in its Trax and Disco Plate series, a mini-album from downtown NYC legend Peter Zummo, and the debut EP from Scots-Australian duo Pussy Mothers. Eigg’s beloved Lost Map put out new albums from Pictish Trail, Kid Canaveral and Rozi Plain, while Edinburgh’s Song, by Toad enjoyed widespread acclaim with Swell to Great, the debut album by indiefolk supergroup Modern Studies. The crowdfunded Last Night from Glasgow marked its first year with albums from Mark W Georgsson, Emme Woods, Teen Canteen and Be Charlotte.

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SUPPORTED BY

ELECTRIC FROG

FERN BRADY

STEVE MASON

SPAWNING A MONSTER YEAR

After an impressive Fringe debut in 2015, the England-based Scot went one better with the superb Male Comedienne. Her frank, fearless and very funny hour about class, gender, religion and inept tabloid picture editors included a darkly compelling canine-based closing sequence. (BD)

The Glasgow clubs outfit hit a new peak this year with a Fatboy Slim / Sven Väth-headlining Riverside Festival. Other phenomenal guests from 2016 included Candi Staton, Todd Terje, Bonobo and Hot Since 82, with Jazzy Jeff still to come. (NB)

49 DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL CITY OF DISCOVERING WORDS

‘The best writers in the world, in Dundee’. So says the festival’s tagline, and it’s got the goods to back it up. This year’s programme featured Alan Cumming, James Kelman, Don Paterson and Jenni Fagan, and had literary events for all the family. (RM)

BETWEEN ONE FERN

A SAFE BETA

BUZZCUT

Ever-reliable as a musician and polemicist, the sometime Beta Band singer was back with Meet the Humans, his most successful album yet, which mingled warm pop anthemics and a sense of radiant positivity. Live dates also followed. (DP)

HAIR-RAISING FESTIVAL

Buzzcut’s annual event in Govan supports an unrivaled range of exciting and emerging artists. Having added a programme of ‘doublethrills’ at the CCA to its portfolio, Buzzcut remains Glasgow’s champion for experimental performance that can draw large, inclusive crowds. (GKV)

WHITE RICH VEIN OF FORM

‘Cuts That Don’t Bleed’ is the beautifully macabre name for WHITE’s hotlyanticipated debut EP, released in late October. In early 2016 they embarked on their first headline tour, which was quickly followed by a co-headline jaunt with Baby Strange. (RM) PHOTO: JAMES ROBERTSON

48 ROBBIE COLTRANE A NATIONAL TREASURE

Robbie Coltrane made a bold return to TV, bringing depth and nuance to a challenging role as a former 70s star accused of sexual assault and paedophilia in Channel 4’s darkly disturbing National Treasure. His complex and captivating performance kept you guessing until the final moments. (HN)

47 DOMINIC HILL DIRECTING THE FUTURE

Dominic Hill’s continued success in the CATS awards reflects his ambitious and distinctive approach to directing theatre. With Zinnie Harris’ script for This Restless House, he took on Aeschylus’ Oresteia and re-imagined it in a determinedly contemporary style. (GKV)

46 GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL GOLDEN SCREEN

Screening Con Air (on a plane) to an audience in prison jumpsuits would’ve been Hot 100-worthy on its own. Aidan Moffat’s Where You’re Meant to Be, Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room and Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa cemented an astounding 2016 programme. (NB)

45 LEITHLATE PORT OF CALL

Edinburgh’s definitive neighbourhood festival returned to its usual format of a bustling one-night art and music walk this year, with talks and gigs continuing over the following weekend. It remains the leading force in a sense of grassroots cultural resurgence across the port district. (DP)

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TASTE SENSATIONS

40 KARINE POLWART FORCE OF NATURE

This year our 80-strong team of restaurant reviewers were kept particularly busy visiting almost 1000 venues for our Eating and Drinking Guide. After the Year of Food and Drink in 2015, Scotland’s two biggest cities turned their focus to the quality and originality of their restaurants, bars and cafés, making the dining scene in Edinburgh and Glasgow a cultural attraction in itself. Here’s a recap on the Newcomer of the Year and New Bar of the Year award winners from the 2016 publication

The singer-songwriter and essayist is never one to rest on her laurels. Her EIF show Wind Resistance, with dramaturgy from David Greig, garnered mass acclaim, and she also provided a soothing voiceover for the BBC documentary A Dramatic Decade: Ten Years of The National Theatre of Scotland. (LI)

39 C DUNCAN MERCURIAL MUSO

Fast-mover Chris Duncan had barely let the heat die down from his 2015 Mercury Prize nomination for debut album Architect when he returned with October’s follow-up The Midnight Sun. If anything, it was more acclaimed than its predecessor. (DP)

38 PITT STREET MARKET PITT STOP

Soft-launched in Christmas 2015, this hipster street food and drink market in an industrial lot off Edinburgh’s Ferry Road has become a beloved weekly destination for families during the day and older diners in the evening. (DP)

37 GIOVANNA EUSEBI GLASGOW

FAMILY AFFAIR

Eusebi Deli (Newcomer of the Year) Although the Eusebi family have served Italian food to Glasgow for three generations, their newest West End deli continues bringing fresh ideas and innovative cooking styles to the table.

Having grown up in the family deli in Shettleston, Giovanna Eusebi was able to fulfil a long-held vision to open a new food and eating space in the West End of Glasgow at the back end of 2015. Eusebi Deli has been gathering prizes and plaudits ever since. (LS)

111 by Nico (Newcomer of the Year) This is Nico Simeone’s third stab at a restaurant in Glasgow, having changed name and direction twice before. But 111 by Nico is here to stay with inventive, affordable fine dining and a training academy for disadvantaged young people. six°north (New Bar of the Year) A Belgian beer bar that manages to bring the taste of Belgique to the heart of Partick. They have around 30 taps showcasing their tipples, as well as other Scottish beers.

EDINBURGH Edinburgh Food Studio (Newcomer of the Year) More of an idea and concept than a restaurant, the Edinburgh Food Studio is a social space for cooking, tasting, researching and enjoying the best of Scotland’s food and drink. El Cartel Casera Mexicana (Newcomer of the Year) Changing the way we think of Mexican dining entirely, El Cartel is all about energy, enthusiasm and sheer good fun; plus it’s got some of the tastiest tacos in the city. Smith & Gertrude (New Bar of the Year) Wine bars are the thing of Edinburgh this year, popping up in just about every neighbourhood. Stockbridge’s Smith & Gertrude offers a carefully curated wine list and sharing boards that perfectly complement what’s in the glass. Malcolm Innes (Special Award) Founder of The Outsider, Ting Thai Caravan and WildManWood Pizza, Malcolm Innes has introduced a series of innovative restaurants to Edinburgh through forward thinking and incredible attention to detail.

36 SCOTTISH MENTAL HEALTH ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL CHANGING ATTITUDES

Now in its tenth year, SMHAFF has one main objective: to challenge and change attitudes towards mental health. Throughout October, more than 300 arts events took place across Scotland, including a performance from acclaimed Australian comedian Felicity Ward, a tribute to the late Mischief La-Bas director Ian Smith, and the festival’s first commissioned theatre piece, Alan Bissett’s play about Syd Barrett, One Thinks of it All as a Dream. (RM)

35 HIDDEN DOOR UNDERCOVER ARTISTRY

The guerrilla / squatting multi-arts festival re-inhabited its former King’s Stables Road site this year, with many highlights including music from NZCA Lines and Luke Abbott, theatre from Magnetic North, spoken word from Ron Butlin, and visual art from Ursula Cheng and Sarah Calmus. (NB)

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FIELDING HOPE GOING UNDERGROUND

Independent promoters Cry Parrot may caw no more, but as head programmer at London’s Café Oto, Fielding Hope has continued to celebrate the Scottish underground, booking the likes of Still House Plants and the Modern Institute alongside international luminaries. (SS)

33 ELLIE HARRISON CAUSE AND EFFECT

The artist’s Glasgow Effect project was intended to examine localism in an international art world. Denounced as a ‘poverty safari’, it attracted much viral anger, but got us all talking and thinking about art. (DP)

PHOTO: PAVEL D

32 ELECTRIC FIELDS WIRED FOR SOUND

The boutique Dumfriesshire music fest grew into a two-dayer for its third outing, welcoming Primal Scream, the Charlatans and Wild Beasts to the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle. (NB)

31 COUNTERFLOWS TURNING THE TIDE

Alasdair Campbell and Fielding Hope’s cocurated festival is a beacon of challenging contemporary and experimental music. 2016’s event was cemented by the pair’s assistance in the curation of The Glad Café’s Glorious Traces and Hope’s position at the heart of UK experimental music as the programmer of London’s Café Oto. (DP)

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SUPPORTED BY

PHOTO: COURTESY THE ARTIST AND PETZEL, NEW YORK

30 DUNDEE REP THEATRE THE TAY TODAY

With Andrew Panton at the helm, Dundee Rep’s recent successes include a barnstorming revival of The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil and Grid Iron’s Crude, a site-specific exploration of the oil industry. It’s also the home of Scottish Dance Theatre, 30 years old this year. (LI)

29 EDINBURGH FOOD STUDIO COME DINE WITH THEM

This ‘restaurant and food research hub’ aims to keep food interesting. It certainly does that, with events in 2016 such as Three Simmer, combining seven courses with poetry, and The Plagiarism Dinners, which merged eating with theatrics (exploding cake, anyone?) (RM)

28 FREIGHT BOOKS PRECIOUS CARGO

Freight Books had a spectacular year of releases, among them Lara Williams’ Treats and Dorothy Alexander’s The Mauricewood Devils. Plus, they were big players in XpoNorth’s Twitter-based pitching event, encouraging and fostering new Scottish literary talent. (KS)

27 BLOODY SCOTLAND RED ALL ABOUT IT

Tartan noir is having a bit of a moment right now, and Bloody Scotland is at its forefront. 2016’s programme featured crime-writing heavyweights such as Mark Billingham, MC Beaton and Nicci French. The festival also launched the inaugural William McIlvanney prize, which was won by Chris Brookmyre. (RM)

26 SCOTT GIBSON ALIVE AND KICKING

Alongside Richard Gadd, Glasgow’s Scott Gibson completed a double Scottish victory at this year’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards for the very first time ever. His Best Newcomer-

winning Life After Death was a few-holds barred, gag-heavy trip into some awkward medical experiences. (BD)

consolidated their mighty live reputation with shows at Glastonbury and across the UK. (DP)

COLM MCCARTHY

GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL

PRESENT AND CORRECT

ART HIGH ROLLER

Following a string of directorial TV credits including Sherlock, Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders, Colm McCarthy delivered The Girl with All the Gifts, which our reviewer called ‘a visceral and surprising sci-fi horror’. Next up it’s Krypton, a Syfy series set on Superman’s home planet. (NB)

The seventh instalment of the biannual visual art festival – and second under director Sarah McCrory – featured 78 exhibitions and 50 events, bringing in artists including Monika Sosnowska, Akram Zaatari, Cosima von Bonin and Emily Mae Smith, and utilised inventive new spaces such as Kelvin Hall and the RollerStop rink. (DP)

24 DIVE

FALL GUYS

GREG MCHUGH

The LGBT+ collective had a successful Fringe with the likes of Christeene, David Mills and Desiree Burch gracing their stage. Add to this the regular club nights, collaborations with like-minded peeps, and involvement in Luminate, and that’s a good year for the Dive fam. (KS)

GOING COMMANDO

23 BOSSY LOVE

PHOTO: JO DONALDSON

IN CHARGE

They have a two-year track record behind them, but this was the moment that Amandah Wilkinson and John Baillie Jr (formerly of Operator Please and Dananananaykroyd, respectively)

In the guise of alter-ego Gary Tank Commander, Greg McHugh brought some much-needed levity to the May election and expertly teased out a surprising amount of humour from the Scottish party leaders. Three nights at the Hydro in October confirmed that his character is still fit for duty. (MR)

20 THE ART SCHOOL PICTURE THIS

Since its 2014 refurbishment, The Art School has established itself as one of Glasgow’s most vital and inclusive spaces. A key venue for touring acts, it’s also home to some of the city’s finest underground club nights and LGBTQI+ events. (SS)

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Rory McCleery (Countertenor)

HANDEL Messiah

Director John Butt

Sat 17.12.2016 St Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kirk | Perth Sun 18.12.2016 Bute Hall | Glasgow Mon 19.12.2016 The Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hall | Edinburgh Tue 20.12.2016 Kings Place | London including pre-concert performances for children in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Full details available on our website:

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19 MAKING A POINT

Henry Northmore talks to James Johnston about Biffy Clyro morphing from ignored underground act into major rock concern Biffy Clyro had an incredible 2016. The Ayrshire trio released their seventh studio album – Ellipsis, which went straight to the top of the UK charts – and headlined the biggest show of their career by playing in front of 35,000 fans in Glasgow. ‘To be in Bellahouston Park and feel that we’d brought so many people together was so special,’ enthuses bassist James Johnston. ‘Knowing that we’ve united all those people is something that we’ll never forget.’ It’s an unusual position for a band like Biffy to find themselves in. Their first three albums were jagged dispatches from the underground filled with complex, serrated bursts of visceral rock energy, weird time signatures and razor-sharp riffs. ‘We always wanted to keep doing what we did and hoped that people would come to us,’ adds Johnston, who formed the band in 1995 with his twin brother Ben (drums), and Simon Neil (vocalist / guitarist). 2007’s Puzzle expanded their horizons by embracing a more epic sound while refusing to compromise. Two years later, Only Revolutions battered down the doors with soaring singles ‘Mountains’, ‘That Golden Rule’, and ‘The Captain’. In 2010, one of the strangest chapters in Biffy’s history arrived. ‘When Simon Cowell came to us for The X Factor it

felt like we were pulling the mainstream towards us,’ recalls Johnston. Matt Cardle’s cover of ‘Many of Horror’ (renamed ‘When We Collide’) was an unlikely Christmas number one. ‘It was fascinating, really funny, and fucking bizarre.’ Despite their now enormous success, Johnston remains an unassuming rock star: softly spoken, considerate and selfeffacing. ‘When the three of us are in the practice room, it’s about that moment where you all hit a certain feeling and you all know that when you look up, the other guys are going to be smiling because it’s a shared experience. That’s one of the greatest joys in my life.’ Ellipsis is their most diverse album to date, from the spiky rock of ‘Wolves of Winter’ through the sweet emotional electro of ‘Re-arrange’ to the jaunty folk of ‘Small Wishes’. ‘Previously we’d just used the studio as a tool to document our sound whereas now we’re using it to create sounds, whether that’s old synthesisers or modern drum machines,’ says Johnston. ‘We’re always going to have an organic approach; we’re always going to play instruments and we’re always going to be a guitar rock band. But I think it’s important to try different things.’ ■ Biffy Clyro play the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Tue 29 Nov.

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SUPPORTED BY

ALAN CUMMING

NEU! REEKIE!

GOLDEN BOY

GOLD STARS

His EIF residency would have been enough to warrant a high spot in the 100, but Aberfeldy’s finest also published You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams while waving goodbye to cunning crisis manager Eli Gold as The Good Wife wound up after seven seasons. (BD)

Jackie Kay, James Robertson, Hollie McNish: just three of the names featured in Neu! Reekie!’s second poetry anthology #UntitledTwo: Going Fur Gold. Neu! also programmed a night at the National Museum of Scotland which was headlined by Charlotte Church, and maintained their regular stock of innovative multi-arts nights in Edinburgh. (RM)

17 TO HELL AND BACK

The Starred Up and Perfect Sense director went stateside with his latest movie, the excellent neo-Western Hell or High Water. Never one to rest on his laurels, his next project is the ‘unofficial Braveheart sequel’ Lion Rampant, starring Tom Hiddleston as Robert the Bruce. (NB)

14 EMMA POLLOCK THE SEARCHER

The former Delgado has been touring extensively this year with appearances at Doune the Rabbit Hole, Eastern Promise, True North and Electric Fields. These came on the back of her wonderful third solo album In Search of Harperfield. (RM)

13 DAVID GREIG

LYCEUM LEADER

JENNY LINDSAY & RACHEL MCCRUM PIONEERING POETS

The artists no longer known as Rally & Broad (sob) may have retired their trendsetting literary cabaret show, but they’re still very much forging ahead with an array of new and exciting projects, including Lindsay with live showcase Flint & Pitch, and McCrum on Glasgow-Montreal film project cinepoems. (NB)

As demonstrated elsewhere in these pages, our Hot 100 honours those who contributed great things to Scottish culture in the past 12 months. Niki Boyle notes that the following people, well . . . they assuredly did not PHOTO: FLICKR.COM/MAL3K

DAVID MACKENZIE

THE NOT 100

David Greig’s new post as artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre has him showcasing work which delights, challenges and provokes. Following a recent triumphant adaptation of The Suppliant Women, the new 2017 season will feature work from Shakespeare, Caryl Churchill and Peter Handke. (LI)

DONALD TRUMP Flew in on the same day that Brexit was announced with this tweet: ‘Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back.’ Honestly, can you just . . . honestly! BALGONIE CASTLE The historic Fife property and popular wedding venue embraced notoriety in April after a Facebook post telling critics to ‘get fucked’. Then again in September when it called the SNP ‘a poor political joke’ and their supporters ‘sheep’. Oh, and then again in October when it greeted a social media user with this gem: ‘Looking at your profile picture son, your mother threw away the baby and kept the afterbirth.’ Stay classy, Balgonie. DONALD TRUMP Forgot to mention above that Trump’s golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire have reportedly netted him a £26m loss on these shores. Which means he gets to skip out on corporation tax here. He may or may not argue that this makes him ‘smart’.

PHOTO: TRÉ

JAMES MACMILLAN The, erm, ‘provocative’ composer wrote a scathing Spectator column in August, describing the Scottish cultural scene as ‘vile, venal and parochial’. The piece was illustrated by an image of the Edinburgh International Festival, the middle word of which rather undermines MacMillan’s perspective.

DONALD TRUMP Oh, come on, let’s have all of it: the mocking of a disabled journalist, the Islamophobic rhetoric, the threats to jail Hillary Clinton, the accusations of her drug-taking, the avalanche of sexual abuse allegations. Please, America: just say no.

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Supported by City of Edinburgh Council, Hugh Fraser Foundation, Ernest Cook Trust, Eskmills, Scottish Fiddle Orchestra & Foyle Foundation. Company No: SC217588. Charity No: SC031564

EDINBURGH

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on different identities, including intersexuality and LGBTQ+ deafness. (KS)

NICK STEWART LOUD AND CLEAR

In addition to running the never-less-thanstellar club and gig venue Sneaky Pete’s, Nick Stewart also successfully campaigned as part of lobbying group Music is Audible, which challenged Edinburgh City Council’s draconian music licensing laws. The reworded legislation was passed in September. (NB)

11 GLASGOW WOMEN’S LIBRARY SHELF LIFE

An invaluable source for Scottish women, GWL turned 25 this year and continued the quest to educate, inform and empower women with the launch of Collect: if, a network aimed at black and minority ethnic women in the arts. (KS)

8 EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AUGUST OCCASION

Fergus Linehan upped the ante after a stirring 2015 directorial debut, laying on dramatic spectacles such as Deep Time (pictured) and the closing fireworks, and bringing us Alan Cumming, Cecilia Bartoli, Holy Body Tattoo, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Rós, The Glass Menagerie and Richard III. To name just a few. (BD)

7 AMY LIPTROT PRIZE-WINNING DEBUT

Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun blends addiction

AIDAN MOFFAT STRAPPED FOR TIME

It’s been a busy year even by Aidan Moffat’s usual grindstone-nosed standards, with his starring turn in Where You’re Meant to Be, Paul Fegan’s film about the music of Scotland, which gathered much acclaim and festival screenings, and the live 20th anniversary reunion of Arab Strap alongside Malcolm Middleton. (DP)

SQIFF SECOND COMING

As well as boasting a delightful acronym, The Scottish Queer International Film Festival has enjoyed a successful second year with a line-up including opener Strike a Pose, a queer horror retrospective, a variety of workshops, and events focusing

6 HARRY GILES SPEAKING IN TONGUIT

2016 has been a breakthrough year for Edinburghbased poet and activist Harry Giles. Nominated for two major awards, Giles’ debut collection Tonguit approaches the themes of national identity, gender, sexuality, technology and politics with linguistic flair and formal daring. (SS) PHOTO: HOLLY BROWN

memoir and nature writing, painting a complex picture of the author’s relationship with Orkney. It’s a book that has resonated widely, and in the summer it became a deserved winner of the 2016 Wainwright Prize. (SS)

PHOTO: 59 PRODUCTIONS

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4 of the year, though, as she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and was a prolific and popular guest at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. There, she interviewed Nicola Sturgeon, discussed poetry with Carol Ann Duffy, and appeared with Zaffar Kunial in a talk about their work and heritage. (RM)

4 SUMMERHALL LOTS ALWAYS HAPPENS HERE

5 5 JACKIE KAY POET OF THE PEOPLE

Back in March, poet and novelist Jackie Kay was named as Liz Lochhead’s successor as Scots Makar, becoming only the third writer to have held the honour (alongside Lochhead and original post-holder, Edwin Morgan). This wasn’t her only appointment

debut novel, The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau, with his second book, His Bloody Project. Released last year, the latter is an ambiguous if ostensibly true story tracing the tale of Burnet’s relative in the form of a memoir. It enchanted and intrigued both critics and fans alike, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 2016 Man Booker Prize. Sure, it might not have won but being the best-selling book on the shortlist and the bookies’ second-favourite brought Burnet plenty of international acclaim. (KS)

What The Stage described as Summerhall’s ‘domination’ of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe wasn’t far wrong. The Southside multi-arts venue capped a high-quality and deservedly acclaimed theatrical programme featuring some of the best practitioners in Scotland and beyond with the capture of more than half of the Fringe First awards handed out, four Total Theatre awards and a 30% increase in ticket sales on 2015. Yet this was only part of the story, with a great Fringe art roster headlined by a Joseph Beuys retrospective from the Demarco Archive and a year-round cultural schedule topped by the quality of Nothing Ever Happens Here, arguably Edinburgh’s best live music programme of the year. (DP)

3 GRAEME MACRAE BURNET BOOKER BOY RISES

Graeme Macrae Burnet continues to go from strength to strength, following up his

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TICKETS: MANIPULATEFESTIVAL.ORG

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF INNOVATIVE VISUAL THEATRE & ANIMATED FILM

IMAGE: Whispers/Compagnie Mossoux-Bonté

27 JANUARY – 5 FEBRUARY 2017

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Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh | Dance Base, Edinburgh | The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen Tron Theatre, Glasgow | Norwich Puppet Theatre | Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol @manipulatefest

Puppet Animation Scotland

@PuppetAnimaScot

28/10/2016 16:02

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s Richard Gadd reflects on his 2016, you can almost hear a mixture of relief, pleasure and pride in his voice. ‘The year certainly went beyond my expectations, I can’t deny that. My plans were always to go back to Edinburgh and prove that the previous show wasn’t a fluke. I wanted to be taken more seriously because I work really hard and I finally wanted to face all my personal fears. I didn’t want another miserable year so I wanted to combine the personal goals of trying to find inner peace with the professional goal of getting people to listen to what I have to say.’ And listen they most certainly did. Having barnstormed the Fringe with technically audacious and occasionally frank hours such as Cheese and Crack Whores, Waiting for Gaddot and Breaking Gadd, the Fifeborn comic took a deep breath, ditched the puntabulous titles and plunged face-first into a deeply personal show. The trigger for Monkey See Monkey Do was the sexual assault he suffered at a party four years previously and his continual struggle to cope with that trauma. For most of his hour in a claustrophobic room at the Banshee Labyrinth, Gadd ran on a treadmill with images being screened behind him as his inner turmoil (represented by an ape we often heard and sometimes saw) plays merry hell with his everyday dealings. At the end of an exhausting August, both physically and mentally, Gadd’s efforts royally paid dividends when he held off competition from the likes of James Acaster, Zoë Coombs Marr and Nish Kumar to win the Edinburgh Comedy Award. By doing so, he became the first Scottish victor of the biggest prize in comedy since Arnold Brown scooped the Perrier in 1987 (that is, unless you consider Canadian Phil Nichol to be a Caledonian winner; though only people who argue David Byrne is Scottish would pursue that line). Ironically, this is the first year at the Fringe when awards were literally the last thing on Gadd’s mind. ‘I didn’t really care this time around,’ he insists. ‘I kept myself to myself; I heard that reviews were good but I didn’t read them til the very end. I didn’t go to any of those private members bars. I just did the show, went home and slept. Before, my

shows have been a professional venture but this was such a personal thing and I felt I had got what I needed out of the show. Everything else was a bonus.’ Still, once he’d received his spot on the awards shortlist on the Fringe’s final Wednesday, Gadd became a firm favourite for the gong in many people’s minds. Come the Saturday afternoon announcement, he started to think it might just go his way. ‘I’ll never forget the serotonin rush to my brain,’ he recalls of the moment his name was read out as the panel’s choice. ‘It was crazy. I was so convinced it was Acaster’s and was just happy to be there with family and friends. When my name came out, I broke down in tears and I think I gave an impassioned speech. I’m not going to watch it back because I want to remember it as a thing that happened in a moment and can’t be relived. It was the happiest single moment of my life.’ But as with every jolt of adrenaline, there’s the inevitable comedown from an almighty high. And Gadd felt that very keenly. Having been announced as the winner, there proceeded an endless string of press interviews and receipt of goodwill from all around. But a few hours later, the whirlwind was over and he was left alone with his thoughts. ‘About 6pm I had three hours before my next show and I thought, “well, what do I do now?” So I went home and sat on the couch and thought, “shit, did that just happen?” I was then filled with this feeling of depression that the Fringe was almost over; it was very strange. It was such a healing month for me and while I was very happy with how it went, I did get very depressed.’ For Gadd, it’s all about what happens next. There are projects in the pipeline that he can’t say too much about right now, but if they come to fruition then he may not be able to make a Fringe return in 2017. ‘If I’m free for the months beforehand and the month itself then 100% I’ll go back. Weirdly, this was the first time I enjoyed Edinburgh in a lot of ways and I would like to go back but I’ve no idea what I’d do. I don’t want to be stuck in the rhythm of creating the same thing year in year out, so I’d want to do something as surprising as this year and as surprising as the year before that. I want to keep innovating and shaking things up.’

MONKEY BUSINESS After a number of critically acclaimed innovative Fringe shows, Fife’s Richard Gadd created his most personal hour to date. Having left Edinburgh clutching the biggest award in comedy, he tells Brian Donaldson about the ups and downs of a draining August

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NEVER

SAY

NEVER 2016 SAY Award winner Anna Meredith is a musical jack of all trades and master of many. David Pollock talks to her about a dazzling body of work

his year has belonged to Anna Meredith, but not in ways you’d know about unless you were paying close attention. Her debut album Varmints was released through well-regarded indie Moshi Moshi back in March to very modest fanfare, yet when it strolled to the Scottish Album of the Year Award three months later ahead of more renowned contenders like Young Fathers, Chvrches and C Duncan, no one who’d heard it was begrudging. Later the same month she composed Marc Almond’s versions of ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘Starman’ at the BBC’s David Bowie tribute Prom. In November, Anno, her in-theround recomposition of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Scottish Ensemble and visuals by her sister Eleanor, makes its Scottish debut with shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh. She’s played her first live band shows at festivals like Simple Things in Bristol and Airwaves in Iceland, composed the music for Loop.pH’s ‘public sleep laboratory’ at Manchester International Science Festival, and has finished the year composing for the Kronos Quartet. She’s a jack of all trades and a master of many, yet for those whose ears are attuned to the classical music scene, she’s not so much a rising talent as an established star. Trained at the University of York and Royal College of Music, Meredith’s first composition for the BBC Proms was heard at the Last Night of the Proms in 2008. Since then, she’s composed an opera with Philip Ridley, written a concerto for beatboxer Shlomo, seen her ‘body percussion’ piece HandsFree performed at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and written music for recorder, jazz orchestras, and for performance in a service station. Our time together is short, because Meredith is racing across London for her latest engagement – not a promo appearance on broadcaster Stuart Maconie’s BBC 6 Music radio show, but a full-blown guest-hosting turn in his absence. For many, ‘radio presenter’ would be the only string their bow needs. For Meredith, born in North London, raised in South Queensferry, and now back in London since her return there to study, it’s just one more project. ‘You do what you’re doing in the moment,’ she says, looking back on her career. ‘You may be thinking six months or a year ahead, but you never really fixate on this one thing that you want to do. I don’t ever remember a “this is what I do now” moment. Even this year has been so different to any other year, it makes me wonder why I should bother restricting myself in terms of what I want to do. Normally you narrow stuff down, but I like to keep my options open. I like to give stuff a go.’

Meredith learned violin and recorder in primary school, then moved on to clarinet (she thought at first about playing professionally, but didn’t believe she was ever good enough) and drums in secondary. ‘I wasn’t whipping out symphonies at the age of four; I wasn’t one of those composers. But Edinburgh’s state schools had an amazing after-school music programme. It was a social thing, more than anything else; somewhere to go after school and hang out with like-minded geeks.’ She wrote her first music for standard grade, but it didn’t occur to her that ‘composer’ was a job for living people. Instead, she had ‘generic ambitions’ like ballerina or circus member. Now she’s been a composer for 20 years and an electronic musician for ten (the EPs ‘Black Prince Fury’ and ‘Jet Black Raider’ preceded the wonderfully cross-pollinated Varmints album, in 2012 and 2013 respectively), and she puts the breadth of her work down to the strange commissions people approach her with. ‘I tend to say yes and then figure out how I’m going to do it later,’ she laughs. ‘There’s much less emphasis on genre these days, which stops people dismissing something as being “not for them”. I never wanted to be pigeonholed, so I use acoustic instruments to write for electronic and electronic to write for acoustic: I think that’s really healthy.’ The SAY Award was a huge boost to Meredith’s confidence at a time when it was really needed; despite those years of experience, Varmints was her first major statement in a more popular, electronic style. ‘It’s been really heartening and humbling, but also a relief,’ she says of the reaction to the album. ‘There was a point at which it was all written and going through the mixing and mastering where hardly anyone had heard it, and it had been the product of so much work and money and time. “What if nobody likes it?”, I thought. “What a waste of energy and hope . . . ” So yeah, it’s been amazing, and I’m just enjoying it for what it is. That’s what I always wanted; not to present any kind of big statement, just to do what works for the music.’ Anno is performed at Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 10 & Fri 11 Nov; The Hub, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Nov. Her composition Fringeflower will be performed at Making Waves: 30 Years of Scottish Composition at the City Halls, Glasgow, Sun 27 Nov. She plays CCA, Glasgow, Thu 2 Feb, as part of Celtic Connections. Varmints is out now on Moshi Moshi / PIAS.

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R E T N I W E H BRING ON T LIST ADVERTISING FEATURE

With St Andrew’s Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night on the horizon, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate this winter. Locals and tourists alike are encouraged to get in the spirit over the coming months, with a dynamic range of special events taking place across Scotland. It could be enjoying delicious food and drink with loved ones, having a family day out at one of the many festivals, or bringing in the bells with live music and dancing.

As well as championing Scotland’s own heritage, Scotland’s Winter Festivals programme reflects the diverse ethnic and cultural minority communities that call Scotland home. Join in St Andrew’s Day celebrations with Bollywood dancing, Senegalese drumming and Ukrainian folk music at the St Andrew’s Day Fusion Festival in Dundee, or take part in a stunning torchlight procession through the west end of Glasgow accompanied by street band Samba Ya Bamba.

BRING ON THE WINTER

EDINBURGH DIWALI Sat 12 Nov, Ross Band Theatre edinburghdiwali.co.uk

Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, the festival of lights signifies the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. In addition to a traditional mela festival with music, dance, food and fireworks, there will be a colourful Diwali parade comprising bagpipes, highland dancers, hundreds of lantern bearers and four spectacular floats carrying Hindu gods.

OBAN WINTER FESTIVAL Fri 18 – Sun 27 Nov obanwinterfestival.com

This annual extravaganza sees the town come to life with live music, ceilidhs, art exhibitions and market stalls, whilst foodies can sample ﬁne wine and whisky before watching local butchers battle it out for the coveted Golden Haggis award. Highlights include a community parade and a bespoke heritage trail accompanied by a local theatre performance to showcase key architectural sites in the area.

For a Hogmanay with a difference, Fire and Light at Helix Park in Falkirk focuses on New Year folklore aimed at deterring bad spirits and bringing good fortune for the year ahead. Taking in the spectacular backdrop of the majestic Kelpies, this mesmerizing display combines fire, sound and light for an unforgettable family experience. When it comes to celebrating the nation’s Bard, a classic Burns Supper of haggis, neeps and tatties with a side of poetry is the traditional choice. If you want to put a contemporary slant on proceedings check out the nineday Big Burns Supper Festival in Dumfries, with cabaret, comedy and the biggest street carnival in Scotland.

However you choose to celebrate this winter, ensure you make the most of the valuable opportunity to experience other cultures, share your own, and enjoy some of Scotland’s top talents as the nation comes together in a spectacular showcase of heritage. ﬂagship evening of music featuring 13 piece supergroup Treacherous Orchestra and award-winning folk-rock outﬁt Skerryvore attracting music-lovers from far and wide.

