The Skinny Scotland December 2013

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Scotland Issue 99 December 2013

MUSIC Brendan Canning Edwyn Collins Kid Canaveral Cliff Martinez Quasi Jason Molina Remembered FILM The Movies of 2013 COMEDY Frankie Boyle The Timecop Nativity THEATRE A Guide to Panto GIFT GUIDES Fashion, Books, Food, DVD ART Christmas Card Showcase MANY studios Ugandan Arts Trust Andy Holden BOOKS Darren Cullen CLUBS Pi-Eyed Numbers Hogmanay Highlights

N E R

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, a d a re n o a C &m f o s ls e d r w a e o J B e h h t i t w Ru n 3 1 0 r, 2 o f o o y Fl s u m c to r b l A n , Fa e h + T Maso e v e St

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EURO-BOUT TO GROW A BEARD TOUR 2014

PLUS SPECIAL GUEST

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plus special guests

Contents 06 Opinion: Shot of the Month; Skinny on

Tour visits a desert nation; Cliff Martinez Hero Worships Captain Beefheart; Stop the Presses’ last minute news; Crystal Baws has some hellishly accurate festive horoscopes; and the first of our monthly comic strips comes from Iain Laurie.

Up: A calendar of daily recom08 Heads mended events to take you through the

35

36 Showcase: An extended collection of

festive greetings cards created specially for us by some of our favourite artists.

40 Fashion: A selection of stylish gifts from an array of local designers in Scotland and the Northwest.

holidays to the end of the year.

Features 10

Albums of the Year: Our music squad’s entirely democratic countdown of the year’s best records – including interviews with Fuck Buttons, Factory Floor, Run the Jewels, Steve Mason and more.

17

Pi-Eyed: Jake and Josh Goldsmith are bringing back the spirit of rave.

18

Films of 2013: A definitive list as voted by our crack team of movie reviewers.

19

Artists from MANY studios travelled to Lisbon to show off their work – here’s what happened.

21

No stranger to these pages, artist Darren Cullen has created a new work, a darkly satirical comic entitled Join the Army. He tells us why British army recruitment must be scrutinised.

22

Christmas theatre = Panto. Don’t even question it – here’s a guide to some of the best.

25

Ahead of his Hospitalfield House Open Weekend performance, artist Andy Holden introduces his polymathic art.

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28

Food and Drink: Continuing our gift guide extravaganza, an array of culinary items that could either make or break your Christmas. Phagomania looks at some disgusting food-based decorations, and the journey around the world of beverages concludes in Finland.

Review 47

Music: The latest albums in review, including Death Grips, Super Adventure Club and Brendan Canning; Kid Canaveral interview Edwyn Collins; Jason Molina remembered; plus this month’s Gig Highlights.

54 Clubs: Numbers celebrate a decade of fresh beats; plus this month’s clubbing highlights, including a handy guide to Hogmanay hedonism.

56 Film & DVD: Robert Redford stars in

our movie of the month All Is Lost, plus there’s the new picture from Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and another bloody film about the Beat poets (Kill Your Darlings), plus a great month for DVDs, with Heaven’s Gate, Streets of Fire and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

58 Art: Reviews of exorcist Dennis

Reinmüller in Summerhall and Louise Bourgeois’ Insomnia Drawings at Fruitmarket.

26 Brendan Canning: the Broken Social

Scene lynchpin joins us for a chill-out session and contemplates a political career.

Gift Guides: The pick of the best books and DVDs to buy your loved (and hated) ones this year.

59

Books: New books by Craig A. Smith, John Usher under the critical lens.

An Esoteric Christmas Gift Guide, for those concerned about their testicles ageing.

59 Sonica 2013 – a look back at the recent

Comedian Frankie Boyle lives up to his reputation as a difficult bastard.

60 Theatre: We take a look at this year’s

29 Quasi: Ahead of the original garage rock duo’s Glasgow gig, Ex-Wild Flag and Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss discusses her musical legacy.

sonic art fest.

panto offerings; plus Ballet Boyz, EditPoint and more in review.

62 Competitions: WIN Random House pub-

lishers’ top books of the year OR tickets and hotel accommodation for Glasgow Film Festival in February. OR EVEN both, if you’re very, very lucky.

30 The Nativity, as remembered by

Timecop in the guise of Fred Fletch.

Joseph gets punched in the balls.

63

Listings: What’s happening in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee in the worlds of Music, Clubs, Theatre, Art and Comedy.

71

The Last Word – Cliff Martinez: The composer for the films of Nicolas Winding Refn and Steven Soderbergh discusses his three decades in the music industry.

Lifestyle 31

Deviance: A look at the finer detail of the Scottish equal marriage bill.

Plus one artist discusses the role of Christianity in promoting shame in the gay community.

32

Travel: An insight into a unique project, the Ugandan Arts Trust aiming to foster the emergence of a grassroots arts infrastructure in Kampala.

December 2013

Contents

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Editorial J

ust like that, another year has passed. So long 2013, hello 2014 and the year of the Independence debate. We’re in nostalgic mood here at The Skinny as we cast an eye back over the last 12 months, drawing together opinion from the ranks of our many contributors to calculate (in a highly democratic manner, as per) what constituted the best releases in Music and Film over the last year. We’ve even made some handy lists of the highlights. The list issue, one might call it.

Our Albums of the Year special includes new interviews with many of the top ten acts. I won’t spoil the surprise by saying which ones, the sense of anticipation is key. There might be some surprises in there, is all I’m saying. Or are there?

To find out where Midnight Memories ended up, see p10.

The majority of the magazine basically goes barking mad for all things Christmas. We’ve got gift guides for Fashion, Food, Books, DVD and the esoteric produce of resident stargazer Mystic Mark, which includes anti-ageing cream for your testicles. Finally! We also continue an annual Showcase tradition with specially made cards submitted by a few of our favourite visual artists.

The incomparable Fred Fletch has composed a festive tale on the subject of the nativity, as seen through the eyes of Timecop. Of course he has.

In Theatre, we take a look at some of the many, many pantomimes on offer this year, having given up on trying to focus on the alternative in the face of a deluge of festive camp. We also look forward to that other mainstay of the Scottish winter months, Hogmanay – our Clubs section offers an exhaustive guide to your options for the bells.

We even have some articles about nonfestive things – Music catches up with Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning as he prepares to release his second solo album, quizzes Quasi drummer Janet Weiss about her ongoing quest to master rhythm, and talks to Cliff Martinez about his creative work soundtracking movies for the likes of Nicolas Winding Refn. Kid Canaveral were dispatched to London for some enlightening conversations with Edwyn Collins ahead of their Christmas Baubles annual festive gig, and the band also took the opportunity to scrutinise a round of festive singles in the Dirty Dozen. On

a more sombre note, Alasdair Robert and Aidan Moffat pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Jason Molina upon the tenth anniversary of Songs: Ohia’s final LP, The Magnolia Electric Co. Comedy talks to ‘retired comedian’ Frankie Boyle about his new book, in the process discovering that he’s just as objectionable in person as he appears on the telly. In Art, we hear what happened when MANY studio residents headed over to Lisbon to exhibit. Travel also takes on an artistic bent, as we learn about 32° East, an Arts Trust in Uganda that is spearheading the creation of an infrastructure for contemporary art practice in the capital Kampala. In Books, we talk to Darren Cullen about his new work Join the Army, a pitch black satire on the recruitment techniques used by the British Armed Forces that will inevitably spark debate and provoke vitriol. The EDL are already on the case.

This issue marks our last in double figures in the Scottish edition, and January will see our hot 100th issue hit the stands. Our Northwest sibling will be releasing its tenth issue at the same time – they grow up so fast, don’t they? We’ll be celebrating in print and in real life, i.e. There Will Be Party (rumours abound of a room full of kittens, but cannot be confirmed at this juncture); keep your eyes on the site for more info. In the meantime, from all here at The Skinny, have a happy holiday and an even happier New Year.

[Rosamund West]

This Month's Cover Gabriella Marcella DiTano is Glasgow based designer and director of Risotto; a risograph print and design studio. The studio specialises in providing events, venues, labels and individuals with all manners of print, design, installations and art direction. www.risottostudio.com

Hero Worship: Cliff Martinez on Captain Beefheart Soundtrack composer (Drive; Only God Forgives; Sex, Lies and Videotape) and former drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Dickies, Cliff Martinez tells us of his lifelong love for Captain Beefheart, and what it was like to work with him

D

on Glen Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart, has been my musical idol since I was 13 or 14, and remains so to this day. Usually, your musical heroes fade as your tastes change, but his music is still a big inspiration to me. I’d like to think that in some way he has had a powerful influence on my music.

In a nutshell, he invented his own unique vocabulary for the music he made. The first thing that sucked me in was this completely new language for the drums. John ‘Drumbo’ French played the drums like nobody else. I don’t even know where it came from, that style. I’ve talked to him, and he mentioned his own influences – Sandy Nelson, Ginger Baker, and some other guys, but it just didn’t sound like anybody I’d ever heard before. It sounded like a completely fresh take on an instrument that millions of people play, and that millions of people have recorded – somehow he found something completely and totally new and different. A different way of thinking about it and approaching it. It was the same for the bass, same for the guitars and the other instruments. It’s the same for Beefheart’s composition – I don’t think there’s anything like it. You can’t even describe his music without using the word ‘Beefheart.’ To this day, that’s what I want to be when I grow up.

Working with Beefheart, he was really demanding – it was very hard to keep up. You had to have a tape recorder running at all times, because a lot of the things he wanted to capture would be spontaneous, improvised things that he would not be able to repeat. That might be a vocal performance, or he might sit down and get you to play the drums, giving you directions like ‘Give me that thing that’s meat on a plate with red asparagus dangling through the teacup,’

or ‘You know! Giant blue babies levitating over mountaintops.’ And you were on your own! So it was really, really hard work, but it was my Gary Cooper, High Noon moment. I had a front row seat to experience his process. I don’t think there will ever be another chance like that.

There was some punk spirit in his approach.

He wanted that ferocity. Most people who do Dada or avant garde music approach it from a cerebral point of view – he approached it with a very primal, Neanderthal sensibility. Everything was spontaneous, never premeditated. He wanted that fury. He wanted you to play every note like it was the last note you would ever play. That was very punk rock.

When we were recording Ice Cream for Crow, his last album, one of the things in my drum set was a fire alarm. It was this really dense metal thing that you had to hit really hard to get any sound out of. He kept telling me to hit it harder and harder. I already had the biggest drumsticks made – I had 3S drumsticks, which are like parade drumsticks; they’re like baseball bats. So I’ve got the biggest drumsticks possible, I’m hitting this thing as hard as I can, and he says, ‘Hit it harder.’ I hit the alarm so hard that the drumstick shattered and hit me just below the eye. It broke the skin, and my eye started bleeding. Beefheart said ‘Stop the tape! Stop the tape! My music’s not worth an eye.’ That was the level of intensity he demanded, and that’s also what appealed to me about punk rock. Whatever it is you’re going to do, you have to really mean it.

Only God Forgives is released on Blu-ray, DVD & Steelbook from 2 Dec. The soundtrack is out now on deluxe, limited edition coloured vinyl from Invada Records invadarecords.bigcartel.com

Shot Of The Month Warpaint at O2 ABC Glasgow, 29 Oct by Daniel Harris

The Skinny On Tour Canongate books have kindly handed us a medley of their bestsellers from 2013 to give away this month, including To the Letter by Simon Garfield, The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976 by Charles Schultz and The Song of King Gesar by Alai. To stand a chance of winning the lot, tell us which

6

Chat

desert location this reader is perusing The Skinny at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions.

Hint: Celebrated Hollywood mysteron Tam Cruise was once famously engulfed in a sandstorm here.

THE SKINNY

Jingle Baws

Online Only

With Mystic Mark

Following Jason Molina's death earlier this year, Secretly Canadian have reissued 2003's Magnolia Electric Co. album to mark its ten-year anniversary. As a complement to Alasdair Roberts’ eulogy this issue, we reappraise this pivotal moment in the career of an underappreciated and prodigiously talented figure. www.theskinny.co.uk/ music

ARIES With your guts heaving you scour the streets this Christmas for somewhere to use the loo only to be told there is “no room at the inn� time after time. Desperately you knock once more, and miraculously a kindly landlord explains that although the toilets are for customers only, you’re welcome to take a dump out back, “in the manger.�

up elves even as they tend to the wounded. On Christmas Eve, a solemn Santa announces that enough is enough and rides a sleigh loaded with high-explosives directly into the White House.

TAURUS You’re amazed to find your banging 400-strong Christmas parties are paradoxically categorised as ‘anti-social’ by the police.

VIRGO In an attempt to improve efficiency you undergo a surgical procedure to turn your eye sockets, mouth, nostrils and ears into one large facial orifice. This should really help speed things up at work.

GEMINI A silver lining to your seven year old daughter’s pregnancy is that she’s a shoo-in for Mary at the school nativity.

CANCER This year, after Obama is controversially moved to Santa’s naughty list, the US Military begin drone strikes in Lapland. The toll on the elf population is horrific, with entire families obliterated on a daily basis. Santa Claus releases a video saying that he will not stand for such attacks but the strikes continue, blowing

LEO There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but there’s really only about half a dozen ways to fuck one.

LIBRA It turns out mistletoe is a parasitic plant which survives by penetrating and then sucking the life out of a host tree, making it the perfect symbol for a chance romantic encounter with you.

SCORPIO You’re a bit short of money this Christmas and instead of getting a proper turkey from Iceland, you decide to have Bernard Matthews instead. It takes all night to

out for the January issue, out on 2 Jan 2014, for more information.

dig him up and drag him back home. To make matters worse, once you’ve stuffed and got him in the oven the putrid green and black juices never seem to run clear.

SAGITTARIUS It’s probably better if you don’t know.

CAPRICORN Your local church’s nativity play focuses heavily on the Virgin Mary’s miraculous 22-hour labour. Soaked in sweat and blood, she screams at the top of her lungs and gnaws on Joseph’s hand. When the Three Wise Men show up she barks at them to “get to fuck!� before sobbing into the straw and quietly whimpering that there is no God.

With Christmas work dos in full swing, we suggest avoiding comedy clubs for a month with a guide to comedy DVDs to stay in with. www.theskinny. co.uk/comedy

drawing and varied crafting. Head along to www. somewhereto.com for full event details. The ‘department store’ is open for one day only, punting the resultant wares on Thu 12 Dec.

Trainspotting) in a new film called Fireworks, from Scottish production company Synchronicity Films. They’re looking for a ‘talented, bold, headstrong young woman’. Their bright new star doesn’t need any acting experience, but she does need to be ‘funny and brave’. If that sounds like you, then go to www.fireworksthemovie.co.uk to upload an online audition. Casting closes 18 Dec. Friends of The Skinny and home to some of the biggest dishes of nachos you’ve ever seen in your life, Edinburgh rock pub The Auld Hoose turns 10 years old this month. Their big birthday bash is on Sat 14 Dec, and they might have a massive cake made from said nachos. They almost certainly won’t, but we’ll start the buzz here and see what happens.

CORRECTION: We’d like to apologise to photographer Anita Russo for not crediting her in an image accompanying the feature on Pressure in the November issue of The Skinny.

December 2013

Artist and trickster Jamie Shovlin lets us see behind the scenes on his latest meta mind-fuck Rough Cut, a documentary about a film that never was. www.theskinny.co.uk/film

AQUARIUS You receive a Christmas card from Cash Converters saying they’re looking forward to seeing you again this Boxing Finally, this month sees a raft of new releases from New War, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Dear Day with all your children’s gifts in tow.

Reader, No Joy, Ejecta, Recondite and Kosheen that we just couldn’t fit on the bloody page. Find PISCES You enjoy spending time with your our rolling coverage at www.theskinny.co.uk/ music family.

HOW’S YOUR COCKNEY ACCENT? If you can do better than Dick Van Dyke and happen to be a teenage girl, then you’re invited to audition to co-star with Ewen Bremner (aka Spud from

THE SKINNY IS CELEBRATING ITS 100TH ISSUE in January! We’ll be having a party in the newly-renamed Mash House, on Guthrie Street, Edinburgh, formerly The Dram House, before that variously The Store, the Left Bank, the GRV (twice) and Octopus Diamond. Ye ken? We’ll be there for one night only in January. Keep a look

You can also read extended interviews with some of the artists from our Albums of the Year coverage, including Run the Jewels (aka El-P and Killer Mike), Future of the Left, Nik Void of Factory Floor and more. You can also win a medley of swag from the across our Top 50 over at www.theskinny. co.uk/competitions

HARVEY NICK NACKS! (GEDDIT?) Somewhereto_ are hosting a pop-up shop in Edinburgh’s Argyle House on Castle Terrace, presenting work created by local youths in a series of creative workshops running in November and December.

The workshops are free but must be booked, and have already started running. You can still get your name down for wrapping paper printing, life

EDINBURGH WOMEN’S RAPE & SEXUAL ABUSE CENTRE are experiencing a massive funding crisis, which is impacting on their work and contributing to waiting lists of up to a year. They’re holding a fundraiser as part of the national Women’s Aid 16 Days of Action Opposing Violence Against Women campaign at Edinburgh University on Dec 5. Go down and help support this vital service.

Opinion

7

Our December calendar countdown takes in a festive party or ten, including Kid Canaveral's Christmas Baubles, a TYCI knees-up, The Christmas Songwriters' Club... and the obligatory screening of Gremlins.

Merry happy, everyone!

Thu 5 Dec

David Harrower brings his 2013 Fringe First Awardwinning play, Ciara, back to the Trav for a December run.

Set against the landscape of gangland Glasgow, it features Blythe Duff as the formidable central character of the play's name, struggling to emerge from the shadow of her father's gang legacy. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 3-21 Dec, from £15.50 (£12.50/£8 unemployed)

The dance party journey through time – Hot Dub Time Machine – returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos. Our reviewier called it "an amazing trip into the past and back again without all the Hitler paradoxes" – in other words, get on it. Summerhall, Edinburgh, 4-21 Dec, £12.50

Taking its theme from Charles Darwin's research around the Southern Hemisphere to find living examples to support his theory of evolution, Living Proof brings together work by a selection of luminaries – amongst them Alasdair Gray, Elizabeth Blackadder, and John Byrne – known for their fascination with creatures and their portrayal in art.

Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow, until 2 Feb, Free

Blyth Duff as Ciara

Hot Dub Time Machine

Living Proof

Mon 9 Dec

Tue 10 Dec

Wed 11 Dec

Following the (quite literal) highs of their move to atop Calton Hill, Collective Gallery host their first exhibition proper in their new City Observatory digs – presenting the intriguing Anti-VWAP project, featuring a speculative theatrical script (from Rob Drummond), and the development of a new algorithmic trading model to be tested in the financial markets. Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, until 9 Jan, Free

Jo Caulfield returns for a December outing of her curated storytelling night, The Speakeasy, with guests including comics Janey Godley, Juliette Burton, and Gareth Waugh, alongside modern dance from Eva O'Conner, and a new mini-play from funnywoman Jane Walker – with the only rule being that the stories they tell on the night must be 100% true. Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, 8pm, £6

Milk throw an old-school Christmas bash, joined by Randolph's Leap in full eight-piece band guise, plus a specially-composed choir, secret guest singers playing their favourite Christmas hits, a festive photobooth, mulled cider, mince pies, a 'Bad Santa' handing out pressies, and a partridge in a peartree (probably). Christmas jumpers obligatory. Flat 0/1, Glasgow, 9pm, £4

Jo Caulfield

Randolph's Leap

Anti-VWAP

Mon 16 Dec

Tue 17 Dec

Following up his Walking On A Pretty Daze LP with recent EP, It’s a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared), Philadelphian chappie Kurt Vile brings it heavy with a set of his accessible melodies cocked askew, marrying the introspection of the nocturnal stoner with the exploration of a troubadour frontiersman. His live band, The Violators, accompany. The Arches, Glasgow, 7pm, £12.50

In Your Face Theatre present an immersive and interactive new production of Irvine Welsh's druggie classic, Trainspotting. They'll make full use of the unique space at Out of the Blue to plunge the audience into the dark club scene of 90s Edinburgh – simulating a feeling of being plonked inside the film set itself. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, 16-22 Dec, 6pm, £12 (£10)

Building on the success of last year, Slowfest returns with a more intimate array of stripped performances by some of whom they reckon to be the best talent on the Scottish contemporary landscape. As per, they're keeping schtum on the line-up, but they have exclusively revealed to us that Scottishbrogued indie foursome There Will Be Fireworks will be on't bill. Hurrah.

Bloc, 16-18 Dec, 9pm, Free

Kurt Vile

Photo: Gemma Burke

Sun 15 Dec

Trainspotting, film still

There Will Be Fireworks

Mon 23 Dec

Female-run art collective TYCI (Tuck Your Cunt In, to give 'em their full family-friendly title) flock to SWG3 for a special Christmas kneesup, joined by Pretty Ugly, Adele Bethel (of Sons and Daughters), and CHVRCHES for a series of special DJ sets, plus some additional 'very special' guests they're keeping secret until the night itself… Teases. Profits go to the AT Society. SWG3, Glasgow, 11pm, £10

The Christmas Songwriters' Club returns for its annual singsong, where a select batch of local musos again stick to the one key rule: no bloody cover songs! In the imaginary campfire glow this time will be Broken Records, TeenCanteen, Scott F'Rabbit, We See Lights, Miaoux Miaoux, Siobhan Wilson, and more. Dress code: Christmas jumpers. The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £10

Bloc venture out of their murky basement lair to take over the main stage of George Square for an all-noise Christmas punch in the puss, bringing with them three of their favourite acts of the year – Patricia Panther's one-woman electro hip-hop, Vasa's soaring post-rock anthems, and Fat Goth's ridiculously righteous metallic thunder. Expect a moshpit.

George Square, Glasgow, 7pm, Free

chvrches

Siobhan Wilson

Sat 28 Dec

Sun 29 Dec

Another day, another rave-up (and, yes, we do plan on partying right through from Christmas until Hogmanay, thankyouverymuch), this time with bass specialists Electrikal joining forces with techno, house, and minimal fanatics Animal Hospital for a live versus night in't Bongo, with DJs Era, Skanky B, Ziggy Gee, Case One, and Jay Somerville. The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 11pm, £7

The Jackhammer crew provide our annual post-Christmas dose of techno, celebrating their 12th birthday with a hefty eight-hour line-up which sees regulars Wolfjazz and Keyte warm the decks ahead of sets from Ege Bamyasi, Stephen Brown, and DJ Rolando, before headliner Surgeon takes charge from 3am-5am. Crawl home on our knees we shall. The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 9pm, £15

Continuing our party-filled countdown to 2014, tonight's revelries are taken care of by dancefloorfilling techno nuts Animal Farm – who strike the grand old age of nine with a special birthday set from Berlin's Berghain resident and all-round techno behemoth, Marcel Dettmann.

He'll be manning the decks for the full four hours, live mapping the links between techno and Berlin. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £15

Electrikal stack

8

Chat

DJ Rolando

Photo: Solas Nicol

Fri 27 Dec

Photo: Sonia Kerr

Sun 22 Dec

Photo: Vito Andreoni

Sat 21 Dec

Patricia panther

Marcel Dettman

THE SKINNY

Photo: Takeshi Suga

Compiled by: Anna Docherty

Wed 4 Dec

Photo: Takeshi Suga

Heads Up

Tue 3 Dec

Sun 8 Dec

The cutest little furball ever to don a Santa hat (aka Gizmo) returns for a Christmas outing, as the Glasgow Film Theatre host a late night airing of Gremlins – aka the 80s kids' antidote to the the gazillion festive screenings of It's a Wonderful-bloody-Life. And, as with all GFT Late Night Classic screenings, your ticket stub gets you entry to Nice 'n' Sleazy's after-party. GFT, Glasgow, 11pm, £8 (£5.50)

Stephen McRobbie's perennially adolescent outfit, The Pastels, play the intimate surrounds of Mono, taking in a selection of classics and newer tracks cherrypicked from their early 2013 release, Slow Summits – a graceful configuration of airy vocals and rich instrumentation. The CCA's Saramago café then take care of the offical after-bash, making merry from 10.30pm. Mono, Glasgow, 7pm, £12

Hosting the first of three festive editions, pop-up tea party seductress Queen of Tarts goes all out for her Christmas menu – with the sugar-heavy, multi-course affair including cranberry and herb veggie sausage rolls, chocolate and cherry roulade, cinammon sorbet, Stollen, and coconut and spice rice pud. See Facebook for full menu and booking. Secret location, Edinburgh, 8, 14 & 16 Dec, 2pm, £20

The Pastels

Gremlins

Queen of Tarts

Fri 13 Dec

Sat 14 Dec

Following our recent chat with guitarist Ripley Johnson last month (which you can read online at theskinny.co.uk), San Franciscan psych-rock disciples Wooden Shjips take to Glasgow to play tracks offa their new LP, Back to Land – a gem of a thing laced with acoustic guitar, threaded in and out of thicker slabs of noise, sure to go down a treat in SWG3's grimey warehouse setting. SWG3, Glasgow, 7pm, £14

Mary's Milk Bar host a special festive Gelato Tasting evening, with attendees greeted wi' a glass of Passito di Pantelleria before a tasting session of the three types of gelato – milk, egg, and water based. Expect some festive flavour flurries, with recent delights including sweet potato and maple syrup gelato. Dribble. Mary's Milk Bar, Edinburgh, 6 & 13 Dec, 7pm, £15

Affable indie-pop chaps and chapesses Kid Canaveral host their fourth annual 'Christmas Baubles' festivities – a mulled wine-fuelled mini-fest this time featuring the headline talents of none other than former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins. Support comes from De Rosa, This Many Boyfriends, and more still to be revealed. Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh, 2pm, £22

Wooden Shjips

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

Thu 12 Dec

Ice cream!

Fri 20 Dec

Imbued with that festive feeling, experimental London singer/songwriter Patrick Wolf hits the road for a series of seasonal outings – A Night of Winter – for which he'll be debuting a selection of new material on piano, tenor guitar, harp, viola, kantale, Theremin, and electronics, as well as treating punters to covers of a few of his favourite winterthemed songs. Òran Mór, Glasgow, 7pm, £16.50

A bright light on the electronic landscape, Daniel Avery brings his acid-flecked, tunnelling soundscapes to Sneaky Pete's diminutive grotto – manning the Juice decks for a one-off Thursday special, hopefully cherrypicking from his trippy gem of a 2013 debut LP, Drone Logic. He'll then hit up Glasgow's Sub Club the following evening. Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 11pm, £8

Marking the weekend afore Christmas with something a little special, The Twilight Sad boys treat collective Glasgow earlugs to a duo of consecutive dates, playing their 2007 debut – Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters – live and in its glorious boody entirety. (Psst, Edinburgh folk can also catch them at their rescheduled Liquid Room gig on 14 December.) King Tuts, Glasgow, 20 & 21 Dec, 8.30pm, £12.50

Patrick Wolf

Daniel Avery

Photo: Steve Gullick

Thu 19 Dec

Photo: Pete Dunlop

Wed 18 Dec

Kid Canaveral

The Twilight Sad

Tue 24 Dec

Wed 25 Dec

Thu 26 Dec

Christmas Eve should quite rightly be spent pretending like you're eightyears-old all over again, hence we'll be heading to the Cameo for their annual late-afternoon airing of The Muppet Christmas Carol before coming home and digging out Home Alone, Scrooged, and Die Hard for a back-to-back vigil under the duvet for Santa. Cameo, Edinburgh, 3.30pm, £6.90 (£5.40)

It's the 25th of December, and therefore your day should hopefully be going a little something like this: Santa, pressies, gnawing a Chocolate Orange, naff woolly jumper, mince pies, Cava, turkey, roasties, candlelight, Christmas pudding, honkin' cheeseboard, dubious liquor, Gremlins, pub, bed (in your new jimjams, natch). From all of us at The Skinny, we wish you a suitably lovely one!

What's that? You're too busy demolishing a Cadbury's Selection Box to party? Sort yourself out. Melting Pot and The Electric Frog hit up Hillhead Bookclub for joint Boxing Day blowout, taking in an extended five-hour set from electro-funk pioneer Greg Wilson and his trusty Revox reel-toreel machine – given free reign to play whatever the hell he wants. Hillhead Bookclub, Glasgow, 6pm, £14

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Happy Christmas!

Mon 30 Dec

Tue 31 Dec

With Hogmanay official but a day away, we do as is only right – pre-party! Tonight's pick o' the bunch is the heavy jungle and bassstyled Xplicit lot, who head up The Bongo Club joined

by Virus Recordings' d'n'b producer, Optiv. And, joy of joys, they've got a 5am license for the occasion, tipping our party/sleep quota into suitably impressive (read: scary) territory.

The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 11pm, £7

From the Pet Shop Boys in Princes Street Gardens, to Optimo's always legendary proceedings, through to Pi-Eyed's free-entry raveathon, Wee Dub's sophormore dub shenanigans, and Hector Bizerk's Milk set (with post-midnight bacon rolls care of Lucky 7 Canteen), there's a whole lotta Hogmanay events to choose from – see listings for the full rundown. Party safe, kids!

December 2013

Optiv

Greg Wilson

Happy New Year!

Chat

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Photo: Jayjay Robertson

Sat 7 Dec

Photo: Emily Wylde

Fri 6 Dec

The Top 50 Albums of The Year

The Class of 2013 10. Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels (Big Dada)

11. John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts (Bella Union) 12. Jon Hopkins – Immunity (Domino) 13. Foals – Holy Fire (Warner Bros) 14. Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork (Matador)

Photo: Ross Gilmore

I

15. Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety (Software) 16. My Bloody Valentine – m b v (Pickpocket) 17. Daniel Avery – Drone Logic (Phantasy) 18. DARKSIDE – Psychic (Matador) 19. Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador) 20. Low – The Invisible Way (Sub Pop) 21. David Bowie – The Next Day (ISO/Columbia) 22. Tim Hecker – Virgins (Kranky) 23. Savages – Silence Yourself (Beggars) 24. Laurel Halo – Chance of Rain (Hyperdub) 25. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away (Bad Seed Ltd)

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through Big Dada on vinyl, with extra tracks, the band are also in the middle of a European tour when we speak. As for their further ambitions for the project, Mike says: “I would love to reach the levels of absurdity and wildness of punk music.

I would love our show to become even more of a hedonistic expression of human nature. I wanna see people going apeshit wild.” El-P’s plans for 2014? “I’m thinking about getting into training hawks,” he deadpans. “I just think that would be a cool thing, y’know? Like, I’m a rapper, but I’m also a falconer.” [Bram E. Gieben]

9. Future of the Left – How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident (Prescriptions)

“O

bviously I’m not a psychopath,” says Andrew Falkous, rebuffing imaginary claims to the contrary. “I’m quite reasonable; I get through a succession of day jobs of a temporary office-based nature. Within a left-leaning, what you might call indie rock paradigm” — a shudder traverses the phone line — “I think most of the opinions espoused would be quite neatly recognised by most people.”

You have to take his point. How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident, Future of the Left’s game-upping fourth album, is quite eminently reasonable – reasonably indignant, reasonably righteous and, very reasonably, loud as fuck. But there’s more than pasty-faced moralism behind their pretty-noise riffs and sassy drums. Songs like How to Spot a Record Company and She Gets Passed Around at Parties are point-making but never preachy, the latter deconstructing a tragic marriage with far greater humour than its subjects deserve.

It’s by taking such interest in the impulsive, idiotic and doomed of the species that – perhaps accidentally – Falco’s hellfire-backed tirades betray underlying compassion, ruing the big mistakes of tiny lives. That said, the intent is hardly philanthropic. Each song kvetches brilliantly and insistently, never relenting in content or volume until listeners believe outward social repulsion not just completely rational behaviour but the only possible behaviour. The four-piece’s slogan might be: we despair because we care.

“Our music can be part of a balanced diet, you know?” Falkous reasons. “A lot of political bands of the punkier persuasion inspired a lot of people to sound exactly like those bands, to take on those political attitudes, almost as a weak facsimile of the original. What kind of fucking artist – and I use that term rather generously – is interested in that? I’m certainly not. I’ve never

Photo:Vito Andreoni

Photo: Kerri Aniello

26. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City (XL) 27. Atoms For Peace – AMOK (XL) 28. These New Puritans – Field of Reeds (Infectious) 29. Gold Panda – Half of Where You Live (Notown) 30. Danny Brown – Old (Fool's Gold) 31. Fat Goth – STUD (Hefty Dafty) 32. Daughter – If You Leave (4AD) 33. Adam Stafford – Imaginary Walls Collapse (Song, By Toad) 34. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks (Polydor) 35. Forest Swords – Engravings (Tri-Angle) 36. Julia Holter – Loud City Song (Domino) 37. Rick Redbeard – No Selfish Heart (Chemikal Underground) 38. Julianna Barwick – Nepenthe (Dead Oceans) 39. The Field – Cupid's Head (Kompakt) 40. Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady (Atlantic) 41. Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat (Kranky) 42. HAIM – Days are Gone (Polydor) 43. Palms – Palms (Ipecac) 44. Baths – Obsidian (Anticon) 45. Majical Cloudz – Impersonator (Matador) 46. Mount Kimbie – Cold Spring Fault Less Youth [Warp] 47. MONEY – The Shadow Of Heaven (Bella Union) 48. Zomby – With Love (4AD) 49. Deafheaven – Sunbather (Deathwish Inc) 50. The Haxan Cloak – Excavation (Tri-Angle)

n a year where the bloated, ego-fed excesses of mainstream hip-hop became the central narrative of pop culture, it would have been easy to write off rap. It would have been logical to conclude that rap had entered its own hair metal phase – prizing lifestyle over content, celebrity status over lyrical skill. What was needed, amidst the feting of also-rans and wannabes like A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar, was a twenty year veteran to remind us all why we loved rap in the first place. Enter El-P, former Company Flow MC and founder of Def Jux, and his partner in rhyme, Atlanta’s Killer Mike. Their collaboration as Run The Jewels snatched the mask from hip-hop’s face and smashed it, exposing the ugliness beneath in a riot of 808 beats and futuristic lyrical beatdowns.

“It’s not my fucking job to regulate the rap world and shit,” El-P spits down the phoneline to us now, uncomfortable with the notion that Run The Jewels are hip-hop’s saviours. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s great if everyone just sticks to the same thing they are doing, because it makes me and Mike look like fucking champs.” Laughter

echoes down the line as El deftly sidesteps the mantle of rap revolutionary. Regardless, one thing the duo can’t deny is the delirious reaction to their recent stage shows, as evidenced in the video for Get It. “It’s been fucking crazy,” says Killer Mike. “Shit’s been going fucking maniac.” El agrees: “It’s been pure fucking mayhem.”

Given the adversarial nature of the lyrics (two examples: “I’ll pull a pistol on your poodle and your fucking baby” – Mike, and “Try to pet my fucking head again and I’mma put a tooth through the flesh of the palm that you jack with” – El-P), was Run The Jewels meant as a challenge to wack emcees? “We came into it and we really wanted to rip rappers’ heads off,” says El-P. “We approached it competetively, for sure. We wanted to make sure that nobody could fuck with us. But that is what every rapper is supposed to feel like, I think. It’s not an over-arching critique, or statement.”

Although the beats on Run The Jewels are ultra-modern rather than retro, they revel in the simplicity of the 80s hip-hop aesthetic, a marked digression from the complex science fiction synth adventures of El-P’s Cancer4Cure. The 80s rap culture was an inspiration as much for its universality as its stylistic components. “In the 80s, every nine year-old kid loved rap,” says Mike.

With Run The Jewels II in the works, and an imminent European release of the first album

Photo: Sonia Kerr

In an attempt to distill the last 12 months of music into a list that hopefully at least three readers can get behind, we spoke to the creators of our ten democratically elected albums of 2013. Well, eight out of ten...

wanted to be a part of any fucking gang or movement or scene.”

That restlessness informs How to Stop...’s singular diversity, from Singing of the Bonesaws – a deceptively insightful, George Saundersesque public service announcement – to the discordant lullaby of French Lessons, which transfigures love’s mundanities while lampooning the male disease of emotion-denial.

“It’s about the common narrative of love, as people slip into middle-aged relationships,” Falkous says of French Lessons. “And people tell you how these relationships play out – ‘Oh, you’re married now, welcome to your wife not listening to you for the next 35 years’ – in a jokey way which suggests a greater underlying truth. It’s funny to see people repeat those ideas, even when you can tell they don’t exactly believe it themselves,

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in the same way the British refer to the weather: ‘It’s raining again.’ ‘Of course it’s fucking raining again, you live in Wales. Shut your fucking mouth.’”

Such eloquence buttresses Falkous’s superior wit and passion: escalating house prices, careless ejaculators, passive media consumers – all come under fire as Wire-bound riffs bombard like tankers, and the effect is captivating.

How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident possesses charm and class; the self-righteousness of genuine rightness; a problematic knack for delivering observations that, perversely, marry awful misanthropy with resoundingly tight reasoning, belting out a soundtrack to the pairing’s lewd honeymoon. You’d cry if you could stop laughing.

[Jazz Monroe] futureoftheleft.net

THE SKINNY

8. Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest (Warp)

interludes.’ The latter have given previous works their texture and themes, meaning Tomorrow’s Harvest feels more organic than, say, the empirical division of styles they exercised on 2002’s Geogaddi.

The near-total media blackout that shrouds or an elusive duo who once proclaimed ‘music brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin is math,’ the cryptic, numerical-led anmeans author intent remains suitably nebunouncement of Boards of Canada’s fourth album lous. However, the down-tempo, harder-edged was surely the most apt of marketing campaigns. Tomorrow’s Harvest seems to invoke the enThere was the discovery of a unique artefact; a croachment of the city on the countryside, solitary Record Store Day 12-inch, and the subse- further evidenced by the album’s artwork and quent frenzied online treasure hunt for the inter- a rare insight from Eoin on their Pentland Hills’ locking codes that finally confirmed the imminent studio space being a necessary escape from the arrival of Tomorrow’s Harvest. urban sprawl. In a sense, it’s the bucolic dream With the cyber-dust finally settled though, of 2005’s The Campfire Headphase turned gritty was the secretive Scottish siblings’ first album nightmare. in eight years really worth the wait? In a word, Except that Tomorrow’s Harvest is still yes. Tomorrow’s Harvest is certainly no suckerimbued with an underlying sense of hope and punch, more an unsettling glare before invoking wonder, a trait that came fully-formed to most a nervous breakdown, yet fifteen years after their listeners back in 1998. That may offer Boards of revered, wide-eyed debut album Music Has The Canada some leverage, yet it’s a commodity they Right To Children, it’s a tact that feels warranted have never traded in and Tomorrow’s Harvest is, in these less oblivious times. were it needed, further evidence of this. The hoUnlike previous albums, Tomorrow’s Harvest rizon may look a little greyer and the climate a bit has no immediate, attention-grabbing show tune. colder, but the field in which Boards of Canada No Roygbiv, no 1969, no Dayvan Cowboy. But then stand tall is still resolutely their own.

[Darren Carle] BoC are not a singles band and here they made that clear, further blurring the lines between boardsofcanada.com their traditional ‘songs’ and intermittent ‘musical

F

6. Hookworms – Pearl Mystic (Gringo)

7. Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse (Atlantic)

A

fter the promising dress rehearsal of Frightened Rabbit’s debut album, Sing the Greys, the Selkirk troupe quickly followed up with main event The Midnight Organ Fight, a barbed, anthemic indie brew that drew rapturous applause, and which was even named our album of 2008.

Little surprise then that 2010’s The Winter of Mixed Drinks was keenly received yet fell short of some weighty expectations. “When you make a record that connects with people in such a strong way, it’s really difficult thereafter to find a place where you can write songs and produce albums that resonate in the same way,” says frontman Scott Hutchison of Organ Fight’s looming shadow. “So it’s really nice to feel like we’ve done that.”

And ‘done that’ they certainly have with Pedestrian Verse, their fourth album and first for major label Atlantic Records. Its success can certainly be measured quantifiably, through chart position, new fans gained and the band’s general step-up to the bigger leagues. More importantly, though, the critics seem to have judged Pedestrian Verse on its own merit rather than as an addendum to the band’s previous album. “It’s the first time that reaction to one of our records has been positive in both those spheres,” agrees Hutchison. “This album saw us take a step into a realm that had previously been untouched.”

Whilst the Rabbits’ steady ascent was predictable enough after signing to Atlantic Records in 2010, the resultant up-turn in quality of their fourth LP was less certain. What seems to have

December 2013

helped is Hutchison’s opening up of the songwriting process to the rest of his bandmates, leading to the creation of songs that sound more layered and crafted from the ground up. “It really refreshed the whole notion of being in Frightened Rabbit and I think that’s reflected in the album,” says Hutchison. “The process we went through really pulled things away from my singular vision and helped make this record stand by itself.”

Of course, the wider exposure they’ve gained in the interim has helped draw a line in the sand, as new fans come to the fray unencumbered by the weight of the past. However, veteran listeners have far from abandoned the good ship F’Rabbit – a testament to what they’ve achieved with this particular record. It’s subtle, diverse and incredibly accomplished, whilst sounding effortless, as if these euphoric tunes, these ear-worming riffs and these heartfelt tales were always hanging in the ether, ready for the band to utilise when they alone were ready.

“What people recognise Frightened Rabbit to be – honest music that doesn’t adhere to a particular style and isn’t about us being a buzz band – that’s still intact,” states Hutchison; “It’s a great place to be in.” It’s this balance of addressing the in-built, anthemic nature of their music whilst not kowtowing to how an indie-rock band that finds itself on a major label should sound that has unified their critical and commercial acclaim this time around.

“You always say, and you always mean it at the time, that your last record is your best one,” says Hutchison as he reflects on the year Pedestrian Verse has ushered in. “But I think I’ll look back on this one with greater fondness than I have before. I do believe it’s the best album we’ve made.”

[Darren Carle]

andling your own personal catharsis is one thing, seeing it written and spoken back to you writ large is quite another. Forget the ‘psych’ tag that so many have clumsily bracketed Hookworms in with this year in light of their thunderous debut album Pearl Mystic; what really stood out amongst the likes of Away/Towards’ white-knuckle motorik and In Our Time’s billowing textural fug was the emotional intensity scorched black across its surface that has since come to define the Leeds five-piece’s live shows. Vocalist MJ laid his soul bare on issues of depression and isolation, liberal use of a Space Echo pedal barely hiding the wracked frustration pouring forth.

“I tried listening to it recently but two minutes in I couldn’t deal with it, it was horrible to me,” the musician and producer tells The Skinny from his Suburban Home Studio. “I hear it in terms of the music I make with my friends but I also hear it in terms of the aesthetics that I don’t like about it now.”

Plenty of others have listened to it though, since it was recorded over nine months in 2012.

Their album tour sold out, they stormed festival slots at Latitude and Liverpool Psych Fest and ultimately signed to Domino imprint Weird World to release Pearl Mystic in America, and play their debut US shows in New York in October. “We were Hookworms support Quasi at Broadcast, Glasgow on 7 Dec just writing Pearl Mystic for the sake of creativity,” MJ reflects, “we’re more aware we’re a band

Photo: Richard Manning

Photo: Emily Wylde

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now. Which sounds silly, but with Pearl Mystic we were writing around jobs – I had to prioritise my studio for other works – and we do that still, but with everything that’s happened since, it feels split: I don’t consider band practice ‘Hookworms’ – that’s just hanging out with my friends. ‘Hookworms’ itself feels like a separate entity now, it’s everything that’s gone on around us. And it’s been odd because we’ve never been aspirational.”

Pearl Mystic opened up the positivity of opportunity for Hookworms, but for a band who’ve been vocal from their inception about their commitment to a DIY attitude – the record is still pressed in the UK by Nottingham independent Gringo Records – they’ve found their beliefs angled back at them as their spiralling popularity causes ethical dilemmas on a daily basis, while the music industry opens up its jaws in front of them. “It’s been hard to find the balance, you become normalised to strange things happening,” he says. “It’s very easy for people to sit in a pub and decide whether we should or shouldn’t do something when they’ve not faced it. I still feel comfortable with everything we’ve done. But every time these offers come up you do have to stop and at least contemplate it. It would be inhuman not to.” Ultimately though, the five-piece have only gone with what’s comfortable with them – which is all you can do. “And you know, I got to go to New York, and that was just because of the music!” Long may it stay that way. [Simon Jay Catling]

frightenedrabbit.com

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4. The National – Trouble Will Find Me (4AD)

5. CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe (Virgin / Goodbye)

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lot of electronic bands these days, not wanting to name names, they shy away from the melody, shy away from the song and it becomes all about how the song is arranged or about interesting production ideas. They forget that the song is the basis of all of that. So while we were recording this record, we made sure song writing was at the forefront.” Martin Doherty is ticking off the freeway miles on the CHVRCHES tour bus, a triumphant show at LA’s prestigious Wiltern Theatre behind him. Next stop San Diego.

For an act who were, in his words “a studio project” a mere year or so ago, the transition to becoming one of the UK’s best-loved bands is something he’s gradually becoming accustomed to, but it still feels distinctly odd. Oh, and there’s that growing US fan base to factor in, too. “It occurred to me last night while we were onstage that we came to the States for the first time in March and played a 300 capacity venue in LA. This is our third time here, and now we’re filling a 2,400 capacity venue.” He trails off. “It’s, you know, a lot to take in at times!”

Debut album The Bones of What You Believe set the task of squaring up to established live favourites like The Mother We Share and Lies, didn’t shirk the challenge.

“We paid a lot of attention to the idea of not necessarily aiming for anything commercial or a hit but concentrating on foreground and melody at every opportunity,” says Doherty. “We’re not afraid to let a melody be the key to a song. That’s what we’re about first and foremost: you know, just writing the tunes that we hope can connect with people, the idea that the song can be dressed in whatever way and still stand up on its own.”

Recover, released in the spring, and the first

3. Factory Floor – Factory Floor (DFA)

T

o borrow a song title from Factory Floor’s self-titled debut album, there are two different ways you can approach being in a live band.

You can refine your studio technique, recording and tracking each minute element of your sound, and archiving the material. Or you can throw yourself into the crucible of live performance, embarking on soaring, extended jams which guide your process when you finally return to the studio.

Factory Floor have done both – during the making of Factory Floor, the band lived, worked, performed and recorded together, taking hundreds of hours of recorded performance and then stripping it back into the gleaming, polished

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track to appear from the album sessions, was deliciously simple in both melody and arrangement and yet seemed to arrive bearing half a dozen spiralling hooks. “Yeah! We always approached that song with the idea that there would be two steps of the chorus. So that when the listener settles in to the first ‘If I recover…’ section, there would be another gear. That ‘double chorus’ thing, we use it a couple of times on the album, but Recover is the one where we got it closest to what we were aiming for. And, you know, why have one chorus when you can have two, right?”

But where TBOWYB really succeeds is in how, as with the best (in Neil Tennant’s words) ‘tragi disco,’ it plays with shadow and light.

Behind every euphoric synth wash or dizzying battery of beats, lurks Lauren Mayberry’s brooding, knife edge lyrics. “Absolutely. I think you’ve touched on something that was always in our minds while in the studio, which was to try at every possible juncture to balance any kind of lightness or sweetness with a darker edge: whenever we were at our most poppy, to be singing non-standard poppy lyrics. The lyrics are really important to our band. You take a song like We Sink where the melody is at its most simple and accessible and Lauren’s singing ‘I’ll be a thorn in your side until you die.’ We tried to use that kind of juxtaposition wherever possible.”

It’s a genuinely triumphant debut and, for the converts, something of a relief that CHVRCHES had enough up their sleeve to deliver on all that promise. Hopefully, the band has had time to look back similarly and take pleasure from the results. Doherty is philosophical. We’ve been here in America for a few days and for the first time I’ve been able to take a look around and see how well the album is selling and see how many people are coming to the shows and derive some satisfaction from that because, well, this is what we always talked about doing and it seems to be happening. Which suggests we got something right!” [Gary Kaill]

Photo: Ryan McGoverne

hen his wife Joy Davidman died after three years of marriage, C.S. Lewis recorded his grief in a series of journals, published pseudonymously in the early 1960s. In the fourth and final diary dedicated to the subject, Lewis wrote on the immensity of his theme and the depths of its reach. “I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow,” he reflected. “Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state, but a process.”

The quote came to mind in May 2013, when The National set up their instruments in New York’s MoMA PS1 gallery and proceeded to play the same song – High Violet’s Sorrow – for six hours straight. Over and over and over they struck up the same beat, the same chords, the same sadness, as if picking a scab or etching a deeper and deeper trench. More than 100 times, vocalist Matt Berninger repeated his weary mantra: “Sorrow found me when I was young / sorrow waited, sorrow won.”

A fortnight later, Trouble Will Find Me was released. You don’t have to dig deep to hear echoes of that same stinging emotion, with Berninger intoning “I didn’t ask for this pain / it just came over me” on Pink Rabbits; declaring “I do not know what is wrong with me / the sour is in the cut” on Graceless; threatening “If you lose me, I’m gonna die” on Heavenfaced; and so forth. It seems that, whatever the intentions of the Sorrow-full marathon, scouring the slate wasn’t among them, with familiar themes revisited across the album: regret, self-doubt and melancholia, but also hope, tenderness and lust.

But then The National have always been a band of subtle revelations, with each new release a refinement of the last rather than a sudden shift in gears. Their sixth album continues this tradition: it softens its immediate predecessor’s more brazenly anthemic urges, but retains – perfects, even – the core qualities that have brought them to this point. The results are understated but profoundly impactful – see, for instance, the shimmering guitar that climaxes I Should Live in Salt’s penitent pleas, or the way Berninger’s baritone is buffeted by Bryan Devendorf’s pitter-patter drums in Demons’ one-line chorus. Despite confessions of awkwardness and discomfort in the lyrics, Trouble Will Find Me is the sound of a band with confidence in spades, and the courage to keep picking at the things that hurt to see what’s underneath. [Chris Buckle] americanmary.com

Photo: Georgia Kuhn

Photo: Ann Margaret Campbell

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CHVRCHES play Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on 31 Dec and Glasgow Barrowland on 8 Mar

walls of noise, techno, disco and post-punk that make up their angular, minimalist debut on DFA Records. In public, they’ve taken these blueprints as a starting point for wildly energetic improvised performances, devastating crowds at raves, nightclubs, festivals and art galleries with their lean, modern take on industrial music.

“It’s about locking in with each other, it’s a lot more rhythmic,” says Nik Void, singer and guitarist (although these roles shift and mutate, just like their live excursions). “You get the sense that you are taking off in an aeroplane, that’s when it really starts to happen. It’s still down to chance what any given show will evolve into. We still push it, we’re still bringing in new sounds and bits of equipment as we go along, just to keep it fresh, and mess about with it a bit.”

