The Skinny Scotland December 2015 by The Skinny

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December 2015 Scotland Issue 123

MUSIC Top 10 Albums of the Year Tame Impala A Mote of Dust JennyLee BOOKS Carrie Brownstein John Freeman FILM Films of 2015 Agyness Deyn & Kevin Guthrie THEATRE Rona Munro & Stephen Greenhorn CLUBS Denis Sulta CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Books, Games, DVDs, Fashion and Art Gift Guides Artist Christmas Cards A Sinner's Guide to Panto Alternative Festive Food Christmas Fetishists

THE BEST OF 2015

Our albums and films of the year, plus a festive extravaganza

W AKEY W AKEY

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Thursday 19 May 2016

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Contents

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Rosamund West Dave Kerr Will Fitzpatrick Adam Benmakhlouf Alan Bett Ronan Martin Ben Venables Kate Pasola Anna Docherty Alexandra Fiddes Jamie Dunn Peter Simpson Darren Carle John Donaghy Emma Ainley-Walker Paul Mitchell

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Editorial Editor-in-Chief Music & Deputy Editor Editorial Assistant Art Editor Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor Events Editor Fashion Editor Film & DVD Editor Food Editor Games Editor Tech Editor Theatre Editor Travel Editor

Sales Commercial Director Sales Executives

QUEEN’S HALL EDINBURGH

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

P.39 Deviance

In person from Ticket Scotland Glasgow/Edinburgh & Ripping Edinburgh and usual outlets

regularmusicltd

General Manager Chief Operating Officer Publisher

Nicola Taylor Claire Collins Nicky Carter Kyla Hall Lara Moloney Sophie Kyle

regularmusicuk THE SKINNY

Credit: Jacky Sheridan

ABERDEEN LEMON TREE

Contents

The

Battle of the Bands

06 Chat & Opinion: Welcome to the maga-

Fashion: Not sure what to get your fashionable loved ones this Yule? Our blogger correspondents have some handy hints.

08 Heads Up: Our Christmas gift to you all:

Food and Drink: Alternative Christmas food ideas for those of you who can’t face another year of turkey and mulled wine, plus Food News and Phagomania.

Deviance: How to deal with your own bad feminism, and a sideways glance at festive-themed bedroom quirks.

zine; What Are You Having For Lunch? Shot of the Month and more freakily accurate foresight from Crystal Baws.

a two-page guide to this month’s mustattend cultural events. (Please note: do not re-gift this to a loved one, you cheapskate.)

FEATURES

With no genre off limits our music team presents an epic rundown of the best Albums of 2015. Did our film writers lose their minds and award Adam Sandler joint Pixels as 2015’s best film? Turn to our Films of the Year to find out.

20 How do you follow up a breakthrough

success story? Well, you could always try going for bigger and better than ever before: Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker reflects on Currents.

*clears throat* IT’S CHRIIIIISSTMAAASSS!!! Which also means panto season. Which also means a never-ending tirade of sin and depravity. We’re all in.

As job descriptions go, John Freeman’s impressive ‘internationally renowned literary critic’ takes some beating. He tells us about the philosophy behind aptly-named new publication Freeman’s.

Terence Davies’ long-awaited Sunset Song finally makes it to the screen; we chat to the film’s stars Agyness Deyn and Kevin Guthrie about their finegrained performances.

REVIEW

40 Music: Life away from Warpaint with

jennylee, and life after Aereogramme with A Mote of Dust; plus the month’s new releases, including Matt Berry, Alex Bleeker, Sharon Jones and The Grand Gestures.

Art: We cast our critical eyes across exhibitions from Luc Tuymans and Lucy Parker, and give you the lowdown on what’s new’n’exciting in Scottish art across December.

Film: Reviews of the latest movies to hit the big screen, including Terence Davies’ Sunset Song, and Chemsex – a documentary seemingly made for the term ‘hard-hitting’.

A full day of recording time at the first class Gorbals Sound studios.

Books: Everything you need to know about poetry events in Scotland; meanwhile, in review, there’s a Bukowski book about cats. That’s made our 2015 complete, at any rate.

Production advice from Bryan Tolland, one of founder members of the hit rock band, Del Amitri.

Theatre: Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn bear all, while our reviewers chew their pencils and consider Tipping the Velvet and a Sławomir Mrozek double bill.

To be considered please email an MP3 file or link along with your name by the 26th of February to: battleofthebands@cancersupportscotland.org

What to buy the arts-and-crafts lover in your life this Christmas? Here’s some ideas for starters.

Our games team chalk up the Games of the Year that kept them indoors and out of what little sunlight there was in 2015.

Comedy: Words with Andrew Learmonth, as The Christmas Lectures return to Edinburgh.

Listings: Christmas. It’s not like there’s much to do round then, is it? Oh wait, there’s loads. Shall we compile them for you? Jolly good.

Competitions: Prizes! Things to be won! Stacks of lovely books, to be precise. Test your brains and try your luck.

The Last Word: Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein explains why her new book, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, isn’t your run-of-the-mill musical memoir.

Showcase: Cards! Everywhere! SO MANY CHRISTMAS CARDS. This year with extra genitals.

Now in it’s third year, Battle of the Bands is a live music competition which raises funds for Cancer Support Scotland.

Always a struggle to know what to get for the film buffs among your nearest and dearest, eh no? Rest easy: here’s our DVDs of the Year.

Battle of the Bands Thursday 27th April 2016

Clubs: Hailed as the most promising new DJ talent in Scotland, Hector Barbour aka Denis Sulta recounts the highlights of a hectic year, alongside your good ol’ monthly clubbing guide.

Some seasonal gift ideas for bookworms, taken from the best of indie publishing in 2015.

Want to win time at a recording studio?

CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA!

In a band?

As one of three bands or solo acts you have the chance to perform a song of your own choice and a cover, which will be judged by a celebrity panel.

The evening will feature Soul Doctors as the live headline act. For tickets (£65pp or £600 for a table of 10) contact Cancer Support Scotland: fundraising@cancersupportscotland.org

Registered Charity number SC012867

0141 337 8199

Registered Charity number SC012867

www.cancersupportscotland.org fundraising@cancersupportscotland.org

twitter.com/CancerSuppScot facebook.com/cancersuppscotland youtube.com/cancersuppscotland

December 2015

Cancer Support Scotland is a registered charity and relies on the generosity of legacies and donations to provide all its services free of charge.

Contents

of DVDs from across the ages for your delectation – inexplicably containing Zardoz; and our Games team reveal their favourite releases that have kept them glued to the couch in 2015. In Theatre, we’ve scanned the pantomime programmes from across the land to identify the seven deadly sins concealed within the fairytales. And Deviance has done some investigation of its own, furiously Googling ‘Christmasophilia,’ ‘Christmas fetishists’ and ‘erotic Santa’ to unearth the secret subcultures getting turned on by all things festive. We’ve also covered some things that don’t involve either Christmas or the end of 2015. Books speaks to former Granta editor John Freeman about his new, not-at-all-narcissistically-named publication, Freeman's. There are also some words with one Carrie Brownstein, she of Sleater-Kinney fame, about her new memoir, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl. Clubs speaks to Glasgow’s promising new talent Hector Barbour aka Denis Sulta, about bedroom producing and performing live, while Film grabbed some time with Sunset Song’s stars Agyness Deyn and Kevin Guthrie about the making of Terence Davies’ eagerly awaited adaptation. Music speaks to Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, looking back on Currents and a year of breakthrough success. jennylee, aka Jenny Lee Lindberg of Warpaint discusses her debut solo release right on! and the distinction between writing for the band and writing for herself. Finally, Craig B, he of Aereogramme and Unwinding Hours fame, introduces his new solo project, A Mote of Dust, a name inspired by Carl Sagan’s oft-repeated description of the world as photographed by the Voyager space probe – a mote of dust, suspended on a sunbeam. [Rosamund West] DECEMBER'S COVER ARTIST Joachim Sperl was born in a small town and grew up in a village somewhere in the Odenwald, Germany. He studied (after an aborted Architectural studies) Graphic Design in Hamburg, Germany and at the Buckinghamshire New University, UK, under Paul Plowman. Based in Hamburg, Joachim works as a freelance graphic designer and illus-trator. He wants to drink more tea instead of coffee in the future. joachimsperl.com

Spot the Difference TWO LIGHTS OF OUR LIVES Awwww. This image of the internet's favourite creature wrapped up in Christmas lights should be familiar to you all. But if you look at these two pictures really carefully you’ll notice something is amiss and they aren’t quite identical. Yes, you want to take them both home and cuddle them, but what sets them apart? If you can’t spot it straight away, don’t worry, just grab your notebook, take a drive down to the lost river or that lovely place beyond the pines and

have a think. If you still can’t get it, what can I say? You’re clearly both crazy and stupid, love. If you have worked out the difference between the two, head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and share your thoughts. The funniest and most inventive findings win a copy of Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, courtesy of our pals at Canongate. Competition closes midnight Sun 3 Jan. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

Shot Of The Month

East India Youth, Summerhall, 28 October, by Mihaela Bodlovic

Creative Common Picture Credits: Ben Loomis, Alan Light, World Economic Forum, Soli, Ralph Arvesen, Slackerwood, JViejo, State Farm, Frank Vassen

jockmooney.co.uk

e’ve survived Sober October and both Movember and Novembeard, bringing us here, to that most magical of all months – Drunkcember. For it is now that we can dispense with sobriety and facial hair, and dedicate ourselves to the task of celebrating the festive season with fairy lights and snowflakes, and much mulling of both wine and cider, followed by ill-advised panic buying of novelty cookie jars on the internet. Merry Christmas everyone – we made it. As is traditional as the year draws to a close, we cast a nostalgic eye back at what we have seen and heard in the previous twelve months and used this knowledge to form a series of lists. Our 40strong Music team have been polled to discover the best albums to be released in 2015. You can read exclusive interviews with many of the top ten and count down with us to discover the ultimate victor from page 10. Our Film team have also been locked in furious debate over their highlights of the silver screen for 2015. A consensus has been reached, and revealed on p19. You may be able to deduce some of them from our gloriously cryptic cover illustration. Is that a duck dressed as Batman? Is that man holding a joint? Why’s Channing Tatum there? These are all questions we asked ourselves when the finished image arrived in the inbox all the way from Germany. Some elements remain too surreal to comprehend, but we’re very happy with how it looks. The centre of the magazine has well and truly lost its shit for the festive season, with our now traditional artist and illustrator Christmas cards occupying the centre spread. This year the brief involved a special request for extra genitals as we always think it’s hilarious when people hide knob drawings in Christmas cards. Turn to p31 to see who won the prize for most concealed penises! Aside from phallic cards, we’ve also pooled the collective knowledge of our section editors to put together a series of gift guides made up of things that people would actually be happy to receive as gifts. I know, it’s revolutionary. Fashion has approached some respected bloggers to share their favourite things in Scotland and the Northwest. Art has done some investigative journalsim to seek out the best shops and pop-ups where you can purchase original art and design from your friendly neighbourhood creatives. Books present a series of literary recommendations from Scotland and our Northwest comrades; we’ve got a selection

Credit: Sophie Heywood

Editorial

Chat

THE SKINNY

Crystal Baws With Mystic Mark

he Hug and Pint in Glasgow hosts a benefit gig for mental health charity Flourish House on 18 Dec, with an impressive cast headed by ‘notfolk pro-bro rap’ crew CARBs (their first headline show), alongside lyrical indie-poppers Randolph’s Leap and local singer-songwriter Finn Lemarinel. Between bands, there are DJ sets courtesy of Happy Meals and Franz Ferdinand’s Paul Thompson, with the aim being to raise both awareness of the charity’s work, and funds for their Christmas meal event. Tickets are available from the venue, plus Tickets Scotland, Monorail (Glasgow) and Ripping Records (Edinburgh). We’re delighted to be supporting kickass spoken word, music and poetry night Neu! Reekie! on its jaunt down to Liverpool’s LEAF on 28 January with an exciting show. On the bill: spoken word star Hollie McNish, Eugene Kelly of the Vaselines, Mersey mainstay Pete Wylie and Forward Prize-

shortlisted poet Eleanor Rees. Neu! Reekie's events are a fixture on the Edinburgh lit scene – and we’re sure spoken word fans in Liverpool will take a similar shine to the night led by poets Michael Pedersen and Kevin Williamson. Tickets are £5 from Brown Paper Tickets. The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber has been named Book of the Year at the 2015 Saltire Literary Awards in Edinburgh. The novel (which, as Faber told The Skinny last year, will be his final one) also picked up the Fiction Book of the Year at the ceremony at Edinburgh's Central Hall on 26 Nov. Elsewhere, Edinburgh-based poet Ryan Van Winkle was awarded the Poetry Book of the Year for his collection The Good Dark, Freight Books were named Publisher of the Year, while Helen McClory's debut novel On The Edges of Vision won Saltire's First Book Award.

ARIES You get a job at the new Madame Tussauds brothel, helping punters select which wax celebrity to bang or roast, presenting them afterwards with their souvenir photograph and balloon. Your job also involves giving the groins and faces of each model a quick once-over with an antibacterial wipe a few times a day.

the rear he finds it to have been violently violated by the insertion of a pricked lemon and Paxo™ stuffing. This ties it to previous cases, suggesting we could be looking at a serial killer. Taking off the gloves and mask, Dad solemnly announces to everyone’s horror that he has reason to believe the murderer is in this very room.

TAURUS In an act of incredibly stupid generosity, this month you leave all your organs in a plastic bag outside the charity shop.

SCORPIO This month your cat pushes its head so far up its bum that its head comes out of its own mouth.

GEMINI Encrypt all your messages by changing them into Zapf Dingbats before sending.

SAGITTARIUS As you slip yet another thick wad of cash into his top pocket, your vet begs you to please start using lube or he’ll have to report you to the authorities the next time he has to stitch your pet lizard back together. Or at least buy a bigger lizard.

CANCER The police finally arrest Prince Charming for a spate of offenses including kissing one sleeping teen princess and stealing the coffin of another. Prosecutors alledge that Charming’s obsession with inanimate women make him a clear and present danger to the public. Other princesses have since come forward following the arrest, with allegations going back hundreds of years.

Read the full list of award winners at theskinny.co.uk/news

LEO Christmas is postponed this year after Santa has to have all his presents scanned for explosives prior to being allowed to take to the skies. Put your tree up late February and expect the backlog of presents to be cleared around March. VIRGO Blaming your farts on the dog is one thing, but blaming it for the used condoms your partner finds down the side of the bed is a bridge too far. Credit: Tom Saffil

LIBRA Beginning the autopsy, your father takes a deep breath making the first incision below the breast, peeling back the flesh and laying it in a dish. The subject has been dismembered, a string tied around the ankles post-mortem, but there are no signs of a struggle before the culprit tried to burn the cadaver. Examining

Online Only es, this magazine is stuffed tighter than a... turkey? Christmas stocking? While we decide on a suitably hackneyed festive reference, you’ve probably noticed that the magazine is far from short of fascinating articles. Over at theskinny.co.uk, meanwhile, there’s a heap of excellent features we couldn’t find room for in print: New film The Forbidden Room gives new life to cinema’s lost plots and title – director Guy Maddin tells us about the process, and wiping saliva off Mathieu Amalric’s cheek. From Sylvia Plath to Christina Rosetti, we trace a pattern of female writers linked to male prestige, questioning the selective recording of literary history. We speak to first time authors Martin Cathcart Froden and Helen McClory (who just won the Saltire First Book Award) about breaking through in the world of publishing. As the Hammer horror-influenced The Haunting of Hill House opens at Liverpool’s Playhouse, we chat to director Melly Still.

December 2015

Ana Matronic – yep, from the Scissor Sisters – talks in depth about robots, giving us sufficient reason to fear Skynet’s imminent takeover. Funny Looking Presents is Liverpool’s newest offbeat comedy night; host Gav Cross waxes lyrical about doing it for the love of it. We hang out with Marc Cerrone at Red Bull Music Academy Paris, while he enthuses about disco and the importance of groove. Our Tech team find there’s more than meets the eye to CAPTCHA, the online tests used to determine whether you’re a human or a bot. Not quite Voigt-Kampff, but close enough. ...And, of course, a plethora of seasonal pieces, including Mr Scruff’s Yuletide playlist, an advent calendar courtesy of comedian Danny Sutcliffe, and a guide to the best music made in the Northwest in 2015, courtesy of our writers and contributors. Are we spoiling you? Ach, we just like taking care of you.

AQUARIUS On your deathbed you ask the nurse if it’s not too much trouble could she text your mum and tell her you’re dead. PISCES Santa cantankerously refuses to renege on his climate change denial in a press conference, claiming the science is bunkum and he has evidence the melting of the North Pole is actually caused by kids getting naughtier. He has also announced the delivery of coal to naughty children will continue despite the Climate Commission’s insistence that it will only make the problem worse. twitter.com/themysticmark facebook.com/themysticmark

The January Issue: Out 4 Jan 2016

Credit: Mica Warren

CAPRICORN This Christmas everyone gets together to give Jesus a surprise birthday bash, no one puts up any decorations and everyone pretends that they’re not doing anything special this year. But then, on Christmas Eve, the entire planet hides in the living room all night waiting for Jesus to turn up, until they remember he doesn’t exist.

We welcome in the new year as has become traditional – with the results of our 2016 Food and Drink Survey! We've been relentlessly polling you, our dear readers, since way back in the summer to find out exactly where you like to go have a drink, share a romantic meal or grab a sandwich. We'll also be looking ahead to our highlights of 2016's cultural calendar, and making sarcastic sideswipes at the concept of New Year, New You. In Music, there will be exclusive interviews with Daughter, Tortoise and Saul Williams. Finally, Manipulate return to Scotland with a festival of visual theatre, puppetry and film.

Chat

December brings with it a suitably bumper batch of Christmas jolly – including festive screenings of Elf, Home Alone, and Die Hard (it is a Christmas film, goddamnit) – before the countdown to all things Hogmanay begins with messy club nights galore. See y'all in 2016!

Thu 3 Dec

No messing about, it's straight into Christmas this month with Sloans' EATFILM series continuing with a screening of feelgood Will Ferrell vehicle Elf, pai-red with a budget meal for two – which gets you and your chum a choice of macaroni cheese, chilli beef nachos, or hot dog and fries (plus movie), all with change from fifteen quid. Also showing 7, 14 and 24 Dec. Sloans, Glasgow, 8.30pm, £13.95 (for two)

Returning for s'more mockery of a shit film of their choosing, Joe Heenan and Billy Kirkwood take to the CCA for another round of their Watch Bad Movies with Great Comedians fun night, this time with a pre-that-new-Star-Wars screening of the lesserknown (and yes, totally shite) Star Wars Holiday Special, with the chaps providing laugh-along commentary. CCA, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £5

Following their Berlin fundraiser in September, Sub Club and Bigfoot's Tea Party team up for the second in their refugee fundraiser series – this time staying on home soil for a special party in Subbie, joined by Berlin Homopatik resident Mr Ties. Profits will be shared between Scottish Refugee Council, Positive Action In Housing, and Save The Children. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £7

Elf

Star Wars Holiday Special

Mon 7 Dec

Tue 8 Dec

Wed 9 Dec

For the second in a flurry of festive films calendered in December, Edinburgh's Cameo dig out Richard Donner's modern take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol – Scrooged – for an evening airing, with Bill Murray on fine form (aka as a total bastard of a modernday, foul-spirited Scrooge) as TV network president Frank Cross. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, 9pm, £7 (£6)

A world away from Grant Stott making a tit of himself in panto, the Traverse present their festive theatre offering – Tracks of the Winter Bear – a double bill of short plays by two of its most successful alumni, Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn (of recent hit Sunshine on Leith), backed by a specially-composed musical score. Preview airings 5 & 8 Dec. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 9-23 Dec, £14 (£10/£8)

Nottingham young pups Kagoule bring their fierce brand of indie-pop and attitude to the capital, still riding the wave of their debut LP release Urth – picking the bones out of the early 90s US alternative scene and creating something distinctly their own. It also helps that they're ridiculously good live. Also playing Glasgow's Broadcast the following evening. Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 7pm, £5

Mr Ties

Tracks of the Winter Bear

Scrooged

Kagoule

Tue 15 Dec

Wed 16 Dec

Storming the stage of Platform's panto for onenight-only, local psychrockers Trembling Bells, Glasgow-based folkie Alasdair Roberts, and Oxford popstress Olivia Chaney make merry for A Christmas Carousel – which will basically involve them performing live to the suitably surreal backdrop of the Puss In Boots set. Return bus leaving from Mono. Platform, Glasgow, 6.30pm, £10

The Stand's Christmas Specials kick-off, with banterous chap Joe Heenan hosting o'er in Glasgow (joined by Zoe Lyons, Mark Nelson, Keir McAllister, and Ashley Storrie) and Bruce Devlin in Edinburgh (joined by Gavin Webster, Mary Bourke, Ray Bradshaw, and Gary Meikle), presumably decked out in Santa hats. The Stand, Edinburgh & Glasgow, 14-19 Dec, 8.30pm, from £12

Local music blog Scottish Fiction takes to The Hug and Pint for a festive singsong, headlined by the one-man alternative folk band that is Peter Kelly (aka Beerjacket), with support from Reverieme and their delicate acoustic indie-folk soundscapes, plus an early doors set from acoustic folk-meets-punk lass Chrissy Baranacle (i.e. best make sure you're down for the dot of 7.30pm). The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £5

Taking a second dip into the Cameo's festive film programme (see also Scrooged, 7 Dec), tonight finds them in double bill mode for 90s faves Home Alone and Home Alone: Lost in New York – y'know, because nothing says Christmas quite like a young boy being left home alone and then battering the living daylights outta a couple of creepy burglars. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, 7pm, £15 (£13)

Trembling Bells

Bruce Devlin

Sun 20 Dec

Mon 21 Dec

Tue 22 Dec

Homegrown trio The Banana Sessions get in Christmas party mode in celebration of their tenth anniversary (and the coming of Santa, obv), launching their second LP, Be Bold and Brilliant, on the night. On top of that, there will be live guests, the now traditional Buckfast punch, a Christmas jumper competition, and some promised festive sing-a-longs. The Pleasance, Edinburgh, 8pm, £10

How about catching a festive flick on the world's largest LED screen (that's 100 square metres, FYI)? The Royal Highland Centre screens a selection of faves at its drive-in Christmas cinema, with black comedy Bad Santa getting a late night airing tonight. Or, y'know, there's a sing-a-long screening of Frozen earlier in the day... The Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, 19-23 Dec, various times, £26 per car

That fine upstanding chap Roddy Woomble (of Idlewild) takes to intimate Glasgow gig haven The Hug and Pint for a twonight Christmas takeover – Roddy's Woomble's Christmas Hootenanny – playing a selection of solo songs, Idlewild classics, and Christmas favourites, joined by Idlewild's Andrew Wasylyk (22 Dec) and folk guitarist Sorren MacLean (23 Dec). The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, 8pm, £14

The Banana Sessions

Peter Kelly

Credit: John Graham

Mon 14 Dec

Credit: Euan Robertson

Sun 13 Dec

Home Alone

Bad Santa

Roddy Woomble

Sun 27 Dec

Mon 28 Dec

For the Boxing Day brave (and not too hungover), Optimo tag-team JD Twitch and JG Wilkes hit up Sub Club for a live versus special with Subculture residents Harri & Domenic – banishing your day-after-Christmas blues with their eclectic selections of techno, electro, house, and assorted leftfield. See listings for more Boxing Day party picks. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £12

Having already counted us down to Santa with their series of Christmas comedy specials (see 14 Dec), The Stand continues onwards with its countdown to Hogmanay – with Hootfest! straddling Glasgow and Edinburgh over the course of five days, taking in a bill of comedy favourites under the watchful eye of Raymond Mearns (Glasgow) and Susan Morrison (Edinburgh). The Stand, Glasgow and Edinburgh, 8.30pm, £15

Counting down to Hogmanay as only they know how – i.e. with a messy club night a day – Sub Club brightens an otherwise quiet Monday with an Animal Farm 11th Birthday special, for which the dancefloor-filling techno nuts will be joined by MDR Records' signee Answer Code Request and Ostgut-Ton artist Kobosil, both techno-heavy in their selections. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, from £6

Chat

Credit: David Moffat

Sat 26 Dec

Optimo

Raymond Mearns

Credit: Mark Leary

Compiled by: Anna Docherty

Wed 2 Dec

Animal Farm

THE SKINNY

Credit: Sarah Robert

Heads Up

Tue 1 Dec

Sat 5 Dec

Sun 6 Dec

Having been one of the bands that helped kick off Summerhall's Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series back when it launched this spring, Glasgow folkpop melody merchants Randolph's Leap return to help end the series' triumphant year of giggage, with support from Lost Map-signed fuzz pop Irish singer/songwriter Martha Ffion. Summerhall, Edinburgh, 8pm, £10

Following a duo of birthday bashes last month to celebrate its 8th, Edinburgh gig-in-a-club night Limbo makes merry for its final outing of the year – headlined by synth-heavy locals Numbers Are Futile, who released their debut LP a few months back, with support from dream pop Edinburgh trio Hiva Oa, and fledgling onesto-watch Delighted Peoples. Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 8pm, £6

Female scratch performers Nic Green, Laura Bradshaw, and Rosana Cade return Cock and Bull to the stage for another airing (following its debut outing at Behaviour Festival in May) – using words garnered from Conservative Party conference speeches, this time in response to issues of climate change. Part of climate change arts season, ArtCOP Scotland. CCA, Glasgow, 3pm, free (but ticketed) Numbers Are Futile

Fri 11 Dec

Sat 12 Dec

Having garnered a fair bit of praise in these very pages – not to mention sets on The Skinny stages at both Electric Fields and The Pleasance Sessions in 2015 – Benjamin John Power (also of Fuck Buttons) tours his solo electronic Blanck Mass project Dundeeway, stopping off at Beat Generator to raise hell/ play tracks from latest LP Dumb Flesh. Beat Generator Live!, Dundee, 8pm, £10

Since no self-respecting Christmas schedule would be complete without a screening of Joe Dante's classic horror furball funny – erm, that'd be Gremlins, for anyone who missed the 80s – Glasgow Film Theatre do the done thing and dig out the cutest little creature ever to don a Santa hat (aka Gizmo – just wook at his wittle face), for a late night airing. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, 11pm, £8.50 (£7)

Insider fest return to the Pleasance for a Christmas special of their 'Night At The Theatre' curated series, bringing with them SAY Award-winner Kathryn Joseph, Haiku Salut in 'lamp show' form (aka surrounded by a light orchestra of vintage household lamps that flicker and fade to the music), and multi-tasking chap Julian Corrie in his Miaoux Miaoux guise. Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, 7pm, £12

Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

Thu 10 Dec

Blanck Mass

Gremlins

Kathryn Joseph

Fri 18 Dec

Sat 19 Dec

Edinburgh-bothering literary merrymakers Neu! Reekie! mark their final outing of the year with summat suitably festive – #NeuReekiesXmasKracker – returning to Central Hall (where they held their biggest event to date earlier in the year) to celebrate Christmas and their 5th birthday combined in the fine company of Irvine Welsh, WHITE, Hector Bizerk, Liz Lochhead, and more. Central Hall, Edinburgh, 6pm, £16 (£13.50)

Experiential event Midwinter Woodland transforms Summerhall's Dissection Room into a mystical woodland, where punters will be greeted by mythical creatures, whilst enjoying storytelling from Daniel Allison, and being fed with winter pie and watered with mulled cider, They then host a bells'n' whistles Christmas party the following night with added live music and DJs. Summerhall, Edinburgh, 11, 18 & 19 Dec, 7.30pm, £15 (£12.50)

Following its annual Christmas market earlier in the month (13 Dec), Edinburgh Printmakers dons the tinsel for its first ever Christmas Shoppers' Weekend, selling a selection of artwork at bargain prices, plus competitions, family activities, opportunity to meet the studio artists, and some promised 'Christmas treats' (aka mulled wine and Christmas tunes on't stereo). Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh, 19 & 20 Dec, 10am, free

WHITE

Credit: Rita Azevedo

Thu 17 Dec

Daniel Allison

Wed 23 Dec

Thu 24 Dec

Fri 25 Dec

Again winning the annual festive pun points, Let Your Elf Go returns for 2015 – brightening the 23rd of December for seven years now. For it, various club scene favourites will share the Subbie decks, with profits going to Yorkhill Children's Hospital. And the best bit? By the time y'all roll out the door it'll officially be Christmas Eve! Happy-nearly-Christmas! Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, free

Christmas Eve should really only be spent consuming sugar and watching festive films, right? If you're venturing out to catch one on the big screen, the pick of the bunch is oldie-butgoodie It's A Wonderful Life (screening at Glasgow's GFT, various times) and Bruce Willis action caper Die Hard (screening at Edinburgh's Cameo Cinema, 6pm).

You're presumably already aware of the fact, but it's the 25th of December, aka Christmas Day, and by rights you should be doing nothing more than eating (every roast potato in sight), drinking (lethal homemade eggnog), and being merry (aka watching The Muppet Christmas Carol in a reindeer-patterned wooly jumper). From all of us at The Skinny, have a very Happy Christmas!

Tue 29 Dec

Wed 30 Dec

Thu 31 Dec

You know how we said that Sub Club were counting down to Hoggers with a messy club night a day (see left)? Well, we weren't lying. Today they hand over to regular Tuesday merrymakers i AM, who host a guest set from Berlin-based UK producer George FitzGerald, mixing it up with his trademark textured house riffs and soulful melodies. Plus the joys/ perils of a 4am license. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, from £10

Offering some pre-Hogmanay prep in noisy gig form, favourited Glasgow basement bar Bloc welcomes Glasgow-based aural astronauts The Cosmic Dead for their final set of 2015, joined by a selection of still-to-be-revealed live guests. And if you fancy making it a two night stay, for Hogmanay they hand over to gig-in-a-club night Milk, with Bossy Love on headline duties. Bloc, Glasgow, 9pm, free

From Scandi dance wizard Todd Terje hot-footing it between Glasgow and Nightvision's series three closer in the 'burgh, to Optimo's always legendary proceedings, Wee Dub's now annual dub shenanigans, and Summerhall's motown-themed fancy dress night, there's a whole lotta Hogmanay events to choose from – see listings for the full rundown. And happy ruddy 2016 when it rolls around!

December 2015

George FitzGerald

Christmas Shoppers' Weekend

It's A Wonderful Life

Let Your Elf Go

Credit: Kat Gollock

Cock and Bull

Credit: Andrew Denholm

Randolph's Leap

The Cosmic Dead

Todd Terje

Chat

Credit: Sam Huddleston

Credit: KatGollock

Fri 4 Dec

Albums of 2015

All Neon Like

#10

Vulnicura: cure for wounds. An exercise in fearless open-heart surgery, Björk’s best album in years fused close-up confessionals, microbeats and chamber strings to overwhelming, uplifting effect

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' As ever, there was music to steer us through the darkness; we speak to some of the players on our music critics' democratically elected LPs of the year

Interview: Gary Kaill

Credit: Carsten Windhorst

f often Björk feels like little more than our own ephemeral construct, an alien encounter given shape partly by our own wild imaginings, with Vulnicura she sought a connection with the listener that grounded her in head-spinning fashion. Throughout 2015, that connection gained hold and as her ninth solo album (a raw documenting of the break-up with her long term partner) wove its dark magic, Björk and her audience seemed to edge ever closer to each other. Time passed and the songs bloomed. Vulnicura came stumbling into the world, its release hiked to January after an unexpected leak. Nearly 12 months on, it stands as one of the year’s most well-regarded and essential releases. As appears to be her preference these days, Björk kept touring to an absolute minimum: eight debut dates in New York and a handful in Europe before cancelling all remaining shows to work on her next project. An eye ever on the future, Björk tosses the map and we love her for it. We trust even her wildest fancies. By now, nothing she could do could cause confusion or objection. “Saw that Björk the other night, mate. Yeah, well weird. Came on dressed as a bee or a moth or something.” At the tour’s single UK show in Manchester, where she took a sprawling outdoor crowd and came close to pulling every outlying audience member into the chamber intimacies of her extraordinary performance, she did indeed perform dressed as a moth, complete with wings, face mask and head dress. On one level, madness; on another, the most perfect sense. But Björk doesn’t do normal, and while some of her more left-field wanderings prompt admiration rather than ardour, she certainly doesn’t do boring. She wouldn’t know how. But with Vulnicura, she was very nearly human. If ‘relatable’ means being able to feel and hear the artist’s heartbeat, then this was Björk’s most relatable album by some distance. Co-produced by The Haxan Cloak and

After the Gold Rush hings just aren’t as exciting as the 70s,” quipped the languid, long-haired Kurt Vile when chatting with The Skinny back in 2013. Jokes aside, this sentiment appears to have held fast for the Philadelphia native. Two years on, the singer/ songwriter’s sixth and most recent studio album, b’lieve I’m goin down (recorded with his band of Violators at the revered Rancho de la Luna studios in Joshua Tree, California) still trades in the previous pedal-tinted grunge of his previous releases, but emotes a distinct Americana folk-rock tone that barely sequesters its Neil Young influences. It’s not all Young-esque finger-picked folkery though; on b’lieve, Vile’s self-described ‘nighttimerecord’,countrybluesriffssitcomfortablyalongside jazzy piano and moody Wurlitzer organ. The droll Life Like This or saloon melody of Lost My Head There mimic Randy Newman in a particularly Gen Y moment of self-reflection, while the wobbling chords of Dust Bunnies form a tonguein-cheek love song that evokes Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at their most acerbic best.

Björk – Vulnicura (One Little Indian) bjork.com

Kurt Vile’s self described ‘night-time record’ finds the young Philadelphian at ease

“T

Venezuelan DJ and producer Arca, Vulnicura largely abandoned the beats that had characterised much of her recent work and returned to the strings of 1997’s Homogenic. It takes repeated listens for the songs to emerge. The album’s gentle relief (sonic and emotional) is drawn with subtlety and care: there is no dramatic ebb and flow. Songs clock in at three minutes, some at ten minutes. The casual listener should look elsewhere, as should the audiophile or the bluffer: even the sturdiest coffee table would crack under Vulnicura’s weight. She toys with the sacred on Family, an eightminute conflagration of voice and barely-there strings: “How will I sing us out of this sorrow? I raise a monument of love.” On the opening Stonemilker – a title alone that makes language feel new, brimming with narrative – she sings, “I wish to synchronise our feelings,” and the tone is unflinching and accusatory. The formality of the language, a feature throughout, creates an uneasy drama. Beyond rage, Björk explores the awful complexities of love with a steady eye. The skitter of Mouth Mantra: beats hesitant and staccato – amidst snap-pulses, whirrs and bleeps she finds traction, a way forward. “I have followed a path that took sacrifices / Now I sacrifice this scar.” Still, it’s perhaps too tempting to read Vulnicura as a journeying, a fearless tackling of the unthinkable. Come its end, is there peace or even understanding? Perhaps. But the closing Quicksand has more questions than answers and the outcome is largely left to the listener. “Hackle this darkness up to the light,” sings Björk: bravura wordplay, courage under fire, unfettered ambition. Vulnicura may yet turn out to be her finest work yet.

Interview: Claire Francis Photography: Rita Azevedo

“Pretty Pimpin has Vile at his shoulder-shrugging, whimsical best” Along with keys, there’s finger-picked banjo, which weaves an Appalachian warmth throughout I’m An Outlaw, while the bended-note riff of Wheelhouse, a track Vile has claimed may be the best song he has ever recorded, creates a meandering, meditative epic under a desert sky. Despite the pervading Americana reverie, though, b’lieve is the first of Vile’s albums to crack the UK top 40 chart – so beyond the man’s adept guitar work and harmonic hooks, what is it about this album that resonates with a nation acclimatised more to persistent rain than California skies?

In all of the wry navel-gazing that preoccupies Vile’s lyrics, it’s easy to miss the fact that he's one rather funny guy. ‘There ain’t no manual to our minds,’ he sings, and b’lieve i’m goin’ down indeed reads as a demotic, discursive and unapologetic journal of self-exploration. That’s Life, Tho (Almost Hate to Say) is a sparse spoken word ballad that melds soul-searching with self-mockery (‘When I go out, I take pills to take the edge off / Just a certified badass out for a night on the town’) but it’s Pretty Pimpin that has Vile at his shouldershrugging, whimsical best. Atop a chugging, pedalheavy guitar riff, Vile laments: ‘I woke up this morning / Didn’t recognize the man in the mirror,’ while at the same time noting that he ‘was sporting all my clothes / I gotta say pretty pimpin.’ He’s the loveable king of lackadaisical ruminations, and with b’lieve I’m goin down, KV proves that existentialism can sometimes be quite a laugh. Kurt Vile – b’lieve I’m goin down (Matador) kurtvile.com

Feature

MUSIC

THE SKINNY

Bored in the USA

Although Father John Misty’s biting sarcasm and unflinching honesty could make him seem larger than life, I Love You, Honeybear is irrefutably autobiographical, as its author explains

he Skinny phones Josh Tillman – AKA Father John Misty – in a hotel room in Iceland to ask him how he feels about the second record under his holy moniker, some ten months on. In his own words, Tilman’s enduring “the most tone deaf week” of his life, having inadvertently told the “echo chamber” of online media that he hates “all men’s fashion” and “all pop music”. “My lack of media training is maybe... refreshing?” he sighs. “But I worry that I’ve lost my sense of humour. You do enough press and you start to take yourself really seriously.” Yet, on record, he does take himself very seriously. Or, to put it better, he takes sending himself up very, very seriously. Acutely self-aware – so much so, he used a built-in laugh-track on the album’s first single – Honeybear chronicles Tilman’s highs and lows. But mostly his lows. Over thirteen tracks of hilarious, horrible analysis, Honeybear offers a mirror to your deepest, darkest suspicions that you are, in fact, a piece of human garbage. And as it turns out, we’re all gluttons for selfpunishment. Since the record’s release in February Father John Misty’s played to full capacity venues the world over, and his UK tour next May has already sold out. While you’re indulging in delicious egotistical self-pity, though, it bears remembering that these stories belong to Tillman. “You walk this line; I want to be honest… as long as no one ever sees that I’m capable of being an asshole.“ He laughs... It doesn’t sound like he’s joking. “But that’s actually what my art is about;

people seeing me for what I really am.” The record’s regularly pegged as Tillman’s “love album” – something he easily dismisses: “I’ve only been married two years… I haven’t come anywhere close to writing about love.” Instead, he describes Honeybear as a record about intimacy and weakness: “I had to confront my neediness and my jealousy,” he explains. “I don’t identify as a mean person, but I have this propensity for using my sense of humour in very petulant, self-sabotaging ways. You know, now that I can step back and look at this album… it’s about ignorance. It’s about thinking that I know myself, and not knowing myself at all.” He pauses. “And thinking that I know anything about love, and realising that I don’t know anything about love at all.” We discuss The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment. The song’s got a silly title and an even sillier video, but when you pay due attention you’ll find a savage takedown of a certain type of person. It’s witty, brutal and painfully enjoyable. And, when you recognise the gross behaviour patterns as something you might do yourself, it’s cathartic. But can laughing at lines like “She says like, literally, music is the air she breathes” help cure a Father John Misty fan of behaving in a similar fashion? “No! No.” He laughs. “I wrote that song within hours of the thing happening. In a fit of impotent rage. You can put ‘laughs bitterly’ in brackets.” Tillman laughs again, bitterly.

Credit: Derek Key

Interview: Katie Hawthorne

“The bridge where I’m saying, ‘Oh my God, I swear this never happens,’ that is – literally – impotence. So in what ways does someone like that lash out? In these petty judgements of this other person. And really, she’s fine. The real question is why am I there, in her bed, if I don’t like her so much? What is it that I’m looking for?” He continues: “It’s like the song Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow. That’s another song about this impotence, this powerlessness. In the moment I was writing it, I was like yeah, I’m gunna slap this guy in the dick. Some blustery, chest-pumping thing. But looking at it a year later… JESUS. It’s pathetic. But I think that, if anything, it’s what makes the album sort of timeless for me.” Does Tillman worry that he’ll be taken… not too seriously, but too literally? “I am asking a lot of the listener in terms of unpacking all of that, but I’m willing to live with the consequences. Creativity… you open the door to madness and you make

a choice, whether to let the messiness into your music or not. And that was the whole point approaching this album, that I was going to include everything. Including the ugly.” The result of all this ugliness is a singularly self-confrontational record – for Tillman as much as any listener who seeks refuge within Honeybear’s sarcastic, sardonic walls. But in recognition of writing a record based upon human (in)decency, he sighs, “I’m walking a very fine line, and I understand why there are a lot of decent people who don’t like what I do. Any decent person should be like, ‘Look, this guy’s an asshole.’” He’s right, Josh Tillman is an asshole – sometimes. But we all are, and that’s the point. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear (Bella Union) Playing Glasgow O2 Academy on 12 May fatherjohnmisty.com

The Changingmen #7 Young Fathers have spent most of 2015 touring the world on the back of the success of their second album. But they’ve still found the time to plan a new base of operations back in Edinburgh Interview: Chris McCall Photography: Mihaela Bodlovic

ollowing gigs this year in Malawi and China, Young Fathers are used to performing to audiences that may be unfamiliar with their unique brand of alt-pop music. So the invitation to support Paul Weller on his current UK tour was eagerly accepted by the Edinburgh-based trio. At first glance, the former Jam frontman, still most associated with the Mod revival of the late 1970s, does not seem a natural fit with Young Fathers. But the group view the Modfather’s invitation it as a welcome confirmation of their pop credentials. “We’ve had a couple of boos from typical Mod guys, but I enjoy that,” explains Graham ‘G’ Hastings. “It kind of makes sense that Paul would be into it. He’s always been a guy who’s looking for the latest thing. It’s great to be asked to come on tour with him. A lot of people want to paint us as this weirdo, left-field kind of group. It’s good when people like him give you the seal of approval. Having spoken with Paul briefly over the last couple of days, I think it’s the melodic, pop side that he loves. I think that’s a side of us that sometimes people dinnae want to talk about – the strange pop music that we make.”

