Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 by List Publishing Ltd

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Art Books Fringe International Jazz Politics Tattoo City Guide Edinburgh

Festival Guide + Eating, Drinking, Dancing & Shopping

Dizzee Rascal Martin Creed Storm Large Pina Bausch Rich Fulcher Gilbert & George John Cooper Clarke

Why Tommy Tiernan canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop saying dangerous things

Look out Edinburgh

Porgy & Bess Alan Warner Martin Bell China Moses Tim Key Jon Fratelli Wooster Group Will Self

ÂŁ2.50

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SIMON CALLOW

A snapshot of our shows at Assembly in 2010. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to check out our brand new venue in West Princes Street Gardens which opens with the Edinburgh Jazz Festival on 30th July. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an outdoor festival garden bar, tasty bites, live music, cinema, free shows and much much more. Full show information, tickets, offers, video clips and our latest news can be found on our website at www.assemblyfestival.com

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For complete Fe stival listings:

Contents

list.co.uk/festiv al Art

Whether you prefer strolling around a gallery , spying on the festival crowds from high abov e or stumbling upon ingenious and inspiring public art, Edinburgh is the best place to do it. In town will be Gilbert and George, whose early works and lasting influenc e are analysed by art critic and broadcaster Bidisha, while we also chat to Turner Prizewinner Martin Creed and innovative surveillance duo Edinburgh Kim Coleman & Art Festival, Jenny Hogarth 29 July – 5 September

Frontlines A wo

rd from the ed itor Plus booking in formation 6 Top 30 All the hot hits 10 Festival di rectors 13 Silly stuf f Doctors, siblin gs, birthdays, site-specifics and punctuatio n

Gilbert and George’s Existers is an 80s acid trip of chic exuberance, page 18

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| Edinburgh Festival

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Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/fe stival

Books

Gilbert and Ge orge Why Hirst and Emin owe thei r careers to the quirky art duo 22 Coleman & Hogarth Surveillance ar t in the city 24 Martin Cr eed The Turner Pr izewinner gets 25 Other high busy lights

Books

28 Will Self The spats, show s, scandals, substances an d stationery 32 Alan War ner An exclusive st ory extract as the Oban writer m uses on Elsewh 34 Teenage ere fiction How the kids ar e being spoiled 36 Heather Brooke Pioneering Am erican journalis t or public enem y number one? 37 Other high lights

Art 18

Will Self takes a breather in his office while surrounded by reams of stickies. Were that in an A-Z, we to include it might be P for Post-it notes. See page 28 26 THE LIST

| Edinburgh Festival

Books

Charlotte Squar e Gardens will be dancing to some different tunes this year with spanking new innovations headed up by Unbound, the festival’s latenight literature and music strand . There will also be the usual dazzling set of superb scribes. Over the comin g pages we focus on the former enfant terrible Will Self, print a short story extract by Alan Warner, speak to investigative journo Heather Brooke and take a peek at the Edinburgh cream of the crop International in teenage fiction Book Festival, 14–30 August

Fringe

40 Tommy Ti ernan Why the fiery stand-up will never be ta med 44 Ontroere nd Goed Belgian teens go ballistic 46 Jean Abre u Turning isolatio n into dance 48 Jonny Sw eet and Tim Ke y Comedy winn ers discuss th e perils of touchi ng audiences 52 Storm La rge Reality rock st ar breezes in 54 Jon Fratell i Glasgow boy go es solo 57 Pedal Pu sher Putting a bike ride on stage 60 Women an d sex Bringing sauc e to the city 64 Rich Fulch er 66 Molly Na ylor 68 Scandina vian stand-up s 70 Bell Shak espeare 72 Tinchy St ryder v Dizzee Rascal 74 John Coop er Clarke 76 Doc Brow n 78 Other high lights

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Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/fe stival

Fringe

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Sponsored by

Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth Art

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Big Sisters are Following a rich tradition of surveillance art, Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth’s festival show aims to turn Edinburgh into a city under observation. Paul Dale peers through their lens

n this age of surveillance-induced morality, Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth’s new show Staged seems, on paper at least, somewhat fitting. Coleman & Hogarth (in combo their surnames make them sound like a satiric mustard) follow their recent Frieze Art Fair project with a multi-channel video installation incorporating stage-managed performances with live events filmed around Edinburgh by CCTV cameras, transforming the festival and the city. The proposed aim, according to the press release at least, ‘is to turn Edinburgh at festival time into a mise-en-scène and the visitors, tourists and locals into players’. It sounds like a tall order, one that if executed with any kind of aplomb will embrace both the broad appeal of an August in Edinburgh and the anarchy of surveillance art pioneers including Pop Art poster boy Andy Warhol, internet experimenter Josh Harris, New York’s anarchist thespians the Surveillance Camera Players and mixedmedia artists Christian Moeller and Camille Utterback’s dynamic installations in Osaka City, Japan, and San Jose, California, respectively. Recipients of the festival’s Scottish Government Expo funding, Coleman & Hogarth’s new project is undoubtedly their most ambitious to date despite previously working with the Boyle Family and founding and directing the Meadowbank-based Embassy Gallery from 2003-2006. Working in collaboration with The Collective Gallery, the pair have been mad busy preparing this fiddly beast of a show for months, but still found time to answer a few questions about Staged. ‘The work aims to create an alternative portrait of the city, capturing the relationship Edinburgh has with performance,’ Hogarth explains. ‘It will be an installation in the City Observatory on Calton Hill using live video feeds to create an environment that allows viewers to see invisible or unnoticed aspects of the city in new ways, like a digital camera obscura. Originally the Observatory used the most

22 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

PEOPLE AT THE FESTIVAL TAKE PART IN A HUMAN DRAMA

contemporary lens technology available to survey the night sky. Similarly Staged will use modern technology to consider forms of observation in the present day and alter the way we understand time and space in the city.’ Interestingly, the work uses old and new media to draw connotations to and annotations of the biggest arts and performance festival in the world, an idea that clearly excites these two pluralistic thinkers. ‘Our experience of Edinburgh during the festival is that of people viewing and being viewed; they watch performance and at the same time take part in a human drama,’ Coleman expounds. ‘We aim to heighten viewers’ awareness of the staging of the festivals, mixing the premeditated and the spontaneous, the organised and the randomised, what’s intended to be scrutinised and what’s not, what’s appreciated and what’s taken for granted. Cameras installed around the city will transmit images from multiple positions and angles. Like a

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watching you

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jump bridg off a e, w follow ill you 3/3 An me? t Stree igua t, 7–22 Aug

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Jenny Hogarth and Kim Coleman use old and new media to explore observation

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montage of the festival, Staged will look at the overlooked and stage it, allowing the viewer to reflect on their relationship to the wider staging of the city for the festival.’ So rather like their surveillance art contemporaries, Coleman & Hogarth are pushing form and medium to reveal unfamiliar metaphors and sentiments. Do they feel a kinship or at the very least a weight of influence? ‘The thing is different ways of seeing are made possible by different kinds of technology. We are interested in devices that look at and represent the city and the people within it,’ Hogarth says, attempting to encapsulate her and Coleman’s thinking in historical terms. ‘We were especially influenced by the way cameras and light have been employed in the creation of urban spectacles. Camera obscuras were originally used by artists but they were also used for spying and then latterly for entertainment. We are influenced by early uses of film [pre

cinema] to record crowd scenes and present the images back to the same community that evening as well as Structuralist films of the 1960s which worked with the parameters of the film camera. Wavelength by Michael Snow, for example, works with the full length of the zoom function to create the structure of his film. In a similar way we will work with the pan-tilt and zooming mechanisms of contemporary CCTV cameras to create a structure for this work.’ All of which is great for those coming to the exhibition with an advanced knowledge of art history and theory but how would the pair sell Staged to those looking for a diversion between shows? ‘It’s basically a live video installation combining multiple live feeds to transform the festival city into a kaleidoscopic mise-en-scène,’ says Hogarth. ‘Also the experience of visiting Staged will hopefully give visitors an alternative experience of the Observatory building and its history, while considering the role of observation in the present day.’ After the festival, the pair will be temporarily relocating to Belfast to work on an exhibition at Catalyst Arts. Theirs is clearly a healthy working relationship, one free of the usual egos and associated woes. ‘As a collaboration, our working process is an ongoing discussion,’ says Coleman. ‘Conversations lead to the decisions we make about the work. Neither of us does a particular aspect of the work alone; we work together on all phases of the process.’ Both, however, seem aware that Staged has been publicised as one of the big attractions of the Edinburgh Art Festival, one that brings with it the weight of a public bursary. The stakes are high, but on past evidence, Coleman & Hogarth are up to the job. Are they looking forward to it? They seem to answer in tandem: ‘The festival transforms Edinburgh, and the whole of August is a great time to be there. However, we’ll probably be too busy to see any shows!’ Coleman & Jenny Hogarth, City Observatory, Kim Calton Hill, 0131 220 1260, 30 Jul–15 Aug, free. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 23

Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth Art

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Martin Creed Art

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Renaissance Man Martin Creed is on the Fringe and at the Book Festival as well as stirring up the art world this August. Rosalie Doubal hears from an artist who wants to fully explore the process of living

All over it think that dying for a piss is one of the strongest experiences in life.’ Much like his works, Martin Creed’s words often tread a fine line between the exceedingly crass and the wincingly poetic. Although recognised for his unwavering interest in the ordering and re-ordering of the everyday, he has been criticised in the past for seemingly ‘conceptual’, ‘non-art’ presentations such as the Turner Prize winning on/off light, and the sick, shit and sex films. Yet no one can deny the arresting vitality of Creed’s practice. Manipulating the stuff and things of our universal makeup, both inside and out, Creed is an artist who talks and works with both passion and reserve and, most ingeniously, is an artist who generates force from doubt. ‘I like doing things in different media or areas, because I don’t feel sure about what I do. Working is a means of trying to make your life better. So that means looking for excitement or beauty, and whether that’s in music or dance or marble steps, it’s no different.’ Every inch the Renaissance Man, Creed’s festival offerings include solo show Down Over Up at The Fruitmarket Gallery, a Sadler’s Wells production of his Ballet Work No. 1020 at the Traverse Theatre, an appearance at the Book Festival and the installation of a new major permanent public sculpture on the Scotsman Steps, his EAF Expo commission to be unveiled later in the year. Viewing his work in dance, sculpture and music as one and the same practice, Creed’s core interests remain the same. Further to broadening his audiences, working like this allows the artist to play with the immersive theatrical experience, the drop-in gallery-going effect, and the happened-upon occurrences of public sculpture. From the insistent numerical titling of his works to the experimentation with differing levels of audience absorption, incremental impulses remain key to Creed’s Ballet Work No. 1020, a piece for five dancers with film and a live band featuring the artist, is based around the five positions in ballet and the notes of the musical scale. Similarly, Creed’s Fruitmarket exhibition focuses on progressions in size, height and tone. Chairs, boxes and series of paintings will crescendo, slide and swell, showing process, progress and flux. ‘I think it comes from a feeling that nothing is ever fixed,’ explains Creed. ‘Living is constantly changing. And so one of the ideas behind these works in which something gets bigger and bigger or works like the lights going on and off, was to try and make something that is happening, that makes itself live in front of you, and to show inside the work, a process of living.’ Returning audiences to his work with music, a highlight of Down Over Up will be a new commission in which Creed turns the gallery’s staircase into a synthesiser, with each step sounding a different note as visitors ascend and descend. Aware of the more unsavoury reputation of the

24 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Scotsman Steps, Creed’s plan for his public sculpture involves a more durable – and washable – solution, and will see the artist resurface the steps with different types of marble from all over the world. ‘One of the things that made me think of it was that those steps are just such a toilet,’ laughs Creed. ‘But I thought maybe if you put something really beautiful there, that might be the best thing to do. And it’s funny because marble is a material that is used traditionally in lavatories.’ Although the artist readily understands the humour of this work, there is seriousness here. The inability to reconcile the effect of certain feelings with the physical world around about him is a generative force within his practice. ‘Feeling sick, and all those kind of things, are important,’ muses Creed. ‘But I think it’s really hard to make a relationship between things outside of you and the feelings inside. For me, that’s what trying to make things is and it’s just like trying to make things rhyme or like finding someone to fall in love with.’ Down Over Up, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Market Street, 0131 225 2383, 30 Jul–31 Oct, free; Edinburgh International Book Festival event, Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 14 Aug, 8.30pm, £10 (£8); Ballet Work No. 1020, Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 0131 228 1404, 8–15 Aug, various times, £17–£19 (£6–£13). Previews 3, 7 Aug, £12 (£6).

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Mairi Gillies: Natura sensus

Plan B

Edinburgh-based ‘Hortisculpturist’ Gillies explores the relationship between plants and people in a series of beautiful sculptural installations created from real and preserved plant material and referencing sacred and iconic imagery. Atticsalt, Thistle Street North East Lane, 0131 225 2093, until 4 Sep, free.

This collaboration between Pulitzer prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon and the highly acclaimed Scottish photographer Norman McBeath has produced a series of poems and photographs based around the theme of life’s cock-ups, contingencies and conspiracies. Scottish Poetry Library, Crichton’s Close, 0131 557 2876, 29 Jul–4 Sep, free.

Prints of Darkness Alexander and Susan Maris: The Pursuit of Fidelity (‘a retrospective’)

This celebration of record cover art takes the form of an exhibition featuring original prints by 11 Scottish artists, as well as a new LP of music by People Like Us AKA award-winning international multimedia artist Vicki Bennett. Edinburgh Printmakers, Union Street, 0131 557 2479, until 4 Sep, free.

The first solo exhibition in Scotland of Glasgow-based artists Alexander and Susan Maris takes a journey through the last 20 years of their practice, moving between the mediums of photography, sound, sculpture, painting and drawing. Stills, Cockburn Street, 0131 622 6200, 30 Jul–24 Oct, free.

David Sherry: Health + Safety Effect

Jupiter Artland Year Two This remarkable collection of works from Gormley, Goldsworthy and Jencks is merely added to this year with new site-specific pieces by Nathan Coley, Jim Lambie and Cornelia Parker, all carefully placed and landscaped into the environment, as is the Jupiter Artland way. Jupiter Artland, Bonnington House, Nr Wilkieston, 01506 889 900, 29 Jul–5 Sep, £8.25 (kids £4); family ticket £18–£26.

Another World: Dalí, Magritte, Miró and the Surrealists Major survey of works by surrealist artists both familiar and arcane, including iconic works by the likes of Picasso, Dalí and Magritte, alongside supporting artefacts such as periodicals and manifestos. Dean Gallery, Belford Road, 0131 624 6200, until 9 Jan, £7 (£5).

Richard Wright: The Stairwell Project The 2009 Turner Prizewinner, known for his elaborate, intricate (though often ephemeral) geometric patterns in paint and gold leaf, creates a largescale wall-based work for the newly refurbished Dean Gallery’s west stairwell. Dean Gallery, Belford Road, 0131 624 6200, permanent, free.

Julie Roberts One of the most important painters of her generation, Glasgow School of Art graduate Roberts exhibits new paintings on the subject of ‘the child’. Talbot Rice Gallery, South Bridge, 0131 650 2210, 30 Jul–25 Sep, free.

Impressionist Gardens After the hugely inspiring Impressionism and Scotland exhibition that drew large crowds to the National Galleries of Scotland back in 2008, this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival returns to the popular 19th century movement with a major international exhibition of around 90 works including loans from collections around the world such as the Musée d’Orsay and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The groundbreaking new show, which focuses on the recurring theme of gardens and flowers in some of the most beautiful and memorable works of the impressionist period, is the

first ever on this subject and will not be visiting any other gallery in the UK. In exploring the origins and development of the impressionist garden, the exhibition will feature works by famous names such as Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet and Sisley, but will also feature many works by pioneering early 19th century flower painters including Delacroix and Corot, and includes a section exploring the worldwide influence of the impressionist garden, featuring works by Van Gogh, Klimt and Gauguin.

Barbara Rae: Prints

Iran do Espírito Santo

The renowned Edinburgh-based artist unveils an exhibition of new works in printmaking, typically inspired by objects and wilderness landscapes of the USA and the west coast of Ireland. Dundas Street Gallery, 0131 558 9363, 26 Jul–14 Aug, free.

The first ever UK exhibition by Brazilian artist Espírito Santo combines intricate and large-scale wall drawings, conceived exclusively for the Ingleby, with beautifully realised minimalist sculptures created from stainless steel, glass, stone or paint on plaster. Ingleby Gallery, Calton Road, 0131 556 4441, 29 Jul–25 Sep, free.

Joan Mitchell The renowned American abstract expressionist painter and contemporary of Lee Krasner, is celebrated in this, the first museum exhibition in the UK of her work, which features paintings on canvas and works on paper. Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Inverleith Row, 0131 248 2849, 27 Jul–19 Sep, free.

National Gallery Complex, The Mound, 0131 624 6200, 31 Jul–17 Oct, £10 (£7).

Gemma Holt & Richard Healy London-based artists Holt and Healy examine the language of design through sculptural pieces and architectural techniques to explore notions of newness and subvert commonly used systems and codes. Sierra Metro, West Harbour Road, 07971 510877, 1 Aug–12 Sep, free.

The Glasgow-based Beck’s Futuresshortlisted artist, best known for his performance art, presents a selection of his short one-day interactive performance works in the foyers and entrance halls of the National Galleries. The Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, 0131 225 6671, 30 Jul–3 Aug, free.

City Beach As part of the ‘Big Things on the Beach’ project, which has developed a public art plan for Portobello, City Beach presents three new sitespecific artworks commissioned from local people over the course of the project. Portobello Public Art House, Kings Road, 0131 669 7559, 25 Jul–5 Sep, free.

William Wegman: Family Combinations / Edward Weston: Life Work Two exhibitions by pioneering American photographers for the price of one with a retrospective covering 25 years of cutting edge conceptual photography from Wegman and a survey of 115 prints by the highly influential Weston. City Art Centre, Market Street, 0131 529 3993, 31 Jul–24 Oct, £8 (£5). Compiled by Allan Radcliffe

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Other highlights Art

Other highlights

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Books

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Will Self takes a breather in his office while surrounded by reams of stickies. Were we to include that in an A-Z, it might be P for Post-it notes. See page 28

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Charlotte Square Gardens will be dancing to some different tunes this year with spanking new innovations headed up by Unbound, the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latenight literature and music strand. There will also be the usual dazzling set of superb scribes. Over the coming pages we focus on the former enfant terrible Will Self, print a short story extract by Alan Warner, speak to investigative journo Heather Brooke and take a peek at the cream of the crop in teenage fiction

Books

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Edinburgh International Book Festival, 14â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30 August

list.co.uk/festival/book This section is sponsored by

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Will Self Books

Having forged a reputation for consuming acres of narcotics and swallowing many dictionaries whole, Will Self owns a career that flits between high art and panel shows. Brian Donaldson takes a trip through the alphabet of this former wild boy of British letters

A J A voracious reader as a child, Will Self skipped between His brother began his career as an ad copywriter but got is for Alice in Wonderland

adult and kids’ fiction, including reading all 650 pages of Frank Herbert’s Dune at the age of ten. But the book that had the biggest impact on the mind of the young Self was Lewis Carroll’s classic. The book remains ‘embedded on my cerebellum’ and when asked to scribble an intro to an edition of the book in 2000, he wrote, ‘All the hallmarks of the way my fictional sensibility developed are in there: obsessions with scale, sacrificing the sensible in favour of the intelligible or vice versa, preoccupations with transmogrification and with different levels of reality.’

B In 2008, The Butt received the Wodehouse prize for comic is for Bollinger

fiction at the Hay Festival. The feverishly high tension that would normally precede the announcement of such a prestigious award was somewhat punctured by the fact that his entry in the programme described him as the ‘winner of the 2008 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction.’ Whoops. While perfectly chuffed at receiving this gong, he drily commented upon the ‘gales of laughter’ that had failed to accompany a reading from his winning book.

C He has four kids from two marriages. With current wife, is for Children

the Motherwell-born journalist Deborah Orr, he is the dad of Ivan and Luther, while Alexis and Madeleine hail from his first marriage to Kate Chancellor, the sister of Anna aka Duckface in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

D Self penned this short story as part of Penguin’s 70th is for Design Faults in the Volvo 760 Turbo

birthday celebrations back in 1995. It concerns a London psychiatrist who chronicles the breakdown of his marriage while detailing the problems he’s experiencing with his motor.

is for Jonathan Self

into books with his 2001 memoir, Self Abuse, which told of a difficult childhood at the hands of his hot-headed mum and distant dad, and recalls one incident when Jonathan went for Will with a bread knife.

K Ricky Gervais’ hapless sidekick made a Comedy Lab is for Karl Pilkington

film for Channel 4 in 2007 entitled ‘Satisfied Fool’ in which he contacted ‘intelligent people’ to discover whether having big brains made a person happier. Pilkington first approached Self via email challenging him to a game of Scrabble. When they finally came face to face, Self quickly reached boiling point and threw the dome-headed loon out of his house with these words: ‘It’s been almost nice to meet you. I don’t know whether to kick you down the street or softly bathe you in bubbles.’

LSelf’s mother, father and father-in-law all died of liver is for Liver

cancer. In 2008 he published a collection of stories called Liver, subtitled ‘A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes’. The eponymous tale featured a terminally ill cancer sufferer who goes to Zurich to take advantage of the local facilities for assisted suicide. But soon enough, things turn decidedly odd.

M A staunch supporter of Amis, Self once declared that is for Martin Amis

although he is a foot taller, he always feels dwarfed when Amis enters a room. Recently, they attended a literary festival in Paris together, swapping compliments left, right and centre. Self insisted Amis was the most important writer in English since the 1960s while Amis reckoned Self was the result of a romantic union between Jorge Luis Borges and JG Ballard.

E Philosophy, Politics and Economics were his specialist N subjects at this, the fourth oldest college at Oxford. Among When Self heads up to meet his Motherwell in-laws, he is for Exeter College

RBS is pleased to be associated with one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious festivals as title sponsors of the RBS Schools and Children’s Programmes and the RBS Main Theatre.

is for New Lanark

his esteemed fellow alumni are Martin Amis, Alan Bennett, Richard Burton, Russell Harty and Philip Pullman.

stays in the New Lanark Mill Hotel, housed on the site of Robert Owen’s pioneering social reforms of the early 19th century.

FThis collection featured Self’s restaurant reviews for The O Observer in the mid-90s. Deliciously caustic, they had Self followed in the footsteps of Eric Blair by heading off is for Feeding Frenzy

is for Orwell

audiences chortling into their soup and restaurateurs blowing a gasket. One of them was so upset that a plan was hatched to spread a vile rumour that Self had attempted to buy drugs from a doorman of an eaterie. is for George Osborne Crack Whore Tax Nude Bear Outrage Psychiatrist

to Jura to become a writer-in-residence for a few weeks in 2007. Orwell had holed himself up on the island in 1948 to complete 1984. In anticipation of his trip, Self stated: ‘To say that I find the prospect exciting, or that I believe the island will prove inspiring, would be the sort of gross, tight-lipped understatement that only an Englishman would dream of making.’

This was the title of a recent blog on Self’s website. The piece was about the time he took a walk down into London’s sewers.

P His study is absolutely covered in the things. Self’s books

H Arguably his lowest moment came when he tried to get

begin life in notebooks, then they move on to Post-its which go up on the walls of his office room. They contain short-story ideas, metaphors, gags and characters, and when he’s done with them, they come down off the wall and into scrapbooks.

is for Heroin

high on Prime Minister John Major’s jet during the 1997 general election campaign. Sacked by The Observer, he found the whole brouhaha a tad hypocritical: ‘I’m a hack who gets hired because I do drugs.’

ISelf is a popular penner of intros and forewords to is for Introductions

republished books such as Henry Miller’s The Colossus of Maroussi, Lawrence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy and Alasdair Gray’s 1982, Janine. 28 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

is for Post-it notes

Q His literary debut was this short story collection, published is for Quantity Theory of Insanity

in 1991, four years after he finished the book. His advance was £1700, a figure which his agent strongly advised him to accept as ‘no one wants short stories’. He still enjoys reminding publishers who turned it down that ‘it remains in print and is still selling nicely’.

PORTRAITS: NICK CUNARD, REX FEATURES

Edinburgh International Book Festival

PORTRAITS: NICK CUNARD, REX FEATURES

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‘I don't know whether to kick you down the street or softly bathe you in bubbles’ list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 29

Will Self Books

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Will Self Books

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From top left, clockwise: Will Self joined Shooting Stars opposite Ulrika Jonsson; burnt his bridges on Have I Got News For You; clashed with Carol Vorderman on Question Time

R In 2002 he took part in a ‘reality art’ project in a oneis for Reality art

bedroom flat on the 20th floor of a tower block in Liverpool, writing a short piece of fiction while being watched by members of the public. The event was sponsored by Liverpool Housing Action Trust to mark the passing of high-rise housing in the city.

S No self-respecting former enfant terrible’s reputation can is for Spats

RBS Children’s Programme at the Edinburgh International Book Festival RBS recognise the importance of encouraging children and teens to connect with the world of books through participation, imagination and creation.

ever be complete without a solid CV of massive public fallings-out. Among his stramashes are a battle royale with self-anointed Tory spokeslady Carol Vorderman on Question Time in March and a spectacular clash with Rosie Boycott when she printed a conversation about the John Major election scandal, which he had assumed was off-therecord. But his finest hour is surely the Radio Five Live books discussion with Richard Littlejohn. Under a constant barrage of savage criticism from Self, Littlejohn lost his way somewhat by describing his own novel as more complex than Tolstoy.

T In 2002, he made his most audacious move yet by is for TV

appearing as a permanent team captain on Vic ‘n’ Bob’s Shooting Stars when the show returned after a five-year hiatus. He also made regular appearances on Have I Got News for You but seemed to burn his bridges with the show when he chided Paul Merton and Ian Hislop for being, ‘Plump, middle-aged multimillionaires sitting behind a desk making jokes about Clive Anderson’s hair style when actual proper satire was needed.’

U This posh liberal Hampstead educational centre was where is for University College Junior School

the young Self was taught. He recalls his Latin teacher, Mr Marston, having a profound effect on him. A former sergeant in the marines, Marston’s preferred mode of dress was a full Batman rig-out. As Self recalls: ‘He was fond of telling us how one officer used to peer down the barrels of his platoon’s rifles. He came to the last soldier and ordered him to pull the trigger. Which he did, and blew the officer’s head off. Mr Marston told this as if it was a parable, but I’m still not exactly sure what the meaning is.’

V Self’s is genuinely jaw-dropping. You wouldn’t catch is for Vocabulary.

Richard ‘Tolstoy’ Littlejohn chucking words such ‘anfractuous’, ‘hispid’, ‘anaphylaxis’ and ‘viscid’ around, now would you? 30 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

W He loves a good stroll. Self has often spoken of his love for is for Walking

crossing London by foot but in 2006 expressed a wish to walk from his home in Vauxhall to the Crowne Plaza in Manhattan to exorcise some of his own demons and to somehow create closure between his dead American mother and his deceased British dad. He now views walking as his new addiction: ‘The 4/4 rhythm, the sense I have on long walks – both urban and rural – of being rather disembodied: a head floating above the ground; the meditational aspect whereby I allow my mind to “slip its gears”. All of these do seem akin to the kind of altered experience I sought in drugs.’

X A portrait artist who has painted the Self family. Y The item of clothing which Self believes best reflects the is for Xanthe Mosley

is for Yellow cardigan

modern Liberal Democrat.

Z A recurring character in many of Self’s books (including is for Zack Busner

Grey Area, The Book of Dave and Great Apes), Busner is a London psychiatrist and psychoanalyst prone to selfpromotion at the expense of his patients. Self even suggests that Doc Zack helped him cure his OCD in 2007. This claim appears in his forthcoming Walking to Hollywood, an ‘inventive memoir’ which Self furtherly describes as ‘Angela’s Ashes rewritten by Groucho Marx’. Will Self, Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 29 Aug (solo event), 9.30pm, £10 (£8); 30 Aug (with Donald S Murray), 8.30pm, £10 (£8).

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Fringe on the Royal Mile, supported by RBS. We like to think that as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, supporting events such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Royal Highland Show and the Edinburgh International Book Festival helps makes Edinburgh a more colourful place.

Alan Warner Books

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As part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, 50 authors have been commissioned to pen a short story or essay under the umbrella theme of ‘Elsewhere’. Here is an extract from Alan Warner’s . . .

Sullivan’s Ashes

yself, Cousin John, Sullivan’s third wife Aileen and the sergeant all sat together in the police station at Tobermory. We read once more the photocopied clause in Sullivan’s will:

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I wish for no funeral service but to be cremated privately and then for my ashes to be spread from the specific silver urn, by a semi-naked and beautiful woman, galloping a white horse across the sands of Calgary Bay, Isle of Mull – irrespective of expense, inclement weather and the challenge of finding a beautiful woman on Mull. ‘Aye. He had to get that last wee dig in, right to the bitter end,’ said Aileen – the only native among us. We looked to the sergeant, a pleasant and practical man. But new to the job. ‘It’s no an urn. It’s his bashed up old champagne bucket from The Grand in Brighton,’ Cousin John revealed. ‘Yes,’ said Aileen. ‘And if it hadn’t been full quite so often, he might have had something to leave me. Us.’ ‘But it said here he’s leaving you the bucket.’ John rustled the pages to quote it. Aileen gave Cousin John a hard look. ‘I’ll use it too, once I’m rid of his leftovers.’ Practical as ever, the sergeant asked, ‘How are you to keep the ashes in a champagne bucket, with the great probability of a howling gale?’ Quickly, Cousin John said, ‘I was thinking a good dose of yon kitchen clingfilm stuff over the top, and the lassie can pierce it with her long fingernails?’ The sergeant and I both nodded, though we all felt Cousin John was getting a bit ahead of the game. He went on, ‘And we’ll need Doc Fraser standing by. To treat the lassie for frostbite. Best if we get a healthy young lassie.

32 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

One of them strip-o-grams. They stand up best to the cold. I respect those lassies.’ Aileen said, ‘I don’t want the doctor there and I doubt he’ll attend. Sullivan never invited him back up to the poker evening, not when he got the house off him but after he stopped prescribing those sleeping pills.’ ‘So you intend to proceed?’ ‘This is what we wanted to ask, Sergeant. From a legal point of view. The possible ramifications?’ ‘Round here, that could depend on exactly how . . . ’ he flicked the page and read aloud, ‘ “semi-naked” any young lady actually is.’ ‘Topless,’ Cousin John demanded. I said, ‘On Mull, semi-naked is a bikini.’ ‘A bikini doesn’t break any law. Topless might be indecent exposure. It’s certainly exposure, in this climate.’ Aileen took another Dunhill out her pack and told us, a bit nostalgically, ‘On Mull, semi-naked is a skirt above the knee. Can I smoke in here?’ ‘I’m afraid not,’ said the policeman. ‘Couldn’t you lock me in one of your cells, Sarge? I’d even close the peephole.’ I gave Aileen a look. She wasn’t a day under fifty-five but still well-preserved and hopelessly flirty. The sergeant ignored her. What can you say about Aileen? Her life was like all those Dolly Parton songs. Or maybe just one: Down From Dover. I said, ‘So we have a week or so.’ Cousin John pondered, ‘Unless we wait to watch the weather. For the sake of the beautiful lassie on the horse?’ Aileen erupted. ‘I’m no having Sullivan’s ashes waiting up in that house. They’d crawl out and make for the drinks cabinet. Why the hell couldn’t he have them scattered off the South Downs in a gentle English breeze?’ The sergeant looked troubled now. He stood. ‘I might

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Calgary Bay, Isle of Mull SCOTTISHVIEWPOINT

need to phone Edinburgh about all this.’ Then he thought aloud to himself. ‘But what department?’ ‘Another thing.’ The cousin held up a pointed finger – and he was a farmer. ‘There’s no a white horse on this whole island.’ ‘Oh good god,’Aileen groaned. ‘Use a Highland cow.’ ‘It’ll no gallop,’ the cousin shot back, in a voice revealing too much experience in such a matter. Aileen, Cousin John and I drove back up the tiered roads to Sullivan’s modern holiday bungalow, high above the bay. In the disused connecting garage sat the scandalous American pool table. The house had been won off Sullivan by Doc Fraser in a two-day poker marathon years before, to legally pass to the doctor at the time of Sullivan’s death. The doc had already been up to measure for new carpets. Plumpton, the fat cat – named after the Sussex racecourse – sat by a bowl on the kitchen floor. He’d brought round some semi-feral acquaintances for a meal. Four of the beggars. They all sat, turning their snooty heads expectantly. Aileen stamped her heel and there was a rough scuffle around the catflap as all five fought to exit first. ‘Wait till the good doctor deals with you,’ she screamed. Cousin John said, ‘Fred Pinder over on the mainland has a stables. Supplies horses to them movies that come venturing up round here. He can get you a whole bloody cavalry troop. He’ll bring you over a unicorn in his horse box.’ Sullivan never passed a penny on a pavement without picking it up. He had been Sussex-born and bred. He owned this long playing record, Old Songs of Sussex: Agricultural Labourers’Ballads From Both Sides of the

Downs. I loved that: ‘Both Sides.’ I wanted to ask the doc if I could inherit the disc. In the seventies and eighties, Sullivan had made his money from slot machines in Brighton and Eastbourne. One time I asked him what it was like as a livelihood. ‘Brighton Rock meets parking meters,’ was all I got. Aileen once told me that Sullivan collected the coins in straining plastic buckets every night of the week and loaded them into his Volvo hatchback. The rear suspension broke. Apparently there were one hundred and fifty unused mops in Sullivan’s Brighton garage. A What the Butler Saw machine still stood in the front lounge at ten pence a go. I’d have loved to have inherited that too, but the doc had got the house contents as well in a later poker game. Sullivan had fallen in love with Mull after just one drive around it. He must have seen Calgary Bay for the first time that very day. I never once heard of him going round the island again, so it made an impression. Above Tobermory, Sullivan’s fine view over the bay and across the Sound of Mull, our poker evenings and those few winning dinners at the Western Isles Hotel seemed enough. I once asked Sullivan why he loved it up on the island so much and he swung open all the bay windows. ‘Listen,’ he yelled. ‘Just silence, isn’t it? It’s the elsewhere. When you’re an Englishman you have England and you have . . . elsewhere. And you have to pay to get elsewhere, sonny boy.’

‘LISTEN,’ HE YELLED. ‘JUST SILENCE, ISN’T IT?’

Warner, Fri 20 Aug, 3.30pm (with Denise Alan Mina), 8.30pm (solo event). Both events at Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, £10 (£8). See edbookfest.co.uk for more stories plus full details of all Elsewhere events. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 33

Alan Warner Books

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Teen fiction Books

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From top left, clockwise: Tohby Riddle, John Green, Meg Rosoff, Cathy Cassidy

Convincing young adults to read your books is one of the toughest gigs in literature. Yasmin Sulaiman speaks to a number of writers who are constantly worrying about getting it right

eg Rosoff might be known as a successful author for young adults, but it’s not necessarily a category with which she’s comfortable. ‘Recently, I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird for its 50th anniversary,’ she says. ‘If that was published now, it would be marketed at teenagers. People have this category for teenage fiction that never used to exist, that a lot of books are now slotting into.’ The writer, whose 2004 debut How I Live Now won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and whose latest novel is the Isabella Bird-inspired Victorian adventure The Bride’s Farewell, is among a host of authors primarily associated with a young adult audience set to appear at Charlotte Square Gardens. The line-up includes Louise Rennison, Robert Muchamore and Patrick Ness but among the most keenly anticipated figures is Australian artist Tohby Riddle, this festival’s second Illustrator-inResidence. Though primarily known for his children’s picture books, Riddle’s only novel for young adults, The Lucky Ones, has been widely lauded. But while many writers consider teenagers a tricky audience to please, Riddle’s approach is a pragmatic one. ‘I really only had one rule: don’t try and be cool. Try to remember what it felt like to be a teenager and tell a story in a companionable way that’s authentic and sincere.’ John Green, another high-profile attendee, agrees: ‘I think that teenagers are very sensitive to inauthenticity. They are keenly aware when they’re being condescended to. But you face the same challenge when you’re writing for any audience. You don’t ever want to be seen to fail to understand the complexity of someone else’s life.’ Green’s books, including Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and his newest, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (a collaboration with fellow American David Levithan), have attracted much praise in the US. Unlike Rosoff, who is adamant that she does not ‘write for children or young adults or any particular audience’, Green is more embracing of his teen fiction tagline. ‘I really care about teenagers in a way that I don’t care about adults. I feel like it’s such a privilege to have a seat at the table of young people as they form their values, as they encounter for the

34 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

first time the big questions of our species. Plus, Philip Roth has a great gig but he doesn’t get an email every day saying, “This is the best book I’ve ever read”.’ Much of Green’s fame stems from his part in YouTube’s popular vlogbrothers channel, a series of videos he creates with his brother Hank that have featured everything from accessible analyses of current affairs to readings from The Catcher in the Rye. Cumulatively, their videos notched up nearly 80m views between January 2007 and June 2010 and it’s this social media success that publishers and other teen fiction writers are looking towards to stay abreast of their ever-changing audience. On this side of the Atlantic, teen and tween author Cathy Cassidy enjoys a similarly robust online presence and is enthusiastic about its advantages. ‘The whole internet way of networking and communicating is so natural for young people that I think anyone who is not using it is missing out, especially when you encounter somebody who really gets what you’re trying to do or really connects with your story.’ In addition to embracing technology, however, writing convincing young adult fiction is about learning from books that have already enjoyed generations of young adult readers. Rosoff cites Flambards author KM Peyton as one of her favourites, while Green asserts that ‘many comingof-age novels have their roots in Jane Austen’. Riddle also claims Salinger and Kerouac as models for success. But, according to Cassidy, it’s not what teenagers read but the fact that they read at all which is important. ‘I think people are too concerned with what children should be reading. Whether you do it on an iPad or the internet, the medium doesn’t matter. Loads of girls are reading Twilight and that’s fine. You should read what you want to read.’ Rosoff, 14 Aug, 3pm; Meg John Green, 15 Aug, 4.30pm; Tohby Riddle, 15 Aug, 6pm, £10 (£8); 16 Aug, 10.30am, 4.30pm; 17 Aug, 1.30pm; Cathy Cassidy, 17 Aug, 10am; All events at Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, £4 unless stated.

PICTURE OF MEG ROSOFF: DAVID LEVENSON; PICTURE OF CATHY CASSIDY: CHRIS WATT

Doing it for the big kids

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LOST? CONFUSED?

PICTURE OF MEG ROSOFF: DAVID LEVENSON; PICTURE OF CATHY CASSIDY: CHRIS WATT

WONDERING WHERE TO GO?

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Heather Brooke Books

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No expense spared Heather Brooke worked for five long years trying to expose the financial scandals going on at the heart of Parliament. Brian Donaldson speaks to the American journalist dubbed a threat to British democracy n the introduction to her book, The Silent State, Heather Brooke describes herself as a ‘nosey parker’. Whereas some people can’t walk past a curtain without needing to twitch it, Brooke has a yearning to poke around into the lives of those authority figures in public service, just to make sure everything that they’re doing is in the best interests of that public they are employed to serve. Over the course of a five-year investigation, she discovered that many of them were coming up short. In general parlance, this is commonly known as the ‘expenses scandal’. ‘I’ve got a really strange personality,’ Brooke confesses. ‘I don’t actually like getting into trouble and get anxious about it but I just can’t stop myself from asking awkward questions. I don’t realise at the time that they’re going to be awkward or uncomfortable but pretty quickly I get the impression that those questions are annoying people and then I have to decide whether to carry on or not.’ Her decision to keep on snooping into the financial affairs within the House of Commons was not popular with MPs and the Speaker, Michael Martin, who blocked every avenue she wished to go down, whether it was travel expenses, second homes or extra staff. When the battle went legal, the High Court ruled in favour of Brooke in May 2008 and by the following summer, all hell had broken loose in the press and within the corridors of power. It even led to a BBC dramatisation of her campaign entitled On Expenses, with Brooke played by Anna Maxwell Martin. ‘It was great, it got me some recognition and was a great introduction to what I was doing,’ says Brooke. ‘Of course, it wasn’t totally word for word what was happening and my husband was more supportive than he was portrayed in the film.’ Born in Pennsylvania to Liverpudlian parents, Brooke worked on student newspapers before finally becoming a crime reporter. Her move to the UK occurred in 1997, a landmark moment in British politics with Tony Blair’s New Labour administration sweeping away years of Tory rule. The country seemed to have a fresh optimism but even before the Iraq War heralded a loss of mass faith, Brooke and others had seen the light. The UK state had turned into the most vigilant in Europe with CCTV cameras popping up everywhere (there are around 1.4m in public spaces), information databases infiltrating everyone’s lives and ID cards being lauded as some kind of social panacea while the government’s trumpeting of freedom of information seemed like a sick joke. ‘In the book I say that this surveillance is a symptom of our welfare state, as we have looked to the state to solve our problems,’ insists Brooke. ‘When you go back to the Bulger case, that was probably the first time CCTV was used in that way and it then became the magic bullet that

...

Mullin Charlotte Square Gardens, 20 Aug

RBS Main Theatre The RBS Main Theatre has played host to over 20 Booker Prize winners, 8 Nobel Prize winners, 6 Pulitzer Prize winners and 100s of Whitbread Prize winners, along with welcoming audiences of over 55,000 people annually.

36 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

authorities turned to so they wouldn’t have to actually get to the roots of social problems and crime. They could just get some cameras out to give the appearance that they were doing something.’ While Brooke doesn’t necessarily believe there was anything wholly sinister about the motivation of the politicians and civil servants who went along with this surveillance culture, she believes they exploited the essentially good nature of the British public. ‘There is an issue in Britain where the people had a very trusting relationship with authority whereas elsewhere in Europe they don’t because they’ve seen what happens when you put a blind trust in authority. I felt this lamb-like trust in politicians was strange when I first came to live in Britain. I would see the CCTV cameras and I’d want to hear the evidence to back them up. People thought they were a good thing simply because they’d been told that.’ Meanwhile, Brooke was informed that she had destroyed trust in British democracy. ‘That showed a complete misunderstanding about what democracy is. All I did was expose what other people were doing. The assumption there was that it was fine if they were committing crimes or abusing public money; the problem was the public knowing about it.’ Brooke, Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 Heather 373 5888, 21 Aug, noon, £10 (£8).

PICTURE: RICK PUSHINSKY

ike this . u l Chris ..

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Garth Nix

Autumns of Jacob de Zoet set in late 18th century Japan. 22 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8).

The kids’ strand to the festival gets off to a flyer with this visit from Aussie writer Nix who is in town to chat about the final segment to his series, The Keys to the Kingdom. 14 Aug, 10am, £4.

Hilary Mantel Taking her place as having the bestselling Booker winner on record, Mantel rolls in on the back of Wolf Hall’s glorious success and discusses the contemporary context to her tale of Henry VIII’s marriage-fixer Thomas Cromwell. The son of a brutal blacksmith, Cromwell was a bullying yet charming political firebrand. 23 Aug, 11.30a, £10 (£8).

Andrew O’Hagan The Scottish writer who is one of the few to have found themselves upon a Booker shortlist (in 1999 with Our Fathers) delivered a humdinger of a tale this year with The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe, which concerned the viewpoint of a Hollywood pooch. 15 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8).

Seamus Heaney One of the Book Festival’s four Nobel laureates makes a rare appearance on these shores as part of Don Paterson’s poetry strand. His forthcoming collection, Human Chain, tackles family, history and speech. 24 Aug, 6.30pm, £10 (£8).

Jeanette Winterson Celebrating the 25th anniversary of her classic debut Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the popular northern writer looks back on those heady days as her literary career took off in spectacular fashion with a tale of family, faith and forbidden love. 16 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8).

Vidal Sassoon You might only know this guy from those iconic haircare adverts, but Vidal Sassoon has had a truly amazing life away from conditioners. You might not be aware that he fought the fascists in 1930s London and later joined the Israeli Army. But did you know an anagram of his name is Avoids Salons? 27 Aug, 6.30pm, £10 (£8).

Nicolai Lilin There will be few attendees in Charlotte Square Gardens with a more troubled background than Lilin. In Siberian Education he recalls his ‘upbringing’ as part of a Mafia-like organisation in Transnistria and can show us the scars to prove it. 19 Aug, 6pm, £7 (£5).

Andrea Levy Best known for her Orange prizewinning Small Island, which was recently given the BBC adaptation treatment, Levy’s latest work is The Long Song, the story of a slave girl living on a sugar plantation in Jamaica of the 1930s. 21 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8).

PICTURE: RICK PUSHINSKY

The Anna Politkovskaya Event The still as yet unsolved assassination of the campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya represented not just a disaster for free speech in Russia but flagged up the threat to all investigative writers across the globe. The Book Festival pays homage with an appearance by translator Arch Tait and BBC Russian Service journo Masha Karp. 22 Aug, 5pm, £10 (£8).

Elsewhere In the preceding pages, we’ve printed an extract from Alan Warner’s contribution to the Elsewhere project, for which 50 writers have been

From top, clockwise: Simone Felice; Willy Vlautin; Christopher Brookmyre

Unbound One of this year’s fresh innovations by new director Nick Barley is to give the festival’s previous dead time in the late evening a shot in the arm with a nightly explosion of music, storytelling and improvised literary entertainment. A series of authors will present their work in different, exciting ways and among those strutting their stuff during the two-hour finale to each day’s literariness are Willy Vlautin, Simone Felice and Christopher Brookmyre.

Special events from Scotland’s underground scene will be held by The Golden Hour, DisComBoBuLate and Irregular, while indie magazines McSweeney’s, Gutter and Five Dials get their chance to make a mark. The final night of the Book Festival is a four-hour spectacular with a special line-up to be announced. ‘A large dose of the unknown’ is expected.

commissioned to pen a short story or essay on that broad theme. The likes of Roddy Doyle, Ali Smith and Alasdair Gray have also played their part in the collection which is available online. edbookfest.co.uk

Jacqueline Wilson

Owen Sheers One of the UK’s most promising verse-writers retraces his steps across the landscape of the United Kingdom for a book which follows up the successful BBC4 series, A Poet’s Guide to Britain. 21 Aug, 4pm, £10 (£8).

15–29 Aug, 9pm, free; 30 Aug, 7pm, £10 (£8).

She may have made her name with the Tracy Beaker stories, but there’s more to the former Children’s Laureate than tales from the Dumping Ground. In these two events she will chat about many of her other characters and how she got the inspiration to create them. 21 & 22 Aug, 10am, £4.

Roddy Doyle Having completed the final part of his Last Roundup trilogy with The Dead Republic, we can only guess at what new territories await the Dublin writer’s superlative authorial voice. In this event, he will discuss his unlikely hero Henry Smart. 26 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8), 4.30pm, £4.

Don McCullin

David Mitchell

The photographer who has witnessed atrocities and traumas by the bucketload has settled down in Somerset and taken some wonderful landscape pictures in his own inimitable style. Here, he discusses his work in the calmer spots across the world. 29 Aug, 8pm, £10 (£8).

One of the nation’s aspiring greats, this Malvern-raised scribe seems to get better with each passing novel. This year’s affair is The Thousand

All events at Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888. Compiled by Brian Donaldson

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Other highlights Books

Other highlights

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Fringe

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Tommy Tiernan has never forgotten his love of Edinburgh since scooping the Perrier back in 1998. It’s not only the Irish comic who’ll be jumping for joy now that he’s set to return. See page 40 38 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

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Fancy a laugh? Want to see some stirring drama and uplifting dance? Got children to entertain during the holidays? The everexpanding Fringe delivers and then some. Ahead of you are interviews with Tommy Tiernan, rock’n’ roll juggernaut Storm Large, comedy award winners Jonny Sweet and Tim Key, punk poet John Cooper Clarke and the now-solo Jon Fratelli. Plus we meet Belgian teens, Swedish stand-ups and Aussies doing a Macbeth for kids

Fringe

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 6–30 August

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Tommy Tiernan Fringe

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There have to be places where people can be mentally unstable in publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The place to live a full life.

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He may be the holder of a Guinness World Record, but there are plenty out there who just want to throw the book at him. As the passionate Tommy Tiernan makes his way back to Edinburgh, he tells Brian Donaldson why he doesn’t want to be Mr Angry forever

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COVER STORY

he truth means a lot to Tommy Tiernan. Yet he plies his trade in an area of showbusiness where the dividing line between what you’re seeing and hearing and the reality behind it is often blurry. Is that standup simply showing us a manipulated version of their real personality? Do they really mean what they just said, or is a point about something else being made? Are they simply playing a ‘character’, a constructed tool to offload some inner anxiety or bugbear? For Tiernan, a comic should be allowed to say pretty much what they damn well like, as long as the room and the wider context is right. And, most crucially of all, there has to be a truth underpinning it. For the best part of two hours, we sit in a plush lounge of a central London hotel, Tiernan spilling his beans about the art and mechanics of stand-up, what fame means to him and the repercussions of some of the statements he’s made on stage. A sign just behind him on the door of the adjoining room catches my eye: The Honesty Bar. ‘One thing that keeps inspiring me is the notion of the clown,’ he says. ‘A clown show is full of real humility; he walks on defeated and that’s where the magic starts. If you come on stage, all cock o’ the walk, you’ve so much to lose. The constant thing of stand-up is, “how do I approach this? How do I give the best show, in terms of being a human being? How do I remove this ego stuff and how do I get more honest?” Because all the purest laughter between a performer and an audience comes from an open, vulnerable honesty.’ A pause, then a grin. ‘And if you can fake that, then great.’ Tiernan recalls going to see Slava’s Snowshow in New York a few years back and can still conjur up how wonderful he felt walking out at the end, knowing that he’d just had a real human experience. He made a promise to himself that he would work on that in his own act. ‘It can be just as thrilling going to see a comic who’s a bit more ‘fuck the world!’ as long it comes from an honest place; with Jerry Sadowitz, you feel that you’ve had a genuine human encounter. It’s about having an experience with an audience where you’ve gone to another place.’ An experience which took Tiernan to a very different place occurred last September during a wide-ranging interview in front of a live audience at the Electric Picnic festival in Ireland. Much knockabout fun was being had when he took a final question from the floor about whether he had ever been accused of anti-Semitism. Then began a long story which culminated in him being confronted by a Jewish couple who clearly weren’t fans. Through a construct of someone who was plainly, outlandishly hateful, he envisioned a scenario where he suggested that the Final Solution might not have gone far enough. Simply to lift his exact words out of a much lengthier discussion about the limits of comedic taste and responsibility and you have an unreconstructed Nazi, a Holocaust denier and a subscriber to the BNP’s monthly newsletter, all rolled into one. Tommy Tiernan is none of

those things. In simply showing up how disgusting some people can be, he has been misrepresented as a person with hate in his heart. ‘Once it had turned into a story, it became impossible to defend because you can’t stand behind words like that. There wasn’t a joke in there, just a stupid comment that worked then and there in that room, because everyone there knew what was happening. If I said something like that and meant it, people would be wondering what they were in the presence of.’ Within weeks, the story had escalated and little Tommy Tiernan from the tiny village of Navan had made the front page of The Jerusalem Post. His scheduled appearances on north American tours were cancelled and a few Irish comedians refused to talk to him (though plenty Londonbased Jewish stand-ups were very supportive). While he describes the incident as ‘kind of last year’, it clearly still rankles and he did address the issue during his two London dates in June; he’s not sure whether he will still wish to tackle it in August. ‘There’s a business connected to anything controversial, so when the Jewish thing happened it was an easy story, an obvious story. It was like following Shane MacGowan around and taking photographs of him doing heroin. Having said all that, it was a big moment for me, because I sat back and took a look at the type of comedy I was doing. I started to want to trust gentleness again, but without losing my balls or becoming impotent or televisionfriendly. When people come to see the show, I hope they don’t get a sense of someone being neutered. But the angry edge seems to be fading a little bit and the show is a little bit more playful now.’ Of course, it’s not the first occasion his material has resulted in a wave of condemnation, albeit often followed by less headline-making comments by those who were seemingly outraged. Tiernan once performed a routine about young adults with Down Syndrome and their very high sex drives, based on conversations he had with some of them and their carers. Once a couple of newspapers and a radio station had whipped up enough of a storm, Tiernan invited Down Syndrome Ireland to see his set and, surprise surprise, their leader saw no cause for concern, even making a statement to that effect for the media organs who had mischievously reported the original story. It’s actually something of a surprise that Tiernan is willing to give up his time to members of the press pack given their role in enflaming such coverage. There was

‘I WANTED TO TRUST GENTLENESS WITHOUT LOSING MY BALLS list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 41

Tommy Tiernan Fringe

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Tommy Tiernan Fringe

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Left: Tiernan believes that a clown show is full of humility: ‘he walks on defeated and that’s where the magic starts’ Right: his postPerrier career left him cold: ‘you can be fast-tracked to exposure and it didn’t feel organic’

also the time he made a passing reference to the McCanns

in a bit about putting your kids to bed (Tiernan has five of them from two different relationships): ‘three or four words, it took about seven seconds; was slightly mischievous, slightly cheeky. If you’d been to the show it wouldn’t have struck you as worth remarking upon. A journalist phoned the McCanns to see if they thought it was appropriate and the next day it was front page on a Sunday tabloid.’ He’s also performed routines about fundamental christianity and suicide rates in rural Ireland which have not made him flavour of the month with the morally indignant. For Tiernan, it always comes down to the context. ‘There have to be places where people can be mentally unstable in public. I’m not doing this stuff on Question Time or on Richard and Judy; it’s in a place where normal rules and behaviour are certainly not ignored, but the emphasis is on irresponsibility and wildness and funniness. That has to be protected.’

The place to study at a top university.

Tommy Tiernan has been wild and irresponsible and funny around these parts ever since his Edinburgh debut proper in 1997, sharing an hour-slot with Jason Byrne, before returning a year later with his first full solo show, reeling in a string of rave reviews and quickly filling out his Pleasance venue. While there was little doubt that he would walk away with the Perrier Best Newcomer in’98, he was elevated onto the shortlist for the main award, sharing space with Ed Byrne, Peter Kay and Al Murray. The List had a critic on the Perrier panel that year and when it was suggested that one of the other comics might actually win the award, he was quoted as saying, ‘over my dead body’. Such a statement could have been read as a slight on the comic in question, but was really more an indication of the strength of feeling towards Tiernan being crowned. And so it came to pass. Soon after, the inevitable TV and film work came his way. He was cast alongside Omid Djalili in the not-terrible Channel 4 sitcom, Small Potatoes, was the host of the BBC’s Saturday night comedy showcase, The StandUp Show, and filmed a Comedy Lab for Channel 4 which included some of his Perrier-

winning material. There were roles in films, too, in romantic comedy About Adam, and road movie Hold Back the Night. But there was something about all this postPerrier activity that didn’t quite fit with the Tiernan mindset. ‘I’m not entirely sure what happened for a bit there, but I don’t think it was organic. You can be fasttracked to over-exposure; it was an interesting experience but I’m very glad it’s over. There’s a very organic heartbeat in stand-up, a great beauty to it. It’s a shared tactile human experience. With television, if you can find the right shows then you can flower in them, but I never found one that I enjoyed doing for the sake of it.’ Many other comics with awards on their mantelpiece (Tiernan also won the So You Think You’re Funny award at the 1996 Fringe), and TV contracts being wafted under their noses would have just taken the riches and the fame, but Tiernan stayed focused on the work he felt born to do. He had made in-roads into north America and Australia but it’s the massive popularity he enjoys in Ireland that seems to give him the strongest sense of his comedy worth. In Galway, he runs a storytelling slam night called Loose Lips and earned his place in the Guinness World Records for performing a 36-hour and 15-minutes set there. ‘By the time I had been onstage for 33 hours, I was having my Daniel DayLewis moment and thinking my father was in the crowd, but people were turning up with energy and their drink and looking for the craic. Remember those bits in Lord of the Rings where Gollum was vulnerable? I was a bit like that.’ As Tiernan re-enters Edinburgh for ten shows called Crooked Man, it’s with a new sense of who he is and how he wants to be seen as a comedian and artist. ‘I’m really enjoying stand-up for the first time in a few years. I think you just go through phases of a particular type of energy. The stand-up in the past was a lot darker, was more about tension and being loudly curious. Miles Davis did this double album, Bitches Brew: I think I’ve had my Bitches Brew period. I’m going back now towards Kind of Blue.’ Tommy Tiernan, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 20–30 Aug (not 26), 8pm, £14–£15 (£12–£13).

I THINK I’VE HAD MY BITCHES BREW PERIOD. I’M GOING BACK NOW TOWARDS KIND OF BLUE 42 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

W w a

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C theFestival Sell a Door Theatre Company

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Ali Kennedy-Scott

CW Productions

The House of Mirrors and Hearts

The Track of the Cat

The Day the Sky Turned Black

Mission of Flowers

4 – 30 Aug at 10.50pm

4 – 30 Aug at 8.10pm

4 – 30 Aug at 5.30pm

5 – 30 Aug at 2.30pm

Green Room Presents Mackenzie Taylor: Joy and No Straightjacket Required 4 – 30 Aug at 2.05pm and 4.25pm

Sell a Door Theatre Company

Cougar Productions

N10 Productions

Next Thing You Know

Feathers

Virtuous Flock

4 – 30 Aug at 5.35pm

5 – 30 Aug at 7.25pm

4 – 21 Aug at 1.20pm

Tower Theatre

Negative Capability

Five One Productions

Lewis Barlow

Sordid Lives

The Love Story

The Demise of Christopher Marlowe

The Seven Wonders of Magic

15 – 21 Aug at 4.15pm

4 – 30 Aug at 3.10pm

5 – 30 Aug at 3.45pm

15 – 30 Aug at 6.15pm

With more than 210 shows for 2010 across our venues in the heart of Edinburgh, we celebrate our 19th year with the largest programme of theatre, musicals, and international work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. See it all with C venues.

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Ontroerend Goed Fringe

Belgium's ground-breaking theatre company Ontroerend Goed is back with a darker set of teenage kicks. Mark Fisher speaks to director Alexander Devriendt about being in touch with his own rebellious side

We predict a riot veryone who visits Alexander Devriendt in the rehearsal room says he must be crazy. He is 33 years old, yet he thrives on working with the most exuberant of teenagers. ‘It’s not about wanting to stay young, I don’t think about it,’ says the Belgian theatre director. ‘I don’t mind the chaos and the noise.’ This is just as well. It was Devriendt who was responsible for Once and for All We’re Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen, the high-energy hit by Ontroerend Goed that blasted onto the Traverse stage in 2008. It was a remarkable show – as remarkable in its own way as the same company’s other Fringe sensations The Smile off Your Face and Internal – the more so because it was performed by 13 teenagers. In a series of punchy scenes that ranged from the anarchic to the hallucinatory, they summed up everything that is great about being an adolescent. They were unapologetic, vigorous and passionate and their energy was infectious. Having thrilled audiences in Edinburgh, they picked up bookings from festivals around the world. No international tour has ever depended so much on the dates of the Belgian school holidays. It played for 182 performances. In all that time, Devriendt never tired of it and neither did his teenage performers. In New York, they did some school dates and the director was alarmed to see the kind of audience he’d previously encountered only in the toughest movies. ‘I didn’t expect the show to make a connection with other cultures,’ he says. ‘In New York, it was like Boyz n the Hood, these really heavy guys. I was a bit afraid: “What do we have to tell them about being young?” But one of the guys said in the post-show discussion that “it is so weird a couple of guys from Ghent have the same feeling as me”. It was beautiful and a surprise that I made something that resonated with other youngsters.’ But it was a show with a built-in sell-by date. The actors could not stay teenagers forever and, after two years together, they fought, danced, snogged and fooled around for one last time in their home town of Ghent. ‘The 165th performance, for instance, was still as energetic as the first one,’ he says. ‘I can pretend I know why, but I don’t. They just loved playing it. At the same time, for some of them, they felt it was the last taste of youth they had; when Once and for All stopped, adult life began. So they cherished every performance they could play. For the last performance, they didn't change anything, they just played

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44 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

every scene like their lives depended on it. It was the first time I watched the piece with tears in my eyes. It was the best one they ever did.’ After so much acclaim, the director might have been wise to leave it at that, but he had unfinished teenage business to attend to. Devriendt returned to the rehearsal room, this time with a smaller group, some of whom he had got to know through Once and for All. Initially he worried about trying to improve on the earlier show, but once he realised that was impossible, he felt liberated to go in a new direction. ‘That gave me so much freedom. It was more of a collaboration between people I knew and that gave me a

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS Mark Fisher spots five more hot shows from the continent More Light Please Polish actor Natalia Kostrzewa stars in her own one-woman play (co-written by Jerzy Lach) about economic migration. The production by Teatr Praga is in English and features music by the Tiger Lillies. New Town Theatre, George Street, 0131 220 0143, 7–29 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 2.45pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

totally different feeling and joy in making this.’ Now, with Teenage Riot, the plan was to explore aspects of adolescence that the earlier show had deliberately ignored. ‘Where Once and for All was the teenagedom I wish I’d had, I wanted to make something that was closer to the teenagedom I experienced. It was more personal. And I chose actors who had a rebelliousness in them.’ First he had an obstacle to overcome. If he wanted the youngsters to speak openly and honestly and to devise a script that was all their own words, he needed a way for them to say in public what they would normally say only in private. His solution for anyone used to seeing live theatre was an odd one. He put them in a box. They would communicate with the audience via a camera inside. ‘The room on stage is a good way of getting out of the actors things they really wanted to do but they wouldn’t dare show in plain view. In that way, I could go a little bit tougher and harder.’ To generate material, he set them loose with a video camera. On one occasion he suggested they should cram themselves into a room the size of a toilet for 15 minutes and film in there. ‘Only 15 minutes?’ said the performers and insisted on staying in there for an hour and a half. Every 15 minutes he handed in a supply of food. ‘It gave them a lot of freedom because the camera was an easy way to give confessions.’ On another occasion, demonstrating Devriendt truly is in touch with his teenage self, he gave them a camera and the keys to his own flat for the night. Remarkably, it was still in one piece the next day. ‘They filmed some beautiful moments and the house was really clean the day after, though my bed was full of crisps they'd forgotten to clean.’ From such exercises, they generated perhaps four hours of material which they whittled down into Teenage Riot, finding a way also to communicate directly with the audience. ‘In form and feeling it’s a different show to Once and for All,’ he says. ‘Some people think it is funny, but for me it is darker. Generally people left Once and for All with a feelgood feeling; after this, I leave them a little bit more distressed. It’s more of a shock for adults.’

MY BED WAS FULL OF CRISPS Teenage Riot, Traverse Theatre, Cambridge THEY'D Street, 0131 228 1404, 18–29 Aug (not 23), FORGOTTEN various times, £17–£19 (£6–£13). Preview 17 Aug, 12.45pm, £12 (£6). TO CLEAN

Anatomy of Fantasy After dates in St Petersburg and Poland, the Fringe Firstwinning Do Theatre returns to Edinburgh with a dancetheatre piece that promises to visualise the ‘subconscious as a physical body’. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 5.25pm, £12–£13.50 (£11–£12.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5. Harlekin Physical theatre from Fringe favourites Derevo in which the Dresden company’s mainstays Elena Yarovaya and Anton Adasinsky create a nightmare vision of the harlequin figure. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 1pm, £12–£14. Previews 4–6 Aug, £9. The Lonesome Foxtrot Performed in English, this is an interpretation of Fro, a novella by Andrei Platonov, directed by St Petersburg director Vasily Senin in a Russia-UK co-production. New Town Theatre, George Street, 0131 220 0143, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 8.30pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5. Soap! The Show It’s bonkers bath-time from Germany as a team of La Clique-connected acrobats and trapeze artists immerse themselves in eight bath tubs and kick up a hell of a lot of water. Look out for the mop ballet and the curtain of rain. Umbrellas not provided. Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 7–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 7.15pm, £15–£20 (£14–£16). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £10. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 45

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Within these walls The prisons of our minds and the physicality of jails have been concerning Jean Abreu lately. He tells Kelly Apter how he created a dance piece about forced isolation

icture spending day after endless day trapped behind a locked door, for which someone else has the key. That’s where Jean Abreu’s imagination has been residing for the best part of two years, during the creation of his new work, Inside. The award-winning choreographer has turned his long-held interest in prison life into a powerful piece of contemporary dance which premieres at this year’s Fringe. ‘Prison has always been a fascinating subject for me because it’s a microcosm of society,’ says Abreu. ‘People are so contained within a space that everything – their vulnerabilities, their worst parts – become exaggerated. Making the piece has been such a social science adventure.’ Born in Brazil, but based in London for the past 14 years, Abreu is best known for co-founding Protein Dance (Publife, The Banquet) but has since branched out on his own. Inside will be the debut offering from the newly-formed Jean Abreu Dance, inspired by a number of what he calls ‘trigger points’. ‘It started with my ongoing interest in the human condition,’ he explains. ‘Then I discovered lots of films about life in prison and became interested in how the body deals with sensorial isolation, both physically and psychologically.‘ As well as developing a movement vocabulary that could adequately portray life in a confined space, Abreu underwent an intensive period of research; although not in the way you might expect. ‘My research has been very intellectual in a sense,’ he says. ‘I didn’t do what a lot of people thought I would do, which is go into prisons. Instead I spent about a year watching films, reading work by writers who had been in prison, like Jean Genet and Oscar Wilde, and talking to social scientists in Brazil. The work ended up being an amalgamation of all those different influences.’ To realise his vision, Abreu has gathered together a talented team of performers and designers and, for the first time ever, he won’t be dancing in his own work. According to Abreu, being able to stand back and observe his choreography during the creative process ‘has been so long awaited’. He is also more than a little excited about Inside’s musical accompaniment, provided by guitar instrumentalists 65daysofstatic, who will be performing live at every show during the Fringe.