Is that sweet spot, where the three members lock into a new rhythmic plane and focus all of that intensity, getting easier to reach?

“Definitely,” says Void. “The final member of the

band is the music, it controls us sometimes. It’s all analogue based, and we don’t do anything preprogrammed, so it will always be touch and go what’s going to happen. The majority of the time it works, because we’ve been playing together so long – it’s become our own language, it’s how we speak to each other.”

Minimalism and repetition are the foundation stones of Factory Floor’s sound. Eschewing song structures, chords, complex shifts in timing and melodic progression in favour of locked, building and mutating rhythmic patterns, spectral snatches of vocals and brooding slabs of noise, Void is passionate about their approach, and the dividends it pays to strip everything back. “It’s like starting anew,” she says. “It’s like punctuation in a way, all these guitar hits, the amps with feedback spewing out, or Dom’s electronic arps getting more acid, this all brings in melodies, although not a prominent melody.”

When The Skinny first spoke to Factory Floor

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in the summer of 2012, it was from the London warehouse where they ate, slept and recorded their album – there was a sense of it being a tightly-knit family as much as a band. Now, only Gabe Gurnsey remains in the warehouse, with Void and Dominic Butler having moved away. “It just felt like, for me personally, it was time to move on once the record was finished,” says Void.

“I felt like I was ready to move away from it and set my sights on the next chapter. Gabe stayed on, but unfortunately, it’s being demolished in January. I think we might have some big parties in there before it gets torn down.” Factory Floor, having established their identity and nailed their process, are ready to be themselves. “We feel a little bit more confident now,” says Void. “We know our fans, we know what we do.”

[Bram E. Gieben] Factory Floor play Glasgow Stereo on 6 Dec soundcloud.com/factory-floor

THE SKINNY

November 2013

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

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lasgow’s Scheme to a Dream is an independent record label specialising in urban, hiphop and dance music. Founder Gav Livz tells us how the Starter for 6 programme enabled him to take his business to the next level.

“I’ve been involved in the music industry for the past ten years writing, performing and releasing music independently. Like so many Scottish rappers starting out, I initially performed my music using an American accent and was relatively successful. At 19, I wanted to go back to my Scottish roots so I developed a Glaswegian accent and Gav Livz was born.

“Scheme to a Dream started as an O2 Think Big youth project in 2012. I searched Glasgow for the best up and coming rappers specifically within deprived areas. The idea was for the youths to record their own songs in my studio to be included in a compilation album that was going to be on iTunes. Along the way, the artists were featured on community radio, performed live and the whole experience was filmed for a documentary to be featured on YouTube.

“Inspired, I decided to setup my own independent record label and recording studio. As well as support, we provide low cost recording packages for upcoming rappers and singers for their single, demo or album needs.

“I applied for Starter for 6 in November 2012 and successfully interviewed in January 2013 for a place to join the programme in March 2013. For me to reach my goals I require a serious cash injection to compete with the industry heavyweights so investment was highly important.

Above all else, I was asking for support. Someone to believe in what I believe in.

“Before the programme started I wouldn’t have considered my business to be a business.

That’s where Starter for 6 comes in. Each session pinpoints each major element on the success of running your business. Areas such as finance, products and marketing proved most valuable to me. As a school drop out, I believe knowledge is power and I personally gained so much on a subject that I’m excited about – business.

“I felt confident in my pitch and was proud to have successfully received investment at panel. During the Starter for 6 programme, I also received coaching which I thoroughly appreciated. I was going through a tough time personally and coaching acted as a huge support anchor. I also had a few one to one sessions with successful mentors within the music industry that I got a lot from.

“I have realised my record label is a slow build. It will take a lot of time, effort, patience and hard work to succeed to achieve my goals. I want to do for Scotland what Dizzee Rascal did for England and become the first Scottish rapper to hit the charts.”

Starter for 6 is Scotland’s premier start-up and investment programme for creative industry entrepreneurs.

Applications for the next round of Starter for 6 are open until midnight on Mon 13 Jan 2014 www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk/starterfor6

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THE SKINNY

2. Steve Mason – Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time (Double Six) cross a year of austerity budgets, fracking controversies and seemingly endless state surveillance revelations, the anger and frustration that structures Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time has rarely been far from thoughts or headlines. With his sails filled by a zeitgeist wind of change, Steve Mason’s follow-up to 2010’s Boys Outside saw the ex-Beta Band frontman bare and sharpen his iconoclastic edge, calling out complacency and corruption and encouraging others to do the same – which, in a popular music landscape largely allergic to explicit political engagement, ensured he spent 2013 proudly standing out from the crowd.

Whether turning festival stages into politician-bashing soapboxes or using promotional interviews to expound his thesis of social change via open dialogue, Mason tackled head-on a subject all too often viewed askance or bathed in metaphor – in itself, enough to mark Monkey Minds… as one of the year’s key releases. That all this heartfelt polemic came attached to some of the most rousing, refined and inspired music of his career – integrating influences from hip-hop to gospel to dub – didn’t hurt either.

Calling to congratulate Mason on his high placing in our albums of the year poll, he takes the opportunity to recapitulate the record’s impetus and message, while reflecting on its reception. When we previously spoke in March, ahead

of the album’s release, Mason had noted that political concept albums are “fraught with problems,” remarking that “many have gone down that route before and failed.” He must therefore be pleased, we suggest, at the nimble way in which Monkey Minds… has bucked the trend? “Yeah, absolutely,” he replies, speaking from his tour bus en route to his final live dates of the year.

“For me personally, making a record after Boys Outside was quite intimidating because I thought that was one of the best records I’d ever made.

And once I realised what I wanted to do – that is, make a political concept album – that became a worry in itself, because people have massive preconceptions about any kind of music and politics connection. So for it to be so well received by people who like what I do, from radio stations like 6 Music and independent record shops and obviously magazines like The Skinny, has been really heart-warming to be honest. And it’s meant that people have been asking me about my politics, so it’s involved a huge amount of dialogue – which was really the intention of the record anyway: to start a conversation about where we are and what we’re facing.”

While the album’s overtly political elements are first to sear themselves in the listener’s consciousness, there’s more to Monkey Minds… than dissent and agitation, with the visceral, ire-infused likes of Fire (introduced live as “about being invited to Tony Blair’s house and strapping him to a chair and setting fire to him”) and Fight Them Back (a charged call for action against social oppression) only constituting a slither of its full range of emotional registers. Amidst the fomentation lies a softer impulse: optimism,

conveyed through moments like From Hate We Hope’s spoken word interlude (“I remember looking at myself and thinking how amazing it is to be human, you know?”) and closer Come To Me’s tentative hopefulness, which ends the album with the words ‘it’ll be alright.’ Such contrasts lend Monkey Minds... its three-dimensionality; it’s not a flat protest placard, but a profoundly human morass of introspection and conflicting passions.

“I think the whole thing, from it coming out till now, feels very positive,” continues Mason on the subject of the album’s reception. “People have understood it’s not some empty call for a pie in the sky revolution or something like that. They seem to understand that it’s genuine.”

To Mason’s mind, conviction is key. “I always make sure I have 100% belief in everything I put out,” he says, identifying the Beta Band’s maligned debut the sole exception. “That’s really, really important of an artist like me, because people expect it. Once artists like me – and I don’t mean just me, there are other artists doing similar things – but once we stop making music, I dread to think what will be left. All you’re going to be left with is people coming out of music colleges and stage schools and all that, and it’s not really art any more, it’s all made by committee. I find most of what I hear now very derivative and full of fake emotion – it just doesn’t feel real to me in any way. So I believe that it’s incredibly important to put every single drop of energy and belief into every record that I put out.” With Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time as evidence, we’re inclined to agree. [Chris Buckle]

thing was a nice interlude for us,” Power recalls, “but we were already in a very separate place and well into the album. We didn’t have any expectations for it and we still don’t. It gets dangerous anticipating it and thinking about its reception because you start to pander to these outside external forces and that can be detrimental.”

The pair revelled in putting the album together – the first solely produced by themselves (“it was a step into the unknown which we always try to do, otherwise we’d be living in a very contained world”) – at their own Space Mountain studios which, in another indicator of their keenness to remain mentally pure, contrasted hugely with its bustling Dalston surroundings. “It was an amazing little hub. It was crazy; on the other side of the building’s shutters was Shacklewell Lane, and yet we felt totally secluded from all of that.

We’ve never really had a sense towards any kind

of geographical location within our sound so we created a world that was in our heads first and is now being visualised in however many different ways in the heads of the people listening to it.”

Released in July, some 11 months on from the Olympic exposure of being played to 900 million people worldwide (“something that I’ve not noticed the physical benefit of,” Andrew Hung told us when we spoke to him around its release,) Slow Focus managed to broach the UK Top 40 – clocking in at 36 – as well as topping the Record Store Charts; that’s no mean feat for an album that comes from a duo so abrasive and stubbornly individualistic in a time where saturation of choice has perhaps led to a retreat to the safety of the crowd in the upper echelons of the charts.

“But I think its success is testament to the kind of times we live in and the speed at which culture can be shared now,” argues Power of their

relatively outré music going far beyond where similar acts might’ve in the previous decade.

“I think it’s amazing that when we first started out we were just jamming out in each other’s bedrooms for our own entertainment, and that’s not really changed. To get to this point without any external influence coming in to try and shape what we do is a really beautiful feeling.”

Power admits that he hasn’t disconnected from the record yet, like other artists so often do. “Andy doesn’t so much; he likes to take a step back and leaves things to breathe for a while. I tend to obsess over little intricacies, so it’s a nice balance between us, but I don’t really stop even after it’s been released.

“But then,” he adds, “we wouldn’t be making this music if we couldn’t see ourselves listening to it anyway, would we?” [Simon Jay Catling]

Photo: Ann Margaret Campbell

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stevemasontheartist.com

1. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus (ATP) Benjamin Power and Andrew Hung’s third record saw them ascend to the very top of Space Mountain xpectation’ is a word that crops up a lot in Benjamin Power’s syntax these days. One half of Fuck Buttons, alongside his close friend Andrew Hung, Power hadn’t, for the bulk of his time creating music, had to think too much about expectation. Yet Slow Focus, the duo’s brilliantly discordant third album, was perhaps the first material in their history that they knew would be picked apart by the eyes of the world, following the critical success of their second album Tarot Sport in 2009 and the arguably even greater exposure they gained when their music was used

by Danny Boyle during London’s Olympic opening ceremony in 2012.

Variations of an answer of ‘we don’t like to pigeonhole ourselves’ are a dime-a-dozen among artists, often ringing hollow amidst the sheer weight of history’s back catalogue that we’re now almost irresistibly exposed to in 2013; but when Power tells us “we never had any preconceptions about how a track was going to sound” you really believe him. For one, amidst Slow Focus’s competing layers of hardware dissonance, industrial tropes and – on The Red Wing in particular – break beat experimentation, lurks an almost alien DNA; it is a record that slips between guises before the listener can even attempt to peg it down; each track is laced with a foreboding menace, yet with an intention that’s never made clear – tracks in effect blank slates for the listener to map their own interpretation on them. “When we were making Slow Focus – like usual – I wasn’t listening to anything else that was going on,” Power explains.

“I’d hear all these new names being thrown around on the internet but I’d never listen. Even something like that can sub-consciously worm its way into the creation process. I genuinely listen to my own music more than anyone else’s. That’s not egotistical, it’s to try and ensure creative purity.”

Fuck Buttons strive more than most to maintain singularity within their work. “The Olympic

December 2013

Photo: Daniel Harris

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www.fuckbuttons.com

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The Spirit of ’94: Pi-Eyed NYE Meltdown Intent on keeping the free party scene alive, the founders of Pi-Eyed promise a Hogmanay bash featuring ravers, pipers and some of the most ludicrous DJ names you’re ever likely to see on one flyer

Photo: Jonny Livesey

Interview: Ronan Martin

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lub culture has become increasingly manufactured over the years. Where once there were illicit warehouse parties packed out with amiable revellers in questionable attire performing yet more questionable jaw gymnastics, now there is a distinct air of self-importance to many events, and an often over-hyped realm of club promotion. For one, the emergence of the risible but money-spinning EDM movement in the US, with its oddly clean-cut looking ravers and caricatured superstar DJs, could not be further from either the attitude which birthed the music in the inner cities of that nation, nor the party scene in the Europe which embraced that music with open arms. Yet, even on a smaller scale and within the more musically palatable end of the contemporary clubbing spectrum in the UK, pretension often rears its ugly head and some events feel more like a exercise in forced hipness and contrived self-expression than a coming together of like-minded music fans for the simple purpose of partying.

Of course, there are still many for whom a convivial atmosphere is fundamental to the agenda of any worthwhile club outing, alongside the music of course. Brothers Jake and Josh Goldsmith threw their first Pi-Eyed party in the summer of 2010, and the intention from the outset was to capture a certain ambience. According to Jake, the venture has its roots in their desire to create a club that had “all the vibe and ethos of an illegal party,” with an aim to “not to take ourselves too seriously, but also put on a good night.” With their promotional material emblazoned with a Pi-Eyed yellow smiley face, and with an emphasis on unbridled merriment as well as on the music, the allusions to the heyday of UK dance culture are somewhat overt. “Both of us are fans of the old skool rave scene”, adds Josh.

“Even though neither of us are old enough to have been a part of it, we appreciate how much influence it’s had on dance music as a whole. The

December 2013

whole ethos of a rave was to have fun and that’s what we’re trying to recreate.”

Another important element of Pi-Eyed’s manifesto is the dedication to allow free admission to their nights. “The idea of the free party came from the start,” explains Josh. “We want the night to be as inclusive as possible and a heavy door tax can be off-putting for a lot of people.

Although financially crippling for us – and any generous sponsors can always give us a shout we feel the idea of a free event brings back the idea of the old raves back in the day.” In other words, Jake jokes, “Pi-Eyed is bringing back the rave, one overdraft at a time.”

So far, the Goldsmiths are enjoying themselves despite their depleted bank balances and, looking back at the nights they’ve hosted, they struggle to pick a definitive favourite.“Each night we’ve put on has had its own special something,” says Josh. “Herv is definitely one of our favourite guests to have play. We listen to his recording from the night constantly – a huge mix of old skool rave, breakbeats and hardcore that just blew everyone away.”

“Dave Skywalker was another winner”, says Jake. “He’s got so much energy when he’s mixing and that gets everyone going mental. Having the Electrikal Soundsystem back in 2011 was another highlight too. It blew the roof off of La Cheetah that night – proper shelf-wobbling business.”

As with their Hogmanay party last year, the range of sounds on offer is as diverse as the guest’s names are colourful. “We’ve been really lucky to have such a good line up,” says Jake. “DJ Skull Vomit is such a good producer, knocking out thrash-metal influenced breakcore bangers to proper mess up your neck with. USA Kings’ mixes are something else – a huge selection of party tunes mixed in with the breakbeats and hardcore. Bassbin Terrorizer we’ve known for a couple of years now and we’ve been meaning to get him up for ages. He’s one third of Bangface’s Hard

Crew Heroes and he smashes out the hard d ‘n’ b like no-one else.”

The lineup also features The Parliamentalist, whose repertoire is based around mashing up excerpts from political speeches, TV sound bites and countless comedy vocal samples, weaving them throughout full on breakcore sets. “We’ve had him up a few times now,” says Josh, “but he’s just too good not to book. His tunes are wild and hilarious, making you seriously dance about and piss yourself laughing at the same time.” Then there’s Gash, adds Jake, “who puts together such a great mix of juke, bassline and techno that flows so seamlessly. The Perished Gusset boys have been doing great for themselves since they started. They’ve managed to encapsulate the word fun into the vessel of the one hour mix, mixing every style under the sun, from massive mash-up pop hits to ridiculous breakcore and playing an obscene amount of tunes in a very short amount of time.”

“Pi-Eyed is bringing back the rave, one overdraft at a time” Jake Goldsmith

Among the other names on the bill, Horror Boogie Records boss Dave Shades is a frequent collaborator with the brothers. “He’s pretty much our favourite DJ in Glasgow,” says Josh.

“He smashes out the booty and bassline and his turntablist-style mixing is amazing to watch.

We’re very proud to have him as a resident.

Squish Kibosh is also returning after his superb set last year, mixing up techno, electro and acid

CLUBS

to devastating effect. Finally, we’ve got Alcane and Rob Data, two of the boys from the 48K Crew who have been doing amazing things in Glasgow over the last year or so. They’ve got a great collection of old rave classics on vinyl and whenever they play it always makes me feel like I’m raving about in 1994.”

Crucially, the night promises to have the kind of carefree atmosphere that has made PiEyed so popular with its regulars over the years.

Fun is a word that comes up again and again when Jake and Josh discuss the night, and this spirit was in evidence at their last NYE party, when they ushered in midnight with a donk-augmented version of the theme from Countdown before Dave Shades let rip with a pounding ghetto edit of Ray Parker Junior’s Ghostbusters. The ensuing dancefloor carnage, which spilled over onto the stage, was the kind of moment that makes festive clubbing so enjoyable and Pi-Eyed are intent on creating the same vibe again. “This year we’ve got a piper, pyrotechnics and a load of free whiskey to give away,” Josh reveals. “You don’t want to miss this one!”

The NYE Meltdown will cap off a busy year for Jake and Josh, who have branched out and taken the Pi-Eyed party on the road in 2013. They hosted a takeover at In The Face in Brighton, took part in the DIY festival Audiobean in Kent, and Josh grabbed a spot on the lineup at Bangface in London in September. Before they bring in the bells at the end of the month, they’re also set to team up with Audacious for a party in Edinburgh and then onto another takeover, this time at SUUB in London. As for what they have planned in 2014 and beyond, they are still formulating their plans. “We’ll almost definitely put a big night on in Glasgow around June,” says Jake. “But usually things just fall into place nearer the time. You’ll definitely be hearing from us anyway.”

Pi-Eyed NYE Meltdown, Audio, Glasgow, 31 Dec

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Films of the Year: Girl Power

Is this the year women got a fair shake in movies? Our top ten suggests a tentative yes: from Wadjda’s pint-sized rebel and Zero Dark Thirty’s ferocious CIA agent to Frances Ha’s loveable flake, 2013’s best films were dominated by great female characters

1. Before Midnight (Richard Linklater) The standout line of 2013 comes in the extended third act of its standout film, Richard Linklater’s second unexpected sequel to 1995’s Before Sunrise: “I fucked up my entire life because of the way you sing.” This third part is just as intimate, natural and intelligent as its predecessors, but with an added raw frankness concerning just what nine years of routine, stagnation and, well, having kids will do to a romance that was heavy on idealism, and so dependent on that race against the clock as presented in Sunrise and Before Sunset. This is the toughest watch of Linklater’s great trilogy, though the funniest too thanks to how recognisable the central couple’s bitter spats are; it’s also the most rewarding.

[Josh Slater-Williams]

2. Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)

3. The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard)

4. Wadjda (Haifaa al-Mansour)

Visiting her former roommate Frances’s new dwellings – dwellings that change multiple times during Frances Ha, as the eponymous 27-year-old drifts across the five boroughs and beyond – BFF Sophie delivers one of the film’s numerous arch zingers: “This apartment is very… aware of itself,” she sniffs – and the same could be said, less derisorily, for Noah Baumbach’s seventh feature, which self-consciously offers familiarity in its themes (everyday embarrassment and the quarter-life crisis) and execution (with a monochrome NYC underscoring the Woody Allen parallels).

But in the title role, co-screenwriter Greta Gerwig offers something fresh: not that indie-staple of a kooky fantasy to fall for, but a gauchely charming hero to root for, with neuroses balanced by a vibrant joie de vivre. [Chris Buckle]

Loosely adapted from a story by Oscar Wilde, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant takes place in the less-than-Wildean surroundings of working-class Yorkshire, a society destroyed by poverty. The setting may resemble so many grim kitchen-sink dramas of the past, but the grace and tenderness with which Barnard handles this material allows it to transcend our expectations of such pictures; there is a stark beauty amid the bleakness here. First-time actors Conner Chapman and Shaun Thomas are unforgettable as the tearaway kids illegally stripping copper to secure cash for their struggling families, and Barnard draws us so deeply into their experiences that when tragedy strikes, it lands with an impact that will leave you reeling. [Philip Concannon]

The first thing that needs to be said about Wadjda is that it’s simply a terrific movie. Haifaa al-Mansour’s deceptively slight tale of a 10-year-old Saudi Arabian girl who dreams of owning a bicycle is witty, moving and blessed with a wonderful performance by Waad Mohammed as the title character. But beyond that, the very existence of Wadjda is worth celebrating. Written and directed by a woman in a country where women are barely seen, let alone heard, the film stands as a powerful feminist statement, delivering its damning indictment of Saudi oppression in the playfully rebellious spirit of its young protagonist. Wadjda may be a small film, but it’s a vital landmark in Arabian cinema. [PC]

5. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine)

6. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer)

7. Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)

Spring Breakers’ base pleasures are plentiful: it has enough raw material (beer and bongs, tits and ass, gunplay and violence) to delight any self-respecting exploitation-movie junkie. But, like its goofy stoner-dude director, Harmony Korine, it’s much smarter than it looks. Korine stares into the heart of American youthculture and finds a beautiful, hallucinatory nightmare. Four girls, two of them played by former Disney-princesses, take to the beaches of Florida for that annual debauched teenage pilgrimage: spring break. Their candy-coloured trash-adventure is both gross and engrossing, like the cinematic equivalent of a Miley Cyrus MTV performance. The film also has, in James Franco’s turn as a gold-toothed gangsta rapper, the comic performance of the year.

[Jamie Dunn]

By inviting Indonesian death-squad leaders to recreate in the cinematic style of their choosing the persecution and execution of alleged Communists in the mid 60s, Joshua Oppenheimer has opened a window to the psyche of some of the most despicable people who have ever lived. This is a hugely important work highlighting crimes for which these men have never been held accountable, but Oppenheimer is also concerned with the way we perceive and process evil, and how evil perceives itself. There are no easy answers in this nightmarish, surreal viewing experience, but it is an experience that must be endured. Possibly the purest distillation of warped humanity on film, and certainly the year’s most powerful. [Chris Fyvie]

Watching the latest Hollywood sci-fi extravaganzas can often be exhausting. It’s hard to relax when the backbreaking effort is there to see on every stereoscopic pixel. What makes Gravity such a joy, then, is that we can’t see the seams. Its balletic camerawork and long takes feel effortless, its performances are natural and, best of all, its CGI effects are invisible. It took Alfonso Cuarón and his team years to make, but its elegance and apparent spontaneity suggests it was shot in an afternoon. This allows us to empathise fully with Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) as she floats adrift through space, avoiding space shrapnel, exploding space stations and crises of a more existential nature. This is cinema to get lost in. [JD]

8. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow)

9. Beyond the Hills (Cristian Mungiu)

10. Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (David Lowery)

Incurring criticism from both ends of the political spectrum, director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal’s forensic dramatisation of the decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden proved something of an ideological Rorschach test: torture apologia to some, soft liberal indictment to others. Fittingly, the film’s true character lies somewhere in the murky, contestable hinterland, with more room for debate than either flank of the anti-ZDT pincer allowed, as Jessica Chastain’s hard-nosed CIA agent homes in on her elusive white whale. For all its simplifications and elisions, it’s a marvel of narrative engineering, with years of global turbulence and knotty sleuthing trimmed to fit a thriller format that rivets in the moment but leaves you chewing over its content long after. [CB]

Cristian Mungiu’s feature-length follow-up to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days shares genes with its predecessor, and other key films of the supposed Romanian New Wave, in painting a vivid picture of systems failing to aid those they’ve been set up to serve.

Here, two young women, friends from their childhood spent in an orphanage, reunite at the Orthodox convent where one now lives. The friend who has come to visit acts increasingly volatile – years of struggle with mental illness having deepened – and the convent’s priest and nuns try to address this with increasingly desperate measures. Mungiu’s dry, slow style, heavy on extended single takes, fuels white-knuckle tension and discomfort, pitchblack comedy, and an ambiguous blend of both realist and symbolic touches. [JS-W]

David Lowery’s dustily romantic western steeped in archaic Americana immediately recalls Terrence Malick at his most accessible – no faint praise. Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck exude a seductive stoicism and melancholy as doomed lovers Ruth and Bob, while Ben Foster and Keith Carradine provide their own quietly brooding support in a beautiful, poetic film about longing, fate and the past. Bradford Young’s lush magic hour cinematography and Daniel Hart’s folksy score help create an ethereal atmosphere for these superb performances to breathe; Lowery’s supremely confident pacing and faith in his team suggests there’s a great deal more to come from the literate writer-director. As tender and affecting a drama as there was this year. [CF]

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THE SKINNY

Lisbon Calling All about winter sun and international cooperation, MANY sent a group of artists to participate in Portuguese art festival Guimarães Noc Noc Words: Emma Ewan

Photo: MANY Studios

Fashion | Food | Feelgood

Conor Baird

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ast month, following a successful rebranding and the introduction of a new projects programme, MANY Studios sent a troupe of artists and designers to Portugal to participate in Guimarães Noc Noc, an annual arts festival that takes over the streets, cafés, flats and alternative spaces in the vibrant city of Guimarães.

Each year the curators champion artists from another country, and – thanks to a fateful meeting between Dele Adeyemo (Innovation Director at MANY) and Jorge Matos (one of the festival’s directors) on the sunny shores of Lisbon – this year it was Scotland’s turn. MANY selected a cohort of fresh Scottish talent including Gordon Douglas, Phoebe Amis, Conor Baird and Hardwear Glasgow, and shipped them off to warmer climes to represent, and make a name for, our creative little jewel of a country alongside hundreds of other performers, painters, photographers, illustrators, video artists and musicians.

The crowning of Guimarães as European City of Culture 2012 informed the collaborative work presented by Gordon Douglas and Phoebe Amis.

Their performance in the historic main square of the city responded to the challenges of creating a cultural identity for a city as a whole and reflected on their own roles in this as cultural tourists, invited to undertake the bewildering task of offering up some diagnostic dialogue.

Drawings of cultural icons, gathered throughout their week-long residency in the city, appeared on 26 cut-out shields representing an alternative alphabet that Douglas and Amis taught to their audience as plates smashed and pace accelerated, to the pleasure of coffee-sipping onlookers.

Conor Baird also presented a performance work, split into two parts. The first was a cathartic two-hour piece in which he used strings to slowly shed 20 pieces of underwear from his body, each separated by a layer of pink powder that dispersed across the floor of a pristine gallery space in the Extensão do Museu Alberto

December 2013

Sampaio. For the second – this time staged in a small bedroom within his Guimarães guesthouse – he again cast off the 20 smalls to a recorded audio piece recounting virtual romances, in a more stripped-back, intimate version of the first.

Meanwhile, Hardwear Glasgow were hard at work designing and creating the signage for the festival’s 66 venues. After a long discussion process spanning three countries, the final signs were completed on-site in rhythmic patterns inspired by kites, sponge marking and a Portuguese king.

Now back on home soil, they’re all straight back to work on their next projects. Baird and Douglas recently participated in the first of The Pipe Factory’s Performance Nights. We saw a 20-second sketch from Douglas in which, reclining on an imaginary chaise-longue, he indulged the audience in a recent dream where he was simultaneously both Chandler AND Monica. Baird’s was a heart-wrenching, nail-biting ritual whose outcome was a Victoriana-style lock of body hair gifted to (and hesitantly accepted by) each audience member.

Baird is now developing ideas for his RSA’s New Contemporaries show in February, with other performances on the horizon, while Hardwear are gearing up for a fashion show and a new line of clothing that riffs on their bespoke festival print. Douglas is pursuing further collaborations and is orchestrating an ongoing project entitled ‘Gordon’s House’ in which he invites artist couples to use his living room as a platform to generate discussion on the meaning of shared identity. MANY hope to continue their exchange with Guimarães Noc Noc by inviting the organisers to Glasgow sometime next year, as well as supporting a new generation of artists by returning to Portugal for the 2014 festival. www.guimaraesnocnoc.com

Pop-up Shop at Princes Mall 10am - 4pm daily, 4th - 20th Dec Run by a team of volunteers from a different local business each day, the pop-up on Princes Mall’s lower level will sell a vast range of the SKFF’s merchandise including soft toys, gifts & Christmas cards.

/shopprincesmall

@princes_mall

www.shopprincesmall.com

www.manystudios.co.uk/index.html

ART

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THE SKINNY

Unto The Breach No stranger to controversy, we ask Darren Cullen some probing questions about Join the Army, his inevitably divisive concertina comic on the horrors of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the shameless recruitment drives making them possible

T

he Skinny: Hi Darren. Could you start by telling us a little bit about the genesis of Join the Army? What was your initial idea? Was it always going to be a comic?

Darren Cullen: I’ve always been interested in army recruitment ads. The way they show military life as something between an adventure holiday and a computer game. The focus is on action and excitement. They never show a soldier lying in a cold ditch holding in his guts and crying for his mother. I liked the idea of taking the bombast of the adverts but switching the bullshit with something more resembling the actual, horrific truth.

TS: The comic features a number of different elements on one side, most of it inspired by the army recruitment ads you mention. The message is clear enough, in that the armed forces deliberately lie to the young and vulnerable about the reality of life in these far off countries.

Is this direct attack an attempt to engage with, and in a very public way, redress the balance of propaganda?

DC: I think the fact that recruiters lie about what you’re signing up for is so obvious that you’d think it would hardly need stating. But the advertising budgets for these campaigns are astronomical and there’s almost nothing in the media that ever tries to redress the balance and tell the other side. You might have a few documentaries about military bullying or sexual assault, or the odd news report about soldier suicides. But our culture is so pro-military that it’s almost impossible to criticise any element of the armed forces without a disclaimer about the ‘fine work of our soldiers risking their lives…etc etc.’ The boundary for debate has been intentionally narrowed.

Overall I didn’t want to make something that was just anti-war. That seems too easy. Obviously, war is the worst thing ever, according to everyone, surely, right? Some people who have never been anywhere near a war will disagree with that.

But I thought it’d be more interesting to focus on recruitment, the carrots and sticks they use on innocent people to turn them into professional murderers. That they’re able to convince people to act so clearly against their own interests for such an ignoble cause is fascinating.

TS: The reverse side is a horribly beautiful reworking of the Bayeux tapestry, offering a brutal timeline of the Iraq war and its victims. What

December 2013

Interview: Ryan Rushton

were you trying to achieve with this part of the comic and how does it relate to the other side?

DC: I think the inside of the comic is generally sympathetic to the plight of soldiers, it’s about the reasons why you shouldn’t join if you enjoy having eyes and limbs. But I didn’t want to ignore that this is a multi-victim horror story. Being on the receiving end of the army is much worse than being inside it. So I wanted to show some of the civil cost, in terms of lives and destruction. But showing the Iraq war in the style of the Bayeux tapestry was really about how imperial wars like this have been part of the English and British national stories from the very start. Holding up someone like Tony Blair as the reason we invaded Iraq ignores the wider historical context. These wars are what the UK does, all the time, and it will continue to do them as long as it has the power to do so.

“That the UK is one of the few nations in the world that still recruits 16 year olds is shameful” Darren Cullen

TS: I know that you had problems getting the thing printed at all. Why do you think this kind of work makes people feel uncomfortable?

DC: The first two printers I think rejected for commercial reasons. They just didn’t want to take the chance that it might lose them a client.

It’s lame, but that’s their prerogative. The last printer actually sent me a screed about why what I was doing was wrong, because these soldiers were out there fighting for my freedom. The irony of censoring me due to this seemed to have been lost on him. The military have done a good PR job of deliberately confusing individual soldiers with the institution of the military. So if you say something bad about either war or the army, people instinctively feel like, “how can you attack those poor boys?”

I think also that the public has a very tenuous grasp on the moral justifications for invading Afghanistan and Iraq. Deep down I think that the majority of us know that the million plus people that have died as a result of these invasions is an absolute atrocity and we all share some responsibility for it. But we’d rather forget. We’ve been at war with two countries for over a decade now, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to people in the street. We don’t want to think about it. When we go to war these days it’s something that happens to other people.

TS: What would you say to those that suggest your projects, like your Baby’s First Baby doll are tasteless attempts at self-promotion, choosing subjects that you know to be controversial to gather press attention?

on a human being. There isn’t a single reason the military should have its own range of toys. It’s purely for recruitment. They’re directly marketing war to kids, which is obscene. I tried to address this in the comic with a poster for Action Man: Battlefield Casualties. They’re toys which focus on what happens after the heroic battle – so there’s PTSD Action Man, Paralysed Action Man in a wheelchair and one in a body bag with a medal. This goes back to what you were saying about controversy. Some people will think these are offensive, but how can they be any more offensive than the fact the military are using toys to get children to grow up and have their legs blown off in some war? The reality is far worse than anything I could produce.

TS: The comic launched with an exhibition in London. What was the reaction there and more DC: I don’t tend to choose the subject in advance. broadly? Has anyone been in touch to tell you I’d love to do something satirical about misogyny what they thought of it? or the NSA/GCHQ dystopian spying nightmare. I just haven’t had any ideas that are funny or could DC: The response was fantastic and no one tried to physically attack me, which was a bonus. I say anything interesting about those things. If know my mum was worried about that. A few exI get an idea which ends up being controversial that’s usually a side-effect rather than the soldiers came to the show, Ben Griffin (ex-SAS intention and most of the time the subject I’m and paratrooper, now co-ordinator of Veterans criticising is far worse than anything I could think for Peace UK) and Joe Glenton (first soldier to of. The Baby’s First Baby doll was inspired in part refuse to return to Afghanistan) both came down by a pair of baby groom and baby bride dolls in and it was great to know that even though I’m Argos. That’s far worse than my doll. At least mine coming from a position of relative ignorance, was intended as a piss-take, someone in a busithey both thought I’d hit the nail on the head. ness actually thought two babies getting married They were saying that soldiers have a gallows was a good idea for a toy and went through with humour about the job anyway, they’re more than manufacturing and selling it to the public. aware about the risks once they’re out there. It’s usually civilians who take offence on their behalf TS: Another story recently in the news was the over things like this. Like the few chumps from publication of David Gee’s report, arguing that the EDL who were giving me abuse online. younger soldiers are more susceptible to PTSD and are targeted by the slick marketing employed TS: Finally, what’s next in the pipeline? I saw you by the forces. Do you believe the government has had extended your Bayeux tapestry idea to encompass other armed conflicts Britain has been a specific agenda when it comes to the recruitment of its youngest members? involved in. Is that kind of brutal narrative art where you see your work moving?

DC: I know for a fact they have an agenda! In the report the Ministry of Defence says it’s harder to DC: I’m working on opening a pay-day loan shop recruit people over the age of 18 and that they that gives children an advance on their pocket ‘wish to recruit people before they have made money. Pocket Money Loans it’s called, and it’s other lifestyle choices.’ That the UK is one of going to have a pawn shop for exchanging your the few nations in the world that still recruits 16 old toys. I think it might actually be illegal, I need year olds is shameful. There’s also their official to speak to a solicitor before I open for business. toy range, HM Armed Forces which are Action Join the Army can be purchased from bethemeat.co.uk for Man-style dolls, very realistic in every way, apart £7 from not showing any of the actual effects of war www.spellingmistakescostlives.com

BOOKS

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Christmas Season, Panto Season December heralds the beginning of the Christmas season.

Aside from longer shop hours, Christmas carols and decorations, this month also sees the resurrection of the Christmas pantomime, more affectionately known as ‘panto’

Words: Eric Karoulla

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, MCROBERT

T

he modern pantomime can be traced all the way back to the early Middle Ages, when the medium of theatre was used to narrate folklorebased tales in Mummers’ plays. Over time, the artform has become a staple of the Christmas season, possibly due to its link with the winter festival convention of Twelfth Night during which gender reversal – and more widespread role reversal – took place.

As a consequence, the rules and conventions of panto are quite different to those of theatre during the rest of the year. Pantomimes are generally assumed to be for families with children and tend to be based on well-known fairytales (e.g Beauty and the Beast) or fictional characters (Dick Whittington), yet also tend to target adults through crude humour.

Additionally, they are extremely notorious for their participatory elements. Much like immersive theatre performances, audience participation is a standard part of the fun, and requires a certain willingness to play along and yell at performers. For those who don’t like interacting with great dames – usually played by men in women’s clothing – or booing at stereotypical Disney-like villains, it might be best to avoid the theatre at this time of year.

Admittedly, in spite of the popularity and dominance of the genre at Christmas, Scottish panto seems to be on a downturn. Venues with pantos in their programming are actually in the minority this year, pitted against venues hosting alternative Christmas shows. The two largest urban centres, Glasgow and Edinburgh, have four pantomimes between them.

It wouldn’t be panto season without Random Accomplice’s Johnny McKnight. The Tron’s Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell, written by McKnight and directed by Kenny Miller, sees Peter Panto locked in an eternal battle against Captain New Look, while Stinkerbell has to deal

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with potential rival Wendy in the struggle for Peter’s heart. In true panto fashion, there’s romance, arguments, a villain to hiss at, and probably a dame (usually a man in drag) to rally support for the principle boy and his love interest.

However, multitalented McKnight is not performing in the Tron panto. He is actually starring in the Macrobert’s Beauty and the Beast, which he has also written and directed. Looking at the renowned lovestory from a fresh perspective, McKnight merges outrageous humour with the day-to-day concerns about unemployment and popularity of showchoir.

Meanwhile, all-time-favourite panto villain Gavin Mitchell is performing in the second Glaswegian panto, Aladdin at the King’s Theatre.

Also featuring Karen Dunbar, the show follows the well-known rags to riches romance and promises many laughs.

Of course, when talking star-studded panto casts, it is difficult to compete with the SECC’s take on Dick Whittington, renamed Dick McWhittington. Starring John Barrowman and the Krankies, the panto doesn’t have to try very hard to please its audience, since it offers a few hours of pantomime royalty.

As much as there are people who love pantomime, there are also those who utterly despise it. Fortunately, the theatre world caters for all tastes at Christmas, because people who can afford it seek out that treat of going out to the theatre, and having variety seems vaguely important – if not for artistic reasons, then for economic ones.

The Arches – perhaps the Glaswegian venue that is expected not to have a pantomime due to its reasonably alternative demographic – hosts A Gay in a Manger. Featuring Adrian Howells as Grandma, Tranny and Roseannah’s (Rosana Cade and Laurie Brown) Christmas exploits involve an X-rated cabaret-style happening to celebrate the

festive season.

Meanwhile, the Theatre Royal sees the world premiere of Scottish Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel.

The first new Christmas ballet for the company in six years, it promises fantastical sights and sounds, acting as a showcase for Christopher Hampson’s skills as a choreographer, and not just as artistic director. Admittedly, while ballet may not be as hilarious as panto, this is an exciting opportunity to see Scotland’s national ballet company under new direction.

A more conventional Christmas show can be found further east. The Edinburgh Lyceum resurrects Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol. It tells the tale of miser Scrooge and the Christmas ghosts that show him the error of his ways and basically intimidate him into becoming a decent human being. After all, in order for him to be loved, remembered, and happy, he has to treat others with respect and help out those in need.

On the darker end of the spectrum, the award-winning show Ciara, written by David Harrower and directed by Artistic Director Orla O’Loughlin, returns to the Traverse. Acting as a grand finale to the Traverse’s fiftieth year, Ciara tackles the historic gang culture of Glasgow and considers the consequences and implications of trying to negate family history and reject a family name.

At the same time, the Traverse programme offers something a little lighter and less intense for families with young children: Polar Bears Go Wild by Fish and Game follows two rebellious polar bears who travel the world in search of adventure and excitement.

An animal-themed Christmas is also forecast for the Edinburgh Playhouse, with its extended run of The Lion King. While not a Christmas show by any definition, the musical features amazing costumes, and offers up a simple, easy-to-follow narrative that makes it fun for almost any age.

THEATRE

With a plotting, malicious villain in Scar, and Simba’s clowning sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa, as well as his best friend and later love interest Nala, the show demonstrates what can happen when a musical is well-constructed and intelligently cast.

Of course, when talking Edinburgh theatre, it is difficult to ignore Summerhall. With its history as the former Royal Dick Vet school and its high level of artistic curation, it is understandable that the programming would not include your conventional pantomime theme. Instead, Summerhall sees Pianomime by Will Pickvance, attempting to reinvigorate pantomime and lift it out of its formulaic self. Also, the seventh episode of Anatomy titled Kill Your Traitor Heart returns, accompanied by Failure Lab, by Mary Pearson. This involves a weeklong performance workshop lab that culminates in a public performance, dissecting pop culture and thus demonstrating the failures of current social institutions.

With musicals, panto, Christmas shows, and experimental live art, Scotland’s theatre scene seems to have it all. The question burning at the back of my mind, however, is in the context of the Scottish independence debate that spread feverishly across the arts in 2013, is the Christmas cultural richness an attempt to escape from the politics, is it a distraction, or is it just a cultural showcase with political ends? After all, proindependence parties are dying to demonstrate the country’s cultural worth as an independent state, as can be seen from the introduction of the Legacy initiative as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It seems Scotland’s cultural authorities are looking to be remembered through exporting and externalising Scottish identity and culture when, in fact, it is proving extremely difficult to pinpoint what consitutes Scottish culture and what doesn’t.

See listings for full event details

THE SKINNY

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December 2013

23

07.12.13–26.01.14

Goldin+Senneby Anti-VWAP

With Rob Drummond (playwright), Mark Jeary (actor) Philip Grant (anthropologist and former equity fund manager), Donald MacKenzie (sociologist), Anna Heymowska (set designer) and Ybodon (computer scientist).

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THE SKINNY

Seven Wonders of Holden’s World First brought to fame for picking bits off the Giza Pyramids, Andy Holden’s polymathic art draws on diverse fields, from music to geology. We spoke to him ahead of his new performance at Hospitalfield House for their Winter Open Weekend

Interview: Alex Kuusik

A

ndy Holden’s artistic output is eclectic.

His band The Grubby Mitts recently played alongside the Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra and he is freshly returned from Performa 13, where he performed A Lecture on Nesting with his father, ornithologist Peter Holden. We met up to discuss a new work he will perform with a string quartet at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath.

Tell us a bit about the work you’ll be performing at Hospitalfield.

The work is a piece that has been ongoing for four years. Initially it was called Two Short Works in Time and every time it’s performed I add a new piece. This work will be called Seven Short Works in Time. It’s a mixture of projections/live soundtracks that connect to different bodies of previous works. In a way the piece is a sort of musical Jenga where, by adding a new piece, you have to ensure that the pieces beneath it remain intact. It’s suited to the environment of Hospitalfield as it’s quite a formal work in terms of its presentation, involving a string quartet with a conductor.

One piece in the programme is called A Quartet for Thingly Time, which was written for Kettles Yard gallery. It transcribes the sounds of empty arcades on the east coast, using the techniques Messiaen designed to transcribe birdsong. I recorded different arcade machines as if they were a giant flock all trying to communicate with each other. It takes the structure of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which is seven movements and within each movement there are snippets of familiar tunes which arcade games parody.

One whole movement is based on a machine, [a claw] which plays a midi version of Push the Button by the Sugababes. Another movement emulates the sound of air hockey pucks moving around. One movement relates to Rockall, the island off the west coast of Scotland which is mentioned in the shipping forecast. It’s the smallest island in the world because only one person can stand on it at a time. In the 1980s, Britain put someone on it for 40 days to claim it and it became much more about the land around it than the land itself.

In the piece, one person reads out the political history of the rock, one person reads out the geological history of the rock, one person reads about biological diversity and one person speaks about its appearances in culture. It is about what point language becomes the ‘thing,’ and it ends up relating to a particular kind of sound. A texture like the rock itself and a sense of the waves, somehow.

These pieces are performed with musicians who are local to Arbroath. Collaboration with non-artistic spheres seems important to you. How do you deal with the issue of authorship in these shared productions?

It applies to a lot of my works. I recently did a lecture about nesting, which is a collaboration with my father. It’s something I’ve become much more interested in recently: the productive space of these long, built-up relationships around a certain idea. These days I am more and more drawn to projects where I learn something through meeting someone and how these questions might feed back and revitalise my own practice, or find different ways of what work is.

In a previous work, The Dan Cox Library of Thingly Time, you refer to Flaubert’s novel Bouvard and Pécuchet. It seems those

December 2013

Three Short Works in Time, Tate 2010

characters compare to your own polymathic model of artistic practice, where you assume a variety of different roles. How do you manage this task of forever throwing yourself in the deep end?

There have been weeks where I seem to have had a box of different hats. I would turn up one week and lecture about art and craft and the next minute I’d be designing a small stage at Latitude.

In the same week I’d deliver a lecture on cartoons and then travel to put on a string quartet. I don’t think anyone’s Transit van would look quite as nuts as mine did at the time: a box of nests in one corner, power tools in the other.

I used to think about it in terms of schizophrenia, but now I look at it in terms of the impurity of a particular area. I suppose it’s coming after this great body of research that’s happened where people have mined individual things. It’s like all the elements of the periodic table have separated and I can’t really think of anything more to do then to think of different ways to reassemble them productively. I’m thinking of it more as an almost ecological idea. Particularly something like the lecture on nesting, where you can use the simplicity of things you have found and a kind of shared dialogue to look at the bigger dialogue. Firstly, the relationship between art and science but also, ideas of material structures, site and breeding, which open up some quite difficult questions to do with social

housing, architecture etc.

So maybe this one [Seven Short Works in Time] is in some ways quieter, in terms of the way you think about chord changes and textures of music in relation to the material of sculpture. It’s looking at the impassivity of objects and the way objects may contribute to a sonic space.

“I don’t think anyone’s Transit van would look quite as nuts as mine” Andy Holden

Your current exhibition at the Zabludowicz Collection is based on a manifesto you wrote as a teenager in 2003. In another work, Pyramid Piece, you revisit a particularly guilty moment of your youth and while there is a recurring theme of nostalgia – which you treat quite humorously – it seems that in both works the idea of re-enactment is more important. How do you use re-enactment as a strategy?

ART

I wouldn’t say re-enact, so much as reinvest or just completely mine what seems to be a very arbitrary moment, which then opens up to dictate something of your present world view.

Looking at these moments where subjectivity seems to have been formed, which really come to affect the way you look at the world now. Those moments, which you can trace back to being formative, but can subject to a kind of ridiculous interrogation. Looking at them from all different angles, both for their comic potential and for their emotional impact.

Something I learned is about how they hopefully open all sorts of bigger questions. The pyramid piece was about that first encounter with material. About being overwhelmed by the sculptural material of the pyramids and wanting something more authentic rather than a simple facsimile. As a kid it became this kind of guilt object, because when you get it home it has no relation to the pyramid. It’s just an amorphous lump. You end up making this scenario about something, which is potentially quite hard to talk about. You’re looking at making this monument to a tiny piece of a monument, which is then monumental in terms of how I think conceptually about objects now.

Andy Holden will perform Seven Short Works in Time as part of THE VIEW: of land and sea December Open Weekend at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, 6-8 Dec www.hospitalfield.org.uk

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Licence 2 Chill With his second solo album ready to drop, erstwhile Broken Social Scenester Brendan Canning tells us about the importance of taking it easy

Interview: Will Fitzpatrick

T

hese are strange times for the city of Toronto.

It’s an era of uncertainty and sheer bafflement, largely due to the efforts of one man – the somewhat ‘unique’ Mayor Rob Ford. At the time of writing, councillors have voted to strip their colourful leader of some of his powers, following a series of ill-advised comments ranging from admissions of drink-driving and dabbling in crack cocaine to lewdly denying allegations of sexual advances towards a female co-worker (“I get enough to eat at home,” he told an incredulous press gathering). Not your average elected official, basically, although one particular voter is getting a little more involved in the whole circus than he’d anticipated.

“He has a press agent who looks a lot like me,” laughs Brendan Canning, “so I’m getting an awful lot of Twitter messages about my likeness to this one guy.” It’s not the sort of publicity that the Broken Social Scene guitarist might usually court – cast in the same anti-star mould as the rest of the indie rock generation, he’s more likely to be found behind a mixing desk than engaging in politics à la Bono – but nonetheless, he wryly suggests this may provide him with a new path.

“I’m thinking of running for mayor. Just to keep it entertaining for people…”

In jest or not, that particular comment feels somewhat in keeping with Brendan’s decision to return to the world of solo records. His new effort You Gots 2 Chill is a sweetly laid-back affair, largely revolving around delicately-picked acoustic guitars and his soft, whispered voice.

It’s the sound of a man who’s engaged with group dynamics for long enough – here, he’s the one calling all the shots.

“I think it’s a natural progression after you’ve been in a big band for however many years,” he says, referring to Broken’s core collective. “If there’s six other dudes in the jam space, they’re weighing in on every idea. That’s true and fair because you’re in a band and there’s a lot of group decisions going on, but sometimes you wanna say ‘No, I don’t want any questions about this.’ I guess that’s the thing about making a solo record: you don’t have as many questions in the air, so you have to be aware of how to present and question your own work.”

So how did the record come about? Almost by accident, it would appear. “Broken were touring, and I had some songs recorded from way back, and then Steve Singh – an old high school friend of mine – had a studio and he just called me up and said, ‘Hey, let’s make an album.’ He knew I had a lot of riffs saved up… any time I’m involved in one thing, I always like to have something else going on, just to distract me from whatever is taking up the majority of my time – a little fork in the road, I guess.”

These forks have become increasingly common since Brendan’s last solo record, 2008’s Something For All Of Us. Released under the ‘Broken Social Scene Presents’ banner alongside bandmate Kevin Drew’s Spirit If… LP, it was a decidedly noisier project than this new followup. Since then there’s been another Broken record, a revival of his old band Cookie Duster and a mysterious “interactive game-slash-movie,” which just happens to be a David Cronenberg retrospective.

Having teased us by bringing it up, the cheeky scamp declines to give any further details (“I’m doing what I do best – just making music”) but cheerfully discusses his other soundtrack work. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is arguably the standout listing on that section of his CV – “Nigel Godrich got Kevin and I to work on the film to give

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it some Toronto authenticity,” he says modestly – but more recently, there was what he refers to as “the Lindsay Lohan debacle.” Specifically, the Bret Easton Ellis-penned The Canyons. The very mention elicits a resigned sigh. “I guess it just wasn’t the best project I’ve worked on. With the music, I think we did a really good job; all that stuff was fun. The process just dragged on a bit, and the uncertainties of Lindsay’s stability seeped into everything. But it was a good learning experience.”

very least the music should still convey positivity.

