The Skinny September 2024 by The Skinny

September 2024 Issue 224

The Skinny's best songs for annoying our ﬂatmates

The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Animal Hospital theme tune

Daft Punk - One More Time

The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

James Blunt - You're Beautiful

Axel F - Crazy Frog

U2 - Anything

Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby

The Lonely Island - I Just Had Sex

Jason Derulo - Whatcha Say

Jason Derulo - Ridin' Solo

Liquid Death - Worst Name for a Water Company

Joe - Punters Step Out

The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want Cabaret - Wilkommen

Listen to this playlist on Spotify — search for 'The Skinny Ofﬁce Playlist' or scan the below code

Issue 224, September 2024 © Radge Media C.I.C. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk

The Skinny is Scotland's largest independent entertainment & listings magazine, and offers a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business. Get in touch to ﬁnd out more.

E: sales@theskinny.co.uk

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the explicit permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the printer or the publisher.

Printed by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Dundee ABC veriﬁed Jan – Dec 2019: 28,197

Meet the team

Championing creativity in Scotland

We asked: Do you have a nightmare ﬂatmate story? Are you the nightmare ﬂatmate story?

Editorial

Rosamund West Editor-in-Chief

"I lived with someone from Surrey once."

Peter Simpson Deputy Editor, Food & Drink Editor

"The guy who left our ﬂat in ﬁrstyear halls, in the middle of the night, *without saying a word* might have something to say, but I feel like that can’t have just been about me."

Cammy Gallagher Clubs Editor

"Staying with a DJ."

Polly Glynn Comedy Editor

"A friend's ﬂatmate used to get entirely naked when he went to the toilet. The bathroom was teeny tiny but there was a peg outside the door so he'd strip off outside then go to the loo. Nothing stopped him, not even visiting mums or estate agents."

Harvey Dimond Art Editor

"I like to think of myself as free entertainment for my ﬂatmates - whether they wanted free entertainment is another story."

George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist

"Always started the new milk before the old milk was ﬁnished. Left tangerine peel literally everywhere. Got a letter from Warner Bros for torrenting Fantastic Beasts."

Ellie Robertson Digital Editorial Assistant

"Believe it or not I’ve always been the perfect ﬂatmate. I put the dishes in the sink, ﬁll it up with hot water. What more could you ask for?"

Sandy Park Commercial Director

"The guy in our Sydney hostel who used to think it was a good idea to play the guitar, badly, every morning before work. At 6am. His guitar mysteriously disappeared."

Anahit Behrooz Events Editor, Books Editor

"Yes and yes! I would do audacious things in my bedroom like close drawers and dry my hair and have sex and he would put annotated print outs of the decibel scale through my letterbox."

Eilidh Akilade Intersections Editor

"I'd love to refer you to my current ﬂatmates, Kitchen Mouse and Bathroom Mushroom."

Laurie Presswood General Manager

"My boyfriend has changed all the light ﬁxtures in our living room to dimming, light-changing bulbs which can only be changed through an app on his phone."

Ema Smekalova Media Sales Executive

"That time many of our belongings, including a sentimental kitchen utensil and a BED, 'mysteriously' disappeared around the time of this ﬂatmate's move-out."

Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist

"I’ve lived with so many weirdos, but it was the 'young professional' ﬂatshares in my late 30s in Edinburgh where I met the real psychos. My fave was the French woman who shouted at me for making too many curries."

Rho Chung Theatre Editor

"On the night before classes started in my ﬁrst year of uni, one of my ﬂatmates got drunk and lost his way after taking a shower. He knocked on everyone's door naked, looking for his room."

Production

Dalila D'Amico Art Director, Production Manager

"I'm the nightmare ﬂatmate, I'm a walking health and safety hazard."

Emilie Roberts Media Sales Executive

"Considering my bathroom still has red hair dye stains everywhere from An Incident a few weeks ago, it's safe to say I'm the nightmare."

Tallah Brash Music Editor

"When she moved out, she basically said, 'It's not you, it's me', and she was right!"

Jack Faulds Student Guide Commissioning Editor

"Just moved into a flat with my boyfriend - he locked me out after we•d been to the pub. I was inebriated, fell asleep on the stairs outside our door, and had to be rescued by our flatmate. In short, my boyfriend is my nightmare flatmate."

Phoebe Willison Designer

"They used to shit in an actual plastic box and just leave it in the bathroom!! They also don't pay rent, leave fur everywhere and catch mice in the night, but I do keep them as slaves to entertain me, so maybe it's fair."

Gabrielle Loue

Media Sales Executive

"She thought stainless steel was a special metal that could go in microwaves. It is not."

Editorial

Words: Rosamund West

On the cover this month, we have SOPHIE, the pioneering electronic artist whose posthumous album is set to be released this month. As we look forward to the new music, one writer considers how we can tend to a beloved artist’s memory without tainting their legacy.

Glasgow’s festival of sound and vision, Sonica returns with another boundary-pushing programme. We talk to piper Harry Górski-Brown and French artist Annabelle Playe as they prepare to premiere their new experimental work Elephant, You Shake Your Sheep at the festival. Katy J Pearson is set to release her third studio album, Someday, Now – we meet up to talk pop music and living in the moment.

Caleb Femi takes a break from Edinburgh International Book Festival appearances to discuss his second poetry collection, The Wickedest, an intimate deconstruction of a London house party. Dundee Design Festival returns this month, now under the directorship of our very own design correspondent Stacey Hunter. We talk to her about what to expect, with immersive displays showcasing the best of Scottish design, a sustainable focus and the opportunity for designers to engage with an international audience. One of the centrepiece exhibitions is BOOKENDS, a series of commissioned works inspired by the writings of two late 19th-century Dundonian women journalists, who were sent out to report on women’s lives around the world for DC Thomson.

Film meets Naqqash Khalid, whose debut feature In Camera takes us inside the life of a jobbing actor of colour in the prejudiced UK ﬁlm industry. We talk to French provocateur Coralie Fargeat about new Demi Moore-starring body horror

The Substance, and Daniel Kokotajlo about his latest folk horror Starve Acre. I misheard it as being called Star Baker, which has a very different vibe.

In our centre pages – a centre 24 pages to be precise – we have this year’s Student Guide, which was commissioned by actual recent student Jack Faulds. In it you’ll ﬁnd a mixture of insight and nonsense, aimed to provide the 2024 cohort with some tips on embarking on independent life in these cities we live in. The poster for this month comes from Samuel Temple, an art school graduate who won our award at RSA New Contemporaries. We follow with an interview with the artist, covering such subjects as the difﬁculty of building a creative practice post-art school.

Art also meets Tayo Adekunle, whose exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers, Stories of the Unseen, takes the Yoruban divine spirit Éṣù to explore racial history and its colonial violence. Theatre takes a tour through the new season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint, celebrating two decades of commissioning in a context of funding cuts and an existential threat to the Scottish cultural sector.

In Intersections, one writer shares their nostalgia for part-time work and its formative inﬂuence. We also meet Liminal Event, the team fostering community by taking music and dance to the great outdoors, from Arthur’s Seat to walk-in bothies. Finally, we close with The Skinny on… MC Hammersmith, a comedian who got his start in the improv societies of Edinburgh University and therefore makes perfect sense in an issue featuring a student guide, even if he does try to turn the interview into acoustic foam panel sponcon.

Cover Artist

Carolina Ferguson is a Scottish illustrator and graphic designer who loves working with bright colours and grainy textures. She is particularly passionate about creating work that showcases strong, empowered feminine ﬁgures and is on a mission to save sad walls with more colour.

carolinacreativegla.co.uk @carolinacreative_gla

Love Bites: Birds of a Feather

This month’s columnist celebrates reconnecting with oneself via birdwatching and the quiet intimacy it offers

Words: Nyla Ahmad

Iwasn’t looking for a connection when it happened. If anything, I was actively avoiding them. I had become a hermit when it came to meeting new people – choosing instead to knit my close friends closer – when that heart-jumping, bone-humming excitement hit me. The ﬁrst time was a heron; the second time, a bullﬁnch.

I have been sent many memes about your 30s coming at you fast and how one day you wake up and suddenly really give a shit about birds. I never thought it would be me, but then, one day, I woke up and really gave a shit about birds. When that beak pecks at your door, I advise you to open it.

I think intimacy is when someone shows you who they are and you actually see it. I had surely been in the presence of these birds before, as I do the same tree-lined canal path every day, but now I was actually seeing them – in all their feathered hues, in all their swooping glory. Who knew you could become better at looking and paying proper attention when you take up a binocular-lensed hobby? That joining a birdwatching group could do more for your self-esteem than downloading Hinge ever could?

I understood that I needed refuge to really consider myself and the world around me. I needed to relearn my relationship with intimacy without another person seeing me looking. Love can be a joy or a thrill, but it’s always best when it’s a comfort. Sometimes, what you really need to ﬁnd love again isn’t meeting eyes with a stranger across the bar; sometimes, it’s as simple as ﬁnding a safe place for your heart to nest.

Heads Up

Sonica Festival

Various venues, Glasgow, 19-29 Sep

September is, thank God, a bit of a quieter month than we’ve been used to, but there’s still a whole host of local festivals, gigs, and exhibitions on show.

Compiled by Anahit Behrooz

Never mind what the John Hughes ﬁlms tell you: AV is cool. Sonica Festival, Glasgow’s music and art extravaganza dedicated to all things audiovisual is back, taking over the city’s venues for eleven days. There’s music from the likes of NEKO3, Grand River, plus44Kaligula, RSNO with live visuals from Alba G Corral, SHHE, Ela Orleans (pictured), Gazelle Twin, naaﬁ, NikNak, Robin Fox, France Jobin, Annabelle Playe and more.

Lucky Dip: Scandal.gla X Mojxmma

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 7 Sep, 11pm

It’s a collaboration with two of the most exciting emerging names in the dance music scene: this month, Lucky Dip welcomes DJs from Scandal.gla and Mojxmma to the decks for a genrebending fusion of Jersey club, baile funk, bhangra, GQOM, amapiano, and Afro, Latin and Arab sounds.

Ando Glaso Roma Festival

Various venues, Glasgow, 6-7 Sep

Celebrating the rich and vibrant breadth of Roma arts and culture, Ando Glaso Roma Festival takes place over the ﬁrst weekend of September with a gorgeous programme of curated performances and workshops. Highlights include dance from TuFlamenco, a screening of the essential documentary Roma Kids and a performance from Slovak singing sensation, Vanesa Horakova.

KUČKA

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 11 Sep, 7pm

Brat summer may be almost over but there’s still time for a little more hyperpop before the season shifts. For fans of Charli xcx, Robyn and SOPHIE, Australian artist KUČKA has collaborated with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar and Mount Kimbie. Her solo work includes her latest album Can You Hear Me Dreaming?, a dreamlike take on synth pop and dance music that is as sexy as it is tender.

Debjani Banerjee: Jalsaghar

CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, 28 Sep-21 Dec

Textiles, sculptures and audio installations blend traditional Indian craft techniques with contemporary artistic practices to explore ideas of identity, hybridity and belonging. Banerjee’s intricate exhibition delves into her background as a British Bengali growing up in 1980s England, drawing on family conversations, Indian pop culture and religious iconography to create a narrative that is both personal and universal.

Days Festival

Pitt Market, Edinburgh, 28 Sep

Brand spanking new dance music festival heads to the Pitt for a full day of alternative electronic music by the sea. Presented as a collaboration between RARE club night and Sneaky Pete’s, there’s sets from all your local and further aﬁeld favourites, from HAAi, Dan Shake and Femmergy DJs to Ann Tweak, Feena and Tais-Toi. Glasgow Cathedral Festival Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow, 19-22 Sep

Anatsui at Talbot Rice Gallery

Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Photo: Ryan Clemens

A History of Paper

Chappell Roan

Photo: Sally Jubb

HAAi for Days Festival

KUČKA

Ela Orleans' La Nuit Dorée

Mudra by Debjani Banerjee

Mojxmma TuFlamenco

Image: Courtesy of Al Harah Theater

Photo: Dillon Howl

Image: courtesy of Sonica Festival

Photo:Oana Stanciu

Image: courtesy of the artists

of Ando Glaso Roma Festival

Photo: Alec Donnell Luna

Tayo Adekunle:

Stories of the Unseen Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh, until 10 Nov ECA graduate Tayo Adekunle returns to the city with this extraordinary exhibition of photography and printwork. Focusing predominantly on portraiture, her works explore ideas surrounding race, gender and colonial legacies, drawing on the history of ethnographic expositions to interrogate the ongoing fetishisation of Black women’s bodies and the power that stories hold in the preservation of history, tradition and culture.

Nourished By Time

King Tut’s, Glasgow, 3 Sep, 7:30pm

Nourished By Time’s debut album Erotic Probiotic 2 was released to great acclaim in 2023, making it on multiple best of the year lists for its irresistible blend of 90s R‘n’B and bedroom pop. The Baltimore artist is now releasing his EP Catching Chickens, testing his musical agility across ﬁve different tracks, accompanied by his ﬁrst ever headline tour.

Women Hold Up Half the Sky

DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, 8-18 Sep

A touring programme of Chinese cinema, Women Hold Up Half the Sky brings a mix of contemporary, classic and short Chinese ﬁlms made by and about women across Scotland in collaboration with Mint Chinese Film Festival and Aya Films. This month it’s at Dundee, with 1927 silent ﬁlm Xi Xiang Ji, tender documentary Guián and heart rending family drama Yangzi’s Confusion

Nish Kumar: Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 14 Sep, 7:30pm

The CineSkinny Film Club: La Chimera Summerhall + CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Edinburgh + Glasgow, 3-4 Sep, 7:15pm

Haram Haram: Welcome to Glasgow

Sub Club, Glasgow, 18 Sep, 11pm

Haram Haram touches down in Sub Club this month, bringing a lineup of exciting local talent trading in the diasporic sounds of South Asia and SWANA. Glasgow-based DJs Hu-Sane and DIJA play back to back – everything from jungle and house to bhangra and Arabic beats – with support on the night from Prithvi, Rahul.mp3, DJ Bellarosa and Priya.

Hamish

Hawk

The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 24 Sep, 7pm Now on his ﬁfth studio album, Edinburgh boy Hamish Hawk is reaching proliﬁc levels of output, with each one better than the last. His latest release A Firmer Hand, out just last month, is maybe his best yet: a dark, sexy record of queer desire and subversive masculinity that blends all kinds of genres, from sleazy goth rock to moody synth pop.

Dundee

Design Festival

Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Dundee, 23-29 Sep

This year’s edition of the Dundee Design Festival celebrates the tenth anniversary of the city being awarded UNESCO City of Design status, with an ambitious programme of designcentred exhibitions, events and projects. There are large-scale immersive installations from four of Scotland’s most exciting design studios – Timorous Beasties, Donna Wilson, RISOTTO and AdesignStorie – workshop, and panels for a glimpse at the state of contemporary design in Scotland.

Mdou Moctar St Luke’s, Glasgow, 2 Sep, 7pm

Sing For Gaza Leith Depot, Edinburgh, 19 Sep, 7:30pm

Emma Capponi and Fionnbarr Byrne

Image: courtesy of GFF

Photo: Idil Sukan

Image: courtesy of artist

Nish Kumar

La Chimera

Image: courtesy of artists

Mdou Moctar

Hamish Hawk

Hu-Sane

Acceptance of Duality

Nourished By Time

Gabriella Marcella for Dundee Design Festival Guian

Photo: Ellen De Faux

Photo: Nikita Hossain

Photo: Lauren Davis

Image: courtesy of RISOTTO

Image: courtesy of Mint Chinese Film Festival and Aya Films

Image: Tayo Adekunle

What's On

Music

The big music festival to look out for this month is the biennial Sonica. This month it returns for its eighth outing — a ten-day stretch of audiovisual delights taking place in arts venues, cinemas and swimming pools across Glasgow (19-29 Sep). Ela Orleans’ La Nuit Dorée gets its world premiere at Tramway (19 Sep), while the UK premiere of SHHE’s immersive vocal work The Moving Tides happens in the same spot the following night. On the 28th, choose between a double-bill of Egyptian artist Shadwa Ali and Supermann on da Beat at The Glad Cafe, or Dutch queer pop duo No Plexus at Tramway.

The Old Hairdresser’s hosts two festivals this month. Freakender’s three-day party (6-8 Sep) features over 20 bands playing a mix of leftﬁeld indie, electronica, synth pop, post-punk, doom-wop and more. Highlights include Bikini Body, Kaputt, Nightshift and Saint Sappho. Later in the month check out 1.5 Months All-Dayer (21 Sep), which celebrates underground, experimental and outsider music from the Glasgow scene. Performances will come from artists like The Suits, Mhenwhar Huws Newyyd and the excellently named Rutger Hauser.

Outwith Glasgow, check out Dunfermline’s Outwith Festival (7 Sep), featuring live music from Das Koolies, Kathryn Joseph and Lomond Campbell, Grayling, Rosie H. Sullivan and Kohla. Or head to Dumfries for Trax, a supercool fest taking place in a repurposed space next to Dumfries Railway Station with Psweatpants, The Big Day, Alice Faye and Sweaty Palms all set to play.

Loads of local artists are releasing new singles, EPs and albums this month. In Edinburgh, on 14 September celebrate new music from Mahuki at The Mash House and Josephine Sillars at Summerhall, while in Glasgow there are launches from Jewel Scheme (The Glad Cafe, 15 Sep), Zerrin (The Rum Shack, 17 Sep), Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra (Stereo, 20 Sep) and Morven and the McArdles (The Hug & Pint, 22 Sep).

Also on the circuit this month, Grayling and Rhona Macfarlane play together at Stirling’s Tolbooth (6 Sep), Frabbit’s Billy Kennedy fronts Haiver at The Mash House (7 Sep), Doss plays Other Other Music at Leith Depot (13 Sep), and Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman celebrate last month’s Ash Grey and the Gull Glides On with dates in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh (5-20 Sep). Arab Strap play shows in St Andrews, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dumfries, Galashiels and Glasgow (16-21 Sep), Jacob Alon plays dates in Glasgow and Edinburgh (23 & 24 Sep), Tamzene rolls through Inverness and Glasgow (26 & 27 Sep), and DARA DUBH plays her debut headline show at Sneaky Pete’s (27 Sep).

Elsewhere, there are fundraisers for Refuweegee (NO A MEAN CITY, The Rum Shack, 7 Sep), and Medical Aid for Palestine (Sing for Gaza, Leith Depot, 19 Sep), while touring artists come from far and wide throughout the month. Don’t miss Gossip (SWG3, 3 Sep), Melt-Banana (The Mash House, 11 Sep; Stereo, 12 Sep), American Football (Barrowlands, 12 Sep), Chappell Roan (O2 Academy Glasgow, 15 Sep), Lauran Hibberd (King Tut’s, 17 Sep), Los Campesinos! (QMU, 21 Sep), The The (Usher Hall, 25 Sep) or before Crack Cloud (Stereo, 27 Sep). [Tallah Brash]

Film

Making a film takes a village (sometimes a small city) of talented people, yet too often film discourse venerates the film director above everyone else. So it’s great to see Sonica team up with Glasgow Film to celebrate a creative role

All details correct at the time of writing

Gossip

TAMZENE

Photo: Cody Critcheloe

Photo: Carina Lammer

Los Campesinos!

Photo: Martyna Bannister

that doesn’t get enough love – the ﬁlm composer – with a mini-retrospective dedicated to Glasgow’s Craig Armstrong at GFT.

Armstrong began his ﬁlm career working on Peter Mullan’s early shorts before penning the score for Mullan’s feature debut Orphans (8 & 11 Sep), and went on to provide music for Mullan’s other two features. Armstrong’s other chief collaborator is Australian director Baz Lurhmann; he composed music for Romeo + Juliet (4 Sep), Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby (25 Sep). Elsewhere in the season, there’s Ray (14 & 18 Sep), for which Armstrong won a Grammy, and the sorely underrated Graham Greene adaptation The Quiet American (21 & 26 Sep). Armstrong will be at GFT for The Great Gatsby screening and will take part in a Q&A after the ﬁlm.

Romeo + Juliet also screens in Edinburgh on 23 September as part of Cameo’s nifty Six Degrees of Shakespeare season. It’s a fun lineup showing the diverse range of approaches ﬁlmmakers have taken when adapting the Bard over the years. As well as Lurhmann’s ﬁlm, there are riffs on Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well, 7 Sep), The Tempest (Forbidden Planet, 30 Sep), and the Henry IV & V plays (My Own Private Idaho, 15 Sep). And in another piece of synergy, My Own Private Idaho screens as part of GFT’s monthly Queer Cinema Sundays screenings (29 Sep); arts critic Claire Biddles will give an introduction.

Short film fans should check out the third edition of ShortScape Film Festival, which celebrates emerging filmmaking in the Scottish film and video industry. Taking place 5 to 7 September in Leith Arches, there are five short film programmes filled with tonnes of exciting voices on the Scottish film scene, plus networking drinks, a film curation panel and an obligatory festival quiz.

The wonderful Glasgow Youth Film Festival returns too for its 16th edition – meaning the event is now older than some of its programmers. Curated by Glaswegian cinephiles aged 15 to 18, they’ve put together a fun-looking weekend. Expect brand new ﬁlms (doc We Can Be Heroes, comedy-drama Uproar), some modern classics (Clue, Booksmart, The Truman Show) and two workshops with Glasgow director Niamh McKeown, who recently directed the BBC Three comedy Dinosaur. See GFT’s website for the full programme. [Jamie Dunn]

The Great Gatsby

My Own Private Idaho

The Truman Show

Clubs

Starting on Wednesday 4 September, Pop Mutations presents a midweek doozy at Glasgow’s Flying Duck with East Africa’s MC Yallah x Debmaster Otherwise, get weird to the contemporary hip-hop of LA’s Bayymack at Broadcast. On Thursday 5 September, it’s footwork, juke, and jungle at Sneaky Pete’s, as Jetski docks at Volens Chorus. Erosion welcomes the drum & bass of dBridge to The Flying Duck on Friday (6 Sep). On Saturday, house, trance, and techno encyclopaedia/internet sensation, Fish56Octagon makes a Scottish debut at SWG3, while EXIT’s 1ST BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER WEEKENDER seeks to repair a soundsystem we’ve come to know all too well (Fri 6 & Sat 7 Sep).

The following Friday (13 Sep), Weird and Wired pull up to The Old Hairdressers with live punk and electronic savagery. In Edinburgh, CELTIC TERROR SQUAD match up with Clean Up Crew at The Mash House, throwing down donk, makina, and hardcore – £2.50 tix (Fri 13 Sep). On Sunday, Charlie Dark of Run Dem Crew brings funk, soul, and re ae to Sneaky Pete’s from 5pm. Later that evening, Four Tet co-sign Anish Kumar headlines Postal.

Buckle up for Gunk on Tuesday at The Berkeley Suite with Massie and VNEE’s mixed bag of bass-weighted selections (17 Sep). On Wednesday, hear the diasporic sounds of South Asia and SWANA at Sub Club for Haram Haram (18 Sep). Spirit invites Donato Dozzy b2b Bake to Sub Club on Friday – let’s see if we make it past 110bpm. For something a little faster, SWG3 presents Irish techno reviver Tommy Holohan (Fri 20 Sep). On Saturday, Events Research Programme descends from dub to punk at EXIT with babyschön; meanwhile in Edinburgh, it’s all things soulful house and hip-hop for The Mirror Dance: dreamcastmoe at Sneaky Pete’s (21 Sep). On Sunday, Scotland’s bi est Afropiano festival lands at Glasgow’s Slay for RAP ACADEMY – GLASVEGAS (Sun 22).

Kick back to the bars of South London’s Jadasea at The Glad Café on Tuesday evening (24 Sep). Rubadub turns 32 at EXIT on Friday with Tikiman, Arthur, and Watkins Group – Crucial Roots Sound System conﬁrmed. Alternatively, Stereo explores the roots of clubkid with Metaraph for Ponyboy (Fri 27 Sep). On Saturday, Tom Boogizm links up with Finn, and Mother at The Flying Duck for Cold Open (28 Sep). [Cammy Gallagher]

Art

In Dunfermline from 4-8 Sep, Outwith Festival takes over several of the city’s buildings (including its historic Abbey and Pittencrieff House) with a dynamic visual arts programme. Visitors will be able to discover artworks by Claire Barclay, Sekai Machache, Oana Stanciu, Alasdair Gray and Robbie Hamilton, amongst many others.

Continuing past the end of Edinburgh Art Festival, Kaya Fraser presents her installation Give us a Smile at Collective, the ﬁnal presentation of the gallery’s 2023 Satellites programme cohort. Fraser’s ﬁlm installation explores the everyday ways we memorialise each other’s lives, focusing on the working-class home as a site of archive, memory and identity. Continues until 29 Sep.

At Sierra Metro, Flannery O’Kafka’s exhibition – For Willy Love and Booker T: Blue babies do whatever they want – until 15 Sep.

The exhibition sees the artist continue their practice in personal portrait photography with an exhibition of ﬁlm, photographs, and site speciﬁc installation, with a particular focus on their experience as a neurodivergent, disabled adoptee.

Also in Edinburgh, Fungi Forms at Inverleith House in the Royal Botanic Gardens brings together creatives from across disciplines to explore fungi’s vital functions in science, culture and innovation. This will take shape in music, literature, fashion, design, scent and visual art. Continues until 8 Dec.

Towards the end of the month, Dundee Design Festival will land at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc in the UK’s only UNESCO City of Design. The festival will bring together over 180 designers, as well as hosting free exhibitions, workshops and talks. This year, there will be special immersive experiences from Timorous Beasties, Donna Wilson, Gabriella Marcella and AdesignStorie. The festival takes place between 23-29 Sep. [Harvey Dimond]

Theatre

As Scotland’s capital city recovers from the festival season, theatre doesn’t stop in Edinburgh and farther aﬁeld.

Following a Fringe run at ZOO Venues, Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid embarks on a sweeping tour of Scotland, Ireland and England. The heartwarming, international musical kicked off its run at Perth Theatre and

Image: courtesy of Rubadub

Image: courtesy of DEMS

Rubadub

DEMS

Sekai Machache, Hypnagogia Glossolalia, 2021

Simon Faithfull, Biotope 2 - Fungi Bed, 2023

Image: courtesy of the artist

Photo: Tian Khee Siong

Flannery O’Kafka, For Willy Love and Booker T: Blue babies do whatever they want, 2024

Photo: Sally Jubb

Concert Hall at the end of August, and it will hit eight locations. In Scotland, the show will tour to Greenock’s Beacon Arts Centre (4 Sep), Byre Theatre in St. Andrews (6 Sep) and Catstrand in New Galloway (10 Sep).

Written and directed by Ingram Noble, Glasgow-centred comedy The Naked Neds tours to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Irvine and Kirkcaldy. The play follows a group of friends confronting the death of one of their own, and it highlights the importance of testicular self-examination. The play is about taking responsibility for your community’s health “in a world where politicians’ expenses seem to matter more than NHS waiting lists.” Glasgow Acting Academy, 6, 7 & 13 Sep; Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, 8 Sep; Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, 14 Sep; King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy, 15 Sep.

Harry Mould’s new play, The Brenda Line, continues its run at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The play tells the story of a new Samaritans volunteer, who learns about what the support line does to handle obscene calls. Between 1972 and 1987, volunteers trained to handle these calls were called ‘Brendas’. Mould’s play is loosely based on events from their own mother’s life, and is about “women, compassion and what it means to be listened to.” (7, 12 & 18 Sep)

Findhorn Bay Festival runs an ambitious programme of art, music, theatre and more. The programme sports performances for all ages, including Eco Drama’s The Forgotten Orchard, Moonbeam on a Cat’s Ear and Unicorn Dance Party. The festival also hosts Graeme Leak’s SAVED, Hebridean Treasure, Barrowland Ballet’s Family Portrait and Vision Mechanics’ The Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinski (20-29 Sep).

Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company takes Isla Cowan and Andy McGregor’s new musical, To Save the Sea, on tour to twelve venues across Scotland. Opening at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre, the sung-through musical tells the story of a group of Greenpeace activists who spend three weeks occupying Shell’s Brent Spar oil store in the middle of the North Sea. (25 Sep-2 Nov). [Rho Chung]

Books

It’s a bit of a quiet month in the book world, as every writer recovers from the chaos of the multiple book festivals last month. Still, there’s some things to get stuck into if you fancy an evening of new book discoveries and poetry readings. Over at Lighthouse Bookshop, they’re launching the delightfully named It Ain’t Over Until the Bisexual Speaks by Vaneet Mehta and Lois Shearing on 18 September, while 26 September sees Natalie Bennett drop by the shop to launch her book Change Everything. At the Assembly Rooms, icon and legend Jacqueline Wilson launches her ﬁrst adult novel Think Again on 16 September, and the incredible Rachel Kushner launches her Booker Prize longlisted novel Creation Lake at The Portobello Bookshop 20 September.

In Glasgow meanwhile, Glasgow-based writer and musician Lisa Jones launches her ﬁrst short story collection, entitled Side Characters, at Good Press on 25 September. And there are more hands-on events too, if that is more your speed: there’s the monthly Story Cafe at Glasgow Women’s Library on 19 September and the Readers of Colour group on 28 September, and a poetry open mic night at Glasgow Zine Library on 11 September. [Anahit Behrooz]

Comedy

Kicking off strong, there’s some tickets left for worldwide comedy phenomenon Comedy! Bang! Bang! which comes to SWG3 Glasgow (4 Sep, 8pm, £35). Join regular hosts Scott Aukerman and Paul F. Tompkins and an array of Bang! Bang! Allstars for a live, improvised edition of the hit podcast.

For fans of local comedy, there’s a host of great stuff lined up. Why not see Fringe hit Shamilton, brought to you by the improv ingenues Baby Wants Candy and starring MC Hammersmith (15 Sep, Glasgow Glee, 7.30pm, £18). Over at Glasgow Stand, there’s a Beneﬁt in Aid of The Women’s Support Project (18 Sep, 8pm, £17) which boasts a fantastic lineup including Josie Long, Jay Lafferty and Susie McCabe, and you can catch a double bill live recording from offbeat Glasgow-based stand-ups Richard Brown and Chris Thorburn at Monkey Barrel (24 Sep, 8pm, £10-£12).

There’s also a chance to see Maisie Adam in Edinburgh. The modhaired, high energy comic brings her latest solo show to Queen’s Hall (22 Sep, 8pm, £23.50). Glasgow fans won’t have long to wait – you can catch her at the end of next month at The Glee Club (30 Oct, 7.30pm, £21).

Finally, a heads-up for early next month – this year’s reigning Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner Amy Gledhill comes back to town with Make Me Look Fit on the Poster (4 Oct, Monkey Barrel, 8pm / 6 Oct, Glasgow Stand, 8.30pm, £14-£15), a gi ly ride of dating ups and downs, pants-throwing and Toby Carvery. Snap your tickets up quick, cos these will be gone in a ﬂash! [Polly Glynn]

Image: courtesy of Glasgow Women's Library

Photo: Claire Love Wilson

Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid

Lighthouse Books

Susie McCabe

Jay Lafferty

Image: courtesy of Lighthouse Books

Photo: Andrew Jackson

Glasgow Women's Library

Photo: Rod Penn

22 As a new posthumous album by SOPHIE is announced, we consider how we protect beloved artists’ art while still respecting their humanity.

25 Harry Górski-Brown and Annabelle Playe on their Gaelic folksong-reimagining Sonica collab.

26 We talk pop music with Katy J Pearson ahead of the release of her third studio album.

27 Caleb Femi on his house party poetry collection The Wickedest

28 As Dundee Design Festival 2024 arrives we talk to director Stacey Hunter and look at the BOOKENDS project celebrating the city’s journalistic history.

30 Naqqash Khalid on his bold, experimental debut feature In Camera

33 The Skinny Student Guide 2024 – 24 pages of insight, opinion, horror and advice to prepare you for life at university.