BRING ON ST ANDREW'S DAY

THE SALTIRE FESTIVAL

ST ANDREW'S DAY CELEBRATIONS IN ST ANDREWS

Thu 24 – Wed 30 Nov, East Lothian saltirefestival.com

Fri 25 – Wed 30 Nov visitstandrews.com

Celebrating the best of Scottish music, arts and food and drink, the Saltire programme has something for everyone, from comedy for kids to a nighttime 10K with a party atmosphere. From ﬁddle-led folk to classical and choral, a selection of concerts cater to all tastes, with a

Where better to celebrate our patron saint than the picturesque town bearing his name? An open air street party, the world’s biggest ceilidh and a St Andrews v Rest of the World golf match on the world-famous St Andrews Links will be on offer, while The St Andrew’s Day Conversation T w will see a panel of leading Scots brought together to discuss what b ‘Scottishness’ means to them.

S ANDREW'S DAY ST FUSION FESTIVAL F S 26 Nov, Dundee City Square Sat lleisureandculturedundee.com

W an emphasis on embracing the With diversity of the local community, the d Fusion Festival aims to highlight the F many different groups and cultures m tthat comprise modern day Scotland. Performers from Scottish, Eastern P European, Middle Eastern, African E and Indian backgrounds bring a ttogether their distinct cultures in a vvibrant celebration of music and dance. d

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GLASGOW'S ST ANDREW'S DAY TORCHLIGHT PARADE Sat 26 Nov westendfestival.co.uk

This inaugural event invites you to take part in a stunning torchlight procession through Glasgow’s picturesque west end, with local brass and drums street band Samba Ya Bamba providing some carnival ﬂair. Torches can be purchased for £10, and in keeping with the generous spirit of St Andrew, a donation will be made to the Beatson Cancer Charity.

BEMIS & TRACS: ST ANDREW’S DAY OPEN CONFERENCE Wed 30 Nov, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh tracscotland.org

Scotland's history and heritage belongs to all of Scotland's people. Ahead of 2017’s Year of History, Heritage & Archaeology and part of Scotland’s Winter Festivals this conference explores how we can realise the creative potential of our diverse cultural heritage in local communities and promote a dynamic, inclusive Scottish national identity. Join a dynamic day of presentations, participative workshops, live performances and networking opportunities.

ILLUMINATION: HARBOUR FESTIVAL OF LIGHT Wed 30 Nov - Sat 3 Dec, Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine illuminationfestival.co.uk

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Burns aﬂame

Set against a backdrop of beautiful boats and the former shipyard building described as Scotland’s ‘Cathedral of Engineering’, this art and light spectacular is an innovative display of glowing origami and gravity defying aerial acrobatics. On the opening night, see the Saltire blaze across the sky over historic Irvine Harbour as pyrotechnics crackle in celebration of St Andrew’s Day.

BRING ON HOGMANAY

HOGMANAY AT AN LANNTAIR Sat 31 Dec – Fri 27 Jan, Stornoway lanntair.com

Traditionally, New Year is a time for people to return home and be with family, and this event provides the perfect opportunity to bring in the bells as a community. Showcasing an ever increasing line up of local talent, an eclectic cast of homegrown singers and musicians will take to the stage in an intimate and personal evening with the theme of gathering together to celebrate Hogmanay at its heart.

EDINBURGH'S HOGMANAY Fri 30 Dec – Sun 1 Jan edinburghshogmanay.com

The capital’s world-famous street party needs little introduction, with

four stages hosting top artists ranging from headliners The Charlatans to well-known acts covering dance, Scottish folk and jazz. Alternatively, head to the open air Old Town Ceilidh and ‘birl’ through the bells. You can also join a spectacular torchlight procession through the city on 30th December, or take a trip to South Queensferry for the Loony Dook on 1st January, when thousands of daring individuals will take a dip in the freezing River Forth for charity. Those wishing to stay dry can take an adventurous journey through Edinburgh’s Old Town with Scot:Lands, a unique curation of music, art and theatre events led by Scotland’s most innovative artists and musicians.

AFRICA MEETS TAYSIDE HOGMANAY

FIRE AND LIGHT – HELIX PARK

A TASTE OF ISLAM + BURNS

Sun 1 Jan, Falkirk thehelix.co.uk

Sun 22 Jan, University of Edinburgh scotland.org/winter

Taking in the impressive backdrop of the majestic Kelpies, this mesmerizing display combining fire, sound and light is grounded in New Year folklore aimed at deterring bad spirits and bringing forth good fortune for the year ahead. One for all the family, the fiery 4K walk features a beautiful lantern installation, glow workshop, fire performers and a giant fire breathing bird that will ignite guests’ New Year wishes for good luck.

This informal event provides members of the public with a tasty introduction to the diversity of Muslim communities in Scotland. Involving Muslims with connections to Pakistan, Turkey, the Arab world, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as local converts, all will bring their own unique stories and heritage to the event via some delicious homemade food.

BRING ON BURNS NIGHT

Sat 31 Dec, Tayside Deaf Hub, Dundee scotland.org/winter

BIG BURNS SUPPER

Aiming to raise awareness of the rich Afro-Scottish connection that has existed for centuries, this community food event encourages locals with African heritage to prepare and share traditional dishes that their parents used to enjoy back in Africa. The fusion Hogmanay celebrations will also give African people the chance to showcase their traditional attire and dance to African music as they bring in the New Year.

Now in its sixth year, this eclectic festival is all about coming together with friends, family and visitors around Burn’s Night to celebrate the very best of Scottish culture. Set in Rabbie’s beloved Dumfries, a jam-packed programme of music, cabaret, comedy and theatre culminates in the biggest street carnival in Scotland, with over 5,000 participants taking to the streets.

Fri 20 Jan – Sat 28 Jan, Dumfries bigburnssupper.com

ALLOWAY 1759 Wed 25 – Sun 29 Jan, Ayr www.burnsfestival.com

A unique commemoration of Robert Burns in his historic hometown, highlights include Burns Alicht, a sparkling tour of local Burns landmarks with surprises on the way; Burns Big Birthday Bash, a haggis hurling party at the cottage where Rabbie was born and Bursnfest!, a free family festival featuring live music and stalls offering delicious homegrown food and drink. The above is just a snippet of the Scotland’s Winter Festivals programme and for full details of all the events visit: scotland.org/winter

A brand new digital guide to celebrating winter will be available from 10 November

SCOTLAND.ORG/WINTER #OURSTANDREWSDAY

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THE SOCIAL

As if our Hot 100 wasn’t enough, we’ve got more numbers for you. We’ve teamed up with BBC The Social – the brains behind those videos that are all over social media – to ﬁnd the top 20 people to watch out for on Scotland’s digital scene. Keep an eye out for these ones. . .

CALUM MACLEAN Based on Skye, Calum is a filmmaker and photographer who is drawn to cold water and wild places. His photos and films document his passion for outdoor swimming and exploration.

CAT HEPBURN Award-winning scriptwriter, spoken-word artist, lecturer and writing mentor based in Glasgow. Cat is currently working as a storywriter for BBC Scotland’s drama River City.

CONNOR STRACHAN Filmmaker originally from Aberdeen, he runs the music channel Wavvy Music. His drive to achieve has seen him grab numerous opportunities with the channel at the heart of it all.

IAIN HENDERSON An award-winning creative force of nature from Glasgow, working in short films, viral web series and music videos. His filmmaking consistently pushes boundaries nationally and internationally.

JAY MCLEARY Jay is the co-founder of Edinburgh-based Music Comes First Records and production company Scottie Media. He has stepped out from behind the camera to host content for The Social.

KATE ADAIR Kate is a filmmaker, vlogger and transgender rights activist / advocate who creates original content with the mission of it being informative, funny and accessible to all while promoting marginalised voices.

STUART RUSSELL Straight out of Fife, Stuart is a writer and arts enthusiast with a passion for radio. His latest podcast, called Earth, encourages positive planetary change from a youth perspective.

VICTOR LOCKHART Victor is passionate about performance, filmmaking and cosplay. They produce, edit and act in all their own videos, often to music, and recently starred in The Social’s first web drama.

SHERI SCOTT Sheri is a Glasgow-based fashion and lifestyle blogger dedicated to bright colours and personal style. From fashion to beauty, sandwiches to sustainability, the topics she covers are vast and varied.

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BBC THE SOCIAL

ASTEN HOLMES-ELLIOTT Asten Holmes-Elliott is a filmmaker and artist. Using different mediums, includng film, photography, illustration and, most recently, painting, Asten’s work examines emotion, connection and community.

BACHALA MBUNZAMA An actor and comedian turned social media personality known for his comical videos and distinct laugh – he’s generated millions of online views over the past year.

GARY MARLEY Twenty-one-year-old creator from Motherwell who has been creating content for five years and has a passion for making people laugh through his comedy gaming videos and blogs.

GILL HATCHER Gill Hatcher is a Lanarkshire-based cartoonist and illustrator. She is the founder and editor of the awesome women’s comic anthology Team Girl Comic.

HALINA RIFAI The brains behind Podcart, a music blog / podcast with a strong focus on emerging Scottish artists as well as international ones. Halina is also a founding member of female collective TYCI.

CLAIRE HEUCHAN A black radical feminist who blogs as Sister Outrider. Claire explores the relationship between race and sex and considers what it is to be a black feminist in a British context.

NICKI PATON Hailing from Wishaw, Nicki’s boundless creativity has led to a record deal, publishing a book and becoming an online personality through comedy videos based on her personal life experiences.

OMAR AL-ZIDJALI With no prior education in camera-work, Omar has honed his skills and reputation in the field by filming music videos for hip hop artists and short docs for The Social.

ZARA GLADMAN Zara is the face of public engagement for the Glasgow Science Festival, has a PhD in crayfish and a passion for ‘zoo-LOL-ogy’, blending comedy with science through her videos.

JAMIE ROSS Jamie has been at BuzzFeed UK for two years, starting off as a political reporter based in London before moving to Edinburgh in early 2016 to report on Scotland.

ANDREW O’DONNELL Wildlife filmmaker Andrew O’Donnell discovers the best spots across Scotland to capture amazing footage of wildlife. He’ll camp out in hides for hours to get the perfect shot. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 47

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CHRISTMAS PHOTO: IAN WATSON

Cinderella

PHOTO: FRASER IAIN CAMERON

Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas

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CHRISTMAS

o b m i r C ecta sel

There’s more to Christmas-time than just mistletoe and wine. Niki Boyle rounds up the best festive celebrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh to get your seasonal spirit ﬂowing

GLASGOW

EDINBURGH

The mad scrum that greets the release of tickets for Glasgow’s Christmas (20 Nov) has been and gone this year, meaning the festive season is well underway. If you haven’t bagged those tickets already, you’re out of luck, but worry not – there are plenty of other mass-participation events going on, including the Style Mile Christmas Carnival (27 Nov), a 400-strong procession of dancers, drummers and local schoolkids promenading from St Enoch Square to George Square. There’s also the Glasgow Santa Dash (11 Dec), where you can dress up and join forces with around 6000 other Santas to run a 5k for charity. We were about to recommend some retail therapy as a less strenuous alternative to all that activity, but let’s be honest: Christmas shopping is just a contact sport with tinsel draped over it. Your traditional Christmas-themed market at least provides a festive soundtrack and the smell of cinnamon while you jostle with your fellow shoppers – choose between the marketplaces at St Enoch Square (10 Nov–22 Dec) and George Square (26 Nov–29 Dec). Christmas-time also heralds the start of panto season in Glasgow, and there’s plenty to choose from. Perennial panto personality Johnny Mac faces off against a villainous Marti Pellow in Aladdin at the SECC (10– 31 Dec), while Rab C Nesbitt’s Gregor Fisher and Tony Roper play the Ugly Sisters in the King’s Theatre production of Cinderella (2 Dec–8 Jan). The Citz has a double-whammy of festive shows: Hansel & Gretel (6 Dec–7 Jan) is a family-friendly show from the team behind 2014’s A Christmas Carol, while Simon’s Magical Christmas Socks (8–31 Dec) is particularly suited to 3 to 6-year-olds. There’s a similar selection on at the Tron – The Night After Christmas (29 Nov–31 Dec) is a Santathemed show for wee ones, while alt.panto hero Johnny McKnight writes and stars in gender-bending production The Snaw Queen (29 Nov–7 Jan). There’s also a less theatrical but more celeb-filled show at the Hydro – head to the Best Ever Christmas Show (22 Dec) if Andy Day, Dave Benson Phillips and other CBBC faces are a big deal in your household. Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas in Glasgow without some seriously off-the-wall adults-only stuff, so here goes: the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Alaska, Manila Luzon, Detox, Katya and Phi Phi O’Hara) are heading up a night of fabulousness at the O2 Academy entitled – what else? – Christmas Queens (3 Dec).

Any discussion of Christmas in Edinburgh wouldn’t be even halfway complete without mention of Edinburgh’s Christmas, the official Underbelly-run programme of events and attractions that takes place across the city centre. All the old favourites will be present and correct for the duration of the festival (19 Nov–17 Jan), including the outdoor ice rink in St Andrew Square (opens 18 Nov), the Big Wheel next to the Scott Monument and the European Christmas Market on the Mound. The dazzling Street of Light is also back, this time in a new location – it’ll be lighting up the west end of George Street from 21 Nov–24 Dec, with musical accompaniment from Edinburgh Festival Chorus, RSNO Junior Chorus, trad folk group Blazin’ Fiddles and bhangra outfit Tigerstyle. The Street of Light will be launched as part of Light Night, aka the big Christmas lights switch-on, a free event on 20 Nov hosted by Forth One’s Arlene Stuart. In terms of live entertainment, the newly established Festival Square Theatre on Lothian Road will be home to two shows. Morgan & West: A (sort of) Christmas Carol Magic Show (1 Dec–7 Jan) is exactly what it sounds like, with the comedy-magic duo tackling Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Five Guys Named Moe (18 Nov–7 Jan) is a jazzy West End musical from Clarke Peters (aka Lester Freamon from The Wire – god, remember The Wire?), featuring tunes drawn from the back-catalogue of legendary swing musician Louis Jordan. Of course, Edinburgh’s Christmas ain’t the only show in town. The King’s Theatre is donning its panto pants once again, as Andy Gray, Allan Stewart and Grant Stott reunite for this year’s production of Jack & the Beanstalk (26 Nov–15 Jan). The Festival Theatre welcomes two revivals: in the main theatre, Scottish Ballet’s Hansel & Gretel (10–31 Dec) wanders back into the woods, while the smaller Studio space is home to the infant-friendly Too Many Penguins? (14– 24 Dec). Over at the Royal Lyceum, in-yer-face playwright Anthony Neilson directs a new version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (26 Nov–31 Dec), and the Traverse hosts both a new adaptation of the horse-lover’s bible, Black Beauty (2–24 Dec), and a slightly more grown-up festive show, Last Christmas (13–23 Dec), about one man’s struggle to confront his demons during the festive period. And by ‘more grown-up’, we mean it has swearwords in it.

Lights Switch-on

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LIST ADVERTISING FEATURE

Where there’s Jack, there’s great music. From Frank Sinatra to Motörhead’s Lemmy, Jack Daniel’s is the drink of music legends. It’s an alliance that runs decades deep, having had the seal of approval from musicians across the ages. And over the years, Jack Daniel’s has returned the favour too, saluting the music industry and giving support to developing acts, small venues and independent artists. Since its launch in 2014, Jack Rocks has held over 250 gigs around the UK, enjoyed by over 50,000 music-lovers, celebrating live music and the future heavyweights of the UK music scene. By supporting grassroots venues through Jack Rocks, Jack Daniel’s is committed to championing the new, local talent that relies on these amazing spaces to hone their musical talent. This October, Jack has rocked venues all over the UK alongside rock ‘n’ roll club night This Feeling, starting in Cardiff with The Shimmer Band and ending with Prides in Glasgow.

See Twin Atlantic at St. Luke’s, Glasgow on Wednesday 30th November. In November, Jack Rocks Glasgow with an intimate gig curated by the city’s own Twin Atlantic. Since releasing their fourth studio album GLA this autumn, the band has been busy touring the UK and Europe, with a three-date homecoming run scheduled in December at Glasgow’s legendary Barrowland Ballroom. For their Jack Rocks Glasgow showcase, the foursome will play at St Luke’s, the East End’s most exciting music and arts venue, which was once St Luke’s Parish Church. Tickets are only available to competition winners, and a crowd of 450 lucky fans will get the chance to catch the one-off gig on St Andrew’s Day.

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Enter at list.co.uk/jackrocks and win tickets to Jack Rocks Glasgow with Twin Atlantic at St Luke’s.

28/10/2016 16:03

Celebrating grassroots venues Through gigs like Jack Rocks, Jack Daniel’s supports grassroots programmes. These important spaces face multiple threats, from licensing and planning to rising property prices. But steps are being taken to protect and develop these venues by the Music Venue Trust, whose Grassroots Investor project is part of a long-term strategy. ‘With nearly 40% of our grassroots venues disappearing in the last ﬁve years, it has now become more important than ever to preserve and protect our remaining spaces,’ says Gary Prosser of Music Venues Trust. ‘Without these venues, artists like Coldplay and The Stone Roses would never have had a platform to grow into the arena bands they are today.’ For Gary, grassroots venues are not only important rtant for the music scene in the UK but also for the wider er arts eptional al,, industry. ‘Great British music should have exceptional, world class facilities;

that’s what audiences deserve and it is what artists deserve,’ Gary explains. ‘We’d like to see a major investment programme across ﬁve years, supported by government and the music industry, to really give our grassroots music venues a boost. Sensible investment like this could really produce incredible economic, social and cultural results.’

Jack Daniel’s was the Grassroots Investor project’s ﬁrst key partner, and through Jack Rocks they’ve pledged to support independent bands, venues and promoters all over the UK. Each Jack Rocks gig is carefully curated to make sure that the country’s grassroots music scene can continue to thrive for years to come – and we’ll raise a glass to that.

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HOGMANAY

‘There’s more good music being made now than ever before’

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HOGMANAY

HOG MAN AY

I N SAF E H AN DS Paolo Nutini opens up to Rebecca Monks on hand washing, truth telling and playing one of the biggest New Year celebrations in the country

‘A

lways wash your hands,’ Paolo Nutini says earnestly, when I ask him what he’s learned in the last decade, ‘and always tell the truth.’ They are both solid, practical answers to a question loaded with possibility. 2016 marks ten years since his debut album, These Streets, came out, and in that time, he’s released two more platinum albums, toured the world, and become one of the biggest musicians in Scotland. On the back of these experiences, Paolo could have offered up any number of lessons about life, fame, and the ever-changing nature of the music industry. That he chose instead to ruminate on the importance of handwashing and honesty actually says a great deal about his character. He is very much an everyman at heart: a boy from Paisley who likes playing guitar, living a normal life well, and keeping the hand soap in the bathroom well-stocked. ‘I’ve learned stuff, and I’ve forgotten stuff, but what I do know is that it really is all about the fans,’ he adds. ‘One of the best things I get to do is meet people that have been to the shows and listened to the music. I still don’t indulge in the social media side of things, so that’s my way of starting conversations – actually hearing people talk.’ Talk is what we wanted to do with Paolo, specifically about his upcoming stint headlining Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, but it was a tricky process. Though he may be an everyman in theory, in practice he’s a pop star. When we first tried to arrange a chat he was away in Las Vegas, and it took a couple of cancelled phone slots and an eager wait upon his return before we got the chance to connect. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Edinburgh gets shared halfway around the world. He found out during his trip that his Concert in the Gardens gig had sold out in record time, for which he was ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘incredibly grateful’. ‘I was over in the desert when I got the news that the show has done what it’s done,’ he says, ‘and so when they told me I was pretty surprised.’ As a result of its popularity, Hogmanay organisers went on to add an historic second date. Now, for the first time ever, The Night Afore concert is being held on Friday 30 December, which Paolo will also headline. ‘It’s a bit of an honour, because Edinburgh is so highly associated with

that time of year. They offered us the chance to do another night, and I liked that, because if there were people that couldn’t get tickets, it gives them a chance to see the show. It also gives [Edinburgh’s Hogmanay] the chance to create another bill, and hopefully get some other acts involved. It means there’s more music which is always a good thing, especially at that time of year.’ The second gig may have come as a bit of a surprise, but the first one wasn’t exactly on Paolo’s ‘to do’ list initially either. ‘It’s something that wasn’t really on my agenda at the beginning of the year,’ he says. ‘This year so far for me has been a very random journey. It’s taken me from Latvia to County Clare to New York to Mexico, back home, then back through the States again, to the desert and Indio, California. ‘It’s been a very weird path. My intention was not to do any shows, bar one in Wales. I’ve been writing, I’ve been working a lot with my guitar, my microphones and my band, and I’ve been sketching ideas as I went. I think I’m actually in the process now of sussing out where I want to go musically, and trying to unravel what I’ve got. I’m just seeing how it all sits together and aiming to get some new music out as soon as possible.’ So that’s the agenda for 2017 sorted, then. But while he’s busy making big musical plans, it’s unlikely he’ll be making big New Year’s resolutions. ‘It’s not something I really do’, he says. ‘I think you should just try and keep ahead no matter what time of year it is. I do wanna be more active in that sense of getting the community on the go, though. I mean, I can pick up chocolate and put that down, and I can do the same with cigarettes. The main thing though is to try to help people, and to let them help you if they can and if they want to.’ Even with two big shows to come in December, he’s not wanting to write off 2016 as a done deal. ‘I hope there’s still another few twists and turns between now and the end of the year’– and we hope so too. For what is life without excitement, surprise, and the proper disinfection of one’s hands. Paolo Nutini plays the Night Afore Concert & Concert in the Gardens, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Fri 30 & Sat 31 Dec. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 53

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HOG MAN AY

PHOTO: LLOYD SMITH

HOGMANAY

HIGHLIGHTS FRI 30 DEC GLASGOW IRN-BRU CARNIVAL SECC, 11am–10pm, secc.co.uk, until Sun 15 Jan Are you brave enough to take on the King Loops, Speed Buzz or Midnight Express Matterhorn at this indoor carnival? If you don’t have the stomach for thrill rides there’s also traditional family fun like dodgems, waltzers and kids’ rides for the wee ones. THE SNAW QUEEN Tron Theatre, 1pm & 7.30pm, tron.co.uk Kristine Cagney Kringle and her elves are getting ready for the festive season but the evil Snaw Queen needs defeated. This’ll be a job for Kelvie (the Kelvingrove Elfie) and Olive (the other reindeer).

over 40,000 people attended the spectacle, which has torch carriers walking through the city centre, with a spectacular fireworks finale.

SAT 31 DEC GLASGOW GLASGOW LOVES HOGMANAY George Square, 5pm, glasgowcityofmusic.com A programme of family goings-on for the daytime and early evening of Hogmanay, including traditional music and children’s activities.

EDINBURGH HOGMANAY HOOTENANNY National Piping Centre, 6.30pm, thepipingcentre.co.uk Food, drink and live music, with a ‘kilt and pearls’ dress code. There’s also Celtic songs and DJs until the small hours.

EDINBURGH SPROGMANAY Old Town, noon–4.30pm, edinburghshogmanay.com, until Sun 1 Jan Three days of children’s events, so that bairns can enjoy Hogmanay too, with everything from arts and crafts to live music. NIGHT AFORE CONCERT West Princes Street Gardens, 6pm, edinburghshogmanay.com For the first time in the festival’s history, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay hosts this second show, featuring headliner Paolo Nutini. TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION Old Town, 7pm, torches £12, edinburghshogmanay.com A torchlight procession to usher in Hogmanay (pictured right). Last year,

HOGMANAY AT ÒRAN MÓR Òran Mór, 10pm, oran-mor.co.uk Bring in the bells with DJs and live entertainment.

HOGMANAY DINNER DANCE House for an Art Lover, 7pm, houseforanartlover.co.uk Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park is the location for this fancy-pants dinner dance, which features a four-course meal plus wine. HOGMANAY GALA Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 7.30pm, glasgowconcerthalls. com/glasgow-royal-concert-hall Concert with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, playing works by Strauss, Mozart, Brahms and more. HOGMANAY AT HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB Hillhead Bookclub, 8pm, hillheadbookclub.co.uk Live music from Hush, to be accompanied by plenty of dancing and cocktails.

CANDLELIT CONCERT St Giles’ Cathedral, 6pm, stgilescathedral.org.uk Seasonal concert featuring a Mass setting by Johann Friedrich Fasch, JS Bach’s festive cantata for Christmas, Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, and concluding with Mozart’s Coronation Mass. STREET PARTY Princes Street, 7pm, edinburghshogmanay.com Thousands of revellers bring in the New Year in the centre of Edinburgh with a vibrant mix of live music, DJs and varying knowledge of the lyrics to ‘Auld Lang Syne’. The Charlatans will be headlining this year’s festivities. CONCERT IN THE GARDENS West Princes Street Gardens, 8pm, edinburghshogmanay. com, SOLD OUT This year’s famed Princes Street Gardens Hogmanay will be headlined by Scottish singersongwriter Paolo Nutini.

OLD TOWN CEILIDH High Street and Parliament Square, 8pm, edinburghshogmanay.com Big ol’ ceilidh, with two live open air stages featuring traditional Scottish music from Kilter and HotScotch. MOJO HOGMANAY CEILIDH Assembly Roxy, 8.30pm, assemblyroxy.com Da Hooley Ceilidh band play you into 2017. Kilts and tartans are welcome, and there’s a licensed bar at the venue. VEGAS! GRAND HOGMANAY BALL The Voodoo Rooms, 9pm, thevoodoorooms.com The Vegas team return to host another Hogmanay do. Expect showgirls, big band tunes, swing, easy listening, cabaret and burlesque featuring the usual glamorous shenanigans plus Missy Malone, Gypsy Charms and Vegas Revue. THE CAVES HOGMANAY PARTY The Caves, 10pm Bring in the new year in one of the city’s most unique clubbing venues. Expect a ceilidh, choons old and new, and bags of fun as 2017 looms.

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HOGMANAY

FOR HOGMANA CLUBS LIS Y TURN TO P TINGS, AG OR GO TOE 113 LIST.CO.U K CLUBS /

SCOT:LANDS Old Town, 1–5pm, edinburghshogmanay.com Celebrate New Year’s Day across the Old Town, with events from some of Scotland’s top artists and musicians. Previous curators and artists have included Insider Festival, An Lanntair, HebCelt Fest, King Creosote and Cora Bisset. STOAT’S LOONY DOOK South Queensferry, time tbc, edinburghshogmanay.com, SOLD OUT Dive into 2017 with a dip off South Queensferry. Gather for the parade down the High Street and watch as the swimmers freeze their proverbials off under the iconic Forth Rail Bridge.

SNEAKY PETE’S & BIGFOOT’S TEA PARTY NYE The Biscuit Factory, 10pm, biscuitfactory.co.uk Expect cutting-edge, classic and obscure house, techno and disco cuts from The Black Madonna. See preview, page 113. WEE DUB HOGMANAY! Studio 24, 10pm, studio24club. co.uk A bass-heavy way to see in 2017 with a night of international

roots and reggae. Featuring DJ Vadim, King Yoof and MC Spree.

SUN 1 JAN GLASGOW THE DEPOT NYD RAVE 33 Scotland Street, 3pm–3am, residentadvisor.net Keep the party going with DVS1, Slam, Blawan, Bella Sarris, Ivan Kutz and NIZ.

EDINBURGH NEW YEAR SPRINT Musselburgh Racecourse, 10.30am, musselburghracecourse.co.uk A handicap race held over 110 metres. The sprint has been staged in Scotland on or around New Year’s Day annually since 1870. Competitors, both amateur and professional, vie for prize money totaling over £8000.

THE FINAL FLING National Museum of Scotland, 5.30pm, nms.co.uk New Year’s Day ceilidh with Heeliegoleerie. SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: NEW YEAR IN VIENNA Usher Hall, 7pm, usherhall.co.uk The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s annual New Year concert is always a glittering shindig, while the proceeds go to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

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A UNITED KINGDOM

DIVISION Director Amma Asante tells James Mottram about her powerful reallife drama of colonial politics and interracial love, A United Kingdom

mma Asante is perched on a sofa in London’s Soho Hotel, the day before her new film A United Kingdom opens the London Film Festival. The ‘butterflies in the stomach are starting’, she says, and it’s no wonder. With just her third film, following on from 2013’s well-received 18th-century drama Belle, the 47-year-old is the first black filmmaker ever to open or close the LFF. ‘It feels massive,’ she says, quite rightly. Arriving in the year when debates about diversity in the film industry led to the #OscarSoWhite campaign spreading across social media platforms, Asante’s movie couldn’t have been better timed. A story of a real-life interracial relationship, it begins in 1947 – where London clerk Ruth Williams (Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike) falls in love with the African-born Seretse Khama (Selma’s David Oyelowo) while he’s in England studying law. Of noble blood, Seretse was in fact set to

become ruler of Bechuanaland – or Botswana, as it would become when it finally gained independence from Britain in 1966. But when he and Ruth marry, this dignified leader becomes the subject of political brinksmanship – with the British government desperate to keep the couple apart or lose the favour of Bechuanaland’s neighbour, the mineral-rich South Africa, with its newly implemented apartheid regime. Asante first came across the story from Guy Hibbert’s script – adapted from the book Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams. Stirring up ‘so many feelings’, she says, ‘it was not lost on me how audacious Seretse was in wanting to take a white queen back to Africa and back to the black women of his nation. But there was anger and frustration [I felt] as well – that one country could separate a man from another country.’ A former child actress (including a stint in

Grange Hill), Asante became a screenwriter in her early twenties, developing the show Brothers & Sisters, long before she made her directorial debut with 2004’s A Way of Life. But it was her own bi-cultural background that tuned her into Seretse and Ruth’s story. Both her parents are from Ghana, and came to Britain in the late 1950s – her father working as an accountant, her mother running a delicatessen. The very fact that Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country in Africa to gain its independence was not forgotten in her household. ‘Many families have a picture of the Queen; we had a picture of the Ghanaian president [on the wall],’ she recalls. ‘So I do think it’s interesting . . . that this story that I’m telling in many ways [was] informed personally for me by the stories my father used to tell me – about living in a colony, about Independence Day in Ghana.’ The resonances extend far beyond Asante’s

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A UNITED KINGDOM

‘I do think as filmmakers it’s our job to reflect the times we’re in’ own upbringing, however. While A United Kingdom has been a mooted project for over six years, its title feels somewhat provocative in these post-Brexit times. ‘I loved the irony that actually we’re not talking about Britain,’ she laughs. True enough – the title obviously refers to Seretse’s Bechuanaland, rather than the currently divided UK – but there’s no question the film has contemporary meaning. ‘Reflecting [on the past] sometimes has a really major impact on now,’ she says, ‘and what we do going forward.’ According to Asante, there’s ‘something in the air’ and it’s not just Britain that’s facing instability. ‘If you think about America, it’s just coming out of a period where it’s had its first black president. It might be about to go into a

time where it has its first female president. We are now, after all these years, sitting in a period where we have only our second female prime minister. We’ve just voted for Brexit. These are highly politicised times. And I do think as filmmakers it’s our job to reflect the times we’re in.’ Then there’s that perennial question of diversity. With the British Film Institute about to kick off Black Star, a three-month long season of black-themed movies, Asante admits that things are changing in the film industry – albeit slowly. ‘I definitely think we’re getting to a time where we’re becoming more comfortable with people of colour being at the centre of their own stories. They’re not being bystanders or the

supporting artists, but being at the centre of their own narrative.’ Asante is next lining up Where Hands Touch – a romantic drama set in 1944 Berlin about a mixed-race German girl and an SS officer. She makes no apologies that it’s another period piece – well-aware that she’s not in a position to fully dictate her choices after just three movies. ‘I still have some stripes to earn in many ways.’ But, she hopes, black filmmaking isn’t going to be restricted to true-life period tales. ‘Who knows?’ she says, ‘one day [maybe we’ll see] a futuristic story with an all black cast.’ A United Kingdom opens on Fri 25 Nov. See review, page 88.

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THE DARKEST UNIVERSE

LET THERE BE LIGHT Katherine McLaughlin talks dinosaurs, comedy and alienation with the directing team behind The Darkest Universe

‘I

often think of Cera the triceratops from The Land Before Time when I’m writing stuff or bring her up in meetings more than is healthy,’ exclaims BAFTA-nominated director Will Sharpe, who along with co-director and close friend Tom Kingsley have carved out a unique niche in British film and TV. Sharpe goes on to explain how the animated film about dinosaurs has influenced his writing saying, ‘She [Cera]’s the horrible one and yet she is an integral part of that friendship group and comes good. I think that dynamic of not choosing your friends or choosing who you care about must have affected how I write.’ Kingsley and Sharpe met at Cambridge University where they joined the drama society Footlights, following in the footsteps of great writers, performers and comedians such as Peter Cook, John Cleese and David Mitchell. They hit it off and went on to write a play which formed the basis for their debut feature film Black Pond, which won an award at the inaugural London Comedy Film Festival. Following that win, and over a three-year period, they worked on their

sophomore feature The Darkest Universe in between solo TV projects for Channel 4 and Sky. The film is a sort of sci-fi about alienation but it’s difficult to categorise, which is something that Sharpe explains steers him when he’s writing. ‘I think genre is under scrutiny and being challenged both in film and television,’ he says. ‘That’s something we’ve always talked about in our filmmaking. We’re not concerned with making it fit a comedy shape or a drama shape. It’s more to do with what feels right. It has to have a sense of humour but you also need to buy into the characters so it has to have a story.’ Sharpe stars in the film alongside Tiani Ghosh who wrote the original screenplay, which was then reworked. The pair play brother and sister, Zac and Alice, who drift apart quite literally after Alice disappears on a canal boat with her new boyfriend. Zac soon becomes obsessed with trying to locate his sister but in the process manages to lose himself. Solaris was a touchstone, but Kingsley says real-life was also an inspiration, stating, ‘Will watched a documentary about missing people. When

you think of a missing person you may not realise how weird it is not to have resolution.’ Sharpe explains how one of the stories in the documentary moved him. ‘There was one person who left a note out at the front door every day for years when she went to work, just in case her husband came home,’ he says. ‘It is grieving but it’s different.’ The importance of finding a connection feeds hugely into the story of The Darkest Universe with Zac’s time spent looking back on his bond with his sister and in turn examining her bond with her boyfriend in a complex and funny exploration of relationships. Strong alliances seem key in the success of Kingsley and Sharpe’s working relationship. ‘Once you’re finally working with the right team of people,’ says Kingsley, ‘you suddenly feel like anything is possible.’ The Darkest Universe is on selected release and available online from Fri 4 Nov; Glasgow Film Theatre, Wed 9 & Thu 10 Nov.

