The Skinny September 2011

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Issue 72 September 2011

INTERVIEWS: ST VINCENT MARK COUSINS HIROSHI SUGIMOTO ZOË STRACHAN BOOM BIP PAWS

CA N CIN E M A CH A N GE THE WO R LD? TAKE ONE ACTION FILM FESTIVAL

PLUS: IPECAC RECORDS SOMA TURNS 20 CHEMIKAL ENGINEERING VAULT ART FAIR TROLLHUNTER OLIVER BRAID

MUSIC | FILM | CLUBS | PERFORMANCE | TECH| BOOKS | COMEDY | ART | FASHION |TRAVEL| LISTINGS

THE COMEDY CONTINUES AT THE PLAYHOUSE THIS SEASON

JASON MANFORD

‘AN EXPERTLY DELIVERED SHOW THROUGH-OUT’

OFF ON TOUR WE GO

FRI 30 SEP & SAT 1 OCT

STEPHEN MERCHANT HELLO LADIES...

THE TIMES

AWARD-WINNING CO-CREATOR OF BBC’S THE OFFICE AND EXTRAS THU 13 OCT

JIMMY CARR

‘A COMEDY HERO FOR OUR TIMES’

LAUGHTER THERAPY

SUN 16 OCT

REGINALD D HUNTER

SOMETIMES EVEN THE DEVIL TELLS THE TRUTH

THE GUARDIAN

‘ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANTLY UNPREDICTABLE COMICS IN THE COUNTRY’ SUNDAY TIMES

TUE 18 OCT

BILL BAILEY

‘BAILEY IS APPROACHING THE STATUS OF A NATIONAL TREASURE’

DANDELION MIND

WED 16 & THU 17 NOV

24 HOUR TELEPHONE BKGS 0844 871 3014 www.edinburghplayhouse.org.uk

★★★★

(bkg fees apply)

THE GUARDIAN

CONTENTS

P L U S S U P P O RT

I N

C O N C E R T

SAT 3RD SEPT

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Thurs 15 Sept

Glasgow Oran Mor

In association with SYNERGY CONCERTS

PLUS SPECIAL GUEST

LINDI ORTEGA

Mon 10 Oct Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

PERFORMING

FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET

TUES 6TH SEPTEMBER 02 ABC GLASGOW

0131 668 2019

O871 22O O26O

ILLUSTRATION: NICK COCOZZA

SPECIAL GUEST

SAM BROOKES

PRESENTATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH WME AGENCY

PHOTO: TINA TYRELL

Scott Matthews

A

P.12 ST VINCENT

P.14 MARK COUSINS: THE STORY OF FILM

P.18 IPECAC RECORDS

P.23 HIROSHI SUGIMOTO

GLASVEGAS O2 ABC Glasgow 31st October 0871 220 0260 www.ticketmaster.co.uk www.regularmusic.com

Lloyd Cole In Concert

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

Thursday 10 November Edinburgh Pleasance Theatre Friday 11 November Glasgow Oran Mor Saturday 12 November Glasgow Oran Mor 0871 220 0260

TO KILL A KING

WED 12 OCT

thur 22 dec o2 abc2 glasgow

GLASGOW ORAN MOR

fri 23 dec edinburgh liquiD rooms

SEPTEMBER 2011 THRUM + The Parsonage

GLASGOW

ORAN MOR

in association with The Agency Group

BrianWilson IN CONCERT

GLASGOW Concert Hall Sun 11th Sept 0141 353 8000

KING TUT’S WAH WAH HUT /£10 ADV.

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Wed 16th Nov

MONDAY 24TH OCTOBER GLASGOW CONCERT HALL WWW.REGULARMUSIC.COM 0141 353 8000 WWW.TICKETMASTER.CO.UK

SAT 10TH SEPTEMBER

MOGWAI IN CONCERT

Issue 72, September 2011 © Radge Media Ltd.

Editorial

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THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

Competitions Editor Deviance Editor DVD Editor Fashion Editor Film Editor Food Editor Heads Up Editor Listings/Cyberzap Editor Performance Editor Tech Editor Travel Editor

Rosamund West Dave Kerr Andrew Cattanach Keir Hind Neil Murchison Lizzie Cass-Maran & Bernard O’Leary Louise Robertson Ana Hine Keir Roper-Caldbeck Alexandra Fiddes Jamie Dunn Peter Simpson Anna Docherty Anna Docherty Gareth K. Vile Alex Cole Paul Mitchell

printed on 100% recycled paper

Production Manager Designer Chief Subeditor Subeditor

Peter Marsden Lewis MacDonald Paul Mitchell Ray Philp

Sales/Accounts Head of Sales & Marketing Marketing Executive Accounts Administrator

Lara Moloney Michaela Hall Solen Collet

Publisher

Sophie Kyle

DF CONCERTS PRESENTS…DF CONCERTS PRESENTS…DF CONCERTS PRESENTS… 6: Hero Worship offers a little bit too much insight into Film editor Jamie’s teenage fantasies; Skinny on Tour tries to pick up George Clooney; Travel editor Paul meditates on what it is to be a Travel editor without a passport; Deviance editor Ana gets up the courage to be confessional about her sex life; Stop the Presses gives you up to the minute news we couldn’t fit in anywhere else.

8: Heads Up: Giving you a heads up (ahahaha...ahem) on the best events of each day of September.

A l l T h i n g s B r i g h t a n d B e a u t i f u l To u r WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

O2 ABC GLASGOW

WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER

FEATURES 10: Take One Action Film Festival: Bringing cinema with a conscience to Scotland. Can they change the world? We talk to Frank Poulsen about his new film Blood in the Mobile, and Kim Longinotoo about Pink Saris.

12: Annie Clark aka St Vincent introduces her third album, Strange Mercy, to our expectant ears.

14: The Skinny follows Mark Cousins into a dark corner of Glasgow to investigate his forthcoming documentary, The Story of Film: An Oddysey. The title’s no exaggeration: it’s 15 hours long.

15: Andre Ovredal fights off the vampire zombies to bring us a proper Norwegian monster – the mighty troll.

16: Chemikal Underground record label are launching a new course for aspiring studio engineers. Emma Pollock introduces exactly what delights are in store, and tells you how to apply.

18: Ipecac Records, home to releases from musicians as disparate as the Melvins and Ennio Morricone, share their survival strategies operating as an independent DIY label. Ace! 21: Dave Clark reminisces about lost Daft Punk records and raves at Walt Disney’s gaff as Soma Records celebrate two decades of balls-to-the-wall dance music.

22: Vault art fair launches this month in Glasgow, bringing affordable art from emergent artists to the masses.

23: Hiroshi Sugimoto on the origins of life, the end of photography phase 1, and why it was essential to print the original negatives of Henry Fox Talbot.

24: Zoë Strachan reflects on the creative toil of following up a debut novel as she unveils her third book, Ever Fallen In Love.

25: Alan Bissett (who is well into fashion, by the way) discusses his new novel Pack Men, revisiting his characters from Boyracers, but with more football violence.

27: Boom Bip talks about the process of conceiving his new album Zig Zaj, which amounted to asking Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand to channel a creepy David Copperfield.

owlcitymusic.com owlcitymerch.com THE NEW ALBUM ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL OUT NOW

GLASGOW BARROWLAND THURSDAY 6TH OCTOBER New album 'IN GOLD BLOOD' out now myspace.com/kidsinglasshouses

+ THE XCERTS + EVERY AVENUE + DANGEROUS!

GLASGOW QMU

SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER

MYSPACE.COM/YOUNGGUNS FACEBOOK.COM/YOUNGGUNSUK TWITTER.COM/YOUNGGUNSUK

MYSPACE.COM/YOUNGGUNS

NEW SINGLE ‘STITCHES’ OUT NOW TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM ‘ALL OUR KINGS ARE DEAD’ OUT NOW

+ MONUMENT VALLEY

GLASGOW ORAN MOR

O2 ABC GLASGOW

FRIDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER

Glasgow Captains Rest Sunday 11th September

Echo & The Bunnymen WITH STRINGS PERFORMING THE CLASSIC ALBUM

OCEAN RAIN

63: iconAclass patiently explains what ‘iconoclastic’ means while Mystic Mark continues to warn of a horrific future. Yours.

SUNDAY 9TH OCTOBER

EDINBURGH CABARET VOLTAIRE MONDAY 10TH OCTOBER

Glasgow Oran Mor Tuesday 20th Sept

Edinburgh The Pleasance Theatre

Friday 23rd Sept GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER

+ COLD SPECKS

www.bunnymen.com

www.myspace.com/howlingbells

GLASGOW ORAN MOR

MON 19TH SEPT

+ EXLOVERS

GLASGOW ORAN MOR THU 22ND SEPTEMBER

GLASGOW ARCHES

SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER

55: LIstings: An index of stuff to do this month in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee which is really difficult to put together. You’re welcome.

New Album “A Different Kind of Fix” out 29th August on Island Records bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

THURSDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER

REVIEW 39: Music: Including Glasgow new blood PAWS railing against being lumped into the grunge genre, and Chad ‘Binary’ VanGaalen showing himself to be a truly awful music critic.

46: Clubs: We look forward to peerless Detroit techno and Chicago house at Electric Frog, and a LuckyMe party at the o2 ABC. Featuring a lightning-scarred liferaft and Jeff Mills with a cape.

48: Film: We offer some opinions on films about big-ass trolls, acid house raves in Manchester and the post-Bush electoral fidgeting of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

50: ART: Reviews of Tatham & O’Sullivan and Ingrid Calame.

51: Books: We judge books by their covers, blurbs, and general content in this month’s book reviews, and our TECH editor fawns over Minecraft.

52: Performance: make Arches Live! its venue of the month, not least because Gareth is performing there this month.

53: Comedy: bids a fond farewell to erstwhile comedy editor Lizzie with a profile of Susan Calman and an introduction to Ana Canary.

54: COMPETITIONS: This month’s well good shit includes tickets to Kaleidoscope Festival and a bunch of TrollHunter goodies.

GLASGOW BARROWLAND SUN 2ND OCTOBER

+ BUILT ON TRADITION + EVOL GLASGOW ORAN MOR Glasgow, Nice n Sleazy Sun 11th September

LIFESTYLE 28: Travel: The Travel Bucket List: What do you want to do before you die? Why are you wasting time hanging around in the rain when you could be drinking fermented yak’s milk and getting your hair braided? Ally McLeod asks the unanswerable questions.

Pride in Amsterdam: We sent two correspondents to check out the Gay Pride festival in the city of legalised everything. Sorry about the headline. The designer wrote it.

30: Deviance: An interview with a Colombian trans-activist, and a look into what polyamory means.

32: Showcase: Oliver Braid ingratiated himself with our Art editor by telling him he was handsome. That’s how charming he is. Have a look at his artwork ahead of his appearance at Vault and New Work Scotland.

35: fashion looks forward to some September events that are both very now and very in.

36: Food & DrinK: Launching our new Food and Drink survey, which invites you to nominate your favourite haunts in the name of glory. What’s the best fish ‘n’ chips? Where’s the best pint? You decide.

UNICORN KID

+ LONG LOST SUN

PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE OF DATE - ORIGINAL TICKETS STILL VALID

AUTUMN TOUR 2011

EDINBURGH ELECTRIC CIRCUS WEDNESDAY 5TH OCTOBER GLASGOW ORAN MOR THURSDAY 6TH OCTOBER WWW.CLOUDCONTROLBAND.COM

Tickets 24hr credit card hotline: 08444 999 990 Online: www.gigsinscotland.com | www.ticketmaster.co.uk In person: GLASGOW SECC B/O, Tickets Scotland | EDINBURGH Tickets Scotland, Ripping | ABERDEEN B/O, One Up Records | DUNDEE Grouchos.

September 2011

THE SKINNY

5

Editorial Think it’s time for a rest after festival season?

Think again. The summer may be waning and the nights drawing in, but the Scottish cultural scene is still buzzing with excitement according to our section editors. They’ve put together an array of delights for you this month, featuring exclusive interviews and insights into a wide range of events and releases that are happening in September.

There was so much excitement we didn’t actually have space to fit it all in, so please check out our website (this month all new and improved *muffled scream of excitement*) for more in the way of features, reviews, picture galleries and videos. Big thank yous to the lovely TicToc web design agency for doing the renovations.

Let’s not forget, though, about the actual print magazine that you currently hold in your hands – it is, as previously mentioned, packed to the gills with wonder and awe. We’ve led with the Take One Action Film Festival, which is bringing politically-tinged cinema to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee later in the month. Can cinema change the world, they ask? Highlights include Blood in the Mobile, a film investigating the hidden cost of the minerals in our phones, and Pink Saris following a gang of Indian female rights campaigners. Read all about it on p10.

Big highlights in the art world this month come from Hiroshi Sugimoto in Edinburgh and Vault in Glasgow. The world-renowned Japanese photographer granted us some interview time at the opening of his Lightning Fields exhibition, and the insights he offered into his work turned out to be incredibly wide-ranging, taking in the origins of life and the impact of technology on the art of photography as a whole. For Vault, an art fair in Glasgow’s Briggait that promises to reflect the real art scene of the city, we spoke to organisers and

galleries about what makes this event so special (offering emergent artists the opportunity to actually sell their work is pretty key.)

In Music, we’ve had some words with Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, about her new album Strange Mercy, while Ipecac Records co-founder Greg Werckman took the time out to tell us about running an independent label during the music industry’s most turbulent years. We also look forward to the launch of Chemikal Underground’s new sound engineering training programme, speaking to Emma Pollock about what’s involved and also mourning the great PIAS record warehouse fire.

Over in Clubs we celebrate twenty years of Soma records with an interview with co-founder Dave Clarke. In Books, we talk to Zoë Strachan and Alan Bissett about their new novels, asking them a series of overlapping questions which come up with some quite surprising answers. For example, every book after the first one is a horrible ordeal to write. Good to know.

Elsewhere, Deviance continues its tour of Colombia with an interview with a trans-activist, and also offers a brief explanation of what polyamory actually is. It’s different to swinging, FYI. This month’s Showcase is Oliver Braid, who has been delighting us for years with exhibitions inspired by things like Facebook stalking and speed dating.

We’ve given him a double page spread to explain his work in advance of his participation in Vault and New Work Scotland.

In Food, we launch our new survey that aims to see exactly where the best food and drink in Scotland can be found. Got a hidden gem you want to recommend? Turn to p36 and read all about how to get involved.

There’s loads more besides. Just, y’know, enjoy it, yeah? [Rosamund West]

Hero Worship Brian De Palma “I came for the naked school girls, I stayed for De Palma's baroque brilliance.” Film editor Jamie Dunn gives us an insight into his adoration of Brian de Palma It’s sometime in the early 90s. I’m snuggled under my He-Man duvet covers scouring late night TV for a movie to quench my healthy preteen obsessions with sex and horror when I settle on a tantalising scene. A girls’ locker room. The camera tracks in slow motion.

Naked nymphs with nether regions like small woodland creatures frolic in a fine mist emanating from the showers. The name Carrie appears on screen in blood red, a colour I’d be seeing more of over the next 90 minutes. I’d fallen in love, not with the film’s naughty antagonist Nancy Allen (that was purely lust) but with its director, Brian De Palma, and his baroque brilliance.

It’s not easy being a De Palma-nut. Misogynist is usually the first free-associated word spat at me by haters when I bring up my love for his movies — a bizarre reaction I find, especially considering that his best movies (Sisters, The Fury, Dressed to Kill, Femme Fatale) have arse-kicking female leads. Is it better to ignore women, as most male Hollywood directors do, than to adore them?

The next slanderous accusation is plagiarism.

Sure he borrows Hitchcock’s plots and themes, but I’m convinced if the rotund genius had lived to see De Palma’s 1984 masterwork Body Double, a feverish soft-porn hybrid of Vertigo and Rear Window, he would have been first in line to shake his self-appointed protégé’s hand – as soon as his erection had subsided, that is.

These hostilities are far preferable, however, to the “Oh, The Untouchables guy” response. Quoting this David Mamet scripted potboiler as your favourite De Palma is like saying Yesterday is your

desert island Beatles cut. It’s this reaction that best hints at the reason De Palma never got his proper due: the cinema going public is, on the whole, a conservative bunch, and De Palma’s daring style is too gloriously trashy for the art house crowd and too esoteric for the mainstream.

While his contemporaries Scorsese and Spielberg have toned down their 70s movie brat shtick as they’ve gotten older – winning Oscars in the process – De Palma’s output is still as demented as ever. Of his last three pictures, Femme Fatale, Black Dahlia and Redacted, the first two could easily slip into his late 70s purple patch and the latter (still the fiercest and finest Iraq war picture) is as much an acid-in-the-face attack on right-wing America as his 60s counterculture comedies.

Don’t go changing, big man.

Shot of SKINNY the month ON TOUR This is Anna, our lovely Listings, Zap & Heads Up Editor.

Last month, Anna took a hat and a Skinny and went on a trip to a sweet looking European lake. But although she looked and looked, Mr. George Clooney was nowhere to be found...

If you can guess where Anna went on holiday, go to www. theskinny.co.uk/competitions and you might win a bottle of wine, courtesy of our expert friends at VINO WINES.

Jello Biafra

by Euan Roberston See more great photography at www.skinny.co.uk

6

THE SKINNY September 2011

Closing date: Friday 30 September 2011 Terms: www.theskinny.co.uk/ terms and www.drinkaware. co.uk for the facts.

Over 18s only. The prize isn't redeemable for cash and is to be collected from one of the Vino Wines stores.

DEVIANCE

SUMMER THINGS THERE ARE two main reasons Deviance has been so political since it restarted (if we ignore the inherent value of discussing LGBT and Feminist politics of course). One of the reasons is that for years I’ve been terrified of Nine, while at the same time being in complete awe. I had absolutely no wish to even attempt to copy what Deviance used to be – frankly I don’t consider myself cool enough.

The other reason is that I’ve been single for over a year now, which means that I haven’t been having that much sex and I wasn’t really in the mood to look for sensational stories about how much sex other people were having.

But while I’ve been abroad this summer I suddenly found myself in one of those perfect holiday romances.

Or at least I ended up having no strings attached sex with a private military contractor, a man no less.

Since it is highly unlikely he’ll ever read this I figured it was your chance to hear some of my thoughts on sex in a less… political context.

TRAVEL EDITORIAL “WRITE SOMETHING about the philosophy of travel,” she said, The Ed, mid-morning on deadline day.

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“But what if, well, I don’t actually have any particular philosophy when it comes to travel?”

“What you don’t actually have, is a passport, perhaps you can throw that little tidbit into the mix.

We have a Travel editor who can’t actually travel.”

“I kinda like the irony of that; besides, as evidenced by this month’s content, there’s loads to see and do all around Scotland. That’s travelling too, is it not?”

“Of course.”

“Besides, the passport is in the post, honest.”

“You said that in March, when your last one

expired. March 2010.”

“I hate filling out forms, and having my photo taken.

But honestly, the philosophy of travel? I don’t even, like, know what that means, man. Everyone has their own opinion, it’s quite a broad theme for such a short editorial. I could start with: ‘What is life but a form of motion and a journey through a foreign world?

[Thanks George Santayana… thanks Google].’ But that’s a bit much for a Friday morning, no?”

“What about introducing Ally’s piece this month on the ‘Travel Bucket List’? Talk about how our exposure to culture and awareness of our mortality influences our desires.”

“Well, it’s a great piece, but are you being serious?”

“Yes. I’m always serious on print deadline day.” [sigh] “OK, I can do that. How many words?”

“Two-three hundred. Don’t go all meta though.

That would be shit” “Fine.”[Paul Mitchell]

THIS MONTH’S COVER

Our cover illustration was this month provided by Mr David Lemm. David is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator and designer based in Edinburgh's Such and Such studio / gallery space. He's been locked in his studio by his wicked studiomates all summer, making new things which you will be able to view on his new website, due to be launched early September.

Currently available for freelance, collaborations and commissioned work – feel free to say hello.

Such and Such, 105 Brunswick St, Edinburgh EH7 5HR www.davidlemm.co.uk

COMPETITION WIN TICKETS TO TAKE ONE ACTION FILM FESTIVAL Take One Action Film Festival has teamed up with The Skinny to offer four lucky readers one pair of tickets each to either the opening or closing festival screenings: Even the Rain, plus screenwriter Q&A (Edinburgh 21 Sep or Glasgow 22 Sep, with live music in Edinburgh from Voces del Sur) or You've Been Trumped, plus director Q&A (Glasgow Fri 30 Sep, Edinburgh Sun 2 Oct, with live music in Edinburgh from Karine Polwart). For film details, or to book independently for events across our programme, visit www.takeoneaction.org.uk.

Q: THE COCHABAMBA WATER WARS TOOK PLACE IN WHICH COUNTRY? Deadline: Friday 16 September To enter go to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and follow the instructions

EVEN THE RAIN

STOP THE PRESSES!

Important stuff we don’t have space for anywhere else n’t quite fit in this FINAL FESTIVAL: It did like to recommend still uld wo issue, but we the weekend 30 on l Kaleidoscope Festiva m, St Andrews.

Far kell Kin at t Oc -2 Sep l season, KaleidoWinding up the festiva tique style festival bou eco an scope offers a bunch from sic bringing together mu ing FOUND, Kid lud (inc es fav nny Ski of Orchestra) as well Canaveral and Hidden us and trapeze, circ , nts eve as ambient art duce and even pro d rce quality, ethically sou l line-up Ful a. em a people-powered cin nd at www. fou be can ails det nt and eve .uk kaleidoscopefestival.co HIDDEN ORCHESTRA the weekend, £30 for Tickets start at £59 for day day Sun WELL DONE US: More specifical ly, well done the Comedy editor duo of Lizzie and Bernard who not only managed literally hundreds of revie NEW SITE: Our new we ws of the Edinburgh bsite Fringe, thus ensuring that our cove launches along with this rage was up to the issue. If minute, expert and informative; they you’re reading this now also made sure we then you were the first people to review two should go and check of the nominees for it out. www.

Best Newcomer at the Foster’s Com theskinny.co.uk edy Awards, giving both Cariad Lloyd and The Chris We’d love to hear you and Paul Show five r feedback, so stars. Round of applause, pats on email hello@theskinny.c backs. o.uk if you’re feeling particularly opi nionated about it.

PHOTO: SCOT T CARR OLL

OPINION

This is the first time I’ve slept with a man who was much older than me (he’s in his early thirties) and it was such an improvement. I’ve always thought the conventional heterosexual sex act put an unfair amount of pressure on the guy – which means if he doesn’t know what to do neither of you are going to have a particularly fun time.

But people learn and I’m sure sex is one of many things that you get better at the more practice you have.

The other thing I really liked about this situation was that it had a very finite end. Being aware that he was leaving in two weeks, then next Thursday, then four days, and then finally tomorrow morning meant I had to be pretty clear in my mind what I wanted from the encounter. Mainly I want to spend as much time as possible with him and listen to him talk. The sex was really just a happy bonus.

Having a deadline meant that the awful unknowing insecurity I tend to have in similar situations wasn’t there. He was leaving soon and I would probably never see him again, so I could be honest and not avoid texting him when I wanted to for fear of appearing needy.

This was also a glimpse into a possible future – one where I’m a foreign correspondent and routinely hook up with diplomats or military personnel.

It was mature, and exciting, and made me feel like a woman instead of a girl. A little naïve? Probably.

So, that’s my summer romance for you. Or my latest one-night stand. I’d prefer to define it somewhere in the middle of the two – a summer ‘thing’ with beer, and sex, and great conversation.

Oh, and private military contracting is about the dodgiest, shit-scariest job I’ve ever come across.

The irony is not lost on me.[Ana Hine]

and 50 year career MY NAME IS KEN: The GFT celebrate Ken Loach's 75th birthday is Joe, Sweet with screenings of the films he shot up here in Scotland (My Name reissue of the Sixteen, Carla’s Song and Ae Fond Kiss) and the newly restored heartbreaking Kes. MONORAIL: The mig hty Monorail Film Clu b start back at the GFT after their summer break. Mo : OVE GRO Y HEAV A WITH norail's ULTRA GOSSIP screenings are always good value, but Martin groove and Esteemed house monthlies Ultra Clark's pick of 2007 doc ng um putti th, ent ary Billy the Kid (25 Heavy Gossip are merging this mon Sep) is something spe cial.

Green on a new fortnightly soiree at the ural party Room and Below Stairs. Their inaug overseen on Saturday 24 September will be NEW BLOOD AT THE TRAV: The e fella announceby Tony Lionni and Chicago hous ment of the Traverse's new artis irmed for conf o Disc t Mea e tic director – Hors with Rahaan, set to take up the post at the start of 2012 – Saturday 15 October. is the latest installment in the ongo ing round of changes across Scottish Thea tre. The departure of Dominic Hill from the w office is nice. ne e Th : Traverse TE DA UP for the Citizens has been widely celeb s. rated We’ve got window by the critical community: Hill's enth usiasm for imaginative recreations of class ic plays fits perfectly with the Citizen's etho s. Orla O’Loughlin will take up the Trave rse role in January 2012. Her track record with Pentabus and the Royal Court sugg ests that she will be committed to the Traverse's core remit of new writing. She has become well known for her imaginative direc tion of new scripts – something dear to the heart of British audiences, and her experienc e at the Royal Court connects her to the new waves of UK authors.

HI STUDENTS! We’ve got a new guide for you coming out this month. It will tell you how to make the most of your time at uni while quietly mocking your propensity for Pot Noodles and Che Guevara posters. Keep your eyes peeled at Freshers fairs and in your unio ns for your free copy.

DOORS OPEN DAYS: Every week end of September sees a different part of Scotland open its doors for the public to have a poke about and judge the curtains. Fancy a guided tour of Ham pden?

Want to peek inside the projection room of the GFT? Always wondered abou t the Bo’ness Motor Museum? Well now is your chance. Go to www.doo rsopendays.org.uk to find out more about events in your area.

SECRET WARS: The Gla sgow quarter finals are here! Head along to club 520 on 16 & 30 September to see some heavy paint-off action , with Smug taking on Vues at the first eve nt and Conzo battling Marcus Magui re at the second for a coveted place in the semis. (Secret Wars involve two graff artists fighting for supremacy using only black paint and a white wall, in case we haven’t mentioned this already.)

Club 520, 520 Sauchi ehall St, Glasgow.

11pm-3am September, ARRRRRR: Arrr, this month, on 19 Day. T' find tis' International Talk like a Pirate day.com out more, go t' www.talklikeapirate urs. conc t parro Aye, me

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY

7

COMPILED BY: ANNA DOCHERTY

Prepare for a hit of dreamy pop as US-of-A duo Cults (made up of real life couple Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin) finally make it to Sleazy’s after a cancelled July date. And, yes, we are amongst the masses who discovered them after their anonymous Bandcamp upload of the Jim Jone-sampling wonder-of-a-tune, Go Outside.

Well worth the wait. Nice ’n’ Sleazy, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £7

sat 3 sep

sun 4 sep

Gearing up for the mini music festival to end ’em all, Music Is The Music Language sees a whole host of suitably diverse and leftfield muso types play over the weekend. We’re talking Divorce, Tattie Toes, Wounded Knee, Ultimate Thrush, Alasdair Roberts, Withered Hand, Muscles Of Joy, and more. And David Shrigley designed the poster. Could it be any bloody cooler? SWG3, Glasgow, 3-4 Sep, £6 day (£10 weekend)

With the 2011 Mercury Prize winner set to be announced on 6 September, one-time winner and 2011 nominee PJ Harvey plays the rather grand surrounds of Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. Aside from the ’will-she-be-the-only-person-to-win-ittwice’ furore, we’re just looking forward to hearing some of the gems offa Let England Shake in a live setting. Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 8.30pm, £28.50 (£26.50)

Wounded Knee

thu 8 sep

fri 9 sep

sat 10 sep

Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing unveils her debut documentary feature, Self Made. Filmed on location in Newcastle, it uses real life applicants to explore the blurring line between reality and fiction by asking whether individuals would choose to play the ’real’ them, or a fictional character, in a film, leading to questions over whether the two are perhaps interchangeable... GFT, Glasgow, 6.30pm, £7.50 (£5.50)

New additions to the Warp clan, Mark Pritchard and Steve White bond over their shared passion for the disparate spheres of Detroit techno and fiery Jamaican digital dancehall, as collaborative beast of a project Africa Hitech. It’s essentially African music from the future (think acid basslines, 4/4 rhythms, and dubby ravetronica), and who’s gonna argue with that, eh? The Arches, Glasgow, 8pm, £7

Myriad artists come together in one place for Vault, which will showcase work from twelve innovative galleries and artist-led organisations. The diverse art sale will feature leading names and relative up-andcomers, plus a programme of guided tours and workshops, aimed at inviting folks like you to engage with the inspired contemporary art being produced in Glasgow and beyond. Briggait, Glasgow, 9-11 Sep, £4

RichardTaylor

thu 15 sep

fri 16 sep

sat 17 sep

Glasgow’s Three Blind Wolves bring their chirpy brand of singalongable, dancealongable alternative countryesque tunes to the O2 ABC, as part of the No Mean City festival, celebrating the fine batch of Americana music being produced in the city. Stellar support coming from rousing folk-pop seven-piece Washington Irving. O2 ABC, Glasgow, 7pm, £6

In a rather unique partnership between the National Theatre of Scotland and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Andrew O’Hagan presents an adaptation of his book, TheMissing, complemented by a video installation from contemporary artist Graham Fagen (in the Tramway gallery). Both the performance and video work delve into the world of the missing, both physical and mental, and the combined outcome is nothing short of magical. Tramway, various dates until 1 Oct, 7.30pm, £6 (preview performance)

The Jungledub residents celebrate their 3rd birthday by inviting along reggae soundsystem Mungo’s Hi-Fi for a one-off live set. Between the regular DJs and their handpicked selection of dub, dubstep and jungle, and Mungo’s heavyweight bass selections, this is set to be a rather fine celebration of all things dub. Bongo Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £6

The Oxjam crew take over Pilrig Church for Oxjamboree, a proper village fête-styled craft fair, all cream buns and parlour games. In amongst it all will be myriad stalls from a selection of local makers, including various designers, vintage sellers, illustrators, and jewellers all showcasing and selling their wares, plus home-baking a-plenty. Pilrig St Paul’s Church, Edinburgh, Free

Photo: PETE DUNLOP

wed 14 sep

thu 22 sep

fri 23 sep

Relative new kid on the gig-meets-club block, Milk has been attracting some pretty damn good musical guests over the past few months. For their latest installment they’ve got a double-header between the aforementioned Washington Irving and twinkling Edinburgh foursome Bwani Junction.

There will also be the usual milk cocktails, free biscuits, and 75p cider straight outta the jumbo supermarket bottle. Amen.

Flat 0/1, Glasgow, 9pm, £4 (£3)

Edinburgh skewed-pop trio FOUND give their rather ace Factorycraft album a proper touring, which sees them stopping

by Dundee for their debut gig in the city no less, before they head Fifewards to St Andrews for new boutique festival on the block, Kaleidoscope (30 Sep-2 Oct, www. kaleidoscopefestival.co.uk). Dexter’s Bar, Dundee, 7.30pm, £7. Also playing Glasgow’s Paisley Arts Centre on 16 Sep

Still likely recovering from their rather massive Edinburgh Festival party (or do we mean we are?), the globetrotting music, art and all-round party crew of LuckyMe host their occasional Sneaky Pete’s night, with Rinse FM jock Oneman on special guest duty, pulling from all branches of the hardcore continuum, as is his way.

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 11pm, £5 (members free)

Washington Irving

8

THE SKINNY September 2011

Photo: Sol Nicol

wed 21 sep

Image: RichardTaylor

It’s a musical month ahead, with mini-fest weekender of wonder, Music Is The Music Language, plus FOUND’s first ever Dundee gig, and a smattering of Mercury nominees...

wed 31 Aug

As Edge Festival (and, indeed, all things festival) draws to a close, LA trio Best Coast bring a little taste of the Californinan beach-bum life with their lo-fi indiepop aethetics. Paint-by-number lyrics of boyfriends and sunshine get bathed in lead singer Bethany Cosentino’s lackadaisical drawl, and it’s all rather darn lovely.

The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 7pm, £13.50

Photo: Alex Woodward

HEADS UP

Tue 30 Aug

Fri 2 sep Scottish Opera present another in a series of stimulating contemporary operas, with a modern re-telling of the Oedipus myth. Greek, through its central character, Eddy, exposes the seedy side of the East-End of London, complete with an intense jazz-influenced score that cleverly hypes up the theatricality of the whole thing. Traverse, Edinburgh, 7.30pm, £17 (£13)

mon 5 sep

tue 6 sep

wed 7 sep

Having started his own band when he was just 14-years-old, Canadian troubadour Ron Sexsmith has been writing and recording pretty much ever since, with his mellifluous voice immediately drawing you into meandering tales of love and loss. We’re just hoping he delves into 2002’s acclaimed Cobblestone Runaway (sentimental buggers that we are, we’re a sucker for the two-minute beauty that is Best Friends). O2 ABC, Glasgow, 7pm, £18.50

Kilmarnock’s own bearded baldie disco legend (every town should have one), David Barbarossa, hosts the official launch of his new monthly Wild Combination night (essentially the man himself digging out all sorts of unknown gems from his rather large record collection). He’ll be joined live by electro-dance behemoth Ben Butler & Mousepad, and the inimitable Auntie Flo, plus live visuals from Femtyechrome.

Nice ’n’ Sleazy, Glasgow, 11pm, £3

Another day, another Mercury Prize nominee. Jon Hopkins and King Creosote play the day after the winner is announced, which should make this an interesting gig, all the more so because their 2011 release Diamond Mine is an album of such delicate and unhurried beauty that we truly reckon they deserve to be playing as winners. Grand Ole Opry, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £12.50

Ben Butler & Mousepad

King Creosote

sun 11 sep

mon 12 sep

tue 13 sep

Jason Byrne brings a dose of his high-energy lunacy to Glasgow, with his new show Cirque du Byrne, which is essentially him rallying through a garbled stream of consciousness on everything from nursing his childhood ’special eye’, to his many holiday miseries (i.e. pretty much every holiday he’s ever been on).

Laugh at the man’s misfortune we shall.

King’s Theatre, Glasgow, 7.30pm, £18.50

Brel host one of our favourite little weekly live jam nights (i.e. bring an instrument and join the throng) with their musical free for all, Brel Sessions, hosted by Sarah Hayes of Admiral Fallow and Laura Wilkie of the Rachel Sermanni band. This is us officially telling you to check it out, if you haven’t already. Brel, Glasgow, 9pm, Free

It’s a return to studentdom, as Freshers parties become the order of the day. Our vote goes to Zzzap!, with the inimitable electro-beats party welcoming a live set from Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers, and their rather glorious line in DIY rap, complete with synchronised dance moves. Suffice to say they’re rather special. Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 10.30pm, £tbc

Photo: Takeshi Suga

thu 1 sep Not wanting to be among the idiots that passed up the opportunity to see Toots and The Maytals play a rare Scottish date in their 50th year of being, we’ll be making a beeline for O2 Academy for a live dose of Frederick ’Toots’ Hibbert’s lung-busting Memphis soul boom, ably backed by his mighty rhythmic mainstays The Maytals, naturally. O2 Academy, Glasgow, 7pm, £24

sun 18 sep

mon 19 sep

tue 20 sep

As part of Sub Club’s one-off Sunday specials throughout September – a bit of a treat after their brief, three week, August Sunday closures – Highlife take over the show, with the inimitable Auntie Flo (aka three-deck wizard Brian D’Souza) at the helm. Expect the usual fine line in afrobeat, funk and house. And one helluva party.

Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £tbc

Dark Australian rockers Howling Bells operate in a rather seductive middle ground somewhere between synthed-up celestial pop and grand, emotional rock.

There’s few who can put their hand in the air and say they do that with quite the same intensity as this lot (which makes them well worth a shufty, in case you were in any doubt). Oran Mor, Glasgow, 7pm, £9

Fresh from last week’s 1st birthday celebrations with Boys Noize Records’ Shadow Dancer, I AM return with another special guest in tow – this time in the form of Numbers co-founder and prolific Glasgow DJ in his own right, Jackmaster.

He’ll be pumping out some bass-heavy selections for this Freshers special. Sub Club, Glasgow, 11pm, £4. Get free guest list entry at www.iamclub.co.uk/contact Jackmaster

sat 24 sep

sun 25 sep

mon 26 sep

Art collective, and makers of a rather fine quarterly zine, Yuck ’n Yum host their version of an AGM – an Annual General Karaoke, o’course. They’ll be amassing artistic interpretations of karaoke videos to be screened on the night, with a prize of £300 up for grabs for the winning video. Chamber Building, Dundee, 7pm, Free

And we're not done with festivals yet. The store, Electric Circus, Bannermans, Sneaky Pete's, The Liquid Room and Studio 24 play host to over 50 bands, including The Dykeenies and Arials Up, £15 Day pass, 2pm - 10pm

From a range of everyday materials, including plaster, cardboard, wood and fabric, Thea Djordjadze magics her fragile, partially-constructed sculptures, which range from tiny hand-held objects to larger architectural pieces, shown alongside a variety of found objects. Subtle and stark in equally intriguing measures.

Common Guild, Glasgow, 24 Sep-26 Nov (Wed-Sat), Free

Aerials Up

Deaf And Dumb Universe (shelf), 2008

September 2011

THE SKINNY

9

Photo: Martin Senyszak

Young Fathers

FILM

Brave new World?

Can the same art form that pacifies mobile phone-fiddling prepubescents also bring about social and political change? We put this question to some of the filmmakers and activists attending Take One Action film festival this month. Here's what they had to say Interviews: Jamie Dunn

Never underestimate the power of film to shape the way we see the world John Christensen

stimulates conversation and debate. Could anyone seriously doubt that cinema can be a powerful force for good?

The End of Poverty? challenges views about why poverty persists. Spanning the 500 years since Europeans conquered the Americas, the film explores the structural roots of contemporary capitalism and shows how the rulebooks remain rigged in the interests of powerful elites. These insights can help people understand that charity (aid) is not the same as justice.

The End of Poverty/Life and Debt double bill, followed by debate with John Christensen: 27 Sep, 6.00pm, Filmhouse

Holly Lubbock

Zoya Phan

Director (Fezeka’s Voice)

Producer (Nargis: When Time Stopped Breathing)

Cinema is an immersive experience. Within a couple of hours we can be transported to someone else’s world or submerged in another’s life. We are led to places we might never go, meet people outside of our spheres and, if we’ve very lucky, have our minds opened to ideas that inspire discussion and spark a real desire to see change.

At the core of every great documentary is a humanity which allows us to relate to those we see on screen. Whether we laugh, cry, rage or are silenced by the stories we see, our empathy often turns to compassion, which then can incite anyone to act. Some Ethiopian coffee farmers have seen their beans nearly double in price because of a film; chefs and restaurants are thinking twice about where their fish comes from because of a film; and an innocent man was released from life in prison because of a film. Documentaries like Black Gold, The End Of The Line and The Thin Blue Line have the power to change hearts and minds at a global level, but I’ve seen change happen at the other end of the spectrum too. Six months ago, at a Fezeka’s Voice screening, one audience member was inspired to donate enough money to help give one child from Gugulethu township [the Cape Town ghetto where the documentary was filmed] a university scholarship. I know that the act of one person giving to one child may not in itself change the world, but that child armed with a university education might.

The dictatorship in Burma is trying to persuade the world it is changing, but the truth is human rights violations are increasing, not decreasing. Films exposing what is happening in my country are essential to break through the censorship and lies.

The people of Burma need your help, through films you can learn, and then act.

Fezeka’s Voice, followed by Q&A with director Holly Lubbock: 28 Sep, 8.30pm, GFT; 29 Sep, 3pm, Filmhouse; 29 Sep, 8.25pm, Filmhouse

Clare Short Activist and MP for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983-2010

Film cannot alone change the world, anymore than any of us can alone. But it can reinforce or create powerful images of what is cool and good. Because big money tends to control the films that are made and their distribution, they tend to support values that do not threaten big money. But there are always

10 THE SKINNY September 2011

Nargis: When Time Stopped Breathing, preceded by Q&A with producer Zoya Phan: 1 Oct, 4.00pm, Filmhouse

new and better films trying to get through, and they can be an important part of our struggle to make credible an idea of a better tomorrow, which once generally thought credible is easily doable.

Clare Short in Conversation: 24 Sep, 4pm, Filmhouse

John Christensen Filmmaker and activist featured in The End of Poverty?

Cinema has been a large part of my life. Many of my favourite childhood memories involve those delicious moments when the house lights dim, the curtains part and the opening credits roll. Since then I have been President of Jersey’s Film Society, did weekly films reviews for a BBC arts programme for many years, and had parts in three films, including The End of Poverty?. I am currently working as associate producer on a forthcoming documentary thriller called Cashback (due for release in 2013) which explores the dirty world of tax havens and illicit financial flows.

Never underestimate the power of film to shape the way we see the world. My sense of justice and injustice owes much to films like Twelve Angry Men and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

My commitment to protecting our ecology has been shaped by films like Inconvenient Truth and China Syndrome. Talented film makers can inform (Inside Job), challenge (Bowling for Columbine), inspire (Invictus), and reveal emotions (The King’s Speech), without losing their artistic or creative integrity. Watching film is a collective activity which

Cosima Dannoritzer Director (The Light Bulb Conspiracy)

When The Light Bulb Conspiracy [a documentary about planned obsolescence, the practice of manufacturers reducing the lifespan of their products to increase demand] came out in Spain a few months ago (under the title Comprar, Tirar, Comprar) it spread like wildfire through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. People were talking about it on the bus, at the hairdresser’s, at dinner parties.

Links appeared on blogs with themes as diverse as design, consumer rights and ethics. Obsolescencia programada became a Twitter trending topic after the first broadcast, and students were asked to write essays and exams about it (‘What is planned obsolescence? Explain one example...’).

It was not that we explained anything new – people had been suspecting for a long time that it was more than just bad luck that made their consumer products break down all the time – but the film presented the evidence in close-up and explained the logic and the systematic approach behind it.

By providing the facts, the film helped move on the debate from ‘Does planned obsolescence exist or is it just one of these urban legends on the internet?’, to ‘It exists and this is how it works, so what are we going to do about it?’

Often, we spend too much time discussing with each other if something is true or not, without having the relevant information at hand. That kind of debate doesn’t go anywhere, however lively it is. What a film can do is set out the facts clearly, backing them up visually and through interviews, and do so in an entertaining way so they reach many viewers. And when we have the facts we can do something about them: discuss them with friends, come up with our own ideas, look for solutions. Facts empower us, help us make decisions and to instigate change. For me, as a filmmaker, this is where film can make a small contribution to social change.

The Lightbulb Conspiracy, followed by Q&A with director Cosima Dannoritzer: 29 Sep, 5.45pm, Filmhouse; and 30 Sep, 12.30pm, Filmhouse

Marc and Nick Francis Directors (When China Met Africa)

For us, it is about the film’s effect, and how cinema can affect an audience, on both an emotional and intellectual level. The impact of that affect decides the degree to which change can occur. Our job, really, is to tell the story in a way that can connect to audiences, to make them see the world slightly differently. Hopefully that empowers them to do something with that information.

What we’re really interested in, as filmmakers, is the story architecture of an issue. We’re thinking about the film and how we’re going to tell that story, and then we’re thinking how we can have that conversation with the audience to take it a step further. So I think the actual film itself plays a part in a kind of longer narrative of social change.

From our own experience we’ve seen direct impact – direct changes as the results of our films.

For example: Black Gold. That had a massive impact in affecting fairer export for the coffee farmers featured in the film, through to massively increasing the awareness of the coffee trade in mainstream consumers.

When China Met Africa, followed by Q&A with co-director Marc Francis: 25 Sep, 3.15pm, GFT; 25 Sep, 8.30pm, Filmhouse Fezeka’s Voice website: www.fezeka.com Clare Short’s website:www.clareshort.co.uk The End of Poverty? website: www.theendofpoverty.com The Light Bulb Conspiracy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheLightBulbConspiracy When China Met Africa website: whenchinametafrica.com www.takeoneaction.org.uk

Blood in Your Mobile We speak to Blood in the Mobile director Frank Poulsen about blood minerals and his dark journey into the military controlled mines of the Congo

photo: Mark_Craemer

Interview: David McGinty

Cinéma Rosé

We speak to award winning filmmaker Kim Longinotto about her latest documentary, Pink Saris Interview: Jamie Dunn

I’m drawn to people that are rebelling, people who are trying to change something

Kim Longinotto

KIM Longinotto

Pink Saris

Your mobile phone could be funding war in the Congo. It may sound absurd and obtuse but in his new documentary, Blood in the Mobile, Danish filmmaker Frank Poulsen explores to what extent this is true, and whether the blame ultimately lies with the authorities, the manufacturers, or with us, the consumers. Ahead of the film’s screening at Take One Action Film Festival, The Skinny spoke with Poulsen to discuss conflict minerals, and began by asking how aware the public is of the problem?

“What I can tell you is that I didn’t know,” says Poulsen “I knew there was a war in Congo, but I didn’t know that it had anything to do with something I was carrying around in my pocket.”

Poulsen follows the trail of the rare metals used in his own mobile to the military controlled township of Bisie in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, where children as young as ten are sent down makeshift tunnels in order to extract these minerals, which are then sold on to the West for the manufacturing of essential components in modern electronic technology.

As well as taking the audience deep into these hellish underground mines, Poulsen also visits the lavish steel and glass Helsinki headquarters of Nokia, mobile phone market leaders and the director’s own brand of choice. Poulsen balances his inability to get the company to acknowledge the problem against the incredible dangers of travelling to this war-torn part of the Congo. “I’m a family man and often I was planning on going back home. But at the same time as I was realising how dangerous it was, I also realised that this was exactly the reason why I had never heard about this problem before, because nobody goes,” says Poulsen. “So the more dangerous it became the more important it became to finish this film because somebody has to go and see what it looks like for us to really understand, and we need to understand in order to act on it.”

Inside the Bisie mine, where workers spend up to 72 hours underground at a time, a camera mounted to the helmet of a teenage miner captures some harrowing footage. The first person point-of-view creates an intimacy that only hints

Some documentarians like to get in front of the camera, where they become the heroic protagonist, hunting down crooked CEOs or corrupt politicians. Others are philosopher poets who saturate their films’ soundtracks with musings and wild flights of fancy. Kim Longinotto, meanwhile, likes to watch – to silently film from the sidelines.

If this cinéma vérité style suggests some sedate anthropological study, think again. Through patient observation, the award winning British director always finds fireworks, whether it’s in the family dispute courts of Tehran (Divorce Iranian Style), the female wrestling circuit of Japan (Gaea Girls), or in Kenya, where she exposes the barbaric practice of female castration (The Day I Will Never Forget).

Longinotto’s stock-in-trade is women and strange institutions. Her latest extraordinary feature, Pink Saris (winner of the top prize at Sheffield Doc/ Fest 2010), is no different. In the rural villages of Uttar Pradesh, north India, she follows Sampat Pal Devi, the indefatigable leader of a gang of female vigilantes who, clad in the resplendent outfits of the title, mete out justice for the downtrodden women of the “untouchable” caste (the supposedly lowest class of citizens in traditional Hindu culture). “I’m drawn to people that are rebelling, people who are trying to change something,” Longinotto tells me.

Sampat certainly fits this bill. Uneducated, married at twelve-years-old and part of the “untouchable” caste herself, she’s risen, through sheer force of will, to be an intimidating and influential figure in the region, so much so that she declares herself “the messiah for women” without a shred of irony and boasts of the time she “beat up a cop” to anyone within earshot.

Over the three months that Longinotto and her tiny crew (her on camera plus her translator/ sound-man) follow Sampat, her messiah complex proves to be an early warning that she may not be the great feminist revolutionary her public profile suggests. “I think you can see gradually throughout the film how our expectations in her changed,” says the director wistfully. “There are hints of it at the beginning of the film when she refers to herself as commander-in-chief. That felt quite strange for

at the claustrophobia. “You really feel uncomfortable there,” Poulsen says of the mine. “You feel that everything can collapse on top of you and it’s something that you can’t control in any way. It really provokes your worst fears.” Poulsen utilises inherent cinematic techniques to evoke an audience response that goes beyond simply raising awareness. “If you can hit people in the stomach, so to speak, if you can hit also on the emotions, if you can make them feel something and make them experience something then that can really open a window to a world that’s normally completely inaccessible.”

Quick to highlight Nokia and the other electric giants’ awareness of this issue, the filmmaker is sceptical about their willingness to change. “[The big international corporations have] had ten years to try and solve this problem. I think by now we should know that we can’t leave it up to [them] to fix the world and I think the solution is a political one.” Though the EU is currently looking into making legislation in this area, the filmmaker clarifies: “It seems like things are really moving now, but I have to emphasise, because people could get the idea that this has a lot to do with my film, and of course my film was part of it but I have to emphasise that I’m standing on the shoulders of organisations like Global Witness who have been working with this issue for years and years.

“For me, I’m in the business of filmmaking because I want to change the world,” adds Poulsen. “I feel very privileged to be able to make documentary films about important issues and to be able to contribute to a better world.”

Blood in the Mobile is screening three time at this year’s Take One Action Film Festival: 23 Sep, 3.30pm @ Filmhouse; 23 Sep, 6pm @ GFT; 24 Sep, 8.20pm @ Filmhouse Q&As: All screenings will be followed by a Q&A with director Frank Poulsen Clare Short: In Edinburgh on 24 Sep, Frank Poulsen will be joined by Clare Short, former Secretary of State for Development who currently serves as Chair of the Global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Free drinks: In Glasgow on 23 Sep, Frank Poulsen will be joined by Kathy Galloway, director of Christian Aid Scotland. Followed by complimentary refreshments in the bar (retain ticket) www.bloodinthemobile.org

the leader of a group of women, especially a group of women fighting the system.” As anyone who’s read a UK newspaper in 2011 will know, power corrupts. “It all links up to things that are happening in this country. The MPs’ expenses scandal, for example: people start to feel an entitlement, and Sampat is becoming a kind of politician.”

This isn’t to say that Sampat’s not a hero in many ways. Despite her ego and insatiable ambition – or perhaps because of it – we see her make a real difference to several abused young women in her own inimitable bull-in-a-china-shop style. The biggest ray of hope in the film is Renu, a pregnant teenager who’s been dumped by the father of her unborn child because his parents refuse to accept an “untouchable” into the family. Timid, uneducated and unloved, she blossoms under Sampat’s rough-edged maternal wing. “You watch Renu becoming someone else very quickly. She taught herself to read in three months, which is pretty extraordinary. By the end it’s her who’s wiping away Sampat’s tears, she is the strong one.”