57 Daniel Kokotajlo on the inﬂuences that made his latest ﬁlm, folk horror Starve Acre

58 Samuel Temple on the realities of creative life post-art school.

61 Tayo Adekunle ﬁnds afﬁnity with a Yoruban Orisha in her Edinburgh Printmakers show.

62 A walk through A Play, A Pie and A Pint ’s new season, which drops at a profoundly unstable time in the Scottish theatre scene.

63 We take a tour of the east coast late night scene in St Andrews, Cupar and Dundee.

On the website...

Spotlight On…, our weekly new music series; programme news from Scottish Queer International Film Festival; literally *hundreds* of reviews from the Edinburgh Festivals; reﬂections on this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival programme; our fortnightly ﬁlm podcast The CineSkinny.

Image Credits: (Left to right, top to bottom) Renata Raksha; Siyao

Shot of the month

The Postal Service @ OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 23 August by Serena Milesi

Across 8. Classes (8)

9. Choice (6)

10. Stickler (6)

11. Left (a residence) (5,3)

12. Satisfactory (3,5)

13. Scoundrel (6)

14. Unwell (5,3,7)

18. Slow-witted – not acute (6)

20. Exceeded – lost interest (in) (8)

23. Nap to recover (from) (5,3)

24. Spanish capital (6)

25. "I've got it!" (6)

26. Throughout the place – dicey wit (anag) (8)

1. Classic breakfast food (6) 2. Quarrel – egad, sire! (anag) (8)

3. Motley (6)

4. In reality – oaf attracts fame (anag) (2,1,6,2,4)

5. Chat – shoe brand? (8)

6. In conﬂict (2,4)

7. Shag (8)

15. Vague (8)

16. Alcohol free (8)

17. Reject (4,4)

Compiled by George

Sully

19. Bumpy – odd? (6) 21. Fruit? – a motto (anag) (6) 22. Unusual person (6) Feedback? Email crossword@theskinny.co.uk Turn to page 7 for the solutions

Student Special

‘Summer’ never truly arrived, autumn is coming, and that means a new cohort of students is arriving in Scotland’s cities to begin their independent lives. Our centre pages are home to a 24-page pull-out Student Guide supplement offering an introduction to living in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. We look at how to take advantage of all those student discounts to have a cheap night out, offer some advice on not being swindled by landlords, explore positive sexual health futures and take a look at getting involved in student activism.

We asked our readers for their most excruciating Freshers’ Week memories, and they truly delivered with tales of wank blankets, food poisoning and scabies. One writer shares thoughts on

taking some time to live and work before going to uni, while another makes a case for getting rid of ‘riddy’ culture. And in Ask Anahit, our resident agony aunt is on hand to offer sage advice on the trials and tribulations of student life.

On the centre spread, you’ll ﬁnd a poster of a poem by artist Samuel Temple, who is also interviewed on p58. Temple was the winner of The Skinny Award at this year’s RSA New Contemporaries, the exhibition celebrating Scottish art school graduates.

Before we get into the student guide, some features, opening with our cover star SOPHIE. As the release of her posthumous album is announced, Skye Butchard considers how we can remember beloved artists without interfering with their legacy.

Searching for SOPHIE

New SOPHIE music is a gift. In remembering beloved artists, how do we make sure that their speciﬁcity doesn’t get lost over time? And how can we protect their art while still respecting their humanity?

Words: Skye Butchard

We don’t want to stop talking about SOPHIE. News of a posthumous album from the pioneering electronic artist revealed that before pressing play. How could we?

SOPHIE’s influence is everywhere – in the work of her collaborators, in the tastes of the next generation, and in what gets played during sweaty basement club sets in Glasgow and across the world. Her legend status grows more untouchable with each passing year. In the days after hearing about one final album to come, there was joy in being given a chance to talk about it with other people who cared. There was excitement, too, in hearing a new track premiered as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record. “She changed the view of music and how to approach it, totally boundaryless, nothing could ever hold SOPHIE back in her attempt to be unique and original,” said Jack Saunders introducing Reason Why, the album’s first single featuring Kim Petras and BC Kingdom.

It is effusive praise, but not wrong. SOPHIE’s music is held dearly by those who connect with it, from her many queer fans touched by her writing on an existential level, to those who are creatively energised by her rule-breaking approach to sound design.

But actually listening to this new music felt more complicated. As Saunders points out, her art felt like endless possibility. It made impossible textures tactile, and inner worlds reachable. When she passed away in 2021, it felt as if anything could come next. Solidifying that reality with new music creates a ﬁnality that could be hard to take.

Some fans have reacted to that feeling in uncomfortable ways, questioning the record’s creation and its intentions. It should be underlined that the album, simply titled SOPHIE, has clearly been a labour of love for her family and friends. Announcing the release, they said: “Sophie didn’t often speak publicly of her private life, preferring

to put everything she wanted to articulate in her music. It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most.”

As her long-term collaborator and studio manager, SOPHIE’s brother Benny Long has been key to the record’s release, as he was for her debut 2018 record, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. If anyone can be trusted with acting out her vision, it’s him.

Still, as a fan, there can be a level of defensiveness over your favourite artist’s legacy. Fans can drift into feeling misplaced ownership over it when there’s a chance that we could lose the depth and speciﬁcity of how an artist is remembered.

It’s in part understandable. SOPHIE had vision. Her songs could be messy, pristine, humorous and profound, often within a tight three minutes. You want that all to translate to any new listener, rather than being ﬂattened by the most high-proﬁle thing released about her. She only became widely discussed by some major news outlets and on mainstream platforms after her passing. A new record might be a gateway for some.

But in a rush to come to her honour, it’s possible to dismiss her humanity completely.

For one, bootle ed SOPHIE material has circulated for years online. One of the major fan reactions to the single Reason Why was to compare it to the leaked versions. To imply we know her intentions better than those around her would be misguided, especially when working with music sourced in dubious circumstances.

SOPHIE was an artist in constant ﬂux. Her short but varied discography demonstrates a willingness to change direction and follow newness. It’s clear from one of her ﬁnal interviews, a 2019 feature with DJ Mag, that her planned direction was to embrace a wider audience. “I want to

normalise myself and my ideas,” she said. “I’m making music about connection, feeling good, it’s personable and down to earth: very simple themes are important to me right now. I needed music to serve that purpose, for the me now, and the me next.” When we question the light pop touch on some songs on SOPHIE, we forget she played with mass appeal just as much as she did the weird and the obscure.

Trying to capture SOPHIE the artist and Sophie the person is ephemeral, just as it is to hold onto the memory of anyone important when they pass. We’ve seen the music world wrestle with this in real time, in the many tributes that have been written about her. From the reactive and heartfelt snapshots, like Vince Staples’ memorable tweets shortly after her passing (“Sophie was different you ain’t never seen somebody in the studio smoking a cigarette in a leather bubble jacket just making beats not saying one word”), to the carefully penned essays, and the tribute songs made in the years since, there’s a whole spectrum of human reaction to loss.

It’s perhaps in the songs where we most see legacy and humanity in conversation. It’s not surprising that those who knew her made the most touching of these tributes. SOPHIE’s musical conﬁdante, PC Music co-creator A. G. Cook wrote an aching and universal song about grief on Without. ‘I’m living with / An emptiness / Without your voice / Attached to it’, he sings. It could be about any loved one until he interpolates SOPHIE’s early smash BIPP in a half whisper, and reminds us all why we love her work.

Conversely, Caroline Polachek’s I Believe was dedicated to SOPHIE, and touches on the strength of her presence in the wake of her passing: ‘You’re not alone / Under a sky of vultures / With all that could’ve been / You made it home / With silver string unbroken / Ain’t that the sweetest gift?’

“SOPHIE’s art felt like endless possibility. It made impossible textures tactile, and inner worlds reachable”

Here, she’s eternal. For all its poetry, the secondperson perspective places her friend at the centre.

St. Vincent was less successful in her tribute, Sweetest Fruit, which romanticised the circumstances of SOPHIE’s death and felt oddly possessive for a song written about a person she had never met. ‘My Sophie climbed the roof / To get a better view of the moon, moon’, its opening lines go. In our own views of this new record, we should take it as a warning not to do our version of ‘My Sophie’.

The most knotted and vulnerable of these tributes comes from another frequent collaborator, Charli xcx, whose track So I is unafraid to mention that being close to such a headstrong person is not easy: ‘Wish I’d tried to pull you closer / You pushed me hard, made me focus / Your words, brutal, loving, truthful / I was petriﬁed’, she sings. ‘You’re a hero and a human’ goes the following line, legacy and humanity together. The song is more real for its complex dynamic.

For most of her career, SOPHIE was written about as the future of music, at least when the press caught up to what she was doing. It was

something she played into in interviews. “The past isn’t sexy; the future is sexy,” she said when being asked about her early life when speaking to OfﬁceMagazine. This could have been a cheeky way of avoiding getting too deep, but it’s become an iconic line. “I just don’t have so much fun looking back... the future seems more real,” she had similarly noted.

But that doesn’t seem to be where her mind was when making a new record. Instead, she remembered formative experiences of raves, collecting memories with her brother. “We had these conversations that referenced really obscure psy-trance tapes that were so important to us,” she told DJ Mag. “We were able to touch on quite personal references, which I wouldn’t be able to share with anyone else. I’m allowing early rave stuff and those memories to be pretty inﬂuential for my new record.”

In that same interview she talked about trying to flirt for the first time when listening to Spice Girls’ 2 Become 1, while in an interview with The Face around the same time, she was nostalgic about summer holidays listening to Music Sounds Better With You. Our ideas of SOPHIE the futurist are in flux again.

Like all people, she could be anything she wanted, and our personal perception of her shouldn’t get in the way of allowing that to change, even now. This new record gives us the chance to ﬁnd out more about her, and that’s a gift.

SOPHIE is released on 27 Sep via Transgressive and Future Classic

“SOPHIE had vision. Her songs could be messy, pristine, humorous and profound, often within a tight three minutes”

Photo: Charlotte Wales

Shake Your Mind

Ahead of premiering their new experimental work, Elephant You Shake Your Sheep, at Sonica, we catch up with Harry Górski-Brown and Annabelle Playe

Words: Tony Inglis

When Harry Górski-Brown was playing the bagpipes for an audience recently, someone asked with a hint of derision: “Do you know how to play that tune far away?”

“The imposing nature of the sound makes it easy to joke about the instrument,” he says now, on a video call from Stirling.

That commandeering characteristic of the bagpipes, coupled with its potential for playfulness, is part of the make-up of a new project which will premiere at this month’s Sonica festival in Glasgow, an annual showcase of envelopepushing audio-visual work put on by arts programmer, and incubator of exciting talent, Cryptic.

Górski-Brown started life playing traditional music, was trained classically, and now works in a more experimental sphere, most recently through a tape for the excellent GLARC label called Durt Dronemaker After Dreamboats. It’s a reimagining of Gaelic folksongs using the pipes as well as organ, ﬁddle, bouzouki and other instruments. He is collaborating with Annabelle Playe, a French artist (joining the call from the south of France) who has worked in classical and opera, before moving into a more electronic mode. Their piece – entitled Elephant You Shake Your Sheep – is billed as an attempt to test the limits of the bagpipes via visceral performance and extensive electroacoustic manipulation.

“The ﬁrst time I heard the bagpipes was in Boulogne-sur-Mer [on the north coast of France] as a child,” says Playe about her earliest experiences with the instrument. “I didn’t know why they were being played there and it was probably the kind of playing that’s too touristic for Scottish people now.” Meanwhile, more familiarly, GórskiBrown started in school, then joined a pipe band, before stopping playing for around a decade – until he joined up with Playe.

The duo emphasise that the pipes are just one component of the project, but its distinctiveness is clearly a draw. “Certain instruments – the bagpipes or organ for example – fascinate me due to their power and their link with space, the sound in that space, their timbre,” says Playe. “There is a relationship with the breath and the body. It’s a very physical instrument.”

The two artists ﬁgured out the piece over durational improvisations, later working out its composition, structure and ﬂow. They are still rehearsing and tweaking before the performance proper, but the short teaser available via the festival promises something dark, kinetic, vibrational – guttural even – employing the low drone of the bagpipes twisted in strange ways, but also of percussive and ambient elements tri ered by glowing electronic consoles.

“We kind of want it to shake your mind,” laughs Playe. “Okay, we don’t want it to hurt the audience, but if we go down a route, we

Górski-Brown adds: “[Performing with the bagpipes] can be very simple and set in its ways. That can be a good thing. But I wanted to extend it, to make it louder, make it bi er.”

Górski-Brown. “And because it’s light, the space extends beyond its parameters – the whole of the stage becomes used which wouldn’t be the case if it was just a projection on a screen. It’s unique, and Rima uses simple techniques [to achieve it].”

Returning to the impetus behind the project, perhaps what’s most enticing is Górski-Brown and Playe’s willingness to sidestep the usual trappings of the presentation of experimental music – they see no requirement to be self-important or heady about it.

“Experimental music has this rigid stylistic code. If you don’t stick to it, people are shocked”

Annabelle Playe

want them to follow, and if we change direction suddenly, we want them to go there too.”

Of course, as with all the pieces performed at Sonica, Elephant You Shake Your Sheep deploys a strong visual element. In this case, it’s the manipulation of the staging cast in light and shadow by designer Rima Ben Brahim, who often works with dancers.

“She’s elevated the piece in a way that Annabelle and I wouldn’t be able to create if it was just us standing facing each other,” says

“It’s not taking itself too seriously,” explains GórskiBrown. “Sonically it’s big, and all the light and sound are big statements. But it’s supposed to be light-hearted, like playing a game, or a weird childish journey, as me and Annabelle would call it in our discussions – there’s no thesis-like explanation outlining its meaning. It’s a bit intense, it’s a bit fun, and you don’t need a programme note to understand what’s going on.” Playe agrees: “Experimental music has this rigid stylistic code. If you don’t stick to it, people are shocked. It’s too closed off.”

Using the title as an example, it could be a reference to the animalistic nature of the performance, the quaking resonance of the electronic drones and the air of the pipes. And for the two artists performing, there’s an unmentioned signiﬁcance. But ultimately, it’s a magniﬁcent jumble of surrealist, stream-of-consciousness language. Like the project as a whole, says Górski-Brown, it isn’t too prescriptive.

“The appeal of creating stuff is you’re feeding your audience ideas and su estions and they can make up their own minds. I’m pretty hopeful that we’ve created something that will be an experience, that will lift people out of having to worry what it’s all about.”

Elephant You Shake Your Sheep takes place as part of Sonica at Tramway, Glasgow, 26 Sep

sonic-a.co.uk

Harry Górski-Brown

Photo: Quentin Chevrier

Photo: Siyao Li

Annabelle Playe

Radical Acceptance

Ahead of releasing her third solo studio album, we talk to Katy J Pearson about pop music, living in the moment, and working with producer Bullion on Someday, Now

“Ihaven’t really been to a festival for like ﬁve years where I haven’t had the responsibility of my own set.”

Katy J Pearson’s latest album follows a period of burnout. After a break from it all in Australia at the start of the year, she vowed not to do any festivals in 2024, but quickly found herself agreeing to a Glastonbury appearance with Yard Act. “You can’t say no to that really,” she smiles over Zoom. “I went to Green Man too, just as a punter, and I just had the best time ever. It was really nice just to get to have some quality time with my friends.”

During our chat there’s a giddy excitement from Pearson as she embraces living in the moment, a meaning she agrees is buried in Someday, Now. “The ﬂippancy of it, I think, is really good,” she says of the title. “If you have anxiety, it’s very easy to think of the future and be shitting yourself, but I think trying to look at it and using ‘someday, now’ as a positive thing – as I’m getting older, I’m becoming more conﬁdent in myself.” She adds: “I’ve been using the radical acceptance vibe... Especially with music, when you’re being very vulnerable with yourself... You have these big highs and then these anticlimaxes, and it’s just learning to kind of live with that.”

A line in the press release, that Pearson was previously unaware of, describes her as a ‘pop singer-songwriter for the modern catastrophic age’. “That’s so funny,” she laughs. “I mean, everyone is thinking like that. I was talking to my friend yesterday about if we want kids or not, and I was like, ‘Well I couldn’t have a fucking kid right now? How do people raise children in this age?’ A lot of my friends are living back home, it’s not a ﬁnancially viable time, and there’s a lot of weird shit going on, so that all gets absorbed into my music, and then I end up writing these bittersweet, joyous songs.”

Talk brieﬂy turns to Charli xcx’s I think about it all the time, and after delivering her best ‘She’s a radiant mother and he’s a beautiful father’ impression, Pearson drops a shocker. “My mum, the other day, I went for lunch with her and she was like, ‘Darling, I really think you should think about freezing your e s’.” Completely stunned, it surely won’t be long before Pearson writes a sad pop banger about the unhealthy pressures and expectations put on a 28-year-old to have kids.

On Someday, Now Pearson tackles subjects like grief (Save Me) and heartbreak (Maybe) over swa ering pop motifs, while tragedy (It’s Mine Now) is explored above bright chords and warm strings. “It’s Mine Now is about reclaiming tragedy in your own life. Everyone in my life is not having the best time right now, the world and life is really difﬁcult, I’ve just always been very honest about how I deal with life. I write these songs, but they come from a place of true honesty, from real emotion.”

“The world and life is really difﬁcult, I’ve just always been very honest about how I deal with life”

Katy J Pearson

Someday, Now was recorded in Wales with electronic producer Nathan Jenkins, aka Bullion (Carly Rae Jepsen, Nilufer Yanya, Avalon Emerson).

“I didn’t know if it was going to work,” she admits. “But I think that on this record he really captured me. I think I’ve always been a bit confused about where I sit in genres.”

Being labelled as ‘folk’ is a common misnomer. “I just get so pissed off, because it’s not that,” she says, exasperated, in the same breath acknowledging her recent Wicker Man EP. “I do write pop songs, and I think I was ﬁghting against that for a long time. Being signed very young and being made to be in the pop world [she was previously a part of pop duo Ardyn with her brother], when I reached out to Heavenly, I was like, ‘I don’t write pop songs, I’m an indie artist and I play in an indie band’, whereas now I’m like, ‘Oh no, actually, pop music is deﬁnitely what I write.’ It’s a very freeing thing, because you can go anywhere.”

Alongside Bullion in the studio she was joined by Davey Newington (Boy Azooga), Huw Evans (H Hawkline) and Joel Burton on the record, all of whom she says made her and her songs feel very safe. From an aesthetic point of view, Pearson entrusted Lucinda Graham, Seren Cerys and Kasia Wozniak to help bring her vision to life for the photo that adorns the album’s cover art. On it, Pearson holds a sword, styled in a dreamy contrast of delicate tulle and bold jester-like fabrics. “It’s powerful conﬁdence – I’m holding the sword, I’m in control, I’m Aragorn,” she quips.

The 1940s-inspired video for Maybe, shot by Edie Lawrence, is similarly vibrant and playful yet powerful. It features Pearson taking part in a choreographed archery routine, before she goes on to win what feels like more than just the tournament. An upbeat pop song at its core, everything about Maybe feels like Someday, Now in microcosm as Pearson conﬁdently shrugs off heartbreak in favour of living in the moment: ‘No more looking back, it’s as simple as that’.

Someday, Now is released on 20 Sep via Heavenly Recordings Katy J Pearson plays Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, 3 Dec katyjpearsonmusic.com

Words: Tallah Brash

Photo: Seren Cerys

Nightcall

We chat with Forward Prize-winning poet Caleb Femi about his sophomore poetry collection The Wickedest, which explores the intimate mechanisms of a house party in London

Words:

Jj Fadaka

In The Wickedest, Caleb Femi guides you into the deepest, warmest, most liberating corners of your imagination. As August clouds part over the Meadows, he meets me between festival panels and book signings to discuss his new poetry collection, which takes place over one night at an iconic London house party. Stories of movement, desire and community aren’t new to poetry, but scenes from a basement rave are and Femi tells me readers are ready to get in on that feeling.

“You can’t experience this through a voyeuristic lens,” Femi explains. “When we are together, we are responsible for one another and the quality of experience we have together. We all have to take responsibility and shoulder that.” Femi gives as much agency to the reader as he gave himself when writing. Community and solidarity require double jeopardy.

The Wickedest is metered by a circadian rhythm, minute-by-minute timestamps taking you from the beginning of the dance to the burger and chips after. “There’s a particular experience you can have at 2am, that you can’t have at 9pm,” he says. It’s an invitation to get involved for an audience that may be more used to the dynamics of poet as performer and audience as silent observer, but Femi is ready to carve out a space of belonging and experimentation for himself and others. He is a poet trying to run off the page and stage.

“There are some parties where you automatically feel at ease, regardless of whether you know people there or not,” Femi says. “I wanted to give people that level playing field: we’re all strangers to each other, but there are ways to find out the complex meaning behind why we are, why we dance and our relationship to movement and physical space.” The physicality of the event is purposefully obscured; this could be your house party or last night’s rave. As you move from flirty smoking areas to the back of the line to the sweaty dance floor, the words morph with our own touchstones and memories.

This obscurity transfers onto the collection’s characters. “You know people by how they move, and that’s enough at a party,” he says. “The fact you’re all here together uniﬁes you, it speaks to your common interests.” Femi plays with becoming and reinvention to remind us that identity is not ﬁxed but ours to name. “A party’s function doesn’t have a start or end. The essence of a party stays with you and its functionality lives on.”

Even though we may gather for slightly different reasons, there are common salvations partygoers seek. These partygoers are “people who survive day to day, uncoloured by a desperate sense of survival, who want to ridicule the forces against us.” There is a magical, collective imaginary running through the collection, the making of community minute by minute. “A kitchen table at a house party can give you what you need to survive

tomorrow. It’s a swap meet for ideas.” Femi smiles and recalls one of his favourite lines from the collection: ‘The month has been greedy off our misery, but don’t you like us like this? Alive, we are still alive.’

“A party’s function doesn’t have a start or end. The essence of a party stays with you”

Caleb Femi

Is it possible to have a congregation of excited, hungry people, and not feel desire in the room? Caleb takes the retelling of “love in all its variety” very seriously, wanting to nod to ‘the year of yearning’. Another of those universal experiences: our nights are swayed by a crush in attendance, or an ex across the room. When our inhibitions are loosened, “desire is about survival,” Femi says. ”There is another reason to wake up and see tomorrow. Desire in and of itself is important for a community that needs as many reasons as it can get to survive.”

Most striking, perhaps, is how long the night in The Wickedest goes on. 5am and Caleb leaves us at Bagel King, club crowds congregating on the street and swapping numbers and side looks. In Edinburgh, meanwhile, clubs close at 3am and the Bridges take on the weight of the afterparty. But even in the English capital, the nightlife industry is steadily falling out of favour with local councils. “One of my main motivations was the dwindling presence of nightlife,” Femi explains. “Through consecutive criminal justice bills, licences aren’t being renewed, commercial rent is increasing and the cost of living crisis makes going out an astronomical expense. Local governments say they are tackling loneliness but shutting down places where people gather. It’s all linked to mental health and the expectation that everyone goes to a nice home at night and switches off. That’s not true. Nightlife could change public health and needs collective rebuilding.”

The Wickedest is a desire-fuelled collection, bringing all the challenges and social good of our current moment into one room, thrashing out its contradictions under a DJ’s steady hand. Femi calls on us to unionise as one joyful, aching body, identifying parts and offshoots that need particular, caring attention. He introduces you to the bouncer, buys you your ﬁrst drink and then leaves you on the danceﬂoor to make your own way.

The Wickedest is out on 12 Sep via Fourth Estate

The Best of Scottish Design

Dundee Design Festival lands in the UNESCO City of Design this month, with the chance to see the work of 180 designers all under one roof. We catch up with this year’s festival director, our very own Stacey Hunter, to ﬁnd out more

From 23-29 September, Dundee Design

Festival will open its doors to visitors with a programme of free exhibitions, workshops, talks and events. Visitors will be able to experience the work of more than 180 designers all under one roof at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, in the UK’s only UNESCO City of Design. Participating designers work in a vast array of disciplines, from furniture, interiors and homeware to jewellery, graphics, textiles and apparel.

Stacey Hunter, this year’s festival director, tells me that one of the exhibitions which will be unveiled for the festival, titled MATERIALISE, will take shape as “a series of large-scale immersive experiences from four of Scotland’s most exciting design studios in one giant space.” Visitors will be able to lose themselves in a patterned maze crafted by Glasgow-based interior designers Timorous Beasties and experience Gabriella Marcella’s joyful, uniform-themed installation titled Challenging Uniformity. They will also have the opportunity to see Alicia Storie’s climateconscious tiny house interiors and Donna Wilson’s enchanted knitted forest.

Meanwhile, another exhibition called FRAMEWORK has come about as the result of an open call to practitioners across the country. 71 exhibitors working in an array of disciplines will showcase their works – highlights will include a set of airline seats by Muirhead-based Jamie O’Donnell; a sculptural piece by Justine Watt made entirely from discarded coat hangers that were destined for landfill; and Marc Sweeney’s Pepper Pepper Mill, made from a bio-resin filled with peppercorns that give the work a peppery scent. Hunter says she created the FRAMEWORK platform to “reflect the growing turn towards interdisciplinarity in design. More designers are working at the intersections of art, technology, craft and even urbanism and I wanted our programme to reflect Scotland’s contemporary design landscape.” Visitors will also be able to pick up a set of four limited edition zines written by the festival’s writer-in-residence Sam Gonçalves, which explores the festival’s site at the former Michelin Tyre Factory, alongside some of the more nuanced design stories from this year’s rendition of the festival. These can be found at the festival and at V&A Dundee.

I ask Hunter why Dundee is such a fantastic city for design and the signiﬁcance of the festival being held there. She tells me: “In short: design leadership. Over time the effect of the UNESCO designation has been found in the quality and diversity of what is being produced in Dundee…

Having a platform for one’s work is especially important and Dundee has enjoyed a signiﬁcantly higher proﬁle with a new design museum (V&A Dundee), a very successful series of regular design marketplaces (Tea Green), two universities with excellent design courses and an annual programme of events delivered by the UNESCO team. This gives designers a sense of belonging and the ability to participate in meaningful projects and discourses.”

The festival has been running since 2016, initiated by the UNESCO City of Design team as their ﬂagship design event – it initially started out as an annual feature before moving to a biannual model. The festival team responded to COVID restrictions by spreading the festival across four community-based locations in 2021, with takeaway materials for visitors to use to widen participation and access. However, for this year’s

rendition, Hunter decided to host the festival under one roof – to make it easy for visitors “to see a multiplicity of design from jewellery, textiles and ceramics to graphics, lighting design and urbanism.” The festival also acts as an eloquent showcase and advocate for Scotland’s design industries on the global stage: “Seeing so many different forms of Scottish design side by side will showcase just how rich Scotland’s design scene is. As someone who has been working with designers in Scotland for over 15 years I’m excited to provide a bi er platform for the country’s design talent and help visitors discover it in this festival format for the ﬁrst time.”

Dundee Design Festival, Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, 23-29 Sep, Mon-Sun 10am-6pm (10am-7pm on Thu 26 Sep)

Words: Harvey Dimond

Photo: Jonty Wilson courtesy of Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Donna Wilson 's knitted forest

End to end

Dundee Design Festival’s BOOKENDS exhibit sees 30 Scotland-based designers respond to the travel writing of two Victorian Dundee women, who travelled to the ends of the Earth for DC Thomson in the 19th century

Words: Laurie Presswood

Of all the exhibits at this month’s Dundee Design Festival, one bears particular signiﬁcance for the city’s history as a hub of industry and women’s emancipation.

BOOKENDS, brainchild of festival director Stacey Hunter, sees 20 Scotland-based designers invited to create a pair of bookends in response to Dundee’s Two Intrepid Ladies: A Tour Round the World by DC Thomson’s Female Journalists in 1894

Edited by Susan Keracher of Dundee’s McManus Galleries, the book features the columns of two Victorian-era DC Thomson employees tasked with reporting on women’s lives across the world on an undertaking dubbed ‘the Ladies’ Tour’. Bessie Maxwell and Marie Imandt visited factories and homes, writing from trains and boats, and their subsequent columns were sent home and published in the Dundee Courier and Weekly News Their work examines female existence across different cultures, with particular attention given to working conditions, wages and fashion.

“Did they dress a bit more freely on their return? Were they able to express their personalities more in the decoration of their homes?”

Kate Trouw

Participating designers have responded to the story in starkly different ways. Some have evoked a particular episode from the women’s travels: a dinner party in Tokyo suburbs or a visit to a sculptor’s workshop in Florence. Some, like Camillo Atlas, have cast one bookend as each journalist, projecting the women’s literary style and personality onto the object. Lauren Morsley’s boldly colourful female ﬁgures, made using old copies of The Courier, depict the very core of the story, and call up the spirit of exploration.

Colour is an important part of Maxwell and Imandt’s descriptions, as is often true of travel writing. They couldn’t rely upon comparisons for descriptions in the same way as a contemporary travel writer might whose audience has some knowledge of the world being described. Colour, therefore, takes an even greater share of the descriptive burden, and we see this reﬂected in many of the designers’ responses.

Jennifer Gray’s World at her ﬁngertips sees two hands lightly holding blue orbs (blue vividly inhabits

the columns as the colour of the sea, the sky, and the trousers of many men in China). The hands, posed so as to evoke possibility and capability, belong to two of Maxwell and Imandt’s modern day successors writing about travel and culture: Gabriella Bennett and The Skinny’s very own Eilidh Akilade.

The hands represent the opening of possibilities to them, both in terms of the burgeoning travel industry and of alternative visions for female life. They also mimic crystal balls, and ambitions for the future that saturate so much writing around the turn of the century. This idea of posthumously examining historical visions of the future shaped Nicholas Denney Studio’s bookends, ‘Past hopes for the future’, made from concrete and shaped like eroding corner panels of corrugated iron.

“There are parallels between the newspaper, publishing, professional journalism and concrete. They both strike me as heralded innovations from a previous culture. The past hopes for the future,” says Denney.

Two Intrepid Ladies necessarily deals with stereotypes, received wisdom and perceptions of other nations. Beneath this, however, there runs the theme of how we as Scots conceive of our national character. This is something that resonated with Kate Trouw – her piece Union is in large part a response to Maxwell and Imandt’s experience of a Parsi wedding in modern day Mumbai. They are visibly struck by the dreamlike beauty of the event, and so a local guest reassures them that British weddings are also pretty. Maxwell writes: ‘I

smiled, and so did Bessie as we thought of our grim Presbyterian weddings.’ For Trouw, this was a chance to re-examine our national personality.

“It immediately brought to mind the idea of the stereotype of Scottish meanness – which, of course, I would much rather cast as ingenuity and resourcefulness! Starting from ﬁrst principles and using what you have, or making what you need, resonates with my approach in my jewellery practice. I don’t have any formal training and tend to improvise with what’s at hand – using a lot of objects found on the beach or recycled materials.”

Union’s bookends are substantial in size and abstract in shape, somewhere between coral and agate, made from waste slag glass from Fife and Greek sponge, hardened with resin. Their heft is a pleasing counterpoint to the daintiness and propriety of Victorian female life – their footprint symbolic of the journey’s impact on its readers and protagonists.

“I love to think of the women encountering different aesthetic styles in their travels, and becoming aware that the mores of Scottish culture were not the be all and end all. Did they dress a bit more freely on their return? Were they able to express their personalities more in the decoration of their homes?” Trouw explains, “When I studied architecture, ‘decoration’ was a dirty word and in my jewellery I have had to work hard to allow myself the freedom to engage with things I would have previously considered frivolous and very unserious.”