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Heads Up Dance Base, 24–27 Aug

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46 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

‘65daysofstatic have been amazing,’ says Abreu. ‘They’ve created a whole piece specially for this work, it’s an exclusive number. People say to me “how did you manage to get them?” They were simply interested in my idea.’ Another feather in Abreu’s cap is Alan Macdonald, production designer for Inside. Over the past decade, Macdonald has designed and co-directed three major world tours for Kylie Minogue, so knows a thing or two about creating atmosphere. With such a weighty subject matter, Abreu is aware that he can’t bombard his audience with unrelenting misery. ‘I didn’t want to make a piece that people watching it would think “oh this is so hard, so depressive”,’ he says. ‘I just want the audience to question what we do with those people in our society that are seen as being not good. And how our decisions, choices and laws dictate the way people end up.’ Those laws, of course, can vary drastically from country to country, something Abreu has taken into consideration; not least because the ‘prison’ depicted in Inside isn’t just one made of bricks and mortar. ‘My prison is in many different places, and it’s the physical as well as the metaphorical. It’s our internal prison, which is about our own limitations, a prison of consciousness. But the piece also looks at breaking free and of seeing prison as a barrier which provokes an individual to want something better.’ Inevitably, audiences will enter the theatre with their own images and thoughts about imprisonment, which is fine by Abreu. ‘Many people have said it made them think of iconic things from recent times, such as Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib,’ he says. ‘And they were probably in my subconscious somewhere, although I didn’t set out to comment on anywhere in particular. But I think the piece will take people there; because it’s in their heads, all those things will come out.’

PRISON IS A MICROCOSM OF SOCIETY

Inside, Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 6–14 Aug, 6.25pm, £12.

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Jonny Sweet & Tim Key Fringe

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ther in Key. They appeared toge m Ti & t ee Sw y nn Jo r medy r month fo ed up both Edinburgh Co ck pi Last August was a bumpe ey th e om ns ow r ei er while on th eet scooped Best Newcom Sw le Tom Basden’s play Party, hi w r ke ac cr ut Sl s hi book n gong for t-actually-real brother, a no s Awards. Key won the mai hi to l ia or em m ic m , a co foil with Mostly About Arthur while Tim Key was poetic on er m Ca d vi Da g un yo e ash t a role as th stralia thanks to Iceland’s Au in blurbist. Later, Sweet go k uc st t go so al y Ke with enwipe. Brian Donaldson met up g. to Charlie Brooker in Scre in nn ru up ok to d an g smokin es of company. After five minut cloud while Sweet gave up PR s ir’ pa e th t, Do le sib tting e of Invi d a chat about sailors, ge them at the Camden offic ha ey th , es on ph ile ob m r nsport and finding the struggling to turn off thei recognised on public tra perfect pun

‘I was in control of Euro pe and had

The place is waiting.

THE LIST: What’s the title of this year’s show, Jonny? TIM KEY: It’s a good title, a fine title. JONNY SWEET: It’s called Let’s Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something for Once). K: Oh. Is that it? See, when I first read it I thought, ‘that’s a good title’. S: Yeah, it doesn’t work when you hear it out loud. K: When it’s written down, though? S: I do a lot of my show written. I was hesitant after last year whether I was going to go back this year. I’ve been hesitant for the last nine months. I’m still reasonably hesitant, but the machine of war is in process now. Thing is, I am always like this when I do a show. K: You weren’t this bad last year. S: Really? I’ve got the ambition and a certain amount of drive. K: And the room booked. S: For the whole month. I think it’ll be fine. People should come and see it. It’s a similar-ish show as last year in that it’s going to be a kind of lecture, but I think it’s going to be a bit looser and I’m going to do more bits of interacting with the screen and making it sort of more multimedia, hopefully. L: That can be dangerous though, can’t it? S: You’re not helping. ‘That can be dangerous though, can’t it?’ L: It can be though. S: Walking across the road is dangerous! But yes it is, that can be dangerous there. K: Don’t interact with the screen. S: Is that a nightmarish idea? K: Has that not been done? S: Yeah, but it’s a case of giving them something to look at during the dips. L: And Tim, you’re reprising last year’s Slutcracker? K: There will be some new stuff in there. It’s poetry, some recipes, a timetable. Quite pleased with the timetable. L: And is your technician/sidekick Fletch going to be involved again?

48 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

K: Well, hopefully, but it’s up to him. Sometimes he likes to do his own thing. Fletch on his own does exist as a concept. He was going to do a show at Edinburgh, but not anymore. He does magic and is also a very good actor and writer. But this is not about him. I’ll always encourage him and I’ll be there for him, but he mustn’t take up any column inches. L: Jonny, will Stefan [Golaszewski, who was in Cowards alongside Key] be directing you again? S: Yes. He’s been really good for me, given me lots of morale. I often get really grand ideas and want to make it a massive spectacle and he will pull me up. Though he did have the idea that I should interview a different sailor for each show. K: I think that’s a good idea. S: Yes, the logistics were a problem. K: You mean, interview them on the screen? S: No, get a different sailor into each show. I asked Stefan how we could do that and he said, ‘get one of the local naval cadet schools to offer one’, as though they’re ten a penny in Edinburgh. L: Do you have any weird pre-show rituals? S: I actually slept for half an hour before each show last year. I basically picked up a Red Bull, a banana and a Twix, scoffed them and went to sleep for half an hour. K: Hang on; you had Red Bull before you went to sleep? S: It hit me when I woke up. In our family, there’s a nerves thing. My dad has a thing where he falls asleep when he’s under pressure, which is not ideal for any sort of career. Once, I had a car crash and he came to hospital and fell asleep immediately. I took that badly. K: I always used to buy cake, a Powerade, a tomato and four beers from the same shop, and it was always the same person who served me. Never mentioned it. L: Is physically touching an audience ever a bad idea? S: Any touching in my show is meant to be warm and not aggressive.

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d to spill a lot of blood to do that’

K: I always felt it was a nice moment in my show when I went into the audience, like there was a bit of a connection. S: Didn’t you fall on a 16-year-old or something? K: Yeah, I do a bit where I get carried by the audience and I was holding a girl. I was sort of all over her really, but eventually I leapt off her. L: Do either of you get recognised more now that you’ve been on the telly? S: I’ve only properly been recognised once and that was for a BBC thing called Winging It. This massive Geordie guy on the Tube was constantly staring at me. So I thought he thought I had been checking out his wife. Maybe I had been. And it was all freaking me out so I got off early and he stopped me and went . . . I’m not going to do the accent but just say, ‘Jonny segued into a seamless Geordie accent’. So he said, ‘you were funny on Winging It’ but in the same tone as you might say, ‘I’m going to kick the shit out of you’. And then I left. K: I got recognised before Party. But that was because I was standing underneath an enormous picture of myself. L: What’s your worst memory of last year’s Fringe? K: When Fletch got ill. I talk to him throughout the gig and I asked him to change a slide and he said he couldn’t and I said, ‘is it broken?’ and he said, ‘no, I’m broken’. It was quite fiddly because some of the audience probably thought this was part of it. I think he just about got to 45 minutes in before the paramedics came and took him away. He had five nights off. S: He said, ‘I’m broken’? K: I think I was working him too hard. Some times I was doing as many as one show a night. Last year was my most exhausting Edinburgh, mentally as well; it was a pretty fearsome, full-on experience last year.

PHOTOGRAPHS: NOEL MCLAUGHLIN

S: I can’t think of a particularly bad moment but I’ve never been more exhausted. There was a show when half the awards panel had come in and I was so tired; afterwards, Stefan said that was about 60% of what it should have been. With Party, Tim said he was tired but he was sat through the whole thing, I was standing up and running around shouting and then I’d toddle off to do my own show. After Edinburgh I went to the doctor because I thought I had glandular fever. L: Which celebrity death has affected you the most? S: Harold Pinter. That’s pretentious, in a way. But I really liked him, and for a time I lived sort of near his house and kind of walked around hoping I’d bump into him. And then he died. On Christmas Day. I’m never that upset for any of them. That is pretentious though; that won’t come across well. Tim, don’t say someone from popular culture. K: I was thinking more of Ben Hollioake, an England cricketer who died when he was 21 or 22 about ten years ago. He was the new Ian Botham before Flintoff became the new Ian Botham. He had a car crash. It was quite a surprising, numbing one. S: Heath Ledger was a bit like that . . . You did better with your one. L: Has a dream ever influenced anything you’ve then written? S: Have you seen the Seinfeld episode when he writes something down in his dream and he’s sure it’s brilliant but then he can’t read it and eventually decides that it was probably terrible. I’ve had that after being bolt upright and written down a couple of lines. K: I did have a nightmare where I was in a car and I was really cold and there was a body next to me. That

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Jonny Sweet & Tim Key Fringe

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From top left, clockwise: Jonny Sweet as the young PM in When Boris Met Dave; the stage production of last year’s Fringe play, Party; Sweet and Tim Key with their Edinburgh Comedy Awards; Key takes it easy on a white cube

l If you

was a very long dream and I knew that I just had to get out of that car and get away. I might use that as part of my stand-up. S: I was playing Risk at the weekend and that evening I had a lot of killing dreams, mowing people down. I was in control of Europe for a while and I had to spill a lot of blood to do that. L: What else are you doing in August? K: I’m launching an album of my poetry. S: Are you? K: Yeah, I’m not an idiot. S: Do you want a blurb for it? K: I’ll do that. That’s my strongest suit. Best in the business. There’s a launch. There’ll be nibbles. L: What’s it called? K: It’ll probably have ‘slut’ in the title. Slut Album? S: You should probably get a title before you have the event. K: Poems in the Key of Slut? S: That’s pretty good. K: This was my life this time last year, thinking up slut puns: Utterly Slutterly was one. Vine Slut? S: That’s nice. Get Tim Vine to cameo. K: Tim Vinyl? I’ll email him to say he has to do an LP on vinyl and call it that. L: Is there a weather condition that inspires you to write more than others? S: I think I prefer being bunkered away during the winter K: Rain. Heavy rain. Cottage. Let’s get going, let’s get this written. S: Although, having said that … K: … Sunny day. In a park. S: I only ever write in the summer. There’s more light and so I often find that you can write at different hours of the day. I’ll write in the evening then, whereas I wouldn’t if it was dark. L: Stewart Lee has been talking about doing a complete Michael McIntyre show, word for word, in his own 50 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

I USED TO BUY CAKE, POWERADE, A TOMATO AND FOUR BEERS Tim Key

uke John-L s Robert nce Pleasa ard, Courty g u 4–30 A

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style, just to find out where the comedy lies because he can’t really see it. Is there anyone in the world of film, theatre or comedy that you would like to cover in that same way? S: I love Stewart Lee, but I wouldn’t really ever want to do it in such an aggressive way. I’d love to do some Marx Brothers, be really interesting to see if that still works. K: Wouldn’t mind doing some of Tom Basden’s lyrics. See if they still work, even if you’re doing a real mess of the guitar. S: Tell you what, oddly, I would like to cover Stewart Lee’s show 90s Comedian, just because I really enjoyed that and it would be interesting to see if I could pull it off. Probably couldn’t though. Maybe I could try Billy Connolly’s stories, but without his accent? L: Do you have any guilty cultural pleasures? K:: I’ve watched a lot of Apprentice and an awful lot of Eggheads. S: My friend could get you some Eggheads autographs. K: OK, yeah, think I’d like that. S: Embarrassing Bodies. Always settle down with that and compare. K: I’m into any cooking show. I like the show where they had to cook a brilliant dinner for the Queen. There was this man who had to make something out of fish and as part of his dish, he had a pot which just smelled like the sea.

I GOT RED BULL, BANANA AND A TWIX. SCOFFED THEM AND Jonny Sweet, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 6–30 Aug (not 16), 7.30pm, SLEPT FOR £10.50–£12 (£9–£10.50). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £6; Tim Key, Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square, 0131 556 HALF AN 6550, 16–21 Aug, 12.15am, £12–£13; HOUR Tim Key’s album launch is at Avalanche, Cockburn Jonny Sweet

Street, 0131 225 3939, 22 Aug, 3pm, free.

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Storm Large Fringe

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PICTURES: LAURA DOMELA

Size

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When you’re born into a seriously dysfunctional family and seek sexual attention at the age of 13, something’s not quite right. But what if you turn that negativity into a wild music career that leads to an autobiographical stage comedy? Anna Millar shoots the breeze with Storm Large

e matters torm Large doesn’t do small. With her Amazonian stature and gallus gift for making the F-word sound lyrical, she is, in the flesh, larger than life. Whether as mohawked rebel teen, twentysomething heroin dabbler or a reality TV rock star in her 30s, Large has emerged stronger, flexing two pretty fingers to anyone who doubted that great things can come from what she casually, but knowingly, calls ‘fucking awful circumstances’. Born to a mentally ill, suicidal mother, Large sought love and attention from an early age with music acting as her ‘gift’. As young as five in her hometown of Massachusetts, she remembers picking up harmonies from jingles and melodies, and singing them aloud, over and over, While she, her father and two brothers struggled to cope with her mother’s constant bouts of depression, Large would find comfort centre stage. ‘I just wanted to be loved, and get attention,’ she explains, her tanned glow and bleached blonde hair immediately catching the eye. ‘My father loved me very much, and tried very hard to take care of us, but he was so broken about my mum; he couldn’t fix her.’ Large rebelled early, losing herself in the local punk rock scene, running away from home and bedhopping to find the attention she craved. ‘By 12 I was watching porn, and learning how to do it. All I wanted was for someone to think I was special, so I started having sex really young, at like 13,’ she explains with a shrug. Her more conservative neighbours weren’t impressed. ‘Massachusetts is a Democratic state but it’s full of puritans. Women are supposed to be skinny, pretty and quiet; I was big, ugly and loud. I was always told: “Be quiet, take it down, you’re stupid”. That was fed to me all the time,’ she says, then pausing before unleashing a throaty laugh: ‘Fuck them; I’d like to see them now.’ A move to San Francisco in the 90s proved to be initially torturous and a brief dalliance with heroin gave her the wake-up call she so badly needed. ‘You get into drugs trying to keep the pain away. I never felt like I mattered. I thought I was a scumbag. I didn’t love me, so why would anyone else?’ Music, she says, saved her. ‘I was lying in bed, I was OD’ing a little bit, and I was scared I wouldn’t wake up. This voice in my head was saying if you were dead then you wouldn’t be so sad. But because my mother was always trying to kill herself, I vowed that that would never be an option, so I looked at the only thing I had that was positive, and that was an ability to sing and entertain people.’ Large started a band and opened a new chapter. ‘People see this fucking hot, Amazonian, powerful woman who doesn’t take shit, but I come from a very sad place. I made myself live by loving myself. I know that sounds cheesy as hell but I just had to find the one thing I could do.’ Large might sometimes sound straight out of a self-help manual, but she’s far from it. She is beautiful, and at a towering, slim 6ft easily looks a decade younger than her 41 years. Discussions of her childhood are not self-loathing but rather reflective and light of the obvious pop psychology pitfalls. Her late twenties and thirties were a whirlwind of gigs all over the world, she explains, first with her band Flower, then later with Storm and Her Dirty Mouth and Storm, Inc, with 4 Non Blondes’ Shaunna Hall. Hard as she tried, that elusive record contract was never quite in reach. By 2002,

PICTURES: LAURA DOMELA

WOMEN ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SKINNY, PRETTY AND QUIET; I WAS BIG, UGLY AND LOUD

spurred on by the need for a change, she decided to join the Culinary Institute in Portland. Slowly, she cut off ties with her life in San Francisco. She spent some time sleeping in her van, simply thinking. Being a chef would become her, she decided. She could nurture her love of food and still be able to entertain people. But fate, once again, would intervene. She got a job as a bartender at a bar called Dante’s, in Portland. The pub occasionally put on live gig nights and the bar manager was a fan of her voice. When one of his acts pulled out, he talked Large into stepping in. Initially unsure, her joke band, The Balls, became something of a cult hit. They would play mash-up versions of Motörhead, ABBA, Billy Idol and Olivia Newton-John. ‘We called it lounge core,’ says Large, smiling at the memory. ‘We took punk, pop, metal songs and slowed them down to make them sexy. It was good fun and the crowd loved it.’ With her confidence at a high, Large found herself on popular CBS talent show Rock Star, quickly becoming a judge and audience favourite. Hosted by Jane’s Addiction frontman Dave Navarro, the show focused on 15 rockers singing it out to become lead vocalist for a newly formed supergroup, complete with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, and ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. Her success on the show – she was knocked out just before the final – would give kudos to a career a long time in the making. Navarro liked her so much he penned the single ‘Ladylike’ for her. ‘I don't watch reality TV shows so I don’t know how popular it was. People of my age were the MTV generation when we were teenagers, but TV is still the number one advertising agent for everything. I played ‘Ladylike’ once on that show, it was then available on iTunes and the next day it was number five beating Justin Timberlake. Crazy.’ After the show the public loved this raw talent, but no one signed her up. Large wasn’t exactly surprised. Besides, she admits with a smile and a shrug, she always sings to her own tune anyway. ‘I was 36 when I finished Rock Star. Now I’m 41, I’m old as hell; I’m a cougar,’ laughs Large. ‘I've been a performer for 20 years and I’ve never been punk enough, pretty enough or thin enough. They [producers] would say: “I don’t know what to do with you.” So I would go off and tour and make it on my own.’ Of late she’s had her autobiographical musical Crazy Enough to keep her busy, the fruits of which Fringe audiences can enjoy this August. Funny, warm, poignant and with Storm’s extraordinary story and throaty growl at its heart, rave reviews have poured in. So has the show proved to be the cathartic experience she hoped for? ‘I did a lot of fucking stupid things, you know, but because I’m an artist I’ve been allowed to express that in a way that audiences seem to respond to. My mother loved me more than anything but she was just desperately sad. I think I’m frank about it because of the awareness that it can’t hurt me anymore. In a way my mother showed me the complete opposite of what I was going to be. And hey, I figure in this life if you can’t be a good example, be a good cautionary tale.’ Large, Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 Storm 458 252, 7–29 Aug (not 16, 24), 10.25pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£6.50–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 53

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'I don't want to paint myself as a miserable bastard' Having eased himself out of an enormously popular band, Jon Fratelli has gone back to his roots for his new solo project. Camilla Pia hears from a man who is finally at ease with the world and his music

C or many it came as a bolt from the blue when much-loved Glasgow trio The Fratellis announced in April that they were to split. It was a break ‘for now’, they claimed, but following their frontman’s ventures into markedly different territory with Codeine Velvet Club and drummer Mince’s dabblings in Throne o’Diablo’s metal, it felt much more permanent. Certainly when I caught up with Jon Fratelli (real name John Lawler) in sun-drenched LA, his old band seems far from his mind. Fratelli’s focus is elsewhere ‘for the foreseeable future’. But Fratellis fans will be comforted to hear that his thoughts are on a new solo project which is very much a return to the raw sound that made them fall in love with his music in the first place. ‘You can only deny your instincts for so long before you have to just go with them,’ he says about his latest venture. ‘Codeine was a conscious attempt to do something completely different, but you find yourself slipping back into wanting to crank it up. And I am definitely looking forward to getting loud and sweaty again,’ he chuckles. Fratelli has a refreshingly honest approach to the music he wants to make, and with this new project he plans to reembrace it. ‘I’ve listened to the same stuff since I was 16,’ he explains. ‘I rotate it, but it’s still the same classic artists: Dylan, The Stones, Springsteen; it never changes for me and I have accepted that now. Life has got a lot easier as a result. I used to worry that I was a dinosaur and I thought I should be getting out there and watching bands. I tried it and it was horrible. So now I’ve realised I’ve found the things that speak to me and I’m going to stick with them. And there is just so much mileage in rock’n’roll, so much you can go back and be inspired by and use if you are clever enough and dedicated enough.’ We haven’t heard much of his solo material yet – one live version of ‘She’s My Shaker’ is posted on his website – but what we have heard is as bluesy, boisterous and rootsy as you might expect from an ex-Fratelli. ‘I am all for giving audiences what they want to hear,’ he says. ‘So I’ll be playing a couple of Codeine songs, a good bunch of Fratellis songs and a good bunch of new songs too. I think people will like it because it’s not a million miles away from what we were doing before.’ He pauses before

Coral Picture House, 26 Aug

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I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING LOUD AND SWEATY AGAIN

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Jon Fratelli Fringe

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laughing: ‘Unless they’re expecting me to be all melancholy with an acoustic guitar, because it won’t be that, it will be a full-on rock’n’roll show.’ After this Electric Circus launch, a solo album (with Costello Music producer Tony Hoffer on board) is due, reams of songs having already been written and set for recording in LA around September time. Fratelli, by now hoarse from rehearsing and chatting, can’t hide his enthusiasm. ‘I’m desperate to get on with it. I’m as excited about this as I was about making the first Fratellis record. I hope never to lose that wee boy excitement of just being desperate to do stuff.’ The stuff he is determined to do now requires a period of being on his own. ‘I don’t want to paint myself as a miserable bastard that doesn’t want anyone near them or anything but some people find it easier to see the way forward on their own and for me it’s the best way to do things at the moment. We never said how long a break we would take, but I’m trying not to overthink it. For now I have no plans to work as part of the Fratellis. Will that change in the future? I’m not sure. I don’t like fuss and things that get in the way of playing and so I decided to simplify everything and just do whatever makes me happy and it’s this. Music will always be it.’ Jon Fratelli, Electric Circus, Market Street, 0131 226 0000, 22 Aug, 7pm, £10.

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E4 Cow Barn, Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square Thursday 5 – Monday 30 August Tickets 0844 545 8252 www.underbelly.co.uk 56 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

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Pedal Pusher Fringe

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Tour of duty Sporting achievement is notoriously tricky to turn into theatre, doubly so if it’s the world of cycling. Roland Smith tells Thom Dibdin that a cinema classic inspired Pedal Pusher

n our world of headlines and heroes, Lance Armstrong’s image is fixed thanks to his seven Tour de France wins, whether it’s closing in to take a sprint finish by a split second or pumping his way to yet another epic first place in the mountains. Or he might be thought of as the cyclist who survived cancer. Either way, the image is of the individual. He was the man in the yellow jersey, the American who came over to rival the greatest European cyclists at their own game, a terminally ill patient who picked up his bike and rode away. Yet Texas-born Armstrong is no lone-star cycle-boy. His ride to celebrity has been picked out and defined by those around him. In the intricately structured world of team cycle racing there is no success without the technical support crew and fellow riders, just as defeating cancer comes with the help of a fleet of medics. For director Roland Smith, who has attempted to bring something of the passion, focus and sacrifice of road cycling to the stage in Pedal Pusher, there are also the competitors. Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani won the Tour in the two years before Armstrong’s first win and any one of the three could have come through to become the race’s all-time hero. ‘The whole premise of Pedal Pusher is that at one moment in time, any one of those three riders could have

been the greatest cyclist of their generation,’ says Smith. ‘It could have been Marco Pantani if his demons had not got the better of him. It could have been Jan Ullrich if he had had the self-control or the discipline to not get caught up in his celebrity status in Germany. It ended up being an American called Lance who went on to win the Tour de France seven times in a row.’ Told in flashback from the moment Pantani’s prone body is discovered in his Rimini hotel room in 2005, dead from a cocaine overdose, Pedal Pusher uses a mixture of interviews, archive footage and news reports to recreate the battles between the three. The play draws on a triple-attack of inspiration. There’s the examination of a sport where the winning hero is only the figurehead for a whole team of unseen support. Then there’s the drive of the individual, of the twentysomethings determined to succeed at any cost with a work-hard, play-harder philosophy. ‘That’s brought into sharp focus with these guys who trained very hard and the stories about the added extras that they were doing, effectively just to win a bicycle race,’ Smith says. ‘There was something about the absurdity of how much value they were putting on those superhuman feats of climbing mountains.’ Finally, Smith was keen to explore the way that performance space works, to look list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 57

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GAME ON Brian Donaldson will be over the moon if these sporty shows hit the target Poland 3 Iran 2 The 1976 Olympic Games clash between two very different footballing nations acts as a backdrop to a tale of how everyday life isn’t always defined by one culture. Thistle Street Bar, Thistle Street, 0131 556 6550, 7–28 Aug (not 9 & 10, 16, 23), 5pm, £9–£10 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

THERE WAS SOMETHING ABSURD ABOUT THOSE FEATS

at why a spectator in sport is so different to a member of a theatre audience. ‘You don't have people screaming or building such strong allegiances with characters as with sportsmen, with heroes.’ Talking to him about cyclists and the Tour, however, and it becomes clear that there is an even deeper-seated drive behind Pedal Pusher. The same simple drive which pushes the riders in the first place. ‘Being able to get on your bike and just cycle away is freedom,’ he says, remembering his childhood and tearing away with a pack of pals on their dodgy mountain bikes after school to take on the fields and paths around his Winchester home. ‘I still get that in the mornings when I jump on my bike to cycle to work. Reading the accounts and histories of the three cyclists we focus on, there is still that magical element of loving being on the bike and loving the freedom of it that gets buried under the weight of the job, of the competitiveness.’ There still remains the thorny question of bringing sport to the stage. For that, Smith has drawn his inspiration from cinema and Martin Scorsese, creator of Raging Bull, one of the most successful artistic representations of sport ever made. ‘The thing that we found was not trying to do everything at once,’ he says, pointing to how Scorsese showed each fight in a completely different way in order to bring out various truths about boxing as a whole. ‘We never try to recreate a race. It is about what each specific moment is able to draw out. Perversely, when cyclists are moving most slowly up the side of a mountain is when they're using most effort. Whereas if they are descending, they are absolutely still on the bike. Any movement is going to send them off the road.’ For his text, Smith has taken verbatim statements of the riders’ words from press conferences and conversations to give them more weight, mixing in dramatically constructed interchanges between the riders, choreographed with actual race reports. ‘There is a scene in which we create Lance Armstrong’s time trial, layered with a monologue which is taken from various accounts about him surviving cancer. Although it is not the actual ride, we try to follow the sweep of the road with the physicality of the riders. Then there is one scene where three of the actors are in chorus, counting off the kilometres, while another performer is giving the emotional response and telling the story behind each of the moves. It is about drawing out those aspects using the real text, using the facts to create the performance.’ From doping controversies to split-second finishes, from personal catharsis to public humiliation, the Tour de France is certainly a fitting subject for drama. It seems that in mixing physicality with dialogue while drawing back to look at key turning points, TheatreDelicatessen’s Pedal Pusher has taken a yellow jersey where others got lost in the mountains. Pedal Pusher, Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 8–30 Aug (not 15, 22), 4pm, £12 (£10). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, £8.

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Swing! From the people who brought you KiddyFiddler on the Roof comes another blistering musical satire featuring the antics which abound inside the Wafthead Tennis Club. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 8–30 Aug (not 17, 24), 4pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Previews 4–7 Aug, £6. The Olympic Gene Becky Brunning’s greatgrandfather won a gymnastics gold at the 1912 Olympics. Now a century on and with the London event bearing down on her, Becky is trying to keep the old boy’s legacy aflame. The Hive, Niddry Street, 0131 556 0444, 12–29 Aug (not 14 & 15), 12.30pm, free. Up ‘N’ Under Lad mag favourite Abi Titmuss makes her Fringe debut in the John Godber play, dressing down as a gym instructor who helps inspire a hapless rugby league team to an unlikely victory. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 5.25pm, £17.50–£19.50 (£15.50–£17.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £10. Bob Doolally’s World Cup Balls Forget Lineker and Shearer. If you want to hear a true expert analysis of the South African World Cup, turn shakily towards pub pundit Bob Doolally as he reveals more of the dark side to the beautiful-ish game. The Stand, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 16 Aug, 7.45pm, £10 (£9).

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Women and Sex Fringe

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This August, playwrights and comedians will be exploring pole dancers, prostitutes and rampant bedhoppers as Edinburgh is invaded by women talking frankly about sex. Yasmin Sulaiman just wants to know exactly what is hectic massage?

oming back from seeing the second Sex and the City film,’ says live artist Bryony Kimmings, ‘I was absolutely disgusted.’ And she’s not the only one groaning about the latest instalment of this once groundbreaking explicit comedy about the sexual lives of four New York women. Despite taking the top spot at the UK box office in its first week of release, Carrie Bradshaw’s most recent exploits have been roundly panned for a lacklustre plot and unimaginative storyline. Nevertheless, on its release in 1998, the HBO show became a landmark in modern television. Together with the worldwide theatre hit, The Vagina Monologues, it represents the moment when it was officially OK for women’s sexual experiences to be the centre of attention in mainstream comedy and drama. But what has the new film got so wrong? For Kimmings, it’s become an ideal example of how formulated women are by social rules. Her newest live work – Sex Idiot – partly aims to counteract these expectations through a series of acts involving songs, poetry and a moustache made from her audience’s pubic hairs. Following similar narrative lines to Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers and Chris Waitt’s much discussed documentary A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008), Sex Idiot traces Kimmings’ timeline of sexual partners, a project sparked off by the discovery that she had contracted an STI. ‘When I found out, I didn’t know what was going on,’ she explains. ‘I was charged with this need to be honest and be myself in my live work. But I also wanted to be a little bit scientific, a little bit detached; I didn’t want it to be completely “Dear Diary”. Let’s see if I do this mathematically, if I retrace this, what happens? It didn’t really end up like that because it became very emotional but that’s where the idea came from.’ Kimmings’ offering is far from the only show with a bold female sexual attitude at its core. Wild Card Kitty, Scotland’s answer to Dita Von Teese, presents the burlesque showcase Your Little Princess is My Little Whore, while Gemma Goggin’s stand-up show, Get Laid or Die Trying, will chart the LAMDA-trained actress’ sexual past. Similarly, Alison Goldie’s Lady in Bed, part of the ever-expanding Free Fringe, claims to map out the comedian’s carnal adventures from the 1970s to the

TO MAKE MONEY AS A STRIPPER IT TAKES TIME TO ACTUALLY GET GOOD AT IT

Opposite: Gemma Goggin dips into a sordid sexual history for her Fringe debut

present. But while all of these shows celebrate their protagonists’ sexual conquests, Hannah Chalmers’ Stripped stems partially from her failure to do just that. The play draws on Chalmers’ six-month stint as a pole dancer, a job she was forced to give up when tips became scarce. ‘I think to make good money as a stripper it takes time to actually get good at it and persuade the customers to actually give you their money and I got a bit too friendly. I would have a chat with the customer, but it would be a friendly chat. By the end, they didn’t want a dance, they just wanted to chat some more or take me out, so I didn’t make much money anyway.’ Chalmers, who wrote and acts in the one-woman show, claims that one of her primary aims is to show audiences what the world of the strip club is really like. The story revolves around Baby, a fledgling pole dancer whose naivety is quickly wrested from her as she falls deeper into the world of stripping. And while the story is not autobiographical, Chalmers is keen to point out that the boundaries which Baby is forced to push represent problems that highlight the thin line between selling a sexual performance and selling sex itself. ‘When I was working as a stripper I occasionally got offered a lot of money to go back with customers,’ she recalls. ‘And I’m sure there were a lot of girls that did. I have to admit, I was tempted a couple of times, but I just thought there’s too much danger, too much risk involved. But once those boundaries are pushed, it’s definitely easier to go further.’ In the end, the play forces us to look at the different ways in which men and women view sex and its relationship with money. ‘I’ve worked as a shot girl for the last two and a half years,’ says Chalmers. ‘That’s mainly about chatting up and flirting with men and being sexy and fun. So there’s money to be made from attractive women using their sexuality.’ But while Chalmers insists that Stripped is as much about the empowering aspects of stripping, alongside its competitive and exploitative elements, the seemingly inextricable connection between sex and money that she identifies opens up a much darker side to female sexual experiences. Certainly, while Bradshaw and company might not actually sell sex, the huge success of the Sex and the City franchise demonstrates its inherent marketability. In Rory Kilalea’s play Colours, however, the list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 61

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relationship between sex and money is more direct and sinister. The winner of the Oxfam Susie Smith Memorial Prize in 2009, it revolves around a woman’s struggle to survive following her husband’s death. Set in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, she is forced to sell her body for sex and eventually contracts HIV. According to Kilalea, the story was partially inspired by a real-life encounter he had with a sex worker in Harare who jumped into his car and propositioned him. ‘I declined as politely as I could,’ he says, ‘but we got chatting and that’s when she told me that she was doing the job because she had no other way to survive.’ Nevertheless, though Colours has a destructive sexual experience at its core, it’s also about fundamental issues of identity. The woman in question is mixed-race, and the status of mixed-race Zimbabweans is an issue that Kilalea is keen to address. ‘After Mugabe’s government became more and more corrupt, there was a reverse of racism from the Rhodesia days. And as I knew many people who were mixed-race, I wondered how the views of the society that eventually started invading farms and destroying people’s livelihoods would impact on someone of a mixed-race background.’ This idea of identity is at the heart of Jo Wharmby’s show Let’s Talk About Sex. Part stand-up, part instruction, the production draws on her round-the-world travels and her real-life sexual encounters. So far so glamorous, but central to Wharmby’s story is the accident she suffered in her early 20s, resulting in a wheelchair-confined year before compensation paid for her global adventures. It was a chance meeting in Sydney that led to her career choice as a professional Hellerworker, a type of ‘hectic massage’ that she credits with improving her own sex life and that of her clients. ‘The important difference between this and other types of massage is that I teach you how to use your body properly again, literally, how to walk from scratch,’ says Wharmby. ‘Part of the series of work is that we have to free up people’s pelvises. It’s very intimate work and I have to discuss my clients’ sex lives with them in order to do this.’ However, while Wharmby may be offering a specifically female perspective on sex – in particular, how Hellerwork helped her reclaim her femininity after the accident – she’s eager to stress that her show is meant to entertain men as 62 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

From top left, clockwise: Hannah Chalmers gets Stripped; Bryony Kimmings is a Sex Idiot; Jo Wharmby lectures men in Let’s Talk About Sex; Alison Goldie snuggles up for Lady in Bed; Wild Card Kitty purrs that Your Little Princess is My Little Whore

well. ‘Take The Vagina Monologues,’ she says. ‘It’s brilliant but it’s seen as a girls’ night out and can be quite man-bashing. I didn’t want that to be the case with my show because, let’s face it, it’s the men that need to learn most of the things I teach, so I need them to come and not feel picked on. So far, everybody’s gone away learning at least one thing.’ Ultimately, while many of the shows tackling the subject of women and sex at this year’s Fringe come from diverse perspectives, Jo Wharmby’s desire to redress an existing imbalance is typical. In Hannah Chalmers’ case, it’s an eagerness to provide accurate insight into the world of the strip club, while Rory Kilalea does not simply want to depict an HIV positive sex worker but also what it means to be in that position in Zimbabwe when you’re neither black nor white. And for Bryony Kimmings, it’s about combating the superficial images of women and carnal pleasure peddled by Sex and the City and its ilk: ‘My show is about my sex life and some people might say that’s gross and that they don’t want to hear about it. But maybe it’ll give people the correct impression of what women are really like. And that’s more than just Louis Vuitton handbags.’

LET’S FACE IT, IT’S THE MEN THAT Sex Idiot, Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, NEED TO 0131 662 6892, 8–30 Aug, 8.20pm, £7. LEARN Preview 6 Aug, £5; Your Little Princess is My Little Whore, Surgeons MOST OF Nicolson Street, 08455 088 515, 16–28 Aug THE THINGS Hall, (not 22), 10.40pm, £8 (£7); Gemma Goggin, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, I TEACH 0131 622 6552, 8–30 Aug (not 23), 1.30pm,

£7–£8 (£6–£7). Previews 4–7 Aug, £5; Lady in Bed, The Hive, Niddry Street, 0131 556 0444, 5–22 Aug (not 15), 4.55pm, free; Stripped, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 6–30 Aug (not 16), 4.15pm, £10 (£8). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £5; Colours, Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 10.50am, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5; Let’s Talk About Sex, The Caves, Cowgate, 0131 556 5375, 7–29 Aug (not 16), midnight, £6–£7 (£5). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

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C theFestival Amnesty International

54 Productions

Gallimaufry Performing Arts & Naomi Grossman

ETS Theatre Company

Urban Art Exhibition

Studio 54

Face

4 – 30 Aug Daily

4 – 30 Aug at 10.15pm

Carnival Knowledge: Love, Lust and Other Human Oddities 4 – 30 Aug at 11.10pm

4 – 30 Aug at 7.50pm

Heads in Theatre in association with SJC Productions

Tap Olé Company

CAVA

Gallimaufry Performing Arts

Le Café Arrêt

Tap Olé

Continent

Ray Bradbury’s ‘2116’

4 – 30 Aug at 7.30pm

5 – 30 Aug at 7.15pm

4 – 30 Aug at 7.20pm

5 – 30 Aug at 9.00pm

Dee Mardi

Five One Productions

Backhand Theatre in association with C theatre

Out of the Blue

The Laundry of Life Pegged on the Line

Three of Hearts

The Love of a Clown

Out of the Blue

5 – 30 Aug at 7.05pm

5 – 30 Aug at 1.15pm

4 – 30 Aug at 6.45pm

5 – 30 Aug at 4.15pm

venues vibrant vivacious variet y

box office hotline0845 260 1234online programme www.CtheFestival.com

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n the comedian’s arsenal, a lack of shame can be a potently funny tool. And in recent years few comedians have used that weapon better than Rich Fulcher. Known to most as jelly-brained zoo manager Bob Fossil in The Mighty Boosh, a role that required him to wear a gut-bustingly tight baby-blue safari suit, he’s now branching out into drag as Eleanor, an ageing supergroupie who’s slept with the best of them from Jagger down. ‘She classifies herself as the world’s greatest groupie,’ explains Fulcher. ‘She put the wood in Woodstock. She spans the generations. She gave Radiohead. She’s been with most groups on the road.’ Fulcher moved to the UK over two decades ago when his eccentric brand of humour began to strike a particularly English chord. When I catch him he’s in his US homeland promoting An Evening with Eleanor, the Tour Whore and staying in an LA hotel room alone, though he doesn’t demur from the suggestion that he might go method. ‘I think you might see me in the tabloids before the festival hits. Look for me: Eleanor with Tom Cruise.’ In Fulcher’s Fringe show, Eleanor will be talking about a life lived among, and under, rock stars of varying fame. The main aim is educational by instructing lesser groupies in the ways of the ‘fuck-o-system’. ‘You know when actors get a little old, they’ll start their own acting school? Well, she’s founding a groupie academy to help young women, er, succeed on the road with bands.’ What advice does this academy dole out? ‘Loads of tips, about how you can’t just have sex with anybody in the band; there’s an evolution. She calls it the ‘evolution of fuck’. You start out with the drummer, because he’s like an ape, just banging sticks on a drum. And then you move up to the bassist, because he has the opposable thumbs. And then the lead guitarist, he’s dexterous with all his fingers. And then finally, the singer,

Rich Fulcher Fringe

Squeezing out of the extra tight safari suit that made him a cult star with The Mighty Boosh, Rich Fulcher is throwing on some slinkier threads to morph into super-groupie Eleanor. Jonny Ensall wonders just how low he/she will go

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because he can talk. So, little things like that, you learn about, from her.’ A man in drag acting the part of a lascivious woman is, in the canon of English comedy especially, a well-worn gag. ‘I think [the British] embrace it more, the mild sexual confusion,’ he says, well aware of the history of the joke. What distinguishes Fulcher’s act is his willingness to take it to new limits of excruciating awkwardness. Very little of Eleanor’s shtick is cabaret-style innuendo. Instead she goes straight for the jugular, using her drawling come-to-bed accent to ensnare many unwitting celebrities. In her regular interview assignments for MTV, she’s more likely to ask up-and-coming bands about their favourite venereal diseases than their musical influences. ‘I’ll interview young bands; you know the types: they were all in the same history class in university and their legs are like pole-vaulting poles. And they’re really young and they know who I am but they get lost and they get kind of sexually confused. Especially when I become predatory. There’s a slight confusion there, and that’s where I love doing it because it makes me feel powerful for once in my life.’ Fulcher ends this last statement with some maniacal laughter. At the heart of what makes Eleanor so uncomfortably funny is the obvious pleasure that Fulcher derives from inhabiting such a crassly sexual character. It begs the question, is he just dressing up for comic effect, or is there something more perverse going on below all that make up? ‘No, it’s just, er, it’s a natural thing to be Eleanor, I feel, as a guy,’ he says, struggling to put the lid back on that can of worms. ‘The whole character started out when we were off our minds on the Boosh tour bus and I was riffing. I would say [puts on Eleanor’s voice], “Hello, who are you?” And they [Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt] would go, “What’s your name?” And I’d say, “Eleanor . . .

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where’ve you been all my life?” And then Julian put these glasses on me, and it just sort of evolved naturally.’ You can imagine the claustrophobic existence aboard a comedy tour bus leading to jokes or routines being appreciated simply through the boredom of being constantly on the road. But not Eleanor. ‘Everyone kept saying, “You ought to do more stuff with that; you ought to use that as a character”. Eventually it went into a Boosh episode, the eels one.’ Eleanor and Bob Fossil are not Fulcher’s only Mighty Boosh characters. Particularly memorable from the three series of the TV show were his turns as Tommy, the former zoo owner who became half-cheese after overindulging in dairy, and Lester Corncrake, the blind, white jazz musician who believed he was black. Though it was through the violent mood swings, bizarre dance moves and other flamboyant eccentricities of Bob Fossil that Fulcher was most instrumental in the phenomenal success of The Mighty Boosh. He has to cast his mind back to the mid-90s to remember how this relationship began. ‘Well, I was in a three-man improv group,’ he recalls, ‘doing an improvised university lecture called Modern Problems in Science. We played professors, and would ask the audience for an absurd scientific hypothesis. People would say the most bizarre things like “Czechoslovakia can be mailed” and “the centre of the universe is a giant baboon named Andre”, and we’d have to spend the hour class proving that.’ With the other Modern Problems members leaving to pursue more serious paths, Fulcher struck out to find a new show through the now defunct satellite TV comedy channel Paramount UK. ‘I was just walking around, literally going from desk to desk, saying, “Are you doing any shows? Are there any shows you’re doing that I could do?” There was this one sketch show going on called

Unnatural Acts. They already had Julian on board, and Julian got Noel involved. That’s how I met them and we formed our own little cabal. They had already started doing this whole routine where they were zookeepers. It was kind of a double act thing they were working with. So they’d go, “We’d really like to do this zoo thing, and we want you to be its general manager. What would you think of that?” and I’d go, “Yeah, just get me the tightest fitting suit you can and I’ll be there. Just crowbar me into that suit”.’ That suit became Fulcher’s calling card, a symphony in blue polyester that strained tantalisingly across the belly. How small was it? ‘Extra small, I think. I tried to shrink it every time I washed it. But I try not to wash it. I’m against that. The suit can stand up by itself.’ It’s hard to imagine what Fulcher casual would look like. What does he wear when he’s got a night off from being Eleanor? ‘There’s no room for anything else. It’s almost like Eleanor has her own steamer trunk full of clothes, and Rich Fulcher has just a tiny bag. She’s very demanding. She’s quite a diva. And she’s violent sometimes. She will strike me about the face and neck. But, the Rich Fulcher line is basically torn jeans and some semblance of a shirt. Usually with stains on it. I’m thinking of having stains in my own fashion line.’ When he’s spent enough time subverting sexual norms, where will Rich Fulcher be taking his stained clothes and blurred gender boundaries after the show? ‘I’ll be lying around the tent, waiting for any comers. But, you know, Eleanor will be sweeping in and out of the comedians; she does quite well with them. She’s climbed Adam’s Hills before. She gave Brendon Burns. Oh, and she even drank Bill’s Baileys.’ Rich Fulcher, Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 482 252, 21–30 Aug, 11.30pm, £13–£16 (£11.50–£14).

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Molly Naylor Fringe

Poet and playwright Molly Naylor was aboard one of the trains attacked on 7/7. David Pollock speaks to her about the difficult task of putting a personal and national trauma onto the stage

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olly Naylor is nervous, she doesn’t mind admitting. That’s partly because her first ever onewoman Edinburgh Fringe show is nearing the end of its rehearsal period when I speak to her, and is about to be unleashed upon preview audiences within a matter of days. And it’s partly because the show itself deals with such a monumental and painful event in not just her life, but in the lives of many others and the consciousness of an entire nation. ‘It’s a story told through poetry,’ she says. ‘It’s a coming of age story, but with a twist. It’s a true story about growing up, and also about the 7/7 bombings, because I was on one of the trains. And through this story I want to look at human fallibility, at how we deal with events which throw us off course and how we put things back together after they’ve been torn apart.’ Which sounds like heavy going, although Naylor’s CV suggests we might not want to attach too many preconceptions either way. Originally from Cornwall but now based in Norwich, she’s an alumna of the wellrespected Masters in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, and has read her work at festivals such as Glastonbury, Latitude and the Big Chill. She writes and directs stage plays, and is in the midst of writing a TV sitcom. ‘It’s a question I get at parties: what do you do for a living?’ she sighs, when asked pretty much that exact thing. ‘I just say I’m a writer, that’s easiest.’ How does she tie all of these different strings together in one show? ‘It’s a dialogue between me and the audience members, there is no fourth wall. Within that there are bits of comedy and very lyrical moments which are told with poetry. Different parts of the story lend themselves to different modes of delivery, and from events which don’t contain much humour at all, I just looked back and saw funny things there after all.’ Naylor hopes that she’s written a story that’s recognisable to everyone about growing up, making mistakes and learning from them, and about the different ways in which humans connect with each other and the various relationships we all have. ‘The bombings link into that because it was a human who made the decision to set them off, and their decision then had an effect on other humans around them, even people on the periphery like me, who still had that connection within the moment and have to deal with the aftermath.’ Was it perhaps a cathartic piece to write? ‘No, not at all,’ Naylor says flatly. ‘Perhaps if I had started to write it directly after [the bombing] it would have been a form of therapy, and I really didn’t want that. I want it to be a good story, to be entertaining and to say something to an audience about what it is to be human and how we live our life. I talk about me, but I really want to say something about everyone else.’ I wonder if perhaps there is a part of her which worries about how the piece might be perceived, given the subject? Will audiences think she’s being too flippant, too overwrought, too bold? ‘I hope I’ve managed to get that balance. I certainly don’t want to make light of what happened, I just want people to enjoy the journey I go on. It’s a long and complicated one, and there are moments of sadness, of humour, of revelation. I would love to know what someone else who was there thinks of it. I don’t think it would alienate them, I just think it would be really interesting to see if our experiences were different or the same, and in what ways.’ Perhaps this show itself is one big rehearsal for that conversation.

HOW DO WE PUT THINGS BACK TOGETHER AFTER THEY’VE Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think of You, The Zoo, BEEN TORN Pleasance, 0131 662 6892, 8–30 Aug (not 17, APART? 24), 1.55pm, £7.50. Previews 6 & 7 Aug, £5.

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15 DAY FESTIVAL FRINGE SEASON

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ANDREW KAY & DAVID VIGO PRESENT

Celebrating the Assembly’s 30th Year Direct from South Africa

THE LIST

as seen o BBC’s n SONGS OF PRAISE 6 JUNE

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YO UR NE X T S H O W

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find love every hour, on the hour for just £5 Box Office 0131 225 5525

love.dancebase.co.uk Jack Tinker Spirit of the Fringe Award Winner 2009

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with speCial guests

the bala brothers

Internationally acclaimed Soweto Gospel Choir have been regulars in Edinburgh since exploding onto the world music stage in 2003. They return in 2010 to introduce the singing sensation, the extraordinary BALA BROTHERS.

6-17 AUGUST 5.30PM list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 67

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Magnus Betnér is leading a charge of the Swedish and Norwegian stand-ups playing the Fringe. Jay Richardson meets those who are raising the bar of north European comedy

ictor Borge, Hagar the Horrible and The Muppets’ chef notwithstanding, Scandinavian comedy has a low international profile, give or take the odd cartoon in a Danish newspaper. Recently, though, the likes of Daniel Simonsen, Henrik Elmer, Ismo Leikola and Tomi Walamies have made varying degrees of impact on the UK stand-up circuit. And in August, a veritable longboat of Swedish comedians arrives at the Fringe, recalling the Dutch armada of 2007 that established Hans Teeuwen as a cult act on these shores. Magnus Betnér has been described as Sweden’s ‘most controversial living comedian’, a reflection perhaps, on the death threats he’s received and material on his suicidal impulses. A former christian, son of a pastor and avowed bisexual who’s yet to sleep with a man, he’s performed scurrilously anti-religious routines in churches and mosques for television and admits that ‘I have a way of pushing some people’s buttons’. He rejects the controversial tag though, insisting that he’s mainstream. ‘If I was controversial, I wouldn’t be selling 1000-seater venues.’ Following some low-key, open spots at the Fringe last year, he’s returning with a show entitled Cum All Ye Faithful! From touring a relatively large country with a small, spread-out population, he relishes Edinburgh’s lively, communal atmosphere, even if he doesn’t want to start feeling too much at home. ‘I just wanted to start over and get some new inspiration, because I write my best stuff when I’m depressed and feeling shitty,’ he explains. ‘And it’s hard to feel shitty when you’re touring big concert halls and living the dream. I’ve done pretty much everything there is to do in Sweden and then some. So I figured I’ll start over and try to do it in English because my English is reasonably good and I thought I could pull it off. It’s nice to be back at the beginning, if only to be nervous. When you’ve filled big halls where everyone’s paid good money, and are there to see you, they’re going to enjoy it and there’s nothing to be nervous about. Whereas in the UK, you can be playing to a couple of strangers who’ve never seen you and don’t care.’ Performing straight after him at The Stand is his friend Dag Sørås, a thoughtful Norwegian with a routine about complaints he’s received, specifically regarding masturbating to The Passion of the Christ. Originally from the northerly Narvik, site of the first Allied victory in World War II and ‘where nothing exciting has happened since’, he’s supported Doug Stanhope and will do so again when the American plays London in September. ‘The challenge is one of the major reasons for doing this,’ he agrees. ‘But then, 70% of the audience don’t know who I am in Norway, either. English is a much richer language and there are so many benefits to performing in it. You’ll start translating Norwegian bits, then something will pop into your head and become something else. The hardest thing is actually the mindset, having to think in English on stage, because if somebody heckles you or something happens, you need to address it.’ According to comedian-actress Agneta Wallin, who forms part of Stockholm Syndrome with the aridly deadpan Aron Flam and Fredrik Andersson, ‘British audiences are a lot more interactive; Swedish people are generally shy.’ Flam concurs: ‘It’s like you have to do CPR on them before you start the show. In Sweden, if they don’t like you, they won’t say anything; they’ll sit silently for the entire show and not even walk out.’ Stand-up comedy effectively began in Sweden in the late 80s when actors simply translated and performed the material of American comics. ‘And they got away with it,’

Stockholm Syndrome

Lasse Nilsen

Tobias Persson

marvels Betnér, who started his own career as a juggler. ‘After that first craze, it died down; the media didn’t care because they thought it was shit, and to an extent they were right. But for maybe ten years now, it’s been developing into an artform.’ This new rash of Scandic comic is all too painfully aware of the blonde, blue-eyed stereotypes British audiences have about Swedes. ‘I’ll do a one-liner or two about ABBA, just to get it out of the way and, if I have to interact, I’ll tell them, “I’m a Viking, don’t fuck with me!” jokes Tobias Persson, whose show is intriguingly named Call Me Old Fascist! ‘You have to let the audience know who you are immediately,’ reasons Flam. ‘Now, I start out as I started in Sweden, with pornography jokes. Just so they don’t get the wrong impression.’Also coming to Edinburgh is the mime artist Lasse Nilsen. Yet a darker side to the Swedish psyche, most obviously expressed through the phenomenally popular crime novels of Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson, perhaps affords an insight into the grimmer, introspection of their comedy. Indeed, where both Betnér and Sørås have found themselves pushing real buttons with British audiences so far, has not been with routines about abortion, nor their criticisms of the war in Afghanistan – in which their nations are part of the coalition – but rather in their material questioning the troops themselves, prompting real disquiet. Sørås’ show is called Outside the Comfort Zone, because, ‘on a personal level, everything that’s really interesting about someone is outside it. It’s said that around strangers, you shouldn’t talk about politics or religion because it’s considered rude. But you should really talk about that from the beginning to see if we’re compatible as human beings. Everything that’s interesting – war, global warming, dark secrets – is uncomfortable, but needs to be done. Plus, I have jokes about sex with animals.’ If they succeed in winning over Fringe audiences, one senses it’ll be chiefly through their onstage vulnerability. ‘You need to dig where it hurts,’ asserts Betnér. ‘In my last show in Sweden, I had ten minutes about me wanting to kill myself and how I was going to do it. People need to hear it from someone on stage, because everybody is fucking miserable from time to time and I think it’s good that we’re up there being honest. That’s the kind of comedian I like and the kind of comedian I want to be. Honest about my opinions, my sexual preferences or whatever. I compromise from time to time because deep down I’m a nice guy. And Dag is too, but when he’s on stage, he’s just fearless.’ With all the bleak humour of an Ingmar Bergman film, Betnér straight-facedly summarises their approach. ‘I have nights where I only do cock jokes. But most of the time, I want to make people think about something, and if that makes them laugh, fine, it helps. But I can manage with ten minutes of dead silence.’ Magnus Betnér, The Stand III & IV, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 6–29 Aug (not 16), 10.20pm,

Dag Sørås

£8 (£7). Preview 5 Aug, 6.40pm, £7 (£6); Dag Sørås, The Stand III & IV, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 6–29 Aug (not 16), 11.30pm, £8 (£7). Preview 5 Aug, 8.20pm, £7 (£6); Lasse Nilsen, The Three Sisters, Cowgate, 0131 622 6801, 5–14 Aug, 6pm, free; Tobias Persson, Edinburgh City Football Club, Baxter’s Place, 0131 556 9628, 15–21 Aug, 9.45pm, free; Stockholm Syndrome, Meadow Bar, Buccleuch Street, 0131 667 6907, 19–26 Aug, noon, free. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 69

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Just William Bell Shakespeare’s new version of the Bard’s ‘Scottish play’ delighted audiences both young and old back in Australia. Miles Fielder finds out how the company aims to charm and chill the Edinburgh crowds

acbeth for kids: you’ve got to be joking? How on earth do you make the Bard’s bloodiest play palatable for wee ones? The apparent inappropriateness of staging the infamous Scottish play for young audiences, however, perfectly suits the remit of Sydney-based theatre company Bell Shakespeare, which is this year celebrating 20 years of bringing classic texts to modern crowds and encouraging artists to take creative risks. To that end, the company asked bestselling Australian children’s author Andy Griffiths to adapt one of Shakespeare’s plays for his readership age. ‘As a comic writer they thought I would go for one of the comedies,’ Griffiths says, ‘but I chose Macbeth because I loved the challenge of taking one of the most violent and horrible of all Shakespeare’s plays and turning it into a fun night out for the whole family. I also felt that kids would be able to relate strongly to Macbeth’s overwhelming guilt. Most kids haven’t committed murder, but they have probably taken the last chocolate biscuit out of the pack and hoped that they wouldn’t get caught. Also, it’s got ghosts, murder, madness, sleepwalking and it’s cursed as well. What’s not to like?’ OK, but it’s still a play set in an ancient time in which adults spoke an alien language and did horrendous things to one another. Just how, exactly, do you make that accessible to kids? Griffiths’ initial idea was to use the characters from his Just! series of books to introduce the audience to the play and to the world of Shakespearean theatre. Thus, the opening of the show has little Andy, Danny and Lisa presenting the witches scene from Macbeth for their school class, drinking a magic potion and being mysteriously transported to a Scottish heath in the middle of a battle where other characters address them as Macbeth, Banquo and Lady Macbeth. ‘Their attempts at understanding and replicating the Shakespearean English help to educate and attune the audience’s ear to the original language of the play,’ Griffiths explains. ‘I also make sure the audience always knows exactly what is going on, with the characters arguing amongst themselves about what is happening. They also consult the audience and draw them into an active engagement with the events of the play.’ But some of the more nightmarish moments of the play necessitated revamping, particularly the scene where Macbeth has Macduff’s family put to death. ‘This was just disturbing, and not funny at all!’ insists Griffiths. ‘But change it to Macduff’s precious collection of kittens, puppies and ponies and give Andy/Macbeth a mashing and pulverizing machine and everybody’s happy. Well, disturbed, but happy.’ When you think about it, there is common ground between Shakespeare – with his penchant for bodily juices and orifices – and the daft lavatory humour that appeals to kids and which Griffiths has capitalised upon in books such as The Day My Bum Went Psycho. Griffiths uses that ground as a hook to get young audiences fascinated by Shakespeare. ‘He was interested in entertaining the masses and well understood the importance of providing comic

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relief as well as exploring the whole panorama of other human experiences. Just Macbeth! audiences get a crash course in the theatrical conventions of Shakespeare’s plays, including soliloquies and boys playing women’s parts, and they get to hear all of the most famous speeches from the play.’ In Australia, Griffiths believes that Just Macbeth! has sparked children’s interest in Shakespeare. Subsequent to seeing the show, some of them have sought out and read the original text, with or without their parents’ help. So, is Griffiths happy to send the show to its spiritual home? ‘I couldn’t be more surprised, delighted or thrilled to see this deeply silly play spread its wings and fly all the way to Scotland. I expect you guys will be the most discerning and potentially harshest critics the play will ever face, but after seeing it win over kids as young as five and adults as old as 80 in Australia, I know it will charm the kilts off you!’ Just Macbeth!, Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 10, 17), 11.45am, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

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Dizzee Rascal Dylan Mills

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A teacher first called him ‘rascal’ durin g his fairly adventurous schooldays 1 October 1985 London Bow, East London Age 14

Wiley XL Records and his own record company, Dirtee Stank

Nominations include: Best UK Act, Best Awards / nominations: Song and Awards include: Mercury Music Prize Best Album (MOBO Awards 2009), (2003), Best UK Male (MOBO Awards 2008 ), Best Single (Brits 2010) Best UK Male Solo Artist (Brits 2010 )

Number 1 singles: ‘Number 1’, ‘Never rt achievements: Leave Number 1 singles: ‘Dance Wiv Me’, ‘Bon You’. 2009’s best-selling UK solo artis kers’, t ‘Holiday’, ‘Dirtee Disco’, ‘Shout’

Cha

Star in the Hood (2007), Catch 22 (200 Albums released: 9), Third Boy in Da Corner (2003), Showtime (200 Strike (scheduled for release in Novemb 4), er 2010) Maths + English (2007), Tongue N’ Chee k (2009)

Takeover, Island and Takeover Roc Nation (with Jay-Z)

Record labels:

Wiley

Notable mentors:

e apprenticeship: Linchpin of the Ruff Sqwad collective . Teenage Self-produced single, ‘I Luv U’, age 16. pirate radio DJ. Starred on Roll Deep Teenage ’s Street pirat e radio DJ. Sidewinder Award for Best Anthems compilation with ‘U Were Alw Newcomer ays’ MC 2002. Member of Roll Deep crew 2002–2003

Grim

Age 13

Started making music:

Bow, East London

Grew up:

Ghana

Place of birth:

10 June 1986

Date of birth:

His diminutive height (5’1) and his command of the computer game, Strid er

Reason for nickname:

Kwasi Danquah

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Real name:

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Tinchy Stryder

Grimewatch

In anticipation of their appearances on the Fringe’s Edge Festival, Nicola Meighan puts two of the biggest nam es in British music head to head

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Fringe Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder

The

Prince Harry

Newsnight presenter: he put Jeremy Paxm an to shame on an excruciating Obama special that saw Paxo call him ‘Mr Rascal’. Or Prime Minister: if he ran the country, he once claimed, he’d campaig n for ‘more strip clubs, better takeaway food and no congestion charge in London’

Camping at festivals

Tinchy Stryder, Picture House, Lothian Road, 0844 847 1740 , 13 Aug, 7.30pm, £15; Dizzee Rascal, Corn Exchange, Newmarket Road, 0131 443 040 4, 26 Aug, 7.30pm, £20.

Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder

ls of wisdom: ‘It’s important for me to show that blac k males ‘If you’re going to work, you should follo aren’t all about looking threatening and w your robbing heart; nothing in life is easy, so it migh t as well be your granny’ what you want’

Pear

Camping at festivals

Dislikes:

Diana Vickers, watches, Manchester Unit Likes: ed Steaks, summertime, female compani onship

Footballer: he played for the Wimbled on Youth Team. Or graphic artist: last year, he com pleted a BA in Moving Image and Animation at the University of East London. Or fashion designer: his Star in the Hood street clothing com pany launched last year to international accla im

Potential alternative careers:

Most prescient lyric: ‘You’re number one, in the race, you’ re the leader’. ‘I'm gonna search for big money stack Stryder’s hit in cahoots with N-Dubz s, top 10s and was the first platinum whacks’. Seven years after its chart-topper to make actual reference relea to the phrase Rascal’s objectives in ‘Jus’ a Rascal’ have se, Dizzee ‘number one’ in its title, thus succeedi been clearly ng where the achieved: Tongue N’ Cheek was recently likes of Goldfrapp, Sparks, Garbage, certified Nelly and platinum. He’s had eight top 10s. Mon Sleater-Kinney had previously failed ey stacks, we guess, prevail

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Best ‘Tinchy Stryder: Rapping with the Lib headline to date: Dems’ ‘Rapper held in bat probe’ (BBC). On (Guardian). Stryder’s early career was further bankrolled investigation, however, this article did by his manager’s father, Norman Lam not concern a b MP, who hithe rto repressed chiropteran fetish, but rathe remortgaged his home to drum up fund r an s object more cricket-related

t the press said: ‘If grime was the football world, Tinc hy Stryder ‘Some accuse Dizzee of selling out. Bette would be like your Michael Owens and r to think of Wayne him as a natural storyteller whose scop e has widened as Rooneys of today’ (Independent) his audience has grown’ (Guardian)

Florence + The Machine, Calvin Harr is, James Corden, Basement Jaxx

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Wha

N-Dubz, Amelle Berrabah (Sugababes), Taio Cruz, Gang Gang Dance

Collaborations:

Jay-Z, P Diddy

Celebrity fans:

The coveted Popjustice £20 Music Prize accolade that got away: for best The coveted Popjustice £20 Music Prize pop single 2009: he was nominated for for best pop ‘Take Me single 2008: he was nominated for ‘Dan Back’, but lost out to Girls Aloud ce Wiv Me’, but lost out to Girls Aloud

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Fringe

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John Cooper Clarke Fringe

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Punk talk Just a few years shy of pensionable age, deadpan northerner John Cooper Clarke shows very little sign of slowing up. Neil Cooper talks to the Salford legend about keeping poetry alive n paper, John Cooper Clarke shouldn’t work. The nasal twang and dulcet tones of the Salford stick insect, who more or less invented the spokenword scene during punk’s first flush, will forever be associated with his own heroic recitations of his finest works. On the page alone, the machine-gun rhyming couplets and social-realist surrealism of ‘Beasley Street’ and ‘Evidently Chickentown’ simply shouldn’t cut it. Yet Cooper Clarke made the grade onto the GCSE curriculum years ago. One of those to graduate from the school of Cooper Clarke lyricism was Arctic Monkeys vocalist Alex Turner, whose own meat-and-two-veg vignettes were laced with similar northern English observations. Turner has even acknowledged that debt by printing his mentor’s words on the band’s record sleeves. Those wishing a lesson firsthand, however, should attend the week-long late-night residency that sees Cooper Clarke play mein host for his first Edinburgh Festival Fringe dates since the mid-1990s. Now, as then, Cooper Clarke’s act falls somewhere between a chicken-in-a-basket club turn and discursive Dadaist cabaret. Which, for someone who has supported Joy Division, The Fall and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, soundtracked both a Sugar Puffs ad and an episode of The Sopranos, and whose lost years left him acquiring a heroin habit alongside ex-Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico, is probably how it should be. He may be billed as comedy, but Cooper Clarke is a serious proposition. ‘I suppose I do straddle a few planks,’ drawls the 61-yearold, his voice never more than a few seconds away from a guffaw. ‘I fall into several different camps, just to mix my metaphors. But I can live with the comedy tag. There’s a low attention span for serious poetry, especially in rock’n’ roll joints. Which is only fair. So when selecting stuff for a live situation, I mainly go for humorous stuff.’ Such was the case during Cooper Clarke’s fertile early years across six albums produced by the late Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunian luminaries, including 1980’s classic ‘Snap, Crackle and Bop’, and a sole paperback collection, Ten Years in an Open-Necked Shirt. Even here, however, beneath the one-liners was an astute observer of Thatcher’s Britain. ‘Beasley Street’, Cooper Clarke’s withering portrait of inner-city slums, was compared to TS Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’. As if to puncture any establishment acceptance, he insists, ‘I think what they actually said was that compared to TS Eliot, it’s shit.’ Modesty aside, Cooper Clarke has done as much to take poetry outside straight-up literary circles as the pop poets of the 1960s. ‘People try and make a division between spoken poetry and the written word. But if poetry doesn’t sound any good, it’s shit.’ Cooper Clarke’s own exposure to the form came through what he calls, ‘the usual stuff. “The Charge of the Light Brigade”. Rudyard Kipling’s “Barrack-Room Ballads”. We had a teacher who was like Ernest Hemingway. He was this rugged outdoor type with a glass eye who every summer holiday would acquire these lifethreatening injuries after falling down Snowdonia or something. But he had this sentimental, romantic attachment to Victorian poetry, which he used to read out loud. So it was all down to Mr Malone, really. It was like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but Salford style. They rammed it down our throats. People keep saying you

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I SUPPOSE I DO STRADDLE A FEW PLANKS

should make poetry accessible, but I say ram it down their throats. Look at Shakespeare: you grow into it.’ Now clean and living in Colchester with his wife and teenage daughter, Cooper Clarke is sharper than ever. He’s updated ‘Beasley Street’ for the urban regeneration age with ‘Beasley Boulevard’, and has ‘loads’ of new material. ‘There’s been a bit of a spurt of late,’ he chuckles. ‘I’m checking my biological clock before it’s too late.’ With this in mind, another book or album is well overdue. Cooper Clarke blames himself. ‘When I look back at my book, compared to everyone else’s it’s like a fuckin’ encyclopaedia. If you look at all those Faber books, they’re so slim you could slip ‘em under the door. And there’s me,’ he snickers, ever the showbiz pro, ‘always thinking of the customer.’ John Cooper Clarke, Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 482 252, 13–19 Aug, 11.30pm, £12.50–£15 (£11.50–£13.50).

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DIRECT FROM MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL

‘The audience loved every minute of it.’ DOMINION POST

5-29 AUGUST 6.50PM

0131 623 3030 assemblyfestival.com

www.busting-out.com

50P FROM EVERY 50PSOLD FROM TICKET WILL BE EVERYDONATED TICKETTOSOLD WILL BE DONATED TO

There will be a little bit of er... partial nudeness on stage, but let’s face it, we’re all naked under our clothes aren’t we and it will, after all, just add to the joy of the occasion.

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Doc Brown Fringe

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‘I felt a bit like the Fresh Prince of Bell End’ Rapper geek turned stand-up Doc Brown has always felt like an outcast despite moving in some rarefied media circles. Claire Sawers discovers that he’s fine talking about his famous author sister. For now . . . rap. Blud. Bredren. There’s three words you’ve probably not heard recently out the mouth of a comedian. But then again, just as you don’t get Jamaican patois dropped in to stand-up sets very often, when did you last hear a rapper use the word ‘malapropism’? Or rhyme lines such as, ‘I like my women intelligent; independent’? Doc Brown was a rapper before he decided to jack it in and try comedy instead. And just as his hip hop deliberately swerved away from American ghettospeak towards something more British – reflecting his lower middle-class roots in London – Doc Brown’s comedy likes to sit a little bit outside the box too. His posh translation of hip hop talk, for example – with subtitle cards showing scrubbed-up versions of his comedy raps – went down a storm when he played London’s Comedy Store recently. Using his ‘visual phrasebook’, he talks the audience through a ‘slang 101’, where he explains just what all those ‘bluds’, ‘whack’, ‘ting’ and ‘whagwans’ mean. ‘I want to create something no one can steal,’ explains the 31-year-old. ‘Copying other people’s styles isn’t what I’m about. But finding your own uniqueness is like your fingerprint.’ Doc Brown, or Ben Smith to his mum, grew up in northwest London, and considered himself a geek. ‘That’s where the nickname came from,’ he points out. ‘Like the Doc in Back to the Future, I was this nerd. The rude boys were always friendly with me, but I wasn’t one of those guys that was in with the in-crowd.’ Round about the time Smith discovered De La Soul, the Wu-Tang Clan and Public Enemy, he also got into b-boy battles, where he made up raps and entered open-mic nights to win money. ‘Actually, that’s probably the only thing that’s as scary as stand-up. Freestyle battling needs improvising, clever cussing, witty put-downs; that was pretty nerve-wracking.’ As he got more involved with the London underground rapping scene, Smith became a member of the group Poisonous Poets, and started getting airplay on Radio 1 and hip hop stations. Although he ended up supporting Busta Rhymes and De La Soul on tour, and was invited to MC for producer Mark Ronson, Smith says he still always felt like ‘a bit of an outcast. Don’t get me wrong, I had some incredible experiences with rapping, but I ran out of steam. Sometimes I felt a bit like the Fresh Prince of Bell End. In my heart I’m a geek and that’s never going to change. The world of rap is very hard and po-faced. I’ve always had respect for street culture, but I think people respect you more if you don’t try and become something you’re not.’ So he turned his back on the chin-out, bravado and balls world of hip hop, for something more honest. ‘The kind of comedy I try to aim for is very candid; I wear my heart on my sleeve. It’s impossible to hide in stand-up. If you try, you just get found out.’ Brown says he only seriously started appreciating comedy two years ago after his older sister, the author Zadie Smith, turned him on to some acts that have

ZADIE SHOWED ME COMEDIANS I NEVER KNEW EXISTED

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since become his favourite comics. ‘Zadie is a massive comedy buff,’ he says. ‘I never knew anything about standup. Peter Kay, Jimmy Carr; that was it. She showed me people I never knew existed: Daniel Kitson, Edward Aczel and Russell Kane.’ So does the famous-relative syndrome feel like a curse or a blessing to him, as he tries to put his own very unique stamp on the world? ‘I’m massively proud of everything my sister’s achieved. I guess back in the music days, when I was trying to make a name for myself, and I was constantly being asked about her in interviews, I was like, “Here we go again . . . ” But I’ve matured and realise I’ve got a lot to thank her for.’ And how does he feel before coming to Edinburgh with his show, Unfamous? ‘Stand-up is a way to talk to different kinds of people and get my character across. The best comedy moments come when our guards are down. Even if people don’t like me, the haters are going to come away knowing a lot more about me.’ Doc Brown, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 7pm, £9–£9.50 (£7.50–£8). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5. Zadie Smith, Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 17 Aug, 3pm, £10 (£8).

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK LUCK BE A LADY DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

Don’t mi ss the Fr inge’s

f the lend o b g n i t ood. ” ra e x h i l a y and Hollyw n A “ dwa S G NEW f Broa MORNIN best o BEIJ ING

reel toreal —

THE MOVIES MUSICAL

PLEASANCE COURTYARD

August 4 th – 30 th · 6pm (No per formances August 10, 17, 24)

0131 556 6550 | www.reeltoreal.co.uk

biggest

show!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

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Other highlights Fringe

Other highlights Fringe by the Sea Over 50 performances are happening over a six-day period for those who want that festival feeling but can't be doing with the hustle and bustle of the Royal Mile. Among the acts here are Julie Fowlis, Mr Boom, Eddi Reader, the Nova Scotia Jazz Band, Scott Agnew, Pauline McLynn and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. Various venues, North Berwick, 07500 772 720, 10-15 Aug.

Diaghilev, founder of the legendary Ballets Russes. Tanner portrays this towering figure in dance history through his meteoric success, the work with Stravinsky and Picasso, and a tragic love for Nijinsky. That’s the legendary ballet dancer, not the thoroughbred racehorse. Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 7–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 5.30pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

The Crack

The Real MacGuffins

An explosive combination of standup, variety and side-splitting comic performance with the emphasis on the chaotic. Miss Behave from Fringe icons La Clique presents a mixture of headliners and undiscovered gems. Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 9.30pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £10.

Quite possibly the real deal when it comes to sketchy narrative trios, this lot have been touted as the new Pros from Dover. Which is good enough for us. Plus, they’ve got the comedydirector guru Cal McCrystal (AutoBoosh, Office Party, The School for Scandal) on board. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug, 10.45pm, £9–£11 (£7.50–£9.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Reginald D Hunter The US-born comic now seems duty bound (like Tim Key and his ‘Slut’ shows) to get ‘Nigga’ into his Fringe titles. This year, he’s giving us a mean slice of Trophy Nigga. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 8pm, £14–£16 (£12–£14). Previews 4–6 Aug, £8.

Penelope by Enda Walsh Druid hook up with Enda Disco Pigs Walsh for this intriguing number about a quartet of men at the bottom of a swimming pool, facing certain death while trying to gain an impossible love. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 0131 228 1404, 7–29 Aug (not 9, 11, 16, 23), various times, £12–£19 (£6–£13). Preview 5 Aug, 2.30pm, £12 (£6).

Jim Jefferies

My Romantic History

What is an Alcoholocaust? Well, the Jim Jefferies dictionary definition reads thus: ‘The aftermath of a drinking party, usually resulting in every available horizontal surface being covered in empty booze containers, spilled beverages, and a general sticky alcoholic residue.’ It’s not a great leap to assume that the man who has an HBO special entitled I Swear to God under his belt, has experienced one or two such scenarios in his time. Now residing in the sunny States, this once London-based

Aussie comic is back doing a full Fringe run and when he gets into his stride you know you’re in the presence of a rare stand-up talent. If his previous shows are anything to go by, JJ will be regaling us with some wild anecdotes from the past 12 months as well as dipping back into his humorous/sordid history. Disability, religion, boozing, women and idiocy: it should all be there.

Penguin

Scottish Dance Theatre

Long Nose Puppets, the company who brought the wonderful Shoe Baby to the Fringe, return with this touching tale about a silent penguin who finds his voice. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 16, 25), 11.20am, £7–£8 (£6–£7). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Two diverse shows, performed on alternate days, highlighting the wit, eloquence, intelligence and talent of Scotland’s national contemporary dance company. Zoo Southside, Nicolson Street, 0131 662 6892, 7–22 Aug (not 10, 17), 7pm, £12.

Bear in Heaven Cosmic krautrock from Brooklyn, with added pop choruses and gentle rock riffs. The trio played Edinburgh and Glasgow earlier in the year, and make their way to the venue formerly known as The Ark. Capital, Waterloo Place, 0131 623 7147, 23 Aug, 11pm, £8.

120 Birds

Pajama Men

Fact and fiction blur in this affectionate look back at the 1920s, when ballet stars such as Anna Pavlova toured the world. Dance Base, Grassmarket, 0131 225 5525, 12–22 Aug (not 16), times vary, £5. Preview 11 Aug, 1pm, £3.

Just a pair of late-night dates from the innovative north American duo who are quite literally blokes appearing on stage in their jim-jams. Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 27 & 28 Aug, midnight, £17 (£15).

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The ‘office romance’ is a dangerous thing. But even if it goes well, what’s to say that your past affairs won’t come to haunt the present. A comic play by DC Jackson about love, loss and laminates. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 0131 228 1404, 6–29 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), various times, £15–£17 (£6–£12). Preview 5 Aug, 6.30pm, £11 (£6).

Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 6–30 Aug (not 16, 27), 10.30pm; 27 Aug, 11.20pm, £14–£17.50 (£12–£15). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £10.

Bud Take the Wheel, I Feel a Song Coming On Deep in the English countryside, a gay son, a daughter who won't speak and a thatcher who hates Thatcher collide under the looming presence of a defunct paper mill. ‘Bud’ chews up rural entrapment, spits up countryside clichés and writes a twisted love song to a green and pleasant land. Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 458 252, 7–29 Aug, 4.35pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

Tony Tanner’s Charlatan The Sidewalk Studio Theatre presents a one-man show about Sergei

Phoenix The French just love putting a bit of slap bass guitar over disco beats, and sit at the funkier end of the rock spectrum. Pals with Air and Daft Punk, Phoenix will probably be insulted if you don’t dance at this one. Support comes from 25-year-old Hebridean radio-friendly folkster, Colin MacLeod AKA The Boy Who Trapped the Sun. Picture House, Lothian Road, 08448 471 740, 28 Aug, 7.30pm, £17.50.

Arabian Nights Guaranteed to be one of the best children’s shows you’ll see all Fringe, the wonderful Theatre of Widdershins returns with another beautifullycrafted puppet show for young and old. Scottish Storytelling Centre, High Street, 0131 556 9579, 9–30 Aug, 1pm, £7.50 (£5). Preview 7 Aug, 1pm, £5.

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Kevin Eldon

Hairy Maclary and Friends

The chap who has been linked throughout his career with Chris Morris and has worked with the likes of Bill Bailey and Stewart Lee makes his Fringe debut with Kevin Eldon is Titting About. The Fringe programme seems to indicate that his show is over eight hours long. A mistake? Or Kevin Eldon just titting about? The Stand, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 6–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 2.30pm, £8 (£7). Preview 5 Aug, 1pm, £7 (£6).

Fans of Lynley Dodd’s canine-centred picture books will know how much mischief the eponymous Skye Terrier (from Donaldson’s Dairy) can get up to with Bottomley Potts, Schnitzel von Krumm et al in tow, so prepare for some musical doggy mayhem. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug, 10.40am, £9 (£7). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

Brazil! Brazil!

Former tree-planter Baba Brinkman returns fresh from his Fringe Firstwinning success last year for The Rap Guide to Evolution (which gets a short run this time around), to try and deliver us from evil with The Rap Guide to Human Nature. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–30 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 3.45pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8–£9). Previews 4–6 Aug, £6.50.

It’s a big country, but this show does its best to capture the essence of Brazil with an hour of samba, acrobatics and, of course, football. Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 6.55pm, £12.50–£15 (£11.50–£13.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, 6.55pm, £8.

Charlyne Yi

The Rap Guide to Human Nature

You may have spotted this quirky dame in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up or her own Paper Heart. During August, she Dances on the Moon. Mentioned in dispatches as the new Demetri Martin. We’ll see. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug, 7pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

Festival Music at The Queen’s Hall The Burns Unit Mon 9 August, 7:30pm

The BIG Sing-a-long! Thu 12 August, 2pm

Orkestra del Sol’s Top Trumps Thu 12 August, 9pm

Eliza Carthy Band Fri 13 August, 7:30pm

Dougie MacLean Sat 14 August, 8pm

Capercaillie Sun 15 August, 8pm

Arlo Guthrie Thu 19 August, 8pm

Battlefield Band Fri 20 August, 8pm

Capercaillie Sun 22 August, 8pm Bert Jansch Young folk wannabes take note. What this legendary guitarist doesn’t know about acoustic strumming, plucking and picking could be written on a postage stamp. The Glasgow-born musician plays a two-night stint. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 0131 668 2019, 26 & 27 Aug, 8pm, £18 (£16).

Delete the Banjax

Sean Hughes Quite probably the finest title of a stand-up show from any former Perrier winner in town this year, as the Irish lad gives us Ducks and Other Mistakes I’ve Made. We’re certain he’ll have the gags over the course of a very generous 75-minute show to back it up. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–19 Aug, 8pm, £14–£15 (£12–£13). Previews 4–6 Aug, £10.

Last year, DtB became one of the sleeper hits of Edinburgh with their free show. The quartet now does sketches and characters with a whole new bunch of expectations in tow. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 17), 5.45pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7–£8). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Bobby and the Grave Robbers! Journey back in time to 19th century Edinburgh, when graves were either being dug up or sat on by famous dogs. A historical romp for 7–11-yearolds and their families. Alba Flamenca, East Crosscauseway, 0131 226 0000, 9–29 Aug (not 14–16, 21), 11am, £6 (£5).

Mr McFall’s Chamber Music of Martyn Bennett & Fraser Fifield Wed 25 August, 7:30pm

Bert Jansch Thu 26 & Fri 27 August, 8pm

Loveboat Big Band Midnight Special Sat 28 August , doors open 11pm

Drever, McCusker & Woomble Sun 29 August, 8pm

The Low Anthem Mon 30 August, 8pm TICKETS & INFORMATION

0131 668 2019 WWW.THEQUEENSHALL.NET FOLLOW THE QUEEN’S HALL ON TWITTER! FIND US AT @QUEENS_HALL list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 79

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Other highlights Fringe

Other highlights Lewis Schaffer A no-holds barred American with jokes to kill for. If that’s your idea of fun. Counting House, West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 7533, 5–29 Aug, 5.30pm, free.

Reel-to-Real: The Movies Musical With an original story that travels from New York to China, we meet two siblings competing for their family fortune by taking on a quest devised by their father to decide who should inherit his movie empire. Clips from classic Warner and MGM musicals merge with live performance in this bold Fringe spectacle. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 6pm, £13.50–£15 (£12.50–£14). Previews 4–6 Aug, £9.

David Leddy's Sub Rosa This gothic Victorian promenade show takes a small audience on a late-night tour of an empty theatre space. Ghosts lead you through hidden rooms and into derelict corners, the darkness beyond getting more profound as the intensity of your anxiety rises with each step. Eventually, you’ll meet a motley crew who regale you with various stories about how a chorus girl met a grisly end beneath the stage while the show carried on above her. But who was truly responsible for this horror? And will an attempted plot to overthrow the malevolent theatre management succeed? This devastating work gets its Edinburgh debut having trodden the creaky boards at the

Castle Rocks Breakdance Championship/Set it Off! Streetdance Championships Moving in Circles present the 5th annual Castle Rocks Championship, where b-boys and girls battle it out for the coveted crown. Followed by their brand new streetdance

Citizens Theatre, and cements David Leddy’s reputation as a man who does little wrong in the field of site-specific theatre. In Hill Street, you’ll hope that no one will hear you scream.

Hill Street Theatre, Hill Street, 0131 226 6522, 7–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), every 20 minutes from 10.20pm–11.20pm; midnight–12.40am (£10–£15). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £7.

extravaganza a week later. Always a sell-out, so book early. Castle Rocks, 14 Aug, 1pm, £10 (£9); Set it Off!, 21 Aug, 1pm, £9 (£8). Both events at City Edinburgh, Market Street, 0131 226 0000.

0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 8.30pm, £12–£13 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £6.

My Hamlet with Linda Marlowe

This lively show from Kipper Tie Theatre transfers Werner Holzwarth’s popular picture book to the stage with energy and wit. Be warned, you’ll still be singing the songs years from now. C, Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234, 4–30 Aug, 10am, £6.50–£8.50 (£4.50–£7.50).

Linda Marlowe collaborates with Georgian director Beso Kupreishvili and puppeteers from his Fingers Theatre in a condensed version of Hamlet which suggests that there’s a little bit of the Dane in all of us. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 14, 24), 5.20pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

The Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business

Belt Up Theatre A busy old Fringe for the York theatre group as they take over the C soco with a bunch of shows, including Antigone, Lorca is Dead and Metamorphosis. C soco, Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234, 4–30 Aug, various times and prices.

Mark Lanegan

The Golden Rule: Can we live by it? ST 2010 7–30 AUGU

www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk

A solo show from the grungepeddling grump, Mark Lanegan, once a member of Washington rockers Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age. His unlikely pairing with Glasgow’s Isobel Campbell earned him a Mercury nomination for their CD’s startling ‘beauty and the beast’ alt-country balladry. Liquid Room, Victoria Street, 0131 225 2564, 26 Aug, 7pm, £15.

Nina Conti

Scottish Episcopal Church

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Ventriloquism is still where it’s at for Tom Conti’s wee girl as she returns with a clutch of new hand-held characters. Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square,

Long Live the King August 1977. Elvis Presley has just met his maker. On that very same day, a heavily pregnant Indian woman, Meena, has touched down in Australia with an uncertain future ahead of her. Guy Masterson directs a tale of spice, soul and sunburn starring Ansuya Nathan. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 14, 24), 5.20pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

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Cape Dance Company

Twinkle Twonkle Though they’ll always be best known for their charming adaptation of The Gruffalo, there’s a whole lot more to Tall Stories than a pair of terrible teeth. Regular visitors to the Fringe for over a decade, the company is known for its winning combination of catchy songs, compelling stories and great acting; and we’ve no reason to assume this year will be any different. Inspired by nursery rhymes and the Big Bang, Twinkle Twonkle features a brother and sister who love looking at the stars. One night, their telescope extends right up to the sky, introducing them to all manner of inter-galactic characters, from Pegasus the flying horse to the cow who jumped over the moon. Also this year, Tall Stories

The South African neo-classical dance company makes a welcome return to the Fringe with works by renowned international choreographers. Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 15–29 Aug, 2.30pm, £12 (£10).

is giving you the chance to help plan its next show. Two interactive workshops will gather young opinions, so that next year you can say, ‘I helped make that!’ Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square,

0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 18, 25), 2pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, 2pm, £6.50; Tall Stories’ New Show, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7 & 8 Aug, 4pm, £4 (£3).

Arj Barker Rhod Gilbert

Jacobite Country

The Voice of Wales gives nostalgic punters a second (or first) chance to relive last year’s sold-out show in Rhod Gilbert and The Cat that Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst. EICC, Morrison Street, 08448 471 639, 21–29 Aug (not 23), 8pm, £18.50.

Haggis McSporran left the Highlands to become the king of comedy. Now he’s coming home for an interview on Jacobite Radio with his old pal Craitur Face Macleod, an interview with a proper celebrity, and a chance to catch up with the man he first met many

years ago. This new comedy ii penned by Henry Adam (The People Next Door) and directed by Matthew Zajac (The Tailor of Inverness). Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 3.50pm, £12–£13.50 (£11–£12). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £8.

Those with memories like elephants will recall Barker storming the Fringe back in the late 90s. More recently he’s cropped up on Flight of the Conchords’ telly series. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug, 9.20pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

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Time to get ready for the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Visit the Fringe Box Office Your one stop shop for tickets for every show on the Fringe. Book online at www.edfringe.com, over the phone on 0131 226 0000 and in person at 180 High Street. Download the iPhone App The official Edinburgh Festival Fringe iPhone App gives you the most up-to-date show listings and Half Price Hut offers directly uploaded to your iPhone. Find out what’s on tomorrow, today or right now. Available free from the iPhone App store. Search the store for Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Browse the Fringe Shop You tweeted your cover ideas and we turned them into an exclusive range of 2010 merchandise – t-shirts, bags, posters, mugs and much more. Take home your own piece of the Fringe from 180 High Street. Be our Friend Join as a Friend of the Fringe and receive amazing membership benefits, including 2 for 1 ticket offers for over a thousand shows throughout the festival. Sign up at www.edfringe.com/friends Connect with us @edinburghfringe www.facebook.com/edfringe edfringe.com

Guilty Pleasures A spanking brand new Assembly venture for this year with DJs, dancers and special guests floating in for two and a half hours of guilty fun each night. Straight-up pop is promised for those not wholly ashamed of

Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street, 0131 623 3030, 5–28 Aug (not 9–11, 16–18, 23–25), 11.30pm, £10. Preview 4 Aug, £5.

Merrill Grant: A Twentieth Century Fox This New York sensation presents an homage to Hollywood legends such as Shirley Temple, Alice Faye and Julie Andrews in this elegant cabaret shebang. Ghillie Dhu, Rutland Place, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 2.45pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

The Lunchtime Club: Class of 2010 Fancy a bit of talent-spotting? Here’s a bunch of newbies that you will be strongly advised to keep an eye on. Tron, Hunter Square, 0131 226 0000, 7–29 Aug (not 16, 23), 12.30pm, £5. Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £2.50.

Lockerbie: Unfinished Business David Benson moves away from impersonating the likes of Kenneth Williams and Frankie Howerd to delve into recent political history as he gets involved with this slice of verbatim theatre concerning the atrocity when Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over the Scottish borders. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–30 Aug (not 18), 2.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

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their Hall & Oates and Toto collections.

Flawless One of the most popular acts of the 2009 series of Britain’s Got Talent presents its first full-length show, Chase the Dream. Expect stylish clothes and streetdance moves synchronised to perfection. Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 3.45pm, £13.50–£16.50 (£12.50–£15). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £8.

Bunny When 18-year-old Katie’s boyfriend gets into a fight, his mates insist they track down the kid who attacked him. What starts as an adventure becomes more dangerous as Katie is thrust into a journey she’ll never forget. Skins and Shameless writer Jack Thorne delivers a complex coming-ofage tale. Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 458 252, 7–29 Aug (not 18), 2.10pm, £9–£10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

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Tall Storrie and Wee Godley

Sleepy Sun

Darling of the Scottish comedy circuit, Janey Godley teams up with daughter Ashley Storrie for an hour of storytelling, improv, games and music. Bring along an instrument and join the house band. Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug, 12.45pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

The name sums their music up nicely: hazy and lazy. Until they decide to wig out, that is. Like Wooden Shjips with a suntan, this Santa Cruz group sound beautifully lethargic, with heavy moments of reverb sludge. Capital, Waterloo Place, 0131 623 7147, 19 Aug, 7pm, £10.

Rhythms with Soul A history of flamenco performed by one of the dance form’s hottest exponents, Miguel Vargas and his Flamenco Dance Theatre company. New Town Theatre, George Street, 0131 220 0143, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 3.50pm, £11–£13. Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £7.50.

Beirut A two-trick pony, Zach Condon is equally comfortable updating Balkan gypsy party music with ukulele and trumpet, or creating throbbing, sunny electronica, as demonstrated on his split album, March of the Zapotec/ Holland. A bit pop, a bit oompah, there are two very distinct sides to his folktronica coin. Picture House, Lothian Road, 0844 847 1740, 22 Aug, 7.30pm, £15.

Phil Nichol We gave Phil’s new creation Bobby Spade a fat five stars last August and he’s thanked us by bringing him back for more beat poet jazziness. The Stand, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 6–30 Aug (not 16), 6.50pm, £10. Previews 4 Aug, 10pm; 5 Aug, 7.40pm, £9 (£7).

Potted Panto After the success of previous shows Potted Pirates and Potted Potter, CBBC stars Dan and Jeff shoehorn seven classic pantomimes into 70 minutes of high-energy nonsense. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 18, 25), 2.50pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Imperial Fizz Brian Parks’ pen previously gave us Goner and Americana Absurdum, and here he seeks to delight once more with this surreal comedy about an elegant if cocktail-happy couple played by acclaimed duo, David Calvitto and Issy van Randwyck. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–29 Aug (not 14, 24), 5.20pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

Beautiful Burnout Marking the first co-production between Frantic Assembly and the National Theatre of Scotland, this piece of highly physical theatre has been written by Bryony Lavery whose past credits include A Wedding Story, Breathing Underwater and Her Aching Heart. Cameron seeks to fight for his place in an increasingly violent and fraught world but has to keep his guard

up at all times before that fatal blow is landed. He might be a natural fighter but is he really as indestructible as he believes? Beautiful Burnout is a production which aims to challenge preconceptions about a controversial sport.

While You Lie

My Name is Margaret Morris

Two couples explore the threat of honesty and our often twisted need for it in this pin-sharp play from Sam Holcroft, one of UK theatre’s most exciting new voices. Zinnie Harris directs. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 0131 228 1404, 5–29 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), various times, £11–£17 (£6–£12). Preview 30 Jul, 2.30pm, 8pm, £11 (£6).

Journey through the fascinating life of Margaret Morris, a leading force in Scottish dance for over 30 years, founder of a unique dance technique and wife of artist JD Fergusson. Dance Base, Grassmarket, 0131 225 5525, 12–22 Aug (not 16), times vary, £5. Preview 11 Aug, 6pm, £3.

Caroline Rhea The comic actress who fell out with Larry David over the proper pronunciation of her forename makes a highly polished Fringe debut. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–25 Aug, 9.30pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14). Preview 6 Aug, £10.

Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 7.30pm, £11.50–£14 (£10–£12.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Camille O’Sullivan Last year, the sultry, fishnetstockinged singer was The Dark Angel. This year she’s a Chameleon. Showing her versatility, the smoky cabaret singer drapes her silky vocals around covers of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Radiohead. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 7–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 10.25pm, £16.50–£18.50. Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £10.

Bo Burnham The internet sensation makes a Fringe debut with some of his youthful musical silliness. Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 9.35pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8–£9). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Wee Willie Gray Always an engaging storyteller (and one half of Wee Stories), Andy Cannon joins forces with musician Wendy Weatherby for this fun look at one of Robert Burns’ poems for children. Scottish Storytelling Centre, High Street, 0131 556 9579, 9–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 10.30am, £7.50 (£5). Preview 6 Aug, £5.

Silent Disco A return of the headphone party, with zero noise pollution to annoy the neighbours. Two DJs play sets while he crowd silently goes wild. Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 6 & 7, 12–14, 19–21, 26, 28 & 29 Aug, midnight, £10.

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Other highlights Jason Manford Seems like he’s a lucky man to be here given the near-fatal car crash he suffered in June. Best be nice to him and laugh lots. Which shouldn’t be much of a problem. EICC, Morrison Street, 08448 471 639, 7–11 Aug, 8pm, £17.50 (£16.50).

Avi Buffalo Avi Buffalo, or Avigdor ZahnerIsenberg to his mum, formed a band with three friends from his high school in Long Beach, California. That was three years ago, and their sun-bleached, jangly, trippy folk-rock has been slowly creeping into British hearts. Success came knocking when Zahnher-Isenberg put up one of their songs (with vocals recorded on his computer’s mic) on MySpace, and musician and producer Aaron Embry got in touch. Embry (who has toured with bittersweet Portland balladeer, Elliott Smith and Jane’s Addiction) recorded Avi Buffalo’s first album in a studio in his house. The band have since signed to Seattle label, Sub Pop, and played their first dates in the UK, including a very

humble/excited performance at the ATP festival in May, after Pavement asked them along. How best to describe the sound of their self-titled debut album: swoony, summery, timeless? Lush, a bit hippy, full of lovesick

innocence, and some messy teen lust and classroom angst? They have only just finished high school, after all. One for fans of The Shins and Sparklehorse.

Collins & Herring Podcast Live

La Lutte

Stewart Lee

Here are seasoned pros who know what they’re up to as they broadgram their improvised mayhem to a waiting world. The GRV, Guthrie Street, 0131 226 0000, 11–22 Aug (not 16 & 17), 3pm, £5.

With a base in both Belgium and London, Retina Dance produces European contemporary dance with a unique flavour. Choreographed by Filip Van Huffel, this finds two wrestlers struggling to communicate. Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 15–30 Aug (not 23), 7pm, £12 (£9).

A full Stand run of Vegetable Stew is broken up by a one-off two-hour Festival Theatre extravaganza with guests and rabble-rousing hysteria. The Stand, York Place, 0131 558 7272, 6–30 Aug (not 16, 18), 5.15pm, £10. Previews 4 Aug, 6.30pm; 5 Aug, 4.20pm, £9; Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, 0131 529 6000, 18 Aug, 8pm, £17.50.

Capital, Waterloo Place, 0131 623 7147, 30 Aug, 7pm, £10.

The Songbird An exotic songbird is captured by a ruthless logger in this musical tone poem, performed in the beautiful surroundings of the Botanics. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 0131 226 0000, 19–28 Aug (not 24), 4.30pm; 20–22, 26–28 Aug, 1.30pm, £9.

Scotland’s Festival of History ~ Fun for all ages exploring the ages ~ O

Viking O Roman O Medieval O 17thC O Napoleonic O WWI & II and more...

• Amazing Archery • no holds barred Battles • Fantastic Falconry • Historic Market • Children’s Activities • Medieval musicians • Jolly Jugglers • Craft demonstrations • Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ﬂypast

21-22 August 2010 10am-4.30pm @ Lanark Racecourse, Lanark ML11 9SZ © Douglas McKendrick, Hamilton Advertiser

Information: 07963 128 365 www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk

Late ‘n’ Live Still the daddy of all multi-bill weesmall-hours comedy affairs on the Fringe. Reputations have been born and broken on this stage. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 9–30 Aug, 1am, £13–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 6–8 Aug, £10.

Nat Luurtsema Having shared stage time and the limelight with sketch team Superclump and other stand-ups in The Comedy Zone, this promising newcomer certainly has ideas around the place where her station exists: In My Head, I’m a Hero is her humble debut solo shot. Pleasance Dome, Bristo Square, 0131 556 6550, 7–30 Aug (not 16, 23), 8.30pm, £12–£13 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £6.

Roam Tom Dale Company, the force behind the atmospheric Rise, return to the Fringe with this look at our human need to explore, set to a dub step and drum & bass soundtrack. Zoo Southside, Nicolson Street, 0131 662 6892, 6–30 Aug (not 12 & 13, 17, 24), 4.20pm, £10 (£8).

Wolf

FORVHVW WR WKH

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Directed by Kath Burlinson and written by Iain Finlay Macleod, this is a site-responsive exploration of the ecology, psychology and mythology of the human/wolf relationship, inviting us to meet ourselves as we travel with the pack. The Caves, Cowgate, 0131 556 5375, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 12.15pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

The Ukulele Project ‘The ukes are coming’. We’ve been warned. This quartet takes that tiny guitar so beloved of hip-swaying Hawaiian girls, and creates a show around music from Elgar to Elvis via Lady Gaga and ‘Greensleeves’. Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 458 252, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 12.45pm, £9.50–£11 (£6.50–£10). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

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Paul Foot There is no one around quite like Paul Foot. Admirers and detractors would concur on that. When his awkward body and scatty mind are in full flight, few can, or would even dare, try to stop him. He insists that he does not have fans, he carries around with him connoisseurs.

Which would sound a bit stuffy coming from anyone else, but hits the nail on the head here. This year, he’s even roped in Noel Fielding to do the directing bit.

The Besnard Lakes

Animal Alphaboat

Space travelling dream-pop from Montreal, fronted by husband-andwife duo Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek. Majestic, warped melodies and not unlike the sound a melted Fleetwood Mac record might make if you played it at the wrong speed. Sneaky Pete's, Cowgate, 0131 226 7010, 17 Aug, 7pm, £9.

Climb inside the Pleasance Ark and spend 60 minutes in the company of one of Britain’s most engaging, inspired and off-the-wall poets. Beware though, with John Hegley, it’s interactive all the way. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 15–22 Aug, 5pm, £7 (£5).

Stick Man Live on Stage!

Sean Lock

The highly acclaimed (and for good reason) Scamp Theatre turn Julia Donaldson’s colourful picture book into a lively stage show filled with puppetry, live music and song. Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 7–30 Aug (not 16), 12.30pm, £10–£11 (£8–£9). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

The man who gave us the most under-rated sitcom in British history with 15 Storeys High opens us up to some staggeringly astute wordplay with Lockipedia. Assembly Rooms, George Street, 0131 623 3030, 25–30 Aug, 7.25pm, £18 (£17).

Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 458 252, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 7.40pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£9.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

Lovelace: A Rock Musical

Chinese Music: Old and New Classical meets world music in this one-off concert, celebrating Chinese percussion and instruments. The bamboo flute, hammered dulcimer and violin lend delicate sounds to the programme of improvised, traditional and contemporary music. Canongate Kirk, Canongate, 0131 226 0000, 28 Aug, 7.30pm, £10 (£6).

In the rock operatic style of Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar comes the story of the woman who went on to be the 1970s most iconic adult movie star. A life of abuse eventually led to her taking up an anti-porn stance and becoming a feminist pioneer. But could she ever truly escape the spectre of Deep Throat? Udderbelly’s Pasture, Bristo Square, 08445 458 252, 7–30 Aug (not 17), 10.35pm, £11–£14 (£10–£13). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £8.

Tap Olé Flamenco and tap dancing meet in this energetic display of synchronicity and rhythm, featuring four hoofers and four guitarists. C plaza, George Square, 0845 260 1234, 5–30 Aug (not 17), 7.15pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£6.50–£10.50). list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 85

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Hartshorn-Hook Productions presents

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Barry and Stuart This pair of Aberdeenshire magical jesters have been firm List favourites for a number of years now; we even awarded them a five-star review and a cover story couple of Fringes back as they proved that they could very nearly walk on water. Now, Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod (also known to their conjuring buddies as 2magicians) are back to scare

the bejesus out of their enthusiastic throng with a 98% Séance. And given the terrors they’ve unleashed upon unsuspecting participants in the likes of their TV showTricks from the Bible, an unforgettable ride is ahead of the brave and foolish among you.

Little Black Bastard

Patti Plinko & the Boy

Aboriginal Noel Tovey first came to the UK in 1960 with barely a button to his name having escaped prejudice and pain in his homeland. Yet soon he was dancing at Sadler’s Wells and sharing stage time with Steven Berkoff and Judy Garland. This is his remarkable story. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–30 Aug (not 16, 23), noon, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Like a female Tom Waits, the quiffed and tattooed chanteuse brings late night, booze-fuelled storytelling and dark, twisted – sometimes screeching – love songs with a set aptly called All is Unravelling. Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 12, 19, 26 Aug, 8.20pm, £10.

White A gentle collection of music, stories and surprises, specially created for 2–4-year-olds by one of Scotland’s finest children’s theatre companies, Catherine Wheels. Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, 0131 228 1404, 6–29 Aug (not 9, 14–16, 23), 10.30am, 1.30pm, £6 (£5). Preview 5 Aug, £4.

A Wee Home From Home Choreographer Frank McConnell, director Gerry Mulgrew and musician Michael Marra join forces for this acclaimed tale of one man’s return to Glasgow after many years away. St Brides, Orwell Terrace, 0131 668 2019, 10–22 Aug (not 16), 5.20pm, £10 (£8). 86 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Underbelly, Cowgate, 08445 458 252, 7–29 Aug, 10.20pm, £10–£12 (£6.50–£11). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £6.

Alan Cumming A late night cabaret show from the Aberfeldy-born Hollywood actor, intriguingly titled I Bought a Blue Car Today. He’s played the master of ceremonies in Cabaret on Broadway, scooped an OBE, and now wants to belt out his favourite showtunes. Assembly Hall, Mound Place, 0131 623 3030, 13–15 Aug, midnight, £20 (£18).

The Sum of It All Director Dan Shorten and Anomic Multimedia Theatre have created another visual extravaganza with this tale of a suicidal man recalling his past and trying to pluck out the highlights from a banal life. Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 8–30 Aug (not 14), 8.35pm, £10 (£7). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, £5.

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Blood, Sweat and Tears Despite being a mere stone’s throw away from Scotland, we see tragically little of Newcastlebased balletLORENT. Easily one of the most interesting female choreographers in the world today, Liv Lorent produces quirky, emotive dance theatre that always manages to engage both your heart and your head. Having sampled Lorent’s work with Scottish Dance Theatre, for whom she choreographed Luxuria and tenderhook, dance fans north of the border finally got a look at balletLORENT itself in early 2009, when the stunning Designer Body played Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre. Happily, we’re getting another look at them, when the company

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical Jon Snow has been willingly dragged up on stage for this ad-hoc show which works best if you, the public, give the troupe some tasty suggestions to work with. And lo, before you will unravel a story with music and gags to make tears fall down your cheeks with merriment. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–29 Aug, 10.50pm, £11–£15 (£10–£11). Preview 6 Aug, £6.

Girls Not girls at all; actually a foursome centred around the songwriting of two San Franciscans making a wearier, blearier Beach Boys sound. Capital, Waterloo Place, 0131 623 7147, 26 Aug, 7pm, £10.

A Betrayal of Penguins

makes its Fringe debut with Blood, Sweat and Tears. Centred on a young couple struggling to adjust to life with a newborn, the show takes place during a long, sleepless night. Memories of their wedding day blend hazily

with new-found love for their offspring in a show that’s sure to capture our hearts like everything else Lorent produces.

Primadoona

Charlie and Lola’s Best Bestest Play

Doon Mackichan, star of Smack the Pony and A Very Social Secretary, delivers a one-woman show about the physical journey she has undertaken over three dark, painful and miraculous years and what it meant to survive. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 5.30pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Zoo Roxy, Roxburgh Place, 0131 662 6892, 13–21 Aug (not 17), 1pm, £10 (£8).

Everyone’s favourite brother and sister team leap from TV to stage in this happy blend of live action and music. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 5–18 Aug (not 11), 10am, 11.30am, £10–£11. Preview 4 Aug, 11.30am, £9.

One of the unheralded treats of last year’s Fringe, two young Irish jokers with chemistry like you would not believe, return with more sketchy silliness. But who can possibly argue with the title of their show: Don’t Run with Scissors? Hear, hear. Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square, 0131 622 6552, 7–30 Aug, 2.45pm, £8.50–£10 (£7–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Hallogallo / Michael Rother & Friends Present the Music of Neu! If Hallogallo 2010’s performance at May’s Primavera festival in Barcelona is anything to go by, this has all the hallmarks of a hypnotic glide through krautrock beats and woozy kosmische soundscapes. Picture House, Lothian Road, 08448 471 740, 17 Aug, 7.30pm, £18. Compiled by Kelly Apter, Brian Donaldson, Allan Radcliffe, Claire Sawers

Still A movement and movie double-bill from Dundee-based contemporary dance company Smallpetitklein, featuring Stiller, an uncompromising look at war, and dance film Unmoving. Zoo Southside, Nicolson Street, 0131 662 6892, 8–14 Aug, 12.40pm, £10 (£8). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, 12.40pm, £5.

Loretta Maine The caustic character from the mind of Pippa Evans, think Courtney Love in a bad mood. Loretta sings songs of pain and vengeance with a US band called DogVagina. Probably not one for your nan. Or your grumpy adolescent teen just in case they get ideas. The Caves, Cowgate, 0131 556 5375, 7–29 Aug (not 16), 6.35pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, £5.

The Golden Rule: Can we live by it? ST 2010 7–30 AUGU

The Last Miner Tortoise in a Nutshell presents this original tale about life underground, told through atmospheric shadow puppetry. Hill Street Theatre, Hill Street, 0131 226 6522, 8–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 3pm, £7 (£5). Previews 5–7 Aug, 3pm, £5.

www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk

Abandoman Rising stars of the improv/music game shove a Pic ‘n’ Mixtape into our grinning faces. Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, 7–29 Aug (not 17), 9.45pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £5.

Scottish Episcopal Church

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International

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The Gershwins opened up a can of worms with their folk opera, Porgy and Bess. As a new production arrives in Edinburgh, we trace its troubled history. See page 98 88 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

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Bringing continents and peoples closer together is a constant theme of the International Festival. Read on and you’ll find interviews with the mildly jinxed opera sensation Joyce DiDonato, the Chilean director behind black comedy Diciembre and tabla superstar Zakir Hussain. We also reflect on the context into which a new Porgy and Bess lands, speak to key dance-makers about the legacy of Pina Bausch and hang out with New York’s most acclaimed experimental theatre crews. It’s not called an international festival for nothing

International

088-103 International

Edinburgh International Festival, 13 August– 5 September list.co.uk/festival/international This section is sponsored by

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f the world of theatre was like a finely crafted china shop, then two very impressive bulls are preparing to charge at this year’s International Festival. As leaders of the experimental pack, Elevator Repair Service and the Wooster Group perform, not just out of the box, but in their own unique playgrounds, meshing speech, art, film, movement and music to create their own incomparable canvases. This year’s festival also brings two of America’s greatest writers to the stage with Elevator showcasing their take on Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Wooster bringing us Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical Vieux Carré. Having walking through New York’s Lower East Side to meet John Collins, director of Elevator Repair Service, it seems strangely telling that we meet in a café just minutes from the Williamsburg Bridge. Famous for drawing no support from the cables above it and majestically unconventional, it’s not unlike Collins himself, who has seamlessly captured and cultivated ERS’ skill for creating the unexpected, since the company’s formation in 1991. Their latest piece follows their smash hit interpretations of F Scott Fitzgerald, with Gatz, and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Classic texts they may be, but in Collins’ hands, traditional they most certainly were not. ‘It pays to come to our shows with no expectation,’ he smiles. ‘Some people expect us to be even more than we are because of our reputation; others have never seen anything like us.’ Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises – the tale of a group of weary, inebriated American expatriates searching for identity and redemption in Europe – finds ERS at their pared-down best, amidst the bullfighting and fiestas of Europe. Hi-tech and lo-tech design clash and complement in equal measure, as literary texts and objects, old music videos and choreography help set the pace for proceedings. A frenetic score accompanies a much-anticipated bullfighting scene, with only a table and chair as inspiration. ‘We wanted to think about how to show a bullfight on a very simple level,’ explains Collins with the table becoming a bull and the chair a matador. He admits that at ERS HQ, few furnishings escaped unscathed during rehearsals. ‘It’s fair to say we broke a lot. Theatre Workshop, where we were rehearsing, got same nice new tables from us.’ For Collins, creating the extraordinary from the every day is just part of his remit. ‘I have a consistent interest in dealing with the problems in theatre. I like the uncomfortable fits. It usually means I don’t know what it’s going to look like until we [the ensemble] are there. I don’t trust brilliant ideas beforehand.’ A dedicated, close-knit company, much of the ERS rehearsal process and initial idea-building comes from making works-in-progress. ‘We have habits as a company and consistent personalities. We try not to do the same thing every time. People may think we are simply working on a third literary adaptation but each of the three novels we’ve done have required a different process.’ For Collins, it’s about pushing and toying and manipulating theatre. ‘There are absurd limitations to the medium. We want to create a very specific environment that the actors have to navigate.

The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess Opéra de Lyon

Lloyds TSB Scotland Inspiring Performances

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We’re there with a table and a bunch of chairs and we have to show a bullfight or a change in location. How do we do that? We have to make those ideas soar.’ Sound, the use of speech and clever interpretations of music are often used as a character in the ERS landscape during The Sun Also Rises, while the company’s technicians will appear on stage as bartenders, manning a sound deck which doubles up as a bar. ‘Everything we do,’ explains Collins, ‘is in some way or another a process of translating material to stage that wasn’t meant for it. I don’t come into the room with a list of ideas. I need them to be game for trying a lot of things that fail. When we try things that fail, that’s when I see the solution. It requires a performer with a certain openness and energy and the prolonged exposure we have to each other helps us create an exchange. Sometimes we’ll get to the end of a rehearsal and I don’t know where the idea came from; we just know that we got there.’ Having worked as sound director for the seminal avantgarde Wooster Group early on in his career, Collins refers to them as ‘influential’ and ‘inspiring’, though notes that they both bring different things to the experimental party. Across town at Wooster’s base, at The Performing Garage in Soho, it’s difficult to imagine the collective being anything less than inspirational. Indeed, as performers Ari Fliakos, Scott Shepherd and Kate Valk traipse in, slightly bleary-eyed but no less animated after a monthlong run of their North Atlantic show, they look as at home as they would in their own living rooms, settling down onto two precarious-looking chairs and a knackered old sofa. Huge overflowing boxes, bits of set and old filing cabinets surround us, while a faint, lived-in odour wafts around the room. The only sign of order is a young woman using a laptop in the corner, but even she is surrounded by paper. Trailblazers for over 30 years, you would not expect anything less chaotic. Boasting a highly skilled ensemble and maintaining a flexible repertory with radical staging of both modern and classic texts, they have simultaneously epitomised the avant-garde and defied its definitions. North Atlantic featured hula-dancing GIs, while their critically acclaimed and uber-hip Hamlet was turned into a multimedia event. Under the direction of Elizabeth LeCompte, the troupe has produced seminal works from their early Rumstick Road to opera/sci-fi conundrum La Didone. Chekhov’s Three Sisters was given an overhaul in Brace Up!, Fish Story and Finished Story, respectively. Then there was their extraordinary reimaging of Gertrude Stein’s Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights. The list of accolades and successes goes on and on. Standup, film, vaudeville and Kabuki theatre continually inspire their unique narratives. At Wooster’s heart lies their mentor and director LeCompte who, along with the ensemble, cherry-picked their latest opus.

IT’S LIKE A PSYCHIC PHENOMENON

New York stories Wooster Group and Elevator Repair Service are once again bringing their unique visions to two classic works of literature. Anna Millar speaks to the main players on how they keep breaking conventions

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Wooster Group (previous page) and Elevator Repair Service (above) both have impassioned and dedicated visionaries at the helm

Alonzo Kings Lines Ballet Dust and Light Rasa (featuring Zakir Hussein)

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‘Intuitively we knew,’ says actor Ari Fliakos, of Vieux Carré. ‘We read the piece once and we just saw something.’ The others nod. For financial reasons, the troupe can be rehearsing one show while touring an older work as part of their rep theatre roster. But every time a show goes up, it feels like the beginning again, they say. ‘I think it helps that Liz has impatience with anything feeling too much like last time,’ explains Scott Shepherd. ‘In that way, you are always throwing another wrench in the works. We don’t have a clear vision. It gets very muddy. The clarity comes out of hard work. As performers, we have faith and trust in Liz. We trust her to go the distance; to complete it. She spends a lot of time in the not-knowing. I think what happens is like a visionary or a psychic phenomenon. Liz gets a fast forward vision of the piece.’ LeCompte founded the company over three decades ago along with screen actor Willem Dafoe. Thirty years on, she’s still widely regarded as the Grand Dame of experimental theatre. ‘She’s like a magpie,’ smiles Shepherd. ‘She’s always out in the world, thinking how we are going to get something she hears, or something she sees in a museum, into the show.’ Written in 1978, Vieux Carré is one of Tennessee Williams’ most autobiographical plays. Set in a oncerespectable but now dilapidated old boarding house in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the main character is a young man, simply called ‘The Writer.’ Like Williams himself, he is struggling with both his literary career and his homosexuality. More sexually explicit than some of his other works, tensions rise above the surface; it’s a story

Wooster is excited about telling. As ever, old will marry with new; reality with unreality. The steamy improvisational films of Paul Morrissey, produced with Andy Warhol in the early 1970s, will help create tension in the piece. It’s the welding of the elements Wooster enjoys the most. ‘Sometimes, things crash up stylistically,’ explains Kate Valk. ‘Like with the Paul Morrissey films, we use them in different ways; they come up against the text or inform the story somehow. The technology, the video, sound, design and performances become part of a piece that is difficult to achieve without a long period of tedium that some companies don’t have the time, ego or real estate for. We do.’ Though, she admits, bringing something fresh and invigorating to each performance isn’t always easy. Stubborn perseverance, they all concede, helps. And of course, the lady they all do it for, LeCompte herself. ‘It’s her vision,’ says Valk. ‘Liz is at all the performances. When we’re making work we’re trying to entertain her. She’s our audience. When she’s not there, it feels pointless. With Liz, you’re free of actors directing themselves. You know when you go and see a play, and you like the concept but think he or she wasn’t very good? We come as an ensemble; a complete work. She’s always trying to take us to the next level; she pushes, and you feel liberated from yourself. Hopefully that works for an audience too.’ The Sun Also Rises, 14–16 Aug, 7.30pm; 15 Aug, 1pm; 17 Aug, 2pm; Vieux Carré, 21–24 Aug, 7.30pm. Both shows at Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street, 0131 473 2000, £10–£27.

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Ă gua was inspired by a trip made by Bausch to Brazil

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mahler Symphony No 3 Mariss Jansons Conductor

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The death of Pina Bausch has left a gaping void in European dance. Kelly Apter introduces her final work for the EIF and discusses the German innovator’s legacy with those who were both influenced and moved by her

‘She was a brave, provocative, authentic voice’ n January 2010, a new work by the German modern dance choreographer Pina Bausch was due to premiere in the Chilean capital, Santiago. Seven months later, it was to receive its first UK airing at the Edinburgh International Festival. Sadly, the work was never made. Its creator, one of the most influential and innovative forces the dance world has ever known, had yet to create a single step when she died in June 2009 at the age of 68. Years of heavy smoking finally caught up with Bausch and, just five days after diagnosis, her shortlived battle against lung cancer was over. Bausch’s memory lives on in the vast body of work she leaves behind, and in her loyal dancers at the Tanztheater Wuppertal, who continue to perform and tour without their leader. Despite Jonathan Mills, artistic director of the Edinburgh International Festival, being happy to receive a new Bausch work sight unseen, Bausch herself was less sure. ‘But darling, it may not be good,’ she had warned him, suggesting an alternative – Água – in case it wasn’t. Which means that, although saddened by her death, Mills was not left with a hole in his 2010 programme; on the contrary, he has a work approved by Bausch herself. Created in Brazil in 2001, Água was inspired by the people Bausch met during her time in the South American country. It is a work filled with playfulness and colour, backed with film footage created by her long-time collaborator Peter Pabst. As its UK premiere draws close, we speak to four dance-makers and Mills himself about Bausch’s legacy and why she will never be forgotten.

Janet Smith Artistic director of Scottish Dance Theatre

‘Pina Bausch is probably the most significant choreographer of our times. For three decades her radical work and company have influenced not only dancemakers and students from all over the world, but also made big waves in opera, theatre and film. Watching her company for the first time, I was struck by the experience of the performers, their maturity and eloquence. Their investment and dedication in the creative process, reaching into themselves to discover the truth in the work and their willingness to expose a raw nerve: this process and its outcome is part of Pina’s legacy. ‘Her work has not always been an easy watch for me; I have sometimes found it indulgent and in need of editing. Other times it has been amazingly evocative, surprising and powerful. She was a brave, provocative, authentic voice.’ Ashley Page Artistic director of Scottish Ballet

‘Last summer saw the death of two iconic figures from the dance world, Pina Bausch and Merce Cunningham, robbing us of the promise of future creations from these two giants of the artform. Although the work they made was very different (probably the classic examples of European and American modern dance), they both pushed the boundaries of what had gone before and explored and developed their ideas in a very pure way, producing many masterpieces which we will treasure for years to come.

‘Collaboration with artists from other disciplines was high on their agendas, and this has certainly been a strong influence on my own work. While Merce operated in a predominantly ‘abstract’ world of very American energy, Pina’s work was perhaps the defining example of European ‘dance theatre’, collaborating with her fabulous dancers over (in some cases) their entire careers to produce a body of work which was beautiful, challenging, poetic and provocative and which has hugely influenced succeeding generations of choreographers and theatre directors. ‘Pina and Merce were the antithesis of each other in terms of style and content, but the broad range of works they created has enriched us beyond measure and transcends such defining terminology.’ Deborah Colker Artistic director of Companhia de Dança

‘Pina is the choreographer who dances pain with poetry, expressiveness and creativity. It doesn’t matter if you call it theatre or dance: it is Pina Bausch. The movement and the body express a feeling, and that feeling tells a story.’ Liv Lorent Artistic director of balletLORENT

‘For me, Pina Bausch has created some of the most visually striking and personally resonant images I have ever seen in dance. Both live and on film, they remain embedded in my memory.’ Jonathan Mills Director of Edinburgh International Festival

‘The sheer body of work she produced and the corpus of influence she had was extraordinary, but for me, it was her humour. People tend to take Pina very seriously; she didn’t. There was this incredible whimsy and lightness of touch. She never proselytised, there was no sermonising in her, and yet when she wanted to make a point, my god did she pack a punch. But she did it with this extraordinary wit. ‘She was so driven and so manic in some of her behaviour and yet so fragile and so poised on other levels. I asked her to come to a festival of mine in Australia and she initially said yes, then she changed her mind. I found out why. She couldn’t go that long without a cigarette. I even found a way of getting her to Australia through fourhour hops, which she agreed to, and then disagreed, saying “I can’t even do four hours without a cigarette”. ‘So my abiding memory of Pina will be of this chainsmoking little sparrow, who would get up to show somebody a dance step and go from being almost expressionless to a completely changed lifeforce. It wasn’t done well – you couldn’t say she was a great dancer – but the intensity of her intentions was simply extraordinary.’ Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal, Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, 0131 473 2000, 27–29 Aug, 7.30pm, £8–£28.50. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 95

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Joyce DiDonato International

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Last summer, Joyce DiDonato soldiered on with a broken leg in London and was plunged into darkness at the Usher Hall. Carol Main keeps everything crossed for the mezzo soprano’s Edinburgh return

IF THERE’S A PROBLEM, IT’S NOT WORTH GETTING INTO A HOOP ABOUT

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he show must go on’ runs the classic cliché. But can it really when an opera star seriously hurts herself onstage? Or when a concert hall’s lights fail three times on the trot? As far as the seriously glamorous American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is concerned, the answer is a very definite ‘yes’, and she’s not just saying it. She’s been there and kept the show going in both scenarios. Another theatrical mantra is ‘break a leg’, usually a throwaway remark to actors and singers before they go on stage. For DiDonato it was the real deal when she appeared in the first night of Covent Garden’s Barber of Seville last summer. But even when a more normal reason, such as a holiday, might mean that the show can’t go on, DiDonato still makes it work. ‘I should really be on vacation at the time I’m in Edinburgh,’ she says. ‘But when my agent told me I would be working with Sir Charles Mackerras, I found it difficult to say no.’ Making a return visit to the Usher Hall, where electrics are now truly tried and tested, DiDonato takes the part of Idamante in a concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo. Sometimes sung by a tenor, but more usually these days a trouser role for mezzo-soprano, Idamante is the son of Idomeneo, King of Crete. The combination of Mozart, Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one which not only DiDonato is anticipating with relish. Mackerras’ interpretations of Mozart operas are unparalleled and hugely popular. ‘It’s all the years of experience and expertise he brings,’ DiDonato explains. ‘As a younger singer, you really appreciate that. He knows exactly what he wants and how to shape it to the individual singer. What is most wonderful is that he is still making discoveries in the music.’ It is not only Sir Charles that has attraction for DiDonato, but the role itself. ‘It’s such a touching role. Idamante has this noble sense of sacrifice and duty, with adoration for his father.’ But even without unanticipated hiccups, Idamante is not for the faint-hearted. ‘For the first ten minutes, it’s lovely, but then it’s terrifying. The opening aria is really treacherous and so demanding you just want to get rid of it quickly. As a musician, Idomeneo is a wonderful opportunity.’

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DiDonato’s two EIF appearances also include a solo recital with pianist David Zobel in which she sings love songs with a strong flavour of Italy. Last year’s experience in the Usher Hall has clearly not dented her enthusiasm for appearing there. ‘It was actually so funny, especially as it was one of the first things I did after the leg-breaking experience. Having survived that, I just thought, “this is nothing, it’s just the lights going out”. My job as a performer is to give a good performance. If there’s a problem to be solved, it’s not worth getting into a hoop about.’ Covent Garden and the leg was a different matter. Rosina is another highly demanding role, not only vocally but physically. Never having broken any bones in the past, DiDonato thought she had merely sprained her leg, relying on adrenaline and sheer willpower to get her through. For the rest of the run, she performed from a wheelchair, a highly unusual arrangement that not surprisingly required significant improvisation. ‘It was quite exhilarating and I know the role pretty well, so I felt I knew how Rosina would react.’ Such a positive attitude may well stem from DiDonato’s roots. Growing up in Kansas City where stoicism could have been invented, she followed a fairly conventional path to the stage, singing in church choirs and high school musicals: ‘I fell in love with being on stage and with music and theatre.’ That’s a pretty serious love affair as learning roles is intensive, exhausting and very time-consuming. ‘You’re also constantly on the road as a singer and have to work very hard to keep a balance of job and real life. Not being settled anywhere is probably the biggest challenge.’ And that’s in addition to breaking bones, dealing with electrical faults and not getting a holiday. The latter, however, is one which can be dealt with and DiDonato insists: ‘I’ll be in vacation mode from the 23rd.’ Sounds like she could do with it. Idomeneo, 20 Aug, 7pm, £10–£40; Joyce DiDonato/David Zobel, 22 Aug, 8pm, £8–£32. Both performances at Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 0131 473 2000.