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28/10/2016 13:42

CHRISTMAS AT THE FESTIVAL AND KING’S THEATRESS

Fu nf or fam ilie sw ith old er

A FROZEN CHARLOTTE AND MACROBERT ARTS CENTRE CO-PRODUCTION

ch ild ren

10-31 Dec FESTIVAL THEATRE

BO NO O WK

26 Nov-15 Jan KING’S THEATRE

Rabbie

A Burns Night Spectacular featuring Treacherous Treacherous h Orchestra Orch Or Orc ch chestra with wiithh actors, dancers, dancers, aerial artists and singers taking you on a rollercoaster journey through the life of Robert Burns

14-24 Dec THE STUDIO

24 & 25 Jan FESTIVAL THEATRE

Give the gift of theatre this Christmas C A M E R O N M AC K I N T O S H PRESENTS

B O U B L I L & S C H Ö N B E R G ’S

0131 31 3 1 52 529 6000 edtheatres.com dth d om m J352443 MKT PRE59The List FP OCT 16.indd 1 741-adpages.indd

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IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT BAILEYS Baileys is the most loved spirit brand in the world, and Christmas is its time to shine.

k Discover Baileys at Edinburgh’s Christmas Markets from 18 Nov – 7 Jan. And why not try a range of beautiful Baileys serves at home with our luxurious Baileys Chocolat Luxe or the limited edition Baileys Pumpkin Spice For delicious cocktail ideas visit baileys.com

The Baileys word and associated logos are trade marks. © R&A Bailey & Co. 2016.

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28/10/2016 16:44

JACK WHITEHALL

There seems to be no stopping Jack Whitehall as he veers between blockbuster BBC adaptations and large arena tours. Brian Donaldson hears from a man who just wants to thank his mum

BIG TIME ‘I

just swore and talked about out ded my knob: I really needed that release.’ This memory of een leaving a TV studio where he had been g rip on his best behaviour before letting on a live stage is the only time across a 20-minute phone chat that master Jack Whitehall is anything other than courteous es Britain, and polite. Well, brace yourselves out to get because this charming man is about es himself even more filthy when he launches atre tour, upon a new arena / sizeable theatre Jack Whitehall At Large. et stories ‘I really enjoy telling indiscreet and oversharing so there’ll be plenty of that,’ he reveals. ‘It will possibly bee slightly n you’ve ruder than I’ve done before. When been working in the confines of TV taste and decency, and where someonee else is editing it, there’s something about stand-up n and say that makes you just want to go on whatever you want.’ all beast is This unleashing of the Whitehall looming before us after a summer filming the starring role of Paul Pennyfeatherr in a BBC adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and d Suchet and Fall alongside the likes of David Eva Longoria (‘it’s something that my mum will watch’), another step on the way to him quite probably taking over the world. o his head (let’s So, were someone to put a gun to d demands that hope it never comes to this) and d-up or acting, he chooses a career in either stand-up which would it be? ‘It depends at what point o my head,’ he the person was putting the gun to ight at the end responds gamely. ‘So if it was right of this tour I’d easily say acting. But right now, I really am so excited about doing stand-up again and doing gigs.’

Whitehall-watchers will have encountered Whiteh d Michael from their joint talk show, Jack’s dad Backchat but during our conversation, he Backchat, namechec his mother more. It certainly seems namechecks h been a guiding light for parts of his that she has ‘S influences my comedy in that I’m comedy. ‘She h son and we’re still very close. I’ve very much her learned a lot from her; she’s a very patient woman, and she’s very good about me talking about her or my stag They’re all very understanding which family on stage. thank for; it would be difficult if they were I’m very thankful a not, as I talk about them a lot.’ con In three consecutive years, Whitehall was named as C the ‘King of Comedy’ via a public vote at the British Awa Comedy Awards and, to put right some who see him gu from Fresh Meat or Bad Education, as just that guy stand- novice. His live comedy career began he’s no stand-up a decade ago and, having performed at five Edinburgh Fringes, he’s now on his second major tour after W 2014’s Jack Whitehall Gets Around (he performed his roun set in the round). Having paid those early dues by working the small p clubs and pub circuit, he’s clearly relishing the opportunity to step out in front of substantial numbers of people once again. And with the promise embedded in his press release that there will be ‘comedy pyrotechnics’, those crowds could be in for a hairraising treat. ‘I’ve pitched some fairly outlandish ideas to my de production designer so we’ll see if some of them fruitio I think there will certainly be a fairly come to fruition. be spectacular beginning to the night, which I think is the do If you come out and have paid for a least I can do. ticket, I think you should put on a proper show. I’m going to give them . . . let’s call it razzmatazz.’ Jack Whit Whitehall At Large, Edinburgh Playhouse Wed 11 & Fri 12 Jan; Clyde Playhouse, Auditoriu Auditorium, Glasgow, Wed 1–Fri 3 Feb. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 61

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WAVERLEY ARCHES

ost successful eating and drinking destinations are born, not made. A chef opens their first restaurant, a bright spark refurbs the pub next door, and slowly, slowly, a Shore or Stockbridge emerges. It tends not to work quite so well when the process is developer-led: it seems we have an aversion to shiny new ‘quarters’ that arrive fresh out of the box. It’s interesting, then, that East Market Street’s arches project seems to be establishing itself as something really rather good. The row of 19 C-listed Victorian arches – the smallest barely more than a crawl space, the largest now holding a 60-seat restaurant – lay mostly disused for years, until the Hidden Door festival opened them up, bringing them to the attention of an impressed public. It then emerged that the arches were to be part of the New Waverley (formerly known as Caltongate) development. The Caltongate saga has been a long and controversial one, with legal challenges to the council and bankrupt developers all in the heady mix. Importantly, it’s been a real hook for debate about the kind of city we want to live in, both architecturally and socially (40 affordable houses across a 7.5 acre site hardly sounds lavish, after all). Even as the shiny new hotels have opened their doors and office buildings and apartments have started to rise from the ground, the issues haven’t gone away. But perhaps it’s time to take a stroll and see what at least some of the fuss is about. The arches themselves are striking; part of the fun of a daunder along is seeing how each vendor handles the space. Tiny wine shop Vino embraces its arch’s cave-like nature,

Buff Concept Store

NOT ON THE HIGH STREET Jo Laidlaw takes a stroll along East Market Street’s Waverley Arches, Edinburgh’s newest shopping, eating and drinking quarter

with shelf upon shelf of wines which can all be enjoyed from one of a handful of seats and for a modest corkage fee. There’s a simple menu of nibbles to accompany your glass – and it’s worth noting nearly all the arches have a few outdoor seats with cracking views. Gannet and Guga fittingly festoon their ceiling with a flock of origami birds to admire when picking up your lunch of Vietnamese summer rolls or a pile of pulled meat. At the end of the row, the city’s second Chop House steak restaurant gets over the challenges of fitting a square peg into a round hole by seating diners inside a metal endoskeleton, suspending the ground-floor seats from the newly created mezzanine ceiling. Inevitably, with two hotels, existing offices nearby and more planned, there’s a focus on food on the go. Baba Budan takes its coffee seriously, but their fabulous donuts are the real draw as well as a range of bits and pieces from other city names like the Bearded Baker and Union of Genius. Tempo Tea specialises in bubble tea, the addictively odd Taiwanese drink. If all that doesn’t float your boat, Juice Warrior offers us its now-obligatory clean and raw vibe, and Comely Bank’s Ronaq have plans to bring their second Indian restaurant to the corner of the block. With a range of indie retailers dotted among the row, there’s a real sense of community building between the vendors and their customers. Here’s hoping that translates to the rest of what has been one of Edinburgh’s most troubled developments. Waverley Arches, East Market Street, Edinburgh.

6 Yard Box

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FOOD & DRINK

For the latest news, listi n reviews, ggs and o list.co.uk to /food&dr ink

IBÉRICA Quality Spanish cuisine takes a bow in Glasgow Spanish restaurants are, for the most part, comfortably compartmentalised as just another nationality-themed eating experience, patatas bravas and paella all present and correct. A few of the better ones do, admittedly, rise above the pastiche to offer traditional regional treats sometimes tasted on sun-kissed holidays. But for a good while now Spanish chefs have been among the most innovative and acclaimed in the world: even with Ferran Adrià’s elBulli closed there are three Spanish restaurants in the top 10 of the World’s Best Restaurant list. No other country has more than one. That culinary quality is now starting to seep into our scene, witnessed by the arrival in Glasgow of the striking and boldly designed Ibérica, part of a chain headed up by executive head chef Nacho Manzano, who runs the two-Michelin star restaurant Casa Marcial in the Asturias region of north-west Spain. A further outlet is planned for Edinburgh in 2017. For more on Ibérica’s new Glasgow branch, see page 68. ■ Ibérica, 140 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, ibericarestaurants.com

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FOOD & DRINK

DRINKS NEWS

NEWS & REVIEWS

COURTING COMMENT

As the nights draw in, so the pubs and bars start twinkling invitingly. And there are plenty new ones to get to know in the long winter nights. The Voyage of Buck, from the guys behind Hamilton’s and Treacle, is off on a Phileas-Fogg-style journey around the world of drinks from its base at the former Bert’s Bar on William Street in Edinburgh’s West End. Rory and Graeme Sutherland are the siblings behind Good Brothers Wine Bar in Stockbridge (pictured), and the expertise behind a 100-strong wine list, over half of which are natural wines. And in Glasgow, Crossing The Rubicon is Drygate’s new craft beer and curry venture at 372 Great Western Road.

Is the food court of a Glasgow shopping mall the new frontier for the city's better street food? David Kirkwood tastes the Buchanan Galleries’ latest offering

‘S

treet Food’ is a loaded phrase these days. It’s buzzy, happening, more exciting, less expensive food that’s sometimes even served on the streets, and not just in edgy (and wannabe-edgy) restaurants. It’s on the move and a million miles — or at least a couple of blocks — from the sad old stuff we’re used to from burger vans and takeaways. To date, Glasgow’s best experience of all this has been through various food festivals and pop-ups across town. So it’s a bit of a balancing act that Taste Buchanan is attempting on the top floor of Buchanan Galleries. How many good food boxes can it tick while still being mainstream enough for a shopping centre’s palate? Operator Streetdots already runs successful sites in London, and partner Land Securities, which owns the shopping centre, has placed signs throughout promoting and pointing customers to this new venture. The stated goal is for the collection of traders to rotate every three months. The half-dozen or so operators each have hatches that are part food truck, part dining hall. With central tables and benches, the set-up is still that of a familiar food court, except with more in the way of rustic rough wood touches and less garish signage. Burger King, still in place alongside, make up for that.

Key to the offer is that the operators represent local businesses that are small and focused on the particular food they offer, while still globally inspired. The bao (steamed buns) being served by Chompksy’s, one of the first batch of open hatches, are fantastic: bang-on crisp fried chicken or sweet, moist Korean BBQ pork garnished with Asian vegetables. Union Waffles do chicken and waffles (though not quite with the gusto of a US diner), then the appeal is broadened by Nomad’s sourdough pizzas, and Surf Dogs’ loaded, belly-filling hotdogs. There’s also Slainte Mhath, a bar doing gin cocktails, Fyne Ales, St Mungo’s lager and Thistly Cross cider. The most intriguing current resident is perhaps BRGR, whose gourmet burger concession is right beside its multinational burger chain rival. The latter’s seating area takes up almost as much as the entirety of Taste Buchanan’s communal zone, and it casts a long shadow – typically still commanding the biggest queue on the floor. But over the course of a meal, you do notice a fair few punters that inspect, swither and then choose street food over fast food. There’s something in it.

RECOMMENDS . . .

BELLA NAPOLI GLASGOW

Buchanan Galleries, 220 Buchanan Street, City Centre, Glasgow, G1 2FF, streetdots.co.uk

Glasgow’s dining destination for lovers of Italian food with extra cold Moretti on draught. Winner of the UK Gold Award for best Pizzeria UK in 2015.

Mon-Wed & Fri / Sat 11am-7pm; Thu 11am-8pm; Sun 11am-6pm.

bellanapoliglasgow.com

Potentially a great thing for good, diverse food in the city centre

Still feels like a bold punt

TASTE BUCHANAN

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SIDE DISHES

News to nibble on Edinburgh has a distinctive newcomer in the shape of the Red Bus Bistro, a nattily reconfigured 1966 Routemaster Bus offering daily tours of all the iconic sights of Edinburgh while serving either afternoon tea or gourmet burgers. Much less prominent is Forage & Chatter, which has set up in the secretive space vacated by the Edinburgh Larder Bistro on Alva Street, offering their take on precisely sourced, deeply seasonal Scottish-crafted food. And a couple of new Italian-inspired spots we’re liking: elegant Il Calice with all the wines (and some nibbles) on Picardy Place and friendly Café Bellina on Elm Row.

There’s lots of focus given to the latest new thing on the food and drink scene, but sometimes it’s good to acknowledge the places that have seen many fads and phases come and go. It may not be the most glamorous deli in town, but Real Foods’ Broughton Street shop is celebrating its ‘survival’ (see its 1976 advert, right) for 40 years. It probably ranks as many locals’ favourite food store — certainly among those who truly cook from scratch at home and aim to do so healthily and ethically. The business actually started in 1963 selling organic vegetables on a market stall in the south of England, with a shop on Morrison Street in Edinburgh following in 1974. Their Brougham Street shop opened in 1981.

Look out elsewhere in the magazine and online for the launch of our Eating & Drinking Guide Reader Awards. In association with Birra Moretti we’re looking to celebrate your choice of the best restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh: voting is online via list.co.uk/readeraward

and you could win a VIP trip to the Big Feastival for two and tickets to the Eating & Drinking

Guide Awards Party when the 2017 guide is launched in April.

Glasgow openings include Websters Bar & Bistro in the former Lansdowne Church on Great Western Road, pizza specialists Baffo in the old Pelican Café opposite Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, and Chaakoo Bombay Café, a mix of Indian and Iranian food in the former Fáilte Bar on St Vincent Street from the same outfit that brought us Topolabamba.

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ARCH RIVAL

RECENT OPENINGS

The most prominent tenant in the new Waverley Arches development is, for Jo Laidlaw, a steakhouse with style

dinburgh’s second Chop House – sister to the 2015 original in Leith from the guys behind Monteiths and Sygn – anchors a row of independent shops and cafés at the New Waverley Arches. The interior is a real treat – a chunky metal frame sitting inside curvy glints of granite and stone. On entry, there’s the expected hit of charcoal but with a slightly bitter edge, moving the vibe away from family barbecue to something altogether darker and sexier. Service is brisk and confident: welldrilled staff recite cuts and cooking temperatures while pouring water from carafes with satisfyingly clunky cork stoppers. Starters focus on sharing (mostly) fishy bites – tempura prawns, crispy squid – but it’s the meat which takes top billing here. Sourced mainly from Shaw’s of Lauder and Hardiesmill, then dry-aged in-house for 35 days, there are four cuts: rump, sirloin, ribeye and fillet, as well as larger sharing cuts like chateaubriand. And it’s pretty damn near perfect – cooked exactly as it should be, properly seasoned, with a smoky crust. Sides are strong (but with only a sauce included, the bill will mount up if you go mad for the chips). All in, this is the place for a seal-the-deal steak.

CHOP HOUSE MARKET STREET Arch 15, East Market Street, Old Town, Edinburgh, EH8 8FS 0131 629 1551, chophousesteak.co.uk Ave. price two-course meal: £14 (lunch) / £37 (dinner)

The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.

style octopus is a standout winner. It all makes for a great-looking, well-positioned bar-bistro with amiable service and enticing food to boot.

ingredients such as sweet potato and feta, crispy blue corn, pork pilbil or MSC-certified shrimp and Devon crab. It’s a bustle of music, chatter, colour, and revved-up food and staff.

THE LARDER

SPANISH 140 St Vincent Street, City Centre, 0141 530 7985, ibericarestaurants.com, £10.95 (set lunch) / £15 (dinner) This seven-restaurant-strong group stakes its first foothold in Scotland with an opulent restaurant and bar design that marks the Celtic heritage shared by northern Spain and Scotland. Menus are masterminded by decorated executive chef Nacho Manzano, who draws on his native region of Asturias with small plates of light, sweet jamón serrano and salty, intense jamón ibérico. Tapas reflect Asturias’ famous seafood with octopus and pimenton de la vera, a type of smoked paprika, or mackerel cooked for a single minute in a clam and garlic sauce.

BISTRO 5 Kirk Lane, Bearsden, 0141 942 1380, thelarderbearsden.com, £26.50 (lunch / dinner) With venues in Lenzie, Milngavie and Bishopbriggs already, the R Group know a bit about dining trends and maintaining local custom. Small plates and the influence of Finnieston feel about right — but the rhythm is more relaxed, more Bearsden. Dishes described by their ingredients can intrigue or frustrate: ‘pulled duck, mango, coriander’, is an unassuming bao (steamed bun), but ‘pineapple, coconut, lime’ is delightful — toasted, citrus and sweet notes mingling on a vibrant plate. There’s lots of pleasant stuff, with long, clean lines and spaciousness helping the cause, too. A trip into the city is now that wee bit less necessary.

ELENA’S SPANISH BAR & RESTAURANT

Edinburgh

Glasgow IBÉRICA

SPANISH 90 Old Dumbarton Road, West End, 0141 237 4730, elenastapas.com, £10 (3-tapas lunch) / £22 (dinner) The fairly short-lived (and missed) Grumpy Goat left behind an attractively refurbed venue that newcomer Elena’s has prudently left pretty much untouched. A few Spanish flags among the remnants of mixed seating and old Glasgow photos are the only giveaway to the new direction, where the eponymous Elena, hailing from Cantabria in northern Spain, is dishing up ‘rationales’, or portions – bigger than tapas but shy of a full plate. It’s an enjoyable delve into Iberian flavours: benchmark patatas bravas are good, padrón peppers are addictive, while Galician-

WAHACA MEXICAN 16 South St Andrew Street, New Town, 0131 202 6850, wahaca.co.uk, £13 (lunch) / £20 (dinner) Since launching in London in 2007, Wahaca has made its name as a group pushing a fresh, exciting revival of Mexican food alongside transparent credentials when it comes to sourcing, waste and good causes. Sprinkle in a celebrity chef-owner (Thomasina Miers), some street art and its fresh take on quality tequila and mezcal, and its arrival north of the border has been highly anticipated. You can expect to have your Mexican horizons stretched with tacos, taquitos and tostadas filled with lively

HOME BY MAISON BLEUE FRENCH-SCOTTISH BISTRO 7-8 Queensferry Street, West End, 0131 220 0773, home-restaurant.co.uk, £12.50 (set lunch) / £25 (dinner) With a full glass facade, bright lights, warm brick walls and open-flame stoves, this laudable venture has set itself up as a very welcoming place — homely, even — that’s smart but not too self-conscious and careful to keep its statementmaking to its charitable aims. A partnership between homelessness-supporting sandwich shops Social Bite and longstanding Victoria Street restaurant Maison Bleue, with additional support from David Wither of Montpeliers Group and chef Martin Wishart, it has opened with an approachable mid-market, globe-spinning range encompassing steaks, coconut chicken, Creole seafood gumbo and slow-cooked lamb tagine.

KALEIDOSCOPE WHISKY BAR 28 Queen Street, New Town, 0131 220 2044, smws.com, £20 (lunch / dinner) For local whisky aficionados or just showing off the national drink to visitors, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a true Edinburgh asset. Its gradual development from members’ rooms to public bar and restaurant was further confirmed by a £300,000 summer makeover which saw chef James Freeman’s classy Dining Room restaurant given first-floor status, while the new bar, a cosy but classy affair without a stitch of tartan naffness, takes up the ground floor space. You might come for the range of over 200 single cask whiskies, but there’s a grown-up bar menu with sharing platters, main plates of pasta or risotto, or a steak sandwich.

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IBÉRICA OPENS ITS DOORS TO GLASGOW Award-winning Spanish restaurant Ibérica recently opened ŝƚƐ ĚŽŽƌƐ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ĮƌƐƚ ^ĐŽƫƐŚ ƌĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ŝŶ ^ƚ sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ Glasgow. Created from a ‘casual dining’ concept from Ibérica’s a’s ǀĞ ǆĞĐƵƟǀĞ ,ĞĂĚ ŚĞĨ͕ EĂĐŚŽ DĂŶǌĂŶŽ͕ ǁŚŽ ŚĂƐ ĂŶ ŝŵƉƌĞƐƐŝǀĞ ƚŚƌĞĞ DŝĐŚĞůŝŶ ƐƚĂƌƐ ƚŽ ŚŝƐ ŶĂŵĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŐƵĞƐƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĂƵƚŚĞŶƟĐ ^ƉĂŶŝƐŚ ĐƵŝƐŝŶĞ Ăƚ ĂīŽƌĚĂďůĞ ƉƌŝĐĞƐ͘ ^Ğƚ ŝŶ Ă ƐƵŵƉƚƵŽƵƐůǇͲĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ͕ ǇĞƚ ƌĞůĂǆĞĚ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͕ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌƐ ĐĂŶ ĐŚŽŽƐĞ ĨƌŽŵ ĂŶ ĞǆĐĞƉƟŽŶĂů ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƌĞŐŝŽŶĂů ů ^ƉĂŶŝƐŚ ĨŽŽĚ ĂŶĚ ĚƌŝŶŬ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ŚĂŶĚͲĐĂƌǀĞĚ ŚĂŵƐ͕ ƌĂƌĞ ĐŚĞĞƐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶ ĞǆƚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ďĞĞƌƐ͕ ǁŝŶĞƐ͕ ƐŚĞƌƌŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ Ě ĐŝĚĞƌƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ^ƉĂŝŶ͛Ɛ ĮŶĞƐƚ ĂƌƟƐĂŶ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞƌƐ͘ The bar menu features bocadillos (sandwiches) and pinchos ;ƐŵĂůů ƉŽƌƟŽŶƐͿ͕ ƉůƵƐ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ Ă ƐĞƚ ůƵŶĐŚ ŵĞŶƵ ĨƌŽŵ άϭϬ͘ϵϱ ƉĞƌ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂŶ Ă ůĂ ĐĂƌƚĞ ĚŝŶŶĞƌ ŵĞŶƵ ĨĞĂƚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚĂƉĂƐ͕ ŐƌŝůůĞĚ ŵĞĂƚƐ ĂŶĚ ĮƐŚ͘ Ibérica, 140 St Vincent Street, Glasgow Monday – Saturday: 11.30am to 11pm. Sunday: 12pm to 4pm T: +44 (0) 141 530 7985 ibericarestaurants.com

WIN A MEAL FOR FOUR /ďĠƌŝĐĂ ĂŶĚ dŚĞ >ŝƐƚ ĂƌĞ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ ƌĞĂĚĞƌƐ ƚŚĞ c chance to win a meal at Ibérica for four people. d dŚĞ ƉƌŝǌĞ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ Ă ǁĞůĐŽŵĞ ĚƌŝŶŬ͕ ĨŽůůŽǁĞĚ ďǇ three tapas per person and an accompanying drink at the table. To be in with a chance of ǁ ǁŝŶŶŝŶŐ ůŽŐ ŽŶ ƚŽ ůŝƐƚ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬͬŽīĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƚĞůů ƵƐ͍

What is the name of Ibérica’s ǆĞĐƵƟǀĞ ,ĞĂĚ ŚĞĨ͍ dĞƌŵƐ Θ ŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ ŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ ĐůŽƐĞƐ ϯϭ ĞĐ ϮϬϭϲ͘ tŝŶŶĞƌƐ ŵƵƐƚ ďĞ ŽǀĞƌ ϭϴ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽůĚ͘ sŝƐŝƚ ůŝƐƚ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬͬŽīĞƌƐ ĨŽƌ ĨƵůů ƚΘĐƐ͘

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

FESTIVE FOOD The festive period is all about eating, drinking and being merry. It also happens to be one of the busiest times of the year for restaurateurs, so you’ve got to snap up a table quickly if you’re planning that obligatory Christmas get-together. To save you wading through a mountain of festive menus, we’ve picked out some of the best dining offers in Edinburgh and Glasgow – we wouldn’t want you missing out on the chance to see a colleague make a total fool of themselves after a little too much eggnog now, would we? Over the next eight pages you’ll also ﬁnd out what Christmas means for some of the cities’ top chefs and restaurateurs. You can read more festive Q&As online at list.co.uk/food

OUR RESTAURATEURS AND CHEFS DANIEL MELLOR, HEAD CHEF The Observatory at the Glasshouse theglasshousehotel.co.uk ANIL PANCHI, CHEF Tuk Tuk tuktukonline.com

MARK MCKENZIE, CHEF The Tron Bar & Kitchen tron.co.uk/food-drink

MARIO GHELARDI, CHEF Steak on Stones steakonstones.co.uk

CESAR GARCIA, HEAD CHEF Iberica ibericarestaurants.com

ALISON SIMPSON, OWNER Red Bus Bistro redbusbistro.co.uk

ROBBIE MELDRUM, CHEF Harvey Nichols harveynichols.com/restaurant/ edinburgh-dining CLAUDIO CELINO, OWNER Celinos celinos.com

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K YOUR O O B

Christmas PARTY

If you’re looking for that little extra something this festive season, we’ve got special gifts for you, whether you’ve been naughty or nice! Indulge in our unique Christmas Dining offering at Steak on Stones before taking the party downstairs to Beer & Skittles Basement Bar & Courtyard.

Our Exclusive Packages FESTIVE SIZZLE

SHOWSTOPPER

Arrival Christmas Cocktail 3 Course Dinner Glass of House Wine Booths in Beer & Skittles Glass of Prosecco

Arrival Christmas Cocktail 3 Course Dinner Glass of Premium Wine Post Dinner Aperitif & Shortbread Booths in Beer & Skittles Glass of Prosecco Bottle of Coors Light

£40 per person

£55 per person

Packages available for parties of 6 or more

BOOK NOW CALL 0131 556 1289 www.beerandskittlesbar.co.uk @beerandskittle Beer & Skittles beer_and_skittle

www.steakonstones.co.uk @steakonstones Steak on Stones steak_on_stones

14 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3JT

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&A’S FESTIVE Q If you could be transported anywhere for a Christmas feast, where would it be? DANIEL MELLOR Germany, to the Black Forest area. I’ve always wanted to visit as it looks like it has a real homely feel and it would have great wild produce.

MARK MCKENZIE It has got to be Thailand – the food, weather and scenery are exquisite. I’m going there in November with my partner and I wish that we could stay longer to experience the serene surroundings at Christmas time.

MARIO GHELARDI As I was born in Italy, I would say that my Grandma’s meal she puts on for the family is almost irreplaceable. It starts on Christmas Eve for lunch and ends after lunch on Boxing Day (literally only breaking for sleep). However, (sorry Grandma) I think a dinner at Le Bernardin in New York with Eric Ripert would do as well – it’s an amazing dining experience.

ROBBIE MELDRUM Being a chef around the festive season is a really exciting and busy time, so my favourite place is back at the family home where it’s always a relaxing atmosphere. A chilled out time with my nearest and dearest is bliss.

ANIL PANCHI For a real authentic Christmas experience, I would pick the Moselle Valley in Germany for the Christmas markets. Beautiful scenery with delicious food and mulled wine, it’s as picturesque as you can imagine.

CESAR GARCIA Germany where they eat Goose with cabbage and winter berries (I like game a lot).

ALISON SIMPSON Somewhere that's cold outside but cosy indoors with a big roaring fire. A posh chalet in Aspen comes to mind.

CLAUDIO CELINO If my mum was still alive it would be round our family Christmas table, as her home cooking was on a different level altogether.

Christmas Dining in December Join us for a host of festive dining, including Christmas Day Lunch, Hogmanay Dinner, Christmas Parties… and an array of seasonal cuisine served every day.

Book Now northbridgebrasserie.com/christmas-dining

North Bridge Brasserie 20 North Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1TR www.northbridgebrasserie.com

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Book a booth or a special area for your Christmas Party! Food served Monday - Saturday 12pm - 9pm, Sunday 12.30pm - 6pm Pool tables, live sport and great DJs Open until 2am, 3am Friday and Saturday

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&A’S FESTIVE Q What's your single food highlight of December?

0131 622 8163

DANIEL MELLOR

Christmas dining

Mince Pies.

at Bisque Brasserie, Bruntsfield Hotel

MARK MCKENZIE I really enjoy game meats that are in season in December and I love bringing them to life with different festive spices. One of my favourite dishes in December that brings all these flavours together is pan roasted pheasant with a parsnip & pear puree, cinnamon & clementine glazed carrots and beetroot and thyme fondants with a juniper berry jus.

Festive lunches, dinners and party nights www.bisquebrasserie.com 69 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 622 8163

MARIO GHELARDI December for me means chestnuts. The smell of roasted chestnuts in a fireplace is something that makes me feel extremely Christmassy and encouraged me to embrace the holiday season. It’s a Festive classic.

ROBBIE MELDRUM I might be the Chef in the family, but nothing beats my wife’s Turkey Scotch Broth. She keeps her recipe a secret even from me, but that’s part of the charm.

ANIL PANCHI Our food highlights are the brand new dishes from our Christmas menu; Desi Chicken Curry, Mangalorean Chicken Curry, Lamb Malabar and Dingri Mutter Masala for the vegetarians.

CESAR GARCIA It would easily be my Mother’s Christmas fish soup.

ALISON SIMPSON A six bird roast with all the trimmings – homemade stuffing, pigs in blankets and rich homemade gravy.

CLAUDIO CELINO Panettone, a traditional sweet bread with candied peel, raisins and pounds of butter. Bring it to room temperature and get your fingers sticky.

Swedish bars Calendar Christmas 3 course menu @ Akva 21st Nov – 30th Dec £22.50 Sun – Tue per person £29.50 Wed – Sat per person Book now: akva@bodabar.com 0131 290 2500

Christmas 3 course menu @ Hemma 21st Nov – 30th Dec From £25.00 per person Book now: hemma@bodabar.com 0131 629 3327 We will cater to your dietary requirement. Off peak & group discounts available.

Join us for Lucia Swedish carol rol singing December 13th Soﬁ’s: 8pm

Boda: 8.15pm

Joseph Pearce: 8.45pm

Victoria: 8.30pm

Akva: 9.15pm

Check out the full calendar at bodabar.com 74 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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food, family, life & Passion

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&A’S FESTIVE Q Which bit of the whole Christmas food extravaganza could you do without? What would you replace it with?

Festive Season at

The Glasshouse Hotel

DANIEL MELLOR Turkey – I would replace it with a nice honey glazed gammon or a tasty whole fresh fish.

MARK MCKENZIE In recent years I’ve been replacing the turkey dish on our festive menu with chicken. There’s a lot of time and effort put into preparing a turkey which can often go unappreciated. Our customers don’t seem to have missed it from our festive menu in recent years. In fact, from the feedback the front of house team has given me, I think customers have enjoyed having chicken instead of turkey.

MARIO GHELARDI If I’m honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. If I was to add something it would probably be an extra glass of mulled wine here and there.

ROBBIE MELDRUM So cliché but brussels sprouts! I’d much prefer tender stem broccoli, blanched with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkled with rock salt. However, my top tip for Brussels sprouts is to pan-fry them and add a bit of cream before finishing with generous shavings of nutmeg. I’m also much more of a Panettone fan than Christmas Pudding. This year, Harvey Nichols is celebrating Italy with a new winter campaign called ‘Britalia’ which I’m very excited about. Lots of Panettones and exquisite Italian wines will be introduced to the Foodmarket and Wine Shop, which will make Christmas shopping even more fun this year.

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT VENUE TO HOST YOUR COMPANY’S CHRISTMAS PARTY? Join us to celebrate this festive season, with a selection of winter-themed lunches, party nights and dinners in our spectacular Calton Suite. Housed within the hotel’s two-acre roof top garden, the Calton Suite provides a stunning, flexible space for you to celebrate any Christmas event – whether it’s an office party or small family dinner! With packages starting from £29.00 per person, including drinks, catering and themed decorations, The Glasshouse is the place to bring in the Festive Season in style! The Observatory Restaurant is open for bookings throughout December, with a seasonal festive menu. ENQUIRE TODAY: events@theglasshousehotel.co.uk or call 0131 525 8331

ANIL PANCHI It would be nice to put an Indian twist on the classics and replace roast potatoes and vegetables with an authentic street food dish called Aloo Baingan. It’s made by cooking baby aubergine and potatoes in tomatoes with cumin and Garam Masala.

CESAR GARCIA I’m not a fan of marzipan so I’d replace it with almond ‘Cascarillas’ – I’m mental about them.

ALISON SIMPSON I’d replace Christmas pudding with a raspberry champagne jelly and lemon flavoured chantilly cream.