BOOKENDS, Dundee Design Festival 2024, 23-29 Sep, Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Baldovie Rd, Dundee

Photo: Reuben Paris

Kate Trouw, Union

Lights, Camera, Action

The relentless grind of being a jobbing actor of colour in the prejudiced UK ﬁlm industry becomes the stuff of nightmares in Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature In Camera. Khalid talks to us about his bold, thrillingly experimental approach

“We don’t live in a three-act-structure time,” su ests Naqqash Khalid when trying to convey how he came to make his bold and experimental debut feature, In Camera. “There’s something about the three-act structure that just doesn’t reflect our life today,” he continues. “I knew that I wanted to make something that was structurally reflective of now.” The film is reflective of now in more than just its structure. Part biting satire of the British film industry, part meditation on notions of performance and identity, it’s a film rooted firmly in contemporary society both in its form and its content.

“I was very adamant that if this is the only ﬁlm I’m going to make, then I’m going to make the ﬁlm that I want to make”

Naqqash Khalid

In Camera was several years in gestation, and developed over time with support from the BBC, BFI and Creative UK. Its exact inception is difﬁcult for Naqaash to recall precisely (“I’m trying to remember!”) but he recollects the impulse clearly: “I knew I wanted to write this ﬁlm; I wanted to write a fairy tale, and I wanted it to be about an actor. I’m not entirely sure why, but looking back now, it feels like I had all of these things to say about culture and identity and an actor felt like the perfect vehicle to say all of these things.”

The actor in question is Aden, played by the utterly captivating Nabhaan Rizwan. In Camera follows him as he searches for a role to play and features several scenes in which he confronts the realities of being a young British Asian actor. “I think there is a lot of expectation and projection on to actors – and directors – in this medium,” says Khalid. “Because it’s a capitalist medium. People have ideas of who you could be in a marketplace and the kinds of ﬁlms you could make – and you have to learn how to navigate that. I think everyone has expectations of people.”

While Aden is constantly pigeonholed by other people, his own persona is continually shifting and morphing, like water searching for a vessel to give it shape. The ﬁlm’s unconventional structure referred to above emphasises this with cadenced and cyclical non-linear editing. “I had

this really set structure in my head of how I wanted to make it so that it felt like an album, where every scene was a track,” explains Khalid, “I think you have to invent the structure and the tools to make every ﬁlm that you work on. This ﬁlm was just asking for this kind of looping structure, almost like geometrical abstraction. I just wanted it to tap into something that represented more life as it feels, not as it is.”

This loose narrative chronology allowed Khalid to genuinely play with the edit over the film’s gestation period, free to move scenes and sequences completely. “There was a sense of fluidity,” he says, “being able to restructure the film in the edit. We’d be like, ‘What if we took this scene and just put it there?’ And we did that a lot.”

The structural invention is, as Khalid has stated, all about tying the film’s flow to the modern human condition. “I was reflecting a lot on, you know, when you’re on Instagram,” he muses. “You’re scrolling and you like a post about a genocide, then one about your friends getting engaged, then we’re not paying doctors enough and everyone is striking, you know? We’re looking at all this information – the good, the bad, the highs, the lows – simultaneously. That’s our experience of the world and it’s quite fragmented and fractured. I think, as artists, we have to respond to what is happening in the world. I think that a lot of that is structural innovation; film should reflect our time. The exciting thing about cinema is it’s still a young medium and that invention and that contribution is to this shared language.”

Words: Ben Nicholson

It’s not always the case that a young filmmaker hoping to release work in UK cinemas would feel this way. And if they did, they would rarely have the strength of will to stick to their guns. “I thought, ‘This might be the only opportunity I ever get to make a film and I’m only going to make the film I want to make,’” says Khalid. ”I’m not trying to make career decisions. I’m not thinking… ‘In five years I’d like to be here’ or ‘On my second film, I’d like to do this.’ I was very adamant that if this is the only film I’m going to make, then I’m going to make the film that I want to make. If I never make a film after this again, I’ll be happy because I was able to do what I wanted to do. I just kept reminding myself of that when things were challenging.”

Things were, of course, challenging. This is a low-budget indie production after all. But Khalid found being pushed critically – by funders or by the iFeatures programme through which he developed the ﬁlm – to be an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience, and very much to the ﬁlm’s merit. “This is what I wanted to do,” Khalid says on the end result. “It has those feelings that I was trying to articulate within it. I’m really happy with it.”

In Camera is released 13 Sep by CONIC

Photo: Juliette Larth

All photos: Juliette Larth

Behind the scenes of In Camera

Moore, Moore, Moore

The Substance, a gonzo horror starring Demi Moore as an ageing actress who refuses to be put out to pasture, comes to cinemas on a wave of critical acclaim. Director Coralie Fargeat tells us about her love of excess and ﬁnding the perfect lead in Moore

Pearl-clutchers, beware. A new ﬁlm from French provocateur Coralie Fargeat is coming to a cinema near you. She burst onto the scene in 2017 with the bloody raperevenge thriller titled, quite simply, Revenge. A colour-saturated exploitation picture low on plot but high on style, it was the perfect midnight movie for the #MeToo era. It did have its detractors, though. Some critics found its violence sadistic and its plot implausible, although it doesn’t sound like Fargeat would disagree on the latter point.

“When you’re making a realist ﬁlm, you have to conform,” she tells me over Zoom when I ask about her ﬁlms’ tendencies to break the basic tenets of physics and biology. “You have to be polite with realism, you know? I like genre because it’s the zone where you can invent your own rules.”

Fargeat has had this aversion to the real world since her childhood in Paris. “I was obsessed with watching movies as a kid because they took me out of my everyday life, which felt quite inadequate to me.” This obsession extended to making her own movies after her parents bought a video camera. “It was a little camcorder for filming family vacations,” she recalls, “but I immediately took it and started making short films. That was the moment in childhood where I felt most happy and confident and allowed to express myself.”

Even those early filmmaking dalliances were gnarly. “I remember one of my very first little amateur movies when I was, like, maybe 14. Well, I don’t remember the plot, but I remember having fun playing with this severed latex hand I had as a toy.” There’s plenty of body horror too in Fargeat’s new film, The Substance, which follows Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a once-acclaimed Hollywood actor who’s now a TV fitness instructor. But Elisabeth has committed the bi est crime a woman can commit in showbusiness: she’s turned 50, and Dennis Quaid’s producer character (named Harvey, no less) decides it’s time to trade Elisabeth in for a younger model.

This is where ‘The Substance’ comes in. It’s a black market, luminous yellow liquid that, once injected, creates a younger version of you that’s birthed from your spine like a reverse Xenomorph in Alien. This ‘improved’ version of Elisabeth is Sue, played by Margaret Qualley as a luminous airhead, who’s quickly cast by Harvey as Elizabeth’s replacement in a sexed-up reboot of her show.

Fargeat, who’s 48, knows ﬁrsthand that our society’s judgement of women becomes even more toxic as they get older. “There’s a big shift when

Words: Jamie Dunn

you approach your 40s or 50s,” she says. “It’s a very violent thing that I went through. That spoke to many things that I also experienced when I was younger, and I felt ready to confront them in a very powerful, and hopefully entertaining way on ﬁlm.”

Demi Moore also knows all about society’s misogynistic glare. She was the highest-paid actress in the world in the 90s and her body was photographed and discussed in the media constantly. But interesting roles began to dry up when she hit her 40s. “There didn’t seem to be a place for me,” Moore recently told Interview Magazine. “I felt that feeling of, I’m not 20, I’m not 30, but I wasn’t yet what [Hollywood] perceived as a mother.”

It’s a perfect piece of casting, but Fargeat didn’t have Moore in mind initially. “The only thing I knew was that the part was going to be extremely difﬁcult to cast, because I was asking an actress to confront her very own phobia.” When Moore’s name was put on the table, Fargeat was sceptical. “To be honest, I said, ‘OK, she will never want to do this. She would be too scared. Let’s not waste our time.’”

Luckily someone passed the script to Moore anyway and it turns out Fargeat had the Hollywood star all wrong. “When I met Demi and we got to

discuss the part, I started to understand how much she’s been through all this, and all the thinking she’d already done, and all the work she did on herself to feel good about who she was. I think that’s what allowed for the two of us to meet at a precise moment in both our lives where we felt we were ready and strong enough to put ourselves in a vulnerable place to bring this story to life.”

And bring it to life they have. When the ﬁlm premiered at Cannes last spring, it blew the roof off. Cannes’ jury, presided over this year by Greta Gerwig, awarded Fargeat the Best Screenplay award. But don’t let the festival prestige fool you. The Substance isn’t arthouse horror. It’s a frenzied work of sanguinary excess in the vein of Brian de Palma or Paul Verhoeven. Certainly don’t call it “elevated horror” around Fargeat.

“I love genre, and to me, genre is not elevated,” she says. “That’s what I like about it. There is this sense of excess. I’m still excited by the difference that has to me versus real life. To me, genre has to flirt with the grotesque, with the too much. It’s a fine line, and you have to go very close to that line to make the best kind of genre film.”

The Substance is released 20 Sep by MUBI

The Substance

Student Guide

Welcome

Words: Jack Faulds

When Rosamund asked me if I’d like to help her with The Skinny’s Student Guide this year, my immediate thought was “I really don’t know if I can be bothered” (and not just because I’m a lazy so-and-so). Of course, I was thrilled that the team had even considered me to assist with planning and commissioning for this issue, but I’d just graduated from four incredibly quick years at the University of Strathclyde and felt like I’d hit a wall. I found myself in that amorphous, uncertain place that every graduate knows well – a place which prods you violently on the back as the time between downing the dregs of your last glass of wine on graduation day and finding a real-world big-boy job grows ever longer. Everyone is desperate for you to have a plan, too. “What’s your plans, then?” “You got anything lined up?” “Have you been applying for anything?” They salivate over it. Respectfully, after spending months researching, ideating and writing on the political power of the celebrity persona of Dolly Parton for my final dissertation, the last thing I was thinking about was finding a steady desk job (all love to Ms Parton but, boy, did she give me a LOT to write about).

You need time to recalibrate once you graduate (or at least I did). I started uni at 18 and I’m nearly 22 now – you do a lot of growing in that time. And when you’re in the depths of your studies, training your body how to force itself up for 9am lectures, you forget to reﬂect on all the personal development you’re experiencing (or at least I did). The identity crises, boy troubles, family spats – things that deserve to be thoroughly

mulled over – can so easily slip out of frame when everything is so go, go, go.

Eventually, even though I was emotionally knackered and sparkled with that pesky post-graduation clarity, I figured (not selfishly at all) that working on this year’s Student Guide would at the very least give me some sort of outlet for reflection on my own student experience (oh, and if Rosamund is reading this part I also wanted to work really hard on it and make it really good for the new students and stuff as well of course obviously). So, here we are! And, all goofs and gaffs aside, it is a really great issue that I’m super proud of.

We have basically everything you’d ever need from a student guide: interviews with sexual health experts and tenants’ union ambassadors; features on cheap nights out and student activism; ﬁrst-person opinion pieces from both exstudents and soon-to-be students; and some good ol’ audience participation via reader-submitted Freshers’ Week horror stories and a special student edition of Ask Anahit – an unmissable staple of the regular Skinny issue which you should also be sticking your nose into! I’ve had a few sneaky peeks at the contents of the September issue and it’s looking real delectable, folks. Maybe not as sumptuous as this fabulous student guide, of course, but still pretty scrummy. And, hey, if this student guide doesn’t make you an instant Skinny fan (although it deﬁnitely should) we’ll probably corner you at your freshers’ fair and take matters into our own hands. That’s not a threat, it’s a Skinny™ promise.

Student Guide Illustrator

Max Machen

Max is a freelance illustrator and printmaker scribbling away in sunny Edinburgh. He creates fun, witty illustrations that bring smiles to walls, caps, scarves and faces. He has lots of fun drawing the everyday and how it would look in his own imaginary world which he hopes comes across in his work.

maxmachen.com @maxymachen

Fresh Hell!

Sink your teeth into these blood-curdling Freshers’ Week tales of old...

Words: Jack Faulds

It may not be time for shitfaced Halloween sub-crawls and the unstoppable tide of Chappell Roan, Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter Powerpuff Girls costume trios just yet, but it’s never too early to get into the spirit. And what could inspire more soul-devouring dread in our readers than a trip down memory lane? This collection of horrible anecdotes come from anonymous fans of The Skinny (though wouldn’t it be extra spooOOooky if we revealed their identities?) who each had a less-than-glamorous Freshers’ Week experience.

“Went to a flat party at GSA halls on the first night of Freshers, got to the door with my friend (who had a bowl cut and got in easily) but got told I ‘couldn’t come in’ because I didn’t fit the art school look lol xx anyway some of them got scabies”

“My Freshers horror story was moving to Edinburgh and arriving to Pollock Halls (if you know you know). I went back home every weekend for the ﬁrst three months of Uni… before moving to Edinburgh

Hopefully it is in some way therapeutic for them to recall these regrettable moments, and will caution new students to try to avoid getting into similarly miserable situations. Or maybe it won’t. Maybe new students reading this should just anticipate a whole bunch of food poisoning and undesirable NPCs as they prepare for their own Freshers’ Week. Maybe it’s just nice to laugh at the misfortune of others. Maybe these submissions aren’t even funny. Maybe they’re just pathetic. I dunno, you decide.

“I gave myself food poisoning the ﬁrst night by not microwaving my dinner properly”

“My ﬂatmate’s friend brought a girl back to our ﬂat (neither of them were at our uni) during Freshers Week, sha ed her on the kitchen island and then wiped himself with a random blanket. That blanket was left in the corner of our kitchen for the rest of the year, lovingly named

Don’t recommend”

“During Freshers Week when I was in ﬁrst year a guy who worked for a local club came into my ﬂat and told us horror stories about the rival club so we wouldn’t go there. We only let him in bc we thought he worked in our accommodation but he was literally a stranger manipulating 17/18 y/o girls”

“Lock your doors in student accom bc random drunk men will just appear in ur ﬂat”

“My ﬂatmate was a cannibal”

“Flatmates ate my food and crushed up my cereal for fun :’)”

“Came to uni without a working debit card – had £10 cash to my name, got food poisoning from the only meal I bought, spent my last £2 on a plain croissant from Costa and cried whilst eating half of it there for breakfast. Lived off the free Domino’s pizza until the card came the following week :(”

“Moved into a shared house with a close mate and an odd guy with a unicycle. He hosted a party, fashioned a beer funnel system out of hosepipes from B&Q and taped it down the stairs, changed all our light bulbs blue. It was a lot”

“Freshers Week – a boy in our corridor only lasted at uni til Christmas. After he’d left we looked in his kitchen cupboard and all he left behind was a good luck at university card from his mum and dad xo”

A festival of knowledge, 02–15 September.

With 30 free activities from Scotland’s leading minds, there’s something for anyone curious. Discover more at rse.org.uk/curious

Getting Rid of ‘Riddy Culture’

Recent University of Strathclyde graduate Lauren Hunter discusses the plague of social inhibition caused by ‘Riddy Culture’ in Glasgow

If you took a random sample of people from Scottish cities and asked them what they like about living here, the responses would probably run along the lines of there being not a lot of pretences, no airs and graces about the place. It’s true – we’re renowned for saying things how they are, and as a student experiencing your ﬁrst tastes of freedom and independence, that’s bound to feel quite intoxicating.

When I was a fresher a few years ago, part of the excitement lay in creating this whole new-fangled identity for myself; especially being a humanities student, I saw it as the prime opportunity to reinvent myself with different artsy hobbies, clothes, and ways of thinking that boxy blazers and regimented high school classrooms had so far

failed to express in my life. I was all ready to go – until I felt a homely pang of fear bolting in my chest. Alas, ‘riddy culture’ had struck me down.

It’s a uniquely Scottish phenomenon – the fear of being creative or expressive (or even just existing) in case of judgement or embarrassment. It meant that in my early days of uni, I was constantly conﬂicted when trying to make new friends: stand out so that I seemed cool and cultured, but not so much that it was cringey, yet just enough to carry it well. Exhausting, and not exactly a match made in heaven for the nascent adulthood ambitions of ﬁnding oneself.

Ultimately, having now thankfully seen the back of my 18-year-old self’s identity fever dream, it’s very disappointing to ﬁnd in cities like Glasgow

which are so brimming with culture that we are still ashamed to embrace it. Anyone who dares to is branded ‘airy’, or a ‘luvvie’, or – often seen the worst accusation of all – a ‘student type’, as if an interest in art can be explained away by the connotation of being young and naïve.

Being at uni mandates a period of change in anyone’s life, but it’s also the perfect time to create change from the bottom up. So, Scottish students, your challenge is this – rid yourselves of riddy culture. Be immersed in the brilliant, vibrant creative lifeblood of our cities because, trust and believe, you’ll learn more from that than any 9am lecture. If you do that, in years to come, people might just say that their favourite thing about Scotland is that we’re unafraid to be ourselves.

Words: Lauren Hunter

Welcome to Somethinghood

One writer shares his path to university and living through what he likes to call the ‘somethinghood’ years

Words: Michael Smith

It was March 2020. My school days were ﬁnally coming to an end, I had an offer from a London university and I’d just started my new favourite hobby – drinking beer in pubs. Then there was a pandemic, and my ﬁrst steps into the adult world were punctuated by masks, two-metre distancing and the rules of the most recent government press conference.

I decided to defer my uni offer for a few reasons. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, uni in London is expensive, Media Communications is barely even a real degree and more to the point – COVID. The chaos of the pandemic transformed the world around me, and the path I had chosen no longer made sense.

I took a job in a local French restaurant for the sake of something to do, and while others experienced student halls and lectures, my late teens were set against the backdrop of the hospitality industry in Glasgow. I discovered a whole new world in the city where I grew up, and a subculture of new people, challenges and experiences that have shaped my worldview.

This grew into a pretty successful freelance career of graphic design, branding and social media at ﬁrst for hospitality venues, then a whole host of clients across Glasgow. I credit this success to a foolproof strategy of agreeing to do jobs then promptly googling how to do them. This method will get you far.

It’s crazy to think about some of the things I’ve done. I’ve designed posters for bands I love, branding for businesses that are thriving, been paid in cash in the basement of an Irish bar, sold Christmas trees, served pizza, travelled to New Zealand, drunk many pints, consulted on social media strategy and most recently spent August working at the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s a winding path, but it’s built me a body of work and a range of experiences that have led to my next phase. Something that for many years I assumed I’d never do – university.

“I credit this success to a foolproof strategy of agreeing to do jobs then promptly googling how to do them”

believe it’s overconﬁdence, I just hadn’t experienced things going wrong that much yet and so was unaware and uninterested in why things wouldn’t work. That persistence in the face of rational thinking and common sense meant I got clients and did design work I’m really proud of – and I achieved it because I didn’t see any reason why not. I hope I cling to that, and that I don’t pick up the troubleshooting and problem-ﬁnding that can suffocate creativity.

This September I’m starting at Glasgow School of Art studying Communication Design. And I’m going on purpose. I don’t knock the decision of those who went to university straight from school, but I’d gently point out that spending some time in the real world after your 13 years in full-time education may not be the worst thing. I’ve worked 40 jobs, gigs or projects in the past four years and built up life experience, tangible skills and the soft skills that are highly sought after in today’s working world. When I start at university I’ll be bringing with me all of that experience, along with the resilience built up by shifts in restaurants, where despite physical and mental exhaustion, you need to be incredibly likeable even 14 hours into a shift.

I approached the working world and life as a freelancer with the naïve, blissful optimism that comes with youth. I don’t

I call these the ‘somethinghood’ years – not childhood, not adulthood but somewhere in that space. If you’re just getting going in the real world or on the cusp of starting something new – welcome to somethinghood. It’s chaos here. It’s beautiful, soul-crushing, joyous, idiosyncratic chaos – and a necessary stru le of life as a 20-something. And you’re at an age where who you are is still forming, being clumsily written and rewritten on a daily and weekly basis.

It’s important not to romanticise these years and that chaos too much – because more often than not it will be really hard. One of the most annoying things about growing is that you’re constantly contradicting yourself and disagreeing with what you used to think. To spend so much time at odds with yourself is not comfortable or easy and it’s important to embrace that you are on a journey. Enjoy the running, because if you’re anything like me you’ll always be moving the ﬁnish line.

There’s so much change happening in my life just now –slowly unravelling in that way you don’t quite notice. In the midst of it all I’m turning inwards to what makes me most feel alive, and while I’m really proud of all that work I’ve done in the past four years, it’s not all of who I am.

Right now I crave the chaos of somethinghood. I’m drunk on it. I want to experience more and feel more and spend more time with my friends – laughing at things that should never be repeated and watching as they all run off in different directions to their own versions of success.

There’s no such thing as a right decision. Collect experiences like a magpie with tinfoil and remember that you’re not a metaphor. You’re not climbing a ladder or running a race – you are a full person and you should do what makes you feel most alive.

Sexual Health Futures Scotland

We chat to Dr Chase Ledin about the inception of Sexual Health Futures Scotland – his university-funded project providing the space for people to explore sexual health through art

Words: Jack Faulds

There is simply no preparing you for how much of your student life will revolve around sex. Your ﬂatmates will be ranking their best and worst shags of the week at every breakfasttable debrief, your lecturers will have you diving into research papers about Victorian pornography, and you’ll probably be up late dwelling on embarrassing encounters and worrying about your own sexual health and wellbeing more often than you’d anticipated. Of course, this is all perfectly natural – sex is exciting and scary and fun! But it can quickly become quite a lot to navigate.

This is why Dr Chase Ledin, a lecturer in Social Science & Medicine at Edinburgh University’s Usher Institute, who specialises in HIV and sexual health, started Sexual Health Futures Scotland – a workshop-based project which enables and encourages people to explore their sexual health through creative methods and imagine better futures for sexual health in Scotland. We spoke to Dr Ledin about the inception of this much-needed project, the community around it and the sexual health resources in Scotland that students should know about.

What made you want to start Sexual Health Futures Scotland? Was it an idea that you had during your student years?

My previous education was very much concerned with how we improve health promotion practices in communities. My PhD was an investigation into what the end of HIV means or would mean to people in Scotland and England. How do we get people to think about how we could reach the end of HIV – is it about medical treatments? Testing? Stigma?

This project was started using that baseline of imagining potential sexual health presents and futures, which then led to thinking about “well, people actually have multiple presents, multiple futures, multiple ways that they think about their lives” and “how can we provide a space for people to explore that multiplicity?”

I think my idea for Sexual Health Futures was mainly to provide a space for people to discuss. It could easily be an art project where people create things but don’t talk about their ideas and feelings, or a focus group where people talk about their ideas and feelings but don’t create anything. I wanted to marry these practices and allow people to be empowered through that.

How important are history and sociology to the work you do as a whole and with SHFS? Pretty fundamental! One of the core reasons I started the Sexual Health Futures project was that

conversations surrounding sexual health in society tend to lean towards the biomedical – we think about treating STIs, how we get treatment, how do we have the ‘right kind’ of sex etc. The kind of work I’m interested in is acknowledging that are so many different ways of experiencing pleasure and dealing with sexual health that have nothing to do with the biomedical lens that doctors and teachers use, and I aim to address how we experience relationships in society in fulﬁlling and meaningful ways.

What have the results of these workshops taught you? Does this visual/artistic data bring things to light that you’d never considered before, or do they make you see the needs of people in Scotland in a different way?

These workshops have enabled people to consider the present context of sexual health in Scotland and what could be its future. Using arts-based methods like zine-making, drawing and painting has enabled people to be like, ‘Okay, sex isn’t just about being in the bedroom or going to a clinic’. It’s also about how we interact with friends and family or the people we fancy and so on. I think having a space separate from everything else is important for people to be able to do that work that they maybe wouldn’t be able to do in their day-to-day lives. We’ve had people who have seen their clinicians out in public and, in the workshops, have expressed a particular excitement, fear, anxiety, or whatever. They were asking “How do I tend to that kind of relationship?” and “Is it important for me to have a relationship with my doctor in order to get better treatment or a better kind of communication?” That was something I

didn’t consider or set out to address – should you talk to your doctor about your endometriosis when you bump into them at the supermarket, or should that be saved for the clinic?

What has the feedback been like from the participants of these workshops?

Largely positive! I think the most resounding feedback is that people wish there were more spaces like this. Especially in Glasgow, people want stable spaces where they can talk about sex and sexual health openly and honestly. It’s difﬁcult because these spaces can sometimes be very contested, gendered, sexualised spaces, and that’s one of the main reasons why I worked with the Glasgow Zine Library. They work often with queer individuals who are navigating these spaces and want to have conversations about them.

What are some of the best sexual health resources available in Scotland that you wish students knew about?

From the biomedical side, more students need to know about Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). If anyone thinks they are at risk of HIV transmission, they should absolutely be talking to their clinician about getting on PrEP, which is made available free by the NHS in Scotland.

There are lots of great health promotion resources that are provided by HIV and sexual health charity Waverley Care which is based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. They have lots of fantastic materials for HIV, sexual health, general wellbeing and mental health as well as counselling services.

There’s also quite a lot going on with the Glasgow Women’s Library and Zine Library that allow for queered sexual health/feminist sexual health conversations which I feel would be useful for students in the city.

In Edinburgh, there is an outreach service called ROAM which does some really brilliant health promotion work which serves gay, bisexual, trans and other men that I would highly recommend.

In terms of online resources, there is a fantastic social media website called SH24 which is based in London but has some of the best graphics and details about sexual health I’ve ever seen.

The next Sexual Health Futures Scotland workshop is Imagining Digital Futures and Sexual Health, Fri 18 Oct, Glasgow Zine Library, part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science. Check Glasgow Zine Library’s online event list for updates and more info sexualfutures.wordpress.com

Dare To Be Different

We meet some of the DIY dyers involved in Crazy Color’s Dye to Defy campaign and ﬁnd out why self-expression through hair colour is so important to them

Words: Tallah Brash

Obsessed with the ery red highlights in Sa ron from Republica’s hair, I started dyeing my hair in the 90s.

Initially it was just a few streaks in the front of my messy bob. But then I started uni and it wasn’t long before my whole head was that same shade of eye-catching red. Of course, it was Crazy Color’s Fire in iconic pillarbox red, a colour that’s been part of their collection since they launched in 1977 during the UK’s punk-rock explosion.

Dyeing my hair gave me con dence and quickly became an obsession, a part of my personality. And just like Kate Winslet’s character Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as my mood changed so too did the colour of my hair. My hair has been myriad shades of red, pink, purple, orange, blue and green, sometimes multiple colours at the same time. I’ve had periods of loyalty to one colour, and moments of spontaneity where I’ve last-minute changed the colour of my hair to match a dress I was wearing to a wedding. Being able to dye my hair is like having a super power.

Crazy Color’s Dye to Defy campaign dares you to be di erent, and 40 years on, as a brand their ethos remains the same: they want to inspire you to explore your creative side. Across a full spectrum of vibrant colours with names like Lime Twist, Marshmallow, Canary Yellow, Pine Green, Sky Blue, Fire and Candy Floss, Crazy Color allows you to express yourself so you can stand out and wear your individuality with pride, whatever your mood.

With community at the heart of everything they do, for Crazy Color’s Dye to Defy launch in July they invited 11 DIY dyers with exceptional at-home dyeing skills to take part in a Crazy Color CASA photoshoot at Manchester’s Projekt Skatepark – today, we meet some of them.

OLIVIA

I rst dyed my naturally VERY dark hair red when I was around 15 and haven’t looked back since! I’ve been every colour of the rainbow over the years, but I’ve fallen in love with being bright orange! Orange is de nitely associated with me now – even my suitcases match my hair!

I’ve never wanted to look ‘the same’ as everyone else, and part of doing that is changing from my natural colour. It gives me so much con dence to be di erent, and I love brightening up people’s days with my neon hair! Plus – you’ll never lose me at a concert!

DOMINIQUE

Colouring my hair has allowed me to explore my sense of self – my current favourite shade is peppermint! I have gone through many phases in my hair journey: braids, weaves, relaxers, extensions. You name it, I’ve had it!

In 2019, I decided to shave my head completely, simply because I wanted to! When I shaved my head I looked in the mirror and I felt like myself, like I recognised the woman staring back at me. I began colouring my hair at the same time and that’s when I really felt I stepped into my own. I love to switch it up and

make a bold statement with my hair and Crazy Color has allowed me to do that and then some!

I’m a professional model, photographer and co ee educator and I’m obsessed with Crazy Color and wearing just that – crazy colours! I started dyeing my hair as a kid around 12/13 and became obsessed... I love it in crazy combos and styles. It’s all thanks to Crazy Color for giving me that boost and con dence to know it’s okay to be my authentic self. I’m really settled with my current shade of Silver, with a drop of Sky Blue and Black to add a

AARON

Photo: Reuben Paris

cool smokiness, with a Rebel UV/Cyclamen mix in my fringe accent. I just want to radiate the love I feel for people in the brightest way, and just try to be a colourful beacon for those who can’t really nd their way out of the dark.

SHANNON

By day, I’m a mother and I work part-time in retail. By night, I’m an alternative fashion vlogger. I love empowering women, encouraging people to feel good in their own skin, as well as embrace their individuality. I shop second hand, I DIY my clothes, and I try to show people how to work with what they have, especially in today’s economy.

My current shades are Graphite and Marshmallow but my favourite shade of all is Canary Yellow with a drop of Orange to make the most beautiful mustard! Life’s so much more magical when you’re happy and that’s what colouring my hair helps me do.

CHANTELLE

I’m a small business owner and mum. I’ve been using Crazy Color products for over 14 years, I’ve quite literally had all the colours of the rainbow in my hair but I have found THE ONE –CYCLAMEN!! It’s my ride or die colour.

I’ve had so many lovely compliments on my hair, I absolutely love that people of all ages go out of their way to tell me they love my hair! It’s been so many conversation starters and it’s inspired others to take the step to try vivid colours!

LOUISE

I’m a wedding celebrant and having orange hair has become my entire personality – I am fully committed to being a full-time tangerine. I love how bright and di erent it is. It fades to a nice peachy colour, which people always compliment, but I prefer when it’s at its brightest and boldest, so I keep it topped up as often as I can.

I see colouring my hair as a way to express myself. It really has become part of my identity, and I can’t imagine having ‘normal’ coloured hair again. I’m determined to be that weird old lady still rocking bright hair and eccentric clothing into my nineties!

KRYSTLE

strong focus on yellow which takes centre stage as the top section with the other colours layered beneath.

Colouring my hair is super important to me, I love expressing my personality but hate buying clothing I might not want to re-wear so I express myself through my body art – piercings, tattoos and coloured hair are my self expression.

SILVIA

Ever since I was a teen I wanted to dye my hair with vibrant colours. Until recently I always stuck with natural looks to t in, but I felt I wasn’t being my true self. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and dye my hair Pinkissimo – I LOVED IT! Since then I haven’t stopped experimenting with Crazy Color and exploring di erent refreshing looks! I’m currently enjoying a mix of Hot Purple and Bordeaux.

I started experimenting with colouring my hair when I was about 14. The rst time I nally went full vivid was 2009 with a bright pillarbox red and I’ve had pretty much every colour you can imagine since then. My current shade is rainbow with a

Now, I dye my hair to express myself freely and have fun while boosting my con dence. Colouring my hair is more than just changing my look – it’s a powerful way to show who I am and bring out my creative side. I love how it allows me to embrace change and at the end is all about celebrating individuality and uniqueness.

JESS

I’m a writer, parttime model, and a singer and I adore having colourful hair! I’m currently sporting half and half pink and orange using Cyclamen and Pinkissimo, and Anarchy UV and Orange respectively. I’m obsessed with the deeper tones in Cyclamen!

Colouring my hair means so much to me because it’s an extension of who I am. I can choose which vibe I want to show the world. I can use it to re ect what’s going on in my life, I can dye it to celebrate a holiday, cheer myself up, or even just because I need a creative outlet! I’ll

ALWAYS feel my most con dent with shiny, freshly coloured hair. One dye job is all I need to take on the world!

Find out more about Crazy Color at crazycolor.co.uk

Learn more about Dye to Defy’s 11 DIY dyers via Instagram @crazycolorcasa

Photo: Reuben Paris

Capturing the Perfect Bite

Film and dining recommendations for budget-conscious students in Scotland Words:

Scotland is home to a large student population dedicated to academic excellence, establishing friendships, and creating cherished memories. While much of their leisure time is spent preparing to revel at numerous clubs throughout the country, students can conserve their energy and explore venues offering a diverse range of affordable and unconventional activities and experiences.

