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February 2020 Issue 173
BOSSY LOVE
Glasgow's rising pop stars on the symbiotic relationship behind Me + U
January 2020
Books
THE SKINNY
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THE SKINNY
Art January 2020
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THE SKINNY
The Skinny’s Love playlist... Zero — Yeah Yeah Yeahs Vibrate — Rufus Wainwright Higher — Rihanna Into My Arms — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Love Shack — The B-52’s I Say a Little Prayer — Aretha Franklin I Really Like You — Carly Rae Jepsen At Last — Etta James Be My Wife — David Bowie Strawberry Letter 23 — Shuggie Otis Beyond — Leon Bridges Never Gonna Give You Up — Rick Astley Leggy Blonde — Flight of the Concords Beautiful — Belladonnakillz This Must Be the Place — Talking Heads Unforgettable — Nat King Cole Can't Help Falling In Love With You — Elvis Presley
Listen to this playlist on Spotify – search for 'The Skinny Office Playlist' or scan the above code
Issue 173, February 2020 © Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hello@theskinny.co.uk T: 0131 467 4630 P: The Skinny, 1.9 1st Floor Tower, Techcube, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Pl, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL 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. February 2020 — Chat
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 2018: 26,342
printed on 100% recycled paper
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Championing creativity in Scotland
Meet the team We asked – who would play you in a rom-com about your life and what would that film be called? Editorial
Rosamund West Editor-in-Chief "Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears The Same Two Woolen Jumpers On Rotation For Six Months."
Tallah Brash Music Editor " Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Tallah Brash vs. The World."
Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist "Ryan Gosling in Call Me By Your Safe Word."
Nadia Younes Clubs Editor, Events Editor " Mischa Barton in That Scene in The O.C. When Marissa Throws the Sun Lounger in the Pool."
Peter Simpson Digital Editor, Food & Drink Editor " It would be a slightly pretentious indie film, so get ready for Sweet, Sad Boy starring Julian Barratt."
Adam Benmakhlouf Art Editor " Jennifer Lopez in Must Love Mash Potatoes."
Production
Katie Goh Intersections Editor, Acting Books Editor " Lucy Liu in Crazy Broke Asians."
Polly Glynn Comedy Editor " I'd be played by Jason DeRulo and the film would be called Cats."
Eliza Gearty Theatre Editor " Bjork stars in: Karaoke Dreams."
Caroline Ring Intern " John Mulaney in Joker."
Rachael Hood Production Manager " I'd star in a cheerleading documentary called Zero to Cheero."
Tom McCarthy Creative Projects Manager " Adam Driver would play me in Marriage Story 2: Marry Harder."
George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist "Dave Franco in She's Just Not That Into You, Seriously, Please Stop Texting Her, She Was Just Being Nice."
Lynne Henry Sales Executive " Jessica Alba - of course!"
Laurie Presswood General Manager " My future best friend Saoirse Ronan plays me in Dundee: One City, Many SelfDiscoveries, an ensemble rom-com where the real love story is between me and my hometown. Maya Rudolph plays my mum."
Sales & Business
Sandy Park Commercial Director " J-Lo in Hustlers."
Fiona Hunter Designer " Julia Roberts in 10 Things I Ate Without You."
THE SKINNY
Editorial Words: Rosamund West
T
he theme of this month’s issue is LOVE. After many years of arch rejection of all things Valentine’s, this year we decided to say ‘FUCK IT’ and embrace the wave with a multi-stranded investigation into love in different forms. We start with the much-adored Bossy Love, stars of our cover, celebrating their intimate collaborative relationship as their debut Me + U is released on vinyl this month. Next we meet Angel Olsen, who plays Glasgow on 14 February, to discuss All Mirrors, her latest album which portrays love in many forms. The concept of work love, ‘do what you love’, receives some analysis in our design column as we depart from the usual maker-focus to discuss something around design culture with words with ‘Concept Librarian’ Carrie Maclennan. Finally, we wrap up the overt love theme with the aftermath, Intersections’ discussion of revenge porn. Naturally love continues throughout the magazine because this is always a labour of love. Glasgow Film Festival returns and our Film editor has drawn together an array of highlights quite literally from a hospital bed*, so great is his love and devotion to all things cinema. Coverage includes interviews with Simon Bird (of Inbetweeners fame) on his directorial debut Days of the Bagnold Summer, and we meet the cast of Run, the third film from director Scott Graham, which captures the restlessness of small-town Scottish life through the eyes of a former boy racer. More up-to-the-minute GFF coverage will be available during the festival in the form of our free mini-magazine the CineSkinny. February brings this year’s edition of RSA New Contemporaries to the Mound with another survey of Scotland’s visual arts graduates. We offer our own selection of the early career artists whose work will be on show in the Showcase
centre pages. Music meets multi-instrumentalist Georgia to discuss new album Seeking Thrills, dancefloor escapism, the BRIT school, learning the kora and much more besides. We also meet a range of more local talent including Glasgow returnee MALKA, Echo Machine frontman Gary Moore and new postpunk upstarts Bikini Body. Theatre continues to explore projects which are bringing positive change at a community level, meeting The Workers Theatre to learn more about their extremely timely Something Has To Happen festival, which will take place in Glasgow’s Southside this month. Books meets Emma Jane Unsworth to hear about her latest unapologetic novel about unapologetic women, Adults. Comedy talks to John-Luke Roberts about their own particular brand of absurdism ahead of touring new show After Me Comes the Flood (but in French) drip splosh splash drip blubbp blubbp. And Clubs hosts a B2B, with DJ and producer Aquarian discussing the making of his debut album and his collaboration with artist and researcher Sougwen Chung. Back in the review section of the magazine, interesting things to note include the first of our brand new restaurant reviews, as Food editor Peter heads to Glasgow’s Gloriosa. ICYMI this month takes in Peep Show, which you should definitely watch again according to Stuart McPherson. Finally, we close the magazine with the second in our new The Skinny On… regular column, this time featuring Pictish Trail sharing his thoughts on a fictional rom-com of his life entitled #PictishFail, starring Tim Key playing ill-attended shows in run down arts centres, and avoiding the advances of desperate middle-aged men and women from provincial Britain. *GET WELL SOON JAMIE
February 2020 — Chat
Cover Artist Marilena Vlachopoulou Marilena Vlachopoulou is an Athens-born, Glasgowbased documentary and portrait photographer. Since graduating from Glasgow Kelvin College she has been documenting the Glasgow music scene entirely on film. During this time Vlachopoulou has also been involved with art curation by showcasing the works of young local artists. Her upcoming body of work, Girls in Music, shot in collaboration with Lomography will be on display for the first time on 28 February at Many Studios as part of Femme Fatale Visual Arts Exhibition. Find her on Instagram at @darkroom.memoir Thank you to Glasgow's King's Theatre for providing a beautiful venue for this month's Bossy Love cover shoot. @GlasgowKings — 6 —
THE SKINNY
Intersections
Love Bites: Food as a love language This month’s columnist explores how her relationship with her mother is articulated through food Words: Josie Gaitens
I
February 2020 — Chat
am visiting home and my mother and I are not speaking. This is not unusual. For years our relationship has been liberally peppered with intense emotional disruptions. But I know things are changing for the better when she calls me from town. I text my worried friends: “Things are okay now.” “Good! What happened? Did she apologise?” “Kind of. She bought me a steak.” It’s hard to explain to those who haven’t experienced food as a love language. To some people, eating is no different from breathing. My mother would rather not eat than eat to survive. Food is first and foremost a joy, a symbol of affection for one’s self or others. My mother feeds people and her food means things. Come, share this meal. I want for you to be nourished. Our fridge is always packed, our table groaning. She remembers every meal she’s eaten in a restaurant. When she misses me she messages me about things we will eat together. My 20th birthday card from her reads, “love you, can’t wait to eat a BIG STEAK with you!” Of all the times my mother has loved me with food, one instance from when I was 16 stands out. A friend’s father had just died. My childhood best friend and I sat in my kitchen, silent with grief, with my mother between us, breaking up chocolate and placing it in our mouths while we cried. Like baby birds she fed us, piece after piece. Life is tragic and awful in so many ways, but in that desperate moment she gave us all the sweetness she could find.
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THE SKINNY
Heads Up
Festival season starts in February now apparently, and this month's Scottish festivals span across theatre, art, books, sound and film – no rest for the wicked we guess! Compiled by Nadia Younes
Jacques Greene (live) & M. Bootyspoon
Heads Up
Photo: Mathieu Fortin
This is almost like a homecoming show of sorts for Canadian DJ and producer Jacques Greene, given his affiliation with the Glasgow-born label LuckyMe. And it’s lucky us too (sorry) as not only will Greene be performing a live set at this show, but he’ll also be supported by the magnificent Martyn Bootyspoon.
Photo: Scottish Dance Theatre
Stereo, Glasgow, 4 Feb, 8pm
V&A, Dundee, 6-8 Feb Scottish Dance Theatre dancers will take to the V&A Dundee, performing a piece created in collaboration with choreographer Janine Harrington. The performances will take place within and in response to the space offered by Up-Sticks, a timber structure created by Gramazio Kohler Research and MAS Architecture and Digital Fabrication students at ETH Zurich.
storage for future sunsets
Jacques Greene Photo: Camilla Greenwell
Born to Manifest Tramway, Glasgow, 7 Feb, 7.30pm You’ll be able to get your dance fix in Glasgow too this month, with Just Us Dance Theatre’s hip-hop dance double bill. The production highlights the experiences of young black British men, drawn from the personal experiences of the company’s Artistic Director Joseph Toonga and set to an original score by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante.
The Loading Bay x The Skinny showcase The Loading Bay, Glasgow, 8 Feb, 5pm If you want to do some dancing of your own then come along to the launch of brand new Glasgow skatepark The Loading Bay. We’ve teamed up with them to curate the evening portion, where Glasgowbased DJ Nightwave will be celebrating seven years of her Nightrave parties accompanied by VAJ.Power, AISHA and Bessa. Nightwave Photo: Kat Gollock
Born to Manifest Photo: Sam Hiscox
Sorry
North London four-piece Sorry got music industry tongues wagging fast when they burst onto the scene and were quickly snapped up by Domino Records. The band are set to release their debut album, 925, next month and it’s sure to propel them even further, so take the opportunity to catch them in an intimate setting while you still can.
Something Has To Happen Various venues, Glasgow, 1216 Feb
Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 9 Feb, 7pm
Blood & Gold
The Workers Theatre cooperative are back with the second edition of their festival, in partnership with The Glad Cafe. Taking place over five days in the Southside of Glasgow, the programme includes Scottish-Kenyan storyteller Mara Menzies’ Blood & Gold, a bilingual Gaelic-English circus workshop led by Rosie Orr and Beth Frieden and more.
Sorry
Credit: Jo Hanning
Hebridean Dark Skies Festival Various venues across the Isle of Lewis, 7-22 Feb
Jo Hanning, ImpKid, oil on canvas, (2019)
HMLTD Opium, Edinburgh, 15 Feb, 7pm Photo: Sarah Piantadosi
Daniela de Paulis
Photo: Paolo Scalerandi
February 2020 — Chat
storage for future sunsets
HAAi
HAAi
GENERATORprojects Annual Members' Show
The Caves, Edinburgh, 7 Feb, 11pm
GENERATOR Projects, Dundee, 8 Feb-1 Mar Moonbounce
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HMLTD
THE SKINNY
Various venues, Aberdeen, 13-16 Feb Ok, so we’re all pretty sick of the dark and cold winter nights by now, but Scotland’s leading light art festival returns this month to brighten things up. The artworks are all free to see – so you can’t keep dragging out that ‘skint after Christmas’ excuse – and will appear in various venues around the city centre.
Photo: Ruby Pluhar
Photo: Yiannis Kranidiotis
SPECTRA
The RSA’s annual New Contemporaries exhibition may land slightly earlier this year, but its earlier run doesn’t affect the quality of talent. As always, the exhibition will showcase the work of 62 graduates selected from the 2019 degree shows, featuring an array of artforms and artistic practices, including sculpture, photography, performance and architecture.
Nikesh Shukla
Heads Up
If you aren’t aware of Adam Bainbridge’s solo output as Kindness, you’ll probably be aware of some of their collaborative work with the likes of Solange, Blood Orange, Kelela and Robyn. Bainbridge’s latest solo offering, Something Like a War, features further collaborations with some of those artists, as well as Seinabo Sey and Jazmine Sullivan.
Photo: Jon Aitken
Photo: Michele Yong
CCA, Glasgow, 18 Feb, 7pm
RSA, Edinburgh, 15 Feb-11 Mar
Ruby Pluhar, Ella Lifted In Space, 120mm Negative, 70 x 90cm, 2019
Cyma {Fos}
Kindness
RSA New Contemporaries
Paisley Book Festival Various venues, Paisley, 2029 Feb Marking the 200th anniversary of the Paisley Radicals, Paisley’s inaugural book festival will celebrate radical stories and radical voices. On 23 February, Nikesh Shukla, editor of The Good Immigrant, will host a BAME writing masterclass, and later will be in conversation with Jay G Ying, co-founder of the BAME Scottish Writers Network. Photo: Picturehouse
Kindness Photo: Zak Mooney
How to Build a Girl
Edinburgh Festival of Sound
Glasgow Film Festival
Teviot Row House, Edinburgh, 21-22 Feb
GFT, Glasgow, 26 Feb-8 Mar
If you’ve ever fancied trying your hand at sound production, this sound tech weekender will probably be up your street. Ableton will be running a series of free workshops on the festival’s opening day and in the evening, the festival team up with the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival for a showcase of live electronic music.
GFF proves that female directors do exist – someone might want to inform the awards ceremonies – with both the opening and closing films directed by women. Opening this year’s festival will be Alice Winocour’s Proxima, and closing it will be the film adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s How to Build a Girl, directed by Coky Giedroyc.
Eleanor Conway Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 1 Mar, 5pm Photo: Jamie Rowan
Barrowlands, Glasgow, 19 Feb, 7pm
CCA, Glasgow, 20-23 Feb Credit: Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions
Babymetal
Photo: Judy's Vintage Fair
Photo: Amuse Inc. Babymetal
Femspectives
February 2020 — Chat
Edinburgh Festival of Sound
Vintage Nation Leith
Vintage Nation Leith Leith Theatre, Edinburgh, 29 Feb, 10.30am
Vai
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Eleanor Conway
February 2020 — Chat
What's On
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What's On
What's On Photo: Bovine
Music
Photo: Zoe Prinds
The Vegan Leather
Photo: Gem Harris
Poliça
Film Anna Meredith
Thelma & Louise
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Photo: Eoin Carey
Glasgow Film Festival (26 Feb-8 Mar) isn’t the only film festival kicking off in Scotland this month. IberoDocs (26 Feb-15 Mar) returns for its seventh edition – taking place in venues across Edinburgh and Glasgow – to showcase IberoAmerican culture, with a focus on documentary films by Spanish, Portuguese and Latin-American filmmakers. The globe-trotting continues at Filmhouse, where the career of the late Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini will be celebrated on the centenary of his birth. The retrospective will explore Fellini’s work from his back-to-back Oscar wins for La Strada and Nights of Cabiria in the 1950s to his final film, The Voice of the Moon. On 4 February, the Filmhouse will also host a screening of David Lynch’s 1997 psychological thriller, Lost Highway. Pity Party Film Club returns to the CCA on 15 February to celebrate onscreen depictions of female friendship in Suitable Women: Films of Female Friendship Vol. 3. This time around the selected films include Mike Leigh’s 1997 film Career Girls, the Toni Collette and Lisa Kudrow starring Clockwatchers, Sean Baker’s brilliant iPhone-shot comedy Tangerine and Ridley Scott’s classic girl’s road trip movie Thelma & Louise. [Jamie Dunn]
Glasgow Film Theatre
February 2020 — Chat
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s packed to the rafters with gigs galore from both touring and local acts alike. Starting in Edinburgh, local gang Bikini Body launch their debut EP, Pond Life, at Sneaky Pete’s (5 Feb) which you can read more about on page 45. If you’re a fan of London outfit Dry Cleaning, who incidentally also play Sneaky’s this month (13 Feb), then chances are you’ll be on board! Also at Sneaky’s this month En Attendant Ana play with support from Edinburgh’s Buffet Lunch (10 Feb), while on 22 February, you can catch a band we’re super excited about, Swim School. Elsewhere, The Vegan Leather bring their debut album, Poor Girls / Broken Boys, to The Mash House (6 Feb), Mercury Prize-nominees black midi play The Liquid Room (17 Feb), Marika Hackman plays The Caves (26 Feb) and The Big Moon touch down at Summerhall (28 Feb). In Glasgow, Chester indie-pop trio Peaness (5 Feb) are our first pick for a packed month in The Hug & Pint’s basement, with Heather Woods Broderick – who you may know as a member of Sharon Van Etten’s band – playing at the month’s end (29 Feb). Elsewhere, early in the month there’s a three-nighter on the cards courtesy of Anna Meredith (Oran Mor, 8 Feb), YACHT (Broadcast, 9 Feb) and Poliça (St Luke’s, 10 Feb), the latter celebrating their new record When We Stay Alive, written in the wake of frontwoman Channy Leaneagh’s brush with death. Angel Olsen then plays the Barrowlands on Valentine’s Day, with a gaggle of local acts including LYLO, Babe and Happy Spendy ramping up the romantic vibes in Stereo the following night (15 Feb). Next, Eigg metallers Massacre Cave – some of whom you may recognise from playing in Pictish Trail’s band – launch their debut album GODLUST at The Flying Duck (22 Feb). The month rounds off neatly with Sleater-Kinney, who bring 2019’s The Center Won’t Hold to the Barrowlands (28 Feb). Finally, if you’re in Dundee then don’t miss young Aberdeen post-punks Black Tiles at Conroy’s Basement (7 Feb) – their latest single Dead Girls has us hooked. [Tallah Brash]
THE SKINNY
Clubs
What's On
SHERELLE
Photo: Kasia Zacharko
The Mash House in Edinburgh launches into the month with two exciting back-toback bookings on 6 and 7 February. The first comes from bass specialists Church who bring the indisputable breakout DJ of 2019 SHERELLE in for their latest party. The following evening London-based clubnight Night Tube head up north with Portuguese DJ Mafalda in tow, who’s known for sprinkling her globe-spanning musical influences throughout her sets. Rivalling Mash House’s February line-up is The Caves, who bookend the month with two massive shows. Sneaky Pete’s throw an external party in the underground vault with Australian-born DJ and producer HAAi (7 Feb) playing all night long. Then, at the end of the month it’s First Edition who take to the cave, with a show headlined by another force to be reckoned with, Derry-born DJ, producer and label boss Or:la (28 Feb). There are great pairings aplenty in Glasgow and Edinburgh throughout the month. Two of the most excitings DJs around, object blue and LSDXOXO (14 Feb) will provide the perfect, sweaty soundtrack to your Valentine’s Day at The Berkeley Suite, courtesy of HEALTHY. Meanwhile in Edinburgh Mash House regulars Palidrone celebrate their second birthday, joined by balaclava-wearing Detroit legend DJ Stingray and Glasgow-born, Copenhagen-based Solid Blake (21 Feb). Closing out the month, Big Miz hosts the third part of his Good Thing residency at Room 2 in Glasgow with in-demand DJ Saoirse (29 Feb). [Nadia Younes]
LSDXOXO
Art
Photo: Courtesy of Mong Wong
Shuvinai Ashoona, Pregnancies in Universe
In Edinburgh, Sulaïman Majali’s new sound and sculptural work is installed around Collective, drawing out alternative and diasporic narratives of the area (until 29 Mar). Talbot Rice Gallery hosts a group show of artists called the Pine’s Eye, bringing together artistic responses to the current environmental crisis (29 Feb-9 May). In Rhubaba, they host the first of a series of workshops titled No School! mainly for undergraduate students interested in alternate forms of education, and open to all. In Glasgow, at CCA there are two new shows opening on 7 February. Shuvinai Ashoona’s enchanting drawings come from fantasies, and the complexity of contemporary life in the wake of Arctic colonialism. Opening on the same evening, is a show of new works by artist Isabella Widger, whose drawings, writing and sculpture will revolve around a painted autobiographical work by Charlotte Salomon – whose arresting and sensitive output was cut short by her murder by Nazis in 1943. Market Gallery’s first exhibition of the year is by Aman Sandhu, featuring sculptures, text-based work and videos (8 Feb-20 Mar). On 13 February, The Common Guild host a primer by Palestinian, New York-based artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme in Kelvin Hall. Their collaborative and diverse multimedia practice probes a contemporary landscape shaped by politics of desire and disaster. [Adam Benmakhlouf]
Seized by the Left Hand
The Party Somewhere Else (as part of manipulate)
manipulate, Puppet Animation Scotland’s annual festival, continues until 8 February: shows include Dreams of the Small Gods (4 Feb), a mythology-inspired one woman show, and Fault Lines (5-6 Feb), ‘a fashion show on the fracture between feminism and fabric’. The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh has really outdone itself with a month ful of exciting new work, including, but not limited to: Tandem Writing Collective’s evening of play readings (7 Feb), Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead’s play Trojan Horse, which follows the real life stories of Muslim teachers and governers accused of plotting extremism in Birmingham schools (11-12 Feb), and The Pride Plays, 1 and 2 (14-15 Feb), which puts LGBTQ+ voices in the spotlight. Elsewhere in Edinburgh, Bertolt Brecht’s Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti is given a genderswitching revamp at the Lyceum – catch Elaine C. Smith, Glaswegian actress of sitcom fame, treading the boards in the leading role (28 Feb-21 Mar). In Glasgow, you can head along to Rosalind Sydney’s world premiere of The Secret Garden (11-12 Feb) or Ed Edwards’ semi-autobiographical The Political History of Smack and Crack (20-22 Feb), depending on what kind of thing you’re into. Or hey, why not go to both? We’re multi-dimensional creatures after all. Both shows are at the Tron. You can also see Leyla Josephine’s remarkable Daddy Drag there at the end of the month, if you missed it at the Fringe last summer (26-29 Feb). Tramway has some interesting productions programmed, including Born to Manifest, a new hip-hop dance double bill from Just Us Dance Theatre (7 Feb). Glasgow’s Glad Cafe will host The Workers Theatre’s second Something Has to Happen festival (12-16 Feb) – check out our Q&A with the cooporative on p36. Over in Dundee, the Rep are staging Gillian Duffy’s heartwarming tale The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns on 4 February, and Philip Differ’s portrayal of footballer Jim McLean, Smile, (18 Feb-7 Mar). [Eliza Gearty]
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Photo: Kat Gollock
Photo: Pamela Raith
February 2020 — Chat
Theatre
Blood and Gold (as part of Something has to Happen)
THE SKINNY
Food
Tiny Rebel Brewery
What's On
Photo: Sam Needham
February is New Zealand Beer Month, apparently, so fittingly Dundee’s brilliant Kiwi cafe The Bach play host to an evening of street food paired with a quartet of beers from New Zealand (7 Feb, 7pm, 31 Meadowside, Dundee, £25). On Valentine’s Day, Good Spirits Co are celebrating a few of the drinks that don’t quite fit into the boxes marked ‘gin’, ‘rum’ or ‘vodka’. Unicorn Spirits is a tasting that will feature half-a-dozen weird, odd or simply hard-to-categorise tipples; if you like drinks that are a bit different from normal, this one’s for you (14 Feb, 7pm, 23 Bath St, Glasgow, £25). Two of Scotland’s leading breweries go head-to-head in one of those great competitions where everyone ends up a winner. Williams Bros and Drygate’s beers will be pitted against one another at Rumble In The Bungo, with a total of ten beers to try. Like we said, everyone wins, (21 Feb, 7.30pm, 17 Nithsdale Rd, Glasgow, £30). Also this month, fighting! But not just any kind of fighting, whisky fighting! Fortunately, Whisky Fight Night contains no actual scrapping; instead it’s an evening of competitive whisky tasting with six drams to try (26 Feb, 6.45pm, Summerhall, Edinburgh, £31.75). It’s also worth keeping a pair of evenings free for Edinburgh tap takeovers by a couple of excellent breweries from ‘down south’. Newport’s Tiny Rebel head to the Innis and Gunn Taproom on 13 Feb to celebrate their eighth birthday, and Magic Rock’s head brewer makes the trip from Huddersfield to take over Fierce Beer’s bar on Rose Street on 27 Feb. Both make great beer, and both sell their beers in very nice-looking cans. [Peter Simpson]
Magic Rock Brewery
Photo: Jess Orr Paisley Book Festival
In an exciting and very welcome start to the year, Inky Fingers have partnered up with the Scottish BAME Writers Network to create a three-month event production residency. The Network will host Inky’s next three events, keeping the feature performer and open mic format of its usual events, but this time focusing on readings from BAME writers. The first event will take place on 4 February at Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh and feature headline poet Courtney Stoddart, an incredible young performance poet who’s already been on stages at the Edinburgh International Festival, Brazilian arts festivals and Neu! Reekie! The inaugural Paisley Book Festival will take place between 20-29 February. There is a strong poetry strand running throughout the festival, beginning with the launch event featuring Glasgow’s Poet Laureate, Jim Carruth. The opening night will take place on 20 February at Paisley Art Centre, and will also feature a reading from Maggie Craig and music by Heir of the Cursed. Other poetry events in the programme include Jackie Kay, Poets in the Library (readings from poets such as Sheila Templeton, Linda Jackson and Ross Wilson) and Jenny Lindsay’s This Script. A particular highlight is sure to be Writing Queer Identities with Dean Atta and Eris Young, taking place on 26 February. Eris Young – writer-in-residence at Lighthouse Books and author of They/Them/Their – and Dean Atta – acclaimed poet and spoken word performer whose debut novel The Black Flamingo surged to well-deserved popularity – will be discussing the challenges and successes of writing queer identities. [Beth Cochrane]
Photo: Mary McCartney
Poetry
Jackie Kay
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Photo: Alex Harwood
Photo: Giles Smith Josie Long
February is crammed with excellent live comedy coming to a space near you. A couple of our absolute favourite Fringe shows from 2019 are stopping off at The Glasgow Stand: Max and Ivan’s glorious ode to friendship, Commitment, (9 Feb, 8.30pm, £13-14), and Josie Long’s Tender (16 Feb, 8.30pm, £16) – her gentle and poignant take on new motherhood and coping with bringing someone new into a world on fire. Both are the perfect antidote to get you out of your winter funk. If you’re more into comedy nonsense, we’ve got you covered too. John-Luke Roberts speaks to us on p39 about coming to town with their excellently-titled tour show. Guaranteed mad stuff aplenty (Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 25 Feb, 8pm, £10; The Stand, Glasgow, 26 Feb, 8.30pm, £10). Looking for something fresh? The Edinburgh Stand’s got a new Saturday afternoon show to kick off your night on 15 February. And, because it’s on so early, you’ll be done in time to hop over to the city’s southside for Planet Caramel’s Summerhall Brawl (15 Feb, 8pm, £5). Following their Wedding show, the lovely boys are back for a boxing adventure. It’ll be a knockout. And finally, for its seventh year, the Scottish Student Comedy Festival will showcase the best and brightest student comedy talent from across the UK. That’s taking place across the city between Friday 21 and Saturday 22 February and being run by the lovely folk at The Edinburgh Revue. [Polly Glynn]
Planet Caramel
February 2020 — Chat
Comedy
February 2020 — Chat
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THE SKINNY
6 Editorial — 8 Heads Up — 11 What's On — 16 Games 25 Competitions — 43 Albums — 48 Film & TV — 51 Food & Drink 53 Art — 55 Comedy — 56 Listings — 62 The Skinny On... Pictish Trail
Features 19 Bossy Love discuss the symbiotic relationship at the heart of debut Me + U 23 We meet Angel Olsen ahead of her Valentine’s gig 27 On revenge porn and trust in the age of nudes
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28 Glasgow Film Festival returns – we talk Days of the Bagnold Summer with debutant director Simon Bird, meet the cast of Run, and offer a rundown of our programme highlights 32 Showcase: A few of the early career artists we’ve got our eyes on at RSA New Contemporaries 34 Georgia on her ascent towards pop perfection on Seeking Thrills 35 MALKA’s Tamara Schlesinger on looking inward to summon I’m Not Your Soldier
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36 The Workers Theatre on working cooperatively and Something Has To Happen festival 37 B2B: DJ and producer Aquarian and artist and researcher Sougwen Chung discuss their collaboration on The Snake That Eats Itself 38 Author Emma Jane Unsworth on Adults, foxes and (not) coming of age 39 John-Luke Roberts is back with a new twist on their particular brand of absurdism
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40 Here's what watching the news of the US assassination of Qassem Soleimani unfold felt like to one second-generation Iranian immigrant On the website... A deep dive on the glorious mundanity of Studio Ghibli, a look back at Romance Is Boring by Los Campesinos!, a guide to Living in Montreal and a whole lot more...