Like, the opening track [the instructively-titled instrumental Post-Fahey] is a peppy one.”

“I didn’t put anything too weird on the record. I feel like it’s a pop record – it may be acoustic picky, and there’s… for lack of a better word, some ‘folktronica,’ though I think that word has come and gone…! I look to the Cocteau Twins for melodic expression. They made music that didn’t sound like anyone else, and it wasn’t ever so much about the lyrics Elizabeth Fraser was writing as the sounds she created.”

Releasing the record on his own label Draper Street also provided a chance to further his self-expression, even taking its title from the neighbourhood where Canning lives. Sociopathic politicians aside, he still enjoys living in Toronto: “It’s always busy. The World DMC Championships are in town right now, so I should go and see some stuff before the final. I’m doing a panel discussion at an event, talking about the old-school of Toronto… and you know, my first big gig was back in 1992 with a band called hHead.

Not the most amazing band, but we got a lot of Brendan Canning local accolades, just for being spirited, I guess.

It seems fair to say that Canning has someThe singer and I had an acoustic duo called The thing of a restless muse, to the extent that this Happy, and then went backpacking to Europe, explicitly laid-back record almost seems like a saw Sonic Youth play… kinda went from there, you response to his hectic schedule. The pervadknow? ‘God this acoustic duo is lame!’ We were ing mood, however, is one of optimism; particureally inspired after that.” larly on the soothingly upbeat However Long, The acoustic dominance of You Gots 2 Chill prompting the question of whether our hero feels indicates he’s come full circle, we suggest. He content at present. “No, not totally content, if laughs. “Yeah, I know! But with a five-piece band I’m honest. Somewhere in between. But at the – we did this gig here with a violinist and a piano

“I’m thinking of running for mayor.

Just to keep it entertaining for people…”

MUSIC

player, playing all these quieter, pretty acoustic songs. I like to do all that stuff and make it really pretty, and then just destroy it.”

Has he ever considered moving further afield? “I think I’ve done enough travelling now.

I did a lot in the 90s, and then quadruple that in the 2000s. Toronto still feels like home.” So he doesn’t miss the touring lifestyle? “No, I don’t.

I went to see Toro Y Moi the other night and I thought ‘Oh, that seems fun,’ but then you go upstairs and you’re just hanging around. I liked it whenever we’d finish shows, and everyone would go backstage and I would go out to talk to people.

We could go backstage and talk about the show, or I could go out front and get some instant gratification off people. I’ll take that any day!”

He’s joking again, but does that need for approval hint at some degree of anxiety? Canning swiftly brushes such notions aside. “My friend Emily from Metric gave me a good quote. She said ‘Anxiety is just the dizziness of freedom.’

I think some French philosopher said that [the very Danish Kierkegaard, actually – Philosophy Ed.], but I always try to keep it in mind. Like, ‘You wanted your freedom, well here it is. This is what it means to you.’” So there you go: a man in control of his own destiny, with a strong work ethic, a fertile imagination and a healthy sense of perspective. Sound like mayor material to you?

Vote Canning.

You Gots 2 Chill is released via Draper Street/SQE on 2 Dec brendancanning.com

THE SKINNY

Esoteric Christmas Gift Guide 2013 Mystic Mark & Dr. Darren Icke return with their annual product guide

Ill Bill

A F

or the third year running I’m joined by my colleague Dr. Darren Icke for the return of our Esoteric Christmas Product Guide, this year brought to you by our colossal friends at OMNICORP®, who are about to release a new anti-ageing cream we’ve been literally wetting the bed about. We can’t wait for the release of this cream, and with it, the release of our beloved families in time for Christmas. Just remember, we have a deal, OMNICORP®. Please.

ALL-SEEING GOOGLY EYE MANTLEPIECE PYRAMID SHRINE (£199.95) Finding time to praise the mighty netherdwelling owl god Moloch can be difficult for a hard-working Illuminati Freemason. But this new portable shrine allows you to conveniently make sacrifices in your own home to the All-Seeing Googly Eye who not only sees all, but bounces around in an amusing manner at the same time.

Shiver before its springy, unblinking gaze, flexing around the room taking everything in like some incomprehensible force from another dimension.

Find yourself awoken in the middle of the night, the eyeball bobbing only inches from your face, whispering terrible ancient secrets that stretch your mind to boggling point. Buy now and get one month of complimentary Illuminati blood rituals as well as a free DVD guide on how to close the swirling demonic portals that will coincidentally start to appear in your home.

HOMEOPATHIC GULLIBILITY CURE (£6.99) Do you find yourself being taken in by unproven quack remedies, handing over hard-earned money for little more than a few sugar pills or a vial of useless tap water? If that’s the case, you are almost certainly in need of my new Homeopathic Gullibility Cure. It gets to work after only a single gulp, instantly re-energising your incredulity chakras. By building a sceptical particle wall around your naïvety gland it’s also effective at stopping quantum-level trickery, leaving you ready to take on the most unscrupulous potion pedlars and snake oil salesmen. Not only that, the amount of money you’ll save from being

December 2013

conned day and night will allow you to purchase my entire Homeopathic Gullibility Cure SuperTreatment containing over four gallons of doubtinducing magic water. All for only £7,995! But act fast, before some con-man talks you out of it!

GHOST CHEESE (£11) One of the more exotic cheeses on the market, ghost cheese is made with the finest churned ectoplasm, hastily collected free-range from haunted castles and cottages across Scotland.

The rich texture of the tormented souls delicately trapped inside the cheese tastes simply out of this world and is perfect with a glass of red wine or a hot mug of mulled holy water. Occasionally you may hear the echoing, faraway cries of entombed spirits, but this only adds to the experience. I found the unearthly shrieks which shook the room as I grated the block over my pasta a little over the top, but overall the lamenting phantom groans which precede each bite fail to detract from the creamy taste, which is altogether another realm of flavour.

BALL SAC ANTI-AGEING CREAM – FROM OMNICORP® (£5.99) More than any other part of the body, the delicate tissue of the male ball bag is prone to rapid ageing, leaving it raisin-like and wrinkled far beyond its years. Over time, your ball sac can also become tired, dry and tangled, leading to an elderly, elbow-ish appearance. That’s why there’s new Ball Sac Anti-Ageing Cream with DermaNad® technology to give you smooth, shiny, touchably soft balls. Many still opt for expensive scrotal surgery in an attempt to shed the years, but a recent study found that 9 out of 10 men got the same or similar results* by simply coating their groin in thick layers of this patented cream every morning of their waking lives. The burning, nutrifying formula visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines, making your sac appear firmer, fuller and bursting with life, so you can grab each day by the balls. *Balls may rot off in some cases.

lmost two decades since they started their Brixton club night of the same name, Basement Jaxx are coming to the O2 Academy on 3 December to help us fight the cold, amping up the dance vibes and dropping tracks from their upcoming, yet-to-be-named seventh studio album. The BRIT award-winning London duo are a household name for most British electronic music fans, responsible for many an ear-worm (Bingo Bango, Where’s Your Head At, and Good Luck to name a few) over the years, drawing on dashes of house, garage, pop and R ‘n’ B. A hot ticket for the winter season.

The first of a hip-hop double-shot this month is North Carolina rapper J Cole (O2 Academy, 7 Dec), touring latest LP Born Sinner which was released this past summer.

Headhunted by Jay-Z thanks to his debut mixtape The Come Up in 2007, Cole has enjoyed considerable success with two number one albums and frequent collaborations. Before being signed, he sometimes rapped under the moniker Therapist, but soon changed it out of fears his MySpace URL would look like ‘The Rapist’. Fair point.

Second is Ill Bill, the snarling Jewish/ American alternative hip-hop juggernaught, an embodiment of the relentless collaborative energy of the old Brooklyn underground scene. Born William Braunstein, Bill cut his teeth with the Non Phixion crew in the early 90s, and quickly moved on to work with numerous producers and artists (such as Jedi Mind Tricks’ own Vinnie Paz), over the next two decades.

Friday 13 December sees him supported by the Mixkings DJs, Sicknature, and DJ Illegal at the O2 ABC. With such hip-hop pedigree on offer that’s definitely a lucky date.

Two of Glasgow’s hottest club nights and O2 ABC mainstays spoil us with a Vaccines Hogmanay DJ set on 31 December at Love Music vs Propaganda, while on the same night, Club Noir (now holders of the Guiness World Record for biggest burlesque club) comes to the O2 Academy with a New Year’s Eve extravaganza. Do you dance and mosh to some infectious indie choons spun by the London boys, or do you doll up for a bit of kinky glamour with Glasgow’s finest cabaret purveyors? The latter features over 15 acts, as well as a ceilidh and a speakeasy. How do you choose? [George Sully] www.o2abcglasgow.co.uk

All products available from Mystic Mark’s shop: etsy.com/shop/mysticmark

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What Offends Frankie Boyle?

The cantankerous old bastard on retiring, satanic sex murders and James Arthur

F

rankie Boyle divides comedy fans harder than Moses did the Red Sea; or at least he would, if that wasn’t a totally made-up story in A.D.’s bestselling novel. If controversy was your mother, he’d already be using her knickers as floss while simultaneously deciding never to call; some folks don’t take well to that. Love him or hate him, he’s one of comedy’s biggest names, and will be sticking around to shred pop starlets and offend royal vaginas for some time to come. I caught up with him to talk about his new book and some other annoying stuff. He’s rude, opinionated, and a bit of a dick, really.

But, did you expect anything less?

You were pretty adamant that you’d be retiring at 40. Obviously, that’s not happened. What’s the story?

It has happened, fool. I stopped doing stand-up at 40. That gets quoted a lot; what I actually said to the interviewer was that after forty people tend to have stopped creating and started producing. The idea, which I still think is true, is that by 40 people tend to have exhausted their creativity building a niche for themselves; then just keep producing more of the same. By forty most people are just marketing an idea of what they used to be. There are exceptions, but they are people who recognise those problems and struggle with them. If you’re sitting there going, “I’m 45 and I’m doing the best shows of my life and it’s never been easier...” that’s because you’re shit.

But hey, you’ve probably developed an audience who don’t mind. Enjoy it.

Do you feel under pressure to write material a certain way now?

No, because I’ve retired, you clown.

You’ve released two books previously; why did you write this one and are you happy with it?

Yes, I like the book. I originally pitched the publishers a pornographic crime thriller set in Glasgow. It was about a series of satanic sex murders happening around the Independence vote. They weren’t keen, but they did allow me to make the introduction to this book, essentially, a porno. Scotland’s Jesus is basically social commentary with jokes; it covers everything from the economy, drone strikes, the NSA, right the way down to a three page pummelling of Simon Cowell.

You’ve said before that no joke is too far; what is the current biggest taboo your material courts? What’s gotten the worst reaction recently? Does anything offend you?

Untrue stereotypes offend me. The sheer fucking laziness and hatred of them. I think comedy is a mechanism we invented for entertaining a lot of ideas that are outside the normal parameters of society, so there shouldn’t be any taboos. There’s a narcissism around taking offence, you know – why is your opinion so important? I think there’s a thing these days where people use taboos to draw a line around themselves and their friends as being the good people. Does not using a certain word or joking about a certain subject really give you moral authority? Have you really earned that? If you volunteer at a drop-in centre three days a week, that gives you some moral authority in my eyes. Maybe we should all think more about earning the moral high ground.

There was a real taboo around disability for a while; this patronising idea that disabled people are vulnerable and must be entirely unmentioned in culture, except in the tones we usually reserve for puppies. Every disabled person I’ve known hates that attitude. I think that disabled people need to be more visible, more talked

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Interview: Vonny Moyes

about as the government tries to ghettoise them.

Benefit changes are already leading to deaths, and there will have to be a real struggle for disabled rights in Britain. I think it will become a struggle for survival. It’s quite a British thing to have taboos about talking about certain subjects, but not about acts of downright murder.

Another thing that offends me is people always viewing comedy as something to be judged against some graph of their personal neuroses.

It’s comedy, not a fucking dinner party. Laugh or don’t laugh, but definitely, definitely don’t write a long boring article about your reaction to it. Any comedian with the balls to transgress is, by her very nature, not going to care what you think; be heavily medicated; be already face down in three bar staff by the time your piece hits the New Statesman.

“Untrue stereotypes offend me. The sheer fucking laziness and hatred of them.”

Frankie Boyle

How do you feel about Independence?

Yes, I think we should be independent. What have we got to lose? A Tory government? I’m looking forward to the vote just because it will be a novelty for Scottish people to fill in official forms while still in possession of their own belt and shoelaces. And imagine what Scotland’s annual Independence Day celebrations will look like; the fucking D-Day Landings.

You seem to be something of a Twitter vigilante these days; how do you feel in the aftermath of war on James Arthur? Do you hope he’s learned from it?

I feel less than nothing. Arthur is probably not capable of learning from it, no. He’s probably in a bubble where he’s surrounded by all kinds of awful people, but he’ll have to grow up. In a few years he’ll be looking back on himself in this period as a silly wee boy, wondering what he was thinking. And then he’ll be awoken by the sound of me throwing coins into his hat.

How does your stage persona affect your everyday life? Do people treat you differently now compared to when you started out?

Well, it doesn’t really affect anything I guess, because I don’t really associate with people very much.

What are you doing next?

I’m writing a graphic novel that will be out sometime next year! I’ve been writing and script editing on a couple of possible radio series… I don’t know what’s going to happen there, just because, well, it’s unbroadcastable filth isn’t it?

I’m doing some freestyle albums with Glenn Wool. It’s just the two of us riffing about nonsense really, but it’s ended up being quite political and surprisingly philosophical. I enjoy doing work that I can just give away for free; it gets me away from that selling dynamic where we’re all marketing ourselves. I always sign up to do the minimum publicity for everything because I didn’t really get into comedy to be a salesman. This is one of the few bits of promo I have to do. Thank fuck it’s over.

COMEDY

THE SKINNY

The Weiss is Right With Sleater-Kinney still on hiatus, and Wild Flag no more, Janet Weiss explains why playing with Quasi in the here and now remains her day job of choice

Interview: Gary Kaill

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hen is a side project not a side project?

When it reaches the grand old age of 20, clocking up nearly twice as many years as your most popular, most revered work, that’s when.

Janet Weiss is still best known for being the drummer in Sleater-Kinney, the Portland trio who emerged towards the tail end of the Riot Grrrl movement in the mid-90s. But her two decades as part of Quasi, the duo she formed with ex-husband Sam Coomes in 1993, eclipses the lifespan of that band by some margin.

Sleater-Kinney went on “indefinite hiatus” in 2006, their album The Woods and the subsequent tour making a case for them being the most successful product of a scene often accused of insularity, their audience unexpectedly started to swell as they de-bunked their precison-tooled dual guitar interplay for a looser, roughed-up approach. Since then Weiss hasn’t stopped, continuing to work on Quasi with Coomes and joining Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks for a stretch (as well as an ambitious drum trio project alongside Zach Hill and Matt Cameron) before reuniting with guitarist Carrie Brownstein in 2011 for Wild Flag, while singer Corin Tucker has despatched a brace of acclaimed solo works.

Sadly, Wild Flag, despite acclaim for their eponymous debut, are no more: “It was great but I think it just kinda ran its course,” Weiss tells us.

“It’s hard to have a band when you live five hours apart by plane.” But the hardcore have always hoped and suspected that Sleater-Kinney were taking an extended breather rather than calling it quits. After all, they were rock solid close and went out on a creative high. Brownstein has previously hinted at eventually getting back together. We’re here to discuss Quasi’s excellent new record, the expansive 24 track Mole City.

But, unsurprisingly, Weiss is more than happy to discuss her former band and agrees that they called it a day when they were seemingly catching a second wind. “That was a real step up, that last tour – certainly in the UK,” she recalls. “For some reason, people started coming out all of a sudden. It was weird!” It’s hard to resist asking The Question. Thankfully, Weiss takes it in good humour and laughs as she says: “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!” Good enough. Now to the task at hand...

Weiss reflects on her lengthy tenure behind the Quasi kit with not so much surprise but a distinct warm joy. Their songbook is sizeable but this ninth album sounds more like a sprawling and youthfully hungry debut. Clearly the well of creativity is far from dry. It’s arguably their best work to date. “I feel the same way,” agrees Weiss.

“We had few resources – we had a lot of time, we had a studio, a tiny rudimentary studio in Sam’s basement, we had mics and our instruments, and our abilities and our ideas. But what we didn’t have was money. So we just used the resources that we had and we tried to make a record that was different to the last record. We tried to make a record that was loose and less self-conscious – more fun, I think. We gave up the idea of a ‘good’ sound and a ‘good’ studio and all those things you’d perhaps have in a studio you’re hiring by the hour.” Do these kinds of logistical aspects eventually just get in the way? “Well they can overtake the creativity, they start to steer the project. You’ve got a certain amount of time to record a certain number of songs. This, though, was just open-ended.”

“We started working,” she continues.

“Neither of us had anything else going on for a few months at the end of last year. We just hunkered down every day – for four hours every day. We’d

December 2013

meet at Sam’s house, have some coffee and just get to it. We just got to go in every day and play music, flesh out our ideas and it was just so much fun. I think it really sort of rejuvenated our musical connection. We realised what a language we have, the two of us, for communicating musically and for recording.”

won such a broad level of respect. Weiss remains one of the best drummers in popular music. And you’ll not see that epithet qualified with ‘female’, either. To see her play live where her technique and crucially, her feel, make her stand out, remains a thrill. She dodges the compliment: “Well the funny thing about drumming is you’re never done. There’s so much more for me to understand about it. I still think of myself as still learning.”

You wonder whether someone so accomplished still needs to practise. “Yeah, I do! I feel like I’m still in the middle of my development.

It’s like being an athlete or something. Drums is so physical. You can’t just put ‘em down for six months and come back and expect to have your timing and your intuition – all these things that need your daily attention. So I try to practise at least three or four times a week when I’m not touring. But if I’m getting ready for a tour, I try to practise every day. I don’t want to tour and then spend the first week getting in shape.”

With a career that bridges from that pivotal juncture of US alternative music to the increasJanet Weiss ing here-and-now sexualisation of pop and the suck-it-and-see disposability of what’s become Quasi, of course, were a duo long before it an internet-driven industry, it must be diffibecame fashionable, before a time of austerity cult to see a way for young female musicians to made having two mouths to feed one of the driving forces. Weiss acknowledges there’s a price for replicate the communal, agit beginnings she was the freedom the format affords. “There are some once part of. “I think the commercialisation, and songs we simply can’t play live as a two piece. the acceptance of the commercialisation, is the Some of them just don’t work, but there are a biggest difference,” she says. “You know, it used lot of them that have translated and I think they to be commercialised but we, as musicians, we stand up. This album takes common threads that railed against that. We were rebellious. We were run through our twenty years and it’s becoming angry and pissed off that the music world was a fun record to play live. These shows have been becoming so commercialised. We were upset and some of our best, which is a good feeling.” we were banding together. We actually thought For an artist who emerged from a heavily like there was such a thing as selling out and politicised scene, it must be gratifying to have that was real. It’s disappointing now that things

“ Google, Wikipedia, Apple: people relate to those huge companies like they’re family.

I still feel like that’s dangerous”

MUSIC

have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Bands are more accepting of corporations.

Google, Wikipedia, Apple: people relate to those huge companies like they’re family. I still feel like that’s dangerous, just like I did when I was young.”

She continues: “I’m not going to be the one to make a difference now, but I still have ideals.

I feel so fortunate to have come up in music at a time when the things that I valued most as a musician were being addressed by the other musicians around me. It was such a uniting, powerful feeling to not only become a better musician with these people, but also to be talking about ideas and what we stood for – punk rock, ideals, DIY, all these things that now seem to have gone into the ether. These things really meant a lot to us. I just feel so lucky that I got to experience the pre-internet era of music, to experience the Portland scene and to be around such a great group of musicians who did so well and made such advances.”

It’s inspiring to hear a musician of Weiss’s stature speak so fondly, and so eloquently, about a time, a movement, that many tend to romanticise from a distance as observers. More importantly, it’s a joy to see her so energised by tomorrow and all its possibilities. “For me, music is the only avenue I have for connecting with people on that deep level,” she explains. “The most human I ever feel is when I’m onstage playing a song and I have that feedback from an audience.

It’s timeless, you know? It’s really indescribable.

And as far as Quasi is concerned, it’s still just so much fun. I have to say, I was always really excited about the future, and I still am.”

Quasi play Broadcast, Glasgow on 7 Dec The Deaf Institute, Manchester on 8 Dec www.theequasi.com

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Timecop: The Nativity Time Cop Spurt Maximum fondly reminisces about travelling back to 0 A.D. to save the baby Jesus and punch Joseph in the balls

“I

’ll tell you this; if I can’t go back to save her, this scumbag is not going back to steal money!” I screamed while climbing naked into the time rocket.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” the chief shouted. “Are you drunk?”

If by ‘drunk’ he meant ‘filled with revenge,’ then yes. And if by ‘revenge,’ he also meant whisky, then DOUBLE YES. “DOUBLE YES!” I shouted, catching my balls in the seatbelt thingy. “Senator Aaron McComb has gone back in time to Jesus’s birthday, to steal all his presents to sell on space-eBay. And I’m going to fucking stop him, hard.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Spurt. Why are you naked?”

“You have to be naked to travel through time.” I snarled, pulling my scrotum from the cup holder. “It’s the rules. Like not having sex with your own mum, or touching yourself in the Wild West.”

“Spurt,” he pleaded, “You’re not well. Just climb down from there and we’ll get a janitor and a mop.”

“CATCH YOU LATER, FUCKER!” I punched the ‘travel through time button’ and vanished.

According to my Bible and my Quantum Leap activity book, the year was 0 A.D., and I was exactly in Bethlehem.

I’m Spurt Maximum: TIMECOP, and I’m heading back to the birth of Jesus to see how many spinning leg-kicks are needed to get the revenge out of a mad-man’s face. Statistically, it’s seven, but I’m a Timecop, not some fruity calculator scientist.

Time travel is not as complicated as everyone thinks; I arrived, as usual, in an exciting

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Words: Fred Fletch Illustration: Oliver Ninnis

explosion of time-lightning and regular lightning.

Judging from the crater full of charred donkeycarcass I was standing in, the time jump had been totally successful.

“I hope none of you guys had an important role to play in the future!” I laughed, not knowing that I had inadvertently averted the 2013 Horsemeat Lasagne Crisis.

As the smoke cleared, I observed that I was standing naked in front of a stable. Half the front wall was missing due to some shitlord crashing their time rocket into it. As I assessed the carnage, I noticed a man and woman a few feet away from the glowing remains of the Hadron Collider that had fallen off my ship. They were cowering behind a cow feeder with a baby in it.

“HA HA!” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “This place is a fucking shit-hole. Nothing says ‘the birthplace of man’s salvation’ like the inescapable smell of paternity tests and animal faeces. Did you book this on Groupon?”

The couple stared wordlessly at me. The baby started crying. Apparently Away in a Manger was bullshit, and I made a mental note to stop in the 60s to punch Bing Crosby in the butthole. The woman started crying. Things were getting awkward; I needed to blend in. Time-coppery requires quick thinking, huge balls and a Standard Grade in History. I had 2 out of 3.

“Oh don’t mind me.” I said confidently. “I’m not from the future or anything. I’m just Spurt Maximum; a shepherd, who was totally at the birth of Jesus.” and I did a sweet judo somersault to convince them. The man cautiously approached me with his hands raised.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are, or why you’re not wearing any clothes, but my wife’s just

had a baby. It’s late, she’s tired and we’d prefer a little privacy.”

“OH SHIT!” I said, “YOU’RE JOSEPH?” “Um, yes.” he said, perplexed.

“HA HA. Sorry to hear about the whole ‘God fucked your wife’ thing.”

Enraged, Joseph threw a punch so weak, the air around it sued his fist for sexual harassment.

“I’m just kidding!” I explained, still laughing.

I stepped neatly to the side and bumped into three men dressed as the Burger King. They were adorned with jewels and fine silks and were laden with parcels in decorative paper and bows. They surveyed the scene in silent awe.

“We have come to pay tribute to the King of Kings,” said the first guy.

“And we bring gifts for the child who will save us all” said the one next to him.

“And I’ll just take them all and put them in the back of my hover-bike for safe keeping,” said the third guy in the space helmet.

“Nice try, Senator Aaron McComb!” I yelled, tearing a fake beard from the front of his helmet. “Your disguise was almost perfect, but you forgot one thing...” I punched him in the throat.”TIMECOPPED!” “CURSE YOU, SPURT MAXIMUM!” Senator Aaron McComb hissed. “You’ve meddled in my schemes for the last time!” Grabbing baby Jesus from the manger, McComb drew a laser gun and pointed it at the infant’s head. “NOBODY DO ANYTHING STUPID, OR JESUS DIES” ‘Don’t do anything stupid’ is jiu-jutsu for ‘absolutely do a somersault,’ so I even more absolutely did.

Pivoting gracefully over the panicking villain, I landed behind him in karate-stance and

COMEDY

Spacejammed Jesus from his grip. With the son of God safely spinning 16 feet above the battle, I engaged McComb in a series of genital punches so savage, 3108 years in the future, his great-greatgreat-great-great-great grandson was staring at his slowly vanishing hand.

With McComb swiftly crippled, I smoothly caught Jesus safely in my arms. As I stood triumphant in the smouldering remains of the stable, the still shaking Joseph approached me.

“Seriously. I really don’t understand what just happened here, and I don’t want any more trouble, but could you PLEASE LEAVE?” Nervously he reached to take the son of God away from me. Baby Jesus smiled. “BLOOOO WAH”, he gurgled.

“What’s that, baby Jesus?” I replied, “You want me to punch this guy in the dick-hole as well?”

“W-what?” Stammered Joseph. “That’s not what he said...”

“Get used to it, asshole. Years from now EVERYONE is going to be totally misinterpreting the shit he said.”

As I began to do the splits, another bolt of lightning shook the stable. The wall and three more donkeys exploded as the car from Knightrider emerged through a time vortex. Still glistening from the moist embrace of time travel, Teenwolf emerged shirtlessly from the front seat of KITT. “SPURT!” Teenwolf howled, “Moses and the slaves need your help; do you happen to know anything about fighting unkillable Karate Mummies?”

“DO I?” I smiled, and punched Joseph in the cock.

THE SKINNY

Trans Equality & Gay Marriage

There’s still time to make minor adjustments to the SameSex Marriage (Scotland) Act 2014 and ensure greater equality for the trans and intersex communities in Scotland

W

hile a progressive step for lesbians, bisexuals and gay men, the ‘Equal Marriage’ bill also has consequences for the trans and intersex communities – some more positive than others.

By the time this issue comes out MSPs should have voted in the Same-Sex Marriage (Scotland) Act 2014. The bill will finally remove the divorce requirement for married or civil partnered people who decide to transition.

Previously that trans person would have to divorce their partner or dissolve their partnership before they could have their gender re-identified.

That will no longer be necessary. However, part of the bill is concerned with a ‘spousal veto’ – where the legal partners of trans people must be consulted before a full gender recognition certificate can be issued.

Trans groups like the Scottish Transgender Alliance (STA) are struggling to raise awareness of the issue. Nathan Gale, their development officer,

Words: Ana Hine Illustration: Michael Arnold

says: “In our opinion access to the human right of gender recognition should be a matter just for that individual and it shouldn’t be able to be vetoed by another person.”

Together with the Equality Network they have proposed five amendments to ensure trans and intersex issues raised in the bill are handled in the best way. Although the bill may have passed the first stage of its passage through the Scottish Parliament, there’s still time to make minor adjustments.

Amanda, whose partner is trans, is just one of many who might be affected by a veto. She organises Me & T Monthly, a support group for friends, family and partners of trans people who meet in the LGBT Centre in Edinburgh.

The partners of trans people may need many things; access to information about what to expect when someone they love transitions, support from friends and family, open

communication with their trans partners… but, says Amanda, they don’t need the power to deny their partners the right to have their gender legally recognised.

“I actually find it quite offensive that someone sat down and thought ‘what would be the most difficult thing about being in a relationship with a trans person’ and they decided the answer was ‘to find themselves in a legally recognised same-sex marriage,’” she says. “Equal marriage should be about putting an end to the perception that something’s wrong with same-sex relationships and the spousal veto contradicts that.”

Another suggested change is to include an option for gender-neutral marriage ceremonies.

As the words used in marriage ceremonies are legally binding those in power must sign them off. Currently for heterosexual unions the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ are still insisted upon, which doesn’t suit everyone.

There are, however, small changes that are victories. The bill is a comprehensive one and includes details such as the expansion of the terms ‘widow’ and 'widower' to include men whose husbands have died and women who have lost their wives.

As Marco Biagi MSP (SNP) said at the Equality Network’s annual reception in the Scottish Parliament last month: “We don’t create equality by passing law, but we do remove inequality doing it.” Biagi sits on the Equal Opportunities Committee, which is in charge of administrating and scrutinising the bill. In the main, they support the trans amendments.

It’s critical that members of our community write to our MSPs about the spousal veto and the gender-neutral ceremonies option, as well as any other concerns. There’s still time to get it right.

Everyone in Scotland’s got eight MSPs: seven for the region they live in and one for their constituency. Find out how to contact yours at scottish.parliament.uk/msps.aspx

Thou Shalt Not Make Art When Sarah J Stanley made some artwork about the sexual politics of her childhood church she was told her work was ‘too explicit’ – here she explains some of the background behind the art

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ow, I’m no shock artist. I never set out to offend, although being nice isn’t exactly my art-making agenda. Yet recently, two pieces of artwork in an exhibition I opened in Glasgow’s Merchant City were censored. After some complaints, I was asked by the powers that be in the studio complex in which I work to cover or change the works. Of course, I wasn’t going to change the work, so after a bit of a fight, I made signs to cover them. Maybe I should have taken the whole show down, but I wanted to make a point I suppose.

It’s worth exploring why these two pieces were a problem for people to look at, the content considered too explicit. One culprit, titled ‘Staring at this dot will de-gay you I promise’ was in the firing line. But the way I see it, everyone should be happy with this artwork. I don’t understand what kind of camp the complaint about this piece comes from. If you’re gay, surely you notice something maladjusted with my ability to be homophobic? If you’re anti-gay, just get all the filthy gays to stare at the dot and the world is

December 2013

sorted, right?

I grew up with all the Christian superstitions and demonisations you can imagine (and likely more). I used to be a gay person lying to themselves in an effort to please the church I had been brought up in involuntarily. Thank goodness I got out of its cult-clutch. I don’t want you to think I had some sort of old-fangled experience of Christianity either. No, I saw the modern Pentecostal, happy clappy, speaking in tongues, all-healing, all-dancing church. It was a moneyhungry and recruitment mad false hope machine.

a patriarchy installed in the very core nature and culture of church life.

If you thought de-gaying therapies were just for documentaries on American bible belters you’re wrong. It’s going on right now in the UK. People being told they are mentally ill, have mummy and daddy issues, aren’t gay at all. At best they may be allowed to acknowledge they have some same-sex attraction, but be told it doesn’t mean they can’t get married and have kids (in a heterosexual monogamous relationship). You never know, you might even find you can force an attraction for things; for example, the opposite sex... but I’m convinced it’s a road After puberty I knew I had to find myself to insanity. either cures or boundaries to fix my ‘problem.’ I I’ve met people who are gay and yet live a received terrible advice from my church, including being told to ‘just let him’ and ‘eventually life of lying and trying to get fixed so as not to you’ll get used to it’ in reference to the marital rock the Noah’s ark of their massive Christianity. sex I didn’t want to have. It didn’t help that no one It’s cripplingly sad. Those who thought the piece advised me not to get into that situation in the was homophobic missed the point exceptionally. first place, like you’d expect someone who cared Please go and do your own research on xtian deto do. Advice like this is not only useless, it’s the gaying therapies – I hope you’re suitably appalled. facilitator to abusive behaviour perpetuated by All of Christendom that believes gay people

DEVIANCE

have struggles because they’re battling God’s perfect plan for them can fuck off. The struggles come from how extremely hard it is to be gay, especially if you’re attempting to change yourself intrinsically because you need to become ‘better.’ I now take the moral stance that lying about who you really are is the real blasphemy.

The other piece in the show that was censored was titled ‘church of rape.’ That topic is another few thousand words or so and I’ll leave it for another time. But, it wasn’t the pieces entitled ‘fuck off yes you’ or ‘pay your tithes you creepy fuckers’ that were singled out in the show as the offenders. It was the idea of a church full of rapists (which of course is not what I meant) that was too much for people.

I’m not apologising for a second for the work I made. If anything it’s provided an opportunity to talk about the offensive and the poorly thought out views of those who still think it’s okay to try and ‘fix’ someone’s sexuality. And it’s not. It’s wrong. Just like censoring art.

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Art of Africa We talk to Rocca Gutteridge about grassroots arts trust 32º East and the changes taking place in the art scene in Uganda

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he spotlight has turned on African art in recent months. In June, the Gold Lion for Best National Participation at the Venice Biennale was awarded to Angola, only the second African nation to receive that accolade. Over the summer, ‘Father of African modernism’ Ibrahim El-Salahi and Benin artist Meschac Gaba both had major shows in Tate Modern, Gaba presenting his Museum of Contemporary African Art, a fiction created, ironically, to combat the lack of opportunities for African artists in the European art world, now purchased by the British institution.

In October the 1:54 Art Fair pitched up in London, presenting a Frieze-style exhibit aiming to commercialise the continent’s product while introducing a British audience to the breadth of practice emerging from 54 different African nations. In November, an art auction in Nairobi presented the work of artists from Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda to predominantly local buyers, also tempting a raft of major players from institutions including the Tate and Bonhams to fly in and buy up works for public and private collections in the West for record prices.

“I think the art scene is shifting – it’s not just about Europe anymore, and I think people will look to Africa and they’ll re-look at how they used to see African art. I think that’s already happening. I think people will be embarrassed at how they used to look at it, or forget that they ever saw it as exotic or Picasso-esque.”

Rocca Gutteridge is in a fair position to comment on this cultural explosion. In 2011 she and colleague Nicola Elphinstone co-founded 32º East | Ugandan Arts Trust, an ambitious project in the capital Kampala which aims to incubate the formation of a contemporary art scene in an environment not previously used to the conventions of the international art world. It’s an incredibly contentious notion, one that meets near constant challenges and criticism – on the one hand there is the legacy of the colonial past, and the risk of the imposition of a western perception of what constitutes Art. On the other, a world where Africa equates to aid, and art equates to first world frippery with no place in an environment where survival is presumably the only right allowed to the grateful populace.

32º East has a different aim. A complex including studios, project spaces and a resource

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Interview: Rosamund West

centre, it offers an environment to create, with an emphasis on art-making as a conversation, a process of experimentation and a means of expression, rather than a finished product to be appraised, bought and sold. Rocca explains, “I feel the world needs less art but more artists.

It’s about being part of a community of thinkers and people who want to speak their minds. I love chatting to people here and watching people walking into our centre and sit around talking, or just going for a beer. It is really important because, on one level, it wasn’t long ago that people were targeted for being artists. And yet people here still need to make art, they still want to make art; even if they don’t know why.”

“The art scene is shifting – it’s not just about Europe anymore” Rocca Gutteridge

The spectre of government repression is a sensitive one in a nation where, for example, it is illegal to be gay. The lack of government support for the arts in Uganda makes it difficult for artists to feel supported and respected locally – many have started to voice their opinions through their work. “That’s when it becomes really exciting, when artists suddenly have this voice. But we have to negotiate these spaces really carefully. We have to watch how we work because there has to be a level of respect within the context in which we are working.”

Previous projects include the inaugural Kampala Contemporary Art Festival in 2012 (KLA ART 012) which saw 12 shipping containers installed in locations throughout the city as flexible project and exhibition spaces. “The idea was that the artists would somehow respond to the idea of the shipping container looking at travel or consumerism or movement, or just the object itself.”

The choice of shipping containers is key, as they form a familiar fixture in the Kampala environment, often housing shops. One, by the

with the 50th anniversary of independence almost ended badly. “In two and a half minutes there were riot police, trucks, tear gas. Luckily it didn’t kick off but it definitely made me think this isn’t all happy happy fun; it just flipped in an instant.

“Contemporary art isn’t mainstream and accepted here, so trying to explain what the performance was about caused confusion – the police were concerned that it was the start of a public gathering. There can be a lot of negative feeling towards crowds as they sometimes lead to riots and uncontrollable situations. It’s disappointing for the artists because they just want their work to be seen, but I believe this will come with time.”

Next year will see the second staging of KLA ART, details still in the planning stages. Another imminent project involves artwork being displayed on the back of boda-bodas, the local motorbike taxis. “We’re always looking at new ways to not just produce art in our art centre, but how to expose it, how to get it out onto the street or absorbed into people’s consciousness in fun, engaging ways.

“It’s all about growing this scene as a network. It’s really important we don’t just expose RONEX the odd sort of superstar artist, that we really build an art scene because that’s where it becomes exciting. We’re in the middle of huge artist Ronex Ahimbisibwe, placed by a railway planning meetings because what we do at the line near the entrance to a ghetto community proved a particular draw. “I think because it was moment is really production, but in the next two years we’re driving plans to build an exhibition a shipping container people were like ‘Oh, it’s a and project space which will allow artists to show shop, what’s going on?’ So they engaged with it, and sell work. It’ll be not-for-profit; any commiswith that initial attraction. But then when they sion will got back into the organisation, the artstepped in and realised what was happening in ists feeding theart centre.” that shipping container, it was this crazy art in32º East has aims that are simultaneously stallation, there was this kind of double layer of confusion, you know, why are you using shipping very grand and very humble. On one level, to create the foundations for a grassroots arts scene containers not to sell in but to show art?” is a huge undertaking. On the other, they just Another installation by multimedia artist Xenson garnered much praise and ultimately the want to make a space for people to talk about their ideas and experiment. Ultimately, it is far KLA ART audience award – he’s now installed in removed from the fêting of African art going on 32º East on a three month residency, creating back in London. a new body of work to be displayed at their end Rocca ponders the situation, gazing back of year show in December. “His piece was really at the British art world from the distant remove radical; it’s been written about by people like of Uganda. “When the British art scene’s focus Sidney Kasfir [a scholar of African art]. He used shifts it always seems to be done first of all in jerry cans, set up to look like they were exploding out of this container; it was about the horrific a commercial way. In one way it’s really exciting pollution that’s happening in this channel in because of the opportunities that creates but in Kampala due to mass import of plastic products. others you’re seeing sort of watered down versions of what’s happening here on the ground What he did was so public in addressing a real being exported to London and then accepted. concern of his so close to the parliament, the local council buildings, and that doesn’t happen And actually what’s happening here is so much more exciting.” here. So his was quite a revolutionary piece of work. It made people excited.”

32º East Open Day, 7 Dec An offsite performance project from the KLA ART, Oct 2014 festival involving doling out coffee beans – a lowww.ugandanartstrust.org cal gesture of brotherhood – which coincided

TRAVEL

POST WORKSHOP DISCUSSION

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December 2013

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Give the books of the year this Christmas

‘An utterly magnificent achievement’ I RV I N E W E L S H

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DA N N Y WA L L A C E

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THE SKINNY 27/11/2013 11:42

Christmas Gift Guide A DVD isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life (or at least until all physical media becomes completely obsolete). Don’t just make a mad dash to HMV’s bargain bucket this year – consider below the cream of the crop of DVD and Blu-ray releases in 2013

As a child, you probably thought books were only marginally less boring than socks, as Christmas presents go. Pick one from this list, however, and you'll be laughing

Words: Jamie Dunn

Words: Ryan Rushton

The World’s End (for childmen living in the past) Christmas is a time of misplaced nostalgia. That’s why this wise and witty comedy – part Mike Leigh, part Invasion of the Body Snatchers – about a group of adult friends reenacting a pub-crawl from their teen-years will make such an enlightening watch over the festive period.

On Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Pictures

Late Mizoguchi (for anyone looking for an antidote to Hollywood machismo) Of the big three post-war Japan directors, Kenji Mizoguchi remains the least well known.

Mizoguchi’s films, particularly his humanist ghost story Ugetsu Monogatari, which is included in this boxset, are certainly a match for those from his more celebrated peers, Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu. As Jean-Luc Godard once said, ‘poetry is manifest in each second, each shot filmed by Mizoguchi.’ As ever, JLG was bang on the money.

On Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment

Early Hal Hartley (for people who think Garden State is the pinnacle of indie cinema) Talking of Godard, here’s the connective tissue that links the mercurial Frenchman to the likes of Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. With their screwball dialogue, stylised performances and offbeat rhythms, Hal Hartley’s films are instantly recognisable. Unfortunately, though, Hartley seams to have fallen through the filmmaking cracks. The DVD releases of three of his early, spiky features (Amateur, The Unbelievable Truth, Simple Men) should hopefully help in the fight to make sure Hartley’s significance endures.

On Blu-ray and DVD from Artificial Eye

(Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan) lose it in a torrent of toxic resentment. Its succession of acid one-liners makes Bachelorette destined for cult classic status.

On Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate UK

The Sun in a Net (for young lovers and fatalists) Every New Wave has one. La Nouvelle Vague had Le Beau Serge; for New Hollywood it was Bonnie and Clyde. The watershed film of the Czechoslovak New Wave was Stefan Uher’s beguiling, freewheeling tale of young love in Prague, which plays out in a dreamy, non-linear fashion.

On DVD from Second Run

John Carpenter has made better films, and he’s made more successful films, but he hasn’t made anything more joyous than this ‘mystical, action, adventure, comedy, kung-fu, monster, ghost story!’ which sees Kurt Russell’s brutish truck driver embroiled in a scheme to rescue two green-eyed women (one of them Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall) from James Hong’s 2,000-year-old spirit.

On Blu-ray and DVD from Arrow Video

Douglas Sirk took a break from Technicolour in 1957 to bring this monochrome adaptation of a minor William Faulkner novel (Pylon) to the screen. It’s Sirk’s own favourite of his films and one of his most bravura efforts: the black and white imagery and haunting expressionism makes it feel closer to film noir than the lush melodramas (All That Heaven Allows, Imitation of Life) for which Sirk is famous.

On Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment

When it comes to the Scarface director, there seems to be only two camps: in one is the small band of critics and film-fans who think he’s one of America’s finest filmmakers; everyone else thinks he’s a hack.

Arrow Video are clearly in the former. In the last twelve months they’ve lovingly released four of De Palma’s great ‘red period’ movies (Blow Out, Dressed to Kill, Obsession and The Fury) with more to come in 2014.

On Blu-ray and DVD from Arrow Video

Musicals seem to be all the rage in Scottish cinema (see Sunshine on Leith and Stuart Murdoch’s hotly-anticipated God Help the Girl). Perfect time then to revisit this oddity from 1982, a shaggy musical where BA Robertson plays a Glaswegian pub-singer made good.

On DVD from Park Circus

December 2013

Kevin Barry, Dark Lies the Island (for someone who wants to say they read him before he got massive and lost his way) Technically a 2012 release, this book of short stories seals Barry’s rep as one of the most original voices to emerge from the Emerald Isle in some years. Full of acute observation and sly wit, this collection is the ideal companion to his equally excellent novel, City of Bohane.

Philipp Meyer, The Son (for someone who doesn’t consider the shitty script to The Counselor a real 2013 Cormac McCarthy book)

The Tarnished Angels (for doomed romantics)

Living Apart Together (for lovers of the slosh)

Set mostly over the drug and alcohol-fuelled night before their dumpy highschool friend “pigface” ties the knot, a trio of unmarried bridesmaids the wrong side of 30

The third book in the Spurious trilogy. The ongoing adventures of W. and Lars; two philosophy academics bemoaning existence through a fug of booze and shame. Worth it alone for the poetical abuse W. inflicts on Lars: ‘Half-ton friend, in trouble again.

Fuckwit in a vest, friend I love best.’

Big Trouble in Little China (for B-movie nuts)

Red period De Palma (for thriller seekers)

Bachelorette (for anyone thinking of getting married)

Lars Iyer, Exodus (for on the life of renowned war photographer, Don McCullin. The questionable ethics of a man adthe philosophical dicted to photographing warzones will not be alcoholic)

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (for anyone on a downward career trajectory)

Huge, sprawling American novel of the ‘big’ variety. Meyer gained media attention this year for his method approach to researching the traditions of Comanche Indians, drinking a pint of buffalo blood to accurately describe the taste. The whole book reads like it was written by the kind of man who does stuff like that daily.

Shaun Usher, Letters of Note (for someone you know nothing about) The culmination of the excellent Letters of Note blog, this project shows the great and good in a more human light. Probably doesn’t contain this gem from Kurt Vonnegut’s letters, also released this year: “There is no chance I could ever respond warmly to upper class sensibilities, no matter how brilliantly expressed.

This is politics. Example: T.S. Eliot. Fuck him.

Everybody knows he’s from St. Louis – everybody except him.”

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Alan Partridge on DVD. On Blu-ray and DVD from StudioCanal

resolved in these glossy images, but his talent for snapping the human cost of conflict is undeniable.

Margaret Atwood, MaddAddam (for that girl in the library you should probably stop following home)

Another final part of a trilogy, MaddAddam completes what was started with Oryx and Crake with Atwood bringing together many of the loose threads in her dystopian universe. Speculative fiction though, definitely not sci-fi. Definitely not.

Michael Pederson, Play With Me (for someone who feels like you do about things) Edinburgh’s own Michael Pederson, pouring his heart and soul and regurgitated pints into the gutter for all to see. Spinning the low and the high brow into a heady mix, these verses on sex, longing, grief and travel reminded us how vibrant a thing poetry can (and probably should) be.

Junot Diaz, This Is How You Lose Her (for your terrible ex, who you are totally over) A lot of people wax lyrical about his Pulitzer-winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but Diaz has always been a master of the short form.

Whomever you give this to will wince in recognition at some version of themselves making all the wrong decisions to torpedo their relationship.

Tao Lin, Taipei (for someone replete with style and devoid of content) This was the worst book of the year and a lot of people loved it.

You will find all of these books in your local independent book shop, as well as on the internet

Don McCullin, Don McCullin (for those that like their coffee table slathered in gore) Released to accompany the fascinating documentary

FILM / BOOKS

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All I Want For Christmas Is...

Photography: David Anderson Styling: Alexandra Fiddes This page (clockwise from top left): Cyan Wallet by Coccinelle at Covet, www.thoushaltcovet.com, £85 Grey Birdy Bow Tie by Fiona Heather, www.fionaheather.co.uk, £30 Phone Case by Skinnydip London, www.skinnydiplondon.com (also available at River Island), £18 Blue Cut Collar by Steph Parr at GSA, www.gsa.ac.uk/shop, £40 Coin Pouch by Adrian Baird Bathan at Concrete Wardrobe, www.concretewardrobe.com, £11.50 Triangle Earrings by Lucie Ellen at The Red Door Gallery, www.edinburghart.com, £8.50 Sky Blue small pouch by Coccinelle at Covet, www.thoushaltcovet.com, £40 Ad Astra Drop Pendant by Patience Jewellery, www.patiencejewellery.com, £390

Opposite (clockwise from top): Herringbone Scarf by Edition Scotland, www.editionscotland.com, £149 Icon Bangle by Patience Jewellery, www.patiencejewellery.com, £450 White Cut Collar by Steph Parr at GSA, www.gsa.ac.uk/shop, £40 Small Duffle Bag by Laura Spring, www.lauraspring.co.uk, £95 Pink Pom Pom Phone Charm by Skinnydip London, www.skinnydiplondon.com, £6 Carrot Etui Make-up Bag by Smaak at Covet, www.thoushaltcovet.com, £35 Phone Case by Skinnydip London, www.skinnydiplondon.com, £18 www.dnanderson.co.uk www.alexandrafiddes.co.uk

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FASHION

THE SKINNY

December 2013

FASHION

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THUNDER DISCO CLUB

Throwdown NYE with

SAM VITAMINS

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OpenMic_Quiz.indd 1

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21/05/2012 15:05

THE SKINNY

Cheer and Present Danger: A Food Gift Guide Christmas is a difficult time laden with expectations, greed, and roasted meat. We don’t intend to make it any easier in our precisely half-serious food and drink gift guide with a title borrowed from Farmville BOOZE Start as you mean to go on, eh? In the festive season you can’t move for boozy gift packs ready to fling in one of those horrible bags people use when they can’t be arsed to wrap a present properly, but we’re here to recommend the classier of the boozy gift packs. The Mint Julep Gift Pack from Buffalo Trace fits the bill – it contains a bottle of bourbon and a steel julep cup. The metal cup is key here, allowing the recipient to kick back like a true Southern gentleman, cooling themselves with their beverage and calling passers-by ‘boy’ for no good reason. Various stockists, from £23, deckchair and preposterous accent sold separately.

But what if your gift target isn’t refined?

What if they’re a shouty, boorish, unsubtle headcase who likes skulls and Ghostbusting and ROCK? You get them the Rolling Stones edition of Dan Aykroyd’s brand of vodka. The Crystal Head Vodka 50th Anniversary Rolling Stones Limited Edition gift set is a real thing that exists, containing a glass skull full of vodka with a Rolling Stones-branded crystal top, a live Stones album, and a display box with a zip on the front.

It’s garish and a little bit creepy, there are giant cartoon tongues all over it, and it’s endorsed by a Ghostbuster. The three wise men must be spinning in their graves. Amazon.co.uk, £90

Words: Peter Simpson Illustration: Heather More

ready own these devices, and demand more from their presents. Two words: WiFi kettle. Three more words: in-car espresso machine. The WiFi Kettle works in tandem with your smartphone, letting you start the boil from anywhere in your home; still needs you to fill it with water though, so it’s literally pointless. Firebox.co.uk, £99 The Handspresso Auto plugs into the cigarette lighter of your motor car and pumps out rich, full-bodied espresso. If you want to give someone the chance to burn themselves in a particularly pungent way this Christmas, look no further. Handspresso.co.uk, £139

KITCHENWARE What to get the sibling who likes to cook? A spoon? Seems a bit meagre. A large spoon? Might come over a bit sarcastic. A set of spoons? What if they only make oriental food, and have no need for spoons? The key is to go for something safe, practical, but with a fun twist. Something like a Peanut Butter Maker.

Peanuts go in, unspecified food technology does its thing, peanut butter comes out. Vats of the stuff, from the images we’ve seen. It’s the perfect present, unless the intended recipient doesn’t like peanut butter, in which case you’ll get to keep hold of it. It really is the perfect present. Prezzybox.com, £45 If they don’t like peanuts, buy them a gun.