Although the film is in many ways hopeful, the director is quick to point out the enormity of the problem in this part of India. “The hopeless side of it is the sheer scale: all these little villages where girls are buried away.”

Sampat may not be perfect, but she gives these buried women a voice, and a wonderfully loud, opinionated, blasphemous and foul-mouthed one at that. “That’s where Sampat comes into her own.

She always says to people, ‘we know you’re here, we’re watching you now. If this girl dies, the entire village will know what you’ve been doing and you can’t pretend it’s an accident.’ That’s Sampat’s role: to make things public, to shed light on things that are very hidden.”

In her own subtle way, Longinotto is doing exactly the same.

Pink Saris is screening 28 Sep, 8.20pm, at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh as part of Take One Action Film Festival 2011 and it is hoped that Kim Longinotto will give a Q&A following the screening. For up to date details visit www.takeoneaction.org.uk www.takeoneaction.org.uk

September 2011

THE SKINNY 11

MUSIC

How’s Annie?

Despite a shonky transatlantic connection, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) shares her musings on identity, integrity and industry

PHOTO: Tina Tyrell

Interview: Mark Shukla

David Icke was right. There are chameleons amongst us. Strange deceivers who can modify their form at will; shape-shifters that leave us charmed and breathless, slack-jawed and gasping with our senses swimming in disarray. Don’t waste your time looking to the political elite (Michelle Bachmann may look as though she feeds on the children of her enemies, but she’s no Reptilian), for these interlopers have hit us where it really matters: in our record collections. From Beck to Bowie, Zappa to Zorn, their numbers are few but their influence is mighty, and the way things are going it might not be long before Annie Clark joins their shadowy clique.

Now we’re not usually given to such surreal panegyrics, but please understand it’s partly Steve Albini’s fault (as are most things, if you really think about it) – for it was Clark’s searing cover version of Big Black’s Bad Penny (at a recent gig celebrating the 10th anniversary of Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life) that really pushed us over the edge.

“I think I fucked your girlfriend once, maybe twice. I fucked all your friends’ girlfriends and now they fucking hate you.” – Annie Clark covering Big Black, 22/05/11 Watching the ostensibly demure and urbane Clark deliver each of Albini’s poisoned fricatives with the controlled ruthlessness of a razor blade being drawn across an exposed wrist was more than exciting; it filled us with the exhilarating realization that Clark is an artist with the confidence and range to traverse almost any musical terrain that she desires.

12 THE SKINNY September 2011

In conversation with The Skinny prior to the release of her third album, Strange Mercy, Clark is quick to acknowledge her adaptable nature, but when discussion turns to Cheerleader (an uncharacteristically candid track built around the defiant chorus “I don’t wanna be a cheerleader no more”) she is moved to explain her awareness of the pitfalls implied by such mutability: “I’m from Texas, the South, and in a lot of ways women act a certain way there. There’s this aspect of being a people-pleaser that a lot of women learn how to do; like, learn how to be a shapeshifter – so, I’ll just be this blank palette for you to project your own ideas onto. That’s actually not a very empowered place to be, and I’ve definitely found myself slipping into that, you know, being more concerned with pleasing other people than really being authentic. And that’s really a waste of time and energy – and so I guess that song is kinda coming from being fed up with that, with doing that aspect of it, of my personality.”

Given that her acclaimed breakthrough album, Actor, was itself crystallised from a sparkling gestalt of fictionalised characters and situations, you could be forgiven for thinking this stance to be somewhat paradoxical. But like any true artist, Clark realises the power inherent in polarity and uses it as a springboard for her creativity: “With Actor I started from a place of deconstruction. That is to say I started with all of these very pretty orchestral pieces and then I had to string them together and sew them up and lacquer them down and try to make pop songs out of them. For this record I approached it in exactly the

I put the computer away; I sat it in the corner, forlornly, then I sat down with a guitar and I wrote songs ANNIE CLARK

opposite way. I put the computer away; I sat it in the corner, forlornly, then I sat down with a guitar and I wrote songs. I don’t know if I’ll ever make a full-on kind of ‘performance-y’ album’ because my process is always tweaking and re-evaluating... but once you have a constructed thing it’s way easier to deconstruct it than to look at a bunch of pieces and say: how can I put all this together?”

The idea of paradox – the ability to be ‘this and that’ rather than ‘this or that’ – crops up several times throughout our interview. One moment Clark is speaking intently of the obsessive mantras that accompany her process (“Proof of concept, proof of concept. The theoretical things. Does it work?”), the next she’s decided that “in some ways making albums is how people kinda talk about having kids. The first one they’re maybe too strict on and they’re trying to figure it all out and by the third one you’re just like: Ok, you don’t have a curfew. You wanna dye your hair blue, that’s fine, go for it, be my guest!”

It’s an interesting trait and one which Clark has used to her advantage on Strange Mercy, allowing herself to “get to the poetry, get the emotional meat of it first and foremost,” and create “something that is really, really human and really relatable,” without getting caught up in the type of cerebral games that characterised Actor: “Really, how you feel about something is not the fact of its reality, because how you feel about something will change in any given moment and all you can do is accept those ebbs and flows of your mood and put your head down and get to work. I think a lot of it, too, is trusting your instincts in every micro decision and then you just step back and then hopefully, eventually, you have this macro thing that has your best intention and some integrity to it.”

As discussion turns towards trends in the industry, Clark is quick to acknowledge that she “probably wouldn’t have a career if it wasn’t for being really into recording myself digitally from the time I was 15, and then having label interest when MySpace was a viable thing,” but still sounds almost disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to experience the industry pre-internet: “I’ve read interviews with Steve Albini and I’ve talked to my friend Brian Teasley who played in the band Man or Astro-man?, and back in the ‘80s, the beginning of the independent music scene, joining a band – an indie band – was like joining a gang. I mean it really was. You were a lifer, kind of. You were resigning yourself to sleeping on floors and in punk rock basements and living in a van for years. There wasn’t this mass distribution of things, and so to do it you really had to have a level of commitment which you don’t have to have today.”

This sense of reverence for the value of music and musicians is reflected in her opinions on download culture, and her words will find particular resonance with anyone who came of age with one foot on either side of the digital/analogue divide: “I think it’s interesting to talk about the value of music. Obviously now you can get anything you want for free, and that’s great, and I think that can be really democratic and empowering. But when I think about some of my favourite records and what I would pay to have that experience... I would easily pay a thousand dollars for A Love Supreme. You know? If it makes the difference between hearing A Love Supreme and not hearing A Love Supreme, I would definitely shell out.”

Intelligent, grounded and quietly self-assured, she’ll need no help from secret societies of any kind in leaving her mark. Annie’s doing just fine.

Strange Mercy is released via 4AD on 12 Sep Playing Stereo, Glasgow on 15 Nov www.ilovestvincent.com

Make Mr. Jack’s Birthday a memorable one. Please drink responsibly.

Competition closes 21st September 2011, age restrictions apply, see online for full details.

Copyright © 2011 JACK DANIEL’S. All rights reserved. JACK DANIEL’S and OLD NO.7 are registered trademarks.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 13

FILM

Cinematic Odyssey

The Story of Film: An Odyssey tells the history of the moving image, from the simple thrill of the Lumière Brothers to the hi-tech digital age. We speak to its director, Mark Cousins, about this epic journey

14 THE SKINNY September 2011

Mark Cousins - filming The First Movie

Sometimes when you make a film you start with nothing.

I'm starting with gold MARK COUSINS

recent Project: New Cinephilia event at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival, the majority of critics seem happier in the prosecutor role, taking obvious glee in handing out tough justice to the latest Julia Roberts vehicle or comic-book movie. Refreshingly, Cousins prefers to trade in heart-on-sleeve sincerity rather than withering snark.

Filmmakers he argues on the behalf of include names like Ousmane Sembène, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Youssef Chahine and Ritwik Ghatak.

These directors have not received the celebrity they deserve in the West, and Cousins believes he has an ace in his sleeve that can convince the British public of their genius: the images from their glorious films. “If I say to someone in this bar,

‘Can I tell you about a Japanese film from 1920?’, it’ll conjure all sorts of images in their head – dusty, distant, other worldly – but if you put a piece of film in front of them about two guys and another guy who’s in the snow who’s died [the scene we just watched from Souls on the Road], it’s just there, they’ll get what it’s about instantly.” This is the clear advantage Cousins’ advocacy via filmmaking has over his writing, and The Story of Film has over 1000 film clips to be submitted as evidence for the defence of these artists. “It’s that immediate response,” Cousins continues. “I can rely on the film to work its own magic. All I can do is make sure I bring [the audience] in and help them notice what’s brilliant here. Sometimes when you make a film you start with nothing. I’m starting with gold.”

From this gold Cousins has spun an evocative film history using the same medium’s simplest of tricks. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Imagine that you’re making a magic lantern show,’” he explains, enthusiastically. “I wanted to use very oldfashioned techniques. There are very few camera movements; shots are often wide; often we’ve filmed at dawn or dusk; there are loads of shots of light falling on things. I say at the beginning [of the film], ‘Cinema is the art of light,’ so I just thought of it like a simple old-fashioned lantern show – it just happens to run for fifteen hours.”

When I ask Cousins about his ambitions for the film he’s not coy in his response. “I’ve tried to make this film moving and seductive, and if it seduces people and gets them to love these films then that will be great.” It’s essentially 900 minutes of cinephilic propaganda, then? “I think back to myself: if I was sixteen or seventeen and someone gave me the box-set of this I would have loved it because it’s full of all sorts of flavours; it’s like a tasting menu – have a bit of this, try this drug.”

PHOTO: JOHN ARCHER

I’m on Woodlands Road, Glasgow. It’s scorching hot and I’m a bit late for an interview, and a bit lost. Despite walking this street many times before, I can’t find the agreed meeting spot – an editing studio where my interviewee, Mark Cousins, is ferociously applying a final spit and polish to his magnum opus, an epic fifteen hour documentary called The Story of Film: An Odyssey, which tells a history of the moving image, from the novelty of the medium’s first crude shorts at the fag end of the 19th century through to today’s current digital epoch of CGI and stereoscopic 3D. My phone vibrates: “Through the half open gate opposite Beanscene,” says the text. At the door of a small sandstone building, the former outhouse for the neighbouring Park Circus townhouse, I’m greeted by a mop of curly hair and a distinctive brogue that’s midway between Belfast and Auld Reekie – respectively Cousins’ home town and adopted home. The effervescent Irishman, in banana yellow T-shirt, camouflage khaki shorts, and biker boots, leads me through to the editing suite where, on a massive plasma screen hooked up to a mother board of buttons and levers and flashing lights, he and his editor are tweaking a scene about an hour into the film, which looks at D.W. Griffith’s parallel editing technique and its influence on filmmakers across the globe; specifically Minoru Murata and his 1920 film Souls on the Road, which Cousins calls “the first great work of Japanese cinema.” Shamefully I’ve never seen Murata’s film, or even heard of it, but coming from Cousins, a walking encyclopaedia of film history, I take the statement as gospel.

This short exchange between Cousins and me illustrates the need for a project with the scope and ambition of The Story of Film. If Souls on the Road is a seminal work, why is it not available on DVD? At the time of writing this the film has been rated by only eighteen IMDb users. I doubt if it has screened on UK terrestrial television in my lifetime, let alone one of the UK’s art house theatres, whose reparatory output often reek of déjà vu (this year alone has seen rereleases of Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, West Side Story, and, most recently, a trio of much loved Ealing comedies – hardly films lost and forgotten). Cousins is shining a torch on the corners of world cinema where few others are looking. For this reason he is one of the most important film voices working in the UK today.

Once Cousins has crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s on the first hour or so of film – his final task is to edit a caption, adding the hyphen to Jean-Luc Godard – we make our way to a local bar to discuss the project further. Based on his 2004 book of the same name, The Story of Film is all about the people who have shaped the medium over the last eleven decades; but this isn’t merely a roll call of canonised film-school favourites like Griffith, Welles, Ford and Hitchcock. “I’ve taken a hard and soft approach,” Cousins tells me when I ask how he decided which filmmakers to include. “The hard approach is to be rigorous. Almost the first question is, who actually influenced who? Who were the influential people? Even if their influence was delayed, like [Yasujirô] Ozu. That’s historical, evidence based. That’s the hard approach, I would say. So that gives you a kind of skeleton,” he explains. “But then there’s the soft approach that comes after that, which is more personal. If Ozu is great, why is he great? There are things that you can show that prove he was influential, but in other ways you can’t prove it, but I argue it anyway.”

It’s this latter quality that has defined Cousins as a different breed of film critic, a role he has likened to a defence councillor whose job it is to fight for the rights of films ignored, misunderstood and mistreated by mainstream cinema culture. As film journalist Ed Lawrenson wittily noted at the

PHOTO: CONNECTfilm Ltd

Interview: Jamie Dunn

FILMING IN CHINA

If cinema is a narcotic, Cousins has an unprecedented platform – fifteen prime-time slots on UK TV – to push some deliciously psychedelic gear on impressionable viewers. “Now that nearly everything is available on DVD, all you have to do is get them hooked,” he says with infectious optimism.

“I’m pretty sure if people watch this and they see this film Hyènes by [Djibril Diop] Mambéty, where a woman turns half gold and comes back to avenge the lover that jilted her, they’ll think, I’d like to see that! That’s the dream outcome.”

The Story of Film: An Odyssey will be broadcast in one hour chapters on More 4 from 3 Sep and is screening in full at the Toronto International Film Festival C4 programme page: www.channel4.com/ programmes/the-story-of-film-an-odyssey The Story of Film @ TIFF: tiff.net/filmsandschedules/ tiff/2011/storyoffilmanodyssey www.facebook.com/thestoryoffilm

FILM

BUREAUCRATIC FAIRYTALES We hunt down director ANDRÉ ØVREDAL at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival to discuss his new mockumentary TrollHunter, a tale of mythical monsters and mid-level employee paperwork INTERVIEW: NICOLA BALKIND

tindersticks Claire Denis Film Scores 1996 – 2009

In Concert – Music and Film

HAVING ENDURED a summer of messiah wizards, robot romps and all-American superheroes, and with another long, cold vampiric winter ahead, a new beast from the north has arrived to break up the monotony. This is the autumn of the troll.

Smashing through the vampire, werewolf and zombie stranglehold on the multiplexes, Norwegian director André Øvredal brings some of his homeland’s medieval mythology to the big screen with TrollHunter. It’s The Blair Witch Project meets Cloverfield meets… The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Breaking out of the icy north with a hilarious trailer and on target to bring in a mean cult following, we caught up with Øvredal, a director on his way to the big time, at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, where his film had its UK premiere and thrilled three sold-out audiences. Already the talk of the fest before its first screening, trolls appear to be capturing film-goers' imaginations, just as they captured Øvredal’s. “I grew up with films in the 80s, with Spielberg and so on, and I wanted to make a very Norwegian version of that with a very tough central character. Not an American movie hero, but a much more down-to-earth, very realistic Norwegian guy who has this amazing thing that he needs to do.” Sound familiar? With raw talent and an excitable imagination, Øvredal is already tipped for bigger Hollywood productions.

But what about the trolls? “I always loved the trolls, and I found that [the people of Norway] had kind of lost touch with them — they’re such a big part of our cultural heritage and they’re not really utilised in any particular way. So I figured that was a great contrast, to have a guy who is an ordinary worker for the government and what he’s doing is actually fighting to make sure that these trolls stay in their reserves.”

Using meta-monster found footage — mockumentary style — Øvredal’s film shows how a group of student filmmakers find their way into a well-guarded government secret. The suspicious deaths of a number of bears lead them into the

murky underworld of troll hunting, where a disgruntled government lackey shows them his overworked, underpaid, extremely hazardous working life. Tasked with keeping massive mythical beasts within their territory, our amateur documentarians uncover more than they bargained for. Pointing out idiosyncrasies and questioning ignorant workers along the way, it’s as funny as it is inventive. “I think that the format of mockumentary helps insist on the reality of everything, and then it becomes more absurd,” says Øvredal. “It also makes it possible to talk directly about trolls and take them seriously. Everybody’s seen documentaries and things from a news segment, it’s a language we know – somebody talking very seriously about a topic – and when the topic is obviously not serious, it can become funnier.”

Working with a low budget also kept the creative juices flowing. Øvredal’s clear Spielberg influences appear to have been held at bay, affording him the kind of creativity a break-out debut needs.

“We can’t do Jurassic Park in Norway – it’s going to be too expensive – so that was a way of hiding the trolls when we needed to. Also, that required me again to build lots of suspense and use other entertaining values, rather than actually showing the trolls on screen all the time.” Shooting in mock-documentary style also allows Øvredal to invent much of his own lore to keep the troll stories interesting and fresh — do power lines really double up as troll electric fence perimeters?

Expectations for this debut are high and there’s already an American remake in the works, so how long will we have to survive the trolls? “Having the Troll Survival Guide [a pamphlet handed out at each screening], I guess I could do it forever!”

We’ll have to wait and find out if the box office says the same.

TROLLHUNTER IS RELEASED IN UK CINEMAS ON FRIDAY 9 SEPT BY MOMENTUM PICTURES

16 october 7. 30pm Usher Hall EDINBURGH 0131 228 1155 usherhall.co.uk

‘…always pulsing with the same intimate warmth as Denis’ films.’ ★★★★★ MOJO

www.musicbeyondmainstream.com

WWW.TROLLHUNTERFILM.COM

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 15

MUSIC

CHEMIKAL ENGINEERING As if seminal Glasgow label Chemikal Underground hasn’t given enough to the world of music, its CHEM 19 studio will be playing host to Sound Lab, a unique opportunity for some very lucky young people to learn hands-on work in sound engineering and production. Co-founder EMMA POLLOCK talked to The Skinny about the new venture INTERVIEW: DARREN CARLE PHOTO: WES KINGSTON

WHERE DID the idea for this course come from?

Over the years, I’ve noticed an increasing number of letters coming in from engineering graduates, as well as those without any qualifications, just asking for work experience. But we receive so many that we basically have a policy of not taking anybody on at all. So we thought in that respect we could expand what Chem 19 does to try and get into some form of education, but to make it unique to us. We approached the Youth Music Initiative which is a fund that creates opportunities for young people between the ages of 18 and 25 to access music making. We just wondered if we could widen the net a little bit to help those who want to get involved more in the recording industry because being a producer is intrinsically linked with the artist. There’s such a strong link there that we felt this could be applied to that grant. We felt it was a really unique opportunity and the response we got would seem to justify that.

How will this differ from a formal university course on sound engineering?

I think it’s more of an opportunity to come in and learn from another working engineer. Work experience often involves sitting in the corner and watching an engineer, as he or she just doesn’t have the time to explain everything. It’s very much a case of watch and learn and that’s a slow way of doing things. So this is a purpose built course, with only six students at any one time, and sometimes with an assistant tutor as well so we’ll sometimes have three students to one tutor.

The course will also take a lot of consideration towards what makes a good performance and how to make the artist feel comfortable to get that performance. All these little things are not necessarily taught at university because it’s not the theory, but it’s very much part of the job.

People say it’s as much about how an engineer makes a band feel as it is how good they are with Pro Tools. So we want to convey all these aspects coming together.

What are you looking for in applicants?

We’re going to be looking at a variety of things.

The course will be open to people regardless of whether they have formally studied engineering before. People who can demonstrate a real instinct, passion and interest with some experience will be just as likely to succeed. What’s interesting to note is that a lot of engineers who work with us have never been through a course of any kind. They’ve come into it in a very hands-on way, making opportunities for themselves to become good at what they do.

You have to take responsibility for it yourself, to go out there and to find opportunities. We’re not just looking for people who have been through university because that wouldn’t be representative of where our own engineers have come from.

Do you have an outline of what the classes will entail?

The way that the course will actually be presented, and this is in the PDF that can be downloaded from our website, will be as a sort of elongated recording session. It’s a very hands-on approach and each fortnight the students will focus on recording particular types of instruments.

They’ll spend an entire session on drums for example; how to approach them, how best to mic up a drum kit and so on. Then the next session might be acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, so that by the end of it they will have accrued enough practical knowledge to handle an entire session on their own, which will be a great way for them to get started.

What will those completing the course leave with?

It’s really going to be another level of understanding that they will gain. We’re not saying for a minute that this is something that allows people to walk into a job because, in actual fact, a lot of studios now are not necessarily employing an engineer full-time. I would say that this is another opportunity to develop the practical experience that the student has. When they come out of it, their perception of the job will be greatly

RISING FROM THE ASHES EMMA POLLOCK reacts to last month's Sony/PIAS Distribution Warehouse fire, which obliterated stock belonging to countless independent labels in the wake of the London riots, and explains the impact

THE BLAZE AS REPORTED ON BBC NEWS 24

16 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

enhanced and better informed. They’ll hopefully feel more confident about saying to a band ‘Look, if you hire a studio, I’ll do the sessions for you’.

It’s not always a case of knocking on the door and getting a job these days. Like I said, it’s more a case of making your own opportunities. The

course will help with that.

“WHEN I first heard and fully realised what had happened, it was utterly shocking, in a way that was so absolute. The music industry is in a fairly terrible state right now but the biggest problem you ever envisage having to face is cash flow problems, or how to approach the next album in a way to make it profitable. You never think to yourself ‘What if somebody, on a total whim, burns our stock down one night?’ The thing that’s really got me about it is that it’s so disconnected to the industry, yet the impact it is having is huge.

“Right now, records generally aren’t being manufactured abroad. They’re being manufactured in the UK by UK labels who are then exporting to the rest of the world. Quite a lot of that stock may or may not be replaced because of the minimum runs that are required at a manufacturing plant. So there are practicalities that come in to play and I just wonder if a lot of titles, as physical stock, just won’t be seen anymore. That said, for Chemikal Underground there’s absolutely no doubt that the vast majority of our titles will be repressed. There are some classic albums that people are still buying on a regular basis.

“To be honest, I don’t know how it will impact on us yet, but cash flow will be the biggest problem.

It’s fine if insurance matters come through but it’s the interim period that’s the problem. It’s frustrating for current albums, like the new Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells album, which has been so well received but now that momentum will be lost.

There’ll be an interruption on the business side of things as factories are inundated with repressing

orders, but also for the actual music fan who won’t be able to buy albums like that for a few months at least. It’s too early to notice this effect at the moment. We’re only a couple of weeks down the road and the media have almost completely moved on. It’s become a political hot potato; it’s social and political commentary now. The impact on the smaller businesses will be quickly forgotten by all except those directly affected.

“We’re going to have to demonstrate a certain degree of solidarity as an industry, rather than as separate businesses, because we are all affected right across the board. We have seen a lovely, lovely response from a lot of people encouraging others to buy digital records from the affected labels. Everyone can lend a hand just by buying an album that they maybe otherwise wouldn’t have bought, and it does make a difference. We’ve seen an upsurge in digital sales on our Chemikal Underground online store over the last week or so. I think people are responding and coming out in force and acknowledging it privately and publicly. It’s something that none of us fully understand the impact of yet. We just have to take it day by day, week by week and just keep our fingers crossed that all the labels come out the other end of it. It’s really, really important that they do. I mean, my God, if there’s been a time when we don’t need this, it’s right now.”

IF YOU ARE BETWEEN 18 AND 25 YEARS OLD AND ARE A RESIDENT IN SCOTLAND WITH A PASSION FOR SOUND ENGINEERING, WHY NOT APPLY TO SOUND LAB? BUT BE QUICK, APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON 9 SEPTEMBER AND THE COURSE BEGINS ON 4 OCTOBER. FOR FULL DETAILS GO TO HTTP://CHEM19.CO.UK/ AND CLICK ON THE SOUND LAB LINK

A PROJECT CALLED LABELLOVE WAS SET UP TO RAISE FUNDS AND SUPPORT LABELS LIKE CHEMIKAL AFFECTED BY THE BLAZE. FOR MORE ON HOW YOU CAN HELP THE CAUSE VISIT WWW.COGNITIVEDISSONANCERECORDS.COM/LABELLOVE/ WWW.CHEMIKAL.CO.UK

September 2011

THE SKINNY 17

MUSIC

Sunset Mission

As Ipecac Records prepare to release the long-awaited live DVD debut by the band that launched their catalogue, we chronicle the rise of an inspirational force in independent music Interview: Chris Cusack

Get to the choppah! Greg Werckman and Mike Patton

Just two months prior to the launch of Napster, the music industry of April 1999 could hardly have conceived of what was in store for it in the coming decade. By 2009 music became so devalued as a commodity that even the previously impervious ‘Big 5’ (Warner Bros et al) had felt the considerable heat of a shrinking marketplace.

Somewhere amidst that turbulent era arose an inspiring, original and principled independent label that continues to prosper to this day, thanks in no small part to a strict adherence to its founding priority of always putting the artists and their music first. That label is Ipecac Records.

Co-founders Greg Werckman and Mike Patton (of Faith No More, Mr Bungle and copious others) have guided Ipecac through difficult times in an uncertain industry, releasing some of the contemporary underground’s most innovative and critically respected albums by artists as diverse as power-punk champions Melvins, experimental metallers ISIS, industrial rock pioneers The Young Gods, maverick soundtrack composer Ennio Morricone, shapeshifting electronic duo Mouse on Mars and even The Kids of Widney High (a group comprised of mentally disabled school children from Los Angeles).

Though many of the names on their roster are familiar to alternative music fans, there are no cash cows in the field. Ipecac was a gamble but one that seems to have paid off, not least for the audience. “As Mike’s manager, I was looking for a home for two projects of his, Fantômas and Maldoror,” Werckman says of the label’s foundation.

“We were not finding any situations that appealed to us so I suggested we do it ourselves. We wanted to create an environment that would be completely artist friendly, where artists are involved in every step and to obviously make sure that they get paid fairly.”

Though Patton is the more renowned of the two (due in no small part to Faith No More’s chart flirtations in their prime), Werckman had amassed considerable experience in the music industry before the two came together. Originally a booking agent for controversial figures that ranged from authors such as Timothy Leary and Hunter S Thompson to Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, he was soon offered a place at Biafra’s acclaimed Alternative Tentacles imprint.

“I learned a tonne at ATR,” Werckman recalls.

“Jello Biafra puts the music and artists first, way ahead of everything else. So I learned that the best way to look at the label/artist relationship is that the label works for the artist. I also learned to not get sucked into standard “music industry” traps.

Not to look at it as competition with other labels and to respect music as a form of art.”

Werckman’s next move was, perhaps surprisingly, to major label Mercury where he undertook two years as an A&R representative. He is gracious in his analysis of those experiences, describing them as “brief and not very satisfying creatively but, as with every experience in life, I learned from it. I don’t regret trying it at all and I was paid well and treated fairly.”

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The fringe has gone but we’re still here!

www.thestand.co.uk 18 THE SKINNY September 2011

THE STAND COMEDY CLUB

LIVE COMEDY SEVEN

NIGHTS A WEEK

5 York Place, Edinburgh 0131 558 7272 | 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow 0844 335 8879

Mouse on mars

The Fantômas/Melvins BIGBAND

Bohren & Der Club of Gore

PHOTO: DAVE KERR

Ipecac’s enduring business model (signing bands to one-album deals and paying comparatively large royalty percentages to those artists) has, by Werckman’s own admission, invited some derision from lawyers and others in the industry.

Yet he maintains that it is a viable arrangement, despite the huge financial changes that the sector has undergone in the last decade.

“Well, it’s sustainable,” he says cautiously. “No one is getting rich off of music sales here. The trouble with the business end these days is not about the deals we offer our artists, it has more to do with the fact that people do not like to pay for music any more. The other thing about the way we structure our deals is that we don’t pay big advances, we can’t afford to take huge financial risks. Instead the goal is to pay a healthy royalty rate and make it so the artist can get a royalty cheque every six months. We are not a star-making factory, but we can get your music out there. It does not work for everyone. It requires a lot of work on the artist’s end as well.”

As to where he sees the future of Ipecac given the industry’s ongoing state of flux, Werckman offers a refreshingly candid view. “Look, to be honest, we are not innovators of the music industry. We are not the smartest people in the business. We just love music and would love to continue to release unique music that we enjoy. In a perfect world millions of other people would like everything we put out, but the world is not perfect and that is okay with us. We have never been considered hip or trendy, and that is okay too. We are very proud to look at our catalogue of releases and see all the cool stuff we have released and all the great artists we have worked with.

“We are very fortunate and grateful that we have a die-hard fan-base that seems to enjoy a lot of what we do and they keep us afloat. We might not own any of the music we have released, we are just renting it, but it is very satisfying to know that the artists we work with have enjoyed working with us and we have been able to turn some people on to some cool stuff.

The industry can evolve and change and formats can shift, but we will continue to do our thing Greg Werckman

GUEST QUESTION:

CHINO MORENO (DEFTONES)

“I’m still excited about every new release we put out and love seeing the bands that come through town. I mean every time the Melvins come to town I get to hang out with them and see some of the coolest music ever made by some of the nicest people to walk the earth. So the industry can evolve and change and formats can shift, but we will continue to do our thing and see where the artists want to take us.”

Given how that attitude has benefited the bands and fans around Ipecac, we can only hope that good fortune continues to shine on Werckman and Patton’s brainchild. For budding new DIY entrepreneurs, Ipecac are one of the regrettably few remaining guiding lights in the dark expanse of the music industry. Long may their weird, unpredictable but unarguably brilliant star burn.

Fantômas: The Director’s Cut Live : A New Years Revolution is released on DVD and CD via Ipecac on 5 Sep Greg and Mike compiled an exclusive podcast containing tracks old and new from the Ipecac catalogue, you can find it on www.theskinny.co.uk/music www.ipecac.com

I’m overwhelmed by how many great artists Ipecac have taken under its wing and put out.

For instance Bohren & der Club of Gore [downtempo dark jazz group from Germany]; they’re so far removed from anything that’s popular about music today. How did you find them?

Mike Patton: I was on tour with Tomahawk in Malmö, Sweden – completely bored, walking around a strange town, just me and our old bassplayer Kevin Rutmanis, and we see this funny looking shop called the Scandinavian Heavy Metal Exchange, or something like that, and thought ‘Well, we’ve gotta go in here’. We walk in and – I shit you not – the guy behind the counter is wearing corpse paint, like [deep voice] ‘Welcome!’

So we’re just looking around, trying not to laugh – thinking ‘Wow, so this is Sweden’ – when we hear one of Bohren & der Club of Gore’s old records playing. We were looking at each other, like ‘What the fuck is this? Could this guy seriously be playing something like that?’ Finally, we get the courage up to ask. The clerk shows us the record and I say ‘Well, man, I’ll take one and he’ll take another’. He says ‘No, we don’t sell it’, and I say ‘What are you playing it for then, man?’

It became a quest for us to find out more about this group. We got really lucky and were able to work with them.

WWW.THEGIGCARTEL.COM WILKO JOHNSON + IAN SIEGAL Thu 15 Sep-Edinburgh Caves Fri 16 Sep-Glasgow O2 ABC 2 Sat 17 Sep-Aberdeen Lemon Tree

DAVID FORD

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ROBIN TROWER

Fri 23 Sep-Glasgow O2 ABC 2 Sat 24 Sep-Aberdeen Lemon Tree Sun 25 Sep-Edinburgh The Caves

THE JAMM

Thu 29 Sep-Aberdeen Lemon Tree Fri 30 Sep-Edinburgh The Caves Sat 1 Oct-Glasgow O2 ABC 2

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Wed 12 Oct-Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Thu 13 Oct-Aberdeen Lemon Tree Fri 14 Oct-Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

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JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR Wed 23 Nov-Glasgow O2 ABC 2

WALTER TROUT + POPA CHUBBY Sun 27 Nov-Edinburgh Queens Hall

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THE SKINNY 19

Sub Club

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Open Tuesdays to Sunday every week

www.facebook.com/ subclub

20 THE SKINNY September 2011

CLUBS

Business as usual

As Glasgow label Soma Quality Records celebrate their twentieth year co-founder Dave Clarke gets nostalgic about bin lids being banged in Miami and discovering Daft Punk at Euro Disney Interview: Neil Murchison Photos: Iona Spence

slam at cabaret voltaire

“By this time the soma had begun to work. Eyes shone, cheeks were flushed, the inner light of universal benevolence broke out on every face in happy, friendly smiles. Even Bernard felt himself a little melted.”

Aldous Leonard Huxley – Brave New World 1991 was a year full of dramatic endings. In a period of momentous change, words such as USSR, KGB, Poll Tax and Pan Am all signified cultural shifts. Amongst these reverberating changes you could be forgiven for not having noticed the appearance of a small independent electronic music record label in Glasgow by the name of Soma Quality Records. 20 years on, over 300 singles and 90 albums later, there is no escaping their impact on dance music, in this country and in many others.

As the celebrations reached Edinburgh for the label’s annual festival shindig at Cabaret Voltaire I found label co-founder Dave Clarke struggling to decide which memories stood out above the rest. “For half my lifetime I have been in the thick of it with these records, artists, DJs, parties, clubs, festivals and indeed it is hard to pick specific moments. Like the time we were in Detroit for the electronic music festival with Slam and Funk D’Void and we were playing an underground car park at the side of the main event. Funk D’Void put on Diabla, which was not even out then, and the place went crazy! Soon afterwards it started to rain and there was thunder but it just got even busier on our dancefloor. People were banging dustbin lids against the walls and letting off air horns. The atmosphere was electric.”

There exists an incredible amount of love for Soma and that has been in no small part due to Slam, the duo of Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle. Through their club nights in Glasgow they kick started the label together with Glenn Gibbons and Clarke, who continues to manage them.

We certainly travelled a lot and so did our music, but we had firm roots in Glasgow Dave Clarke

“Slam have always been at the forefront of the global underground house and techno scene,” he explains. “They know the cutting-edge better than most and they have helped to guide the musical direction of Soma and have been pushing the name out there since the beginning. They also have so much respect from other DJs and artists as their productions have consistently been amongst the biggest releases on the label for 20 years.”

Many labels starting out now might learn something from the patient progress that was made in the first two years, with the label releasing only eight records in that period – the first being Slam’s Eterna. Clarke is clearly not envious of those setting up a label these days in what has

become a crowded market. “It was a different age altogether,” he says thinking back to 1991. “When we first released our records there were very few dance indie labels so we could get attention. To get noticed was easier, even with no internet or email; we just used a phone, a fax machine and sent out vinyl by post! They still had to be quality releases though or it wouldn’t have worked.”

The story behind Soma’s 14th and 25th releases has become part of techno folklore but is worthy of a reprise due to a much hyped track to be included on the Soma: 20 Years compilation released this month. During a visit to Paris in 1993 a tape was given to McMillan whilst at a rave at the small underground venue known as Euro Disney. Even more astonishing than a Disney-hosted rave was the music the tape featured, that of a young French duo by the name of Daft Punk. “They sat us down in their studio in Paris which was in Thomas Bangalter’s parents' flat and we heard Da Funk for the first time.” Clarke recalls. “It wasn’t finished and Thomas was not completely sure about it but we all knew right then. When they sent over the DAT tape for the release of their second single it had Rollin’ & Scratchin’ and another track called Daft Drive but no ‘Da Funk’ so we called them up and said “Hey, send over the funky one please.”

There was no overnight success however. “The crazy thing was that track took so long to blow up! It trickled out the door, maybe 200 vinyl a week and then gradually it reached 2000 copies, which in 1995 was not that big a release. Then we noticed every DJ was playing it or asking for a copy, Richie Hawtin played it, Dimitri from DeeeLite played it, everyone across the spectrum.”

Soon 25,000 had been sold but at that point Soma took the decision to delete it, protecting it as a gift for the fans who had a copy.

The sudden relevance of this story 17 years later is that the previously unreleased and unheard Daft Drive will finally see the light of day as part

of Soma’s compilation. As the track still remains protected by the label I ask Clarke to describe it. “It’s a crazy track, like Rollin’ & Scratchin’ but wilder and heavier. It sounds like a live jam too, very much in the style of their first live shows when the machines were running live over the beat.”

The label’s importance to the electronic music scene in Scotland takes multiple forms, from the regular Slam Tent fixture at T in the Park to the confidence with which Glasgow can rightly claim to be a city recognised internationally for its clubbing. Clarke insists that the city has had as much of an effect on them. “We certainly travelled a lot and so did our music, but we had firm roots in Glasgow. Our attitudes and experiences of growing up and partying here and the local music scene have been ingrained in what we do. The climate probably meant we made more tracks than people who live in hotter parts of the world too – what else you gonna do in the winter?”

The platform that the label has been able to give other artists such as Funk D’Void, Silicone Soul, Alex Smoke and Ewan Pearson has also meant a lot to Clarke and he is looking forward to Soma’s 21st year by having even more opportunities to do the same. “We have had our fun being nostalgic this year and we have still tried to be forward thinking at the same time with albums from Deepchord and the Black Dog and one newer artist from Australia called Joe Stawarz. We also have Gary Beck’s debut album, a downbeat album from Alex Under and an EP from Steve Rachmad and Heiko Laux in the bag.” After the celebrations are cleared up there’s going to be a whole lot more from Soma to look out for. “For 2012? There will be a new Slam single and much more planned. It will very much be business as usual.”

Slam play Return to Mono at Sub Club on 9 Sep, The Electric Frog September Weekender at SWG3 on 10 Sep and Pressure at The Arches on 30 Sep www.slamevents.com

September 2011

THE SKINNY 21

ART

Market Shares

Opening at the beginning of this month, Vault gives audiences the opportunity to buy artwork from established and emerging artists – but it’s more than just an art fair, as participating organisations IRONBBRATZ and The Mutual prove words: Andrew Cattanach

Against all odds, the Glasgow contemporary art scene has been flourishing since the 90s. It’s a perfectly Scottish romance: down at heel and with few prospects, Glasgow artists have nonetheless created some of the most important artworks of their generation.

To this day, Douglas Gordon’s 24 Hour Psycho, first shown at Tramway in 1993, is commonly regarded as a contemporary masterpiece. In every way modern, it cast off any assumptions about a supposed parochial Scottish art scene and heralded the way for a succession of notable Glasgow-based artists.

Vault, a new art event launched this month, is the most recent manifestation of this trajectory, according to its founder (along with UZ Events) freelance curator Patricia Fleming. Similar to an art fair, Vault focuses on the buying and selling of work by young and established artists and in many ways replaces the old art fair held in George Square – although it is in no way associated with its predecessor.

Fleming has watched the gradual rise of the commercial art scene in Glasgow ever since she set up Fuse – an initiative that provided young artists with a free studio and an alternative to claiming the dole – in the 90s.

“Because of the opportunities we were making for ourselves, we stopped disappearing from Glasgow and going to London,” Fleming explains.

“From then on you can probably chart quite an interesting trajectory in Glasgow’s art scene. As a result of that scene, we now have some innovative commercial galleries in The Modern Institute, Sorcha Dallas and Mary Mary.”

Vault will likewise mirror this change in climate: the gradual shift from public to private finance, all the more pressing during a period of drastic arts funding cuts. In an art scene that is no longer supported by a benevolent state, artists are encouraged to think up new ways of financing their practice – and Vault is one such solution.

There will be 12 galleries showing the work of some 74 artists at Vault during the weekend of 9-11 September. Participating galleries range from the well-established Glasgow Print Studios to the youthful IRONBRATZ, offering a variety that will suit all tastes and budgets. Held at the Briggait, which was originally the city’s fish market, audiences are encouraged to come along and consider investing in a work of art or two.

“Many of those organisations are not known to the wider public,” Fleming rightly points out. “I think there is an appetite for the public to understand more about this contemporary scene that we’re getting known for nationally and internationally.”

This could not be more pertinent than now.

Two of the four artists nominated for this year’s Turner Prize – Karla Black and Martin Boyce – are Glasgow-based and were both integral to the city’s grassroots art scene before going on to become big names at home and abroad.

But while there were only one or two independent organisations that helped establish the scene in the 90s, such as the artist-run space Transmission, there are now considerably more. The Mutual and IRONBRATZ are just two examples of the many non-commercial organisations currently based in Glasgow. Both of them will be taking part in Vault.

IRONBBRATZ is a studio complex in the Merchant City that houses all sorts of practitioners – jewellers, painters, photographers, writers and more besides – including painters David Jack and Graham Lister. Despite being founded only three years ago, IRONBBRATZ has since become an integral part of the Glasgow art scene. A not-forprofit organisation, it will be taking an egalitarian approach to its participation in Vault.

“Because we’re a different organisation from most of the other ones involved,” says IRONBBRATZ founding member

22 THE SKINNY September 2011

Amanda Dobbratz, “my aim is to get as many people shown and have the opportunity to sell as possible.”

As part of their unique approach, IRONBBRATZ will set up what they have called a ‘drawing booth’.

Buyers will approach members of IRONBBRATZ and commission them to make work on the spot.

Prices will likewise be negotiated on an individual basis and are likely to be charged by the minute.

“It not only allows the opportunity for the artist to have a very direct relationship with a client or potential buyer,” says Dobbratz, “but also for that person to be able to engage with an artist, see them at work, have some input and feel like they’re getting something really special.”

Similarly lateral in their approach is The Mutual,

Anna Sundt

Graham Lister

Lisa Jennings

Jamie Clements

Oliver Braid

Jenny Baynes

Richard Taylor

Tawny Kerr

Because of the opportunities we were making for ourselves, we stopped disappearing to London Patricia Fleming an organisation originally set up to help avoid the economic restraints often encountered by developing artists. With no permanent gallery space, The Mutual is not part of the commercial Glasgow art scene and instead sees itself as an organisation that facilitates exhibitions and events.

“Vault is quite a difficult notion for us to approach,” explains The Mutual co-founder Carrie Skinner. “We’ve never made money – it’s never been part of our remit. We’re not a business and we don’t have any formal income.”

To reflect this, they are approaching Vault as they would any other project, showing work by Jenny Baynes, Jamie Clements and Oliver Braid, among others. Establishing a site-specific brief that draws on the Briggait’s mercantile history, they will reflect on how the culture industry has replaced Glasgow’s traditional industries.

What spans these disparate generations of trade and commerce, bridging the gap between the fish market of old and our contemporary art scene, is a certain entrepreneurial spirit. It is that very ability to make the most of a situation that defines Glasgow and those who make it their home.

“I think the entrepreneurial landscape in Glasgow is very strong,” says Patricia Fleming. “We have a real capacity to say ‘this is what I want to do so I’ll do it’. We’re very vision orientated.” And even where money is not the driving force, there still remains a real appetite to achieve beyond one’s means. “Many of the organisations run on little or no funding – like The Mutual. It’s all selfmotivated, self-initiated, and very entrepreneurial.”

More than anything, it’s the enterprising spirit of the Glasgow art scene that’s vital to cultivate. Through collective ventures and egalitarianism, organisations such as IRONBBRATZ and The Mutual prove that artists achieve considerably more allied with their peers.

Likewise, Vault is distinctly more cooperative than corporate, aware that there’s strength in numbers – and a lot more besides money.

9-11 Sep, The Briggait, Glasgow www.vaultartglasgow.com

ART

Life Sparks

World renowned photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto talks to The Skinny about celebrating the birth and the death of his art form, and why he might be looking for a Nobel Prize Interview: Rosamund West

Hiroshi Sugimoto is in a philosophical frame of mind. “Why do we only have life, organic forms, on the planet Earth? The most believable theory now is we have the presence of water and also a big energy hit – maybe a meteorite hit the water and that made the first stage of organic forms.

So what is interesting here [in the Lightning Fields series] is taking energy and bunging it into the water and seeing it start to make organic shapes.

I keep studying it but I can’t come up with some kind of answer as to…why we are here [laughs].

That’s for the Nobel Prize!”

Not an artist to shy away from the big questions then. Hiroshi Sugimoto, one of the world’s greatest living photographers – famous, amongst many other things, for his impeccable seascapes, his time delay images of entire films, his diorama photography blurring the lines between model and life – has granted us some time before the public launch of his exhibition in the Scottish National Galleries’ Modern 2 (or, the Gallery Formerly Known As The Dean). The show brings together two of his most recent series of work, his Lightning Fields and his Photogenic Drawings, both of which it turns out owe rather a lot to 19th century aristo and father of photography Henry Fox Talbot.

“This is totally inspired by Henry Fox Talbot.

Modern photography, the negative positive method, the method that people can make a duplicate from the negative, that’s his invention.

Modern photography comes from Fox Talbot.”

The Lightning Fields reflect something of a tribute to his work or perhaps a continuation thereof. There is a sense that Sugimoto sees himself as a kindred spirit of Fox Talbot’s, his successor perhaps. He is quick to emphasise the fact that his predecessor was not just a photographer: “He was a scientist, an archaeologist, botanist, philosopher. He had a 19th century noble gentleman’s lifestyle.” Amongst these many studies, Fox Talbot was looking into electricity. “I was so inspired by his other studies of electricity. So I decided to take [them] over. The study of electricity, static electricity, and the study of photography.

From the same roots. The same person, the same spirit. So it’s finally joined together here.”

The Lightning Fields are vast, monochrome prints, white flashes and forks and curls of light playing across black fields of void, their shapes ever different from one print to the next, their textures varying between organic curlicues like fern fronds and straight, clear lightning bolts flashing across the surface. To make them, Sugimoto used a Van De Graaff generator, sparking onto film through water that was variably salinated and heated to create different effects. “I spark onto the film then cut sections from it to make these images. Not touching – putting the wand close then the spark jumps, with a big bang. If I was to enlarge a small section there would be more scenes like this. There are so many layers, layers after layers. You cannot design it, you never know where it will land. I have no idea why it happens like this.”

Astonishingly, it is the salted water that is closest to primordial sea water that has produced the most organic shapes on the prints. “These [the organic forms] happen in the salted water. I do not let the spark touch the air, I bring it into the salted fresh water. As I just dip it into the salted water the water swells into the film and makes the sparks swell.

“This is creating life under the water. I’m a photographer, but at the same time I’m a scientist, studying this imagery. There must be some connection with what I am doing and the study of biologists, scientists. There may be much hidden

Photography used to be evidence of the presence of the fact... But now digital photography has become like painting – you can just make up your own images Hiroshi Sugimoto

Asplenium Halleri, Grande Chartreuse 1821 - Cardamine Pratensis, April 1839

Lightning Fields 226

information, secret information to be found in this work. I don’t have a proper explanation for why these images are showing up in the salted water.

My idea of life formation in the ancient sea, the primordial sea; I recreated the primordial sea salt content and then I tested it in this film. And the sparks were amazingly strong. So this is just my very poetic idea in a way to be tested; but can it be scientifically explained? Maybe.”

Sugimoto is using the opportunity of the exhibition to invite scientists along for a chat and see if they can make sense of his discoveries. Who knows, maybe that Nobel Prize will be just round the corner.

The other side of the exhibition, the Photogenic Drawings, are Sugimoto’s prints of Fox Talbot’s original negatives, some of the first and possibly, in the case of one shot of the rooftop of Lacock Abbey, the first photographic images. “The first recorded vision by camera. At the time it wouldn’t be a camera, it would be camera obscura.

“Nobody’s ever seen these images before.

[They are] the images from the very original negatives – I thought it was time to try again. After 170-80 years… It’s time to do it, before the images have faded away. They won’t last maybe 50 years more, 20 years more. Many of them are already faded, many are lost.”

Sugimoto’s printing of the images, at this time, seems to be both an act of preservation, guarding the history of his own medium, and a sort of last word on the initial phase of photography. As technology develops, so too does the nature of the art form, and it seems that Sugimoto is one of the last of the old school photographers, the traditionalists who deal in impeccable realism rather than digital fantasy.

“Ah yes, technology, digital photography, now it has been introduced, it begins a new stage in the history of photography. It is like a phase two of photography now. Photography used to be evidence of the presence of the fact so even the police adopted it. But now digital photography has become like painting – you can just make up your own images. There is no more credibility, so the court house and police do not to take it as evidence. After only 170 years, the credibility of photography is over. So the nature of it has been changed. I am not against digital photography, but the first era is over. That history is over.”

Sugimoto tried to get access to the negatives in the collections of MOMA and the Getty Museum but to no avail. “To test it I couldn’t get these negatives from the museum so I decided to buy a group of negatives for myself, from a private collector, as the first stage. It cost many million dollars, a whole year’s pure profit to get them.”

And the ones in the museums? “They will be printed. After making these I was able to present them to the museums and say, ‘This is the result.

It can be done very safely.’ It’s not harming the original image, it is important for the history of photography to keep the record. And they were convinced, and they let me use their negatives.”

Of course they did – he offers an unquestionably convincing argument. The fruits of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s labours can be seen in the Modern 2 on Belford Road until the end of September.

Both series offer extraordinary explorations and documents of science and history, and perhaps, who knows, even the origins of life.

Until 25 Sep, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, £7(£5) Hiroshi Sugimoto, Roofline of Lacock Abby, circa 1835 - 1839

Lightning Fields 168

www.nationalgalleries.org/ whatson/exhibition/5:368/20822

September 2011

THE SKINNY 23

BOOKS

“The freedom to try things out”

Scottish writer ZoË Strachan talks about her latest novel, Ever Fallen In Love, and why writing gets more difficult with every book

Zoë Strachan is the author of three books, 2002’s Negative Space, which followed a life model as she came to terms with her brother’s death, and her own identity; 2004’s Spin Cycle, which followed multiple characters who all worked in a laundrette, and now in 2011, Ever Fallen in Love. It’s a compelling, and very accessible story about Richard, a games designer, as he reflects on what happened when he fell in love with Luke, a straight friend, at University. The story develops in unexpected, fascinating ways, with Strachan deftly pulling its strings, and this reader, at least, was more than happy to let her. During the course of this interview, Strachan was, as you can experience in her fiction, thoughtful, funny at times, and clear throughout.

Was Negative Space the longest thing you’d written at the time?

Yes, it definitely was. I’m not really the kind of person who’s got dozens of novels locked away in a chest of drawers. It started as a few short stories, but then I realised that two short stories maybe shared the same character. I was at the end of an MLitt in creative writing and I had a really lovely tutor, a guy called Adam Piette, who said that if you keep writing stories with the same themes, try and make them a novel. And then I finished the course but just kept going with it and it did turn into a novel. I think the themes had achieved a sort of intensity that meant it felt like I was engaging in a really long piece of work, and it was difficult to think of it in those terms, of it becoming a novel, but it was very much propelled by what it was about, that feeling of a critical mass of emotional content maybe.

In Negative Space, the narrator’s name isn’t mentioned until near the end. Is this sort of withholding of information deliberate? I notice in Ever Fallen in Love that the University isn’t mentioned by name.

I think that is an odd parallel with that book in that respect, and maybe the way time moves in that book, a really kind of non-linear structure along with the bits that are more chronological.