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Image Credits: (Left to right, top to bottom) Marilena Vlachopoulou; Cameron McCool; Jacky Sheridan; Rob Baker Ashton; Fay Katherine; Joseph Connor; David Boni; Mara Menzies; Michael George; Alex Lake/Two Short Days; Natasha Pszenicki; Kimberly Carpenter
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February 2020 — Chat
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THE SKINNY
Shot of the month Vukovi, Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, 24 Jan by Aimee Young
by Jock Mooney
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Across 1. [Sings] What is love? (4,4,4,2) 7. A very long time, or energy company (3) 8. The grammatical term for figurative phrases (6) 9. The sound of a doorbell + an American word for penis? (4,4) 11. How Americans refer to the sexiest emoji (8) 14. A girl has no name [Game of Thrones] (4) 15. Skip, reverse, draw two, draw four (3) 16. She played Edward Scissorhands' love interest (6,5) 17. Oversharing (initials) (3) 18. Intense wanting (4) 19. Long before Tinder, there was... (8) 22. Hugs (8) 24. Gondor calls for aid (6) 25. Soulless way of measuring success (initials) (3) 26. Internet chat-up line (5,4,2,3)
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Compiled by George Sully
Down 1. On Wednesday we make sweet weekly love (according to Flight of the Conchords) (8,4) 2. Amy's new passion in Sex Education season 2 (6) 3 . Ukrainian city, or a song by Caribou (6) 4. Care for or be liable to (4) 5. ‘Wild Wild West, Jim West, desperado, _____ _____’ (5,5) 6. Pasiphäe shagged a bull, this was the result, famously had to be contained in a maze (8) 10. Paul McCartney called this the best song ever written (3,4,5) 12. Sculpted pubes or gardens (10) 13. Make fun of someone in a playful way (5) 16. 2019 ITV police series starring Rob Lowe, cancelled after one season (4,4) 20. Lacking pigmentation (6) 21. Ornamental flowering plant, associated with virility in Ancient Greece (6) 23. What a birthday suit is made of (4) Turn to page 25 for the solutions
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February 2020
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February 2020
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M eant To Be We chat to Glasgow’s rising pop stars Bossy Love about falling in love, building a future and owning the album they’ve always wanted Interview: Katie Hawthorne Photos: Marilena Vlachopoulou
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February 2020 — Love Stories
Music
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he first time I saw them I knew they were a bit of me. Exactly my type on paper. It was almost exactly four years ago, a chilly evening in March 2016. A small early-doors crowd were nursing lagers in Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele, well ahead of an Errors headline show later that evening. The lights dimmed and a band I’d never heard of just… transformed the room. In less than ten minutes they’d persuaded us to ditch our coats, neck our pints and creak our aging knees into urgent slut drops. Bossy Love have absolutely no business being a support act: their live shows have more attitude than Mariah and more goofy, high-octane energy than an entire troupe of theatre kids. Frosty R’n’B borrowed from noughties popstars collides with an almost industrial dancefloor drive, and all of this is offered up to their audiences with the kind of easy, tipsy togetherness that makes every show feel like a house party. It’s not often you stumble upon a band that immediately demands your devotion, but when this magazine later described their gigs as “nothing short of cultish” it was no exaggeration. Amandah Wilkinson and John Baillie Jnr met each other in 2008. Wilkinson was the driving force behind perky Australian pop band Operator Please, Baillie Jnr was jumping between drums and vocals for Glaswegian six-piece Dananananaykroyd, and both bands were supporting The Futureheads at Fat Sams in Dundee: an extremely noughties situation. The way they tell it, their meeting was fated. “Within ten minutes I just knew. I was like, that’s one of mine,” Wilkinson grins, pointing at Baillie Jnr. The feeling was mutual. “You could just tell,” he nods. “We just clicked.” They stayed in touch, texting each other from the road, and the next year Operator Please had a show at King Tut’s. They planned to record some songs together during Wilkinson’s few hours in Glasgow, but fate intervened – again. “I couldn’t get into his house!” she cackles. “This was way before iPhones and I didn’t know which house it was. So I’m standing there, and I meet this boy...” “The only person walking down the street was my flatmate,” says Baillie Jnr, triumphantly finishing the story. “You had that gold Motorola razr!” Jump to 2012. Both Operator Please and Dananananaykroyd have broken up, and Wilkinson has moved to London, where she’s living in a grim converted warehouse and trying to write songs. “No windows. It’s dusty. I can hear people shagging all the time and I’m whisper singing in my bedroom.” One night she sends Baillie Jnr a track: “I was like, ‘Hey, what d’you make of this?’ Within half an hour he’d produced it and sent it back to me.” She turns to face him. “It was like you dived into my brain and made the song something I’d always wanted it to be.”
In Sync When the pair talk about each other, it’s with the kind of affection and detail usually reserved for childhood best friends or very first crushes, filling in each other’s sentences with an exclamation mark (Wilkinson) or a deadpan one liner (Baillie Jnr). Their songwriting process is no less intimate. “I’ve never had this kind of synergy before, where someone can say, ‘Come on, tell me what this song’s really about’,” she says. “More so than ever I’m the most lyrically honest, emotionally honest that I’ve ever been. I’m the realest version of myself in front of John – and probably my boyfriend and my sister.” They laugh. “John knows more things about me, more secrets, that I haven’t shared with anybody. I can’t hide anything from him. It’s spooky, actually!”
“We just clicked” John Baillie Jnr “That’s what I’ve taken as part of my job,” he counters. “My job is to try and capture it, you know?” This symbiotic relationship is at the heart of their debut album, Me + U. The songs are made of Wilkinson’s lyrics and Baillie Jnr’s production, and its tracks form the full circle of a relationship. “So:
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first you’ve got your honeymoon phase,” Wilkinson explains. “It’s all sassy, it’s all play, and then you get in too deep, you’re wading in it, and it all blows up in your face. Then there’s the reclaiming of yourself, at the end.” At one end of the scale there’s a song like Foreign Lover (with guest vocals from Babe’s Gerard Black), a slinky, kitsch track about a ride-or-die long-distance romance. At the other there’s Muscle, a fizzing, furious retribution that unleashes a storm of pent-up frustration and twists Wilkinson’s bubblegum vocals into something far darker. Me + U, the record’s title track, is tucked in the middle. “It’s the album’s soft heart,” says Baillie Jnr. A soaring, desperate ballad with distant, clubby bass and space for the sniff of a snotty nose, it hits hard for fans used to the band’s joyful live show. “I think that’s the beautiful contrast about Bossy,” explains Wilkinson, “we do have fun and it is all really raucous, but the songs are meaningful. Me + U is the result of a time where I felt the most devastated that I think I’ve ever felt. For the song to even make the record…” she exhales, smiling. “A lot of the takes I was crying, because I went back to that place and I’d forgotten what it felt like. I thought I had healed it.” “And then I cracked it back open!” laughs Baillie Jnr. “The most fascinating thing about that song was that it was about you finally processing it all, and now you get to see it as it was. It’ll give that off forever, like some fucking weird radiation.”
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“More so than ever I’m the most lyrically honest, emotionally honest that I’ve ever been” Music
Amandah Wilkinson
Me + U was released on 31 Oct; it gets its vinyl release on 5 Feb bossylove.com — 21 —
Bossy Love in six songs Call Me Up The final version of that fateful demo Wilkinson sent Baillie Jnr, Call Me Up is a sugary pop dream worth moving to Glasgow for. Body The squelchiest bassline and a self-affirming rap verse combine for a perfect party-starter. Breathe – Blu Cantrell (live cover) In which Wilkinson is effortlessly both Blu Cantrell and Sean Paul, this cover pours petrol on their live shows. Up All Over Me A song so good they ripped apart the first version of their album to get it out sooner, it’s a whip-cracking, frosty riot. Girlfriend Originally written for The Saturdays, Wilkinson says she thought, “Ah, that means I can be totally honest, and I won’t have to sing it myself.” Instead it’s Me + U’s opener, and a loving rebuttal to Robyn’s iconic Call Your Girlfriend from the perspective of the other woman – with a sneaky nod to the song in the form of Baillie Jnr’s synths. “What if Robyn comes after us?” Wilkinson laughs. “She could beat me up, she’s so cool,” Baillie Jnr shrugs. Interlude A 37 second-long teaser, the album’s interlude is made from sneaky snippets of future Bossy Love songs. “They’re all finished,” grins Baillie Jnr, “I’ve got them on my phone right now.”
February 2020 — Love Stories
Taking ownership Their joint experience of the music industry has given them a steely resolve: they own all their music (something that’s less common than you might imagine: see the Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun scandal); they invest in themselves for the long term, recently building a studio – “like, literally” – so that they never feel rushed when recording; and, most importantly, they only do something if it’s fun. “I’ve been in one end and out the other of the major label machine,” says Wilkinson,“and there’s so much seduction in the idea of signing to a label but there are so many complications.” “Exactly,” adds Baillie Jnr. “The label took you to a fancy dinner? No, you took yourself to a fancy dinner. You’re being signed by venture capitalists, you’re taking on debt and the more you do the less power you have.” They both remember exhausting, never-ending tours – “I’d look on our MySpace and there’d be 50 more shows that I didn’t know about,” Wilkinson says – and the full control they have over Bossy’s trajectory goes some way to explain why the songs, and those shows, feel so freeing. In the early years Bossy Love was a soundsystem – they’d DJ clubs and sneak their tracks into the mix. They’ve stealthily released songs for six years now, but it wasn’t until 2016 that they finally pieced together the live band, with the help of whirlwind keyboard player Ollie Cox. Wilkinson jokes about the pressure of a “longawaited first album”, donning an ominously deep voice to do so, “but this record just feels full,” she says, grinning at Baillie Jnr. “It’s full of everything I wanted.” Good things take time. Any romantic can see that Bossy Love are built to last.
February 2020
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Heartbreak, Hi Music
Ahead of her show at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on Valentine’s Day, we catch up with Angel Olsen to discuss her latest album All Mirrors Interview: Tony Inglis
Photo: Cameron McCool
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February 2020 — Love Stories
here’s an exchange in Greta Gerwig’s generous, brilliant adaptation of Little Women, between Florence Pugh’s Amy and Timothée Chalamet’s Laurie, that places the two characters at odds with each other on the subject at hand: love. Both are at a turning point in the story. Laurie, spurned by Jo, is in flux, reconsidering what his love for Amy’s sister, for anyone, means if it isn’t being reflected back. Amy is coming to terms with her place in the world; that if she cannot be the great artist she aspires to be, then perhaps marriage, describing it as an “economic proposition”, is all that is left. “I believe we have some power over who we love, it isn’t something that just happens to a person,” Amy tells Laurie. “I think the poets might disagree,” he pings back. Angel Olsen’s love is multitudinous, allowing space for realism and romance. At least, that’s what she conveys on All Mirrors. It’s a powerful, affirming, dramatic, but never tragic, work about the ways in which we love and can be loved back. It clearly reflects on a recently dissolved relationship, but it would be retrograde to tag it as a ‘breakup album’ when it so actively engages in dialogues about platonic love, love as an artist, love as a professional, even loving the children you never thought your friends would have. And loving yourself: ‘I like the air that I breathe / I like the thoughts that I think / I like the life that I lead / Without you’. Spending time with All Mirrors is opening yourself up to countless epiphanies about how love manifests in your own life and relationships, such is Olsen’s clarity of artistic vision and deep wisdom. Olsen is often portrayed as spikey and brusque during interviews. She would be entitled to be, picking up the phone as she does, whilst the US is in the midst of celebrating its most important national holiday, Thanksgiving, and she specifically is enjoying some downtime before heading out on the road. That could not be further from the truth. We find her relaxed, the stress of an album rollout very much done and dusted. Her cat Violet, a star in her own right, sidles up to Olsen as soon as she picks up the phone from her North Carolina home, grappling for her attention throughout the conversation. When answering questions, she expounds when she wants to, prioritises brevity when she needs to. Like in her songs, little vocabulary is wasted – if the answer is obvious, that’s what she’ll say. “I just went to a friend’s house and we played — 23 —
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February 2020 — Love Stories
Music
Photo: Cameron McCool
charades and made pies,” she explains nonchalantly of her Thanksgiving. “I don’t really care much about holidays, especially when they’re rooted in our people taking land away from Native Americans,” she goes on, less nonchalantly. Released in mid-autumn last year – rarely has an album’s chilly, gothic overtones resonated so seamlessly with the season it was put out – All Mirrors felt then as it does now: momentous. Even when the 12-piece string section recedes into the background, and Olsen’s voice quietens to a whisper, it still has the ability to slice your heart in two. It far outstripped the plaudits dished out to her previous work, even as Burn Your Fire For No Witness was given an end of decade re-evaluation. It was a great record when it arrived, and is even greater now. “This thing that I just released a few months ago, people are singing it back to me in an audience,” she says of the reaction. “The very beginning of anyone sort of responding is always like, wow, that’s crazy that people are immediately into this weird material. I know it’s not an easy record on first listen. But I needed to do it and I’m really happy with the way it came out.” With love can come strife, disappointment and hardship, and Olsen went through it all to arrive at All Mirrors. She has said that having her heart broken is the “coolest thing that ever happened” to her. “After My Woman, I didn’t know I was going to have another record to write about, or that it would be anything like this one,” she says. “And this just happened in my life. Okay, it was messy. And it was embarrassing. But it made me stronger. I didn’t go out and find a desk somewhere and say I’m going to write about the love of my life and the loss of it. Each song comes together and I have no idea what it’s all accumulating to mean or what the theme has been in my mind until the record is made. And then I’m like, well I guess I was thinking about that stuff a lot.” On Summer, Olsen sings: ‘Took a while, but I made it through / If I could show you the hell I’d been to’. Atop galloping guitars, you can almost see Olsen ride triumphant over a dusty hill, red
setting sun behind her like a halo. It’s the aftermath of her experiences touring previous record, My Woman, which saw her dealing with personal struggles alongside the disquieting fug of depression settling in even as she dealt with the toing and froing of taking her music to audiences.
“It took me a long time to feel safe by myself as a human and, now that I wake up and feel that I know myself, I cherish the simple things” Angel Olsen Now she is bringing All Mirrors to the stage, a far more ambitious and complex task to execute. It’s not the unabashedly personal material (“I don’t feel exposed in any way. I don’t feel like it’s ripping open a wound when I’m performing”) but the cinematic scope of its sound. And more importantly, Olsen is an unapologetic homebody these days. “It took me a long time to feel safe by myself as a human and, now that I wake up and feel that I know myself, I cherish the simple things. Going out and sitting on the back porch with my cat and drinking coffee, reading, going out on a walk and running into a friend. That to me is home.” Olsen is an ever-evolving artist, but she is also a businesswoman, and few singer-songwriters talk so illuminatingly about that part of making music. Touring is increasingly the most important, to use an Amy March phrase, economic proposition, and so pulling it off is vital. She talks about having to be a “leader” and taking on players, and how important that is to them as a stable means of employment, with empathy and a willingness to continue learning. But it’s clear she’s a perfectionist. “I’m not the kind of person who is like ‘that sounds great’ when I don’t believe it,” she admits — 24 —
with a self-deprecating laugh. “I value the people who work at presenting it with the integrity of the songs in mind,” she continues. “The presentation of it has become more interesting because not only can I zone out and forget who I am in it, but other people can look at me as a character or as some sort of artifact of the record. We’re all showing up to present the record and perform it as though it’s happening for the first time. “I have a lot of new members in the band, and I think having the new energy around has helped me feel less like someone’s watching and scrutinising my arc, and more like people are showing up and performing because they want to be involved. It’s been stressful, but I’m so happy with the way everything is sounding.” The last time Olsen played Glasgow, an audience member threw a note at her early in the set. That makes it sound like a wispy scrap of paper floating its way on stage. In reality, it was a foreign projectile coming fast out of nowhere. “Stuff like that happens and I know that people wouldn’t do such a thing if they weren’t watching the show and engaged,” she says sympathetically. “But until you know what it is, when something’s coming at your face, you’re like, what the fuck? I used to be a whole lot more sensitive. I brace myself for all kinds of things. I’m ready to fight. I have a sense of humour about it now though.” This month, Olsen will play All Mirrors at the Barrowlands on Valentine’s Day. There is romance to be found in these songs, and the way that Olsen performs them, that make it a good fit for this trivial holiday. It’s also hilarious, and a little masochistic, to imagine her singing lines like ‘Knowing that you love someone / Doesn’t mean you ever were in love’ to a room full of couples. She laughs heartily at the thought of it too. Angel Olsen plays Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 Feb All Mirrors is out now via Jagjaguwar angelolsen.com
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Competitions
Win tickets to Science Lates at Glasgow Science Centre! Journey through the vast networks of neurons in the planetarium, have a chat with mindful experts and try out brain-altering exhibits and refreshments. We have tickets for you and three friends to enjoy Science Lates: Inside Your Mind at Glasgow Science Centre on 20 March to be won – and the prize includes a sharing flask of cocktails and a party-size portion of chocolate-dipped doughnuts to share with your friends.
Win a Glasgow Film Festival ticket bundle!
What is a neuron? a) A nerve cell b) A stem cell c) A blood cell Competition closes midnight Sun 1 Mar. Entrants must be 18 or over. Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or the prize will be offered to another entrant. The prize consists of four tickets for Science Lates: Inside Your Mind on Fri 20 Mar. The Skinny’s Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms Find out more about Science Lates, and book tickets, at glasgowsciencecentre.org/science-lates
To be in with the chance of winning this fantastic prize, head to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer the following question: When does Glasgow Film Festival 2020 start? a) 6 February b) 16 February c) 26 February
Science Lates
Crossword Soultions
For more information on GFF 2020, visit glasgowfilm.org/glasgowfilm-festival
DOWN 1. Business Time 2. Baking 3. Odessa 4. Tend 5. Rough Rider 6. Minotaur 10. God Only Knows 12. Landscaped 13. Tease 16. Wild Bill 20. Albino 21. Orchid 23. Skin
Competitions closes at noon on Mon 17 Feb. One winner will receive two tickets for each of the screenings/events listed; tickets are non transferable. One entry per person. Entrants must be 18 years or older. There is no cash alternative to the prize and no other prize is available. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or the prize will be offered to another entrant. The Skinny’s Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms
ACROSS 1. Baby Dont Hurt Me 7. Eon 8. Idioms 9. Ding-Dong 11. Eggplant 14. Arya 15. Uno 16. Winona Ryder 17. TMI 18. Lust 19. Eharmony 22. Embraces 24. Beacon 25. KPI 26. Slide Into My Dms
Glasgow Film Festival returns for its 16th edition from 26 February to 8 March, and The Skinny is once again partnering on an exclusive strand of films. You have the chance to win tickets to each of those events – PLUS a pair of tickets for the sold-out Opening Gala. One winner will receive a pair of tickets for opening film Proxima, as well as About Endlessness and Days of the Bagnold Summer. They'll also receive tickets for the Soundtracking event where Simon Bird and Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch will discuss ...Bagnold Summer's soundtrack with Edith Bowman, plus a pair of tickets for The End of the Festival party with Rebecca Vasmant.
Competitions
Proxima
February 2020
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THE SKINNY
Passion Projects A sense of curiosity and wit is palpable in all of Carrie Maclennan’s projects – she introduces her role as Concept Librarian at The Standard, London
Local Heroes
Interview: Stacey Hunter I was doing for work and money felt at odds with my heart and my brains,” she says. Her lifelong obsession with creating stories through objects led to the creation of Not The Kind, an online gallery and gift shop. “Not The Kind was borne out of frustration, really. I needed an outlet to experiment and be silly and do what I wanted. When I first started I did have this dream of it being something that I could earn a living from... but it didn’t take long for me to figure out that that just wasn’t going to happen. Not with the time I had to invest in it, the little money I had and the masses of energy I’d need to devote to doing it on my own. “At that point, I was really struggling, both in terms of my mental health and in terms of who or what I was and what I wanted to be work-wise. But in January 2019 I decided that I would give Not The Kind a proper bash. “Now this is going to sound quite strange... but I got my tarot cards read for the first time that month. The reading, 100% contrary to how I was feeling at that moment, told me I was going to get everything I was wishing for, that work-wise I would find my place, that everything would be super successful and that I’d make money etc., etc… Crazy positive. Even the tarot reader was like, ‘Um... This never happens...’ I took it all with a massive pinch of salt because it seemed to me at that time completely impossible for things to turn around so dramatically. “I got the call from The Standard, London literally 5 weeks later and I started work there right away. Every. Goddam. Thing. Was true.” Maclennan says the role has given her a whole new perspective. Principally, realising that she has skills she didn’t know were valuable. “As a non-designer, I think I bring a unique perspective to my team – different insights. I have the itch to pull all the strands together: the brand; the marketing; the events; the objects; the stories; the design; the art; the publishing; the EVERYTHING! And I don’t have to pretend to be someone else. I can be interested in what I truly love. I can like what I like and I can share my taste (as jarring as it can be sometimes!) “I’ve curated the library, I made a pop-up library for Frieze London, I concepted Christmas and now I’m launching retail. Dreams I didn’t even know I had have come true.” Like all great stories, this one has highs – and even an element of magic – but refreshingly Maclennan isn’t afraid to acknowledge the lows. “Fear of failure, perfectionism, low self-esteem – blah, blah – it’s all in there. And you know what? IT’S ALL IN THE LIBRARY TOO!”
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Photo: Courtesy of The Standard, Lodnon
February 2020 — Love Stories
Photo: Courtesy of The Standard, Lodnon
For the past year Carrie Maclennan has been creating both her dream job and an intricate and strange hotel library where 28 different sections are labelled with topics such as Hope, Pets, Chaos and Mathematics. A place where guests should expect to find books with titles like Salads or Sybil: The True Story of a Woman Possessed by 16 Separate Personalities. In design, the phrase ‘doing it for the love of it’ doesn’t always acknowledge things like paying the rent but Maclennan’s story illustrates that staying true to yourself – as well as following your heart – can deliver you to your passion project. “I joined the Design Team in Feb 2019 and began building upon the ‘public library’ concept dreamed up by designer Shawn Hausman and the in-house team at The Standard, London. I started referring to myself as ‘Concept Librarian’ which has kinda caught on!” explains Maclennan. “The hotel is in what used to be the old Camden Town Hall Annex. The original building opened in 1974 and the building as it is now still speaks to that mid-70s-intothe-80s time. “The concept was built around this story – partly truth but mostly fiction, that when the council offices closed, the public library was abandoned but left intact. At the time King’s Cross was pretty gritty. Lots of squats. We pretended that squatters had commandeered the old library and ‘made it their own’. We pretended that artists, punks, political activists took the space and reinvented it as their own.” Accordingly, the Politics section sits next to the Tragedy section. And the Tragedy section is actually yet more books about politics. Romance sits next to Technology in a nod to the nature of modern dating. For Maclennan, the stories that run through these section headings and shelves that she has themed around music, art, design and fashion are highly personal. “I mashed up the idea of the squatters, and what they might do with the space, with vibes that sit at the heart of what The Standard, London brand is. And I mashed up my own biography and how I was feeling about myself and the world at the time. It felt like the most exhilarating thing I’d ever done. “It was such a weird scenario in that I felt that somehow lots of things I was interested in and truly loved had aligned into this one amazing project that I was in complete control of. From reconnecting with academic texts I’d read or meant to read during that part of my life, to finding humour in crazy titles or subject themes to choosing covers based on excellent typography, crazy colourways and bonkers photography.” Originally from Glasgow, Maclennan moved to East London in 2012. In her previous career in marketing, she felt a serious disconnect. “I didn’t really feel like myself – fragmented in a way. What
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send nudes? After finding images of herself on a revenge porn website, one writer contemplates how we can trust in the age of online dating Words: Madeleine Dunne Illustration: Jacky Sheridan
Intersections
“O
you nowhere so I don’t waste my time anymore.” Image-based sexual violence often goes hand-in-hand with a rhetoric that blames victims for taking and sharing the pictures in the first place. Yet, for many, sending nude images has become a fundamental part of love in the digital age. For people who use dating apps or social media to find partners, the term “send nudes” is such second nature that it’s become immortalised in online culture as a meme. The act of sending a naked image isn’t taboo – it’s become a part of the seduction process.
“ For many, sending nude images has become a fundamental part of love in the digital age” For Holly, sharing nude images with a partner was an important part of expressing being comfortable with that person. Unfortunately, they endured two experiences with revenge porn: the first, in a thread similar to the one I was shared on, and the second from an ex-partner. “A girl had taken a photo of me being daft and exposing myself at a party and shared it on her Snapchat. It ended up being screenshot and posted anonymously in a thread,” explains Holly. “It was awful, but I was more mortified that something that was just a silly photo of me and my friends became twisted into a sexual subject when I was 15.” “I had a more personal experience a few months after I split up with my ex,” says Holly. “He — 27 —
showed his bandmates a video he had on his phone of us having sex when he was drunk. When I found out about that, I had a panic attack.” For Holly, the experience of enduring two instances of image-based sexual violence distorted their perception of sharing images of their own body. “There’s no medium ground; I’m completely private or I put myself out there so advantage can’t be taken. I feel like no one would care if I had a smooth genital-less mound – there are people who would still find a way to objectify me no matter what, as a way of ‘putting me in my place’.” The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act came into effect in 2016, making it an offence to disclose, or threaten to disclose, intimate images or videos of people without their consent. People convicted of sharing intimate images without consent could face up to five years in prison. But as rife as these threads are, they operate as global websites and are unlikely to be prosecuted under such laws. The goal of image-based sexual violence is to tell its victims that they have no control over their own body. That message is only reinforced when the perpetrator operates anonymously, often untraceable and safe from the very legal powers which have been put in place to protect their victims. Watching my image and personal information be shared for months without my consent in such a disconcerting context has left me feeling anxious about how I present myself online. It’s an anxiety mirrored in the thousands of faces that filled those websites alongside mine. All with our privacy invaded and all instilled with the message that online, our bodies aren’t our own. For more information and support on this topic, visit revengepornhelpline.org.uk
February 2020 — Love Stories
h fuck, shes hot. bikini? nudes?” That was just one of the tamer comments that littered the revenge porn thread I found myself on a few weeks ago. I’d been sent the link by a friend and when I followed it, I found myself scrolling through a website saturated with girls’ images, both sexually explicit and fully-clothed. Over a six-month period, my images had been posted regularly – all fully clothed, taken from my social media and most with my name, location and age attached. Each image had replies commenting on my weight, detailing what they’d like to do me and always requesting that someone provided more. I felt sick. So-called “revenge porn threads” have become rampant in the last few years, from the notorious Anon-IB, connected to the huge iCloud leak of celebrity nude photos back in 2014, to lesser known strains operating in a similar manner. In these threads, individuals trade images of women paired with information that makes them easy to identify. The users of this site operate under a veil of total anonymity, something that makes the situation even more disconcerting. When Ams found that paid-for content from her OnlyFans account was being shared in a similar thread, she believed she was targeted specifically for being a sex worker. “I got sent the link to the thread multiple times by different people. I was pretty pissed, but I realised it was older content or screenshots of my page, some paid-for content was distributed but I felt prepared for it to happen to me one day,” Ams told me. “That website loves to target sex workers, so it wasn’t entirely shocking. “I know I have to be very wary now: I send my terms and conditions religiously, I never do any business that’s not on OnlyFans and I watermark my stuff,” she explains. “The website is no help, you can send them emails all you want but it gets
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Summer of Discontent Interview: Josh Slater-Williams
B
est known for his leading roles in The Inbetweeners franchise and the still ongoing Friday Night Dinner, actor Simon Bird delivers a gentler comedic offering with his feature debut as a director, Days of the Bagnold Summer. It’s a sweet coming-of-age film that examines the wobbly relationship between a mother and son over one long summer in the suburbs. Mopey metalhead Daniel Bagnold (Earl Cave, son of Nick) was meant to be spending the season in Florida visiting his dad, who has a new partner expecting a baby. When the trip is cancelled, his well-intentioned librarian mum, Sue (Monica Dolan), attempts to both entertain the introverted lad and help him get his act together, while also trying to come out of her own shell. We meet Bird at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival in August 2019, where his modest film, perhaps incongruously, had its world premiere at a night-time outdoor screening in the Piazza Grande, which seats about 8000 people. “I’m a bit of a control freak,” he says of his move into directing, having made one short before this. “I like being involved in something from the initial germ of the idea to its final thing. That became apparent when I started acting in stuff. I had the dawning realisation that acting actually is such a small part of the process of getting something made and there was so much I was missing out on. And it’s all these other elements that I really love. I love the script development, the casting process, the edit. It’s so, so satisfying to be involved in every element of making something.” Co-starring Alice Lowe, Rob Brydon and Tamsin Greig, Days of the Bagnold Summer is adapted from an 80-page graphic novel by Bristolbased illustrator and filmmaker Joff Winterhart, which was released to strong notices in 2012. “My wife [Lisa Owens, the film’s screenwriter] bought me the graphic novel as a present one year,” Bird tells us. “I read it, absolutely loved it and recommended it to a lot of people, and then forgot about it and moved on with my life. And then when I was scrambling around looking for an idea of what my first feature might be, it popped out at me from the bookshelves. Initially, I thought it was actually a really bad idea because it’s such a slight book. Part of what’s brilliant about it is it’s so understated and economical, but I didn’t think there was enough in it to translate into a film. And some might argue there isn’t! “The film itself is obviously a very small film,” he continues. “Even time-wise, it’s only 86 minutes. But while the subject matter is very small, it’s actually much bigger than the book. The book is
tiny. It’s lots of little vignettes and there’s really no story to it at all. Lisa has done an amazing job of drawing what story there is out of the book.” Was there any tension involved in his wife being the screenwriter of his debut feature? “It was surprisingly easy,” Bird says. “Well, not surprising because we get on very well! But there were definitely discussions at the get-go about whether it was a good idea, and I think the consensus was it probably wasn’t, but we decided to do it anyway. I knew that I love Lisa’s writing and that she would be true to the tone of the book that I loved. That felt like a really strong starting point and it seemed crazy to have to go through the whole process of finding somebody else who might end up being a lot worse. So, the script development was amazingly straightforward and there were no marital bust-ups.” In contemporary reviews from the likes of The Guardian, Winterhart’s comic received favourable comparisons to the work of Raymond Briggs, in both writing and art style. Although there is a shared sense of minimalism, there wasn’t a conscious attempt by Bird to make the film visually resemble its illustrated source material in the vein of fellow Brit Edgar Wright’s admittedly more hyperactive and maximalist Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. That said, he suggests such a plan was briefly on the cards.
