The Skinny July 2007 by The Skinny

LISTINGS EDINBURGH LIVE SUN 1 JUL, CERTAIN DEATH, THE DAY I VANISHED, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Metal, 21:30, £4 CLONE QUARTET, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND, HOBO, THE BONGO CLUB, Indie, 22:00, 03:00, £3

21:30, £4

MY PASSION, SUBWAY COWGATE, Metal, 19:00, £TBC NINE BLACK ALPS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Post-grunge,

WILDERNESS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Local indie rockers of the highest standard, 19:00, 22:00, Free

19:00, 22:00, £TBC

THUR 26 JUL

Salivating indie punkers, 23:00, 03:00, £4

MAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie rock, 21:30, £4

RED SNOWMAN, COPPER PILOT, THIS JULY, BANNER-

DRUMMERS DO, THE JAZZ BAR, A percussive assault,

THE VIVIANS, SPIES IN THE WIRES, CABARET VOLTAIRE,

NORA RENDELL AND AILIE ROBERTSON, WEE FOLK CLUB, ROYAL OAK, Folk, 20:30, £3 THE THRILLS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Indie Pop, 19:00, £13

FRI 13 JUL

MON 2 JUL

TBC, BLUE FRIDAY, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Acoustic night,

WORLD, Rock, 21:30, £4

THE MAGNIFICENTS, 7VWWVVW, DAVID JACK, DUTY FREE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Synth-tastic, see the

ROOM, Urban poetry, 19:00, £15

14:00, Free

AL GREEN, PLAYHOUSE, Soul master, 19:30, £37.50,

£30

RESONATE, THISFAMILIARSMILE, RED SNOWMAN, DUTY FREE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Straight trousered dy-

BLONDIE, ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, EDINBURGH

TBC, THIS IS MUSIC, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, 20:00, £5

FRI 27 JUL

CASTLE, Lets do the timewarp, again., TBC, £35

SLOWJET, THIS FAMILIAR SMILE, BANNERMAN’S UNDER-

20:00, £TBC

THE STREETS, THE MITCHELL BROTHERS, THE LIQUID TRIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Local indie troupe, 19:30,

album review in Sounds, 19:00, 22:00, Free

£TBC

THE BLUFFERS, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie Pop,

UNDERWORLD, Rock, 21:30, £4

SAT 28 JUL

THE JAZZ BAR BIG BAND, THE JAZZ BAR, An ensemble

SAT 14 JUL

namic rock, 19:30, Free 21:30, £4

cast, 19:00, £TBC

THE ONE DAY SPEAKERS, STATE OF AFFAIR, HAPPY MONDAYS, PO NA NA, Indie, 21:00, £3

TUES 3 JUL

BILL KYLE’S JASBO, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz?, 20:30, Free CEILIDH CLUB, THE LOT, Traditional music, 20:30, £6

WED 4 JUL

10 EASY WISHES, SONOROUS, THE PARKERS, DUTY FREE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Aberdonian rockers, 19:00,

22:00, Free

EXPOSED, THE JAZZ BAR, Metal, 20:30, Free MIKE SILVER, EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB, PLEASANCE, Folk, 20:00, £6 (£4)

THE REMNANT KINGS, BRADY COLE, BANNERMAN’S

OPPORTUNITY CLUB, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, The House Band, 16:00, Free

SISTERS, Eastern Scottish indie / alt.rock, 20:30, £5

SUN 15 JUL

Rock, 21:30, £4

MARK DUNLOP, WEE FOLK CLUB, ROYAL OAK, Folk, 20:30, £3

PINK, EDINBURGH CASTLE, Bequiffed pop diva, TBC, £35 SANS TRAUMA, THE SET UP, HOBO, THE BONGO CLUB, Shoegaze / indie excellence, 22:00, 03:00, £3

V-2 SCHNEIDER, RICHARD BOA, FRANKIE LOWE, REVOLVER, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Indie / blues, 20:00, £4

MON 16 JUL

THUR 5 JUL

THE CLOSING, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Metal,

20:00, £4

MATHS CLASS, I FLY SPITFIRES, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Elec- 21:30, £4 TO CATCH A THIEF, STUDIO 24, Rock, 19:00, £6

Night, 20:00, 23:00, Free

SOUL CITY SHAKERS, VALOR, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie, 21:30, £4

THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND, EDINBURGH FOLK CLUB, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Outstanding indie rock bill, 19:00, 22:00, £7

FRI 6 JUL

AMBER SOULS, CADENZA, BABYTIGER, THE LOFT @

THREE SISTERS, Alt.rock, 20:30, £5

CHRIS BRADLEY, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Metal, 19:30, £4 CONVERGE, RISE AND FALL, ANIMOSITY, THE EX-

CHANGE, Metal, TBC, £TBC

ELASTIC AXIS, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz, 21:00, £3 (£2) THE JACKALS, THE VALKYRIES, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Jangly indie pop, 19:00, 22:00, £5

VANTAGE POINT, MESSIAHS OF METAL, SAZ, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, 21:30, £4

SAT 7 JUL

SAY, THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT, PLASTIC ANIMALS, BABYTIGER / IS THIS MUSIC?, THE LOFT @

Alt.country, 19:30, 22:00, £4

NORTH FOUNDATION, MARK REID & THE LOCAL VILLAINS, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND, THE LOFT @ THREE

THE RAB HOWAT BAND, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD,

O.B.E., HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Indie funk with MC Stitch,

OUT OF THE BEDROOM, THE CANON’S GAIT, Open Mic

CODECA, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock, 19:30, £TBC LE RENO AMPS, JESUS H FOXX, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR,

East Neuk takes over , 21:30, £4

THE MANNEQUINS, THE SOUTHERN, Folk, 20:30, Free

tro indie pop, 23:00, 03:00, £3

THE SKINNY RECOMMENDS YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS

SLOW MOTION REPLAY, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD,

SUN 29 JUL

MY ELECTRIC LOVE AFFAIR, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Indie rock, 20:00, £TBC

PAT RYAN, WEE FOLK CLUB, ROYAL OAK, Folk, 20:30, £3 THE BREAKERS, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD,Rock, 21:30,£4

Y’ALL IS FANTASY ISLAND, CAT THE DOG, THE BONGO CLUB, Energised folk rock, 22:00, £3

CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE EXCHANGE, Extreme metal, gets the jehovahs off the doorstep, TBC, £TBC RESIDUAL EFFECT, I REMAIN, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock, 19:00, £TBC

TUE 17 JUL

COLON OPEN BRACKET, KC, THE SILENT REVOLUTION, STUDIO 24, Rock, 20:00, £7 HEY ENEMY, BAD DANCER, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Scottish alt. rock extravaganza, Predestination stylee, 20:00, £4.00

WED 18 JUL

GLAMOUR OF THE KILL, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Folk, 21:30, £4

GYM CLASS HEROES, STUDIO 24, Indie Rock, 19:00, £11

THUR 19 JUL

ALWAYS READ THE LABEL, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Rock, 21:30, £4

EMILIE AUTUMN, LAHANNYA, SCREAMING BLUE MURDER, STUDIO 24, Rock, 20:00, £12 THE BASEMENT, THE DOLEDRUMS, DELTA MAINLINE, DUTY FREE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Irish Rockers, 19:00, 22:00, Free

FRI 20 JUL

SCREAMING BLUE MURDER, FAT BEN, THE LOOTERS,

THREE SISTERS, Indie, 20:30, £5

SUBWAY COWGATE, Metal, 19:30, £TBC

BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Rock, 21:30, £4

Acoustic night, 20:00, 03:00, £TBC

House Band, 16:00, Free TRIO JAZZ, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz, 15:30, Free WORLD PREMIERE, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz, 21:00, £2

19:00, 22:00, £5 (£4 before 19:30pm)

THE LURKERS, SHOCK AND AWE, RESTLESS NATIVES, TBC, HOLLOW HEART PARLOUR, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, THE RAB HOWAT BAND, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD,

SUN 8 JUL

DOGHOUSE ROSES, WEE FOLK CLUB, ROYAL OAK,

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS, THE STRANDS, THE DELOREANS, INDIE RING, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Power punk, THE MIDNIGHT STILLS, STROSZEK, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie, 21:30, £4.00

SAT 21 JUL

Folk, 20:30, £3

ARCADIAN, THE-OCO, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD,

BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie, 21:30, £4

BRYAN ADAMS, MURRAYFIELD STADIUM, Classic rock

MON 9 JUL

THE AXIDENTS, WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS, BABYTIGER, THE LOFT @ THREE SISTERS, Post-punkers, 20:30,

EL PEDRO, 3DBS DOWN, OFF BEAT HEROES, TBC, HOBO, THE BONGO CLUB, 22:00, 03:00, £3 BORTHWICKS, THE HUMOUR, BANNERMAN’S UNDER-

WORLD, Rock, 21:00, £4.00

THE JAZZ BAR BIG BAND, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz, 20:00,

Rock, 21:30, £4

crooner, 16:00, £45, £35

£5

SUN 22 JUL

Free

IMMANIS, JLK, TUNGUSKA, BANNERMAN’S UNDER-

TUE 10 JUL

NORTHERN ALLIANCE, THE RED WELL, CANDYTHIEF,

BILL KYLE’S JASBO, THE JAZZ BAR, Jazz, 20:30, Free CAJUN DANCE PARTY, JAKOBINARINA, TINSELTOWN, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Indie Rock, 19:00, £7 DOWNFALL, DEBASSED, SUBWAY COWGATE, Punk /

WORLD, Jazz, 21:30, £4

CABARET VOLTAIRE, Folky fence alliliates, 19:00, 22:00,

Free

RACHEL DAWICK, WEE FOLK CLUB, ROYAL OAK, Folk, 20:30, £3

WED 11 JUL

THY CAME FORTH, EMILY ROSE, BLACK CHAIN, FORGOTTEN SOUND, STUDIO 24, Metal, TBC, £TBC DEADLOSS SUPERSTAR, APES IQ, BANNERMAN’S UNDER-

£TBC

THE PAGANS, THE BONGO CLUB, Nine piece indie folk

rock, 19:00, £4

DEATH CAN DANCE, SUBWAY COWGATE, Metal, 20:00,

MARK MCCABE, FUZZY AND THE MALFUNCTIONING ANDROIDS, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Indie rock, 21:30, £4

THUR 12 JUL EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Indie rock, 20:00, £4

MOYA, MISHKIN, BANNERMAN’S UNDERWORLD, Metal,

62 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

WORLD, Rock, 21:30, £4

collective, 19:00, 22:30, £8 (£6)

WED 25 JUL

ANDRE DURACELL, P:VH, TABASCO FIASCO, HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, Alt/rock/experimental, 20:00, £6

OPM, SUBWAY COWGATE, Metal, 19:00, £TBC THE ACUTE, CRY OVER BILLIONAIRES, LAST GREAT

LISTINGS

EDITORIAL * EDITORIAL * E Ok. In a Vice-esque turn of ideals, The Skinny decided to have a theme issue. A few noses turned at the idea at the Section Editors’ meeting merely because they didn’t want to be seen as assuming the same high and mighty attitude of those particular coke-nosed journalists; but it works if it is an opposites theme cos we can argue we are the opposite of what we are appearing to be... yeah. Some sections have taken the theme to the extreme. For instance the DVD section has gone back to the old school with a VHS special that takes a look at how it fared as the first household visual-media name. For a subject change, LGBT asks a heterosexual some intrusive questions about their private life, and, as always, are provided with some insightful answers. Similarly Lifestyle has picked one of the least likely holiday destinations at this moment in time; check ‘Go Away!’ for the skinny on travelling hazards in Afghanistan. Obviously we’ve spent all month in the office asking each other questions like ‘What is the opposite of a gnu?’ and ‘What’s the opposite of the internet?’ but thankfully we still managed to produce a magazine that makes some sense, and still contains some useful information. In an un-Skinny editorial turn, the Theatre section tackles the Edinburgh International Festival. Surely The Skinny should be getting its teeth into everything new and cult on the Fringe? No, the NTS is kicking some maintream-but-pioneering-theatrical-ass with the much anticipated and updated Greek classic The Bacchae, as the director tells us here. Also, Beats takes a serious look at how we listen, not what we listen to, and reports back on how to look after our ears in noisy places. !ku.ok.gamynniks@srettel :yas ot gnihtyna evah uoy fi su etirw dna ,woleb snoititepmoc eht tuo kcehc ot tegrof t’noD. Sophie

COMPETITIONS

GLASGOW LIVE HAVE A LOOK FOR MORE SKINNY FREEBIES AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK, ALONG WITH OUR COMPETITION REGULATIONS. THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS 20 JULY UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. SEND YOUR ANSWERS, ALONG WITH YOUR NAME, ADDRESS AND CONTACT NO. TO: COMPETITIONS@SKINNYMAG.CO.UK

A) NOTHIN’ BUT A G-STRING

A) SOUTH STREET

B) NOTHIN’ BUT A BEE STING

B) NORTH STREET

C) NOTHIN BUT A G THANG

C) WEST STREET

UP!! S M BOTTO

MUSIC QUIZ KOPPARBERG PEAR AND APPLE CIDER HAS BEEN REFRESHING THE MASSES ACROSS SCOTLAND SINCE IT LAUNCHED LAST YEAR. KOPPARBERG CIDER IS MADE IN THE TOWN OF KOPPARBERG,

EHT S K I YNN

SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO THE SKINNY KOPPARBERG MUSIC QUIZ TO COMPETITIONS@SKINNYMAG.CO.UK, AND THE HIGHEST SCORE (DRAWN FROM A HAT IF IT’S A TIE) WINS THE CIDER!

1. In which city was Slash born? 2. Sharing its name with a part of Edinburgh, the first Glastonbury Festival was also called the ‘...’ Festival?

8pm, 11pm, £2

PAPER AIR FORCE, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, TWO TONE, JIEZUBERBAND, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm,

THE STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND, BARFLY,

Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £6.00 THE BODIES, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, Free

THUR 5 JUL

7. What is the name of this summer’s Brazilian/British music showcase staged in London, Glasgow and Liverpool?

THE THRILLS, ABC, Come-back for the Bohemians, 7pm,

8. Whose current single is called Gloves?

11pm, £12.50

9. Name the electronic/pop/punk outfit from Sao Paulo whose band name roughly translates to ‘I’m tired of being sexy’.

DICELINES, HOLLOW POINT, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm,

10. Whose recent album release on Big Dada is called Playtime Is Over?

BURY YOUR DEAD, CATHOUSE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm,

11pm, tbc

11. Which July festival in Scotland has a capacity of 10,000?

£7.50

ROD STEWART, HAMPDEN PARK, Let’s hope mar-

12. How many black keys on a full size keyboard?

riage hasn’t exhausted his bluesy fire., 8pm, 11pm, £55.00/£65.00 CLUBLAND LL LAUNCH PARTY, JUMPIN’ JACKS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £8.00 THE YOUNG HIPS, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc OHIO, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sublime singer songwriter influenced by folk/Americana, 8pm, 11pm, £2 SIMPLE MISTAKE, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, dubby electronica combining real instruments with effects, 8pm, 11pm, £2

13. Who wrote the theme music for Flash Gordon? 14. Which British pop star thought Spinal Tap were a real band and walked out of their gig when he was told they were actors? 15. Name the Phil Collins and Tears for Fears tunes that were deemed unsuitable for air on the BBC during the Gulf conflict. 16. What does Beyonce put ‘in a box to the left’? 17. What building on the banks of the Clyde became famous for hosting Franz Ferdinand’s secret gigs? 18. Stuart Braithwaite fronts which Glasgow band?

www.mcclurenaismith.com Solicitors and supporter of The Skinny Contact: Euan Duncan 0141 303 7814

WED 18 JUL

FRIARS, Folk, 8pm, 11pm, Free

WED 4 JUL

19. Which group penned the lyrics ‘like a monkey with a miniature cymbal’? 20. Heartbeats, the song recently covered by Jose Gonzales, was originally a hit for...

FRI 6 JUL

THE EXPLOITED, BARFLY, Punk is not dead. , 8pm, 11pm,

£10.00

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE THE MAN WHO GOT A HORSE TO SMASH A CD BY LEWIS HOSIE

CONVERGE, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £12.50 LOSTPROPHETS, GARAGE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £15.00

THE LURKERS, ROCKERS, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £9.00 READING THE LEAVES, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, poetry and short story readings, 8pm, 11pm, £2

SAT 7 JUL

KASABIAN , ABC, Stadium passion in intimate venue,

7pm, 11pm, £20.00

BIG BOB, ART DE CAF, Blue Ska, 8pm, 10.30pm, Free HOTTER THAN HELL, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, 8 MICHAEL DEANS, BLOC, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free PADDY FLAHERTY QUARTET, BREL, Jazz, 3pm, 6pm, Free

SIX HOURS OF HATE, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc

SUN 8 JUL Ape

ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

Thimble

Pink Shirts

THE SKINNY

THE BEING, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £6.00 JAZZ AT BLACKFRIARS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRI-

www.skinnymag.co.uk

turing nicely, 8pm, 11pm, tbc

CANDIRU JAZZ, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, modern jazz

standards played by our resident trio, 8pm, 11pm, £2 MICHAEL SIMONS, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, folk, blues and beyond from this fingerstyle guitarist, 8pm, 11pm, £2

1am, Free

11pm, £10.00

GLASGOW SONGWRITERS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACK-

Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc MNEMIC, CATHOUSE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, cancelled TAT, SHOCK LEADER, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc ALLAN Y MCDOUGALL, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, traditional Scottish songs arranged for guitar and bouzouki, 8pm, 11pm, £2

BLACK ALLEY SCREENS, NICE N SLEAZY, Local stars, ma-

THE SHAMBOLIC WARDROBE, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE,

YAMAN, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sitar, flute and mixes,

DICELINES, TYPE 23, ALL MY LOGIC, CAPITOL, Live

11pm, £27.50

TUE 10 JUL £5.00

Free

STEVE VAI, CARLING ACADEMY, Guitar wizard, 7pm,

THUR 26 JUL

8pm, 11pm, Free

SEPULTURA, ABC, Very heavy, 7pm, 11pm, £17.00 TEXTURES, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £6.50 STARS AREN’ T SILVER, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am,

11pm, tbc

VESSELS, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, Free TOWERS OF LONDON, GARAGE, Live Music, 8pm,

ACOUSTIC JAM, NICE N SLEAZY, Newcomers welcome,

TUES 3 JUL

CHRIS BLAIR, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, TWO TONE, THE RAMSAYS, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm,

8pm, 11pm, £2

£5.00

11pm, £12.00

6. Why was Jim Morrison arrested on stage?

11pm, £6.00

an evening of bands organised and presented by Tom Snowball, 8pm, 11pm, £2

STONES THROW 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR FEAT: PEANUT BUTTER WOLF, J-ROCC, PERCEE BLACC, GUILTY SIMPSON , THE SUB CLUB, Live Music, 8pm,

5. Who was the first black artist to air their video on MTV?

tbc

AMOS LEE, ABC2, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, £13.50 THE ORANGE NIGHTS, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm,

Novelty covers from I am Chemist, 7pm, 11pm, tbc BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, CARLING ACADEMY, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, £18.50 SUPERSIZED BANANAS, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, insert a jazz sound here for a funk filled evening of pipes and bass, 8pm, 11pm, £2 MICHAEL SIMONS, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, folk, blues and beyond from this fingerstyle guitarist, 8pm, 11pm, £2

4. Block Party’s debut album was...

ABC: 22,052. 1/1/07 - 31/03/07

LOSS LEADER, BLOC, One man Band, 9pm, 11pm, Free SONIC HEARTS, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm,

KOPPARBERG CIDER WILL BE SUPPORTING A SERIES OF EXCITING MUSIC EVENTS OVER THE COMING MONTHS SO THAT EVEN MORE PEOPLE CAN ENJOY ITS REFRESHING AND CLEAN TASTE. FOR

3. What was the previous moniker of Gordon Anderson of The Aliens? ADVERTISING SALES INFORMATION E: SALES@SKINNYMAG.CO.UK T: 0131 467 4630 The Skinny is distributed through a network of public venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. To get on the distribution list please contact SKINNY@SKINNYMAG.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 Issue 22 July 2007 © Fatso Media ltd

MON 2 JUL

CRY PARROT, BABY BONES, I AM CHEMIST, CAPITOL,

TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THREE CRATES OF TASTY KOPPARBERG, YOU’LL NEED TO BE UP THERE WITH THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE - OR INTERNET-DILIGENT - OF SCOTLAND’S MUSIC LOVERS.

8pm, 11pm, £2

YAMAN, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sitar, flute and mixes,

SWEDEN WHERE IT’S THE BEST SELLING CIDER - AND IT’S FAST BECOMING A FAVOURITE HERE TOO.

YOU TRY IT SOON!

OZOMATLI, ARCHES, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, £12.50 YAMAN, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sitar, flute and mixes,

TIERS, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, Free

£6.00

ON WHICH STREET IS IVY LOCATED?

MON 9 JUL

MON 16 JUL

TUE 17 JUL TAUNTRA, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, ACOUSTIC JAM, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, AZRIEL AND ETERNAL LORD, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm,

CRIME IN STEREO, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm,

SNOOP D O DOUBLE G WAS TITLED:

11pm, tbc

Music, 8pm, 11pm, Free THE DUEL, ROCKERS, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £7.00

MICHAEL DEANS, COTTIERS, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free VIVA MELODICA, MONICA QUEEN, BLUEFLINT, COT-

ONE OF DR DRE’S FIRST AND MOST FAMOUS COLLABORATIONS WITH

Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

3pm, 6pm, Free

Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

Voted BEST NEW BAR (Theme Awards) 2007, Ivy bar has the largest selection of rum in Glasgow, with over 70 different bottles to choose from. They asked us if our readers would like a chance to win a free bottle. After some over-extended expressions of disbelief after such a silly question, we accepted their offer. The prize is a bottle of Green Island rum, from Mauritius. Ivy is the only place stocking this particular bottle in Scotland. It’s really yummy and it could be yours if you can answer this simple question:

country punk, 8pm, 11pm, Free

FIRESTORM, BLUEPRINT TO A DOWNFALL, CAPITOL, Live ACOUSTIC JAM, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, MICHAEL DEANS, COTTIERS, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free VIVA MELODICA, THE METRO GNOMES, COTTIERS, Live

CANADIAN SHOWCASE, DEAD CITY RADIO, CAPITOL,

This month, Death Row Records release Death Row Dayz; a new compilation featuring some of Dr Dre’s most celebrated post-NWA work to date, including collaborations with 2Pac, Snoop Doggy Dogg and, of course, the dulcet tones of Nate Dogg. To celebrate the skills of the mighty, mighty D-R-E, Vision Music have given us 6 copies to give away. The question, as we’re sure Andre would agree, “ain’t sheeeit.”

ARS, Jazz, 9pm, 1am, Free

11pm, Free

JAZZ FEST, BEN MACDONALD QUARTET, BREL, Jazz,

MORE DETAILS CHECK OUT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/KOPPARBERGCIDER - ENJOYING A GLASS OF KOPPARBERG CIDER IS THE PERFECT WAY TO CHILL OUT IN THE SUMMER SUN SO MAKE SURE

For the opposites theme, look for this graphic:

SUN 1 JUL, JAZZ AT BLACKFRIARS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRIARS, Jazz, 9pm, 1am, Free THE BOTTLENECKERS, BLACKFRIARS, 50s R’n’B, 9pm,

CRY PARROT, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, Free DICELINES, WE WOULD BE KINGS, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

11pm, tbc

K&M, PAPER FEW, THE VALOR, CAPITOL, Live Music,

legend still got it?, 8pm, 11pm, £40.00 THE RUSHES, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £5.00 REBBECA, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £5.00 ANDY MILLER, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, acoustic guitar virtuoso presents some of his favourite bands, 8pm, 11pm, £2

GILBY, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, electric modern jazz

SMOKEY ROBINSON, CLYDE AUDITORIUM, Has the sould

WED 11 JUL

7pm, 11pm, tbc

featuring original material from guitarist Alan Gilbert, 8pm, 11pm, £2 MICHAEL SIMONS, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, folk, blues and beyond from this fingerstyle guitarist, 8pm, 11pm, £2

THUR 19 JUL

THE SILENT LEAGUE, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £7.00 DEAD OR AMERICAN, BLOC, Live Music, 9pm, 2am, IONA MARSHALL, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, Edinburgh I LOVE ROCK, INFORMATION CONTROL, TWIN ATbased singer songwriter with support, 8pm, 11pm, £2 LANTIC, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc LETHAL BIZZLE, KING TUTS, Indie- rapsters, 8.30pm, 11pm, £8.00

CAJUN DANCE PARTY, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm,

FRI 20 JUL

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS, ARCHES, Proper Reggae

Legends, 7pm, 11pm, £15.00 SOME BOY, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £5.00 CANDIRU JAZZ, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, modern jazz KESSLER, THE BROGUES, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, standards played by our resident trio, 8pm, 11pm, £2 MICHAEL SIMONS, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, folk, blues 11pm, tbc BIG COUNTRY, GARAGE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, and beyond from this fingerstyle guitarist, 8pm, 11pm, £15.00 £2 TOM BAXTER, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £10.00 THE MAGNIFICENTS, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, BACK TO BASICS, THE FRETS, BLACKFRIARS, Punk, 11pm, tbc 8.30pm, 1am, tbc CAPITOL ROCKS, BLACK ARROWS, OBE, CAPITOL, Live BETTER CRACK CLUB, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, monthly story telling evening, 8pm, 11pm, free Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc NANCI GRIFFITH, FRUITMARKET, Charming folk-country, 8pm, 11pm, £25.00 BLOODHOUND GANG, GARAGE, Hooray for nostalgia., BIG BOB, ART DE CAF, Blue Ska, 8pm, 10.30pm, Free 8pm, 11pm, cancelled PM, THE PASSENGERS, BLACKFRIARS, Live Music, 9pm, DYKEENIES, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £8.00 3am, £6 MICHAEL DEANS, BLOC, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free MACH 5, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc PAUL ALGER & VIVIEN SCOTSTON, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO RICHARD BURTON QUARTET, BREL, Jazz, 3pm, 6pm, Free ANE, searing, soaring singer songwriters, 8pm, 11pm, THE BOTTLENECKERS, BUTTERFLY AND PIG, 50s R’n’B, £2 8.30pm, 11pm, Free SONGS FOR SAIL, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, Live Music, CORTEZ, CAPITOL, Another local band promising great 8pm, 11pm, £2 things, 7pm, 11pm, tbc DIRECTING HAND, ALEX NEILSON AND VINNIE BELISHA , CATHOUSE, Under 18’s, 8pm, 11pm, £6.00 BLACKWALL, UNIVERSAL BAR, folk noise, 7.30pm, 1am, 11pm, £6.50

THUR 12 JUL

SAT 21 JUL

FRI 13 JUL

DANCE PLANET OLD SCHOOL, ARCHAOS, Live Music,

FILTHY LITTLE ANGELS, THE LEATHERETTES, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £4

7pm, 11pm, £8.00

SUN 22 JUL

sic, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

ARS, Jazz, 9pm, 1am, Free

mash up, 8pm, 11pm, Free DYKEENIES, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £8.00 BLIND PEW, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc WHISPERS IN THE ATTIC, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, mellow experimental music, 8pm, 11pm, free

11pm, tbc

GET LOOSE FRIDAYS, THE CASUALS, CAPITOL, Live MuLAKI MERA, CLASSIC GRAND, Electronica and acoustic

SAT 14 JUL

BIG BOB, ART DE CAF, Blue Ska, 8pm, 10.30pm, Free MICHAEL DEANS, BLOC, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free MIKE ROGERS QUINTET, BREL, Jazz, 3pm, 6pm, Free TWO TONE, PENNY BLACKS, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

JAZZ AT BLACKFRIARS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRISWEDISH EVENING, TBC, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, THE BE GOOD TANYAS, CITY HALLS, Engaged folk, 8pm, 11pm, £18.50

MICHAEL DEANS, COTTIERS, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free ASOBI SEKSU, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm,

THE BLIMP, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc ELTON JOHN, SECC, Watford’s second finest export, 8pm, 11pm, £50.00

INDIAN SUMMER, FLAMING LIPS, VICTORIA PARK, A Rainbow of musical magic, 9am, 1am, £65

SUN 15 JUL

KYRBGRINDER, CATHOUSE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £5.00

MICHAEL DEANS, COTTIERS, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free VIVA MELODICA, LE RENO AMPS, COTTIERS, Ace

11pm, £8.00

LOCAL DEATHCORE NIGHT, SOUNDHAUS, Not for the timid, 8pm, 11pm, £4.00

FOLK FAE FIFE, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, music from the kingdom and beyond, 8pm, 11pm, £2

FLOWERSOUNDS ACOUSTIC SHOWCASE, TCHAI OVNA, SOUTHSIDE, featuring the fingerpicking folkery of A.P. Mor-

rison, 8pm, 11pm, £2

FRI 27 JUL

PVH, ANDRE DURACELL, 13TH NOTE, One-man Drum-trigger synth fury- from France!, 8pm, 11pm, £5

GET LOOSE FRIDAYS, THE DHARMA, ID PARADE, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

TROCABRAHMA, FOUR TET AND OPEN FIELD CHURCH, CLASSIC GRAND, Knob fiddling, 8pm, 11pm, £10.00

MEXICOLAS, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £5.00

IN YOUR SCARECROW, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc

WING AND A PRAYER, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, singer songwriter duo strongly influenced by the blues, 8pm, 11pm, £2 THE VOLTS AND LEDASTRAY, THE FERRY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £12.00

SAT 28 JUL

THE BEATS FEATURING THE STREETS, ABC, The worst lyricist in Britain. Let’s hope he wears the orange suit., 7pm, 11pm, £15.00 INSIDE OUT, ARCHES, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, £12 BIG BOB, ART DE CAF, Blue Ska, 8pm, 10.30pm, Free MICHAEL DEANS, BLOC, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free JEN CLARK TRIO, BREL, Jazz, 3pm, 6pm, Free DICELNES, FEATURE 86, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

TROCABRAHMA, BEN WESTBEECH, TITA LIMA AND GILLES PETERSON, CLASSIC GRAND, Acid Jazz, 8pm, 11pm, £10.00

TROCABRAHMA, KING CREOSOTE, ROMULO FROES, GRUFF RHYS AND TONY DA GATORRA, FRUITMARKET, Fife Folk, 8pm, 11pm, £14.00

AL ROSA, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, tbc

SUN 29 JUL

MOUTHWASH , BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £6.00 JAZZ AT BLACKFRIARS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRIARS, Jazz, 9pm, 1am, Free

URBAN SCOT, LAUNCH NIGHT, CAPITOL, Chilled Urban Beats, 7pm, 11pm, tbc

MICHAEL DEANS, COTTIERS, Jazz, 5pm, 8pm, Free TROCABRAHMA, OS MUTANTES, JD TWITCH, BONDE DO ROLE, RADIOCLIT, AMANDA BLANK AND DIPLO, FRUITMARKET, Brazil’s finest psyche-rock, 8pm, 11pm, £14.00

TELLISON AND ENCYCLOPEDIA, NICE N SLEAZY, Live

MON 23 JUL

MON 30 JUL

8pm, 11pm, £7.00

7pm, 11pm, tbc

8.30pm, 11pm, £8.50

tbc

HANDSOME DEVIL, PILLOW FIGHT, CAPITOL, Live Music,

REVERAND AND THE MAKERS, KING TUTS, Live Music,

ACOUSTIC JAM, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm,

ACOUSTIC JAM, NICE N SLEAZY, Live Music, 8pm,

YAMAN, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sitar, flute and mixes,

8pm, 11pm, £2

TUE 31 JUL

TUE 24 JUL

GLASGOW SONGWRITERS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRIARS, Folk, 8pm, 11pm, Free

GLASNOST, BLOC, French Hippies, 9pm, 2am, THE GAME, CARLING ACADEMY, Hip hop, 7pm, 11pm, £25.00

JAZZ AT BLACKFRIARS, VARIOUS ARTISTS, BLACKFRIARS, AILIDH’ S DAILY UKELELE CEILIDH, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO Jazz, 9pm, 1am, Free

CAPITOL ROCKS, BLACK ARROWS, CHEVIOT HOODS, CAPITOL, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, tbc NEWTON FAULKNER, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm,

Music, 8pm, 11pm, £6.00

SIKTH WITH ARCHITECTS, CRY FOR SILENCE, BIOME- 11pm, tbc CHANICAL, TED MAUL, MALEFACE AND BARRABUS, YAMAN, TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, sitar, flute and mixes, GARAGE, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £10.00

RICHIE HAVENS, ABC2, Live Music, 7pm, 11pm, £15.00 BACK TO BASICS, ZAT, BLACKFRIARS, Punk, 8.30pm,

£5.00

SHAPED BY FATE AND FUTURE, CATHOUSE, Live Music,

LISTINGS

YNNIKS EHT

8pm, 11pm, £2

THE NOCOLES, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £5.00 RICKY SCAGGS AND KENTUCKY THUNDER, FRUITMARKET, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £23.50

