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INSIDE DF CONCERTS & FOUNDING PARTNER TENNENT’S LAGER PRESENT

Guide to 2016

2 JUN–1 SEP 2016 | ISSUE 739

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THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING HIT MUSICAL COMING TO THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE!

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WINNER

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TUE 13 - SAT 17 SEP 0844 871 3014 atgtickets.com/edinburgh *

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2 JUN – 1 SEP 2016 | LIST.CO.UK

W

e’re setting up for summer here at List HQ, as the festival season comes in swinging. In June, the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off we’re particularly excited about the 70mm strand and the new screenings at Summerhall, plus Kevin Smith is here. Turn to page 15 for all of our coverage.

Also in June, LeithLate pops up with an excellent four-day line-up (page 34), and Glasgow Comic Festival welcomes some super impressive guests (page 37). And we bid a fond farewell to spoken-word favourites Rally & Broad, in their current guise at least (page 40).

July means Bey-time, as Beyoncé heads to Hampden, and T in the Park’s back at Strathallan for its second year (page 23).

And nope, we haven’t forgotten about the Edinburgh festivals – look out for our annual Festival Guide (out Wed 6 Jul), weekly Edinburgh festival issues and follow all the action at list.co.uk/festival

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T in the Park

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INSIDE DF CONCERTS & FOUNDING PARTNER TENNENT’S LAGER PRESENT

Guide to 2016

2 JUN–1 SEP 2016 | ISSUE 739

FREE

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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL We mark the 70th EIFF with a heap of exciting coverage headed up by a Gillies MacKinnon interview. The acclaimed director behind Small Faces and Hideous Kinky has undertaken the task of remaking one of the nation’s most beloved movies. And the festival loved his Whisky Galore! so much they awarded it the coveted closing movie slot. Plus, we look at the live orchestra screening of ET, pay tribute to 70mm film and pick out all the highlights.

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Highlights

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BOOKS

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Grrrl Con

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Settle

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Highlights

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COMEDY The Boy With Tape on His Face

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Get your hankies at the ready as Rachel McCrum and Jenny Lindsay close the doors on their acclaimed spoken-word night. We talk to them about some personal highlights.

GREAT OFFERS

Win tickets to Edinburgh International Film Festival opening gala and VIP party Win 12 free drop-in classes at Dance Base

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Win a cocktail experience at Moskito’s new Tanqueray Hidden Gin Garden

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Win tickets to Wicked Women at the Edinburgh Dungeon Free £10 voucher for Tipple Box cocktails

Win an overnight stay for two at Edinburgh’s 24 Royal Terrace

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Win tickets to Gathered Together

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Highlights

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KIDS

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Horrible Histories

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Highlights

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MUSIC

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Belle & Sebastian

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Glasgow Jazz Festival

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Records

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Highlights

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The Lonesome West

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Guys and Dolls

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Highlights

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VISUAL ART

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The Dead Teach the Living

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Celts

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Highlights

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Outcast

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Robot Wars

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FIRST & LAST

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Julieta

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RALLY & BROAD

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Highlights

RCS Modern Ballet Graduation

Strathallan Castle plays host to its second T party and the line-up certainly does the trick.

We focus on T Break, the Slam tent, Frightened Rabbit and, you’d better believe it, Craig David.

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Sara Pascoe

Classical Highlights

T IN THE PARK

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MagicFest

The BFG

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Edinburgh Beer Factory

The Nice Guys

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Edinburgh International Film Festival

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GRAPHIC CONTENT

CONTRIBUTORS Publisher & General Editor Robin Hodge Director Simon Dessain

What we’ve been talking about It’s been said before and we might as well say it again: 2016 has been the proverbial annus horribilis for celebrities shuffling off this mortal coil. From Bowie to Prince and Burt Kwouk to Victoria Wood, we have lost far too many and we’re not even halfway through the year. So, it’s time to reflect back on those famous folk who have departed during this century as we asked a select panel of mourners which celebrity death most cut them to the core . . .

ROBIN WILLIAMS PRINCE OR BOWIE

PHIFE DAWG

I honestly can’t decide. As a result I now constantly have a mash-up of ‘China Girl’ and ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ in my head.

He did not get the attention he deserves between all the others.

He spent most of his career demonstrating that a diabetic could be funky.

(A TRIBE CALLED QUEST)

RIK MAYALL

A really tragic death for me, especially when it was shrouded with loads of controversy because of how it happened. I just loved him in Jack: he played vulnerable and young so well. ‘Star’, the movie’s theme tune, still makes me think of him now.

One of the first comedians I ever saw live and the only one (probably) who had a killer impersonation of Geordie middledistance runner Steve Cram in his armoury.

Admittedly, this merely involved him bolting manically back and forth across his stage for about four minutes before yelling (in a very Rik voice) ‘I’m Steve Cram!’ Still genius though.

PIERRE BOULEZ Great conductor, tireless propagandist for and encourager of new music, founder of IRCAM but above all one of the most brilliant, exhilarating composers of the last 60 years.

MARY HANSEN (STEREOLAB) She was killed on her bike by some effing idiot in a truck. Stereolab was an important band for me during the 1990s. After Mary’s death, cycling lost all enjoyment and I basically just spat venom at every inconsiderate driver I came across; that was until my (third) bike was nicked a couple of years later, after which I caught the train.

PRINCE

LOU REED

He has the same birthday as me and I was always convinced he would come to my party.

Now it will just be me and Bear Grylls . . .

Because Transformer transformed me.

PRINCE VICTORIA WOOD She was the first example of a woman comedian I ever discovered and was also my first live comedy show. Her gentleness and genius were eye-opening (I’m legit tearing up now).

JAMES GANDOLFINI A big man in both stature and reputation, surely there has been no better screen representation of flawed maleness than his Tony Soprano? To make a monster almost loveable is a colossal feat of both acting and humanity.

DAVID BOWIE He was prolific with his output, never uncool and seemed to be entirely untainted by fame. And I REALLY wanted to see him back in Twin Peaks.

He’s the one who appeared on my bedroom wall, who I had a crush on but didn’t tell anyone except my best pal because, well, he was a short man with an afro and Cuban Heels!

He was a supremely talented musician and I’m sad I didn’t see him live. God help me when George Michael goes: a week of compassionate leave will be required.

EDITORIAL Editor Yasmin Sulaiman Senior Digital Editor Scott Henderson Research Manager Rowena McIntosh Senior Researcher Murray Robertson Research Alex Johnston, Rebecca Monks, Henry Northmore, Kirstyn Smith, Louise Stoddart Subeditors Mercy Breheny, Brian Donaldson, Kirstyn Smith SALES & MARKETING Media Sales Manager Chris Knox Senior Media Sales Executive Debbie Thomson Media Sales Executive Rachel Cree Sales Support Executive Jessica Rodgers Promotions Executive Jade Regulski Digital Business Development Director Brendan Miles Partnership Director Sheri Friers PRODUCTION Senior Designer Lucy Munro Designers Stuart Polson, Carys Tennant Production Simon Armin DIGITAL Senior Developer Andy Carmichael Digital Designer Sharon Irish Software Developer Iain McCusker Senior DBA Andy Bowles ADMINISTRATION Accounts Manager Sarah Reddie SECTION EDITORS Around Town / Music Kirstyn Smith Books / Film Scotland Yasmin Sulaiman Comedy / Front Brian Donaldson Dance / Kids Kelly Apter Film Reviews Emma Simmonds Food & Drink Donald Reid TV Henry Northmore Theatre Gareth K Vile Visual Art Rachael Cloughton

Published by The List Ltd HEAD OFFICE: 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE Tel: 0131 550 3050, Fax: 0131 557 8500, list.co.uk, email editor@list.co.uk GLASGOW OFFICE: at the CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD Tel: 0141 332 9929, glasgow@list.co.uk ISSN: 0959 - 1915 © 2016 The List Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the publishers. The List does not accept responsibility for unsolicited material.

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2 EIFF The 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival looks set to be a memorable fiesta of film, with the live orchestra screening of ET, UK premiere of Finding Dory (pictured), appearances from Kevin Smith and Kim Cattrall, and Gillies MacKinnon’s remake of Whisky Galore! See feature, page 15. Various venues, Edinburgh, Wed 15–Sun 26 Jun.

AROUND TOWN

1 LeithLate

Leith stirs once again as an exciting long weekend of events cements the area’s reputation as the capital’s coolest arts hub. Among the cultural goings-on are Rabiya Choudhry’s new currency exhibition, Jenny Lindsay’s all-women poetry slam and the closing party at Pilrig Church, plus various happenings at Elvis Shakespeare, Out of the Blue, Boda and Leith Athletics. See feature, page 34.

Various venues, Leith, Edinburgh, Thu 23–Sun 26 Jun.

BOOKS

3 Glasgow Comic Festival Hosting the city’s Comic Con at the Royal Concert Hall, the Glasgow Comic Festival welcomes a host of talent such as Dave Gibbons, Marguerite Bennett, Kate Leth (pictured) and Neil Slorance. See feature, page 37. CCA, Glasgow, Tue 28 Jun–Sun 3 Jul.

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So much culture, so little time.

We boil it down to 20 of the best events

AROUND TOWN / KIDS

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4 Glasgow Science Festival

5 Horrible Histories

Making science fun, vital, informative and invigorating is what this festival is all about. This year, there are events on the Zika virus, mental health, space research and drugs in sport while there’s a big birthday science bake-off. See preview, page 77. Various venues, Glasgow, Thu 9–Sun 19 Jun.

Those hugely popular books and TV series have made an equally triumphant (if often gut-churning) shift onto the live stage. This time around, we learn all about some Incredible Invaders and Groovy Greeks. See preview, page 76.

Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 21–Sat 25 Jun. PHOTO: CHRIS SCOTT

VISUAL ART

BOOKS

COMEDY

MUSIC

6 Degree Shows

7 Rally & Broad

8 Eddie Izzard

The hard work of many art students across the central belt is laid out for the public with colleges opening their doors to reveal an array of painting, design and films. See feature at list. co.uk/visual-art. Glasgow School of Art, Sat 18–Sat 25 Jun; Edinburgh College of Art, until Sun 5 Jun.

A sad pair of evenings as Lindsay and McCrum bring the curtain down on the Rally & Broad live spokenword project. There will, of course, be other work coming from them soon. See feature, page 40. Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Jun; Stereo, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun.

That very clever lad Izzard does three hour-long shows in one evening: so what, you might think.

But could you perform the same stand-up show in French, German and English? No, thought not. See Big Picture, page 13. The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun.

9/ Adam PAWS / Spook School Stafford Another special Nothing Ever Happens Here with a triple bill headed up by 2015 SAY-shortlisters PAWS (pictured) who are joined

by Spook School and the also great Adam Stafford. Summerhall, Edinburgh, Fri 24 Jun.

CHOSEN BY LOVE MUSIC COMMUNITY CHOIR CONDUCTER STEPHEN DEAZLEY

10 John Cooper Clarke

I have a bad habit of missing a lot of touring stuff, but I won’t miss John Cooper Clarke [see preview, page 66], the original punk poet, satirist and straight talker. There is no artifice with Cooper Clarke, or bending to the fashionable. He might well have been born wearing shades and rhyming, and will almost certainly leave the same way. Now approaching 70, and one of the few truly deserved of the status ‘living legend’, he’s writing new material, touring hard, and still doing it on his terms. That’s pretty inspirational and a good tip for anyone who wants to stay in the making-art game for the long haul. His words are like a chill wind from the north: funny, fierce and bleak as hell.

Love Music Community Choir concert, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Mon 13 Jun; John Cooper Clarke, O2 ABC, Glasgow, Fri 3 Jun; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 4 Jun. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 5

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1 Beyoncé Time to get in line, people, as Bey’s Formation tour sashays its way into the national football stadium.

On her last global foray in 2013 with the Mrs Carter Show, she was seen by a mere two million people.

That’s approximately four million eyes. In short, an awful lot of eyes. Here, we’ll eat our collection of Gucci lace if she doesn’t perform a tribute of some kind to Prince. See Highlights, page 89. Hampden Park, Glasgow, Thu 7 Jul.

FOR GH BUR I D E N TIVAL OUR S E F E, SEE RAG SUES E COV GUST IS TO AU ND GO / A .UK .COVAL T S I I L EST F

PHOTO: ZACKERY MICHAEL

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2 Merchant City Festival

3 T in the Park

That lovely bit of central Glasgow will be buzzing with life for nine long summer days as it gets taken over by street artists, musicians, foodies, comedians, dancers, fashionistas and a classic car boot sale. Plus there are tributes to everything from the Charleston to Bowie. See preview, page 77.

Various venues, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul–Sun 7 Aug.

Year two in its new home and this is a big one for T. But frankly, with the likes of the Stone Roses, Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, the Last Shadow Puppets (pictured), LCD Soundsystem, Jess Glynne, Travis and, oh yep, Craig David all showing up, success is pretty much assured. See feature, page 23. Strathallan Castle, Auchterarder, Fri 8–Sun 10 Jul.

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4 NMS: New Galleries

5 Ghostbusters

6 Jim Jefferies

Five years ago, 16 new galleries were opened up at the NMS. This July, another ten new spaces will display treasures in rooms of art and design, and science and technology. Among the attractions will be Art of Living, Making and Creating, and Fashion and Style. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, opening Fri 8 Jul.

‘Who you gonna call?’ Your local cinema probably, as the long-awaited remake with an all-female lead cast (Donald Trump might not like the idea, but normal people will) helmed by Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig finally arrives. Get ready to bust some slime. See Highlights, page 75. General release from Fri 15 Jul.

The controversial Australian comic who made his name in Britain but is now a resident of the US drags his Freedumb tour over here. There will be swipes at the state of American politics, for sure, but there’ll be a whole lot more to it as JJ takes aim at many targets. See feature, page 38. O2 Academy, Glasgow, Fri 8 Jul; EICC, Edinburgh, Sun 10 Jul.

AROUND TOWN

FILM

AROUND TOWN

7 MagicFest

5 The BFG

6 Platform Anniversary

All manner of hands will be sleighted during the first week of July as MagicFest arrives in the capital. Among the conjurors will be Colin Cloud and Kevin Quantum (or McMahon to me and you) while the MagicFest gala introduces us to some international illusionists. See preview, page 59.

Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 1–Fri 8 Jul.

Mark Rylance is certainly never an actor you could say is being typecast. After Wolf Hall and his Oscar-winning turn in Bridge of Spies, The BFG is quite a leap. He totally becomes the big friendly giant in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the adored Roald Dahl tale. See review, page 71.

General release from Fri 22 Jul.

Easterhouse’s popular multi-arts hub celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and there’s going to be a whole lot of love bestowed upon this venue which is a true boon for both the area and its community. Help blow out some candles with these admirable fellows. See feature, page 32.

Platform, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul. CHOSEN BY THE REAL HOOSEWIVES FAE GLESGA ACTRESS ALYSON ORR

10 Jackie The Musical

I am really looking forward to seeing Jackie The Musical. Having grown up in the 70s, Jackie was a great read and buying it every week made me feel very sophisticated, despite the fact I was about ten at the time. My older brother and his friend would often read the problem pages out loud to amuse themselves and cause me much embarrassment. I loved the music of this era and David Cassidy was a particular favourite: his poster had a special place above my bed and I was convinced he was singing ‘I think I love you’ to me. I think this will be a great nostalgic night out, particularly for girls of a certain age: I’ll maybe dig out my tank top and flares for the occasion.

The Real Hoosewives Fae Glesga: Wee Fat Glesga Wedding, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 28 Jul–Sat 6 Aug; Jackie The Musical, King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 26–Sat 30 Jul. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 7

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OPENING GALA AND VIP PARTY

WIN 12 FREE DROP-IN CLASSES AT DANCE BASE

Dance Base is on a mission to get more people dancing. As a national dance centre with four world-class studios in the heart of Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, it exists to encourage and celebrate the potential for dance in everyone.

The List are giving away 12 60-minute drop-in dance classes to be taken in the Summer or Autumn term 2016. You could take a full term’s worth of classes in one dance style, or mix and match to see what you enjoy. Ballet, hip hop, Afro Cuban, contemporary dance ... find out what works for you. To be in with a chance of winning log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Fred and Ginger were a famous dancing duo.

What were their last names?

Dance Base 14-16 Grassmarket Edinburgh, EH1 2JU 9 Apr - 1 Jul 10 Sep - 2 Dec

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TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Wed 15 Jun. Subject to availability.

Non-transferable and no cash alternative. Usual List rules apply.

The 70th edition of Edinburgh International Film Festival 2016 opens on 15 Jun with Tommy’s Honour, the true story of golfing pioneer and legend Tom Morris. Acclaimed actor Peter Mullan (Sunshine on Leith) and Olivier-award winning Jack Lowden (War & Peace) lead a fantastic ensemble cast including Ophelia Lovibond (Man Up), Peter Ferdinando (Hyena) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) in the role of Alexander Boothby.

WIN AN OVERNIGHT STAY FOR TWO IN EDINBURGH

The List and EIFF are offering readers an exclusive chance to win a pair of tickets to opening film Tommy’s Honour and passes to the afterparty on Wed 15 Jun 2016. To be in with a chance of winning log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What edition is the 2016 Festival?

24 Royal Terrace is a Georgian townhouse modernised into a boutique hotel with sixteen rooms, each delicately restored and beautifully finished.

Tommy’s Honour EIFF Edinburgh Festival Theatre 3-29 Nicolson Street Edinburgh, EH8 9FT 15 Jun 2016

edfilmfest.org.uk @edfilmfest

Everything about 24 Royal Terrace is meticulous in its attention to detail, from the curated art to the specially sourced house champagne to the unique whisky collection.

The List are giving you the chance to win an overnight stay for two at 24 Royal Terrace including a complimentary bottle of their house champagne. To be in with a chance of winning log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

What is the name of their specially sourced house champagne?

24 Royal Terrace Edinburgh, EH7 5AH 0131 297 2424

24royalterrace.co.uk TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Friday 10 Jun 2016. Only one entry per person is permitted. Entry is open to UK residents only. Winners will be notified by telephone or email, no cash alternative. Usual rules apply.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Wed 31 Aug 2016. Dates exclude Christmas and New Year. Prize must be used by 28 December 2016. Over 18s only. Travel not included. Booking made in advance. Usual List rules apply.

8 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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READER OFFERS WIN TICKETS TO WICKED WOMEN AT THE EDINBURGH DUNGEON

WIN A COCKTAIL EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF AND 3 FRIENDS AT MOSKITO’S NEW TANQUERAY HIDDEN GIN GARDEN

Relax with three friends and sample four exquisite gin based cocktails each in the beautiful surroundings of the new Tanqueray Hidden Gin Garden at Moskito, Glasgow.

One of Scotland’s most talked about monarchs, Mary Queen of Scots, will be arriving at The Edinburgh Dungeon this July to kick off a summer of Wicked Women in an exciting new show joining the Dungeon tour, and we’re giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets to see it.

Branded a wicked woman by the Scottish clans in her time, this enigmatic royal divides opinion across the nation with her exploits. Was Mary Queen of Scots a wicked woman? Uncover her thrilling story at the Dungeon this summer.

Reigning alongside Mary Queen of Scots will be the Dungeon’s other wicked women including the vengeful Green Lady and the ferocious females of Sawney Bean’s cannibal clan – Scotland’s most notorious man-eaters.

Will you escape Scotland’s wicked women as you venture through the Dungeon? It’s time to find out …

To be in with a chance of winning, just log onto list.co.uk/offers and answer the following question:

Where is the Hidden Gin Garden?

Tanqueray Hidden Gin garden Moskito Glasgow, 200 Bath St, Glasgow

moskitoglasgow.com

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 14 Jul 2016. Prize includes four cocktails each for a winner and up to three friends in the Tanqueray Hidden Gin Garden, Moskito, Glasgow.

Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Date is at the winners discretion.

FREE £10 VOUCHER FOR TIPPLE BOX COCKTAILS

The List are giving away a pair of tickets to see brand new show Wicked Women as part of the tour at The Edinburgh Dungeon. To be in with a chance of winning log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

Which famous monarch is arriving at The Edinburgh Dungeon this summer?

Wicked Women The Edinburgh Dungeon 31 Market St Edinburgh, EH1 1DF 1 Jul until 29 Aug 2016

thedungeons.com/Edinburgh @EdinDungeon

Making cocktails at home is challenging; left over spirits, conflicting recipes and eccentric garnishes, but Tipple Box are here to help bring out the best in your cocktail making.

Tipple Box is a cocktail and premium craft spirit experience, who provide expertly curated recipes, premium spirits and exclusive ingredients to help you make delicious cocktails at home.

The List are giving you £10 towards a Tipple Box subscription making your first box only £14. Each box includes two expertly curated recipes alongside mixers and premium spirits.

Head to TippleBox.co.uk/thelist and use the discount code LIST10 with your first monthly box.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes Mon 1 Aug 2016. No cash alternative & non-refundable.

Entrants must be over 18 years old. Usual List rules apply.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer ends Wed 31 Aug. One voucher can be purchased and redeemed per customer. Delivery to UK addresses only. Must be over 18 years of age to purchase alcoholic beverages in the UK. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. The List’s usual rules apply.

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 9

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NEWS

For more news go to

LIST.CO.UK /NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS, LINE-UPS AND OPINION

Conservation staff at the National Museum of Scotland install the Kinghorne Carpet in Art of Living, one of ten new galleries opening on Fri 8 May.

A N AU D I E N C E ’S V I EW O F CAST L E R O C K The Edinburgh International Book Festival has announced that this year’s programme will feature an adaptation of Alice Munro’s short stories. The View From Castle Rock has been adapted by playwright Linda McLean, and tells the story of Munro’s ancestors who sailed to Canada from Leith Docks in 1818. Handy if you’re stuck for something to watch on stage in August.

TO M A R K E T, TO M A R K E T (ST R E E T ) The recently-refurbished New Waverley Arches Complex on East Market Street is open for business, and the stone arch spaces have been converted into shops, cafes and other retail ventures. Highlights include Gannet & Guga sandwich bar, the Baba Budan coffee and doughnut shop, and the Buff. Concept Store salon. Save us a chocolate custard doughnut, please and thank you.

M A D E I N SCOT L A N D, L I V E I N EDINBURGH A total of £590,000 in funding has been awarded to the Made in Scotland showcase: a programme which offers Scottish companies, ensembles and artists the chance to present their work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This year’s programme includes work from Barrowland Ballet, Janis Claxton Dance, Kieran Hurley, Puppet State Theatre and more.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, PICNIC BLANKET Film Fest in the City, ma event, is returning to Edinburgh’s open-air cinema ns, Fri 10–Sun 12 Jun. St Andrew Square Gardens, The happy news is it’s free, and has some big hitters such as Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Force Awakens, The Breakfast Club, and Mad Max: Fury Road on the bill. The sad news is, it is outside, and well, it’s Scotland. Pack an umbrella just in case.

coming to the Centre of Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Wed 8, Fri 10 and Sat 19 Jun. This package of three films (The Dreams of Shahrazad, Beats of the Antonov, and Hope) aims to shed light on contemporary issues in Africa.

NEW GALLERY BONZANZA

SAY WH AT ?

On Fri 8 Jul, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is opening ten new galleries. The new spaces promise more interactivity, and will encompass science, technology, decorative art, design and fashion. The development adds 3,000 objects to the museum’s exhibits, about two thirds of which haven’t been seen in recent memory.

The longlist for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award has been announced. Featured artists are Admiral Fallow, Anna Meredith, Auntie Flo, C Duncan, CHVRCHES, Django Django, Dunedin Consort, Emma Pollock, FFS, Hector Bizerk, Hudson Mohawke, Iain Morrison, Jarlath Henderson, Lau, Steve Mason, Miaoux Miaoux, Primal Scream, Rachel Sermanni, The Revenge, and Young Fathers. The shortlist will be announced on Thu 16 Jun, and the winner on Wed 29 Jun. See feature, page 29.

COMEBACK FOR KELVIN HALL Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall has had a bit of a makeover (a £35m makeover at that), and is set to reopen in autumn as one of the UK’s biggest museum and research centres. It will house the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image archive, as well as 1.5m pieces from Glasgow’s civic collection and the Hunterian Museum.

A FILM FEST IN MOTION As part of Africa in Motion Film Festival, the touring programme African Hopes, Beats and Dreams is

S U STAI N AB LE PRACTICE FOR T H E WI N The Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Awards are open for applications. The award is aimed at Fringe acts whose shows deal with themes of sustainability and / or have elements of sustainable production. Applications are open until Fri 12 Aug, and the shortlist will be announced soon after.

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NEWS Why Edinburgh City Council’s live music policy needs to change – and how you can help Music Is Audible is seeking a common-sense change to current legislation.

Henry Northmore speaks to Sneaky Pete’s Nick Stewart to find out more

COMING UP • The West End Festival (Fri 3-Sun 26 Jun): coming to Glasgow’s west end (obviously).

• The Edinburgh International Film Festival (Wed 15-Sun 26 Jun): programme highlights include Jason Connery’s Tommy’s Honour, Gillies MacKinnon’s Whisky Galore! and the premiere of Pixar’s Finding Dory. See features, page 12.

• LeithLate (Thu 23-Sun 26 Jun): multi-arts festival. See feature, page 34.

A

t the moment, City of Edinburgh Council has one of the most restrictive live music policies in the UK. It currently contains a clause that states: ‘all amplified music and vocals shall be so controlled as to be inaudible in neighbouring residential premises.’ If a venue doesn’t comply they are in danger of losing their liquor license. Realistically most live music venues can’t survive if they can’t sell drink.

‘What doesn’t work is the line that music must be “inaudible to residential premises”,’ explains Nick Stewart from Music Is Audible and live / club venue Sneaky Pete’s. ‘In a heavily tenemented city like Edinburgh it’s simply not possible to have full inaudibility. So what happens is places that would put on gigs don’t, because the fear that they could lose their license means it’s not worth the risk.’

Music is Audible is a working group currently consulting with the council, seeking a small but crucial change to the wording of the current legislation. They propose a more flexible: ‘Amplified music shall not be an audible nuisance in neighbouring residential premises.’

At the moment a venue can be get in trouble simply for hosting live acts. ‘The real difference is that the current clause presupposes that being able to hear music is a nuisance and actually environmental health law doesn’t say that at all,’ adds Stewart. MIA is looking for a common-sense approach where each case is judged by eight criteria as laid out by the Consultation on Guidance to accompany the Statutory Nuisance Provisions of the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008: Impact,

Locality, Time, Frequency, Duration, Convention, Importance and Avoidability.

It might seem like a minor difference but it could have a big impact. If we want a thriving cultural scene in Edinburgh, music needs a platform. ‘There could be a lot more music but everyone plays it safe,’ says Stewart. ‘I personally feel that young people growing up in Edinburgh, if they are real music fans, want to move to Glasgow because they feel like there’s a stronger scene. If there was more of a sense of a scene in Edinburgh more people would stay and that would promote the scene continually.’

What Music Is Audible is seeking is a realistic workable alternative. ‘This is a reasonable request for a change in legislation. It’s quite the opposite of a noise-makers charter. Any venue that was chancing their arm and trying to make too much noise would find themselves labelled as being a “nuisance.” This clause will only benefit venue operators who operate their venues well and work with their neighbours.’

If you think this matters and want to show your support, you need to send your views in writing to The Edinburgh Licensing Board via LiquorLicensing@ edinburgh.gov.uk or post (marked ‘Licensing Board Consultation’), to Licensing, City of Edinburgh Council, 249 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ, before 22 July.

‘If you disagree with us, that’s also the address to write to,’ adds Stewart, ‘but I’d request that anyone who does please have a good read through the literature we’ve set up (musicisaudible.org) so they can see just how reasonable our proposal is.’

• Glasgow Comic Festival (Tue 28 Jun-Sun 3 Jul): in various venues across the city. See feature, page 37.

• King Tut’s Summer Nights (Wed 13-Sat 30 Jul): a showcase for some of the freshest musical talent in the country, with more than 70 acts performing over two weeks.

• The Edinburgh Food Festival (Wed 27-Sun 31 Jul): this foodie extravaganza will be satisfying appetites in George Square Gardens.

Expect street food, local producers, talks and debates.

• Mugstock (Fri 29-Sun 31 Jul): a not-for-profit festival in Mugdock Country Park. It’s got music, food, drink, theatre, art and more, and the lineup includes Stanley Odd, Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5 and Young Aviators.

• The Edinburgh Festivals: yep, clear August in your calendar for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Fri 5-Mon 29 Aug), the Edinburgh International Festival (Fri 5-Mon 28 Aug), the Edinburgh Art Festival (Thu 28 Jul-Sun 29 Jul), and the Edinburgh International Book Festival (Sat 13-Mon 29 Aug). Look out for our August issues for full coverage, and check out all our reviews at list.co.uk festival.

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BIG PICTURE

EDDIE IZZARD He runs a crazy number of marathons; he campaigns passionately for political causes he believes in; and he pops up in TV and film dramas almost every time you open your eyes. Eddie Izzard can also sometimes get involved in the stand-up game that helped him rise to prominence in the first place. But Eddie being Eddie, when he does a bit of live comedy it’s not going to be your average gig. So for one Sunday in June he’ll be performing his Force Majeure show not once, not twice, but three times in one evening. And, here’s the twist, one is in French, another in German and the third is in his English mother tongue. Impressive, eh? And one week later he will help bring the curtain down on this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival by playing Captain Waggett in the remake of Whisky Galore! Probably only fair, then, to raise a glass to one of the busiest boys in showbusiness.

Force Majeure, The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun; Whisky Galore!, Festival Theatre and Filmhouse. Edinburgh, Sun 26 Jun; see EIFF feature, page 18.

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Edinburgh International Film Festival The trailers have finished and the adverts are over. It’s now time to roll out the red carpet as the main feature begins. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Over the following pages, we interview Gillies MacKinnon about his Whisky Galore! remake, explore the world of live orchestra screenings with ET, put the spotlight on some celebrity appearances, relive the glory of 70mm films and pick out a whole bunch of highlights. This is one screen test that Edinburgh will pass with flying colours

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Sound and vision After going Back to the Future in 2015, the Edinburgh International Film Festival teams up again with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a live orchestra screening of ET. Paul Whitelaw speaks to those tasked with bringing the classic John Williams score to magical life

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t’s a piece of sweet synchronicity worthy of Hollywood itself. This year marks the 70th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and 70th birthday of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg whose planetconquering classic ET the Extra Terrestrial had its UK premiere at the EIFF in 1982.

How better to celebrate this coincidence than with the first British screening of the film accompanied by a live orchestra performing John Williams’ immortal score? ‘A lot of people haven’t seen ET on the big screen for a long time,’ says EIFF artistic director Mark Adams.

‘And I think that music played by a full orchestra in the Festival Theatre gives it a real sense of atmosphere and occasion. It’s a proper film event.’

This will mark the second time that the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has collaborated with the EIFF in as many years, following last year’s sold-out screening of Back to the Future.

Dutch conductor Ernst van Tiel, who will lead the RSNO this time around, agrees: ‘You cannot compare the concert with live orchestra and going to a cinema. It’s something totally different; the impact is huge.’

No stranger to the world of cinema, van Tiel conducted Ludovic Bource’s celebrated score for the Oscar-winning French sleeper hit, The Artist. He’s also travelled the world conducting orchestras at special screenings of classics such as Sergei Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and has mounted the podium for celebrations of great screen composers such as Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann.

Yet despite his admiration for Williams’ work, van Tiel has a confession to make: prior to signing

up for this performance, he’d never actually seen ET before. ‘But when I started to study it, I saw the film and heard the music, and it was so affecting and so well done. A computer can write music like Mozart, but the only thing missing is that something which you cannot describe. That’s what a good score is, and I think ET is maybe John Williams’ best.’

It’s certainly one of the most well-known and beloved scores in cinema history. You could, of course, say the same about so many Williams scores, from those he wrote for the Superman and Star Wars sagas, to his many collaborations with Spielberg including Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws. ‘He seems to have found that magical link with two or three filmmakers where they create a sense of majesty and adventure and a spiralling sense of occasion,’ says Adams. ‘You look at Star Wars and Raiders and see that his work is so distinctive; you feel a building sense of excitement when the music kicks in.’

For RSNO chief executive Krishna Thiagarajan, Williams is ‘one of the most influential composers of our time’. He also believes that concerts of this kind draw an important link to the origins of cinema itself. ‘It’s only when the movies learned how to talk that the music disappeared from movie theatres,’ he says. ‘But most of the theatres that were built early last century had entire orchestra pits installed as well. So, in a way, we’re doing something that seems modern, but actually 100 years ago was completely normal.’

Recalling the early days of live cinema accompaniment, van Tiel waxes lyrical about the art of the sound maker, or geräuschemacher

in German: ‘He would make sound effects such as ringing bells and firing gunshots. Also there was a time when the big cinema organs had everything; they had piano sounds, trumpets and military drums played by very high level musicians.’ Van Tiel believes passionately in the importance of film composition, not only as an artform in its own right, but also as a gateway into symphonic music for modern audiences. ‘When I was conducting “Adagio for Strings” by Barber in a university in Holland, almost all the students were suddenly totally quiet and said, “we know this!” They liked it because it had some context with the film Platoon. Another example is Walt Disney’s Fantasia, which for many people was their introduction to “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and Bach.’

He also believes that many of those great classical composers, Stravinsky and Wagner in particular, would be working in cinema today.

Film composition, he argues, is no longer seen as a lesser artform. ‘In the past, on the high level, there was opera and ballet. They were at the top and film music was much less appreciated. But in the last few years it’s almost on the same level, and I’m very happy with that because for me film music, opera and ballet are all theatre music. There is lots of good film music and I love to conduct it, because what happens in the hall with the film and the orchestra is like exploding a bomb. The feeling that we are creating something new at that moment gives such an extra impact to everybody.’

ET the Extra Terrestrial, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Jun.

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Dram busters Having the closing film at the EIFF is always a much-sought after accolade. Eddie Harrison talks to Gillies MacKinnon who nabs that slot this year with his remake of the classic Whisky Galore!

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ike the creation of Scotland’s favourite alcoholic drink, film production can require a lot of patience. The closing film of the 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival is a re-imagining of the classic Ealing comedy film Whisky Galore! Based on the book

by Compton Mackenzie, the 1949 Alexander Mackendrick film is one of Scotland’s seminal texts: its famous clash between wily Scottish villagers and arch English officials has been scripted by Peter McDougall and directed by Gillies MacKinnon (Small Faces, Hideous Kinky). It’s been over a decade in the works, but the filmmaker feels the wait has been well worth it.

‘I honestly can’t remember when I first started on this project, it was one of those things that was always on the brink of happening,’

says MacKinnon. ‘I started out doing some storyboards maybe eight years ago; I used to be a cartoonist so doing that was my first involvement. [Producer] Iain Maclean worked so hard on this for so long: he just wouldn’t give up. To make something like this happen, you have to get up every morning for year after year, look at yourself in the mirror and say, “this is going to happen”. And it paid off, eventually.’