Relax, it’s the PolyScience Smoking Gun – you TEA AND COFFEE A well-chosen gift here will see the recipient view use it to smoke pieces of meat or fish in the comfort of your own home. It comes with two varieyou as some kind of benevolent god who brings light and goodness to their mornings. Going with ties of smoking sawdust and runs on AA batteries so you can take it anywhere. Please don’t tell an elaborate and slightly over-involved tea or coffee gift adds to the effect, so go for something Phagomania about it or we’ll never get out of the like the Magic Tea Press from Edinburgh tea mer- office alive. molecularmixology.co.uk, £59 chants Eteaket. It’s a mini loose leaf teapot-slashmagic trick, with the tea dispensing from the PETS bottom into a mug of your choosing. Your friends There’s only one option for those of you who and family will see the tea, and see that it is good. buy presents for your dogs – the Doggie Biscuit Eteaket, £19 Maker.

For the coffee lovers, a Brew Kit from Yes, it’s a dedicated kit for making your own Machina Espresso can bring café-quality cofdog biscuits! It has little moulds and shapes and fee, and all its intricacies, into your tiny kitchen. everything! Use all the ingredients dogs love, like A grinder, pot, and filter mug are all included, marrow and offal! Get your hands right in that leaving you to wrap it all up and decide whether offal! Sculpt the offal! Don’t put it away, that’s or not to give instructions on how it all works. the dog’s present! Remember kids, whatever you See how you feel on Christmas morning. Machina happen to dish out to unsuspecting friends, family and animals this month – presents are for life, Espresso, £55 not just for Christmas. Prezzybox.com, £40 Of course, the True Hot Drinks Elite will al

Food News This month’s food round-up features very loud singing, technical chit-chat, cold buildings and lots of drinking.

It is festive though, honest Words: Peter Simpson

December 2013

A

h, December. While all of Scotland dons seasonal jumpers and chows on roast dinners every night, your friendly neighbourhood food writers lock themselves away Bob Cratchitstyle to count up your Food and Drink Survey votes. We’ll need a drink at the end of all this, so this month’s food news has a somewhat liquid theme. It is Christmas, so let’s be extravagant and get some high culture involved to start us off.

The Opera Wintry Show sees WEST Brewery combine an evening of their cracking German beers with some operatic warblings in the brewery. Drink in the culture, marvel at the hops, and laugh a little inside every time you remember that the event is called ‘The Opera Wintry Show.’ Good work, WEST, good work. 4 & 5 Dec, Templeton Building, Glasgow Green, £15

From the magic of music to a Christmas miracle. Yes, this holiday season, you can meet a brewer! The Hanging Bat’s latest beer event sees Hawkshead brewery take the place over for an evening of beer chat, beer-drinking, and… well, more of those first two. Expect a huge range of drinks, a whole load of dramatic hop discussion, and a few ill-advised New Year’s Resolutions to “do beer just like you do” to be made. 18 Dec, Hanging Bat, Lothian Rd Edinburgh, £20 (inc 5 beers and food) For those who want to eat, A Christmas Cartel has you covered and then some. The festive outing of the regular nights at Glasgow’s SWG3, food comes courtesy of American street food whizzes scoop and their shiny, shiny van, as well as pad BKK’s brilliant ad-hoc Thai kitchen.

It’s an American/Asian street dinner in a freezing

FOOD AND DRINK

Glasgow warehouse – if that doesn’t scream ‘Christmas magic’ we don’t know what does.

SWG3, 100 Eastvale Place, 6, 7, 13 & 14 Dec, £5 We finish this month with Winterbeerfest, a month-long celebration of Scottish and UK beer that proves that all one needs for an effective and unique brand is a laptop with no spacebar. Snark about the name aside, Winterbeerfest sees a whole host of beers turn up at a whole host of venues across Dundee and Edinburgh.

Holyrood 9A, The Southern and the Red Squirrel in Edinburgh, as well as Dundee’s Duke’s and Drouthy’s will all carry you into the new year on a raft of tasty craft beer. Wait, New Year? Really?

As well as Christmas, and this Food Survey? We’ll have to leave you to it, folks. See you in January...

Winterbeerfest, 18 Dec-18 Jan.

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Phagomania: Christmas Special Put down that tinsel and throw away that angel you made at school in the early 90s. Bring some festive glamour into your home with our look at ‘edible’ Christmas ‘decorations’

Words: Lewis MacDonald

Around the World in 20 Drinks: Finland In the last of our series on the wide world of booze, we head to Santa’s homeland – Finland – for some ethical beer, suspicious spirit, and lovely sparkling mead Words: Peter Simpson SANTA HAT PRETZELS

BURGER BASKET DECORATION

CANDY COOKIE CONES

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o here it is – we find ourselves in Yule time once again. A time of year that I like to think brings out the Phagomaniac in everybody. Yes, all those attempts to bring that bit of Christmas magic and childish joy. All those people who won’t settle for just buying something but crafting it by blood, sweat and tears.

We’ve all been there – a friend or relative going to town on some indulgent, Christmassy decoration, you walking in to audibly wonder where it all went wrong whilst chewing on some kind of roasted meat.

For this month, our criteria were simple: over-the-top Christmas decorating involving food in some way. Most of our entrants that came up trumps happened to be from over the pond. Christmas? Over-the-top decorating? In the USA? We’re as shocked as you are.

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First up, admire those Santa hat pretzels.

This is the moment when you realise the true potential of the pretzel. Are they any good? We don’t even know! Do we all now want one? Yes! Next up, ‘candy cookie cones,’ which are chocolate chip cookie-filled ice cream cones, decorated with icing, and packed with more sweets, before presumably being dipped into an oversized bowl of sugar and diabetes medication.

All fine and good, but some of you are probably wanting to go a nice vintage snack while you’re doing your decorating. Well, here is a slab of REAL LIFE retro Christmas cake action for you.

Jellied Christmas pudding.

That’s a whole load of traditional ingredients, set in jelly. Remember our look at ‘retro’ food a couple of months back? Thought you’d

blocked out the wobbly mayonnaise abuse? Well think again, pal, because this is happening.

This creation came courtesy of our Australian friends’ bad jelly blog, explorers of long lost recipes. They got in touch to confirm that this one-time family favourite was “absolutely revolting.”

Finally, if you were wondering what to get us for Christmas, we have found just the thing.

Hang some Phagomania on your tree with this burger basket tree decoration. Go on, you deserve it. Interpret that as you will. orientaltrading.com couponclippingcook.com badjellyblog.com SurLaTable.com

FOOD AND DRINK

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inland seems a good place to finish our global booze jaunt – besides their sheltering of Santa in Lapland for so many years, the fact that they celebrated the end of their ill-fated attempt at prohibition in 1932 with a literal countdown to 5/4/32 at 10am tells us that these are our kind of people.

Exhibit A: Kukko beer, one of the more ethical and inclusive products we’ve featured in this column. The Finnish brewery’s drinks are produced in a plant powered entirely by wind turbines so the whales and pandas are happy, and all but one of the beers are gluten free which keeps the intolerant among us happy. Crucially, reports suggest that the loss of gluten and the lack of deadly carbon emissions haven’t impacted unduly on the finished product. As anyone who has ever chewed on a piece of gluten-free toast with the taste and texture of a bathmat will tell you, that is easier said than done.

When it’s time for something stronger, the Finns break out the Lakkalikööri. It’s a spirit based on the cloudberry, a frankly odd fruit that looks like a cross between a tomato and Sloth from 80s kids’ classic The Goonies. It’s a sweet and interesting drink, we’re told, but there’s very little else to report. It’s the standard suspicious pale spirit – interesting for the first few then all of a sudden questions start being asked about whether reindeer can fly. Besides, it’s not like you can make it at home or anything like that.

That’s where Sima comes in. Finnish mead with a little bit of a sparkling edge, it’s a lowpercentage hooch that combines honey, lemon, water, yeast and a plastic bottle. Chuck in a few raisins, and when they rise to the top a couple of days later you’ve got yourself… well, some cloudy and slightly suspicious booze. Perfect if you need a late gift direct from Santa himself, and as this column has shown over the last year-and-ahalf, you could do a whole lot worse.

THE SKINNY

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December 2013

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THE SKINNY

Gig Highlights December’s live highlights include retro rockers Rocket From The Crypt, industrial disco trio Factory Floor, the return of Pop Will Eat Itself, and a Hogmanay extravaganza with Pet Shop Boys, Django Django and CHVRCHES he month of Christmas often offers slim pickings, gig-wise, what with everyone saving cash to participate in the annual consumer-fest, or conserving their units-per-day for an epic binge on Hogmanay. But lo! This year, we have a veritable advent calendar of stonking shows to share with you that don’t involve a Grant Stott cameo – December’s packed tighter than Santa’s bulging sack. That’s the seasonal puns over, we promise.

On 3 December, Glasgow’s Classic Grand welcomes coiffured 50s throwbacks (at least in hairstyles and attire) Rocket From The Crypt – it’s been a decade or more since their last album, but 1995’s breakthrough Scream, Dracula, Scream! has lost none of its charm. Charged with a phenomenal horn section, chief bellower John ‘Speedo’ Reis returns to front a band of such muscular power and snarling cool that their reunion feels more like a welcome dose of invigorating retro rock and roll, rather than some cynical cash-in on past glory. Plus, they’re exclusively offering a Gerry Rafferty cover to Scottish crowds on vinyl at the merch stand on the night.

We'll also be streaming the track on the day of the show at www.theskinny.co.uk/music The same night over in Edinburgh, Canadian aboriginal DJ collective A Tribe Called Red take up residence in The Caves – having just released their new album Nation II Nation in the UK, they’ll be on world-beating form, blending the sounds of native Canadian tribespeople with dubstep, electro, trap, moombahton and broken beat. Not just for cheesecloth shirt-wearing ‘world music’ fans, they convincingly combine bleeding-edge electronic music with more spiritual influences.

After re-assembling to curate a festival this year for All Tomorrow’s Parties, seminal 80s band Loop are on tour – they hit the Liquid Room in Edinburgh on 4 Dec. Psychedelic drones and proto-shoegaze guitars layered with motorik rhythms are the order of the day – catch these returning legends live while you can.

Back in Glasgow, members of Take a Worm For a Walk Week and former Project: Venhell vocalist Hines bring their latest project RUNGS to ye olde 13th Note – trading in anarchic noise, frantic punk and sludgy grunge, they are hard at work on their full-length debut after unleashing their frankly disgusting EP I Don’t Wanna Hug, I Just Wanna Cum! earlier this year. Support comes from Cutty’s Gym and Young Philadelphia.

It’s been an incredible year for Factory Floor – collaborating with celebrated artists at the Tate Modern and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, releasing their full-length

debut on DFA Records, and cementing their reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting experimental live bands, the trio have seemed pretty much unstoppable. Their largely improvised shows sometimes descend into out-and-out chaos, over-running as the band get locked into their techno-meets-industrial-meets-disco groove.

Miss this one and you’ll be kicking yourself into the new year (6 Dec, Stereo, Glasgow).

Industrial rock noise fetishists Deathkill 4000 welcome Dundonian party-starters Fat Goth to their monthly shindig on 7 Dec at Glasgow’s Bar Bloc. The same night, the folks behind Kelburn Garden Party welcome one of the highlights of this year’s festival, veteran rapper Dr. Syntax and his band The Mouse Outfit to Studio 24. With punchlines funnier than most comedians and a tight band featuring brass, woodwind, double bass and live drums, Syntax is one of the UK’s best rappers. Support comes from local jazz-fuelled agit-prop hip-hop sensations Ill Papa Giraffe.

On 12 Dec, SWG3 plays host to Wooden Shjips – their recent space rock workout Back To Land saw Ripley Johnson’s men meld the distinct western psychedelic bent of 2011’s West more neatly with the rhythmic possibilities of 60s krautrock. Unsurprisingly, they do not sound like a band of this time. Hallucinatory and transcendental live, you’d better squeegee your third eye for this one.

Not one but three brilliant gigs to choose between on 14 Dec. Firstly, The Twilight Sad return to The Liquid Room – before later taking to Glasgow’s King Tut’s on 20-21 Dec for a very special duo of gigs, playing the entirety of debut album Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters – a rare chance to see them return to their roots.

Over at Portobello Town Hall, Kid Canaveral present their fourth annual Christmas Baubles showcase. It’s an all-day event, featuring the cream of Scotland’s indie and folk scenes, from the honourable Edwyn Collins and The Pictish Trail, through to Siobhan Wilson and the resurgent De Rosa. Last but not least, underground hip-hop and electronic label Black Lantern Music are putting on a one-off hip-hop special at The Roxy in Glasgow, with battle-hardened rapper Gasp and Hector Bizerk’s Louie, joined by Mackenzie, facing off against some of the label’s mainstays.

On 15 Dec, dreamy singer-singwriter Kurt Vile and his band The Violators visit the Arches in Glasgow, playing tracks from his latest album, Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze. On 16 and 17 Dec, Slow Fest returns to Bloc with a host of local talent,

Siobahn Wilson

still to be fully confirmed at the time of going to press – previous years have seen The Twilight Sad and Blood Relatives in attendance; this year the first names out of the hat are the rather magnificent There Will Be Fireworks.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a comeback, and while there are plenty of pensionchasing acts of yore doing the rounds, we thought it only right and fitting to focus on the ones we loved when we were just nippers – that’s right, people who remember the 90s, it’s time to break out your undercut and Global Hypercolour t-shirt to catch The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Jesus Jones at the Picture House in Edinburgh on 17 Dec. Presumably Ned’s Atomic Dustbin were busy.

A couple of gigs to see you through the final few days before you break out the crackers and

Photo: Sonia Kerr

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Words: Illya Kuryakin

egg nog. On Christmas Eve Eve (23 Dec), catch rising stars of the Scottish shoegaze sound Sonic Hearts Foundation perform a headline set at Glasgow’s King Tut’s. On 22 Dec the Christmas Songwriters’ Club returns for the sixth year running, welcoming a who’s who of local stars to perform in the cavernous Queen’s Hall. That it has moved to such salubrious surroundings, from its initial home in Leith Dockers Club, is testament to the increasing dominance of Scottish folk-rock in recent years. Performing on the night will be Karine Polwart and Finlay Napier, Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, Broken Records, Kid Canaveral, Siobhan Wilson, We See Lights and Teen Canteen with Eugene Kelly, and Miaoux Miaoux adding a bit of electronic energy for good measure – see our Listings for the full lineup.

Pet Shop Boys, Django Django, CHVRCHES & more

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

Okay, so it’s going to be cold. Yes, there are going to be hunners of tourists there, getting in your way and generally not understanding the concept behind why you get ten points for winching a polis when the bells ring, saying ‘Happy New Year’ and getting the hand-holding wrong while singing Auld Lang Syne. But for our money, this month’s unmissable gig has got to be the main stage at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.

December 2013

Not content to host electro-pop legends the Pet Shop Boys, whose critically acclaimed Electric saw the duo reach the heights of earlier classic albums such as Very, and even approach some of their career-best moments from 1986’s Please, the organisers have booked some stellar support, in the form of electro-tinged art school psych rockers Django Django, and bona fide synth-pop sensations CHVRCHES. Brave the crowds and the sub-zero temperatures and get yourself along to this one – there will be fireworks both on and off stage.

Django Django

See Listings for times and prices

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Photo: Gemma Burke

Do Not Miss

SWG3, 8 Nov

Julia Holter

Julia Holter / Ela Orleans

CCA, 20 Nov

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A support slot from Ela Orleans is an astute choice for Julia Holter: this Glasgow-based Polish solo artist explores a similarly dreamlike world, driven by a compulsive desire to excavate cultural memory. Orleans uses loop pedals to sync spacey synth chords, otherworldly vocals and jazzy programmed percussion, against a projected backdrop of psychedelically manipulated archive footage. The overall effect is simultaneously poppy and hallucinatory, comforting and befuddling in equal measure.

Julia Holter’s relationship with the cultural ghosts haunting her music is less tangible, but equally significant: the current LP from the LA-based singer and composer, Loud City Song, was inspired by her love for the 1958 musical Gigi. On record, the sense of temporal blurring is

Photo: Iain Scott

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Californian producer oOoOO took some bold risks on his debut album Without Your Love, contributing vocals to his own tracks for the first time, alongside collaborator ML (taking the role previously occupied by breathy female vocalist Butterclock on his early recordings).

Tonight, he sings live through subtle vocoder effects on set-opener Sirens/Stay Here and later, On It. They provide the most spine-tingling and engaging moments of a dark and twisted yet delicately beautiful set, drawing on ethereal R&B on Without Your Love, dub techno and drone on the rumbling Mouchette and Crossed Wires, and angular, glitchy witch house dynamics as he unleashes twisted takes on early tracks like Mumbai and Burnout Eyess, both classic, era-defining tracks. Although not quite reaching the crepuscular atmospheric depths achieved live by former Tri-Angle labelmates The Haxan Cloak and Holy

emphasized by the blunted edges of Holter’s arrangements; live, however – with Holter on synth and vocals, accompanied by drums, sax and cello – these songs acquire a stronger sense of definition, emphasising their complexity and otherworldly qualities.

While the set draws heavily upon the recent material, last year’s Ekstasis is also well-represented: songs like Marienbad and In the Same Room, which have a spaced-out effortlessness on record, emerge here as intricate balancing acts between the four musicians. It’s one that is pulled off with aplomb: this is the last night of a long tour, and the sense of intuitive connection between the band is palpable. Holter, like Orleans, might have an unusually immersive relationship with the past, but that doesn’t stop either of them making music which doesn’t quite sound like anything else. [Sam Wiseman]

Suede

juliashammasholter.com

Suede / Teleman

Barrowlands, 27 Oct

Queens of The Stone Age

The SSE Hydro, 16 Nov

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Since making their modest Scottish debut at The Cathouse in 2000, through several memorable nights at the Barras and an enduring habit of returning to T in the Park that bit further up the bill every time, there’s no doubt that Queens of the Stone Age have legitimately earned their way to the next plateau when they greet this expectant 13,000 capacity crowd at the country’s newest (and largest) indoor venue. Any sense of occasion, though, is jeopardised by the fear that a production of this scale might diminish the raw power that got them here in the first place.

This most stable incarnation of the band (save for the recent baton passing between Joey Castillo and Dave Grohl to One Day As A Lion’s Jon Theodore) tonight trades the old grit and groove (there’ll be no Avon or Mexicola here) for melancholic boogie-woogie and smartphone waving balladry (Josh Homme even tinkles the ivories

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for The Vampyre of Time and Memory), as Queens’ setlist essentially asks fans from all eras (especially the knuckle draggers looking for a fight in the standing section) to try and move on.

Most focused on the here and now, they liberally disperse nine of ten songs from ...Like Clockwork – Homme’s uncharacteristically exposed rock opera – between direct hits and inspired reprisals from less visited corners of the catalogue; Rated R’s In the Fade and Better Living Through Chemistry, for example, are repurposed as unlikely moments of slow-burning arena rock spectacle.

By contrast, If I Had a Tail’s barbed menace, alongside a satiating encore of their hedonistic clarion call (“It’s the Feel Good Hit of the Summer, in the dead of winter,” acknowledges Homme) and Song For the Dead’s bludgeoning goodbye are potent reminders of a beast that knows when to bare its fangs. Just perhaps not always where.

[Johnny Langlands] www.likeclockwork.tv

Photo: Ross Gilmore

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Other, he shows much promise, and his seminal position as one of the definitive producers of late 00s dark electronic music is unarguable.

Mount Kimbie are on devastating form throughout tonight’s performance, as Kai Campos and Dominic Maker trade synths, guitars and drums, fully realising both the more upfront, dancier moments of Cold Spring Fault Less Youth and its more reflective moments. Break Well’s Boards of Canada-esque synth intro bursts into pounding, guitar-flecked house; Blood and Form’s angular krautrock jam is lithe and muscular.

Campos takes the lion’s share of the vocals on a tender and beautiful Sullen Ground. Slow becomes gilttering techno, while Made To Stray creeps gently into view with filtered static and muted trumpets before coalescing into fractured broken beat. It’s a confident, assured performance, strong evidence that the duo’s move away from post-dubstep to more mercurial musical climes was a shrewd one. [Bram E. Gieben]

Between the present tour slot and the Bernard Butler-produced debut album due next year, Teleman have been enjoying Suede-related patronage for a while now. Yet the Reading quartet (formed last year from the breakup of Pete and the Pirates) struggle to engage tonight’s audience, with only debut single Cristina generating much above polite applause. There are subtleties to their sound that beckon further investigation, but their qualities are soft-edged and easily lost to the building background buzz.

Of the many reformations to grace stages over the last few years, Suede are part of a relatively small minority to bolster the quality of their discographies as well as the contents of their coffers. Bloodsports was more than just a perfunctory excuse to take the 'best of' on tour: it was a resurgence that scrubbed the band’s

Bill Orcutt / With Lumps The Glad Cafe, 1 Nov

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Bill Orcutt’s following may not be large, but it makes up for that in sheer reverence and awe.

The former guitarist in Miami noise legends Harry Pussy disappeared from the scene following that outfit’s dissolution in 1997, and was reborn as a fearsomely talented acoustic player in 2009; tonight, following the release of his second solo LP A History of Every One, sees Orcutt finally make his Scottish debut.

Accordingly, there’s an atmosphere of hushed anticipation and respect which extends to the openers, improv duo With Lumps.

Entwining Neil Davidson’s hushed, minimalist acoustic stylings with Fritz Welch’s restless-yetunderstated percussive scrapings and rattlings,

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pre-split millennial slump from the record, and it rightly takes a prominent place in tonight’s set. After opening with a slow burn Still Life, they plough through Barriers, Snowblind and It Starts and Ends with You with such crowd-pleasing vigour you half expect them to continue on and complete the album there and then.

Instead, they take the excitement up another notch with songs from the peak of their popularity (Film Star, Trash) and critical acclaim (Animal Nitrate, Heroine – the latter dedicated to Lou Reed for reasons that, for those yet to hear of his passing, don’t become clear till later).

With his loose-limbed shimmy and wide-arced mic swinging, Brett Anderson remains a magnetic stage presence, and his fervour is reflected in the rows of fans young and old shaking their bits to the hits throughout. Apparently, work on Bloodsports’ successor is already underway – here’s hoping their postscript purple patch continues. [Chris Buckle] www.suede.co.uk

the pair successfully capitalise on the attention to produce a set which counterposes the values of playfulness and solemnity, spaciousness and clutter, in equal measure.

There’s a similar dynamism at work in Orcutt’s compositions, which wrench an improbable array of emotive moods from just four strings. The breathtaking dexterity of his fretwork is impossible to ignore, and therein lies his secret: only this kind of devotion, expressed within these austere, self-imposed strictures, can enable Orcutt’s distinctively cathartic and intuitive channelling of feeling. It may be years before he plays here again, but tonight’s show will leave a lasting impression. [Sam Wiseman] palilalia.com

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jassy Earl

Mount Kimbie / oOoOO

Album of the Month

Death Grips

Government Plates [Thirdworlds, Out Now]

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If cancelled shows and major label snubs are anything to go by, budding Death Grips initiates would be wise to expect the unexpected. Case in point: Government Plates, the Sacramento trio’s latest misanthropic statement to the world, was simply posted with no prior hype.

The collective’s thrilling assault of jarring punk, primal rhythms and shrill, disorientating electronics reign on lead-in track ...Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat, which is like viewing a drugfuelled rave through the rose-tinted glasses of a murderous sadist. Each consecutive cut rattles the cranium with a hybrid of

Beastmilk

Climax [Svart, 2 Dec]

American Werewolf Academy

Brendan Canning

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Out Of Place All The Time [Damnably, 9 Dec]

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Although primarily a goth/post-punk outfit, Finland’s Beastmilk draw heavily upon the tropes of extreme metal; indeed, the initial buzz around the band upon their emergence owed much to the attention of Darkthrone’s Fenriz, who praised their 2010 demo White Stains on Black Tape. Nonetheless, it’s taken three years to produce a debut proper, and Climax sounds suitably accomplished, a thundering hybrid of nightmarish goth and screeching, reverb-laden black metal riffage.

At their best, as on the pounding You Are Now Under Our Control, Beastmilk marry these influences in a genuinely thrilling way, sounding something like an absurdly overdriven Joy Division circa Unknown Pleasures; it’s not subtle, and it bears the stamp of its producer – Converge’s Kurt Ballou – in every groove. While the record’s generic hybridisation masks a slightly formulaic edge to their songwriting, that’s more than atoned for by the sheer angstridden energy on display here. [Sam Wiseman]

Goddam these songs. Just when you think you’ve seen too many straight-up powerpop bands or heard enough Guided By Voices classics getting bent outta shape, that’s when the fuckers getcha. American Werewolf Academy’s hooks will tear into your flesh and pull you apart, Hellraiser style, and you won’t even realise they’re doing so til it’s too late.

Take Freebeard – the bass-driven riff bounces pleasantly enough until the chorus, whereupon the sense of lift sends the song spiralling into euphoria. Singer Aaron Thedford is their secret weapon, with his Brian Fallon-esque tones injecting a weathered cool into the more worldly-wise numbers, while during peppier moments, he sounds uncannily like Robert Pollard (Young Wild Free is practically a paean to Isolation Drills). Surrounded by chunky chords and heroic melodies, he makes plain ol’ pop songs seem like the only thing you’ll ever need. No fancy ideas necessary: Out Of Place All The Time is killer. [Will Fitzpatrick]

beastmilk.bandcamp.com

Adrian Crowley & James Yorkston

Blazing Gentlemen [GBV Inc, 9 Dec]

My Yoke Is Heavy: The Songs of Daniel Johnston [Chemikal Underground, 6 Dec]

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gbv.com

Super Adventure Club Straight From The Dick [Armellodie, 2 Dec]

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On their previous album, Super Adventure Club recommended avoiding zombies; now, alas, they’ve become one, with Straight From The Dick arriving posthumously following the trio’s decision to separate earlier in the year.

But like a late reel hand grab from the grave, their third album delivers one final (and wholly enjoyable) shock to the system, ensuring that, should the hiatus prove definite, their twisted noise will be sorely missed.

Opener Hablo Espanol establishes the record’s manic tone, with contorted riffs and barked lines about incendiary breeks establishing SAC’s canny combo of daft lyrics, intricate guitar work and unpredictable rhythms. Few bands embrace their silly side to such a delirious degree; fewer still retain the glint of danger found in invigorating highlights like Dog with Two Dicks, which makes SAC’s demise all the more unfortunate. But there’s enough mirth and mayhem here to feed all relevant appetites, ensuring they bow out on a suitably adventurous high. [Chris Buckle]

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When exactly does Brendan Canning sleep? It seems faintly ludicrous that despite his myriad bands, soundtrack projects and DJ commitments – not to mention the still-on-hiatus Broken Social Scene – You Gots 2 Chill is somehow only his second solo record. And a very lovely thing it is too, rich in warmth and character, particularly on the windswept Never Go To The Races. “I could lie awake,” he sighs, wistfully articulating the feeling of comfortably resigning oneself to total darkness: it’s just one beautiful moment on a record full of them.

If there’s a single problem with this predominantly-acoustic collection, it’s that the chilled-out atmosphere promised by the title can make the listening experience feel a tad listless when stretched out across fourteen tracks. When he gets it right, however, as on Bullied Days and the gorgeous However Long, it’s enough to make you wonder why you bother listening to anything else. [Will Fitzpatrick]

The Warlocks

Skull Worship [Zap Banana/Cargo, 2 Dec]

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Four years after its initial low-key release, Adrian Crowley and James Yorkston’s homage to Daniel Johnston is made widely available for the first time. With its parcel-taped sleeve and hand-written inlay, the original run’s presentation (99 CD-Rs sold at Fence’s Homegame festival) neatly fit the music: eight evocative home-recordings that echo Johnston’s lo-fi tendencies whilst approximating his indelible mix of romanticism, surrealism and wistfulness.

The re-release may disperse some of that intimate, contextual aura, but otherwise the mini-album’s understated qualities remain sharp. Focussing on the decade in which Johnston’s legend was formed, Crowley and Yorkston imbue their reconstructions with nice atmospheric touches, from the echoes and vinyl crackle of True Love... to the clicks and whistles permeating Like a Monkey in a Zoo. My Yoke is Heavy is a joy for Johnston fans of all stripes.

[Chris Buckle]

PSYCH! As the drone signal lights up the night sky, it seems all manner of dark adventurers have heeded its call. The Warlocks’ cosmic soundscapes felt curiously out of place during their first flush of acclaim, during the retrospectively-underwhelming ‘New Rock Revolution,‘ but they’ve clearly kept one eye on the success of Tame Impala and scuzzier acts like Hookworms. The time is indubitably ripe for their return.

Skull Worship sees the LA noisemakers sleeker and more narcotically sublime than ever, especially on the fugged-over menace of opener Dead Generations. Bobby Hecksher’s vocals are still halfway between zoned-out and full-on psychotic, while the band are at their best when conjuring up doomed laments like Silver & Plastic. Long notes hang ponderously and mournfully over solemn strums – new moods and textures for The Warlocks, which happily means new thrills for the rest of us. File alongside Dead Meadow: veterans in serious need of rediscovery. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Chemikal.co.uk

www.thewarlocks.com

The Fauns

Lights [Invada, 2 Dec]

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Alison Garner’s mannered, half-whispered vocals are the first clue that The Fauns are very much in thrall to the apparently immortal influence of the early 90s shoegaze scene. Throbbing bass, jackhammer snare, layers of distorted guitar – Lights demonstrates a sound enough working knowledge of the sub-genre it clearly holds dear without ever really carving out enough identity to engage in depth.

In recent years, the likes of 2:54, Chelsea Wolfe and Howling Bells have grasped the dark heart of gothic pop in a fuller sense, building character atop their methodology, and displaying songwriting smarts. The Fauns settle for atmospheric effect too easily here on this, their second album. A shame, because when they get it right, as on the creeping If Ever, whose skyscraper riff tips a nod to Spacemen 3’s epoch-defining Revolution, they’re a genuine proposition. It’s the more by-numbers moments (see the drifting lullaby Give Me Your Love) that weaken the whole. [Gary Kaill] facebook.com/thefauns

superadventureclubuk.bandcamp.com

December 2013

You Gots 2 Chill [Draper Street/SQE, 2 Dec]

brendancanning.com

Robert Pollard

Even by his own effusive standards, 2013 has been a busy year for Robert Pollard. Incredibly, Blazing Gentlemen is the Ohioan’s sixth fulllength since April (for those keeping a tally, that’s one Guided by Voices album, two from Circus Devils, one as Teenage Guitar, and now two under his own name), yet there’s more to admire here than sheer prolificacy.

In fact, Blazing Gentlemen is notably consistent and crisp, with the economical pop of Storm Center Level Seven, the stuttering guitars of Lips of Joy and the tempo-switching strut of My Museum Needs an Elevator all helping make it one of the most satisfying entries in his solo discography thus far. The only significant criticism is one of context. As his output proliferates, keeping up becomes a challenge only the most devotional can commit to, likely robbing Blazing Gentlemen of the attention it deserves. In all other respects, however, chalk this one up as a hit. [Chris Buckle]

styles, some harsh, others (relatively) muted; Whatever I Want and the title track both toy with downtempo glitch when they’re not being savaged by Stefan Burnett’s distorted, aggressive jeers.

It’s easily their most abstract record yet, plunging deeper into the bleak, futuristic abyss they peered down into on last year’s NO LOVE DEEP WEB. Tracks don’t blend together as much as they stutter and malfunction in order to give way to more sonic depravity. As such, it’s at times a challenging listen – even by their standards – but one that further empowers their merciless, selfserving legacy. [Ross Watson]

There Will Be Fireworks

The Dark, Dark Bright [Comets & Cartwheels, Out Now]

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For a band intimately familiar with the power of grand crescendos and bristling upsurges, the near silence that followed There Will Be Fireworks’ self-titled debut has been something of an uncharacteristic anti-climax: almost five years with nowt but a stopgap EP to keep hopes alive that they’d make good on their early promise. The Dark, Dark Bright belatedly achieves just that.

Even before hearing a note, the archaic syntax in the title of opener And Our Hearts Did Beat indicates they haven’t lost their high-drama impulses – a suspicion confirmed upon pressing play and receiving a poetic sample, gently strummed acoustic guitar, Nicky McManus’s impassioned vocals and a closing flurry of orchestral noise. If Our Hearts… indicates continuing strengths, River is the first of several to showcase new ones, its maelstrom of fiery howls and icy guitars setting a benchmark intensity for all that follows. A well-crafted return from a band once feared fizzled out but now burning brighter than ever. [Chris Buckle] therewillbefireworks.com

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Baubles, Labels, and Sliding Doors After a banner year which saw the release of his eighth studio album, Understated, Edwyn Collins invites Kid Canaveral’s David MacGregor and Kate Lazda to his London studio to muse on the festive season, independence, and how he could’ve ran the internet

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hat do you ask a man who has been the driving force behind not one, but two independent record labels – Postcard Records, cofounded with Alan Horne, and his current imprint AED which he runs with wife Grace Maxwell – the first of which arguably sparked a Scottish musical renaissance in the 1980s that delivered a blueprint of possibility to generations of bedroom musicians, producers and pop dreamers? A man who has experienced the highs and lows of international pop fame and exhaustive world-touring, following global hit A Girl Like You in the mid1990s? A man who has suffered life-threatening and altering illnesses and emerged on the other side with two albums boasting some of the most energetic, upbeat and excellent music of his 31year career so far?

This was the question I found myself sweating over when The Skinny asked me and Kate from Kid Canaveral to go and have a chat with Edwyn Collins ahead of our annual end-of-year shindig Christmas Baubles IV, at which he is appearing.

We swapped our guitars for Dictaphones and notepads, then headed to Edwyn’s London studio for a memorable hour of questions, answers and anecdotes.

We meet Edwyn and Grace in the car park outside their studio and are informed triumphantly by Grace that the boiler has been fixed and we’ll not have to suffer the November elements. Not that this would’ve been a problem, given the natural warmth the pair exude as hosts. We’re given a tour of the facilities, and wide-eyed looks of excitement are exchanged between myself and Kate as we’re shown dozens of guitars, several of which recongisable from record sleeves in our personal collections. Coffee and tea is served and it’s half an hour before the tape recorder is turned on, such is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the studio lounge.

Our anticipated one hour interview will run, unnoticed, into four-and-a-half. A bottle of wine that’s “just kicking about” in the kitchen appears somewhere in the middle. I never claimed to be a journalist, OK? Grace Maxwell is a force of nature, and still displays the sharp wit and provocative humour typical of her native west coast of Scotland, despite having been in London for over 30 years.

She goads Edwyn as “the man who hasn’t paid a phone bill since 1982,” which he admits, with a chuckle, is in fact correct. This is by no means the last appearance of the man’s infectious laugh, as he proves himself to be a very animated and good-humoured interviewee. Grace has been acting as Edwyn’s manager since she took on the job for Orange Juice in the mid-80s and currently runs AED Records with her husband. “The whole idea was to be independent,” she says.

“The whole thrust of 30 years, it doesn’t matter if you’re skint, you have to plough your own furrow.

I’m not an artistic person but if you don’t understand that it’s about the fucking art then I’m not interested.” It is clear that these days they very much come as a team. Elaborating on his occasional administrative lapses, Collins recounts staff at his local DHSS office back in the 1980s inviting him into a back room of the office to inform him, while holding a copy of the NME open at a photo of him performing with Orange Juice, that his benefits were going to come to an end.

The conversation drifts naturally towards the current state of the music industry. AED is a label we have great affinity with, given that Kid Canaveral started out releasing records in 2007 on our own label Straight to Video Records. We share an unshakeable belief that, despite the

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Interview: David MacGregor Photo: Gemma Burke

many benefits the internet has brought over the last 15 years, there remains a place for the physical product. Thankfully this is a value that our current label Lost Map Records also holds dear.

Vinyl releases are at the centre of AED’s ethos and sales figures for Edwyn’s last two albums are proof that regardless of what the major labels would like us to believe, the majority of people willing to invest their hard-earned cash in music do want something to put on the shelf as well as on their mp3 player. “Far, far more physical copies are sold [than people might think],” he says. “If you make a nice product people want it. We know people who are buying records who don’t have a record player.”

Before his stroke in 2005, Edwyn was always the “the tech-savvy one” and Grace is of the firm belief that if the internet had existed in 1979, Postcard would have taken over the world.

“Edwyn would have been brilliant at the internet,” she says. “The mistake people make is that they think they’ve got the internet and it will do it all for them. But you’ve still got be interesting. You can’t bore people to death. You can’t expect people to be interested if you’re not interesting.”

In 1998 Collins appeared on Newsnight to debate what effect the internet might have on the music industry. Grace recalls, “Edwyn had done all this research, and he was so brilliant and so clever. You thought it was going to be year zero for the music industry, and you were welcoming it, weren’t you?” He agrees, adding dryly that “before my stroke I was something of an intellectual.

The head of MCA said something like ‘well we’ve been through all this before with cassettes...’”

“Back in the Orange Juice days I was scared shitless.

Nowadays I am confident” Edwyn Collins

As well as recording his own music, Edwyn also produces the majority of the albums released on AED at their West Heath studio. Edwyn and Grace built their first studio, “a tiny place near Ally Pally,” so he would never again have to ask a record label if they were allowed to record an album, or have anyone “telling him what to do.”

Grace describes this as Edwyn’s second stage of independence after Postcard. “It was a bit of a nightmare,” she starts. “But we got the album made that had A Girl Like You on it [Gorgeous George, 1994]. The idea was to have a studio where you could make your own records and produce people, and that money would allow him to make records. He didn’t go, ‘I’ll make a record that will have a track on it that will go nuts.’ We didn’t know that was going happen.”

Collins looks at Grace and sheepishly brings up the thorny issue of a sample in the aforementioned smash hit. “You know the drums? 1-2-3, Len Barry.” Grace shoots him a look both loving and withering. “Yep, there’s a sample,” she says.

“You didn’t tell me about that did you?” At this point, Edwyn starts to sing a Len Barry number.

Grace continues, “No-one even knows that song but Len Barry noticed. We got done retrospectively. Usually Edwyn’s songs came out in obscurity and no-one noticed anyway!”

When asked what he enjoys most – producing or performing – Collins states that he is “split 50/50,” with a look of devilment in his eyes. It’s clear that his studio is a place where he feels totally at home. “Back in the Orange Juice days, it was a problem to interpret my songs,” says Edwyn. “Working with producers. Nowadays it’s easy.” I put it to him that his albums since his illness have been really focussed and upbeat, to which he responds, “Before my stroke I was maybe a little bit depressed. And after my stroke I’m happy generally. Full of vigour!

“Back in the Orange Juice days I was scared shitless. Nowadays I am confident. Listen to me, I had a stroke but I am now confident about myself and my abilities. I’ve evolved as a songwriter but back in the Orange Juice days I was naïve. I couldn’t play my instrument.” Asked if he tackles songwriting differently to when he started out, Collins describes using a “Sony tape recorder. £20. I got the chorus first, then a verse. But the chorus was relatively easy, the verse is a bit of a nightmare. Dilemna I did on my tape recorder up in Helmsdale. I did the trumpets and the harmonies. And then the chorus [Edwyn starts singing some of recent single Dilemna]. In the studio we do the guitar, and Paul Cook does the drums.”

His path could’ve been very different, though. Edwyn recalls his dismay at being kicked out of the hard rock/prog band Onyx in which he

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was the banjo and ukulele player in his earlier years in Dundee. “I came up with the name!” he remonstrates.

Given that the reason we are sitting across from each other is a Christmas Show, I apologise in advance of asking what a typical Christmas in the Collins-Maxwell house is like. Grace courteously obliges us with, “up in Helmsdale, some in London, but they always used to be in Glasgow with my sister, she’s Christmas berserk!” This prompts some debate between Grace and Edwyn over the festive merits of Chuck Berry, and a ringing endorsement from both for The Temptations’ Christmas album. “It’s a belter!” says Edwyn.

“Their version of Silent Night is pretty out there…”

After a lot of amusing family chat and an anecdote about some middle-eastern royalty that may be considered libellous, Grace eventually brings things back into focus by asking, “So, what do you think of Christmas, Edwyn?”

“I’m 50/50” he replies, with another burst of that laugh.

Kid Canaveral’s Christmas Baubles IV featuring Edwyn Collins, Siobhan Wilson, The Pictish Trail, De Rosa and This Many Boyfriends takes place at Portobello Town Hall on 14 Dec. Kid Canaveral also play Christmas Songwriters’ Club at The Queen’s Hall on 22 Dec www.edwyncollins.com

THE SKINNY

Dirty Dozen Xmas: Kid Canaveral With their Christmas Baubles jamboree fast approaching, we ask Kid Canaveral to assess the season’s crop of festive songs, separating the crackers from the crap...

Interview: Chris Buckle Photography: Jayjay Robertson

Bright Eyes – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [from A Christmas Album, Saddle Creek, Out Now] The Skinny: This is from their 2002 Christmas album, which has just been re-released on vinyl.

David: It’s a bit… dull.

Rose: But I don’t think that’s their fault – I think this is one of the more boring Christmas traditionals…

D: Aye it’s their fault – no one forced them to record it!

Scott: I’d give this 6.

D: SIX?!? I’d say that’s very generous…

R: It’s fine. If I had a trendy shop I’d play it.

D: It’s the musical equivalent of having an uncomfortable chat with a distant relative on Christmas Day – unwelcome and boring.

Kate: We’re setting the bar really low. Let’s go 5.

Future of the Left – The Real Meaning of Christmas [from How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident, Prescriptions, Out Now] D: It’s certainly more exciting than Bright Eyes.

They have some amazing lyrics normally – I liked that one ‘where were you when Russell Brand discovered fire?’ This one could do with some sleigh bells though.

R: Yeah, sleigh bells would really make this…

K: Still, we should go high – 8.

Olaf the Singing Snowman – In Summer [from Disney’s Frozen, in cinemas 6 Dec] D, watching the accompanying video and looking displeased: Is he drinking whisky? And why’s he not melting?

R: He doesn’t know about melting! He’s never known anything but the cold, and this is his summer fantasy! I imagine there’s a tragic twist…

D: This is making me want to throw up.

R: It’s making me want to cry!

D: It’s fucking horrendous.

R: It’s not – if you were 7 years old…

D: If I was 7 I’d still know that snowmen melt!

R: 9?

D: If you give that a 9 I quit the band.

K: I don’t think that can have more than 2 or 3.

R: 5! In my shop I’d have that and Bright Eyes, on a loop. It’s a strange shop.

Erasure – Make it Wonderful [from Snow Globe, Mute, Out Now] R: There are some big expectations here.

D: Just waiting for a big chorus…

Chorus comes and goes.

R: Well it’s not really reaching lofty heights is it?

D: I really like Erasure, and I think that’s making me sympathetic towards this.

R: I don’t hate it. It might be a grower.

D: They’re just damned by their own back catalogue. Erasure would get a 10, but this… 6.

Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals [from Bitter Rivals, Lucky Number, Out Now] D: That sounded like Limp Bizkit for a while…

R, singing: ‘You’re my butterfly, sugar baby.’ Sorry, that’s really harsh – no one wants to be compared to Crazy Town…

S: I think that should get 3.

Skinny: That puts it level with Olaf the Singing Snowman…

December 2013

R: I preferred Olaf. That had charm.

S: What happened to us being nice?

Leona Lewis – One More Sleep [Syco Music, Out Now] R: Oh good, the most boring woman in pop…

D: ‘Five more nights sleeping on my own’ – is she going to shag Santa?

K: I think this is alright. It has the catchiest chorus so far.

R: But it’s really boring. It’s more clichéd than the Disney song.

D: It makes me think I should be panicking in a supermarket.

K: I think this might be a 5 as well. We have to give it some points for being so Christmassy…

R: It’s so clichéd though! Plagiarism should not be rewarded!

D: We’ll say 4.

Eminem feat. Nate Ruess – Headlights [from The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Aftermath/Shady/Interscope, Out Now] R: Is that Dido singing?

D: I think it’s Dr Dre… S, noticing how much of the song has passed: Hold on where’s Eminem?

Marshall starts rapping; the band start sniggering.

K: Can we give this 1?

D: No! He loves his mother, you can’t give him 1!

S: I think I’ve heard enough.

R: It sounds like an album track.

D: An East 17 album track…

R: ‘Cleaning out my closet’ – ah, a reference to another Eminem song. Either that or it’s something he does often.

K: Maybe he does it at Christmas?

Run the Jewels – A Christmas Fucking Miracle [from Run the Jewels, Fool’s Gold, Out Now] R: Well there’s some jingle bells…

D: ‘Doesn’t get his portion’ – that can be a problem at tables of large families.

S: It’s definitely better than Eminem anyway…

K: It is better than Eminem, though I think it lulled us into a false security, because it started so Christmassy.

R: I think there should be more songs that mix swearing and jingle bells.

The Skinny: Is hip-hop something you would usually listen to?

D: All the hip-hop albums I’ve got are older ones like Jurassic 5 and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, so I wouldn’t say I was in touch! Shall we give that 6?

R: I think higher.

D: OK, 7. It had sleigh bells and lots of words. And he was on about Christmas dinner, and that’s tough.

Kurt Vile – Snowflakes are Dancing [from Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze, Matador, Out Now] D: I like this – it’s soothing.

It’s the kind of thing I can imagine lying in the Meadows listening to, trying to block out a djembe player.

R: Yeah this is good. I’d like to listen to the album.

K: What’s our highest score so far? 8? Then let’s give that 9.

D: Now there’s only one place left to go…

AC/DC – Highway to Hell [from Highway to Hell, Sony Music CMG, Out Now] Playing with decorations, pulling crackers and examining the (rather rubbish) gifts inside...

R: A set square!

D: I’ve got a wee thimble!

K: I’ve got two jokes here. Let’s see… ‘What’s the smelliest animal on the farm?’ This is terrible…

R: Well objectively speaking I’d probably say the cows.

K: The toilet duck!

D: You don’t get ducks on farms! Maybe in idyllic fucking brochures…

K: ‘Why did the onion cry?’

D: Because he was struggling with being a sentient vegetable?

K: ‘Because he accidentally cut himself.’

The Skinny, steering conversation back to task at hand: So, any thoughts on the campaign to have AC/DC as Christmas number one?

R: I think those contrarians are trying to steal Christmas out of the mouths of…

D: Jesus?

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R: …charity, and they’re missing the point, which is we should be funnelling money into Simon Cowell’s pocket.

D: Maybe he’ll release our next album?

R: Oh, please let us sign to SyCo! D: You’re only saying that so you can hang out with SuBo. K: Just give that 8.

The Skinny: Speaking of SuBo… Susan Boyle and Elvis Presley – O Come All Ye Faithful [Syco, 9 Dec] K: It’s not a duet with dead Elvis is it? Oh my god it is…

Elvis pipes up.

D: Oh Jesus Christ.

K: I think this might have to get zero. There’s no reason to do a duet with dead Elvis.

R: SuBo can do what she likes!

D: For the record, we love SuBo but dead Elvis can go fuck himself.

K: Definitely zero. I think any duet with a dead person is out.

R: I think it’s realising the dream of life after death, which is what we’re supposed to think about at Christmas…

The Skinny: I’d say that’s more of an Easter theme…

R: In that case it should be Easter number one.

D: Can you make sure it’s clear that we love SuBo? Unfortunately dead Elvis has dragged her down…

TRACK OF THE MONTH: Bad Religion – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [from Christmas Songs, Epitaph, Out Now] R: Now this is a Christmas cover.

D: I could imagine falling off a table to this.

K: I’d definitely play this album at Christmas. I think it’s really fun.

R: Do you think McBusted will do a Christmas album?

D: I don’t want to talk about that…

K: I think that one has to get 10.

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Fireplace Acoustic Sessions

Diner by day. Drinks by night

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Every Friday $5 S h a k e 6th- Elmo 13th- Florist 20th- Universal Vibes 27th- Fionn Gaze

FREE ENTRY 9.00pm

Build up to christmas with free live music December 5th:

Secret guest

December 12th: Panda su + Randolphs Leap December 19th: Guest (My Toy Miller)

Saturday 7th - Ross H 14th - Ricky Reid 21st - Potty 28th - lEL

There Will Be Fireworks Album out now

9pm-1am Upstairs Bar

www.cometsandcartwheels.com

Blood Relatives Album out now

J O U R N A L I S M

Illustration: Emer Tumilty

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December Djs

Woodlands Road Glasgow

THE SKINNY

Jason Molina Remembered

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first met Jason Molina in September 1995; I was 18 and he was 21 or 22. This was before the first Songs:Ohia record. I’d just moved to Glasgow and I was getting heavily involved in the music scene.

Jason and I both had singles coming out on Will Oldham’s Palace Records. Will had mentioned Jason to me during a telephone conversation, saying that his music sounded ‘very old.’ One day I received an unexpected and intriguing letter from Jason, on blue airmail paper in an elegant and old-fashioned script. It might have been sent from the 19th century (that is, from a North America of the 1800s as imagined by a teenage Scot who hadn’t been there).

We began to exchange letters. Jason was living in London on exchange from Oberlin College.

I remember the general tone of his letters rather than what they contained, but I do recall a couple of sentences: ‘Have you owls in Scotland?

One does hoot outside my window as I write.’ This was before the internet, email and the ‘digital music revolution.’ Then, all my recording was done at home to four-track cassette, and I suppose it was similar with Jason – but I hadn’t yet heard a note of his music.

We spoke on the telephone and I found he was a down-to-earth fellow, contrary to the impression that his letters might have given me – and very friendly. I had expected to be intimidated by him – but I was easily intimidated back then. We agreed to meet, and I rode to London on a free coach taking students to a protest (not that I was apolitical, but I don’t remember what the protest was about, and I am sure my presence was not missed). So that was the first time we met. At that point he had long hair in a ponytail and seemed inseparable from his leather jacket. We spent three or four days exploring London, stopping here and there for coffee or food, visiting galleries and some of Jason’s favourite spots, and talking.

I am sure Jason, bright and boundlessly energetic, did most of the talking, because I was a shy lad back then. I remember him spontaneously bursting into wordless song as we walked – clearly a born musician. Jason talked about Ohio and I about Scotland. We discussed music, inevitably (Kraftwerk, Trans Am, Gene Autry and Merle Haggard), art (Joseph Cornell, Cy Twombly) and literature (Edna St Vincent Millay, Seamus Heaney), all subjects about which he was very knowledgeable and passionate. We spent time with other American students; sitting in a cafe on the banks of the Thames, I remember that the subject of ‘Meat Henge’ came up. This was an idea that Jason and his friends (although I suspect it was mostly Jason) had had for a conceptual rock opera featuring a megalith hewn not of stone but of animal flesh. This was an inkling of

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Jason’s sense of humour, or at least one aspect of it.