December 2015

That ‘strange’ pop music was to the fore in the trio’s second LP, White Men Are Black Men Too, which was released to considerable acclaim in April. Buoyed by energetic floorshakers like Rain or Shine, the album maintained the momentum built by their Mercury Prize victory the previous November. It was an assured follow-up to DEAD, which had announced their arrival on the global stage, but was recorded at breakneck speed. “As soon as we recorded the album we had confidence in it,” G says. Young Fathers will take more time on their next release. Having secured a lease on a former rehearsal studio in Edinburgh, they plan to convert it to a hub of operations once they come off tour. “We’ve got a bunch of rooms we can use for a bunch of different things; shooting video, rehearsal, making t-shirts, we’re thinking of even having a darkroom for photos. It’s a wee centre for us to go to everyday and be creative.” Young Fathers – White Men Are Black Men Too (Big Dada) young-fathers.com

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Feature

#6 Karaoke Queen

#5 Wild At Heart

One of 2015’s most striking social commentaries came from Jenny Hval singing into her hairbrush as a youngster

LA’s eccentric poet laureate Julia Holter has made the year’s most intelligent pop record – just don’t over-analyse it

Interview: Simon Jay Catling Photography: Michael Barrow

“O

h, they’re out there. I’ve found them, occasionally.” Much as she might try not to read her reviews, Julia Holter insists that she’s still managed to come across a few stinkers. That, in itself, is impressive; in the run-up to our chat, The Skinny’s own search for appraisals that were anything less than glowing was largely unsuccessful, despite the much larger sample size. The Los Angeles native has turned out four full-lengths in the past five years, and what began as a general consensus amongst the music press that she had huge promise as a songwriter, with 2011’s Tragedy, has given way to a veritable avalanche of praise for September’s fourth LP, Have You in My Wilderness. It is, again, a reinvention. To Holter, repetition is anathema, and the latest part of the arms race of progressiveness that she’s entered into with her own back catalogue sees her ditch the tightlywoven intricacy of her last album, Loud City Song, for something brighter, sharper and – whisper it – accessible to the casual as well as the committed. It’s a record that’s grown organically out of her love of classic songwriting; the three songs that form its nucleus were, to begin with, as straightforward as Holter’s ever really gotten. “They were piano ballads,” she laughs from a tour stop in Brussels. “Betsy on the Roof, Sea Calls Me Home, and Have You in My Wilderness; I’d had them for a little while, and I’d been playing them solo on the road, just me and a keyboard. Because they were written in such a classic way, I knew they could be different if I fleshed them out and made them into something that a band could play. Once I did that, and once it seemed to work, I had the basis for the record – I would build the rest of it around these three tracks.” It’s not just the style of songwriting appeals to Holter; she genuinely believes that she does do things the old-fashioned way. Much of what is written about her focuses on just how complex her songs can seem – instrumentally diverse, riddled with highbrow cultural references and sometimes structurally unusual – but she’s quick to shoot down the idea that she crafts her albums with the endgame always in mind, meticulously making sure that the songs always work as part of a bigger picture. “People are always saying that there’s over-

he achievement of Jenny Hval’s fifth album Apocalypse, girl didn’t come just in its startling sonic immersion – panoramic drones that come from gentle prods and pushes, electronic pulses that barely feel there and yet everywhere, Hval’s singularly angelic vocal. It is also showed in the ability of the Norwegian artist to arrange the overwhelming complexities of the western world in 2015 into something intelligent without being impenetrable, dark without being overbearing and eschewing an academic slant on issues relating to religion, femininity and media propaganda for something that attempts to connect through a more directly emotional channel. “I was in this kind of head space where I didn’t want to be feeling like I was an artist,” Hval told us in the summer, alluding to a level of snobbishness she felt existed in an increasingly standardised artist’s environment; so it was that her Sacred Bones debut came from an attempt to escape those constraints, as she opted to draw influence from moments of the most shallow surface-level performance she could find: karaoke YouTube videos, the memory of miming to songs in her bedroom as a youngster. “It was really liberating,” she admitted at the time, and those touchstones have since manifested themselves on stage:

Feature

Interview: Joe Goggins Photography: Nick Bojdo

arching themes, and then I have to talk about it. But there’s never really a trajectory. To me, it’s always been more about stories; Tragedy and Loud City Song were both inspired by stories, but it was really loose, really vague. At the same time, there’s no overall theme to Ekstasis or Have You in My Wilderness, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t this intangible thing that links the songs together. Everybody thinks I need some kind of throughline, but I just work with whatever comes to me.” You get the impression that there’s an ambition and intelligence to Holter’s work that tends to overawe, or even intimidate writers; Have You in My Wilderness doesn’t wander as far from convention as her previous LPs, but that hasn’t stopped it from being described, almost invariably, as ‘avant garde’. It’s a term that Holter herself finds reductive. “It’s basically hierarchical – that’s why people use that phrase,” she says. “I really dislike it. I realise that most artists are probably always going to find the tags that people apply to their music distasteful – I can’t ever imagine going, ‘Oh yeah! That’s totally right!’ – but I don’t want to make music that’s inaccessible, or that’s supposed to come across like it’s ahead of other people. I put a lot of love and care into my music, but that expression is really vague and complicated. I think it’s just supposed to make people fearful of something. That’s not what I’m trying to do!” Holter’s appetite for weaving literary references into her work – often in abstruse fashion – has provided commentators with another point of discussion; Loud City Song, for instance, was by her own admission an abstract take on the 1958 musical Gigi. That she’s relaxed that approach on Have You in My Wilderness has not been lost on the critics, but she’s also laid-back about the importance of cultural concepts to her songwriting. “There’s never really been some high literary ambition to my music. You know, most musicians who make music, they’re not just writing journal entries.” Julia Holter – Have You in My Wilderness (Domino) Playing Glasgow SWG3 on 19 Feb and Edinburgh Summerhall on 20 Feb

a summer tour saw Hval break up her set to perform karaoke to Toni Braxton’s Unbreak My Heart, whileautumnfoundhermimingthroughopeningnumbers, taking her back to those “miming competitions we’d have as small children in Norway”.

“I didn’t want to be feeling like I was an artist” This vantage point allowed Hval to approach Apocalypse, girl with a fresh approach, and tracks like That Battle Is Over, which questions capitalism and her own focus on mortality, and Sabbath’s examination of gender roles, are counterbalanced with an instantaneousness far from expected, given a supporting cast that included, among others, noise scene veteran Lasse Marhaug and Swans’ Thor Harris. Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, girl (Sacred Bones) jennyhval.com

MUSIC

THE SKINNY

December 2015

THE SKINNY

Digital Bath

He may be responsible for one of 2015’s defining albums, but don’t expect Blanck Mass to have his feet up Interview: Duncan Harman Photography: Kate-Johnston

et’s see; there’s been remix duty, production duty, soundtrack duty… it’s fair to say that Ben Power doesn’t do procrastination. “It’s been a very busy year,” he tells The Skinny in the brief window between dropping The Great Confuso – the new Blanck Mass EP – and back out on the road for his latest slew of UK dates. “I’m not one to sit around; it’s in my make-up to be doing as much stuff as possible.” “I feel that in 2015 Blanck Mass has maybe become something with limbs a little more than

before,” he adds. “The things that I have released prior to Dumb Flesh haven’t necessarily been a flash in pan, but I do like to keep everything moving along, to evolve between each album.” Oh, yeah – Dumb Flesh; that also happened. All those tired adages; a great record is one that never quits posing questions. One that continues to reveal itself, incrementally, listen by listen, texture by texture. And whilst it may be a little too soon to slot this album alongside other keystones of cerebral, challenging electronica (come back to

Ready to Fly With savage creativity, Kendrick Lamar’s hi-def close-ups examine the warts on us all

ffering a retrospective on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly is a terrifying prospect. For lyrical analysis, Genius has us beat. In terms of cultural impact, you’ll have to look outside. In the last few weeks, think-pieces have ranged from ‘I Feel Sorry For Kendrick Lamar’ to ‘Kendrick Lamar Imbues a Root Vegetable With Literary Meaning’ – and by the time this December issue rolls around, it’s guaranteed there’ll have been at least ten hot new takes. It’s far more important to note that in 2015, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth has won two Grammys, shared a #1 single with Taylor Swift, received the California State Senate’s Generational Icon award, and seen his powerful, complicated third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly debut right on top of the US Billboard chart. Plus, according to Twitter at least, he’s been enthusiastically incorporated into school syllabuses across America. By any account, that’s a hell of a year. But the list continues. To Pimp a Butterfly has been called ‘The’ Great American Hip-Hop Album, credited with the popular return of lyrical rap (wildly debatable, as even Lamar recognises – ‘cause “then Killer Mike’d be platinum”), and the “we gon’ be alright” of chart-bothering single Alright publically soundtracked Cleveland students’ Black Lives Matter protest against racist police brutality. Moreover, Lamar’s follow-up to the runaway success of 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city is

December 2015

young and playing in a punk band I wasn’t necessarily using instruments in the way they were supposed to be used. And that’s why artists like Genesis P-Orridge and Throbbing Gristle, that’s why I see those guys as pretty inspirational characters when it comes to the tools of their trade; they never used

“I’m constantly interested in broadening the palette; a library of sound” them in the way they were intended and ultimately the sound is so much more unique.” Indeed, Genesis P-Orridge has remixed No Lite, a version included on the new EP. “I was lucky when I found out that Caleb and Taylor, who run Sacred Bones, are good friends with Genesis,” Ben recalls. “The remix happened, and it sounded great.” And with Sacred Bones responsible for releasing some of the year’s truly fascinating albums, from Föllakzoid through to Jenny Hval, you get the sense that the label is an appropriate home for Dumb Flesh. “I’m sure most record labels will say they do a similar thing, but I know for a fact how much they care about every release that they put out; they’re not looking to put out something they think is going to be the next big thing. It is a label that definitely celebrates beauty in a darker place – I think I fit in quite well.” Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh (Sacred Bones) Blanck Mass plays Aberdeen Lemon Tree on 9 Dec; Dundee Beat Generator on 10 Dec and Glasgow Stereo on 11 Dec blanckmass.co.uk

#3 Interview: Katie Hawthorne

far from a safe bet. An agitated, agitating record, the jazz inflections, cinematic interludes, unexpected samples (Sufjan, anyone?) and the staggering power of Lamar’s complex narratives make for a record that no-one can quite get on top of – and not for want of trying.

“Kendrick’s hi-def close-ups examine the warts on us all and carve sharp incisions into hip-hop history” With singular, savage creativity, Kendrick’s hi-def close-ups examine the warts on us all, whilst carving sharp incisions into hip-hop history. From King Kunta to How Much A Dollar Cost?, Lamar meditates the true price of wealth (cultural and financial) within an uneven landscape of selfish, soulless “I need all of mines” – showering warnings “from Compton to Congress” of the real-world value of violence and corruption.

R E AD E RS CHOIC ’ E

To Pimp a Butterfly started life as a caterpillar – with the original title to be abbreviated as TuPAC. It’s hard to misunderstand the tribute to Tupac Shakur. Mortal Man, the record’s closer, flows through “the ghost of Mandela,” namechecking leaders from Martin Luther King to JFK. Finishing with a cut-and-paste conversation with the man himself; Kendrick ‘interviews’ 2Pac through excerpts from a 1994 interview: “I wanted to ask you what you think is the future for me and my generation?” Pac ‘replies’, “We ain’t

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Credit: Bart Heemskerk

us in five years or so for that verdict), it is an experience that constantly challenges the listener – on its own terms, not yours. Fans of Fuck Buttons will be familiar with the strands of elusive, subversive, gloriously confrontational electro-mindfuck that Ben and Andrew Hung have meshed and moulded, both separately and together; indeed, more than one commentator has described Dumb Flesh as the missing link between the wide-angled cosmological drone of the first (eponymous) Blanck Mass album and Slow Focus, Fuck Buttons’ delightfully bruising 2013 LP. Stylistically, there’s a degree of truth in such a view. But thematically – from the enigmatic artwork and album/track titles out – there’s a sense of confusion that has Dumb Flesh hanging from its own unique meat hook. Explorations of mental and physical fallibility that permeate throughout its eight tracks (as well as the ambient Life Science piece included on the vinyl edition), and a seam of flux that mirrors Power’s own experiences during the disc’s genesis. It’s the way that opening track Loam straddles a witch doctor vocal loop that’s degraded to a point of no return. How Dead Format resembles a house anthem from a Clive Barker movie. The epic ten minutes of No Lite, stewing in a cauldron of kinky, electro-pop motif. “I don’t like to box myself into a corner by saying, ‘this is going to be a techno album,’ or, ‘this is going to be a purely ambient album,’” the artist responsible explains. “I like to keep the whole writing process a whole lot freer; I think that manifests itself in bodies of work that sound diverse from one track to the next.” That diversity being very much one of the album’s strengths. “I’m constantly interested in broadening the palette; a library of sound that you can utilise. I do enjoy buying new equipment, and more often than not I will try and use it in ways that weren’t intended, so that I’m not replicating ideas of signature upon the instrumentation.” “That’s one ideology that I’ve always stuck to ever since I first started writing music. When I was

even really rappin’, we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us.” And it’s with this sense of cyclical history, vital heritage and uncertain future that TuPAB wraps up – Lamar calling “Pac...? Pac?” unanswered, into the nether. Once Kendrick Lamar had a bone to pick, but now he’s more than proved his point. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath / Interscope) kendricklamar.com

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The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts #2 Equal measures of heartache and prettiness shaped Sufjan Stevens' photo box of memories into his most compelling album thus far

arrie & Lowell was announced in the opening weeks of 2015 with the simple caveat that the album would see a “return to Sufjan Stevens’ folk roots.” Even with this information, nothing quite prepared listeners for the sheer deftness and melancholy that sat buried in his first record since 2010’s opulent Age of Adz LP. To give some context, Carrie and Lowell, the two central characters here alongside the creator himself, are Sufjan’s real life mum and stepdad. They married during Sufjan’s childhood only to divorce a few years later. After a complicated and distant relationship with her son, Carrie died of stomach cancer in 2012, while Lowell contines to run Sufjan’s record label Asthmatic Kitty. Those are the facts from an outsider’s point of view; what this record does so crushingly well, however, is to drag the listener into the very heart of these complex relationships and the fallout from them.

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Interview: Tom Johnson Photography: Amy Muir

So while we’re presented with in-jokes and obscure, personal references throughout the record, the sheer skill of Stevens’ songwriting means that these never feel abstract.

“The strength of any story lies in the way it’s told” Put simply, Carrie & Lowell is Sufjan’s best record. Where previously we had magnificent, sprawling bluster, with individual moments of sonic invention, here he crafted something quietly, magically succinct. The instrumentation too is soft and plaintive, Steven’s plucking adorned spa-

ringly and considerately with warm splashes of percussion, piano, organ and vocals that appear sporadically like rays of sunshine in otherwise shaded surroundings. The strength of any story lies in the way it’s told and never has that been truer than on Carrie & Lowell. As with any personal memories, small moments of apparent vagueness will always mean more to those directly involved but, nonetheless, Sufjan’s lyrics are tantamount to living these experiences first-hand. His inspired, eloquent turns of phrase are often as bare-boned as the music itself but, simply, you don’t just hear these words, you see them as fiery recollections in his eyes. Perhaps then, the most pressing question regarding Carrie & Lowell, now that the dust has settled somewhat, is to ask why it affects as greatly as it does. For some it will simply be the story itself, the troubled telling of a mother and son with

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the most sorrowful of endings. Others might well be moved by the way in which his narrative unfurls, the seismic impact of Sufjan’s words that still bring a silent gasp even when you know their place here as well as the lines on your brow, like some kind of learned wisdom passed down. Despite the brevity of the substance, Carrie & Lowell is delivered with such melancholic fondness for its subjects, for the simple belief in life and love, that it only ever feels resoundingly welcoming and homely. Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty) music.sufjan.com

THE SKINNY

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Out of the Woods

Sleater-Kinney’s long-awaited return re-cast an often grubby exercise as something dignified and heroic. Carrie Brownstein reflects on a special year and sets her sights on the band’s future Interview: Gary Kaill Photography: Alexander Bell

arrie Brownstein laughs as we discuss the hush-hush release of No Cities to Love, the Sleater-Kinney comeback album that ended the ‘indefinite hiatus’ announced by the band as they completed their 2006 world tour, in support of the opinion-dividing (but audience-expanding) The Woods. How they kept a lid on it in the interim is almost an artistic statement in itself. “Well…” begins Brownstein, and laughs again. “It’s still mysterious to me that we did, because we were not as tight-lipped about it as you might have thought. No-one was signing non-disclosure agreements or contracts, you know? We didn’t do any of the formalities that people sometimes do when they want to release these secret albums without anyone knowing about it. We didn’t go through any of the legal channels or anything too restrictive. I think there was just a sense of trust amongst our friends and colleagues.” “I was very surprised, actually, that nothing about it leaked because… I wouldn’t call it careless, but we were certainly not strict – we weren’t strict about it at all. But I’m relieved that it remained a surprise because I think people, including myself, are so fond of being surprised or having their expectations surpassed and exceeded, or even just not having those expectations met in a certain way, and so when we put the unmarked single in the box set and people started to realise that it was a new song, that sense of unveiling and revealing – that’s a really beautiful part of art to me, this element of awe and wonder.”

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For the fan base, it added something special: the sense that this much-anticipated return deserved a presentation outside the workaday norm. “Well, yes – I like to appreciate that as much as a fan as I do as someone who performs it, so I was really glad I was able to do that because it did feel like there was an element of magic to it, and that was really special.”

“Our worst fear was that we would return and would be viewed only through a lens of nostalgia” Carrie Brownstein

The clue that somehow Sleater-Kinney were back emerged last October as fans tore open the vinyl box set retrospective Start Together // 1996-2004, only to find an unexpected addition: that one-sided 7” etched with “1/20/2015”. It contained Bury Our Friends, the band’s first new material in a decade. It was a clue, but to what? The official announcement came shortly afterwards. Cue rave reviews across the board and a tour requiring extra dates and larger venues. No surprise then that, in a year enlivened by new and emerging artists but also by established voices testing their energy and creativity, No Cities to Love is The Skinny’s album of 2015. Speaking from her hotel room in Glasgow, where she’s completing a short reading tour of her memoir Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Brownstein is genuinely surprised: “Oh wow. Well that’s so flattering. Thank you. That’s very flattering.” In the book, Brownstein talks of her love of performance in its various forms, of gaining validation through that performance. With the 2015 version of her band attracting a new and larger audience – roughly one half old guard, one half cluedup youth – surely that sense of validation has only been confirmed? “Yeah. For sure,” she agrees. “And more than anything, I’m grateful for it because I think our worst fear was that we would return and would be viewed only through a lens of nostalgia. You know, I wrote about nostalgia in the book as something that I’m sceptical of, despite knowing how warm and comfortable nostalgia can be. I think, certainly as a creator of music, you want to feel a sense of relevance and to be judged in the present tense, and so I think we felt overwhelming gratitude and relief when we realised that many people who came to our shows had discovered us through No Cities to Love. That just breathes life into the audience. We, as artists, felt very alive and very driven and I wanted the audience to not be peering backwards; I wanted them viewing us in the here and now and we found it very exhilarating to have, as you said, the older fans bolstered and buoyed by younger fans. It made for really wonderful shows, I think, and it felt like such a shared experience.”

Brownstein talks in the book of how the dismantling of their established sound with The Woods confused sections of their fanbase but not in the UK, where their audiences grew. Sleater-Kinney’s return to these shores this year saw them play just a three-date tour but to even bigger crowds; comprising sell-out dates at Glasgow’s ABC, London’s Roundhouse and Manchester’s current venue of choice, the 2,000 capacity Albert Hall. She recalls her last visit with no prompting and real fondness: “Manchester, actually, was one of our favourite shows of the entire touring cycle. Our manager, from the US, was there for that show and he said to us afterwards, ‘That’s one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen.’ That was really pleasing to hear. You feel like, if only for one night, you’ve delivered on a promise.” Brownstein is once more due onstage in Glasgow, so it’s time to end the call and revisit a theme: two years ago, when drummer Janet Weiss talked to The Skinny as she toured the latest Quasi album, it seemed right to – whisper it – ask The Question. She laughs at the notion: “What did she say?” Weiss’s response was, of course, true to the band’s collective silence (“Oh, you know, yeah, I wouldn’t rule it out. I don’t think we’ll be able to stay away from each other forever!”) but only after the fact does it take on a deeper resonance: Weiss, Brownstein and singer Corin Tucker had been playing together in secret for over a year at that point. With Brownstein still in the promotion cycle for her book, the band due to play in Australia in January, and filming for the next series of Portlandia starting in May, it’s perhaps a little previous to roll out The Next Question. But, you

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don’t ask, you really don’t get. Brownstein’s answer is, in its own way, as generous and honourable as that of her band mate’s. “I certainly think so,” she says. “I feel like there will be a continuation of what we reignited with this album. I would like to do more writing and I have a feeling that Janet and Corin would too. So, even though everything feels logistically tenuous, I still manage to do everything else, so I assume that I’ll still be able to do Sleater-Kinney as well.” Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love (Sub Pop) sleater-kinney.com

The Next Ten: 11. Faith No More – Sol Invictus [Ipecac / Reclamation] 12. Django Django – Born Under Saturn [Because] 13. Waxahatchee – Ivy Tripp [Merge] 14. Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy [Merge] 15. Dr Dre – Compton [Aftermath / Interscope] 16. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit [Milk!] 17. Deerhunter – Faded Frontier [4AD] 18. Dutch Uncles – O Shudder [Memphis Industries] 19. Viet Cong – Viet Cong [Jagjaguwar / Flemish Eye] 20. Sleaford Mods – Key Markets [Harbinger Sound]

THE SKINNY

Films of 2015:

Hippies, Road Warriors and STD Hauntings

1. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)

2. 45 Years (Andrew Haigh)

Adapting a Thomas Pynchon novel, even one that hearkens to Chandler and film noir, would never have been an easy commercial sell, despite Joaquin Pheonix’s tragicomic turn as ‘Doc,’ a stoner P.I. in 1970 SoCal experiencing first hand the hangover from 60s utopianism. Detractors and admirers alike agree on the film’s incoherence. An incoherence of narrative; an incoherence of dialogue, an inaudible mumbling that renders some exchanges a musical, abstract quality; and an incoherence of period, with a gentle surrealism replacing faux realism. Inherent Vice thus captures Pynchon’s grimy, lived-in nostalgia, rejecting the millennial need to turn the past into kitsch. The result is a dense rabbit hole of a movie that begs repeat viewings. With a movie this rich in expressive details, those revisits will be a pleasure. [Rachel Bowles]

Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay excel in Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years, a domestic ghost story heavy with the weight of memory and regret. A letter, arriving a week before the 45th wedding anniversary of Geoff (Courtenay) and Kate (Rampling), is the catalyst behind Haigh’s tale about the damage secrets can have on a relationship. The letter, informing Geoff that his first love’s frozen remains have been discovered, forces the couple to reflect on their marriage. What transpires is a film so graceful and restrained that the insidious resentment Haigh cultivates becomes all consuming. A beautiful drama of quiet confrontations, the real demons in 45 Years aren’t the ghosts of Geoff’s past, but the inauspicious forces silently tearing them apart. [Patrick Gamble]

3. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)

4. It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)

5. Carol (Todd Haynes)

6. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

7. Inside Out (Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen)

8. The Duke of Burgundy (Peter Strickland)

9. The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos)

10. Eden (Mia Hansen-Løve)

The Next Ten:

Once again our writers choose the year’s essential films. Our top ten has a curious gender divide: the male protagonists (The Lobster, Eden) are shambolic while the females (Mad Max, Inside Out) are kickass

Mad Max: Fury Road exploded out of the summer moviegoing desert with an artistry and sense of purpose that showed up the rest of the studios’ blockbuster offerings for the timid, compromised and soulless corporate products that they are. George Miller’s return to the series that made his name favours action over exposition and images over words, with traces of silent cinema masters like Keaton, Murnau and Dreyer evident in its brilliant construction. On a level of pure cinematic spectacle Mad Max: Fury Road is a sensational achievement, but it also possesses a core of tangible emotion and intelligence, and in Charlize Theron’s Furiosa it has created an iconic heroine for the ages. An alternative title? Woman is the Future of Man. [Philip Concannon]

With the application of enough pressure, can brilliance be achieved? Shot in just 19 days, Whiplash proves through both form and content that it can. Flinching, we accompany a student drummer (Miles Teller) as he is piloted through humiliation, threat and abuse by the flying fists of his revered conductor (J K Simmons). With each visceral beat some mental, personal or physical toll is expended in his self-flagellating quest for approval. Simmons and Teller render in punishing dimension this violent, mesmerising and pure investigation of control and devotion between teacher and protégée. Even after its vindicating encore, Whiplash leaves behind rhythm bruises that will take much longer than the applause to fade. [Kirsty Leckie-Palmer]

Greek provocateur Yorgos Lanthimos’ English-language debut is scathing social satire, but The Lobster isn’t merely an exercise in darkhearted misanthropy à la the filmmaker’s cult favourite Dogtooth (2009). In its depiction of an individuality-crushing modernist dystopia and the lost souls trapped within – so inept at interpersonal connection they’re literally in danger of losing their humanity altogether – the film asks difficult questions: What is it to be human? How can we truly know others if we are incapable of knowing ourselves? It’s brutal, yes. But it’s surprisingly humane in its brutality, in addition to being the most brutally funny film of the year. [Michelle Devereaux]

As horror premises go, this one was delicious – a sexually transmitted curse that causes a monster to follow its victims to the death, assuming any form, visible only to the victim, coming for them day or night. David Robert Mitchell’s script and direction ponder the inevitability of mortality and work with themes of youth and sexuality, allusions to class and collective national guilt, and codified references to disparate works of literature, cinema and TV, making It Follows ripe for intellectual dissection. But more directly, the film just plain delivers as a bold, terrifying attack of cinema. [Ian Mantgani]

Pixar’s latest masterwork is a beautiful and imaginative exploration of the subconscious that recalls Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in its playful evocation of memory and loss. However, it’s the film’s distinctly melancholy streak that elevates it into the territory of year’s best. Moving beyond the surface storyline of a girl’s emotions spiralling out of control as her family relocates to a new city, lies a deeper exploration of what it means to grow up – to learn to see new sides to old memories, to let go of old feelings and attempt to embrace the future. One for all ages, for the ages. [Sam Lewis]

Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden is, on the surface, a telling of the rise and fall of one fleetingly successful fellow in the ‘French touch’ music scene, but there’s so much more going on behind every fine-tuned but restrained detail; every brief but lingering little gesture. Spanning twenty-plus years, one might be inclined to read the film as an alternate universe spin on the formula of Boyhood, except with the theme of yearning for one’s youth that seems to have gone as quickly as it came; where doing what you love sees you lose the people you love. Few seemingly bare-bones films are as dense as this intimate epic. [Josh Slater-Williams]

A paean to burning passion and restraint, Carol is the year’s most heartbreaking love story. Over the course of two swooningly beautiful hours, the tentitive romance between two women (played by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) in 50s New York is told through fleeting glances and the electrifying intimacy of apparently innocent contact; a hand placed on a shoulder is imbued with such deep and poignant longing as to enrapture even the stoniest viewer. Carol exists as an enigmatic tear withheld on an eyelash, refusing to fall and reveal its nature. Todd Haynes’ command of his canvas is impeccable, the rich Super 16 compositions allowing perfect room for the luminescent performances of Blanchett and Mara. Exquisite. [Ben Nicholson]

A stark contrast to this year’s more notorious film about sadomasochism, the third film from British auteur Peter Strickland details a particularly intense relationship between two women living in near isolation in a grand old house enclosed by lush forestry. More Angela Carter than Brothers Grimm, the fairytale atmosphere of the film slowly morphs as the fantasy rigorously re-enacted by the couple takes on the ethereal qualities of an eerie reoccurring dream. Relentlessly stylish though it may be, Strickland nevertheless eschews empty artifice to show that whatever else this relationship may be it is still, very much, a relationship. [Michael Jaconelli]

11. The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer) 12. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson) 13. Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu) 14. Magic Mike XXL (Gregory Jacobs) 15. Ex Machina (Alex Garland) 16. Mistress America (Noah Baumbach) 17. Macbeth (Justin Kurzel) 18. Girlhood (Céline Sciamma) 19. Listen Up Philip (Alex Ross Perry) 20. Sicario (Denis Villeneuve) Read about our most underrated films of 2015 and check out our writer’s individual top tens over at theskinny.co.uk/film

December 2015

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Lone Star No minor breakthrough success story this year, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker leaves behind psychedelic metaphor for a more personal take on Currents, genres and the crossing of wires Interview: Katie Hawthorne Photography: Kat Gollock

“I

t’s the more feathers you rustle…” explains Kevin Parker, haltingly. “That’s one of the hidden rewards of putting yourself out there. If you make music or art and you keep it safe, that’s cool but it’ll never be truly exciting. So many times throughout my career, I’ve noticed that risking something, whatever it is, is always more rewarding. Even with writing songs that are more exposing... I used to be quite closed off, using psychedelic metaphors to keep it cryptic. So I’ve started tearing a bit of myself off and putting it in the song. I thought it was kind of risky, like, do I really want to tell people how much of a loser I am? But I think people really respond it to it.” The Skinny steals time with the band’s creative mastermind ahead of Tame Impala’s sold-out show at the Barrowland, where even at 2pm there are tie-dye-T-shirted, acid-washed teens stalking the streets looking for an unguarded entrance to the venue. The group, hailing from Perth (in Western Australia, not the Perth up the way), are a long way from home and have been for many, many months. Their ocean-crossing summer tour has seen them play venues from beach-side festivals to muddy British fields; a clear indication of their undisputed status as a formidable live act. In fact, since Tame Impala’s debut LP, Innerspeaker, in 2010 and its wildly successful follow-up, Lonerism, in 2012 – a record nominated for a Grammy, amongst other heady accolades – the Australians have taken a decisive step into the mainstream limelight. Labelled psychedelic revivalism by both fans and detractors, it’s certainly true that the band’s woozy, colourful vibe feels purpose built for soundtracking a toke or two. But Currents – Tame Impala’s third LP, released back in July – marks a definitive, brave departure from the guitar-focused psychrock of previous records, and heralds a changing of the tides in more ways than one. Typical Tame Impala practice sees Parker write and record alone, before bringing his finished material to the band for rehearsals and subsequent mammoth tours. On the last two records, he’s had production assistance from Dave Fridmann, a multi-talented producer celebrated for his work with the Flaming Lips, as well as Jay Watson, a regular touring member of Tame Impala. The ensemble nature of Tame as a live force roots the band firmly within Perth’s close-knit music scene, with members past and present belonging to myriad other bands. But Parker’s project remains very much his own – and Currents found him mixing and producing single-handedly for the first time: an important progression both symbolically and practically. Why? Some theories are floated: has collaboration prepared him, technically, for solo production duties? Or is Currents simply a more personal record? “I mean, it’s always going to be yes and no,” Parker explains. “But yes, partially, to both of those. In the early days I used to mix myself, but I guess we got Dave because…” If you can, then do? “Yeah, exactly. He’s an amazing mixing engineer, alongside all else. And mixing I find extremely important, so I guess I just wanted to try and see if I could do it myself? It was quite daunting. About halfway

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through I was like, ‘Ooooshh… shit. Am I really trying this?’ There were many ‘come back Dave, all is forgiven!’ moments. But I pushed through. Sometimes I still lie awake at night and wonder what the album would have sounded like, though...” Currents offers resistance to easy labelling, with Parker’s production techniques instigating that fuzzy, liminal existence. At times blissed out, spacious, the album nods to dance music, electronica – rather than the axe-wielding bell-bottom wearers of decades past – and now, the bass-lines are the driving force. Or at least they seem to be. There’s a clear disparity between what happens during a full-band Tame Impala show and the tracks Parker records and releases; during their raucous Barrowland performance it’s easy to see which instruments are where – but when tracks like The Moment are coming at you through your headphones, suddenly it’s not so straightforward. Parker confesses that this confusion is wholly intentional: “So, I’m in the studio, and I’m picking instruments to use, and I always just feel that they all have the same kind of… emotion and sound to them. I don’t really distinguish between a guitar and a keyboard that much. If I’m writing a song I’ll just grab the nearest thing to me. If it’s a keyboard, I’ll play it on keyboard, and it’ll probably be a keyboard song, you know? For me, that moment is just not important. The most important difference is how you end up playing it… which is why I have such a fetish for confusing the listener as to the origin of the sound.” This time around, Parker had “a few more tricks” up his sleeve in terms of sonically disguising the instruments he’s used, and Currents sounds all the more confusingly interesting for it. In a strange twist of fate, it seems that the more Tame Impala’s sound becomes alien and experimental, the greater mainstream success the band finds. For comparison purposes, consider Elephant, a thumping and relatively straightforward blues rock single from Lonerism, alongside ‘Cause I’m a Man – the first cut from Currents. The low-slung “sexy bass grooves,” as Parker terms them, tongue firmly in cheek, soundtrack a sardonic take on modern masculinity. It’s not an instant floor-filler, nor is it likely to soundtrack things on the telly (as did Elephant), and it’s a world away from ‘classic’

psychedelic rock. Yet, Parker finds himself topping the first Official Progressive Music Chart – besting giants like Muse for the number one spot. The creation of the new top 30 list has sparked a discussion of the genre in full, not least because the titling sees a noticeable absence of ‘rock.’ It seems timely, then, that Currents should be the figurehead for this re-evaluation of the parameters of the genre. Parker is flattered, confused and relieved: “Well, that puts it into perspective! I had this idea that it was the prog purists, prog rock. So I originally felt guilty, like, are there going to be thousands of prog heads out there thinking it’s a travesty this album’s even been called prog, let alone number one? Obviously I’m complimented, but my overall sentiment is, like… ‘If you say so.’ He laughs but adds, suddenly serious, “I guess, actually, Let It Happen is prog in its purest form. I stand by that one as decidedly progressive.”

“This is the most I’ve ever thought about how prog this album is” Kevin Parker

Let It Happen, the album’s opening track and second single has, as Parker describes, “a landscape to it, in the way it progresses. Ha, there’s that word. But when I was writing it, I got the sense that… you know, like you’re on a train?” Er. “Ok, so, there’s different scenery that you go through. A city, then the middle is some weird tunnel, and you come out the other end and you’re in the country. It has that landscape, you know? That must have something to do with the essence of prog?” Parker laughs loudly, scratching his head. “This is the most I’ve ever thought about how prog this album is.”

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It’s true that the album’s tracks take unpredictable twists and turns, often to end up in vastly different territory from where they began. But alongside refuting genre, Parker’s quick to dispel claims that his music is in any way “retro,” too – a description often applied to his work. “I just find it reductive to say that this whole sound, this whole thing as an overall sound, is a throwback. Or, that it’s futuristic. As a body of work, why does it have to belong to a period of time? I guess it all comes down to us being able to discuss it, which is what we as humans... do. We like to put words on things.” Instead of worrying about hyphenated genres like nostalgic-psych-disco (which Currents has probably been labelled, somewhere on the internet), Parker’s far more concerned that the music he creates gives a good time while remaining challenging, too. His most recent endeavour in this department came in the surprising guise of a very public collaboration with proper pop star Mark Ronson. Writing an unashamedly catchy single, Daffodils, and lending his voice to two further tracks on Ronson’s latest album, Parker got a taste of pure pop – something he’s long been angling for. Some indie purists found this colliding of worlds troublesome, but Parker’s delighted to have sparked confusion. “It sounds so cliché, but when you can challenge someone’s appreciation of something, when you can see in their face that wires are crossing in the brain, neurons are touching, and they’re like… ‘I don’t know how to interpret this?’ Yeah. It’s something that could happen with psychedelic rock fans listening to the new Tame album, too, which I think, in the end, is a good thing. “You know, the start of the album process is extremely therapeutic, because you’re just getting your shit out, doing things musically you’ve wanted to do, whatever. But when it comes out, I feel like it belongs to the rest of the world. Not like, THE REST OF THE WORLD, but that it belongs to the outside world… it’s not just mine any more. A year or two down the track, I’ll feel like it’s my album again, but for that year it belongs to other people – not to me. Call it what you want, put it in whatever chart you want.” He grins, “It’s yours; do what you want with it.” tameimpala.com

THE SKINNY

The Seven Sins of Scottish Panto

quick glance at some of Scotland’s leading theatres reveals that the seven deady sins are alive and well in the nation’s traditional festive performances this December. But before we clutch our pearls, wail about protecting the children, tut loudly or shake our heads in disgust, here for your pleasure are some of the most filthy, sinful and utterly, utterly merry pantos and characters that will darken your door this Christmas.

1. Greed

Based on the classic folk tale Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves from One Thousand and One Nights, Òran Mór’s new and original ‘Christmas panto for grown-up children’, Ali Bawbag and the Four Tealeafs (geddit?) by Dave Anderson and Gary McNair is a great contender for that most damning of sins: greed. Following the exploits of the titular (and very, very poor) Ali, who finds a cave full of riches, left there by a band of seemingly incompetent robbers, our hero soon finds himself embroiled in a strange tale which also features a greedy brother and a whole lot of wanting more.

2. Lust

Elsewhere, a different kind of sin dogs the female protagonists of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – playing at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow, starring Gregor Fisher, and also the identically-named venue in Edinburgh, starring the establi-shed trio of Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Andy Gray. But the eponymous Snow White, with her skin as white and pure as the snow that she’s named after, is hiding a rather remarkable sin: lust.

3. Envy

So enamoured is she with the idea that one day her prince will come (make of that what you will), she doesn’t realise that her wicked stepmother – jealous of Snow White’s beauty, and therefore a perpretator of the sin of envy – is planning to bump her off before she can even get off with her elusive

December 2015

It’s panto time! We trawl through this season’s programmes, and unearth some sinful subtexts Words: Amy Taylor Illustration: Nick Cocozza

6. Wrath

However, Hook’s wrath often only succeeds in Christmas is a time of contrasting emotions, getting him in yet more trouble with the aforemenfrom happiness, to sorrow, to nonchalance, and of tioned reptile, so his bouts of rage are as sinful as course, wrath. But which of our damned panto they are powerful. In short, he’s a wee bit of a radge. 4. Pride characters is guilty of that last one? The answer A quick jaunt over to Musselburgh’s Brunton Theatre is, of course, Peter Pan’s arch-enemy, the das7. Gluttony reveals a hell of a lot more sin in their production tardly, one-handed villain, Captain Hook, who just That’s six sins down, so who has committed the final sin of gluttony? For this terrible crime we of Cinderella, directed by Mark Cox. But unlike the so happens to be making an appearance at the turn to the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock, where profane Snow White, the leading lady is really rather SECC this December. blameless in all of this. It’s her two villainous, ugly Played by international singing sensation (he Imagine Theatre are set to perform their version of that often underused panto classic Mother step-sisters (played by Richard Conlon and Mark sang on the Berlin Wall just before it came down, McDonnell) who have committed what is perhaps don’t you know?) and primetime telly pin-up David Goose, starring Jimmy Chisholm. But before you point an accusing finger at one of the most difficult sins – pride. Hasselhoff, Hook is renowned for his rage towards the golden goose who had the amazing (if slightly Both sisters are so preoccupied with themthe playful Boy Who Never Grew Up, and he has worrying for the survival of the species) skill of selves – from their appearance, to their standing spent many years trying to kill him. laying semi-precious eggs, the real villain of the piece in society, to hoping to marry the Prince Charming is the evil and aptly named The DemonKing. Deter(who, listen ladies, definitely isn’t interested in mined to win a bet with a good fairy, he tempts either of you) – that they don’t realise their muchthe weak humans who look after Mother Goose with maligned step-sister is stealing the man of their promises of eternal youth and beauty in exchange dreams from right under their noses. Oh, revenge for the goose with the golden eggs. is sweet, and possibly breaking one of the Ten ComThe Demon King doesn’t actually want to eat mandments, but we’ll let good old Cinders off the the eggs, or the goose for that matter, but his deterhook this time. mination to get the goose at all costs is like a hun5. Sloth ger; nothing else will satisfy him on his quest to Perhaps one of the most obvious sinners in be right, so he makes a bold and extravagant claim Scotland’s panto-land is laziness personified. in order to get his claws into her. And, while we’re Sleeping Beauty (playing at Rutherglen Town Hall on the subject of excess, step forward Rapunzel, and The Town House in Hamilton – she’s a very who can be found at the Citz this year. All that hair busy girl considering she’s been sleeping for years) is just too much; calm it down. features a central character who, as the name Think you know pantos? Think again, because suggests, commits the deadly sin of sloth. this much-loved staple of the UK theatre calendar She may have fallen asleep because of a curse, is full of mischief, mystery and a whole lot of filth. and to be fair, she may be the victim of her own In fact, if you just look beyond the colourful coscuriosity and her parent’s hubris (after annoying tumes, the loud panto dames and the singing, you’ll But before the one-handed Captain is conthe wrong fairy, who they merely pretend is the find a whole new world of pantomime will open demned for his many (very unsuccessful) attempts up before your eyes. true villain of the piece, a curse is placed on the princess), but regardless, her sleepy excess damns at paedocide, do remember that Peter Pan fed his Just mind how you go, because you never know nemesis’s hand to a crocodile, so his rage is prob- – you might end up coming face to face with a few not only herself but her entire kingdom too. Way to go, sleepy heid, you’ll just have to wait ably quite rightly justified. Feeding someone’s hand of the deadly sins yourself. to a live animal is A Bad Thing, just like murder is for some prince charming to come and get you Find out full performance details also A Bad Thing, and contrary to one of the Ten instead of taking any action of your own. It might at theskinny.co.uk/events Commandments. be cold at Christmas, but you’ve still got to get out of bed. prince. That’s right: the lovely and supposedly innocent Snow White, with her pure skin, red lips and perfect hair, is panto’s original horndog.

“That’s right, the lovely and supposedly innocent Snow White, with her pure skin, red lips and perfect hair is panto’s original horndog”

THEATRE

Feature

International Bright Young Thing After leaving Granta under a cloud, internationally renowned literary critic John Freeman returns to the limelight with Issue 1 of his new publication Freeman’s, featuring writers as vital and varied as Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell and Lydia Davis

“I

He brings up Coetzee by mentioning a biography of the South African author which he happens to have been reading recently, and throughout the interview nods to books and essays that have influenced his thinking. While working as a literary critic Freeman was famously prolific, often blazing through five or six books in a week, and now, skipping easily between late capitalism, James Kelman’s formalism, post-colonial politics and cognitive science. The impression you get is of a mind so well stocked with literature of all descriptions that there is almost no water the conversation could flow into where he would find himself adrift. There’s something in his measured way of speaking, too, that reflects a literary background, the careful cadence of his sentences matching the contemplative pace of long form writing. It’s obvious at all times that, beyond the impressively vast store of sheer information his head now houses, the ideas he expresses are those he has sat with and considered deeply, and he’ll happily let the conversation pause while he locates the precise words he needs to express them. At Granta he was praised for modernising the magazine, and with Freeman’s he now has a blank slate on which to scratch out his idea of what a literary journal for 2015 should look like. Bringing together such an international crew is a good fit for an age which has brought people on opposite sides of the planet within tweeting distance of one another, and the opening issue’s loose but relevant theme of arrival brings further into focus the question of what it means to be a citizen of today’s highly global world.

The issue of where we call home and what that means for our own identity is as old as time but it’s possibly never been more pressing – in an era where, as Freeman himself puts it, “home is a very elastic thing,” the issue of how and where to anchor our sense of ourselves might be more complex than ever before.

“We all need to know where we are and have a sense of it. Books imagine the world that we live in so we can live in it” John Freeman

He jokes about his own sense of “DeLilloesque displacement,” stemming from nights spent in impersonal, identical hotel rooms scattered across the globe, before pointing to the myriad, often much more traumatic experiences of some of his featured writers. “You mark certain parts

Credit: Deborah Treisman

think you’re the first person outside America to read it not in Romanian.” A high honour and a good starting point to talk about new literary journal Freeman’s, whose first themed issue – The Best New Writing on Arrival – features the work of some of the world’s finest writers, hailing from the UK, Sudan, Jamaica, Japan, Iceland and beyond. John Freeman, former editor of Granta and the guiding hand in assembling this globe-sprawling network of stories, spoke to The Skinny in a conversation strung between Glasgow and Oslo as he prepared for the Scandinavian leg of his tour to launch Issue 1, before heading our way to a free event at Glasgow University in late November. The chance to read tales told from places we’ve never been, and by people whose life experience differs drastically from our own is hugely compelling, but Freeman is quick to point out that simply featuring writers from a wide variety of countries was never a goal in itself. “I think the best kind of storytelling is very specific in its details and its roots but it somehow refutes nationality,” he suggests, pointing to JM Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians as an example. “He starts with a very specific inspiration and then tries to back out of news and into allegory.” It’s this quality that raises Freeman’s first issue above the level of a multicultural curio, striking at something deeper than the set dressing of each writer’s particular locale. In bringing together stories from cultures of every kind, it powerfully affirms how insubstantial the boundaries between them really are.