Based on the sinking of the SS Politician during World War Two, the film shows how villagers defied authorities to capture and enjoy the whisky that was being carried by the ship during a time of strict rationing. Gregor Fisher plays opposite Eddie Izzard in the 2016 version.

‘I’d always wanted to work with Gregor, he’s a very interesting man,’ notes MacKinnon.

‘People know him for Rab C Nesbitt, but I

knew that he was also a very sensitive actor.

And Eddie was someone I’d worked with a few years ago; going back to the original Mackendrick film, Captain Waggett is not a despicable character and it was important that we didn’t just make him an English caricature.

And then we had great Scottish talent like James Cosmo to play the villagers themselves.’

Taking on a well-loved comedy classic is a tough assignment, particularly when Whisky Galore! is so deeply ingrained in the Scottish national consciousness. ‘The original is a film that a lot of people told me they’d watched with their grandparents, it’s a beloved text that’s been passed from generation to generation with real affection. Peter’s script really fleshed out the relationships of the villagers, exploring the idea of a father losing his daughters and

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7 THINGS TO SEE AT THE 70TH EIFF Not sure where to start with EIFF’s massive 70th programme? Here are seven top picks to get you on your way, whatever you’re into

FREE FOR ALL Film Fest in the City This year’s programme of pre-festival outdoor screenings packs in 15 eclectic films, including Ant-Man, Mad Max – Fury Road, Minions, The Force Awakens, and a dance-along Grease. St Andrew’s Square, Fri 10–Sun 12 Jun.

OPENING GALA Tommy’s Honour The always-impressive Peter Mullan (Sunset Song, Neds) stars as golfing pioneer Old Tom Morris in this new film from Jason Connery. Festival Theatre, Wed 15 Jun.

PARTY TIME Sound + Vision The most exciting addition to the EIFF lineup is this new strand at Summerhall, which pairs films with great live music. This year, Scottish music doc Lost in France is screened alongside live music and DJs from Chemikal Underground (Fri 17 Jun), and Badly Drawn Boy comes to town for a special gig-plus-screening of About a Boy (Sat 18 Jun).

FOR THE KIDS Finding Dory In this sequel to Pixar classic Finding Nemo, Dory, Nemo and Marlin head off on another adventure, this time to find Dory’s parents. Festival Theatre, Sat 18 Jun.

QUIRKY COMEDY Maggie’s Plan The chemistry between Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore crackles in this New York-set rom com from Rebecca Miller. Filmhouse, Sat 18 Jun; Cineworld, Sun 19 Jun.

that helped us to get the theme of the film. We worked very hard in the cutting room to get the right comedy tone. I remember Gregor asking whether he could drop the last line of a scene because he didn’t want the whole scene to be about the gag. Whisky Galore! is not something broad like the Dad’s Army reboot seemed to be; it’s got a more subtle rhythm.’

After taking such a long time to mature, the Whisky Galore! shoot proved to be smoother than a single malt; even the weather stayed unnaturally fair. ‘The truth is, it probably only rained for two hours during the whole shoot.

We looked at the Outer Hebrides and Barra as possible locations, wonderful places to film but with complicated logistics, but when we went on a recce to Portsoy, I knew it would be perfect.

You had the pub, the post office and the school,

all together in one place and all overlooking the harbour, almost like a set specially built for us.’

Making Whisky Galore! the closing film of the 2016 EIFF marks a happy return for MacKinnon, who premiered his Steve Martin film A Simple Twist of Fate there in 1994. Those who attended that night were surprised when Martin himself came out to enjoy some Vegasstyle repartee with the audience. ‘I remember I’d phoned up Steve and asked him about it.

He was driving and the last thing I heard was, “I’m just going into a tunnel . . . ’ So I was a surprised as anyone when he turned up. And to this day, people still ask me how I brought Steve Martin to Edinburgh. I wish I knew!’

Whisky Galore!, Festival Theatre and Filmhouse, Sun 26 Jun.

FINNISH FUN Cheer Up Part of Focus on Finland, Christy Garland’s documentary follows the worst group of cheerleaders in Finland and the tireless efforts of their coach.

Odeon, Mon 20 Jun; Filmhouse, Wed 22 Jun.

FEMINIST CLASSIC Regrouping Leading EIFF’s experimental Black Box strand this year is Lizzie Borden’s rarely screened Regrouping (1976), a powerful and challenging look at the political activities of a women’s group.

Filmhouse, Thu 23 & Fri 24 Jun. ■ EIFF runs Wed 15–Sun 26 Jun.

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Those 70 s shows EIFF’s 70/70 Vision brings 70mm classics back to the big screen. Scott Henderson finds out why the format is back in vogue again

W

hen Quentin Tarantino decided to shoot his epic western The Hateful Eight in Ultra Panavision 70mm, nobody predicted the industry stir it created. That was mainly due to the difficulties UK cinemas faced in not only obtaining a print, but also the means to present it. Today, precious few cinemas have both the equipment and the technical expertise to project a 70mm film. Fortunately for Edinburgh’s cinephiles, the Filmhouse is one such theatre, and in a nod to Edinburgh International Film Festival’s 70th anniversary, the 2016 programme features four classics from four visionary directors, all shot and presented on 70mm film as part of the 70/70 Vision strand.

‘We always planned to do it,’ explains Artistic Director Mark Adams.

‘Quentin and the 70mm story reminded us of how popular 70mm is and how people are aware it’s a rare opportunity.’ The four films playing as part of 70/70 are: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968; pictured), Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa, 1975), Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962), and Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967).

‘There are films out there which were blown up into 70mm but these were shot on 70mm and that’s the original format for these films,’ continues Adams. ‘People have been in touch with us at the Filmhouse saying they are waiting for us to show Lawrence on 70mm because they want that to be their first experience. And it is a different physical experience seeing it on 70mm.’

Sourcing these films was a challenge in its own right. The print of Dersu Uzala is owned by a private collector who places considerable

trust in the festival to care for it during the transportation (a logistical challenge itself) and screening process. Playtime comes from the Jacques Tati estate, the coordinator of which will come in person with the print because it is so rarely lent out.

With the films screened across both weekends of the festival, it will also be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to compare in close proximity the cinematic language of four visionary filmmakers working in the 70mm format. Adams says, ‘Kurosawa didn’t make 70mm and Tati I think only made that one film in 70mm. So it is a unique visual experience and what people take away from it is what great filmmakers they were to use that scale of cinema.

‘The truth is we don’t know how long these prints are going to be available. The more you run a film the more it damages it, that’s the simple truth of celluloid. There aren’t many prints available. We had a massive list until we paired it down to just the pure 70mm. There are materials in LA but the studios hold on to their original ones now because they are finite.’

Tarantino has described digital projection as ‘the death of cinema as I know it’. Thanks to EIFF, 70/70 Vision offers the possibility to see what we’ll be losing, in all its glorious, celluloid imperfection.

2001: A Space Odyssey, Sat 18 Jun; Playtime, Sun 19 Jun; Dersu Uzala, Sat 25 Jun; Lawrence of Arabia, Sun 26 Jun; all screenings at Filmhouse, Edinburgh.

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Talking heads

Rowena McIntosh takes an appraising look at the

film icons heading to the EIFF’s In Person strand

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While we can only speculate which darlings of the silver screen might be spotted over the course of the festival (we’re hoping for Eddie Izzard at the closing night gala screening of Whisky Galore!), the In Person strand of events is specifically dedicated to sharing the experience and opinions of individual creators and stars. Such as . . .

KEVIN SMITH

KIM CATTRALL

Also known as the mute but expressive Silent Bob, Kevin Smith is the creator of the 1994 comedy Clerks. Now a cult classic, Clerks was followed

by Mallrats, Chasing Amy and the controversial religious comedy Dogma, starring Chris Rock as the 13th apostle, Alan Rickman as Metatron, Alanis Morissette as God and a demon composed entirely of human excrement. Smith also directed Cop Out, Tusk and most recently Yoga Hosers, which screens at the festival and stars Johnny Depp, his daughter Lily-Rose Depp and Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith. He also works as a producer, documentary maker and comic book writer. In 2014, he announced that he wants to make Moose Jaws, a Jaws style film, starring a moose. Someone please ask him about that.

■ Traverse Theatre, Wed 22 Jun, 8.30pm.

English-Canadian actor Kim Cattrall visits EIFF in support of 2010 film Meet Monica Velour (pictured), the story of an awkward teenager who sets out to encounter his favourite adult film star (of Saturday Night Beaver fame) when she announces a live stage appearance. Cattrall’s film credits include Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin and Masquerade. After six years as sexually voracious Samantha Jones in Sex and the City (and two films, though the less said about them the better), Cattrall returned to Broadway where she starred in the revival of Noel Coward’s Private Lives. This side of the Atlantic, she’s also been in Antony & Cleopatra at the Liverpool Playhouse and Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic. ■ Edinburgh Filmhouse, Thu 16 Jun, 6pm.

DOMINIQUE PINON

JEREMY THOMAS

Currently starring as mysterious apothecary Master Raymond in tartanclad Outlander, Dominique Pinon’s other English language roles include Vriess in 1997’s Alien: Resurrection and Detective Weiss in Hellbreeder. He has been acting since the 1980s, working with auteurs Jean-Jacques Beineix and Jean-Pierre Jeunet on several French classics including Diva, Betty Blue and Delicatessen (pictured). Pinon starred alongside Audrey Tautou as jealous cafe patron Joseph in Amélie and as her uncle in war romance A Very Long Engagement. Several of his films feature in the festival’s celebration of Cinéma du Look, an unforgettable wave in 1980s and 1990s French filmmaking that told provocative tales from a daring new perspective.

■ Traverse Theatre, Sat 18 Jun, 8.30pm.

Over a career spanning four decades, Jeremy Thomas has produced more than 50 films. His recent work includes Warsaw-set thriller 11 Minutes, dystopian drama High-Rise (pictured) and investigation into the birth of psychoanalysis, A Dangerous Method. He also produced The Last Emperor, which won the 1988 Best Picture Oscar, and Young Adam, which opened the EIFF in 2003. Thomas has worked with cinema greats including Stephen Frears, David Cronenberg, Takeshi Kitano and Wim Wenders. One of his earliest credits, 1983 war drama Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, is screening at the festival. Set within a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp it stars David Bowie as incarcerated British soldier Jack Celliers.

■ Traverse Theatre, Tue 21 Jun, 8.30pm.

PHOTO: KIM SIMMS, PROPERTY OF ANCHOR BAY FILMS

dinburgh International Film Festival is in pretty good shape as it limbers up for its 70th adventure. In this year’s programme, EIFF are keen to showcase the creative visionaries behind films, and many of 2016’s screenings feature live introductions or Q&As with writers, directors, producers and actors.

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tinthepark.com

T IN THE PARK

BIG BREAK As Scotland’s premier music festival rolls into town once again, getting on the T Break stage is an invaluable moment for new bands. Kirstyn Smith chats to Hector Bizerk and Tuff Love about their own career-boosting experiences

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t’s hard to argue that this year’s T in the Park isn’t dominated by the Stone Roses. With their first single in 21 years just released, and a new album rumoured to be dropping this summer, their live dalliances (they’re also playing Manchester, New York and Dublin) are all about the old sound being brought into the 21st century.

What to do, though, if you want T to bring you something a little fresher? The answer, since 1996 at least, has been to head straight for the T Break stage. Its line-up of unsigned acts provides a buffet of the best of Scotland’s up-and-comers eager to follow in their predecessors’ successful footsteps. For how to make the most of the T Break experience, we spoke to Hector Bizerk and Tuff Love.

‘We were fortunate to land a very good slot, which I think is crucial,’ says Louie, of MC / drum duo Hector Bizerk, who played the T Break

stage back in 2013. ‘The buzz in the lead-up to the festival and the media coverage around it is priceless. When you’re starting out and don’t have management or an agent, getting to play T in the Park is the ultimate accolade.’

While timing may well be important, the fickle finger of fate could mean that you’re up against some pretty big names. This was the case for Tuff Love on their 2014 T Break experience. ‘We were on at the same time as the Pixies,’ they say. ‘We know where we’d rather be.’

Tough break. Still, you gotta take the rough with the smooth. ‘Those that were there were really nice about it. We drank beer and got to watch some great bands: Wolf Alice were playing the same stage a few hours earlier and their set was awesome.’

But what do you do once the halcyon weekend comes to an end

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(usually sometime early on Monday morning)? Making moves post-T Break is crucial. Louie’s tactic was having pre-emptive plans in place to keep the momentum flowing. ‘We launched our album in the weeks after and it was the first time we had ever sold out gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh. We didn’t have any PR or marketing budget so used T Break as a springboard to launch the album. It gave us a reputation as a band who could bring hip hop into the festival circuit in a way it hadn’t existed in Scotland before.’

Tuff Love’s T Break turn gave them the motivation needed to start churning out belter after belter, including their LP Resort, an amalgamation of their three shoegazey EPs ‘Junk’, ‘Dross’ and ‘Dregs’.

‘Some people took us more seriously after it. We’ve toured loads, got to play lots of festivals, including Glastonbury, and now we’re working on new material, which is super exciting!’

Similarly, Hector Bizerk have hardly stopped since their time at T Break. They’ve been up to ‘hunnnnerz of stuff,’ according to Louie.

‘It’s been a slow burner because we never tried to write radio-friendly music to fit into any sort of pigeonhole.’ As well as their two LPs, four EPs and film with BAFTA New Talent winner Iain Henderson, Louie has also released three books of poetry and scored music for a theatre production. And there’s the small issue of that SAY Award longlist nomination (see feature, page 29).

‘We’re the only self-released album in the longlist which I think is a measure of the authenticity of the SAY Award in itself. Out nomination goes to show that it doesn’t matter where your record has come from, only what it sounds like.’

T Break, Strathallan Castle, Fri 8–Sun 10 Jul.

BANG THE DRUM The Slam Tent at T in the Park is probably the best dance tent at any major festival in the land.

Each year’s line-up, lovingly crafted by Slam (aka Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle), offers a haven for house heads and techno addicts. This year’s bill boasts Len Faki, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos and many more. Meikle talks Henry Northmore through his top five personal highlights from 2016: Local boy Jasper James is playing Thursday. He’s the son of our very good friend Harri, who we used to DJ with at the Sub Club. He’s taken his father’s taste one step further.

DVS1 plays Friday. A good friend of ours from Minneapolis.

He plays things that you think ‘I couldn’t get away with that!’, either by speeding them up, slowing them down or mixing them with two or three other records. It’s not straight-up techno, it’s quite stripped, quite minimal.

On the Saturday there’s Daniel Avery, an up-and-coming producer from London that we’re hoping to collaborate with. Very musical, sequence-driven stuff.

He’s someone I’ve actually not seen DJ before, so I want to be around to watch his set.

Marcel Dettmann on the Sunday. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet. As far we’re concerned this man can do no wrong. He has a sound all to himself with a real vision; he kind of melts music together.

I have to say Jeff Mills, who closes Sunday. He’s someone who has influenced us from the start of our career. He was called The Wizard. One of the first times he came to the UK was when we booked him at the Arches and seeing him perform for the first time made all the stories and folklore make sense.

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The number of women in this year’s T line-up is rather on the slim side. Fiona Shepherd finds they’re still worth celebrating, now more than ever

tinthepark.com

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T in the Park, Strathallan Castle, Fri 8–Sun 10 Jul.

PHOTO: SIMON EMMETT

s mainstream festival bills become more conservative, the relative lack of female musicians playing in a field near you has not gone unnoticed. The point was made simply and eloquently last year by music blogger Joe Dalton who airbrushed all the male artist names out of the poster for the Reading and Leeds festivals to highlight the shockingly bare representation of women.

The number didn’t even stretch to double figures, the ‘wisdom’ being that guys with guitars and superstar DJs are the default soundtrack for many commercial festivals.

Had Dalton photoshopped last year’s T in the Park bill, the situation would not have looked so desperate. Given the strong pop slant of the line-up in recent years, there were relatively diverse riches in the shape of Jessie J, Paloma Faith, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes and Annie Mac all commanding the main stage, and the likes of Charli XCX, Marina & the Diamonds, St Vincent, Wolf Alice, Jessie Ware, Maya Jane CColes Bdy_Prts and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis elsewhere on the bill.

Arguably, a festival bill can be anything the organisers want it to be and all the better if they’re prepared to make bold curatorial choices. But even an established festival such as T can’t afford to take sales for granted; and certainly not after the decidedly bumpy transition to Strathallan.

This year, although the representation of female artists is not quite as rosy, we wanted to make some noise for the women of T, doing what they do and leading by example. Jess Glynne (Clean Bandit guest vocalist turned solo star, pictured) heads the modest charge of pop singers, alongside a couple of up-and-coming names. With the sultry Portishead-sampling single ‘Here’ as her calling card, Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara was BBC Sound of 2016 runnerup; Dua Lipa (daughter of a Kosovan rock star) was also in contention for the same prize, while Josephine Vander Gucht is the Ellie Goulding-esque voice of electro-pop duo Oh Wonder.

Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac returns to T, having brought the party to the main stage and Slam Tent last year. Also on the dance front, Sister Bliss will be presiding over another epic Faithless set while a number of rising DJs hit the decks, including Hannah Wants, best known for her lean techno hit ‘Rhymes’; B Traits, aka Canadian producer / remixer Brianna Price, familiar from her Radio 1 broadcasts and house banger ‘Fever’, and Nina Kraviz, a trained dentist from Siberia who brings her DJing and deep-house production skills to the Slam Tent.

Rock chicks are in thinner supply, though Lothian hardrock trio the Amorettes, invoking the spirit of the Runaways, should make enough noise to compensate. However, the most rocking girl on the bill has to be the extraordinary acoustic guitarist Gabriela Quintero of Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, who has consistently proven that you can whip up a strumming storm without any of those tiresome guitar wank clichés. As fellow T veterans Little Mix would say, salute!

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T IN THE PARK tinthepark.com

CRAIG DAVID? Craig David. Mate, Craig David. You remember Craig David, right? No? Niki Boyle does and he offers up a quick refresher ahead of CD’s Sunday slot at T in the Park

He’s Craig David Yeah, Craig David aka the R’n’B smoothie that taught the world it’s totally legit to make half your lyrics your own name, literally years before Jason Derulo started doing it.

Craig. David.

AKA Craig Daaaay-vid OK, maybe he didn’t actually start every song with his own name, but why let a little thing like facts ruin a good joke?

Leigh Francis (who went on to create that other bastion of British character comedy, Keith Lemon) made C-Davez the (big, rubbery) face of Bo’ Selecta, and the rest, as they say, is Craig David. You know how you can only say Matt Damon in that one specific voice post-Team America? It’s the exact same thing as that.

Craig David’s debut album, Born to Do It, is the second greatest album of all time Yeah, of all time. Craig David. Forget Sgt Pepper, forget OK Computer, forget whichever album we didn’t name third and to why the hell did we even mention Sgt Pepper and OK Computer because, really, didn’t The List use to be better than this?

According to an MTV viewer’s poll in 2009 (aha, context), Born to Do It is the second greatest album of all time.

After Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Which . . . OK yeah, that’s a solid shout.

Craig David worked with Sting The collaboration nobody knew they wanted: Craig David and the man everyone in the world wished they

didn’t know loves tantric sex. And you know what? It’s aged pretty well, not unlike the bulk of Craig David’s other output. It’s music to slow-dance to, and is perfectly fit for purpose.

Although that key change at the end is murder.

Craig David all over your boink In the 17 years since the release of ‘Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo’ Selecta)’, The List is still to find out exactly where and what our ‘boinkboink’ is; if we even have one.

But in the event we do have a ‘boink’, we’re almost 100% certain Craig David is all over it.

This whole time we should have been talking about Craig

David’s TS5 Yeah, cos here’s the thing, it’s not Craig David playing T in the Park solo: it’s his high-profile Miami-based party imprint, playing R’n’B, hip hop, house, dubstep and dancehall. Craig mainly DJs, with some MCing on occasion, but it’s less about him, more about listening and dancing to great urban music. Which, all snark aside, sounds to us like a fairly fun sunny afternoon slot at T in the Park.

Craig David met a girl on Monday. He took her for a drink on Tuesday. They were making love by Wednesday, and on Thursday and Friday and Saturday. He plays T in the Park, Sun 10 Jul.

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TWENTY OUTSTANDING SCOTTISH ALBUMS

SAYAWARD.COM SCOTTISH MUSIC INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

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T IN THE PARK tinthepark.com

SCARE TACTICS Indie band Frightened Rabbit tell Henry Northmore that they’re still trying to corner the Scottish miserabilism market. As another T in the Park looms, will they ever get their wish?

A

t its heart, it’s very Scottish. The roots of it come from Scottish music and the Scottish way of life. ‘One phrase we tried to claim as our own was “Scottish miserabilism”,’ laughs drummer Grant Hutchison. He was the second person in the world to hear Frightened Rabbit’s music, the brainchild of older brother Scott.

‘He said he’d written some demos and gave them to me. I was totally surprised as it was the first time I’d even heard him sing. I think he felt more open with me compared to everyone else. And to be honest I was the only drummer that he knew.’

From there, Frightened Rabbit grew. Debut album Sing the Greys was recorded as a duo in their home town of Selkirk. But Scott needed a band to play his songs live, so the recruitment of Billy Kennedy (bass), Andy Monaghan (guitar, keyboards) and, more recently, Simon Liddell (guitar) ensued. As a band, they bottled the essence of northern soul, mixing elements of folk with epic rock, transforming themes of loss and defeat into stirring anthems of strength and empowerment.

On 2013’s Pedestrian Verse, the band seemed to solidify their sound.

Inspired by Scott’s break-up with his girlfriend, its honesty and stirring choruses connected with listeners while the band found themselves touring the world and selling out ever bigger venues as the album went top ten in the UK. ‘You’re not aware of it until you finish a campaign because you’re inside a bubble,’ says Grant. ‘You can’t really be aware of what’s happening around you because either you’re going to get a huge ego or it’s going to freak you out and cause mass anxiety.’

When we talk, the Frabbits are holed up in a London hotel after showcasing new album, Painting of a Panic Attack, at a couple of secret gigs billed as The Footshooters. For their latest record, Scott tapped into another aspect of the modern condition, once again finely balancing raw emotion with sweeping indie guitars. ‘The Frightened Rabbit folksy feel that we’re all in this together and we’re all pals in

a pub singing along is less evident,’ states Grant. ‘It’s far more sparse which gives it a feeling of loneliness and distance. Scott was based in LA and felt quite isolated from friends and family. The city in general doesn’t have the same welcoming feel as Glasgow. This album isn’t about the desperation of a lost relationship; it’s just as personal but it’s more about isolation from the things you love and cherish.’

You get the impression that Grant’s upbeat and easy-going nature helps provide a counterpoint to Scott’s confessional lyrics. Lead single ‘Get Out’ is the perfect example of their synergy, a gutsy oomph of a tune that belies the naked honesty of its lyrical themes. Painting of a Panic Attack was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, whom Hutchison met when the two bands toured America together. Initial plans for a solo record or collaborative project organically morphed into a month of recording sessions for Frightened Rabbit.

‘It was in a beautiful church called Dreamland in upstate New York, not far from Woodstock,’ recalls Grant. ‘People were saying “you must have felt the vibe”. But not really; I got out of my bed every morning, went downstairs and played the drums. I wasn’t channelling Levon Helm [The Band].’

The record was completed over a final two weeks at Dessner’s home studio. ‘He works in a very different way from us. He is essentially The National and their process is always quite long and drawn-out because their studio is in his backyard. Whereas we always keep it more compressed: once we’ve done the album that’s that. He likes to tinker.’

Like many Scottish bands, playing T in the Park means a lot to Frightened Rabbit. ‘It’s a festival all of us visited before we were in bands, before we were in this band, one that we aspired to play. It’s incredible to play to that crowd.’

Frightened Rabbit play T in the Park, Fri 8 Jul.

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SAY AWARD They could be contenders (from left, clockwise): Rachel Sermanni, Hudson Mohawke, The Revenge

‘Who seriously thinks Chaosmosis is one of the best albums of the year?’

PHOTOS: RACHEL SERMANNI BY MIKE GUEST; HUDSON MOHAWKE BY TIM SACCENTI

Music writers David Pollock and Stewart Smith talk about the Scottish Album of the Year Award, in a wide-ranging conversation that takes in the priorities of public funding, the need for more diversity, the function of the awards, the future of the Scottish music industry and a bit of gratuitous Primal Scream-bashing David

OK, so I suggested we do this because I saw your post on Facebook about the SAY Award; you made lots of interesting points, not all of which I agreed with. Maybe you should start by saying what your thoughts are on the longlist?

Stewart

I was a little underwhelmed. There are some good records in there, of course, but too many usual suspects and B-list indie acts. Does the world really need another Django Django album? Who can get excited by this vaguely dancey indie fodder? Like many a thirtysomething, I remain very fond of the Beta Band, but the latest Steve Mason solo album is hardly earth-shattering.

I can’t get mad about such acts making the longlist, but it’s a shame it’s at the expense of emerging acts. And Primal Scream can do one: Chaosmosis is such a lazy, piss-poor effort, running on the fumes of Bobby Gillespie’s tired

hipster reference points. Who seriously thinks this is one of the best albums of the year?

On the positive side, it’s cool to see electronic music doing quite well, especially HudMo and Auntie Flo. It’s a shame Golden Teacher’s EPs were ineligible though. There’s tons of indie piffle like Admiral Fallow, but no metal, jazz, experimental etc. Perhaps there could be a change to the voting system so that more niche genres stand a chance?

A friend raised the point about what the award is for: is it to support grassroots music, or promote the Scottish music industry? It feels more like the latter. As a result, you’ve got quite a bland, corporate list that doesn’t really reflect the diversity and energy of the Scottish music scene. I support the principle of the award, but I can’t help but feel it’s a bit of a missed opportunity.

So, what do you reckon to the longlist and the question of what the award is for?

David

It was pretty much as I’d expected, although that doesn’t mean I expected to see exactly every album end up on there. But it has a decent mix of styles: HudMo, Auntie Flo and Young Fathers are real innovators; C Duncan, FFS and Miaoux Miaoux have all made really distinctive and engaging pop records; I guess some of the others maybe suffer from overfamiliarity, if anything.

But I think we’re on very different pages about what the award is for. I remember writing about this in The Independent back in 2013: I wrote that the SAY Award ‘is symptomatic of the resurgent cultural confidence in a Scotland poised on the brink of . . . an independence referendum.’ For me the SAY Award is wrapped up in the whole feeling of possibility and national self-analysis from that time; let’s call it a celebration of localism rather than nationalism. ‘Here’s who we are and what we do’, it says, whether that’s

→

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SAY AWARD

THE SAY AWARD LONGLIST 2016

SAY it is so (from top, clockwise): Auntie Flo, Jarlath Henderson, Emma Pollock, Anna Meredith

Admiral Fallow Tiny Rewards Anna Meredith Varmints Auntie Flo Theory of Flo C Duncan Architect CHVRCHES Every Open Eye Django Django Born Under Saturn Dunedin Consort Bach Magnificat Emma Pollock In Search of Harperfield FFS FFS Hector Bizerk The Waltz of Modern Psychiatry Hudson Mohawke Lantern

→ PHOTOS: ANNA MEREDITH BY MARK KEAN; EMMA POLLOCK BY JANNICA HONEY

Rustie or RM Hubbert or Belle & Sebastian or Boards of Canada. Or even Emeli Sandé. It seems to be a statement to have an award like SAY at the moment. Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland all do; England doesn’t, but let’s not go there . . .

The SAY gives us something to rally round every year, to look back and see what’s worked and what hasn’t. While labels have to pay to enter the Mercury, the SAY is open to public nominations; having a lot of people involved in the decision-making is as egalitarian as it gets. But then if enough people play it safe, it can’t help but let your Primal Screams in?

I know where you’re coming from, that there’s a whole strata of good underground Scottish music that doesn’t seem to get recognised by the SAY. But how do you do that without rigging it?

I’d say the award is definitely meant to support the industry, but they’ve done a good job of giving the grassroots a boost: that 20k will have come in very handy to winners like RM Hubbert and Kathryn Joseph.

Stewart

I appreciate SAY has to include some populist choices in order to hook in a wider audience, but I am a bit uncomfortable with the idea of public money propping up the marketing campaigns of established mainstream acts. By that I don’t mean your Admiral Fallows so much as your Primal Screams or, in previous years, Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian. Acts on that level don’t need SAY, although in publicity terms, perhaps SAY needs them.

There’s a wider context to my comments on the spending of public money; when you see the Scottish Government giving money to T in the Park but failing to save The Arches, it looks a bit like socialism for the rich and austerity for the rest of us. It’s not that the grassroots should have to rely on public cash, but if you want to scale things up from a local DIY level, then funding is essential.

It’s not that SAY is hogging funding that would otherwise go to the grassroots, but I do think that as a publicly-funded award, it needs to be about more than simply boosting the Scottish music industry. Of course, SAY is not a panacea; there’s a wider conversation to be had about public funding and the Scottish music scene, and hopefully this discussion can be a contribution to that.

To end on a positive note, who would you like to see win this year? For me, it’s got to be Anna Meredith.

David

I’m staying quiet on the winner, but I’m sad Spook School weren’t nominated.

They play the jangly, excitable indie for which Scotland’s scene is renowned, with added comment on gender which is, I think, really ground-breaking. But there’s always next time.

David Pollock is a freelance arts, culture and feature writer based in Edinburgh, and Stewart Smith is a writer and researcher based in Glasgow. Read a longer version of this conversation at list.co.uk

Iain Morrison Eas Jarlath Henderson Hearts Broken, Heads Turned Lau The Bell that Never Rang Steve Mason Meet the Humans Miaoux Miaoux School of Velocity Primal Scream Chaosmosis Rachel Sermanni Tied to the Moon The Revenge Love that Will Not Die Young Fathers White Men Are Black Men Too The shortlist is announced on Thu 16 Jun, and the winner is revealed on Wed 29 Jun.

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“It’ll be geet lush” (That’s Geordie for “It’ll be absolutely brilliant”)

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27/05/2016 15:37 19:59 24/05/2016

PLATFORM

As Platform reaches a very important birthday, the Glasgow multi-arts hub is building on a decade of success. Fiona Shepherd discovers that it’s all about engaging with the community

RISEANDSHINE ‘W

hen you are ten, it is time to be mature.’ So says pint-sized sage Nicole of Oakwood Primary School in Easterhouse. And she should know.

Along with the rest of her primary-five class, she turns ten in the same year as her local community hub Platform celebrates its own tenth birthday. Her words and those of her classmates are quoted throughout the multi-arts venue’s new brochure, acknowledging their role as the venue’s classroom-in-residence.

‘Classroom-in-residence’.

Now that’s community engagement.

So does Platform need to mature? It seemed to arrive fully formed a decade ago and has only grown as a vibrant arts basee beside its neighbours in The Bridge (also celebrating its tenth birthday), an open-plan complex which also includes Glasgow Kelvin College, the local library and a swimming pool, as well as Platform’s performance spaces and café bar.

As performance programmer Matt Addicott points out, there are no walls between these institutions.

‘That’s one of the things that makes it so distinctive and unique,’ he says.

‘This desire to get rid of walls and barriers between different services all under one roof so people can access them as they please.’

Platform rose out of a burgeoning local arts scene in a part of Glasgow once notorious as a sink estate, and was built on a site traversed so regularly by residents that they had worn desire paths into the grass. ‘The three main entrances and exits in the building were built over these pathways so it feels like it’s what the people want and need,’ says Addicott.

‘It’s important to us that we build on what’s here rather than parachuting in and delivering something that doesn’t make sense. When you’ve been in the area for a period of time you build up trust and people take more risks in terms of the activities that they come in to see.’

That community engagement runs through Platform’s programme of workshops and performances, whether aimed at all ages or

particular groups. Music programmer Alun Woodward – well-known in this parish as former frontman of The Delgados and part of the crack team who run Chemikal Underground Records – has been with Platform since the beginning and cites composer Malcolm Lindsay’s project When We Grow Younger as a highlight. Lindsay worked with pupils from Sunnyside Primary to create the piece.

‘Malcolm was most excited about the children writing their own quartet piece on adapted software,’ says Woodward. ‘It was funny to watch incredibly talented violinists getting their heads around kids who don’t know the rules about writing classical music.’ Woodward

talks of ‘a genuine desire to link a community into an ambitious arts programme’. No local battle of the bands here, but an adventurous bill which attracts music fans from all over the city to board the time-honoured bus from Mono out to Easterhouse.

Every autumn, the Eastern Promise festival curates international artists alongside familiar Scottish names, while the Outskirts festival spans a number of artistic disciplines. For this year’s Outskirts, SAY Award winner Kathryn Joseph was commissioned alongside Marcus Mackay and Twilight Sad frontman James

Graham to write songs inspired by a series of Easterhouse Conversations they had with members of the community. ‘Such positive humans with life stories that made us laugh and sometimes cry,’ says Joseph. ‘It was such a great way to get some sort of feeling for what Platform do. The difference this place makes to people’s lives was very obvious and beautiful to be around. It’s a beautiful building inside and out.’

The voices of local residents can also be heard in Rules of the Dancefloor, a new mixed-media piece for the tenth anniversary celebrations, which combines audio clips of locals recalling their dancing days with live choreographed performance. That piece is part of Platform’s Made in Easterhouse programme, which extends throughout this anniversary year, and also encompasses artist-inresidence Deirdre Nelson’s work with older Easterhouse denizens, who have already created ‘mapping tablecloths’ of the area which they will continue to embroider at a succession of sewing bees for use at future Platform parties.

‘A few people have said “there’s more to Easterhouse than the bad press it’s had in the past”,’ says Nelson.

‘I have been amazed at how many community groups there are and how much activity is going on in the aarea.’ Addicott agrees: ‘what happens h here doesn’t match the historical rreputation of Easterhouse, the two are q quite incongruous. We’re really keen to redress that reputation and tell the story of what’s happening in this building and the wider community.’

That work is set to continue as outgoing arts manager Jackie Shearer passes the baton to her successor Jenny Crowe. ‘It feels like a really exciting time,’ says Addicott. ‘The importance is being placed on the audience and the artists.

The audience is local but the outlook is international.’

Platform’s tenth birthday party is on Sat 30 Jul. See platform-online.co.uk for details of the anniversary programme.

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PLATFORM PHOTO: EUAN ROBERTSON

Top: James Graham, Marcus Mackay and Kathryn Joseph at Outskirts; bottom: artist Deirdre Nelson’s ‘mapping tablecloths’

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LEITHLATE

IN THE ZONE Bigger and bolder than before, LeithLate is spreading its wings and making the area ever more culturally vital. David Pollock chats to festival director Morvern Cunningham, about her vision for an exciting new future

PHOTO: RUTH.MARSHPR@GMAIL.COM

‘I

don’t recall the term “gentrification” ever being associated with Leith back when we started in 2011,’ says Morvern Cunningham, founder and director of the Edinburgh port district’s annual arts festival LeithLate. ‘But it’s something that’s bandied about all the time now, even in the local graffiti. A lot of the old man’s pubs have been replaced with hipster bars and we have a massive new student population. This is part of an ongoing regeneration in Leith since the 1980s and before: check Tim Chalk’s Leith History mural for references to the influx of wine bars to the area, even back then.’