Photo: Rob Baker Ashton
February 2020 — Feature
Glasgow Film Festival
The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird introduces us to his debut feature film Days of the Bagnold Summer, a sweet comedy focused on the precarious relationship between a well-intentioned librarian mother and her metalhead teen son
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“I’m a bit of a control freak. I like being involved in something from the initial germ of the idea to its final thing” Simon Bird
THE SKINNY
Photo: Rob Baker Ashton
Glasgow Film Festival
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something about that aesthetic that really appeals to me. It feels like when you go to the trouble of making a film, you should be thinking about what every frame looks like.” Accompanying the visuals for much of Days of the Bagnold Summer’s runtime is a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian, comprised of various new songs alongside some re-recorded favourites. The band’s frontman, Stuart Murdoch, made his own directorial debut with God Help the Girl in 2014, and Bird suggests his musical collaborator’s prior experience with filmmaking was of great benefit: “Stuart was amazingly involved and definitely had learned from his own experiences, both of directing his film but also for having done music for film before. I think he knew the pitfalls and wanted to avoid them. And I think the way to avoid them was to have conversations very early in the process. Amazingly, he got me the music before we filmed the film, which is sort of unheard of. That enabled me to have to crystallise the tone in my head and know roughly the style of stuff that we’re going to be fitting to the shots, which obviously is going to make the whole thing feel more coherent. Well, hopefully, is the idea.” Days of the Bagnold Summer has its Scottish premiere at GFF on 4 Mar, 6pm, with a second screening on Thu 5 Mar, 3.45pm Simon Bird is joined by Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch for a special recording of Soundtracking with Edith Bowman on 5 Mar, 6.30pm
February 2020 — Feature
“It was definitely a consideration when we decided this was the story to tell,” he recalls. “I think my original vision for it was much closer to the book. We talked about doing a square aspect ratio like the square panels in the book and talked about doing it in black and white – just making it a scuzzy, grungier affair. For various reasons, we decided that wasn’t the best route. The main one being that what I love about the book is that the explicit point of it, stated in the first line of the book, is to tell the story of two ordinary people whose story wouldn’t normally be told. And it felt a shame to be doing that in film form, with everything that a big screen has to offer you, and then to not fully celebrate them and not give them all the credit they deserve. We ended up doing the opposite of what my original idea was: full colour and widescreen to properly glorify them.” Not to disparage any other films in particular, but one of Days of the Bagnold Summer’s many pleasures is that it’s a modern British comedy that has actual noticeable thought put into its blocking, compositions and all the things that can feel rare in a genre where improvisation and finding the scenes later on in an edit seems to be the dominant mode of mainstream comedy storytelling. “I think that’s just something that I find hard not to do,” Bird says. “That just comes from the films that I love, lots of which are quite old. A lot of the films I love are comedy-dramas from the 70s, early-80s, like films by Elaine May, Mike Nichols and Peter Bogdanovich. And a lot of those films are very formal, quite classical in their composition. There’s
THE SKINNY
It’s a death trap
February 2020 — Feature
Glasgow Film Festival
Shell and Iona director Scott Graham returns with third feature Run. Sitting down with The Skinny and some of the film’s cast, Graham tells us how his tale was inspired by a visit to his hometown and the story of a Bruce Springsteen obsessed fisherman Interview: Carmen Paddock
R
un, the third film from Scott Graham, captures the restlessness of small-town Scottish life through the eyes of a former boy racer, who seeks one final night on the road before facing his very different life back home. We caught up with Graham and his Run cast members – Mark Stanley, Amy Manson, Anders Hayward and Marli Siu – at the London Film Festival last October. Sitting down with us in the cafe at the Vue Leicester Square, Graham speaks passionately about his influences, citing a trip home to Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire about 15 years ago when researching a short film about boy racers. When there, he heard a local story about “a fishwife leaving her husband because he was listening to too much Bruce Springsteen.” The tragicomic scenario sat with him until he was ready to make Run. “I wanted to get it right and let it percolate in the background,” Graham recalls, “sometimes you know and you’re thinking about them even if you’re working on something else.” The cast was drawn to the story through the immensely recognisable, relatable characters Graham created. Manson and Siu grew up nearby, and both recognised their friends and families in their characters Katie and Kelly respectively. “That was amazing to get a chance to be a part of something that felt so authentic and so real to your own upbringing,” Siu says. Lead actor Stanley doesn’t hold back with his praise, citing the “amazing, nuanced, human thing about people I knew – stuck in the cycle of their hometown” as an immediate source of connection. “They’ve nailed their colours to the mast and that’s it,” he says, “and they’re either going to thrive in that or they’re going to get depressed with the limited options, so I could connect to it straight away.” The cast readily admits that another main draw to the project was Graham’s script and the collaborative nature of his work. “I tried to write something that when we all came to do it we would recognise the place,” Graham says, adding that he had to be ‘careful’ with the portrayal “because it’s my hometown.” He felt it important to get the actors on location from the early stages to absorb the atmosphere and spend time
together – and in Stanley’s case, so that he could learn to fillet fish (thankfully, a success). “I wouldn’t really call what we did rehearsal,” he says. “We just got together and talked about what was happening; it was really nice.” Aside from the local flavour and the initial Springsteen anecdote, Graham wanted to bring the focus of a good Raymond Carver story. “[Carver] never wrote screenplays but I think he could have written good screenplays because so much of it is about using the smallest number of words and then giving it to people to fill in the gaps,” Graham says. “Scott’s writing unfolds itself in a way you can read over it and over it and over it and some things he writes so simplistically but that allows for numerous ways of doing it,” Stanley adds. Hayward agrees: “There was no filler, everything was so concise and necessary; every word was important, everything that a character said was revealing something about their character or hiding something about their character.” A key portion of the film takes place when Finnie and Kelly share a midnight ride around the town. “It was amazing to get to act in that environ-
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ment because the camera was in the back of the car a lot of the time so you just forget, and because Mark’s driving the route the whole way through the film, you can escape the way that sometimes when a camera’s here you get a bit self-conscious,” says Siu. “It’s like theatre: you’re just sitting there getting to act and totally escape any feeling you’re on a set as you cruise around, and then Scott would be in a car behind shouting stuff every now and then.” While she had a great time, the logistics proved trickier. According to Graham and Stanley, DOP Simon Tindall was “getting thrown left to right” in the back of the car as Stanley tore through the streets. The finished product, with skilful sharp and soft focuses on faces and streets as appropriate, shows no sign of this chaos. The car, however, did not survive. “We blew two exhausts on it; we ruined this car,” Stanley says, “but the nice local guy who gave us the car and did all of the restorations on it was fine with the fact that we killed it. It’s being rebuilt.” Run has its Scottish premiere at GFF on Sun 1 Mar with a second screening on Mon 2 Mar
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The Best of the Fest Family feuds, apocalyptic absurdism and hard-hitting historical drama – here are our picks from the GFF programme
Patrick Peaky Blinders director Tim Mielants makes his bigscreen debut with Patrick. The eponymous lead works as a handyman at a naturist retreat, hit with the one-two punch of his father’s death and the theft of his favourite hammer. A mixture of deadpan comedy and family drama, starring Belgian actor Kevin Janssens and Jemaine Clement. 27 Feb, 3.30pm and 5 Mar, 6.15pm, Cineworld
Martin Eden Another hit from Venice, Pietro Marcello’s adaptation of the Jack London novel follows the sailorturned-writer as he aims to transcend his humble origins. A vast, multilayered story anchored by an award-winning central performance by Luca Marinelli. 28 Feb, 8.30pm and 29 Feb, 3pm, GFT
Glasgow Film Festival
About Endlessness Swedish absurdist Roy Andersson returns with this eerie, dreamlike and apocalyptic series of vignettes set in a topsy-turvy world. The film won Andersson the Silver Lion for best director at the Venice Film Festival last year; GFF hosts its UK premiere. 2 Mar, 9pm and 3 Mar, 3.45pm, Cineworld Renfrew St
Radioactive Persepolis writer-director Marjane Satrapi is back with another graphic novel adaptation, this time taking on Lauren Redniss’ biography of Marie Curie. Rosamund Pike stars as the Nobel Prizewinning physicist; the film follows her career, and the enduring legacy of her work. 6 Mar, 6pm and 7 Mar, 1.30pm, GFT
Moffie Oliver Hermanus returns with a masterful film following a young man drafted into military service in early-80s South Africa. What makes life even tougher for our protagonist is that he’s gay, and in the Apartheid era, homophobia goes hand-in-hand with racism. Hermanus’ command of sound and image is virtuosic and wholly enveloping. 2 Mar, 8.45pm and 3 Mar, 1.30pm, Cineworld
Rialto Glaswegian filmmaker Peter Mackie Burns follows up the brilliant Daphne with another nuanced portrait of a life in freefall. In this case, a Dublin dock worker begins experimenting with his sexuality with a younger man while his home and work life slowly implode. Burns once again shows himself to have a deeply cinematic eye for capturing existential malaise. 27 Feb, 8.30pm and 28 Feb, 3.45pm, GFT
The Painted Bird This adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski’s WWII novel has prompted rave reviews, comparisons with the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, and a raft of audience walkouts. Jet-black in both style and substance, by all accounts it’s a harrowing but compelling look at one child’s journey through a physically and psychologically battered Eastern Europe. 1 Mar, 8pm and 2 Mar, 4pm, Cineworld
Women Make Film Mark Cousins’ new film is an epic in every sense of the word. The five-part, 14-hour documentary explores cinematic history exclusively through the gaze of women filmmakers. From visual style and characterisation to genre films and cinema’s approach to life and death, Cousins aims to reshape and redefine our cinematic canon. 6, 7 and 8 Mar, various times, Cineworld
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February 2020 — Feature
The Truth Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore-eda makes the move to Europe with an all-star cast. Catherine Deneuve plays an old-school Hollywood diva, confronted by her estranged daughter (Juliette Binoche) and son-in-law (Ethan Hawke) who have a bone to pick over Deneuve’s less-than-truthful memoirs. 3 Mar, 6.15pm and 4 Mar, 3.45pm, GFT
Our Ladies Michael Caton-Jones’ adaptation of Alan Warner’s novel – which follows six Catholic choir girls from a small coastal town, let loose for a day on a trip to Edinburgh – has been long in the making. There’s rambunctious chemistry and some impressively crude banter from its ensemble cast, with some incisive social commentary to be found as well. 28 Feb, 8.40pm and 29 Feb, 1pm, GFT
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Personal is Political Art
The Royal Scottish Academy’s selection of the most recent art graduates, New Contemporaries returns, including some timely works from emerging artists keen to confront social issues and political tumult Words: Adam Benmakhlouf
Alex Hayward When He Held Me In His Arms I Forgot the Past A night at the ballet became the catalyst for the degree show series of paintings, drawings and collages that Alex Hayward made after seeing Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella. These works made their way to Bourne’s social media and Hayward was invited to make new work in response to Bourne’s new production of The Red Shoes, which will be shown for the first time at RSA NC. For Hayward, these images of the theatre carry a comforting and old school campness, full of romantic longing.
February 2020 — Showcase
Katherine Fay Allan the rest of us... we just go gardening Allan found this title in the work of a neurosurgeon describing how he thinks of surgery as a process of removing bad growths and promoting good growths. For Allan, this was an evocative way to understand medical care, and inspired the plants that are at the centre of her installation and performance. She includes evergreen plantlife as an interruption to the sterility of the hospital bay, incorporating what has been proven as the healing and grounding presence of greenery.
Ruby Pluhar Ella At Glen Coe’s Magic Hour “I amplify the qualities that I pick up on in my subjects to sculpt a feeling of them and their story. I am drawn to shoot in natural locations for its many changing colours, lights and textures.” The photography of Ruby Pluhar documents her friend and collaborator Ella, as they spend time in Scottish landscapes. In striking colours and powerful juxtapositions that combine Ella and dramatic backdrops and natural sites, Pluhar creates dramatic contrasts in tightly composed and enchanting images.
Bibo Keeley House on Fire (Detail) Local lore and classical-mystical German music forms combine in Bibo Keeley’s sonic exploration of the rugged areas of Scotland. Recordings of her own sung improvisations are woven into ambient sounds of rain, seabirds, wind and waves. “The key themes informing my current work are the urgency of climate crisis, my personal experiences of the fragility of life (my partner’s near-death and heart transplant) and the divisiveness of Brexit. I respond to the disharmony in global climate efforts, alarming political polarisation, and the need for healing. — 32 —
“It creates a rage inside of me seeing women that are vulnerable in this day and age” Jasmine Regmi
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Gabrielle Gillott Safe Haven For many of the exhibitors this year, the majority of their final years were framed by Brexit votes and extensions. In Gabrielle Gillott’s exhibition, she draws on his research in stockpiling forums to create a series of sculptures of sparse interiors in which the forms of tins and dry goods spill out from unexpected places. For Gillott, the hoarding is one of the the most distinctive physical expressions of general social insecurity surrounding Brexit.
“Political education is highly necessary in the current political climate.” Alison Campbell Glass
Méabh Breathnach Untitled While other exhibitors look to exceptional circumstances and unusual narratives, Méabh Breathnach uses complicated casting and ceramic processes to transform familiar forms into elegant and evocative sculptures. For a new body of work especially for the RSA, Breathnach has made tiles that incorporate strands of hair which break down and become ‘unique and playful lines’ after being heated to high temperatures, as well as a picture rail made from the profile of Breathnach’s face, and bronze sculptures of a cardboard box, three house plants and a chopped off plait of hair.
New Contemporaries, 15 Feb-11 Mar, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, £6/4, free Mondays — 33 —
February 2020 — Showcase
Alison Campbell Glass ‘Plethora’ and ‘Portrait of George Drever’ Bringing political education into the gallery space, Campbell Glass will display sculptures and videos that represent parts of her family’s tradition of being very politically engaged and active. “In a way the political orientation is irrelevant, it’s the concept of archiving the stories and the physical collections that may interest some… political education is highly necessary in the current political climate. Especially in environments like art spaces where class consciousness is usually weak, and commonly the upper class control and curate the spaces we are trying to break into.”
Art
Jasmine Regmi Installation shot Jasmine Regmi’s paintings emerge from research into the Indian miniature and the treatment of young girls in Nepal. In one series of panels, she considers the treatment of Kumari, young girls who are treated as goddesses then cast out of home when they have their first period. She says: “There are many things that motivate me. I love reading stories and news about all the events that happen and it creates a rage inside of me seeing women that are vulnerable in this day and age which drives my work ethic while creating my pieces.”
Shilei Fan Remote and Control Working with the repeated form of the games controller, Fan’s work repeats the symbol of control in an installation that is intended to be an immersive and oppressive experience for the audience. An accompanying video displays images of destruction and animal documentary, as glitches and pixelation distort the film, and the imagery changes quickly from a lion eating a fresh carcass to the BBC news intro. For Fan, these are artistic means of reflecting on the “cultural dilemma of globalisation” and “information manipulation.”
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Photo: Joseph Connor
Music
Dancefloor Destiny In the wake of her latest record Seeking Thrills, we speak to beatmaker and pop producer Georgia about dancefloor escapism, dodgy 80s dance music and finding a place of one’s own Interview: Cheri Amour
February 2020 — Feature
W
hen your dad is one half of pioneering electronic duo Leftfield, it’s possibly not surprising that you’ll be curious to make your own beats. But for Georgia Barnes – known mononymously as Georgia – making music has always been about something bigger. It’s about feeling part of something, losing your inhibitions and getting lost in that moment. “Seeing people on the dancefloor, and seeing them having that release, inspired this album. The love that people have, why people go to dancefloors; ecstasy, euphoria, but also escapism,” she tells us over the phone from the winding lanes of an overcast Brighton. Barnes will be performing tonight as part of a string of intimate record store performances to mark Seeking Thrills’ release – a record that she believes represents a new pace and rhythm for her and her longstanding team. “It feels different from last time; it’s like there’s a new energy,” says Barnes. “We’re all saying how this feels like the start.” To truly go back to the start with Georgia you have to head to leafy central London, where Barnes grew up, in her mum’s cooperative flat. Alongside her passion for football – as a child she played for both QPR and Arsenal’s under 17s women’s squads – Barnes began attending The BRIT School, something she believes was instrumental in shaping her identity. “Everyone goes on a personal journey when they go to school. School’s just a shit place. It doesn’t matter what kind of school it is, school is school, and at that age group especially it’s a really hard time for people,” she acknowledges. “The BRIT School was a great place for me as I met so many of my best friends, and people who were interested in the same things. It was a place where you weren’t going to get bullied or seen as a weirdo.” Far from it, the performing arts institute has been the bedrock for so many who have felt seen and liberated. From discordant noiseniks black midi to ethereal pop majesty FKA twigs, The BRIT School is so much more than a fame academy. Yet for all the innovation and imagination between its walls, Barnes left feeling a little discouraged. “After BRIT School, I went through a bit of a ‘I don’t want to hear Western pop music’ moment so I went straight into a university BA degree in ethnomusicology at SOAS.” It was here
that Georgia learned the kora (a West African harp) and spent a short time training on percussion in Cuba. To make the leap into solo artistry though, Barnes knew she needed to be financially independent. The compromise? Session drumming.
“It feels different from last time. It’s like there’s a new energy. We’re all saying how this feels like the start” Georgia Barnes Picking up work with Young Turks’ producer and songwriter Kwes, Barnes became an integral part of the South London music scene. Notoriously, she went on to join longtime family friend Kate Tempest’s touring line-up for the Mercury Music Prize-nominated Everybody Down. “My mum and her auntie are best friends, they were social workers together in the 80s,” she says. But even drumming more regularly with awardwinning artists doesn’t mean impostor syndrome can’t strike, as Barnes admits she increasingly felt like an outsider. “I was an observer really. I always felt like I wasn’t worthy. They’re so talented; like who am I? I was just known as the drummer. No one really knew I was making music on the side and sometimes Kwes would ask me: ‘Come on, play me some of your music’ and I was a bit embarrassed.” Of course, there was no need for Barnes to feel — 34 —
self-conscious. Georgia showcased her talent for grime-spiked anthems, with the music media heralding her as the ‘sound of youth’. But, as Barnes tells us, Seeking Thrills is really the beginning. A lot has changed since her first release, after all. She did all the things we aspire to do but never pull off: she quit drinking alcohol, became vegan and went gluten free. The DIY trappings of her debut have been replaced with sharp-eyed pop ambition, inspired by 80s Chicago house and Detroit techno – something she’s not ashamed to admit has a bad rep. “There was a lot of crap in that decade, let’s not beat around the bush. But there were also incredible things going on with technology when digital met analogue and all these artists [were] really pushing the boundaries of sound recording.” That’s what you’ll find in Seeking Thrills. From the sensational About Work the Dancefloor, which could give Robyn a run for her money to the genius cameo of South London vocalist Shygirl on glitch-grinding Mellow, Barnes is perfectly poised. For all her hide and seek to get here, it feels like Georgia Barnes has found a place of her own, surrounded by love and a dancefloor glow. As she puts it in the M.I.A.-esque Ray Guns: ‘Let your light shine up to the sky / Light up the night / Be who you will be collectively and perfectly’. Seeking Thrills rises up like a flare gun to mark Georgia’s ascent towards that collective perfection. Seeking Thrills is out now via Domino Georgia plays King Tut’s, Glasgow, 4 Mar georgiauk.com
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Army of One Faced with personal and geographical upheaval, MALKA’s Tamara Schlesinger looked inward to summon her most striking and sanguine solo statement yet Interview: Joe Goggins
“I’d been running away from 6 Day Riot a little bit, not wanting to be defined by that sound, and I think this time I finally felt comfortable enough in my own skin to pick up instruments again and find a happy medium,” Schlesinger admits. “A lot of the demos were done in my home studio, so it was a case of picking up and using whatever was around, whether that was an acoustic guitar I hadn’t used in a while, or my kids’ toys off the floor.”
“I can be a good mum and be creative. They don’t have to be exclusive” Tamara Schlesinger Schlesinger is a mother of two and that’s something that hangs heavy over I’m Not Your Soldier. The dreamy final track, Close Your Eyes, serves a double purpose as a lullaby, whilst the abundance of playful vibrancy elsewhere (I Know, You Know and Don’t Leave Me, especially) evokes the kind of striking melodic simplicity you might associate with nursery rhymes. Get Up, meanwhile, is a triumphant reflection on the poise with which she’s juggled the personal and the professional in recent years.
“My eldest is seven now, and when she was born I remember being really nervous about whether I’d be able to carry on making music,” Schlesinger tells us. “I wondered whether I’d be able to handle being a mum and this workload of writing and running the label, and I didn’t know whether the inspiration was still going to be there – I was scared it might dry up. Even recently, coming back up to Scotland, it was a daunting prospect to start afresh, and Get Up is really about how everything feels like it’s aligned in this lovely way. It’s a struggle at times but I know now that I can manage it – I can be a good mum and be creative. They don’t have to be exclusive.” Her success in terms of that particular balancing act seems to have brought about an equilibrium in everything for Schlesinger. I’m Not Your Soldier is a record defined by the measure in its musical choices and by a palpable emotional stability, one that lends an innately upbeat air to proceedings. “It’s so easy to focus on the negative, especially at the minute,” she says. “You look at the world, and there’s no shortage of things to bring you down. I just feel like there’s so much magic and joy to be found in the little things within your own life, and the more I worked on the album the more I felt like those were the ideas I wanted to put forwards. I’m glad I did.” I’m Not Your Soldier is released on 28 Feb via Tantrum Records MALKA plays Stereo, Glasgow, 6 Mar malkamusic.co.uk
February 2020 — Feature
Photo: David Boni Photo: Michael George
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Music
“T
he difference this time was that I didn’t want to be a character any more. I wanted to be me.” For Tamara Schlesinger, that’s amounted to a musical reinvention. It’s meant expanding beyond the deliberately narrow parameters she set for herself when she first struck out solo as MALKA, after the apparent dissolution of her old band, folk five-piece 6 Day Riot. It’s meant opening herself up to the possibility not only of bringing in outside help, but of genuine collaboration, something she’d done her best to hive herself off from since going it alone. It’s involved genuine introspection, too, and the tackling of her own thoughts and feelings head on, rather than leaving them to one side whilst she concerned herself with the issues of the wider world. The axis around which the transformation has revolved is a casting-off of concerns about the opinions of others, and the unapologetic following of her own path. I’m Not Your Soldier, then, is an appropriate title for this third MALKA full-length, one that sees Schlesinger very much the commander-in-chief of her own creative army. It’s arriving via Tantrum Records, which she runs single-handedly; sometimes sunny and sometimes stormy in its sonic makeup, it’s thematically an irrepressibly positive paean to self-empowerment, independence and grace under pressure. After years in London, where 6 Day Riot were based, Schlesinger has returned permanently to her native Glasgow. The decision was sealed in part by her desire to work with the renowned producer Paul Savage, who now adds MALKA to a CV that reads like a who’s who of Scottish indie royalty, running from Franz Ferdinand to The Twilight Sad via Mogwai and King Creosote. “Paul was a big factor, but I was also really eager to embed myself back in the scene here,” she explains. “I’m Not Your Soldier is my coming home record in that sense, but it’s obviously the start of a new chapter of my life and career too.” Key to that has been a marked change in musical direction. When Schlesinger first began work as MALKA, she was sufficiently keen for a clean break from the twinkly acoustic fare that represented 6 Day Riot’s calling card that she disregarded traditional instrumentation entirely, instead making beats and samples the basis of her palette on 2015’s Marching to Another Beat and its 2017 follow-up, Ratatatat.
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Radical Art We catch up with the folk from The Workers Theatre about radical art, how a theatre cooperative works and why their upcoming festival, Something Has To Happen, couldn’t be more timely
‘T
he Workers Theatre rejects privatised profit as the enemy of good art.’ ‘Our art will be committed to the liberation of all people,’; ‘The Workers Theatre will be populist but not shit.’ These are just a few of the statements from a Manifesto written up by the Workers Theatre in 2017 – when a group of artists, tired of the constraints that came about from working with funding bodies and institutions, got together to take matters into their own hands. Their first project, Megaphone, aimed to crowdsource £11,000 to provide a residency for artists of colour; the project resonated, and they exceeded their target by more than £1000 (their success was covered in this magazine). Shortly afterwards the collective staged their first festival, The Workers Theatre Weekender, featuring works-in-progress by the recipients of the residency alongside a variety of shows, workshops and talks. Now they’re back, with their second festival, Something Has To Happen, in the works. Taking place in Glasgow’s Southside from 12-16 February, the festival has some great events programmed, including a staging of Mara Menzies’ critically acclaimed Blood and Gold, a relaxed performance of new material from Josie Long and a couple of free breakfasts (we’re sold). We chatted to two members of the collective, writer Henry Bell and actor Beth Frieden, to find out more about the cooperative, the festival and why radical theatre has an important role to play in the resistance.
Could you tell us a little bit about how The Workers Theatre started – where the idea came from, and how it was put into action? Henry Bell: The Workers Theatre came about for a couple of reasons. One was the lack of access to rehearsal and performance space in the city after the closure of The Arches, and the other was the feeling that decisions about what art should and could be made were increasingly the preserve of managers and funders, not arts workers. So as a group of artists, actors, writers and producers we came together with the vision of creating a space for radical theatre in Glasgow. What makes The Workers Theatre different to other theatre companies? Beth Frieden: We are a cooperative! This means that members are owners of the company. The structure is horizontal, so decision-making power is shared. We can take different roles for different projects, but we always return to an equal base. We are democratically owned and managed. We are also explicitly political in our manifesto: we want to produce art that entertains and radicalises. Why does your upcoming festival, Something Has To Happen, have to happen now? HB: There’s never been a more urgent time for us to tell these stories and have these conversations. The rise of the far right, capitalism destroying the planet, a stultifying government re-elected to Photo: Mara Menzies
February 2020 — Feature
Theatre
Interview: Eliza Gearty Westminster – there’s no question that Something Has To Happen. We need some hope in the dark, and we hope that the festival will provide some space for imagining and acting out a better world. What can audience members expect to see at the festival? BF: Comedy, theatre, music, kids’ shows, storytelling about the legacy of slavery, performance about the fragile male ego, sex worker unionisation hymns, and even a Transylvanian ceilidh. Is there a particular reason why you chose to host the festival in Glasgow’s Southside? HB: The Southside has a population of hundreds of thousands, with relatively little arts provision. It’s also beautiful and most of us live here. Do you think that there is a political threat to the perseverance of theatre right now? If so, how can we fight against it? BF: Radical theatre, touring theatre, and stories by and for marginalised people are always under threat in a society that values profit above people. But we can fight back by making that art, and by supporting those artists that offer us glimpses of those different worlds. Do you think theatre has a role to play in the labour movement? HB: The labour movement is all about the stories we tell. Who we are, how we are organised, what kind of a future we want. Storytelling is one way to share ideas, and can also help serve as collective memory, to remind us of our own history and what we are capable of. Protests and direct action are often in themselves a type of theatre too. But theatre, and storytelling, and singing keeps us going in struggle. We need to have fun. We stand firmly behind the line in Bread and Roses: ‘Hearts starve as well as bodies / give us bread, but give us roses.’ We want a world where everyone has access to art and theatre, both making it and watching it, as well as shelter and food.
Something Has to Happen, various venues across Glasgow’s, Southside, 12 - 16 Feb Blood and Gold
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workerstheatre.wordpress.com/something-has-to-happen/
THE SKINNY
B2B: Aquarian x Sougwen Chung With his debut album due for release this month, we asked DJ and producer Aquarian to discuss the making of the album and his collaboration with artist and researcher Sougwen Chung Interview: Nadia Younes
Aquarian: What’s your relationship with music? When did it start factoring into your practice and how? Sougwen Chung: Well, I have a background as a classically trained violinist and pianist. But I think music culture and its ties to the early internet had a greater influence on my current practice, especially electronic music and the visual art surrounding that really resonated with me. I do think that’s one of the refreshing parallels about our collaboration; we both have a background in music/visuals. I have Aquarian always really loved your photography, so perhaps this question mirrors yours, but I consider you to be a multidisciplinary artist. Does your background as a photographer influence your music practice at all, or are they separate?
I’d say for the LP the writing style is definitely different. There was definitely an audience or at least context in mind, moving from music geared for direct club/DJ use to something that is meant to be absorbed and not necessarily designed to facilitate partying. I’d say that function is the middle ground between ‘club music’ and something more contemplative and cinematic like the scoring. What are the challenges of creating this new A/V set vs something like DJing?
Photo: Alex Lake; Two Short Days
Yes, definitely. I think it’s more about the sensibility of transportation and worldbuilding that’s important to me. Yeah, something I’m thinking about too with the AV show – what environment the set evokes, what the visual language of the textures, rhythm could be. Sougwen Chung, Drawing Operations (Duet) It makes me curious about how you would compare the process of creating a record like The Snake that Eats Itself vs composing a score for an installation. Are they similar? The outcome of the form is so different. More generally, do you have the audience in mind when writing music?
No, not at all. My photographic work was heavily influenced by a school of photography that draws its inspiration and reference from cinema, mostly staged and related to film still photographers, like Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Gregory Crewdson, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall... I’ve found the medium of cinema to be a big influence on me since I was young, from the films themselves to the soundtracks. And for a period of time when I was small I’d find myself just listening to film scores. I can see your music being described as cinematic as well; the scoring work I’ve listened to of yours, definitely – it’s a kind of worldbuilding.
The A/V set uses the language of club music, but hopefully can speak to the audiences beyond that context. The rules of ebb and flow are a lot more loose, or rather there should be no rules. The DJ is a performer but also a facilitator; the live musician is free from the latter. I like the idea of the DJ as a facilitator. It’s weird but I hadn’t really thought about it like that until more recently, the kind of dialogue they create with the room. February 2020 — Feature
Yeah, I think I’m a multidisciplinary artist, although the visual side is a lot less prominent right now. To be completely honest, I don’t think my photography influences my music directly, although they are similar sources of inspiration for both. Would you hate me if I asked what your inspirations are?
Clubs
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usician/artist collaborations are hardly a new thing, but the depth of collaboration can differ greatly. For his debut album, The Snake that Eats Itself, Canadianborn DJ and producer Chris Leung, aka Aquarian, requested the assistance of acclamée artist and researcher Sougwen Chung for its art direction. The pair have known each other for years, and recently collaborated on Chung’s Exquisite Corpus installation, for which Leung provided the musical score. As well as providing the art direction, Chung will also be collaborating with Leung on the album’s accompanying live A/V show, currently in development for later this year. Ahead of the album’s release, we asked the pair to discuss their separate artistic practices and how they came to collaborate on this project.