Interview: Ross McIndoe

of yourself in certain places and to me some of the most devastating pieces in this issues are about what happens when that place is destroyed.” Aleksander Hemon’s story tells of a family forced to abandon a rich life in one country to start from scratch in another, while Garnette Cadogan’s essay recalls having to learn a whole new code of behaviour to negotiate the prejudices of a new place. Others stay in the same physical location but are stripped of their sense of belonging by other forces in their lives – Laura van den Berg and Haruki Murakami’s protagonists are left lost by the betrayals of their loved ones while Helen Simpson’s calmly faces the betrayals of her own body and the new demands its age will make upon her identity. The settings and specifics of their stories vary wildly, but there’s a human current running deeper than time, race or place that connects them all. “I think storytelling is a way for us to reconceive who we are in more intimate boundaries” says Freeman, “We live in a society now where people can move so quickly across physical space and all kinds of boundaries. I think that when we lived in smaller groups in older ways, gatherings and leavings and arrivals were ritualised to a greater degree. I find stories, to some degree, are that ritual.” This first issue is full of writers leaving and returning home, visiting new places and re-discovering old ones, adapting to their environment and adapting their environment to them. Originally written in a panoply of different tongues and set against backdrops ranging from Middle Eastern sweatshops to Arizona acupuncture clinics, each acts as the same attempt to ritualise the writer’s movements through the world so that they might understand it better – and be better understood: “We all need to know where we are and have a sense of it. Books imagine the world that we live in so we can live in it.” The first issue of Freeman’s is suffused with the same gentle, reflective tone its editor speaks with; a kind of calming counterpoint to the frenetic pacing of contemporary culture. The speed of life has been ramped up to new heights, both physically and virtually, as modern technology allows us to rush from place to place while firing data off around the globe in all directions with even greater rapidity. Culturally there’s now also an expectation for ideas and opinions to be generated and consumed as quickly and constantly as possible – ideal if the goal is to Google a quick fact or sly quotation but less so if you’re looking to really understand an issue or another person’s reality. Having written quite extensively about the potentially damaging effect of our newfound reliance upon communication technology, Freeman is no Luddite raging against change, but simply someone who knows the value of good storytelling and wants to push for its place in the modern world. Anywhere in the world, at any point in time, sitting with a more slowly composed story and absorbing it steadily can offer something of tremendous value. With its first issue, Freeman’s acts as a bold testament to that value, as he concludes: “There’s nothing quite as sobering as witnessing what happens when someone who really needs a story gets one.” Freeman’s Issue 1: Arrival is out now, published by Grove Press, RRP £10.99

Feature

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

December 2015

Love and Heartbreak Terence Davies’ much-anticipated adaptation of Sunset Song finally reaches our screens this month. We speak to the film’s stars, Agyness Deyn and Kevin Guthrie, about creating the intimacy in Davies’ swooning epic Interview: Lewis Porteous

erence Davies’ best films are those which focus on memory and loss, his bittersweet exercises in nostalgia mining universal truth from intensely personal experience. Despite being faithful to another man’s creative vision, his adaptation of Sunset Song, the classic first instalment of author Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s A Scots Quair Trilogy, covers similar ground to his early, most acclaimed work. All the director’s staples are present, from brutish, oppressive patriarchs to depictions of beauty amid harsh and austere surroundings. While the text leaves Davies little room for overt autobiographical detail, this latest feature undoubtedly holds a place close to his heart. His commitment to the project is evidenced by its lengthy gestation period. Conceived fifteen years ago, Davies spent much of the interim attempting to drum up enough funding to tell the story of Chris, a resilient young field worker whose inner strength allows her to thrive in the face of both a tumultuous family life and the ravages of the First World War. That the director struggled to capitalise on his critical cache, even when attaching his name to a popular literary classic, speaks volumes of the British film industry’s need to foster homegrown talent. Davies now has much to prove with this elegaic epic, as do the relative newcomers to whom he offered prestigious leading roles. If the movie proves a hit upon release, not only will its creator be vindicated, but stars Agyness Deyn and Kevin Guthrie could find themselves counted within the upper echelons of British acting talent. Following a well-received Scottish premiere, The Skinny finds the stars proudly speculating on the film’s shelf life. Guthrie is particularly enthusiastic. “We were attached to it about 18 months before we got anywhere near a camera. Start to finish, then until now, from meeting each other in Soho, that was almost four years,” he reveals, visibly delighted to have his efforts see the light of day. “It’s bookended everything I’ve done on screen

until now, and been a big part of our lives. It feels like the legacy of this film is going to be quite long-running, that it’s not going to go away any time soon. As should be the case.” For Guthrie, already familiar to audiences from his roles in Sunshine on Leith and The Legend of Barney Thomson, Gibbon’s story has been a near lifelong presence. It was first imposed on him, along with countless young Scots, as part of the school curriculum. “It kind of evades my memory that far back, but I did it again at drama school and studied Ewan as a character for one of the exams. I took up the novel quite extensively when we were shooting, but I was well aware of it by that point.” The actor appreciates his fortuitous situation of having unconsciously prepared for the role of Chris’s husband, but notes that he’d never gone too in depth. “I hadn’t played him as such, but it was part of the course. You know, to take a character, a hero from Scottish literature and do a monologue. Alastair Cording did a playscript adaptation and there were more monologues for Ewan in that.” By contrast, Deyn’s awareness of the book came much later in life. “The first contact I had with it was reading Terence’s script. I fell in love with the story and Chris, then went out and got the book. I read the script over and over again, and read student notes on the story as well.” While her co-star gives an exemplary turn, it could be argued that Deyn’s fresh approach to the text is what allows her to make an iconic character truly her own. “I suppose there’s an analytical approach to it, and an emotional approach to it,” she admits. “Both are really important. The analytical approach is more mathematical and scientific. The emotional approach is all about how it evokes feelings in you. I think having both is ideal, really.” Certainly, both actors agree that Davies’ direction allowed for more instinctive performances

than other directors could hope to capture. Guthrie explains that “as an actor, you’re interested in your ability to tell the story of a specific character, and the relationship created between these two. Over and above that, the scope of the production had its own epic value. That’s Terence’s thing to create. The size and scale of it all comes from outwith the intimate nature of our performances. We were conscious of it, but it wasn’t our responsibility to make an epic. It was our responsibility to create strong, well-developed, truthful moments that could exist in this epic world.”

“Terence made this film with his heart, and that’s infectious” Agyness Deyn

Deyn concurs. “He facilitated this huge space, whether interior or exterior, where the only parameters we were given were the frame. Terence’s ability to facilitate atmosphere on set in no way limited us. It was actually liberating to me as an actor. He allows you to create the moment and then captures it, as opposed to imposing the moment upon you and asking you to recreate what he thinks.” Though retired from the industry, Deyn is still best known as a model. While Davies gave her room to articulate her own understanding on Chris, accepting her as a humble, pragmatic farmer’s daughter is a task audiences could justifiably struggle with. Of people’s preconceptions, she states “I felt aware of it, and it’s important that I did because the character’s so close to people’s hearts that you want to do it for them and their imaginations. To open their imaginations to the possibility of you even being their Chris in this medium. But Terence made this film with his heart, and that’s infectious. We all did.” The star is clearly commited to the work’s themes, most of which resonate as strongly as they did when the novel was published in the early 30s. “Obviously the story’s facilitated through Chris,

Features

FILM

but what’s going on within her is bigger than she can see,” offers Deyn. “All these people she’s manouevering around and interacting with aid her journey. She’s the land, and is bigger than the village. She survives and endures, and is so inspirational because of that. She’s bigger than normality and that’s why the story can exist, to communicate that one is bigger than one might think. It’s a very unconscious strength she has, never hard, but imbued with an almost gentle quality. “I think it’s about liberation,” she continues. “It addresses war in a way which I think is about forgiveness and moving on, about being OK with grief. Everyone was grieving at this time and everything was changing. The story communicates that these changes trickle down into the smallest societies and into the smallest young girl. When she grows up, her energy comes from the tiniest source. A young woman can be so big as to encompass the themes of,” Deyn catches her breath, apparently in awe of Gibbons’ scope, “humanity and what’s going on.” It’s hard to doubt the stars’ sincerity as they enthuse over the franchise with which they could be associated for the foreseeable future. Crucially, neither is intimidated by its stature, Deyn insisting the film should come with baggage. “I think it will always be closely associated with the book, especially in Scotland. Maybe in other places, people will see it as just a film. Take Jane Eyre though, that’s been adapted several times and when you watch it you think of the book, if you’ve read it at least.” “It’s a little bit like Shakespeare as well,” adds Guthrie. “It’s dangerous ground to do more Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream because everybody has their own understanding and appreciation of them. But this level of text demands such a level of attention in my opinion. The fact it’s finally crossed the finish line and been released to the world sparks huge levels of positive or negative interest and imagination, just as the telly version presumably did at the time. It’s the kind of text that should be revered the way it is, and get the exposure it deserves.” With early notices calling the film everything from a masterpiece to a noble failure, Davies and his cast have at the very least brought a seminal work back into contemporary focus at a time when audiences were at risk of taking it for granted. Sunset Song is released 4 Dec by Metrodome

THE SKINNY

LI FE

ocal is best. The laws of probability mean that even clichéd platitudes have to ring true every once in a while. You can see it in those weird supermarket campaigns labelling your grapes with the name of the farmer whose hands picked them from the not-so-distant vine, and in the ever-so-long waiting list to plant bluebells and Pink Ladies a-plenty at the nearest allotment patch. Foodies and musos have been preaching the virtues of localism to the choir for a long time; it’s time bookish folk got in on the act. The Christmas season can be a disheartening time for literary bods: presents usually come down to a selection of the year’s releases from big names that have already been purchased and read, or a gift from a family member who mistakenly equates the latest autobiography from a reality TV star with the word ‘book.’ Such blunders are avoidable, and to help you choose wisely, The Skinny’s Books editors have compiled a list of literary wonders from their local publishing houses; a cultural cross-pollination between our Scotland and the Northwest issues, you might say. The book lists of small, independent publishers are more vibrant and diverse than ever, so we invite you to be that canny outlier of a present-purchaser and opt for writing that’s a little closer to home.

Holly’s Northwest picks: Carcanet Press has continued this year to live up to its reputation as one of the finest poetry presses around. Les Murray’s latest collection, Waiting for the Past, looks at the bumps in the geographical and linguistic terrain in the process of growing up. This one’s a perfect match for your tree-hugging aunt, who spends weekends wandering among forests and lakes, or the friend refusing to be separated from their alien- zapping computer games to help them reconnect with, well, greenery and that. For a walk on the magic side, or a step into the maze of hidden history, we advise you to turn to Manchester-dwelling poet Grevel Lindop. Luna Park is best read at night, preferably with a mind-set ready to be reframed by haunted lib-

December 2015

raries and derelict funfairs. And if all this hasn’t managed to convince you that the Shakespeare sonnets you read circa your sixth-form years isn’t all that poetry has to offer, Sophie Hannah’s Marrying the Ugly Millionaire is worth a crack, if only to read about following the Dalai Lama on Twitter. What’s not to like? (carcanet.co.uk) Cornering the short-story market and adding in a slapdash of tech, we have a lot to thank the folk at Comma Press for – namely, an assortment of some of the best short-story fiction and new writing around. First up is David Constantine, whose woefully underrated work has reached a wider readership this year because of Oscar buzz about Andrew Haigh’s film 45 Years, an adaptation of Constantine’s short story of the same name. You can double up on his novel The LifeWriter and collection In Another Country: Selected Stories; curl up with a bucket of roast potatoes and immerse yourself in the unspoken tension and quiet emotional shattering of which Constantine is such a master. Alternatively, those with a fondness for transgressing national and language barriers (surely everyone’s favourite pastime) could do worse than opting for the translations of Sema Kaygusuz’s The Well of Trapped Words and Diao Dou’s Points of Origin. Both have a touch of the surreal and allow readers to dip their toes in the literary tradition of another country. (commapress.co.uk) Elsewhere, Liverpool University Press’s new imprint, Pavilion Poetry, has burst onto the scene all pages blazing. Mona Arshi’s debut collection, Small Hands, won the 2015 Forward Prize for best first collection. Exploring themes of grief, hardship and tradition, it may not be your top choice for getting into the Christmas spirit, but Arshi’s startling voice will stay in your head long after the seasonal tinsel begins to wilt. She’s a poet tipped for big things; hop on the wagon early and impress the culture vulture in your life. Eleanor Rees’s Blood Child and Sarah Corbett’s And She Was make up the rest of the Pavilion Poetry trio. Rees meshes barren concrete and creatures of a more wild kind, while Corbett returns to her partialness for night-time

Books are the ideal gift, reflecting a certain intelligence upon the giver, and alluding with a sly wink that the recipient is the same. We look at the output of local publishers from Scotland and the Northwest to suggest the ideal literary Xmas gifts

A Literary Christmas Gift Guide

Words: Holly Rimmer-Tagoe and Alan Bett Illustration: Ava Santana

wanderings and noir. Warning: winter nights will never feel the same. (liverpooluniversitypress. co.uk)

Alan’s Scotland Picks: It is impossible to extract the work of certain writers from the cities they call home. Irvine Welsh’s Edinburgh, the uptown New York of Tom Wolfe or the downtown Harlem of Chester Himes – they explain just what it means to belong to a place, to be one of its people. With his outstanding new paperback retrospective, Glaswegians (Hogsbackpress), artist Stuart Murray is more economical – he gets right to the core of (a certain section of) the city’s culture and character through simple, monochrome caricatures, coupled with the odd sparse line of broguish dialogue. He has been drawing the Glaswegians he meets for many years, the everyday characters roaming its streets and more often docking themselves in its pubs. This is razor-sharp social commentary; hard, truthful yet, most importantly, empathetic. For another view of Scotland, try the poetic take on the country in words and pictures that is This is Scotland (luath.co.uk), by author Daniel Gray and photographer Alan McCredie. With this travelogue of sorts, the contributors look into those seemingly less notable, but notably worthy corners of the country, from Govan in Glasgow to the further highlands and islands. This is a social history from the bottom up – real people, chip shops and bingo halls. The unexpected beauty of the everyday. An alternative cultural map of the country for both those living within its borders or those simply planning a visit. For fiction, what about A Book of Death and Fish (saraband.net), the debut novel from acclaimed poet and storyteller Ian Stephen and the history of an individual life alongside that of the Scottish islands? The book was nominated by Robert Macfarlane in the Guardian as his book of the year and highlighted as both a major landmark in Scottish literature and, more broadly, in contemporary fiction. These rare occurrences should not be overlooked.

BOOKS

Then of course there’s the mystifying trend for adult colouring books – which I can only equate with a long prison stretch, narcotic overindulgence or a serious head injury. But then what do I know? Create and Colour Scotland (blackandwhitepublishing.com) is by its own claims ‘Relaxing – Inspiring – Calming.’ Perfect for those three aforementioned conditions, or simply the stress of the Christmas period. For a far cheaper gift option than all of these, why not go for poetry? Simply write a poem yourself, for loved ones, friends or family – to recite drunkenly around the Christmas dinner table. It’s absolutely free and so, so easy. Just place words that rhyme at the end of each line. Or maybe not. Harry Giles shows just how complex and meaningful the process is with his debut collection, Tonguit (freightbooks.co.uk). The spoken word scene is going strong, but printed-form poetry seems still to elude or intimidate. Giles uses black letters on white paper to hugely creative effect. Leaving spaces between them, forming them into shapes, creating a Leaning Tower of Pisa – yes, honestly. His argot is a form of Scots he describes as mongrel and magpie – allowing all readers to revel in the discovery of a language, and of course of a fine poet. Or as an alternative you could pick up a copy of Edinburgh avant-garde rabble rousers Neu! Reekie!’s #UntitledOne, (birlinn.co.uk), a collection featuring everyone from Jenni Fagan and Kirsty Logan to Hollie McNish and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison. It is already a collector’s item. Explain that your gift will be worth multiples of its cover price in years to come, and demand an instant upgrade to those being offered back to you. An honourable mention must go to Ryan Van Winkle’s The Good Dark (pennedinthemargins.co.uk), a collection our review suggested moved between ‘stabbing pain, deep melancholy and cautious optimism.’ Sounds, relevantly enough, like Boxing Day morning to me; minus the optimism, of course. All titles mentioned in the article are available from good bookshops or their publisher’s websites

Lifestyle

Giles Bailey & Jeremiah Day 14 November 2015 - 10 January 2016

350 Sauchiehall Street, G2 3JD cca-glasgow.com

THE SKINNY

The Fine Art of Christmas Shopping Make full use of the Christmas markets and specialist art and design shops around Scotland when making valuable gift decisions this year Words: Adam Benmakhlouf

emember this time last year? When standards were sliding as time moved closer to high street closing? Principles were compromised, and some perfume gift boxes were bought in a stressinduced overspend? There is another way. With the help of this guide, you too can see your loved ones feeling genuinely appreciative of youe interesting and thoughtful gifts. At the same time, here’s how gift-buying can also be a means to support local artists, makers and designers.

studio holders will present their work for sale. Fireworks also offer classes in ceramics, from beginners’ level up. For £120 (£110), six weeks’ classes are provided. In a weekly two-hour session, little classes of four receive plenty tuition and are assured to take home several usable pots. In Edinburgh, through December there will be two market events planned by Out of the Blue studios in Leith’s Drill Hall. On 7 & 14 December, they will present their Xmas Arts Market. On 7 December, studios will also be open to the public. This is a chance to meet the artists and designers that work in Out of the Blue, and see some of the spaces of those participating in the market. A week later, the market returns with a whole different line-up of makers, and will also involve an Xmas Bruncheon, with live music and tasty treats. A full list of all those involved and their work is published on outoftheblue.org.uk. Hill St Design House are also hosting a series of festive markets, starting on 5 December with a showcase of contemporary jewellers, milliners and skincare specialists. Find out more at facebook/HillStreetDesignHouse.

Contemporary craft & design markets Starting early, Dundee Contemporary Arts will hold their Crafted Christmas Craft and Design Market event on Saturday 5 December, 12-5pm. Just like most of the special market events that will receive a mention here, there will be a good crowd of invited makers (30 at DCA) who will present works across all media – from painting to laser cut to pottery. Dear George, for one, will be present at DCA on the 5 December, with lightweight jewellery designs that quote abstract geometry as much as they do tribal print and bright Californian hippy optimism. Or you might take an interest in the handmade gadget covers from Lollymac, all in Harris Tweed. A nice gift to warm the next iPhone cycle’s cold edge of anomie. The next day, there’s the first of Tea Green Market’s three festive outings around Glasgow. On Sunday 6 and 20 December Tea Green organiser Joanne MacFadyen presents her own handmade jewellery in the Lighthouse, and is joined by fine artists, textile designers and makers of unique homewares. Between the Lighthouse dates, on Saturday 12 December, Tea Green will be presented in the beautiful interiors of the Glasgow Botanics’ Kibble Palace. A few days later on 10 December, there is the Grey Wolf Studios Christmas Sale. On show, there will be products from 14 participants, including Risotto studios. Headed by designer Gabriella Marcella, their house style is bold and colourful, with an emphasis on bright and flat shapes. With a predecessor in Matisse’s cut-outs, they’ve got two eyes on fun. Also participating in Grey Wolf Studios Christmas Sale is Garnet McCulloch, who can also be found more permanently in Fireworks Ceramic Studios. Located in Garnethill, Fireworks will also be holding its own Christmas sale on Saturday 19 December from 2-7pm. For this, all seven of the

Books & zines Receiving regular and worthy mentions for their healthy programme of events and exhibitions, Glasgow’s Good Press have been very good all year and are well-deserving of Christmas custom. There are three main factors that make Good Press an especially good shout for gift-givers. (1) It houses a large number and range of publications and artworks. (2) These range from the very specific to more general interests, therefore there’s something here for everyone. Most importantly, (3) Good Press caretakers are on hand with detailed knowledge of what is kept in the small but well-stocked Scandi-style shop.

Vintage shopping Quite conveniently, Good Press is still near its old digs Mono Cafe Bar, where you might punctuate your shopping day with nice eats, or a well-deserved drink. Remember too the Mono record store for new and secondhand CDs and vinyl. In between the two, there is Mr Ben’s. With the title of Glasgow’s first vintage shop, Mr Ben’s is filled with plenty of interesting clothes, jewellery and accessories. See in particular the lover’s eye brooches, with a bizarre little image of an eye, often set in jewels and gold.

Hilary Grant blankets

Dear George chevron necklace

Original art & design Staying in the capital, there’s the tidily titled Edinburgh Sculpture Workshopshop. In the ESW street front gallery, until the 22 December, Workshopshop is part shop and part exhibition. Show-casing the studio holders and programme artists, there’s a healthy attention to affordability and fair remuneration for artists. As a good sign that a workable balance has been struck, some of the pieces are already sold. Move quickly to ESW to have the chance at a multiple, like a printed edition or bronze cast, or a unique work, like a glazed ceramic, carved limestone work or hand thrown pot. Some names will be familiar from having previously been features in these pages, like performance and poster artist Andrew Gannon. Hans Clausen too has been a regular for his sculpture and performance. In Workshopshop, he’s included an aluminum heart, in anatomical detail and with a lead core. Located inside the Glasgow School of Art’s Reid Building, there is the GSA Shop, with stock almost exclusively designed by GSA graduates. Of particular note are textile graduate Jennifer Kent’s merino scarves. Their aesthetic is for the most part pared-down linear pattern. They are knitted and hand finished in the Scottish Borders according to traditional Scottish textile techniques. This is just one example of the stationery, homewares, books and jewellery available – and with lovely staff on hand to advise and assist.

Harbour Print by Tom Pigeon

Limited edition prints Elsewhere in this month’s magazine, there is a special profile of Aberdeen-based Peacock Visual Art’s winter exhibition. Also in the Scottish Print Network, there’s the aforementioned DCA, the Edinburgh Printmakers, Highland Print Studio in Inverness and Glasgow Print Studio. Limited edition prints are on sale from all of them and prices range from £100 to the upper end of over a grand – say, for a late stage career internationally known artist like Alasdair Gray. There are many more affordable pieces available in the Glasgow Print Studio, including earlier works by Glasgow luminaries such as Turner nominees David Shrigley and Ciara Phillips and 5-star reviewee Nicolas Party. You can even buy work using the Own Art scheme, meaning a ten month, interest free loan split into equal monthly repayments. Edinburgh Printmakers’ Christmas Shoppers’ Weekend is of particular interest. Taking place on the final weekend before Christmas, on the 19 & 20 December, they will host a two-day extravaganza, where you’ll be able to pick up beautiful pieces of artwork at bargain prices. Making a proper go of it, there will be Christmas treats, prizes given throughout the weekend, activities for all ages and opportunities to speak with the artists who use the studios.

Hannah Joy Scott Scarves

Credit: McAteer Photography

Art supplies

Kate Colin Cocoa pendant lamp

Glasgow School of Art Shop

ART

Remember too Glasgow’s Art Store, Edinburgh Art Store and CASS Art. These might take care of artier loved ones’ needs, from neat boxed sets of watercolours and tins of sketching pencils to handmade papers. And as a final suggestion, if you’re organised enough, you might even find the right concoction of modroc, beads, hubris and glitter glue to handmake a present. If that fails specta-cularly, consult the trained professionals – see all above.

Lifestyle

Games of 2015:

Snake, Space and Splatter Guns From a sprawling, mega-budget wasteland to an intimate peek-behind-the-curtains of indie development, videogames covered it all this year. As such, we chalked up the top ten titles that kept our games team indoors and out of what little sunlight there was in 2015

1. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (The Chinese Room)

2. Bloodborne (From Software)

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture merits its place on this list for the sheer quality of its visuals alone. Yet it wasn’t just the technical quality that impressed so much as the developers’ ability to create a distinctly post-apocalyptic aesthetic without resorting to the scorched earth cliché so common to the genre. On top of that there was a magnificent soundtrack and flashes of top-notch writing. The final result is an original and moving example of how to tell stories through the medium of games. However, it seems likely that these kinds of titles will always have their detractors – those who say they’re not even games at all. They are missing out. [Liam Patrick Hainey]

In a surprisingly quiet year for Sony’s first party studios, From Software’s Bloodborne was one of only a handful of exclusive titles on PlayStation 4 to distinguish itself. Much more than a gothic horror reworking of the studio’s Dark Souls games, Bloodborne retained the series’ infamous level of challenge but upped the ante with fasterpaced, more aggressive combat and a bestiary of truly horrific foes. More impressive still was the cursed city of Yarnham, its dense atmosphere, sprawling districts and lofty spires ingeniously woven together in a masterclass of level design. Combine that with the game’s superlative plot – a twisted, H.P. Lovecraft-influenced tale of madness and betrayal – and you’ve got one of the most memorable games in recent memory. [Jodi Mullen]

3. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED)

4. Fallout 4 (Bethesda)

5. Kerbal Space Program (Squad)

There are few games that have caught people’s attention as much as Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. It captivated gamers and critics alike upon release, on account of its satisfying design, sensational writing and awe-inspiring visuals. Controlling Geralt, you explore the Northern Kingdoms searching for your lover while earning additional coin slaying monsters. Putting an equal emphasis on fighting and dialogue, you’re given the freedom to decide how to proceed with each individual mission; settle quests peacefully or use brute strength, scold your target or let them go, the choice is entirely yours. Better yet, every decision you make influences the world and your future interactions within it. In the realm of open world gaming you can hardly ask for more. [Jack Yarwood]

Fallout 4 is Bethesda’s biggest game to date, and quite simply an utter joy to experience. Giving the protagonist a voice really drives home the story this time around whilst all of the objects in the world mean something because of the new crafting system. Meanwhile, the new base building actually turned our self-professed Minecraft hater into someone who spent two hours gleefully building the perfect gatehouse, while there are so many rich stories to find by simply exploring the wasteland. Even if Fallout 4 did a bait and switch halfway through, turning into a moss-growing simulator, we’d wager that you’d still be satisfied with your time spent in the Commonwealth. On your way, citizen… [Tom Hillman]

Fun, silly, and yet surprisingly deep, Kerbal Space Program has the makings of a classic and promises to be a benchmark for sandbox gaming in years to come. Its detailed spaceship construction makes the creation of probes, space-planes and enormous space-stations engaging and exciting. The game’s excellent and detailed physics engine brings the world to life, and makes launching ships into orbit or to distant planets so rewarding you can almost imagine you’ve really just put a man on the moon (or Kerbal on the Mun). Furthermore, Squad’s welcoming approach to modding the game has nurtured a lively community around it, one which ensures creative new content for the game will continue to emerge. [Stewart McIver]

6. Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments)

7. The Beginner’s Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)

8. Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions)

Elite: Dangerous stands as one of the most ambitious games ever developed, completely in keeping with a series that stretches back 30 years. The technological heft of those three decades has helped produce a game that players back in 1984 could only have dreamt about. Vast, uncompromising, complex and intensely detailed, it’s not a title for the faint-hearted. Plough in 50 hours and you’ll just be getting your thrusters warmed up, be you pirate, trader or bounty hunter. Niche it may be, but Frontier Development’s numbers add up to a whole lot of players populating their dense universe and for these plucky adventurers, Elite: Dangerous isn’t so much a game as a way of life. [Darren Carle]

In his breakout hit The Stanley Parable, Davey Wreden deployed voiceover narration to break the fourth wall and make some clever but fairly tame jokes about free will. Here he uses it to implicate the player in the violation of another person’s privacy before chastising them for being so wilfully strung along, an act of provocation that could come across as manipulative and smug if it wasn’t handled with such sincerity. Initially presented as a tour of a fictional game designer’s secret unfinished works, The Beginner’s Guide soon morphs into an uncomfortably personal tale about inner demons and selfishly seeking validation. A brave and unique experience, it’ll have you feeling infuriated, guilty, sympathetic, sometimes even scared, but most of all, utterly captivated. [Andrew Gordon]

Expectations for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain were sky high after 2014 prologue Ground Zeroes and Hideo Kojima’s swansong for Konami surpassed them all. Perhaps one of the most immersive titles of the year in terms of pure gameplay, MGS:V’s open world stealth hijinks schooled other studios in how sneaking and sandbox games should be made. Though a bit thinner in terms of plot than earlier MGS games, The Phantom Pain retained all of the series’ trademark quirky humour. From airlifting shrieking enemy soldiers out of the combat zone by hot air balloon to calling down an attack helicopter blaring Europe’s The Final Countdown from its speakers, few games are as fun or silly as Metal Gear Solid V. [Jodi Mullen]

9. Rocket League (Psyonix)

10. Splatoon (Nintendo)

The Next Ten:

If there was a separate list for ‘surprise hits of the year’ then Rocket League would no doubt sit proudly at the top. Rocket League is the successor to the little-known Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars and while many will mourn the loss of that beautifully inelegant title, it’s not just the name that’s been streamlined. Rocket League found success thanks, in no small part, to its extraordinary simplicity. You and your teammates take control of a rocket-powered car and must attempt to force the ball into the opposing goal. There are no weapons or power-ups – just simple, elegant chaos. Falling squarely into the ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ sweet spot, Rocket League’s frantic and exciting multiplayer makes it more than worthy of its paltry 15 quid investment. [Liam Patrick Hainey]

Only Nintendo could create a shooter that doesn’t care if you can’t shoot straight. In fact, Splatoon practically encourages wanton aiming as every splash of neon paint counts towards your team’s score. In a genre where map domination can seem a little abstract, Nintendo repainted the rule book and made the signs clear for all to see. For the more advanced player, there’s layers of tactics to scrape under; figuring out your loadout, map points and special weapons will all help you in the battle. Yet at the same time, gleefully lobbing gallons of paint around will often win the day. For a company often criticised for sticking to what they know, Splatoon is an embarrassingly confident leap into new territories for Nintendo. [Darren Carle]

11. Arkham Knight (Rocksteady Studios) 12. 80 Days (Inkle) 13. Super Mario Maker (Nintendo) 14. Dying Light (Techland) 15. SOMA (Frictional Games) 16. Pillars of Eternity (Obsidian Entertainment) 17. The Talos Principle (Croteam) 18. Until Dawn (Supermassive Games) 19. Game of Thrones (Telltale Games) 20. Her Story (Sam Barlow)

Lifestyle

TECH

THE SKINNY

What to get that cinephile in your life Nothing says “I’m apathetic towards your existence” more that an Amazon Gift Card. Show that cinephile in your life that you care by popping some of these movies into their Christmas stocking Words: Jamie Dunn

Spy & Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (For those with James Bond fatigue)

The 007 series felt a bit tired with latest instalment Spectre, but it looks dead on its feet when compared to these two espionage offshoots. In the latest Mission: Impossible movie, Tom Cruise elevates the stunt to the kind of death-defying art form that Buster Keaton used to specialise in, but we also get Hitchcockian suspense (a dizzying assassination attempt at the Vienna Opera), a heart-in-mouth motorbike chase and a female love interest more badass than our hero. Similarly, Spy suggests that Moneypenny might be the match for Bond as Melissa McCarthy plays a CIA desk jockey thrown into a deadly field assignment. And anyone disappointed with Christoph Waltz’s limp baddie in Spectre should get a kick out of Rose Byrne as a catty Bulgarian super-villain with an Amy Winehouse barnet and a bag full of bitchy putdowns. Released on DVD and Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures respectively

The Shôhei Imamura Masterpiece Collection (For lovers of debauched cinema)

Shôhei Imamura is Japan’s greatest post-war director but his films are too seldom seen. This eightfilm box set is a perfect introduction. Far removed from the serenity of Ozu and Mizoguchi, Imamura’s films are rambunctious and dazzling, concerned with sex, violence and the lives of Japan’s underclass of hookers and hustlers. Imamura summarised his career more succinctly: “I am interested in the relationship of the lower part of the human body and the lower part of the social structure.” Released on DVD and Blu-ray by Eureka Entertainment

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension & Zardoz (For cultists) What is a cult movie? Judging from rep cinema screenings and Netflix’s search function, just about anything that’s off-beat from the mainstream. True cult movies, however, aren’t just left-field, they’re playing a whole different ballgame on a patch of dirt two fields over. In Buckaroo Banzai, as the title suggests, we follow a sci-fi polymath (speed racer, physicist, brain surgeon, jazz-funk star) across another dimension, while Zardoz (the crazy passion project John Boorman was allowed to make after the success of Deliverance) sees Sean Connery’s Zed, a barbarian in a proto-mankini, upend a society of immortals. The joy of both films is immersing yourself in the myth and lore of the batshitcrazy worlds in which they take place.

Mad Max: Fury Road & John Wick (For old-school action fans)

Seeing real people fight or fly through the air is more rousing than watching pixels do the same. But experiencing a modern-day action film (say a Marvel movie or enduring Peter Jackson’s Hobbit series) feels less like cinema and more like looking over the shoulder of someone else playing a video game. The genre got a shot in the arm in 2015, however, with these two action movie masterworks. In Fury Road, George Miller seamlessly and thrillingly marries 21st century digital filmmaking with the stunt work he mastered on Mad Max and The Road Warrior. Assassin revenge yarn John Wick, meanwhile, is a gorgeous martial arts ballet that doesn’t hide its choreography with cut-up editing. Both released on DVD and Blu-ray by Warner Home Video

La Grande Bouffe

(For those looking for the true Christmas spirit) Forget It’s a Wonderful Life – Marco Ferreri’s debauched black comedy is the ultimate Christmas movie. Think about it: four men hole themselves up in a Parisian villa and gorge themselves to death on gourmet delights. Its consumerist excess has more in common with Christmas than Jimmy Stewart’s humble altruism. Turn it on after you’ve polished off your tenth mince pie and enjoy two hours of the kind of gluttony that would have Dionysus reaching for the Alka-Seltzer. Released on DVD and Blu-ray by Arrow Films

The DUFF & Dope

(For fans of coming-of-age films with bite)

Two fresh and joyous teen movies came and went at UK cinemas with little fanfare this year, but both deserve an audience on DVD. The DUFF seems to hit every teen movie cliché before subverting each with wit and verve, while Dope chronicles a geeky, middle-class black teen’s attempt to reinvent himself as a gangster when he comes into the possession of a bag of narcotics. What makes both films sing is their knockout casts. Arrested Development’s Mae Whitman exudes charm and screwball smarts in the former while the performances by the ensemble of newcomers in the latter are as colourful as their characters’ 90s hip-hop-fetishising apparel. Released on DVD and Blu-ray by E1 Ent and Sony Pictures Home Ent respectively

Both released on DVD and Blu-ray by Arrow Films

December 2015

FILM

Lifestyle

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Want to get your teeth into something juicy? Advertise in our annual Food & Drink reader survey results, with reader recommended places to eat, drink and beat the January blues.

0131 467 4630 sales@theskinny. co.uk

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Illustration: Jode Pankhurst

Credit: Ralph Steadman

Own Art: Peacock Visual Arts

Harlequin

ow can you find a thoughtful and original gift for cultural and intelligent loved ones? A discerning pal or partner isn’t always an asset come Advent. As an excellent starting point for finding a thoughtful gift that will not be forgotten, eaten, dissolved in a bath or returned for the January sale credit, there is Peacock Visual Art’s Winter exhibition. This particular gift will also be an important contribution to the maintenance of an indispensable resource within the Scottish art community. Since 1974, Peacock has provided for fine artists (and others) resources that may otherwise be prohibitively difficult to access. This is especially true within the Aberdeen context, where the gallery makes it a special priority to support young artists coming from Gray’s School of Art. As well as enjoying consistent support throughout their history from public funding, Peacock also make efforts to engage with the wider community in their fundraising. It is for this reason that they make a special event of their seasonal public exhibitions. In most of the events covered in the art section, the chance to buy a work of art is exceptional. For the most part, there are plenty of commercial galleries around the country, and most national galleries have some kind of gift shop. Peacock is, however, one of the rare publicly funded institutions that readily offers artworks for sale. Print is an important medium for Print Curator David McCracken as it makes it possible to own original works of art without having to commit to the bother of some kind of gallery heist. He considers it the most democratic medium. allowing for wide audiences to be able to enjoy historical and contemporary fine art prints from unique editions. All of the work included in the exhibition is made in-house, and includes a unique print edition from, for example, Janice Kerbel, one of the four 2015 Turner Prize nominees. Within her Turner presentation, the dedicatedly multimedia artist presents her own operatic compositions. Each one describes some clumsy or unlucky accident to befall her poor titular protagonist, Doug. Text is splayed in just as haphazardly, with words like “trunk, floor” splayed across the page. There’s a whole roster to choose from, with some of the prominent Scottish artists of the 20th century, including Barbara Rae and Joan Eardley. It’s a showcase of the good work that’s made possible by Peacock Visual Art. Head along, find the ideal gift and turn a Christmas purchase into a meaningful contribution to Scottish art. [Adam Benmakhlouf]

21 Castle Street, Aberdeen peacockvisualarts.com ownart.org.uk

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December 2015

SHOWCASE

Lifestyle

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Christmas Cards!!!

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December 2015

SHOWCASE

Fashion Gift Guide 2015

Not sure what to get your loved ones this Christmas? We spoke to some fashion bloggers to see if they had any handy hints

Betty and Bee Betty and Bee are long time fashion soul mates who opened their creative consultancy supporting independent brands a little over two years ago. From running their own fashion and lifestyle blogs – Forever Yours Betty (foreveryoursbetty.com) and Bee Waits For No One (beewaits.com) – they met at Social Media Week Glasgow, little to know that a few short years later they would unite to spread their Shop Local message wherever they roamed. Find them over @foreveryoursbetty and @beewaits or find out more at bettyandbee.com

Clockwise from top:

Kochibha – LARO, £90, kochibanation.com Helen Ruth Blood Moon Scarf, £190, helenruth.co.uk Pip Jolley – Kirby Grip earrings, £30, pipjolley.com Catherine Aitken Toiletry Bag (gents), £45 catherineaitken.com IOLLA – Bell Glasses with Prescription, £65 iolla.com Rebel Rebel Beard Brand Urban Garden Oil, £14.99, Rebel Rebel Barbers, 101 Union Street Glasgow Silken Favours Alina Oversized Cat Cushion, £95, silkenfavours.bigcartel.com Sara Sboul x Forever Yours Betty – I Am Bru Bag, £105, Available 1 Dec sarasboul.com Bonnie Bling – Ginger Mirror Badge, £10, bonniebling.co.uk Dick Winters – Clever Dick, £28, House of Fraser Glasgow or dickwinters.co.uk beewaits.com foreveryoursbetty.com bettyandbee.com

Lifestyle

FASHION

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Words: Alexandra Fiddes

Sophie Benson Sophie Benson is a freelance stylist, producer and writer with an enthusiasm for independent designers and all things bright and colourful. After starting her career as editor and fashion director of a print publication, she now specialises in working with bold, innovative designers. She also lectures at a handful of universities, crochets, and hangs out with her cat, Vashka. You can find her work at sophiebenson.blogspot.co.uk and sophiebenson.com Clockwise from top:

Amy Victoria Marsh – Fried Egg Wall Clock, £30 yayvm.com Annabel Perrin – Prism Print Cushion Cover, £40, annabelperrin.com LOELA – Colour Block Necklace £22, loela.co.uk Beaumont Organic – Knitted Wool Jumper £165, beaumontorganic.co.uk Colours May Vary – Crochet Clutch Bag, £38 etsy.com/uk/shop/coloursmayvaryshop Toolally – Perspex Earrings, £30, toolally.com Dirty Disco – Hand-Painted Leather Jacket £250, dirtydisco.co.uk Dead Legacy – Camo Print Jumper, £34.99, deadlegacy.com Miriam Griffiths – Lambswool Knitted Socks, £15, miriamgriffiths.co.uk, Product link Jim Bag – Turquoise Holdall, £44.99, jimbag.co.uk sophiebenson.com sophiebenson.blogspot.co.uk twitter.com/Sophie_Benson instagram.com/sophiebenson

December 2015

FASHION

Lifestyle

ashton lane so near... yet so far... bookclub providing a credible alternative since 2010

THE SKINNY

Alternative Christmas Dinners We step into the world of roasted meat, super-dense desserts and mulled everything to find some alternatives to the Christmas dinner classics

hristmas time is gorging time, but what if you don’t fancy eating turkey for every meal from now until January? Well help is at hand, as we’ve scouted out some alternatives to the Christmas classics. We’ll start with the big one – the meat – and get straight to the recommending. If you don’t fancy turkey, why not try goose? An OG Christmas classic much-loved by downtrodden loan clerks and green felt frogs, depending on which version of A Christmas Carol you watch, it’s got a theatrical edge. Goose feels like a dramatic meal, whereas turkey is just a big, daft-looking chicken with a funny neck. Then there are the potatoes. The best roast potatoes are cooked in goose fat for that supercrispy, slightly-meaty vibe, and what contains goose fat? A goose, that’s what. Of course, there are some downsides to inviting Mr Goose round for Christmas dinner. Goose can be harder to find than turkey, tends to cost a bit more, and you’ll probably end up with the same amount of leftovers as you would with a turkey. Oh, and we weren’t kidding about the goose fat either – get a bib, buy some extra kitchen roll, and prepare somewhere to lie down after dinner. We recommend a small pillow fort, with a Santa hat on the roof to make it festive. If you want a Christmas dinner that tastes good but also shows off your disdain for kitschy festive flim-flam, go for venison or, better yet, reindeer. ‘No sacred cows this Yuletide season,’ you’ll say, picking a strand of Blitzen from your teeth and trying to avoid eye contact with the mortified nephew across the table.

December 2015

Maybe you don’t want to spend your dinner crushing symbols of youthful imagination – that’s your call – but deer is delicious, lean, and so seasonal that they literally tell stories about it saving Christmas. It won’t be saving anything covered in gravy, but that’s neither here nor there. If you fancy a fishy alternative, and also want to bring a bit of continental class to your festive feeding, try the Portuguese delicacy Bacalhau. The salted cod dish can be prepared in dozens of different ways, but the typical Christmas version sits alongside kale, potatoes and vegetables. It’s different, slightly more veggie-friendly, and thanks to the kale it may make you appear vaguely trendy. With the main course done, thoughts move to dessert, and the seemingly inevitable Christmas pudding. Packed with rich dried fruit (as well as anything else that happened to be lying around at the time of making) and matured for days on end, getting through a portion on Christmas Day is a bit like trying to eat a sofa cushion. A spiced, fruity sofa cushion. Then there’s the tradition of dousing the thing in brandy and setting it on fire, which doesn’t sound too smart when you consider the amount of highly flammable wrapping paper lying around on Christmas Day. But what to have instead? Rather than going for the cake which tries to do everything at once, we’ve picked out three options which hit the key Christmas pudding points. If you fancy a fruit-packed dessert that doesn’t remind you of the Death Star, rustle up a stollen. A bready cake filled with dried fruit and marzipan, it’s a lighter alternative to Christmas pudding which doesn’t require endless mixing but still looks well festive.

Words: Peter Simpson Illustration: Mike Hughes

The bibingka is the way to go if you fancy a Christmas dessert with a unique edge. A traditional Filipino Christmas dessert, it’s made with rice flour, coconut milk and eggs, cooked on top of a banana leaf – it wins bonus points for reminding us all that, somewhere out there, it isn’t raining sideways the whole time. And if your favourite part of Christmas pudding is the mild pyromania involved in setting the thing on fire, go for a baked Alaska. Cake, topped with ice cream, enveloped in meringue, then set ablaze with a blowtorch.