That Leith has its own character is undeniable, but it’s no longer the dangerous persona of Trainspotting legend (ironic, given that Danny Boyle’s sequel has recently been filming in the area). Leith still has its rough edges, but in addition to the changes Cunningham lists, it’s also the part of Edinburgh with the greatest amount of cultural capital. ‘The purpose of LeithLate has always been to celebrate the area’s creative community, and it continues to do that. I used to worry that the initial purpose of showcasing Leith’s grassroots cultural spaces had fallen by the wayside, as we’ve lost places like The Old Ambulance Depot and Such & Such, but I’m heartened to see there’s been a resurgence in brand new art spaces such as The Creative Showroom and Out of the Blue Leith Walk Studios.’

The festival’s format has changed over the years, from one night of music and art events up and down Leith Walk, to last year’s range of six distinct happenings spread out across the summer. This year, LeithLate is more traditionally ‘festival-shaped’, a long weekend of all-day events with 50 artists occupying 20 venues.

‘This is technically the biggest LeithLate has ever been,’ says Cunningham. ‘We have the results of a festival-twinning, a special artist commission, three site-specific installations and three invited, curated exhibitions all being showcased on the opening night.’ All this, and the LeithLate16 Afterparty (featuring Nice Church and Carbs playing the

Hibernian Supporters Club); panel talks on subjects including Leith gentrification and the politics of public art; new tours of the area’s murals; an Art Mart at Out of the Blue; and closing party of music and spoken word at Pilrig St Paul’s Church.

LeithLate is committed to finding new and unusual arts spaces without artificially stimulating the area by ignoring things that are already ongoing. There will be window-installation pieces by digital artist Ian Gouldstone (pictured) in Pat’s Chung Ying and secretive musician Kosmischer Läufer at Leith Athletics, while Rabiya Choudhry’s commissioned ‘LeithLate banknote’ results in 6000 bills being given out to encourage debate on creating the area’s own currency.

‘I think any neighbourhood could host this type of event, as long as there’s already creative activity taking place,’ says Cunningham. ‘I’d like to see LeithLate work with the other festivals and creative spaces that operate in the area to harness a stronger case for investment in Leith’s cultural capital. I’d like to employ more people and introduce a residency programme where we invite international artists to make work here. And, of course, I’d like to see LeithLate have a secure financial future, which would have to be reliant on fundraising, Creative Scotland and beyond.’

More than most, it’s a festival which is tied to the diverse and changing area which created it. So what does she hope for from Leith itself? ‘Not to become too gentrified! For all the sections of the community to coexist and be proud of where they live. Also, the Leith Creative research project I co-developed with Citizen Curator last year recommended there be a mid-sized multi-arts venue in Leith, which is something that I believe we really need and could have. I also think it needs a cool club with a 3am licence. It’s mad that we have a really vibrant café, restaurant and bar culture, with nowhere to go after 1am but Storries.’

LeithLate, various venues, Leith, Thu 23–Sun 26 Jun.

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APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR 2016/17

A Festival of Music & Merriment

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WIN TICKETS TO GATHERED TOGETHER 2016

As part of its’ 20th anniversary, Scotland’s leading inclusive dance development company, Indepen-dance, will host their second International Inclusive Dance Festival at Glasgow’s Tramway.

Over four days, the festival will bring together dance artists and companies from across the globe to share best practice and knowledge as well as showing work. The festival programme will include workshops, panel discussions, presentations and performances culminating in a ceilidh on the Saturday night.

The List are giving away five pairs of tickets to one of the three performance evenings, which will feature performances of inclusive dance from professional companies and community groups. To be in with a chance of winning just log onto list.co.uk/offers and tell us:

How old is Indepen-dance?

Indepen-dance Tramway, Glasgow Wed 7 – Sat 10 Sep 2016

indepen-dance.org.uk/festival/

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Competition closes 24 Aug. Usual List rules apply.

Contact indepen-dance.org.uk/festival/ for details.

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COMIC CON

STARS AND STRIPS Rowena McIntosh takes a look at some of the most exciting guests heading to this year’s Glasgow Comic Con

G

lasgow Comic Con is renowned for curating an impressive lineup of creators, from comic heavyweights working for Marvel and DC Comics, to indie successes and a dedicated strand of break-out talent. The two-day Con is the bustling hub of the wider Glasgow Comic Festival, which features superhero film screenings, Glasgow Zine Fest, comic launches, the SICBA awards and talks which cover publishing, feminism in comics and the journey to creating a comic. Last year the event drew a record audience of 10,000, so for 2016 the Con has moved into a larger space with Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall welcoming more artists, writers and creators, as well as more fans of all things comic.

Here are some top Con artists to look out for . . .

KATE LETH The Canadian comic writer and artist is the author of the Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat! series for Marvel Comics, as well as titles including Bravest Warriors and Edward Scissorhands. She’s written three of the seven Adventure Time graphic novels and this year took over as writer for cult horror comic Vampirella.

Leth also runs the podcast LESS THAN LIVE with KATE OR DIE where she interviews fellow comic creators, and she’ll be DJing at the festival’s summer party too.

DAVE GIBBONS A giant in the UK comic scene, Gibbons is best known for his collaboration with Alan Moore on the 12-issue series Watchmen, now one of the bestselling graphic novels of all time and adapted for the screen in 2009. An artist, writer and sometime letterer, his impressive back-catalogue includes work on 2000 AD, Green Lantern and Doctor Who. He’s also an ambassador for the genre and in 2014 was appointed the UK’s first ever Comic Laureate.

NEIL SLORANCE An illustrator and comic artist from Glasgow, Slorance is the co-creator and artist for all four issues of Dungeon Fun, an adventure comic about a young girl called Fun battling all sorts of mythical creatures, with plenty of hilarity along the way. Together with writer Colin Bell, he’s also created The Amateur

Astronomer’s Journal and draws for the Doctor Who Twelfth Doctor comics. Slorance has a great talent for live drawing, covering events from the Scottish elections to Eurovision.

MARGUERITE BENNETT Bennett writes for a multitude of comics including female superhero series DC Comics: Bombshells, which features an epic cast of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batwoman, Stargirl, Aquawoman and more; DC’s Batgirl; Dynamite Entertainment’s Red Sonja; and Marvel’s Angela: Queen of Hell. In 2015 she published her first ongoing creator-owned comic with artist Ariela Kristantina. InSeXts is an erotic horror story about a pair of female lovers from the Victorian era who transform into bug-like monsters before going on a killing spree.

CLARE FORREST The Glasgow-based illustrator is the creator of The Mighty Women of Science, a beautifully illustrated alphabet book championing the women who have changed the face of science. Forrest hosted last year’s Big Comic Draw and will be in residence again for the Big Science Comic Draw. She’s also responsible for this year’s eye-catching Glasgow Comic Festival poster, a Where’s Wally?-style gathering of comic strip icons: oh wait, is that a Storm Trooper in a jumper?

JOHN FARDELL The British cartoonist created two of Viz’s longestrunning strips: The Critics (about a pair of elitist art commentators who frequently mistake everyday objects for modern art) and The Modern Parents (a satirical look at a pair of middle-class parents and their quest for ethical living). He’s also the writer and artist for several intricately-detailed children’s picture books, including The Day Louis Got Eaten, and a series of adventure novels for young readers set in a host of exotic locations.

Glasgow Comic Festival, various venues, Tue 28 Jun–Sun 3 Jul; Glasgow Comic Con, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 2 & Sun 3 Jul.

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JIM JEFFERIES

FREE SPIRIT

He may have been assaulted on stage in Manchester and received hate mail in the US, but Australian comic Jim Jefferies tells Brian Donaldson that he has never been offensive

I

f you had to guess which comedian once performed for Prince William, trained in their 20s to be an opera star and loves ventriloquism, it wouldn’t be Jim Jefferies. The Australian comic has had a hard reputation to maintain with early-career tales of his involvement in the porn industry, being robbed at machete point and discovering a tumour in his penis, as well as reams of intoxicated shenanigans. So to hear that he once told jokes in front of the future King, sang twice in the chorus of Opera Australia and can can’tt get enough of Nina Conti’s work feels like a bolt from the blue.

‘I played at St Andrews many, many years ago when [Prince William] was a student and I was a very young comic,’ recalls the now LA-based stand-up. ‘I was briefed before the gig and they made it clear that we were not to heckle him or roast him and not even to really talk about him being there. But I can understand that; I’ve hadd some celebrities in thee audience and it’s a givenn thing that you don’t pointt them out.’

In the three years priorr to Jefferies starting on thee road to stand-up infamy,, he appeared in publicc a. with Opera Australia.

‘This was a chorus which the government paid for so I did an audition and got in. People think I’m lying about this but I’m not. I’d sung in school musicals and been alright but now I can hardly sing a lick: my throat is wrecked to bits from yelling on stage.’ For the record, he’s a fan of Puccini and Mozart, but ‘doesn’t want to hear anything heavy like Wagner and Purcell’.

Having moved to the UK in order to seriously to pursue a long yearned-for stand-up career, Jefferies began wooing the Edinburgh Fringe throughout the 2000s with largely personal shows such as Porn Idol, 30 and Hammered. Inevitably, his style and content upset as many

as it charmed and he’s had a whole heap of accusations levelled at him: this reached its height when he was notoriously assaulted on stage at the Manchester Comedy Store by a less than amused observer.

While Jefferies insists that he never set out to offend anyone, he’s largely unrepentant about his material. ‘I don’t think that I’m actually that offensive. As the years have gone by I certainly haven’t got more offensive: the comics around me have. Yes I still say “cunt” a lot, but th that means nothing in A America.

In a show I’ve ju recorded, I basically just c call myself “the Rosa P Parks of ‘cunt’” because w when I came out here s seven years ago, it was b banned in comedy clubs: i was the one word you it c could not say. About five y years ago that ban was l lifted and I feel that I am s somewhat responsible for that. I have brought A America that word.’

With a show title such as Freedumb, it’s logical that we’ll be expecting a long tirade about the current US election campaign and, in particular, the presumptive nominee of the Republican party.

‘Well, you have to call a show something, don’t you?’ states Jefferies by way of sidestepping any concerns that it will be a solid and sustained rant about Trump. ‘There will maybe be ten minutes on the election.

A lot of it is about the hate mail I received after I commented on the second amendment. I had a routine on gun control and, for all their freedom talk, I sure got abused by a lot of them. A lot of the show is about debunking the idea that America is the most free country on earth.’

Jim Jefferies: Freedumb, O2 Academy, Glasgow, Fri 8 Jul; EICC, Edinburgh, Sun 10 Jul.

38 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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27/05/2016 17:41

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RALLY & BROAD

40 THE LIST 2 Junâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1 Sep 2016

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27/05/2016 19:07

RALLY & BROAD

‘Guess who was Kirsty and who was Shane?’

After four years, Edinburgh’s literary-flavoured cabaret of spoken word and music is coming to an end. Rebecca Monks caught up with Rally & Broad hosts Rachel McCrum and Jenny Lindsay to find out why it’s shutting up shop

With Rally and Broad coming to an end, what projects are you both moving on to?

Jenny: I’m really delighted to announce that

I’ve set up a spoken word production company called Flint & Pitch Productions, and have been busy setting up events for the autumn with a few different partners. I’m [also] going to be working with the team at the Lyceum to programme the spoken word and music for the new Lyceum Variety Nights, under David Greig’s directorship.

Rachel: I’m taking a step back from promoting events for the moment. Spoken word in Scotland has been my life and blood for the past five years, and part of my joy is having a look round and seeing what could be the next stages for poets, for events and for audiences, and how I can help create platforms and development for artists to explore this. The other thingy for my own writing and performing is a bit terrifying – I’ll be working on my first collection proper, to be published (hopefully) in summer 2017.

What goals did you have in mind when you set Rally & Broad up, and do you feel that they’ve been accomplished?

JL: Gender-balanced bills. Yep. A showcase,

late-night event for longer spoken-word sets.

Yep. A braw night of all things lyrical, where total newcomers sit easily on a bill with established names from the lit world, alongside excellent music. Yep. Artists actually getting paid. Yep. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished.

RM: I’m particularly proud that the audiences have grown so much, not just for R&B but for

spoken word in general, over the past four years.

Partly because there are a lot more organisations, institutions and festivals curious about spoken word and including it in their programming, bringing it to new audiences.

What are you fondest R&B memories?

RM: Singing (terribly) ‘Fairytale of New York’

on our season two Christmas show (guess who was Kirsty and who was Shane?). The Heroes + Superheroes ‘make your own supercreature out of plasticine’ game. Wearing jammies on stage, particularly for the Hangover Specials. Hearing new voices that suddenly stop you in their tracks. Laughing till I cried at Ross Sutherland, Aidan Moffat, Salena Godden (and often just crying). Some of our more ridiculous raffles.

JL: My favourite ‘theme’ has been our seasonal Hangover Special shows, my favourite of which was Jan 2016, where we did two simultaneous shows over two levels in the Bongo Club, with a rotating audience. It was mad, and awesome, and it sold out too. Our very first show in October 2012 with a queue all the way out the Counting House; a road trip to Dumfries with Chrissy Barnacle in 2014; hosting Kate Tempest’s book launch with the Scottish Poetry Library . . . and Don Paterson saying on stage, the first time we booked him, ‘what is this? It’s a live poetry event I’m actually enjoying!’

What do you feel R&B’s legacy will be?

RM: We started Rally & Broad with very

clear ideas. We wanted to see a bigger platform for spoken word, a glitzier night that would bring in new audiences, and be somewhere that artists

from outside Scotland could visit. We wanted to bring in an awareness of gender balance billing, of proper fees for artists, and to look at a bit of professionalising around spoken word. The grassroots scene is absolutely life-and-blood essential for any spoken word community to grow and the Scottish one is a beautiful thing.

We wanted to see what the next steps were, how to create a little more awareness and a little more stability for spoken word in Scotland.

JL: I think that R&B has been an integral part of building the new enthusiasm for spoken word in Scotland, and while our scene here is pretty precarious in terms of funding and infrastructure, I hope those audiences continue to seek out spoken word events. Certainly, it’s been a great vehicle to get acts from elsewhere in the UK recognising how great the scene is up here.

If you could sum up the last four years in one sentence, what would it be?

RM: I look forward to sitting on a bench together

in the Meadows when we’re 65, wearing enormous hats and swearing at pigeons together and feeling immensely proud of all this.

JL: The best project I’ve ever been part of, with the best woman I’ve ever worked with; at times nail-bitingly stressful; at times bursting with joy; overall, it’s the thing I’m proudest of in my spoken word life to date.

Rally & Broad’s final nights are at Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Jun; Stereo, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun. See list.co.uk for more of this Q&A. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 41

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IT WON’T T BE THE TA ALK OF THE TOWN.

ON A APPE EARIN NG IN N VENUES ACROSS TOWN,

THIS TRIO WILL BE HARD TO FOLLOW. AS FOR THE REVIEW, IT ALL

STARTS

HERE.

CALEDONIANBEER.COM 42 THE LIST S 2 JJun–1 un– –1 S Sep ep 201 20 2016 6

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FOOD & DRINK

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

EDINBURGH BEER FACTORY The capital’s latest outbreak of beer culture is just a tram ride away

PHOTO: DANIEL SMITH

One of the more striking arrivals on the craft beer scene in Scotland last year was Paolozzi lager, made by the Edinburgh Beer Factory and inspired by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, the Edinburgh-born sculptor and pop art pioneer. The state-of-the-art brewery where the Munich-style lager is made is located in Bankhead, and some of Paolozzi’s original artwork can be viewed during hour-long brewery tours that are now on offer for groups of up to 12. While the tours (£15 per head) have to be booked in advance, the site also incorporates a café-bar and a shop selling refillable growlers. The factory is located just 100 yards from the Bankhead stop on one of those other local icons, the Edinburgh tram line. (Donald Reid) ■ edinburghbeerfactory.co.uk

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FOOD & DRINK

DRINKS NEWS

NEWS & REVIEWS

Amid claims that Edinburgh consumes more gin per head of population than any other city in the UK, Spencerfield Spirits has expanded production of its Edinburgh Gin brand with the opening of a new distillery at the Biscuit Factory in Leith.

Led by Head Distiller David Wilkinson, the new facility supplements the gin’s existing distillery at 1a Rutland Place, where viewing, tours and ginmaking are all on offer.

Jamie Delap of Fyne Ales has taken inspiration from a traditional German style of slightly sour wheat beer, known as gose (pron. go-seh) to produce a new beer specially designed to match the smoked salmon available from his neighbour Loch Fyne Oysters.

Pun alert: it’s called This Gose.

CRAB FAB Finnieston trailblazer Crabshakk has expanded with a fully fledged sister restaurant. David Kirkwood discovers that there’s a strong family resemblance

W

ith every new opening at Argyle Street’s western tip, it is de rigeur to note the area’s rejuvenation and its emergence as a culinary destination. But when Crabshakk arrived in 2009, the Finnieston frenzy was barely taking baby steps. There was great seafood to be had in Glasgow, though not in this part of town. And nowhere else had that European pulse, the seats at the bar, the smaller plates (deliciously stacking up over the evening). That aesthetic has had a genuine influence on the area and its striking standard of dining.

Into that mix has arrived a little sister. Table 11 is two doors up, its name relative to the ten that squeeze into Crabshakk. It’s small plates all the way, arriving as they’re prepared, 15 or so on offer. There are oysters. There’s seafood. There are meat dishes and vegetable ones. There are crowd-pleasers, such as a juicy, sweet bull burger on brioche that’s over in three bites, or a lobster ravioli in a laksa / bisque that’s (just) the right side of salty.

Then there are plates demonstrating what the kitchen’s all about, such as charred monkfish cheeks with a corn and pineapple salsa. The chefs have clearly been allowed to play, especially with

textures and temperatures. Lamb neck tingles with pricks of fennel and coriander seed beside crumbled cauliflower and pomegranate. Even better is a Thai green watermelon curry with the fruit’s cold flesh bouncing off the hefty chilli kick while crisp flakes of cashew pop up. It’s a stand-out dish, modern and playful, going through warm, cold, spicy, soft and crunchy.

Occasionally the combinations jar: tuna’s peppered crust with bitter radish and a tsatsiki-esque dip; or even that salsa with the monkfish? But they also contribute to the menu’s identity. When small plates look all over the world for reference points, cohesion is often lost. Not here. Table 11 fits in nicely, with the same close-up, city-lights style of its elder sibling. Take a seat at the bar, if that’s your thing: the experience is unique. One small negative is the interior wall separating bar from diners, because they’ve created an atmosphere here that you won’t want to cut.

RECOMMENDS . . .

CARLUCCI DUNFERMLINE, FIFE

1132 Argyle Street, West End, Glasgow, G3 8TD, 0141 357 6401, table11.co.uk

Inside, the mood is cheery & modern, while the menu is peppered with Italian classics.

Try the new Moretti Regionali range or the classic on tap.

Open Tue–Fri 5pm–midnight; Sat noon–midnight; Sun noon–5pm. Closed Mon.

restaurantcarlucci.org.uk

+

The skilful contrast of tastes and temperatures

-

The middle wall that keeps the confines narrow

TABLE 11

Average price two-course meal: £21 (lunch / dinner) 44 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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News to nibble on In case you missed sed - The Vintage at it in April, this year’s Drygate (page ear’s EDINBURG edition of The List’s 128) should st’s 1 H & GLASGO W Eating & Drinking simply have g s Guide, covering been listed as b 1,000 places to Drygate Bar & Dr eat out across Kitchen.

Also in Kit Glasgow and that tha write-up we’d Edinburgh, is like to clarify that available from Tennent’s have Ten local bookshopss no interest in the i as well as list. business other than busin co.uk/shop. In as landlords. la the print edition, £5.95 a few errors Of the many food crept in that and drink events d we’d like to we cover (keep an co correct and clarify: eye on food.list. ify: - In our write-up of Café 1505 co.uk/events), there’s one we’re @ Surgeonshall (page 16) we particularly excited about this incorrectly credited Robert Adam month: the latest cook book from as the architect of the neighbouring Lupe Pintos owner Doug Bell.

Surgeons’ Hall, home of café owners Called The Mexican Wrestlers the Royal College of Surgeons of Cookbook, the launch event on Edinburgh. It should have been 20 June will see Edinburgh’s ascribed to William Playfair.

Citrus Club turned into the - We offered an inaccurate attribution Luchador Lounge Bar for the of the stylish interiors at Lowdown night, with cocktails, El Cartel’s Coffee on George Street (page 61).

Taco Truck parked outside and The design work was by Gregor Los Straitjackets, a masked Brown of Lluc Design. luchador surf band, playing live.

IN ASSOC IATION WITH

EATING & DRINKING Guide

list.co.uk

23rd Edit ion 2016/17

The project of chef Scott Smith, a protégé of Michelin-starred Geoffrey Smeddle of The Peat Inn, Norn has opened up in the venue in Leith vacated last year by the Plumed Horse. Named after an ancient Scottish language and with a mission to pay tribute to Scotland’s rich food landscape and heritage, the 36-cover restaurant includes chefs serving tables, a bar

top doubling up as the pass and an informal kitchen table. Lunch (£20) and evening set menus of either four or seven courses (£40/£65) are inspired by a trusted group of local butchers, foragers, farmers and seafood specialists, while drinks will include natural, organic and biodynamic wines chosen by ex-Terroirs sommelier Sandro Colavolpe.

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2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 45

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SMALL BUSINESS

RECENT OPENINGS

A decade on from launching one of Fife’s favourite dining spots, Craig and Vikki Wood have a new sister venue right in the centre of Edinburgh. Donald Reid goes big for The Wee Restaurant

T

aking up in the New Town premises previously home to Fleur de Sel (and before that the original La P’tite Folie), The Wee Restaurant is a similarly sized chip off the original North Queensferry block. Craig Wood oversees both kitchens, but in Edinburgh he has called in the services of head chef Michael Innes, who returns to the capital after a spell at El Celler de Can Roca, the place that knocked Noma off top spot in Restaurant magazine’s list of the World’s Top Restaurants.

Don’t come looking for 3-star cooking, however: what’s on offer here is an extension of the original venue’s ethos, rather than a whole new direction, with a continued focus on excellent ingredients and confident, well-executed cooking, be that moules frîtes with bacon, basil, pine nuts and parmesan, new season asparagus with herb gnocchi and soft poached egg, or a decadently buttery whole-roasted lemon sole with baby shrimps and samphire. The sense of comfort is enhanced further with toffeecoloured leather chairs and bold art on the walls. The one slightly odd note is that, with 40 covers (the same as the original now offers), it ain’t really that wee.

THE WEE RESTAURANT 61 Frederick Street, New Town, Edinburgh EH2 1LH Average price two-course meal: £16 (set lunch) / £29 (dinner).

The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.

Glasgow VINYARD 28 BARS & PUBS 28 Vinicombe Street, West End, 0141 560 8004, fb.com/vinyard28, £17 (lunch/dinner) Replacing Booly Mardy’s, VinYard 28 comes from old-hand Lawrence McManus (Epicures, Nick’s, Old Salty’s – on Byres Road only after Finnieston closed recently), and features many of his interior design hallmarks – brickwork, industrial trim and chunky wood. Unlike its predecessor, the bar is not pitched as a full-blown cocktail spot (though there’s expertise thanks to some ex-Booly’s staff). Emphasis is on dining, with a compact menu offering small or main variants making tapas-style eating a temptation – and generally rewarding. From beef carpaccio and crab and chilli (not nearly enough) linguine to meatballs and stand-out lamb rump with borlotti beans, there’s an appealingly solid hand in the kitchen – plus sunny-day enticement from the al fresco set-up.

MACGREGORS PIE & ALE HOWFF BARS & PUBS 5 Blackfriars Road, Merchant City, 0141 552 5012, @macgregorpiebar, £5 (lunch/dinner) From the Butterfly & the Pig group comes this traditional-style pub, set on a quiet Merchant City street, featuring gambling machine, dartboard, sport on TV, and bar and lounge split. The name about says it all: they do ales and pies. Drinks rotate from breweries

such as Top Out, Alechemy and Fallen, while the pies, made in the highly competent Butterfly kitchen, are proper pies – none of this pastry lid nonsense.

Fillings include venison or haggis, while ‘duckfast’ is a satisfying number utilising the monks’ infamous tipple.

A succinct choice of accompaniments – beans or mushy peas – add up to an enticing, albeit limited, food offering.

BLACK VANILLA CAFES 553 Duke Street, East End, £5 two course (shake/ cereal and cake) Amusement and bemusement met the news of Glasgow’s first cereal bar. Infamy aside, this Dennistoun venue isn’t really the same beast as London’s much maligned Cereal Killers. No irony, no recipe booklets. Just a serious amount of sugar. A closer reference point would be the American sweet shops that have sprung up in recent years. This is cerealas-dessert territory, with imported varieties topped with marshmallows, caramel, chocolate sauce, and flavoured milks. No seats, just takeaway, and in fact milkshakes and cheesecakes are the more popular items. And popular they are: queues are common.

(a margherita is £6.60), while serious salads are also available, as are bunches from 8am including ovenbaked shakshuka, brioche and avocado toast.

OSTARA CAFES 53 Coburg Street, Leith, 0131 261 5441, fb.com/ ostaracafe, £10 (lunch) Bringing some neighbourhood conviviality back to this relative backwater of a cobbledstreet in Leith, this new café-bistro has an easygoing nature and a reassuringly engaged attitude to local suppliers, services and residents. Walkers wandering off the nearby Water of Leith walkway won’t do badly either, with an all-day menu ranging across Puddledub bacon rolls, scrambled eggs on toast, generous lunchtime salads, baked sweet potatoes, Bearded Baker bagels and Archipelago Bakery cakes alongside teas from Pekoe and coffee from newcomers Williams & Johnson.

SALT HORSE

Edinburgh WILDMANWOOD PIZZA PIZZA RESTAURANT 27-29 Marshall Street, Southside, fb.com/ wildmanwoodpizza, £11 (lunch/dinner) Malcolm Innes’ Edinburgh eateries, including The Outsider and Ting Thai Caravan, have always been noteworthy affairs, and his latest is (a) true to form and (b) different again. Located on the corner of Marshall Street and Potterrow, reclaimed ping-pong tables, spotlights and huge windows have it looking great in and out. Centre stage belongs to a wood-burning oven capable of temperatures approaching 600ºC. Pizzas emerge bubbling and blistered, and they’re well-priced

BAR & BEER SHOP 57 Blackfriars Street, Old Town, www.salthorse. beer, £12.50 (3-item platter) Replacing Blackfriars in the spaces also once occupied

by Black Bo’s, Salt Horse have responded to the challenge of the dual unit with a bar and beer shop combo. Despite being 50 paces from the Royal Mile there’s no danger of tartan tatification: this is craft beer and artisan food chic. The bar has 12 rotating keg lines with all the latest tipples and trends, while you can also browse something from the strong mix of UK and imported bottles and cans next door. The shop sells takeaway bread, cheese and pies, while the bar serves charcuterie and/or cheese boards featuring small-scale producers and house-made pickles and bar snacks.

Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at list.co.uk/food-and-drink 46 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 47

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TASTEFUL ART Scotland’s designated Year of Food and Drink 2015 has been followed by the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016. Gabriella Bennett discovers that there’s plenty of overlap between the two

I

ncreasing numbers of Scottish artists, architects, animators and designers are choosing food not just as their inspiration, but also their medium. Some are swapping paintbrushes for paring knives, while others are using food as a way to drive social change.

Bakery47, located on an inauspicious street on Glasgow’s southside, is the brainchild of Sam and Anna Luntley who respectively swapped their jobs in a gallery and as an artist’s assistant to bake full-time. ‘We both decided that cooking, entertaining and providing experiences for others were what we liked best and what we wanted to do,’ explains Sam. ‘I love making bread and I love people coming in to enjoy what Anna and I make together. We see our bakery as our studio, where we create and play with ideas and methods in a similar way to how an artist might try new materials.’

Other food venues have drawn from the artistic skills of their owners, including Inver, a small west-coast bothy that serves new Nordic cuisine inspired by its proprietors’ time working in Noma (see panel).

Glasgow’s Perspective Café uses the currency of food and drink as a way to bring art to a wider audience. Devised by Yasmin Soliman

COLOURFUL PALATE Former animator Rob Latimer describes his journey to an Argyll restaurant via London and Noma My qualification in illustration and graphic art led me into a career in animation, which I pursued in London for a decade with a company called Studio AKA. I loved living in London but I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. My partner Pam [Brunton] has been a chef for many years and we talked for a while about having a restaurant; then Pam got a job on

(a recent graduate of photography from the University of the West of Scotland), it involves a series of events hosting temporary exhibitions, film showings and spoken-word nights. ‘As we’re hosting our events in the familiar and social backdrop of a café environment, we hope to welcome anyone and everyone,’ she says. ‘That opens up the possibility for the general public to walk in off the street and stumble upon our events; hopefully this encourages families, children and the older generation to participate too.’

Soil City, meanwhile, is a long-term scheme by Open Jar Collective, a trio of artists driven by community engagement, that aims to assess Glasgow’s soil with a series of mini-archaeological digs, clay collections and worm surveys. ‘Oral storytelling traditions, such as painting, sculpture and songs used to be essential ways of passing information from generation to generation,’ notes the group’s Clementine Sandison.

‘These are creative ways to communicate important messages about the seasons such as which wild plants were safe to eat and methods for preserving food. I hope to bring a little of the everyday rituals that surround food into my work.’

the Isle of Iona as a head chef and I worked front-of-house. We went on to work in restaurants like Noma and Fäviken, in northern Sweden, before returning to Scotland.

We went up to Strathlachlan and saw Inver in spring 2015 and knew we had to go for it. My experience in Photoshop has helped with designing things like posters for the restaurant.

We always try and do things that look decent: no Comic Sans. They key is not to try too hard, otherwise it looks contrived and that can be applied from table settings to the way we

display our specials. And, of course, what Pam comes up with in the kitchen is incredibly creative.

The restaurant has also had input from creative members of both our families. My sister, who is an interior designer specialising in restaurants, has just redesigned our bar area, and her husband, a joiner, built it. Pam’s dad is an architect and he has designed four bothies we plan to open as self-contained accommodation on a piece of land next to Inver.

■ inverrestaurant.co.uk

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'Liive liife with a Litttle Spic ce' Ex xpe erie ence e ou ur 1st Au uthe ent n ic i Sic ich hu n Cu huan uissin ne in n Sco otla and d.

• Businesss Lunch h Fro om £8.9 95 Monday - Saturday (from 12noon - 3pm)

• Gourm met Menu u Fro om £12 2.9 90 Monday - Saturday (from 12noon - 3pm) Sunday (from 2pm - 6.30pm)

• Sic chuan Ba anqu uet From £25 5

349 Sauchiehall Street G2 3HW

http:// www.sichuanhouse.co.uk

0141 333 1788

A high standard buffet restaurant with an oriental twist, serving a range of cuisines in two Edinburgh based locations. t Sushi t Chinese t Japanese t Seafood

t Thai t Korean t Dim Sum t Chinese Hotpot

30 Grindlay Street Edinburgh EH3 9AP 0131 228 8688

Also offering: t Chocolate Fountain t Desserts t Karaoke

6 New Market Road Edinburgh EH14 1RJ 0131 443 8883

China Red a t New M arket Road is the first re staura in the nt UK to have a air-co fully nditio ned d ouble decke r rotati onal food b elt!

www.chinaredbuffet.com

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 49

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

HITLISTS 2015 In April this year, The List published our 23rd edition of Edinburgh and Glasgow’s Eating and Drinking Guide. Our team of well informed reviewers visited nearly 1,000 venues, giving readers a comprehensive and reliable guide to the foodie scene in both cities.

Each review is an honest reflection of the place and includes practical information, so you know just what to expect when you pop along.

To make the guide more digestible we have put together our Hitlist selections, found in every section. These highlight a handful of establishments that our experienced reviewers and editors have agreed should be first recommended as they are some of the best of their kind. What’s more, none of the venues (including those hitlisted), have paid their way in, giving readers comfort that the recommendations are genuine, good drinking and dining spots.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

EDINBURGH & GLASGOW

EATING & DRINKING Guide £5.95 list.co.uk

23rd Edition 2016/17

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city centre living is 7KH EXWWHUÀ\ DQG the pig set in a Georgian town house it takes you back in time to your grannies house. Home style cooking ranging from afternoon tea to steak pies there is something for everyone. Live entertainment every night in the basement bar ideal round off any night out.

3ULYDWH IXQFWLRQ URRPV DYDLODEOH DW 7KH EXWWHUÀ\ and the pig ideal for special occasions or private business meetings.

20% off food for all private parties 12 people or over Monday to Friday (excluding December) 1155 Argyle Street G3 8TB 0141 204 2081 info @ thegannetgla.com

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151-153 Bath Street, G2 4SQ Tel: 0141 221 7711 )RU ERRNLQJ HQTXLULHV HPDLO UP#WKHEXWWHUÀ\DQGWKHSLJ FRP RU ERRN RQOLQH DW ZZZ WKHEXWWHUÀ\DQGWKHSLJ FRP

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

Fresh Italian Food s Served with Love

An Italian classic Delighted to be Hitlisted!

Along with our renowned Afternoon Tea offer we have launched a new 2 & 3 course lunch menu.

5 YEARS IN A ROW

Contact us to book lunch or afternoon tea 0131 226 1064 | colonnadesedinburgh.com 1 Parliament Square, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1RF

45 MORNINGSIDE ROAD, EDINBURGH EH10 4AZ

tel: 0131 466 6767

www.nonnas-kitchen.co.uk

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

Drygate is segueing into summer with a hot line-up of events, craft beers and tasty bites.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our trio of top picks for the month of June:

MUSIC

Glasgow International Jazz Festival Presents:

Deke McGee â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;All Night Longâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Thursday 23rd June The Saxophone has been Deke McGeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living for most of his life. He began working as a sideman at Jazz Festivals across Europe and North America, and has toured with everyone from Buddy Guy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Fratellis.

Doors: s: 7:30pm - Tickets: ÂŁ15

FOOD

Craft Beer & BBQ Taps On!

BEER

Disco Forklift Truck (Mango Pale Ale, 5%)

As we launch optimistically into what we hope will be a belter of a summer, check out the tasty BBQ and grilled eats on Drygateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elevated terrace.

The latest beer to join Drygateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 26 draft tap line-up is Disco Forklift Truck, a summer-ready mango infused pale ale coming in at 5% ABV.

Juicy grilled burgers, kebabs and fresh salads, plus all the craft beer you need for the perfect* afternoon in the sun.

Citrusy US hops accentuate the sweet, WURSLFDO Ă DYRXUV DQG D VXEWOH ELWWHUQHVV rounds off this beautifully balanced beer.