You worked with Sepalcure many years ago, which was when I met you… Given the amount of time that’s passed and how your own practice has evolved over the years, what is different or the same in the way that you are approaching this collaboration? My approach to this A/V show is definitely more narrative than the work that was done with Sepalcure. I think about visuals differently than I used to, and your music has more of that cinematic arc, which in a way is more challenging. To tie into the notion of worldbuilding too, my interests in my own practice involve a certain amount of speculation about the future, so I’d like to bring a bit of that thinking, inspiration, research into the concept of the Aquarian show, and the music speaks well to that. The Snake That Eats Itself is released on vinyl 14 Feb via Bedouin Records
Sougwen Chung
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THE SKINNY
Young, Wild and... Free? Emma Jane Unsworth writes unapologetic novels about unapologetic women. Her latest, Adults, is no different. Here, we chat messy relationships, women’s appetites and how television has become the place to be for female creators
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alfway through Animals, the critically acclaimed film adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth’s novel, a fox wanders the darkened, party-soaked streets of Dublin, pausing momentarily to lock eyes with the film’s charismatic, exuberant and deeply adrift protagonist, Laura, before scarpering away. For most, it immediately calls to mind 2019’s other iconic foxy moment, when Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag has her own vulpine encounter in the show’s final scenes – an overlap that was, it turns out, entirely coincidental. “I hadn’t seen the second season of Fleabag yet,” confesses Unsworth, who adapted Animals for the screen herself. “Our producer Sarah Brocklehurst texted me and was like, ‘oh my god, they’ve used a fucking fox!’” She laughs down the phone, tickled by the absurdity of it all. “I mean, she has a moment with the fox, we have a moment with the fox... Jesus Christ, what are the chances? So we just had to put it down to beautiful synchronicity,” she chuckles. Synchronicity aside, it is a moment that’s perfectly suited to Animals, as both film and book linger in the wildness and viscerality of women’s lives. The story of an intense friendship between two hedonistic young women, the book, particularly, is a tumultuous, uninhibited read, each page soaked in wine, MDMA and desire. “It should come with a government health warning, that book,” Unsworth says, half apologetically, half with relish. But giving expression to women’s untamed appetites and behaviours is deeply important to her. “I just love, love writing about women’s bodies and the heightened sensory experiences involved in feeling like you’re an animal. I’m so interested in that interplay, in that exchange between the wild and civilised parts of people. It comes down to the body in a glorious, joyous way that I want to enjoy, while also acknowledging that it can be a prison for women.” Her new novel, Adults, builds on this, focusing on Jenny, a
35-year-old woman fresh from a break-up and on the brink of losing her job, her friends, and her grip on her mental health. Although Adults is perhaps more obviously of the zeitgeist than Animals – the potential darkness and toxicity of social media forms a key part of Jenny’s narrative – both novels centre on millennial women in their thirties who are still entrenched in the process of emotionally and physically becoming, subverting the traditionally teenage coming-of-age story. “I suppose it’s because I feel it’s a myth that you ever come of age, I really think it’s total crap,” Unsworth laughs. “No one ever comes of age. Or maybe what we do is come of age over and over and over again throughout our lives.” This constant process of identity formation plays out in Jenny’s relationships, much as it did in Laura’s. But while Animals zeroed in on the latter’s entwined, fiercely co-dependent friendship with one person, Adults takes a broader perspective, incisively yet compassionately laying bare Jenny’s relationships with her mother, best friend and co-workers. In a book so thematically focused on romantic relationships, sex and loneliness, prioritising these female connections is an almost radical act. “I’ll always write about intense relationships between women because that’s what interests me the most,” explains Unsworth. “One of my favourite things to do is play around with romantic comedy tropes but put them in a different context where it’s not a man and a woman, [instead] in the context of two friends or a motherdaughter bond.” Much like in Animals, the real love story – its exhilaration, its pain, its fractiousness – is in the relationships between women, relationships that both rupture and repair. The attention that Unsworth pays to the intimate, interior and unkempt experiences of women has drawn comparisons to Phoebe Waller-Bridge (fox and all) and Irish novelist Sally Rooney. Does Unsworth find these comparisons empowering or limiting? “I wish there were more names!” she says fervently. “I love both of them – I think they’re geniuses – and I’m so glad that their works are out in the world. But I just wish we had more voices and more diversity. I think it would be great if there were many more women that we could refer to.” For Unsworth, television seems to be the place allowing for more diverse voices. She points to her peers, Rooney and Candice Carty-Williams, as other novelists who are adapting their bestsellers, while Adults is already set to become a television series with Unsworth on screenwriting duties. Television, she explains, is increasingly becoming a space where women can tell authentic, unapologetic stories. “I don’t like redemption stories and I don’t like super neat happy endings where everything is jolly and shiny and Hallmark,” Unsworth states firmly. “I don’t want my work to be a cautionary tale. I’ve got many more questions than I’ve got answers.” In Adults, as well as Animals, it’s a joy to hear her ask them. Photo: Alex Lake; Two Short Days
February 2020 — Feature
Books
Interview: Anahit Behrooz
Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth is published on 30 Jan by Harper Collins Jenni Fagan, Kirstin Innes & Emma Jane Unsworth: Writing Rebel Women, Paisley Arts Centre, 23 Feb — 38 —
THE SKINNY
Open the Floodgates The man with the bafflingly-titled comedy shows, John-Luke Roberts is back with a new twist on his particular brand of absurdism Interview: Emma O’Brien
John-Luke Roberts: After Me Comes the Flood (But in French) drip splosh splash drip blubbp blubbp, Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 25 Feb; The Stand, Glasgow, 26 Feb
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February 2020 — Feature
Certainly, what now calls itself alternative comedy seems worlds away from the genre that sprung up in the 80s, the last time we were all pretty much convinced the world was about to end. Roberts touches on the mooted return of Spitting Image and musing that perhaps in its final days there was nothing of consequence left to satirise. “When you’re stuck in that obsessional news cycle and feeling there’s nothing to be done, it might be good for comedy to move away from that, and focus on stupider things,” he says. “Surrealism might hopefully get you looking at the world a little differently.” Roberts, thankfully, steadfastly refuses to be defeated by this. “If all you do is think about how horrible things are, life isn’t really worth living,” he says. “Comedy is hopefully a really good way of getting you out of that. If you challenge the very idea of things making sense, you can hopefully smile at things not making sense.”
Comedy
Photo: Natasha Pszenicki
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ohn-Luke Roberts, the ‘critically acclaimed idiot’ as his Fringe blurb memorably described him, has made a particular departure from his past work. Not in the sense of abandoning his uniquely and gleefully bizarre sketches and characters, but in his resolution to perform his latest show without the physical props he usually utilises to bring them to life. Given his training in clowning, this presents him with a particular challenge. Although it’s a challenge he’s set himself, he’s not concerned it will impact the show. When asked if this altered the way he wrote After Me Comes the Flood, he replies confidently that “if a joke is funny, you can always find a way to do it.” Instead, the challenge proved to be a benefit to the show’s writing, pushing him to establish how he would bring the characters into the room with the repertoire reduced to simply himself and a salmon pink suit. In fact, he mentions that he’s “not sure people would notice” the distinct lack of props. “It’s still very much my comedy,” he says reassuringly. Roberts clearly understands the mechanics of his craft well. Although known for his impeccably crafted one liners, that’s not the only skill on display; he observes “there’s a certain level of miming that most comedians rely on” which in fact only makes sense without visuals. However, there’s a new(ish) visual challenge that’s here to stay. As someone recognised for his quickfire comedy, what’s his view on social media comedy, given there seems to be a swing towards non-comedians carving themselves a niche in that medium? “I think the issue with it is that you can have a joke, or a joke format, which works really well on Twitter,” stating memes as a good example due to their building of familiarity and layers of jokes with new voices and new hot takes. “The key is to tell a joke that can work without performance, and what you’ll find is when someone tries to translate the joke to a live performance it doesn’t work in that context,” he adds. From here we find ourselves, perhaps inevitably, discussing the role of social media in keeping us relentlessly aware of the increasingly depressing skip fire of current affairs, but Roberts is thankfully quick to reassure that “absurdism can be a great release when the world is horrible, as it undoubtedly is at the moment.” With that in mind, does Roberts feel like he’s done anything to nurture the current wave of alternative comedy through the regular London night he co-founded with Thom Tuck, the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society? Rather than an alternative comedy showcase, he thinks that ACMS is more an exercise in the relief of absurdism which “challenges the whole idea of things making sense, which can be very comforting in a climate like this.” ACMS largely involves acts testing out new material, and more often than not comics end their set by shouting ‘Failure?!’ and the audience responding with ‘A noble failure!’. If nothing else, this seems a good metaphor for more or less every political endeavour of the last few years.
THE SKINNY
Second Hand News 2020 started with the US assassination of Qassem Soleimani, throwing Iran into turmoil and causing World War III to trend on Twitter. Here’s what watching the news unfold felt like to this second-generation Iranian immigrant
February 2020 — Feature
Intersections
Words: Anahit Behrooz Illustration: Kimberly Carpenter
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spent the third day of this new decade on a train to Edinburgh, staring blankly out of a window and constantly refreshing the news on my phone. In the early hours of that morning, Qassem Soleimani, the Islamic Republic’s leading military figure and the most powerful person in Iran after Ayatollah Khamenei, had been killed in an illegal drone attack in Iraq on Donald Trump’s orders. Iran had vowed retribution, Trump was reacting in a classically deranged manner and World War III was ghoulishly trending on Twitter. As a second-generation Iranian, all I could feel was a numb kind of panic. As second-generation immigrants go, I’ve mostly been isolated from my ‘home’ country. I don’t have dual citizenship, my language skills are largely confined to the level of family gossip and I’ve never even set foot in Iran. Instead, I’ve tended to experience my inherited culture through fragments and residues that keep me tentatively anchored to a place I have never been, but still feel intrinsically bound to: anecdotes and reminiscences from family, old photographs of Persepolis that my grandfather took in his student days, signs translated into Farsi in NHS waiting rooms. “That person is Iranian,” I exclaim triumphantly to friends who are a little nonplussed as to why I’m blurting out random facts about passersby. “Ottessa Moshfegh sounds like an Iranian name,” I say firmly, smug when I’m proven right. They’re very small things, but they are mostly what I have, keeping me moored to the culture in its broadest, most rhizomatic sense, fostering a minimal sense of belonging. In this way, home – the ancestral idea of it – has become a kind of imagined place, experienced purely through second-hand construction. The connection I have with Iran feels tenuous, gossamer-thin and constantly on the brink of dissolution, yet, simultaneously, firm, undeniable and entrenched in my very identity. It’s a particularly second-generation experience – caught between belonging and not belonging – and one that is utterly bewildering in times of crisis such as these. When Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s cultural sites if the country dared to retaliate, it felt intolerably violent even though, at the time of
writing this, it has remained a verbal threat. Disgusting as his proclamations typically are, these were personal and felt surreally, horrendously abusive. Of course, second-generation immigrants such as me, thousands of miles away from the physical land and – in my case – protected in a comfortable middle-class life, will suffer the least if military conflict unfolds. Yet we remain entangled with the place and its people, if only through the imagination, and the intimidation of
“It’s a particularly secondgeneration experience – caught between belonging and not belonging – and one that is utterly bewildering” such brutality is still unbearable. Carol Isaacs’ graphic novel The Wolf of Baghdad explores the exile of Iraqi Jews from Baghdad and lingers on the untranslatable Finnish word kaukokaipuu, meaning homesickness for a place you’ve never been. How I feel is a type of homesickness, but it is also more. It’s a compulsive and uncanny recognition despite almost no mutual experience or physical proximity. I am so far down the list of people affected by this potential violence and loss in their quotidian lives. But I still feel bound to it. Of course, this impending sense of dread is not abated by historical perspective. There is a — 40 —
totality to Western violence in the Middle East that is sometimes too vast to comprehend. Estimates of casualties during the Iraq War vary from 100,000 to well over a million, while entire swathes of Syria have been razed to the ground. Millions of people have been displaced, many of them drowned in the Mediterranean as Europe frantically began to close its borders. Although the response to Trump’s assassination of Soleimani was largely negative, it was frequently filtered through a fear of Iranian retribution and concern for American military lives. From both the political right and left, little attention was paid to Iran’s people, its infrastructure and the potential collapse of an entire cultural group. The West, as usual, conveniently forgot that the main victims of Soleimani and the brutal regime were Iranian citizens. At the time of writing this, the mounting tension seems to have somewhat abated – at least on Twitter, a sentence almost too absurd to type – but new sanctions have been enforced, Iran is resuming its nuclear programme and there are demonstrations flooding the streets of the country. Iran still feels like it is teetering on an edge, caught in the push and pull of Western imperialist megalomania and the atrocities of its own autocratic regime, deeply vulnerable to both. And while my experience of the country has always been predominantly imaginary, the anxiety I feel is emphatically concrete. It’s the anxiety that second-generation immigrants know all too well, trapped in the liminal experience of attachment and exile, gazing across a gulf of continents, generations and familiarity, fearfully looking on.
THE SKINNY
February 2020
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February 2020
THE SKINNY
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THE SKINNY
Album of the Month
Album of the month SOCCER MOMMY — color theory Released 28 Feb by Loma Vista rrrrr Listen to: bloodstream, circle the drain, royal screw up soccermommyband.com
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in particular, emotions surrounding her mother’s terminal diagnosis when she was a pre-teen. But far from providing resolution, the record is a candid portrait of a woman still very much in turmoil; untangling the knots of trauma, of depressive numbness, of the realisation of her own mortality. ‘I’ve barely left my room in the past week’, she sings serenely on bloodstream, cheerfully chugging guitars carrying her along while her world falls apart. With circle the drain, Allison longs to feel ‘calm’, ‘strong’ for her loved ones, but is unable to escape her turmoil. The song’s power lies in the mismatch of the music and the lyrics, in the relief that never comes. As the chorus reaches a kind of sonic resolution, you wait for the resolving line but are left only with the strange conclusion: ‘I’m going down’. On one hand, color theory could easily be enjoyed as intelligent and catchy indie-rock; on the other, it could be heard as something much more disquieting. By juxtaposing shatteringly sad lyrics with the cheeriness of the music, Allison presents her pain as unconquerable; too big to look at directly. When there can be no possible relief, she has to find a way to live on anyway. Maybe this is it: ‘Can’t erase the hue / It’s just coloured over’. [Katie Cutforth]
February 2020 — Review
ophie Allison, aka Soccer Mommy, just keeps getting better. Her latest record surpasses any expectations set by 2018’s Clean, which set her apart from the crowd with its effortlessly cool pop energy, razor-sharp riffs and wise takes on adolescent turmoil. With color theory, Allison revives a fiery and rebellious noughties aesthetic, upgraded with enchanting sonic clarity. ‘I’m the princess of screwing up!’ she declares on royal screw up, surely with pop-punk heroine Avril Lavigne in mind. “I feel like it really bangs,” admits Allison in an interview with The New York Times, and she’s not wrong. color theory is brimful of delicious melodies, finding a place for both her signature brash earworms like Your Dog and the innocent prettiness of Blossom and Switzerland. color theory finds Allison digging a little deeper, addressing topics that she may have previously been avoiding. The record consists of three distinct parts – a spectrum of emotions – each embodying a corresponding colour: blue for depression; yellow for paranoia, mental and physical illness; grey for death. Although the majority of the record is upbeat, a closer look shows Allison staring misery in the face, tackling,
Read more online: theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums
La Roux Supervision RRRRR “a let down”
Tame Impala The Slow Rush RRRRR “a partial reinvention”
Peggy Sue Vices RRrRR “more than double-tap worthy” — 43 —
Nada Surf Never Not Together RRRRR “business as usual”
Beach Bunny Honeymoon RRRRR “a solid effort”
THE SKINNY
Local Music
Photo: Troy Nelson
Fresh Break Leaving The Mirror Trap firmly in the past and looking forward with a pensive eye on humanity’s growing lack of human connection, Echo Machine frontman Gary Moore talks creating the chaotic synth-pop soundtrack for a detached generation Interview: Dylan Tuck Echo Machine Instant Transmissions [28 Feb, Riverman Records and Assai Records] Echo Machine play in-stores at Assai Records, Dundee, 28 Feb; Assai Records, Edinburgh, 29 Feb
February 2020 — Review
facebook.com/echomachinez
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aving past experience always offers a useful tool to aid in carving a fresh path. ‘You live you learn’, as Alanis Morrisette once sang. Gary Moore – once frontman of The Mirror Trap and now leader of that band’s quasi-reincarnation, Echo Machine – wanted to do something, as he puts it, “fun” in their new venture, and so started demoing ideas in his bandmate’s bedroom back in 2018. “[Echo Machine] kind of happened by accident, really. It almost felt [in previous bands] we were doing something we weren’t really into anymore. As soon as we got that fresh break, we thought it was time to do what excites us more.” Despite The Mirror Trap’s dissolvement, the ex-members’ creativity was not to be bottled up and stored on a shelf of old records and tour memorabilia. Instead, they sought to start anew, beyond the banality of generic rock acts been and gone. That meant dabbling with a shed-load of synths, playing some wild live shows, and leaving band tropes behind. “I think something people do when they start a band is to have a checklist about what bands need to do, like wear a leather jacket and sunglasses, buy a distortion pedal, be very serious and do outrageous things – it’s all a bit clichéd and pointless. When you’ve done it for a few years, you realise you’re a bit silly.”
“I had a fear when I first heard the album back that nobody is going to play this on the radio because it just sounds ridiculous” Gary Moore Shedding their skin, being an authentic human and accepting chaos is part and parcel of what Instant Transmissions – the band’s emphatically electric debut – is all about. “I remember watching a documentary about some guy in a maximum security prison who had a night out all suited and booted, blacked out, and then woke up with dead bodies around him,” Moore recalls. “I think that’s a strange way of understanding what our live shows are like. We have the best intentions to be a slick operation, but then three songs in, everyone’s bleeding, there are things on the floor and everyone is half-naked. I think we just embraced that chaos on the album.” — 44 —
As crazy an analogy as that may seem, it’s actually quite a refined take on what is a flamboyant and daring debut. The record oozes in and out of driving alt-rock and sickly-sweet synth-pop, channeling inspiration from Duran Duran and OMD that’s laced with an after-shot of Queens of the Stone Age and Death from Above; like a multi-flavoured, sweet and savoury smoothie. “I had a fear when I first heard the album back that nobody is going to play this on the radio because it just sounds ridiculous,” says Moore. “But equally, I’m hopeful that’s maybe what cuts through.” Inventive, quirky and sonically chameleonic, it’s certain to turn heads, if not have them bobbing along. Instant Transmissions is a tale of human experience in a world where “everything feels mechanised”, individuality is sold as a commodity, and people adopt a variety of different characters, exploring the repercussions of such an existence. “[The record] was written at a time when I was looking for jobs,” Moore notes. “I was going from one global chain to another and everything felt like there was no human element to it anymore. I think the whole story of the album – if there is one – comes from that feeling, kicking against it, feeling a bit useless and therefore getting a bit self-destructive.” Recorded at La Chunky in Glasgow under the guidance of producer SAW (who Moore describes as “a complete maniac”), Instant Transmissions was born, but not without a few hiccups – namely, running out of money and having to spend a week sleeping under the mixing desk of said studio. Despite suffering for their art, the pain provided results and pushed them further to be more “extreme” and “play harder and louder”. Moore continues: “I feel a bit underwhelmed by so much music – even the good stuff can feel a bit safe. Our producer had the same ideas as us and we were egging each other on in the studio to be a bit sillier.” What Moore calls silly, most would call innovative – stitching together a cacophony of noise into bouldering, dance-inducing moments of mayhem. Echo Machine are a far cry from the buzzing rock of The Mirror Trap, but it’s not impossible to find traces of their old band filtering through – from the crashing carnage on Chameleon to the digitized distortion found on The Road. There’s growth on Instant Transmissions, as an experienced team of musicians step forward into the unknown. Gone are the days of tinnies and blaring noise in a studio; now they demo repeatedly like perfectionists of their trade. And the result? A fresh-sounding, cathartic pop record by a band with a new sense of freedom.
THE SKINNY
Making It Up New post-punk upstarts Bikini Body chat about their ramshackle process, being inspired by The Daily Mail and the perils of saying sorry via a parrot
Bikini Body play Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 5 Feb facebook.com/ bikinibodymusic
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“I can sing fine, I can carry a tune, but that’s not going to go down in the annals of history” Vicky Kavanagh
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February 2020 — Review
“Every other band we’ve been in there’s always been one person coming in with the songs, whereas none of us know exactly what we’re doing,” says O’Gorman. Kavanagh adds: “It does sound like we’re making it up as we go along.” Booker agrees: “That is pretty much our approach,” with Peterson concluding: “We’re basically making free jazz.” They first played live under the fabulous makeshift moniker Lady Zinfandel & the Barony Boys before settling on Bikini Body after months of being nameless, in time for a flurry of gigs at the end of the year. “My suggestion was Samwise Gangrene,” remembers Peterson, while Kavanagh’s addition was “Segue Segway... one for the intellectuals, there.” But, ultimately, it was back to the usual fount of inspiration. Kavanagh continues: “We were stuck, so I said let’s look in The Daily Mail because they always put really funny descriptions of women in there, and the first thing was ‘so-and-so shows off her bikini body at the beach’ and I thought ‘great, it’s alliterative’... It was either that or Leggy Display.” Many of the shows were booked at short notice as support for bands
who’d seen them at Leith Depot or Henry’s Cellar Bar, while an EP launch show is taking place at Sneaky Pete’s on 5 February – booked on the spot after they were spotted at Cabaret Voltaire. The EP has five songs, including the already released So Posh. It’s mostly Kavanagh’s takes on a variety of grievances over rattling post-punk, with the odd hint of jangle-pop (Hands Off), often led by elastic ESG-bass or taut Gang of Four instrumentals. So Posh, for example, “started as a jam on a Viagra Boys song, before [Kavanagh] came in with the vocals.” One of the most fascinating, hilarious and cryptic songs comes in the form of Georgie Weaver. Kavanagh relates the whole bizarre story, perfectly encapsulating the way a song can be both a hyper-specific moment of random nonsense and also a highly relatable snapshot of male entitlement. “He might be a real person, we’re still not sure,” she says. “We were on a night out, to initiate Dan. He quickly interjects: “I threw up in my sink that night.” He continues: “We were on West Port and this old man, so pissed he’s frothing at the mouth, starts chatting at us, uninvited... telling us how much he knows about East Sussex (Kavanagh’s home county). [He] says he was in love with a girl called Janet Weaver who didn’t like her dad for being some sort of absentee father, so the dad buys her a parrot to say sorry. But she hates her dad, so she taught the parrot to say,” – he quickly adopts a squeaky parrot voice – ‘fuck you, Georgie Weaver!’” Peterson continues: “Then you made a voicemail to try and remember the story and I actually made a song with cut-up bits from the voicemail over a shitty drum machine.” Kavanagh adds: “I tried to recreate the voicemail for the song in Dry Cleaning style, but it wasn’t really working so I made it into a song about how sometimes men (usually men) think it’s alright to interrupt your night to tell you a shit story – something you don’t care about but are too polite to stop.” While there isn’t always rhyme or reason to the Bikini Body process, there’s a whole heap of heart and unpretentious good times to be had with this young band.
Local Music
Bikini Body Pond Life [5 Feb, self-released]
can sing fine, I can carry a tune, but that’s not going to go down in the annals of history – oh fuck, I sound like such a wanker.” So muses vocalist Vicky Kavanagh on the origins of her “shouty” delivery style, more indebted to Mark E. Smith improv than curated affectation; “we embraced the weird from the start.” It’s indicative of the conflicting combination of conviction and self-deprecation that Bikini Body bring to the table with their “family friendly post-gutter-skunk-funk.” Their small collection of songs already boasts acerbic takes on classism, male douchebaggery, existentialism and parrots trained to be vindictive (of which more later), but cut through with a self-awareness that doesn’t so much tie the sentiments and author in a neat bow, but a true-to-life knotty mess. The Edinburgh-based four-piece came together about six months ago, with Kyle Peterson (bass) and Kavanagh bonding over post-punk, and psy-trance, at work before Kavanagh drunkenly revealed her writing at the pub, prompting a snap decision to form a band. So they did just that, recruiting Josh Booker (guitar) and Dan O’Gorman (drums) and getting together to jam, though without any idea of what they were actually going to create. The group emphasise an organic process to their music without any sense of individual ego – even their conversational dynamic is often charmingly egalitarian, each member working together in what seems like a natural fit.
Photo: Cameron Fitzsimmons
Interview: Lewis Wade
Albums
THE SKINNY
Pictish Trail Thumb World [Fire Records , 21 Feb]
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February 2020 — Review
Listen to: Thumb World, Lead Balloon, Repeat Neverending
Spinning Coin Hyacinth [Geographic, 21 Feb] rrrrr isten to: Black Cat, Ghosting, L Never Enough
Four years in the making, Thumb World follows Pictish Trail’s SAY Awardshortlisted Future Echoes in style. Johnny Lynch opens the doors to his Isle of Eigg home, and produces an electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder, concerning everything from alien abductions to pigs that look like Donald Trump. If that makes this album sound like a self-indulgent folly made by some hermit-like madman then you’d be half right, but let Thumb World dig its nails into your consciousness and there’s plenty here to enjoy. Opening track Repeat Neverending sees Lynch plug in and fuzz out on a beautiful echoey meditation that recalls The Beta Band at their trance-like best, while Pig Nice begins with some heavily distorted drums before drifting off into a lonely, troubled meditation on the US President’s domestic policy. It’s stirring stuff, as is the title track which somehow sounds like Pet Sounds – were it made in a bothy rather than California. Elsewhere, Lead Balloon is a touching apology to Lynch’s partner after a night out turned into the monster of all hangovers. With a chorus so fantastic, we hope he’s been forgiven. Creative, life-affirming, funny and beautiful, Thumb World gets the thumbs up. [Jamie Bowman] Now somewhat of a staple in Glasgow’s richly storied indie-art-pop scene, Spinning Coin have spread their wings since 2017’s Permo. Rachel Taylor, who has become integral to Spinning Coin, has brought a fresh new voice to the band. Both with her songwriting – in the case of the gorgeous Black Cat – but also geographically as she was forced to leave Glasgow, opting to move to Berlin, with fellow bandmate Sean Armstrong following. With the band now split between Glasgow and Berlin it’s easy to imagine them traversing the German capital getting inspired to write their sophomore album in a familiar-yetotherworldly place, as evidenced in Feel You More Than World Right Now. Spinning Coin have yet again melded their well-worn sound into something new and vaguely psychedelic, such as on the Armstrong-fronted Ghosting where he sounds possessed by a host. Elsewhere, fellow primary songwriter Jack Mellin spins a more aggressive yarn on Never Enough while maintaining a breezy mid-90s vibe. Recorded at Black Box Studios in France, Hyacinth sees a strong progression in production values from its predeccesor. While there’s a widening of Spinning Coin’s scope here, there’s still a tendancy to stick to a familiar formula across the album. Thankfully, they do it well. [Adam Turner-Heffer]
Shopping All or Nothing [FatCat Records, 7 Feb] rrrrr Listen to: Follow Me, Lies, For Your Pleasure
Caribou Suddenly [City Slang, 28 Feb] rrrrr isten to: New Jade, Home, L Sunny’s Time
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Nothing makes you want to boogie while reflecting on hyper-capitalism quite like Shopping. The London/ Glasgow trio have been happily providing this service since 2012, and new record All or Nothing is a fresh slice of anti-establishment disco material. All or Nothing marries Shopping’s steadfast energy with a humming electronic edge. Follow Me does this well; a paranoid lament with Kraftwerk-esque synth interventions that complement its anxious rhythms. You’ll also find a touch of Kraftwerk in Lies, a track infused with sharp electronica. Despite these experiments, Shopping’s more traditional sound dominates most songs. Heavy with jangly guitar lines and plucky drums, Initiative illustrates the difference a few synth chords can make in elevating the tension of a song. Seven years on from their first record, Shopping are still giving audacious levels of energy. All or Nothing builds on its predecessor, but only gives us a taste of what the trio can do when left alone with a synth. Still, Shopping’s anti-consumerist jams are great as they are, providing us with a soundtrack for the frustrating times we live in. [Niamh Carey]
The title of Dan Snaith’s latest album as Caribou is inspired by a word that his young daughter learned and began to repeat incessantly. This mini history tells half the story here, as the album is undoubtedly Snaith’s most personal and warmly familial to date. The other half of Suddenly’s backstory comes from the abrupt sonic ruptures that occur throughout. Sunny’s Time and You and I feature the most jarring changes, with the former bursting into a garish rap sample after a minute or so of woozy pitch-shifted piano and the latter shoehorning a chorus of random chopped up samples and a searing guitar solo in between mellow, whispery verses. Lime goes in the opposite direction, as it starts all lush synths and warm melodies before unexpectedly fading away into a barely-there spectral chorus, while Magpie is weirder still. The beauty of Snaith’s music is usually in the broad, overarching vibes and perfectly constructed club-ready cuts that still manage to feel intimate. Suddenly is a different prospect, one that focuses more on the minutiae than the big picture; on personal reflection rather than big, shared moments. It’s a beautiful album that requires patience and provokes instrospection, while still retaining the gorgeous discotronics and expertly stitched samples. [Lewis Wade]
THE SKINNY
Listen to: Seize This Moment, Taking It Back
Listen to: Ripe
Listen to: Chameleon, Automatic Love, The Road
Nyx Nótt Aux Pieds de la Nuit [Melodic Records, 14 Feb] rrrrr isten to: The Prairie, Shirley L Jackson On Drums, Long Intervals of Horrible Sanity
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Often overshadowed by his singular lyrical style and manner of delivery, Aidan Moffat has been developing an increasingly idiosyncratic style of instrumentals under his L. Pierre moniker for almost as long as he’s been releasing records. Under his new Nyx Nótt alias, Moffat doubles down on the unease that has lain beneath the beauty of his previous instrumental work, creating an earthier sound, that of music creaking under the weight of its own horror. The majority of the record is built around gently rolling jazz drums that give the record a stumbling, queasy rhythm of moving through unfamiliar environments into something unknown. This is not to say there isn’t beauty on the record, far from it. The organ coda on Shirley Jackson On Drums is a gleaming, wondrous thing, but, set against the sinister piano runs and two-note string wail that precedes it, it feels like the half-imagined oasis of some beleaguered protagonist. Moffat has talked of the record being simply about the night, or ‘crepuscular music’, but it never feels like an escapist project. It becomes an expression of the bleed between the unconscious and the world around us, in often beautiful, always unsettling music. [Joe Creely]
February 2020 — Review
Banoffee Look At Us Now Dad [Cascine / Dot Dash, 21 Feb] rrrrr
A cursory listen to Melbourne native Banoffee’s debut album might leave you believing it’s a polished pop collection that reaches for mainstream success. Yet, dive in a bit deeper and its shimmering synths, snappy beats and catchy hooks belie the trauma that shadowed the creation of the album. Written after she moved to Los Angeles in the wake of a mental breakdown, Look At Us Now Dad is Banoffee’s way of reclaiming her own narrative through cathartic pop. No track better sums this up than the chirpy yet slightly wry This Is For Me, but it’s a song that also illuminates the tension between the album’s slick melodies and Banoffee’s sentiments; it sometimes feels like the former dilutes the latter. Look At Us Now Dad is at its best when it treads further into experimental territory. The album features collaborations with the likes of SOPHIE and Empress Of, and the more left-field tendencies of these artists also rear their head here. With its tempo changes, bass-heavy pulses and a quick-fire verse from CupcakKe, Ripe shows off a more uninhibited side. Unfortunately, it can be frustrating that this isn’t emphasised more fully or frequently but still gives a glimpse into where Banoffee could ultimately head. [Eugenie Johnson]
Echo Machine Instant Transmissions [Riverman Records / Assai Records, 28 Feb] rrrrr
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, only shrouded in sparkling glitter, UV paint and about as many neon strip-lights as the human frame can physically carry, Echo Machine are the emerging synth-pop resurrection party this dying Earth so desperately needs to dance to. Time previously spent in The Mirror Trap is conspicuous on Instant Transmissions, their undeniable industry experience audible in both their ambitious writing and purified, clean production. The band, unapologetically unleash all kinds of mayhem across a confidently chaotic 11 tracks, establishing a New Romantic-meets80s pop-alt-rock-collision crash to a standard that even the best genremashers would be proud of. It’s a record for the modern day – a conscious, frustrated, wriggling entity that questions and riots at the state of its own existence, before ultimately agreeing to just go a bit mental on a night out instead. Gary Moore’s lyricism is scarily relatable but rarely morbid, carried by the sonic energy of fizz and fuzz in an amalgamation of catharsis and rage. Instant Transmissions is an explosion of sound, a rebirth and a guidebook to the bedlam of contemporary life all rolled into one. [Dylan Tuck]
Albums
MALKA I’m Not Your Soldier [Tantrum Records, 28 Feb] rrrrr
Back in 2017, multi-instrumentalist Tamara Schlesinger, aka MALKA, released the politically-charged Ratatatat in the wake of the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump. Skip forward three years and the political climate is no less turbulent. It, therefore, wouldn’t be a surprise if Schlesinger continued some of the themes of her previous outing her. However, I’m Not Your Soldier sees MALKA in a more reflective and personal mood, but also a defiant one. Schlesinger sets the tone early on Get Up, while on Don’t Believe It she echoes the title with a bold statement: ‘I’m not a soldier, but I will fight for my life’. The melodies Schlesinger weaves are often uplifting and vibrant, with the bouncy hook of single Taking It Back epitomising this by bursting forth from an otherwise restrained palette. It’s unfortunate that things can feel a little one-paced, particularly in the middle of the record, but as the album progresses into its final third the likes of moody meditation Seize This Moment sees Schlesinger playing more with texture and tone. As I’m Not Your Soldier closes with tender lullaby Close Your Eyes, it’s easy to feel like you’ve been given a glimpse into MALKA’s own realm. [Eugenie Johnson]
THE SKINNY
Film of the Month
Photo: Lilies Films
Film of the month — Portrait of a Lady on Fire Director: Céline Sciamma Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
February 2020 — Review
RRRRR Released 28 Feb by Curzon Certificate 15 theskinny.co.uk/film
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éline Sciamma’s period romance is an ode to memories – their creation in the moment and their framing of the past – as much as it is to lost love. The experiences of time, desire and active observation weave throughout Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which follows the painter Marianne (played by Noémie Merlant) as she is commissioned for a prenuptial portrait of Héloïse (played by frequent Sciamma collaborator Adèle Haenel). The challenge comes from the fact that this work must be completed without the latter’s knowledge, as she rejects a match to a man she has never met. Instead, the painter and her subject fall in love. Time, however, is against them, as Héloïse’s arranged marriage approaches and the painting must be finished. The unmistakable, unapologetic queer female gaze behind and on camera centres the perspective in a self-reflexive authenticity, defining the lesbian love story without reference to anything other than the women involved (on a tangentially related note, it is a refreshing change in today’s film industry when male characters barely speak four lines throughout a film). Marianne and Héloïse’s watching is a powerful act, as the women’s arts-based courtship and Claire Mathon’s cinematography subvert the idea of the object of desire by pulling her from passivity. Their romance springs from quiet yet explicit observations, as the seemingly self-sufficient woman and the recent convent charge prove more multifaceted as they challenge the other to define autonomy, mythology, music and the inherent poetry of memories. Sciamma’s script and story never dwells in darkness, often instead finding levity and solidarity in the more unpleasant realities of womanhood in the 18th century. That said, an
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awareness of these daily violences and restrictions is tangible, notably in an abortion subplot involving Héloïse’s housekeeper Sophie (Luàna Bajrami). The search for more time as the film races towards its inevitable conclusion is similarly melancholic, yet never overwhelmingly so – Héloïse and Marianne may giggle about a plant that is said to make time last longer, but the underlying heartache is palpable. Portrait adheres closely to Marianne’s point-of-view, and Merlant is almost constantly on screen as a result. She foregrounds Marianne’s assuredness in her life, career and choices, while allowing an awareness of their fragility to leak through. Haenel plays Héloïse’s quiet defiance without bitterness, conveying a similar understanding of her situation with a determination to find freedom. While Sciamma, Haenel and Merlant leave some moments and motivations purposefully ambiguous, Héloïse and Marianne’s agency is never in question. This is the crowning achievement of Portrait: the tragedy of the ending is somewhat tempered by the moments of liberty stolen and celebrated by its central lovers, creating a dichotomy of acceptance and heartbreak. Portrait of a Lady on Fire may almost be too polished in the way it observes the life cycle of an impossible love affair and the most difficult choices that entails. Such precision, however, can hardly be called a flaw, and it catapults the film to cinematic greatness when combined with the assured insight Sciamma and her cast bring to the lesbian romance. “If you look at me who do I look at,” Héloïse askes Marianne during one of her sittings. No definitive answer is given, but the aching beauty exploring the expression of desire make Portrait a love story for the ages. [Carmen Paddock]
THE SKINNY
In Cinemas The True History of the Kelly Gang Director: Justin Kurzel Starring: George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult
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Director: Bong Joon-ho Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong
(Essie Davies), to the violence he witnesses from his surrogate father Harry Power (Russell Crowe), Kelly gets a rough deal. As an adult, he’s played by George MacKay, who brings a vulnerability and ferocity that we haven’t seen in his performances before. He’s a crossbreed of Sid Vicious and Billy the Kid, with the rippling physique of a bare-knuckle boxer but a glass-brittle psyche – it’s a terrifying combination. Returning home, Ned wrangles his cross-dressing brothers and off they go, rebelling against the tyranny of the British. This is a woozy, ethereal film, questioning the slippery nature of truth at its heart. [Joseph Walsh] Released 28 Feb by Picturehouse Entertainment; certificate 15
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The latest genre-bender from Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho is at times thrilling, and at others deeply emotional. It flits between dark comedy, thriller, horror and farce with such ease that the boundaries become indistinguishable. After a pair of sometimes-English language films, Bong returns to South Korea and draws the class divide in the process. The gig economy rules over one family who make a pittance from folding pizza boxes for a takeaway. A biting social satire begins to form when son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) lands a lucrative tutoring job for the Park family. Hierarchy exists in the formation of land: the working class struggle in subterranean living; the rich reside
high in the hills of Seoul. A masterful con job ensues as the entire family scam their way into finding employment with the Parks and take advantage of a naïvety afforded to them because they’ve never had to worry. But identifying the metaphorical leeching organism that provides the film’s namesake isn’t as simple as it seems. The family of con-artists latch on to the Parks, but the action is also reciprocated. The Parks look down their noses and smell through them too, sniffing out the impoverished like they’re animals. To be privileged isn’t just about looking the part, but smelling like it too. Capitalism takes root and corrupts both the wealthy and the poor. Any societal observations are quickly undercut by a punchline, preventing the story from being dragged down by self-seriousness in this deeply funny film. [Iana Murray]
In Cinemas
Justin Kurzel’s latest feature is a punk-fuelled, post-truth account of the life of 19th century Australia’s most notorious outlaw, Ned Kelly. Forgoing the traditional tropes of the genre, we get a feverish exploration of myth-building, told with extraordinary expressionistic flair and style that dismisses the baggy nonsense of most biopics. The first half of the film deals with Kelly’s childhood (Orlando Schwerdt), as he suffers at the hands of everyone he encounters. From the local lawman Sergeant O’Neil (Charlie Hunnam), who forces sexual favours from Kelly’s mother
Parasite
Released 7 Feb by Curzon; certificate 18
Photo: Signature Entertainment
The True History of the Kelly Gang
First Love
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Takashi Miike returns with First Love, a chaotic action-thriller, rom-com hybrid. Set over the course of one eventful night in Tokyo, Leo (Masataka Kubota) – a sullen boxer diagnosed with a brain tumour – meets Monica (Sakurako Kanishi), who has been sold into a life of sex work and drug addictions by her abusive father. The pair bond over their unfortunate fates and a shared melancholy, thrown together when a dodgy deal between gangsters and crooked cops goes wrong. Meanwhile, a colourful cast of assassins, rival gang members and mobsters enter the narrative, before most are violently dispatched via beheading. It sounds chaotic – and it is – but, with his mastery of the pulpy
B-movie, Miike keeps the narrative moving with enough kinetic energy and tight storytelling that everything just about makes sense. It’s a testament to Miike and First Love’s editor, Akira Kamiya, that the film’s action is so coherent, cut with sharp precision and the right amount of panache and selfreferential, tongue-in-cheek humour. Miike is hardly reinventing the pulp wheel with First Love, but he is spinning it with glee. For a filmmaker with more than a hundred directing credits under his belt, First Love’s stamina is even more impressive. Let the formulaic plot and characters whizz past your head, and you’re in for a genuinely thrilling, ridiculous romp through Tokyo’s seedy underworld that’s likely to be a new favourite at midnight movie nights. [Katie Goh] Released 14 Feb by Signature Entertainment; certificate 15
Parasite
Dark Waters Director: Todd Haynes Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Bill Camp, Tim Robbins, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham
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In Dark Waters, Mark Ruffalo takes a well-earned break from playing Hulk in the MCU to portray Robert Bilott, a real-life Cincinnati lawyer who tirelessly battled multinational chemical firm DuPont on behalf of more than 3500 residents of Parkersburg, West Virginia. A dour, hunched figure somewhat akin to an even less charismatic Gordon Brown, Ruffalo’s portrayal of Bilott doesn’t scream legal dynamism. But in time-honoured cinematic fashion, Bilott ploughs through a mountain of dusty paperwork and, in 2001, files a lawsuit against DuPont. The lawsuit’s progress over nearly two decades is painstakingly and expertly detailed.