UNDERGROUND HEROES, KING TUTS, Live Music, 8.30pm, 11pm, £6.00

JIM MCATEER PRESENTS, MAGIC CARPET CABARET,

TCHAI OVNA OTAGO ANE, a night of singer songwriters and

bands, 8pm, 11pm, £2

ANE, an unmissable performance of a year long phenom-

enon, 8pm, 11pm, £2

WED 25 JUL

ROLO TOMASSI, BARFLY, Live Music, 8pm, 11pm, £5.00

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

THE SKINNY RECOMMENDS YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS ROCK KARAOKE, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock Karaoke,

(£3)

groove, soul, reggae, 23:00, £6, £4 b4 12am

cheese, student anthems & requests, 23:00, £2, £1 students, free b4 12am GRAFITTI, KIPP$ & MASTER CAIRD, MEDINA, Party tunes all night, 22:00, £3 (£2) HOUSEBOUND, RESIDENTS, EGO, Sexy house, funky stuff, electro & disco with DJs from Edinburgh & Glasgow, 22:00, £5 KARNIVAL, RESIDENTS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Dance, 23:00, £5 (£3) LIC IT, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 11.30pm

music, 22:30, £6, £3 b4 11pm

SHOWER OF BANJOS, RESIDENTS & GUESTS, OCTOPUS

tic mix of tunes, 20:00, Free

SOUNDS GOOD, ASTROBOY & BREADMARK, PIVO

CLASS!, DJ LUCKY LUCIANO, SUBWAY COWGATE, Vintage LIQUID SOUL, MARK B & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Chirpy

POLYPHONIC SOCIAL CLUB, JACEK ZAMOJSKI & GUESTS, PIVO CAFFE, Electric mash up dance grooves, 19:00, Free

SALSA DISCO, RESIDENTS, CUBA NORTE, Salsa dance & tasty tapas, 22:00, Free

SOULED OUT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, FRAZER MCGLINCHEY & GUESTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Soul, disco &

LOUNGE, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT), EclecMUCH MORE, NASTY P & CUNNIE, MEDINA, Hip-hop & funk cuts , 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm

OCEAN TERMINAL SUMMER PARTY, ERICK MORILLO, ASHLEY BEEDLE, KERRI CHANDLER & MORE, OCEAN TERMINAL, House music, 20:00, £tbc

PARTY NIGHT, DJ PAPI & ALEX GATO , EL BARRIO, Salsa night with free classes from 10pm, 23:00, Free RETRIBUTION, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Goth music for the old, 23:00, £5, £3 students

SATURDAY CIRCUS, GARETH CRUIKSHANK, BABES & SPANKY, RED, A Snatch style affair, 21:00, Free SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, ERIK D’VIKING & ASTROBOY, THE JAZZ BAR, Live music from Kokolo, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm

SEITEKI SATURDAYS, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house,

20:00, Free

DIAMOND, Scottish, 20:00, £3

CAFFE, Soul, jazz & funk, 19:00, Free

TRADE UNION, DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 22:00, £2, £1

Trade Union members/ECCF members ZOOT SWING, SWINGERS, CAFÉ ROYAL, Swing dance classes, beginners 7pm, improvers 8pm followed by big-band swing jazz & neo-swing beats, 19:00, £4.50 (£3.50), free after 9 P-HAZE, BARAKA, Mashup, 20:30, Free KINKEY, HENRYS CELLAR, Flamenco, latin & reggae, 22:00, £3

TUE 31 JUL

ANTICS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COW-

GATE, Rock, emo, punk & metal, 23:00, Free

DARK PLANET OPEN MUSIC, PUBLIC, BARAKA, Come

play your vinyl, CDs, iPod, mp3 player or laptop, 20:30, Free SOPHISTIFUNK, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), CITY, DELICIOUS, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Strictly hip House remixes, funky RnB & bootlegs, 23:00, £8 (£4) hop & RnB, 23:00, Free SOULCIAL, DENNIS PROBERT & YOGI HAUGHTON, BAR THE DIAMOND DICE, MR. JINX, MASSA, Hip hop, RnB 99, Early soul session, 16:00, Free & grime, 22:00, £5 SUBSTANCE, FANCY & SPOOK, HENRYS CELLAR, Live FRUNT, DJ STUART JOHNSTON, THE LIQUID ROOM, electro, 23:00, £5 House music all night long, 22:30, Free TEASE AGE, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock, INDIE MIX, NICK A.K.A. & THE DALEK, PIVO CAFFE, motown, alternative & soul, 23:00, £5, free b4 YIN-YANG, HUGGY, CRAIG SMITH, SHANGHAI (UNDER- 11.30pm Indie, alt, Mashup & bootlegs, 21:00, Free NEATH LE MONDE), House, 22:00, £6 (£3) MOTHERFUNK, FRYER & GINO, OPAL LOUNGE, Original ULTRAGROOVE, CRAIG BARTLETT, CABARET VOLTAIRE, THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Jazz to soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00, Free House, 23:00, £8 (£6) breakbeats, 21:00, Free VEGAS, RESIDENTS, EGO, Lounge, retro, funk, ratpack, REWIND, RESIDENTS, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, 100% upfront RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £2, ladies free b4 12am 22:00, £10 (£7) AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep GARETH SOMERVILLE (ULTRAGROOVE) & JONNIE SPITFIRES SOCIAL CLUB, RESIDENTS, RED, Indie social house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free club, 21:00, Free LYLEY (SCRATCH), ASSEMBLY BAR, House to hip hop, AMNESIA, HARDCORE DJS, STUDIO 24, Hardcore, SPLIT, EDINBURGH LOCALS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of 21:00, Free gabba, 23:00, £tbc DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE house, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy midBLACK TAPE, PUNTERS, HENRYS CELLAR, 30 minute week rave, 23:00, Free & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, eclectic sets from punters, 23:00, £5 (£4) 20:00, £7, free b4 12am TUESDAY HEARTBREAK, AKI & GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, CLUB CLASSICS, SCOTT ELLIOT, CRAIG GEE & GAV RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Saturday night soiree, 22:00, Funk, soul & jazz, 23:00, Free £6, free b4 12am GRANT ON ROTATION, PIVO CAFFE, Classic club music VIBE, JAMES LONGWARTH, EGO, Weekly gay club playfrom the past 15 years, 17:00, Free ing chart, 23:00, £4 ALL BACK TO MINE, RESIDENTS, OPAL DAVA & HOBBES, LULU, Eclectic set, 20:00, £4, free CULT, DJ NICKI & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Hip hop, disco, LOUNGE, Eclectic mix of personal favourites, 22:00, £3, b4 11pm funk & RnB, 22:00, £5, £2.50 b4 11pm free b4 11pm DE LUXE, RESIDENTS, HUDSON CLUB, Funky house with BABY DOLL, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, Funky house, 23:00, resident DJs, 23:00, £3, free b4 12am £5, free b4 11.30pm EVOL, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie, hip hop, alBACK TO BASICS, IAN ANDERSON & BISCUIT D, PIVO ternative beats & rock, 22:30, £5 FRONTLINE SELECTA, RESIDENTS, STEREO, Roots, reggae, CAFFE, Retro dance, 90s & disco, 19:00, Free BOOTY, DALE LUSH & FRIENDS, MEDINA, Soul, funk, dancehall, dub & ragga, 23:00, Free disco & chart, 22:00, £5 GET FUNK’D, DOUBLE D & ISLA, MEDINA, Hip hop to CURIOUS? SUNDAY JOINT, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO house, 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm GROOVEJET, TONY MCHUGH, TOKYO, Dancefloor hits, CLUB, Diverse selection of music, free internet & games, 16:00, £3, free b4 11pm 22:00, £6 JAM FRIDAY, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Pop & EASY SUNDAY, SAM JOSE, TALL PAUL, THE JAZZ BAR, Lounge, 23:00, Free cheese, 22:00, £2 FRESHMODE, PEAS & DJG, CITY CAFÉ (DOWNSTAIRS), Hip MISFITS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Indie, electro, hop, breaks, funk & open mic, 20:00, Free punk, rock, retro & a tequila girl, 23:00, £2 dance, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am STILETTO, JEZ HILL, LULU, Electro-pop, classics & disco, 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm SYNTHETIC, JAN LIEFHEBBER, THE BONGO CLUB, Techno, 22:30, £5 TOKYO KYOUYOU, SCOTT GRANGER, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) TRAFFIC, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Indie & alternative, 23:30, Free

23:00, £6

Toots & The Maytals

FRI 27 JUL

SUN 29 JUL

The Vivians - by Colin Robertson

MODERN LOVERS, RESIDENTS, COCTEAU LOUNGE (EGO), FRICTION, DEREK MARTIN & STUART JOHNSTON, Mod, soul, funk, psyche, 22:30, £5

LIQUID ROOM, Weekly dance club, 23:00, £4 (£2), £1

NIGHT TRAIN, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT),

Centro card

PLANET EARTH, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with

Free

20:00, Free

residents, 22:30, £5

RESTLESS, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Techno, 23:00, £5 SALSA CARIBE!, RESIDENTS, THE LOT, Salsa DJs on the special wooden dancefloor, 21:00, £5, £4 b4 9.30pm SUGARBEAT, RESIDENTS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Breakbeats , 22:30, £7 UNKNOWN PLEASURES, RESIDENTS, TEVIOT UNION, Indie club, 21:00, £3 (£2) XPLICIT, TEMPER D, THE BONGO CLUB, Drum & bass, 22:30, £tbc TROUBLE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Big gay disco to hip hop & broken beats, 17:00, Free

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, 20:00, £7, free b4 12am

RESIDENTS, THE MALTINGS, Open Mic, 21:30, Free JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Upfront & classic tunes, 22:00,

KAYOS, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock, metal & indie, 20:00, PAMA INTERNATIONAL, PAMA INTERNATIONAL LOVE FILLED DUB BAND, EGO, Dub, 19:00, £tbc PLAYGIRL MANSIONS, TRENDY WENDY, LULU, Chart pop & glam, 23:00, £4

SCOTTISH HOBO SOCIETY (LIVE), Y’ALL IS FANTASY ISLAND, CAT THE DOG, THE BONGO CLUB, Alternative SHAKE, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHANGHAI (UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House, soulful & funky, 23:00,

mixed with chart tunes, 23:00, Free

SOUNDPROOF OPEN DECKS, SOUNDPROOF DJS, BARAKA, Open decks night, 20:00, Free

TASTE, FISHER & PRICE, MISS CHRIS & MARTIN VALENTINE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Legendary gay-friendly club, 23:00, £8 (£6), £5 b4 11.30pm

TASTE FOREPLAY, MISS CHRIS, BARAKA, Pre-taste,

SAT 28 JUL

DAVA, LULU, Hip hop, funk, head nodding beats, 20:00, £4, free b4 11pm

AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS,

Deep house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

ALLSORTS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Chart, cheese & party, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am

THE CATHOUSE - SLIME WRESTLING, DJ BARRY, DJ MUPPET, THE DEMON DOLLS, STUDIO 24, Cult rock classics, 23:00, £6

DUB2CLUB, MANGOMAD & DJ DEFAULT, PIVO CAFFE, Dance, indie, hip hop & breaks, 17:00, Free

EDENANGELS, SANDRO RODRIGUEZ, LUCKY LUCIANO, THE VAULTS, House & techno, 22:00, £6 (£5) THE EGG, CHRIS & PAUL, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00, £5, £4 students/members GIVE IT SOME, RED 6, THE BONGO CLUB, Funk, rare

60 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

20:00, Free

MON 30 JUL

Meet the Harrises Go Away! - to Afghanistan

6 10

LGBT Interview with a heterosexual

FILM

Bruce Willis Cannes film festival

DVD

Beyond Videodrome

BOOKS

Go Away - to Afghanistan, pg 10 16 18

A feast of a Fest

GAMES Domestic Terror

THEATRE The Bacchae The Brick Award

22 23

ART Aernout Mik

SOUNDS

The Nightwatchman Bloc Party vs Biffy Clyro

BEATS

Neil Landstrumm Alex Smoke

Interview with a heterosexual, pg 14

Bruce Willis, pg 16 28 32

42 49

LISTINGS

Edinburgh & Glasgow Art, Comedy, Theatre, Club and Live Music listings

PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR DEPUTY EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR PRODUCTION EDITOR ONLINE & SOUNDS EDITOR SUBEDITOR & ARTS EDITOR BEATS EDITOR FILM EDITOR THEATRE EDITOR BOOKS EDITOR LGBT EDITOR GAMES EDITOR DVD EDITOR COMEDY EDITOR GLASGOW MUSIC CLUBS LISTINGS LAYOUT ASSISTANCE

O.B.E.. - by Calum Barr

SIENTELO!, RESIDENTS, EL BARRIO, Latin America music

£6, free b4 12am

6 14 16 19 20 21 22 26 28 42 52

LIFESTYLE

ISSUE 22, JULY 2007

The Nightwatchman, pg 28

THE SKINNY TEAM * THE SKIN CONTRIBUTERS * CONTRI

music for justified sinners, 22:30, £3

£3

CONTENTS

THE SKINNY

LISTINGS

HAPPY MONDAYS, RESIDENTS, PO

NA NA, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock &

funk, 23:00, £3, free for students/industry LA VIDA, JEZ HILL, LULU, Classic pop & funk anthems, 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm THE LATE JAM SESSION, GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Surprise jam session, 22:00, Free THE LATIN QUARTER, JAMES COMBE, MEDINA, Salsa, funk & latin house, 22:00, Free MOJO, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Modern music & timeless classics, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am PONY CLUB, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3)

EDINBURGH SALES EXECUTIVE GLASGOW SALES EXECUTIVE EVENTS MANAGER

FATSO MEDIA LTD SOPHIE KYLE RUPERT THOMSON CHARLOTTE RODENSTEDT LEIGH PEARSON DAVE KERR JAY SHUKLA ALEX BURDEN PAUL GREENWOOD HUGO FLUENDY KEIR HIND NINE JOSH WILSON ALEC MCLEOD EMMA LENNOX GARETH K. VILE ANDREW COOKE ROBBIE F THOMSON KIM CARPENTER REBECCA TAGGART LARA MOLONEY PETE BURNS BRAM GIEBEN

CORRECTIONS:

In the June issue the Clean George IV article was written by David Coyle. Lauren Taylor took the photos of East Anglia.

LISTINGS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

Alphabet Video, Graeme Allister, Liam Arnold, Xavier Jones Barlow, Chris Bathgate, Finbarr Bermingham, James Blake, Jamie Borthwick, Kevin Bridges, Ally Brown, Peter Burns, Darren Carle, Stephen Carty, Colin Chapman, Philippa Cochrane, Dave Cook, Charlotte Cooper, Dan Coxon, Heather Crumley, Natalie Doyle, Perry Farrell, Jennifer Felton, Neil Ferguson, Andrew Ferris, Duncan Forgan, Bram Gieben, Gabriella Griffith, Billy Hamilton, Aldi Hucksless, Huggy, John Hutchison, Barry Jackson, Jeff Jackson, Morag Keil, Hamza Khan, Diana Kiernander, Margaret Kirk, Omar Kudos, Michael Kynaston, Paddy Loughman, Susan Macguire, Rachel MacIntyre, Jack MacFarlane, Ali Maloney, Ruth Marsh, Franck Martin, Rosie McLean, Jack McFarlane, Sean Mcnamara, Sean Michaels, John Millar, Nick Mitchell, Lara Moloney, Sean Morris, Jonny Ogg, Struan Otter, Julie Paterson, Jon Seller, Rick Shaw, Laura Smith, Victor Hueylewis Smith, Karen Taggart, Rhi Tate, Teddy, Fraser Thompson, Garry Thomson, Chris Torres, Tristan Trinity, Gareth K Vile, Peter Walker, Lucy Weir, Lindsay West, Laurel Wilson, Michael Witham, Olga Wojciechowska

PHOTOGRAPHERS * PHO Eilidh Baxter, Mike Byrne, Jethro Collins, Eddie Fisher, Alain Irureta, John Lewis, Colin, Macdonald, Andrea Macarthy, Fergus Mitchell, Natascha Romboy, Jack Waddington , Calum Barr

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI If you don’t follow advice it’s best to do the opposite. We’re often warned against telling our dreams: it reveals our vulnerable subconscious, truths that’d be better kept hidden. Here are some recent dreams of mine t hen, d i s s em i nat e d mostly ‘cause they’re weird. 1. I’m in the Soundhaus in Glasgow (I’ve never actually been to the Soundhaus, but that’s definitely where I am), and Gnarls Barkley are onstage doing Take That covers. I’m dancing on my own; the walls are lined with goths. 2. I meet all the people who I haven’t accepted as friends on Facebook, and have to explain to them why I haven’t. It’s complicated, because they’re all decent folks – but I’m not comfortable with the internet taking over from real life just yet. They don’t see it that way. 3. I’m trying to get to my girlfriend over San Diego harbour, but when I try to swim I realise it’s too far, and take the bridge as part of some mass exodus. I think this can only have been inspired by the film Anchorman, and (possibly) its theme of male anxiety caused by being in a relationship with a successful woman. Hmm. I started by saying ‘if you don’t follow advice it’s best to do the opposite’. Incidentally, that was a piece of advice. / RJ Thomson

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI THE SKINNY ON TOUR A RANDOM SCRUFFY FIFER SEEN READING THE SKINNY IN BEVERLY HILLS...

MEET

T The Harrises H E S K I N YN by RJ Thomson

THIS ISSUE OF THE SKINNY IS THE OPPOSITES ISSUE, SO WE’VE DECIDED TO DO A CELEBRITY-RAG STYLE PROFILE OF A HAPPILY MARRIED COUPLE. STILL, MUCH BETTER TO CHOOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY TALENTED, RIGHT? “You sung in my choir.”

“I don’t think that’s true. You came to my show.” “It’s hell.” It’s the old ‘where we first met at university’ debate, only in this case not only are the sparring partners - John and Zinnie Harris - now happily married, they are engaged in careers directly related to their student hobbies. John is the proprietor of experimental music label Seven Things I Daren’t Express, and Zinnie is an acclaimed playwright, who has worked as writer in residence at the RSC. She has also recently been working on television, including BBC1 flagship drama Spooks.

LETTERS@SKINNYMAG.CO.UK

SKINNY-À-PORTER...

“It’s not! The episode I wrote last year was seen by six million people – it was the one in which Ruth Evershed left. [In this episode, the enthusiastic but skilled character, having been framed for colluding with terrorists, faked her own death and

“I try to look to the absolute edge of what people are doing. Seven Things is a dedicated hardcore experimental label.” “It’s not really ‘hardcore’ is it?” “I think so. And that means you have to find an audience, people don’t necessarily come to you. Raising finances is tricky when the market isn’t yet there. It’s great to be endlessly discovering new things, but it’s hard to establish yourself when there’s no following at all. It’s kind of iconoclastic, and has all the difficulties of being thought of as such.” “As do you!”

disappeared.] Thousands of postcards came in saying she must be proved innocent.

“Nobody ever wrote a play by democracy.” “Writing for a BBC1 flagship drama (Spooks) is very different from writing your own theatre piece. There are script editors, producers, from the BBC and the production company. Every decision is for a lot of people, you’re more like a cog in a machine. In a way it’s freeing – you have a story to tell and the skills to tell it. It’s nice to

And on their modes of operation: “The Seven Things approach to music is a bit like John Peel’s was: ‘I think you should hear this;’ though it goes a bit further: ‘I hope you’ve never heard anything like this before” – it’s explicitly exploratory. We pick a genre and pursue it to its outer limits. If you can dance to it, it’s not on Seven Things.”

HOT SUSHI, LISA LITTLEWOOD, TOKYO, Funky house &

SALSA CARIBE!, RESIDENTS, THE LOT, Salsa DJs on the

Lounge, 23:00, Free

club classics, 22:00, £tbc

hop, breaks, funk & open mic, 20:00, Free

tive, 22:30, £2, £1 students

special wooden dancefloor, 21:00, £5, £4 b4 9.30pm SOUL BISCUITS, RESIDENTS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Tribute to Notorious B.I.G., 23:00, £tbc UNKNOWN PLEASURES, RESIDENTS, TEVIOT UNION, Indie club, 21:00, £3 (£2) UTTER GUTTER, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Gay friendly alternative club, 23:00, £6 TROUBLE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Big gay disco to hip hop & broken beats, 17:00, Free

FRESHMODE, PEAS & DJG, CITY CAFÉ (DOWNSTAIRS), Hip INDI-GO, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie & alternaFRICTION, DEREK MARTIN & STUART JOHNSTON, LIQUID ROOM, Weekly dance club, 23:00, £4 (£2), £1

Centro card

INSOMNIA, WARNER POWERS & CLAUDIO, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, Fresh house tunes each week, 22:00, Free

JERK ALERT, WASTED LITTLE DJS, RED, Indie meets early

KAYOS, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock, metal & indie, 20:00, nineties youth club disco, 21:00, Free Free ROLLER DISCO, MASH & JON PLEASED, LULU, Past & PLAYGIRL MANSIONS, TRENDY WENDY, LULU, Chart future electronic classics, 20:00, £4.99, free b4 11pm pop & glam, 23:00, £4

SCOTTISH HOBO SOCIETY (LIVE), SANS TRAUMA, THE SET UP, THE BONGO CLUB, Alternative music for justified sinners, 22:30, £3

SHAKE, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHANGHAI (UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House, soulful & funky, 23:00,

£3

SIENTELO!, RESIDENTS, EL BARRIO, Latin America music mixed with chart tunes, 23:00, Free

SOUNDPROOF OPEN DECKS, SOUNDPROOF DJS,

THE PIT, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock & metal, 23:00, Free

STIR FRIED, B-SIDES & BOOTROSS ROCK, THE OUTHOUSE, 20:00, £7, free b4 12am Pre-club with indie & rock, 19:00, Free RESIDENTS, THE MALTINGS, Open Mic, 21:30, Free THE SUNSET, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Mediterranean JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Upfront & classic tunes, 22:00, & middle eastern night, 23:00, £5 (£4/3) TOXIK, DJ NU-CLEAR , OPIUM, New & old metal & hard rock, 20:00, Free

WE ARE … ELECTRIC, FLIX, TALL PAUL, CABARET VOL-

AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS,

Deep house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

“Thanks. But there’s a weird paradox, because although we don’t record with the audience in mind, we often record live because people do their best work in front of an audience. The audience doesn’t guide the music, but they can reflect it, and the artist’s adrenaline is heightened. For all artists the secret is in the way it is presented not the thing itself. That’ll suit your opposites theme. I do have a deeper thesis about the use of music, but that’s for the book.”

JOHN IS A FINALIST IN THE 2007 O2 / ARENA ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD. HAVE A LOOK AT THE RATHER AWESOME WWW.7HINGS.CO.UK TO FIND OUT WHY. ZINNIE’S SCRIPT WILL FEATURE IN INNOVATIVE AND THOUGHTPROVOKING DRAMA RICHARD IS MY BOYFRIEND, WHICH WILL SCREEN ON CHANNEL 4 IN EARLY AUGUST.

I DON’T THINK THAT’S TRUE. YOU CAME TO MY SHOW.

MON 16 JUL

SOUNDS GOOD, ASTROBOY & BREADMARK, PIVO CAFFE, Soul, jazz & funk, 19:00, Free

SOULED OUT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, FRAZER MCGLINCHEY & GUESTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Soul, disco &

TAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 22:00, £2, £1

dance, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am STILETTO, JEZ HILL, LULU, Electro-pop, classics & disco, 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm

TRADE UNION, DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, CABARET VOL-

MON 23 JUL

HAPPY MONDAYS, RESIDENTS,

PO NA NA, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock

& funk, 23:00, £3, free for students/industry LA VIDA, JEZ HILL, LULU, Classic pop & funk anthems, 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm THE LATE JAM SESSION, GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Surprise jam session, 22:00, Free THE LATIN QUARTER, JAMES COMBE, MEDINA, Salsa, funk & latin house, 22:00, Free MOJO, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Modern music & timeless classics, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am PONY CLUB, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) ROCK KARAOKE, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock Karaoke, 20:00, Free

SHOWER OF BANJOS, RESIDENTS & GUESTS, OCTOPUS DIAMOND, Scottish, 20:00, £3

SOUNDS GOOD, ASTROBOY & BREADMARK, PIVO CAFFE, Soul, jazz & funk, 19:00, Free

TRADE UNION, DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 22:00, £2, £1

TUE 24 JUL

ANTICS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COW-

GATE, Rock, emo, punk & metal, 23:00, Free

DARK PLANET OPEN MUSIC, PUBLIC, BARAKA, Come play your vinyl, CDs, iPod, mp3 player or laptop, 20:30, Free DELICIOUS, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Strictly hip hop & RnB, 23:00, Free THE DIAMOND DICE, MR. JINX, MASSA, Hip hop, RnB & grime, 22:00, £5 FRUNT, DJ STUART JOHNSTON, THE LIQUID ROOM, House music all night long, 22:30, Free

INDIE MIX, NICK A.K.A. & THE DALEK, PIVO CAFFE, Indie, alt, Mashup & bootlegs, 21:00, Free

SOULCIAL, DENNIS PROBERT & YOGI HAUGHTON, BAR MOTHERFUNK, FRYER & GINO, OPAL LOUNGE, Original 99, Early soul session, 16:00, Free

DARK PLANET OPEN MUSIC, PUBLIC, BARAKA, Come

20:00, £7, free b4 12am

play your vinyl, CDs, iPod, mp3 player or laptop, 20:30, Free DELICIOUS, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Strictly hip hop & RnB, 23:00, Free THE DIAMOND DICE, MR. JINX, MASSA, Hip hop, RnB & grime, 22:00, £5 FRUNT, DJ STUART JOHNSTON, THE LIQUID ROOM, House music all night long, 22:30, Free INDIE MIX, NICK A.K.A. & THE DALEK, PIVO CAFFE, Indie, alt, Mashup & bootlegs, 21:00, Free MOTHERFUNK, FRYER & GINO, OPAL LOUNGE, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00, Free REWIND, RESIDENTS, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, 100% upfront RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £2, ladies free b4 12am SPITFIRES SOCIAL CLUB, RESIDENTS, RED, Indie social club, 21:00, Free SPLIT, EDINBURGH LOCALS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of house, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy midweek rave, 23:00, Free

FRI 20 JUL

house, 19:00, Free

LIFESTYLE

DAVA, LULU, Hip hop, funk, head nodding beats, 20:00, £4, free b4 11pm

breakbeats, 21:00, Free

ANTICS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE,

Rock, emo, punk & metal, 23:00, Free

THE GOOD GROOVE, BREADMARK & JOHNNY CASHBACK, PIVO CAFFE, Funk, afrobeat, latin breaks & photos: www.jethrocollins.co.uk

House remixes, funky RnB & bootlegs, 23:00, £8 (£4)

20:00, Free

NEATH LE MONDE), House, 22:00, £6 (£3)

TUE 17 JUL

TECHNICAL RESISTANCE, AUDIO, THE BONGO CLUB, Drum & bass, 23:00, £7 (£5)

TOKYO KYOUYOU, SCOTT GRANGER, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3)

TRAFFIC, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Indie & alternative, 23:30, Free

YIN-YANG, HUGGY, CRAIG SMITH, SHANGHAI (UNDERTHE DEPARTURE LOUNGE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Jazz to ABSOLUTE, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24,

dance, 23:00, £8 (£6)

AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

BASS SYNDICATE, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Breaks & bass, 23:00, £tbc

HARD TO FIND, DJ ROMEO, THE JAZZ BAR, Reggae, dancehall & soca, 23:00, Free

www.skinnymag.co.uk

TEASE AGE, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock,

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Saturday night soiree, 22:00,

£6, free b4 12am

SUN 22 JUL

ALL BACK TO MINE, RESIDENTS, OPAL

LOUNGE, Eclectic mix of personal favourites, 22:00, £3,

free b4 11pm

BABY DOLL, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, Funky house, 23:00,

BEATROOT, ALEX KENJI & RESIDENTS, COCTEAU LOUNGE £5, free b4 11.30pm BACK TO BASICS, CAJUAN, NICK AKA, PIVO CAFFE, (EGO), House to electro & techno, 22:30, £6, £5 b4 12am Retro dance, 90s & disco, 19:00, Free CLIMAX, TOM CHURCHILL, RED, Chicago, Detroit house BOOTY, DALE LUSH & FRIENDS, MEDINA, Soul, funk, & techno, 22:00, Free disco & chart, 22:00, £5

CLUB CLASSICS, SCOTT ELLIOT, CRAIG GEE & GAV GRANT ON ROTATION, PIVO CAFFE, Classic club music from the past 15 years, 17:00, Free

CULT, DJ NICKI & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Hip hop, disco,

funk & RnB, 22:00, £5, £2.50 b4 11pm DE LUXE, RESIDENTS, HUDSON CLUB, Funky house with resident DJs, 23:00, £3, free b4 12am EVOL, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie, hip hop, alTUESDAY HEARTBREAK, AKI & GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, ternative beats & rock, 22:30, £5 Funk, soul & jazz, 23:00, Free FRONTLINE SELECTA, RESIDENTS, STEREO, Roots, regVIBE, JAMES LONGWARTH, EGO, Weekly gay club playgae, dancehall, dub & ragga, 23:00, Free ing chart, 23:00, £4 GET FUNK’D, DOUBLE D & ISLA, MEDINA, Hip hop to DAVA & HOBBES, LULU, Eclectic set, 20:00, £4, free house, 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm b4 11pm GROOVEJET, TONY MCHUGH, TOKYO, Dancefloor hits, BASS INVASION, PACMAN, JOY & 22:00, £6 GUESTS, ARCADE BAR, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 20:00, JAM FRIDAY, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Pop & cheese, 22:00, £2 Free MISFITS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Indie, electro, CHAMBLES, DJ JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Funk & chart, punk, rock, retro & a tequila girl, 23:00, £2 21:00, £5 (£4)

NO 80,459 IN A SERIES OF 90,764 : THE STINKY

SOPHISTIFUNK, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), CITY,

TASTE FOREPLAY, MISS CHRIS, BARAKA, Pre-taste,

soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00, Free REWIND, RESIDENTS, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, 100% upfront RnB motown, alternative & soul, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm & hip hop, 22:00, £2, ladies free b4 12am UFREAK, NEWCOMERS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Techno from SPITFIRES SOCIAL CLUB, RESIDENTS, RED, Indie social newcomers, 23:00, £10 club, 21:00, Free VELVET, RANDOM, LEATHERFACE, STUDIO 24, Drag King SPLIT, EDINBURGH LOCALS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of Act, 22:30, £6 (£5), £4 b4 11pm house, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy midGARETH SOMERVILLE (ULTRAGROOVE) & JONNIE week rave, 23:00, Free LYLEY (SCRATCH), ASSEMBLY BAR, House to hip hop, TUESDAY HEARTBREAK, AKI & GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, 21:00, Free Funk, soul & jazz, 23:00, Free

£5 (£3)

ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

SAT 21 JUL

TAIRE, House, electro, tech-house & breaks with rotating

CLUB NME, VARIOUS BANDS, EGO, New bands, 22:30, NIGHT TRAIN, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT),

£6, free b4 12am

ALLSORTS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Chart, cheese guests in the back, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am/members & party, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am TASTE, FISHER & PRICE, MISS CHRIS & MARTIN VALDUB2CLUB, MANGOMAD & DJ DEFAULT, PIVO CAFFE, RESIDENTS, BARAKA, Funk, soul, disco, dancehall & ENTINE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Legendary gay-friendly club, reggae, 20:00, Free Dance, indie, hip hop & breaks, 17:00, Free 23:00, £8 (£6), £5 b4 11.30pm THE EGG, CHRIS & PAUL, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, TASTE FOREPLAY, MISS CHRIS, BARAKA, Pre-taste, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running instiALTER EGO, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, 20:00, Free tution, 23:00, £5, £4 students/members DJ Diverse with indie, rock n roll & electro, 23:00, £5 DAVA, LULU, Hip hop, funk, head nodding beats, (£3) LIQUID SOUL, MARK B & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Chirpy 20:00, £4, free b4 11pm CLASH, CAJUAN, NICK AKA, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Acid, music, 22:30, £6, £3 b4 11pm disco, new wave, 23:00, £5 (£4) LOUNGE, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT), EclecHAPPY MONDAYS, RESIDENTS, PO CLASS!, DJ LUCKY LUCIANO, SUBWAY COWGATE, Vintage tic mix of tunes, 20:00, Free NA NA, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock & cheese, student anthems & requests, 23:00, £2, £1 MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO funk, 23:00, £3, free for students/industry students, free b4 12am CLUB, Dub, reggae, roots, 23:00, £7.50 LA VIDA, JEZ HILL, LULU, Classic pop & funk anthems, GRAFITTI, KIPP$ & MASTER CAIRD, MEDINA, Party tunes MUCH MORE, NASTY P & CUNNIE, MEDINA, Hip-hop & 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm all night, 22:00, £3 (£2) funk cuts , 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm THE LATE JAM SESSION, GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Surprise HOUSEBOUND, RESIDENTS, EGO, Sexy house, funky PARTY NIGHT, DJ PAPI & ALEX GATO , EL BARRIO, Salsa jam session, 22:00, Free stuff, electro & disco with DJs from Edinburgh & Glasnight with free classes from 10pm, 23:00, Free THE LATIN QUARTER, JAMES COMBE, MEDINA, Salsa, gow, 22:00, £5 RETRIBUTION, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Goth music for the funk & latin house, 22:00, Free LIC IT, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00, £5 old, 23:00, £5, £3 students MOJO, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Modern music & time- (£3), free b4 11.30pm SATURDAY CIRCUS, GARETH CRUIKSHANK, BABES & less classics, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am ON REQUEST, PUNTERS, EGO, Request your own tunes, SPANKY, RED, A Snatch style affair, 21:00, Free PONY CLUB, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & 23:00, £3 SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, ERIK D’VIKING & AShip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) POLYPHONIC SOCIAL CLUB, JACEK ZAMOJSKI & TROBOY, THE JAZZ BAR, Live music from The Joy FoundaROCK KARAOKE, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock Karaoke, GUESTS, PIVO CAFFE, Electric mash up dance grooves, tion, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm 20:00, Free 19:00, Free SEITEKI SATURDAYS, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, SHOWER OF BANJOS, RESIDENTS & GUESTS, OCTOPUS SALSA DISCO, RESIDENTS, CUBA NORTE, Salsa dance & 23:00, £6 DIAMOND, Scottish, 20:00, £3 tasty tapas, 22:00, Free BARAKA, Open decks night, 20:00, Free

WED 18 JUL

photo: Jethro Collins

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin,

THUR 19 JUL

“I just want to write bigger and better plays. I’m not against experimentation, but I’m happy to work within the form. You’re sitting on a ballistic missile trying to shoot the whole thing down.”