*Craft beer & good food available all year round. Sun only available according ccording to meteorological conditions. c

Fancy a take-home? Stop by the brewery bo bottle shop where a tour of 300 craft beers awaits, alongside an array of be Drygate merch.

D

Drygate Brewing Co. 85 Drygate, Glasgow, G4 0UT 0141 212 8815 drygate.com

55 EASTWOODM AIN S RD G L A S G O W G46 6PW 0141 6 3 8 8 4 2 2 I A N B R O W N R E S T A U R A N T.C O .U K

The Tanjore - bringing the taste of authentic, home-cooked southern Indian food to Edinburgh

Bistro 4 years hitlisted in the Eating and Drinking Guide

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner Daily Specials Fully Licenced Open 7 days Booking recommended

Come in and try our delicious Dosai and Curries!

6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 Clerk Street, Edinburgh, Íş Íť Č&#x2C6; Č&#x2039;Ͳͳ;ͳČ&#x152; ͚͜ͺ ͸͡ͳͺ www.tanjore.co.uk j

2 Restalrig Road, Edinburgh, EH6 8BN 0131-538-0664 www.bijoubistro.co.uk

HITL IN THE EISA TED DRINKING TING & 2012, 20 GUIDE 2014 & 2013, 16 52 THE LIST 2 Junâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1 Sep 2016

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

SHORT FILMS AN INSTITUTE IN EDINBURGH’S MUSIC SCENE, ENTERTAINING SINCE WAY BACK WHEN!

With the launch of the 23rd edition of the Eating and Drinking Guide, we also introduced a new, exciting platform of short films. Our videographer Sandy Butler jumps into the heart of all the action, capturing the originality and style of different restaurants, bars, cafés and other venues.

Each short film is no more than one minute long and uses an observational and cinematic style to capture what the place is about and give you a taster of what to expect on your visit.

To see examples of the work done to date, visit list.co.uk/shortfilms Available for general sale from 1 Jul 2016

RESERVE AN AREA NOW ECLECTIC VIBE | OPULENT ST YLE | DJS 7 NIGHTS A WEEK

99 Hanover Street Edinburgh EH2 1DJ 0131 225 8200 i n f o @ 9 9 h a n o v e r s t r e e t . c o m w w w.9 9 h a n o v e r s t r e e t . c o m @99HanoverStreet

99HanoverStreet

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TIPLISTS With around 100 new openings in the past year in Edinburgh alone, we are not short of good places to eat and drink in Scotland’s capital cities. Keeping tabs on where’s offering what can be tricky, so on top of our recommended Hitlists, the guide contains Tiplists to keep an eye out for, too. Noteworthy places with particular strengths and characteristics have been rounded up into a series of categories including the best spots for taking the dog, a good Sunday feed and, if you’re brave enough, al fresco dining.

133 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh, EH7 4JL

Greek Taverna

0131 556 9423

www.spitaki.co.uk

Greek Meze in a relaxed and informal setting

Check out all of those that have been Hitlisted and Tiplisted online at food.list.co.uk For every venue in the guide there is an online entry including links to relevant websites, opening hours, a locator map and information about any associated events.

The new Buffalo Char-Grill restaurant has re-opened and we look forward to welcoming all old & new customers alike.

12-14 Chapel Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AY buffalogrill.co.uk | 0131 667 7427

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

SHARING SUNDAYS £30 per person* (minimum of two sharing)

200g Roast Leg of Lamb & 400g Côte de Boeuf with all the trimmings of a traditional roast.

Sundays are better at Steak Restaurant...

Book Now: www.steakedinburgh.com | 0131 556 1289 | 14 Picardy Place, Edinburgh Only available on Sundays. Booking Recommended. Offer requires multiples of two booking.

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

Thai Orchid: a good spot for late dining.

Cafés by

Cafés by Heritage Portfolio would like to congratulate Café Portrait on being Hitlisted, it’s very well deserved!

From delicious lunches to afternoon tea or coffee and cake, there is something delightful to suit all tastes.

1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JD 0131 624 6421

Mother India’s Café: recommended for groups and parties.

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HITLISTED RESTAURANTS

EATING AND DRINKING GUIDE LAUNCH EVENTS AND AWARDS After previously being held in The Scottish Café, The Eating and Drinking Guide launch party for Edinburgh was this year held at OX184. Drygate continued to host Glasgow’s launch party and both events were again sponsored by Birra Moretti.

Announced at the parties were the following award winners: Newcomer of the Year Edinburgh Food Studio (Edinburgh) El Cartel Casera Mexicana (Edinburgh) Eusebi Deli 111 by Nico

Dine at the UK Seafood Restaurant of The Year and enjoy the freshest Scottish seafood, sourced and cooked with love.

225 West George Street | Glasgow | G2 2ND 0141 5720899 info@gamba.co.uk | www.gamba.co.uk Facebook/gambaglasgow | Instagram @gambaglasgow Twitter @gamba_glasgow

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New Bar Award Smith & Gertrude (Edinburgh) Six°north Special Award Malcolm Innes, owner of the Outsider, Ting Thai Caravan and WildManWood Pizza.

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DEFYING

PREDICTABLE

Defying the norm since 1947 05 - 29 August 2016 | Tickets available at edfringe.com

58 THE LIST 2 Junâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1 Sep 2016

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AROUND TOWN

F the latesotr listing news, reviews,sgand list.c .uko to /aroundoto wn

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL MAGIC FESTIVAL Tricks and treats in store at this year’s MagicFest Edinburgh’s International Magic Festival, (or MagicFest to you and me) is back with a week of illusions and wizardry designed to get you asking that age-old question: ‘How did they do that?’

This year’s newest spectacle is a three-day MagicFair at Summerhall, a multi-room experience where you can catch up to ten live shows. Morning sessions welcome families with kids under seven for Magic School workshops, treasure hunts and wand-crafting (adults might be down for that too). Afternoons feature a mixture of close-up, theatrical, and stage magic with performances from Jango Starr, Gary Dunn and Tricky Ricky.

Evenings are for grown-ups only, think late-night horror magic from Luke Eaton, plus plenty of drink to make the illusions all the more wondrous. Between shows, festival goers can explore the Ribbon Maze, call in at Sam the Scam’s Bunco Booth and visit the Magic & Circus Shop for your very own top hat, or wand (if you missed the craft class).

Returning favourites include the Magic and Variety Gala Show, now with added matinee performance. There’s also South Korean Digital Time Traveller Hun Lee (analogue time travel is so dated), alchemist Young Min Kim, Spanish magic world champion Héctor Mancha and hula hoop artist Miss Polly Hoops, all compered by Chris Henry. Secret Room is once again at Lauriston Castle: explore hidden passages and clandestine laboratories with three magicians, as they bring the building’s colourful past to life.

Big names at the festival include magician scientist Kevin Quantum (pictured), whose new show Illuminations, features plenty of light trickery, culminating in a rainbow created live on stage. Star of BBC’s The Real Hustle, R Paul Wilson, shows why he’s a leading authority on con artistry in Impossibilia. And if you’ve a secret playing on your mind, best avoid mind-reader Colin Cloud and his latest show Exposé. (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 1–Fri 8 Jul

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AROUND TOWN | Highlights

HITLIST

GLASGOW SCIENCE FESTIVAL Various venues, Glasgow, Thu 9–Sun 19 Jun, glasgowsciencefestival. org.uk A packed programme of workshops, shows, films, discussion, exhibitions and art collaborations allows budding scientists to sit back and learn

something new or don safety goggles and take part in an experiment.

Explore ‘Glasgow Innovates’ across the city and take part in events as part of Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL

Merchant City, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul–Sun 7 Aug, merchantcityfestival. com A diverse arts festival in Glasgow’s swanky part of town. Comedy, theatre and art events cram themselves into the area’s fashionable buildings, while street performers add to the festival atmosphere.

See preview, page 77.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL MAGIC FESTIVAL Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 1–Fri 8 Jul, magicfest.co.uk MagicFest presents another programme of close-up conundrums, mindboggling illusions, comic cabaret and other feats of the impossible. The festival features workshops as well

as shows and ends with the illustrious Closing Gala, a fast paced performance of illusion, sleight of hand, circus and mind reading.

See preview, page 59.

AROUND TOWN HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW GLASGOW MELA Kelvingrove Park, Sun 17 Jul, glasgowmela.com For over 25 years this huge outdoor festival has been celebrating the traditions of Glasgow’s many and varied immigrant communities with a mix of international music, dance, activities and stalls.

RESONATE: TOTAL GAMING SECC, Fri 29–Sun 31 Jul, resonatetotalgaming.com A brand new three-day festival of gaming, the first of its kind in Scotland.

Featuring a professional eSports tournament, a junior ‘gamer zone’, a play hall and a retail zone where gamers can compete and mix with YouTube stars.

PRIDE GLASGOW Glasgow Green, Sat 20 & Sun 21 Aug, pride.scot Pride Glasgow returns with a weekend

Swedish bars Calendar Hemma 4 Jun: Swedish Fika

Akva 6 Jun: Swedish National day celebrations 11 Jun: Akva’s 1st Birthday party 18 Jun: Union Canal Festival 19 Jun: Father’s Day BBQ

6RÀ·V

celebrating LGBT equality with live music from TopLoader and Stooshe in the Arena, community organisations in the Village Square, family entertainment including the Pride Dog Show in the Village Green and, of course, the parade.

EDINBURGH SUMMER NIGHTS AT THE ZOO Edinburgh Zoo, Thu 2, 9, 23 & 30 Jun, edinburghzoo.org.uk/ summernights The zoo opens its gates for a series of adults-only extravaganzas featuring locally-sourced food, interactive science stations, talks about conservation, a silent disco, comedians and photo stations.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL OF CYCLING Various venues, Thu 9–Sun 19 Jun, edfoc.org.uk The bike festival lends a bit of sport to Edinburgh’s stacked arts and culture festival calendar. Alongside cycling events, from lengthy scenic tours to talks from well-known cyclists to family bike rides, the festival also features a related film and art programme.

ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, Fri 5–Sat 27 Aug, edintattoo.co.uk

FO This tattoo drawss EDINB R URGH crowds (and F COVER ESTIVAL performers) from A AUGU GE, SEE OU all over the world ST R with massed AND G ISSUES LIST O TO pipes and FES.TCO.UK/ drums, military IVAL bands, display teams, dancers and the haunting lament ent of the Lone Piper set against the magnificent backcloth of Edinburgh Castle.

MUSEUM AFTER HOURS: FRIDAY FRINGE TAKEOVER National Museum of Scotland, Fri 12, 19 & 26 Aug, nms.ac.uk/ afterhours For three nights during August, the National Museum of Scotland opens its doors after hours, giving adult audiences a multi-genre spectacle of international Fringe talent programmed by the festival gurus here at The List.

EDINBURGH MELA Leith Links, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Aug, edinburgh-mela.co.uk World music, dance, fashion, food and fun spread over four areas: the Main Music Stage, the Mela World Dance Feste, the Mela Mix stage and the Mela Kidzone. The Mela Global Food Village is on hand to replenish your energy after taking in all the sights and sounds.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

25 Jun: Sofi’s Birthday party

Joseph Pearce Tickets now on sale for the Crayfish Party in August

Check out the full calendar at bodabar.com

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BOOKS

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

GRRRL CON: TWO-DAY EVENT CHAMPIONING WOMEN’S WRITING

NEIL DAVIDSON

Write Like a Grrrl and For Books’ Sake come together for talks, workshops and writing advice We’re not saying that women are always write, but Grrrl Con puts forward a pretty convincing argument for it. Taking place over two days, this event champions the work of female authors, while encouraging upcoming writers through a series of readings, talks and workshops.

Grrrl Con is presented by Write Like a Grrrl (a creative writing course founded by Kerry Ryan in 2013), and For Books’ Sake (a charitable organisation which supports writing by women).

Its aim is to provide attendees with essential tools, insight and inspiration, so that they might hone their writing craft, and develop confidence in their skills. It also aims to connect upcoming writers with

a nationwide literary community. A stellar line-up of guests has been confirmed for the weekender, including Makar Jackie Kay, acclaimed literary agent Jenny Brown, crime writer Denise Mina, Amina Shah from the Scottish Book Trust, plus novelists Leone Ross, Kirsty Logan, Helen Sedgwick and Lucy Ribchester.

Also on the bill is Jupiter Artland’s Poet in Residence Marjorie Lotfi Gill, and poet Khadijah Ibrahiim.

The event takes place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and is open to self-identifying women over the age of 18 of all backgrounds, abilities and ages. (Rebecca Monks) ■ Grrrl Con, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Sat 11 & Sun 12 Jun.

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BOOKS | Reviews POETRY

THERESA MUÑOZ

Settle (Vagabond Voices) ●●●●●

NEIL DAVIDSON

Theresa Muñoz's debut poetry collection, Settle, can be summed up with a line from the poem, 'Settlement': 'here is our life / on sheets / of paper.' This collection explores the experiences the writer and her family have had with emigration (Muñoz was born in Vancouver before moving to Scotland, while her parents moved from the Philippines to Toronto).

As such, these pieces feel extremely personal: Muñoz's life is indeed here before us, in poetry, on paper.

A highlight is 'Twenty Two', in which the poet writes of 'the age my mother and I emigrated to cities / we had never been, years apart', and asks 'should I go back, or have I begun again?'. This poem encapsulates the beauty of her writing – it is at once factual and emotional, and is deeply affecting. Settle also covers technology, which offers a good chance to see the writer's sense of humour ('Googling the Other Thereas' is excellent) This strand in the collection offers a precise, yet witty insight into life as part of the Facebook generation, where social media rules, and any subject (political, or emotional), is up for debate.

But the best poems explore the idea of belonging.

These skilfully ruminate on the strength and complexity of the human spirit, no matter where in the world it ends up.

(Rebecca Monks) Out now.

FICTION

FICTION

FICTION

ALICE ADAMS

Taduno’s Song (Canongate) ●●●●●

YURI HERRERA The Transmigration of Bodies, translated by Lisa Dillman (And Other Stories) ●●●●●

Invincible Summer (Little, Brown) ●●●●●

BRIAN K VAUGHAN, CLIFF CHANG, MATT WILSON & JARED K FLETCHER

Invincible Summer brands itself as ‘perfect summer reading for fans of One Day’ (the critically-acclaimed novel from David Nicholls). It’s easy to see where this comparison comes from: both books introduce their protagonists in their final days of university, and subsequently stay with them as they wrestle with the problems life throws at them. Both novels feature relatable moments (young love, career lows, mature love, career highs).

Alice Adams’ novel, however, does not command the reader’s attention as well as One Day. It starts off promisingly enough, with four diverse characters, Eva, Benedict, Sylvie and Lucien, graduating from university.

But as they mature, they follow different paths, and the story becomes increasingly disparate. Perhaps this is perfect summer reading if you want a book that you can take to the beach and leave there. Though its premise is filled with potential, there’s not enough substance in this book for the characters to stay with you once the sun has gone down. (Rebecca Monks) ■ Out Tue 28 Jun.

This new series penned by Brian K Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga) is tinged with the sweet nostalgia of 1980s coming-of-age stories – with added aliens, of course. This collection introduces us to 12-year-old Erin Tieng, a paper girl for The Cleveland Preserver, who sets out on her route the morning after Halloween. Throw in some gnarled men in masks, otherworldly contraptions and three new friends and she's got an adventure on her hands.

Paper Girls is instantly compelling, in both story and graphics. Cliff Chang's crackled artwork effortlessly recreates its 1988 setting without resorting to kitsch, and Matt Wilson's purple, pink and blue colour palette soaks every panel with the eerie glow of dawn. Like The Goonies and ET showed us, some of the best tales are all about kids on bikes riding through the suburbs and getting up to friendship-cementing scrapes – and like those stories, this one's destined to become a classic.

(Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Out now

ODAFE ATOGUN

Loosely based on the Nigerian icon, Fela Kuti, Odafe Atogun’s debut novel is the story of a musician living in exile far from his homeland and his girlfriend, Lela. One day he receives a letter from her warning him that his country has fallen ever further into the hands of a dictator. Taduno returns to his native country only to find that no one remembers him or his once powerful music, and that Lela has disappeared.

As Taduno fights to find her, he’s forced to make a decision between freeing his country or the woman he loves.

Taduno’s Song is a moving story of exile, love, loss and hope.

Unfortunately it isn’t a story of music or of song. The influence of Taduno’s work fails to convince as too often the narrative relies on simply telling the reader that it’s powerful with no poetry or rhythm to support this.

However, where the music fails, the surreal Kafka-esque situations that Taduno encounters are often clever, funny and thought-provoking. A subtly powerful novel which asks whether art can ever overcome oppression.

(Kylie Grant) ■ Out Thu 4 Aug.

Mexican novelist Yuri Herrera’s new title in English, The Transmigration of Bodies, comes as the second in a loose trilogy of novellas. Its release comes on the heels of its precursor, Signs Preceding the End of the World, which won the 2016 Best Translated Book Award For Fiction. Like Signs, it’s translated into unique yet colloquially familiar prose by Lisa Dillman, and Herrera’s literary power is, once again, in his restraint.

Taking place in an unnamed Mexican city, the story follows The Redeemer, a hardboiled figure sought to broker peace between two crime families. It responds to Romeo & Juliet’s themes of blood feud and familial loss, contextualised in Mexico’s current violent milieu. But like all good crime thrillers its dramatic aspects follow all the way down to the minutiae, from a body swap to The Redeemer’s failed attempts to find a spare moment to buy condoms. Herrera brings a frenetic energy and fresh idiomatic feel to the internal wars of the faraway nouveau riche. (Nicola Balkind) ■ Out Thu 7 Jul.

COMIC

Paper Girls 1 (Image Comics) ●●●●●

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Highlights | BOOKS

HITLIST

GRRRL CON Scottish Storytelling Centre, Sat 11 & Sun 12 Jun, tracscotland.org/ scottish-storytellingcentre Two-day celebration of female writers, with a programme including Jackie Kay, Denise Mina, Amina Shah, Leone Ross and more. See preview, page 61.

RALLY & BROAD: ONCE MORE WITH FEELING! Bongo Club, Fri 17 Jun, thebongoclub.co.uk The last ever Rally & Broad, with Don Paterson, Caroline Bird, Maud The Moth, Lara Williams and Paper Rifles in Edinburgh. Then in Glasgow, with New International, Jonnie Common, AL Kennedy,

McGuire, Georgia Bartlett-McNeil and Roseanne Reid. See feature, page 40. Stereo, Sun 19 Jun. GLASGOW COMIC FESTIVAL Various venues, Tue 28 Jun–Sun 3 Jul, glasgowcomiccon.com Indulge your love of all things graphic at this

fiesta of films, comics and fandoms. See feature, page 37.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL Charlotte Square Gardens, Sat 13–Mon 29 Aug, edbookfest.co.uk The world’s largest public celebration of the written word features poets,

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW COMIC INVENTION LUNCHTIME TALK Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, Wed 8, 15, 22, 29 Jun & 6 Jul, glasgow.ac.uk/ hunterian A series of talks on comics, coinciding with the exhibition, Comic Invention.

JOHN COOPER CLARKE O2 ABC, Fri 3 Jun, academymusicgroup.com The legendary Mancunian punk poet, who is a spiritual godfather to the likes of Mike Skinner and Plan B, hauls his insatiable laconic wit on tour. See preview, page 66.

LOUD POETS Broadcast, Thu 9 Jun, loudpoets.com Slam-style poetry devoid of pretension. Ages 15+.

SHE READS COMICS Forbidden Planet, Mon 13 Jun & Mon 11 Jul, forbiddenplanet. co.uk An informal, drop-in evening for women of all ages who love comics.

MIGHTY WOMEN OF SCIENCE LAUNCH Waterstones, Tue 14 Jun, waterstones.com Discover the women who have changed, and continue to change, the world of science, from A for Astronaut (Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space) to Z for Zoologist (award-winning Biruté Galdikas). Join the creators, Clare Forrest with Fiona Gordon, for this book launch at Glasgow Science Festival (pictured). See Comic Con feature, page 37.

EDINBURGH COLLECTIVE HUSH Scottish Poetry Library, Fri 3 & Fri 10 Jun, scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk Drop-in reading and writing group, where you can study, write or read in perfect peace while having your lunch.

politicians, journalists, historians, children’s authors and much more for all the family to enjoy.

FO EDINB R URGH COVERFESTIVAL A AUGU GE, SEE OU ST R AND G ISSUES O TO LIST FES.TCO.UK/ IVAL

EVENT HORIZON Blind Poet, Mon 6 Jun & Mon 4 Jul, blindpoet.co.uk New sci-fi magazine Shoreline of Infinity presents an evening of SFthemed entertainment.

THE INKY FINGERS OPEN MIC Badger & Co, Tue 7 Jun, badgerandco.com Open mic for literature and spoken-word lovers. Email ahead for a chance to perform, or just watch and admire. With feature performer Roddy Shippin.

CAFE VOICES Scottish Storytelling Centre, Thu 9 Jun, tracscotland.org/ scottish-storytelling-centre All welcome for a relaxed evening of favourite stories for all, as David Campbell leads a special edition of Café Voices, celebrating the Centre’s 10th birthday. There’s also an open-floor section for storytellers to tell their own tales, all in the relaxed surroundings of the Storytelling Court.

SKETCHY SPEAKS Sketchy Beats Cafe, Wed 15 Jun & Wed 20 Jul, facebook. com/sketchybeatscafe Open mic for writers of all stripes, with poetry, flash fiction, dramatic monologues and more. There is also coffee by Cosima, some snacks and a word game.

THE MEXICAN WRESTLERS COOKBOOK LAUNCH PARTY Citrus, Mon 20 Jun, citrusclub. co.uk

To celebrate the launch of Lupe Pintos’ new cookbook, The Mexican Wrestlers, the Citrus Club is being transformed into the Luchador Lounge Bar. Grab a tequila cocktail and one of El Cartel Casera Mexicana’s tacos while listening to the masked rock’n’roll surf band Los Straitjackets. Grab a signed copy of the original new cookbook packed full of Mexican recipes and Mexican wrestling facts.

SCOT LIT FEST Various venues, Fri 24–Sun 26 Jun, scotlitfest.com

Virtual festival celebrating 80 years of the Saltire Society. Authors taking part include Michael Faber, A L Kennedy, Kirsty Logan, Louise Welsh, Vic Galloway and more.

ART OF THE STORYTELLER Scottish Storytelling Centre, Fri 1 Jul, tracscotland.org/ scottish-storytelling-centre The Art of the Storyteller series continues with Janis Mackay and Donald Smith sharing an evening of their favourite stories, drawing on their experiences and inspirations within contemporary storytelling.

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64 THE LIST 2 Junâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1 Sep 2016

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COMEDY

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

BOY WITH TAPE ON HIS FACE The quiet man of comedy is still making a big noise Silence certainly seems golden for Sam Wills. Dubbed as ‘mime with noise, stand-up with no talking, drama with no acting’, the New Zealander’s shows have charmed many nations since he first emerged to perform on streets and stages in 2001. With his reputation slowly on the climb, he picked up the panel prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2012 after the judges deemed his show too popular (as regards attendance figures every night) to be considered for the main gong.

One thing he clearly has in spades is confidence. You can see it right there during his 2011 Royal Variety Performance. Having just been welcomed to the stage by Peter Kay, he kicked off with his staple opener: tapping the microphone to see if it’s still on. With no reaction forthcoming from the crowd (not even a single rattle of jewellery in the posh seats),

some comics might have crumbled, but Wills went on to storm the night with his ‘ovenglovers’ and ‘Lady in Red’ routines.

So what does the bit of gaffer tape signify?

Some have suggested S&M overtones, others that it’s a sign to the audience that he’s out of control and needs help (if you are at all wary of crowd interaction, you’d be best to sit as far away from the stage as possible at one of his gigs).

Wills himself has hinted that having some tape stuck over his gob might just be the only way to prevent him from uttering any words at all. Whatever the deeper meanings (or not) Sam Wills clearly has an act that’s worth shouting from the rooftops. Even if he’s going to stay perfectly schtum about it. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Thu 30 Jun; Festival Theatre Studio, Edinburgh, Sat 2 Jul.

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COMEDY | Previews POETRY

JOHN COOPER CLARKE O2 ABC, Glasgow, Fri 3 Jun; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 4 Jun Is John Cooper Clarke now ensconced deep within the Establishment? Seems like a crazy question to ask about the man who was punk’s unofficial poet laureate and still wears his spiky hair and drainpipe trousers like it’s 1976. Yet, the Bard of Salford’s work has been on the national curriculum, crops ups at weddings and gets commissioned by the National Trust. Meanwhile, in a BBC Four documentary he was dubbed by more than one commntator as a ‘national treasure’.

And there’s also the little matter of him being an official doctor, having received an honorary degree from the University of Salford in 2013. ‘I’m very comfortable in that role: my bedside manner is legendary,’ Clarke japes in his Northern drawl which remains untouched by two decades living in Essex.

One of the most unlikely introductions to John Cooper Clarke’s work occurred on The Sopranos with ‘Evidently Chickentown’ playing out an episode during the mob drama’s final season. Did HBO need to seek special permission for that piece to be used? ‘They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,’ says Cooper Clarke without any hesitation. ‘As opposed to the Welsh mafia who approached me years ago and made me an offer I couldn’t understand.’

Amid the effortless jesting, there’s no doubt that John Cooper Clarke’s legacy will be opening up poetry to a legion of readers and listeners who would never have believed verse was for them. His no-nonsense approach meant that poetry wasn’t just about wandering lonely as a cloud. ‘There are people who like my stuff and don’t like anybody else. I’ve also got the poetry lovers on my side for opening up the whole game.’ (Brian Donaldson) STAGE SHOW

GRUMPY OLD WOMEN Perth Concert Hall, Fri 15 Jul; King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 17 Jul Launched by Jenny Eclair and Judith Holder in 2004, Grumpy Old Women is a bona fide global triumph. There have been TV series, touring shows, DVDs and books while the Grumpy brand has also taken hold across the world with local casts performing the show in the likes of Iceland, New Zealand and Finland. And the latest instalment (Fifty Shades of Beige) is now here.

‘It’s turned into a real phenomenon,’ states Eclair with pride and excitement. ‘The first touring Grumpy was done in Iceland with an Icelandic cast and it’s incredible what will make women laugh across the world. Even though we can’t speak Icelandic, we know the show inside out and where the jokes are, so we knew exactly what they were laughing at. When you do an Australian Grumpy, there’s no point doing the stuff about weather, so you have to tailor it a bit. But I’d say 85% of the material is the same across the board. The Grumpy shows are quite bonkers; they’re like an end-of-term play done by middle-aged women at a very odd boarding school.”

Alongside Susie Blake and Kate Robbins, Eclair will be getting irritable in Scotland come midJuly. When it comes down to those who attend the shows, Eclair has certainly been spotting a pattern. ‘If I was a lonely, middle-age divorced man or widower and looking for a nice jolly lady, I’d come to a Grumpy show and hang out at the bar because there are loads of them. Often in the crowd there’ll be work parties or a mother-daughter combo: sometimes you’ll look out and see three generations of matching noses.’ (Brian Donaldson)

LOCAL LAUGHS ASHLEY STORRIE

The Glasgow comic has a go at our Q&A Can you tell us about the moment when you thought: ‘stand-up is for me’?

I had my ‘moment’ as I sat applying for jobs to be a mental health care worker (a position that’s scarily easy to fill). I realised that comedy was probably the only thing I’m actually really good at. I think it comes from being born into a dysfunctional family: I realised at a very young age that if my granda’ was dangling an ‘associate’ out a window by his ankles, the best way to diffuse the situation was a well-timed joke.

Do you have any pre-show rituals you can tell us about?

I pace and pace. Sometimes at the Glasgow Stand they give me chalk and let me draw on the walls backstage.

Where do you draw the line when it comes to ‘offensive comedy’?

I try not to worry and keep in mind that being offended is cool now. I

read about an American school where they cancelled yoga classes because it was appropriation of another culture and may offend people . . .

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another comedian so far?

‘It’s just a job and everyone has a bad day at work’.

Which comedian’s memoir would you recommend to someone?

When I read Tina Fey’s Bossypants, I realised I wasn’t alone in the world, that there had been awkward, sometimes lonely, funny girls just like me who’d grown into well-rounded human beings. That gave me more hope than I can express.

■ Ashley Storrie is at The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 3, Mon 11, Wed 20 Jul. See more of this q&a at list.co.uk/comedy

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Previews | COMEDY

list.co.uk/comedy STAND-UP

SARA PASCOE The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Jun; The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 20 Jun

DAVE BROWN

Having got herself onto the Edinburgh Comedy Awards shortlist in 2014, Sara Pascoe steadily built on that success and is now diving into her biggest national tour to date. Animal bounds across the country until July, saddled with a typically intelligent probing of gender politics, online porn and modern sex as well as self-analytical dissections of her own misdemeanours, manipulations and general bad behaviour.

‘It’s about trying to find light and shade in things,’ Pascoe insists. ‘The unspoken theme of the show is how we empathise with other people. So it’s dealing with that, but with really silly stories in between. I’m trying to talk about things that actually matter to me, but in a way that isn’t like a boring TED talk.’

Now that she’s garnered a solid reputation and wider fanbase, the temptation must be there to ram her opinions down people’s throats. ‘It is tempting, because you want to feel like you’re a good person. But you have to be careful how you do it. I have to remind myself that I am a comic, I’m not a politician. I didn’t say, “oh, hey guys, I’m going to sort everything out for you and it’ll be perfect”. At the end of the day, sometimes it’s just about trying to be funny.’

And being funny seems to be coming to her very naturally these days. Yet Pascoe was never one of those comics who yearned to be up on stage showing off and doing their funny jokes for the people. Indeed, she always considered the whole thing to be slightly off. ‘I thought all comedy was stupid. I went to watch a friend do stand-up and I thought absolutely everyone was terrible. I started it very arrogantly, but I did a gig and it was like, “oh, now I know what my whole life has been leading to”. It all made sense.’

(Brian Donaldson)

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COMEDY | Highlights

HITLIST

JOHN COOPER CLARKE O2 ABC, Glasgow, Fri 3 Jun, abcglasgow.com The legendary Salford punk poet (though a longterm resident of deepest, darkest Essex) hauls his insatiable laconic wit on tour. See preview, page 66. Also Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 4 Jun, thequeenshall.net

stand-ups, the master of absurdity (pictured) takes his ramblings on tour in his first new show in four years. See Big Picture, page 13.

EDDIE IZZARD: FORCE MAJEURE The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun, thestand. co.uk Hailed as one of this generation’s best

SARA PASCOE: ANIMAL The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Jun, thestand. co.uk Observations and quirky storytelling from the

actress and stand-up. See preview, page 66. Also The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 20 Jun. JOE LYCETT: THAT’S THE WAY, A-HA A-HA, JOE LYCETT Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 28 Jun, citz.co.uk Lycett’s latest is all about the ability to be a bit useless in life.

JIM JEFFERIES: FREEDUMB O2 Academy, Glasgow, Fri 8 Jul, academymusicgroup. com/o2academy glasgow The Australian stand-up delivers smart, crude and in-your-face material. See feature, page 30. Also EICC, Edinburgh, Sun 10 Jul, eicc.co.uk .co.uk

FO EDINB R URGH COVERFESTIVAL A AUGU GE, SEE OU ST R AND G ISSUES O TO LIST FES.TCO.UK/ IVAL

COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS

PITLOCHRY HRY Y

Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

FRED MACAULAY: LIFE Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Sun 26 Jun, pitlochry.org.uk Our Fred ponders that ever-ponderable topic – life – in a show he thinks is philosophical, but is definitely satirical and very funny. Also touring, see list.co.uk/comedy for details.

GLASGOW PAUL CURRIE The Stand, Thu 2–Sat 5 Jun, thestand.co.uk High-energy performances from this absurdist clown as part of The Stand’s weekend shows.

A FAWLTY TOWERS TRIBUTE MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Sun 31 Jul, pitlochry.org.uk A combination of classic British sitcom and murder mystery evening.

AL MURRAY: LET’S GO BACKWARDS TOGETHER The Stand, Mon 6 Jun, thestand.co.uk A brand new show from everyone’s favourite bigoted landlord who stood against Farage at the last general election.

COMEDIAN RAP BATTLE The Stand, Wed 8 Jun, thestand.co.uk Are you tired of hiphop scene bores moaning on about their fast cars and beautiful women?

The Wee Man aims to solve all this by bringing a Scottish slant to the genre.

KEN DODD Pavilion Theatre, Sat 25 Jun, paviliontheatre.co.uk Stand-up and songs in Mr Dodd’s Happiness Show, celebrating over 50 years in the business. Also Sun 26 Jun, Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, alhambradunfermline.com TOPICAL STORM The Stand, Mon 27 Jun, Mon 25 Jul, thestand.co.uk A new satirical show from Mark Nelson, Keir McAllister, Stuart Murphy and Vladimir McTavish. Also The Stand, Edinburgh, Wed 22 Jun, Wed 20 Jul, thestand.co.uk DERREN BROWN: MIRACLE King’s Theatre, Mon 4–Sat 9 Jul, atgtickets.com/venues/kingstheatre The master of mentalism takes his newest show on the road, melding mind games, illusion and showmanship.

PAISLEY MZA SNEAKY FRINGE PREVIEW Paisley Arts Centre, Thu 30 Jun & Fri 1 Jul, renfrewshire.gov.uk Two nights of Fringe previews with comedians including funny chaps Mark Nelson and Craig Hill.

EDINBURGH ALUN COCHRANE The Stand, Thu 9 Jun, thestand.co.uk The laconic Glasgow-born Yorkshireman returns with gentle observations.

GARRETT MILLERICK The Stand, Thu 9-Sat 11 Jun, thestand.co.uk Biographical storytelling from the occasionally angry Millerick.

DARREN CONNELL: TROLLEYWOOD The Stand, Sun 12 Jun, thestand.co.uk Stand-up, prolific Viner and Bobby in Scot Squad, rising star Connell is darkly humorous.

FERN BRADY: MALE COMEDIENNE The Stand, Sun 19 Jun, Wed 13 Jul, thestand.co.uk Fringe preview shows from Brady, with a tack-sharp look at gender, class and Catholicism.

DUNFERMLINE LORETTA MAINE Carnegie Hall, Sat 4 Jun, onfife.com Very intense and extremely fraught singer-songwriter comedy from the Courtney Loveesque Loretta Maine (pictured) as she bitterly grabs all the headlines for this Fife-based Gilded Balloon show. Look close enough and you could almost swear that it’s the terribly polite Pippa Evans.

THE BOY WITH TAPE ON HIS FACE Carnegie Hall, Thu 30 Jun, onfife.com Comedy without the chat from Sam Wills aka The Boy with Tape on His Face, as part of the Gilded Balloon line-up. If you think silent comedy isn’t your bag, then this might be the man to see in roder to alter that opinion. See preview, page 65.