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Dark Waters
While thematic comparisons can be made to the livelier Erin Brockovich, Dark Waters has more in common with Kelly Reichardt’s Night Moves, which director Todd Haynes exec produced and shares a similarly cold, tense tone. Haynes’ regular cinematographer Edward Lachman does wonders with a muted colour pallet (he also shot Brockovich), while there’s solid support from Tim Robbins and Anne Hathaway, as Bilott’s wife Sarah. After his dual-timeline period mystery Wonderland proved a rare misfire, Haynes has returned with a timely tale of environmental disaster and corporate corruption. The resulting drama may not be as remarkable as his masterpiece, Carol, but it represents a clear return to form for the American indie auteur. [Jamie Dunn] Released 28 Feb by Entertainment One; certificate 15
February 2020 — Review
Director: Takashi Miike Starring: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani
First Love
THE SKINNY Photo: Netflix
At Home You Creators: Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti Starring: Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, James Scully, Ambyr Childers
Creator: Richard Price Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Jeremy Bobb, Julianne Nicholson, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Yul Vazquez, Jason Bateman, Marc Menchaca
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At Home
The Outsider
Pulpy stalker drama You has quickly become one of Netflix’s biggest and most meme-able hits (crossing over to Love Island Twitter, and unifying two of today’s top guilty pleasures). After killing his girlfriend Beck in season one, ‘dreamy and brooding’ Joe Goldberg flees New York to start a new life in Los Angeles as Will Bettelheim. Here he meets his new romantic obsession, Love Quinn, and integrates into an obnoxious LA social scene. More stalking and murdering ensues along with daft meta-writing and suitably wild plot twists. It’s slick trashy entertainment, somewhere between Dexter and Gossip Girl, but with even fewer morals. You deliberately pushes viewers into the icky position of sympathising with a serial killer in a cheeky critique on spectatorship and romantic film clichés, as well as our questionable preoccupation with abusers at the expense of their victims. However, that self-awareness does not absolve You of its own immorality. A subplot in which Joe goes after a celeb who preys on underage girls tricks us into siding with him further, and through digging into Joe’s disturbing childhood the series comments on cycles of trauma, but also further opens the empathy gates. In its attempts to stretch the grey zones of its subject matter, You’s balance too often tips in favour of what it professes to mock. [Sanne Jehoul] Streaming on Netflix
February 2020 — Review
Sex Education: Season 2 Creator: Laurie Nunn Starring: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells
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Moordale High is still clueless on matters of the heart and the bedroom, as seen in this season’s opener where a mini-epidemic of chlamydia breaks out, but Otis (Butterfield) – the uptight virgin turned sex counsellor – isn’t the only shagging expert on hand this term. His boundary-crossing sex therapist mother, Jean (Anderson), inadvertently cuts into her son’s side hustle when she’s brought in to fill the gaps in Moordale’s SRE curriculum. The upshot is to make Anderson more central to the show’s delightful ensemble cast, and that’s just one reason why these new episodes improve on season one. The show’s melange of British accents and humour dressed up in the codes and mores of American high school can feel discombobulating, but the characters always feel real and fully rounded. That’s also the case for the new additions, including statistics-obsessed overachiever Viv and a mysterious French student with a penchant for Pablo Naruda. This humanistic approach can go too far – the transformation of the school bully (Swindells) from violent homophobe to bisexual sweetheart feels a tad too easy. Staged with more skill is a sexual assault storyline that brings the core female cast together for a rousing episode splicing #MeToo and The Breakfast Club. As with the first season, sex-positivity abounds. Amid its messy mechanics, the pleasure and playfulness of what we all get up to behind closed doors is never forgotten. Sex Education reminds you how awkward it was to be a teenager – and how much fun it was too. [Jamie Dunn]
Broadcast on Sky Atlantic and Now TV
Streaming on Netflix
Photo: Sky Atlantic
Photo: Netflix You
Sex Education
Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Outsider follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But as a supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads the seasoned cop in charge (the ever-reliable Ben Mendelsohn) and an unorthodox investigator (Cynthia Erivo, who deftly fleshes out a character who could easily just be a bag of quirks) to question the foundations of the world they thought they knew. The first two episodes show just what King can do with a well-worn genre like the procedural. They’re darkly compelling, digging into the warped nature of the crime, along with the culprit’s peculiar indifference to covering their tracks. Mendelsohn’s cop has the case handed to him on a silver platter, but his due diligence as he interviews witnesses and sifts evidence casts an eerie pall. What he finds suggests a world knocked out of whack. Everything seems clear cut and incontrovertible, and yet it also feels wrong. It’s as it enters its third episode that the usual King warning signs begin to appear – and if this follows the book exactly, the problems will only be compounded as the series goes on. Something supernatural is definitely afoot, and that’s fine. What’s less fine is that here – as with other King adaptations (and their source material) – you get the overwhelming impression that he’s no more sure about his ‘entity’ (and its abilities) than we are. [Tom Charles]
The Outsider
TV & Streaming Highlights in February 2020
Altered Carbon 27 Feb, Netflix More sci-fi scrapping and body-swapping antics.
Cheer Out now, Netflix Warts-and-all look at the world of competitive cheerleading.
I Am Not Okay With This 26 Feb, Netflix High school drama based on a comic by the creator of End of the F***ing World. — 50 —
Inside No. 9 Weekly from 3 Feb, BBC iPlayer Unpredictable anthology from one half of The League of Gentlemen.
Shrill Out now, BBC iPlayer Razor-sharp sitcom by SNL’s Aidy Bryant, back for a second series.
THE SKINNY Photo: Sally Price
Food
GLORIOSA Gloriosa, 1321 Argyle St, Glasgow 0141 334 0594 gloriosaglasgow.com i: @gloriosa_glasgow Kitchen open Wed - Sun, midday-10.30pm Bar open Sun, Wed, Thu 11ammidnight; Fri - Sat, 11am-1am Closed Mon - Tue
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restaurant’s enormous windows. It’s tangy, vibrant and genuinely exciting. It is also proof that the fork and the shallow bowl are not friends; if you order this dish, or something similar to it, grab a spoon from nearby to save the delicious liquid that’s left over. The red mullet with olive tapenade (£7) turns up last, and does a fairly good job of summarising everything that’s happened so far. It’s colourful, nice to look at, but not too showy; it’s a fish, and next to it is some tapenade. It’s well-cooked, extremely tasty, and it’s very nicely balanced. The individual bits are very nice, and they go very well together. Teamwork – turns out it’s a good idea after all. That’s the savoury story. The sweets, on the other hand, are engaged in some kind of competition to see who can be the most outlandish and over-the-top. The hazelnut, ricotta and olive oil cake (£6) gives a good account of itself, hiding an almost mousse-like centre underneath a crunchy exterior coated in toasted hazelnuts. But the panna cotta (£6), wobbling away like nobody’s watching while drowning in an outlandishly bitter burnt caramel syrup, is an absolute banger that should have baying crowds banging on those big windows night and day.
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February 2020 — Review
ating at Gloriosa, the new restaurant from former Alchemilla head chef Rosie Healey, is a bit like going for dinner at an extremely knowledgeable pal’s flat. You show up, they throw out a bunch of interesting, if occasionally difficult-to-parse suggestions, you smile and nod, and it turns out you were wrong to ever doubt them. A couple of early dishes set the tone. First up, the marinated carrots (£2.50) – thick coins of veg smothered in a spicy, garlicky marinade – and then the bagna cauda (£6). It’s an Italian garlic and anchovy dip, into which you smash a piece of veg and head off on a brief but extremely savoury ride. Next up is a napkin-thin flatbread covered in goats cheese curd, honey, walnuts and thyme (£7). It’s a surprisingly earthy yet exceptionally light bit of food, and the cheese on top is the kind of creamy and smooth dairy explosion you yearn for every time you head to the fridge, rapidly-cooling bagel in hand. The seabass carpaccio (£13) is the kind of plate that provokes gasps when it reaches the table, and results in accidental headbutts when everyone tries to get the first forkful. Slivers of seabass cured in citrus and oil, plated up with chunks of orange, bright green pistachios and a hefty sprinkling of Aleppo pepper; it’s like a big fishy sun shining in through the
Words: Peter Simpson
THE SKINNY
Books
Book Reviews
Strange Hotel
The Wolf of Baghdad
A Tall History of Sugar
Exercises in Control
By Eimear McBride
By Carol Isaacs
By Curdella Forbes
By Annabel Banks
In Eimear McBride’s third novel, an unnamed woman enters different hotel rooms in different cities across the world. Over these anonymous hotel stays, a form emerges from the fog of her internal life. The woman is Irish, like McBride herself and her other novels’ protagonists. She is middleaged and meets men in strange cities but is always careful to keep them at arm’s length. She over-intellectualises situations and scolds herself for this habit. She doesn’t have much time for France and is barely keeping a previous grief at bay. Throughout Strange Hotel, this repressed past constantly threatens to spill through the space between the words. For half of the slim novel, the narration feels distant from us, often cold, until, suddenly, with the magic alchemy that only novels have, the boundaries between the reader, the writer, the narrator and the character collapse in on each other and there’s only one voice left. No one in contemporary fiction can capture what McBride can: the rich, sometimes excruciating, often humiliating, intimacy of a thought. But, thankfully, McBride’s linguistic prowess doesn’t remain aloft in an ivory tower. In all her novels, her characters’ emotions are the driving force behind the words. There might be a familiarity to the woman’s internal life, but her form, appetites and identity remain very much her own. McBride is also self-aware, winking at her narrator’s overthinking, and often funny. But mostly, she’s empathetic – to her characters, to her readers and to the secrets, memories and griefs that form our sense of being in this absurd world. [Katie Goh]
In the 1940s, roughly one third of Baghdad’s population was Jewish. By 2016, this number had dropped to just five people. A haunting journey through memory, trauma and loss, graphic memoir The Wolf of Baghdad draws on autobiography, folklore and history to confront this tragic dissolution of an entire community. Carol Isaacs’ panels are entirely wordless, relying instead on emotive illustrations of her family and heritage’s ghostly remains, with text isolated on otherwise blank pages in the form of anecdotes, reminiscences and lamentations collected from family members and other Baghdadi Jews. Isaacs’ visual style is muted yet incisive, her textual minimalism allowing the images to breathe and linger. However, the scarcity of text also leads The Wolf of Baghdad to lack the complex internal characterisation that makes other graphic memoirs, such as Persepolis, so potent and heart wrenching. This reduced nuance also extends to the, at times, flattened relationship between the Arab and Jewish populations, a subject that – in its continued fraught state – cannot be skimmed past. Where The Wolf of Baghdad most succeeds is in telling Isaacs’ own narrative, in which palimpsests of memory form a fractured yet entangled relationship to a home she has never known. There is a Finnish word, kaukokaipuu, explains Isaacs, that means homesickness for a place you’ve never been. For those similarly suspended between cultures, conflicts and belonging, The Wolf of Baghdad tells a poignant and achingly familiar story. [Anahit Behrooz]
Moshe and Arrienne are different. Moshe was found in a river as a baby, with black features but skin whitishblue, whilst Arrienne’s height and dark skin set her apart from even her family. From the moment the two meet, they are drawn to one another as friends, twins and lovers. This epic, generation-spanning novel tells the tale of their lives with fantasy and history intertwining against the background of a newly independent Jamaica and a continually colonial Britain. A Tall History of Sugar explores this shared experience of otherness, colour and colonialism in lives still governed by Jamaica’s plantation history. Moshe and Arrienne themselves embody a complex relationship between being Black and their own identities, told through their starkly different skin tones. The strength of Curdella Forbes’ prose is her ability to deftly represent characters throughout varying stages of their lives. From confusing childhoods and awkward adolescences into adulthood, old age and dementia, Forbes perfectly captures the essence of her characters throughout the passing time. They feel fully formed and real. Yet, the story’s scope can leave it feeling disjointed. It isn’t always clear where the narrative is going which can make it difficult to follow. The magic and history don’t always intertwine coherently, and where some aspects are fleshed out in detail, others seem a little lacking. [Emily Hay]
In this collection of short stories, Annabel Banks takes the reader through twelve tales that explore a very human preoccupation with control. In one story, a student becomes obsessed with Newton’s theory of colour and, in another, a cleaner discovers a dark secret in the office. In the collection’s titular tale, we see a station guard’s life choices determined by a coin and in an alternative story, a woman refuses to leave a crevice she has crawled into. The stories vary in length and tone, yet Banks’ voice is consistent in its strength throughout. The imagery in each tale is vivid, filling in the narrative gaps left by the prose, and ultimately leaving a disquieting feeling spread across the pages. There is often unspoken violence (although there is explicit animal cruelty in the titular story) and there is more to each story than what is explicitly stated. It feels like there are multiple potential meanings to be explored within, making Exercises in Control perfect for a book group. Often weird and sometimes funny, this debut collection ultimately scratches the surface of the everyday and ordinary, to reveal dark and unsettling creatures crawling beneath. [Rebecca Wojturska]
February 2020 — Review
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Canongate, 6 Feb, £14.99
Myriad, 30 Jan, £16.99 Faber, £12.99, 6 Feb — 52 —
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Influx Press, 20 Feb, £7.99
THE SKINNY
Art Reviews Paula Rego Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art (Modern Two), Edinburgh Narrative intrigue and political urgency form a dual momentum for the six room survey of Paula Rego’s paintings in Modern Two.
In Room One, Rego’s Popinspired abstract collages riotously obscure references to the oppressive political circumstances in Portugal at the time. Disorganised, violent and menacing, Centaur 1964 has as its centre an inverse of the titular mythical creature: a bloodied-looking human body and bull’s head
sly-faced woman inspects the underwear of her infant daughter dressed in a Disney Snow White costume. The girl’s craggy and wisened face is an acutely disturbing visual of a childhood ruined by parental abuse – a theme that continues in the Female Genital Mutilation (2009) sequence. Rego is clear that she isn’t interested in showing ‘blood, gore or anything to sicken’. Nevetheless, at their most effective the images are cut across by, and look out into the gallery with the figures’ hate-filled glances like in The Maids (1987), the Abortion series’ defiant gazes or the miserably resolute staring of her Dog Women series. Through careful observation and classically informed technique, each of Rego’s works is a singular and synecdochal encounter with well-known myths, stories or political situations. [Adam Benmakhlouf]
Art
Credit: Paula Rego, Courtesy of Marlborough, New York and London
surrounded by abstract cartoonish characters, poised to attack. Over the following decades and the next room, Rego’s work becomes weightily figurative, laden with knobbly flesh, broad-limbed women, and at times a claustrophobic sense of psychological tension. See Rego’s Abortion paintings (1998-9), complex windows into the unofficial medical set-ups necessitated by conservative law. They were made to furnish the debate surrounding the 1998 referendum on abortion in Portugal. Rego’s figures are often in uncomfortable poses or curled in pain, staring with an implacable vulnerability. She renders their forms robustly, in dense accumulations of pastel or brush marks. Other works engage more literary references, like Snow White in which a
Until Sun 19 Apr
Paula Rego, Painting Him Out, 2011, Pastel on paper mounted on aluminium, 119.4 x 179.7 cm
Photo: Ruth Clark
France-Lise McGurn Tramway, Glasgow succeeds in giving a contemporary feeling to figurative painting. Despite McGurn’s work often being described as an exploration of intimacy and sexuality, the work feels conservative. The surrounding bodies are all slender and tall, with the physique and movement you might expect from the neighbouring dancers at Scottish Ballet. Crotches are given a doll-like smoothness other than the occasional slightest suggestion from a singular brush mark. There is a tangible sensuality in the work but it expresses a disappointingly vanilla sexuality. Club culture emerged out of a predominately POC and Queer need for communal safe spaces. Despite the strong influence of clubbing, McGurn does not appear to touch upon this context and perhaps it is this missing acknowledgment that makes this very enjoyable exhibition feel limited in its success. [Katie Dibb]
February 2020 — Review
The opening night of In Emotia had people sardined and queued up, cramming into every available cranny, mirroring the figures painted across the space. Luckily I found a quieter time to visit France-Lise McGurn’s installation of painted canvases, walls and newly incorporated neon stripping. The feet are so elegantly elongated and playfully characterful that they make a convincing case for foot fetishism. There is something unfailingly satisfying in witnessing something executed with clear talent and skill. You can’t help but imagine the artist running around the space freely, perhaps a martini in hand, as charismatic as the figures she draws. An effeminate celebration, the pastel pinks and nude confident bodies are atmospherically lit by the neons creating a perfectly Instagrammable hue. Inspired by living in and clubbing in Glasgow, McGurn manages to capture a disparate togetherness that
Until 29 Mar
France-Lise McGurn, In Emotia, Installation detail, Tramway 2020
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February 2020
THE SKINNY
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THE SKINNY
ICYMI ARRRRRGHHH I’M NOT SICK BUT I’M NOT WELLLLLL (c’mon you were all starting to sing it). Scot Squad’s Archie Pepper, stand-up comedian and allround good guy Stuart McPherson enlightens us on his love of Peep Show
B
But, for all the set pieces, Peep Show is at its best when dripping in the mundane. 700 words could be written on ‘Breakfast in Peep Show’. Mark and Jez, in their tiny kitchen mulling over their depressing breakfast choices while discussing how they’ve ruined their only chance with whatever ‘the one’ it is they’re pursuing. There’s something so Peep Show about starting the day with endless possibilities in theory, but knowing you’ve already fucked it. I can’t think of a show with as many iconic lines about breakfast alone: “Brown for first course, white for pudding… of course I’m the one who’s laughing because I actually love brown toast”; “Frosties are just cornflakes for people who can’t face reality”. You forget how dark the first series is, even the theme song sounds sinister when you’re used to Flagpole Sitta. There’s still an existential darkness at the heart of the later series but it feels more hidden. You also forget how much stuff actually happens for a sitcom in the Seinfeld flat-share ‘show about nothing’ mould: how many women they each fall in love with; how many times they fall for the same woman; so many fleeting acquaintances and jobs come and go (“Hey, can I get some nachos or margaritas to kick you hombres off?”). Peep Show’s been there my whole adult life. It first aired in 2003 (it turned ‘Fünf’ ‘Elf’ years ago) and it’s felt constantly relevant, sometimes prescient, the entire time. I feel like it’s overlooked as one of the great sitcoms as it doesn’t have a larger-than-life central character. We’re constantly reminded of The Office or Partridge when we see a cringy man trying to be funny. The beauty of Peep Show is how rounded Mark and Jeremy are. I’ve always felt I embody the worst aspects of Mark and Jez: simultaneously uptight and repressed, and a lazy fantasist. We don’t need to point at someone and say “she’s a Mark!” or “he’s a Jeremy!” – they’re in all of us. Stuart McPherson: Come See What Papa’s Cookin’ (Work in Progress), The State bar, Glasgow, 20 Mar
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February 2020 — Review
alls out the bath: I’ve seen Peep Show before. Many times. Maybe one day I’ll do this properly and watch something I’ve always been told I’d love and have to watch but never got round to: Arrested Development, 30 Rock, It’s Always Sunny all fall into this camp. I’ve seen the odd episode and thought they were fine but just couldn’t be arsed with climbing a new mountain when I could simply watch Peep Show again. I’m always rewatching Peep Show. I reach the end, give it a month or two and then start again, like how painters of the Forth Bridge, upon completing the painting of the Forth Bridge, can’t wait to get back out there and paint the Forth Bridge again. They just love painting the Forth Bridge. I love watching Peep Show. To be honest, I’ve no idea where to begin. Writing 700 words on Peep Show is like writing a pamphlet on War and Peace, I imagine – I’ve not read it (more of a Mr. Nice guy), but it looks big in Waterstones. 700 words would barely cover one facet of the show. A 700 word essay titled ‘Big Suze and the Modern British Class System’, I can see. 700 on ‘Big Mad Andy: A Psychoanalysis’, sure! A 700 word cross analysis of ‘Mark Corrigan’s Business Secrets of the Pharaohs in relation to the 21st Century Corporate Tactics of Alan Johnson’ I could look into. But Peep Show in general? It’s too big. I’ve just finished season two of Jesse Armstrong’s Golden Globe-winning HBO drama Succession. I love it. It’s incredible. It’s not as good as Peep Show. I don’t think it comes close to telling us about the human experience the way Peep Show does. There’s more insight into what makes people tick and how the individual operates in society in Peep Show than in any other show I can think of. Above that, though, the main thing you’re struck by when rewatching is how consistently funny it is. We remember the big stuff: Jeremy eating Mummy (“The clutch on that thing!”); Mark lost on the Quantocks on his Sunday Times Megadeal (“I angered a crow that was defending its young”); Jez pissing himself while the guests arrive for Mark and Sophie’s wedding (“Pass me that prayer bucket”).
Comedy
Illustration: Julija Straižytė
THE SKINNY
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
FACENDO COSE
Tue 04 Feb
Sun 09 Feb
KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Two-piece psych/postpunk/dark wave/ shoegaze band formed in Venice, Italy. GENEVA (PELTS + CHINA BEARS)
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £16.50
Aberdonian rockers who found fame in the mid-90s. BLACK MARBLE (PANTHER MODERN + GRAVELLE) BROADCAST, FROM 19:30, £13.75
Chris Stewart wrote and recorded his third album, Bigger Than Life, following a move from New York to Los Angeles and he’s taking it out on the road. JACQUES GREENE (M.BOOTYSPOON)
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10
This enigmatic young house producer from Montreal has given the current musical landscape progressively deeper ideas of what house music can mean in the new decade.
Wed 05 Feb
RIP IT UP PRESENTS JOG BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Psych-rock multi instrumentalist from Ayrshire. KIM PETRAS
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £22.50
German singer, songwriter and model who has collaborated with the likes of Charli XCX and SOPHIE. AMIGO THE DEVIL
February 2020 — Listings
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12
US murder-folk pioneer Amigo The Devil plays a headline Scottish show. THE MODERN INSTITUTE: RESIDENCY
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £5
Noise, art and more from the experimental group every Wednesday in February. PEANESS (BUG)
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8
Chester indie-pop trio, Skinny favourites and allround good eggs.
Thu 06 Feb
BLACK TILES (SPYYN + THE RIOT VANS + STOCK MANAGER)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5 - £6
Raucous and fun-loving on stage, Black Tile are an infectious gang of friends whose sound harks back to the longing of 80s indie. AIMING FOR ENRIKE BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11
Norwegian two-piece instrumental dance act.
MORNING MIDNIGHT THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5
Glasgow duo who take their name from Jean Rhys’ 1938 novel, Good Morning, Midnight.
Fri 07 Feb
IDER (ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11
IDER is British duo Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville.
WITHDRONES (RITUALS + DIVIDED BY DESIGN) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5
Ambient/metalcore from Scotland.