“The spy thing is fun, and I’ve become such a Le Carré fan. The spy metaphor works for us all: it’s about what you’re hiding. In that way Spooks is about us all, and that’s why it’s such a great series.”

YOU SUNG IN MY CHOIR.

“Come on then, PR expert. Okay, Seven Things is absolutely leading edge – it’s stuff that’ll be popular in five or ten years. Like Radiohead nicking large chunks of Stockhausen. Music is a really conservative form. We’re stuck in four four – a new sound doesn’t mean new music. My personal mission is to change the way we listen to music as a nation, no, the world.”

“You have no mission.”

“Theatre must put the audience first.” “I don’t give a monkey’s. Well, that’s not quite true, but I think ultimately you serve the audience best by putting the music first. Matins is probably the hardest thing on Seven Things, and I’m intensely proud of his stuff. One of his pieces opens with five minutes of silence – you can’t play that on the radio. I think being unorthodox is really important. What Matins does is show possibility. If you’re doing that, it’s very difficult to have the audience in mind.”

“I think you could put a better spin on this.”

“I have no mission like that.”

There can be no doubt that they’re an interesting pair. But it’s funny how, after setting out to create a piece that would ironise the flattering ‘profile’ photo piece associated with magazines like Hello! and OK, we end up with something very similar. Luckily, John and Zinnie prove both highly articulate and open: as part of the Opposites gig, we pitched John and Zinnie against each other as ‘artists’, and they rose to the challenge with style. For clarity, John’s speech is in italics; you know, because he’s the progressive one…

“When I’m writing, I don’t think of the audience. But for TV there is an extra framework.”

Send your photos for Skinny on Tour to:

jump between the two, and save your fully creative stuff for the theatre.”

EASY SUNDAY, SAM JOSE, TALL PAUL, THE JAZZ BAR,

LISTINGS

LIFESTYLE

CURIOUS? SUNDAY JOINT, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO

CLUB, Diverse selection of music, free internet & games,

16:00, £3, free b4 11pm

EASY SUNDAY, SAM JOSE, TALL PAUL, THE JAZZ BAR, Lounge, 23:00, Free

FRESHMODE, PEAS & DJG, CITY CAFÉ (DOWNSTAIRS), Hip hop, breaks, funk & open mic, 20:00, Free

FRICTION, DEREK MARTIN & STUART JOHNSTON, LIQUID ROOM, Weekly dance club, 23:00, £4 (£2), £1

WED 25 JUL

BASS INVASION, PACMAN, JOY & GUESTS, ARCADE BAR, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 20:00, Free

CHAMBLES, DJ JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Funk & chart, 21:00, £5 (£4)

CLUB NME, VARIOUS BANDS, EGO, New bands, 22:30, £5 (£3)

THE GOOD GROOVE, BREADMARK & JOHNNY CASHBACK, PIVO CAFFE, Funk, afrobeat, latin breaks & house, 19:00, Free

HARD TO FIND, DJ ROMEO, THE JAZZ BAR, Reggae, dancehall & soca, 23:00, Free

HOT SUSHI, LISA LITTLEWOOD, TOKYO, Funky house & club classics, 22:00, £tbc

INDI-GO, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie & alternative, 22:30, £2, £1 students

INSOMNIA, WARNER POWERS & CLAUDIO, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, Fresh house tunes each week, 22:00, Free

Free

ROLLER DISCO, MASH & JON PLEASED, LULU, Past &

KAYOS, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock, metal & indie, 20:00,

nineties youth club disco, 21:00, Free

PLAYGIRL MANSIONS, TRENDY WENDY, LULU, Chart

future electronic classics, 20:00, £4.99, free b4 11pm THE PIT, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock & metal, 23:00, Free

pop & glam, 23:00, £4

SCOTTISH HOBO SOCIETY (LIVE), THE PLAGUE, CRY OVER BILLIONAIRES, THE BONGO CLUB, Alternative music for justified sinners, 22:30, £3

SHAKE, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHANGHAI (UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House, soulful & funky, 23:00,

£3

residents, 22:30, £5

SOUNDPROOF OPEN DECKS, SOUNDPROOF DJS,

WEE RED BAR, Drum & bass, hip hop, jungle, 22:30, £5

TASTE, FISHER & PRICE, MISS CHRIS & MARTIN VALENTINE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Legendary gay-friendly club,

(£4)

DAVA & HOBBES, LULU, Eclectic set, 20:00, £4, free

b4 11pm

JERK ALERT, WASTED LITTLE DJS, RED, Indie meets early

20:00, Free

RED ALERT, ALCANE, J BLOCO, AEROPLANE DOPE,

ing chart, 23:00, £4

Centro card

SIENTELO!, RESIDENTS, EL BARRIO, Latin America music

PLANET EARTH, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with

VIBE, JAMES LONGWARTH, EGO, Weekly gay club play-

mixed with chart tunes, 23:00, Free

BARAKA, Open decks night, 20:00, Free

23:00, £8 (£6), £5 b4 11.30pm

STIR FRIED, B-SIDES & BOOTROSS ROCK, THE OUTHOUSE, Pre-club with indie & rock, 19:00, Free

TOXIK, DJ NU-CLEAR , OPIUM, New & old metal & hard rock, 20:00, Free

WE ARE … ELECTRIC, FLIX, CABARET VOLTAIRE, House, electro, tech-house & breaks with rotating guests in the back, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am/members RESIDENTS, BARAKA, Funk, soul, disco, dancehall & reggae, 20:00, Free

THUR 26 JUL

ALTER EGO, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA,

DJ Diverse with indie, rock n roll & electro, 23:00, £5

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

house, 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm

BACK TO BASICS, IAN ANDERSON & BISCUIT D, PIVO

22:00, £6

BOOTY, DALE LUSH & FRIENDS, MEDINA, Soul, funk,

22:30, £7 (£6)

CURIOUS? SUNDAY JOINT, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO

THE SKINNY RECOMMENDS YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS CLUB NME, VARIOUS BANDS, EGO, New bands, 22:30, MISFITS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Indie, electro, £5 (£3)

GROOVEJET, TONY MCHUGH, TOKYO, Dancefloor hits,

CAFFE, Retro dance, 90s & disco, 19:00, Free

JAKN, RHYTHM TECHNOLOGIES, STUDIO 24, Techno,

disco & chart, 22:00, £5

JAM FRIDAY, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Pop &

CLUB, Diverse selection of music, free internet & games,

HARD TO FIND, DJ ROMEO, THE JAZZ BAR, Reggae,

cheese, 22:00, £2

16:00, £3, free b4 11pm

dancehall & soca, 23:00, Free

punk, rock, retro & a tequila girl, 23:00, £2

Lounge, 23:00, Free

20:00, Free

hop, breaks, funk & open mic, 20:00, Free

residents, 22:30, £5

LIQUID ROOM, Weekly dance club, 23:00, £4 (£2), £1

special wooden dancefloor, 21:00, £5, £4 b4 9.30pm

KAYOS, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock, metal & indie, 20:00,

Live bands, 23:00, £5

PLAYGIRL MANSIONS, TRENDY WENDY, LULU, Chart

23:00, £8, £7 b4 12am

SCOTTISH HOBO SOCIETY (LIVE), RESIDENTS, THE BON-

MISFITS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Indie, electro,

EASY SUNDAY, SAM JOSE, TALL PAUL, THE JAZZ BAR,

NIGHT TRAIN, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT),

FRESHMODE, PEAS & DJG, CITY CAFÉ (DOWNSTAIRS), Hip

PLANET EARTH, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with

FRICTION, DEREK MARTIN & STUART JOHNSTON,

SALSA CARIBE!, RESIDENTS, THE LOT, Salsa DJs on the SKUNKFUNK, JOE ACHESON QUARTET, THE JAZZ BAR,

TOKYOBLU, TOKYOBLU BAND, EGO, Live house band,

Centro card Free

pop & glam, 23:00, £4

THE GOOD GROOVE, BREADMARK & JOHNNY CASHBACK, PIVO CAFFE, Funk, afrobeat, latin breaks & house, 19:00, Free

HOT SUSHI, LISA LITTLEWOOD, TOKYO, Funky house & club classics, 22:00, £tbc

INDI-GO, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie & alterna-

23:00, £5

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, 20:00, £7, free b4 12am

RESIDENTS, THE MALTINGS, Open Mic, 21:30, Free JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Upfront & classic tunes, 22:00,

BARAKA, Open decks night, 20:00, Free

TASTE, FISHER & PRICE, MISS CHRIS & MARTIN VALENTINE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Legendary gay-friendly club, 23:00, £8 (£6), £5 b4 11.30pm

TASTE FOREPLAY, MISS CHRIS, BARAKA, Pre-taste, 20:00, Free

PARTY NIGHT, DJ PAPI & ALEX GATO , EL BARRIO, Salsa

night with free classes from 10pm, 23:00, Free RETRIBUTION, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Goth music for the old, 23:00, £5, £3 students

Rock, emo, punk & metal, 23:00, Free

DARK PLANET OPEN MUSIC, PUBLIC, BARAKA, Come

play your vinyl, CDs, iPod, mp3 player or laptop, 20:30, Free SATURDAY CIRCUS, GARETH CRUIKSHANK, BABES & DELICIOUS, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Strictly hip hop & RnB, 23:00, Free SPANKY, RED, A Snatch style affair, 21:00, Free THE DIAMOND DICE, MR. JINX, MASSA, Hip hop, RnB & SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, ERIK D’VIKING & ASTROBOY, THE JAZZ BAR, Live music from The Fusion Expe- grime, 22:00, £5 FRUNT, DJ STUART JOHNSTON, THE LIQUID ROOM, House rience, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm music all night long, 22:30, Free SEITEKI SATURDAYS, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, 23:00, £6 INDIE MIX, NICK A.K.A. & THE DALEK, PIVO CAFFE, Indie, SOPHISTIFUNK, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), CITY, alt, Mashup & bootlegs, 21:00, Free House remixes, funky RnB & bootlegs, 23:00, £8 (£4) MOTHERFUNK, FRYER & GINO, OPAL LOUNGE, Original SOULCIAL, DENNIS PROBERT & YOGI HAUGHTON, BAR soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00, Free 99, Early soul session, 16:00, Free REWIND, RESIDENTS, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, 100% upfront RnB SUMO, GEOFF M, HARRY, CRAIG SMITH, BERLIN, & hip hop, 22:00, £2, ladies free b4 12am House, disco, 22:00, £5, free b4 12am SPITFIRES SOCIAL CLUB, RESIDENTS, RED, Indie social TEASE AGE, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock, mo- club, 21:00, Free town, alternative & soul, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm SPLIT, EDINBURGH LOCALS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of GARETH SOMERVILLE (ULTRAGROOVE) & JONNIE house, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy midLYLEY (SCRATCH), ASSEMBLY BAR, House to hip hop, week rave, 23:00, Free 21:00, Free TUESDAY HEARTBREAK, AKI & GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR,

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin,

Funk, soul & jazz, 23:00, Free

VIBE, JAMES LONGWARTH, EGO, Weekly gay club play-

JERK ALERT, WASTED LITTLE DJS, RED, Indie meets early nineties youth club disco, 21:00, Free

12am/members

ALTER EGO, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA,

FRI 13 JUL ACME WORKERS CLUB, AUNTIE JOAN

& UNCLE DAVID, RAF CLUB, Live bands, burlesque acts, magicians, music!, 17:30, £8

AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

BIG TOE’S HI-FI, BARBA POPPA CHOPPA, C-BISCUIT, SPLIFKA & B-DAWG, WEE RED BAR, Reggae, dancehall & dub, 22:30, £5

CLUB CLASSICS, SCOTT ELLIOT, CRAIG GEE & GAV GRANT ON ROTATION, PIVO CAFFE, Classic club music from the past 15 years, 17:00, Free

CULT, DJ NICKI & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Hip hop, disco, funk & RnB, 22:00, £5, £2.50 b4 11pm DE LUXE, RESIDENTS, HUDSON CLUB, Funky house with resident DJs, 23:00, £3, free b4 12am EVOL, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie, hip hop, alternative beats & rock, 22:30, £5 FAKE, ELECTROSEXUAL, STUDIO 24, Electro house, new rave, 23:00, £6 (£5) FAST, COWTOWN, THE BONGO CLUB, Punk, disco, electro, garage, rock n roll dance party, 23:00, £5 FRONTLINE SELECTA, RESIDENTS, STEREO, Roots, reggae, dancehall, dub & ragga, 23:00, Free

GROOVEJET, TONY MCHUGH, TOKYO, Dancefloor hits,

£5, free b4 11.30pm

58 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

Girls club for girls, 22:00, £tbc

house, 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm

GUESTS, ARCADE BAR, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 20:00,

22:00, £6

CHAMBLES, DJ JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Funk & chart,

cheese, 22:00, £2

21:00, £5 (£4)

SOLESCIENCE, JAFAR, ROB MATHIE, NICK YUILL,

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, 20:00, £7, free b4 12am

RESIDENTS, THE MALTINGS, Open Mic, 21:30, Free JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Upfront & classic tunes, 22:00,

SAT 14 JUL AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep

THUR 12 JUL

WED 11 JUL BASS INVASION, PACMAN, JOY & Free

residents, 22:30, £5

£6, free b4 12am

SUN 8 JUL ALL BACK TO MINE, RESIDENTS, OPAL BABY DOLL, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, Funky house, 23:00,

PLANET EARTH, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, 80s tunes with

RESIDENTS, BARAKA, Funk, soul, disco, dancehall &

b4 11pm

free b4 11pm

EGO, Hard house, trance & dance, 22:30, £7 (£5)

reggae, 20:00, Free

GET FUNK’D, DOUBLE D & ISLA, MEDINA, Hip hop to

LOUNGE, Eclectic mix of personal favourites, 22:00, £3,

NUKLEAR PUPPY, JASON CORTEZ, KEVIN ENERGY,

CABARET VOLTAIRE, House music, 23:00, £5, 4 b4 12am & future electronic classics, 20:00, £4.99, free b4 11pm SUGARBEAT IN THE GARDENS, KRAFTY KUTS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Breakbeat in Princes St Gardens, 22:00, £12 THE PIT, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock & metal, UNKNOWN PLEASURES, RESIDENTS, TEVIOT UNION, Indie 23:00, Free STIR FRIED, B-SIDES & BOOTROSS ROCK, THE OUTHOUSE, club, 21:00, £3 (£2) TROUBLE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Big gay disco to hip hop & Pre-club with indie & rock, 19:00, Free broken beats, 17:00, Free TOXIK, DJ NU-CLEAR , OPIUM, New & old metal & hard

£6, free b4 12am

DAVA & HOBBES, LULU, Eclectic set, 20:00, £4, free

(£2)

ROLLER DISCO, MASH & JON PLEASED, LULU, Past

FURBURGER, FUNKI DIVA, DEJAY BIRD & MORE, TWIST,

RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Saturday night soiree, 22:00,

NOT SO DIRTY, DEREK MARTIN, RED, House, 22:00, £4

special wooden dancefloor, 21:00, £5, £4 b4 9.30pm SEQUENTIAL, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Drum & bass, 23:00, £7 (£6)

ing chart, 23:00, £4

20:00, £7, free b4 12am

20:00, Free

COUNCIL, Fresh house tunes each week, 22:00, Free

MON 9 JUL

TUE 10 JUL

NIGHT TRAIN, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT),

SALSA CARIBE!, RESIDENTS, THE LOT, Salsa DJs on the

INSOMNIA, WARNER POWERS & CLAUDIO, PRIVE’

DJ Diverse with indie, rock n roll & electro, 23:00, £5 DAVA, LULU, Hip hop, funk, head nodding beats, 20:00, (£3) £4, free b4 11pm CLASS!, DJ LUCKY LUCIANO, SUBWAY COWGATE, Vintage £6, free b4 12am cheese, student anthems & requests, 23:00, £2, £1 HAPPY MONDAYS, RESIDENTS, PO students, free b4 12am 100% DYNAMITE, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO NA NA, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock & GRAFITTI, KIPP$ & MASTER CAIRD, MEDINA, Party tunes CLUB, Soul, jazz, hip hop, funk, dub, jungle, 23:00, £6, funk, 23:00, £3, free for students/industry £4 b4 12am all night, 22:00, £3 (£2) ADVANCE, LUCKY LUCIANO & RESIDENTS, THE VAULTS, LA VIDA, JEZ HILL, LULU, Classic pop & funk anthems, HOUSEBOUND, RESIDENTS, EGO, Sexy house, funky 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm House, 22:00, £5 stuff, electro & disco with DJs from Edinburgh & GlasTHE LATE JAM SESSION, GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Surprise gow, 22:00, £5 AFTERDARK, RESIDENTS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Electro jam session, 22:00, Free house, 23:00, £10 (£8) LIC IT, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00, £5 THE LATIN QUARTER, JAMES COMBE, MEDINA, Salsa, (£3), free b4 11.30pm AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep house, soul & funk & latin house, 22:00, Free NDAJE - AFRICAN CONNECTIONS, LIVE BANDS, THE jazz, 22:00, Free ALLSORTS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Chart, cheese MOJO, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Modern music & time- BONGO CLUB, Scottish African Party, 22:00, £7 (£5) less classics, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am POLYPHONIC SOCIAL CLUB, JACEK ZAMOJSKI & & party, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am PONY CLUB, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & GUESTS, PIVO CAFFE, Electric mash up dance grooves, DUB2CLUB, MANGOMAD & DJ DEFAULT, PIVO CAFFE, hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) 19:00, Free Dance, indie, hip hop & breaks, 17:00, Free ROCK KARAOKE, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock Karaoke, SALSA DISCO, RESIDENTS, CUBA NORTE, Salsa dance & THE EGG, CHRIS & PAUL, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, 20:00, Free tasty tapas, 22:00, Free punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running instiSHOWER OF BANJOS, RESIDENTS & GUESTS, OCTOPUS SOULED OUT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, FRAZER MCtution, 23:00, £5, £4 students/members DIAMOND, Scottish, 20:00, £3 GLINCHEY & GUESTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Soul, disco & GO-GO, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Mod, soul, garage, SOUNDS GOOD, ASTROBOY & BREADMARK, PIVO dance, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am punk, 23:00, £5 CAFFE, Soul, jazz & funk, 19:00, Free SPIES IN THE WIRES, THE VIVIANS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, LIQUID SOUL, MARK B & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Chirpy TRADE UNION, DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, CABARET VOLPunk, 23:00, £4 (£3) music, 22:30, £6, £3 b4 11pm TAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 22:00, £2, £1 STILETTO, JEZ HILL, LULU, Electro-pop, classics & disco, LOUNGE, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT), Eclectic Trade Union members/ECCF members 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm mix of tunes, 20:00, Free ZOOT SWING, SWINGERS, CAFÉ ROYAL, Swing dance TOKYO KYOUYOU, SCOTT GRANGER, TOKYO, Funky LUVELY, BRETT KING, THE LIQUID ROOM, Beach dance classes, beginners 7pm, improvers 8pm followed by house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) party, 21:30, £tbc big-band swing jazz & neo-swing beats, 19:00, £4.50 TRAFFIC, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Indie & MUCH MORE, NASTY P & CUNNIE, MEDINA, Hip-hop & (£3.50), free after 9 alternative, 23:30, Free funk cuts , 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm P-HAZE, BARAKA, Mashup, 20:30, Free YIN-YANG, HUGGY, CRAIG SMITH, SHANGHAI (UNDEROBSCENE SCOTTISHDRUMANDBASS.COM 5TH KINKEY, HENRYS CELLAR, Flamenco, latin & reggae, NEATH LE MONDE), House, 22:00, £6 (£3) BIRTHDAY, TERMITE, PARANOISE OPTIMAL, MORPHY, 22:00, £3 THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Jazz to SPECIAL ED, YELLOWBENZENE, COCTEAU LOUNGE (EGO), Drum & bass, 23:00, £5 (£3) ANTICS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, breakbeats, 21:00, Free

SAT 7 JUL

punk, rock, retro & a tequila girl, 23:00, £2

tive, 22:30, £2, £1 students

TROUBLE PRESENTS FRIENDS’ ASSEMBLY, TROUBLE DJS, GO CLUB, Alternative music for justified sinners, 22:30, £3 SHAKE, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHANGHAI ABC SAM, GARETH SOMERVILLE, INGRAM, DAVA, MC RATTY B, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Eclectic, 23:00, £6 (£5) (UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House, soulful & funky, 23:00, rock, 20:00, Free UNKNOWN PLEASURES, RESIDENTS, TEVIOT UNION, Indie £3 SIENTELO!, RESIDENTS, EL BARRIO, Latin America music WE ARE … ELECTRIC, GARY MAC, FLIX & DAVA, club, 21:00, £3 (£2) mixed with chart tunes, 23:00, Free CABARET VOLTAIRE, House, electro, tech-house & breaks TROUBLE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Big gay disco to hip hop & SOUNDPROOF OPEN DECKS, SOUNDPROOF DJS, with rotating guests in the back, 23:00, £2, free b4 broken beats, 17:00, Free THE SOUL FOUNDATION, HENRYS CELLAR, Soul band,

LIFESTYLE

LISTINGS

JAM FRIDAY, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Pop &

house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

ALLSORTS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Chart, cheese & party, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am

ASCENSION, GOTH DJS, STUDIO 24, Goth, industrial, EBM, 23:00, £5 (£4)

DISKOKITTEN, ANDY OPEL, JASON CORTEZ, BERLIN, Pyjama chart & house party, 22:00, £8, £6 b4 11.30pm

DUB2CLUB, MANGOMAD & DJ DEFAULT, PIVO CAFFE,

Dance, indie, hip hop & breaks, 17:00, Free THE EGG, CHRIS & PAUL, WEE RED BAR, Indie, garage, punk, ska & more at the Art College’s long running institution, 23:00, £5, £4 students/members HEADSPIN, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, 4 deck mix of soul, house, hip hop, 23:00, £6 (£5) LIQUID SOUL, MARK B & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Chirpy music, 22:30, £6, £3 b4 11pm LOUNGE, RESIDENTS, LIBERTY’S BAR (HERIOT-WATT), Eclectic mix of tunes, 20:00, Free MUCH MORE, NASTY P & CUNNIE, MEDINA, Hip-hop & funk cuts , 22:00, £4, £3 b4 11pm OPTIMO, OPTIMO, EGO, Eclectic mash, 23:00, £10 PARTY NIGHT, DJ PAPI & ALEX GATO , EL BARRIO, Salsa night with free classes from 10pm, 23:00, Free RETRIBUTION, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Goth music for the old, 23:00, £5, £3 students

SATURDAY CIRCUS, GARETH CRUIKSHANK, BABES & SPANKY, RED, A Snatch style affair, 21:00, Free SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY, ERIK D’VIKING & ASTROBOY, THE JAZZ BAR, Live music from Raff, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm

SEITEKI SATURDAYS, RESIDENTS, TOKYO, Funky house, 23:00, £6

SOPHISTIFUNK, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), CITY, House remixes, funky RnB & bootlegs, 23:00, £8 (£4)

SOULCIAL, DENNIS PROBERT & YOGI HAUGHTON, BAR 99, Early soul session, 16:00, Free

SUITE 69, LES BOF, HENRYS CELLAR, Bastille Day special, French night, 23:00, £5 (£4)

TEASE AGE, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, All things rock, motown, alternative & soul, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm ULTRAGROOVE, JIMPSTER, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Freerange records party, 23:00, £8 (£6)

THE VEGAS GARDEN PARTY, THE JAZZ HUSTLERS & MISS MALONE, PRINCES STREET GARDENS, Lounge, retro, funk, ratpack, 21:30, £12

GARETH SOMERVILLE (ULTRAGROOVE) & JONNIE LYLEY (SCRATCH), ASSEMBLY BAR, House to hip hop, 21:00, Free

DANNY TENNENT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, ISLA BLIGE & THE BLOND FLASH, LULU, Soul, funk, house & latin, 20:00, £7, free b4 12am

RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Saturday night soiree, 22:00,

£6, free b4 12am

SUN 15 JUL

ALL BACK TO MINE, RESIDENTS, OPAL

LOUNGE, Eclectic mix of personal favourites, 22:00, £3,

free b4 11pm

BABY DOLL, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, Funky house, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm

BACK TO BASICS, IAN ANDERSON & BISCUIT D, PIVO CAFFE, Retro dance, 90s & disco, 19:00, Free

EDINBURGH BOAT PARTY, SOLESCIENCE, 99 HANOVER STREET, House music on a boat, 18:00, £15

BOOTY, DALE LUSH & FRIENDS, MEDINA, Soul, funk, disco & chart, 22:00, £5

CURIOUS? SUNDAY JOINT, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Diverse selection of music, free internet & games,

16:00, £3, free b4 11pm

LISTINGS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

TASTE OF EDINBURGH TURNS THE CAPITAL’S RESTAURANTS INSIDE OUT; LARA MOLONEY HEADS ALONG TO SEE, AND TASTE, WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT Al fresco dining works well on a balmy Mediterranean evening, but in a drenched and windy Edinburgh squall, it takes some pretty special eating and drinking opportunities to draw people from their homes. Lucky, then, that Taste of Edinburgh (7-10 June) is a cornucopia of sensational delight. On its opening night the temporary yet decorative stalls on the Meadows battle with fierce Edinburgh weather to provide small taster dishes, tempting visitors to buy their goodies or make a visit to the prestigious restaurants they represent. The selections range from Suruchi’s, offering up butter chicken (and the biggest taster plates), to Iggs’ Spanish flavours, or Malmaison’s cute mini burgers. Martin Wishart’s is predictably swamped with requests for their Smoked Organic Shetland Salmon and has people in a frenzy.

extra funds needed in order to try the relatively expensive taster plates, buy drinks and join in events, Taste isn’t the cheapest of days out. With everything from delicious olive oil from Terra Rossa, to Jaimacan rum (many samples tasted!) or a to-die-for plate of panna cotta from David Bann’s, your belly is sure to be full. Fresh Jubilee strawberries, or samples from Edinburgh’s top cheesemongers Mellis, send well-to-do guests into tastebud heaven. A few celebrity chefs, such as Anthony Worrall Thompson and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, add their personalities to the spice. Jean-Christophe Novelli

keeps the crowds entertained in the Chefs Theatre, taking the piss out of the knives being advertised and wowing everyone with his chopping skills. Glayva are on the ball, handing out free scrumptious cocktails, alongside more random items on offer - a delectable Scottish Raspberry juice from Bouvrage, independent beer brewers, and chocolate stalls. The weather goes on to improve for the weekend and has everyone in good spirits, especially enjoying the bands’ music and beer tasting from Leffe. Though it’s hard to ignore the amount of money clearly being made, with food and wine as good as this no one should be complaining.

Y NNITHE THERE GOES KSBEER EHT

Darling, one simply doesn’t drink anything but wine with food. Does one? Well, as it’s an Opposites Issue, we set out to upset this age-old assumption. In fact, we took it upon ourselves to taste some new beers specially matched to certain dishes, designed to replace your usual wine/nosh combo (yes, it’s a very hard job we have!) and found a few interesting bevvies. First up was Zatec, a Czech beer roughly pronounced “jha-tetz”, offering up a heady, fruity combination, and excellent for tasting alongside rich and sweet foods. Alternatively, if you are looking for a way out of buying your new lady champagne with dinner, persuade her to try Kasteel Cru: brewed with champagne yeast, it’s a very fizzy and easy to drink beer, perfect with fish and salads. Kasteel Kru is only available in certain swankier venues around town, though - have a look in the cocktail bar Sign (the Bar With No Name) in Edinburgh, among a handful of others. [Lara Moloney] SIGN, 15 CHARLOTTE LANE, EDINBURGH, 0131 225 6060 WWW.ZATECBEER.COM

The ultimate bourgeoisie event, at £12 a ticket and with

EDINBURGH CLUBS SUN 1 JUL ALL BACK TO MINE, RESIDENTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Eclectic mix of personal favourites, 22:00, £3,

free b4 11pm

WED 4 JUL THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC & SOUND, STUDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Music students from Telford

BACK TO BASICS, IAN ANDERSON & BISCUIT D, PIVO

College, 19:00, £4 (£3)

CAFFE, Retro dance, 90s & disco, 19:00, Free

BOOTY, DALE LUSH & FRIENDS, MEDINA, Soul, funk, disco & chart, 22:00, £5

CURIOUS? SUNDAY JOINT, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Diverse selection of music, free internet & games,

16:00, £3, free b4 11pm

LIQUID ROOM, Weekly dance club, 23:00, £4 (£2), £1

pop & glam, 23:00, £4

COUNCIL, Fresh house tunes each week, 22:00, Free

SCOTTISH HOBO SOCIETY (LIVE), CLONE QUARTET, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND, THE BONGO CLUB, Alternative music for justified sinners, 22:30, £3

£5 b4 11.30pm

SHOWER OF BANJOS, RESIDENTS & GUESTS, OCTOPUS DIAMOND, Scottish, 20:00, £3

SOUNDS GOOD, ASTROBOY & BREADMARK, PIVO CAFFE, Soul, jazz & funk, 19:00, Free

TRADE UNION, DJ BEEFY & WOLFJAZZ, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Night for deserving bar & club staff, 22:00, £2, £1

by loweringthetone

INSIDE: Poetry and sheet music paper the walls, and

INSIDE: The walls are adorned with affectionately

decorations include model ships, musical instruments, more antique clocks than could ever be useful and a coating of dust that only the most ‘establishment’ venue could get past health and safety.

assembled rock tat. My favourite pieces include the signed Status Quo picture montage and the Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey soundtrack picture disc.

TUES 3 JUL ANTICS, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE,

CLIENTELE: Golfers, professors, general true blue types, and people who want to drink at the craziest pub in town despite the golfers.

by big beardy guys giving you aggressive sideways glances and pvc clad ice maidens with better taste in music than your girlfriend. Perfect.

MAGIC MOMENT: Free mixed nuts with your drink?

MAGIC MOMENT: My memory bank of magic mo-

No, it’s got to be that they put up the front page of The Times each day in the loos.

ATMOSPHERE: There’s not a lot of angst floating

ments in the Solid is busy with classic rock arguments, terrifying fashion choices and basic moral decline. However, dancing to Rage Against the Machine with my granny, dressed as a pirate, is probably up there.

about. It’s more: we are who we are, and you can deal with it. A bit smug.

ATMOSPHERE: The Solid can be your best friend or

EDINBURGH

OPENER: “So when the blighter ran off with my cummerbund, I had no choice but to call in the relatives.”

THE SOLID ROCK CAFÉ GLASGOW

CLIENTELE: Upon entering the Solid you will be greeted

Rock, emo, punk & metal, 23:00, Free

INDIE MIX, NICK A.K.A. & THE DALEK, PIVO CAFFE, Indie, alt, Mashup & bootlegs, 21:00, Free

MOTHERFUNK, FRYER & GINO, OPAL LOUNGE, Original soul, funk, disco, latin & hip hop, 22:00, Free REWIND, RESIDENTS, PRIVE’ COUNCIL, 100% upfront RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £2, ladies free b4 12am

your worst enemy depending on what you’re looking for. Either way you’ll end up singing along to at least two Iron Maiden tracks.