The Cameo Cinema, operated by the nationwide cinema chain Picturehouse, is situated in the heart of Tollcross, Edinburgh, and boasts a remarkable 110 years in the business. This historical building welcomes thousands of visitors each week, offering a three-screen cinema and a bar that provides an array of food and beverage options. Notably, it extends exceptional benefits to students. For a one-off payment of £20, students have access to a Regional Student Membership, encompassing two complimentary cinema tickets, a 25% discount on all food and beverage purchases at both the cinema and bar, and exclusive access to films for £1 as part of Picturehouse’s Film Club, specifically curated to showcase films from their Discover and reDiscover seasons. Additional perks include a weekday offer of £1 for coffee and tea before 5pm which you can maximise in the Art Deco seating area, ideal for studying or discussing a film with companions.

with food of Mexico at El Cartel. Check out the frozen margaritas for £5 deal (Monday to Wednesday) and a £10 chicken wings and pint offer. You can receive a 10% student discount at checkout – this may not be used in conjunction with the mentioned midweek offers.

artful opportunities and historic architecture, from renowned music venues to prestigious schools, the standard produced is unmatched. Moreover, Glasgow’s culinary and cinematic offerings remain integral to the city’s allure, particularly for students seeking compelling incentives.

Since opening on Rose Street in 1939, the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) has been a cornerstone of Scottish cinema, dedicated to presenting world cinema on the grand scale of the big screen. Prospective patrons in the 16-25 age group may beneﬁt from complimentary membership, featuring discounted general admission tickets at £6, one complimentary screening per month, and loyalty points redeemable for future visits. For customers of all ages, as well as non-student audiences, GFT’s Glasgow Film Club offers postscreening discussions and dialogue with individuals of similar interests, with a ﬂexible payment scale that accommodates varying incomes and levels of interest. Home to Glasgow Film Festival and further inclusive cinema experiences, this venue is destined to be visited.

Venture across scenic Edinburgh towards Bristo Square, home to the University of Edinburgh’s student union buildings and McEwan Hall, and ﬁnd a trail of wonderfully eccentric and culturally diverse eateries. Beginning with a taste of the Big Apple, Civerinos has successfully branched across Edinburgh with its selection of pizza and its viral giant mozzarella stick. Order your slice to-go from the Civerinos' Forrest Road location and take your bite to The Meadows nearby – show a valid student ID to redeem 20% off the order. A mere minute’s walk around the corner will meet you

Perfect for some solo eating, head along to Ting Thai for a selection of Thai small plates, curries, or rice and noodle dishes – most of which are served in small takeaway containers for those times you are rushing for a bus or a forgotten lecture. Check out their ‘sun-up’ menu, running from midday to 5pm for cheaper prices on their restaurant staples. The ﬁnal of four studentfriendly fronts is Paradise Palms, offering a fully vegetarian and vegan food menu, a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and an events calendar to please all interests. This especially queer-friendly venue welcomes customers to attend monthly drag shows, cabaret shows, and DJ sets each weekend. Each study year, they update their student cocktails menu which includes discounted and speciality drinks – the new list is expected to be available from September.

Across the central belt lies Scotland’s largest metropolis, the city of Glasgow. Boasting

Talk about what funny one-liner your Letterboxd review will be on the ten-minute walk to the self-proclaimed most authentic Mexican restaurant in Glasgow, Mezcal on Hope Street. Satiate that craving for mouth-watering food post or pre-lecture with tacos for £3 (from 3-5pm Monday to Thursday) or ﬁnd that study fuel with their £5 taco and soft drink deal which is available at the same time from Monday to Friday.

If Mexican food isn’t what you’re after, or you’ve had your birria ﬁx for the week, step into the Glasgow Subway and catch a carriage towards the West End of the city, getting off at Hillhead, and walk to Hillhead Bookclub. This multifaceted venue offers students a £6.50 cake and coffee deal, a 20% discount on burgers and fries for friend group catch-ups, and £3.25 spirit mixers to kickstart a great evening. Nearby, ﬁnd family-run cafe Naked Soup which serves delicious soup and bagels, or book a table at Urban West for classic

George Reid

brunch picks for everyone. A short walk from Hillhead Bookclub leads to West Side Tavern, offering a unique alcoholic drinks menu and a variety of pizzas, pasta, and small plates. On Tuesdays, take advantage of the £10 main and side deal, comprising a pasta dish or one of their parms, paired with fried potato slices. Alternatively, on Sundays, the ‘Family Style Sunday’ offer includes one small plate, one pasta, and a pizza for £30, making it a delightful and cost-effective choice for a group dining experience.

Dundee, known for comic book characters like Desperate Dan, Oor Wullie, and Dennis the Menace, offers a unique history of design in Scotland. The UK’s only museum outside of London to focus solely on design, the V&A Dundee provides a sense of ﬁerceness in the art scene of the country, emphasising the communal aspect of the collective exhibitions and showcase spaces that surround the inner city.

The Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) building comprises a cinema, exhibition spaces, workshops and events, making it an ideal destination for any art-enthused person. Focusing on the cinema aspect, the venue showcases world cinema through vintage screenings,

new releases, and documentaries each day. Students can take advantage of this wide-ranging content at a reduced rate of £7. Additionally, students aged 18-25 can enjoy further beneﬁts by signing up for the DCA 18-25 Membership. For an annual one-time fee of £5, members receive a complimentary ticket to one screening per year, reduced regular admission fees of £6.50, priority booking, and various discounts, including 10% off at the in-house cafe, Jute. Furthermore, the cafe/ bar space welcomes all patrons to enjoy a coffee and study, a popular choice among customers in between or after movie screenings, or following participation in available courses, such as bookbinding, Japanese brush calligraphy, and Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom workshops. Students receive a £15 discount on such classes, but there are free tours of the Print Studio and Cinema on 28 and 29 September. For further information, please visit the DCA website.

After sitting with the cast of a dark mystery thriller, or spinning a new clay pot, visit the variety of small businesses around this culturally vibrant area. Replenish your energy at Empire State Coffee for their £10.95 soup and sandwich lunch deal, inclusive of vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free options. EH9 Espresso is another noteworthy stop

which specialises in coffee and bagels, as well as their billboard initiative outside the Perth Road shop intended to highlight local artists. Right beside EH9, explore The Book Attic, a family-run independent second-hand bookshop, and Le Freak Records which focuses on selling new and used vinyl and hosts in-store parties and DJs throughout the month – all events are BYOB.

Visit Cooper Gallery, located at the University of Dundee, from midday to 5 pm to spark creativity or conversation with like-minded friends at one of the active exhibitions. Once inspired, continue along Perth Street to the Art Bar, a live music venue and bar providing a range of Scottish beverages at competitive prices with an open mic every Tuesday, and DJ sets each Friday and Saturday.

In every major city, there are a variety of experiences and venues to enjoy, with numerous events, offers, and opportunities available at any time. As a student, take advantage of the possibility of lower prices during the week or special menu options to save money. Just be mindful of the space you occupy when visiting smaller cafes and bars. We encourage you to contribute to supporting local and independent businesses when you can.

Know Your (Tenancy) Rights!

We chat to Elise Corry about the important work she does with Living Rent in Edinburgh to protect tenants from exploitation and landlord greed

Words: Jack Faulds

You probably don’t need me to tell you that moving into a new flat as a student is a royal pain in the arse. Hauling heavy furniture up endless staircases and dealing with nightmare neighbours (or flatmates) is already a lot. Add the pressure of that first deadline creeping up on you and the terror of the mould developing across your bedroom ceiling: you couldn’t be blamed if you threw in the towel and stuck your head in the sand before your life as a student had even begun. Elise Corry from the Edinburgh branch of Scotland’s tenants union Living Rent, however, challenges you to not give up so easily. One of two students on the union’s national committee, she knows this stru le through and through – and she has solutions. We chat to her about the important work she does with Living Rent to protect tenants from exploitation and landlord greed.

Can you tell us a bit about what you do for Living Rent in Edinburgh?

I am a member of Living Rent which is Scotland’s tenants union. We are a democratically elected, member-led union and we campaign on various issues both nationally and locally. For an example of what we do locally, in Edinburgh we campaigned for [Edinburgh’s] tourist tax [to go towards] council homes and we won that! Nationally, we are campaigning for a points-based system for rent controls which brings rent down, makes it more affordable and creates better quality housing for people in Scotland.

I know that sounds a bit jargony, but basically rent controls were in place in Scotland throughout most of the twentieth century. They got revoked in the 80s when Thatcher was in power… obviously… and it makes a lot of sense to be bringing them back now despite what lies are spread by landlords and people in the housing sector so that they can continue exploiting their tenants.

I am also on the national committee; I was elected back in March by the entire union. I believe I’m one of two students on the national committee, and I’m really proud of that. I think students and other tenants in the wider community can often be pitted against each other, you see things online where people say ‘students are driving rent up!’, which is just not true. It’s landlords who have the monopoly in the housing market and students are just used as a scapegoat – partially because that’s how it’s spun in the media as well.

What made you want to get involved?

I learned about Living Rent around three years ago,

and then I moved away. When I came back, I just knew it was something I wanted to get involved in because housing is a human right. Seeing rents progressively get more expensive in Scotland since I had moved, and how that has affected the mental and physical health of people, made me want to do something. Tenants are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and physical health issues – particularly things like asthma getting worse because of neglect from landlords who rent out damp and mouldy properties. This is something I really want to see change in Scotland. Why is it important for students to be on top of things when it comes to landlords etc?

is poor quality and built on land that is simply not deemed fit for human inhabitation. There was an example in Gorgie, at Tynecastle High, where they were going to build flats but it was not deemed safe so they were like “let’s just fling up some PBSA instead.” This is something that the government has just allowed to happen, as well as allowing these providers to put rent up as much as they like. Things like this really show how the housing sector works against students, and that should really be a radicalising point for students to get involved in housing justice.

Students have really stressful lives. They’re working part-time or full-time jobs alongside their studies. It can get to be a lot, and so it makes sense for them to see that they’ve got mould in their ﬂat and be like “oh well, there’s nothing I can really do about it.” But it’s really important that students aren’t left out of the conversation as they often are.

We’re seeing PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) popping up around the country that

had two students come to us recently about their

Basically, join Living Rent. It is in the interest ning for almost 10 years now, and we will continue to win until the housing sector is balanced in the

housing issues which you can align with your own housing situation to help understand it better. It can often feel quite isolating when you have housing issues, and that’s how landlords want you to feel! But you might come along to a member defence meeting with Living Rent and ﬁnd someone who is having the exact same issue as you and work on your issues together. livingrent.org

Activism 101

Learn how to support Palestine and squash transphobia from some of the best grassroots organisations in Scotland

Words: Jack Faulds

As well as thinking about your tenancy rights as you settle into student life, you may also be thinking about how you can help put an end to the horrific breach of the most basic human rights that continues to be inflicted upon the people of Palestine by the state of Israel. By now, if you are trying to keep up with what is going on, your Instagram feed is probably a barrage of devastating on-the-ground footage, first-hand pleas from citizens in the Gaza strip and half-hearted, empty responses from world leaders. It is an overwhelming doom-scroll, but being so physically detached from the violence in Scotland means that we can very quickly put it all away if it gets too much. The privilege of being able to ‘switch off’ from an ongoing genocide is dangerous, and makes stumbling into the pitfalls of complicity or complete political disengagement all the easier.

Arts Workers For Palestine Dundee understand that creating this distance is irresponsible, that Scotland and its institutions actually have a lot to answer for, and that your voice as a student is needed now more than ever. On 6 August, they launched an open letter to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) and the University of Dundee opposing the Baillie Gifford bursaries which they are offering to undergraduate students in the upcoming 2024-2025 academic period. Baillie Gifford is a Scottish asset management company which has investments not only in arms companies that are supplying the Israeli military, but also in fossil fuel stocks. And, as if things couldn’t get any more sinister, the University of Dundee has posted articles to its website titled ‘West Bank based medical students visit Dundee in knowledge exchange’ and ‘Dundee awarded University of Sanctuary status’, boasting its supposed outstanding effort to support “those displaced by humanitarian crises” while it advertises these bursaries. Yuck.

“There is a lot to be angry about. But what can you do with these emotions?”

The open letter calls on DJCAD and the University of Dundee to ‘1. Pressure Baillie Gifford to divest from their holdings in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in arms manufacturers, and

in fossil fuels,’ ‘2. End ties with Baillie Gifford if they prove unwilling to divest’ and ‘3. Commit to informed consent when advertising scholarships to prospective recipients, making clear how the money has been sourced.’ Through establishing a clear, concise set of demands which has almost 300 individual signatories, Art Workers For Palestine Dundee have exempliﬁed that something as simple as an open letter can at the very least create interest and get people more involved in the cause. Though the deadline for applications to these bursaries has passed, you can still sign the open letter to put pressure on these institutions –a seemingly small act which may very well inspire you to venture further into advocating and organising for Palestine. This issue isn’t exclusive to Dundee, either – institutions such as Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow are also offering bursaries and scholarships in partnership with Baillie Gifford. So, join your college or university’s Palestine society, start one if it doesn’t exist, and organise an open letter. The time is now.

You might also be reﬂecting on the impending lawsuit surrounding the bizarre transphobic harassment of Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif (a cisgender woman, might I add) by everyone’s favourite Twitter (sorry, X) ghouls Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling. Or the fact that the emergency order made by former health secretary Victoria Atkins banning private prescriptions for puberty blockers – an essential part of trans healthcare for many young people – in the UK has not yet been done away with under the new Labour government. You are probably worried about the safety and wellbeing of your trans friends and family, or your own safety and wellbeing if you happen to be trans. You are probably angry, and rightfully so. There is a lot to be angry about. But what can you

do with these emotions? How do you respond to the negativity and hatred spouted by out-of-touch billionaires and once-beloved children’s authors in a way that sparks change and progression? The folks at Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh have a few ideas.

Earlier this year on 9 April, members and supporters of protest group Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh rocked up to Princes Street to counter a ‘women’s rights’ protest led by right-wing internet commentator Posie Parker. They arrived in busloads to drown out the aimless hodgepodge of anti-abortionists, neo-nazis and other miscellaneous bigots that make up Parker’s audience, and made clear to anyone reading the coverage of these events from outside Scotland that transphobia will not be tolerated in the capital city. We asked these trailblazers of positive, effective, anti-transphobic action what advice they have for students – like yourself – looking to organise against transphobia in Scotland. They said: “It’s too easy to be paralysed into inaction by the enormity of the challenges we face and it can be very easy to quickly burn out. Even though it can feel as if we’re largely powerless as individuals, every action does help. Success is accumulative and builds upon itself.

“It doesn’t require too many people working together to start making a signiﬁcant difference, so join a local resistance or support group. If nothing suitable is available, don’t be afraid to start your own, no matter how small. If you stick with it, then it will grow with each success.”

instagram.com/resistingtransphobiaedi

instagram.com/artsworkersforpalestinedundee

STUDENT EDITION

In this month’s student special, our advice columnist ﬁelds questions from the team about what they wish they had known from their student days

My friends keep bringing their partners to everything we do – I like their partners, but sometimes I want to spend time with just my friends. How to politely tell them to stop?!

I have almost certainly answered some variant of this question before, but I’m going to answer it again because people simply will not stop bringing their partners everywhere and it simply does not stop being annoying.

Admittedly, we shouldn’t silo romantic relationships to one side – it’s a sureﬁre way for people to become isolated in nuclear clusters and, selﬁshly, it’s likely to make them even more joined at the hip and irritating to be around. I also think the ways that hangouts in Western cultures happen in carefully curated, invite-only structures isn’t really representative of life or community: people just coming along and vibing is an art we have lost and need to revitalise.

That being said, Jesus, leave your boyfriend in his crate once in a while. If it really is an incessant thing, you’re more than justiﬁed to bring it up with your friends. It doesn’t have to be confrontational: rather than disinviting their partners, maybe you could talk about ways of spending time together that would be unique to your relationship, seeing this as an opportunity to generate new rather than limit existing intimacies. And if they point blank refuse, well. Accept the change that is taking place in your friendship or, better yet, identify someone they ﬁnd really a ravating and start bringing them to everything too x

My partner’s ﬂatmates are terrible. They’re annoying, they’re loud, and they’re always there. The problem – their ﬂat is a lot nicer than mine, in a better location, so *we’re* always there. What should I doooo?!?

I think you maybe know the answer to this and you just don’t want to admit it to yourself, but the answer is to hang out in your dingy faraway ﬂat and have a nice time.

Listen, people have every right – and it upsets me too! – to be annoying and loud and present in their own home. Short of staging a coup and changing the locks – and to be honest, far be it for me to discourage terrible ideas and chaotic impulses – you can’t really do much here. Unless they’re behaving

particularly rudely or offensively towards you or others around you, it truly is what it is. You can’t control someone just being bad vibes: that’s their god-given right as a citizen on this earth. What you can do is have a chat with your partner. Can you explain that their flatmates make you feel uncomfortable, and you’d rather tolerate the discomfort of your smaller flat and longer commute than their terrible energy? Can you explain that you’d like your partner to maybe make the sacrifice (said small flat, said long commute) to alleviate your discomfort? It kind of depends to what extent these are flatmates or friends as to what you can ask for, but I do think if you don’t love hanging out there, it’s only fair to sometimes hang out elsewhere. I really hope they (the partner, not the flatmates) can meet you where you’re at.

I have a silly little crush on my tutor. Actually, that’s a lie. It may be silly but it’s deﬁnitely not ot little. In fact, I feel lik I’m going insane. Why is this happening and what should I do? Why is this happening? Because, unfortunately, some of us have it deep wired in our brains that people in charge – generally of everything but especially of us – are sexy and exciting. They… know more than you? But they’ll tell you about it? And they’ll determine whether you did a good job of now knowing the things they know? Like, that’s hot! This crush is basically that meme about the girlie who has a praise kink and the guy just rocks up with a sheet of gold stars. Truly, what says ‘good girl’ more than someone telling you that your critical framework was well-researched and thorough? What should you do? Lmao absolutely fucking nothing. This crush exists as a fantasy, a response to an idea of a power dynamic, and while that is so nice and fun for you, it will be categorically zero nice and fun if it’s dra ed outside of the remits of fantasy and into the realm of, oh yeah, exploitation. Best case scenario, you make a move and are appropriately and embarrassingly rebuffed. Worst case scenario, they fancy you back (???) and now everything is icky and someone who should have had a duty of care towards you is being a creep. Have your silly enormous crush, and go make out with someone your own age.

Hangout Horror

Daniel Kokotajlo dips his toe into the murky water of folk horror with his latest ﬁlm Starve Acre. He talks to us about his inﬂuences, which range from classic British horrors to his experience growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness

I’m chatting with Daniel Kokotajlo about interspecies breastfeeding (something I never thought I’d write). “It’s a big part of mythology and folktales,” he laughs. “Folk horror, to me, is about people who want to return to something of old. They want to return to the past because they think it’s nostalgic or comforting in some way. But then they ﬁnd something darker and more mysterious. It’s quite common in British storytelling.”

We’re discussing folk horror because Kokotajlo’s second feature Starve Acre, the follow-up to his powerful 2017 debut Apostasy, is a macabre and contemporary twist on the genre. Based on the book of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley and set in 1970s Yorkshire, the ﬁlm follows archaeologist Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette (Morfydd Clark) as they grapple with the loss of their son on the isolated farmland where Richard was raised. Add in some creepy neighbours who give a whiff of Rosemary’s Baby, a hospital scene straight out of The Exorcist III, a dog attack, and an urban myth and you’ve got yourself a folk horror ﬁlm alright.

“It’s the horror that I feel like I deserve”

Daniel Kokotajlo

Starve Acre has been compared to British cinema classics like The Wicker Man and particularly Don’t Look Now, something Kokotajlo was braced for. “It seems like such an obvious inﬂuence, I couldn’t really escape it,” he says of the latter ﬁlm. “It’s the 70s. It’s about grief. It’s about this couple. So there’s all sorts of things that you can’t help but connect to. I was maybe playing up to that as well – I’ve got little nods to things in there,” like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of young Donald Sutherland, the star of Don’t Look Now, on a TV in one scene.

But there were more signiﬁcant inspirations, explains Kokotajlo. For example, the British ghost stories of E.R. James and the magical realism of Jan Švankmajer. He also su ests Starve Acre could be classed as a new genre, calling it a cosy “hangout horror ﬁlm”, which won’t necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea. “It won’t be their jam, the die-hard horror fans,” he says. “It’s for people who feel like they deserve some other kind of horror than what we have now. That’s how I feel. It’s the horror that I feel like I deserve in some way.”

What Starve Acre lacks in high-energy jump scares, it makes up for in foreboding dread. Its period setting is the 70s of frizzy haircuts, brown and orange geometric interiors, and the winter of discontent. It’s also a decade when interest in the occult was increasing across the UK, spawning a whole range of so-called “satanic panic” ﬁlms. A particular scene in Starve Acre links together

occult practices with the period’s burgeoning interest in spirituality – with yoga and meditation having made their way to the UK.

I wonder if Kokotajlo’s religious background – growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, something Apostasy dealt with – makes the stuff of horror ﬁlms seem less far-fetched? Accepting “magical events as mundane” is where the horror genre and religion overlap, Kokotajlo su ests. “Armageddon was supposed to arrive any day,” he recalls of his

Words: Katie Driscoll

childhood. “They would always tell me that I was never going to grow old or die. So I was always hoping, before I hit 21, that Armageddon was going to arrive and everybody in the world was going to die, except us, and we were going to spend years just dealing with the dead bodies. And it was just commonplace, you know? It was talked about as if someone was asking, ‘How’s your day been?’

“That’s partly what drew me to Starve Acre,” Kokotajlo adds. “There is this magical thing that happens, and for Richard especially, it’s just commonplace for him. He stru les with it internally. But then on the surface, he does internalise it and makes it commonplace. That’s religion for me.”

Richard deals with his grief by throwing himself into his archaeological work, until he digs up the bones of an old hare, a talisman that pops up to offer comfort to Juliette when – spoiler – it comes to life. But in classic horror ﬁlm style, something comforting may not always be what it seems. Didn’t Kokotajlo get the memo about working with kids or animals?

“I instantly thought of the Švankmajer version of Alice in Wonderland, which was stop-motion, but we couldn’t do stop-motion,” he explains. “It was just impossible, with the schedule and the mud and the budget. So the next best thing was puppeteering. I’m a big fan of Jim Henson, I love The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth. So I was getting excited by this uncanniness of it.”

Whether this hare is real or all in the characters’ heads is for the audience to decide. It’s not the only part of Starve Acre that’s ambiguous. “In a way, the whole thing is an analogy, right?” Kokotajlo explains. “How the hell do you move forward after such an event like losing your child? It’s not necessarily real to me anymore at the end. It’s like folklore itself. Because if people are coming out of the ﬁlm questioning the blocking, or wondering, what happens next? Then I feel like the ﬁlm hasn’t worked…” And with that, just like a classic jump scare, our Zoom shuts off. We’ve run out of time.

Starve Acre is released 6 Sep by BFI

Starve Acre

Photo: Chris Harris

Writing Intimacy

The Skinny meets Samuel Temple – the winner of this year’s The Skinny Prize at RSA New Contemporaries – to learn more about their making process, inspirations and the realities of post-art school life

Words: Harvey Dimond

When we talk to the winner of The Skinny Prize this year, Samuel Temple, they are busy packing up their belongings in preparation to move from Glasgow to Brighton. Following their graduation from The Glasgow School of Art last year (an experience the artist describes as “four years of endurance creativity”) Temple was selected to be included in the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries exhibition this year. The Skinny selected the artist for their bold and unapologetically queer and intimate visual and written works, such as By the Bedside, a beautifully tender portrayal of queer intimacy, accompanied by a spectral, haunting soundtrack. Temple’s work feels particularly vital in the present moment, where queer and trans people in the UK ﬁnd themselves in an increasingly hostile and precarious environment. With representations of LGBTQ+ lives and identities coming under attack in public and educational spaces – such as the banning of LGBTQ-themed books in public libraries following complaints from parents, as well as the UK government’s ban on puberty blockers for under-18s, you could be forgiven for thinking Britain was harking back to the days of Section 28 (legislation implemented by Thatcher’s Conservative government which banned the ‘promotion’ of any material deemed to represent LGBTQ+ identities).

had devised a hanging system for three custom canvasses for projecting. I wanted the canvasses to be substantial in weight and thickness. But ﬂoating, like a memory. They hung in such a way you could only ever really see one screen at a time. You had to choose what screen to watch, but the audio ﬁlled the space.”

“The concern I’m looking into at the moment is connection, pushing myself to make connections and seeing what comes out when we start making work”

Samuel Temple

The way that the artist captures bodies – bodies that are undulating, caressing, languishing – has an aching beauty and subtlety that is reminiscent of Baroque or Renaissance painting. This rich, delicate aesthetic is the result of the artist colour grading the footage “to resemble Dutch Golden Age paintings, with their shadows and richness.” By the Bedside was made in close collaboration with Glasgow-based artist Grundvold. Temple tells me the process of making the film began when Grundvold “tweeted that they were looking for people to collaborate and film porn with and I replied… We quickly arranged a date to discuss our visual inspirations and exchange some loose ideas. I found our first encounter really quite interesting, like a date but not a date – we were devising a plan of how we were going to have sex in a really matter of fact way… We had a natural chemistry, the technicalities of the filming process became foreplay, and my insecurities dulled as soon as we started.”

For RSA New Contemporaries, Temple presented a slightly tweaked version of By the Bedside, a ﬁlm installation which they created for their undergraduate degree show at GSA. They tell me that the installation at the RSA was “a streamlined version of what I had installed at my graduation show, where I

Like with many of Temple’s works, the stimulus for By the Bedside was a piece of writing from years before the ﬁlm’s making: “The process began with ideas of memories and longing. I have a piece of writing from a previous relationship that I wanted to create a video for, so I made it into subtitles and edited the footage to that – letting parts of the poem dictate length between cuts and what clips go where… The ﬁlm,

which started off as a ‘fantasy’ about longing, had now become autobiographical.” Temple created the accompanying audio experience organically and intuitively, recording violin scores in response to what they had filmed; “I find it much easier to edit when I have a sound or a score to edit alongside,” they tell me. “So I took my violin into art school, pushed record on my phone and played to what I had created so far. I tried to mimic the touches and caresses in the film on the violin. It was the first time I ever really felt an instrument become an extension of self.” The creating of the soundscape allowed them to ‘escape’… “from the obsessive editing process I had sunk into.”

To accompany the installation, they created and printed two poems which were placed inside intricately hand-crafted envelopes – of which Temple made around a thousand. Writing is an integral part of the artist’s practice – but it is also something that is personal and private. Temple says that for them, sharing their writing with the world feels more revealing than showing their nude body on screen: “Despite my work featuring nudity and sex, it’s been the writing that I have felt the most exposed by. My writing is the most revealing part of my practice. I’d rather be naked than let anyone read my (unedited) diary. It really is the core, even if the writing goes unseen. It’s most likely that there will be a piece of writing somewhere that goes with the visuals I create.”

what feels like a shell of my former self… However, I have started rediscovering the joy I ﬁnd from research and I’ve been looking into some obscure parts of queer history. I have been looking into the gay history of sailing and some tales of genderqueer sailors too. From this research, I’m in the early stages of beginning a new body of work with the aim of retelling queer narratives within a 19th century-inspired aesthetic.”

“The post-art school burnout has really reduced me and my output to what feels like a shell of my former self…”

Samuel Temple

However, this period after art school has also given them time and space to pursue other things. One of these things has been “reaching out to people, either people with skills I don’t have or people I just want to get to know. Asking if we could create together, both for fun and to connect with potential collaborators. I’m starting off with reconnecting with my ‘music’, which always reminds me of my childhood in Shetland. So I’m arranging opera lessons and then getting together with a music producer. Finding ways to learn and create ‘for free’ has been interesting. I guess the concern I’m looking into at the moment is connection, pushing myself to make connections and seeing what comes out when we start making work.”

Temple is candidly honest about the strange, unsettled period following graduation from art school – something many arts graduates will be all too familiar with. “To be honest, I’ve not set out to make work since graduating last year. I’ve taken my camera with me for walks and written in my diary. The post-art school burnout has really reduced me and my output to

Reflecting on Temple’s practice, which is so deeply and richly intimate, I ask them what their sources of inspiration are. They tell me: “My lovers always seem to inspire me to make and stay creative, which seems fitting for my admiration of classic romanticism and my desire to make more beautiful porn. There is something about experiencing life and realising you have something worth sharing. This is something we all have. I find this ‘line’ of creativity to come the most naturally – it’s an extension of my diary, where trying to make sense of it is often the starting point… Trying to understand a breakup, trying to understand why I feel the way I do in the world I am in basically.”

Samuel Temple, By the Bedside

The Power of the Unseen

In her show at Edinburgh Printmakers, Tayo Adekunle ﬁnds afﬁnity with a Yoruban Orisha in new photographs, prints and textile works

In traditional Yoruba spirituality, Éṣù – as the guardian of gateways and crossroads – exists between two realms. “He’s the divine messenger, and he’s the intermediary between the rest of the Orishas [divine spirits] and humans. So anytime you want to talk to one Orisha, you’ll usually give an offering to Éṣù as well,” says Nigerian-British artist Tayo Adekunle.

In Stories of the Unseen at Edinburgh Printmakers, Éṣù takes centre stage. Unpacking racial history and its colonial violence, Adekunle’s work seeks to subvert the dominant narratives told of Black people and Black culture. The exhibition spotlights Adekunle’s new work, developed through her residency at Edinburgh Printmakers, as well as previous works Reclamation of the Exposition and Artefact series (2020) which explores the commodiﬁcation and fetishisation of Black women’s bodies in the 18th and 19th century.

“I felt a serious afﬁnity with [Éṣù],” Adekunle says. He appears in her recent prints in red hues beneath curved gold, holding each photographed frame with a balanced grace. Arms at angles, reaching, are coupled with a warm expression of wisdom. When Christian missionaries translated the Bible into Yoruba, Éṣù – a little bit of a trickster, keen to test individuals – was misused as a translation for the devil. Colonisation continues to grip language and stories all too tightly; Éṣù’s name is still bound to a certain evil, a wretchedness. Adekunle, therefore, wanted to shine a light on this misrepresentation, instead presenting Éṣù in all his glory. “Being a Black woman, people just make their mind up about me quite quickly – and I can see it.”

Adekunle’s residency at Edinburgh

Words: Eilidh Akilade

Printmakers saw her printing for the ﬁrst time since college. “Basically, I try to do everything myself, which is kind of a good thing and a bad thing,” she says. Making her own props, sourcing her own archival material, and acting as her own model, Adekunle’s practice sees each aspect of the work tell its own story. “It means that it’s quite meditative, but this [residency] really, really slowed everything down. It was glorious.” Toyobo printing, which Adekunle used throughout her residency, sees photosensitive plates exposed to digital images, allowing the plates to print etchings. Layers press upon layers; a story is told and re-told.

In the middle of the exhibition, a single fabric hangs, twisted. Maps of Africa – from pre-colonial to the present – span across it. “I wanted that piece to be multi-purpose so I used it as a backdrop, and then I also used it to drape over the model. I also wanted to have it in the show,” Adekunle says. After designing the print herself, GSA’s Centre for Advanced Textiles printed it upon the fabric. In her previous work, Adekunle used different Nigerian fabrics, lovingly sent by her mother. She photographed them, used them as backdrops, and, sometimes, simply wore them. It was ﬁtting, then, to bring such versatility – draping, hanging, twisting – into this new body of work.