ITALIA 90 (THE VIGNETTES + GOTH GF) BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, FREE
The current wave of UK punk continues apace. ALGIERS
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12
Algiers is a band of musicians born in Atlanta, Georgia, the rotten hub of the ol’ American South, where W.E.B. Dubois once saw a riot going on, and where the hell and high water swirls round to the knees. PANDACAR
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7
A three-piece post-punk band from Glasgow. DREADZONE
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £18.50
One of the most energetic, exciting and powerful live bands to emerge from the post-rave scene, Dreadzone are still going strong after more than 25 years in the game. STOLEN YEARS (NEW TOWN + CLOUD 9INE + 20/20)
CLOUD HOUSE (THE CHOSEN LONELY) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8.80
Cloud House are an alternative pop band from Glasgow. GENERATION (ODD FLOWERS + SLOW MOVE)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £5
A new but very experienced melodic hardcore band from Manchester. TEETH OF THE SEA BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11
Heralded as the UK’s most adventurous and unclassifiable outfit in the realm of the psychedelic. THE RIFLES: UNPLUGGED
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £16.50
British indie outfit The Rifles embark on an acoustic tour. Known for their jaunty garage rock’n’roll sound that’s equal parts Jam-like swagger and a playfulness not unlike contemporaries The Kooks. LOLA IN SLACKS
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:00, £9 - £12
Chanteuse Louise Reid brings a Piaf-like authority to the group’s noir atmospherics. A dramatic world of dark, shimmering beauty that’s intriguing and totally intoxicating. PICTURE ROUND (THE LAWNMOWER + COME OUTSIDE)
THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 20:00, £6
Guitar pop band, featuring members of The Spook School, Happy Spendy, Expert Alterations and The Sinking Feeling. STOLEN VOICES
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £5 - £9
Sat 08 Feb
The launch of Stolen Voices, a compilation album, sonic miscellany, and a series of dispatches from train stations and hotel lobbies on the Coast of the UK.
ORAN MOR, FROM 19:00, £16
THE RUM SHACK, FROM 20:00, £5
ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £7
Local band Stolen Years headline, supported by New Town, Cloud 9ine and 2020. ANNA MEREDITH
Composer, singer and clarinettist Anna Meredith engineers a kaleidoscopic collision between individual and organic sound; her live line-up also features electronics, cello, tuba, guitar and drums. ASHANTI
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £33.95 £39.60
R&B legend, responsible for some of the biggest hits of the 00s, makes a return to touring.
SMACK WIZARDS
More semi-improvised, loosely-written pop songs from the twisted brain of Smack Wizards. BLUE MILK
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, TBC
Blue Milk are a Glasgowbased blues band strongly influenced by the Mississippi Delta sound from the early 1920s to the 1960s. MAARYA (OLEXEY + AORTAROTA)
THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £7
Manchester-based Scottish/Scandinavian singer-songwriter, who plays a blend of jazz, blues, R’n’B and soul.
ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £7
Funk-inspired Facendo Cose take the stage.
THE MENZINGERS
QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 18:00, £18.50
They play loud music but if it’s too loud, you’re just too old. NIGHT VERSES
TWEN
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £10
DIY punk duo from Boston, made up of lead vocalist Jane Fitzsimmons and guitarist Ian Jones. MAE MULLER
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £11
Mae Muller has announced details of her biggest UK tour to date in support of her debut album, Chapter 1. (SANDY) ALEX G
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:30, £12
(Sandy) Alex G is a prolific multi-instrumentalist from Philadelphia, touring in support of his latest album, House of Sugar. YACHT
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £15
Los Angeles-based group of artists that make moving music, presentations, videos, texts, and appearances for beings and their screens.
Mon 10 Feb HUNDREDTH
BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £16.50
American post-rock band from Fullerton, California. EN ATTENDANT ANA (PEPLO + ORDER OF THE TOAD)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7 - £8
French shimmering indie post-punk group. SEIL LIEN
THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:30, £5 - £8
Seil Lien is Marie Claire Lee, whose stage name means little lotus and comes from her Chinese name.
Wed 12 Feb REDOLENT
BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Experimental, melodic electronica from Edinburgh. THE GAME
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £32.85
Go if only to hear Hate It or Love It (indisputably one of the best hip-hop songs of all time) – although we can’t guarantee he’ll actually play it. MY LIFE STORY
BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £13.75
Get yourself some melodic hardcore from Hopeless Records quartet Hundredth.
JAPANESE TELEVISION (MIDDLE CLASS GUILT + SPORTS LOUNGE)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7 - £8
Modern psychedelic spacesurf soundscapes from London. POLIÇA
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £18.15
Orchestral indie pop lot still going strong after more than 20 years. ELEPHANT STONE
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £8
Montreal-based four-piece Hindi-rock/psych pop outfit, formed in 2009 by sitarist/bassist Rishi Dhir. SUPERSUCKERS
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £18.50
Super slick electronic popmeets-soul outfit fronted by icy cool vocalist Channy Leanagh. AMY LAVERE & WILL SEXTON THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10
Memphis-based musician Amy LaVere teams up with Austin guitarist Will Sexton and soulful Memphis drummer Shawn Zorn for a summer tour.
Tue 11 Feb
DEAD NECK (OUT OF BOUNDS) BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Melodic punk, rock and hardcore. STEEL PANTHER (WAYWARD SONS)
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £36.75
The glam-rock stars are coming back to the UK for the Heavy Metal Rules tour. Expect things to get wild. CARA RAVEN (ABLE FACES + STAY AT HOME DADS)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £5
Something of an anomaly on the Sub Pop roster, the Supersuckers bare a limited surface resemblance to grunge, but they are a party band at heart. POLYPHIA
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £16
Instrumental prog-rock band based in Dallas, Texas.
C4SUAL (ALASTAIR TIBBS + HANNAH SLAVIN) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5
C4SUAL draws on real life experiences to reveal an unquestionable honesty that is laid bare in his brand of soulful pop.
Thu 13 Feb
OCTOBER DRIFT (LAYAWAY)
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £8.80
October Drift appeared at the start of 2015 with their beefy yet melodic sound and gained a reputation for delivering blistering, highenergy live shows.
Charity rock show for Rape Crisis.
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BROADCAST GIG NIGHT (GELATINE + EAT THE FRIEK + LOST VEDA) BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £4 - £5
A fundraising gig in support of UofG’s Guyana 2020 and Trinidad 2020 expeditions.
AUTOMATIC (THE PINK POUND)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £8 - £10
Inventive, enticing and new post-punk band from LA, featuring the daughter of Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy. SHARDS
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:00, £12.50
Shards is the vocal-led project of singer, composer and producer Kieran Brunt, formed in 2016 when the Barbican were looking for a choir to collaborate with Nils Frahm for their Possibly Colliding festival. JOE ARMON JONES
DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 19:30, £15
Between his highly acclaimed solo career and his work with the influential Ezra Collective, Joe ArmonJones is at the epicentre of the London underground scene. MAN AND THE ECHO THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10
Warrington pop outfit fronted by Gaz Roberts.
Fri 14 Feb
DEPARTURES (BEAR ARMS + FREDDIE QUELL) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11
Glasgow-based hardcore rock lot. HMLTD
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £11
As part of their debut album tour, explosive five-piece HMLTD (stands for Happy Meal Ltd.) play a night of rock’n’roll theatrics. THE HUBBARDS
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £9.25
Four-piece indie pop band based between Leeds and Hull. ANGEL OLSEN (HAND HABITS) BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £22.50
Jagjaguwar’s dreamboat Angel Olsen returns following the release of her highly acclaimed album, All Mirrors. JADE IMAGINE
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £8
Jade Imagine is a threepiece band based out of Melbourne, Australia led by singer, songwriter and general good vibe bringer Jade McInally. NIGHTSHIFT (DRAGGED UP + ALFRED BELLMAN + DOM JOLLY)
THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, FROM 19:30, £7 - £10
Debut gig for the new band, featuring members of Spinning Coin, 2PLY, Robert Sotelo and I’m Being Good.
DRY CLEANING (POZI + PERSONALITY TOILET)
MEZCLA
Dry Cleaning are a fourpiece from South London channeling post-punk and new wave pop with a side order of low slung Americana.
Mezcla is a Glasgowbased jazz and fusion ensemble, drawing from a rich tapestry of influences spanning jazz, soul and folk music from Scotland, Latin America and West Africa.
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10
Sat 15 Feb
COUNTY LINE RUNNER (NEONWAVES) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11
Adam Day, aka County Line Runner, uses his dynamic lyrics and storytelling to look at universal feelings from another angle. RUDEBEARD (THE THREE N EIGHTS)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 20:00, £7
Rudebeard bring the raucous ska-punk with a strong Fife-ish accent. WRABEL
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £12.38
American pop star who recently toured with P!nk.
SCUNNER (MISS THE OCCUPIER + THE TINO BAND)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £6
Local eccentric indie drama and pop band. SOUND OF YELL (SENSORY ILLUSIONS + AIDAN MOFFAT DJ)
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 20:00, £9.50
Musical alter ego of sought-after collaborator Stevie Jones, stepping out of the wings into centrestage with his new solo project – weaving acoustic psychedelia, folk, jazz and improvisation. 13 CROWES (MICK HARGAN)
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10
Influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Brian Fallon and poet Robert Burns to name a few, 13 Crowes aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they carry the torch and keeping it burning bright. HAILEY BEAVIS (DARIA + FLYING PENGUINS + BLUSH CLUB) THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 20:00, £7
Edinburgh-based musician Hailey Beavis’ music maps out a journey through the surrealism of childhood, stretching into insightful and vividly captured love songs.
Sun 16 Feb
GENGAHR (FAKE LAUGH + BESSIE TURNER)
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £12.10
Gengahr are a hypnotic North London quartet specialising in smooth melodic indie-rock. DUNE MESSIAH
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £8
Goth neo-folk from Copenhagen.
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12
JULIAN COPE
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £25
English rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator. LISA O’NEILL
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £13
Irish singer-songwriter, recently awarded Best Original Track at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.
THE CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL
DRYGATE BREWING CO., FROM 19:30, £13
The combination of Hammond organ, electric cello, guitar, bass, drums and six-part vocal harmony completes this seven-piece psych-prog-pop-rock powerhouse. JUNIOR BROTHER (BOBBY KAKOURIS) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7.50
An idiosyncratic, challenging and richly lyrical singersongwriter, Junior Brother is the pseudonym of Irish singer Ronan Kealy. CHUCHOTER (SONJA + KATHERINE ALY + ANNA SWEENEY)
THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £7
Inspired by a mix of modern pop and disco, Chuchoter are a new Edinburgh act mixing deep-soul vocals, strong, self-assured lyrics and dirty jazz production to create a fresh sound with a club focus.
Mon 17 Feb
CAGE THE ELEPHANT (SWMRS + POST ANIMAL) O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £31.70
The Kentucky rockers return to the UK with a new album in tow. JOE GIDEON
BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £10
London singer-songwriter, who often takes to the stage alongside his sister as duo Joe Gideon and The Shark. GILL LANDRY
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £14
Louisiana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show. MORGANWAY
THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £10
Morganway are a six-piece from the east of England, founded by twin brothers Callum and Kieran Morgan.
THE SKINNY
Tue 18 Feb
CHAROGNE STONE (JEANOT LOU PAYSAN)
VEX RED (SOEUR) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £16.50
DITZ
Noughties alt-rock band return for a show in anticipation of a follow-up to their acclaimed debut album.
Noise rock five-piece from Brighton.
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7
BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Hardcore punk from France. BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7
WILLIAM DOYLE
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £10
The 28-year-old musician, formerly performing as East India Youth, embarking on a new musical venture under his own name. YE VAGABONDS
THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 19:30, £12.50
Irish duo made up of brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn.
Wed 19 Feb
EVERYDAY PHARAOHS (FORGETTING THE FUTURE + AUDIOKICKS) BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Trio of Glasgow lads touting indie, post garage, punk and rock. GOO GOO DOLLS
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £33.95
They sang that song about not wanting the world to see them, because they simply just wouldn’t understand. THE INSPECTOR CLUZO
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £11
Blues rock duo who celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2018. SORCHA RICHARDSON
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £10.25
Dublin singer-songwriter who recently returned to her hometown from Brooklyn to produce her debut album, First Prize Bravery.
Thu 20 Feb
AGES & MISTAKES (OH, RAIN)
BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
THE CLAUSE (THIS FEELING DJS)
One of those rare indie bands influenced by the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. Who’d have thunk it?! THE BOYS ARE BACK! (5IVE + A1 + DAMAGE + 911) SEC, FROM 18:30, £25.55 - £36.90
Four forgotten 90s boybands team up for a tour, presumably due to a lack of other career prospects. DUB FX
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £16.88
Former Twitch band member, who built his subsequent solo career busking on the streets with a loop station. KITTI
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £11.25
Glasgow singer often compared to Amy Winehouse, and for good reason. LIZ LAWRENCE
BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £9.50
Singer-songwriter and guitarist known for her solo work and for being half of electro-pop duo Cash+David. VASA
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10
Scottish post-rock band VASA play in support of their second album, Heroics. HONKIES (CHILDREN OF THE POPE + FUTURE GLUE)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7 - £8
Genre-bending, South Londoners playing uptempo country stomp and deranged blues. PAGES
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8
Punk rock from the Netherlands.
Aberdonian alt-pop fourpiece.
QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £20.35
ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £10
CORY WONG
Cory Wong of US funk sensation Vulfpeck heads out on a UK tour. STATIC SATELLITES BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7
Four-piece indie rock band from Glasgow/West Lothian. STEREO, FROM 19:00, £10
North London band Girl Ray returned with their second album last year, a delightful, sun-kissed tribute to their love of pop and R&B. OTOBOKE BEAVER
CCA: CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, FROM 19:30, £15
Punk-rock-garage quartet from Kyoto, Japan. U BAHN
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7
U-Bahn’s music is an exploration of vice, postdigital mindscapes and dystopian sexuality, while serving as an altar piece to the dazzling weirdness of the 70s and 80s bizarro underground.
Fri 21 Feb
THE DEAD SOUTH
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, FROM 19:00, £26.10
“Mumford & Sons’ evil twins” play a blend of bluegrass, folk and rock.
Parliamo play Room 2 to raise funds for a trip to SXSW.
Sat 22 Feb
TWIN PEAKS (DEEPER) KING TUT’S, FROM 20:30, £14.30
Ragtag band of playful garage rockers hailing from Chicago, Twin Peaks take to the road with new release Down In Heaven. HOTEL LUX
BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £9
Portsmoouth-raised, South-London-based quintet taking the scene by storm. DOGTOOTH
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £7
Three-piece indie alternative band hailing from Glasgow.
THE MASSACRE CAVE (ANCIENT OF DAYS)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7
Island metallers The Massacre Cave make the trip down from Eigg to celebrate the release of Godlust, their long-awaited full length album. ATOM EYES (MIDI PAUL + FLEW THE ARROW)
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £5
Neo-soul/jazz-funk/ hip-hop/other-hyphenatedgenre goodness from Atom Eyes.
WHOLLY CATS
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 18:00, FREE
Glasgow cowboy jazz, boogie rock’n’roll trio.
CROSSFIRE (IFREANN +TEMPERED + NIGHT FIGHTER)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, TBC
Powerhouse rock six-piece based in the north-east of Scotland. DIIV
QUEEN MARGARET UNION, FROM 19:00, £15.40
Now all back on the straight and narrow after a number of volatile years for the band, DIIV returned with their incredible third album, Deceiver, last year. INHALER
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £11.81
A Dublin four-piece rock’n’roll band, with an exciting CV having supporting The Sherlocks, Blossoms, The Coronas and Picturehouse. AN EVENING WITH THE GROWLERS SWG3, FROM 19:00, £20.25
American ensemble known for blending fuzzy surf with sexy psychedelia, throwing in some hypnotic melodies and tripped out lyrics for good measure.
THANK YOU SCIENTIST (MEGALOMATIC + CRASHES) BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £11
Prog-rock seven-piece from Montclair, New Jersey. REIDHLE & STUART BRIMNER
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £5
An evening with the talented folk singer/songwriter Stuart Brimner and the bouncy trad trio Reidhle.
Mon 24 Feb LOUIS BERRY
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £11
A very lonely rebel with a very revolutionary mind (lol). LENNON STELLA
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £19.69
Canadian-born YouTube sensation. THE GURU GURU BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £9
Borderline rock band from Belgium. CHINESE WHISPERS
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £5
80s music, but written now! Retrowave! THUMPER
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £8
The Irish band everyone’s excited about, who had a massive 2019 playing festivals across the world.
Tue 25 Feb
BEARTOOTH (THE AMITY AFFLICTION) SWG3, FROM 18:00, £25.31
Fast and heavy riffs courtesy of the Columbus five-piece. TEMPLES
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £16
Neo psych bunch hailing from the midlands/the early 80s, built on frontman James Bagshaw’s impressively polished vocals. POST IRONIC STATE (MESSED UP YOUTH) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, TBC
Roots in punk, new wave and electronic music.
Wed 26 Feb
FRANC MOODY
KING TUT’S, FROM 20:00, £15.40
Contemporary funk collective Franc Moody head out on their Dream In Colour tour.
LOVE FAME TRAGEDY (FULL COLOUR + MIG 15)
Named after a seminal Pablo Picasso exhibition at the Tate Modern, Love Fame Tragedy sees Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy joined by a variety of friends and collaborators. PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £9.25
Liverpool alt rock unit stopping by for a Scottish show, THE MAINE
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £21.38
Arizona-hailing five-piece. THE MODERN INSTITUTE: RESIDENCY
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £12
LANA DEL REY
THE SSE HYDRO, FROM 18:30, £34.05 £96.50
Everyone’s favourite sad pop Queen is back to bring us all to tears with her haunting songs about love and despair. VLURE
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £7
VLURE blur left-field synthpop with jagged post-punk, industrial electronics and abrasive rhythms.
Sat 29 Feb
THE SHERLOCKS
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £5
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £19.69
Noise, art and more from the experimental group every Wednesday in February.
Sheffield indie-rock unit made up of two sets of brothers.
ST LUKE’S, FROM 19:00, £11
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £9.25
SAINT PHNX
THE WANTS
Two weegie bros playing their upbeat rock sounds.
New York trio, featuring Bodega guitarist Madison Velding-VanDam.
KEVIN P. GILDAY & THE GLASGOW CROSS (THE PURE GALLUS) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, TBC
Award-winning spoken word artist and multiinstrumentalist Ralph Hector, aka Kevin P. Gilday and band.
Thu 27 Feb
THE MODERN LEPER CHOIR BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
A revolving collection of musicians improvising, with 100% of profits going to Tiny Changes. NASTY CHERRY
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £13.50
Charli XCX-crafted fourpiece whose formation was recently the subject of a Netflix series. DJ SHADOW
SWG3, FROM 19:00, £27
Everyone’s favourite hiphop producer DJ Shadow (aka Josh Davis) makes a trip to Glasgow. MIKAL CRONIN (SHANNON LAY)
FRANKY’S EVIL PARTY BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £8
Franky’s Evil Party have rapidly become one of Scotland’s most exciting uprisings within the contemporary underground music scene. MOTHER EARTH
STEREO, FROM 19:00, £15
Acid jazz outfit from London, back with a new single and line-up. HANK TREE (FAITH ELLIOT + TEOSE)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7 - £8
Hank Tree is the new project led by Fergus MacDonald, previously a member of the State Broadcasters, playing weirdo folk.
HEATHER WOODS BRODERICK (HANNAH LOU CLARK) THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £13
Longtime collaborator and bandmate to Sharon Van Etten touring in support of her third album, Invitation. CONNOR FYFE
THE HUG AND PINT, FROM 19:30, £11
The Californian singer-songwriter returns with his fourth album to date, Seeker.
ROOM 2, FROM 19:00, £8 - £11.25
Youngster Connor Fyfe performs ahead of the release of his album.
Fri 28 Feb
THE MONOCHROME SET (THE CATHODE RAY + STOOR) MONO, FROM 19:30, £12.50 - £14
The Monochrome Set were heavily influential in the post punk scene and feature original members Bid, Andy Warren, Steve Brummell and John Paul Moran.
BULLDOZING THE UK TOUR
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 19:30, £7
A night of Goregrind.
THIS FEELING (THE ASURAS + THE MOON KIDS + THE MEDINA) BROADCAST, FROM 19:00, £7
Branded as “the best club in the UK for future rock & roll stars” by Noel Gallagher – it speaks for itself, right? SLEATER-KINNEY (HARKIN)
BARROWLANDS, FROM 19:00, £30.25
The Washington riot grrrl trio became a duo last year following the departure of Janet Weiss, but continue to tour.
Tue 04 Feb
NERVUS (ITTOLD YOUIWOULDEATYOU + NELSON SAVAGE) THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, FROM 19:30, £6.50 - £8
Watford-based alt/indie/ punk rock.
Wed 05 Feb BIKINI BODY
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
An EP release show from the Edinburgh-based described as ‘family friendly, post-gutter-skunk-funk band’.
Edinburgh Music THE VEGAN LEATHER
JAPANESE TELEVISION
LISA O’NEILL
Art-pop quartet from the far-off lands of Paisley.
Modern psychedelic spacesurf soundscapes from London.
Irish singer-songwriter, recently awarded Best Original Track at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £8.80
Fri 07 Feb GIRLSCHOOL (EVYNTYDE)
BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £20 - £23
The all female rock legends play an intimate Edinburgh gig. THE GODFATHERS
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £15
British rock’n’rollers formed back in 1985 by brothers Peter and Chris Coyne from the ashes of their previous band, The Sid Presley Experience. WHITE KEEF (MISTAH BOHZE + NOVA) SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8
The very best new Scottish hip-hop artists, as selected by Fresh Produce – promoters championing breakout Scottish music. JAH WOBBLE & THE INVADERS OF THE HEART
LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 19:00, £18
Jah Wobble became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 70s and early 80s.
Sat 08 Feb
BURNT OUT WRECK BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £10 - £13
Ex-Heavy Pettin’ drummer takes on the frontman role with his latest band. ITALIA 90
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
The current wave of UK punk continues apace.
Sun 09 Feb
JASON MANNS AND PAUL CARELLA THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £20
Singer-songwriter/producer Jason Manns and awardwinning Americana artist Paul Carella head out on their first ever joint tour of the UK. THE BYSON FAMILY THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £10
The Byson Family are a band of musicians from Glasgow forged together through their love of songwriting. SORRY
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £9
After developing a reputation as the most thrilling new band on London’s underground circuit, the chameleonic indie rock band Sorry make their way to the capital.
Mon 10 Feb
EN ATTENDANT ANA (IRMA VEP + BUFFET LUNCH)
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
Thu 06 Feb
French shimmering indie post-punk group.
BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £6
Tue 11 Feb
THE LUKA STATE
THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £14
JOG
Psych-rock multi-instrumentalist. SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
Having played almost 100 shows in 2019, The Luka State are back with their angsty, sweaty, melody filled rock’n’roll.
— 57 —
THE JELLYMAN’S DAUGHTER
2015 nominees for best acoustic act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, The Jellyman’s Daughter are back.
WEE RED BAR, FROM 19:00, £5
HUNDREDTH
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £13
Get yourself some melodic hardcore from Hopeless Records quartet Hundredth. PREGOBLIN
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £10
Horror-disco duo.
SLUM VILLAGE X ABSTRACT ORCHESTRA
SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:30, £20 - £23
Detroit’s influential hip-hop group Slum Village, once featuring J Dilla, team up with hip-hop big band Abstract Orchestra for a special show.
Wed 12 Feb
THE THREE TREMORS BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £16 - £19
Three metal legends all singing hits from their careers.
Thu 13 Feb
SUPERSUCKERS (THE HIP PRIESTS) BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £18 - £20
SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:30, £13 - £15
HMLTD
OPIUM, FROM 19:00, £11
As part of their debut album tour, explosive five-piece HMLTD (stands for Happy Meal Ltd.) play a night of rock’n’roll theatrics.
Sun 16 Feb
WE CAME FROM THE NORTH (WE ATE THEM OFF THE FLOOR + GLACIER) BANNERMANS, FROM 19:00, £7
A night of melodic and heavy music. MORGANWAY
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £10
Morganway are a six-piece from the east of England, founded by twin brothers Callum and Kieran Morgan. JAMES BRUTE
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £5
James Brute writes spooked out songs of love, loss and lust and delivers them in a heady mix of acid blues, doom-wop and rock’n’roll.
Something of an anomaly on the Sub Pop roster, the Supersuckers bare a limited surface resemblance to grunge, but they are a party band at heart.
Mon 17 Feb
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £18
Tue 18 Feb
BILBO
Legendary Edinburgh band Bilbo are together for the first time in over 40 years for a nostalgic final trip back to their heyday’s in the 70s. DRY CLEANING
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £11
Dry Cleaning are a fourpiece from South London channeling post-punk and new wave pop with a side order of low slung Americana.
Fri 14 Feb
THE SPANGLES
BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £8
Collaboration of The Idol Dead and The Main Grains. BILBO
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £18
Legendary Edinburgh band Bilbo are together for the first time in over 40 years for a nostalgic final trip back to their heyday’s in the 70s.
BLACK MIDI
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £14.62
Math rock explosion from the young London group signed to Rough Trade. MALOJIAN
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8
Malojian is the solo project for weird pop troubadour Steven Scullion. He’s worked with some of indie music’s brightest and best, including legendary producer Steve Albini. NOSEBLEED (TIM LOUD & THE TERRORPINS + PAPER RIFLES + BIKE NOTES)
THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, FROM 19:00, £6
Yorkshire’s wildest shitkicking punk rock’n’rollers.
Wed 19 Feb JACK GARRATT
THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £23
London-based singer/songwriter starting to rise up the ladder towards a meagre amount of fame. THE BOYS ARE BACK! (5IVE + A1 + DAMAGE + 911)
KIRK BRANDON
USHER HALL, FROM 20:00, £24.75 £35.75
Kirk Brandon is the voice of Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate, The Pack and Dead Men Walking.
Thu 20 Feb
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £12.50
Sat 15 Feb JULIAN COPE
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £27.50
English rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator. DENI
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8
Intertwining elements of colourful folk-pop and neo-soul, DENI are a band fresh on the Scottish music scene.
Four forgotten 90s boybands team up for a tour, presumably due to a lack of other career prospects. FORGETTING THE FUTURE (FEELS LIKE THURSDAY + AUDIO KICKS + VARCITY NORTH) BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £6
Indie alt-rockers out on their UK tour.
LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY USHER HALL, FROM 19:00, £27.50 £126.50
One of the most successful bands of the late 90s and early 00s (debatable) return with a new studio album after a gap of 18 years.
February 2020 — Listings
GIRL RAY
PARLIAMO
Sun 23 Feb
THE SKINNY ALTERED IMAGES
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 19:00, £23.50
Legendary Scottish new wave/post-punk band formed in the early 80s and led by lead singer Clare Grogan
Fri 21 Feb
SKILTRON (THE GALLOWGATE MURDERS)
BANNERMANS, FROM 19:30, £12 - £15
Metal with bagpipes. Err, make your own mind up on that one. SCREAMIN’ WHISPER HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 19:00, £5 - £6
Screamin’ Whisper play a gig in support of their new single, You’re So Belle. NORMA WINSTON TRIO (LOUISE DODDS DUO) THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 20:30, £12 - £16
With her unique voice that defines an entire era of British and European Jazz, legendary singer Norma Winston comes to The Jazz Bar for a special one-off concert. RED HOT RHYTHM MAKERS
HERIOT’S RUGBY CLUB, FROM 20:00, £10
Step into a 1920s speakeasy with this brilliant New Orleans-inspired jazz and hokum blues band. START TO END PERFORM THE BLUE NILE’S HATS SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:30, £14
Start to End return to Summerhall, this time to perform The Blue Nile’s classic second album Hats, featuring Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) on vocals.
Sat 22 Feb IAN MCNABB
BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £17 - £20
Rock’n’roll from the Liverpool-based singer/ songwriter and former frontman of The Icicle Works. UNDER (SOMAESTHESIA + INDICA + GUTTERBLOOD)
HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, FROM 19:30, £5
Imagine if Melvins, Swans and Mr. Bungle had a lovechild who grew up in Stockport. ALI AFFLECK’S GIN MILL GENIES (JOPLIN PARNELL)
February 2020 — Listings
ST BRIDE’S CENTRE, FROM 14:00, £12
Irresistible New Orleans musical magic from Scotland’s beloved vintage singer, Alison Affleck. FRASER & FRASER PLAY DEXTER GORDON
ST BRIDE’S CENTRE, FROM 17:00, £10
Edinburgh pianist Fraser Urqhuart’s trio joins forces with London-based saxophonist Fraser Smith to pay homage to the great Dexter Gordon. NIMBUS SEXTET (FATSUIT) ST BRIDE’S CENTRE, FROM 20:30, £13.50
A double bill, featuring some of the freshest bands in Scotland right now. TRIO TYR (JOE WILLIAMSON EXPERIMENTAL QUARTET)
THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 18:00, £10
Glasgow-based Trio TYR draw inspiration from Scottish and Scandinavian natural landmarks, experimenting with the barriers between electronic and acoustic sounds.
EMILIE BOYD QUINTET THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 21:30, £10
The wonderful British/ French vocalist, Emilie Boyd sings unique and original contemporary arrangements of her favourite songs from the jazz repertoire. EDINBURGH BLUES CLUB (REBECCA DOWNES )
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £16.50
Edinburgh Blues Club is a Social Enterprise established to harness popular support for regular blues events in Edinburgh to ensure that the city and surrounding areas do not miss out on quality touring blues acts. SWIM SCHOOL
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8.80
One of the best up-andcoming indie pop bands in Scotland, Swim School make their debut headline show at Sneaks. WREST
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £9.90
Scottish indie for fans of Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad and The National.
Sun 23 Feb
KATIE WHITTAKER PLAYS ETTA JAMES
ST BRIDE’S CENTRE, FROM 16:00, £10
From At Last to I’d Rather Go Blind, Etta James is often thought of as the ultimate queen of soul, her voice a steamroller fuelled by brass and sass.
THE GIL SCOTT HERON SONGBOOK (AKI REMALLY + FRASER URQUHART) ST BRIDE’S CENTRE, FROM 19:30, £10
Extraordinary guitarist and vocalist Aki Remally and brilliant young pianist Fraser Urquhart join forces to pay homage to the great Gil Scott-Heron. FRET
THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 18:00, £10
A fresh, audacious and modern take on the string ensemble from Mario Caribé, painting dreamy musical landscapes and fiery energetic vibes in a unique blend of electronic and acoustic sound. TRIO MAGICO
THE JAZZ BAR, FROM 21:00, £10
A celebration of the Brazilian music of piano and guitar virtuoso, Egberto Gismonti, best known in Europe for his extraordinary ECM records, but widely regarded in Brazil as a composer of genius.
Wed 26 Feb
MARIKA HACKMAN THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £16.50
Fri 28 Feb
ANOMOS (CATALYSIS + RAZOR SHARP DEATH BLIZZARD + DANIEL WAX OFF) BANNERMANS, FROM 19:00, £5
Album launch show for Anomos. LOGAN’S CLOSE (CARA ROSE) THE CAVES, FROM 19:00, £7
Rock’n’roll and rhythm and blues four-piece. CHERRY SUEDE
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, FREE
Randy Scott and Randy Young from Cherry Suede play an intimate and interactive acoustic show with songs from their past, present and future. MOTHER EARTH
THE VOODOO ROOMS, FROM 19:30, £15
Acid jazz outfit from London, back with a new single and line-up. DICTATOR
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £8
Heartbreaking ballads and foot-stomping indie bangers from Glasgow band Dictator.