SPEEDDATER SPEED DATING, 21-31 MALE & FEMALE,

OPENER: “Whit’s yoor favourite Sabbath track maan”.

club, 21:00, Free

19 HOPE ST, GLASGOW, 0141 221 1105

house, techno, drum & bass, breakbeat, healthy midweek rave, 23:00, Free

237 MORNINGSIDE RD, 0131 447 1484

GRAPE, Flirting, socialising, boozing, shagging?, 19:00,

£19.95

SPITFIRES SOCIAL CLUB, RESIDENTS, RED, Indie social SPLIT, EDINBURGH LOCALS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Blend of TUESDAY HEARTBREAK, AKI & GUESTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Funk, soul & jazz, 23:00, Free

GO TO WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK/WHEREITSAT FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN FREE BEER FOR A YEAR

VIBE, JAMES LONGWARTH, EGO, Weekly gay club playing chart, 23:00, £4

ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

LIFESTYLE

nineties youth club disco, 21:00, Free

ROLLER DISCO, MASH & JON PLEASED, LULU, Past & future electronic classics, 20:00, £4.99, free b4 11pm THE PIT, RESIDENTS, SUBWAY COWGATE, Rock & metal, 23:00, Free

STIR FRIED, B-SIDES & BOOTROSS ROCK, THE OUTHOUSE, Pre-club with indie & rock, 19:00, Free TOXIK, DJ NU-CLEAR , OPIUM, New & old metal & hard rock, 20:00, Free

WE ARE … ELECTRIC, TOMMIE SUNSHINE, GARY MAC & TALL PAUL, CABARET VOLTAIRE, House, electro, tech-

THUR 5 JUL ALTER EGO, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, DJ

by the internet

JERK ALERT, WASTED LITTLE DJS, RED, Indie meets early

MON 2 JUL HAPPY MONDAYS, RESIDENTS, PO

NA NA, Night for students & Industry folk, indie, rock &

THE CANNY MAN’S

INSOMNIA, WARNER POWERS & CLAUDIO, PRIVE’

DAVA, LULU, Hip hop, funk, head nodding beats, 20:00, £4, free b4 11pm

20:00, Free

conversation openers you heard (or used) and your magic moment. It’s easy, just tell us about it.

INDI-GO, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie & alterna-

house & breaks with rotating guests in the back, 23:00, £2, free b4 12am/members RESIDENTS, BARAKA, Funk, soul, disco, dancehall & reggae, 20:00, Free

TASTE FOREPLAY, MISS CHRIS, BARAKA, Pre-taste,

OK, so there is one way to review a bar... then there is The Miller Way - with you telling us where it’s at. For your chance to win a case of Miller Genuine Draft delivered to your door every month for a year, simply log on to www. skinnymag.co.uk/whereitsat and give us your review. To win, tell us about the clientele, the atmosphere, any

HOT SUSHI, LISA LITTLEWOOD, TOKYO, Funky house & tive, 22:30, £2, £1 students

PLAYGIRL MANSIONS, TRENDY WENDY, LULU, Chart

TASTE 13TH BIRTHDAY, SIMON & SHAKER, CABARET

COMPETITION

dancehall & soca, 23:00, Free

Free

VOLTAIRE, Legendary gay-friendly club, 23:00, £8 (£6),

your free time, we have hunted high and low through Scotland’s city-scapes, to bring a bit of sparkle back into your social life; these places are perfect for entertaining special friends, and meeting new ones. Not only do we review the drinks, food and entertainment, but more importantly, the atmosphere, the clientele and those particular details that make these bars unique.

house, 19:00, Free

club classics, 22:00, £tbc

KAYOS, RESIDENTS, OPIUM, Rock, metal & indie, 20:00,

BARAKA, Open decks night, 20:00, Free

The Skinny strives to bring something special to its dedicated readers, and this year, every issue, the Miller Genuine Draft Where it’s At feature will bring you one of each of the cities’ most unique and funky bars, plus the chance to win free beer delivered to your door for a year. Now don’t say we don’t spoil you. In order to bring you something different to enjoy in

£5 (£3)

Centro card

SOUNDPROOF OPEN DECKS, SOUNDPROOF DJS,

MISSION STATEMENT

CLUB NME, VARIOUS BANDS, EGO, New bands, 22:30,

HARD TO FIND, DJ ROMEO, THE JAZZ BAR, Reggae,

FRICTION, DEREK MARTIN & STUART JOHNSTON,

mixed with chart tunes, 23:00, Free

Where it’s at...

21:00, £5 (£4)

hop, breaks, funk & open mic, 20:00, Free

FRESHMODE, PEAS & DJG, CITY CAFÉ (DOWNSTAIRS), Hip

SIENTELO!, RESIDENTS, EL BARRIO, Latin America music

GIVE US YOUR REVIEW OF THE BARS FEATURED HERE EVERY ISSUE AND BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN A CASE OF MILLER GENUINE DRAFT DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR EVERY MONTH FOR A YEAR. THERE IS ONE WAY TO REVIEW A BAR... THEN THERE IS THE MILLER WAY - WITH YOU TELLING US WHERE IT’S AT...

CHAMBLES, DJ JEZ HILL, OPAL LOUNGE, Funk & chart,

Lounge, 23:00, Free

(UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House & funky, 23:00, £3

photos: www.jethrocollins.co.uk

BASS INVASION, PACMAN, JOY & GUESTS, ARCADE BAR, Drum & bass, breakbeat, 20:00, Free

THE GOOD GROOVE, BREADMARK & JOHNNY CASHBACK, PIVO CAFFE, Funk, afrobeat, latin breaks &

EASY SUNDAY, SAM JOSE, TALL PAUL, THE JAZZ BAR,

SHAKE, JOHN HUTCHISON (TOKYOBLU), SHANGHAI

WWW.KASTEELKRU.COM

DAVA & HOBBES, LULU, Eclectic set, 20:00, £4, free b4

11pm

BABY DOLL, RESIDENTS, PO NA NA, Funky house, 23:00, £5, free b4 11.30pm

www.skinnymag.co.uk

LISTINGS

LIFESTYLE RESTAURANTS & BARS Delicious fair

Diverse with indie, rock n roll & electro, 23:00, £5 (£3) CLASS!, DJ LUCKY LUCIANO, SUBWAY COWGATE, Vintage cheese, student anthems & requests, 23:00, £2, £1 students, free b4 12am

GETTOBLAST!, PLUS ONE, RESPEK-BA, BIGG TAJ, THE BONGO CLUB, Funk, hip hop & homegrown, 23:00, £6

GRAFITTI, KIPP$ & MASTER CAIRD, MEDINA, Party tunes all night, 22:00, £3 (£2)

HOUSEBOUND, RESIDENTS, EGO, Sexy house, funky stuff, electro & disco with DJs from Edinburgh & Glasgow, 22:00, £5 I FLY SPITFIRES, MATHS CLASS, CABARET VOLTAIRE, Funk punk, 23:00, £3 LIC IT, RESIDENTS, CITRUS CLUB, Student night, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 11.30pm THE NUT HOUSE, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Hardcore madness, 22:30, £tbc

POLYPHONIC SOCIAL CLUB, JACEK ZAMOJSKI & GUESTS, PIVO CAFFE, Electric mash up dance grooves, 19:00, Free

SALSA DISCO, RESIDENTS, CUBA NORTE, Salsa dance & tasty tapas, 22:00, Free

SOULED OUT, GARETH SOMERVILLE, FRAZER MCGLINCHEY & GUESTS, OPAL LOUNGE, Soul, disco & dance, 22:00, £3, free b4 12am STILETTO, JEZ HILL, LULU, Electro-pop, classics & disco, 20:00, £5, free b4 10pm THIRTYNINE, RESIDENTS, THE JAZZ BAR, Funk, hip hop bands, 23:30, Free TOKYO KYOUYOU, SCOTT GRANGER, TOKYO, Funky house, RnB & hip hop, 22:00, £4 (£3) TRAFFIC, RESIDENTS, HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Indie & alternative, 23:30, Free

YIN-YANG, HUGGY, CRAIG SMITH, SHANGHAI (UNDERNEATH LE MONDE), House, 22:00, £6 (£3)

THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE DJS, ASSEMBLY BAR, Jazz to

breakbeats, 21:00, Free

FRI 6 JUL AFTER HOURS, DJ PAUL, CARLITOS, Deep house, soul & jazz, 22:00, Free

AZ-TECH, BELIEVE, WEAK HUNT & RESIDENTS, THE CAVES, Breaks & beats, 22:00, £6, £5 b4 12am/ECCF

CLUB CLASSICS, SCOTT ELLIOT, CRAIG GEE & GAV GRANT ON ROTATION, PIVO CAFFE, Classic club music from the past 15 years, 17:00, Free

CULT, DJ NICKI & GUESTS, PO NA NA, Hip hop, disco, funk & RnB, 22:00, £5, £2.50 b4 11pm DE LUXE, RESIDENTS, HUDSON CLUB, Funky house with resident DJs, 23:00, £3, free b4 12am ERUPTOR, RESIDENTS, STUDIO 24, Tribal techno, 23:00, £5 EVOL, RESIDENTS, THE LIQUID ROOM, Indie, hip hop, alternative beats & rock, 22:30, £5 FOUR CORNERS, RESIDENTS, THE BONGO CLUB, Deep funk, soul jazz, afro beats, latin vibes, 23:00, £5, £3 b4 12am FRONTLINE SELECTA, RESIDENTS, STEREO, Roots, reggae, dancehall, dub & ragga, 23:00, Free GET FUNK’ D, DOUBLE D & ISLA, MEDINA, Hip hop to

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

GLASGOW CLUBS THE FUNKY PRECEDENT, D_FADE, DUNCAN HARVEY ern soul, funk, ska & mod tunes, 23:00, £6 (£5) & BOOM MONK BEN, SAINT JUDE’S, Hip hop, funk, soul GLAMORAMA, LIL RICH, BOHO, (0s house, 80s clas& motown, 20:00, Free

HOMEBREW, TIFF PEACHES, PROVINYLIST KARIM ILL TECHNIQUE & GROUNDSKEEPER GC, THE SUB CLUB, Hip hop to nasty electro via the rest, 23:00, £3, £2 matric. card HORRORSHOW, RESIDENTS, FIREWATER, Indie, rock n roll, punk & electro, 21:00, £4 (£3), free b4 10.30pm LOLLIPOP, RESIDENTS, GUU, Pop, RnB & Indie , 22:00, £3 (£2, £1), free b4 9pm ON DEMAND, DJ EUAN, THE SHED, Requests by text message at this interactive club night, 22:30, £3

PLASTIC FUNK, MARK ROBB, TANIA & FRIENDS, BAMBOO, Funk, soul & rock n roll, 22:30, £4 (£3), free b4

11pm/12.30am with matric

RADIOMAGNETIC, RADIOMAGNETIC DJS, GAZELLE, Funk, soul & latin grooves, 20:00, Free

RECORD PLAYERZ, HI-FI SEAN & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR, Disco electro, 23:00, £4 (£3)

RUBBERMENSCH, RESIDENTS, ABC2, A night for indie lovers, 23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric. SKINT, DJ BILLY, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Metal, hip hop & rock, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with PIYP

THE THURSDAY CLUB, GERRY LYONS & BRIAN, THE

GARAGE, Chart anthems, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 12am

with PIYP

CJ, THE BUNKER BAR, Grunge & new rock, 21:00, FreeHOT CHIP, THE SUB CLUB, DJ Kicks tour, 23:00, £5

FRI 27 JUL ABC FRIDAYS, EUAN NEILSON, ABC1, Genre mash-up, 23:00, £6 (£4)

BALLBREAKER, BARRY & BILLY, THE CATHOUSE, Rock & metal, 22:30, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 11.30am with PIYP BOOGIE DOWN, STEWART REID, BLUU, Jazz, disco & house sounds, 22:00, £5, free b4 11pm BROWN BAGGIN’ IT, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Retro, britpop, alternative, chill, RnB & soul, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with PIYP CAMOUFLAGE, N_CODER, SOUNDHAUS, Electro, breaks & techno, 23:00, £8 (£5) COMPUTELOVE, RESIDENTS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Electronic sounds, 20:00, Free DAS BOOT, RESIDENTS, BLOC, Eclectic, 22:00, Free ELECTROBALL, RESIDENTS, KARBON, 80’s, nu-wave, rock & punk, 22:30, £tbc FLIRTINI FRIDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £6 FLUID, LISA LITTLEWOOD, MAS, Funky house, 23:00, £5 FREAKMENOOVERS, RESIDENTS, RUST BAR, Early doors serving of hip hop, funk, RnB & soul, 21:00, Free

sics, RnB & chart, 21:30, £8

GROOVEJET, RESIDENTS, MAS, Weekly house & RnB mix, tro & disco, 21:00, Free

HOME COOKIN’, RESIDENTS, BELO, Urban music showcase, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

HOMEGROWN, STEVIE SOLE MIDDLETON, DOMENIC MARTIN & SCOTTIE B, BAMBOO, House and smooth RnB,

INSIDE OUT, SCOTT ROJECT, AGNELLI & NELSON & MORE, THE ARCHES, Hard house, trance pants, 22:00, £tbc

KARBON SATURDAYS, KEV MCFARLANE, STEPHEN LEE & WOODY, KARBON, House & hip hop classics, 22:30, £tbc

NU-SCHOOL, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Fresh northern soul, jazz & funk featuring live percussion, classics downstairs, 22:30, £6 OPEN DEX, RESIDENTS, DEEP 6 (GUU), Bring your vinyl/ CDs if you can do better, 21:00, £1, £2 non-members

SEVENTHFLOOR SOUNDS, RESIDENTS, PIVO PIVO, House, 20:00, Free

SHIFT, ALLOY MENTAL, SOUNDHAUS, Live techno, £tbc SUBCULTURE, HARRI & DOM, THE SUB CLUB, Weekly snapshot of the ever-evolving house blueprint, 23:00, £8, £5 b4 12am

TRONIC, VECTOR LOVERS, ESPION, KERWIN, ENGINE 7, ROBOKID, BLACKFRIARS, Electronic, 5 live acts, 22:00, UN-SCENE, DJ PAUL, BLOC, , 22:00, Free VOODOO, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Under-18 club with metal, emo & punk, 17:00, £6 (£3)

DJ TOAST & MASH, THE BUNKER BAR, Eclectic, 21:00, Free BARRY & ANDY, THE CATHOUSE, All things rock, 22:30, £6 (£5), free b4 12am with PIYP

DJ NAEEM & MIRRIRBAW, CHINAWHITE, Main room RnB & classics, funky house in the Mao room, 22:00, £10 PAUL NEEDLES, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free

PAUL CAWLEY & KARIM THE PRO-VINYLIST, MACSORLEYS, Eclectic pre-club music, 21:00, Free

RESIDENTS, REPUBLIC BIER HALLE, Leftfield music & pizzas,

23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

OLD SCHOOL, GORDIE & JACK, THE BUFF CLUB, Old school tunes, 22:30, £6

OOFT PRECLUB, ALI & GRAEME (SKYROCKET), TERMINAL BAR, Electronic/dub, 21:00, Free

PRESSURE, SLAM, FUNK D’VOID, OCTOGEN, THE ARCHES, Techno, 22:00, £12

RED & GOLD ROOM, RESIDENTS, ARTA, Soul musak, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

SOUND MUSEUM, DJ HUSHPUPPY (ART SCHOOL) & CHRIS GEDDES (BELLE & SEBASTIAN), BREL, Retro soul,

As well as raising awareness and smiles, All Tomorrow’s Particks events have acted as an open forum for alternative uses for the site - perhaps the

photos: John Lewis

TRICKY DISCO, JON MANCINI & KRIS KEEGAN, KARtronica, 21:00, Free

free 4 students

MON 30 JUL BURN, NORMSKI & ZEUS, THE BUFF

BAMBOO, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00, £5,

Tesco has issued a statement to counter protests, that reads: “A new Partick store, which keeps trade within Partick, will assist local businesses, reduce car journeys and help improve the general environment of the area around this former scrap yard.” But, as Galbraith responds: “In reality it will create a monopoly, result in the closure of local businesses, increase car journeys and pollution. The idea that trade is kept in Partick is misleading, with something like 89p of every pound spent in the proposed store immediately leaving the local area - the trade would be here but the profits go to shareholders.”

boogie next door, 22:00, £5 (£3), free b4 10.30pm/ 12.30pm with matric JUNK, MARKY MARK, THE BUFF CLUB, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00, £3, free with matric OPTIMO, JD TWITCH & JG WILKES, THE SUB CLUB, Maximum eclectic, 23:00, £6 (£5) SICK NOTE SUNDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £3 SPANK, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Rock, punk & dance, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 1am with PIYP

WHITE, House, 22:00, £8 (£5)

TOXIC POP, GEOFF M, JUNIOR CAMPOS & MAX,

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK

BAMBOO, Classic house music all night long with other

BON, House, 23:00, £5

TFI FRIDAY, DJ PHIL, SSU, Chart, 16:00, £2 after 5pm,

“People love letting go and really imagining what’d be their preferred use of that space. It’s about great potential and a rich imagination two things Partick has in abundance.”

DJs play acoustic gems, 20:00, Free

21:00, Free

STEREODOG, MR. LIVEWIRE & GARY CURLEY, CHINA-

As an action, it is endemic of the cheekiness of a group that opposes capitalism with catapults and

Most have suggested things that have no commercial incentive.

SUN 29 JUL BLOC + JAM, MR. CRAIG GRANT,

DISCO BADGER, DOMINIC MARTIN, KASH & MAX,

NOJ, RESIDENTS, POLAR BAR (ABC), No Music Policy,

On 17 June, the proposed site of Tesco’s new inner-city superstore/ student village colossus came under fire from the seed bombs of protest group All Tomorrow’s Particks. As compacted balls of wild f lower seeds and soil flew through the air, the possible alternative of something lushly beautiful rather than cheaply commercial had the chance to become an organic reality.

greatest weapon against a Tesco campaign that seems to imply they are doing the community a favour by developing barren wasteland. “Some of the suggestions we have had for the site include a green space, a theatre, an outside swimming pool, low cost social housing, a herb/vegetable garden, a city beach, recycling awareness centre, allotments, a zen garden,” Galbraith reels off. “Funnily enough none have said a supermarket.

21:00, Free

FIREWATER, Indie, rock n roll, punk, electro, 21:00, £4

(£3), free b4 10.30pm

Spokesman for ATP, Ryan Galbraith, firmly believes that creative, all-embracing action is the way to engage people with the perceived threat to their community. “There is already a group called Stop Tesco which is campaigning against the proposed Tesco,” he explains. “We wanted to use our skills in a complementary way to them, to use our creativity in a practical way to approach and actively involve the community in the area.” Predominantly made up of twenty-something artists and graduates, ATP is conscious that they could be seen as ignoring the needs of the families and 9 to 5ers who would patronise the store. As Galbraith says, “although most of us are relatively young we understand that our community is something worth fighting for and Tescotown threatens that”.

jazz & funk, 21:00, £5, free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students I LOVE THE GARAGE, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Classics, 22:30, £7 (£5), £6 (£4) b4 12am

KET, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, 23:00, £6 (£4)

HORRORSHOW, ESCOBAR, IMMERSED, THE SPILLS,

counters the mass market with mass massages (April saw the site play host to what was officially declared the World’s Largest Massage). These are witty, lo-fi stunts that are having a major impact on the debate.

HIP DROP, ROBBIE ROLEX & NEL, BREL, Funk, soul, elec-

£8

by Ruth Marsh

“WE UNDERSTAND THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR AND TESCOTOWN THREATENS THAT”

23:00, £7 (£5)

LOUIS ABBOT & KENNY REID, BLOC, 21:00, Free CLUB PRIORY: RETOX ROOMS, DJ RICHARD LEVINSON, BLANKET, RnB, 23:00, £5 (£3) COLD NIGHT SONG, RESIDENTS, THE GOAT, Guests &

FREAKMENOOVERS, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, BLAN-

All Tomorrow’s Particks

LIFESTYLE

LISTINGS

NEIL WYPER, THE BUNKER BAR, New & old rock & elec-

CLUB, Glasgow institition playing underground classics,

23:00, £5 (£3), free for pub/club workers

ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian VICE, MARTIN BATE (XFM), THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Indie Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD FRESH, RESIDENTS, THE POLO LOUNGE, Popular gay venue rock party, 23:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 free b4 11pm/12.30am students

11.30pm with PIYP

with house & indie, 23:00, £5

21:00, Free

GARAGE, Pop & rock, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am

1, 23:00, £5 (£3)

Chart music & live comedy, 15:00, £2, free b4 3pm

SAT 28 JUL ABC SATURDAYS, GERRY LYONS,

RSAMD, Brazilian martial art, 18:00, £tbc

TAM COYLE, THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie,

POPTIMISM/ROCKTIMISM, DJ ANDY & DJ DEC, THE

ROBBIE ROLEX & THE RADIO MAGNETIC SOUNDSYS- with PIYP TEM, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free GEORGE BOWIE, CUBE FRIDAYS, Urban tunes from Clyde TUES 31 JUL12 HOUR TUESDAYS, RESIDENTS, SSU, ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS,

ABC1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00, £7 (£5),

ALL STAR, ANDY WILSON & DJ KASH, BAMBOO, Funk &

free b4 11.30pm with matric.

hip pop, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 11pm/12.30am with matric

ABC SATURDAYS, DAVID SINCLAIR (KILLER KITSCH), ABC2, Electro, house & pop, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4

DUB & GRUB, MUNGO’S HI FI, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART,

11.30pm with matric.

Snacks, meals & Mungo’s Hi Fi, 17:00, Free FOLK IT!, FOLKS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Up & coming folk musician session, 20:00, Free

BAD ROBOT, LOOSE JOINTS & STEVIE ELEMENTS, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Rock to techno & breakbeats,

23:00, £6 (£5), £2 GSA, free after 12am

DIRTY RECORDZ, PAUL N’JIE (BEAT 106), GUU, Current tunes, open decks, 22:00, £3 (£2, £1), free b4 9pm DIVINE!, MR. DIVINE & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR, North-

56 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

LISTINGS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

by Tristan Trinity

CANCER As the moon rises over you on 27th, you will feel strange. Your multinational corporation will be in a state of flux and even your most trusted directors will seem scheming and secretive. This is because they are plotting, but who has the power? The Public. Lay it to vote with a group of randoms and drunks, only then will you find the true meaning of this statement.

YNNIKS E H T - TO AFGHANISTAN FOR THE SAKE OF THIS OPPOSITES ISSUE, WE DECIDED TO DROP THE USUAL ‘RECOMMENDED’ TRAVEL PIECE FOR A MORE ALTERNATIVE REPORT. HERE JEFF JACKSON RECOUNTS AN EVENTFUL US ARMY TOUR OF DUTY IN AFGHANISTAN

embankment, my torso slammed into the edge of the turret, but my body armor absorbed the blow. Had I managed to duck inside the vehicle, I would have been crushed between the door and hundreds of pounds of ammunition that we kept in the central console.

LEO After careful consideration, you have come to no conclusion. The answer sure as hell doesn’t lie in the stars column. C’mon, get real, you need to go and get professional help. One thing that may help: this month your lucky animal is the skunk.

When the vehicle landed in the creek, it was still rolling. If the machine gun and the loudspeaker hadn’t been attached to the turret, it would have rolled completely over and snapped me like a toothpick. Luckily, the gun dug into the creek bed and the loudspeaker mount was just strong enough to break the vehicle’s momentum and stop the roll. They always told us in psychological operations school that if you know how to use your loudspeaker, it can save your life. In a way, I’m living proof.

VIRGO You are headstrong and playful this month but keep an eye on your energy levels. The sun enters your sign on Thursday, don’t burn out before the climax. You will see the world in a different light before the month is out, but you may want to clean your flat... Lucky colours: CMYK.

LIBRA No matter how much we wish we could tell you otherwise, your ex will not die in a freak napalm accident this month either. Maybe it’s time to face your ghosts and take care of matters yourself. Or call +1 456 9 CLEANERS. Lucky colour: yucky banana-brown

For the next seven hours we worked to extract our vehicle from the creek. Twenty locals and the village elder showed up, loaned us a tractor and a truck, and proceeded to demolish their own bridge so that we could up-end our vehicle.

SCORPIO We all know you’re into S&M. It’s so boring, try going straight for a while to torture them psychologically. Here are a few hints: 1. Sloppy foreplay (to make this more realistic, act drunk) 2. Invite your loved one round for a romantic dinner (with your band members too) 3. Sporadically use the phrase “yeah, me and my ex used to…”

SAGITTARIUS That thing you thought no-one knew about has found its way to the outside world and by mid July you’ll find that Big Brother is your new best (and only) friend. Metro’s classified pages can give you temporary satisfaction, but watch out for obese 57 year-old transgendered folk. They only want you for your Star Wars action figures.

CAPRICORN You’re weird.

AQUARIUS Your work seems extremely difficult this month. Not only will you have a fight with one of your closest workmates, you’ll also shag your boss. There is only one thing you can do now: become a parking attendant and everyone will hate you. No friends = no trouble.

PISCES Bridges are there to be crossed, but if you burn them you can never get back. Or at least not as easily. Follow the path alongside the river, and remember, it’s the journey and not the path. Hopefully you know a good tune to whistle. Lucky numbers: 06 29 31 33 36 41. Bonus ball 09.

ARIES Electricity will mean a great deal to you this month, and so will communal Scandinavian showers. Two wrongs don’t make a right, so make sure you don’t combine these in a flash of seared Scandinavian nudity.

TAURUS New planet SP35AA-Nova is in your zodiac this month, making you look smooth and tasty. This might result in strangers trying to bite you. Trick them by not showering: that’ll teach the stupid fools! Also make sure you don’t drink too much after midnight unless you have the next day off. Lucky number: 6.

There’s a feeling you get when you set foot in Afghanistan. Geographically, you’re on the other side of the world. Economically, you’re in the poorest country in Asia. You know these things before you go, and your mind accounts for them. But nothing prepares you for the landscape. Flying low in a helicopter over the Hindu Kush mountains, the terrain doesn’t simply look foreign – it looks Martian. The land is scorched; rocks litter the earth; mud huts speckle near trickles of water generously called rivers. Seeing it for the first time, you think: this is a land made for war. And so it is. Afghanistan has been invaded no less than ten times. War brought me to Afghanistan. I can honestly say it never would have occurred to me to visit had the Army not gently suggested I pack my bags and get my ass on the C-17. I was a psychological operations specialist (PSYOPS). My job was to drive into a village, meet local elders and religious leaders and make sure they knew we were on their side. At the end of each visit, we’d hand out solar-powered radios and soccer balls with the Afghan flag printed on them. The kids loved us, the adults were generally respectful. Those tempted to make the trip should know that there are hazards involved in any Afghanistani vacation. First, women are generally required to be covered from head to toe – failure to comply risks death by stoning. Second, malaria pills are a must (despite their odd side effect of remarkably vivid nightmares). Third, Westerners are highly

After the adrenaline wore off, I starting making friends with the locals and letting them take pictures of each other with my digital camera. By the end of the ordeal, I had passed out toothbrushes attractive targets for terrorist ambushes and sui- and soccer balls to all the kids and taught them to cide bombings. Not trying to scare anybody, just greet Americans with a special handshake and a a few things to consider. strong, “Right on, brother!”

IF THE MACHINE GUN AND THE LOUDSPEAKER HADN’T BEEN ATTACHED TO THE TURRET, THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE ROLLED COMPLETELY OVER AND SNAPPED ME LIKE A TOOTHPICK

Just as we were leaving, the village elder invited all of us to a feast. The food was, well, authentic. I can’t say I ate much of it, but we had a good time.

So when you’re planning that next exotic get away, keep Afghanistan on the short list. Sure, there are friendlier places to go - places with paved roads, fewer land mines, and more inviting dress codes. But Afghanistan is one of a kind. Every second you’re there, you’ll always be thinkIf you happen to be driving a military vehicle, ing, I’m definitely in Afghanistan. Some people there’s another risk to consider. The standard would empty their wallets for that feeling. Me? I HMMWV (high mobility multi-wheeled vehicle) got lucky – they paid me just for going. is two feet wider than the average car. This is important to remember when crossing flimsy mud bridges designed mainly for donkeys. I learned to appreciate this risk one afternoon on our way to Of course, it helps to join the Army. If you’re not coma local village. I was in the turret manning the fortable with that, they just opened an international machine gun as we came to a narrow bridge that airport in Kandahar. The main terminal is still riddled rose about five feet above a little creek. The driver, with bullet holes from where the Taliban made their last for reasons that will forever remain his own, stand. chose to punch the accelerator at the foot of the bridge. Unfortunately, our rapid ascent prevented him from seeing that he was steering us too far to Once you’ve got your boots on the ground, staying the right. From the turret, I could see what was away will be easy. You’ll be there until your orders say about to happen, but we were moving too fast for you can leave – and maybe longer. Resist the urge to me to do anything other than yell some garbled count the days. expletive as our vehicle careened off the bridge, slammed into the side of the embankment, and Bring a soccer ball and be prepared to look foolish. rolled onto its right side.

GETTING AWAY

STAYING AWAY:

PLAYING AWAY:

I didn’t have time to duck into the vehicle, but this turned out to be a blessing. When we hit the

They won’t have a proper field and the rugged terrain will work to their advantage. Resist the urge to indulge in the never-ending fields of opium that surround you.

GEMINI Not all adventures are good, and far from all of them end without newly encountered VDs. You may want to try those rubbery things called ‘condoms’. They can protect you from some nasty stuff. But unfortunately they can’t delete your phone number from sleazy bartenders’ mobile phones.

soul, jazz & funk featuring live percussion, classics downstairs, 22:30, £6 OPEN DEX, RESIDENTS, DEEP 6 (GUU), Bring your vinyl/ CDs if you think you can do better, 21:00, £1, £2 nonmembers SIREN, KT RED & JT HOOKER, BLOC, House & electro, 22:00, Free SUBCULTURE, HARRI & DOM, THE SUB CLUB, Weekly snapshot of the ever-evolving house blueprint, 23:00, £8, £5 b4 12am VOODOO, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Under-18 club with metal, emo & punk, 17:00, £6 (£3) DJ TOAST & MASH, THE BUNKER BAR, , 21:00, Free BARRY & ANDY, THE CATHOUSE, All things rock, 22:30, £6 (£5), free b4 12am with PIYP DJ NAEEM & MIRRIRBAW, CHINAWHITE, Main room RnB & classics, funky house in the Mao room, 22:00, £10 PAUL NEEDLES, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free

PAUL CAWLEY & KARIM THE PRO-VINYLIST, MACSORLEYS, Eclectic pre-club music, 21:00, Free

RESIDENTS, REPUBLIC BIER HALLE, Leftfield music & pizzas, 21:00, Free

SUN 15 JUL BLOC + JAM, MR. CRAIG GRANT,

LOUIS ABBOT & KENNY REID, BLOC, Open mic, 21:00,

Free

CLUB CUBA!, RESIDENTS, FAVELA, Latin, 21:00, Free CLUB PRIORY: RETOX ROOMS, DJ RICHARD LEVINSON, BLANKET, RnB, 23:00, £5 (£3) COLD NIGHT SONG, RESIDENTS, THE GOAT, Guests & DJs play acoustic gems, 20:00, Free

DISCO BADGER, DOMINIC MARTIN, KASH & MAX, BAMBOO, Classic house music all night long with other

23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

OLD SCHOOL, GORDIE & JACK, THE BUFF CLUB, Old

RnB night in Glasgow, 23:00, £3 (£2)

school tunes, 22:30, £6

from 8pm, free club from 10.15pm, 20:00, Free NEW FLESH, RESIDENTS, FURY MURRY’S, Rock, metal, punk, rap, industrial & alternative music, 22:00, £4, £2 from 10pm-11pm, £1 with flyer/after 11pm OCTOPUSSY, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Student night with a bouncy castle, swimming pool?, jacuzzi?? & wedding chapel???, 22:00, £4 TONGUE IN CHEEK, RESIDENTS, BAMBOO, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with matric WHATEVER, ANDY & BRIAN, THE GARAGE, Chart music, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am with PIYP MARTIN BATE (BEAT 106), THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie, 21:00, Free

NAL BAR, Electronic/dub, 21:00, Free

THUR 19 JUL 45 KICKS, ALEX & JOHN, THE BUFF

TOXIC POP, GEOFF M, JUNIOR CAMPOS & MAX,

MJAM SALSA, CHRIS TRAYNOR, LIPTONS, Salsa classes

CLUB, New York & underground school inspired beats,

23:00, £3

ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS,

OOFT PRECLUB, ALI & GRAEME (SKYROCKET), TERMIRECTIFY, LEON BOLIER & TONNES O OTHERS, SOUNDHAUS, Dance, 22:30, £8 (£6)

RED & GOLD ROOM, RESIDENTS, ARTA, Soul musak, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

SOUND MUSEUM, DJ HUSHPUPPY (ART SCHOOL) & CHRIS GEDDES (BELLE & SEBASTIAN), BREL, Retro soul, 21:00, Free

SPARKIES 45S, MARK ROBB, CAFÉ RIO, Jazz, funk & soul, 20:00, Free

STEREODOG, MR. LIVEWIRE & GARY CURLEY, CHINAWHITE, House, 22:00, £8 (£5)

TFI FRIDAY, DJ PHIL, SSU, Chart, 16:00, £2 after 5pm, free 4 students

BAMBOO, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00, £5,

free b4 11pm/12.30am students

VICE, MARTIN BATE (XFM), THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Indie

rock party, 23:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 11.30pm with PIYP BABAZA, RESIDENTS, BELO, Hip hop with the funk, 22:00, TAM COYLE, THE BUNKER BAR, rock & indie, 21:00, Free ROBBIE ROLEX & THE RADIO MAGNETIC SOUNDSYS£6, free b4 11pm CHIX ON DEX, RESIDENTS, CHINAWHITE, Rock, funkpunk TEM, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free GEORGE BOWIE, CUBE FRIDAYS, Urban tunes from Clyde & house all mixed by lovely ladies, 22:00, £4, free b4 11pm 1, 23:00, £5 (£3) RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

£tbc

CIGARETTES & F**K ALL, CRAIG MCGEE, THE BUTTERFLY & THE PIG, Indie & rock ‘n’ roll, 21:00, Free

CLUB OLUM, DIRTY MARC, BLOC, Eclectic, 21:00, Free CRUSH, MCSLEAZY (XFM), QMU, Bootlegs, 22:00, £2, £1 members

SAT 21 JUL ABC SATURDAYS, GERRY LYONS, ABC1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

ABC SATURDAYS, DAVID SINCLAIR (KILLER KITSCH),

FOREPLAY, DJ NORMSKI, BOHO, Funk, electro & house,

ABC2, Electro, house & pop, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4

FREAKMOVES, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, GLASGOW

BAD ROBOT, LOOSE JOINTS & STEVIE ELEMENTS,

21:30, £3

11.30pm with matric.