“Christmas drinking has come to mean one thing in recent years – mulled wine” After going at your dessert with fire, you’ll end up with something that’s glazed and warm on the outside but cold and soft on the inside, leaving you feeling like a cross between a magician and a Bond villain. All that, and the lack of booze involved means the chances of keeping your eyebrows into Boxing Day are that much higher. Finally, booze. Christmas drinking has come to mean one thing in recent years – mulled wine. Go to any Christmas market, and you’ll find vats of

FOOD AND DRINK

the stuff swilling about the place. It’s warming and tasty at first, but then you notice that every time you head outside, you catch the whiff of an undetermined array of spices and general redness. By midway through December the air is fully mulled, and a deep breath will have you coughing up cloves and bits of orange peel. So what are the alternatives to mulled wine? Well, there’s mulled cider – and before you all start muttering the word ‘bullshit’ under your breath, there is a big difference. The lower strength of cider compared to wine makes it a smoother, fresher option. If you chuck in some lemon and a bit of whisky liqueur, you have a drink which has a genuine range of flavours, rather than tasting of a colour and maybe some nutmeg. Want something non-mulled? Try out Ponche Crema, a Trinidadian liqueur made from condensed milk, eggs, rum and sugar that’s a bit like a souped-up eggnog. Take that ingredients list, flavour with nutmeg and cinnamon, and watch everyone go crazy for twenty minutes before falling asleep on the sofa, allowing you to change the channel on the TV without causing a diplomatic incident. Or alternatively, just knock together a mulled wine without the wine? A fruit punch flavoured with the usual mix of festive spices and aromatics will have much the same convivial, festive effect as a mulled wine, but with fewer half-cut arguments over who ate the last of the After Eights. And in the end, isn’t avoiding enormous bust-ups and eating a lot what Christmas is all about? It isn’t? Well, it is for us. theskinny.co.uk/food

Lifestyle

Food News This December, discuss the future of food and check out a gigantic vegan food festival before diving headlong into Christmas Words: Peter Simpson

Now, to Christmas, and the annual influx of Christmas Markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It’s cold and rainy, you’re stressed out; what could be better than being outside, but somehow still in a confined space? On the other hand, the Glasgow Christmas Market and the dual markets at Edinburgh’s Christmas feature the standard mix of Christmas fare (mulled everything, bratwurst the size of a shoe) that make it easy to slide into the festive spirit. St Enoch Sq, Glasgow; The Mound & St Andrew Sq, Edinburgh, daily throughout December. And for those of you looking for respite from Full Christmas, you could do worse than checking out new outdoor street food market The Pitt, featuring stalls from the likes of red meat and seafood merchants Barnacles & Bones and gourmet food truck Fresh Revolution, and Summerhall’s Christmas Market with foodie contributions from the Crema Caravan, Harajuku Kitchen, and everyone’s favourite gua bao specialists Ninja Buns. Don’t look at us like that – it’s Christmas time for ninjas too, you know. 12 Dec, 12-10pm, Pitt St, Edinburgh; 13 Dec, 11am-5pm, 1 Summerhall Pl, £2, summerhall.co.uk

Play With Your Food So your family have produced a roast to feed 40 people then served it to three, one of whom doesn’t eat meat? We have a solution, courtesy of food artist Laura Purnell and publisher Hamburger Eyes…

hristmas is most certainly a time for eating, and for that we rejoice. Belt-adjusting levels of feasting ahoy! However, ironically, it is also a time for massive amounts of waste and leftovers: the epitomic turkey sandwich combined with a deep fridge raid of ingredients. Now as Christmas is also a time for giving – and we fully encourage you to donate your time and money to soup kitchens and the like – we looked for creative answers to that leftover banquet in true Phagomania style. Our suggestion? Make some leftover art. Some perfect exemplars to help you get going come from the playful Face Time series, a recent zine courtesy of an eye-catching wee photography publisher in California called Hamburger Eyes. Borne out of two photographers having fun, the photo series catalogues casual leftovers along with more extravagant full meals constructed into whimsical faces. A classic case of pareidolia

in action. You can get started with a couple of Brussels sprouts and a chipolata, and see where things go from there. Discover a lot more of their food faces on Instagram by checking out #snackiefoodart and #kappyfoodart. Once you’ve got a bit more practice in, you may want to take things up to the level of food artist Laura Purnell. Laura’s finely crafted creations started out from playing with leftovers, with her first creation of “the spaghetree” (a tree made out of pasta), encouraging her to explore further. “From there I just kept on going” she exclaims. Now she has created work for Zizzi restaurants and appeared on US TV network CBS. “Originally I used leftover bits of food from my meals,” recalls Laura, “but over time I realised that some of the best colours, textures and such were actually from the often dismissed or inedible parts of the foods such as peels, pips, skins, rinds, etc. So I then decided to also incorporate these

Words: Lewis MacDonald items into my creations in order to re-purpose and transform them before they’re thrown away.” Laura describes food art as “a bit of a killer combo” as it “combines two things many people already love – food and art”. With a playful eye she aims to subvert our expectations. She explains: “I like to change people’s perceptions of ordinary foods by transforming them into something else that we’re familiar with. I’m not making any changes to the food, I’m just presenting it in a new and different way.” Laura has shared some Christmas themed creations with us to get us roused up with the festive spirit. So this year, break the ice with that relative you never see and skim the bad chat with some leftover food art on your plate – it can’t be worse than those cracker jokes and paper hats. hamburgereyes.com / http://culinarycanvas.tumblr.com/

Credit: kappy and snackie chan

ey everyone! Christmas is here! Hooray, etc etc. But fear not, for December’s food events column isn’t all ‘mulled this’ and ‘tinsel-wrapped that’. In fact, we’ll begin with a workshop discussion on the very future of the world of food. Didn’t see that coming, did you? Gallery Unit in Glasgow play host to the Tasty Futures Workshop, a two-hour discussion on the impending technological, social and cultural developments on their way to your kitchen. 3D printers, new methods of growing food, robot waiters (possibly) – time to get your thinking caps on, people. 2 & 3 Dec, various times; Savoy Centre, 140 Sauchiehall St; free, tickets via eventbrite.co.uk We move from a high-tech future to the pitchblack present, with the return of Whisky in the Dark! The clue’s in the title with this one – the chance to try five whiskies, in the dark. The benefit of the darkness is that, with one sense deadened, the others should be amplified, allowing you to make the most of your whisky. That’s the theory, although given that it’s basically been dark outside since late October, we must all be due for one or more super-senses in the near future. 11 & 12 Dec, 8pm, £20, tickets via eventbrite.co.uk Next up, it’s the Scottish debut of Vegfest at Glasgow’s SECC. A vegan food festival of truly compelling scale, Vegfest has veggie-friendly versions of everything you’d expect from a food festival, from cookery demos and talks to hundreds of stallholders pitching vegan food and drink of all kinds. Throw in some spoken word and stand-up comedy, and some top-notch catering from Mono, Henderson’s, and Stereo amongst others, and the only thing that’s missing for the full fest experience is a burger van. Which, we suppose, is the point. Touché, Vegfest. 5 & 6 Dec, SECC, Glasgow, £10/6, tickets via vegfest.co.uk

Credit: Lauren Purnell

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THE SKINNY

Terrible Feminism From feeling validated by catcallers to burning Germaine Greer at the stake (figuratively), Rianna Walcott admits to three uncomfortable flaws she’s noticed in her feminism Words: Rianna Walcott Illustration: Jacky Sheridan

’ve taken extra care with my face today. I’ve been feeling low lately, so today there is facial contouring, there is mascara, there is purple lipstick. These things all lighten my mood, and I do my best not to closely examine why. Mostly, I look nice today for myself. About 75% of this flawless face is for me, no doubt about that. But there is that last 25% to contend with, maybe just the lipstick, that I have certainly put on for you. That feels like a failing. A flaw in my feminism, like a splinter in my finger. But we’ve all got those splinters, and really, it’s probably best to tease them out and release the unnecessary self-loathing which lurks beneath, one wince at a time. Deep breath…

1. Craving validation It seems taboo to say (or even acknowledge), but I sometimes find validation in catcalling. An appreciative look from an irrelevant stranger can brighten my afternoon, in spite of all the scoffing I do about how misogynistic and gross it is. The validation I get conflicts with everything I consciously think. About how my beauty and self-worth shouldn’t be defined by other people; how men don’t have an intrinsic right to my time and attention; how I have the right as a human being to go about my day unmolested. I’m perfectly indignant whenever I hear of anyone having to deal with unwelcome attention. But it’s not always so easy to apply that to your own life.

In practice, this means going through a tiresome cycle of looking nice, having it commented on, then enduring paroxysms of guilt as I wrestle with an opposition of irrational flattery and righteous rage.

2. Self-slut-shaming As a staunch feminist, I’ve been holding myself to some idealistic standards that are difficult to meet. Those standards, for me, can be distilled to a single tenet: ‘Don’t hold women to the same sexist standards society holds them to. Do what you want so long as it doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s personal liberty.’ This should be very, very easy to do; I’m very good at not judging other women, that isn’t where the problem lies. It’s refraining from judging myself that’s a lot trickier. Take slut-shaming, which is abhorrent to me in a very obvious way. When a friend of mine tells me that they had good sex, we high five, maybe eat some cake to celebrate. So why do I still feel a compulsion to lie about my own sex life? I find myself gingerly opening the front door, sheepishly shuffling into the kitchen with an abashed little smile when my actual mental attitude demands that I sashay in to rapturous applause. Thank goodness those around me do applaud: my circle of friends is very much clued in. It seems like the only slutshaming round here is me-on-me; I can’t seem to

shake the sense of wrongdoing that’s been instilled over a lifetime.

3. Burning my mascots As with any movement, the feminist movement has spokespeople. Aside from myself, these are the people I demand perfection from. To quote Roxanne Gay’s book Bad Feminism, and Ted Talk of the same name: “As a feminist, I feel a lot of pressure. We have this tendency to put visible feminists on a pedestal. We expect them to pose perfectly. When they disappoint us, we gleefully knock them from the very pedestal we put them on.” I’m guilty of this, and I don’t feel guilty about it. I don’t need Germaine Greer’s brand of transexclusionary feminism. When Lena Dunham and Caitlin Moran showed their contempt for the issues of women of colour, I was happy to kick them to the curb. My anger towards these former icons is more than a simple ideological difference: it’s

about betrayal. I trusted these women to speak for me, to fight for me, and by their own admission they don’t want to. To me, they are terrible feminists, because their feminism isn’t for all women, it’s for a privileged few. So what makes a good feminist? How do I find the balance between loving myself as a sexual being, but not limiting myself to being a sexual object? How can I lead a happy little liberal life, behaving the way I want to without fear of retribution – from myself, of all people? I am a product of a patriarchal society and it takes time to unlearn a lifetime’s teachings. My mind is there – I’m ‘woke’, but I’m still waiting for the rest of me to catch up. The important thing is that I’m reading and learning and doing my very best. And so, probably, are you. After all, as Gay herself said: “I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all.”

Crimbophilia Christmas time, mistletoe and wine. And Santa fetishes, apparently?

t was in middle school that I found out about ‘Rule 34’. In case you need to be brought up to speed on urban legends spawned by a generation of pubescent internet natives, I’ll explain. Rule 34 stipulates that if X exists, there too will exist a porn pertaining to that subject. My classmates found this either hilarious or repulsive. I thought it was magnificently philosophical. There exist, on earth, billions and billions of sexually active human beings. We’re all a sum of our respectively bizarre childhoods, and each and every one of us experience potential triggers for all kinds of attractions, arousals, fetishes... and porn storylines. Sure, not everyone has porn scriptwriters and GoPros at their disposal, but I’m gonna put this out there – I buy Rule 34. And want to propose my own rule. Rule 35: If it exists, someone definitely has a fetish for it. With the most bizarre and sensuous of holidays, Christmas, just around the corner, I got to thinking that this was the perfect time to put Rule 35 to the test. I took to the internet, turned off my safesearch and went on a grand quest for Christmassy kink. Here’s a handful of fetishes I discovered, likely to be brought to the boil this Yuletide season.

December 2015

Words: Kate Pasola Illustration: Jacky Sheridan Chrysophilia

This word comes from the Ancient Greek khrusós, meaning ‘gold’, and of course philia meaning ‘love’. There aren’t a lot of recorded case studies relating to this on the old internet, but it’s included in just about every list of philias I could find, so there’s something in it. Something sparkly.

Dendrophilia Aka an attraction to trees. This fetish can stem (heh) further than the trope of tree-hugging, and refers to an actual romantic or sexual attraction to trees. Combined with Chrysophilia, who knows what sort of seasonal sexiness might break loose?

Santaphilia Most commonly referred to as ‘Santa Fetish’. This one hasn’t yet been assigned a fancy -philia suffix, so I took matters into my own hands. Santaphilia can manifest itself in a variety of different ways, however: it’s not all figgy pudding bellies and sprawling beards. In fact, it’s a pretty common fetishisation – we’re just somehow more comfortable with it when it’s Regina George and Cady Heron dressed in red latex and black knee-high boots. Or, put more simply, “Sexy Santa, size 8, £12.99”. Funny, that.

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RE V IE

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Neon Waltz

Kathryn Joseph

Twilight Sad

Gig Highlights Whether it's a Blanck Mass or a Neon Waltz you're after this Yuletide, our picks for the month ahead have all your festive whims covered

e made it! With 2015 all but done and dusted, everyone knows that December is basically a get out of jail free month, an excuse to eat, drink and be disorderly/raucous/pished or otherwise ‘merry’. In-between all of the festive shenanigans and general revelry, think of this month as a last chance to catch that band you’ve been meaning to see all year – and with the international acts winding up their global tours and heading home for Christmas, this is a particularly good opportunity to witness the skills of 2015’s brightest local stars. Hold on, we tell a lie – not all of the international acts have retired for the year. In fact, one fourth of the group responsible for the album chosen by this very publication as the best in show last year will be gracing Glasgow. That’s right, Warpaint’s Jenny Lee Lindberg – AKA jennylee – plays Stereo on 7 Dec in support of debut solo LP right on!. Catch a sneak peak of her dreamy new record before release on 11 December. Meanwhile, fellow American Jeffrey Lewis, known for his complex, cultivated ‘anti-folk’, will strum up a storm at Edinburgh’s Mash House on 13 Dec. And it’s been quite the year for Antipodean singer songwriter Courtney Barnett, with her deadpan delivery infusing a droll and endearing humour through an acclaimed debut, the wonderfully oddball Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. Hear the Aussie spin a yarn or two at O2 ABC Glasgow (2 Dec). Hailing from closer to home, twenty fifteen has also been a stellar year for everyone’s favourite art rock outfit, Django Django. Their sophomore record Born Under Saturn hit a glorious psych-pop home run – and with the fact that they’ll take to the hallowed Barrowlands stage with support duties by Stealing Sheep and RM Hubbert, this is not to be skipped for another screening of Die Hard (3 Dec). In the spirit of giving, December offers up a couple of slightly more out-of-the-way but nonetheless brilliant shows, for those not based between our two sparring cities. Beloved young guns and they of the brilliant ‘Barewood Aisles’ fame, Neon Waltz will shore up their ever-expanding fan base with a stint at Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre (1 Dec), while this year’s SAY winner Kathryn Joseph will illuminate Stirling’s Tolbooth (5 Dec) with the beautifully lachrymose tracks from her stunningly

December 2015

unique Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled. Roadtrip, anyone? Speaking of award winners (though with considerable more grunt and guitar noise), Divides are an upcoming heavy-rock five piece from Glasgow, fronted by the dynamic Tasha Cowie, and they’ve just bagged the SAMA award for Best Metal act. They’re bringing the racket to an end of year show at Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele (11 Dec). In a similarly ferocious fashion, there’s a dose of hardcore in it for you when Djevara bring their punk with a twist to Glasgow’s Bloc on 2 Dec. The London trio embrace the DIY aesthetic of yore – think Fugazi or Refused (before the meet and greet packages) and you can’t go wrong. There’s a powerful southern contingent descending upon Scottish turf this month too – Newcastle indie rock quartet Lanterns On The Lake play King Tut’s (with support from local lads Campfires In Winter) in support of this year’s haunting, eclectic Beings (4 Dec), forward thinking guitar rock comes courtesy of Notts up-and-comers Kagoule (who put on a killer show at London’s Field Day festival this summer) at Sneaky Pete’s on 9 Dec, and the same venue also hosts Manchester bad boys and Brit-rock revivalists Alias Kid, who are overseen by none other than Creation Records guru, the notorious Alan McGee (5 Dec). A couple of veteran outfits also show us how it’s done this month. Essex singer-songwriter and left-leaning activist Billy Bragg, who was a vocal supporter of the Yes campaign during last year’s referendum, will engage with a new generation of fans via his distinctive folk-punk at The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh (1 Dec). Then on 14 Dec, baggyera survivors The Charlatans (with Sunderland indie group Frankie & The Heartstrings in tow) bring a bit of cheer and swagger to the Usher Hall – we’ll see you down the front for a bit of North Country Boy. It’s been a hell of a year for Mr Benjamin John Power – known to the netherworld as Blanck Mass – who teamed with Jean Michel Jarre, remixed John Carpenter and even played two killer gigs to ring in our tenth anniversary. In support of May’s distorted masterpiece Dumb Flesh and recent Great Confuso EP, he’ll be offering your eardrums a sonic overhaul when he owns Dundee’s Beat Generator (10 Dec) and Glasgow’s Stereo (11 Dec).

In fact, why not just keep the ball rolling and party on into Hudson Mohawke’s O2 ABC set the next day (12 Dec) – the Glaswegian prodigy and noted pal of Kanye is playing venues as lofty as Berlin’s Berghain at the moment, so this ought to be a treat. And as for our regional craft, on 17 Dec young Edinburgh duo Man of Moon take on Sneaky Pete’s (also Glasgow’s Hug and Pint, 11 Dec) with a sound they claim was forged from a common bond over the likes of post-rock lords Mogwai and Russian Circles. They’ve been considered something of a whispered tip but with impressive sets at Electric Fields, T in the Park and much further afield this year, it looks like the secret’s out. On the other side of the coin, there’s rising Glasgow punks WOMPS. Their guitar heavy sound has drawn inevitable Nirvana comparisons (don’t they all, eh?), but they retain a point of difference with a distinctly indigenous charm (Nice N Sleazy, 21 Dec). Plus, the kind folk at CCA will host Auld Reekie label Stereogram’s cult-studded revue on 3 Dec.

Boasting a line-up of James King & The Lonewolves, The Band Of Holy Joy, The Cathode Ray, Lola In Slacks and much more, it’s a brilliant opportunity to bring yourself up to speed with Scottish acts both vintage and emerging. Speaking of which, Mercury nominated virtuoso C Duncan (there’s always the SAY, pal) takes in Edinburgh’s Pleasance Theatre on 4 Dec (also 5 Dec at Glasgow Art School), bringing fully formed debut Architect to life; Edinburgh group The Spook School play their clever-kid’s pop at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy (6 Dec); Vladimir headline The Hug and Pint with their doomy post-punk (21 Dec); there’s Glaswegian neo-psychedelic rock n roll from Tijuana Bibles at Electric Circus (3 Dec) and The Cosmic Dead at Bloc (30 Dec); and finally, like the Pogues’ old festive dates at the SECC each winter, we’re fast getting used to Kilsyth’s finest, The Twilight Sad, owning the Barrowlands every Christmas (returning on 12 Dec). There will be tears.

Do Not Miss Neu Reekie! Xmas Kracker, featuring Irvine Welsh, Hector Bizerk, Liz Lochhead, WHITE and more, Central Hall Edinburgh, 17 Dec If we had to choose just one festive hootenanny to attend this year, it would have to be the Xmas Kracker extravaganza by Edinburgh’s poetry svengalis Neu! Reekie! The creative collective take a critical approach to art, dismantling the structures that often render the art world restrictive and elitist, and in typical fashion, this end-of-year shindig promises to be over five hours of entertainment and good craic. The full line-up is still to be finalised but already includes fabulously flamboyant indie-new wave from Glasgow group WHITE, poetry reading from the prolific Liz Lochhead, electrically experimental hip-hop from Hector Bizerk, and an appearance from none other than literary bad-boy Irvine Welsh. Brush up on your Leith tongue now. [Claire Francis]

MUSIC

WHITE

Preview

Credit: Rita Azevedo

Words: Claire Francis

METZ / Protomartyr Stereo, Glasgow, 5 Nov

Ex Hex

memory even as you experience it for the first time. Likewise the sugary brilliance of Don’t Wanna Lose zips by in a blur of E numbers, with Mary rrrrr Timony’s right arm held aloft after a crashing power On first listen, Ex Hex seem perfectly straightforward chord: half in salute, half as a command for – a dash of Cheap Trick, a smidgen of The Nerves, our attention. a whole lotta Joan Jett. So winsome, so forceful, so Betsy Wright’s star turn on How You Got That damn thrilling are their hooks that it’s easy to lose Girl sees the room burst into enraptured ‘woahyourself to the rush of Hot And Cold and take it all oh-oh’ singalong mode, but it’s the wracked intenat face value. sity of Beast that wins the night, as garage squall But while their debut album Rips breezes by explodes into a fiery psych workout worthy of Thee in 35 minutes of insta-glam power pop, it doesn’t Oh Sees at their most molten. A thrilling concluquite convey the glorious energy of their live show; sion takes in Timony’s spectacularly fluid axework nor the tongues wedged firmly into their cheeks and bubblegum riffology, the band collapsing into as they throw themselves into knowing rock star sweaty puddles on the floor. poses – sometimes cuz it’s funny, more often cuz It’s been brief, with no new songs save a cover they’re having fun. Ex Hex were made for the stage. of The Sweet’s Fox On The Run, but no-one leaves They’re on fire tonight: Radio On is effortless feeling cheated. Notebooks out, plagiarists: this is magnificence, with a Modern Lovers-referencing how you put on a rock show. [Will Fitzpatrick] chorus that feels like it’s etched indelibly onto your Stereo, Glasgow, 6 Nov

Ibeyi

– appears completely effortless. Their near soldout audience is spell-bound, hanging on every word as Lisa-Kainde takes time to carefully introrrrrr duce their Yoruban and Cuban influences. There’s a strange, special warmth to the Ibeyi twins. Improv audience participation during Mama It’s in their spine-shivering harmonies, and in their Says – on record, a slow-burning reflection on their sparse, precise percussion. More than anything, mother’s grief – sees the previously rapt room though, it’s in Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz’s emdissolve into giggles, as King Tut’s enthusiastically phatic enjoyment of their own music. demolishes the ending of the ballad, egged on A deceptively simple set-up of keys, a drum by a gleeful Naomi. pad, a cajón drum and a batá drum – and two mics Glasgow’s inability to hold a note doesn’t de– offer a backdrop for this singular brew of politer Ibeyi from encouraging a throaty sing-along to shed beats and thoughtful, soulful story-telling. close the evening, either; in appreciation of their Lisa-Kainde (lead vocals and song writing duties) last UK tour date, the twins step out from behind conducts the evening with grace and grandeur their respective equipment to whip up a rowdy from behind her keyboard, while Naomi supplies rendition of album-opener River. Their haunting the beating heart of the show through a storm of chorus of “I will come to you river / wash my soul” drums and vigorous, physical percussion. doesn’t sound so spiritual in our infinitely less capThe sisters communicate non-verbally, acting able hands, but it somehow feels just as catharwith eerie synchronicity for a commanding, intui- tic. [Katie Hawthorne] tive performance that – on the surface at least King Tut’s, Glasgow, 10 Nov

ibeyi.fr

Photo: Rita Azevedo

Photo: Ross Gilmore

exhexband.com

Sweat droplets are saturating the heavy air, eyes are rolling wildly, and limbs are snapping about like a rabid pair of jaws. That’s not tonight’s headliners though; rather, it’s the lone antics of one fairly, erm, enthusiastic individual who has cleared a three-feet exclusion zone around the Stereo stage with his startling paroxysms. When the manic mosher does himself an injury and claret starts spurting from his head, even METZ, the devastatingly punk-hardcore Canadian outfit, are concerned. “Someone help this guy, he’s bleeding,” motions guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, though our victim is quick to reassure the room, “It’s okay – I’m from Motherwell!” Welcome to Glasgow, indeed. Filth, rancour, intensity, and moments of beauty – Glasgow embodies it all, and tonight METZ deliver it all, forging a happy marriage for the threepiece from Toronto. Earlier in the evening, the support slot is handled with murky aplomb by postpunkers Protomartyr, frontman Joe Casey’s grip on his Pabst Blue Ribbon can as unyielding as the group’s caliginous, rattling riffs. The band from Detroit make a solid case for new record The Agent Intellect, particularly with the rumbling, primal Why Does It Shake?, which crashes pleasingly into place at the tail-end of their set. Young guns METZ have fielded inevitable Nirvana comparisons, but they also blister and rankle with a purist kind of Sex Pistols rancour that inspires the aforementioned boisterous crowd behaviour. Edkins’ ragged vocals are punctured by a machine gun spittle of drums, and tracks like The Swimmer temper the group’s abrasive aesthetic via covert melodic threads. It’s an ebullient, assured performance from a group with just two albums under their belt, and METZ assert tonight that the bite they brandished on sophomore album II isn’t just confined to the recording. [Claire Francis]

Photo: John Graham

Photo: Derek Robertson

rrrrr

Kurt Vile & the Violators O2ABC Glasgow, 16 Nov

rrrrr

With six studio albums now to his name, we’re well versed in hirsute rocker Kurt Vile’s grunge-tinted Americana introspections. With latest record b’lieve i’m goin’ down pushing even further into the realm of guitar-centred ruminations on the nature of existence, the Philadelphia native and his nonchalant band of Violators have reclaimed pedal-heavy rock for a generation of cogitative millennials. So just how does Mr Vile translate b’lieve, a self-described ‘night-time record’ which the singer has explained was predominantly conceived through large periods of chilling out on his couch, into a tangible live act? For one, this latest record broadens Vile’s instrument cache, making a creative foray into jazz piano and fingerpicked banjo, the latter of which adds a melodic, dust-storm brilliance to set opener I’m An Outlaw. The frontman is also a deft guitar player; he vivifies the dreamy, illusory Wheelhouse with

magnetic lead playing through the outro, and new album favourite Pretty Pimpin is played a step down in tempo in comparison to the recording, creating a perfectly fuzzy, miry ode to personality crisis. The Violators meanwhile are perhaps in possession of the greatest misnomer in rock music. There’s no violence or violating to be had, just an adept shadowing of the leading man, whether in the smooth Wurlitzer keys that accompany Dust Bunnies, or in talented multi-instrumentalist Jesse Trbovich’s sax solo scene-stealer during Freak Train. What’s more, Vile is a funny dude. His stage presence, or rather deliberate lack thereof, may exasperate those audience members who demand more in the way of rapport, but behind that curtain of hair a droll grin crosses the frontman’s face at frequent intervals. He fumbles about with pedals between songs, and favours a few ironic ‘yips’ and ‘yeeews’ over conversation. Behind the self-conscious reticence though, is a man full of musings; we’ve listened closely, and we’re leaving with a smile tonight too. [Claire Francis] kurtvile.com

Review

MUSIC

THE SKINNY

Right On, Thumbs Up Bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg’s taken time out from Warpaint to move to her own rhythms. She explains the all-important attitude behind debut solo record, right on! Interview: Katie Hawthorne

“Y

ou say it like, ‘Right On! Right On!’ I say it all the time. Good, groovy, right on, thumbs up… go for it. That’s why I put the exclamation point, to make sure people are saying it with some positivity, some enthusiasm!” Jenny Lee Lindberg takes attitude very seriously; the making of her first solo record right on! (titled with vital punctuation) is born of spirited risk-taking, of ‘Fuck it! Why not?’ If you’ve read The Skinny at least once in the last five years, there’s high odds you’ll have come across Lindberg’s work. As one quarter of LA indie band Warpaint, in previous years Jenny Lee has graced our front cover and taken the top spot on our end-of-year album lists. But now, in the closing months of 2015 (“It’s a strange time to release an album, isn’t it?”), she’s stepped away from her duties as a bassist, and as a founding member of the group, and taken some time to explore her own ideas. When we invited Warpaint’s drummer Stella Mozgawa to predict the band’s future, roughly this time last year, she hinted at there being some surprises in store… could this be what she had in mind? “Oh really?!” Lindberg laughs. “She did? Well yeah, I was working on this record then. I’d started writing before, when we’d come home from tour and had some time off… and some of the songs were even written a couple of summers ago. One year ago? Maybe two? Yeah, I would say that this has been in the making maybe two years, tops. It’s definitely time for me to share… to share music with the world! And it’s fun, because I’ve not really ever shared anything like this before.” Under the lowercased moniker jennylee, Lindberg’s been posting fragments of tracks and split seconds of experimental video via her individual Twitter and Instagram accounts for several months – encouraging speculation of solo work with a trail of breadcrumbs, right up until the album’s official announcement. She’s clearly enjoying life in the driver’s seat, but given Warpaint’s heavy schedule and their immersive approach to record writing, surely it felt a little strange for Lindberg to split herself between two such demanding projects? And, moreover, how does she distinguish between ideas for Warpaint, and ideas for jennylee? “Hmmm. It’s funny.” Lindberg pauses. “It’s funny because I get asked that question often. Like, how do I know if it’s a jennylee song? Basically… and I think it kind of goes the same for all of us [in Warpaint]… but if I write a song and I’ve got the bass line and a couple other ideas then cool, this is something for the band. Because then we can all take it somewhere, without it just being mine. If I write a song, and I’ve got the bass, the guitar lines, the vocals, the harmonies… then that’s mine to keep.” It is funny – because it seems very likely that anyone who’s previously asked that question of Lindberg has had expectations of a floatier, more ethereal answer. Lindberg laughs again: “It’s how it goes with the rest of the girls, as well. Pretty basic stuff.” As far as expectations go, right on! – on first listen – goes some way to fulfilling them. Opening track Blind begins with typically breathy, shadowed bass and the sense of space and ceremony which we know as characteristically Lindberg’s,

December 2015

consistent throughout Warpaint’s discography thus far. A similarly architectural approach runs through eerie, sexy slow-burners Long Lonely Winter and He Fresh... but then you run up against the record’s surprisingly sharp, antagonistic tracks, like Bully and Boom Boom. And that’s when you start to realise this record’s not so easy to pin down. Single Never – a woozy, new-wave act of affirmation – offers further excellent example of right on!’s reluctance to stay still. Drawn up by grunge measurements and tinted with New Order-reminiscent hooks, it’s a moody, self-absorbed anthem of self-empowerment. Or, at least, it sounds that way – but even Lindberg’s not sure. “I mean… and I feel this with any song… it’s totally open to interpretation. I think I write like that… sort of cryptic. A lot of it is metaphor. But what it means to me? I will offer money to whoever can actually figure that out, or even what it’s about.” The record is heavily, broodingly atmospheric; romantic in a gothtinged, frosted way. When we point out what sounds like a straight-up nod to Nirvana (the first verse of Offerings repeats “something in the way…. you move me”) – she’s delighted. “Oh my god! Yeah! I mean… yeah, but also no. It’s a weird homage to Paul McCartney and Nirvana at the same time. It’s funny… we don’t mean to, but Warpaint – we do a lot of Nirvana homages and it’s not really intentional. Beside Undertow. Undertow was definitely intentional.” The influence of Undertow – one of the band’s first truly big singles – can certainly be felt beneath the bones of right on!, but in no straightforward sense. This is definitely no Warpaint release. As Lindberg continues to explain, “I feel that this record has got a little bit of everything. There’s a bit of new wave, sure. But I wouldn’t say that the whole record is goth. I feel like there’s five compartments, five genres of music going in. I didn’t have any prerequisites for how I wanted it to sound.”

“I wasn’t going to play shows… but fuck that. I wanna tour” Jenny Lee Lindberg

We agree that the record’s a shapeshifter – over time, after several listens, it feels a little different... depending on your frame of mind, or perhaps even the weather outside. But whatever it is, “it’s how I’d imagined it”, Lindberg enthuses. “How I had it in my head; it totally came to life how I wanted it to.” One of the record’s biggest surprises comes in the form of White Devil. Tucked in just before the record wraps up, it’s a truly eerie, propheticfeeling ballad which suddenly accelerates, exploding in yelps and howls. Assisted in vocals by Lindberg’s friend Kris Byerly, the savage male voice feels a shock – an intrusion, almost – into the world the record’s created so far. “I wanted a bit

more of a masculine feel,” Lindberg explains. “I knew exactly who I was going to call. Obviously there’s tonnnnnes of musicians here to pool from in Los Angeles. Like with my friend Dan [Elkan], too… I was like, I’m not exactly sure what to do guitar-wise on this, do you have any ideas? It was nice for me to wear a different hat. To direct… and still let people bring their own flavours to it.” Wearing her new directorial hat, Lindberg’s built up a team in a very natural, “organic” way, calling upon friends like Warpaint drummer Mozgawa, producer Norm Block and visual artist and regular collaborator Mia for the record’s moody video accompaniments. Her substantial touring band includes Tony Bevilacqua, once of the Distillers, and allows Lindberg to focus solely on vocal duties while on stage. For someone who’s spent all their life behind a bass, though, surely it was difficult to abdicate responsibility? “I mean, no-one’s going to play it like me. It’s just not going to happen like that,” she admits. “It became a different thing, I had to let go of wanting the live show to sound exactly

MUSIC

how the record sounds. What’s cool about the record, anyways, is that it is pretty elemental and raw… so it’s not the hardest thing to translate live.” Having played two small US shows (“they were more like hangs, really”) in LA and NYC, Lindberg’s first proper venture as jennylee is a short, wintery circuit of the UK – with Glasgow as the opening night. She talks, excitedly, of a much longer tour to come next year, too… but all this has far surpassed her initial intentions. “Originally, I was going to just make a record of demos, and do it all by myself. Then I decided I wanted to step it up a little bit… I was like, ‘Nah... you know what? Just go for it. Fully realise your vision. Make an album. Put it out.’ I wasn’t going to go on tour, I wasn’t going to play shows… but fuck that. I wanna tour. I wanna do shows. I wanna do it.” If you’re gonna do it, do it hard? “Exactly.” Right on. Playing Glasgow Stereo on 7 Dec right on! is released on 11 Dec via Rough Trade jennyleelindberg.com

Review

Album of the Month The Grand Gestures

one of several spoken word contributions that add to the album’s intimacy; a nostalgic sense of huddling together for storytime, which admittedly is rarely borne out by the seasonal but gloomy rrrrr subject matter (loneliness, regret, the passage of time). Close the curtains and light the fire – Christmas with The Grand The brainchild of Jan Burnett (also of Dundonian lo-fi heroes Gestures is a chilly, downbeat business. Utterly devoid of sleigh bells Spare Snare), Happy Holidays is a subtle beast. Not an instant classic, and festive cheer, Happy Holidays’ sombre, ambient electronics are for sure; its pull is softer but no less urgent than that, taking a few more likely to remind you of a budget This Mortal Coil than Slade listens to reveal its intoxicating magic. As Burnett’s tonal pulses cusor Darlene Love, particularly when guests Andrew Howie and Pauline hion the invited cast of vocalists – also including Idlewild’s Andrew Alexander cry hopelessly over Quiet’s grim, icy tundras. Mitchell – this is the perfect accompaniment, rather than antidote, It’s a genuine beauty that they concoct, however; a natural poig- to the darkness of the winter nights. nancy that lingers long after its throbbing electronics fade into [Will Fitzpatrick] Dundee, Scotland, 1998 – solemnly intoned by Ross Thompson, and thegrandgestures.bandcamp.com Happy Holidays [Chute Records, Out now]

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

jennylee

Noeth Ac Anoeth [New Heavy Sounds, 4 Dec]

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Possibly the most potent thing to come out of Wrexham since a Mark Hughes volley, the gloriously named Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard present their heavy, heavy monster sound on this three-track, 50-minute ‘mini’-album. Taking its title from an ancient Welsh phrase meaning ‘an abode of existence, or Hades crossed with nothingness,’ this hypnotic slab of doom metal certainly leaves the listening gulping for air amongst its dark, cosmic sludge of riffs and monolithic drums. Offering light in the gloom are the angelic vocals of Jessica Ball, whose mesmorising voice lends MWWB’s cosmic soundscapes the ethereal quality of Cranes or My Bloody Valentine on opener Les Paradis Artificiels. Closing proceedings is the 30-minute-plus space opus Nachthexen, which contains passages so lumbering and prehistoric it’s a wonder the band do not actually become extinct before the track fades out. Dark, spacious and mysterious, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard are the real deal. [Jamie Bowman]

Hanne Kolstø

right on! [Rough Trade, 11 Dec]

While We Still Have Light [Jansen Plateproduksjon, 18 Dec]

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If you check the liner notes to right on!, you’ll find a Lindberg on bass and a Mozgawa on the drums… but this is no Warpaint record. Jenny Lee Lindberg’s first solo record – as the lowercased jennylee – has been a long time in the making, and it requires an equally dedicated approach to letting it soak in. On first impressions, right on! is a smoky, shadowed cathedral to goth rock – moody and sculptural, quasi-romantic offerings presented in monochrome. But, as with most people once you get to know them, you’ll learn a whole lot more once you’ve moved past the formalities of introduction. Colours emerge. Single Never’s grunge credentials brush up against the almost trip-hop of He Fresh, and the scrawled, vicious landscape of White Devil. Confident and supremely creepy, Lindberg’s proven skill for creating space and manipulating atmosphere means that right on! changes shape so rapidly, there’ll be no way of knowing quite how to feel about it any time soon. [Katie Hawthorne]

Hanne Kolstø’s latest boasts a cracking USP: While We Still Have Light is the Norwegian’s fifth album in five years. In an age where artists routinely disappear for that long while they sniff out their elusive muse and tweak the hedge fund, Kolstø remembers what it is she does for an actual living. An album every year. Oh my. For those of us who’ve been properly asleep, the back-tracking starts here. While We Still Have Light is a breathtaking high gloss spectacle, a showcase of deep songcraft and rich musicality. For once the greats come to mind: Canada’s unsung genius Jane Siberry, for one, and if Kolstø’s countrywoman Susanne Sundfør’s Ten Love Songs has stolen your heart, this is most definitely for you. Soaring hyper-balladry dominates: taut percussion, sumptuous strings, crisp keys. But on This Town, when she swoons, “I feel so weak beside you,” her (genuinely staggering) voice exposed fully for the first time, prepare to cave. A genuinely thrilling discovery. [Gary Kaill]

Playing Glasgow Stereo on 7 Dec | jennyleelindberg.com

hannekolstoe.com

mammothweedwizardbastard.bandcamp.com

Motopony

Yacht

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Welcome You [eOne Music / Fast Plastic, 4 Dec]

Alex Bleeker & The Freaks

I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler [Downtown, 4 Dec]

Country Agenda [Sinderlyn, 4 Dec]

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If it rains a-plenty in the Pacific North West, Seattle’s Motopony possess enough loose, counter-culture cachet to keep us dry and cosy. Combining psychedelic patterns with slow-burn hues, the sextet’s sound – underpinned by Daniel Blue’s fluid, high register vocals – doesn’t shy away from detail, the harmonies, guitar cues and swirling Hammond organ stanzas of Bridge of Clubs and Livin’ In The Fire awash with subtle experimentation. 1971 and Molly wear their late-era Beatles influences without prejudice – and should Welcome You have a problem, it’s perhaps that many of its eleven tracks arrive as expected; song structures frequently find themselves trapped in a West Coast record store circa… well, 1971. It’s when the band slip further away from convention (such as sitar-driven closer Where It Goes) that the disc’s intelligence falls into sharper focus, and interest is aroused. [Duncan Harman]

YACHT (it stands for Young Americans Challenging High Technology) have punishingly cool credentials: describing themselves variously as an ‘avant-garde karaoke group’ and ‘a no wave broken disco band,’ Claire L. Evans and Jona Brechtolt have roped in renowned producer Jacknife Lee for their sixth album. The result is an ambitious conceptual pop album that seems to attempt to do for the 21st century what the likes of Heaven 17 attempted to do for the 80s. Dystopian references to holograms, phones, police violence, sex and technology give their upbeat electro pop a Ballardian and rather sinister edge: it’s no surprise that one of the catchiest songs here is called I Wanna Fuck You Til I’m Dead. Elsewhere the jittery Don’t Be Rude sees Evans ruminating on the lost mythology of childhood, pleading, ‘Don’t tell me there’s no face on the moon.’ If it all feels rather cold and scary, perhaps that’s the point. Until then, just dance. [Jamie Bowman]

As likable and genuine a fellow as he comes across, Alex Bleeker is a flagrant fibber: “I’m not a fan of looking back,” he sings on Honey, I Don’t Know, atop bluesy guitar licks and autumnal organ swells pulled straight from electric-era Dylan. Indeed, Bleeker and his latest line-up possess an affinity for the rustic jangle of classic rock that eclipses even his main band Real Estate, moving beyond nostalgic homage and into the much less trendy territory of bonafide revivalism. Bleeker’s a proud Deadhead and the evidence abounds – bright harmonies, pastoral lyrics, the odd squelchy keyboard. Late cut Turtle Dove, a chirpy traditional favoured by Jerry Garcia, is admittedly an acquired taste but otherwise Country Agenda is an easy listen and certainly Bleeker’s most refined. Still, as exemplary a jam band as the current Freaks ensemble prove themselves (and likely the one he’s always wanted) this reviewer can’t help but wish Bleeker looked back as fondly on the raw, headier spirit of his debut. [Andrew Gordon]

motoponymusic.com

teamyacht.com

alexbleekerandthefreaks.bandcamp.com

Sudakistan

Caballo Negro [PNKSLM Recordings, 20 Nov]

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Had enough of repetitive tonal washes? Splashed in sufficient puddles of droned-out acid rock? Used words like ‘motorik’ to the point of irritation? Seems fair, and yet there still seems to be more essential psych wizardry out there. Take Swedish-based South Americans Sudakistan and the unrelenting energy of their distinctly doolally grooves: a generous dollop of Latin flavour added to an already-heady brew. A ruckus is raised, and you can hear the sweat drip. See, this is more than another stoned meander around hazily pastoral grooves. Mundo Mamon positively attacks its already-furious rhythms, laying down a gauntlet which Rabia’s savage stomp is only too keen to take up. Sudakistan’s chief reputation is that of live band extraordinaire, a claim which too often sets studio documents up for a fall. Caballo Negro’s closing triumvirate tosses such concerns aside – a dizzying, sashaying series of pulses that command both your hips and your undying adoration. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Review

Lil Bub

Giuda

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Science & Magic [Joyful Noise, 4 Dec]

Speaks Evil [Burning Heart Records, 4 Dec]

Controversially, Science & Magic isn’t performed by the internet’s favourite cat Lil BUB. It’s a concept album, conceived and created by ‘Bubbysitter’ Matt Tobey (aka Matty Pop Chart, also of Bloomington indie-punk wonders Good Luck) to raise money for special needs pets, and according to Andrew WK’s sleeve notes, “listening to these songs is the sonic equivalent to holding Lil BUB in your own arms.” The road to hell, as we’re all aware, is paved with good intentions, but this record just about gets away with ‘em. Perhaps appropriately given his muse, Tobey demonstrates a short attention span with regards to genre, running the gamut from string-laden, Go! Team drama to 8-bit videogame nerdcore; a post-everything popgasm. The sun-flecked, dewdrop synths of A Friend steal the show, alongside GOOD JOB’s nonchalant wonder – ok, there’s little here that’ll get your fingernails dirty, but it should all leave you feline pretty good. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Ah; glam rock. All those builders in chiffon and too much make-up, brightening up the three-day week. It’s a curious niche for a bunch of 21st century Italian punks to be mining; that the quintet are already on to album #3 suggests that there’s mileage yet. Cue stomping beats and fellatio guitar, the football terrace chants (on tracks such as Working Class Man and You Can Do Everything) liberal, and more than a little Suzi Quatro. Elsewhere, Roll the Balls is appropriately ballsy. Mama Got The Blues sounds like Primal Scream’s Rocks performed by Eddie and the Hot Rods, whilst Bonehead Waltz is The Sweet toying with a harder sound, and everything’s delivered straight-up, without recourse to irony, as if Speaks Evil knows where its influences lay, and isn’t particularly bothered that the rest of us know so too (indeed, all the band lack is the requisite amount of make-up and chiffon). [Duncan Harman]

joyfulnoiserecordings.com

giuda.net

RECORDS

THE SKINNY

The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings

Rockin’ Rudoph [Surfdog Records, 9 Dec]

Sunturns

It’s a Holiday Soul Party [Daptone Records, out now]

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Christmas I & II [Fika, 4 Dec]

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This is more like it. As a multitude of half-cocked attempts at festive frivolity pay more attention to the cash till than genuine good cheer, the rockabilly stalwart and his swing band return with their first Christmas album in a decade, and it’s a cracker. Setzer’s big band stylings are perfect for this mix of festive standards and rarely seen oddballs. Thankfully, the former take precedence, so rest easy as Setzer’s guitar and backing horns set about the likes of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Here Comes Santa Claus and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Even non-essentials like, um, Yabba-Dabba Yuletide are dispatched with enough spirit and soul to forgive their inclusion. The ex-Stray Cat is too wily and too long in the tooth to knock out shoddy product: Rockin’ Rudolph features classy arrangements, is beautifully packaged and stands as a timely reminder that this stuff done well can warm even the Grinchiest heart. [Gary Kaill]

Not very Christmassy. There you go, Sharon: one for the advertising campaign right there. And in the spirit of the season, yours for free. It’s not that this festive collection from the esteemed soul singer and her backing troupe doesn’t go about its business with enough zip to at least try to get the party started but ultimately, it wants for glitter and sparkle. Featuring only a handful of bona fide holiday favourites (White Christmas, Silent Night, Please Come Home For Christmas) and populated largely by lesser known tunes and Dap Kings originals, it’s a worthy enough endeavour but nowhere near as much fun as it thinks it is. The retro packaging hints at good times from the golden age but, really, for Christmas done with classic soul, there’s still only one option, and there’s nothing here to offer up even the slightest competition to Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift For You. [Gary Kaill]

Disliking a Christmas album is like admitting the John Lewis advert didn’t make you cry, or that you secretly think eggnog is vile. But, happily, this time comes round just once a year. Sunturns are a Norwegian supergroup, comprising of members from Making Marks, The Little Hands of Asphalt, Monzano, Moddi and Einar Stray Orchestra – and they’ve linked mittens to make not one, but two sides of supremely twee festivity. This double-sided album features no less than 20 original Christmas songs (and, thankfully, one Ramones cover). A few tracks, like Looks Like Styrofoam and The Axial Tilt, cross rare, uncharted Christmas territory, but for the most part the album reels out like a bluffer’s guide to festive bingo. It’s either adorable or terrifying, depending on how you’d feel imagining Marcus Mumford in a knitted cardi carolling with actual jingle bells and a beard full of hand-crafted snowflakes. You might need that eggnog after all. [Katie Hawthorne]

briansetzer.com

sharonjonesandthedapkings.com

fikerecordings.com

Alan Vega, Alex Chilton, Ben Vaughn

Matt Berry & Maypoles

Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes [Svart Records, 4 Dec]

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Cubist Blues [Light in the Attic, 4 Dec]

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Jess and the Ancient Ones

Live [Acid Jazz, 3 Dec]

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“At the time, I didn’t fully realise how unique the Cubist Blues experience was,” said Vaughn of his 1994 collaboration with Suicide’s Alan Vega and the late Alex Chilton (Big Star). Now re-released (and deserving of a far larger audience than it originally received), the scuzzy inclinations and solitary lightbulb feel of this transcends any fear that they didn’t make the most obvious of trios. Instead, something murky. Semi-improvised and unpolished... and delightful with it, with Chilton’s guitar and shards of coldedged synth with Vega’s vocals – particularly on tracks as languid as Freedom and Too Late – arriving directly from a 3am street corner on the Bowery. And while references to the protagonists’ respective back catalogues do occasionally skulk closer to the mic (the album closes with a version of Suicide’s Dream Baby Dream, reimagined through the ennui of an empty bottle), there’s something behind this swathe of end-of-evening, New York City blues that never feels forced or phony; a record that makes you wish they’d recorded far more together. [Duncan Harman]

Kooky cultural eccentric Matt Berry’s back. This time, he brings you a live compilation album of his time touring with The Maypoles. Stretching over material from three records released between 2008-13 (Witchazel, Kill The Wolf and Opium), Live reads a little like a greatest hits – particularly as his press release warns that he’ll not be playing many of these songs again. Berry’s known for being silly on TV, so it’s worth stressing that his music is not any kind of Boosh-informed improv. In fact, it’s almost too serious. Overblown country-lore is matched by very, very long, twiddling solos. Blown-out prog meets twee, superstitious folk in a manner that feels like a misdirected conversation with your local homebrew keeno, straight from the script of Hot Fuzz. It must be said, though, that the record avoids the potentially smug nature of a live album with grace; gratuitous edits of audience applause are minimal, and Berry’s occasional “Oooh, thank you very much indeed”s are warm and genuine. There’s no grandstanding here; Live is wellintentioned, but largely unnecessary. [Katie Hawthorne]