As to why I didn't reveal my character's name in Negative Space, I think it was to do with her identity being so hard to pin down and so difficult for her to isolate or name in any way. There’s lots of things that she can’t name to do with what she’s feeling, or things that’ve happened, I think she evades quite a few things in the book, and that was a narrative device that represents that in another way. But I think that’s kind of a fun thing about writing, sometimes things are missing at first because you haven’t quite realised what they are, and then the things that are missing become much more present, which I suppose is what the title, Negative Space, is actually about.

Negative Space was written from one viewpoint, in the first person, then Spin Cycle follows multiple characters, in the third person, and in Ever Fallen in Love you’ve moved outwith yourself to a male character, with first and third person sections. Were you consciously planning any of this?

Not a plan at all, no. I think I would find it hard to plan in that way because so much is dictated by the story and the characters themselves. People often say it’s easier to write in the first person and I don’t think it is at all, or if it’s easier it’s probably harder to write well. I don’t know what I’ll do next, that’s interesting… second person? No – I think there are enough second person novels. I suppose

24 THE SKINNY September 2011

PHOTO: Ray Deng

Interview: Keir Hind

I remember saying to my agent when I was writing my second novel: ‘This is much, much harder’ and he said, ‘Of course it’s harder, it keeps getting harder, your fourteenth novel will be your hardest yet’ Zoë Strachan

I’d do something that’s a mixture.

Do you feel like there’s a development there?

Yes, I do. I think it’s quite different stylewise, and I think that that was maybe partly led by the character, and stepping outside myself to develop a male character. I think that actually influenced the style more than my conscious desire to write better or try and make a better novel. So maybe it’s something that liberated me.

They say there’s a second novel syndrome – but, extending that, have you had any difficulties writing at any stage?

Almost all the time. I think there definitely is a second novel syndrome. I remember saying to my agent when I was writing my second novel: ‘This is much, much harder’ and he said, ‘Of course it’s harder, it keeps getting harder, your fourteenth novel will be your hardest yet’, and I took it with a pinch of salt, and yet Spin Cycle was harder to write, and Ever Fallen in Love was a lot, lot harder to write, so there may be something in this. Or maybe it’s just that you’re always learning, and become more critical of yourself. Also, with Ever Fallen in Love other things came up and I was working in different fields, and doing drama and doing opera and so on.

Is harder necessarily a bad thing?

I don’t think it is a bad thing. It’s not a particularly pleasant thing, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing, because then the end result gets better. I think, with Ever Fallen in Love, one of the reasons it was harder was that I started unexpectedly and was carried away and wrote a lot of the past narratives that then went off in a different direction and it wasn’t becoming the story I wanted to write. So then there was a kind of reining back and developing another timeframe it needed, to show the point

of a story in a way. But that took time.

In Ever Fallen in Love, events in the present alternate with a more compressed version of events in the past. I’ve seen this a lot (Andrew Raymond Drennan last month, and Iain Banks generally) – it’s probably coincidence, but is it possible Scottish authors are particularly attracted to this form?

I don’t think it’s particularly Scottish. I think it’s something quite a lot of writers do. For me it’s one of the themes that I’m really stuck with, I’m really interested in memory and how you retell your own story. I think that’s one of these fundamental things that you can’t escape about being a person, that you’ve got this ability to remember, not just; ‘Don’t put your hand in a fire’ or; ‘The water from that stream is poisonous,’ but you can actually spin the story of your life again and again and try and make it come out differently or the same, or see it in different ways. Maybe Scots like to look backwards, maybe we’re more melancholic.

This is a tightly constructed book, in terms of plot and structure. Did that come about through planning, or more organically?

It grew into it. It really wasn’t [as tight] at first.

And I think that some of the plot’s oblique, that some of the things that are big for me, or were big when I was writing it, aren’t really present in the text. Maybe it's to do with Luke’s background or experiences, or gaps that Richard leaves in his story, but I think that’s a result of the structure too, of trying to maintain tension a bit more. I’m not really interested in plot – I mean, I really love reading things with plot, but it’s pretty low on my list of things I want to do. I do appreciate that it can make for more satisfying reading than to be

reading something with no plot whatsoever. So it was intentional but not planned. I think having a linear narrative in the present that gave it a backbone helped with that, for me, because I knew, ‘well this will happen, the story will go on, ultimately Richard will have to move forward’ and the only thing that was a complete surprise happened on the very last page, which was not what I intended at all.

Your first book was written in 2002, your second in 2004, and now your third has come out in 2011. Why the longer gap?

A couple of practical reasons – the first two books were contracted, and had deadlines built in, and actually deadlines can be very good. And useful. And stimulating. So can being paid on particular dates for things. I didn’t have that for this book and it seemed great at first, but then… well, ultimately it was good, because I needed more time, and the freedom to try things out and then change my mind about them, but other things started to come up and I wanted to work on other things, shorter pieces, plays and things. And probably other pressures, teaching and so on, whittles time down a bit. I’d like the next novel not to take so long, but maybe that’s optimistic.

Have you got anything in mind?

Yes, I really do, there’s something that I’ve kind of started but I’m not quite sure if I’m ready to do it yet. So I might need to do something else first.

Since around about or before Spin Cycle, I’ve had an idea lurking around that I need to gird my loins for, and I’m not sure I’m girded yet. [Laughter ensues] Ever Fallen in Love is out now, published

by Sandstone Press, priced at £8.99

BOOKS

FR

“IT DOES GET HARDER”

ALAN BISSETT is the author of four novels, beginning with Boyracers ten years ago, as well as plays, short stories, and other pieces. The characters in Boyracers are revisited in his upcoming novel Pack Men, as they travel down to Manchester in 2008 to watch Rangers play in the UEFA Cup Final INTERVIEW: KEIR HIND ILLUSTRATION: DAVID LEMM

EE

VA U LT A R T GL A S G OW A NEW OPPORTUNITY F O R A R T I S TS T O S E L L T H E I R W O R K A N D F O R T H E P U B L IC A N D C O L L E C TO R S TO B UY C O N T E M P OR A R Y A R T 9 — 11 SEPT 2011

DoorS Open Day Glasgow’s Built Heritage Festival

17-18 September

FRI S AT SUN

THE BRIGGAIT 141 B R I D G E G AT E G1 5H Z 11 A M – 9 P M 11 A M – 9 P M 12 NOON – 5 P M E N T R A N C E £ 4.00 CHILDREN UNDER 12 FREE

Walks, Tours, Events & more!

Under 16’s Passport Quiz

VAULT ART GL ASGOW IS PRODUCED

BY UZ ARTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PATRICIA FLEMING PROJECTS. SUPPORTED BY CREATIVE SCOTL AND THROUGH OWN ART. OWN ART ENCOUR AGES ADVENTUROUS BUYING. WITH SUPPORT FROM GL ASGOW LIFE.

W W W . VA U LTA R TG L A SG O W. C O M WHEN YOU finished Boyracers (tenth anniversary edition now available in all good bookshops!) did you have a feeling then that there was more to say about these characters at some point, or did they slowly creep back into view?

I had no intentions of releasing a sequel, which is possibly why Pack Men doesn’t feel like one.

The characters came back after I decided to write about the 2008 UEFA Cup Final riots in Manchester, and realised that I needed a group of mates who’d known each other for a while and were Rangers fans. Wait a minute, I thought, I’ve written those guys already! Hey presto: Boyracers sequel.

It then became a creative challenge in itself to develop characters I’d first created ten years ago.

But it was also important to me that you could read either book without reading the other.

You’ve said (to me, previously) that Pack Men was a hard one to finish. But then, you’ve also said (in the intro to new writing anthology The Inside of a Dog) that work on The Incredible Adam Spark was ‘crawling along’. Has it been getting harder for you, or is it just the most recent book that’s the hardest? And is it necessarily a bad thing that it’s hard?

Oh god, it does get harder! Truly the only book that I could say I enjoyed writing was Boyracers, as I was 23 when I started it and there was absolutely no pressure on me. But the more attention you get as a writer, the more it becomes like trying to take a pee with people watching. You think 'Well, I’ve written three novels that all worked out fine, so I must know how to do this,' but all you know is how to write those books, not the next one. Each book comes with its own unique creative challenges and problems which you’re not yet equipped for. But even if I no longer enjoy writing novels, I very, very much enjoy having written them. It’s like going to the gym: feels awful at the time, but afterwards in the shower you feel amazing. Wrestling a book for three years and winning is a great experience, as for those three years – it was all in doubt. I also read that Ian McEwan said it gets more difficult for him too, so I suppose it means I’m doing the job properly.

www.glasgowdoorsopenday.com

How did you learn about the scene during the rioting in Manchester?

I was down in Manchester that day [in 2008]. I wasn’t involved in any fighting with the police, but I could feel the atmosphere building and starting Skinny print ad 61x155mm.indd to turn the drunker everyone got. It really wasn’t much of a leap of the imagination into those violent scenes.

Football supporting is almost certainly the most participated in communal cultural activity in Scotland – but there are relatively few references to it, or scenes of it, in Scottish literature (off the top of my head… there’s some in Irvine Welsh, a great one in Kieron Smith, Boy... and after that I’m struggling...) Why do you think this is?

I’ve been puzzled by this myself. I guess it’s because sport is the opposite of art. The more ‘artier’ you are, the less likely you are to ‘get’ football. Also, I think that most novelists believe that football’s binary narrative – win/defeat – is just less interesting than the complexity of emotions surrounding, say, love, war or murder. There’s probably a class element involved too. Football-supporting is a mainly working-class activity and novel-writing is mainly an upper middle-class one. So there’s probably a straightforward gap in empathy there.

Pack Men follows Boyracers. Could there be a further follow-up?

It has occurred to me that, having followed these characters from their teens into their twenties, it might be good to see them in middle-age eventually. That’s likely. But I’ve no concrete ideas for that book. It’ll tell me when the time is right for it to be written the same way Pack Men did.

I get the rough sense of it but not the detail, and I’ve tried Googling it, but doing so only leads back to Boyracers, so as a last question, educate a Glaswegian: What does ‘heddy haw’ properly mean?

It’s a phrase me and my mates used when we were young. It roughly translates as ‘a random expression of joy’. Its semantic root is Billy Connolly’s approximation of how drunk Scottish people sing at Hogmanay parties.

PACK MEN WILL BE LAUNCHED ON 1 SEP, IN WATERSTONES SAUCHIEHALL STREET AT 6.30PM IT WILL BE FULLY RELEASED ON 7 SEP, PUBLISHED BY HACHETTE SCOTLAND AND PRICED AT £12.99

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Hiroshi Sugimoto

Until 25 September 2011 Tickets £7 / £5 Belford Road, Edinburgh eif.co.uk/sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Lightning Fields, 168 © The artist National Galleries of Scotland is a charity registered in Scotland (SC003728) Edinburgh International Festival is a charity registered in Scotland (SC004694)

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 25

Sept-Oct 2011

Hailing from Sunderland, the Futureheads are a 4 piece postpunk revival band. Their 4 highly charted studio albums contain singles like ‘Hound of Love’, ‘Decent Days and Nights’, ‘The Beginning of the Twist’ and ‘Heartbeat Song’ .

Fri 30 September 8pm Potterrow £10 | £8 students

A centre for the arts and creativity

FREE ENTR Y*

DF Concerts Present Emmy, or Emma-Lee Moss, has been described as “one of the boldest young writers in pop today” (The Guardian).

Influences include the Pixies mixed with stark melodies and bittersweet lyrics reminiscent of Natalie Merchant. Gigs are selling out so be sure to get your tickets for this very special night of music!

Fri 23 September 7:30pm Pleasance Theatre £12.50

Comedy Central Live

The perfect way to start your night!

Comedy Central Live visits us every Tuesday in the Cabaret Bar and brings us an array of top calibre comedy acts. In the past we have had the likes of Seann Walsh, Tom Stade, Maff Brown, Chris Ramsey, Sally-Anne Hayward, Miles Jupp, Phil Nichol, Carey Marx – the list is endless and they are here JUST FOR YOU! Come down, grab a meal from the Pleasance bar and giggle your night away with some of the best up andcoming artists in the UK. See www.eusalive.co.uk for listings.

Pleasance Cabaret Bar 7:30pm £5 |£4 students

Edinburgh University Students’ Association events are open to ALL STUDENTS.

Ways to Book Online: www.eusalive.co.uk Phone: 0131 650 4673 In Person: Teviot, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AJ Teviot Box Office opening hours: Mon – Sat 11am – 7pm | Sun 12pm – 5pm

26 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

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T FIRS AY D S R THU

MUSIC

Me And People A man of many projects, Boom Bip explains why he really can't seem to manage a 'solo' album Interview: Paul Mitchell

“A mutual friend of ours was at a pool party, typical LA summer’s evening, and he introduced us.” Thus Bryan Hollon, bastard, better known as Boom Bip, tells us how he met Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, in advance of their collaboration on Hollon’s new album Zig Zaj. It’s the American producer’s third solo album and his first release in the aftermath of an inspired teaming with Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys as Neon Neon, the fruits of which became a Mercury-nominated paean to 80s synth-pop, Stainless Style in 2008.

This 90210-style method of doing business, is, he explains, a common occurrence, and not the dramatised stereotype one might like to think it is when watching TV. “Well the music scene in LA isn’t very large, so we intermingle a lot. It’s rather easy to meet the various people involved. It’s how it works here, I’m sure it’s the same in a lot of metropolitan areas. LA is a very transient city, so there are always different bands or friends around at any one time and we just go to the park, or some space to just jam or sit and record and get something which we can come back to later.”

The name-dropping throughout our conversation doesn’t let up, but he’s not showing off; Hollon is, after all, a much sought-after collaborator.

In the past, he’s remixed work from the likes of the aforementioned Furries, our own Mogwai, Amon Tobin and even the late Syd Barrett. And so, for this ‘solo’ effort, he managed to enrol an impressive cast of poolside playmates in the form of renowned Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark, Jenny Lee Lindberg of LA art-rockers Warpaint, recently appointed Chili Pepper guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Mike Noyce of Bon Iver, and Neon Neon vocalist Cate le Bon along with the aforementioned Kapranos who, Hollon explains, was a bit of a special case.

“I had created this song and I kept hearing his voice over the top of it,” he starts. “I even had the verses written out and a theme, but it was his voice that I kept hearing from the beginning. And

so when we got introduced I mentioned to Alex that I had this song where I could hear no one else but him on it and if he could take a listen that would be great. He spent a few weeks working on it in Scotland; we did some laptop sessions on it together and came up with what you hear, which is now called Goodbye Lovers and Friends. It’s rare that I have a track where I completely hear just one person’s voice. I have a song where I can only hear Nick Cave but obviously that’s going to be a very hard collaboration to nail. I did try, and I got a very polite response, but he was really busy with Grinderman at the time. Still, I haven’t given up on working with him one day.”

Cave, if he does change his mind in the future, may find the experience an enlightening one, as Hollon details his working methods on Zig Zaj.

I wanted Alex Kapranos to picture himself, around the turn of the last century, in a dark theatre where he’d just appeared as a magician, pulling a rabbit out of a hat BOOM BIP

“For this record I would just give the vocalist a theme and would describe... like with Alex’s track I wanted him to picture himself, around the turn of the last century, in a dark theatre where he’d just appeared as a magician, pulling a rabbit out of a hat – that kind of situation [yes, that one]. The lyrics are all his and I came up with an aesthetic to guide him. I did that with everyone to try and help them get to a certain space. I think that helps.

They’ve got the music, which can inspire them, and then they’ve got this theme which can give them more focus. Their personality can allow for any interpretation or expression, but it does seem like a good way to work.”

Hollon has been on the scene since the late nineties, DJing and remixing hip-hop and electronica.

It was his 2000 collaborative album with Idaho MC and Anticon Records founder Doseone (who has similarly gone on to front myriad recording projects), Circles, which was brought to the attention of UK radio listeners by a session under the watch of the great John Peel. Peel’s comments at the time – branding the duo ‘a modern day Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band’ – have followed Hollon around since. Does it seem like an unfair burden? Hollon doesn’t seem to think so, although he does put it in context: “John talked to Adam and I at the Maida Vale (BBC) studios. Part of that was about the record and how big a fan he was and that we were, to him, a modern day Captain Beefheart – well I was more like the Magic Band. Adam [Drucker, aka Doseone] is definitely Captain Beefheart. If you listen to that record, there was poetry, very short tracks, and yes, we were inspired by Beefheart quite a lot, the freeform and thought that he was exceptional at. And yes, flattered. But it was just one remark about one specific record. I don’t think it applies to my career as a whole.”

But then, how to define a career that has taken in a huge variety of musical styles, from the early hip-hop, through to straight up guitar rock and, of

late, an unfurling homage to the synthesizer. So Bryan Hollon, how would you describe the music of Boom Bip? “I don’t know. I play what I’m being influenced by, and I’m influenced by a massive amount of different music and genres. I just have a very broad range of likes, interests and tastes and that comes across the individual tracks on the album. I never felt comfortable using different monikers for different music; that just hasn’t felt necessary. So I’ve always stuck with the Boom Bip name and when I work on a record the process can take about two years, depending on the mood or what I’m listening to; I could be listening to krautrock, or a lot of minimal electronica and get inspired to start playing around. That’s how I create music; I don’t really focus on trying to fit myself into a hole.”

Being tough to pin down can, Hollon admits, have its drawbacks; the lack of a designated pigeonhole making it much more difficult for music fans drawn to specific genres to stumble upon him. For his own profile, he admits this is “a terrible thing,” but not something he’s unduly worried about, a sacrifice worth making in order to maintain his own personal sanity. “It’s really hard for me to just stick to one thing... a lot of people will just look at their five or six instruments and just write several different songs based on that palette.

That does not appeal to me at all. I like to let the tones inspire me, they can come from all over the place and I like to go with the flow.”

Indeed, Hollon seems to be using his vast musical output as a means of documenting his life, associating personal memories with the music in each track. He explains this process with an example: “There’s a song on [Zig Zaj] called Pele.

It’s my favourite and it came about because I fancied playing around with the idea of doing a surf tune. At the time, Warpaint and I were sharing the same studio space, jamming around a lot. I used one of their guitar pedals on the lead guitar channel to make it sound ‘surfy’. I can go back and listen to these songs and hear different pieces of my life and what I was doing and listening to at the time. Somebody who just comes to the record may not hear all these things and think it’s just scatterbrained with no direction. For me it’s more like a diary entry which brings me back to whatever time of my life the tracks come about.”

With Stainless Style, the delightfully facetious ‘biographical’ album dedicated to the life and times of John DeLorean – developer of the time-travelling sports car in the Back to the Future films – the closest he has come to flirting with mainstream recognition, are there any prospects of a reunion? “Yeah, we’ve recorded a few demos, it’s a much different record. I really doubt that we will continue the Neon Neon name however.

We’ve settled on the idea of a new format and been inspired by a completely new theme. I’m not going to say right now what that is, I want to keep it a surprise. But it is another in the biographical genre.”

In the meantime, Hollon admits that he would like it if people could listen to his music, new album, previous releases and “hopefully hear that it’s all coming from one person.” If not, he can always take solace in the encouragement of Mr Peel. “John did say to me one day ‘What do you classify your music as? I’ve never been able to put my finger on it. I love it, but... putting you into a genre is very difficult.’ I said ‘I don’t know, I don’t think that’s my job,’ and he said, ‘Well, it’s a great place to be.’ It’s a nice thing to have, the John Peel endorsement not to worry about fitting in to any single classification.”

Zig Zaj is released via Lex Records on 26 Sep www.lexrecords.com/boom-bip/

September 2011

THE SKINNY 27

TRAVEL

Travel Dam It’s Good Bucket List To Be Gay! A traveller ponders his own mortality in terms of the trips not taken, and challenges us all to do likewise WORDS: Ally McLeod

We sent two volunteers, one gay and eager, one straight and somewhat reticent, to sample the delights of Gay Pride Amsterdam WORDS: Kirsten Geekie & Neil Fox Photos: Neil Fox

Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery and been given final notice by both your work and the doctor! You’re as free as an irresponsible lark and as rich as Mammon! What do you knock off the Travel Bucket List? What do you do? Where do you go?

What little thing did you see on the news when you were eight that stayed with you through your life as the height of exoticism? Were there any number of cartoon characters sliding down the pyramids? Dave Lister fantasising about Fiji? The Yukon and Alaska of White Fang and The Call of the Wild?

Kurosawa’s Japan and M.A.S.H.’s Korea have disappeared but do you still dream of being a tarnished hero dodging bullets and winning duels with a single stroke? That vast rich place with elephants and giraffes and rhinos or that even more distant land with the koalas and kangaroos?

Lion King or Skippy?

Did you know that Tintin was a blonde, Belgian badass? Did Easter Sunday viewings of Lawrence of Arabia or Bridge Over the River Kwai convince you there was still adventure out there if you had the requisite stiff upper lip? Did you totally get Lost in Translation? Did you see Kids and City of God and bristle with envy at all that damn drama, so far away from home? Did you ever think that New Yorkers and Beirutis saw Braveheart and pined to see that mad place where they painted themselves, killed their own haggis and shagged English royalty?

Did you have a parent with the magnificent good sense to snatch the mandated copy of Sunset Song out of your hands and thrust biographies of Isabella Bird and Roy Chapman Andrews at you?

Did The Beach seem like a life worth living?

Or did relatives come back from Majorca beaming like they’d been on a grand tour? A too pricey teenage field trip leave you with a shallow gasp of Paris and the suspicion that it breathes so much deeper? Did your older brother’s friend (so much younger than you are now) come back with stories of Amsterdam and Bangkok that sounded like the dreams of Byron and Best?

Which senses do you sate in your last days? Do you want to taste authentic kung pao chicken and

28 THE SKINNY September 2011

lamb masala and then realise you prefer the proper Chinese and curry at the Panda House and New Anand? Stop at a hundred and twenty five distilleries around Scotland with a doctor’s note and a demand for a couple of drams of each of their finest? You can take a big whiff on the beaches and forests and markets of the world. What you want to touch is your own business.

There’s music and song in every backroom, bar and basement, every house, street and hall, every temple, every tent. You’ll be thrown around by throat singers and basso profundos, drawn back by a troupe of Taiko drummers, wrecked by that kid with the horn off of Bourbon St. Just lie, sigh and listen.

But the sights. My God, the sights. What do you want to see before you go? Which wonder of the world, ancient or new? Seeing as many sunsets and rises and declaring with authority which Asian dawn or African dusk is the most sublime? What manner and how much beauty, natural, manmade, animal or mineral, will satisfy your soul? Do you put every penny into slipping the earthly bounds and tripping the light fantastic, escaping into orbit and taking something stupid?

There are cellars of wine, warehouses of ale, inns of sake, soju and baijiu, orchards of schnapps and an empire of ouzo, raki and arak. An aspirant in a favela will pass you a mirror, a divemaster will toke and pass you their favourite on a beach north of Cebu, a Russian from London will pass you the bottle on the Trans-Siberian Express. The father of a teenage drummer will shove a box of sake at you as you walk with their wagon in the town matsuri and 7-year old Mongolians will come hurtling up to the side of the road when they hear your van coming to offer you their fermented mare’s milk.

There are strangers with candy and hitchers hiking every second of the day. Dens of honest iniquity and more clubs in the world than there are nights in the rest of your life. Opinions, stories, lies and confessions falling from your mouth when you’re with that stunner that just loves your accent.

The world is wide, your options are wider and the same night comes to us all sooner than any of us imagine. You’re going to die. Where’ll you go before that?

The Straight One I’m not exactly prim but admittedly a little reserved. Yes, I do girl talk and no, I’m not completely sheltered (I work in the arts dear), but free discussions of sexuality and declarations of lifestyle I’m not comfortable with. To share personal feelings with anyone outside my group of friends makes me blush. Oddly, in spite of my frigidness, I love Amsterdam. Its widespread tolerance, cheese and bicycles seem to unlock a hidden spiritedness.

However, Amsterdam Pride was to me a carnival of scantily clad male showiness and intimidatingly empowered women that was just too much of a threat to my everyday prudishness. I recognise Pride as an act of togetherness that shouts loud and proud that lesbian, gay and transgender culture exists and will be listened to and accepted.

But, I understood it as a celebration of a community that I am not part of, apart from a meek claim to having a few gay friends. I have been to a gay club once (a terrifying dive of a place with a cage) and felt completely out of my depth. I had no idea what Amsterdam Pride was or what to expect – I felt in need of a friend and gay badge of honour to hold my hand.

Thank god I had one, if even to navigate me through the street parties chock full of pink attired men and women, or to stop me falling over the side of the press boat in awe of the float of leather clad seniors sailing by. However, he could have been as alien to Pride as I was. Plugging the theme ‘All Together Now’ wherever we went, exclusivity was not an option, only wide social acceptance and inclusivity allowed. We began quite civilised with a few exhibitions as what we discovered was, in fact, a packed festival of culture, sport, health awareness, street parties and an outrageous floating carnival seen as the crème de la crème of the Pride circuit.

My friend, of course, was having a ball. And surprisingly so was I. It was hugely camp but standing under a ‘Gay Frite’ van watching a drag queen vaguely dressed as Olivia Newton-John sing Let’s Get Physical at the Drag Queen Olympics, you can only submit. We bonded over the ridiculously attractive Mr Gay Netherlands competition, gay animals at the zoo and experiencing his Legalize Gay t-shirt act as a calling card to ‘right-on’ males.

With its infectious atmosphere of celebration an affection for Pride has now rooted and a lesson in open-mindedness definitely been learnt. All Together Now! [Kirsten Geekie] The Gay One What better way to pop one’s Amsterdam-cherry than to drive right into the gayity of Amsterdam Pride – the city’s annual celebration of its LGBT community. However, with the distraction of one of Europe’s

finest cities, and my lack of Pride experience (I went once upon a time), I entered into my mission with more than a twinkle of hesitation. However, Holland’s capital really does know how to put on a show, their Pride is a Festival of celebration.

As clichéd as it sounds, there really is something for everyone. Art, check. Sports, check. A guided tour of homosexual behaviour in animals at Amsterdam Artis Zoo, check. A guide bulging at the briefs full of lesbian pride, grey pride, talks, parties and more. Friday night’s itinerary for example was full of camp highlights. Heading to the Homomonument at Westermarkt, the crowds gathered for the seventh annual Drag Queen Olympics. Contestants took part in sports as daredevil as the handbag toss and the stiletto race.

Across the city, under the shadow of Rembrandt himself, a mass of bodies were greeted to a young boy in very small pants being honoured as Mr Gay Netherlands 2011.

Then the streets opened up and the parties began. Lanes packed full of people drinking, dancing, singing. However, it really is the canal parade that hits home what is great about Amsterdam and its Pride. Sure the topless boys and the disco dancing are all fun and games, yet a statement of equality is needed. 80 plus floats take to the water to do just that, each one more extravagant than the last. Ticker tape cannons shower the city in colour and dance routines are a must. However, through the glitter messages of support come from big corporations, small youth groups and HIV charities – we’re here and we’re queer.

Crowds gather all along the canal-side three or four deep. Moored boats drip with streamers and balloons. Canal side houses open up to crowds with roof-top parties. The city is in celebration; this is as much a festival of Amsterdam as it is of homosexuality. Smiles and cheers from men, woman, children, gays, straights, all celebrating their city’s tolerance and diverse community. It is a beautiful example of the city as a whole – friendly, open, tolerant, very camp with more than a flash of nudity. Behind the smokey haze from the coffee shops you reveal yourself as a welcoming, varied city, full of culture, that knows how to celebrate. [Neil Fox] Kirsten and Neil travelled as guests of KLM Airlines.

KLM flies up to six times a day from Edinburgh to Amsterdam and five times a day from Glasgow and Aberdeen. Return fares start from as little as £105. KLM offers seamless global travel with its quick and easy internet check in facility.

Passengers can avoid airport queues and check in online up to one hour before departure.

For more information visit www.KLM.com or phone 0871 222 7474 www.progay.nl www.amsterdamgaypride.nl www.amsterdamfoodie.nl www.citizenm.com

TRAVEL

Bonnie Boat: Wigtown Isle of Skye Book Festival

Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, ‘Onward!’ The sailors cry. Carry the lazy urban dwellers (for just one day, it can’t be that hard), over the sea to Skye.

As jingles go, this one may need some work (harmonies, some bass perhaps?) but the day in question is 10 September. For there, The Celeste, a Bàta Brèagha (translation: sexy boat) sails somewhat provocatively into the bay at the beautiful town of Portree. The Celeste (or ‘leste’ to those on friendly terms) is adorned with 60,000 square inches of mirror (well, we did say sexy) but more importantly, will be used as the centrepiece to broadcast, pirate (radio) style, a selection of songs and stories artists Zoe Walker and Neil

Bromwich have been collecting in the Isle of Skye (officially the world’s fourth best island according to National Geographic Magazine).

This broadcast/soundscape (called Celestial Skye) can form the backdrop for walking around the many beauty spots of the island, but also forms the backdrop to a series of events taking place in Portree on the day – contemporary designer craft exhibitions, film screenings, dance performances, coracle-making workshops, water vessel races and broadcasting and sailing workshops.

Honestly, a big massive floating disco ball... book right now! [Paul Mitchell] For more info go to www.atlasarts.org. uk; follow them on twitter @skyeatlas

Iain Banks & Stuart Kelly

Martin Bell

It’s easy to imagine (we speculate spuriously, and perhaps somewhat unfairly) the good denizens of Wigtown prior to the mid-nineties, stoically putting up with ceaseless jibes about male pattern blandness or the impact on the local, specialised economy from the comercially-driven upstart Toupeesville in nearby South Merkinshire. But to do that would be to unnecessarily detract from the rejuvenation seen in the Dumfries and Galloway town.

In an admirable and creative bid to regenerate a region beset by serious economic difficulties, Wigtown bid for, and subsequently received the honorary title of Scotland’s ‘book town’ from the Scottish Parliament in 1999. With more than one eye on its successful Welsh counterpart, Hayon-Wye, this year marks the 13th edition of the Wigtown Book Festival, taking place over ten days and featuring a grand total of 180 events. All this in a picturesque ‘hamlet’ with a population of just 1,000, though one which boasts 12 secondhand

bookshops which do a good trade all year round.

Impressive (literally).

High profile authors slated to attend include Max Arthur, Julian Baggini, Celia Imrie, Fergal Keane, Maggie O’Farrell, Martin Bell and Alan Bissett. There’s also a children’s strand featuring a ‘Dalek-building workshop’ (Hay-on-Wye, look out, you will be exterminat....), an Arab World strand with particular attention being paid to the continuing fall-out of the Arab Spring. There’s also going to be an ‘Active Scotland 2011’ element which seemingly involves lots of lycra and something called blokarting as well as Wigtown’s Got Talent, which sees the local aspirants taking on the established writer in... well, a fountain pen fight to the death we imagine.

Be there or be hair. [Paul Mitchell] Tickets for the Wigtown Book Festival can be booked online at wigtownbookfestival. com or by phoning 01988 402036 www.wigtownbookfestival.com

Supported by

THE MISSING

Cast: Brigit Forsyth, Joe McFadden, Myra McFadyen, Brian Pettifer, Barbara Rafferty and John Ramage.

Adapted by Andrew O’Hagan (Be Near Me) from his book The Missing Directed by John Tiffany (Black Watch)

15 September — 1 October 2011 / Box Office: 0845 330 3501 / tramway.org nationaltheatrescotland.com

Please note that booking fees may apply on tickets, check with the box office when booking. The National Theatre of Scotland reserves the right to alter casts, performances, seating or ticket arrangements for The Missing. The National Theatre of Scotland, a company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland (SC234270) is a registered Scottish charity (SCO33377). Photograph by Jill McLaren Storstein.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 29

DEVIANCE

The High Cost of Being YourseLF In the second part of our Colombian special, Deviance editor Ana talks to transgender activist Laura Weinstein about trans issues in Bogota Interview and photo: Ana Hine

I’m sitting in a small room in the back of a house which has been converted into an LGBT centre. Gustavo, the pastor that I met a few weeks ago, has offered to be my translator. He wants me to talk to one of his friends, Laura Weinsten, a transgender activist.

Laura was born in a traditional Jewish family in Bogota, Colombia in 1980. Her family had very defined religious parameters and were very conservative.

She tells us that when people would ask her as a child if she was a boy or a girl she would answer that she was a girl. She would refer to herself as a ‘feminiño’ (in Spanish that’s a ‘female boy’) and didn’t understand why people would laugh at her for it. As she grew older she withdrew into herself.

However, when she went to high school she found that in the same area were girls who worked in prostitution who were transgender.

She was able to get close to them. It was the first time she met people like herself. She asked the women how she could learn to be like them but they discouraged her. They told her to work hard at school, to forget about her feelings until she was in a more secure position.

Even so, she started to visit them. Then one day she couldn’t find them anymore – she later learned the police had driven them out and one of her friends had been killed. The experience made her feel incredibly guilty (she was around sixteen at the time) and from then on she says she felt responsible for the other transgender women she knew.

Over the course of the hour Laura talks about transsexuals being refused medical care, recalling a particular occasion when she was in hospital visiting a sick relative and she witnessed this firsthand. She says she tried to get more involved with activism but when she was eighteen she ended up in jail for trying to save some transgendered people from the police who were beating them in the street.

Her parents decided to send her to Israel to try to find God. Instead she found acceptance – a society that was tolerant of her kind of difference.

When her father died she came back to Bogota.

She says: “My father never accepted me for who I was.

When I was a child he used to beat me, because I was very feminine. When I was five my father found me dressed as a girl; he hit me and then locked me in a dark room. In a way it was easier after he died because I was able to educate my mother.”

Now Laura helps run a government-funded LGBT centre called Centro Comunitario Distrital LGBT in Bogota, and a group called Gat Grupo de Apoyo Transgenerista which has twenty members who represent different areas of the city. They work together to teach other members of the community that they have rights, as transgendered people.

She tells us that the transsexuals used to carry guns on the streets of Bogota so that they could protect themselves but after working with them they say that they now fight with their voices instead of their guns.

In the past few years she has been involved in more and more activism. Right now she is also the co-ordinator of a group called the G80 Transgender Support Group, which has done a lot of visibility work in the community and helps to support people going through gender–reassignment surgery (transitioning).

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What haunts me is that one day if I am out on the street and someone identifies me as a transgender, it does not matter how much education I have or how much good I do, they can come and kill me just like any girl who works as a prostitute Laura Weinstein

In the UK you can transition on the NHS (if you’re prepared to spend a long time on waiting lists). When I mention this to Laura she just laughs and says that nothing is free in Colombia. But then she turns serious again: “People have died because of procedures that went wrong, or have tried to do it themselves. It is expensive and there are not many places that we can go to get the surgery or support we need.”

I ask if the high cost of transition is one of the reasons that so many transsexuals work as prostitutes. Laura tells me that in many cases prostitution is just a way of surviving because they are cast out by society – they are not allowed to work in most places. I had been told earlier on in my trip that many transsexual women work in hair salons and Laura verifies this, saying that it is one of the only jobs they are able to do.

Then I ask her if the advice that the prostitutes gave her when she was a teenager was good advice. She answers that if she had not listened to them she wouldn’t be where she is right now.

She says that she is no better than anyone else but that she was lucky and now she feels she has a duty to give back to the community.

In terms of the future Laura would like to see a law protecting the rights of the transgender community, a gender identity law. She feels that would improve the general quality of life. More programmes of education are needed, changes to the health insurance so that transitioning is a

little easier. The discrimination needs to stop so that they can have good jobs – so that prostitution is not the only means to survive.

“I have always said that we are not prostitutes.

We have been prostituted.”

She tells me there is hope, that there are two transsexual women lecturing at one of the Universities in Bogota and they are respected in their fields. But she adds: “What haunts me is that one day if I am out on the street and someone identifies me as a transgender, it does not matter how much education I have or how much good I do, they can come and kill me just like any girl who works as a prostitute.

Even though I have never had the need to support myself that way. Nevertheless people will not see the difference.”

I ask her if she has a message for the people of Scotland and she starts to cry. After a moment she says: “What I do is a labour of love. I am just happy to be fighting for people’s rights and to know that I am making a difference that is the best reward.

I just want people to know that we are normal, I want us to be able to have a normal life.”

Last year the mayor of Bogota gave Laura an award for her work in LGBT rights. Part of the interview is available to view online at: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-wfPdvTpcn4&feature=channel_video_title

DEVIANCE

So, What Is This Polyamory Thing?

Just an excuse for shagging around?

There's much more to it than that...

WORDS: Matthew Bobbu Illustration: Gavin Rutherford

I think my girlfriend is absolutely amazing. That comes as no surprise to anybody. What does surprise some folks is that I think my boyfriend is amazing too. I’m polyamorous, you see.

I started dating at 14 – it was the usual chaos of emotional turmoil of teenage years; but I always found it odd that I had to leave one relationship when I had feelings for someone else. I had to keep making difficult choices between two or more people I loved, and it didn’t make sense to me: I was allowed to love more than one parent, why so different outside the family?

The turning point came when I was 18, and discovered that there were other people who felt the same way I did, and who were engaging in more than one relationship in a responsible, ethical way.

After stumbling upon this “polyamory” (“poly” for short – no parrot jokes please) I leapt upon all the resources I could find about it, and was soon an expert in all the theory.

There are almost as many ways of having polyamorous relationships as there are poly people – triads, quads, V’s and open marriages to name a few but what we all share is the desire to have honest relationships with multiple people, in which everyone involved is fully aware of and agrees to it.

Often polyamory is used as a synonym for “ethical non-monogamy,” though it’s generally agreed that the latter can include swingers too.

Poly differs from swinging as polyamorous people wish to have full emotional relationships with more than one person, not just non-monogamous sex.

The two are confused so much that a key poly catchphrase is “it’s not all about the sex!”

I heard over and over that when my relationships didn’t work out this was a clear sign that poly itself was flawed. I can only describe the reasoning behind this claim as ‘absent.’ I’m yet to see someone respond to divorce as a failure of monogamy, and surely if the end of a relationship shows that the relationship form itself is wrong, then monogamy has been on its last legs for millennia. I came to the opinion that it doesn’t matter how you love, so long as everyone is happy and honest; because

I’m yet to see someone respond to divorce as a failure of monogamy

relationships inevitably end, or someone dies.

I am also often accused of being unable to commit.

I find this quite amusing, as I’m currently in two longterm, committed relationships. The misunderstanding here, I think, is that people mistake exclusivity for commitment. Just because I love more than one person doesn’t mean I’m not committed to them.

The most often-asked question relating to polyamory is whether I get jealous. That isn’t the important thing about jealousy, though. What is important is how you deal with jealousy. Jealousy is, at its core, an expression of insecurity: you’re scared that your partner will leave you for someone else. It’s a symptom of a problem in a relationship, not the problem itself, and the only way anyone has ever found to solve problems between two people in love is to communicate.

This is just one of the reasons that you’ll find most questions about poly are answered with the three C’s: communication, communication, communication. In my experience it’s not just poly relationships that benefit from an emphasis on communication either. Everyone can benefit from talking things through with those you love.

Polyamory certainly isn’t for everyone, but I don’t believe monogamy is either. I don’t see any reason why people shouldn’t be just as free to choose how many people they love as they are free to choose who to love. Do you?

September 2011

THE SKINNY 31

SHOWCASE

Oliver Braid

Oliver Braid makes work which is a true rarity in the art world: it is actually enjoyable to experience. It could be perceived, sometimes, at first glance, as a little silly; yet it subtly asks bold questions of the contemporary world and forces us to address the weirdness of our 'normal' behaviour. He uses subject matter drawn from daily life, and twists it to create multi-layered artworks that can be appreciated for both their superficiality and their profundity. They can inspire questions about the ethics of social networking, of love and obsession in the modern age. They can arouse a cringe at the artist’s unashamed self-exposure, and a laugh at the sheer audacity of, for example, bringing together 100 artists to make work inspired by information gleaned from Facebook stalking a high school crush.

Next month he will be showing at Vault in Glasgow (9-11

Predictions, 2010 A hand-crafted decorative ashtray with removable lid, ‘for smoking with your best friends’. Originally shown at Tapestries: A New Interpretation, The Burrell Collection, Glasgow. Materials: Cardboard, paper, paint, pencil, embroidered foam, felt and foam core.

Dimensions: 60x50x50cm.

32 THE SKINNY September 2011

Jamie Radcliffe: The Exhibition, 2009 A curatorial project in which 100 artists were invited to respond to a PowerPoint presentation by Oliver Braid.

The PowerPoint contained information and images secretly taken from the Facebook profile of teenage crush Jamie Radcliffe, an unholsteror and part-time foootballer. Co-produced with support in-kind from LOWSALT. Originally shown at SWG3, Glasgow.

Sep, The Briggait) with The Mutual and Ironbbratz. After that, he’s in New Work Scotland at the Collective in Edinburgh with a new project called I’ll Look Forward To It: A Visual Essay on Expectation (www.collectivegallery.net/nwsp.html) where he is "aiming to advance as an artist who uses practical tactics to handle the study of happiness." He’s doing the Collective’s Christmas window, coinciding with a live music event. And in 2012 he has a solo exhibition called My Five New Friends at The Royal Standard, Liverpool.

For the Showcase, Oliver presents a brief overview of his past projects, as told through the different areas of his studio.

He wanted to make the background pink, but we stopped him.

You can find out even more about him on his website at www.oliverbraid.com and on tumblr at www.oliverbraid. tumblr.com

Love Made Easy: A Pansexual Artist Speed Dating Event, 2011 An exhibition featuring the work of 20 single artists. During the exhibition opening all participating artists took part in a speed dating event with each other.

The event was viewable to the public through an interior window. With It’s Our Playground & Romantic DJ Set by Christian Newby. Commissioned by and exhibited at The Mutual, Glasgow. With support from Ironbbratz.

The Craft 2009, 2009 A collaboration between Oliver Braid and his best friends from his teenage years. Over five years the trio of friends attempted to re-create the 1990’s film The Craft. Filming was finally completed during a turbulent and intensive two week ‘residency’ in July 2009. Originally screened as part of the evening event You’re A Voigin Who Can’t Droive, CCA Glasgow.

Is happiness the death of living in the future? 2010 An installation co-ordinated by Oliver Braid for the 2010 MFA Degree Show responding to the context of the course and final exhibition to mark this period. Including an ‘object’ by Oliver Braid (MFA 2010), a mural by Nicolas Party (MFA 2009) and drumskin and text by Joey Villemont (MFA 2011).

Originally shown at CCA, Glasgow.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 33

the electric frog September weekenDer Swg3, eaStvale place, glaSgow

frog DJS

Sat 10th September

2pm - 10pm Sun 11th September

preSSure Street Stage

Street Stage

frog live

Jeff millS, Derrick may,

mogwai,

wilD beaStS,

len faki, levon vincent, Slam

the fall, errorS, organS of love

10 yearS of melting pot Stage

Swg3 Stage

frankie knuckleS, £27.50

per Day

£50

week enDer

the orb, mount kimbie,

Joe clauSSell, bob JeffrieS, anDrew pirie

the fielD, Jimmy eDgar, konx-om-pax DJing through out the Day between performanceS on the main Stage paul thomSon (franz ferDinanD) + Jonnie wilkeS anD Swg3 Stage richarD (numberS)

on Sale from ticketS ScotlanD, ticket web, grouchoS, ripping recorDS, reSiDent aDviSor, rio cafe (hynDlanD Street, glaSgow - minuS booking fee) for more. www.theelectricfrog.co.uk

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ThriftChic Boutique 111 Broughton St, Edinburgh EH1 3RZ thriftchicboutique.co.uk *One offer per person. Expires 14th, November 2011.

Hundreds of artists in Wasps studios across Scotland will showcase a wide variety of work including: drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, textiles, installation, digital media, sculpture, glass silversmithing and jewellery

‘ The sort of festival people get possessive about’ The Guardian

Edinburgh/Glasgow/Irvine/Newburgh/Selkirk/Kirkcudbright Saturday 2nd October 11am - 5pm Sunday 3rd October 12pm - 5pm For more information about locations and visiting artists please visit: www.waspsstudios.org.uk 34 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

More than 150 events for adults and children www.wigtownbookfestival.com 01988 403222 Charity No. SCO37984

FASHION

PREVIEWS

STITCH LOUNGE: SEW GOOD FOR FASHION LOVERS INSPACE 24 - 25 SEP

Ever gone shopping and thought you could create better clothes yourself? Ever wanted to learn a new skill but didn’t have the space or the money?

Ever wanted to meet new people with similar interests? The Stitch Lounge has the answer.

Edinburgh’s (first ever) pop up ‘Stitch Lounge’ will return to Inspace for a second time on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September from 10am - 6pm.

The project is a free event and is part of the “No Concessions” Fashion and Technology season in collaboration with New Media Scotland and host venue Inspace.

Budding machinists will have the chance to begin or develop their sewing skills at an open laboratory with an enormous cutting table and multiple rolls of “white, bright and bold fabrics” ready to be turned into something special.

Renowned brand Singer will generously donate 10 machines especially for the event. There is even a

CC41 EXHIBITION PROVOST SKENE’S HOUSE, ABERDEEN UNTIL 15 OCT

Fashion has always been intertwined with economics. Whilst usually associated with the essence of high-end luxury, this autumn, Provost Skene’s House in Aberdeen is launching an exhibition which explores clothing right at the other end of the spectrum; fashion in the age of austerity.

The period of the Second World War may be an era which is no stranger to museum retrospectives, however, curator Victoria Ward and her team have managed to find a refreshing new approach to this topic by using fashion to reveal sociological perspectives on this time in history.

Exactly seventy years ago, the government implemented a clothes rationing scheme to deal with the shortage of raw materials available to the country during the war. The climate of consumption had to adapt to cope with these limited means, and so paved the way for labels such as CC41 Utility Clothing. This brand embraced a design philosophy precisely suited to the needs of a country bent on practising restraint and thriftiness at all costs. All of the clothes exhibited in this show adhere to the fundamental principles of creating quality clothing with minimum wastage.

The appealingly refined garments meant neat and functional tailoring with a restriction imposed on design, fabric quality and trimmings. No superflous decorations were allowed, no false pockets, or excess buttons. This was the demure, straight laced, minimal and eminently practical outerwear of the war-torn 40s.

This is a fascinating notion, particularly considering the stark light this exhibition sheds on our current consumer culture with our excessively high speed high street. The CC41 Utility Fashion

exhibition, showing clothes that were built to last and epitomising a culture of make-do-and-mend, it is in many ways the antithesis of our current clothing habits. Considering the regular critcism of our current mass-market strategies which make it possible to virtually renew your wardrobe with every new season, the concept of a range of clothes that were meant to last years, were practical and would create minimum waste when being made is a surprisngly modern, relevant and ethically friendly concept.[Kamila Kocialkowska] MON - SAT 10AM-5PM. ADMISSION IS FREE.

lounge filled with beautiful books to spark ideas and give inspiration.

Each day at 4pm, join seamstress Marise Bucukoglu and artist Kristina Johansen over afternoon tea, where they will demonstrate individual sewing techniques.

The Stitch Lounge will also premiere the Stitch Kitchen where delicious culinary delights are beautifully crafted by Ziggy’s Really Good Food.

The event will end with a closing party starting at 6pm on Sunday with cocktails, canapés and a catwalk.

Carrie Maginn, producer of the Stitch Lounge said, “It is a great place for people to come together and find out more about sewing, experiment and make new friends.”

Everyone is encouraged to be a part of this free sewing extravaganza. However, the number of weekend passes available for those tailors and tailoresses who would like to showcase their creations on Sunday’s catwalk are limited, so act fast and book your place online at http://stitchlounge. eventbrite.com[Victoria McGilp] STITCHLOUNGE@MEDIASCOT.ORG WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ THESTITCHLOUNGE WWW.MEDIASCOT.ORG/STITCHLOUNGE

ATELIER: THE INVENTORS OF TRADITION 2011 GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, MACKINTOSH MUSEUM 15 - 18 SEP

Atelier is the name of the collaboration between Lucy McKenzie, a Glaswegian artist based in Brussels and Beca Lipscombe, an Edinburgh-based designer. Over the past year the duo have been working on The Inventors of Tradition project, for which they researched created notions of national identity in archive material from the Scottish fashion and textile industry since the 1930s.

As a result of their project, Atelier have created a collection of garments that beautifully combine art, design and social history. Items on sale are knitwear, woven, raincoats, workwear and accessories – all geared around McKenzie and Lipscombe’s determination to use the best of Scottish manufacturing, in order to create a wardrobe geared towards working women.

Atelier has been working with established manufacturers, including Mackintosh, Caerlee Mills, McRostie of Glasgow, Hawick Cashmere, Begg Scotland and Janette Murray Handknits.

Expect elegant lines, simple but striking design and flowing material.

Highlights of the collection are McKenzie’s work coats (she teamed up with tailor Steven Purvis) which were inspired by historical models, and Lipscombe’s cashmere and knitwear, made to be worn with the work coats. The collection shines through the duo’s contemporary take on classic Scottish items, and their modern and elegant work. The strong artistic statement underlying the pieces nicely supports the already high-quality design and materials.

The collection is touring throughout 2011 and this showroom will be an opportunity for visitors to try on items; a sales person will also be on hand

A STILL FROM 'THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE' CHOSEN AS THE GSA MASTERS SHOW INVITATION IMAGE

to offer advice or provide details on Atelier and their creations.

A catalogue will accompany the exhibition, with launch to take place on Friday 16 September, 5-7pm, in the Mackintosh Museum at The Glasgow School of Art.[Adeline Amar] WWW.ATELIEREB.COM/INDEX.HTML SHOW ROOM: 15 – 18 SEPT BOOK LAUNCH: 16 SEPT, 5–7PM OPENING HOURS: THURS AND FRI 10.30AM–4.30PM, SAT AND SUN 10AM-7PM WWW.GSAEVENTS.COM/EXHIBITIONS/ATELIER-THEINVENTORS-OF-TRADITION-COLLECTION-2011

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 35

FOOD & DRINK

A Question of Taste

Your magazine needs you. Our Food & Drink editor explains why, and how, you can have your say on the state of Scottish food.

Words: Peter Simpson Hello again. I’m Peter, your friendly neighbourhood Food & Drink editor. You might remember me from an editorial a couple of months ago, with a picture of me gurning like I’d just stood on some Lego bricks. I hadn’t, that’s just my face, but thanks for the concern.

As almighty ruler of this page-and-a-bit of the magazine, you might expect me to have an encyclopedic bank of witty, well-considered, and authoritative views on the world of Scottish food.

I don’t. Sorry.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my lists of favourite places and a decent knowledge of the culinary landscape, but I don’t know everything. In fact, no-one knows everything. We all know a little, holding court in our own areas of expertise while trying to distract from our vast chasms of cultural amnesia and ignorance. Unless someone comes into endless reserves of cash and time they’ll never manage to see everything, to go everywhere. I hate to be the one to say it, folks – we can’t do it all on our own.