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As a new production of Porgy and Bess swings into the festival, Neil Cooper explores the history of an iconic work that has been mired in accusations of racism and suspicions of arson while delivering some timeless songs

And the livin’ is easy?

s operas go, it’s fair to say that Porgy and Bess blew in like a hurricane. When George and Ira Gershwin’s self-styled ‘American folk opera’ featuring a libretto by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward appeared on the New York stage in 1935, its cast of classically trained African-American performers appeared to have broken the mould of so-called high art just as much as the show’s jazz and blues inspired songbook. But this tale about a crippled beggar living in the slums of South Carolina who rescues a woman from the clutches of her violent husband and a drug dealer, was only truly accepted as a legitimate opera when Houston Grand Opera staged a production in 1976. It was another nine years before it graced New York’s Metropolitan Opera. As Opéra de Lyon’s Edinburgh International Festival production will no doubt testify to, Porgy and Bess is now regarded as a modern crossover classic. Yet for every winebar rendition of ‘Summertime’ and ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ – songs made famous by star turns ranging from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Miles Davis and Gil Evans – Porgy and Bess is mired in a controversial history involving accusations of a racist portrayal of the Catfish Row community it depicted. That these accusations came from the likes of Duke Ellington and Harry Belafonte, with the latter declining to play the male lead in Otto Preminger’s 1959 film version, gave credence to claims later aired by original cast members. Such reservations fuelled similar views during the Civil Rights years of the 1960s and the 1970s Black Power movement. By this time, black popular song had moved out of the ghetto and into the charts via Motown and Sly and the Family Stone. While political dissent remained hip via The

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Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, on the big screen the counter-culture was given a cache of cool via the Blaxploitation movies, later fetishised by video-shop brat Quentin Tarantino in a way some might argue wasn’t that far removed from how Gershwin – a Jewish European immigrant – treated Porgy. By 1984, a column by acid queen Julie Burchill in style bible The Face noted how ‘The Rage is Beige’. Burchill pointed to Prince as an icon of pop whose sound was neither black nor white, rather a hi-tech, commercially savvy hybrid of jazz, blues, soul funk, disco and both versions of R’n’B. Michael Jackson, then riding high on the back of his Thriller album, was strangely spared Burchill’s wrath. Six years earlier Jackson had appeared alongside Diana Ross in The Wiz, Sidney Lumet’s all-black film version of The Wizard of Oz. Lumet was the son-in-law of actress and singer Lena Horne, who appeared in The Wiz as Glinda, The Good Witch. In 1943 Horne had starred in Stormy Weather, a ground-breaking film for black American actors, alongside Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. At one point Horne, who died in May, was the highest-paid black actress in Hollywood. A close friend of singer Paul Robeson, who was pursued by the McCarthyite witch-hunts of the 1950s, Horne’s association left her unable to work in films for seven years. It was during this period that Horne sang female lead on an album version of Porgy and Bess released the same year as Preminger’s film. Oddly, given his stance, Belafonte sang Porgy on the album while a young Sidney Poitier took the lead role in the film, later revealing that he only accepted the part because he feared a refusal might jeopardise his appearance in Stanley Kramer’s film, The Defiant Ones. By

ON THE EVE OF REHEARSALS, THE ENTIRE FILM SET PERISHED IN A BLAZE

Sidney Poitier is Porgy in the ill-fated 1959 movie version

INSET PICTURES: REX FEATURES

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that time, the genesis of Porgy and Bess as a movie had already become the stuff of soap opera. A slew of producers had attempted to develop the show for the big screen, with Harry Cohn even suggesting that Fred Astaire, Al Jolson and Rita Hayworth black up for it. By the time Poitier finally accepted producer Samuel Goldwyn’s offer, baseball player Jackie Robinson, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and singer Clyde McPhatter had all turned it down. On the eve of rehearsals, the entire film set perished in a blaze said to be a deliberate protest. Original director Rouben Mamoulian, who’d worked on Porgy and Bess in both theatrical and operatic form, was fired and Preminger drafted in. When the film finally appeared, runs were limited or else cancelled after angering black audiences, losses were never recouped, and Porgy and Bess the movie disappeared from view. Interestingly, two of the dancers in Preminger’s film were writer Maya Angelou and Nichelle Nichols, who, as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek, shared television’s first ever inter-racial kiss with William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Angelou had played a small part in the 1952 revival which also featured Cab Calloway. Despite all this disharmony, Porgy and Bess’ two best known songs have become standards. Based on a Ukrainian lullaby, ‘Summertime’ has been covered by jazzers including Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and George Benson. Both Nina Simone and Cleo Laine have tackled it, as have The Doors, The Zombies and Charlotte Church. Beyond Aretha Franklin and Bobby Darin’s versions, ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ was reinvented for the alternative cabaret age by early 1980s synth-pop trio Bronski Beat, fronted by Jimmy Somerville. His demeanour as a gay

.. ry

INSET PICTURES: REX FEATURES

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Clarke Peters in Trevor Nunn’s 2006 production

white Glaswegian singing the song falsetto at the height of Thatcherism gave things a whole new political dimension. More recent versions by Jamie Cullum and Sting weren’t quite cut from the same oppositionist cloth. Yet how does this all square with the Gershwins insisting that Porgy and Bess only ever be produced with a black cast, or their loathing of Preminger’s film, which was effectively withdrawn from view by the Gershwin and Heyward estates in the 1970s, only being screened in full as recently as 2007? More pertinently, perhaps, how does the show’s ambiguous history relate to the production by Cape Town Opera which toured to Edinburgh Festival Theatre during autumn 2009? By relocating the action to the black townships of apartheid-era South Africa, rather than being accused of Uncle Tom-ing things, Cape Town Opera put a culture’s institutionalised racism at the forefront of the play. It’s doubtful any of this will mean much to Opéra de Lyon’s Porgy and Bess, described in the EIF programme as, ‘A life-enhancing, high-octane production . . . total entertainment . . . ’ Yet there is one act on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe who straddles all the worlds mentioned. Clarke Peters, best known as Lester Freamon in The Wire, is currently reviving his Broadway hit, Five Guys Named Moe. In 2006 Peters played Porgy in a concert version of Porgy and Bess directed by Trevor Nunn in homage to his own Glyndebourne production. Despite the show’s commercial glitz, it sank. That’s showbiz, but, like Porgy and Bess, it’s so much more stormy weather besides. The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, 0131 473 2000, 14, 16, 17 Aug, 7.15pm, £14–£64. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 99

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The Pinochet years continue to leave a deep scar on the Chilean psyche. Playwright Guillermo Calderón tells Mark Fisher why Diciembre tackles some dark memories but still finds humour in his nation’s tortured past

The winter’s tale uillermo Calderón was 17 and in his first year of university when Augusto Pinochet stepped down as president of Chile and returned the country to democracy. It should have been a moment of liberation, but for Calderón, whose whole life had been shaped by the dictatorship, it was a big disappointment. ‘My generation grew up during the dictatorship and then we were welcomed into this new democracy, which we didn’t like. We wanted to challenge it.’ Saying goodbye to an authoritarian regime was one thing, but welcoming a system governed by the free-market philosophies then being championed by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan was another. It meant Calderón and his friends never let go of the political fervour that shaped their formative years. The system had changed, but they still had something to rail against. ‘The years of dictatorship were very traumatic, but at the same time very exciting because we were all working together for a common goal,’ he says. ‘I was active in politics and we were very optimistic. But when democracy arrived, it basically preserved the neo-liberal economic model based on the Milton Friedman school in Chicago. That was the economic model they preserved; the political model was basically what Pinochet had planned. Our big frustration was there wasn’t a big process of truth and reconciliation based on justice; it was just based on trying to find out whatever happened, but we wanted more. It was frustrating; and still is.’ That is why when the playwright and director talks about the theatre scene in his native country, it is in terms not of escapism but of seriousness. ‘It’s not what you would expect from Latin American theatre,’ Calderón says. ‘You’d expect folk music, folk dancing and plays made out of local legends. But, no, it’s more like eastern European theatre: small rooms with sad people, angry people.’ Calderón sees himself as part of a generation of theatremakers who have been shaped by their country’s history and are determined to change things. He is a decade or so younger than his compatriot Juan Carlos Zagal, whose Teatro Cinema is presenting two plays in the Edinburgh International Festival in the same week as Calderón’s Diciembre. Both men are all too aware of the historical background from which their work emerges. ‘A lot of us in my generation grew up during the dictatorship,’ Calderón says. ‘We’re concerned with mostly political issues in order to deal with this collective trauma we have. Compared with Teatro Cinema, we are more overtly political. Juan Carlos Zagal is 10-15 years older than me, so we have a different experience of the dictatorship. I can see each generation trying to walk away from the trauma. We’re defined by the experience, but we work on it differently.’ Diciembre, a three-hander by his Teatro en el Blanco company, is about a soldier who comes home from battle for 24 hours only to find himself at the centre of an argument between his twin sisters, both of whom are pregnant. One is a pacifist and would willingly give him shelter if he deserted from the army. The other is a patriot and is disgusted at the idea of such a defection. Set in a near future when a century-old territorial battle between Chile, Peru and Bolivia has been reignited, the play makes the connection between a great political movement – so great, in fact, it threatens to annihilate the country – and our private lives. If all this sounds terribly earnest, it should be said Diciembre is also a comedy, albeit a dark one. ‘It’s the comedy

I CAN SEE EACH GENERATION TRYING TO WALK AWAY FROM TRAUMA

of confusion, word play and absurd situations,’says Calderón, explaining that each of the actors doubles as a second, more farcical character. ‘I write for these specific actors, so I try to get their own sense of humour into their characters. I want to revitalise the stage, not to treat a grim subject in a grim way. I’m not here to torture or bore the audience.’ After Neva and Clase, the play is the third in a trilogy that is united by an examination of violence that infiltrates the home. Before getting the measure of Edinburgh theatregoers in August, Calderón will have the chance to see how a Russian audience reacts to Neva when it plays at the International Chekhov Theatre Festival in Moscow. In the EIF, Diciembre is one of the ways in which artistic director Jonathan Mills is trying to shift our cultural centre of gravity away from the Atlantic. A play that makes reference to the 19th-century War of the Pacific reminds us there are other ways of looking at the world. ‘Guillermo Calderón is a really remarkable new voice in South American theatre,’ says Mills. ‘He’s somebody to watch. We should be bringing these voices in.’ The feeling is mutual. ‘As theatre people, we usually go to Europe to get inspired and see what’s going on,’ says Calderón. ‘So the fact that they’re looking at us now, changing seats, is really strange. Moscow and Edinburgh are big highlights for us.’ In Diciembre’s previous tours out of Santiago, Calderón has seen the way different countries react to the material. You do not need to be an expert in Chilean history to understand the play, he says, not least because the experience of war and economic migration is sadly universal. But the country you come from will affect what you get out of it. ‘When we show Diciembre in Latin America, they usually concentrate on the racial issue,’ he says. ‘In the United States, they focus on the war issue because of Iraq and Afghanistan, and they don’t read the racial issue as well. Other people just connect with the play’s sense of humour, which is fine, although it’s a superficial reading.’ Hailed by the LA Times for ‘its masterfully economic blend of near-poetry and graphic context’, the play was written and rehearsed over a period of about six months. Calderón’s method is to write with specific actors in mind, feeding short passages of material into rehearsals as he goes along. The play is not devised – he is still the playwright – but the actors’ input, their personalities and their discussions all go to shaping the finished work. ‘It’s good because I get to edit the play with the actors on stage, I get feedback and I change things really freely,’ says the playwright who also works more conventionally as a director of existing plays. ‘I’m really inspired by the rehearsal process.’ Reacting against the wave of cool postmodernist detachment that dominated Chile’s stages in the 1990s, he is on a drive to get back to theatrical basics, concentrating on the good old values of acting, drama, humour and, of course, politics. ‘Theatre is very important if you want to say bold things about a society. There’s not a lot of independent media in Chile, so art has a really strong tradition. That tradition allows us to say a lot of things, and people who go to the theatre expect to see politically engaging stagings and plays.’ Royal Lyceum Theatre, Diciembre, Grindlay Street, 0131 473 2000, 2–4 Sep, 8pm; 4 Sep, 2.30pm, £10–£27. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 101

Diciembre International

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akir Hussain was always destined for musical greatness: one look at his childhood bedtime routine will tell you that. For years he would come home from school and go straight to sleep, only to be awakened by his father at midnight to rehearse through the night until it was time to go back to school. A little unorthodox by most parenting standards, but just look at the results. By the age of 11, Hussain was replacing his father (Alla Rakha) on tour with the renowned Ravi Shankar; at 28 he played on the soundtrack to Apocalypse Now; now he is regarded as one of the best Tabla players in the world, picking up a Grammy Award in 2009 to prove it. Small wonder, then, that choreographer Alonzo King saw Hussain as an ideal collaborator. The two men have joined forces on four dance works, including the atmospheric Rasa, part of a double bill being performed by Alonzo King Lines Ballet at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. When I ask King what drew him to Hussain, his admiration is clear, both for the musician and the man. ‘One of the things that is so remarkable about Zakir is he really is a world citizen,’ says King. ‘Because of his love of music, he has collaborated with every kind of musician, from western classical to Indian classical to folk music and beyond. So when you’re that kind of ambassador, have travelled the world since you were 11, and have the kind of celebrated father he does, you know how to work with people. He has the confidence and inner smile of a conqueror and whatever situation he goes into, he knows he’s going to win, because he’s incredibly positive and brings mastery with him.’ Hussain will perform on stage alongside the dancers, joined by violinist and singer Kala Ramnath because, for King, the place where dance ends and music begins is seamless. ‘Zakir’s music is the piece, there’s no separation. Music and movement are inextricable. In Rasa, sometimes the choreographer is like a surfer, riding the wave of the music, and at other times fighting it. If the dancer is merely following the music, what’s the

HE HAS THE CONFIDENCE AND INNER SMILE OF A CONQUEROR Alonzo King on Zakir Hussain

point in it being there? In a relationship, which is what this dance is, someone has to talk and someone has to listen: and we take turns in that.’ India-born Hussain is now based in King’s hometown of San Francisco. According to Hussain, it was inevitable their paths would one day cross. ‘Alonzo is so close to the Indian way of thinking. He meditates, does yoga and follows that way of life; so, living on the same side of the planet, it had to be that we would someday get together.’ Despite Hussain’s years of experience, working with King proved to be a substantial learning curve. For although Indian classical dance and American contemporary dance share a love of movement, they are worlds apart in structure, as Hussain discovered. ‘When you’re playing with Indian dancers, a certain amount of leeway is given to the drummer,’ he says. ‘You’re the principal instrumentalist on stage and you decide how the rhythms express the storytelling of the dance. With Alonzo, the story must be told unchanged, and that was very difficult for me to latch onto. But there is a great discipline to remembering how you spoke it yesterday and that’s something I learned working with Alonzo.’ The mutual appreciation between these talented men is clear, but aside from that, one thing shines through: the ease and informality of their working. Long days spent enjoying each other’s company, sharing food and ideas eventually led to an artistic outcome. The audience enjoys the result, but King and Hussain most certainly relish the process. ‘I grew up playing for Indian classical dancers, but there is an existing repertoire that you all learn,’ says Hussain. ‘So for me to compose something entirely new to play with a contemporary ballet was a great challenge. But sitting with Alonzo in my living room, talking about his feelings about movement and rhythm made it so easy to interact with him and come up with ideas. It was a pleasure, a joy. Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, 0131 473 2000, 26–29 Aug, 8pm, £10–£28.50.

The collaborations between choreographer Alonzo King and musician Zakir Hussain have yielded artistic excellence. Kelly Apter spoke to both men as they prepare to light up Edinburgh

On the right lines PHOTOGRAPH: WEIFERD WATTS

Alonzo King International

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Other highlights Montezuma

Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert

Carl Heinrich Graun’s opera about the Aztec leader who welcomed Spanish adventurers into his kingdom only for them to quickly get tore into the plundering and subjugation explores the clash of two very different worldviews. King’s Theatre, Leven Street, 14 & 15, 17 Aug, 7.15pm, £12–£35.

The traditionally spectacular finale to the festival season features classics from American movie soundtracks including Bernard Herrmann’s Marnie and Leonard Bernstein’s On the Waterfront. Princes Street Gardens, 5 Sep, 9pm, £11–£26.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mahler, Stravinsky, Berio and Bartok are all featured in this welcome return from Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons and the Netherlands’ collective which was named the top symphony orchestra in the world by Gramophone magazine in 2008. Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 30 & 31 Aug, 8pm, £10–£40.

Lemi Ponifasio MAU The Samoan choreographer Ponifasio is now based in New Zealand and with two fearless pieces – Tempest: Without a Body and Birds with Skymirrors – he has his say on issues of race, myth and consumerism. Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, 14 & 15, 17 Aug, 8pm; 18 Aug, 2.30pm, £8–£28.50.

Susan Graham & Malcolm Martineau The US mezzo soprano is becoming an August favourite and here, with pianist Martineau, fills the air with tunes from her homeland as well as works by Mahler and Mozart. Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 3 Sep, 8pm, £8–£32.

Caledonia

The Gospel at Colonus If there’s a more roof-raising theatre experience at the entire festival, never mind just at the International end of things, we can’t wait to hear about it. Lee Breuer and Bob Telson’s The Gospel at Colonus merges rock’n’roll, soul and gospel to fire up a fresh interpretation of the Sophocles tragedy, Oedipus at Colonus. Given that Breuer has been responsible for two sumptuous EIF productions in

recent times (Peter and Wendy last year and Mabou Mines DollHouse in 2007), you know the visual feast that awaits. Throw in the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Legendary Soul Stirrers, the Steeles, the Abyssinian Chancel Choir and a Pentecostal preacher and we have a rousing quartet of events for the Playhouse.

Explorations

Grupo Corpo

A fascinating series of talks and discussions open out the work that is going on upon the EIF stages this month. Among those appearing are Diciembre director Guillermo Calderón, choreographer Alonzo King and Elevator Repair Service’s artistic director, John Collins. The Hub, Castlehill, 14 & 15, 18, 22, 24, 28 & 29, 31 Aug, 3 Sep, 2.30pm, £6.50.

Two works from the flamboyant Brazilian dance team with the vividly coloured Parabelo which will have you feeling the Rio sands between your toes while the Latin funk of Onqotô explores some universal themes. Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, 20–23 Aug, 8pm, £10–£28.50.

Anthony Neilson directs this year’s National Theatre of Scotland EIF production about the ill-fated Darien Venture of 1698. William Paterson had a dream to found a Scottish enclave in Central America and turn his nation into a serious colonial player. How did it all go awry? King’s Theatre, Leven Street, 21 & 22, 24 & 25 Aug, 7.30pm; 22, 25 & 26 Aug, 2.30pm, £12–£27.

Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, 21 & 22 Aug, 7.30pm; 22 & 23 Aug, 2.30pm, £8–£30.

El Niño This year’s opening concert is John Adams’ oratorio about the nativity from a distinctly female perspective. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is led by conductor James Conlon with soprano Jessica Riviera and baritone Willard White in full voice. Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 13 Aug, 8pm, £10–£46.

The Man Who Fed Butterflies More innovative Chilean work at the EIF with Teatro Cinema giving us the story of a man at the end of his life looking to conduct a long-lost ritual belonging to an extinct tribe. King’s Theatre, Leven Street, 29 Aug, 2, 4 Sep, 8pm; 4 Sep, 2pm, £12–£27.

Jonathan Biss Discover exactly why this young American pianist is making such waves as he plays works from Schumann and Beethoven. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 14 Aug, 11am, £7–£27.

PHOTOGRAPH: WEIFERD WATTS

Kronos Quartet Simón Bolívar String Quartet Passion and talent are a great artistic combination and rarely has it found such a perfect home than in the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra. Here, the string quartet gives us vibrant renditions of Shostakovich and Bach. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 4 Sep, 11am, £7–£27.

Treasures and Traditions at Greyfriars These hour-long teatime concerts capture the sounds created by the first Europeans who ventured into South and Central America, including Bolivian baroque, sacred music from Rio and renaissance works straight out of Peru. Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place, 16–20, 23 & 24 Aug, 5.45pm, £17.50.

Bliss From the novel by Peter Carey comes this Opera Australia production about an ad exec, Harry Joy, who suffers a near-death experience. Has he come out the other side or is he now actually in hell with his family behaving in increasingly bizarre ways? Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, 2, 4 Sep, 7.15pm, £14–£64.

Now into its fifth decade of performing, this string foursome gets stuck into works by Aleksandra Vrebalov, George Crumb and Steve Reich with a provocative display of contemporary chamber music. Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 21 Aug, 8pm, £8–£32. For all tickets, call 0131 473 2000 Compiled by Brian Donaldson

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PHOTOGRAPH: PETER J CLARKE / SCOTTISHVIEWPOINT

The sonic and wildly diverse beanfest that is the Jazz & Blues Festival just keeps on giving year after year. There are landmarks to be celebrated with gypsy guitar icon Django Reinhardtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centenary and Chris Barber entering his 80s while fresh young talents such as China Moses and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble prove that there is plenty life in the old dog still. Talking of nature, who knew that the humble lapwing could inspire some hot modern jazz?

Jazz

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Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, 30 July â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 August

list.co.uk/festival/jazz The song of the Islay lapwing inspired Stuart Brown and John Hollenbeck to create a different kind of jazz. See page 108

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China Moses Jazz

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Washington monument

China Moses, The Hub, Castlehill, 0131 473 2000, 31 Jul, 8.30pm, £15.

Niki King The Hub, 3 Aug

...

DINAH WAS A BADASS WHO COULD SING LIKE AN ANGEL BUT SWEAR LIKE A SAILOR

INSET PICTURE: REX FEATURES

The Queen of the Blues made some jazz standards her own

If yo u

out Washington’s ability to sing big, gushing love lyrics one minute (‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’), then flip to redblooded innuendo the next: ‘Long John Blues’, for example, with its lyrics about a dentist and his ‘thrilling’ drilling. ‘Dinah was a badass, and that’s partly why I like her so much,’ Moses says. ‘She could sing like an angel, but also swear like a sailor. She was this real tomboy, too; I love the way she looked so glamorous but wasn’t afraid to hang out with the guys.’ Her first taste of Washington came in a roundabout way, after Moses got a row for stealing a Little Esther Phillips cassette from her grandmother’s collection. ‘That album was full of all this sexual innuendo, and there was me walking around, six years old, singing, “I’m a bad, bad girl. Bad as I can be”.’ Her grandma was horrified, and thought tiny China was way too young to listen to such filth, but her mum, the American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, was more understanding. ‘She figured if I was into that kind of voice, I’d be into Dinah, and she gave me a record of hers.’ One of the first Washington songs Moses remembers liking was ‘Drinking Again’, a song made famous by Frank Sinatra, and later covered by Bonnie Prince Billy. It’s a late night tale of a barfly, bumming smokes off strangers, and sipping beer to get over a broken heart. ‘I guess I like that it’s a newly single woman admitting she’s there getting drunk. That really wasn’t the done thing for a lady back then; I thought that was cool,’ says Moses, who laughs as she confesses her own love life is ‘unstable’ at the best of times. She can relate to Washington’s fun-loving lyrics, but insists she’s nowhere near as messed-up in her personal life. The singer was found dead at the age of 39, when her eighth husband discovered her slumped over, after accidentally overdosing on alcohol and sleeping pills. ‘She took a lot of uppers and downers, which is what made her die so young,’ says Moses. ‘Me, I’ll maybe get so drunk once a year, it’ll take me 40 minutes to climb the stairs to my apartment, but that’s about it!’ For Moses, music is an essential part of life, and she would ‘go a little crazy’ without it. ‘Music smoothes me out and keeps me sane. I have certain go-to singers depending on my mood. If I’m angry, I’ll listen to Tina Turner from the Ike and Tina years. If I’m heartbroken, I’ll put on Betty Davis’ “Anti Love Song”, and that evens me out again.’ As the daughter of a successful, touring jazz singer, Moses spent much of her childhood on the road. ‘Sitting backstage at festivals, falling asleep in corners of jazz clubs, listening in on conversations about Miles Davis’ back catalogue: that’s what I grew up with.’ But despite her exposure to jazz and blues from an early age, the 32-year-old singer never considered herself a ‘jazzhead’ until fairly recently. As a teenager, she loved hip hop and listened to De La Soul, Public Enemy and Run DMC. Obsessed with rappers like MC Lyte, and strong ladies like Queen Latifah and Salt ’n Pepa, she only gave up dreaming of getting into hip hop when she realised she couldn’t actually rap. ‘I have no flow!’ she squeals. ‘It’s true! I had to rethink the whole thing!’ So after putting out three soul albums on Virgin Records – China, On Tourne en Rond and Good Lovin’ – she decided to hone her sound more towards jazz. ‘My mother always told me to “feel every word” as I sing it. And I really do. Every concert takes me on a big rollercoaster. Sometimes I come off stage and I feel woozy, like t his ... but I kind of love that whole process.’

try

hina Moses is explaining what she loves about living in Paris, when she interrupts herself. ‘Can you hold on two seconds?’ She fumbles in a bag, then it sounds as if she’s put her mobile in her pocket while she jingles change over a counter. ‘Je voudrais . . . du vin blanc, et des bières.’ After a couple more seconds of rummaging, and a faint clinking sound, she’s back out in the street. ‘Sorry, I’m on my way to have a late night picnic with my boyfriend,’ she explains, before carrying on the conversation exactly where she left it, this time with a Californian accent again. ‘Paris has that same melting pot thing you get in New York. Except here you’re an hour away from other European countries, and Africa’s so close. I love that.’ Moses considers herself an American-Parisian, or an ‘Afropean’ as she prefers, after growing up in Los Angeles then moving to Paris when she was seven. Her work as a singer and TV presenter keeps her in France – she’s been an MTV presenter there for several years now – but it seems her heart still belongs in the States, or to be precise, the smoky jazz clubs of 1950s America. ‘I’m obsessed with Dinah Washington,’ she admits. ‘Not just her voice, although I love that too, but the woman, her songs, that club jazz sound . . . People talk about Billie and Ella, but for me, Dinah should be on the list too. She was unique.’ Moses’ love of the jazz singer nicknamed The Queen of the Blues prompted her to create a tribute show around her, which she is bringing to the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. Moses first got the idea while driving in the Camargue with her pianist friend, Raphael Lemonnier. ‘He was taking me to see the pink flamingos which, like a typical dumb American, I had no idea lived down there, and he pops in this Dinah Washington CD,’ she remembers. ‘I was so pleased when he put it on, I practically screamed, and I told him that’s my favourite singer. And he tells me it’s his too.’ So with the help of a mutual friend, Stéphane Kochoyan, programme director for the Nîmes Métropole Jazz Festival, the pair decided to put on a show called This One’s for Dinah. In it Moses sings jazz standards from Washington’s repertoire, including ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘Mad About the Boy’ and ‘Unforgettable’, plus some of Moses’ own compositions, including ‘Gardenias for Dinah’. The show proved so successful that Blue Note Records released an album of the songs in 2009. Moses points out that she has never tried to imitate Washington on stage, but rather celebrate her spirit, her playfulness, and her love of the blues. ‘Dinah was a musician’s singer,’ she explains. ‘Look at the way she played around with those melodies, and made jazz standards her own by adding in blues and gospel sounds. When she threw in that “Lord, what a difference a day makes”, that really threw people off! Jazz was the devil’s music, so using gospel words in there was close to blasphemy.’ Moses is an excitable, passionate chatterbox, with an American’s ability for straight-talking but a Parisian’s love of old-fashioned elegance and class. Her TV presenting and performing has taught her poise and a mega-watted grin of confidence, but the jazz singer in her is clearly drawn to the grit and heartache behind Dinah’s story. Besides Washington’s feisty spirit – Moses is clearly tickled that someone who started off playing piano in the church choir went on to have a tangled string of lovers and not give a damn what the congregation thought – what Moses especially loves about the singer is her versatility. She points

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China Moses Jazz

Forget Billie or Ella. Dinah is the jazz singer who rocks the world of China Moses. The Parisbased chanteuse talks to Claire Sawers about the poignant legacy of a remarkable talent

John Hollenbeck & Stuart Brown Jazz

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Stormy feather American John Hollenbeck and Scotsman Stuart Brown have collaborated on a project which aims to bring jazz closer to nature. Kenny Mathieson listens closely to the rhythms of an indigenous lapwing irdsong has been an inspiration for composers and musicians throughout the long history of music, from simple repetition of characteristic songs to the complex transcription and reworking of Olivier Messiaen. When it comes to music inspired by birds, though, drummers are not necessarily the first contenders that come to mind for a commission. Assembly Direct, promoters of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, thought otherwise and jointly commissioned Scotland’s Stuart Brown and America’s John Hollenbeck to do just that. When not behind the drum kit, both are also known as composers and arrangers. Brown’s Raymond Scott Project was a hit at the festival two years ago, and Hollenbeck’s big band album Eternal Interlude figured on many ‘best of’ lists last year. The commission is part of a joint initiative between the Jazz Festival, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival and the Glasgow Mela, in which each are producing their own projects under the overall heading of Naturally Inspired, with the help of Expo funding from the Scottish Government via the Scottish Arts Council. Given Assembly Direct’s connections with Islay through the jazz festival they run there each September, the island was an obvious source to turn to for avian inspiration. Brown and Hollenbeck spent a week there in March, listening to and recording the sounds of the local bird life from an RSPB hide. ‘The idea was to bring an international and a Scottish musician together to collaborate on the project by sending them to an environment where there was a lot of bird life,’ Brown explained. ‘John and I spent a week on the island, and we were helped by James Howe from the RSPB.’ In addition to the indigenous choughs (a crow distinguished by its red legs and bill, and now rare in the UK), Islay is best known for the huge influx of geese it gets in the winter months, although Brown felt that it was another bird that made the most intriguing sonic impression. ‘The lapwings produced some very weird and wonderful sounds,’he said, ‘even compared with recordings I have heard since. John and I spent the week getting to know each other and also recording the sounds of the birds from the bird hide, usually in the early evening when the

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THE LAPWING PRODUCED SOME VERY WEIRD AND WONDERFUL SOUNDS

geese were coming in to roost. Neither of us are at all knowledgeable about birds, so it was a clean slate for us, and we just absorbed ourselves in what we were hearing. Some of it was incredible from a musical perspective, and I think it will take us both in directions that we might not otherwise have gone in.’ Both musicians got busy writing music inspired by that experience for an unusual seven-piece band featuring both drummers, keyboard players Gary Versace and Paul Harrison, saxophonists Julian Arguelles and Jorrit Dijkstra and singer Theo Bleckmann. Arguelles and Harrison, both based in Edinburgh, will be familiar enough to jazz fans here. Hollenbeck, Versace and Bleckmann constitute the drummer’s Refuge Trio, one of several regular units he has, and Dijkstra has previously worked with the Bancrofts in Scotland. ‘It is quite an unusual line-up,’ admits Brown. ‘It’s basically two trios and one voice, and several of us also use electronics in our work, including me, so we’ll have a bit of that as well. Working with the recordings we made on Islay has been really interesting, and it is up to us how literally we choose to draw on the birdsong. It might, for example, affect our ideas on musical structure or maybe changing sounds over time rather than just melody.’ On Islay the two musicians spent their time researching rather than writing together, and they then both came up with separate pieces for performance in the concert. Brown added that there will also be some collaborative sections, which they will work out when all of the musicians come together to rehearse before the festival performance. In addition to their featured festival concert, there will be a chance to get an initial sample of their efforts earlier that day at the Botanic Gardens. As part of a taster for the whole project, Naturally Inspired will be performing extracts from their various works. Inspired, Royal Botanic Garden, Naturally Inverleith Row, 8 Aug, 1–5pm, free; Stuart Brown /John Hollenbeck Group, The Hub, Castlehill, 8 Aug, 8.30pm, £12.50. For tickets call 0131 473 2000.

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Clandemonium

Swinging for Basie

The world premiere of a unique Scottish jazz flashmob street event created by drummer Tom Bancroft. If you’re a budding dancer, singer or kazoo player, that energy and burgeoning talent is required, as you’ll be given a half-hour training session before being let loose for what should be an unforgettable collaborative event. Parliament Square, 31 Jul, 11.30am, free.

Joe Temperley plans a masterclass of swing, evoking the sound of the Basie Band from the late 50s and 60s. As well as a top band (including Colin Steele, Brian Kellock and Bobby Wellins), the stage will be graced by Dennis Rowland, Basie’s 70s vocalist and an authoritative interpreter of the soulful swing of classic Americana. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 4 Aug, 8pm, £16.50–£21.50.

Melba Joyce

Les Doigts de l’Homme

The powerful tonsils of this Harlem singer who has been chief vocalist in the Count Basie Orchestra for years are unleashed for two events where she’ll lead the gospel singing and deliver some good old-fashioned swinging jazz. St Cuthberts Church, Lothian Road, 1 Aug, 6pm, free; Jam House, Queen Street, 2 Aug, 8pm, £12.50.

Back by popular demand after their smash show in 2009, Les Doigts deliver a rocky swing with fiery guitar solos all greased up by fabulous technique and musicianship, unashamed showmanship and a wicked humour. The Hub, Castlehill, 4 Aug, 8.30pm, £15.

Chris Barber at 80 Samuel Hällkvist Center A taste of something new as we hear jazz for the information age with guitarist Hällkvist whose eclectic roots lie deep in ragtime, country, metal and early digital electronics. Swedish jazz has a new star on the rise. Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street, 1 Aug, 8.30pm, £10.

The Bays/Hidden Orchestra Another different kind of jazz event with this club night headlined by The Bays, whose techno, hip hop, electro and drum & bass set is only ever performed live. They’re joined by the Hidden Orchestra whose cinematic sound has won them plaudits and a record deal. The Caves, Niddry Street South, 1 Aug, 9pm, £12.50.

The festival salutes one of the greats of UK jazz as, for one night only, Pat Halcox, Ian Wheeler and Mr Barber play in the frontline with Johnny McCallum on banjo, John Slaughter on guitar, Vic Pitt on bass, and Sticky Wickets on drums. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 5 Aug, 8pm, £20–£25.

Django 100 He spent his early years living in a horse-drawn gypsy caravan, damaged his hand in a fire and survived the Nazi threat, yet Django Reinhardt became the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe. Breathing new vibrant life into the acoustic guitar, he thrust the instrument to the front line of jazz and alongside Stéphane Grappelli, created the signature Hot Club sound. Among those taking part in some special Django 100 shows is Evan Christopher with Django à la Créole (7 Aug) in which New Orleans’ premier clarinettist

imbues swing-era classics with virtuoso interpretations and Martin Taylor (pictured) hooks up with the great gipsy guitarist Fapy Lafertin to invoke the Spirit of Django (2 Aug). The whole centenary shebang will kick off with a discussion at The Hub entitled What Makes Django Special? (1 Aug) and a screening later that day at The Filmhouse of Lacombe, Lucien. This 1974 Louis Malle movie is set in the occupied France of World War II and which featured a soundtrack by Django. Various venues and dates.

Curtis Stigers A festival debut for Stigers whose laconic vocals are complemented by his tender sax playing. A quality top quartet features the supreme trumpet playing of John Sneider. The Hub, Castlehill, 6 Aug, 8.30pm; 7 Aug, 10pm, £20.

New York downtown jazz meets European impro as trombonist Chris Greive, guitarist Graeme Stephen and drummer Chris Wallace revisit their new album with virtuoso Berlin clarinettist, Silke Eberhard. The Lot, Grassmarket, 7 Aug, 9pm, £10.

Fleetwood Mac’s founder is an exmember of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and one of the most influential British blues guitarists since the mid-1960s. BB King is a big fan and he knows a thing or two about that particular genre. Picture House, Lothian Road, 2 Aug, 8pm, £20.

Laura Macdonald Sextet Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Nine of the world’s leading exponents of swing come together for this unique one-off event, playing the music of Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 3 Aug, 8pm, £17.50–£22.50.

Seductive cinematic atmospheres, energetic drum programming, lush instrumental arrangements and brilliant sax solos are the only things promised with this gig. Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street, 6 Aug, 8.30pm, £10.

NeWt with Silke Eberhard

Peter Green and Friends

Festival of Swing

Haftor Medbøe Group

This funky brass band (above) from Chicago do funk, soul, rap and jazz, splicing it all into a high energy, party music that leaves no one in the room on their seat. Jools Holland had them on his show, if that’s your barometer of success. Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street, 3 Aug, 9pm, £15.

Konrad Wiszniewski & Baptiste Trotignon Trio Trotignon is one of the world’s most promising jazz pianists and here teams his almighty trio up with young Scottish tenor sax star Wiszniewski, who is gathering an international following with his urgent sound. Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street, 4 Aug, 8.30pm, £10.

Laura Mac reassembles her acclaimed sextet for some beautiful tone poems and a dense, surging music with atmospheric melodies. The Lot, Grassmarket, 8 Aug, 9pm, £10. For Queen’s Hall tickets, call 0131 668 2019. For all others, call 0131 473 2000 Compiled by Brian Donaldson

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Other highlights Jazz

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, the nburgh party i d E n i e e ining th tival tim and This Fes arliament is jo g, stimulating P ts in Scottish ries of provok ill cover subjec w se with a ing events. It ollution p dy in enterta r, poverty and ball and come e ot like pow 's room for fo Lennox to ie re but the kers from Ann e and inspire. t a k os too. Spe cott will provo s also plays h n tic es John Pr estival of Poli 2010 Exhibitio F o And the rld Press Phot n of riveting o io to the W rdinary collect globe. o e a an extr om around th fr images D MOST N A E M ELCO NE IS W E. O Y R E V E ARE FRE EVENTS

Full programme available from the Festival website at www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk Waterstones bookshops throughout Scotland, Hub Tickets & The Scottish Parliament.

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British politics has come through one of its more testing hours after the MPs’ expenses scandal threatened to destroy what little faith we had left in our elected representatives. Over the course of five days, some events at the Scottish Parliament will seek to reinvigorate the public’s interest in all matters political. Martin Bell tells us why he is optimistic about the future and we look at the dramatic images which tell stories both bleak and beautiful

Politics

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Festival of Politics, 17–21 August

list.co.uk/festival/politics Annie Lennox returns to Holyrood for the Power of the People event alongside Martin Bell and Mark Thomas, as well as bringing us an update on her endeavours in Africa with the SING Campaign. See page 115

World Press Photo Politics

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Brian Donaldson casts an eye over the winning shots in the World Press Photo collection and witnesses both horror and heaven. Sometimes even captured within the same image

Picture this very morning, you want to wake up with a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and a positive attitude in your head as you climb out from under the duvet. Luckily, the first thing you’ll read every morning won’t be the descriptions of the nominated and winning pictures from this year’s World Press Photo collection. You’d only crawl back into that bed: ‘Australian bushfires: Jennifer Wood discovers her street reduced to ruins, 8 February’; ‘Woman rushed from the scene of a suicide bombing, Kabul, Afghanistan, 15 December’; ‘Stoned to death, Somalia, 13 December’; ‘Medellin’s drug gangs: youth lies dead in the street, Colombia, 27 September.’And so, relentlessly, the death, destruction, and global mayhem go on. Yet, even amid the horror of carnage and conflict, there are snatches of humour which can alleviate the observer’s feelings of distress, such as David Guttenfelder’s shot from behind, of the US soldier incongruously attired in a red tshirt and pink-patterned I Love New York boxer shorts, as the Taliban interrupts his slumber with gunfire. Many of the images refer to a group loyalty as in Robert Gauthier’s pic of the Yankees fans trying to distract an opponent en masse, or the Rainbow Gathering of teenage runaways and travelers (plus mildly concerned rodent) in New Mexico, taken by Kitra Cahana. Some glimpse a moment of calm or isolation for an individual: British snapper Charles Ommanney beautifully caught Obama in a moment of deep reflection just prior to being sworn in as the 44th US president, while Gihan Tubbeh captured a Peruvian teenager with autism who likes to feel the sensation of touching a TV screen. But in the main, this selection conjures up feelings of terror and hopelessness. What is the fate of the blindfolded drug dealer being marched at gunpoint into the dark as old scores are settled? What became of the two men taking shelter behind a skip as the Madagascan police fire tear gas into the air during a riot in the nation’s capital, Antananarivo? Not much more needs to be said of the women fleeing the blazing aftermath of a suicide bombing in Kabul, blood and fear plastered on her face. It’s a terrible and painful contradiction that moments of such hell can often result in a permanent snapshot of utter beauty. To quote the recently deceased Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, ‘it’s a sad and beautiful world’.

World Press Photo, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Road, 0131 473 2000, 3–28 Aug, free. 112 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

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World Press Photo Politics

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1 Walter Astrada Agence France-Presse Police fire tear gas in the main avenue of Antananarivo, the Madagascan capital 2 Joe Petersburger National Geographic When the kingfisher dives, its third eyelid protects the eye from damage 3 Gareth Copley Press Association Australia’s Simon Katich dismisses England batsman Jonathan Trott 4 Eugene Richards Getty Images Jose Pequeño lost 40% of his brain during a grenade attack on patrol in central Iraq 5 Charles Ommanney Getty Images Barack Obama pauses before being sworn in as the first African-American president 6 Annie van Gemert artist commission She took photographs of androgynous youngsters to tackle viewers’ perceptions 7 Marco Vernaschi Pulitzer Center Drug dealers in Guinea-Bissau lead a rival, later released alive, into the dark list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 113

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If yo

Martin Bell Politics

Engaging Politics Scottish Parliament, 20 Aug

...

Martin Bell worked stoically for years as a war correspondent before becoming the UK’s most popular independent MP. Miles Fielder talks to the white-suited man about taking politics away from the politicians

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Power struggle ere you depressed by the outcome of the general election? The Conservatives back in power despite being all but annihilated in Scotland. Labour collapsed despite being endorsed north of the border. The Lib Dems putting Cameron in Downing Street. The public certainly wasn’t apathetic on May 6, but by refusing to endorse a clear majority for any of the parties it obviously wasn’t impressed with any of the colours on the political spectrum. Unsurprisingly, then, feelings are mixed about the new coalition government and its ability to steer the country through harsh economic times. But don’t be too down-in-the-mouth. An event at the Festival of Politics suggests all is not lost. Arguing that those of us who are not professional politicians can nevertheless affect the political landscape, Power of the People aims to temper our understandable pessimism with cautious optimism. Among those guest speakers from the non-party political sphere in attendance will be Martin Bell, the septuagenarian from Suffolk who was appointed an OBE for a lifetime’s work as a war reporter – broadcasting from Vietnam, Nigeria, Angola, Bosnia, Northern Ireland and the Middle East – and who stood as an independent MP for the formerly Tory constituency of Tatton, secured the seat and sat in parliament during Tony Blair’s first term. Bell, who is currently a British UNICEF ambassador, thinks the people of Britain do have access to considerable political power. ‘For a start, we’re all voters. A number of people who had extremely questionable expenses claims were voted out of office at the general election. One of the things that the events of last year taught us is that it’s really our parliament not theirs. So we’ve begun the slow process of recuperating it for ourselves. Then there are lobbying groups for everything from trade associations to charities and there is local government as well. What’s worried me in recent years is the growing gap between the political class and the rest of us. But I think the interest that people took in the general election campaign and its result suggests that the gap is beginning to be closed.’ In fact, Bell sees the outcome of the general election as quite positive. ‘Our politicians are on probation,’ he says. ‘No single party for the first time in my lifetime – and I’m quite an old bloke – emerged with an absolute majority. This is forcing our politicians to work together, maybe to moderate some of their extreme positions. I think we must not expect too much of our government. It’s not building or offering a new Jerusalem. It’s taking office in extraordinarily difficult times and while it may disappoint us, it should not betray us. I think it’s a time of modest hope.’ In Bell’s view, the election continued to show up the deficiencies of the British voting system and put to bed the old argument of first-past-the-post always delivering a definite result. ‘It didn’t on this occasion because it was designed for a two-party world. Now, we have three parties in England, four parties in Wales and Scotland, and I think if we had another election held in, say, six months’ time, a year’s time, we would deliver another inconclusive result.’ Bell also believes that parliament compromised itself by yielding much of its powers to an all-powerful executive. ‘We don’t actually elect a government,’ he says, ‘we elect members of parliament. Those members of parliament have

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to defend their privileges to represent us against abuses of power. Those abuses used to come from the crown; in the Tony Blair years, and before that, they came from Downing Street. So, this is a time for politicians to not again allow themselves to be railroaded by the executive, such as going into a war that the people oppose, and it is a time for extreme vigilance on the part of the people.’ Bell will be addressing all of the above during his appearance at the Festival of Politics alongside Annie Lennox and Mark Thomas. ‘I’ll be talking about neutralist politics and the new political landscape and I’ll probably have something to say about Scotland as well.’ of the People, Scottish Power Parliament, Holyrood Road, 0131 473 2000, 18 Aug, 1pm, £6 (£3.50). Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 18 Aug, 6.30pm, £10 (£8).

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Hear Me! This event provides young people from across Scotland with an opportunity to get on a soapbox and propose a ‘two-minute manifesto’ identifying what would most change their lives for the better. 20 Aug, 1.30pm, free.

‘It’s Nae Fair’: But Who is Responsible for Our Understanding of the Law? How many of us really understand the law and how it affects us? If we don’t know what the law is, can there be any chance of making it fairer? 20 Aug, 4pm, free.

The Politics of Comedy Will the ConDemNation we all live in now spark a new political comedy or has all that stuff been left behind in the 80s? Is it all just about the money and not trying to frighten the horses? How do the likes of Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle fit into this new niceness? A panel including Simon Fanshawe and The Stand boss Tommy Sheppard (above) debate the odds. 17 Aug, 1pm, £6 (£3.50).

Mediating Conflict Third-party countries can often play an important role in bringing those involved in conflict to the negotiating table, and facilitating peace agreements. Join Des Browne, exDefence Secretary, and Sir Menzies Campbell MP, former Lib Dem leader, as they discuss the vital need for conflict mediation. 21 Aug, 3pm, £6 (£3.50).

The Science of Eating: Or Who Controls What You Eat? We are in the grip of an epidemic of over-eating. But what is the root cause: greed, the availability of food, or societal pressures? Or are there more subtle physiological mechanisms at work? And why is it that some people are ‘naturally’ slim, whereas others struggle to control their weight? 17 Aug, 4pm, free.

Annie Lennox

As yet another World Cup fades into the memory-bank with Scotland getting nowhere near the business end of proceedings, fans, politicians and sports media examine what needs to be done to improve the fortunes of our national team? 17 Aug, 6pm, tickets available through the Real Radio Football Phone-in.

A regular visitor to the Scottish Parliament come August time, former Eurythmics co-leader Annie Lennox takes part in two events. First up she is joined by comic Mark Thomas and former war correspondent turned independent MP Martin Bell in Power of the People. Here the trio will debate whether politics should be the exclusive preserve of our elected representatives and democratic institutions or is there a place for those not kneedeep in a political background to

get more involved in parliamentary life and governing? And in her second appearance, Lennox returns to Holyrood to provide an update on developments in her SING Campaign, which fights HIV/AIDS in South Africa. She’ll be reporting on the positive impact SING and the Treatment Action Campaign continue to have on people living with HIV. Power of the People, 18 Aug, 1pm, £6 (£3.50); SING Campaign, 19 Aug, 6.30pm, £6 (£3.50).

UK political parties are increasingly nicking the best ideas from our Nordic cousins, but is Britain really a nation that can adapt to their methods? Lesley Riddoch (above) chairs proceedings. 18 Aug, 11am, free.

Solutions to the Crisis in News Media and Representative Democracy

Zero-Carbon Scotland of the Future

The Politics of Devolution

Women at the Top: Where Next for Women in Politics?

Scotland’s Political Football

The demise of traditional news media coupled with the lack of trust in representative democracy present major challenges to politics and to citizen engagement. This session will explore what can be done to yield a more pluralistic news media in the interest of enriching democracy and strengthening civil society. 18 Aug, 1.30pm, free.

Is Peace Worth Fighting For? Malcolm Rifkind QC is among those debating how politicians balance up the national interest, the security of citizens, and their own principles before coming to momentous decisions about armed conflict. 18 Aug, 4pm, £6 (£3.50).

Scotland has some of the world's toughest climate targets but if we do reduce our carbon emissions to almost zero, where will our energy come from and what will our homes look like? 19 Aug, 1.30pm, free.

Hepatitis C: Future Impact on Scottish Society An estimated 50,000 people in Scotland have been infected by the Hepatitis C virus but only half have been diagnosed. The virus can be successfully treated but public and professional awareness remains low, delaying diagnosis and treatment. What then are the implications for Scottish society? 19 Aug, 4pm, free.

How has devolution changed life in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales? What are the big issues for the future of politics. Among those debating their experience of devolution is Michael Russell MSP while the Beeb's Brian Taylor chairs the show. 19 Aug, 4pm, free.

Where Do Young People Get Their Political News? With newspaper sales declining and readership growing ever older, where do young people obtain information about politics? Have blogs and social networks become the political forums of choice for the under 25s? 20 Aug, 11am, free

Equal and Child-Centred: Is Britain Ready for a Nordic Revolution?

After the recent general election campaign in which female politicians had such a low profile, this discussion analyses the future for women in politics across the UK. 21 Aug, 4pm, free.

A Life in Politics: John Prescott John Prescott was Britain’s longest serving Deputy PM and someone who fought hard on climate change. But you lot will still think of him as the guy who punched a voter. Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP chats to Prezza about his colourful career. 21 Aug, 5pm, £6 (£3.50). All events at Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Road, 0131 473 2000 Compiled by Brian Donaldson

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Here comes everything you need to know about that noisy thing with all the crowds up at the castle. Laura Ennor offers up 21 handy bitesize chunks of facts about the Tattoo

Force of numbers 1

All together now: Haaaappy Birthday to … well, a fair few things actually. There’s the 150th anniversary of the UK Cadet Organisation, which shares its birthday with the Army Physical Training Corps; then there’s the centenary of the Army School of Bagpipe Music; the Imps Motorcycle Display team are turning 40; and then there’s the biggie: 2010 is the Tattoo’s Diamond Jubilee year, marking 60 years of rousing pipes, rattling drums and rigorous military timing.

Never in its 60-year history has a single performance of the Tattoo been cancelled. Many similar displays around the world take place in indoor arenas, so the fact that Edinburgh’s happens on top of a rocky outcrop exposed to the delights of the Scottish summer makes that even more impressive, no?

It’s estimated that around 100m people worldwide watch the BBC’s Tattoo highlights package each year. However, the appearance of Chinese acts in recent years and the sale of the programme to Central Chinese Television is reckoned to have added another 300m to that impressive figure.

The BBC broadcast of the Tattoo gets its first new narrator for 45 years this year, following the death of Tom Fleming.

Thought it was about military pride and excellence? Well, you’re wrong. Basically, the Tattoo is all about beer. The origin of the word ‘tattoo’ is in the Old Dutch phrase ‘doe den tap toe’ (‘turn the tap off’). This is the call that would go up around the inns of the garrison towns where the British Army was stationed in the 17th century, as the carousing soldiers were summoned back to barracks for the night by a contingent of marching drummers. So tattoo – like booze, coleslaw, poppycock, tickle and iceberg – is a Dutch loanword.

The youngest performers in this year’s Tattoo are part of the London Imps Motorcycle Display Team: they start them young at five, with retirement at the grand old age of 16.

Although it has only 21 year-round employees, the running of the Tattoo requires a ground crew almost as numerous as the 1000-strong performers, including stewards, ushers, police, first-aiders, firefighters and logistics experts. Rather conveniently, the army isn’t bad at that sort of thing.

Each year a significant portion of the money raised from ticket sales is donated to charities, including servicemen’s charities such as the Army Benevolent Fund and arts organisations such as the Edinburgh International Festival.

If all that parading around has got you in the mood for a little shopping – what else? – you’ll be thrilled to know that Tattoo-branded items in the dedicated souvenir shop range from the eminently sensible rain poncho, to the hoarder’s delight of a thimble and the frankly superfluous drum-shaped ice bucket.

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All of the pipers and drummers representing British regiments in the spectacular columns of massed pipes and drums are serving soldiers first and foremost, musicians second. And for hobbyists, they sure ain’t too shabby. This year’s massed pipes and drums will include old favourites from Scotland and the rest of the UK, as well as the South Australia Pipes and Drums, the South African Irish Regiment, South Carolina’s civilian Citadel Band and the Swiss Highlanders (who wear their own specially designed tartan).

Stalwarts of the massed pipes and drums, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, have not one but a rather greedy three mottoes, ranging from the menacing ‘Nemo me impune lacessit’ (roughly, Latin for ‘no one hurts me and gets away with it’) to the cocky ‘Second to None’, and on to the more humble German of ‘ich dien’ (‘I serve’). 116 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

‘Nemo me impune lacessit‘

The ‘Voice of the Tattoo’ is one Alasdair Hutton, local councillor for Kelso and District in the Borders.

Infrastructure geeks will be excited to know that the current arena seating stands are being retired this year. This after 35 years of holding up an audience of 217,000 Tattoo-goers each August, not to mention fans of the likes of Girls Aloud, Runrig, Duran Duran, The Proclaimers and more during the outdoor gig ‘season’ either side of the festival period.

Twenty coaches are needed each night to transport the performers from Redford Barracks. Around the same number arrive full of tour groups, with whole citycentre streets being turned into car parks to accommodate all of them.

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Party planning Brian Donaldson scans the brochures for another bunch of festival extravaganzas going down a storm this August

Festival of Spirituality and Peace ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated’. This simple but powerful message is the Golden Rule at the heart of the tenth Festival of Spirituality and Peace. Over the month there is a strong programme including a photography exhibition of the Dalai Lama, spectacular drumming with Tenchi Shinmei, a Japanese tea ceremony, a performance from the Tashi Lhunpo Monks and an installation called Orange Suits and Golden Rules, in which volunteers are asked to spend just a few hours in the shoes of a Guantanamo Bay detainee. Various venues, 7–30 Aug, 0131 473 2000, festivalofspirituality.org.uk

Edinburgh Interactive

YEARS OLD: 60 PERFORMERS EACH NIGHT: 1000 BUMS ON SEATS EACH SEASON: 217,000 WORLDWIDE TELEVISION AUDIENCE: 400,000,000

In honour of this year’s Diamond Jubilee, the Queen has bestowed the title of ‘Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’ on the event for the very first time.

Among the events inspired by Edinburgh’s Tattoo is the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland, which takes place in late July just before the Edinburgh extravaganza. It features many of the same acts, and is currently running a special offer of knock-down ‘Schottische Preisen’ in its online shop.

There’s no such frugality from our visitors though, with Tattoo audiences estimated to contribute around £88m to the Scottish economy.

Including screenings and free game play, this is the festival that wholly lives up to its billing. This year, Edinburgh Interactive hooks up with the Television Festival as they seek to explore the possibilities for a co-development of interactive TV and games formats. Nintendo have a massive presence at the two-day event this year with chances to have a go at the Wii versions of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid while Dragon Quest IX will be on the DS. The Filmhouse, Lothian Road, 25 & 26 Aug, edinburghinteractivefestival.com

Edinburgh Mela The Mela has switched venues this year to Leith Links and will feature the premiere of CARGO, a Scottish Government-funded large-scale outdoor performance on the theme of migration. Other highlights include UK Asian Music Awards Best Newcomer Jaz Dhami, Punjabi rapper and songwriter duo Bonafide, drums and dance from China’s Guizhou Ethnic Arts, the Mela Fashion Show and Jaipur Kawa Circus. Leith Links, 6–8 Aug, 0131 332 2888, edinburgh-mela.co.uk

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For the last 11 years, the Tattoo has been a complete sell-out.

It’s tradition for the ‘Voice of the Tattoo’ to raise a cheer for each of the nationalities represented in the audience at the start of every night’s performance. The biggest is always for our English cousins, who buy around 50% of the tickets. Another 20% go to patriotic Scots, while the remainder are divided between Europe (12%, mainly Germans), North America (8%), and other far-flung parts of the world (including a growing market in China).

The Tattoo’s showpiece international acts for this year are still a closely-guarded secret, but are bound to be suitably spectacular if past visitors are anything to go by. Previously, we’ve had Chinese stilt-walkers, Estonian gymnasts and a Tongan brass band whose stage act included ‘paddling’ a canoe around the Esplanade. Word on the Royal Mile is that there’s an Eastern European group and a ‘sizeable contingent’ from the Middle East, plus some four-legged participants. We’re intrigued. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Castle, 0131 225 1188, 6–28 Aug, Mon–Fri, 9pm; Sat, 7.30pm, 10.30pm, £16–£50.

Edinburgh International Television Festival This year’s big innovation at the industry bash involves delegates getting a chance to pose questions via Twitter to channel controllers who will be discussing their plans and priorities for the coming year. BBC Director-General Mark Thompson delivers the McTaggart Lecture with Paul Shameless Abbott offering the Alternative McTaggart while there will also be high-profile appearances from Michael Grade, Jon Snow and Katie Price. EICC, 27–29 Aug, 0207 278 9515, mgeitf.co.uk list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 117

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Come and enjoy the Bulmers summerside garden in Assemblyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand new outdoor venue, in the heart of Princes Street Gardens. With live music, instant prizes and plenty of fun in the sun, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect place to awake your summerside.

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Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens From brilliant restaurants to

truly original independent shops, sparkling wee cocktail bars and pulsating clubs that go on a-a-all night, Edinburgh has a lot to offer during August. Over the following pages, you’ll find an exhaustive insider’s guide to the city’s charms, from the best places for a good, cheap meal with friends to the best ghost tours in the city. It’s all organised by area, too, so if you find yourself in need of a quick drink near the Pleasance, you’ll know where to go. Oh, and look out for our special Top Picks, recommending everything from attractions for the kids to somewhere you can get yourself a decent haircut

list.co.uk/festival/cityguide Note that during the Festival many restaurants and bars extend their hours beyond those published here

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Old Town City Guide

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FESTIVAL FIREWORKS CELEBRATE THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL IN STYLE AT THE FORTH FLOOR SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2010, 8PM – 12MIDNIGHT Watch the most spectacular fireworks display of the year from the Forth Floor Terrace boasting one of the best views in town. Enjoy live music, canapés and Harvey Nichols own label wine. £55 per person For further details or to make a reservation, please contact the Forth Floor Reception team on 0131 524 8350

La p’tite folie 61 Frederick Street Edinburgh Tel: 0131 225 7983 www.laptitefolie.co.uk

“Le Di-Vin” Wine Bar St. Ann’s Oratory 9 Randolph Place Edinburgh Tel: 0131 538 1815 www.ledivin.co.uk

La p’tite folie 2 Tudor House 9 Randolph Place Edinburgh Tel: 0131 225 8678

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Old Town City Guide

Areas Old Town

Grassmarket

retailers that line the area, including shop-cum-studio Bill Baber’s and the legendary Armstrong’s vintage clothing store. Hip boutiques like Swish and Totty Rocks can be found just up the road on Victoria Street, as well as some excellent purveyors of food and drink, such as smelly-but-wonderful cheesemonger I. J. Mellis and whisky specialists Demijohn. As for nightlife, take your pick: the Grassmarket is home to no fewer than eight bars along its 230 yards, and leads on to the Cowgate with its own plethora of pubs and clubs. While you’re there, check out the

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Underbelly – a hive of Fringe venues tucked away in the city’s crypts. Those looking to experience the Old Town in style should start down the bottom of the Royal Mile, with a spot of breakfast in the Palace of Holyrood House (the vast array of cakes come highly recommended), before popping into the Scottish Parliament, which while highly controversial in its day for its hefty price tag, is actually a great jaunt inside. It’s also, incidentally, home to the Festival of Politics. Enjoy a wander up the Mile before taking in the sights from the Castle.

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Key venues: (1) Assembly @ Assembly Hall (2) The Hub (3) C aquila (4) Dance Base National Centre for Dance (5) Scottish Storytelling Centre (6) Underbelly, Cowgate (7) Fringe Club (8) C (9) National Museum of Scotland (10) Festival Theatre With its constant hustle and bustle, The Royal Mile can feel like the beating heart of the festival season. Fringe street performers and leafleters swamp the place, while excited festival-goers drop into the box office. And that’s not all. There are a bunch of great eating and drinking establishments to be found, none of which are shy about cashing in on Edinburgh’s grisly past. Treat yourself to a malt at Deacon Brodie’s, named after the real-life businessman-by-day, burglar-by-night who inspired the tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Alternatively, check out one of the many ghost tours leaving from around the St Giles’ Cathedral. The Grassmarket is similarly unafraid of some gallows humour, with several pubs (such as the deliciously dark Last Drop) dedicated to the unfortunate victims of the public executions that took place there. It’s not all doom and gloom, though – the Grassmarket is occupied with colourful going-ons, case in point the regular GrassMarkets, complete with food, drink and clothes stalls. Those looking for some retail therapy, need look no farther than the fiercely independent clothes

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5 NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND The

Key venues: (1) The Traverse @ St Stephen’s (2) Charlotte Square Gardens (3) Hill St Theatre (4) Assembly @ George Street (5) National Gallery Complex (6) The Stand Edinburgh’s ‘Athens of the North’ tag is largely down to the pillar’d and portico’d architecture of the New Town, which has a more leafy and open outlook than the alley- and wynd-ridden Old sector. For evidence of this, just check out central venue Assembly, or the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy, which sit proudly at the foot of the Mound. Much of the main New Town action can be found on George Street, flanked at either end by the greenery of St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square (the latter of which is home to the Book Festival). Upmarket swankeries like Tigerlily, Candy Bar and Opal Lounge overflow with the trendiest of the trendy set come night time, while the daylight hours find the throngs perusing the designer-led Multrees Walk, home to Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton and Edinburgh’s own Harvey Nick’s. Less overtly opulent surroundings are to be found down the hill in Stockbridge. It’s a charming, bustling locale, with a host of extremely well-stocked charity

shops jostling for space with independent art and jewellery dealers. The Water of Leith burbles through it, leading up to the equally lovely Dean Village, and lends the whole area an almost countrified air. Pubs such as Hector’s or the Stockbridge Tap keep things fairly traditional, while gems such as foodie favourite Urban Angel are well worth seeking out. For more cosmopolitan drinking ventures, we recommend Bramble and Star Bar, both fine cocktail establishments. Nearby, you can double up your drinking and venuehopping with a visit to The Stand comedy club or Jools Holland’s Jam House.

IT’S A CHARMING, BUSTLING LOCALE

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Area guides

Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

Southside City Guide

119-149 City Guide BulmersAM new

Southside Key venues: (1) C plaza (2) The Queen’s Hall (3) Meadows Theatre Big Top (4) King’s Theatre (5) The Cameo Cinema (6) Gilded Balloon Teviot (7) Udderbelly’s Pasture (8) Pleasance Dome (9) Zoo Roxy (10) Pleasance Courtyard The Southside is the main port of call for students in Edinburgh throughout the academic year — they can be found relaxing on the vast green expanse of the Meadows, buying cheap goods from the thrift stores along Nicolson Street or drinking in the many bars that spring up around any university area. August, however, tends to find student digs vacated in place of temporary festival workers and the occasional performer, who are equally fond of cheap goods and varied pubs, as well as the host of net cafés that have been cropping up in recent years. In terms of shopping, we’d recommend stopping by one of Newington’s ‘junkyards-

THE PLEASANCE IS A BUSY, VIBRANT COURTYARD

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with-roofs’ — Le Chariot Express and Now and Then, which both overflow with antiques, knick knacks and stuff you know you’ll find a use for, someday. The Southside is also home to The Pleasance, that none-more-Fringe collection of venues clustered around a bustling courtyard, awash with sunshine and Hoegaarden. Walking from there to Nicolson Street — past the Brass Monkey, which counts a fully-cushioned back room and cinema screen amongst its charms — takes you to the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, which itself is just along the road from the Queen’s Hall — both respectable International Festival venues. On the other end of the Meadows, Tollcross teems with a variety of restaurants as well as the King’s Theatre and the beloved Cameo cinema and bar. South of here lie Bruntsfield and Morningside, both home to a great range of ethical food stores and cafés. There are also countless artsand-crafts sellers, set up to cater for both the young, middle-class couples with children to entertain, and the famed ‘Morningside ladies’ who are simply after a knit and a nice cup of tea. Loopy Lorna’s, in Morningside, is something a bit special with its vast array of homebaked. cakes, gorgeous teapots and seemingly unstoppable charm.

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West End City Guide

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West End Key venues: (1) Universal Arts @ St George’s West (2) HMV Picture House, Royal Lyceum, Traverse Theatre, Usher Hall (3) Ghillie Dhu The West End of most cities — think London, Glasgow, New York — comes with a decidedly artistic streak, and Edinburgh is no exception. The Lyceum, Traverse and Usher Hall all cluster around the same corner, watched across the road by Edinburgh’s venerable Filmhouse cinema, and kept in place by the HMV Picture House gig hall just down the road. There’s an Odeon on the corner of Morrison Street, alongside which lies the sweaty, beer-soaked live music den of Henry’s Cellar Bar. It’s also a great area for eating and drinking: at the north end, places like Ryan’s bar and Henry J Beans can occasionally get swamped by the after-hours office crowd, but laid-back hangout Lebowski’s offers a welcome retreat. Ghandi’s and Club India are both fine restaurants for those with spicier palates, whereas Two Thin Laddies farther up the road offers more comforting café fare. The Traverse and Filmhouse both have fine in-house eating options of their own. Those willing to walk a little farther afield will not be disappointed. Dalry Road, leading away from Haymarket Station, doesn’t have the best aspect, but is home to some excellent charity shops as well as First Coast, arguably one of the best Scottish

Getting around Those dusty, noisy roadworks getting in your way wherever you want to go? They’re called tramworks. The plan is to make the journey between Leith and Edinburgh Airport easier by installing a partial tram system by 2011, but this year the quickest way to a local’s heart is to complain about them. Although there’s been some disruption to the buses and roads, most routes have settled down into their new routines. Return visitors beware, though, the buses you thought you were getting from Hanover Street now all stop on St Andrew Square

Buses Those looking for a cheap and easy way to get around during the festival need look no farther. With full timetables and schedules at every stop, even first timers at the Fringe should be able to co-ordinate their way round with ease. Explore the up-and-coming bars of Leith on the number 22 or for Dan Brown fans and historians alike there’s the number 49 to Rosewell, moments away from the famed Rosslyn Chapel. Alternatively, why not unleash your inner adrenaline junkie at Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, Ratho (X48), with walls ranging from 12m, for the less adventurous, to 35m. Catching a late show on the other side of town? No problem, Edinburgh also offers night services to Tollcross (N27), Leith (N22) and a variety of other destinations. All buses are £1.20 single, £3 day tickets and £3 for night buses. For further information such as maps and full timetables for each service go to www.lothianbuses.co.uk or phone 0131 554 4494.

Taxis Usher Hall

restaurants in the city. Taking a walk into town from Lothian Road also yields rewards — those willing to brave the infamous ‘Pubic Triangle’ (a small but densely-populated area of strip bars) will discover ace clothes boutiques Pageant and Herman Brown, as well as the Big Red Door on Lady Lawson Street – a performance space-cumsometimes-licensed venue, which offers classes in circus skills and group percussion for those who believe – like us – that the Fringe is not a spectator sport. It’s also home to Edinburgh’s resident firebreathing mischief-makers, te Pooka.

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For those wanting a more direct way to travel, there are

over 1000 black cabs, and private hire taxis across Edinburgh. For those opting for speed and comfort there are three designated taxi ranks around the city centre (see below for details), as well as this there are private hire taxi firms, offering services such as eight-seater taxis. Note: only ever hail a licensed taxi with a clear numbered licence plate. The driver is required to have a visible ID tag. Festival cars (for eight seaters) 0131 552 1777; Radio cabs 0131 225 9000; Central Radio Taxis 0131 229 2468. City centre taxi ranks situated at: Waverley Train Station, Lothian Road, Radisson SAS Hotel, Omni Centre.

Bike Hire Edinburgh offers a variety of cycle hire shops around the central area, with options ranging from the traditional mountain bikes, slim city bikes and tandems to the more fashionable fold away Brompton Bike. For a faster green way to get around, opt for the rechargeable Powabyke, featuring a 200 watt motor. Bike Trak: 11—13 Lochrin Place, 0131 228 6633; £16 a day, £75 a week; www.biketrax.co.uk Edinburgh Cycle Hire: 29 Blackfriars Street, 0131 556 5560; £10—15 a day, £50-70 a week; www.cyclescotland.co.uk Leith Cycle Company: 276 Leith Walk, 0131 467 7775; £15 a day, £75 a week; www.leithcycleco.com

Rickshaws Scattered around the major venues are one of the priciest modes of transport during the festival. For full enjoyment, keep it to a short distance and be sure to agree the price beforehand.

Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

Area guides Docks

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Leith & Broughton Street Key venues: Edinburgh Playhouse Colourful, down-to-earth, and as proud of the Shore’s chequered history as it is of the newly developed areas housing bright young things in penthouses, Leith combines gritty charm with the fruits of urban regeneration. Off the top of Leith Walk, closer to the New Town, lies Broughton Street, the bustling centre of Edinburgh’s gay quarter, studded with laid-back cafés and bars and quirky boutiques. Both areas are fertile ground for independent business, even in spite of the woes the recent tram works have brought to Leith Walk, because both owe their vibrancy to a strong sense of community. Whether it’s a fantastic big breakfast at The King’s Wark, a light French lunch at Daniel’s bistro, some fine nautical dining at Ship on the Shore, or cocktails and Swedish bar snacks at Sofi’s, the increasingly hip Shore area in Leith has it covered. Leith’s boundaries stretch much farther than The Shore, though — a jaunt up Leith Walk to Elm Row results in the triple whammy of topnotch establishments, including watering hole Joseph Pearce,

Leith Shore

Italian deli supremos Valvona & Crolla, and killer indie record shop Vinyl Villains. On the way there, check out Elvis Shakespeare, possibly the city’s best books and music combination store. A little walk further on takes you past a number of the capital’s best LGBT nightspots (CCs, Planet Out and GHQ), as well as dropping you neatly at the front door of the Playhouse, a major International Festival venue. For more fashion-orientated shopping thrills, wander over to Broughton Street, home to some of Edinburgh’s hippest designer boutiques. Joey D makes a fine line in schizophrenic dresses (who thought tweed and khaki would work so well together), while Bliss is home to boho designer clothing and chunky resin jewellery. If you’re stopping off for a drink after a hard day’s spending, we recommend the Basement bar if you like Hawaiian shirts with your good food, or the Conan Doyle if you like your pints with a literary edge. Make sure you stop in at Café Piccante on the way home; as the only chippy in town with a resident DJ, the party can keep on going well into the wee early hours of the morning. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 125

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Old Town Eating City Guide

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Eating Old Town Inexpensive Always Sunday Café 170 High Street, 0131 622 0667 www.alwayssunday.co.uk Mon–Fri 8am–6pm; Sat/Sun 9am–6pm £10 (lunch)

This wee café is so friendly and welcoming that it should take over the UN, the EU, and, if they had a spare five minutes, teach the world to sing as well. The very lovely people at Always Sunday have more than enough love to go around. There’s certainly enough food, by the big, deep, delicious dishload, with filling specials like Moroccan shepherd’s pie, lasagne, risotto, moussaka and savoury tarts all made with care and attention. The home-made cakes change regularly, and feature a nutty carrot cake that’s worth crossing town for.

Angels with Bagpipes Italian/Bistro

Scottish Parliament

Local attractions It might play host to the biggest and best festival in the world, but Edinburgh’s awardwinning attractions afford plenty of cause for celebration too Should you find yourself with an afternoon free from blitzing the festival shows, there’s a treasure trove of attractions, activities and tours to be found in Edinburgh. The city’s long history is most apparent at the very popular Edinburgh Castle (Castlehill, 0131 225 9846). You may have to fight the throngs of people, but it’s worth it to see this site of great historical importance and beauty. At the other end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Canongate, 0131 556 5100), the Queen’s official Scottish residence, is equally resplendent, with previous famous residents including Mary, Queen of Scots. If you like your history a bit more theatrical, head for the Real Mary King’s Close (2 Warriston’s Close, 0845 070 6244), where a ‘time capsule’ of the 1600s lies in an underground alley and guides recreate life in an Edinburgh now long gone. More scarily good fun can be had with Edinburgh’s many ghost tours. Auld Reekie Tours’ Terror Tour (45 Niddry Street, 0131 557 4700) is one of the best, claiming the occurrence of many paranormal ‘experiences’. Mercat Tours (28 Blair Street, 0131 225 5445) runs entertaining historical tours of underground Edinburgh alongside its very popular ghost tours. For those of a more nervous disposition, Sandemans Tours (www.newedinburghtours.com) runs a free daily walking tour, which takes you through all of

Edinburgh’s best sights. If you want to take in the whole city at once, live images of Edinburgh are projected onto a viewing table at the Victorian-era Camera Obscura (Castlehill, 0131 226 3709) on the Royal Mile. Up 287 steps, the top of the Scott Monument offers sweeping views of the city. Alternatively, climb to the top of Calton Hill, where the Nelson Monument stands, and enjoy a panorama of Edinburgh, as well as the Firth of Forth and views across to Fife. A different kind of beauty can be found at the National Gallery of Scotland (The Mound, 0131 624 6200), with its enticing collection of art greats and classics, such as Degas and Titian. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (75 Belford Road, 0131 624 6200) and neighbouring Dean Gallery (75 Belford Road, 0131 624 6200) both house modern works. Further downtown, the Royal Botanic Garden (20A Inverleith Row, 0131 552 7171), Edinburgh’s expansive, lush grounds invite a leisurely stroll. Enjoy one of the best collections of plants and experience tropical climates in their greenhouses. Back at the bottom of the Royal Mile, Our Dynamic Earth (112-116 Holyrood Road, 0131 550 7800), on the edge of Holyrood Park, shows the development of our planet through interactive exhibits, starting with the Big Bang. Or come back to the present and watch politics in action at the nearby Scottish Parliament (Canongate, 0131 348 5200), which is housed in this awardwinning (and controversially costly) building.

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343 High Street, Royal Mile, 0131 220 1111 www.angelswithbagpipes.com Mon–Sat 8am–11pm; Sun 9am–11pm £tbc (not open at time of going to press)

A newbie on the scene, at time of going to press this fabulously titled restaurant was yet to open, but lucky festival-goers can enjoy its plentiful offerings from 26 July. The brainchild of Café Marina’s, Marina Crolla’s latest venture restaurant on the Royal Mile continues to expand on her commitment to sourcing the best seasonal, high quality ingredients from throughout Scotland and Italy. Dishes such as Haggis Ravioli, Fennel and Radicchio Risotto, Capellini with Zucchini and Crema Gorgonzola, Ale Battered Fillet of Haddock, Scottish King Scallops with Stornaway Black pudding, Sicilian Arancini, and homemade Ravioli and Tortellini will all feature on the menu, as well as daily specials. All the breads and desserts will be made on the premises, as is the piccante sausage as made in the Crolla family village of Picinisco in Italy. Wines have been sourced from Italy and France with a range of 5 proseccos. While many of the wines, bought direct from the vineyards, are exclusive to Scotland.

Bar 50 Café 50 Blackfriars Street, 0870 892 3000 www.smartcityhostels.com Mon–Sun 8am–11pm £9

Smart City Café has morphed into Bar 50; a great value, funky city-centre café, ideal for the cash-strapped traveller or local office worker. Enter through Smart City Hostel, or via Cowgate, past the outdoor double-decker canopied seating area, where there’s often a barbecue. The café is vast, with reclaimed oak flooring, soft brown and smoky pink walls, inviting sofas and well-defined eating and games areas. The name may have changed, but not the fabulous breakfast buffet, which daily serves a full, stomachlining Scottish, replete with eggs, sausage, rolls and fruit. The daytime menu offers standard fare of nachos, pizzas, burgers and salads but with the bonus of something home-made on every dish and ingredients locally sourced.

Café Hub Café Castlehill, Royal Mile, 0131 473 2067 www.thehub-edinburgh.com Mon–Sun 9.30am–6pm £11

In a magnificent former church at the top of the Royal Mile, the welcoming atmosphere is enjoyed by locals and sightseers alike. Through the day, full breakfasts and morning rolls give way to a concise menu of soups, sandwiches and baked potatoes, alongside

more substantial mains such as fish-cakes or pork meatballs served on a bed of tagliatelli with smoked bacon and tomato sauce. Sharing options include platters of cured meats and pickles, cheese and oatcakes or a perennially popular afternoon tea (available 3–5pm), which offers great value at £10 for two, and showcases Café Hub’s real strength: its selection of delicious cakes, pastries and sweets. Large action shots from theatrical productions dominate the walls, reflecting the Hub’s primary purpose as home to the Edinburgh International Festival.

Café Marina Café 61 Cockburn Street, 0131 622 7447 www.cafémarina.co.uk Mon–Sat 8am–5pm; Sun 9.30am–4.30pm £11 (lunch)

A tasty little find at the top of Cockburn Street, Café Marina perfectly marries oldfashioned Italian dishes with a simple, dinerstyle setting. A small space packs a big punch here as a daily changing menu boasts filling, hearty handmade fare, from rich gnocchi with chilli or breaded pork escalope with lemon to succulent beef lasagne and tortellini dishes. Those looking for something a little lighter can opt for the home-made soup. A large board hanging over the counter showcases the vast array of sandwiches and paninis on offer, from seasoned chicken, Parma ham and rocket to mozzarella, peppers and tomato. If a fresh cup of coffee is all you’re after, you’ll likely be tempted by one of the delicious pieces of cakes that adorn the counter, with the Italian doughnuts coming highly recommended. In the warmer months (should Scotland actually get any) you can sit outside.

Ecco Vino Bistro & Brassiere

19 Cockburn Street, 0131 225 1441 www.babygrandgroup.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–11pm; Sun noon–10pm £12 There have always been Italian restaurants and cafés in Edinburgh – some of them actually pretty great too – but when Ecco Vino arrived some nine years ago, things changed. Someone appeared offering not only the freshness and quality of ingredients synonymous with Italian cooking, but they eschewed the obvious fine-dining option in favour of a woody nook that’s as atmospheric as you’ll find anywhere in the city. The menu is brief but inviting: antipasti platters and simple salads sit alongside a selection of well-dressed spaghetti dishes (king prawns, lemon and garlic oil for instance, is so simple but so effective). The bar is all about the wine, with dozens of considered choices from around the globe on offer, including a very respectable 22 by the glass, plus monthly specials.

The Elephant House Café

21 George IV Bridge, 0131 220 5355 www.elephanthouse.biz Mon–Fri 8am–10pm; Sat/Sun 9am–10pm £8 (lunch) / £11 As ingrained a part of Edinburgh’s fabric as the Greyfriars Kirk it overlooks, this is the granddaddy of cafés. Like granddad, it’s not exactly cutting edge, but for sitting and sipping a coffee, reading, writing or generally watching time slip by, this is the right place to be. Tuck into old faves – from pizza slices to Stromboli, pies, quiches and, yes, even baked potatoes, all served with simple, freshly dressed salad. A daily special of Swedish meatballs on a crunchy baguette with a sweet dollop of redcurrant jelly is fine and dandy. The soup of the day comes in a generous bowlful. Commendably, orange juice is squeezed fresh, while sweet teeth can be satisfied by slices and shortbreads of every description. In the evening, dishes are more substantial, but generally still on the

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The Forest Arts Venue Café 3 Bristo Place, 0131 220 4538 www.theforest.org.uk Mon–Sun noon–9pm £6

A centre for the artistic underground and counterculture of the capital, or an anarchohippy commune full of dreadlocks and piercings? Either way, it’s safe to say there’s nowhere else like the Forest, a wonderfully idiosyncratic not-for-profit charitable organisation run by volunteers which provides hearty if unspectacular vegetarian fare at knock-down prices to keep the creative juices flowing. Among weird murals and artworks and scuffed second-hand furniture the enthusiastic staff bash out veggie staples like curries, chillis, veggie pot roast, nachos and burritos, or for the particularly thrifty of pocket a gargantuan plate of cheese and beans on toast for £2.

The Fruitmarket Gallery Café Arts Venue Café

45 Market Street, 0131 226 1843 www.fruitmarket.co.uk Mon-Sun 10am-7pm £10 Clean, minimal lines, white walls and sleek design touches make for a very easy-on-theeye interior in this excellent modern art gallery, just behind Waverley train station. And the food is pretty outstanding too. Daily specials like aubergine cheesecake, Thai vegetable curry or Mediterranean tarts keep the menu colourful and varied, while there are permanent fixtures like the fish platter (hot-smoked salmon, spiced prawn cocktail, lemon-dressed salad, salmon pate and oatcakes), or simple home-made soups and imaginatively filled deli-rolls. The details make a difference too – ask for a lemonade and you’ll be served a still, organic Sicilian lemonade; get a side order of chips and the bowl comes with a creamy dollop of aioli for dipping. Like its sister venue the Storytelling Café, the cakes and traybakes are a cut above.

Hula Juice Bar Café/Juice bar 103–105 West Bow, 0131 220 1121 www.hulagood.com Mon–Fri 8am–7pm; Sat/Sun 8am–7pm £8 (lunch)

There’s a fascinating cast of characters at the foot of Victoria Street: Betty Ford, the Nutty Professor, Ginger Jack and Barbarella. That’s what Hula calls some of the finest smoothies and fresh juice mixtures in town. A Betty Ford is a smooth and sweet meeting of peach, strawberry, banana and apple. A Ginger Jack has a real kick of fresh ginger, along with carrot, apple and orange. You can feel even more virtuous with your choice of fresh drink by adding one of Hula’s ‘organic boosters’. Everything from energy to immune boosters, a hangover ‘cure’ or just a dose of wheatgrass are on offer. It’s not all hairshirt and health kick though, with plenty on the menu to satisfy those seeking a toasted bagel, hot wrap or big slab of cake. Get into Hula before noon and the breakfast spread is plentiful.

The Lot Bistros & Brasseries 4–6 Grassmarket, 0131 225 9922 www.the-lot.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–9.30pm; Sun noon—6pm £11

The Lot is a bright and friendly bistro in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Upstairs at The Lot is a year round arts and performance venue, and the Lot’s commitment to supporting new artists filters down to the bistro, with regular dinners accompanied by

For complete Festival listings see list.co.uk/festival

Hitlisted by The List Eatin g Drinking Guide 2010/11

live music, and exhibitions by local artists adorning the walls. This attention to detail is also evident in the food, with a strong emphasis on ethical trading (all tea and coffee is Fair Trade certified) and a satisfying mix of choices that cater for everything from tea and cake to a romantic candlelit dinner. Fresh and filling soups, yummy home-baking and desserts, the Seafood Chowder and the Chicken Breast with Haggis Mash remain favourites with regulars.

Monster Mash Bistros & Brasserie 20 Forrest Road, 0131 225 7069 www.monstermashcafé.co.uk Mon–Sat 8am–10pm; Sun 10am–10pm £8 (lunch) /£11

Monster Mash has relocated a grand total of 15m up the road, to make room for a sister company. But fans need not fear: the biggest change is more space to spend your money. The simple but effective menu remains the same. Local, grass-fed Scottish beef will fill your home-made steak pie, and free-range pork will make up your sausages. Takeaways will be a wallet-friendly £3–£4. The familiarly retro theme will travel to the new location, in both décor and food. The puddings sum it up: banana split, apple crumble and knickerbocker glory – pretentious no, fun yes. Similarly with the cheeky wine list: ‘definitely sausage friendly’ doesn’t tell you much about the vino, but it will put a smile on your face, and that’s what Monster Mash does best.

St Giles’ Cathedral Café Café St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street, 0131 225 5147 www.glenfinlas.com Mon–Sat 9am–5pm; Sun 11am–5pm £8 (lunch)

There can’t be too many cafés built on premises dating back to the 14th century, but this one is. Down the stairs, around the corner from the main entrance to Edinburgh’s most celebrated church, you’ll find a temple to our more contemporary worship of coffee, hand-baked cakes, fresh salad and soup of the day. An array of baking, mostly done on the premises, is temptation itself, from dark brownies to individual fruit tarts. Lunch is a fresh selection every day: baked potatoes or quiche, or a hearty plateful of something like Italian meatballs with pasta, or Mediterranean lamb casserole with couscous. Salad lovers will say amen to freshly mixed options such as a citrusy yet earthy mix of spinach, orange, beetroot and cashew nuts.

Spoon Café Bistro Café/Bistro 6a Nicolson Street, 0131 557 4567 www.spooncafé.co.uk Mon–Sat 10am–10pm; Sun 12pm–6pm £10.50 (lunch)/ £16

Spoon Café has done a great job in choosing new premises to move to from its old location on Blackfriars Street. The huge open space of this second-floor Nicolson Street venue is very prettily decked out with an eclectic mix of retro furnishings, bookcases, bric-a-brac and a kids’ play area. Known for serving up the best soup in Edinburgh, Spoon has upgraded its menu with the new premises to include more grown-up, restaurant style dishes. The home-made, traditional desserts are worth trying, including a yummy no-frills apple crumble or an exceptionally rich and creamy dark chocolate terrine with crème anglaise and hazelnut praline. Spoon Café makes a perfect choice for a pre-Festival Theatre visit.

Lunch - Dinner - Sunday Brunch & Roast Pre Theatre Menu, Tues - Sat Specially Selected Wine List Recommended Seasonal Wines Signature & Classic Cocktails

THE AWARD WINNING SPANISH RESTAURANTE O AA Rosette Award O AA Wine List

Recommended

O Squaremeal.co.uk

Award

O The Times SLTN

Wine List Awards

www.iggs.co.uk GGS 15 Jeffrey St EH1 1DR Tel: 0131 557 8184 Fax: 0131 652 3774

conservative side. Pie and mash is typical, though a BRB pizza (bacon, redcurrant and brie) is not something you’ll find everywhere.

info@iggs.co.uk

in g & ed atin ide t s tli E Gu Hi List ng 1 ki 0/1 e Th Drin 1

EDINBURGH’S HOTTEST SPANISH TAPAS BAR Hitlisted in The List Top 10 Tapas Bar Squaremeal.co.uk The Times

www.barioja.co.uk BARIOJA . 19 Jeffrey St EH1 1DR Tel: 0131 557 3622 Fax: 0131 652 3774

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Eating The Storytelling Café Café Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street, 0131 556 1229 www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun noon–5pm £9

The go-back factor at this High Street café is high, thanks to the attention it pays to the smaller details. Home-made soups and a daily special, generally designed around what’s in season, make it popular over lunchtimes, where buggies line the walls, and the café fills up with laptoppers, audiences from storytelling events downstairs, or workers from the local area. The smooth Tim Stead tables and chairs give the place a relaxed, almost rural feel, despite its location in the heart of tourist-land. Desserts are also taken seriously, with a daily gluten-free special adding to the long list of rhubarb tarts, tiffin, brownies and scones on offer. Its central location makes this a good place to get a seat and a coffee – or an organic raspberry and vanilla lemonade – during the Festival.

Under the Stairs Bar & Pub 3a Merchant Street, 0131 466 8550 www.underthestairs.org Mon–Sun noon–9pm £11

Though attention has always been given to local, seasonal produce, the ante has also been upped here: locally sourced fish moves from the specials board to the everyday, and the needs of vegetarians are recognised with a wide, varied selection. Even the cocktail list is being revamped – a seasonal nod will link it to the menu as it changes throughout the year. The bar itself is unintimidating and relaxed, with décor that slots somewhere between boho student flat and comfy country inn: stone walls and open fires meet rickety furniture, standard lamps and a DJ booth for later. An experimental, everchanging beer list reads like a world tour: try Jamaican, Bavarian and Estonian, among many others.

Mid-range Barioja Spanish Tapas 19 Jeffrey Street, 0131 557 3622 www.barioja.co.uk Mon–Sat 11am–11pm, Sun noon–10pm £6.95 (lunch) / £17.50

Opened just over a decade ago, Barioja has a multi-level upstairs area which uses mirrors cleverly to enhance the impression of spaciousness. A separate downstairs section has capacity for 50 and can be booked for functions, while a couple of outdoor tables make this a reasonable place to stop for a quick bite. The menu features breakfast, a fixed-price lunch of four tapas, a chef’s selection for larger groups and a comprehensive menu covering fish, meat and vegetarian tapas as well as paella and

sandwiches. Croquetas, chicken on the bone in a tomato sauce, and chorizo in cider, peppers and tomatoes are all excellent examples of the traditional tapas that dominate the menu.

Black Bo’s Bistro/Vegetarian 57–61 Blackfriars Street, 0131 557 6136 www.black-bos.com Sun–Thu 6–9.30pm; Fri/Sat 6–10.30pm £17

A blue neon sign draws you from the Royal Mile to this retro joint with its neighbouring bar. Inside, the harlequin chequered floor, mock columns and bentwood chairs are animated by flickering candles and amber light. An alcove where a small party can conspire is bordered by intimate tables for two. If you can imagine a quirky eatery in Edinburgh where Fellini might be comfortable, this is it. Look beyond the garlic bread variations to starters such as the artichoke stuffed mushroom, and the smoked pistachio and nori roulade with cassis and chillies. A punchy blueberry and almond tart with blackcurrant sorbet, or an oozing chocolate and walnut brownie leave you feeling content and, when it arrives, not let down by the bill.

Café Marlayne French 7 Old Fishmarket Close, 190 High Street, 0131 225 3838 www.cafémarlayne.com Tue–Sat noon–2.30pm, 6–10pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £11 (lunch) /£18

Fans may know the name from the original Thistle Street branch of Café Marlayne, but this sistership is just as good. Four starters and mains are offered at lunchtime, and a few more in the evening, complemented by a comprehensive wine list. Start with the rich, luxurious boudin noir with scallops or a silky chicken liver parfait, served with herby crisp brioche. Fish lovers can enjoy moules marinières, herring rollmops or fresh crab, all sourced locally. Main courses include Scottish rib-eye steak, a rack of lamb from the Borders. A passion for quality ingredients and skilful work in the kitchen combined with cheerful well-informed staff ensure visits to the Marlaynes are wholly enjoyable.

Hanam’s undulating patterned images introduce a spark of originality. The food follows a similar pattern, elegant dishes, well presented and well executed, food that is very much enjoyed when eaten, but unlikely to be remembered in the long-term. The roasted duck breast with chilli and garlicbraised broccoli is beautifully cooked, moist and tender, but the roasted rack of lamb, though melt in the mouth delicious, looks rather meagre beside the generous portion of accompanying potato wedges. Cucina also boasts an intimidatingly impressive wine list.

David Bann Vegetarian

La Cucina Italian Missoni Hotel, 1 George IV Bridge, 0131 240 1666 www.hotelmissoni.com Mon–Thu 6.30–10am, 12.30–3pm, 6–10.30pm; Fri 6.30–10am, 12.30–3pm, 6–11pm; Sat 7–11am, 12.30–3pm, 6–11pm; Sun 7–11am, 12.30–3pm, 6–10.30pm. £12/£28

Situated in the heart of a stylish and contemporary hotel, expectations for Cucina are naturally high, and it certainly fits the mould. Black and white dominate, softened by turquoise and purple in places, while

NAMASTE ‘Unique Royal Nepalese & Indian Cuisine’

Open 7 days a week Takeaway menu available

ted Hitlis ting ist Ea The L inking & Dr e Guid 08/09 11 & 10/

(free delivery within 3 miles when you spend over £20)

BYOB available (wine only) Namaste Kathmandu 17–19 Forrest Road, Edinburgh, EH1 2QH 0131 220 2273 128 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

56–58 St Mary’s Street, 0131 556 5888 www.davidbann.com Sun–Thu noon–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–1am £16

This reputable establishment is Edinburgh’s long reigning king of vegetarian dining, with brilliantly executed dishes and carefully selected wine list. The minimalist décor is atmospheric and timeless, the claret and slate tones enhanced by subtle spot and wall lighting. Well staffed, the service is impeccable and unassuming. In the kitchen, the ethics are first-rate and the innovation and talent unremitting. Dishes, rich with flavour, draw inspiration from round the globe, from Asia to India, the Mediterranean, and home to the British farmhouse. Each one has its unique twist and magic. The tart of Jerusalem artichoke and celeriac is an exceptional dish cooked with cream and red wine tumbled into a nest of puff pastry that sits on a delectable gravylike sauce made with Ardrahan smoked cheese, artichoke and white wine. The assiette of desserts for two to share – plum and vanilla brûlée, raspberry and whisky chocolates, hot pear and passion fruit tart with raspberry ice-cream and pineapple sorbet – is skilfully assembled and oozing with ‘eat me’ appeal.

Kurdish food in as traditional a way as Edinburgh allows. Carpet pictures on the walls of the spacious dining room come from Kurdistan. The commodious tables are ideal for the Mushakal starter – a mezzestyle selection for two. Marinated vine leaves taste sharp against aromatic rice stuffing the dolma. Bayengaan – aubergine stuffed with a rice mixture – are roasted to melting tenderness. Crispy fried naan for dipping in hummus and a yogurt dip provides contrasting texture. Mains are casseroles of tender lamb or chicken, with some vegetarian shilah casseroles – also available as side dishes to Iranian-style kebabs. Shawarma (meat cooked over woodchip charcoal, thinly sliced) are a recent addition to the menu.

Lazy Lohan’s Bistros and Brasseries 158 Canongate, 0131 556 8999 www.lazylohans.com Mon noon–3pm; Tue–Sat noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Closed Sun. £17

Lazy Lohan’s displays a strong identity and a determined sense of purpose that belie its name and modest size. The Royal Mile bistro nails its colours to the mast in its mission statement, promising to maintain a commitment to healthy, sustainable food prepared using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Sceptics are directed to the long list of local suppliers at the front of the menu. The ‘Lazy’ of the title is an ironic reference to the ethos of the Slow Food movement, but there’s undoubtedly a laidback feel to the restaurant, reinforced by the warm colour scheme and unobtrusive service. There are very reasonably priced breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, while the à la carte features regularly changing fish and slow-cooked meat options.

Mai Thai Thai

3 Johnston Terrace, 0131 225 1329 Mon–Sun noon–11pm £9.95 (lunch) /£17

21 Old Fishmarket Close, 190 High Street, 0131 225 1001 www.mai-thai.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–10pm. £19

With entrances from both Johnston Terrace and Victoria Terrace, Hanam’s could be described as facing two ways, but there is no such compromise with the food. Owner Jamal Ahmed aims to give diners traditional

The Old Town is becoming a magnet for new dining options on its High Street and down its many closes. Mai Thai moved from its previous base near the Parliament to a more central location in mid 2009 in hopes of

Hanam’s Kurdish

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building on past success but being more in the thick of it. While an almost identical menu and much of the décor have made the transition to the sleek, low-lit modern building down a popular close near St Giles’, the food leaving the kitchen is a shadow of its former self. The full range of curries, stirfries and seafood specialities continue to sound tempting but portions are modest, while surrounding sauces are ample.

Mamma’s American Pizza Company Italian 30 Grassmarket, 0131 225 6464 www.mammas.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–11pm; Fri/Sat noon–midnight £10 (lunch)/ £12

There is no Mamma and the American connection has long gone but this well established little L-shaped restaurant is in the heart of the Grassmarket, attracting a good mix of tourists, hen and stag parties and locals. Mamma’s pushes the boundaries of pizza toppings almost to the limit – there are over 40, ranging from the usual tomato and cheese, to artichoke, courgette, spinach, chicken, haggis and anchovy as well as fruit, chocolate and marshmallow sweet pizzas. Gluten/wheat-free pizza bases are available as well as the standard slightly chewy stone-baked variety. Lasagne, salmon and lava stone-cooked steak also feature. As well as choice, generosity is also a key ingredient: the nachos starter is a large dollop of sour cream, guacamole and molten cheese which almost obscures the tortilla chips.

For up to date reviews see list.co.uk/festival

Mariachi

langoustine, fillet of beef and foie gras.

Mexican 7 Victoria Street, 0131 623 0077 www.mariachi-restaurant.co.uk

Mother India’s Café

Mon–Wed 5–11pm; Thu–Sat noon–11pm; Sat noon–11pm; Sun 2–10pm £15.50 Despite long-term surrounding building work, Mariachi has remained a busy and popular Mexican restaurant, offering a good selection of dishes which also encompasses burgers and steaks for those less adventurous. Beware: your appetite may run out before the fajita components do. Evenly cooked chicken and fresh vegetables accompany generous pots of guacomole, salsa and cheese. The chimichanga filled with spicy steak is also bursting with flavour and filling. Mexican Bloody Marys made with tequila are a great addition to a fair selection of cocktails, and there is also a great non-alcoholic selection. Desserts don’t stray from tried and tested favourites, but banoffee pie may tempt the still hungry diner.

3–5 Infirmary Street, 0131 524 9801 www.motherindiascaféedinburgh.co.uk Mon—Thu noon—2pm, 5—10.30pm; Fri/Sat noon—11pm, Sun noon-10pm £15

Indian

Leaving an Indian restaurant with the taste buds tantalised but without the belly being full to the brim is the philosophy behind dining at Mother India. A tapas-style menu, encompassing an impressive array of spices and textures, allows both the indecisive and the gourmand the chance to sample a multitude of dishes from across the subcontinent. Set conspicuously among some well established inns and taverns, and to match the informal style of eating, Mother India is upmarket caféteria in approach, with shiny marble-tiled tables and film noir style pictures of both a Scottish and Indian theme. Over 30 snack-sized dishes are impeccably prepared and served by an eagle-eyed waiting team.

Monteiths Bistros & Brasseries

Namaste Kathmandu

57–61 High Street, 0131 557 0330 www.monteithsbar.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–11pm £10.95 (set lunch) / £24

Indian

Entering Monteiths through a corridor of twisted willow branches and twinkling fairy lights feels rather magical, and creates high expectations of what lies behind the heavy, leather-clad door. Attempts to blend old and new can result in awkward juxtapositions, but here the artful mix of plaid-covered wingbacks and sleek Philippe Starck Ghost chairs feels cosy yet cool. With a fireplace to draw up to on chilly nights, and a petite terrace to enjoy in warmer months, there’s charm and character in abundance. The menu is similarly attractive, with plenty of luxurious dishes involving oysters,

17–19 Forrest Road, 0131 220 2273 www.namastektm.co.uk Sun–Fri 11am–2.30pm, 6–11.30pm; Sat 11am–2.30pm, 5–11.30pm £18

Somehow this restaurant’s plate-glass windows and carefully placed pot plants are enough to keep the bustle of Forrest Road at bay, allowing a welcoming sense of calm to pervade the cosy red-walled dining room. Courteous staff whisk back and forth through a curtain screening the kitchen, where head chef Bimal Basnet creates seductively spiced dishes from his native Nepal, and uses the same light touch when preparing the range of Indian favourites that share the menu. Don’t skip starters: kukhura

ko sekwa (Nepalese satay) is marinated chicken barbecued to moist perfection, while traditional Nepalese momo (served steamed or fried) are dumplings filled with coriander-infused chicken with a tingling chilli kick. Main courses are equally delicious, with ginger-laced jhaneko daal one of many vegetarian dishes good enough to tempt avid meat-eaters.

North Bridge Brasserie Bistros & Brasseries 20 North Bridge, 0131 622 2900 www.northbridgebrasserie.com Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm £12 (lunch)/ £20

The North Bridge Brasserie is a place of agreeable contrasts. The one-time home of The Scotsman newspaper boasts solid marble pillars and dark wood panelling, the historic atmosphere balanced by striking contemporary features. The space is light and airy with a high ceiling and ideal for large groups, but there are plenty of tables set in intimate corners on both floors. The seasonal menus and finessed French/Scottish food impress as much as the surroundings. Dishes include a delicate tian of Hebrides crab topped with smoked salmon and caviar accompanied by warm blinis and crème fraiche, while the roasted pigeon arrives with a home-made mushroom tortellini and braised lentils and a rich sauce. Set aside your restraining instincts and indulge.

The Outsider Bistros & Brasseries 15/16 George IV Bridge, 0131 226 3131 Mon–Sun noon–11pm £11 (lunch) / £17

There is a hint of the well-oiled machine about this busy, stylish restaurant, which is reflected in the speedy service and fast turnover of tables, yet there’s much to enjoy

Winner: Best Indian Restaurant of the Year 2010 (The Scottish Restaurant Awards) Winner: Best New Restaurant 2008/09 (The List Eating & Drinking Guide) list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 129

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Eating here if you’re lucky enough to be allowed to linger, particulary if you get a seat with a Castle view. There are no starters on the menu, but rather a selection of ‘chunky healthy lines’ – skewers of grilled monkfish, chicken, lamb or vegetables for sharing. Main courses showcase the best of seasonal and Scottish ingredients such as venison, pheasant, salmon and mackerel, which are prepared and served with some panache.

Pancho Villa’s Mexican 240 Canongate, 0131 557 4416 www.panchovillas.co.uk Mon-Sat 12pm-Late, Sun 5pm-late £12 (lunch) / £17

Pancho Villa’s is a cheerful and slick establishment created and owned by Mexican-born Mayra Nunez. The large selection of starters may add several minutes to your decision-making, though there are a few sharing options for the indecisive, and soups for those of limited appetite. Sifting through the array of fajitas and enchiladas brings you to a couple of prize finds: the Albondigas en Chipotle (a trio of large, smooth and cheese-filled meatballs with fresh coriander) and new addition to the menu, Tacos Al Pastor, a pork and pineapple take on the humble tortilla. Round it off with a shot of fiery Mezcal if you dare!

Petit Paris French 38–40 Grassmarket, 0131 226 2442 www.petitparis-restaurant.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–late £10.90 (set lunch) / £21

Heady aromas of garlic wafting from the door, vintage French posters on the walls, blue and white tablecloths – Petit Paris is the archetypal restaurant for the Francophile. Start with snails with garlic and Pernod butter and forget your manners: piping-hot herby butter is asking to be scooped up with the plentiful supply of bread. The menu consists of French classics: Toulouse sausages, entrecôte, tenderly pink rack of lamb, or an intense daube of venison served in a delightful copper casserole.

Stac Polly Scottish 38 St Mary’s Street, 0131 557 5754 www.stacpolly.com Mon–Fri noon–2pm, 6–10pm; Sat/Sun 6–10pm £12.95 (set lunch) / £25

Stac Polly is a well-known fixture in Scottish dining and has branches in three different city-centre locations. The stone walls of the Dublin Street branch contrast with the bright prints and flower arrangements of the St Mary’s Street restaurant. The Grindlay Street branch is conveniently close to the Usher Hall, Lyceum and Traverse theatres, and like the other branches, offers pre-theatre and à la carte menus.

Thai Orchid Thai 5A Johnston Terrace, 0131 225 6633 www.thaiorchid.uk.com Mon–Sun noon–10.45pm £7.95 (lunch) / £20

Understated sophistication are the bywords of this Edinburgh gem. Just beyond the trodden Royal Mile and the Festival’s Hub HQ, Thai Orchid is tranquil, softly lit and ready to please. This family business emphasises a personal touch, from the décor detailed with fresh orchids, to the warmth of the staff and a menu that extends well beyond the standard offerings of Thai food in the UK. More upmarket Bangkok than central Scotland, Seua Rong Hai, a spicy grilled sirloin, balances the pink beef with an edge of chilli, cleansing mint, coriander and lime.

Villager Bar & Bistro 49–50 George IV Bridge, 0131 226 2781 www.villager-e.com Mon–Sun noon–9.30pm £11.50

Deserving of praise simply for being a trendy bar that hasn’t gone out of fashion in the best part of a decade, Villager is one of the key pre-clubbing joints in the Old Town. The large, low sofas in the dining area are chilled places to sit and shoot the breeze at any time, while the extensive cocktail menu betrays a touch of the playboy about its creator, with themed sections including ‘Burt Reynolds’ and ‘Pimping It’. Between the artfully weathered walls and their stylish décor, regular diners can be found coming back for the reasonably priced food, which takes its cue from recent trends in bar grub.

A warm glow pinpoints Viva Mexico’s position on Cockburn Street, and the welcoming interior is a world away from the scene outside. If the upper level is bustling then it’s well worth popping in to check availability in the downstairs dining area. The menu has a comprehensive mix of traditional and expected Mexican dishes resulting in a menu that leaves little to chance. Even the wine list gives the option to ‘go Mexican’.

Whiski Scottish 119 High Street, 0131 556 3095 www.whiskibar.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–10pm; Fri/Sat 11am–10.30pm £15

Nestled among the uncomfortable mix of tartan tat and points of genuine interest on the Royal Mile this dark, warm and inviting bar/bistro is decorated with the right kind of old-fashioned memorabilia and manages to stay on the right side of cheesy. As the name suggests, Whiski is where a particular kind of golden higher education takes place, with around 220 to choose from at last tally. The staff are knowledgeable but never snooty, happy to share their knowledge of the good stuff. A haggis, neeps and tatties tower is cute, if a bit lacking in texture once the thick but tangy cream sauce is liberally applied, and their burgers are sturdy hand-made patties that are confidently seasoned and stoutly flavoured, suggesting that not all burgers are created equal.

High End Castle Terrace

Vittoria

Scottish

Italian

33–35 Castle Terrace, 0131 229 1222 www.thekitchin.com NB: Opening hours and prices tbc at time of going to press

19 George IV Bridge, 0131 225 1740 www.vittoriarestaurant.com Mon–Sat 10am–11pm; Sun noon–11pm £9.95 (lunch)/ £20.50

In 1970 the Crolla family opened Vittoria Restaurant on Leith Walk. Four decades on and their recipe for success is unchanged. Amid the soft ochre and cherry-wood fittings, smiling waiting staff swoosh around twirling pepper grinders and twittering in Italian. The Old Town branch (Vittoria on the Bridge) opened in 2007 and has the same menu and a similar vibe but with a more contemporary, sharp-edged design. Under the banner ‘nuovo pastas’ comes a deliciously vivid dish of squid-ink tinted tagliolini with scallops and fresh chilli. Both branches now serve breakfast from 10am and offer a weekday lunch menu with pasta and a glass of wine for under £8.

Highly anticipated, Castle Terrace was yet to open at time of going to press. The latest venture from the team behind Michelin star restaurant The Kitchin, this new restaurant will see Dominic Jack at the helm as Chef Patron. Edinburgh-born Dominic met Tom Kitchin at just 18, when the two were training together as commis chefs at Gleneagles. Since then, the two have enjoyed similar career paths, garnering a wealth of experience at some of the world’s top Michelin-starred restaurants. Nestled underneath Edinburgh Castle, the new restaurant will be run by the same management team as the award-winning Leith restaurant, The Kitchin, mirroring the restaurant’s ‘From Nature to Plate’ philosophy.

Viva Mexico Mexican

Creelers

41 Cockburn Street, 0131 226 5145 www.viva-mexico.co.uk Mon–Fri noon–2pm, 6.30–10.30pm; Sat noon–10.30pm; Sun 6.30–10pm £7.50 (set lunch)/ £17

Fish

Wedgwood is more than just a restaurant; it is a hidden gem on Edinburgh's prestigious Royal Mile. Paul and Lisa have a passion for food and hospitality and offer the complete dining experience in warm, intimate surroundings. Open 7 days a week • Lunch from 12pm and Dinner from 6pm Silver Award at the Scottish Chef Awards 2009 Rémy Martin VSOP Award for Best Newcomer in the UK 2010 Hitlisted by The List Eating and Drinking Guide 2009/10 and 2010/11

267 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8BQ • 0131 55 88 737 www.wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk info@wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk

130 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

3 Hunter Square, 0131 220 4447 www.creelers.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Fri noon–2pm, 5.30–11pm; Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–11pm; Sun 1–3pm, 6–10.30pm £10.50 (set lunch) /£28

In the heart of Edinburgh’s tourist hub is a place dedicated to the sourcing of excellent Scottish seasonal fish. With its terracotta floor tiles and deep-blue wall paint, Creelers has the air of a continental bistro, although the price and quality of the food on offer would suggest a more fine-dining affair. Although some meat and vegetarian dishes are to be found on the menu, seafood is the obvious love of owners Fran and Tim James. Seasonality and provenance of all produce is paramount: whether it’s Piperfield pork or Perthshire pheasant, Loch Duart salmon or Gigha halibut, they clearly care about where the food has come from. For the sweet-toothed,

For up to date reviews see list.co.uk/festival

rounding off dinner with a crisp-on-theoutside, oozing-on-the-inside chocolate fondant will be hard to resist.

La Garrigue French 31 Jeffrey Street, 0131 557 3032, www.lagarrigue.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 6.30–9pm; closed Sun £14 (set lunch); £25.50

For anyone first tempted into the kitchen by Elizabeth David’s tales of French provincial food, La Garrigue is a nostalgic delight. Chef/patron Jean Michel Gauffre cooks the dishes he ate as a child in his native Languedoc. Country cooking doesn’t go far for its ingredients, so expect the vegetables, fish and game that could be garnered from the family garden or local market. As the food, so the wine: Languedoc centre stage ensures good bottles at reasonable prices, with a rewarding by-the-glass selection.

The Grain Store Scottish 30 Victoria Street, 0131 225 7635 www.grainstore-restaurant.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2pm, 6–10pm; Fri noon–2pm, 6–11pm; Sat noon–3pm, 6–11pm; Sun noon–3pm, 6–10pm £12.50 (set lunch) /£30

Something of an institution, the Grain Store has earned a reputation over the years for using the best produce Scotland has to offer. An unassuming entrance on Victoria Street leads upstairs to a stone-walled and atmospheric interior. A seared scallop, pumpkin, chestnut and chorizo starter is heavy on the pumpkin and a little bland despite the paprika-spiced sausage, though a pithivier of brown hare encases beautifully seasoned and tender meat in puff pastry for the main. While Scottish meat, game and seafood are plentiful – Perthshire venison, Borders pork and Shetland salmon all feature – vegetarians are catered for, but with little imagination: a warm salad starter predictably uses vegetables featured in other dishes.

Iggs Spanish 15 Jeffrey Street, 0131 557 8184 www.iggs.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 6–10.30pm. Closed Sun £12.50 (set lunch) /£23

The upmarket sibling of adjoining Barioja has built a loyal following over the past two decades. Now with a new chef in the kitchen, Iggs has moved from an exclusively fish menu to offer more traditional Spanish flavours with a local twist. Diners can enjoy spectacular views from some tables, while the rustic furniture, colourful paintings adorning the pastelcoloured walls of the L-shaped dining area, table linen and high quality glassware all point to a dining experience that does not disappoint. Mains include an unusual combination of duck and sea bass, while tuna steak with mussels and razor clams is served in a rich red wine sauce that is best savoured with a spoon.

The Mussel and Steak Bar Bistros & Brasseries 110 West Bow, Grassmarket, 0131 225 5028 www.musselandsteakbar.com Mon–Fri noon–2.45pm, 6–10pm; Sat noon–10pm; Sun 12.30–10pm £9.50 (set lunch)/ £20

There has always been something slightly bawdy about the pub-strewn Grassmarket, which was always going to be the case given that the city used to flock here to cheer public hangings. Thankfully today an oasis of quality cooking is on hand at the Mussel and Steak Bar. Mercifully there is in fact no bar, just well-cooked seafood and beef. West coast oysters kick things off (best grilled with spinach and tarragon butter) while steaming mussel pots (with a choice of five sauces) provide good value meals at £12.25. The Surf & Turf is a creative melange of shellfish and white fish sheltering in a pot under a 6oz sirloin. And it is no ordinary sirloin, as all their meat is matured Buccleuch beef.

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Ondine French 2 George IV Bridge, 0131 226 1888 www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–10pm; Sun noon–4pm £14.95 (set lunch) /£27

One of the newest additions to Edinburgh’s restaurant scene can be found discreetly tucked up a staircase on George IV Bridge, part of the newly built Hotel Missoni building. A relaxed atmosphere pervades the elegant surroundings and classy seafood menu, as smart staff move briskly about with amuse-bouches and home-made petit fours. All of the seafood on offer is accredited by the Marine Stewardship Council, a sign that sustainability and conservation are critical to chef Roy Brett. Like the mythical sea spirit after which the restaurant is named, Ondine might just take your breath away.

Le Sept French 5 Hunter Square, 0131 225 5428 www.lesept.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2.15pm, 6–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–10.30pm; Sun 12.30–10pm £10 (set lunch)/ £22

Situated on Hunter Square in the Old Town, in a bright and breezy space, Le Sept has become something of an institution in Edinburgh. Characterful art deco prints adorn the high white walls, with bistro chairs and little tables scattered on the bleached wood floor. The ambience is lively and charming, and with a lunch menu at just over a tenner for three courses you can see why the restaurant pulls in customers. What you get for your money, however, is a mixed bag. French onion soup is a dependable if unexciting starter, as is a richly textured chicken liver terrine. Mains also have their Mr Reliable: a line in savoury crêpes with a choice of stuffings and a smothering of bechamel that hit highs on the comfort food factor.

Wedgwood Scottish 267 Canongate, 0131 558 8737 www.wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Sun 12.30–3pm, 6–10pm £10 (set lunch) / £25

From the elegant décor, to each stellar dish, Wedgwood the Restaurant fulfils its promise of hosting the perfect night out. The welcoming staff provide focused service throughout the meal. Much thought has been put into the crimson dining room, where the overall gentle atmosphere allows the food and wine to be centre of attention. Guests are encouraged to enjoy their ‘deciding time’ with a glass of Comte de Dampierre champagne and the day’s amuse bouche selection. Golden breadcrumbed mullet, dotted with black sesame seeds, is enlivened by tangy wasabi mayonnaise. A plump pheasant breast sits atop a smooth bean cassoulet and coins of garlic sausage. This chic establishment is a refreshing stop along the tartan-clad Royal Mile.

The Witchery by the Castle Scottish Castlehill, Royal Mile, 0131 225 5613 www.thewitchery.com Mon–Sun noon–4pm, 5.30–11.30pm £13.95 (set lunch) / £40

Since its inauguration more than 30 years ago, The Witchery by the Castle has wowed locals, tourists and celebrities alike. Guests can choose to dine in either the darkly luxurious Witchery or in the nearby Secret Garden, a space spookily decorated with tall candles, tapestries and a view of the moonlit courtyard. A variety of menus are on offer, including a pre or post-theatre supper, the special ‘James Thomson Celebration menu’ offering three courses for £30, and the à la carte menu. A selection of Inverawe smoked fish includes creamy East Lothian crab crème-fraiche wrapped in a sliver of Loch Etive trout, hot-smoked salmon with a sweet beetroot puree, and eel dotted with punchy herbs. A shared main course of beef Wellington is tender and flaky, arriving with a jug of red wine jus, buttery mash and green beans.

Top Picks Picnic spots Calton Hill Situated just east of Princes Street, Calton Hill boasts a huge array of buildings and statues, the most famous of which is Edinburgh’s Disgrace, the unfinished William Playfair designed National Monument. The gentle climb to the top is rewarded with unsurpassed views West along Princes Street and South West to Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat. Cramond Along with the River Almond, a beach and a harbour, picturesque Crammond boasts a 15th-century church tower and the famous Cramond Inn. Explore the remains of a Roman Fort dating back to AD142, or better still, when the tide is out walk to Cramond Island in the middle of the Forth estuary.

“Apart from the food, the atmosphere, the service and the approachable flexibility of the menu, the other commendable thing about David Bann is that his prices represent good value. ” Joanna Blythman, The Herald

56-58 St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh (off The Royal Mile and The Cowgate) www.davidbann.com

0131 556 5888

Eating and Drinking Open 7 Days from 11am

Holyrood Park For one of the best views of the Old Town climb Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park. On a clear day you can see all the way to the jagged coastline of the Forth Estuary and beyond. After you’ve had an eyeful, head back down the Radical Road to the bottom of Salisbury Crag. Royal Botanic Garden A mile north of the town centre, the Botanic Garden offers one of the best walks in the city. The serious scientific purpose of the garden is well concealed by its lovely layout and the resident ducks, swans and squirrels are popular with younger visitors and Inverleith House in the centre of the garden shows regular art exhibitions.

Celebrate the festival in style at the North Bridge Brasserie & Bar Cocktail bar with food open 11.00am till late Festival ‘Panini & A Pint’ 12.00-5.30pm

Water of Leith Walkway Forget Trainspotting. Leith has done an amazing job of turning from less than salubrious port to stylish waterfront residential area in a remarkably short time. Visual highlights include Colinton Village, the Dean Village and Stockbridge.

Set lunch menu - 2 courses £12.00 / 3 Courses £16.00 Pre-Theatre menu- 2 courses £14.00 / 3 Courses £18.00 A la Carte menu - Lunch 12.00-2.00pm / Dinner 6.30-10.00pm

20 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1YT +44 (0)131 556 5565 northbridge@tshg.co.uk list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 131

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Eating New Town & Stockbridge Inexpensive The Abbotsford Bar/Scottish 3 Rose Street, 0131 225 5276 www.theabbotsford.com Sun–Thu noon–3pm, 5.30–9.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–10pm £13

‘Never the same ale twice’ the Abbotsford boasts, priding itself on its stock of UK-wide real ales, featuring five ever-changing guest drafts. There’s a more formal dining room upstairs (‘Above Abbotsford’, see Scottish section), while downstairs the pub menu of steak pie and fish and chips also features fusion touches such as Thai-style fish-cakes: a generous start to a meal, with a satisfyingly crunchy breading. Named after Walter Scott’s Borders home, the Abbotsford feels properly ‘Scottish’ in a way that doesn’t need tartan wallpaper.

amore dogs Italian 104 Hanover Street, 0131 220 5155 www.amoredogs.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–4pm; 5–10pm £9 (lunch) /£13

inventive fish specials that show some imagination.

Bell’s Diner North American 7 St Stephen Street, 0131 225 8116 Sun–Fri 6–10.15pm; Sat noon–10.15pm £13

Is it possible to write a review of Bell’s Diner without mentioning that it’s an Edinburgh institution? Apparently not, but when you visit a restaurant that has been staunchly and proudly maintaining its consistently simple and unpretentious vibe since 1972, it’s pretty much in the contract. Not that Bell’s feels dated – if anything it’s a timeless place, with wooden floors and tables sitting comfortably in the warm, redwalled room. It’s the burgers that make you sit up and take notice though: choose from a range of nine toppings and three sizes and you’ll not have to wait long before they arrive, smoky and rich, from the grill.

Café Newton Arts Venue Café Dean Gallery, 73 Belford Road, 0131 624 6273, www.ruthvenscatering.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm [coffee & cakes served: 10am–4.30pm] £9 (lunch)

David Ramsden’s original Dogs venture polarised opinion among patrons but its success spawned Italian companion Amore Dogs in 2009. The same commendable concept applies: the mantra is ‘no frills’. A big cream canteen-style room definitely has the Dogs design touch, with a massive canine take on Botticelli’s ‘Venus’ behind a long bar dominating proceedings. Homely, hearty and brilliant are bruschetta burgeoning with peposo (peppered beef stew) and fat spicy sausages cuddled in a circle of wet polenta, although chicken with sweet and sour peppers and fried spaghetti recalls Ready Steady Cook. To round off, the semifreddo is fine, the panacotta pretty perfect, and the bill is even better.

The promise of tea and cake – with added Nathan Coley works in the gardens and Eduardo Paolozzi sculptures over the hallway – makes this a bit of a destination café. Ten minutes’ walk downhill from the West End of Princes Street, or along the leafy banks of the Water of Leith, the Dean Gallery was an orphanage in a former life, before it became home to various Dada and Surrealist works plus special exhibitions of photography, portraiture and Pop Art. Lunch can be a tasty roast-veg Spanish tortilla with side salad, home-made soup, or a picking plate of hummus and crusty bread (specials are home-made daily, and tend to work around seasonal ingredients). A smart tea room with high-backed, dark wooden chairs, it can fill up fast, but if you secure a table it’s a very relaxing spot for taking a load off.

Amicus Apple

Circle

Bar & Pub

Café

17 Frederick Street, 0131 226 6055 Mon–Sun noon–9pm £12

1 Brandon Terrace, Canonmills, 0131 624 4666 www.thecirclecafé.com Mon–Sat 8.30am–5pm; Sun 9am–5pm £11

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if you missed Amicus Apple, situated as it is in a basement below a fancy lingerie shop. Thankfully, the space-age chairs sitting outside pull the eye away from the frillies into a decidedly Tardis-like bar. Keen to straddle the divide between daytime lunches and night-time partying means the menu is a mixed affair, combining finger food to share while demolishing a pitcher of something bubbly and intoxicating, along with some sturdy lunch selections. A commendable club sandwich and the big old plates of simple pasta are worth mentioning, as are the

Circle is a little gem of a place, occupying a niche somewhere between a traditional café and a full-blown restaurant. Tucked away in the ground floor of a tenement building on an unassuming corner, you could almost imagine you were in someone’s front room. There’s a range of blackboard specials, with highlights like Crombie’s sausages (with mash, of course), a fresh fish pie, and a fragrant and soothing chickpea and spinach curry. Sit back and sip a coffee; treat yourself to a slice of chilli chocolate cheesecake; chat with the friendly geek-chic staff. You may never leave.

www.amicusapple.com

Gallery Café

WHIGHAMS WINE CELLARS Open 12 till Midnight & until 1am Fri, Sat Food served till 10 Wide selection of Malts Real Ales Local produce with an emphasis on wine & seafood 30 Wines by the glass Whighams Wine Cellars 13 Hope Street Charlotte Square EH2 4EL 0131 225 8674 www.whighams.com 132 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

The Dogs Scottish 110 Hanover Street, 0131 220 1208 www.thedogsonline.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–4pm, 5–10pm £9 (lunch) /£14

In just a couple of years The Dogs has expanded from a simple two-room affair to a multi-storey Mecca of imaginative, informal dining. In the original restaurant, founder David Ramsden continues his hugely successful (and now much-emulated) formula of using offal, cheaper cuts and lesser-known fish in a resolutely British menu with tendencies towards austerity-era classics such as faggots or boiled salt beef with horseradish dumplings. Gutsy flavours, decent portions and moderate prices ensure a steady stream of customers through the quirkily furnished dining rooms. Front of house the service remains swift and smiley and if pronunciations of Scottish dishes such as cranachan or rumbledethumps occasionally prove challenging to non-native

diners, it’s all taken in refreshing good humour.

Eteaket Café 41a Frederick Street, 0131 226 2982 www.eteaket.co.uk Mon–Fri 8am–6pm; Sat 9am–6pm; Sun 10am–5pm £6

Fresh is the word that sums up the appeal of this 21st-century tea emporium. Owner Erica Moore has realised a modern vision of afternoon tea, with a hip yet genteel café stylishly upholstered in cerise and peacock blue. The tea menu is a proper one: more than 40 choices to delight aficionados and the purely adventurous. Each pot of fresh leaf brew – be it strong Assam, delicate White Peony or fiery Chili Rooibos – is delivered with an egg-timer to show when it’s ready to pour. The full afternoon tea is a winner: its savoury element is not cucumber triangles but soft bloomer generously filled

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with mozzarella and zingy pesto, or salami with rocket and olive tapenade. On the upper tiers of each vintage china tea stand come three delicious cakes, brownies, flapjacks, tarts – plus a fat plain scone with cream and jam to reassure old-school tea takers.

Gallery Café Café/Bar & Brasserie Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, 0131 332 8600 www.heritageportfolio.com Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm; Sat noon–3pm; Sun noon–2.30pm. [Coffee & cakes served: Mon—Fri 9am—4.30pm; Sat and Sun, 10am—4.30pm) £8 (lunch)

On a sunny day, the outdoor tables here are, very understandably, packed out. In the basement of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and backing on to the gardens, the patio fills up with kids running around, friends meeting for coffee, or people who are just here to experience the semilegendary traybakes and cakes. The indoor self-service canteen gets very crowded on weekends, and it’s not always possible (or encouraged) to bag a table before joining the queue, which can hold things up. Once you’re seated, however, the home-made soups (a delicious sweet potato, chilli and coconut flavour pops up regularly), filled croissants and generously loaded baked potatoes are consistently good, plus there are daily blackboard specials of fish pie, vegetarian pasta or savoury tarts too.

Glass & Thompson Café 2 Dundas Street, 0131 557 0909 Mon–Sat 8am–6pm; Sun 10.30am–4.30pm £12.50

Yes, Glass & Thompson is a bustling wee place with a prime position in Edinburgh’s beautiful New Town. Yes, there’s an interesting menu, with unexpected treats like dolmati, spinach and nutmeg pâté and pecorino with quince jelly. Yes, the soup is home-made and comes with two hunks of excellent bread. Mere details, people. The story here is one of cake. Glass & Thompson is a big fat slice of cake heaven. Everything is lovingly baked on the premises, and it shows. The ricotta, polenta and lime cake is perfectly balanced – squidgy, sweet and sharp. Banana bread comes out somewhere between bread and cake – fudgy in texture, moist and moreish.

Henderson’s Bistro Bar & Bistro 25 Thistle Street, 0131 225 2605 www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk Sun–Wed noon–8.30pm; Thu–Sat noon–9.30pm £11 (lunch) / £13

The autumn colours, Moroccan-style lanterns and softly lit interior give the instant impression that this is a warm, intimate atmosphere where you’ll enjoy eating, drinking and relaxing. Table service, and a special touch to the food, distinguish Henderson’s bistro from their nearby restaurant. If you are accompanied by a rabble of children, the more resilient restaurant may be the safer choice, but on request child portions can be arranged here. Gilt-framed blackboards introduce the chef’s specials each day, and a menu specifically for lunch, dinner and Sunday presents further appetising options: broccoli and brie crumble with tomatoes, mixed peppers and onions, topped with toasted seeds and nuts; baked pepper risotto with pine-nuts, cherry tomatoes and olives, and an apricot and coriander sauce; butternut squash, aubergine, apricot and tofu stew with coriander and cinnamon sauce, couscous, flatbread and marinated olives.

Herbie of Edinburgh Café 1 North West Circus Place, 0131 226 7212 www.herbieofedinburgh.co.uk Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm £11

Stockbridge has a reputation as one of Edinburgh’s best neighbourhoods for good food and small specialist shops. Right at the heart of that reputation are the two Herbie

New kids on the block This year’s Festival circuit boasts the arrival of two exciting new venues Ghillie Dhu is one of the freshest new venues to appear in the capital this year. Having only opened in March, it’s already garnered ample praise for its delicious Scottish menu and dedication to putting on a roster of special events, from ceilidhs to cabaret nights and gigs. It’s set to play a big part in the Fringe too, hosting cabaret and music evenings under the Pleasance banner: its decorative vaulted ceiling and period architectural features, combined with a state-of-theart sound and lighting system, making it a positive addition to the festival scene. Among the acts to grace the stage at Ghillie Dhu will be original HAIR cast member, musical theatre and singing legend Peter Straker, and the Tony Award winning Frances Ruffelle, who originated the role of Eponine in Les Miserablés. Another much-anticipated arrival is the Assembly’s rejuvenation of The Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens West, in celebration of their 30 years of participation in the Fringe. A Belgian dance tent and festival garden bar will be erected, and the bandstand itself will showcase live music, comedy, theatre and cabaret, with an outdoor programme of free entertainment including off-beat talent, Scottish music and an outdoor cinema. Frank Skinner will host The Talk Show at the venue, heading a line-up that includes Cirque de Soleil star Julien Cottereau, acclaimed acoustic guitarist Antonio Forcione, Scottish contemporary pipe band Red Hot Chilli Pipers, South African singing sensations The Bala Brothers and world-renowned mind-bending mentalist Marc Salem.

Hit Listed for 6 years in a row! Edinburgh’s favourite cafe/bakery & bistro serving fresh seasonal affordable food everyday from 8.30am to 8pm. Visit us @ 1 Brandon Terrace, Edinburgh, EH3 5EA 0131 624 4666 www.circlecafe.com

stores. The original, with barely room for three customers beside the fridges and bread displays, has retained its popularity despite the arrival of a bigger sister up the hill towards town. Here, a long cheese and salami display shows off Herbie’s real depth of quality in these departments.

Seadogs Bistro & Brasserie 43 Rose Street, 0131 225 8028 www.seadogsonline.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–4pm; 5–10pm £10 (lunch) / £12

David Ramsden continues to refine and expand his innovative and much imitated style around central Edinburgh, with Seadogs the latest addition to his burgeoning restaurant empire. The trademark mismatched old furniture and crockery are here, contrasting nicely with the sharp white walls, red plastic water jugs and sporadic doggy motifs. The menu also features many list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 133

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Eating of the original Dogs ideas – dishes for sharing, revitalised old faves and hearty seasonal grub at low, low prices. A starter of smoked mackerel arrives warm, and served on toast with a peppery rhubarb jam – an interesting combination that really works. Classic fish ‘n’ chips come in many styles: choose from coley, trout, plaice or whitebait, coated in either beer batter or oats, and served with classic mushy peas and delightful home-made tartare sauce.

slogan is ‘happy, healthy food’ and its ethos is still firmly family-friendly. Share a light starter like assagini – a mix of mozzarella, prosciutto and stuff – and grab a pizza; tuck into one of seven Italian burgers, like the Sicilia with roasted aubergines and courgettes, or go for a daily special such as sea bass with heaps of rocket and cherry tomatoes.

The Stand Comedy Club

A Room in the Town

Arts Venue Bar

Scottish

Café Andaluz

5 York Place, Queen Street, 0131 558 7272 www.thestand.co.uk Thu 7.30–8.45pm; Fri/Sat 7–8.45pm; Sun 12.30–2.30pm. [Food not served Mon–Wed] £7

18 Howe Street, 0131 225 8204 www.aroomin.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5.30–9.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–10.30pm. £12.95 (set lunch)/ £22

Spanish

Edinburgh comedy institution The Stand has been around for 15 years, showcasing the best up-and-coming Scottish comedians alongside famous names from throughout the UK and abroad. During the Edinburgh Festival this cosy basement venue is the place to see some of the best comedy acts around. The snack menu includes the Stand’s famous chilli, the vegetarian version of which is a decent, not too spicy mix presented with salsa and crème fraîche. Other options include a chicken fajita wrap and the biggest burger you’ve ever seen.

A colourful mural along the back wall reflects this New Town restaurant’s own buzzing atmosphere. Like its sister establishments in Leith and the West End, a variety of locally sourced menus are on offer, including a set lunch, an attractive party menu and the evening à la carte. The food is well presented in deep bowls with attractive garnishes. For starters, thin cuts of tuna carpaccio are enlivened by a zingy black-pepper crust and a punchy cucumber, chilli and lime dressing. A sultry dark cherry and balsamic chutney slides down slices of roast Gressingham duck breast and dauphinoise potatoes.

Its location, bang in the centre of the city, makes Café Andaluz a popular choice with business people and shoppers as well as the growing number of regulars and those using it as a starting place for a night out. Service is slick, perhaps too attentive for some, but clearly meets with the approval of regular diners. As well as paella and other main dishes, the menu offers several interesting variations on the tapas theme, some as fixedprice menus. Desserts are limited but have something for all tastes, whether it’s chocolate truffle cake, pavlova or Spanish cheeses.

Terrace Café

Mid-range

Occupying one of the most beautiful locations in Edinburgh, the Terrace Café has a captive audience. Which is why they can afford to charge a fraction over the odds and still ensure there’s not an empty table in the house. Popular with young families, retired ladies and gents who lunch and, during the summer, anyone looking for outdoor dining with a killer view, the Terrace has counter service and a regularly changing menu. The hot daily special features dishes such as bacon, mushroom and tarragon potato gratin or stuffed red pepper with green lentils and vegetables, which are hearty and flavoursome.

Zanzero

The Living Room

French

Bistro & Brassieres

76 Thistle Street, 0131 226 2230 www.cafémarlayne.com Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm, 6–10pm. £11 (lunch)/£18

113–115 George Street, 0131 226 0880 www.thelivingroom.co.uk Mon–Wed noon–11pm; Thu noon–11.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–midnight; Sun noon–10.30pm £15 (lunch) /£23

With welcoming, dark-wood surroundings, pleasant service and a decent drinks menu, the Living Room has established itself as the after-work haunt of choice for the midweek city-centre office crowd. Its long and wideranging food menu seems designed to offer something for everyone, which can make choosing what to eat quite difficult and lead to a mix-and-match approach. A tasty starter of potted white crab meat with avocado and tomato comes in a dinky preserving jar with squares of prawn toast on the side and just a hint of wasabi, as well as a roster of tried and tested mains.