SCHOOL OF ART, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, Record Play-

GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Rock to techno & breakbeats,

23:00, £6 (£5), £2 GSA, free after 12am BANFF CLUB, RESIDENTS, BLOC, Eclectic, 22:00, £2, FREAKSCENE, JOHN, POLAR BAR (ABC), Indie classics, free b4 12am 23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric. THE FUNKY PRECEDENT, D_FADE, DUNCAN HARVEY DEATH DISCO, DIGITALISM, THE ARCHES, New wave & BOOM MONK BEN, SAINT JUDE’S, Hip hop, funk, soul disco, electro house, 22:00, £12 DIRTY RECORDZ, PAUL N’JIE (BEAT 106), GUU, Current & motown, 20:00, Free tunes, open decks downstairs, 22:00, £3 (£2, £1), free HOMEBREW, TIFF PEACHES, PROVINYLIST KARIM ILL TECHNIQUE & GROUNDSKEEPER GC, THE SUB CLUB, Hip b4 9pm DIVINE!, MR. DIVINE & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR, NorthTRICKY DISCO, JON MANCINI & KRIS KEEGAN, KAR- hop to nasty electro via the rest, 23:00, £3, £2 matric. ern soul, funk, ska & mod tunes, 23:00, £6 (£5) card BON, House, 23:00, £5 HORRORSHOW, RESIDENTS, FIREWATER, Indie, rock n roll, FRIDAY STREET, RESIDENTS, BLACKFRIARS, 60s soul & rnb, NEIL WYPER, THE BUNKER BAR, New & old rock & elec22:00, £5 punk & electro, 21:00, £4 (£3), free b4 10.30pm tronica, 21:00, Free LOLLIPOP, RESIDENTS, GUU, Pop, RnB & Indie , 22:00, £3 GLAMORAMA, LIL RICH, BOHO, (0s house, 80s classics, RnB & chart, 21:30, £8 BURN, NORMSKI & ZEUS, THE BUFF (£2, £1), free b4 9pm GROOVEJET, RESIDENTS, MAS, Weekly house & RnB mix, ON DEMAND, DJ EUAN, THE SHED, Requests by text CLUB, Glasgow institition playing underground classics, 23:00, £7 (£5) message at this interactive club night, 22:30, £3 23:00, £5 (£3), free for pub/club workers HIP DROP, ROBBIE ROLEX & NEL, BREL, Funk, soul, elecPLASTIC FUNK, MARK ROBB, TANIA & FRIENDS, BAMELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Bratro & disco, 21:00, Free BOO, Funk, soul & rock n roll, 22:30, £4 (£3), free b4 zilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 HOME COOKIN’, RESIDENTS, BELO, Urban music show11pm/12.30am with matric RSAMD FRESH, RESIDENTS, THE POLO LOUNGE, Popular gay venue PUMP UP THE JAM, RESIDENTS, SSU, Old school cheese, case, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm HOMEGROWN, STEVIE SOLE MIDDLETON, DOMENIC live bands & funky house, 23:00, £2 with house & indie, 23:00, £5 MARTIN & SCOTTIE B, BAMBOO, House and smooth RnB, RADIOMAGNETIC, RADIOMAGNETIC DJS, GAZELLE, POPTIMISM/ROCKTIMISM, DJ ANDY & DJ DEC, THE jazz & funk, 21:00, £5, free b4 10.30pm/12.30am Funk, soul & latin grooves, 20:00, Free GARAGE, Pop & rock, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am students RECORD PLAYERZ, HI-FI SEAN & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC with PIYP I LOVE THE GARAGE, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Classics, BAR, Disco electro, 23:00, £4 (£3) 22:30, £7 (£5), £6 (£4) b4 12am 12 HOUR TUESDAYS, RESIDENTS, SSU, RUBBERMENSCH, RESIDENTS, ABC2, A night for indie lovKARBON SATURDAYS, KEV MCFARLANE, STEPHEN Chart music & live comedy, 15:00, £2, free b4 3pm ers, 23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric. LEE & WOODY, KARBON, House & hip hop classics, ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS, SKINT, DJ BILLY, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Metal, hip hop & 22:30, £tbc RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00, rock, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with PIYP NU-SCHOOL, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Fresh northern £tbc THE THURSDAY CLUB, GERRY LYONS & BRIAN, THE ALL STAR, ANDY WILSON & DJ KASH, BAMBOO, Funk & GARAGE, Chart anthems, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 12am soul, jazz & funk featuring live percussion, classics downstairs, 22:30, £6 hip pop, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 11pm/12.30am with with PIYP OPEN DEX, RESIDENTS, DEEP 6 (GUU), Bring your vinyl/ matric CJ, THE BUNKER BAR, Grunge & new rock, 21:00, Free CDs if you think you can do better, 21:00, £1, £2 nonDUB & GRUB, MUNGO’S HI FI, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF members ART, Snacks, meals & Mungo’s Hi Fi, 17:00, Free ABC FRIDAYS, EUAN NEILSON, ABC1, SUBCULTURE, HARRI & DOM, THE SUB CLUB, Weekly FOLK IT!, FOLKS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Up & coming folk Genre mash-up, 23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with snapshot of the ever-evolving house blueprint, 23:00, £8, matric. musician session, 20:00, Free £5 b4 12am ANIMAL FARM, TURTLE & QUAILL, BLOC, House, techno, FUNKY LUV, RESIDENTS, PLAY, Driving vocal house, VOODOO, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Under-18 club 22:00, £5, £3 NUS electro, 22:00, £2, free b4 12am with metal, emo & punk, 17:00, £6 (£3) INFLATABLE FUN, NAUGHTY NICOLA, THE GARAGE, BALLBREAKER, BARRY & BILLY, THE CATHOUSE, Rock DJ TOAST & MASH, THE BUNKER BAR, Eclectic, 21:00, Free Inflatables & groovy tunes, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 & metal, 22:30, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 BARRY & ANDY, THE CATHOUSE, All things rock, 22:30, £6 12am with PIYP 11.30am with PIYP (£5), free b4 12am with PIYP KALEIDOSCOPE LIVE, RESIDENTS, ABC2, Old school BOOGIE DOWN, STEWART REID, BLUU, Jazz, disco & DJ NAEEM & MIRRIRBAW, CHINAWHITE, Main room RnB rock & roll, soul, funk, from the 1960’s-1980’s , 22:00, house sounds, 22:00, £5, free b4 11pm & classics, funky house in the Mao room, 22:00, £10 £3, free with matric. After 12am BROWN BAGGIN’ IT, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Retro, PAUL NEEDLES, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free KILLER KITSCH, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Electroclash & britpop, alternative, chill, RnB & soul, 23:00, £5 (£3), PAUL CAWLEY & KARIM THE PRO-VINYLIST, that, 23:00, £4 (£3) free b4 11.30pm with PIYP MACSORLEYS, Eclectic pre-club music, 21:00, Free REVOLUTION, MARTIN BATE (XFM), QMU, Rock & punk COMPUTELOVE, RESIDENTS, THE MIXING ROOMS, ElecRESIDENTS, REPUBLIC BIER HALLE, Leftfield music & pizzas, , 22:00, £2, £1 members tronic sounds, 20:00, Free ROCK KARAOKE, PUNTERS, THE CATHOUSE, Karaoke to ELECTROBALL, RESIDENTS, KARBON, 80’s, nu-wave, rock 21:00, Free rock, 23:00, Free b4 12am & punk, 22:30, £tbc BLOC + JAM, MR. CRAIG GRANT, T.I.T., LISA LITTLEWOOD & GRAEME FERGUSON, KARFLIRTINI FRIDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor LOUIS ABBOT & KENNY REID, BLOC, Open mic, 21:00, BON, Dance, 22:30, £5 (£4) fillers, 21:30, £6 Free FLUID, LISA LITTLEWOOD, MAS, Funky house, 23:00, £5 CLUB CUBA!, RESIDENTS, FAVELA, Latin rhythms, 21:00, AFTER HOURS, GERRY LYONS, THE FREAKMENOOVERS, RESIDENTS, RUST BAR, Early doors Free BUFF CLUB, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00, £3 serving of hip hop, funk, RnB & soul, 21:00, Free CLUB PRIORY: RETOX ROOMS, DJ RICHARD LEVINDELIVERANCE, DJ DEC, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Alterna- FREAKMENOOVERS, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, BLANSON, BLANKET, RnB, 23:00, £5 (£3) tive music, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12am with PIYP KET, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, 23:00, £6 (£4) COLD NIGHT SONG, RESIDENTS, THE GOAT, Guests & ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, BraKOOCHI KOO, GARY CURLEY & SCHIZOPHONIK, DJs play acoustic gems, 20:00, Free zilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 BLACKFRIARS, Genre mash-up, 22:00, £5 DISCO BADGER, DOMINIC MARTIN, KASH & MAX, RSAMD NOJ, RESIDENTS, POLAR BAR (ABC), No Music Policy, BAMBOO, Classic house music all night long with other erz in the bar, 23:00, £4 (£3)

MON 16 JUL

TUE 17 JUL

FRI 20 JUL

SUN 22 JUL

WED 18 JUL

Our favourite Cancer - The Hoff

10 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

GOSSIP, DJ RICCI, SSU, Gay/mixed night, 20:00, Free NU-SCHOOL, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Fresh northern JOINTS & JAMS, RESIDENTS, CUBE, The Longest running SOUNDHAUS, Live Bunker electro, 23:00, £12 (£10)

LIFESTYLE

www.skinnymag.co.uk

boogie next door, 22:00, £5 (£3), free b4 10.30pm/ 12.30pm with matric JUNK, MARKY MARK, THE BUFF CLUB, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion by Duffy, 23:00, £3, free with matric

OPTIMO, JD TWITCH & JG WILKES, THE SUB CLUB, Maximum eclectic, 23:00, £6 (£5)

LISTINGS

LIFESTYLE

SICK NOTE SUNDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £3

SPANK, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Rock, punk & dance, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 1am with PIYP

TRICKY DISCO, JON MANCINI & KRIS KEEGAN, KARBON, House, 23:00, £5

NEIL WYPER, THE BUNKER BAR, New & old rock & electronica, 21:00, Free

MON 23 JUL BURN, NORMSKI & ZEUS, THE BUFF CLUB, Glasgow institition playing underground classics,

23:00, £5 (£3), free for pub/club workers

ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD FRESH, RESIDENTS, THE POLO LOUNGE, Popular gay venue with house & indie, 23:00, £5

POPTIMISM/ROCKTIMISM, DJ ANDY & DJ DEC, THE

GARAGE, Pop & rock, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am

with PIYP

TUES 24 JUL ALL STAR, ANDY WILSON & DJ

KASH, BAMBOO, Funk & hip pop, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 11pm/12.30am with matric

DUB & GRUB, MUNGO’S HI FI, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Snacks, meals & Mungo’s Hi Fi, 17:00, Free

FOLK IT!, FOLKS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Up & coming folk musician session, 20:00, Free FUNKY LUV, RESIDENTS, PLAY, Driving vocal house, 22:00, £5, £3 NUS

INFLATABLE FUN, NAUGHTY NICOLA, THE GARAGE, Inflatables & groovy tunes, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 12am with PIYP KALEIDOSCOPE LIVE, RESIDENTS, ABC2, Old school rock & roll, soul, funk, from the 1960’s-1980’s , 22:00, £3, free with matric. After 12am KILLER KITSCH, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Electroclash & that, 23:00, £4 (£3) REVOLUTION, MARTIN BATE (XFM), QMU, Rock & punk , 22:00, £2, £1 members

T.I.T., LISA LITTLEWOOD & GRAEME FERGUSON, KARBON, Dance, 22:30, £5 (£4)

WED 25 JUL AFTER HOURS, GERRY LYONS, THE BUFF CLUB, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00, £3

DELIVERANCE, DJ DEC, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Alternative music, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12am with PIYP

ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD,

Brazilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD GOSSIP, DJ RICCI, SSU, Gay/mixed night, 20:00, Free JOINTS & JAMS, RESIDENTS, CUBE, The Longest running RnB night in Glasgow, 23:00, £3 (£2) MJAM SALSA, CHRIS TRAYNOR, LIPTONS, Salsa classes from 8pm, free club from 10.15pm, 20:00, Free NEW FLESH, RESIDENTS, FURY MURRY’S, Rock, metal, punk, rap, industrial & alternative music, 22:00, £4, £2 from 10pm-11pm, £1 with flyer/after 11pm OCTOPUSSY, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Student night with a bouncy castle, swimming pool?, jacuzzi?? & wedding chapel???, 22:00, £4 TONGUE IN CHEEK, RESIDENTS, BAMBOO, Lounge, RnB & indie, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with matric WHATEVER, ANDY & BRIAN, THE GARAGE, Chart music, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am with PIYP MARTIN BATE (BEAT 106), THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie, 21:00, Free

THUR 26 JUL 45 KICKS, ALEX & JOHN, THE BUFF CLUB, New York & underground school inspired beats,

23:00, £3

ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

£tbc

BABAZA, RESIDENTS, BELO, Hip hop with the funk, 22:00, £6, free b4 11pm

CHIX ON DEX, RESIDENTS, CHINAWHITE, Rock, funkpunk & house all mixed by lovely ladies, 22:00, £4, free b4 11pm

CIGARETTES & F**K ALL, CRAIG MCGEE, THE BUTTERFLY & THE PIG, Indie & rock ‘n’ roll, 21:00, Free

CLUB OLUM, DIRTY MARC, BLOC, , 21:00, Free CRUSH, MCSLEAZY (XFM), QMU, Bootlegs, 22:00, £2, £1 members

FOREPLAY, DJ NORMSKI, BOHO, Funk, electro & house, 21:30, £3

FREAKMOVES, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, Record Playerz in the bar, 23:00, £4 (£3) FREAKSCENE, JOHN, POLAR BAR (ABC), Indie classics, 23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

THE SKINNY RECOMMENDS YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS

RUBBERMENSCH, RESIDENTS, ABC2, A night for indie

Northern soul, funk, ska & mod tunes, 23:00, £6 (£5)

12am with PIYP

lovers, 23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric. SKINT, DJ BILLY, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Metal, hip hop & rock, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with PIYP

GLAMORAMA, LIL RICH, BOHO, (0s house, 80s clas-

HAUS, Acid techno, 22:00, £10 (£8)

rock & roll, soul, funk, from the 1960’s-1980’s , 22:00, £3, free with matric. After 12am KILLER KITSCH, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Electroclash & that, 23:00, £4 (£3) REVOLUTION, MARTIN BATE (XFM), QMU, Rock & punk , 22:00, £2, £1 members ROCK KARAOKE, PUNTERS, THE CATHOUSE, Karaoke to rock, 23:00, Free b4 12am

THE THURSDAY CLUB, GERRY LYONS & BRIAN, THE

GARAGE, Chart anthems, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 12am

with PIYP

CJ, THE BUNKER BAR, Grunge & new rock, 21:00, Free

FRI 6 JUL ABC FRIDAYS, EUAN NEILSON, ABC1,

Genre mash-up, 23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric. ANIMAL FARM, TURTLE & QUAILL, BLOC, House, techno, electro, 22:00, £2, free b4 12am BALLBREAKER, BARRY & BILLY, THE CATHOUSE, Rock & metal, 22:30, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 11.30am with PIYP THE BASEMENT, RESIDENTS, SOUNDHAUS, House & techno - circus theme, 22:30, £7 (£6) BOOGIE DOWN, STEWART REID, BLUU, Jazz, disco & house sounds, 22:00, £5, free b4 11pm BROWN BAGGIN’ IT, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Retro, britpop, alternative, chill, RnB & soul, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with PIYP BURLY, HI-FI SEAN & HUSHPUPPY, THE ARCHES, Gay men party, 25+, 22:30, £10 COMPUTELOVE, RESIDENTS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Electronic sounds, 20:00, Free DISTORTION, RESIDENTS, BLACKFRIARS, Big beat, techno, 23:00, £5

THE DJS CRIB PART V, DOOGIE FUSION, MARC LOAGE, ZITKUS, RESIN & BUZZ, BETTYS, Hardcore, 23:00, £6

ELECTROBALL, RESIDENTS, KARBON, 80’s, nu-wave, rock & punk, 22:30, £tbc

FLIRTINI FRIDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £6

FLUID, LISA LITTLEWOOD, MAS, Funky house, 23:00, £5 FREAKMENOOVERS, RESIDENTS, RUST BAR, Early doors serving of hip hop, funk, RnB & soul, 21:00, Free

FREAKMENOOVERS, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, BLANKET, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, 23:00, £6 (£4)

NOJ, RESIDENTS, POLAR BAR (ABC), No Music Policy, 23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

OLD SCHOOL, GORDIE & JACK, THE BUFF CLUB, Old schol tunes, 22:30, £6

OOFT PRECLUB, ALI & GRAEME (SKYROCKET), TERMINAL BAR, Electronic/dub, 21:00, Free

PINUP, THE VALOR, MURNIE, DIAMOND SEA, WOODSIDE SOCIAL, Indie, punk, soul, electropop, 21:00, £5

RED & GOLD ROOM, RESIDENTS, ARTA, Soul musak, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

SOUND MUSEUM, DJ HUSHPUPPY (ART SCHOOL) & CHRIS GEDDES (BELLE & SEBASTIAN), BREL, Retro soul,

F.O.O.D., AARON THE IMP, ELECTRIC DELIGHT, SOUND- KALEIDOSCOPE LIVE, RESIDENTS, ABC2, Old school sics, RnB & chart, 21:30, £8

GROOVEJET, RESIDENTS, MAS, Weekly house & RnB mix, 23:00, £7 (£5)

HED KANDI BEACH HOUSE, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Pointy cartoon girls, 23:00, £tbc

HIP DROP, ROBBIE ROLEX & NEL, BREL, Funk, soul, electro & disco, 21:00, Free

HOME COOKIN’, RESIDENTS, BELO, Urban music showcase, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

HOMEGROWN, STEVIE SOLE MIDDLETON, DOMENIC MARTIN & SCOTTIE B, BAMBOO, House and smooth RnB, jazz & funk, 21:00, £5, free b4 10.30pm/ 12.30am students I LOVE THE GARAGE, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Classics, 22:30, £7 (£5), £6 (£4) b4 12am

free 4 students

THE TOMZ PROJECT, PETRAE FOY & RESIDENTS, LITE, Techno, 21:00, £9

TOXIC POP, GEOFF M, JUNIOR CAMPOS & MAX, BAMBOO, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00, £5,

free b4 11pm/12.30am students

VICE, MARTIN BATE (XFM), THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Indie rock party, 23:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 11.30pm with PIYP TAM COYLE, THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie, 21:00, Free

ROBBIE ROLEX & THE RADIO MAGNETIC SOUNDSYSTEM, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free GEORGE BOWIE, CUBE FRIDAYS, Urban tunes from

CLUB, New York & underground school inspired beats,

RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

LOUIS ABBOT & KENNY REID, BLOC, Open mic, 21:00,

Free

CLUB PRIORY: RETOX ROOMS, DJ RICHARD LEVINSON, BLANKET, RnB, 23:00, £5 (£3) COLD NIGHT SONG, RESIDENTS, THE GOAT, Guests & DJs play acoustic gems, 20:00, Free

BAMBOO, Classic house music all night long with other

TRICKY DISCO, JON MANCINI & KRIS KEEGAN, KARBON, House, 23:00, £5

NEIL WYPER, THE BUNKER BAR, New & old rock & electronica, 21:00, Free

MON 9 JUL BURN, NORMSKI & ZEUS, THE BUFF

b4 11pm

CIGARETTES & F**K ALL, CRAIG MCGEE, THE BUTTERFLY

ALL TORE UP, RESIDENTS, BLACKFRIARS, Rock n roll record hop, 22:00, £5

AUTOKRAT, MR. COPY, PAUL BENDORIS, ALEX FISHER, STU BRAZEWELL, PIVO PIVO, Tech-house, electro & techno, 20:00, Free

BAD ROBOT, LOOSE JOINTS & STEVIE ELEMENTS, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Rock to techno & breakbeats,

23:00, £6 (£5), £2 GSA, free after 12am

DIGITAL HARLOT VS. MONOX: THIS TIME IT’S WAR, DAWNIMATRIX, EFFIGY, MONOXIANS, THE BARFLY, Industrial hard music, 23:00, £5 (£4)

DIRTY RECORDZ, PAUL N’JIE (BEAT 106), GUU, Current tunes, open decks downstairs, 22:00, £3 (£2, £1), free b4 9pm

DIVINE!, MR. DIVINE & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR,

54 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

TUE 10 JUL 12 HOUR TUESDAYS, RESIDENTS, SSU, Chart music & live comedy, 15:00, £2, free b4 3pm

ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS,

RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

£tbc

ALL STAR, ANDY WILSON & DJ KASH, BAMBOO, Funk & hip pop, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 11pm/12.30am with matric

23:00, £4 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

THE FUNKY PRECEDENT, D_FADE, DUNCAN HARVEY & BOOM MONK BEN, SAINT JUDE’S, Hip hop, funk, soul & motown, 20:00, Free

Funk, soul & latin grooves, 20:00, Free

RECORD PLAYERZ, HI-FI SEAN & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR, Disco electro, 23:00, £4 (£3)

THE THURSDAY CLUB, GERRY LYONS & BRIAN, THE

DUB & GRUB, MUNGO’S HI FI, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF

GARAGE, Chart anthems, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 12am

ART, Snacks, meals & Mungo’s Hi Fi, 17:00, Free

CJ, THE BUNKER BAR, Grunge & new rock, 21:00, Free

FOLK IT!, FOLKS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Up & coming folk musician session, 20:00, Free FUNKY LUV, RESIDENTS, PLAY, Driving vocal house, 22:00, £5, £3 NUS

INFLATABLE FUN, NAUGHTY NICOLA, THE GARAGE, Inflatables & groovy tunes, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4

YASMIN

PETER

BRAM

ELECTROBALL, RESIDENTS, KARBON, 80’s, nu-wave, rock & punk, 22:30, £tbc

FLIRTINI FRIDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £6

FLUID, LISA LITTLEWOOD, MAS, Funky house, 23:00, £5 FREAKMENOOVERS, RESIDENTS, RUST BAR, Early doors serving of hip hop, funk, RnB & soul, 21:00, Free

FREAKMENOOVERS, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, BLANKET, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, 23:00, £6 (£4) NOJ, RESIDENTS, POLAR BAR (ABC), No Music Policy, 23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with matric. OLD SCHOOL, GORDIE & JACK, THE BUFF CLUB, Old school tunes, 22:30, £6

OOFT PRECLUB, ALI & GRAEME (SKYROCKET), TERMINAL BAR, Electronic/dub, 21:00, Free

RED & GOLD ROOM, RESIDENTS, ARTA, Soul musak, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

SLEAZE, JD TWITCH, CLUB 69, Allsorts of techno , 22:30, £tbc

SOUND MUSEUM, DJ HUSHPUPPY (ART SCHOOL) & CHRIS GEDDES (BELLE & SEBASTIAN), BREL, Retro soul, 21:00, Free

SPARKIES 45S, MARK ROBB, CAFÉ RIO, Jazz, funk & soul, 20:00, Free

STEREODOG, MR. LIVEWIRE & GARY CURLEY, CHINAWHITE, House, 22:00, £8 (£5)

TFI FRIDAY, DJ PHIL, SSU, Chart, 16:00, £2 after 5pm, TOXIC POP, GEOFF M, JUNIOR CAMPOS & MAX, BAM-

SOUNDHAUS, 90s party with tuck shop, gladiators battle &

giveaways, 23:00, £tbc

VICE, MARTIN BATE (XFM), THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Indie CLUB OLUM, DIRTY MARC, BLOC, Eclectic, 21:00, Free rock party, 23:00, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 CRUSH, MCSLEAZY (XFM), QMU, Bootlegs, 22:00, £2, 11.30pm with PIYP £1 members TAM COYLE, THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie, 21:00, FOREPLAY, DJ NORMSKI, BOHO, Funk, electro & house, Free 21:30, £3 DAVID SHRIGLEY, KONX-OM-PAX, CCA, Annoying muFREAKMOVES, FREAKMENOOVERS DJS, GLASGOW sic, 21:00, Free SCHOOL OF ART, Fresh hip hop & funk cuts, Record Play- ROBBIE ROLEX & THE RADIO MAGNETIC SOUNDSYSerz in the bar, 23:00, £4 (£3) TEM, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free FREAKSCENE, JOHN, POLAR BAR (ABC), Indie classics, GEORGE BOWIE, CUBE FRIDAYS, Urban tunes from Clyde 1,

zilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD PLASTIC FUNK, MARK ROBB, TANIA & FRIENDS, BAMFRESH, RESIDENTS, THE POLO LOUNGE, Popular gay venue BOO, Funk, soul & rock n roll, 22:30, £4 (£3), free b4 with house & indie, 23:00, £5 11pm/12.30am with matric POPTIMISM/ROCKTIMISM, DJ ANDY & DJ DEC, THE PUMP UP THE JAM, RESIDENTS, SSU, Old school cheese, GARAGE, Pop & rock, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am live bands & funky house, 23:00, £2 with PIYP RADIOMAGNETIC, RADIOMAGNETIC DJS, GAZELLE,

dance, 22:00, £2, free b4 12am

KEIR

hard dance, 22:00, £8

& THE PIG, Indie & rock ‘n’ roll, 21:00, Free

SAT 7 JUL ABC SATURDAYS, GERRY LYONS, ABC1,

ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Bra-

SOPHIE

pop, alternative, chill, RnB & soul, 23:00, £5 (£3), free b4 11.30pm with PIYP COMPUTELOVE, RESIDENTS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Electronic sounds, 20:00, Free

11pm/12.30am students CHIX ON DEX, RESIDENTS, CHINAWHITE, Rock, funkCLUB CUBA!, RESIDENTS, FAVELA, Latin rhythms, 21:00, punk & house all mixed by lovely ladies, 22:00, £4, free UNBELIEVABLE, PUSSYPOWER & SOUNDWAVE DJS,

Clyde 1, 23:00, £5 (£3)

AERIALS DJS, DJ CAH SEE OH, BLOC, Techno, rock,

BROWN BAGGIN’ IT, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Retro, brit-

BOO, House music, hip hop & lounge, 22:00, £5, free b4

Radio 1 dance, 23:00, £5, £3 b4 12am ON DEMAND, DJ EUAN, THE SHED, Requests by text message at this interactive club night, 22:30, £3

11.30pm with matric.

house sounds, 22:00, £5, free b4 11pm

22:00, £6, free b4 11pm

23:00, £5 (£3), free for pub/club workers

ABC2, Electro, house & pop, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4

BOOGIE DOWN, STEWART REID, BLUU, Jazz, disco &

free 4 students

BABAZA, RESIDENTS, BELO, Hip hop with the funk,

MIXED BIZNESS, ANNIE MAC & HERVE, THE SUB CLUB,

ABC SATURDAYS, DAVID SINCLAIR (KILLER KITSCH),

ARCHES, Indie, punk, electro, disco, 22:30, £6 (£4)

£tbc

CLUB, Glasgow institition playing underground classics,

Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

BLITZGRIEG BOP, MOTHER & THE ADDICTS, DAMN SHAMES, LADYTRON, CHICKS ON SPEED DJS, THE

Free

TFI FRIDAY, DJ PHIL, SSU, Chart, 16:00, £2 after 5pm,

THURS 12 JUL

21:00, Free

SUN 8 JUL BLOC + JAM, MR. CRAIG GRANT,

metal, 22:30, £5 (£4), £3 b4 11.30pm, free b4 11.30am with PIYP BEATBOX DJS, DEFCON1 & BRADLEY C, BLOC, Hip hop, 22:00, £2, free b4 12am

DANCE PLANET, JOE DEACON, BILLY REID & MORE BUFF CLUB, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00, £3 DELIVERANCE, DJ DEC, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Alterna- HARDCORE HEADS, ARCHAOS, Hardcore, scouse house,

RESIDENTS, REPUBLIC BIER HALLE, Leftfield music & pizzas, ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS,

soul, 20:00, Free

WHITE, House, 22:00, £8 (£5)

WED 11 JUL AFTER HOURS, GERRY LYONS, THE

23:00, £3

DISCO BADGER, DOMINIC MARTIN, KASH & MAX,

STEREODOG, MR. LIVEWIRE & GARY CURLEY, CHINA-

BON, Dance, 22:30, £5 (£4)

LEYS, Eclectic pre-club music, 21:00, Free

21:00, Free

SPARKIES 45S, MARK ROBB, CAFÉ RIO, Jazz, funk &

T.I.T., LISA LITTLEWOOD & GRAEME FERGUSON, KAR-

tive music, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12am with PIYP ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD KARBON SATURDAYS, KEV MCFARLANE, STEPHEN GOSSIP, DJ RICCI, SSU, Gay/mixed night, 20:00, Free LEE & WOODY, KARBON, House & hip hop classics, 22:30, £tbc JOINTS & JAMS, RESIDENTS, CUBE, The Longest running NU-SCHOOL, RESIDENTS, THE BUFF CLUB, Fresh northern RnB night in Glasgow, 23:00, £3 (£2) soul, jazz & funk featuring live percussion, classics MJAM SALSA, CHRIS TRAYNOR, LIPTONS, Salsa classes downstairs, 22:30, £6 from 8pm, free club from 10.15pm, 20:00, Free OPEN DEX, RESIDENTS, DEEP 6 (GUU), Bring your vinyl/ NEW FLESH, RESIDENTS, FURY MURRY’S, Rock, metal, CDs if you think you can do better, 21:00, £1, £2 nonpunk, rap, industrial & alternative music, 22:00, £4, £2 members from 10pm-11pm, £1 with flyer/after 11pm SUBCULTURE, HARRI & DOM, THE SUB CLUB, Weekly OCTOPUSSY, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Student night with snapshot of the ever-evolving house blueprint, 23:00, a bouncy castle, swimming pool?, jacuzzi?? & wedding £8, £5 b4 12am chapel???, 22:00, £4 VOODOO, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Under-18 club TONGUE IN CHEEK, RESIDENTS, BAMBOO, Lounge, with metal, emo & punk, 17:00, £6 (£3) RnB & indie, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with DJ TOAST & MASH, THE BUNKER BAR, Eclectic, 21:00, matric Free WHATEVER, ANDY & BRIAN, THE GARAGE, Chart music, BARRY & ANDY, THE CATHOUSE, All things rock, 22:30, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am with PIYP £6 (£5), free b4 12am with PIYP MARTIN BATE (BEAT 106), THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock DJ NAEEM & MIRRIRBAW, CHINAWHITE, Main room RnB & indie, 21:00, Free & classics, funky house in the Mao room, 22:00, £10 PAUL NEEDLES, THE GOAT, Eclectic, 20:00, Free 45 KICKS, ALEX & JOHN, THE BUFF

PAUL CAWLEY & KARIM THE PRO-VINYLIST, MACSOR-

LIFESTYLE

LISTINGS GLASGOW CLUBS

with PIYP

23:00, £5 (£3)

SAT 14 JUL 4ORCE, DJ 4ORCE, JUMPSTYLERS,

ARCHAOS, Hard house, trance & hardcore, 22:00, £tbc

ABC SATURDAYS, GERRY LYONS, ABC1, Soul, punk, rock & indie dance, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4 11.30pm with matric.

ABC SATURDAYS, DAVID SINCLAIR (KILLER KITSCH), ABC2, Electro, house & pop, 23:00, £7 (£5), free b4

11.30pm with matric.