Although she is usually both model and photographer, this residency saw Adekunle stay behind the camera, with a friend of hers modelling the ﬁgure of Éṣù. “I’ve stru led,” she laughs. With so much of her previous work unpacking the power of the photographer – particularly in relation to the portrayal and agency of Black people – she found herself routinely checking that the model was comfortable. She needn’t have worried: after the

ﬁrst day of the two day shoot, the model went home with the body paint on, enjoying the lines and curves upon their face, their back. “I love that,” says Adekunle.

“I think that images are quite powerful in communicating ideas. I was finding all of these things in academic sources that most people aren’t going to read. It also doesn’t carry the weight of the thing,” she says. Too much of our history is held –contained, sanitised – in academia rendering it unreachable to most. The well-worn phrase prevails: knowledge is power. Understanding the roots of our present-day injustices is critical in working through them. There’s so much history that isn’t told or is ignored, and people and figures who are just completely disregarded,” she says. And so, Adekunle is keen to take our stories into the open. Her work holds cataclysmic possibilities, presenting a figure or a pattern, an object or an idea, and encouraging the viewer to seek more of the story elsewhere. “For me, storytelling is a form of history. We have a history that’s in textbooks, but that is also a form of storytelling.” Fact, fable – these are false categories for historical understanding, too often dictated by the white powers that be.

“The remnants of a true history that we have are from folk tales and oral history,” says Adekunle. Éṣù’s tale was seized by colonial ideals, manipulating his character beyond recognition. Appearing in Stories of the Unseen as both a healer and a guardian, Adekunle reclaims his story for all to witness. “It’s a radical act to ﬁght to keep your culture alive.”

Stories of the Unseen: Tayo Adekunle, Edinburgh Printmakers, until 10 Nov

Photo: Alan Dimmick

Image: courtesy of the artist

Tayo Adekunle, Stories of the Unseen at Edinburgh Printmakers

Tayo Adekunle, Misunderstood Healer

Theatre under Threat

A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s new season drops at a profoundly unstable time in the Scottish theatre scene

Words: Rho Chung

It’s a scary time to be a theatre maker in Scotland. With Creative Scotland announcing the closure of the Open Fund for Individuals, artists without institutional support are in a more precarious position than ever. As one of Scotland’s best established theatre institutions, A Play, A Pie and A Pint is in a vital position to ensure that work by marginalised artists get a slice.

With funding for theatre companies also in peril, it’s a tricky balance to maintain. In the past year, we’ve seen the rug ripped out from under some of Scotland’s only programmes dedicated to new, local work. This season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint brings a mix of work to Glasgow’s Òran Mór, with a total of twelve plays running from September to November. The programme is composed of predominantly new writing, though the season opens on 2 September with a revival of Greg Hemphill’s Poker Alice, which ran twenty years ago in Play Pie Pint’s debut season.

‘The tightening stranglehold on marginalised artists in Scotland is a direct result of austerity, with no relief in sight’

Jack Hunter’s The Wolves at the Door will be directed by Amie Burns Walker, known for the acclaimed immersive adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The play is a dark comedy about the cost-of-living crisis and corporate greed. Walker, who self-describes as Neurodivergent and working-class, brings a community-based lens to the work. Lost Girls/At Bus Stops, by Page2Stage alum Róisín Sheridan-Bryson, will be directed by Play Pie Pint’s Associate Director, Laila Noble. Noble programmed this season, and Sheridan-Bryson’s play speaks to the company’s commitment to giving “emerging playwrights their fair shot,” as Noble says.

In my opinion, emerging artists deserve more than a shot. In staging work by early-career playwrights, Play Pie Pint inducts artists into a long-running (twenty years long, in fact) cultural institution. It’s a lot of power in an ever-shrinking industry. Funding cuts continue to create scarcity, lending credence to the capitalist belief that there’s just not enough to go around, especially for working-class and marginalised artists. Thus the programming of ‘underrepresented’ artists becomes a heroic act of preservation, not an industry-wide expectation.

The tightening stranglehold on marginalised artists in Scotland is a direct result of austerity, with no relief in sight. As long as the bar is set at inclusion and not at autonomy or agency, power will continue to be consolidated in institutions. Zooming out from Play Pie Pint, there’s a united feeling of horror, anxiety and indignation in the arts sector at the moment.

Following Creative Scotland’s announcement last month, nearly 200 artists and groups based in Scotland signed an open letter to the members of the Scottish government responsible for arts funding. The letter names the Open Fund for Individuals as the ‘primary route to public funding’ for Scottish artists. With this announcement falling at the end of an especially punishing festival season, the Scottish government’s neglect of art made under its own jurisdiction has thrown the creative sector into crisis.

Cutting funding for the Open Fund for Individuals hollows out Scotland’s creative heart, figuring this place as an empty theme park for festivals to pull in tourists and their money. It’s difficult to feel optimistic right now, but I know that no funding cut will stop art from being made. It will, however, make new and daring work harder to find (it already has). It will make it harder for working-class artists to find the time and space to make what they want. In response, we have to keep looking for theatre that is weird, anarchic and ecstatic. We have to demonstrate through our attention that Scotland’s artistic heart is still beating.

Photo: Mark Wild Photography

An Education in East Coast Clubbing

Scotland's east coast has beaches galore and is the birthplace of modern golf. However, what lies along the shore, unbeknown to most, is a different kind of club

“Isaw these crazy line-ups I didn’t think could exist in Scotland, or at least anywhere near here,” Callum McCabe recalls on joining Szentek – St Andrews’ arts and electronic music collective. Founded in 2016, functioning much like a student society – yet maintaining independence from the university – it’s an expressive vent in a town with limited outlets. “We have to make our own fun in a place like this,” explains Alex Woodward. “I got involved early last year… I said I wanted to see Neffa-T...” So Szentek brought it to life at a grain silo.

“It’s a unique venue,” beams Nikita Rakhmanov, describing the barren Cupar venue. “The circular shape allows us to do lots with lights and art.” “People want to be creative”, emphasises McCabe, “there’s just no Art School”. Accordingly, in anticipation of events, handmade tapestries are hung from members’ homes – “we call it an open-air museum… it gives the town that little bit more colour”.

Moving Castle – Szentek’s ﬂagship festival, founded in 2022 over a shared Studio Ghibli appreciation – spreads across three stages, plaited by a slew of pathways, a courtyard, and spiral staircase. “It allows us to do completely different things in such close proximity to each other,” explains Rakhmanov. “There’s a worldwide experience of nightlife coming together here,” McCabe highlights. If there isn’t something you like, “make it yourself…that’s what several groups have already done. They come and they go. We’re just dependent on the sweaty basements on the east coast of Scotland at the moment.”

Operating out of The Maker bar (formerly Hunter S Thompson), holding down DEMS –Dundee Electronic Music Society – is Kieron Neave. “When I ﬁrst moved from Glasgow, during

Freshers' week, I found that going to Aura wasn’t my cup of tea.” Over the three years since, still largely in its infancy, Dundee Electronic Music Society has built a community for scholars. Although considering the closure of King’s, since last May the venue space is limited. “We do pop-up spaces downstairs at The Lowdown… lots of the King’s residencies moved over here,” remoulding late-night licenses into more casual affairs conﬁned by a 1am curfew of the non-purpose-built club. But for many, bracing rising rents and living costs combined, this night-time alternative suits. “You have to spend your money wisely,” admits Neave. “It’s just not viable to indulge in going out as much.”

Words: Cammy Gallagher

With DEMSFEST, their annual festival at Mains Castle, DEMS have welcomed international artists, from MC Pat Flynn to Flowdan, alongside a local hotbed of burgeoning talent, whilst raising thousands for The Brain Tumour Charity. “Dundee is small, it can be overlooked..." says Neave. "But the student population is huge.” Whether enrolling at the university, or art school, “try it all out… there’s so much going on.”

“It’s one of the most picturesque parties in the UK,” says Stewart Aitchison, pitching Pier Party – the boatyard brainchild of the seven-strong DJ collective, Le Freak & Friends, formed within their Perth Road shop. “It’s become a bit of a hub for club nights, jazz bands, and even rappers, across the city,” smiles Tim Piele. “There’s been so

“We used to get shit for playing the student union. It was seen as commercial…”

Tim Piele, Le Freak & Friends

many artists that have become huge out of Dundee in the last ten years, like Hannah Laing, AVNU, PYLOT, Clouds, KILIMANJARO, and Craigie Knowes.”

“When I moved through, it was The Reading Rooms… this was the space you’d see the acts that you would in Sub Club or La Cheetah,” Aitchison recalls. “It was an iconic beacon on the east coast,” Piele ruminates. “You still got the big, more mainstream acts, coming up after, through Van Damn doing All Good… it kept a whole section of kids still going out.” “But that’s the problem,” Kev Dorward interjects, “nobody goes out anymore.” “We’ve reached this apex for club culture,” chimes in Aitchison, “and it’s now on the downside.” “DEMS nailed it,” laughs Piele, “they’ve got a captive market doing what nobody else was allowed. We used to get shit for playing the student union. It was seen as commercial… but it was about showing students there are other places to go out. Though we’d be amiss not to say that, currently, there’s no standout club… but that doesn’t mean the scene’s dead.”

“There are lots of smaller spots around the city,” agrees Tom Le Feuvre, “places like Nola, Roots, Beat Generator, Church.” “That’s what we’ve got over other cities,” stresses Aitchison, “little DIY bubbles. You just need to accept, in the ﬁrst instance, as much as you’re contributing towards culture, it’s a hobby, and any hobby in life will drain your bank balance. Nobody goes to play ﬁve-a-sides thinking they’ll get signed for Man Utd… It’s the same for being a club promoter. You need to accept you’re going to spend a lot of money, and if you do it well enough, and you do it long enough… you’ll break even.”

Photo: Szentek

Szentek

Le Freak

DEMS

Saturday Girl

In an age of isolation, supermarket check-outs and wiped-clean cafe tables become a site of connection – no matter your age. One writer reﬂects upon building your sense of self and community through the clocked-in hours of part-time work

On my lunch break, I watched as the teenage girl behind the counter at the cafe shot a brace-ﬁlled smile to colleagues, waved goodbye, and walked outside, ducking into the passenger seat of her dad’s car. At the ripe old age of 24, I felt a wave of premature nostalgia wash over me. I was immediately transported back to a time in my life between pocket money and ‘big girl’ wages. A time when, at four o’clock, I’d trade my school uniform for a work uniform and prepare for battle – the days of ﬁrst jobs and part-time work.

My ﬁrst job was working in a small, frozen food supermarket. I did my homework at the checkout, and my mum would pick me up and drop me off. It was windowless and often ﬁlled with slightly drunken older men stumbling in from the pubs next door, giving it the accidental feeling of a Vegas casino stocked with Fray Bentos.

“Always examine the bank notes,” a supervisor warned me gravely on my ﬁrst shift. “Last week, Jenna took eighty pounds’ worth of notes from the ‘Bank of Smelly Arse.’” I had to stiﬂe a laugh. But this was, in the eyes of the young manager, a very serious forgery threat. From then on, I held every note to the sky looking for obscenities.

I left after a short period to pursue greater things – an even bi er, more fluorescent, windowless supermarket around the corner. It became my official part-time gig, I worked there for years. In many ways, it was where I grew up. I mopped up spilled milk while discussing my prom dress with a colleague who asked for wedding dress opinions in return. I cried when I was dumped for the first time, slumped in the back of the bakery section, comforted by the 70 year-old cake decorator behind a sea of Hovis. I celebrated with friends at the pizza counter when I got an offer for university, tossing my hair net into the air like an American graduation cap.

I poured my little earnings into a sixth year holiday, dig money, or work nights out that we’d spend all shift discussing, before nursing communal headaches the next day at the checkout. We’d scowl at the customers who bought hot food before midday, the smell of rotisserie chicken offensive to our hinging state, and praised the part-timer who discovered that the scanner’s bleeps

could be turned down. Of course, I envied my jobless wealthy peers, attending school and university extracurriculars without the call of duty ever-ringing. Meanwhile, I had dodgy managers and long shifts. And yet, it was a golden time, before the true pressures of adulthood, soundtracked by the hum of industrial refrigerators.

I left the cafe feeling weirdly emotional. I spoke to my friend Jas to ask if she felt the same.

“For some people, talking to store workers like me was the only interaction they’d have that day. Or that week”

Had I romanticised my first job? Jas and I grew up together. As kids, we solemnly agreed to become models-slash-international-spies. But over the years we lost sight of the dream. As young adults, she worked in a sports store across from me in the town’s retail park. And, like me, she’s now working in her first full-time office job.

“I miss the feeling of being carefree,” she began. “I think it taught me how to work with people of different ages, backgrounds, opinions, and learn from them. It also gave me a new appreciation for people working in retail and hospitality and what they need to put up with from some customers.”

The customers – possibly the most challenging part of any retail job. We swapped some horror stories and laughed before she gazed off. “Funnily enough, the customers that stick with me aren’t the angry or arrogant people. It was the person going through personal issues and sharing it all with me,” she said. “It made me realise how many lonely people there are out there – that they would rather vent to a 17-year-old stranger folding their clothes.”

She was right. I thought of all those people – colleagues and customers – who shared their stories with me, a spotty teenager with a name badge, balancing my own grief in the wake of losing my dad and navigating life’s complexities. For some people, talking to store workers like me was the only interaction they’d have that day. Or that week. The bonds built transcended age.

I thought of the woman whose daughter was in debt from funding a series of failed IVF attempts, and later brought her grandchild to meet the staff. The ex-miner, who’d been working in the store since the decimation of the former industrial town. And the old man who came in to buy a newspaper and talk to shelf-stackers every Saturday until he passed away.

Some of my friends made careers out of the job, ﬂourishing into full-time, but for others like myself, there was a melancholy understanding that it was only temporary. They were heading elsewhere. Maybe, one day, they would be back. Maybe not. “Ships that pass in the night,” as my gran would say.

It left something profound with me – a lesson in community. Supporting one another in an age of isolation. It was life, in all its glory, in every aisle. And it was the people that made it worth it.

Words: Jodie Leith

Photo:

Eduardo Soares courtesy of unsplash

Uphill & Outdoors

All the best landmarks are well-acquainted with an unexpected song or two. We chat with Liminal Event, the team fostering community by taking music and dance to the great outdoors – everywhere from Arthur’s Seat to your local bothy

Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza, the International Space Station – all have ﬂeetingly transformed to provide a setting for live musical acts. Scotland and its landmarks are no stranger to such well-tuned shapeshifting. With a sunset backdrop and a makeshift rig, Liminal Event have converged on the summit of Arthur’s Seat twice this summer. The project, to bring transcendental music and dance experiences to a like-minded crowd, was started by Edinburgh local Alastair Curtis-Walcott and Belgian PhD student Hannah Vanhoof. CurtisWalcott chanced upon a similar event on top of Mount Victoria in New Zealand. “I just thought ‘Edinburgh needs this,’” Ali says, seeking to reconnect the public with the volcanic landmark at the city’s centre. “That’s what spawned this back in February and slowly we’ve been building it ever since.”

Having held a number of other free events on The Meadows and most recently, a party on the white beaches of the North Coast, the couple have had an industrious summer. The pair ﬁrst met at the end of last year while travelling in Sri Lanka, bonding over their shared loves of sound systems, surﬁng and sustainability. They make for a brilliant team, combining Curtis-Walcott’s expertise as a brand designer with Vanhoof’s background in environmental engineering. As a result, the eco credentials of the project shine through. Vanhoof recalls a pivotal dilemma – save cash with a fuel-guzzling generator or take the risk to go green. “[Alastair] was telling me, ‘‘I’m

low on money, how are we going to do this?’, and [I said] , ‘Ali, we’ve got to do it renewably. If we’re going to do it, we’ve got to do it right.’”

The duo’s determination to execute a lineup of low-impact events is commendable. From encouraging car shares and litter picking, to powering events exclusively with renewables and conducting environmental impact assessments – each step of the process is meticulously formulated. The values at the heart of the project make it an attractive opportunity for collaborators. Jubel, the brewery known for their après-ski beer, was instantly drawn to the events. “They are B Corp certiﬁed,” Curtis-Walcott explains, “so us working with renewables and aiming towards sustainability [had them] really interested.” As expected, stocking the events with free lager has been a hit.

Rumours of boozy, hill-top parties carrying the torch of Edinburgh’s raving legacy have spread fast. A WhatsApp group with some 130 members supplies details of upcoming events, while their curated Instagram account issues teasers for its followers. Emil, an attendee of the second Arthur’s Seat event, was coaxed along by a ﬂatmate. He describes it as “absolutely idyllic listening to live music with such a view”. The effort the Liminal Event team (up to 11 people strong) make to stage these parties has become part of the spectacle. “[I was] just impressed at them lu ing all the sound kit up the hill,” Emil adds.

Their appeal to a wide audience is reﬂected in the varied lineup – launching with performances

‘Rumours of boozy, hilltop parties carrying the torch of Edinburgh’s raving legacy have spread fast’

from local songwriters, before opening the decks to bassy DJ sets. Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter Archie Topp was scouted at the Meadows Festival for the inaugural Arthur’s Seat event. “I was immediately up for it,” he says, “but there were also a lot of logistics to ﬁgure out. I had to strip down to the minimum gear so I could hike it up the back of Arthur’s Seat by stealth.” As sounds of song carried across the hills, inquisitive walkers joined the rabble. “I had a great time watching as more people became intrigued,” he recalls. “People clapped from above us on the very summit, like an auditorium.”

Inevitably, the Holyrood Park ranger service, who patrol the grounds of Arthur’s Seat, stumbled across the event. “We did get caught on our last one,” says Curtis-Walcott. To the luck of the crowd, the incident ended amicably rather than with a confrontation. “It was ﬁne, they were really gracious!”

After all, the team is open to working alongside local authorities. “We’re very keen to learn from whatever they have to say,” Vanhoof says. “They’re dealing with cultural events all the time, they’ve got a lot of knowledge that we can learn from.” Despite their clandestine operation, they hope their work will pave the way for collaboration in the future.

As the nights draw in, the pair have turned their sights towards the looming winter months.

“We’ve identiﬁed a whole number of bothies which are danceable,” Curtis-Walcott says. “What we ﬁnd worthwhile is events that are actually exciting to celebrate – the longest and shortest days of the year, seasonal celebrations, cosmological events.”

Certainly, for Vanhoof, one detail is key: “And [they’re] not man-made-up!” She sees it as an exciting way to bring the community together – to wrap up warm and rejoice in the natural beauty of Scotland.

It’s a precarious balancing act the couple have embarked upon: to appease local authorities while maintaining their nonconformist image; to promote their hard work yet sustain a manageable crowd size; to embrace spontaneity and still organise thoughtfully. There’s no doubt they take it all in their stride.

Find out more @liminalevent on Instagram

Words: Myrtle Boot

Photo: Omar James

Listen to: Girls, Perfume, Elevation

Album of the Month

The Dare — What’s Wrong With New York?

Haven’t heard of The Dare? Well, if you’ve had a ‘Brat Summer’ there’s a good chance you probably have. The suit-clad New York-based artist and producer is the epitome of cool at the minute. From producing Charli xcx and Billie Eilish’s sultry chart-topper Guess to spearheading NYC’s electroclash revival scene with his Freakquencies club nights – or even nostalgically bringing it back to 2007 and sparking up a cig behind the decks – everyone wants a piece of Harrison Patrick Smith. So, what better time for The Dare to share his debut album than now? Following on from his debut Sex EP, released last year, What’s Wrong With New York? oozes conﬁdence and sex appeal. Beginning with Open Up, Smith’s snarling vocal immediately takes hold. ‘Free your mind and your ass will follow,’ he sings, setting the scene for the lust that sprawls across the album amid slick, distorted guitar lines reminiscent of Albert Hammond Jr. Good Time takes a leaf out of the LCD Soundsystem notebook with boisterous yells, stuttering synths and a magnetic dance-punk energy that’s a staple to The Dare’s live sets and an enticing call to action to, well, have a good time. His divisive breakout track Girls, a homage to the raunchiness of early 00s electroclash, fully

embodies The Dare’s unabashed persona and provides the album’s bi est stand out moment (‘I like the girls who like to lie that they came / Girls who fuck on the train / Girls who got so much hair on they ass, it clogs the drain’). Perfume follows suit with gripping CSS-esque production, while previously unheard numbers I Destroyed Disco and You’re Invited permeate with the sweat and hysteria of a raucous indie club night in a dingy Manhattan basement.

There are some surprises though. Elevation offers a more introspective side to the album, with its inward looking lyrics exploring themes of fear and longing amidst drug use and relationships heightened by atmospheric reverbs and melodic vocals. Movement channels the overwhelming sensations of drug-highs via cacophonous distorted synths while album closer You Can Never Go Home rounds things off in the same hedonistic fashion that it started with, its do-or-die mantra to live in the moment: ‘Don’t look back tonight / Tonight is all we know / Leave everything behind / Cause you can never go home.’

Sonic debauchery laced with moments of introspection, The Dare’s debut is worth the hype. [Jamie Wilde]

Hinds Viva Hinds Out 6 Sep via Lucky Number

Dame Area Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area Out 13 Sep via Mannequin Records and Humo Internacional

Bright Eyes Five Dice, All Threes Out 20 Sep via Dead Oceans

Katy J Pearson Someday, Now Out 20 Sep via Heavenly Recordings

Pale Waves Smitten Out 27 Sep via Dirty Hit

Nala Sinephro

Endlessness

Warp Records, 6 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Continuum 1, Continuum 6, Continuum 10

You don’t need to believe in reincarnation to appreciate Nala Sinephro’s latest album, but as a device for forcing you to listen closely and ponder deeply, it works beautifully. An album of permeable borders and diverging paths, Endlessness sees the CaribbeanBelgian composer and her collaborators fuse elements of avant-jazz and electronic music into a 45-minute composition split into ten distinct movements. Continuum 1 opens proceedings as Morgan Simpson’s loose, rolling drums and James Mollison’s mournful saxophone take turns navigating the complex stellar tapestry created by Sinephro’s modular synth.

Positioned somewhere between Alice Coltrane’s transcendental meditation on grief, Journey in Satchidananda, and Éliane Radigue’s monumental work of mourning and transition, Trilogie de la Mort, Endlessness is a deeply sensual journey into that most fundamental of unknowns. On Continuum 7 the sound of Sinephro’s undulating synths creates a sense of weightlessness akin to wandering through the bardo. By the time Continuum 10 closes the album with a ﬂash of rapture. It feels like your soul has been thoroughly cleansed. [Patrick Gamble]

Housewife

Me Out

Transparent Things starts with the unbridled swa er of Poolside – a blistering-hot opener punctuated by alluring rattlesnake shakes and dad-rock guitar ﬂourishes – and settles into the hot-footed disco groove of Loveshot, an equally tantalising number which sets this album up to be one which runs on raw attitude. Ah, but this is not so, dear reader! Of course, the swampy sway of Alligator and gospel-y gait of Buzzing On You would only strengthen this kind of characterisation. But the vulnerable romance of Falling In Love Again and tactile tenderness of Don’t Drown Me Out make for welcome detours. At once, Ford embodies the freedom of the motorcycle boyfriend your father doesn’t approve of and the isolation of a broken hausfrau on the album’s main showstopper Housewife Dreams of America. This track serves as a shining example of the driving force behind the creation of Ford’s stunning debut – the desire to tell the stories of misunderstood or marginalised characters. This also comes through on the album’s swelling curtain call Our Mutual Friend, in which Ford humanises the grim reaper and recognises them as a helpful being that guides us to the light. [Jack Faulds]

Nilüfer Yanya My Method Actor Ninja Tune, 13 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Method Actor, Like I Say (I runaway)

Nilüfer Yanya’s debut, Miss Universe, felt like a refreshing new twist on guitar music back in 2019 and her credentials were conﬁrmed on 2022’s Painless. Now, My Method Actor continues an excellent run from an artist who can seemingly do no wrong. Songs like Like I Say (I runaway) or Method Actor retain her fuzzy guitars, but Yanya’s voice has been distilled to its purest essence, rarely needing to rise above a whisper to get her message across. However, that message is often a messy knot of stark kiss-offs and gnawing anxieties. Binding is an atmospheric slow-builder, thoughts tumbling from Yanya like an unspooling thread. On the title track she explores personal duality in assured, catchy tones, despite the dark notions of soullessness. Its outro introduces an eerie ambience that’s further explored in more industrial tones on Ready for Sun (touch) and ﬁnally resolved on peaceful closer, Wingspan.

While seeking answers to life’s bi est questions, Yanya drills down into the minutiae of life, surrounding her thoughts with intricate strings, swirling synths and twinkling guitars. The production is pristine, while none of her lo-ﬁ charm has been lost. My Method Actor is a triumph on all counts. [Lewis Wade]

Manning Fireworks ANTI-, 6 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Wristwatch, She’s Leaving You, Rip Torn

‘Please don’t laugh / Only half of what I said was a joke’, sings MJ Lenderman on Joker Lips, a twinge of disappointment in his voice. This is the everyman, heralded for rifﬁng about Jackass and Dan Marino over the twang and hiss of countrygaze. On Manning Fireworks, he’s not sure where that’s left him – does he have something serious to say?

Nothing here is as charmingly ramshackle as 2022’s Boat Songs Manning Fireworks is polished and lean, and it’s not unfair to wonder if the record is an attempt to capitalise on Lenderman’s sudden popularity. It’s front-loaded with his best work – funny songs about sad acts and disappointment. Wristwatch manages to avoid cringe in its attempt at skewering a very online guy, obsessed with tech but crushingly alone. When Lenderman is funny, it’s less wrestling references and more caustic internal rhymes. With a glut of pedal steel and banjo, the back half blurs into sameness; it’s still some of the best indie rock music around.

As closing track Bark At the Moon melts into a sustained static drone, ﬁnally relenting to noise over the pressure to make a statement, something greater still is on the horizon. [Tony Inglis]

MJ Lenderman

Gia Ford Transparent Things Chrysalis Records, 13 Sep rrrrr

Listen to:

Dreams of America, Alligator, Don’t Drown

13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips Polyvinyl, 27 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Common Loon, Veneﬁcium, Sleep Blvd.

Gather a bedazzled high heel, the head of a rotting pig, and the No New York compilation on vinyl. Paint a ritual circle using chalk to place them within; light a candle in the middle and you’ll summon Xiu Xiu. In a discography ping-ponging between styles like a teenager discovering Tumblr, the noisecollage rockers have often brushed the underside of accessible, incurring a rush of fanbase excitement each time. It’s only now that Xiu Xiu are as close to Jack White as a Redditor could conceive.

You’re forgiven for your apprehension, but make no mistake, this is an example of the world bending around Xiu Xiu, not the other way around. Single Veneﬁcium is a perfect descriptor for this varied, warped take on garage rock. It contains the feverish vocals and terrifying soundplay that Xiu Xiu listeners use as warm ambience by now, but layered within (not substituted by) a true-blue rock song, with blues riffs, no less. It has the right amount of foot in each grave, keeping an interesting idea interesting, no matter the makeup. For all those not baptized in Jamie Stewart’s ﬁre, this is your last call: they’re not returning this generously again. [Noah Barker]

Dog

Domino, 6 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Vigilante, Clowns, King of the Slugs

‘It’s fucking Fat Dog, baby!’

The South London outﬁt’s debut album is a veritable Frankenstein’s monster, stitching two-tone ska and 90s rave to a post-punk core. Fat Dog’s ethos is pure hedonism, “the polar opposite of thinking music”, says keyboardist Chris Hughes.

Opener Vigilante double barrels biblical spoken word with Mortal Kombat soundtrack instrumental hits while Clowns brings the vocoder back from the dead on one of only two moments on the album that Fat Dog allow you to come up for air. Much of WOOF.’s thrust comes from the patently maximalist singles; all synthwave, acid and chaos. King of the Slugs is seven minutes of shapeshifting, moving through sections of Phrygian mode – think Jarre’s Lawrence of Arabia – and ska chanting before losing its post-punk mind through its conclusion.

WOOF. is an intense joy, and absolute in establishing Fat Dog. It can, however, hit the same notes throughout. The question may arise over whether WOOF. suffers from a saturation of concept – if half of the runtime is pregnant with noise and notion, is there anywhere else for Fat Dog to go? You need only attend one of their notorious live shows to get your answer. [Rhys Morgan]

Gurry Wurry Happy For Now Self-released, 20 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Hairline, Once Called Home, Heart Against the Wall

Happy For Now is the new album from Leith-based musician Gurry Wurry, aka Dave King. His 2023 debut LP Not As Bad As It Sounds, despite its positive reception, remains something of a hidden gem, but can album number two propel him into a more mainstream consciousness? It’s hard to say because much like his debut, Happy For Now is weird. The good kind of weird, but weird nonetheless. On one hand, these songs have a languid, lethargic nature. On the other hand, they’re dripping with catchy pop melodies. And despite King delivering his vocals in a yawning whisper, there are earworms to be uncovered; whether it’s those unusual vocals, the intricate guitars, the woozy keys, or the eccentric percussion. Hairline, the album’s second single, often sounds like a sleepy Frightened Rabbit; Once Called Home is groovy and funky; Two Feet Tall is jaunty and whimsical, and Heart Against the Wall brilliantly channels Yazoo’s classic, Only You.

Happy For Now’s inherent oddness could prove too much for the casual listener, but if you’re willing to drape yourself in Gurry Wurry’s blanket of sleepy melancholy, you’re in for a cosy treat. [Christopher Sneddon]

Music Apple Tree Records, 27 Sep rrrrr

Listen to: Anger, What Will Make Me Great, Pages

Mountain Music is Nina Nesbitt’s fourth album and the ﬁrst to be released on her own label, Apple Tree Records. For the Scottish singersongwriter whose career began close to a decade ago when she performed Taylor Swift covers on YouTube, this rock-folk record represents a genre-shift.

Anger is Mountain Music’s swirling peak – an ambitious airpunch of a song about fury, hope and power with singalong lyrics: ‘I got this anger inside me / It brings me to my knees / Take hold of my heart and set it free’. I’m Coming Home taps into this energy too, a rousing nostalgic slice of small-town romanticism. Some of the record’s quieter moments stru le for attention when sandwiched between these Springsteen-esque driving anthems, but can still offer moments of arresting relief. This is true of the moving What Will Make Me Great, a song which lives in the uncertainty of fresh heartbreak and suits its acoustic arrangement.

Most tracks on Mountain Music occupy one of two spaces: anthemic rock balladry or delicate vulnerability over pared back instrumentation. Both areas showcase Nesbitt’s vocals much more than her previous pop-oriented records ever did.

[Tara Hepburn]

Xiu Xiu

Fat

WOOF.

Nina Nesbitt Mountain

Music Now

Summer is over and September is overwhelming for new Scottish music. We celebrate releases from Hen Hoose, Joe Hearty, LUSA, Zerrin and more!

Words: Tallah Brash

There’s so much happening this month, we’ve no space to tell you what we missed last month, soz. On the previous pages you’ll ﬁnd complete thoughts on new September releases from Nina Nesbitt and Gurry Wurry, while the posthumous album from SOPHIE is honoured on p22. Below, I’ll cover as much of everything else as I can, which, dear reader, is A LOT!

A real treat to help kick off the autumn season is EP2 from songwriting collective Hen Hoose. Due on 5 September, it’s the second release in a three-part series that features collaborative works from Karine Polwart and The Anchoress, Susan Bear and Jill Lorean, and Nightwave and SHEARS among others. The following day, there’s a lot coming out. Joe Hearty – formerly of Stonehaven’s ﬁnest, Copy Haho, releases his brand new EP, Antenna. Calling to mind artists like Jens Lekman – jaunty piano lines, bright synths, and strings are perfectly paired with Hearty’s rich timbre as he “explores the embodied experience of navigating queer life” across its seven tracks.

LUSA is the new project from Niteworks’ Innes Strachan. Alongside Beth Malcolm, Donald Macdonald and Ruairidh Graham, the quartet release their debut album, The Colour of Space. A sidestep from the Gaelic-electro of Niteworks, but its inﬂuence can still be heard on this record that explores different nooks and crannies of dance music, still sounding very much rooted in Scotland.