I remember sitting one evening in Jason’s flat, candles lit, him singing and playing his fourstring tenor guitar for about an hour. This was the first time I had heard that music, that sounded so unfathomably old and wise, belying his relative youth, its sombreness in contrast to his apparently up-beat personality. The first thing I heard him sing was an old song about the Erie Canal, then Freedom, Part 2 from that first Palace Records single. Jason had heard that there was a ‘traditional music’ session going on so a group of us went along. He introduced himself to the assembled musicians who were seated in a closed group around a table, their backs to the pub.

Jason sang Freedom and they responded favourably before closing the circle again.

Eventually I caught a train back to Glasgow, carrying a cassette of Jason’s songs – demos for the first Songs:Ohia LP on Secretly Canadian. I spent the long Perthshire winter of 1995 listening to it. It still moves me most of all Jason’s music, despite everything great he made and all that he achieved later.

In 2000 I went to Lincoln, Nebraska to record with Jason. The Ghost Tropic LP emerged from these sessions. Apart from The Lioness LP session at Chem 19 near Glasgow (with Arab Strap and drummer Geof Comings) earlier that year, on which I played on one song, this was my first real experience of working with him in the studio, and it was fascinating and deeply rewarding. In some senses he had a really clear idea of what he wanted – the songs were within him and simply had to come out – but in terms of the arrangements and what drummer Shane Aspegren and I came up with, and how engineer Mike Mogis recorded it, he liked to be surprised and was prepared to take our ideas on board.

Jason played each song once for us to learn it – songs more defined by mood than by structure, so it was more a case of tapping into that than learning lots of chord changes. We’d play each song a few times, then record two or three takes. Jason liked doing things as live – and as quickly – as possible. I’m not sure whether that remained true throughout his career, but I suspect that his fondness for capturing that spontaneous and unrepeatable moment of creation, live and in the studio, was with him until the end. I believe that Jason possessed that quality which in an Andalucian flamenco singer might be called duende – the music’s spirit coursing through him.

Later, I was fortunate to tour with Jason.

A trip through Florida and the South with Magnolia Electric Co. sticks in my mind keenly. I will always be very grateful to Jason for inviting

me along – it’s difficult to imagine that I would ever have been able to travel in and experience those places otherwise, and there can’t be many Scottish musicians who have had that opportunity. Thanks, Jason.

By then, his ever-evolving music had developed in tandem with his fellow musicians – it rocked more than Ghost Tropic – and he had a well-deserved cult following, playing to packed rooms every night. The tour ended at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia and I vividly remember driving, with tour manager Dirk Knibbe, back to Jason’s Chicago home the following day. A gifted raconteur, Jason enthusiastically regaled us all the way with many stories, including the tale of H.H. Holmes, who was the subject of a then-recent book entitled The Devil In the White City by Erik Larson. Holmes was one of America’s earliest serial killers, luring his victims to their deaths in a specially constructed ‘Murder Castle’ during the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Jason told this macabre story well, although he was equally gifted as a teller of less gruesome tales, not to mention jokes.

I enjoyed staying with Jason and his wife Darcie in Chicago on a couple of occasions.

Once we visited a yard sale; a piece of wood with a message written on it caught Jason’s attention. I read it: ‘Some hae meat and cannae eat…’

– Burns’ Selkirk Grace, of course! This appealed to Jason greatly, who bought the plaque and took it home. It was magical to find that message, so Scottish and yet so universal, there in Chicago. Of course, Jason’s music touched people very deeply on this side of the Atlantic. I just toured in Ireland and the name of Jason Molina was respectfully mentioned wherever I went – in Rathfriland, Dublin, Derry, Belfast and Limerick.

I’ve tried to give a summary of the man, Jason Molina, as I knew him. I am aware that there are others who knew him better, who knew different sides of him. I sense that he was a very complex individual, and I don’t think that anyone who knew him would dispute that. He created a singular body of work in a relatively short span of time and it’s regrettable that we cannot know where his restless creativity might have led next.

I feel honoured to have known him and considered him a friend, although an ocean separated us. The memory of the times I spent with Jason and the sound of his voice will stay with me forever. Rest in peace.

The 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Magnolia Electric Co. by Songs: Ohia is available now via Secretly Canadian. www.jasonmolina.com

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Photo: Ian Allen

Photo: Steve Gullick

As Secretly Canadian ring in the tenth anniversary of The Magnolia Electric Co, the late Jason Molina’s rugged work of plaintive blue-collar Americana under the Songs:Ohia moniker, Alasdair Roberts pays fond tribute to a voice that’s still travelling

Revisiting Magnolia Electric Co. Aidan Moffat meditates on the one song he calls “the heart and soul” of Molina’s catalogue

T

he best songs are the sad songs. Happiness is easy, joy is for children; music works best when it’s giving you a hug. Jason knew this, and there’s an intrinsic despair in everything he wrote. He wasn’t a sad man – whenever I spent any time with him, he was a right good laugh – he just understood that the songs that last forever are the songs that help you through. For me, this peaked with Just Be Simple. I’m not one for lists or Top Tens – I’m never that decisive and I love too many to single out a few – but I do know that Just Be Simple will never let me down.

It starts with a weep, wraps its arms around you tight, buys you one last drink and then drifts away, leaving you a little more hopeful and a little less heartbroken. I confess a personal empathy with the content; it’s about a man who’s made mistakes and finds it hard to change his ways; it’s about demons, and it came just when I needed it. The lyrics are beautifully written, but it’s Jason’s tender, sublime and mournful voice that, on the right kind of day, might convince me it’s the best song I know.

He was among the most emotive singers I’ve ever heard, and Just Be Simple may well be his finest, pitch-perfect performance. After hearing the song for the first time, whenever our paths would cross – sometimes on shared tours or festivals, sometimes when I’d see him perform in tiny Glasgow venues – I would ask him to play it, and he always obliged. I suspect he was planning to play it anyway, of course; it’s impossible to think of Jason without it now. To my ears, it’s his signature piece, the acme of his work; and if you’re new to his music, Just Be Simple might tell you almost everything you’ll need to know you want more. Indeed, the whole Magnolia Electric Co. album is fantastic, and there were many great records before and after. But for me, Just Be Simple is the heart and soul of them all, condensed into four minutes and twenty seconds of divine woe and the sweetest solace.

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Clubbing Highlights In this bumper festive edition, we look forward to gifts in the form of Karenn, Floorplan and Daniel Avery. We also offer up some suggestions for Hogmanay in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Perth Words: Calum Sutherland & Ronan Martin Illustration: Studio Monik

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f this month doesn’t have you repeatedly reaching for the holiday request book, nothing will. In Glasgow, December’s festivities kick off with midweek madness on 5 Dec as Rubix hosts Karenn, the explosive pairing of contemporary techno masters Blawan and Pariah. Often cited for their part in resurrecting the kind of fullbodied, gnarling UK techno championed by the likes of Surgeon and Regis throughout the 90s, Karenn’s work is a resounding reminder that the evolution of the form did not end with the subdued minimalism which dominated the early part of the last decade. Sculpting their imposing live sets using an armoury of hardware, Blawan and Pariah’s collaboration may well be the most earpounding dancefloor experience you’ve ever had on a Tuesday night (Sub Club, £8 advance).

Moving on to 6 Dec, the Glasgow leg of the Bigfoot’s Tea Party 5th birthday celebrations takes precedence in the Sub Club. The nomadic collective have brought an avalanche of mindbending parties to the city since 2008 and this year they’ve secured the unstoppable Roman Flugel to blow out the candles. Having smashed it worldwide this year, Flugel in the Sub Club is an exciting enough prospect, but in the hands of Bigfoot’s, this one is set to blow minds (£8.50 adv, £10 before 12).

The following night sees Plastic People resident Floating Points make a glorious racket at The Admiral, courtesy of Melting Pot. Creating intricate, genre-defying sets which exude warmth and creativity, Sam Shepherd’s output is one which sets him apart from many other DJs who could claim ‘eclecticism’ as their M.O. As a fiend for all things analogue, his pairing with Melting Pot’s formidable sound system is one guaranteed to make for an evening of excessive audio gratification (7 Dec, £10 adv, £12 door).

A matter of blocks away, All Caps have a mouth-watering five hour back-to-back session lined up. One of the founders of the celebrated Hessle Audio label, Ben UFO is in town, teaming up with rising Glasgow talent Bake to bring the party to La Cheetah. The former is routinely praised as one of the best DJs around at the moment, while the latter has quickly found admirers beyond Glasgow with his skill behind the turntables and through the excellent All Caps label he co-runs with the night’s other residents. This one promises to be special (£5 before 12, £10 after).

After that, Christmas comes four days early in Glasgow as Âme touches down at Subculture for a night no one is going to forget in a hurry.

As one half of the DJ/production behemoth and a founding member of the Innervisions family, Kristian Beyer is at the core of progressive dance music. More often than not to be found playing marathon sets in Panorama Bar, this is a rare chance to see true dancefloor ingenuity at work (21 Dec, £10 adv/£12).

Potentially one of the best nights of the month, the Pressure Xmas Party at The Arches boasts one of the strongest line-ups the clubs has had in some time. A particular draw will be the man who practically spearheaded the minimal techno movement when it was still in its

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Preview

vibrant infancy, Robert Hood. On this occasion, Glasgow will be treated to a live set from Hood under his Floorplan guise, which sees him introduce a more soulful, house-tinged side to his dancefloor-driven productions. That man Blawan also pops up again, this time without partner in crime Pariah, but with a reputation for bringing the thunder when it comes to mixing raw, uncompromising techno. Completing a truly impressive roster is British techno veteran, Dave Clarke, Hessle Audio co-founder Pangaea and, of course, trusted residents Slam (27 Dec, £18 adv).

If you’ve still got room for dessert after all that, Marcel Dettmann is playing on 29 Dec. That’s right, Marcel – king of the Berghain – Dettmann, in the Sub Club, for a four hour set of some of the darkest, most twisted and revelatory techno the city has seen, probably all year. The Animal Farm crew are celebrating their ninth birthday party, so I guess they decided to treat themselves. Cheers guys (£12 early bird, £15 adv).

Heading east, and back in time a little, Daniel Avery takes the stage for Juice at Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s on 19 Dec. 2013 has well and truly been Avery’s, with the release of what is at least a contender for album of the year, Drone Logic, extensive touring and support from everyone from Hawtin to Factory Floor. The title of ‘one to watch’ from Andrew Weatherall is well and truly deserved. “Gimmick-free machine-funk of the highest order.” (£6-8).

Skip forward a week or so, and hopefully all the leftovers in the house are finished by 28 Dec because Surgeon is in the Liquid Room to celebrate Jackhammer’s 12th birthday. There’s not much to say about Anthony Child’s almost twenty-year career that hasn’t already been said, but if rhythmic, chest thumping techno is your thing, Surgeon will surely be on your hitlist this festive period. As if that wasn’t enough, he is joined for Jackhammer by Detroit techno legend, DJ Rolando and Edinburgh-bred producer and spinner, Stephen Brown. Consider this one a late Christmas present to yourself (£10 adv).

On 20 Dec, Glaswegian rabble rousers PiEyed team up with the local promoters behind Audacious for a one-off night at The Banshee Labyrinth on Niddry Street. Bringing together Love Love Records’ The Fez!, multi-faceted beat producer Taz and several other acts including DJ Pi-Eyed, this free event promises to showcase a veritable array of styles without dipping into your depleted festive reserves too much.

Last but definitely not least, we have Terror at The Bongo Club with a line-up to write home about. Egebamyasi (named after the CAN album, and one of the early pioneers of UK acid house), DJ Skull Vomit and Sadistic will be banging out the finest in breakcore, hardcore, techno and something called halfbread, which personally, we are all over. With respective links to the Bangface, Cock Rock Disco and Motormouth imprints, this is a chance to see some of the finest names in the business at work, and in the words of genre lynchpin DJ Shitmat, “there’s no business like propa rungleclotted mashup bizznizz.”

(29 Dec, £3-5).

Bringing in the Bells: Hogmanay Club Picks

down to their shindig in Audio. If that’s not an intoxicating blend, we don’t know what is. nimal Hospital lead the charge in the capital La Cheetah has a veritable smörgåsbord this Hogmanay, with local hero Jacksonville lined up as they team up with Notsosilent and bringing it live in the atmospheric surroundings Offbeat to bring a trio of proven party smashof Studio 24. Having released on 20:20 Vision, ers to the two-floored snuggery. Not only will the Leftroom and his own Doppler imprint, Chris residents from each of the nights be holding the Lyth’s body of work is a formidable one, and fort between guests over the six hour (10-4am) his distinctive sound is one that has garnered marathon, the stage will also see the guys behind Dixon Avenue Basement Jams going back to support from top name acts worldwide. Add to back, Tiger & Woods bringing their very impresthis team Kapital (Barry O’Connell and Brad Charters) in support, and you’re left with a glori- sive live show, and Space Dimension Controller ously noisy start to the New Year (£10). setting fire to the speakers like only he can. Bring Elsewhere, Cab Vol play host to Gasoline all these elements together and you’re in for fireDance Machine’s third NYE soiree, and this year works (£15-18). the team have a Wolf Music spectacular in the For those of you outwith the central belt, bag. Both KLR and Medlar will be banging the if you’re anywhere near Perth, The Ice Factory drum in an eight-hour spectacular which promis the place to be, with a homeboy spectacular ises to deliver the same dose of soulful deep lined up as the three major local party-starting house to the proceedings which has become the outfits join forces for a six-hour marathon jam, calling card of the exemplary Brighton-based split over two rooms. Twisted Kaleidoscope, label (£10-15).

Outrage and Groovement have all played a part If you’re going to be in Glasgow for the bells in changing the musical landscape of the fair city this year, Andrew Weatherall will be warping in recent years, and here get at least a slice of minds in the Sub Club until 4am, alongside Harri the recognition they deserve (£5 adv, £10 door). and Domenic, and Telford. A surefire hit in anyFurther north still and things are getting one’s book, this living legend never sounds better spicy at Snafu in Aberdeen, where Slam will be than through the Sub Club’s unstoppable sound catapulting the granite palace into 2014 with system. Tickets are going fast for this one, so if their own distinctive brand of hair raising techno. you’re looking to bend your mind, body and soul Team Snafu have had an amazing last twelve out of all recognition for the first few hours of months and deserve a lot more adulation for 2014 and beyond, get on it now (£22). their efforts this year. There’s no-one else bringing progressive electronic music to that neck of If you have a penchant for the more hardcore clubbing experience, and the festive period the woods these days so if you’re around those has taken its toll on your wallet, free party parts show some love (£10-15). promoters Pi-Eyed come to the rescue with the That wraps things up for this month and for return of their NYE Meltdown. Serving up techno, this year. From everyone at the clubs section, rave, breakcore and more, the Pi-Eyed crew have whatever you’re doing this NYE, make sure you even promised free whisky and invited pipers have a ball, and keep it foolish.

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CLUBS

THE SKINNY

Perfect 10: Numbers Set to Celebrate in Style Interview: Ronan Martin

Photo: Sam Robinson

Richard Chater ponders the ten year anniversary of Glaswegian clubbing institution, Numbers

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aving developed their much-loved club night Numbers into a global brand over the last decade, merging three distinctive imprints into one mega label of the same name, the Glaswegian crew comprising Richard Chater, Adam Rodgers, Calum Morton, Neil Morton, Jack Revill, Rob Mordue, Nok La Rok and POL Style have been in celebration mode all year. As they prepare to throw three massive parties in New York, London and Glasgow, Chater takes some time out to discuss their evolution.

The birthday year has been pretty big for you lot so far, with releases from Deadboy, Rustie, Sophie et al. Then there was the launch of the Pleasure Principle festival and the announcement of several parties elsewhere. How has 2013 been for you?

Maybe ask us that once the three parties are out of the way! Pleasure Principle was a lot of work as you’d expect but personally one of the highlights of the year and a weekend I think we’ll all never forget. It was a shared ambition amongst all of us to do a music weekender and really an, errr... pleasure to be able to see so many of our favourite artists and loads of our pals in the one place.

We must do it all again soon.

to watch his ascendency?

He’s a friend and to see it all develop the way it has for him is amazing. He took risks and did something and it’s great to hear those sounds all over the Kanye and Pusha T records.

You’re also putting on a birthday event in New York. Tell us about that.

We’ve got two bonafide heroes playing for us. It’s a dream come true actually. From Detroit, it’s Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, who is one of our favourite producers. Then from Chicago it’s DJ Deeon, the legendary ghetto-house producer. We’ve been playing records by both these guys since day one of Numbers and you can’t really measure the influence those records have had on all of us.

For various reasons Deeon can’t leave the US, so doing this party in New York with the Rinsed guys was our golden opportunity to have him play for us. Keep an eye out for some more Numbers x Deeon activity coming soon.

With the label and parties gaining audiences from further afield all the time, the nights in Scotland have understandably become more sporadic. What can club-goers in Scotland expect from Numbers going forward?

Sporadic isn’t really the intention as such, we just Looking back, what have been some of the big- put on parties whenever we feel the time is right. gest moments, musical or otherwise, in the ten We’re actually in the middle of sorting out the years since Numbers started as a club night? first Glasgow party of 2014 but our aim as always It’s all one big moment really – ten years of being is to continue playing the music and putting on able to play and listen to the records you love the artists that excite us in various venues all alongside your pals and loads of other sound peo- over the city. It could be the Sub, The Arches, Art ple is a hell of a thing. Being able to do random School or somewhere else, who knows…. things like stick Ghostface Killah on in the Sub Club on a Monday night, or our 2011 Warehouse What else is coming up from 2014 onwards?

Party in London (which pretty much was my last There is a lot we’re really excited about – a night out before having a kid) will always stay with Redinho album is due and we’ve got new music me, as will Pleasure Principle. from Sophie and Deadboy amongst others that we can’t chat about at the moment. We’re also As with the event in London, Hudson Mohawke preparing for the next Pleasure Priniciple weekwill be headlining the night in Glasgow. Though ender so keep an eye out for that! not officially part of Numbers, he has always Numbers 10 takes place at SWG3 on Fri 13 Dec had close ties with the crew. What’s it been like nmbrs.net

December 2013

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Preview

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December Film Events

ALL IS LOST

All Is Lost

The Patience Stone

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Director: J. C. Chandor Starring: Robert Redford Released: 26 Dec Certificate: PG

Director: Atiq Rahimi Starring: Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 15

Although many were impressed with J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call, it’s doubtful anybody thought he was capable of a film like All Is Lost. Where his debut was a dialogue-driven ensemble piece, All Is Lost is an almost entirely wordless drama that features a single actor. Robert Redford is the veteran yachtsman trying to keep his damaged craft afloat amid stormy conditions in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and he gives a commanding performance as the nameless protagonist that makes the complete lack of characterisation an irrelevance.

Chandor’s filmmaking is efficient and admirably single-minded – there’s no ‘Wilson’ for Redford to make conversation with here – and the plot is simply a progression of challenging situations that the resourceful sailor attempts to deal with as best he can. However, all of this might feel like little more than an audacious stunt if it wasn’t for the bold ending; it will surely divide opinion, but it establishes All Is Lost as a profoundly moving meditation on life and death. [Philip Concannon]

After her astonishing work in Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly, Golshifteh Farahani’s performance in The Patience Stone confirms her status as one of the finest actors currently working. She plays a young Afghan woman who spends her days tending to her recently comatose husband as bombs fall on her village and fighting takes place in the streets. Now that the power dynamic in this marriage has suddenly changed, this woman finds the courage to tell her unresponsive husband all of the secrets she has kept hidden for years.

Atiq Rahimi’s adaptation (with the help of Jean-Claude Carrière) of his own novel at times feels too verbose and stage-bound to flow as a film, but its portrayal of a repressed woman finding the strength to become the person she has long wanted to be is undeniably powerful. The Patience Stone contains a number of engrossing scenes and encounters with supporting characters that don’t always play out as you’d expect, while Farahani – in what is frequently a one-woman show – is constantly surprising and impressive. [Philip Concannon]

Marius

Big Bad Wolves

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Director: Daniel Auteuil Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Raphael Personnaz, Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 12A

Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Tzahi Grad Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 18

Daniel Auteuil continues to establish his position as the world’s biggest fan of Marcel Pagnol by remaking Alexander Korda’s 1931 adaptation of the writer’s play. After his directorial debut, The Well-Digger’s Daughter, and two of his most famous films, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, Auteuil now displays a comfortable affinity with the rustic charm and melodrama of Pagnol’s Provençal persuasions. Whether anyone else is quite as enthusiastic about more adaptations of his work, however, is open to question.

There’s a lot to enjoy about Marius (the first part of a trilogy), not least of which is director Auteuil in fine form in front of the camera. The cast on the whole are strong, selling a rather trite story with some joyously overthe-top performances; nothing is said, only shouted or whispered. There’s a certain appeal, too, to the noticeably set-bound aesthetic, but, with grimy French faces and faded colours, at times this feels like an extended advert for Stella Artois. Charming, but slight. [Nathanael Smith]

Israeli writer-directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado followup their 2010 debut Rabies with another tar-black comic horror. While investigating a series of gruesome child murders, tough detective Miki (Ashkenazi) becomes convinced the guilt lies with seemingly benign religious-studies teacher Dror (Keinan). Also convinced of this is Gidi (Grad), father to one of the victims, who intends to kidnap their suspect and extract the truth from him. The three men are set for a bloody, morally murky confrontation.

Given the heavily emotive subject matter (paedophilia, the efficacy of torture, Israel’s role in Palestine, etc.), Keshales and Papashudo needed to be right on their mettle to produce a thought-provoking work. For the most part, they succeed. Twisted, tense and absurd, this is highly skilled genre fare, with terrific performances and superb design. Ambivalence to some of the weightier philosophical and political themes is the only thing holding it back from being great; while one can understand the filmmakers’ desire to debate rather than dictate, one also wishes these wolves had gone for the jugular. [Chris Fyvie]

Nebraska

Kill Your Darlings

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Director: Alexander Payne Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Released: 6 Dec Certificate: 15 All of Alexander Payne’s best and worst attributes are on full display in Nebraska. As Woody (Dern) takes a road trip to collect the million-dollar prize that his son (Forte) doesn’t believe exists, the director has the opportunity to find moments of piercing insight along with instances of awkward, condescending comedy. It all feels very familiar and disappointingly flat, a feeling that isn’t alleviated by Phedon Papamichael’s unimaginative black-and-white cinematography.

The film’s greatest strength lies in its veteran performances. Bruce Dern’s cantankerous lead turn is tremendously enjoyable and he gets very funny support from June Squibb as his straight-talking wife, while Stacy Keach brings a welcome hard edge to his turn as an old acquaintance of Woody who still harbours a grudge. Sadly, these interesting characters are surrounded by cartoonish figures, who are often utilised as a source of one-note humour. Payne manages to bring the film to a close on a touching note with a neatly judged ending, but the problems found elsewhere make this one of his least satisfying films. [Philip Concannon]

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Review

Director: John Krokidas Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan Released: Out Now Certificate: 15 The Beats have had a resurgence of late; Hollywood presumably believes their vibrant defiance can strike a chord with this century’s more indolent disenfranchised youth. The hopeless Franco-fest Howl in 2011; last year, Walter Salles’ languid, wistful adaptation of On the Road; and now, Kill Your Darlings – an insipid retelling of several of the Beats’ formative years at Columbia University.

Seen through the eyes of the young Allen Ginsberg (Radcliffe), John Krokidas’ debut feature tells of Lucien Carr’s (DeHaan) importance to the Beat movement. The charismatic Carr has a hold over Ginsberg, which brings forth the burgeoning wordsmith’s creativity, and introduces him to Jack Kerouac (Huston) and William Burroughs (Foster).

DeHaan and Foster are excellent, but Radcliffe struggles in a more difficult role to pitch. Krokidas’ empty and trite aesthetic and awkward script of ‘Eureka!’ moments further hampers his attempt to recreate this fascinating, seductive slice of history. There’s a cinematic masterpiece to be born of these literary rabble-rousers, but as yet no one’s figured out quite how to make it. [Chris Fyvie]

FILM

Yes, it’s nearly Chrimbo, but thankfully it’s not all dewy-eye nostalgia on this month’s film horizon. The GFT serve gothic horror, the Cameo screen some non-festive classics and Nordic Film Festival proves the region’s home to more than just Santa Words: Becky Bartlett

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he GFT in Glasgow is offering a rare chance to see behind the scenes, hosting a special Open Day on 8 Dec. Guided tours of the projection booths provide a rare opportunity to witness the technicalities of film screening, and attendees will also be given first peek at the cinema’s new auditorium. Following a panel discussion with members of the Glasgow Film team, there’s even a special surprise screening. Entry is free, on a first come, first served basis.

As well as the traditional festive fare (It’s a Wonderful Life, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Gremlins, and others – all showing across the country throughout December), the Cameo in Edinburgh is screening a number of classic movies, including Gone With the Wind (9 Dec), which remains the highest grossing film of all time (if inflation is taken into account), and Cinema Paradiso (20 Dec). Particularly deserving of a big screen viewing, however, is Stanley Kubrick’s scifi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, featuring some mind-bending effects, the terrifyingly calm HAL 9000, and arguably the most daring cut in cinema history.

KIdd Life

Day For Night film company are bringing the Nordic Film Festival to Filmhouse in Edinburgh (6-11 Dec) and the GFT (8 Dec-2 Jan). There are a number of UK premieres, including documentary Kidd Life, which charts the sudden infamy of Nicholas Kidd following a YouTube upload, and coming of age drama You & Me Forever. The festival also pays special homage to director Nicolas Winding Refn, with documentary NWR (featuring Ryan Gosling and Mads Mikkelsen). See www.dayfor-night.org for the full line-up.

Extreme snow sports fans should head to the GFT (2 Dec) or the DCA in Dundee (3 Dec) for Warren Miller’s Ticket to Ride. Filmed in such diverse locations as Montana, Iceland, and central Asia, the action-packed documentary celebrates winter and the sports that accompany the year’s coldest months. With both screenings including special prize giveaways, it’s sure to be an entertaining evening.

Finally, two classic horror films are showing at the GFT this month. Frankenstein (15 Dec), one of Universal’s finest horror adaptations, starring Boris Karloff in his most iconic role, is followed by The Innocents (17-19 Dec). The latter, a psychological thriller based on The Turn of the Screw, sees Deborah Kerr give one of her finest performances as a governess hired to tutor two orphaned children, and has been praised by both François Truffaut and Guillermo del Toro as one of the finest British horrors.

THE SKINNY

Heaven’s Gate

The Conjuring

Gaslight

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Director: Michael Cimino Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert Released: Out Now Certificate: 15

Heaven’s Gate has finally emerged from its own tangled history to be regarded as a spectacular, if flawed, achievement. Michael Cimino’s hubris following his Oscar success with The Deer Hunter (1978) may have caused his downfall, but the skill with which he mounts this depiction of the Johnson County War somewhat justifies an unswerving belief in his own artistry.

Heaven’s Gate is more a collection of remarkable sequences than a great film. The characterisation and storytelling is too hazy and slight to support its four-hour running time; there are undeniable longueurs. But what lingers in the mind is Cimino’s vision and eye for detail, Vilmos Zsigmond’s atmospheric cinematography, and the thrilling climactic set-pieces, which are certainly worth waiting for. Heaven’s Gate may not be a masterpiece, but it certainly isn’t a disaster. It’s a singular American epic – one of the last of its kind. [Philip Concannon]

Director: James Wan Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga Released: 9 Dec Certificate: 15

Director: Thorold Dickinson Starring: Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard Released: Out Now Certificate: PG

A mirrored music box out of which trickles stilted, lilting lullabies.

Blindfold games of hide-and-seek. An unknown hand, an exposed ankle, the dead of night. Paranormal pest controllers Ed and Lorraine Warren are called upon by the Perron family to exorcise their Rhode Island farmhouse of such horror cliché. So far, so familiar – but The Conjuring adds up to more than the horror tropes it ticks off.

True, Saw veteran James Wan employs familiar scare tactics, but with a firm understanding of exactly whom he’s playing to: an audience steeled for the jump-scare; one which loud noises and chilling faces alone will not satisfy. So the scares skip beats; vicelike expectation is expertly subverted and thrills are nuanced – all for Wan to drop the terror every time we exhale, with the joyously distressing effect of rendering familiar fears anew.

[Kirsty Leckie-Palmer]

Upon acquiring the rights to Patrick Hamilton’s play Gas Light, MGM set about wiping the slate in preparation for their George Cukor-directed, Ingrid Bergman-starring 1944 adaptation.

Unfortunately, that meant suppressing almost to elimination a British version made four years prior, with this handsome restoration only possible thanks to a single print preserved by its director, and later gifted to the BFI. While it lacks its Hollywood successor’s budget and glamour, such limitations rather suit the tale’s clammy claustrophobia, as newlywed Bella (a fragile Diana Wynyard) is made to question her sanity by husband Paul (a cruel Anton Walbrook). Despite an undisguised staginess and sometimes clunky structure, the material still unnerves, with the abruptness of the opening murder and the mind games of the last act proving particularly effective, making this of interest to more than just film historians. [Chris Buckle]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Streets of Fire

Betty Blue

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Director: Philip Kaufman Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Released: Out Now Certificate: 15 The original 1956 science fiction classic featured insidious ‘pods,’ parasitic plants growing clone bodies in cellars and greenhouses before ruthlessly replacing their originals, reducing the humans to biological detritus in the process; it was a disturbing, paranoid metaphor for Communist infiltration in the McCarthy era.

Set 20 years after the original and dripping with post-Nixon subtext, Philip Kaufman’s 70s update imagines the spread of pod eco-horror from small-town America to San Francisco’s uncanny metropolis. The city provides fertile ground for the cross-pollination of Vietnam’s biological violence, the distrust of authority post-Watergate and the ability of the military-industrial complex to methodically destroy human life by the hundreds of thousands.

This is body horror at its most compelling. [Rachel Bowles]

T H E

Director: Walter Hill Starring: Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Released: Out Now Certificate: 15 Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire is 90 minutes of glorious pulp fiction.

It opens with two title cards: the first reads ‘a rock‘n’roll fable,’ the second, ‘another time, another place.’ As self-mythologising goes, it’s as flinty and straightforward as the film’s characters, who are a delightful salad of movie clichés. You’ve the loner who arrives by train to clean up the town (Paré), the damsel in distress (Lane) and, best of all, Willem Dafoe as a biker villain with an inexplicable penchant for wearing PVC waders.

Hill splices America’s two most garish periods of popular culture – the 50s and the 80s – to create a neon-drenched universe that suggests a Wild West version of American Graffiti shot using the film grammar of MTV. Every line-reading is heightened, every edit is breakneck, every music cue is dialled up to eleven. If that mix weren’t heady enough, it’s also a musical. [Jamie Dunn]

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Béatrice Dalle’s pouty visage became one of the 80s’ most recognisable images after sizzling and shrieking her way through Jean-Jacques Beineix’s cornerstone of cinéma du look.

Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade) strikes up a passionate affair with Dalle’s eponymous nutcase while working as a handyman in a beach resort, but grows concerned with her often violent mood swings.

When Betty burns down their shack the lovers hit the road, doing odd jobs while Zorg attempts to become a writer.

Beineix’s picture oscillates between exhausting melodrama, gentle romance and outré farce with glorious unpredictability. Dalle’s firecracker and Anglade’s easy-going charmer are perfectly pitched to each other; the former, adored by Beineix’s gaze in a frame of bold colours and dancing light, becoming instantly, utterly, iconic. It might all be more style than substance… but, oh, what style. [Chris Fyvie]

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS...

AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE:

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Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix Starring: Béatrice Dalle, Jean-Hugues Anglade Released: Out Now Certificate: 18

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A GAY IN A MANGER

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with TRANNY & ROSEANNAH

Arches, Glas gow

Thu/Fri/Sat Join us for an evening of special guests, an alternative take on the Christmas nativity and some good old-fashioned yuletide singalongs. With tits, tinsel and turkey, baubles, balls and blood, this is an X-rated Xmas show you won’t soon forget. Treat yourself to a festive family night out! _____________________________________________________

December 2013

spe with ecember cia 12/13/14 + 19/20/21 D _______A l gu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D _ _ _ _____ H R est

m: Tickets only £8/£6 fro www.thearches.co.uk 0141 565 1000

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Photo: Ruth Clark

Louise Bourgeois

Fruitmarket, until 23 Feb

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220 framed paper-works hang side by side on the ground floor of the Fruitmarket. This intense collection from Louise Bourgeois’ Insomnia Drawings forms a linear insight into a stream of uncensored thought. Created during an eightmonth period of insomnia, pattern, shape and dashed notes or music are captured on paper in an almost desperate act of distraction, the need to rid herself of that preventing sleep.

Curated chronologically by Frances Morris, we are able to trace the work in the order it was made. In some sections a sequence seems to appear: the evidence of a resolving thought process. Elsewhere, drawings stand alone. Biro, ink, pencil, felt tip and crayon doodle across a variety of paper, connected by the meandering path of Bourgeois’ consciousness. A collection of writings accompany the paper-works. Intimate lists of anxieties, desires, disappointments and

mental states scrawled across pages in both French and English. A perfect example of the important relationship between drawing and writing that is common in much of Bourgeois’ work.

This relationship continues in the gallery upstairs, yet here the scale changes dramatically.

Still on paper, these giant drawn and printed pieces luxuriate in the open space, yet a feeling of intimacy remains. Hints of bodily inspirations appear; cells, intestines and the female figure loom over the viewer aside personal hand written declarations. These pencilled texts, some rubbed out and reworked, include the phrase ‘I give everything away,’ from which the exhibition gets its name. This incredible collection of paper-work provides a personal insight into the thought process of Louise Bourgeois, arguably one of the most important artists of our time.

The unabashed intimacy with which she records the details of her life absorbs us, affecting our own. [Cathy O’Brien] fruitmarket.co.uk

Subject Room 1# (detail)

Dennis Reinmüller

Summerhall, until 22 Nov

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Seinfeld, the TV sitcom based loosely on the ‘real’ lives of its writers is often cited as ‘a show about nothing.’ Dennis J. Reinmüller operates within this same tragic-comic spectrum – where everyday absurdities blossom into something ludicrously sublime. He thrusts his audience into the messy self-reflexive space of overlapping pop-cultural meta-narratives, where Kurt Cobain and Larry David bash heads with Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. This room-sized installation is easy on neither the eye nor the brain (particularly if your knowledge of quantum mechanics isn’t up to scratch). A projection, seemingly sourced from a live camera feed, documents a suited figure with an iconic ‘smiley’ for a head hunched over a baffling gallery hand-out.

From the vacuous maw of this lumpen-headed protagonist spews a sheet of lurid green which pools around his shiny business shoes.

The audience can put themselves in this bleak picture; can read alongside to see what might have provoked such a strong reaction. But the artist pointedly denies us a place in the scenario, rendering his audience ghost-like, searching for meaning and for ourselves. Reinmüller captures the condition of placing oneself between two reflective surfaces, mesmerised by the skewed reality of our own reflection (in this case, literally) ad nauseam. A touchscreen which tempts us to tap away for an elusive ‘High score’ like battery hens searching for food pellets is a simple stroke of brilliance. We break the endless cycle of searching for affirmation only when we grudgingly accept our own banal place in this world. Reinmüller has the moxie to turn existential angst into something which is extraordinary, yet defiantly difficult to digest. If we imagine a world without the ‘nothingness’ of the ordinary we would be left with a land populated by Supermen. And Reinmüller isn’t about to let that happen. [Kate Andrews]

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Own Art @ Christmas Words: Illya Kuryakin

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ooking for the perfect gift for the art lover in your life this Christmas? Are the prices involved a little too high, given all the belt-tightening and budget-planning we’ve had to endure this year? The Skinny has a recession-proof solution – here is our handy guide to new work available under the Own Art scheme, which allows you to buy any art piece priced over £100 with an interest-free loan. In a genius stroke, the Own Art scheme doesn’t just apply to paintings, sculpture and other visual art, but also to jewellery, crafts and other unique pieces.

Firstly, lets take a look at Brazen Studios in Glasgow. Selling bespoke jewellery and engagement rings, the company specialise in creating one-off pieces. “We feel that individual design doesn’t need to be defined by pre-existing aesthetics, and when it comes to important life markers, there is nothing more special than injecting your individual style and design choice into an engagement ring or special commemorative piece,” says Brazen’s Sarah Raffel. “Jewellery is such a personal thing and carries a lot of meaning – that is what we try and inject into our process.”

How do Brazen go about designing these unique pieces? “We take clients through a design

process which starts off with their personal visual references,” Raffel explains. “We match that up with the right stones and feel, so it becomes a beautiful piece to wear for a very long time.” So if you are planning to pop the question under the mistletoe, but can’t afford more than a ton upfront, Brazen is the place to go. Visit their site at www.brazenstudios.co.uk for a look at some of their beautiful work.

Meanwhile, over at Edinburgh Printmakers, they have just begun exhibiting new works by Andrew Mackenzie, whose thrilling architectural take on pastoral themes provides some interesting contrasts of mathematical form and natural beauty. His new River prints are “based upon a visit I made to the river Findhorn in early 2013, near a well-known place called Randolph’s Leap,” says Mackenzie. “I spent a day exploring, scrambling, observing, making notes and photographing the gorge. It is a beautiful and potentially dangerous place, prone to spate.” Buy before Christmas, and there’s £50 off.

They will also be holding a very special Christmas Multiples Market on 14 Dec, where they invite you to browse a range of stalls for unique Christmas gifts, including original miniprints, jewellery, tote bags, tea towels, cards and

Andrew Mackenzie

much more. They promise mulled wine and mince pies too.

Over at the Glasgow Print Studio, you can visit their new exhibition Living Proof, inspired

by Charles Darwin’s famous voyage on the HMS Beagle. The pieces on show will be for sale, and the exhibition features new work by Alasdair Gray, Ashley Cook, Helen Fay, Elizabeth Blackadder, Eileen Cooper, Murray Robertson and John Byrne amongst others, and sculptural work

by Kenny Thompson. Living Proof runs from 6 Dec to 2 Feb preview 5 Dec). They also have their annual Christmas Show running concurrently, featuring new work by their members, with fine art prints, cards and gifts.

The Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh are currently exhibiting work by David Austen, Thomas

Joshua Cooper, Ian Hamilton Finlay and others in Once Upon A Time and a Very Good Time It Was. The show runs until 21 December, and also includes antiquities from Europe, China and Eurasia. Visit their site for more details www. inglebygallery.com.

If that’s not enough to whet your festive whistle, check out our previous features on galleries and shops who participate in the Own Art scheme in our Art section online, and have a look at the Own Art website for more brilliant gift ideas!

Edinburgh Printmakers, Glasgow Print Studio and Brazen all offer a range of jewellery, prints and limited edition artworks by represented artists, and are both supported by the Own Art scheme www.ownart.org.uk

Galleries across Scotland are members of the Own Art scheme. By offering interest-free loans of £100-£2,000 through Own Art, buying an original piece of quality contemporary art or craft couldn’t be easier. For more information about Own Art and a list of participating galleries see the Own Art website: www.ownart.org.uk

Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. You will need a UK bank account that can handle direct debits, proof of identity and address, and you will also need to be over 18. Own Art is an Arts Council England initiative operated by Creative Sector Services CIC, a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales under number 08280539. Registered address: 2-6 Cannon Street, London EC4M 6YH.

Look for the pink logo. (representative 0% APR)

249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE

58

Review

ART

THE SKINNY

Justyna Ataman & Amy Pickles

Sonica 2013: Picture Window

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In November, as part of Sonica, shop fronts in Glasgow became impromptu gallery spaces for the public art project Picture Window. Five venues welcomed a range of visual, sonic and interactive installations to surprise passers-by and dedicated art aficionados alike. Justyna Ataman and Amy Pickles’ The Fame of Us consisted of an impressive original music video followed by the scenes deleted from the finished product. The artists exposed the cracks in the construction of their own idealised world. Thomas LeylandCollins exploited the context of a shop front to explore excessive consumerism in his installation Conducting Commodities, wherein a dozen TVs showed repetitive adverts.

The slight ungainliness of some pieces was due to the conscious or unconscious decision to turn the store into an exhibition glass case, and this was so for William Aikman, Ariane Jackson and Nicola Reade, who used white mannequin

sonic-a.co.uk/picture-window-2013

JStrijbos & Van Rijswijk high

Sonica 2013: Whispers

found in walking around and listening.

The ticking of a clock, the howling of the wind, a helicopter, a bass beat, and laughter are rrrrr among the collection of sounds one tries to idenThe title Whispers suggests a calmness and quitify while exploring the space. Sometimes, the etness that is to be found in Rob van Rijswijk and noise escalates and a flash of light from above Jeroen Strijbos’ sculptural installation at Sonica. floods the room with brightness. The interrupThe sound emanates from five white ceramic tion quietens the space and seems to restart trumpets, made by artist Pierluigi Pompeï, that the rustling. The desire to find meaning is not hang at varying levels in mid-air, pointing in difsatisfied as the trumpets whisper the unresolved ferent directions. They seem to be illuminated soundscape.

by UV light, rendering them party-blue – here a Behind the chairs are three map-like obdisconcerting colour in the stillness of the space. jects, each depicting a sequence of the piece Coiled on the floor are plastic tubes leading the with writing, drawings, music bars and notes. It sound from wrapped-up speakers to their refeels like a convoluted add-on, an unnecessary spective instruments. extra. Just like in their piece Walk With Me, the Visually it stands a little desolate, like a cur- artists have arranged sounds to guide us through tain or a trellis, restricted in the centre of the ob- the space; it’s a shame the installation feels a bit long room. A row of three chairs seems to invite over-controlled here. [Melanie Letore] the viewer to sit and admire, but the discovery is Tramway

Join The Army

Letters of Note

Pilgrim’s Flower

The Mile

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By Darren Cullen A pull-out concertina style jumble of adverts and comics, parodying recruitment materials of the armed forces on one side and a horribly beautiful Iraq war reworking of the Bayeux Tapestry on the reverse, Join the Army is a brutal piece of satire from an artist whose work is subtle as a brick, but undeniably effective.

The kind of hyperbolic heroism marketed to young men in flyers and brochures is replaced with grim realities, amped up to bombastic proportions – ‘join the fucking army,’ a panel demands, while two shellshocked soldiers kneel underneath, smiling maniacally.

The haunting images making up the 1.5m opposite side of the work serve as both a timeline of the Iraq war and the machinery of warfare more generally. Civilians are fed into the system of killing and civilians are spat out, sometimes injured, sometimes dead.

Cullen’s previous projects, such as his Baby’s First Baby, have been misunderstood and this will inevitably experience the same. However, the target of his satire is not the men and women of the armed forces, but the institutions above that would lie to ensnare them and possibly send them to an early grave. If we keep this in mind, then we wince at the hyperbolic ugliness of the comic not because it dishonours the fallen, but because we recognise how unflinchingly truthful it is. [Ryan Rushton] Out Now, available from bethemeat.co.uk, £6 www.spellingmistakescostlives.com

December 2013

busts and geometrical shapes as canvas for abstract projections in Gushet. Fracture/ Intersection by Ev Buckley also had a more sculptural approach, depicting urban industrial settings in a well-built screen-to-screen installation. On the experiential side, All Eyes Wide produced the uplifting Gate: Start Here, an interactive sonic installation in which the barefoot, blindfolded and headphone-wearing viewer was invited to explore a delimited space where sound changed according to the chosen trajectory. To do this required courage from the participant, but s/he was rewarded by a sensual exploration of a safe haven.

The three closing night events gathered curious onlookers. In Gordon Douglas’s compelling To Health and To Sickness, performers inside a store read a tense dialogue projected on the shop front. Matt Collings in All In The Name of Gravity and Trudat Sound both combined visuals and sound, creating hypnotising live performances to end the night. [Melanie Letore]

By Shaun Usher

By Rachael Boast

By Craig A. Smith

Based on the website of the same name, Letters of Note is a compilation of 125 letters that truly runs the epistolary gamut. There are, of course, a fair few classics: one of Rilke’s profoundly instructive ‘letters to a young poet,’ ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,’ Virginia Woolf’s crushing suicide-note, etc. But there are also plenty of lesser-known marvels, such as the chilling memo prepared by presidential speechwriter William Safire in the event that the 1969 moon landings went fatally awry, or a Campbell’s product marketing manager’s letter to Andy Warhol, in which the artist is informed that he has been sent “a couple of cases” of tomato soup (his favourite, apparently) as a show of gratitude.

As with any anthology, the selection is allimportant. Here, Usher has managed to strike a perfect balance: seriousness abounds, but so does charming absurdity: a page after Benjamin Franklin’s ‘pay it forward’ letter to Benjamin Webb, for example, you get a little boy asking Frank Lloyd Wright to design a kennel (to which Wright actually agrees). But it isn’t just remarkably well compiled; Letters of Note is a hefty, luxuriously bound and designed work, and, in the era of the eReader, it serves as a strong reminder of how books can be beautiful material objects, too. [Kristian Doyle]

Rachael Boast’s first collection, Sidereal, won the Forward Prize for best debut and the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize, so her second has a lot to live up to. Here, the verse is quiet, confident, and measured. These are outings in which we begin with the everyday (stepping into a lift, slinking around a graveyard), and we end up watching as the moment slips and dissolves into something more transcendent. Transcendence comes in all forms – from an annunciation (there was an angel in the lift, too), to a scattering of starlings disappearing into the sky above Balmerino Abbey, ‘un-blackening at the narrowest angle / of themselves.’

To that un-blackening, Bolshoy Fountain adds ‘love unmaking itself,’ and then, in After Sappho, love is ‘a moon too new to be seen’ – a case of un-whitening, as it were. All this unmaking, remaking, blackening and whitening happens at the threshold of one moment and the next, of one state of understanding and another. This is where Boast marks out her ground – clearest in Songs, where a poem is not pristine and lightfilled like a diamond, but dark and powerful as coal catching fire: ‘the poet entices light from dark / by the pressure of thought and its spark.’

[Galen O’Hanlon]

Craig A. Smith’s debut novel follows three friends on a pub crawl down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Ian is a happy family man, Euan is in a crumbling marriage, and Stuart seems eager to return to his home in France. The trio run into Jock, an eccentric 95-year-old veteran who has surreptitiously slipped out of his care home for the day, and the group embarks on an evening filled with whisky and banter. The bulk of the drunken talk revolves around the Scottish independence referendum, with Nationalist Ian trying to convince his friends to vote Yes. Meanwhile, Rosie, a kind-hearted care home worker, is on the group’s trail in an effort to find Jock.

Smith skillfully invokes the atmosphere of Edinburgh’s most famous street – from the historic pubs to tourists gaping at street performers – while also capturing the city’s varied dialects. Problematic, however, is the novel’s structure, which is doomed to become repetitive as the group’s going-ons are unnecessarily retold when the narrative switches to Rosie. Character development lacks balance – while the guys are well sketched, Rosie remains a scant caricature, a notable disappointment considering how much time we spend with her. Though topical and timely, Smith’s novel suffers from an intended partiality towards independence that inevitably makes the work feel somewhat propagandistic.

However, there are some fine comedic moments that anyone who has ever lived in or even visited Edinburgh can appreciate. [Dima Alzayat]

Out Now, published by Canongate Unbound, RRP £30

Out Now, published by Picador, RRP £9.99

Out Now, published by Pilrig Press, RRP £6.99

ART / BOOKS

Review

59

Edit-Point City Halls

Photo: Lesley Black

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A Play, A Pie And A Pint: Guilty Òran Mór

rrrrr Warning: some stories don’t have happy endings.

Before there was Disney, the Brothers Grimm collected fairytales from the oral tradition of storytelling whose original meting out of justice could be seen as cruel and fitting. Moulded from this same metal is Rona Munro’s chilling black comedy Guilty.

A light hums away in a stark room. Two women sit at a table. A woman has disappeared and Detective Black has been called in to take a statement from the step daughter. But what would Blanca know of her step mother’s vanishing into thin air? This is no fairytale; we are living in modern times. Sometimes people are just innocent.

Guilty is a play which plays with our expectations and our character judgements. Cloaked in

the language of fairytales, there are numerous references to this storytelling tradition; however a working knowledge of fairytales is not enough to save the innocent as the evil stepmother archetype is interrogated. Fathers are typically absent from this modern interpretation of Snow White.

Very chatty and unreliable, Louise Ludgate’s Blanca is a treat to watch; her first actions onstage reveal much about her character, although we find that’s it’s only skin deep. It’s all Lesley Hart’s Detective Black can do to keep her temper while questioning her charge.

Beautifully written, Guilty is a gem of a play which examines storytelling and further explores the dark side of the step mother/daughter relationship. The moral of the story being it’s best to ken your fairytales. [Susannah Radford] Run ended playpiepint.com

Edit-Point’s latest concert Axe! may sound like it is part of an anti-bedroom tax movement or the title of a very exciting action movie, but in fact, an electroacoustic music concert is a much more elegant and elaborate affair.

Directed by composers Timothy Cooper, Nicholas Virgo, and Matthew Whiteside, EditPoint have been around since 2010 and put together concerts of electroacoustic music, what they describe as “a catch-all term for any electronic music in the classical music tradition.”

Axe! focuses specifically on the guitar as an instrument, both live and recorded. With a programme including three tape (fixed-media) pieces, and three live ones performed by guest guitarist Peter Argondizza, Edit-Point ensure they explore the instrument’s sound thoroughly.

Vista Points by Manuella Blackburn stands out among the fixed media pieces of the concert. While

staring at an empty stage is not exciting theatrically, the intricacy of the sound and its multiple layers builds an entire landscape in the mind of the listener. It seems the entire plot of a film or play could be compressed into one soundscape, giving each audience member a different narrative, although it all comes from the same audio source.