BAD ROBOT, LOOSE JOINTS & STEVIE ELEMENTS, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Rock to techno & breakbeats,

23:00, £6 (£5), £2 GSA, free after 12am BALLISTIC, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Dance, 23:00, £tbc BUMP & GRIND, RESIDENTS, BLACKFRIARS, RnB club, 22:00, £5 DIRTY RECORDZ, PAUL N’JIE (BEAT 106), GUU, Current tunes, open decks downstairs, 22:00, £3 (£2, £1), free b4 9pm DIVINE!, MR. DIVINE & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC BAR, Northern soul, funk, ska & mod tunes, 23:00, £6 (£5)

FILTHY GORGEOUS, BRUNO LAWTON, 2MANKYDJS, LISA, MAGGIE MAYS, House, techno, breaks, 23:00, £5 GLAMORAMA, LIL RICH, BOHO, (0s house, 80s classics, RnB & chart, 21:30, £8

GROOVEJET, RESIDENTS, MAS, Weekly house & RnB mix, 23:00, £7 (£5)

HIP DROP, ROBBIE ROLEX & NEL, BREL, Funk, soul, electro & disco, 21:00, Free

HOME COOKIN’, RESIDENTS, BELO, Urban music showcase, 22:00, £7, free b4 11pm

HOMEGROWN, STEVIE SOLE MIDDLETON, DOMENIC MARTIN & SCOTTIE B, BAMBOO, House and smooth RnB,

jazz & funk, 21:00, £5, free b4 10.30pm/12.30am students ABC FRIDAYS, EUAN NEILSON, ABC1, Genre mash-up, 23:00, £6 (£4), free b4 11.30pm with I LOVE THE GARAGE, RESIDENTS, THE GARAGE, Classics, 22:30, £7 (£5), £6 (£4) b4 12am matric.

FRI 13 JUL

BALLBREAKER, BARRY & BILLY, THE CATHOUSE, Rock &

MONOX VS. SEISMIC, NOVAMEN, SYNCOM DATA,

LISTINGS

CHARLOTTE

photos: John Lewis, Colin Macdonald

T H E S K I N YN

GUTTER TALK SKINNY STAFF SOPHIE KYLE, MANAGING EDITOR, EDINBURGH

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE SKINNY?

23 months, and counting. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?

Um, well, head first. Two years ago I was working as a waitress, crying a lot, and had a weird and constant sense of anticipation; I was on edge. Then I met some lovely creative types (coincidentally-onpurpose at the same time) who were also on edge. Each started thinking in the same way, and then together made a magazine. So you could say, The Skinny became involved with us. Uninvited little blighter. IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would change paper work and

bureaucracy into candyfloss and marshmallows so I could get a sugar high everyday! ANY EMBARRAS S ING SKINNY MO MENTS?

When a girl whose photo we had run on the front cover called in to tell us her Mum hadn’t previously known she was a burlesque dancer. IF SOMEONE FAMOUS WAS THE OPPOSITE OF YOU, WHO WOULD IT BE?

A cross between Rab C Nesbitt and Jeremy Paxman.

KEIR HIND, BOOKS EDITOR, GLASGOW HOW LONG? Since Issue One. Nearly

a year now as Books Editor. GOT INVOLVED? I was asked to by the Film Editor at the time, because I’m amazing. CHANGE ONE THING? Easy - I’d put Nelson Mandela back in prison so we could free him again. EMBARRASSING SKINNY MOMENTS?

Ah, yes. I suppose you mean the time I was contacted by a cancer patient who wanted a signed copy of the Terrence Malick article I did. I

strolled along to see him in hospital and walked in on him shagging his nurse.... embarrassing. But later he got me back by puking on my shoes. A lot. Nice bloke nonetheless, but he’s dead now. Still, got to laugh, eh?

against exploitation of developing world economies. EMBARRASSING SKINNY MOMENTS ? Just being mistaken for someone else. THE OPPOSITE OF YOU? Ruby Wax. OPPOSITE FAVOURITE THING? A variable.

PETER BURNS, SALES EXECUTIVE keys? Hitting quiche with a shovel? I AND COMPETITIONS EDITOR, GLASGOW give up, what? WHAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF YOUR FAVOURITE THING? What? Em, punching mon-

BRAM E GIEBEN, EVENTS MANAGER AND FORMER BEATS EDITOR, EDINBURGH

HOW LONG? About 8 months. GOT INVOLVED? Started helping the

Beats section in Glasgow. CHANGE ONE THING? One word – hovHOW LONG? From the star t, and erboards. hopefully to the edge of the universe. EMBARRASSING SKINNY MOMENTS? GOT INVOLVED? I tried to blag on the None, which in itself is strangely emguest-list for a magazine party, and barrassing. ended up being given the Beats OPPOSITE OF YOU? Jeremy Kyle. Editor job. I think this was because O P P O S I T E F A V O U R I T E T H I N G ? initially no-one else in Beats could Abstinence. stay sober for long enough to actually put the mag together. I became CHARLOTTE RODENSTEDT, editor by default, but have learned CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EDINBURGH a hell of a lot since then. I don’t miss HOW LONG? Since September ‘06. going clubbing four times a week. GOT INVOLVED? There was a job adCHANGE ONE THING? I would make vertised on Gumtree. people less obsessed with their own CHANGE ONE THING? Remove all pink individuality, make them stop look- limousines with 14 year old girls in ing at where their personality fin- them. ishes and another person’s begins. I EMBARRASSING SKINNY MOMENTS? would basically give people multiple Quite a few... like just after I had personality disorder as a lifestyle op- started, when I called up the wrong tion, rather than making it a mental Claire. The one I called was the PR health issue. As long as you can get of a theatre festival who had sent in your crunk on, who cares how many photos for the Theatre section, but I personalities you have? thought she was our Fashion Editor. EMBARASSING SKINNY MOMENTS ? I spoke to her for about 10 minutes, Getting chucked out of Aphex Twin asking her questions about the conat the Barrowlands in Glasgow for cept of her photos, how she was smoking a cigarette on the first day planning her pictures, and what the of the smoking ban. D’oh! people on the photos were wearing. I thought she seemed a bit confused YASMIN ALI, WRITER, GLASGOW but it wasn’t until I hung up I realised HOW LONG? Since SkinnyFest launch she was the wrong Claire. They were August 2006. great pics though: I would have loved GOT INVOLVED? Met a Skinny photog- to do a fashion spread with them! rapher at a gig in May 2006. OPPOSITE FAVOURITE THING? Probably CHANGE ONE THING? To legislate being home alone, bored and eating blue cheese.

AN AFGHAN PLAN by Diana Kiernander

Saraswati, an Edinburgh University Settlement Group initiative, sells indigenous handmade goodies from Afghanistan, with proceeds going directly to building schools and funding the development of education programmes in the Islamic Republic. Fur-lined boots, traditional Asian dresses and exquisite hand-woven rugs, make up the fabric of the shop. Stirring up interest is Dan Gorman, shop manager and hands-on patron of the Afghan plight. “The shop acts as an important link between the two cultures,” he explains. “We want to encourage everyone to get involved. Volunteering is essential to our success.” Gorman has spent time in Afghanistan, where he was impressed by the energy of small scale groups working against intense hard-

www.skinnymag.co.uk

ship. Saraswati is a super-chic charity collaboration. It may not be on the High Street, but it should definitely be on your conscience.

photo: Elidh Baxter

SEE THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK. SARASWATI, 5 HOLYROOD ROAD, EDINBURGH. FOR INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING OR EXHIBITIONS CALL 0131 650 2570 OR EMAIL COMLINK@STAFFMAIL.ED.AC.UK

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

EDINBURGH COMEDY

1-JUL GARRY DOBSON; STUART MURPHY, WHO’S LUNCH IS IT ANYWAY?, THE STAND, Great comedy and

food for the afternoon after the night before., 12:30, Free

2-JUL BILLY KIRKWOOD; JULIA WILSON, RED RAW,

by Scott Agnew, 20:30, £2/£1

2-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS; PAUL PIRIE; ALLEN 8-JUL TBC, BENEFIT IN AID OF TAK TENT CANCER CHALMERS, DANCE MONKEY BOY DANCE, THE STAND, SUPPORT SCOTLAND, Tak Tent provides information

unpredictable from the comedy mavericks, 20:30, £3/2

All round crowd pleaser from the improv boys, 20:30, £4.00

18-JUL TBC, BENEFIT IN AID OF FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, Come and support the most extensive envi-

and support to cancer patients across Scotland., 20:30, £7/£5

3-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH, RED RAW, THE STAND,

19-JUL, DAVID KAY; SEYMOUR MACE; BILLY KIRK-

4-JUL JULIA WILSON; SARAH MILLICAN; AILSA

STAND, Hosted by Raymond Mearns, 20:30, £7/£6/£3

OF THE WORLD, THE STAND, Fringe preview from the sell out topical satirist, 20:30, £5/£1members

5-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH; SARAH MILLICAN; BENNY BOOT; RICK MOLLAND, THE THURSDAY SHOW, THE STAND, Hosted by Bruce Devlin, 20:30,

LAGE 40 X 31 CM WITH YOUR WORK LAID OUT (AND LEVE SPACE IN TOP LEFT CORNER FOR TEXT) TO GETINVOLVED@SKINNYMAG.CO.UK BEFORE JULY 20.

THE STAND, Hosted by Tony Carter, 20:30, £5/£4/£1

3-JUL JULIA WILSON; SARAH MILLICAN; AILSA

4-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH, A SCOTTISH HISTORY

ARE YOU AN ILLUSTRATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER/FASHION DESIGNER AND KEEN TO BE EXHIBIT HERE? PLEASE APPLY BY SENDING A COL-

spotting arena, 20:30, £2.00

17-JUL STEVEN DICK; ALLAN MILLER; TEDDY, THE

by Susan Calman, 20:30, £6/£4/£3

Sally Pring is a successful illustrator and Graphic Designer based in Edinburgh. She has taken on many editorial, advertising and corporate commissions from various clients including Time Out Magazine and Nokia. Much of Sally’s work is available as limited edition silk-screen prints at The Red Door Gallery (42 Victoria Street), Gertrude & Lily (57 Broughton Street), Edinburgh Printmakers (23 Union Street) and through her website, WWW.SALLYPRING.COM.

predictable from the comedy mavericks, 20:30, £3/2

JOE HEENAN; GUS TAWSE; ANTONY MUR16-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH; SCOTT AGNEW, RED 1-JUL RAY; CHRIS FORBES; AUSTIN LOW, SUNDAY SERVICE, 17-JUL TONY CARTER, RED RAW, THE STAND, Hosted RAW, THE STAND, Take the good with the bad in a talent

THE STAND, Stand up comedy’s firing range., 20:30, £2.00

JOHNSTONE; AL KENNEDY, SISTARS, THE STAND, Hosted

SALLY PRING

GLASGOW COMEDY

LISTINGS

LIFESTYLE

£7/£6/£3

6-JUL JANE GODLEY; DAVE JOHNS; QUINCY;

ANDY WHITE, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, A chance to check out the Scotsman ‘Funniest Woman 2006’ before the festival kicks in., 19:00, £11.00

AMAZING BASTARDS, THE STAND, Experimental and

ronmental network in the world and their cause, 20:30, £7/£5

19-JUL TBC, HERESY, JEKYLL AND HYDE, Edinburgh’s darkest comedy gig, 21:00, £3.00

20-JUL ROB DEERING; CHRIS MCCAUSLAND;

DEREK JOHNSTON; SEAN MORAN, THE STAND, THE STAND, Hosted by Susan Morrison, 21:00, £9/£8/£5

21-JUL BRENDAN RILEY; RICHARD MORTON;

TREVOR CROOK; JAMES DOWDESWELL, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £14.00

7-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH; SARAH MILLICAN; 22-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH; AL KENNEDY; ANTBENNY BOOT; RICK MOLLAND, THE STAND, THE STAND, ONY MURRAY; MARTIN MCALLISTER, THE SUNDAY Hosted by Bruce Devlin, 21:00, £12.00 NIGHT LAUGH IN, THE STAND, Hosted by Kevin Bridges, 8-JUL SARAH MILLICAN; NEIL MCFARLANE; DEREK

MILLAR, THE SUNDAY NIGHT LAUGH IN, THE STAND, Hosted by Joe Heenan, 20:30, £5/£4/£1

9-JUL SUSAN CALMAN; THE STAND PLAYERS, RED

RAW, THE STAND, Stand up comedy’s firing range., 20:30,

£2.00

10-JUL NEWEST OF COMEDY WRITING TALENT, MELTING POT, THE STAND, Comedy referendum on sketches and skits, 20:30, £5/£4/£2.50

11-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS; PAUL PIRIE; ALLEN

20:30, £5/£4/£1

23-JUL COLM O’REGAN; ROBBIE BONHAM, RED

Hosted by Gary Little, 20:30, £2/£1

JOHNSTONE; AL KENNEDY, SISTARS, THE STAND, Hosted

by Sian Bevan, 20:30, £6/£4/£3

5-JUL JOHN MOLONEY; SILKY; GUS TAWSE; PAT-

RICK ROLINK, THE THURSDAY SHOW, THE STAND, Hosted by Martin Bigpig Mor, 20:30, £7/£6/£1

6-JUL DOMINIC WOODWARD; KEVIN BRIDGES;

JO CAUFIELD; ALEX BOARDMAN, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £12.00

7-JUL TBC, COMEDY @ THE STATE, THE STATE BAR, Glasgow’s longest running comedy night, 21:00, £5.00

8-JUL KEVIN BRIDGES; BENNY BOOT; CARLY BAK-

ER, SUNDAY SERVICE, THE STAND, Hosted by Tony Carter, 20:30, £5/£4/£1

RAW, THE STAND, Just what it says on the tin, 20:30,

£2.00

9-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS; PAUL PIRIE; ALLEN

25-JUL AL KENNEDY, TERROR: THE POCKET SIZED

all round crowd pleaser from the improv boys, 20:30, £4.00

GUIDE, THE STAND, Fringe preview of the depressing but interesting comic, 19:30, £5/£1members

11-JUL SKETCH TROOP, ROUGH CUTS, THE STAND,

O’REGAN; SAM STONE, THE THURSDAY SHOW, THE

20:30, £4.00

STAND, Hosted by Susan Calman, 21:00, £7/£6/£3

MCFARLANE; DYLAN BRAY, THE THURSDAY SHOW, THE

12-JUL SEAN COLLINS; ANDY ZALTZMAN; NEIL

12-JUL BILLY KIRKWOOD; PLUS MORE, HERESY,

27-JUL MARTIN BIGPIG; ALEX BOARDMAN; TONY

STAND, Hosted by Susan Calman, 20:30, £7/£6/£3

21:00, £3.00

GLEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £11.00

GARY DELANEY; CAREY MARX, JONGLEURS, JONG-

13-JUL TOM STADE; THE STAND PLAYERS; BEN

28-JUL RON VAUDRY; GRAEME THOMAS, KEIR

LEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £12.00

Hosted by Susan Calman, 21:00, £12.00

Reassuringly cosy and comedic, 21:00, £5.00

Hosted by Sandy Nelson, 21:00, £9/£8/£5

MCALLISTER; SAM STONE, THE STAND, THE STAND,

14-JUL PIERRE HOLLINS; MIKE MILIGAN; ANDREW 29-JUL VLADIMIR MCTAVISH, A SCOTTISH HIS-

22-JUL SEYMOUR MACE; BILLY KIRKWOOD;

SCOTTY DOMHNALLACH; PHIL DIFFER; AUSTIN LOW, MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE, Hosted by Michael Redmond, 20:30, £5/£4/£1

23-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS; PAUL PIRIE; ALLEN CHALMERS, DANCE MONKEY BOY DANCE, THE STAND, All round crowd pleaser from the improv boys, 20:30, £4.00

24-JUL COLM O’REGAN; ROBBIE BONHAM, RED 25-JUL KARL SPAIN; COLM O’REGAN; ROBBIE

26-JUL JUNIOR SIMPSON; MICHAEL MEE; GERRY MCDADE; ROBBIE BONHAM, THE THURSDAY SHOW,

top stand up, 21:30, £6/£1 members

STAND, All round crowd pleaser from the improv boys,

SCHOFIELD; SUSAN HANKS, THE STAND, THE STAND,

Reassuringly cosy and comedic, 21:00, £5.00

£2/£1

RAW, THE STAND, Stand up comedy’s firing range., 20:30,

HENDRIKS; CHRIS MCCAUSLAND, JONGLEURS, JON-

21-JUL TBC, COMEDY @ THE STATE, THE STATE BAR,

BONHAM, BEST OF IRISH, THE STAND, Hosted by Michael

Comedy Unit’s sketch show case, 20:30, £5/£4/£2.50

JEKYLL AND HYDE, Edinburgh’s darkest comedy gig,

JOHN WHITEHEAD; DALISO CHAPONDA, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £12.00

10-JUL SUSAN CALMAN; NEIL MCFARLANE, RED

26-JUL RON VAUDRY; GRAEME THOMAS, COLM

CHALMERS, DANCE MONKEY BOY DANCE, THE

20-JUL SEAN PERCIVAL; COLIN COLE; JASON

RAW, THE STAND, Stand up comedy’s firing range., 20:30, CHALMERS, DANCE MONKEY BOY DANCE, THE STAND, £2/£1

25-JUL FRANKIE BOYLE, MORONS, I CAN HEAL

YOU, THE STAND, Fringe preview of the acerbic and cynical

WOOD; NICK MORROW, THE THURSDAY SHOW, THE

13-JUL ANVIL SPRINGSTEIN; SIMON B COTTER;

14-JUL TBC, COMEDY @ THE STATE, THE STATE BAR,

Redmond, 20:30, £7/£6

THE STAND, Hosted by Bruce Devlin, 20:30, £7/£6/£3

27-JUL ADAM CROW; SANDY NELSON; PAUL

CHOWDRY; SUSAN MURRAY, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COMEDY CLUB, 19:00, £12.00

28-JUL TBC, COMEDY @ THE STATE, THE STATE BAR,

Glasgow’s longest running comedy night, 21:00, £5.00

29-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS; GERRY MCDADE; ANTONY MURRAY; CHRIS FORBES; ALLAN MILLER, MICHAEL REDMOND’S SUNDAY SERVICE, THE STAND, Hosted by Michael Redmond, 20:30, £5/£4/£1

15-JUL ANDY ZALTZMAN; DEREK JOHNSTON;

30-JUL STEWART LEE, 41ST BEST STAND UP EVER, BIRD; MANDY KNIGHT, JONGLEURS, JONGLEURS COM- TORY OF THE WORLD, THE STAND, Fringe preview from the ROSS BAILLIE; GORDON ALEXANDER, SUNDAY SERTHE STAND, Those disappointed by his cancellation at sell out topical satirist, 19:30, £7/£6/£1 VICE, THE STAND, Hosted by Tony Carter, 20:30, £5/£4/£1 the Glasgow Comedy festival will get the first chance to 15-JUL GARRY DOBSON; STUART MURPHY, WHO’S 30-JUL RAYMOND MEARNS, RECOVERING ARSE- 16-JUL STEVEN DICK; ALLAN MILLER; TEDDY, THE catch Lee’s brand new Fringe show., 20:30, £10.00 LUNCH IS IT ANYWAY?, THE STAND, Great comedy and HOLE!, THE STAND, Fringe preview featuring anecdotal and AMAZING BASTARDS, THE STAND, Experimental and unEDY CLUB, 19:00, £14.00

food for the afternoon after the night before., 12:30, Free quick witted observations, 20:30, £7/£6/£1

GLASGOW CLUBS

SUN 1 JUL BLOC + JAM, MR. CRAIG GRANT, LOUIS ABBOT & KENNY REID, BLOC, 21:00, Free CLUB CUBA!, RESIDENTS, FAVELA, Latin, 21:00, Free CLUB PRIORY: RETOX ROOMS, DJ RICHARD LEVINSON, BLANKET, RnB, 23:00, £5 (£3) COLD NIGHT SONG, RESIDENTS, THE GOAT, Guests &

Chart music & live comedy, 15:00, £2, free b4 3pm

ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS,

RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

£tbc

BAMBOO, Classic house music all night long with other

hip pop, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 11pm/12.30am with matric

boogie next door, 22:00, £5 (£3), free b4 10.30pm/ 12.30pm with matric JUNK, MARKY MARK, THE BUFF CLUB, Jazz & funk featuring live percussion, 23:00, £3, free with matric OPTIMO, JD TWITCH & JG WILKES, THE SUB CLUB, Maximum eclectic, 23:00, £6 (£5) SICK NOTE SUNDAYS, JIM DA BEST, BOHO, Party tunes & floor fillers, 21:30, £3 SPANK, RESIDENTS, THE CATHOUSE, Rock, punk & dance, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 1am with PIYP

TRICKY DISCO, JON MANCINI & KRIS KEEGAN, KARBON, House, 23:00, £5

NEIL WYPER, THE BUNKER BAR, New & old rock & electronica, 21:00, Free

MON 2 JUL BURN, NORMSKI & ZEUS, THE BUFF

CLUB, Glasgow institition playing underground classics,

23:00, £5 (£3), free for pub/club workers

ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD FRESH, RESIDENTS, THE POLO LOUNGE, Popular gay venue with house & indie, 23:00, £5

POPTIMISM/ROCKTIMISM, DJ ANDY & DJ DEC, THE

GARAGE, Pop & rock, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am

LIFESTYLE

TUES 3 JUL 12 HOUR TUESDAYS, RESIDENTS, SSU,

DJs play acoustic gems, 20:00, Free

DISCO BADGER, DOMINIC MARTIN, KASH & MAX,

12 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

with PIYP

www.skinnymag.co.uk

ALL STAR, ANDY WILSON & DJ KASH, BAMBOO, Funk & DUB & GRUB, MUNGO’S HI FI, GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, Snacks, meals & Mungo’s Hi Fi, 17:00, Free

FOLK IT!, FOLKS, THE MIXING ROOMS, Up & coming folk musician session, 20:00, Free FUNKY LUV, RESIDENTS, PLAY, Driving vocal house, 22:00, £5, £3 NUS

T.I.T., LISA LITTLEWOOD & GRAEME FERGUSON, KARBON, Dance, 22:30, £5 (£4)

WED 4 JUL AFTER HOURS, GERRY LYONS, THE BUFF CLUB, Pick & mix of everything, 23:00, £3

tive music, 23:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12am with PIYP ELETRICAT DANCE GROUP, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian Street Dance classes, 18:00, £4 (£3.50), £3 RSAMD GOSSIP, DJ RICCI, SSU, Gay/mixed night, 20:00, Free JOINTS & JAMS, RESIDENTS, CUBE, The Longest running RnB night in Glasgow, 23:00, £3 (£2) MJAM SALSA, CHRIS TRAYNOR, LIPTONS, Salsa classes from 8pm, free club from 10.15pm, 20:00, Free NEW FLESH, RESIDENTS, FURY MURRY’S, Rock, metal, punk, rap, industrial & alternative music, 22:00, £4, £2 from 10pm-11pm, £1 with flyer/after 11pm OCTOPUSSY, RESIDENTS, THE ARCHES, Student night with a bouncy castle, swimming pool?, jacuzzi?? & wedding chapel???, 22:00, £4

SUB CLUB PRESENTS, PEANUT BUTTER WOLF & STONES THROW CREW, THE SUB CLUB, Hip hop, 20:00, £12 TONGUE IN CHEEK, RESIDENTS, BAMBOO, Lounge, RnB

& indie, 22:00, £4 (£2), free b4 12.30am with matric WHATEVER, ANDY & BRIAN, THE GARAGE, Chart music, 23:00, £5 (£3), free +1 b4 12am with PIYP MARTIN BATE (BEAT 106), THE BUNKER BAR, Vintage rock & indie, 21:00, Free

THURS 5 JUL 45 KICKS, ALEX & JOHN, THE BUFF CLUB, New York & underground school inspired beats,

23:00, £3

ABOLICANO CAPOEIRA SCOTLAND, RESIDENTS, RSAMD, Brazilian martial art with dance & music, 18:00,

CIGARETTES & F**K ALL, CRAIG MCGEE, THE BUTTERFLY & THE PIG, Indie & rock ‘n’ roll, 21:00, Free

CLUB OLUM, DIRTY MARC, BLOC, Eclectic, 21:00, Free CRUSH, MCSLEAZY (XFM), QMU, Bootlegs, 22:00, £2, £1 members

FOREPLAY, DJ NORMSKI, BOHO, Funk, electro & house, 21:30, £3

THE FUNKY PRECEDENT, D_FADE, DUNCAN HARVEY & BOOM MONK BEN, SAINT JUDE’S, Hip hop, funk, soul & motown, 20:00, Free

PLASTIC FUNK, MARK ROBB, TANIA & FRIENDS, BAMBOO, Funk, soul & rock n roll, 22:30, £4 (£3), free b4

11pm/12.30am with matric

PUMP UP THE JAM, RESIDENTS, SSU, Old school cheese, BABAZA, RESIDENTS, BELO, Hip hop with the funk, 22:00, live bands & funky house, 23:00, £2 £6, free b4 11pm RADIOMAGNETIC, RADIOMAGNETIC DJS, GAZELLE, CHIX ON DEX, RESIDENTS, CHINAWHITE, Rock, funkpunk Funk, soul & latin grooves, 20:00, Free & house all mixed by lovely ladies, 22:00, £4, free b4 RECORD PLAYERZ, HI-FI SEAN & HUSHPUPPY, THE VIC £tbc

DELIVERANCE, DJ DEC, THE CATHOUSE - LEVEL 2, Alterna- 11pm

BAR, Disco electro, 23:00, £4 (£3)

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

THE ARCHES

HARD PENCIL, PAUL RYDING, Illustrative work inspired

CUMBERNAULD TOWN CENTRE

SHADOWED SPACES, AKIRA, 3 improvising musicians

and 1 psychogeographer react to public ‘shadowed by many sources, FRI 1 JUN, TUE 17 JUL Mon-Sun, spaces’. See www.akira.org.uk for details, SAT 14 JUL , SAT 11:00, 23:00, Free 14 JUL Sat, 3.30pm, Free (requires ticket) EED OF HOPE, JIMI RAE, work produced following a recent visit to Nairobi with the Fair Trade Organisation, GALLERY COSSACHOCK THUR 19 JUL, SAT 14 AUG, Mon-Sun, 11:00, 23:00, Free SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, VARIOUS, Buy unique furniture from the Tim Stead workshop, SUN 3 ARTPHARM (291-293 MARYHILL RD) JUN, TUE 1 JUL Tue-Sun, 12:00(tue-sat)/17:00(sun), NURTURE/SHELTER, STEPHANIE SPINDLER, Drawing late, Free interpreted using material and metaphor to conjure EASTERHOUSE TOWN CENTRE impetus and optimism in a tenuous human condition, FRI 29 JUN, MON 16 JUL Mon-Thur, 10:00, 17:00, Free SHADOWED SPACES, AKIRA, 3 improvising musicians and 1 psychogeographer react to public ‘shadowed THE BURRELL COLLECTION spaces’. See www.akira.org.uk for details, TUE 10 JUL Tue, 17TH CENTURY SAMPLERS, GROUP SHOW, Embroi7.30pm, Free (requires ticket) dered samplers from Sir William Burrell’s wonderful THE FRIDGE GALLERY collection of British embroideries, 1-SEP, Mon-Sun, ON PASCAL, LOUIS DE MONTALTE, Paintings from the 10:00(mon, thur, sat)/11:00(Fri/Sun), 17:00, Free sites of Pascal’s malady., SUN 10 JUN, SUN 1 JUL, Sat, CCA Sun, 11:00 AM, 18:00, Free IRATIONAL.ORG, GROUP SHOW, Artist-activists use GLASGOW GALLERY OF MODERN ART the internet and global media to address economic, social and political issues., SAT 16 JUN, SAT 21 JUL Mon- HISTRIONICS, RODERICK BUCHANAN, A response to GoMA’s social justice programme addressing secFri, 11:00 AM, 18:00, Free tarianism and related issues, THUR 5 APR, SUN 28 OCT,

EDINBURGH ARTS

AMBER ROOME

GROUP SHOW, VARIOUS ARTISTS, gallery artists , 28JUN, THUR 19 JUL Wed-Sat, 11:00, 18:00, Free

SOLO SHOW, MICHAEL CRAIK, Work by the

Edinburgh born artist, THUR 26 JUL 30-AUG, Tue-Sat, 11:00, 18:00, Free

ATTICSALT

PATTERN RECOGNITION, HIDEKO INOUE AND FRIDE KLYKKEN, explores the patterns that define and chart

Chongbin Park, explores the effect that our surrounding culture and environment has on us as individuals, 22JUN, 9-AUG, Wed-Sat, 11:00, 16:30, Free

DEAN GALLERY

PICASSO ON PAPER, PABLO PICASSO, 100 of Picasso’s works, including 65 prints, 15 drawings and 10 illustrated books, SAT 14 JUL 23-SEP, Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00, Free

DEAN GALLERY

THE SKINNY RECOMMENDS YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS

Mon-Sun, 10:00(mon-thu)/11:00(fri-sun), 17:00(friwed)/20:00(thur), Free

PERFECTLY WHOLESOME, RODERICK BUCHANAN,

Interview footage of people explaning why they march, WED 4 APR, SUN 15 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00(mon-thu)/ 11:00(fri-sun), 17:00(fri-wed)/20:00(thur), Free

GLASGOW SCULPTURE STUDIOS

THE WORKSHOP HAS SURVIVED BECAUSE WE LOVE EACH OTHER, VARIOUS, A major installation serves as the culmination of Laura Aldridge’s ten-month studio residency at GSS, 30-JUN, SAT 14 JUL Thur-Sat, 11:00, 19:00(Thur), 17:00(Fri, Sat , Free

HOUSE FOR AN ART LOVER

MON 14 MAY, FRI 13 JUL Mon-Fri, 10:00, 17:00, Free

MY HIGHEST PLEASURES, GROUP SHOW, Dr William Hunter’s art collection, includes Rembrandt and Chardin, 15-JUN, 1-DEC, Mon-Sat, 09:30, 17:30, Free STARS, GROUP SHOW, a collection of Mackintosh’s drawings, designs and watercolours, 15-JUN, 4-SEP, Mon-Sat, 09:30, 17:30, £3 (£2)

by Sarajevo-born artist whosework draws upon the aesthetics of old time radio plays, TUE 10 JUL 10-AUG, Thur-Sun, 12:00, 18:00, Free METTEURS EN SCÈNE , GROUP SHOW, works by artists assocoated with the Star and Shadow Cinema in Newcastle, 23-JUN, SUN 15 JUL Thur-Sun, 12:00, Free

FLESH LTD

100 PUNKS, 50 artworked, punk rock photobooth

environment, TBC, TBC, Mon-Sat, 11:00/12:30(sat), late, Free

values of a society are reflected in its built environment, FRI 27 JUL 15-SEP, Wed-Sat, 11:00(wed-fri)/12:00(sat), 18:00(wed-fri)17:00(sat), Free

VOYAGE - SCOTTISH ARTISTS ABROAD, GROUP SHOW, From Cosmo Alexander in the American Colonies through to the colourists in France, 3-AUG, 1-SEP, Mon-Sat, 10:00(Mon-Fri), 11:00(Sat), 18:00(Mon-Fri), 16:00(Sat), Free

CANVAS (ARTSPACE GALLERY)

INSPIRING HUMANITY, GROUP SHOW, depicting the diversity of life experience and perceptions of humanity that inspires artists in 21st century Poland, 3-AUG, 26AUG, Tue-Sun, 11:00, 17:00, Free

CITY ART CENTRE

HEART, HAND AND SOUL, GROUP SHOW, The Arts and Crafts Movement in Scotland, 30-JUN, 23-SEP, Mon-Sun, 10:00/12:00(sun), 17:00, Free BEYOND APPEARANCES, Painting and Picturing in Scottish Modern and Contemporary Art, 30-JUN, 23SEP, Mon-Sun, 10:00/12:00(sun), 17:00, Free VIEW FROM THE INSIDE, VARIOUS, Exploring the world of the interior, 4-APR, 21-OCT, Mon-Sun, 10:00/12:00(sun), 17:00, Free

COLLECTIVE GALLERY

SLEEPSHAPES, CRYSTALLINE, HANNELINE VISNES , Solo Show, 18-MAY, SAT 7 JUL Wed-Sat, 11:00(wed-fri)/12:00(sat), 18:00(wedfri)17:00(sat), Free

DINER 7

ALL MADE UP (PART OF LEITH FESTIVAL), HANNAH BLOOMFIELD, an exhibition of recent screenprints, 1-

JUN, TUE 1 JUL Mon-Sun, 11:00, 23:00, Free

EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE

SHADOWED SPACES, AKIRA, 3 improvising musicians and 1 psychogeographer react to public ‘shadowed spaces’. See www.akira.org.uk for details, SUN 15 JUL SUN 15 JUL Sun, 7.30pm, Free (requires ticket)

EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART

DEGREE SHOW (ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE), GROUP SHOW, The Architecture and Landscape Architecture degree show, 23-JUN, FRI 6 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 20:00(Mon-Thurs), 17:00 (Fri Sun), £13-15

EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE, SOLO SHOW, prints never shown

CORN EXCHANGE GALLERY

in Scotland before, plus documentary film, SAT 21 JUL 8-SEP, Tue-Sat, 10:00, 18:00, Free ZOO, GROUP SHOW, A diverse exhibition of over 40, hand-made limited edition original prints, by 33 artists in the studio at Edinburgh Printmakers, 19-MAY, SAT 7 JUL Tue-Sat, 10:00, 18:00, Free SECRET KINGDOMS, CATHERINE RAYNER, magical exhibition of screenprints created by new author and illustrator of children’s books, 19-MAY, SAT 7 JUL Tue-Sat, 10:00, 18:00, Free

performance and photography, South Korean artist

EMBASSY GALLERY

JOHANNA BILLING, THIS IS HOW WE WALK ON THE MOON, new video piece which features four novice sailors embarking on their first lesson on the Firth of Fourth, 2-JUN, SAT 14 JUL Tue-Sat, 12:00, 17:00, Free