It’s hard to ignore a record that includes your namesake in its tracklist (hello Talla Reservoir!), and so we haven’t. The debut instrumental album from guitarist Christopher Haddow, An Unexpected Giant Leap is a real work of depth and beauty, and a masterclass in spaciousness and shapeshifting. Due via Errol’s Hot Wax, it’s chock-full of surprising left turns; the way the title track ﬂickers, blips and swells is bliss. Open Wider the Door from Boab is similarly surprising. The new solo project from Sweaty Palms frontman Robbie Houston sees technical precision take a backseat to raw emotion for a record of true vulnerability and introspection. Filled with lots of interesting ﬂourishes, and deeply affecting moments, it’s guaranteed you’ve never heard Houston sound like this before.

Still on the 6th, led by Czech-born guitarist-composer Honza Kourimsky, Edinburgh jazz outﬁt Mahuki release their debut album Gratitude (Bridge the Gap), Broken Records frontman Jamie Sutherland releases his second solo album, the deeply personal The World As It Used To Be (Frictionless Records), and Glasgow singer-songwriter Murdo Mitchell releases Cheap Hotels (Drabant / Sony Music Norway).

From one solo project to another, on 13 September Damn Teeth and Thin Privilege frontman Paul McArthur releases his self-titled debut solo record as Praise Team Inspired by memory and growing up on the west coast of Scotland, Praise Team (Diminishing Returns

Records) is an accomplished record of intrigue, written and constructed on the hoof in the studio, with McArthur on every instrument. Leave No Shadow, the debut solo record from Modern Studies’ Emily Scott as Chrysanths also arrives 13 September on Chemikal Underground. Swirling string arrangements, meandering drums, delicate, twisting piano lines and Scott’s crystalline voice come together like a romantic daydream, albeit one built in reality where sadness also has its place.

For a mostly instrumental record, Proximity Mantra, the debut from The New Human (Bricolage), also manages to convey a lot of emotion and heart across its ten tracks, very much rooted in the nostalgia of 90s and 00s IDM. Fresh from a move to Edinburgh from the States, indie-pop artist Alas de Liona is introspective on the Rod Jones-produced Gravity of Gold. There’s the debut self-titled record from Martin John Henry’s new project Jewel Scheme (Gargleblast), and Lost Map’s Pictish Trail releases Follow Footsteps featuring Summer Redux versions of three tracks from 2022’s Island Family

18 September brings us Talking to Myself, the latest chamber pop-indebted EP from Glasgow-based Australian musician Zerrin. There’s a level of intimacy to Zerrin’s music, similar to the way Mitski pulls you in closer, so too does Zerrin. With astonishing control, these four tracks cautiously duck and dive, soar and twist as she tackles topics like self-preservation and grief with meticulous precision.

The end of the month brings the debut album Umbelliferæ (27 Sep) from composer and songwriter Kate Young. Beginning its life as a commission for Celtic Connections, the record is inspired by plantlore and the ancient medicinal uses of wildﬂowers in the British Isles. Its 12 tracks were guided by Young’s chromesthesia, where she can experience colour in sound, making for a unique collage of style as, alongside a string quartet, she traverses chamber music, folk, indie-pop and even Bulgarian folk song.

Other releases to look out for this month include Astrid WIlliamson’s Shetland Suite (Incarnation Records) and Erland Cooper’s Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence (Mercury KX/Decca), both due on 20 September. Morven and the McArdles’ Red & Black EP arrives on the 22nd, while strobe light specimens from Edinburgh-based “queer club chameleon” sweet philly (Paradise Palms Records) is due on the 27th. There are also new singles from Katherine Aly, Moni Jitchell, Theo Bleak, Josephine Sillars, Thundermoon, Saint Sappho, Possibly Jamie, NATI. and Constant Follower to name but a few, and we’re sure a lot more will come to light as the month rolls on.

Scan the QR code to follow and like our Music Now: New Scottish Music playlist on Spotify, updated every Friday

Photo: Laura Prieto

Photo: Epaminondas Coutsicos

Zerrin

Joe Hearty

Film of the Month — The Outrun

Director: Nora Fingscheidt

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves

RRRR R

Released 27 September by StudioCanal

Certiﬁcate 15

theskinny.co.uk/ﬁlm

As art forms go, cinema is a pretty good one for depicting inebriation. A little focus pull here, a few elliptical edits and the inevitable fade to black and you’ve a nifty approximation of the woozy hedonism of a night on the lash and the discombobulation of the morning-after hangover. What makes Nora Fingscheidt’s lyrical adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir of her battle with alcoholism so winning is that it’s equally at home depicting the angsty boredom of sobriety as it is the chaotic abandonment of a life dependent on alcohol.

The chief weapons in Fingscheidt’s arsenal are the windblasted landscape of Orkney and the extraordinary central turn by Saoirse Ronan, who’s rarely been better than here playing Rona, the Liptrot surrogate. When we first meet her she’s fresh from rehab and back living on Orkney with her pious mother. She’s meant to be returning to London to finish her biology degree, but she realises that the best chance she has to stay on the wagon is to exile herself from her former life. In ja ed flashbacks, shot in cramped, up close compositions, we’re slowly shown what she’s running from – a cycle of reckless benders, broken relationships and booze-inflicted trauma.

The bleak details of Rona’s destructive relationship with drink in London – her inability to call it a night, a habit of hiding bottles around her ﬂat, the blackouts from which she wakes covered in cuts and bruises – are perhaps overfamiliar from other cinematic tales of alcoholism, but the scenes on Orkney are fresher. Rona is at once completely at home here but also all at sea. We see her birthing lambs like a pro on her dad’s farm but then ﬂoundering on the high street when she tries to make

friends with a random guy her age, with Ronan showing she’s as deft at awkward comedy as she is at high tragedy. Rona becomes more comfortable in her skin as she finds an even more remote island on Orkney to hunker down in, and while her fraught relationships with her bipolar father, her born-again Christian mother and her loving ex-boyfriend are finely sketched, they’re on the periphery. Instead, the film’s beating heart is Rona’s seemingly elemental connection with this primordial archipelago adrift from mainland Scotland.

In a dreamy stream-of-consciousness voiceover, Rona recounts bits of Orkney folklore, like the selkies who “slip off their seal skins in the night and come ashore as beautiful people” or the gigantic Stoor Worm, a sea serpent so huge it can wrap its body around the globe. These snippets are often accompanied by surprising archive newsreels and even animated sequences, whimsical touches that there could have been more of. Rona’s fascination with nature and the job she reluctantly takes with the RSPB to document the possibly extinct corncrakes that used to be common on Orkney’s islands are also incorporated into the recovery narrative in deeply satisfying ways.

The Outrun offers a truly immersive experience. You stumble out feeling you’ve swum with those curious seals and you’ll swear there’s a whiff of brine air and seaweed on your nostrils. It’s a ﬁlm full of bold formal choices and vivid imagery, anchored by a transcendent performance that’s more than deserving of the Oscar speculation it’s attracted. Like the winds that batter Orkney, Ronan is a force to be reckoned with.

[Jamie Dunn]

Scotland on Screen: In Praise of Far-Flung Film Festivals

Love films? Like to travel? Adore the scenic beauty of Scotland? Dig wild swimming? If so, we recommend you consider a trip to a far-flung film festival like Sea Change in Tiree or LandxSea in Montrose

LandxSea

13-15 Sep, Montrose

w: landxsea.org/ programme2024

i: @landxseafest

Sea Change

20-22 Sep, Tiree

w: screenargyll.co.uk/seachange-2024

i: @screenargyll

If you live in Scotland’s Central Belt, you’re spoiled for choice in terms of film festivals. Coming up in the next couple of months alone you have a celebration of LGBTQ+ filmmaking (SQIFF, 8-12 Oct), a showcase of Japanese animation (Scotland Loves Anime, 1-10 Nov) and the UK’s bi est festival of Francophone cinema (French Film Festival UK, 6 Nov-10 Dec) to name only a few. And while you should definitely support these wonderful events on your doorstep, there’s something to be said for attending a film festival into a proper getaway where the only thing on your itinerary is to watch movies with like-minded people.

Luckily enough there are two far-ﬂung ﬁlm festivals happening this month that would be very much worth the effort to travel to. Both are relatively new on the scene, but already they seem to have fostered a vibrant community and a sense of place that make them stand out on the festival calendar. And coincidentally, they’re both really into wild swimming.

The first port of call is Montrose for the second edition of the LandxSea Film Festival (13-15 Sep). The brainchild of Montrose-based filmmaker Anthony Baxter (director of You’ve Been Trumped) and Edinburgh-based festival producer Rachel Caplan (previously of San Francisco Green Film Festival), LandxSea bills itself as Scotland’s premier environmental film festival. On the menu you’ll find documentaries like the adorably-sounding Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, a stunningly beautiful documentary about the bond that forms between a dour middle-aged man from Shetland and the orphaned sea otter that washes up on his jetty. There’s also the less-cuddly The Eagle with the Sunlit Eye, a gripping doc all about the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle in Britain and the ensuing conflict it causes within Scotland’s rural community.

“When we began the festival last year, we knew we were starting something special,” says Baxter. “But the extraordinary audience response exceeded all our expectations, as visiting filmmakers shared their incredible films here in Montrose.” This year’s programme is 40% bi er than last year’s event and even more ambitious. LandxSea will also launch their North Light Award this year, a new prize for the best in Scottish environmental filmmaking. “We hope the films in this year’s programme will spark many conversations about the future of our planet,” says Baxter.

With direct trains from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, a day trip to Montrose is more than doable but we’d recommend you stay for the whole weekend to soak up the inspiring ﬁlms and thought-provoking conversations designed to spark a deeper connection with our planet. A day trip isn’t that practical for our other far-ﬂung festival taking place in September: Sea Change Festival (20-22 Sep), which takes place on the Hebridean island of Tiree.

This is the third edition of Sea Change, which was set up to create a nurturing space to celebrate female filmmaking. “We want to work together to bring change,” says Sea Change artistic director Jen Skinner. “We want to support women in the industry to find their voice, to give us the opportunity to see ourselves on screen and to widen the access to voices and experiences that are portrayed in cinema, opening up the world through film.”

The programme mixes homegrown and international female filmmaking talent. This year you’ll find documentaries, like Cara Holmes’ Notes From Sheepland, a candid observational doc about foul-mouthed Irish artist and shepherd Orla Barry, and Esther Johnson’s evocative archive documentary Dust and Metal, telling stories from Vietnam through the lens of the country’s favourite mode of transport: the motorbike. In terms of narrative fiction films, look out for Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Senegalese romance Banel & Adama and Mika Gustafson’s Swedish family drama Paradise is Burning. There’s even a sing-along screening of ABBA romp Mamma Mia!

While both programmes look sharp and rewarding, these festivals’ bi est draw is their locations and the community they’re trying to foster there. And this feeling of belonging and sense of place will ﬁlter back into the programme. Discussions of climate emergency and coastal erosion at LandxSea will surely feel even more urgent and tangible after a communal swim during the Montrose Beach Dook, for example. Similarly at Sea Change, the sense of solidarity with women ﬁlmmakers will only be enhanced by the community activities outside the cinema space around Tiree, from daily hikes to communal seaweed foraging. So cinephiles, if that sounds like your cup of tea, pack a bag (and your swimming cossie). It’s time for a road trip!

Words: Jamie Dunn

Sea Change Festival

LandxSea Beach Dook

Photo: Jen Skinny

Photo: Anthony Baxter

My Favourite Cake

Director: Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha

Starring: Lily Farhadpour, Esmail Mehrabi

rrrrr

My Favourite Cake is a measured, textured window into the life of 70-year-old widow Mahin, (Lily Farhadpour) as she gently pursues the affections of Faramarz (Esmail Mehrabi), a taxi driver of similar vintage, in Tehran. This is a tender drama imbued with the mundanity of Mahin’s existence, peppered by the brightness of meals with friends and snatched phone calls with her children.

A conversation with fellow widowers prompts Mahin to reassess her resignation to being an ‘old lady’ and consider the possibility of opening herself up to life beyond her front door. In doing so, society challenges her quest for pleasure. An encounter with Tehran’s ‘Morality Police’, and the enforcement of their values by her

Strange Darling

Director: JT Mollner

Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr. rrrrr

A crawl narrated to the audience explains that we are about to witness the recreation of the ﬁnal moments of a rampage undertaken by one of America’s most ‘unique’ serial killers. Following this, a woman in red sprints in slow motion toward the camera, her moustached pursuer revealed shortly thereafter. All of what we’re seeing is gorgeous, shot entirely on 35mm ﬁlm.

Strange Darling, the second feature ﬁlm from JT Mollner, is a conﬁdent and memorable take on the serial killer movie. With its enigmatic setup and strikingly familiar images, Strange Darling plays wonderfully with the expectations created by the dubious ‘true crime’ genre, effectively manipulating viewers with an edgy script and visual mastery. Of course, the actors are important too,

interfering neighbours, are the looming backdrop as she explores a new way of living. Yet Mahin’s deﬁance against these norms creates a bubble of resistance around her search for joy. After spotting Faramarz in a pensioner’s restaurant, Mahin invites him to her home for a night of companionship. Between eating, drinking illicit wine and dancing, both shimmer with yearning as they begin to embody themselves.

Mahin’s gentle hope is the heartbeat of this patient film. She repeats the question “Where are you?”, an expression of protracted longing and the myriad ways this can be restricted by outside forces – a fact highlighted by the film’s tragic final scenes. Despite the shared language these lonely souls create within one evening, My Favourite Cake is keenly aware of the world beyond this one small home. [Anna Ireland]

Released 13 Sep by Curzon; certiﬁcate 12A

especially their ability to keep you guessing. Though Kyle Gallner does a ﬁne job as ‘The Demon’, it’s Willa Fitzgerald who steals the show as ‘The Lady’, with a performance that’s not just a breakout, but a total shotgun blast.

Strange Darling is precise in its construction, providing a high degree of satisfaction in the way it pieces together its initially diffuse parts. This appeal admittedly runs out by the halfway point of the ﬁlm, when the overarching story becomes almost entirely clear, but you’re kept on the hook long enough to stay invested when Strange Darling shifts from its puzzling beginning to its thrilling ﬁnal act. All in all, it’s a ride that will leave you reeling – just make sure to go in blind. [Zoe Crombie]

Red Rooms

Director: Pascal Plante

Starring: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos

rrrrr

Pascal Plante’s hypnotic new film follows a young woman named Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) as she follows the murder trial of an accused serial killer. She’s so dedicated to the case that she sleeps outside the courtroom each night to make sure she gets a spot in the gallery. After each session, she returns home to sit at her computer, using multiple screens and a voice-activated AI to shuffle between news stories about the case, work emails about modelling jobs and the online poker rooms where she racks up winnings. It’s the sort of solitary existence we’ve seen in countless neo-noir films, though usually with a man at the centre – a lonely, Spartan life lived almost entirely by night and dedicated to a

My Old Ass

Director: Megan Park

Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks rrrrr

Writer-director Megan Park captures the secret life of a Canadian teenager in My Old Ass, a sentimental sci-ﬁ comedy set across the breathtaking Muskoka Lakes of Ontario. During a mushroom trip on her 18th birthday, Elliott Labrant (Maisy Stella) gets more than she bargained for when she has a close encounter with her 39-year-old, overprotective self (played by Aubrey Plaza). Older Elliott has a warning for her teen counterpart: steer clear of a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White).

single purpose. Except we don’t know the purpose.

Red Rooms often feels like one of Kelly-Anne’s expertly played poker games, with all the tension contained in the things that we can’t see. It’s incredible how compelling a tale the film is able to tell while withholding the most basic information. Even as we tick towards the final minutes of the film, we still aren’t really sure who Kelly-Anne is or what she wants. Gariépy’s steely central performance gives away nothing in a way that makes us want to know everything.

And, even if the answers we finally get perhaps aren’t quite as satisfying as we’d hoped, the eerily confident, quietly efficient way that both she and the film go about their business makes for a beguiling spectacle. [Ross McIndoe]

Released 6 Sep by Vertigo; certiﬁcate 18

instils nostalgia for the simple things. However, there’s more than supernatural saccharine at play here; My Old Ass thrives in the frank, horny banter between the two Elliotts.

A welcome breather from Plaza’s usual roles, her Elliott harbours vulnerability and a dash of insecurity under the sarcasm we’ve come to expect from her, yet the movie remains Stella’s show. She moves effortlessly across lighthearted and more dramatic tones, with her self-assured, likeable screen presence making the bonkers premise worth investing in.

Released 20 Sep by Icon Film Distribution;

This generational battle of the selves isn’t the most daring entry in the time-travelling canon but it holds an emotional payoff that doesn’t disappoint. As sweet and tangy as the cranberries Elliott’s family harvest on their farm, Park’s summery ode to being young and dumb

Come for Plaza and Stella’s tender chemistry, and stay for an honest conversation about queerness that challenges expectations around identity, sex and love. This may be the best element about My Old Ass, together with the most creative use of a Justin Bieber song you’ll see on ﬁlm. [Stefania Sarrubba]

Released 27 Sep by Curzon; certiﬁcate 15

Strange Darling

My Favourite Cake

My Old Ass

Red Rooms

BIRRIA SHOP, GLASGOW

A near-singular focus on the titular taco makes Birria Shop a must-visit for Mexican food fans

TThu-Sun, 12-10pm

@birria_shop

here’s a bit of a season ﬁnale vibe to this month, as the seasons change and we tie up a few threads from recent episodes. On the one hand, there’s the Mexican wave sweeping Scotland’s restaurants and bars which saw us eat many, many tacos back in the spring. On the other, we’re back on Cathcart Road in the south of Glasgow, literally two doors down from Koﬁ Kade, the Sri Lankan sandwich hit from a few months back.

Birria Shop – the new venture from the folk behind Finnieston favourite Rafa’s – was a mere Instagram account when we were last here, but now it’s a small but well-formed space that packs a lot in. That, friends, is food writing code for ‘there’s a surprising number of seats in here’. As for the menu, that is also on the small side, and the focus is on the titular birria, which we will get to shortly.

But first, potatoes! The tacos dorados (£8) are effectively mashed potato tacos, accurately described by the staff as “like eating a hug”. It’s a big pillowy pile of yellow which pairs nicely with a big blob of salsa verde, but there’s a surprising level of contrast between the corn tortilla and its starchy stuffing. The scallop ceviche tostada (£5) is less of a hug and more of a very friendly but very real punch in the face – it’s very zingy, it’s very spicy, and it’s very very tasty. Scallop, pickled veg, flecks of herb, all piled high on a wide, flat, crunchy tortilla; eating it is a bit like trying to move a game of Buckaroo to another room part-way through. Pieces will go everywhere, you will embarrass yourself, but you’ll have a lovely time doing it.

Now to the aforementioned birria – a Northern Mexican taco made with stewed, slow-cooked meat, and served with a pot of consomme for dipping and, if you’re feeling particularly unctuous, slurping away like a little bowl of soup. Fittingly for a place with Birria written in enormous red writing on the wall outside, there are three

permanent ﬁxtures on the menu, and two of them are takes on the birria. Folks, the last few months of these food reviews have, apparently, all been leading towards these tacos.

The Traditional Birria (£13) is a blend of lamb and goat, and the flavour profile here is ‘hilariously meaty’. This thing is absolutely loaded with shreds of meat, topped with coriander and white onion, and served with a griddled chilli pepper that doesn’t seem super spicy to begin with but believe us when we say it will get you. Give your tacos a dip in the dark, oniony and super savoury consomme and things go up another notch. The Beef Birria (£12) is the juicier of the two, a little richer and heavier. The Traditional is more flecked and mellow; it has a fattiness

but without the unctuousness of the Beef, if you see what we mean. If nothing else, it’s the mark of a kitchen that knows their business when two dishes that are functionally very similar provoke a small argument about their differences and which one is more excellent.

Birria Shop strikes as a passion project – from the lovely homespun decor to the deliberately truncated menu, this is a place that has a plan and is sticking to it. That plan: brilliant, simple, delicious and (crucially) very speciﬁc tacos, and the pursuit of getting those one or two dishes just right. Judging by the chaotic crowd coming and going as we chomp away at six o’clock on a Friday evening, we think they might be onto something.

Birria Shop, 632 Cathcart Rd, Glasgow G42 8AA

Words: Peter Simpson

Photo: Tallah Brash

Birria Shop

The Strangers

By Ekow Eshun rrrrr

Ekow Eshun’s The Strangers fixes a new meaning to non-fiction, playing with form to communicate fact. Eshun combines historical timelines, epistolic excerpts, and poetic anecdotes to accentuate the creativity and dignity of historical and political realities. His book narrates the significant non-fictional biographies of five prominent Black male figures, each chapter’s figure of focus given the spotlight to exist through the histories and stories that broadly and idiosyncratically formed them.

Like the ﬁgures that the book examines, The Strangers does not shy away from performance for survival, characterised by searing ideological criticisms presented through poignant lyricism. Instead, it gives life to narratives stereotypically attached to the violent hand played by – or imposed upon – those politically bound to a cause. The stru le must not always be perceived as violent, and the joy of generational experiences must be as celebrated as the trauma endured. Eshun demands that we not reduce identity to race, and not deem its stru le as a performance for the West. Eshun’s stylistic execution is arresting: it pays homage to the fruitfulness of life not despite but because of its structural adversities.

Eshun’s prose is crisp and articulate. He builds multi-faceted contexts that act as backdrops that feed and nourish each ﬁgure’s narrative, release them from the subtle yet constraining project of depreciation that has traditionally dehumanised Black men.

[Maria Farsoon]

Our London Lives

By Christine Dwyer Hickey RRRRR

Focusing on the lives of two Irish incomers to London, Christine Dwyer Hickey’s Our London Lives is a novel which manages to be epic yet intimate. It opens in 1979 with a young Milly arriving in the city pregnant and alone. Dependent on the kindness of strangers, she is fortunate to ﬁnd shelter and support in the form of Trish and the enigmatic Mrs Oak, and the East End pub they run. From behind the bar she ﬁnds herself imperceptibly attracted to promising boxer Pip. What follows is a beautifully written conversation which unfolds between chapters and over the years.

In the past, events unfold for Milly as she loves, loses, and tries to survive as a woman who thinks the best of people even though they continue to let her down. Pip’s chapters see him reflecting back from 2017 on what his alcoholism, and other demons, have cost him. Newly sober, and determined to make amends – or at least apologise – to those he has hurt, he tries to find his way back to Milly and the promise of salvation she seems to offer. Offering no easy answers or neat conclusions, this is a very honest and perceptive depiction of relationships, with an understanding of the drama of the everyday. With Our London Lives, Christine Dwyer Hickey has written a novel full of heart and humanity, flirting with stereotypes to look at the truth behind them. [Alistair Braidwood]

By Navid Sinaki RRRRR

Medusa of the Roses is the blooddriven and melodic tale of Anjir and Zal, two lovers in Tehran who have kept their romance a secret since they were boys. The threat of punishment, of potential execution, has haunted their steps since they first met. After Zal is beaten in the street he disappears, and Anjir begins his journey not only to find his lover, but to also find a way for the two of them to be together.

This is a stunning ﬁrst book by Navid Sinaki, an artist from Tehran living in Los Angeles. The story itself is captivating – both heartbreaking and tender, violent and brutal. But what draws the reader into the heart and mind of Anjir is not just the story; instead, it’s the remarkable poetry dripping from every sentence. It is a book with metaphor at its core: a novel from a writer who understands that the complexities of the human heart are often best shown through image.

Poetry and metaphor don’t stem the pace of the novel, with the plot progressing at an enjoyable speed. The hint of melodrama in its perhaps too prompt ending could be dissatisfying for some, but in a novel where a forbidden love is at stake, as well as the lives of the two lovers, this can easily be forgiven as an inescapable climax. [Beth Cochrane]

Dear Dickhead

By Virginie Despentes RRRRR

Dear Dickhead unfolds as an email exchange between two unlikely adversaries, quickly deepening into companionship that becomes a lifeline through addiction, recovery and isolation. Taking place entirely within the online space, Rebecca – a famous actress whose age has removed her from the spotlight of leading roles – and Oscar – an author whose bestselling career is threatened by a MeToo-style online cancellation – share their conflicting memories of working-class upbringing on the same estate. A vulnerability emerges, perhaps at times hyperbolic, in line with its neurotic characters; each, through the other, in dialogue with themselves as they challenge themselves to re-examine the narratives they have constructed. The mode of address, at times affected, becomes a shaping thing: introspective and sincere, everything is flattened to the depth of first person observation. It slips into musings on what hurts us, and what makes us who we are, reflecting on how we make sense of it and what those stories we tell ourselves do to us. Dear Dickhead appraises the widely accepted beliefs of what feminism, class or wealth are, di ing into the certain types of feminism that prevail and how they can’t all be gathered under the same roof. It looks at the ways people don’t agree and how much nuance is missed in the cacophony of the online space.

[Marguerite Carson]

Hamish Hamilton, 19 Sep

Medusa of the Roses

Listings

Looking for something to do? Well you’re in the right place! Find listings below for the month ahead across Music, Clubs, Theatre, Comedy and Art in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. To ﬁnd out how to submit listings, head to theskinny.co.uk/listings

Glasgow Music

Mon 02 Sep

THE BEACHES

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Toronto.

BAMBIE THUG

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Alt rock from Cork.

MARTHA (FORMER CHAMP)

STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Indie pop from Durham.

MDOU MOCTAR

ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Niger.

RVG THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Post-punk from Melbourne.

Tue 03 Sep

NOURISHED BY TIME

KING TUT’S, 20:30–22:30

Post-R‘n’B from Baltimore.

JAKE XERXES FUSSELL (SAM MOSS) MONO, 19:30–22:30 Folk from the US.

GOSSIP SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie disco from the US.

LES LULLIES

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Punk from France. JAZZ AT THE GLAD (DREAMSCAPES) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Nu-jazz from the UK.

BELMONDO THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Indie pop from Brighton.

Wed 04 Sep

THEATRE OF HATE

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30

Post-punk from London.

MARY LATTIMORE (WALT MCCLEMENTS) MONO, 19:30–22:30 Composer from LA. LEANNA FIRESTONE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Country from Nashville.

BAYYMACK BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Indie from the US.

RINGO DEATHSTARR STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Shoegaze from Austin. MC YALLAH X DEBMASTER (COMFORT + ELANDI) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Hip-hop and experimental from Uganda.

TENILLE ARTS ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Country from Canada. JIMMY WHISPERS (GERARD BLACK + TOWN CENTRE) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Synth pop from LA. WOMBO (SMOL FISH + SULKA) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Kentucky. THE BODY + DIS FIG ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Noise lineup.

Thu 05 Sep

SADIE JEAN (DEVON GABRIELLA) KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Pop from the US. SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rap from the US. PARTY GATE NIGHT 1 SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Emerging lineup. THE KARMA EFFECT THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from London.

HALEY BLAIS

STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Indie folk from Canada. PARK SAFELY (KULLNESS + HOWL + EMPTY PLEASURES) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:30 Noise rock from Glasgow. ANDREW WASYLYK + TOMMY PERMAN THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Scotland. ERIC BELL THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Northern Ireland. ERIN HEPHZIBAH + 8 DAYS + PILGRIMS SOCIETY + TIME GYPSY ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup.

Fri 06 Sep

ALY BAIN + PHIL

CUNNINGHAM ORAN MOR, 19:30–22:30 Trad.

DANIEL ROONEY

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.

PARTY GATE NIGHT 2 SWG3 19:00–22:30 Emerging lineup.

SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Hardcore from the US.

LEBROCK

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Peterborough.

YOUNG FRANCO STEREO, 19:00–22:00 House and disco from Australia.

SATAN (SEVEN SISTERS + SUPPORT) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Heavy metal from Newcastle.

BRÒGEAL

ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland and Ireland.

ANDREW WASYLYK + TOMMY PERMAN THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Scotland.

THE FRANK AND WALTERS (FRANCES MCKEE) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from the UK.

Sat 07 Sep

TRAIL WEST

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Trad.

HUMAN RENEGADE + LUCKY 38 + MARF. + MOONMATTER KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. PARTY GATE NIGHT 3 SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Emerging lineup.

SOULFLY THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Heavy metal from Phoenix.

VENUS GRRRLS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Leeds.

PLANTOID BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30

Prog rock from Brighton.

GUM DISEASE (THE TWISTETTES) BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Indie from the UK. WOLFGANG FLÜR STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Electronica from Germany.

MOSHFEST 2024 (NOTHIN’ BUT ENEMIES + PROZPEKT + DIVIDE + LIGHTS OUT + FATAL COLLISION + MURDERHILL + DATURA + GO DOWN FIGHTING + WOODHALL + SLEPT ON + BED OF WASPS + PEACEMAKER + LEAP FROG) THE FLYING DUCK, 14:30–22:30 Hardcore. BIS ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30

Electro-pop from Scotland. THE FRANK AND WALTERS

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from the UK.

Sun 08 Sep

JACK HILL + STARGAZER + SARAH FORREST

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. G FLIP SWG3 19:00–22:30 Pop from Australia. RIDE SWG3 19:00–22:30 Shoegaze from the UK. SCOTT C. PARK (ANNIE BOOTH) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Alt country from Scotland. THE BROTHER BROTHERS THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from the US.

Mon 09 Sep

BLACKBERRY SMOKE

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Georgia. ASHA JEFFERIES SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie pop from Australia. MEGAN MORONEY BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Country from the US. PYREX (PISS BATH) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk from New York.

Tue 10 Sep

THE VAMPS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK. THE LEMON TWIGS ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from New York. ANDY CLAUSEN (SAMUEL SHARP) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Ambient.

Wed 11 Sep

THE VAMPS

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK. MAHUKI THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Jazz fusion from Edinburgh.

Thu 12 Sep

TOMMY LEFROY

ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from London. THE MOSS (BARRANQUISMO + LEVENGROVE)

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the US. FANCY HAGOOD SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the US.

HUEY MORGAN THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Funk from New York. AMERICAN FOOTBALL BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Emo from the US.

MELT-BANANA STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Noise rock from Japan. EILIR PIERCE'S HALF-TIME SHOW (MEGALICHEN) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Lo-fi pop from Wales. BIG GIRL’S BLOUSE THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:30 Punk rock from Glasgow. PEACH (SANS FROID) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Noise rock from Bristol.

Fri 13 Sep

BLACK DOVE

KING TUT’S, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Scotland. MIKE LINDSAY (ANNA B SAVAGE) MONO, 20:00–22:30 Experimental from the UK. THE LAFONTAINES BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Motherwell. FRANTIC LOVE EP LAUNCH STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Hard rock from Glasgow. SEPTEMBER BURLS - A STARTER PACKS GLASGOW FUNDRAISER (STEVIE JACKSON + THE REVERBERATIONS + THE CORDS + SCOTTISH FAULT LINES + JOSIE LONG (COMPERE) + CAMERA OBSCURA DJS) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Fundraiser show for Starter Packs Glasgow. JONAS BROTHERS THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Pop from the US. THE FILTHY TONGUES DRYGATE BREWING CO., 19:00–22:30 Alt rock from Edinburgh. DONALD WG LINDSAY + ALASDAIR ROBERTS THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland.

Sat 14 Sep

AVENUE STREET + THE FRUIT FLIES + ROADRUNNERS + JAMES LOW KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. THE KARAVATS SWG3, 18:30–22:30 Indie from Scotland. SPAWN OF DISGUST (INSANE ASYLUM) THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 18:00–22:30 Heavy metal from Germany. TUNIC (SUPPORT) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Punk from Canada. VAIAPRAIA THE GLAD CAFE, 19:00–22:30 Indie from London. CHRIS HELME THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK. PAUL MULLEN + JOHN MULLEN + ZUPER ROOKIE + DANIEL LADDS + OLIVIA JANE + BIRD CAGE THEATRE ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup.