Taking the ‘does what it says on the tin’ approach to album titles, the Finnish sextet’s second long player isn’t going to win many awards for striking new ground; the smoky, deepregister vox of Jess herself sits reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane or (perhaps a closer match) early 70s prog rockers Curved Air, but more than that, each musical theme pulses with psych-rock allusion of vaguely mystic proportions, the keyboards and bass lines owing something to The Old Grey Whistle Test. Thankfully, what this particular second coming doesn’t want for is sincerity, the band eager to take it's audience on a journey (and at 20+ minutes in length, closer Goodbye to the Virgin Grounds Forever is certainly that). Stand-out In Levitating Secret Dreams isn’t afraid to display its muscles, while tracks such as The Equinox Death Trip and the sample-driven Samhain grab passing riffs and give them a squeeze. In fact, strip away the magick and the hokum, and this becomes quite a fun record indeed. [Duncan Harman]

lightintheattic.net

Playing Glasgow Òran Mór on 3 Dec | themattberry.co.uk

facebook.com/jessandtheancientones

Aucan

LeRoy

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Stelle Fisse [Kowloon Records , 18 Dec] Far from the shy retiring geeks of electro stereotype, Italian trio Aucan have toured incessantly over the last few years, playing over 300 shows supporting the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Matmos and Fuck Buttons. If the sprawling and cosmic Stelle Fisse is anything to go by, Aucan could soon be stepping up to headline status themselves, with their combination of minimalist post-rock and modular techno sure to win over crowds of earnest beard strokers and rave kids alike. Key to Aucan’s brilliance is the emotion they bring to their hypnotic soundscapes. If this initially comes across as a bit moody on opener Disgelo’s ominous drum intro and haunting vocals, it’s soon replaced by the calming ambient rave of Loop/Layers. The best example of the Italians’ melding of live instruments and electronics comes with Disto, while towards the album’s end they successfully set the controls for the heart of the sun on Outer Space and the far-better-than-it-sounds Cosmic Dub. [Jamie Bowman]

Google Translate can’t handle Skläsh; after suggesting that it might possibly be a Swedish word, the engine admitted defeat. No matter, because Skläsh feels a perfect, untranslatable onomatopoeia for the avant-garde workings of Munich music maker Leo Hopfinger. A spiralling, left-field adventure through found sounds, field recordings and other noises totally uncategorisable, Hopfinger offers a walk down a path rarely taken. For a starting point, think kraut, think lo-fi, think house… heck, even techno. But then imagine those genres in the hands of an ensemble of woodland creatures, who’ve got their paws on a couple of cheese graters and a sitar. Completely immersive, you could spend all your time trying to calculate the weird and the wonderful in Skläsh’s soundscape – but, it’s far warmer and more welcoming than that. The bubbling, echoing start to The Beach, or the semiindustrial twinge to Skai help you gain a foothold within Hopfinger’s madness, and once you’re in, you’re in. [Katie Hawthorne]

aucan.aucanism.com

schamoni.de/musik

EP Reviews Stargaze & Greg Saunier

Deerhoof Chamber Variations [Transgressive, 4 Dec]

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As though Greg Saunier wasn’t busy enough with his various bands, improv exercises, production projects et al, he drops this nifty piece of work. Working with André de Ridder’s stargaze ensemble (their absence of capitalisation, honest), the Deerhoof polymath has re-composed some of his band’s work as neo-classical sketches, and the effects are dazzling. Stuttering pianos and stabs of violin lend a new sense of danger to Rainbow Silhouette Of The Milky Rain, while two voices alternate syllables on Data’s refrain of ‘Nothing you can do can stop me falling,’ before caressing the ears like sweet, warm breaths.It’s best to put memories of the originals to one side; these beautiful arrangements survive just fine under their own steam. [Will Fitzpatrick] we-are-stargaze.com

Band of Gold

Skläsh [Schamoni, 4 Dec]

Blanck Mass

The Great Confuso EP [Sacred Bones, Out now]

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Mere addendum to this year’s Dumb Flesh LP? Well, no; split 50/50 between remix and new material it may be, but The Great Confuso creates its own gravity well. Built upon a fifteen second Korg loop, the three movement title track morphs from mutated synth pop motif, through visceral, industrial workout, then into widescreen, ambient pay-off, each step not only logical progression but revelatory in how the triptych moulds perception. The listener receives a pummelling, but it’s a pummelling that’s as thrilling as it is necessary. Not that the remixes are any less integral to the narrative. Dalhous takes Dead Format and strips it of all skin; Konx-Om-Pax’s revisit to Detritus skilfully deposits ecclesiastical grace on the cusp of atonality. And throughout: the presence of Genesis P-Orridge, providing godhead narration to conclude The Great Confuso, then reinterpreting No Lite as an act of warped, snapping tribalism. Recommended? Bloody essential, more like. [Duncan Harman]

Band of Gold [Jansen Plateproduksjon, 11 Dec]

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Pop music. It’s such the supermarket; given free reign, and it’s tempting to overfill your trolley. Not so Norwegian singer-songwriter Nina Mortvedt, who confidently flits between reference points from the 70s and 80s to the present day. The result is an album of contrasts, by mood and by instrumentation. No Way Around floats across an inviting sea of strings, woodwind and harmonies; Wishes pulls things closer, brushing against (but never aping) Kate Bush’s more intimate moments. Nashville flavours (Ready) mingle with folk-rock Americana (For You), while The Parade carries a hook to warm even cold hearts). Recorded, mixed, and co-composed by Oslo indie-scene mainstay Nikolai Eilertsen, that even the weaker tracks sparkle with touches both retro and modern. A record that’s received rave reviews in its homeland; by rights, it should do so here too. [Duncan Harman] facebook.com/bandofgoldofficial

The Top Five 1 2

The Grand Gestures Happy Holidays

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

Noeth Ac Anoeth

Band of Gold

Sudakistan

Hanne Kolstø

Band of Gold

Caballo Negro While We Still Have Light

Playing Aberdeen Lemon Tree on 9 Dec; Dundee Beat Generator on 10 Dec and Glasgow Stereo on 11 Dec | blanckmass.co.uk

December 2015

RECORDS

Review

Suspended in a Sunbeam With solo project and a new album just launched, The Skinny catches up with former Aereogramme/ Unwinding Hours frontman Craig B aka A Mote of Dust to talk music, metaphor, and just a little metaphysics

n February 1990, the Voyager 1 space probe took its last ever photograph. Heading out of the Solar System on its one-way ticket to nowhere, it turned its cameras back towards whence it came, and took one last glimpse of a distant home. Pale Blue Dot, as the photo subsequently became known, remains one of the most evocative images of our planet ever taken. A study in scale; Earth as pixel, a tiny smudge, hanging against the void. Or as astronomer Carl Sagan famously put it: “Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was. The aggregate of our joy and suffering… on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.” Words, image… they’re an oft-used metaphor – but not one whose potency has been diluted. “I think that Sagan’s quote is the ultimate perspective,” says Craig Beaton. “It’s a reminder to myself to stop focusing on myself. What’s beautiful about the quote is that it gives you that perspective; the more you back out from yourself, the more you can see.” A shade metaphysical for a discussion about music, perhaps, but Beaton has never been afraid to address thoughts that resonate far beyond a record’s physical dimensions. Ideas that stretch from his time as vocalist/guitarist with the criminally under-rated Aereogramme, more recently as one half of The Unwinding Hours, and now, in solo guise, as A Mote of Dust – and an eponymous album that represents quite possibly the most accomplished disc of his career so far. It’s a pared-back affair, centred upon piano, steel-stringed guitar and vox, and it’s this intimate setting that allows the album’s themes to percolate. Meditations upon faith, dislocation, isolation, taking Sagan’s words and extrapolating out. It’s a personal record, unafraid to touch upon confessional. But it’s also an honest record, tinted with a self-deprecating playfulness, and far too canny to fall prey to ego. “That’s always been the case for me,” he explains as The Skinny catches up with him at home in Sheffield. “If I don’t include a personal aspect

Review

in the song it never feels right; it feels that there’s something missing. I’ve always wanted to try not to write like that, but I just can’t seem to do it.” “The music that I loved when I was growing up was music that made me think that somebody was somehow articulating emotions and feelings that I struggled to articulate myself. The idea that maybe somewhere, somebody might connect with the feelings – not so that they understand me; so that they understand themselves. That they get a sense that maybe it’s okay to feel that way; that maybe it’s okay to ask these questions. “That to me was always the real power of music – that you can take a song and make it your own; if people enjoy music that I make, it’s really important that the song is theirs now. It’s actually nothing to do with me anymore.” All of which suggests an artist unafraid to pose intelligent questions. “It is cathartic to me, and I would hope that it then becomes cathartic to other people; what it means to me, and to my life, is completely irrelevant. What matters is what it means to them, and I really hope that that’s the case. Of course, some people are going to listen to this and go, ‘BORING,’ but it’s not going to be for them. For some people I really hope that it is actually something that maybe gets their thinking caps on.” It’s been three years since Afterlives, the last Unwinding Hours long player, and Beaton has since maintained a degree of radio silence. Even in 2010, as the band’s self-titled debut was released, he’d already returned to university – he’s currently studying for a Masters in Sociology and Religious Studies – and having upped sticks from Glasgow to Yorkshire, such life changes are very much in A Mote of Dust’s sphere of influence. “It’s connected to moving down to Sheffield,” he explains of the record’s genesis. “I was moving away from the network of musicians that I knew, going into a much more isolated environment, because when you move to a new city when you’re in your 30s, nobody wants new friends; it’s strange for people in their late 30s to start looking for people to hang about with.” Not that A Mote of Dust exists in a vacuum.

Produced by Chem19’s Paul Savage (“Paul has always been fantastic; I think he gets a lot of enjoyment out of pushing people, but he does it really cleverly – he’s not a tyrant about it”), and featuring frequent collaborator Graeme Smillie on piano (“He understands what I’m looking for. You need somebody like Smillie to come in and make a track human; to embellish it with all the right moments”), the exposed, stripped-back texture of the material – while different in tone to previous work – still slots neatly into canon.

“I make anti-party music” Craig B

“With Aereogramme we used to sell acoustic CDs on tour,” he recalls. “We would record acoustic EPs in hotel rooms, and sold about four or five acoustic CDs, and we continued to do this with The Unwinding Hours. Even though these bands were always known as post-rock, I always had the singersongwriter element going on; it was always a very important part of what I like to do. I knew that the acoustic thing was going to be the most appropriate outlet for what was going to be next.” Of course, one name missing from the credits is that of long-time writing partner Iain Cook, who as one third of Chvrches is reaping a critical and commercial success that Aereogramme and The Unwinding Hours were denied; by a strange quirk of fate, A Mote of Dust was released just a week after Chvrches’ latest Every Open Eye. Not that Craig is casting envious glances; “I was competing with Chvrches and I hope that I completely blew them out of the water,” he laughs. “No; they deserve absolutely every success. I have an incredible amount of respect, not just for Iain, but for [former Aereogramme producer] Martin Doherty as well. They’re genuine care nerds; absolutely obsessive about sound, and having Lauren

MUSIC

Interview: Duncan Harman Photography: Sarah Roberts Mayberry’s songwriting skills, and that voice – I never get bored of listening to her singing.” Does it feel strange to be working without Iain? “I’ve worked with him since I was about eighteen, so yeah – it was strange. However, it was also really lovely to be able to do something different, having the chance to work with Paul Savage, which I’ve wanted to do for many, many years. What then developed was that we attempted to record in a completely different way. With Iain, I’d record the guitar and the vocals separately. When we came to work with Paul he suggested that we tried to do it live. We did about 80% of the album live, me playing guitar and Graham playing the piano at the same time, and the end result was something a little bit different.” “I think I make anti-party music,” he adds, laughing again. “I was watching a festival on TV, and there were thousands of people going crazy to this 4/4 beat, and I was thinking, ‘That’s exactly what I don’t do.’ I don’t write in 4/4, and I don’t write these big, anthemic tunes – it’s not what I do, and it’s not really what I want to do.” And despite all the questions that A Mote of Dust floats, you get the sense that Craig B is comfortable with how things have turned out. “Having the realisation that I’m only ever going to appeal to a certain audience, and having the music not be the sole thing that I do but just one of the things that I do, has actually allowed me to continue making music. It gives me a creative outlet that’s vital to my wellbeing. However, I need to do the studying, which I absolutely adore as well – it keeps me intellectually stimulated.” “How I’m going to balance that in the future I’m not entirely sure, but the studying and the music has been a lovely combination of things; it’s unbelievably chaotic at times, and I’ll go a bit quiet until I come back out on tour, then I’ll probably go quiet again. But that’s how it is – I think that’s a good way to be.” A Mote of Dust play Glasgow Hug and Pint on 31 Jan as part of Celtic Connections, with further dates to be announced shortly. The self-titled album is out now on LP and digital download via Babi Yaga Records amoteofdust.com

THE SKINNY

December 2015

FILM

Feature

Review

MUSIC

THE SKINNY

Tweaking Things Hailed by many as Scotland’s most promising new talent, Denis Sulta takes some time out to talk us through a hectic year

here’s an air of fantasy to the whole thing: you’re producing tracks in your bedroom for your own enjoyment one moment, perhaps getting positive feedback from the odd mate or two in the process. Then, all of a sudden, you’re putting out celebrated records and jetting around Europe off the back of an increasingly glowing reputation as a DJ. Such has been the course of the last 12 months or so for Glasgow’s Hector Barbour, or Denis Sulta, as he’s known by his ever-growing fan base. Having released his debut EP, Sulta Selects Vol. 1, on Dixon Avenue Basement Jams just over a year ago – with lead track A.A.S (Night & Day Mix) immediately making an impact and popping up in sets all over the place – Barbour has found acclaim quicker than most do at his stage in the game. “Because it was my first record, I had no concept of how these things worked and I was absolutely blown away by the response,” he admits when we catch him on the phone during a rare break – he’s kept busy by a full time college course, a part time job in Glasgow’s legendary Rubadub record shop and an increasingly hectic touring schedule. That first record – comprising two vocal-driven club tracks and a slickly layered disco loop with a similarly infectious dancefloor appeal – was certainly a statement of intent from the young producer, whose reflections on the whole experience are reassuringly modest for an artist whose recent press shots (perhaps unwittingly) place the globe within his grasp. “It’s a really overwhelming thing to have people actually buy music that you have been sitting in your bedroom making,” he beams down the line. “I get nervous before the release of every record but it has been absolutely amazing – I can’t tell you how exciting the last year has been. It’s been fantastic.” With that potent first offering selling out so quickly – a repress is planned for some time next year, should you have missed it first time round – it made sense for Barbour to continue his relationship with local tastemakers Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, a label which is itself gaining notoriety with every release. His association with the outlet has its roots in the early encouragement he received from his manager at Rubadub, Dan Lurinsky, who heads up DABJ alongside Kenny Grieve. “Quite simply, I’ve got everything to thank those guys for,” he insists. “They have been fantastically supportive, really honest and have always got something nice to say... as well as a lot of nonsense. They are hilarious company to go out partying with – I’ve been out on the road with them a couple of times now and it has been great fun. Having those two has been an absolute godsend. I can’t stress enough how good they’ve been from the start.” Given how accomplished Sulta’s sound has been across his first two records, it’s perhaps surprising to learn that Barbour’s taste for house and techno only emerged in recent years. “Before I started working in Rubadub, I was very hip-hop orientated,” he explains. “I wouldn’t listen to any dance music; I hated dance music.” Preferring to listen to West Coast rap, and toying with hip-hop production on an eight-track recorder at home, it would be some time before he was given his first taste of the foundations of house and techno music, which he later began incorporating this into his own studio experiments with increasing success.

December 2015

“I started finding a style that I really liked in the last couple of years – the vocal house kind of stuff. All of that stuff started to really influence me – disco has played a huge part as well. I’ve never really focussed on any one genre for too long though. I quite like to bounce between different things and take influence from all sorts of places.” In keeping with this need to explore different aspects of club music, Barbour keeps his hip-hop side fulfilled with appearances at Freaky Freaky at The Art School, though he seems content enough to keep his rap productions as a hobby for the time being. “I make hip-hop solely because I enjoy it,” he explains. “I make music because I enjoy it, full stop. It’s quite a selfish thing in some respects, making music. You have to spend a lot of time by yourself, tweaking things.” Selfish though the processes and habits behind music production may be, Barbour is more than happy to share the fruits of his labour when he has finished tweaking and is increasingly in demand as a DJ too, having recently played his first set outside of the UK at a club in Florence. Despite being “mega nervous” and unsure of how his sound would go down in a different setting, the experience proved to be particularly rewarding, and confirmed the universal appeal of his craft. “Music kind of transcends all language,” he says. “That’s a very cheesy, clichéd thing to say, but it does, man. Everybody was getting really into it and any butterflies I had, or any kind of worries about the night immediately evaporated when I was in the club. The atmosphere was fantastic.” Closer to home, this month sees Barbour go back to back with LiveJam/Relative Records’ coowner John Swing at his Sulta Selects residency at The Berkeley Suite. Ever keen to refine and develop his skill set, he is relishing the opportunity to get behind an “absolute beast” of a rotary mixer for the evening – a piece of kit which will encourage him to take more time across the fourhour set, as opposed to mixing at his normal rapid fire pace. “I’m really looking forward to pushing myself a wee bit out of my comfort zone – not just playing big belters all night. It’s going to be a really interesting journey.” Again acknowledging the “selfish” aspects of a personal fixation with playing music, he nonetheless realises the need not to become too “self-indulgent” in the booth: “I’m looking forward to finding a way of making it enjoyable for everybody.” Given the popularity of his Boiler Room set in Glasgow earlier this year, few would doubt what he can deliver to that end. An equally exciting prospect for Barbour is this month’s Numbers Warehouse party in London, where he features on a bill alongside the likes of Koreless, Mike Servito, Jay Daniel and, of course, Jackmaster – another Glaswegian who has backed him from his earliest forays into production. Alongside fellow Numbers founder Richard Chater, the Rubadub alumnus gave crucial feedback when Hector began to hone his tracks. He jokes that when he worked alongside the Numbers duo, he would “force them to listen” to tracks he had made the night before. “What Jack’s great at is showcasing what’s new and cool in his home city and I’m so chuffed to be shown to the world through him.” From Rubadub and DABJ, to Numbers and supporters from further afield like Skream and Julio Bashmore, Denis Sulta is certainly a name which has done the rounds over the past year. Yet the

Credit: Sean Bell

Interview: Ronan Martin

man himself is not at all comfortable resting on his laurels. “I really love and appreciate the support that comes from guys like Numbers and all these other people, but it’s still really important to be able to be good in your own right. I don’t want to be relying on these people.

“Music kind of transcends all language... That’s a very cheesy, clichéd thing to say, but it does, man!” Denis Sulta

“I want to go out and prove to them that all the support they’re giving me is for a good reason. You can’t stop working the minute the support comes – you need to continue on working and do them proud. I’m looking forward to working hard and showing them that their support is appreciated.”

CLUBS

Most recently, Barbour has returned to an earlier production moniker, Atlus, for a particularly impressive three-track effort on acclaimed Brooklyn-based label Mister Saturday Night. Undoubtedly his most varied record to date, featuring a twinkling ambient track, a rousing disco house offering and a slice of steely, minimalist techno, the Zopiclone EP further buttresses his position as one of the most promising talents to emerge from Glasgow in recent years. An upcoming record on Numbers and another for DABJ will likely only further his reputation. Yet, far from wanting to rush himself, or take on projects beyond his current reach, he seems wise enough to recognise the pitfalls of an impatient approach to what looks like a promising career. “To be honest, I’m still quite new to this,” he stresses. “I really need to spend a lot more time just developing my sound and understanding what it is I do. “I’d love to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I’d love to do an album’ and all this sort of stuff, but when the time is right, the time is right. I don’t just want to throw together 12 or 13 tracks of meaningless dance music that doesn’t amount to anything. I’d really like it to be from the heart and an honest piece of work – I just don’t feel like that I’m at that stage yet. But in the future I’d love to take my productions to another level. Absolutely.” Denis Sulta plays alongside John Swing at The Berkley Suite, Glasgow, 18 Dec

Review

Clubbing Highlights This month we get festive with Ben Klock in the capital, eagerly await the return of Skatebård in Glasgow and point out the top tips for your Hogmanay outing Words: Ronan Martin Illustration: Jess Ebsworth

EDINBURGH

irst up in the capital, we’re very much looking forward to the turn of Berlin-based Jay Donaldson aka Palms Trax, a producer who has been firmly in the ascendancy since his very first release on the formidable Lobster Theremin. Following up on the sublime Equation EP with the equally lauded Forever, his most recent outing was for the Dekmantel label – a characteristically soaring offering which combines his usual dancefloor drive with an unmistakably light dressing, with wandering lead parts set perfectly against deep plodding basslines and driving percussion. Joining him for Teesh at Sneaky Pete’s are Semi Deluxe and regular DJ Cheers (5 Dec, £5). Next it’s one for Edinburgh’s techno heads as Pulse invite German maestro Ben Klock to La Belle Angele for what promises to be av blistering end to a strong year for the promoters. Coming to represent all that is vital and famous about Berlin’s techno scene, the Berghain regular bangs out some of the most hypnotically funky techno you’re likely to hear, always balancing harder edged minimalism with expertly placed forays into more sprightly territory. With a sprawling back catalogue of his own tracks for the likes of Ostgut Ton and BPitch Control to draw upon, as well as a clear respect for techno torchbearers from Detroit and beyond, there are few who command such widespread appeal as Klock. This one should be feisty (11 Dec, £17.50).

GLASGOW In Glasgow, we start our month early – on 1 Dec, no less – with the ever-industrious i AM hosting a producer who has shown considerable range over the years and is experiencing his most prolific period right now. Around a decade or so ago Kevin Gorman was already deep into production – at that time producing some of the best minimalist techno to emerge from a scene which was far too saturated with mediocrity. With the unveiling of his Adesse Versions guise in 2013, he ably demonstrated that there was more than one string to his bow, unleashing a much warmer, house side to his output. With releases on Local Talk, his own Adesse Versions imprint and most recently Glasgow’s very own Numbers, Gorman is enjoying a particularly fruitful rebirth. He is joined by hosts Beta and Kappa (Sub Club, £5-7). Moving along to The Berkeley Suite, Pistols at Dawn have a cracker lined up for their Christmas party. Usually doing his thing with a full live band in tow, Crazy P’s James Baron clearly takes a purist approach to disco production, while also exemplifying a modern take on the genre in his use of acid house sounds and slick electro-nics. Not surprisingly, his DJ sets are far from the type to churn out lazy edits amid dull house tracks and gimmickry. From the deep and funky to the mechanical and bugged out, Baron is sure to provide a proper workout at this one (12 Dec, £5-12).

Review

CLUBS

Our last Glasgow pick takes us to La Cheetah where Offbeat celebrate their 4th birthday in fine style by inviting back one of their favourite guests over the years. Norwegian producer Skatebård has been doing his thing since around the turn of the millennium, releasing substantive slabs of Italo, techno, electro and deep, spacey house music on labels such as Sex Tags Mania and his own Digitalo Enterprises imprint. Producing and playing the kind of records that ooze character and depth, and always taking his sets in bold directions, his last outing for Offbeat at La Cheetah was arguably one of the best the club has witnessed. His range as a selector, coupled with the hosts’ reputation for supplying the goods, should make this one a bit if a no-brainer (18 Dec, £8-10).

ABERDEEN Our Aberdeen pick for December takes us to The Tunnels for the visit of an unsung stalwart of the Detroit techno scene in the shape of Gary Martin. Operating his Teknotika label since the early 90s, largely as a platform for his own tracks including under the alias Gigi Galaxy, Martin brought a more organically percussive, tribal edge to the classic techno sound developed in Detroit. Embarking on a European tour in the coming weeks, Aberdeen will get a glimpse of a little known talent who has inspired some big names, including Seth Troxler with his work over the years (10 Dec, £6).

New Year’s Eve Highlights EDINBURGH Kerri Chandler at La Belle Angele New Jersey house hero Kerri Chandler descends on La Belle Anglele for a four-hour set. Nightvison w/ Todd Terje, Huxley and Jasper James at Liquid Room Edinburgh club series Nightvision draws season three to a close with a Hogmanay special, with Scandinavian dance wizard Todd Terje heading up the main room, plus a Pulse Vs SLVR Vs Altitude takeover in the Annexe space.

GLASGOW La Cheetah NYE w/ DJ Sprinkles, Palms Trax, Sparky Glesga’s beloved La Cheetah spread NYE over two floors, manned by a selection of fine electronic guest tunesmiths alongside some trusted partystarters from right here in’t city. Subculture NYE w/ John Talabot and Harri & Domenic Long-running house night Subculture takes control of the Hogmanay decks at Subbie, with headline guest John Talabot hopefully bringing some sunshine to our wintry lives with his with his Balearicinfluenced sets.

THE SKINNY

Art News Throughout December, as well as the art and design markets listed in another feature, there are openings and celebrations across the country Words: Adam Benmakhlouf

Lucy Parker Rhubaba

rrrrr Video interviews with blacklisted construction workers sit alongside the official documentation surrounding the recent revelation of this practice. In 2009, a blacklist containing upwards of 3,200 names was discovered. Passed between construction companies, it ensured that individuals with ideas of unifying the workforce in any way would be known and punished with unemployment in the sector. In this exhibition Lucy Parker presents the findings of a year of research into the practice. Suggestions are also made as to appropriate aesthetic strategies and the forms a film on the subject may take. For this reason, there are manuals and video tutorials on jump cuts and double exposures, alongside more straightforward texts on the practice and consequences of blacklisting. Official governmental documents that are presented in the space are parts of reports and records. Their expression and syntax is almost impenetrable. This particular kind of obfuscation is presented alongside the much more accessible video interviews. In these, Parker interviews some

of the affected people, who narrate and reflect on their particular hardships. In one video work, Parker records a creative writing workshop in which a blacklisted person describes extreme difficulties in obtaining work. His writing is then analysed and criticised, with suggestions for bettering the work. There’s discomfort, for some members of the group, in editing notes taken at the time of the difficult events. What’s most important, according to one participant, is that the story is given its most effective form. Parker subtly questions the validity of representations that have been made by different genres of documentary sources, whether her own videos, testimonies by those involved or bureaucratic expressions. With so many lost and unhelpful sources of information surrounding the illicit practice of blacklisting, information comes ready processed and with some loss. In a context already saturated by myriad conflicting public and private demands, Parker rightly takes more care with the look and form of her future film rather than putting faith in a drily documentary objectivity. [Adam Benmakhlouf]

Lucy Parker’s Blacklisted continues in Rhubaba Gallery until 6 Dec

Luc Tuyman, Birds of a Feather

Luc Tuymans

Talbot Rice Gallery

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For his first Scottish exhibition, revered Belgian artist Luc Tuymans displays his own paintings of canaries and a stool alongside two portraits by Sir Henry Raeburn. These works by the popular painter of important Enlightenment society and thinkers were selected by Tuymans from Edinburgh University’s vast art collection. The large painting of a stool is rendered in a way that suggests photographic overexposure and high contrast. Along with the muted colour, these keywords have defined Tuymans’ almost 40-year career. As source imagery, he has used an image from The American Woman’s Encyclopedia of Home Decorating. The lengthy exhibition text avers that what’s going on here is Tuymans drawing attention to women’s role in the Enlightenment. There’s something too obvious about an image of an empty bench set across from Raeburn’s austere sitters filling their chairs. Painting is made the means of lyrical or cynical repeating of historical exclusions, rather than a means of redress.

December 2015

This strategy of oblique reference and heavy-handed juxtaposition continues at the back of the room. There, a medium sized and sketchy painting of Mount Rushmore is intended to incorporate recent historical arguments that relate the Scottish Enlightenment and the American Constitution. As a quick allusion, it’s somewhat obscure and underdeveloped. There’s an appreciable change of subjectmatter upstairs. Find here enlarged Polaroids of place-settings, small models of drum sets and Tuymans’ own studio. As a one-liner, there’s a painting of theoriser of ideal prison design and optimum supervisory tactics, Jeremy Bentham’s eyes. Perhaps all this quoting and referencing comes across as too casual. There’s a lack of sharp irreverence and as a methodology, it quickly becomes trite. Insensitivity on Tuymans’ part to the kind of hermeneutic concerns of painterliness and technique is not inherently objectionable. Superficial reference-making and pretended conceptuality, however, leaves all the purported profundity inevitably truncated. [Adam Benmakhlouf] Luc Tuymans’ Birds of a Feather continues until 19 Dec in Talbot Rice Gallery

Ross Sinclair, 20 Years of Real Life, installation view, 2014

ecember appropriately begins with Endings, Lucy Parker’s current show in Rhubaba gallery, as reviewed to the left. A closing party will be held on Friday 4 December from 6.30pm, just before the last weekend of the show, and Rhubaba has invited several different academics and researchers to discuss its themes. At the time of writing, Parker herself is in the process of considering how to end her forthcoming documentary about the blacklisting of construction workers, with plans to consult a lawyer who will present the juridical understanding of the ending. Still in Edinburgh, Ross Sinclair launches the Free Instruments for Teenagers record in Collective Gallery on 5 December. Working with the gallery, Sinclair gave away guitars, basses, drums and singing lessons to young people born in the previous 20 years. Marking the 20th anniversary of his own Real Life practice, this project was Sinclair’s contribution to the GENERATION events last summer. This record presents the results of the ongoing support provided to the bands to write, record and perform new music, with three of the acts set to perform at the event. Now onto Glasgow, where there is a performance in the CCA as part of ArtCOP Scotland, an arts festival coinciding with COP21 – UN Climate Change Negotiations taking place in Paris until 11 December. On 6 December, established performance artists Nic Green, Laura Bradshaw and Rosana Cade present Cock and Bull. Taking place during the COP21 proceedings, the performers will recite the ‘most heard phrases from governmental rhetoric, to dismantle and redress dominant paradigms of power and politics.’ They name in particular ‘Tory tongue-speak’ as a particular reference for this work. Cock and Bull begins at 3pm, and is free but ticketed. For their latest exhibition, Summerhall bring together choreographer Riccardo Buscarini and visual artist Richard Taylor. Sited in the Laboratory

ART

Gallery, together Buscarini and Taylor intend to transport the glass cabinets into “living archives to explore memory, intimacy and exposure.” To this end, ready-made object, sculpture and sound are partnered with live and recorded performances. For the opening and closing events (keep an eye on the Summerhall.co.uk for more information), there will be live performances of the work. Titled In Parting Glass, the exhibition is open daily from 12 December. In the CCA, from 11 December YAKA Collective present White Mountain. Consisting of seven artists based in Glasgow, who have an interest in spatially and visually impactful installations and sculptures, YAKA will be considering ideas of the gateway, legend, and demystification. They continue their research into their shared interests of a sense of ‘otherness’ and responding the traditional and unconventional spaces. For this show, the CCA provides the space to consider ‘real and imagined states’ via an immersive environment of recognisable terrain and imagined forms. White Mountain continues until 6 January. On 19 December, Transmission round off the year’s art calendar with their Christmas party and the launch of their new website. Making a big party out of both occasions, art radio station Google Useless Radio will also broadcast their radio show from the Transmission basement live. The gallery’s new website will launch from 6pm, and donations of £3 will go to the charity Unity. In advance of the Christmas Party, GUR will hold two sessions of informal discussion in the Transmission space. Discussion is pitched generally at ‘contemporary art’ and their feelings of futility in their ‘attempts at subversion, critical practice and losing of authorship.’ Email uselessradio3.0@gmail.com to attend either session, held on 3 and 13 December from 12-5pm in the Transmission Resource Room. Head to theskinny.co.uk/art every Tuesday for weekly art news updates

Review

Credit: Tom Nolan

Phantom test

Film Event Highlights Yes, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens will be dominating cinemas from 18 Dec, but it’s not just droids we’re looking for. There are plenty of other great film events on offer this month – and not just Christmas movies Words: Jamie Dunn

Credit: Edward Ross

s Scots aren’t great at celebrating our own cinema, so it’s pleasing to see Filmhouse give us all an opportunity to appreciate some of the best films to emerge from these shores with thier Scotland Galore! season. How’s this for an embarrassment of riches? Shallow Grave (28&31 Dec); The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (28 Dec & 1 Jan); The Illusionist (29 Dec & 4 Jan); Local Hero (30 Dec & 2 Jan). Another great, but too rarely seen, Bill Forsyth film, Comfort and Joy, also screens 20 Dec as part of Filmhouse’s Christmas programme.

Die Hard

Talking of Filmhouse’s packed Christmas programme, which includes all the Yuletide favourites you’d expect (It’s a Wonderful Life, 18 & 21 Dec; The Muppet Christmas Carol, 18 & 20 Dec) and some you might not (Trading Places, 18 & 21 Dec; The Nightmare Before Christmas, 20 Dec), it’s crowned by a very special screening of Die Hard on 13 Dec. Before John McClean takes on Hans Gruber, the screening will be introduced by Edward Ross, the author of the brilliant Filmish: A Graphic Journey Through Film – imagine Sight & Sound in the form of a graphic novel. Ross will be around after the screening for a book signing. The Scottish Queer International Film Festival will team are dedicated to providing Scottish audiences with great queer cinema throughout the year, evidenced with thier I Do? season celebrating a year since the Equal Marriage Act passed in Scotland. High-lights include sweet comedy Cloudburst (3 Dec), in which an elderly lesbian couple embark on a road trip to Canada in the hope of tying the knot, Lisa Cholodenko’s whip-smart parenting drama The Kids are All Right (16 Dec) and Hitchcock’s subversive early work The Lodger (6 Dec), program-med for its themes of desire beyond heteronormative relationships. (Screenings noted here are at CCA, Glasgow – go to sqiff.org for full listings.) Artists’ film gets a showcase at Filmhouse thanks to the inaugural Edinburgh Artists’ Moving Image Festival (9-11 Dec). The event takes the form of three eclectic programmes of international shorts over three evenings, each headlined by an award-winning Scotland-based artist (Stina Wirfelt, Torsten Lauschmann and Skinny favourite Rachel Maclean). It’s an excellent opportunity to take a break from conventional cinema. Finally, don’t miss the opportunity to see Black Audio Film Collective’s Who Needs A Heart at CCA, Glasgow on 6 Dec. Told in a styalistic collage of fragments, the film documents the forgotten history of 60s British Black Power and the story of black revolutionary leader Michael X. Francis McKee, director of the CCA, will be on hand to introduce this important film and put it in context.

Review

Forbidden Room

Sunset Song

The Forbidden Room

Sunset Song

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Director: Guy Maddin Starring: Roy Dupuis, Charlotte Rampling, Mathieu Amalric Released: 11 Dec Certificate: 12A

Director: Terence Davies Starring: Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Kevin Guthrie Released: 4 Dec Certificate: 15

You don’t watch The Forbidden Room, you surrender to it. This is Guy Maddin’s first full-length feature since 2011’s Keyhole, and it sometimes feels as if every single idea the Canadian auteur has had in the intervening four years has found its way into this amorphous epic. Each bizarre story only leads us to an even stranger one, with the Russian-doll-like structure pulling us ever deeper into a confounding world of damsels in distress, flapjacks, amnesia, fetishes, zombies and hysterical intertitles (“SQUID THEFT!”). It’s an exhausting and overwhelming film to experience, but there’s also something exhilarating about its mad energy and boundless invention. It’s also an aesthetic wonder to behold, with Maddin’s idiosyncratic adoption of early cinema techniques resulting in a near-constant supply of vivid and beautiful images. The films of Guy Maddin are undoubtedly an acquired taste but adventurous and patient viewers will be rewarded with an overload of original ideas, huge belly-laughs, dazzling visuals and an infuriatingly catchy song about buttocks. Who could ask for anything more? [Philip Concannon]

Terence Davies’s adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s classic is so radiant that we hope the Liverpudlian filmmaker will get a crack at adapting the rest of the A Scots Quair trilogy. It’s a sweeping chronicle of land and emotion that could fairly be called Scotland’s answer to Gone with the Wind. The heroine is Chris (Deyn), a village girl whose dreams of being a schoolteacher transform into bearing the burdens of family and farming. In the fictional estate of Kinraddie in the early 20th century, she comes of age to see the beginning of machine ploughing, the cruel discipline of her father (Mullan), the death of her mother, her own sexual awakening and the ravages of war. Partly shot on 70mm, Sunset Song is rich and overwhelming. Deyn is a revelation, showing sensitivity and strength as a character who shoulders the weight of her own growing pains and the force of sometimes tragic historical change. This is a sorrowful and quietly angry film, as well as one of exquisite scope and humanity. [Ian Mantgani]

Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD

Chemsex

Director: Paul Goodwin Starring: Dan Abnett, Geoff Barrow, Emma Beeby, Karen Berger, Lauren Beukes, David Bishop, Brian Bolland Released: 4 Dec Certificate: 15

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Just as the punk rock scene was taking off in the UK, another like-minded movement was occurring in comics. 2000AD – best known for Judge Dredd – came into being in a late-70s Britain pulsating with social unrest and discontent, and quickly became notorious for its anti-establishment tone, graphic violence and political subversion. With a story largely relayed by talking heads – interspersed with striking animations featuring artwork from the comics – Goodwin’s documentary benefits from sharp editing, a driving metal soundtrack and energised interviewees reminiscing frankly about their time at the imprint. It’s not all dewyeyed nostalgia: many writers express their frustration at a lack of creator rights and editors complain that younger writers used it as a stepping stone to the larger American market. Purely by virtue of its subject matter this entertaining film may not appeal to everyone, but for those with even a passing interest in comic books this is perhaps the best documentary of its kind. [Michael Jaconelli]

Released by Metrodome

Director: William Fairman, Max Gogarty Released: 4 Dec Certificate: 18

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The term ‘chemsex’ originates from hook-up apps like Grindr, and broadly means the use of drugs to facilitate sex between men. Though sex, drugs and Bacchanalian excess are undeniably involved and explicitly documented in Chemsex, this hard-hitting, timely documentary about London’s underground chemsex scene avoids sensationalist gawking in order to explore in depth a very serious sexual and mental health epidemic among gay and bisexual men. This is not the utopian world of the out and proud, a sexual health worker informs us. A sign in a gay sauna prohibiting chemsex reads ‘Do you really want your friends and family to know you died in a gay sauna?’ This, ironically, conjures up the spectre of worry, shame and internalised homophobia that many are trying to escape through the highs of chemsex. Chemsex is a must-see ‘issues’ film, interesting on its own terms, a definite watch both within and outside the LGBTQA community, which will hopefully serve to increase awareness about those who suffer with the dark side of this sociological phenomenon. [Rachel Bowles]

Released by Metrodome

Hector

Swung

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Director: Jake Gavin Starring: Peter Mullan, Keith Allen, Gina McKee, Stephen Tompkinson, Natalie Gavin, Sarah Solemani, Ewan Stewart, Released: 11 Dec Certificate: 15 Jake Gavin’s debut feature is a standard ‘elderly man sets out in search of forgiveness and redemption’ narrative, but with added British indie grit. Colloquialisms abound, families throw fists at each other, bloody-faced women appear during the night and Keith Allen shows up to mutter some trite nonsense about still waters running deep. For a tale concerning a long-time homeless man still coming to terms with a personal tragedy, there’s little sense of empathy, anger or understanding on the filmmaker’s part. Gavin wants to convey both the beauty and cruelty of all human existence, but has only childlike heavy-handedness at his disposal. Despite Peter Mullan’s best efforts, the protagonist is a nondescript cipher to whom a contrived series of events merely happens. Where Hector succeeds is in its mise-en-scène, with location shoots around dismal garage forecourts yielding some truly evocative results. It’s as if Gavin has painstakingly constructed the perfect stage for his drama, but neglected to populate it with compelling or believable personalities. [Lewis Porteous]

FILM

Director: Colin Kennedy Starring: Elena Anaya, Owen McDonnell, Elizabeth McGovern, Steven Cree, David Elliot, Allison McKenzie Released: 11 Dec Certificate: 18 Colin Kennedy’s adaptation of Ewan Morrison’s novel about a couple’s experience of the Glasgow swingers’ scene opens with a limp joke about erectile dysfunction. But don’t judge it too quickly: this isn’t some ooh-er-missus sex comedy. The reason why out-of-work designer David (McDonnell) and lifestyle journalist Alice (Anaya) enter into this salacious world is twofold: Alice is looking for a juicy magazine story; David, meanwhile, finds that watching other people have sex temporarily abates the medical condition that’s introduced with that opening knob gag. Kennedy manages to create a tone that’s both playful and sexy, a fine balancing act that’s achieved by making his camera as curious and nonjudgmental as his protagonists. There’s a TV cheesiness to some of the supporting roles, but the central pair bring warmth and compassion – and, crucially, sexual chemistry. If there’s a sour note, it’s the conservatism that creeps into the film in its final third, but until then this is a mature and humane peek behind an exotic side of Glasgow that’s rarely seen on screen. [Jamie Dunn]

THE SKINNY

Bard is a Four-Letter Word 2015 has been a fine and fit year for poetry and our columnist looks back at key moments on both page and stage, then forward to what 2016 holds. Plus the small matter of some major Scottish spoken word events for you to attend between now and then

t’s been a thumping good year, and I can’t quite believe five months have passed since I first upped quill for our Skinny-sponsored event with Kate Tempest at Edinburgh International Book Festival. Similarly, the highlights of StAnza Festival way back in March 2015 seem very fresh, but, astonishingly, time-wise we’re already far closer to the next instalment. Not much has been revealed about the 2016 programme as yet, but headliners will include Lemn Sissay and Pascale Petit. Spring 2016 will also launch some interesting activity from the latest four Faber New Poets – Elaine Beckett, Crispin Best, Sam Buchan-Watts and Rachel Curzon – as they head on tour. Keep your eyes open for dates. So, what have we got to look forward to in the nearer future? Well, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a party and, as ever, the awardwinning crew at Neu! Reekie! are on hand to throw a blinder. Tickets are now on sale for their XmasKracker at Central Hall, Edinburgh on 17 December, both in honour of the season and of their 5th Birthday. June’s event was a 1,000 person sell-out, and this one looks all set to head in the same direction. The stars of the show will be Irvine Welsh, WHITE, Liz Lochhead and Hector Bizerk, recently joined by Rachel Maclean and the Moon Hop DJs. Rally & Broad are also putting on their two Takeover Editions, which should be a treat for audiences

who enjoy poetry with a generous glug of belly laughs; you can choose between a night out at the Anti-Slam! at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh, featuring amongst others our Skinny 10th Birthday performer Iona Lee (18 Dec) or Poets Against Humanity! at Stereo in Glasgow (20 Dec). Books-wise, my read of the month has been Coogit Bairns, the posthumous collection by Rebel Inc poet Sandie Craigie, which was published by Red Squirrel Press in September this year. Craigie wrote during an era where punk rock was making waves, and, rather than rejecting or falling completely into the fad, seems to have used it as a megaphone through which a hard-hitting, honest female voice could really come into its own without being militantly feminist. Comfortable it certainly isn’t (and I’d advise against reading a few of the poems if winter melancholy is getting to you) but neither does it leave you too bruised. The vernacular burr of the writing is at once harsh and warm, and she tackles topics like homelessness, institutional greed and politics with a wry humour that makes you smile despite the content. Tragically, Sandie committed suicide in 2005, having received far less professional recognition in life than she deserved; this collection should be a big step forward in bringing her work to light, and Red Squirrel Press should be applauded. It should also be noted that their Commissioning Editor and esteemed name

On Cats

Filmish

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By Charles Bukowski

Words: Clare Mulley

on the poetry scene Kevin Cadwallender runs the monthly poetry event 10RED in Edinburgh, where ten poets are each given ten minutes to impress. Information for those wishing to attend upcoming gatherings can be found on their Facebook page.

“Sandie Craigie... The vernacular burr of the writing is at once harsh and warm” In further page news, the much-anticipated shortlists for the Costa Book Awards have also been released, and this year the judges for the poetry category are poet and children’s author Julia Copus, poetry critic Adam Newey and co-owner of The Poetry Bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, Melanie Prince. The shortlist is impossible to do justice to in similarly short terms but, in a nutshell, is a gorgeous mixture of the visceral and ethereal, with each collection displaying a different take on the art of self-reflection in one way or another.