CLAUDIO CELINO Dessert should be replaced with Turrón, a fabulously sticky nougat stuffed with almonds...dentists love it. Christmas & Hogmanay Accommodation Packages available, for more information visit: www.theglasshousehotel.co.uk/offers-and-breaks

2 Greenside Place | Edinburgh | EH1 3AA | T: 0131 525 8200

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AROUND TOWN

PHOTO: WORLD CHAMPION DRUM MAJOR BRIAN WILSON MBE WITH THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT PIPES AND DRUMS AT BELFAST TATTOO

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THE GLASGOW TATTOO Massed pipes and Highland dancers at the west’s answer to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo You’ve probably heard of a little event called the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which runs for three sell-out weeks every August. Well now Glasgow is getting in on the Scottish tattoo action, with Glasgow Tattoo running for three dates at the Hydro in January. Belfast Tattoo Limited are organising the event, which will showcase performers from Scotland, Ulster and across Europe. Unlike other tattoos, there are no military pipe bands on the bill. The three Scottish pipe bands taking part in the Massed Pipes and Drums all compete at Grade 2: the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Pipe Band; the Glasgow Skye Association Pipe

Band; and Lomond and Clyde Pipe Band. Other bands include flute bands Pride of Ballinran Flute Band and Black Skull Fife and Drum Band; silver bands Murley Silver Band and Dungannon Silver Band; and accordion bands Dunloy Accordion Band and Vow Accordion Band. From Europe there is Dublin’s the Artane Band, Madrid’s Lume de Biqueira Pipe Band and Germany’s Fascinating Drums, who mix drum techniques from Germany, Scotland and Switzerland with choreographed marching in a similar vein to Basel’s Top Secret Drum Corps. It wouldn’t be a tattoo without some pointed toes and swirling skirts, and Glasgow Tattoo

has both Highland and Irish dancing with performances from the Glasgow Tattoo Highland Dance Troupe, choreographed by David Wilton and Innova Irish Dance Troupe, who were semifinalists in Britain’s Got Talent in 2014. It isn’t yet known what Glasgow Tattoo will use as a backdrop. Tattoos favour an impressive setting, with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo setting a high standard as performers emerge across a smoky drawbridge from the ancient Edinburgh Castle. And with Glasgow’s plethora of impressive sites, the choices are numerous. (Rowena McIntosh) ■ The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Thu 19–Sat 21 Jan.

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HITLIST

THE YULETIDE GAMES Summerhall, Edinburgh, Thu 1–Sat 17 Dec (Thu, Fri & Sat only), then Wed 21 & Thu 22 Dec, yuletidegames.co.uk Christmas party nights with entertainment spread across five rooms. There’s mini golf, a sensory game show quiz, art bARTer and mini radio-controlled buggy racing.

IRN BRU CARNIVAL SECC, Glasgow, Wed 21 Dec–Sun 15 Jan, irnbru-carnival.com Are you brave enough to take on the King Loops, Speed Buzz or Midnight Express Matterhorn at this indoor carnival? If you don’t have the stomach for thrill rides there’s also traditional family rides like dodgems, waltzers and a helter

skelter, with kids’ rides for the wee ones. MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Wed 4–Sun 8 Jan, marveluniverselive. com/uk All your favourite superheroes come to life in this actionpacked, stunt-filled arena spectacular that sees The

Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man team up to

find the Cosmic Cube. See preview, page 96.

AROUND TOWN HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO: DIGITAL TRIANGLE CREATIVE LTD

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW GLASGOW GREEN FIREWORKS DISPLAY Glagow Green, Sat 5 Nov, whatsonglasgow.co.uk Annual huge fireworks display for all the family on Glasgow Green. Gates are at 5pm, with the display starting at 7.30pm. ZOMBIE SCIENCE ALL-DAYER Blackfriars Basement, Sun 6 Nov, esrc.ac.uk Zombie-themed day with movies, a pub quiz and expert theoretical zombiologist Doctor Ken Howe presenting ‘Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead’. GLASGOW’S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SWITCH-ON George Square, Sun 20 Nov, glasgowloveschristmas.com Welcome in the festive season at the annual lights switch-on in George Square, with live music. KRAFTA DOC INTERNATIONAL ART MAKING FILM FESTIVAL Various venues, Thu 15-Sun 18 Dec, kraftadoc.com The first international documentary festival about making art, featuring a roster of independent filmmakers, student groups and educational institutions. VEGFEST UK SECC, Sat 3 & Sun 4 Dec, vegfestscotland.com This vegan festival serves up all the fun stuff – cooking demonstrations, live performances, stalls – plus more serious matters, including a vegan health summit and activist workshops. This year, there’s a brand new Food Village with more vegan / veggie food than you could ever desire. ARENACROSS TOUR SSE Hydro, Sat 14 Jan,

Edinburgh’s Christmas arenacrossuk.com Watch in awe as the riders whip and back-flip their 100kg motorcycles 40 feet above the track. There’s a series of jump offs before a frenzied freestyle free-for-all.

light through the Botanic Garden and see the plants, trees and buildings illuminated. This year the trail explores regions of the world where the garden’s flora originates.

GLASGOW TATTOO SSE Hydro, Thu 19 –Sat 21 Jan, theglasgowtattoo.com A showcase of musicians and dancers featuring three Scottish pipe bands as well as groups from Dublin, Madrid, Holland and Germany. The bill is completed by dancers The Glasgow Tattoo Highland Dance Troupe and Innova Irish Dance Troupe. See preview, page 78.

TO ABSENT FRIENDS Various venues, until Mon 7 Nov, toabsentfriends.org.uk A festival of remembrance and storytelling, which aims to rekindle old traditions as well as kick-start some new ones.

BLOODWISE REINDEER RUN Holyrood Park, Sun 11 Dec, bloodwise.org.uk A festive fun run held in Holyrood Park. Choose to walk or run 1km, 5km or 10km. There’s mince pies and mulled wine at the finish, with soft drinks for those under 18. Fancy dress is strongly encouraged and you receive your very own reindeer antlers to wear on the day. The event raises funds for Bloodwise.

EDINBURGH’S CHRISTMAS Various venues, Fri 18 Nov –Sat 7 Jan, edinburghschristmas.com Six weeks of festive entertainment in the city centre. Shop for gifts and edibles at the European or Scottish market, get your skates on at the outdoor ice rink, and visit Mr Claus in Santa Land.

A FESTIVAL OF IAN SMITH Summerhall, until Fri 23 Dec, summerhahll.co.uk A tribute to the late Ian Smith, director of Glasgow’s Mischief La-Bas, who died in 2014. The project brings together a series of music, art and performance that challenge, confront or celebrate our difficult relationship with death.

EDINBURGH BOTANIC LIGHTS Royal Botanic Garden, until Sun 6 Nov, rbge.org.uk Follow a trail of

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BOOKS

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BOOK WEEK SCOTLAND

PHOTO: ROB MCDOUGALL

Activities and events for all ages on the theme of ‘discovery’ Scotland’s annual celebration of all things books returns this November with a packed programme of events and activities for readers of every age. Book Week Scotland aims to bring some of the country’s best-loved authors, poets, playwrights and illustrators to libraries, bookshops and other bookloving venues all over Scotland to encourage reading and to honour Scotland’s great literary culture. Highlights include Alan Cumming in conversation with Muriel Gray in Dundee, as

well as Scots Makar Liz Lochhead, Sir Tony Robinson, Jodi Picoult, whose new book is out in November, and McIlvanney Prize-winning crime author Chris Brookmyre. This year’s theme is ‘discovery’, and readers are encouraged to find their perfect book match or the quintessential Christmas present for a friend using the Book Generator quiz on bookweekscotland.com, and there are suggestions from celebrities and authors too. You can also try a Reading Dare, and the big

finale will see the unveiling of the nation’s favourite Scottish book-to-screen adaptation. Voting options in the poll, which runs until Tue 22 Nov, span everything from TV shows Hamish Macbeth, Outlander, Katie Morag, The Vital Spark and Sherlock to films Under the Skin, Kick-Ass, Whisky Galore and, of course, Trainspotting. Keep an eye out for the winner on Thu 24 Nov. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Venues nationwide, Mon 21–Sun 27 Nov, bookweekscotland.com

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Reviews | BOOKS

list.co.uk/books MODERN FICTION

ALI SMITH Autumn (Hamish Hamilton) ●●●●● A strange thing happened this autumn: Ali Smith didn’t find a spot on the Booker Prize shortlist. Yet she continues to be in the literary form of her life as she launches the first of a projected quartet (we can all surmise the titles of her remaining trio). This tale is ostensibly the portrait of a fond lifelong friendship between a now very old and comatose man, Daniel Gluck, and Elisabeth Demand, a feisty 32-year-old art history lecturer on a ‘no-fixed-hours casual contract’. Gluck is a survivor of everything the 20th century threw at European Jews like him, and has been an artist, musician and poet. Meanwhile, Demand goes around getting into reasonably minor spats with people in (and out of) authority. Interwoven through the main narrative of their close companionship (Elisabeth is sorely in need of a father figure) are period musings such as the Profumo scandal and the tragic life and death of Pauline Boty (British pop art’s sole female painter). Alongside those passages run more modern concerns such as the shape of a post-EU UK (Smith paints a pessimistic picture of an increasingly intolerant and violent Britain: one critic has dubbed Autumn ‘the first serious Brexit novel’). Smith keeps to the word of her title by invoking imagery of nature turning a different colour as the seasons shift, while humans’ physicality alters as age creeps up on them: time and memory are core to the book. The Invernesian author’s ability to shift in and out of startlingly different thematic tones between chapters, even on the same page, from the seemingly pop-trivial to the philosophically dense, makes the consumption of Autumn a seamless and permanent joy. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Out now.

THRILLER

POLITICS

LITERARY FICTION

SHORT STORIES

DOUG JOHNSTONE

GERRY HASSAN

MARGARET DRABBLE

VARIOUS AUTHORS

Crash Land (Faber & Faber) ●●●●●

Scotland The Bold (Freight) ●●●●●

Opening in Kirkwall airport just before Christmas, Crash Land plunges straight into the action. Art student Finn Sullivan meets enigmatic Maddie Pierce at the bar and their disastrous flight has massive consequences for the pair, as well as the Orkney community. With an underlying misogyny, Finn isn’t a likeable protagonist but he is so naive and ordinary that the downward spiral of his life is completely relatable. You have to fight the urge to look away as he’s drawn into a complex web of lies. While there is a real fear of the truth being exposed, there’s a lack of threat in sections of the novel. The ambiguous nature of some of the crimes creates suspense but the ultimate lack of revelation feels frustrating. The dramatic scenes are rich thriller material, tightly written with cinematic fight sequences where lives hang in the balance. The sparse Orkney landscape and tight-knit community lend a different dimension to the novel, depicting a land where the law seems to hold less weight and there is simultaneously nowhere to hide and space to disappear. (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Out now.

From its title, Gerry Hassan’s Scotland the Bold might recall the ‘wha’s like us’ rhetoric of romantic nationalists. His image of a bold Caledonia is more an aspiration than an affirmation, however. The author does not shy away from questioning the assumed progressiveness of the independence movement, and is particularly good on the often-unchecked nature of power and patronage in Scotland. Although Hassan’s take on culture is too broadly drawn, his willingness to challenge consensus across Scottish society is welcome. Although the book concludes with a loose manifesto written by a range of contributors, it is not a radical utopian polemic in the vein of Paul Mason’s Postcapitalism. Rather, it seeks to articulate a new kind of Scottish social democracy, one that goes beyond the SNP’s centrist managerialism, and what he sees, perhaps unfairly, as the ‘retropolitics’ of Corbynism. It would be good to see Hassan flesh out his proposals, but this is a timely and thoughtful overview of how Scotland got here and where it is going. (Stewart Smith) ■ Out Mon 14 Nov.

The Dark Flood Rises (Canongate) ●●●●●

How Much the Heart Can Hold (Sceptre) ●●●●●

Margaret Drabble’s latest book is a heartfelt rumination on the process of ageing and inevitability of death. Francesca, an ageing care home worker attending a conference in the Midlands. As she reflects on the imperfect nature of her marriage to husband Claude, and the essence of her work, the narrative drives home the emotional intensity dealing with your last years. Though Drabble’s writing is littered with good humour, there is a sadness to Francesca’s life which undercuts the warmth of memories, old friendships and the ever-present nature of the past. As the novel goes on, its narrative shifts between different characters. All of them are related in some way to Francesca, and each has their own cross to bear, be it a relationship that didn’t succeed or a chance that was never taken. In this novel, the dark flood is death itself, but trust Margaret Drabble to take even the most worrisome of topics and make it witty, relatable and, most importantly, readable. (Rebecca Monks) ■ Out now.

This collection of short stories is far from the mush-fest its title suggests. Instead, it’s a commendably varied series of commissions from publishers Sceptre, who are using How Much the Heart Can Hold as a platform for the Sceptre Short Story Competition (the winner gets a cash prize and their story published in the paperback edition). Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s opener ‘Before it Disappears’ is a stark, unromantic snapshot of a young marriage coming to its end, and Bernadine Evaristo’s ‘The Human World’ closes with an expansive, sad look at humanity’s ills. But its strongest entries are sandwiched in the middle. ‘Codas’ by Carys Bray (A Song for Issy Bradley, The Museum of You) is a deeply touching look at family love; ‘Magdala, Who Slips’ from Donal Ryan (The Spinning Heart) is a haunting take on obsession; and ‘White Wine’ by Nikesh Shukla is a wonderfully nuanced snapshot of a man watching his little sister wake up to the realities of racism in modern Britain. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Out now. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 81

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HITLIST

BOOK WEEK SCOTLAND Various venues, Scotland, Mon 21–Sun 27 Nov, scottishbooktrust.com/ book-week-scotland A packed programme of events, kids’ activities and a distribution of free books all combine to form a national celebration of reading. Author highlights include Jodi Picoult, Will Self and

Booker-nominated Graeme Macrae Burnet (pictured). See preview, page 80.

EDINBURGH COMIC ART FESTIVAL Summerhall, Edinburgh, Sat 26 & Sun 27 Nov, summerhall.co.uk A weekend of new authors, new comic books and new comic art talent. Londonbased illustrator and writer Isabel Greenberg is the guest of honour and hosts talks and workshops.

Exhibitors at the festival include Stephen Goodall, Aimee Lockwood, Ken McFarlane, Neil Scott, Waterstones, Edward Ross, Clare Forrest, Alan Henderson, BHP Comics, Panels Comics, Adam Murphy and many more. OUTSIDE-IN / INSIDE-OUT Various venues,

Glasgow, until Sun 20 Nov, outsidepoetryfestival. wordpress.com Poetry festival blending creative performance, visual arts and discussion. Outsidein / Inside-out aims to explore the margins of poetic activity as well as Scottish poetry’s connections with the international poetry scene.

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS Maggie O'Farrell

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW IAN RANKIN Waterstones Sauchiehall Street, Sat 12 Nov, waterstones.com Ian Rankin signs copies of his latest novel, Rather Be The Devil. It follows good old Rebus, who despite being retired, finds himself drawn into a cold case from the 1970s involving a female socialite.

THE APPIN MURDER AND OTHER CRIMES Scottish Storytelling Centre, Thu 10 Nov, tracscotland.org/scottishstorytelling-centre Readings by members and friends of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club focusing on crime in RLS’s novels Kidnapped and Jekyll & Hyde, his play Deacon Brodie, and various short stories.

MARK FROST: THE SECRET HISTORY OF TWIN PEAKS Glasgow Film Theatre, Tue 15 Nov, glasgowfilm.org Ahead of the intensely-anticipated return of Twin Peaks in 2017, series co-creator Mark Frost presents his new novel based on the events that have transpired in the intervening quarter of a century. SONNET YOUTH Drygate Brewery, Wed 16 Nov, drygate.com Monthly spoken word night on the third Wednesday of the month, with local talent, guest comedians and big name headliners. A BOOK WHICH CHANGED MY LIFE Glasgow Women’s Library, Fri 25 Nov, womenslibrary.org.uk A Book Which Changed my Life showcases books that have changed the lives of BME women across Scotland / Glasgow. Women are asked to choose a book which means something to them, and has impacted their reading journey. JODI PICOULT: SMALL GREAT THINGS Kelvingrove Art Museum & Gallery, Fri 25 Nov, glasgowlife.org.uk/ museums/kelvingrove The bestselling author signs copies of Small Great Things. When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by

JEFFREY ARCHER: THIS WAS A MAN Usher Hall, Wed 9 Nov, usherhall. co.uk An EIBF event chaired by Ruth Wishart, Jeffrey Archer launches the final book in his Clifton Chronicles series, This Was a Man.

EDINBURGH GOTHIC: A WIKIPEDIA EDITATHON FOR ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON DAY 2016 National Library of Scotland, Sat 12 Nov, nls.uk Help contribute to a greater understanding of Gothic with this Wikipedia editathon.

his father. Also Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sat 26 Nov, edtheatres. com SCI-FI / HORROR / FANTASY BOOK GROUP Waterstones Sauchiehall Street, Wed 30 Nov & Wed 28 Dec, waterstones.com Monthly book club for sci-fi, horror and fantasy lovers. SHARING STORIES Glasgow Women’s Library, Thu 1 Dec, womenslibrary.org.uk Reading session exploring writing, especially for women who love stories but who find reading hard.

EDINBURGH COLLECTIVE HUSH Scottish Poetry Library, weekly, Wednesdays, scottishpoetrylibrary. org.uk Drop-in reading and writing group, where you can study, write or read in perfect peace while having your lunch.

FREAK CIRCUS SHOWCASE The Bongo Club, Fri 4 Nov, thebongoclub.co.uk An evening of performance poetry and circusthemed antics, with Scottish Slam Champion Iona Lee, plus Jess Smith, Marianne MacRae and Belfast’s own Elizabeth McGeown; not to mention FREAK Circus regulars Alec Beattie, Tickle, Rebecca Monks, Suky Goodfellow and McCleary & Blair. LYCEUM VARIETY NIGHTS Royal Lyceum Theatre, Sun 6 Nov, lyceum.org.uk The Royal Lyceum Theatre and Flint & Pitch Productions team up for a series of variety nights featuring poets, musicians and theatre makers. Jenny Lindsay and Sian Bevan host spoken word artists Luke Wright and Rachel Amey, Mercury Prize-nominated musician Emma Pollock, Glasgow’s music hall troupe A New International and authors Christopher Brookmyre and Andrew Greig.

LISA MCINERNEY AND JENNI FAGAN Ghillie Dhu, Tue 22 Nov, ghilliedhu.co.uk Join self-titled ‘sweary lady’ Lisa McInerney and Jenni Fagan, also known by the moniker Dead Queen of Bohemia, in what is sure to be a fascinating discussion of writing, creativity and life in general. AN EVENING WITH MAGGIE O'FARRELL Central Library, Fri 25 Nov, 242 8000 Bestselling author Maggie O’Farrell chats about her seven books, including Instructions for a Heatwave (shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Novel Award) and her most recent hit, This Must Be the Place. EDINBURGH WOMEN'S BOOK CAFE Central Library, Wed 30 Nov & Wed 28 Dec, 242 8000 Bring along a bite of lunch and relax while you listen to readings from specially selected stories and powerful poetry from the GWL and Edinburgh Libraries collection.

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COMEDY

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THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW Sketch show queen prepares to tread the boards with pals and poise You have to feel a little sorry for those poor people who tentatively take their seats on the BBC Breakfast couch these days. The week after an editing mix-up left the image of a gorilla stomping all over a story about Nicola Sturgeon, Catherine Tate managed to keep her composure when interviewee Charlie Stayt got her stroppy teen character Lauren Cooper mixed up with Matt Lucas’ Vicky Pollard. Maybe Charlie’s just not a morning person, eh? Hopefully, Tate will be similarly unflappable as she launches herself into her first live run in over a decade, rolling out an estimated 18 different characters from her substantial repertoire (‘a lot of wigs’ as she remarked to a probably still-bemused Stayt). No doubt all the crowdpleasing favourites will be present and correct:

the foul-mouthed Nan, vulgar nurse Bernie and sponsorship-crazy Georgie for three, while she may (or may not) unleash a number of new creations upon her adoring public. While Tate will be joined on the boards by Mat Horne, Niky Wardley and Brett Goldstein (also the tour’s co-writer), there may still be some frantic moments ahead when one sketch makes way for another. In order to cover up all those quick-fire costume changes, Tate has worked with Nick ‘Grimmy’ Grimshaw on a selection of pre-recorded filler while she seamlessly gets back on stage and zones into the next character. But if the odd hitch arrives, we reckon Tate will be wholly unbovvered. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Edinburgh Playhouse, Mon 7 Nov; SECC, Glasgow, Tue 8 Nov.

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COMEDY | Previews STAND-UP

SEAN LOCK King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 25 Nov Being grumpy can be good for business. In stand-up comedy, this could almost be considered a prerequisite for the job and, as Sean Lock acknowledges, his ‘rehearsed moaning’ has served him well. Now he’s having a good old whinge at several subjects under the ironically titled umbrella of Keep it Light. First up, he can’t be doing with James Bond. ‘I find the very notion of him so ridiculous,’ Lock maintains. ‘This thought that one man can save the world is so childish; an inebriated nine-yearold would struggle to maintain plausibility in that idea. I’ll talk about immigration which is always fun because it’s an easy topic to get wrong. But I keep it light. I talk about isolation of the elderly in our society and how they can live out forgotten and anguished lives with barely even the flicker of recognition from their neighbours. But I’ll be keeping that light.’ Having cultivated a critically acclaimed comedy career which has been reaping box office rewards for over a decade now, Lock always makes it look fairly effortless on stage. But, believe him, none of this comes especially easy. ‘My major regret in life is not going to university, though not for the qualification I would have gained,’ he states. ‘People I know who went there have a working method where they sit down and get something done; they know how to start and get on with things. I will do anything to avoid getting on with stuff. I have one method and that’s blind panic, so I’ll sit down in my kitchen and suddenly get on with it. Maybe I just imagine it’s greener for other people.’ (Brian Donaldson) STAGE SHOW

TRAILER PARK BOYS Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sat 10 Dec In recent years, Canadian comedy series Trailer Park Boys has built itself quite the cult reputation on these shores. Now, Sunnyvale Trailer Park’s most infamous residents are set to descend on Glasgow for an evening of festive mayhem. In the charmingly titled Dear Santa Claus, Go F#ck Yourself tour, we find the terrible trio attempting to seek out fame, fortune and the real Father Christmas himself: to what ends, we shudder to think. Trailer Park Boys follows the exploits and misadventures of petty criminals Julian, Ricky and Bubbles as they try to eke out a pitiful existence on the proceeds of minor crime through a fug of dope and cheap booze. Their plans are regularly thwarted by the local authorities and their nemesis, the park’s alcoholic supervisor, Jim Lahey, along with his cheeseburger-worshipping lover, Randy. Starting out as a feature film in 1999 before transitioning to TV two years later, Mike Clattenburg’s bawdy comedy came to a natural end in 2008 with one-off special Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys. But popular comedies rarely stay dead and, as is the trend these days, it was brought back to life in 2014, courtesy of Netflix. The series is still going strong and about to enter its 11th season. Unlike most mockumentary comedies, Trailer Park Boys not only acknowledges the presence of the film crew but regularly involves them in key plot points, resulting in some unwitting production members being shot and tasered. So if you’re of a nervous disposition then it’s probably best to sit back from the front row. (Murray Robertson)

LOCAL LAUGHS GARY MEIKLE

GLASGOW’S RISING STAND-UP HAS A GO AT OUR Q&A What was the moment when you thought: ‘standup is for me’? I’ve always enjoyed comedy but rarely fantasised about being a comedian until I found myself stuck in a boring office job. I then discovered after six years of working with a computer that I had Microsoft Word: yup, I’m that much of a technophobe. I then started doodling with no intention of anything other than to fill my time but after a few pages of what must have been pretty shit anecdotes, I decided that what I had would be good for a comedian. After a few more weeks I thought, ‘sod it, I’ll try this myself’, applied for an open spot at the Halt Bar and that was it. Do you have any pre-show rituals? I only need five minutes of alone time, either pacing up and down or sitting with my head in my hands roughly going over

whatever I plan to talk about, which more often than not gets changed once I’m up there and in the moment. What do you remember about your very first stand-up gig? I remember being dressed up like a tit: I wore Bono glasses, shorts, baseball boots and a Freddy Krueger-style jumper as I thought I had to look funny too! Even thinking about that now gives me the willies. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another comedian? Best bit of advice, which has come from a few comedians, was simply to be myself, not worry about what other comedians are doing and just create my own path.

■ Gary Meikle is at The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 5–Sat 7 Jan. See more of this q&a at list.co.uk/comedy

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Previews | COMEDY

list.co.uk/comedy MY COMEDY HERO

GARY LITTLE Platform, Glasgow, Fri 18 Nov; The Stand, Edinburgh, Wed 30 Nov Chic Murray is one of my heroes of the comedy world. His surreal take on comedy was years ahead of anyone else. He was voted 38th in the Comedians’ Comedian poll in 2004, won by Peter Cook, but the sad thing is that not enough people know the true genius he was. Comedy can be of its time, but listening to his Long Nose Story now, it still sounds fresh and original. Today we have great one-line acts like Gary Delaney, Stewart Francis and Tim Vine, but Chic, with his delivery and timing, would definitely hold his own. Some of his one-liners were just brilliant and daft: ‘my parents never understood me . . . they were Japanese’; ‘I met this cowboy with a brown paper hat, paper waistcoat and paper trousers. He was wanted for rustling.’ I think people would be surprised at how many of Chic’s jokes have now crept into use, or been adapted by more famous comics. The big disappointment for me is that there isn’t a lot of footage of Chic live. There is some, but for someone who performed as long as he did, it’s not enough. Billy Connolly is another hero. It’s all been said before about him, but for me growing up, hearing this guy that just sounded like people I knew, telling stories about his pals and parties and other normal stuff: that was a first in the world of comedy. It showed me that you didn’t have to be able to tell a joke to make you funny: just getting up there and talking about things from your own life can get a laugh. I’m still getting up and trying. (As told to Brian Donaldson)

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COMEDY | Highlights

HITLIST

(times five). Also Òran Mór, Glasgow, Fri 25 Nov, oran-mor.co.uk

JAMES ACASTER: RESET The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Nov, thestand. co.uk Deadpan standup from the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee

SEAN LOCK: KEEP IT LIGHT King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 25 Nov, atgtickets. com/venues/kingstheatre The incorrigible grump presents a new live show. See preview, page 84.

NINA CONTI: IN YOUR FACE Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sun 20 Nov, edtheatres. com Improvised comic ventriloquism from Conti, who weaves humour and poignancy into her shows. Also King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 22 Nov, atgtickets.com/venues/ kings-theatre

JACK WHITEHALL AT LARGE Edinburgh Playhouse, Wed 11 & Thu 12 Jan, atgtickets.com/ Edinburgh Posh-voiced star of Fresh Meat and Bad Education indulges us in his second arena tour. See feature, page 61. Also Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Wed 1–Fri 3 Feb, secc.co.uk

NISH KUMAR: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, UNLESS YOU SHOUT THE WORDS REAL LOUD Òran Mór, Glasgow, Mon Jan 30, oran-mor.co.uk Intelligent fare from the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee (times two). Also The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue Jan 31, thestand. co.uk

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

Lucy Porter

THE CROFT & PEARCE SHOW The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 27 Nov, thestand.co.uk Well-structured sketch comedy from Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce.

GLASGOW GARY LITTLE: A LITTLE BIT OF PERSONAL Platform, Glasgow, Fri 18 Nov, platform-online.co.uk Quality storytelling stand-up from the very tall Mr Little. See My Comedy Hero, page 85. Also The Stand, Edinburgh, Wed 30 Nov, thestand.co.uk

ROSS NOBLE: BRAIN DUMP Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 4 Nov, atgtickets.com/venues/ theatre-royal-glasgow The wildhaired Geordie, prone to wondrous tangents and surreal interludes, wanders back out on tour with a brand new and heavily improvised show. JONATHAN PIE: LIVE! The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 6 Nov, thestand.co.uk The comic reveals (very angrily) the truth behind recent news events both home and abroad. PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 12 Nov, atgtickets.com/venues/ kings-theatre Puppetry of the Penis features two Australians who manipulate their genitals into various shapes, objects and landmarks. ED GAMBLE: STAMPEDE The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 13 Nov, thestand.co.uk Solo comedy from the 2014 Chortle Award winner and star of BBC America’s Almost Royal. Also The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Nov, thestand.co.uk 25 YEARS OF REEVES & MORTIMER:THE POIGNANT MOMENTS SECC, Glasgow, Tue 29 Nov, secc.co.uk The duo celebrate a quarter century of making yout lot laugh with a tour that most likely will take in their best work from The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars and House of Fools. TRAILER PARK BOYS LIVE Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sat 10 Dec, atgtickets.com/venues/ theatre-royal-glasgow The lads have left Sunnyvale Trailer Park to

take their drunken antics on the road. See preview, page 84.

EDINBURGH TEDINBURGH Malone’s Irish Bar, Edinburgh, Fri 4 Nov, malonesedinburgh.com A celebration of Father Ted, with the mind of a festival but the body of a night in the pub. Featuring special guests Michael Redmond and Tony Guilfoyle (aka Father Stone and Father Larry Duff), there are fun activities such as the Pat Mustard’s Milk Float, Telephone Confession Box and Ireland’s Largest Lingerie Section. All proceeds go to Edinburgh Sick Kids. MATT FORDE: IT’S MY POLITICAL PARTY (AND I’LL CRY IF I WANT TO) The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 6 Nov, thestand.co.uk Political jokes (which, to be fair, seem pretty bountiful these days) from Forde, a former adviser to New Labour. CATHERINE TATE SHOW LIVE Edinburgh Playhouse, Mon 7 Nov, atgtickets.com/Edinburgh Comedian and actor Catherine Tate takes her popular BBC sketch show on the road

featuring new sketches and platforming old characters including Nan Taylor, Geordie Georgie, vulgar nurse Bernie, and Lauren ‘Am I Bovvered?’ Cooper. See preview, page 83. Also SECC, Glasgow, Tue 8 Nov, secc.co.uk ZOE LYONS: LITTLE MISFIT The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 20 Nov, thestand.co.uk Razor-sharp wit and incisive, offbeat gags from the awardwinning stand-up. Also The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 21 Nov, thestand. co.uk LUCY PORTER: CONSEQUENCES The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 22 Nov, thestand.co.uk A brand spanking new show of heartfelt personal revelations and incisive cultural observations from Dame Lucy P. Also The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 23 Nov, thestand. co.uk GRIFF RHYS JONES: JONES & SMITH EICC, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Nov, eicc. co.uk The former Not the Nine O’Clock News comedian recalls his old pal and partner Mel Smith in a show containing stories, anecdotes, reminiscences and half-remembered events. See First & Last, page 128.

DANIEL SLOSS: SO? The Brunton, Musselburgh, Fri 2 Dec, thebrunton.co.uk The Fife comedian who’s getting ever more popular in the US of America presents his latest show. Also Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 3 Dec, glasgowconcerthalls.com

DUNFERMLINE JOSH WIDDICOMBE: WHAT DO I DO NOW? Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Mon 7 Nov, alhambradunfermline. com A new show from Widdicombe, who has been so busy doing everything else (appearing on TV, radio and writing / starring in his own sitcom) that we’re surprised he’s found the time to pen a whole new stand-up tour. Also King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 8 Nov, atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre JASON BYRNE IS PROPPED UP Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Thu 17 Nov, alhambradunfermline. com Jason brings back prop comedy in a way that’ll make you happy. ROMESH RANGANATHAN: IRRATIONAL Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Tue 6 Dec, alhambradunfermline. com In his latest show, Ranganathan explores the rationality of his worldview and explains why it’s everyone else who is just plain wrong. Also Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Wed 7 Dec, atgtickets. com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

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FILM

Fo the latestr n listings a ews, reviews, g nd o list.co.uk to /film

ALL NIGHT HORROR MADNESS The Fly, Day of the Dead, Miracle Mile and more to screen at nocturnal scare-fest ‘It’s definitely something everyone should do at least once,’ says Matt Palmer, the deranged mastermind of All Night Horror Madness. As the name suggests, it’s a nocturnal marathon of movie mayhem: five horror films screened back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back. ‘When we started this we never really thought it would go past just one event, but the hunger for it just seems to have increased, which is fantastic,’ says Palmer. It’s a hunger that, sadly, has outpaced the supply of suitable material – in a recent Facebook post, Palmer announced that ANHM would

now only host one lineup a year instead of two, citing the dwindling number of truly great horrors as the main reason for winding down. ‘There’s a lot of fantastic horror movies out there but I think it’s a much tougher ask in the context of an all-night event,’ Palmer explains. ‘If you play something at 5.30am that doesn’t immediately grab people you can feel the audience quickly getting agitated and bored. The stuff we pick for ANHM generally has a real tightness and pace about it, usually some level of dementedness, and very often a dose of genuine humour.’

For ANHM’s December edition, that means screenings of mental 80s slasher Happy Birthday to Me, genre hybrid Miracle Mile and George Romero’s Day of the Dead (all screening from 35mm prints), plus David Cronenberg’s The Fly (pictured) and a surprise movie that Palmer says will ‘totally melt people’s minds’. Oh, and Palmer’s ‘totally unrock ‘n’ roll secret tip’ for staying awake? ‘Bring a good supply of apples!’ (Niki Boyle) ■ Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Dec; Grosvenor Cinema, Glasgow, Sat 10 Dec.