Sun 15 Sep

CHAPPELL ROAN O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the US. KIIOTO MONO, 20:00–22:30 Americana from the UK. JEWEL SCHEME (M. JOHN HENRY ) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Post-rock from Glasgow. SLEEKIT THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from Scotland.

Mon 16 Sep

STAND ATLANTIC ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Pop punk from Sydney.

Tue 17 Sep

LAURAN HIBBERD (HOUSEWIFE + UGLY OZO) KING TUT’S, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK. NORTHLANE SWG3, 18:30–22:30 Metal from Australia. R96 SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Hip-hop from Aberdeen. MARSEILLE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:30–22:30 Heavy metal from Liverpool. THE BYGONES ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie folk from the US.

WILLIAM TYLER THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Country from Nashville. ESTHER ROSE THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Pop from the US.

Wed 18 Sep

AZEALIA BANKS O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rap from the US. OCEAN ALLEY SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Psych surf from Australia. TOM MCRAE ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK.

THOSE PRETTY WRONGS THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from the US.

Thu 19 Sep

JOSHUA BASSETT O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop rock from the US. APOLOGIES + LAMENTS. + LANDSLIDE + READY WEATHER KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. KEVIN GARRETT SWG3 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Pittsburgh.

KALANDRA (LILI REFRAIN) CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Folk rock from Norway. TYKETTO THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Hard rock from New York.

SISTER JOHN (DRAPED APES) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Indie from Glasgow. STEVE WYNN THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie rock from LA.

Fri 20 Sep

THE LAST DINNER PARTY

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from the UK. ALCATRAZ + DOLL BOY + THE UNDERNEATH KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. HYRO THE HERO (CEEKAYCEE) SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rap rock from Houston. THE PUBLIC EYE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from the UK.

THE WOLFE TONES BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Trad from Ireland. ASCENDED DEAD (SLIMELORD + SUPPORT) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Death metal from the US. GUM TAKES TOOTH THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Experimental noise from London. SONICA (QUEEN OF HARPS + FLORIS VANHOOF) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Ambient. MEURSAULT THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie rock from Edinburgh. Sat 21 Sep APPEAL TO AUTHORITY + COSMIC EMPIRE + POLAROID + THE MARTELLS KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. LOS CAMPESINOS! (ME REX) QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:30 Indie pop from Wales. MEEKZ SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap from Manchester. THE WILD THINGS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK. GAFFA TAPE SANDY BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Garage rock from Brighton ARAB STRAP BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Scotland. GLASGOW AFRICAN BALAFON ORCHESTRA STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Jazz and funk from Glasgow.

JAY1 ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Rap from London. SULKA (DAYYDREAM + COME OUTSIDE) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Glasgow. EL GALVARINO DRYGATE BREWING CO., 19:00–22:30 Alt indie from Glasgow.

Sun 22 Sep

NEEDTOBREATHE

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the US.

BOSTON MANOR

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Emo from Blackpool.

ALESSI ROSE

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Pop from London.

GERARD LOVE + JACK

MELLIN

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup.

MORVERN & THE MCCARDLES

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie from Scotland.

Mon 23 Sep

SAM PALLADIO

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Pop from the UK.

JACOB ALON

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Edinburgh

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER

CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Maryland.

SWAMI JOHN REIS AND THE BED OF NAILS

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the US.

HAMISH HAWK

ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Chamber pop from Scotland.

MORESKINSOUND THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Experimental.

MELANIE MARTINEZ

THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Pop from the US.

Tue 24 Sep

NEW HOPE CLUB

STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Pop from the UK.

DEE C LEE

ST LUKE’S, 19:30–22:30 Soul from London.

JADASEA (NIONTAY )

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Hip-hop from the UK.

JILL ANDREWS

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Americana from Tennessee.

Wed 25 Sep

SAM EVIAN MONO, 20:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from New York.

GOOD KID

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Canada.

FRANKIE

BEETLESTONE

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Sheffield.

HARLEY WALSH STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Country pop from Glasgow. Thu 26 Sep

SLØTFACE

SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Norway. THE GROGANS

THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Garage rock from Melbourne.

THE FAMILY RAIN BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Blues rock from Bath.

CANNIBAL CORPSE

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Death metal from the US.

AM X 12TH ISLE:

HUUUM (COULD BE! + SEMISPECIFIC

ENSEMBLE + 12TH ISLE

DJS + AM DJS)

THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Experimental.

ALAS DE LIONA

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Indie pop from Edinburgh.

DILJIT DOSANJH THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Pop from India.

LES IMPRIMÉS THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Neo-soul from Norway. Fri 27 Sep

WISHBONE ASH ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Devon. PIXEY

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie pop from Liverpool.

ROBIN ASHCROFT SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Pop from Glasgow.

RESISTER (GRANGE STREET + KLOANS)

BROADCAST, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Glasgow.

BARNS COURTNEY + THE STRUTS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK.

CRACK CLOUD STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Art punk from Canada.

SHINDIG ALL NIGHT

BONANZA (BRASSER + BURNT DOWN SHED + VIBRATOR + UM + VENTOLIN (DJ) + T- O -D (DJ) + 3RDCRUSH (DJ) + RAIVO SLOAN (DJ)) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30

Heavy noise, techno and drum ‘n’ bass afterparty.

CRASHKID (SUGAR ROULETTE)

THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Glasgow.

SONICA (MICHAEL BEGG + ISA GORDON)

THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Ambient. SPY + STIFF MEDS + KUTE

THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. Sat 28 Sep

THE UNDERTONES

O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Punk pop from Derry.

MOTHICA (STARBENDERS + ARTIO)

KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Alt rock from the US. START FROM SCRATCH

SWG3, 18:30–22:30 Pop punk from Glasgow.

BUFFALO TOM SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Alternative from Boston.

CRYSTAL TIDES THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Beach pop from the UK.

CHARLIE & THE BHOYS

BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Ireland. A FUNDRAISER IN MEMORY OF LEWIS SCOUGALL (BANDIT COUNTRY, SKELP, STRAID) STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Post-punk from Glasgow.

GENDO IKARI (TLÖN + HARD STARE + MORE) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Grindcore and death metal. LANDSCAPES & LANDSLIDES THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:00–22:30 Emo rock from Kilmarnock.

SONICA (SHADWA ALI + SUPERMANN ON DA BEAT) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Ambient.

CALA

DRYGATE BREWING CO., 19:00–22:30 Trad from Inverness. LOW TIDE (FAT SALAMI + THE DEMOGRAPHIC) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Indie rock from Edinburgh.

Sun 29 Sep SEA GIRLS O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK.

POND KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Psych rock from Australia.

SNAYX SWG3 19:00–22:30 Alt rock from the UK.

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS (STELLA ROSE)

STEREO, 19:00–22:00 Shoegaze and post-rock from New York.

RACHEL NEWTON + MAIREARAD GREEN: ANNA BHÁN THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland.

MALEVICH+ CHEWING GLASS + UNMAKING + C.H.O.U. + MRS FRIGHTHOUSE THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup.

Edinburgh

Music

Mon 02 Sep

DEAD ROMANCE CLUB (TEMPORAL PROJECT)

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Newcastle.

Tue 03 Sep

KICKIN VALENTINA (THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS + HOLYRUDE VAULT)

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the US.

JIMMY WHISPERS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Synth pop from LA.

MELT-BANANA THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Noise rock from Japan. Thu 12 Sep

JOEY WIT (JASON SWEENEY + KATIE & THE BAD SIGN + KELOWNA)

Wed 04 Sep

FOLK METAL NIGHT: TROWSHOLM + ANCHORSMASHED + MOURNING WOOD BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Folk metal lineup.

Thu 05 Sep

ART BRUT THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk from Berlin. LIP CRITIC SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Electronic punk from New York

JILL JACKSON LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Americana. CASUAL DRAG (BERNSTRUM & THE MEN + RMVR) THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Garage punk from Scotland.

Fri 06 Sep

WOLFGANG FLÜR THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from Germany. HECTOR SHAW (FINN BRODIE) THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Folk from Scotland. ROOT 5

WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock.

Sat 07 Sep

THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA (DIKAJEE) BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK. BIG COUNTRY ‘RETURN TO STEELTOWN’ TOUR (MIKE PETERS’ THE ALARM) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Scotland. MMUNRO (HOT FLIES, THE PARTY WHOP) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Rock and folk.

PLANTOID SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Prog rock from Brighton. HAIVER THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Indie.

Tue 10 Sep

BLACKBERRY SMOKE O2 ACADEMY EDINBURGH, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Georgia.

Wed 11 Sep

ANDRAS DROPPA BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Hard rock from the UK. AMPLIFI (FIFIDINY + JEREMY MBIBA + SINATHI MAPHALALA) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:30–22:30 R‘n’B and pop from Scotland.

KUČKA

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Experimental pop from Australia.

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK. MORA (THE FABULOUS WONDERFULS) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Folk, rock and pop. SECKOU KEITA LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Kora from Senegal. MAN/WOMAN/ CHAINSAW THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Experimental. Fri 13 Sep HIGH FADE THE CAVES, 19:00–22:30 Funk from Edinburgh. BERNSTRUM AND THE MEN

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Psych from Edinburgh. Sat 14 Sep

BALLKICK (FRAYED ENDS BC + PROZPEKT + WARCHRIST + TXDXBX)

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30

Hardcore from the UK. ALY BAIN & PHIL

CUNNINGHAM THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland. KIIOTO THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Americana from the UK.

TESELLATE (IDIOGRAM, QUIET THE ART, BOARDGAME) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Electronica and post-punk. THE NOTIONS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock from Stewarton.

JOSEPHINE SILLARS

SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30 Pop from Scotland.

MEURSAULT LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock from Edinburgh. MAHUKI THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Jazz fusion from Edinburgh.

Sun 15 Sep

CHANTEL MCGREGOR

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Blues rock from the UK. THE FILTHY TONGUES THE VOODOO ROOMS, 17:30–22:30 Alt rock from Edinburgh.

Mon 16 Sep

MATT ANDERSON (JAMIE AGE)

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Blues rock from Canada. ESTHER ROSE THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Pop from the US.

Tue 17 Sep

NAPIER ROCK & METAL SOCIETY NIGHT: CHEKOV’S GUN + NOTHING SPEAKS + MOONMATTER BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock lineup.

ECHO HOTEL COLLECTIVE SUMMERHALL, 19:00–22:30 Jazz funk from Edinburgh. SIX60 THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Pop rock from New Zealand.

Wed 18 Sep

FRANK NEVER DIES

BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Psych rock from Italy. KID CONGO POWERS AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the US.

DONALD WG LINDSAY + ALASDAIR ROBERTS SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland. ARAB STRAP LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock from Scotland.

Thu 19 Sep

THEIGNS & THRALLS BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Folk rock. ZOE RAHMAN: SOLO PIANO AND DUETS WITH HELENA KAY THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Jazz from Scotland. KARA GRAINGER THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:15–22:30 Indie from Australia. PATTI BOO RAE WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Queer rock.

TOM MCRAE SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK.

Fri 20 Sep

NIEVES (ACOUSTIC) + MATCH REPORT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Alt-rock from Glasgow. ANDREW WASYLYK + TOMMY PERMAN SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Scotland.

Sat 21 Sep

BIG BIG TRAIN THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the UK. ABEL GANZ + ALI FERGUSON THE CAVES, 13:00–17:00 Indie. THE BYGONES THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Indie folk from the US. MARC ALMOND USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK. THE ILFORDS WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Alt rock.

OMNI SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Post-punk from Atlanta.

GUM TAKES TOOTH (FAEX OPTIMISM) SUMMERHALL, 19:30–22:30 Experimental noise from London. THE MEN THEY COULDN’T HANG LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Folk punk. DIRTY SOUND MAGNET THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Psych rock.

Sun 22 Sep

RYAN ADAMS USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the US. TOM WALKER THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland. GAFFA TAPE SANDY SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Garage rock from Brighton.

JADASEA (NIONTAY + REDLEE) SUMMERHALL, 19:00–22:30 Hip-hop from the UK.

Mon 23 Sep

LOLLAPALOSERS (AN OPENING LIE + LITTLE YAK + ZETTAFLARE) BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Edinburgh. RYLEY WALKER SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Experimental rock from Chicago.

Tue 24 Sep

SPREAD EAGLE (NEW GENERATION SUPERSTARS) BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Hard rock from New York. SWAMI JOHN REIS AND THE BED OF NAILS THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the US. HAMISH HAWK THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:30 Chamber pop from Scotland.

JACOB ALON SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Singer-songwriter from Edinburgh.

Wed 25 Sep

JILL ANDREWS THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Americana from Tennessee. THE THE USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk from the UK.

Thu 26 Sep ALBERT BOUCHARD BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Hard rock from the US. THE GO! TEAM THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from the UK. JOHN BRAMWELL THE CAVES, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK.

Fri 27 Sep

THE UNDERTONES O2 ACADEMY EDINBURGH, 19:00–22:30 Punk pop from Derry. ANNIE AND THE JAYS THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Indie pop from Scotland. DARA DUBH SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Singer-songwriter from Edinburgh. SIOBHAN WILSON LEITH DEPOT, 19:30–22:30 Folk pop from the UK.

Sat 28 Sep

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS (GOTHZILLA) BANNERMANS, 19:00–22:30 Goth rock from the UK. FABLETOWN THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Edinburgh. FRETS (PORT SULPHUR, QUAD 90) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk and rock. WISHBONE ASH THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Devon. NATIONAL PLAYBOYS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Alt-rock from Edinburgh. Sun 29 Sep

THE SNJO: KURT ELLING - STEPPIN’ OUT! THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Jazz from Scotland.

THE ALLERGIES THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Funk from Bristol. THE HOWLERS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Desert rock from London.

Dundee Music

Fri 20 Sep

MENACE BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 19:00–22:30 Punk from London.

Mon 23 Sep

TOM WALKER BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.

Fri 27 Sep

STONE PREACHERS (MY PET ROCKET) CHURCH, 19:00–22:30 Folk rock from Scotland.

Glasgow Clubs

Wed 04 Sep

RUSH WITH DJ PLANT TEXTURE THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno and acid.

Thu 05 Sep

RHYTHMIC REVIVAL X ACROSSTHEBOARD: BARON VON TRAX THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Trance and house.

Fri 06 Sep

ARMAN JOHN SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno. ALL THINGS TECHNO SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

TMP PRESENTS: MAHTAL ANL SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno. SHORT FUSE COLLECTIVE (SOUTHSIDE ACID MOVEMENT B2B CAL + WESTON + F KAY + RODDY ) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Techno, UK garage and house.

EROSION (DBRIDGE + FAUZIA) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Drum ‘n’ bass.

MISSING PERSONS CLUB X FRENETIK // CARMEN ELECTRO LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

MAGIC CITY - JUICY ROMANCE - SUMMER CHAOS SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and electro. EXIT 1ST BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER EXIT GLASGOW, 19:00–03:00 House and disco.

Sat 07 Sep

ACT NATURAL NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 23:00–06:00 House and Italo disco. FISH56OCTAGON SWG3 23:00–03:00 Hard techno. BODIES IN MOTION (RUFUS + JOEY NAME) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 House and breaks from Glasgow.

Thu 12 Sep

HOUSEPLANTS WITH AIDAN GIBSON LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House.

RARE CLUB: RIORDAN + BABYCCINO + MCCART SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Garage and tech house.

Regular Glasgow club nights

The Rum Shack

SATURDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)

MOJO WORKIN’

Soul party feat. 60s R&B, motown, northern soul and more!

SATURDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)

LOOSEN UP Afro, disco and funtimes with three of the best record collections in Glasgow and beyond.

Sub Club

SATURDAYS SUBCULTURE

Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft' joined by a carousel of super fresh guests.

FRIDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)

RETURN TO MONO SLAM’s monthly Subbie residency sees them joined by some of the biggest names in international techno.

Cathouse

WEDNESDAYS

CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS

DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and Hip-hop.

THURSDAYS UNHOLY

Cathouse's Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.

FRIDAYS CATHOUSE FRIDAYS Screamy, shouty, posthardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style.

SATURDAYS

CATHOUSE SATURDAYS Or Caturdays, if you will. Two levels of the loudest, maddest music the DJs can muster; metal, rock and alt on floor one, and punky screamo upstairs.

SUNDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)

HELLBENT

From the fab fierce family that brought you Catty Pride comes Cathouse Rock Club’s new monthly alternative drag show.

SUNDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH) FLASHBACK

Pop party anthems and classic cheese from DJ Nicola Walker.

SUNDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)

CHEERS FOR THIRD SUNDAY

DJ Kelmosh takes you through Mid-Southwestern emo, rock, new metal, nostalgia and 90s and 00s tunes.

SUNDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)

SLIDE IT IN Classic rock through the ages from DJ Nicola Walker.

The Garage

Glasgow

MONDAYS

BARE MONDAYS

Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no?

TUESDAYS

#TAG TUESDAYS

Indoor hot tubs, inflatables as far as the eye can see and a Twitter feed dedicated to validating your drunk-eyed existence.

WEDNESDAYS GLITTERED! WEDNESDAYS

DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night.

Regular Edinburgh club nights

Cabaret Voltaire

FRIDAYS

FLY CLUB

Edinburgh and Glasgowstraddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.

SATURDAYS PLEASURE

Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.

The Bongo Club

TUESDAYS

MIDNIGHT BASS, 23:00

Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum'n'bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty.

FRIDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)

ELECTRIKAL, 23 00

Sound system and crew, part of a music and art collective specialising in BASS music.

FRIDAYS (MONTHLY, WEEK CHANGES)

SOUND SYSTEM LEGACIES, 23 00

Exploring the legacy of dub, reggae and roots music and sound system culture in the contemporary club landscape.

FRIDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH)

DISCO MAKOSSA, 23 00

Disco Makossa takes the dancefloor on a funk-filled trip through the sounds of African disco, boogie and house – strictly for the dancers.

FRIDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH)

OVERGROUND, 23 00

A safe space to appreciate all things rave, jungle, breakbeat and techno.

FRIDAYS (FIRST OR LAST OF THE MONTH) HEADSET, 23 00 Skillis and guests playing garage, techno, house and bass downstairs, with old school hip hop upstairs.

SATURDAYS (FIRST OR SECOND OF THE MONTH)

MESSENGER, 23 00 Roots reggae rocking since 1987 – foundation tune, fresh dubs, vibes alive, rockers, steppers, rub-a-dub.

SATURDAYS (MONTHLY )

MUMBO JUMBO, 23 00

Everything from disco, funk and soul to electro and house: Saturday night party music all night long.

SATURDAYS (MONTHLY ) SOULSVILLE INTERNATIONAL, 23 00 International soulful sounds.

SATURDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH) PULSE, 23 00 Techno night started in 2009 hosting regular special guests from the international scene.

Sneaky Pete’s

MONDAYS

MORRISON STREET/STAND B-SIDE/CHAOS IN THE COSMOS/TAIS-TOI House and techno dunts from some of Edinburgh's best young teams.

TUESDAYS RARE Weekly house and techno with rising local DJs and hot special guests.

THURSDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) VOLENS CHORUS Resident DJs with an eclectic, global outlook

FRIDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)

HOT MESS A night for queer people and their friends.

THURSDAYS

ELEMENT

Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey.

FRIDAYS

FRESH BEAT

Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.

SATURDAYS

I LOVE GARAGE

Garage by name, but not by musical nature. DJ Darren Donnelly carousels through chart, dance and classics, the Desperados bar is filled with funk, G2 keeps things urban and the Attic gets all indie on you.

SUNDAYS

SESH

Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.

AMY RODGERS AND CHARLOTTE TUESDAY PRESENT WHIPPED CREAM THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Italo disco.

Fri 13 Sep

WILLIAM LUCK + JAYRON

SWG3, 22:00–03:00 Techno.

NEW ERA

SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Hard dance.

SCANDAL.GLA (RAHUL.MP3 + LEAHGTE + DJ BELLAROSA + SUNSHINEBBY + DJ GARLIC BREATH + STAR EYE (LIVE) + LOLA DING + MASSEDUCTION + ZULAA)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Hip-hop, gqom, bhagra and baile funk.

THUDLINE (BROWN EXCELLENCE + ROY DON) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Bass.

HIJACK X LA CHEETAH PRESENTS: DARWIN + RESIDENTS

LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Jungle and dubstep. DOWNWARDS X EXIT: REGIS + RUSSELL HASWELL + CONCRETE FENCE EXIT GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00 Techno and industrial.

Sat 14 Sep

BLACK TRAFFIC

SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)

SOUL JAM Monthly no-holds-barred, down-and-dirty disco.

SUNDAYS POSTAL

Weekly Sunday session showcasing the very best of heavy-hitting local talent with some extra special guests.

The Liquid Room

SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)

REWIND

Monthly party night celebrating the best in soul, disco, rock and pop with music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current bangers.

The Hive

MONDAYS MIXED UP MONDAY Monday-brightening mix of Hip-hop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room.

TUESDAYS

TRASH TUESDAY

Alternative Tuesday anthems cherry picked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.

WEDNESDAYS

COOKIE WEDNESDAY 90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems.

THURSDAYS HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY Student anthems and bangerz.

FRIDAYS

FLIP FRIDAY

Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and noveltystuffed. Perrrfect.

SATURDAYS BUBBLEGUM Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.

SUNDAYS

SECRET SUNDAY

Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/handle on a Sunday.

Subway Cowgate

MONDAYS

TRACKS

Blow the cobwebs off the week with a weekly Monday night party with some of Scotland’s biggest and best drag queens.

TUESDAYS TAMAGOTCHI

Throwback Tuesdays with non-stop 80s, 90s, 00s tunes.

WEDNESDAYS

TWISTA

Banger after banger all night long.

THURSDAYS

FLIRTY

Pop, cheese and chart.

FRIDAYS FIT FRIDAYS

Chart-topping tunes perfect for an irresistible sing and dance-along.

SATURDAYS

SLICE SATURDAY

The drinks are easy and the pop is heavy.

SUNDAYS

SUNDAY SERVICE

Atone for the week before and the week ahead with non-stop dancing.

The Mash House

TUESDAYS

MOVEMENT House, techno, drum ‘n’ bass and garage.

SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)

SAMEDIA SHEBEEN Joyous global club sounds: think Afrobeat, Latin and Arabic dancehall on repeat.

SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)

PULSE The best techno DJs sit alongside The Mash House resident Darrell Pulse.

Sun 15 Sep

CÉLESTE X SUB CLUB

SUNDAY ROOFTOP PARTY

SUB CLUB, 17:30–22:30 Trance and techno.

Mon 16 Sep

BREATHE FRESHERS: CHARLIE BOON SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and electronica. FEMMEDM & JEOPARDIZE: THE GROOVE SAFARI THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 House and Afro house.

Tue 17 Sep

GUNK WITH MASSIE AND VNEE THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Bass and garage.

Wed 18 Sep

LOST HARMONY (M1 + BENJAMINAUDIO + FRASER FORBES) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Techno, UK garage and house.

HARAM HARAM: WELCOME TO GLASGOW SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Bass and garage.

CANDLE THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Acid and Italo disco.

Thu 19 Sep SAY SO X THE BERKELEY SUITE THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–03:00 Trance and techno.

SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Hard techno.

BITROT X PURE BLISS X STEREO: PROMIS3 (ANGEL.WORLD + KOPI- O + LNTO)

STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Trance and hardcore from Belgium.

DUENDE SOUNDSYSTEM (STRAWBERRY JAM + ANNIE2+ VARDI) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Dancehall and latin bass soundsystem.

TAQA WITH DIJA LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House.

SHOOT YOUR SHOT: MARION HAWKES (PONYHAWKE) THE BERKELEY SUITE, 19:00–22:30 House.

OPTIMO (ESPACIO) RESIDENCY PARTY THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Acid.

WORLD OF TWIST: GLOBAL GROOVES WITH ANDY VOTEL THE RUM SHACK, 21:00–01:00 Disco and Afrobeats. EXIT CLUB: JUNGLE EXIT GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00 Jungle and drum ‘n’ bass.

OUTOFBOUNDS (GLOBAL + APU NANU + KOPI- O + POOG1RL + NOISE HZ) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Deconstructed club, experimental, ambient, noise and club.

IVRESSE: FRESHERS LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno and acid.

Fri 20 Sep

SWIFTOGEDDON SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Pop. THE VASS FILES SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno. TOMMY HOLAHAN SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno. SHYTETRAX (BLEEN + OLIVIA ROSLIN + PARA PHASE + ROY DON) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Prog house, hard drum, trance, techno and breakbeat. MILLBOY RECORDS PRESENTS: HARD TECHNO FREE PARTY (PHOTON + HOLT + ST-47 + NAZ MCKAY + GIBBY + E.1 + KLDR + SCOTT SHEDDEN) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Hard techno. 10 YEARS OF PARTIAL LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House and techno. SPIRIT: DONATO DOZZY & BAKE SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and techno.

POLKA DOT DISCO CLUB THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Bass and electro. ABRUPT PRESENTS TLO + SLVL ROOM 2, 23:00–03:00 Techno and industrial. EXIT PRESENTS NALA BROWN + MARCY EXIT GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00 Techno and bass. Sat 21 Sep

KILLER KITSCH: BRAT PARTY SWG3 23:00–03:00 Pop. NOT MY FIRST INTERPLANETARY RODEO: SUBCITY RADIO FRESHERS STEREO, 23:00–03:00 House and disco. DANSE MACABRE THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Goth. EROL ALKAN - TO THE RHYTHM THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 House.

Wed 25 Sep

FRENETIK INVITE LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno and electro. Thu 26 Sep

BRUTALIZM NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 22:00–03:00 Trance and techno. FLY GLASGOW: SAM ALFRED SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and techno. THUDLINE: TOMA KAMI + CHICHA B2B ROY DON THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Bass and footwork. Fri 27 Sep OGUZ SWG3, 22:00–03:00 Techno. PONYBOY PRESENTS: EXPLORING CLUBKID W/ METARAPH (DJ HOTWATERBOTTLE + EFFUA + HOLLY WARCUP + PUREGIRL + SISSY MISFIT (W/ HUNTRESS) + XAIA CHIMERA + BABYJAII + DILL + LOLA DING + LOURDES + PUKE + SAIGON REVLON + SHAWN NAYAR + SGAIRE WOOD + SXSZ + ZULAA) STEREO, 23:00–04:00 Techno and ballroom. CÉLESTE’S 3RD BIRTHDAY W/ OLLIE LISHMAN THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Trance.

RUBADUB 32 WITH TIKIMAN, ARTHUR, WATKINS GROUP, RUBADUB DJS EXIT GLASGOW, 22:00–03:00 Techno and dub. Sat 28 Sep

ABBA DISCO WONDERLAND SWG3 22:00–03:00 Disco.

SHITEPOP STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Pop and edits. COLD OPEN (TOM BOOGIZM + FINN MCCORRY + MOTHER) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Bass and garage. RUM SHACK 10TH BIRTHDAY: VOCAL OR VERSION REGGAE DANCE WITH TINY T & DOC MURDOC THE RUM SHACK, 20:00–01:00 Dub and dancehall

A.D.S.R W/ ASEC + MINA LORD EXIT GLASGOW, 21:00–03:00 Techno and industrial.

Edinburgh Clubs

Wed 04 Sep

HAPTIC SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Breaks.

Fri 06 Sep

NIGHTS LIKE THIS (LEE MARVIN + JIMMY JAMMIN) WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 House, techno and disco. BRAT SUMMER PARTY LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop.

Sat 07 Sep

FLY X LW/N PRESENT FRANCIS CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00 House. LUCKY DIP: SCANDAL. GLA X MOJXMMA TAKEOVER

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Global club. EVOL LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Indie sleaze.

Sun 08 Sep

POSTAL SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Bass.

Wed 11 Sep

SWEATBOX SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Global club.

Thu 12 Sep

MANGO LOUNGE: REFRACTA & GEORGE IV

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 UK garage. RHINESTONE RODEO LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Country. EDI INDIE SOC THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Indie.

Fri 13 Sep

SNEAKY PETE’S PRESENTS YOUNG MARCO THE CAVES 23:00–03:00 Trance and house.

RUNWAY STRUT

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 Queer house and disco.

PALIDRONE: JAY CARDER, DANSA, J WAX

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Bass.

CALIFORNIA LOVE

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Hip-hop and R‘n’B.

OVERGROUND THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Rave. CTS VS CLEAN UP

CREW THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Hardcore.

Sat 14 Sep

ASCENSION

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 Industrial and goth.

VICIOUS EVENTS

PRESENTS: NOVAH AND BY0RN THE LIQUID ROOM, 22:30–03:00 Techno.

HAND -MADE WITH LOVE: ADRIANA

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 House.

REGGAETON PARTY

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Reggae.

VIVID V’S ELATION THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

Sun 15 Sep

FREE TIME: CHARLIE DARK (DAY PARTY )

SNEAKY PETE’S, 17:00–22:00 Funk and soul.

Mon 16 Sep

SATSUMA SOUNDS: LAURENCE GUY

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Deep house.

Wed 18 Sep

MEMBRANE: ELIJAH MINNELLI (LIVE) SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Dub.

Thu 19 Sep

SIGNAL: REPTANT

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Electro.

RUMBA CLUB

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Indie.

IVORY THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Afro, afro-tech and house.

Fri 20 Sep

HEADSET’S GAY

GARAGE: BRISTOL TAKEOVER

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 UK garage.

TEEN SPIRIT LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Rock.

INKOHERENT X UNTITLED PRESENTS: F?????K THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Trance.

Sat 21 Sep

JUST LIKE HONEY

WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 Indie, New Wave and post-punk. THE MIRROR DANCE: DREAMCASTMOE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 R‘n’B and house.

DECADE LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop punk and emo.

Mon 23 Sep

EDINBURGH UNI INDIE

SOC SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Indie.

Wed 25 Sep

DAVE CLARKE – ONA:V PRESENTS

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

BOLLYNIGHTS LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Bollywood.

Thu 26 Sep

FULL FRONTAL

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

Fri 27 Sep

TELFORT’S GOOD PLACE

SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 House.

SUMMERTIME SADNESS CLUB

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Indie pop.

INDIE F.C: FIFA SOUNDTRACK & INDIE ANTHEMS PARTY

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Indie and pop.

INKOHERENT & FRIENDS

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Trance.

Sat 28 Sep

SO FETCH

LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 2000s party.

ELATION: VESELI | MELTX | SGIG

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Hard dance and techno. PULSE

THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.

Dundee Clubs

Fri 13 Sep

WE ARE STILL YOUNG CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Emo and punk.

Sat 14 Sep

SWIFTOGEDDON CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Pop.

Fri 20 Sep

MONSTER’S BALL: CHROMATICA CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Pop.

Sat 21 Sep

BRAT SUMMER PARTY CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Pop.

Fri 27 Sep

SO FETCH: 2000S PARTY CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Pop.

Sat 28 Sep

INDIE DISCOTHEQUE CHURCH, 22:30–03:00 Indie.

Glasgow Comedy

The Glee Club

BABY WANTS CANDY: SHAMILTON 15 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM Ever heard of this show Hamilton? Expect the same level of hip hop, incredible songs, stunning choreography and powerhouse singing ...except made up by the cast.

MICHAEL BLAUSTEIN 18 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM

Michael Blaustein is an internationally touring headlining comedian, accomplished actor, and award winning writer.

JAKE LAMBERT: THE SUNSHINE KID 19 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM

Jake Lambert is going on his first national tour.

The King’s Theatre

NISH KUMAR: NISH, DON'T KILL MY VIBE

12 SEP, 7:30PM –10:00PM

An explicitly political hour of stand-up from the award-winning comedian.

The Old Hairdressers

IMPROV FUCKTOWN

10 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM Welcome to Improv Fucktown, population: you.