These pieces set a very high standard for any live performer. While Peter Argondizza’s virtuosity on the electric guitar – demonstrated especially during the furiously fast plucking techniques required for Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XI – is undoubtedly remarkable, it has a great deal of competition when placed alongside the extremely polished fixed media pieces. The programme intelligently contains a variety of styles and pieces to showcase the variety of sounds an electric guitar can produce. Juxtaposing the live human source of sound with the perfected sound from a tape seems unfair, but here it's quite effective. [Eric Karoulla] www.edit-point.co.uk

Scottish Dance Theatre

combined beautiful and technical dance with theatrical storytelling to create a work that gently meanders through the dark season of the title. rrrrr Despite the narration interspersed The Dundee Rep sees a bold double bill throughout the piece, there is no clear narraby Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT). On their home tive or meaning to Winter, Again. It seems to turf, the dance company presents Second be a comment on human nature and emotions, Coming and Winter, Again. a hint towards those primal traits we may not After a hilariously shambolic opening, SDT always want to acknowledge. This is accompanied slowly draw you into a performance that quesperfectly by an eerie score comprised of songs tions their practice, their roles as dancers and from Schubert’s Eine Winterreise. While a definite even the construction of the choreography itself. note of humour remains, there is an underlying The situation unravelling on stage, combined darkness to this work that creates an unsettling with the playful relationships between cast feeling throughout. members and technical crew, allows this work to The gritty, murky tone, underlined by the remain amusing and entertaining. Created for the off-white set, sits in contrast to the expected company by Montreal-based choreographer whiteness of winter - a whiteness that is conVictor Quijada, Second Coming is a cleverly craft- stantly hinted at but which never really arrives. ed piece which allows the dancers to demonThis is not a place of purity; it is a place of blood, strate their sense of humour as well as their skill. of questions without answers, of a winter mudWinter, Again is another piece with a strong died with misdeed. Whatever the meaning, or theatricality, confirming that this company can setting, Winter, Again, it is a strange and beautiexcel as much in characterisation as they do in ful piece, performed by SDT with convincing maddance. Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren has ness. [Rachel Elderkin] Dundee Rep

Ballet Boyz

Theatre Royal

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While on tour, the Ballet Boyz bring the Talent - co-produced by Sadler’s Wells – to Glasgow. Having split their show into two parts, each part for a different choreographer, it becomes obvious very quickly that the Ballet Boyz wish to demonstrate their versatility.

Part one, choreographed by Liam Scarlett, is called Serpent. True to its name, it involves fluid, slithering movements, accompanied by Max Richter. Nonetheless, aside from a few repetitions that become tiresome and the occasional lack of timing as an ensemble, Scarlett’s choice of not portraying the all-male dance troupe as a brutal mob but rather giving them a sensual, fluid – at times almost sexual – aesthetic is an interesting one. Admittedly however, the dancers’ partial nudity felt superfluous and did not add anything to the dancing.

On the other hand, Fallen – part two of this show – is a step in the opposite direction. Brutal, almost industrial, Russell Maliphant’s choreography excites and is supplemented with a sense of danger from Armand Amar’s music. Again, there is repetition that seems excessive at certain points, but the underlying ferocity in the ensemble’s actions is hard to ignore.

While the troupe is called the Ballet Boyz, this show seems to indicate the ten-strong dance troupe are poking at a more experimental definition of ballet and contemporary dance, based on their separate skillsets and strengths rather than a classical-based technical approach. This is definitely a company to watch out for. [Eric Karoulla] Ballet Boyz

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Review

THEATRE

www.balletboyz.com

THE SKINNY

gy c h n o lo S S L te t c ti o n r e a ll e o c f th d c u r a te s ta te o new y g ll d in n fu a m r are Tea e is a b p t but c s a t of a T r v a t, a e h w it h u ip m e n in th e oard eq s tu d io g in t. ix ic o f o u tb m is tr in g a n d L e it h d record e a ti v e g h ’s c r r u b in Ed

Win a Trip to Glasgow Win Windmill House's Film Festival!

Top Books of the Year!

T

his Christmas Windmill Books and The Skinny are teaming up to give you the chance to win eleven of their favourite books published in 2013. We have tried to include something to suit all tastes, from the critically acclaimed Night Film to the downright hilarious Straight White Male, or the Costa shortlisted Marriage Material and Hanns and Rudolf to the simply beautiful The Invisible Kingdom. Though if you can’t find anything to read amongst that lot, do remember that books are dead easy to wrap. For more from Windmill Books visit www.windmill-books.co.uk.

O

ver the past decade Glasgow Film Festival has blossomed into one of the UK’s favourite film events. A packed 2014 programme includes pop-up cinema and special events in unique Glasgow venues ensuring that the Festival presence is felt in every corner of the city.

The Festival embraces cinema without prejudice or boundaries to create an event that has something for everyone.

This year they are ten! Join them in Glasgow from 20 February – 2 March 2014, and help them celebrate!

Tickets go on sale on Friday 24 January.

To be in with a chance of winning four tickets to Glasgow Film Festival screenings, plus an overnight stay for two in Novotel on Saturday 22 February 2014, simply head over to theskinny.

co.uk/about/competitions and correctly answer the following question: In what year did Glasgow Film Festival start?

A) 2004 B) 1939 C) 1974 D) 2005

For your chance to win this end of year bounty, head along to www.theskinny.co.uk/about/competitions and answer this simple question: John Niven is the author of the scathing satires Kill Your Friends, The Amateurs, The Second Coming and Straight White Male, as well as the thriller Cold Hands. What is the name of the infamous record exec protagonist in Kill Your Friends?

Is it:

Subject to availability, standard-priced tickets only. Terms and conditions apply. Competition closes midnight Sun 5 Jan. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/ about/terms.

For more information about Glasgow Film Festival: www.glasgowfilm.org/festival For more information about Novotel: www.novotel.com/glasgow

a) Steven Stelfox b) Simon Cowell c) Patrick Bateman Competition closes midnight Sun 5 Jan. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms.

The prize includes: Straight White Male by John Niven / The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan / Night Film by Marisha Pessl / The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis / Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding / Marriage Material by Sathnam Sanghera / The Invisible Kingdom by Rob Ryan / Worst.

Person. Ever. by Douglas Coupland / The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman / An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris / Joy by Jonathan Lee

Join The CineSkinny 2014 Team We are looking for individuals passionate about film to be part of The Skinny’s daily guide to the Glasgow Film Festival 2014.

Positions Available: Assistant Editor Designer Distribution Team You must be available between 20 Feb-2 Mar 2014.

Find out how to apply at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/ get_involved Deadlines for application: 5 Jan 2014 @theskinnymag /TheSkinnyMag

62

COMPETITIONS

I N D EP EN D EN T

C U LT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

Illustration: Edward McGowan

THE SKINNY

Glasgow Music Tue 03 Dec

CAST THE NET (ADAM STAFFORD + ORZELDA + ALEC CHEER)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Regular showcase night taking in a handpicked selection of exciting new Scottish artists and bands.

HANSON

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £23.50

The Hanson brothers attempt to move on from Mmm Bop, touring on the back of their new LP, Anthem.

Now with added haircuts.

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT

CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:30, £20

Active between 1989 and 2005, the punk rock outfit from San Diego reformed earlier this year for a reunion tour of Europe.

OH LAND

KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £10

Danish singer/songwriter and producer, otherwise known as Nanna Øland Fabricius – the daughter of an opera singer and an organist.

BASEMENT JAXX (CLEAN BANDIT)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £25

Electronic dance duo from London, made up of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, out and touring with a selection of all-new tunes.

THE VINYLS (THOMAS MCCONNEL)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Brighton-based pop lot of the sweet tunes and catchy choruses type.

Wed 04 Dec

QUEEN JANE (TUFF LOVE + THE MICKEY 9’S)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The lush Glaswegian indie outfit play their farewell show.

RODDY FRAME

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 20:00–22:00, FROM £25

The founding member of 80s group and Rough Trade stars, Aztec Camera, plays the band’s debut album, Hard Land, Hard Rain, live and in its entirety.

WHITE LIES

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £20

London-based indie-rockers who started life as Fear Of Flying, out and touring their new LP, Big TV – again coupling icy synths to Harry McVeigh’s sonorous vocals.

JAMES SKELLY AND THE INTENDERS

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10.50

Touring with his debut album, Love Undercover, talented young chap James Skelly plays a full band line-up as part of his current UK-wide tour.

THE BLUE AEROPLANES

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £10

80s rock band formed from the ashes of Art Objects, out on a mini tour for the first time since 2006.

PHILDEL (FIONA SOE PAING)

CCA, 20:00–22:30, £12

London-based singer/songwriter inspired by fantasy and the imagination, touring with The Glass Ghost, her second release to date.

Thu 05 Dec

STRUGGLE (THE GREAT ALBATROSS + FRIENDS IN AMERICA + JIMMY HILL WORLD) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Monthly punk and post hardcore selection of bands from DIY collective Struggletown.

PRONTO MAMA

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £8

Up-beat tunes from the Glasgow polyrhythmic indie-rockers/super cool dudes.

GLENN TILBROOK (LESLIE MENDELSON)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £17.50

The founding member and one-half of the songwriting team behind Squeeze takes to the road solo.

DON BROCO (BAD RABBITS + LONELY THE BRAVE)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Bedford-based rock quartet touring on the back of the release of their debut LP, Priorities.

RUNGS (CUTTY’S GYM + YOUNG PHILADELPHIA)

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £4

Alternative collective made up of ex-members of Take A Worm For A Walk Week, Lapsus Linguae and Project Venhell.

December 2013

TOO MANY T’S PIVO PIVO, 19:30–23:00, £7

Alternative/party hip-hop duo from London, out on their banterrich Beats We Wish We Had tour.

WOE IS ME

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £12

Sludgy hardcore metal bunch hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, touring with their 2013 release, American Dream.

THE HOOSIERS

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Now trading as a four-piece, the London-based pop-meets-rock chaps preview material from their forthcoming new LP, The News From Nowhere, due to drop March 2014.

A BEERJACKET AND FRIENDS CHRISTMAS (MICHAEL CASSIDY + JULIA AND THE DOOGANS)

MONO, 19:30–23:00, £5

Glasgow one-man alternative folk band Beerjacket (aka Peter Kelly) pitches up for a special Christmas outing – joined by a selection of pals and a few special guests (being kept firmly under wraps for now).

ADAM HOLMES AND THE EMBERS + ROSS AINSLIE + ADAM SUTHERLAND

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £5

Special Trad Music Awards warmup tour, including a set from young rootsy-pop singer/songwriter Adam Holmes and his live crew, The Embers.

OVER THE WALL

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £6

The euphoric pop locals do their thing, marrying a resolutely indie aesthetic to the open-eyed, reach-for-the-stars sincerity of anthemic 80s rock.

ALEX NICOL

CCA, 19:00–22:30, £10

The melody-driven singer/songwriter leads up a cast of acoustic players, having barely looked back since picking up a toy keyboard at the tender age of eight.

Fri 06 Dec ALABAMA 3

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

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.

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £25

The Birmingham Brit-poppers return to a live setting to play tracks offa their latest LP offering, Painting.

FACTORY FLOOR (EAST INDIA YOUTH)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £10

The DFA mainstays tour on the back of their self-titled debut LP, all analogue synths, live drums and intense disco downers – deftly stripping back their nu-disco punk framework into something leaner and colder.

BEARDYMAN (DJ HAUS)

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £10

The London-based beatboxing king (known to his mammy as Darren Foreman) plays a set of his livelooping beatbox. ÓLAFUR ARNALDS

CCA, 19:30–22:30, £15 ADV. (£18 DOOR)

The Icelandic multi-instrumentalist makes merry with his usual other-worldly blend of ambient/ classical/electronic pop, we do the swooning.

THE VEX

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

The newly-reformed Weegie lot play an extended set of classic and rockin’ tributes of songs that inspired them.

BRAIDS

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

Montreal-based art rockers, touring with their second album, Flourish // Perish, which was released earlier this year.

JOHN POWER

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £9

The Cast and The La’s frontman takes his rock’n’roll solo project out on the road.

JAMIE LENMAN (HALO TORA) KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

VEX RUFFIN (DICK 50 + ANTIQUE PONY) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6

Untrained punk musician who uses a few basic instruments in uncomplicated ways, calling his thing ‘minimalist’ – although it often sounds anything but.

The former singer, guitarist and songwriter for underground heroes Reuben brings his colossal double album, Muscle Memory, to a live setting – twiddly moustache all well and in place.

INDIGO VELVET (THE MAGNETIC + THE VIRGINIA DONS + STRAT STATIC + KENDA NAGASAKI)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

TOMMY REILLY (RYAN JOSEPH BURNS)

AIRBOURNE

Longhaired Aussie hard rockers known for crafting underdogchampioning anthems with reckless abandon.

MAKE NOISE FOR PEACE (THE CORVUS EXPERIMENT + STATIC ROCK + ELECTROBUDDHA + ALEXANDER MACDONALD + LASER FOX + PERDO) BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, 19:00–22:30, £5

Glasgow-based human rights organisation, Global Minorities Alliance, host a special fundraiser night manned by a selection of musical talent.

WATAIN

THE GARAGE, 19:00–22:00, £15

Black metal five-piece from Sweden, taking their name from a recording by the American black metal bunch, Von. DREADZONE

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Eclectic UK bunch fusing elements of dub, reggae, techno, folk and rock into their own musical soundscapes.

THE SWEETHEART REVUE

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:00, £8

Glasgow-based melody-makers, building their sound on the more mellow, melancholic side of country music.

Sat 07 Dec J. COLE

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £29.50

North Carolina MC (aka Jermaine Cole) – the first artist signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation label – currently in the midst of touring his goldselling LP, Born Sinner.

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE

BARROWLAND, 19:00–22:00, £25

The Birmingham Brit-poppers return to a live setting to play tracks offa their latest LP offering, Painting.

TWISTED WHEEL (THE JIGAWOTTS + THE BAWLERS + ENEMIES OF THE STATE) KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £8

Indie-styled Manc trio led by yer man Jonny Brown on vocals and guitar duties.

THE DEADLINE SHAKES (BRONAGH AND THE BOYS + SYDNEY SHAW)

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £6

Powerpop Scots currently causing a bit of a stir with their chiming euphonics, launching their new single on the night.

THE PASTELS (LALI PUNA)

MONO, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Stephen McRobbie’s perennially adolescent outfit take in a selection of classics and newer tracks cherrypicked from their early 2013 release, Slow Summits – a graceful configuration of airy vocals and rich instrumentation.

JLS

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £25

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £6

Newly-formed indie-funk quartet raised from the ashes of The Kiks.

Sun 08 Dec

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £10

Young East Dunbartonshire singer/ songwriter still riding high on the back of his third album, featuring playing from members of Admiral Fallow and Frightened Rabbit.

PAPA ROACH

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £18.50

The Californian rockers bring the nu-metal nostalgia, as bloody per – playing tracks offa their new LP, The Connection.

NEKO CASE

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

American singer/songwriter and occasional New Pornographers musician, touring her most precise release to date, The Worse Things Gets.

DECEMBER DICHOTOMY (APPALOOSA + SACRE NOIR + KINGPIN + GUNFINGER + BLOODY JELLYFISH ATTACK + PERISHED GUSSETS + WIT? BREAKCORE + VOE + THE MAN FROM ULTRA + MAJOR CUNT + EXTREMEST) 13TH NOTE, 15:00–23:00, £4

All-day musical voyage focused on the Glasgow underground scene – moving from drone doom through various genres, before ending on a full-on gabba climax.

LA FEMME

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £5

French psyche-punk rock outfit established by keyboard player Sacha Got and guitarist Marlon Magnée.

Mon 09 Dec TINIE TEMPAH

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:00–22:00, £25

More pop-styled rap offerings from the South London chap.

BAROQUE BASSOONS

ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND, 13:00–14:00, £9.50 (£7.50)

The Royal Conservatoire Bassoon Department explore some of the music from that instrument’s golden age of the Baroque era.

PURSON

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £6.50

Baroque’n’roll from the Londonbased psych-pop five-piece, touring their debut album, The Circle and the Blue Door.

Tue 10 Dec

CAST THE NET (CHERRI FOSPHATE)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Regular showcase night taking in a handpicked selection of exciting new Scottish artists and bands.

TOUCHE AMORE

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £12

LA-based post-hardcore rock quintet, led by vocalist Jeremy Bolm.

ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The British boy band call it quits by touring some of the UK’s more, ahem, intimate venues for a farewell ‘hits’ tour.

GLASGOW CATHEDRAL , 19:30–21:30, £11 (£8.50)

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £8

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6

QUASI (HOOKWORMS + CHRIS DEVOTION AND THE EXPECTATIONS)

Rock’n’roll duo hailing from Portland, Oregon, made up of ex-husband and wife Sam Coombes and Janet Weiss, touring with their 2013 album, Mole City.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR

BROADCAST, 23:00–01:30, £12.50

LA-based musician, best known as The Strokes guitarist and for being Albert Hammond’s wee lad.

ASHLEY COLLINS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Scottish New Music Award nominee does her uplifting pop thing.

Annual Christmas concert featuring a wealth of Winners from the Royal Conservatoire’s year.

EMILY WELLS

Los Angeles-residing songstress hailed for her multi-instrumental ambidexterity; a symphonic embroidering of swirling strings, electronics and intricate beats, sewn together with deeply personal vocals.

ED ASKEW (THE CRYING LION + ADAM STEARNS)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £10

New York painter and singer/songwriter hailed as a bit of a legend on the folk-psyche landscape.

Wed 11 Dec

SO MANY ANIMAL CALLS (CARNIVORES + ROSS LEIGHTON) BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

Glaswegian quartet who rather self-deprecatingly term their sound as ‘failpop’, welcoming their new single into the world.

SIMON MCBRIDE (FEDERAL CHARM)

PLACEBO

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £14

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £26.50

Virtuoso Irish guitar player of the blues-rock variety, rich with hooks and melodies.

CHINA CRISIS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £16

The 80s Liverpudlian pop-rockers stop by Glasgow as part of their current tour.

THE COURTEENERS

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £18.50

Middleton-formed indie-rock quartet, all of whom have known each since they were the tender age of 10.

COLD CROWS DEAD

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £6.50

Collaborative project between Murray Macleod, frontman of The Xcerts, and producer/songwriter Paul Steel – out and touring their debut LP, I Fear A New World.

MILK CHRISTMAS PARTY (RANDOLPH’S LEAP) FLAT 0/1, 21:00–03:00, £4

The musical clubber’s delight throw an old-school Christmas bash, joined by Randolph’s Leap in full eight-piece band guise, plus secret guest singers playing their favourite Christmas hits, and the obligatory mince pies and mulled cider.

STUART HENDERSON + CHRIS BATHGATE

MONO, 20:00–22:00, FREE

Stuart Henderson and Chris Bathgate (both members of Ganger) spread layers of echo chamber ethereal guitar, as per.

ANDRÉ RIEU

THE SSE HYDRO, 20:00–22:00, FROM £40

The violin master plays a special set of romantic melodies and catchy waltzes, ripe for the festive season.

Thu 12 Dec

SHED SEVEN (MARK MORRIS)

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The reformed perennial Britpoppers take to the road as part of their Greatest Hits tour, playing a selection of hits and fan favourites, with support from Bluetones’ Mark Morris.

HAIM

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

LA-based band of sisters who build their sound on a whimsy of folk and r’n’b beats.

GOOD GRIEF’S GOOD SHOP (VASA + FUTURE HORIZONS)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The DIY label and zine collective present an evening of alternative sounds.

WOODEN SHJIPS

SWG3, 19:00–22:00, £14

The San Franciscan psych-rock disciples show y’all how it’s done, playing tracks from their new LP, Back to Land – a gem of a thing laced with acoustic guitar, threaded in and out of thicker slabs of noise.

GLASGOW CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

GLASGOW CATHEDRAL , 18:15–22:00, £40

Carol concert fundraiser featuring Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman and Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall. In aid of Cancer Research UK. SUPANOVA

CLASSIC GRAND, 18:00–22:00, £15

All-new boyband fluff (aka just what the world needed).

PINK LILIES THE 2ND (LEA CUMMINGS + LEAFWRIST + LEFT OF VENUS)

13TH NOTE, 18:30–23:00, £5

With six studio albums and more than 12 million records sales, Brian Molko and his band of alternative rockers embark on a UK tour to welcome their new LP, Loud Like Love, into the world.

DEATHCATS

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Glasgow guitar popsters drop a set of their fiery post-surf brand of hardcore, in celebration of their new tape launch.

THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £13.00

Longstanding London-based folkrock crew in a re-jigged guise, but still featuring founding members Phil Odgers and Stefan Crush on lead vocals and guitar.

ILL BILL

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

New York-based Jewish-American rapper and record producer (aka William Braunstein to his mammy), who gained notoriety as a member if hip-hop ensemble Non Phixion.

PAPA SHANDY AND THE DRAMS

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

Glasgow-based bluegrass-meetsfolk-meets-rock lot, performing tunes from their debut album, One Ae’r The Eight.

CLYDE 1 LIVE (GARY BARLOW + MCFLY + THE SATURDAYS + UNION J + RIZZLE KICKS + LITTLE MIX + SHANE FILAN + JOHN NEWMAN + NAUGHTY BOY + THE VAMPS + NEON JUNGLE + TOM ODELL + GEORGE BOWIE)

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:30–22:00, FROM £30

Musical all-dayer kicking off a year of celebrations to mark the station’s 40th birthday, with Take That mainman Gary Barlow headlining alongside a selection of pop fluff.

XENTRIX

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £10

British thrash metalheads of the 80s.

ANDERSON, MCGINTY, WEBSTER, WARD AND FISHER

CCA, 20:00–22:30, £10

Special club show from the Dundonian talent pooled from a selection of Dundee’s local bands – The Law, Luva Anna and Magdalen Green.

ESPERANZA (THE AMPHETAMEANIES + CAPONE AND THE BULLETS) PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £10

More ska-filled frolics from the highly-lauded nine-piece.

Sat 14 Dec PRIMAL SCREAM

SECC, 18:30–22:00, £29.50

The Glasgow-hailing alternative rock lot, made up up Bobby Gillespie et al, perform Screamadelica in its glorious entirety.

FLUX PAVILION (DATSIK)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14.50

English dubstep producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Steele (aka Flux Pavilion) does his thing, fresh from his tour of the US-of-A. CHRIS HELME

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

The Seahorse frontman plays a selection of solo material and old Seahorse favourites.

THE POST ORGASMIC SUNSHINE BAND

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £6

Glasgow and Edinburgh-straddling collective of musicians, doing their thing across genres of dub, reggae, Celtic and groove.

ALABASTER JONES (HOOK AND SLINGERS + DED RABBIT)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Ambient/drone chillout experience featuring a variety of sonic architects from Glasgow and London, accompanied by a specially-made four-hour visual feast.

Glasgow’s resident funk fiends head up a night of festive-themed fun, likely playing track offa their 2013 EP, The Night Before The Morning After.

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £6

The local sweet-voiced singer/ songwriter takes to the stage.

MISSING MYLA (FIRE IN EFFECT + A PLANNED ACCIDENT + IMPERIAL + ACT NATURAL)

The pop-meets-rock Fife outfit play a set with new second vocalist Chelsea Hutchison.

Fri 13 Dec GUN

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

Rock’n’roll outfit formed by the Gizzi brothers in the mid-80s, taking to a hometown venue to play the hits.

JASMINE

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10.00

THE MISSION + FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £26

Cult goth rock bands The Mission and Fields of the Nephilim join (dark) forces for their December UK tour.

GASP + TESTURE + LOUIE + MACKENZIE + ILL PAPA GIRAFFE THE ROXY 171, 8PM-2AM £4 HIP-HOP SPECIAL WITH BLACK LANTERN ARTISTS ALONGSIDE SOME OF GLASGOW'S FINEST RAPPERS INCLUDING GASP AND HECTOR BIZERK'S LOUIE

STEVE HOGARTH ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £18

The lead vocalist of Marillion hits the road solo.

GAMELAN NAGA MAS

MONO, 16:00–18:00, FREE

Free, relaxed performance from the Glasgow Gamelan Group.

CALL TO MIND + JO MANGO (BEHOLD, THE OLD BEAR)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:00, £5 ADV. (£6 DOOR)

Olive Grove Records celebrate their latest addition to their roster – glacial pop outfit Call To Mind – playing a co-headline show with Jo Mango, who is celebrating the release of her magical new EP, When We Lived in the Crook of a Tree.

HANDS UP! FESTIVAL (FLUORESCENT HEARTS + MECHANICAL SMILE + AVALANO + ALL SHE KNOWS + KUDOS + IRRATIONAL FEVER + THE DETOURS + SKA BEAT JAKES + UNIT SEVEN + PARALLEL REDEMPTION)

CLASSIC GRAND, 13:00–22:00, £10

Rock-styled mini festival headed up by Birmingham-based pop-rock quartet Taking Hayley, bolstered by a selection of in and out of town bands.

THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS’ CHRISTMAS PARTY (FUTURE GLUE + THE ROSY CRUCIFIXION + GRNR)

KINNING PARK COMPLEX, 19:30–22:00, £6

The Glasgow-based rock’n’rollers celebrate an amazing year with a specially-curated bash, featuring a line-up of bands and DJs curated by the band themselves.

Mon 16 Dec

POLAR BEARS IN PURGATORY (THE MADDIGANS + FACE THE OCEAN + OVER AND OUT)

IVORY BLACKS, 18:30–22:00, £6

Fledgling Ayr trio of the melodic punk-rock variety.

BLACK SABBATH

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £40

Ossy Osbourne et al do their heavy metal thing once more, touring in support of their first studio album since 1978.

Tue 17 Dec

MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £20

The mighty Motown legends play a set of (some of their many) hits.

THE POGUES

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £32.50

Since their gargantuan 30th anniversary London show last year, the Shane MacGowan-led punk ensemble return to a live setting to play their second LP – Rum, Sodomy & the Lash – in its entirety, alongside a selection of hits (aka, Fairytale of New York).

BASTARD’S XMAS III (EDDY AND THE T-BOLTS + ROSS GILCHRIST + DESTROYEBSKY + THE HATE 80S)

13TH NOTE, 19:00–23:00, £4

Annual bastardised festive uprising from a bunch of Scotland’s talented outsiders, amongst ‘em metallic punk-rockers Eddy and The T-Bolts showcasing their new EP.

Wed 18 Dec PATRICK WOLF

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

Selection of some of the best festive songs of all time played breakneck style, aka hurrah.

Special seasonal outing from the experimental London singer/ songwriter and his kit-bag of electro-pop gems, debuting a selection of new material on piano, tenor guitar, harp, viola, kantale, Theremin and electronics, as well as a few festive covers.

Sun 15 Dec

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £18

THE UNCOMMON GOOD

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £6

KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS

THE ARCHES, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

The Philadelphian chap and his merry band bring it with a set of accessible melodies cocked askew, marrying the introspection of the nocturnal stoner with the exploration of a troubadour frontiersman.

THE BLUESWATER (DIRTY DIAMOND AND THE GUNSLINGER)

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £5

BLACK VEIL BRIDES

Glam metal-styled Hollywood rock quintet; back-combed, leatherclad and eyeliner-ed to the max, as per the Black Veil Brides law.

THE VIEW

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

The Dundee indie-pop scamps do their thing close to home, playing tracks offa their 2013 release, Seven Year Setlist.

RED KITES (ANDY RUDDY + STEVIE MAXWELL)

Rockin’ Edinburgh 11-piece, resplendent with an old-school R’n’B vibe and a three-horn brass section.

Emotive folk-rock ensemble hailing from Guildford.

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, £35.50

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:30–22:00, £38.50

BOYZONE

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £6

STATUS QUO

Ronan, Shane, Keith and Mikey continue proceedings, some 20 years on since they first stormed the pop world.

The original line-up – as in Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan – reform for a one-off series of UK dates.

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

GOGOL BORDELLO

Gypsy punk ensemble from the suitably cool streets of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, riding along on frontman Eugene Hutz lead vocals and twirly moustache. ÁSGEIR

BROADCAST, 20:00–23:00, £8

Icelandic singer/songwriter crafting an idyllic blend of folk, indie and electro, touring with his debut release, Dyrd i daudathog.

TOBY JEPSON

STEREO, 19:00–22:00, £8.50

The Little Angels mainman heads out on the road solo in support of his new mini-album, Raising My Own Hell.

THE WHISPERY CLUB (ARCHIMEDES PRINCIPLE + THISFAMILIARSMILE)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Ayrshire and Glasgow-straddling alternative pop-rockers, formed from the glowing embers of various other bands.

(A IS TO B) (OKISHIMA ISLAND TOURIST ASSOCIATION + PET CEMETERY + CLOSE MINDED GIRL + DEAD WOOD) THE ROXY 171, 19:30–22:00, £4

Mighty mix of domineering sonic assault and gloomy atmospherics, launching their new EP on the night.

SCAR THE MARTYR

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £10

American heavy metal ensemble formed in 2013 as a side project for Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison.

FROM THE STORM

Rock-styled foursome hailing from the south side of Glasgow, all big guitar riffs, pounding drums, melodic bass lines and wailing vocals.

ANDY JORDAN

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

The Made In Chelsea star embarks on his UK mini tour, we’ll do the hiding.

THE RAIN EXPERIMENT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6

Glasgow-based alternative rock quartet led by Dylan ‘Cheggy’ Dickson.

Thu 19 Dec FRENCH WIVES

MONO, 19:30–22:00, £5

The Glasgow indie troupe do their twinkling folk-meets-spunky pop thing, all singalongable and lovely like – playing what will sadly be their last ever show after five and a half years at it. Go wish ‘em well.

BRAVE YOUNG RED

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £5

Ayr ensemble whose soothing, folk-influenced harmonies hang on Jamie Foley’s softened vocal delivery, accompanied by a rich underlay of bass and guitar.

NEWLIFE (UNITED FRUIT + HEY ENEMY + SHAMBLES IN A HUSK)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

The Newlife crew present their monthly hanpicked selection of the best new left-field Scottish talent, followed by the Enjoyable Moment DJs doing their usual audio sauna mind warp ‘til 3am.

Listings

63

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, Karen Matheson, Kris Drever and John McCusker) belt out the festive hits.

WET WET WET

THE SSE HYDRO, 19:30–22:00, FROM £40

The Glaswegian four-piece return to the Northwest for the first time in over six years, cherrypicking a set list from their 25 year back catalogue of hits.

LAURA ST. JUDE (KILL SURRRF + TWIN MIRRORS)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6

Glasgow-based lass on vocals and electric guitar, doing a good line in emotional torch songs.

Fri 20 Dec

XMAS XTRAVAGLAMZA (THE SENSATIONAL DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE BAND + DIRTY HARRY + THE SLADE EXPERIENCE + HOT LOVE ) O2 ABC, 18:00–22:00, £15

Glam-themed night of tribute acts, taking in David Bowie, Blondie, Slade and T Rex respectively.

FUTURES FEST

O2 ACADEMY, 18:30–22:00, £10

Annual mini-fest featuring a hefty lineup of up-and-coming acts from across Scotland, playing across two stages.

GREEN DOOR STUDIO: 6TH BIRTHDAY (THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS + HALFRICAN + EUGENE TOMBS

COMBICHRIST (SURGYN + ROMAN NOSE) CLASSIC GRAND, 19:00–22:00, £15

Industrial metal crew chock with hook-heavy choruses, speakercrushing beats and aggressive vocals.

CALVIN HARRIS + TIËSTO

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £35

Dutch DJ Tiesto shares the stage with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris for a UK tour following their 20-month residency at Hakkasan in Las Vegas.

50S ROCK’N’ROLL EXTRAVAGANZA (THE SOUR MASH TRIO + FURY AND THE AMBASSADORS + THE COY DOGS + UNCLE RED) O2 ABC,

TREMORS

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fri 27 Dec THE SILENCERS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Local 80s post-meets-punk outfit, characterized by their melodic blend of pop, folk and traditional Celtic influences.

CAMMY BLACK (CABEY + EMMA JAMES + JOHNNY JACK)

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

After years of bedroom songwriting, the 20-something brickie by day downs tools for a rock-heavy live band set.

BLACK COROLLA (FUTURE GLUE + ELECTRIC GARDENS + IMAGINARY WITCH)

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

The psychedellic and uncompromisingly loud rock’n’roll three piece bring the noise to the Note.

THE CHANGES

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £5

Alternative foursome heavilyinfluenced by 90s indie.

Sat 28 Dec

Resident DJs Connor Byrne and Feedback Junkie provide an eclectic mix of house, techno, disco and garage.

THE SILENCERS

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Local 80s post-meets-punk outfit, characterized by their melodic blend of pop, folk and traditional Celtic influences.

THE PRIMEVALS (THE REVERSE COWGIRLS + THE LIBERTY TAKERS)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

Longstanding Glasgow psychedelic rockers on the go since 1983, built on swinging rhythm-tenacious beats.

CULANN (ALBURN + RIPLEY + KEEPING DIRT CLEAN)

MODEL AEROPLANES (BACCHNAL PARTY)

The fledgling Dundee-based rockers take to the road following the release of their first single in September – recorded whilst they were finishing their Higher exams.

Sun 29 Dec

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

THE LAST OF THE FREE (THE SNEAKY RUSSIANS + THE PRETTY MESS)

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £25

The favourited Glasgow music studio turns six, celebrating with a selection of their favourite artists – plus the joys of the Glad Community Choir opening with a selection of Moondog covers. Free mix CD of 2013 recordings for the first 100.

TRAVIS

The Glasgow-formed 90s mainstays make their live return, marking the release of their new LP, Where You Stand.

THE TWILIGHT SAD: FOURTEEN AUTUMNS

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £12.50

The Twilight Sad boys treat collective Glasgow earlugs to a special duo of consecutive dates, playing their 2007 gem of a debut – Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters – live and in its glorious entirety.

Happy bloody Christmas!

ALESSO

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The EDM specialist continues his endless touring with a special Glasgow set, with tickets the actual equivalent of gold dust.

DEACON BLUE

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, £30

The Scottish popsters celebrate their 25th anniversary, touring their ironically titled new LP – The Hipsters.

Sat 21 Dec

LITTLE EYE (MARK ANGELS)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Recently-formed Glaswegian power-pop quartet led by singer and founder Allan Sieczkowski, playing a Christmas special in honour of their new single, Better Than This.

DUNEDIN CONSORT: HANDEL’S MESSIAH

KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM, 20:00–22:00, FROM £15

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

TRAVIS

BARROWLAND, 19:00–23:00, £25

The Glasgow-formed 90s mainstays make their live return, marking the release of their new LP, Where You Stand.

THE TWILIGHT SAD: FOURTEEN AUTUMNS

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £12.50

The Twilight Sad boys treat collective Glasgow earlugs to a special duo of consecutive dates, playing their 2007 gem of a debut – Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters – live and in its glorious entirety.

Happy bloody Christmas!

64

Listings

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 20:00–23:00, £DONATION

ANDRÉ RIEU

18:00–22:00

Rock’n’roll-styled music night, headed up by countrified rockabilly lot, The Sour Mash Trio.

PSYCHMARE BEFORE XMAS

STEREO, 21:30–03:00, £5

To celebrate the homecoming show of a 22 date European tour, Glaswegian space rockers The Cosmic Dead curate a bill of some of their favourite Scottish bands and DJs – including a set from their good selves, obvs.

THE SSE HYDRO, 20:00–22:00, FROM £40

THE WEE CHILL FESTIVE WEEKENDER

EUGENE’S LAIR (JAMES EDWYN AND THE BORROWED BAND + PROGGYSTYLE)

Wee Chill celebrate the coming of Santa with a musical weekender, taking in Sunday sets from Admiral Fallow, Washington Irving, KonxOm-Pax, Little Kicks and more, bolstered by Street Food Cartel scran, a festive market and a cinema room on both days.

The violin master plays a special set of romantic melodies and catchy waltzes, ripe for the festive season.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Glasgow-residing ensemble big on the funk-injected blues rock.

KUNG FU JESUS (MARTIN JOHN HENRY + PAN TOWERS)

13TH NOTE, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

The Carluke musician (ex-Genaro and ex-Doomsday Device) takes to the stage solo, with strong Scottish support.

CRAIG WHITE BAND (ANTHONY MOORE)

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £6

The Ex-Melliflous lead guitarist plays a selection of new material from his debut solo LP, Made Up Stories.

Sun 22 Dec GLASVEGAS

OLD FRUITMARKET, 19:30–22:00, £18

SWG3, 14:00–22:00, £15

PURPLE VALENTINO

PIVO PIVO, 19:00–23:00, £5

Expect some lighter rock melodies from the River Records captured group, led by gravel-throated songsmith Dougie MacSween.

Mon 23 Dec

Orchestral pop ensemble – the brainchild of writer and composer Gregor Barclay – working their magic on guitars, strings, brass and keyboards.

BIG COUNTRY

ORAN MOR, 18:30–21:30, £29

ADAM HOLMES AND THE EMBERS

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–23:00, £10

Young rootsy-pop singer/ songwriter Adam Holmes plays accompanied by his five-strong band of players, The Embers.

ERIK BALIJA AND THE FOO BIRDS

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE VINYLS (THOMAS MCCONNELL)

Brighton-based pop lot of the sweet tunes and catchy choruses type.

ANIMALATTIC (H.W.O.I.F.S)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £4

Alternative-styled lot who’re pitching their sound as ‘sex rock’, as you do.

RETURN TO THE SUN (TERRAFRAID + REDOLENT + STEVE HERON)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £5

Indie-driven Edinburgh rock band formed in the long, dark winter of 2012.

Thu 05 Dec

JOHN POWER (KAT HEALY + DED RABBIT)

Dunfermline-born 80s rockers formed when Stuart Adamson left The Skids in 1981 and recruited guitar partner Bruce Watson, now back and touring under their new line-up.

The Cast and The La’s frontman takes his rock’n’roll solo project out on the road.

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £15 (£13)

STOP THE CLOCKS (DIRTYFACE)

Oasis tribute act.

ASHTON LANE HOGMANAY STREET PARTY (THEM BEATLES + SNAFU + GEORGE DONALDSO)

ASHTON LANE, 19:00–02:00, £25

Ashton Lane comes out to play with an outdoor street party featuring live bands – including The Beatles-aping, Them Beatles – plus DJs, a live piper, street performers and, yes, loadsae fireworks come midnight.

MILK HOGMANAY PARTY (HECTOR BIZERK + PRONTO MAMA + S.T.A.R.)

FLAT 0/1, 20:00–04:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£8 THEREAFTER)

DAVID NEIL (LYNDSAY SHIELDS)

APPALOOSA (MAN OF MOON)

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £4

THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 20:00–00:00, £5

The Edinburgh-based indie-pop singer/songwriter launches his new EP. TTNG

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–23:00, £9

HEIDI TALBOT (JULIE FOWLIS + LOUIS ABBOTT)

Irish folk songstress – formerly of the Irish-American group, Cherish the Ladies – delicately re-working traditional and contemporary material with her gossamer vocals.

THE GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £7

Gallows guitar player Stephen Carter steps out with his new band, taking him on a slightly more mellow twist.

UNKEEPABLE + REBECCA CONNELLY + COLIN CLYNE

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–23:30, £5 (£4)

Acoustic pop showase taking in the chilled tones of Unkeepable, Rebecca Connelly and Colin Clyne.

Alternative indie foursome from Oxford (formerly known as This Town Needs Guns), playing a last blast of 2013 shows before their hole up in’t studio to record their next LP.

MAN MADE ORIGIN + THE LARCH? + RAMAGE INC

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Night of intense progressive metal headed up by Dundee-based progressive metal quintet, Man Made Origin.

SOUND COLLISION PICK’N’MIX (TEN FOOT TOM AND THE LEPROSY CROOKS + DELUDED BUDDHAS + HARVEY LANES + THE PATCHES + THE SACCHARINES + MR WISHART) HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:30–03:00, £3 ADV. (£5 DOOR)

Cherrypicked rock assortment, moving from acoustic guitar, via tramp rock, dance rock, and more alternative and heavy sounds.

CHERNOZEM: RENEGADE MASKERRADE

SUMMERHALL, 20:00–01:00, £10 (£5 FILM ONLY)

85A Collective storm Summerhall for a total cinema experience – premiering Judd Brucke’s lo-fi masterpiece, Chernozem, driven by the collective’s hybrid performative chaos and a live band performance from Jacob Yates and The Pearly Gate Lock Pickers.

Bloc venture out of their murky basement surrounds to take over the main stage of George Square for an all-noise Christmas punch in the puss, bringing with them three of their favourite acts of the year: Patricia Panther, Vasa and Fat Goth.

Thu 26 Dec

BLOCXING DAY (TIGERMASK MCGARVEY)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

One third of the excellent Shake Appeal collective flies solo on the decks in his own punk-infused rock’n’roll style.

DECAGRAM 1.1 (GRNR + NUMBERS ARE FUTILE + SMALL FEET LITTLE TOES (WITH DAVE WHEATLEY) + HIVA OA (WITH RYAN VAN WINKLE) + TRUDATSOUND (WITH EUAN MACKENZIE)) HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–03:00, £3 (£6 AFTER 12)

All-new night based on unique collaborations, featuring film (7pm till 9pm) and then live music (9pm-midnight), including live a collab between Edinburgh dream pop trio Hiva Oa and poet Ryan Van Winkle, before discoing down ‘til the wee hours.

DAVE DOBBYN + DON MCGLASHAN

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £15

Double dose of Aussie singer/songwriter talent, touring and sharing the stage for the first time.

JAPANFOUR (SLUMBER CLUB + LATITUDE FIFTY FIVE + THE RAPTORS)

ENUFF Z’NUFF (BLUE ORIGIN + GUTTERGODZ)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £12

Donnie, Chip and the boys bring their trippy hard rock all the way from Chicago to Edinburgh.

TINDERBOX ORCHESTRA AND FRIENDS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£9)

The 50-odd piece youth orchestra teams up with various bands, singers, artists and collaborations from Chile, China and the Balkan for a bit of an orchestral riot in the tranquil Queen’s Hall. Amen.

GALA CHRISTMAS CONCERT

GREYFRIARS KIRK, 18:30–22:00, £20

Night of classical and traditional music featuring the orchestra and the chorus of the Canongait, plus various opera performers and children from east Lothian schools.

In aid of Epilepsy Scotland.

LIMBO’S XMAS BASH (PUMAJAW + LAW + FRIDGE MASTER + AMANTI)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–01:00, £6 ADV. (£8 DOOR)

The favourited gig-in-a-club night take on their annual festive guise, for which Fife-based enigmas Pumajaw will play a reprisal of their critically-lauded Fringe show, Song

13TH NOTE’S HOGMANAY PARTY 13TH NOTE, 20:30–01:00, FREE

The 13th Note do Hogmanay in their own inimitable way, topped and tailed by two contrasting sets from jazz/funk/psych/prog collective Big Hogg, plus DJ sets from Prog Corner and Mike Hastings (of Trembling Bells). And all for gratis!

The RSNO celebrate the festive season with a chamber reworking of Tchaikovsky’s dance classic.

BLACK STAR RIDERS

PICTURE HOUSE, 18:00–22:00, £22.50

HUDSON TAYLOR

Dublin-based brother duo made up of Harry and Alfie Hudson-Taylor, who honed their craft at an early age busking the streets of their hometown.

ANN PIGALLE (NATALIE PRYCE)

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

French Parisian (and now Londonresiding) singer and multimedia artist whose teenage years were spent playing guitar in an all-girl punk band.

Mon 09 Dec

The latest incarnation of Thin Lizzy – made up of Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson and Marco Mendoza – take their new project on the road proper.

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £3

The pro-queer, pro-female band night goes festive, taking in sets from queer-feminist punk rocker Mayr and queer-pop one-manband Ste McCabe – who’ll launch their split 7-inch on the night.

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

TOMMY REILLY (CHRIS SIMMONS)

THANK YOU SO NICE (ET TU BRUTE?!)

The experimental Edinburgh indiepoppers do their happy-happyjoy-joy sound of a thing, launching their new EP on the night.

NORMAN SILVER AND THE GOLD (MATATUNES + THE PINK DOGS)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 22:00–03:00, £5

The Edinburgh-based country punk lot play a set of their selfdescribed ‘uncheerful country and western’. Jolly bunch.

RSNO: BENEDETTI AND ELSCHENBROICH PLAY BRAHMS

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

Virtuoso violinist Nicola Benedetti and cellist Leonard Elschenbroich team up for a sparkling rendition of Brahms’ concerto for cello and violin.

PERMWHALE RECORDINGS’ CHRISTMAS PARTY (COLLAR UP + GUMS + ERRANT BOY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £8

The diminutive local label host a wee Christmas knees-up, with dream-pop Edinburgh trio Collar up at the helm – rich with suitably festive sweeping pianos and dreamy vocals.

HEYMOONSHAKER (JAMES BROWN IS ANNIE)

Sat 14 Dec

Young East Dunbartonshire singer/ songwriter still riding high on the back of his third album, featuring playing from members of Admiral Fallow and Frightened Rabbit.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, £8

PARTY FEARS THREE

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £10

Dave Crowe’s blues project – all big riffs, loud rhythms and howlin’ vocals – which began life in 2009 with the addition of guitarist and vocalist Andy Balcon.

The Edinburgh-based 80s tribute act present a special night of music from the era.

Tue 10 Dec

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £7

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE

PICTURE HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £25

The Birmingham Brit-poppers return to a live setting to play tracks offa their latest LP offering, Painting.

AN EVENING OF MUSIC WITH ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

PUSSY WHIPPED XMAS PARTY (MAYR + STE MCCABE + PRISCILLAS )

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: B MINOR MASS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £12

DEFEATED SANITY (PUTRIDITY + VOMITOUS + SCORDATURA)

Noir – ahead of the music being released in LP format in early 2014.

The Edinburgh quartet do their alternative folk-meets-indie racket of a thing to suitably fine effect, this time previewing songs from the album they’re about to record.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Wed 11 Dec

RSNO: THE NUTCRACKER

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11.50

TRAPPED MICE

THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:00–23:00, £5

Fri 13 Dec

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: CHAMBER CONCERT

The master storyteller discusses his recent works with writer and musician Jamie Jauncey, as well as debuting Fergus of Galloway – his new collaboration with Edinburgh composer Tom Cunningham.

Fri 06 Dec

CLICK CLACK CLUB

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 20:00–23:30, £5 (£3)

Monthly experimental music club bringing the good times with their Beefheart-inspired funk.

Sun 08 Dec

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £16 (£14)

The musical clubber’s delight host a ‘best of Milk’ Hogmanay special, joined by some of their favourite acts – amongst ‘em Hector Bizerk, Pronto Mama and S.T.A.R. – plus post-midnight bacon rolls and free punch on entry, hurrah.

Thu 12 Dec

Four angry young men fuelled by a deep love of rock’n’roll. Ain’t we all.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £8

The seminal punk foursome take to the road again, now rather impressively in their 36th year of being.

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–22:00, £4 (£3)

One-off live music performance exploring the dynamic and creative possibilities of the human singing voice, with eight different singers presenting new vocal work on the night.

Conductor Richard Egarr leads a choral reworking of Bach’s at once moving and uplifting, Mass.

PICTURE HOUSE, 18:30–22:00, £17.50

THE DAMNED (RUTS D.C.)

SOLSTICE COLLECTIVE SESSIONS (MARCUS CAMPBELL + KIRSTY MARQUIS, LYNDSAY SHIELDS + JENNY THIRGOOD + DIONNE DEMPSEY + JOHN PERCIVAL + KIRSTEN SMITH + MAIJA HALME)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £6

Sat 07 Dec

THE SSE HYDRO, 18:30–22:00, FROM £35

BLOC IN GEORGE SQUARE (PATRICIA PANTHER + VASA + FAT GOTH)

Tuscany-formed musical project combining samples, drum machines and synthesizers to create their own melt of funk, psychedelic and dance.

The favourited chamber orchestra take on two Baroque masters played on period instruments, similar to those that Bach and Telemann themselves would have heard.

CALVIN HARRIS + TIËSTO

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £9

13TH NOTE, 20:30–23:00, £5

Bangor-based musician influenced by the southern states of America, touring with his latest album, Joy of Nothing.

The atmospheric Weegie indie-rockers play tracks offa their debut EP – a deft mix of fuzzed-out shoegaze dynamics and slightly more conventional indie and pop.

GEORGE SQUARE, 19:00–22:00, FREE

HOW TO SWIM (WILLIE DICK)

Tue 31 Dec

SONIC HEARTS FOUNDATION

Dutch DJ Tiesto shares the stage with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris for a UK tour following their 20-month residency at Hakkasan in Las Vegas.

Various bands pay tribute to the late, great Joe Strummer. All proceeds go to the Strummerville charity.

The alternative-styled grunge rock foursome play a hometown set.

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

Boom-voiced James Allan and co. tour on the back of their selfproduced third LP: cue more musings on social realism played out via glacial guitars and heavyweight singalong choruses.

JOE STRUMMER TRIBUTE NIGHT

FOY VANCE (RAMS’ POCKET RADIO)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

AUGUSTA FIREBALL

BLACK SUN DRUM KORPS (DAMNABLE CONTRAPTION + GENETIC NOOSE + MOSCA + THE DDN)

+ SAINT MAX AND THE FANATICS + LARA ST. JUDE)

Wed 04 Dec

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £6

Glasgow-based alternative grunge duo, launching their new album on the night.

The Glaswegian industrial trio take to their second home of the Note’s basement.

Edinburgh Music

KING TUT’S, 20:30–23:00, £7

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £3

Edinburgh Music SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £7

Renowned Balkan singer Erik Balija plays a one-off concert of Italian, Croatian and Bosnian songs, backed by local band, The Foo Birds.

Irvine-based rock quintet who’ve christened themselves as ‘folkressive’. Pretty much sums ‘em up.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 20:00–23:00, £6

MONO NYE MONO, 19:30–01:00, £8

The lovely Mono offer up their own intimate take on NYE, joined live by doom’n’roll Glasgow trio Holy Mountain and ex-Divorce Andy Brown and ex-Shitdisco Joel Stone in their experimental Ubre Blanca guise, plus more bands and DJs to be revealed.

Wolfang Teske’s intense death metal project returns to terrorise the ‘burgh.

THE EDINBURGH UNLIMITED REVIVAL (CARO BRIDGES AND THE RIVER + NICOLE STRACHAN + SIR TOM WATTON)

PIVO, 20:00–23:00, FREE

The acoustic sessions night returns, with singer/songwriters Nicole Strachan and Sir Tom Watton joining Edinburgh’s six piece jazz groovers Caro Bridges and the River.

THE BIRTHDAY SUIT (SOUTH WEST SOUNDS)

Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones plays with his current live band, The Birthday Suit – an ever-changing collective of musicians.

BOBOK

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

Original music taking in elements of Balkan, Russian, ska and punk, sung across four languages.

KID CANAVERAL’S CHRISTMAS BAUBLES IV (EDWYN COLLINS + DE ROSA + THIS MANY BOYFRIENDS)

PORTOBELLO TOWN HALL, 14:00–00:00, £22

Affable indie-pop chaps and chapesses Kid Canaveral bring the singalong joy with their third annual Christmas Baubles, featuring a hefty musical line-up including a headline set from none other than Edwyn Collins.