LONDON ASTROBEAT ORCHESTRA PERFORM ABBEY ROAD SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:30, £14
It’s been 50 years since The Beatles’ last ever recorded studio album, Abbey Road, so London Astrobeat Orchestra have prepared a special night to celebrate.
Sat 29 Feb
THE ASURAS (THE LINKS + THE CITRUS SCENE)
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
Indie-rock by Glasgowbased The Asuras. THE BIG MOON
SUMMERHALL, FROM 19:00, £12.50
The Big Moon is a London four-piece band formed in 2014 by Juliette Jackson. LUKE LA VOLPE
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 19:00, £11
The Luke La Volpe band bring together a mixture of blues and rock and roll to form a unique live sound.
Dundee Music Fri 07 Feb
BLACK TILES (GRAVELLE + THE EXEMPT + KARMA FOR VANDALS) CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 19:00, £5.50
Raucous and fun-loving on stage, Black Tile are an infectious gang of friends whose sound harks back to the longing of 80s indie.
Sweet-voiced young folk singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Wed 12 Feb
Thu 27 Feb
CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 19:30, £5 - £6
THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA BANNERMANS, FROM 20:00, £12 - £15
The award-winning instrumental duo return for a headline show. BEN INGLIS
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 19:00, £7
Ben Inglis, The Super Moons, FRAUD5 and The Loners play Sneaky Pete’s.
Mon 17 Feb
KEEP IT ROLLING (SPOOK + CLIPPA)
NOSEBLEED (TIM LOUD & THE TERRORPINS, ALLDEEPENDS)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £5
CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 19:30, £5 - £6
Yorkshire’s wildest shitkicking punk rock’n’rollers.
Thu 20 Feb KROW
CHURCH, FROM 19:30, FREE
Edinburgh-based punk EDM group Krow play their unique and theatrical brand of music.
Fri 21 Feb
UNDER (SOMAESTHESIA + INDICA + GUTTERBLOOD)
CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 19:00, £5
Imagine if Melvins, Swans and Mr. Bungle had a lovechild who grew up in Stockport.
Sat 22 Feb
JAMNESTY 2020
CHURCH, FROM 14:30, £5 - £7
A day of music, art, spoken word and solidarity to fundraise and support human rights around the world. NINTH DEGREE (THE MARX + ODD TSAR) CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 20:00, £5
Edinburgh-based five-piece alt-rock outfit playing their first Basement gig.
Sun 23 Feb
SCREAMIN’ WHISPER CONROY’S BASEMENT, FROM 19:00, £5
Screamin’ Whisper play a gig in support of their new single, You’re So Belle.
Thu 27 Feb LUKE LA VOLPE
THE HUNTER S. THOMPSON, FROM 19:00, £8.80
Sun 16 Feb
FORGETTING THE FUTURE (AUDIOKICKS) CHURCH, FROM 19:00, TBC
Indie alt-rockers out on their UK tour.
80s buzz, non-binary, hedonistic queer fun shit; come as you are for weird, alien, unfamiliar, mad sexy times. BALKANARAMA (INSULTANES + DJ GYPSYBOX)
CLASSIC GRAND, FROM 10:30, £9 - £10
All singing, all dancing Balkan orgy, plus belly dancing and free brandy. As in, we’re sold. GLITTERBANG
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Disco divas and Euro-pop anthems for those ready to sweat.
CLARENDON PALACE FIVE (BATE KUSH + STEVE HILL B2B SON OF ANDER + ROWAN) BROADCAST, FROM 23:00, £5
A group of like-minded individuals who intend to brighten up Glasgow’s music scene by showcasing the best up-and-coming acts within electronic music from Glasgow and beyond.
Clubs MAKE EMO GREAT AGAIN
FOUNDRY X RUSH (VARG)
Take a trip down memory lane with some of emo’s greatest hits.
Foundry and Rush team up to bring over Sweden’s dark prince of techno, Varg.
STEREO, FROM 23:00, £5
JUNGLE BY NIGHT: PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £10
The Monochrome Set were heavily influential in the post punk scene and feature original members Bid, Andy Warren, Steve Brummell and John Paul Moran.
Glasgow Clubs
RARE, 23:00, £4-5
Regular Wednesday night at Subbie, formerly a successful residency in Aberdeen. SATURDAYS
SUBCULTURE, 23:00, £TBC
Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft' joined by a carousel of super fresh guests.
The Berkeley Suite TUESDAYS
Tue 04 Feb
ANGEL DELIGHT (BOOSTERHOOCH + SNOUTNADO)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
UK garage all night.
Wed 05 Feb
MIDNIGHT BASS, 23:00, £3-5
Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum'n'bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty. THURSDAYS
WALK N SKANK, 23:00, £3-5
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
SUNNY SIDE UP (FEENA + ADAM ZARECKI)
EROL ALKAN
SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10
The Trash founder, Bugged Out resident and all-round DJ extraordinaire takes control for the evening, well-kent for his tight productions and damn good remixes. BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY
THE RUM SHACK, FROM 21:00, FREE
A celebration of reggae music. TESTPRESS (FUNKTION)
THE BLUE ARROW, FROM 23:00, £5
t e s t p r e s s are a duo enjoying a lot of success at the moment, holding down a residency in Sub Club and gaining support from big name Djs.
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3
A charity club night focused on local DJs and raising funds for sustainable development projects in poverty stricken areas of Pakistan.
Thu 06 Feb STAR SIGNZ
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
Flamboyant disco dream weavers.
THURSDAYS
UNHOLY, 23:00, £2-4
Cathouse's Thursday night rock, metal and punk mash-up.
FRIDAYS
CATHOUSE FRIDAYS, 22:30, £5-6
Screamy, shouty, posthardcore madness to help you shake off a week of stress in true punk style. SATURDAYS
CATHOUSE SATURDAYS, 23:00, £5-6
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, 23:00, £TBC
From the fab fierce family that brought you Catty Pride comes Cathouse Rock Club’s new monthly alternative drag show.
A weekly club night focused on reggae, dancehall and bass music.
SUNDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
Broadcast
Pop party anthems & classic cheese from DJ Nicola Walker.
WEDNESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
KEEP KIND, 23:00, £4
House, deep house and electronic music courtesy of residents J•SH and BSTW.
Cathouse WEDNESDAYS
CATHOUSE WEDNESDAYS, 23:00, £4
DJ Jonny soundtracks your Wednesday with all the best pop-punk, rock and hip-hop.
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BLOC+, FROM 23:00, FREE
Old school hip-hop and live percussion.
Craigie Knowes founders Max and Mitch take the reins all night long.
Sub Club
BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, FROM 20:00, £15
MONSTER HOSPITAL
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
CRAIGIE KNOWES
Sat 29 Feb
WEDNESDAYS
Sat 08 Feb
Botch meets Beyonce DJ smash; a club night like no other.
Regular Glasgow club nights
THE MONOCHROME SET
ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £7 - £10
Jungle By Night is a charity event hosted in the heart of Glasgow to help raise vital funds and awareness of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.
The Luke La Volpe band bring together a mixture of blues and rock and roll to form a unique live sound.
Melodic punk, rock and hardcore.
Glasgow tech metal monoliths From Sorrow To Serenity headline, alongside a massive line-up of metal bands.
Legendary John Digweed brings his Bedrock party to the Sub Club for the very first time.
BLOC+, FROM 23:00, FREE
Nu-metal, pop-punk, emo and early 00s tunes.
CHURCH, FROM 15:00, £10
SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £11.25 - £16.75
SISTERS IN DISTRESS
IT’S NOT A PHASE, MOM!
SPRINGFEST 2020
JOHN DIGWEED: BEDROCK
Fri 07 Feb
DEAD NECK (OUT OF BOUNDS + AGASA)
Fri 14 Feb
Keep It Rolling residents Spook and Clippa dig deep for a night of UK bass classics, anthems, fresh cuts and some sneaky exclusives.
FLASHBACK, 23:00, £TBC
SUNDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)
CHEERS FOR THIRD SUNDAY, 23:00, £TBC
DJ Kelmosh takes you through Mid-Southwestern emo, rock, new metal, nostalgia and 90s and 00s tunes.
SHAKA LOVES YOU PRESENTS: JOINTS ‘N’ JAMS
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
TORN X AMOK (DONNA HARINGWEY + TOT)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £6 - £8
Torn invites the heads of AMOK Tapes for a night of dark electronics. LUNACY (INTERGALACTIC FUNK SMUGGLERS)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6
Intergalactic Funk Smugglers take over La Cheetah with 808 beats and disco treats. LOOSEN UP (FERGUS CLARK + CHARLIE MCCANN + DAVID BARBAROSSA) THE RUM SHACK, FROM 22:00, £5
Afro, disco and fun times guaranteed.
SUNDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)
SLIDE IT IN, 23:00, £TBC
Classic rock through the ages from DJ Nicola Walker.
The Garage Glasgow MONDAYS
BARE MONDAYS, 23:00, £3-4
Lasers, bouncy castles and DJ Gav Somerville spinning out teasers and pleasers. Nice way to kick off the week, no? TUESDAYS
#TAG TUESDAYS, 23:00, £0-4
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, 23:00, £0-4
DJ Garry Garry Garry in G2 with chart remixes, along with beer pong competitions all night. THURSDAYS
ELEMENT, 23:00, £TBC
Ross MacMillan plays chart, house and anthems with giveaways, bouncy castles and, most importantly, air hockey. FRIDAYS
FRESH BEAT, 23:00, £3-6
Dance, chart and remixes in the main hall with Craig Guild, while DJ Nicola Walker keeps things nostalgic in G2 with flashback bangers galore.
LETS GO BACK TO DISCO (BOSCO + ROB MASON) ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, TBC
Bosco and Rob Mason play disco classics all night long, as well as newer disco cuts and edits.
Sun 09 Feb
ART SCHOOL DISCO: VALENTINES EDITION
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 21:00, £5
Help GSA fashion and textiles students raise funds for their upcoming fashion show at their art school disco.
Tue 11 Feb ROSEHIPS
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
Action disco romance party.
Wed 12 Feb RETRONIC
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
Rock’n’roll, and 50s and 60s bangers.
ARCADE (SANGOMA)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5
For February, Arcade invite Subcity Radio host and selector Sangoma to take over the controls for a night of afrobeat and dancehall.
Thu 13 Feb
SCIENCE FICTION
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
The Queens of the Glasgow disco scene, FKA Drugstore Glamour.
SATURDAYS
I LOVE GARAGE, 23:00, £5-7
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, 23:00, £3-4
Twister, beer pong and DJ Ciar McKinley on the ones and twos, serving up chart and remixes through the night.
Oran Mor FRIDAYS
FRESH! FRIDAYS, 23:00, £6
Resident DJ John McLean brings you the biggest tunes and best deals to make your weekend one to remember. SATURDAYS
SATURDAY AT THE CLUB ROOM, 23:00, £8
Resident DJs Neil Hood and Craig McHugh spin the Saturday night tunes.
THE SKINNY AFLOAT (REGULAR FANTASY)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8
Afloat celebrates their second birthday with Vancouver’s Regular Fantasy.
Fri 14 Feb
ANNA & HOLLY’S DANCE PARTY
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Rock’n’roll, garage and soul. PEACH
STEREO, FROM 23:00, TBC
Beautifully inclusive night of grime, rap, trap, hip-hop and future promoting a safe atmosphere for harassment-free hoofin’. OUTER ZONE (WARDY + DOM D’SYLVA)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
Outer Zone head honchos Wardy and Dom D’Sylva are at the controls all night. RETURN TO MONO (SLAM + REBEKAH)
SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £14
Monthly night from Soma Records, often with special guests.
Thu 20 Feb
Thu 27 Feb
Fri 07 Feb
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
THE CAVES, FROM 23:00, £12
PRAY 4 LOVE
All love songs + all bangers. HIJACK (CENTRAL + FOURTH PRECINCT)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8 - £10
Hijack invite Central of Denmark’s Regelbau Records for a session in the basement.
Fri 21 Feb
SINGLES NIGHT
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Beans + Divine explore the hits on 7” vinyl. IN BLOOM (SLAM)
SWG3, FROM 23:00, TBC
Glasgow University Charity Fashion Show after party.
808 POKER NIGHT (BIG SMOKE B2B TINTO & HALLIGAN + MACKA B2B LOWREE + BRADLEY & MICHAEL RISI)
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £6
Big Smoke return for their second night of house, techno and acid at The Flying Duck.
Sat 15 Feb
PARTIAL
BLOC+, FROM 23:00, FREE
Floor-focused music from across the globe.
FANTASTIC MAN
Incoherent madness for those with a death wish; the worst clubnight in the world. THE LANCE VANCE DANCE
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Exotic dreamy disco.
LEFTWING: KODY
SWG3, FROM 23:00, £14.06
Duo formed in 2012, who have gone on to become two of the UK’s finest exports. PUSH IT
STEREO, FROM 23:00, TBC
Glasgow-based club night playing nothing but R’n’B, hip-hop and pop by only female artists. JUICE
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £6 - £8
Juice is all about music that makes you move. From chart-toppers to gay anthems, Maltese queen Chucky will be hosting the night and squeezing out the best bangers. DABJ
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
MOJO WORKIN’
THE RUM SHACK, FROM 21:00, £3
The Rum Shack’s monthly soul party, spinning soul, Motown, 60s R’n’B and more. SHOOT YOUR SHOT X RUSH (SCHWEFELGELB (LIVE) + CARDOPUSHER)
ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15
SHOOT YOUR SHOT and Rush bring over Schwefelgelb for another live performance, alongside a Scotland debut from Barcelona’s Cardopusher.
Wed 19 Feb
DON’T BE GUTTED
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
All-out decadence in the name of euphoria.
ATTENTION PLEASE (UNDER THE SHEETZ)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £2 - £5
Attention//Please go toe to toe with Under the Sheetz.
ACID FLASH (IDA)
SUB CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £8
Acid Flash moves home to the Sub Club, with IDA taking control of the booth all night long for the first party of the year. SUGO ITALO DISCO
BLOC+, FROM 21:00, FREE
Italian trash disco. The best of the worst Eurotrash music; prepare to conga.
Sat 22 Feb FLORA + FAUNA
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Queer dance party with exploratory performances. IN BLOOM (NIGHTWAVE)
SWG3, FROM 23:00, TBC
Glasgow University Charity Fashion Show after party.
RE:BIRTH (GLOJIN + DOUG DRELINCOURT + MICHAEL HUCHESON + DAVID NIMMO + GARY PATERSON) THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £11.25 £13.45
RE:BIRTH is back, this time with Glojin as the headliner. ELECTRIC SALSA (PLOY + WECHT)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £8 - £10
One of the most prominent names in UK techno, Ploy comes to La Cheetah for his Glasgow debut. DBT
ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, TBC
DBT’s second party at Room 2.
Tue 25 Feb CRATER COVE
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
Funk, disco, boogie and house.
Wed 26 Feb FREAK LIKE ME
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, FREE
Soul, hip-hop and funk.
SHAKARA (MAVEEN + CRAMMOND)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3
For the first event of 2020, residents Maveen and Crammond will be behind the wheel for the night bringing you the usual bangers to melt away your midweek blues.
An 80s mega-mix party. RUSH (BASH MAN + JOHNNY5 + MI$$ CO$MIX)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, FREE
A free party from the techno titans RUSH to celebrate their second birthday in style, with Mi$$ Co$mix, Bash Man and Johnny5 taking you to a world beyond all night long.
Fri 28 Feb
DEATHKILL4000
BLOC+, FROM 23:00, FREE
Ultra-cutting edge dark electro, hip-hop and postpunk. EASY PEELERS
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
Bangers ripe and ready for your enjoyment. JAIVA
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 23:00, £5
Wonky disco and bassline bangers, and big energy guaranteed from the get-go. LA CHEETAH CLUB PRESENTS 5 YEARS OF TIMEDANCE (BATU + METRIST)
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £12
La Cheetah club celebrate five years of Timedance, one of the UK’s most forward-thinking labels.
FUSE (ZHA + LOGAN + NOVA + KAMI-O + VAJ. POWER B2B DIJA) ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, TBC
FUSE invite White Peach’s ZHA down to Room 2 with a formidable support.
Sat 29 Feb
SHAKA LOVES YOU PRESENTS: JOINTS ‘N’ JAMS
LIONOIL’S ZANZIBAR CLUB (PERCY MAIN + PRIVET)
HAAI
Having stamped her presence on the global scene through her own parties, radio shows, Phonox residency and unbelievable mixes, HAAi has proven she’s a force to be reckoned with. MOXJAMMA
WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £5 - £6
A brand new QTIPOC+ party at the Wee Red.
NIGHTVISION PRESENTS DEBORAH DE LUCA
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £16.80 £27.94
The first ever Edinburgh appearance from Italian techno sensation Deborah De Luca. MISS WORLD
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
All female DJ collective based in Edinburgh. Sneaky Pete’s and EH-FM residents who are lighting the city up with their incredible music tastes and super fun parties. RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE (BOU + GRAY + ZORO + ELECTRIKAL ) LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £10 - £14
Expect the best in jungle, ragga, dub and reggae. NIGHT TUBE: MAFALDA
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £12
Portugese DJ whose sets span the realms of tropical jazz, world music, soul and funk. In other words, she’s great. ALL NIGHT PASSION: FOOD BANK FUNDRAISER
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
Old school hip-hop and live percussion.
THE FLYING DUCK, FROM 19:30, £7
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
PINK NOISE
A new platform for Glasgow’s bubbling underground. Expect live music, experimental electronica and immersive DJ sets coupled with bespoke live visuals to take you on an audiovisual trip. BIG MIZ’S GOOD THING (BIG MIZ + SAOIRSE)
ROOM 2, FROM 23:00, £10 - £15
Big Miz’s Good Thing residency reaches part three with the brilliant Saoirse.
THE NIGHTLARK
Disco, post-punk, synthwave and oddball covers of songs you might know from one of Edinburgh’s weirder vinyl friendly Djs.
Sat 08 Feb
SOULSVILLE: REBECCA VASMANT
THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £4 - £7
Worldwide FM and BBC Radio Scotland host Rebecca Vasmant brings heat and a fresh twist of jazz-infused rhythms to The Bongo Club. TEESH
Edinburgh Clubs Wed 05 Feb
HEATERS: AGORA & PRIVET
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3
Heaters resident Privet is joined by Agora DJs for another night of Wednesday mischief.
Thu 06 Feb OVERGROUND
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
Known for their Free Rave events at The Mash House, The Bongo Club and Sneaky Pete’s, the Overground crew change the pace up for their first party at Paradise Palms.
Lionoil head honcho Percy Main is joined by Privet for a night in honour of the late great Zanzibar. It’s Miller time!
Mon 10 Feb GROOVELABS
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
All Night Passion return to Mashy, with all profits donated to the Edinburgh North East Foodbank.
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, FROM 23:30, £0 - £3
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
Another All You Can Eat Mind Buffet, TEESH shepherd sounds from across the spectrum of warm and weird dance music to your ears and feet. BALKANARAMA (INSULTANES + DJ GYPSYBOX)
Monthly residency with special guests by Edinburgh collective Groovers.
Wed 12 Feb
WE DO DISCO & FLY PRESENTS HORSE MEAT DISCO
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 23:00, £8 - £12
The Horse Meat Disco crew bring their usual mischief and disco mayhem.
All singing, all dancing Balkan orgy, plus belly dancing and free brandy. As in, we’re sold. DUB TO JUNGLE: ROUND 1 (POSITIVE CHARGE SOUNDSYSTEM + KENNY KEN + PARLY B + CHIEF ROCKAS + DUB, SWEAT & BEERS + SHAOLIN SOUND)
LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £1 - £7
A vital combination of styles are brought together in a heavyweight soundsystem style.
CLUB MEDITERRANEO
The popular queer night returns to the Wee Red.
Experience a cruise through some of the best names in tropical house, disco, jazz, odd-ball funk and world music guided by the Sicilian Shaman Andrea Montalto.
WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5
HOT MESS VALENTINES DAY PARTY SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £7
Hot Mess is the queer dance party for lovers, so join your fellow rave queers for a romantic night of wild abandon, soundtracked by the finest jackin’ house music, high drama techno and ecstatic disco.
HEADSET’S GAY GARAGE: VALENTINE’S SPECIAL (SKILLIS) PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
Cowgate gay night, which usually frequents Sneaky Pete’s and The Bongo Club, comes to Palms for a Valentine’s Day Special.
HEATERS: ASCETIC PRACTICES
Sat 15 Feb
Heaters resident Privet is joined by Ascetic Practices DJs for another night of Wednesday mischief.
THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3
Thu 13 Feb
MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM
Conscious roots and dub reggae rockin’ from the usual beefy Messenger soundsystem.
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
MUTINY: AMEN-TAL (DR...UM + SAM’S MYTH)
Fri 14 Feb
Mutiny returns to bring Edinburgh the best in underground dance music.
AUSTIN ATO
Pronto Collective present a night of dancing by disco record-maker Austin Ato. DISCO MAKOSSA (MAIN INGREDIENT)
TEVIOT UNDERGROUND, FROM 23:00, £7
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
OVERGROUND (WRISK) PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
Known for their Free Rave events at The Mash House, The Bongo Club and Sneaky Pete’s, the Overground crew change the pace up for their first party at Paradise Palms.
Sun 16 Feb EH-FM
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 18:00, FREE
Edinburgh’s favourite local radio station brings a selection of its show hosts down for an extended Sunday session.
Mon 17 Feb BRAZILIAN WAX
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
Brazilian Wax DJs serve up the killers and floor fillers from Brazil all night long, exploring the best AfroBrazilian rhythms, old school disco, modern Brazilian electronics and more.
Wed 19 Feb HEATERS: CCL & PRIVET
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3
Specialising in the liquefaction of rhythmic and melodic matter, Seattle-based DJ CCL joins Heaters resident Privet for another Wednesday night of mischief.
THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
African disco, boogie and house with a little bit of Tanzanian techno.
Thu 20 Feb
HOMETOWN PRESENT: THURSDAY DUB CLUB THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £5
Midweek monthly from the Hometown Promotion Soundsystem, celebrating reggae, rubadub, dancehall and roots. VOLENS CHORUS
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
Bring your dancing shoes and expect everything from baile to jersey club and drum to juke.
Fri 21 Feb
ELECTRIKAL (KELVIN 373 + SELECTA J-MAN) THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £10 - £14
Soundsystem partystarters, part of a music and art collective specialising in all things bass. 80S NIGHT
WEE RED BAR, FROM 23:00, £4 - £5
XOXO DJs play 80s hits. DJ SNEAK
THE LIQUID ROOM, FROM 22:30, £11.25 £16.75
The original house gangster mans the decks for the full four hours, known for his funky filtered disco-influenced house and tough, jacking beats. ATHENS OF THE NORTH DISCO CLUB
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £6
Another round of vinyl fetishism with a stupid amount of new music to debut. Fryer and pals delve into the strange world of rare and exotic dancefloor vinyl.
Regular Edinburgh club nights Cabaret Voltaire TUESDAYS
HECTORS, 23:00, £0-7
Since May 2012, Hectors has become Edinburgh’s soundest midweek shindig, drawing in capacity crowds each and every Tuesday to their home, the prestigious Cabaret Voltaire. THURSDAYS
UNDERGROUND SOCIETY, 23:00, £TBC
Expect music from across the spectrum at Cab Vol's weekly midweek party, every Thursday. FRIDAYS
FLY CLUB, 23:00, £TBC
Edinburgh and Glasgowstraddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent. SATURDAYS
PLEASURE, 23:00, £TBC
Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.
The Bongo Club
SUMMERHALL, FROM 10:30, £9 - £10
XOXO
TUESDAYS
MIDNIGHT BASS, 23:00, £3-5
Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum'n'bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty.
Sneaky Pete’s TUESDAYS
POPULAR MUSIC, 23:00, £1-3
DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae.
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WEDNESDAYS
HEATERS, 23:00, £TBC
Heaters resident CShaman presents a month of ambiguous local showdowns, purveying the multifarious mischief that characterises Sneaky’s midweek party haven. SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH) SOUL JAM, 23:00, £5-7
Weekly no holds barred, down and dirty bikram disco, destroying Wednesday mornings since 2009. SUNDAYS
COALITION, 23:00, £FREE
Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion.
Wee Red Bar SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) HEART OF GLASS, 23:00, £4-6
Glamourous, glittery, flamboyant, feathery, ostentatious and rock 'n' roll, Heart of Glass plays only the best music from the 70s and beyond.
SATURDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH) CITRUS SATURDAY, 23:00, £5
The Liquid Room THURSDAYS
SILK THURSDAYS, 22:30, £1-5
Weekly Thursday chart, house, R'n'B and indie night with DJ Big Al. FRIDAYS
PROPAGANDA, 22:30, £4-6
Clubber's favourite of indie classics and baggy greats, from Primal Scream and the like. SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) REWIND, 22:30, £5
Monthly party night celebrating the best in soul, disco, rock and pop with music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current bangers.
SUNDAYS
SECRET SUNDAY, 22:00, £FREE
Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/handle on a Sunday.
The Jazz Bar MONDAYS
GLAMOUR AND THE BAYBES, 23:30, £3-4
Six-piece funk with ripping horns and massive vocals that grab you by the soul and drop you on the dance floor.
MIXED UP MONDAY, 22:00, £FREE
Fat grooves, jazzy excursions, soulful vocals and bags of pocket from guitarist Aki Remally’s soul-funk four-piece band.
Monday-brightening mix of hip-hop, R'n'B and chart classics, with requests in the back room. TUESDAYS
TRASH TUESDAY, 22:00, £FREE
Alternative Tuesday anthems cherry picked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more. WEDNESDAYS
Henry’s Cellar Bar
THURSDAYS
Baz and Dave spin out some belters under a strictly vinyl-only policy.
Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.
TUESDAYS
MONDAYS
COOKIE WEDNESDAY, 22:00, £FREE
DR NO'S SKA CLUB, 23:00, £5-6
BUBBLEGUM, 22:00, £0-4
The Hive
Expect the usual Citrus blend of indie mixed with some soul classics and maybe a few 80s hits.
SATURDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
SATURDAYS
90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems.
HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY, 22:00, £FREE
Student anthems and bangerz. FRIDAYS
FLIP FRIDAY, 22:00, £0-4
Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and noveltystuffed. Perrrfect.
THE 101ST AIRBORNE, 23:30, £3-4
WEDNESDAYS
SWAMPFOG, 23:30, £3-4
Swampfog are a sevenpiece funk outfit from Edinburgh, spiritually via New Orleans. THURSDAYS
FUTURE HEROES, 23:30, £3-4
Aki Remally (guitar) and Jonny White (sax) front this funk five-piece band hitting you with deep funk rhythms, crazy jams and insane musicianship. SUNDAYS
THE SUNDAY SINNERS, 23:30, £3-4
Neo-soul, trip-hop grooves and re-edited classics are delivered to your ears, feet and hips by this vocals-fronted band with a rhythm section to die for.
February 2020 — Listings
DABJ kick off a brand new residency for 2020 at La Cheetah Club.
LA CHEETAH CLUB, FROM 23:00, £0 - £5
BREAKFAST CLUB
THE SKINNY PALIDRONE 2ND BIRTHDAY: DJ STINGRAY + SOLID BLAKE
THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £5 - £12
Palidrone celebrate their second birthday in style, with Detroit legend DJ Stingray and Glasgow-born, Copenhagen-based Solid Blake. MISS WORLD (EMILY + FEENA + APHID + ICED GEM) PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
All female DJ collective based in Edinburgh. Sneaky Pete’s and EH-FM residents who are lighting the city up with their incredible music tastes and super fun parties.
Sat 22 Feb
MUMBO JUMBO + LUCKY 7
THE BONGO CLUB, FROM 23:00, £3 - £7
Funk, soul, beats and bumps from the Mumbo Jumbo gang and room two residents Lucky 7. DEFINITION
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
Definition is Sneaky Pete’s longest running club night. Expect underground house and techno from residents Mark Balneaves and Marty Lightbody. OPTIMO (ESPACIO) (SECURITY) SUMMERHALL, FROM 23:00, £12 - £14
The legendary duo of JD Twitch and JG Wilkes return to Summerhall with another Optimo (Espacio) evening. LE FREAK & FRIENDS
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 20:00, FREE
If you have somehow missed these guys after their non-stop festival-filled 2019, go treat yourself.
Mon 24 Feb
POOLSIDE RECORDS SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5
The Edinburgh-based independent record label are throwing a party, tunes courtesy of resident DJs TBM and SHAW.
Wed 26 Feb
HEATERS: BATU & SKILLIS
February 2020 — Listings
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £1 - £3
As his Timedance label flourishes, Bristol-based Batu is set to ignite the dancefloor at Sneaks. He’s joined by Heaters resident Privet and Edinburgh heavyweight DJ Skillis.
Thu 27 Feb WACK
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £3
Wack residents showcasing their favourite groovers and movers. CULTUR (MAG)
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
Bringing the heat to the streets since 2018 but this time with tropical twist.
Fri 28 Feb
FIRST EDITION: OR:LA THE CAVES, FROM 23:00, £14
Derry-born Or:la is a DJ with an all round killer sound that leans towards the broken beat techno side of the spectrum. LIONOIL
SNEAKY PETE’S, FROM 23:00, £5 - £7
The Lionoil pride band together for another party at Sneaks.
ABSYNTH (OCTOPUS + VILKAS)
LA BELLE ANGELE, FROM 23:00, £4 - £6
Edinburgh’s irregular dark alternative dance night playing an eclectic mix of synth, industrial, noise and electronic music.
AGORA: CLOUDS (12TH ISLE) THE MASH HOUSE, FROM 23:00, £8 - £12
Following a run of fantastic parties over the course of a year, Agora celebrates its first birthday with techno titans Clouds and Glasgowbased 12th Isle. JACUZZI GENERAL PRESENTS: GENERAL LUDD
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
The brilliant Glasgow-based duo General Ludd join Jacuzzi General for a night of dark music exploration.
Sat 29 Feb
SOULSVILLE (CAM MASON)
PARADISE PALMS, FROM 21:00, FREE
Soulsville brings its Bongo residency to Palms for the first of a bi-monthly party. Dress light, shoes optional.
Dundee Clubs Fri 07 Feb DJ COVELANT
AFROBEATS, FROM 22:00, £3.50 - £5
On the first Friday of each month Tunage bring the very best of junglist and D’n’B talent to the wheels of steel.
Fri 14 Feb FLOOR ABOVE (TERRAFORM)
THE HUNTER S. THOMPSON, FROM 21:00, FREE
Local hefty techno Djs Terraform play at Floor Above’s pre-birthday bash.