HAROLD NIGHT

3 SEP, 7:00PM – 8:00PM

Two Glasgow Improv Theatre house teams performing the improv format

The Harold. PERFECT IMPROV SHOW SHOW

10 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM Wade into the stream of improv comedy with stories flowing from a special guest monologist.

YER DA WANTS A WORD

17 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM

The monthly show from friendly neighbourhood improv team Yer Da! Stick your name in the bucket for the jam at end.

GIT IMPROV CAGE

MATCH 24 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Two improv teams battle to be crowned champions of the Glasgow Improv Theatre this month. Audience decide who wins.

COUCH SURFS THE WEB

24 SEP, 7:00PM –8:00PM

A night of improv comedy where Couch surfs the web.

The Stand

Glasgow BENEFIT IN AID OF WOMEN’S SUPPORT PROJECT

18 SEP, 8:00PM –9:00PM

With host Jay Lafferty, Josie Long, Jade Kelly, Susan Riddell and Susie McCabe. MATERIAL, GIRL

29 SEP, 3:00PM –4:00PM Susan Riddell and Amanda Dwyer present an allfemale line-up.

SCREEN TIME

5 SEP, 8:30PM – 9:30PM

A new mutlimedia comedy night hosted by Fearghas Kelly.

KARL PORTER AND FRIENDS

12 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

The Salford comedian and viral sensation presents an hour-long stand-up show.

ANDREW O’NEILL: GEBURAH

16 SEP, 8:30PM –

9:30PM

Cult comedian and nonbinary whirlwind Andrew O'Neill presents an act of symbolic, magical regicide.

KANE BROWN: DON’T LISTEN TO ME

21 SEP, 5:00PM –6:00PM Stand-up show from the star of Man Like Mobeen.

AN EVENING OF SWEARING AND SHOUTING WITH GAVIN WEBSTER

29 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Dark observations, sardonic ukulele comedy songs and verbal crash bang wallops.

KEVIN P. GILDAY: MISCHIEF MAKAR

11 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Forget everything you know about poetry, this is a show that redefines the artform.

HASSAN PHILLS: TORONTO MANS TOUR

19 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Sharp observations with a charismatic stage presence.

STAND -UP FOR AL HARAH

23 SEP, 8:00PM –9:00PM

A night of stand-up to raise fund for Friends of Al Harah Theater/Bethlehem CIC.

FRENCHY: EMBRACE THE CHAOS

28 SEP, 5:00PM –6:00PM Life is chaos. Comedy is chaos. At least the way Frenchy does it...

Edinburgh Comedy

Monkey Barrel Comedy Club

VITTORIO ANGELONE: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I AM!

25-26 SEP, 8:00PM –9:45PM

Following the success of his ginormous 68 date run, viral sensation and all round great guy Vittorio Angelone is extending his tour.

LOU CONRAN: TANGENT

27 SEP, 8:00PM –9:35PM

Award-winning comedian Lou Conran stops off at Monkey Barrel Comedy on her first mini tour around the UK.

MICKY BARTLETT: THICC!

9 SEP, 8:00PM – 9:00PM

After a phenomenal 2023, Micky Bartlett brings his brand new stand-up show THICC! to venues across the UK and Ireland.

MICHAEL AKADIRI: TRUST ME I’M A DADDY

14 SEP, 6:00PM –7:00PM

Following his hit tour, multiaward-winning comedian and junior doctor Michael Akadiri arrives in Edinburgh with his sophomore show. THE WEEKLY PLANET* & PLUMBING THE DEATH STAR** LIVE IN EDINBURGH!

18 SEP, 8:00PM –9:30PM

One-half of The Weekly Planet and two-thirds of Plumbing the Death Star are coming to Edinburgh.

CCA Highlights September 2024

Audiovisual arts festivals, immersive exhibitions and cultural crash courses are just the highlights of the great things to see at the Glasgow CCA in Glasgow this month

Ando Glaso Roma Festival (Multiple venues, 7 Sep)

The Ando Glaso Roma Festival, dedicated to the strengthening and support of Roma culture within Scotland, hits Glasgow this month. There’s pop and dance performances at Drygate Brewery on 6 Sep, but be sure to catch the informative and engaging events coming to CCA on the 7th.

See a screening of documentary Roma Kids, presented by Stacey Dooley, which covers the Hungarian authorities’ displacement of Roma children. There are workshops on Roma customs, language and music, a Q+A with some of the UK’s leading experts on Roma culture, and some unmissable concerts. As well as heading a crash course on gypsy jazz, Lulo Reinhardt (the grandnephew of jazz legend Django Reinhardt), shares a set with Belarussian guitarist Yuliya Lonskaya, and don’t miss traditional Andalucian musicians TuFlamenco, or new group Rootless delivering their fusion of Indian and Roma sounds.

Low Rent

(Theatre, 12 Sep)

Low Rent, by anarchist/feminist ﬁlmmaker Cloudberry MacLean, documents a year of the artist’s life living out of a hut, built secretly on MacLean’s allotment in Edinburgh. The lesser-seen sights and sounds of Scottish wildlife are captured, soundtracked with live improvisation by Jer Reid and Una MacGlone, and juxtaposed with pressing questions around Edinburgh’s housing crisis and the impact of capitalism on the security and sustainability of shelter – a topic which has only become more relevant since the project started in 2005. This event is a pay-what-you-can fundraiser for the Govan/Ibrox branch of tenant’s union Living Rent.

Sonica Festival @ CCA (Multiple venues, 19-24 Sep)

Cryptic, the organisers of Glasgow’s audiovisual arts festival Sonica, are celebrating thirty years of arts promotion by taking over the town between 19-29 Sep. Events can be found from Tramway to the Glad Cafe, but there’s some unmissable action arriving at the CCA. For multidisciplinary piece Cycles, Martin Messier has programmed erratic light beams and buzzing sounds, switching through phases of harmony and discordance. Bill Vorn’s I.C.U (INTENSIVE CARE UNIT) is a display of mechanical lifeforms stru ling with artificial life, designed to resemble life-support machines and vitals monitors. Sonia Killmann and Laura Mannelli delve into new perspectives on the world with installation Umweltraum((a)), and Beny Wagner and Sasha Litvintseva host a screening of My Want of You Partakes of Me, a film interrogating figurative and literal consumption in our modern world.

Jalsaghar (Gallery, 28 Sep-21 Dec)

Edinburgh-based, British Bengali artist Debjani Banerjee takes over CCA’s exhibition gallery with Jalsaghar, a multisensory project incorporating sculpture and textile work, audio installations and participatory art practices.

Translated to ‘The Music Room’, the exhibition captures episodes from Banerjee’s childhood in 1980s Britain, interwoven with Indian pop culture references and traditional crafting techniques. The immersive fusion of cultural touchpoints encourages people to challenge dominant Western perceptions on race, gender, identity and migration. Other artists, such as Marta Aspe and Susmita Pujara, have contributed to the exhibition to represent Banerjee’s interest in communities, and the sharing of perspectives that they offer.

Regular Glasgow comedy nights

Drygate Brewing Co.

FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

DRYGATE COMEDY LAB, 19:00

A new material comedy night hosted by Chris Thorburn.

The Stand

Glasgow

FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH

MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV, 20:30

Host Billy Kirkwood and guests act entirely on your suggestions.

TUESDAYS RED RAW, 20:30

Legendary new material night with up to eight acts.

FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 20:30

The big weekend show with four comedians.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30 The big weekend show with four comedians.

The Glee Club

FRIDAYS FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00

The perfect way to end the working week, with four superb stand-up comedians.

SATURDAYS SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00

An evening of awardwinning comedy, with four superb stand-up comedians that will keep you laughing until Monday.

Regular Edinburgh comedy nights

The Stand

Edinburgh

MONDAYS RED RAW, 20:30

Legendary new material night with up to 8 acts.

TUESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)

STU & GARRY’S IMPROV SHOW, 20:30

The Stand’s very own Stu & Garry’s make comedy cold from suggestions.

THURSDAYS THE BEST OF SCOTTISH COMEDY, 20:30

Simply the best comics on the contemporary Scottish circuit.

FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 21

The big weekend show :00with four comedians.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW (THE EARLY SHOW) 17:00

A slightly earlier performance of the big weekend show with four comedians.

ALAN RESNICK: ONE FUNNY HOUR

21 SEP, 8:00PM –9:30PM

Adult Swim and LA’s favourite funny man, Alan Resnick, comes to the UK with his critically acclaimed one hour of hilarious comedy.

CHRIS THORBURN & RICHARD BROWN: CINEMAN/HORROR SHOW (LIVE RECORDING)

24 SEP, 8:00PM –9:45PM

Join Chris Thorburn and Richard Brown for a cinematic double feature from two Fringe favourites.

HASSAN PHILLS: LIVE IN EDINBURGH

28 SEP, 8:00PM –10:30PM

Hassan Phills brings his unique stand up showcasing the vibrant tapestry of culture and community in Toronto to the world.

Royal Lyceum

Theatre

NISH KUMAR: NISH, DON'T KILL MY VIBE

14 SEP, 7:30PM –10:00PM

An explicitly political hour of stand-up from the award-winning comedian.

The Edinburgh Playhouse

SARAH MILLICAN: LATE BLOOMER

13-14 SEP, 8:00PM –10:00PM

A new stand-up hour by beloved comedian about second comings-of-age.

SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30

The big weekend show with four comedians.

Monkey Barrel SECOND AND THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH

THE EDINBURGH REVUE, 19:00

The University of Edinburgh's Comedy Society, who put on sketch and stand-up comedy shows every two weeks.

WEDNESDAYS TOP BANANA, 19:00 Catch the stars of tomorrow today in Monkey Barrel's new act night every Wednesday.

THURSDAYS SNEAK PEAK, 19:00 + 21:00

Four acts every Thursday take to the stage to try out new material.

FRIDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG FRIDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00 Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

FRIDAYS DATING CRAPP, 22:00 Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Farmers Only...Come and laugh as some of Scotland's best improvisers join forces to perform based off two audience members dating profiles.

SATURDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SATURDAY SHOW, 17:00/19:00/21:00

Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

SUNDAYS

MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SUNDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00 Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.

The Queen’s Hall

BEN ELTON: AUTHENTIC STUPIDITY

3 SEP, 7:30PM –10:30PM The undisputed godfather of modern stand-up. SHANE TODD: FULL HOUSE 6 SEP, 8:00PM –10:30PM Host of the Tea with Me podcast.

AULD PALS: AN EVENING WITH THE CAST OF ‘STILL GAME’ 20 SEP, 7:30PM –10:30PM A spectacular line-up of comedic talent.

MAISIE ADAM: APPRAISAL 22 SEP, 8:00PM –10:30PM

The ultimate performance review from beloved comedian.

SERENA TERRY: ALL TIED UP 27 SEP, 8:00PM –10:30PM Creator of Mammy Banter. THE BIG FAB COMEDY SHOW WITH DARREN HARRIOTT 28 SEP, 7:30PM –10:30PM Scotland’s biggest live comedy experience. The Stand

Edinburgh

SUSAN MORRISON IS HISTORICALLY FUNNY

29 SEP, 5:00PM –6:00PM A trip through some of Scotland’s seediest, skankiest and scandalous history.

AN EVENING OF SWEARING AND SHOUTING WITH GAVIN WEBSTER

26 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Dark observations, sardonic ukulele comedy songs and verbal crash bang wallops.

LLOYD GRIFFITH: BAROQUE AND ROLL

29 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Comedian Lloyd Griffith is back with a brand new show.

Glasgow Theatre

Oran Mor

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: THE LAST CABARET ON EARTH

9-14 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

With the world ending in mere hours, one cabaret tries to give its audience the best final night.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: THE WOLVES AT THE DOOR

16-21 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

The Three Little Pigs meets the cost-of-living crisis in this timely play.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: POKER ALICE

2-7 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

A witty one-woman show about a poker-playing widow determined to win big.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: ARMOUR

23-28 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

A quintessentially Scottish musical, with the music of Robert Burns and original songs, that gives a voice to the women behind Scotland's famous bard.

The King’s

Theatre

CHITTY CHITTY BANG

BANG

1-8 SEP, TIMES VARY

THE ALLUSIONIST PRESENTS: SOUVENIRS

15 SEP, 4:00PM –5:00PM Join host Helen Zaltzman and musician Martin Austwick for a fun, fascinating and unique stage show.

CARL HUTCHINSON: TODAY YEARS OLD

5 SEP, 7:30PM – 8:30PM Rich in observations and physical comedy, a night out with this Geordie is guaranteed to have you belly laughing.

KARL PORTER AND FRIENDS

11 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM The Salford comedian and viral sensation presents an hour-long stand-up show.

ANDREW O’NEILL: GEBURAH

15 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

Cult comedian and nonbinary whirlwind Andrew O'Neill presents an act of symbolic, magical regicide.

KANE BROWN: DON’T LISTEN TO ME

22 SEP, 5:00PM –6:00PM Stand-up show from the star of Man Like Mobeen.

STEVE HOFFSTETTER: KILL THE BUTTERFLIES

25 SEP, 8:30PM –9:30PM

American author, columnist, and comedian Steve Hofstetter returns.

Edinburgh Theatre

Festival

Theatre

A CHORUS LINE

24-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

On an empty Broadway stage, seventeen performers are put through their paces in the final, gruelling audition for a new Broadway musical.

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE

10-14 SEP, TIMES VARY

A thrilling adaption of the Ian Rankin murder mysteries.

Summerhall

LAST NIGHT I DREAMT THAT SOMEBODY LOVED ME

23-24 SEP, TIMES VARY

A reimagining of an 1980s childhood, with music from major bands.

The Edinburgh Playhouse BLOOD BROTHERS

24-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

The beloved musical tale of separated-at-birth twins who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks.

COME FROM AWAY

17-21 SEP, TIMES VARY

The joyous West End sensation about stranded passengers welcomed into a Newfoundland community.

Traverse

Theatre

THE CHORIZA MAY SHOW

13 SEP, 8:00PM –10:00PM

Drag race star brings their first theatre extravanganza on the road.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: THE LAST CABARET ON EARTH

17-21 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

Hitch a ride in one of musical theatre’s most iconic vehicles.

COME FROM AWAY

24-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

The joyous West End sensation about stranded passengers welcomed into a Newfoundland community.

Theatre Royal

BURLESQUE THE MUSICAL

11-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

A sexy new musical of selfdiscovery with songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia and Diane Warren.

Tron Theatre

A HISTORY OF PAPER

10-14 SEP, TIMES VARY

A musical love story about a man and a woman and the little bits of paper that make up a life.

LAST NIGHT I DREAMT THAT SOMEBODY LOVED ME

19-21 SEP, TIMES VARY

A reimagining of an 1980s childhood, with music from major bands.

UP 14 SEP, 7:00PM –10:00PM

A fantasy table-top exploration using object theatre to explore themes of fate and chance.

TO SAVE THE SEA

25-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

Inspired by a real-life 1995 protest against Shell, this vibrant new musical is ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Glasgow

Art

CCA:

Centre for Contemporary Art

DEBJANI BANERJEE: JALSAGHAR

28 SEP-21 DEC, TIMES

VARY

An intricate exploration of Bengali culture set against a 1980s British childhood.

David Dale

Gallery and Studios

HOLLY WHITE: VIDEOS

21 SEP-26 OCT, 12:00PM – 5:00PM

Three video installations respond to each other, offering a screwball look at ideas of housing, domesticity, and capitalism through genres of dystopia, sci fi, and guerilla filmmaking.

Glasgow Print

Studio

BETWEEN ISLANDS

3-28 SEP, 11:00AM –5:00PM

A partnership with Graphic Studio Dublin featuring three artists working in land and seascapes.

HETTY HAXWORTH: COLOUR AND FORM 3-28 SEP, 11:00AM –5:00PM

Contemporary abstract print works created in and informed by the landscapes of rural Aberdeenshire.

GoMA

SCOTT MYLES: HEAD IN A BELL

1 SEP-23 FEB 25, 11:00AM – 4:00PM

An exhibition of painting, sculpture, print, moving image and sound exploring ideas of exchange and circulation, and the cyclicality of materiality.

Edinburgh

Art

City Art Centre

ADAM BRUCE

THOMSON: THE QUIET

PATH 1 SEP-6 OCT, TIMES VARY

A retrospective of a largely neglected landmark Scottish artist, who was among one of the first to study at the Edinburgh College of Art.

Collective Gallery

MOYNA FLANNIGAN: SPACE SHUFFLE

1-15 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Figurative collages and paper sculptures drawing on myth, art history and pop culture that explore the fragmentary and generative potential of collage.

KAYA FRASER: GIVE US A SMILE

1-29 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Working with still and video cameras inherited from her family, Satellite artist Kaya Fraser explores everyday and working class homes as sites of archive, memory, place and identity.

Dovecot

Studios

TANIA KOVATS: SEAMARKS

2 SEP-2 NOV, 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Tania Kovats’ seascapes rendered in brushstrokes and ceramics are being transformed into textile form with the creation of a new tapestry, exploring how art can respond to our climate emergency.

TAPESTRY 5: TIME & PLACE

2-7 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

ETCHINGROOM1: WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY IN A WONDERFUL WORLD

2 SEP-1 MAR 25, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

A collaboration between Ukrainian artists Kristina Yarosh and Anna Khodkova, this mural articulates the artists’ experiences of conflict and their strategies for resilience.

Fruitmarket

IBRAHIM MAHAMA: SONGS ABOUT ROSES

1 SEP-6 OCT, 10:00AM – 6:00PM

The first ever UK solo exhibition by Ghanaian artist using site-specific installation to interrogate ongoing legacies of colonialism and global migration.

Ingleby Gallery

RICHARD FORSTER: OST..!

14 SEP-2 NOV, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Photorealist pencil drawings explore ideas of place and otherness through the concept of Ostalgie 35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Jupiter Artland LAURA ALDRIDGE: LAWNMOWER

1-29 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Textile, ceramic, glass, found objects and moving image examine the emotional and sensory potential of materiality.

ANDREW SIM 1-29 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Symbolic and mythic paintings explore experiences of queerness and the visibility of the cis/het gaze.

National Gallery AN IRISH IMPRESSIONIST: LAVERY ON LOCATION

With the world ending in mere hours, one cabaret tries to give its audience the best final night.

A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: THE WOLVES AT THE DOOR

24-28 SEP, 1:00PM –

2:00PM

The Three Little Pigs meets the cost-of-living crisis in this timely play.

Dundee Theatre

Dundee Rep

SNAKE IN THE GRASS 13 SEP-5 OCT, TIMES VARY

Murders about in this stylish and clever new murder mystery from Alan Ayckbourn.

South Block

DIANE DAWSON: PARKS DEPARTMENT

2-9 SEP, 9:00AM –5:00PM

Prints examining the intersection between municipal spaces, councilbuilt environments, public spaces and the creatures that live and are exhibited in them.

Street Level

Photoworks

FUTUREPROOF 2024

1 SEP-3 NOV, TIMES

VARY

Futureproof returns for its 16th year, platforming the talent and diversity of newly graduated artists across Scotland’s dedicated Photography and Fine Art courses.

The Modern Institute

KIM BOHIE 2-5 SEP, TIMES VARY

Western and Korean landscape traditions play off each other in this first solo European exhibition by acclaimed Korean artist.

Tramway

DELAINE LE BAS: DELAINIA: 17071965

UNFOLDING

1 SEP-13 OCT, TIMES VARY

Objects, installations, textiles and costumes are positioned at the intersection of the personal and the political, exploring the artist’s Romani heritage.

Five small-scale tapestries inspired by urban spaces, the sea, the sky and Norse Myths explore the communal potential of textile work.

Edinburgh

Printmakers

ADE ADESINA: INTERSECTION

1 SEP-10 NOV, 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Experimentations with screen printing and lithography explore the artist’s African roots and British surroundings.

TAYO ADEKUNLE: STORIES OF THE UNSEEN

1 SEP-10 NOV, 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Delving into historic accounts and expositions of race, this exhibition re-examines stories about blackness from a new and decolonial perspective.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

JAN PIMBLETT: HYBRIDS

2 SEP-6 OCT, 11:00AM – 5:00PM

Strange, hybrid creatures and artefacts highlight the arbitrary nature of boundaries and our warped assumptions surrounding purity, marginality and identity.

1 SEP-27 OCT, TIMES VARY

The late 19th and early 20th centuries come to life in this survey of renowned Belfast born artist, Sir John Lavery.

Open Eye

Gallery

ROLAND FRASER: NEW ENGINE

3-21 SEP, TIMES VARY Work created from salvaged material, inspired by the natural landscape of Midlothian.

ANGUS MCEWAN

3-21 SEP, TIMES VARY

Paintings examining the intricate interplay between realism and the uncanny nuances of dark interiors, liminal spaces, and architectural details.

Out of the Blue

Drill Hall

JACK STAMP: PLASTICINE COWBOY

2-28 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Modelling and risoprinting come together in this innovative comic strip by Out of the Blueprint’s latest artist-in-residence.

HOME: A RESIDENTS’ SHOWCASE

10-20 SEP, 10:00AM –

5:00PM

A remarkable showcase of work by artists and makers who have their home-fromhome at Out of the Blue.

Royal Botanic Garden FUNGI FORMS

2 SEP-7 DEC, 10:00AM – 6:00PM

An exploration of the biological and cultural presence of fungi, told through music, literature, fashion, design, scent and visual art.

Royal Scottish Academy RSA

FRONTIERS: PAINTING

IN SCOTLAND NOW

1-8 SEP, TIMES VARY

Positioned between the traditions of the past and the aspirations for the future of visual arts, this complex exhibition looks at how artists push the boundaries of painting as medium.

EVOLUTIONS

14 SEP-13 OCT, TIMES

VARY

Spanning across various media, this innovative exhibition showcases work by nine recent recipients of RSA awards.

BRONWEN SLEIGH: CONVERGENCE

14 SEP-13 OCT, TIMES

VARY

Working in printmaking, drawing and sculpture, these works draw from manmade structures and spaces and the ways they evolve over time to create the urban spaces we know today.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art WOMEN IN REVOLT! ART AND ACTIVISM IN THE UK 1970–1990

1 SEP-26 JAN 25, 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Fresh off a stint at Tate Britain, this exhibition documents two decades of seismic social and political change and the art that emerged from and challenged the ensuing culture.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery BEFORE AND AFTER COAL: IMAGES AND VOICES FROM SCOTLAND’S MINING COMMUNITIES

1-15 SEP, 10:00AM –5:00PM

Quiet, intimate portrait photography examining the history and ongoing legacy of coal mining on Scottish communities.

Sierra Metro FLANNERY O’KAFKA: FOR WILLY LOVE AND BOOKER T: BLUE BABIES DO WHATEVER THEY WANT

1-15 SEP, 10:00AM –

2:00PM Flannery O’Kafka’s childhood bedroom bleeds into a carpet shop as this immersive installation interrogates gender performance, respectability, and the picturing of disability.

Stills

HOME: UKRAINIAN PHOTOGRAPHY, UK

WORDS

3 SEP-5 OCT, 12:00PM – 5:00PM

Contemporary photography from Ukraine exploring the plurality of home and belonging.

Summerhall

SAM KISSAJUKIAN: PAINTINGS OF MODERNIA

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –5:30PM

Bold paintings that explore the complex and ineffable mental states of being an artist living with Bipolar.

HELEN DENERLEY: FLUX

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

Sculptures informed by Haiku poetry and uncommon assemblages crafted out of a rusting library of scrap metal.

CALUM COLVIN: THIS LIVING HAND

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

A collection reflecting on mortality, creativity, and the essential role of the material in artistic creation in the face of encroaching AI.

LUCIAN PERKINS + ALEC MACKAYE: HARD ART DC 1979

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –5:30PM

A traveling exhibition and book bringing to life the thriving landscape of the Washington DC punk scene and its lasting impact on music and culture worldwide.

ROBERT MCDOWELL: THE MEDIUM OF MADNESS

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –5:30PM

A collection of paintings exploring the capacity of art to articulate madness as a non-transgressive form of being.

JO COATES: RESTORATION

1-20 SEP, 12:00PM –

5:30PM

An exhibition examining the complex and intricate art of restoration.

Talbot Rice Gallery EL ANATSUI: SCOTTISH MISSION BOOK DEPOT KETA

2-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

The most significant exhibition of Ghanaian artist El Anatsui yet in the UK, this interrogation into his long and storied career spills out over the building’s facade, transforming it into an open-air gallery.

The Scottish Gallery

DAVID CASS: LIGHT ON WATER

3-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

In his tenth solo show, the artist celebrates the power and majesty of the oceans.

DERRICK GUILD: PEARLS BEFORE FINCHES

3-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

Delicate paintings of finches inspired by traditional botanical drawings.

JAKE HARVEY: LINES IN TIME

3-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

Sculptural forms created from found stones and inspired by the findings of geological theorist James Hutton.

ADAM BRUCE THOMSON: SENSE OF WONDER

3-28 SEP, TIMES VARY

An exhibition of unseen studio work from acclaimed 20th-century Scottish painter, coinciding with a major public retrospective at the City Art Centre.

Dundee

Art

DCA: Dundee

Contemporary

Arts

CLAUDIA MARTÍNEZ

GARAY

1 SEP-17 NOV, TIMES

VARY

Multimedia work by Peruvian artist explores how artefacts, cultural relics, and propaganda communicate the history and social-political memory of cultures.

V&A Dundee

PHOTO CITY: HOW IMAGES SHAPE THE URBAN WORLD

1 SEP-27 OCT, 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Bringing together items from the V&A archive as well as two specially commissioned works to explore how two distinctly modern phenomena – cities and photography – have informed each other.

KIMONO: KYOTO TO CATWALK

1 SEP-5 JAN 25 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Part-fashion survey, partexploration on material culture, this exhibition traces the history of the kimono from 17th-century Japan to contemporary runways.

Ground Floor

We chat with the folks behind EHFM about their new cafe-studio space in Leith

Words: The Skinny

Tell me about the shift from radio station to cafe!

It’s been a steep learning curve, and it will probably continue to be! But we’re incredibly lucky that one of our co-founders runs the brilliant sandwich shop Alby’s, so we weren’t completely in the dark when starting things up. The whole transition has felt really natural, honestly. Everyone we’ve worked with on this project has been so lovely and completely got what we are trying to do, and the residents of Music Base have made us feel very welcome. Good vibes all round so far!

Has having this kind of physical, public access space helped to build the community aspect of the community radio station?

We want Ground Floor to be a natural meeting place for our presenters and volunteers – the key to fostering and strengthening any community is having a central place for people to come together. We’re still getting to grips with it, but the intention is very much to be able to use the space for our community’s needs – allowing them to use it to host their own events and gatherings.

There’s a lot of scope to grow the community where we are. The station is situated right above a complex of rehearsal rooms, recording studios and a drum shop so local musicians, bands and producers pass through the space naturally and we hope to pick lots of like-minded music heads along the way.

How do you hope Ground Floor will shape the relationship between EHFM and the city? Being more visible to the public is also a real development for us! The hope is that by being able to see the radio in action every day, members of the public will be encouraged to have a more casual, IRL relationship with us. Plus, it’ll maybe demystify the process of broadcasting for folk – anyone can do it! – and inspire them to apply for a show of their own.

We also want Ground Floor to raise the visibility of EHFM; to let more people know that there is a station based in their city and that reports on local matters and covers local events.

On a slightly more prosaic note, the cafe helps EHFM take more control over its ﬁnancial future. It’s very difﬁcult to make money as a radio station and the sales from Ground Floor go towards funding our wee community radio station!

What was it about Leith that felt right?

Lots of pals of the station have businesses in Leith; art galleries, bars, venues and restaurants (not to mention Alby’s, who supply our focaccia, is just down the road). The area has a tight-knit local community, and already we’ve felt very welcomed by nearby businesses offering their congratulations on the new space and popping in to say hello. There’s a bit of a hub of contemporary culture in Leith, so although we had been looking at spaces across Edinburgh, it felt like a no-brainer.

What’s next for EHFM? What are the ways you want it to grow after this move?

We’ve spent the first six years in Summerhall, but this is the first time we’ve really felt situated in an area – we want to reach out to people in our immediate surroundings and make some meaningful connections there. One of the things we’ve always wanted to do at EHFM is tell the stories of people in the city who are overlooked, and this new public-facing space makes that feel like more of a reality than ever. We’re never too interested in growing for growth’s sake. What we’re always thinking about is how we can serve our community of presenters – how we can lift their profile and bring them new opportunities - and how we can create a better experience for a wider range of listeners.

125 Great Junction St, Edinburgh, EH6 5JB

Photo: Maciej Kawka

The Skinny On... MC Hammersmith

The world’s leading rapper to emerge from the ghetto of middle class London, MC Hammersmith (aka Will Naameh) follows his sell-out Fringe run with a look back on the acoustic foam panelling that made him

What’s your favourite place to visit?

My recording studio, so I can drop ﬁre bars. It’s a cupboard in my ﬂat I’ve converted into a recording booth. Every square inch of the walls and ceiling is entirely covered in foam panelling. Every time I step inside I basically hotbox myself with polyurethane. Great smell!

Favourite food?

12 Pack Set Acoustic Foam Panels, Studio Wedge Tiles, 2” x 12” x 12”. Tastes like success in the rap game!

Favourite colour?

Black, like the acoustic foam panels that surround me when I rap. Who needs colour when you’ve got rows of pyramids which help break up sound waves, at 50/lbs per cubic yard?

Who was your hero growing up?

Otto Bayer, the German industrial chemist who ﬁrst synthesised polyurethane. Thanks Otto!

Whose work inspires you now?

I love Autex! I’ve been following their work with intense interest for a number of years. Autex is a New Zealand-based company that specialises in

producing eco-friendly acoustic products. They use recycled plastic materials in their products, making them an ideal choice for customers looking for an environmentally friendly solution to their sound control needs.

What three people would you invite to your dinner party and what are you cooking?

Wallace Sabine, the architectural acoustician! Wouldn’t need any other guests, just me and him. And I’ll be cooking up some great conversation about the relationship between reverberation time and effective absorption area!

What’s your all time favourite album?

The Autex Catalogue; the laminated retail album through which I purchased my ﬁrst set of 2” Acousti-Slabs! Changed my life!

What’s the worst ﬁlm you’ve ever seen?

The Sound of Music. Had nothing to do with acoustics or mechanical waveforms. Complete false advertising. Worst 90 minutes of my life.

What book would you take to a desert island? I’d be nowhere without my Autex Catalogue™!

Who’s the worst?

Sound engineers who claim they can mix and master vocal stems improperly recorded in an echoey environment. Don’t ﬁx it in post! Fix it in pre! Soundproof your walls, people!

When did you last cry?

Thinking about my answer to the previous question. Soundproof your walls, people!

What are you most scared of?

Spiders. I’m of course joking, I’m not twelve. I’m most scared of a recording environment without professionally-installed high-density isolation pads! Soundproof your walls, people!

When did you last vomit?

Thinking about my answer to the previous question. Soundproof your walls, people, or I’ll be sick in my hands again!

Tell us a secret?

Sometimes I just sit in the cupboard and smile.

Which celebrity could you take in a ﬁght?

I tell you who I couldn’t take in a ﬁght – Mark Robinson, the CEO of Autex. He’s a strong man who I admire with a healthy mixture of respect and worship!

If you could be reincarnated as an animal, which animal would it be?

The greatest animal of all – man. With the greatest job of all – installing Autex acoustic foam panels.

What’s your favourite plant?

Cotton plants, which can be reﬁned to make cottonseed oil, which are an essential ingredient in polyols. And try synthesising polyurethane without polyols! A laughable idea! So laughable I’m laughing right now! Hahaha!

What’s your advice for the freshers of 2024?

Freshers, here’s my top advice: get yourselves sponsored by Autex. They will give you a LOT of money for simply mentioning acoustic sound panelling in a Q&A. It can be discrete and innocuous as well – nobody will even notice!

Do you have a nightmare ﬂatmate story?

The real ﬂatmates are the acoustic foam panels we met along the way

Photo: David Wilkinson