Also Festival Theatre Studio, Edinburgh, Fri 1 Jul, edtheatres. com/studio

PERTH SARAH MILLICAN: OUTSIDER Perth Concert Hall, Thu 7 Jul, horsecross.co.uk You’ll know her face from talking about cake and cats on the telly, so here’s a chance to see the Millican phenomenon in full flight live on stage. Also touring, see list. co.uk/comedy for details.

GRUMPY OLD WOMEN: FIFTY SHADES OF BEIGE Perth Concert Hall, Fri 15 Jul, horsecross.co.uk Jenny Eclair and her fellow funny people Susie Blake and Kate Robbins present a brandnew show. See preview, page 67.

Also touring, see list.co.uk/comedy for details.

JIMMY CARR: THE BEST-OF TOUR Perth Concert Hall, Fri 19 Aug, horsecross.co.uk Acerbic wit and dark, deadpan one-liners from familiar telly face Carr. Also Caird Hall, Dundee, Sat 20 Aug, cairdhall.co.uk

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FILM

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

WHERE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE Moving documentary from Aidan Moffat and Paul Fegan The fish-out-of-water trope is a familiar one in literature, drama and sitcoms. As Falkirk indie king Aidan Moffat travels around Scotland during the making of Where You’re Meant to Be, he appears to be swimming against a tide of everything from casual indifference to outright hostility. His crime? Taking old Scottish folk songs and injecting them with a contemporary (and often frank) sensibility.

But, as Paul Fegan’s beautiful documentary is keen to note, the ex-Arab Strap man has never been one to care too many hoots about what people think of him. So we see Moffat farting on hillsides, swearing at travel plans going awry, simulating sexual pleasure upon a toy Nessie, and being heckled by non-fans.

But as his contemplative voiceover proves, Moffat is one narrator that we should happily rely on. His wholly democratic approach

results in him being perfectly comfortable in allowing his critics a vocal and visible platform: Moffat’s chief antagonist is Sheila Stewart, the late traditional-music pioneer who, in her heyday, performed for a president and a pope.

Stewart’s death in the wake of filming gives Fegan’s documentary an added poignancy, as well as a sense of closure. In his narration, Moffat considers whether she cared about how people would remember her. A clash of cultures may be at the heart of Where You’re Meant to Be, but both the old and the new will always be concerned about their legacy. In that respect, this funny, moving and occasionally cringeworthy viewing experience serves both Stewart and Moffat wonderfully well.

(Brian Donaldson) ■ Selected release from Fri 17 Jun ●●●●●

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FILM | Reviews

COMEDY

THE BOSS

(15) 99min ●●●●●

COMEDY

THE NICE GUYS (15) 116min ●●●●●

‘You’re a detective who can’t smell?’ balks Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) as he uncovers yet another failing in Holland March (Ryan Gosling), the man he has, perhaps unwisely, teamed up with. In Shane Black’s obscenely entertaining comedy, Healy is the gruff muscle operating outside the law, while private dick March brings a squeak of legitimacy to their investigations, alongside style without swagger, spectacular cowardice and a fatal weakness for a free bar.

In 1977 LA, this pair delve into the conspiracy surrounding the death of a porn star, whose final skin-flick holds the key to local corruption. March is the single parent of 13-year-old Holly (Angourie Rice), meaning the sleazy milieu is nicely countered by the inconvenient presence of this more competent chip-off-the-old-block. The Nice Guys deftly blends buddy-movie traditions, farcical action and noir-esque machinations. A commercial cousin to the recent Inherent Vice, it riffs on Black’s own Lethal Weapon as well as such diverse fare as Paper Moon, The Long Goodbye and The Pink Panther, while the presence of Kim Basinger leads to a fitting reunion with her LA Confidential love interest Crowe.

Those who think of Gosling as too-cool-for-school will be delighted by his newfound propensity for humiliation, while Crowe shows a hitherto untapped gift for comedy; or rather for bemusement at the expense of his game co-star whose tangle with a toilet cubicle is a highlight. Their rapport is so successful that this feels like a double act for the ages in a film that actually deserves to spawn a sequel: nestled amongst the fish-flinging, sucker-punching and nose-diving off buildings are the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.

(Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 3 Jun.

Since she made it big with Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has sometimes struggled to find the right vehicles for her comedic talents. Her husband, Ben Falcone, was at the helm of the clumsy Tammy, but they team up far more successfully for The Boss, a foul-mouthed comedy in the actress’ usual abrasive style.

McCarthy is Michelle Darnell, a strident businesswoman jailed for insider trading. Having learned nothing from that incarceration, she forces herself into the life of her former PA Claire (Kristen Bell) and Claire’s daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson) upon release. With their help she masterminds a successful campaign to sell girl-scout cookies on an industrial scale but that scheme brings her back to the attention of longterm adversary and paramour Renault (Peter Dinklage).

The film starts well, juxtaposing Darnell’s dirty tactics with the more innocent world of girl scouts. But the second half slips into routine corporate-rival shenanigans, and while McCarthy sportingly throws herself into the slapstick this often feels like a cop-out. Regardless, The Boss will please McCarthy’s large fanbase; it’s a proficient if forgettable comedy well-suited to the raucous nature of its star. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 10 Jun.

DOCUMENTARY

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (15) 120min ●●●●●

ROMANCE

ME BEFORE YOU (12A) 110min ●●●●●

Me Before You is an old-fashioned weepie based on the Jojo Moyes bestseller. It follows two mismatched souls, one of whom is confined to a wheelchair: Will (Sam Claflin) had a great job and beautiful fiancée until an accident left him paralysed. Despite coming from a family able to provide him with the finest care, he's wholly embittered. Will’s exasperated parents (Janet McTeer, Charles Dance) hire bubbly carer Lou (Emilia Clarke) and her sunny outlook seeps through his cynical veneer. In spite of blossoming feelings, Will seems determined to end his life.

Not so much a ‘will they won’t they?’ as a ‘will he won’t he?’, the script has been carefully adapted by Moyes herself. Debut director Thea Sharrock gives the narrative a gloss which doesn’t always sit well with its darker elements, although her stage experience means she knows how to draw credible work from her cast. True, Clarke appears to have trouble controlling her eyebrows but she’s a warm, watchable presence, while Claflin modulates his performance with real skill. And for all those Richard Curtis-like primary colours, it’s hard to hold back the tears for a story that has the courage of its convictions. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 3 Jun.

Documentarian Michael Moore can come across as smugly self-righteous in his ongoing mission to tell America exactly what it’s doing wrong. This time he adopts a more genial tone while embarking on an enlightening odyssey through Europe and Tunisia, staging mock invasions as he brazenly steals ideas from each country. These range from Italy’s eight weeks of paid holiday to Norway’s rehabilitative prison system and Slovenia’s free university education.

We discover that France’s delicious school meals are cheaper than the slop served in the US, and that Finland’s no-homework policy and shortest, most fun-filled school hours in the West results in the top-ranking students across the world. Moore produces charts and weaves in footage of the American reality, a stark contrast to what we witness on his travels.

The continuing frustration is that he’s preaching to the choir, while haters won’t bother to see this in case they learn something. But it’s an entertaining, stimulating discussion with many points the British can chew on too. And, as Moore says, ‘see how easy that was? No casualties, no PTSD, just me walking away with something better than oil.’ You have to like a guy who still believes anything can happen. (Angie Errigo) ■ Selected release from Fri 10 Jun.

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Reviews | FILM

list.co.uk/film

FANTASY

COMEDY DRAMA

COMEDY

(15) 134min ●●●●●

(TBC) 96min ●●●●●

(12A) 112min ●●●●●

TALE OF TALES You can't accuse Matteo Garrone of playing it safe.

He followed his international breakthrough crime thriller Gomorrah with a satire of reality TV’s fatal attraction in 2012’s Reality. Now, he offers a loose interpretation of Giambattista Basile’s fairytales.

We are deep in ‘once upon a time’ territory with stories that unfold across neighbouring kingdoms.

In Selvascura, the Queen (Salma Hayek) will do anything to have a child. In Altomonte, the King (Toby Jones) is fascinated by a flea he secretly rears. In Roccaforte, the monarch (Vincent Cassel) is besotted by the voice of a woman.

Tale of Tales looks a treat as Garrone utilises spectacular locations and fills the screen with vibrant colours and grotesque characters, while the fine cast give committed performances that help keep you engaged. Yet the film is cripplingly undone by a lack of cohesion; there is little rhyme or reason to what happens as we flit between the locations and alight upon enough stories and loose ends to fill countless bedtimes. The result is an eccentric, sprawling hodgepodge that is enchanting in parts but falls far short of becoming their sum.

(Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 17 Jun.

ADULT LIFE SKILLS

BARBERSHOP: A FRESH CUT

A ‘life sucks’ comedy bobbing along on an undercurrent of palpable pain, Adult Life Skills succeeds as a polished rib-tickler and credible study of grief. Rachel Tunnard’s shrewd, sweary, impossibly British debut is almost ashamed of its smarts, with classical references and astute observation modestly paired with dick jokes.

It’s the story of Anna (Jodie Whittaker), a young woman deep in crisis as she approaches 30.

Devastated by the loss of her twin, she’s been living in a garden shed, her melancholic existence enlivened by interactions with soft-voiced admirer Brendan (Brett Goldstein), troubled youngster Clint (Ozzy Myers) and exuberant bestie Fiona (Rachael Deering).

Whittaker is superb, while Alice Lowe and Eileen Davies (as Anna’s salty nan) are not above a spot of scene-stealing. Although the romance takes a welcome back-seat, Brendan is so adorable and so amusingly portrayed that you’ll be rooting for him throughout. Made with great care and compassion, Adult Life Skills is willing to surrender its affability when things get ugly. It’ll win you over with whimsy then floor you with sincerity. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 24 Jun.

Arriving at the third film in this series set around a Chicago barbers, it’s been 12 years since we last saw Ice Cube’s scissor-man, Calvin. Directed

by Malcolm D Lee, Barbershop: A Fresh Cut is a crisp mix of sassy back-chat and social issues. As Calvin’s shop now shares floor space with a salon, a battle of the sexes is alive and kicking.

Among the newbies is Nicki Minaj’s flirty Draya, who has most of the men drooling, including Calvin’s colleague Rashad (Common), to the considerable chagrin of his wife Terri (Eve). The scenarios are hardly original but amusingly played out nonetheless, with Minaj a vivacious presence.

Things take a serious turn when a young patron is shot dead and Calvin offers free haircuts to encourage a ceasefire.

There’s perhaps an over-reliance on celeb cameos and social media posturing, but the only real imbalance comes with a subplot involving Calvin’s son that tips the film towards melodrama. But even then, Ice Cube (an actor rarely given much credit) keeps it afloat. That said, the ultra-naff Obama post-credits sting is something we could have done without. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 17 Jun.

KIDS' MOVIE

THE BFG

(TBC) 115min ●●●●● Roald Dahl dedicated 1982’s The BFG to his daughter Olivia, who passed away from measles at the age of seven. In tribute, he created a tremblingly scary, delightfully imaginative world in which a young orphan called Sophie (played here by Ruby Barnhill) is kidnapped by the only vegetarian inhabitant of a land of ‘human bean’ gobbling monsters.

This movie version of the beloved book mixes live action and motion capture and is directed by no less than Steven Spielberg, with the late Melissa Mathison (ET, Kundun) adapting Dahl’s text. When they first arrive in this strange place of oozing snozzcumbers and English artefacts, the BFG (voiced warmly by Mark Rylance) tenderly places Sophie’s possessions – a copy of Nicholas Nickleby and a blanket – in the crow’s nest of the ship in which he sleeps, and sends her off to the land of nod. You see, the BFG has suffered a sad loss himself and wishes only to protect her.

Visual effects maestros Weta Digital have done a remarkable job with the creation of the ruddy-cheeked, massive-eared behemoth.

Playfully introduced hiding in the shadows, the film gets off to a strong and fun beginning. And the attention to detail is marvellous, with Spielberg inserting a fantastic nod to Dahl’s illustrator Quentin Blake in the shape of a secret room where his sketches are fanned out for discovery.

The film sadly loses its way in its attempts to deliver menace but is at its best when delicately weaving the affectionate relationship between the BFG and the bold, book-smart orphan. Packed full of magical imagery, jovial surprise and royally funny fart jokes, it’s heartwarming stuff even if it doesn’t quite have a handle on the darker elements of Dahl’s vision. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 22 Jul. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 71

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FILM | Reviews

ACTION FANTASY

DRAMA

BIOPIC

(12A) 127min ●●●●●

(12A) 122min ●●●●●

(15) 86min ●●●●●

GODS OF EGYPT With rivals keen to follow Marvel and DC’s example of creating interlocking cinematic universes, the hefty $140m budget for intended franchise-opener Gods of Egypt is comprehensible, even if the end result is anything but. Myths about deities are the inspiration for a blockbuster that hits the so-badit’s-good bullseye perfectly.

With King Osiris (Bryan Brown) about to abdicate, a power struggle between two gods, his son Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and brother Set (Gerard Butler), leads to the latter banishing the forrmer from this mortal world. A common thief called Bek (Brenton Thwaites) leads the wronged god back for a rematch.

Egyptian-born director Alex Proyas takes charge but there are no Egyptians in the core cast, instead he hands roles to Rufus Sewell and Geoffrey Rush.

But his film has even bigger problems than its racially insensitive casting. The real stars are the dynamic special effects but they’re not enough to offset the po-faced script. Still, there’s some enjoyment to be derived from the oddball mixture of lofty ambition and barrel-scraping comedy.

(Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 17 Jun.

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT The guilt-stained legacy of colonialism comes into sharp focus in Embrace of the Serpent, a film as gorgeous looking as it is heartrending. There are echoes of Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God in this Oscar-nominated effort from Colombian director Ciro Guerra, as he uses true stories to chart the folly in two journeys venturing deep into the Amazon. David Gallego’s stunning cinematography really does paint in light as he finds the textures and shadings of the jungle and its inhabitants.

In 1909, a German explorer persuades a young shaman to accompany him on the search for the yakruna, a rare flower that could cure him of a mysterious illness. The shaman is then hired in 1940 by a US explorer on a similar quest. Both journeys reveal the lasting impact of Western intrusion.

Guerra’s film is a hauntingly poetic testimony to unthinking exploitation and the arrogance of firstworld countries, righteous in the belief that their actions are saving and civilising savage natives.

Majestic and thought-provoking, Embrace of the Serpent is a vivid vision of a lost world and is touching in its closing dedication to ‘peoples whose song we will never know’. (Allan Hunter) ■ Selected release from Fri 10 Jun.

ELVIS & NIXON From Anthony Hopkins in Oliver Stone’s biopic to Frank Langella in Frost / Nixon and John Cusack in The Butler, cinema clearly has a fascination with the disgraced president, perhaps because his unlovely shapelessness makes him easy to imitate.

The charismatic Elvis Presley has proved harder to depict, but this shallow yet engaging comedy uses two fine impersonations to tell the story behind the most requested photo in the US National Archives.

Presley (Michael Shannon) is introduced as a weary star who offers his undercover services to Nixon (Kevin Spacey). The Republican president initially refuses to meet him, but finds common ground when the singer arrives at his door. This film gets ample comedic mileage from the notion that both men knew they had a carefully constructed image to protect, and feared falling short of it.

Spacey is note-perfect as Nixon, with Shannon offering a manic and haunted version of Elvis.

Director Liza Johnson brings offbeat sensitivities to a cartoonish story without a great deal to say about celebrity or politics, but which manages to capture why the public retain such curiosity for these influential, eccentric men. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 24 Jun.

COMEDY DRAMA

MAGGIE’S PLAN (15) 99min ●●●●●

The fifth film from writer-director Rebecca Miller thrillingly brings together current queen-bee actress Julianne Moore with luminous young pretender Greta Gerwig. They’re operating at different ends of the acting spectrum in this fitfully fizzy dramedy; while Moore relishes the opportunity to kick back her heels and dig out a random European accent as a ferociously intelligent, amusingly ludicrous diva, Gerwig is forced to play it straighter as she shoulders the burden of the film’s believability.

‘I need a baby’, grumbles Maggie (Gerwig) to best friend Tony (Bill Hader), before announcing that she’s secured a sperm donor in pickle entrepreneur Guy (Travis Fimmel). Matters are further complicated when, around the time of insemination, Maggie embarks on an affair with married academic John (Ethan Hawke), who finds this deeply practical woman a welcome contrast to his needy genius wife Georgette (Moore, going for Danish apparently, but channelling Dietrich). A child is born, lives rumble on but down the line things begin to look far from rosy with our protagonist hatching the titular scheme.

Aiming for something Woody Allen-esque, Miller doesn’t quite nail the tone. Her film lacks the visual energy to complement the narrative farce and feels erratically plotted (the paternity issue is put awkwardly to one side, and the plan itself is an awful long time coming). However, the focus on smart, complicated women is welcome and Miller’s razor-sharp dialogue soars in the mouths of the esteemed ensemble, amping up the entertainment value. With white-hot performers at the fore and a screwball-style premise, Maggie’s Plan promises more than it delivers but there’s abundant fun to be had along the way.

(Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 8 Jul. 72 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

QUEEN OF EARTH (15) 90min ●●●●●

MELODRAMA

JULIETA

(15) 99min ●●●●● After the frisky, inconsequential I’m So Excited!, Pedro Almodóvar returns to what he does best: weaving complex tales around the ties that bind mothers and daughters. Julieta is very much of a piece with All About My Mother and Volver, but there’s a mellow, mournful quality to this melodrama as death and disappointment stalk his characters.

Adapted from a trio of Alice Munro stories with the location changed to Madrid, it finds brokenhearted Julieta (Emma Suárez) about to leave Spain for a new life in Portugal when a chance encounter brings news of her estranged daughter. A spark of hope is reignited and she decides to stay and write a memoir of what happened to her years before, beginning in 1989 when she was a young teacher (played here by Adriana Ugarte) meeting handsome Galician fisherman Xoan (Daniel Grao) on a train. She becomes his second wife, watched over by disapproving Mrs Danvers-style housekeeper Marian (Rossy de Palma). Happiness is hers for the taking but omens and warnings suggest it’s unlikely to last.

Julieta has all the signature touches we have come to expect from Almodóvar, including a dazzling colour palette and a seductive score reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann. The director doffs his cap to Patricia Highsmith, Greek tragedy and the heightened artificiality of late Hitchcock thrillers like Marnie: fans will be able to spot the references and savour the rich stew of lost opportunities, misunderstandings, rash judgements and crippling regrets. Despite a commendably modest running time, Julieta is heavy with plot and exposition; the end result is that not everything has room to breathe. It is a rare modern film that leaves you wanting more, and one that will almost certainly repay a second viewing. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 26 Aug.

While the influences on writer-director Alex Ross Perry’s fourth feature Queen of Earth may be writ large, his extraordinary film is far from a meaningless pastiche. Perry draws on the styles and themes of Bergman, Polanski, Hitchcock and Allen to construct his own intense study of a faltering friendship.

The film opens and closes with uncomfortable sequences of Catherine (a barnstorming Elisabeth Moss) shot, like most of the movie, in tight frames by cinematographer Sean Price Williams. Ensconced in the isolated lakehouse of her friend Virginia (a brilliant Katherine Waterston), Catherine struggles to get over a broken relationship and the death of her artist father before entirely unravelling.

With its intimate framing, jump cuts, eerie score and unsettling visual tableaux, Queen of Earth plays like a horror.

At its heart, however, it’s a devastating story of depression and its impact. Perry has written the pair’s fractured dynamic with both sensitivity and brutal honesty and it’s rare to see a multi-layered, less-than-perfect relationship between two adult women taking centre stage. That this is realised so beautifully and has such an emotional impact, makes it a genuine, if gutwrenching thrill. (Nikki Baughan) ■ Limited release from Fri 1 Jul.

HORROR

THE NEON DEMON (TBC) 110min ●●●●●

DOCUMENTARY

WEINER

(TBC) 96min ●●●●● If a man’s fate is shaped by his name, disgraced US politician Anthony Weiner was doomed to be a punchline. His rise and fall, comeback and even more scandalous undoing are entertainingly akin to watching a slow-motion car crash over and over.

Weiner was an up and coming Democratic party star in 2011, a scrappy, impassioned man of the people. Then a selfie of his crotch appeared on Twitter. Initially, he was evasive but later ‘fessed up, apologised to his pregnant wife and vowed to go on until he was forced to resign. In 2013 he re-emerged, pleading for a second chance as he announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York. Soon he was the improbable frontrunner in the race, and then . . .

This film’s strength is also its weakness. Co-director / writer Josh Kriegman used to work for Weiner, hence the extraordinary access. The right questions are asked but they’re not pressed forcefully, the filmmakers presumably a mite too sympathetic and embarrassed to provoke, so that Weiner’s compulsions and lies are never satisfactorily addressed. A cautionary tale that is funny, sad, absurd and decidedly of our time, it’s definitely one for politics junkies. (Angie Errigo) ■ Selected release from Fri 8 Jul.

Described by director Nicolas Winding Refn as an attempt to ‘make a horror film without the horror’, his tenth feature is supremely stylish and exceedingly silly, a bright, shiny bauble with a vapid centre. There are echoes of Lynch, Argento, Noé and Verhoeven, alongside the novels of Jacqueline Susann, in a flashy satire on the cult of beauty.

Elle Fanning stars as Jesse, an aspiring model who arrives in Los Angeles. Her youth and natural beauty turns heads, secures work and earns her the envy of older models. As Jesse makes a meteoric rise, she fuels the jealousy of her rivals who react in the most vicious manner.

The Neon Demon looks as stunning as a magazine shoot or an ultra expensive fragrance commercial. The screen is drenched in colour and the throbbing, electronic soundtrack and pulsating lights create a trance-like state, as if Jesse is a modern-day Alice. Unfortunately, Fanning slightly overplays Jesse’s simpering, deer-in-the-headlights appeal, while the film’s commentary comes off as laughably shallow. Its descent into necrophiliac sex and eye-popping gore is risible, as Refn seems determined to prove this is a dog-eat-dog business in the most literal way. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 8 Jul. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 73

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BOOKS | Highlights

HITLIST

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2016 Here are some highlights from EIFF 2016, as chosen by our editor Yasmin Sulaiman. Read more about the festival on page 15. For full listings go to list.co.uk

BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS

TOMMY’S HONOUR Festival Theatre, Wed 15 Jun, 8.55pm A captivating period drama about a strained relationship between father and son, Jason Connery’s Events arefilm listed byagainst city, then enthralling is set the date.

Submit listings for your event fascinating backdrop of the earlyatdays list.co.uk/add of professional golf. See feature, page 19.

KIM CATTRALL: IN PERSON Filmhouse, Thu 16 Jun, 6pm Perhaps best known as the sexually adventurous Samantha in Sex and the City, and for her appearances in the 1980s classics Big Trouble in Little China and Mannequin, Kim also enjoys an illustrious theatre career.

THE ACTOR Filmhouse, Thu 16 Jun, 6.05pm; Sat 18 Jun, 6pm A thoughtful and clever comedy drama about a jaded actor finally finding love. A delightful lead performance by acclaimed Japanese actor Ken Yasuda gives The Actor its striking and often unconventional heart.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING Cineworld, Thu 16 Jun, 6.10pm; Filmhouse, Sat 18 Jun, 6.30pm Paul Rudd consolidates his ‘nicest man in film’ credentials in this thoroughly charming and uplifting comedy-drama, starring as a newly licensed caregiver whose first job is working with isolated but amusingly sarcastic young Brit Trevor (Craig Roberts) who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

A FLAG WITHOUT A COUNTRY Cineworld, Thu 16 Jun, 6.15pm; Sat 18 Jun, 3.50pm A pilot and a pop star do their bit in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Acclaimed director Bahman Ghobadi blends documentary with drama (in a similar fashion to his 2009 film Nobody Knows About Persian Cats).

MOON DOGS Cineworld, Fri 17 Jun, 8.50pm; Sat 18 Jun, 3.40pm A stylish and sexy Scottish coming-of-age story.

A wonderfully sustained feature

debut from Philip John (who directed episodes of Downton Abbey and Outlander), this anarchic tale makes the very best of some stunning Scottish locations.

BRAKES Cineworld, Fri 17 Jun, 8.55pm; Filmhouse, Sun 19 Jun, 6.10pm Break-ups and burgeoning romance shape this clever indie film. This delightfully cast debut from Mercedes Grower is literally a film of two halves, tracing the emotionally heightened points at the endings (in the first half of the film) and beginnings (the second) of relationships.

FINDING DORY Festival Theatre, Sat 18 Jun, 2pm A much-anticipated follow-up to Pixar’s delightful 2003 hit Finding Nemo, this beautifully rendered sequel will enthrall, with fans young and old keen to catch up with the adventures of Dory and her undersea friends.

HIGHLANDER 30TH ANNIVERSARY Cineworld, Sat 18 Jun, 7.30pm One of the great action-fantasy romps of the 1980s, this freewheeling film was a modest success on its initial release, but has since developed into a cult favourite packed with quotable lines, punctuated with stylish swordfighting moments and with a series of memorable songs from Queen.

MAGGIE’S PLAN Filmhouse, Sat 18 Jun, 8.55pm; Cineworld, Sun 19 Jun, 8.35pm A sophisticated and witty New York-set rom-com. Director Rebecca Miller’s film is a real pleasure, with the love triangle between Greta Gerwig (Maggie), Ethan Hawke (a would-be novelist) and Julianne Moore (terrific as the intellectually intimidating Dane) wonderfully drawn out as they engage in witty banter and hilarious rants.

BRAHMAN NAMAN Cineworld, Mon 20 Jun, 6.15pm; Filmhouse, Tue 21 Jun, 8.30pm A lusty and funny take on the clichéd

US ‘nerds obsessed with sex’ teen comedy, with director Qaushiq Mukherjee (who directs under the name ‘Q’) charting the antics of a group of sex-starved quiz-happy geeks against a backdrop of 1980s Bangalore.

ZERO DAYS Cineworld, Tue 21 Jun, 6.10pm; Sat 25 Jun, 3.10pm Welcome to the cyber apocalypse. Taking his cue from the pioneering investigation of David Sanger of the New York Times and documents ‘leaked’ by Edward Snowden, the prolific Alex Gibney’s latest film brings his beady inquisitor’s eye to the murky world of statesponsored cyber terrorism.

KIDS IN LOVE Cineworld, Wed 22 Jun, 6.10pm; Fri 24 Jun, 6.10pm A dreamy, sumptuous British coming-of-age drama. When Jack meets Evelyn, he is catapulted towards the bohemian pleasures that London has to offer.

KEVIN SMITH: IN PERSON Traverse, Wed 22 Jun, 8.30pm From the seminal Clerks, through the quirky offbeat humour of Mallrats, to the controversial religious satire of Dogma, Kevin Smith has been pushing cinematic boundaries since 1994.

FAMILIES Cineworld, Wed 22 Jun, 8.30pm; Sat 25 Jun, 3.30pm Family secrets are revealed when relatives fight over a country house. Veteran director Jean-Paul Rappeneau concocts a lush and elegant melodrama, with a strong French cast.

BECOMING ZLATAN Cineworld, Thu 23 Jun, 8.40pm; Odeon, Fri 24 Jun, 8.35pm An insight into what it is to be Swedish football icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

One of the most complex and gifted footballers playing today, this fascinating documentary draws on rare archival footage focusing on the young Zlatan.

REGROUPING Filmhouse, Thu 23 Jun, 6.10pm; Fri 24 Jun, 8.30pm First screened at EIFF in 1976, Borden’s multi-layered film within a film is the highlight of this year’s retrospective focus on the 1970s. It follows the activities of a women’s group, whose political ideals are questioned throughout the process of collaboration.

HOLIDAYS Filmhouse, Thu 23 Jun, 11.20pm; Sat 25 Jun, 8.45pm A chilling horror anthology dwelling on frightening festivities. A sparkling band of genreminded directors –including Kevin Smith, Gary Shore and Nicholas McCarthy – each take inspiration from a different holiday to craft a grim and scary tale.

FIVE ANIMATED YEARS OF WILL ANDERSON AND AINSLIE HENDERSON Filmhouse, Fri 24 Jun, 3.45pm Scotland’s most dynamic animation double act. Graduates from Edinburgh College of Art’s animation degree course, Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson’s worldwide reputation has a bulging awards cabinet, including a McLaren Award each for Best British Animation.

THE COMMUNE Filmhouse, Fri 24 Jun, 8.50pm; Cineworld, Sat 25 Jun, 3.35pm Dark comedy about life in a 1970s Danish collective. Director Thomas Vinterberg sublimely pilfers from his own childhood for this wonderfully constructed story of the ups and downs of family strains.

WHISKY GALORE! Festival Theatre, Sun 26 Jun, 5.15pm; Filmhouse, Sun 26 Jun, 8.45pm The warmth, whimsy and, of course, the whisky which made Whisky Galore! such a success in both the source novel and Alexander Mackendrick’s 1949 film adaptation are alive and well in this version of a much-loved and highly treasured favourite. See feature, page 18.

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Highlights | FILM

HITLIST

THE NICE GUYS General release from Fri 3 Jun. Los Angeles, 1977: gruff enforcer Jackson Healy (Russel Crowe) teams up with useless private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) to investigate the murder of a porn star.

Obscenely entertaining comedy from director/cowriter Shane Black. See

review, page 70.

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT Selected release from Fri 10 Jun.

The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and two scientists who work together for 40 years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant. See review, page 73.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Various venues, Wed 15-Sun 26 Jun, edfilmfest.org.uk The oldest continually running film festival in the world, EIFF presents its 70th programme in 2016.

See features, page 15.

FINDING DORY General release from Wed 29 Jun. In the sequel to the

FILM HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

RACE Selected release from Fri 3 Jun. The story of black athlete Jesse Owens’ road to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as part of the US team.

VERSUS: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF KEN LOACH Glasgow Film Theatre, Mon 6 & Tue 7 Jun. Selected release from Fri 3 Jun. Documentary about the sociallyconscious filmmaker.

ECA ANIMATION DEGREE SHOW Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 6 Jun. An evening of shifting forms and techniques, showcasing the work of students from the animation department at Edinburgh College of Art. WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 10-Tue 14 Jun. In the final film made by legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, a young girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and the girl who may or may not live there.

THE CONJURING 2 General release from Mon 13 Jun. Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to London to aid a single mother raising four children in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

GHOSTBUSTERS General release from Mon 11 Jul. The long-delayed third instalment to the spooky comedy franchise materialises in the form of a female-led male-led reboot.

FO EDINB R URGH COVERFESTIVAL AGE, S AUGU ST EE OUR AND G ISSUES LIST O TO FES.TCO.UK/ IVAL

Watch and Under der the Skin.

Ghostbusters

ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE General release from Fri 15 Jul. Scrat is catapulted outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that have the ability to change the planet forever.

TARKOVSKY Filmhouse, Edinburgh, until Wed 15 Jun. Full feature-film retrospective of Andrei Tarkovsky, screening all seven of his films from new prints. Including Solaris, Stalker and The Sacrifice.

EDINBURGH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 3–Sun 5 Jun. Inaugural festival featuring the best films from the London Asian Film Festival, including Among the Believers, Moor and Aligarh.

much-loved Finding Nemo, annoyingly forgetful Dory goes on an adventure to find her family.

BARBERSHOP: A FRESH CUT Selected release from Fri 17 Jun. As their surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, the crew at Calvin’s Barbershop come together to bring some much needed change to their neighbourhood. See review, page 71.

WHERE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 17-Mon 20 Jun. A collaboration between lo-fi pop raconteur Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap) and filmmaker Paul Fegan as they tour Scotland documenting their journey. See review, page 69.

VISIBLE CINEMA: EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!

Glasgow Film Theatre, Tue 21 Jun. Special screening of Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, suitable for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

ADULT LIFE SKILLS Selected release from Fri 24 Jun. Comedy about a 30-year-old woman who lives in her Mum’s garden. See review, page 71.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE General release from Fri 24 Jun. The first of two planned sequels to 1996’s sci-fi action blockbuster, Independence Day, starring Jeff Goldblum but no Will Smith.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS Selected release from Fri 24 Jun. Spoilt pet Max’s pleasant life is disrupted when his owners take in a mongrel

named Duke. The pair must join forces against bunny rabbit Snowball, who is assembling an army of abandoned pets.

BRANAGH THEATRE LIVE: ROMEO AND JULIET Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 7 Jul. General release from Fri 1 Jul. Kenneth Branagh directs Richard Madden, Lily James and Sir Derek Jacobi in this new production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

THE COLONY General release from Fri 1 Jul. A young woman’s desperate search for her abducted boyfriend that draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a sect nobody ever escaped from.

QUEEN OF EARTH Selected release from Fri 1 Jul. Elisabeth Moss plays Catherine: a young woman seeking peace after a series of tragic events. She goes to a lake house with her best friend, but their love-hate relationship is tested. See review, page 74.

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE General release from Sat 2 Jul. Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are forced to go on the run after they accidentally kill Kate Moss. Well, you would.

SCOTTISH ENDARKENMENT Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 11-Mon 15 Jul. Season exploring a wide range of disturbing and provocative topics.

Featuring The Body Snatcher, Death

THE BFG General release from Fri 22 Jul.Eightyear-old Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) looks out of her window one evening to discover something terrifying - the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance), who unlike his giant brothers doesn’t actually want to eat her. Magical, funny and surprising stuff from Spielberg, lacking only some of the menace of Dahl’s original, but genuinely heartwarming. See review, page 71.

STAR TREK BEYOND General release from Fri 22 Jul. Third film in the rebooted sci-fi series, this time directed by the Fast and the Furious franchise’s Justin Lin after JJ Abrams’ departure to The Force Awakens.

JASON BOURNE General release from Thu 28 Jul. The fifth film in the Jason Bourne series, with Matt Damon returning as titular action hero.

SUICIDE SQUAD General release from Fri 5 Aug. A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

PETE’S DRAGON General release from Fri 12 Aug. Live-action retelling of Disney’s 1977 film about a boy and his dragon friend.

JULIETA Selected release from Fri 26 Aug. After a casual encounter, a brokenhearted woman decides to confront her life and the most important events about her stranded daughter. See review, page 74.

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KIDS

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

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Invaders arrives essintenis apelest arion essiti quoditi ossitati Created by Birmingham Stage Company, ut latqui corem non anihil Histories ilibeate nus. this latest helping ofpor Horrible Busdande voluptuof reperis inihit follows in theque footsteps Vile Victorians , aborporrum iumand quisthe es catch-all aut pra net, sam restia Terrible Tudors Barmy volore, que etur sitio amolores nisyears untio of Romping through thousand Britain.sum, con est omnissi modita veliquis aut offi ciur ad takeovers and infiltration, Incredible Invaders will play alongside Groovy Greeks on alternate days, with both shows benefitting from 3D

endae.