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir

By Edward Ross

By Carrie Brownstein

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Like Bukowski. Love cats. Like people who love cats. Bukowski loved cats. Felt that with the best of them, ‘each movement slides through space without friction.’ Wrote that ‘the cat is the beutiful [sic] devil.’ And so Canongate have collected his thoughts and poems on the subject (some a little unfinished, some a little unformed) and, charmingly, his feline family photos to produce this excellent collection. The pieces are warm and tender, tough and sad. Cats brought out a vulnerable side of the man which he never dared expose to the human race, and the collection is surprisingly sentimental, yet stops short of saccharine – the verses still filled with those classic Bukowski tropes of fighting and fucking (just in bushes rather than bars). He looked at his collection of waifs and strays and saw much of himself – in his ‘cross-eyed shot runover de-tailed cat,’ that ‘dirty white / with pale blue eyes.’ Even their pissing on his computer failed to stoke his ire, or shitting in his box of poems: ‘that one-eared fat black critic/ he signed me off.’ The writing is devastating in both its honesty and simplicity. It shows a duality to this tomcat of American literature – his deep love and admiration for the creatures he felt embodied him, but also his unsated desire for the ease and grace that he, the hulking pockmarked poet, could never possess – except on the page. [Alan Bett] Out now, published by Canongate, RRP £16.99

Aiming to act as a ‘graphic journey through film’ – charting both the evolution of the medium and the theory surrounding it – the most impressive achievement of Edward Ross’s Filmish is finding a tone that’s accessible to everybody without ever becoming patronising or overly simplistic. The introduction boasts that “even the most weathered film fan is bound to find something new” and it makes good on the claim. Offering more than just a quick guide to how modern mainstream cinema came to be – though watching it grow from the days of Georges Méliès to those of Tarantino in the form of Ross’s minimalist monochrome cartoons is kind of delightful – it takes to task issues like the male gaze, minority marginalisation and Hollywood’s troubling relationship with the pentagon, while also championing the rise of digital media and the chance it provides to wrench some control back out of the hands of major studios. Mixing a light-hearted art style with a dialogue that’s informative and interesting, Filmish would make an ideal starting point for anyone looking to strengthen their cinephilia. As a journey through cinematic history it’s an easy ride, spending just enough time in each place to let you get a feel for it before whisking you on to the next destination, eager to return and excited to see what’s coming next. [Ross McIndoe] Out now, published by Self Made Hero, RRP £14.99

‘This what it feels like to be a fan: curious, open, desiring for connection, to feel like art has chosen you, claimed you as its witness.’ In her long form debut, Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein emerges as a fan with an almost unquenchable thirst. And it’s against this background, of how she shapes and directs her controlling passions, that her story plays out. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl succeeds on enough levels to make familiarity with Brownstein’s career largely unnecessary. At times you want to look away: witness the death of her dog, and how her father deals with it, as a brutal indicator of family breakdown in extremis. But be prepared to laugh as she describes her early musical ventures (‘We were like Fleetwood Mac but without the sex and the drugs and the hair and the music’) and routinely mocks her own undefined early position in a disorienting scene. Brownstein’s candid, poetic and ideas-strewn narrative supports a gripping tale, that of a band whose extended hiatus saw them re-group in secret and re-emerge with No Cities To Love, an album comfortably the equal of much of their back catalogue. The final chapter, in which Brownstein reveals what happened when Sleater-Kinney finally played together again, will challenge even the hardest heart. It’s an affecting endnote, one that perfectly bookends a dedication that almost writes itself: “For Corin and Janet.” [Gary Kaill] Out now, published by Little, Brown Book Group, RRP £16.99

Physical by Andrew McMillan (Jonathan Cape) is a raw tribute to all aspects of the male body and its different loves, flavoured by the earthy notes of the poet’s Yorkshire roots; this sits very well alongside Talking Dead by Neil Rollinson (also Jonathan Cape), a sensual celebration of the human condition, pinpointing the ritualistic, wondrous elements of everyday life and experiences, and discussing what it actually means to exist. On a less fleshy note, 40 Sonnets by Don Paterson (Faber & Faber) very smoothly adopts the sonnet form as a means of addressing a huge range of figures – both familiar and strange – and as a vehicle from which he explores his central themes of divided self, dreams, contradiction, tension and transformation. The Observances by Kate Miller (Carcanet) completes the spectrum at the more misty end with its focus on watchfulness and remembrance, recording the shifting elements of a very vaporous world with linguistic snapshots. It’s impossible to tell which collection will come out on top, but one thing’s for certain – all should be contenders for your Christmas poetry book list. Neu! Reekie’s Xmas Kracker is on 17 Dec at Central Hall and tickets are available from brownpapertickets.com Rally & Broad are in Edinburgh’s Bongo Club on 18 Dec and Stereo in Glasgow on 20 Dec. Tickets are available through the venues or eventbrite

Nocilla Dream By Agustín Fernández Mallo

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The first novel in the Nocilla trilogy, Nocilla Dream features an inventive though irregular series of narrative snapshots, whose singular plots intersect at liminal locations: from a poplar tree in the Nevada desert and the Singapore International Airport to an isolated petrol station in southern Spain. Through a beautifully crafted structure in which the various narrative strands – linked through objects or ideas – resemble branches from the same trunk, Fernández Mallo unravels interconnected voices of marginalisation uttered from around the globe. Despite the sometimes random quotes that the author persists in compiling and the lack of depth in a number of sporadic characters, these miscellaneous short stories remain compelling, evoking a deep sense of beauty amid the alienation of contemporary culture, and suggesting that perhaps we are bound to find new ways to communicate in the apparent barrenness of modern life. However, the novel’s fragmentation sometimes entails loss of meaning. Its similarly postmodern blend of art and science as well as high and low culture, innovative as it may be in Spanish letters – indeed, the author inspired a literary movement referred to as ‘Nocilla Generation’ – is nothing new under the Anglophone sun. Notwithstanding, the novel is far from a failure, remaining entertaining throughout and generating food for thought. Whether praised or loathed, it will certainly leave no reader indifferent. [Beatriz Lopez] Out now, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, RRP £12.99

December 2015

BOOKS

Review

Tracking Bears Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn talk stalking, birth, bears and plot spoilers ahead of Tracks of the Winter Bear at the Traverse this winter

Credit: Johan Person

Words: Emma Ainley-Walker

Tipping The Velvet

The Lyceum, Edinburgh, 7 Nov

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racks of the Winter Bear at the Traverse theatre is not the first time that Rona Munro has worked with Stephen Greenhorn. “He’s been stalking me,” she says, indicating her fellow writer. “I moved to North London, he moved to North London. I moved back to Scotland and he came back to Scotland.” Greenhorn tells a different story in response: “We worked together with 7/84 on a play which Zinnie (Harris, associate director at the Traverse) directed and co-wrote with Isabel Wright. When I was doing that I met my wife and then had to go down to London for a bit, which just happened to be where you were and you insisted on attending the birth of my children.” Turning to The Skinny, he continues: “My wife had so little faith in my competence as a birthing partner she asked Rona to come too.” Aside from aspersions cast over who has inserted themselves too much into the other’s personal life, he adds: “It’s quite nice actually, with all that added to our relationship, to come back and work together again. It was quite a tentative working relation and now…” “...We’re far too rude to each other,” Munro finishes. The strength of their working relationship is clear, and to witness the two sparring back and forth in the rehearsal room, laughing and joking during interviews in their lunch break, provides quite an image. “Much to the horror of some of the actors,” Greenhorn jokes. A double bill, Tracks of the Winter Bear wasn’t co-written, but there were themes and ground rules in place, including winter, Edinburgh and, most notably, a bear. “I put that on the table up front: ‘I’m going to have a bear, deal with it,’” says Munro, although both refuse to give more information about their respective bears for fear of spoilers. The plays themselves are, in Munro’s words, “about dealing with a stage in your life where you’ve lost a lot, and how you move on, or realising that’s a stage in your life and asking how are you living? They’re about crises. We found that thematically and emotionally they matched more than we anticipated, and we also tried to make it like one narrative, so even though they’re stylistically very different the narrative that begins in one ends in the other.” “We knew, with what we were looking at thematically, that there would be overlaps,”

Review

Greenhorn adds. “We’re dealing with characters who are slightly older, who are our age essentially, who are facing crises in their lives, and once we knew that there was that parallel, we knew that stylistic differences wouldn’t create an issue because they were both addressing the same kind of territories.”

Tipping the Velvet, Lyceum Theatre, run ended lyric.co.uk/production-archive/entry/tipping-the-velvet/

“I put that on the table up front: ‘I’m going to have a bear, deal with it’” Rona Munro

“Your character is a lot younger though, isn’t she?” Munro asks, leading Greenhorn to admit what most writers hide: “All my characters are basically me, so she can’t be that much younger.” Aside from a bear, one thing audiences can be guaranteed to see is an all-female cast of fantastic actress. “It was a no-brainer,” Munro says, following Greenhorn’s realisation that he was “writing a love story and I had the thought that it could be two women.” Both writers lament the lack of great roles for female actors, especially parts for older Scottish women, and both have worked to change that throughout their careers. “It’s an opportunity, not an obligation,” says Munro. With a fantastic female ensemble, “sprinkles of snow and mistletoe” and a slightly suspicious big bear (“I can’t remember what we’re not supposed to say,” says Greenhorn before Munro again promises, “You will definitely see a bear”), Tracks of the Winter Bear sounds like a show not to be missed. “It’s got a touch of the Jimmy Stewart,” Greenhorn says after the recorder is turned off. “Oh that’s good,” says Munro, “you should write that down.” Tracks of the Winter Bear, Traverse Theatre, 9-24 December, 7:30pm, prices vary. traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event-detail/689/tracks-of-thewinter-bear.aspx

Credit: Alex Brady

Sarah Waters’ debut novel is so strongly characterised by the unique voice and experiences of heroine Nancy Astley that adapting it for the stage seems a tall order. For the first few scenes of Lyndsay Turner’s production, some decisions feel a little shaky. Why, for example, is this positive female story narrated, not by Nancy herself, but by the male Chairman? These worries are not only answered, but blown out of the water by the rest of the production. The production moves at breakneck speed through the story, which means it must lose some of the nuance of the book, but what it gains in performance truly encapsulates the music hall setting in which this story begins, and the music hall of everyday life.

The ensemble cast work seamlessly together, shifting between characters, locations and even styles of performance. With aerial sex scenes and modern music weaved through the Victorian tale which ends at a socialist rally, it raises interesting questions about how much or how little society has changed. At the centre of all of this, actress Sally Messham glues the production together with a varied performance that builds throughout. Her chemistry with Laura Rogers as Kitty Bennett, Nancy’s first love and gateway into the rest of her life, is palpable whenever the two are onstage together. Blending pure entertainment with a socially conscious backdrop and powerful feminist message, this play is surely one that will take the stage again. We’ll just have to ask The Chairman. [Emma Ainley-Walker]

Striptease & Out at Sea Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

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20th Century Polish playwright Sławomir Mrozek may not be a name that many UK theatregoers are familiar with, but his unsettling and absurdist political drama cannot fail to make an impact. In Vanishing Point’s production, each short play centres around a simple but disturbingly powerful concept. In Striptease, two men find themselves inexplicably confined in a small room, where a sinister disembodied presence, appearing in the form of a single white arm, compels them gradually to remove items of clothing. The dialogue initially feels a bit clunky, perhaps due to the translation, but the actors deliver acute and convincing performances that perfectly convey the moral and ideological panic caused by the scenario. The claustrophobic studio theatre could

THEATRE

not be a more appropriate setting in which to immerse the audience in the raw terror of having nowhere to hide. After a slightly awkward transition between performances, Out at Sea lifts the sombre mood with a more comedy-focused but equally disturbing plotline. Three men adrift on a raft in the middle of the ocean realise that their only chance of survival is for one of them to be eaten by the others. In the surreal negotiations that follow, the play exposes the hypocrisy, irony and malice that underpin such power-play. The balance between rollicking action and deeper ideological considerations is well-maintained in the performance, and the originality of the staging combined with the acting skill ensure that there’s never a dull moment. The production proves the timelessness of Mrozek’s ideas, and there’s no escaping the uncanny resonance of the two plays. [Cat Acheson] Vanishing Point: Striptease and Out at Sea, Citizens Theatre, run ended

THE SKINNY

Christmas Lectures return to The Stand Andrew Learmonth talks to The Skinny ahead of The Christmas Lectures comedy gigs taking place at The Stand Words: Craig Angus Illustration: Kate Timney

hristmas has thrown up some fantastic comedy moments: Alan Partridge visiting sick kids in hospital, Edmund Blackadder embracing the spirit of Scrooge, and then there was Father Ted and his colleagues circumnavigating Ireland’s largest lingerie department. This tradition is not lost on comedian and writer Andrew Learmonth, who’s gathered together some of Scotland’s finest resident funny people for a festive extravaganza. The Edinburgh Christmas Lectures are back at The Stand on three consecutive Saturdays in December, after last year’s successful maiden voyage of novelty Christmas singles, improvised cracker jokes and a rap battle between Santa and Jesus Christ. Now, Father Christmas and the son of God return for round two, but creator Andrew Learmonth isn’t relying solely on this box office bout to sell tickets: “We’ve got elves, yer da, Hans Gruber from Die Hard, the snowman who wears the kilt in The Snowman, an ill child who’s been given a present by Noel Edmonds, and the Christmas tree from Jenners all taking part.” Learmonth remains tight-lipped, however, as to whether he’ll reprise his role as The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come for the festivities.

December 2015

What we do know for certain is that he has lined up a magnificent cast for the lectures with the likes of Derek Johnson, Jay Lafferty, Kier McAllister, Susan Morrison and Eleanor Morton all on board. Morton will be performing in her home city for the first time since the Fringe, where her sophomore solo hour Allotted Mucking Around Time – which tackled rats, moths and mining museums, before signing off on a Leslie Nielsen style freeze frame – was an early afternoon success story. “I am looking forward to The Christmas Lectures,” says Morton, “I’ve been in London all year and it will be nice to be able to come home and see everyone – apart from Susan Morrison.” It’s a strange time of year; autumn is barely done with and the local supermarket is piping Hark The Herald Angels Sing into our ears as we nip out for Pringles. 80s pop acts switch on Christmas lights in provincial Scottish towns they’ve never heard of and department stores make TV adverts using a budget more suitable for a boxoffice film. With all this in mind, Morton is conscious that the now customary annual Christmas hysteria makes the season ripe for a pisstake. “I think Christmas is a comedy target because we’re such a cynical nation”, says Morton,

“and any chance to undermine something so joyous is always pounced upon. The John Lewis ad is barely out before a parody version pops up, where the moon-man kills a Clanger and wears its head as a hat whilst self-harming and singing Bing Crosby. America doesn’t do that sort of grimness – I’ve just got back from Boston and they are so nice and snuggly and happy...and all you want to do is ruin it.” Best of all though, the series of Christmas Lectures provide a safe place: no harm can possibly come to anyone at this gig. “Was it last year when that Chair-O-Plane fell to the ground?” asks

COMEDY

Learmonth, referencing the Ferris Wheel accident in Edinburgh. “There was nobody in the chair but imagine that. Imagine you’re sitting up there and the empty chair next to you falls hundreds of feet to the ground and smashes into tiny pieces. They didn’t reduce the prices or anything. You’d have thought they knock a pound off at least. Anyway. Come to our gig because you probably won’t be thrown to your death.” The Edinburgh Christmas Lectures take place at The Stand Comedy Club on 5, 12 and 19 Dec, £5, 4.30-6.30pm (doors 4pm) thestand.co.uk

Review

Glasgow Music Tue 01 Dec

RSNO: TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

ANTIQUE PONY

The art rock experimentalists play a headline set.. BRAWLERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £5

London-based garage punk lot featuring current and ex-members of Dinosaur Pile-Up, Leftover Crack, Castrovalva and Martyr Defiled. BIG BRAVE

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £6.50

Gnere-straddlng Montreal trio with a penchant for the sonic. FALLOPÉ AND THE TUBES

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–01:00, £5

Glasgow’s female punk lovers hit the Duck. THE PROCLAIMERS

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £26.50

Expect to hear the classics Sunshine on Leith, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America.

CHASTITY (DAMN TEETH + BRITNEY)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £6

Noisy rock lot who turned their suburban wake up calls into a debut collection of songs, then burned ‘em onto 1134 blank discs.

Wed 02 Dec

COURTNEY BARNETT (BIG SCARY)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Australian singer/songwriter comes to the UK with her debut LP sending her stratospheric. BERNARD AND EDITH

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Manchester-based boy/girl electro-pop duo. THEPETEBOX (BIGG TAJ)

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £7

Beat boxing a’cappella type far better than them ones you normally see hanging out on street corners. THE PROCLAIMERS

The RSNO take in a special Spanishthemed programme, including Tchaikovsky’s irresistibly tuneful Violin Concerto.

100 FABLES KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Fri 04 Dec GERRY CINNAMON

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £10

Glasgow-based muso riding along on a mixture of beat-up acoustic guitars, soulful harmonica and heartfelt vocals. ALABAMA 3

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £19

The Brixton collective do their blues-rock-acid-house thing to pleasurable effect; cue teary eyes at the Sopranos opening theme song, Woke Up This Morning. BAHOOKIE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Celtic rock foursome mashing fiddles with urban dance grooves, as you do. SHED SEVEN (INSPIRAL CARPETS)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The Britpop also-rans revisit their glory days.

DEMOB HAPPY (YONAKA)

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £7

MANRAN (DONNIE MUNRO BAND)

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £25

Traditional Scottish ensemble on driving accordion, fiddle, Highland pipes, Uilleann pipes and wooden flute. That do you? C DUNCAN (LE THUG)

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–23:00, £9

Glasgow-based muso, composing e’er beautiful choral harmonies and acoustic instrumentation in his bedroom-studio set-up. JUDITH WILLIAMS + NIGEL CLARK

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–21:15, £12.00

Scottish jazz singer Judith Williams and guitarist Nigel Clark play a live set in celebration of the launch of their first record together.

SAVE AS #8 (MIAOUX MIAOUX + RAZA + RIVER OF SLIME + THE DIRTY GOON + JONNIE COMMON DJ)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:00–22:00, £6 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

The Save As collective present a sparkling bill of talent for their December outing, including talented chappie Julian Corrie in the Miaoux Miaoux guise. SIMPLY RED

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:30–22:00, FROM £45

Mick Hucknell once claimed he’d slept with more than 1000 women. Keep your wits about you tonight.

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £26.50

LANTERNS ON THE LAKE (CAMPFIRES IN WINTER)

PEACHES

More fragile and cinematic folk soundscapes from the Newcastlebased sextet.

The Glasgow indie-pink foursome launch their new single.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

ASH

Expect to hear the classics Sunshine on Leith, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America. THE ART SCHOOL, 20:00–22:00, £15

The inimitable Canadian electronic pop provocateur tours her first LP in six years, Rub.

Thu 03 Dec

MATT BERRY AND THE MAYPOLES

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The ever-talented Matt Berry – yes, the funnyman from The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh etc. – doing a full band set, laden with deep vocals and his usual cheeky charm. BILLY BRAGG (DUKE SPECIAL)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

DEER LEADER (JOYSTICK COMMANDER + MAYOR STUBBS)

The Glasgow indie locals head up a night of guitar-based shenanigans. FLO MORRISSEY (SHIVUM SHARMA)

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £7

The young songwriter tours in support of her debut LP Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful. She’ll learn. WOUNDED KNEE

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–23:00, £5

Experimental Edinburgh musician (aka Drew Wright) does his inimitable freak-folk thing.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £20

STONE SOUP (DAVESNEWBIKE + CIARAN & KATY + PETER ARNOTT)

STRUGGLE (COMMONPLACE + SLOWLIGHT + LAKE MICHIGAN)

Jolly mix up of music, spoken word, crowdsourced creations, good cheer and beer.

The fiercely political singer/ songwriter hits the road again. BLOC+, 21:00–23:00, FREE

Monthly punk and post hardcore selection of bands from DIY collective Struggletown. BBC SSO: 80TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12.50

Special concert celebrating 80 years almost to the day since the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra was formed. SPACE

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £15

Expect the likes of Female of the Species, Neighbourhood and Me & You Against the World and tracks from their new album.

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £8 (£6)

STATUS QUO

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £39.50

Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt continue to tour the Status Quo name (aka prepare yourself for the easiest air guitaring in the world). THE BLACK FEATHERS (JAKE MORLEY)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £6

Folk-rock paired voices of Sian Chandler and Ray Hughes.

Sat 05 Dec ANE BRUN

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £13

BLOC+MUSIC SHOWCASE (CHERRI FOSPHATE + KILL THE WAVES + THE VAN T’S + GONZO DJS)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £22

The garage rockers return for a another taste of UK life after a hyped autumn tour last year.

The Glasgow off-kilter groove merchants celebrate the wrap of their new LP.

The Elbow frontman goes it alone for the first time. Nevertheless, expect plenty of arm waving.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

POLY-MATH (BAETHOS + LOST LIMBS)

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–23:00, £12

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £5 ADV. (£6.50 DOOR)

DOE PAORA BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £7

Bloc’s own diminutive label Bloc+ Music sees out 2015 with a synopsis of bands worked with in the last 12 months.

Instrumental prog-math unit from Brighton, all glitchy, off-kilter guitars and shifting time signatures.

FIRST TIGER (REPTILE HOUSE + MISS IRENIE ROSE)

LUKE AND MEL THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £10

Musical project of Lyndsey Liora, born from her love of the flamboyant 80s New Romantic era.

THE STEREOGRAM REVUE (THE BAND OF HOLY JOY + JAMES KING AND THE LONEWOLVES + THE CATHODE RAY + LOLA IN SLACKS + ST. CHRISTOPHER MEDAL)

Live showcase night taking in a selection of Stereogram Records artists.

GUY GARVEY (STEVE MASON) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £27.50

AMERICAN CLAY

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £5

Sun 06 Dec O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17

The Irish Britpopsters play all the usual hits and live favourites of a 20+ year career. And none of them have even reached 40 yet. KODALINE

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

Dublin-based indie-rock quartet who use their music predominantly as a form of therapy (i.e. they write about being dumped an’ that). NOTHING MORE (SHVPES)

THE KOOKS

Tousled-haired Brighton scamps with a kit-bag of guitar-based pop offerings, if anyone’s still listening?

CLYDE 1 LIVE (NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS + STEREOPHONICS + KODALINE + FOXES + TOM ODELL)

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £27.50

Multi-artist Christmas gig from the folks at Clyde 1 radio, with acts including Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Stereophonics (who play the same venue solo the following evening) and more.

Wed 09 Dec LIANNE LA HAVAS

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

London-born folk and soul singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. TARIBOWEST (MADILAN + DIALECTS)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

A selection of super-heavy live band sounds curated by Vasa’s J Niblock and Detour’s Ally McCrae.

GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH (HALFRICAN + THE CREEPING IVIES) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £7

Portland surf ensemble. Also contenders for band name of the month. THE WOODENTOPS

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £12

British rock outfit of mid-80s fame, back on the road performing their LP Giant. THE OVERTONES

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £21.50

Vocal harmony quintet based in London, where they were discovered whilst working as decorators. Obviously. EUROS CHILDS (HAMISH JAMES HAWK)

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–22:00, £10.00

The Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, plays a stripped-back acoustic set in support of his 11th LP Sweetheart. STEREOPHONICS

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £32.50

The Welsh rockers play the biggie dates of their arena tour.

Thu 10 Dec COUNSELLED OUT

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £10

San Antonio rock band touring their latest album of the same name.

The Glasgow soul ensemble play as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations, combining a live gig with a new LP launch.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:45–23:00, £7 (£5)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £45

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9

THE SPOOK SCHOOL (CHORUSGIRL + JOYCE DELANEY)

FAMILY

The indie-styled Edinburgh quartet do their thing, with the usual dash of 60s pop thrown in for good measure.

The British prog-rockers perform two exclusive shows, one in Glasgow and one in London, if you’ve got a spare 45-bob.

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, £TBC

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

DURAN DURAN

The legendary 80s new wavers pump out the hits. SHARON MARTIN BAND

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £10

The Glasgow songstress performs with her live band unit.

Mon 07 Dec SCOUTING FOR GIRLS

GOOD GRIEF’S GOOP SHOP

The DIY label and zine collective present their monthly outing and fresh zine launch combined. STEVIE MCCRORIE

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £12

Homegrown singer who won the fourth series of The Voice UK in 2015. KHOST (VOE + INIQUITOUS SAVAGERY)

Dutch hip-hop crew layering strong vocal lines on heavy aggressive beats.

Scandinavian singer/songwriter riding along on her mid-Southern vocal twang, backed by delicatelyplucked acoustic guitars, piano and strings.

The English pop trio showcase their fourth LP Still Thinking About You.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £7

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £11

The Warpaint bassist hits the road for her UK solo debut.

Experimental Birmingham unit built on claustrophobic soundscapes that give way to crushing industrial doom throttled by thick layers of sludge.

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, £29

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £5

DOPE D.O.D.

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

TAX THE HEAT

The rising Bristol stars end their year on tour, bringing their blues rock’n’roll sound our way. ALIAS KID

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

Manchester outfit adept at fusions of 60s style anthems.

DJANGO DJANGO (STEALING SHEEP + RM HUBBERT) BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

Everybody’s favourite ScotsAnglo-Irish (keep up, folks) art-rockers return to Glasgow

Listings

SHURA

Pop producer and singer/songwriter, aka Aleksandra Denton when she’s off stage. THE DARKNESS (THESE RAVEN SKIES + THE RIVER 68’S)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £25.00

Histrionic hair metal group continue to enjoy their unlikely rejuvenation.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

JENNYLEE

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £12

ALT-J

The Mercury-winning keyboard shortcut enthusiasts head out on tour.

Tue 08 Dec THE ZOMBIES

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £20

The 1961-formed rock band still rocking out with original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent still going strong.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:45–23:00, £7 (£5)

KAGOULE

Nottingham-based rock troupe out on tour in support of debut LP Urth. DEF LEPPARD + WHITESNAKE

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, £45

Two of the most legendary purveyors of classic rock’n’roll join forces for twice the noise.

Multi-award winning country singer/songwriter duo.

Fri 11 Dec CARAVAN PALACE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £19.00

Mighty fusion of gypsy-jazz, swing and high-octane electronica from the raggle-taggle French natives. SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: GENERATIONS OF BACH

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

Period performance expert John Butt conducts a Bach special. BROWNBEAR

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Ayrshire foursome of the alternative variety. UNIVERSAL THEE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Edinburgh-based alternative indie lot led by husband and wife pairing James and Lisa Russell. NAO (JORDAN RAKEI)

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £7

The fledgling London-based singer heads our way. THE VATERSAY BOYS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £25

The Vatersay (and Barra) foursome play their usual traditional fare, fueled on accordian, bass guitar, drums and pipes. MAN OF MOON

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £6

Fledgling Edinburgh duo made up of Chris Bainbridge and Mikey Reid.

Sat 12 Dec THE REZILLOS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £20

Edinburgh-formed punk/new wave outfit active since 1976, running on high octane, guitar driven, melodic anti-mope rock.

HUDSON MOHAWKE (LITTLEBABYANGEL)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14.50

808-obsessed Scottish electronic music producer (aka Ross Birchard), adept at seducing heads and ravers alike.

LA-based songstress (aka Sonia Kreitzer when she’s off stage), blending elements of pop, dubstep, soul and r’n’b. WILLIWAW

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , 18:00–20:00, FREE

Expect ukulele mayhem as Williwaw brings his merry cavalcade of melodious din to a live setting once more. MUMFORD AND SONS

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £25

The love ‘em/hate ‘em folkrockers do their thing.

Mon 14 Dec

DANCING WITH DAKOTA (MAELSTROM + IGNITE THE SKY + SATIRACY + ACID TRIAL) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7

The hardcore Glasgow metal mob do their thing. BARRIE-JAMES O’NEILL

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

The former Kassidy mainman goes it solo. MUMFORD AND SONS

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £25

The love ‘em/hate ‘em folkrockers do their thing.

DAMMIT

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Vibrant new monthly event featuring some of the UK’s best live punk-rock and alternative sounds. NELLY

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 18:00–22:00, £24.50

The quintessential early 00’s-era rapper gets back on the road to see how his Thicke-level sleaze gets on in 2015. ORANGE GOBLIN (HEAVY SMOKE)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £15

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

BEERJACKET (REVERIEME + CHRISSY BARNACLE)

The one-man alternative folk band that is Peter Kelly plays an intimate show, showcasing a new batch of tunes.

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £15

Wed 16 Dec

The Sad boys return to Barras, well-known for their synthdriven, gloomy gems that unfurl with each listen. GARDEN OF ELKS

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , 19:00–22:00, £4

Alternative indie newbies composed of PAWS, Bronto Skylift and ex-Vasa members, out raising funds for the Scottish Refugee Council. JEFFREY LEWIS

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–22:00, £10.00

The anti-folk icon tours with his merry band, Los Bolts (with Heather Wagner on drums and Emily Mem Pahl on bass).

Sun 13 Dec CHINA CRISIS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £16

The 80s Liverpudlian pop-rockers make a Glasgow stop-off on their current tour. FISH

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The group head out on their farewell to childhood tour. THE MAGIC GANG

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6

Indie-pop four-piece closing out their year on tour.

MEDICINE MEN (NOTHING UNIVERSE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:45–23:00, £6

The alternative Glasgow play a hometown set.

A CHRISTMAS CAROUSAL (TREMBLING BELLS + ALASDAIR ROBERTS + OLIVIA CHANEY) PLATFORM, 18:30–22:00, £10

Storming the stage of Platform’s panto for one-night-only, Trembling Bells, Alasdair Roberts and Olivia Chaney perform live to the suitably surreal backdrop of the Puss In Boots set. Return bus from Mono.

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Post-hardcore DIY gig/club effort, with a selection of live acts dropping by. COURTNEERS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The Manc indie foursome round off a year and a bit of touring, festival slots and a #3 charting LP. RACHELLE RHIENNE (JOSEPHINE SILLARS + LUCK FACTORY + SOPHIE ROGERS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Young Loch Lomond songstress now sharing her time between Glasgow and London. BENN MAGGS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £6

Gloucestershire-hailing acoustic folk-pop singer/songwriter. PETE MACLEOD

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £9

Fri 18 Dec

Multi-limbed experimental electronic pop-rock troupe from Glasgow. THE TWILIGHT SAD

REPEATER (KADDISH + BAETHOS + CUTTY’S GYM)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Hip-hop sibling duo who’ve been raising the roof with cuts from their latest record Sremm Life.

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

CLARAMASSA (ILLICIT BOUNTY GANG + BLACK CAT REVUE + VISIONS OF ELLIE)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7

Unhinged rock’n’rollers from Barrhead, who’ve been giggin’ their way around Glasgow for the past five+ years.

The rock’n’roll Glasgow singer/ songwriter does his thing.

RAE SREMMURD

East Kilbride/Glasgow-straddling psych-rock doom-mongerers.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:45–23:00, £5

BLUE NOVA (ARMSTRONG + HANNA MARSH + THE MATHLETICS TEAM)

Tue 15 Dec

London-based heavy metal quartet who’ve made the genre a way of life; balls-out and booze-fuelled in their approach.

HELICON

Thu 17 Dec

HOWIE DAY

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £16

The American singer-songwriter returns to the UK.

THE USUALS (SENATE + RYAN LAWRENCE + THE KLEPTOCRATS + GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7

Alternative rock quartet from the southwest of Glasgow, led by Ross Bradley on vocals and backing guitar. LOWER THAN ATLANTIS

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14

Hard-rockin’ foursome hailing from Hertfordshire.

THE HOSTILES (PMX + YEAH DETROIT + SUGO DJS) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Another high-tempo ska punk party o’ a gig from the Ayr nutcases. THE VIEW

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The Dundee indie-pop scamps do their thing, if anyone’s still bothered?

ALABASTER JONES (POLAROID PEOPLE + BARBARY COAST + EMMA NUELLE)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Glasgow’s resident funk fiends offer up their take on modern alternative funk. QUEEN KWONG

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £8

LA Queen Kwong makes a return to the UK building on her early hype with a debut LP in tow.

THE MODESTS (ACROBATS + WE WERE HUNTED + JACK SNUT)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7

Glasgow rock quartet led by frontman Jackson Harvey on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. GHOST

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

The mysterious mask-wearing Swedish rockers return to the UK.

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO 3

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

SCO associate artist Alexander Janiczek continues his survey of concertos by Mozart and Beethoven. NIEVES (AKELA + SINK SHIPS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Fledgling Glasgow duo of the alternative indie-folk variety. GUN

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £20

RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 18:00–20:00, FROM £15

Annual family-orientated concert of festive singalong carols, accompanied by a big screen showing of The Snowman, as per the festive law. ATOM TREE

THE ART SCHOOL, 19:00–22:00, £8

The ambient electronic Glasgow lot play a hometown set. HOW TO SWIM

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–22:00, £5

The Glasgow orchestral pop ensemble play a special show, out celebrating their 15th anniversary (and the fact it’s less than a week ‘til Christmas!). MIKE HERON + TREMBLING BELLS

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £14 ADV. (£16 DOOR)

Original Incredible String Band member Mike Heron teams up with Glasgow’s own kings and queens of modern folk, Trembling Bells, to perform new arrangements of some ISB classics.

Sun 20 Dec

HERSHEL’S HEAD (MEGALOMATIC + AKORD + MILK)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6.50

Glasgow newcomers of the ‘no’fi psychedelic’ variety, named after a dismembered character in The Walking Dead, as you do. BAY CITY ROLLERS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania. RALLY & BROAD THE TAKEOVER EDITIONS: POETS AGAINST HUMANITY!

STEREO, 14:30–17:30, £6

Rally & Broad is taken over by the comedy/poetry genius of Poets Against Humanity, with special guests Jim Monaghan and Gav Prentice, plus music from TeenCanteen. MADONNA

THE SSE HYDRO, 20:00–22:00, FROM £40

We don’t really need to explain this one, do we? It’s freakin’ MADONNA. JOHN BRAMWELL

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £15

The I Am Kloot singer/songwriter and frontman hits the road solo.

Rock’n’roll outfit formed by the Gizzi brothers in the mid-80s.

Mon 21 Dec

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , 19:00–02:00, £5

Progressive punk lot straying into folk, melodic hardcore and spoken word.

GREEN DOOR STUDIO: 8TH BIRTHDAY (HAPPY MEALS + JUNTO CLUB + SECONDS + SWEATY PALMS + MARY COLUMN)

The DIY Glagsow studio celebrates eight glorious years, hosting a party night with live badns chums and DJs, plus a ‘Green Door Best of 2015’ compilation CD for all attendees. Raising funds for the village of Tafi Atome in Ghana. ABEL GANZ (TIGER MOTH TALES + WE ARE KIN)

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–22:00, £12 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

The veteran Glasgow proggers return to the live stage, following the release of their new LP earlier in the year. TEXAS

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £35

The Scottish pop veterans return for their final run of shows before Christmas, celebrating 25 years together.

Sat 19 Dec THE SILENCERS

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

80s post-meets-punk outfit characterized by their melodic blend of pop, folk and traditional Celtic influences. ENEMIES OF THE STATE (THE SNEAKY RUSSIAN + THE TREND + END TRANSMISSION )

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7.00

The indie-rock locals take to the stage to do their ever-energetic live thing. BIG COUNTRY

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £25

Mark Brzezicki and Bruce Watson continue to tour as Big Country, with new vocalist Simon Hough replacing Stuart Adamson. WOODENBOX (MAYOR STUBBS + MITCHELL MUSEUM)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Ali Downer’s Americana-styled folk ensemble play under their clipped back Woodenbox moniker, still imbued with the same propensity for full-on barn-raising anthems.

LOSING GROUND (DILLINGER + THE CAIRDS + PASSION BEARER)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

WOMPS (POLARNECKS + GRAND PRICKS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:45–23:00, £5

Off-kilter indie-folk project of Glasgow’s Ewan Grant, formerly playing under the guise Algernon Doll. BAY CITY ROLLERS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania. VLADIMIR (BAR DOGS + VIDA)

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:00, £5

Noisy indie-rock ensemble hailing from Dundee.

Tue 22 Dec

PHIL CUNNINGHAM’S CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK

CITY HALLS, 19:30–22:00, £21

Annual festive fixture, which sees Cunningham and his merry band of Scottish folk players (including Eddi Reader, Kris Drever and John McCusker) belt out festive hits. JOE STRUMMER TRIBUTE NIGHT

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9.50

Annual fundraiser with various bands paying tribute to the late, great Joe Strummer. All proceeds go to the Strummerville charity. BAY CITY ROLLERS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania.

RODDY WOOMBLE’S CHRISTMAS HOOTENANNY (ANDREW WASYLYK)

THE HUG AND PINT, 20:00–22:00, £14

Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble hosts a two-night festive takeover, playing a selection of songs from his solo albums, plus Idlewild hits and some Christmas classics, joined by a guest or two.

THE SKINNY

Wed 23 Dec DEAD MAN FALL

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £8

Glasgow-based alternative indie quartet formed from the ashes of Odeon Beatclub. FAIIDES

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Upbeat jangling indie ensemble on a lo-fi kick. BAY CITY ROLLERS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania.

RODDY WOOMBLE’S CHRISTMAS HOOTENANNY (SORREN MACLEAN)

THE HUG AND PINT, 20:00–22:00, £14

Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble hosts a two-night festive takeover, playing a selection of songs from his solo albums, plus Idlewild hits and some Christmas classics, joined by a guest or two.

Thu 24 Dec

CALUM FRAME (JACK THOMPSON + DECO AND THE CASES)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Young Glasgow singer/songwriter moving between acoustic and upbeat pop/rock soundscapes.

Sun 27 Dec

REVOLVING DOORS (STRAWBERRY WINE + VISIONS OF ELLIE + OSKAR)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Alternative indie Glasgow scamps, formerly playing under the name No Fxd Abode. THE SOURCE REUNION (ULTRASONIC + DREAM FREQUENCY + THE RHYTHMIC STATE + DABCE OVER DOSE)

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

After several sold out events, a flurry of guests combine to bring you the ultimate Source Reunion.

Mon 28 Dec

THE SINSHEIMERS (REWIRED + SINGLE BY SUNDAY + OLDHOUSE)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Greenock pop-meets-rock five piece originally formed to enter a local talent competition.

Tue 29 Dec

THE BEGBIES (SCUNNER + THE BUDDHIST PUNKS + THE TRIPPS)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Indie-inspired alternative punk quintet hailing from the fiery musical furnace of Livingston.

Wed 30 Dec THE COSMIC DEAD

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Edinburgh Music Edinburgh Music Tue 01 Dec

BILLY BRAGG (DUKE SPECIAL)

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, £20

The fiercely political singer/ songwriter hits the road again. CARO EMERALD

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £32.50

Dutch singer/songwriter specialising in lyrical tales of romance set over a blend of Samba, jazz, bossa nova, mambo and crackling vinyl. CHIRSTOPHER OWENS (JOEL CLEARY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

The singer/songwriter of the nowdisbanded San Franciscan outfit, Girls, goes it alone again with his second solo LP A New Testament. SPACE (ELKIN)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £14

Expect the likes of Female of the Species, Neighbourhood and Me & You Against the World and tracks from their new album.

Wed 02 Dec

RUDI N’ SPIDER (EMPIRE DECLINED + THE ZENITH COMPLEX)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Dundee and Fife-hailing blues rock lot. LUCKLESS

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Melodic and melancholic indie rock from New Zealand.

THE STEREOGRAM REVUE (THE BAND OF HOLY JOY + JAMES KING AND THE LONEWOLVES + THE CATHODE RAY + LOLA IN SLACKS + ST. CHRISTOPHER MEDAL)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £12

EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (BIG JOE LOUIS + SIMON KENNEDY BAND)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £13

Regular blues club taking in touring blues acts from the UK and beyond. RSNO: TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

The RSNO take in a special Spanishthemed programme, including Tchaikovsky’s irresistibly tuneful Violin Concerto. CHRIS T-T (BILLY LIAR + ELVIRA STITT)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £10

The Brighton-based troubadour heads our way as part of his UK solo tour. LISSIE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £19.50

The Rock Island folk-rock songstress (aka Elisabeth Corrin Maurus) hits town. FRIDAYS COVERED PRESENTS THE CANDIDATES

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, FREE

More in the way of good ol’ soul, motown and dancefloor classics from the Edinburgh seven-piece.

RANDOLPH’S LEAP (MARTHA FFION)

SUMMERHALL, 19:00–01:00, £10

Having been one of the bands that helped kick off Summerhall’s Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series back when it launched, Glasgow folk-pop melody merchants Randolph’s Leap return to help end a triumphant year of giggage. STEAL THE SUN (ACADEMY STRANGERS + THE INDOS + FED PEASANTS)

The pop-rock locals launch their new LP.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Sat 05 Dec

BRAWLERS

London-based garage punk lot featuring current and ex-members of Dinosaur Pile-Up, Leftover Crack, Castrovalva and Martyr Defiled. THE LAST BATTLE (CALL TO MIND + THE MEANEST CREATURE EVER KNOWN)

Edinburgh’s own folk-pop outfit do their ever-lovely orchestraltinged thing.

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7.50

Thu 03 Dec

The tuneful Glasgow math rock trio launch their new LP.

THE PLEASANCE, 19:00–23:00, £9

Glasgow-based muso, composing e’er beautiful choral harmonies and acoustic instrumentation in his bedroom-studio set-up.

Live showcase night taking in a selection of Stereogram Records artists.

The Glasgow-based aural astronauts play their final set of 2015, joined by a selection of stillto-be-revealed live guests. DONNIE WILLOW

C DUNCAN

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £7

HAILEY BEAVIS (WILLIAM DOUGLAS)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–22:00, £5

Prepare for some acoustic indiepop loveliness as the Edinburgh singer/songwriter launches her new EP.

RACHEL ALICE JOHNSON (LYNSDAY SHIELDS + ANNIE BOOTH)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The Scottish/New Zealand singer/ songwriter – also an ECA student – launches her new single. TIJUANA BIBLES (RETRO VIDEO CLUB)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £10

Glasgow rock’n’rollers built on a diet of gritty guitars, driving bass lines, baritone vocals and rocksteady drums.

WASHINGTON IRVING (GIRL ATHLETE + THE YOUTH AND THE YOUNG) SUMMERHALL, 20:00–23:00, £10

The indie-folk locals (whose story began in a basement flat back in February 2008, fact fans) take to the stage for the first December installment of the Nothing Ever Happens Here gig series.

Fri 04 Dec LA M.O.D.A.

BANNERMANS, 18:00–23:00, £14

Spanish ensemble mixing folk, bluegrass, with a hint of the blues. THE PROCLAIMERS

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £30.40

Expect to hear the classics Sunshine on Leith, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £6

TOMMY CONCRETE AND THE WEREWOLVES (RUNEMASTER + NEST OF VIPERS + SKELPED)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Old school Edinburgh extreme metalers led by Tommy Concrete, out for a special Halloween set.

DALAS (GERD AND THE DEALERS + MATATUNES + GLUERASH)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4

Cross dressing, tripod-fronted sing-a-long punk from Belgium.

AYNSLEY LISTER (LEWIS HAMILTON BAND)

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £13

The Leicester-born blues guitar legend does his thing. DARK GREEN TREE

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £TBC

Alternative folk and Americana project of Ross Cockburn and Jay Brown. DON BRONCO

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £15

Bedford-based rock quartet continuing their ascent through the UK’s venues. LACH

PARADISE PALMS, 19:00–01:00, FREE

The antifolk and poken word local does his thing.

Mon 07 Dec

TERGAZZI + THE RIVER NORTH

BANNERMANS, 22:00–23:00, £5

Double dose of local bands of the suitably noisy variety.

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE (THE JOHN LANGAN BAND)

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse hosts the latest in its gig series helping raise funds for The Soundhouse Organisation. THE VACCINES

USHER HALL, 19:00–22:00, £25

London-based indie-rockers of dubious musical merit.

Tue 08 Dec

BLOODWISE CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL, 19:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Charity Christmas carol concert performed by a selection of local community choirs. SCOUTING FOR GIRLS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £22.50 + BF

The English pop trio showcase their fourth LP Still Thinking About You. THE CARNABYS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

ALEXANDER O’NEAL

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £27

Mississippi-hailing r’n’b singer, drawing comparisons to the likes of Otis Redding. INERTIA

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

Aural party experience with emphasis on rhythm, melody and intimacy. THE REZILLOS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £20

Edinburgh-formed punk/new wave outfit active since 1976, running on high octane, guitar driven, melodic anti-mope rock.

DIVIDES (PLUS AS I WAS HUNTED + A MODERN MASQUERADE + APERTUNE)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £8 (£6.50)

All-rockin’ Glasgow five-piece composed of former members of various other Scottish bands. WITHERED HAND

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

DIY folk fairytales are the order of the day as Edinburgh boy-donegood Dan Willson (aka Withered Hand) performs a special set.