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FILM | Reviews

BIOPIC – ROMANCE

A UNITED KINGDOM (12A) 111min ●●●●●

SCI-FI

ARRIVAL (12A) 116min ●●●●● Fast establishing himself as one of today’s most exciting filmmakers, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve follows up last year’s frenetic drugs thriller Sicario with an astonishing slice of science fiction. In adapting ‘Story of Your Life’ by Ted Chiang, screenwriter Eric Heisserer filters sweeping themes through the intimate experiences of reserved linguistics expert Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams). Recruited by the military to communicate with extraterrestrials after 12 pod-like spaceships land on Earth, Louise discovers some existential truths that will reshape the future for humankind. Adams is mesmerising in the central role; brave, vulnerable and fallible, Louise remains resoundingly human rather than bluntly heroic as she faces the most extraordinary of circumstances. And the film’s technical aspects combine to augment her story, rather than overwhelm it with genre bombast. The effects are impressive but restrained, while Bradford Young’s disorienting camerawork and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s scant, other-worldly score convey the enormity of the situation. Arrival audaciously plays with our expectations of cinematic narrative: language and time are gloriously non-linear and Louise’s personal flashbacks take on an increasing significance, not fully realised until the final, poignant moments. The real pleasure, however, is the way in which it turns its gaze inwards. In enabling us to look at ourselves through extraterrestrial eyes, Arrival celebrates the very best traits of humanity – our communication, our thirst for knowledge, our ability to make meaningful connections – and encourages us to confront life’s biggest questions. This is filmmaking at its most powerful and profound. (Nikki Baughan) ■ General release from Thu 10 Nov.

The third feature from Amma Asante revisits a true-life romance that had sweeping global repercussions. Like her previous film Belle, it combines the personal and political and, although it feels more simplistic, includes a number of crowd-pleasing moments that make it hard to resist. In post-war London, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) attends a dance where she meets black law student Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo). Their attraction blossoms into something deeper and they decide to marry. The union faces all the prejudices of the era, but is all the more significant because Seretse is heir to the throne of Bechuanaland (today’s Botswana). The British government is firmly opposed to a marriage that will be seen as an act of provocation to a South Africa on the eve of introducing apartheid. The film is fuelled by a righteous anger the viewer is encouraged to share; you are left asking, ‘Why is this story not better known?’ Asante brings out the best in her actors, with a luminous Pike capturing the steely fortitude of Ruth and sharing joyful chemistry with Oyelowo. Together they bring a warm human touch to this sentimental and well-crafted history lesson. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 25 Nov.

COMEDY DRAMA

PATERSON (TBC) 113min ●●●●●

DRAMA

AMERICAN PASTORAL (15) 108min ●●●●● Ewan McGregor makes his directorial debut with this ambitious attempt to bring Philip Roth’s novel to the big screen. McGregor and writer John Romano distil Roth’s intricate, decades-spanning book so that the film largely takes place in the 1960s, which is where we encounter Seymour ‘Swede’ Levov and his family. As played by McGregor himself, Swede is a decent man and a good father to his daughter Merry, who is afflicted with a terrible stutter. By the time Dakota Fanning takes over the role, Merry has become radicalised. Set against the backdrop of the Newark riots, McGregor plunges the viewer into a world that still feels relevant today. When a bomb goes off in the local post office, Merry is suspected and the devastated Swede is determined to find her. McGregor directs with clarity and composure, eliciting fine performances from his cast (particularly Fanning and Valorie Curry, as Merry’s provocative companion) and turning in fine work himself, as he conveys the heartache being a parent can bring. The complexity of Roth’s prose may be gone but McGregor’s assurance behind the camera, his willingness to take risks and his ability to capture nuance serve him well. A noteworthy debut. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 11 Nov.

Jim Jarmusch’s latest film recalls some of his best work as, once again, the American indie maestro presents a unique and intricately crafted world. We meet unassuming bus driver Paterson (Adam Driver) – a resident of Paterson, New Jersey – as he lies in bed beside his partner Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). Jarmusch observes their interactions with a curious gaze over the course of a single week. Paterson is resigned to routine, and Laura spends most of her time alone – decorating the house in monochrome prints, baking cupcakes and indulging her wild fantasy of becoming a country singer. You get the impression that her husband loves her obsessive ways but is, at times, a little overwhelmed by it all, and Driver superbly conveys this with restrained charm. Paterson is also a poet and his poems appear as text on screen (they were written for the film by Ron Padgett); he stores his creations in a secret notebook, which he refuses to duplicate. Jarmusch skilfully draws a line between past and present, popular culture and the outré, with the couple representing opposite sides of the coin. They sleep contently side by side, but there is a strange disconnect in their waking lives. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ Selected release from Fri 25 Nov.

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Reviews | FILM

list.co.uk/ﬁlm

ROMANTIC DRAMA

THRILLER

DRAMA

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

THE ACCOUNTANT

INDIGNATION

(12A) 133min ●●●●●

(15) 128min ●●●●●

(15) 111min ●●●●●

Twelve years after his feature debut Brother Tied, writer-director Derek Cianfrance re-emerged with 2010’s sublime anti-romance Blue Valentine, following it with the visceral The Place Beyond the Pines. While those films established him as a filmmaker of raw talent, his fourth is a more disappointingly conventional affair. An adaptation of ML Stedman’s novel, it tells of a lighthouse keeper and his wife living on a remote Antipodean island after World War I. When a baby and a dead man wash ashore in a rowboat, they decide to raise the infant as their own. It’s heavy stuff but Cianfrance seems to have buckled under the weight of the material. While both Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are solid as the island-dwellers – his Tom a former soldier clearly suffering from PTSD, her Isabel a life-affirming free spirit who opens his heart – and Rachel Weisz is excellent as a bereaved mother adrift in her grief, the film is plodding and overbearingly emotionally manipulative. The relentless melodrama drowns out the intrigue of the ethical dilemma and, despite the talent involved, The Light Between Oceans is mawkish when it should be moving. (Nikki Baughan) ■ General release from Tue 1 Nov.

The Accountant may sound like a John Grisham potboiler but the reality is a muddled hybrid of pulpy vigilante thriller, half-hearted romance and comic book violence. There are clever touches and effective moments but Gavin O’Connor’s film never gels into a coherent or believable whole. Ben Affleck is Christian Wolff, a high-functioning autistic accountant who works for some of the most dangerous organisations on the planet. He is a combination of Rain Man and James Bond with the social graces of Schwarzenegger’s cyborg in The Terminator. Hired to audit the figures for a robotics company, he uncovers corporate skulduggery and makes a rare connection with fellow numbers geek Dana (Anna Kendrick), while Agent Ray King (JK Simmons) is on Christian’s trail, trying to figure out whether he is a hero or a villain. The Accountant is top heavy with plot, backstory and flashbacks. At times it feels like an endless daisy chain of exposition, and a whopping coincidence strains credibility to breaking point. The end result has the loose ends of a superhero origins film, with the promise of more to come. It’s a very strange film that just doesn’t add up. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 4 Nov.

Transferring the work of Philip Roth to the big screen has proved tricky, with adaptations struggling to capture his mordant intelligence. Debut director James Schamus is famous for writing and producing much of Ang Lee’s canon, and his take on Indignation is an effective portrayal of idealism in conflict with authority. Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) enrolls in a liberal Ohio college in 1951. There he meets Olivia (Sarah Gadon), a woman whose advances both attract and guilt-trip him. Pressure reaches Marcus through his mother and the attentions of Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts) who questions his religious beliefs and motivations for skipping class. Indignation is fierce in its sense of a young man seeking to understand the world. Lerman, recognisable from the Percy Jackson films, graduates to genuine dramatic heights, supported by Letts, who wrings intensity out of his long confrontation with Marcus. This is a deliberately low-key drama, and the refinement of Schamus’s storytelling is up to the task of evoking the novel’s honest, yet complex notions, making this the best Roth adaptation in decades. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 18 Nov.

THRILLER

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (15) 117min ●●●●● Probing, sinister and seductive, Nocturnal Animals is the second feature from fashion designer Tom Ford and this sleek beast marks a bold step forward in his evolution as a filmmaker. Amy Adams plays Susan, a wildly successful gallery owner living a superficially perfect LA life but suffering from a bad case of ennui. Susan is delivered a shot of adrenalin when she’s sent the manuscript of a book by her ex Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), a man she hasn’t seen for two decades. As she devours it, we watch the narrative unfold alongside Susan’s own story. The novel in question is the titular Nocturnal Animals, a terrifying thriller which finds an everyman called Tony (also played by Gyllenhaal) plunged into a nightmare when his wife and daughter are kidnapped. In its violence and real-life parallels, the book appears to be a cruel rebuke, and yet it awakens Susan from her slumber and she begins to contemplate where the relationship went wrong. Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, the screenplay has been crafted by Ford himself. It’s ravishingly shot and superbly performed, and if the satire of lives-less-ordinary feels familiar then the intertwining of this and a Last House on the Left style revenge plot betrays ambition. Moreover, it’s executed with real panache as the stories switch and bleed masterfully, with the sterility of Susan’s urban environs and the heart-racing horror of Tony’s desert-set tale a satisfying contrast. Nocturnal Animals is tense, intriguing and just the right amount of strange. It’s a movie that explores the invigorating, engrossing impact of fiction – a beguiling creation that shows, appropriately enough, the way a great story can get right under the skin. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 4 Nov. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 89

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FILM | Reviews

BIOPIC – SPORTS

BLEED FOR THIS (15) 117min ●●●●●

MUSICAL

LA LA LAND (12A) 128min ●●●●● Anyone who has ever splashed through puddles in tribute to Gene Kelly or sighed with blissful contentment at Funny Face will adore La La Land. Writer-director Damien Chazelle’s intoxicating homage to the classic musicals of Hollywood’s Golden Age is a technical marvel and a joyous experience that you will want to revisit immediately after watching it for the very first time. Chazelle’s follow-up to Whiplash emphatically underlines his mastery of filmmaking as it evokes the scope, dazzling colours and larger-than-life emotions of an MGM crowd-pleaser. The all-singing, all-dancing opening number staged in a traffic jam on a motorway is an immediate marker of Chazelle’s audacious inventiveness, and a sign of what lies in store. An adorable Emma Stone plays Mia, a waitress on the Warner Bros lot and an aspiring actress, enduring the humiliation of countless futile auditions. Ryan Gosling’s dapper Sebastian is a musician and jazz fanatic, determined to open his own nightclub. Drawn together by fate, their tentative, bittersweet romance blossoms through disappointments and triumph, unfolding in a gorgeous, fairytale vision of Los Angeles that takes the breath away. This is a film in thrall to Vincente Minnelli and Jacques Demy, the feather-light elegance of Fred Astaire and the heartbreak of Judy Garland. The cast rise to the occasion. Gosling is a goofy, idealistic charmer and Stone shows all the versatility, vulnerability and blazing talent of a young Shirley MacLaine as she sings, dances and steals your heart. Start engraving that Best Actress Oscar with her name right now. La La Land is an irresistible, big-hearted valentine to starry-eyed dreamers and the enduring magic of the movies. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 13 Jan.

Miles Teller stars in a workmanlike boxing and redemption drama based on the story of Vinny Pazienza – known as Vinny Paz – a poor, exploited kid from Rhode Island who overcame many travails to become a champion, suffered a devastating tragedy and fought another kind of battle to reclaim his life. Ciarán Hinds and Aaron Eckhart co-star, respectively, as Vinny’s domineering father and his trainer, who helped him make perhaps the most remarkable comeback in boxing history. Writer-director Ben Younger (Boiler Room), whose first feature this is in over a decade, no doubt found Pazienza’s story catnip. Yet the film never emulates its protagonist by punching above its weight and is reminiscent of so many other and better boxing movies, fictitious or factual. Teller is hot stuff now, but he isn’t Robert De Niro, not yet. He does a committed impersonation of Paz but the guy is a stubborn, obnoxious ass. We are supposed to admire his grit, be inspired by his refusal to give up and exult in his triumph against all odds. But there’s little warmth, humour, poignance or charm about him so it’s hard to care much when he climbs into the ring, especially when we already know he’s going to win. (Angie Errigo) ■ General release from Fri 2 Dec.

DRAMA

THE UNKNOWN GIRL (TBC) 113min ●●●●●

BIOPIC – DRAMA

SULLY (12A) 96min ●●●●● Regularly hailed as an actor’s director, Clint Eastwood brings a craftsman’s touch to the true story of the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’. Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger became an instant American icon when he landed a passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009 after a bird strike knocked out two engines. The film begins after the event, forcing the audience to experience with Sully (Tom Hanks) how the crash is replayed inside his head and during investigative hearings. The preoccupation with his internal trauma makes a simple point: human beings are not machines. ‘Life is not a video game,’ exclaims one character as the crash simulations are examined, and the crux of this telling is that Sully’s response was the best possible one in the circumstances. Aaron Eckhart provides strong support as Sully’s co-pilot, but the film belongs to an understated Hanks, and Eastwood, who skillfully balances hard-fact re-enactments of the crash and aftermath with haunting visual evocations of Sully’s alienation amid a growing media circus. His heroics made for a great news story and, in the capable hands of director and star, they are the foundations for a riveting, cinematic drama. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 2 Dec.

In the latest Dardenne brothers film, Jenny Davin is not just a doctor, she is a saint. She is a kindly GP whose compassion goes above and beyond the call of duty. Adèle Haenel’s performance is all brisk professionalism and decisiveness, conveying a woman who has little cause to question herself or her actions. That sense of certainty starts to crumble one evening at work. The buzzer sounds but it is after hours and, pressed for time and weary, Jenny decides not to answer. The next day she learns that a young black woman has been found dead nearby. Her last, frantic act was to press that buzzer. Jenny remains haunted by what might have been and comes over all Jessica Fletcher in an attempt to discover who this girl was. The more the Dardennes stray from the intense, social realist tales that made their reputation the less confident they seem to have become. However, the story of one foreign woman’s life and death has a much wider resonance in a Europe that has become home to thousands of refugees. The Unknown Girl implicitly demands that we consider the importance of every individual life. It is a worthy lesson that struggles to shine through an often laboured, predictable narrative. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 2 Dec.

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Reviews | FILM

list.co.uk/ﬁlm

MUSICAL

BIOPIC – DRAMA

FANTASY

CHI-RAQ

THE BIRTH OF A NATION

A MONSTER CALLS

(15) 127min ●●●●●

(15) 120min ●●●●●

(12A) 108min ●●●●●

Spike Lee’s latest joint is a bold and passionate hiphop musical and update of Greek play Lysistrata set in the Windy City. Teyonah Parris (Dear White People) lights up the screen as Lysistrata, a woman who formulates a plan to end gang wars by persuading her female cohorts to withhold sex from their boyfriends and husbands. Samuel L Jackson brings the noise, parading around in sharp suits as one-man chorus and narrator Dolmedes, and Angela Bassett injects real pathos as Miss Helen, a woman at her wits’ end who is sick to death of all the bloodshed. Lee’s frustration at wilful ignorance and political corruption explodes through his characters. Swathes of purple light and exquisite synchronised dancing dazzle in a powerful concert scene that begins joyfully and ends in a shooting. That dark, pulsing energy recurs throughout the film but it also sways through many different emotions, such as anger and overwhelming sadness. These tonal shifts are not necessarily eased into with enough grace, yet Lee always manages to bring it back with vibrant imagery and slick rhymes that are both poetic and rousing. Packed full of heady ideas, this is a vigorous and provocative piece of work. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 2 Dec.

Smartly repurposing the title of DW Griffith’s epic, which featured a heroic depiction of the Ku Klux Klan, this biopic of Nat Turner – written, directed by and starring Nate Parker – gives us true heroism, as Turner inspires a slave rebellion. Nat grows up to be a preacher and is loaned out by his master (Armie Hammer) to landowners who make him recite passages from the Bible encouraging slaves to submit. Haunted by what he witnesses, Nat plots a daring uprising. When The Birth of a Nation premiered at Sundance it provoked a bidding war and entered the Oscars conversation. Since then, its creator has become mired in controversy but his film deserves to be seen. It’s appropriately angry, with a strong spiritual dimension and bags of visual drama. Comparisons with 12 Years a Slave are inevitable, yet it lacks that film’s finesse and universally powerful performances. Nevertheless, this is dynamic filmmaking whose story finds modern resonance in the Black Lives Matter movement. As Nat wages a war we know to be unwinnable, the film celebrates his actions, which sadly result in only the briefest taste of freedom. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 9 Dec.

Childhood can be traumatic enough without the added nightmares suffered by 12-year-old Conor O’Malley in the screen version of the Patrick Ness gothic fable. His mother (Felicity Jones) is battling cancer, his father (Toby Kebbell) has a new life that seems unlikely to involve Conor, he is bullied at school and his no-nonsense grandma (Sigourney Weaver) hardly oozes sympathy and support. Spanish director JA Bayona (The Orphanage) overdoes the visual fireworks, animated sequences and thunderous sound design of a film that works best when quietly addressing the torments faced by Conor, played by dynamic Scots youngster Lewis MacDougall. His fears are so vivid he brings to life a giant, tree-shaped monster with the commanding presence and booming voice of Liam Neeson. This is a coming-of-age tearjerker wrapped inside a web of fantasy and magic. There are echoes of Pete’s Dragon and The BFG in the notion of a child and his unusual friend, but the story is slender. In the end, it is the performances that matter most, with Jones on poignant form as the dying mother and MacDougall impressing as an adolescent embarking on the long, tough journey towards adulthood. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 6 Jan.

DRAMA

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (TBC) 135min ●●●●● In pleasing contrast to his superstar, superhero brother Ben, Casey Affleck has cultivated a discreetly impressive career, often assuming the guise of the quiet man. Manchester by the Sea sees him do just that as he teams up with Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me, Margaret), a writer-director who suits Affleck Junior to a T with his blend of high drama, quirky characterisations and incidental detail. The humdrum gets an infusion of grandeur as we’re introduced to two contrasting incarnations of Lee Chandler (Affleck), separated by about a decade and an earth-shattering event. There’s the carefree small-town character whose life is chaotic but enviably full, and the lonely handyman working in Boston. When his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) passes away, Lee is tasked with the guardianship of Joe’s teenage son Patrick (Lucas Hedges), and returns home to make the necessary arrangements. This unshowy but relentlessly riveting film is anchored by Affleck’s soulful, heartbreaking turn as a man hollowed-out by tragedy. The revelation, when it comes at the midway point, rips through proceedings like a tornado, saturating all that follows with sadness. But, after rocking us to the core, Manchester by the Sea re-finds its rhythm in the bickering and borderline farce of Lee’s tumultuous relationship with his newly acquired charge, who also happens to be an unlikely lothario, placing benign humour and catastrophic loss side by side in a way that’s masterfully managed and entirely consistent with life. It is a film that emphatically deserves to be in the mix come awards time, from a director who knows that you don’t need fast-paced action, or expensive tricks to conjure truly spectacular cinema. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 13 Jan. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 91

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Highlights | FILM

HITLIST

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS General release from Fri 4 Nov Susan (Amy Adams) is a successful but bored LA gallery owner who is sent the titular manuscript of a book by her ex-husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) in this ambitious and ravishingly-shot movie from director Tom Ford. See review, page 89.

A UNITED KINGDOM General release from Fri 25 Nov In post-war London, Ruth (Rosamund Pike) and law student Seretse (David Oyelowo) fall in love: the thing is, he’s first in line to the throne of Bechuanaland (today’s Botswana). Based on a true story. See feature, page 56, and review, page 88.

ALL NIGHT HORROR MADNESS Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Dec; Grosvenor Cinema, Glasgow, Sat 10 Dec Back-to-back screenings featuring blood, guts and other assorted nasties. See preview, page 87.

Fri 13 Jan In Los Angeles, aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) falls for jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). An audaciously inventive homage to classic movie musicals, technically wonderful and joyously emotional. See review, page 90.

LA LA LAND General release from

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

General release from Fri 13 Jan Lee (Casey Affleck) is a carefree small-town guy who, when his brother dies, is given the job of raising his nephew (Lucas Hedges). A masterful blend of high drama, quirky characterisations and incidental detail, with a soulful turn by Affleck. See review, page 91.

FILM HIGHLIGHTS Chicago by persuading her female cohorts to withhold sex from their boyfriends and husbands. See review, page 91.

16 YEARS TILL SUMMER Glasgow Film Theatre, Wed 30 Nov & Thu 1 Dec A man tries to rebuild his life upon returning to his village in the Scottish Highlands following 16 years in prison.

SNOWDEN General release from Fri 2 Dec Biopic of Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS On general release now On a remote Australian island in the years following WWI, lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and his wife Isabel (Alicia Vikander), discover a boat washed ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month-old baby. See review, page 89. THE DARKEST UNIVERSE Selected release from Fri 4 Nov Follow-up to Black Pond, which sees world-weary banker Zac searching for his missing eccentric sister Alice. See feature, page 58. YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED TOO General release from Fri 4 Nov A timely film exploring the confrontation between a feisty 92-year-old Scottish widow and her family, and a billionaire trying to become the most powerful man in the world. ARRIVAL General release from Thu 10 Nov Powerful, intelligent and profound sci-fi starring Amy Adams. See review, page 88.

SULLY General release from Fri 2 Dec Tom Hanks stars in the story of Chesley Sullenberger, an American pilot who became a hero after landing his powerless passenger plane on the Hudson River. See review, page 90.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise, featuring full-scale historical recreations of episodes from the French military legend’s personal and political life. FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM General release from Fri 18 Nov A spin-off from the Harry Potter series, this is the story of Newt Scamander, a ‘magizoologist’ dedicated to the search for magical creatures.

AMERICAN PASTORAL General release from Fri 11 Nov Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, based on Philip Roth’s 1997 novel. See review, page 88.

INDIGNATION Selected release from Fri 18 Nov Another Philip Roth adaptation, this time from director James Schamus and starring Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) and Sarah Gadon (11.22.63). See review, page 89.

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 13 Nov; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Nov Documentary (with some reenacted footage) of the British army’s participation in the Battle of the Somme during WWI. See Realist, page 7.

ALLIED General release from Fri 25 Nov In 1942, an intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Robert Zemeckis directs Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt.

NAPOLEON Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Nov Abel Gance’s heroic depiction of

FOKUS: FILMS FROM GERMANY Various venues around Scotland, Fri 25 Nov–Thu 1 Dec A Scotland-

wide event showcasing innovative, inspiring and challenging films from Germany. PATERSON General release from Fri 25 Nov In Jim Jarmusch’s latest, Paterson (Adam Driver) is a bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey (confusing, isn’t it?) who lives with his partner Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). See review, page 88. HOLLYWOOD DREAMS OF SCOTLAND Mackintosh Queen’s Cross, Glasgow, Sat 26 Nov Screenings of Hollywood films that portray Scotland in the best light. Featuring Annie Laurie, Brave and Highlander.

THE UNKNOWN GIRL Selected release from Fri 2 Dec After a rare moment of carelessness, GP Jenny (Adèle Haenel) is compelled to investigate the death of a young black woman. See review, page 90. BFI BLACK STAR Various venues, Glasgow and Edinburgh, until Thu 8 Dec The UK’s biggest-ever season of film and TV dedicated to celebrating black actors includes screenings of Akeelah and the Bee, Boyz n the Hood and The Color Purple. ROGUE ONE General release from Fri 16 Dec The first in a series of Star Wars spin-offs. This one focuses on the Rebels’ mission to retrieve plans for the dreaded Death Star.

BLEED FOR THIS General release from Fri 2 Dec The story of Vinny ‘The Pazmanian Devil’ Pazienza, a five-time boxing world champion who broke his neck at the peak of his career. See review, page 90.

PASSENGERS General release from Fri 23 Dec A spacecraft transporting people to a distant colony planet has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. Two passengers – played by Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, no less – are awakened 90 years early.

CHI-RAQ General release from Fri 2 Dec In Spike Lee’s bold and passionate hiphop musical, Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) formulates a plan to end gang war in

ASSASSIN’S CREED General release from Fri 30 Dec Based on the popular videogame series, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 93

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KIDS

Fo the latestr n listings a ews, reviews, g nd o list.co.uk to /kids

SPROGMANAY A new kids’ programme is conceived for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Could Sprogmanay be the best name for an event ever? As the capital limbers up for another New Year onslaught of activities, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has expanded its array of kid-centred goings-on to cover the festival’s three days. ‘Following on from the success of last year’s Wee Scot:Lands, we were keen to offer family events across Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and to get those events to mirror those in the adult programme,’ notes Amy Shirlaw, the programme and marketing manager at Unique Events. ‘We’ve now included lantern processions, Sprogrock concerts and a family ceilidh, while Wee Scot:Lands will be back for New Year’s Day followed by our closing ceilidh at the National Museum of Scotland.’ For this year, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has worked closely with other city festivals, including the Edinburgh International Science Festival, Imaginate and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, in order to expand Sprogmanay’s reach. ‘They have all been incredibly

supportive in helping us find the right elements to programme for Sprogmanay,’ says Shirlaw. ‘Plus, the National Museum of Scotland is a stunning venue and all its galleries are already packed with fascinating exhibits, so finding space to programme Sprogmanay events that complement their existing offering has been quite challenging.’ Among the delights ahead for little ones are the indoor Lantern Processions, Dazzle Ship workshops in collaboration with Edinburgh Art Festival, and Andy Cannon’s Tales of a Grandson (pictured). ‘We’re delighted to have a three-day offering for families with children who are too young to attend some of the outdoor events,’ adds Shirlaw. ‘It’s always a challenge to programme Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, and to keep it fresh and interesting for all ages. By introducing Sprogmanay, I think we’ve raised the bar again.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Fri 30 Dec–Sun 1 Jan.

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PHOTO: BRIAN HARTLEY

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Previews | KIDS

list.co.uk/kids PLAY

BLACK BEAUTY Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 2–Sat 24 Dec It’s almost 140 years since Anna Sewell first introduced Black Beauty to the world. Since then, the horse has become possibly the most famous equine character of all time. For theatre designer Shona Reppe, who readily admits to being ‘pony mad’ as a child, working on a new stage version of Sewell’s tale has been a labour of love. ‘I was brought up with the 1970s TV series, and its distinctive theme tune and galloping credits – I loved it!’ she recalls. ‘The book I came to more recently, and it’s an epic read. Sewell tells the story from the horse’s perspective and it highlights animal cruelty in a time when animals were treated as machines. ‘We’ve obviously edited it to allow for a lot of Christmas fun, but the original story will still be honoured. It’s a great adventure, with twists and turns and lots of trotting and cantering.’ Well-loved for her own shows, plus design work on Huff and White, Reppe is joined on the production by performers Andy Cannon and Andy Manley, both giants of the Scottish children’s theatre circuit. Together, the trio make a Christmas show dream team. ‘I’ve worked with both Andys before and love their work,’ says Reppe. ‘It’s a joy to work with friends you respect and have fun with. Our plan is to capture all the fun and magic of a panto, in a Christmas show that isn’t a panto. You don’t need to know the story to enjoy it, but you’ll know it by the time you leave. Oh no you won’t – oh yes you will!’ (Kelly Apter)

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KIDS | Previews PLAY

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 20 & Mon 21 Nov ‘Growing up it always irritated me that children’s theatre is considered second-rate compared to adults,’ so I made a very conscious decision to bring a grand children’s show to the stage,’ says director Jonathan Rockefeller of his new stage adaptation of American illustrator Eric Carle’s famed children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In many ways the book is a strange choice for the stage, given that the narrative is so slight; it tells simply of a caterpillar who gorges on food as it prepares for its butterfly transformation. Yet its popularity is inescapable. First published in 1969, the multiaward-winning book has been translated into 62 languages and sold 41 million copies. The problem is partly solved by Rockefeller's decision to make use of four of Carle’s books in the production, but for the most part it’s the scale that matters. Seventy-five puppets are used during the course of the show, including tiny fireflies which illuminate the stage and the climactic butterfly, with a wingspan of 12 feet. Premiered in Australia in 2015, the show has been seen in America and apparently attracted the families of Chelsea Clinton, Emily Blunt and Neil Patrick Harris. ‘It brings a healthy dose of nostalgia to the parents, and we’ve had our fair share of tears of joy,’ says Rockefeller, ‘but for the children, it will inspire them to read, paint and get creative.’ Perhaps most importantly, Carle himself was involved in the show’s conception. ‘We had many conversations,’ says Rockefeller, ‘and he and his team were closely involved in ensuring our puppets look like they literally walked off the page of an Eric Carle book. ‘But the greatest joy was seeing his reaction when he watched the show – it was a very emotional response, with his life’s work accumulating in front of him on the stage.’ (David Pollock)

PLAY

WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 20 & Sat 21 Jan Although Michael Rosen boasts a wide and distinguished portfolio career, from broadcasting to political activism, it’s as a poet and author for children that he’s most well-known. The Children‘s Laureate from 2007–2009, his career has spanned the 1974 poetry book Mind Your Own Business to his acclaimed 2004 picture book with Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, about the death of his son. Yet his most widely read work remains We’re Going On a Bear Hunt, which won the Smarties Book Prize when it was published in 1989. Adapted from an old folk song, the story benefitted from the watercolour visuals of Helen Oxenbury – which Rosen admits made the story. While he wrote the rhythmic, song-like words to the bear-hunting trek through ‘swishy’ grass and ‘squelchy’ mud, it was Oxenbury who imagined the hunt being undertaken by an adventurous family, and the bear as a tragic creature saddened when they run away. This stage adaptation – a new version of the West End show – promises something messy and fun, with a live score from Benji Bower. ‘It’s a lovely piece of simple poetry, and it visits so many interesting environments,’ says adapter and director Sally Cookson. ‘I want to add as little as possible to the words, because what I love is the simplicity of the piece.’ (David Pollock) ARENA SHOW

MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Wed 4–Sun 8 Jan Marvel has hijacked pop culture. After the films, comics, TV shows and toys, now fans can step into the pages of its comic book adventures as Marvel Universe Live! delivers a huge live action spectacular packed with martial arts, motorbikes and high-wire aerial stunts. The show features all the superhero favourites: Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more, who take on the evil forces of Loki and his villainous cohorts. Surprisingly, this is the first official live show from Marvel. Created by Feld Entertainment, specialists in large-scale family entertainment, Marvel Universe Live! is their most ambitious project yet, teaming up with action and stunt co-ordinator Andy Armstrong (brother of stunt legend Vic Armstrong) who has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including Thor, Green Hornet and The Amazing Spider-Man. A cast of 50, lashings of pyro, innovative 3D projections and lighting effects will transport the audience across the globe as heroes and villains fight for control of the all-powerful Cosmic Cube. ‘Whatever I’ve done in terms of live shows is nothing compared to the size of Marvel Universe Live!,’ explains Armstrong. ‘With an acute Marvel fan awareness, I take seriously the fact that this is the first time ever an audience will see just about every Marvel Universe hero all in one arena at one time. This makes us even more excited to reveal stunts that have never been seen before.’ (Henry Northmore) 96 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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HITLIST

BLACK BEAUTY Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 2–Sat 24 Dec, traverse.co.uk Anna Sewell’s classic equestrian tale is brought to life by Andy Manley and Andy Cannon. See preview, page 95. MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! SUPER HEROES ASSEMBLE

SSE Hydro, Wed 4–Sun 8 Jan, marveluniverselive. com/uk A superhero spectacular with over 50 cast members. See preview, page 96. SCOTTISH BALLET: WEE HANSEL AND GRETEL Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 16 Dec,

scottishballet.co.uk A child-friendly version of the ballet based on the classic fairy tale about two children lost in the woods who happen upon a house made of gingerbread. Also touring, see list. co.uk/kids for details THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR King’s Theatre,

Glasgow, Sun 20 & Mon 21 Nov, hungrycaterpillarshow. com Based on Eric Carle’s hand-painted books, Jonathan Rockefeller’s stage brings to life The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. See preview, page 96.

WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 20 & Sat 21 Jan, edtheatres. com Former children’s Laureate Michael Rosen’s ever popular – and awardwinning – children’s book is brought vividly and noisily to life on stage. Suitable for ages 3+. See preview, page 96.

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO: JASSY EARL

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

Children’s Classic Concerts

GLASGOW DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS FROZEN SSE Hydro, Thu 24–Sun 27 Nov, disneyonice.com The extremely popular Disney animation makes the transition to ice. Royal sisters Anna and Elsa, plus Kristoff, Sven and snowman buddy Olaf, spin the story of Elsa’s powers. The show is hosted by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and features special guest appearances from much-loved Disney characters. GLASGOW ST ANDREW’S DAY TORCHLIGHT PARADE Various venues, West End, Sat 26 Nov, westendfestival.co.uk A torchlight procession passing through Glasgow’s West End and ending in a fireworks display on Kelvin Way. Samba Ya Bamba and SYB Youth Band are playing in the parade and there is Scottish music in the Kelvingrove Bandstand to welcome the procession. STYLE MILE CARNIVAL St Enoch Square, Sun 27 Nov, glasgowloveschristmas.com Heralding the launch of the festive shopping season, over 400 performers lead a procession of music, dance and festivity through the streets of Glasgow. Participants include the Dance School of Scotland, the Citizens Theatre Community Company, Abhinaya Dance, Samba Ya Bamba Youth Group and plenty of festive characters. THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS Tron Theatre, Tue 29 Nov–Sat 31 Dec, tron.co.uk Festive show for children aged between three and six about two elves preparing a snack for Santa and Rudolph. CHILDREN’S CLASSIC CONCERTS: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sun

THE SECRET LIFE OF SUITCASES Scottish Storytelling Centre, Thu 1–Sat 3 Dec, secretsuitcases.com Innovative and charming puppetry show from Ailie Cohen, in which hardworking Larry embarks on an amazing adventure after a strange suitcase appears in his office. Ages 5+. BABY LOVES DISCO Electric Circus, Sun 4 Dec, Sun 11 Dec & Sun 18 Dec, babylovesdisco. co.uk A chance for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and their carers to enjoy some dayclubbing with real club DJs spinning retro and pop tunes. There’s a chillout room, themed crafts, face painting and healthy snacks.