THE COMIC BOOK PROJECT, GROUP SHOW,

exploring the relationship between performance and visual art, FRI 27 JUL 15-SEP, Tue-Sat, 12:00, 17:00, Free

INDIDE OUTSIDE, CHONGIN PARK, Using sculpture,

THEATRE

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE, SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE,

FOUNDATION COURSE SHOW , The participants on

this years Foundation Course in Edinburgh have created an original piece of theatre inspired by the quirky and eccentric works of Dr Seuss, 14/7/07, 14/7/07, 7.30pm

TRAVERSE, TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY, NIGHT TIME (PREVIEW), Selma Dimitrijevic’s Night Time is a taut noir thriller set in a beguiling world of dream, danger and fantasy., 20/7/07, 22/7/07

TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY, DAMASCUS (PREVIEW), In Damascus, a city of transformations, Paul grapples with language and love, meanings and

52 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

CORRESPONDENCES, LALA RASCIC, Residency

misconceptions. And as his flight home is delayed by a bomb at Beirut Airport, he begins to wonder - will he ever leave?, 27/7/07, 29/7/07

POST-HEROIC SOCIETIES, GROUP SHOW, exploring

HUNTERIAN

SOLO SHOW, AERNOUT MIK, Four films by renowned

BOURNE FINE ART

PROJECT ABILITY (GALLERY 2, TRONGATE)

PROJECT ABILITY (GALLERY 1, CDA)

DOGGERFISHER

SOLO SHOW, NATHAN COLEY, Examining how the

Scotland’s remaining lidos, WED 4 JUL, WED 15 AUG, MonSun, 10:30(mon, wed-sat)/11:00(tue)/12:00(sun), 17:00, £3(£1.50) THE SCOTTISH SHOW 07, DESIGN AND BUILD, 34 of Scotland’s most exciting designers, TUES 17 APR, SUN 12 AUG, Mon-Sun, 10:30(mon, wed-sat)/11:00(tue)/ 12:00(sun), 17:00, £3(£1.50)

each month featuring a selection of contemporary Scottish artwork, , Wed-Mon, 10:00, Varies, £3.50(£2.50

THE BONGO CLUB

TBC, TBC, Interesting, unusual work in a stimulating

LIDO, GROUP SHOW, A photographic essay illustrating

themes that revolve around the core issues of identity, 14-MAY, FRI 13 JUL Mon-Fri, 10:00, 17:00, Free

LA BALLADE DU SOLDAT, MAX ERNST, 34 lithographs, 28-APR, SUN 15 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00, Free

THE LIGHTHOUSE

GROUP SHOW, GROUP SHOW, A new show different

pictures by Johnny Deluxe, 1-JUN, SAT 28 JUL Mon-Sat, 10:00, 17:00, Free

family ties through generations, WED 25 JUL 1-SEP, MonSat, 11:00, 18:00, Free

LIFESTYLE

GLASGOW ARTS

LISTINGS THEATRE & ARTS

FRUITMARKET GALLERY

SPECTRUM, GROUP SHOW, Works by Autistic children,

TRAMWAY

FORMAT WARS, ALEX FROST , Using the current competition between HD DVD and Blue Ray as a starting point, SUN 8 JUL, THUR 5 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00(tue-fri), 12:00(sat, sun), 17:00

insight into Picasso: the man, the artist and the icon, FRI 6 JUL 28-OCT, Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00, Free

NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND

COMMANDO COUNTRY, GROUP SHOW, Examining Scotland?s key role in forming Britain?s famous Commando forces, 1-FEB, Mon-Sun, 9:45, 16:45, Free

OPEN EYE GALLERY

VARIOUS, VARIOUS, A cornucopia of talent with works for sale, , 11:00(mon-fri)/10:00(sun), 18:00(monfri)/16:00(sun), Free

QUEEN’S GALLERY

Dutch artist, 19-MAY, WED 11 JUL Mon-Sun, 11:00(mon-sat)/12:00(sun), 18:00(monsat)17:00(sun), Free SOLO SHOW, ALEX HARTLEY, an original analysis of architecture and its relationship to landscape, FRI 27 JUL 21-OCT, Mon-Sun, 11:00(mon-sat)/12:00(sun), 18:00(mon-sat)17:00(sun), Free

THE ART OF NATURAL HISTORY IN THE AGE OF DISCOVERY, VARIOUS ARTISTS, Amazing inquiries into

the Highlands, 30-JUN, SUN 29 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00/19:00(thur), Free

VARIOUS, VARIOUS, A cornucopia of talent with works for sale, , 11:00(mon-fri)/10:00(sun), 18:00(monfri)/16:00(sun), Free

INGLEBY GALLERY

nature in collaboration with Sir David Attenborough, 16SEP, Mon-Sun, 9:30, 18:00, £5 (£4.50)

ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY

AS OTHERS SEE US, GROUP SHOW, Portraits from

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

THE NAKED PORTRAIT, GROUP SHOW, Exploring artists’ DUAL SHOW, RACHEL WHITEREAD, plus Robert Burns’ varying ways of approaching the naked body, 6-JUN, breakfast table, SAT 28 JUL 4-AUG, Tue-Sat, 10:00, 17:00, Free

INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D’ECOSSE

PHOTOGRAPHY, HERVÉ SENTUCQ, timeless images of the Scottish Highlands (closed 7 July - 4 Aug), 17-APR, 1SEP, Mon-Sat, 9:30, 18:30(Mon-Fri, 14:00(Sat), Free

INVERLEITH HOUSE

SOLO SHOW, LILIAN SNELLING, The first exhibition of botanical drawings by one of the most important botanical artists of the twentieth century, 1-MAY, 3-JUN, Tue-Sun, 10:00, 17:30, Free PORTRAITS, WILLIAM EGGLESTON, the leading and most influential colour photographer of the 20th century, SAT 28 JUL 14-OCT, Tue-Sun, 10:00, 17:30, Free

NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND

DRAWING TO AN END, GROUP SHOW, Exploring the importance of drawing in the creative process, 5-MAY, SUN 29 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00/19:00(thur), Free

A LAKELAND IDYLL: CHRISTOPHER NORTH AT ELERY, ALEXANDER NASMYTH, A chance to see a newly restored painting, 15-MAR, 19-AUG, Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00/19:00(thur), Free

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND

2-SEP, Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00, Free FORCE, JANE BRETTLE, A contemporary photographic portrait of Scotland’s police force, 4-MAY, SUN 15 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 17:00, Free

SIGHT SAVERS (OCEAN TERMINAL)

INTO THE LIGHT, PHIL WILKINSON, a powerful exhibition of photographs taken in Sierra Leone last year, 23-JUN, 27-AUG, Mon-Sun, 10:00(Mon-Sat), 11:00(Sun), 00:00, Free

STILLS

JERWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, GROUP SHOW, Winners of the prestigious prize, 12-MAY, SUN 15 JUL Mon-Sun, 11:00, 18:00, Free

TALBOT RICE

UNPLUGGED, DAVID BATCHELOR, a new site specific installation made for Talbot Rice Gallery’s vast atrium space, SAT 28 JUL 29-SEP, Tue-Sat, 10:00, 17:00, Free

TOTAL KUNST, BRISTO PLACE

MONUMENT, KATE V ROBERTSON, including previously unexhibited video works and brand new installations made specifically for this exhibition, MON 2 JUL SUN 15 JUL Mon-Sun, 10:00, 18:00, Free

PICASSO: FIRED WITH PASSION, SOLO SHOW, an

Yorkshire moors did to the 19th century: a site of alienation, unrequited love, and lost souls wandering alone at night, 12/7/07, 13/7/07, 7.30pm, £3 YDANCE, PROJECT Y 2007 , Cutting through the boundGLASGOW aries surrounding modern dance, YDance stages inspirTHE ARCHES SCRATCH NIGHT, This anarchic, anything-goes evening ing and entertaining work and makes it accessible to a wide and varied audience, 31/7/07, 1/8/07, 7.30pm, £6/£4 gives assorted theatre companies, performers, writers TRAMWAY and dancers ten whole minutes to try out a new idea in MUSIC AT THE BREWHOUSE, HELTER SKELTER, Ben Harfront of an audience, 17/7/07, 7.30pm, Pay what you rison (Grid Iron) directs an international cast of actors, can - reserve tickets early dancers, circus performers and musicians in a staging PLAYGROUP, THE HEIGHTS, The Heights is a work of that leads you through the enchanting Hidden Gardens extreme storytelling inspired by Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, exploring the idea that the metropo- and the dark corridors of Tramway, 3/7/07, 6/7/07, 9pm Weekdays, 8&10pm Sat, £9/£5 lis represents to the modern imagination what the wild

CITIZENS THEATRE

SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE, HIS DARK MATERIALS PART ONE, Scottish Youth Theatre brings to the stage His Dark Materials, the adaptation of the hugely successful trilogy of novels Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, 25/7/07, 27/7/07, 7.30pm, £10/£5

SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE, HIS DARK MATERIALS - PART TWO, Second part of His Dark Materials Trilogy, brought to life on stage, 28/7/07, 31/7/07, 7.30pm,

THEATRE ROYAL

DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD , The irresistible story-telling power of the world’s most famous writer of children’s fiction, Roald Dahl, is brought vividly to life in this production packed full of colour, action and adventure., 31/7/07, 4/8/07, 2.30pm, 7pm, £14/£9

LISTINGS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI At London’s second Transfabulous festival, Josephine Wilson urges us to “take pride in accurate bigotry”: when kids in the street call her a fag, what they’re failing to grasp is that actually she’s a tranny dyke. Kate Bornstein issues Get Out Of Hell Free cards to everyone: if you get sent to hell for doing something that isn’t mean to someone, keep the card, give it to Satan, and Kate will do your time for you. Don’t worry about her – she’s a huge masochist and eagerly looking forward to it. The multi-gendered (and multi-talented) Ignacio Rivera performs diverse roles on the stage and in the sex industry. And in the ‘Survival Tips for 21st Century Sex and Gender Outlaws’ workshop, almost everybody in the theatre raises their hand when asked if they’ve ever contemplated suicide. Writing this a day after getting home, I’m still overwhelmed and reluctant to reacclimatise to a less progressive, and far less inclusive, world. What gets me the most about the environment at Transfabulous is the unquestioning acceptance of absolutely everybody: all shades of transgendered people, genderqueers, allies, whoever. In workshops, we introduce ourselves and state which pronouns we’d prefer to be called by. People are generous with everything from compliments to clothes to crash-space. We share intimate stories with people we’ve just met, because we’re in a safe space and we feel comfortable doing so; there’s no nosiness, just a sincere wish to communicate. I had worried about whether and how I would fit in – I shouldn’t have. I can’t find a comparable sense of community when I think back to other conferences, festivals, events I’ve attended over the years. This is amazing stuff – and Scotland needs it too. /Nine

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI TOP EVENTS LONDON LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL ON TOUR THROUGHOUT JULY

Visit www.llgff.org.uk for details of the films on offer GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, 12 ROSE STREET

THEBANS SUMMER BBQ 14 JULY, EDINBURGH

Scotland’s gay- and bi-friendly rugby team starts training again today, with a barbeque right afterwards. New members welcome. TIME AND VENUE DETAILS FROM WWW.THEBANS-RFC.CO.UK

OFFICIAL OPENING OF GLASGOW LGBT CENTRE

INTERVIEW WITH A

hetrosexual

This questioning often comes from near-strangers, and may be limited to the standard yet mind-boggling “When did you know? How could you tell?”, or go on to seek detailed descriptions of what you do in bed and how it could possibly be any match for ‘the real thing’. You might also be asked whether you have AIDS, how your family feels about your sexuality, or how you decide who’s the ‘man’ and who’s the ‘woman’ in your relationship. If you’re female, you can expect straight men to ask if they can watch, and some idiot to marvel at how you cope without the magical gift of the phallus. If you’re male, you can expect a lot of obsessing about anal sex, which is presumed a default part of your repertoire. If you’re bi, prepare to explain your entire sexual history so that your interrogator can deduce which gender you ‘really’ prefer. Transgendered folks, of course, get a really special deal: as well as enduring much confusion between gender and sexuality, and possibly the odd pronoun slip-up, you’re expected to explain complicated surgical procedures, how your genitals work, when you had them altered (or when you’re going to, or why you’re not planning to), and field the insistent cry of “But what was your name before?”

ENVISION A WORLD IN WHICH GLADYS WOULD BE CONSIDERED A VIRGIN FOR NEVER HAVING SLEPT WITH A WOMAN by Nine

T H E S K I N N Y photos: Mike Byrne, Jack Waddington

HETEROSEXUALITY UNDER THE LENS Queer people already know what it’s like to be straight. That’s the effect of indoctrination into a society that disproportionately assumes and rewards heterosexuality. Therefore, writing about heterosexuality for the Opposites issue presents a bit of a challenge: what can I possibly tell you that you don’t know already? On the other hand, clueless heterosexuals – even nice well-meaning ones – routinely ask LGBT people lots of intrusive personal questions, on the grounds that, since we’re abnormal and they’re not, it’s reasonable to expect us to explain ourselves.

BEATS

LGBT

With this in mind, heterosexual Gladys (not her real name) was subjected to a modified version of all the fun. Of course, most of the questions required too much stretching of the imagination (such as envisioning a world in which she’d be considered a virgin for never having slept with a woman) to actually get us anywhere, but here’s a small sample of the results.

Says Gladys: “The number of times I looked at one of these questions and thought ‘but ... but ... there just isn’t any way to answer that, either sarcastically or honestly’! Quite frankly by the end I was wanting to scream at my imagined interrogator ‘LOOK. IT’S JUST THE WAY I AM. I AM A BIG GIRL WITH A BRAIN AND I HAVE MADE THESE DECISIONS AND TO ASSUME THAT I HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT STUFF IS DISRESPECTFUL AND PATRONISING’. I am amazed that more queer people don’t just break down like this, and I have an even bigger respect now for my queer friends’ patience and tolerance with utter FUCKING IDIOTS.” WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE STRAIGHT? HOW COULD YOU TELL? “I think I’ve always known. Primarily, it was the always wanting to kiss boys and have a boyfriend, but never wanting to kiss girls or have a girlfriend.”

HAVE YOU EVER SLEPT WITH A WOMAN? KISSED A WOMAN? FANCIED A WOMAN? “I have fancied a woman. She was very foxy and also a brilliant feminist academic, was an extremely good friend for a time, and really inspired me to be more ‘out’ as a feminist. It’s true that I don’t know whether I’d enjoy sex with a woman. I’ll not rule out liking it.” HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO’S THE BUTCH AND

WHO’S THE FEMME IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP? “You mean you have to decide, and you can only be one or the other? Well, I’m better at assembling flat pack furniture, and my boyfriend would rather do the dishes than help, so does that mean I’m the butch and he’s the femme?“

HOW DO YOU HAVE SEX? “It’s possibly easiest to tell you how I don’t have sex - we don’t have heternormative, penetrative sex. We never have done, and aren’t in any great rush to do so. I think there’s a real problem - one that’s writ large in women’s magazines - in the assumption that any healthy functioning straight relationship must also include heteronormative sex, preferably in a variety of positions and places. We have great sex, but I’m not going to start having heteronormative sex because I’m supposed to, so that I can be stuck in the ‘normal straight relationship’ box. And what saddens me is that some of my closest friends would make exactly this judgement if I talked to them about my sex life. They’d genuinely be concerned there was a problem.”

Next time someone you’ve barely been introduced to throws some tiresome questions your way, turn it right back on them. While it’s important for people in general to learn about LGBT issues, we’re still not going to get much respect or understanding if they don’t also learn the importance of boundaries and privacy. It can be pretty effective when someone realises for the first time what it’s like to be on the receiving end – and if they suddenly get hostile when you apply this tactic, you’ll find out sooner who your real allies are. VISIT THE STRAIGHT PRIVILEGE AND GENDER NORMATIVE PRIVILEGE CHECKLISTS AT: HTTP://TINYURL.COM/YT6QD7 AND HTTP://TINYURL.COM/2CM8Y5

19 JULY, 84 BELL STREET, GLASGOW

MED Café Bar has actually been open and trading for a few months now, but a gala night certainly couldn’t hurt. VISIT WWW.MEDCAFEBAR.CO.UK FOR INFO

DRAG KING NIGHT @ VELVET 21 JULY WORKSHOP BEGINS 9:30 UPSTAIRS IN STUDIO 24, CALTON ROAD, EDINBURGH £4 BEFORE 11PM; £5/6 AFTER

THE THURSDAY SHOW @ THE STAND 26 JULY, GLASGOW, DOORS 7:30PM, SHOW 8:30PM

Bruce Devlin’s hosting still sets the standard WWW.THESTAND.CO.UK

ONLINE THIS MONTH, VISIT THE SKINNY’S LGBT SECTION ONLINE AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK TO READ SEAN MORRIS’ ACCOUNT OF PRIDE IN LATVIA AND HOW IT MANAGED TO TAKE PLACE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF MISSILES, ABUSE AND INSTITUTIONALISED HOMOPHOBIA.

14 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

THE WIDE ANGLE

YNNPeople Skinny We Love IK S EHT

We love the fatt ies here at The Wide Angle, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t also love the skinnies too. Being great has nothing to do with body size or sexuality, it’s all about the attitude. So here’s a topsy-turvy bunch of skinny folks we adore and, get this, some of them are even straight. Film-maker John Waters has done more for fat visibility than almost anyone. True, his fat characters are generally freakish comic vehicles, but

then so is everyone else in his films - the man does not discriminate. See also Percy Adlon, for his work starring the gorgeous Marianne Sägebrecht, and Lasse Hallström for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? which portrays Darleen Cates’ super-sized life so sensitively. The latter co-stars well known fatty-lovers Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, fact fans. Next up are musicians Brace Paine and Hannah Bl i l ie of The Gossip, not forget ti ng Kathy Mendonca, the band’s former drummer. It takes a lot of guts to stake your professional and artistic claim behind a fat dyke, even one as amazing as Beth Ditto, and especially in an industry in which women singers are often required to be waifs or bimbos. Let The Gossip be a lesson for us all.

by Charlotte Cooper Finally, an angel sings every time a thin person steps up to the mark and publically announces their love for a fat person (creepy fat fetishism doesn’t count). This happened when Pierce Brosnan professed his love for wife Keely Shaye Smith who was getting a lot of terrible press for being - shock - slightly fat. It also happens when veteran funny man Eric Sykes talks about his admiration for his late lamented comedy partner Hattie Jacques. And you can see it in the love that shines out of every photograph of Hollywood superstar Jim Carrey beaming at his chubby teenaged daughter. Beautiful! Watch and learn, skinny folks, watch and learn. WWW.CHARLOTTECOOPER.NET

LGBT

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

ALBUMS

DEEPCHORD PRESENTS:

ECHOSPACE

THE COLDEST SEASON VOLS. 1-3 (MODERN LOVE)

With the over-cooked Pirates of The Caribbean franchise being shamelessly flogged about the place, it seems everyone’s trying their hand at a little high seas robbery. Under the Echospace alias, Detroit’s Rod Modell and Steve Hitchell have rammed Moritz V. Oswald’s Chain Reaction ship, looting the bassline booty of Fluxion, Hallucinator and Porter Ricks. First Point of Aries, the premier cut from Echospace, is a proficient recreation of washed out static and dubby bass, but veers too close to onanistic fanboy posturing to be truly successful. The second volume sees experimentation with this template though, and Abraxas sketches ethereal, shadowy reconstructions of classic Quadrant dubs, whilst Empyrean ups the tempo and unleashes a skankin’ dreadlocked monster. Based in analogue organ sounds and reeking of ganja, the low-swung two-step bass of Empyrean is brilliantly catchy and proves Echospace are more than mere pretenders. The same African Roots can be seen on Vol. 3’s Elysian, and as Echospace kick back and enjoy the spoils on a Caribbean beach, Sunset enters with soft tones, deep melodies and a sense of warmth long missing from this type of minimalist reduction. The fourth and final volume is due in July, and a CD of all four volumes will be released later this year. As Johnny Depp has shown, there’s something very attractive about piracy. [Liam Arnold] RELEASE DATE: JULY.

RADIO SLAVE MISCH MASCH IV

(FINE)

Following Misch M a s c h o u ti n g s from Tiefschwarz, Freeform Five and DJ Hell, it’s the turn of Radio Slave to showcase his DJ and production skills. Just one of the many musical guises of the versatile Matt Edwards (he also records as Rekid, Matthew E, Quiet Village and Sea Devils), he’s turned out Radio Slave’s takes on artists as varied as Carl Craig and Jamelia. Continuing the now familiar Misch Masch format,

the first CD features a Radio Slave mix, the second, several of his remixes. A dark and brooding affair, the mix sees Radio Slave rerubs of Trentemøller, Mocky and Booka Shade cosy up with tracks from Shackleton, Roman Flugel, Len Faki amongst others, slowly working its way through stripped back rhythms and subtle snatches of melody into a steadily hypnotic groove. Elsewhere, re-works of Caged Baby, X-Press 2, Pet Shop Boys and others highlight the Radio Slave ‘less is more’ approach to remixing. [Colin Chapman] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY. WWW.FINEREC.CO.UK WWW.MYSPACE.COM/REKID

KOKOLO

LOVE INTERNATIONAL

(FREESTYLE)

Us i n g innovati ve af ro b e at, jazz, latin and hip-hop, Kokolo fuse together a fantastic mix of genres to create a truly wonderful, Brazilian-style beat. Hailing from New York City, this is Kokolo’s third studio album, with each release getting better and better. Love International is the perfect album to dance or chillout to, providing an enchanting selection of latin-influenced tracks. The band’s ethos is summed up perfectly with the album’s tagline of, “live more, consume less, with more joy and less stress.” Alongside Kokolo’s main man Ray Lugo, the album features many other renowned musicians, including jazz man Charlie Hunter, drummer extraordinaire Jojo Kuo, Mike Weitman, and the great Fela Kuti. Mixing an infectious blend of social commentary with charisma and musical appeal has taken Kokolo from the streets of New York to a worldwide audience, which continues to grow with every super-funky, hyper-groovy release. [Karen Taggart] RELEASE DATE: 9 JULY.

SLAM

HUMAN RESPONSE

(SOMA)

Slam’s fourth studio album grabs hold of electronica’s ethereal qualities and harnesses them to slowbuilding techno: a process of intricate filling-in sews the spaces together with lingering melodies. The aim is to bring warmth and depth back to the

4/4 standard, through Detroitesque excursions and dubby soul. Looking North’s beat may establish it as techno, but the melody screams ‘I Am Electronica’. But it’s Reluctant Traveller that really gives away the album’s unspoken influences. The ‘synth-led expedition’ consumes and reconditions these influences into something that Gary Numan was on the verge of for years. Why the next track, Azure, was picked to be the first single also becomes obvious - it succinctly captures the style and vibe of the entire album in a nine minute summary of development. We’re Not Here takes away the haunting aspects in favour of disturbing hypnosis, and Memoir closes the LP with a slow ebb, to nothingness. In all, it falls short of hitting something epic, but it doesn’t have the pretension to assume it would: understated is the key word. [Struan Otter]

SINGLES DEAD DISCO

YOU’RE OUT (679 RECORDS)

WE ARE THE NIGHT

Dead Disco sound like they smoke full strength cigarettes and drink whatever comes to hand. You get the feeling they want you to know they don’t smile very often either. They have a dirty edge and an air of detached cool to their vocals, like a young and wasted Debbie Harry taking the microphone at a warehouse party downtown. The sleazy electro vibe in their beats is produced by a bass and a guitar, and they plant their feet firmly in between punk and dance without sounding like too many of the electro-clash bands doing similar. They aren’t breaking any ground here, but they are pushing a dance-friendly brand of agit-pop that has seen them work with Simian Mobile Disco and become signed by 679. It’s sure to be the sound of a party near you soon. [James Blake]

(FREESTYLE DUST)

OUT NOW.

RELEASE DATE: 26 JULY.

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

WWW.DEADDISCO.CO.UK

A n u n r e l e nting sense of repetition is ever y where on the Chemical B roth e r s s i x th LP. Whether this verges on the inane or the masterful is, as with much of their repertoire from Exit Planet Dust upwards, truly in the eye of the beholder. It all depends on whether you really need to be told how much of “The Night” they really are in the first six and a half minutes; 70 odd times do? Klaxons, Fat Lip and Willy Mason take up the helm from Bloc Party, Q-Tip and Magic Numbers as chief collaborators of the day and the results vary accordingly. Saturate quickly erupts before it disappears into old school acid house hell and Do It Again takes up the mantle of uninspired metronomic misadventure. Though the bizarre MARRS-like sheen of A Modern Midnight Conversation and alluring folk-hop of Battle Scars might demand instant attention, the bludgeoning clunk and clack of Das Spiegel does little to heave the Brothers out of an otherwise lethargic rut. [Dave Kerr] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

FEATURED ALBUM

NEIL LANDSTRUMM

RESTAURANT OF THE ASSASSINS (PLANET MU)

THE TIGERPICKS

ELECTRO FUNK DISCO PUNK (DELTASONIC)

Through the heav y fog of propaganda surrounding the latest indie/electro boom a few artists have emerged producing music which combines the best elements of both genres. Unfortunately the Tigerpicks are no such band. Disco Punk Electro Funk, the debut single from the Manchester threesome, is generic nu-rave by numbers. The most basic of drum lines and guitar riffs propel it along at typically frenetic pop punk pace whilst the singer chants the title, relentlessly reminding you of the marketing man’s grasp of the scene’s buzz words. [Peter Walker] OUT NOW

WAHOO

I’M YOUR LOVER

(FINE)

Wahoo duo Dixon and vocalist Georg Levin follow-up their rather large 2004 hit Make ‘Em Shake It with the first single from their forthcoming album. Unusually enough, I’m Your Lover features the vocals of Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton, sounding like a high-pitched Robbie Williams. He graces a bouncing, guitar-flecked, summery rhythm on a track that’s unashamedly pop, and given a decent radio

push it might enjoy chart success. A far better proposition is the Georg Levin-sung Don’t Take It Personal. His soulful delivery soars above a trumpet-led, bongos-meet-guitar backdrop, offering an ode to keeping your chin-up when times get hard. [Colin Chapman] OUT NOW.

releases of Moloko and despite carrying her distinctively breathy vocals, it won’t stay in your head long enough to trouble your stream of consciousness. Murphy has long since sacrificed the Queen of electronica title, and seems in no form to win it back. [Finbarr Bermingham]

WWW.WAHOO-MUSIC.NET

RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

MUDDYLOOP

WWW.ROISINMURPHY.COM

BODY SWEAT (MUDDYTRAX) Muddyloop (Blonde Peterson and Metro Williams) are songwriters and producers, mixing electronic soul and groove. Body Sweat is the first single from their upcoming debut album Flight Night, and is a slow, rnb influenced track with sassy, soulful female vocals from Judi Nicholas over a downright dirty beat. If you like your dance tracks infused with a sexy r’n’b vibe then this synthesized pseudo-pop is for you. The album has been described as “eleven hot tracks of genre-bending songs to break hearts, spread legs and shake booties” - this remains to be seen, but this single is certainly good for some bumpin’ and grindin’. [Karen Taggart] OUT NOW. WWW.MUDDYLOOP.COM

THE WHIP DIVEBOMB

(KITSUNE RECORDS)

The Whip are Manchester’s newest technopop beat pushers, and believe me when I say you will not have any depressed thoughts the day after you try their newest single for the first time. Divebomb is their latest release and has been warmly received by DJs and clubbers alike. A futuristic take on what a clubbing classic can be, it is danceable from the start, and the more you listen the better it gets. By sampling an almost human like note, when the beat does drop it sounds fresh, making the song sound like what you wish your old beat-em-up soundtrack had been. The wait is over. [Franck Martin] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

ROISIN MURPHY OVERPOWERED

(ECHO)

“Get ready for the next great pop revolution!” screams her out of Moloko’s press blurb. Whilst this, the first from her forthcoming album, is catchy enough, it certainly isn’t revolutionary. Overpowered flatters to d e c e i ve, w i t h i ts d e c e n t production betrayed by a lack of a memorable hook. It pales in comparison with the best

LGBT

BEATS REVIEWS

KAP BAMBINO NEW BREATH/HEY!

(ALT<DELETE RECORDINGS)

This punky, fastpaced electro dance release is a breath of fresh air. With vocals reminiscent of Karen O (think the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on speed with a synthesizer), mixed with a primal, riot grrl sound, first track New Breath is a short, sharp blast of new wave enthusiastic pandemonium. The second track of this double a-side, Hey, is a quirky, Ramones-esque romp – perfect for bopping on the dance floor in your best skinny jeans. Kap Bambino are well-known for their captivating live shows, bouncing off the audience to provide a truly raw, energetic performance experience. Hailing f rom Borde au x, Kap Bambino (Orion Bouvier and Caroline Martial) are definitely an outrageous, fun twosome destined for big things. [Karen Taggart] OUT NOW. DEBUT ALBUM ZERO LIFE, NIGHT VISION WILL BE RELEASED LATER THIS YEAR. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/KAPBAMBINO

PLASTIC OPERATOR PEPPERMINT EP

(FINEDAY RECORDS)

This swooning electro pop soul number, from Canadian/Belgian duo Plastic Operator, comes from their well-received second album Dif ferent Places. Sounding perhaps a little too much like the Postal Service, this track beautifully crafts an almost hypnotic soundscape in which gentle breakbeats mingle with Germanic vocals and the gentle twang of acoustic guitars. It is catchy, charming and a real pleasure to listen to, although it wouldn’t be out of place on an O.C. soundtrack – a turn off for some perhaps. Rob Da Bank signed the track to his own Sunday Best label, a sure testament to the song’s quality and potential. [Paddy Loughman] OUT NOW.

APPEARANCES BY THE RAGGA TWINS AND YOUNGSTA ARE FAIRLY DOWNPLAYED, BUT SERVE AS A REMINDER OF THE RESTAURANT’S SIGNIFICANCE. TABLE FOR TWO PLEASE Telephones, steam power, the kilt: all things the Scots claim erroneously to have pioneered - indeed, talking in some pubs about national inventions yields more dubious claims than OJ Simpson’s police statement. And now we can add dubstep to the list; not only is Kode9 a Wishaw boy, but way before Coki and Mala rolled their first spliffs and started playing MC Fuck You at half speed, Neil Landstrumm was pioneering a form of two-step inflected techno with bass fatter than a sumo wrestler on the Atkins. Landstrumm’s always applied elements of dancehall to his work, but Restaurant of the Assassins sees him dipping into the Hackney zeitgeist and blending the spliffed-out

bent of dubstep with the amphetamine grind of bleep techno. It’s both a continuation of past work and a snapshot of the current scene. It’s also very, very good; tracks like Harlem Shoot Me, released as a killer 12” a while back, are dancefloor-orientated and uptempo, but build on wonky off-beats and crushing bass, fusing technical complexity with a pure adrenal kick. Appearances by the Ragga Twins and Youngsta are fairly downplayed, but serve as a reminder of the Restaurant’s significance. Table for two please. [Liam Arnold] OUT NOW

Muddyloop

50 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

BEATS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

ALEX SMOKE:

getting the balance

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI We l c o m e t o t h e Opposites issue of The Skinny, where things are being done just a little bit differently for one month only. Film opposites were a bit of a puzzler but, on the condition that there wa s ab s olut ely no mention of Big Brother (for which turn to the Srt section), we’ve got a cracking feature on cinema’s one-time mortal enemy – television. You also won’t find any film reviews this month (apart from Die Hard 4.0 – Bruce insisted). Watching a film at the Cannes Film Festival, as I was lucky enough to find myself doing this month, is, let me assure you, the exact opposite of going to the cinema like a normal person. So I guess that feature tenuously qualifies as well. But let’s not forget the absolutely huge movies still to hit us in July. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the boy wizard’s fifth outing, Transformers should at least offer some jaw-dropping special effects, and The Simpsons Movie is looking funnier all the time. Or, if that’s all too modern and shiny for you, Connery’s Bond returns to the big screen with a re-release of Goldfinger. Have fun and see you in August. /Paul.