Sat 12 Dec

HAAR + NNGNN (NNGNN)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £6

Showcase night of brutal metal. THE INSIDER: A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

THE PLEASANCE, 19:00–01:00, £12

American singer/songwriter (aka Mark Tremonti) best known as the lead guitarist of rock units Creed and Alter Bridge. RETRO VIDEO CLUB (EXIT THE THEATRE + FRIEND OF A FRIEND)

FIRES IN THE ALPS (PILOTCAN + AIRMEN TO THE AFTERLIFE)

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £6

Sun 13 Dec

Special record launch in Collective’s City Dome, bringing together the bands formed during Ross Sinclair’s exhibition 20 Years of Real Life.

Scottish jazz singer Judith Williams and guitarist Nigel Clark play a live set in celebration of the launch of their first record together.

THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £30.40

Wed 09 Dec

LIMBO (NUMBERS ARE FUTILE + HIVA OA + DELIGHTED PEOPLES)

Rock’n’roll-styled Irish multiinstrumentalist, out with his full band ensemble to promote new LP No Town.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–01:00, £6 ADV. (£8 DOOR)

The Edinburgh gig-in-a-club night makes merry for its final outing of the year – headlined by synth-heavy locals Numbers Are Futile, with support from dream pop Edinburgh trio Hiva Oa and fledgling ones-to-watch Delighted Peoples. THE VALKARYS (FRABTIC CHANT)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £6

Edinburgh-formed psychedelic garage band, who relocated to London for some years, but are now firmly returned to their homeland.

ALIAS KID (THE LONELY TOGETHER + PILOTCAN) SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Manchester outfit adept at fusions of 60s style anthems.

THE TINDERBOX ORCHESTRA (FRONTIERS + DAWANGGANG & SONG YUZHE + MANTRA + URVANOVIC + KEY TO MUSIC + TOTALLY SOUND + BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS + PETE FURNISS & HAFTOR MEDBØE ) ASSEMBLY ROXY, 13:30–22:30, FREE (£10 AFTER 7.30PM)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £8 (£6)

JAMMIN’ AT VOODOO

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 21:00–23:00, FREE

Monthly live jam session with a selection of Scottish musicians playing lounge grooves from myriad genres.

KAGOULE (ANDREW R BURNS AND THE TROPICANAS + STAR ROVER )

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Nottingham-based rock troupe out on tour in support of debut LP Urth.

Thu 10 Dec PREACHER

BANNERMANS, 20:00–22:00, £7

The melodic progressive rockers hit Bannermans for the first time. SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: GENERATIONS OF BACH

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

Period performance expert John Butt conducts a Bach special. IAIN MORRISON (THE JELLYMAN’S DAUGHTER)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £10

Son of Iain Morrison senior, out launching his sixth LP Eas. THE BEAT (ESPERANZA)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £19

The 80’s ska band now reformed and performing new compositions.

THE ARISTOCRATS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £20

Rock fusion three-piece. HEY! HELLO!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £15

Catchy noise-pop trio comprised of various folk from other bands. JEFFREY LEWIS

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £10

The anti-folk icon tours with his merry band, Los Bolts (with Heather Wagner on drums and Emily Mem Pahl on bass).

Mon 14 Dec

SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE (THE ROAMIN’ JASMINE)

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse hosts the latest in its gig series helping raise funds for The Soundhouse Organisation.

Tue 15 Dec

CLICK CLACK CLUB (THE PYGMIES)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £6 (£4)

Experimental monthly music club bringing the good times with their Beefheart-inspired funk and special guests. VLADIMIR (THE DOMICILES + THE DRAYNES)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Noisy indie-rock ensemble hailing from Dundee.

Wed 16 Dec SHOPPING

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Just been named one of the Musical project of Sacred Paws’s Rachel Aggs.

DUNEDIN CONSORT: HANDEL’S MESSIAH

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £12 (£10)

USHER HALL, 15:00–17:00, FROM £15

NEU! REEKIE!: #XMASKRACKER

Edinburgh-bothering literary merrymakers Neu! Reekie! mark their final outing of the year with summat suitably festive, celebrating Christmas and their 5th birthday combined in the company of Irvine Welsh, WHITE, Hector Bizerk, Liz Lochhead and more.

Fri 18 Dec CHRIS GLEN

BANNERMANS, 18:00–23:00, £15 (£12)

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band bass chappie plays a special solo set. MOON HOP

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Musical club night featuring live performances from a selection of hot musical talent, bolstered by the regular DJs playing into the wee hours. PHIL CUNNINGHAM’S CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £23

RALLY & BROAD THE TAKEOVER EDITIONS: THE ANTI-SLAM!

Rally & Broad is infiltrated by The Anti-Slam wonders of Paula Varjack and Dan Simpson, with ten special guest poets and music from A New International.

LUDUS BAROQUE: BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

Ludus Baroque’s contribution to the festive period, Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio, performed on period instruments.

Sun 20 Dec

CENTRAL HALL, 18:00–23:30, £16 (£13.50)

Collaborative songwriting project between Kenny Herbert and Rab Howat, out hosting their annual Christmas party night.

CANONGATE KIRK, 19:00–22:00, £20 (£16)

The I Am Kloot singer/songwriter and frontman hits the road solo.

Fledgling Edinburgh duo made up of Chris Bainbridge and Mikey Reid.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7.95

Local indie-rock unit still riding the wave of their debut LP.

JOHN BRAMWELL THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Dunedin Consort present their annual festive performance of Handel’s Messiah.

THE APPLEBEGGARS’ CHRISTMAS PARTY (STUART NISBET)

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–21:15, £12 (£8)

Expect to hear the classics Sunshine on Leith, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America.

MAN OF MOON (REDOLENT)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £6

TREMONTI

COLLECTIVE GALLERY, 17:00–20:00, £TBC

MATTY JAMES AND THE IRREGULARS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

SCO associate artist Alexander Janiczek continues his survey of concertos by Mozart and Beethoven.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The Edinburgh based post-rock shoegazers play a hometown set.

THE PROCLAIMERS

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO 3

Annual festive fixture, which sees Cunningham and his merry band of Scottish folk players (including Eddi Reader, Kris Drever and John McCusker) belt out festive hits.

Fledgling indie lot who recently opened for Blondie.

JUDITH WILLIAMS + NIGEL CLARK

Thu 17 Dec

Insider fest return for a Christmas special of their ‘Night At The Theatre’ series, bringing with them SAY Award-winner Kathryn Joseph, Haiku Salut in ‘lamp show’ form and multi-tasking chap Julian Corrie in his Miaoux Miaoux guise.

FREE INSTRUMENTS FOR TEENAGERS (APPEAR INVISIBLE + BEDROOM ATHLETE + ENEMY FIRE + ROSS & THE REALIFERS)

Multi-limbed youth orchestra The Tinderbox Orchestra celebrates its 5th Anniversary with a full-day festival at the Roxy Assembly, joined by myriad musical supports.

December 2015

Sun 06 Dec

Fri 11 Dec

THE CAVES, 20:00–01:00, £12

THE STRATS (THE SOCIAL ORDER + MY ELECTRIC LOVE AFFAIR + CHRIS GREIG MUSIC)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

The local alternative rock troupe descend. DUNT + DEVIL’S BEEFTUB

THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:00–22:00, £6

Skate punks versus blues grunge, as two of Edinburgh’s gnarliest underground groups go toe-to toe with their new LPs. FAT SUIT

THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £14

The Glasgow instrumental music collective deliver their usual mighty fusion of jazz, rock and folk.

Sat 19 Dec

TYLA J PALLAS (ALAN CLAYTON + MATTY JAMES)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £18 (£15)

The Dogs D’amour frontman plays a live band mix of his solo work, plus some Dogs favourites. PHIL CUNNINGHAM’S CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £23

RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Annual family-orientated concert of festive singalong carols, accompanied by a big screen showing of The Snowman, as per the festive law. KRIS ROE

LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00, £15 (£12.50)

The Ataris chap performs songs from Blue Skies, Broken Hearts and So Long, Astoria.

Mon 21 Dec

JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL

BANNERMANS, 22:00–23:00, £5

Montreal experimentalist and onetime member of cult heavyweights The Dears. SOUNDHOUSE @ TRAVERSE THEATRE (THE BEVVY SISTERS + THE LOVEBOAT BAD BOYS)

TRAVERSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £10

Continuing its weekly residency at Traverse Theatre, departed Edinburgh music venue Soundhouse hosts the latest in its gig series helping raise funds for The Soundhouse Organisation.

Tue 22 Dec

CELLAR BAR FOLK CLUB

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 20:00–01:00, £3

Monthly intimate folk session in Henry’s cellar bar lair.

Sun 27 Dec BAY CITY ROLLERS

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £23.50

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania. PARTY FEARS THREE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £10.0

One of the leading eighties cover/ tribute bands in the UK, Party Fears Three play classic songs from the 80s, the decade still regarded by many as one the most innovative and enduring periods in music ever

Mon 28 Dec

RAB HOWAT BAND’S XMAS PARTY

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, FREE

The classic rock regulars host a festive gig outing. BLUES ‘N’ TROUBLE

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £12.50 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

Good time blues and boogie ensemble led by singer and harmonica player Tim Elliott. BAY CITY ROLLERS

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £23.50

Les McKeown returns to header some Rollermania. BEECHES

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £7

The Scottish alternative indie-rock lot celebrate the release of their new single, which they crowdfunded earlier in the year.

Wed 30 Dec

SPECIAL LOVE (THE DDN + DANCING MICE)

Annual festive fixture, which sees Cunningham and his merry band of Scottish folk players (including Eddi Reader, Kris Drever and John McCusker) belt out festive hits.

The synthpop troupe return for a one-off gig after exactly ten years.

STUDIO 24, 19:00–22:30, £5

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

MIND SET A THREAT (YEAH DETROIT + ISLASORNA + LIFELINES)

Scream-meets-metal Edinburgh quintet, of the all-guns-blazing live variety, out playing their final gig. MT. DOUBT (QUIET AS A MOUSE + ANNIE BOOTH + JOSH FUCHS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

Edinburgh musician/producer Leo Bargery in his atmospheric rock guise.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–00:00, £5

THE SCOTTISH FIDDLE ORCHESTRA: HOGMANAY CELEBRATION

A selection of Hogmanay classics given the fiddle treatment by the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra.

Dundee Music Sat 05 Dec

ANIMUS (SERVANT SUN + VIOLENT RELAPSE)

BUSKERS, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Dundee-based progressive death metallers launch their debut LP Men Into Memories.

Thu 10 Dec

TIJUANA BIBLES (THE BAD KIND + VERTIGLOW + RYAN WIGHTON)

BUSKERS, 19:30–23:00, FREE

Glasgow rock’n’rollers built on a diet of gritty guitars, driving bass lines, baritone vocals and rocksteady drums. SANDI THOM

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £15

The Scottish singer/songwriter and mulit-instrumentalist plays an intimate set. BLANCK MASS

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £10

Solo project of Fuck Buttons’ Benjamin Power, touring in support of his latest LP Dumb Flesh.

Fri 11 Dec TAPEDECK 45

BUSKERS, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

The Dundee indie-pop trio launch their new single.

Thu 17 Dec THE VIEW

CAIRD HALL, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The Dundee indie-pop scamps do their thing, if anyone’s still bothered?

Fri 18 Dec

RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT

CAIRD HALL, 19:30–22:00, £17 (£12.50)

Annual family-orientated concert of festive singalong carols, accompanied by a big screen showing of The Snowman, as per the festive law.

Sat 19 Dec THE PROCLAIMERS

CAIRD HALL, 19:30–22:00, £28.50

Expect to hear the classics Sunshine on Leith, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America.

Sun 27 Dec

THE REZILLOS (CHERRY BOMBZ + STOOR)

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £14

Edinburgh-formed punk/new wave outfit active since 1976, running on high octane, guitar driven, melodic anti-mope rock.

Tue 29 Dec SINDERINS

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:30, £14

Harmonic East coast ensemble with duelling lead vocals, formed from the ashes of the impossibly titled Anderson, McGinty, Webster, Ward and Fisher.

Wed 30 Dec SINDERINS

THE GARDYNE THEATRE, 19:30–22:30, £14

Harmonic East coast ensemble with duelling lead vocals, formed from the ashes of the impossibly titled Anderson, McGinty, Webster, Ward and Fisher.

Thu 31 Dec

BUSKERS’ HOGMANAY PARTY

BUSKERS, 20:00–02:30, £10 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

A trio of tribute acts – Buck Rogers and Cherry Bombz – get the Hogmanay proceeding off to a music start, with DJs until late.

BAD MANNERS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £20.0

More in the way of party ska hits, with the larger-than-life Buster Bloodvessel still gurning away at the helm.

THE SOUL FOUNDATION

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, FREE

Quality soul covers, playing close reference to the originals. They will play Stevie Wonder. BIG COUNTRY

TEVIOT, 19:00–22:00, £25

Mark Brzezicki and Bruce Watson continue to tour as Big Country, with new vocalist Simon Hough replacing Stuart Adamson.

Listings

Glasgow Clubs Tue 01 Dec

TROPICAL (SAMO + HI & SABERHAGEN)

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Tropical troops welcome Samo (DJ of Public Possession, Lies and Born Free) to debut in Glasgow, alongside local upstarts Hi & Saberhägen.

KILLER KITSCH

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005.’ I AM (ADESSE VERSIONS)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

i AM chaps Beta & Kappa kick start the festive period with a special appearance from Adesse Versions.

Wed 02 Dec TAKE IT SLEAZY

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

An unabashed mix of 80s pop, electro and nu-disco. They will play Phil Collins. SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

Thu 03 Dec JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer. ZONE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

Experimental, techno and wave with live sets from Lord Real and Kleft, plus DJ Crud and King Heroin. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop. REFUGE (MR TIES)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7

Following their Berlin fundraiser in September, Sub Club and Bigfoot’s Tea Party team up for the second in their refugee fundraiser series – this time staying on home soil for a special party in Subbie, joined by Berlin Homopatik resident Mr Ties. PVC

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FREE

All-new Thursday nighter playing r’n’b, pop, hip-hop and more, plus live dance and performance.

Fri 04 Dec PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie. DIRTY SIRENS

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Crossover vintage rap, pop and hip-hop from the up-and-coming DJ fatale. ALTEREGO

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£6 AFTER 12)

New night of rock, rap, metal and more with DJ Scapegoat. HARSH TUG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Hip-hop and gangsta rap brought to you by the Notorious B.A.G and pals. OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure. QUEER VEGAN DISCO

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £3

London’s legendary night of camp delight tales to the Duck for one night only, playing selections of indie, pop and rock. MISSING PERSONS CLUB: 3RD BIRTHDAY (BJARKI)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £8

Missing Persons Club welcome Bjarki for his debut live set in Scotland, helping ‘em celebrate their 3rd birthday. JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

OPTIMO: FOODBANK FUNDRAISER (JOB JOBSE) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The Optimo chaps host a foodbank fundraiser takeover, with Amsterdam DJ Job Jobse on guest duties. Dig deep.

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FROM £5

Sat 05 Dec LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests. REZURRECTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Listings

Midweek techno and house party with residents Stu Coull and Conor McCarthy. SUB ROSA (LEON LYNEHALL)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FROM £7

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm, this time with guest Leon Vynehall in tow.

Thu 10 Dec JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Alternative blowout of punk, rock and metal, plus punter requests if you ask nicely.

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

THE MELTING POT (SIMONOTRON)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5 (FIRST 50 FREE)

NEW LIFE MARKETS

Assorted house and disco selections. THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–04:00, £7

The Melting Pot crew welcome Hot Mess’ Simonotron for a guest set. NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk. SINGLES NIGHT

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy Divine and Chris Geddes’ gem of a night dedicated to 7-inch singles from every genre imaginable.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

HEX

Residents takeover from the Hex lot, returning to La Cheetah for a full-on house and techno session with full crew in tow. SHOW (HOT SINCE 82)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

House DJ and producer Hot Since 82 (aka Daley Padley) drops by for a guest set. PVC

STEREOTONE

THE ROCK SHOP

BIZARRE TEMPO

GBX NYE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £3

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–04:00, £TBC

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00, £25

The Subcity radio crew bring the party – 20 years old and still going strong – playing host to a selection of station favourites.

Thursday night party with resident Wheelman inviting a host of local Glasgow talent down to La Cheetah’s basement.

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8

NU SKOOL

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk. PARADOX

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5

First of a series of unorthodox parties aiming to showcase the most interesting underground acts around. WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5

Fledgling disco night worshipping the genre in all its forms. THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney. SUBCULTURE (ATA)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FROM £10

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic, this time joined by guest Ata. COLOURS (BLASTERJAXX)

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00, £24.50

Late night Colours (short for the Holland DJ duo aka Thom Jongkind and Idir Makhlaf.)

Sun 13 Dec

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FREE

FLY CLUB: DAVID BARBAROSSA’S BIRTHDAY BONANZA

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £8 (£5)

Fri 11 Dec

THE ROCK SHOP

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie.

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent – this time handing over to Glasgow’s David Barbarossa for some, y’know, birthday bonanza-ing.

LET’S GO BACK… WAY BACK (NICKY HOLLOWAY)

The Let’s Go Back... troops welcome Nicky Holloway for a special trip/ Balearic guest set. MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

SUBCULTURE (TOM TRAGO + YOUNG MARCO)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic, joined by a double whammy of Amsterdam DJ guests in the form of Tom Trago and Young Marco. HEADSTRONG (RANDOMER + AND)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–04:00, FROM £6

Headstrong continues its onslaught of the Glasgow Club scene with residents Animal Farm joined by London-based purveyor of furious beats Randomer and lively duo AnD.

Sun 06 Dec

THE ONLY WAY IS ETHICS: CLOSING PARTY

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–04:00, FREE

Closing bash for the Duck’s The Only Way Is Ethics mini seaosn, taking in live improv, music, DJs and more. FLY CLUB (LA LA LAND)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent – this time in the form of La La Land.

Mon 07 Dec BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH TRADE WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 08 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005.’ I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Resident chaps Beta & Kappa play their usual fine mix of electronica and bass, oft joined by a guest or two.

Wed 09 Dec LIGHTWORKS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

Glitch, hip-hop and grime selections played out by a selection of players from the Glasgow beat/ producer scene.

HAVEN LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

SUBCITY NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

All-new Thursday nighter playing r’n’b, pop, hip-hop and more, plus live dance and performance. PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

ENJOYABLE MOMENT

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The Cosmic Dead chaps trip out with an evening of rollin’ Krautrock DJing for your general aural pleasure. ALTEREGO

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£6 AFTER 12)

New night of rock, rap, metal and more with DJ Scapegoat. ESBAT OV ECDYSIS

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Mon 14 Dec BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

OLD SKOOL

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005.’

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

COMMON PEOPLE

THE FLYING DUCK, 21:00–03:00, £5

Celebration of all things 90s, with hits a-plenty and a pre-club bingo session. LA CHEETAH CLUB PRESENTS… TAM SUMO

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10

La Cheetah Club welcome Bergain and Panorama Bar resident Tama Sumo for a rare Scottish two-hour set. JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

RETURN TO MONO’S XMAS PARTY (PAUL RITCH) SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FROM £10

Slam’s Orde Meikle and Stuart Mcmillan go back-to-back, with Parisian Paul Ritch bringing a batch of tech-infused audiobombs to the Xmas party.

Sat 12 Dec LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests. FANTASTIC MAN

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Messy Saturday night uberdisco armed with Erasure and Papa Roach discographies. REZURRECTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative blowout of punk, rock and metal, plus punter requests if you ask nicely.

Fri 18 Dec

Sun 20 Dec

FLY CLUB: 2015 CLOSING PARTY (MIA DORA)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FROM £12

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

PROPAGANDA

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie. MONSTER HOSPITAL

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Energetic club outing from DJ duo Beyvnce Nailz and C4lvin Malice. ALTEREGO

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£6 AFTER 12)

New night of rock, rap, metal and more with DJ Scapegoat. SHEIKH

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Philanthrobeats residents MLW and Janneman team up with SERV head honcho Magil for a night of disco grooves. OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure. NITRIC ACID (REMARC)

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Primitive rave noise, via selections of old school acid, new beat and ket gabber, this edition featuring a guest slot from D’N’B legend ReMarc. OFFBEAT (SKATEBARD + DYNAMO DREESEN)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £8 (£10 AFTER 12)

Offbeat celebrate four years in the La Cheetah Club basement by inviting down two of their favourite producers and DJs: Stakebård and Acido Records boss man, Dynamo Dreesen. JAMMING FRIDAYS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

KILLER KITSCH

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul for your jivin’ pleasure.

Rock, indie and golden indie classics with resident DJ Heather McCartney.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Selections of sonic soul for your Tuesday pleasure. BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

I AM (GROOVE CHRONICLES + GREENMAN)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Resident chaps Beta & Kappa host a garage special, with Groove Chronicles and Greenman on guest duties.

Wed 16 Dec NOT MOVING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

South African house, grime, jungle, r’n’b and hauntology – a tropical mix, ayes – from yer wumman Laurie Pitt. SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Spittal and Nowicki at the helm.

SENSU (BUTCH)

Barry Price and Junior provide the cutting edge electronic from across the globe, with special guest in the form of Butch. HUNTLEYS AND PALMERS: 8TH BIRTHDAY (DAMIAN LAZARUS + LENA WILLIKENS + AUNTIE FLO + ANDREW T)

THE ART SCHOOL, 23:00–03:00, FROM £10

H+Ps celebrates being 8 with the familiar faces of Auntie Flo, Lena Willikens and Andrew Thomson, along with slight curveball, Damian Lazarus.

Sat 19 Dec LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by your man Gerry Lyons and guests. OLUM (UNITED FRUIT)

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

The legendary Glaswegian club institution lives again, back and in its indie stride with special live guests. REZURRECTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Thu 17 Dec

Alternative blowout of punk, rock and metal, plus punter requests if you ask nicely.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

JELLY BABY

Thursday nighter of chart, disco and party tunes. Can’t say fairer.

REPEATER (KADDISH + BAETHOS + CUTTY’S GYM)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Post-hardcore DIY gig/club effort, with a selection of live acts dropping by. IN THE BASEMENT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Thursday session of the finest in northern soul and rock’n’roll. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

SHAMELESS FASHION CHRISTMAS PARTY

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Christmas party bonanza packed with synthpop, new wave, dirty post-punk/goth and all manner of 80s sonic rituals.

THE ROCK SHOP

MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£3 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks.

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to 00s with resident tune-picker DJ Jopez.

ENSOUL

SUBCULTURE

Fledgling party night intent on breaking free from the chains of normality, this time featuring a guest set from Busy P.

Tue 15 Dec

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

Launch of an all-new experimental African disco brought to you by Glasgow DJ Letitia Pleaides.

VICIOUS CREATURES (BUSY P)

Selections of techno and electronica to release you from your post-Christmas blues.

STRANGE PARADISE

Party night from floral-shirted Wild Combination man David Barbarossa, specializing in leftfield disco, post-punk and far-out pop. NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk. GIMME SHELTER

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5

Varied night moving from the 50s to present day, via selections of rock’n’roll, soul, garage, psych and r’n’b. SLEAZE (BAS MOOY)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Sleaze invite Rotterdam-based techno DJ/Producer Bas Mooy into their lair for the evening, with support from Hans Bouffmhyre, Lex Gorrie and Neil Muir.

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent – this time welcoming local heroes Mia Dora to help ‘em round-off 2015.

Mon 21 Dec BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats.

Tue 22 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005.’ I AM (LOEFAH)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Resident chaps Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of electronica and bass, this edition joined by genre-defying DJ chappie Loefah.

Wed 23 Dec KUNST

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £3

Team Kunst return to their La Cheetah lair for a residents set of house, techno, new wave and obscurities.

LET YOUR ELF GO (SENSU + PRO VINYLIST KARIM + THE GROUNDSKEEPER + MICHAEL KILKIE + I AM + SUB ROSA) SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Again winning the festive pun points, annual pre-Christmas merry-maker Let Your Elf Go returns with various club scene favourites taking to the decks to raise funds for Yorkhill Children’s Foundation.

Thu 24 Dec LANCE VANCE DANCE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Red-hued adventure travelling through 70s funk, motown and 80s r’n’b, highlighted with glorious rays of disco sunshine. Or summat. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Euan Neilson plays the best in classic r’n’b and hip-hop.

Sat 26 Dec

COLOURS’ WINTER PARTY 2015 (LAIDBACK LUKE + D.O.D + MICHAEL WOODS + JAY COSMIC) O2 ABC, 21:00–04:00, £24.50

Colours return for their annual cobweb-clearing Boxing Day blowout, with various guests split between three rooms across seven hours. Crawl home on your knees in the snow you shall. SHAKE APPEAL: BLOCXING DAY SPECIAL

BLOC+, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Monthly evening of hip shakers and neck breakers, combining everything from Buddy Holly to Motorhead. REZURRECTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative blowout of punk, rock and metal, plus punter requests if you ask nicely. THE KIBOSH

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

All-new night with Mother, former assistant to John Peel, playing reliably random selections.

PRESSURE BOXING DAY (GARY BECK + HARVEY MCKAY + SILICONE SOUL + SECLUDED) SWG3 GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00, £12 EARLYBIRD (£14 THEREAFTER)

With Slam down in Liverpool at MuMu, Gary Beck heads up a biggie Glasgow Boxing Day Pressure line-up. NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

SUBCULTURE VS OPTIMO

For the Boxing Day brave (and not too hungover), Optimo tag-team JD Twitch and JG Wilkes hit up Sub Club for a live versus special with Subculture residents Harri & Domenic.

Sun 27 Dec

THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK AND SOUL CLUB (THE FEDERATION OF THE DISCO PIMP + RORY HOY + MELTING POT)

O2 ABC, 21:00–03:00, £13 EARLYBIRD (£18 THEREAFTER)

DJ and actor Craig Charles will be manning the decks until 3am, playing his picks of funk and soul, with an array of guest spinners and live acts joining him. HUNTLEY AND PALMERS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

H+P’s Andrew and pals play tunes across the board. NUMBERS

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The Numbers crew stage a postChristmas takeover, special guests being kept under wraps for now.

Mon 28 Dec BURN

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3/FREE WITH WAGE SLIP)

Long-running trade night with Normski and Mash spinning the disco beats. ANIMAL FARM: 11TH BIRTHDAY

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FROM £6

Brightening an otherwise quiet Monday, Animal Farm host a birthday special – for which the dancefloor-filling techno nuts will be hosting return sets from MDR Records’ signee Answer Code Request and Ostgut-Ton artist Kobosil.

Tue 29 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Eclectic midweeker playing the best in house, techno and electronic – or, in their words ‘casually ignoring shite requests since 2005.’ I AM (GEORGE FITZGERALD)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FROM £10

Tuesday merrymakers i AM host a guest set from Berlin-based UK producer George FitzGerald, mixing it up with his trademark textured house riffs and soulful melodies.

Wed 30 Dec

BIGFOOT’S TEA PARTY: 7TH BIRTHDAY

SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5

Bigfoot’s Tea Party turns the grand old age of seven, marking the occasion with a special sets from Konx-om-Pax, Wrick and Chris – blasting out via the fuck-off Funktion1 soundsystem, as per the Bigfoot’s law.

Thu 31 Dec JELLY BABY NYE

O2 ABC, 23:00–04:00, £10

Hogmanay edition of the chart, disco and party tunes Thursday nighter, with the Rubbermensch lot manning O2 ABC2. CLUB NOIR: NEW YEAR’S EVE BURLESQUE

CLASSIC GRAND, 21:00–03:00, FROM £19

Glasgow’s burlesque star teasers host the New Year’s edition of their favourited raunchy cabaret club, with performance, DJs and a whole lotta sparkle. Dress fancy (think tuxedoes and ballgowns). MILK HOGMANAY (BOSSY LOVE)

BLOC+, 21:00–03:00, FREE

The musical clubber’s delight host a Hogmanay special, joined by experimental duo Bossy Love, plus the usual indulgence of milk-based cocktails and cookies.

George Bowie’s annual NYE bash, with a sprawling line-up including (of course) Bowie himself, along with Mallorca Lee, Crypsis, Chain Reaction and more set across three spaces.

MONO’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY (SPINNING COIN + BREAKFAST MUFF + HALFRICAN + JESSE RAE + PASTELS DJS + SACRED PAWS DJS + EL RANCHO VS FUZZKILL DJS + DIMITAR BERBATOV) MONO, 19:30–03:00, £8

A selection of local bands and DJs rally at favourited Glasgow gig haven Mono to help see in 2016 in suitably homegrown style.

A SLEAZY HOGMANAY (ESPERANZA)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 21:30–03:00, £8

Sleazy’s annual uproarious Hogmanay party, with Highlands ensemble Esperanza on hand for a live set of their multi-limbed skafilled frolics, plus karaoke, a Gerry Lyons DJ set and the perils of mulled Buckfast. ELECTRIC FROG VS THUNDER DISCI CLUB NYE: TODD TERJE (HAMMER + JUBE + MELTING POT)

SWG3 GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00, £30

Electric Frog and Thunder Disco Club team up to welcome Scandinavian dance wizard Todd Terje for a special Hogmanay set at SWG3’s brand new TV Studio. STREETRAVE NYE

SWG3 GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The Streetrave troops take over the main warehouse space for an ‘100% old skool classics’ Hogmanay special, with guests being kept under wraps for now. I AM HOGMANAY (WE SHOULD HANG OUT MORE)

STEREO, 22:30–03:00, £10.0

Resident i AM chaps Beta & Kappa take over the Hogmanay proceedings at Stereo playing their usual fine mix of electronica and bass, joined by fledgling disco lot We Should Hang Out More. JACK BRIDIE’S HOGMANAY SUBSTREET PARTY

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–04:00, £10

Tongue-in-cheek send-up of the Scottish street party, with various live acts and DJs helping y’all bring in 2016, plus tartan, shortbread, whisky and ‘all the tat’. Dressing up encouraged.

LA CHEETAH’S NEW YEAR PARTY (DJ SPRINKLES + PALMS TRAX + SPARKY + DABJ YOUNG TEAM + DOM D’SYLVA + WARDY + KUNST + NOTSOSILENT + OFFBEAT + EZUP) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £20

La Cheetah Club spread NYE over two floors, manned by a selection of fine electronic guest tunesmiths alongside some trusted partystarters from right here in’t city. HELLS BELLS

MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–04:00, £5 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Maggie May’s bring in the bells with a live set from rock’n’roll covers band The Kicks (playing 11pm-1am), plus DJs in the basement until 4am. SUBCULTURE NYE (JOHN TALABOT + HARI & DOMENIC + TELFORD)

SUB CLUB, 22:00–04:00, FROM £20

Long-running house night Subculture takes control of the Hogmanay decks at Subbie, with headline guest John Talabot hopefully bringing some sunshine to our wintry lives with his with his Balearic-influenced sets. TUNNEL NYE

THE TUNNEL, 22:00–04:00, FROM £5

Tunnel’s Hogmanay celebrations, with music over two rooms, plus guest and resident DJs bringing in the bells with the biggest past, present and future anthems. PUSH IT HOGMANAY

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS , 21:00–02:00, £7.0

Glasgow-based clubber’s delight Push It host a Hogmanay special, playing nothing but R’n’B, hip-hop and pop by only female artists.

OPTIMO HOGMANAY (NOO + MR TC + AUNTIE FLO)

THE ART SCHOOL, 22:30–04:00, £23

A core event on the Optimo calendar, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes (and their old faithful turbo soundsystem, natch) take to The Art School for their annual New Year’s Eve mega party with guests including Swiss-German-Finnish-Dutch 21st disco sensations Noo.

Nick Peacock spins a Saturdayready selection of vintage disco, soul and funk.

THE SKINNY

Edinburgh Clubs Tue 01 Dec

IN DEEP (DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

I LOVE HIP HOP

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be. TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more. THE GETTUP

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek party with DJs Thom and Pagowsky playing disco and deep house into the wee hours. In the cafe space.

Wed 02 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits. WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines. LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4 GUESTLIST)

Midweek fun night playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more. INTRUSION

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, FREE

New D’n’B and jungle night, this month featuring DJ sets from Alcane, Veecat, Burdy and Hijink.

Thu 03 Dec

TRUANT (ADESSE VERSIONS)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Fledgling club night playing and anything and everything good, with special guests to boot. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin. HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room. HEADS (LOYLE CARNER + TOM MISCH)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:00–03:00, FROM £10

The In Deep troops make merry with Glasgow techno residents DABJ. KINKY INDIE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 1)

Weekly dabblings in indie and alternative tuneage. ELECTRIKAL (DUB PHIZIX + STRATEGY)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Soundsystem party-starters, part of a music and art collective specialising in all things bass – this edition joined by DJ Slimzee, cofounder of Rinse FM and member of the Pay As You Go Cartel. COSMIC (PARASECT)

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£7 AFTER 10PM)

Monthly club bringing the spirit of the psychedelic trance dance ritual to the floor, this edition joined by trance maestro Parasect for a guest set. TOO MUCH FUN CLUB: CHRISTMAS IN PARADISE

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The Edinburgh art collective present a night of hip-hop and live drawing with a Christmas bent, as is their merry way.

HUMAN RESOURCE (WE ARE TALL ORDER + THE MACHINE ELF + BARRY O’CONNELL)

THE ANNEXE, 23:00–03:00, £7

All-new night playing selections of progressive house, tech and acid in The Liquid Room’s Annexe space.

Sat 05 Dec TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern. THE GO-GO

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Long-running retro night with veteran DJs Tall Paul and Big Gus. MUMBO JUMBO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£7/£5 STUDENT AFTER 12)

After bringing The Four Owls to Edinburgh, Heads turn to the young scene with up-and-coming London MC Loyle Carner and talented producer/instrumentalist Tom Misch.

Funk, soul, beats and mash-ups from the Mumbo Jumbo regulars and pals.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

JUICE: 3RD BIRTHDAY (HUERCO S)

Pumped Thursday nighter with the resident DJs making weird waves through house and techno, this edition celebrating their 3rd with guest Huerco S.

Fri 04 Dec FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4 GUESTLIST)

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie. STEPBACK

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £5

Mixed bag of electronic bass from DJs Wolfjazz and Keyte, moving from Baltimore to dubstep. POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems spun by DJs from Electric Circus’ Saturday club nights, including Magic Nostalgic, Beep Beep, Yeah! and Pop Rocks. FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent. CREATURES OF HABIT

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

House, tech-house and techno from resident DJs Peter Annand and Jack Swift.

BUBBLEGUM

WASABI DISCO DANCE PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Sneaky Pete’s resident Kris Wasabi brings the fun for a festive disco dance-a-thon!

Sun 06 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and pals. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

Mon 07 Dec MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room. NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2 / FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT / MEMBERS FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef servin’ up the hip-hop and bass classics since 2008. HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines cooked up with house beats.

Tue 08 Dec I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be. TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more. THE GETTUP

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek party with DJs Thom and Pagowsky playing disco and deep house into the wee hours. In the cafe space.

Wed 09 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits. WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2 / FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT / MEMBERS FREE

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

TRIBE

STACKS

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid and Craig Wilson

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Rare funk, soul and r’n’b night, with free mix CDs on the door. SPEAKER BITE ME

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

The Evol DJs worship at the alter of all kinds of indie-pop, with their only rule being that it’s gotta have bite. REWIND

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Journey back through the ages, with the residents digging out anthemic gems from the last 40 years. SAMEDIA SHEBEEN

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Eclectic fun night transporting late-night party people to an imaginary jungle voodoo den, featuring a hand-built set modeled on an imagined African township shebeen. LOVERSROCK

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Sweet reggae vibes, all night long. THE 0131

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Rock and metal requests with free pizza and the peril of Buckfast jelly shots. TEESH (PALMS TRAX)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

DJ Cheers – frequent flyer at many a Sneaky’s night – finally gets his own show on the road, this edition joined for a special guest slot by Berlin-based producer/DJ Jay Donaldson (aka Palms Trax).

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£3)

LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4 GUESTLIST)

Midweek fun night playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

Thu 10 Dec TRUANT

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Fledgling club night playing and anything and everything good, with special guests to boot. JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £2 / FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT / MEMBERS FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter with the resident DJs making weird waves through house and techno. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin. HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

Fri 11 Dec FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

M.I.FIVE

HULLABALOO

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 17:00–22:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 6PM)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent. INERTIA

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

Aural party experience with emphasis on rhythm, melody and intimacy. IN DEEP (DEEP SHIT)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

The In Deep champs host a set from bi-monthly residents Foals’ Edwin Congreave and Friendly Fires’ Jack Savidge, in their party-ready DJ duo guise, Deep Shit. PASS THE VIBES

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Hip-hop, funk, soul, R’n’B and disco brought to you by DJ Fusion and pals. KINKY INDIE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 1)

Weekly dabblings in indie and alternative tuneage. PULSE (BEN KLOCK)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 22:30–03:00, FROM £15

Pulse finish off the year by bringing back one of the biggest names in techno for a return set: all hail Ben Klock. ANYTHING GOES: 1ST BIRTHDAY

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

Eclectic night of techno and minimal offerings, this edition celebrating its 1st birthday with a free prize for the first 100 down. SURE SHOT: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Fledgling night spanning 80s-00s hip-hop and r’n’b, manned by The Skinny’s own Peter Simpson and one half of Edinburgh’s Kitchen Disco, Malcolm Storey, with Tallah Brash on Christmas guest duties.

Sat 12 Dec TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern. THE EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4 GUESTLIST)

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s, via a disco tune or ten.

NIGHTVISION PRESENTS... KNEE DEEP IN EDINBURGH (HOT SINCE 82 + DENNEY + MAXXI SOUND SYSTEM) THE LIQUID ROOM, 21:00–03:00, FROM £12.50

Edinburgh club series Nightvision continues, with Leeds legend Hot Since 82 returning for another instalment of Knee Deep in Edinburgh. WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER YACHT

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Mix of rock, funk and soul from The Captain and Emil.

Sun 13 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and pals. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

Mon 14 Dec MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room. NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

DJ Fusion and Beef servin’ up the hip-hop and bass classics since 2008. HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines cooked up with house beats.

Tue 15 Dec I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

THE GETTUP

BUBBLEGUM

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. BIG ‘N’ BASHY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle played by inimitable residents Brother Most Righteous, Skillis, Era and Deburgh. DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae. KARNIVAL VS PULSE (RYAN ELLIOT)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £10

Karnival and Pulse continue their monthly versus slot at Cab Vol with Osgut Ton’s Ryan Elliott flying in from Berlin for his Edinburgh debut. TEESH

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

DJ Cheers – frequent flyer at many a Sneaky’s night – finally gets his own show on the road. A TWISTED CIRCUS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Carnival-styled Edinburgh music night showcasing a selection of musicians from across the UK. THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (TRYPTCH + FLO + NATASHA PROBERT)

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00, FROM £6

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £5

PROPAGANDA

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Soulful dancing fodder, moving from deep funk to reggae.

BEEP BEEP YEAH!

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

Monthly ration of up-tempo funk and soul, with live acts to boot.

FOUR CORNERS

Five-hour daytime dance party hosted by Main Ingredient and featuring Detroit techno legend Gary Martin.

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Jake playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk – now taking up a monthly Saturday slot, in what is their 20-somethingth year.

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms.

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie.

December 2015

FLY CLUB CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7

DIETER EATS DISCO

All-new night with Sweet Dieter teaming up with DJs Percy Main, BAT-BIKE and James Francis for danceable disco selections.

TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more. CABARET VOLTAIRE, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek party with DJs Thom and Pagowsky playing disco and deep house into the wee hours. In the cafe space. SOUL JAM (SWANK ’N’ JAMS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

All-encompassing funk fest hosted by DJs Belcher and McLaren, this edition with Swank ‘n’ Jams on guest duties.

Wed 16 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits. WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines. TRIBE

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£3)

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid and Craig Wilson LOCO KAMANCHI

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4 GUESTLIST)

Midweek fun night playing soul, funk, jazz, ska, disco and more.

Thu 17 Dec TRUANT

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin. HI-SOCIETY

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

90s DJs Gareth Sommerville, Huggy and Davy Brown help YipYip celebrate the coming of Chirstmas.

JACKHAMMER:14TH BIRTHDAY (DAVE CLARKE + MR JONES + SLAM + SKYMAS)

Fri 18 Dec

Providing your annual postChristmas dose of techno, the Jackhammer celebrate its 14th birthday with a hefty seven-hour line-up which sees regulars Wolfjazz and Keyte warm the decks ahead of sets from Slam, Dave Clarke and more.

FUCK YEAH

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, indie and rock anthems spread over two rooms. PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4)

Student-orientated Friday night playing the best in new and classic indie. POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–05:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems spun by DJs from Electric Circus’ Saturday club nights, including Magic Nostalgic, Beep Beep, Yeah! and Pop Rocks. SHAKE YER SHOULDERS

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£6 AFTER 11.30PM)

Celebration of all things acid, techno and debaucherous. FLY CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7

Edinburgh and Glasgow-straddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent. MOON HOP

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Musical club night featuring live performances from a selection of hot musical talent, bolstered by the regular DJs playing into the wee hours. HEADSET

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Fledgling night mixed up by a selection of Edinburgh DJs, including the chaps behind the Witness, Coalition and Big ‘n’ Bashy nights. IN DEEP (HIGHLIFE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–05:00, £15

PARTIPETS XMAS BITCH FIGHT

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–03:00, FREE

The PartiPets DJs go head-to-head for a festive musical bitch fight, as you do.

Sun 20 Dec COALITION

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Glasgow-based record label and DJ collective 12th Isle team up with Edinburgh skate company Harvest for another collaborative party.

Sat 19 Dec TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern. BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure. THE GREEN DOOR

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Edinburgh Roots Collective host a one-off Christmas special featuring festive-themed vinyl hits from some of reggae’s finest.

Mon 21 Dec MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room. NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

DJ Fusion and Beef servin’ up the hip-hop and bass classics since 2008. HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be. TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more. THE GETTUP

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek party with DJs Thom and Pagowsky playing disco and deep house into the wee hours. In the cafe space. SOUL JAM (SEMI DELUXE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

All-encompassing funk fest hosted by DJs Belcher and McLaren, this edition welcoming back OG Soul Jam resident Semi Deluxe of London-based party players Crucial & Fresh.

POP ROCKS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

DECADE

STUDIO 24, 22:30–05:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 12)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

WASABI DISCO

Yer man Kris ‘Wasabi’ Walker plays selections of wonky disco and sleazy throbbers.

RIDE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

The Ride girls play hip-hop and dance, all night long – now in their new party-ready Saturday night slot. MADCHESTER

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–05:00, £TBC

MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM

The Keep It Steel DJs play the best in heavy metal and hard rock.

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits.

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–01:00, FREE

EDINBURGH ROOTS COLLECTIVE’S: A VERY REGGAE CHRISTMAS

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–05:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger soundsystem.

Wed 23 Dec

Raw, high energy r’n’b from DJs Francis Dosoo and Cameron Mason.

Long-running indie, rock and soul night, traversing the spectrum of classic and modern.

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle.

Surf, blues and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake. Job done. SOULSVILLE

TEASE AGE

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£7 AFTER 12)

Tue 22 Dec

12TH ISLE VS HARVEST

Sat 26 Dec

THE CLUB

CITRUS CLUB, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 1)

KINKY INDIE

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

Clubber’s favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and pals.

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines cooked up with house beats.

Weekly dabblings in indie and alternative tuneage.

HI-SOCIETY THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

The In Deep champs welcome bi-monthly residents Auntie Flo and Esa (aka the Highlife tagteam) for a set of their divine house and Afro grooves.

Fresh playlists spanning metal, pop-punk and alternative soundscapes.

Pumped Thursday nighter with the resident DJs making weird waves through house and techno.

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–05:00, £8

Student-friendly chart anthems, bolstered by hip-hop, r’n’b and urban in the back room.

Fledgling club night playing and anything and everything good, with special guests to boot. JUICE

YIPYIP’S XMAS PARTY (GARETH SOMERVILLE + HUGGY + DAVY BROWN)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

WITNESS

KEEP IT STEEL

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5

KARNIVAL: BOXING DAY SPECIAL (MATADOR) LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–05:00, £14

The local house and techno legends make merry the day after Santa, joined by one of the brightest stars in techno: Matador. MAGIC NOSTALGIC: BOXING DAY BASH

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–05:00, £7.00 ADV. (£9 DOOR)

A hodgepodge of tracks chosen by JP’s spinning wheel – expect 90s, power ballads and a whole lotta one-hit wonders – for those brave enough to get out of their pajamas on Boxing Day. BOXING DAY BELTER

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–03:00, FREE

Gavin Fort plays danceable selections to help you boogie off your Christmas dinner.

Sun 27 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

Weekly bass institution hosted by DJ Believe and pals. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/ handle. LIONOILAPALOOZA

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–03:00, FREE

The Lionoil collective assemble to celebrate the release of their first record. SUCH A DRAG’S VERY SAD CHRISTMAS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–05:00, FREE

New monthly drag club night with emphasis on all things risqué, with live burlesque and the like.