Lots of people, on the other hand, know a lot.

Ask one person for directions to the shops, and you’ll get one answer which might or might not be any good. Ask a hundred people, and you’ll have plenty more to choose from. Maybe there is just one good shop that everyone agrees on, or maybe there are a few that people think are lovely. So, having established that large groups can bring a wealth of knowledge to a situation, what can this fair magazine do to harness the awesome power of these ‘people’ and their ‘opinions’? What grand scheme can we put in place? What to do?

The Skinny Food & Drink Survey, that’s what.

Over the next few months you will have a low statistical chance of materially affecting our content by telling us about your favourite food & drink destinations across the country. Rich and poor, social hermits and waistcoated hipsters, everyone can stick their oar in. Using computers and mathematics, the group’s opinions will then be compiled and the result will be a list of bars, cafes, restaurants and emporia picked by the most important people of all – the readers.

Besides all that noble quasi-democratic waffle, The Skinny Food & Drink Survey or ‘tiss-fidds’ for short, is going to be so much better than just relying on the likes of me to tell you where to go.

This way there’ll be no biases, no suspiciously high rankings or strange omissions, and no undue snobbery and pigheaded moaning. OK, less pigheaded moaning. Wherever you good people decide is best gets the kudos, and anyone who wants to can have their say. It’s all very exciting.

I have no idea what you lot will end up recommending, but I’m more than happy to go along with it, and if you disagree with the eventual winners, you’ll only have your fellow readers, and by extension yourselves, to blame. It’s perfect.

Who knows, if this goes well, the whole ‘voting for your favourites’ concept might catch on. I can see it now; “The Skinny, championing the concept of democracy since 2011.”

FOOD SURVEY FAQS

OK, I’m sold on this idea. What should I do now?

Lovely to have you on board. Voting opens on

XXX. When that day comes, fire up your computer and go to LINK, or aim your fancy-pants smartphone at the QR code on this page and follow the instructions.

So I just go and write in whatever comes to mind?

Not quite. Our crack survey-writing team has developed a host of categories based around the food and drink we all love – so pints, pizza, and tasty, tasty cakes. Write in your choices for as many of the categories as you like, so if you don’t like very much and just want to vote for a few places then that’s fine too.

How do I pick between my favourite Edinburgh and Glasgow haunts? I JUST CAN’T DO IT. HELP ME! Calm down, dear. The survey covers Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the rest of Scotland, and you can vote for your favourite in each category for each area.

When should I vote?

Now! This first phase of the survey will run for a few months, and we’ll keep you all updated on the survey’s progress. Later in the year we’ll be back to whittle things down, but for now we just need your thoughts. And we need them NOW! GO! RUN! I am a pub, restaurant, cafe or other such establishment. What should I do?

Make your customers nice things, treat them well, then gently suggest they send a vote your way. This will encourage them to tell their friends about your establishment, friends who will come to that establishment, and whom you can convince to vote for you. In short, be nice.

eDINBURGH CITRUSITY This cocktail has been made by Bruce Hamilton at Ondine Resturant on George IV Bridge. The Edinburgh Citrusity was named because it uses the citrusy flavouring of Aperol, orange juice and vermouth to create a fresh and tangy cocktail that is perfect for any time of the day.

The Edinburgh Citrusity also won Edinburgh Gin’s Cocktail Competition last week. So congratulations to Bruce!

Edinburgh Citrusity Bruce Hamilton, Ondine Edinburgh Gin 25ml Aperol 25ml Orange juice 10ml Rosso Vermouth 15 ml Sugar shake Double strain into a martini glass Garnish with an orange twist Ondine Restaurant 2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1AD 0131 226 1888 www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk

36 THE SKINNY September 2011

Confessions of a Foodie #1 The Skinny’s resident foodie has some advice – don’t take too much advice Words: Fiona Buchanan Anybody that has ever worked with food professionally will tell you that good food and good times exist on shifting sands. A perfect night, a beautiful dish, or an exquisite flavour is never summoned from the pages of a magazine at a finger’s click. You have to try, test, follow your taste buds; work with what (and who) you’ve got.

This, Grasshopper, is called Flying By The Seat Of Your Pants and in the world of food it’s a professional requirement.

In any scenario Flying By The Seat Of Your Pants can take one of three trajectories. It can be as simple as a quick fridge forage; “F*****g Norah!

Eight friends coming for dinner and nothing in but pasta, cornies, and a packet of Haribo.” It can be the inspirational language of the freestyler; “Hmm, yeah man, snails and porridge – lets try it!” Or it can be what translates the wishes of silly hearts and dreamers into everlasting memories; “I fancy doing a silver service dinner on top of Ben Veryhigh… who’s coming?”

Let me make one thing clear though. Flying

By The Seat Of Your Pants is not the same as Making It Up As You Go Along. Successful Flying requires elements of native cunning, a grip on the basic elements of the territory you’re entering. It requires a touch of elbow grease and a measure of common sense.

Abandon ideas of formula and precise measurements. Trust your senses. Success occurs when

the sum of your ideas and ingredients become greater than their individual parts. When laughter and stories start to bubble around the table. That is what makes cooking an art. But there are also a lot of great stories and laughter in honest error and the enticing possibility of creating something truly magical too. After all, what else are we here for?[Fiona Buchanan] Fiona Buchanan has a whole wealth of foodie experience that she will be happily sharing with you over the coming months. Got any food questions?

Fiona will have the answer. Email food@theskinny. co.uk and you might even make it into print

A Mountain. You Could be Cooking Here.

Food News

Untitled-3 1

WITH PETER SIMPSON

September’s food news resembles a set of Russian dolls, as a lot of this month’s happenings fall under the purview of the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight.

The Fortnight runs for 15 days. That’s not a fortnight. It makes up for this flagrant falsehood by truly covering the length and breadth of the country. From EatBute, which we assume is a clever title and not a geophagic (Google it) challenge, to the Scottish Screen Archive’s programme of food films in Falkirk, there is something for everyone across Scotland. Even the pedants.

Into this Russian doll-type situation falls Blasda, a series of events devoted to what the promotional material ominously refers to as the “growing strength” of local producers. Their italics, not ours.

And within Blasda is the Glasgow Harvest, four Saturday afternoons celebrating urban gardening in the four corners of the city. With site-specific art, workshops about worms and live music, Glasgow Harvest is a chance to meet new people, share some food and a few tips, and experience feelings of inadequacy around your home-baking.

And finally this month, something completely different yet equally Scottish. Whisky Live is this month’s premier opportunity to swan around rooms filled with interesting food types while nodding along to whatever it is they’re saying. Not to worry, as Whisky Live has a range of masterclasses to help you disguise your philistine tendencies and identify all the different kinds of peat you’ll encounter, as well as the chance to try ALL the whiskys. Seriously, check their website, there’s enough to (very responsibly) float a battleship.

Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, 4-19 Sep, scottishfoodanddrinkfortnight.co.uk; Blasda, 10 Sep, Various Locations, blasda.org.uk; Glasgow Harvest, 10, 17, 24 Sep & 8 Oct, nva.org.uk; Whisky Live, 3 Sep, Thistle Hotel, Glasgow, tickets from £15

23/08/2011 13:15

The Secrets of Superskin with Dale Pinnock

3pm, Saturday 8th October 2011 The Merchants’ Hall, 22 Hanover St, Edinburgh Dale’s appearance is part of a series of Healthy Lifestyle events organised by Hanover Healthfoods on October 8th.

Search Hanover Healthfoods

Glasgow Harvest

TICKETS: £7.50 Hanover Healthfoods 40 Hanover St. or the Eric Liddle Centre.

More info: 0131 225 4291 September 2011

THE SKINNY 37

“A mix of the exotic and nostalgic” Sunday Times

PINK MARTINI THE SYMPHONIQUE TOUR with the SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER 7.30PM

in arrangement with Musicians Incorporated

usherhall.co.uk 0131 228 1155 38 THE SKINNY September 2011

MUSIC

Live Music Highlights

METAL COLUMN

words: Mark Shukla

United Fruit

probably want to treat yourself to a generous serving of United Fruit, who play Glasgow Captain’s Rest on 23 Sep. Support comes from Reekie’s lovable experimental noise-makers Lady North.

Trippy Sacramento psych-pop unit Ganglians have been known to lure the most wholesome of influences (surf, doo-wop, folk) into the back of their van, feed them bad drugs, then force them to participate in a cosmic road-trip through time and space. Sounds harsh on paper, but sometimes you gotta break a few eggs if you want to get shit done. Check them out at Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy, 23 Sep. Male Bonding know almost everything there is to know about chugging riffola thanks to many grueling years spent working their way to the top of the competitive cheese-grating scene. These days they give their unfeta’d attention to writing perfectly crafted pop-punk and if their new album, Endless Now, is anything to go by, their gig at Glasgow’s Admiral Bar on 29 Sep promises to be unforgettable.

Photo: Euan Robertson

Photo: Martin Barker

Having been galvanised into motion courtesy of another last-minute irrelevancy bypass procedure (check the new Battles single, My Machines), Gary Numan will play Glasgow’s ABC on 20 Sep. If you can get over the fact that this simply isn’t the same guy that wrote Replicas, chances are you’ll have a grand old time screaming along to his steroidenhanced versions of Down in the Park and Are Friends Electric?

Talented Edinburgh three-piece North Atlantic Oscillation deal in brooding, weighty riffs, saucybut-powerful basslines and deftly marshalled loops and samples. In other words, they’re ambitious buggers, and they’re playing Glasgow King Tut’s on 20 Sep plus the Limbo night at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on 21 Sep. Stellar support from Miaoux Miaoux and Discopolis.

There’s nothing quite like the sound of multiple electric guitars locked together in ecstatic harmonic discord, especially when they’re being thunderously flagellated by a posse of angry Glaswegians. If you feel the same way then you’ll

Photo: Shawn Brackbill

Alasdair Roberts

Kurt Vile

HOT TICKET of the month Electric Frog Live SWG3, 11 Sep

Following on from the house/techno-centric gathering taking place on Saturday (headlined by Jeff Mills no less), day two of the Electric Frog Carnival keeps things experimental but ups the human performance element to include much-anticipated appearances by The Fall, Wild Beasts, Errors and a headline set from the mighty Mogwai.

Lest you think the machines are getting a raw deal, you’ll also be able to enjoy sets from the increasingly unmissable Mount Kimbie as well as electronic-pop darling Jimmy Edgar and supertalented local noise-maker/visual artist Konx-OmPax. See you there.[Mark Shukla] 2pm - 10pm, £50 (weekend) & £27.50 (day ticket) www.theelectricfrog.co.uk/

Photo: Kerri Aniello

Music is the Music Language is a promising new festival dedicated to showcasing the diversity of Scotland’s underground music scene. Taking place on 3/4 Sep at Glasgow’s SWG3 Studio Warehouse, its line-up has us salivating already, featuring as it does the likes of Alasdair Roberts, Cut Hands, Moon Unit, Divorce, Wounded Knee, Richard Youngs and Withered Hand amongst many others. Get your (very reasonably priced) tickets from Monorail or visit cryparrot. co.uk for more details.

Combining the urgency of hardcore with baleful and suggestive post-punk atmospheres, youthful Scandinavian posse Iceage have hit upon a sound that’s got the cognoscenti frothing at the mouth.

Given their reputation for blitzkrieg live shows, we expect their gig at Glasgow’s Captain’s Rest on 4 Sep to go off like a firecracker in a child’s hood.

Despite having been through countless creative ups and downs during their 25 year career, Public Enemy continue to bring the noise, and with a fan-funded album due to drop in 2012 it’s clear they have no interest in becoming a nostalgia act. That said, we fully intend to lose our shit as soon as they drop Welcome to the Terrordome at Glasgow ABC on 6 Sep (as part of their 2011 Fear of a Black Planet tour). This show should be a lock, ‘cause no one works a crowd harder than Chuck and Flav.

Psych-folk/drone rock standout Kurt Vile released one of this year’s slow-burners in Smoke Ring for My Halo, and on 6 Sep he (along with his band, The Violators) will pitch up at Glasgow Stereo for an evening of energised introspection and brilliantly strung-out jams. He may not have the loudest personality on the circuit but this kid’s well worth looking up. Modern folk mavericks Woods are in tow.

The Black Angels have always been a good band, but in 2011 you can make a pretty solid argument that they’ve evolved into the most compelling psych-rock outfit on the circuit.

Sinister, sexy and possessing an uncanny ability to marry their natural songwriting ability with a penchant for hard-grooving drones, their show at Glasgow’s SWG3 on 7 Sep comes with our highest recommendation.

African HiTech’s 93 Million Miles is one of the standout albums of the year thus far; a captivating and visceral celebration of the history of club music from two heads who really know their shit.

On 9 Sep Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek will take control of the sound system at Glasgow’s Arches to deliver a once-in-a-blue-moon history lesson that promises to join the dots between soul, funk, jazz, jungle, juke and everything in between.

Get ready to move.

With a sound that takes in electronica, folk, punk and traditional Basque percussion (not to mention the occasional terrifying excursion into early 90s Euro-trance) it’s safe to say that Crystal Fighters possess supreme faith in their own musical vision.

Whilst they frequently sound like a mess on record, the sheer hyper-energised what-the-fuck-ness of their live shows makes their gig at Glasgow’s Stereo on 16 Sep an easy recommendation.

With their third album, The Loudest Engine, dropping this month, Howling Bells will play Glasgow Òran Mór on 19 Sep in the hopes of reminding us why they were once being touted as the next big thing. Cainophobics rest easy: there’s no chance they’ll be leaving favourites like Setting Sun or Blessed Night off their set list.

Twee-folk notables Slow Club head to Glasgow King Tut’s on 18 Sep and Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire on 19 Sep. Their breathlessly wordy compositions clearly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but they do give it some welly, God bless ‘em.

The fall’s Mark E. Smith

While last month’s unsightly bouts of civil disobedience were indisputably deplorable, one of the more overlooked effects was what it meant for Britain’s longhair contingent. Metal is no longer seen as the breeding ground for anarchic hellions. Did anyone see a solitary Autopsy shirt in that carnage? A single denim or leather-clad misfit putting the boot into Primark?

Hell, naw! Well, September’s the time for the metal masses to take the streets back – with face-melting riffs rather than actual violence, you understand.

Steadfast as ever, Bannerman’s will be spearheading the charge with another night of blooddrunk brutality on 12 Sep. Gorgasm, Cancerous Womb and Defeated Sanity will bring a combo of grunts, growls and blasts to Auld Reekie, followed up by a real coup as acid punk progenitors Warrior Soul roll into town on 23 Sep. Rawk-lovin’ brothers-in-arms Studio 24 will be providing the heavy artillery as oft-forgotten thrash titans Onslaught take up arms with Irish speed-demons Gama Bomb (28 Sep). Given that the Bristolians are touring their recently released Sounds of Violence album, you don’t get any prizes for guessing how much this is gonna pulverise your eardrums.

Fighting the good fight on the Western front will be 13th Note, serving up Singaporean grinders Wormrot on 6 Sep. There’ll be no excuse for standing on the sidelines shaking your head ‘cos you don’t know the material either, as those terrific chaps at Earache have put their latest album Dirge up for free download. If you can’t quite handle that, make sure to make it along to the Buckfest Alldayer (17 Sep) as The Bucky Rage, Girobabies (yes, they went there) and countless other Mohawk-honouring upstarts rock that diminutive stage (well, floor).

Our continental cousins will be doing their part as well, as Poland’s dark stars Hate And Vesania team up with Transylvanian black/folk metallers Negur? Bunget (20 Sep) for a night that’s likely to deliver equal parts majesty and sheer devastation, while Hellenic power-metal merchants Firewind will be sounding the battle-charge from the confines of the Cathouse (11 Sep).

Even our Belfast brethren will be contributing to the war on abject idiocy as they send LaFaro our way, armed with razor-edged hooks and a wealth of tunes that’ll keep your head banging as the world crumbles around ye. Take in the spectacle at Aberdeen’s Tunnels (24 Sep), Glasgow Stereo (26 Sep) or Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s (27 Sep).

Of course, our allies across the pond are joining the fray late as it’ll be the 23 Sep before the elite troops in Between The Buried And Me storm into King Tut’s to kick ass and chew bubblegum.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that while our American friends are hardly punctual, they’re always handy in a ruckus.

The small pockets of resistance dotted around the country will play no small part in our eventual victory against those who simply cannot be arsed saving for a PS3. L.A. locals Letlive will be taking their emotion-soaked hardcore up north to tackle Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Beat Generator Live (formerly Hustlers) in Dundee and Inverness’ Ironworks on 1, 3 and 4 Sep respectively. Dundonians are also in for a treat as Metallica’s favourite aggro-punks The AntiNowhere League hit BGL on 9 Sep. “So what!?” we hear you cry. That’s the spirit![David Bowes]

September 2011

THE SKINNY 39

Shonen Knife Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 16 Aug

photo: Sonia Mallan

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The Queen’s Hall, 23 Aug

rrrrr If Warpaint’s obsession with the more esoteric moments of British goth-rock didn’t quite shine through on last year’s understated debut, nods to The Cure (it’s all in the spindly guitar work) and Cocteau Twins are presented in vivid technicolour tonight.

Announcing themselves with an eponymous calling card, echoes of the Cocteaus’ Liz Fraser in particular bleed through in Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman’s ethereal harmonies. But each constituent part of the LA quartet brings a real uniqueness to the stage; swaying and apparently lost on her own frequency, Jenny Lee Lindberg’s

www.shonenknife.com

low-end contribution is an oddly danceable complement to Stella Mozgawa’s fluid rhythms.

Between-song banter is either coyly whispered or drowned out by drunken cries, perpetuating their enigma. An early appearance of Undertow – their one true hit to date – is rapturously received and more importantly proves that they don’t need to depend on it; the juddering, irresistible groove of Bees and a lush reworking of kitchen-sink pop paean Billie Holiday from their debut EP emerge as equal highlights. Dripping with the playful conviction of a band very much on an upward creative trajectory, Warpaint prove themselves a hype worth believing.

Food for the soul. [Dave Kerr]

photo: Gemma Burke

Warpaint

Even before a note is played, someone in tonight’s sold out crowd gives voice to the question on many a mind: Isosceles, where have you been? We get no definitive explanation for the hiatus, only the reassurance that it’s nice to have them back.

Whatever its cause, the time-out has provided at least one clear benefit: the glut of art-school indie-pop types that swamped Glasgow post-Franz has since thinned, affording Isosceles a renewed freshness, their sound now borderline anachronistic in the best possible sense. Their newwave-tinged set is flecked with hiccups, but none so distracting that they mar a delightful return.

But, as the band themselves

note, they’re hardly tonight’s main attraction. That would be the animated trio unorthodoxly inquiring of Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, ‘Are you ready to sushi!?’ A large part of Shonen Knife’s appeal stems from the friction between their cutesy surface shtick and the bad-ass punk energy crackling from their amps. The scrappy charm of their earliest recordings is now fully metamorphosed into slick rock n roll, happily divorced from any musical developments out-with their day-glo bubble.

Free Time features heavily, but it’s Super Group’s title track that furnishes the night with its highlight; until, that is, an Osaka Ramones encore, which sees them barrel through a trio of songs by Joey and the gang, hopped up, revved up, and ready to go. [Chris Buckle]

photo: Euan Robertson

Live Reviews

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine O2 ABC2, 9 Aug

rrrr For those fond of syncopated, ultra-taut snare skin, Bronto Skylift deliver; in an unceasingly loud set, Iain Stewart’s forceful fills resound loudest. Despite the early slot, they make sure they’re impossible to ignore, though sometimes it would be nice if the punishing jams levelled out for more than a bar or two at a time – all that rhythmic turbulence is enough to give a listener heartburn.

As is P6’s customary get-up of pig mask, butcher’s apron, and a grimy aura that’s equal parts sleaze, banterful rakishness and theatrical malevolence. While DeSalvo have a habit of wrongfooting the uninitiated, the old-punk network encircling the stalking frontman isn’t shy about making its appreciation known.

Sebadoh

www.warpaintwarpaint.com

Cabaret Voltaire, 24 Aug

photo: Sol Nicol

photo: Kenny McCOLL

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The National Corn Exchange, 23 Aug

rrrrr As The National take to the stage for their inaugural Edinburgh show to rousing applause, there follows a hushed expectancy that immediately bristles neck hairs. Opening with the delicate Runaway, an ecstatic crowd applauds each added wave of brass and percussion, producing an elegiac call and response between band and audience.

It’s a feeling that doesn’t let up, and the sense that singer Matt Berninger really means it when he states how good it feels to be here after

endless festival slots, really shines through. The highlights come thick and fast, each one seemingly eclipsing the last; an exuberant Secret Meeting, an unexpected and stadiumepic Available and an ostensible finale in the ever-effective Fake Empire. An encore of Mr. November sees Berninger heroically climb a speaker stack and break through a ceiling tile for the screaming crescendo.

Yet it’s an unplugged Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks that cements the show, the band happily relinquishing their astonishing sound over to the audience for a fitting send-off. [Darren Carle] www.americanmary.com

40 THE SKINNY September 2011

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Garage, 5 Aug

rrrr Despite being relative noobs in Glasgow’s burgeoning hardcore scene, Last Words make an impressive step towards getting their foot in the door tonight.

Massive breakdowns, a touch of Black Flag aggression and some nifty guitar lines all set this lot up for being one to keep an eye out for in the future.

We Are Knuckle Dragger are in an unfortunate situation thanks to a recent injury forcing drummer Shaun Abbott to make do with only one arm but they still triumph admirably with deft footwork, a grimy stop-start bass rattle and a contorted demonfunk stomp that evokes Primus as much as Pantera. And not a single Def Leppard jibe in sight, which takes serious restraint.

Even this, though, is only a taste

of the insanity that comes with an average Dillinger Escape Plan show. Within five minutes of taking stage, the air is already peppered with bodies, whether they’re the constant stream of crowd surfers or the stocky frame of Greg Puciato who, even as he’s being held aloft, is still roaring out Farewell, Mona Lisa until his carotids seems ready to detonate from the pressure.

Tonight graphically exhibits everything they have become, the solid groove and belt-along choruses of Milk Lizard resting comfortably against When Good Dogs Do Bad Things’ technical arsenal and general weirdness while the room remains in a state of perpetual chaos, provoked by the Jersey boys themselves as they recoil from wall to wall and walk over the heads of pitting punters. A physically exhausting performance from both crowd and band.[David Bowes] www.dillingerescapeplan.com

We’ve enjoyed twenty minutes and countless classic Sebadoh numbers before the lads themselves take a breather tonight. “Do you want a slow song or another fast song?” asks Lou Barlow. “Play the slow song fast!” comes one reply.

Mercifully they decline the idea, and with Barlow and Jason Loewenstein swapping guitar and bass roles, we get the full tapestry of their live experience.

Contemplative numbers like

Chad VanGaalen Captain’s Rest, 18 Aug

rrrr On arrival, Tesla Birds (AKA Steven Kane of Happy Particles) is already sat cross-legged on the floor, hunched over miniature keys like Schroeder made flesh, coaxing all manner of lovely ambience forth in the pale light of a Mac-screen. He’s no onetrick pony either, finishing with a reverb and falsetto-based ballad that transfixes all in attendance.

When Chad VanGaalen wearily confesses “we’re three and a half weeks into the tour now, and we’re so bored” he breaks one of the foremost gig commandments: flatter thy audience. Nurse! Administer a shot of adrenaline post-haste, before

It only takes two tracks for Jello Biafra to commence tonight’s numerous between-song microlectures, with David Cameron and Vodafone the first under the lens. Later, Utøya, Tottenham and Piers Morgan (the latter labelled “fascist scum”) are wrapped together in his forceful flow, but, as always, any sacrificed nuance is superseded by righteous fury.

The Guantanamo School of Medicine back their volatile vanguard expertly, whether storming through their own material (Three Strikes, Electronic Plantation) or cuts from Biafra’s prior glories.

Obama-baiting updates keep California Über Alles enduringly punchy, but, as Biafra himself notes with disappointment, it’s the ireful satire of Police Truck that resonates most with the UK’s unfolding headlines. Its surf-rock sting ignites the room, while an encore featuring Holiday in Cambodia sees the indefatigable rabble-rouser miming and gurning to the end.[Chris Buckle]

Dreams rub shoulders with a buoyant Freed Pig before Licence to Confuse reignites the audience. The calls for favoured numbers come thick and fast but, according to the band’s own calculations, they only ever hit a one-in-five success rate in the request game. It’s a tad modest as they lay down instant classic after forgotten gem for close to ninety minutes, but it’s a reminder of just how sprawling and consistently solid their back catalogue is. Whatever their own measure of success, tonight is a win for everyone. [Darren Carle] www.sebadoh.com

his candour is misinterpreted.

Suddenly savvy to the potential faux pas, he quickly clarifies by professing love for Glasgow, but he needn’t have worried; the ennui ain’t catching.

Not with music as heart-breaking as solo-uke opener Shave My Pussy, as wistful as Sara and as invigorating as Do Not Fear coming out the speakers. But he’s evidently not one for hyperbole: early on, he jokingly bills the night as nothing but empty promises, while a cover of Here Comes Your Man is introduced with a shrugged, “because we get bored on the road”. The crowd has more than enough enthusiasm to go around tonight, but someone get the poor guy a DS already. [Chris Buckle] www.myspace.com/chadvangaalen

RECORDS

THE DIRTY DOZEN Coercing CHAD VANGAALEN, self-pronounced 'worst critic in the world', into dissecting the month’s singles is no easy task INTERVIEW: CHRIS BUCKLE PHOTOS: SOL NICOL Sarabeth Tucek – Smile For No One (Sonice Cathedral, 12 Sep) C: That better be a real fucking piano, that’s all I can say.

Passing band member: He gets angry when it isn’t a real piano. Then he pisses himself.

C, after careful consideration: Yeah, it seems like everybody knows what they’re doing.

S: That’s pretty faint praise…

C: I guess… OK, 1 out of 10. I think I’ll go full asshole – everyone’s going to hate me.

S: Your scores are all or nothing, full marks or one. Apart from Anna Calvi’s 9.9 that is…

C: Yeah, about that – I’d like to change her score to a ten as well.

NOT ONLY is Mr VanGaalen less than thrilled at the prospect of passing judgements from the gut, but there are also sound checks and food orders competing for the amicable Canadian’s time and attention. But with steely determination we plough forward, diving into the promo pile feet-first.

“It’s crazy that you have all these on CD! I haven’t seen a pile like that for years,” he exclaims as we settle into the quiet confines of his tour van and begin. “Sorry in advance if I’m, like, the worst music critic in the world…”

Anna Calvi – Suzanne and I (Domino, 12 Sep) After moody drums and string bends set the track’s timbre, Calvi muscles in doing her best Shirley Bassey impression.

Chad: Are these guys from here? She sounds Scottish, no? Maybe not…

The Skinny: How does her high drama style sit with your usual tastes?

C: To tell you the truth, I don’t even listen to that much music. I mean, this sounds good – I can understand it – it’s got big production, and it sounds like they spent a lot of money. I like it – it’s definitely not bad.

S: Marks out of ten?

C (after much contemplation): 9.9 Make Sparks – Your Heart’s on Fire (Mountain Halo, 5 Sep) C, clearly unimpressed: Are all of these going to be indie bands? This is pretty big production as well, but it’s a bit too… orchestrated. It feels horrible to judge though – I don’t know if I feel comfortable with this. I mean, I’ve already forgotten the name of this band, and I’m giving their song 1 out of 10…

SINGLE OF THE MONTH Warpaint – Billie Holiday (Rough Trade, 19 Sep) C, seconds in: Yeah, I like these guys, these guys get 10 out of 10.

S: Do you already know them?

C: No. I mean, I’ve heard of Warpaint but I’ve never heard what they do. But yeah, these guys are good, 10 out of 10. Right, what’s next?

Teeth – Flowers (Moshi Moshi, 5 Sep) C, barely a minute in, his binary scoring system now locked in place: Yeah, ten out of ten.

S: What is it you like about it?

C: I don’t know, it just sounds good. They sound like they got robots to make the song, but whatever man – you do what you’ve got to do.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Keep Me Waiting (Memphis Industries, 12 Sep) C: Woah! These guys are good. It’s nice that they’ve got a bass player – 10 out of 10. Next!

S: Would I be right in guessing that nothing we’ve heard so far would be the kind of thing you’d usually listen to?

C: Honestly man, I listen to what my daughter tells me to and that’s about it. When I’m at home, I listen to drone music and ABBA, seriously. I’m absolutely the wrong person to criticise any band. Especially when you don’t know what motivates someone to do a particular style of music – it’s hard to criticise someone when you don’t know what they’re aiming for. I have no common sense when it comes to that.

Austra – Spellwork (Domino, 5 Sep) S: Austra are nominated for this year’s Polaris Prize…

C, after a sharp intake of breath: 1 out of 10, we don’t even need to hear them. It’s automatic. (Chad’s been nominated twice without a win, while latest album Diaper Island didn’t make this year’s shortlist) Seriously, I don’t want to hear it!

S: Don’t take it out on Austra…

C: OK, fine, I’ll hear it… (thirty seconds later) Oh, I like that… I’d vote them down for the Polaris nomination though. They really like their fart-synth sounds. It sounds like British electro. 10 out of 10.

Snow Patrol – Called Out In the Dark (Fiction, 4 Sep) S, while cueing the track: Are you familiar with this band?

C: I’ve definitely heard of them but I don’t know whether they’re known in Canada really.

The song begins…

C, instantly: No, no, no. No. No, 1 out of 10. His voice, oh man… 1 out of 10, turn it off.

Pusha T feat. Tyler, the Creator – Trouble On My Mind (Decon, 26 Sep) C, scanning the sleeve: I don’t even want to hear this one, it already gets 10 out

EP REVIEWS MOGWAI

EARTH DIVISION EP 13 SEP, ROCK ACTION

rrr Word on the streets (well, the blogs then) was that this new EP was to herald something a little bit different from our favourite Glaswegian heavyweights Mogwai. In some respects, that’s true. Earth Division is comprised of four tracks of quite varying styles, all held together by heavy use of classical instrumentation.

There’s a certain narrative logic to the progression over repeated listens, from the gloomy piano-led opener Get to France, through the sparse, gorgeous Hound of Winter, to the epic, if somewhat messy, neo-classical electro-rock of Drunk and Crazy. Hawk-eyed die-hards will be able to trace the strands of DNA to previous songs, meaning Earth Division is certainly a trip, just not quite a trailblazer. [Darren Carle]

of 10. Seriously, I don’t want to fucking hear it, just looking at this picture I know it’s 10 out of 10.

He’s there, doing stuff… getting high on jenkem or something (Wikipedia: “a hallucinogenic substance created from fermented human waste”).

He’s a jenkem addict, so 10 out of 10.

The Duke Spirit – Surrender (Fiction, 12 Sep) C, miming and singing bass riff: Bam, be-bam bam - can I give this 1 out of 10, and 10 out of 10 please?

S: Only if you can explain why…

C: But I don’t know why… It’s like, I like that bass line, but maybe I’ve heard it too many times or something. I like it, but maybe, like, Soundgarden did it, and then Nirvana did it, and so on, y’know?

S: So is it a 10 for the bass line and a 1 for everything surrounding the bass line?

C: Precisely.

Martyn – Masks/Viper (Brainfeeder, 19 Sep) C: This is good, 10 out of 10 again. Actually, this one’s really good. Minimal techno… I like it.

S: If there’d been more of this kind of thing do you think your scores would have been any different?

C: I doubt it – I’ve already given out a lot of 10s…

The Twilight Singers – Blackbird and the Fox (Sub Pop, 5 Sep) C: This is pretty classy. Yep, 10 out of 10 for this too.

S: Usually it’s easy to identify a single of the month, but you’ve given just about everything full marks…

C: Well, I really liked the Martyn one, but I’m going to go for Warpaint. I like the Martyn one a lot, and can appreciate where it’s coming from, but Warpaint seemed more original. Sorry, I was the worst critic in the world, wasn’t I?

DIAPER ISLAND BY CHAD VANGAALEN IS OUT NOW ON SUB POP WWW.SUBPOP.COM/ARTISTS/CHAD_VANGAALE

JOHN CALE

EXTRA PLAYFUL EP 19 SEP, DOUBLE SIX

rrrr You’d never guess that John Cale’s been drawing his pension for the past four years after listening to the Extra Playful EP. The snappily entitled Catastrofuk catches the founding member of the Velvet Underground in ebullient, ass-shaking form, the song in question underpinned by a fat, squelchy synth line and a baritone vocal melody reminiscent of Nick Cave in his recent moustachioed period. On Whaddya Mean

By That the Welshman Cale loosens up further, introducing a jazzier feel, but one still wedded to an excellent tune, the chorus good enough to prickle the nape of your neck. Hey Ray is bonkers, Pile A L’Heure is in French and Perfection is, ironically, the only remotely bum note on this vibrant and – right enough – playful little collection of songs. [PJ Meiklem]

PLAYING ELECTRIC FROG FESTIVAL AT SWG3, GLASGOW ON 11 SEP WWW.MOGWAI.CO.UK

WWW.JOHN-CALE.COM

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 41

ALBUM REVIEWS

RECORDS

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: ST. VINCENT

STRANGE MERCY 12 SEP, 4AD

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"I was going for something a bit more direct, more tactile" says Annie Clark of her third album, a collection themed around an investigation of "those kinds of more extreme emotions," predominantly the desire to find relief from pain, whether through delirium (Northern Lights), self-realisation (Cheerleader) or psycho-sexual catharsis (the anguished hip-hop spasms of Chloe in the Afternoon).

The main colours still come courtesy of Clark's voice and guitar (the fuzzed-out swagger of her previous LP, Actor, now augmented with many more introspective passages) but the decision to replace that album's ostentatious orchestral flourishes with woozily pitchbent synth washes and expressive Minimoog workouts lends the album a surreal and intoxicating energy.

Eerie, hyper-edited choral samples haunt the mix on numerous tracks, whilst suggestive reverb artifacts sporadically play across the stereo field like a wintry breeze. Clark's vocals mirror this exacting strangeness, her delivery yielding variously to both seductive vulnerability and feverish agitation without surrendering entirely its veneer of stringency and control.

Neither as immediate nor as stylistically dazzling as its predecessor, Strange Mercy manages to succeed entirely on its own terms by dint of Clark's willingness to embrace her own idiosyncratic impulses, and in doing so, to reveal more of herself. [Mark Shukla] PLAYING STEREO, GLASGOW ON 15 NOV WWW.ILOVESTVINCENT.COM

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH

BOOM BIP

MARIACHI EL BRONX

12 SEP, V2

26 SEP, LEX

5 SEP, WICHITA RECORDINGS

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HYSTERICAL

Having leapt to the top of NYC’s heavily stacked indie canon with their eponymous 2005 debut, Brooklyn’s CYHSY gained a fervent following with their meld of off-kilter melodies and arty inflections. This was before sophomore release Some Loud Thunder brought about an opinion-splitting reinvention which found the band knee-deep in experimental territory.

In a stark retreat from their envelope-pushing past release, Hysterical finds the quintet wholly embracing their pop persona. Opener Same Mistake finds the Americans rummaging around in The Killers closet with tepid results, whilst the frantic stramash of its title track is dominated

by Alec Ounsworth’s divisive vocals, ramping up to a fevered, nascent whine. But the disappointment abruptly ends there, with the ship-steadying Misspent Youth’s hazy synths and soporific base-line, and the woozy, proggy comedown of Siesta (For Snake)’s bringing a masterfully mellow flavour to proceedings. Elsewhere, the undeniably fun Idiot and Into Your Alien Arms prove that, though CYHSY might polarise their fanbase all over again, they’re sure to win a few new hearts. [Paul Neeson]

NURSES

DRACULA 19 SEP, DEAD OCEANS

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ZIG ZAJ

MARIACHI EL BRONX II

In recent years, producer Bryan ‘Boom Bip’ Hollon has shown a desire to connect the dots between his electropurist roots and the hippest realms of the indie-sphere, most notably with Neon Neon, the collaborative project between Hollon and Super Furry Animals leader Gruff Rhys. By comparison Zig Zaj is a much more understated affair, with guests tailored to suit the more brooding nature of the music: Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos gives a notable, uncharacteristically dark vocal performance on Goodbye Lovers and Friends.

The lengthier instrumental sections reveal blissful elements of krautrock and drone (see Pele and Reveal), showing that Hollon’s palette is certainly expanding, but his insistence on pushing conventional live drumming to the fore doesn’t always work. Whereas Neon Neon’s Stainless Style took its influences and ran with them in an over-thetop way, Zig Zaj doesn’t break out enough. It’s the more experimental moments here that hint at something greater. [Ross Watson]

What made Mariachi el Bronx’s debut such an intriguing listen was just how accomplished it was, especially given the style’s untried nature for the Californian hardcore quintet otherwise known as The Bronx. As a follow-up, there are obvious improvements in musicianship but the biggest leap has been in how well they have adapted to mariachi songwriting, capturing the fiery vitality of Mexican spirit while retaining a smidgen of their punk roots via Matt Caughthran’s heartily uplifting vocals.

There’s a definite air of the spaghetti western to Map of the World thanks to its invigorating blasts of trumpet and strings that carry the song like a desert wind, and the sense of drama is heightened

by Matador’s ode to tragic heroics and 48 Roses’ foot-stomping flamenco interlude. If there’s anyone still out there who tagged this project as a novelty, there’re twelve reasons right here to abandon that opinion to the dust where it belongs; these are true canciones de mariachi! [David Bowes]

WWW.LEXRECORDS.COM/BOOM-BIP

WWW.MARIACHIELBRONX.COM

FAREWELL POETRY HOPING FOR THE INIVISIBLE TO IGNITE 26 SEP, GIZEH

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SQUAREHEAD YEAH NOTHING

5 SEP, RICHTER COLLECTIVE

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If you find Animal Collective awesome in theory but too obtuse in reality, Nurses offer a safer, less pioneering alternative. They specialise in dub-psych doodles you can whistle along to; swirling exercises in immersive production, but with definite songs at the core. This is both their triumph and their shortcoming; they’re too conventional to astound by dint of experimentation alone, while their prickly sonics thwart gut-level love, resulting in only partial success at each pole.

The band apparently constructed Dracula by “adding one idea on top of another until the sounds became songs”, and perhaps a little subtraction amidst the amassing would have benefited the finished article, with several tracks left to stew in their own liquor. But regardless, there’s much to keep fans happy: the appropriately-titled Fever Dreams sets the tenor with its heady reverb infusion, ensuring Dracula trots a winning furrow in part if not necessarily in whole. [Chris Buckle]

Oh Farewell Poetry, shall I compare thee to a Godspeed echo?

Well, yes – you make it pretty difficult not to, with your serious atmosphere and evocative spoken-word bits: thou art majestic, beautiful and, it must be said, more than a little bit familiar. But this French/ English collective are no schmucks: they understand the dynamic intimately (it’s all about contrast, don’t you know), and, when pitched just right, no other aesthetic sets off shivers quite so effectively.

While the obvious checkpoints keep coming – from the typically po-faced name to their use of experimental film online and live – both musical and poetic elements are well-judged, with crescendos in all the right places and turns of phrase like “and the millions suck at my bowels like mice” eliciting unfamiliar emotion. Consequently, Hoping For the Invisible to Ignite gets under the listener’s skin; if not in shards, then certainly in slithers. [Chris Buckle]

Yeah Nothing, the debut LP from Irish guitar pop trio Squarehead, forges links between Beach Boys-style overlapping vocal harmonies and a rougher-edged garage rock. Given the familiarity of those influences, it’s a strikingly distinctive blend, all the more effective for the strength of the melodies. These are songs saturated with a dreamy, sunkissed melancholy that ensures they feel both fresh and comfortingly familiar on the first listen.

Fake Blood, the first single and closing track, encapsulates this infectious quality perfectly, all handclaps and lilting guitar washes. The overall effect feels something like a distillation of Animal Collective’s poppier moments, stripped back to a set of unassuming garage hooks; the beauty and strangeness of much 60s pop revisited with contemporary ears. Squarehead’s musical ambitions are far more modest than the comparison suggests, but within its range, Yeah Nothing has an unusually charming and authentic feel. [Sam Wiseman]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NURSES

PLAYING CCA, GLASGOW ON 15 NOV

WWW.SQUAREHEAD.BANDCAMP.COM

MASTODON

ICONACLASS

WATERS

26 SEP, ROADRUNNER

26 SEP, DEADVERSE RECORDINGS

12 SEP, CITY SLANG

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THE HUNTER

FOR THE ONES

OUT IN THE LIGHT

A lot of great bands have come to an end prematurely due to pushing too hard in the studio, and it’s to Mastodon’s credit that they’ve been upfront about their decision to record their latest album over the space of just a couple of weeks – understandable after the purgatorial grind that resulted in 2009’s Crack the Skye.

The Hunter is the sound of Mastodon having fun: classic and southern rock influences abound, and there’s some sly vocal nods to the likes of Ozzy and John Garcia. However, even the best moments (the majestic war-cry of Black Tongue, the stirring swells of The Octopus Has No Friends) sound like retreads and are balanced by an equal number of misfires (most notably the hysterical rock-opera nightmare that is The Creature Lives). It’s an enjoyable listen overall, but there’s no denying that this is their least substantial release to date. [Mark Shukla]

Even the most devoted fan of Dälek must admit that rapper Will Brooks’s vocals often get drowned out by the industrial haze more than their eloquence deserves.

As iconAclass, Brooks takes the juggernaut aesthetic of Dälek and bares it back to that classic hip-hop minimum: rhymes over beats.

The cuts from DJ Motiv strike a perfect balance between old school boom-bap and bleak dystopian sci-fi, with just enough spacey psychedelia to stay this side of trip-hop. Brooks pulls off the impressive feat of retaining the vicious hunger of an underground rapper this far into his career, and his drawling authority over incisive and precise lyrics summon more than enough gravitas to satisfy those longing for the sensory overload of Dälek.

This stripped back combination make iconAclass a vital album for those who can’t wait to see if the recent Company Flow reunion will result in a follow up to Funcrusher Plus. [Ali Maloney]

When Port O’Brien severed ties earlier this year, ending a solid (albeit unspectacular) run, Van Pierszalowski wasted no time upping sticks to Oslo, recruiting a band, and chucking together Out in the Light in a ten day burst. WATERS (the caps are important, apparently) is broadly stabled with Pierszalowski’s past work, but with extra bite: invigorating opener For the One’s fuzzy punch recalls the much-missed Jay Reatard, while Brendan Benson flickers through the crunchy power-pop of Take Me Out to the Coast. The latter’s title indicates an occasional lack of imagination (see also: San Fransisco, Back to You) while the falsetto refrain in closer Micky Mantle is annoyingly mawkish, but they don’t upset a solid introduction. Out in the Light feels like a transitional record – a testing of the WATERS, so to speak – but find a patch of sunshine to sit in, and it’s just the ticket. [Chris Buckle]

WWW.MASTODONROCKS.COM

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ICONACLASS

WWW.CITYSLANG.COM/WATERS

42 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

TRIPS AND FALLS

PRIMUS

PETER WOLF CRIER

26 SEP, SONG, BY TOAD

12 SEP, PRAWN SONG

5 SEP, JAGJAGUWAR

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PEOPLE HAVE TO BE TOLD

Managing Trips and Falls, Preventing Trips and Falls, Avoid Trips and Falls, How to Reduce Trips and Falls… a cursory Googling and it appears the whole world’s trying to bring this under-the-radar but ensconced-in-our-hearts Montreal mob down. Consider this review a counter volley: superb debut He Was Such a Quiet Boy was woefully underappreciated, and People Have to Be Told manages to better it.

Opener I’ll Do The Dishes, You Do The Laundry evidences their ear for a good song title, but they’ve more than wit to recommend them.

This Is All Going To End Badly is a late stage highlight thanks to the delicious interplay between Jacob Romero’s inimitable croon and Ashleigh Delaye’s lush backing vocals, but picking favourites is impossible. They bob and weave around expectations, but their quirks are never extraneous; they’re too blooming smart for that. Take the album’s message to heart, kids: tell your friends. [Chris Buckle] WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/FALLSANDTRIPS

GREEN NAUGAHYDE

After some 12 years in absentia from the studio, Primus’ return is a surprisingly consistent and rewarding listen. The lyrics are as gratifyingly bizarre as they ever were, with an ever-soslight hint of menace asserted by Les Claypool’s devilish drawl, and the background harmonies in the insidious The Eyes of the Squirrel wouldn’t sound out of place in the halls of a carnival freak show.

Actually, there’s little here that wouldn’t work in the context of some freakish nightmare concoted by celebrated hoaxer P.T. Barnum.

Hennepin Crawler has the same touch of off-keel funk that made 1995’s Tales from the Punchbowl so creepily involving, and Moron T.V. skulks along like a Vaudevillian villain. The only thing played relatively straight is, ironically, their weirdest asset: Claypool’s dizzying bass. It seems reined in from previous efforts, still unmistakeably ear-twisting in parts but now less likely to make aspiring bassists cry into their Fender Jazz copies. A pleasure to have them back. [David Bowes]

GARDEN OF ARMS

Peter Wolf Crier’s rustic debut drew comparisons to For Emma, Forever Ago, partly for some slight aesthetic similarities, and partly because the back-story (“born on a single summer night” by an inspired Peter Pisano) struck the same romantic nerve as the whole cabin-in-the-woods thing. To parallelise further, Garden of Arms, like, Bon Iver, carves new crannies in which to play with expectations, with the Minneapolis duo confidently dressing folk-pop bones in added finery.

Right Away is enlivened by errant percussion; Krishnamutri features an Eastern influence (but thankfully wears it lightly); the ornamental rhythms underpinning Hard Heart recall pre-mash-up era Soulwax; while back-tracking tapes on both opener Right Away and the closing Wheel suggest someone’s been giving their Radiohead albums a re-spin. Yet they’re not above a bit of undiluted sentiment: Never Meant to Love You, for instance, is nicely old-fashioned; straightforwardly staged, and all the better for it. [Chris Buckle]

JONO MCCLEERY

TORI AMOS

THE DRUMS

5 SEP, COUNTER RECORDS

26 SEP, DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

12 SEP, MOSHI MOSHI/ISLAND

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THERE IS

A product of the ever-diversifying Ninja Tune stable, Londoner Jono McCleery may have self-released his debut and been directed to the label’s more rock-orientated offshoot Counter Records for this follow-up release, however it’s an album shot through with Ninja’s far-reaching aesthetic. Essentially a collection of brooding, often quite beautiful urban laments, There Is winds itself around McCleery’s subtle, soulful vocals, flanked throughout by a minimalistic array of padded acoustic plucking, glitchy electro textures and glancing orchestral sweeps.

Undeniably strong throughout, the album is nonetheless defined by a trio of standout tracks. The dynamic It’s All breaks from smoky ballad to Cinematic Orchestra-styled widescreen-jazz with grand ambition, whilst the daringly deconstructed reimagining of Black’s Wonderful Life shimmers with an intensity which echoes the barren and bruised dubstep of James Blake. However, it’s the interminably sad symphony of heart-searing organ and cello on Tomorrow which truly rises above and beyond, proving that whilst stylistically sharp, There Is carries more than just a little emotional weight. [Paul Neeson]

NIGHT OF HUNTERS

PORTAMENTO

Eyebrows were raised when Myra Ellen Amos recently announced that her twelfth album would be released on prestigious classical label Deutsche Grammophon, but a minute of Shattering Sea unveils a reprisal of the North Carolinian’s roots. Night of Hunters marks a return to the stark and candid nature of In The Pink, yet Amos retains her latter-day love of narrative concepts and confidently intertwines the two disciplines, delivering her strongest album in over a decade.

A sinister music-box melody lends an air of Grimm-esque fairytale darkness to Battle of Trees, while Star Whisperer’s solemn intro is masterfully betrayed by Tori’s radiant voice. The album’s golden moment, Job’s Coffin, finds her daughter Natashya Hawley assuming lead vocals – laying a veil of innocence over mum’s world-weary tone. The focus on delicate symphonies and baroque drama is a departure from her predominantly band-based output since 2002’s Scarlet’s Walk, but it’s precisely this break that distinguishes Night of Hunters as such a breathtaking return. [David Bowes]

Following their critically-lauded debut of last year, Brooklyn trio the Drums seek on Portamento to cement their position as the foremost practitioners of melancholy, reverb-soaked indie rock. This record maintains the atmosphere of fragility that made its predecessor so compelling: a quality seemingly heightened by the departure of guitarist Adam Kessler between records. Days, in particular, has a spectral aspect that allows the strength of the vocal melodies to be foregrounded.

Other shifts in the group’s aesthetic are evident here: guitarist Jacob Graham contributes some analogue synth, lending proceedings an air of strangeness that underpins the quiet precision of the guitar lines. Overall, however, Portamento feels less like a departure or progression, and more like a subtle variation of the sound sketched out on the Drums’ debut. As such, it’s likely to win them even more fans: few other modern outfits can create pop music so haunting and distinctive with such basic and familiar tools. [Sam Wiseman]

PLAYING GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL ON 6 NOV

PLAYING O2 ABC, GLASGOW ON 3 DEC AND HMV PICTURE HOUSE, EDINBURGH ON 4 DEC

REMEMBER REMEMBER

SHIMMERING STARS

MOLLY WAGGER

26 SEP, ROCK ACTION

5 SEP, ALMOST MUSIQUE

5 SEP, TIRK

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With their eponymous 2008 debut, Remember Remember beautifully encapsulated the sound of glacial, epic orchestrations trapped in the body of one man and his loop pedal. With follow-up The Quickening, the amorphous group sound like a more structured outfit and less a mimicry of a technological recording process.

Centrepiece cuts like Ocean Potion weave and flow in a more organic style than before, playing with pacing and dovetailing eastern and choppy rock styles to hypnotic effect. There are sparser moments too, such as the solitary piano-led A Larger Demon, which brings more character and nuance to the album as a whole, staving off previous, somewhat ironic criticisms of the bands’ repetitive nature.

Yet that propensity remains, curtailed and direct on the likes of upbeat finale John Candy, a fittingly jolly affair of cyclical e-bow guitar lines, toy town electronics and euphoric plateaus. If it ain’t broke, play on. [Darren Carle] PLAYING STEREO, GLASGOW ON 24 SEP

CANT

DREAMS COME TRUE 12 SEP, WARP

rrrr Dreams Come True is a collaboration between Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and George Lewis Jr. of Twin Shadow, and it sounds – hold on to your hats! – like a cross between Grizzly Bear and Twin Shadow. The fusing of their talents may not have produced some alchemic bolt from the blue, but it more than lives up to the high standards set by their respective past pedigrees.