DEATHCATS (PLASTIC ANIMALS + WOZNIAK + JAGS!)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Glasgow guitar popsters drop a set of their fiery post-surf brand of hardcore, in celebration of their new tape launch.

EDINBURGH KEVOCK CHOIR

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £6

Annual outing for the local choir, performing a selection of traditional and modern choral classics – oft of a folky bent.

THE SKINNY

SLEAFORD MODS (CONFIDENTIAL WAIST SOUNDSYSTEM + DEAD WOOD) THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, 19:30–22:00, £5

Punk electronics and spoken word hip-hop fusion from the Nottingham-hailing duo, touring in support of their latest album, Austerity Dogs – released on the Harbinger Sound label.

JEN AND THE GENTS

CIRCUS, 20:00–22:00, FREE

The Jen Ewan-led vintage pop ‘burgh dwellers play a selection of tracks from their new LP in the intimate surrounds of the Circus Cafe.

GROAN (BACCHUS BARACUS + ATRAGON + ISAK)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

UK-based riff rockers building their sound on tales of witches, wizards, wine and weed.

THE TWILIGHT SAD

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

The Sad boys play their rescheduled Edinburgh date, ahead of their two consecutive Glasgow dates playing Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters live and in its entirety the following week.

ALBATRONICS (SHOOGLENIFTY + GROUSEBEATER SOUNDSYSTEM)

STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £7 (£9 AFTER 9.30)

All-new traditional folk-styled night, with techno ceilidh innovators Shooglenifty heading up their launch.

Sun 15 Dec TENACIOUS D

Fri 20 Dec

BAD MANNERS (MAX SPLODGE)

CITRUS CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £18

Bad Manners churn out the party ska hits, with the larger-than-life Buster Bloodvessel still gurning away at the helm.

THE SCOTTISH FIDDLE ORCHESTRA

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £9

Annual close-of-year concert, with a selection of Hogmanay classics given the fiddle treatment.

DUNEDIN CONSORT: HANDEL’S MESSIAH

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

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

THE APPLE BEGGARS’ CHRISTMAS SHOW (CALLUM BEATTIE + STEVIE SCOTT)

THE CAVES, 19:30–01:00, £11

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

CYANIDE PILLS + BUZZBOMB + THE BEGRUDGERS

Mon 23 Dec LAPTOP LOUNGE

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–23:00, FREE

The alternative live electronic night returns, ranging from experimental through ambient to electro and techno as it goes.

Fri 27 Dec THE CRACKLIN’ VOID

THE CAVES, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

THE SIXTEEN

USHER HALL, 20:00–22:00, FROM £12

The choir and period-instrument orchestra perform a set of Christmas classics.

Mon 16 Dec

RED KITES (ANDY RUDDY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00, £5

Emotive folk-rock ensemble hailing from Guildford.

PHIL CUNNINGHAM’S CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £22.50

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

Tue 17 Dec

PHIL CUNNINGHAM’S CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £22.50

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

THE WONDER STUFF (POP WILL EAT ITSELF + JESUS JONES)

PICTURE HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

Sat 28 Dec

THE POST ORGASMIC SUNSHINE BAND (ROOT SYSTEM + BAZ)

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Mon 30 Dec

PICTURE HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

BANNERMANS, 22:00–00:00, FREE

RAB HOWAT’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Festive offering of classic rock covers from Rab and co., with an added Christmas tune or two.

BIG COUNTRY

THE LIQUID ROOM,

Year Setlist.

EDDIE LEDDERHEAD

New Zealand rockers formed in the bowels of a false church, taking their influences from Celtic mysticism, Japanese samuraiism and Australian rednecksim.

THE LEVELLERS (FROM PANJENIX)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £22

The longstanding Brighton rock ensemble tour their tenth studio album, celebrating a mammoth 25 years.

Thu 19 Dec SCHTICK OF ROCK

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 20:00–23:00, £10

Hit-filled singalong rock from the tongue-in-cheek covers band.

Fancy dress encouraged.

Dunfermline-born 80s rockers formed when Stuart Adamson left The Skids in 1981 and recruited guitar partner Bruce Watson, now back and touring under their new line-up.

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

Conductor Christian Zacharias takes in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 9 in E-flat K271, amongst other classical works.

SONG, BY TOAD’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 19:00–23:00, £5

Festive offerings from music blogger Song, By Toad, including live sets from label artists and a number of musical pals, plus the obligatory mince pies, tacky decorations and the launch of their Five Years, Five Records box set.

THE VALVES

THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:00, £16

After an absence of over 30 years, the Edinburgh-based punk ensemble return to their roots for a one-off reunion gig.

ELECTRIC CLOWNS (TITUS PULLO + VERTEBRAE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–22:00, £5

SHIELDS UP (UNIFORMS + DANNY, CHAMPION OF NOTHING)

OPIUM, 20:00–23:00, FREE

Sun 22 Dec

CHRISTMAS SONGWRITERS’ CLUB (BROKEN RECORDS + TEENCANTEEN + AL SHIELDS + SCOTT HUTCHISON + WE SEE LIGHTS + KARINE POLWART + FINDLAY NAPIER + JOHN D MCINTOSH + VERY WELL + MIAOUX MIAOUX + SIOBHAN WILSON + EASY TIGERS) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:00, £10

The jolly festive night oot takes to the grander surrounds of The Queen’s Hall for a second year, joined by a selection of local stalwarts all sticking to the basic Songwriters’ Club rule: no bloody covers songs! Dress code: Christmas jumpers.

THE RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT

USHER HALL, 15:00–17:00, FROM £12.50

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

December 2013

19:00– 22:00, £25

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: ZACHARIAS PLAYS MOZART

After splitting up last year, the Edinburgh melodic hardcore lot return for one more gig in celebration of ten years of AntiManifesto.

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

SHANGRILA

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

All-new midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by a rotating batch of DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

Thu 05 Dec DANSE MACABRE

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £4

The Danse Macabre regulars unite those two happiest of bedfellows, goth rock and, er, classic disco, in their regular home of Classic Grand.

MUNGO’S HI-FI

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £3

More heavyweight selections from Mungo’s Soundsystem, playing a full soundsystem set.

R.U.IN THURSDAYS

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

Wed 18 Dec

USHER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Edinburgh-hailing rock ensemble spawned from a previous rock’n’roll incarnation.

Annual charity concert in aid of CLIC Sargent Scotland.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar.

The West Midlands alternative rockers return for another festive airing with their two old sparring partners, Pop Will Eat Itself and Jesus Jones.

CLIC SARGENT CAROL CONCERT

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

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

PICTURE HOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £35

Jack Black and cohort Kyle Glass continue to ride the wave of their 2012 LP, Rize Of The Fenix, letting all comedy folk-metal hell loose on the ‘burgh.

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

Midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

BLUES ‘N’ TROUBLE (SOUTH + TOM LECKIE)

Sat 21 Dec The Dundee indie-pop scamps do their thing close to home, playing tracks offa their 2013 release, Seven

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

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

Showcase night of punk and general disorderly action.

THE VIEW

SUB ROSA SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Edinburgh-based blues-meetsrock quartet, adept at sounding like there’s about 20 of ‘em on stage, launching their new EP on the night.

Glasgow and Edinburgh-straddling collective of musicians, doing their thing across genres of dub, reggae, Celtic and groove.

BANNERMANS, 20:00–23:00, £5

Glasgow Clubs

Tue 31 Dec

AFORE THE BELLS

THE QUEEN’S HALL, 21:00–01:00, £45

The Queen’s Hall’s annual traditional-styled Hogmanay party, complete with a ceilidh, live music from Heeliegoleerie, a Highland piper bringing in the bells... and probably some haggis.

CONCERT IN THE GARDENS

PRINCES STREET GARDENS, 20:30–01:00, £40 (GARDEN TICKET)

Edinburgh’s official Hogmanay party like it’s, erm, the mid-80s, with a headline set from mighty electronic pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, plus support from Chrvches and Django Django.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

Tue 03 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

Wed 04 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.

ROCK THE BLOC (LOUIE + SOLAREYE)

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

The HNDPCKD Cassette chaps take control of the decks, playing a set of classic hip-hop, instrumental beats, future funk and head nodders – this month joined for a rap-face-off between Hector Bizerk and Stanley Odd literary matadors, Louie and Solareye.

Sat 07 Dec NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

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

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

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.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

BALKANARAMA

THE GLUE FACTORY, 22:30–03:00, £8

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

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled clubbers’ orgy, with live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all. As in, we’re sold.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

KARENN

Collaborative outing from two of the most consistent and fresh new producers to recently emerge from London: Pariah and Blawan, playing under their Karenn guise.

Rescheduled date.

Fri 06 Dec OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

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

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Glasgow Clubs

The German electronic specialist drops by for a guest set, a stalwart on the scene since the early 90s.

CATHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £6 (£5)

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

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

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

HARSH TUG

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

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

YES!

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

New gay indie night on the block, with a playlist that mixes classic Bowie, The Smiths, Blondie et al alongside new kids like Django Djanjo and Grimes.

HESSLE AUDIO VS ALL CAPS

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

Hessle Audio and All Caps go headto-head with Ben UFO and Bake manning the decks BIGFOOT STRIKES 5 (ROMAN FLÜGEL?)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8.50 ADV. (£10 THEREAFTER)

Bigfoot’s Tea Party turn the grand old age of five, marking the occasion with a special set from Frankfurt man of many aliases, Roman Flügel? – blasting out via the fuck-off Funktion1 soundsystem, as per the law.

FREAKBEATS

Mod, soul, ska and groovy freakbeat 45s, with DJs Jamo, Paul Molloy and Gareth McCallum.

SUPERMAX

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £5

Sun 08 Dec FATBOY SLIM

THE ARCHES, 22:00–03:00, £19.50

The Brighton-based DJ and producer (aka Norman Cook) plays a rare Arches appearance, his summer dance hit – Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat (with Riva Starr) – most definitely in tow.

MUNGO’S HI-FI (HARRI)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE FOR TRADE STAFF)

More heavyweight selections from Mungo’s Soundsystem, playing their inimitable selection of upto-date reggae, dub and dancehall sounds, joined for a special reggae set by Subculture’s Harri.

HAIR OF THE CAT

Thu 12 Dec R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar.

Tue 10 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–04:00, £10 ADV. (£12 DOOR)

SUB CLUB, 23:00– 03:00, £5

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

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

VICIOUS CREATURES (CLOCKWORK)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

KINO FIST

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, leftfield pop and Krautrock with resident Charlotte (of Muscles of Joy).

PROPAGANDA

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

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

COMMON PEOPLE

THE FLYING DUCK, 21:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Celebration of all things 90s, with hits a-plenty and a pre-club bingo session.

SUB ROSA

Subbie’s regular

JAMMING

Long-running house night with regulars Harri & Domenic manning the decks.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

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.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

BACK TAE MINE

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

House-party styled night with residents Gav Dunbar and Sci-Fi Steve, plus free toast for all as standard.

FLUX PAVILION (DATSIK)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £14.50

English dubstep producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Steele (aka Flux Pavilion) does his thing, fresh from his tour of the US-of-A. MATTHEW CRAIG

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Eclectic mix of electronic dance, techno, house and funk from yer man Matthew Craig.

WRONG ISLAND

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

The legendary Teamy and Dirty Larry spin some fresh electronics for your aural pleasure.

PRIMAL SCREAM: OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY (RICHARD FEARLESS)

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £8

Official after-bath for Primal Scream’s SECC set, with Death In Vegas’ Richard Fearless taking to the decks.

SUBCULTURE (PARANOID LONDON)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £10 ADV. (£12 DOOR)

DEATHKILL4000 (FAT GOTH)

SUBCULTURE

CATHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £6 (£5)

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

The Radio One stalwart plays a trademark eclectic set, blending elements of hip-hop, techno, drum’n’bass as he goes, with support from Austrian electronic duo Klangkarussell and Scottish Death Disco veteran Hostage.

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

ABSOLUTION

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

ZANE LOWE (HOSTAGE + KLANGKARUSSEL)

Industro-rock noise party with live players and bespoke visuals to boot, with alternative metal behemoths, Fat Goth, on guest duties.

Sat 14 Dec BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £15

Indie, electro and anything inbetween with Pauly (My Latest Novel), and Simin and Steev (Errors) – joined by Stones Throw’s James Pants for a rare guest set.

SURGICAL PUNCH

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

The Hey Enemy DJs smash together alternative rock angles and driving electro with some big-hook classics.

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

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

BLACK TENT (JAMES PANTS)

Monthly night from Soma Records taking in popular techno offerings of all hues, this month joined by bedroom-produced techno scamps, Clouds.

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Versatile turntablist chap Danny Greenman takes control of the decks – flitting between soul, funk, reggae, hip-hop, garage, dubstep and jungle.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

RETURN TO MONO (CLOUDS)

NU SKOOL

OLD SKOOL

DJ GREENMAN

Subculture welcome mysterious musos Paranoid London to their lair – bringing with them a ternion of analogue house, heavy with 808 and a whole lotta intrigue...

THE ROXY 171, 21:00–01:00, £5

JELLY BABY

HIP HOP THURSDAYS

Fri 13 Dec

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

8-BIT NIGHTS: 2ND BIRTHDAY (MIZKAI + X CRITICAL STRIKE X + THEREMIN HERO + KING KEYTAN + BUBU + JIMI LEE)

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

BURN

Mon 09 Dec

Brand new night bringing a big room sound to 69 Below’s diminutive underground lair, with EDM lass Christina Novelli on guest duties singing some of her tracks as well as DJing.

The Weegie chiptune party night celebrates its 2nd birthday in the fine company of guests Mizkai and X Critical Strike X, bolstered by a selection of local faves.

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

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Wed 11 Dec

The Melting Pot crew welcome Manc electronic wizard Floating Points (aka Sam Sheppard) to their lair for a return appearance.

YOUR NIGHT 69 BELOW, 22:30–04:00, £10 (£8)

Fledgling party night intent on breaking free from the chains of normality, this time featuring Clockwork (aka Francesco Leali and Federico Maccheron pushing their unique brand of darkened disco and woozy techno).

A taste of the decadent sound systems of NYC’s disco era with yer main man Billy Woods.

MELTING POT (FLOATING POINTS)

SHANGRILA THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

All-new midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by a rotating batch of DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Summer-styled party night playing the best in garage, soul, rockabilly, punk, surf and anything else you can sway along to.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

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

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

IS THIS IT?

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Fledgling night dedicated to all things 90s, meaning they will play Daft Punk, Outkast, Beyonce et al.

VIVA WARRIORS (STEVE LAWLER + DETLEF) THE ARCHES, 22:00–03:00, £15

The infamous Ibiza collective descend, bringing with ‘em the usual Balearic heat and dancefloor mayhem.

PRIVATE DISFUNCTION (WILBA + LAURENCE HUGHES)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £5

Rubadub’s Wilba and Traxx’s Laurence Hughes share deck duties for the evening, with proceeds going to Nordoff-Robins Music Therapy.

MILK DJS

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

The Milk gals bring the pop dance party, providing total sonic pleasure for dancing feet.

Sun 15 Dec HAIR OF THE CAT

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Listings

65

Mon 16 Dec BURN

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

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

BLACK SABBATH: OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2 STUDENT/ FREE WITH TICKETSTUB)

DJ Mythic mixes it up post Black Sabbath gig, with free entry for ticketholders.

Tue 17 Dec KILLER KITSCH

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

DAMNATION

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

PROPAGANDA

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

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

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

OSMIUM

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Italo, disco, synthpop and funk with residents Blair Benzini and Blair Benzini.

BOTTLE ROCKET

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Indie dancing club, playing anything and everything danceable.

FANTASTIC MAN

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Messy Saturday night uber-disco featuring a rotating schedule of live talent.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

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

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

Indie rock’n’roll from the 60s to the 00s, with resident tune-

Wed 18 Dec NOT MOVING

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

South African house, grime, jungle, R’n’B and hauntology – tropical mix, ayes.

SUB ROSA

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Subbie’s regular student night with residents Ray Vose and Desoto at the helm.

MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE

Midweek party night with resident Bobby Bluebell playing classic house only.

Midweek rammy of pop punk, hardcore and deadly slushy drinks.

SHANGRILA

All-new midweeker with décor inspired by various festivals across the globe, manned by a rotating batch of DJ guests adopting a different theme to each week.

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £TBC

Thu 19 Dec R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

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

SALUTE WINTER PARTY (LIL SILVA + SEGA BODEGA + HEX)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

A trio of decks specialist – Lil Silva, Sega Bodega and the Hex residents – stage a takeover in honour of Salute’s official winter party.

MISBEHAVIN’ XMAS SPECIAL

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

picker DJ Jopez.

TREMORS

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Resident DJs Connor Byrne and Feedback Junkie provide an eclectic mix of house, techno, disco and garage.

I AM (DANIEL AVERY)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7

Resident i AM young guns Beta & Kappa pulls out the big guns for a December special, welcoming a certain Mr. Daniel Avery and his acid-flecked tunnelling soundscapes for a one-off set of joy.

ALESSO: OFFICIAL AFTER-PARTY

THE ARCHES, 23:00–04:00, £20

The Arches play host the the official after-bash for the global dance specialist, playing O2 Academy earlier in the evening.

IVAN SMAGGHE + JG WILKES

THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

French composer and producer Ivan Smagghe goes head-to-head with Glasgow’s own JG Wilkes (aka one half of the Optimo tag-team).

OFFBEAT: 2ND BIRTHDAY

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

Monthly mish-mash of electro, dance and dirty pop. This month with added 80s/90s Christmas tunes.

Fri 20 Dec

Sat 21 Dec

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

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Listings

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.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

STRANGE PARADISE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Party night from floral-shirted Wild Combination man David Barbarossa, specializing in leftfield disco, post-punk and far-out pop.

SUBCULTURE (AME)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £12 (£10)

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic manning the decks, joined by German duo and pals of the club Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann (aka Âme).

ZOOM: CHRISTMAS PARTY (ALY & FILA + BRYAN KEARNEY + ANDREW RAYEL + MATT HARDWICK + MICHAEL HUTCHESON + ARCTIC MOON + PHOTOGRAPHER + ADAM ELLIS + STEPHEN KIRCKWOOD + TOMMY MULLIGAN)

THE ARCHES, 21:00–03:00, £15

The fledgling trance night does as all good nights should at this time of year – host a Christmas party!

– taking in a bumper line-up of trance specialists, including an out of retirement classics set from Matt Hardwick.

AFRICAN AND CARIBBEAN CENTRE, 19:00–03:00, £5

The Offbeat crew take to their now regular home of La Cheetah for a residents special, marking their second birthday in chilled style.

OLD SKOOL

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

WINTER SOLSTICE SNOWBALL (GIROBABIES + JAMIE AND SHOONY + GUMS + MOG + CIARA MAC + THEWISEGOLDFISH + AUTONOME + SEROTONIC + SPEEDY ACTION + JO D’ARC + THE AFTEREFFECTS + ACID ATTACK)

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

The cohesive powers of Kunst and Void bring y’all the super-human sounds of Adam X, Dan Monox and Void’s very own Ean.

BURN

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Mon 23 Dec

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

The female-run art collective flock to SWG3 for a special Christmas knees-up, joined by Pretty Ugly, Adele Bethel and CHVRCHES on DJ duties, plus some ‘very special’ live guests they’re keeping secret until the night. Teases.

BEAST WEDNESDAYS

NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

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

PROPAGANDA O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

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

SWG3, 23:00–03:00, £10

CATHOUSE, 23:00–04:00, £4 (£2)

HAIR OF THE CAT CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

TYCI CHRISTMAS PARTY (CHVRCHES + PRETTY UGLY + ADELE BETHEL)

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

KUNST VS VOID (ADAM X + DAN MONOX + EAN)

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

Traffic Cone and Live and Underground host their annual Christmas bash, taking in sets from the likes of the Girobabies, Jamie and Shoony, MOG and a secret headliner across a sprawling eight hour schedule over two floors. Crawl home we shall.

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE (AL KENT)

THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–03:00, £5

Wayne Dickson, Malcolm McKenzie and Roddie Gibb host their monthly party, fuelled on uptown funk and soulful disco tuneage – this time celebrating the pre-Christmas weekend with a guest set from Million Dollar Disco’s Al Kent.

PISTOLS AT DAWN (LUKE UNABOMBER)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £10

The Pistols at Dawn crew host their December outing, joined by Electric Elephant mainman and one half of the Unabombers (aka Luke Unabomber) for a night of eclectic partying.

ROMAN NOSE DJS

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

The fast-rising Scottish ensemble cram their massive party into Bloc’s tiny walls. Expect a moshpit.

Sun 22 Dec

NICKY ROMERO (DON DIABLO)

THE ARCHES, 23:00–04:00, £20 EARLYBIRD (£25 THEREAFTER)

The electro house producer – a tireless advocate of the EDM scene – take to the decks, with support from fellow Dutch producer Don Diablo.

NUMBERS: TWEAK-A-HOLIC

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The Numbers crew host a TweakA-Holic series special – a concept routed in the sound of 80s R&B, disco and screamers of all decades.

And, yes, they will play Whitney Houston.

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

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

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

Residents night of rock, metal, punk and emo over two levels.

JAMMING FRIDAYS

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

Tue 24 Dec

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

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

KILLER KITSCH

The Killer Kitsch residents take charge – eight years old and still offering up the best in house, techno and electronic.

VOODOO VOODOO

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey plays a mix of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, sleazy R’n’B, swing, soul, surf and pop from a bygone age.

I AM

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa play the usual fine mix of house, techno and electronica – a live guest or two oft in tow.

CATHOUSE CHRISTMAS EVE

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

SHAKE APPEAL (NED ZEPPELIN)

Damn fine evening of hip shakers and neck breakers, combining everything from Buddy Holly to Motorhead.

MOTOR CITY ELECTRONICS (JACKMASTER + JD TWITCH + WARDY + DOM D’SYLVA)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £7 (£8 AFTER 12)

La Cheetah Club return with another in their Motor City Electronic series, aimed at showcasing a selection of talent from Detroit – with JD Twitch and Jackmaster following up their four-hour Chicago special back in May, supported by club residents.

MIRRORS

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Cathouse bring in Christmas in suitably messy form, with DJ Daryl on decks, plus festive prizes and giveaways galore.

Eclectic mix of electronic from the Mirrors crew and their pals.

Thu 26 Dec

Barry Price and Junior provide the cutting edge electonic from across the globe, with a guest or two likely in tow.

COUNTERFEIT

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes with DJs Mythic and Div.

LET’S GO BACK... WAY BACK! (HARRI + OSCAR FULLONE) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £12 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

Prepare thyself for a Boxing Day seven hour spectacular, with Subculture’s Harri, Oscar Fullone and the Let’s Go Back... Way Back!

Residents, Bosco and Rob Mason.

BLOCXING DAY (TIGERMASK MCGARVEY)

BLOC+, 21:00–01:00, FREE

One third of the excellent Shake Appeal collective flies solo on the decks in his own punk-infused rock’n’roll style.

R.U.IN THURSDAYS

CATHOUSE, 23:00–04:00, £4 (£2)

Rock, metal and emo mix up, plus guest DJs mixing it up in the Jager Bar. HIP HOP THURSDAYS

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Early weekend party starter, with Euan Neilson playing the best in classic R’n’B and hip-hop.

SO WEIT SO GUT

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £TBC

The party sounds of Ean, Smiddy and Kenny White on decks.

JELLY BABY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

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

COLOURS: WINTER PARTY 2013 (SANDER VAN DOORN + FIREBEATZ + JULIAN JORDAN + JAZ VON D) THE ARCHES, 21:30–04:00, £20 EARLYBIRD (£25 THEREAFTER)

Colours return for their annual cobweb-clearing Boxing Day blowout, this time with Dutch DJ Sander Van Doorn at the helm.

MELTING POT VS THE ELECTRIC FROG (GREG WILSON) HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB, 18:00–01:00, £14

Melting Pot and The Electric Frog join forces for a Boxing Day blowout, taking in an extended five-hour set from electro-funk pioneer Greg Wilson – for which he’ll be allowed to play whatever the hell he wants.

OPTIMO: BOXING DAY SPECIAL

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

In keeping with years of fine tradition, Optimo’s JD Twitch and JG Wilkes return to the Sub Club for some seasonal festivities to banish you day-after-Christmas blues.

Fri 27 Dec OLD SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

Connoisseur’s mix of old-school jazz, funk and soul.

DAMNATION

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £6

Two floors of the best in rock, metal and industrial tunes picked out by DJ Barry and DJ Tailz.

SENSU

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

GLUE

THE FLYING DUCK, 22:00–03:00, £5

Fresh from their inaugural party smashing night in November, the Glue lads are back with all the best in indie, electro, punk, rock’n’roll and dance.

PRESSURE XMAS PARTY

THE ARCHES, 23:00–04:00, £18

Pressure celebrate Christmas with the man who practically spearheaded the minimal techno movement – Robert Hood – playing under his Floorplan guise, which sees him introduce a more soulful, house-tinted side to his dancefloor-driven productions.

Sat 28 Dec NU SKOOL

BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

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

ABSOLUTION

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £6

Alternative weekend blowout, taking in metal, industrial, pop-punk, rock, emo and ska soundscapes over two floors.

SUBCULTURE

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

Long-running house night with regulars Harri & Domenic manning the decks.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

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.

LOVE MUSIC

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5

Saturday night disco manned by Gerry Lyons and guests.

THUNDER DISCO CLUB

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits.

HOUNDIN’ THE STREETS

THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Resident DJs Jer Reid, Martin Law and guests play music from, and some music inspired by, 1970s and early 80s NYC .

TEENAGE RIOT

BLOC+, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Members of Glasgow’s posthardcore noise-masters, United Fruit, curate their lively monthly event of big-beat alternative indie.

DIVINE!

THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7/£5 STUDENT AFTER 12)

Stellar mix of classic and rare 60s and 70s psych, soul, freakbeat, ska and funk dug deep from Andrew Divine’s vinyl archives.

FREEFALL XMAS (ANDY MOOR + M.I.K.E. PUSH + MENNO DE JONG + BJORN AKESSON + ARGY + DAVID RUST) THE ARCHES, 21:00–04:00, £15 EARLYBIRD

Following the clubs staged return to The Arches, the Freefal partystarters pitch up for a Christmas special – joined by a hefty dose of progressive, tech trance and power trance talent (and a few special guest surprises).

REBELRAVE (DAMIAN LAZARUS + SASHA + CLIVE HENRY + FUR COAT + FRANCESCA LOMBARDO)

THE ARCHES, 22:00–04:00, £16.50 EARLYBIRD (£20 THEREAFTER)

Damian Lazarus-run record label, Crosstown Rebels, brings their RebelRave blow out to Glasgow, featuring a packed line-up headlined by Lazarus himself, alongside electronic innovator, Sasha.

BOOGALOO

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Versatile DJ trio Euan Mii, Piper and Doug Harris cherrypick a partystartin’ selection of deep house, funk, soul, disco, tech house and techno.

BADNEWS (BADNEWS RESIDENT DJ’S, SECRET GUESTS)

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00, £5.00

The Badnews DJs return for an intimate end of year party at La Cheetah Club, with three secret headliners joining ‘em on the night.

Sun 29 Dec SLIDE IT IN

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

Full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes with DJs Mythic and Div. TRASH AND BURN

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £4

Monthly glam trash and sleaze tease party, with guest burlesque performers, magicians and a bit o’ belly dancing.

DUNCAN HARVEY

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Saturday mix of soul, funk, motown and northern soul from the Glasgow veteran.

ANIMAL FARM: 9TH BIRTHDAY (MARCEL DETTMANN) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £15

Dancefloor-filling techno nuts Animal Farm strike the grand old age of nine with a special four-hour set from Berghain resident and all-round techno behemoth, Marcel Dettmann.

HAIR OF THE CAT

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Sabbath-bothering mix of rock, metal and punk, with punter requests accepted all night long.

Mon 30 Dec BURN

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

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

THE HOT CLUB

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4

Tearin’ it up with 60s psych-outs and modern sleaze, provided by Rafla and Andy (of The Phantom Band).

AB/CD: OFFICIAL AFTER-PARTY

CATHOUSE, 22:30–01:30, £4 (£2)

DJ RYRY keeps the party going after Cathouse’s AB/CD tribute show.

STREETRAVE: NEW YEAR’S EVE (K-KLASS + DAVOS + JON MANCIANI + BONEY + MICHAEL KILKIE + RAB MASON + ROBBIE REID + HAMI + DEL MCNEE + JOHN DEVLIN & BOB MITCHEL) SWG3, 21:00–03:00, £20 EARLYBIRD

Special Hogmanay STREETrave gathering billed as ‘The Ultimate Warehouse Party’ – no pressure there, then – for which the original line-up of house music collective K-Klass will play a full live show, with myriad support across two rooms.

GBXPERIENCE NYE: WELCOME 2014 (GEORGE BOWIE + NEOPHYTE + LENNY DEE + MALLORCA LEE + MARK SHERRY + MARC SMITH)

THE ARCHES, 21:00–04:00, £20 EARLYBIRD

Massive party night spread across all rooms of The Arches – and simultaneously broadcast live on Clyde 1 FM – taking in seven whole bleeding hours of live guests.

CLUB NOIR NEW YEAR’S EVE

O2 ACADEMY, 21:00–03:00, £22

Glasgow’s burlesque star teasers host the New Year’s edition of their favourited raunchy cabaret club, with performance, DJs and a whole lotta glitter. Dress fancy (think top hats and ballgowns).

OPTIMO HOGMANAY

THE GLUE FACTORY, 22:00–03:00, £22

A core event on the Optimo calendar, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes (and their old faithful turbo soundsystem, natch) take to The Glue Factory for their annual New Year’s Eve mega party – joined

by Silk Cut and Ultimate Thrush collab, Golden Teacher.

COMMON PEOPLE 90S HOGMANAY

TRANCELATE NYE (SIGNUM + DAVID RUST + DARREN TAYLOR & SCOTT LEVERAGE + DAVE LEYROCK + HARVEY ANDERSON + DAVID FERGUSON + DALE MCCOLM) 69 BELOW, 20:00–04:00, £15

Trance-styled Hogmanay party taking in a double dose of headliners in the form of a classics set from Signum and a classic Bosh set from David Rush, bolstered by a raggle-taggle selection of (obvs trancey) support.

SUBCULTURE NEW YEAR’S EVE (ANDREW WEATHERALL) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £20

The long-running house night takes control of the Subbie basement this Hogmanay, joined

by DJ, producer and remixer extraordinair, Andrew Weatherall, for what promises to be something a little special.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY’S HOGMANAY (HARSH TUG + TOTAL JERKS + DUNCAN HARVEY) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 22:00–03:00, £8

Sleazy’s annual uproarious New Year’s party, with Harsh Tug upstairs playing tonnes o’ hip-hop, Voodoo Voodoo (with Total Jerks) playing rock’n’roll, garage and soul covers downstairs, plus Duncan Harvey on hand spinning sounds from a bygone age.

LA CHEETAH CLUB + OFFBEAT + #NOTSOSILENT: NYE 2013 (TIGER & WOODS, SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER, DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS, WARDY & DOM D’SYLVA, JOE JORDAN & CHRIS, BELTCH & MULLEN) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £12 EARLYBIRD (£15/£18 THEREAFTER)

Common People bring in the bells with all the usual 90s belters, plus bite size bingo and party games, before discoing down until dawn with a guest set from Rick Witter (fae Shed Seven) until 4am.

A triple whammy of a Hogmanay bash, with La Cheetah Club, Offbeat and #notsosilent joining forces, bringing in 2014 with sets from Tiger & Woods, Space Dimension and Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, plus residents from all three parties.

THE ADMIRAL, 22:00–04:00

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:00–04:00, £8 EARLYBIRD (£12 THEREAFTER)

THE FLYING DUCK, 20:00–04:00, £10 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

MELTING POT’S HOGMANAY SPECIAL (PISTOLS AT DAWN)

The Melting Pot residents hold their annual Hogmanay bash, with house-orientated lot Pistols at Dawn and the Melting Pot residents holding fort in the main room, plus Andrew Divine and pals creating a psychedelic soul lounge upstairs.

MUNGO’S HI-FI SOUNDYSYSTEM: NYE 2013 (CHUNGO-BUNGO + STALAWA SOUND + BREEZAK + C.C. SOUND)

STEREO, 19:30–22:00, £10 EARLYBIRD (£15 THEREAFTER)

Mungo’s Soundsystem bring the heavyweight NYE selections, offering up two rooms of soundsystem fun to Stereo revellers – with guests including Chungo-Bungo, Stalawa Sound, Breezak and C.C. Sound. Hosted by MC Campeazi.

Campeazi THE CUSP: LAUNCH PARTY

CARLTON STUDIOS, 21:00–03:00, £15

The all-new alcohol free night pitches up

ALT SIDESHOW HOGMANAY

Classic Grand see in 2014 with a rock-styled evening, complete with a sideshow of burlesque dancers, sword swallowing, live music, a midnight balloon drop, and DJs playing into the wee hours across both levels.

LOVE MUSIC VS PROPAGANDA HOGMANAY PARTY

O2 ABC, 22:30–04:00, £15

The two resident O2 ABC weekend club nights – Love Music and Propaganda – join forces for a Hogmanay blowout, joined

by London-based indie-rock scamps The Vaselines for a special 2014-welcoming DJ set.

GROOVE THEORY: NYE VIP HOUSE PARTY

SAINT JUDES, 21:00–03:00, £40

Saint Judes pitch up for a VIPstyled house party, taking over the whole three levels of the building, including the luxurious penthouse space, with DJs Naeem, Kash, DMG, Babs Flow and JoeBoy Higgins leading an old school musical journey from 80s-00s.

Hogmanay CATHOUSE NYE

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£2)

The Cathouse celebrate New Year’s Eve as only they know how – with a classic rock, metal and punk-styled party spilling over two floors.

PI-EYED NEW YEAR’S EVE MELTDOWN (DJ SKULL VOMIT + USA KINGS + THE PARLIAMENTALIST + BASSBIN TERRORIZER + GASH + PERISHED GUSSETS + DAVE SHADES + ALCANE + ROB DATA) AUDIO, 22:00–04:00, FREE

The Pi-Eyed crew host a free-entry NYE rave-up, featuring the gloriously-named DJ Skull Vomit, alongside sets from The Parliamentalist, Bassbin Terrorizer, Gash and more, plus entry to their secret after-bash. Crawl home on our knees we shall.

for a launch party/NYE bash combined, with a selection of bands and DJs seeing y’all into a fresher (hangover free) 2014. Hurrah.

THE SKINNY

Edinburgh Clubs Tue 03 Dec ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

NO GLOBE (A TRIBE CALLED RED)

THE CAVES, 23:00–03:00, £5

The No Globe crew celebrate two years of bangin’ global bass parties this December with a return performance from Ottowa powwow Step pioneers, A Tribe Called Red.

Wed 04 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its tried-and-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

Thu 05 Dec I AM EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

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 06 Dec MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

THIS IS MUSIC

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Regular indie and electro outing from the Sick Note DJs. XPLICIT

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Heavy jungle and bass-styled beats from the inimitable Xplicit crew, hosting a residents special with Eno, G-Mac, Dom Petrie and Nasty P. BALKANARAMA

STUDIO 24, 21:30–03:00, £8 (£9 AFTER 10.30)

All singing, all dancing Balkanstyled clubbers’ orgy, with live guests, belly dancing, bespoke visuals and free plum brandy for all. As in, we’re sold.

December 2013

STEPBACK WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £5

Mixed bag of electronic bass from the DJs Wolfjazz and Keyte, moving from Baltimore to dubstep.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 17:00–03:00, £3 (£5 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

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

Sat 07 Dec THE EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5 AFTER 12)

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Jake playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

THE GO-GO

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Long-running retro night with veteran DJs Tall Paul and Big Gus. MUMBO JUMBO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£7 AFTER 12/£5 STUDENT)

Funk, soul, beats and mash-ups from the Mumbo Jumbo regulars, joined by Bubble DJs Brainstorm and Durkit for some added acid and house.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

SPEAKER BITE ME

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

The Evol DJs worship at the alter of all kinds of indie-pop, as long as it’s got bite.

THUNDER DISCO CLUB

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

The Thunder Disco Club residents churn out the 90s house, techno and disco hits.

WE OWN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

The We Own crew bring a concentrated version of their famed party blowouts to Sneaky Pete’s diminutive lair.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its triedand-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

KELBURN GARDEN PARTY WINTER WARMER (THE MOUSE OUTFIT + LLL PAPA GIRAFFE + SOUL JAM HOT DJS)

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £6 ADV. (£9 DOOR)

The summer-loving Kelburn Garden Party pitch up for a special winter outing (thankfully indoors), headed up by UK hip-hop crew The Mouse Outfit (featuring Dr Syntax and Sparkz).

Tue 10 Dec ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Wed 11 Dec COOKIE

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

WITNESS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER MIDNIGHT)

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its tried-and-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

Thu 12 Dec I AM EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

COSMIC STUDIO 24, 21:00–03:00, £3 (£6 AFTER 10)

Monthly club bringing the spirit of the psychedelic trance dance ritual to the floor, with live acts, VJs and colourful fluoro decor.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 17:00–03:00, £3 (£5 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

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

TEESH

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

DJ Cheers – frequent flyer at many a Sneaky’s night – finally gets his own show on the road, launching a clothing line on the night to boot.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

HULLABALOO

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.

THE EGG

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5 AFTER 12)

The regular Edinburgh breaks and bassline Manga crew takeover.

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae.

BEEP BEEP, YEAH!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

POCKET ACES (THINK TWICE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its triedand-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

BIG ‘N’ BASHY (SLEW DEM)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £8

Mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle played oot by the inimitable residents – this edition joined for a guest slot by Slew Dem.

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £14.50 EARLYBIRD

THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indiepop you can think of.

Mon 09 Dec MIXED UP

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hiphop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

FOUR CORNERS

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Soulful dancing fodder, from deep funk to reggae beats with your regular DJ hosts.

PROPAGANDA

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£4 STUDENTS)

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

SOUL JAM HOT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Fresh mix of funk, soul and boogie from The Players Association team.

I LOVE HIP HOP

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

Weekly selection of hip-hop classics and brand-new classics to be.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Wed 18 Dec COOKIE

Midweek student rundown of chart, club and electro hits.

CHAMPION SOUND

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£3 AFTER 12)

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, 4 (£5 NON STUDENTS)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

BASS SYNDICATE

Sun 08 Dec Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

Tue 17 Dec

Midweek celebration of all things dub, jungle, reggae and dancehall.

Fri 13 Dec

COALITION

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Art School institution with DJs Chris and Jake playing the finest in indie, garage, soul and punk.

MUSIKA (EATS EVERYTHING + TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS)

MISFITS

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Sat 14 Dec

Dance-inducing party night, with Craig Smith making his monthly appearance rich with deep, soulful house sounds.

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s, via a disco tune or ten.

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its tried-and-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

MIXED UP

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its triedand-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo. HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

Mon 16 Dec

The flagship ‘burgh house and techno night returns to its Liquid Room lair after a six month break – bringing with ‘em a double dose of talent in the form of Bristol producer Eats Everything and Oxford-based dance DJ Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.

ROBIGAN’S REGGAE (DJ AMMA)

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Dub, reggae and dancehall clubbing spectacular, this time in a festive special with guest DJ Amma jammin’ down on the decks.

Sun 15 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of.

TRIBE

New night manned by residents Khalid Count Clockwork and Craig Wilson.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its triedand-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

WITNESS (LIL SILVA)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of house, garage and bass adventures welcomes Rinse-associated producer Lil Silva for a one-off festive airing.

Thu 19 Dec I AM EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its triedand-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

HULLABALOO

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Mash-up mix of beats, breaks and hip-hop from Mumbo Jumbo’s Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin, bolstered by Tall Paul’s vintage selections.

JUICE (DANIEL AVERY)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £8

The weekly pumped Thursday nighter pulls out the big guns for a December special, welcoming a certain Mr. Daniel Avery and his acid-flecked tunnelling soundscapes for a one-off set of joy.

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 20 Dec MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

CONFUSION IS SEX

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

Glam techno and electro night, this time with a twisted Christmas (aka make like a Bad Santa).

PROPAGANDA THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, 5 (£4 STUDENTS)

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

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 17:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems spun by DJs from Electric Circus’ Saturday club nights, including Magic Nostalgic, Beep Beep, Yeah! and Pop Rocks.

ETIKET

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5 (MEMBERS FREE)

Etiket residents Laurence Nolan and Jonny Herd knuckle down for their monthly outing, playing the very best in authentic house.

FLY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

4X4

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–05:00, £TBC

Two-fold night of house and techno manned by the regular 4x4 crew.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its tried-and-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

1994 (ULTRA-SONIC + BASS GENERATOR + JON MANCINI + CRAIG WILSON) THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–05:00, TBC

One-off rave dedicated to the sounds of 1994, mixed by a quartet of legendary names from the era: Ultra-Sonic, Bass Generator, Jon Mancini and Craig Wilson.

DISORDER

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:59–05:00, £3 (35 AFTER 2)

Pumped night of acid, techno and electro soundscapes with residents Elhoi VG, Dari J and Dimebag.

HOT DUB TIME MACHINE

SUMMERHALL, 21:30–01:00, £12.50

The dance party journey through time returns to make merry for a Christmas run, sticking to its tried-and-tested schtick of playing a hit a year from 1945 to present day, accompanied by screens playing the original videos.

Sun 22 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs. DIVE

Fledgling queer party night, flaunting its suitably eclectic wares across a programme of performance, music, spoken word, live art and comedy.

THE CLUB

BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indiepop you can think of.

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

THE GREEN DOOR

GILLES PETERSON

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Surf, blues and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake. Job done.

SOULSVILLE

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5

Swinging soul spanning a whole century, with DJs Tsatsu and Fryer.

99 HANOVER STREET, 17:00–03:00, FREE

The BBC6 music and independent label owner stops by 99 Hanover Street for an intimate set, with support from Syndicate DJs and Motherfunk’s Gino & Fryer.

DECADE

Mon 23 Dec

STUDIO 24, 22:30–03:00, FREE (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11.30)

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

MIXED UP

Fresh playlists spanning pop-punk, emo and hardcore soundscapes.

WASABI DISCO

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Heady bout of cosmic house, punk upside-down disco and, er, Fleetwood Mac with yer man Kris ‘Wasabi’ Walker.

POP ROCKS!

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 AFTER 12)

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

TRAINSPOTTING

OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL, 18:00–22:00, £12 (£10)

In Your Face Theatre present an immersive and interactive production of Irvine Welsh’s classic, making full use of the unique space at Out of the Blue to plunge the audience into the dark club scene of 90s Edinburgh.

POCKET ACES (GARETH SOMMERVILLE)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Dance-inducing party night, with Mr Gareth Sommerville making his regular monthly appearance.

Fri 27 Dec MISFITS

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems over two rooms.

WONKY

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–05:00, £TBC

A cast of players take care of all your hardtek and breakcore needs, with full UV decor and glowstick action.

VITAMINS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £5

The Vitamins party starters do their usual (i.e transforming the decor of venue space and playing the latest underground dance), a secret guest or two likely in tow.

POP TARTS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 17:00–03:00, FREE (£5 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

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 21:00–03:00, £TBC

Sat 21 Dec

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.

NU FIRE

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Tue 24 Dec ANTICS

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Alternative anthems cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

HECTOR’S HOUSE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

The HH crew serve up their usual fine mix of electronic basslines allied with home-cooked house beats.

Thu 26 Dec I AM EDINBURGH

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £4 (FREE VIA IAMCLUB.CO.UK)

Resident young guns Beta & Kappa make their now regular trip east, playing the usual fine mix of electronica and bass.

MADCHESTER

THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5 STUDENTS)

Monthly favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

A powerhouse of local residents take over Cab Vol, joined by a selection of guest talent both local and further flung (aka London).

REPUBLIK (JEREMY OLANDER + FEHRPLAY)

THE CAVES, 23:00-03:00, £15 ADV. (£17.50 DOOR)

Republik host a Pryda and friends fair, with two of the labels biggest stars in tow: Jeremy Olander and Fehrplay.

ELECTRIKAL VS ANIMAL HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–05:00, £5 ADV. (£7 DOOR)

Bass specialists Electrikal joining forces with techno, house, and minimal fanatics Animal Hospital for a live versus night with DJ Era, Skanky B, Ziggy Gee, Case One, and Jay Somerville playing through to 5am.

YEAH DETROIT + HOLD UP! THERE’S HOPE + SAVE THE RECKLESS + CHAOS + VACANT SUITE

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £5 ADV. (£6 DOOR)

Studio 24 bring the carnage with a pop-punk and metal night of noise.

Sat 28 Dec BUBBLEGUM

THE HIVE, 21:00–03:00, FREE (£4 AFTER 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics as standard.

RIDE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £3 (MEMBERS FREE)

The Ride girls play hip-hop and dance, all night long – now in their new party-ready Saturday night slot.

DR NO’S

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 AFTER 12)

Danceable mix of the best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and early reggae.

GASOLINE DANCE MACHINE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

More classic Italo and straight-up boogie allied with contemporary house and disco, as Edinburgh’s GDM crew do their thing.

MESSENGER

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£7 AFTER 12)

Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefty soundsystem.

STUDIO 24 GOES METAL!

STUDIO 24, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£5/£4 STUDENT AFTER 11)

Studio 24 takes a foray into all things heavy and metal for their usual last Saturday of the month blow-out.

THE MAGIC (NOSTALGIC) OF CHRISTMAS

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 22:30–03:00, £9

A hodgepodge of quality tracks chosen by JP’s spinning wheel – taking in anything from 90s rave to power ballads, and a whole lotta one-hit wonders – bolstered by Christmas tunes and a look back at the hits of 2013.

JUICE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped Thursday nighter playing a mighty mix of everything from Hud Mo to Fly Mo.

Listings

67

JACKHAMMER: 12TH BIRTHDAY (SURGEON + DJ ROLANDO + STEPHEN BROWN + EGE BAMYASI) THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00, £10 ADVANCE

Jackhammer provide our post-Christmas dose of techno, celebrating their 12th birthday with an eight-hour line-up which sees regulars Wolfjazz and Keyte warm the decks for Ege Bamyasi, Stephen Brown, and DJ Rolando, before headliner Surgeon takes charge.

Sun 29 Dec COALITION

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Weekly cross-genre of bass from a cast of Edinburgh’s best underground DJs.

TERROR (EGEBAMYASI + DJ SKULL VOMIT + SADISTIC + AUTONOME + PEDIGREE SKUM SOUND SYSTEM)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–05:00, £4.50

The Terror crew raid the underground for another genre-hopping night of hip-hop, techno and jungle, hosting a threeroom extravaganza featuring the legendary Egebamyasi – now in his 30th year of performing.

I LOVE HIP HOP HOGMANAY THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–05:00, £10

The hip-hop weekly goes all out for a Hogmanay special, with guest Dark Soul playing live alongside the resident DJs – jollied along by the joys of a 5am licence.

SPEAKER BITE ME HOGMANAY PARTY (EVOL DJS)

ELECTRIC CIRCUS, 21:00–05:00, £10

Electric Circus let the Evol DJs loose for the evening, hosting a Hogmanay edition of their indiepop worshipping regular, Speaker Bite Me – spinning the best in pop, party jams, guilty pleasures and requests.

MUSIKA: EDINBURGH HOGMANAY AFTER-PARTY (ULTRAGROOVE + WE OWN + WILDCATS + GARETH SOMMERVILLE + LAURIE NEIL + THEO KOTTIS + STU TODD + YOGI HAUGHTON) THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:00–05:00, £9 EARLYBIRD (£15 THEREAFTER)

For their third consecutive Hogmanay at The Liquid Room, Musika take a change in direction – this time opting for an all-Edinburgh line-up leaning heavy on the house chords, with myriad guests spanning the main space and adjoining Annexe.

NYE 2013: MASQUERADE BALL

THE HIVE, 21:00–05:00, £5 EARLYBIRD (£10 THEREAFTER)

The Hive take Hogmanay as seriously as ever – dedicating two rooms, three bars and nine whole bloody hours to seeing it in, with dancefloor anthems in the main room and guilty pleasures in the back room. Dress code: wear a mask.

WN NYE 2013 (MONSIEUR ADI)

WHY NOT?, 21:00–05:00, £10 ADV. (£15 DOOR)

Why Not hand over the Hogmanay decks to Parisian fashion design student turned producer, Monsieur Adi – mixing up his usual compelling clash of cinematic orchestration and futuristic synths.

THE CLUB

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indiepop you can think of.

Dundee Music

Mon 30 Dec MIXED UP

Tue 10 Dec

THE HIVE, 22:00–03:00, FREE

RETURN TO THE SUN (TERRAFRAID)

Request-driven night of pop-punk, chart, indie and good ol’ 90s classics.

NON-ZERO’S, 20:00–22:00, £DONATION

Indie-driven Edinburgh rock band formed in the long, dark winter of 2012.

CONTINENTS (EXCELLENT CADAVER + THE WEIGHT OF ATLAS + LOST IN INSOMNIA)

NU FIRE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £6

DJ Fusion and Beef move from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs. XPLICIT (OPTIV)

THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–05:00, £7

Heavy jungle and bass-styled beats from the inimitable Xplicit crew, joined for a guest set by Virus Recordings’ d’n’b producer, Optiv.

Hogmanay

VEGAS!: THE GRAND HOGMANAY BALL

THE VOODOO ROOMS, 21:00–03:00, £25

Vegas’ annual 50s-themed Hogmanay fun night, with special guests Cow Cow Boogie, Missy Malone and The Vegas Cabaret and Burlesque Revue. Plus showgirls a-go-go, natch.

WEE DUB HOGMANAY (DREADZONE + JINX IN DUB + CAPITOL 1212 + ASTROBOY + NEM + RIDDIM TUFFA SOUND + NEIL TEMPLAR) THE CAVES, 22:00–05:00, £19 EARLYBIRD (£24 THEREAFTER)

The rather ace dub, reggae and roots celebration makes its sophomore mark on NYE with the heavyweight line-up of Dreadzone Soundsystem, Jinx In Dub, Capitol 1212, and more, blasted out across two rooms of The Caves.

MARDI GRAS AT MIDNITE

PICTURE HOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £15

Transforming The Picture House into an exotic carnival for the evening, Soulsville and Motherfunk join forces for a colourful Mardi Gras-styled night of elaborate costumes, dance troupes, voodoo facepainters, break-dancers and the like. #NOTSOSILENT NEW YEAR’S EVE SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The breakthrough night of 2013 takes over Sneaky Pete’s for some NYE merriment, straddling the M8 for this and their set as part of La Cheetah’s shenanigans in Glasgow.