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Previews | KIDS

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FESTIVAL EVENT

FAMILY FUN

Hunter Halls, University of Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun

Various venues, Merchant City, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul–Sun 7 Aug

Turning double figures is an important milestone for everyone, and cake usually plays a vital role in the festivities. Which is why Glasgow Science Festival is inviting people to create a science-themed cake to help celebrate its tenth birthday.

The cake competition is just one aspect of the Science Sunday Big Birthday Bash, a day devoted to hands-on fun and interactive learning. ‘When you get the opportunity to use equipment and tools, it really brings things you hear about and read in textbooks to life,’ says festival director Deborah McNeill.

‘It’s so much more memorable and engaging, and really good fun. We’ve developed lots of creative ways to share what researchers are up to and hope we can offer a new experience to families.’

A drop-in event for all ages, this year’s Science Sunday includes activities about balloons, the Glasgow accent and glow-in-the-dark jellyfish, as well as featuring a sports roadshow for kids to start getting active. Plus, there are lots of clever folk on hand to clue you in. ‘All our activities are developed and run by Glasgow University staff and students, so there’s a huge amount of knowledge in the room,’ says McNeill. ‘While people are getting hands-on with the interactive elements, they can talk to researchers and ask tricky questions.

We also blend science with arts and crafts, to make sure even little ones can get stuck in.’ (Kelly Apter)

For 51 weeks of the year it’s just a series of roads and pavements. But for one week each summer, Glasgow’s Merchant City becomes a hotbed of creativity.

Street performers, dancers, acrobats and musicians do their thing, inspiring the rest of us to channel our artistic side.

‘The atmosphere at the Merchant City Festival is vibrant, dynamic and fun,’ says artist Katie Fowlie who runs the Family Zone in Merchant Square. ‘It’s terrific to see children come through the door each day bursting to let out some of their own energy and ideas. Our job in the Family Zone is to give them an encouraging and inspiring environment in which to do so.’

Free to enter and open from noon–4pm each day, the Family Zone is just one of several opportunities to get hands-on during the festival, much of which has been inspired by the Year of Innovation, Architecture & Design.

Each day, Fowlie and her team will offer a different activity, including invention, design and construction, printmaking and toy making, with all materials provided.

‘There are precious few opportunities for children to learn through creative play,’ says Fowlie, ‘and the beauty of our sessions is that participants can learn, explore and produce something surprising and unique. We hope they will go on to create their own fun, relying purely on a good dose of imagination.’

(Kelly Apter)

SCIENCE SUNDAY BIG BIRTHDAY BASH

MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL

NATURE FESTIVAL AT THE CHILDREN’S WOOD The Children’s Wood, Glasgow, Sun 5 Jun They say nature finds a way: on a patch of land in Glasgow’s North Kelvinside that’s certainly been the case. When a former sports ground became derelict, trees began to sprout until eventually, a small woodland developed – which brought about a similar blossoming in the local community, as people rallied to save the area now known as The Children’s Wood.

Following a long-running battle with Glasgow City Council, who want the land sold to property developers, the decision is now in the hands of the Scottish Government. A prominent campaigner is actor Tam Dean Burn, who will put his talents to good use at the Wood’s upcoming Nature Festival.

‘The Children’s Wood is an incredible community resource,’ says Burn. ‘It draws people together in a way that would have been impossible otherwise, so that children can play outdoors, wilder and freer than in playgrounds.’

Part of the West End Festival, it will feature mini beast hunts, den building, mud kitchen play and lots of fun opportunities to connect with nature. ‘These sorts of things go on weekly at the Children’s Wood,’ explains Burn. ‘They’ve become part of the whole ethos of the place, and the Nature Festival is a celebration of everything that’s been happening there.’

Burn’s part in the day will be an exuberant delivery of Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man, as well as singing some of the author’s nature-orientated songs – although his outfit for the occasion is still undecided. ‘Julia has been hugely supportive of the campaign, and her books are always a real favourite,’ says Burn. ‘Stick Man is about the very basics of nature, going on adventures, then recognising that family is still the most important thing. At previous readings I’ve dressed up as a stick in a brown leotard – but I don’t think I’ll inflict that on people again.’ (Kelly Apter) 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 77

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KIDS | Highlights

HITLIST

WEST END FESTIVAL Various venues, Glasgow, Fri 3–Sun 26 Jun, westendfestival. co.uk Festival of music, theatre, art and family activities.

See preview, page 77.

9–Sun 19 Jun, glasgowsciencefestival. org.uk The festival celebrates ten years with workshops, shows and exhibitions for scientists big and small.

See preview, page 77.

GLASGOW SCIENCE FESTIVAL Various venues, Glasgow, Thu

HORRIBLE HISTORIES Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 21–Sat 25 Jun, atgtickets.com/

Invaders or Groovy Greeks. See preview, page 76.

venues/theatre-royalglasgow An irreverent look at the gruesome aspects of history with two shows to choose from: Incredible

live-size puppets.

PEPPA PIG’S SURPRISE King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 13 & Thu 14 Jul, atgtickets.com/ venues/kings-theatre Fun family show following the adventures of little Peppa Pig, with songs and

MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL Merchant City, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul–Sun 8 Aug, merchantcityfestival. com Enjoy the carnival atmosphere at this family festival. See preview, page 77.

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW FAMILY TUNES Tron St Marys Church, Thu 2, 9 & 16 Jun, tronstmarys.co.uk Story-based music session for young children and their families, with drums, bubbles, puppets and parachutes to help bring the tale to life.

SING-A-LONG-A-FROZEN King’s Theatre, Sun 5 Jun, atgtickets.com/venues/ kings-theatre Sing ‘Let It Go’ at the top of your lungs without getting into trouble.

Dress as your favourite character and don’t worry if you aren’t word perfect – the lyrics appear on screen.

KIDS COMEDY CLUB The Stand, Sun 5 Jun, thestand.co.uk Live comedy for younger fans, particularly those aged 8–12. A

selection of comedians tweak their material for the toughest audience on the planet.

BIG Platform, Sat 11 Jun, platformonline.co.uk An adventure for kids aged 3–5, exploring the world from the point of view of a small person.

TINY TALES Tron Theatre, Sat 11 & 18 Jun, tron.co.uk Storytelling sessions with props, movement, music, percussion and creative play. Suitable for babies and crawlers TALL TALES Tron Theatre, Sat 11 & 18 Jun, tron.co.uk Interactive storytelling session with movement, mime and props.

Suitable for wee ones walking independently up to 3 years

ROLL INTO SUMMER AT ROLLERSTOP! During the school holidays there's a roller disco every day We've got skates, protective equipment, disco lights and music; all you need to bring are your best moves

More info @ rollerstop.co.uk ROLLERSTOP CIC | 139 MIDDLESEX STREET

DRAW FUN COLOURFUL BUILDINGS Art Village, Sun 12 Jun, capturescot.uk Architectural designer Alicia Bunn leads a workshop in using shapes and colour to create fun buildings.

Suitable for ages 7–12.

SUMMER FAMILY MARKET The Coach House Trust, Sat 25 Jun, thecht.co.uk Fun, family day out with arts and crafts, a market and home baking.

Children’s activities include a mini zoo, bouncy castle and face painting.

EID IN THE PARK Maxwell Park, Sun 10 Jul, facebook.com/ ArkGlasgowEvents Activities and stalls with rides, walks, a bouncy castle, books and bites.

GLASGOW | G41 1EE | 0141 429 7298 RESONATE TOTAL GAMING SECC, Fri 29–Sun 31 Jul,

resonatetotalgaming.com A brand new three-day festival of gaming featuring a professional eSports tournament, junior ‘gamer zone’, play hall and retail zone where gamers can compete and mix with YouTube stars.

WORLD PIPE BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS Glasgow Green, Fri 12 & Sat 13 Aug, theworlds.co.uk The best pipe bands from across the world, featuring 8000 pipers and drummers, compete for prestigious prizes and the coveted World Champion crown. Plus a dedicated children’s zone, food and Highland games.

OUTSIDE THE CITIES LILIAS DAY FESTIVAL Kilbarchan Park, Sat 4 Jun, liliasday.co.uk A historic parade through the village with decorated floats, pipe and brass bands and a fancy dress competition. Followed by live music, a cycle display, food village, kids zone, charity football match, dog show and tug of war contest.

THE MCDOUGALL’S HISTORY MYSTERY Cumbernauld Theatre, Sat 18 Jun, cumbernauldtheatre.co.uk A new musical adventure for the McDougall family. When Auntie Maggie is stuck on a crossword clue the gang pile into the timetravelling garden shed to discover the answer.

EARLY YEARS FESTIVAL Various venues, East Renfrewshire, Fri 1–Thu 7 Jul, whatsoneastrenfrewshire.co.uk Babies and toddlers rule the roost at this multi-arts festival dedicated to little ones, with a programme of visual art, theatre, movement, sport, film and more.

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MUSIC

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

WEST END FESTIVAL FIESTA Three days of funk, soul, hip hop and disco to close the 2016 event This year’s West End Festival is going out with a bang, taking over the Kelvingrove Bandstand for a three-day musical fiesta. The opening night features soul star Billy Ocean (pictured), the man behind R&B hits ‘When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going’, ‘Caribbean Queen’ and ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’.

The Wee Chill takes charge on day two with DJ Format, Stanley Odd and headliners De La Soul, whose album 3 Feet High And Rising (1989) was a socially conscious record calling for peace and unity in direct contrast to the prevailing trend for gangsta rap. It changed people’s perspective of hip hop and is regularly cited as being among the greatest albums of all time. However, the band weren’t daunted by their massive success: calling their second album De La Soul Is Dead was a bold statement. ‘We were willing and ready to depart from that sound,’ explains Posdnuos, one third of the hip hop trio alongside childhood friends Dave and Maseo. ‘We made Feet from having fun and not taking into consideration what the outside world expected from us so we approached De La Soul Is Dead the same way.’

More recently De La Soul collaborated with Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz (including huge hit ‘Feel Good Inc’) and have a new album on the horizon. ‘And The Anonymous Nobody is an album of thought, fun, boundless soul and quality,’ Posdnuos adds. ‘The meaning of the title is we are not above anyone. We are all the same and we are here to do our part and not do it just for recognition.’

The final fiesta is hosted by the Sub Club. Disco legends Sister Sledge headline with support from Disco’s Revenge (Harri & Domenic back-to-back with The Revenge), The Marco Cafolla Band and Melting Pot. Three days of good times, the perfect fit for a summer weekend. (Henry Northmore) ■ The West End Festival Fiesta, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, Fri 24–Sun 26 Jun.

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 79

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MUSIC | Belle and Sebastian

THE MAGIC NUMBERS SOREN SOLKAER

It’s been 20 years since the release of Belle & Sebastian’s Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister. As the band prepare for some summer dates, Malcolm Jack analyses the scientific make up of these groundbreaking albums

TIGERMILK 25% – on the rock’n’roll Oddly we can probably thank the government for Belle & Sebastian. Founder members Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David met on a trainingfor-work course for unemployed musicians in Glasgow, which they were attending partly to earn an extra tenner of dole money. Murdoch spent the time honing some songs he’d written, which they eventually got to demo, Tigermilk’s majestic soon-tobe opener ‘The State I Am In’ included. The die was cast.

25% – we formed a band Tigermilk was recorded and mixed at Glasgow’s CaVa studios in just five days in March 1996 and released three months later. A

5% 15%

25%

remarkable feat by any measure, but especially when you consider that the fledgling band’s members had all only recently met: Murdoch and David recruited guitarist Stevie Jackson via an open mic night at The Halt Bar; drummer Richard Colburn was David’s flatmate; cellist / vocalist Isobel Campbell, keyboardist Chris Geddes and trumpeter Mick Cooke were found through friends. For a bunch of relative rookies their playing is remarkable, wrapping Murdoch’s poetic Dylanesque strums in warm baroque-pop à la The Left Banke.

30% – ‘do something pretty while you can, don’t fall asleep’ From ‘Expectations’ to the gorgeous ‘We Rule the School’ (from which the above lyric derives), youth fantasies are a recurring theme on Tigermilk and most subsequent B&S records. Murdoch has chronic fatigue syndrome and spent parts of his late teens and early 20s barely able to get out of bed. His songs come from a place where everyday events and experiences of a boy’s formative years take on a near mythical significance.

15% – whimsical girls From the titular ditz whose first cup of coffee tastes like dishwater in ‘She’s Losing It’ to ‘Mary Jo’, who only wants ‘a cigarette and a thespian with a caravanette in Hull’, women with more than a whiff of whimsy about them populate the album like characters from a kitchen-sink comic book.

5%

TIGERMILK 10%

30% 25% 20%

IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER

40%

25%

80 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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Belle and Sebastian | MUSIC

TELEVISION

In association with Coda Music Agency present

WED 8TH JUNE

Tuesday 14th June EDINBURGH USHER HALL LIVE AT

O 2 ABC GLASGOW

0131 228 1155

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WED 13 JULY GLASGOW BARROWLAND

SPECIAL GUESTS

Saturday 25th June

glasgow old fruitmarket IN ASSOCIATION WITH ITB AND MCGHEE ENTERTAINMENT & GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL

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RICKIE LEE JONES

IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER: 40% – on a rock’n’roll Released less than half a year after Tigermilk, Belle & Sebastian’s arguably career-defining second is the sound of a band on a roll. Its personnel and sonic palette are substantially the same as its predecessor, but there’s an assertiveness in the playing that speaks of a group rapidly coming into their own, from Jackson’s variously jangling and thrumming guitar on ‘Me and the Major’ and ‘Mayfly’ to Cooke’s rousing trumpet fanfares on ‘Stars of Track and Field’ and ‘Judy and the Dream of Horses’.

25% – fans only Where Tigermilk initially received a limited release of just 1000 copies, few of which ever left Glasgow, If You’re Feeling Sinister was the first Belle & Sebastian album to be properly distributed and bring the band to a wider audience.

And yet the group didn’t exactly play the industry game. They rarely did interviews nor posed for photos, and their live appearances remained fleeting. An intrigue grew about these mysterious Glaswegians that captured imaginations on both sides of the Atlantic.

20% – definitely not Oasis Picture the musical landscape in November 1996.

The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ was the number one single and Robson & Jerome were dominant in the albums. Earlier that summer Oasis played for half a million people at Knebworth and Britpop was in peak swagger. What a breath of fresh air this album and band sounded to ears in search of something gentler, stranger, funnier, more literate and playful.

10% – even more whimsical girls On the title track, Hilary is ‘into S&M and Bible studies, not everyone’s cup of tea’, while the album’s closer ‘Judy and the Dream of Horses’ pertains to a teenage rebel who ‘did it with a boy when she was young’ and dreams about stealing horses. There can barely have been an oddball femme knocking about 1996 Glasgow who somehow didn’t get a mention in a Belle & Sebastian song.

5% – godliness / ungodliness The album’s title track and centerpiece is a beguiling juxtaposition of religion, teen suicide and self-interference concluding with the memorable lyric: ‘go off and see a minister, chances are you’ll probably feel better if you stayed and played with yourself’. With considerations of faith, sex and romance swirling around his head, a wry sense of humour and a keen knowledge of the classic pop pantheon, nobody else was writing songs like Murdoch back then.

Twenty years on they still sound divine.

75th Birthday Celebration Tour

with String and Brass Ensemble arranged by Fiona Brice plus special guests

WEDNESDAY 08 JUNE EDINBURGH QUEEN’S HALL

Saturday 17th September Usher Hall Edinburgh 0131 228 1155

PLUS

SPECIAL GUESTS NEU! HARMONIA & SOLO WORKS FRIDAY 30TH SEPT 2016 PLAYS

THE ART SCHOOL GLASGOW royharper.co.uk

JUST ANNOUNCED

JUST ANNOUNCED

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SAT 15T H OCT Monday 07 November

Glasgow Oran Mor

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EDINBURGH LIQUID ROOM

JUST ANNOUNCED

EUROPEAN TOUR 2016

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

SATURDAY 8th OCTOBER

GLASGOW O 2 ABC

21st Anniversary Tour plus special guest

Wed 23 Nov GLASGOW O2 ABC Thu 24 Nov EDINBURGH Liquid Room

MONDAY 10TH OCTOBER

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CAA

MIRACLE LEGION +SPECIAL GUESTS THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS

THE GLEN CAMPBELL YEARS

FRI 16TH SEPT

15TH - 18TH AUGUST

ASSEMBLY SPIEGELTENT assemblyfestival.com

0131 623 3030

18:45

GEORGE SQUARE

15 - 18 AUG

0844 844 0444 Belle & Sebastian play Glasgow University Union Debating Chamber, Mon 13–Wed 15 Jun.

by arrangement with Musicians Incorporated

Artwork copyright: Central Station Design

5% – taped off the radio It’s a nerdy footnote to the making of Tigermilk, but the story of track five says much about the record’s naïve magic. A bip-bopping trippy Casiotone jam inspired by New Order’s ‘Procession’ and something of a sonic oddity on the album, ‘Electronic Renaissance’ got its first advance play on BBC Radio Scotland’s Beat Patrol. Murdoch recorded the broadcast to cassette and loved the tinny, compressed sound so much that this crudely captured secondhand version became the one used on the final album.

Roy Harper MR IOCTHHAEERL

WED 17 AUGUST

GLASGOW ORAN MOR

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

regularmusic.com

Glasgow Concert Hall 0141 353 8000

In person from Ticket Scotland Glasgow/Edinburgh & Ripping Edinburgh and usual outlets

regularmusicltd

regularmusicuk 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 81

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MUSIC | Previews SINGER-SONGWRITER

JACK GARRATT T in the Park, Sat 9 Jul

PHOTO: DANIEL A HARRIS

As a teenager, Jack Garratt entered the first song he ever wrote in a bid to represent Britain at Junior Eurovision. He came last. Earlier this year, he received the Brit Award for Critics’ Choice and scored a top ten hit with his debut album, Phase. So he’s pretty upbeat now. But in between those milestones were years of social anxiety and deliberate musical isolation for this self-confessed ‘pasty, fat, ginger kid’.

‘I didn’t do myself any favours,’ he says with disarming candour. ‘I would be resentful of my own ideas, even before I’d said them out loud. But music was always the most consistent and peaceful thing for me. So I taught myself to be my harshest critic rather than just a mean voice in the back of my head.’

Aged 20, he moved to London, where he learned to stop worrying (quite so much) and embrace the freedom of being a 21st-century one-man band, blending digital and analogue, pop, electronic and R’n’B. ‘I’ve always found myself to be most free and creatively open when I’m on my own,’ he insists. ‘I find myself working ten steps ahead of where I actually am on my laptop or keyboard, but I know what the ten steps are. I just haven’t got to them yet.’ To this day, he practically comes out in hives if it is suggested that he collaborate. ‘But it is something I want to change, I don’t wanna be a recluse forever,’ he declares. How does he feel about sharing a field with 70,000 other folk at T in the Park then? ‘Festivals are the best because you can’t control anything, and for a control freak like me that’s a wonderful experience.’

(Fiona Shepherd)

INDIE COLLECTIVE

MINOR VICTORIES Minor Victories is released Fri 3 Jun on Play it Again Sam An indie supergroup comprising Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Justin Lockey (Editors) and his brother, James, Minor Victories make majestic music bathed in drama and ghostly atmospherics. As they prepare to release their self-titled debut album, we grilled Braithwaite on the creation of this beautiful monster. So how did the project come about?

‘Editors and Slowdive have the same manager, so Justin approached Rachel about doing some music together,’ he explains. ‘I think Justin wanted to do something noisier and a bit more abstract. Once they started working on songs, she suggested me as another guitar player because we’d done a load of gigs together. Plus I can play guitar to Rachel’s standards.’

As the various members reside in different parts of the UK, they initially sent each other demos via email. Inspired by the results, they soon had enough material for an album. ‘James came up to stay with us in Glasgow,’ says Braithwaite. ‘That was the first time I’d met him. Rachel did all her vocals in her house and I think Justin did everything in his garage.’

According to the Mogwai frontman vocalist, Goswell cringes at the supergroup tag: ‘She can’t deal with it at all! I guess there’s an air of pomposity about it.’ With some live dates in the pipeline, it’s possible that Minor Victories will record again in future. ‘As long as we don’t find out some terrible dark secrets about each other while on tour, I don’t see why not.’ (Paul Whitelaw)

JAZZ & BLUES

GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL Various venues, Glasgow, Wed 22 Jun–Sun 3 Jul Kamasi Washington is jazz’s biggest success story in decades, with his contemporary invocation of spiritual jazz reaching new audiences through his collaborations with hip-hop artists Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus. All this makes the Californian saxophonist a fitting headliner for a Glasgow Jazz Festival that seems revitalised by its commitment to new talent.

The 30 Under 30 strand marks the festival’s 30th anniversary by celebrating Scottish artists who are making waves in the jazz world. Many of them will be performing, including 2015 Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, saxophonist Helena Kay, the Beat Generation-inspired Howl Quintet, and Glasgow fusioneers Quarks.

There’s also a strong showing of innovative UK acts, including Soweto Kinch, Kit Downes’ Enemy and Mammal Hands. Kinch, an alto saxophonist and rapper, blends hard rhymes and head-nodding grooves with hard bop and African-Caribbean influences.

Given the proven Scottish audience for avant-garde jazz, it’s a shame there’s little in that vein beyond English pianist Howard Riley, who shares a bill with Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra.

He’s a must-see, having played with such luminaries as Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Tony Oxley.

GIO saxophonist Sue McKenzie and bassist Emma Smith bring Bitches Brew (their Edinburgh showcase for female musicians) west for the first time and perform their own show as Syntonic.

(Stewart Smith) 82 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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LIST CO-PROMOTION

COMING UP AT THE QUEEN'S HALL

TOP 5OR TIPS F

K A REN MAT H E S O N

G George Kyle, Head of S Sponsorship at Tennent’s L Lager, reveals his top tips ffor T in the Park 2016

1

Fri 3 June “Matheson has long been recognised as one +" +0( * Ɔ/ 7*!/0 /%*#!./Ƅ ő +*#(%*!/Œ

COMING UP IN THE FRINGE AT THE QUEEN’S HALL

Discover new music at the T Break Stage

Tennent’s Lager have been showcasing showc Scotland’s freshest unsigned talent on the T Break Stage at T in the Park for the past 21 years and with some of Scotland’s biggest bands including Biffy Clyro and Twin Atlantic playing sets there over the years, I would encourage everyone to pay the T Break Stage a visit over the festival weekend. You never know who you might see.

2

Pre-order your cans with Be Chilled

3

Head Along to the Tennent’s Arms

4

Pitch up on the Thursday

5

Enjoy the Music!

Be Chilled is an essential for T in the Park campers. Our service allows fans to pre-order their cans of Tennent’s Lager and Magners Original Cider online at www.tennents.com/bechilled and pick them up, ice cold, throughout their stay in the T in the Park campsite. No need to carry cans to the campsite or drink warm beer – we’ve got it covered!

THE CHAIR Fri 5 August

AN EVENING OF RYAN ADAMS Red-blooded WITH EASY stomp music from TIGERS Orkney Tue 9 August Americana collective pay homage to their biggest inspiration

PEATBOG FAERIES Thu 11 August

RURA Sat 13 August

“Barnstorming High octane Celtic instrumentals… just what dance music every Festival needs” (BBC Radio Scotland)

THE RED HOT CHILLI PIPERS Wed 10 & Fri 26 August Bagpipes with attitude & drums with a Scottish accent

We’re delighted to bring the Tennent’s Arms back to T in the Park after such a fantastic first year in 2015. If you haven’t been before, it’s a must! We have a terrace balcony overlooking the main arena, Sub Club DJs behind the decks, a menu of Tennent’s Lager-based cocktails and of course, cold Tennent’s on tap. The atmosphere was phenomenal last year and we can’t wait to open the doors again this summer.

With Be Chilled open and loads of entertainment - like comedy from The Stand Comedy Club, burlesque from the amazing Club Noir, music from Hot Dub Time Machine in the King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent and top DJs playing into the night in the legendary Slam Tent – why not come along, pitch your tent, open an ice cold can and get your T in the Park weekend started early on Thursday 7th July.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA CELEBRATE BRUBECK Sun 14 August

Last but by no means least; enjoy all the fantastic music on this year’s T in the Park line-up! Highlights for me this year will be The Stone Roses on the Main Stage on Friday night, Travis headlining the King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent on Saturday and Jake Bugg and James Bay on the Sunday. I’m also looking forward to seeing last year’s T Break act Gerry Cinnamon open the King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent and what this year’s T Break acts have in store for their sets.

Brubeck: An Incredible jazz legacy

WWW.THEQUEENSHALL.NET 0131 668 2019

Get your T in the Park tickets now from www.tinthepark.com.

If you’re aged 18 or over and camping at T in the Park, make sure to pre-order your Tennent’s Lager or Magners Original Cider for the festival weekend from Tennent’s Lager’s Be Chilled – www.tennents.com/bechilled. Check out this year’s T Break acts at www.tennents.com/tbreak For the facts about alcohol – drinkaware.co.uk.

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MUSIC | Records

ALBUM OF THE ISSUE

ALT COUNTRY

INDIE ROCK

VARIOUS

CASE/LANG/VEIRS

Song, By Toad Split 12” Vol 4 (Song, by Toad) ●●●●●

●●●●●

Recorded in the living room of label boss Matthew Young, the latest Song, By Toad split 12” represents all that’s good about SBT’s DIY approach. The echoey domestic space, an emphasis on acoustic instruments and a very basic mic set-up have resulted in a collection of tracks that share a sense of unpolished intimacy, with any rough edges the aural equivalent of a potter’s fingerprints smudged into the clay.

The four contributing artists each manage to contrast that immediacy with unexpected grandeur. digitalanalogue’s wordless, piano-led ‘Café Royal’ sounds a bit like a candle-lit acoustic session by Sigur Ros. Supermoon (aka Meursault’s Neil Pennycook) and Viking Moses remind us how powerful a strong, clear voice can be when used as an instrument in itself instead of just a vessel for lyrics. Which isn’t to say their words aren’t wonderfully crafted too – Pennycook scoops Best Lyric on the Album with bonus track ‘Ode to Gremlin’: ‘And the last thing the world needs now is another song about the fucking sea.’

By contrast, American singer-songwriter Virgin of the Birds has a voice that’s probably best described with the faintly cruel music journo euphemism ‘distinctive’, but it proves the perfect anchor for songs that might otherwise drown in towering swells of reverb and feedback.

Given that the Split 12” series comes from a place so close to Young’s heart, he can perhaps be forgiven for attempting to cram too much in, like your friend who always overloads the mixtapes he sends you because there’s too much good music he wants to share (there are 15 tracks including the bonuses).

In fairness, there’s not a bad song in the bunch, but it does mean that some (such as digitalanalogue’s later instrumentals) struggle to stand out from the crowd. (Niki Boyle) Out Mon 4 Jul.

case/lang/veirs (Anti-)

What a difference a mail makes. Without an innocuous cyber-message – penned by rodeo pop poet k.d. lang, and dispatched, as she puts it, ‘on a whim’ – this lovely, cosmic alt-country album would not exist. Nor would the Americana supergroup behind it, starring lang and fellow rock’n’roll wranglers Neko Case (The New Pornographers) and Laura Veirs. And don’t be misled by the lower-case styled case/lang/ veirs nomenclature: there is plenty to shout about here.

Take the album’s opening lines, on sublime twilight porch-song, ‘Atomic Number’: ‘I’m not the freckled maid / I’m not the fair-haired girl / I’m not a pan of milk for you to spoil’, the harmonic trio sing in turn, each making their remarkable presence felt, while creating (or leaving) space for the others.

The album works best when they follow this economical trajectory; when there’s room around their melodies and harmonies and words.

Highlights include torch song ‘Supermoon’, drive-pop shimmy ‘Best Kept Secret’, space-cowboy psalm ‘Down 1-5’ (an echoing serenade to the ‘endless night’), and, perhaps most strikingly, sparse-piano lament ‘Blue Fires’, which explore life, loss and language through the power of blue, (‘The hottest part of this flame burns blue / why do blue fires burn in me / yet not in you?’)

As with so many country hymns on this warm, engaging album, ‘Blue Fires’ is preoccupied with finding (or losing) ourselves: in our hearts, in nature, in the galaxy (‘how can the prairie flocks keep their courses true / and navigate the stars as they do?), and it takes on the heavens in ‘Behind The Armory’. ‘We’ll make new constellations’, they sing, on an album made of stars. (Nicola Meighan) Out Fri 17 Jun.

GUITAR POP

SPACE POP

Faulty Inner Dialogue (Lost Map Records) ●●●●●

Hope is Never (Lo & Behold) ●●●●●

KID CANAVERAL

Summer albums are generally supposed to offer sun-dried deliverance for the masses from deskbound limbo via supply-side anthemic bangers and moments ready-made to be captured for an opportune Facebook post. But Kid Canaveral, ever the awkward kitchen-dwelling party guests of the Scottish pop scene, would never release something so boring. Instead, new album Faulty Inner Dialogue hides sensitive songwriting about selfies and self-doubt behind a shimmering façade of catchy riffs and glitchy beats.

Three albums in, the band have established a unique sound while playing around with genre, appropriating slacker rock on ‘Tragic Satellite’ and recalling the synth pop of Klaxons on ‘Lifelong Crisis of Confidence.’ New recruit Michael Craig, joining on keys and laptop, helps build upon the electronic elements that were scattered around the edges of 2013’s Now That You Are a Dancer. He adds melodic depth to tracks like ‘Callous Parting Gift’ which would have come off sounding shallow with the band’s previous set-up but which is presented as a fully realised example of their magpie approach to song construction.

Lead single ‘First We Take Dumbarton’ is a ready-made radio hit (or would be, if there was any justice) concealing cynical observations on social media behind a singalongable smokescreen. Despite the new developments, this record retains the core of mischievous guitar pop that defined their debut Shouting at Wildlife.

David MacGregor’s wry songwriting – always sharp without being sharpelbowed, witty without being whimsical – has matured well, though his choice of subject (break-ups and quarter-life crises), is perhaps a little more embittered than it used to be. Faulty Inner Dialogue sees our heroes straightened out and smartened up, employing impressive production standards and lyrical duplicity on an album that works equally well as a sociable, fun record as it does as a vehicle to discuss alienation and internal turmoil. (Sam Bradley) Out Fri 29 Jul.

ZIEMBA

Ziemba, aka René Kladzyk, is a Brooklyn-based performance artist and spacepop diviner, whose songs have been featured on Comedy Central’s brilliant cult hit show, Broad City. Her cheerily-titled debut album, Hope Is Never, is by turns euphoric, alienating and devastating, while it’s always quietly enthralling. It is, she says, ‘about nostalgia and memory, the way to conceive of death as that thing that connects us to eternity or the infinite’. Well, that and tiger women, seals and fires and buffalos.

Kladzyk’s peripatetic CV spans visual art, music and dance (she’s been artistin-residence at the French Institute and Culture Vultures in Fez, Morocco, and she’s composed for ballet companies and installations), and her esoteric pop is similarly varied in style and form. From the necromancing kosmische thrills of album standout ‘El Paso’, through the spectral, xx-conjuring chimes of ‘Phantom See’, to the bounding, feral 80s pop of ‘Tiger Woman’, her music spans decades, genres and elements (‘I am a fire’, she intones on balmy-rock mantra, ‘Hope Is a Fold’).

Her music taps into the power of slow-builds – in vocals, textures, moods – as exemplified in the album’s striking salutation, ‘It Curls Itself’. An a cappella madrigal that’s minimalist and beautiful, the song variously deploys Kladzyk’s voice as pulsing bassline and airborne chorister, charting earthly highs and lows, and defying the very gravity she sings about.

In an album that’s haunted by what is there and what is not, the arrangements feel particularly well-attuned. They’re cardinal, dramatic but never intrusive – sometimes ghostly, sometimes all-embracing – thanks to drummer Rob Smith (of Thrill Jockey’s Rhyton), bassist Jimy SeiTang (of Sacred Bones’ Psychic Ills), guitarist Christian Sawyer, cellist Valerie Kuehne and violinist Natalia Steinbach. And at the heart of it all, there is Ziemba: courting loss and (sometimes) hope. (Nicola Meighan) Fri 24 Jun.

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Records | MUSIC

list.co.uk/music SCOTS AMERICANA

INDIE ROCK

Awake Unto (Chemikal Underground) ●●●●●

Puberty 2 (Dead Oceans) ●●●●●

More commonly known as the singer with propulsive, Germanic-influenced Scots psych-rockers The Phantom Band, Rick Anthony unleashed his Rick Redbeard persona back in 2013 with the debut album No Selfish Heart, a surprisingly mellow set of autumnal Caledonian folk tracks. In the wake of 2014’s third Phantoms record Strange Friend and last year’s companion piece Fears Trending, he’s keeping up that particularly productive streak with this fourth album he’s been involved with in as many years.

The ambling pace of Anthony’s muse as Redbeard hasn’t altered much over the last three years, but the tone is markedly different. Where No Selfish Heart was infused with that decidedly Scots alt-folk sensibility, there’s a sense of smoky Americana to Awake Unto. This impression is shaded by the banjo, accordion and buzzing, reverb-fuelled guitar filling the backdrop. That the forthcoming Refugee charity compilation places him alongside Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy on the tracklist is surely no mistake.

The opening ‘Wild Young Country’ is pure Will Oldham, with Anthony serenading a partner who was ‘sent from above’ in their ‘heathen glory’ over a delicate, waltzing piano line. It all feels very analogue, very rustic; much like the strident but rootsy ‘In My Wake’ and ‘The Golden Age’, a cheerfully anthemic collision of banjo and steel guitar. Anthony has mastered a particular kind of tone here - from the dust-baked, Breaking Bad menace of ‘Unfound’ to the bittersweet nocturnal lullaby ‘The Night is All Ours’ and the measured ‘Get Friendly (Blood)’, which places this record in the same bracket as the likes of Smog, for example.

There are echoes of dewy Scots folk here and there, as on the minimal reverse-guitar melancholy of ‘Field Years’ and the King Creosote-like ‘Let It Rust’, but this seems to be a record concerned with stepping out of comfort zones so that something more personal might emerge. (David Pollock) Out Fri 17 Jun.

Coming to terms with notions of identity can be long and laborious. For singersongwriter Mitski, the process is ongoing and one that is reflected upon often in her compositions and lyrics.

Continuing on from the witty, introspective third album Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Puberty 2 strikes a balance between apprehension and selfempowerment, as told by means of broad and semi-familiar narratives. This is epitomised perfectly in lead single ‘Your Best American Girl’, where the desire to conform conflicts with Mitski’s sense of self: ‘Your mother wouldn’t approve / Of how my mother raised me / But I do, I think I do.’ The song’s gradual, feedbackheavy build-up echoes her own defiance, a motif that appears throughout the album. But it also signals an anxiety with life, illustrating a curious middle ground most evident in opening track ‘Happy’.

Elsewhere on the album, Mitski unleashes her angst full throttle, like on the rowdy and rapid ‘My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Stars’, which brings to mind elements of 90s indie rock such as Neutral Milk Hotel. ‘Once More to See You’ is more wistful in its delivery, with an emphasis placed on her tender vocals.