Sat 22 Feb ACID BONER
THE HUNTER S. THOMPSON, FROM 20:00, FREE
Acid, Italo, Hi NRG and disco.
Glasgow Comedy The Flying Duck
ON THE FLY! HERLARIOUS TAKEOVER 19 FEB, 6:30PM, £5
On The Fly returns with a HER-larious takeover. HERlarious is a regular improv workshop for women, female and non-binary people, and it’s celebrating turning one with an all womxn line-up.
The Glee Club GALLUS
26 FEB, 6:30PM, £5
Scotland’s finest comedians try out brand new material. Hosted by Chrissy Ross.
The Stand Glasgow BBC COMEDY PRESENTS
12 FEB, 8:30PM, £4
Join BBC Comedy and The Stand for a night of brand new comedy.
Comedy
Regular Edinburgh comedy nights
Regular Glasgow comedy nights The Amsterdam
MONDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
IMPROV KILLED MY MONDAY, 19:30, £2-3
A regular evening of unscripted comedy, featuring Improv Killed My Dog and special guest performers.
Blackfriars
TUESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) GLASGOW HAROLD NIGHT, 20:00, FREE
Glasgow Improv Theatre's flagship improv comedy show, featuring house team COUCH.
TUESDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH) LIGHT BULB, 20:00, FREE
An offbeat comedy show featuring stand-up, sketch, characters and improv.
PAUL CURRIE: FFFFFFFMILK!
23 FEB, 6PM, £8
Paul Currie brings his critically acclaimed new show to The Stand following a ridiculously successful run at the Free Fringe. FLO AND JOAN: BEFORE THE SCREAMING STARTS 10 FEB, 8:30PM, £14
Musical comedy sisters Flo & Joan have a new hour of their dark and waggish songs to parade about the place. JONNY AND THE BAPTISTS LOVE GLASGOW AND HATE BASTARDS 16 FEB, 4:00PM, £14
We live in a divided world, and Jonny and the Baptists want to cross that divide. BENEFIT IN AID OF REFUGEE SURVIVAL TRUST
19 FEB, 8:30PM, £10
A night of comedy to raise money for The Refugee Survival Trust.
JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS: AFTER ME COMES THE FLOOD (BUT IN FRENCH) DRIP SPLOSH SPLASH DRIP BLUBBP BLUBBP! 26 FEB, 8PM, £10
Brand new hour of extraordinary daft-hearted comedy. Expect to not know why you are laughing once more, even when he gives you the punchline first.
Tron Theatre MARK THOMAS: 50 THINGS ABOUT US
6-8 FEB, 7:45PM, £12 - £16
52 Things About Us is a show about songs, gongs, loot, tradition, wigs, nicking, statues, art and identity. A sort of funny national edition of Who Do You Think You Are?
The Stand Glasgow
SATURDAYS
MONDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV, 20:30, £3
Comedian improv battle. TUESDAYS
RED RAW, 20:30, £3
Legendary new material night with up to 10 acts.
WEDNESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) COMEDIAN RAP BATTLES, 20:30, £4-6
The country's best comedians battle it out, hosted by Neil The Wee Man Bratchpiece.
THE SATURDAY SHOW, 21:00, £17.50
The big weekend show with five comedians. SUNDAYS
MICHAEL REDMOND'S SUNDAY SERVICE, 20:30, £5-6
The Stand’s popular Sunday show has resident Irish funnyman Michael Redmond at the helm.
The Glee Club FRIDAYS
FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00, £8-20
THE THURSDAY SHOW, 20:30, £5-10
The perfect way to end the working week, with four superb stand-up comedians.
FRIDAYS
SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00, £823.95
THURSDAYS
Start the weekend early with five comedians.
SATURDAYS
THE FRIDAY SHOW, 20:30, £6-12
An evening of awardwinning comedy, with four superb stand-up comedians that will keep you laughing until Monday.
The big weekend show with five comedians.
Edinburgh Comedy Gilded Balloon Basement THE COMEDY SHOW: NEW SH*T 13-27 FEB, 8:00PM, £2.50
The Comedy Show’s wee sister, where old pros and new talent try out fresh material for free.
SCOTT GIBSON AND PALS TRY NEW JOKES 12 FEB, 7:30PM, £10
Comedian Scott Gibson and pals road test new material, half-baked ideas, and ramble on about a story or two. THE BIG FAT COMEDY QUIZ 6 FEB, 8:00PM, FREE
A perfectly riotous mashup of stand-up gig and pub quiz, hosted by Scott Gibson.
Monkey Barrel Comedy Club CHUNKS
11 FEB, 7:00PM, £3
The Scottish Comedy Award winning CHUNKS ain’t yer traditional comedy night. WRITERS BLOC
17 FEB, 8:00PM, £3
See ten comics heading to the 2020 Fringe construct sets, bits, monologues and everything in between. COMEDIAN SHOWDOWN
24 FEB, 7:00PM, £0 - £3
Two teams of comedians compete against each other through several rounds of humiliation, hilarity and hardship. DATING CRAPP
29 FEB, 11:00AM, £3 - £5
Some of Scotland’s best improvisers join forces to perform based off of two audience members dating profiles.
JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS: AFTER ME COMES THE FLOOD (BUT IN FRENCH) DRIP SPLOSH SPLASH DRIP BLUBBP BLUBBP! 25 FEB, 7PM, £10
Brand new hour of extraordinary daft-hearted comedy. Expect to not know why you are laughing once more, even when he gives you the punchline first. JONNY AWSUM IS COMING TO TOWN
9 FEB, 5:00PM, £10
Jonny Awsum will perform brand new material alongside the greatest hits from his TV and comedy club sets.
Summerhall
PLANET CARAMEL’S SUMMERHALL BRAWL 15 FEB, 7:30PM, £5
A surreal, bombastic comedy adventure like no other, this is going to be the comedy event of the century.
The Stand Edinburgh
SUNDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
RED RAW, 20:30, £3
Improvised comedy at its very best every Sunday.
Catch the stars of tomorrow today in Monkey Barrel's new act night every Wednesday.
MONDAYS
Legendary new material night with up to 10 acts.
TUESDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH) BONA FIDE, 20:30, £5-6
New comedy show with a different theme every month, hosted by Jay Lafferty.
WEDNESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) SHAMBLES, 20:30, £4-5
A collective of Edinburgh's top comics join forces to provide an evening's worth of entertainment, with the emphasis on the alternative, every month. WEDNESDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)
THE END OF THE WORLD SHOW, 20:30, £5-7
Armageddon is not so much nigh as teabagging the world in the face. So now that we've bought the tickets to Hell in a handcart and this really is the end of civilisation, surely we can still find the time to trivialise it? THURSDAYS
THE THURSDAY SHOW, 21:00, £5-10
Start the weekend early with five comedians. THURSDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) THE CABARET OF DANGEROUS IDEAS, 17:30, £5
STU & GARRY'S FREE IMPROV SHOW, 13:30, £FREE
SUNDAYS
THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH-IN, 20:30, £5-6
Chilled Sunday night comedy to see out the weekend.
SUNDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)
JOJO SUTHERLAND AND SUSAN MORRISON: FANNY'S AHOY!, 17:30, £4-5
Set sail with the awardwinning grand dames of Scottish comedy.
The big weekend show with five comedians.
THURSDAYS (SECOND AND LAST OF THE MONTH)
SPONTANEOUS SHERLOCK, 20:00, £5
FREE FOR ALL, 19:00, £FREE
MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG FRIDAY SHOW, 19:00, £10-12
MONDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
SATURDAYS
FRIDAYS
Edinburgh's only genuine open mic comedy night.
Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.
PETER PANCAKES, 19:30, £FREE
Phil O’Shea brings a handpicked selection of riotous lols to Monkey Barrel on the second Monday of the month.
MONDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH) COMEDIAN SHOWDOWN, 19:00, £0-3
Two teams of comedians compete against each other through several rounds of humiliation, hilarity and hardship.
TUESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
THE SATURDAY SHOW, 21:00, £17.50
A brand new Harry Potter play from some of Edinburgh's most top notch improv wizards.
MONDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
THE FRIDAY SHOW, 21:00, £6-12
SATURDAYS
SPONTANEOUS POTTER, 20:00, £5
An entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play from Scotland's hottest improv troupe.
TUESDAYS
The big weekend show with five comedians.
THURSDAYS (FIRST AND THIRD OF THE MONTH)
Monkey Barrel Comedy Club
Join The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas and challenge your preconceptions on hot button issues. FRIDAYS
TOP BANANA, 19:00, £0-3
PROJECT X, 19:00, £0-3
Monkey Barrel welcome the weird, the wacky and the downright hilarious to the stage. THE EDINBURGH REVUE, 19:00, £0-2
The University of Edinburgh's Comedy Society, who put on sketch and stand-up comedy shows every two weeks.
The Stand Edinburgh
MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SATURDAY SHOW, 19:00, £14
Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. SUNDAYS
MONKEY BARREL COMEDY'S BIG SUNDAY SHOW, 19:00, £5
Monkey Barrel's flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.
The Basement Theatre
THURSDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH) BELTER COMEDY, 20:00, £6
Bringing you the best and brightest of the comedy scene, showcasing brand new gags alongside tried and tested material. FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS
THE COMEDY SHOW, 20:00, £10-12
Bringing you top notch line-ups from the best in the world of comedy for a side-splitting evening every Friday and Saturday at 8pm.
BRIGHT CLUB
25 FEB, 8:30PM, £5
Bright Club’s unique blend of comedy and academia has made waves across the country, with a storming sell-out show at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. PAUL CURRIE: FFFFFFFMILK!
26 FEB, 8:30PM, £8
Paul Currie brings his critically acclaimed new show to The Stand following a ridiculously successful run at the Free Fringe. FLO AND JOAN: BEFORE THE SCREAMING STARTS 9 FEB, 8:30PM, £14
Musical comedy sisters Flo & Joan have a new hour of their dark and waggish songs to parade about the place. ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY!
11 FEB, 8:30PM, £3 - £6
Oh God, it’s that time of year again. Single and sick of all the hearts, flowers and smug couples? Laugh in a dark basement instead.
— 60 —
BITESIZED SATURDAY
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Bitesized Saturday is a smaller and shorter version of The Stand’s flagship Saturday show which has been sold out every week for years.
Stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel, combining the intensity of live theatre with a cinematic tension inspired by the world of film noir. Matinee performances also available.
15 FEB, 5:00PM, £10 - £13
BENEFIT IN AID OF MAGGIE’S CENTRE EDINBURGH
18 FEB, 8:30PM, £10
A night of comedy to celebrate the fantastic work of Maggie’s Centre Edinburgh.
Glasgow Theatre The King’s Theatre
THE KING AND I
1-8 FEB, 7:30PM, £16 - £78.50
Lavish new production of the beloved musical, with giant gold Buddha’s, shiny costumes and acrobatic dancers, no less. Matinees available.
18-22 FEB, 7:30PM, £12.75 - £40.75
Theatre Royal EDUCATING RITA
24-29 FEB, 7:30PM, £13 - £52.90
A heartwarming comedy by Willy Russell, famous for its depiction of Liverpudlian working class life and the subsequent film adaptation. Matinee performances also available. SCOTTISH OPERA: NIXON IN CHINA
18-22 FEB, 7:15PM, £21 - 85
Inspired by Nixon’s muchpublicised visit to China in 1972, this groundbreaking piece explores the reality behind the hype.
Tramway
JUST US DANCE THEATRE: BORN TO MANIFEST 7 FEB, 7:30PM, £5 - £8
A powerful new hip-hop dance double bill that illuminates the experiences of young black British men. WE ARE IN TIME
28 FEB-4 MAR, 7:30PM, £0 - £20
This new theatrical production, in association with Perth Theatre at Horsecross Arts, tells the extraordinary story of a transplanted heart through the voices of both giver and receiver.
Tron Theatre TROJAN HORSE
13-15 FEB, 7:45PM, £11 - 17
Originally developed with Leeds Playhouse, Trojan Horse is the story of a community torn apart by racial division, ‘British values’ and the culture of prevent.
THE SKINNY
Theatre Art MOUTHPIECE
27-29 FEB, 7:45PM, £11 - 17
Kieran Hurley’s frank and unflinching look at the different Edinburgh’s which often exist in ignorance of one another.
MOUTHPIECE
6-29 FEB, 7:30PM, £5-15
Kieran Hurley’s frank and unflinching look at the different Edinburgh’s which often exist in ignorance of one another. UNTITLED 2009
8 FEB, 7:00PM, £5
Edinburgh Theatre Festival Theatre RAMBERT
20-22 FEB, 7:30PM, £18.50
Rambert’s new show brings together their moments of breakthrough: Wayne McGregor’s PreSentient, an original creation from Marion Motin and Hofesh Shechter’s In your rooms. SCOTTISH OPERA: NIXON IN CHINA
27-29 FEB, 7:15PM, £21
Inspired by Nixon’s muchpublicised visit to China in 1972, this groundbreaking piece explores the reality behind the hype.
King’s Theatre Edinburgh DIAL M FOR MURDER 24-29 FEB, 7:30PM, £18
Frederick Knott’s intense and darkly gripping thriller, famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. Matinee performances also available.
I THINK WE ARE ALONE 18-22 FEB, 7:30PM, £18
I Think We Are Alone is a delicate and uplifting play about our fragility, resilience and our need for love and forgiveness. Matinee performances also available.
Royal Lyceum Theatre
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) 1-15 FEB, 7:30PM, £10 - £33
An adaptation like no other, drawing on over 200 years of romantic pop history this is Blood of the Young’s unique take on a beloved novel. Matinees available. 28 FEB-21 MAR, 7:30PM, £10 - £33
Brecht’s classic master and servant comedy is given a gender-switched adaptation by award-winning novelist and playwright Denise Mina. Matinee performances also available.
The Edinburgh Playhouse DISNEY’S THE LION KING
1 FEB-18 APR, 7:30PM, £20 - £115
Stage adaptation of the favourited Disney film, bolstered by suitably dazzling staging and elaborate costumes, masks and puppets. Matinee performances also available.
Traverse Theatre
TROJAN HORSE
6-15 FEB, 7:30PM, £5-15
Originally developed with Leeds Playhouse, Trojan Horse is the story of a community torn apart by racial division, ‘British values’ and the culture of prevent.
TANDEM WRITING COLLECTIVE: PLAY READINGS 7 FEB, 8:00PM, £5
Tandem features tasters of topical new scripts by the three founding writers, performed script-in-hand by the best local actors and featuring talented new directors. PRIDE PLAYS
14-15 FEB, 7:00PM, £5 - £12
Scotland’s first ever LGBTQI+ playwright festival returns, during LGBT History Month Scotland, following last year’s success. ANTIGONE, INTERRUPTED
20-22 FEB, 7:30PM, £5 - £17
Antigone, Interrupted reimagines a classic story for a contemporary world through the body and voice of a single performer. THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY LONGSTAFF 27-29 FEB, 7:30PM, £5 - £17
Featuring songs from the original album alongside new material and stunning animation, Teesside folk trio The Young’uns perform a new, theatrical version of The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff. Matinee performances also available. W*NK BUDDIES
29 FEB, 8:00PM, £5 - £12
Discussions of identity, class, sexuality and masculinity collide in a mix of pints, heels, dads, school, relationships, gay bars and dance routines.
Dundee Theatre Dundee Rep SMILE
18 FEB-7 MAR, 7:30PM, £10 - £25
A new piece based on the life of legendary footballer, Jim McLean, revealing the complexities and contradictions of this totally unique individual. Matinee performances also available. THE GHOSTING OF RABBIE BURNS
4 FEB, 7:30PM, £10 - £16
Featuring the great songs and poems of Burns, this hilarious comedy proves that love and relationships haven’t changed that much in 200 years after all. THE UNWANTED
5 FEB, 7:30PM, £10 - £15
A unique comedy dancetheatre show, featuring songs specially written by Mark Franks of The Overtones.
Acid Bar
NATALIA PONIATOWSKA: HUMANATURE
5 FEB-5 MAR, 8:30AM – 4:00PM, FREE
GSA grad Natalia Poniatowska presents a solo show of new work in SWG3.
CCA: Centre for Contemporary Art
The Modern Institute
1 FEB-15 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
1-22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
OSCAR MARZAROLI
Oscar Marzaroli’s photographs and films of Glasgow from the 1950s through to the 1980s captured a period of enormous change with images of people going about their lives in the city, at work and at leisure. SIXTEEN
1-27 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
‘What’s it like to be sixteen years old now?’ This is the central thread running through the ambitious touring exhibition SIXTEEN, conceived by photographer Craig Easton.
SHUVINAI ASHOONA: HOLDING ON TO UNIVERSES
The Briggait
Known for her colourful pencil drawings, Shuvinai Ashoona portrays a range of scenes from remembered familial rituals and traditions to mystical, imagined events.
Yumin Shin’s solo exhibition in the Front Galleries at The Briggait, as part of Wasps Arts Programme 2020.
7 FEB-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
ISABELLA WIDGER: EVERY BOND IS A BOND TO SORROW
7-23 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
Invoking Charlotte Salomon’s painted work, Life? or Theatre?, Isabella Widger explores how mastery, desire and longing affect the act of making and the production of memory.
Glasgow Print Studio
ALASDAIR GRAY: OMNIUM GATHERUM 7 FEB-12 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Originally planned as a retrospective, this exhibition will now be a memorial following the sad passing of Alasdair Gray at the end of 2019.
GoMA
HAL FISCHER, GAY SEMIOTICS AND OTHER WORKS
1 FEB-30 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE
This exhibition displays three works by American artist Hal Fischer: Gay Semiotics, exploring the visual language that was unique to gay culture of San Francisco in the later 1970s, Boy-friends and 18th Near Castro St.
Project Ability EXTRAORDINARY RESPONSES
1-22 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
An exhibition curated by a group of artists exploring their research and presenting their own work that has been created and inspired by their visits. A SOLO SHOWCASE OF CERAMICS
1-22 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
This exhibition of ceramics by Billy Harper has been inspired by the iconic Royal Doulton figurines.
RGI Kelly Gallery
CREATING CONNECTIONS
1 FEB-7 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
In response to the troubled times we live in, Creating Connections will highlight the international links of Scotland’s contemporary art scene.
YUMIN SHIN: THE ELEPHANT VANISHES
7-27 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
The Glasgow Art Club
SCOTTISH PORTRAIT AWARDS 1-15 FEB, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
A showcase of finalists in an art competition open to artists born, living or studying in Scotland. 153 YEARS OF PORTRAITURE IN THE GAC COLLECTION
1 FEB-28 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
This exhibition celebrates the Glasgow Art Club being a venue for the Scottish Portrait Awards 2019 by featuring objects from every era of the Club.
The Lighthouse
DIKE BLAIR
New York-based artist Dike Blair presents a new body of oil paintings originating from his own photographic observations.
Tramway
FRANCE-LISE MCGURN: IN EMOTIA 1 FEB-29 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
The title, In Emotia, refers to a state of being, simultaneously emotional and in motion. McGurn’s figurative painting and wall drawings evoke bodies and limbs overlapping and interacting in ambivalent spaces. HARDEEP PANDHAL: CONFESSIONS OF A THUG: PAKIVELI 1 FEB-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
A multimedia exhibition, which takes its name from the 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug and its subtitle, Pakiveli, refers to one of the artist’s rap monikers, adapted from an alias of the late rapper 2Pac, Makiveli.
Wasps Artists’ Studios Hanson Street AEJI SEO: GOOSE FEATHER BLANKET 10-21 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
Aeji Seo’s solo exhibition at Wasps Hanson Street, as part of Wasps Arts Programme 2020.
Edinburgh Art
BRUCE HAMILTON: FURNITURE MAKERS
City Art Centre
An exhibition showcasing work by Bruce Hamilton, with new pieces bringing some of Mackintosh’s rarer designs to life.
1 FEB-24 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE
1 FEB-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
PRACTICING LANDSCAPE
1 FEB-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
This exhibition brings together the work of 16 researchers from Glasgow School of Art, who are part of a research group called Reading Landscape. SUSAN WOOD: CLOSE UP
22 FEB-8 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Susan Wood Richardson is one of the most highly renowned and celebrated photographers of the last 50 years. This exhibition showcases her iconic film work, an exemplary snapshot into film history. TWO QUARRIES
10 FEB-26 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Photographer Michael Peterson presents photographs depicting two quarries, one in his native Shetland and a second in Moray. CONNECTIONS | CONNESSIONI
20 FEB-17 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE
A dazzling international display of contemporary jewellery, from the UK’s Association for Contemporary Jewellery and its Italian sister organisation, l’Associazione Gioiello Contemporaneo.
THE ITALIAN CONNECTION
The Italian Connection explores the enduring bond between Scotland and Italy, celebrating the ability of art to transcend geographical borders. MARY CAMERON: LIFE IN PAINT 1 FEB-15 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
An exhibition celebrating the life and career of pioneering Edinburgh-born artist Mary Cameron (1865-1921). BENEATH THE SURFACE
1 FEB-1 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Beneath the Surface features work by nine contemporary artists based in Scotland, each of them articulating a minimalist aesthetic through abstraction in their work. CLASSICAL EDINBURGH
1 FEB-8 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
A celebration of Edinburgh’s neo-classical architecture, as seen through the eyes of two architectural photographers – Edwin Smith and Colin McLean – working half a century apart.
Collective Gallery
SULAÏMAN MAJALI: SARACEN GO HOME
1 FEB-29 MAR, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE
Taking its title from racist graffiti sprayed on a mosque in Cumbernauld in 2016, this installation draws on historical narratives around Collective’s site to explore diasporic states.
— 61 —
Dovecot Studios
MAY MORRIS: ART & LIFE
1 FEB-14 MAR, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, TBC
A landmark exhibition exploring the life and work of May Morris, the younger daughter of William Morris.
Edinburgh Printmakers ALEXANDRA HAESEKER: THE BOTANIST’S DAUGHTER
1 FEB-21 MAR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
An installation of new contemporary print works by Canadian artist Alexandra Haeseker illustrating botanical and entomological themes. ACTINIC: PHOTOGRAPHY IN PRINT
1 FEB-21 MAR, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
Edinburgh Printmakers and The ACTINIC Festival present an exhibition of photographic printmaking by Scottish-based artists that celebrates the techniques of Actinism in the context of contemporary visual arts practice.
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
LUCY WAYMAN: CLOVEHITCH
1 FEB-30 MAY, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
Lucy Wayman’s work, created from marine rope, follows her interest in the industrial and historic uses of rope, connecting ideas of system, control and release.
Ingleby Gallery
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
NOW: KATIE PATERSON, CIARA PHILLIPS AND OTHERS
1 FEB-31 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
In the first major showing of the artist’s work in a public institution in Scotland, the sixth and final exhibition in the NOW series will highlight the work of Scottish artist Katie Paterson. PICTURE HOOKS 2019
1 FEB-31 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
The highly-acclaimed exhibition returns for the fourth time to showcase the work of award-winning children’s illustrators alongside that of emerging illustrators. PAULA REGO: OBEDIENCE AND DEFIANCE
1 FEB-19 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £6.50 £11.50
An ambitious retrospective of the Portuguese artist’s work that brings politics to the fore, spanning Rego’s career from the 1950s through to 2012.
Stills
WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM THE AMBERSIDE COLLECTION 1 FEB-8 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
A selection of photographs from The AmberSide Collection, a unique archive that continues to grow out of the documentary production, commissioning, exhibition and touring work of Newcastle-based Amber Film & Photography Collective.
MARINE HUGONNIER: TRAVEL POSTERS
Summerhall
Across film, photography and a variety of other mediums, Marine Hugonnier engages with an ongoing questioning of image making and understanding.
1 FEB-8 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
1 FEB-28 MAR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE
Open Eye Gallery
CHRISTINE WOODSIDE RGI RSW 7 FEB-2 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
This exhibition includes recent paintings depicting the surrounding countryside to Christine Woodside’s home in Fife and paintings influenced by her travels abroad. CAROLA GORDON: AN 80TH YEAR CELEBRATION
7 FEB-2 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
In celebration of her 80th year, the Open Eye Gallery presents a retrospective exhibition of Carola Gordon’s works, spanning 60 years. RUTH BROWNLEE: NORTH : SHETLAND
7-29 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
New paintings by Ruth Brownlee exploring the visual drama and rugged environment of the Shetland Isles.
Royal Scottish Academy RSA RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES
15 FEB-11 MAR, TIMES VARY, £0 - £6
This carefully curated exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see some of Scotland’s finest emerging talent under one roof, showcasing 63 graduates selected from the 2019 degree shows.
WILL KNIGHT: SOME OF SUMMERHALL – A SURVEY IN DRAWINGS
With this exhibition, Summerhall will join the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, Dumfries House in Ayrshire and Renfield St. Stephens Church in having their ‘portrait’ drawn by Will Knight. MOUNT STRANGE AND THE TEMPLE OF FAME
1 FEB-15 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
In this curated exhibition, four major female artists investigate and uncover managed histories, strange landscapes and the power of myth-making and folklore. KATHERENA RADEVA: DRAWING FAULT LINES 1 FEB-1 MAR, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
A selection of drawings that form a fundamental element of the making and devising process of Fault Lines, a new performance work by Two Destination Language theatre company. THE PLACE I CALL HOME
6-8 FEB, 11:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE
Photographic exhibition featuring 15 artists exploring life in the Arab world and the Arab presence in the UK.
Talbot Rice Gallery PINE’S EYE
29 FEB-9 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE
Through masks, mannequins and magic, Pine’s Eye offers alternative perspectives for how we understand ourselves in the face of environmental crisis.
Whitespace THE VISIT
8-12 FEB, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE
An exhibition taking viewers on a journey through the evolution of Mike Crichton’s work, exploring the symbolism not only of Scotland’s history and place within the world, but also how we respond to that.
Dundee Art Cooper Gallery AMBIGUOUS BECOMING: ARTISTS’ MOVING IMAGE FROM CANADA
1-22 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE
A collaboration between the Cooper Gallery and MOMENTA: Biennale de l’image, Ambiguous Becoming offers a portrayal of bodies in the moment of their resistance to the twin horrors of objectification and unfettered consumption.
DCA: Dundee Contemporary Arts SEIZED BY THE LEFT HAND
1 FEB-22 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
This international group exhibition takes as its starting point some of the ideas contained within American writer Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness.
Generator Projects
GENERATOR PROJECTS’ ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW 2020 8 FEB-1 MAR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE
An exhibition created to highlight the important and varied work being completed by the membership of Dundee’s oldest artist run initiative.
The McManus
LINKS WITH THE PAST 1 FEB-15 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
A partnership project between The McManus and the University of Edinburgh’s Unit for Forensic Anthropology Research has uncovered new details about a Pictish man’s life and death, which are revealed in a new display.
AS WE SEE IT: TWENTIETH CENTURY SCOTTISH ART 1 FEB-8 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Exploring the innovative and diverse approaches artists have taken in their creative practice. Whether representing the real world, abstracting elements from it or depicting a realm from the imagination, each artwork is unique and individual. AMONG THE POLAR ICE 1 FEB-8 MAR, TIMES VARY, FREE
Selected from Dundee’s nationally significant fine art and whaling collections, this exhibition showcases a small but growing collection of polar artworks which spans 200 years.
V&A Dundee HELLO, ROBOT.
1-9 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £6 - £12
This groundbreaking exhibition investigates the science and fiction of robots and looks at how they are changing the world we live in.
February 2020 — Listings
MRS PUNTILA AND HER MAN MATTI
A dynamic ensemble of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming performers grapple with faith, queerness and their fight for the right to be seen.
Glasgow Art
Street Level Photoworks
THE SKINNY
The Skinny On... Pictish Trail What’s your favourite place to visit? Any pub where they sell Williams Bros. beer, and my friends are there. Favourite food? Pizza. My standards are so low, it can literally be any kind – just so long as it is accompanied by a hot sauce, a chipotle mayonnaise dip, and a cold beer. Favourite colour? Lime green. It’s always the best tasting sweetie. Who was your hero growing up? I remember being ten years old, staying up way past bedtime, flicking through the channels and discovering Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out. I’ve been obsessed with everything he’s done since. Whose work inspires you now? As corny as it sounds, all the artists whose music we’ve released on Lost Map. I’m lucky I get to surround myself in their worlds.
February 2020 — Chat
What three people would you invite to your dinner party and what are you cooking? Vic Reeves, Jessica Hynes and Missy Elliott. I cook a decent curry, but I’m more likely to serve up an elaborate macaroni cheese, with bacon and onion, and a good dollop of wholegrain mustard. What’s your all time favourite album? It changes constantly, but today my mind went immediately to The Campfire Headphase by Boards of Canada. What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen? I walked out halfway through the sequel to The Blair Witch Project. So, I guess that’s the worst film I’ve not seen.
Photo: Stephanie Gibson
The Skinny On...
Johnny Lynch, aka Pictish Trail, gives us the skinny on his first celebrity crush, who would play him in a rom-com and who he’d like to arm wrestle What book would you take to a desert island? For the sake of sheer comfort, I’d probably take an anthology by Douglas Adams. It’s been decades since I’ve read any of that stuff, I think the stranded me would want to revert to my teenage self. Who’s the worst? In my head, it’s usually myself. But then I remember Piers Morgan exists. When did you last cry? About a week ago, watching Callum Easter singing. I felt a rush of pride, relief and happiness. Was the first time I’d felt properly relaxed in a long time. What are you most scared of? My loved ones feeling scared. When did you last vomit? I’m kinda proud that I don’t remember. Oh wait, probably at some Hogmanay party in the last few years, up at the Ceilidh Hall on Eigg. Tell us a secret? No one really knows what they are doing, and anyone who says that they do is a psychopath. Which celebrity could you take in a fight? I’m a lover, not a fighter. But I’d really like to arm wrestle Karren Brady from The Apprentice, the sexy Tory-cow that she is. If you could be reincarnated as an animal, which animal would it be? Maybe an elephant. I’d finally not be so concerned about my weight. In keeping with our theme of love this month, who was your first celebrity crush? Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. A quick Google of Danica
“No one really knows what they are doing, and anyone who says that they do is a psychopath” Johnny Lynch
McKellar has just reignited this crush. (With the older, modern day Danica – I’m not a paedo). Who would play you in a rom-com about your life and what would it be called? Oh God. I think Tim Key could do a convincing job. Maybe it could be called #PictishFail, and each episode is about my slapstick musical career, playing ill-attended shows in run down arts centres, and avoiding the advances of desperate middle-aged men and women from provincial Britain. What are you doing on Valentine’s Day? Hopefully I’ll be at home with the
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family, we’ll be making dinner together, and listening to music. What’s your favourite love song? You Can Have It All, the version recorded by Yo La Tengo. It’s beautiful.
Pictish Trail’s new album, Thumb World, is out on 21 Feb via Fire Records Pictish Trail plays Beat Generator Live!, Dundee, 10 Apr; The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 11 Apr; The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 12 Apr pictishtrail.co.uk
THE SKINNY
Art
February 2020 — Review
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February 2020 — Review
Books
THE SKINNY
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