ETC HOGMANAY (DJ WOTTA MESS)

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 23:00–05:00, £8 (£6 IN FANCY DRESS)

Edinburgh Tekno Cartel return to their old Henry’s stomping ground to do Hogmanay their way – i.e.

Christmas party gone wrong style – inviting y’all to dress up as Bad Santas in the company of special guest DJ Wotta Mess and his wonky techno beats.

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Listings

BEAT A MAXX OPAL LOUNGE, 21:00–03:00, £8

The turntablist specialist mans the decks at Opal Lounge this New Year’s Eve, known for mashing tunes, film and TV into one mighty party mix.

SUMMERHALL HOG-MANAY

SUMMERHALL, 21:00–03:00, £35 (£30)

Summerhall’s NYE offering snakes across the venue’s unique spaces, with the Guilty Pleasures DJs in the Dissection Room, piano chap Will Pickvance and pals in the Main Hall, plus a hog roast, a chill cafe area and five whole lovely bars.

GASOLINE DANCE MACHINE’S HOGMANAY (MEDLAR + KRL)

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 22:00–05:00, £15

The Italo-lovin’ Gasoline Dance Machine crew host a special Wolf Music Label party night for yer Hogmanay pleasure, with Medlar and KRL supplying a feel good house vibe all night long.

ANIMAL HOSPITAL HOGMANAY (JACKSONVILLE + BARRY O’CONNELL + BRAD CHARTERS )

STUDIO 24, 22:00–05:00, £9 EARLYBIRD

The Animal Hospital troops bring their unique blend of techno, house and minimal to a Hogmanay setting – upping their production values accordingly, as well as inviting some good pals of the club to help ‘em see out the year in suitably raucous style.

MUMBO JUMBO NYE (STEVE AUSTIN + TRENDY WENDY + BONGO DAVE) THE MASH HOUSE, 22:00–05:00, £10

The Mumbo Jumbo troops throw up a, er, jumbo New Year line-up – featuring Edinburgh greats Steve Austin, Trendy Wendy and Bongo Dave in the main room.

The Welsh hardcore metal outfit bring their energy-filled soundscapes, complete with obligatory low-end growls.

Fri 13 Dec

FRANKLY MAXIMUM (KING LOUIE + KINGS AND COWARDS + ISAK)

NON-ZERO’S, 19:30–22:00, £3 ADV. (£4 DOOR)

The self-described ‘weird’ Dundee alternative metal lot launch their new album and comic book, Space Vampire, with a selection of musical chums.

CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew, featuring sets from Slouch, Slice and Gmiller, plus visual by Genome.

Mon 16 Dec

ASHESTOANGELS + DEAD (REVOLUTION RELOAD + A BULLET’S EMBRACE) NON-ZERO’S, 19:00–22:00, £4

Double headline set for them wot like their tunes loud – step forward Bristol goth-punk lot Ashestoangels, and Southhampton punk’n’rollers Dead.

Dundee Clubs Wed 04 Dec FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Thu 05 Dec ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Weekly Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest) play what they promise will be ‘good’ music.

Sold.

Fri 06 Dec VISION

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £5

Deep and funky house served up by Tobias and Ken Swift.

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

The Frogbeats crew pump out the jungle and D’n’B beats a-plenty, as per.

Sat 07 Dec DARE DOES DUNDEE

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

Metalcore Dundonians upping the noise levels with their hurricanelike brand of metal.

CCA

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

6 FEB, 18 APR, 11 DEC, 8:00PM – 10:30PM, £3

COOKIN’ SESSIONS

Special sessions night manned

by Jono Fyda, Ken Swift and Nick Wilson, with Barry on Safari holing up in the bar area.

NITE FLIGHTS

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

Glasgow-based artist Michelle Hannah curates the next in her series of live video and performance pieces, with a selection of local and national artists taking the fractured disco of The Walker Brothers’ song of the same name as inspiration.

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

Citizens Theatre

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

GORILLA IN YOUR CAR

Hardcore, emo, punk and scenester selections. Also perhaps the best-named club night in Dundee’s existence.

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

Sat 21 Dec LOCARNO

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

John Pleased Wimmin brings his night of eclectic electronic and disco-tinged delights Dundee-way.

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

CTRL ALT DEFEAT

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

Wed 11 Dec

FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Thu 12 Dec ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Weekly Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest) play what they promise will be ‘good’ music.

Sold.

Fri 13 Dec CONTOUR

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £5 (£7 AFTER 12)

More fresh beats and flashy visuals from the Contour crew, featuring sets from Slouch, Slice and Gmiller, plus visual by Genome.

FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

CASSETTE

Sat 14 Dec

EXCELLENT CADAVER (ANIMUS + POLARITIES + DIRTY JUDAS + LAST ON EARTH)

Fri 20 Dec

THE JUNGLE BOOK

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 30 NOV AND 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £13 (£7 CHILD)

Classic Grand

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

Sun 22 Dec

Glasgow

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

FROGBEATS DJS

All-new night inviting a guest DJ to play tracks from artists and albums that would make their definitive mixtape.

AKA SKA

Weekly Thursday nighter (as the name would suggest) play what they promise will be ‘good’ music. Sold.

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 22:00–02:30, £5

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 20:00–23:00, £6

ROOMS THURSDAYS

READING ROOMS, 22:30–02:30, £TBC

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

NON-ZERO’S, 19:00–22:00, £TBC

2-tone ska tribute show.

Theatre

Ska, screamo and pop-punk offerings, featuring additional live performances from a selection of choice noisemakers.

The Dundee alternative rockers play a hometown set, building their usual wall of creative and atmospheric rock sounds.

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno regulars.

Messy student midweeker of party tunes and five quid fish bowls.

Because nothing says Christmas quite like, erm, the jungle, Citizens go all-out for their staging of the Rudyard Kipling tale – bringing the vibrant jungle-world to life with innovative set design and original music. Matinee performances also available.

WARPED

Sat 21 Dec

LOCARNO

FAT SAM’S WEDNESDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £5 (£4)

Thu 19 Dec

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

PHANTOM BRAKE PEDAL

Wed 18 Dec

AUTODISCO XMAS PARTY

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £5

Annual Autodisco office party, with regular hosts Dave Autodisco and Dicky Trisco selecting their best of 2013 – most likely of the disco, house, electrofunk and Baleriac genres.

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

KERRANG KLUB: KAGE’S 6TH BIRTHDAY

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £5

Metal magazine hellraisers, Kerrang, take charge of Kage’s 6th birthday celebrations.

Thu 26 Dec READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

Electro musings with a danceable beat for your Boxing Day pleasure, with Clouds and Ado sharing deck duty.

Fri 27 Dec FAT SAM’S FRIDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £4 (£3)

Fun Friday nighter soundtracked by big party tunes and punter requests.

GET THE FUNK OUT

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

Fledgling night of funk songs and its various offshoots: hip-hop, rap, ska and the like. And they will play Beastie Boys, so all is well with the world.

Sat 28 Dec

SPEKTRUM XMAS PARTY

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £TBC

The showcase night for electronic DJs welcome prolific producer Gary Beck for a special festive set – still riding high on the release of his Soma Records-released 2013 LP, Bring A Friend.

FAT SAM’S SATURDAYS

FAT SAM’S, 22:30–03:00, £8 (£5)

Massive Saturday night party spreading its wares over three floors and no less than six rooms, with Ricky H spanning dance, house, r’n’b and hip-hop selections.

ASYLUM

KAGE, 23:00–02:30, £4

Best of selection of rock, metal and alternative tunes.

Hogmanay NYE BOOK CLUB

READING ROOMS, 22:30–03:30, £10

The Good Stuff DJs, Is Kill and Diabeatic go off the rails for NYE, giving themselves free rein to plat any and every tune they fancy – spanning electro, disco, techno, house and everything in between.

FAT SAM’S HOGMANAY

FAT SAM’S, 23:00–02:30, £8

Fat Sam’s pitch up for their annual Hogmanay party, celebrating in their usual party-hard, studentfriendly fashion (aka it’ll be a messy one).

A ROCKING HOGMANAY

KAGE, 23:00–03:00, £6

The rock-heavy Kage lot celebrate one helluva a year – which has included a coup of a set from Benji Webbe and a shiny new venue refit – with a special Hogmanay blowout, playing hefty rock beats all night long.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 APR AND 6 DEC, TIMES VARY, PRICES VARY

StaG theatre transport the classic American text from the Deep South to New York City, in an exploration of the lives of the LGBT community during the early 80s.

SECC

DICK MCWHITTINGTON

Theatre Royal

Out of the Blue Drill Hall

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 10 DEC AND 28 DEC, TIMES VARY, FROM £7.50

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 APR AND 22 DEC, 6:00PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£10)

SCOTTISH OPERA’S HANSEL AND GRETEL

Scottish Ballet offer their own magical take on the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, backed by Engelbert Humperdinck’s moving score performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. Matinee performances also available.

In Your Face Theatre present an immersive and interactive production of Irvine Welsh’s classic, making full use of the unique space at Out of the Blue to plunge the audience into the dark club scene of 90s Edinburgh.

Tron Theatre

Royal Lyceum Theatre

PETER PANTO AND THE INCREDIBLE STINKERBELL

29 NOV – 4 JAN, NOT 2 DEC, 16 DEC, 25 DEC, 1 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £8

Johnny McKnight’s pantomime romp take on Peter Pan, in which Peter can fly and Tinkerbell has, erm, a problem with flatulence.

Matinee performances also available.

Edinburgh

Stage adaptation of the favourited Disney film, bolstered by suitably dazzling staging and elaborate costumes, masks and puppets.

Matinee performances also available.

FILM, PERFORMANCE, SPACE

13 DEC, 6:00PM – 7:30PM, £4 (£3)

A varied cacophony of movementdance-film-performance works, journeying through both landscapes and built interiors as staging places for human movement in filmic space.

RE-GRIP

14 DEC, 7:00PM – 9:00PM, £12 (£10)

Paper Doll Militia present their second draft follow-up to Open Grip, with an evening of aerial performance for which there will be a panel of six specialists who will give written feedback to each of the 12 pieces presented.

A GAY IN A MANGER

Surgeons’ Hall Museum

12–21 DEC, NOT 15, 16, 17, 18, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £8 (£6)

27 DEC, 6:30PM – 9:30PM, FROM £25

Following a series of performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Disney Fantasia takes to the road for a trio of special dates with live underscore by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Mary Pearson’s new solo performance bringing together contemporary dance, comedy and social commentary – telling the tale of a fashion victim, aspiring pop diva, and chronic underachiever consumed by delusional fantasies of commercial success.

Will Pickvance presents his tongue-in-cheek alternative to the darned glut of pantos, taking in piano outbursts, songs, tantrums and original animations by Tim Vincent-Smith.

The Arches

DISNEY FANTASIA

FAILURE

PIANOMIME

Glasgow-based theatre troupe All About Eve Productions stage their own adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn’s seasonal favourite, taking in irritating relatives, fumbles under the Christmas tree, faulty toys and an epic puppet show.

The SSE Hydro

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 13 AUG AND 14 DEC, 7:30PM – 9:15PM, £8 (£6)

16–22 DEC, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £10 (£7)

SEASON’S GREETINGS

Panto adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin, reuniting the cast of last year’s panto to suitably uproarious effect – with stand-up favourite Des Clarke reprising his role as Wishee Washee. Matinee performances also available.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

7 DEC, 7:30PM – 8:45PM, £10 (£8)

THE LION KING

8–9 DEC, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £8 (£6)

ALADDIN

Summerhall

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 11 OCT AND 18 JAN, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £30

Stereo

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 6 DEC AND 12 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £9

Neil Duffield’s all-new stage adaptation of the Charles Dickens Christmas staple, with everyone from Scrooge to Tiny Tim all accounted for – hurrah. Matinee performances also available.

Oscar Wilde’s theatrical classic comedy is given a reworking by Edinburgh Acting School’s Performance Class.

John Barrowman returns to the SECC as Dick Whittington, accompanied by The Krankies as Councillor Krankie and Jimmy Krankie – now with added 3D sequences. Afternoon performances also available.

The King’s Theatre

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 28 NOV AND 4 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £14

Edinburgh Playhouse

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 DEC AND 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, FROM £13

Gender-bending duo Tranny and Roseannah present an alternative festive experience (as in, to the onslaught of panto) – a camp cabaret of twisted Christmas values, featuring their take on the Christmas nativity and some likely X-rated yuletide singalongs.

TRAINSPOTTING

THE PROVOKED WIFE

20–21 DEC, TIMES VARY, £8 (£5)

Festival Theatre

Riotous revisit of Vanburgh’s classic comedy by Fringe First-winning direction and design team Kate Nelson and Sarah Paulley, with performance, production and costume by the students of Queen Margaret University and Cobweb Theatre Company.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 29 NOV AND 4 JAN, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £16

Traverse Theatre

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Stage musical of Bing Crosby’s classic 1954 movie of the same name, about two buddies who put on a show in a magical Vermont Inn, finding their perfect mates in the process. Matinee performances also available.

King’s Theatre PETER PAN

CIARA

3–21 DEC, NOT 8, 9, 15, 16, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £15.50 (£12.50/£8 UNEMPLOYED)

David Harrower’s 2013 Fringe First Award-winning play, set against the landscape of gangland Glasgow – with Blythe Duff the formidable central character struggling to emerge from the shadow of her father’s gang legacy.

30 NOV – 19 JAN, NOT 18 DEC, TIMES VARY, FROM £13

The King’s Theatre head to Neverland this year for their annual panto/opportunity to boo the hell outta Grant Stott. Matinee performances also available.

THE SKINNY

Comedy Glasgow Tue 03 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 04 Dec

WICKED WENCHES (SHAZIA MIRZA + SUSIE MCCABE)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£3 MEMBERS)

All-female stand-up extravaganza, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers taking to the stage each month.

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

BILL BURR

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:00, £22

Fri 13 Dec

THE FRIDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + MATTHEW OSBORN + CHRIS HENRY + JULIA SUTHERLAND) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

ZOMBIE SCIENCE: WORST CASE SCENARIO

KINNING PARK COMPLEX, 19:30–21:30, FREE

Spoof tutorial on the real science behind a zombie epidemic and how we might survive it, hosted by Theoretical Zombiologist Doctor Austin. Ne’er fear, he’s certified an’ that. Probably.

Sat 14 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + MATTHEW OSBORN + CHRIS HENRY + JULIA SUTHERLAND) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Fans of Breaking Bad unite, as Bill Burr (aka Patrick Kuby in the show) does his stand-up thing – making a rare UK appearance with his dark brand of humour.

Sun 15 Dec

Thu 05 Dec

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

THE THURSDAY SHOW (JOHN MOLONEY + SHAZIA MIRZA + GUS LYMBURN + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£2 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (MATTHEW OSBOURNE + JOJO SUTHERLAND)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Mon 16 Dec

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

THE FRIDAY SHOW (JOHN MOLONEY + SHAZIA MIRZA + GUS LYMBURN + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON)

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£10/£6 MEMBERS)

Tue 17 Dec

Fri 06 Dec

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Sat 07 Dec

THE SATURDAY SHOW (JOHN MOLONEY + SHAZIA MIRZA + GUS LYMBURN + DOGSHIT JOHNSTON)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

Sun 08 Dec

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (SHAZIA MIRZA + RO CAMPBELL + ROB KANE)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

Mon 09 Dec IMPROV WARS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as it should be.

Tue 10 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Wed 11 Dec FUN JUNKIES

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£2 STUDENTS/£2.50 MEMBERS)

Diverse offerings from the comedy spectrum, featuring stand-up, variety acts, sketches, musical comedy, magicians... and a partridge in a peartree.

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

December 2013

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Wed 18 Dec

SEAN LOCK: PURPLE VAN MAN

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL, 20:00–22:00, £22

Loved for his wondering, grumbling puzzlement at life, Mr Lock puts himself in the mind of a ‘purple van man’ (like a white van man, but probably dafter) for some more deft observations on the world.

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

NEW MATERIAL NIGHT

VESPBAR, 20:00–22:00, £3

Resident host Julia Sutherland introduces a variety of stand-up comedians from the Scottish circuit delivering, yes, all new material.

Thu 19 Dec

A BUDDY GOOD LAUGH (JOHN GILLICK + GRAHAM MACKIE + GARY LITTLE)

PAISLEY TOWN HALL, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£8)

All-new comedy night from the Dead Sheep Comedy lot, with compere Scott Gibson introducing a selection of stand-up talent.

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Jonathan Watson and the team take a comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines.

Fri 20 Dec

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £15

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Jonathan Watson and the team take a comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines.

Sat 21 Dec

THE STAND GLASGOW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARTIN MOR + JANEY GODLEY + DARREN CONNELL)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £15

Firm comedy favourite Bruce Devlin hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

WATSON’S WIND-UP XMAS CRACKER

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:00, £15

Jonathan Watson and the team take a comical look at the more alternative stories that made this year’s headlines.

Sun 22 Dec

MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE (RAY BRADSHAW + KATIA KVINGE)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled Sunday comedy showcase with resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond and guests.

Mon 23 Dec IMPROV WARS

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

More improvised comedy games and sketches, with an unpredictable anything-goes attitude – as it should be.

Fri 27 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARK NELSON + THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLFE III + CHRIS FORBES)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Sat 28 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARK NELSON + THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLFE III + CHRIS FORBES)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15 (£12)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Sun 29 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARK NELSON + THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLFE III + CHRIS FORBES)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Mon 30 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARK NELSON + THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLFE III + CHRIS FORBES)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Tue 31 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARK NELSON + THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLFE III + CHRIS FORBES)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £22.50 (£19 STUDENTS/£15 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Edinburgh Tue 03 Dec

WICKED WENCHES (SHAZIA MIRZA + SUSIE MCCABE)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENT/£3 MEMBERS)

ELECTRIC TALES THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£2 STUDENT/£3 MEMBERS)

More in the way of stand-up comedy crossed with live storytelling, with the tease of a promise of robot badges for all (as in, we’re there).

THE IMPROVISED PANTO

CITY , 20:00–22:00, £10

All-female stand-up extravaganza, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers taking to the stage each month.

The creators of Fringe favourite Men With Coconuts stage an imporivsed comedy romp through the realms of pantomime.

Wed 04 Dec

THE IMPROVISED PANTO

BROKEN WINDOWS POLICY

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Wed 11 Dec CITY , 20:00–22:00, £10

More fast-paced and anarchic skits and character comedy from The Stand’s resident sketch comedy troupe.

The creators of Fringe favourite Men With Coconuts stage an imporivsed comedy romp through the realms of pantomime.

Thu 05 Dec

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£2 STUDENT/£2.50 MEMBERS)

THE THURSDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + TOM ALLEN + ED PATRICK + STEPHEN HALKETT) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£2 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

COMEDY MELTING POT

Series of comedy sketches, picked by the audience and performed by a troupe of actors and musicians.

Thu 12 Dec

THE THURSDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + JAMES DOWDESWELL + HARI SRISKANTHA + GARETH MUTCH) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£2 STUDENTS/£5 MEMBERS)

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Weekend-welcoming selection of handpicked headline acts and newcomers over a two-hour showcase.

Fri 06 Dec

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

THE FRIDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + TOM ALLEN + ED PATRICK + STEPHEN HALKETT) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10/£6 MEMBERS)

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

IMPROVERTS

BEDLAM THEATRE, 22:30–23:30, £5.50 (£5 MEMBERS)

Long-standing improv comedy troupe made up of an everchanging line-up of local students, whose rather fine show is built entirely on (oft daft) audience suggestions.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

THE IMPROVISED PANTO

Tue 17 Dec

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Wed 18 Dec

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Thu 19 Dec

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Fri 20 Dec

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £15

The creators of Fringe favourite Men With Coconuts stage an imporivsed comedy romp through the realms of pantomime.

CITY , 20:00–22:00, £10

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Fri 13 Dec

Sat 21 Dec

THE FRIDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + JAMES DOWDESWELL + HARI SRISKANTHA + GARETH MUTCH) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£10/£6 MEMBERS)

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £15

Sat 07 Dec

Prime stand-up from the Scottish and international circuit, hosted by a rotating selection of Stand stalwarts.

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

CITY , 20:00–22:00, £10

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

THE SATURDAY SHOW (RON VAUDRY + TOM ALLEN + ED PATRICK + STEPHEN HALKETT)

THE IMPROVISED PANTO

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

The creators of Fringe favourite Men With Coconuts stage an imporivsed comedy romp through the realms of pantomime.

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Sat 14 Dec

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 08 Dec

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (RON VAUDRY + ELAINE MALCOLMSON + CAMERON DAVIS)

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

Mon 09 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

THE IMPROVISED PANTO

CITY , 20:00–22:00, £10

The creators of Fringe favourite Men With Coconuts stage an imporivsed comedy romp through the realms of pantomime.

Tue 10 Dec

THE SPEAKEASY (JANEY GODLEY + JULIETTE BURTON + GARETH WAUGH + EVA O’CONNER + JANE WALKER) SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE, 20:00–22:00, £6

Monthly spoken-word show of the rather ace variety, featuring a feastful of writers, comedians and musicians telling (mostly) true stories, under the watchful eye of host Jo Caulfield.

THE SATURDAY SHOW (IAN COPPINGER + JAMES DOWDESWELL + HARI SRISKANTHA + GARETH MUTCH) THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed Saturday evening bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes to jolly along your weekend.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 15 Dec

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (JAMES DOWDESWELL + JIM PARK) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-towork blues.

Thu 26 Dec

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Fri 27 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARTIN MOR + MAUREEN LANGAN + RO CAMPBELL)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

Sat 28 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARTIN MOR + MAUREEN LANGAN + RO CAMPBELL)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £15 (£12)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

BEEHIVE INN, 20:30–22:30, £7

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 29 Dec

ROCK AND ROLL PING PONG THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–23:00, FREE

The It’s Funtime jokers present a free, fun, table tennis evening, with dancing discs from DJ Ding Dong (ahem).

Mon 30 Dec

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARTIN MOR + MAUREEN LANGAN + RO CAMPBELL)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

PANDAMONIUM

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 19:00–21:30, £3

The Pandamonium Comedy crew return to Cab Vol with a line-up of the best in new, fresh stand-up comedy. Hosted by Rory McAlpine.

Tue 31 Dec

STU & GARRY’S FREE IMPROV SHOW

THE STAND, 13:30–15:30, FREE

Long-running improvised comedy show with resident duo Stu & Garry weaving comedy magic from offthe-cuff audience suggestions.

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARTIN MOR + MAUREEN LANGAN + RO CAMPBELL)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £22.50 (£19 STUDENTS/£15 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

HOGMANAY HOOTFEST (MARTIN MOR + MAUREEN LANGAN + RO CAMPBELL)

THE STAND, 21:00–23:00, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

The Stand celebrate the coming of 2013 with a string of comedy Hootfest’s, playing host to a bill of comedy favourites over the course of the evening.

THE BEEHIVE COMEDY CLUB

Regular weekend comedy showcase featuring a selection of up-and-coming acts from Scotland and beyond, topped with a guest headliner. Check their Facebook page on the day for line-ups.

Sun 22 Dec

THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN (JAMIE DALGLEISH) THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£2 STUDENTS/£1 MEMBERS)

Chilled comedy showcase to cure your Sunday evening back-to-work blues.

Mon 23 Dec RED RAW

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open-mic style beginners showcase, plus some old hands dropping by to roadtest new material.

Mon 16 Dec

THE STAND EDINBURGH CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (MARK NELSON + STEVE DAY + SUSIE MCCABE )

THE STAND, 20:30–22:30, £12 (£2 STUDENTS/£10 MEMBERS)

Cheeky Perthshire funnyman Joe Heenan hosts a series of Stand Christmas specials, aided-andabetted by a string of stand-up guests, hopefully in Santa hats.

Listings

69

Art Glasgow CCA

MAN OF THE YEAR: HENRY COOMBES + CARLES CONGOST VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 22 NOV AND 25 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Double header presenting Henry Coombes and Carles Congost’s latest work, with Coombes’ premiering his new film, accompanied by a new series of paintings, and Congost presenting his most recent film, alongside earlier projects.

David Dale Gallery and Studios SILENT HARDWARE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 7 DEC AND 24 JAN, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Triple header exhibition from artists Neil Clements, Chadwick Rantanen and Magali Reus. taking in painting and sculpture looking at technological tendencies within formalist practice.

Gallery of Modern Art

IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: POET, ARTIST, REVOLUTIONARY

Hunterian Art Gallery

ALLAN RAMSAY: PORTRAITS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 13 SEP AND 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, £7.50 (£5)

Intriguing exhibition casting new light on the work of Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), to mark the 300th anniversary of his birth – taking in a selection of works from across his 30 years as a painter.

Intermedia

SARAH WRIGHT: PLAYGROUND

22 NOV – 7 DEC, NOT 25 NOV, 2 DEC, 3 DEC, 4 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Glasgow School of Art Painting and Printmaking graduate presents a new body of work exploring a rhythmic and subjective language of images through various printmaking and installation methods.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum JACK VETTRIANO: A RETROSPECTIVE

HUGH HOOD: GLASGOW 1974

HOUSE STYLE

7 NOV – 8 DEC, NOT 11 NOV, 18 NOV, 25 NOV, 2 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 OCT AND 19 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Series of images by the Glasgow photographer – who began his photographic ‘career’ at the age of 10, helping his father develop black and white prints, before attending Glasgow College of Printing – taking in the streets of Glasgow between 1974 and 1978.

SYLVIA GRACE BORDA: CAMERA HISTORIES

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 23 NOV AND 2 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

GIFTED

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 16 NOV AND 19 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Common Guild

iota @ Unlimited Studios

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 12 OCT AND 14 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

5–21 DEC, NOT 8, 9, 15, 16, TIMES VARY, FREE

ROMAN ONDÁK

The Hidden Lane Gallery MARGARET WATKINS: ART AND ADVERTISING

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 9 NOV AND 28 FEB, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Christmas art exhibition, taking in painting, prints, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, glass, photography, and pretty much anything else you can think of – with all works available to buy.

18 JUL – 2 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Market Gallery

Intriguing body of work from the celebrated Canadian-born photographer who lived in obscurity in Glasgow for the last 40 years of her life – exploring, for the time, her innovative approach to photography for advertising.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 31 OCT AND 6 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Lighthouse

A PICTURE SHOW

Group show of 12 Glasgow-based painters, intended to survey the complexity, subtlety and variety of the art form – with no unifying concept of theme, other than painting being their central practice.

LIVING WITH THE WAR

7 OCT – 9 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Work from Glasgow Museums’ art collections, illustrating how artists from places as far ranging as Berlin, Brazil, Glasgow, London, Los Angeles, the Middle East and South Korea respond to the effects and prevalence of war and conflict around the world.

Glasgow Print Studio LIVING PROOF

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 5 DEC AND 2 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Taking its theme from Charles Darwin’s research to find living examples to support his theory of evolution, artists including Alasdair Gray, Elizabeth Blackadder and John Byrne revealing their fascination with creatures and their portrayal in art.

Glasgow School of Art

BETH DYNOWSKI: NEW STATES

First solo exhibition by Glasgowbased artist Beth Dynowski, extending through three gallery spaces where she’ll present a lexicon of ceramic, wood and metal sculptures, found objects, images and texts.

McLellan Galleries

152ND ANNUAL EXHIBITION 26 NOV – 8 DEC, NOT 2 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Gargantuan annual open exhibition taking in over 500 artworks selected from around 2,000 submissions – on display in the McLelllan’s suite of purpose-built galleries.

RGI Kelly Gallery

RGI WINTER EXHIBITION

2–21 DEC, NOT 8, 15, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual winter exhibition for which RGI Kelly host their once-in-a-year opportunity to buy small artworks from a selection of Scottish artists, including postcards and small framed works by RGIs, RGI artist members and invited artists.

INTERWOVEN CONNECTIONS: THE STODDARD TEMPLETON DESIGN STUDIO AND DESIGN LIBRARY, 1843-2005

Roger Billcliffe Gallery

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 9 NOV AND 11 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 22 NOV AND 24 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase exhibition providing a unique insight into the Design Library’s contents, the Stoddard Templeton design studio, through folios, books, designs, films and samples. In the Mackintosh Museum.

Glasgow Sculpture Studios

HAEGUE YANG: JOURNAL OF BOUBA/ KIKI

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 5 OCT AND 20 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The internationally acclaimed Korean artist displays the fruits produced during his three-month residency at Glasgow Sculpture Studios, bringing together work exploring themes of economy of labour, movement, time, handicraft and abstraction.

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Listings

WINTER DESIGN COLLECTION 2013

Bi-annual selling exhibition bringing together a handpicked group of unique objects, all made by the best of established (and emerging) British designer-makers working from their independent studios.

Street Level Photoworks

JILL TODD PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD 2013 VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 23 NOV AND 2 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Annual exhibition celebrating the work of talented photographers from major Photography and Arts Degree programmes in Scotland in the last three years, displaying a selection of the finalists work.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 OCT AND 15 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

The contemporary Glasgow artist exhibits her most ambitious series of work since her 2009 Turner Prize shortlist, showcasing a selection of sculptures exploring the tension between material and meaning through a series of handmade and mass produced forms.

Exhibition of graphic prints and sculptural installations by the late Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006), drawn from Glasgow Museums’ own gifted collection.

22 JUN – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

LUCY SKAER: EXIT, VOICE AND LOYALTY

Four new bodies of work by the Canadian and UK visual artist, in which the apparatus becomes the central subject of her digital compositions – with found and staged photographs of cameras manipulated and montaged to create unconventional portraits.

Solo exhibition by Slovakian artist Roman Ondák, known for his 21 SEP – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, £5 (£3) The most comprehensive exhibition​ arresting installations – amongst them being his acclaimed 2009 ever devoted to Scottish artist, Jack Vettriano - bringing together piece, Loop, created for the Czech his most definitive works gathered and Slovak Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. for the first time from private collections around the world.

Lillie Art Gallery

Series of new commissions in response to, and alongside, a specially selected film programme from the British Film Institute archive – combining new work and historic material, re-interpreting and expanding narratives of taste and cultural identity.

FUN MAKES GOOD: A NEW ANGLE

6 DEC – 12 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Fun Makes Good create a sitespecific textile installation inspired by both the modern aesthetics of The Lighthouse and the building’s original creator, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, re-interpreting his iconic architectural style and motifs through textiles.

REACTIVATE: INNOVATORS OF DUTCH ARCHITECTURE

6 DEC – 5 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

CASINISTA: THE UNBREAKABLES

New installation and series of sculptures by a mysterious artist of ‘pan-global’ origin whose name translates as ‘troublemaker’ in Italian.

Edinburgh Arusha

THEN THEY APPEAR: DREAMS IN WHITE

18 NOV – 8 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Triple-header exhibition by a Russian, Scottish and Estonian artist, each working with a theme of the changing of the seasons – taking in interpretations of this procession and how it affects us, through painting, illustration and photography.

City Art Centre WALTER GEIKIE

19 OCT – 2 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Retrospective exhibition of 19th century artist Walter Geikie (1795-1837), concentrating on his figurative imagery – taking in the etchings for which he is best known, alongside a selection of drawings and paintings.

CITIZEN CURATOR

Interesting profile of a number of ground-breaking projects led by architects in recent years in response to changes in society – from a rooftop vegetable garden on a disused office building to a crowd funded bridge over a motorway.

26 OCT – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Modern Institute

EXPLORING THE LION KING

CHRIS JOHANSON: CONSIDERING

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 OCT AND 20 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Solo exhibition of new works by the Los Angeles-based artist and musician, utilising a multi-faceted approach, incorporating painting, sculpture and installations made from found materials.

The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane

MARTINO GAMPER: TU CASA, MI CASA

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 9 NOV AND 25 JAN, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Showcase of new work by the London-based Italian designer, perhaps best known for his 100 Chairs in 100 Days project – for which he made 100 chairs in, yes, 100 days.

Tramway

THE KOESTLER EXHIBITION FOR SCOTLAND 2013

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 3 NOV AND 15 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of artwork and writing from prisons, secure hospitals, secure childrens’ homes and criminal justice services in Scotland, taking in painting, drawing, sculpture and creative writing selected from entries to the 2013 Koestler Awards.

Special exhibition exploring and celebrating Leith’s fascinating and varied heritage, taking in works by well known Leithers such as Eduardo Paolozzi, and depictions of the local area by artists including Alexander Nasmyth, Jock McFadyen and Kate Downie.

28 OCT – 12 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition revealing the inspiration behind Disney’s award-winning musical (currently running at Edinburgh’s Playhouse), incorporating many of the now iconic costumes, masks and puppets, alongside sketches, original models, film and photography.

Collective Gallery

GOLDIN+SENNEBY: ANTI-VWAP

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 6 DEC AND 26 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

First exhibition proper for Collective in their new setting, presenting the Anti-VWAP project – featuring a speculative theatrical script (with Rob Drummond), and the development of an algorithmic trading model to be tested in the financial markets.

Dovecot SELECTED

29 NOV – 21 DEC, NOT 1 DEC, 8 DEC, 15 DEC, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Dovecot’s own hand-selected celebration of contemporary Scottish craft and design, presented as a ‘selling exhibition’ showcasing local makers across disciplines including wood and metal, ceramics, jewellery, furniture, textiles, glass and silver.

Edinburgh Printmakers THE WRITTEN IMAGE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 16 NOV AND 21 DEC, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Collaboration between Edinburgh Printmakers and the Scottish Poetry Library to launch a project that fosters collaborations between printmakers and poets – with the results showing how image can be the vehicle that links and inspires artists across media.

Ingleby Gallery ONCE UPON A TIME AND A VERY GOOD TIME IT WAS...

30 NOV – 21 DEC, NOT 1 DEC, 8 DEC, 15 DEC, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Group exhibition featuring varied works by David Batchelor, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Kevin Harman, Callum Innes, Susan Derges and Peter Liversidge, alongside selected antiquities from Africa, China and Oceania.

McNaughtan’s Bookshop BOUND : UNBOUND.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 NOV AND 21 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Artist Book Group returns with a new mixed media exhibition of artist books and wall-based works, accompanied by a schedule of Saturday workshops, artist talks and demonstrations from the group.

Out of the Blue Drill Hall HIMALAYAS AND RAJASTHAN

9–13 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Having travelled extensively throughout Europe, Africa and America, photographer Ian Preece showcases a series of images taken across the Himalayas and Rajasthan – giving an insight into the diversity of culture and the environment across these regions.

Royal Overseas League TRACES

11 OCT – 19 JAN, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Group exhibition by Leigh Chorlton, Tim Le Breuilly and Robin Wu, taking their inspiration from the writings of W.G. Sebald – each with their own personal interpretation of his writing, which in turn is imbued in their drawing, painting and printmaking.

Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) RSA OPEN 2013

23 NOV – 26 JAN, 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 – with this year again seeing the addition of a room dedicated to architecture.

Scottish National Gallery ALLAN RAMSAY AT 300

19 OCT – 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Showcase of the Scottish National Gallery’s unrivalled holdings of drawings by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), to mark the 300th anniversary of his birth. Coinciding with the major exhibition at the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow.

PICTURE HOOKS

1 NOV – 16 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition featuring work by ten illustrators of books for children, with participants and mentors paired together for a year – with the very first The New Scottish Illustrator Award awarded to one of the artists on show. In the IT Gallery.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art LOUISE BOURGEOIS: A WOMAN WITHOUT SECRETS

28 OCT – 18 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Major presentation of works by the late French-American artist, highlighting a selection of her late work – revealing how Bourgeois, working in a variety of materials and scales, deftly explores the mystery and beauty of human emotions.

THE SCOTTISH COLOURISTS SERIES: JD FERGUSSON 7 DEC – 15 JUN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £7 (£5)

The National Galleries of Scotland draw to a close their Scottish Colourist Series, culminating with a retrospective of the work of Edinburgh-born JD Fergusson – taking in more than 100 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and items of archival material.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery VIVIAN SASSEN: IN AND OUT OF FASHION

19 OCT – 9 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

First retrospective of Dutch-born contemproary fashion photographer Viviane Sassenand - taking to the Portrait Gallery from Huis Marseille Museum, Amsterdam – displaying her trademark flamboyant, formally inventive and occasionally surreal imagery.

WORK, UNION, CIVIL WAR, FAITH, ROOTS

5 OCT – 6 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Group exhibition created during five community outreach projects investigating the contemporary relevance of major transformations in Scottish history – inspired by portraits and personalities from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection.

MAKING HISTORY

12 OCT – 28 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

JULIA HOWDEN: THE THROWBACKS 7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Photographic documentation of the phenomenon of Scottish sub-cultures and recently, in particular, the resurgence in the clothes, culture and sounds of the 1950s when teddy boys, teddy girls and the emergence of rock’n’roll dominated.

JAMES LEE BYARS

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Retrospective of work from the late ‘romantic minimalist’, known for creating editions, books and unique works often on extreme scales – with all works on show taken from the Heart Fine Art Archive based at Summerhall.

Talbot Rice Gallery

EVER/PRESENT/PAST: MARK DION + CLAIRE BARCLAY

16 NOV – 15 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

9 NOV – 19 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Annual series, this time with Massimiliano Gatti, David Grinly, Daniele Sambo exploring the constructed landscapes that surround us everyday – presenting the photography of artists working with Stills’ production facilities and residency programmes.

Summerhall THE DARK WOULD

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

ANDREW CARNEGIE: THE LEGACY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

DEIRDRE NICHOLLS

BOYS KEEP SWINGING

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Group show featuring the works of artists from Manchester, London and New York, looking specifically at aspects of contemporary society from the male perspective.

LIMINAL CITIES

Francesca Perona takes her cue from the changing landscape of Dundee, exploring the spaces in between the industrial heritage of the city, with the transformation of the waterfront and the future vision represented in changing 3D digital visualisations.

The McManus

RE:NEW: CONTEMPORARY ART FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION

23 AUG – 1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Pieces selected from Dundee Art Galleries and Museums most recent art acquisitions go on display in a temporary exhibition that offers opportunities to engage with a selection of contemporary work from both Scottish and European artists.

Whitespace

6 DEC – 30 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A SILVERED LIGHT

Solo exhibition of paintings from the Bristol-based artist, depicting urban and rural Scottish scenes, made in his trademark style of working with found imagery and references from personal archives.

Exhibition of Scottish art photography selected from Dundee City’s permanent collection, showcasing images from over 50 photographers collected in the 28 years following the purchase of two important early photographs

by Thomas Joshua Cooper in 1985.

13–19 DEC, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

15 NOV – 12 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

BEN RISK: FIELD NOTES

30 NOV – 5 DEC, 9:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

MARTIN METCALFE: PICTUREMAKER

7–12 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

Selection of work from the Summerhall Studio of figurative sculptor, showing two aspects of the artist’s work: contemporary portrait heads in bronze and plaster, plus a selection of pieces inspired by the work of Amnesty International.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 16 NOV AND 8 DEC, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Showcase of work from the legacy of the Scots born philanthropist, including an Andy Warhol painting of Carnegie, a bagpipe-playing robot, six Sesame Tree puppets and a replica bone from a dinosaur named Diplodocus Carnegii.

15 OCT – 25 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

LAUREN GAULT: HERE BIANCA

11 NOV – 13 DEC, WEEKDAYS ONLY, 9:30AM – 4:45PM, FREE

LOUISE BOURGEOIS: I GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY

Mainly influenced by pre-WW1 German Expressionism and Pop Surrealism, musician/artist Martin Metcalfe displays a series of colourful figurative works in various mediums, covering his formative years in Bathgate and then Edinburgh.

Extensive and evolving map artwork in creation for some 50 years, which viewers are invited to navigate over a transparent walkway – with the artist on site during part of the exhibition continuing his work modifying and altering the map.

Generator Projects

26 OCT – 23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

A selection of world-leading poets and text artists exhibit an thought-provoking collection of works that cross the boundary of living and dying, asking us to consider what it is to have a body and to lose it.

JERRY GRETZINGER: JERRY’S MAP

Special festive exhibition of work by registered users of the DCA Print Studio, encompassing a whole range of printmaking specialities including screenprinting, etching, collagraph and litho.

Hannah Maclure Centre

The Scottish Parliament

WORK IN PROGRESS 2: CONSTRUCTIONS OF LANDSCAPE

DCA WINTER PRINT EXHIBITION

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 NOV AND 19 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Fruitmarket Gallery

16 NOV – 11 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Stills

Solo exhibition of animated and video works from the Japan-born, London-based artist – adept at captivating audiences with his captivating video animations, imbued with a haunting dream-like quality via surreal imagery and atmospheric sounds.

Installation of new sculptural works from the Glasgow-based artist – and Duncan of Jordanstone graduate – for which she’s incorporated elements of ceramics and sound.

Major exhibition of renowned French-American artist and sculptor Louise Bourgeois, taking in a selection of works on paper centered on her Insomnia Drawings – a suite of 220 drawings and writings made between 1994 and June 1995 to combat her insomnia.

MODERN PORTRAITS

HIRAKI SAWA: LENTICULAR

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 5 OCT AND 5 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The programme of events exploring the history of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital throughout 2013 – its bi-centenary year – culminates with Talbot Rice’s double-header exhibition, featuring new commissions from Mark Dion and Claire Barclay.

Solo exhibition of recent work

by Sandy Stoddart (Sculptor In Ordinary to The Queen of Scotland), of which the main focus will be the creation of a new figurative statue of William Birnie Rhind commissioned by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Collective exhibition bringing together a varied series of 20th and 21st century works of portraiture, including Stanley Curister, Robert Heriot Westwater, Victoria Crowe, Maggi Hambling and William McCance.

DCA

CATTLE

Selection of oil paintings of cows by local artist Sally Fisher, marking her first exhibition and made following funding from a successful Kickstarter campaign.

SAFE HAVENS

Reflective exhibition of paintings and prints selected from the collection of James Guthrie Orchar, celebrating his love of coastal life.

University of Dundee DARKEST DREAMS

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 14 NOV AND 11 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of selected works from the University of Dundee’s Fine Art Collections, inspired by our darkest dreams and nightmares – taking in a collection of surreal images and strange visions. In the Lamb Gallery.

Dundee Cooper Gallery GEORGINA STARR: BEFORE LE CERVEAU AFFAMÉ

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 10 OCT AND 13 DEC, TIMES VARY, FREE

One of the most original and distinctive British artists, celebrated internationally since the 1990s for her magically complex and multi-layered works, presents her glimpse into ‘Le Cerveau’ – a space for metaphysical transformation.

SALLY WEBBER: AN INEXACT SCIENCE

7 DEC – 24 JAN, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

New collection of work resulting from ongoing experiments with found materials, including some pieces which originated during six months spent working at Summerhall in 2013.

THE SKINNY

The Last Word: Cliff Martinez With Only God Forgives about to hit DVD, composer, former Chili Pepper and Captain Beefheart collaborator Cliff Martinez looks back on more than twenty years of soundtrack composition

oundtrack composers are rarely revered to the degree rock stars are, and Cliff Martinez should know – he’s been both. Drumming for seminal punk bands like The Dickies, Lydia Lunch, and a brief stint on the skins as part of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band in the late 70s and early 80s led to him being drafted into the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983. He stayed for three years, going on to compose his first film score for Sex, Lies and Videotape in 1989. It was Steven Soderbergh’s breakthrough, and cemented a close working relationship that saw him score several other key titles in the director’s ouevre, including Contagion and Solaris.

It was his minimalist electronic score for Nicolas Winding-Refn’s Drive which brought Martinez to widespread recognition – his pulsing, understated compositions were absolutely vital to the film’s slick appeal, and with a deluxe vinyl edition released in the UK by Geoff Barrow’s Invada imprint, suddenly Martinez’ name was on the lips of every hipster and film fanatic, along with Johnny Jewel’s Chromatics, and Kavinsky, who provided key cuts for the film.

Martinez’ latest score, for Winding-Refn’s Drive follow-up Only God Forgives, saw him taking bigger creative risks. He reinterpreted karaoke classics from Thailand – the film’s setting – and worked closely with the film’s sound production unit to create a score which complemented the brooding, static-laden ambient tracks which lace the movie’s most intense scenes. It is, he reflects, one of his favourite works. Speaking from his home in LA, Martinez laughs often, with sardonic good humour and a self-effacing modesty.

“Initially, I really wanted to be influenced by the setting of Thailand,” he says of his score for Only God Forgives. “The ground floor was to do something that reflected the setting.” How did he manage to complement the brooding atmospherics of the sound production unit’s work? “I’ve always been fascinated by that grey area between music and sound design, and with what the sound department does and what I do,” he says. He describes the score for Only God Forgives as a “successful hybrid of the two approaches.”

Winding-Refn began cutting the film to the Bernard Hermann score for 1950s science fiction film The Day The Earth Stood Still, which, explains Martinez, “happens to be one of my all-time favourite scores.” The initial formulation – Hermann’s domineering, strident orchestration melded with Thai pop music “started eroding as well, as the dark, Eno-esque textural stuff started to become so important,” he explains.

Philip Glass and Ennio Morricone became huge influences. “I have this theory that if you steal something from one artist, that’s just plagiarism,” chuckles Martinez. “But if you steal from two or more artists and put it together, you can claim it as something original. Only God Forgives was influenced by a wide range of artists, and that, for me, is why it is such a special score.”

The work he holds closest to his heart was on Soderbergh’s Solaris, a remake of the existential science fiction classic by Andrei Tarkovsky.

“It’s the only one I still listen to,” says Martinez.

“Usually I know every molecule of the music backwards and forwards. What makes music interesting is the balance of the unexpected and the expected. Solaris still seems to hold some kind of mystery, some element of surprise for me. It had an unexpected emotionality. Usually I try and write things which are pretty austere.”

Asked whether, as a drummer, he is tempted to make rhythmic construction the main focus

December 2013

of his score work, Martinez is quick to point out that the score for Sex, Lies and Videotape was almost completely beatless. “That kind of defined my style for a lot of films – minimalist, ambient, textural music that completely lacks rhythm,” he reflects. “After I quit playing drums I actually didn’t want to hear any rhythm. But now it plays a really important part in all my scores – drums are the only instrument I play with any legitimate facility. I like to make music by hitting things with a stick.”

His working relationship with Soderbergh spans ten films and three decades, while his collaborations with Winding-Refn so far number two. “I don’t really know how to compare them, because they’re both rugged individualists,” he says. “I’ve done ten films with Steven, so I can practically read his mind, and vice versa. I really understand his likes and dislikes better than anybody I’ve worked with – monogamy has its benefits.”

Is working with Winding-Refn comparable?

“They both seem to like to do something very different every time they start a new project,” he says. “They always encourage me to do something I’ve never done before, which is quite the opposite from what most people ask for – most people come to me because they have heard something of mine which they liked, and then there’s some obligation to sound like Traffic, or like Drive.

Steven and Nicolas come to me and say, ‘I’m doing something completely different from my last film, and I want you to do something completely different to anything you’ve ever done.’ It’s a big challenge, but it’s a welcome challenge.”

Now that his soundtrack work is being appreciated by a wider audience, Martinez is pleased but somewhat baffled by his music having a life beyond the films it was composed for.

“I’m not a big consumer of film soundtracks,” he admits. “I’ve always felt that film music is meant to accompany dialogue and images. Probably because my music is so simple, I don’t really feel like it’s a great standalone, à la carte listening experience.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by that grey area between music and sound design” Cliff Martinez

However, he says, “that doesn’t stop me from releasing these soundtracks – I know there are people who like it, and who use it as background for something.” He remains surprised by the functions his music can serve. “One of the first pieces of fan mail I got was from a soldier in Afghanistan who said they always listened to Only God Forgives when they went out on patrol. I thought, ‘Okay, that makes perfect sense!’”

Although he considers himself primarily an electronic musician, and is an unapologetic fan of plug-ins, soft synths and technological shortcuts over expensive analogue gear, he does own one particularly amazing instrument – a water-driven organ known as a Baschet Cristal, which was one of the signature sounds on the Drive soundtrack.

“I saw a collection of the Baschet brothers’ instruments at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965,

Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha

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Interview: Bram E. Gieben

when I was ten years old,” he recalls. “My parents took me there. Nobody was performing on these instruments – they had a dozen, some of which were percussive, some of which were the early prototypes of the Cristal. They were all fantastic works of art. The brothers had this agenda, this vision of musical sculpture. I saw these instruments in the same year I first saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Those were two experiences which kind of re-upholstered my brain, and made me want to become a musician.”

This formative encounter lay dormant in his memory for years, until “in 2002, when Solaris came along, I remembered the experience, and sought out the instrument and the guys that made it. So it was an ancient childhood memory that I dusted off, and pursued for Solaris.

Ironically, the instrument wasn’t really used in that film. But once you get something like that in your living room...” He laughs. “I felt a strong obligation to shoehorn it into every subsequent film.”

Recently, Martinez joined his former bandmates in the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they were inaugurated into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Was this an important moment for him? “It was a really big deal,” he replies. “There are a lot of ex-Chili Peppers. Given their 27 year history, I was only there for three of them. So it was an honour that they included me. I was very moved by it.”

Along with Hans Zimmer, who worked with The Buggles and other bands in his early career, and former Pop Will Eat Itself frontman Clint Mansell, not to mention Radiohead’s

MUSIC

Jonny Greenwood, Martinez is one of a legion of contemporary film composers who have made the jump from the rock music industry to the Hollywood hills. “Technology has all but made the music industry obsolete, through everybody’s music being pirated. Singer-songwriters are feeling the pain more than anybody. Film composers are the last of a vanishing breed of professional musicians who still get a paycheck for writing music. There are a flood of people turning to writing music for the moving image, whether it be films, TV commercials, or video games.” His shrug is almost audible. “All the people you mention, including myself, are part of a stampede to survive in the music business.”

Now that Only God Forgives has been released, many are curious to know if Martinez will work with Winding-Refn again. He refuses to be drawn on the details of his next project, but in response to that particular question, he answers: “I’d love to work with Nicolas again.” Are there any other directors he would like to work with? He ponders this for a few seconds. “I’d like to work with the next Nicolas Winding-Refn; the next Steven Soderbergh... whoever that might be.”

Read Cliff Martinez’s Hero Worship piece on Captain Beefheart on P7

Only God Forgives is released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 2 Dec A limited edition double vinyl package of the Only God Forgives soundtrack is available from Invada Records, along with other work by Cliff Martinez, such as Drive and Solaris cliff-martinez.com

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