Similarly, on slow-burning ‘Thursday Girl’, the vocal line is sublime in its steady rise and fall.

In closing track ‘A Burning Hill’, a fingerpicked acoustic guitar accompanies the melody in what appears to be a fitting conclusion to the two-part story narrated in Bury Me at Makeout Creek and continued in Puberty 2. Rather than ending on a wholly positive note, Mitski hints at her own progress in the path to acceptance, noting: ‘I’ll love the littler things / I’ll love some littler things’.

Describing a period of uncertainty akin to adolescence, Puberty 2 brilliantly highlights Mitski’s personal and musical evolution through an experience that is universally shared, but not always fully understood. (Arusa Qureshi) Out Fri 17 Jun.

ELECTRO POP

CELTIC SOUL

Take Her Up to Monto (Play it Again Sam) ●●●●●

Brighter Still (Gogar Records) ●●●●●

RICK REDBEARD

RÓISÍN MURPHY

Flinging the word ‘genius’ at any old artist whose work you’ve found yourself enjoying for more than five minutes is a glib cliché. But a visit to the thesaurus is required to find another way of describing the wondrous Róisín Murphy. OK, here’s one: ‘prodigy’.

Although that doesn’t quite nail it, hinting more at potential yet to be fulfilled rather than an experienced artist who’s close to the height of her powers as musician, singer, lyricist, aestheticist, costume designer, film director and walking art project.

From pop success in the 1990s with Moloko to the experimentation of her unheralded first two solo albums from the new century, 2015’s comeback record Hairless Toys combined the two styles to striking, Mercury-nominated effect. Take Her Up to Monto is a very worthy follow-up, combining playfully atmospheric electronic composition with dazzling lyricism.

The album opener ‘Mastermind’ is a lush, sultry wash of oscillating synthesisers and stabbing drum machine whose lyrics reveal chasms of dramatic meaning. When the protagonist sings, ‘it’s just like taking candy from a baby / I’m easy, go on, say it’, is she cursing her own perceived foolishness or the wrongness of the man she chose to go home with? It’s an epic of a song with a sweet hook and sinister undertow, much like ‘Ten Miles High’, which conflates a squelching, primitive synth groove with a blissed-out summertime dream of flying and the greatest Grace Jones impersonation you’ll ever hear.

Murphy spins oddness and beauty around one another in the same lyric: from ‘Pretty Gardens’ and its invitation to a lover through to ‘Thoughts Wasted’ with its firm address to a stoned partner, and the cool bossa nova of ‘Lip Service’. The album’s latter stages, particularly ‘Nervous Sleep’ and ‘Sitting and Counting’, further indulge a fascination with weird, dreamlike playfulness to an almost Lynchian degree. (David Pollock) Out Fri 8 Jul.

MITSKI

ADAM HOLMES AND THE EMBERS Edinburgh-based Celtic soul man Adam Holmes has been writing his own songs since his early teens, his precocious talent recognised on several awards nomination lists for his solo work and as part of folk firebrands Rura. If you have yet to make his musical acquaintance, prepare to be impressed and even seduced by his latest work.

Holmes’ unforced and natural style has its roots in the folk music he has hoovered up since childhood, but there is undeniable pop crossover appeal built into his gracefully crafted second solo album. Brighter Still is a slice of summer satisfaction, shot through with understated confidence and quiet charisma.

There is more than a touch of Paolo Nutini to lonesome piano ballad ‘Joanna’ and the sultry, brooding ‘When the Lights go Down’ – you can’t blame him for turning on that bedroom baritone – but the comparison probably comes down to their common influence, the late John Martyn, whose mellow, slow-burning Caledonian soul style is a touchstone here.

‘Shining Star’ harks back to the easy, rootsy Scotpop sounds of the 1980s, but in this case without the stultifying production which overpowered many of those records. Of this collection, only the terminally laid-back ‘One Soul’ is too smooth and snoozy for its own good.

Holmes has a winning, bruised, soulful tone, shown off most effectively on the album’s epic, stormy centrepiece ‘Nadine’ which builds up to a controlled wail of a climax.

But he also lightens the mood with the simple, direct ditty ‘I Want to be Your Friend’ and Afro pop inflections of the single ‘People Come/People Go’, while he and guest vocalist Eddi Reader dig deep into trad country tradition with tears-in-their-beers duet ‘Love Down the Line’.

(Fiona Shepherd) Out Fri 10 Jun. Brighter Still launches on Thu 9 Jun at CCA, Glasgow. Adam Holmes and the Embers play Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Sun 4 Sep. 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 85

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MUSIC | Records – Jazz & World

JAZZ & WORLD JAZZ

EXPOSURE

JACK DEJOHNETTE, RAVI COLTRANE, MATTHEW GARRISON In Movement (ECM) ●●●●●

Following last year's outstanding celebration of the Chicago avant-garde, Jack DeJohnette turns here to a younger generation of players. The connections run deep. Ravi Coltrane is, of course, the son of John and Alice, while Matthew Garrison is the offspring of the great Coltrane quartet bassist Jimmy Garrison. On In Movement, the trio meet as equals, reworking classic themes and originating several new compositions.

Their take on John Coltrane's immortal Civil Rights-era elegy 'Alabama' is deeply moving, with Ravi's saxophone full of dignity, sadness and quiet anger.

As the piece gathers momentum, Garrison's distorted electric bass swells behind the saxophonist, while DeJohnette's drums roil. For all the nods to the past – creative homages to Miles Davis, Rashied Ali and Earth, Wind & Fire – this is firmly future-focussed music, with Garrison's inventive bass and electronics bringing the shock of the new.

JAZZ

AKIRA SAKATA, JOHAN BERTHLING, PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE Semikujira (Trost) ●●●●●

PHOTO: JOHN DUNCAN

Japanese saxophonist Akira Sakata has worked with everyone from Bill Laswell to DJ Krush, and lately he's forged powerful alliances with younger European players like the pianist Giovanni Di Domenico, and the killer rhythm section of Johan Berthling (Tape, Fire!) and Paal Nilssen-Love (The Thing, Large Unit). Sakata's first outing with the Scandinavians, 2014's Arashi, was a storming free jazz set, starting out at full pelt, before taking on a more reflective mood.

Semikujira goes the other way, opening with an atmospheric clarinet and the percussion impressions of 'Snowing on the Temple Garden' before unleashing the alto sax and free drumming tempest of 'Blow of Humpback Whale'. In addition to his distinctive reed playing, Sakata is a wildly inventive and powerful vocal improviser, breaking into ritualistic incantations and manic gibberish in a way that recalls Kan Mikami and Keiji Haino, but has a cracked Japanese folk quality all of its own.

WORLD

IDRIS ACKAMOOR & THE PYRAMIDS We Be All Africans (Strut) ●●●●●

The Pyramids are one of the most distinctive groups from jazz's Afrocentric period of the late 60s and early 70s, combining the free playing and theatrics of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Arkestra with percussion heavy grooves. We Be All Africans is the latest album from the re-activated group, and while it lacks some of the weirdness and wildness of the band's self-released 70s classics, it's a wonderfully rich and colourful album.

The title track is a joyful expression of pan-African philosophy, its vocal chants and rolling grooves creating a generous sense of community with the listener.

'Clarion Call' recalls Albert Ayler's gospel communions, with Ackamoor's tenor saxophone mapping out a blissful path to freedom over gently billowing drums, bass and violin. Sun Ra's influence comes through in the cosmic balladry of 'Whispering Tenderness' and the filtered synths that drift and warp through 'Epiphany'.

WORLD

VARIOUS Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed (Analog Africa) ●●●●● In 1968 a cargo ship full of electronic music gadgetry bound for Rio de Janeiro disappeared in the Atlantic.

Months later, the villagers of Cachaço, on the Sao Nicolau island of Cape Verde, came across a ship stranded in their fields, eight kilometres from the coastline. This mysterious vessel was full of electronic instruments that were subsequently distributed among schools. Many of the children who learned to play on those instruments grew up to become successful musicians, including the great arranger Paulino Vieira, and Katchas, who pioneered a futuristic take on the traditional funaná dance style.

Spanning 1977–1984, the 15 tracks on this lovingly-compiled set offer irresistible grooves, joyful melodies and colourful arrangements which blend electric guitars, horns and frenetic drums with all manner of synth textures, from the electro-glide of Dionisio Maio's 'Dia Ja Manche' to the chittering waveforms of António Sanchez's mind-boggling 'Pinta Manta'. (All reviews by Stewart Smith)

SHVLLOWS The Edinburgh four-piece are mere youngsters as a group, having formed in early 2015, but their Everything Everything / Foals / 1975-inspired synth pop is worming its way into ears across the land. We nabbed them for a chat about their music pals, future plans, and spelling their name with a 'v'.

On their sound The combination of hard-hitting sub bass, synth and drums, mixed with delicate guitars and soaring melodies is not something you hear every day. Which might explain why the single blew up the way it did upon release.

On joining the camp of bands who replace vowels in their name with a 'v' The 'v' is there purely for the same reason the others bands did it: to be found online in the easiest way possible. Say Nicki Minaj released a song with 'Shallow' in the title, we would be lost on search engines forever.

Plus, it looks cool.

On influences We love St Lucia, Chromeo and our Scottish brothers Prides and Tongues. There are loads of bands out there that have really helped us so far, such as Noah Noah and Rebel Westerns. The Begbies and Indigo Velvet have both released amazing new singles and we're really excited for Redolent's debut album.

On Edinburgh's music scene It's incredible at the moment. You've got bands, producers, promoters and photographers all chipping in and helping each other up the music ladder. There's something for everyone in the Capital and you just have to work hard and not over-expose your product.

On future plans We have a bunch of songs ready to lay down in the studio over the next couple of months and a show at King Tut's as part of This Feeling club night, supporting Clay. We're sorting out some tour dates down south and in Ireland. (As told to Kirstyn Smith) ■ Shvllows play King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on Sat 2 Jul.

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Leddra Leo Standard tue 18th oct Hug and Pint glasgow

fri 11th nov Hug and Pint GLASGOW sat 12th nov Sneaky Pete’s edinburgh

Afro Celt Sound System thur 3rd nov The Queens Hall edinburgh

Tail Feather

Turin Brakes

sun 9th oct Hug and Pint glasgow

fri 18th nov The Lemon tree aberdeen

tue 11th oct sneaky pete’s edinburgh

sat 19th nov Oran Mor glasgow

Box Office Online: Beyondpresents.co.uk Tel: 08444 999990 In person: Ticketscotland & Ripping

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Highlights | MUSIC

HITLIST

T IN THE PARK Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, Fri 8–Sun 10 Jul, tinthepark.com The Scottish festival behemoth boasts a lineup that includes The Stone Roses, Calvin Harris, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Disclosure, Bastille, LCD Soundstyem, Courteeners, The 1975 and Chase & Status.

BELLE & SEBASTIAN GUU Debating Chamber, University of Glasgow, Mon 13–Wed 15 Jun, guu.co.uk See feature, page 80.

DE LA SOUL Kelvingrove Bandstand & Amphitheatre, Glasgow, Sat 25 Jun, westendfiesta.co.uk See preview, page 79.

MBONGWANA STAR CCA, Glasgow, Thu 16 Jun, cca-glasgow.com A newly formed sevenpiece band from the Democratic Republic of Congo playing traditional rhythms and post-punk bass.

BEYONCE Hampden, Glasgow, Thu 7 Jul,

hampdenpark.co.uk Queen Bey arrives in the UK as part of her Formation World Tour. We are not worthy.

MOGWAI & MARK COUSINS The Edinburgh Playhouse, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Aug, eif.co.uk Scottish experimentalists Mogwai provide a live

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5

soundtrack to a backdrop of footage from the nuclear age assembled by filmmaker Mark Cousins. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

FO EDINB R URGH COVERFESTIVAL A AUGU GE, SEE OU ST R AND G ISSUES O T LIST O FES.TCO.UK/ IVAL

GLASGOW COLONEL MUSTARD & THE DIJON 5 Òran Mór, Fri 3 Jun, oran-mor.co.uk Things get weird with Colonel Mustard’s live show. Group hugs, crowd high fiving, singalongs and yoga are just a few of things you can expect from this raucous Glasgow act.

BALKANARAMA Glasgow School of Art, Sat Jun 4, theartschool.co.uk A blend of klezmer, Balkan, gypsy punk and electronic beats featuring live music, bellydancing, Balkan rakija brandy tasting and a live jam session. Ninth birthday special guests include Faith i Branko and Errichetta Underground. Also The Caves, Edinburgh, Fri 3 Jun, unusualvenuesedinburgh.com COLOURSFEST Braehead Arena, Sat 4 Jun, colours.co.uk Scotland’s longest running dance festival brings together thousands of clubbers with superstar DJs. 2016’s line-up includes Blasterjaxx, Laidback Luke, R3hab, Gareth Emery, Tur, Kutski, Bryan Kearney, Darren Styles, Shades of Rhythm, K-Klass, Altern8, DJ Isaac and many more blasting out house, trance and tech across six arenas.

NELLY O2 Academy Glasgow, Mon 6 Jun, academymusicgroup.com/ o2academyglasgow Rap superstar Nelly performs tracks from his latest album MO as well as favourites from his back catalogue, including his 2000 debut, Country Grammar, and his collaborations from the likes of Kelly Rowland, Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake.

BIG DEAL King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Tue 7 Jun, kingtuts.co.uk An American boy and a British girl bringing together electric fuzz and acoustics, ambitious songs woven around lyrics of adult compromise and teen angst. Also Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Wed 8 Jun, sneakypetes. co.uk

FATHERSON O2 ABC, Sat 4 Jun, academymusicgroup.com/ o2abcglasgow Indie power pop trio from Kilmarnock.

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE Barrowland, Thu 9 Jun, glasgow-barrowland.com Psychedelic scuzz rock in the Mary Chain tradition, now internationally notorious after being chronicled in the warts-and-all rock doc Dig!.

ADAM ANT Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sun 5 Jun, glasgowconcerthalls.com The erstwhile 80s pop pin-up plays his brand of post-punk and dandy pop.

ADAM HOLMES & THE EMBERS CCA, Thu 9 Jun, cca-glasgow.com BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Adam Holmes. Also Tolbooth, Stirling, Fri 10 Jun, culturestirling.org/tolbooth

ERRORS Òran Mór, Sun 19 Jun, oran-mor.co.uk Glaswegian synth-indie trio with a penchant for sonic adventurism. Part of West End Festival All-Dayer.

MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Thu 23 Jun, kingtuts.co.uk Colin MacIntyre performs his unique brand of poignant, melodic indie folk.

RIHANNA Hampden Park, Mon 27 Jun, hampdenpark.co.uk Sassy pop and R&B packed with attitude from the multi-award-winning Barbadian singer / actress, who has topped the UK charts again and again with hits including ‘Umbrella’, ‘Only Girl (In the World)’, ‘We Found Love’ and ‘Diamonds.’ Support comes from Big Sean.

KAMASI WASHINGTON Queen Margaret Union, Mon 27 Jun, qmunion.org.uk Kamasi Washington, who previously worked on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly performs with The Next Step, a big band with a modern spin.

ELVIS COSTELLO Barrowland, Wed 13 Jul, glasgow-barrowland.com The veteran singer-songwriter

and guitarist, born Declan Patrick MacManus, plays from a selection of his pub rock and new wave hits including ‘Alison’, ‘Watching the Detectives’ and ‘Pump it Up’.

THE FALL Òran Mór, Sat 30 Jul, oran-mor.co.uk Gruff diehard Mark E Smith is back with the latest incarnation of the Fall, whoever that might involve. No change in musical status though – it’s iconic ramshackle indie punk all the way.

SUMMER NIGHTS Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre, Thu 4–Sun 14 Aug, regularmusic.com This festival features a series of open air gigs with Van Morrison (4 Aug), Idlewild (5 Aug), Super Furry Animals (6 Aug), Lloyd Cole and Justin Currie (7 Aug), Tom Jones (9 Aug), Primal Scream (11 Aug), Electric Honey Sessions (12 Aug), Eddi Reader (13 Aug) and Will Young (14 Aug).

BIFFY CLYRO Bellahouston Park, Sat 27 Aug, dfconcertsandevents.com/ summersessions The award-winning, chart-topping Kilmarnock rockers return with their unique brand of hard alternative rock and post-hardcore. As their 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 89

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MUSIC | Highlights

MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS CONTINUED fans say, ‘Mon the Biffy!’ Full lineup includes Fall Out Boy, Wolf Alice and Cage the Elephant. Part of Summer Sessions

the Cocteau Twins before them, have developed their own musical language, called Hopelandish.

Spellbinding or navel-gazing, take your pick. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

Biffy Clyro

THE WHO The SSE Hydro, Mon 29 Aug, thessehydro.com Classic rock originators behind huge hits such as ‘Who Are You’, ‘My Generation’, ‘Substitute’, ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and many more.

HOPELESSNESS The Edinburgh Playhouse, Wed 17 Aug, atgtickets.com/venues/ edinburgh-playhouse New electronic project from former Antony & The Johnsons’ vocalist Anohni in collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke.

Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

EDINBURGH TITUS ANDRONICUS Summerhall, Sun 5 Jun, summerhall.co.uk Helter skelter New Jersey quintet. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

YOUSSOU N’DOUR Usher Hall, Wed 24 Aug, usherhall.co.uk The great Senegalese singer and bandleader in concert. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD The Liquid Room, Sun 12 Jun, liquidroom.com John Lydon’s post-Pistols outfit return, minus Keith Levene and Jah Wobble but still packing a terrific back catalogue. Also Warehouse, Falkirk, Fri 10 Jun, musicglue. com/warehousefalkirk

EMMA POLLOCK The Hub, Thu 25 Aug, thehubedinburgh.com The singer-songwriter performs tracks from her solo and Delgados days. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

BEN FOLDS & YMUSIC Usher Hall, Tue 14 Jun, usherhall.co.uk Piano rocker Ben Folds with support from Lera Lynn.

PAWS / SPOOK SCHOOL / ADAM STAFFORD Summerhall, Fri 24 Jun, summerhall.co.uk Upcoming outfit influenced by lo-fi US guitar rock from the 90s. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

WITHERED HAND Summerhall, 27 Aug, summerhall.co.uk Edinburgh scene stalwart and master of plaintive, witty outsider folk. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

INVERNESS in St Andrews while at uni. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

HOT CHIP Sneaky Pete’s, Fri 1 Jul, sneakypetes.co.uk Quirky uber-danceable electronica with a DJ set from Hot Chip’s Felix Martin.

MADNESS Corn Exchange, Thu 4 & Fri 5 Aug, edinburghcornexchange.com Ska-tinged pop classic after classic on the Nutty Boys’ latest tour.

GLADYS KNIGHT Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 6 Jun, edtheatres.com The Empress of Soul heads on her first UK tour since her farewell gigs in 2009.

KATHRYN JOSEPH Summerhall, Sat 6 Aug, summerhall.co.uk Captivating Scottish singersongwriter/pianist. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

THE MOUSE OUTFIT La Belle Angèle, Tue 19 Jul, la-belleangele.com Hip hop and rap nonet featuring Dr Syntax and Sparkz. Part of Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR The Edinburgh Playhouse, Wed 10 Aug, atgtickets.com/venues/ edinburgh-playhouse Cult Canadian stately sonic sculptors.

Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

KID CANAVERAL Summerhall, Sat 30 Jul, summerhall.co.uk Whimsical indie popsters who formed

RACHEL SERMANNI Summerhall, Wed 10 Aug,

summerhall.co.uk Young Carrbridge singer tipped for folk pop crossover. Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

WHITE Summerhall, Sat 13 Aug, summerhall.co.uk Echoes of LCD Soundsystem and Franz Ferdinand, making a noisy and fast-paced racket (but in a good way).

Part of Nothing Ever Happens Here.

YOUNG FATHERS The Hub, Sun 14 & Mon 15 Aug, thehub-edinburgh.com Bass and electro heavy hip hop from Edinburgh threesome who won both the 2014 SAY award and the Mercury Prize. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

SIGUR RÓS The Edinburgh Playhouse, Mon 15 & Tue 16 Aug, atgtickets.com/ venues/edinburgh-playhouse Icelandic post-rockers who, like

BELLADRUM TARTAN HEART FESTIVAL Beauly, Thu 4--Sat 6 Aug, tartanheartfestival.co.uk This favourite of the music festival scene is back with, as well as the music, a family-friendly atmosphere, theatre and spoken word events, ceilidhs, arts and crafts workshops and fancy dress. Madness, Two Door Cinema Club and The Darkness are the headliners for 2016’s event alongside Arrested Development, Circa Waves, Wilko Johnson, Alabama 3, Gun, The Orb, Turin Breaks, Rachel Sermanni, The Dangleberries, C Duncan, Breabach and many more.

PORT OF MENTEITH DOUNE THE RABBIT HOLE Cardross Estate, Fri 19--Sun 21 Aug, dounetherabbithole.co.uk A boutique music festival that manages a lovely line-up of music, theatre, comedy and spoken word performances.

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Classical | MUSIC

list.co.uk/music

L A C I S AS

CL

CONTEMPORARY OPERA

THE SLOANS PROJECT Sloans Bar and Restaurant, Glasgow, Sun 24, Tue 26–Fri 29 & Sun 31 Jul A night down the pub with a difference is set to be one clear highlight of this year’s Merchant City Festival. Returning to their spiritual home of Sloans Bar and Restaurant, the innovative NOISE (New Opera in Scotland Events) opera company present their first ever production, The Sloans Project, in a re-run of seven performances. Since 2011, the piece has toured Scotland and Canada and is now on its fifth outing, which is quite an achievement for a contemporary opera.

‘The idea came from composer Gareth Williams,’ explains director James Robert Carson, ‘as he wanted to put on a site-specific piece in a bar.’ The opera weaves the stories of characters associated with the impressive Victorian bar and its 18th-century building to give unusual insights into the lives and loves of people who came to drink in it. ‘At first, the pub owners were quite indulgent to us,’ says Carson, ‘but then surprised by the response it got.’

According to Carson, The Sloans Project is successful for a number of reasons. ‘Generally, throughout Britain, there is a movement towards small opera. People want to work in that form of theatre. It’s part of the opera ecology for singers.’

Given that NOISE regularly plays to capacity houses, with 60% of their audience first-time opera-goers, the company has evidently hit on something that really works. ‘As an event, it’s quite magical and great fun,’ says Carson. ‘People have a hunger to see their stories acted out in front of them.’ Among the scenes are a recently-engaged couple, a crooked landlady, a hanged pianist and serial killer, Peter Manuel. ‘And people like classical music, the emotion and the way it touches them, heading straight to the heart.’ (Carol Main)

CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS HITLIST HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: THE IRIS MURDER Cottier’s Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 10 Jun, cottierchamberproject.com World premiere of a new chamber opera by composer Alasdair Nicolson and librettist John Gallas in celebration of the 25th birthday of Scotland’s topnotch Hebrides Ensemble. Also touring, see list.co.uk/theatre for details THE SIXTEEN: THE CHORAL PILGRIMAGE Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Jun, greyfriarskirk. com The 16th Choral Pilgrimage of The Sixteen celebrates the music of English Renaissance composer William Byrd and Estonia’s 20th century Arvo Pärt, both very different in time and style, but both absolute masters of sacred music.

GLASGOW COTTIER CHAMBER PROJECT Cottiers Theatre, Fri 3–Sat 25 Jun, cottierchamberproject.com Always imaginative and creative in its programming, this excellent summer festival of chamber music plus much more offers something for a wide range of musical tastes.

EDINBURGH SCOTTISH OPERA: THE MIKADO Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until Sun 5 Jun, edtheatres.com/festival Increasingly making an appearance in Scottish Opera’s repertoire these days, Gilbert & Sullivan provide light entertainment with The Mikado, their anti-establishment comedy with lots of silly, but very clever, songs.

MR MCFALL’S CHAMBER: MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES The Queen’s Hall, Tue 14 Jun, queenshall.net Marking the 20th anniversary of the quirky ensemble, founded by violinist Robert McFall, the group returns to one of their greatest hits, Astor Piazzolla’s opera, María de Buenos Aires.

CALTON CONSORT Canongate Kirk, Sat 18 Jun, canongatekirk.org.uk Highly-regarded choral group, The Calton Consort, has been running for 15 years, and it’s an emotional evening as director Jason Orringe conducts his last concert with the group. Appropriately enough, alongside Vaughan Williams, Debussy and Holst, they perform Michael Berkeley’s Farewell.

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: THE PLANETS – AN HD ODYSSEY Usher Hall, Sun 19 Jun, usherhall. co.uk In one of the Usher Hall’s highly successful Sunday afternoon series of concerts, this month’s visiting orchestra is London’s RPO, formed by legendary conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. It’s a programme of classical music, much of it associated with the world of film.

OUTSIDE THE CITIES MEMORIAL GROUND Cambo Barn, Kingsbarns, Sat 2 Jul, eastneukfestival.com This huge new WWI Centenary commission for East Neuk Festival

takes places, somewhat unusually, in a potato barn. David Lang’s Memorial Ground for Theatre of Voices, SCO Chorus and over 100 local singers promises something exceptionally powerful and moving, as it marks the centenary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme in which over a million people were killed or injured.

ANGELA HEWITT Paxton House and Country Park, Sat 23 Jul, paxtonhouse.co.uk Canadian-born pianist Angela Hewitt is this year’s Music at Paxton Festival’s special guest with a programme of all of Bach’s ‘TwoPart’ and ‘Three-Part Inventions’, Beethoven’s ‘Tempest Sonata’ and pieces by Scarlatti and Haydn. Buffet supper available in the Hayloft Gallery beforehand with advance booking.

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 91

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THEATRE

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

RCS MODERN BALLET GRADUATION PERFORMANCE Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduates dance into their future For three years they worked on technique, increased body strength and studied their artform. But to be truly prepared for the real world of work, the students on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s BA Modern Ballet course needed one crucial ingredient – a professional dance company.

Which is why Scottish Ballet, and artistic director Christopher Hampson, have such a close relationship with the Conservatoire.

‘It’s absolutely essential for any dance training to have a deep connection with the profession,’ says Hampson. ‘So that when students are at the audition stage in their third year, they’ve got a really grounded knowledge of how companies are run and how to input to the creative process.’

Part of that connection has seen former and current dancers at Scottish Ballet choreographing works for the students’ Graduation Performance, plus a work by Hampson himself. And, for the first time, some pieces will be accompanied by the RCS Big Band.

‘The students have to demonstrate a whole catalogue of dance styles – the foundations of classical ballet, contemporary work, improvisation, created works and pieces of repertory,’ explains Hampson. ‘Which presents a challenge for the dancers, and a really wonderful evening for the audience, because they get a little bit of everything.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, Thu 2– Sat 4 Jun.

92 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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Previews | THEATRE

list.co.uk/theatre DARK COMEDY

THE LONESOME WEST Tron, Glasgow, Wed 6–Sat 23 Jul

MIHAELA BODLOVIC

JOHN MINIHAN

The Tron’s July production has, over the past years, been a comedy, in contrast to the political fare of Mayfesto. The Lonesome West continues this tradition, although, since this comedy comes from the writer, Martin McDonagh, who wrote the bloody The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the film In Bruges, it veers towards a darker mood.

Exploring the fratricidal tensions between Coleman (Keith Fleming, fresh from performing the tyrannical stepfather in the Citizens’ This Restless House) and Valene (David Ganley), it takes the suicide of a local priest to persuade them towards reconciliation.

Inevitably, the brothers’ confessions lead to more violence and a resolution that might not conform to the departed priest’s final wishes.

Andy Arnold’s enthusiasm for Irish theatre – as seen in his bracing interpretations of Beckett and Ulysses – and the respected cast reflects the Tron’s commitment to engaging, provocative theatre, even in a month that is usually quiet as preparations for the Edinburgh Fringe begin. Not for the squeamish, The Lonesome West combines absurdist humour with Tarentino’s witty relish for violence. (Gareth K Vile)

MUSIC BIOGRAPHY

REVIEW

PERFORMANCE ART

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Sat 11 Jun

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 11 Jun ●●●●●

Tramway, Wed 8 & Thu 9 Jun

BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE Although Black is the Color of My Voice’s singer and activist is named Mena, Apphia Campbell’s show is clearly based on the life and music of Nina Simone.

Campbell’s Fringe success boldly imagines Simone locked away from distraction and reflecting on her life, thereby presenting a complex yet heroic woman who placed her immense musical talent at the service of freedom.

‘I’ve changed a few things,’ explains Campbell.

‘But in the end, it’s Nina Simone’s life.’ Inspired by both her voice and courageous stand against racial prejudice, Campbell wants audiences to appreciate her personality rather than the fame. ‘It’s one of the reasons I changed the name of the character.

Instead of the audience focusing on “Nina Simone” the artist, I wanted them to focus on the woman behind the music.’

Although Campbell is capable of singing the blues in true Simone style (she has also toured Soul Sessions, a more direct tribute), her solo show lends context to the tunes, using them to illustrate Simone’s turbulent times. ‘Of course, I sing the music. But it’s used as a medium to take the story forward or convey a mood, just as Nina Simone used it.’ (Gareth K Vile)

THON MAN MOLIERE Inspired by The Life of Monsieur de Molière by Mikhail Bulgakov, Thon Man Molière (or ‘Whit got him intae aw that bother . . . ‘) is a product of Liz Lochhead’s long love affair with the great French writer. In the hands of director Tony Cownie, this biographical romp is a colourful, high-energy tribute to a gloriously funny man.

Despite Neil Murray’s set being gravely grey and white, there’s nothing cold or dull about this marvellous Lyceum production which is an assault on the senses from the very start. The characters are bright and bouncing, matched only by the outlandish costumes and Lochhead’s exciting and playful use of Scots.

The delicious words are delivered with breathless rhythm by an outstanding cast who seem as in love with the protagonist as the author. Jimmy Chisholm is well cast as the charismatic trouble maker, but it’s Molly Innes as his maid Toinette who steals the show, having the majority of the best lines and her own catchphrase, ‘well, I’m not gonnae say it . . . but’. As one of Molière’s actresses says on referring to a previous performance: ‘there wasnae a dry seat in the hoose’. (Alex Eades)

FK ALEXANDER: NO WHERE // NOW HERE Glamour is the first word that springs to mind when considering FK Alexander's singular performance art. But not in the vacuous way that invokes a selfieobsessed pop culture, rather the original 18thcentury meaning of enchantment or bewitchment.

When Alexander takes to a space, she transforms it, and the effect is hypnotic.

The Glasgow-based artist, who was recently mentored by New York no wave pioneer Lydia Lunch, often takes on huge themes, exploring the nature of the self and the elemental spaces we inhabit. Creation and destruction loom large in her work process, as well as the influence of JG Ballard's modernist novels and their vision of industrialisation’s slow decay. ‘It's clicked thematically,’ she explains. ‘I was thinking about the dystopian future and the horrors of that. You can fear technology, or be excited by that.’

The piece asks how to continue when all seems lost. ‘What's left?’ she says. ‘That is something I am interested in: becoming a new animal.’ Alexander offers a visceral, spiritual theatre that cuts to the heart of what it is to be human while attempting to remap a possible future that neither fears nor worships technology. (Lorna Irvine) 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 93

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THEATRE | Previews

MUSICAL THEATRE

GUYS AND DOLLS King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 7–Sat 11 Jun ●●●●● There are few songs in musical theatre that hit the back of the net quite like ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’, a classic example of an ‘11o’clock’ number – that is, a song late in the second act that lends a burst of energy to a show before it moves towards the finale. The rise and fall of the tempo, the swell of the chorus, and the perfectly-timed choreography which usually accompanies it all conspire to whip audiences into an almost evangelical frenzy. Unsurprisingly, this particular production of Guys and Dolls milks the song for all it’s worth, giving it a belting reprise in response to a crowd that’s clapping like it’s the end of the show.

But then, if there’s one thing this 1950 musical does well, it’s big showy numbers. Yet oddly, despite choreographic input by dance legend Carlos Acosta, and its lively story of downtown hustling, this new production from Chichester Festival Theatre feels a little lacklustre. In truth, it’s the acting that shines, with Maxwell Caulfield as Nathan Detroit and Louise Dearman as Miss Adelaide (pictured) scooping the performance crowns.

Perhaps it’s the low-key set; perhaps it’s the lack of truly strong voices (Jack Edwards as Nicely-Nicely Johnson aside, who is a vocal powerhouse); but the expected energy is absent for much of the show. It’s not until Dearman and Anna O’Byrne as Sarah Brown belt out penultimate number ‘Marry the Man Today’ that the goosebumps finally arrive. (Kelly Apter)

CLOWN CABARET

CLOWNING ABOUT: THE RETURN OF THE RED-NOSE The Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 29 Sep–Sun 1 Oct Despite its British association with big-top circus, clowning is recognised across the world as a serious, if often hilarious, strand of physical theatre.

In Edinburgh, a group of dedicated clowns, including Tim Licata (Plutot La Vie) and Melanie Jordan (CloWnStePPinG), have banded together. From the familiar, vulnerable comic to the aggressive bouffon, their scratch cabaret nights showcase technical brilliance and imagination.

Traditional clown theatre often emphasises the absurdity of human ambition: a clown is vulnerable, exaggerating familiar foibles yet evoking sympathy. Even when clowns attack, they are relatively gentle and deliver the truth with a smile.

The format of the cabaret – short, concise sketches – presents the wide range of styles currently working across Scotland.

Previous cabaret nights have seen a wide range of clowns: while Ruxy Cantir’s Gregor is grotesque and provocative – he even engages in fights and romance with the audience – Melanie Jordan’s clowning captures the tension between love and duty. Lewis Hetherington adapts Kate Bush’s famous ‘Wuthering Heights’ dance to parody masculinity and notions of fame and nostalgia. These brief vignettes argue not only for the vitality of Scotland’s clowning scene, but also for the medium’s ability to engage, critique and explore all areas of human experience. (Gareth K Vile)

PHYSICAL THEATRE

MEMORIES OF A LULLABY Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Wed 15 & Thu 16 Jun; CCA, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jun Part of the Refugee Festival, Saras Feijoo’s Memories of a Lullaby is a personal, one-woman show that revisits the writer and performer’s childhood. ‘I could no longer hold the pain inside myself created by the terror I experienced in Venezuela,’ she explains. ‘There was the sound of gunshots I heard, the corruption I witnessed, the ever-present fear that death was around the corner, alongside the beauty of the land, my family, my friends and the constant sun!’

Feijoo has become a familiar presence within Scotland’s resurgent clowning scene, founding CloWnStePPinG, ‘a hub dedicated to the understanding of theatre clowning as an art’. While British clowning is associated with big-top circus, Memories of a Lullaby revels in the form’s rich storytelling.

Her first experience of a clowning show inspired a change in career – she has been a clothes designer and student of philosophy – as she recognised its immediate emotional power: ‘I loved the depth, beauty, honesty, transparency and playfulness of the piece.’