Mon 28 Dec MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Monday-brightening mix of hiphop, r’n’b and chart classics, with requests in the back room. NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines.

DJ Fusion and Beef servin’ up the hip-hop and bass classics since 2008.

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–05:00, £6 (£3)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4

TRIBE

HECTOR’S HOUSE

Weekly selection of dance bangers played by residents Khalid and Craig Wilson

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines cooked up with house beats.

Thu 24 Dec

Tue 29 Dec

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–05:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

Pumped Thursday nighter with the resident DJs making weird waves through house and techno. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be. TRASH

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

Listings

THE GETTUP

FANBOY/PIEUTE HOGMANAY PARTY

WARPED

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 21:00–03:00, FREE

PARADISE PALMS, 21:00–03:00, FREE

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Midweek party with DJs Thom and Pagowsky playing disco and deep house into the wee hours. In the cafe space.

Wed 30 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Resident midweek student rammy of chart, club and electro hits. WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£2 AFTER 12)

House, garage and bass adventures with Blackwax and Faultlines. BAD MANNERS

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £20.0

More in the way of party ska hits, with the larger-than-life Buster Bloodvessel still gurning away at the helm.

Thu 31 Dec

VEGAS!: THE GRAND HOGMANAY BALL

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 21:00–03:00, £25

Annual 50s-themed Hogmanay fun night chock with showgirls, cabaret, burlesque and the like, plus special guests. HOGMANAY HIVE TIL FIVE

THE HIVE, 21:00–05:00, FREE

Annual Hogmanay fun night playing retro hits, bolstered by a 5am licence, prize giveaways and multiple bars and dancefloors.

WEE DUB HOGMANAY (RED EYE HI-FI + GOLD DUBS + EL FATA + CHIEF ROCKAS + RIDDIM TUFFA SOUND + ESCAPE ROOTS) STUDIO 24, 22:00–05:00, £15 EARLYBIRD (£19-£24 THEREAFTER)

The rather ace dub, reggae and roots celebration makes its now annual mark on NYE with the heavyweight headline line-up of Red Eye Hi-Fi, Gold Dubs, El Fata, Chief Rockas and more in the main room, plus a bounty of supports. THE CAVES’ HOGMANAY PARTY

THE CAVES, 22:00–03:00, £15

The Caves celebrate Homganay with floor fillers past and present, plus a bit of good old Scottish Ceilidh earlier in the night.

SUMMERHALL HOGMANAY: MOTOWN SOUL EXPLOSION

SUMMERHALL, 21:00–03:00, FROM £22.50

Themed Hogmanay fun night inviting you to dress up as your favourite soul diva (aka make like Diana Ross), with live music, dance, DJs and a midnight set from headliners The Soul Foundation. LA BELLE ANGELE HOGMANAY: KERRI CHANDLER

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–05:00, £20

New Jersey house hero Kerri Chandler descends on La Belle Anglele for a four-hour set. ETC 31: BAD ROBOTS (NOMAD)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–05:00, £8 (£6 IN FANCY DRESS)

Edinburgh Tekno Cartel bring the sleazy bass and techno beats once more, this time with a robot-themed Hogmanay special (aka make like the Terminator) – bolstered by a live set from guest DJ Nomad. THE POP BINGO DISCO HOGMANAY EXTRAVAGANZA

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–05:00, £10

The Pop Bingo Disco boys unite clubbing and bingo (finally, right?) for a Hogmanay special, with danceable beats and live bingo featuring the finest charity shop prizes they can get their mitts on. NIGHTVISION (TODD TERJE + HUXLEY + TCTS + JASPER JAMES)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 21:00–05:00, FROM £19.50

Edinburgh club series Nightvision draws season three to a close with a Hogmanay special, with Scandinavian dance wizard Todd Terje heading up the main room, plus a Pulse Vs SLVR Vs Altitude takeover in the Annexe space. HEADSET HOGMANAY NYE

THE MASH HOUSE, 22:00–05:00, FROM £6

The Headset troops take over the whole of The Mash House for Hogmanay, with room one dedicated to techno and house, old school hip-hop in room two, garage and dubstep in room three and a Soul Jam takeover in room four. That do you? JEESH NYE (JUICE VS TEESH)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 12)

Teesh boss DJ Cheers joins forces with Kami, Dan and Declan of Juice for a live versus Hogmanay bash.

Listings

Hip-hop, disco, party and soul selections all night long, hosted by a selection of Edinburgh’s silliest. MUMBO JUMBO HOGMANAY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–05:00, FROM £12

Resident DJs Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin man the main floor playing Mumbo Jumbo classics across disco, house, electro, remixes and more, accompanied by Bongo Dave’s live beats on congas and percussion, plus Four Corners on the top floor.

Dundee Clubs Thu 03 Dec ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £4 (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest), with Dunc4an, Typewriter and guests playing anything and everything ‘good’.

Fri 04 Dec FOOLS GOLD

BUSKERS, 21:00–02:30, £5

Indie-styled night playing, er, anything and everything indie.

READING ROOMS: RESIDENTS’ PARTY

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

Reading Rooms residents Ken Swift and Correlate hold the fort for the evening.

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

Sat 19 Dec COOKIN’ SESSIONS

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

Special Reading Rooms sessions night catering for all your dance music needs, with bespoke visuals to boot. ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

Sat 26 Dec CTRL ALT DEFEAT

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

Electro musings with a danceable beat, with regular merrymakers Clouds, Ado and Ken Swift sharing deck duty.

Sun 27 Dec

ROOTS (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

READING ROOMS, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

Roots returns to the Reading Rooms, welcoming Edinburgh DJ dweller Gareth Sommerville for a guest set.

Thu 31 Dec

ROOMS NYE: BOOK CLUB

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

The Reading Rooms host their annual Hogmanay fun night, this time handing over the decks to the Book Club residents and guests.

WARPED

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

Sat 05 Dec

AUTODISCO (FRANK BOOKER)

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £TBC

Regular hosts Dave Autodisco and Dicky Trisco welcome New Zealand’s Frank Booker for some heavy disco good time vibes. ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

Thu 10 Dec ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £4 (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest), with Dunc4an, Typewriter and guests playing anything and everything ‘good’.

Fri 11 Dec CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:00, £TBC

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew. WARPED

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings now in a weekly Friday slot, moving from Alkaline Trio to Zebrahead as it goes.

Sat 12 Dec

LOCARNO’S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (STEVEN JAMES HERD) READING ROOMS, 22:30–04:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars, out celebrating Christmas with special guest Steven James Herd. ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes to get your Saturday night movin’.

Thu 17 Dec

THE VIEW: OFFICIAL AFTER-SHOW PARTY

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £6

The View play some tunes and hang out following their gig earlier in the evening.

Fri 18 Dec FUNKY MISSILE

READING ROOMS, 22:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Occasional night hosted by Miss DLove and Max Galloway, playing Latin, jazz, funk, reggae and more.

Glasgow Theatre CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art COCK AND BULL

6 DEC, 3:00PM – 4:00PM, FREE (BUT TICKETED)

A trio of female scratch performers use words garnered from Conservative Party conference speeches, this time in response to issues of climate change. Part of ArtCOP Scotland. PARAGON MUSIC EPIC ENCOUNTERS: SEE HEAR YOU 3

1 DEC, 7:00PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£5)

Batch of live performance showcasing the music and dance created through Paragon’s inclusive programmes: Play On, Horizons M3: Rockit and Beat It. ACOPALYPSE NOW!/BIRTHPANGS

11 DEC, 13 DEC, 4:00PM – 6:00PM, FROM £6

Two days of live performance, films and discussions exploring our lives as “the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last to be able to do anything about it” (Barack Obama). Part of ArtCOP Scotland.

Citizens Theatre RAPUNZEL

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 NOV AND 2 JAN, 7:00PM – 10:30PM, FROM £10.50 (£6.50)

The Brothers Grimm fairytale is given a festive reworking, played out by a motley troupe of actors performing original songs and music. Matinee and schools performances also available.

The Glad Cafe BABES IN THE WOOD

16–17 DEC, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £5

The team behind NewsReview and The Referendum Review Show turn their hand to panto, following the trials and tribulations of a young Jack and Jill.

Theatre

Comedy

The King’s Theatre

Fri 04 Dec

SNOW WHITE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 DEC AND 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £10

Pantomime classic about a fair maiden and her band of dwarfs... you know the rest. Matinee performances also available.

Theatre Royal JERSEY BOYS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 8 DEC AND 3 JAN, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £16.50

True life story of multiplebucketload selling group The Four Seasons, from their beginnings to their extended run along the hit parade. Matinee performances also available. THE LAST TANGO

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 1 AND 5 DEC, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12.50

Fresh from their sell-out hit shows Midnight Tango and Dance ’Til Dawn, Strictly superstars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace star in this new production. Matinee performances also available.

Tron Theatre SLEEPING BETTY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 27 NOV AND 3 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £9

The Tron’s annual irreverent festive panto, featuring daft character creations fairy godmother Flambonia Plunge, Handsome Dan the Fanciest Dancer in All the Land and Fairly Evil the Evil Fairy. Matinee performances also available.

Edinburgh Theatre Festival Theatre SCOTTISH BALLET: CINDERELLA

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 5 DEC AND 30 DEC, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £13.50

Scottish Ballet perform their majestic take on the classic fairytale, telling the story of Cinders, her ugly step sisters, wicked stepmother and a run in with a dashing prince. Matinee performances also available.

King’s Theatre Edinburgh SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 NOV AND 17 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £14

Your annual opportunity to boo Grant Stott, who returns in the King’s festive panto as the Wicked Queen. Matinee performances also available.

Royal Lyceum Theatre

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 NOV AND 2 JAN, 7:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

For that Christmassy feelgood feeling, the Lyceum stage a magical retelling of C.S. Lewis’ classic tale of enchanted wardrobes and evil witches. Matinee performances also available.

The Edinburgh Playhouse

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 15 DEC AND 2 JAN, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £14

New theatrical production of the O.T.T. musical adventure where two drag queens and a transsexual get a cabaret gig in the middle of the desert. Now with added Jason-bloody-Donovan. Matinees also available.

The Queen’s Hall HIRDA

3–4 DEC, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £15 (£12)

New opera commission by NOISE (New Opera In Scotland Events) about a once successful actor who returns to his island home for the wedding of his brother, only to fall for his sister-in-law.

Traverse Theatre TRACKS OF THE WINTER BEAR

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 5 DEC AND 23 DEC, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £14 (£10 STUDENT/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

Special double bill of wintery short plays by two of the Traverse’s most successful alumni: Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn. Matinee performances also available.

THE FRIDAY SHOW (DAN NIGHTINGALE + RO CAMPBELL + JOHN GAVIN + ANDREW LEARMONTH + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts. LAUGHTER EIGHT

Dundee Theatre Dundee Rep THE WITCHES

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 NOV AND 30 DEC, 7:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12 (£9)

After two Roald Dahl Christmas productions, this year Dundee Rep stage number three – with Roald Dahl’s most creepiest keep-yourkids-awake-at-night story, The Witches. Matinee performances also available.

The Gardyne Theatre SLEEPING BEAUTY

2–6 DEC, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, £14 (£12)

Thomson-Leng Musical Theatre do their time-honoured panto thing, offering a new spin on the old Sleeping Beauty yarn. Matinee performances also available.

Glasgow Comedy Tue 01 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 02 Dec NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material. DEEP SHEEP COMEDY: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GARY LITTLE + FERN BRADY + TOM STADE + MC SCOTT GIBSON)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£8)

Resident MC Scott Gibson is joined by a trio of comics who have performed for Dead Sheep Comedy over the last 12 months. WATCH BAD MOVIES WITH GREAT COMEDIANS: STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL

CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, 19:30–21:30, £5

Returning for s’more shit-filmmockery, comics Joe Heenan and Billy Kirkwood screen the lesserknown (and yes, totally shite) Star Wars Holiday Special, with the chaps providing laugh-a-long live commentary.

Thu 03 Dec

THE THURSDAY SHOW (DAN NIGHTINGALE + RO CAMPBELL + JOHN GAVIN + ANDREW LEARMONTH + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase. YESPBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

WEST BREWERY COMEDY CLUB XMAS SPECIAL (JAMIE DALGLIESH + BRUCE FUMMEY)

WEST, 20:15–22:30, £10

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit. GILDED BALLOON COMEDY @ DRYGATE (JOHN HASTINGS + MARK NELSON + HARRIET DYER + MC CHRIS CONROY)

DRYGATE BREWING CO., 20:00–22:00, £12.50 (£11.50)

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for a new residency, combing the joys of a craft brewery setting with a rotating schedule of live comedy talent.

Sat 05 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (DAN NIGHTINGALE + RO CAMPBELL + JOHN GAVIN + ANDREW LEARMONTH + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

Fri 11 Dec

THE FRIDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + WENDY WASON + JANEY GODLEY + ALLY HOUSTON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10 STUDENTS/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

GLASGOW KIDS COMEDY CLUB

THE STAND GLASGOW, 15:00–16:00, £4

Comedy session suitable for little ears (i.e. no sweary words), for children aged 8-12 years-old.

VESPBAR VIRGINS: COMEDY SUNDAY SCHOOL

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £3

A selection of five fledgling comedians do their best to win over the audience and graduate Vespbar’s ‘Comedy Sunday School’.

Mon 07 Dec IMPROV WARS

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £6

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as it should be.

Tue 08 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 09 Dec NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material. COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£4)

Ro Cambell and The Wee Man’s comedian rap battle-off, where a select batch of comics compete to see who’s got the most swagger when it comes to hippity-hop wit.

Thu 10 Dec

THE THURSDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + WENDY WASON + JANEY GODLEY + ALLY HOUSTON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase. YESPBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sat 12 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (MICK FERRY + WENDY WASON + JANEY GODLEY + ALLY HOUSTON + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

Sat 19 Dec

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–23:00, £15

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER

LAUGHTER EIGHT

Jonathan Watson and the team take their annual comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines, playing three consecutive evenings (17-19 Dec).

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend. YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

Sun 13 Dec

LAUGHTER EIGHT

Sun 06 Dec

LAUGHTER EIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

A selection of five fledgling comedians do their best to win over the audience and graduate Vespbar’s ‘Comedy Sunday School’.

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Jonathan Watson and the team take their annual comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines, playing three consecutive evenings (17-19 Dec).

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN)

LAUGHTER EIGHT

THE STAND GLASGOW, 21:00–23:00, £15

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

VESPBAR VIRGINS: COMEDY SUNDAY SCHOOL

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Fri 18 Dec

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £3

Mon 14 Dec

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Tue 15 Dec

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Wed 16 Dec NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Thu 17 Dec

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Jonathan Watson and the team take their annual comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines, playing three consecutive evenings (17-19 Dec). YESPBAR VIRGINS

YESBAR, 21:00–22:30, £3

Graham Barrie introduces a selection of fledgling comedy talent handpicked fae Scotland.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

LAUGHTER EIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £8

Regular comedy slot kicking off at, aye, 8pm – manned by a selection of hot talent from the local circuit.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (ZOE LYONS + MARK NELSON + KEIR MCALLISTER + ASHLEY STORRIE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Sun 20 Dec

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (CHARLIE ROSS + ROBIN GRAINGER + PAUL MCDANIEL + MC MICHAEL REDMOND)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his handpicked guests.

VESPBAR VIRGINS: COMEDY SUNDAY SCHOOL

YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £3

A selection of five fledgling comedians do their best to win over the audience and graduate Vespbar’s ‘Comedy Sunday School’.

Mon 21 Dec

SO... THAT WAS DECEMBER?

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

Messrs McTavish, Nelson and McAllister return with another show in their pre/post-election series – offering leftfield stand-up, chat and comment on the political state of the world. ERNEST SAVES CHUNKS-MAS

THE GRIFFIN, 20:30–22:30, FREE

Live comedy mayhem comprised of variety acts, sketches, monologues, character bits, animations, contemporary dance, readings and anything else they damn well fancy.

Tue 22 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 23 Dec NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

Sun 27 Dec

HOOTFEST! (JANEY GODLEY + SCOTT GIBSON + LARRY DEAN + ROSCO MCSKELETON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Jamie Dalgleish hosts West Brewery’s regular night of live standup, introducing a trio of headline acts, all in Christmas mode.

THE SKINNY

VESPBAR VIRGINS: COMEDY SUNDAY SCHOOL YESBAR, 20:00–21:30, £3

A selection of five fledgling comedians do their best to win over the audience and graduate Vespbar’s ‘Comedy Sunday School’.

Mon 28 Dec

HOOTFEST! (JANEY GODLEY + SCOTT GIBSON + LARRY DEAN + ROSCO MCSKELETON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Tue 29 Dec

HOOTFEST! (JANEY GODLEY + SCOTT GIBSON + LARRY DEAN + ROSCO MCSKELETON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Wed 30 Dec NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

YESBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering all new material.

HOOTFEST! (JANEY GODLEY + SCOTT GIBSON + LARRY DEAN + ROSCO MCSKELETON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Thu 31 Dec

HOOTFEST! (JANEY GODLEY + SCOTT GIBSON + LARRY DEAN + ROSCO MCSKELETON + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND GLASGOW, 20:30–22:30, £25

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Edinburgh Comedy Tue 01 Dec

RICHARD MELVIN PRESENTS... RADIO RECORDINGS

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:00–21:00, FREE (BUT TICKETED)

Funnyman Richard Melvin introduces an all-star cast of comedy stalwarts currently recording radio shows. And all for gratis!

Thu 03 Dec

THE THURSDAY SHOW (BRENDON BURNS + NISH KUMAR + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON + MARTIN BEARNE + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Sat 05 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (BRENDON BURNS + NISH KUMAR + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON + MARTIN BEARNE + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend. THE EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS LECTURES

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 16:30–18:30, £5

The Explorers Club present the Edinburgh Christmas Lectures, with a bumper batch of local comedians discussing what the festive season means to them and whether or not they prefer Santa to Jesus. Plus Christmas cake! GILDED BALLOON COMEDY @ FESTIVAL THEATRE (JOHN HASTINGS + MARK NELSON + HARRIET DYER + MC CHRIS CONROY)

FESTIVAL THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £12.50 (£11.50)

Long-running comedy club the Gilded Balloon hits up Drygate for a new residency, combing the joys of a craft brewery setting with a rotating schedule of live comedy talent. IMPROV GAMES

THE TRON, 19:00–22:00, FREE

A selection of Scottish improv comedy talent perform short-form games for laughter and points. MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY SATURDAY SHOW

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

Sun 06 Dec

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (STUART MITCHELL + JULIA SUTHERLAND + MARTIN BEARNE + DEVIN WALLACE + MC MICHAEL REDMOND) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his handpicked guests. THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (LARRY DEAN + ERIC DAVIDSON + BEN VERTH + ELAINE MILLER + CHRIS RUTTER + MC SIAN BEVAN)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 07 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Thu 10 Dec

THE THURSDAY SHOW (CARL DONNELLY + KAI HUMPHRIES + DEL STRAIN + RUTH COCKBURN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£7 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £3

Fri 11 Dec

MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY: NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

A selection of Edinburgh’s top stand up comedians test new material in front of a live audience.

Fri 04 Dec

THE FRIDAY SHOW (BRENDON BURNS + NISH KUMAR + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON + MARTIN BEARNE + MC JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts. MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY FRIDAY SHOW

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

December 2015

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

THE FRIDAY SHOW (CARL DONNELLY + KAI HUMPHRIES + DEL STRAIN + RUTH COCKBURN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10 STUDENT/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts. MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY FRIDAY SHOW

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

THE BACKROW PRESENTS... ROBOT MONSTER THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:30–21:30, £2

A trio of comedians add their humorous and most often hatefilled commentary to some of the worst films ever, this month with a showing of Robot Monster.

Sat 12 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (CARL DONNELLY + KAI HUMPHRIES + DEL STRAIN + RUTH COCKBURN + MC RAYMOND MEARNS)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend. THE EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS LECTURES

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 16:30–18:30, £5

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

Sun 13 Dec

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (JANEY GODLEY + ELAINE MALCOLMSON + JOHN GAVIN + JOSEPH GOSS + MC MICHAEL REDMOND) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase manned by resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and his handpicked guests.

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (BRUCE FUMMEY + DEREK JOHNSTON + DAISY EARL + BOB GRAHAM + MC BEN VERTH) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 14 Dec

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Tue 15 Dec

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Wed 16 Dec

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Thu 17 Dec

THE BLUNT CLUB (BONNIE FAIRBRASS + JANE WALKER + ELAINE MILLER + JAY H MILES + MICHAEL DAVIOT + FIONA HERBERT)

BURLINGTON BERTIE’S, 20:00–23:00, FREE

Stand-up comedy from a selection of up-and-coming comedians, based on the previous month’s audience suggestions. MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY: NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £3

A selection of Edinburgh’s top stand up comedians test new material in front of a live audience.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

HOOTFEST! (TOM STADE + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH + DOUGIE DUNLOP + ROBIN GRAINGER + MC SUSAN MORRISON) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £15

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Fri 18 Dec

Mon 28 Dec

MONKEY BARRELL COMEDY FRIDAY SHOW

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Sat 19 Dec

THE EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS LECTURES

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 16:30–18:30, £5

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £10

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. See Facebook on the day for line-ups.

THE STAND CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (GAVIN WEBSTER + MARY BOURKE + RAY BRADSHAW + GARY MEIKLE + MC BRUCE DEVLIN)

Art Pistol

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £15

Saleable exhibition of ‘beautiful and peculiar’ fine art from the likes of Coll Hamilton, Rogue-One, Ashley Cook and many more.

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Tue 29 Dec

HOOTFEST! (TOM STADE + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH + DOUGIE DUNLOP + ROBIN GRAINGER + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Wed 30 Dec

HOOTFEST! (TOM STADE + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH + DOUGIE DUNLOP + ROBIN GRAINGER + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £15

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Thu 31 Dec

HOOTFEST! (TOM STADE + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH + DOUGIE DUNLOP + ROBIN GRAINGER + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £25

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, FROM £12

Sun 20 Dec

Dundee Comedy

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (STUART MITCHELL + JIM PARK + KEIRON NICHOLSON + DEVIN WALLACE + MC JOE HEENAN) THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

Mon 21 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Tue 22 Dec

THE ERIC DAVIDSON CHRISTMAS SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7)

Glasgow

HOOTFEST! (TOM STADE + VLADIMIR MCTAVISH + DOUGIE DUNLOP + ROBIN GRAINGER + MC SUSAN MORRISON)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2016 with a string of comedy Hootfests, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Series of Christmas specials, with a guest MC aided-and-abetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Art

Fri 04 Dec JUST LAUGH

DUNDEE REP, 20:00–22:00, £12

Monthly comedy showcase bringing a selection of UK stand-ups to Dundee.

ART PISTOL’S WINTER SHOW

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 NOV AND 24 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art GILES BAILEY + JEREMIAH DAY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 13 NOV AND 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Double-header exhibition presenting the work of two artists for whom language is a fundamental preoccupation: UK artist Giles Bailey and US artist Jeremiah Day. YAKA COLLECTIVE: WHITE MOUNTAIN

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 11 DEC AND 6 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collaborative installation from YAKA Collective, questioning real and imagined states with a series of works that aim to embody a sense of ‘otherness’.

David Dale Gallery and Studios

FRANCE-LISE MCGURN + MATTHEW MUSGRAVE: ONLY WITH A LIGHT TOUCH WILL YOU WRITE WELL, FREELY AND FAST

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 NOV AND 12 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Double-header exhibition taking its unwieldy title from Read’s Suggestions for writing appendix to the Shavian Alphabet edition of Androcles and The Lion, with each artists’ work each containing glyphs and exploring themes of symbols.

Glasgow School of Art GRACE NDIRITU: A RETURN TO NORMALCY

2 OCT – 12 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

First major UK solo show for Grace Ndiritu since 2007, including a specially-commissioned new film of a performance staged at The Glasgow School of Art.

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

NICOLAS DESHAYES: DARLING, GUTTER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 SEP AND 12 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Solo exhibition of newlycommissioned work from the London-living, France-born artist, marking his largest solo exhibition to date in Scotland.

GoMA

THE BALLET OF THE PALETTE

20 FEB – 24 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Following a run at this year’s Fringe, yer man Davidson brings his Yuletide message to the Stand, mixing poetry, stand-up and song as he goes.

Showcase exhibition of 20th century paintings selected from Glasgow Museums’ collection, chosen by a selection of contemporary artists who exhibited work in the 2013 exhibition, A Picture Show.

Wed 23 Dec

27 MAR – 28 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

SO... THAT WAS DECEMBER?

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

Messrs McTavish, Nelson and McAllister return with another show in their pre/post-election series – offering leftfield stand-up, chat and comment on the political state of the world.

Sun 27 Dec

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND EDINBURGH, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

RIPPLES ON THE POND

Glasgow Museums’ collection exhibition designed as a conversation between works by women on paper and moving image, taking as its starting point recent acquisitions from the Glasgow Women’s Library 21 Revolutions series. DEVILS IN THE MAKING

18 SEP – 28 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Group exhibition exploring Glasgow Museums’ contemporary art collection through connections with Glasgow School of Art, including work by Christine Borland, Jim Lambie, Victoria Morton and Simon Starling.

Hunterian Art Gallery

The Modern Institute

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 1 OCT AND 25 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

30 OCT – 18 DEC, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

TRAVELLERS’ TAILS

Themed exhibition on exploration, art and science, inspired by the National Maritime Museum’s acquisition of the Kangaroo and Dingo by English painter George Stubbs, with the on-loan Kangaroo forming the exhibition’s centrepiece.

Mary Mary

ALEXIS TEPLIN: DRAG, PUSH, HOOT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 21 NOV AND 23 JAN, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

New body of work from the California-born, London-living artist, whose practice is routed in abstract painting that extends to include sculpture and performance.

People’s Palace ART OF BILLY CONNOLLEY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 AUG AND 21 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of comic Billy Connolly’s artworks, shown together with a range of objects from Glasgow Museums’ collection – including those famous banana boots and his guitar made from a White Horse whisky box.

Street Level Photoworks

NVA, JAMES JOHNSON + ALAN MCATEER: ISLAND DRIFT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 NOV AND 24 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Immersive photographic installation produced in partnership with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, following an 8-month residency at Loch Lomond producing a series of fine art landscape photographs.

The Barras Arts and Design Centre

KITI KA’AETÉ

Mixed group show curated by São Paolo’ Mendes Wood DM, taking in work by Lucas Arruda, Anna Bella Geiger, Paloma Bosquê, Mariana Castillo Deball, Adriano Costa, Paulo Nazareth, Solange Pessoa, Celso Renato and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané.

The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane

SIMON STARLING: NINE FEET LATER

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 NOV AND 2 JAN, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

New body of work from the Turner Prize-winning conceptual artist who emerged from the Glasgow art scene in the early 90s, including a series of site-specific daguerreotypes made for and within The Modern Institute’s Aird’s Lane space.

The Telfer Gallery

BEN SKEA: BOUNDS. ENDS. LIMITS.

21 NOV – 6 DEC, NOT 23 NOV, 24 NOV, 30 NOV, 1 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Solo exhibition of new work by Glasgow-based artist Ben Skea, incorporating moving image, sound and 3D printed sculpture to examine the materiality of the artefact and the way in which it can function as a cultural stimulant.

Tramway

TURNER PRIZE 2015

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 1 OCT AND 17 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The prestigious visual art award comes Scotland for the first time, with a programme of workshops, talks, tours and activities accompanying the exhibition showcase.

WAR SHOW

9–13 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

A group of artists from GSA (students and alumni) present work dealing with different aspects of war and its effects on individuals and collectives.

The Common Guild

THOMAS DEMAND: DAILY SHOW

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 SEP AND 12 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Edinburgh Art City Art Centre THE ARTIST AND THE SEA

26 SEP – 8 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Lighthouse

Themed exhibition by a range of different artists capturing the character of the sea, taking in painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and sculpture, and including works by John Bellany, William McTaggart, Joan Eardley and Elizabeth Ogilvie.

17 OCT – 24 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

24 OCT – 14 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo exhibition by German artist Thomas Demand, including new and recent works from his series ‘The Dailies’, in an installation devised specifically for The Common Guild space. THE NATURE OF ART NOUVEAU

Exhibition conceived by Catalan art historian Teresa-M. Sala, based on both encyclopaedic information and individual experimentation, using photographs and documents, together with a dynamic scenography created by Antoni Garau. KATHY HINDE: SUBMERGE

29 OCT – 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition exploring Glasgow’s now forgotten streams using Kathy Hinde’s interactive sound map, combining intriguing underwater sounds with scientific data. Part of Sonica festival. ADAM PIGGOT: BORROWED LIGHT

20 NOV – 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo showcase of work by Adam Piggot, director of the Glasgowbased creative micro-agency Red Empire, featuring patterns created by light from remote sources. KATE COLIN: COLOUR AND LIGHT II

27 NOV – 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of work from Glasgowbased designer and maker Kate Colin, featuring a lighting installation which illustrates how colour and geometric form respond to the presence of light.

WILLIAM GEAR

Retrospective exhibition of the British abstract painter, tracing his influence through his association with CoBrA in the 1940s, right through to his later work and death in 1997. JAGGED GENERATION: WILLIAM GEAR’S CONTEMPORARIES

24 OCT – 7 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of artworks from the City Art Centre’s collection, chosen to complement the exhibition retrospective of William Gear, which runs alongside.

Collective Gallery

HARDEEP PANDHAL: HOBSONJOBSON

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 NOV AND 17 JAN, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

Solo showcase of new work from the British artist of Indian origin, currently living and working in Glasgow, encompassing new drawings and videos telling conflicted stories around the artist’s own identity.

Dovecot Studios SELECTED 2015

21 NOV – 23 DEC, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Selling exhibition of contemporary Scottish craft and design – now in its third year – showcasing local makers across disciplines including jewellery, silversmithing, ceramics, glass, textiles and furniture.

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Gayfield Creative Spaces ROSE STRANG: SNOWSCAPES

10–12 DEC, 12:00PM – 8:00PM, FREE

Mini exhibition featuring a series of textured, semi-abstract winter landscapes on a series of woodblocks and panels.

Ingleby Gallery RESISTANCE AND PERSISTENCE

28 NOV – 30 JAN, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Mixed exhibition that considers the idea of artistic positions that have been hard won, including a group of paintings by mid-20th century Italian painter Giorgio Morandi.

National Museum of Scotland THE SILVERSMITH’S ART

18 SEP – 4 JAN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Celebration of the artistry and skill of British modern silversmiths, presenting work from the Contemporary Silver Collection of the Goldsmiths’ Company, London, dating from the millennium to present day.

Rhubaba

LUCY PARKER: BLACKLIST

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 20 NOV AND 6 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Artist-cum-filmmaker Lucy Parker reflects on her year-long research project into the experiences of blacklisted construction workers, developing ideas for the production of a new film.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA RSA OPEN 2015

28 NOV – 14 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of small works sourced by open submission from artists across Scotland, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and photographs – all available to buy – from around 400 different artists. Expect the usual pick’n’mix wonderland.

Scottish National Gallery ROCKS AND RIVERS: THE LUNDE COLLECTION

3–30 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Long-term loan from one of the finest private collections of 19thCentury Norwegian and Swiss landscape paintings, American collector Asbjörn Lunde, taking in 13 works by artists including Johan Christian Dahl, Alexandre Calame and Thomas Fearnley. ARTHUR MELVILLE

10 OCT – 17 JAN, TIMES VARY, £9 (£7)

First exhibition in over 35 years devoted to the art of innovative Scottish painter Arthur Melville, a close associate of the Glasgow Boys.

D.Y. CAMERON: THE SPIRIT OF LINE 24 OCT – 21 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of prints and watercolours from the Scottish National Gallery’s extensive collection of Sir David Young Cameron’s work, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ROY LICHTENSTEIN

14 MAR – 10 JAN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

St Margaret’s House

The Queen’s Gallery

COLLIDOSCOPES

12–20 DEC, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Group exhibition curated by Edinburgh Design School, showcasing work by local and invited artists all specialising in printmaking and print-based design.

Stills

JILL TODD PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD 2015 7 NOV – 17 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

SCOTTISH ARTISTS 1750-1900: FROM CALEDONIA TO THE CONTINENT

6 AUG – 7 FEB, 9:30AM – 6:00PM, £6.60 (£6 STUDENT/£3 UNDER 17S)

First ever exhibition devoted to Scottish art in the Royal Collection, bringing together paintings, drawings and miniatures collected by monarchs from George III to Queen Victoria.

A special three-room ‘Artist Rooms’ display dedicated to works by celebrated American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, bringing together a newly assembled group of works care of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.

Annual photography award showcase, featuring the work of this year’s winning entrants Matt Hay, Alan Knox and Mhairi Law, plus works by a selection of commended entrants.

Dundee Art Cooper Gallery

14 MAR – 10 JAN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Talbot Rice Gallery

Changing series of displays showcasing the work of a diverse range of internationally-renowned contemporary artists, including newly commissioned work by contemporary artists Michael Fullerton and Julie Favreau.

LUC TUYMANS: BIRDS OF A FEATHER

31 OCT – 19 DEC, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

30 OCT – 19 DEC, NOT SUNDAYS, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Special showcase marking Luc Tuymans’ first exhibition in Scotland, including new paintings and drawings made for Edinburgh, exhibited alongside works by Scottish Enlightenment portrait painter Henry Raeburn.

Group show of work by Polish and Hungarian artists and filmmakers from three generations, featuring graphic design, animation, artists’ films and performances by Wojciech B£kowski, Roman Cie£lewicz, György Kovásznai, Jan Lenica and Zbigniew Rybczynski.

7 NOV – 26 JUN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £9 (£7)

31 OCT – 19 DEC, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts

REFLECTIONS

MODERN SCOTTISH WOMEN: PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS 1885-1965

Showcase exhibition of work by Scottish women artists, concentrating on painters and sculptors, covering the period from 1885 to 1965.

IMPULSES TOWARDS LIFE

Collection of drawings and paintings from the Edinburgh College of Art collection, emphasising the reimagining of the human form in the last century, including early drawings by William McTaggart, John Bellany, Elizabeth Blackadder, Henry Moore and more.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Biscuit HEAD TO HEAD: PORTRAIT Factory SCULPTURE – ANCIENT TO MODERN 6 JUN – 31 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of portrait sculpture from across the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection, moving from ancient to modern and executed in a range of media, illustrating how sculptors continue to reference the illustrious tradition of the portrait bust. DOCUMENT SCOTLAND: THE TIES THAT BIND

26 SEP – 24 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Photographic collective comprising of Colin McPherson, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren – four Scotsborn photographers, each exponents of documentary photography – featuring 50-75 photographs of, and about, Scotland. BP PORTRAIT AWARD 2015

10 OCT – 28 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual showcase of the best in contemporary portrait painting from around the world, now in its 34th year and marking the sixth time the Scottish National Portrait Gallery has hosted the exhibition.

IC-98: DRAWN INTO TOMORROW

28 NOV – 14 FEB, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Showcase of work by the artist duo IC-98 in their largest UK show to date, fresh from representing Finland at the 2015 Venice Biennale.

Generator Projects

CHARACTERMART

4–13 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Showcase of character art and design by 11 artists and designers from various countries, including prints, sculptures and art toys among other techniques.

The Fruitmarket Gallery ANOTHER MINIMALISM

14 NOV – 21 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

TOMORROW WAS A MONTAGE

Group show bringing together a select group of current artists with that of two pioneers of West Coast American minimalism (Robert Irwin and Larry Bell), examining the impact of California Light and Space art on artists working today.

CHRISTOPHER MACINNES: SMALL GATE, INFINITE FIELD

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 NOV AND 13 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Solo presentation of new work from emerging artist Christopher Macinnes, incorporating moving image, sound and script.

Win the entire Costa Book Awards 2015 shortlist! T

here’s nothing quite like putting your feet up on a wintry weekend with a great book and a delicious cup of coffee. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Costa, to offer two lucky readers the chance to win a complete set of the 20 books shortlisted for the 2015 Costa Book Awards and a £25 Costa giftcard each. Authors vying for the awards this year include: bestselling novelist Kate Atkinson (A God in Ruins), former Whitbread Poetry winner Don Paterson (40 Sonnets), and former Whitbread Children’s Book winner Andrew Norriss (Jessica’s Ghost). The winners in each category (First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book) will be announced on 4 January 2016, with these five books then competing for the prestigious title of Costa Book of the Year at an awards ceremony in London on 26 January 2016.

Hannah Maclure Centre

You can find more info at costa.co.uk/costabook-awards, but for your chance to add some of this year’s best reads to your bookshelf, simply head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer the following question: Who won the 2014 Costa Book of the Year? a) Hilary Mantel b) Helen Macdonald c) Nathan Filer

Competition closes midnight Sun 3 Jan 2016. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

AH-BIN SHIM: 2

9 NOV – 12 FEB, WEEKDAYS ONLY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Solo exhibition by Korean visual artist Ah-Bin Shim as part of NEoN Digital Arts Festival – whose work explores conflict, both conceptually and in its materiality.

University of Dundee MAT FLEMING

30 OCT – 9 JAN, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo showcase presenting the works developed by artist Matt Fleming during his 10-month residency at LifeSpace. In the LifeSpace Gallery.

Win a Christmas book hamper from Canongate! For more listings in your area visit theskinny.co.uk @theskinnymag /TheSkinnyMag Illustration: Jamie Jones

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hristmas shopping getting you down? Still struggling to decide what to get for that literature-loving family member, but can’t face another trawl through that there ‘information superhighway’, let alone trudge the crowded high streets in the hope of locating that perfect gift? Never fear, The Skinny’s here. We’ve teamed up with your pals and ours at Canongate to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a pretty snazzy book hamper containing The Peanuts Guide to Christmas, Tails from the Booth by Lynn Terry, Snowflake, Seashell, Star by Alex Bellos, Redeployment by Phil Klay and Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh. ‘Dope’, as we’re assured the kids still say.

For your chance to win, just head to theskinny. co.uk/competitions and test your brains with the following head-wrecker: Which Charles was the creator of Peanuts? a) Dickens b) Schulz c) Manson Competition closes midnight Sun 3 Jan 2016. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

THE SKINNY

Thoroughly Modern Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein goes beyond everyday musical memoir in Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl - as a biographical lyricist and writer on Portlandia she already has form in the art of storytelling. She talks here about her literary intent. Interview: Gary Kaill

he return of Sleater-Kinney at the start of 2015 succeeded on so many levels, it gained near-mythical status. Released back in March, comeback album No Cities to Love squared up to the band’s fearsome back catalogue and confirmed that, should anyone even consider doubting it, time away was no barrier to continuing artful ambition and the switched-on watchfulness that had defined the output of a band which had propelled itself from the launch pad of Riot Grrrl into the wider public consciousness. Out-running a scene that had built a much needed platform for agit feminism and literate, politicised debate was the natural consequence of that scene’s most accomplished act. Sleater-Kinney were never a niche band and their talismanic guitarist operated from a manifesto far removed from rabble-rousing and workaday polemic. Two decades since her band tore up a good chunk of the alt-rock rulebook, Carrie Brownstein’s own back pages represent a healthy and divergent body of work: the musical side road that was Wild Flag, five series of the acclaimed sketch show Portlandia (with Saturday Night Live alumni Fred Armisen) and a host of online and print work including three years of the Monitor Mix comment piece for NPR. That she’d been simultaneously working on her memoirs for several years was no secret, but this is no ordinary rock star biog. Eschewing a neat A-B linear methodology in favour of a more thematic process, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl is a fearless exercise in self-assessment and asks big questions about the challenges of family life, the notion of creativity and of life in a band. It’s easy to cast the memoir as something built on a foundation of well-kept journals, unearthed and dusted down as the writer retreats to the garret and dips the quill. But the clue to Brownstein’s methods are perhaps revealed in the book early on; she writes: ‘Sometimes the dull detritus of our pasts become glaring strands once you realise they form a pattern, a lighted path to the present.’ All you need to do, Brownstein seems to say, is look for and recognise the signs when you see them: your story is always there, always waiting to be re-assembled. And perhaps how you choose to see it and tell it is more valid and affirming than a hopeless quest in which the teller of the story assembles those strands searching for truth, an empirical defining of ‘you’. “Yeah, I think I wanted to write about the story of finding yourself,” begins Brownstein when talking to The Skinny, “but more finding yourself through creativity, and I think much of that story in terms of that being a substitute for family or constituting a place of belonging was best told via SleaterKinney and also my youth. So I think I set out with that in mind, which was one of the reasons why the narrative has the shape that is does. It’s a story of the first steps towards confidence via music and art. So, that decided the shape of things in many ways.” Brownstein, of course, has been indirectly writing about herself for a long time - through her contribution to the band’s lyrics or her sidelong swipes in Portlandia (always sharp, never cruel) at the crazed characters who colour and shape her worldview. Was it a leap to now shift fully to the ultimate in first person narrative? “Yes and no,” she says. “The process of writing long form and also not collaborating on something is very different from the other forms of writing I’ve done.

December 2015

So many of my projects are partnerships or collaborations and I’m reliant on other people and inspired by other people to augment and bolster my ideas, or challenge my ideas. And so I think the main difference was that even though the book is a continuation of writing I had already done or already begun in other mediums, I only really had myself to reply upon. You can be your own worst enemy in terms of procrastination and so I think the methodology, the rigour, was a lot different.” Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl might not follow a clinical dot-to-dot trajectory but it does largely cover Brownstein’s childhood through to the present (a powerful and overwhelming recount of the band’s re-grouping in singer Corin Tucker’s basement). Focusing on key events, and slim at just over 200 pages, the book is dense and rich with detail. It deals in gripping, low-key drama: Tucker is playing with her band Heavens To Betsy when the pair first meet. And when Brownstein shifts the narrative with no reference to how events later pan out, and Tucker is for the moment forgotten, it’s like the best genre foreshadowing. You could see how long form fiction could be on the Brownstein to-do list. She appreciates the connection: “I certainly think, in terms of writing for television, or even film, that I would like to explore new ideas and stories, yes – it’s definitely an interest of mine. I think that in writing for Portlandia, which is such succinct and truncated writings, and even though we have started to expand the writing in the show to make longer arcs instead of just sketches, it’s still very short form. I do think I relish the idea of writing more long form so that the ideas have more breathing room and the characters have more space. So yeah, I think I would do that at some point.”

“It doesn’t necessarily incline towards one’s preconceived notions of a music memoir” Carrie Brownstein

At the Manchester date of her short reading tour, an audience member had asked her what she had been reading of late. Brownstein’s answer was lengthy and impassioned. She was part way through Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life (“Though I’m taking a little break from it right now to recover a little”) and also cited American writer Lorrie Moore as an ongoing inspiration. Much of the early section of the book draws parallels with Moore’s work, in particular her unerring eye for detailing the minutiae of home and family life with elegant poetics and unflinching candour. “Well thanks for the confidence! I’ll try to keep it in mind,” she says today. “I definitely just want to keep improving. One thing I’m proud of with this book is that people’s take on it seems to be that it works as a piece of writing; it works as a book and it doesn’t necessarily incline towards one’s

preconceived notions of a music memoir and so, yes, I’d like to keep challenging myself as a writer for sure.” “Since the book has come out,” says Brownstein, expanding upon the theme, “or even when it was only available in galley form and advance copies, there were people, including those at my publisher Riverhead in the US, who read it having no idea about Sleater-Kinney. And those people thought that it really functioned well and, in some ways, that was the greatest compliment. It’s like when you’re watching a documentary about a subject you thought you didn’t care about, and yet you find yourself suddenly invested in the detail and the telling of it. I think achieving something like that is a challenge and, of course, the biggest challenge is writing about something as specific as music – you don’t want it to be wholly dependent on somebody’s interest in, or liking of, your band.” Ultimately, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl delivers as a survivor’s tale. From Brownstein’s confession of her own part in the band’s original demise (‘I had dragged Sleater-Kinney into

BOOKS

oblivion’) to the family dysfunction that sees her father ask her 16-year-old sister to take their dog to be put down, darkness all but prevails. It’s kept at arm’s length by a humour equally black, and it’s those moments that give the book life, body, heart. It needs the laughs. “Yeah, you’re right,” says Brownstein. “I actually did have that intention, both stylistically and tonally. I think in some ways that mirrors my thoughts about Portlandia and why that part of my life has been very important to me in that so much of how I view the world, as someone who is quite sensitive to external influence, is through comedy. Sometimes the only way to view any of that is through the absurd. I wanted definitely to elucidate that in the book. But also for it to act, yes, as a form of relief in the prose. I think it adds to the tension: you take somebody to the edge of a cliff and then they realise that you’re not going to actually push them off and there’s somebody there to help them.” Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl is out now, published by Little, Brown Book Group, RRP £16.99 carriebrownstein.com

Last Word

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THE SKINNY