By combining the intricate ambition of Veckatimest with hints of Lewis’s nostalgic, electronic brooding, Taylor has birthed a mesmeric jewel of a record, rich with glittering textures. Reportedly written and recorded in a just a week and a half, it sounds like the fruits of more prolonged exertion, with pace and sequence expertly judged. Too good to be eclipsed by Taylor’s day job, this is his Atlas Sound, his Mt. Eerie – a counterpoint that drains the epithet ‘side-project’ of any subtle pejorative. [Chris Buckle] WWW.WARP.NET/RECORDS/CANT

VIOLENT HEARTS

Shimmering Stars arrive to the reverb/Spector/ dream-pop party fashionably late, with a record that makes no qualms about lifting hooks from bygone hit parades. Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Wild Nothing are already inside making themselves at home, flicking through the Jesus and Mary Chain vinyl and pouring cocktails, and initially, Violent Hearts doesn’t measure up, a humble wallflower by comparison.

First impressions paint it too slavishly indebted to teen idols of the fifties and sixties, with drum-beats borrowed from The Ronettes and harmonies from Del Shannon. But the trio avoid becoming redundant pastiche or, worse, mere genre roughage (the grey bulk that pads the ranks of any popular style) through sheer sincerity. They nail both indie-disco slow-dance and up-tempo rock n roll, with an average track length around the two minute mark – borrowed nostalgia perhaps, but well observed borrowed-nostalgia, chock full of string bends, echoes and melancholy. [Chris Buckle]

FLAMBEAUX

It’s difficult to get a handle on Molly Wagger: an ‘alternative space rock’ outfit signed to a label known predominantly for disco and electronica, the Edinburgh quartet are folky one minute, glitchy the next. The problem with terms like ‘space rock’ is that the acts to which it tends to be assigned – Molly Wagger included – rarely live up to its cosmic promise, their ideas of the future usually rooted in dusty psychedelia.

Flambeaux initially promises a veritable constellation of possibilites, then stocks whole sectors with tired meanderings and sub-Huxley pseud-guff (“I had a dream about a girl with an eye on her forehead” indeed…). But there’s a surface scattering of genuine innovation, coaxed out carefully by producer Sam Annand of Architeq. Opening mini-opus The Weight indicates what they’re capable of when their creative stars align – more like that in future and they’ll really take off.

[Chris Buckle] WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM/MOLLY-WAGGER

THE TOP FIVE

THE SHIVERS

1

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2 3 4 5

ST. VINCENT

STRANGE MERCY

REMEMBER REMEMBER

THE QUICKENING

CANT

DREAMS COME TRUE

ICONACLASS

FOR THE ONES

TORI AMOS

NIGHT OF HUNTERS

MORE

26 SEP, FENCE

Somehow, it’s taken five self-released albums for someone in the UK to prick up their ears and sign New York’s The Shivers. Johnny Lynch (aka The Pictish Trail, aka Fence’s high heid yin) is the good soul responsible for terminating the stalemate, and this sixth full-length is a perfect profile-raiser that should have newcomers raiding the preceding pentad hungrily.

Perhaps the duo aren’t strikingly original – the title track is Stripped Stones, while The Strokes are a frequent influence on the faster numbers – but they more than make up for any moments of déjà vu by being rather good at it all. Beneath nicely-judged orchestral embellishments, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars carries faint flickers of Devendra Banhart (if disarming simplicity replaced whimsy as his lyrical stock in trade), while Used To Be adds a zesty synth line to the palette, adding up to a rather fine UK entrée. [Chris Buckle] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SHIVERSNYC

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 43

44 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

“CALLUM, up in the crow’s nest, is all guitar-cradling and neckerchief-wearing, while Sam will go down with the ship, laughing to the last at his cockpit of keyboards,” collectively explain Glasgow (via Fife) quartet, Milk. “Michael plays at drums and dressing up down in the engine room, and Pablo stands at the prow, full of windy rhetoric and last night’s leftovers.” Any room for a celebrity endorsement on board? After all, that ‘Got Milk’ campaign has done wonders for dairy sales over the years – want to co-opt any Milk-the-Drink lovers as spokespersons for Milk-the-band?

“Can we breed them? If so we’ll take the lithe and insatiable sexuality of Isabella Rosellini, couple it with the high-society histrionics of Elton John, and marry that off with the future-race breeding of the Olsens and the ruthless art-as-a-sacrificial-cow ambition of James Cameron.” Finally, this sexual, ambitious future-race progeny would be “wrapped in plastic, à la Joan Rivers.”

If their creation sounds elaborate and messy, it fits their musical identities; if their answers sound articulate yet obfuscating, it reflects their crafty, cultured smarts.

“We think that bands are too readily vilified for not nailing a signature sound,” they argue. “It seems to us that using a broad palette can produce the most interesting and enjoyable results.” Their particular palette reaps the rewards of a four-way musical input that doesn’t necessarily flow naturally in the same direction.

“I think it would be fair to say that we began this at odd angles, and so the approach has been to try and

Text Chris Buckle Photo www.ryanmcgoverne.co.uk

Clockwise from top left: Pablo; Callum; Michael; Sam

Highlights from this year’s hugely successful two-week festival,

London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival On Tour 10 Aug to 2 Sep

A key work from an era that’s now considered the last Golden Age of American cinema, Bob Rafelson’s superlative character study established Jack Nicholson as the foremost actor of his generation. One of the few honest American films about social class, family and alienation. Don’t miss this wonderfully restored classic.

Five Easy Pieces 13 Aug to 19 Aug

Directed by Juan José Campanella and showcasing two of Argentina’s biggest stars, this is a riveting thriller spiked with witty dialogue and poignant romance. Receiving rave reviews and awards, it was also the surprise winner of this year’s Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film, beating off stiff competition from The White Ribbon and A Prophet.

The Secret in Their Eyes 13 Aug to 9 Sep

recommends this month...

HOME OF THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

films worth talking about

A RAW combination of the ethics of punk rock and a bubblegum sensibility; a relentless touring, gigging and recording schedule; a distinct influence from the classic Sub Pop sound; and a record crafted in part by Bob Weston – it all sounds like a page ripped from the indie rock 1992 playbook.

But this is not Seattle, these are not the 90s and this ain’t grunge.

This is 2011, we’re over in Glasgow and talking to PAWS (yes, they enjoy a good caps lock).

Though recently cited in certain quarters of the music press as Scotland’s best representatives of some growing grunge renaissance, the term simply doesn’t jibe with the band or what they’re trying to do.

“I keep reading about this ‘Grunge Revival’ happening in Glasgow and that we are the flagship,”

MILK SUPPORT FOUND AT THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS, EDINBURGH ON 7 AUG AS PART OF THE EDGE FESTIVAL

challenge each other, taking our disparate inspirations and finding ways to harmonise them. We enjoy sifting through the noise.” When the sifting is finished, nuggets of Lizard King stargazing, smooth 80s grooves, moody atmospherics, deadpan humour and prog-squiggles remain. The unorthodox blend slips through genres like cow lactose through fingers. “We converge in strange places,” they acknowledge.

Milk confound classification in part through tactical shyness. Their low-profile moniker and lower-profile web presence constitute a genuine attempt to avoid the pigeonholing that rubberstamps acts straight from the womb. Milk are leaving their options open and keeping followers guessing.

“We’re still in the formative stages of playing this music together, so anything that allows the freedom to go off on creative tangents is a must,” they explain. “The name gave us the blank slate. If you treat a band’s name as a statement of intent, then ours remains open to interpretation.” Refreshingly, in an age where choosing a MySpace background sits uncomfortably high on new-starts’ ‘to do’ lists, they’re uninterested in cultivating a potentially-straitjacketing online persona. “We want the opportunity to surprise others and ourselves.”

Live, they don’t let such opportunities pass them by. But what about recordings? Any releases on the horizon? “In this regard,” they assert, “we reserve the right to remain mysterious.” Seems Milk will be whetting appetites a little longer yet.[Chris Buckle]

Ah Milk. Great source of calcium, won Sean Penn an Oscar… er, hang on, something’s off. Google has failed me – guys, you’ll have to introduce yourselves…

Got Milk?

While PAWS might conveniently fit the bill for a grunge revival, the Glasgow trio have a few more tricks up their sleeves

MUSIC

SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING ELSE

INTERVIEW: JASON MORTON says guitarist and vocalist Phillip Taylor when asked about the phenomenon. “What horseshit.

“Sure, I love bands like Melvins, Fastbacks, Coffin Break, The Thrown Ups, Nirvana, Dinosaur, Built to Spill. But I don’t love ‘Grunge’. ‘Grunge’ is a label that restricts. It was a movement that changed youth culture forever. But it happened in the Pacific Northwest two decades ago. It’s not happening now, in Glasgow.”

So let’s call it ‘Haribo Thrash’, as the Glasgow by-way-of Inverness upstarts describe it in interview. Though perhaps intended as just a clever and – sorry, guys – cute summation, it can actually be fanned out to encompass the band’s softer pop hooks, but, combined with its harsh, guitar-rock aesthetic and nearly impenetrable vocals, PAWS certainly give listeners something to chew on.

MUSIC

www.theelectriccircus.biz www.theelectriccircus.biz

We share an unmeasurable love for punk rock

PHOTO: SOL NICOL

PHILLIP TAYLOR

PAWS’ PHILLIP TAYLOR AT THIS YEAR’S WICKERMAN

Combine that with the teenage, sugar-rush intensity of their recordings and live performances, and you can see why these lads decided to take their dreams of being full-time musicians to Glasgow from the backwaters of the Highlands.

Taylor met drummer Josh Swinney in his school years in a small town called Tain and they bonded over a love of loud guitar-rock records and a desire to alleviate boredom in the sleepy Highland hideaway.

“We just jammed in my room because we both shared the same interests in music,” Taylor says.

“If you live in a town like Tain up north, it’s virtually impossible to find anyone that even likes what you like, let alone someone you can get along with enough to want to even spend time with them.

“We share an unmeasurable love for punk rock.

There was a drum kit in my room that belonged to my friend Nikita, I had a guitar... so we just bashed out music.”

Bassist Matt Scott came on the scene shortly thereafter, filling out the low end for the bedroomthrashing duo. Though he fancied himself more as a guitarist himself, a mutual friend provided the link that saw Scott handling four strings for PAWS, even if, as he put it, the move was a bit sudden.

“I discovered one morning that I’d agreed to play bass the night before. Months later I found out that Nick had sold these guys on me, telling them I was amazing,” Scott recalls. “And so I found myself in a log cabin north of Inverness, faced with these chumps.”

It seems a long way from that cabin to what the lads have been up to in recent months, sharing stages in Glasgow and beyond with rising names from the US rock underground, including Black Lips, Wavves and No Age, as they toured the UK. The band’s certainly received a boost from their stage-mates, but the following they’ve maintained

long after the house lights came up can only be attributed their own hard work.

“Dum Dum Girls was our first show. Then, after that, we seemed to slowly gather a small group of people who came out to shows and brought new friends each time,” says Taylor.

The band’s growing fan base hasn’t gone unnoticed by those scheduling both gigs and festivals, as PAWS have fielded invitations from Wickerman, Belladrum and T in the Park alike, laying waste to a crowded tent at the iconic Scottish festival.

“T in The Park was cool,” Taylor offers. “A lot of kids came to see us; it was super busy. It was nice because it was really sunny outside while we played, so they were in the tent by choice... which felt weird. Instead of them catching a band in the closest tent because it’s pissing rain out.”

In addition to returning to the band’s gigs for another fix of infectious, balls to the wall power pop, fans of the group are also treated to an energetic – if not slightly mischievous – live performance, the spirit of which often transcends to the crowd.

Speaking of his favourite gigs, Scott makes it a point to note: “There was Aberdeen, with its human pyramid, human jump-rope and synchronized rowing, and our recent Glasgow show with an attempt to recreate the human pyramid, and then, on its failure, crowdsurfing in the Captain’s Rest.”

So it’s clear that PAWS succeed in connecting with their audience, but the band have also connected with like-minded artists across the region, finding kinship (and subsequently, a split single on Gerry Loves Records with) with fellow New Blood alumni Lady North of Edinburgh.

While Taylor joked of the big-business hook-up between the three parties, they each share the ability to produce intense, visceral music, a pride in their craft and a driven work ethic.

It’s this ethic that has seen PAWS penetrate the

OPEN 12NOON ‘TIL 3 AM 7 DAYS A WEEK GIGS 7.30PM-11PM EVERY NIGHT

THU 1 FRI 2 SAT 3 MO 5 WE 7 THU 8 FRI 9 SUN 11 MO 12 TU 13 WE 14 TH FRI 16 SA 17 SU 18 MO 19 THU 22 FRI 23 SA 24 MO 26 TU 27 THU 29 FRI 30

MATT SCOTT

London music scene this summer, and should guide them through recording a planned new EP and full-length album in the near future.

And that’s precisely what this band are looking toward – the future. Rather than descriptors like ‘Grunge’ that imply a reverence for all-things past, PAWS are faced forward and looking to shake it up on their own terms.

PLAYING GLASGOW UNIVERSITY UNION ON 12 SEP LOOPALLU FESTIVAL, ULLAPOOL ON 16 SEP ADMIRAL BAR, GLASGOW WITH MALE BONDING ON 29 SEP SNEAKY PETES, EDINBURGH (WITH MAZES AND MILK MAID) ON 5 OCT PAWS SPLIT SINGLE WITH LADY NORTH IS OUT NOW ON GERRY LOVES RECORDS WWW.MYSPACE.COM/PAWSPAWSPAWSPAWS

Supported by King Tuts Wah Wah Hut and the Electric Circus

FOOD SERVED 12.30-9PM EVERY DAY CLUBS WED-SAT 11.30PM-3AM

SEPTEMBER 2011 SCHNAPPS + THEE PHAR-I-SEES + GUESTS PURE DEAD BRILLIANT + KIA KOURA + STEVEN LEONARD THE STONE GHOST COLLECTIVE + GUESTS ACOUSTIC NIGHT WITH GERRY LYONS (free entry) WISE-BLOOD + GUESTS METAL MELTDOWN FOR MNDS w/ WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? + SENZAFINE CASTAWAY + BLANK CANVAS + BETATONE DISTRACTION DF PRESENT: AIRSHIP ACOUSTIC NIGHT WITH GERRY LYONS (free entry) LAURA STEVENSON AND THE CANS + PENSIONER + MONDEGREEN TOY TIN SOLDIER + LITTLE FIRE + KAREN FISHWICK 15KLAUS KINSKI + GROPETOWN + PHAT TROPHIES + NO WOMB STONESTHROW + GUESTS SHE’S HIT + GUESTS BITTER RUIN + GUESTS ACOUSTIC NIGHT WITH GERRY LYONS (free entry) JAKIL + GUESTS THIS SILENT FOREST SINGLE LAUNCH THE HOT CLUB 4th BIRTHDAY ACOUSTIC NIGHT WITH GERRY LYONS (free entry) GANGLIANS + GUESTS THE BARENTS SEA + THE RECOVERY + HOUNDS VUKOVI + GUESTS

DRINKS PROMOS

VENUE FINNEDIN.4014.11.indd 1

I found myself in a log cabin north of Inverness, faced with these chumps

BOTTLE OF KRONENBOURG £1.75

4 PINT PITCHER OF FOSTERS £10

WWW.NICENSLEAZY.COM NIGHT CLUB BAR 421 SAUCHIEHALL ST

BLACK/WHITE RUSSIANS £2.50

GLASGOW

22/08/2011 17:31

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 45

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PREVIEWS KORELESS (LIVE) SNEAKY PETE'S, 9 OCT

CLUBS

Glasgow based producer Koreless presents his live show in the appropriately intimate confines of Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh on 9 October.

His chilled take on the bass music sound, which has been compared to everyone from James Blake to Burial, has seen him produce a beautiful remix of Jacques Greene’s The Look, and he has also been showcased via the web mix phenomenon Boiler Room in July.

In Koreless’ own productions, which are full of delicate, warm beats interspersed with vocal clips, it is the atmospheric spaces in the music that really do the talking. Filled with rhythms and melancholy, the nocturnal, dreamy melodies and ambient electronica veers towards a more house 4/4 sensibility whilst never fully committing to it. His 4D/MTI release from earlier this year, drew praise and comparisons with his contemporaries in equal measure, showing off his late night ambient side as well his ability to build louder club focused works and his latest release Away VIP, apart from being a subliminal advert for eBay, is undoubtedly one of the tunes of the year. [Kat Young]

THE ELECTRIC FROG AUTUMN WEEKENDER SWG3, 10 & 11 SEP

A two day double header of madness is planned for The Electric Frog September Weekender at SWG3 this year. The acts have been split so that DJs take prominence on Saturday with the bands on Sunday and, while Mogwai, Wild Beasts and Errors are all well worth seeing, it’s really the first day of US heavyweights that is causing the mass outbreak of preemptive drooling. The headlining trio could frankly be put in any order and need no introduction: Detroit techno mixing genius Jeff Mills, the city’s other favourite son Derick May and Chicago house luminary Frankie Knuckles. On their own they would be enough but all three, back to back, is just crazy. With names that huge topping the bill, the preceding line up of Joe Claussell, Levon Vincent, Omar S will have to be on incredible form to standout, although Len Faki has proved that he can deliver an utterly massive techno sound. If all that wasn’t enough, Slam will take to the decks on what will be a marathon month of dates in their hometown. Just remember that after all of it you might need to get up to see the bands the next day. [Neil Murchison]

9PM-MIDNIGHT, £TBA

2-10PM, DAY £27.50, WEEKEND £50

PULSE PRESENTS DAVE CLARKE

ITCH! 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 10 SEP

CHAMBRE 69, 23 SEP

Back in 1997 Daft Punk taught us that having Dave Clarke in the house was a big thing. A decade and a half later the case remains the same. The words ‘techno’ and ‘pioneer’ get used so often now that they’ve lost all value but in this instance they are utterly justified. Over the years it has been Clarke’s bloody amazing mix albums such as World Service Vol. 1 & 2 that have been his calling cards, displaying technically brilliant mixing with his obsession for pushing techno and electro forward.

In a genuine ‘you don’t know how lucky you are’ moment, the Baron of Techno thunders into town on his mechanical horse to dispense another taste of his insistent, dark propelling sound. Now based in Amsterdam, he has expanded his global stature by regularly playing music that DJs and producers from around the world have sent him via the net and he maintains his strict ideology that this music is only the future if it remains a constant challenge to itself. While his ambition remains as high as ever, his music leaves the preaching aside and delivers intense, relentless techno from a master of the genre. [Neil Murchison]

This month marks Glasgow based genre hopping party smasher Itch!’s second anniversary and, with unadulterated celebratory musings in mind, the eclectic collective have concocted a line up guaranteed to relieve any potentially dry party concerns faster than an oversized tub of techno Sudocrem.

Against the stylised settings of Chambre 69 a full scale bonanza is in the making as two of the UK’s brightest new talents line up to go back to back. Richie Ahmed and Russ Yallop are significant proprietors of the new sound of house brought about by a recently emerged generation of British DJs that include Maya Jane Coles and Subb-an and both will be spread evenly across Crosstown Rebels and Hot Creation who are champions of a sound that incorporates shavings of disco, techno and hip-hop into primarily house focused grooves. The two are closely connected through shared labels and parties whilst possessing a unique take on what is essentially a reinvention of house music making for an intriguing and hugely exciting prospect. With fresh local producer(s) Mia Dora providing support, Itch! ensures a veritable smörgåsbord of audio delights to be enjoyed by all. [Calum Sutherland]

11PM-3AM, £14

CHAMBRE 69, 23 SEP 11PM-3AM, £TBA

WWW.THECABARETVOLTAIRE.COM

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ITCHGLASGOW

ELECTRIKAL PRESENTS LOEFAH

WARP PRESENTS AFRICA HITECH

THE STORE, 23 SEP

Electrikal put their gargantuan sound system in the adept hands of DMZ main man Loefah on September 23rd. Billed as one for the 'headz', the stripped back sound of Loefah and DMZ Records is a world away from the crossover fodder that occludes the consensus perception of dubstep today. Loefah and label mates MC Pokes, Mala and Coki exalt the fundamentals of dub(step) and they’re keen to distinguish between the DMZ sound and the all-encompassing agglomeration of their assigned genre. Their back catalogue avoids deplorable Rusko-esque chain saws and they’re fans of DIY dubplate culture too.

Loefah and DMZ are paradigms of the ‘old school’ dubstep sound, which is incredible for a genre that, relatively speaking, is a sprightly whippersnapper.

Credited with having run one of dubstep’s most influential nights, DMZ at Mass Complex in Brixton, Loefah is a pioneer figure whose productions have resonated and indelibly shaped the evolution of dubstep.

Garage, acid and rave influence his productions and the results speak for themselves (minus the sirens). It is intelligent dance music and, as abhorrent as that term might be, it’s better than being Nero. Those craving a night of anthems might be enlightened; alternatively, if things don’t work out Katy B will not be there to save you! As previously stated, this is one for the headz. [James Corlett]

THE ARCHES, 9 SEP

An oft-used sample from Jim Ingram’s “Drumbeat” declares “it began in Africa.” Indeed. Despite the technologically advanced methods used to produce modern dance music, it can be considered a contemporary form of the hypnotic, pulsating rhythms of early tribes. While this lineage may be harder to trace in some music, other artists wear this heritage as a badge of honour. Africa Hitech, as their name suggests, are one such act.

The music of Mark Pritchard (aka Harmonic 313) and Steve “Spacek” White honours this past yet also embraces the future. Warp Records have been synonymous with progress and the duo’s releases for the label are littered with digital bleeps, acid squelches and spaced-out vocals which jostle for prominence alongside lively African-style percussion.

Situated somewhere between the realms of dubstep, grime and acid house, Pritchard and White’s sound is hard to pin down. They are one of many current acts who seem to gleefully evade simple categorisation despite producing a back catalogue of material which is ultimately cohesive.

As though consciously reflecting the musical progression outlined in Jim Ingram’s iconic verse, Africa Hitech will bombard The Arches with a particularly potent blend of organic percussion, distorted ragga and bass-heavy electronica.

[Ronan Martin]

THE STORE, 23 SEP 11PM-3AM, £10

THE ARCHES, 9 SEP 8PM-3AM, £7+BF ADVANCE, £8

HTTP://ELECTRIKAL.NET

WWW.THEARCHES.CO.UK

46 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

CLUBBING HIGHLIGHTS WORDS: RAY PHILP ILLUSTRATION: INNES MARAN

SOPHISTRY OF the Roland TR909 variety to report on Sat 10 Sep, as Jeff ‘The Wizard’ Mills descends from the skies above the Electric Frog dressed in a cloak and sceptre while lightning repeatedly strikes the charred remains of Steve Aoki’s liferaft, moored at whatever shit festival he’s playing. Where a lengthy diatribe would usually follow on why you should do everything in your mortal power to present yourself to the SWG3 box office with a wad of clammy tenners, this is being written post-deadline with a beasting hangover on a hot Sunday afternoon, and if you really need to know who Jeff Mills is then what are you even doing casting your eyes over these words, you swine.

Sunday’s timetable is an assortment of gentler, but no less worthy fare from Wild Beasts, The Fall and Mogwai, though Jimmy Edgar’s sleaze disco and the shelled-out shuffle of sort-of-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie should see the Sunday remain a worthy dancefloor concern.

Staying in Glasgow, secretsundaze blow out the candles on ten years of disco and deep house at Chambre 69 on Fri 9 Sep – the only party they're hosting outwith London to celebrate the fact – aided by Brawther’s supple, hypnagogic crawl and the garage-tinged chords of Hotflush and AUS alumna George FitzGerald. Giles Smith, cofounder of secretsundaze, will anchor proceedings in his patented, syrup-thick grooves.

Africa Hitech make a case for your attentions

on the same evening over at The Arches, a Warpbacked project borne of Mark Pritchard and Steve White, whose 93 Million Miles LP plays like a much less annoying Buraka Som Sistema.

The Arches hosts another belter of an evening on Sat 17 Sep, hosting Balearic disco dons Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, italo-disco/house duo Retro/Grade, and a plethora of others via Death Disco’s ‘Trans Euro-Expressway’.

Key Edinburgh dates find themselves preoccupied by bass-heavy concerns: UK garage veteran Zed Bias (aka Maddslinky) appears at Departure Lounge at the end of the month (Fri 30 Sep), and the week before sees dubstep producer and Swamp 81 label boss Loefah decamp at Electrikal (Fri 23 Sep). Should you find yourself in Aberdeen on Fri 30, you’d be well advised to check for UK ingenue Blawan, whose numerous releases on Hessle and R&S drip with quality; Dot to Dot (Snafu) host this one. Vowel defilers SBTRKT and CRST open Cabaret Voltaire’s ‘Alternative Fresher’s Week’ for all you impressionable youngsters on Fri 30 Sep, and Oneman takes to the 1200s at LuckyMe’s latest Sneaky Pete’s soiree on the same date.

Laura Jones’ more straightforward iteration of house music at Rendezvous on Sat 3 Sep, though less alluring to Edinburgh’s dubbier fancies, should offer another exemplary glimpse into the smooth, melody-led aesthetic that the likes of Hot Natured and Crosstown Rebels have embraced.

O2 ABC Love Music Column PHOTO: MARTIN SENYSZAK

CLUBS

THE NOISE OF ART

FACTORY FLOOR discuss the genesis of their post-industrial, trance-inducing music INTERVIEW: NEIL MURCHISON

ECLAIR FIFI

BALLERS SOCIAL CLUB & ACADEMY EVENTS PRESENTS JACQUES GREENE (LIVE) +KORELESS +ECLAIR FIFI SUN 25 SEP, 11PM - 3AM, £8

ONE HALF of Optimo, JD Twitch, calls them his “dream band” and Stephen Morris of New Order and Joy Division likes them so much he’s ended up producing their new material. The London based trio of Gabe Gurnsey, Dom Butler and Nik Colk who make up Factory Floor have been sporadically releasing EPs and singles for the last few years which capture the raw, mechanical quality of their music and in the process have found a cross section of fans eager for their uncompromising, hardened edge. The band’s aesthetic is not dissimilar to video maverick Chris Cunningham, who they supported as part of his live show earlier this year, both sharing a common fondness for noir-esque leanings.

When they play live Nik stands alone with her guitar, eyes barely visible under her fringe, Dom is hunched over the electronics and Gabe pounds out the primordial rhythms that drive the songs.

All three members of the band had stints as art students which is reflected in their natural sense of artistic dynamic and, while music is the priority, there is an inevitable overspill of this creative side into other aspects of what the band do. An appetite for experimentation has led them to play a gig with no stage where the audience can walk around them (“so people can throw beer cans at the back of Gabe’s head,” jokes Dom) and a ‘blackout’ gig where they played in a pitch black room behind a curtain so that all the visual sense of the band was removed. The band don’t seem entirely comfortable with being the centre of attention and are happy to deflect as much away towards the music itself. However, they feel that their creative discipline has given them a better appreciation of how to approach music.

“The thing with following a creative pursuit is that you have to find the solution and that sometimes means thinking outside of the box” says Dom.”If you don’t creatively solve these problems then, in effect, you are just following guidelines.”

Guidelines are something that Factory Floor enjoy flouting, most notably those relating to song structure. Solid Sound, a ten minute soundscape of distortion and feedback, is an outright affront to pop sensibilities. Lying, found on the same EP as Solid Sound, could not be more opposing, with Nik’s death knell vocals underpinned with a rugged and insistent synth pattern which builds to a thumping crescendo of guitar noise and cymbal crashes. Gabe suggests that their casual neglect of

any formal style “is the art side feeding in... It’s not so much an intention but it does end up being that way,” he says. “If there is something we like then we want to capture it. That’s how Solid Sound came about. We are not just setting out to write songs.”

Factory Floor’s raw, unhinged sound – which they bring to Death Disco at The Arches this month – makes playing live essential to testing out songs and seeing how they go down. “The adrenaline of playing live can pull out new ideas that we might not have in the studio” Dom says.

“In the improvisation of the moment we can recognise something really interesting and then we will work on it in the studio. It acts as a sketchbook for us to take from.”

In amongst all the electronics and guitars Gabe provides the band’s tireless percussive drive which, with many songs lasting past 10 minutes or more, requires a serious amount of stamina. “Well, there’s always a drum machine,” he laughs explaining his backup options. “It’s a really primal, tribal sort of thing and having live drumming really does add a lot more dynamic...but it does take ages to pack up!” Dom agrees that this is an essential aspect of the band. “It’s a lot of fun throwing sequences at Gabe to see how he reacts to them and interprets them,” he adds. “Obviously if it was a drum programme we wouldn’t have any of that so it’s fascinating and it brings a lot of energy.”

The studio where they are currently working in North London is just five minutes away from the rioting which last month tore through parts of Tottenham. Dom sees it as an inevitability that writing and recording an album with those events as a backdrop will have an effect on the music being made. “I think music and art will always reflect the time that it is in, especially if it is trying to unravel stuff. As a band, every experience gets imprinted on us and then we reflect that back out in some kind of way.”

With that in mind it will be interesting to see how this will play out across a full album; but for now it’s back to the experimentation of taking those songs and road testing them live and bringing them, quite possibly, very close to destruction.

O2 ABC have packed the September Bank Holiday excuse-for-a-party to bursting by cramming together three of the most vibrant and of the moment DJs and producers around. Not only are all of them ridiculously young and quite brilliant but each has an association with Glasgow’s music scene in some way or other.

21-year-old Montreal native Jacques Greene, who headlines, keeps a low profile but due to his output on Glasgow’s LuckyMe he already commands huge interest wherever he plays. His slow motion skipping beat heartbreak anthem Another Girl meshes his love for R’n’B and house into an entrancing fusion of neon synths and ever revolving vocal stabs and melodies. With a natural ability for throwing together styles from these genres, his sets are instinctively ready made for a club and his live set will be a joy to witness.

When Gilles Peterson tells an audience to remember where they first heard of Koreless, then you know that Lewis Roberts, a 19-year-old transplanted from Wales to Glasgow, is doing some extraordinary things. There is a refreshing brightness to the sounds that he makes, full of melodic bass rumbles, fractured beats and beautifully twisted vocals. A recent mix for The Boiler Room – short as it was – bubbled with enough crazy elements. It’s clear he’s in need of a much bigger canvas to be unleashed upon.

Fellow LuckyMe affiliate Eclair Fifi pretty much sets the agenda at every one of the Glasgow label’s events. Her style is encapsulated in her genre hopping selections, from dirty hip-hop and R’n’B to more flipped out dubstep. She always seems to be having as good a time behind the decks as everyone else is on the other side and, armed with a host of unreleased LuckyMe tracks, who wouldn’t be?

NO MEAN CITY AFTERSHOW PARTY PRESENTS EL RANCHO DJS For two Fridays in September O2 ABC2 will be hosting the No Mean City Festival aftershows as part of Glasgow’s Americana festival. El Rancho DJs will be putting on the party following in-house shows by Hayseed Dixie and Wilko Johnson, by twisting together everything from Wonky Tonk to Rusty Rock ‘n’ Roll. Entry is free to anyone who has a No Mean City Festival gig ticket.

Visit facebook.com/o2abcglasgow for full club night line ups.[Neil Murchison] NO MEAN CITY AFTERSHOW PARTY FEATURING EL RANCHO DJS AT O2 ABC2 ON FRIDAYS 9 & 16 SEP, £4, FREE ENTRY WITH A NO MEAN CITY FESTIVAL GIG TICKET

FACTORY FLOOR PLAY DEATH DISCO: TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESSWAY WITH LINDSTROM, PRINS THOMAS, FEADZ, THE SHIT ROBOT LIVE SHOW, RETRO/GRADE (LIVE), STAY+, WALLS (LIVE), VONDELPARK, MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY, HUSHPUPPY, MINGO-GO, JOSH JONES, HAHAHA, PEACE, THE ILLEST (NAIVE RESIDENT) AND PMCQ (MUCK) SAT 17 SEP, THE ARCHES AND SWG3, £14 WWW.DEATHDISCO.INFO WWW.MYSPACE.COM/FACTORYFLOOR

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 47

REVIEWS

September Events FILM

The DCA in Dundee is showing a wide range of classic movies this month, all worth seeing on the big screen, including three films from Ealing Studios. The British production company is famous for its postWWII comedies, including Whisky Galore! (4 Sep), in which a ship carrying a cargo of whisky is wrecked off a small Scottish island during rationing, and Kind Hearts and Coronets (19 Sep), starring Alec Guinness as all eight members of an aristocratic family. The Lavender Hill Mob, celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this year, is also showing on 25 September.

Melancholia

TrollHunter

Melancholia

Director: André Øvredal

Director: Lars von Trier

Starring: Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Nærum, Glenn Erland Tosterud Released: 9 Sep Certificate: 15

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling Released: 30 Sep Certificate: 15

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André Øvredal’s charming mockumentary following curmudgeonly troll dispatcher Hans (Jespersen) features a great deal of wit, but perhaps not enough bite.

Mistaken for a bear poacher and hounded by some film students documenting mysterious attacks, Hans quickly enlightens the kids as to the actual nature of his work and the government cover-up of very real fairytale dangers in the Norwegian woods. Seduced by this journalistic scoop, the filmmakers tag along with their subject as he rids the countryside of these gigantic beasts.

Presenting the hero as a disgruntled civil servant frustrated with bureaucracy and incompetence at the Troll Security Service is a nice touch. The gruff Hans’ deadpan recounting of troll lore to his young charges is also good fun – his career ennui offering a great counterpoint to the students’ hysteria. With superb visual effects (for the budget) and wonderfully absurd atmosphere, it’s a shame there’s no real frights to make this a great comic-horror as opposed to just a solid little oddity. [Chris Fyvie]

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that Melancholia is a film about the end of the world. The movie opens with a gorgeous series of oblique images, culminating in the moment when a planet collides with Earth, but even if he hadn’t given the game away, we all know Lars von Trier isn’t the kind of director to let humanity off lightly. Before armageddon, we are invited to experience a film that’s part droll comedy of manners and part wrenching psychodrama.

Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg create a gripping dynamic as sisters overcome by depression, while various scenes are stolen by a bitter Charlotte Rampling or Udo Kier’s prissy wedding planner. Von Trier lets the first segment of his picture run a little long (a hunt for an advertising tagline is superfluous) but in its later stages Melancholia steadily grows more transfixing as the shadow of impending extinction looms over its characters, building to a forceful climax that will lift you out of your seat. [Philip Concannon]

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Weekender

Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Director: Karl Golden

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton Released: 23 Sep Certificate: 12A

Starring: Jack O’Connell, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Emily Barclay Released: 2 Sep Certificate: 15

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www.artificial-eye.com

In Aberdeen, the Belmont has a special screening of Roll Out, Cowboy on 7 September. The documentary follows Chris “Sandman” Sand, a little known country/hip-hop musician from an even lesser known town in North Dakota, on a tour of small town America during the 2008 presidential elections. Through this portrait of an unusual individual with an unlikely dream, the film provides an insight into the political differences between liberal and conservative America. The screening includes a live Q&A session with the documentary’s director/producer, Elizabeth Lawrence.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra celebrates the centenary of film composer Bernard Herrmann, a genius whose music terrified millions, with a weekend of performances. Events include a live score to Hitchcock’s Psycho on 17 September, and, on the following day, Music to be Murdered By (18 Sep), a concert which will include the scores for Vertigo and Taxi Driver, offers a wider overview of Herrmann’s career. Both take place at City Halls, Glasgow.

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There’s a moment in Crazy, Stupid, Love where a plot revelation is so beautifully timed it almost redeems the sheer phoniness of what has gone before, but then the scene in question spins rapidly out of control, and the brief hope that this might develop into something more than a hackneyed mess is snuffed out. With Steve Carell and Julianne Moore mismatched as the divorced couple Cal and Emily at the centre of this tedious story, it’s left to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone to inject some life – their relaxed performances seem to belong to another film entirely. Add a further subplot between Cal’s son and his babysitter and the film already feels overstuffed, leaving talented actors like Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei (embarrassing herself) at the margins. Crazy, Stupid, Love feels like it wants to please everyone, but you feel the strain at every turn. It’s only when Gosling and Stone are allowed room to play that the movie comes close to being funny, heartfelt, real. [Philip Concannon]

Opening with heavy beats and neon colours, Weekender is a nostalgic look at Manchester’s rave culture in the early 90s. One drug-fuelled night, friends Matt (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) and Dylan (Jack O’Connell) decide to cash in on the newly emerging scene and start organising their own warehouse parties.

Enlisting their radio hero, DJ Acid, soon they are enjoying great success – and with success, comes attention from rival party-planners, whose mob attitude proves to be both detrimental and dangerous. Director Karl Golden wisely lets the music inform all aspects of the film, and cleverly features lesser known tracks that add a sense of authenticity. The young cast all perform admirably, particularly O’Connell as the impressionable Dylan, while the script is sharp and frequently funny. However, the plot itself is not an original one – it is too easy to predict events – but it’s hard to not get caught up by the smoky, strobe-filled excess of easy money and ecstasy-enhanced raves. [Becky Bartlett]

The Green Wave

Tomboy

Director: Ali Samadi Ahadi

Director: Céline Sciamma

Starring: Mitra Khalatbari, Shadi Sadr, Payam Akhavan Released: 30 Sep Certificate: TBC

Starring: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani, Mathieu Demy Released: 16 Sep Certificate: U

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Using a vivid collage of animations, interviews and source footage, The Green Wave explores the pro-Mousavi protests that followed Ahmadinejad’s ‘victory’ in Iran’s 2009 presidential elections. The animated sequences stylishly visualise blog entries from a variety of first-hand witnesses (with a sequence set in Evin prison particularly evocative), while the talking heads are appropriately authoritative, ranging from UN prosecutors to Nobel peace prize winners. But as an act of awareness-raising intervention, director Ali Samadi Ahadi falters by taking too much for granted, offering neither background to Mousavi’s popularity, nor suggestions as to why Ahmadinejad’s downfall is so passionately sought – obvious to some, but worth reiterating. Offsetting any gaps in its historical record is the breadth of testimony. Significantly, the most widely-reported victim of the brutal clampdown, Neda Agha-Soltan, is not given elevated importance (as she was in contemporaneous international coverage); she is but one victim amongst many, her tragic story a single strand in a thick weave of suffering. [Chris Buckle]

Tomboy Laure (Héran) arrives at her new apartment in a leafy French suburb, and soon yearns for more than simply playing inside with her little sister. Venturing out alone into the neighbourhood she meets Lisa (Disson) and, after a snap decision, introduces herself as Michaël, a lie she’ll spend the rest of the summer desperately hiding from her rough-and-tumble friends and especially Lisa, who develops feelings for her alter ego.

Tomboy sees Water Lilies’ director Céline Sciamma return to French suburbia with this second, albeit more narrowly focused, tale of girls-not-yetladies dealing with burgeoning hormones and sexual discovery. She tells it in a wonderfully contained and heart aching way, drawing natural performances from her young cast with a light touch and thoughtful screenplay.

Sciamma’s camera stays close to the action, producing rich images that transport the viewer back to long summers spent playing outside, and the innocent physicality of youth, creating a film that will resonate with anyone who can remember awkwardly leaving their childhood behind. [Danny Scott]

www.thegreenwave-film.com

www.tomboythemovie.com

48 THE SKINNY September 2011

Roll Out, Cowboy

Bernard Herrmann

Grunge fans will be pleased to hear that the DCA is showing Pearl Jam Twenty on 20 September. The documentary by Cameron Crowe, who won the Best Screenplay Oscar for Almost Famous in 2001, is a portrait of the prolific band to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. Comprising of previously-unseen footage and new interviews, the film charts the band’s beginnings, their rise to stardom and everything that’s happened since.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan, or just interested in learning more, this promises to be an enlightening and entertaining documentary, with the added bonus of truly great music.

Finally, anyone interested in pursuing a career in screen-writing should head to the CCA on 12 September for this month’s meeting of Scottish Screenwriters. Formed in 2005, the group aims to encourage and develop writing abilities. Meetings consist of a short talk and Q&A session with an industry guest, followed by workshops. Check out the CCA website for more details.[Becky Bartlett]

Pearl Jam Twenty

FILM

DVD REVIEWS MY VOYAGE TO ITALY

LA JETÉE/SANS SOLEIL

HEAVENLY CREATURES

DIRECTOR: MARTIN SCORSESE

DIRECTOR: CHRIS MARKER

DIRECTOR: PETER JACKSON

RELEASED: 26 SEP CERTIFICATE: 12

STARRING: ETIENNE BECKER, JEAN NEGRONI, HELENE CHATELAIN RELEASED: OUT NOW CERTIFICATE: PG/15

STARRING: KATE WINSLET, MELANIE LYNSKEY RELEASED: 12 SEP CERTIFICATE: 18

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Martin Scorsese’s four-hour expedition through Italian Cinema 101 is wellmotivated, with the director and renowned cinephile aiming to redress the Hollywood hegemony that threatens to render all other national cinemas secondary. Unfortunately, the resulting documentary manages to be both overly restrictive and tediously excessive in different ways. By sticking to works by a canonical quintet of Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, Scorsese’s archival intellect is circumscribed at the expense of other, unsung filmmakers: you’ll discover a new title or ten, but only from the usual sources. The second flaw in the format is more damaging: if you’re familiar with any of the films in question, the commentary is too sparse and light to add much to your appreciation; if you haven’t, Scorsese’s tendency to synopsise entire plots will frustrate. By being neither an illuminating educational lecture nor a piece of entertainment in its own right, Marty’s passion is rendered a chore. [Chris Buckle]

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Chris Marker has had a life that makes the rest of us look like unimaginative and underachieving drudges. A member of the French Resistance during the war and still exhibiting photographs at the age of 90, he has variously been a novelist, poet, film-maker, photographer, critic and much more. All this has been achieved on his own terms and with a strict avoidance of publicity (he never gives interviews).

This dual release brings together Marker’s two most well known and accessible films. La Jetée is a post-apocalyptic, time-travelling fantasy with philosophical overtones composed entirely from still images (well, almost – there is a single moving shot). It’s influence has far outstretched its meagre 27 minute running time. Sans Soleil is a globetrotting meditation on time, memory, technology and Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Both of these films were put together with incredibly low tech equipment; they could now probably be made on an iPhone. Will anyone have the inquiring, rigorous imagination to make their equal? [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

rrr When did it all start to go so right? Well, for Kate Winslet and director Peter Jackson it was in 1994 with this film based on a crime that shocked 1950s New Zealand. Winslet plays Juliet, a precocious English schoolgirl recently arrived in the sleepy city of Christchurch, who makes friends with plain, dumpy Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) at the local school. Initially drawn together by their common experience of childhood illness, their friendship becomes dangerously obsessive as they come to share an intense fantasy life. Where other directors might have shaped this material into a conventional period drama, Jackson – who until this film was known for schlocky horror films – uses his B-movie wiles to depict the girls’ relationship from the inside with feverish camerawork and unexpected intrusions from their imaginary world. Critically acclaimed on its release, Heavenly Creatures sometimes irritates with its hysterical mood, but otherwise stands the test of time through the conviction of its performances and direction. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

13 ASSASSINS

JULIA’S EYES

KIND HEARTS & CORONETS

DIRECTOR: TAKASHI MIIKE

DIRECTOR: GUILLEM MORALES

DIRECTOR: ROBERT HAMER

STARRING: KOJI YAKUSHO, TAKAYUKI YAMADA, YUSUKE ISEYA RELEASED: 5 SEP CERTIFICATE: 15

STARRING: BELEN RUEDA, LLUIS HOMAR, PABLO DERQUI RELEASED: 12 SEP CERTIFICATE: 15

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STARRING: DENNIS PRICE, ALEC GUINNESS, JOAN GREENWOOD RELEASED: 5 SEP CERTIFICATE: U

There is an extraordinary scene near the beginning of 13 Assassins. Samurai Shinzaemon has been asked to kill Lord Naritsugu whose extreme cruelty is threatening the stability of the kingdom. As a final inducement to accept the task he is shown one of the aristocrat’s mutilated victims. After this truly horrific sight, in a moment as thrilling as it is disturbing, he breaks into a delighted smile and says: “How fate smiles on me!” He knows that he will now have the opportunity for the noble death in battle that he has always sought. This scene is not only masterfully acted and directed, it also perfectly captures the implacable code that has made the Samurai warrior such a compelling character in film.

Takashi Miike directs the film with restraint, ratcheting up the tension as Shinzaemon prepares his team and creating in the blandly psychotic Lord Naritsugu a memorable screen monster. The final battle is as epic as it is bloodily inventive. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

The rich visual influence of producer Guillermo del Toro is unmistakable in – and unfortunately the best thing about – this witless farce that desperately wants to be a serious thriller but collapses under the weight of its own contrivances.

A happily married woman with a degenerative eye condition investigates the mysterious suicide of her blind identical twin sister. Was it really suicide or was there someone else involved? It’s already a lot to swallow, but writer/director Guillem Morales just can’t stop adding underdeveloped ideas to an already unfocused script that quickly abandons making sense. The Orphanage’s Belen Rueda stumbles awkwardly through the increasingly unbelievable plot with an indulgent, grating performance that has you wishing she was going mute as well as blind. Occasionally the visuals inspire tension and the way the gradual blindness of the lead affects what we see on the screen is interesting, but this is one film that really ought to know that looks aren’t everything. [Scotty McKellar]

rrrr Long considered one of the best of the Ealing Comedies, Kind Hearts & Coronets is in many ways atypical of the studio’s output. Instead of the usual warm comedy, contemporary setting and familiar cast of lower-middle class worthies, the film is set in the 1860s and shot through with pitch black humour and biting satire on both the moribund upper class and the grasping venality of the suburban middle class. A waspishly poised Dennis Price is Louis Mazzini whose mother was cast out from the aristocratic D’Ascoyne family for marrying an Italian opera singer. After her death and a series of provocations from his estranged relatives Louis embarks on a plan to murder his way into his inheritance, offing the D’Ascoyne heirs (all played with great relish by Alec Guinness) in a series of wonderfully absurd set pieces. Louis only finds his match in his childhood sweetheart from the suburbs, the vulgar and scheming Sibella (Joan Greenwood). [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

Courses for adults from September 2011 DACE (Adult & Continuing Education) offers a wide range of daytime and evening part-time courses for adults. Open to everyone. There are no barriers to entry, no qualifications are needed and classes are conducted in an informal manner.

• Archaeology & Egyptology • Art • Computing • History • Languages • Literature & Creative Writing • Media Studies • Music • Philosophy & Religion • Psychology • Science • Social Sciences and much more.

• Request a brochure: 0141 330 1829 • General enquiries: 0141 330 1835 • Email: dace-query@educ.gla.ac.uk • www.glasgow.ac.uk/dace Help with funding may be available. If you are eligible for the Scottish Government’s Individual Learning Accounts (ILA) scheme this can be used towards payment for most of our courses.

For more information visit www.ilascotland.org.uk Tel: 0808 100 1090 for a brochure.

Fee waivers may be available for certain courses if you are in receipt of state benefits.

W W W .T H E S K I N N Y. C O . U K

The University of Glasgow is a registered Scottish charity, number SC004401.

www.glasgow.ac.uk PHOTO: SOLEN COLLET

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 49

REVIEWS

INGRID CALAME FRUITMARKET, UNTIL 29 OCT

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ART

Unfortunately, identifiable with a style of modernism appropriated by every homeware store, you could be excused for thinking you’ve seen it all before when it comes to Ingrid Calame’s paintings at the Fruitmarket Gallery.

However, Calame’s work is testimony to the fact that no form of art should be dismissed because of the media used in its creation, or even the aesthetic it adopts, traditional or otherwise. Though the artist’s oil paintings on the ground floor are the weakest of the exhibition, the show becomes more significant and original when you realise that Calame has traced all of the lines and marks from which she composes her work from the city streets and riverbeds of L.A. What seem like abstract, cartographical images

THE INDIRECT EXCHANGE OF UNCERTAIN VALUE FETTES COLLEGE

rrrr There’s a snippet of academic art speak that can still bring me out in hives five years after graduating from Glasgow School of Art. The context is half the work is the careworn mantra embedded into the psyche of the school by David Harding and his peers who founded the highly successful Sculpture and Environmental Art department in the mid 80s.

As alumni of GSA, Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan know how to pitch a discourse around public art that will make academics associated with this prestigious history salivate. The indirect exchange of uncertain value is a project funded

by The Scottish Arts Council’s Public Art Fund, but located on private land, setting up a contradiction around the use and abuse of public money to fund the gentrification of private space.

Fettes College, one of Scotland’s most prestigious

are in fact 1:1 ratio representations of reality – literal, indexical traces. She attempts to transform the everyday scars of the city, the marks of people’s lives, into something comprehensible and honest. Calame’s work, in this sense, is conceptually opposed to abstraction.

The drawing works upstairs make up for what’s on show downstairs. Gorgeous, sweet-hued lines ripple delightfully across a cosmos of semi-opaque paper, where watermelon pinks transform into blackcurrants and fade into Crayola-coined electric tangerine. The paper seems to undulate as if silk, caught in the sunlight. Lost in constellations of colour, our belief in the power of the aesthetic might even be restored. It seems it is more beautiful than we thought out there on the ‘side-walks’ and in the riverbeds of the city. [Sarah Hardie] 45 MARKET STREET EDINBURGH EH1 1DF WWW.FRUITMARKET.CO.UK

fee paying schools, has opened its grounds (but not the building) to accommodate two new sculptures

by Tatham and O’Sullivan and additional works by Chris Evans and Elizabeth Price. Visitors to the site participate in orchestrated tours, during which the guides report that Tatham and O’Sullivan’s enormous cat and boot structures have no specific artistic meaning. A sculpture by Chris Evans, installed behind the college’s locked doors cannot be looked at, but is communicated via a written description read aloud.

These oblique strategies waver between cerebral genius and experiential wet lettuce.

That this commission facilitates public access to the grounds of a fascinating private building affirms it as an act of significant cultural value. Yet the soft criticality of these works perhaps forms the most telling statement about the true nature of public art.

If the context really is half the work, then perhaps established discourses around public art should only be considered as half of the context? [Vanessa Bartlett] WWW.COLLECTIVEGALLERY.NET

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

VAULT, FROM SAFE TO ADVENTUROUS Before showing at this year’s Vault event at the Briggait, ALAN STANNERS tells us how a trip abroad took him out his safe zone

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. A list of participating galleries is available at the Creative Scotland website: www.creativescotland.com/ownart Look for the pink logo. (representative 0% APR)

50 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

PAINTER ALAN Stanners had resigned himself to giving it all up. He moved from Glasgow to Lisbon with the intention of laying down his brushes for good. “I just felt the whole thing was a bit of a joke: going to the studio every day and trying to come up with ideas – and then trying to get shows.