Italian

CHARCOAL STEAKS, BURGERS, CHICKEN BURGERS & HOMEMADE NUT BURGERS

Browns Restaurant and Bar

Zanzero calls itself ‘The Italian Diner’ and fits the description with its modern, snappy menu and back-to-back booths by the window. It may have refurbished its beaming colour palette for a more muted look, but Zanzero remains relentlessly sunny in its outlook: its

£10.95 (set lunch)/ £18 The most northerly outpost of the Browns chain offers a handsome interior and a populist take on the all-day bar and brasserie formula. The grand-scale room achieves richness and intimacy with split-level areas

Sun-Fri, 6.00 - 10.30 Sat, 12.00 - 10.30

Still going strong after 30 years! 7 St Stephen St Edinburgh 0131 225 8116 Forth Floor

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Diners sit cheek-by-jowl in the original Thistle Street branch of Café Marlayne, but don’t let that put you off. Four starters and mains are offered at lunchtime, and a few more in the evening, complemented by a comprehensive wine list. Start with the rich, luxurious boudin noir with scallops or a silky chicken liver parfait, served with herby crisp brioche. Fish lovers can enjoy moules marinières, herring rollmops or fresh crab, all sourced locally. Main courses include Scottish rib-eye steak, a rack of lamb from the Borders, and fresh lemon sole served with capers and pinenuts.

Calistoga Central North American

15 North West Circus Place, 0131 220 0333 www.zanzero.com Mon–Fri 11am–10pm; Sat 10am–11pm; Sun 10am–9pm £15

Licensed Open Sundays Booking Advisable

77B George Street, 0131 220 9980 www.caféandaluz.com Mon–Sat noon–10pm; Sun 12.30–10pm £9.95 (lunch)

Café Marlayne

Café Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 0131 552 0606 Mon–Sun 10am—6.15pm £9.50 (lunch)

and dark wood finishes, while architectural floral arrangements provide a modern vibe. A plethora of menus handed down from company HQ are clearly designed to offer all things to all people, from brunches to lunches, afternoon teas, à la carte or prix fixe dinners and hearty Sunday roasts. Staples such as steak frites or fish-cakes with tangy horseradish crème fraîche fare well, while a nicely assembled seafood platter of predominantly smoked and cured fish also stands out.

Bistros and Brasseries 131–133 George Street, 0131 225 4442 www.browns-restaurants.com Mon–Sat 8am–10.30pm; Sun 10am–10.30pm

70 Rose Street North Lane, 0131 225 1233 www.calistoga.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 5–10pm. Sun closed. £10.50 (set lunch)/ £13.50

It may not come as a surprise to anyone who saw the near-permanent scaffolding, but Calistoga in the Southside has now closed down, leaving the central incarnation the sole proponent of the Calistoga philosophy of good wine and healthy food that sums up the very best of Californian cuisine. It’s not

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the easiest place to find, but certainly worth the effort – the venue may be small and minimalist, but the flavours are quite the opposite. Mains offer up a selection of steaks, and the rib-eye with red wine and shallot jus should get special mention here, but once again there is a tasty meat-free alternative, in this case a contrastingly crisp and unctuously soft sun-dried tomato, mozzarella and basil strudel.

Forth Floor Brassiere

approach to eating and the proprietors pride themselves on their commitment to animal welfare and local sourcing. Tucked away on Jamaica Street, this welcoming bar and restaurant is laid-back but this certainly doesn’t reflect badly on the food. Twentyeight-day-hung Aberdeen Angus rump steak served with hand-cut chips and roast garlic butter showcases Iglu’s excellent meat, as does the wild boar burger with game jus, which is a menu stalwart for good reason.

reflected in the service, which cheerfully delivers each course in good order. The menu features Scottish favourites with a twist and is available in both the bar and restaurant. Smoked haddock rarebit, layered with plum tomato, arrives on toasted walnut bread. The soft, melting venison haunch is paired with sweet roasted vegetables. The wine list is well chosen, and the fruity Marquis de Menardiere sauvignon blanc is a highlight.

Mussel Inn

Bistros and Brassieries Harvey Nichols, 30–34 St Andrew Square, 0131 524 8350 www.harveynichols.com Mon noon–3pm; Tue–Fri noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Sat noon–3.30pm, 6–10pm; Sun noon–3.30pm £20 (set lunch) / £28

La Laterna

Fish

Italian

61–65 Rose Street, 0131 225 5979 www.mussel-inn.com Mon–Thu noon–3pm, 5.30–10pm; Fri–Sun noon–10pm £20

The labels downstairs may be notoriously high-end, but Harvey Nichols’ brasserie offers good value, especially as you share the same stunning views as the fine-dining restaurant just a slender glass screen away. The décor is suitably stylish, with a crisp contemporary palette and funky retro touches like Eames chairs and circular ceiling lights which change colour to suit the mood. The menu’s not quite as modish, but focuses on superior bistro fare. Fillet of sea bream is perfectly cooked and elegantly presented with plump capers and bacon scattered across its crispy skin. Breakfasts are served until midday and lighter snacks and pastries are available most afternoons.

La Lanterna is a warming ray of light for anyone searching for traditional Italian food. Nestled in the very heart of Edinburgh, two minutes from Princes Street, this is a cosy basement restaurant with all the charm of a true Italian ristorante. All the food is freshly prepared and cooked to order, using locally sourced produce to create a menu packed full of time-honoured favourites. They have a wide selection of chicken, pasta, risotto, steaks, veal, seafood, and tempting homemade sweets, including tiramisu, pavlova and zuppa inglese.

Iglu Scottish 2b Jamaica Street, 0131 476 5333 www.theiglu.com Tue–Sat noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Sun noon–3pm, 6–9pm. Closed Mon. £18 (lunch)/ £20

Provenance might be the buzzword of the moment in the world of food, but Iglu has always been at the forefront of an ethical

83 Hanover Street, 0131 226 3090 www.lalanternaedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm £15 (lunch)/ £20

The Magnum Restaurant and Bar

Serving up the freshest seafood direct from Scotland’s shellfish farms, the Mussel Inn is a welcome port of good food amid Rose Street’s anonymous pubs. With only one non-fish dish available (to cater to vegetarians), this is a place dedicated to the love of the sea – even the bright interior features blue walls adorned with vivid murals of leaping fish. Mussels are the star of the show here, as you would expect, and come in kilo or half-kilo pots with a bewildering array of sauces to choose from: marinière, blue cheese and bacon – even a North African twist featuring ginger, coriander and cumin.

Scottish 1 Albany Street, 0131 557 4366 Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun 10am–6pm £10.95 (set lunch)/ £19.50

The exceptionally convivial atmosphere of the Magnum Bar and Restaurant is noticeable upon arrival. Strains of big band music from the noisier bar float into the more intimate dual-tiered dining room, where fairy lights sparkle from the windows. The polished atmosphere is

Nargile Turkish

Azak. The extensive and interesting menu is consistently delivered with aplomb by the kitchen, which makes the most of its high quality, local ingredients. Each meze is a treat in itself. Hummus kavurma balances the pan-fried filet of lamb against the cool garlicky chickpeas. Large gooey chunks of aubergine and tomato in the saksuka are designed to be mopped up with hot pitta, while the delicate, flaky filo enveloping the fresh spinach and moist feta make the borekler memorable. For those who just can’t decide, the meze selection will keep diners busy. Vegetarian choices include patlican tombala: stuffed aubergine with roasted red pepper sauce.

Pierre Victoire Bistro & Brasserie 18 Eyre Place, 0131 556 0006 www.pierrelevicky.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm £6.90 (lunch)/ £14

An enticing and well-intentioned menu awaits in this New Town restaurant owned by Pierre Levicky. Starters include a country house pâté with shop-bought oatcakes, which, while not exciting, is a decent, coarse terrine. The crab fish-cakes are crisp and fluffy inside but could do with a bit more crab and less potato. On certain days the fish of the day is a generous whole John Dory, simply grilled and served with homemade chips. The steaks are generous in size, again accompanied by chips, but a slightly heavy hand in the kitchen accounts for dishes erring on the side of the overcooked.

73 Hanover Street, 0131 225 5755 www.nargile.co.uk Mon 5–10pm, Tue–Sat 11am–2pm, 5–10pm. Closed Sun. £7.50 (set lunch)/ £19

The longstanding popularity of Nargile, in the heart of the New Town, is well deserved both for its food and the warmth of its welcoming proprietors, Seyham and Anne

For up to date reviews see list.co.uk/festival

“Beautiful food and an ingeniously compiled drinks list” The Entertainment Guide

“A welcoming venue with a vibrant atmosphere and plenty of irresistible treats to tempt your tastebuds” Food and Drink Guide

17 Frederick Street Edinburgh, EH2 2EY 0131 226 6055 info@amicusapple.com www.amicusapple.com list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 135

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Eating Redwood

Shilla

North American

Korean

33a St Stephen Street, 0131 225 8342 www.redwood-restaurant.co.uk Wed–Sat 6–10pm. Closed Sun/Mon/Tue. £21.95 (set dinner)

13b Dundas Street, 0131 556 4840 Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm; 5pm–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–10.30pm. Closed Sun. £11 (lunch)/ £17

Californian chef Annette Sprague makes the kind of food she likes to eat at home, which translates as a blend of Japanese, Vietnamese, French, Italian and Mexican, using local and seasonal ingredients. The menu reflects the size of her small kitchen; every night there is a choice of vegetarian, meat or fish starter and main followed by two puddings or cheese. The menu also changes every two weeks in this intimate dark-red and brown Farrow & Ball painted basement restaurant, so it’s always a stimulating experience for diner – and chef. Californian wine features on the small wine list and the restaurant offers BYOB on weekday evenings – so go for an instant taste of Californian sunshine.

Shilla, the only Korean restaurant in Edinburgh, occupies a labyrinthine New Town basement. Descending the stairs you step into a warren of little rooms, which, along with the funky oriental interior and atmospheric lack of natural light, give a feel of a prohibition den – Korean style. Although it only opened in 2009, Shilla already seems well established and its maze of cubby-holes can fill up quickly. The lengthy menu (with new sushi menu too) includes sections such as starters, chargrilled meats, noodles and specials. Complimentary pickles arrive as a prestarter followed by popular dishes such as gun man do (fried pork dumplings) and pa jeon (seafood omelette).

The Saint

Time 4 Thai

Bar & Pub Food

Thai

44 St Stephen Street, 0131 225 9009 www.thesaintedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm £13.50 (lunch)/ £13.50

45 North Castle Street, 0131 225 8822 www.time4thai.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–11.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–11.30pm; Sun 1–11.30pm £23 (lunch)/ £23

It’s hard to fault this snug, classy yet refreshingly unpretentious venue. Formerly the Watershed, the basement bar is reached via a steep staircase. Once the hand-written menu has been negotiated, there’s also some fine food to be had: starters of soft, pink wood-pigeon breast dipping its toes in a thin but tasty mushroom broth, or clams in a moules marinières-style white-wine sauce. Mains are similarly capable, from a sizeable and well-cooked lamb shank on carrots and roast vegetables to a flaky pastry galette filled with wild mushrooms, while the cinnamon crème brûlée with a finger of pecan nut shortbread is a standout from the dessert menu.

Time 4 Thai is wonderfully located on the ground floor of a Georgian townhouse just off George Street and the owners make the most of it. The large venue, subtly subdivided into four smaller areas, with further seating downstairs, never feels overwhelming or barren. Soft lighting, glistening glassware, fresh flowers and attractive art leave no doubt that this is Thai in the New Town. A wide range of Thai favourites appears across the extensive menu so most tastes should be catered for, but the kitchen seems to have a hard time living up to the expectations set. On style it wins hands down, but bear in mind that you are paying for location.

Tony’s Table Bistros and Brassieres 58a North Castle Street, 0131 226 6743 www.tonystable.com Tue–Sat noon–2.30pm, 6.30–10.00pm, Sun 5.00—9.00pm, Closed Mon. £11 (lunch)/ £18

Shortlisted for Best Newcomer Restaurant in Scotland Award 2010 Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday 6 – 10pm Lunch: Pre-bookings only

33A St. Stephens Street Stockbridge Edinburgh EH3 5AH 0131 225 8342 www.redwood-restaurant.co.uk

At Tony’s Table, eponymous executive chef Tony Singh’s team serve up uncomplicated yet out-of-the-ordinary food in genuinely relaxed surroundings. A varied and unusual a la carte menu is available at lunchtime, while the set dinner menu offers great value two- or three-course options. Starters include a wonderfully smoky ham hock and pickled vegetable terrine, and haggis pakora and chicken fritters with chilli and mango sauce, which somehow manages to sum up Tony’s Scots-Sikh heritage on a single plate. The list of mains makes it clear that the more expensive cuts of meat go to Tony’s other, higher-end Edinburgh restaurant, Oloroso, but with beautifully cooked diced pork belly, braised beef shin and ‘cow pie’ on offer, this really doesn’t seem like a great loss.

Urban Angel Bistros and Brassieres 1 Forth Street, 0131 556 6323 www.urban-angel.co.uk Mon–Sat 9am–late; Sun 9am–5pm £19.50 (lunch)/ £19.50

From stylish premises in Hanover Street and Forth Street, the Urban Angel team serve up hearty portions of ethical grub to Edinburgh’s trendy foodies for whom organic, fair trade and free-range are key considerations. Both venues share whitewashed walls and minimal, modern fittings as well as a basic menu, with some minor variations between the two outlets. All-day

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brunches include French toast and eggs Benedict, while trios of tapas can include olives, halloumi, gravadlax, chorizo, venison and duck. Urban Angel ‘favourites’ such as home-made burgers and sausage and mash can seem a bit dull in comparison to the exciting list of daily specials that are available as both starters and mains, along the lines of braised ox cheeks and smoked haddock and pea risotto.

Valvona & Crolla VinCaffè Italian

Top Picks Late night drinking The Outhouse Wandering down the alleyway towards the Outhouse, you might wonder if you’ve taken a wrong turn. But the out-of-the-way location gets forgotten once you’re inside this chic bar with its laid-back crowd. When it’s not raining everyone piles outside into the beer garden, where you can enjoy some good food with your pint and soak up the atmosphere. 12A Broughton Street Lane, 0131 557 6668 Negociants Take a seat because it’s table service in Negociants, an eternally popular bar that veers between café and nightclub. With a club downstairs in the basement, it comes into its own in the evenings when groups of friends fuel up on the legendary large nachos upstairs before getting their dancing shoes on. 45—47 Lothian Street, 0131 225 6313 Assembly Bar Assembly somehow manages to mash up the looks of a style bar with the comfort of an old local. Located across the road from the student union, the food is inexpensive, the cocktail list is tempting and the DJs play everything from hip hop to house. 41 Lothian Street 0131 220 4288 City Café One of the city’s first ‘style bars’, the City Café still attracts a good-looking crowd. The décor is American dinerinspired, making it a favourite pre-club spot and an ideal place to grab a hearty plate of food. 19 Blair Street, 0131 220 0125 Pivo If you like your food and your beers East European, preclub favourite Pivo will be your destination of choice. Czech beers like Budvar and Louny keep punters refreshed while the DJs do their stuff and the place just gets busier and busier as the night goes on. 2—6 Calton Road, 0131 557 2925

11 Multrees Walk, 0131 557 0088 www.vincaffe.com Mon - Sat: 9.30am – late - Sun: 12.00pm 5.00pm £10

Valvona & Crolla’s Vincaffè, in swanky Multrees Walk, is an Italian emporium comprising café and deli on the ground level and spacious restaurant upstairs. While the café serves pastries, panini and exceedingly good coffee, the stylish dining room has loftier ambitions. Central to the restaurant’s premise is the superb wine list, with over 50 great names by the glass. Vincaffè operates the Cruvinet system, where wine is preserved using nitrogen – check the row of silver taps behind the bar – so diners can enjoy that special glass of Barolo without breaking the bank. Watch out for the regular wine-tasting events. The kitchen’s philosophy is to deliver authentic ‘homecooked’ dishes with panache.

Whighams Wine Cellars Bistros & Brasserie 13 Hope Street, Charlotte Square, 0131 225 8674 www.whighams.com Mon–Thu noon–midnight; Fri/Sat noon–1am; Sun 12.30pm–midnight £11.95 (lunch)/ £16

This characterful cellar in the West End has been drawing in wine-lovers for over 25 years. The well-stocked island bar sits between an original row of cosy, candle-lit alcoves and a newer, brighter restaurant with big windows, blonde wood and tan leather seats. An all-day menu is available in both areas, focusing on seafood along with simple meat dishes such as steak and ale pie or salads with Ayrshire ham or Buccleuch beef. The signature seafood platter is as fresh and local as possible. Swift service and a great selection of wines by the glass suit business lunchers and pit-stopping shoppers alike, but some more interesting vintages are available by the bottle to tempt those able to linger a while.

Wok and Wine Chinese 57a Frederick Street, 0131 225 2382 Mon–Sun 5.30–11pm £16

Descend from the New Town streets and you could be forgiven for thinking you’d entered a hip bar. Instead you’ll find a smoothly run restaurant brightened up with imaginative fabrics, a dash of colour and moodily subdued lighting. The menu is just as fresh, with made-for-sharing tapas dishes that kick off with ‘Wok Bites’, the highlight of which is the steamed har-kow, dim sum dumplings stuffed with black tiger prawns, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. The larger dishes cover some of the usual bases before taking things up a gear with the likes of generous chunks of meaty monkfish spiced up with chilli and onion.

Yo! Sushi Japanese Harvey Nichols, 30–34 St Andrew Square, 0131 341 1771 www.yosushi.com/restaurants/Edi Sun/Mon noon–6pm; Tue–Sat noon–9pm £10

The gleaming new Yo! Sushi at Harvey Nichols completes the Forth Floor as a magnet for gourmands. For a quick bite or a lingering lunch, Yo! Sushi delivers. Choose dishes from the conveyor belt – colour coded according to price – or request something from the menu. Crisp vegetable dumplings (gyoza) are complemented with a

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biting, spicy sauce and chicken rice with Asian vegetables is surprisingly fruity and sticky.

Zest Indian 15 North St Andrew Street, 0131 556 5028 www.zest-edinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–11.30pm £13

With a refurbished interior of immaculate furnishings and a sea of cream, there are no giveaways that this is in fact an Indian restaurant. Instead there is a much greater emphasis on a fine-dining environment, with warm and attentive service that reflects the care and enthusiasm of this young operation. Vegetarian starter chana puree is a succulent spicy chickpea dish served with star-shaped puffed bread, or try the moreish sabzi pakora. Among the main dishes the menu lists the usual suspects, and classic curries like king prawn rogan josh and sag gosht are well executed using the freshest ingredients.

Scotland. Gaelic meets Gallic is very much the theme here, and the menu shows French influence rather than a French heart. Excellent Scottish produce shines in a plate of sweet west coast scallops, complemented with earthy Jerusalem artichoke and beetroot.

menu is thoughtfully put together with a nod towards Scottish cuisine. Desserts continue in the same vein: creamy vanilla and cinnamon rice pudding is served with teasoaked prunes and a heavenly quince puree while golden raisin savarin provides a delicate end to the meal.

Centotre

Dusit

Italian

Thai

103 George Street, New Town, 0131 225 1550 www.centotre.com Mon-Thu 7.30am-10pm; Fri/Sat 7.30am-11pm; Sun 10am-10pm £14.95 (set lunch)/ £24

49a Thistle Street, 0131 220 6846 www.dusit.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–3pm, 6–11pm; Sun noon–11pm £24

High End

Floating far above the diners, a sign hangs. The words of an Italian song are scribbled in white on deep fuchsia, one line reading ‘it is beautiful to eat at Centotre’, and few will argue. With its soaring ceiling and towering pillars the building has a powerful historical pull. During the day this is the backdrop to a bright and bustling café, but in the evening it is transformed into a more intimate venue. For those daring to be decadent there is a five-course taster menu, but the selection on the à la carte is no less delectable.

Café St Honoré

The Dining Room

French

Scottish

34 North West Thistle Street Lane, 0131 226 2211 www.cafésthonore.com Mon–Fri noon–2.15pm, 5.30–10pm; Sat/Sun noon–2.15pm, 6–10pm £16.50 (set lunch)/ £26

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 28 Queen Street, 0131 220 2044 www.smws.com Mon noon–2.30pm; Tue–Sat noon–2.30pm, 5pm–9.30pm. Closed Sun. £27

There is no doubt that Café St Honoré is a French restaurant. The old patisserie is so effusively decorated that it looks and feels like it’s been flown in specially from the alleys of Montmartre. The décor may be imported, but there is much fuss made (and rightly so) about quality local ingredients: from the Borders beef fillet to the cream in the crème anglaise, little comes from outside

The Dining Room is not what you would expect from a whisky society. Instead of the anticipated dark leather chairs and deep tartan hues, there’s light wood furniture and pale yellow walls adorned with contemporary art. Service is attentive and knowledgeable while waiters recommend which whiskies make for good aperitifs or match food. And that food is superb. The

To say that Dusit is one of the best Thai restaurants in Scotland and year-on-year sets the standard for Thai fine dining almost misses the point. This is quite simply one of the best restaurants around, full stop. Eight years in, Dusit still works hard to consistently provide its loyal clientele with attractive and inventive Thai dishes that showcase Scotland’s high quality larder and culinary excellence. Stir-fries spill forth tender seafood, and even guinea fowl cocks its head.

Fishers in the City Fish

Join us for breakfast, al fresco lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or just drinks...

58 Thistle Street, 0131 225 5109 www.fishersbistros.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10.30pm £11.95 (set lunch) / £21

When it opened in 2001, the younger sister of Fishers on the Shore quickly earned a reputation for excellence and was a welcome addition to the central Edinburgh bistro scene. ‘Fishers Favourites’ are a menu constant, featuring all the classic fishy staples like oysters, fish-cakes and fish ‘n’ chips. When it comes to main courses, the fish speaks for itself. The considered wine list features some of Fishers’ own ‘handmade’ wines from South Africa, including a superbly fresh, zingy sauvignon blanc that is a perfect match to most fish dishes.

La Lanterna Family run Italian restaurant

La Lanterna is a cosy basement restaurant with all the charm of a true Italian ristorante. All food is freshly prepared and cooked to order, using locally sourced produce to create a menu packed full of time-honoured favourites. Toni and Ciccio’s only aim is to please, and their 41 years of experience in the restaurant business means you will be in very capable hands. 83 Hanover Street, Edinburgh 0131 226 3090 www.lalanternaedinburgh.co.uk

Magnum

Restaurant & Bar

The Magnum offers you a relaxing gastro bar and restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town. Within a stone’s throw of the bustling city centre, The Magnum offers a lunch and dinner menu with a focus on freshly prepared local produce, complimented with wine selected from Magnum’s wine seller.

Join our Friends of Browns to enjoy some great offers www.browns-restaurants.com

BROWNS BAR & BRASSERIE 131-133 GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH EH2 4JS TEL: 0131 2254442 s www.browns-restaurants.com

Monday to Thursday open 12.00 pm - 12.00 am Friday and Saturday open 12.00 pm - 1.00 am Sunday 12.30-10.00pm Food served 12.00 pm - 2.30 pm then 5.30 pm - 10pm Voted 10th most popular hidden gems in the UK by toptable.co.uk Edinburgh Capital Silver Award 2009

1 Albany Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3PY 0131 557 4366 list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 137

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wooden floors and school-style scrubbed wooden tables, benches and chairs. The bar is all on one level, with a spiral staircase down to the toilets, which could prove hazardous after one or two too many drinks. The menu is simple, inspiring and determinedly Scottish, with probably some of the best haggis you will find, served with pear chutney for a starter option alongside soups of the day and smoked salmon.

Peter’s Yard

Scottish/Bistro Harvey Nichols 30-34 St. Andrew Square, 0131 524 8350 Mon-Fri 12 noon–3pm; Sat–Sun noon–3.30pm £20 (set lunch)/ £24

From the plump, meaty olives set before you on arrival to the pretty petits fours that accompany your coffee, every morsel the kitchen at Forth Floor delivers to the table is a treat. An amuse-bouche of langoustine bisque and marinated langoustine tail sets the tone for a menu that favours fine produce, intense flavours and elegant presentation. A duck rillette ploughman’s with tiny pickled onions and golden raisins is an inventive starter of perfectly balanced flavours and textures, though not every dish can boast the same. Each element of main option roast monkfish with cod brandade, homemade chorizo and red wine butter is beautifully cooked but the overall effect is a little too salty to savour.

Hanedan Turkish 41 West Preston Street, 0131 667 4242 www.hanedan.co.uk Tue–Sun noon–3pm, 5.30pm–late. Closed Mon. £8.95 (set lunch)/£14.50

It is rare to pass this small Southside restaurant and see it anything other than busy. Popular with all ages, for long weekend lunches as much as dinner, it serves a short but well-balanced menu of mezze and charcoal grills. By day, light streams in the big, north-facing windows while in the evenings the clever use of mirrors replicates the fairy lights and candles. Lalezar – the mix of hot and cold mezze – is a good way to start; for main, look out for the fish of the day, swordfish or tuna steak, or sardines on rocket. For dessert, Hanedan’s Mess is chef Gursel Bahar’s pineapple take on the better-known Eton variety, or try the honey-soaked baklava. There are a couple of Turkish wines, to keep in the mood, or traditional Turkish coffee and apple tea to round off the meal.

Oloroso Scottish 33 Castle Street, 0131 226 7614 www.oloroso.co.uk Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm, 7–10pm; Sat noon–2.30pm, 7–10.30pm; Sun 12.30–2.30pm, 7–10.30pm £18.50 (set lunch)/ £33

In stark contrast to the higgledy-piggledy rooftops and ancient Castle viewed through its full-length panoramic windows, inside Oloroso is all clean lines and modern sleekness. Saffron accents and soft spotlighting, together with dark leather armchairs and crisp linens, create an air of understated luxury, while the food itself makes no such pretence to modesty. Patrons can choose a main course from the grill – an indulgent selection boasting veal T-bone and ‘It fish’ John Dory among its options – or from the main menu. For dessert there’s nothing quite as decadent as the intensely sweet sticky toffee pudding, served drenched in butterscotch sauce with rum-poached prunes, saved from sickliness by a scoop of tart crème-fraîche ice-cream.

The Stockbridge Restaurant Scottish 36 North West Circus Place, 0131 226 6766 www.thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk Sat–Sun 7pm–10pm £14.95(lunch)/£30

From the moment you descend into the decadent grotto that is The Stockbridge Restaurant you know you’re in for a treat. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and fairy lights, quality linen and heavy silver cutlery. The food is exceptional, using fresh seasonal produce, locally sourced, with a highlight being Scottish hand-dived scallops. All this served in an intimate, charming location make the Stockbridge the ideal place for a little romantic dinner for two, family celebration, business and informal lunches.

Tigerlily

Hot Hot Chinese Chinese 60 Home Street, 0131 656 0707 Mon–Sun 4–11pm £14.50

wok-fried vegetable noodles is topped with micro-herbs, chilli, ginger and a slice of candied orange, while sausage and mustard mash with a red wine gravy appears austere in comparison but is much tastier.

B’est

Southside Inexpensive

This French Restaurant lives up to the true French restaurant philosophy, with its high quality, well cooked and affordable food. The interesting menus keep it simple and patrons can chow down on a two- or threecourse meal for a reasonable price, while the light and airy bistro restaurant caters for intimate meals or something more lively. The menu changes regularly and all the ingredients are locally-sourced, seasonal produce.

Ann Purna Indian/Vegetarian 45 St Patrick’s Square, 0131 662 1807 Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5–10.45pm £13

This is a very much spruced-up version of the Ann Purna of old, with black leather seats, dark wood tables and Indian paintings adorned with tassels on the walls. With inspiration from Gujarat and South India – regions where vegetarian dishes form the daily diet – the ethos of Ann Purna is to serve authentic, imaginative and expertly prepared cuisine with the freshest of ingredients and delicate spices. Even the aromatic basmati rice with saffron is bursting with flavour. This is vegetarian cuisine at its best.

Bistros & Brassieres 125 George Street, 0131 225 5005 www.tigerlilyedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun 8am–10.30pm £17 (lunch) /£23

Of all the destination bars and restaurants on George Street, Tigerlily is arguably the most stylish. If decadent design and over-the-top opulence are your thing then this is the place to see and be seen. Unsurprisingly, the food and drink here is beautiful to look at. A small starter of pumpkin and sage ravioli sits proudly in the middle of a huge round plate, while aubergine and garlic soup arrives in a deep square bowl. For such tastefully presented dishes, both lack slightly in flavour. A main of seared duck breast with

For complete Festival listings see list.co.uk/festival

Bennets Bar Bar & Pub Food 8 Leven Street, 0131 229 5143 Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5–8.30pm. Closed Sun. £9

As the bar of choice for patrons of the King’s Theatre next door, it’s not surprising that Bennets likes to make something of a performance of itself. On a spot that has held a public house for the last 150 years and more, the listed interior shows off a rather gorgeous wooden main bar, stained-glass windows and a series of mirrored booths boasting tables inlaid with maps of Edinburgh. This striking serving area isn’t just for show, either, with around 110 malt whiskies lined up along it. The similarly oldfashioned Green Room area in the back doubles as a dining room and a post-show watering hole for thespians, providing a nice separation from the crowds, which can build up for televised sport in the front bar. Meanwhile, the food is at the high end of standard pub fare.

138 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

French 16 Drummond Street, 0131 556 4448 www.best-restaurant.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2.45pm, 5–11pm £6.90 (set lunch)/ £12.90 (set dinner)

When all of the other tables in a busy Chinese restaurant are occupied by Chinese diners, you know something is right in the kitchen. At Hot Hot, which is housed in unassuming Tollcross premises with seemingly permanent condensation on the shop-front windows, what goes on with the actual cooking, however, is down to you. Huge bowls of soup – there’s a choice of four varieties – which are essentially tasty stocks with all manner of exotic Chinese herbs, spices and flavourings, are the culinary crucibles for quick cooking of an all-you-can-eat selection of meats, shellfish, seaweed, tofu and bundles of transparent glass noodles, accompanied by sauces of garlic, sesame and peanuts.

Kalpna Bonsai

Indian/Vegetarian

Japanese

2/3 St Patrick’s Square, 0131 667 9890 www.kalpnarestaurant.com Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sun 5.30–10pm. £7 (set lunch)/ £13

46 West Richmond St, 0131 668 3847 www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm £8 (lunch)/£12

The cosy, welcoming Bonsai Bar and Bistro invites you to linger over lunch, grab a snack or even enjoy a party. Sitting cheek by jowl with your neighbours at bare wood tables, an impressive selection of elegantly presented and keenly priced dishes are served up on slate and lacquer platters ideal for sharing. The tempura (agemono) of prawns and vegetables is light and fresh, while the salmon skins and avocado nigiri-zushi is both crispy and creamy. Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) with dipping sauce are juicy and fun and the bargain Bento box is an economic, stylish packed lunch full of different flavours. Drinks include everything you’d expect from a Western bar along with a selection of Japanese cocktails.

Kalpna is one of Edinburgh’s best loved and award-winning vegetarian restaurants, specialising in South Indian cooking. An ornate mosaic adorns the walls of the cosy restaurant interior, in a location favoured by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike for a couple of decades. Famed for their popular and sizeable lunch buffet, the dinner menu also offers thalis, Kalpna favourites and south Indian specialities. Also recommended for a pre-theatre meal, the three-course traditional thali consists of a selection of starters and curries, rice, salad, chutney, naan bread and a dessert – with a vegan option too. From the main menu, the pakora starter is a mixture of vegetables with a tamarind and date sauce; the lightly battered potato slices are particularly good.

Cloisters Bar & Pub Food 26 Brougham Street, 0131 221 9997 Tue–Thu noon—3pm, 6-8.30pm; Fri/Sun noon3.30pm. No food served Mon. £13

Totally devoid of pomp or pretension, Cloisters is a convivial hideout for a rainy afternoon or evening. The bar welcomes drinkers with its spirit levels and a healthy range of beer and wine, while to the right, a busy fireplace throws a glowing light onto

Kampong Ah Lee Malaysian Delight Malaysian 28 Clerk Street, 0131 662 9050 Mon–Thu noon–3pm, 5–11pm; Fri–Sun noon–11pm. £8 (lunch)/ £13

Kampong Ah Lee Malaysian Delight – it’s a bit of a mouthful but one that will indeed delight most food lovers. Justifiably popular and often packed, customers pile

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into this small, family-run eatery and sit cheek-by-jowl at café-style tables. This, along with the bright lighting, lends the feel of a greasy-spoon, Kuala Lumpur style. Choose from Malaysian classics such as nasi lemak or bowls of laksa, or pick larger dishes for sharing. The menu is long and negotiating it could be problematic for those not versed in the finer details of Malaysian cuisine. Don’t be put off, just ask for help or take a gamble – chances are you will be rewarded.

Katie’s Diner Bistro & Brassiere 12 Barclay Terrace, 0131 229 1394 www.katiesdiner.com Tue–Thu 6–9pm; Fri/Sat 6–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £13 (lunch)/ £17

Husband and wife owners Geoff and Kate Ness like cooking steaks and burgers – so steaks and burgers it is, all sourced from a local Edinburgh butcher. Fat, flickering candles sit on simple square wooden tables and pictures donated by friends explain the eclectic mix on the walls. Kate makes all her own burgers with flavours including chilli, bacon, peppercorn and brandy. The cheese and onion burger is dwarfed by a tangled mass of freshly cooked fried onions and a molten sliver of orange cheese. Desserts are filling – squares of warm, gooey chocolate brownies melt into big scoops of vanilla ice-cream. The good BYOB policy, simple, well-cooked food and homely atmosphere make this an obvious destination for Meadows locals.

Kebab Mahal Indian/Takeaway 7 Nicolson Square, 0131 667 5214 www.kebab-mahal.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–midnight; Fri 2pm–midnight; Sat noon–2am £8.50

Recent recipient of a Scottish Curry Award, Kebab Mahal has been serving large portions of kebabs, curries (and, in the wee small hours, pizza) since 1979. With a large counter serving takeaway food at the front of this restaurant/café, this is very much a casual dining experience. Minimal décor and no-thrills service certainly do not discourage their loyal customer base, and with the constant flow of regulars and only a few tables at the rear of the restaurant, be prepared to share your table at busy times. Onion bhaji and chicken pakora are a good place to start. To follow, the chicken rogan josh is a good choice.

Khushi’s Diner Indian 32b West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 4871 www.khushisdiner.com Mon–Sat noon–11pm; Sun 5–10pm. £16.50

Immaculate white walls, sparkling glass screens and some hot splashes of colour give this busy, split-level basement restaurant a vibrant contemporary buzz that

echoes the menu’s fresh Punjabi flavours. Find a seat with a kitchen view and work up an appetite watching chefs wielding huge skewers of marinated delicacies hot from the tandoor oven. Tandoori mushrooms, stuffed with soft paneer cheese and laced with chilli, are deliciously succulent, while fish tikka tandoori is delicately spiced with a subtle charcoal flavour. Break through the house special biryani’s light bread crust to reach the rich, aromatic treat beneath. For curry lovers a range of deftly prepared favourites is augmented with tempting additions, such as aloo gosht, a mild but deeply fragrant Pakistani curry of tender lamb and potato.

Loopy Lorna’s Tea House Café 370-372 Morningside Road, 0131 447 9217 www.loopylornas.com Daily 9am-6pm £15

Loopy Lorna’s Tea House aims to create a real taste of home through providing the very best in quality loose leaf teas and real home-baking done on the premises. Not only can you see the cakes being baked but you will be surrounded by the sweet scents of their busy baking ovens. Breakfasts, light meals, soups, sandwiches and of course traditional afternoon teas also feature on their selective menu.

curry, with freshly baked naan bread also on offer. Wash it all down with a range of exotic juices from mango to sugar cane. Al fresco dining under a plastic roof in all weathers, with disposable plates and cutlery, is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the Mosque Kitchen is certainly not recommended for those who prefer polished service.

Peckham’s Underground Café/Deli 155–159 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 228 2888 www.peckhams.co.uk Sun–Thu 10am–10pm; Fri/Sat 10am– £12.50 (lunch)/ £13.50

Peckham’s delicatessens have grown into an institution over the last 30 years, selling sophisticated wines and a delightful array of meats, cheeses, olives and, quite importantly, desserts to well-heeled Scots. The daytime menu includes a good value mix of the sorts of dishes you would expect from the store above, with breakfasts including French toast served with Ayrshire bacon and tomato. A wellcooked and seasoned minute-steak sandwich in a toasted ciabatta with crispy potato wedges is a generous lunch choice. The stand-out speciality here though is dessert, with options like a meltingly soft chocolate brownie with crème fraîche.

Peter’s Yard Manna Mahal

Café/Bakery

Indian

Quartermile, 0131 228 5876 www.petersyard.com Mon–Fri 7am–6pm; Sat/Sun 9am–6pm £5

113 Buccleuch Street, 0131 662 9111 www.mannamahal.co.uk Mon–Sun 5–11pm £16

In an unassuming location on the Southside, Sebastian Joseph, chef and owner of Manna Mahal, has been serving outstanding South Indian food for the past year. Hailing from the Indian district of Kerala, the ‘land of coconut trees’, Joseph creates mouth watering dishes with chilli, spices and lashings of coconut. Among the specialities try the mutton coconut dry fry starter for amazing flavours, or special masala dosa, a lentil and rice pancake stuffed with your choice of fillings (such as tender chicken tikka, lamb, vegetable or prawns), complemented by home-made chutneys. Finish up after all that heat with a cooling kulfi – mango, pistachio and, of course, coconut.

An extraordinary emporium dedicated to fresh, natural and quality produce, Peter’s Yard is a haven for foodies. With a passion first and foremost for bread, a selection of sandwiches, muffins both sweet and savoury, innovative breakfasts and cakes are available to take away or to stay and

l in al us ns HJuly er t b si e Vi Que30th em e m ept h t ro S f th -4

enjoy, and the shop sells a staggering range of products from biscuits and baking through to conserves and chocolate.

The Sheep Heid Inn Bar & Pub Food 43 The Causeway, Duddingston www.sheepheid.co.uk Mon–Sat noon—7.45pm; Fri/Sat noon— 8.45pm; Sun 12.30—7.45pm £15.50

The Sheep Heid is celebrating its 650th anniversary in 2010 – or at least that of the first pub bearing the name which sat on this spot. This version is ‘only’ a couple of centuries old, although the snug, antiquated décor is that of a definitively historic Scottish pub. The building envelopes an outdoor beer garden, which plays host to barbecues and mini beer festivals in summer, and incorporates the only operating pub-based skittle alley in Scotland.

The Treehouse Café 44 Leven Street, 0131 656 0513 Mon–Sat 8am–5pm; Sun 9am–5pm. £6

Don’t be put off by the unprepossessing exterior; inside, The Treehouse is all high ceilings, warm wood, brightness and light. It’s a haven of homely baking and freshly made, healthy breakfasts and lunches. Leek and potato soup is a thick and satisfying example of that philosophy. A New York club sandwich is generous enough with its pastrami, Swiss cheese, gherkin, mustard mayo and in-house coleslaw. Paninis with a choice of eight fillings are served with the two fresh salads of the day – both are a long way from standard limp iceberg offerings. Coffees are Fairtrade, as is the hot chocolate. And the baking? It’s truly heavenly.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Mosque Kitchen Indian 19A West Nicolson Street, 07792 230407 www.mosquekitchen.co.uk Sat–Thu noon–7pm; Fri noon–1pm, 1.45–7pm. £5

15 Salisbury Place EH9 1SL Tel

As well as catering for the congregation, this caféteria-style operation is relaxed and friendly and the plates are piled high. Meat eaters can opt for lamb, chicken or kebabs fired up in the barbecue every day. Vegetarians can go for a couple of combinations including mixed vegetable curry, dahl, chickpea or spinach and potato

Rice Terraces Kusinang Filipino

Filipino restaurant O Home delivery Takeaways O Outside catering Wholesale O Philippine products Open: Tue–Fri 5pm–11pm Sat & Sun 10am–11pm 93 St Leonard’s Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9QY Tel: 0131 629 9877 Web: www.rice-terraces.com Email: info@rice-terraces.com

0131 667 4654

info@hellerskitchen.co.uk www.hellerskitchen.co.uk

5 minutes from Meadows, Queens Hall & Pleasance venues

T H E

N E W

B E L L r

Pre show dinner set menus from £14.50 for 2 courses. 5 minutes from Meadows, Queens Hall & Pleasance venues.

233 Causewayside EH9 1PH O 0131 668 2868 www.thenewbell.com list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 139

Southside Eating City Guide

119-149 City Guide BulmersAM new

Southside Eating City Guide

119-149 City Guide BulmersAM new

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the bargain Bento box is an economic, stylish packed-lunch full of different flavours.

The Apartment Bistros & Brassieres

Brazilian Sensation

7–13 Barclay Place, 0131 228 6456 Mon–Sun noon–11pm £15

Brazilian Café

Recently re-designed by Malcolm Innes to replace the ten-year-old Apartment, a place that had, in its impressively long heyday, galvanised the contemporary dining scene in Edinburgh, this is a perfect shout for festival King’s Theatre-goers. Recently reopening its (new) doors as a recreation of an old-school bohemian Parisien brasserie with a contemporary stamp, the food taste is more rural European and more earthy than the lighter, modern sister establishment of The Outsider, on George IV Bridge.

Blonde Scottish 75 St Leonard’s Street, 0131 668 2917 www.blonderestaurant.co.uk Mon 6–10pm; Tue–Sun noon–2.30pm, 6–10pm

£11.90 (set lunch)/£17 A light, airy restaurant a-buzz with the chatter of happy customers, Blonde always attracts a crowd. Starters such as fresh mussels in a lime, coriander and coconut broth set the tone for a menu that focuses on Scottish produce with a wider world view. The majority of owner/chef Andrew McGregor’s flavour combinations work well: the boeuf bourguignon’s deep, glossy sauce is saved from over-richness by the mineral sharpness of cloves; the spiced lamb and chickpea sausages have an appealing nutty texture, which makes for an interesting twist on bangers and mash, but in adding mint to the mash the dish is thrown a little off-balance.

Bonsai Bar Bistro Japanese 46 West Richmond St, 0131 668 3847 www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm

The cosy, welcoming Bonsai Bar and Bistro invites you to linger over lunch, grab a snack or even enjoy a party. Sitting cheek by jowl with your neighbours at bare wood tables, an impressive selection of elegantly presented and keenly priced dishes are served up on slate and lacquer platters, ideal for sharing. The tempura (agemono) of prawns and vegetables is light and fresh while the salmon skins and avocado nigiri-zushi are crispy and creamy. Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) with dipping sauce are juicy and fun and

For complete Festival listings see list.co.uk/festival

117–119 Buccleuch Street, 0131 667 0400 www.braziliansensation.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–4pm (6–10pm by reservation). Closed Sun £4.50 (lunch)/ £12

Combining the informality of a local café and the variety of a specialist restaurant, Brazilian Sensation is a charming little family-run outlet that tries hard to bring a bit of carnival spirit to the Southside. Two menus are split between a daytime selection of rolls, baguettes and smaller dishes, and a more extensive dinner choice, although you need to reserve for dinner at least 24 hours in advance. Among the distinctive snacks that can be found during the day are pao de queijo, a small but perfectly filling tapioca bread bun with just a hint of cheese, and a sizeable bowl of chickpea and vegetable soup.

Falko Konditorei Café 185 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 656 0763 www.falko.co.uk Wed–Fri 8.45am–6.30pm; Sat 9am–6pm; Sun 10.30am–6pm. Closed Mon/Tue. £10 (lunch)

This elegant yet cosy wood-panelled tearoom has the warm, vanilla-infused ambience of a traditional café in the Grand European style, and master baker Falko Burkett’s unapologetically indulgent food more than lives up to that standard. If you can resist diving straight into the exquisitely decorated cakes on display in the glass-fronted counter, start with a savoury platter of salami, ham and mild cheese, served with Falko’s own freshly baked bread, crisp salad leaves and peppers. The cakes are sheer artistry: the menu features German and Austrian classics, such as Sachertorte, frangipane and Linzer tarts and Black Forest gateau, along with blueberry cheesecake, chocolate and beetroot Guglhupf and a rhubarb and custard tart that’s just heavenly.

Hellers Kitchen Café Lucia

Bistros & Brassieres

Café

15 Salisbury Place, 0131 667 4654 www.hellerskitchen.co.uk Mon–Fri 8am–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm; Sat 9am–3pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun 10am–3pm, 5.30–10pm £11 (lunch)/ £15

13/29 Nicolson Street, 0131 662 1112 Open during showtimes only. £6

Inside the giant glass façade of the Festival Theatre, this ground-floor café serves a fairly basic but reliable snacks menu. Little details like the herb scone and butter that arrives with the home-made soup of the day instead of a bog-standard bread roll, score brownie points – as do their free refills on cups of filter coffee. Lunch choices are quite limited; sandwiches (focaccia, wraps or bagels, with a choice of fillings including tuna mayo, brie, cranberry and bacon) but served with a colourful side salad and chatty, friendly service, which probably explains the number of regulars here, mostly shoppers or workers from nearby offices.

El Bar Spanish 6 Howden Street, 0131 667 7033 www.el-bar.co.uk Mon–Wed 5–11pm; Thu 5pm–midnight; Fri/Sat 5pm–1am. Closed Sun. £13 (lunch) / £13

El Bar is a touch of authentic Spain tucked away on the south side of the city. The oddly shaped restaurant makes excellent use of limited space, with tables tucked away in every nook and a mix of settees, soft chairs and hard seating providing an eclectic feel. A fixed-price option is available for larger groups, but a glance at the menu reveals a host of options that should cater to every taste. Sitting alongside the familiar regulars like patatas bravas and tortilla are pollo a la cerveza, which uses beer to add flavour to succulent chicken pieces, and estofado ternera – a hearty beef stew.

Overcoming a slightly out-of-the-way location, Hellers Kitchen sits squarely in the heart of many Southsiders’ affections, with its friendly buzz and crowd-pleasing cooking. It’s hard not to be drawn in by window displays of home-made cupcakes with pretty pastel icing, flaky pastries and other sweet delights, making this a great spot for catching up over coffee. Families are welcomed and most appetites catered for, from brunches with a mean Virgin or (heck, why not?) Bloody Mary, to light lunches and an array of satisfying stonebaked pizzas, pasta dishes and burgers. The simplicity of the regular menu belies the chefs’ considerable skills, which shine through in daily blackboard specials.

Home Bistro

Top Picks Vegetarian David Bann The Grand Dame of vegetarian establishments in Edinburgh, fine dining is the name of the game at David Bann. Enjoy internationallyinspired dishes like chilli with sweet potato and chocolate sauce in stylish, minimalist surroundings. 56—58 St Mary’s Street, 0131 556 5888 Black Bo’s This retro-styled restaurant comes into its own at night, when its cosy atmosphere really beckons. The regularly changing menu includes inventive, delicious combinations like beetroot and cashew balls stuffed with feta. Neighbouring Black Bo’s Bar is great for a post-dinner beer. 57—61 Blackfriars Street, 0131 557 6136

Bistros & Brassieres 41 West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 7010 www.homebistro.co.uk Tue–Fri noon–2pm, 6–9pm; Sat 6–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £8.95 (set lunch)/ £15

A smallish room with a scattering of tables, Home Bistro is about the size of Granny’s parlour and similarly adorned with flying ducks, glass ornaments and kitsch figurines. The menu features traditional British comfort food, all lovingly prepared to order. Simple and devoid of pretension, pies filled with slow-braised meat, fish and chips or gammon steaks consistently hit the warm and cosy spot.

Hotel du Vin

Kalpna South Indian cuisine is the specialty here at this family- run vegetarian restaurant. Using fresh, locallysourced ingredients, Kalpna draws its loyal customers back with tempting signature dishes like Dam Aloo Kashmeri (filled potato barrels in tomato and saffron sauces). The popular lunch buffet offers great bang for your buck. 2/3 St Patrick’s Square, 0131 667 9890, www.kalpnarestaurant.com

Bistros & Brassieres 11 Bristo Place, 0131 247 4900 www.hotelduvin.com Mon–Fri 7–10am, noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sat 8–11am, noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sun 8–11am, 12.30–3pm, 5.30–10.30pm £10 (set lunch)/ £21

Nestled in a cleverly designed courtyard, Hotel du Vin exudes a sense of quiet luxury that belies its past as the site of Edinburgh’s original lunatic asylum. The bistro’s décor of honey-hued walls and faux antique wine-themed paraphernalia is warm and enticing, if a little contrived. The glassfronted wine cellar suspended above the dining room, however, is the real deal: a boutique of bacchanalian delights, which a sommelier will be happy to help you to explore. The eclectic menu veers from continental classics to Nigella-style guilty pleasures. Ham hock baked in dandelion and burdock adds a British twist to the kitchen goddess’s notorious cola-glazed recipe, while the accompanying sweetcorn pudding is pure Deep South comfort food. 140 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

L’Artichaut Lashings of French sophistication is applied to the food at L’Artichaut. Dishes like rosemary and thyme pancake with aubergine and mozzarella will satisfy veggies and meateaters alike. 14 Eyre Place, 0131 558 1608 Henderson’s Restaurant This arty venue is a stalwart on the Edinburgh vegetarian scene. Supplied by their own in-house bakery, Henderson’s serves up tasty dishes like broccoli and brie crumble. If you’re in a hurry, grab a bite on the go from the upstairs Henderson’s shop and deli. 94 Hanover Street, 0131 225 2131

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Howies Scottish 208 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 221 1777 www.howies.uk.com Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm, 6pm-9.45pm; Sat–Sun noon–4pm, 6pm-10pm £6.95 (set lunch)/ £17

Howies is a well-known fixture in the local dining scene with branches on Waterloo Place, Victoria Street, Bruntsfield Place and Alva Street in the West End. Popular with families and couples, this year Howies celebrates its twentieth birthday. While each location is stylishly furnished, the Waterloo Place branch has the extra appeal of being housed in a Georgian Grade A listed building. Each branch creates its own menu, but across the restaurants there’s a nod to local produce and suppliers, as well as a mix of familiar favourites and slightly riskier dishes. Smoked Rannoch venison, julienned root veg and a gin and tonic dressing is a light and fresh approach to winter ingredients.

Koi Japanese 26-30 Potterrow, 0131 667 2299 www.koiedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm, 5–11pm £6.50 (set lunch)/ £15

Showmanship aside, Koi is a taste of Japan right opposite the university. Prices are keen and choices many, but once inside the chrome and brick interior, decorated with silk prints and gleaming lacquer, it’s clear a treat is in store. The service is exemplary and discreet. A shell full of juicy scallops dressed with a creamy, light mayonnaise glides down and a perfectly piled pagoda of crispy tempura, filled with locally sourced vegetables and steaming fish, almost floats to the mouth. The sushi is so fresh it’s practically kicking, and cleansing green tea ice-cream revives the palate after the budget lunch and its seemingly endless parade of rice and noodles. There’s also a huge choice of sake and three Japanese lagers on tap.

Itri Italian 169–173 Gilmore Place, 0131 228 3115 www.itrirestaurant.co.uk Tue–Fri noon–2.30pm, 5–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–11pm; Sun noon–10pm. £11 (set lunch)/ £16

Named after the chef’s home town between Naples and Rome, Itri is run by three passionate guys on a mission to educate Edinburghers about the joys of genuine tradmeets-modern Italian food. Recently redecorated, the muted browns, creams and brick suit the homely feel and neighbourhood location. Using local suppliers – even the mozzarella is made in Scotland – the food is a joy. An age-old-style mare nel piatto – a tomatoey coterie of clams, calamari and other seafood – sits well with a progressive, simple-yet-stunning risotto of butternut squash and smashed amaretti biscuits, while a springy rolle di mozzarella with Parma ham and rocket sets

up a faultless spigola ripiena (sea bass with pancetta and scamorza cheese). Equally brilliant are desserts such as chocolate mousse and walnut-stuffed cannolo siciliana.

Negociants Café & Bistros 45–47 Lothian Street, 0131 225 6313 www.negociants.co.uk Sun–Thu 10am–midnight; Fri/Sat 10am–2am £9 (lunch)/ £12

Negotiants celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year as one of the most popular bars among Edinburgh’s student population. Year-round the place bustles, particularly at weekends, while the Edinburgh Festival brings a tourist clientele attracted by the bar’s proximity to major venues and the convivial outdoor seating. The evening food menu at times feels like a bit of an afterthought but there are some enjoyable dishes among the unpretentious fare. The starter of sweet potato, red pepper and coconut soup is creamy and smooth, while the chicken skewers have a pleasant chargrilled taste that’s enhanced by aioli and barbecue dips. A highlight among the main courses is the red pepper stuffed with cous cous and lentils, which is filling, crucially not mushy, and full of flavour, accompanied by a robust side salad.

The New Bell Scottish 233 Causewayside, 0131 668 2868 www.thenewbell.com Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun 12.30–2pm, 5.30–10pm £14.50 (set lunch)/ £18

The New Bell restaurant sits atop the Old Bell pub, a cheerful partner to the bar below. Owned by the same couple as Hellers Kitchen on Salisbury Place, this Southside establishment shares the same casual ambience and child-friendly attitude. Old photographs adorn the peach walls and guests are seated at wooden tables with quirky mismatched chairs. The staff are extremely hospitable and the menu, filled with family favourites, proves to be just as pleasant. Silky wild mushroom tortellini sit perched around a zesty onion and tarragon purée. A fillet of sea bream breaks at the slightest prod of the fork, and goes well with the sweet potato fondant, a halved crisp quail’s egg, and a delicate caviar and champagne sauce. Sides such as the soft-yetcrispy beer-battered onion rings are given equal attention to the mains.

The Old Bell Scottish 233 Causewayside, 0131 668 1573 Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm, 5–7.30pm; Sat/Sun noon–2.30pm, 5–7pm £10.

A neighbourhood pub with a lot going for it, the Old Bell is regularly busy with locals from the Newington, Grange and Mayfield areas. Wood-paneled and red-upholstered, it feels nicely lived-in rather than quaintly trad or just tired and old. One of the Southside’s

Th eL H is itli Gu t Eat sted ide ing in 20 & D 10 rin /11 ki ng

Best in Town for Price & Quality. The nest Indian and South Indian cuisine. Takeaway Available

3 Course dinner for only £15 Visit us for a real taste of India! Open 7 days, 5pm-11pm 113 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9NG 0131 662 9111 O www.mannamahal.co.uk

Pink Olive better long-standing locals in most respects, it’s a shame that the food doesn’t live up to such standards, particularly as it’s prepared in the kitchen of the respected New Bell restaurant upstairs. IPA battered haddock, breaded scampi and steak and Guinness pie are pub-grub standard, while the chilli con carne is thin and very low on kick.

The Pear Tree House Bars & Pubs 34 West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 7533 Mon–Thu 11am-11.45pm; Fri/Sat 11am—12.45am; Sun 12.30–11.45pm £12

It’s less of a nexus for Edinburgh’s fizzing alt.culture scene than it used to be when bikers and folkies rubbed shoulders happily, but there is still a smattering of locals peppering the dominant student crowd. Unpretentious and welcoming, and with no food menu except the usual packeted snacks, the Pear Tree trades on old-school pub values and does so with warmth, charm and humility.

Pink Olive Bistros & Brassiere 55–57 West Nicolson Street, 0131 662 4493 www.ilovepinkolive.co.uk Mon-Sun noon-3pm, 5.30-10.30pm £9 (lunch)/ £17.25

Despite having been in business for less than two years, this Southside bistro is already

attracting critical acclaim and steady business thanks to its strong brand identity, inviting ambience and good value, imaginative menus. The theme of ‘pink’ pervades the restaurant, from the warm rose glow of the lighting to the raspberry liqueur in owner Kay McBride’s lovely, refreshing signature cocktail. The menu eschews the run-of-the-mill and is full of surprising, intriguing touches, such as a starter of Korean sticky chicken, which is given an intense kick by the accompanying spicy kimchi.

Rice Terraces Filipino 93 St Leonard’s Street, 0131 629 9877 www.rice-terraces.com Tue–Fri 5–11pm; Sat/Sun 10am–11pm. Closed Mon. £8 (lunch)/ £10

Edinburgh’s first Filipino restaurant is one of a small but growing number of places in the city offering genuinely authentic Asian food that is pleasingly un-tempered for the British palate. This family-run operation is a fairly low-key affair – one room with a sprinkling of tables and a feature wall picturing the verdant rice terraces themselves. Filipino cuisine is a cultural melting pot, reflecting Chinese, Malay and Spanish influences, so a glance at Rice Terraces menu may turn up a few familiar names and flavours – although what arrives at the table may be less so.

Tasty Curry in a hurry For any Occasion

Delicious freshly prepared curries, samosas and BBQ kebabs. We also cater for vegetarians. 19a West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DD 07792 230 407 Open 7 days 12pm-8pm info@mosquekitchen.com

Hitlisted in The List Eating & Drinking Guide 10/11

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Eating Saffrani

potatoes for around a fiver, or platefuls of chickpea and coconut curry, chilli con carne or falafels for around £6 or £7.

Indian 11 South College Street, 0131 667 1597 www.saffrani-uk.com Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sun 5.30–10.30pm £5.95 and £7.95 (set lunch)/ £15

Lebowskis Bar & Pub Food 16-20 Morrison Street, 0131 466 1779 www.lebowskis.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–9pm -Bar open: Mon–Sun noon–1am £13

There’s a delicate feminine character within the small space that houses Saffrani. With a website pronouncing that fish takes pride of place on the menu, there’s a striking range of seafood for mains. Lemon sole cooked with peanuts and lemon comes as delicate, soft flesh with a layer of nutty crunchiness topped with a zingy citrus sauce. Halibut with methi and spinach fares less well; the subtlety of the fish being almost entirely lost within a mass of cooked green leaves.

Although this Edinburgh version of the admired Glasgow original is ostensibly named after the Coen brothers’ iconic movie about bowling, severed toes and White Russians, Lebowskis offers little to honour the Dude other than a handful of cocktails and titles like the ‘3-pin Split’ on the food menu. However, all the signs are that the bar’s heart is in the right place: local suppliers of meat, fish and veg are named on the opening page of the menu, and they’ll even donate 50p to the Fishermen’s Mission for every portion of fish and chips sold.

Suruchi Indian 14a Nicolson Street, 0131 556 6583 www.suruchirestaurant.com Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm, 5–11pm. £5.95 (set lunch)/ £15

Papoli

Rather than catering for Western tastes, Suruchi is viewed by many as delivering the kind of food that you would find in the big cities of India. There are no madras or bhuna curries here, but ironically there is a menu written in Scots dialect. With a subtle entrance directly opposite the Festival Theatre, the restaurant is bigger than it looks, as the cosy interior reveals three separate seating areas with simple furnishings and a selection of Indian artifacts. Tuck into simla chaat, billed as ‘popular Indian street food’, a taste sensation of chickpeas, potatoes, bananas and spices.

Middle East 244a Morrison Street, 0131 477 7047 www.papoli.co.uk Mon–Fri noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm; Sat/Sun 5.30–10pm. £6.90 (set lunch)/ £14

Voujon

Thai Lemongrass Thai 40–41 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 229 2225 www.thailemongrass.net Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–11.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–11.30pm; Sun 1–11.30pm £20

teas, from Rooibos to Earl Grey with Blue Flowers. Lunchtime brings forth a feast of fresh, organic salads, and deep-filled meat or vegetarian tarts.

Somehow Thai Lemongrass manages to pull off several seemingly contradictory restaurant tricks simultaneously. The airy space accommodates romantic couples, lively groups, clever politicians on a night off, families catching up and somehow it works, and works well. What could feel sparse actually feels warmly occupied with patrons and staff contributing to the feeling of ease and a pleasant night ahead. Absorbing the lengthy menu could silence the most garrulous diner, but it is time well invested.

High End

Voujon Indian 107 Newington Road, 0131 667 5046 www.voujonedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–11.30pm £16

Without a balti bowl or kahiri pot in sight, it’s the muted humming of classical Indian music that gives the clue to the genre of dining in Voujon. It’s more high-street chic than curry house in style, with three rows of prettily decorated tables accompanied by smart black seating stretching the length of the interior. An assorted meat kebab is as good a test as any for the quality of ingredients used in the kitchen and the chicken and lamb are reassuringly moist and fresh. Macher jhool stands out on the mains section as something a bit different.

Yum at Earthy Food Market Café 33–41 Ratcliffe Terrace, 0131 667 2967 www.earthy.co.uk Mon–Fri 9am–6.30pm; Sat 9am–5.30pm; Sun 10am–4.30pm £7

If you didn’t know this was Edinburgh’s Southside, the homely atmosphere and gourmet goods here could easily lull you into a San Francisco state of mind. Having marvelled at the bountiful stock of highquality organic, Fairtrade and local foods on sale at Earthy Food Market, grab one of the sixteen seats in its in-store café, Yum. At breakfast fresh patisserie is on hand to soak up coffee by Artisan Roast or one of seven

Hewat’s Restaurant Scottish 19–21b Causewayside, 0131 466 6660 www.hewatsrestaurant.com Wed–Sat noon–2pm; Tue–Thu 6–9.30pm; Fri/Sat 6–10.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon £10.95 (set lunch)/ £22

Tucked away on a quiet Southside street is the elegant, family-run Hewat’s. Margaret Hewat warmly greets guests at the door while Richard Hewat is in charge at the stove. During the week Hewat’s offers a variety of options including a set menu, a pre-theatre and the three course ‘dine for a tenner’ menu. From the set menu, a smooth wild mushroom soup is enlivened by swirls of cream and a crunchy herb crouton. A dish of pork three ways includes braised belly, roast tenderloin wrapped in Black Forest ham and a triangle of crackling.

Rhubarb Scottish Prestonfield House, Priestfield Road, 0131 225 1333 www.rhubarb-restaurant.com Mon–Thu noon–2pm, 6.30–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–2pm, 6–11pm; Sun 1–3pm, 6.30–10pm £16.95 (set lunch)/ £40

three of many suitable adjectives to describe this delightful little restaurant nestled in one of Edinburgh’s quieter southside neighbourhoods. White wood-panelled walls bear an eclectic mix of framed pictures, while linen tablecloths and soothing jazz lend the place unquestionable class. With seafood sourced from Eddie’s next door, arguably the best fishmonger in the city, diners can be assured of a freshness of produce only normally found right by the sea.

Tower Resteraunt Scottish National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0131 225 3003 www.tower-restaurant.com Mon-Sun 5pm-11pm £30 (set menu)

Part of the James Thomson Collection that includes The Witchery and Rhubarb, the Tower Restaurant is located at the top of the National Museum of Scotland. Views of the Edinburgh skyline are visible in this long dining room, where wine-coloured drapes and low mirrors give an air of sleek opulence. A starter of tempura smoked eel is enlivened by creamy mustard mayo and sweet baby dill pickles. An exceptional dish of butternut squash gnocchi, with its soft texture and rich medley of stewed vegetables, will please vegetarians and carnivores alike. A glazed dark chocolate bombe, served at a chilly temperature, hides a creamy peanut butter core.

The Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh’s Southside is home to James Thomson’s youngest culinary attraction, Rhubarb. The restaurant itself consists of two oval rooms separated by a high-ceilinged hallway. Like its sister restaurants, The Witchery and The Tower, Rhubarb offers a pre-theatre supper, the ‘James Thomson Celebration menu’, which features three courses for £30, and an à la carte menu.

West End Inexpensive

Sweet Melindas

It isn’t broke, so they haven’t tried to fix it at this Edinburgh institution. You don’t come here for fine dining and linen tablecloths; instead it’s just a good place to relax, and possibly eavesdrop on an LGBT book club, a French conversation group or post-film dissection. The food is reliably unfancy and reasonably priced, with loaded baked

Fish 11 Roseneath Street, 0131 229 7953 www.sweetmelindas.co.uk Mon 6–10pm; Tue–Sat noon–2pm, 6–10pm. Closed Sun. £12.50 (set lunch)/ £22.50

Cosy, welcoming and charming are just

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Filmhouse Café Bar Arts Venue Café/Bar 88 Lothian Road, 0131 229 5932 www.filmhousecinema.com Mon–Sun 10am–10pm £9 (lunch)/£13

If ‘Papoli’ translates as ‘butterfly’ from Persian, then this light and airy Morrison Street restaurant certainly fits its name as it flits around the shores of the Mediterranean, absorbing culinary influences along the way. Italy looms large in the form of 14 types of pizza. Those with a taste for heat can tackle the meat inferno pizza with its fiery layer of pepperoni, smoked ham, spicy beef, smoked bacon and frankfurter, all revved up with plenty of fresh chilli.

Traverse Café Bar Arts Venue Café/Bar Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, 0131 228 5383 www.traverse.co.uk Mon–Wed 10.30am–midnight; Thu–Sat 10.30am–1am. £9 (lunch)/£14

Although this is a great place to come for culture (the theatre prides itself on its envelope-pushing new writing) this is an equally good place to come just for its warm, buzzy atmosphere. Low-lit booths on the far side of the basement bar make excellent hidey-holes for wine drinking and nacho eating, but generally get snapped up quickly at busy times. Food-wise, there is a hummus, olive and pitta snack to keep the wolf from the door, or sandwiches, burgers and pasta dishes served until 9pm. Bigger meals like sausage and mash, haddock and chips, or a butternut squash and cashew nut frittata with brie are generously portioned and carefully presented, although occasionally let down by bland seasoning. This is a recommended spot for loitering and unwinding.