Assembling a team that includes director Yael Karavan, musicians Gavin Taylor and Luis Perez Valero, and feminist philosopher Marelis Loreto Amoretti, Feijoo’s ambitions take advantage of the genre’s flexibility and accessibility. She wants the audience to feel hope and ‘to be able to appreciate a reality that many in the world experience daily and, yet, continue to move forward’.

The tensions within Memories of a Lullaby promise a show that considers the contradictions within Venezuelan society and demonstrates the potential of theatre to straddle personal experience and wider philosophical questions.

(Gareth K Vile) 94 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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Previews | DANCE

list.co.uk/theatre CONTEMPORARY DANCE

FASE

Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 24 & Sat 25 Jun Since its premiere in 1982, Fase has become Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s most frequently performed work.

Choreographed to the music of minimalist composer Steve Reich, as De Keersmaeker explains the piece ‘defines itself as an answer to the music’. It's less an illustration of Reich’s precise and mathematical compositions, more an expression of the music’s powerful combination of simple motifs building towards both complexity and immediacy.

While De Keersmaeker recognises that ‘part of my training was in ballet’, her choreography is recognisable within the post-modern tradition in dance – especially 1960s artists such as Trisha Brown – through its cool application of technique and abstraction. Equally, she says, her work is ‘anchored in European dance, such as German Expressionism and especially Pina Bausch’. Through this mixture of influences, De Keersmaeker attracts a diverse audience, as her style has developed a distinctive and accessible identity.

Fase’s premiere marked her out as an important choreographer, but its presence in her repertoire has made it perhaps her signature work, as she notes ‘the audience knows more about the history of the piece now’. Nevertheless, she defends its continued relevance: ‘It cannot not be contemporary art, the body is the most contemporary medium you can imagine.’ Since De Keersmaeker first choreographed Fase on herself, she retains a clear sense of its impact, noting that the mathematical exactitude of the music and movement vocabulary allows the dancers to perform in a space on the cusp of discipline and freedom.

Her belief that dance is a ‘total’ art form emerges as what has been called a ‘dramaturgy of intensity’. Details interact to focus attention and, much like the four pieces within Fase, become more than the sum of their parts. (Gareth K Vile)

CONTEMPORARY FOLK

ROB HEASLIP DANCE: FREAGRA | A BLURRED EXPANSE Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 1 & Sat 2 Jul Growing up in rural south-west Ireland, Rob Heaslip soaked up more than just the rain. The atmosphere and culture set his creative juices flowing, which were then honed during his time as a dancer with Siamsa Tíre, the acclaimed National Folk Theatre of Ireland.

Since 2010 Heaslip has been creating his own work, drawing on contemporary dance styles – but he has never forgotten his roots.

‘A lot of my work puts folk tradition in a contemporary context,’ says Heaslip. ‘I’m often surprised when this is hailed as new and original, because for me it seems like the most natural thing in the world. People often assume that folk belongs only to the past, but for me folk is very much alive in the present.’

Working in collaboration with his company of dancers, dramaturgist Brigid McCarthy and composer Ross Whyte, Heaslip’s latest work, FREAGRA | A Blurred Expanse, explores notions of identity and group dynamics. ‘I’ve always had an interest in making dance performance that is based on human interactions,’ he says, ‘and this has developed into detailed and complex partner-work, which has become a trademark of my choreography. Identity is such an incredibly important thing to us as humans and to my work, and in FREAGRA | A Blurred Expanse the stage becomes a lens through which we examine subconscious impulses, and how and when we act on those.’ (Kelly Apter) LITERARY DANCE

BLOOM

Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 3 & Sat 4 Jun She broke our hearts in A Streetcar Named Desire, made us laugh in Cinderella and never failed to impress with her flawless technique and delivery. But now, after 13 years with Scottish Ballet, Eve Mutso is going it alone – not only as a dancer, but a choreographer.

One of four emerging dancemakers creating work for Tramway’s Bloom showcase, Mutso will perform Unknown, a new solo piece inspired by her own experience of branching out.

‘It’s very relevant to what’s happening in my life at the moment,’ says Mutso. ‘I left Scottish Ballet four months ago, and I’m entering into this unknown period, so I wanted to create a work that expresses my hopes and fears.

‘I was always a creative dancer - if a role came along I always tried to give it my own edge, so I knew there was something there. And now time and circumstance has allowed me to put more effort into it.’

Alongside Mutso, Bloom will also feature a duet by Julie Cunningham and solo by Charlotte Jarvis, both of whom have been inspired by works of poetry, and a duet by Rosalind Masson.

‘It’s very exciting to see new, blooming artists putting on short works,’ says Mutso, ‘and a great way to introduce people to new dancemakers, and give us, as choreographers, a chance to have that challenge.’ (Kelly Apter) 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 95

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THEATRE | Highlights

HITLIST

BLOOM Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 3 & Sat 4 Jun, tramway. org A collection of diverse solos and duets created and performed by four emerging choreographers.

See preview, page 95.

Gardens, Wed 22 Jun–Sat 30 Jul, glasgowbotanicgardens. com

BARD IN THE BOTANICS Glasgow Botanic

FASE Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 24 & Sat 25 Jun,

Scotland’s annual outdoor Shakespeare festival returns to Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens.

tramway.org A rare visit to Scotland by the acclaimed choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, featuring four pieces set to the music of Steve Reich.

See preview, page 95.

CLOWN CABARET Tron, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul, tron.co.uk A cavalcade of Scottish

THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW MODERN BALLET GRADUATION PERFORMANCE Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Thu 2–Sat 4 Jun, rcs. ac.uk Created in collaboration with Scottish Ballet, the RCS BA Modern Ballet course delivers its graduation

performance. See preview, page 92.

SURGE Various venues, Glasgow, Sat 30 Jul– Mon 1 Aug, conflux. co.uk/surge-festival A festival dedicated to site-specific, physical performance.

FO EDINB R URGH COVERFESTIVAL A AUGU GE, SEE OU ST R AND G ISSUES O TO LIST FES.TCO.UK/ IVAL CHICAGO O The Edinburgh Playhouse, Mon 13–Sat 18 Jun, atgtickets. com/venues/edinburghplayhouse Roaring 20s musical about Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, both murders, who are trying to stay away from death row. Featuring songs like ‘Cell Block Tango’, ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and ‘All That Jazz’.

GUYS AND DOLLS King’s Theatre, Tue 7–Sat 11 Jun, atgtickets.com/venues/ kings-theatre Frank Loesser’s musical based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon. See preview, page 94.

NO WHERE // NOW HERE Tramway, Wed 8 & Thu 9 Jun, tramway.org A performance from FK Alexander,

clown performances. See preview, page 94.

commissioned for SPILL Festival of Performance. See preview, page 93.

THE END Tramway, Fri 10 & Sat 11 Jun, tramway.org Scottish choreographer Jack Webb is joined by three fellow dancers to explore the concept of ‘endings’.

THE BIG VARIETÉ Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, Fri 10 Jun–Fri 28 Oct, britanniapanopticon.org Select Fridays see a showcase of acts from the Glaswegian cabaret scene.

FREAGRA / A BLURRED EXPANSE Tramway, Fri 1 & Sat 2 Jul, tramway.org Irish choreographer Rob Heaslip blends his folk heritage with contemporary dance in this dynamic group work. See preview, page 95.

THE LONESOME WEST Tron Theatre, Wed 6–Sat 23 Jul, tron.co.uk The third play in Martin McDonagh’s bleak but blackly comic Leenane trilogy. See preview, page 93.

EDINBURGH THON MAN MOLIÈRE (OR WHIT GOT HIM INTAE AW THAT BOTHER...)

Royal Lyceum Theatre, until Sat 11 Jun, lyceum.org.uk Liz Lochhead’s play directed by Lyceum associate artist Tony Cownie.

See review, page 93.

MEMORIES OF A LULLABY: THE NEED TO REMEMBER AND THE WISH TO FORGET Scottish Storytelling Centre, Wed 15 & Thu 16 Jun, tracscotland.org/scottishstorytelling-centre One-woman show by Saras Feijoo based on a true story about growing up in Venezuela. See preview, page 94.

A MIDSUMMER’S MARRIAGE (A COMEDY) Lauriston Castle, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Jun, edinburghmuseums.org.uk/ venues/Lauriston-Castle Promenade comedy about the preparations of a midsummer wedding, which may or may not go according to plan.

CATS The Edinbrugh Playhouse, Mon 4–Sat 9 Jul, atgtickets.com/ venues/edinburgh-playhouse One of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most successful musicals, in a production directed by Trevor Nunn.

MUSSELBURGH BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE The Brunton, Sat 11 Jun, thebrunton.co.uk Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Apphia Campbell’s hit one-woman show follows jazz musician and civil rights activist Mena Bordeaux.

See preview, page 93.

96 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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VISUAL ART

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

WILLIAM HUNTER TO DAMIEN HIRST: THE DEAD TEACH THE LIVING Exploring the connections between art and science The Dead Teach the Living is a student-curated display on the subject of death in art courtesy of the University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art’s MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) course. On the face of it, this show’s biggest draw is the public debut of Damien Hirst’s 2007 sculpture Necromancer, until now held in Anthony d’Offay’s private collection.

Although Hirst’s critical stock has sunk in his post-YBA era, there remains something very powerful about his visceral and unflinching meditations on death. Necromancer is at once sinister and serene.

The eyes are drawn immediately to the twin human foetuses in jars alongside each another; one whole and one bisected.

His evocation of fragile life is powerful when measured against the shining gynaecological implements whose proximity to the specimen jars brings home a vivid correlation between emotional loss and the medical processes of death. As with the cold functionality of Hirst’s piece, the most sinister works here are those

intended for medical use only: a cast of the womb of a woman who died near the end of her pregnancy, as commissioned by Scottish physician William Hunter circa 1770; an etching of three dancing skeletons created for anatomical study by 16th century Flemish anatomist Andreas Vesalius; a first edition of Nobel Prize-winning Spanish neurology pioneer Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s 1895 text Elements of Histology and Micrographic Technique.

Alongside these, other pieces include Scott Rogers’ A Call to the Old Ones, a film of a working lark mirror – used to hypnotise humans and confuse birds during hunting – alongside jars containing a starling brain and a human eye.

Everything sits well together and is vividly thought-provoking, with the power of both scientific and artistic exploration well represented and balanced.

(David Pollock) ■ Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, until Sun 5 Mar 2017.

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 97

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VISUAL ART | Previews & Reviews EXHIBITION

CELTS

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, until Sun 25 Sep ●●●●●

Facing down as you enter the Celts exhibition is a 2500-yearold sandstone warrior from Southern Germany. He towers like a totem pole, solemn and horn-helmed. He doesn’t feel Celtic, not in the tartan tea towels and pewter jewellery sense. He feels powerful, timeless, and profoundly alien.

This exhibition, drawn largely from the collections of the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland, aims to shake up our perception of the Celtic world. It starts with the premise: there is no single Celtic race, but a group of diverse, interconnected, Europe-wide cultures.

The first and largest section of the exhibition showcases these commonalities and differences in the period 450–150BC. Jewellery, weaponry, chariot fittings – these objects are Iron Age bling, exquisite works of craftsmanship used to display wealth and status. The artistic language of Celtic Europe was largely abstract, the patterns sometimes concealing human or animal forms, and often mysterious.

Displayed in a space of its own, the famed Gundestrop Cauldron is among the strangest objects, elaborately decorated in a style which seems to meld East and West.

The rest of the show zips through nearly 2000 years: the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Picts, Vikings, the survival of Celtic decorative style in Britain and its adoption by Christianity, the legacy of Victorian Celtic romanticism. These are complex stories, and sometimes clarity suffers.

But the best of the objects here stop us in our tracks with their freshness and the quality of their design and craftsmanship, pointing to makers who were artists not barbarians, but who operated in a world wholly different to our own. (Susan Mansfield)

SCIENTIFIC ART

PHOTOGRAPHY

INDIAN ART

Dundee Contemporary Arts, until Sun 3 Jul

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Jun–Sun 2 Oct

Tramway, Glasgow, Sat 18 Jun–Sat 30 Jul & Fri 10 Jun–Sun 24 Jul

Organised by the National Portrait Gallery in London and touring the country throughout 2016, the Taylor Wessing Prize showcases the world’s best contemporary photographic portraiture. ‘This year’s exhibition comprises 55 photographs,’ says Anne Lyden, International Photographer Curator of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. ‘This selection is drawn from 4,929 entries submitted from 70 countries. These images are of presidents and refugees, celebrity figures and next-door neighbours; the sheer diversity is fascinating.’

President Obama and Benedict Cumberbatch both feature, and this year’s display will also include two new portraits by the contemporary South African photographer Pieter Hugo as part of a new feature called In Focus. In the competition winner, Five Girls, David Stewart photographed his daughter and her four friends seated around a table.

‘Many images also focused on the refugee crisis and war-torn areas of the world,’ notes Lyden. ‘Kai Wiedenhöfer’s photograph is a powerful portrait of two sisters who were both injured in a rocket attack.

The potency of this image is unforgettable.’

(David Pollock)

For many, the phrase ‘Indian art’ calls up images of classical paintings with colourful figures. There won’t be much of that in evidence in Pehchaan, a major exhibition of Indian art at Tramway 2.

Pehchaan, which means ‘identity’ in Urdu and Hindi, is subtitled ‘Art from another India’: think brightly painted truck panels and modernist sculpture with an Indian twist. At the heart of the show is work commissioned by Glasgow Museums in 2013 from contemporary artists in north India. It complements their historical collection, which will be displayed alongside artefacts from the colonial era in an immersive environment created by young Glasgow-based textile designer Gabriella Marcella.

Meanwhile, in Tramway 5, the doors will open on The India Street Bazaar. For this textile project curated by Katy West, seven designers from India and Scotland have been invited to respond to the archives and design books of the United Turkey Red Company, once a textile dyeing powerhouse in the west of Scotland. Working with craftspeople in Gujarat, they then created a series of sustainablyproduced textiles and garments, including scarves, cushions and pajamas. (Susan Mansfield)

DUNCAN MARQUISS: COPYING ERRORS Science is ever ruining our romantic notions of free will, love and happiness, reminding us constantly that we are nothing more than DNA and hormones.

Copying Errors, Duncan Marquiss’ largest exhibition to date, considers whether culture itself can be quantified by examining it through the prism of scientific enquiry.

The main draw is Marquiss’ Margaret Tait Award commission, the film Evolutionary Jerks & Gradualist Creeps. It covers evolutionary biology with talking heads offering insight into the world of paleontology.

One of the scientists is also fascinated by the evolution of musical instruments providing the perfect case study for Marquiss: we see a collection of trumpets arranged in the way that Darwin might have illustrated the evolution of a species.

In Gallery 1 are works mostly on paper that embody some of the artist’s concerns so eloquently explored in the documentary. In his drawings and prints we can trace the evolution of his own practice since 2008. The roughly-hewn works seem to celebrate happy accidents and anomalies. As with scientific discovery, art depends on mistakes to bring about progress and Copying Errors seeks to elevate uncertainty and imperfection. (Neil Cooper)

TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE 2015

PEHCHAAN / THE INDIA STREET BAZAAR

98 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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Previews & Reviews | VISUAL ART

list.co.uk/visualart

PHOTOGRAPHY

LEWIS BALTZ WITH WORKS BY CARL ANDRE AND CHARLOTTE POSENENSKE Stills, Edinburgh until Sat 9 Jul ●●●●●

ALAN DIMMICK

The word ‘Ideal’ forms the title of a key image by the late American photographer Lewis Baltz in ‘The Prototype Works’ (1967–76). This is one of three series of images seen in parallel with text-based pieces by Carl Andre and a sculptural construction from Charlotte Posenenske. Framed in closeup monochrome, the elaborate music-hall turn of a font that beams out from ‘Ideal’ also points to the false optimism of a post-WW2 suburbia that was never quite delivered.

As a prime mover in the New Topographics wave of 1970s landscape photography, Baltz captured the built-in obsolescence of the Californian desert once its untamed public space was co-opted and domesticated by developers across the decades. If ‘The Prototype Works’ show off worlds already inhabited but destined to be gentrified, fetishised and restyled as ‘vintage’, the 33 images of ‘Park City’ (1979) show half-built ideal homes sitting unoccupied beside mountains of rubble.

A decade later, ‘Candlestick Point’ (1989) tracks what at first glance looks like a seemingly unspoilt idyll, before a far-off flat-pack city emerges beyond the telegraph poles and dumping ground of old tyres. Viewed side by side like a cartoon strip or flick-book stills, such wide open spaces frozen between moments in motion resemble the panoramas of Wim Wenders or Michelangelo Antonioni.

Andre’s ‘One Hundred Sonnets, BIRD’ and ‘One Hundred Sonnets, TREE’ (both 1963) are concentrated concrete impressions of their subject, while Posenenske’s ‘Vierkantrohre Serie D’ (1967–2014) is a wilfully functionless steel air shaft-like arrangement that comes from and goes nowhere. The silver tiles of Andre’s ‘Aluminium Sum Ten’ (2003), which grow grubby from being walked on, are designed to be taken apart and reassembled. Similarly, in the bare patches of scrubland of Baltz’s images, the wear and tear traces of humanity make their mark. (Neil Cooper)

The UK’s largest annual festival of visual art

28th July— 28th August edinburghartfestival.com #EdArtFest

Festival commissions

Important historical exhibitions and modern surveys

Bani Abidi Roderick Buchanan Graham Fagen Sally Hackett Jonathan Owen Ciara Phillips Olivia Webb Solo presentations

Co-commissioner Dazzle Ship Scotland

Jennifer Bailey at Collective, Donovan & Siegel at Edinburgh Printmakers, Kenny Hunter at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Damián Ortega at The Fruitmarket Gallery, Jonathan Owen at Ingleby, Christian Boltanski at Jupiter Artland, Barbara Rae at Open Eye Gallery, Jo Spence at Stills, Alice Neel at Talbot Rice Gallery

William Gillies and John Maxwell at City Art Centre, The Scottish Endarkenment at Dovecot Gallery, 30 years of Inverleith House, Celts at National Museum of Scotland, New Media Scotland with Travelling Gallery, The Art of the Garden at The Queen’s Gallery, Inspiring Impressionism at Scottish National Gallery, Joseph Beuys at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Facing the World at Scottish National Portrait Gallery New generation artists The Number Shop, Rhubaba, Edinburgh College of Art, Platform: 2016 - a festival initiative showcasing early career artists

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Highlights | VISUAL ART

HITLIST

THE INDIA STREET BAZAAR / PEHCHAAN Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 10 Jun–Sun 24 Jul (Bazaar), Sat 18 Jun– Sun 31 Jul (Pehchaan), tramway.org Two exhibitions showcasing, respectively, textile work by designers from India and Scotland, and contemporary North Indian art. See preview, page 98.

TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Jun–Sun 2 Oct, nationalgalleries.org/ visit/introduction-298 The best portrait photography from around the world. See preview, page 98.

DUNCAN MARQUISS: COPYING ERRORS Dundee Contemporary Arts, until Sun 3 Jul, dca.org.uk Artist Duncan Marquiss, who studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) presents a selection of his paintings, drawings and video works. See review, page 98.

CELTS National Museum Of Scotland, Edinburgh, until Sun 25 Sep, nms. ac.uk A major exhibition reviewing what we know about the different people who, over the centuries, have been identified as ‘Celts’, with artefacts, manuscripts, weapons and stunning art objects, organised between the

National Museum of Scotland and the British Museum in London. See review, page 98.

VISUAL ART HIGHLIGHTS COURTESY OF JOCK MCFADYEN

Events are listed by city, then date.

Submit listings for your event at list.co.uk/add

GLASGOW JERWOOD/FVU AWARDS 2016: BORROWED TIME CCA, until Sun 10 Jul, ccaglasgow.com Moving image installations by Karen Kramer and Alice May Williams.

GIFTS FOR THE GODS: ANIMAL MUMMIES REVEALED Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, until Sun 4 Sep, glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/ kelvingrove Egyptian animal mummies, with over 60 specimens including jackals, crocodiles, cats and birds.

JACQUELINE DONACHIE: DEEP IN THE HEART OF YOUR BRAIN Gallery of Modern Art, until Sun 13 Nov, glasgowlife.org.uk/ museums/our-museums/goma A new body of work from the Glasgowbased artist, exploring disability, care and loss.

GOVAN / GDANSK Street Level Photoworks, Sat 4 Jun–Sun 31 Jul, streetlevelphotoworks.org

ISABEL ROCAMORA: AMORA: IMAGING FAITH Summerhall, until Wed 13 Jul, summerhall.co.uk New work centred around the idea of ‘faith’, as explored in the accompanying film, Faith, which looks at the three major monotheistic religions in Jerusalem.

HAMISH CHAPMAN, JORDAN MUNRO AND JORDAN PILLING: STATUS SIGNAL Summerhall, until Wed 13 Jul, summerhall.co.uk Artists framing perspectives on society’s reliance on technology and materialism.

ROSIE SHEPLEY: OPULENT FOLK The Lighthouse, until Sun 17 Jul, thelighthouse.co.uk Patterns and textiles by the Glasgow-based artist and maker.

COSIMA VON BONIN: WHO’S EXPLOITING WHO IN THE DEEP SEA? Gallery of Modern Art, until Sun 7 Aug, glasgowlife.org.uk/ museums/our-museums/goma Sculptural and installation work by German artist, reflecting her interest in sea creatures but also exploring art history, popular culture and craft.

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Images of the shipyards of Govan and Gdansk by photographers from Poland, Scotland, England and France: Michael Szlaga, Raymond Depardon, Nick Hedges and Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert.

PRINTSHOP! Tramway, Sat 6 Aug–Sun 4 Sep, tramway.org An exhibition, drop-in print workshop and free studio rolled into one, with a collaborative work by Edwin Pickstone and Ciara Phillips.

WILLIAM HUNTER TO DAMIEN HIRST: THE DEAD TEACH THE LIVING Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, until Sun 5 Mar 2017, glasgow.ac.uk/hunterian Objects and artworks exploring the connections between art and science, including Damien Hirst’s Necromancer. Featuring rarelyseen items from the collection of the Hunterian’s founder, Dr William Hunter. See preview, page 97.

EDINBURGH MARK BLEAKLEY: A NUDE DESCENDS INTO A LUMP Collective Gallery, until Sun 19 Jun, collectivegallery.net Mark Bleakley explores the body through live performance and video.

MAKING IT: SCULPTURE IN BRITAIN 1977–1986 City Art Centre, until Sun 3 Jul, edinburghmuseums.org.uk/ Venues/City-Art-Centre An exhibition showing how conceptual art brought new dimensions to sculptural practice in Britain, featuring work by 40 artists including Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Cornelia Parker and Alison Wilding, among others.

LEWIS BALTZ WITH WORKS BY CARL ANDRE AND CHARLOTTE POSENENSKE Stils, until Sat 9 Jul, stills.org Work by the ground-breaking photographer, writer and teacher, alongside that of two of his peers. See review, page 99.

THE SCOTTISH ENDARKENMENT: ART AND UNREASON 1945 TO THE PRESENT Dovecot Studios, until Mon 29 Aug, dovecotstudios.com Exhibition curated by Bill Hare and Andrew Patrizio which looks at the shared concerns of Scottish artists since the end of WWII. Featured artists include David Shrigley, Joyce Cairns and Steven Campbell.

ANNUALE Embassy, Sun 12–Tue 28 Jun, annuale.org Annuale is a festival celebrating independent grassroots creative projects in Edinburgh, curated by the Embassy Gallery.

RETINA PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL Various venues, Mon 11–Sun 31 Jul, retinafestival.com International festival celebrating the best in world photography as well as emerging talent in Scotland.

OUTSIDE THE CITIES THE GLASGOW BOYS: A SPIRIT OF REBELLION St Andrews Museum, until Sat 3 Sep, fifedirect.org.uk/museums A look at the evolving style of the artists’ group and those associated with it, including works by Arthur Melville, John Lavery, E A Hornel, George Henry, James Guthrie, Joseph Crawhall, E A Walton, Alexander Roche and Thomas Corsan Morton.

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 101

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TV

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

OUTCAST Demonic horror from The Walking Dead creator Demons are infesting the television schedules. First we had Constantine, Lucifer and South of Hell but Outcast is the scariest yet. Based on the comic series

by Robert Kirkman (creator of megahit The Walking Dead), it’s a seriously creepy study of possession. Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit) has been plagued by malevolent spirits his entire life, teaming up with avenging Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister) to fight back against the evil lurking in small town America.

The opening episode crawls with disturbing imagery as Barnes and Anderson try to help young Joshua (Gabriel Bateman) a growling, contorting devil child and its final exorcism sequence is a dynamic, unnerving assault on the senses. Episode two drops in pace as layers of backstory are revealed when we delve into Barnes’ horrific childhood. There’s a foreboding overarching tale, as they face down a rising tide of darkness, before it settles into its ‘demon of

the week’ format as cribbed from The X-Files. There are also some intriguing subplots with something definitely weird going on with the local sheriff (House of Cards’ Reg E Cathey) while a face from the past troubles Kyle’s sister Megan (Wrenn Schmidt).

Fugit’s character is purposefully dour and downbeat but Glenister shines in full-on fire-and-brimstone mode.

Outcast doesn’t pull any punches with its shadowy mix of grotesque horror and damaged characters. The line between the supernatural, madness, addiction and abuse are kept deliberately fuzzy and it’s less immediate than Kirkman’s earlier monster hit. Humans verses zombies was an easy sell whereas Outcast is more complex and subtle. And hopefully this solid groundwork will build into something even more terrifying. (Henry Northmore) Outcast starts on FOX, Tue 7 Jun, 10pm ●●●●●

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Previews | TV

list.co.uk/tv

HIGHLIGHTS REG BBC One, Mon 6 Jun, 9pm Feature length political drama from Jimmy McGovern starring Tim Roth as Reg, a man who stands against Tony Blair after his son is killed in Iraq.

THE REVENANT DVD / Blu-ray, Mon 6 Jun Brutal yet beautiful tale of survival in the snowy wild west centred around an Oscar-winning performance from Leonardo DiCaprio.

AGATHA RAISIN Sky 1, Tue 7 Jun, 9pm Quirky comedic murder mystery based on the novels of MC Beaton with Ashley Jensen in the title role.

Back for a full series after a one-off festive special in 2014.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST As cult show Robot Wars returns, co-hosts Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon tell Henry Northmore why they can’t wait for the mechanical carnage to commence

H

idden deep within an industrial estate in Paisley something is stirring. The acrid stench of burnt metal mixes with the sound of rending steel echoing through a cavernous warehouse.

From the outside it looks so innocent, but inside, a dormant machine has awakened. Robot Wars is back. Bigger and badder than ever.

For anyone who doesn’t remember the show which ran from 2001 to 2003 on the BBC, before making a brief move to Channel 5 for its final season, it was the ultimate in geek gladiatorial combat as teams pitched their homemade robots against each other in a test of strength and power.

A series of one-on-one matches ensued as mechanised warriors fought while trying to avoid deadly traps and the lethal ‘house robots’ (Sir Killalot, Matilda, Shunt and Dead Metal).

You can hear the crunch of grinding metal before you even enter the arena. The 22-meter squared fighting pit is surrounded by 37 tonnes of polycarbonate bulletproof glass to protect the audience.

Each death match is a blizzard of circular saws, hammers, flippers and spinners. ‘Now they have spinners, these arms that spin round at 3000 revs per minute, they do proper damage,’ explains new presenter Dara Ó Briain obviously still hyped from the last battle. ‘The number of times we’ve had things smash into the glass in front of us! You can see it just below you: steaming shrapnel basically.’

‘You are completely immersed in their world,’ adds co-host Angela Scanlon. ‘They’ve spent three years building a robot, painstakingly putting it together and it takes three seconds to demolish it in front of everybody. You can’t help but be engrossed in that.’ When you enter the ginormous studio, you’re swallowed up by a pumped-up crowd baying for mechanical carnage. Head house robot Sir Killalot is greeted like a rock star with a burst of Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ over the PA. In person, Sir Killalot is an intimidating beast. He’s doubled in size since he was last on our screens 13 years ago, now weighing in at a terrifying three quarters of a ton.

Behind the scenes the backstage pit buzzes with energy. This is a dream come true for the amateur roboteers who tinker with their creations. Advances in technology have made their motorized marvels even more deadly, with custom 3D printed parts, lithium batteries and access to Hardox (hardened steel used in tanks) and the house robots no longer rule the roost.

But once they leave the kill floor there’s a real sense of camaraderie. ‘In one fight a robot was taken apart, absolutely destroyed,’ recalls Ó Briain. ‘There were four or five different teams gathered around one table welding pieces together to get that robot out again for the next fight.’ It’s the contestants’ passion and excitement that really makes Robot Wars unique. ‘We have a father and daughter team, and the girl was a Robot Wars baby,’ says Scanlon. ‘Her mum went into labour while watching her husband fight. She’s back with her dad and his old team mate going through it all again. It’s kind of heartwarming and totally bonkers.’

OUTCAST FOX, Tue 7 Jun, 10pm Moving from zombies to demons in this new horror from Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. See review, page 103.

WAYWARD PINES SEASON 2 FOX, Wed 8 Jun, 9pm Dark sci-fi starring Matt Dillon. Can Wayward Pines survive the big twist in Season 1?

NEW BLOOD BBC One, Thu 9 Jun, 9pm Fraud officer Stefan Kowolski (Mark Strepan) and PC Arrash ‘Rash’ Sayyad (Ben Tavassoli) investigate murder and corruption in the pharmaceutical industry.

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK SEASON 4 Netflix, Fri 17 Jun Piper (Taylor Schilling) and co return to Litchfield Penitentiary in this dramedy set in a women’s correctional institution.

ZOOTROPOLIS DVD / Blu-ray, Mon 25 Jul Top-notch animated anthropomorphic police comedy from Disney.

THE GET DOWN Netflix, Fri 12 Aug New series from Baz Luhrmann, following a group of teenagers in 70s New York during the early days of hip hop (with a dash of disco and a side order of funk).

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: LEGION PC, Tue 30 Aug Following the release of a big-budget movie, the latest expansion set for the world’s most popular MMORPG introduces a new ‘demon hunter’ class, raises existing level caps and includes new areas, dungeons and raids. (Henry Northmore)

Robot Wars returns to BBC Two this summer (date tbc).

2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 103

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BACK PAGE CYNDI LAUPER The 80s superstar and recent debutant in the country charts still just wants to have fun. Here she ponders over pierced ears, peanut M&Ms and Patti Smith in our Q&A First record you ever bought

The first album I bought was Meet the Beatles! with my birthday money when I was ten. It was really the first time I understood an album concept.

Like wow, I can have all these songs in one place? And that album had so many hits: ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘All My Loving’ and ‘This Boy’. And of course look at their photo on the cover! It was like I was really meeting the Beatles in my mind.

Last extravagant purchase you made

My face creams. They are very expensive but I love them.

First film you saw that really moved you

When I was little, I was a huge Joan Crawford fan. I still am. She was such a great actress and so glamorous. I loved all those actresses from the 40s and 50s. Those movies would be on TV and I just loved all of them: Johnny Guitar was one of my favourites.

Last lie you told

I have no filter, I never lie. I’m not even good at little white lies. I have a bad memory and you really need a good memory if you are gonna lie about stuff.

First crush

Last time you made an impulse buy and regretted it

Equality for all. Our society will remain unjust until that happens. If we can just all treat each other with respect and dignity the rest of the problems can probably be solved.

There is so much time and energy wasted trying to keep people less equal.

Peanut M&Ms from the minibar in my hotel room last night.

Last meal on earth

I wouldn’t eat, I’d have too much to do!

First time you realised you were famous

When I saw little girls dressed like me for Halloween in 1985.

First concert you ever attended

Janis Joplin and Richie Havens at the Fillmore East.

Last time you bought someone flowers

On Mother’s Day when I bought roses for my mom, my mother-inlaw and my manager’s mom.

First object you’d save from your burning home

My son’s baby pictures.

Last time someone criticised your work

Last funny thing you saw online

Yesterday at rehearsals for the tour.

My manager wasn’t thrilled with one of the video elements I’m using.

YouTube link to the Seth Meyers skit ‘At a Baby Shower’ with Melisandre from Game of Thrones.

Hysterical.

First song you’ll sing at karaoke

I went once, in the 80s in Japan. I sang ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’.

Probably won’t go again.

Last time you exploited your position to get something

A friend of mine called to get us into a restaurant. They said they were full. So she said the reservation was for me and they found us a table. I couldn’t believe she did that!

First three words your friends would use to describe you

Loyal, honest, cranky.

COMING SOON

First job

I worked at a kind of Woolworths type of store, can’t remember the name now; they sold everything and had a small food counter in the back. I pierced ears. I didn’t do so good. Got fired after a few days.

Last person you fantasized about

My husband, actor David Thornton. After 25 years we are still in love. I mean, you ever get a look at him? We aren’t together as much as I like. Both of our jobs keep us away from home.

CHRIS SCOTT

FIRST&LAST

First thing you’d do if you ran the country

Before you know it, the Edinburgh Festival will be getting into full swing and we are, as ever, fully prepared for the explosion of cultural activity that’s set to ensue. Across the next few months, we’ll publish a Festival Guide (out Wed 6 Jul) and three festival issues (Wed 3, 10, 17 Aug) as well as flooding list.co.uk/ festival with news, reviews and interviews. Once the dust settles on all that festival business, our next issue lands on Wed 31 Aug.

First word you spoke

I’m a lead singer, so . . . ‘me’.

Kidding! I have no idea. Will have to ask my mother and get back to you on that.

First person you’d thank in an award acceptance speech

My husband. He has been so supportive of me our entire marriage and been a great father to our son.

If it were not for David I would not have been able to do everything I’ve done. He is my rock for sure.

Davy Jones.

Last book you read

M Train by Patti Smith. She’s brilliant.

First great piece of advice you were given

Last thing you think of before you go to sleep

Music.

First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning

Music.

‘Stick to your guns’.

Last time you were starstruck

I met Dame Judi Dench at the Olivier Awards. WOW!

Cyndi Lauper is at Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Thu 23 Jun; her new album Detour is out now.

See list.co.uk for more of this

104 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016

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Open Minds Open Doors Summerhall, Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multi-arts centre presents and curate innovative and diverse programmes of contemporary art, music and performance.

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Imaging Faith Isable Rocamora

26 May - 13 July 2016

Status Signal

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Hamish Chapman, Jordan Munro and Jordan Pilling

26 May - 13 July 2016

Underground A group exhibition devised

by Su Grierson featuring video artists, performers and composers

Eye Edinburgh College of Art

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Summerhall reserves the right to refuse admission. Some shows have age restrictions, please checkwebsite for further details. Tickets are available on line and in person at our Box Office

Untitled-10 IBC3

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AUGUST 2016 MONDAY 15TH TUESDAY 16TH FRIDAY 19TH SATURDAY 20TH MONDAY 22ND TUESDAY 23RD WEDNESDAY 24TH FRIDAY 26TH SATURDAY 27TH SUNDAY 28TH

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