It all just seemed a bit of a circus really.”

A lot has changed since Stanners first left for Portugal six months ago. After a spell of writing bad short stories he found himself drawing, and before he knew it he’d written a manifesto outlining his views about art and life.

“When I was in Lisbon I just started drawing again,” he enunciates in a way peculiar to those from the north east of Scotland. “I came back to it really naturally.”

After graduating with a first class honours from the painting department at the Glasgow School of Art in 2007, Stanners went on to show at the usual circuit of Scottish galleries: Generator Projects, SWG3 and Embassy Gallery as well as further afield in London and Europe. Last year he showed with Dominic Samsworth at the Duchy Gallery in Glasgow where he brandished his by then established ‘style’.

Drawing on a variety of genres, Stanners’ paintings shift seamlessly between abstract, figurative and still life painting. Each canvas is a colourful flux of styles and techniques – expressive while sacrificing none of its outright cleverness.

Often sticking materials like bubble wrap or plastic directly onto the canvas, he agitates the picture’s surface, undermining the illusion of depth.

“I made a lot of work that was material-based: about how the paint works on the surface and the erotic qualities of colour and form,” he says.

“Some are tighter, more controlled; some are maybe a bit more illustrative, while others are more accidental. But I see them each playing a

syntactical role in the exhibition.”

The allusion to language is in no way incidental.

Like a lot of contemporary painting, Stanners’ artworks have more in common with literature than they do with other art forms.

“I see literature as being much closer to painting than photography or film,” he explains. “With a film, you’re being told what to think. With painting, you have the material and you know how it works, but it’s up to you what you project into it.

“Film and photography tells you too much.

With abstraction and literature there’s more of an opportunity to find how you relate to it.”

Taking part in the Vault art event at the Briggait between 9-11 September, Stanners’ paintings will be available to see and buy alongside the work of his peers. Showing as part of a group of artists represented by SWG3 – a gallery and studio complex where Stanners has worked from for years – he exemplifies what is most vibrant about the Glasgow art scene.

But where does all this flux and relativism leave us?

Is there no sign of Alan Stanners letting up for a moment and focusing on one style or a single object?

“For me there’s too much in life that is happening all the time,” he proclaims. “The pictures are like vignettes, they’re like little ideas that might pop into my head.

“Maybe that’s why people sometimes have an uneasy relationship with my work; because it doesn’t necessarily all add up. Something could just come out of nowhere.”

Vault Art Fair is supported by Creative Scotland through Own Art. Own Art encourages adventurous buying. Glasgow Print Studio will be offering the Own Art scheme at the event.

9–11 SEP, THE BRIGGAIT, GLASGOW

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 operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council. Registered address: Arts Council England, North East, Central Square, Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PJ

249 West George Street Glasgow G2 4QE

BOOKS

REVIEWS TURF

THE BORROWER

LORD OF MISRULE

GOOD AS DEAD

BY JONATHAN ROSS AND TOMMY LEE EDWARDS

BY REBECCA MAKKAI

BY JAIMY GORDON

BY MARK BILLINGHAM

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Turf is Jonathan Ross’s debut as writer of a comic series, and this collection of the first five issues, which form a complete story, is a winner.

It’s set in 1920s New York, a familiar scene with speakeasies, gangsters, gunfights, vampires, aliens… wait, what? Though it’s set in the 20s, this is really Ross’s tribute to the lurid, melodramatic, and fantastic horror comics of the 70s. Artist Tommy Lee Edwards is as much of a star here as Ross was on the telly, marshalling a large cast of characters using inspired layouts. The story, should you be interested, is that a turf war breaks out between the four ruling gangs of New York, but it’s maybe too much to handle – because it’s vampires that are assailing them. But more than that, internal politics of the gangs, and the vampire horde, play a part, it’s all followed by intrepid – too intrepid – newshound Susie Randall, and it moves at a hell of a pace. Fanboy references abound – e.g. Don Mario Bava, the ‘Face of Bo!’ and a Clifford Odets shoutout for the theatre kids – and the whole thing ends with a great fight, and the promise of more to come. Smashing stuff. [Keir Hind]

TECH

RELEASED ON 23 SEP. PUBLISHED BY TITAN BOOKS. COVER PRICE £19.99 HARDBACK

BITE-SIZED TECH NUGGETS WITH ALEX COLE

OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY HEINEMANN. COVER PRICE £12.99

This earthy tale is set at a 1970s Virginia racetrack, in the deeply unglamorous, chancy world of claiming races. A ragtag band of characters survive on the fringes of the racetrack that is their home and income, tied together by dodgy deals, race-fixing and hope that the Devil will pass them on by. Unknown trainer Tommy Hansel arrives at the stables with four horses and girlfriend Maggie, planning to get in and out quickly, complete with fatter purse. Medicine Ed, an old groom with a knack for witch-doctoring, could have told him that things are never that simple, especially when Maggie catches the eye of two local gangsters. Gordon’s narrative flickers between the characters’ viewpoints, switching from second to third person, and this, along with the novel’s stream of consciousness style makes it initially tricky to settle into. However, it also creates an intimate, claustrophobic perspective into a close knit but lonely community, and the voices and minds of her characters are sketched out with nuanced skill. Fast-paced it is not, so anyone hoping for a racing thriller should step away. Rather, it is a mood piece, capturing the atmosphere of a dusty hinterland where luck is the only currency that really matters. [Alice Sinclair] RELEASED ON 1 SEP. PUBLISHED BY QUERCUS. COVER PRICE £12.99

LEARNING THE CRAFT The ultimate sandbox, for the creative mind WORDS: ALEX COLE ILLUSTRATION: ALEX HORNER

NORMALLY WE talk about finished games here, the ones that come off budgets of millions of pounds from massive game studios, and which more than likely are either shooters or sequels to something. Or both. In this case, there’s a game that’s categorically none of these things, and is all the better for it.

THE FEED

On face value, The Borrower is a story about a librarian, a small boy and the primacy of the written word; on second thought it is a political satire, but of individual governance rather than the state. Makkai is a lauded short story writer who applies her tricks to her first novel: the first page snatches your heart and while the intensity lessens over the following pages, the rest of the story keeps you stuck in a balanced moment. The story is populated with larger than life, farcical characters who all serve satirical purposes. These include Lucy the librarian, an unengaged twenty-something, unchallenged to such an extent that she stages her own personal revolution out of boredom. The first half recounts events preceding the ‘borrowing’; the moment when Lucy, under duress from the boy, effectively kidnaps him. The second half is, naturally, full of bad decisions, the kind we rationalise in moments of desperation and which only trigger more. It is a neat commentary on the tenets that govern us but because consequences aren’t meted out, the fairytale ending makes it a slightly trivial read.

[Renée Rowland]

Minecraft is the brainchild of a single former game developer, who left his job to start developing a crazy world of his own (deciding to go by ‘Notch’ henceforth). To say Minecraft is an openworld, sandbox game is the understatement of year – Minecraft is THE open world sandbox. Your

character most often starts in a virgin, pixelated landscape, where everything exists in block form.

What starts as a simple romp around the environment becomes a race against time to build shelter from the monsters that come after you at night.

As per the name, however, just about everything can be mined to be used as a building material.

Rock and stone can be refined to make walls, fire and torches can be grabbed as light sources, and the deeper you go, the better the raw ore you can get (while avoiding the zombies that live there).

The better the ore, the better the tools you can make, and the better the tools, the more you can do. Players have built entire castles and kingdoms starting with nothing more than a pixelated hand.

But that open sandbox has given rise to a massive community of players who not only trade details on how to mine and craft items, but who’ve made entire mini-RPGs within the game, allowing players to explore the world they’ve made, and complete game objectives within it, following stories and characters they run themselves. The world is so flexible that it doesn’t take long to carve out your own fortress of awesomeness (or a giant wang of gold, if that’s your thing).

The game is still in beta and is constantly in revision, with several versions still floating around.

Notch probably never counted on the kind of response he’s seen, but his hobby project now occupies more cultural headspace (and YouTube samples) than all the Gears of War games put together.

And if the internet is good for anything, it’s good for indie developers like this.

Not to be confused with Mark Billingham’s last book, From The Dead, this latest offering is a solid police procedural. In fact, there’s really quite a lot of procedure involved, as this is a British crime novel, and D.I. Tom Thorne is not Dirty Harry. It starts with a clever bait and switch, as we follow a police officer, Helen Weeks, as she goes about her day, but then just as she’s buying chocolate in the morning, a gang of teens come in to the newsagents.

However, the shopkeeper chases them off – and then he takes officer Weeks hostage. The point of this is to force Thorne into investigating his son’s death, in prison. This is naturally a tricky situation, and that makes hard work for Thorne, and interesting reading for us. Billingham’s done his research, and the book does ring true – perhaps too true, because sometimes the specific details of policework could have been glossed over, to better serve the pacing. Nonetheless, this is a good read throughout, and one with plenty of unexpected developments that convincingly stem from human failings – leading to a conclusion that really does differ from the norm. [Nat Smith] OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY LITTLE, BROWN. COVER PRICE £16.99 HARDBACK. MARK BILLINGHAM WILL BE APPEARING IN JOINT EVENTS WITH CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE ON SEP 10, 7PM, AT THE MILNGAVIE BOOK FESTIVAL, AND SEP 11, 7.30PM AT THE STIRLING BOOK FESTIVAL

DEAD ISLAND PUBLISHER: DEEP SILVER RELEASE DATE: 9 SEP CONSOLE(S): XBOX, PS3, WINDOWS PRICE: £35

rrrr Zombie games are zombie games these days, right? Mysterious plague, few survivors, fighting for their lives, slowly killed off one by one. Job done. But the makers of Dead Island want to give a little more heart to the genre (before it’s violently ripped out). Taking place on an idyllic holiday island, in the midst of a family vacation, the game is a heavily multiplayer-driven experience.

Centering around four key characters, each with fairly tragic backstories and specific story arcs to tackle in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, the game, much like its popular cousin Left 4 Dead, is all about getting through a massively destructible and interactive environment with all your limbs and faculties intact, all while customizing your weapons of choice and collecting key objects. Unlike L4D, however, the game is heavily story focused, and instead of massive swarms of foes, places far more importance on scare-the-pants-off-you scary bits like flashlight-only sections and wild vehicular zombiecide, along with character-focused story elements.

It’s definitely a more gritty, sober take on zombies, and the combat reflects that. There are very few guns on the island, so much of your fighting is done up close and personal, with knives, baseball bats, and the environment being your primary weapons.

Oddly, the new tone, fewer zombies but more melees, and well developed characters really makes this feel like a solid game, but as with any multiplayer experience, everything depends on just what kind of survivors you’ve got with you.[Alex Cole]

WWW.MINECRAFT.NET/

GOVT CONSIDERS SHUTTING DOWN TWITTER & FACEBOOK FOR EMERGENCIES, ‘CUZ NO ONE RIOTED BEFORE BLACKBERRYS • ALL MOBILE CARRIERS SUING EACH OTHER – AT THIS POINT, JUST CLAIM YOU INVENTED THE TELEPHONE AND BE DONE WITH IT • CHINA FINDING CRAZY NUMBERS OF FAKE APPLE STORES, WITH SMUG ELITISM INTACT • FA CUP TO BE BROADCAST ON FACEBOOK. SADLY, NO POKING • NEW WEBSITE LETS HACKERS RATE HACKS, JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR THE LOLZ • IPHONE 5 RUMORED FOR OCTOBER, SO START STOCKPILING YOUR BLACK TURTLENECKS

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 51

PERFORM

venue of the Month:

Arches Live Live art young team gather with a programme of over 30 performers WORDS: Gareth KURT Vile

As inevitable as the annual migration of English actors from Edinburgh back to milder climes after the Fringe, so September’s Venue of the Month is the Arches. [Another annual event is Gareth using this article to promote his own act. - Ed] Arches Live! is the big gathering of the young live art teams, new performance crews and wild outsider artists from the East and West coasts, and 2011 is the largest edition yet, with over thirty acts in a little under a fortnight.

Aside from the obvious highlight of The Skinny’s own Mr Criticulous [!], fresh from fighting Onterend Goed in Edinburgh, in a one-to-one confessional, Arches Live! has spots from established names – Little Johnny is taking over the cafe, and Kieran Hurley presents a new work, Beats, that captures the current mood of political agitation in his trademark compassionate style. The eclectic range matches any Fringe venue, from Tony Mills throwing some hip-hop inspired shapes to Rosana Cade and Laurie Brown finding out what the tariff is for same-sex sins in Glasgow’s confessional booths.

The joy of Arches Live! is that it sets veterans alongside newcomers: Nick Green is back on the block, after touring the world with her Trilogy, and Solar Bear’s artist in residence, Ramesh Meyyappan, returns from swinging Snails’n’Ketchup on the Fringe with a look at the fishy treat from Arbroath. Meanwhile, the latest generation of graduates from the RSAMD make their first steps into post-student production.

The Arches has built up a reputation for challenging and imaginative performance, alongside its

comprehensive clubbing and gigs programme – Its subterranean atmosphere, complete with passing train sounds, lends itself to the experimental theatre. When Andy Arnold was artistic director, before he began his revitalisation of the Tron, The Arches became the perfect home for his versions of Beckett, echoing the hollow terror of mundanity through its stone walls. Now, it has become a place where the usual rules of theatre can easily be ripped up.

That isn’t to say that traditional theatrical craft is discarded. Stef Smith, award-winning writer of Roadkill, will be reading through her latest script and Tom Pritchard will be using his experience as an improvising dancer to rock his body in a free foyer performance. It’s this mixture – like that of the National Review of Live Art – which makes Arches Live! so powerful. And with so many spaces, all levels of theatrical engagement, from the intimate to the grandiose, are included.

The importance of the Arches cannot be overstated. Edinburgh does not have anything similar, although Summerhall is hoping to follow in its alternative path. In the meantime, the Arches functions as a crucible for new work, a meeting place for radical performance communities, a bridge between student and professional theatre making and a champion of the challenging and provocative. With Arches Live!, it insists that the festival season is longer than just a single month.

20 Sep - 1 Oct, various times

katybaird - I Don't Remember Exactly When It Happened

Laura Bradshaw and Murray Wason

www.thearches.co.uk/

pREVIEW

PREVIEW

Beyond the Fringe

Cherry Loco

Cachín Cachán Cachunga! @ Priscillas Priscillas, Leith 10 Sep

Curated by enterprising duo Zorras, Cachín Cachán Cachunga! has grown over the past two years to become Edinburgh’s most consistently radical cabaret experience. Through their eclectic range of arts – the September event includes film from Alec Butler, boylesque from Cherry Loco, live surf punk and British Sign Language performance poetry.

Cherry Loco is a popular presence in the Glasgow burlesque scene: his loving recreations of classic glamour tropes, given a wicked gender twist, make him a prime exponent of neo-burlesque’s crafty reappropriation of the past. Nathan Gale has a sharp way with sardonic monologues and hosts Zorras promise their unique brand of ‘poetry-music-video-weirdness fusion. With megaphones.’ And there is a spot of performance from Afro-Cuban dance duo Lily & Yamil.

52 THE SKINNY September 2011

Photo: Evi Tsiligaridou

Photo: Andrew Heins

Stef smith

Zorras

Cachín’s originality is based in the intentions of the founders, Sandra Alland, Y. Josephine, Lily, and Ania Urbanowska. In 2009, when cabaret was booming, they deliberately curated the night “to showcase the creations of both local & international queer & trans artists – with an added focus on disabled, deaf, BME & migrant communities.” This conscious aesthetic then extended to the format – hence the inclusion of art forms not normally associated with a cabaret night. After this, the policy of shifting from venue to venue for each event was almost inevitable.

Variety has now re-established itself as a mainstream entertainment, rescued from the Saturday Night Special filmed from a fading English holiday resort and starring a fading English comedian.

Cachín Cachán Cachunga! is a subversive companion on its journey back to Light Entertainment.

[Gareth K Vile] Cachín Cachán Cachunga!, Priscillas, 10 Sep, 7.30pm, Free www.blissfultimes.ca/cachin.htm

With such a broad gamma of acts in its programme, the Fringe is not only for entertainment or showcasing the latest trends, but also an incredibly powerful tool for participants’ networking.

Dancers meet other dancers, or choreographers, or even producers. What happens next?

Some of the shows stay on in Scotland for brief tours: but three Scottish companies are taking their work on the road to show the nation what they might have missed.

Last Orders, by David Hughes, has received mixed reactions; this controversial piece leaves critics satisfied, others confused or disappointed.

A fascinating blend of different dance disciplines, choreographed by the Dark Clown Al Seed, it takes the legend of Scotland’s fiercest cannibal clan as a springboard for a meditation on the carniverous side of human nature.

David Leddy’s Untitled Love Story employs the less aggressive art of meditation to immerse the audience in his piece. Contrary to Audience, one of the most talked about shows of the Fringe which saw one critic throw his shoe at the stage, it is not about pushing people to their limits, but rather connecting them to the four other characters on stage. Leddy is a great conceptualist, a gentle and thoughtful author. More than just a play, he offers experiences.

Finally, Strange Bird Zircus and All or Nothing are swinging around the nation with their aerial trilogy Uncharted Waters. One of Dance Base’s hits, and featuring music from one of the members of the North Atlantic Trio, it rolls out the Chinese silks and erects the pole for three pieces that prove that the sky is the limit for Scotland’s dancers. [Daph Karoulla] Last Orders: 22 Sep - Macphail Centre, Ullapool 24 Sep - Aros, Isle of Skye 30 Sep - Eastgate Arts, Peebles 1 Oct - Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh 3 Oct - Universal Hall, Findhorn 4 Oct - Lemon Tree, Aberdeen 6 Oct - Cumbernauld Theatre, Cumbernauld

Uncharted waters 7 Oct - Arches, Glasgow 8 Oct - Macrobert, Stirling David Hughes Dance - www.davidhughesdance.co.uk/ David Leddy’s Untitled Love Story: 2 Sep - Cumbernauld Theatre www.cumbernauldtheatre.co.uk 4 Sep - Paisley Arts Centre www.renfrewshire.gov.uk 7 Sep - Rothes Halls, Glenrothes www.attfife.org.uk 10 Sep - Lemon Tree, Aberdeen www. aberdeenperformingarts.com 14 Sep - Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling www.macrobert.org 16 Sep - Eastgate Theatre, Peebles www.thebooth.co.uk Uncharted waters: www.strangebirdzirkus.com, www.aerialdance.co.uk

COMEDY

IN PROFILE:

SUSAN CALMAN This issue marks my last as Comedy Editor at The Skinny – Bernard O’Leary will be expertly taking over the reins from next month. For the last In Profile piece, I wanted to talk to someone who epitomises what is great about Scottish comedy. Few fit the bill better than Glasgwegian SUSAN CALMAN

One Kingdom. Two Queens.

They’ll end up at each other’s throats.

INTERVIEW: LIZZIE CASS-MARAN SUSAN CALMAN quit her job as a lawyer for a career in comedy only five years ago, the same year as she started stand-up. “I was depressed with my job,” she tells me, “and I thought, if I don’t try being a comedian now, I’ll never do it.”

She’s one of a number of successful comics who’ve given up reliable, make-your-mother-proud careers (doctors, lawyers, teachers) for the capricious world of stand up comedy. But Calman doesn’t put this down to anything inherent in these career paths. She puts it down more to the wider options that people have nowadays. “When we were at university, you couldn’t say ‘I’m going to be a comedian’ whereas now I think you probably can say that. In the early 90s, The Stand wasn’t even open.”

Over the past fifteen years, The Stand – which Calman describes as a “beautiful, wonderful, nurturing environment” – has been at the centre of the growing Scottish comedy scene, but the circuit’s still not big enough for mainstream success, and comedy production in Scotland is not enough to sustain a career. Calman is one of relatively few successful Scottish comics who have – so far – resisted the call of the South.

“I want to try and stay in Scotland, but I don’t know whether that’s going to be possible, because most of my work is in London – or maybe Manchester.” The money in comedy remains mostly down South, and there’s still a culture that anyone working in comedy has to prove themselves there in order to get things made – be they a writer or performer or, like Calman and many others, both: “They don’t necessarily know who you are if you stay up in Scotland.”

Calman’s doing well so far though. TV appearances include Rab C Nesbitt, Comedy Rocks and Big Brother’s Big Mouth, but she’s mostly known for her radio work: she can often be heard on Radio 4’s The News Quiz and is a regular stand-in

MARY QUEENof SCOTS got her

HEAD CHOPPED OFF

By Liz Lochhead A co-production with Dundee Rep Ensemble

16 September – 15 October 2011 BOX OFFICE: 0131 248 4848 GROUPS 8+: 0131 248 4949 TEXT RELAY: 18001 0131 248 4848 MOBILE: m.lyceum.org.uk ONLINE: www.lyceum.org.uk/mary TWITTER: #maryqueen

Dundee Rep: 19 October – 5 November 2011 BOX OFFICE: 01382 223530 ONLINE: www.dundeerep.co.uk

for Fred McAulay on his Radio Scotland show.

You can see Calman at The Stand, Glasgow, this September. She’s also waiting to hear about a number of other projects (“My motto is, if you have as many projects as possible on the go, then at least one of them will come off eventually.”) so look out for her on TV and radio everywhere.

In the meantime, support live comedy; and help keep it in the country.

SUSAN CALMAN IS AT CUMBERNAULD THEATRE ON 3 SEP, AT WICKED WENCHES AT THE STAND, EDINBURGH ON 6 SEP OR GLASGOW ON 7 SEP, AND COMPERING WEEKEND SHOWS AT THE GLASGOW STAND ON 15, 16 AND 17 SEP FOLLOW SUSAN ON TWITTER @SUSANCALMAN WWW.SUSANCALMAN.COM

Company No. SC062065 Scottish Charity Registered No. SC010509

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ANA CANARY

Age: 22 Based in: Edinburgh First gig: 2009 Number of gigs: 17 Most memorable gig? Once I performed to one man in a boat in Leith. I went to do a five minute spot and there was just one guy looking really

embarrassed. But we did the show anyway. He enjoyed it more than I was expecting, it went much better than I thought it would.

How did you get into comedy? It’s not something I ever thought I’d get into. I knew I wanted to work in the comedy industry, but didn’t think I wanted to actually work as a performer. I worked at The Stand [behind the bar], and would see a lot of Red Raw, and see a lot of acts die on their arse. You can’t help but think “I’m sure I can do better than that.” Then I started to feel guilty about thinking that about these people who were trying their best and I thought “You know what, I should put my money where my mouth is.”

What do you try and do onstage?

[My style is] kind of surreal, I just try to say things that I would find funny. One of my comedy heroes is Tony Law, so I sort of try and emulate his kind of nonsense – whimsical comedy.

Who are your comedy heroes on the Scottish scene?

[Stand Director] Tommy Sheppard. He’s not a comedian, but I can’t think of anyone I respect more. I’ve worked for other comedy venues, where the owners obviously don’t care about comedy, and it’s so nice to work under someone who so obviously does.[Lizzie Cass-Maran]

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SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 53

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To celebrate the opening of TROLLHUNTER (15) on 9 September, the Cameo Cinema – in association with Momentum Pictures – is offering one lucky Skinny reader the chance to win a pair of tickets to see the film, a DVD bundle and a limited edition TROLLHUNTER/Cameo t-shirt.

To enter simply go to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer the following question: Q. IN WHICH COUNTRY IS TROLLHUNTER SET? SWEDEN NORWAY ICELAND For full terms and conditions, go to www. theskinny.co.uk/terms Competition closes Fri 23 September www.picturehouses.co.uk www.facebook.com/cameocinema www.facebook.com/TrollHunterUK www.twitter.com/CameoCinema

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The transformative vibe is reinforced by is beautiful location looking over St Andrews Bay and up to the Scottish Highlands.

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Glasgow music Tue 30 Aug Magic Carpet Cabaret Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

A night of poetry, song and story, with an additional open mic session.

Willwaw Mono, 21:00–23:00, Free

Experimental Glasgow (via Chicago) chap making beautifully odd noises with his ukelele.

The Glasgow Slow Club Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Acoustic music night with live guests from the local scene, hosted by the inimitable Squirrel of This Silent Forest.

Wed 31 Aug CSS Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Brazilian sextet pumping out their fizzy brand of electro-pop in celebration of their third album.

Apollo Rocks! (Bloodstone, Subject 7, A Carnal Elect, The Gleneagles, Not Astronauts, Rocket Powered Jet Skis) Apollo 23, 19:30–22:00, £5

Full-on rock showcase, as the name suggests.

Cults Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £7

Dreamy lo-fi pop from US-of-A duo Cults (made up of real life couple Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin).

Without Aeroplanes, Thulah Borah, Redwings Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Three stellar bands to rise from the ashes of the post-rock explosion of the last decade.

Muso Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubber’s beats.

Thu 01 Sep Polka Dot Punks (Brass Monkeys) The Universal, 18:00–23:00, Free

Pop-up art and design gallery, with a side of live jazz from Brass Monkeys and hand-picked world tunes from the Polka Dot Punk DJs.

Apollo Rocks (The Replay, Eye’s Own, Unbound, Rocket powered Jet Skis, Rank Berry, The Preventers) Apollo 23, 19:00–22:00, £6

Mono Six, Alabaster Jones, Amy Ledger, Cielo 69, Calum Wilson Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Mini showcase of Glasgow’s unsigned talent.

The Whisky Works (Darien Venture, Atlas:Empire) Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £5

Complex and hardcore wall of sound from the Glasgow fivepiece, thick with chunky riffs and layers of screeching guitar, in what will be their final performance and EP launch.

Cairo, Shatter The Solace, The Random Guy Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £6

Handpicked showcase of the indie-rock variety, placing the spotlight on a selection of Scottish up-and-comers.

Butterfly Fridays Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Live acoustic blues from house band The Fortunate Sons, followed

by DJ Junior on deck duty.

First Charge Of The Light Brigade Brel, 19:30–22:00, Free

Four song-writers and two frontmen, bridging the gap between indie, Americana and folk.

The Moth and The Mirror (Amber Wilson, Blood Blood, I Build Collapsible Mountains) Captain’s Rest, 19:30–22:00, £5

The elusive sextet (made up of various bands, including Arab Strap, Admiral Fallow and Frightened Rabbit) launch their new single, Germany.

Marvel Heights Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £5

Five-piece Glasgow rockers, full of chords and beats.

Hellfire Club, John Alexander, Sleepy Eyes Nelson State Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4

Old-time country and blues acts, times three.

Painted Money (Mythrias, The Abstract) Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

The Glasgow-based alternative rockers headline their first Maggie May’s show.

Will Hanson (The Mademoiselle) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Dark and atmospheric pop, all unconventional lyrics and jangly guitars.

Full-on rock showcase, as the name suggests.

Sat 03 Sep

Lisa Grant (Anna Sheilds)

Music Is The Music Language

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Acoustic single launch for the up-and-coming Glasgow singer/ songwriter.

Toots and the Maytals O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £24

Playing a rare Scottish date in their 50th year of being, with Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert’s lung-busting Memphis soul boom ably backed by the his mighty rhythmic mainstays The Maytals.

Schnapps Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Catchy, off-the-wall garage rock from the Glasgow chaps who’d rather you branded them as ‘shark rock’, thank you.

Dave Dominey Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Funked-up bass loops with laptop, electric bass and a live guest soloist.

Into It, Over It (Koji, Wolves At Heart) Bloc+, 21:00–23:00, Free

Into It, Over It (aka Evan Weiss) takes on the emo, indie and acoustic rock genres with an ingenious slant.

Fri 02 Sep Average White Band O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Old-school Scottish funk and R’n’B outfit, featuring original members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre.

SWG3, 12:00–23:00, £8 adv. (£10 thereafter)

Independent mini music festival weekender, curated by DIY promoters par excellence Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails. Confirmed acts include Wounded Knee, Alasdair Roberts, Tattie Toes and Ultimate Thrush.

Mainstage (Indiecode, The Revolt, The Heretics, Ocean House, Trigger The Escape, Finality Jack) O2 Academy, 18:00–22:00, £10

A new showcase event for local Scottish talent.

Kevin McGuire (Stolen Saturdays, Midnight Vulture Club, Playing For Keeps ) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £5

Catchy melodies and strong lyrics from young singer/songwriter McGuire and his merry band.

Pearl Jem

Sun 04 Sep Music Is The Music Language SWG3, 12:00–23:00, £8 adv. (£10 thereafter)

Independent mini music festival weekender, curated by DIY promoters par excellence Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails. Confirmed acts include Wounded Knee, Alasdair Roberts, Tattie Toes and Ultimate Thrush.

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

The indie-rockers return to Maggie May’s, armed with some new tracks and even more swagger.

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

The talented fingerstyle jazz guitarist plays his own arrangements of standards.

Daniel Martin Moore

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £6

The Sydney quartet embrace the jolly pop sensibility of massive choruses and stadium singalongs.

Mac Miller O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12

The young Pittburgh rapper and self-taught musician, aka Malcolm McCormick.

Scottish New Music Awards (Leon Jackson, Nicola Cassells) Classic Grand, 19:00–23:00, £10

Scottish musos will be on hand to perform and present awards to tomorrows success stories.

The Stone Ghost Collective Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £5

Scottish six-piece lush with intricate guitars and interwoven vocal harmonies. Quelle surprise they started live as a symphony for orchestra and choir.

The Jezabels (The John McLain Band)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Wormrot (Evisorax, Co-Exist, Sunsmasher) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Hardstyle grindcore from the Singapore collective.

The Glasgow Slow Club Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Acoustic music night with live guests from the local scene, hosted by the inimitable Squirrel of This Silent Forest.

Wed 07 Sep Caitlin Rose

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

Fresh countryesque singalongs from the talented young Nashvillian.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote

Grand Ole Opry, 19:30, £12.50

Muso

Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubber’s beats.

Thu 08 Sep Apollo Rocks (Lucky 38, The Guttergodz, Liberty Falls, Heavy Soul, Lost In Echoes, Preacher, Trigger The Ecsape) Apollo 23, 19:00–22:00, £6

Full-on rock showcase, as the name suggests.

Doug Paisley (Mandrake Shepherd) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £9

Glasgow Ska Train (The Aggressors BC) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £5

Live ska spectacular.

Stripped-back modern roots, combining distinctive voices with multi-instrumental melodies.

Debrasco (Smart, Forever Rivals, Black Sundays) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Driving rock rhythms and wild guitars.

Nooshafarin

Classic Grand, 19:30–00:00, £18

Iranian singer/songwriter currently resising in sunny Southern California.

The Whip

Groove-infused blues from the experimental foursome, with Chris Turpin on dust-bowl howlin’ duties.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £5

Metal meltdown, with weekend warriors What’s The Damage? at the helm (i.e. making the most noise).

Ohm (Stewart Traquair) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Manc electronic trio making insanely danceable tunes they term “sweat music”.

Progressive and ambient tuneage.

Sat 10 Sep

JEM

John Wean (Max)

Indian and Scottish-style music on guitar, cello, soprano sax and vocals.

Four Scottish lads writing about love, life and their biggest interest: girls.

Folks (The Sundancer)

Section 25 (The Statler Project, Her Royal Highness)

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

Melodic six-piece from the northwest of England, led by Scott Anderson’s weighty vocals.

Fri 09 Sep Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Hayseed Dixie

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15

Four hairy rednecks, a host of string instruments and a whole lotta cover versions given the Bluegrass treatment.

Classic Grand, 18:30–22:00, £6

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £8.50

The Factory Records post-punkers back with the first in a string of live shows.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £7

Brel Sessions

Brel, 21:00–00:00, Free

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Tue 13 Sep Laura Stevenson and The Cans

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £5

The alternative New York singer/ songwriter and her ever-changing merry band, now a fully-fledged five-piece.

WTF...?!

Stereo, 19:45–22:30, £6

This Frontier Needs Horses (Zachary Cale)

Eclectic new night, offering a mix of bands that probably should never share the same stage.

New York brother and sister alternative folk duo, moving from delicate ballads to raucous electric guitar head-bangers.

G.Love & Special Sauce

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £6

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Woman (The New Times, Onzlo)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £13.50

The hip-hop-meets-blues Philly trio headered by Garrett Dutton (aka yer man G.Love) on vocals, guitar and harmonica.

The Glasgow Slow Club

PJ Harvey Royal Concert Hall, 20:30–23:00, £28.50 (£26.50)

Matthew Collings (Talvhihorros)

Acoustic music night with live guests from the local scene, hosted by the inimitable Squirrel of This Silent Forest.

The one-time Mercury prizewinner, and 2011 nominee, cherrypicks gems from her recent beauty of an album.

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Icelandic-based musician who traverses the line between quiet and loud, ranging from tiny delicate moments of intimacy to all consuming noise.

Mon 05 Sep

Thrum (The Parsonage)

Sea of Lions

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Classic Grand, 18:30–22:00, £tbc

South Yorkshire five-piece blending catchy hooks with some heavyweight alternative rock.

East 17 O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £15 (£25 VIP package)

Toy Tin Soldier (Little Fire, Karen Fishwick)

Ron Sexsmith

Sun 11 Sep Surface Festival

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £6 adv.

Joe Gideon and The Shark (Gemma Ray)

The Bluetones

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

The Black Angels

Sarabeth Tucek

Texan five-piece of the experimental psych variety.

Brother and sister duo making their own magical brand of bluesy sludge rock, complete with rancourous guitar and propulsive drums.

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £6

New York singer/songwriter whose voice has a directness and intimacy that fit like a glove around her mournful narratives.

Brel, 21:00–00:00, Free

SWG3, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

Johnny and the Bomb (The Faultlines, Gareth Croll, Lifestream) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Funky punk rock from the Somerset lads.

Make Sparks (Friends In America, So Many Cute Animals)

SoHo Dandy

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:30, £5

Alternative rockers hailing from across the west of Scotland.

Rockburn, The Lost Weekends, Dirty Looks, Superbad Comrade, The Stolen Cherubs

Turbogeist

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Thrash-rock foursome from London town, mixing weirdo punk sounds with heavy alternative rock (i.e. it’s damn loud).

Pop-punk collective from Philadelphia.

Picore (Mr Peppermint, Salo)

Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Alternative Spanish rockers, jagged and ingenious in their approach.

Muso

Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubber’s beats.

Butterfly Fridays

Experimental London duo, all ethereal and lovely like.

Fewsel (What The Blood Revealed)

Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

17 years and six albums later, the indie stalwarts host their farewell tour with a special careerspanning set.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Thu 15 Sep

Kurt Vile and The Violators (Woods)

Driving German stoner rock.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £16

The Wonder Years (Valencia, Such Gold)

Battle of The Bands

Well-crafted alternative pop from the Dundee trio.

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £10

Mini unsigned music festival.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Joe Gallacher’s amassed group of musicians, a five-piece currently experimenting with Gallacher’s self-penned tracks.

Manc foursome with their alternative pop sounds.

Tue 06 Sep Accesible melodies cocked askew, marrying the introspection of the nocturnal stoner with the exploration of a troubadour frontiersman.

Classic Grand, 17:45–22:30, £10

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £8

American rapper and performance artist B.Dolan performs alongside Dan Le Sac.

Airship

Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £6

Handpicked showcase of the indie-rock variety, placing the spotlight on a selection of Scottish up-and-comers.

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £6

Singalongable, dancealongable alternative countryesque tunes from the Glasgow lads.

Digital W.I.N.C.H.

The Twilight Sad and Take A Worm For A Walk Week DJs unleash their usual musical hurricane.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Wed 14 Sep Three Blind Wolves

B.Dolan, Dan Le Sac

Bloc+, 23:00–03:00, Free

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Guitar-driven rock from the Glasgow duo, with John Smillie providing the just-so backing arrangements for Monica Queen’s luxurious vocals.

90s boy band favourite, Eastbloody-17, return to the live circuit. Rescheduled date.

Michael Simons

Apollo 23, 19:30–22:00, £5

Noisy pop-cum-punk-cum-rock from the English screamers.

The Canadian-born singer/songwriter works her magic on guitar, vocals and auto-harp.

Hard rock from the unsigned Glasgow foursome fronted by Nick Bryson.

Young Pittsburgh chap (aka Chris Laufman) making rather lovely woozy pop sounds.

Hey Alaska! (Violet, Twisted Rainbow, Mellifluous, Martin’s Room)

Kill It Kid

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Wise-Blood

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

The American bluesman takes it back to its roots (i.e. raw, stripped-back and intense).

Mixed indie and rock bill from Indievous.

Iceage

The talented Canadian singer/ songwriter and his elegant melancholic pop songs.

Skip ‘Little Axe’ McDonald (Dave Arcari)

What’s The Damage?, Senzafine

Adam Young (aka Owl City) creates his lush electro-pop dreamscapes, as showcased on debut album All Things Bright And Beautiful.

Danish pop-punk scamps mixing in a bit of goth and clanging hardcore.

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Andrea Heins

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Scottish saxophone quartet host a special fundraiser concert of classical chamber music, in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The English singer/songwriter plays as part of No Mean City festival, celebrating Americana music in Glasgow.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £11

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Industrial-cum-electro pop trio from Sweden.

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

Sax Ecosse

St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, 19:30–22:30, £8 (£6)

Scott Matthews

Toronto-born alternative country chap, previously touring under the guise Dark Hand and Lamplight.

Owl City (Unicorn Kid, Long Lost Sun)

The Glasgow indie-poppers weave their usual blend of harmony and subtle orchestration.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £4

Glasgow band serving up their rock sounds with a side of electronica and psych.

Mon 12 Sep Po’ Girl (Snowgoose)

Michael Simons

Covenant

French Wives (Shields, Poor Things)

Castaway (Blank Canvas, Betatone Distraction)

The Dawn Cartel (Revelry Thieves, The Rising Soul, 7 Day Sun, Fixer)

Delicate and unhurried beauty from the Mercury-nominated duo.

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Columbia (Fireside Kicks, David Sutherland & Band)

Jamie Bell

Pivo Pivo, 15:00–00:00, Free

All day event over two stages in the venue, showcasing 14 new burgeoning acts in Scottish new music, all from the fiery furnace of Ayrshire, no less.

Pure Dead Brilliant (Kia Koura, Steven Leonard) Little ball of energetic punk-pop from the Scottish foursome, full of catchy melodies and guitar hooks.

The celebrated US rappers perform Fear Of A Black Planet in its entirety.

Kentucky singer/songwriter mixing those two happiest of bedfellows, folk and pop.

Brel Sessions

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £23.50

Ayrshire Showcase (The Darien Venture, This Familiar Smile, Bellow Below, Rose Parade, As In Bear, In:Auteurs, Little Fire, Tragic O’Hara)

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £10

Pearl Jam tribute act.

Public Enemy

Live acoustic blues from house band The Fortunate Sons, followed

by DJ Junior on deck duty.

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £6

Big Deal

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Queen Jane (The Riverieras, The Dirty Violets) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Alternaive indie four-piece from the fiery furnace of Cumbernauld.

Soundhaus, 19:00–22:00, £6

Ten Scottish bands do live battle.

Jon Fratelli

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £11

The former Fratelli’s frontman tours his debut solo album.

Mr Big

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Sean Taylor Brel, 20:00–23:00, £7

Atmospheric acoustics from the troubadour bluesman.

Struggle Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Expect everything punk and post-hardcore at Struggletown’s monthly music showcase.

Click Clack Club The Griffin, 21:00–00:00, £3

The experimental music club take a trip Glasgow-way, featuring Orange Claw Hammer exploring the music of departed genius Captain Beefheart, alongside Tara Hodgson and The Dust Cutlets.

Fri 16 Sep Crystal Fighters Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £8

All-screaming Basque dance/ punk/folk five-piece, fusing their disparate elements into one weirdly pleasing mix.

Wilko Johnson O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The inimitable guitarist and founding member of Dr. Feelgood embarks on his UK-wide tour.

Attica Rage Classic Grand, 19:00–22:30, £9

For a one-off special, Attica Rage perform Road Dog album live and in its entirety, with guest musicians Dave Arcari, Christie ConnorVernal and Steve Lightbody.

Butterfly Fridays Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

Live acoustic blues from house band The Fortunate Sons, followed

by DJ Junior on deck duty.

Stonesthrow Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

The Glasgow garage-rockers gig in support of their debut album, Judas or Rebel.

Nae Danger (I Hate Fun, The Wee Man, Panda, Kid Robotik) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £5

More live hip hop, beats and comedy from the mini showcase night.

Found Paisley Arts Centre, 20:00–22:30, £8 (£6)

The Edinburgh skewed-pop trio give the rather ace Factorycraft album a proper tour. Plus, one audience member will one an exclusive copy of their chocolate 7-inch.

The Stagger Rats (The Amazing Snakeheads, Systems, Brown Bear and The Bandits) Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Edinburgh scenesters The Stagger Rats headline this freshers music special.

Chris Devotion and The Expectations (Ace City Racers, Filthy Little Secret) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

The Glaswegian rock ‘n’ rollers launch their new single.

Detour Bloc+, 22:00–03:00, Free

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £25

The original 80s line-up return armed with latest album What If.

Detour’s Ally McRae and David Weaver bring the usual tip-top podcasts and live band kidnaps.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 55

G lasgow music Sat 17 Sep Detour’s Hangover Bloc+, 12:00–15:00, Free

Post-party chilldown, with a hair-of-the-dog live acoustic set from some of last night’s Detour guests.

David Ford

O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £12

The former Easyworld singer does his solo thing with multilayered production.

Anne Marie Hurst

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:15, £10

Anne-Marie and her four-piece guitar band head to bonnie Scotland for the first time in 20 years.

I’m From Barcelona

The Arches, 19:00–22:30, £12

29-piece (really, truly) melodic indie-pop band from Sweden, led by Emanuel Lundgren.

Gary Numan O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

Electronic pioneer Gary Numan back on the live circuit touring new album Dead Son Rising.

Killington Fall (WeCameFromWolves, Eat Dr Ape) Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, £3

codes in the clouds (Atlas : Empire, Soothsayer) Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£4)

Soaring intrumental popmeets-rock from the Dartford lads.

The Ex-Libertines frontman, apparently seeking a peaceful life as a solo artist.

She’s Hit

Ambitious and experimental Edinburgh trio fusing a dizzying amount of influences into every song.

Glasgow scamps A New Hope headline a night of all-out indie rock ‘n’ roll.

Cosmo Jarvis

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Talented young singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumemtalist with his hand-penned ditties about everything from religion to gay pirates.

Sun 18 Sep Bitter Ruin

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Noir indie-folk from the Brighton duo, just on the right side of disturbing.

Tubelord (The Darien Venture)

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Excitable young pups fusing spastic riffing, put-theworld-to-rights lyrics and a good dose of mathy, melodic hooks.

Evol, I’m Sick, Sugar Crisis

Slouch, 21:00–02:00, Free

Alternative showcase moving from new wave to electro-pop, plus the inimitable Spangled DJs playing intot he bedtime hours.

Mon 19 Sep Esmerine (Richard Young, Snowgoose)

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Experimental instrumentals in a minimalist classical vein, featuring members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion.

Howling Bells

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £9

Songs For A Stranger The Arches, 20:30–21:00, £7 (£5)

Fragments of text and extended techniques create a series of atmospheric states in an electroacoustic sound world.

Part of Arches Live 2011.

The Glasgow Slow Club Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Five-piece metal outfit formed on the mean streets of London.

Three Trapped Tigers (Seams) Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7

Londoners Three Trapped Tigers present a remarkably accomplished contribution to the world of frantic, IDM-inspired instrumental post-hardcore.

Go see.

Songs For A Stranger The Arches, 20:30–21:00, £7 (£5)

Fragments of text and extended techniques create a series of atmospheric states in an electroacoustic sound world.

Part of Arches Live 2011.

Muso Buff Club, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Anything goes fusion of live bands and clubber’s beats.

Thu 22 Sep Fenech-Soler O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £8

Michael Simons

Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £13

Young Rebel Set (Taylor & Leigh)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £11

Mercury-nominated Joseph Mount’s extended foray into the world of electronica and dirty robo-beats.

Robin Trower O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £20

The iconic guitarist does his gently rockin’ thing, touring on the back of last year’s introspective album The Playful Heart.

Charlie and the Bhoys Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £19

Toe-tapping Celtic-styled folkie favourites.

Butterfly Fridays Butterfly & Pig, 19:00–03:00, Free

The singer/songwriter led six-piece launch their new single, with one foot in modern Scottish folk and the other in joyous pop.

Polished electro-pop foursome, fresh from a string of festival appearances. Rescheduled date.

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Metronomy

Acoustic Tribute Night (Elvis Costello Vs Squeeze)

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Richmond Fontaine Alternative country-rock led

by American singer-cumauthor Willy Vlautin.

The Headstart (Death Trap, Last Second Magic, Cry and The Blocks, Fall On Faith, Playdead)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

Bandito Fleeto (The Stay Gones, Dead Beat Heroes, C-Section Infection) 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Punk-rock trio from Glasgow.

Between The Buried And Me (Animals As Leaders) King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £12

The hardcore North Carolina crew bring their rollercoaster of metallic-rock Glasgow-way.

United Fruit (Lady North) Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £4

The Glasgow quartet known for their all-out post-hardcore abrasion served at F1 velocity.

Sat 24 Sep Lifestream (The System, The Partiots) O2 ABC, 19:00–22:00, £6

The Glasgow electro rockers play a hometown show, chock with smooth vocals and damn catchy lyrics.

Maniacs For Love (The Calibre, Blindfolds, The Colour Tones) Classic Grand, 19:00–22:00, £6

Glasgow four-piece of the poprock variety, currently working on their debut album and dreaming of being signed.

The Subways Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10.50

The alternative indie-rock trio tour their new album, Money and Celebrity.

Ophelia, Remaining Heroes, Sunset Squad, Wrath Of Orias, Unbound Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £6

Brel Sessions

The youthful Wakefield poppunks brings the noise.

Handpicked showcase of the indie-rock variety, placing the spotlight on a selection of Scottish up-and-comers.

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Viva Brother

Big Talk

Mysterious troubadours of gritty urban folk ditties.

Brel, 21:00–00:00, Free

Tue 20 Sep

Apollo 23, 19:00–22:00, £6

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £10

Lad-rock with a 90s sound to it from the lippy Southerners.

Jakil Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £5

Emmy the Great

Emotive pop rockers hailing from the ‘Burgh.

More kitchen sink-style melodic storytelling from the London-based singer/ songwriter.

Hidden Agenda Free Pay Day Friday Gig

Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Pivo Pivo, 19:30–00:00, Free

Up-tempo motown and soul.

56 THE SKINNY September 2011

Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £7.50

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

This Silent Forest

Rise To Remain (Bleed From Within, The Safety Fire)

Ghostpoet

Fri 23 Sep

Bloc+, 21:00–23:30, Free

Wed 21 Sep

Acoustic battle-cumsingalong-cum-piss-up, as Elvis Costello is pitted against Squeeze.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Genuinely affecting countryfolk from the Australian-born, south London living, Danny George Wilson and his merry band.

Sonic Youth-inspired filth rock from the Welsh bunch.

Live acoustic blues from house band The Fortunate Sons, followed by DJ Junior on deck duty.

13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Danny and The Champions Of The World (Marcus Bonfanti)

Experimental hip-hip from the Mercury-nominated lisped Londoner.

Acoustic music night with live guests from the local scene, hosted by the inimitable Squirrel of This Silent Forest.

Dark Australian rockers operating in a rather seductive middle ground somewhere between synthed-up celestial pop and grand, emotional rock.

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

Slouch, 21:00–23:00, Free

Spectres (The Fatalists)

Monthly jazz session with bassist Gus Stirrat and various live guests.

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

The River 68’s

Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

North Atlantic Oscillation (Findo Gask)

A New Hope (Una Fiori, Partisan, My Music Myth)

The West Sussex countryrockers specialising in melodic three-part harmonies.

Gus Stirrat

Barrowland, 19:00–23:00, £tbc

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 19:30–22:30, £tbc

King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Classic rock meets with a more contemporary output from the Glasgow trio formed by brothers Craig and Christian McCabe.

London post-rock experimentalists.

Peter Doherty

Glasgow five-piece (plus some floating honourary members) experimenting with the punkrock template.

Society (Kinky Audio Vixens)

E D I N B U R G H music

The Arches, 20:00–22:30, £12.50

New project from The Killers’ drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr and Taylor Milne.

Pronto Mama (Blackberry Jack, Dead City Radio, The Schemes) Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

Up-beat tunes from the Glasgow polyrhythmic indierockers/super cool dudes.

Vakunoht (Left Hand) Glaswegian fuzz-rock taking itself to some spacey places.

The Collectors McChuills, 20:30–23:00, Free

Glasgow quintet blending retro, mod, garage and R’n’B in a set of mostly covers, followed by a sweaty funk selection from DJ Gregor Emond of Superfly.

GBXperience Live (Neophyte, Kutski, George Bowie, Mallorca Lee, Trevor Reilly) The Arches, 21:00–03:00, £15

Massive fun-night with headline slots come from two of the biggest names in hardcore: Dutch hardcore legend Neophyte, and hard dance DJ, Kutski.

Tue 30 Aug The Edge Festival: Best Coast Bongo Club, 19:00–22:00, £13.50

LA scuzzy-pop trio, fronted by the punchy drawl of Bethany Cosentino.

Part of The Edge Festival 2011.

The Edge Festival: James Blake (Cloud Boat)

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £10

Unique brand of dubbed-out soul, hybrid electro, effects-manipulated vocals and adventures in rabbit jumpers. Part of The Edge Festival 2011.

Wed 31 Aug The Edge Festival: Joan As Policewoman (Krystle Warren)

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £15

Joan Wasser relinquishes her blend of gritty, yet soulful and bluesy, indie rock. Part of The Edge Festival 2011.

The Edge Festival: Rod Jones Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Rod Jones (of Idlewild) plays with his new band, The Birthday Suit. Part of The Edge Festival 2011.

The Ka-Tet

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–05:00, £3 (£2)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns. Gig starts 2am.

Limbo (The Oates Field, Player Piano, Iona Marshall) Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Live music-cum-club night, with a consistently quality line-up of local favourites.

Late ‘n’ Live The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Live funk and soul players, plus funk DJs taking it into the small hours.

Sun 04 Sep 35mm Dreams (My-THi, Shock & Awe) Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:00, £5

35mm Dreams celebrate the 30th anniversary of their first release in this special reunion gig.

Jed Potts & the Hillman Hunters Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, Free

Intimate and electric blues from Potts and his merry band.

Jazz Bar Quartet The Jazz Bar, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£3)

Folks (Merrylees) Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5

Melodic six-piece from the north-west of England, led by Scott Anderson’s weighty vocals.