Wannaburger North American 7–8 Queensferry Street, 0131 220 0036 www.wannaburger.com Mon–Thu 8am–9pm; Fri 8am—10pm; Sat 9am–10pm; Sun 9am—9pm. £8 (lunch)/ £11

Soft booth seating and red and brown lamps suspended over each table give this burger joint a classy air in an area where there is stiff competition to feed West End shoppers and bar hoppers. Burgers are the main event; all are served in a large bun with home-made relish, lettuce, and sliced tomato, anchored by a long cocktail stick. Minced beef is sourced from the Scottish Borders and seasoned, hand pressed and weighed to 6oz on site and comes with a variety of toppings such as chilli, cheese, bacon or Roquefort.

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Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

Mid-range A Room in the West End Scottish 26 William Street, 0131 226 1036 www.aroomin.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm £12.95 (set lunch)/ £22

Located in the basement of Teuchters pub, A Room in the West End offers rustic Scottish cooking. The proprietors’ willingness to accommodate larger parties means that tables of two can be relegated to one of three booths, which, while cosy, err a little on the side of broom cupboard and are not for the claustrophobic. Food is decent, and the menu offers staples such as organic Aberdeen Angus steak with potato rosti and chicken breast on mixed bean and chorizo cassoulet, though a finer, perhaps more adventurous touch is evident in dishes such as hot smoked eel and Virgin Mary jelly; and sweet potato fondant on a wild rice, halloumi and pistachio salad with maple and raspberry vinaigrette.

Chop Chop Chinese 248 Morrison Street, 0131 221 1155 www.chop-chop.co.uk Tue–Fri noon–2pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Sat/Sun 5—10.30pm £14

An endorsement from über-chef Gordon Ramsay can go to a restaurant’s head, but even after featuring on his F Word TV series and having Ramsay eulogise their dumplings, Chop Chop is still the same massively popular local Chinese restaurant. Don’t expect linen tablecloths – in fact don’t expect tablecloths – but the pleasantly informal canteen ambience dovetails nicely with food that arrives in batches, and not necessarily in the sequence you ordered it. Standouts are the perfectly steamed morsels of prawn and the punchy fried dumplings stuffed with flaky pork and zesty coriander. Main dishes expertly replicate the simple specialities of northern China. The chilli beef retains its moisture and the absence of sauce lets the meat and chilli speak for themselves, while the chicken with peanuts has one of those glistening and balanced sauces that will leave you wanting to lick the plate.

Ghillie Dhu Bar & Arts venue 2 Rutland Place, 0131 222 9930 www.ghillie-dhu.co.uk Sun-Sat 8am–3am £15

Stepping into the well positioned old casino at the foot of Lothian Road, Ghillie Dhu is setting itself up to be a magnet for live Scottish music and folk in the West End. Spaciously set over three floors, the slick presentation and low lighting in evenings is bound to draw in the numbers for the bar scene and live music alone. Friday and Saturday evenings offer set menus in the cavernous and architecturally fun Auditorium along with a weekly ceilidh or live gig. Mealtimes otherwise, extending from early until very late, are pretty standard pub offerings.

Ignite Bistro & Brasserie 272–274 Morrison Street, 0131 228 5666 www.igniterestaurant.com Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–11pm £7.50 (lunch)/ £18

Ignite has built up a formidable reputation for serving cut-above Anglo-Bengali classics since arriving in the West End six years ago. The menu doesn’t often stray from the familiar grounds of British curry house favourites, but as a starter, mushrooms filled with spiced lamb mince catches the eye and rewards the palate by combining a rich meaty filling with the dense, earthy texture of the fungi.

This restaurant ticks a lot of boxes. It is perfectly located for a pre-theatre meal and is decorated in a crisply efficient manner. Many dishes sound intriguing, especially a collection of feisty specials, but the stir-fried monkfish, served with chilli and honey sauce, doesn’t quite live up to its potential and tastes much flatter than its £13.80 price tag would suggest. However, although it may not always create excitement with its cooking, this place has taken care with the quality of its ingredients: the vegetables are snappy, and the fish fresh. French

97–101 Dalry Road, 0131 313 4404 www.first-coast.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5–10.30pm. Closed Sun. £10.95 (set lunch)/ £17

Tudor House, 9 Randolph Place, 0131 225 8678 www.laptitefolie.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 6–11pm. Closed Sun. £8.95 (set lunch)/£22

50 East Fountainbridge, 0131 228 6666 Mon–Sun noon–2pm, 5–11pm £17

Tucked discreetly round the corner from the sometimes lairy Lothian Road, this cosy little restaurant has modern décor and the kind of laid-back atmosphere that draws regulars from further afield than just the neighbouring streets. Chatty staff emerge from the kitchen bearing trays laden with classic curries and tandoori dishes from the comprehensive menu. Starters span the familiar range of tandoori kebabs, pakora and samosa, but puffy fried puri bread topped with sweetly spiced chickpeas, chicken or prawns makes a moreish alternative. The kitchen succeeds in giving each of the extensive selection of curries its own distinctive flavour.

www.igniterestaurant.com

32 Grindlay Street, 0131 229 5757 www.jasminechinese.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2pm, 5–11.30pm; Fri noon–2pm, 5pm–12.30am; Sat 1pm–12.30am; Sun 1–11.30pm £18

La P’tite Folie

Indian

272-274 Morrison Street, Haymarket, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 228 5666

Chinese

Bistros & Brassieres

Gandhi’s

Two-course lunches plus tea or coffee just £8.50 per person (Monday-Friday from 12 noon-2pm)

Jasmine Chinese Restaurant

First Coast

Being situated just off the beaten track has never been a major problem for First Coast, which has welcomed a steady stream of satisfied customers since it first opened its doors back in 2003. There’s a good range of fish and meat dishes to suit every taste, and the menu also includes that rarest of beasts: a separate section for vegetarians. Quality ingredients and wonderful flavours are to the fore here.

An Oasis of Taste

Virginie Brouard was a waitress at Pierre Victoire for many years before setting up La P’tite Folie, so she knows a thing or two about what customers expect, and it shows. Her two city-centre venues are always bustling thanks to blessed locations and long-established groups of regulars. The Frederick Street branch has warm dark walls and tightly packed bistro tables that give a cosy feel, while its younger cousin, housed in a conspicuous Tudor building on Randolph place, has a grander, slightly more sophisticated air. Both branches are beset with energetic waiting staff who contribute to the convivial atmospheres with authentic Frenglish cheer.

The Rutland Hotel Bistros & Brassieres 1–3 Rutland Street, 0131 229 3402 www.therutland.com Mon–Sun 8am—5.30pm; Mon–Thu 6–10pm; Fri/Sat 6—10.30pm; Sun 6–9pm £10.95 (set lunch)/ £22

Boasting a prime location on the corner of Lothian Road, the Rutland Hotel has long been a popular local watering hole. Impressive views of Edinburgh Castle offer an agreeable contrast to the slick décor, the result of a refit in 2008, which comprises bold red panels, hanging glass balls and dark flock wallpaper. list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 143

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Eating Santini Ristorante Italian 8 Conference Square, 0131 221 7788 www.santiniedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm, 6.30–9.30pm; Sat 6.30–10.00pm. Closed Sun. £9.50 (set lunch)/ £23

Santini occupies the ground floor of the One Spa building at the Sheraton Hotel. While the contemporary interior resembles a posh deli in an airport departure lounge, the ambience is far from snooty. The seating is comfy and the international servers are smiley and well-informed. A metropolitan vibe evolves as the day progresses, commencing with lunch – a bright and snappy affair. In addition to the midday table d’hôte (£9.50 for two courses), Santini has introduced an Italian bento box (£7.50, eatin only) which is proving popular with sandwich-hunting office types.

Spirit of Thai Thai 44 Grindlay Street, 0131 228 9333 www.spiritofthai.com Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–11.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–11.30pm; Sun 1–11.30pm £18

Facing onto the oddly extended Usher Hall off Lothian Road, Spirit of Thai is in a strong position to serve office workers and culture vultures alike. The former enjoy a costeffective, three-course menu at £7.95, and while no pre/post-theatre specials are offered, this Thai kitchen works late every night for a steady stream of diners. Wellprepared starters are generous and some options quite imaginative.

Zucca Italian 15–17 Grindlay Street, 0131 221 9323 www.zuccarestaurant.co.uk Café bar: Tue–Sat 11am–11pm. Restaurant: Tue–Thu noon–3pm, 5–9.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5–10.30pm £8.95 (set lunch)/ £17

Sandwiched between the Royal Lyceum and the Usher Hall, Zucca’s elegant restaurant and café attract a regular crowd of theatregoers for food, drinks or simply coffee. The ‘theatre’ menu offers excellent value at £14.95 for two courses and £17.95 for three. This fixed-price menu is actually available all evening and shares many dishes with the full à la carte. The potato gnocchi with slowcooked duck exemplifies chef Richard Glennie’s deft touch with flavour and texture combinations.

High End Atrium Scottish 10 Cambridge Street, 0131 228 8882 www.atriumrestaurant.co.uk Mon–Fri noon–2pm, 5:30–10pm; Sat 5:30–10pm. Closed Sun. £15 (set lunch)/ £30

Situated at the heart of the building that

houses the Traverse Theatre, and in close proximity to sister bistro Blue, the Atrium’s cream walls, brown accents and flickering candles evoke a monastic setting. A starter of mild Atrium smoked salmon sits on a cake of potato and chive crème-fraiche. Gressingham duck, paired with roast butternut squash, has a crisp skin and a rich layer of fat, while roast Perthshire lamb arrives with a bonus pot of shepherd’s pie as well as the standard selection of roast vegetables.

Blue Bistros & Brassieres 10 Cambridge Street, 0131 221 1222 www.bluescotland.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–2.30pm, 5.30–11pm. Closed Sun.

£15 (set lunch)/ £21 The first-floor brasserie above the Traverse Theatre offers a relaxed, casual alternative to its sister restaurant, the Atrium. The large airy space, with its warm colours and light wood panelling, is split down the middle, with a buzzing bar area on one side and a bright, barrel-shaped section on the other, which offers plenty of intimate nooks and crannies in which to enjoy a quiet meal. There’s a reasonably priced pre-theatre menu for those with a show to catch, but otherwise it’s worth taking your time over the extensive à la carte.

L’escargot Blanc

and parmesan froth is earthy in flavour, while plump seared scallops are served with moist oxtail ravioli and butternut and vanilla puree. Mains feature a pan-fried fillet of Scottish beef Rossini, nestled on a crisp crouton and topped with a seared slab of foie gras, and accompanied by grassy spinach puree and garlic cream. Desserts are similarly skilfully prepared.

With a two-course prix fixe lunch/early evening menu along with a decent à la carte, there’s something here for most occasions, be it a relaxed dinner for two or a big table for a cheerful get-together. The kitchen cherry-picks from the seasonal best of Scotland and France, so expect Buccleuch beef, the freshest seafood, and local black pudding given a Normandy twist with sweet apples and calvados. Wild Scottish rabbits go into terrines, while creamy moutarde de Dijon turns their fat continental cousins into a country-style treat.

Restaurant at the Bonham Scottish 35 Drumsheugh Gardens, 0131 226 6050 www.thebonham.com Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 6.30–10pm; Sun 12.30–3pm, 6.30–10pm £35

Restaurant at the Bonham boasts an understated, stylish interior combining Georgian wood-panelled walls and ornate cornicing with contemporary artwork by artist Tilo Stengel. Chef Michel Bouyer has been awarded two AA rosettes in recognition of the elegant food produced in his kitchen using expertly sourced local Scottish produce. A starter of Scottish wild mushroom risotto with oozing black truffle

Scottish 8–10 Grindlay Street, 0131 229 5405 www.stacpolly.com Mon–Fri noon–2pm, 6–10pm; Sat/Sun 6–10pm £12.95 (set lunch)/ £25

Stac Polly is a well-known fixture in Scottish dining and has branches in three different city-centre locations. The Grindlay Street branch is conveniently close to the Usher Hall, Lyceum and Traverse theatres, and like the other branches, offers pretheatre and à la carte menus. For starters guests can enjoy a luscious, gritty poached pear stuffed with soft cheese and dressed with figs. A rack of lamb is enlivened by a red wine jus, buttery green beans and potato fondant. A plate of sharp Scottish cheeses is uplifted by a sweet home-made tomato relish and crunchy oatcakes.

Leith & Broughton Inexpensive The Bakehouse Co Café 32c Broughton Street, 0131 557 1157 www.thebakehousecompany.co.uk Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; Sat/Sun 11am–6pm £6.50 (set lunch)

Tea and cake is big business – everyone wants a slice of the action. Punching its weight as a relative newcomer is Patrick Crawshaw’s raw-brick, vintage-chic Bakehouse, with two very attractive cafés in the Old Town and Broughton Street. The simple yet well-judged menus at both branches are almost identical, though their ambience and clientele differ greatly. Choose the bijou Broughton Street branch to relax and chat alongside stylish thirtysomethings who live or work locally; pick Victoria Street for its utterly charming dining turret reached by an ancient, winding stone stair, then sit at a window seat to drink in heart-warming views of old Edinburgh.

The Basement Bar Bar & Pub Food/Mexican 10–12a Broughton Street, 0131 557 0097 www.thebasement.org.uk Mon–Fri noon–10.30pm; Sat/Sun 12.30–10.30pm £7.95 (set lunch)/ £15

The aptly named Basement Bar has an underground feel in both senses of the word. Beneath the congenial melee of Broughton Street’s bars and cafés, it has a warm, pulsing ambience and the delicious

Open Stage Nights

Authentic Indian Bangladeshi Restaurant

Blue Moon Café Bistro & Brassieres

Stac Polly

French 17 Queensferry Street, 0131 226 1890 www.lescargotblanc.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–3pm, 5.30–10.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–11pm. Closed Sun. £10.90 (set lunch)/ £21

undertone of a night that could go anywhere. Amiable staff operate seamlessly, serving up grilled goat’s cheese balanced on sun-dried tomato salad, and fragrantly steaming bowls of mussels as delicious starters or light meals. Main courses boast sirloin and rump steaks.

36 Broughton Street, 0131 556 2788 www.bluemooncafé.co.uk Mon—Fri 11am—10pm, Sat—Sun 10am—10pm £12

The oldest gay café in Edinburgh is a welcome, affordable eatery in the increasingly trendy Broughton Street area. Those seeking haute cuisine will tend to avoid this no-frills looking venue, perhaps in favour of its fancier new sister restaurant, Hamburger Heaven next door. Inside, Blue Moon has retained a relaxed, cosy interior with plain furniture and spatterings of contemporary art on the walls. The eclectic menu provides a great choice of mainstream dishes from home and abroad, such as steak and ale pie, nachos, chimichangas, a Greek lamb burger and south Indian vegetarian curry. The home-made banoffee pie is a must-try dessert, with heaps of cream and runny caramel sauce.

Broughton Delicatessen Café 7 Barony Street, 0131 558 7111 www.broughton-deli.co.uk Mon–Fri 8am–6pm; Sat 9am–6pm; Sun 11am–5pm. £9.50 (lunch)

The owners here pride themselves on their DIY ethic, making most things themselves in the kitchen, and using as much locally sourced free-range and organic produce as possible. There’s a good choice of salads, crepes and baguettes to pick from, all blending attention to detail with value for money, with the likes of Milano salami and brie with spinach and walnut pistou typical of the well-balanced sandwich fillings on offer. A handful of larger platters, including a ploughman’s with their own smoked ham and home-made chutney, are solid and satisfying.

Los Cardos Mexican/Takeaway 281 Leith Walk, 0131 555 6619 www.loscardos.co.uk Mon–Thu noon–9pm; Fri/Sat noon–10pm; Sun noon–8pm £6.50 (lunch) / 6.50

Another example of fast food and takeaways trying to re-engage with the world of real food, this small takeaway (with basic seating for about a dozen) promises ‘Fresh Mex’. Tortilla (made on the premises each day), beans, salsa, guacamole, cheese and sour cream are on offer alongside a choice of fillings which includes ‘Red Tractor’ (ie. higher welfare) chicken, slow-roasted pork and even Macsween’s haggis. Given that even well-made Mexican food tends to err

Exclusive DJs set

Live Acoustic Acts

18 MORRISON STREET, EDINBURGH EH3 8BJ 0141 564 7988 info@lebowskis.co.uk

0131 228 6666 50 East Fountainbridge Edinburgh, EH3 9BH

www.lebowskis.co.uk Good Food, Good Drink, Good Times

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Eating

Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

on the side of blandness, you can rev things up on the spice front with your choice of chilli-kicking toppings.

£2.50 desserts meaning you can fill your boots for just over a tenner.

Café Renroc Café Nom de Plume

Café

91 Montgomery Street, 0131 556 0432 www.renroc.co.uk Mon/Tue 8am–5pm; Wed–Fri 8am–9pm; Sat 9.30am–5pm; Sun 10.30am–5pm. £10

60 Broughton Street, 0131 478 1372 Mon–Thu 11am–10.30pm; Fri/Sat 11am–midnight; Sun noon–10pm £9

Remove the tables and chairs from either of the dining areas in Café Nom De Plume, and you’ve got yourself two cosy but stylish living rooms. Perhaps that’s why leaving is so hard. The relaxed, ‘straight friendly’ atmosphere is so warm and accommodating that whether dining alone, as a couple or with a group of friends, it just feels right. It doesn’t hurt that the extensive menu is so affordable, with £2 starters, £6 mains and

Few cafés offer the pleasures of a hot stone massage alongside your latte, but then Café Renroc (‘Corner’ spelt backwards) is certainly not short of individuality. From the downstairs pampering spot to the funky furnishings, this is a comfortable home from home for Hillside locals. At lunchtime, all the regular café essentials are here: freshly made soup of the day, wraps, panini, a quiche or two, salads, even a stromboli stuffed with an inspired combo of mildly spiced haggis, sweet potato and gooey mozzarella.

Drill Hall Arts Café Arts Venue Café 34 Dalmeny Street, 0131 555 7100 www.outoftheblue.org.uk Mon–Sat 10am–5pm. Closed Sun. £6 (lunch)

Takeaways

Naked (35 Palmerston Place, 0131 516 2988) is a very different kind of takeaway, serving up a varied menu with dishes like Jamaican pork stew wrapped up using only sustainably sourced boxes. Zen Kitchen (138 Dundas Street, 0131 556 9988), bills itself as a ‘fusion’ restaurant, with dishes such as Chicken Adobo from the Philippines and Panggang Chicken from Malaysia highly recommended. The team behind award-winning chippy L’Alba D’Oro (7 Henderson Row, 0131 557 2580) also offer up tasty Italian takeaway Anima (11 Henderson Row, 0131 558 2918), which serves quality pasta and freshly-made pizzas, as well as gourmet grilled sandwiches. Close by, Rapido’s (77—79 Broughton Street, 0131 556 2041) healthier wraps, salads and baked potatoes alongside the regular fish suppers and chips, make it a firm favourite. Nearby, Café Piccante (7 East Norton Place, 0131 652 6221) offers an equally gargantuan supply of chippy staples. Back uptown, the Clamshell’s location (148 High Street, 0131 225 4338) makes it a favourite for a hot portion of chips on the way to or from a show. For something truly special though head to a stalwart on the capital’s takeaway scene, Kebab Mahal (7 Nicolson Square, 0131 667 5214). Options like fish pakora and chicken masala are not only satisfying choices for dinner, but also great value. For something with a little fire, look to Spicebox (201 Pleasance, 0131 662 4411), which offers a selection of Thai dishes like Gaeng Ped Yang (red duck curry) and Tod Mun Pla (Thai fish cakes).

They’re not kidding on the website when they call this a ‘space for Edinburgh’s cultural community’, and as you eat your chocolate brownie, don’t be surprised if painters, aerial dancers, silversmiths and puppeteers wander past, on their way to studios and workshop rooms around the central hall. The modern, airy space is a good spot to drop in for a wake-up coffee and bacon roll (it’s the kind of place where they’ll ask you how crispy you like your bacon), or a bowl of home-made soup at lunchtime.

The Manna House

Porto & Fi

Locanda de Gusti

Café/Bistro

Italian

47 Newhaven Mainstreet, 0131 551 1900 www.portofi.com Mon–Sat 8am–8pm; Sun 10am–6pm. £14

7–11 East London Street, New Town, 0131 558 9581 £9.85 (lunch)/ £19

Porto & Fi leads something of a double life. In the mornings and mid-afternoon, the Newhaven eatery is a bustling café, serving a range of breakfast options, coffees and cakes to tourists and regulars attracted by the light, airy space, friendly service and splendid view across the Forth. At lunchtimes and in the evening, the restaurant takes on more of a bistro feel, serving simply presented food that more than hits the spot.

Joseph Pearce Bar & Pub Food

Rivage

23 Elm Row , 0131 556 4140 www.bodabar.com Mon–Sun 11am–9.30pm £12.50

Indian

As the closest to town of the Boda chain (which also includes Boda, Victoria and Sofi’s), it’s no surprise to find that Joseph Pearce’s is also the biggest, busiest and most versatile. Mainstays of a seasonally changing menu include a smorgasbord of prosciutto, herring, cheddar, olives and more, a Swedish gravadlax salad and ciderflavoured meatballs, while the meaty and well-seasoned home-made burger also pops up alongside a fish dish of the day and some popular breakfast and brunch plates.

The former launderette at the foot of Broughton Street has been restyled by owner-chef Rosario Sartore from Bella Mbriana into Locanda de Gusti. With a new AA rosette to show off, Sartore is firmly back at the helm and in the kitchen again, with a number of small but significant changes such as outdoor dining (on a wonderfully sunny corner), takeaway featuring thick slabs of pizza, and internal rearrangements to give the place more intimacy.

126–130 Easter Road, 0131 661 6888 Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 6–11pm; Sun 12.30–2pm, 6–11pm £7.95 (set lunch)/ £14

It’s easy to miss Rivage’s understated cream facade on hectic Easter Road, but seek this place out for its modern take on Indian cuisine at really reasonable prices. Mauritian owner and head chef Ryad Meeajane takes charge of the tandoor ovens in the spacious restaurant’s open kitchen, while his wife and co-owner Catherine Thomson is happy to help diners choose from the diverse dishes on offer. Complimentary fried anda bread, served with feisty home-made chutneys, whets the appetite for the stylishly presented starters.

The Manna House Café/Bakery 22–24 Easter Road, 0131 652 2349 Mon–Sat 8am–6pm. Closed Sun. £15 (lunch)

The only slight snag with the Manna House is that it’s certainly on the small side, so the good news is that owner Drew Massey has firm plans to expand his Easter Road premises. Everything but the Simple Simon pies is made on the premises, and the prodigious output covers dozens of breads, a grand array of pastries, both sweet and savoury, and cakes (try the chocolate and rosemary cheesecake). There are soups of the day: gutsy chorizo and chickpea has a satisfying paprika kick, while a courgette variety is soft and subtle.

Phuket Pavilion 8 Union Street, 0131 556 4323 www.phuket-pavilion.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, 5–11pm; Sun 5–11pm. £9.95 (set lunch)/£20

Dining well before 6pm or after 10pm can present challenges for Edinburgh’s theatre and cinema goers, but Phuket Pavilion near the Playhouse and Omni Centre offers a welcome and friendly respite. The setting is comfortable and unfussy with enough Thai décor details to set the scene. Offering an extensive menu that caters equally well for vegetarians, patrons may need a bit of time to sift through the many traditional and less traditional Thai dishes.

Mid-range PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD

Amani Indian 28 Bernard Street, Leith, 0131 555 4626, www.amanirestaurant.com, £8 (lunch) / £18

With carved black latticework, glowing panels of pink and purple, slick lighting and waiters in flowing black kurta pajama suits, new Indian about Leith Amani is out to make its stylish mark. A cocktail list, kids’ menu (albeit with fish fingers and macaroni) and chef’s special fusion menu incorporating Moroccan and Mediterranean influences alongside the underlying Punjabi base all confirm the ambition of Silvia Sanjurjo’s new venture, though familiar tandoori, jalfrezi, korma and biryani dishes are all there too.

We are a family run café-deli-bistro on the corner of Newhaven Main Street, ideally situated to capture stunning views over The Firth of Forth. Opening hours: 8am – 8pm Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm on Sunday. With gourmet breakfasts, light bites and main meals, we pride ourselves on catering for all taste buds.

Chop Chop Chinese 76 Commercial Street, 0131 553 1818 www.chop-chop.co.uk Mon, Wed, Thu noon–2pm, 6–10pm; Fri noon–10pm; Sat 5–10pm; Sun noon–4pm. Closed Tue. £7.50 (set lunch)/ £12

A welcome addition, following the huge success of its sister outfit over in Haymarket. Authentic Chinese food cooked to an exacting standard here coupled with fantastic service. See Chop Chop, Morrison Street.

ADDRESS 47 Newhaven Main Street Edinburgh EH6 4NQ EMAIL enquiries@portoﬁ.com TEL 0131 551 1900

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Eating Roseleaf Bar Café

Street, so it’s no surprise to find that this is also a stylish and modern affair. The walls have been stripped back to the brickwork or decorated with contemporary patterned wallpaper, while the main bar area and the snug, loft-like upper level are done out with agreeably retro seats and fittings. The food, while served all day and offering bistro-style variety, isn’t quite as impressive as the surroundings, however – the steak and ale pie and beefburger (also available as a beanburger) are good but not remarkable.

Bar & Pub Food 23–24 Sandport Place, 0131 476 5268 www.roseleaf.co.uk Mon–Sun 10am—9.45pm £10.50 (lunch)/ £12.50

Off the main drag of Leith’s Shore area, the Roseleaf is still destination dining and pubgoing in one. A gorgeously chintzy interior features knick-knacks and curios all around the bar, while cocktails are served in teapots, an affectation that’s hard not to love. Breakfasts include porridge, waffle plates and egg dishes, while many of the daytime and evening mains are offered in ‘wee’ or big portions. These are home-made and it shows, from extra-cheesy macaroni to an enormous flavoured banger of the day.

Embo Café 29 Haddington Place, 0131 652 3880 www.embo-deli.com Mon–Fri 8am–4pm; Sat 9am–4.30pm; Sun 10am–3pm £7 (lunch)

The Street Bar & Pub Food 2 Picardy Place, 0131 556 4272 www.thestreetbar.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–9pm (bar snacks, Mon–Sun noon–midnight) £10 (lunch)/ £10

Right at the junction of Broughton Street and Picardy Place, it’s no surprise that The Street is a popular location for clubbers and that it reflects the area’s mixed crowd. Set over two floors and featuring mixed sinks in the bathroom and a gently inclined ramp between levels, this is a bar for people who want to see and be seen. The food menu also offers a decent choice at reasonable prices, although mains do tend to be of the breadwrapped varieties.

Tailend Restaurant Fish/Takeaway 14–15 Albert Place, 0131 555 3577 www.tailendrestaurant.com Mon–Sun 11.30am–10pm £7.95 (set lunch)/£15

Tailend they serve up the likes of wild mushroom, butternut squash, rocket and parmesan risotto or a sumptuous pork, chorizo and haricot bean casserole with mash, alongside expertly prepared and ultra-fresh French staples like moules frites and croque monsieur.

Word of Mouth Café/Bistro

Sit-in fish ‘n’ chip restaurants often conjure up sad images of greasy cafés with rubbery fish that tastes rather like licking the Formica tables on which it’s served. Not so at Tailend, where crisp and fresh are the order of the day. Pedestrian traffic at the takeaway business next door is constant but never intrudes into the main restaurant, where modern décor in cool tones of green and blue speaks of the sea. The menu is to the point, emphasising the freshest local produce.

3a Albert Street, 0131 554 4344 Mon–Thu 8am–5pm; Fri/Sat 9am–9pm; Sun 10am–6pm £9(lunch)

Café Fish

If Word of Mouth were a band, it might be Arcade Fire, a little ragged around the edges, but with bags of soul – you’ll find it on the plate. At lunch, a no-nonsense mezze selection might include battered calamari, roast veg, big butter beans in tomato sauce, and fried halloumi cheese. In all, there are 17 mezze to choose from. Or plump for a load of croques: monsieur, madame, chicken or veggie. There’s fresh soup too, of course.

Taking its inspiration from the type of classic urban oyster bar you might find in New York or London, Café Fish has firmly found its feet in a corner of Leith now synonymous with great quality dining experiences. As the name suggests, this is a place devoted to fresh Scottish fish and shellfish. A starter of seared Raasay scallops with sweet carrot mash and chorizo is well cooked, but lacks enough seasoning to truly bring out the best of the scallops. However, the same could not be said for roast fillet of cod with tomato and lemongrass salsa, boasting a heart-stopping heat that could do with being flagged up on the menu. Desserts are familiar and comforting, a nutty plum and apple crumble arriving with a cute fishshaped jug of custard to remind diners where the restaurant’s heart truly lies.

The Water of Leith Café Bistro 52 Coburg Street 0131 555 2613 www.thewaterofleithcafébistro.co.uk Tue–Sun 10am–5.30pm. Closed Mon. £9 (lunch)

Mid-range

Slightly off the beaten track compared to rival Leith eateries, this new venture from husband and wife Ana and Mickael Mesle is worth seeking out, an immediately welcoming place with a touch of French flair to provide a dining experience as satisfying as any in this part of the city. The staff are extremely accommodating and attentive as

Scottish

A Room in Leith/Teuchters Landing 1c Dock Place, 0131 554 7427 www.aroomin.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm. £12.95 (lunch)/ £20

Set in a red-brick former waiting room for the Forth ferries, Teuchter’s Landing is very much an equal partner with its adjoining

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restaurant, A Room in Leith. It’s as close to a neighbourhood place as you’ll get in Leith, with a real fire, fishing rods on the walls and railway sleepers serving as shelves for the expansive range of whisky. Food is served in large Anta tartan mugs: with options such as haggis stovies or cheesy macaroni it’s as comforting as a cup of tea, and extremely popular for its no-frills, homely fare.

Tel: 0131 554 6767

www.vintersrooms.com

146 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Fish 60 Henderson Street, 0131 538 6131 www.caféfish.net

Daniel’s Bistro Bistro & Brassieres 88 Commercial Street, 0131 553 5933 www.daniels-bistro.co.uk Mon–Sun 10am–10pm £7.75 (set lunch)/ £19

Daniel Vencker, owner of the eponymous bistro in the Leith docks, is a man who appreciates the importance of the brand. It’s Daniel’s bistro all right, and it serves Daniel’s tarte flambée, followed by Daniel’s sausages, rounded off with bread and butter pudding à la Daniel. It’s the old trend of trademarking dishes, which, like the interior of Daniel’s (all blues, whites and bright lights), is somewhat stuck in the 90s. This is kind of understandable: Mr Vencker adopted his modus operandi in 1996, and it’s earned him plenty of fond regulars since.

Elbow Bar & Pub Food 133–135 East Claremont Street, 0131 556 5662 www.elbowedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun 11am–10pm £12

A neighbourhood bar with charm and personality, Elbow is part-owned by Trendy Wendy of club night Tackno, who also has a stake in Broughton Street’s lively bar The

Stroll into Embo at the top of Leith Walk, and however stormy your mood, you’ll soon be walking on sunshine. It’s an endearing blend of imagination and enthusiasm with a side order of attention to the little things that matter. Take the ‘Green Power’ soup of the day: a nourishing combo of spinach and pea is more than adequate, but with a tablespoon of crème fraîche and a handful of crumbled feta, it’s close to perfect. Drinks are a treat too: kiwi fruit and strawberry isn’t the most obvious or photogenic combination, but it’s a marriage that works – light, clean and refreshing.

L’Escargot Bleu French 56 Broughton Street, 0131 557 1600 www.lescargotbleu.co.uk Sun–Thu noon–3pm, 5.30–10pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–10.30pm £22.50

The Auld Alliance between France and Scotland may have waned in politics, but it’s very much alive on the plate. The staff at this engaging restaurant in Broughton Street are as French as the posters and red-chequered table cloths, but the free-range ‘vicious but delicious’ chickens are raised in the Scottish Borders by Linda Dick, while pork comes from rare-breed pigs that rootled through happy days in the shadow of East Lothian’s Ballencrieff Castle. Flavour and texture from irreproachable ingredients, classically cooked, are key.

La Favorita Italian 325–331 Leith Walk, 0131 554 2430 www.la-favorita.com Mon–Sun noon–11pm £12 (lunch)/ £15

With stablemate Vittoria already a venerable Edinburgh institution, four-year-old La Favorita is well on its way to becoming one too. Owner Tony Crolla packs in punters seeking a box-ticking kitsch Brit-Italian experience, delivering tasty log-fired pizzas, pastas and slick service. His claim to offer ‘the best pizza in Edinburgh’ is as bold as the décor, and as grand as the giant, gaspdrawing calzone and pizzas that struggle to stay on the plate. Factor this into your choice of antipasti and restrain yourself – or just pile into a brimming house platter of meat, cheese and nibbles and promise yourself you’ll start jogging again some day.

Fishers Bistro Fish 1 The Shore, 0131 554 5666 www.fishersbistros.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–10.30pm; Sun 12.30–10.30pm £21

Fishers Bistro is unusual in that while boasting a bounty of fresh white fish and crustaceans to keep seafood lovers happy, this informal and welcoming retreat also genuinely offers something for those for whom fish is not the favourite dish. As well as beef hung for a minimum of three weeks and served in generous 10oz sirloin cuts and Perthshire venison, there is a dedicated menu for vegetarians. Seafood stars include west coast oysters served with a mignonette that perfectly balances their fleshy saltiness.

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Eating

Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

Loch Fyne Restaurant Fish 25 Pier Place, Newhaven Harbour, 0131 559 3900 www.lochfyne.com Mon–Fri 10am–10pm; Sat 10am–10.30pm; Sun 10am–10pm £10 (set lunch)/£19

Top Picks Best breakfasts Peter’s Yard The bread is to die for at this Swedish bakery, served with butter, cheese and homemade jam at breakfast. Coffee is smooth and strong, and the perfect cardamom buns will satisfy any sweet tooth. 27 Simpson Loan, 0131 228 5876 Urban Angel Delicious Eggs Benedict may be better suited to weekend brunch, but homemade organic muesli with Greek yoghurt and berry compote is a tempting and filling start to any day. 121 Hanover Street, 0131 225 6125 Centotre If the spread of breakfast items like pancakes and omelettes on offer at Centotre is not for you, they are happy to make you something not on the menu. Ask for a spinach bruschetta for a distinctly Italian experience. 103 George Street, 0131 225 1550 Snax A classic greasy-spoon café, Snax is the perfect hangover breakfast hangout. If a good fry-up is what you’re after, park yourself at a table and have a slow morning with a newspaper and no-frills tea. 118 Buccleuch Street, 0131 662 9009 Hula This juice bar prides itself on using the freshest ingredients in their juices and smoothies. Fruit salad is perfect for the health-conscious, but bagels are also available. A touch of the tropical on a cold Edinburgh morning. 103-105 West Bow, 0131 220 1121

Linked to but separate from the original Loch Fyne Oyster Bar in Argyll, the only Scottish outpost of the 47-branch chain is a light, airy and spacious temple to Scottish fish and shellfish. Juicy Loch Fyne oysters are served on ice with a range of accompaniments. Main courses range from the traditional (haddock, chips and peas) to the more adventurous (kiln-roasted salmon with mushroom, whisky and horseradish sauce).

Massimo Italian 10–12 Antigua Street, 0131 556 8383 www.massimo-restaurants.com Sun–Thu noon–11pm; Fri/Sat noon–midnight £19

A hop, skip and a jump away from the glittering lights of the Playhouse lies Massimo, an honest Italian eatery that offers both originality and value for money, particularly if you opt for the pre-theatre menu. For traditionalists, the old favourites – carbonara, bolognese, margherita – are all present and correct; however, with a section titled ‘pasta for the more adventurous’ it seems a missed opportunity to look anywhere else.

Olive Branch Bistro Bistro & Brassieres 91 Broughton Street, 0131 557 8589 www.theolivebranchscotland.co.uk Mon–Fri 10am–10pm; Sat 10am–11pm, Sun 10am–10pm £16 (lunch)/£18 (evening meal)

The Olive Branch, which has restaurants at either end of the capital, is a very reliable local café and bistro, whether you’re on the hunt for breakfast or brunch, a pre-theatre deal or a reasonably priced dinner in pleasant surroundings. The Barony Street is just the place to soak up the sun with its big windows. The menu features a mix of hearty staples such as Crombies of Edinburgh sausage of the day accompanied by smooth buttered mash and a sweet onion jus, or a rich, juicy pea and Strathdon blue cheese risotto.

Urban Angel Bistro & Brassieres

Bistro & Brassieres

1 Forth Street, 0131 556 6323 www.urban-angel.co.uk Mon–Sat 9am–late; Sun 9am–5pm £19.50

39–41 Broughton Street, 0131 557 0627 Mon–Sun 10am–10pm £11

With a cartoon monkey beaming down as you enter Treacle you’d be forgiven for thinking this stylish bar favoured children’s parties over cocktails. Fear not: this Broughton Street bar has its finger firmly on the pulse. Despite displaying all the hallmarks of contemporary bar schtick (heaving cocktail list, wi-fi and meals served on those little wooden boards with the fries in tins cans), Treacle has also employed plenty of imagination. The arsenal of beers, fizz, pitchers and shooters are bolstered with some original in-house mixology and the food that looks neat on paper is even better in hand.

Vittoria Italian 113 Brunswick Street, Leith Walk, 0131 556 6171; www.vittoriarestaurant.com Mon to sat 10am–11pm; Sunday noon–11pm £10 (lunch)/ £17

In 1970 the Crolla family opened Vittoria Restaurant on Leith Walk. Four decades on and their recipe for success is unchanged. Vittoria consistently offers what customers want – plenty of choice, handsome helpings and a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere. Amid the soft ochre and cherry-wood fittings, smiling waiting staff swoosh around twirling pepper grinders and twittering in Italian. The Old Town branch (Vittoria on the Bridge) opened in 2007 and has the same menu and a similar vibe but with a more contemporary, sharp-edged design. Under the banner ‘nuovo pastas’ comes a deliciously vivid dish of squid-ink tinted tagliolini with scallops and fresh chilli. Main courses include the amusingly named stinco arrosto – a rustic concoction of braised ham shank (as big as a rugby player’s knee) with borlotti beans in a rich tomato, herb and celery gravy. Both branches now serve breakfast from 10am and offer a weekday lunch menu with pasta and a glass of wine for under £8.

Tapa Barra y Restaurante Spanish Tapas

Bistro & Brassieres

19 Shore Place, 0131 476 6776 www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm £10 for 2 people (7 tapas) noon–5pm (set lunch)/£15

3 The Shore, 0131 553 5080 www.theshore.biz Mon–Fri noon–2.30pm, 6–10.30pm; Sat noon–10.30pm; Sun 12.30–10.30pm £10 (lunch) /£17

With its dark, wood-panelled walls, open fires and collection of candlelit tables, The Shore bar and its adjoining restaurant are just on the right side of cosy. Clever use of mirrors makes the premises seem much larger than they really are, but getting to your table can still be a bit of a squeeze. It’s worth the effort though: cocooned in the restaurant, you can watch super-efficient, white-aproned waiters ferry steaming bowls of moules marinières and brown onion soup to the busy bar.

Sofi’s

Bar & Pub Food/Fish

Bars & Pubs

36 The Shore, 0131 554 9260 Mon–Sat noon–3pm, 6–10pm; Sun 11am–3pm, 6–10pm. £12

65 Henderson Street, 0131 555 7019 www.bodabar.com Mon–Fri 2pm—12.45am; Sat noon—12.45am; Sun 1pm—12.45am £8

The farthest from the city centre of the quartet of pubs owned by Leith’s Boda empire, Sofi’s is easily one of the most characterful bars in the Shore area. The décor is chintzy without being twee, visitors are made just as welcome as locals, and a range of fun, free events in the back room add to the personality of the place. This is all-inclusive local drinking with a modern attitude, and a unique line in bar snacks: nachos sit alongside baked camembert with

for 30 more in an airy space at the front where the walls feature images of bullfights and Spaniards with lived-in faces.

Treacle

The Shore Bar & Restaurant

King’s Wark

Forget the arguments about whether this is Leith’s oldest watering hole – for as long as most folk can remember the King’s Wark has knocked the spots off the food on offer at Edinburgh’s licensed premises, whether upstart dining pubs or trendy uptown cafébars. In fact, it gives many of the nearby seafood bistros a run for their money, turning out lively fish dishes such as salt and pepper sardines or moist sea trout fillet with smoked mackerel risotto for a fraction of their price elsewhere.

bread and lingonberry jam, cheese toasties (with oregano, pineapple or chorizo) and sweet waffles – yet more reasons to pay a visit.

Robert Scobie is a tapas veteran. Having previously run two successful restaurants in Edinburgh, he returned in 2009 after a spell in Australia to open Tapa. Neatly divided, the restaurant has a large area at the rear (which is available for functions) and room

High End The Kitchin Scottish 78 Commercial Quay, 0131 555 1755 www.thekitchin.com Mon–Thu 8.30am–5.30pm; Fri/Sat 8am–6pm; Sun 10.30am–3.30pm £20 (lunch)

In a few short years, Tom Kitchin has shifted smoothly and assuredly from new kid on the block to a place among Scotland’s elite chefs. His motto from the outset, ‘From nature to plate’, acts as both summary and guiding light to the impressive sourcing, presentation and quality of dishes in his Leith-based restaurant. A variety of menus are on offer including the à la carte, the ‘Surprise tasting menu’ with a matched wine package, and the set lunch menu.

Plumed Horse Scottish 50–54 Henderson Street, 0131 554 5556 www.plumedhorse.co.uk Tue–Sat noon–1.30pm, 7–9pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £24 (set menu)

As the smallest and least pre-possessing of Leith’s Michelin triumvate, the Plumed Horse tends to attract a less flashy, slightly older and more considered clientele. Chef/proprietor Tony Borthwick’s personal touches are evident throughout the restaurant, from the décor and striking artwork through to the carefully honed menus. These take the form of set-priced menus at both lunch and dinner, with a seven-course tasting option available in the evening.

For up to date reviews see list.co.uk/festival FreshMex Takeaway on Leith Walk, what could be better? Burritos, tacos & quesadillas

Open 7 days a week from 12pm

281 Leith Walk Edinburgh (0131) 555 6619 list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 147

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Eating Restaurant Martin Wishart French 54 The Shore, 0131 553 3557 www.martin-wishart.co.uk Tue–Fri noon–2pm, 6.45–9.30pm; Sat noon–1.30pm, 6.30–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon. £24.50 (lunch)/ £60

There is something inherently tasteful about Restaurant Martin Wishart, even if the beiges and browns of the interior aren’t your preferred pallette. The place exudes calmness and warmth, and may encourage dangerously expensive lingering. This is not, however, a bad thing. The cooking at Wishart’s is akin to culinary precision engineering. Flavours are arranged like cogs, each one, large or small, playing an integral part in the whole. Powerful flavours are delivered with an emphasis towards delicacy and balance, allowing you to finish a sixcourse menu feeling serene and sated, not bloated and heavy.

Maitre d’ Silvano Praino extends a warm welcome in this delightful slice of France in Leith. The exquisite dining room, with its historic and delicate plasterwork ceiling, sets the ambience for the high quality of food. Head chef David Spanner demonstrates considerable talent with a wafer-thin octopus carpaccio accompanied by locally sourced lobster. Pork belly is served with scallops and a surprise kick of chilli caramel. Main courses are likewise traditional yet inventive.

Princes Street & City Centre Mid-range Café Royal Circle Bar & Oyster Bar

them. The menu changes monthly and focuses on using local suppliers for all their ingredients.

The Voodoo Rooms Bistro & Brassieres 19a West Register Street, 0131 556 7060 www.thevoodoorooms.com Mon–Thu 4–9.45pm; Fri–Sun noon–10pm. £11 (lunch)/ £15

The striking black and gold décor, black tablecloths and flickering candlelight might not be to everyone’s taste, but they certainly make for an atmospheric dining experience. Start your evening with a cocktail: the selection is large, and the prices are very reasonable. For those seeking a light lunch there’s a good selection of ciabatta stuffed with eye-catching combinations like chorizo and emmental or barbecue duck and red onion, as well as a couple of hot and cold sharing plate options.

Bistro

The Ship on the Shore Fish 24–26 The Shore, 0131 555 0409 Website: www.theshipontheshore.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–10pm. £12 (set lunch)/ £21

On first glance, the Ship might seem like it’s been lifted straight out of a novel, so easy is it to imagine smugglers sitting in the cosy, dimly lit bar looking out to sea through the tiny panelled windows and plotting their next act of derring-do. But in truth this is a friendly local seafood restaurant that takes Scottish fish seriously, but never feels dusty or out of touch. The weekly à la carte and daily specials menus feature traditional favourites such as Cullen skink and fishcakes alongside some more adventurous creations.

Skippers Seafood Bistro Fish 1a Dock Place, 0131 554 1018 www.skippers.co.uk Mon & Wed–Fri noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm; Sat noon–3.30pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun noon–2.30pm, 5.30–9.30pm. Closed Tue. £12.95 (set lunch)/£23 (evening meal)

Something of an institution in the Shore area, Skippers remains a gem of a place for lovers of fresh Scottish seafood and casual dining. Choose from a wide selection of Scottish beers to sup while contemplating the eclectic mix of fishing memorabilia and pictures of olde Edinburgh adorning the walls. The restaurant is a maze-like series of interconnecting rooms, each with a different character and the menu is packed with fresh, well-sourced Scottish fish – provenance and seasonality play important roles here.

The Vintners Rooms French The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, 0131 554 6767 www.thevintnersrooms.com Tue–Sat noon–2pm, 7–10pm. Closed Sun/Mon.Bar open: Tue–Sat noon–midnight. Closed Sun/Mon. £19 (set dinner)

17a West Register Street, 0131 556 1884 www.thespiritgroup.com Mon–Sat 11am–10pm; Sun 12.30–10pm £14.50

High End

First opened back in 1862, the Café Royal is an Edinburgh stalwart. Colourful stained glass and ceramic tiles evoke a bygone era, the revolving door from the street revealing a Victorian dining room that seems to have changed little in the intervening years. As you’d expect, oysters are a feature here, and come in a choice of four ways: Kilpatrick, Rockefeller, Natural or as a daily special. Fresh, well presented and with that essential zing of ozone, they are as delightful as the olde worlde surroundings.

French

The Guildford Arms Bar & Pub Food 1–5 West Register Street, 0131 556 4312 www.guildfordarms.com Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5.30–9.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–3pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun 12.30–3pm, 5.30–9.30pm £14 (lunch)/ £16

Visitors to the city would do well to sample a pint in this authentically traditional public hoose. The ambience is nicely pitched: lively enough for atmosphere yet muted enough for chats over a wee dram. For evening eats, head to the restaurant upstairs, with a view over the bar below for people-watching. The menu feels somewhat without identity, although the specials can feature treats such as Shetland mussels so fresh they’ll whisk you away to the sea in a mouthful.

Howies of Waterloo Scottish 29 Waterloo Place, 0131 556 5766 www.howies.uk.com Mon–Sun noon–2.30pm, 5.30–10pm. [Open for coffee Mon–Sun from 11am] £10 (lunch)/ £19

Howies doesn’t fit into the category of a chain because each of its restaurants has an individualistic style, décor and menu. But the underlying commitment to offering remarkable dishes in a relaxed and casual environment is consistently present in all of

21212 3 Royal Terrace, Calton Hill, 0845 22 21212 www.21212restaurant.co.uk Tue–Sat noon–1.45pm, 6.45–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon.

£25 (set lunch) / £35/£45/£55 (set dinner) When caveman first lobbed a mammoth steak onto the fire, cooking was simply a matter of belly filled, job done. A few millennia of culinary evolution later, and Paul Kitching and Katie O’Brien’s restaurant with rooms is leaving mere nourishment far behind with food that has seasoned diners (and Michelin inspectors) rubbing their eyes in delighted astonishment. That you should expect the unexpected is clear from the moment you cross the threshold, and find this sober Edinburgh townhouse revelling in Timorous Beasties carpets, metallic Ralph Lauren wallpaper and pumped-up Caravaggio.

Hadrian’s Brasserie The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, 0131 557 5000 www.hadriansbrasserie,co.uk Mon–Fri 7–10.30am, noon–2.30pm, 6.30–10.30pm; Sat 7–11am, 12.30–2.30pm, 6.30–10.30pm; Sun 7.30–11am, 12.30–2.30pm, 6.30–10.30pm. £15 (set lunch)/ £27

The brasserie of the Balmoral Hotel, Hadrian’s has a distinct 1930s Art Deco feel, featuring pale green walls, dark walnut floors, simple furniture and crisp white linen, and offering a full and cosmopolitan menu of sophisticated Scottish and European dishes. To start, Musk’s chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon with fried quail’s egg arrives as a surprising mini fry-up complete with tiny discs of black pudding, fried potato and home-made baked beans. Simple desserts of warm roasted plums and macadamia nut tart are served with interestingly sweet honey and thyme icecreams.

Number One Come to the Tailend for the perfect seafood lunch or dinner. Haddock, cod, sole, langoustines in addition to a host of specials from monkfish, seabass, halibut, hake or plaice can be battered, breaded or grilled. Other typical specials on the menu include cullen skink, mussels, whitebait and hot smoked salmon fishcakes. Meat & vegetarian alternatives are also available and all dishes are freshly cooked to order.you can also enjoy a glass of wine or champagne from our wine list and take in the atmosphere.

14-15 Albert Place, Leith Walk EH7 5HN X 0131 555 3577 www.tailendrestaurant.co.uk X Open 7 days: 11.30am-10pm 148 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Scottish 1 Princes Street, 0131 557 6727 www.restaurantnumberone.com Sun–Fri 6.30–9.45pm; Sat 6–9.45pm £30

Beneath one of Edinburgh’s grandest hotels, cocooned from the bustle of nearby Princes Street and Waverley Station, lies one of the city’s finest dining rooms. Chef Craig Sandle’s menu eschews froufrou frippery for bold, well-executed dishes featuring established combinations. Thus, for example, sweet scallops are balanced by earthy cauliflower in a perfectly al dente risotto, seamlessly matched by a smoky, mineral chablis.

For up to date reviews see list.co.uk/festival

Top Picks Beer gardens The OuthouseTucked into a corner off Broughton Street, the Outhouse boasts a cosy beer garden serving a wide selection of world beers. Like other bars in the Broughton area, the Outhouse creates a relaxed vibe. Weekend nights see the chilled atmosphere get a bit raucous, with DJs from Edinburgh’s biggest clubs spinning the decks. On Sundays in the summer, ‘infamous’ Outhouse BBQs reward patrons with burgers on the house. If the weather is being typically Scottish, the beer garden has outdoor heaters to ward off the chills. 12a Broughton Street Lane, 0131 557 6668 The Cumberland Bar The secluded beer garden at the back of the Cumberland Bar makes it one of the quietest spots in the city to enjoy a pint of ale. Circular tables encourage a cosy atmosphere, while pub classics like steak and kidney pie and sausage and mash provide ample sustenance for the hungry Fringe-goer. 1—3 Cumberland Street, 0131 558 3134 The Pear Tree One of the capital’s biggest and best beer gardens, The Pear Tree’s large outdoor benches and weekly BBQs make it the perfect watering hole, whether your want is to while away an afternoon or catch a quick pint in the sun, on the way to the Underbelly, Pleasance or Teviot. 34 West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 7533 The Three Sisters Smack bang in the middle of the Cowgate, Three Sisters is one of the more energetic beer gardens in the city. People spill out onto the courtyard from inside, where three floors of bars and dance floors ensure the party never stops. 139 Cowgate, 0131 622 6801

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Awake your summerside with Bulmers @ Assembly, Princes St Gardens

Where to drink It’s almost impossible to spend an August in Edinburgh without indulging in one of its watering holes. Niki Boyle takes the ultimate pub crawl, so you don’t have to f there’s one thing Edinburgh is not bereft of it is places to rest your feet and quench your thirst. For pubs in the Old Town, the main emphasis is on whisky and ale. On the Royal Mile, both The Albanach (197 High Street, 0131 220 5277) and Whiski Bar and Restaurant (119 High Street, 0131 556 3095) have malts and casks by the barrel-full. Off that main drag and leading down Victoria Street, the Bow Bar (80 West Bow, 0131 226 7667) is also very whisky-centric, being as it is opposite two whisky specialists: Demijohn (32 Victoria Street, 0131 225 3265) and The Whisky Shop (28 Victoria Street, 0131 225 4666). Alternatively for cocktails of the highest order, don’t miss the North Bridge Brasserie & Bar (20 North Bridge, 0131 556 5565). Further up the Mile, St Giles’ Cathedral Café (High Street, 0131 225 5147) affords the perfect vantage point from which to take in the Festival mayhem complete with tasty drink selections and top notch snacks, while the more hardcore tippler can enjoy Bar Kohl’s knockout drinks menu (54 George IV Bridge, 0131 225 6936). Down the hill, in the Grassmarket, among the anti-niche everyman pubs, are The White Hart (34 Grassmarket, 0131 226 2806), which claims to be the oldest bar in town, and The Lot (4-6 Grassmarket, 0131 225 9922) — a light and airy bistro/bar/jazz venue housed in an old church. Wandering down the Cowgate, you’ll notice Opium (71 Cowgate, 0131 225 8382), Edinburgh’s main rock bar; Three Sisters (139 Cowgate, 0131 622 6801), with its wide courtyard that encourages sociable out-of-doors drinking; and, much farther down, the be-lichened caves of Bannermans (212 Cowgate, 0131 556 3254), a great down-anddirty live music joint. If you only stick to the main streets, though, you’ll miss some fabulous little haunts, such as the modernist cocktail lounge GRV (37 Guthrie Street, 0131 220 2987); cosy List favourite Black Bo’s (57-61 Blackfriars Street, 0131 557 6136); and the aptly-named Secret Arcade Bar (48 Cockburn Street, 0131 220 1297), which has over 90 varieties of vodka, and some extremely knowledgeable bar staff to help you mix it. On and around George Street, splash your cash at swanky establishments such as Tigerlily (125 George Street, 0131 225 5005), Browns (131—133 George Street, 0131 225 4442), Amicus Apple (17 Frederick Street, 0131 226 6055), Forth Floor (Harvey Nichols, 30—34 Saint Andrew Square, 0131 524

Amicus Apple

8350) or Candy Bar (113-115 George Street, 0131 225 9179). For less demanding but harder-to-find surroundings, keep heading north in search of Bramble (16a Queen Street, 0131 226 6343) or the elusive Starbar (1 Northumberland Place, 0131 539 8070). Whigham’s Wine Cellar (13 Hope Street, 0131 225 8674), is the place to hang out with literary types once the Book Festival bar closes. Taking a turn into Stockbridge will land you back in the firmlygrounded world of real ales and stout pints, whether that be at The Stockbridge Tap (2-6 Raeburn Place, 0131 343 3000) or Hector’s (47-49 Deanhaugh Street, 0131 343 1735), which sit more or less side-byside. In the Southside of Edinburgh, the main slice of the drinking action lies east of the Meadows, although the Cameo cinema bar (38 Home Street, 0131 228 2800) gets an honourable west-side mention for its classy bar snacks and left-bank atmosphere, and the Wee Red Bar (74 Lauriston Place, 0131 229 1003) at the Edinburgh Art College is home to some great gigs and student-friendly drinks prices. Head further east and you approach the wonderful Brass Monkey (14 Drummond Street, 0131 556 1961), home to a fullymattressed back room that hosts daily cult film screenings. Even further east is the hustle and bustle

A WEALTH OF COSY HANGOUTS

of the Pleasance Courtyard (60 Pleasance, 0131 556 6550), beset on all sides by Fringe venues and filled with off-duty comedians sipping pints of fragrant Belgian beer. Further south, there’s comforting traditionalism in the shape of The Southsider (3-7 West Richmond Street, 0131 667 2003) — not to be confused with The Southern (22-26 South Clerk Street, 0131 667 2289), about a mile further on and home to many a decent live music night. In the late afternoon sunshine, we’d recommend heading to the walled courtyard of The Pear Tree (36 West Nicolson Street, 0131 667 7533), who throw in the occasional barbeque as well, and 56 North (2— 8 West Crosscauseway, 0131 662 8860), a trendy eatery with a classy cocktail-loving clientele that spill onto the patio furniture outside. Hidden beneath the Rutland Hotel in the West End is uber-classy The One Below (1 Rutland Street, 0131 229 3402), home to one of the world’s few pressure-sensitive bars and a delicious (if pricey) cocktail list. Further underground charms can be had at the Berlin Bierhaus (3A Queensferry Street Lane, 0131 467 7215), which often hosts free comedy during the daytime before giving way to the clubbers at night. Alternatively, the Traverse Bar (10 Cambridge Street, 0131 228 5383) is rather lovely for all those posttheatre non-sequiturs; for those wishing to keep pretension to a minimum, head round the corner to the real-ale haven of The Blue Blazer (2 Spittal Street, 0131 229 5030). From there it’s a short jaunt either to The Big Red Door (10 Lady Lawson Street, 0131 228 4567) to mingle with the circus set, or a

slightly longer amble to abide with The Dude at Lebowski’s (18 Morrison Street, 0131 466 1779). Finding a good pub in Leith is like trying to hit a barn from the inside. Starting at the top, on Broughton Street, The Barony (81-85 Broughton Street, 0131 558 2874) is a must for old-school ale-hounds; more laid back and exotic drinks can be found at the orange-tinted Basement bar (10A—12A Broughton Street, 0131 557 0097) at the top of the street, or tucked away at The Outhouse (12a Broughton Street Lane, 0131 557 6668), one of the finest beer gardens in the city. Moving onto Leith Walk, and Joseph Pearce (23 Elm Row, 0131 556 4140) is the first of four Swedish family-run bars scattered around the area like stray meatballs — Boda Bar (229 Leith Walk, 0131 553 5900), Victoria (265 Leith Walk, 0131 554 5706) and Sofi’s (6365 Henderson Street, 0131 555 7019) all offer a warm welcome, comfortable interiors and quality booze. Venturing further towards the Shore, The Roseleaf Bar Café (23/24 Sandport Place, 0131 476 5268) has an exquisite menu alongside lovely drinks; while set back a bit from the water’s edge are The Port O’ Leith (58 Constitution Street, 0131 554 3568) — popular with everybody from sailors to Irvine Welsh and David Mamet — and The Pond (2-4 Bath Road, 0131 553 0639), probably the cosiest underwater-themed bar with a pool table in the world, with a cracking selection of beers and music to boot. Finally, for something a little more relaxed Porto and Fi (47 Newhaven Mainstreet, 0131 551 1900) offers a nice stroll beyond Leith to the picturesque shores of Newhaven.

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Shopping From hardy independents to the glossiest department stores, vintage treasure troves to specialist cheeseries (oh yes), Edinburgh’s shops are understated wee gems

Old Town Books and Music Analogue Books 102 West Bow, 0131 220 0601 www.analoguebooks.co.uk

A firm List favourite, this is a great stop-off for fans of the visual arts. Resting near the bottom of Victoria Street’s top-notch line of independent shops (see Walking Tour panel), Analogue Books is the place to come for hard-to-find magazines, unusual books and independent ‘art zines’. There’s a mini-gallery through the back too, with regular exhibitions by up-and-coming artists.

Andrew Pringle Booksellers 62 West Port, 0131 228 8880 www.pringlebooks.co.uk

Having been established in Dundas Street, Pringle Booksellers moved to the West Port in 2003 and continues to showcase an impressive array of history, art, bibliography, heraldry, military and general antiquarian books.

Armchair Books

Underground Solu’shn

72–74 West Port, 0131 229 5927

9 Cockburn Street, 0131 226 2242 www.undergroundsolushn.com

When your shop mascot is a multilingual collie called Struan, the chances are that you are heading for some friendly, cosy surrounds – and Armchair Books doesn’t disappoint. Divided over two premises, this has been a favourite stop for bibliophiles for more than 15 years. Number 72 West Port has a large stock of alphabetically arranged fiction, science fiction, poetry, myth, philosophy and Scottish interest. While the neighbouring number 74 contains mostly factual books and a strong selection of antiquarian tomes.

Avalanche 63 Cockburn St, 0131 225 3939; 17 West Nicholson St, 0131 668 2374 www.avalancherecords.blogspot.com

Something of an indie Edinburgh institution after over 20 years on the scene, Avalanche has a fine selection of second-hand vinyl and reasonablypriced CDs that will always throw up a surprising find if you’re willing to rummage. Those looking to get rid of some of their collection should check out their trade-in policy.

Beyond Words 42–44 Cockburn St, 0131 226 6636 www.beyondwords.co.uk

Recently voted one of the best independent bookshops in the UK, this relatively small, friendly shop has a disproportionately huge collection of photographic and photographicallyillustrated books and is a must-visit for anyone with even a passing interest in all things camera-related. Full-price options can be pricey but a constant sale area ensures you’ll always find a real bargain on quality publications.

Keeping Cockburn Street’s bass athumping, this hip wee store peddles electronica to most of the city’s serious DJs and is also a great spot for off-beat gifts too. Starting life in an Old Town basement before relocating to over ground premises farther down the street, Solu’shun began selling House, Techno, Disco, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Jazz and Drum & Bass on Vinyl LPs & Singles. As well as an array of music, you’ll find the latest DJ and Music Production Equipment including Turntables, Mixers, CD Decks, Midi Controllers, Computer DJ Systems, Software, Speakers and Headphones from all the top brands as well as an expansion in their repertoire to include Classic Rock, Pop and current Indie releases.

Fashion Joyce Forsyth Scottish Designer Knitwear 42 Candlemaker Row, 0131 220 4112 www.joyceforsyth.co.uk

A little piece of Scotland is to be found here, with Forsyth offering strange, beautiful and completely unique handmade knitwear suitable for lovely and stylish eccentrics. Prices range from £5£265.

Big Ideas 82 West Bow, 0131 226 2532 www.bigideasforladies.co.uk

This bright little boutique showcases fashion-forward plus-size womenswear (size 16 and up). There’s a wide range of interesting designer lines in-store, and some particularly interesting knitwear. Branches in both Edinburgh and Glasgow; prices range from £39.99–£600.

Coda music 12 Bank Street, On the Mound, 0131 622 7246 www.codamusic.co.uk

Forget the bagpipes playing on Princes Street, situated just near the top of the Mound, this tourist hangout-cum-wellrun, friendly little store lays claim to the biggest selection of folk and traditional music in Scotland.

Edinburgh Books 145-147 West Port, 0131 229 4431 www.edinburghbooks.net

Formerly West Port Books, and today boasting a labyrinth of antiquarian books over two levels, this charming bookstore has a friendly staff ready to help, whatever your whim. 8 Victoria Street, 0131 225 9237 www.oldtownbookshop.com

This Old Town charmer describes itself as the ‘spiritual brother’ of the West Port bookshops. Established in 1978, this ageing Aladdin’s cave provides a gentle introduction to the world of antiquarian books.

Also part of the West Port books collective, this traditionalist antiquarian bookshop focuses on history, Scottish interest and philosophy. 150 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Sublime Architecturally sculpted into the bottom of Dancebase and run by international stylist Lesley Moses, darling, Sublime stays open until 9pm, so you can even get a new pre-club do should that be your want. Grassmarket, Edinburgh, 0131 225 2338 Emma Hall Need a haircut, but can’t stand the smell of a salon? Emma Hall is Scotland’s first ‘clean air’ hairdresser, with allorganic products, so no chemically smell. There’s an equally refreshing ‘no SMALL chat’ policy too. Haddington Place, Edinburgh, 0131 557 4888

66 Grassmarket, 0131 225 3249

Beautiful, all natural womenswear designs by husband and wife duo Bill and Helen Baber, including jewel-bright woollens, cashmeres and silks.

Yamamoto, Katherine Hamnett, and Comme des Garçons.

Fabrick 50–50a Cockburn Street, 0131 226 7020

Butterflies 17 West Port, 0131 228 4401 www.butterfliesbride.co.uk

Long-running local dressmakers’ store, with a window full of on trend creations, whether you’re looking for a smart dress for a night out or something for a special celebration, such as a wedding, bridesmaid or prom dress.