4 Dec, childrensclassicconcerts. co.uk Owen and Olly are joined by the RSNO and Manor School of Ballet to present a selection of festive hits. CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Fri 16–Sun 18 Dec, funbox.co.uk Family Christmas show from Funbox. The gang are off to the North Pole on an Arctic adventure packed with songs, silliness and snow. Also touring, see list.co.uk/kids for details. RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT: THE SNOWMAN Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 17 Dec, rsno.org.uk A family-friendly concert of carols and seasonal tunes, including the now annual screening of the 1982 film The Snowman, with live musical accompaniment. Also Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 18 Dec, rsno. org.uk

EDINBURGH SUNDAY FUNDAY The Yard Adventure Centre, Sundays, theyardscotland.org.uk/

sunday-funday On Sundays The Yard opens its doors to the public. Kids can enjoy the adventure playground, get messy in the art room, roll about on the soft play or build a castle in the sandpit. BIG AND SMALL ART St Margaret’s House, Tue 8 Nov–Tue 20 Dec (Tue only), edinburghpalette.co.uk/stmargarets-house Art and craft sessions inspired each week by a different children’s story. ART MAKER Scottish National Gallery, Sun 6 Nov & Sun 4 Dec, nationalgalleries. org Drop in to the gallery and make your own masterpiece using materials provided. Go four times and you can earn a badge. Ages 4–12. FAMILY CEILIDH Scottish Storytelling Centre, Sat 26 Nov, Fri 30 Dec & Sat 21 Jan, tracscotland.org A ceilidh for all the family to enjoy together – all dances are called and young ’uns get their own, easier, circles.

CHILDREN’S CLASSIC CONCERTS: CHRISTMAS SWINGALONG Usher Hall, Sun 11 Dec, childrensclassicconcerts.co.uk Owen and Olly introduce the RSNO Big Band in a concert of seasonal swing, including Disney classics. POP LOCK-IN Electric Circus, Sun 11 Dec, babylovesdisco.co.uk An afternoon lock-in for 4–11 year olds. Resident DJs spin the very latest chart tunes and there’s a street dance instructor, karaoke and jewellery making, as well as a relaxing parents’ room and licensed bar. TOO MANY PENGUINS? The Studio at the Festival Theatre, Wed 14–Sat 24 Dec, edtheatres. com Mr Polaro thinks one penguin is enough but Penguina wants someone to play with. See how many penguins can squeeze into one space in this fun theatre performance for ages 1–4. SPROGMANAY National Museum of Scotland, Fri 30 Dec–Sun 1 Jan, nms.ac.uk The National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay bring the party indoors for three days of crafts, live music, storytelling, a Hogmanay map trail and four mini lantern processions. See preview, page 94. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 97

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MUSIC

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SADIE DUPUIS A debut solo album featuring consent, friendship and surviving Speedy Ortiz linchpin Sadie Dupuis, aka Sad13, is discussing the impetus behind her excellent Slugger: ‘I don’t know if the record itself had a specific manifesto but I certainly had thematic goals for each song, most of which fit under the broader category of “the world would be a better place if there were more songs about affirmative consent / the power of friendship / surviving abuse”.’ And lo, Dupuis has made it so. From the kaleido-rock sisterhood love-in of ‘Hype’, to the tech-pop groove of ‘Get a Yes’ (‘I say yes to the dress when I put it on / I say yes if I want you to take it off’), Slugger is a vital album. She wrote, played, produced and recorded the LP, a process a statement in itself. ‘I didn’t really plan for the recordings to come out,’ she says. ‘But once they were finished, it felt like they could be released as they were. I was surprised at how my ability to record at home had developed over the past few years.’

While there are more women in audio production these days (Dupuis cites Computer Magic, Grimes, Alison Wonderland, Emily Reo and Sammus as big inspirations), the battle is very much ongoing. ‘The gender ratio in terms of who gets credit as a producer, both on records and in press, very much skews towards men. I’m not a trained engineer, but I guess I wanted to show other people who might feel intimidated by the male-dominated world of recording studios that it’s very possible to make a pretty cool record at home on a small budget if you follow your own artistic instinct.’ The making of Slugger, she says, was fuelled by heartbreak and pho, and ‘reading and rereading Maggie Nelson, sharing demos with Allison Crutchfield, Jessica Jones, bell hooks and eating bagels. Even though I’m allergic to bagels . . . ’ (Nicola Meighan) ■ Slugger is out on Carpark Records, Fri 11 Nov.

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YES LEITH CAN!

PHOTO: EOIN CAREY

MUSIC | Leith Venues

Is Leith fast becoming the capital’s new cultural hub? David Pollock explores the music venues and events spearheading the burgh’s resurgence

eith’s long journey from the neglected Thatcher-era suburb of Trainspotting infamy to emergent cultural hotspot has been talked up with a sense of pregnant expectation for some time, but the final months of 2016 bear more evidence than ever that it’s nearly complete. As a greater range of new venues put on an everincreasing range of high-profile events – from the party for the launch of Pictish Trail’s Future Echoes album through his Lost Map label to the return of DIY performance event the Golden Hour (formerly of the Forest Café) and the coup of a Hogmanay warehouse DJ set by the Black Madonna – the sense is of critical mass getting closer in a neighbourhood which has enjoyed low-level grassroots activity for a number of years now. Few outlets have done more to make things happen in joined-up fashion across Leith in recent years than the annual LeithLate festival. ‘There’s a vast amount of potential for Leith to host gigs and become a cultural destination for music fans,’ says its driving force Morven Cunningham. ‘At the moment it’s a question of being creative with the space that’s available. For example, we used the Hibs Supporters Club for our LeithLate16 Afterparty this year, it’s a great space which holds around 200 folk. Leith Dockers Club is a similar space, we launched a John Knox Sex Club album there in previous years. ‘The thing is, we need more folk doing exciting things in Leith in general, like Braw Gigs, who recently started doing gigs at Leith Depot, and Neu! Reekie!, who regularly conduct events across local church halls like Pilrig Church. And we need a mid-size music and performance venue too, similar to the Glad Cafe in Glasgow.’ There are regular bar gigs through Sketchy Beats Café, the Chan

Bang Club at the Mousetrap and the Critter Session at Woodland Creatures, while Leith Depot itself is a new pub and restaurant on Leith Walk with a 60-capacity function room upstairs, which is used by the three musicians who started the place for community meetings, workshops, plays and poetry, as well as live music. ‘The Depot’s intimate and loud,’ says Nick Herd of Braw Gigs, who recently put on Ben ‘The Rebel’ Wallers, ex of the Country Teasers, there, and was so impressed he arranged a show for sound artist Jason Lescalleet immediately after. ‘I booked shows a number of years ago in Leith and at the time I found it hard to get folks to come along, but the Depot is cool and from the couple of things I’ve been to in the Biscuit Factory, it seems it could be a great spot for medium to largersized clubs and gigs.’ The Biscuit Factory, off both Bonnington Road and the beaten track (although it’s a stone’s throw from hipster industrial estate street food market, the Pitt), opened in April 2015 as a creative studio with space for 850 over two floors, a gin distillery and occasional music events, including that Black Madonna set. ‘We believed that we could build something to meet the demands of the community, that urban regeneration doesn’t have to be a tear-down-and-build-up affair,’ says the venue’s Neill Connell Forgie, ‘We also couldn’t bear to see the building transformed into yet another ‘contemporary housing development’, especially after finding out the site was actually one of Crawford’s original biscuit factories in Leith. You can imagine our surprise when the building’s owners chose us to develop the property over other bidders.’ Forgie says the Biscuit Factory is about indoor markets, outdoor

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Leith Venues | MUSIC

list.co.uk/music

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gatherings, exhibitions and pop-up cinema, as well as music events like this month’s Landing Festival. Youth Juice, the creative agency behind the venue and other studio spaces in Leith, are also planning a large open-air arts space, another mid-sized arts venue and a sustainable startup business hub in the area. Yet as anyone who went on a hard-hat tour of the grand but ill-cared-for Leith Theatre during August’s Edinburgh Art Festival, or saw Pictish Trail’s gig at the adjacent Thomas Morton Hall, will testify, the area already has one great concert venue. ‘The theatre can play vital roles as a creative hub for the community, and as somewhere to bring local, Scottish and international artists,’ says Jack Hunter, chair of Leith Theatre Trust, which is currently fundraising to restore the building. ‘It offers Edinburgh a great mid-scale music venue and is a good, flexible space. We’re beginning to programme a range of events across music, theatre, dance and spoken word, poetry and parties, and we hope to be able to stage some performances in the main auditorium in the next few months.’ He doesn’t comment on rumours the theatre may once again become an Edinburgh International Festival venue, but he does say that £8-10 million is needed to fully restore the building. Yet already new developments and student blocks are springing up along Leith Walk, and Herd bemoans the fact you can’t even find a cheap pint there now. ‘There’s a new influx of creatives choosing Leith as their home, which can be traced back to the turn of the millennium with the crash in house prices and the sudden affordability of vacant shop units and unusual spaces,’ says Cunningham, ‘but the subsequent rise in rents and house prices has already started to edge out this sort of grassroots activity. ‘The truth is that Edinburgh doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to supporting live music, but Leith could potentially become the breeding ground for a new cultural renaissance on the east side of the Central Belt if it’s supported at this crucial stage in its development.’

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3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 101

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FEATURE

MUSIC | Babymetal

L L A C T ’ DON Y B A B E M Henry Northmore gets to grips with Japanese pop / metal phenomenon Babymetal as they embark on a UK tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers

othing about Babymetal makes sense. A teenage trio of ultra-cute Japanese schoolgirls (Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal) who sing bubblegum pop vocals while performing choreographed dance moves over brutal death metal: it’s ridiculous and stupid. But there’s something so weird and incongruous about the bizarre juxtaposition of J-pop and thundering metal riffs that catches the imagination. The video for ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ went viral in 2014, and has now been viewed over 60 million times on YouTube. As a result, Babymetal went global. It could have been cheap novelty, but the music stayed true to the genre, reminding headbangers that metal can be fun. ‘I think it’s not only Babymetal’s sound but also the fact that we dance to metal that represents a new way of expressing this genre of music,’ explains Moametal. ‘I guess the British audience accepted us for being refreshing and interesting.’ To truly understand Babymetal you also need to understand the concept of Japanese idol bands. A quintessentially Japanese phenomenon, these are huge multi-member manufactured pop acts – the nearest equivalent in the UK would be the Spice Girls or S Club 7, but on a much larger scale. The most successful, AKB48, currently hold the Guinness World Record for Largest Pop Group with more than 130 members who perform nightly at their own theatre, with sales of over $200 million in their home country. They are sold as accessible, super-sweet, cute (or ‘kawaii’) role models who usually sing upbeat pop, as well as modelling and acting across multiple platforms. However, Babymetal broke the mould, adding grinding guitars and pounding blast beats to the formula. Existing within their own mythological world, their history is a wonderful mix of fact and fiction. ‘The three of us were brought together

by the prophecy of the Fox God who is the God of Metal,’ explains Yuimetal. ‘Our actions are preordained by the Fox God’s prophecy.’ ‘We have never met the Fox God in person but he assigns us inconceivable challenges, so he is crucial for the progress and growth of Babymetal,’ adds lead singer Su-Metal. In reality, all three singers were originally members of idol group Sakura Gakuin (which translates as ‘Cherry Blossom Academy’) and didn’t even really know what metal was before being asked to form the band. They originally sang live over backing tracks, but as their popularity grew, executive producer and mastermind Kei ‘Kobametal’ Kobayashi assembled the Kami Band, who dress in white robes and corpse paint, adding extra heft and weight to their live shows. Metal fans have embraced the madness and Babymetal have appeared on the cover of Metal Hammer, collaborated with DragonForce and Rob Halford (Judas Priest), played Reading and Leeds, Sonisphere and Download, and were the first Japanese act to headline Wembley Arena in London. In Japan they are beyond huge, selling out two nights at the 55,000 capacity Tokyo Dome and starring in their own upcoming animated series. Now Babymetal are making their Scottish debut supporting funk rock veterans Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK arena tour. ‘We were able to see their show for the first time at Fuji Rock Festival in the end of July in Japan this year,’ adds Yuimetal. ‘Their music and live performance was so awesome!! I’m looking forward to learn[ing] a lot when touring with them.’ Babymetal support Red Hot Chili Peppers at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Thu 8 Dec.

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Previews | MUSIC

list.co.uk/music PHOTO: STEVE GULLICK

FESTIVE FOLK CLUB

GRRRL PUNK ICON

JAMES YORKSTON’S TAE SUP WI’ A FIFER

THE JULIE RUIN

Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, Sat 3 Dec

The Art School, Glasgow, Tue 6 Dec

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Buddy the Elf sure knew what he was talking about. Taking a leaf out of his book is James Yorkston, with a festive edition of his folk club series Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer. Established just last year as a music and spoken word night at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer has grown into a surefire stalwart on the folk scene, with lineups to gently knock your socks off. The Christmas special is no exception, featuring King Creosote, Kadialy Kouyate and Laura Cannell. ‘I’m pleased Kenny (KC) is playing solo, it reminds me of those early Fence shows,’ says Yorkston. ‘Kadialy is a great kora player and he also has a lovely, sweet voice, then there’s Laura doing her beguiling drone fiddle and dual-recorder thing. I’ve never seen Laura, so that’ll be a treat for me.’ A relaxed night of world-folk it is then, but Yorkston isn’t going to let the Christmas theme slide that easily. ‘I may do a Christmas song or two, Kenny probably will,’ he says. ‘Also, I shouldn’t say, perhaps, but I did hear a rumour that Santa Claus himself was going to be in the audience, having a last night out before he gets on with the serious work.’ Result. That’ll see us nicely into the new year, when Yorkston isn’t planning to slow down much. ‘There’s six further Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer’s, plus Domino Records are releasing the second Yorkston Thorne Khan album. Alongside that, I’d better be getting on with my next book. Plenty to keep me occupied.’ (Kirstyn Smith)

For 15 years, from the turn of the 90s until the mid-00s, Kathleen Hanna was always there, declaiming loud and proud for women, for outsiders, for minority rights, agitating for a female-friendly environment at gigs where shoving and groping was not considered part of the deal. But then in 2005, having raged righteously in riot grrrl trailblazers Bikini Kill and explored the politics of dancing in Day-Glo electro trio Le Tigre, she dropped off the radar – no records, no shows, no voice. All was eventually revealed in Sini Anderson’s 2013 Hanna documentary, The Punk Singer. Hanna had been forced into retirement due to ill health, her voice and ear problems, dizziness and fatigue finally identified as Lyme disease. With treatment came the comeback, and a new band, the Julie Ruin, occupying a musical space somewhere between her two previous bands. Their current album Hit Reset combines the punk rock action of Bikini Kill with the playful pop danceability of Le Tigre, but also makes room for more personal material about her parents and the first known instance of a Kathleen Hanna ballad. The voice cuts through again, true and unfettered, just like her emancipated stage presence. Naturally, Hanna is still agitating and has shared her thoughts on the US presidential battle by releasing the first new Le Tigre track in a decade - ‘I’m With Her’ is trademark Hanna bubblegum electro punk, which cheerleads freely for ‘pantsuit-wearing herstorical first-timer’ Hillary Clinton. (Fiona Shepherd)

MATH METAL

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN QMU, Glasgow, Thu 19 Jan Dillinger Escape Plan are one of the most startlingly original bands in metal. Drawing on their hardcore punk roots, they have destroyed ideas of conventional music with jarring time signatures, vicious thrashing guitars and intricate song structures. They’ve constantly evolved, grown and expanded in sound and vision – until now. DEP have announced that after 20 years they are calling it quits. One last album, Dissociation, and a final world tour and that’s it, the end. ‘Artistically, there is no strength in doing things endlessly just for fun, or for finance,’ explains vocalist Greg Puciato. ‘That’s not empowering or exciting to us. Giving something a deliberate final act, a deliberate resolve, that feels artistically strong. By doing this, we seal the band up and make it a complete thought, from a conscious deliberate beginning, to a conscious deliberate end.’ Dissociation is an impressive swansong. From the brutal assault of ‘Limerent Death’ through the melancholic ‘Symptom of Terminal Illness’ to the skittering electronics of ‘Fugue’, it’s a challenging proposition, each listen revealing further layers. Dillinger are masters of their art, honing this jittery thrash into a coherent whole. ‘Instead of a collection of songs, this record feels like the most cohesive album this band has done since Calculating Infinity [1999],’ says Puciato. ‘It just feels like one organism to me. Internally we grew more between the last record and this, as individual people and as a band, than in any other length of time in our history.’ By coincidence, the founding fathers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, also play their final ever UK tour in January. ‘They've indirectly influenced absolutely everyone and anyone playing after them,’ says Puciato, ‘just through the magnitude of their existence.’ (Henry Northmore) 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 103

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MUSIC | Records EXPERIMENTAL POP

ALBUM OF THE ISSUE

LIVE WEBSITE EXPERIENCE

BILL BAIRD Summer is Gone (Talkshow Records) ●●●●●

The description ‘unique’ is frequently used and abused in promoting artistic work, but Summer is Gone really is a unique listening experience, providing 58 minutes of original music, which is individually sequenced at the precise time you visit the summerisgone.live website and therefore subtly different at every listen, and for every listener. In order to pull off such a particular project, experimental composer Bill Baird has created 250 mixes of ten ambient tracks, creating enough potential configurations to supply a possible (quick arithmetical calculation) 1.35 billion years of blissful listening. Baird declares this ‘the only way to make music that’s not stale the second it gets released’. His deeper purpose is to remind that life is short and each moment should be savoured, but he also plays with the notion every listener hears something different in the music they encounter. Close listening is encouraged, as the webpage flashes up ‘this moment will not exist again’ and counts down the minutes. My bespoke moment began with the gently rippling and chiming percussive sounds of the title track and introduces Baird’s fragile voice before falling away abruptly. There was much ambient drifting over the next 50 minutes, embellished with gently keening guitar on the brief instrumental ‘Rain on the Window’, gamelan chimes on the gently hypnotic ‘Slip into Shadow’ and channel-surfing samples on the wafting, world-weary freak folktronica of ‘Life’s a TV Show’. For all the soothing sonics, the experience was more defined by the keen, even urgent, awareness of the passing seconds than by the music. But that might just have been me. (Fiona Shepherd) ■ Listen to Summer is Gone at summerisgone.live

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN AND BENJAMIN LAZAR DAVIS Let It Be You (Reveal) ●●●●● On her 2006 debut album, Real Life, Joan As Police Woman – alias Joan Wasser – dueted with Antony Hegarty (now known as ANOHNI) on a groove-pop ballad called ‘I Defy’. ‘How could it be different?’ Wasser sang, and it feels like she’s explored that question through her music ever since. She’s done so by skewing her experimental, soulful aesthetic with other voices, vantage points and collaborations: with Hegarty on her calling card; with Rufus Wainwright on her second album (2008’s To Survive); and with Chris Dowd of hardcore-funk trailblazers Fishbone, who proclaimed her to be ‘one soulful muthafucka’ (he’s not wrong) – not to mention Wasser’s role as producer on Lau’s outstanding 2015 album, The Bell That Never Rang. That latter credit underscores another way that Wasser has upended the status quo in her work. She’s long challenged the prevailing male-led rock narrative, wherein blokes are behind the mixing desk, and history sings to the tune of dudes with guitars (she allies herself with Feist and Martha Wainwright and had a nascent love for Diana Ross). Even traditional themes defy convention on the excellent Let It Be You, her album in cahoots with fellow Brooklynite Benjamin Lazar Davis. Despite its name, ‘Motorway’ is not a kraut-rock or drive-pop anthem, but a celestial, tech-orchestral lullaby, and ‘Station’ is a study in stillness: a chiming guitar lament that’s resilient enough to weather the dark night and bare its tears – and a celebration of strength and vulnerability that’s echoed in the sublime, industrial electro of ‘Broke Me in Two’. Environmental machine-pop dirge ‘Overloaded’, meanwhile, chimes with the latest protest songs from Wasser’s former sonic sparring partner ANOHNI, and is a reminder that over ten years since they first worked together, they remain among pop’s most singular voices. (Nicola Meighan) ■ Out now.

INDIE ROCK

ACOUSTIC ROCK

EL HOMBRE TRAJEADO

PETER DOHERTY

Fast Diagonal (Chemikal Underground) ●●●●●

Hamburg Demonstrations (BMG / Clouds Hill Recordings) ●●●●●

Like a kind of Scots supergroup in reverse, Glasgow’s El Hombre Trajeado (it means ‘The Man in the Suit’ in Spanish) have become more well-known since they split in 2005, and are probably more familiar for their individual projects these days; while Stef Sinclair and Ben Jones stepped away from music, Stevie Jones played with Arab Strap and later originated his own Sound of Yell project with Chemikal Underground, while guitarist RM Hubbert is a mainstay of the Scottish scene with a Scottish Album of the Year Award and a prolific second career as Glasgow’s ‘flamenco punk’ special guest guitarist of choice in the bag. Fast Diagonal is the band’s fourth album (after 1999’s Skipafone, 2001’s Saccade and 2004’s Shlap), and their first on both Hubbert and Jones’ parent label Chemikal Underground, having reformed for a one-off gig in 2014 as part of the imprint’s East End Social festival. It’s a record which feeds into the heart of Glasgow’s underground with a number of guest appearances; Ela Orleans’ backing vocals provide soft and tuneful enhancement on ‘Darkest Sea’ and ‘Above & Below’; Life Without Buildings’ Sue Tompkins spits a spiky, Ari Up-style indie-punk holler on ‘Do It Puritan!’; James Orr Complex’s Chris Mack lends his voice to the careening drone of ‘Hearing Those Ears’ and the shuffling indie shanty ‘Bare Bone Scree’. It’s a record which feels at once of the band’s former time, foregoing the familiar flamenco style of Hubbert’s playing for the spiky, angular understatement of post-rock era Glasgow. Yet these are clearly players whose skills complement and enhance each other, so much so that they can get away with dropping in a few instrumentals like ‘Drumlin’, ‘Half Cab’ and the closing ‘Nettles’, whose style might most accurately be described as a jazz-influenced form of grunge. It might be picky to suggest that a few more guest vocals may have taken the proggy edge off these instrumentals, but the singular El Hombre sound is one it’s very welcome to hear once more. (David Pollock) ■ Out Fri 2 Dec.

As years go, 2016’s had the sort of news cycle that makes otherwise rational people reach for the Yellow Pages and start looking for the nearest fallout shelter. But sometimes a song from an unexpected quarter comes along and makes some sense out of our messy world. Peter ‘Pete’ Doherty’s latest album – his first in seven years – contains one of those crystallising moments. If it weren’t for the track ‘Hell to Pay at the Gates of Heaven’, the Hamburg Demonstrations would probably only be of interest to Libertines superfans – but that one song is worth the cover price of the whole album by itself. Amid a bittersweet re-recording of Amy Winehouse tribute ‘Flags from the Old Regime’ and melancholy lead single ‘I Don’t Love Anyone (But You’re Not Just Anyone)’, it’s a surprisingly sharp take on a story that has seemed to defy all but the most sober artistic interpretations. Written in the wake of last year’s Paris terror attacks, it finds Doherty unnervingly upbeat while exploring the appeal of terror groups like ISIS to kids who, 20 years previous, might have taken up guitars in the name of John Lennon or Sid Vicious rather than arms in the name of religion. It’s a reminder to anyone intimidated by youth in revolt, that as teenage rebellions go, punk rock and fierce haircuts are considerably preferable to black flags and a oneway ticket to Raqqa. Doherty’s acoustic meanderings and fondness for vintage equipment seem a bit quaint in comparison with viral millenarian propaganda, but I challenge you to find a song that manages to tackle the subject with as much dexterity as he exhibits here. It’s laconic chorus lines like ‘Come on boys, choose your weapons / J45 or AK47?’ (the Gibson J45 was Lennon’s favourite acoustic guitar) that serve as a reminder that Doherty – once hailed as the next great talent in British music – is still a bloody good writer. (Sam Bradley) ■ Out Fri 2 Dec.

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Records | MUSIC

list.co.uk/music ELECTRO-FUNK

EXPERIMENTAL POP

THE BLET PROJECT

TANYA TAGAQ

Now Live (Self-released) ●●●●●

Retribution (Six Shooter) ●●●●●

Certain phrases can really ruin your day. You know the sort of thing I'm talking about: ‘Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?’ or ‘It's not you, it's me.’ Personally, I'd put ‘electro-funk concept album' into that category, and so I approached the Blet Project's debut album Now Live with a considerable degree of trepidation. Of course, prejudice can sometimes blind us to the good things in life. That guy earnestly handing out copies of The Watchtower to passers-by probably makes a really good cottage pie. That break-up could give you the time you need to get on with that coding course you’ve been meaning to take. And you might spend the best pat of your week enjoying an electro-funk concept album. The brainchild of songwriter Stephen Dennis, the band make 90s-inspired electro pop with a critical twist. Given contemporary pop producers’ addiction to pilfering the sounds of that decade, it's interesting to find an act trying to combine the format of the three-minute pop track with socially conscious songwriting. Breakout single ‘Eight Til Ten’ is a jumpy take on wage slavery, ‘The Anthem’ locks on to virtue signalling and self-righteous social media politics, and ‘Mr David Harris’ contains a few wry digs at the music industry itself. The production echoes 90s anthems (especially pop-funk acts like Level 42) while lead vocalist Maisie Hutt's voice recalls the Beautiful South's Jacqui Abbot – though Dennis doesn't compare favourably to Paul Heaton in terms of songwriting chops due to heavy-handed instrumentation on tracks like ‘A Love Of Sin’, on which synth drops lead into indulgent guitar licks. It’s refreshing to find a record with political bite which doesn’t seek to emulate protest music in the Billy Bragg tradition, but considering that the band also set out to invert the classic pop song mould, it wanders far from their brief too soon into the record. (Sam Bradley) ■ Out Fri 8 Nov.

A couple of years back, Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq saw off competition from Drake and Arcade Fire (among others), and lifted Canada’s Mercury-equivalent, the Polaris Prize. The some-time Björk collaborator bagged the gilded accolade for her third LP, Animism – a ferocious, radical meditation on social and political turmoil, ecocide, and much besides. That record’s follow-up, Retribution, is no less provocative, stunning or uncompromising. If anything, there’s an upsurge in the passion, venom and outrage that fired up her last defiant offering. ‘Why sugarcoat it?’ asks the LP's accompanying literature. ‘This album is about rape: rape of women, rape of the land, rape of children, despoiling of traditional lands without consent.’ Such a manifesto invokes myriad new levels (and horrors) on Tagaq’s cover of Nirvana’s, ‘Rape Me’, (recalling her take on Pixies’ ‘Caribou’ on Animism), but her own compositions are the showstoppers here – from ‘Ajaaja’s avant-garde lullaby, through the tropical-metal dirge of ‘Aorta’, to the primal, apocalyptic disco of the title track (‘Our mother grows angry / Retribution will be swift / We squander her soil / And suck out her sweet, black blood to burn it . . . Money has spent us’). Retribution is a variously horrifying and thrilling portrayal – and exploration – of a tumultuous and destructive world, that variously excoriates capitalism, climate change, and wilful environmental devastation. It’s also a beautiful, ecstatic, and often carnal, record. It features a warm array of musicians and company: Tagaq’s alchemic vocal talents are augmented by producer, electronic diviner and lead violinist Jesse Zubot; drummer Jean Martin; Tuvan throat singer Radik Tyülyüsh; rapper Shad; traditional Inuk singer Ruben Komangapik; and – perhaps most notably – Tagaq’s own young daughter, Inuuja, whose presence elicits something akin to a tentative hope that there’s light in the future. (Nicola Meighan) ■ Out Fri 18 Nov.

ROCK

FOLK POP

RODDY HART & THE LONESOME FIRE

REBEKKA KARIJORD

Swithering (Middle of Nowhere) ●●●●●

Mother Tongue (Control Freak Kitten Records) ●●●●●

Roddy Hart has certainly been round a musical block or two in his time. Having helped open the Commonwealth Games, performed at the Scottish Parliament’s tenth anniversary and been a steady fixture on Craig Ferguson’s US chat show, Hart has picked up a galleon of influences during his decadeplus in the music biz. His pleasing brand of indie-folk-rock has resulted in comparisons to everyone from the Killers to the Boss, and in Hart’s new collection (emboldened by his Lonesome Fire buddies), a new raft of namechecking appears to be going on. You might catch glimpses of Arcade Fire, King Creosote and even Talking Heads in among the dozen tracks of Swithering, and while this game of name-that-forebear might get a little tiresome after a while, there are still many delights to be had. ‘Berlin’ features an inbuilt anthemic drive in a song which may be a paean to the German city or perhaps a homage to Bowie (the song’s late gear-change into Win Butler territory might hint at the latter) while the elegantly upbeat ‘Violet’ could so easily have cropped up on Kenny Anderson’s From Scotland With Love. Those tunes’ attributes might be clear, but some numbers simply drift off into a wholly unmemorable rock-clichéd mulch (‘In the Arms of California’, ‘Dreamt You Were Mine’ and ‘Strange Addictions’ being the most obvious perpetrators) and insipid balladeering (‘I Thought I Could Change Your Mind’), ultimately preventing the album from sustaining a consistent high. While Roddy Hart’s admirable search for the perfect melody and incessant hook will continue after this record, there’s quite likely to be some greatness just around the corner. But whether it can be conjured up while avoiding an over-reliance of external forces seems unlikely. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Out Fri 25 Nov.