Tam’s Railways, The Remnant Kings, The 10:04s Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

CRANACHAN

Queen’s Hall, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Powerful music-makers formed in 1974, who set out with the aim to avoid all the contraints and templates of genre. Praise be.

Doghouse Blues Night (Thirsty Dog) Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:00, £5

Thirsty Dog present live upbeat blues and rock, with myriad live guests dropping in.

Haight-Ashbury Love Music (Miyagi) The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

The Sunday Sinners

Subhumans (Restarts, Gin Goblins, Daddy No) Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £9 (£13 weekend)

Unpeeled

Jazz Bar Big Band

Handpicked showcase of burgeoning local music-makers.

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Boo Hewerdine

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £5 (£3)

A Carnal Elect (Subject 7)

Mon 05 Sep

Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £8 adv. (£10 door)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Sun 25 Sep

Powerful heavy-rock unit (read: noisy) from Preston.

A Torn Mind (Bound To Perdition, Truth Be Told)

London-born singer/songwriter who returned to the scene in 1994.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Paul Mills’ Funk Band

Adele (Amos Lee)

Future Heroes

Progressive rock foursome hailing from the fiery furnace of, er, Livingston.

Glamour & The Baybes

Hard-driving drumming from the US native, currently also powering Scots rockers Hue & Cry.

O2 Academy, 19:00–22:00, £sold out

The soulful London singer/ songwriter plays a sold-out Glasgow show.

Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers (Treetop Flyers) Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £6

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Madcap guitarist Aki Remally and his funk four-piece.

Fri 02 Sep Electric Circus Live Lounge Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Music and comedy variety show, with different live guests each week.

Woodenbox do their thing with a lively brass section and windswept prairie blues aesthetic.

Bloody good it is too.

Honour Is Dead

Uberbyte (Syrgyn, The Invalid)

Underclass

Classic Grand, 19:00–22:30, £8

Edinburgh-based rockers who pride themselves on their genre-defying supersonic tunes.

Pounding and relentless industrial and electro from the Sheffield noisemakers.

Volts Maggie May’s, 20:00–22:30, £5

AC/DC tribute act.

Connan Mockasin King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £8

Alternative pop from New Zealand-born, London-living talent that is Connan Hosford.

Love Inks Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £5

Minimalist pop from the Austin trio.

Mon 26 Sep Lafaro Stereo, 19:00–22:00, £6

Dark and rhythmic posthardcore from the Belfast foursome, deftly combining wry lyrics and acerbic delivery with white-knuckle riffing.

Michael Simons Tchai-Ovna, 20:00–22:00, Free

Folk and blues fingerstyle guitarist.

All The Young King Tut’s, 20:00–23:00, £6

Punchy foursome intent on reviving the indie rock ‘n’ roll genre, with brothers Ryan and Jack Dooley at the helm.

Pete and the Pirates Captain’s Rest, 20:00–23:00, £8

Good ol’ folk rock ‘n’ roll from the Reading five-piece, with extra roll.

Brel Sessions Brel, 21:00–00:00, Free

Indie folk session with Laura Wilkie (of Rachel Sermanni) and Sarah Hayes (of Admiral Fallow).

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

Hardcore metal, honed on the band’s intense and energetic live performances.

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv. £7 door)

Roxyrama

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, Advance tickets £10 stbf

Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music tribute act.

Rusty Cage (We Ate Them Off The Floor, Lords Of Bastard, Degrassi, Paradigm Complex, Slow Motion Replay) Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–03:00, £tbc

A night of heavy alternative rock, progressive noise, doom and more besides.

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Karima Francis Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £6 adv.

Acoustic guitar pop from the soulful young singer/songwriter.

Maydays

Roy’s Iron DNA Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5

Ian Thompson’s genre-crossing bedroom project, now a fully fledged live act, dark and trippy at it’s core.

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

The Last September

Pokey Lafarge and The South City Three

Frontman Pete’s Deanes tender songs set to music by his indie-folk six-piece.

Indie rock ‘n’ roll done good and proper.

Bongo Club, 19:30–22:00, £12

Country blues and early jazz restyled for the 21st century, thanks to the suited-and-booted St Louis musician and his live band.

Secret CDs (The Lost Telegrams, Anette Chapman, Emma Forman, The Aspect) Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £3

Live gig-cum-CD sale from musicians based in and around the Edinburgh area.

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £4

Work and Weather, Forest Fires, Black Tongues, Jason Kyrone Henry’s Cellar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Alternative rock showcase presented

by Edinburgh Undersound.

The Remnant Kings (Tam’s Railways, Friends Are Friends) Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £4

Emotive Edinburgh rock ‘n’ rollers.

Strange October (Free Personality Test)

Mixed showcase of anarcho punk and rock types. Part of HOCfest punk weekender.

Rocket-powered rock four-piece, hailing from the ‘burgh.

Crashing and soaring inde rock ‘n’ roll from the all-Scottish foursome.

Late ‘n’ Live

Mike Kearney KA-TET

Live funk and soul players, plus funk DJs taking it into the small hours.

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £6 (£13 weekend)

We Luv Musik Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Monthly live music night featuring a rota of new and established acts.

Man And Super Man, The Wrong Boyfriends, The Incendiary Bats, Cry And The Blocks

Sat 03 Sep

Thu 08 Sep

Funeral For A Friend

Stretch Dawrson’s Band

The highly-polished Welsh emorockers conduct their usual onslaught.

Singer/guitarist ‘Stretch’ Dawrson and his six-piece country-blues outfit.

Washington Street

Make Sparks

Cult of Whores and Dogs

Funk and soul from the Glasgow-based five-piece with a hot horn section.

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Well-crafted alternative pop from the Dundee trio.

Heavy metallic rock four-piece from Newcastle.

The Quad (Morris Major, The Frues, Calum Carlyle)

Future Heroes

The Scene (Adam Holmes, Macka Rising, Chris O’neill) Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–03:00, £4

Brand new live music night covering a number of genres, including folk, blues, soul and rock, plus DJs playing house mixes.

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Glamour & The Baybes The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Wed 14 Sep Stephen Hudson (Skinny Villains) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

The Englsih singer/songwriter performs some of his heart-on-sleeve pop numbers.

Ben Poole Voodoo Rooms, 19:15–01:00, £7 adv.

Wed 07 Sep

Death Trap City (Annie Stevenson, Turning 13, Aosi)

Regular free music showcase from Bainbridge.

Jazz Bar Big Band

Goodluck Jonathan

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

Bannerman’s, 18:00–23:00, £8

Wolfang Teske’s intense death metal project.

Female-fronted indie-pop gang from Glasgow.

Driving modern jazz from the sax, piano, bass and drums four-piece.

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £6

Mon 12 Sep Defeated Sanity (Gorgasm, Amagortis, Cancerous Womb, Acatalepsy)

Sat 10 Sep

Driving modern jazz from the sax, piano, bass and drums four-piece.

The Liquid Room, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted by singer Fiona Lynch.

Boycotts

Jazz Bar Quartet

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Sunday Sinners

Blues guitarist infusing his sound with a balls-to-the-wall rock approach.

Active Minds, Oi Polloi, War All the Time (Happy Spastics)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £3

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, Free

Classic rock covers.

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Jazz Bar Quartet

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £5 (£3)

The Enid

Harcdore and chaotic punk from the Wiltshire mentalists (two words very rarely used consecutively). Part of HOCfest punk weekender.

Thu 01 Sep

Zoe Gilby The popular Newcastle jazz singer accompanied by her swinging quartet.

Country funk and psychedelic pop from Edinburgh’s Miyagi.

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted by singer Fiona Lynch.

HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £15

Four hairy rednecks, a host of string instruments and a whole lotta cover versions given the Bluegrass treatment.

Rock ‘n’ roll from the local scene, times three.

Driving modern jazz from the sax, piano, bass and drums four-piece.

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Hayseed Dixie

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Madcap guitarist Aki Remally and his funk four-piece.

Fri 09 Sep A Ritual Spirit (Art Of Privilege) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

Unsigned Edinburgh heavy rockers taking their cue from Metallica et al.

Henry’s Cellar, 22:00–03:00, £4

Jovial mix of fuzzy, proggy post-punk.

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Sun 11 Sep Hair of the Dog Sundays (Run/Lucky/Free) Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Henry’s Cellar, 19:30–23:45, £5 (£4)

Indie-rock quintet from Brighton.

Jazz Bar Trio The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Cool and modern jazz from the piano, double-bass and drums trio.

Jammin’ at Voodoo Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, Free

Monthly live jam session, with some of Scotland’s leading musicians playing lounge grooves from myriad genres.

Mike Kearney KA-TET The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Thu 15 Sep Wilko Johnson (Ian Siegal) The Caves, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

The inimitable guitarist and founding member of Dr. Feelgood embarks on his UK-wide tour.

Fatherson (Atlas, Penny Black, Donnie Willow) The Store, 19:30–22:00, £5

The Kilmarnock trio do their alternative rock-meets-powerpop thing.

Wake The President (X-Lion Tamer) Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £5 adv.

Impish indie from the Glasgow chaps, shot through with sharp observational guile.

Electric Jazz Quartet The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Classic funk fusion from the sax, keys, bass and drums four-piece, fronted by pianist Marco Cafolla.

Fewsel Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Psychedelic rock from the German noisemakers.

Future Heroes The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Madcap guitarist Aki Remally and his funk four-piece.

Fri 16 Sep Electric Circus Live Lounge Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Melodic folk-rock from the Edinburgh quartet, headered by Rachel Cormack.

Music and comedy variety show, with different live guests each week.

Cancel The Astronauts (My Tiny Robots, Bad Books)

Rise Kagona

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5

More hook-friendly indie-pop, as the chirpy Edinburgh quintet launch their new single.

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

The founding member of Zimbabwean band The Bhudu Boys, with his intertwining guitars, drums and punchy vocals.

Glasgow CLUBS J-Phunk

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Jazz Bar Trio The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Classic funky jazz fusion from the bass-led five-piece.

Cool and modern jazz from the piano, double-bass and drums trio.

The Soul Foundation

Rabid Dogs

Voodoo Rooms, 21:00–01:00, Free

Quality soul covers, playing close reference to the originals.

Late ‘n’ Live

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Live funk and soul players, plus funk DJs taking it into the small hours.

Sat 17 Sep Song, by Toad

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Local music blogger Song, by Toad handpicks a selection of local and touring up-and-comers for your delectation.

The Blueswater Collective Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, Free

Classic blues tunes from the collective of former St Andrews students.

Bowery Street (Crazy Alice, The Kiks, The Charge) The Store, 19:30–22:00, £7 (£5)

Edinburgh rock ‘n’ rollers who play all their live shows electric.

Michael McGoldrick, John Doyle, John McCusker Bongo Club, 19:30–22:00, £14

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Ear assault of all-out punk noise.

Limbo (North Atlantic Oscillation, Miaoux Miaoux, Discopolis) Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Live music-cum-club night, with a consistently quality line-up of local favourites.

Mike Kearney KA-TET The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Blues and funk five-piece, with added horns.

Thu 22 Sep Kris Drever Bongo Club, 19:00–22:00, £12

The Orcadian folk guitarist (and one third of Lau) does his lovely solo thing.

Stanley Brinks (Freschard) Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Ex-Herman Dune troubadour Stanley Brinks plays songs of devotion and mirth from his ever-expanding catalogue.

We Came from Wolves Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

A mighty mix of traditional Irish and folk tunes from the talented trio of musicans.

Cross-genre music project, taking in a mix of emo and hardcore.

Limbo (Snide Rhythms, White Heath, Blank Canvas)

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Voodoo Rooms, 20:00–01:00, £tbc

Live music-cum-club night, with a consistently quality line-up of local favourites.

Late ‘n’ Live: The Dark Jones The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

The festival-trotting indie-rock seven-piece take to the stage with their mightly mix of originals and covers, plus DJ Astroboy taking it into the small hours.

Sun 18 Sep Hair of the Dog Sundays (Iona Bain)

Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Loveliness form the Glasgwegian performer, songwriter, electric cellist and pianist (i.e. one talented lady).

Augustalia

Future Heroes Madcap guitarist Aki Remally and his funk four-piece.

Fri 23 Sep Electric Circus Live Lounge Electric Circus, 17:00–22:00, Free

Music and comedy variety show, with different live guests each week.

Ghostpoet

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, Free

Mini showcase of up-and-coming Scottish hip-hop artists.

The Store, 19:30–22:00, £5

Punk rock from the Swedish noiesemakers.

Late ‘n’ Live

Contagious Behaviour

Live funk and soul players, plus funk DJs taking it into the small hours.

Mon 19 Sep Jazz Bar Big Band

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Studio 24, 14:00–22:00, £15

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

EH1 Festival The Store, 14:00–22:00, £15

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

EH1 Live Electric Circus, 14:00–22:00, £15

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

EH1 Live Bannerman’s, 14:00–23:00, £15

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

Hair of the Dog Sundays (Collar Up) Red Dog Music, 15:00–16:00, Free

Dreamy pop of the sweeping pianos and alternative folkiness variety.

EH1 Live Sneaky Pete’s, 15:00–22:00, £15

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

The Liquid Room, 16:00–22:00, £15

Good ol’ folk rock ‘n’ roll from the Reading five-piece, with extra roll.

Studio 24, 19:00–23:00, £tbc

Hardcore punk showcase brought together by House Of Crust.

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted by singer Fiona Lynch.

EH1 Festival

Urban Scot

House of Crust Showcase

The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Sun 25 Sep

Pete and the Pirates

Strains of Madness

The Sunday Sinners

Dancefloor-filling six-piece led by singalong master Gerry Coogan.

Trio of Aberfeldians playing their hardhitting brand of guitar-driven indie.

Monthly blues showcase, handpicked by singer James Carr.

The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Umbilical Cord (The Secrets)

Stormy Sunday Blues

Brand new student night, mixing house, electro and D’n’B.

Late ‘n’ Live: Man At The Window

All-day mini music festival showcasing over 50 bands over six of Edinburgh’s top music venues.

Experimental hip-hip from the Mercury-nominated lisped Londoner.

The Scottish indie-punk scamps launch their debut EP.

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

All-our rock ‘n’ roll five-piece led by Kory Clarke.

EH1 Live

Cameo Colours (Cry and The Blocks, Filthy Crows)

The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £5 (£3)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £10

Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £7.50 adv.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £3 / £4

Edinburgh funk-cum-pop-cum-rock four-piece. Genre-crossing, yes.

Warrior Soul (Cheerleader, Paper Beats Rock)

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £5

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–03:00, £5 (£3)

Sat 24 Sep Foreigner’s Journey HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £11

Journey and Foreigner tribute act, combined for double the joy.

Make This Relate (Aspen Tide, The Celestians) The Store, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv. (£6 door)

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £8

The Left Hand, Forkeye, Vakunoht

The Caves, 19:00–23:00, £20

The iconic guitarist does his gently rockin’ thing, touring on the back of last year’s introspective album The Playful Heart.

Tubelord (Hold The Suspect) Sneaky Pete’s, 19:00–22:00, £5

Excitable young pups fusing spastic riffing, put-the-world-to-rights lyrics and a good dose of mathy, melodic hooks.

Usher Hall, 19:00–22:30, £sold out

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Y’Uptae

Durty Boogie

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

Wed 31 Aug Gaga Wednesdays The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Chart and classics with yer man Andy R.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night.

ReFrame: Launch Party The Admiral, 23:00–03:00, £5

Haunted Code and Martin Lindinger select some of the finest quality house and techno for ReFrame’s grand launch party.

Riot Radio

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock ‘n’ roll, past and present.

Thu 01 Sep

Flying Duck, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Maggie May’s, 22:00–03:00, Free

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

Born to Rumble The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncy-bloodycastle. Amen.

Counterfeit

XTRMNTR (Slaughter Joe Foster, Brian McNeill) A fine selection of pop, glam, boogaloo and soundtracks for all your dancing needs.

David Barbarossa’s Thing Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Two floors of post-punk, reggae and classic disco, with Glasgow’s greatest small-but-hairy DJ, David Barbarossa.

The Rock Shop Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

The Substanz Kelburn Party (Clive Henry, Subb An, Chris Duckenfield, Silicone Soul) The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £12

An array of DJ talent take to the decks. Re-located to the Arches from Kelburn Castle.

Pandemic Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Cross-genre danceathon with residents Noj and Mark. They will play The Fall.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Ska, pop-punk, emo, and rock hits with DJ Haze. In the Attic.

Subversion Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Maggie May’s, 22:00–03:00, Free

Born to Rumble The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncy-bloodycastle. Amen.

Renegade

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Greatest Hits Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

Ready Ready

Shed Sundays

Voodoo

The Shed’s regular weekendextender.

The best in new hip-hop and R’n’B with DJ Cool Master.

Feel My Bicep

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s. Includes a new DJ workshop for kids to learn how to spin the decks. Wickity wack, etc.

The Sunday Roaster

Rubbermensch

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Back II Jack

Common Room, 20:30–00:00, Free

Pre-club selection of funk, disco and all things house.

Shed, 23:00–03:00, £2

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, Free

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3 earlybird)

DJ Wee Cheesey plays chart, remixes and mash-ups.

Chart, disco and indie.

Music Is The Music Language: After-Party (DJ Benetti, David Barbarossa)

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, Free

Sub Thursdays Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

Taking Back Thursdays

Saturday @ Bookclub

After-party for the Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails DIY muisc weekender.

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Monthly mish-mash of electro, dance and dirty pop.

Funk, soul and hip-hop with everyone’s favourite floral-shirted vinylist, Andy Taylor.

Mon 05 Sep

Emo, pop-punk and rock, plus extreme death metal and thrash in the back bar.

Ready Ready

Tranced

Burn

Walk ‘n’ Skank

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The best in trance and progressive, with a distinct dance edge.

Anniversary concert which sees the choir joined by the RSNO for the grand finale to their year of celebrations.

Rubbermensch

Cathouse Saturdays

Inked

Henrik Freischlader Band (Gerry Jablonski’s Electric Band)

Sub Thursdays

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

DJ Muppet unleashes an audio assault of the best of rock, metal, punk and industrial. In the Attic.

Freaky Freaky (SType, Eclair fifi)

Usher Hall, 19:30–22:30, £20 (£16)

Voodoo Rooms, 19:30–01:00, £9 adv.

Self-taught German singer/guitarist with a love for all things blues.

Roots Showcase The Jazz Bar, 20:00–22:30, £4 (£3)

Toby (of the Black Diamond Express) presents a prime selection of acoustic blues, folk and roots artists.

Henry’s Cellar, 20:00–23:45, £5

The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

Brand new student night, mixing house, electro and D’n’B.

The Sunday Sinners The Jazz Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, Free

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3 earlybird)

Chart, disco and indie.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

I Heart The Garage More Than Yer Maw!

Taking Back Thursdays

Classic Garage student fun night over all rooms.

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs. Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Emo, pop-punk and rock, plus extreme death metal and thrash in the back bar.

Walk ‘n’ Skank Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Mungo’s Hi Fi crew in their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Cathouse Fridays

Mon 26 Sep

Crash

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Wed 21 Sep

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Peter Doherty

Big Shindig 2011

Glamour & The Baybes

Audio Theft

The Ex-Libertines frontman, apparently seeking a peaceful life as a solo artist.

Annual fundraising celildh, with music from the Auld Reekie Ceilidh Band, plus a live raffle.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mix of chart, indie and hip-hop, plus karaoke and a cocktail bar.

That do ye?

Bloc+, 23:00–03:00, Free

Highlife’s Witchdoctor Dance (Raoul K) La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £6

Highlife delve into the heart of Africa, with Raoul K providing the African instrumentation and tribal rhythms fused with a techno dancefloor sensibility.

Love Music

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

Nu Skool

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

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

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Propaganda O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Riot Radio Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock ‘n’ roll, past and present.

Kino Fist Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Genre-spanning mix of 60s psych, leftfield pop and Krautrock with resident Charlotte (of Muscles of Joy).

Sat 10 Sep Wax Works Vs Equalised: All Day Techno Party The Old Hairdressers, 12:00–00:00, Free

Deep tripping house and techno, in a 12-hour beast of a party.

Electric Frog September Weekender (Jeff Mills, Derrick May, Joe Claussell, Frankie Knuckles, Slam) SWG3, 14:00–22:00, £27.50 (£50 weekend)

Autumn edition of the favourited micro-festival, with a pretty bloody stellar line up as per.

Voodoo Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s. Includes a new DJ workshop for kids to learn how to spin the decks. Wickity wack, etc.

Saturday @ Bookclub Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop with everyone’s favourite floral-shirted vinylist, Andy Taylor.

Cathouse Saturdays Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present.

Fri 09 Sep

Tue 06 Sep

Africa Hitech (Rudi Zygadlo, Anxst, Point To C)

Classic Garage student fun night over all rooms.

Space Invader The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £5

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

Absolution

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

Jelly Roll Soul

New fortnightly fun with Vitamin’s Sam Murray, sifting through some fresh R’n’B and electronic from Scotland and beyond.

I Am

Industrial rock noise party, with a live set from furious Glasgow newcomers, Winters.

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

Friday @ Bookclub

Jazz Bar Big Band

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Shed Saturdays

Fri 02 Sep

Rock, metal, dance and indie over two levels, with the inimitable residents manning the decks.

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Deathkill4000 (Winters)

Matt Norris and the Moon (James Mackenzie and the Aquascene, This Silent Forest)

The Jazz Bar, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£3)

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

Student-orientated indie night.

Sat 03 Sep

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Fridays @ Flat 0/1

Thu 08 Sep

Feel My Bicep

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus an allnew hip-hop bar on the side.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

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

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

Damnation

Old Skool

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £2

Instruments Of Rapture

Quids In

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

Handpicked selection of indie, rock and electro with DJ Heather McCartney.

Take It Sleazy!

Shake It Up

Choice picks from the Instruments Of Rapture label, as part of Sub Club’s series of one-off Sunday specials for September.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Funky beats past and present, with the Jelly Roll Soul residents.

Sun 04 Sep Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Audio Theft

80s synth and funk with your hosts Dom and Darrell.

A full-on mix of nu-metal and hard rockin’ tunes, with yer man DJ Muppet.

Tamla motown funk and soul, fronted by singer Fiona Lynch.

The Thomas Morton Hall, 19:30–00:00, £15

Old Skool

80s synth and funk with your hosts Dom and Darrell.

Shake It Up

Stoked

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£10 after 12)

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Propaganda

Subversion

Subculture

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub.

Fridays @ Flat 0/1

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub. The stuff dreams are made of, obvs.

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

Pumped-up selection of indie, rock, soul and funk with DJ Jopez.

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic (and some likely special guests).

Octopussy

Edinburgh-based folksters influenced by traditional Scottish sounds, mixed with some upbeat modern harmonies.

HMV Picture House, 19:00–22:00, £18

Dirty rock ‘n’ roll with guitars, blues rhythms and lots of dancing.

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

The soulful London singer/songwriter plays a sold-out Edinburgh show.

Voodoo Rooms, 19:00–01:00, £6 (£5)

Bloc+, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The best in new hip-hop and R’n’B with DJ Cool Master.

Contagious Behaviour

Spanish band mixing rock and pop influences.

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Garage Wednesdays

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

The Mungo’s Hi Fi crew in their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £6

Adele

Badseed

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

Power Tools

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

Star Wheel Press (French Wives, The Douglas Firs, Lost Telegrams)

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £5

Octopussy

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

Soundhaus, 22:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

National Youth Choir: 15th Anniversary Gala

Hard rockin’ blues from the inimitable locals, as they launch their new EP.

The Dirt Tracks

Rip This Joint

Killer Kitsch

Misbehavin’ (Dolly Daydream, Drucifer)

Mystery Juice

Tue 20 Sep

Damnation

Residents Beta & Kappa joined by a rota of rotating guests.

Robin Trower

Hit-filled singalong rock from the tongue-in-cheek covers band.

Aberfeldians who build their rather lovely sound around Ryan Hannigan’s languid storytelling and Craig Milton’s sparsely-played banjo and guitar.

Mix of chart, indie and hip-hop, plus karaoke and a cocktail bar.

That do ye?

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

Classic rock trio hailing from Croyden.

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Chart and classics with yer man Andy R, plus a bar tab up for grabs for the punter with the best music choice.

Greatest Hits

Schtick of Rock

Jazz rock powered by screaming frontman Angus Munro and drummer Jordie Gilmour.

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

Alternative showcase, including Edinburgh rockers Forkeye and Glaswegian fuzz-rockers Vakunoht.

Bad Sign

Glamour & The Baybes

Handpicked selection of indie, rock and electro with DJ Heather McCartney.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free before 12

Wee Red Bar, 19:00–22:00, £tbc

The Glasgow quintet mix just the right amounts of powerpop and rock.

Electric Circus, 19:00–22:00, £5

Badseed

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and four rhythm. That do you?

Bannerman’s, 20:00–23:00, £4

Tue 30 Aug I Am

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £4

Killer Kitsch Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Arches, 20:00–23:00, £7

New additions to the Warp clan, Mark Pritchard and Steve White bond over their shared passion for the disparate spheres of Detroit techno and fiery Jamaican digital dancehall.

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Friday @ Bookclub

Y’Uptae

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

Wild Combination (Ben Butler & Mousepad, Auntie Flo) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems for the launch of his new weekly, joined by electro-dance behemoth Ben Butler & Mousepad.

Wed 07 Sep Milk (Capitals, Lady North, Little Victories DJs) Flat 0/1, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Rather ace music-cum-club night, with handpicked live bands, DJs, milk, biscuits and 75p cider.

Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

No Sleep (Giles Smith, Brawther, George Fitzgerald)

I Heart The Garage More Than Yer Maw! The Garage, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Shed Saturdays Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

Absolution Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Baktrack (Tom Budden) La Cheetah, 23:00–03:00, £8

Up-tempo house for, y’know, jumping about to.

Layo and Bushwacka!

Chambre 69, 23:00–03:00, £10

Chambre 69, 21:00–04:00, £10

The No Sleep crew welcome members of London’s notorious party Secretsundaze, including a two-hour set from co-founded Giles Smith.

Dance legends Layo and Bushwacka! (exclamation mark obligatory) present a four-hour set of techno, jazz, pop, and anything else they damn well fancy.

Cathouse Fridays

Love Music

Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal, dance and indie over two levels, with the inimitable residents manning the decks.

Crash

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

Nu Skool

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

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

September 2011

THE SKINNY 57

GLASGOW CLUBS POWER TOOLS

SHED SUNDAYS

Y’UPTAE

BORN TO RUMBLE

CRASH

UPSIDE DOWN

CODE (PFIRTER)

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

SHED, 23:00–03:00, £2

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SHED, 22:30–03:00, £6

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncy-bloodycastle. Amen.

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

LA CHEETAH, 23:00–03:00, £7 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

The Shed’s regular weekendextender.

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

PRETTY UGLY (MANDA RIN)

THE SUNDAY ROASTER THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

WILD COMBINATION

THE ADMIRAL, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 AFTER 12)

Alternative indie, pop and punk party, with Glasgow darling Manda Rin taking a turn on the decks.

RIP THIS JOINT SLOUCH, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Pumped-up selection of indie, rock, soul and funk with DJ Jopez.

SUBCULTURE SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£10 AFTER 12)

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic (and some likely special guests).

THE ROCK SHOP MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

DJ Wee Cheesey plays chart, remixes and mash-ups.

THUNDER DISCO CLUB SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

The italo soundtracked and RPZinfluenced night, as part of Sub Club’s series of one-off Sunday specials for September.

SUPERSONIC ELECTRONIC NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4 (£3)

New night dedicated to all things electronic, from goth-pop to Italo synth goodness.

MON 12 SEP BURN BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, FREE

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems from his rather massive collection.

FEEL MY BICEP

ARGONAUT SOUNDS REGGAE SOUNDSYSTEM

FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

BLACKFRIARS BASEMENT, 23:00–03:00, £3

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Roots, reggae and dancehall with vintage reggae vibes courtesy of special guests Downbeat Melody Sound.

GREATEST HITS BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3

WED 14 SEP

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

GARAGE WEDNESDAYS

READY READY

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Chart and classics with yer man Andy R, plus a bar tab up for grabs for the punter with the best music choice.

The best in new hip-hop and R’n’B with DJ Cool Master.

OCTOPUSSY

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3 EARLYBIRD)

RUBBERMENSCH

THE ARCHES, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

Chart, disco and indie.

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub.

SUB THURSDAYS

STOKED

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

WRONG ISLAND: 4TH BIRTHDAY

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

Ska, pop-punk, emo, and rock hits with DJ Haze. In the Attic.

TAKING BACK THURSDAYS

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

INKED

SUBVERSION

Emo, pop-punk and rock, plus extreme death metal and thrash in the back bar.

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

The legendary Teamy and Dirty Larry spin some fresh electronics in honour of their fourth year of being.

SUN 11 SEP ELECTRIC FROG SEPTEMBER WEEKENDER (MOGWAI, WILD BEASTS, THE FALL, MOUNT KIMBIE, ERRORS, KNOX OM PAX) SWG3, 14:00–22:00, £27.50 (£50 WEEKEND)

Autumn edition of the favourited micro-festival, with a pretty bloody stellar line up as per.

QUIDS IN BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

RENEGADE CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus an allnew hip-hop bar on the side.

THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Muppet unleashes an audio assault of the best of rock, metal, punk and industrial. In the Attic.

SPACE INVADER (BELLE AND BLACKLEY) THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays hits and requests, plus guests Belle and Blackley doing onstage haircuts. Really, truly.

TUE 13 SEP I AM (SHADOW DANCER) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4

Residents Beta & Kappa celebrate their 1st birthday, with a live set from Boys Noize Records’ Shadow Dancer. Free drink and mix CD for the first 100 through the door.

KILLER KITSCH BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

58 THE SKINNY SEPTEMBER 2011

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 AFTER 12)

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

WEDNESDAYS @ FLAT 0/1 FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

WALK ‘N’ SKANK CLUB 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Mungo’s Hi Fi crew in their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

80s synth and funk with your hosts Dom and Darrell.

THE REV UP

HUNGRY BEAT

A night of pure vinyl grooving.

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

Post-punk, dub and some promised musical surprises.

THU 15 SEP SHAKE IT UP MAGGIE MAY’S, 22:00–03:00, FREE

NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £3

FRI 16 SEP FRIDAY @ BOOKCLUB HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB, 21:00–00:00, FREE

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

CATHOUSE FRIDAYS

THE PUSSYCAT LOUNGE

Rock, metal, dance and indie over two levels, with the inimitable residents manning the decks.

CLASSIC GRAND, 22:30–03:00, £12.50

Live burlesque clubber’s delight.

CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

AUDIO THEFT THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Mix of chart, indie and hip-hop, plus karaoke and a cocktail bar.

That do ye?

BADSEED SLOUCH, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Handpicked selection of indie, rock and electro with DJ Heather McCartney.

DAMNATION CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £5 (STUDENTS FREE)

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

FRIDAYS @ FLAT 0/1 FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

MOUNT HEART ATTCK: 3RD BIRTHDAY (BOXCUTTER, COSMIN TRG, FALTY DL, YOUNG MONTANA) LA CHEETAH, 23:00–03:00, £15 ADV. (£20)

The MHA crew celebrate their third year of being, with a selection of DJ guest talent old and new.

OLD SKOOL BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

PROPAGANDA O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night.

RIOT RADIO MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

Indie rock ‘n’ roll, past and present.

Good music played by bad peope (so say they), with Rafla in the upstairs club.

SAT 17 SEP VOODOO CATHOUSE, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 MEMBERS)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s. Includes a new DJ workshop for kids to learn how to spin the decks. Wickity wack, etc.

BUCKFEST (GUAVARA, TOKE, GIRO BABIES, GHOSTS OF PROGRESS, BUCKY RAGE, ROOT SYSTEM)

Argentenian DJ and producer Juan Pablo Pfirter joins the Code reulars for a night of top class techno fare.

LOVE MUSIC O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 AFTER 11.30)

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

NU SKOOL BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £6

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

POWER TOOLS FLAT 0/1, 23:00–03:00, FREE

All-day alternative mini festival, with a rather ace moniker.

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

SATURDAY @ BOOKCLUB

RIP THIS JOINT

13TH NOTE, 17:00–23:00, £TBC

HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB, 21:00–00:00, FREE

SLOUCH, 23:00–03:00, FREE

Funk, soul and hip-hop with everyone’s favourite floral-shirted vinylist, Andy Taylor.

Pumped-up selection of indie, rock, soul and funk with DJ Jopez.

DEATH DISCO (LINDSTROM, PRINS THOMAS, FACTORY FLOOR, FEADZ, RETRO/GRADE)

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£10 AFTER 12)

THE ARCHES, 22:00–04:00, £14

Cross-venue party celebrating the very best acts from Europe and beyond.

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS CATHOUSE, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

I HEART THE GARAGE MORE THAN YER MAW! THE GARAGE, 22:30–03:00, £7 (£5)

Classic Garage student fun night over all rooms.

SHED SATURDAYS SHED, 22:30–03:00, £7

SUBCULTURE Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic (and some likely special guests).

THE ROCK SHOP MAGGIE MAY’S, 23:00–03:00, FREE (£5 (£3) AFTER 12)

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

SUN 18 SEP SLOW CLUB KING TUT’S, 20:00–23:00, £10

Rather lovely alternative folkiness from Sheffield duo Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor. Rescheduled date.

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

HIGHLIFE

ABSOLUTION

Afrobeat, funk and house with ever-capable resident Brian D’Souza and guests, as part of Sub Club’s series of one-off Sunday specials for September.

CLASSIC GRAND, 23:00–03:00, £5 (STUDENTS FREE)

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £TBC

QUIDS IN BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

RENEGADE CATHOUSE, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes punter requests with DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus an allnew hip-hop bar on the side.

SHED SUNDAYS SHED, 23:00–03:00, £2

The Shed’s regular weekendextender.

THE SUNDAY ROASTER THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Wee Cheesey plays chart, remixes and mash-ups.

SUPERSONIC ELECTRONIC NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:30–03:00, £4 (£3)

New night dedicated to all things electronic, from goth-pop to Italo synth goodness.

MON 19 SEP BURN BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

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

INKED THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

DJ Muppet unleashes an audio assault of the best of rock, metal, punk and industrial. In the Attic.

SPACE INVADER THE GARAGE, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Andy R plays hits and requests, past and present. Plus tonight’s ediiton includes a retro prize giveaway.

TUE 20 SEP I AM (JACKMASTER) SUB CLUB, 23:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 12

Residents Beta & Kappa are joined by a certain Mr Jackmaster, co-founder of the inimitable Numbers label.

KILLER KITSCH BUFF CLUB, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

EDINBURGH CLUBS Y’Uptae

Badseed

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

Weekly student night with Andy Wilson.

Wild Combination (Pro Vinylist Karim) Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Kilmarnock’s hairy disco legend, David Barbarossa, digs out some vinyl gems from his rather massive collection, joined by Pro Vinylist Karim.

Wed 21 Sep Milk: Freshers Special (Washington Irving, Bwani Junction, LaFontaines DJs) Flat 0/1, 21:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

Handpicked selection of indie, rock and electro with DJ Heather McCartney.

Damnation Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

Student fun night, with a bouncy castle and hot tub.

Stoked The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Ska, pop-punk, emo, and rock hits with DJ Haze. In the Attic.

Subversion Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Alternative pop from the 80s and 90s, with a bit of industrial dance and classic rock thrown in.

Wednesdays @ Flat 0/1 Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

80s synth and funk with your hosts Dom and Darrell.

Thu 22 Sep Shake It Up Maggie May’s, 22:00–03:00, Free

Indie, rock and pop with resident DJ Jopez.

Born to Rumble The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Themed student night, complete with weekly twists and a bouncy-bloodycastle. Amen.

Feel My Bicep Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Cosmic and sweaty mix of 80s sleaze, house and disco.

Greatest Hits Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Old Skool Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

Connoisseur’s mix of vintage jazz, funk and soul.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £4

Student-orientated indie night.

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£3) after 12)

Indie rock ‘n’ roll, past and present.

Audio Theft: Silent Disco The Garage, 23:00–04:00, £5 (£3)

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Indie, electro and anything inbetween with Pauly (My Latest Novel), and Simin and Steev (Errors).

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Walk ‘n’ Skank Club 520, 23:00–03:00, £4 (£3)

The Mungo’s Hi Fi crew in their official Glasgow residency, bringing you the very best in bass, natch.

Danse Macabre Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

The regulars unite those two happiest of bedfellows, goth rock and, er, classic disco. Plus free cake, in celebration of their first birthday!

Fri 23 Sep Friday @ Bookclub Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Classic and underground disco, plus dusted-down old soul with Solar Disco’s Kev Stevens.

Cathouse Fridays Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Rock, metal, dance and indie over two levels, with the inimitable residents manning the decks.

Crash Shed, 22:30–03:00, £6

Andy Robertson plays a mix of loveable pop, dance and hip-hop.

Tuesday Heartbreak

Casino Royale

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band. Gig starts 2am.

Classic Grand, 22:30–02:00, £8 adv. (£10 door)

Fun night dedicated to all things Bond. Fancy dress encouraged,

The Jazz Bar, 23:30–05:00, £3 (£2)

Wed 31 Aug Bangers & Mash

The Hive, 22:00–05:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

naturally.

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese classics.

A Riot in the Rock Shop

Indigo

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, £5

Rock, indie and punk classics, in a

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

DJ Mark Robb plays a chilled mix of

The Liquid Room, 22:30–05:00, £2 (£4)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

JungleDub

Bongo Club, 23:00–05:00, Free

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Slap Bang

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–05:00, Free

Horse Meat Disco Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Witness

blues, soul and R’n’B.

Twelve whole frickin’ hours of every style of dance music known to man.

Probably.

London quartet Horse Meat Disco

Voodoo

of one-off Sunday specials for

Cathouse, 16:00–21:00, £6 (£3 members)

Rock, metal and indie night for the under 18s. Includes a new DJ workshop for kids to learn how to spin the decks. Wickity wack, etc.

Saturday @ Bookclub Hillhead Bookclub, 21:00–00:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop with everyone’s favourite floral-shirted vinylist, Andy Taylor.

New Life (Nevada Base, Vakama) Bloc+, 22:00–03:00, Free

Mash-up night of alternative pop, indie and electro with guest bands and some inspired DJ-ing.

Cathouse Saturdays Cathouse, 22:30–03:00, £6 (£5)

Shed, 22:30–03:00, £7

I Heart The Garage More Than Yer Maw!

Emo, pop-punk and rock, plus extreme death metal and thrash in the back bar.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–05:00, £5

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

Soundhaus, 14:00–02:00, £tbc

Rubbermensch

Taking Back Thursdays

Split

Uberfest IV

Sat 24 Sep

Pop classics and a good dose of cheese.

Weekly party with eye-popping visuals and rotating DJs.

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

Genre-spanning midweeker with the residents playing a musical mishmash, alongside rotating guests. In the Speakeasy.

The best in new hip-hop and R’n’B with DJ Cool Master.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£2)

Soul Jam Hot

Sun 25 Sep

Blues Kitchen: Bank Holiday Special

Shed Saturdays

Sub Thursdays

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

Black Tent

Ready Ready

Chart, disco and indie.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–05:00, Free

bank holiday mash-up special.

Punk, rock and metallic beats with DJs Billy and Muppet.

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3 earlybird)

The Hot Club

Mix of chart, indie and hip-hop, in a silent disco special. Headphones on.

Euan Neilson plays the best of Buff.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Duncan Harvey provides a soundtrack of funk, motown and northern soul.

The Hive, 22:00–05:00, Free

Rock, indie and golden surf classics.

turns the grand old age of four.

Riot Radio

The Arches, 23:00–03:00, £7 (£5)

(£3) after 12)

The primitive garage rock party

Garage Wednesdays

Octopussy

Maggie May’s, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5

Fridays @ Flat 0/1

Propaganda

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Tue 30 Aug Antics

Alternative rock, metal, punk and ska.

Rather ace music-cum-club night, with handpicked live bands, DJs, milk, biscuits and 75p cider.

Chart and classics with yer man Andy R, plus a bar tab up for grabs for the punter with the best music choice.

The Rock Shop

The Garage, 22:30–04:00, £7 (£5)

guest, as part of Sub Club’s series September.

Quids In Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £1

Electro, funk and disco soundtrack, plus a chance to win the door fees.

The usual mix of disco and soul, with Decks FX and OSX.

Fri 02 Sep Misfits

Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, 23:30–03:00, £3

New night dedicated to all things

O2 ABC, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 11.30)

electronic, from goth-pop to Italo

Saturday night disco with Gerry Lyons.

synth goodness.

Menergy vs RPZ: Freshers Party

Mon 26 Sep

Stereo, 23:00–03:00, £6

Burn

Nu Skool Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £6

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

Power Tools

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–05:00, Free

extender.

Love Music

Italo, hi-NRG and live drag dance party, hosted by Lady Munter and the residents.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The Shed’s regular weekend-

Supersonic Electronic

Buff Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

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

Inked

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Big Time: Launch Party

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Brand new night playing all the best in old and new disco, funk, soul and rock ‘n’ roll, handpicked by dapper chaps Gav & Jack.

Planet Earth

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 12)

New night programmed by, and featuring performances from, Cab Vol’s very own bar staff, plus some of their favourite local DJs.

Confusion is Sex

Long-running house night with Harri & Domenic (and some likely special guests).

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Slap Bang Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Genre-spanning midweeker with the residents playing a musical mishmash, alongside rotating guests. In Speakeasy.

Witness Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Beep Beep, Yeah

Frisky

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £3

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–05:00, £3 (members free)

Heavy bass and breaks, delivered thick and fast.

Sun 04 Sep Underground Sunday The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

Brand new mash-up night of electronic fare.

Animal Hospital Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Minimal and techno for cool kids.

Octopussy HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Sick Note Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Planet Earth Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

The Sunday Club

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Coalition Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house.

Killer Kitsch Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Retro Catz: Launch Party Brand new night with a cast of all-female DJs working their way through some sexy retro, complete with glitter balls, naturally.

Betamax Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Disco, new wave and synthtastic 80s.

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Bound For Glory (Playdate Vs Wasabi Disco Vs Trade Union)

Mon 05 Sep

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £4(£3 before midnight)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Mixed Up The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Trade Union Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes trade night with Beefy and Wolfjazz (and their pals). In Speakeasy.

Tue 06 Sep

Sugarhill (Little Joe, Isla Blige, Yemster)

Antics

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–05:00, £3 (members free)

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Tuesday Heartbreak The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

Soul Jam Hot Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

Andy R plays hits and requests, plus

Wired For Sound

Split

Monthly disco, playing anything and everything danceable.

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

The Village, 21:00–01:00, Free

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Showcasing the cream of house and techno.

Tease Age

Zzzap! (Young Fathers)

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Bass Syndicate Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

The regular Edinburgh breaks and bassline crew takeover.

Beat Control HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5

Swinging soul spanning a whole century with DJs Tsatsu and Red-6, plus live dancers a-go-go.

Telefunken (DJ Q) Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Underground house party, with DJ Q headlining in the main room.

This Is Music Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

Sat 10 Sep Bubblegum The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

Edit (Geoff Montford) Hawke and Hunter Green Room, 22:00–03:00, £6 (£8 after 12)

Glasgow DJ and bonafide party starter Geoff Montford makes a trip east-side, with fellow Glasgow chap Al Kent on support.

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £tbc

The inimitable electro-beats party welcome a live set from Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers, with their rather glorious line in DIY rap and synchronised dance moves.

Soul Jam Hot Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

Split Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

Eden

Wed 14 Sep

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Bangers & Mash

Funky house and dirty electro playlists. In Speakesy.

Detroit soul, Chicago blues and some handpicked delights from the 50s and 60s.

Pulse (Dave Clarke) Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £14 adv.

After smashing the Slam tent at T in the Park earlier this year, Dave Clarke brings his best techno offerings to Pulse.

Studio 24 Rawks Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Rock, metal and alternative, plus a fair few surprises along the way.

Sun 11 Sep

Retro from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Heavy Gossip Boat Party (Craig Smith, Nick Yuill, Harry Bennett)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Tuesday Heartbreak Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

Fri 09 Sep The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems, cherry-picked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £tbc

Misfits

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

Two rooms of chart, cheese and all the indie-pop requests you can think of.

Musika

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, £4

Studio 24 Rawks

Alternative indie fare, spanning the 70s to present day.

Monstar Mash

Devil Disco Club (Discopolis) Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £3

Antics

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 after 12)

Land of a 1000 Dances (Tony 2-Eyes)

Chart, dance and electro fare.

From classic disco to acid jazz with the regulars, plus a live set from Edinburgh electro-synth tinkerers Discopolis.

His & Hers

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Retro pop stylings from the 50s to the 70s. In Speakeasy.

Sat 03 Sep

onstage haircuts. Really, truly.

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Thu 08 Sep

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

guests Belle and Blackley doing

JungleDub

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Glam techno and electro in an End of the World Apocalypse party special.

industrial. In the Attic.

Sub Club, 23:00–03:00, Free (£10 after 12)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

Soulsville

Rip This Joint

Subculture

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£4)

Nu Fire

This Is Music

Space Invader (Belle and Blackley)

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

Indigo

Cab Vol Stars (Believe Vs Trilogy)

of the best of rock, metal, punk and

Pumped-up selection of indie, rock, soul and funk with DJ Jopez.

Beat Control

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese classics.

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

DJ Muppet unleashes an audio assault

Slouch, 23:00–03:00, Free

Fever and Lovechild team-up for a grand finale festival party.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Retro from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Korben Dallas and Nushta Drognova play a zesty mix of Italo, disco and house.

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

The Liquid Room, 22:30–05:00, £10 adv. (£12 door)

Wed 07 Sep Bangers & Mash

After a brief hiatus Bound for Glory return for a bit of a disco duel, with all proceeds going to the DEC East Africa Appeal. In Speakeasy.

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Non-commercial blend of the best in rap, dancehall, R’n’B, soul and funk.

In Speakeasy.

Flat 0/1, 23:00–03:00, Free

Superlovers (Alessandro Londra, Brian Fisher, Mark Price, Miss Chris)

Fake

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Shed Sundays

Monthly glam trash and sleaze tease.

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

Octopussy

Dapper Dans

Absolution

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Chart, dance and electro fare.

new hip-hop bar on the side.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £4

Tease Age

Retro tunes all night long, with veteran DJs Tall Paul and Big Gus.

DJs Mythic and Muppet, plus an all-

and mash-ups.

Handpicked selection of jive, rock, blues and funk from the B-Sides DJs.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Trash N Burn

Metal, industrial and pop-punk over two floors.

Frisky

Anything goes punter requests with

The Garage, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£3)

Electric Circus, 22:00–03:00, £5 (£6 after 12)

The Go-Go

Sick Note

DJ Wee Cheesey plays chart, remixes

The Den

Thu 01 Sep

Cathouse, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

The Sunday Roaster

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

Rock, metal and alternative, plus a fair few surprises along the way.

Renegade

Shed, 23:00–03:00, £2

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Classic Garage student fun night over all rooms.

Classic Grand, 23:00–03:00, £5 (students free)

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–05:00, Free

Bubblegum

South Queensferry, 18:00–22:00, £15 adv.

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese classics.

Bounce!

Wee Red Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3

Genre-spanning mix of hip-hop, dub, world and dance.

Indigo The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£4)

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with the ever-present threat of the Ting Tings.

JungleDub Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Slap Bang Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Genre-spanning midweeker with the residents playing a musical mishmash, alongside rotating guests. In Speakeasy.

Witness Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Thu 15 Sep

Heavy Gossip take to the waves for an evening of house and disco beats floating along South Queensferry.

Boat leaves from the pier.

Frisky

Underground Sunday

Monstar Mash

The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of chart, cheese and all the indie-pop requests you can think of.

Coalition

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Chart, dance and electro fare.

The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, £4

Brand new mash-up night of electronic fare.

The Costume Party Wee Red Bar, 22:00–03:00, £3

Dress up as anything you wish and dance the night away to a mix of hip-hop, funk and disco.

Ms Dynamite The Caves, 23:00–03:00, £10

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

London-born garage rapper, aka Ms Dynamite-ee-ee.

Killer Kitsch

Octopussy

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Mon 12 Sep

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Sick Note Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Mixed Up The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Spare Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Nu Fire Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dan Bruce and pals drop some hench beats.

The Zoo Project Edinburgh (Craig Wilson, Scott Gibson, Miki Mclean)

Misfits

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

The Caves, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£5)

Up-and-coming Edinburgh DJs playing a mix of house and electro.

With added body paint, fire-eaters and live dance.

Trade Union Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Anything goes trade night with Beefy and Wolfjazz (and their pals). In Speakeasy.

Tue 13 Sep Africanism (Juicy DJs, Seratonin, DJ Arslan, Mocoulou Sawane) The Caves, 22:00–03:00, £7 (£6)

African-styled party, featuring live DJs, African drumming and a selection of traditional food.

Fri 16 Sep The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Big Time Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

New night playing all the best in old and new disco, funk, soul and rock ‘n’ roll, handpicked by dapper chaps Gav & Jack.

Planet Earth Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Retro from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Zzzap!

Wee Red Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3

The inimitable electro-beats party in a special freshers edition.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 59

DUNDEE MUSIC

EDINBURGH CLUBS Axis (Residents Frequent Flyers, Anarkid, Kai Davidson)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Axis returns with three rooms full of electro, techno and dubstep offerings.

Damn Hot (The Players Association)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £3

Toe-tapping, soul shaking, blistering beats: job done. In Speakeasy.

Jungledub: 3rd Birthday (Mungo’s Hi-Fi)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Dub, dubstep and jungle from DJs across the Scottish scene, plus a special live set from Mungo’s Hi-Fi to celebrate Jungledub’s 3rd birthday.

Soundburger

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Brand new night, offering up choice cuts of funk, rock, psych and jazz.

This Is Music

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Studio 24 Rawks

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Rock, metal and alternative, plus a fair few surprises along the way.

The Egg

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3

Indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

Wasabi Disco

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £3 (members free)

Wed 31 Aug

Sat 10 Sep

Sat 17 Sep

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Static Rebound (Foxbeef, Mothers Ruin)

Hayseed Dixie

Millsyeck (Foxbeef, Goom, The Black Lights)

Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–22:00, £tbc

Four hairy rednecks, a host of string instruments and a whole lotta cover versions given the Bluegrass treatment.

Blues-driven rock from the Dundonian foursome fronted by Alex Mills.

Make Sparks (We Were Poseidon, The Bang)

The Computers

Indie, pop and alternative favourites, with The Cribs making a guest appearance as part of this freshers special.

JungleDub Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dub, dubstep and jungle, from DJs across the Scottish scene.

Sun 18 Sep

Genre-spanning midweeker with the residents playing a musical mish-mash, alongside rotating guests. In Speakeasy.