Half urban fashion for females, half Tshirt maker extraordinaire, Fabrick boasts over 100 designs to choose from that can be printed onto any number of brightly coloured tops, while you wait. Lettering options are also available, allowing you to come up with your own phrase if you can’t find anything that appeals.

Godiva Cookie Cool T-shirts, casual bags and pretty prom dresses are the look du jour in this particular Old Town haunt. It’s not the cheapest on the street but Cookie is the place to come for vibrant clothes with a twist. Quirky slogan T-shirts by brands like Lazy Oaf hang beside floral sundresses in a boutique that offers something genuinely different for those with a little more money to burn.

Peter Bell Books 68 West Port, 0131 229 0562 www.peterbell.net

Boosh Sessions with Boosh’s head stylist Mary are hard to come by and, if the swishy ‘dos and smug salon smiles on most of the Edinburgh-based Listers are anything to go by, she’s thoroughly worth the wait. Cowgate, Edinburgh, 0131 556 9993

Bill Baker

29 Cockburn St, 0131 622 7260

Old Town Bookshop

Top Picks Hairdressers

9 Westport, Grassmarket, 0131 221 9212 www.godivaboutique.co.uk

Not necessarily the place to come for a bargain but if alternative fashion’s your thing you cannot go wrong in Godiva, who offer a made-to-measure bespoke alteration service and stock collections from eca graduates. This specialist emporium houses rails of hand-picked vintage clothing and hand-made cutting edge fashion garments and accessories created by independent designers and original fashion labels.

Corniche 2 Jeffrey Street, 0131 556 3707 www.corniche.org.uk

Edinburgh’s original designer label boutique offers outrageous creations (at equivalent prices) from the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji

Ragamuffin 278 Canongate, 0131 557 6007 www.ragamuffinonline.co.uk

Gorgeous, tactile knitwear for wool enthusiasts; stock includes several hardto-find Scottish and European designers,

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and there’s a quirky in-house label too. Look out for their pretty scarves knitted in soft chenilles, wools and cottons and decorated with big, bold beads and braiding.

Swish 22-24 Victoria Street, 0131 220 0615 www.swishonthe.com

Settled among the quirky shopping luminaries of Victoria Street, Swish is awash with urban street wear, including a great selection of T-shirts by brands such as Local Celebrity and Paul Frank for boys and girls. The retro bags are pretty great too.

Totty Rocks 40 Victoria Street, 0131 226 3232 www.tottyrocks.co.uk

For some impressive, home-grown talent, Totty Rocks is the main outlet of the clothing label of the same name, set up by two lecturers from Edinburgh College of Art’s fashion course. Young, fresh and seriously gorgeous girl-fashion at affordable prices rub shoulders with such popular Scottish labels as Bebaroque, whose hosiery continues to delight the catwalks.

bottles line the shelves, waiting to decant fluids from extra virgin olive oil to single malt whisky (not to be mixed up). The advantage to such an approach is that customers can choose their own shapely bottle, which can be re-filled, saving unnecessary waste and also a little money.

I J Mellis 30a Victoria Street, 0131 226 6215; 6 Bakers Place, 0131 225 6566; 330 Morningside Road, 0131 447 8889 www.mellischeese.co.uk

It’s fair to say to say you can smell this particular jewel in Edinburgh’s crown before you actually see it. Since opening his first premises in 1993, Iain Mellis has established a mini empire of traditional cheesemonger’s shops between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and St Andrews, with a reputation for supplying only the best British farmhouse cheeses. An array of crackers, bread and chutneys are for sale to accompany your dairy purchases, and with the variety of cows’, goats’ and sheeps’ cheeses on offer, and that enticing smell in the air, new customers will surely want to make it part of their weekly shopping routine. Delicious.

Voodoo 34 Cockburn Street, 0131 622 7318

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop

Goth, emo and rocker clobber for the days when you just want to face the world with a snarl. Expect a full range of hard-hitting labels like Pop Soda, Criminal Damage and Evil Clothing, plus some lovely Iron Fist shoes for the ladies.

172 Canongate, 0131 556 5864 www.edinburgh.wmcadenhead.com

Food and Drink Demijohn 32 Victoria Street, 0131 225 3265 www.demijohn.co.uk

For those not in the know, a demijohn is a large bulbous glass bottle used to store liquids and it’s the method of choice for Edinburgh’s liquid deli of the same name. Inspired by owner Angus Ferguson, the notion for Demijohn came originally from his experience of living and working in Naples, in the early 1990s as a student. Where he would buy wine for parties from a local Cantina, or winery. On Victoria Street the experience feels just as personable. The

Those looking for a little dram to whet the whistle shouldn’t be disappointed here. Scotland’s oldest independent whisky bottler has been operating since 1842, bottling single cask whiskies and selling direct to the customer. It has a huge range of whiskies available, from the familiar big brands such as Glenlivet, Glenmorangie and Laphroaig to the smaller, less well known distilleries that can be found all over Scotland. Depending on the size of the bottle, the age and strength of the individual whisky and the appeal of the distillery (those that have been closed for a while are the most sought after), there is a whisky to be found here for all budgets – from £1 to £14,000.

a plentiful supply of pipes, wines and rum from the same people who run Royal Mile Whiskies, so you know they’ll take their expertise seriously.

Royal Mile Whiskies 379 High Street, 0131 225 3383 www.royalmilewhiskies.com

Nestled opposite St Giles’ Cathedral, specialist malt whisky retailers, Royal Mile Whiskies, should have dram lovers spoiled for choice. The diminutive shop, established in 1991 can lay claim to having over 1000 malt whiskies and bourbons in stock. ‘Sherry monsters’ and ‘peaty beasties’ from distilleries in Scotland and Ireland are supplemented by more than a few surprises from the likes of Japan, while knowledgeable staff can guide customers round the delights of a collection that include rare bottles going for as much as a hefty £900.

The Black Mausoleum 19 Candlemaker Row, 0131 226 7500 www.blackhart.uk.com

Set in a dark dungeon on the site of the old Witchcraft shop in Candlemaker Row (reputed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter), The Black Mausoleum offers up obscure hand crafted presents, discount tickets for the City of the Dead Graveyard and Underground tours and the world’s largest selection of Greyfriars Bobby souvenirs.

The Cadies and Witchery Tours 84 West Bow, Victoria Street, 0131 225 6745 www.witcherytours.com

Gifts and Accessories

Spooky offerings here in this unique ghostly gift shop located in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. As well as selling a variety of skulls, witches, dragons and magical fairies, the shop also serves as a booking office for ghostly walking tours that have been a major attraction in Edinburgh since 1984.

ANTA

Clarksons Edinburgh

91 West Bow & Grassmarket, 0131 225 4616 www.anta.co.uk

87 West Bow, Victoria Street, 0131 225 8141 www.clarksonsedinburgh.co.uk

Based on previous form, this boutique should do very well. Some of the most stylish tartans, especially cool minikilts and silk earasaids (oversize scarves) for women, can be here, alongside woolen blankets and throws woven from Shetland sheep wool.

A good old-fashioned, family-run jewellers, Clarksons has been going for over 50 years. Their current specialisms include Celtic-influenced pieces, and they also create bespoke pieces. Prices start at £100 for in store items.

The Cigar Box 361 High Street, 0131 225 3534 www.rumandcigars.co.uk

A reasonably new addition to the scene, finest, hand-rolled Havana stogies, plus

Totty Rocks

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Present

Rusty Zip

57 Cockburn Street, 0131 225 8207

26 St Mary’s Street, 0131 556 5050 www.buygiftsatpresent.co.uk

14 Teviot Place, 0131 226 4634 www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk

There is much to love about this eclectic little gift shop. Situated right in the heart of the old town just off the Royal Mile, Present’s colourful diverse range celebrates the best new designers, local artists, blokey-gadgets and innovative kitchen pieces.

The littlest vessel in the Armstrong’s armada stocks better quality leather coats than its name might suggest. Smoother-than-thou retro pieces mingle with knick-knacks, including wigs, feather boas and novelty scarves. During August it’s handily situated for the Gilded Balloon, Pleasance Dome and Udderbelly if you run out of costume inspiration.

It’s all charmingly mythical in this Cockburn street haunt, complete with statuettes of imps, pixies and assorted gnomes.

Pie in the Sky 21 Cockburn St, 0131 220 1477 www.tipped.co.uk

It might look like the last outpost of the hippie ethos but behind all the ethnic jewellery Pie in the Sky has a surprisingly good range of urban street wear, and is definitely worth more than a cursory glance.

Helios Fountain Grassmarket, 0131 229 7884 www.helios-fountain.co.uk

Stocking a fine range of beads, notebooks, gift cards and scented candles, this is a rummager’s paradise.

Fabhatrix 13 Cowgatehead, 0131 225 9222 www.fabhatrix.com

From the sublime to the ridiculous this rather fabulous hat shop has pieces in all different shapes and sizes, whether you simply fancy a browse or are keen to buy.

Hilary’s Bazaar 297 The Royal Mile, Canongate, 0131 556 0408 www.hilarysbazaar.com

This incense-scented store scattered with ethnic statues, rare world dance CDs and beautiful, fairly-traded accessories, has been running for many years now and has long been a haunt of the city’s alternative lifestyle practitioners, and eco-aware teenagers. It’s also great for colourful throws and sequinned cushion.

Joe 3 Greyfriars Place, 0131 225 4881 www.joe-cool.co.uk

The long-running store is a good shout for quirky homeware, excellent off-beat jewellery, and witty cards.

The Red Door Gallery 42 Victoria St, 0131 477 3255 www.edinburghart.com

Part mini-gallery space, part shop, The Red Door Gallery stocks a fine selection of one-off art pieces, prints, jewellery and unusual gift cards from local and up-and-coming designers without the usual mark-up. Highly recommended.

Vintage Clothing Armstrongs 81-83 Grassmarket, 0131 220 5557; 64-66 Clerk St, 0131 667 3056 www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk

This legendary vintage store is still going strong due to realistic pricing and a steady stream of loyal buyers with an eye for a find. Clothes arranged by decade means it’s easy to find what you want while tongue-in-cheek store styling makes Armstrongs a must-visit.

Barnardos Vintage 116 West Bow, Grassmarket, 0131 225 4751 www.barnardos.org.uk

Established in 1983 by Rufus Reade, The Nomads Tent is a well established gallery space and reparation space, importing directly from sources in Iran, India, Turkey and elsewhere in Asia.

While Clerk Street boasts its own array of second-hand treats, Barnardos Vintage has quickly become a firm favourite with followers of fashion. Buy any of the second-hand clothes or various bits and bobs in this stylish vintage store and you’ll be donating to charity while also expanding your wardrobe.

The Owl & Lion Gallery

Herman Brown

15 Grassmarket, 0131 220 0900 www.owlandliongallery.com

151 West Port, 0131 228 2589 www.hermanbrown.co.uk

This is a rather lovely addition to Edinburgh’s gallery scene, run by two recent Edinburgh College of Art graduates. Situated on the edge of the West Port, this intimate venue gallery and studio is dedicated to the creation and design of bespoke books and the popular OWL & LION bags.

There’s something delightfully glam about Herman Brown with its gorgeous selection of top-end vintage accessories and shoes hanging alongside a carefully selected, colour-coded range of 1950s1980s fashions – this is a wonderful place to lay hands on retro sunglasses, diamante hat pins and patent stilettos.

Nomad’s Tent 21 St Leonards Lane, 0131 662 1612 www.nomadstent.co.uk

A beautiful array of vintage costume jewellery and Venetian masks 8 Deanhaugh Street, Edinburgh, EH4 1LY 0131 332 9889

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Boy’s play Edinburgh’s shopping scene isn’t just for the ladies Fancy a wardrobe refit, gents? Then follow in the footsteps of Hollywood talent, like John Landis and John Cleese, who have both enjoyed some top notch tweed tailoring at Walker Slater (20 Victoria Street, 0131 220 2636). Alternatively, if your fashion style is a bit more mosh-pit, check out Electric Cabaret (7 Forrest Road, 0131 225 7552) and Voodoo (34 Cockburn Street, 0131 622 7318), both stockists of labels such as Criminal Damage, Iron Fist and Evil Clothing. The more creative festival-goer can make their own, with T-shirt printers Fabrick (50 Cockburn Street, 0131 226 7020) offering cool designs and DIY sloganeering on a fresh T-shirt of your choice. Beyond the world of fashion, there’s a bunch of mixed media retailers you should check out. Vinyl Villains (5 Elm Row, 0131 558 1170) is packed with rare and collectible films, CDs and records, as is Hog’s Head Music (62 South Clerk Street, 0131 667 5274), who also have a cracking trade-ins policy. Elvis Shakespeare (347 Leith Walk, 0131 561 1363) seeks to provide the finest entertainment in books and music, while Analogue (102 West Bow, 0131 220 0601) specialises in artsy/cult reading material. Graphic novel hunters are also in luck: just along the road from obvious choice Forbidden Planet (40-41 South Bridge, 0131 558 8226) is indie comic den Deadhead Comics (27 Candlemaker Row, 0131 226 2774), which promises a purer, more-comics-less-toys experience. Games-players are advised to check out Chips (136 Nicolson Street, Get Directions (0131 667 7001) and independent retro-haven Gamesmasters Games Exchange (287 Leith Walk, 0131 555 5188), as well the top floor at Gamestation (134A Princes Street, 0131 225 8619) and the DVD and games shelves at CeX (19 Rose Street, 0845 345 1664) for some cracking second-hand deals.

New Town and Stockbridge Accessories & Galleries Alchemia Studio Gallery 37 Thistle Street, 0131 220 4795 www.alchemia.co.uk

Original artists’ designs in precious metals, combining gemstones and enamel. A bespoke service available to ensure a ‘unique and timeless piece’.

Asimi 40 George Street, 0131 220 5070 www.asimi.co.uk

A wide range of contemporary jewellery, Asimi is something a bit different on label-conscious George Street, and they also offer an outlet for the excellent (and equally Greek) Korres range of natural skincare products.

Beautifully Boudoir 30 Haymarket Terrace, 0131 337 5552 www.beautifullyboudoir.co.uk

See the corset make a comeback at this specialist art-deco-styled boutique, which promises to return the hourglass figure to form.

Chic & Unique 8 Deanhaugh Street, 0131 332 9889 www.vintagecostumejewellery.co.uk

Beautiful and diverse array of vintage costume jewellery and accessories from a bygone era.

Gallerie Mirages The Lane, 46a Raeburn Street, 0131 315 2603 www.galeriemirages.co.uk

Hidden down a side street in Edinburgh’s pretty Stockbridge area, this innovative little retail den epitomises hidden treasures, showcasing as it does jewelry and furnishings from around the world, as well as in-house designs.

Joe Cool 129 Rose Street, 0131 226 5857 www.joe-cool.co.uk

This cute shop affords an array of sparkly goodies to finish off any look, for the jewellery lovers of all tastes.

Open Eye Gallery 34 Abercromby Place, 0131 557 1020 www.openeyegallery.co.uk

In the back of this lovely gallery there is a whole room devoted to the work of up and coming jewellers as well as some sculpture and ceramics.

Oscar & Fitch Multrees Walk, 0131 556 6461 www.oscarandfitch.com

Part of the Multrees Walk posse, this hip eyewear hangout is worth a look if you have money to burn and want to deck your place out in things a cut above the rest.

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Shopping Sheila Fleet 18 St Stephen Street, 0131 225 5939 www.sheila-fleet.co.uk

opened by James Kelman in 1994. Welcoming writers, publishers, cultural and political activists from around the world, Word Power hosts regular events of readings and discussions with ‘big names’ and local writers. All events are free.

Goodstead

This Orkney jewellery designer does not have far to look for ideas, since Orkney is an island surrounded by stormy seas, filled with natural wonders which have inspired many of her designs. This is her first showroom outside Orkney, taking her back to Edinburgh where she graduated from Edinburgh College of Art.

Fashion & Vintage Armstrongs 64-66 Clerk St, 0131 667 3056 www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk

The Scottish Gallery

Smaller than its Grassmarket counterpart, this legendary vintage store is still going strong due to realistic pricing and a steady stream of loyal buyers with an eye for a find. Clothes arranged by decade means it’s easy to find what you want while tongue-incheek store styling make Armstrongs a must-visit.

16 Dundas Street, 0131 558 1200 www.scottish-gallery.co.uk

The main art gallery is on the upper floor and shows a changing programme of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists. Downstairs has a changing collection of exquisite modern jewellery.

Fashion

Goodstead

Eden

55 Bread Street, 0131 228 2846 www.goodstead.co.uk

18 North West Circus Place, 0131 225 5222 www.edenretail.co.uk

Independent fashion boutique offering a selection of designer womenswear, accessories and jewellery from Spain, Italy and beyond Stockists of: Desigual, Hoss Intropia, Selected Femme, Hybris and IndyWoman by Individual.

21st Century Kilts

The Record Shak

48 Thistle Street, 0131 220 9450 www.21stcenturykilts.com

69 Clerk Street, 0131 667 7144

Howie Nicolsby, Scottish kiltmaker extraordinaire, is on hand to bring out the true Scotsman (or woman) in you.

Simple, basic and excellent wee record shop selling a great selection of blues, rock, folk, reggae and jazz, mostly second hand.

Replay

Word Power Bookshop

23 Multrees Walk, 0131 557 0027 www.xileclothing.com

43 West Nicolson Street, 0131 662 9112 www.word-power.co.uk

Neighbouring G Star, the Replay brand has donned the behind of many a rich and famous, and this large store is likely to have a size and design to fit all.

A year round institution, The Edinburgh Book Fringe is run by Word Power Books, an independent bookshop

Goodstead 76 Rose Street, 0131 228 2846 www.goodstead.co.uk

Grown-up boyz ‘n’ girlz urban style, specialising in graphic t-shirt prints and classy, work-worthy streetwear sourced internationally from the hippest, hardestto-get designers.

This uber-cool boutique sells unisex streetwear as well ass vinyl toys, art by D*Face, Banksy, Anthony Micallef, Lucy Bennett, clothing and footwear.

Xile 42 South Bridge, 0131 558 3763 www.xileclothing.com

Born out the late eighties denim renaissance Xile clothing now plays host to everything from Adidas, Nike, Diesel and Paul & Shark, to Y-3, One True Saxon, G-Star, Replay, Blue Blood and Old Glory.

Harvey Nichols 30-34 St Andrew Square, 0131 524 8388 www.harveynichols.com

Billed as ‘the most fashionable food destination for die-hard foodies and fashionistas alike’, Harvey Nichols Foodmarket is the place to be and be seen for the stylish Edinburgh food fan. The adjoining wine shop stocks a wide variety of interesting spirits and over 300 hand-picked wines and champagnes.

Jane Davidson 52 Thistle Street, 0131 225 3280 www.janedavidson.co.uk

If you are looking to melt the plastic, Davidson’s Missoni and Diane von Furstenberg offerings, not to mention her dresses, jeans, coats and lingerie stock, are a good place to start.

Southside, Bruntsfield and Beyond Books and Music Hog’s Head Music 62 South Clerk Street, 0131 667 5274 www.hogs-head.com

A muso paradise, this grungy secondhand store is full of rare CDs and DVDs, collectable box sets and T-shirts. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, the windows are crammed with rarities, and there’s a great trade-in policy.

Sublime Hair Design for men and women

Pickering’s Books 30 Buccleuch St, 0131 662 8570

Jenners 48 Princes Street, 0131 225 2442 www.jenners.com

Quality is the watchword here, making a determined wander among the occasionally warren-like corridors and staircases well worth the effort. Fashions range from the conservative to the hip - designers such as Versace, Diesel and Paul Smith feature – but there’s also a well-stocked perfumery and make-up floor, a fabulous toy department, home wares, shoes, underwear, food department and coffee shop.

An ideal place to browse or buy, Pickering’s is a nice, dusty alternative to Amazon.

Ripping Records 91 South Bridge, 01310 226 7010 www.rippingrecords.com

They don’t have quite the same range of music on offer as some of their capital counterparts but it’s still worth popping into Ripping Records, if only to stock up on tickets for gigs in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. If gigs are your thing, familiarise yourself with Tickets Scotland (127 Rose Street, 0131 220 3234).

Kakao by K 45 Thistle Street, 0131 226 3584 www.kakao.co.uk

Kakao’s Scandinavian designs have proved a hit since they set up stall in the city centre. And with only a few pieces from each designer, you can be assured of individuality with whatever you pick.

With Sublime it’s personal It’s truly bespoke, timeless yet with a strong trend awareness. It’s a fusion of your personal style with our cutting and colouring expertise.

30% off your festival cut and/or colour Offer ends 31 August 2010. Present this advert when booking

Deadhead Comics 27 Candlemaker Row, 0131 226 2774 www.deadheadcomics.com

Hidden away just off George IV Bridge, if you’re into graphic novels, comics or sci-fi paraphernalia this place should sort you out. There are ample toys too for the still young at heart.

16 Grassmarket | Edinburgh times to suit you till 9pm Mon - Fri | till 6pm Sat

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Shopping Cult Clothing

Ooh! Ruby Shoes

Fashion

7 North Bridge, 0131 556 5003 www.cult.co.uk

117 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 229 6909 www.oohrubyshoes.co.uk

Concrete Wardrobe

The granddaddy of street wear, Cult stocks staple brands such as Paul Frank and Bench alongside an unrivalled selection of denims for boys and girls, funky accessories and savvy staff.

Aside from its rather fabulous moniker, Ooh affords plenty of reason to be cheerful. As a relative newbie on the scene, this shoe boutique has plenty to keep the foot fashion lover happy.

Food and Drink Coco of Bruntsfield 174 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 228 4526 www.cocochocolate.co.uk

Specialising in Fine Organic Chocolate, Coco only sells ‘real chocolate’ with high cocoa content and produces chocolate in its own Edinburgh kitchens.

Peckham’s 155-159 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 229 7054 www.peckhams.co.uk

Peckham’s now has ten branches, three of which are in Edinburgh, offering a range of produce, including continental meats, smoked salmon, cheeses and pates, freshly baked bread from its own bakery, patisserie and chocolates as well as sandwiches, salads and hot soups to take away.

West End Fashion Arkangel 4 William Street, 0131 226 4466 www.arkangelfashion.co.uk

Treasure trove of high-quality vintage finds and well-chosen pieces from quirky labels like Pocket Venus, Marilyn Moore and Anonymous.

Bohemia 33a Morningside Road, 0131 447 2630; 17 Roseneath St, 0131 478 9609 www.bohemiadesign.co.uk

Lifestyle boutique with Odd Molly and American Vintage on sale as well as a range from Avoca.

54 Broughton Street, 0131 557 6672 www.joey-d.co.uk

Something old makes something new here as local designer Joey D uses boiler suits, army tunics and tweed jackets and creates something utterly amazing from the sun of their parts.

Food and Drink Crombies of Edinburgh 97-101 Broughton Street, 0131 557 0111 www.crombiesofedinburgh.co.uk

From her independent shoe brand to her constantly changing array of bags, scarves, belts and jewellery – this has something for everyone.

Founded by Jonathan Crombie’s grandfather in 1956, award-winning Crombies of Edinburgh is a rare combination of tradition and innovation. Their homemade haggis is made on the premises (halal version available), and there are all the expected and well-sourced meats, game, and poultry. The real stars, however, are the award-winning sausages.

18 Stafford Street, 0131 226 1126 www.sam-thomas.co.uk

A vibrant clothes and accessories boutique in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End, labels include Nougat, Darling, Great Plains, Sandwich, Noa Noa and Inwear.

Trinket

Gifts, Homeware and Stationery

18 William Street, 0131 226 4604 www.trinketjewels.co.uk

Bliss

Food and Drink Edinburgh Farmers’ Market

,MFMWGYW *PS[IV

Joey D

16 William Street, 0131 220 4495 www.helenbateman.com

A jewellery box of one-off vintage pieces and handbags, and a good place to look for something a little bit quirky and original. There’s also a lovely selection of gold and silver jewellery by contemporary designers.

,MFMWGYW *PS

The brainchild of designers Fiona Mackintosh and James Donald, Concrete Wardrobe stocks an eclectic mix of contemporary local, national and international design.

Helen Bateman

Sam Thomas

Gifts and Accessories

50a Broughton Street, 0131 558 7130 www.concretewardrobe.co.uk

Castle Terrace

From 9am to 2pm every Saturday morning this the place to find the best local produce from fresh fruit and veg to meat and fish.

111a Broughton Street; 0131 556 3311

Great wee gift shop full of unusual presents and homeware. They also stock cult beauty brand Paul & Joe Beaute.

Eero & Riley 7 Easter Road, 0131 661 0533 www.eeroandriley.com

Sometimes it’s worth going off the main street for Edinburgh’s more imaginative shops and this is no exception. Boasting home gifts, books and crafts, Eero and Riley have a great array of things at very reasonable prices.

Flux

Broughton Street and Leith Books and Music

Fair Trade O Ethical

O Sustainable

Fashionable Clothes & Accessories 48 St Stephen Street Edinburgh EH3 5AL 0131 225 4211 www.hibiscusﬂower.co.uk

55 St Bernard Street, 0131 554 4075 www.get2flux.co.uk

Elvis Shakespeare

Cracking little shop in the heart of Leith, although it sells Scottish crafts, don’t think for a second it’s the same sort of tartan tat you’d find in the tourist zones. They also come with a splendid all-ethical produce guarantee.

347 Leith Walk, 0131 561 1363 www.elvisshakespeare.com

The Leith Gallery

As the name bringing together two of the world’s great icons suggests, this much loved Leith Walk institution treats music and literature as equals.

65 The Shore Leith, 0131 553 5255 www.the-leith-gallery.co.uk

Vinyl Villains

Narcissus

5 Elm Row, 0131 558 1170 www.vinylvillains.co.uk

87 Broughton Street, 0131 478 7447 www.narcissusflowers.co.uk

Continuing the city’s proud tradition of record shops with alliterative names, this boasts a dark, brilliant and slightly haphazard collection of second hand vinyl and CDs.

Friendly florist in the middle of bustling Broughton Street who can always be relied upon to produce something a little bit quirkier or more unusual than your average flower shop.

Since its inception 15 years ago, this is a great place to browse and buy.

Seesaw

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109 Broughton Street, 0131 556 9672 www.seesawtoys.co.uk

A rather fabulous array of wooden toys, fair-trade baby clothes and accessories hang here to satisfy the greenest of tots in your life.

Walk the walk Enjoy some retail therapy as part of a walking tour, suggests List shopping editor, Claire Sawers One of the city’s most picturepostcard streets also happens to be one of the best strips for independent shops, and an excellent starting point for a mini walking/ shopping tour. Victoria Street runs off down George IV Bridge towards the Grassmarket. Follow the twisted slope past its pastel-fronted exteriors, taking in the smells of eye-wateringly ripe cheese courtesy of IJ Mellis Cheesemonger (30a Victoria Street, 0131 226 6215), towards Totty Rocks (40 Victoria Street, 0131 226 3232), a chic boutique (think trench coats with horse print lining) run by two Edinburgh College of Art fashion graduates. The Red Door Gallery (42 Victoria Street, 0131 477 3255) further down is one of the best places in town for locally designed tote bags, birdcage brooches, digitally printed cushions and Lomo cameras. Knitters can find inspiration — and Scottish wools and lace — at K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique, while over the road is Analogue Books (102 West Bow, 0131 220 0601), selling art magazines, zines by local illustrators and big, glossy coffee table books to covet. For second-hand clothes, Barnados Vintage, (116 West Bow, 0131 225 4751) is worth a trawl, while the Edinburgh vintage institution, Armstrong’s (83 Grassmarket, 0131 220 5557) holds some gems amongst the rails of fancy dress kitschery. At the opposite end of the Grassmarket, is the beautiful Owl and Lion gallery, selling unique t-shirts, quirky birthday cards, and prints from local designers. (This is another shop run by eca graduates.) Carry on uphill towards West Port, where Godiva (9 West Port, 0131 221 9212) stocks a mix of thrift-store dresses, and customised vintage pieces. Curving past the secondhand booksellers on the lefthand-side, West Port eventually brings you to the fantastic Herman Browns (151 West Port, 0131 228 2589) full of costume jewellery beauties, 70s shades and 50s prom dresses.

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LGBT

Hot Spots From bars to clubs and cafés to cabaret, Edinburgh has the LGBT scene sorted, finds Niki Boyle

Clubs Club nights After the comedians, thespians and musicians are all tucked up in bed, Edinburgh’s still rocking to dance beats across the capital as the city’s clubs takes advantage of the August late licences to keep the dancefloors hot and sweaty until 5am.

The Bongo Club Moray House, 37 Holyrood Road, 0131 558 7604, www.thebongoclub.co.uk

Blue Moon Café

Host to theatre, comedy and live music through the day at night this boho club keeps things interesting with a selection of leftfield club nights covering everything from reggae, dub and hip hop to breakbeat and furious drum & bass.

Cabaret Voltaire 36-38 Blair Street, 0131 220 6176 www.thecabaretvoltaire.com

Perhaps Edinburgh’s premiere club venue. Expect big name DJs rubbing shoulders with homegrown talent. Now boasting three rooms, including their luxurious Speakeasy, for those who like their clubbing with a touch of class.

The Caves 8-12 Niddry Street South, 0131 557 8989, www.thecavesedinburgh.com

Genuine underground subterranean clubbing in a warren of caves and caverns situated under Edinburgh’s Cowgate. A spectacular venue where Departure Lounge and various techno nights have made themselves at home. or fun and frolics throughout August, look no farther than the famed ‘Pink Triangle’ at the top of Leith Walk, the nerve centre of Edinburgh’s vibrant gay community. GHQ (4-6 Picardy Place, 0131 550 1780) is a superclub and hotel that hosts a wide variety of special events, from karaoke sessions to tarot readings. Our picks for best night include female music-lovers’ night Furburger (every second Friday) and long-running Tuesday night cheese-fest VIBEng. Gayfriendly bar The Street (2 Picardy Place, 0131 556 4272) sits one door up and is owned by city legend Trendy Wendy, DJ at the everpopular Tackno night, and as such, has a cracking live music and DJ policy in the basement bar; just round the corner, the Triangle extends its reach to include scene stalwart the Blue Moon Café (1 Barony Street, 0131 556 2788) and its discreet, chic basement bar, Deep Blue. The food at Blue Moon is delicious and extremely reasonablypriced; more food in a gay-friendly environment can be found down the street at Café Nom de Plume (60 Broughton Street, 0131 478 1372), which is tucked into the Broughton Street LGBT Centre. Across the street from Picardy Place, the venerable CC Blooms (23—24 Greenside Place, 0131 556 9331) is still going strong, blasting out chart and cheese hits while hosting more theme nights and foam parties than you can shake a stick at. There’s also a bar on either side for pre-club drinking: Habana (22 Greenside Place, 0131 558 1270) offers drinks promos alongside

entertainments such as karaoke and cabaret nights, while farther down the street Planet Out (6 Baxter’s Place, 0131 556 5551) specialises in loud music, and is popular with the city’s lesbian community. Venturing away from the Triangle, Priscilla’s Cabaret Bar (17 Albert Place, 0131 554 8962) is just five minutes down Leith Walk, and fulfils everything the name promises. The New Town Bar (26b Dublin Street, 0131 538 7775) is a little less flamboyant, and hosts regular menonly nights, such as MSC Scotland and the cheekily-named Bears in the Basement. The Regent (2 Montrose Terrace, 0131 661 8198) offers a calm environment that more mature LGBT-types may enjoy as a venue for civilised chatting as opposed to boozing and dancing, and Frenchies (89 Rose Street Lane, 0131 225 7651), Edinburgh’s oldest gay bar, is tucked away so sneakily that you might have a hard time finding it if you’re not accompanied by a regular. The city’s clubbing main street The Cowgate and its outlying lanes and alleyways are home to venues with a number of gayfocused nights including Taste at GRV (37 Guthrie Street, 0131 220 2987) and the twin temptations of Luvely and Fever at Sin (207 Cowgate, 0131 225 5583).

The Citrus Club 40-42 Grindlay Street, 0131 622 7086, www.citrusclub.co.uk

Edinburgh’s leading indie/student club with Tease Age, Planet Earth and more offering the best in indie, 80s, electro and ska. Intimate and perfect for that a good jump around on the dancefloor.

City: Edinburgh 1a Market Street, 0131 226 9560, www.citypeople.info

Huge mainstream clubbing Mecca with a selection of charty and party nights that are always rammed. Plus the odd superstar DJ that draws too big a crowd to fit into any of Edinburgh’s smaller venues.

Electric Circus 36–39 Market Street, 0131 226 4224, www.theelectriccircus.biz

It’s only been open for about a year but Electric Circus really offers something different. Alongside the main dancefloor there is a selection of private karaoke rooms for a more intimate get together. Mixed soundtrack from indie to electro mixed with live bands, burlesque and cabaret.

Espionage 4 India Buildings, Victoria Street, 0131 477 7007, www.espionage007.co.uk

Five floors of free clubbing every night of the week, it’s usually charty and a bit cheesy but always fun and you just can’t argue with those prices.

GRV 37 Guthrie Street, 0131 220 2987, www.thegrv.com

The GRV has firmly made its name in Edinburgh offering a true alternative with a strong line-up of underground clubbing. Home to the likes of Modern Lovers (60s beat) and Substance (techno).

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Clubbing Henry’s Cellar Bar 8-16a Morrison Street, 0131 228 9393

One of the most underground venues in town (both in style and location). Home to a host of diverse DIY clubs plus late and live indie and punk with multi-band bills playing through the night.

Lounge continues to attract quality local DJs from one or two of Edinburgh’s bigger club nights with a mix of house, funk and mash-up tunes, and is a regular hangout for visiting celebs.

Opium 71 Cowgate, 0131 225 8382

The Hive 15–17 Niddry Street, 0131 556 0444 www.myspace.com/clubhive

A warren of arches, the Hive is home to a large selection of alternative club nights (be they electro, rock or indie) that relies more on atmosphere, regular crowds, cheap entry (many nights are free) and quality residents than superstar DJs.

The Jazz Bar 1a Chambers Street, 0131 220 4298 www.thejazzbar.co.uk

As the name suggest this late-night hangout specialises in jazz, soul, funk and Latin beats. With live jazz through the day when night falls, as you’d expect, most of their night feature live funk, DJs and cool grooves in the intimate cellar space.

The Lane 3 Queensferry Street Lane, 0131 467 7215 www.bebo.com/The_Lane_Edinburgh

The renamed, refurbished and rejigged Berlin adds a dose of credible club culture to the West End of Edinburgh with three intimate rooms of housey action with a touch of R&B and urban through the week.

The Liquid Room 9c Victoria Street, 0131 225 2564, www.liquidroom.com

Finally reopen (and with a whole new look) after being closed for over a year after the restaurant situated directly above them burnt down in December of 2008. The Liquid Room hosts some of the biggest DJ names to grace the decks in Edinburgh specialising in big house sounds and live music.

Lulu 125b George Street, 0131 225 5005 www.luluedinburgh.co.uk

Situated below the rather swanky Tigerlily lies Opal Lounge’s chic little sister Lulu, replete with dimmed lights and Saturday Night Fever dancefloor. The music is fairly chart orientated but the dancefloor is always busy at this well-to-do club.

Opal Lounge 51 George Street, 0131 226 2275 www.opallounge.co.uk

Purposefully upmarket The Opal

Keeping it hard and heavy for all the rock faithful. Opium is the best place in town for unpretentious metal, punk, rock and other industrial strength sounds all night long.

Po Na Na 43b Frederick Street, 0131 226 2224 www.edinburghponana.com

Moroccan themed New Town basement that offers a clubbing haven in the heart of the city for a quick boogie on the often rammed dancefloor and a chance for some late night boozing. Relies mainly on local talent but don’t be surprised by the odd headline guest.

Sneaky Pete’s 73 Cowgate, 0131 225 1757, www.sneakypetes.co.uk

Sneaky Pete’s has turned its truly intimate club space into one of the best places for leftfield clubbing and quirky nights. Seriously talented up-and-coming DJ talent, big name DJs regularly compliment the brilliant residents’ team.

Studio 24 24-26 Calton Road, 0131 558 3758, www.myspace.com/studio24edinburgh

Another bastion of rock and punk club action in Edinburgh but this down and dirty club space also turns its hand to quality techno, trance and even the odd Balkan night, packed out by loyal punters and passionate staff.

Voodoo Rooms 19a West Register Street, 0131 556 7060, www.thevoodoorooms.com

Not just a great bar but boasting cool vibes, sophisticated cocktails, live bands, burlesque and good grub. Painted in a matt black with gold trimmings this is clubbing for those who like a bit of elegance alongside their dancefloor grooves.

The Wee Red Bar Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, 0131 229 1442, www.weeredbar.co.uk

The Wee Red’s association with Edinburgh College of Art attracts a selection of unique and unusual club nights. Northern soul and indie collide at The Egg every Saturday with the best in reggae, dub, disco and more across their other nights.

1000s of Vinyl Records, CDs & DJ Accessories Comprehensive Selection of Sound Equipment & Technology

s -USIC 3PECIALIST !UDIO %MPORIUM s

9 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BP 0131-226-2242 info@undergroundsolushn.com www.undergroundsolushn.com

156 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Club Classics Henry Northmore brings you the club night highlights you cannot afford to miss this summer For something truly different and utterly unique this August, check out the highly anticipated pairing of List favourites Club Noir and Scottish Opera, who team up for ‘A Night at the Opera’ (HMV Picture House, Sat 14 Aug) a one-off collaboration of burlesque and opera. Another night that shouldn’t be missed (especially as it’s your last chance) is the final ever Headspin (Bongo Club, Sat 7 Aug); they go out with a bang joined by DJ Yoda for a cut and paste run through hip hop, breaks, beats, TV themes and far more besides. There’s more quality DJ action at Musika (Liquid Room, Sat 14 Aug) as they welcome über-cool German label Get Physical, who are over for their Festival party with MANDY, Tim Green and Heidi joining the residents. Soma Records (Cabaret Voltaire, Fri 20 Aug) also return to Edinburgh for their annual party at The Edge Festival, as label bosses Slam take to the decks for a night of deep house and techno with special guest Funk D’Void. There’s some serious discohouse action at Ultragroove, who weigh in with two parties this August as resident Gareth Sommerville is joined by Fudge Fingas (Cabaret Voltaire, Sat 7 Aug) and Buzzin’ Fly’s Chris Woodward (Cabaret Voltaire, Sat 21 Aug). Keeping it housey, Yousef joins Karnival (Cabaret Voltaire, Sat 28

Aug) while The Lane keeps things vocal and progressive with nights like Diva (Fri 27 Aug) and Flaunt (Sat 7 Aug). For something a bit more underground Bill Brewster, author of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life and How To DJ (Properly), guests at bijou eclectic night Wasabi Disco (Sneaky Pete’s, Sat 21 Aug); dubstep/electro/techno label Lucky Me also host their own night with Hudson Mohawk confirmed so far (Cabaret Voltaire, Fri 13 Aug). Elsewhere, check out Edinburgh’s longest running 60sretro night The Go-Go (Studio 24, Sat 7 Aug) and electro punk-funk night We Are . . . Electric who celebrate their fifth birthday across two nights (Cabaret Voltaire, Wed 18 & 25 Aug). Other highlights find Shy FX and Breakage join hard drum & bass night Xplicit (Bongo Club, Fri 20 Aug), then of course there’s the celebration of kitsch that is Tackno (Electric Circus, 29 Aug). In a venue not too far away, don’t miss the all out weirdness and decadent glamour of Confusion is Sex (Bongo Club, Fri 6 & 20 Aug), not forgetting the saucy delights of The Missy Malone & Friends Burlesque Revue (Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Aug). Finally, it just wouldn’t be the Festival without a Vegas! End of Festival Party (Voodoo Rooms, Sat 28 Aug), as they pull out all the stops for a night of big band sounds, easy listening and showgirls to finish off the Festival in style (they also host a warm up party at Ghillie Dhu, Sat 31 Jul).

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Festival venues A selection of key venues across the Art, Book, Fringe, International, Politics and Jazz festivals.

EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL Over 130 exhibitions by emergent artists and Turner Prizewinners alike are featured in the seventh year of the Edinburgh Art Festival, in a multitude of venues dotted around – and in some cases on – the city. Most exhibitions are free: see edinburghartfestival.org for full listings and further details ■ Collective Gallery 22-28 Cockburn Street, Old Town, 0131 220 1260, collectivegallery.net ■ Corn Exchange Gallery Constitution Street, 0131 561 7300, cornexchangegallery.com ■ The Dean Gallery & Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Art Galleries) 75 Belford Road, beyond New Town & Stockbridge, 0131 624 6200, nationalgalleries.org ■ Doggerfisher 11 Gayfield Square, Leith & Broughton, 0131 558 7110, doggerfisher.com ■ The Fruitmarket Gallery 45 Market Street, Old Town 0131 225 2383, fruitmarket.co.uk ■ The Grey Gallery 10 Old Broughton, off Barony Street, Leith & Broughton, 07910 359087, thegreygallery.com ■ Ingleby Gallery 15 Calton Road, City Centre, 0131 556 4441, inglebygallery.com ■ National Galleries Complex The Mound, City Centre, 0131 624 6200, nationalgalleries.org ■ Talbot Rice Gallery University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Old Town, 0131 650 2210, trg.ed.ac.uk

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL Authors from over 45 countries will descend on Charlotte Square Gardens for 17 days of literary cross-pollination. Scotland's most exciting emergent writers will mingle with familiar names like Philip Pullman, Jackie Kay, Alasdair Gray and DBC Pierre. ■ Charlotte Square Gardens, New Town, 0845 373 5888, edbookfest.co.uk

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE Is there anywhere in the city that isn't hosting a Fringe show? Check out the bustle around the Royal Mile for fliers and daily taster performances, or stick with The List for recommendations. For a full list of the venues pick up a programme from the Fringe Office at 180 High Street (Royal Mile). Tickets are available at 0131 226 0000 or online at edfringe.com ■ Assembly Rooms 54 George Street, New Town, 0131 623 3030, assemblyfestival.com. They also run Assembly Hall on the top of the Mound – allow 15 minutes

when moving between these – and also the new Assembly @ Princes Street Gardens venue. ■C Chambers Street, Old Town, 0845 260 1234, cvenues.com Aside from the main venue, offshoots include C Soco (Chambers Street and Cowgate), C Soco Urban Garden (Cowgate and Chambers Street), C Too (St Columba’s by the Castle), C Cubed (Brodie’s Close, Lawnmarket) and C Central (Carlton Hotel, North Bridge). ■ Dance Base Grassmarket, Old Town 0131 225 5525, dancebase.co.uk ■ Ghillie Dhu 2 Rutland Place, West End, 0131 556 6550, ghillie-dhu.co.uk ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot 13 Bristo Square, Southside, 0131 662 6552. gildedballoon.co.uk ■ Picture House 31 Lothian Road, West End, 0844 847 1740, edinburghpicturehouse.com ■ Pleasance Courtyard 60 Pleasance, 0131 556 6550, pleasance.co.uk ■ Pleasance Dome Bristo Square, 0131 556 6550, pleasance.co.uk. Note – this is about ten minutes’ walk from the main Pleasance venue. ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre 43-45 High Street, Royal Mile, Old Town, 0131 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk ■ Scottish Poetry Library 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, Old Town, 0131 557 2876, spl.org.uk

■ The Stand 5 York Place, New Town/ Broughton, 0131 558 7272, thestand.co.uk ■ Traverse Theatre Cambridge Street, off Lothian Road, West End, 0131 228 1404, traverse.co.uk ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture Bristo Square, Southside, 0844 545 8252, underbelly.co.uk ■ Underbelly Cowgate (entrance also on Victoria Street), Old Town, 0844 545 8252, underbelly.co.uk

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL As well as these six major theatres and concert halls, many smaller performance venues will come alive with exciting classical music, theatre, dance and opera from around the globe. Tickets are available for all venues from 0131 473 2000 or online from eif.co.uk ■ Edinburgh Festival Theatre 13-29 Nicolson Street, Southside, 0131 529 6000, eft.co.uk ■ Edinburgh Playhouse 18-22 Greenside Place, Leith & Broughton, 0131 524 3333, edinburghplayhouse.org.uk ■ The Hub Castlehill, Royal Mile, Old Town, 0131 473 2015, thehub-edinburgh.com ■ King’s Theatre 2 Leven Street, Tollcross, Southside 0131 529 6000, eft.co.uk ■ Royal Lyceum Theatre Grindlay Street, West End, 0131 248 4848 lyceum.org.uk

■ Usher Hall Lothian Road, 0131 228 1155, usherhall.co.uk

EDINBURGH JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL An extensive programme covers eveything to suit serious enthusiasts and jazz dabblers alike, with some al fresco performances for 2010 and a number of high-profile international collaborations. Tickets are available for all venues from 0131 473 2000 or online from edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk ■ Filmhouse 88 Lothian Road, West End, 0131 228 2688, filmhousecinema.com ■ The Queen’s Hall 85-89 Clerk Street, 0131 668 2019, thequeenshall.net ■ The Voodoo Rooms 19a West Register Street, City Centre, 0131 556 7060, thevoodoorooms.com

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL OF POLITICS Singer Annie Lennox, politician John Prescott and campaigning comedian Mark Thomas will be among the high profile names at this year’s festival. ■ All events at Scottish Parliament Holyrood, Old Town, 0131 473 2000, festivalofpolitics.org.uk

EDINBURGH MELA Long-running multicultural festival of music, dance, and ‘Home-becoming’. ■ Leith Links 0131 332 2888, edinburghmela.co.uk

list.co.uk/festival | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | THE LIST 157

City Guide Guide Venue Directory City

150-160 City GuideAM

St yne Che

Dean

Bedford St

ws Park Me

S tr ee t

nn A

Le nn ox

rd’s rna Be int Sa

et re St

St Dean Park

t cen res nC do

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NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND

(EAST)

PRINCES ST GARDENS

et Stre ces Prin

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ke Mar

et Stre ket Mar

eet

a yL str

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North Leith Sands

ira de Ma

ling Bow

rr Te ld fie pe St Ho nt ge e R ce in Pr

ROSEBANK

ST JAMES CENTRE

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OLD TOWN

Citad

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es Cr

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Ya rd he ad s

on ti nc Ju

Sa nd po rt

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en yd Dr

Com me rcia l Str eet

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ST ANDREWS HOUSE

Calton Road

OMNI CENTRE

rr Te Sheriff Pk en yd Mill La Dr

Th e G Bo re w en lin g

PLAYHOUSE

Jeffrey St

rdy Pl ica P

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PILRIG PARK

on gt in nn Bo

un to Street n ee Grep o H

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WAVERLEY RAILWAY STATION

ter egis WR

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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

St ony Bar

t La tree lin S Dub

St don Lon

field Pl ns

re St

St tle Cas

et Stre rge Geo

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et Stre rge Geo

t tree tle S This

REET N ST QUEEARDENS G

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Be lleu Gr ve

St en Gre

An na nd ale

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t tree tle S This

W La N

Drumm

Meuse Dublin

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La ter es uc o l G t tle S This

t tree en S Que

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St re et

Place by om erc Ab

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NEW N W TOW WN W N

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et Stre ing at K Gre d rlan mbe e thu Nor NE Lan St

GE V GEOR KING PARK

t nd S berla Cum

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Ro dn ey

Clarem on tG r

re qua

Qu ee ns fe rr y

St India

ce Pla yn Alb

REET N ST QUEEARDENS G

t nt S ince St V

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al Circus oy

reet g St t Kin Grea

t nd S berla Cum

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et Stre das Dun

Darn away Pl

son der HenPlace

La n Pl erso Hend

Crescent on nd ne ra La B

C anonmills

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Cir cus Pl

Pl ster uce Glo

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C ar lt on

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ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN

n ldo Ei

Road

War riston

all erh wd Po

m ont B ank

Gd n el Pl

Water of Leith

Gd ns Be lle uv e

rt po nd t Sa S

Dock Pl

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Can

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Lin ds ay St St re et

CALTON HILL

To we rS tre et Tim be rB us h

Be rna rd St re et

B uke ru Str ns e w t ic k

M i oodd th l Wef yni d el d

KIRKGATE SHOPPING CENTRE

Pl La

Sand Port

Tower Place

ns Gd ge rid b Oc m e e Ca an Dr Av ge id br m Ca

Pl ur lfo a B

To w Pl er

n sto rri Wa

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M ar iti m e

Allanfield

ate ng no Ca

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Sa Iona S lam tr ee ant d

Li nk s

Albert Street

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

tR en eg R

s ew rM er T l ya Ro

Place

Elgin Stre et

ce ra er tT n d ge oa Re

Royal Terrace

London Ro ad

Hillside Cres

Dalm eny St

Ja me Pl son

gf ie ld St

LEITH LINKS

Cha rlott eS tre et

Montgome ry S t

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n gto in

Mit ch ell

As se m bly

Baltic Street

Docks

Ar th ur

Sm i Pl th’s

Lo rne St

Lo r Pl ne

P th lei er Inv

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of Le ith

ce en ar Cl et tre rt S Ha

Wat er

ills rm ve Sil lin Dub

Cl ar en

m Arboretu

Raebu rn Pla ce

Raeburn

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Te rr ac e

W E s ill m er ilv S

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D ea n

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Ba ng or

Wa rrist on rr e Te Eyr

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Moray

Ba nk

Dean Ha xe Sa m il t o nP la ce

Portgower

H ill Te rr

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Claremo

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nt Cla r e m on tS tre et

Be lle vu e

Be llev ue Pl

He nd er so n

Renn Isleie’s

Sh ore Pl

Pi lri g Sw an fie ld

H Ho u pe n ti to ng do n

Ca ble sW yn d

P A l nn an d a le St La

H er io t r me Sumank B

G a St yfi re eld et

Ki rk

Antho ny

int

Water of Leith

Th eS ho re

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Po rt la nd on gt in La nn d BoRoa

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son der An

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Leith Str eet

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G r e en si de

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ld a fie L ay e G lac P

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Gr e en sid eR ow

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W ind so rS t

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d ar ow H n no an C

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Ac ad em y

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Le Mar ith itime St

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Brunswick Street La

ad Ro Co ns tit ut io

n ee Gr et re St

W el l

Pl nk rba ave e B nS Mu tre ran et oP l

Wa lk

l P n tio nc Ju

Dun can Pl

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Hillside St

d oa R ld a on cD o rg M La

Bu ch a St na n

m d al on cD M at re G

et re St St es Gil St

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Pl Dicks on S t

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150-160 City GuideAM Page 158

reet r St ove Han

et Stre ick der Fre

re qua

a te L rlot Cha

r ke

nd tla ai M t es W

l ira dm rr A Te

r ie el tp on M

rk Pa

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ld sf nt Br

rk Pa

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le Street Lauderda

oad rn R thea Stra

d ont Roa Marchm

oan use L teho Whi

Rd garet’s St Mar

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res rs C lme Cha

d Roa fort Bea

n so er lm Pa

SOUTHSIDE SO THSID SID

Roseneath St

Meadow La

Hatton Place

Sciennes Ro ad

l ston P Living

Chamberlain Road

Roseneath Terr

THE MEADOWS

e S q u ar

lace ch P cleu Buc

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

GEORGE SQUARE

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

BRISTO SQUARE

FESTIVAL THEATRE

OLD COLLEGE

ad Ro er ud La e Plac Dick

ce la ll P Hi

q ll S Hi

St nd mo um Dr

n so ol ic N W

ne Terr Gladsto

ne Lane Thirlesta

ce Pla iot Tev

B ris to

MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND

t sS ber am Ch ROYAL

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St Patrick's Square

E Crosscauseway

Gra nge Ct

oad ge R Gran

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Sienna Gdns

W Preston

Pk pe Ho Terr

Viewcraig St

l ry P sbu Sali

tn ng Nw

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by dle Mid St

d oa yR ur b lis Sa

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t eS gu nta Mo

t rS illo nke Ra

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St Margaret’s Place

Thirlestane Road

Spottiswoode Road

ode Street Spottiswo

Terr Greenhill

Bruntsfield Cres

reet Arden St

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rr Te re nty Bla

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Br un ts fie ld

Terr

r Park Road nde rre Wa

rk er Pa rend War

Me ad ow

Melv ille D rive

Lauriston Place

Pl neath Rose

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BRUNTSFIELD LINKS

Glengyle Terr

rt Po st We

Ca nd lem ak er

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West Bow

St oria ct

ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL

le) al Mi

OLD TOWN

t (Roy Stree High

Cock burn St

OLD TOWN

Terr crieff Mon

n gt tin ar H

s dn G

on gt in m a Le

tn ng ti ar H

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Bread Street

St ree t

t ke ar sm s a Gr

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Hill Castle

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Stre ces Prin PRINCES ST

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Morrison Street

is Morr

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WES ES EST ST T END EN EN ND

et re St

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e ac Pl

D al ke it h

t ke ac Bl

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(Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags)

n’s ee Qu

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t ee Str rk Cle h ut So

d oa nR to ing w Ne

en yd Dr Pl

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d n Roa Lothia

w rro tte Po ch cleu Buc

rd xfo S O St

Bruntsfield Gdns

d an Roa Lothi

h it ke al D ad

Forbes Rd

C a m br id ge

e ac Pl

le st Ca Sp i t a lS tr ee t

or an M n so w La

et re St l e ap Ch

Leven Street

und Mo on

Terr

e ridg IV B rge o e G

t Stree

t ree St

Ba rc lay

St gh ur xb o R

rk Cle

Pa rk

St iles' St G

Forrest

St Blair s

n lso co Ni

Sylvan Pl

th Sou

ge Brid Pl

d oa R

Leven Terr

e sanc Plea

Rillbank Terr

tree ry S Nidd

et Stre rd’s na o Le

Argyle Place

rive ’s D Queen

Sciennes

Viewcraig Gd ns

Tantallon Place

gh ur xb Ro

k al

t rS ke

t sS riar ckf Bla t

12:58

Catherines Pl

St ry’s Ma St

co Ni

e Dumbiedyk es Rd

hn Jo St

13/7/10

Ho lyr oo d P ar kR oa d

150-160 City GuideAM Page 159

M G

et tre oS nt i M t yS ra hG ut So

rr Te iff tkl Ra

tle Kitrds Y

h nd Fi

Pl ton Se

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hill Pl Green

ns Greenhill Gd

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Index City Guide

160 Index

13/7/10

13:10

Page 160

Shows included in the guide 48 70

109

25 54

102 60

A Betrayal of Penguins 87 A Life in Politics: John Prescott...............115 A Wee Home from Home ...................86 Abandoman ......................87 Abi Titmuss .......................58 Água .....................................94 Alan Cumming.................86 Alan Warner.......................32 Alcoholocaust ..................78 Alexander & Susan Maris...................25 Alison Goldie ....................60 All is Unravelling .............86 Alonzo King Lines Ballet ..................102 Anatomy of Fantasy .....45 Andrea Levy ......................37 Andrew O’Hagan.............37 An Evening with Eleanor .................64 Animal Alphaboat .........85 Anna Politkovskaya........37 Annie Lennox ...................115 Anomic Multimedia ..... 86 Another World .................25 Arabian Nights .................78 Arj Barker ............................81 Avi Buffalo .........................84 Baba Brinkman ................79 BalletLORENT...................87 Ballet Work No. 1020 ....24 Bank of Scotland Fireworks ......................103 Barbara Rae ......................25 Barry and Stuart ............86 Bays, the ...........................109 Bear in Heaven ................78 Beautiful Burnout ..........83 Becky Brunning ..............58 Beirut ....................................83 Bell Shakespeare ............70 Belt Up Theatre...............80 Bert Jansch .......................79 Besnard Lakes .................85 Bliss ......................................103 Blood, Sweat and Tears ........................87 Bo Burnham .....................83 Bob Doolally .....................58 Bobby and the Grave Robbers! ............79 Brazil! Brazil! ......................79 Bryony Kimmings ..........60 Bud Take the Wheel ......78 Bunny ...................................82 Caledonia ..........................103 Call Me Old Fascist .........68 Camille O’Sullivan ..........83 Cape Dance Company ..81 Caroline Rhea ..................83 Castle Rocks Breakdance Championship .............80 Catherine Wheels ..........86 Cathy Cassidy ..................34 Chameleon ........................79 Charlie and Lola’s Best Bestest Play .......87 Chase the Dream ...........82 China Moses ....................106 Chinese Music ..................85 Chris Barber at 80 ........25 Clandemonium ..............109 Collins & Herring ............84 Colours ................................60 Crack, the ............................78 Crazy Enough ..................52 Crooked Man ...................40 Cum All Ye Faithful! .......68 Curtis Stigers ..................109 Dag Sørås ..........................68 Dance on the Moon ......79 David Benson ...................82 David Leddy’s Sub Rosa ........................80 David Mitchell ...................37 David Sherry .....................25 David Zobel .......................96 Delete the Banjax ...........79 Derevo .................................45 Diciembre .........................100 Dizzee Rascal ....................72

160 THE LIST | Edinburgh Festival Guide 2010 | list.co.uk/festival

Django 100 .......................109 Do Theatre ........................45 Doc Brown ..........................76 Don McCullin .....................37 Don’t Run with Scissors .................87 Doon Mackichan .............24 Ducks and Other Mistakes I’ve Made ....79 Dust and Light ................102 Edinburgh Mela ...............117 Edinburgh Interactive ...117 Edinburgh TV Festival ..117 Edward Weston ...............25 Elevator Repair Service ............................90 El Niño ................................103 Elsewhere ...........................37 Enda Walsh ........................78 Equal and Child-Centred ...............115 Explorations ....................103 Family Combinations ...25 Festival of Spirituality ...117 Festival of Swing ...........109 Flawless ...............................82 Frantic Assembly ............83 Fringe by the Sea ...........78 Garth Nix .............................37 Gemma Holt .....................25 Gemma Goggin ..............60 Get Laid or Die Trying .60 Gilbert and George .........18 Girls ........................................87 Gospel at Colonus ........102 Grupo Corpo ...................103 Guilty Pleasures ..............82 Guy Masterson ................80 Haftor Medbøe Group .............................109 Hairy Maclary ...................79 Hallogallo ............................87 Harlekin ...............................45 Health + Safety Effect ..25 Hear Me! .............................115 Hepatitis C .........................115 Hidden Orchestra .........109 Hilary Mantel .....................37 Hypnotic Brass ..............109 I Bought a Blue Car ...... 86 Idomeneo............................96 Imperial Fizz ......................83 Impressionist Gardens .25 In My Head, I’m a Hero.......................84 Inside.....................................46 Iran do Esíprito Santo ...25 Is Peace Worth Fighting For?.................115 ‘It’s Nae Fair’.......................115 Jacqueline Wilson .........37 Jacobite Country ............81 Jason Manford ................84 Jean Abreu .......................46 Jeanette Winterson ......37 Jim Jefferies .....................78 Jo Wharmby ....................60 Joan Mitchell ....................25 Joanne Brown ..................10 John Green .......................34 John Hollenbeck ..........108 John Cooper Clarke ......74 John Hegley .....................85 Jon Fratelli .........................54 Jonathan Biss ................103 Jonathan Mills ..................10 Jonny Sweet ....................48 Joyce DiDonato ..............96 Julie Roberts ....................25 Jupiter Artland ................25 Just Macbeth! ..................70 Kath Mainland ...................10 Kevin Eldon ........................79 Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth .......22 Kipper Tie Theatre ........80 Konrad Wiszniewski ....109 Kronos Quartet ............103 Lady in Bed .......................60 La Lutte ..............................84 Lasse Nilsen ......................68 Last Miner ..........................87 Late ‘n’ Live .......................84

Laura Macdonald .........109 Lemi Ponifasio ...............103 Les Doigts de l’Homme .......................109 Let’s All Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something For Once) .......................48 Let’s Talk About Sex .....60 Lewis Schaffer ................80 Life Work .............................25 Little Black Bastard .......86 Lockerbie ............................82 Lockipedia .........................85 Lonesome Foxtrot .........45 Long Live the King ........80 Long Nose Puppets ......78 Loretta Maine ...................87 Lovelace .............................85 Lunchtime Club ..............82 Magnus Betnér ...............68 Mairi Gillies .........................25 Malcolm Martineau .....103 Man Who Fed Butterflies.............103 Mark Lanegan .................80 Martin Bell ..........................114 Martin Creed .....................24 Mediating Conflict ..........115 Meg Rosoff ........................34 Melba Joyce ....................109 Merrill Grant: A Twentieth Century Fox ..................82 Michael Rother ................87 Miguel Vargas Flamenco Dance Theatre ............83 Mime Who Wouldn’t Shut Up! ..........................68 Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business ..... 80 Molly Naylor .....................66 Montezuma .....................103 More Light Please .........45 My Hamlet .........................80 My Name is Margaret ..83 My Romantic History ...78 98% Seance ....................86 Nat Luurtsema ...............84 National Theatre of Scotland ....................83 Natura sensus ..................25 Naturally Inspired ........ 108 NeWt with Silke Eberhard ...........109 Nick Barley ..........................10 Nicolai Lilin .........................37 Nina Conti ..........................80 120 Birds ..............................78 Olympic Gene ..................58 Ontroerend Goed ..........44 Opéra de Lyon .................98 Outside the Comfort ....68 Owen Sheers ....................37 Pajama Men ......................78 Patti Plinko & the Boy ..84 Paul Foot .............................85 Pedal Pusher ....................57 Penelope .............................78 Penguin ...............................78 Peter Green .....................109 Phil Nichol ..........................83 Phoenix ................................78 Pic ‘n’ Mixtape ..................87 Pina Bausch ......................94 Plan B ...................................25 Poland 3 Iran 2 ................58 Politics of Comedy .........115 Politics of Devolution ...115 Porgy and Bess ...............98 Potted Panto ....................83 Power of the People .....114 Primadoona ......................87 Prints of Darkness .........25 Pursuit of Fidelity ...........25 Rap Guide to Human ....79 Rasa .....................................102 Real MacGuffins ..............78 Reel-to-Real! The Movies Musical ............................80 Reginald D Hunter .........78 Retina Dance ...................84 Rhod Gilbert .......................81

Rhythms of Soul .............83 Rich Fulcher ......................64 Richard Wright .................25 Roam ....................................84 Roddy Doyle ......................37 Roger Spence ...................10 Royal Concertgebouw 103 Samuel Hållkvist Center ............................109 Scamp Theatre ...............85 Science of Eating.............115 Scotland’s Political Football .........................115 Scottish Dance Theatre ............................78 Seamus Heaney...............37 Sean Hughes.....................79 Sean Lock...........................85 Set it Off! ............................80 Sex Idiot ..............................60 Showstopper! ...................87 Sidewalk Studio Theatre ............................78 Silent Disco ........................83 Simón Bolívar .................103 Sleepy Sun .........................83 Slutcracker ........................48 Smallpetitklein .................87 Soap! The Show ..............45 Solutions to the Crisis in News Media .............115 Songbird, the ...................84 Staged ..................................22 Stairwell Project ..............25 Stewart Lee ......................84 Stick Man! ..........................85 Still .........................................87 Stockholm Syndrome .68 Storm Large ......................52 Stripped ..............................60 Stuart Brown ..................108 Sum of it All ......................86 Sun Also Rises .................90 Susan Graham ...............103 Swing! ...................................58 Swinging for Basie .......109 Tall Stories ...........................81 Tall Storrie & Wee Godley....................83 Tap Olé .................................85 Tattoo ...................................116 Teatr Praga .......................45 Teatro en el Blanco .....100 Teenage Riot ....................44 TheatreDelicatessen .....57 Theatre of Widdershins ...................78 Tim Key ...............................48 Tinchy Stryder .................72 Tobias Persson ................68 Tohby Riddle .....................34 Tom Dale Company ......84 Tommy Tiernan ..............40 Tony Tanner’s Charlatan ........................78 Tortoise in a Nutshell ....87 Trophy Nigga ....................78 Twinkle Twonkle ...............81 Ukulele Project ................84 Unbound .............................37 Up ‘N’ Under .....................58 Vegetable Stew ...............84 Vidal Sassoon ...................37 Vieux Carré .......................90 Wee Willie Gray ...............83 Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think of You ........66 Where Do Young People Get Their News? .........115 While You Lie ....................83 White ....................................86 William Wegman .............25 Wild Card Kitty ................60 Will Self ................................28 Wolf .......................................84 Women at the Top .........115 Wooster Group ................90 World Press Photo .........112 Your Little Princess .......60 Zadie Smith .......................76 Zero-Carbon Scotland ..........................115

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