The change that you often experience when becoming a mother is not just visible in the day-to-day variation in routine and habits; it can consist of a total emotional metamorphosis in which the very reason for being shifts. Mother Tongue is an album that documents Rebekka Karijord’s journey of motherhood, from the pain and heartache of almost losing her daughter to the strength and courage required to survive such a traumatic period. The album lifts Karijord to new territory, remaining in line with the modest instrumentation and minimalist textures of previous album We Become Ourselves, but thematically broaching new ground with fierce honesty. There’s a sense of repetition and pattern throughout the album, which appears to mimic the act of breathing, as on opener ‘Morula’. The arpeggio pattern that accompanies the breathy vocal line is reiterated continuously, signalling survival; a common motif. This is also apparent in the steady percussion of ‘Stones’, which ebbs and flows alongside the main melody. Elsewhere on the album, there’s the jaunty and energetic ‘The Orbit’, with percussive handclaps and harmonies expressing a sense of jubilation. Similarly, ‘Six Careful Hands’ has a nervous excitement surrounding it, with the lyrics ‘light as a feather’ echoed multiple times as if to emphasise amazement or disbelief. The element of the album that truly gives it depth is Karijord’s voice, which is occasionally made the central component of the musical arrangements. ‘Your Name’ is an example of this, where the simple piano and synth chords shadow the vocals, enabling her voice to rise to a melismatic climax. Closing track ‘Mausoleum’ also explores the interplay between harmony, in a mostly unaccompanied choral ode to the album’s main subject; motherhood. But Mother Tongue is not just about one experience, it’s also a sentimental look at what it means to suffer, and in turn cope, with the common and more unconventional hurdles of life. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Out Fri 27 Jan. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 105

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MUSIC | Records – Jazz & World

JAZZ & WORLD

EXPOSURE PHOTO: CAMERON BRISBANE

JAZZ

FREE NELSON MANDOOMJAZZ The Organ Grinder (RareNoise) ●●●●● Edinburgh’s Free Nelson Mandoomjazz are still burdened with that awful name, but their second album is a marked improvement on their underpowered debut, making good on their fusion of free jazz and doom metal. Recorded in the capital’s Reid Hall, The Organ Grinder benefits from the big room sound, with Rebecca Sneddon’s saxophone burning up the air around her. Rather than pile on the fuzz, the rhythm section uses the space to build atmosphere. The addition of trumpeter Luc Klein and trombonist Patrick Darley on several tracks is particularly effective, drawing agitated yelps and altissimo squeals from Sneddon. JAZZ

DONNY MCCASLIN Beyond Now (Motéma Music) ●●●●● Donny McCaslin shot to fame as the bandleader on David Bowie’s magnificent swan song, Blackstar. For his own group’s latest album, the New York saxophonist has dug deep into the Thin White Duke’s songbook, reworking 'A Small Plot Of Land' from 1995’s underrated 1. Outside, and the monumental 'Warszawa' from 1977’s Low. Featuring Jeff Taylor on vocals, the former provides an intriguing glimpse of what further Bowie/ McCaslin collaborations might have sounded like, while the latter is imaginatively reworked as brooding ambient jazz. McCaslin’s originals are energetic affairs, combining post-bop blowing with funk synths and a rock attack. JAZZ

NICOLE MITCHELL Moments of Fatherhood (Rogue Art) ●●●●● The flautist and composer Nicole Mitchell is perhaps best known for her series of suites inspired by the visionary African-American science-fiction writer Octavia Butler. As its title suggests, Moments of Fatherhood is more earthly in its concerns. A collaboration between Mitchell’s own Chicago-based Black Earth Ensemble and the French contemporary music group Ensemble Laborintus, this new suite seeks to explore parallel experiences of African-American and French fatherhood. Seamlessly blending composed vignettes and guided improvisation, the seven pieces here are tender, playful and terrifically inventive, embedding often charming melodic cells within a web of avant-garde sounds. WORLD

GAYE SU AKYOL

Hologram ĭmparatoluğu (Glitterbeat) ●●●●● Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu (Hologram Empire) is the first international album release by Istanbul singer Gaye Su Akyol, and it’s an intoxicating listen, blending traditional Turkish song with surf rock and desert noir atmospherics. Akyol cites Nick Cave as an influence, and it’s tempting to think of backing band Bubituzak as her Bad Seeds, draping a dark velvet cape around her gorgeous vocals. But Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu has a character all its own. Comparisons can be drawn to great Turkish singers like Selda Bağcan, whose psychedelic funk arrangements of Anatolian folk songs have gained a cult Western following, but Akyol’s melodies have a sensuous quality which recalls older forms of Turkish pop. WORLD

VARIOUS ARTISTS Real Rio (Mais Um Discos) ●●●●● Compiled by Chico Dub, director of the Novas Frequencias festival, Real Rio gathers new sounds from the Brazilian capital. Disc one samples broadly from the city's alternative scene, taking in Ava Rocha’s awesomely noisy electronic samba, Negro Leo’s jittery post-punk poetry, and Opala’s glistening electro-pop. The presence of Caetano Veloso collaborator Ricardo Dias Gomes and 79-year-old samba sujo (dirty samba) legend Elza Soares underlines the Brazilian mainstream’s openness to sonic adventure. Disc two focuses on electronic music, before taking a final detour into experimental noise courtesy of Chelpa Ferro and the doomy Bemônio. João Brasil's 'Pai Amor' is gloriously demented, setting helium voices against MC Sabará’s dosed sing-song rapping, while rave klaxons go off over trap snares and handclaps. (All reviews by Stewart Smith)

VITAL IDLES Where Glasgow’s visual art and music undergrounds meet, that’s where Vital Idles emerged, fully formed and ready to shake things up. Touting dancy, biting sounds inspired by the likes of Kleenex and the Smiths, their 7” is released in November. We caught up with drummer Matt to chat about the Scottish scene, pals helping pals, and what other bands we should be keeping an eye on. On their new release We're very honoured to be releasing a 7" via Not Unloved Records, the first release on the (re)new(ed) label from David 'Brogues' Brogan. We've been churning out songs over several cassettes now which Brogues has been very fond of, so it’s such an amazing thing to be asked to do something from a friend we regard so highly. In terms of what people should expect? Two songs of average speed, one a little faster than the other. Minimal racket on the A side; flamboyant pop on the B side. On songwriting It’s generally a team effort. To be perfectly honest with you, Ruari, who plays bass, is both a genius and very stubborn musically, so he’ll more often than not have something to work on and we’ll keep chipping away at it through practice, hanging out, and drinking beers. I think we’re all playing in ways we like and that counts for a lot. When it comes to lyrics, that’s all Jessica's work, and, with the highest respect to everyone else, she’s the best at writing smart words in Glasgow in my opinion. On repping their peers Glasgow is definitely great for bands right now. In no order, I love Anxiety, Apostille, Asparagus Piss Raindrop, CRU Servers, Current Affairs, Gummy Stumps, Jutland Songs, Mordwaffe, Pigs Nest, and Spinning Coin. Further afield, we all really want to see the Secret Admirer full band experience, we’re looking forward to the new Irma Vep record, and are always waiting for the Waiters comeback. The Scottish music scene is great right now, from contemporaries in labels and promotions to everybody turning out to shows and buying records. (As told to Kirstyn Smith)

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‘Mind-Boggling Accuracy’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

CONCERT TOUR 2016-17 DECEMBER 2016 Tue 13 Edinburgh Usher Hall Wed 14 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

0131 228 1155 0141 353 8000

www.bootlegbeatles.com

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Jack Daniel's will host a one-off, intimate gig curated by Glasgow's own Twin Atlantic at St. Luke’s on Wednesday 30th November - St. Andrew’s Day. 450 lucky gig goers will see the rock four piece play the small venue as part of the Jack Rocks campaign, which celebrates the people and places that make the grassroots UK music scene one of the best in the world.

Find out more and enter

list.co.uk/jackrocks Competition closes 18 November 2016. See list.co.uk for full terms and conditions.

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HITLIST

GERRY CINNAMON O2 ABC, Glasgow, Fri 4 Nov, academymusicgroup. com/o2abcglasgow Singer-songwriter (pictured) whose prominence grew with his pro-Indy Ref anthem ‘Hope Over Fear’.

Glasgow, Mon 7 Nov, academymusicgroup. com/ o2academyglasgow French singer-songwriter touting shimmering synth noises, gender politics and quirky dance routines.

CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS O2 Academy,

KRISTIN HERSH Summerhall, Edinburgh, Thu 17 Nov,

summerhall.co.uk; The Mackintosh Church, Glasgow, Fri 18 Nov, mackintoshchurch. com Throwing Muses singer on a rare solo tour.

PLACEBO The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Fri 2 Dec, thessehydro.com Angsty alt.rockers celebrate 20 years as a band.

PRIMAL SCREAM Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Mon 21 Nov, usherhall. co.uk Bobby Gillespie and co promote latest album More Light.

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Various venues, Glasgow, Thu 19 Jan–Sun 5 Feb, celticconnections.com See big pic, page 17.

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS JACK ROCKS: TWIN ATLANTIC Saint Luke’s, Wed 30 Nov, twinatlantic.com Jack Daniel’s host a one-off, intimate gig featuring the city’s own Twin Atlantic.

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW PIXIES Barrowland, Fri 2 Dec, glasgowbarrowland.com/ballroom Hugely influential indie rock, now sadly minus Kim Deal.

GROOVE ARMADA SWG3, Sat 5 Nov, swg3.tv ‘Super stylin’ DJ set from Groove Armada. CRYSTAL CASTLES The Garage, Mon 7 Nov, garageglasgow.co.uk Toronto boy / girl electro thrash duo who like to ‘play rough’, now featuring Edith Frances on vocals. JIMMY EAT WORLD Barrowland, Wed 9 Nov, glasgowbarrowland.com/ballroom Muchloved US emo punks. NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS Barrowland, Fri 11 & Sat 12 Nov, glasgow-barrowland.com/ ballroom Firebrand soul band led by the indie rock singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado. BASTILLE The SSE Hydro, Sat 12 Nov, thessehydro.com Inoffensive sounds from this south London indie fourpiece.

CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN SECC, Sun 13 Nov, secc.co.uk Garage rock quartet from Llandudno, with rock’n’roll and indie pop influences. VAN MORRISON Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Mon 14 Nov, glasgowconcerthalls.com Legendary Irish curmudgeon and

Teenage Fanclub

hugely influential blues and jazz artist plays tracks from his career. Also Playhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Nov JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN The Vic Café Bar, Glasgow School of Art Students’ Association, Mon 14 Nov, theartschool.co.uk Aka dramatic violinist / vocalist Joan Wasser, who has performed with Rufus Wainwright, and who named her act after the old Angie Dickinson TV show. LAURA MVULA The Old Fruitmarket, Tue 15 Nov, glasgowconcerthalls.com The singer-songwriter from Birmingham performs soulful R&B, which takes influences from free-jazz, gospel and psychedelic rock. YUSUF / CAT STEVENS SECC, Wed 16 Nov, secc.co.uk The British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Yusuf, commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, returns to the stage. DINOSAUR JR O2 ABC, Thu 17 Nov, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow The return of the American indie / grunge godheads, led by stoner dude J Mascis.

JULIA HOLTER The Vic Café Bar, Glasgow School of Art Students’ Association, Thu 17 Nov, theartschool.co.uk Experimental art pop singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. GANGSTAGRASS The Rum Shack, Fri 18 Nov, rumshackglasgow.com The New York six-piece, known for creating the theme to TV show Justified, performs a mixture of bluegrass and rap. Also Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sun 20 Nov THE COURTEENERS The SSE Hydro, Sat 19 Nov, thessehydro.com Mouthy Manchester indie outfit touring their latest album Concrete Love. Support comes from The View and Clean Cut Kid.

TEENAGE FANCLUB Barrowland, Sat 3 Dec, glasgowbarrowland.com/ballroom The beloved Fannies play through their melodic indie classics. THE JULIE RUIN The Vic Café Bar, Glasgow School of Art Students’ Association, Tue 6 Dec, theartschool.co.uk Five-piece punk rock band fronted by Kathleen Hanna. See preview, page 103. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS The SSE Hydro, Thu 8 Dec, thessehydro.com Efficient veteran LA funk rockers return with their 11th album The Getaway featuring their new(ish) guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Japanese pop metal phenomenon Babymetal support. See feature, page 102. PHOTO: TONJE THILESEN

THE UNDERTONES The Garage, Sat 12 Nov, garageglasgow.co.uk One of the alltime great adolescent misfit post-punk gangs reform as a middle-aged misfit post-punk gang to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

CHRISTMAS QUEENS O2 Academy Glasgow, Sat 3 Dec, academymusicgroup.com/ o2academyglasgow Stars of RuPaul´s Drag Race including Alaska, Manila Luzon, Detox, Katya and Phi Phi O’Hara present a Christmas show. Hosted by judge Michelle Visage.

HINDS Saint Luke’s, Sun 27 Nov, stlukesglasgow.com Spanish girl indie psych pop collective. BIFFY CLYRO The SSE Hydro, Tue 29 Nov, thessehydro.com The award-winning, chart-topping Kilmarnock rockers return. Brand New support. See interview, page 34.

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MUSIC | Highlights

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS CONTINUED Southern Tenant Folk Union

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

DR JOHN COOPER CLARKE & HUGH CORNWELL O2 ABC, Fri 9 Dec, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow Punk poet Dr Cooper Clarke teams up with ex-Strangler Hugh Cornwall to tour their first album together This Time it’s Personal, a celebration of the sounds of their younger years. OCEAN COLOUR SCENE The SSE Hydro, Sat 10 Dec, thessehydro.com The epitome of the Britpop / rock mod revivalist movement. SCHOOLBOY Q O2 ABC, Tue 13 Dec, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow American rapper and member of hip hop group Black Hippy. TWIN ATLANTIC Barrowland, Tue 13–Thu 15 Dec, glasgow-barrowland.com/ ballroom Glasgow alt.rockers get a three-date homecoming. MESHUGGAH O2 ABC, Sun 15 Jan, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow Complex, technically astonishing death, thrash and prog metal fusion from Swedish stalwarts. Frightened Rabbit

FRIGHTENED RABBIT Barrowland, Fri 16–Sun 18 Dec, glasgow-barrowland.com/ballroom Folk infused indie rockers from Selkirk sweeping all before them. CAGE THE ELEPHANT O2 ABC, Tue 17 Jan, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow Yelpy UK / US punkfunk and angular rock’n’roll. BLACK SABBATH The SSE Hydro, Tue 24 Jan, thessehydro.com The founders of heavy metal are on their farewell tour, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.

EDINBURGH LORDI La Belle Angèle, Mon 14 Nov, la-belleangele.com The masked metal monsters from Finland who won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2006. THE BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND The Queen’s Hall, Wed 16 Nov, thequeenshall.net A 50th anniversary show from the legendary surrealist Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. LEE RANALDO & THE DUST Summerhall, Wed 16 Nov, summerhall.co.uk Alternative rock by the American singer-songwriter and guitarist and member of Sonic Youth with his accompanying band. RM HUBBERT AND RICK REDBEARD Electric Circus, Mon 21 Nov, theelectriccircus.biz Guitar instrumentals from SAY Award winner and Phantom Band singer. SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION Scottish Storytelling Centre, Wed 23 Nov, tracscotland.org/scottishstorytelling-centre Gospelinfluenced seven-piece with their own mix of old-time, bluegrass and Celtic folk music. Album launch show. MODERN STUDIES AND WOODPIGEON Summerhall, Thu 24 Nov, summerhall.co.uk Double headline show from newly-formed Glasgow-viaYorkshire chamber pop supergroup Modern Studies and Canadian indie pop collective Woodpigeon.

PEJA The Mash House, Sun 27 Nov, themashhouse.co.uk Polish rapper and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Slum Attack. SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Usher Hall, Mon 12 Dec, usherhall.co.uk Welsh surrealists are back after six years, with their skewed take on Beach Boys melodies, late 60s psychedelia and anything else they fancy throwing into the pot. Playing Fuzzy Logic and Radiator. CONCERT IN THE GARDENS: PAOLO NUTINI Princes Street Gardens, Fri 30 & Sat 31 Dec, edinburghshogmanay. com This year’s famed Princes Street Gardens Hogmanay will be headlined by Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini. So popular they had to announce a second ‘Night Afore Concert’. GIRL BAND Summerhall, Thu 26 Jan, summerhall.co.uk Not really a girl band but an all male four piece from Dublin playing energetic noise rock and post punk.

KIRKCALDY JAMES YORKSTON’S TAE SUP WI’ A FIFER Adam Smith Theatre, Sat 3 Dec, onfife.com/venues/adamsmith-theatre Fife’s folkster James Yorkston curates a programme of club nights. Christmas special with King Creosote, Laura Cannell and Kadialy Kouyate. See preview, page 103.

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COMING UP AT THE QUEEN’S HALL

AFORE THE BELLS – HOGMANAY CEILIDH: Sat 31 December Family friendly fun with food, whisky, champagne & dancing

TIM KLIPHUIS SEXTET: Fri 17 February EXPERIENCE AN INTIMATE ACOUSTIC EVENING

WITH THE LEGENDARY SINGER-SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER

CLYDE AUDITORIUM GLASGOW

Fabulous imporvisation on themes by Vivaldi, Ellington, Bartok and more

THE MANFREDS Thu 2 March Hits, Jazz & Blues Tour with Paul Jones

LIVENATION.CO.UK TICKETMASTER.CO.UK CATSTEVENS.COM T@YUSUFCATSTEVENS f/YUSUFCATSTEVENS

WWW.THEQUEENSHALL.NET 0131 668 2019 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 111

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Relax and recharge this Festive season with our great selection of beers, cocktails & bites.

Please contact us directly for reservations, bookings and more information on our Christmas offering. Basement 107 George Street Edinburgh EH2 3ES 0131 297 2630 reservations@copperblossom.com www.copperblossom.com

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Clubs | MUSIC

S B U L C

CLUBS HIGHLIGHTS GLASGOW MELTING POT Admiral, Sat 5 Nov, meltingpotglasgow.com All things disco-house with a tribute to Larry Levan and The Paradise Garage. OPTIMO MUSIC & OPTIMO TRAX PRESENTS IMMIGRANT TRACKS La Cheetah Club, Fri 11 Nov, lacheetahclub.co.uk Live and DJ showcase put together by JD Twitch. Featuring The Golden Filter, Underspreche, Pussy Mothers and Iona Fortune. PRESSURE SWG3, Fri 25 Nov, swg3.tv More techno action from Slam and some big-name guests. 18th birthday, lineup tbc.

PHOTO: ALDO PAREDES

FATBOY SLIM SSE Hydro, Fri 9 Dec, thessehydro.com The ever-reliable Norman Cook (pictured below) spins some banging big beats. ‘The Night Rave Before Christmas’.

HOGMANAY

THE BLACK MADONNA The Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh, Sat 31 Dec New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights in the clubs calendar. You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to genres, venues and DJs. ‘Nowhere in the world do they celebrate Hogmanay like we do in Scotland,’ says George Patrick, founding member of Bigfoot’s Tea Party. ‘These are the parties that change you when you’re growing up, and the parties that you maybe cherish a little bit more when you’re a little bit older. With that in mind, we want the Biscuit Factory NYE to be a night that people remember for a long time.’ Bigfoot’s have teamed up with Sneaky Pete’s to offer something rather special this Hogmanay: Chicago’s Marea Stamper, aka the Black Madonna, will be making her Edinburgh debut. One of the most in-demand DJs on the circuit, her sets are famed for their multi-genre mixing, grabbing the best of techno, house, electro, disco, funk and beyond. The real trick is that Stamper blends these seemingly random elements into one gorgeously fluid whole. Patrick was impressed from the very first time he saw Stamper DJing in at Berghain in Berlin. ‘She had something extra about her: a positive energy, a connection with the crowd, that quick mixing between BPM and genre, but most importantly, absolutely pressure-cooker tracks from the first to the last.’ Bigfoot’s and Sneaky’s are tricking out the Biscuit Factory with their own lighting rig and sound system, installing a cocktail bar and laying on buses to and from Glasgow. ‘We want to make sure there’s a great atmosphere to enjoy what is nailed on to be some of the best DJ sets of the year,’ says Patrick. ‘Nd_Baumecker and Marea are two of our favourite DJs on their own, and when you put them together it is, soppy to say, complete fire. I couldn’t think of two DJs who I’d rather were joining us for NYE in Edinburgh.’ (Henry Northmore)

COLOURS CLASSICS NYE SWG3, Sat 31 Dec, colours.co.uk Classic house and club anthems from Tall Paul, Jeremy Healy, Fergie, K-Klass, Jon Mancini and Boney. THE DEPOT NEW YEAR’S DAY RAVE 2017 3 Scotland Street, Sun 1 Jan Keep the party going into 2017 with this hot techno selection from DVS1, Blawan, Slam, Bella Sarri, Ivan Kutz and NIZ.

EDINBURGH MR SCRUFF La Belle Angèle, Fri 18 Nov, la-belleangele.com Eclectic Ninja Tune mixologist whose set could include jazz, soul, funk, disco, house or hip hop. PULSE La Belle Angèle, Fri 23 Dec, la-belleangele.com Techno night celebrating 25 Years of Soma with Slam, Silicone Soul and Petrichor (live).

COLOURS WINTER PARTY O2 ABC, Mon 26 Dec, colours. co.uk Scotland’s biggest commercial club party returns for its traditional Boxing Day bash. Featuring Eddie Halliwell, Mauro Picotto, Will Atkinson, Kryder and Tom Staar.

HARRI & DOMENIC Sneaky Pete’s, Mon 26 Dec, sneakypetes.co.uk Deep house from Subculture’s residents at this Boxing Day Belter.

SPACE IBIZA O2 ABC, Wed 28 Dec, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow The Ibiza superclub on tour with Dubfire, James Zabiela and Carlo Lio.

THE BLACK MADONNA The Biscuit Factory, Sat 31 Dec, sneakypetes.co.uk House, disco and techno from the respected DJ aka Marea Stamper. New Year’s Eve party from Sneaky Pete’s & Bigfoot’s Tea Party. See preview, left.

CLUB NOIR’S HOGMANAY BLAST! The Classic Grand, Sat 31 Dec, clubnoir.co.uk Big burlesque party to take you into 2017.

NIGHTVISION HOGMANAY Liquid Room, Sat 31 Dec, thisisourvision.com House, techno and beyond at this Hogmanay special. Jackmaster and Alan Fitzpatrick confirmed. VEGAS! GRAND HOGMANAY BALL The Voodoo Rooms, Sat 31 Dec, vegasscotland.co.uk The Vegas team host another Hogmanay party. Expect showgirls, big band tunes, swing, easy listening, cabaret and burlesque. WEE DUB HOGMANAY! Studio 24, Sat 31 Dec, weedubfestival.co.uk A bassheavy way to see in 2017 with a night of international roots and reggae. Featuring DJ Vadim, King Yoof and MC Spee.

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MUSIC | Classical

L A C I ASS

PHOTO: SUSSIE AHLBURG

CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER MUSIC

HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: TRANSFIGURED NIGHT St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow, Tue 8 Nov; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Wed 9 Nov For 25 years, Hebrides Ensemble has been at the forefront of contemporary chamber music in Scotland and, increasingly, beyond. First performances, recordings, festival appearances, new commissions, music theatre and composer collaborations are all firmly under its belt. So how does a group like Hebrides do something different for its special birthday? ‘I don’t know how it dawned on us,’ says founding artistic director and cellist William Conway, ‘but we realised that both Hebrides and Psappha ensemble are 25 at the same time.’ Manchester-based group Psappha is the only stand-alone, professional contemporary classical music ensemble in the north of England and, in common with Hebrides, has very close connections with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who died earlier this year. The groups will come together for a tour of performances across Scotland, England and Wales, with the music of Max, as he was fondly known, being essential to their Transfigured Night. It opens with his ‘The Last Island’, set alongside a film of the Holms of Ire, the Orkney island setting which inspired the piece, and closes with Max’s ever-popular ‘Farewell to Stromness’ in a new arrangement for strings and cimbalom by Scottish composer David Horne. The six string players, three from each ensemble, are also at the heart of Schoenberg’s iconic ‘Verklärte Nacht’ – the ‘Transfigured Night’ of the programme’s title. ‘How we began,’ says Conway, ‘was wanting to do new music justice and for people to make proper judgements about it. 25 years later, the energy and standards of performance are still there. It’s really important to keep them high all the time, and also very exciting.’ (Carol Main)

CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS ENSEMBLE ODYSSEE St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, Edinburgh, Sat 5 Nov, gcs.org.uk ‘Concerto for a Small Flute’ transports the audience to 18th century London. SCOTTISH OPERA: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 9, Fri 11–13, Thu 17 & Sat 19 Nov, atgtickets.com Hit production of Mozart’s much loved opera (pictured right) with Ben McAteer in the title role. SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE & ANNA MEREDITH: ANNO The Hub, Edinburgh, Thu 10 & Fri 11 Nov, scottishensemble.co.uk Vivaldi’s Four Seasons interspersed with new music by Anna Meredith and with visuals by Eleanor Meredith. See feature, page 43. Also Tramway, Glasgow; Sun 13 Nov.

PHOTO: BILL COOPER

HITLIST

GLASGOW BBC SSO: RAVEL’S PIANO CONCERTO IN G City Halls, Candleriggs, Thu 24 Nov, glasgowconcerthalls.com Recently announced as English National Opera’s new music director, conductor Martyn Brabbins is a favourite of the BBC SSO and with the Symphony No 1 commences his two-year exploration of Tippett’s symphonies. DUNEDIN CONSORT: HANDEL’S MESSIAH Bute Hall, University of Glasgow, Sun 18 Dec, dunedinconsort.org.uk Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Handel’s ‘Messiah’, especially in the Dunedin Consort’s joyful and effervescent version for a chorus of far fewer voices than is generally the case and with soloists coming from within its ranks. Also Mon 19 Dec, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh

EDINBURGH EDINBURGH QUARTET: EQ FOLK The Queen’s Hall, Sun 13 Nov,

queenshall.net The string quartet goes folky in their new project which highlights composers whose work has been inspired by traditional music. Most recent is Alasdair Nicolson’s ‘String Quartet No 3’, which is directly influenced by Gaelic song. With its subtitle ‘Slanting Rain’, it’s possibly also influenced by Scottish weather. SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: ISRAEL IN EGYPT The Queen’s Hall, Thu 24 Nov, queenshall.net The excellent SCO Chorus are to the fore in Handel’s retelling of the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea and other dramatic biblical stories from the book of Exodus. Also Fri 25 Nov, City Halls, Glasgow

RSNO: VERDI REQUIEM Usher Hall, Fri 2 Dec, usherhall. co.uk Full-on performance from enlarged orchestra and full chorus singing with all its might 125 years after Verdi’s powerful Requiem setting was first heard in Scotland. Also Sat 3 Dec, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow METROPOLITAN OPERA: NABUCCO Cameo Cinema, Sat 7 Jan, picturehouses.com For the first time in HD, Met music director James Levine conducts Verdi’s drama about the King of Babylon and his war with the Israelites. Seeing opera close up on the big screen brings the production alive in a way that isn’t always possible in the opera house.

114 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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THEATRE

Fo the latestr n listings a ews, reviews, g nd o list.co.uk to /theatre

MANIPULATE Scotland’s world-class visual theatre and animation festival Now celebrating its tenth birthday, manipulate has become the flagship festival of Puppet Animation Scotland and continues to champion the complexity, range and imagination of visual theatre. Perhaps due to the flexibility of the genre – dance, physical theatre and puppetry are all included – manipulate simultaneously offers one of the most diverse programmes in Scotland and an intelligent, tight curation, courtesy of artistic director Simon Hart. Manipulate has always balanced visiting international theatre companies with a dynamic support for Scottish artists, ensuring that Scottish audiences are kept abreast of the latest developments around the world and recognising the growth of local talent. Edinburgh favourites Tortoise in a Nutshell are presenting a new work, Fisk (pictured), which grapples with depression – with the help of a dangerous giant fish. Their

most ambitious piece to date, Fisk emerges from the company’s long-term relationship with PAS, who have supported them from the earliest stages of their work. A House in Asia, on the other hand, represents the international strand: Agrupación Señor Serrano play with reality and film, puppetry and pop culture to examine the aftermath of 9 / 11. With the ambition of the story matched by the scale of the staging, A House in Asia promises a masterclass in visual intensity. The success of manipulate bodes well for the health of Scottish visual theatre: the mixture of work not only supports Scottish artists but encourages them to emulate outstanding creators from around the globe. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Jan–Sun 5 Feb. Full programme announced Tue 2 Nov, manipulatefestival.org

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THEATRE | Previews & Reviews NOIR THRILLER

GRAIN IN THE BLOOD Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 12 Nov. Reviewed at Tron Theatre, Glasgow ●●●●●

PHOTO: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

Establishing its thriller credentials from the start, Grain in the Blood opens with a discussion about a prisoner coming to stay in a family home – a potentially violent prisoner who has spent time in a psychiatric ward. The rural house, situated by a derelict farm, is isolated but with five people inside, one of whom must be accompanied everywhere, there is a prevalent sense of claustrophobia, aided by Michael John McCarthy’s eerie soundtrack. The tension heightens and breaks repeatedly in a well-paced story which drip-feeds its audience with revelations. Rob Drummond’s script feels timeless: there are mobile phones and jokes that the 80s were the Dark Ages, and yet it is steeped in the folklore of harvest season, with superstitions that speak of a time gone by. The box-like set and clear direction nods to realism, with clever sliding doors allowing the action to move from front room to bedroom to barn with only the shortest of breaks. The play explores the moral dilemma of how far you would go to save someone’s life. As well as delivering the underlying threat of violence and some genuinely heart-wrenching moments, the actors also make great use of the humour in the script. John Michie’s comic timing and terse delivery as Burt and Sarah Miele’s enthusiastic swearing as 12-year-old Autumn provide laughter throughout. Autumn’s final monologue dominates the close of the play. With the intuition of youth, she knows what the adults are hiding from her and from themselves, and she delivers a powerful ending that does justice to such carefully crafted tension. (Rowena McIntosh)

BOOK NOW 0141 429 0022 citz.co.uk 116 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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Previews & Reviews | THEATRE

list.co.uk/ﬁlm

PHOTO: MARK DOUET

MINI-FESTIVAL

CLASSIC COMEDY

CHRYSALIS

THE RIVALS

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 18–Sun 20 Nov

Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 19 Nov

Building on its successful first year, Chrysalis returns for a festival weekend at the Traverse Theatre. Curated by Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, it showcases exceptional works from emerging young artists from around Scotland and the world, drawing upon themes as diverse as gender roles in conflict, war propaganda, and the apocalypse. ‘The festival joins a number of other innovative mini-festivals that help to grow Scotland’s reputation for innovative arts,’ says Kenny McGlashan, CEO of Youth Theatre Arts Scotland. He is keen to site Chrysalis within the wider Scottish cultural festival landscape, looking beyond the 12 main Edinburgh festivals towards smaller grass-roots sharings. This year’s programme offers alternative ways for young people to get involved with the festival. New for this year, the Chrysalis Emergence strand showcases three 20-minute long experimental works-in-progress, giving young theatre-makers the rare chance to take some creative risks and seek out feedback from their audience. Additionally, Chrysalis Too offers a series of workshops and talks focusing on current trends and challenges in contemporary youth theatre practice. By bringing young theatre-makers into the professional setting of one of Scotland’s most respected theatres, the festival is making a strong statement about the type of high quality work it wants to showcase. (Irina Glinski)

Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals appears as an intelligent addition to artistic director Dominic Hill’s programme at the Citizens Theatre. Sitting within Hill’s enthusiasm for classic scripts, this 1775 comedy, for Hill, retains relevance and humour even in the 21st century. ‘It is an absolute classic English comedy of manners,’ he explains. ‘It is a satire on human behaviour, and human behaviour doesn’t seem to change over the years. And it’s genuinely funny.’ Set in the then fashionable city of Bath, it follows the adventures of a sophisticated society, intent on proving its own brilliance. Sheridan’s script, notes Hill, does the same thing. ‘His use of language is brilliant. It’s a precursor to Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, although it is more celebratory. It is based on a similar situation and clever word-play.’ While the happy ending is never in doubt, Sheridan’s plot is a complicated version of a romance, with young lovers obsessed with literary ideals of love, and the characters providing a satirical picture of wealthy society. ‘It really manages to bring out their absurdity,’ Hill continues. ‘You’ve got a lot of privileged people behaving really ludicrously.’ Following the intensity of his last production, This Restless House, The Rivals is a showcase for Hill’s distinctive mixture of imaginative theatricality and naturalistic performance. (Gareth K Vile)

COMEDY PLAY

THE BROONS

PHOTO: TOMMY GA-KEN WAN

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 5 Nov; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 7–Sat 12 Nov. Reviewed at Ayr Gaiety Theatre ●●●●● Perhaps the biggest challenge in Sell A Door’s production of The Broons is transferring the antics of a family who have not changed since their debut comic strip in 1938 onto the stage, which demands drama. Since the Twins, the Bairn, Ma and Paw, Daphne and the gang have stuck to their stereotypes for nearly 80 years, playwright Rob Drummond faced the difficult task of bringing tension into their settled world. Using a pantomime style – the actors frequently drop character, indulge in slapstick and self-conscious cheap humour – The Broons is undemanding fun, a series of short episodes interspersed with songs. Gradually, the plot emerges (glamorous daughter Maggie is to be married, threatening Maw’s family stability) and the characters attempt to escape the stasis that reduces them to punchlines. The lazy jokes outstay their welcome but strong performances from Joyce Falconer as hatchet-faced Maw and Tyler Collins (a moving Hen who longs to escape from his role as the man who gets things down from top shelves) lend dynamism to the indulgence. Rob Drummond’s script, despite the knockabout atmosphere, uses an intelligent conceit to resolve the threat of change, as Granpaw explains how the important thing is not progress or excitement but doing the thing that they love. The family reconcile themselves to their identities, accepting the eternal repetition of their adventures. The Broons is frequently sloppy – the songs seem chosen at random, although they include crowd pleasing hits: the Twins sing ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’, for example – and the slapstick, in places, lacks precision. Yet there are moments of wit and unashamed populist humour that do justice to the heritage of Scotland’s first family. (Gareth K Vile) 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 117

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THEATRE | Previews

AUSTRALIAN THRILLER

MYSTERY PLAY

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK

SECRET SHOW 1

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 13–Sat 28 Jan

Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 8–Fri 11 Nov

David Greig’s first year as artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum is demonstrating his admirable desire to continue the theatre’s tradition of staging classic scripts while introducing internationally respected companies to its audience. Black Swan Theatre, Western Australia’s flagship company, bring their bracing adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel Picnic at Hanging Rock to Edinburgh in January, on the back of excited reviews from Australia and Europe. The novel, which was made into a film in 1975, tells a macabre story of missing schoolgirls: the play follows the novel’s ambiguity about their disappearance, by turns a murder mystery and a supernatural thriller. Matthew Lutton’s direction uses theatre’s intimacy for a complex and frightening production that recognises the tensions between maturity and childishness in the teenagers and presents their tragedy without unravelling the circumstances. Lutton’s script jumps between the time of the disappearance in 1900 and a later visit to the site to create an atmosphere of anxiety and threat. Time itself becomes slippery and the brooding presence of the wilderness overshadows the struggles of the young women. Thanks to the author’s suggestion the novel was based on a true story, Picnic has become mythology, embodying the battle between humans and nature. Lutton and playwright Tom Wright imagine the story as it has passed into folklore and conjure a horror story grounded in a nation’s imagination. (Gareth K Vile)

Blood of the Young, an emerging Glasgow-based theatre company directed by Paul Brotherston, are promising audiences 11 performers in the Tron’s restaurant, live music and a radical staging of a classic script. They aren’t, however, revealing the play in question. ‘The secrecy element is fun as it means the audience comes to the performance with no idea what to expect,’ explains Brotherston. ‘And in turn, we are totally free to have fun and throw caution to the wind. The audience aren’t buying the show; they’re coming along to see what happens.’ Brotherston recently demonstrated his taut directing skills in a terse production of Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, and the company includes musicians as well as theatre-makers, inspiring an anarchic and playful attitude. ‘We want to have fun,’ says Brotherston. ‘Really, that is the main thing. Nothing about our chosen text is sacred so I want some silliness and some invention.’ With a limited capacity, and an audience which has permission to ‘keep their phones on, make a noise, have a drink and feel involved’, Secret Show deliberately flouts the conventions of theatre to capture a vibrant atmosphere. ‘I hope it all feels alive,’ Brotherston concludes. ‘it should all feel relaxed and fun!’ (Gareth K Vile)