Underground Sunday

The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

The Sunday Club

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of chart, cheese and all the indie-pop requests you can think of.

Coalition

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sat 17 Sep

Killer Kitsch

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

Karnival

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 after 12)

Slap Bang

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house.

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Compakt (Perc)

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£6 after 12)

A heady bout of cosmic house, punk and upside-down disco.

Indie and electro from the Sick Note DJs.

Bubblegum

Indigo (The Cribs)

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Witness Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sneaky’s resident bass spectacular of garage, dubstep and bassline house.

Thu 22 Sep Africanism (Juicy DJs, Seratonin, DJ Arslan, Mocoulou Sawane) The Caves, 22:00–03:00, £tbc

African-styled party, featuring live DJs, African drumming and a selection of traditional food.

Frisky The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Pop Rocks: Launch Party

Mon 19 Sep

Chart, dance and electro fare.

Slow Club (The Last Battle)

Monstar Mash

Pop and rock gems, taking in motown, 80s classics and plenty of danceable fare (well, the Beep Beep, Yeah! crew are on decks after all).

Rather lovely alternative folkiness from Sheffield duo Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor.

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Saturday Nigth Beaver (Trendy Wendy)

Cabaret Voltaire, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 11)

Lesbian and bi-friendly favourite.

In Speakeasy.

Tease Age

Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

The Green Door

Studio 24, 22:30–03:00, £2 (£5 after 11.30)

Surf, doo-wop and rockabilly from the 50s and early 60s, plus free cake! Nuff said.

Xplicit (Jakwob)

The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £tbc

The foremost D’n’B specialists play host to dubstep hero Jakwob.

Beat Control

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

Dr No’s

Henry’s Cellar, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£4)

The best in 60s ska, rocksteady, bluebeat and reggae.

It’s All Good

The Store, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Fine mix of funky house, dirty electro and hard house.

Mumbo Jumbo

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £5 (£6 (£7) after 12)

Party soundtrack of funk, soul, disco and house from Trendy Wendy and Steve Austin.

Cabaret Voltaire, 19:00–22:00, £10

The Liquid Room, 22:00–03:00, £4

Compakt host a headline set from DJ Perc, with the back room being manned by DJ Phrase playing a mash up of D’n’B, dubtep and electro.

Edinburgh University Dance Music Society Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

The resident DJs spin an energetic mix of house and electro tunes.

Four Corners (The Delegators) Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £3 (£5 after 12)

after 11.30)

Wee Red Bar, 23:00–03:00, £3

Homegame show for the globetrotting music, art and all-round party crew.

Sat 24 Sep

The Southern Bar, 19:30–01:00, Free

The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Local acoustic acts followed by indie and alternative tunes from the Dream Sequence DJs.

Heavy Gossip Hawke and Hunter Green Room, 22:00–03:00, £8 (£10 after 12)

Studio 24, 22:00–03:00, £2 (£5 (£4) after 11.30)

Anything goes trade night with Beefy and Wolfjazz (and their pals). In Speakeasy.

Tue 20 Sep Antics

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Alternative anthems, cherrypicked from genres of rock, indie and punk.

Tuesday Heartbreak

The Jazz Bar, 22:30–03:00, £3 (£2)

Swirling guitars and driving beats from Aki Remally and his groove band.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Dan Bruce and pals drop some hench beats.

Fri 23 Sep Misfits The Hive, 21:00–03:00, Free (£4 after 10)

Chart, electro, indie-pop and alternative anthems.

Planet Earth Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Sun 25 Sep Underground Sunday

Bubblegum

Octopussy

Spare

The Egg

Lucky 7 Ska, 2-Tone and early reggae from the Go Go’s Tall Paul and Tony 2-Eyes.

Madchester The Liquid Room, 22:30–03:00, £6

Indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like.

Magic Nostalgic Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £5 (£6 after 12)

Hotch-potch of tracks chosen by a spinning wheel. Expect anything from 90s rave to power ballads, and a lot of one-hit wonders.

Tease Age Citrus Club, 22:30–03:00, £1 (£6 after 11)

Long-running indie, rock and soul night.

The Sunday Club The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Two rooms of chart, cheese and all the indie-pop requests you can think of.

£2 (£1)

Electronic music of all ages, for all ages.

Masters of the slow-building epic, WWPJ’s are all about the rolling drums, big guitars, and massive effing finales. Suffice to say we like their style.

Wed 14 Sep Jon Fratelli Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £8 adv. (£10 door)

The former Fratelli’s frontman tours his debut solo album.

Fri 16 Sep

The Stranglers tribute act.

Skip ‘Little Axe’ McDonald Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £tbc

The American bluesman takes it back to its roots (i.e. raw, stripped-back and intense).

Thu 01 Sep Asylum

Wee Red Bar, 22:30–03:00, £5

Disco-tinged delights and eclectic electronica with yer man John Pleased Wimmin. In Speakeasy.

Beat Generator Live!, 20:00–22:30, £7

Sun 25 Sep Wheatus Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–23:00, £11

The New York indie-popsters led by Brendan B. Brown and his heartfelt nasally drawl.

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Electronic dance specialists Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie (aka Silicone Soul) bring the joy.

Renegades

Sat 17 Sep

Transmission Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Indie, pop and hardcore with Wolfie and The Girl.

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

Fri 09 Sep

Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

Opto

Trade Union

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00,

Mixed Bizness (Benny Boom)

The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Rockin’ monthly Glasgow export mashing up genres of dubstep, house, funk and disco, with a four-hour set from Benny Boom.

Locarno Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 after 12)

Rockabilly, doo-wop, soul and all things golden age and danceable with the Locarno residents.

Sat 10 Sep Spektrum (Jon Carter)

Thu 22 Sep

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Showcase night for the finest eletronic DJs and producers.

Asylum

Thu 15 Sep

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Asylum

Fri 23 Sep

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £5

Alternative selection of rock, metal and punk.

The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Anything goes trade night with Beefy and Wolfjazz (and their pals). In Speakeasy.

Fri 23 Sep

Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–22:00, £tbc

Noisy pop-cum-punk-cum-rock from the Middlesbrough screamers.

Asylum

£2 (£1)

Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–23:00, £7

The Edinburgh skewed-pop trio give the rather ace Factorycraft album a proper tour, with their debut Dundee gig.

Straighten Out

Opto

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Thu 22 Sep

Hey! Alaska (Violet, Autumn In Disguise, Moving Mecca)

Thu 08 Sep

Nu Fire

Gritty punk rock mixed with a bit of garage soul.

Found (Man Without Machines, Martin John Henry, The Strangers Alamanac)

Mixed Up Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B.

Wed 21 Sep

DUNDEE CLUBS

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

Beat Generator Live!, 20:00–22:30, £6

Beat Generator Live!, 20:00–22:30, £5

Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–23:00, £5

Hook-laden indie-pop from the Dundonian trio, playing the homeland as part of their new single tour.

Electro, trip-hop and funk with CB and Pictux.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £5

Fine selection of reggae, ska and dancehall.

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £10 adv. (£12 door)

Fat Sam’s, 19:30–22:00, £16

Mon 26 Sep

Dare

Midweek student favourite of chart and cheese classics.

We Were Promised Jetpacks

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Robigan’s Reggae (Rhodar Dakar)

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, £1 (£3 after 11)

Long-standing punk rockers, on the go since 1980.

HEADWAY (Silicone Soul)

Big ‘N’ Bashy

Bangers & Mash

Fri 09 Sep Anti-Nowhere League

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00,

New night with a cast of all-female DJs working their way through some sexy retro, complete with glitter balls, naturally.

Wed 21 Sep

Beat Generator Live!, 19:30–22:30, £6

Hook-loaded metallic riffs from the post-hardcore Californians.

Killer Kitsch

Indie and alternative with the resident Evol DJs.

A mighty mix of reggae, grime, dubstep and jungle.

Letlive (To Kill Achilled, Wolves Descend)

The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Electric Circus, 22:30–03:00, £4 (£5 after 12)

Bongo Club, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Dexter’s Bar, 19:30–22:00, £tbc

The anthemic indie-pop quintet launch their new single.

Dubstep, breaks and bassline house.

Split

Long-running D’n’B night from a rotating collective of DJs.

Lost City Soul

Fri 02 Sep

Retro Catz

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, Free

Sat 03 Sep

Opto

Funk, soul and hip-hop.

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £1 (£5 after 12)

Doghouse, 20:00–23:45, £10

Rush tribute act.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Retro from 1960 to 1999, moving from Abba to ZZ Top.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Moving Pictures

Coalition

Soul Jam Hot

Beat Control

Dundee foursome working the classic rock sound.

Beat Generator Live!, 19:30–22:30, £10

Indie institution with DJs Chris and Paul.

Sick Note

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Rock, metal and alternative, plus a fair few surprises along the way.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £5 (members free)

Handpicked weekend mix of chart, dance and 80s classics.

The Cab’s flagship indie and electro favourite.

Studio 24 Rawks

LuckyMe (Oneman)

Only the finest house and disco beats.

Trade Union

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

The Caves, 23:00–03:00, £10 adv.

Deep minimal techno fused with electronica, with German-based DJ and producer Oliver Huntemann taking to the decks as part of his Live Reactable tour.

Brand new mash-up night of electronic fare.

Cabaret Voltaire, 23:00–03:00, £2 (£1)

Playdate

Studio 24, 23:00–03:00, Free (£5 (£4)

Chart, indie and electro student favourite, with a bouncy castle an’ all.

Sneaky Pete’s, 23:00–03:00, Free

Forward-thinking minimal, doof-doof techno, and arm-flailing house.

Kapital (Oliver Huntemann)

Request-driven night of hip-hop, chart and R’n’B. Moving from hip-hop to dubstep with a plethora of live MCs.

The Store, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

House specialists Stewart and Steven play, er, some special house.

HMV Picture House, 23:00–03:00, £6 (£4)

Nu Fire

Pet Rescue

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival special with your regular DJ hosts, plus a one-off live set from The Delegators.

Mixed Up

The Hive, 22:00–03:00, Free

The residents spin the usual fine mix of deep house, funky techno, and everything inbetween.

Opto The Hideout, 20:00–02:30, £5 (£3.50)

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

Fri 16 Sep

Bass Orgy Sound System

Opto Records night, with guest DJs and live bands.

The Book Club (Diabetic, Is Kill, Teesee)

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 after 12)

Launch night for the new bass spectacular, playing the best in electro, dub and D’n’B.

Beartrap

Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £4 (£6 after 12)

A fine trio of DJs on rotation all night, covering genres of electro, disco, techno and anything else they damn well fancy.

Felt Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Indie, retro pop and danceable rock.

Kage, 23:00–03:00, £4

Art rock, indie and punk.

Sat 24 Sep Autodisco Reading Rooms, 22:30–02:30, £5 (£7 after 12)

Electro, funk and disco with your regular hosts Dave Autodisco and Dicky Trisco.

Expanded interviews, reviews, previews, listings and more online W ww .t h e s k i n n y. c o . u k Illustration: Alasdair Boyce

60 THE SKINNY September 2011

COMEDY GLASGOW Tue 30 Aug Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

The Saturday Show (Richard Gadd, Barry McDonald, Shazia Mirza) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Sun 11 Sep

T H E AT R E Sat 24 Sep

Fri 09 Sep

Sun 18 Sep

GLASGOW

The King’s Theatre

The Saturday Show (Kai Humphries, John Gillick, Ian Coppinger)

Comedy Live (Anthony King, Mike Milligan, Joe Heenan)

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway

Calendar Girls

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Bruce Devlin.

Thu 01 Sep

Jason Byrne: Cirque du Byrne

Sun 25 Sep

The Thursday Show (Mickey Adams, Benjamin Crellin, Brian Scott McFadden)

High-energy lunacy from Byrne and his inimitable garbled stream of consciousness.

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Susan Morrison.

Fri 02 Sep The Friday Show (Chris Stokes, Mickey Adams, Benjamin Crellin, Brian Scott McFadden) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Susan Morrison.

Comedy Live (Geoff Boyz, Mike Wilkinson, Marty McLean) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

The King’s Theatre, 19:30–22:00, £18.50

Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 12 Sep Improv Wars

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Improvised comedy games and sketches, with an anything-goes attitude.

Tue 13 Sep

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

Red Raw

Sat 03 Sep

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Comedy Live (Geoff Boyz, Mike Wilkinson, Marty McLean) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Chris Stokes, Mickey Adams, Benjamin Crellin, Brian Scott McFadden) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Susan Morrison.

Melting Pot (Joey Negro) The Admiral, 23:00–03:00, £10

Disco sound champion Joey Negro (aka Dave Lee) makes his debut at Melting Pot.

Sun 04 Sep Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Mon 05 Sep Joe Heenan’s Movie Madness The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4

Movie quiz and knowledge test with film geek Joe Heenan.

Tue 06 Sep Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Wed 07 Sep Wicked Wenches (Kate Smurthwaite, Liz Stephens, Shazia Mirza)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3)

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

Thu 08 Sep Cornerstone Comedy Gala Oran Mor, 19:00–22:00, £12

Comedy showcase headlined by Des Clarke.

The Thursday Show (Richard Gadd, Barry McDonald, Shazia Mirza)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Billy Kirkwood.

Fri 09 Sep The Friday Show (Barry McDonald, Shazia Mirza, Sean Percival) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Comedy Live (Raymond Mearns, Andy Robinson, Simon O’Keeffe, Christophe Davidson) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Mon 26 Sep The Impenetrable Click 13th Note, 20:00–23:00, £tbc

Experimental comedy featuring international and Scottish comedians, poets and musicians.

EDIN B U R G H Thu 01 Sep The Thursday Show (Carl Hutchinson, John Ross, Nick Wilty)

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Thu 15 Sep

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Bruce Devlin.

The Thursday Show (Bruce Fummey, Chris McCauseland)

Fri 02 Sep

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Susan Calman.

Fri 16 Sep The Friday Show (Peter Brush, Bruce Fummey, Chris McCauseland)

Comedy Live (Joe Heenan, David Whitney) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Friday Show (Carl Hutchinson, John Ross, Nick Wilty) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Friday Show (Derek Miller, Liz Stephens, Aaron Counter, Anvil Springstien) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Derek Miller, Liz Stephens, Aaron Counter, Anvil Springstien) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

The Saturday Show (Carl Hutchinson, John Ross, Nick Wilty)

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Bruce Devlin.

Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

The Saturday Show (Peter Brush, Bruce Fummey, Chris McCauseland) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Susan Calman.

Sun 18 Sep Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Sun 04 Sep

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Improvised comedy favourite with cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

Absolute Beginners Comedy Showcase

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Improvised comedy games and sketches, with an anything-goes attitude.

Tue 20 Sep Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Thu 22 Sep TheThursdayShow(KaiHumphries, John Gillick, Ian Coppinger) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £8 (£7/£4)

Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Wed 07 Sep Broken Windows Policy

Fri 23 Sep

Skits and character comedy: fastpaced and a little anarchic. Just how we like it.

The Friday Show (Kai Humphries, John Gillick, Ian Coppinger) The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Bruce Devlin.

Comedy Live (Raymond Mearns, Andy Robinson, Christophe Davidson)

Comedy Live (Steve Gribbin, Nick Page, Alan Anderson, Charlie Ross)

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

City Café, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Red Raw

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Tue 13 Sep Electric Tales

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

Comedy meets storytelling with the promise of robot badges. We’re sold.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £5 (£4/£2.50)

The Thursday Show (Rob Coleman, Jane Hill, Parrot, Jason Cook)

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Joe Heenan.

Fri 16 Sep

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Jojo Sutherland.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

The Friday Show (Rob Coleman, Jane Hill, Parrot, Jason Cook)

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Joe Heenan.

Òran MÓr Neh See Ens 07:30PM, 02 Sep, £7

When a terrorist attack rocks Glasgow’s bohemian West End, the impulses of two men take over.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Fri 23 Sep Comedy Live (Simon Blingh, Adam Crow, Andrew Stanley) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Friday Show (Chris Tavner, Steve Shanyaski, Mark Nelson) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £10 (£9/£5)

Prime stand-up hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Sat 24 Sep Comedy Live (Simon Blingh, Adam Crow, Andrew Stanley) Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Saturday Show (Chris Tavner, Steve Shanyaski, Mark Nelson) The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Billy Kirkwood.

Sun 25 Sep Whose Lunch Is It Anyway The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

07:30PM, 04 Sep, £10 (£6)

The Arches Critical Confessions 06:45PM, 20 Sep—25 Sep, £3 (£2)

Our very own Performance editor dons his Mr Criticulous persona.

Part of Arches Live 2011.

Euan Ogilvie: The Bystander Effect 06:45PM, 20 Sep—24 Sep, not 22nd, £3 (£2)

The audience are put in the role of innocent bystander. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Kieran Hurley: Beats 07:30PM, 20 Sep—21 Sep, £7 (£5)

Early development of ideas by Kieran Hurley exploring hedonism.

Expect traditional storytelling, some experiments with audio equipment and techno. Lots of techno. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Peter McMaster and Nic Green: The Fire Burns and Burns 07:30PM, 20 Sep—21 Sep, £7 (£5)

A gentle, immersive and intimate exploration asking can the body, like fire, be uninhibited? Part of Arches Live 2011.

Backbone and Navel 09:15PM, 20 Sep—21 Sep, £7 (£5)

Direct image theatre inspired by feminist philosopher Helene Cixous, which reimagines and represents her ideas. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Putting Words In My Mouth 07:00PM, 23 Sep—24 Sep, £7 (£5)

Improvised comedy favourite with cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

A mini play exploring why we eat what we eat, and how this shapes us. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Hardeep Sin Kohli: Chat Massala

Risking Enchantment

Brunton Theatre, 19:30–22:00, £14 (£12)

Inventive mini play about a girl and her ghost. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Comedy and curry, as the ‘nearly naked chef’ chats and cooks at the same time.

The Sunday Night LaughIn (Graham Mackie, Steve Shanyaski)

07:00PM, 23 Sep—24 Sep, £7 (£5)

Bird 08:20PM, 23 Sep—24 Sep, £7 (£5)

Comedy Live (Anvil Springstein, David Hadingham, Matthew Osborn)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Sita Pieraccini’s does her inventive thing, incorporating clown and mime into one magical whole. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by

Smokies

Out With The Old

Sat 17 Sep Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

Thu 08 Sep

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

The Thursday Show (Derek Miller, Liz Stephens, Aaron Counter, Anvil Springstien)

The Saturday Show (Rob Coleman, Jane Hill, Parrot, Jason Cook)

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Susan Morrison.

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Joe Heenan.

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £8 (£7/£4)

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s 1930s-styled satire fusing opera, dance and theatre.

Handpicked selection of headline acts over a two-hour showcase. Hosted

by Stu Murphy.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Tue 06 Sep The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3)

Various times, 31 Aug—03 Sep, £12.50

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by Stu Murphy.

Comedy Live (Anvil Springstein, David Hadingham, Matthew Osborn)

All-female stand-up, with a suitably varied mix of headliners and newcomers.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The Stand, 21:00–23:00, £15

Mon 26 Sep City Café, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Fit O’ The Giggles showcase of new acts and new material.

Red Raw The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

09:00PM, 23 Sep—24 Sep, £7 (£5)

Tale of two lonely old spinsters making a living by catching and smoking fish, and rather gruesomely disposing of sailors. Part of Arches Live 2011.

Jamais Vu 03:00PM, 24 Sep, £4 (£3)

Rehearsed reading written and directed by award-winning writer Stef Smith. Part of Arches Live 2011.

07:30PM, 07 Sep, £11.25 (£9.25)

One-woman comedy drama, performed by Fiona Knowles and written by playwright Rona Munro.

Uncharted Waters 07:30PM, 10 Sep, £10.75 (£8.75)

The story of the all-too-brief life and career of Celtic goalkeeper par excellence Johnny Thomson (aka The Prince), set amidst the social upheaval of 1920s Scotland.

Dynamic performance piece, crossing the boundaries between circus, dance and theatre (i.e. they’ll dangle from the ceiling on ropes).

Puppetry of the Penis: In 3D

Kes

Theatre Royal

Preview performance of young playwright David Leddy’s new play, a provocative drama set in Venice.

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

Wicked Wenches (Kate Smurthwaite, Liz Stephens, Shazia Mirza)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £7 (£5)

The Johnny Thomson Story Various times, 05 Sep—10 Sep, From £14.50–From £18.50

O2 ABC

The Thursday Show (Steve Shanyaski, Mark Nelson)

Thu 15 Sep

Fit O’ The Giggles showcase of new acts and new material.

Benefit Night (Steve Shanyaski)

Polite yet naked comedy.

07:30PM, 25 Sep, £21

The Sunday Night Laugh-In (John McGoldrick, John O’Brien)

Chilled comedy showcase hosted by Sian Bevan.

Improv Wars

Wed 21 Sep

Various times, 30 Aug—03 Sep, From £14–From £16

The National Theatre of Scotland present their moving new production, an unflinching tale of hand-to-mouth poverty in 1930s Glasgow.

Untitled Love Story

The Sunday Night Laugh-In (Jill Baxter, Mickey Anderson, Carl Hutchinson)

City Café, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£3)

Various times, 16 Sep—24 Sep, not 18th, 19th, From £10.50

Thu 22 Sep

Comedy sketches picked by the audience and performed by a troupe of actors and musicians.

Mon 19 Sep

Tue 20 Sep

Citizens Theatre Men Should Weep

Paisley Arts Centre

Comedy showcase, the culmination of a two-day training course with Keara Murphy.

Wed 14 Sep

Mon 05 Sep

Open mic-style beginners showcase, plus some old hands roadtesting new material.

08:00PM, 01 Sep—02 Sep, £5

Comedy benefit in aid of Fisherrow Community Nursery.

City Café, 20:00–22:00, £5

Melting Pot

Out With The Old

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £2

News, hot gossip and current affairs, with a comedy spin.

Improvised comedy favourite with cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Red Raw

Sun 11 Sep

Whose Lunch Is It Anyway The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

City Café, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2)

Breaking News (Susan Morrison, Vladimir McTavish)

Fit O’ The Giggles showcase of new acts and new material.

Comedy Live (Ian Coppinger, Bruce Devlin, John Robins)

Chilled comedy showcase.

Packed bill of stand-up headliners and resident comperes. Hosted by Susan Morrison.

Comedy Live (David Whitney)

Sat 17 Sep

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Fit O’ The Giggles showcase of new acts and new material.

Mon 12 Sep

Mixed showcase of established and up-and-coming comedy talent.

Doors 7pm.

Mixing film, live performance and installation in a magical little tale of talking road signs, cardboard taxis and ghostly musicians.

Comedy Live (Anthony King, Mike Milligan, Joe Heenan)

Out With The Old

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £13

The Sunday Night Laugh-In (Miles Jupp)

Out With The Old

Sat 03 Sep

Mixed showcase of established and upand-coming comedy talent. Doors 7pm.

Cryptic Nights: Joyride

Sat 10 Sep

Comedy Live (Ian Coppinger, Bruce Devlin, John Robins) Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £12

CCA Café

Mon 19 Sep

Prime stand-up hosted by Bruce Devlin.

Prime stand-up hosted by Susan Calman.

The Stand, 13:30–15:30, Free

Improvised comedy favourite with cheeky chappies Stu & Garry.

Prime stand-up hosted by Susan Morrison.

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £10 (£9/£5)

Sat 10 Sep Highlight, 20:30–23:00, £15

The Stand, 20:30–22:30, £6 (£5/£1)

Chilled comedy showcase with resident funnyman Michael Redmond.

Highlight, 21:00–23:00, £10

Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know

The Australian duo bend their genitals into all manner of shapes, told through the glory of 3D theatre. Jesus would’ve wept.

Legally Blonde Various times, 30 Aug—17 Sep, From £25–From £22.50

All-singing, all-dancing musical adaptation of the hit movie featuring teen queen Elle and her trusty Chihuahua, Bruiser.

Journey’s End Various times, 06 Sep—10 Sep, From £13.50

WWI drama

Dreamboats and Petticoats

Various times, 15 Sep—17 Sep, not 16th, £6

The play of the film of the book.

Northern social realism.

The Fitzrovia Radio Hour 07:30PM, 21 Sep, £11.25 (£9.25)

Recreating the unique spirit of 1940s radio plays, with a deft blend of homage and satire.

Singing Far Into The Night 07:30PM, 23 Sep, £11.25 (£9.25)

Moving tale about an able seaman and naval boxing champion who comes home to find Glasgow in the grip of political and industrial strife.

Festival Theatre

Various times, 12 Sep—17 Sep, From £8.50

Rhinestone Mondays

1950s rock’n’roll musical

Various times, 20 Sep—24 Sep, From £18.50

Tramway

Light-hearted rom-com set to a classic country soundtrack.

Plaza Minuet/The Birth Of Venus 07:30PM, 03 Sep, £6 (£4)

Double bill of ambitious danceworks from London-based artist Pablo Bronstein, working with classically trained ballet dancers.

The Missing 07:30PM, 15 Sep—24 Sep, not 17th, 18th, 19th, £6–£16 (£12)

Andrew O’Hagan presents a unique adaptation of his own book, complimented by a video installation by contemporary artist Graham Fagen (exhibited in the gallery space).

Tron Theatre Scavengers/Mother Maria 08:00PM, 31 Aug—02 Sep, not 1st, £9 (£7)

Double bill. Part of the New Works programme, where four Scottish playwrights have been commissioned to write new plays with individuals from the Masters in Classical and Contemporary Text.

The Bends/Liberty Equality Fraternity 08:00PM, 01 Sep—03 Sep, not 2nd, £9 (£7)

Double bill. Part of the New Works programme, where four Scottish playwrights have been commissioned to write new plays with individuals from the Masters in Classical and Contemporary Text.

Hearts Unspoken 08:00PM, 07 Sep—10 Sep, £9 (£7)

Based on interviews with gay male asylum seekers and refugees, Hearts Unspoken brings together moving and deeply-personal tales of adversity and perseverance.

My Romantic History Various times, 09 Sep—24 Sep, not 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, From £7

Postmodern tale of a new couple who get together at work, but are soon affected by the ghost of relationships past.

September Songs 08:30PM, 14 Sep—17 Sep, £8 (£6)

A one-woman cabaret starring Joyce Falconer, set to the music of composer Kurt Weill.

A Song, A Sip and A Sandwich 04:00PM, 18 Sep, £15

Musical theatre singalong favourites, plus booze and nibbles.

EDIN B U R G H

HMV Picture House The Seven Deadly Sins Various times, 31 Aug—03 Sep, not 2nd, £12.50

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s 1930s-styled satire fusing opera, dance and theatre. Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Playhouse Legally Blonde Various times, 30 Aug—17 Sep, not 4th, 5th, 11th, From £25–From £22.50

All-singing, all-dancing musical adaptation of the hit movie featuring teen queen Elle and her trusty Chihuahua, Bruiser.

Super Trouper 07:30PM, 24 Sep, From £14.50

The Swedish supergroups greatest hits, in singalong glory. Fancy dress pretty much obligatory.

Royal Lyceum Theatre Mary Queen Of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off Various times, 17 Sep—24 Sep, not 18th, 19th, From £13–From £14.50

New production of Liz Lochhead’s acclaimed interpretation of the lives, loves and rivalry of two famed queens.

Traverse Greek 07:30PM, 01 Sep—02 Sep, £15 (£11)–£17 (£13)

Scottish Opera present another in a series of stimulating contemporary operas, with a modern re-telling of the Oedipus myth.

New Works 08:00PM, 14 Sep—17 Sep, £6 (£4)

Four of Scotland’s top playwrights present a selection of commissioned new works.

Arthur, The Story Of A King Various times, 22 Sep—24 Sep, £15 (£11/£6)

Rumination on the many faces of King Arthur, through a rather magical exploration of the king’s exploits.

DUNDEE Dundee rep

Brunton Theatre

Futureproof

The Cherry Orchard

19:30–22:00, 31 Aug - 10 Sep, £13 (£8)

07:30PM, 03 Sep, £11.25 (£9.25)

The Checkov classic, as a down at heel aristocrat struggles to save her legacy.

Fresh from its airing at Edinburgh Festival, director Domini Hill brings his touching tale of a struggling freak show to Dundee.

September 2011

THE SKINNY 61

ART CCA Café

Sophie Mackfall 10:00AM, 17 Sep—24 Sep, not 18th, 19th, Free

After a month-long residency at Cove Park, Mackall presents a new body of paintings that work spacially by employing assembled objects, paint, chalk and frottage.

Club 520 Secret Wars: Quarer Finals 11:00PM, 16 Sep, £tbc

Live art-cum-club event, with Smug going head-to-head with Vues in the doodling stakes, as part of the 2011 Championships which pits 16 Scottish representing artists against each other.

David Dale Gallery and Studios Instant Archives: Emily Donnini, Ralph Mackenzie and Travis Souza

SWG3

Tramway

Ragnar Jonasson: Roots

Graham Fagen: Missing

12:00PM, 31 Aug—04 Sep, Free

New works from the Icelandic Glasgow School of Art graduate, concerned with the structure of the universe.

Sorcha Dallas Gary Rough 11:00AM, 02 Sep—24 Sep, not 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, Free

New solo exhibition from the Glasgow-born, New York-living, mixed media artist, who’s been using the gallery as his personal studio during their summer closure.

Street Level Photoworks (Some) New Photography From Scotland Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

Third in a series of exhibitions from Futureproof, profiling up-andcoming photographic image-makers from Scottish photography courses.

12:00PM, 02 Sep—11 Sep, not 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, Free

The Arches

Through various media each artist explores the relationships between personal and collective histories, obsolete modes of production and modern technologies.

Kathryn Rodger: Let Yourself Go

Gallery of Modern Art Peace At Last!

Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

New work from Glasgow-based artist Kate Davis, using Glasgow Museums’ collection as inspiration and taking key museum objects to exhibit alongside her own work.

Glasgow Print Studio The Hill Various times, 02 Sep—25 Sep, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

The in-house artists at Glasgow Print Studio present an exhibition of bespoke print works inspired by the Scottish landscape.

Glasgow School of Art Live Your Questions Now Various times, 30 Aug—24 Sep, not 4th, 11th, 18th, Free

A survey exhibition of Scottish, UK and international contemporary artists over 60 years old, including work from Alasdair Gray and Sam Ainsley.

In the Mackintosh Museum.

Mary Mary Alan Reid: Boudoir Concrete 12:00PM, 02 Sep—24 Sep, not 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, Free

Solo show from the New York-based artist, featuring a new body of caran d’ache works on canvas, alongside redesigned versions of Ulmer Hocker furniture.

Mitchell Library Eyes of the Street 09:00AM, 30 Aug—31 Aug, Free

Innovative photography exhibition depicting life on Glasgow’s streets from the perspective of the homeless, and featuring photographs by six Big Issue Scotland vendors.

Project Room Glasgow Independant Studio Member’s Show 12:00PM, 10 Sep—17 Sep, Free

An exhibition of work by Glasgow Independant Studio members, housed within the studio space of Trongate 103.

12:00PM, 30 Aug—07 Sep, not 4th, Free

Solo exhibition exploring the sociocultural aspects of binge drinking, focusing on the human aspects of the condition.

Thom Scullion: Play (Station) 06:45PM, 20 Sep—21 Sep, £3 (£2)

Live interactive art installation, where the audience and artist share time together. Part of Arches Live 2011.

The Briggait Vault Various times, 09 Sep—11 Sep, £4 (under-12s free)

Showcasing work from twelve innovative galleries and artist-led organisations, this diverse art sale will feature leading names and relative up-and-comers, plus a programme of guided tours and workshops.

The Common Guild Thea Djordjadze 12:00PM, 24 Sep, Free

Solo exhibition from the Berlinbased artist, in which she’ll create new works for the grand domestic spaces at Common Guild using her wide-ranging sculptural forms.

The Duchy Early Relativity 12:00PM, 03 Sep, Free

Joint show from emerging Scottish artists Karen Cunningham and Zara Idelson.

The Lighthouse The Architecture of Hope Various times, 30 Aug—24 Sep, Free

To mark the 15th anniversary year of Maggies Centres, The Lighthouse present a comprehensive study of the architecture of these wonderful buildings, through an exhibition of beautifully-crafted models.

The Modern Institute Urs Fischer and Georg Herold Various times, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Double-header exhibition from Swiss installation artist and sculptor Urs Fischer and verteran German sculptor Georg Herold.

Victoria Morton: Her Guitars Various times, 10 Sep—24 Sep, not 11th, 18th, Free

New body of work from the Glasgow artist, whose thought-provoking and experimental work has been self-labelled as ‘explicit abstract realism’.

Team Recoat Launch

The Virginia Gallery

12:00PM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

John, I’m Only Dancing

Recoat Gallery To celebrate their 4th birthday Recoat launch a new collective of artists, showcasing with an exhibition of limited edition screen prints from each artist.

Various times, 30 Aug—12 Sep, Free

Robin Burgess’ new solo show, looking at queer culture in Glasgow through the use of abstract painting and photography.

62 THE SKINNY September 2011

12:00PM, 13 Sep—25 Sep, not 19th, Free

New video installation by contemporary artist Graham Fagen, created to compliment the live adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s The Missing.

E D INBUR G H Amber Arts Fixed Dimensions 10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Mini exhibition (quite literally) of postcard-sized artworks from 25 invited artists in drawing, printmaking, painting and photography.

Axolotl Gallery Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys 11:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Double-header exhibition from the two artists who collaborated together during 1970-1986, featuring Scottish-inspired works from Beuys alongside a selection of Demarco’s watercolours.

David 11:00AM, 10 Sep—24 Sep, not 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, Free

Susan Richards photographic project, undertaken in memory of her father, featuring various male portraits.

Corn Exchange Gallery Hayashi Takeshi: Haku-u 11:00AM, Multiple dates, Free

Large and contemplative works from the talented Japanese stone sculptor, often employing techniques of splitting and paring. Part of EAF.

Dovecot Studios Chris Drury: Land, Water and Language 10:30AM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

New work inspired by a two-day canoe voyage across the Isle of North Uist, which includes the installation of a suspended woven canoe made from heather, willow and salmon skins. Part of EAF.

Heirlooms 10:30AM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

Multi-layered exhibition celebrating the rich heritage of Indian and Javanese textile traditions. Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

Edinburgh College of Art Anish Kapoor: Flashback 10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

Sculptural works from the Turner Prize-winning artist, including a monumental blood-red wax bell standing some five metres tall in the ECA’s Sculpture Court. Part of EAF.

Boda Bar

Body Bags/Simonides

Beth Darbyshire: A Love Letter to John Herschel

Conceptial piece featuring photographs by Norman McBeath and texts

by Robert Crawford. Part of EAF.

Various times, 30 Aug—18 Sep, Free

Lovely wee collection of Cyanotype photographic prints.

Bourne Fine Art Five Centuries of Scottish Portraiture Various times, 30 Aug—10 Sep, not 4th, Free

A rich overview of the development of Scottish portraiture over the past 500 years, taking David Allan’s The Origin of Painting (1775) as its starting point. Part of EAF.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—09 Sep, Free

Edinburgh Printmakers Lineage 10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

New and recent prints by three boundary-pushing British artists – Michael Craig-Martin, Ian Davenport and Julian Opie – all concerned with the use of the line. Part of EAF.

Filmhouse Café Bar

Canongate Venture

Revolution Graffiti of the Arab Spring

400 Women

10:00AM, 30 Aug—31 Aug, Free

11:00AM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

Site-specific exhibition brough together by artist Tamsyn Challenger and housed within an old schoolhouse, consisting of a critical mass of portraiture work from a number of international artists all addressing gender violence. Pat of EAF.

Exhibition detailing the grafitti that adorns wall and streets in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, indicating a new existence of freedom of expression that will not go away.

Fruitmarket Gallery

Central Library

Ingrid Calame

Costume and Custom in Japanese Art

First Scottish solo exhibition for the American artist, showcasing a collection of her beautifully coloured and intricately composed abstract works. Part of EAF.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—31 Aug, Free

Handpicked selection from the library’s fine collection of original Japanese woodcut prints and handscroll paintings. Part of EAF.

This Is Not An Exhibition 10:00AM, 30 Aug—31 Aug, Free

A group of artists from Edinburgh College of Art create artwork that, rather than turning the library into a gallery, functions within the unique spaces within the library.

City Art Centre David Mach: Precious Light Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, £5 (£3.50)

Large-scale collage and sculpture works, over three years in the making and ambitious in their theme of exploring the narratives of the King James Bible in the year of its 400th anniversary. Part of EAF.

Collective Gallery Hans Schabus: Remains of the Day 11:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

Installation commission from the Vienna-based artist, consisting of the collected rubbish accumulated by the artist and his family during one calendar year. Part of EAF.

Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

Inverleith House

John Byrne

Robert Rauschenberg: Botanical Vaudeville

Major showcase of paintings, drawings and etchings from the celebrated Paisley-born artist.

Part of EAF.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

Selected works from the American artist, taken mostly from the period between 1980 and 1990 when he began exploring the reflective, textural and sculptural effects of various materials.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—05 Sep, not 4th, Free

Life Forms 10:00AM, 30 Aug—05 Sep, not 4th, Free

Contemporary figurative sculpture works, featuring pieces by David Cleverly, John Maltby and Jeremy James.

Jupiter Artland

Teena Ramsay

Charles Jencks: Metaphysical Landscapes

New collection of jewellery featuring a mixture of embellished gold and silver pieces.

10:00AM, 01 Sep—18 Sep, not 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, £8.50

A rare insight into the practice of the international landform artist, philosopher and architect. Part of EAF.

National Gallery Complex The Queen: Art and Image 10:00AM, 30 Aug—18 Sep, £7 (£5)

In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the National Gallery bring together a collection of images spanning the 60 years of her reign.

National Gallery of Scotland Dürer’s Fame 10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

A selection of prints, drawings and paintings from the gallery’s collection of Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer’s work.

Elizabeth Blackadder 10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, £8 (£6)

Retrospective of the beloved Scottish artist, who turns 80 this year, with a vast collection of paintings, watercolours and drawings. And you can play count the cats.

National Museum of Scotland A Passion For Glass 10:00AM, 30 Aug—11 Sep, Free

Rather fine collection of modern glass works recently gifted to the National Museum. Part of EAF.

Old Ambulance Depot Katri Walker: North West 12:00PM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

Exploring the relationship between the Scots and USA cross-pollination which spawned the historical and cinematic Wild West scene. Part of EAF.

Open Eye Gallery European Masterprints 1890-1980 10:00AM, 30 Aug—24 Sep, not 4th, 11th, 18th, Free

Lithographs, etchings and silkscreen prints by artists including Picasso, Braque and Dufy.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—05 Sep, not 4th, Free

Henry Fraser 10:00AM, 09 Sep—24 Sep, not 11th, 18th, Free

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

The Scottish Gallery

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Colin Reid: Glass

10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, £7 (£5)

Major new exhibition of the renowned Japanese photograher, featuring 26 large-scale works taken from two of his most recent series.

Part of Edinburgh International Festival.

Tony Cragg 10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, £7 (£5)

Retrospective of Liverpool-born sculptor Tony Cragg, known for his found-object and freestanding sculptural style.

Sierra Metro

Soulful and character-revealing portraits from the ECA graduate.

Peles Empire: Carmen Sylva

Jonathan Gibbs: Tree At My Window

12:00PM, 01 Sep—11 Sep, not 5th, 6th, 7th, Free

10:00AM, 09 Sep—24 Sep, not 11th, 18th, Free

Jonathan Gibbs creates illustrative linear and meticulous prints evoking a mid-20th century mood, incorporating paint, wood engravings and line drawings.

Queen’s Gallery The Northern Renaissance: Dürer to Holbein 09:30AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, £6 (£5.50)

Bringing together over 100 works by the greatest Northern European artists of the period.

Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) In Japan Various times, 30 Aug—18 Sep, Free

Highlights of a collective of academicans practice in contemporary Japan, including work by Elizabeth Blackadder, Paul Furneaux and Elspeth Lamb.

Muse Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

Collection of RSA works concerned with portraying the female character and figure.

Schop A Scottish Land 09:00AM, 30 Aug—23 Sep, not 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, Free

Nick Sargent explores questions of attribution and the notion of originality, most wondefully in a large-scale painted and embroidered canvas entitled A Scottish Landscape.

Part of EAF.

Scotland-Russia Institute My Never-Ending Friend Various times, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Collection of work from Russian graphic artist Alexander Petrovich Voitsekhovsky, know for his fantastical and playful pieces. Part of EAF.

New sculptural works created

by Peles Empire, an international project founded by London-based artists Barbara Wolff and Katharina Stoever. Part of EAF.

Stills Runaway, Success

10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Showcase of Reid’s work, each of which use the qualities of glass – transparency, refraction and reflection – to extraordinary effect.

Part of EAF.

Elizabeth Blackadder: New Paintings 10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Exciting new showcase of Blackadder’s work, to coincide with the major retrospective currently on at the National Gallery. Part of EAF.

Jacqueline Mina: Touching Gold 10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

A unique insight into the craft of the celebrated contemporary goldsmith.

Part of EAF.

Vermillion Studios Vermillion Studios Open Exhibition 10:00AM, 30 Aug—31 Aug, Free

Four artists from the studios showcase their individual work, encompassing architecture, photography and painting fusion.

11:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

A selection of new photographs, videos and drawings from Stephen Sutcliffe, plus a selection of films by Gary Conklin (specially handpicked by Sutcliffe). Part of EAF.

Such and Such Such and Such: Residents Show 11:00AM, 30 Aug—11 Sep, Free

New work by Such and Such resident artists Alexandra Fiddes, Caroline Cloughley, Charlotte Hannett and David Lemm, combining work in silver, mixed media and printmaking.

Talbot Rice Gallery Anton Henning 10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

German artist Anton Henning creates a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) within Talbot Rice, where bright painted walls house a mix of furniture, lighting, sculpture, window painting and drawing.

D UN D EE Chamber Building Yuck ‘n Yum’s Annual General Karaoke 07:00PM, 24 Sep, Free

Art collective, and makers of a rather fine quarterly zine, Yuck ‘n Yum host their version of an AGM. Artistic interpretations of karaoke videos will be screened on the night, with a prize of £300 up for grabs.

DCA Brank & Heckle: Ruth Ewan Various times, 30 Aug—25 Sep, not 5th, 12th, 19th, Free

New and recent solo works by Ruth Ewan, exploring notions of enforced silence and vocal protest.

Ragamala

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design

10:00AM, 30 Aug—25 Sep, Free

Dundee Masters’ Show 2011

A rare opportunity to see the University’s unique collection of Indian miniature paintings.

Tent Gallery Colour and/or Monochrome 10:00AM, 30 Aug—04 Sep, Free

Works by Japanese artist Atsuo Hukuda, created as a response to stoic philosophy of the antiquity of Japan. Part of EAF.

10:00AM, 30 Aug—03 Sep, Free

Annual graduate showcase featuring work from various schools, including Fine Art, Animation & Visualisation, Media Art, Medical Art and Foresnsic Art.

Residency Showcase Various times, 16 Sep—24 Sep, not 18th, Free

Summer residency exhibition, showcasing the fruits of the resident artists’ labour.

Henderson’s Restaurant and Arts Venue Four Artists, One City 08:00AM, 30 Aug—24 Sep, not 4th, 11th, 18th, Free

Four young artists focus on an area of Edinburgh that intrigues them, using it to inspire a varied exhibition of photography, etchings and pencil and ink drawings.

Ingleby Gallery Mystics or Rationalists?

10:00AM, 30 Aug—24 Sep, not 4th, 11th, 18th, Free

Collective exhibition focusing on the artistic divide between mysticism and rationality. Part of EAF.

Inspace Left To My Own Devices 12:00PM, 31 Aug—04 Sep, Free

Unique exhibition focusing on the use of device art as seen through an exhcange between creators and technologists in China, Japan and Scotland. Part of EAF.

PHOTO: Solen Collet

GLASGOW

New content online daily W ww .t h e s k i n n y. c o . u k

MUSIC

DESTRUCTING ICONS

CRYSTAL BAWS WITH MYSTIC MARK

As blind politicians blame his beloved genre for the London riots, Dälek MC WILL BROOKS steps out with ICONACLASS – a new project of pure hip-hop INTERVIEW: ALI MALONEY

FOR 13 years, Dälek have been destroying minds and ears with their marrying of traditional hip-hop values with walls of noise; their sensory overload equally appealing to nodding baseball capped heads and chin stroking shoegazers.

MC Will Brooks steps out with a new project, iconAclass this month, retaining many of Dälek’s same elements but stripped down to its absolute core: blistering hip-hop.

Its dark and brooding beats coupled with incisive lyrics mark their debut For the Ones out as an instant underground classic, unpretentious and pure. We asked Will about its genesis. iconAclass sounds very similar to Dälek in many respects, other than the obvious difference that the production is very stripped down. Was this a conscious decision to return to a more traditional hip-hop format, or perhaps more of a desire to bring your lyrics to the forefront?

I think it was a bit of both. There was definitely a desire to make the lyrics the focal point of this project after 13 years of Dälek’s wall of sound. I also wanted to present the essence of what I am. I am hip-hop, and of course there are similarities to the Dälek project because at its core it was hip-hop as well. I think it’s always been hard for some people to grasp the concept that I was not only the EMCEE in Dälek, but I also co-produced the music with my brother Oktopus.

It is admirable that after so long in “the game,� such as it exists, you retain the hunger and drive of a struggling MC. Do you still feel that you have something to prove?

I don’t know if it’s “something to prove�

exactly. This is just what I am. It’s what I do.

I’m an EMCEE. I truly love making music and writing lyrics. I feel blessed that I get to do it professionally, and that I have been able to do so for the past 10+ years. And as I have often said, this is my therapy. It allows me to function as a human being. Making beats and rhyming is what I do, even in my time off.

What would you hope audiences take away from your music? Are those objectives any different with this release?

I’ve always viewed music as very personal, and I like that it can be interpreted in a million different ways by a million people. Obviously it has a specific meaning to me, but I like to leave room for people to come to their own conclusions. I really appreciate it and am humbled when people are affected in any way by my music. Good or bad. Love it or hate it. I want my music to move people. Make people think. I am always amazed by the power of music.

More than anything, this album, like all my previous work, paints a picture of who I am at this moment. I am especially proud of the iconAclass project because it is solely my production, my lyrics, even my mixing of the album. It was a lot of work, but it is very gratifying to see the final product come to fruition. I hope all that work and dedication translates to the listeners.

Dälek was a new spelling of a word, as is iconAclass; it has often been a criticism of hip-hop that it doesn’t spell things ‘properly’. Can you tell me a little about why this kind of wordplay is important to you and why this new project specifically is ‘iconoclastic’?

Yeah, maybe it lies somewhere in the

need to make words our own, and our desire to do things our own way. Remember, before hip hop was pre-packaged for mass consumption by corporate America, it was a fringe culture, and within that culture originality was praised. It was all about expressing your individual ideas.

As far as why iconAclass? Well for those that don’t know, the definition of Iconoclast is: 1: a person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration 2: a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions Pretty much describes me and my lyrics.

In the recent London riots, rap music was proposed by supposed experts as a factor in inciting the unrest. I don’t think anyone needs to point out how ridiculous this notion is, but hip-hop is a very powerful and often misunderstood medium which commands tremendous devotion. You say on the album you are “going back to your roots, back to the truth� – can you please elaborate on what hip-hop is at its purest? And where you might fit into that picture?

Yeah, that really is laughable; as if hip-hop created the world’s problems. Hip-hop, as all art and music, is the artist’s voice to reinterpret what they see and experience in the world around them. We didn’t invent poverty and violence. Hip-hop at its purest is original self expression. It is, at its core, that fringe culture that questions the world at large. At its base level hip-hop is the voice of my people. As to where I fit in? Again, to quote KRS-One, “I AM HIP HOP!�

FOR THE ONES BY ICONACLASS IS RELEASED VIA DEADVERSE RECORDINGS ON 26 SEP WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ICONACLASS

We didn’t invent poverty and violence WILL BROOKS

ARIES 21 MAR – 20 APR Your trackie bottoms become so far stuck up your crack this month your hungry arse begins to digest polyester and your cells start to reconstitute the molecules as part of your body.

By the start of October you will be the first human with a tracksuit for skin and zips for orifices.

TAURUS 21 APR – 21 MAY A dozen dildos are enough for anyone. Why not donate a couple to your local donkey retirement home?

GEMINI 22 MAY – 21 JUN The spirit of your recently deceased Auntie Valerie attempts to contact you this month, arriving in her reincarnated form as a spider in your bath.

She tries to give you a sign, to tell you everything is all right and not to grieve, but immediately upon noticing her spindly body constructing a web love heart you blow her away with a lighter and a can of Lynx deodorant.

CANCER 22 JUN – 23 JUL You may be an arsehole, but you’re a very sensitive arsehole, gently twitching and pulsating with each horrible challenge life thrusts in your direction.

LEO 24 JUL – 23 AUG Beware the 47-year-old Glasgow grandma with a face like a painfully pasty Navaho elder, the one who’s always eyeing you in the queue at Farmfoods. She has a secret you definitely don’t want to know about.

VIRGO 24 AUG – 23 SEP This month, like every month, your thoughts are consumed by the drivel you read in Heat magazine, meticulously updating you on which orange, ape-foreheaded Neanderthal Jordan’s giving soapy tit wanks to at weekly junctures.

LIBRA 24 SEP – 23 OCT Quit smoking so much Amber Leaf, your coughing sounds like a train crashing into Brian Blessed.

SCORPIO 24 OCT – 22 NOV Yes, you are ageing by the second, falling apart piece by piece. The creams aren’t working, are they? Wandering around the garden at night eating grubs you hope one of them contains a molecule of past-you from 10 years ago inside. Like a cannibalistic time traveller you forage ravenously for the dust of your previous lives. If only you’d saved all those delicious vacuum bags full of warm youth.

SAGITTARIUS 23 NOV – 21 DEC

This September Azathoth the Blind Idiot God, spawned from the unholy nightmares of the void, enters your constellation. Run.

CAPRICORN 22 DEC – 20 JAN

Have a shower. You smell like Bob Geldof’s steaming afterbirth.

AQUARIUS 21 JAN – 19 FEB You may think you were sat here yesterday but in fact that “place� is now just a meaningless co-ordinate in 4D space-time. You’re a collection of illusory matter in flux, collapsed from waves of probability.

PISCES 20 FEB – 20 MAR Following the success of Robocop, government agencies make efficiency savings by reconstructing their dead employees as cyborg public servants. While initially you support the introduction of Robo-Fireman, a freak office accident finds you re-animated as an armoured Robo-HousingBenefit-Adjudicator. Tormented by faded memories of the family you left behind, you spasm with flashbacks while stamping yet another Partner Income Declaration form.

SEPTEMBER 2011

THE SKINNY 63