COMEDY

JUMPY Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 12 Nov

PHOTO: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

Cora Bissett has a reputation for tackling serious issues: her Glasgow Girls bridged the gap between the musical and sharply engaged political theatre. Yet, on the surface, Jumpy appears to be following a different path. Exploring a mother / daughter relationship, April De Angelis’ script is a comic look at the generation gap that echoes the traditional comedy of manners with a contemporary twist. With Pauline Knowles, fresh from her award for best female performance at 2016’s CATS, playing the mother, Bissett’s production unashamedly identifies the deeper themes beneath the humour. Her imaginative use of music on stage is reflected in the soundtrack, adding an edge to the action. ‘I’m deliberately playing with past and present representations of ‘‘strong women’’ in music,’ she explains, mentioning a playlist that includes Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Kelis and Nicki Minaj. ‘The play asks the question ‘‘how does each generation understand the term ‘strong women’?’’ ‘You might think at first this play doesn’t deal with world shifting narratives,’ she continues. ‘And yet it’s about growing older, growing up, rearing children, losing children to the world, losing yourself, finding a point.’ Bissett’s previous work – as both an actor and director – has revealed an intelligent sense of humour alongside the incisive political commentary and while this play may sit in a different genre, her intention to use the theatre as a place for public discussion still drives her ambitious and accessible approach. ‘It’s about struggling on through and actually these are the epic stories of all our lives,’ she concludes. ‘I hope people feel ‘‘not alone’’ when they watch it, and see the humour in their own lives.’ (Gareth K Vile) 118 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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LEWIS CARROLL’S

A new version created and directed by Anthony Neilson

26 November – 31 December 2016

Don’t be late! Book now for our magical Victorian Christmas show. Recommended Age 5+

Tickets:

0131 248 4848 lyceum.org.uk

Royal Lyceum Theatre Company Ltd is a Registered Company No. SC062065, and Scottish Charity Registered No. SC010509

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DANCE | Previews

E C N DA

CONTEMPORARY DANCE

RAMBERT DANCE COMPANY Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 23–Fri 25 Nov

PHOTO: ANTHONY CRICKMAY

It may be the oldest dance company in Britain, but nobody could accuse Rambert of being stuck in the past. Moving forward, re-inventing itself and bringing in fresh talent has always been its modus operandi. Yet underpinning all that new creativity is a tradition and heritage everyone associated with the company is fiercely proud of – no one more so than Christopher Bruce. At the age of 71, Bruce has been connected with Rambert in one way or another for 57 years, from training at the school to dancing in the company to choreographing and serving as artistic director. But of all the wonderful pieces Bruce has created over the years, none has captured the public’s imagination quite so much as Ghost Dances. Choreographed in 1981, as Bruce’s reflection on the appalling treatment of ordinary people during the 1973 Chilean coup, the work also references Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival. Set to haunting South American music, the piece returns to the stage 13 years after it was last seen, as part of the current UK tour. Dance fans adore Ghost Dances, but to what does Bruce himself attribute its enduring appeal? ‘If I knew that, I’d make it happen every time,’ he laughs. ‘When you make a piece, you’re using a combination of your instinct, imagination and craft – but a lot of research always goes into anything I make. With Ghost Dances the inspiration was Joan Jara and her book An Unfinished Song, about the torture and murder of her husband Victor during the coup, that was the germ of this piece.’ Chilean singer and director, Victor Jara’s tragic death was in 1973, but as Bruce says, Ghost Dances retains its resonance: ‘Even though I set the piece in the Andes, any number of countries have been subjugated by political oppression. And it could be just as relevant today to the situation in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, the theme is universal – it’s about the innocent people who are caught up in it.’ (Kelly Apter)

DANCE FESTIVALS

DANCEFEST / GO DANCE

PHOTO: ANTHONY CRICKMAY

Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 17 Jan; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 31 Jan–Sat 4 Feb The Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal stages in Edinburgh and Glasgow regularly play host to some of the finest dancers in the world. But once a year it’s time for a takeover, when youth groups, dance schools and community companies get their chance to shine. Go Dance at the Theatre Royal has been running for ten years. Over five nights, almost 50 groups from across Scotland prove it’s not just the professionals who can entertain, amuse and move an audience through dance. The shows are always over-subscribed by would-be participants, proving that Scotland has a healthy community dance sector. Meanwhile, at the Festival Theatre, DanceFest has also been gathering momentum. From 2012 to 2015, DanceQuest encouraged and supported over 400 children to take part in dance for the first time, and gave local young people access to live performances. The legacy of DanceQuest lives on in DanceFest, the now annual showcase of youth dance companies from all across Scotland. As well as dancers from Edinburgh schools, the show will also feature groups from Scottish Ballet’s Youth Collective, Lothian Youth Dance Company, young breakers from The State, Indian dance from Dance Ihayami, integrated companies Horizons and Indepen-dance, and many more. If previous shows are anything to go by, both DanceFest and Go Dance will warm the heart, stimulate the mind and inspire hope in the future of Scottish dance. (Kelly Apter) BALLET

SCOTTISH BALLET’S HANSEL & GRETEL

PHOTO: ANDY ROSS

Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sat 10–Sat 31 Dec; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 5–Sat 14 Jan When Christopher Hampson’s colourful new production of Hansel & Gretel first hit the stage in December 2013, it had many memorable qualities. The bright, sweetie-covered house, over-sized furniture that made the children look small, gorgeous lolly-pop lights, and that tear-jerkingly happy ending. But perhaps most importantly, the central performances were fun and believable, something dancer Constant Vigier strived for when creating the role of Hansel. ‘My goal was to make the character as natural as possible,’ he says. ‘And I tried not to think too much about how I was dancing, so it was less about being technical and more about acting. Although, actually, the less acting I did, the better it got. I didn’t try to be childish, just as genuine as possible.’ Playing alongside Scottish Ballet principal Sophie Martin certainly helped, and together they created the perfect younger brother / older sister dynamic on stage. This was something Vigier brought from his own life. ‘What really helped me is that I’m the youngest child in my family,’ he says. ‘And when we all go back home, it’s like it was when we were younger: I’m the easiest one to tease. And that’s a similar relationship to the one between Sophie and I when we play Hansel and Gretel.’ (Kelly Apter)

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Highlights | THEATRE

PHOTO: MIHAELA BODLOVIC

HITLIST

THE RIVALS Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 2–Sat 19 Nov, citz.co.uk An elegant 18th-century comedy of manners. See preview, page 117.

April De Angelis’ comedy about a mother-daughter relationship in turmoil. Featuring Pauline Knowles. See preview, page 118.

JUMPY Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 3–Sat 12 Nov, lyceum.org. uk Cora Bissett directs

RAMBERT Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 23–Fri 25 Nov, edtheatres.com Britain’s oldest dance company celebrates its 90th anniversary with a triple-bill of Christopher’s Bruce’s Ghost Dances, Lucy Guerin’s Tomorrow and Alexander Whitley’s Frames. See preview, page 120.

SCOTTISH BALLET: HANSEL & GRETEL Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sat 10–Sat 31 Dec; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 5–Sat 14 Jan, scottishballet. co.uk Christopher Hampson choreograph’s Scottish Ballet’s lavish production of the classic folk tale. See preview, page 120.

MANIPULATE VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Jan–Sat 4 Feb, manipulatefestival.org Puppet Animation Scotland collates a collection of world class animation and puppetry in this annual festival. See preview, page 115.

THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO: IAN WATSON

Cinderella

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK King’s Theatre, Sat 26 Nov–Sat 15 Jan, edtheatres.com Festive panto featuring Allan Stewart, Andy Gray and Grant Stott.

GLASGOW MAMMA MIA Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue 29 Nov–Sat 7 Jan, atgtickets.com/ venues/edinburgh-playhouse The smash hit musical based on the songs of Abba continues to storm the UK.

LADY MACBETH: UNSEX ME HERE Eastwood Park Theatre, Thu 3 Nov, eastwoodparktheatre.co.uk Company Chordelia and Solar Bear present an examination of Shakespeare’s most complex female character. See Q&A at list.co.uk Also touring, see list.co.uk/theatre for details

PLAN B FOR UTOPIA Tramway, Fri 2 & Sat 3 Dec, tramway.org The superb debut outing from Dundee-based company, Joan Clevillé Dance, mixing humour, pathos and emotive choreography.

SECRET SHOW 1 Tron Theatre, Tue 8–Fri 11 Nov, tron.co.uk Anarchic and new take on a classic play, but the title is a secret. See preview, page 118.

CINDERELLA King’s Theatre, Fri 2 Dec–Sun 8 Jan, atgtickets.com/venues/kingstheatre Family panto featuring the Fairy Godmother, Ugly Sisters and Cinderella herself. HANSEL & GRETEL Citizens Theatre, Tue 6 Dec–Sat 7 Jan, citz.co.uk Dominic Hill directs this festive production from the team behind 2014’s A Christmas Carol. ALADDIN SECC, Sat 10–Sat 31 Dec, secc. co.uk Aladdin gets the panto treatment in 2016, starring Wet Wet Wet’s Marti Pellow. THE WOMAN IN BLACK King’s Theatre, Tue 17–Sat 21 Jan, atgtickets.com/venues/kingstheatre Spookily Gothic and highly theatrical adaptation of Susan Hill’s story about a young lawyer trying to exorcise his metaphorical demons.

PHOTO: IAN WATSON

BROCADE Tramway, Fri 2 & Sat 3 Dec, tramway.org A celebration of energetic alliances choreographed by Roberta Jean.

LAST CHRISTMAS Traverse Theatre, Tue 13–Fri 23 Dec, traverse.co.uk Returning home for Christmas, Tom is confronted with the ghosts of his past. Forced to face his demons, he attempts to rescue his family and his future. Will Tom be able to save it all in time? Age 12+.

BOLSHOI BALLET LIVE: SLEEPING BEAUTY Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 22 Jan, bolshoiballetincinema.com Tchaikovsky’s music is brought to life by the Bolshoi in this magical fairy tale. Also screening elsewhere, see list. co.uk/theatre for details STRICTLY COME DANCING 10TH ANNIVERSARY LIVE TOUR SSE Hydro, Fri 27–Sun 29 Jan, strictlycomedancinglive.com Celebrities, professional dancers and judges take the popular BBC TV show on the road.

EDINBURGH THE BROONS King’s Theatre, until Sat 5 Nov, edtheatres.com Scotland’s most famous fictional family arrive on the stage, courtesy of Rob Drummond

and Sell a Door Theatre Company. See review, page 117. Also Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 7–Sat 12 Nov CHRYALIS Traverse Theatre, Fri 18–Sun 20 Nov, ytas.org.uk/chrysalis Chrysalis festival brings together theatre companies from across the UK for a weekend of youth theatre.

MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE SSE Hydro, Wed 4–Sun 8 Jan, marveluniverselive.com/uk All your favourite superheroes come to life in this action packed, stunt filled arena spectacular that sees the Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man team up to track down the Cosmic Cube.

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE Festival Sqaure, Fri 18 Nov–Sat 7 Jan, edinburghschristmas.com Clarke Peters’ musical, featuring jazz hits by Louis Jordan.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Royal Lyceum Theatre, Fri 13–Sat 28 Jan, lyceum.org.uk Australian production based on the haunting bush tale about a group of schoolgirls who disappear. See preview, page 118.

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND Royal Lyceum Theatre, Sat 26 Nov–Sat 31 Dec, lyceum.org. uk Anthony Neilson brings to life a Victorian version of the classic Lewis Carroll tale.

WONDERLAND Edinburgh Playhouse, Fri 20–Sat 28 Jan, atgtickets.com/venues/ edinburgh-playhouse West End favourite Kerry Ellis stars in Frank Wildhorn’s musical adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 121

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EAF2016 18th - 20th November

Edinburgh Corn Exchange

www.artedinburgh.com

60 Galleries 500 Artists 3 Days Only!

Open 11am Each Day Entry £5 / Conc’ £3 | Children go Free

Art for Everyone!

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PHOTO: DENIS MORTELL / IMAGE COURTESY GALERIE GISELA CAPITAIN, COLOGNE

VISUAL ART

Fo the latestr n listings a ews, reviews, g nd o list.co.uk to /visualar t

KARLA BLACK AND KISHIO SUGA: A NEW ORDER Generations and oceans are bridged at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Karla Black and Kishio Suga may be generations as well as oceans apart, but the worlds within worlds they occupy even as they unfurl their creations around them seem to come from very similar places. Both Glasgowbased Black and the Japanese veteran of the Mono-ha, or ‘School of Things’, create sculptures that fuse natural and industrial materials to create interventions of pure form. In Suga’s case, this is best exemplified in ‘Interconnected Space’, a piece originally made in the 1970s in which a large boulder sits at the centre of a room supported by four ropes hung from the top of each wall. Black’s preoccupations come in the marshmallow

fluffiness of pastel-tinted cotton wool carpets that fill entire rooms with a whiteness prettily stained with pale slivers of paint. While Suga’s works are reconstructions of pieces originally made in the 1970s, Black’s are brand new constructions made this year. Both are site-specific, their essential structures adapted to their respective environments. Seen across the entire lower floor of SNGMA, they become two sides of the same coin. While Suga balances blocks of wood of various shapes and sizes on an elaborate zig-zag of steel rope, Black creates a cellophane roof dappled with paint drips that resembles an abandoned playroom left after a happening.

Both artists see words as being incapable of summing up their work, even as they use titles that are willfully and teasingly opaque. For instance, Suga’s 1970s series of silvertinted photographic documents of assorted ‘activations’, as he puts it, could be the names of Prog-ambient albums that straddle several eras. A healthy disregard comes at the entrance of the exhibition, where the letters of both artists’ names are jumbled up as if part of some cryptic linguistic game that parades gleefully and messily beyond words. (Neil Cooper) ■ Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until Sun 19 Feb ●●●●●

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VISUAL ART | Previews & Reviews SHORT FILMS

JOHN SAMSON: 1975–1983 Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, until Mon 17 Apr ●●●●● When the then 22-year-old world darts champion Eric Bristow is captured throwing the tools of his trade to victory at the end of Arrows, John Samson’s 1979 study of the self-styled crafty Cockney, he’s invested with a poetry that makes him appear part Robin Hood, part pop star. Similarly, in Samson’s first film, Tattoo (1975), the closing tableaux of artfully posed illustrated men and women resemble inked-in Greek statues. Kilmarnock-born Samson may have only made five short films between the ages of 29 and 37, but his fascination for largely working class sub-cultural fringes was on a par with Kenneth Anger, while pre-dating some of Jeremy Deller’s work. Samson followed Tattoo with Dressing For Pleasure (1977), which unzips the assorted rubber, leather and latex-based fetish-wear scenes, and briefly features Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and his SEX shop assistant, Jordan. After this, the steam train enthusiasts of Britannia (1978) is a surprising diversion, although it and Arrows lay bare worlds similarly occupied by enthusiastic obsessives who are rarely given a voice. Only the more polemical The Skin Horse (1983), a groundbreaking personal study of disabled people’s relationship with sex originally screened on Channel 4, is invested with any kind of narration, courtesy of actor and on-camera host, Nabil Shaban. In this way, as he lays bare all the things hidden from polite society, Samson remains compassionately curious rather than voyeuristic. While this first gallery presentation of Samson’s work might have benefited from being framed within the socio-economic context of an era that scaled the post-permissive dawning of Thatcherism, the films themselves remain vital touchstones of a pre-camera phone, pre-YouTube age when underground culture was a genuinely samizdat form of community. (Neil Cooper)

PHOTO: COURTESY OF GLASGOW LIFE

PAINTING

JOAN EARDLEY: A SENSE OF PLACE Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two), Edinburgh, Sat 3 Dec–Sun 21 May As one of Scotland’s most popular 20th-century artists, Joan Eardley’s passionate and expressive paintings capture the harsh realities of her ordinary life in post-war Scotland. This aptly titled exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art will focus on two divergent aspects of her practice; her brutally honest portraits of street children from the Townhead area of Glasgow, and her rugged landscapes set in the small fishing village of Catterline, near Aberdeen. Eardley was one of a generation of artists drawn to poverty-stricken urban childhood and she often portrayed Glasgow’s children against boarded up shops and buildings damaged by the war. She said of these children: ‘They are Glasgow – this richness that Glasgow has – I hope it will always have . . . as long as Glasgow has this I’ll always want to paint.’ Eardley’s landscapes share this gritty quality, painted onto huge sheets of board on location in all kinds of weather, and her aggressive brushstrokes veer close to abstract expressionism. Alongside the usual favourite paintings on loan from numerous public and private collections, an archive of unpublished sketches and photographs will also be on display, giving viewers greater insight into the ideas behind her much-loved paintings. (Rosie Lesso)

EXHIBITION

SOUTH AFRICAN ART

ALPHONSE MUCHA: IN QUEST OF BEAUTY

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE & VIVIENNE KOORLAND: CONVERSATIONS IN LETTERS AND LINES

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, until Sun 19 Feb ●●●●● The style of Alphonse Mucha is so central to defining the art nouveau moment that his work remains both instantly recognisable and hugely popular today. The first exhibition in Scotland since the major show at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh in 2000 places works from the Mucha Foundation in Prague next to his British and Glasgow contemporaries, including Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Mucha became an overnight success in Paris in the mid 1890s after an impromptu opportunity to design a poster for the actress Sarah Bernhardt. He built a reputation as a designer for advertising and ‘decorative panels’, a low-cost option to beautify the home. His later years were devoted to an epic series of paintings supporting Czech independence. The show draws interesting parallels with the Pre-Raphaelites, and with Mackintosh: there are similarities in their designs for print, and in the sense that both have a ‘total art’ aesthetic, but the Glasgow style quickly becomes distinct from the Czech. While easy on the eye, this show lacks the breadth and depth of the Edinburgh show, and leaves the viewer with a sense of superficial beauty, rather than a more muscular interrogation of his ideas. (Susan Mansfield)

The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 19 Nov– Sun 19 Feb While much can be revealed by an exhibition which looks, in depth, at the career of a single artist, new aspects can shine out when that artist’s work is placed next to another. Never is that more the case than when the artists are contemporaries and friends, and have been engaged in a conversation about art going back at least 40 years. William Kentridge and Vivienne Koorland met as students in South Africa in the 1970s. She became a painter, he studied performance, directed operas, made films. He now lives in Johannesburg, she in New York, but the conversation between them continues, about critical theory and politics and history, about what art does, what it can do. Curator Tamar Garb, a friend of both artists, brings their recent work together in this show. Though the contrasts are obvious – Kentridge making films using new, fast-paced technologies, Koorland painting on burlap sacks and stitching linen – the common ground is evident too: the combining of images and words; the concern with history, time and place; and the desire to engage with the complexities of the country in which they grew up. (Susan Mansfield)

124 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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Highlights | VISUAL ART

HITLIST

ZOFIA KULIK: INSTEAD OF SCULPTURE Glasgow Sculpture Studios, until Sat 3 Dec, glasgowsculpturestudios. org Serialised photographic works from the highlyacclaimed artist, which were first shown in 1971. JOHN SAMSON: ‘1975–1983’

Gallery Of Modern Art, Glasgow, until Mon 17 Apr, glasgowlife.org. uk The groundbreaking work of Kilmarnock-born filmmaker John Samson

(1946–2004). See review, page 124.

one new piece. See review, page 123.

KARLA BLACK AND KISHIO SUGA: A NEW ORDER Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One, Edinburgh, until Sun 19 Feb, nationalgalleries. org New work by leading Glasgow artist Black and recreations by Suga, plus

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE & VIVIENNE KOORLAND: CONVERSATIONS IN LETTERS AND LINES The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 19 Nov– Sun 19 Feb, fruitmarket. co.uk Work by South African artists who have been friends for 40 years.

See preview, page 124. JOAN EARDLEY: A SENSE OF PLACE Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Two, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Dec–Sun 21 May, nationalgalleries.org A major overview of the short career of Joan Eardley (1921–1963). See preview, page 124.

VISUAL ART HIGHLIGHTS Works by the late artist and academician, some of which are available for sale.

Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

THE JILL TODD PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD Stills, Sat 5 Nov–Sun 22 Jan, stills. org Showcase of finalists in the inaugural competition to find the best student and graduate photographers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

GLASGOW NEW SHOOTS OLD ROOTS Hillhead Library, until Sun 20 Nov, glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/ your-local-library/hillheadlibrary/pages/home.aspx Interview extracts and photographs sharing the experiences of African and Caribbean women who came to Scotland between 1958 and 1996, made in conjunction with the African & Caribbean Women’s Association. LARRY HERMAN: CLYDESIDE 1974–1976 Street Level Photoworks, until Sun 27 Nov, streetlevelphotoworks.org Images of mid-70s Clydeside by the New York-born photographer. SHARON HAYES: IN MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD, ANYONE WOULD LOVE YOU The Common Guild, until Sun 4 Dec, thecommonguild.org.uk Work by artist interested in the history of social protest. ELLA KRUGLYANSKAYA Tramway, until Sun 11 Dec, tramway.org Visceral and disorienting paintings by New Yorkbased Latvian artist. ALPHONSE MUCHA: IN QUEST OF BEAUTY Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, until Sun 19 Feb, glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/ kelvingrove/Pages/default.aspx A major survey of the Czech-born artist, designer and illustrator, and his associations with the Art Nouveau phenomenon. See review, page 124. GENEVA SILLS: CONES & EGGS CCA, Sat 26 Nov–Sun 18 Dec, cca-glasgow.com Debut

COLOUR AND LIGHT Dovecot Studios, Sat 5 Nov–Sat 28 Jan, dovecotstudios.com A look at the importance of colour and light in textile work.

Ross Fraser Mclean: Ceiba – Casa De Todos Los Muertos

solo exhibition by Chicago-born artist, exploring the materiality of photography and the female form.

EDINBURGH YOHANNE LAMOULERE: FALSE TOWNS / FRANCK POURCEL: AT TWILIGHT Institut Français d’Écosse, until Fri 25 Nov, ifecosse.org.uk Images of cities at twilight and documentary photography of the 15th and 16th districts of Marseille, the most northern parts of the city. IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: EARLY WORK Ingleby Gallery, until Sat 26 Nov, inglebygallery.com Work from the year 1966, in which the artist moved with his family to Stonypath, the farm that became Little Sparta. ROB KENNEDY: ACTS OF DIS PLAY Talbot Rice Gallery, until Sat 17 Dec, ed.ac.uk/talbot-rice Glasgow-based artist uses found objects, video, performance and

other sources to create work that undoes aspects of the way our sensible environment is distributed. STEPHEN BRANDES: PARC DU SOUVENIR Talbot Rice Gallery, until Sat 17 Dec, ed.ac.uk/talbot-rice Work inspired by the Scottish sociologist and city planner Patrick Geddes and the German novelist Günter Grass. ROSS FRASER MCLEAN: CEIBA – CASA DE TODOS LOS MUERTOS Summerhall, until Fri 23 Dec, summerhall.co.uk An exhibition of photographs by Dundee-based artist McLean, exploring Mexico’s celebratory approach to death. TIME IS ALL AROUND Edinburgh Printmakers, until Fri 23 Dec, edinburghprintmakers.co.uk Work made in collaboration with staff, patients and families at St Columba’s Hospice. THE DAVID MICHIE GIFT Royal Scottish Academy, until Fri 13 Jan, royalscottishacademy.org

A SKETCH OF THE UNIVERSE: ART, SCIENCE AND THE INFLUENCE OF D’ARCY THOMPSON City Art Centre, Sat 19 Nov–Sun 19 Feb, edinburghmuseums.org. uk/venues/city-art-centre A look at the work of the great scientist whose book On Growth and Form laid the foundations for mathematical biology but also built a bridge between science and art.

DUNDEE KATY DOVE Dundee Contemporary Arts, until Sun 20 Nov, dca.org.uk A memorial exhibition for the richly talented artist who died in January 2015. OF OTHER SPACES: WHERE DOES GESTURE BECOME EVENT? Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, until Fri 16 Dec, dundee.ac.uk/djcad Contemporary art exhibition and rolling event programme looking at the contemporary relevance and cogency of feminist thinking on power. Featured artists include Conrad Atkinson, Anne Bean, Cullinan Richards, Rose English, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Margaret Harrison, He Chengyao, Lucy McKenzie, Annabel Nicolson, Hannah O’Shea, Siôn Parkinson, Su Richardson, Jo Spence, Georgina Starr and Linder Sterling. 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 125

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Fo the latestr n listings a ews, reviews, g nd o list.co.uk to /tv

PLANET EARTH II David Attenborough presents a stunning documentary series from the BBC Natural History Unit In 2006, Planet Earth broke new ground. At the time it was the most expensive wildlife documentary of all time. Now Sir David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit return with a sequel that spans the globe. In the ten years that have passed, new technology means we can get closer than ever to the animals of the world. Conversely, the ravages of pollution and over population during the last decade mean the planet’s ecosystem has never been so fragile. The opening episode focuses on island life and their mini ecosystems. Marvels include a pygmy sloth swimming through the ocean, gigantic Komodo dragons in combat, lemurs leaping through the thorny forests of Madagascar and packs of snakes chasing baby iguanas. There’s also an unashamed environmental message as we watch ants, inadvertently introduced by visiting ships, killing indigenous crabs. It’s not always an easy watch, showcasing the brutal reality of Mother Nature in unsentimental but fascinating footage. From 1979’s Life on Earth onwards, Attenborough’s work with the BBC represents the high watermark in wildlife documentaries, his warmth and knowledge resonating through every episode. The final ten-minute ‘Diaries’ section that closes each show is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the film teams. The lengths they go to are extraordinary, but the scenes they capture are spectacular, sometimes filming aspects of animal behaviour for the very first time. This is exactly what television was invented for. Planet Earth II also marks the first BBC production in ultra-high 4K definition. So find the biggest TV you can and immerse yourself in the wonders of the natural world. (Henry Northmore) ■ Planet Earth II starts on BBC One, Sun 6 Nov ●●●●●

126 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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Previews & Reviews | TV

list.co.uk/tv SEASONAL SPECIAL

DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL BBC One, Sun 25 Dec It’s almost as much of a Christmas tradition as the Queen’s Speech. Doctor Who is back once again for a festive one-hour special. This time the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) will be teaming up with a comic book superhero in New York to save the world from evil aliens in ‘The Return of Doctor Mysterio’. Matt Lucas also returns as the bumbling Nardole. ‘Delighted and slightly amazed to be welcoming Matt Lucas back on to the TARDIS,’ says head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, ‘and this time it’s not just for Christmas, he’s sticking around.’ Lucas will join Capaldi and new companion Bill (Pearl Mackie) for series ten in 2017, which also marks the last with Moffat as head writer. He took over the reins from Russell T Davies back in 2008 and his dark imaginings gave us the Weeping Angels and steered the Doctor through two regenerations (from David Tennant to Matt Smith to Capaldi). Chris Chibnall will be taking over. Best known as writer / creator of Life on Mars and Broadchurch, Chibnall is a lifelong Doctor Who fan who has already written five episodes and several webisodes.

HIGHLIGHTS THE CROWN Fri 4 Nov, Netflix Lavish drama telling the story of Queen Elizabeth II with Claire Foy stepping into HRH’s tiara. See review, left. PLANET EARTH II Sun 6 Nov, BBC One Astonishing new wildlife documentary series from Sir David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit. See review, page 126. ‘While Chris is doing his last run of Broadchurch, I’ll be finishing up on the best job in the universe and keeping the TARDIS warm for him . . . I am beyond delighted that one of the true stars of British television drama will be taking the Time Lord even further into the future. At the start of season 11, Chris Chibnall will become the new showrunner of Doctor Who. And I will be thrown in a skip,’ laughs Moffat. (Henry Northmore)

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON Thu 15 Nov, 10pm, E! James Corden helped drag the US late-night talk show tradition across the Atlantic. Now E! get in on the act screening Fallon’s chat and comedy extravaganza just 24 hours after broadcast in America. THE GRAND TOUR Fri 18 Nov, Amazon Prime Instant Video We shudder at the thought of Jeremy Clarkson’s new TV venture. But it is big news, so there you go. Cars, Clarkson, Hammond and May talking Top Gear-type tosh even though they’re not allowed to call it Top Gear any more. GILMORE GIRLS: A YEAR IN THE LIFE Fri 25 Nov, Netflix Revival of the muchmissed Gilmore Girls, with four feature-length specials covering each season (winter, spring, summer and fall). DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Sun 25 Dec, BBC One It just wouldn’t be Christmas without your favourite Time Lord starring in a seasonal special with a superhero theme. See preview, left.

ROYAL DRAMA

THE CROWN Netflix from Fri 4 Nov ●●●●● Netflix has announced it will be spending a whopping $6 billion on original content next year (to provide context, HBO spent just shy of $2 billion in 2016). And with a reputed $100 million price tag per season, The Crown is an integral part of this new offensive. Retelling the life of Queen Elizabeth II, The Crown opens in 1947 on the eve of Elizabeth’s (Claire Foy) marriage to Philip Mountbatten (Matt Smith). Five years later, King George VI (Jared Harris) dies. As news of her father’s death spreads around the world, Elizabeth is blissfully unaware on safari in Africa. The young princess is crowned Queen of England at the age of 25. Your opinion of The Crown will probably be determined by your feelings towards the monarchy, but it’s impossible to deny it’s beautifully made, with lavish sets and costumes. Much like ITV’s recent Victoria, it's a clever blend of history and fiction disguised as fact. Foy might not look like the Queen but she’s got the accent down pat, prim and proper yet revealing a hidden strength. Smith avoids the cheap gaffe-prone caricature of Philip, bringing a human edge to his struggle for identity in his wife’s shadow, while John Lithgow brings just the right amount of cantankerous charm to Winston Churchill. The Crown can be a bit stuffy, though. There’s some drama with an elephant in Kenya; Edward (Alex Jennings) and Mrs Simpson pop up from time to time; fog brings London to a standstill in episode four while Princess Margaret’s (Vanessa Kirby) romance with Peter Townsend (Ben Miles) simmers in the background. However, most of the action is confined to meaningful discussions about duty and responsibility. The Crown constantly reminds us that, behind the pomp and circumstance, these are real people; closeted, detached from society, their lives defined by compromise and obligation. This humanising can make it feel a bit like a PR exercise for the British royal family. However, if you can watch objectively, it’s a fascinating portrayal of post-war Britain and the birth of the modern monarchy. (Henry Northmore)

THE LAST DRAGON SLAYER Sun 25 Dec, Sky 1 Fantasy action for all the family (unlike Sky Atlantic’s rather icky Game of Thrones) based on Jasper Fforde’s novel. SHERLOCK – SEASON 4 Sun 1 Jan, BBC One More mysteries and enigmatic sleuthing. And if recent comments from Benedict Cumberbatch are to be believed, this could be the last series of Sherlock for the foreseeable future. HOMELAND – SEASON 6 Jan (date tbc), Channel 4 Season 5 found Homeland back on track focusing on Carrie Mathison (Clare Danes) in Berlin. Now she’s back in America for more espionage action set during a US presidential election. RESIDENT EVIL VII: BIOHAZARD Tue 24 Jan, PC / PS4 / Xbox One The world’s greatest survival horror series goes first person for the next horrifying instalment.

3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 THE LIST 127

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BACK PAGE FIRST&LAST GRIFF RHYS JONES The actor, writer, presenter, comedy legend, and all-round good guy expresses some thoughts on Middlemarch, mainsails and those mysteries of the organism First record you ever bought

‘Help!’ by the Beatles when it came out. My mum thought I was mad and that pop singles would never last. I still have it, although I don’t have the means to play it. PHOTO: STEVE ULLATHORNE

Last extravagant purchase you made

The last time when I went ‘ouch’ was for a new mainsail for my boat. And this is just maintenance: you stick it up, you use it, and then a little bit later on you have to get a new one. It doesn’t feel like buying anything worthwhile at all. First film that really moved you

Lawrence of Arabia when I was a boy. It’s a masterpiece of narrative; just extraordinary. People have dumbed down David Lean, but he is a genius. Last lie you told

I’m somebody who doesn’t tell lies, genuinely, very often. But on the other hand, I do lie every day, often when I say ‘thank you’ for things that I don’t want. Particularly in emails.

Shakespearean: the door would be opened by the girl but you didn’t know if it was the girl you were in love with or her sister.

An early concert I can remember is the Byrds at the Albert Hall. Last time you bought flowers

Last book you read

Only two days ago.

The book I’m reading at the moment is the brilliant Dictator by Robert Harris.

First object you’d save from your burning home

First great piece of advice you were given

My wife, but she’s not an object. An object that needs preserving would be my passport.

The school masters were always full of advice: ‘don’t sit on the radiator or it will give you piles’.

First movie you went on a date to

Last time you were star-struck

Probably when I took a girl that I really fancied to an arthouse movie in London which I had read about: WR: The Mysteries of the Organism. It was a fantastically pornographic film that I hadn’t been aware of. It didn’t seem to help my case.

The person I was most star-struck by was Isaiah Berlin. I couldn’t think of anything to say to him as he was the greatest living philosopher.

First thing you do when you’ve got time off work

First concert you ever attended

First job

Geoffrey Drayton’s in Epping High Street as a shop assistant. Last crime you committed

Speeding! First book you read for a second time

Middlemarch at A-level. First song you’ll sing at karaoke

Never sung karaoke. But I just don’t know any songs apart from ‘How Much I’ve Lied’ by Gram Parsons.

Visit my alpacas. First crush

First time you realised you were famous

When I was about 15, I went to ballroom dancing classes, and me and Jimson fell in love with identical twins. It was very

I think it was while making Not the Nine O’Clock News when kids at the bus stop starting pointing at us all.

COMING SOON

Last thing you think of before you go to sleep

Am I still wearing my glasses? First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning

‘Oh no’. Griff Rhys Jones: Jones and Smith is at EICC, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Nov.

Tis the season to get very excited about next year’s big events and they won’t come much bigger than the two festivals gracing Glasgow in the first half of the year. The Glasgow Film Festival arrives in February and there are laughs aplenty going down at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in March. Among those booked to have us rolling in some aisles are Sue Perkins (pictured), Frankie Boyle, Omid Djalili and Bridget Christie. Read all about it on Wed 1 Feb.

128 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017

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