DITORIAL * RELEASE SCHEDULE 6 JULY Die Hard 4.0 (TBC) Dead Silence (15) Edmond (18)

13 JULY Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix (12A) Last Tango In Paris (18) Macbeth (TBC) Moliere (12A) Taxidermia (TBC)

20 JULY Buy It Now (TBC) Firehouse Dog (PG) Ghosts Of Cite Soleil (TBC) Hairspray (TBC) Halla Bol (TBC) Private Fears In Public Places (TBC) The Seventh Seal (PG)

27 JULY Goldfinger (PG) Sherrybaby (15) The Simpsons (TBC) Transformers (TBC)

Transformers

16 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

The harder they fall

by: Peter Walker

THE SKINNY CHATS WITH ALEX SMOKE ABOUT CITY DIFFERENCES, FUTURE PLANS, AND HIS INTENTION TO STORM THE KAPITAL

by Paul Greenwood

EXCITED ALMOST TO BREAKING POINT, PAUL GREENWOOD TALKS TO BRUCE WILLIS ABOUT HIS ROLE IN THE UPCOMING DIE HARD 4.0 Contrary to popular belief, Samuel L. Jackson Of course the intervening years haven’t seen did not invent the word ‘motherfucker’. The him getting any younger, but that’s not sometime is 1988, the place Nakatomi Plaza, Los thing that overly concerns him. He knows the Angeles, and little known TV actor Bruce character is older, but he still wanted McClane Willis is poised to shoot to superstardom to look like he could handle whatever is thrown on the back of possibly the greatest action at him. “I go to the gym. I lift weights. I’m lazy film ever made, and four and I don’t like to do it, but it’s I’M 52 YEARS OLD little words. All together part of the work. I’m 52 years now: “Yipee-ki-yay mothold and I don’t bounce off conAND I DON’T erfucker.” as easy as I used to. My BOUNCE OFF CON- crete legs are black and blue and I’m CRETE AS EASY AS I beat to shit. The stuff I did with Obviously Willis no more coined the word than Maggie Q is just bananas. We USED TO. MY LEGS did Jackson. But when spent two weeks shooting our ARE BLACK AND BLUE fight scenes together and she the legend outgrows the truth, print the legend. AND I’M BEAT TO SHIT was great. I’ve never fought “That expression has become a woman before and I’ve cerpart of the Die Hard mythology over time,” says tainly never had my ass kicked by one before. If Willis. “When I first said it, it was just a cool thing I’m going to do another one I’d better hurry up.” to say to Alan Rickman when he was calling me Mr. Cowboy. I’m amazed that such a simple line “The first film has always been the high waterwould become part of the language of pop cul- mark of what Die Hard and a lot of other action ture.” movies should aspire to. I really wanted to live up to the first film. Die Hard 2 was really self-referenIt’s a line that does get replayed in Die Hard 4.0, tial and Die Hard With a Vengeance had some cool albeit muffled by a gunshot to ensure a rat- components, but we wanted to take another shot ing in accordance with the studio’s deci- at it to get as close to the first film as possible.” sion to go for a PG-13 certificate. Much has been made, and much fanboy Getting as close to the first film as possible may wrath vented, over how this makes have proved difficult, however, when there’s such a mockery of all that Die Hard stands a temptation in modern movie-making to allow for. Willis though is adamant that the special effects to overshadow the meat and they haven’t turned out a ‘soft’ bones of the production, but Willis doesn’t agree. Die Hard film, even if he’s not one “While we did do some CGI, plenty of it is real and hundred percent happy with the the director had the courage to do some old school approach. “The reason I was able stunts. We flew a real car into a real helicopter. to make Die Hard was because We always envisioned Die Hard 4.0 as a straight Cybil Shepherd got pregnant and ahead action ride that was true to the tone and I was released from Moonlighting character of the original but updated for today. for eleven weeks. You can’t cuss This isn’t one of those films that’s completely relion TV so I was excited about the ant on CG effects. I’ve done those films and there’s unbridled cussing that Die Hard nothing wrong with them, but in the spirit of offered. Yes, there’s less swearing Die Hard the action has to be smashmouth, and I in Die Hard 4.0, but we live in very think we’ve more than accomplished our goal.” parochial times. It’s the rules we have to live by. But we never thought about shooting for a rating, we shot a hard core Die Hard film, one that will eventually be seen.” For Willis there are several reasons why it’s taken so long for the fourth instalment to come to the screen. “Everything happens exactly the way it’s supposed to happen. Twelve years was exactly the right time. If it had happened any other time I might not have met Len and we wouldn’t have had this great cast, so that’s the positive side of all this. Over the years there’d been talk about a new Die Hard picture but nothing really gelled for me until we came up with the angle of the two things most important to McClane being threatened. McClane loves his family above all, and he despises anyone who preys on people who cannot defend themselves. This was a fresh take on the character but it always stayed true to his nature. The stakes are higher now but he’s still the regular guy unexpectedly confronted with some very irregular circumstances.”

BEATS

FILM

Everyone has an opinion on the Edinburgh versus Glasgow argument, but apart from the most fervent, residents will admit both cities have their advantages and disadvantages. However there is one area where things have become worryingly skewed in recent years: clubbing. Since the turn of the century the general trend in the capital has been for the closure of popular nightclubs, with the loss of Wilkie House, The Venue, and The Honeycomb to the endless desire for lucrative central property; whereas Glasgow boasts some of the best clubs in the country, such as The Arches and The Sub Club, as well as new venues opening all the time. To give an interesting view on the situation we talked to Alex Smoke, a ‘Weegie’ born and bred, whose music has taken him to many of the world’s best venues, and is soon to play the launch night of new Edinburgh club night, Kapital. An interesting anomaly that has grown out of the cities’ differing trends is that whilst there may be fewer big venues in Edinburgh there seem to be new nights popping up all the time, whereas

Glasgow’s few expansive, and therefore expensive venues make such diversity difficult, something Alex has recently experienced: “We’re trying to put on a night, and the thing is there’s not that much choice, there’s been stuff closing down recently as well, like the Liquid Lounge. So it’s a mixed bag, at the moment Glasgow is the place that’s doing well but in terms of smaller nights it’s actually not so easy to find venues.” Currently in talks with the Sub Club about putting on a regular night to promote his new label Hum+Haw, it’s clear he hasn’t rested on his laurels after the success of second album Paradolia. Created with Soma label mate Jim Hutchison, Hum+Haw intends to follow the successful mould made by Slam. “In a lot of ways Soma’s not really what I’m aiming for. But in other ways Soma have it sown up by having Pressure, and building it up through the Sub and through the Arches, and having the label represented that way.” Hum+Haw aims to

“PEOPLE WILL GO WITH THE TREND, BUT THOSE WHO LIKE GOOD MUSIC, MAKE GOOD MUSIC - AND THEY’RE NOT PARTICULARLY BOTHERED WHETHER IT’S CALLED THIS THING OR THAT THING” - ALEX SMOKE be a creative outlet for a range of styles from hip hop to techno, with the first few tracks representing much of the work Alex hasn’t been able to release elsewhere. One of Alex’s most recent releases was for Vakant, one of a bevy of Berlin labels hemorrhaging good music these days, with Alex citing it as one of his favourite places to play. “Berlin is such an epicentre at the moment. It’s a snowball effect, the more hype there is about it, the more people go there. Every month there are more and more producers moving there from all over the world. The fact is that the rent’s cheap, and that it’s central in Europe, so it’s great for travelling for DJs.” The release of his last album at the peak of last year’s minimal house boom saw his productions lapped up by his peers, and has kept his touring schedule busy ever since. But 2007 has seen the inevitable backlash towards the genre. He sees this kind of pigeonholing as unimportant though. He explains: “People will go with the trend, but those who like good music, make good music - they’re not particularly bothered whether it’s called this thing or that thing. The minimal backlash really just refers to like the middle ground of popular stuff; the good producers like Villalobos, Luciano, etc, will keep on producing their kind of sound and carry on being popular because they’re the people doing the real thing. All the rest will just start to switch, that kind of big sound is really becoming very popular again, people like Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, and the minimal thing is still carrying on and it will continue to do so. But it’ll just steadily become less and less fashionable.” While Glaswegians are regularly treated to fresh European underground sounds courtesy of nights like Pressure and Subculture, only Edinburgh’s We Are Electric occasionally delves into the deeper, darker side of house, techno and electronica. Hoping to redress the balance, down in the often overlooked and recently redeveloped Caves, Glasgow’s own Alex Smoke will be bringing his unique live set of minimal tech and twisted electronics to the Kapital. The Skinny can’t wait. Keep tuned for further features with Alex Smoke later this year.

DIE HARD 4.0

John McClane (Willis), youth-defining action hero of the old school, returns after a twelve year absence to battle cyber-terrorists planning to bring down the entire US infrastructure. It turns out the bad guys can now explode you over the internet, as Long’s computer geek finds out when his hacker buddies are wiped out. Only McClane (iconic white vest flashing tantalisingly beneath his sweatshirt but sadly never getting the full reveal) has what it takes to keep him alive while simultaneously annihilating hordes of goons on his way to the big showdown with head baddie Gabriel (Olyphant). Though Die Hard 4.0 has been severely trimmed to allow for a teen-friendly rating Stateside, Willis unquestionably still gives good thump, and the traditional fisticuffs and gunplay are immensely satisfying, even if there are way less blood squibs than there used to be. But some of the more extravagant set pieces are beyond silly, Wiseman not quite grasping that the overblown, CGI laden action flick died a death a couple of years ago, and might struggle to find its place in the new world of Bourne and stripped down Bond. Also letting the side down is an unsavoury waft of misogyny and some badly edited dubbing that betrays the post-production removal of all the motherfucking. Gripes aside though, we’ve ended up with a pretty decent action film that’s not necessarily a great Die Hard film. It’s almost enough to make you think Rambo IV isn’t such a bad idea after all. [Paul Greenwood]

ALEX SMOKE @ KAPITAL, THE CAVES, NIDDRY STREET, 28 JULY. 11PM-3AM, £TBC. WWW.KAPITALMUSIC.CO.UK

DIR: LEN WISEMAN

MYSPACE.COM/ALEXSMOKE1

STARS: BRUCE WILLIS, JUSTIN LONG, TIMOTHY OLYPHANT,

MYSPACE.COM/HUMHAW

MAGGIE Q, KEVIN SMITH RELEASE DATE: 4 JUL CERT: 15 WWW.LIVEFREEORDIEHARD.COM

FILM

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

FILM

BEATS EDINBURGH Sweet E: UNDERGROUND EXPOSURE

by: Bram Gieben

SINCE THE AGE OF 13, SWEET E HAS BEEN MAKING HIP-HOP WITH HER BROTHER AS NORTHERN EXPOSURE. WITH AN UPCOMING 12”, FESTIVAL APPEARANCES, AND COLLABORATIONS WITH SKINNYMAN’S MUD FAM, NRNEXPO ARE CREEPING OUT OF THE UNDERGROUND

Northern Exposure’s first mixtape included many moments of unparalleled ghetto documentary – tracks like The Greed, The Grime (“The greed, the grime, the ghetto, the guns / My boy’s smokin’ crack with his heart-broken Mum”) and Halal The Beef left listeners in no doubt as to Sweet E and Ibrahim’s commitment to realism and spirituality. Rather than getting stuck in the studio, they simply toured and toured, making connections and collaborating live with Skinnyman and Blak Twang, and even US legends like Naughty By Nature and Mos Def. Flicking through a huge stack of pictures of herself with hip-hop legends, Sweet E is confident, but humble about her experiences: “That’s how hip-hop rolls,” she explains. “Hip-hop’s still a subculture, especially here in Scotland. There are a lot of big shows popping off, but people need to be like, ‘Rah! I’m bringing this artist. Bring your voices, get on the mic, let’s do this.’ Instead they do it all individually, and the show isn’t even a proper show. It’s about collaboration. It has to be a ‘we’ thing.” Sweet E is ferociously intelligent, and completely devoted to her ideals. “We’re not willing to compromise our message. It doesn’t matter how much money you offer us. I used to work as a fashion model, and during that time people offered me the world; offered me so many zeroes, I can’t even remember. All I needed to do was dance about in a short skirt, wear make up and hair extensions, and shake my ass. Take someone like Beyoncé. When I was young, she was coming out with tracks like Nasty Girl: “Nasty put some clothes on.” Now she’s doing the opposite of that. I’m quite disappointed in my peers and the people that came before me for not creating a more wholesome environment for me. That’s why when I look around at the people in my hood, when I see how impoverished they are in terms of integrity, morale – in terms of what they value in life - there’s only a certain percentage of that I can say they are responsible for.” As she sees it, hip-hop is being infiltrated and run by people who have no clue about its meaning: “There are too many people who are the gatekeepers

to the industry who don’t want to see real music being made. The audiences get complacent. We were supporting Fatman Scoop. The crowd only really got off their arses when he came on. I mean - he’s not a rapper! All he did was shout over somebody else’s tracks, but so many people came to show love. I thought, ‘Well, if that’s the way it’s gonna be...’ It’s selling out, because they’d rather spend money on an American artist for ten, fifteen quid than support a local artist.” We talk about Britain’s class structure, and Sweet E brings it back to the origins of the slave trade: “When I walk past the back of Waverley and see the Fleshmarket... maybe the average Scottish person doesn’t think: ‘This is where my brothers and sisters were murdered.’ But this is what I think. I’m even thinking about renouncing my own Scottish-ness, because people don’t know their history. Scots were among the first slaves, even before there were black slaves. When you go to places like Jamaica, which were slave repositories – places where slaves were basically left to die – that’s when you start seeing the similarities. You meet a Jamaican with ginger hair, and he’s talking about his Mammie, using all these Scottish words. That’s why it’s so important for us to communicate.”

DIZZEE RASCAL

TOMMIE SUNSHINE

IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHERE ALL THE CLUB REVIEWS HAVE GONE, THEY’VE MOVED ONLINE! GET YOUR UP-TO-THE MINUTE REVIEWS AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK.

48 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NRNXPO,

WE ARE... ELECTRIC, CABARET VOLTAIRE, 4 JULY Tommie Sunshine returns to WAE this month to spread a little sunniness for the only event where you’re likely to see Jesus H. Christ behind the decks, or near enough as you can get anyway! The New York resident is a DJ, producer, remixer and label owner (Xylophone Jones Recordings) influenced by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, the B52s and the Revolting Cocks to name a few eclectic choices. He’s put the pumping electro house touches to songs by Peaches, hellogoodbye, Good Charlotte and Panic! at the Disco among others, infusing them with chunky riffs and punchy beats for major dancefloor appeal, while finding time to create his own strange techno concoctions. You may have unwittingly heard his work in the early 00s, after he played a part in co-writing Felix Da Housecat and Miss Kittin’s Silver Screen hit, and worked with DJ Hell on his NY Muscle album. Even Versace has asked him to DJ their fashion shows! If all that isn’t enough for credentials, he also wrote the preface to Mireille Silcott’s novel Rave America. Support comes from Gary Mac and Tall Paul, with full-on European electro-punk house sets to brighten up your midweek! [Alex Burden] 11PM-3AM, FREE B4 12AM AND MEMBERS/£2 AFTER.

COMPILATION FORCE

PRESENTS BASS INVASION SECRETARCADE (48 COCKBURN STREET), WEDNESDAYS ‘Bass Invasion’ to najnowsza propozycja na impreze w polowie tygodnia - super rozgrzewka w srodowy wieczor przed wypadem do klubu We Are...Electric tuz obok. Impreza prowadzona bedzie przez mlodego DJ’a Pacman’a w polskim pubie ‘Secret Arcade’ (poprzednio ‘Arcade’), ktory swoim klimatem przypomina Bar Kohl. W kazdym tygodniu DJ’ow: Pacman’a i Joy’a (rezydentow pubu) beda wspierac brytyjscy i polscy goscie przy dzwiekach drum and bass, electro i breakbeat. Mozliwe, ze juz mieliscie okazje uslyszec DJ’a Pacmana (ktory niedawno dolaczyl do grupy edynburskich DJ’ow) grajacego w Cruz, PoNaNa i podczas niedawnego Leith Festival (wraz z Joy, Dark Pitch, Sarco i T.I.N). Jesli nie, to bedziecie miec swietna okazje uslyszec go wlasnie w Bass Invasion. Brak oplaty za wejscie dodatkowo zacheca do odwiedzenia klubu. Mozecie posluchacparu

T H E S K I YNN

A SELF - RELEASED EP AND DVD OF THEIR TOUR WITH SKINNYMAN AND THE MUD FAM IS BEING RELEASED IN A FEW MONTHS. NORTHERN E X P O S U R E P L AY T H E ORGANIC

B E AT S

F E S T I VA L ,

FORT

Trinny & Susannah Undressed, Dog the Bounty Hunter and My Super Sweet Sixteen

Reality bites

WILLIAM ON 30 JULY.

In terms of new material and performances, the NrnExpo family have been busy of late, with Sweet E working as Assistant Director on a film, and her brother currently in Japan making moves with DJ Haruka, among others. I was played top-secret cuts of new tracks, which displayed a new reggae direction. “I’d like to classify Northern Exposure as world music,” says Sweet E. “We work with a whole range of different artists – reggae beats, hip-hop beats, any kind of beats. We’re trying to get people to listen to the message, as opposed to just the beats.” Sweet E is in no hurry to sign with a major label, despite gaining recognition from brands such as Evisu and Puma. “Hip-hop is a life thing,” she says. “It’s out there; it’s in opposition to other ideologies. But it’s important photo: www.jethrocollins.co.uk

CLUB PREVIEWS

The Liquid Room is filled almost to capacity f o r to n i g h t ’s grime fest, with The Newham Generals (Dirtee Skank) bringing up the rear with DJ Tubby, and some of the dirtiest lyrics and r u mb ling ba s s that innocent ears can process. Wet It photo: Jack Waddington Up, following a ragga tip, gets the crowd jumping, while Bell Them Slags entices the audience to put their hands up if they have a slag’s number in their current phone. The Newham Generals, hailing from the East London borough of Newham, and recently signed to the Dirtee Skank label, step up the tempo and re-inforce the techno loop leanings with Pepper, spurring the jumping throng to scream ‘have it!’ when the Generals shout ‘yes’. Dizzee then rolls on to screams and whistles, accompanied by his astonishingly talented one-armed tour, DJ Semtex, who scratches and slides his way through the set using his teeth to control the mixer. A mixture of Dizzee’s old and new repertoire gets a 60 minute run-down, from Boy In Da Corner through to Maths+English. But it’s gems like Sirens, Fix Up, Look Sharp, and I Luv U that get the biggest cheers. He’s joined onstage by the Generals for a rousing finish, so much so, that the crowd are hesistant to leave when the system’s switched off and the needles laid to rest, just in case they miss another exciting moment. [Alex Burden]

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ONLINE. WWW.ENIGPROMO.NR.

CLUB REVIEWS LIQUID ROOM, 1 JUNE

not to get lost in hip-hop, because at the end of the day it comes from suffering. It’s important not to let that suffering grip you. Once you’ve touched it and felt it, use it as a vehicle to propel you, but don’t get caught up in that sadness, in that pain, use it as a fuel to go forward. Use it to help you to come to knowledge.”

miksow w wykonaniu Pacman’a na www.planetdnb. com. [Written by Alex Burden, translated by Olga Wojciechowska] OD 19:00 DO 1:00, £0

COMPILATION FORCE

PRESENTS BASS INVASION SECRET ARCADE (48 COCKBURN STREET), WEDNESDAYS Bass Invasion is the newest mid-week warm-up party to hit the city, and looks set to be the ideal start to Wednesdays before your probable trip to We Are... Electric just up the road. Run by the young DJ Pacman, it will be a small affair set in the now Polish pub, Secret Arcade (formerly Arcade), joining the ranks of Bar Kohl and similar. Resident DJs Pacman and Joy will be supported by a rotation of UK and Polish guests each week, spinning drum and bass, electro, and breakbeat. You may have already caught DJ Pacman, one of the newest recruits to the Edinburgh DJ circuit, playing Cruz, PoNaNa, and the recent Leith Festival (alongside Joy, Dark Pitch, Sarco and T.I.N), but if not, that’s even more of an excuse to check out Bass Invasion! The noticeable lack of any entrance fee is also a delicious extra. For a little taster of things to come check out Pacman’s Sunday mixes at www.planetdnb.com. [Alex Burden] 7PM-1AM, £0 CHECK OUT PACMAN’S MIXES FROM 11PM-1AM, ON SUNDAY EVENINGS AT WWW.PLANETDNB.COM

DJ JUNIOR

DEPARTURE LOUNGE (4TH BIRTHDAY), THE CAVES, 20 JULY A month doesn’t seem to pass now without a births, deaths and marriages announcement from the clubbing community; this time it’s Departure Lounge celebrating their fourth birthday in style with DJ Junior. In the four years that Departure Lounge has been running, they’ve secured three instant sell-out Hogmanay Specials (with hopefully a fourth to come at the end of 2007), and a gamut of wide-ranging talent, from zero dB to Belleruche to the Joe Acheson Quartet. The club tells us that there is an extensive list of guests lined up to play their trusty turntables, and the place will be jumping with the best jazz/latin/afro/funk bands the global scene has to offer. Departure Lounge (Four

by Lindsay West

OH REALITY TV – YOU’RE SO NAUGHTY. WE KNOW WE SHOULDN’T GET INVOLVED WITH YOU, BUT WE JUST CAN’T HELP IT. YOU’RE A BIG, BOTTOMLESS COOKIE JAR WE KNOW WE SHOULD WALK PAST, BUT YOU JUST KEEP OFFERING US THINGS WE NEVER KNEW WE NEEDED…

TH E PRESEN SKINNY

artist

Northern Expos ure

festival

Organic Beats

date

30 July 2oo7

Corners’ sister club) are bringing in DJ Junior for the event: the Philadelphian legend is known for his part in boosting the careers of the likes of The Roots, Jill Scott, and Eryka Badu, while continuing his weekly Eavesdrop Radio Show with Lil’ Dave. Junior’s Jamaican heritage set him up early in life; fed on a diet of reggae and socca by his parents, his tastes expanded as he delved further into music, earning him the title of Philly’s ‘premiere purveyor’ of indie hip-hop, house, rare grooves, broken beat and afrobeat. On the same bill is a live set from The Elephants, the afrolatin group compiled by Salsa Celtica’s Toby Shippey. Astroboy and Jiminez will support on the decks, with live percusssion from Cammy. [Struan Otter] 10PM-3AM, £TBC.

THE SKINNY BOAT PARTY WITH OCTOGEN CRUZ JULY 21

The Skinny throw a good bash. This year’s 12-hour, dance-themed summer extravaganza will be graced with the presence of Soma’s new signing, Marco Bernardi, better known as Octogen, playing an exclusive live set. His previous releases on Clone, Frustrated Funk and Emoticon have displayed his inventive approach to techno and electro, while his collaboration with Percy X as The Separatists also gained wide acclaim. Joining him will be The Skinny’s favourite DJs from Scotland’s best clubs - Bradley C of Chew The Fat! lays down the breaks, Pyz & Etos of Access bring some harder-edged electro sounds, Nick AKA and Richie Meldrum of Clash! / Pushin Buttons mashup some indie bootleg goodness, while during the daytime we have the hip-hop styles of Nasty P (Soulbiscuits), Great Ezcape’s Profisee brings the dubstep and grime, while B-Burg of Fat Bird Recordings and Livesciences fame joins long-lost Obscene resident Jonny Faith to add some jazz / funk flavour. It’s all hosted by our very own Ian Brandon and Ibrahim, and also features a BBQ, circus performers, and various booze and tune-related freebies. A percentage of profits will go to Maggie’s Cancer Care. Join us for sun, soul food and some serious Soma beats! [Omar Kudos] 3PM - 3AM (BBQ 4PM - 9PM). TICKETS £7 + BF IN ADVANCE (INC. BBQ), £5 ON THE DOOR AFTER 9PM.

BEATS

SO YOU WANT TO... RUIN THE HAPPIEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE BY ORCHESTRATING YOUR OWN HUMILIATION, SET TO MUSIC. YOU NEED: FIRST DANCE (UKTV STYLE)

cally jiggle your fleshy bits whilst making his happy noise – in a platonic way, of course. Every girl needs a Gok Wan in her handbag – so turn over and watch How to Look Good Naked (Channel 4) instead.

Set in such glamour hotspots as Brighton and Crewe, First Dance follows couples who clearly believe that what merits the most thought in organising a wedding is not the vows or ensuing decades of matrimony, but the crucial three minutes and forty-four seconds it takes Elton John to croon his way through your first dance as husband and wife.

SO YOU WANT TO... SHOW ALL YOUR FRIENDS HOW, LIKE, TOTALLY BETTER THAN THEM YOU ARE. YOU NEED: MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEEN (MTV).

Subverting the longstanding tradition of the pre-nuptial waltz class, this new breed of couples aspire to the moment in every dance movie in which the crowd moves back to make a circle (always, inexplicably, the exact size of the routine) around the leading man and lady. You’re quite correct, madam: the depth of your relationship is clearly best communicated through the medium of dance, in a poorly lit hotel function room in Swindon. The routines themselves are frankly terrible, including a jive that involves mainly kicking, punctuated only by snapping fingers a la Wham circa 1986. That said, the programme is worth your half hour if only for watching the wedding guests’ expressions shift from instinctively horrified to polite ‘ok, we’ll play along’ as the couples take up their starting positions. Look out in particular for the bride who wants to re-enact the entire Dirty Dancing closing sequence – including the lift.

SO YOU WANT TO... REVIVE YOUR AILING RELATIONSHIP AND RAISE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. YOU DON’T NEED: TRINNY & SUSANNAH UNDRESSED (ITV1): A prime example of the ‘expert’ gone stratospheric and of the reality show’s tendency to spread exponentially – see the expansion of Le Cowell’s evil empire for a further example – Trinny and Susannah have let all that exposure (mainly of middle-aged women) go to their heads. Having fitted a few women with the right size bras on BBC1, T&S have defected to ITV1 having, presumably, undertaken quickie PhDs in cognitive behavioural therapy and marriage guidance in the interim. Because there’s no way they’d be allowed to do this sort of thing without qualifications, is there? Oh, wait, sorry – this is ITV, so they’ll have been enrolled in classes at the Jeremy Kyle School of Inappropriate Public Counsel, won’t they? Silly me. Admittedly, a woman who wears only her husband’s clothes and hasn’t had a haircut in nine years probably isn’t making the most of herself, but is the most effective therapy really playing naked shadow puppets behind a gauze screen whilst giving a running commentary to two screeching banshees? All the usual tit-grabbing and changing room scolding is present and correct, but the deluge of intimate information and disturbing invasiveness of the T&S freight train into every aspect of a family’s life is frankly unnerving. If you really want to crank up your self esteem, the answer is a snake-hipped, bespectacled South-East Asian stylist who’ll enthusiasti-

www.skinnymag.co.uk

Ah, the naivety of youth – back when life was simple, a child’s love could be bought for the price of a lucky bag and a copy of Look-In. Times have changed, my friends, and nowadays your parents simply don’t love you if your birthday party doesn’t include an appearance by Pharrell, a pre-party outfit-shopping trip to Paris and a tricked-out Hummer as your main gift. The archetypal Super Sweet Sixteen party, brought to you by the letters “M” and “E”, and governed by the gods of unbridled egotism, is essentially a big, fat sign brandished aloft reading: “Look at me! I’m richer, prettier, and intrinsically better than you!” As well as having parents who run record labels and multinational conglomerates, the kids of MSSS have in common a bigger budget than your average local authority, utter contempt for humanity, and an irritating habit of referring to themselves in the third person (e.g. “Amberly doesn’t like what Amberly sees, Daddy”). This heady combination makes for attention to detail that would put the MTV Awards to shame, and at least one tantrum per episode involving a $150,000 car. Forgive them because they’re only sixteen, and then condemn them for the same reason; but take notes for your next bash.

SO YOU WANT TO... BELIEVE THAT THE A-TEAM COULD REALLY HAPPEN, WHILST INDULGING YOUR PASSION FOR ‘80S HAIRCUTS. YOU NEED: DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER (BRAVO) Take the hair of old-school Michael Bolton, merge the wardrobe of the cop and the leatherman from the Village People, add Chuck Norris’ ear for a cornball catchphrase, and you’ve got The Dog. Dog the Bounty Hunter (real name: Duane Chapman) is the pride of Honolulu county: a snarling one man Mod Squad, ridding the state of bail jumpers and fugitives, all in the name of social rehabilitation and macho fun in tight jeans. You have to hand it to him, Dog’s got a look, and by god he’s faithful to it: furnishing his office with a team of similarly tattooed, muscled, and tank-topped bruisers, and going home at night to his lookalike wife and minime kids (acid blonde mullets are non-negotiable in this family, even for the eight year-old). Indeed, with such a set of trademarks and a deadpan sense of crime fighting purpose, you get the impression Dog’s life has been screaming out for a TV crew for years. The arc from pre-bust smack talk, through high octane raid, onto inexplicable post-arrest ‘crime doesn’t pay’ counselling session is all a bit A-Team. Just as Mr T’s really a pussycat, Dog the Rottwieller turns out to be just a big, helpful St Bernard in pimp’s clothing. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

by Paul Greenwood

LIKE NO OTHER CINEMA EXPERIENCE ON EARTH

T H E S K I YNN

Tokyoblu

No Country For Old Men

Sun, sea, glamour and loads and loads of films. Hardly misery. The 60th edition of the most famous film shindig in the world, the Festival De Cannes, is now but a distant memory, one for which I, alongside forty thousand other maniacs, bravely sacrificed the last two weeks in May so that you, gentle reader, could share in the experience and some of the highlights. The starting point and main hangout is the Palais des Festivals, a truly bewildering eight level complex modelled somewhere between the Pentagon, the Crystal Maze and the Birmingham NEC, only not quite as straightforwardly navigable as any of those. Just getting into the building is job number one, as you’re shunted along to not one, not two, not three but four different entrances along the Croisette, each guarded by beige-suited OompaLoompas who look alternately like Guy Ritchie rejects or Djimon Hounsou. Go there, queue there, open that, don’t go there, sign that, turn and cough. Many hours and much, much confusion later, I was still none the wiser about the whole extravaganza. Mere verbs sometimes have a way of transmuting themselves into actual emotions on the Croisette, where I in fact discovered two new states of consciousness: queuing and sweating. Queuing and sweating, sweating and queuing. It transpires that if you actually want to see a film, you need to stand in the baking sun for an hour in a queue like an execution, with two thousand other mugs, on the off-chance that they’re not going to lock the doors before you manage to get your arse parked. I always seemed to get in with ten seats to spare. Fortunately, every day is a school day in Cannes, where it turns out that some press passes are more equal than others. Standing in the queue for No Country For Old Men, the latest from the Coen

Sicko

18 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

brothers, I happened to notice that I was in line with folk with yellow passes, while mine was blue. Turns out blues get in before yellows, so a casual slip through the fence later and I was with my people. Just as well, as all of the yellows (including your friendly neighbourhood DVD editor) and even a good deal of the blues didn’t get in, and missed one of the best films of the festival. It’s a rare and joyous thing to take a walk through the Marché area of the Palais. This is where film companies from all over the world come to try and sell their nefarious wares to unsuspecting or possibly insane distributors, where you’ll find films starring actors you thought died years ago, alongside titles like Cadaverella, or Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. And those look like some of the good ones. A combination of exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, malnutrition and quite possibly scurvy begins to set in after about the first week. It just isn’t natural to watch so many films over so many days, with only bread, cheese and alcohol to sustain you, especially when you’re going to bed at 0230 and getting up at 0600 to make sure of a seat at the first morning screening. Fortunately the first morning screenings had a tendency to be very good, such as Michael Moore’s Sicko, probably the best film of the whole festival. The man may have his detractors, but he sure knows how to craft a potent piece of cinema - just a shame it wasn’t in competition. We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg, somehow was competing for the top prize. It’s a decent if hardly outstanding crime thriller pitting cops against the Russian mob and brother against brother that was, surprisingly, greeted with a smattering of boos amongst the applause from the notoriously fickle Frenchies. It’s no masterpiece, but booing is difficult to understand.

Mister Lonely

No such vitriol greeted Bloodrayne: Deliverance, directed by the wonderfully infamous Uwe Boll, the German genius/madman behind some supposedly awful video game adaptations. He didn’t disappoint, delivering a truly shambolic effort that would have looked unfortunate on an episode of Tales From The Crypt. For some reason, the pain of seeing this wasn’t enough to dissuade me from going along to another one of his films. It’s called Postal, and it’s a riot. As ever, it’s based on a video game, wherein a mailman goes on a killing spree, but Boll has managed to turn it into probably the first 9/11 comedy, and damned if it isn’t bloody funny. Stunningly offensive, but bloody funny. The man himself introduced it then stood at the back of the cinema, laughing at his own jokes. John Waters: This Filthy World, which looked on the surface like a documentary, but was in fact a live recording of Waters performing his one-man show, was as funny and tasteless as you might imagine, while my newfound love affair with Uwe Boll continued with In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, a reasonably enjoyable Lord of the Rings rip-off with a relatively big budget and a terrific cast (Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, John Rhys Davies).

of Grindhouse any time soon, seeing the films separately as Planet Terror and Death Proof will be our only option, and I for one am quite glad. The early, tatty scenes of Death Proof soon became quite wearisome but, once it left its Grindhouse trappings behind, it became a thundering juggernaut of a film that never let up the fun for a second. I doubt Planet Terror will come anywhere close. A little controversy was provided at the press conference which turned into a difference of opinion and a battle of wills, with Quentin Tarantino and Kurt Russell on one side and Harvey Weinstein on the other. Snake and QT were busy bemoaning the splitting up of Grindhouse, focusing on how the audience would be missing out on the full intended experience. Weinstein however, was clearly of a mind that, while Grindhouse may have been a lemon in the States, there was still a big world out there in which he could go and make some lemonade, and that they were here to promote Death Proof and not argue about release schedules. Robert Rodriguez wisely stayed quiet on the whole issue.

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is based on the experiences of a French journalist who suffered a massive stroke that left him able to communicate only with his left eyelid, using which, he managed to dictate the book on which this moving film is based. Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely on the other hand, is just too quirky and bizarre to ever really engage in its tail of celebrity impersonators. Most bizarre of all was when the film would randomly cut to completely unrelated scenes featuring Werner Herzog and some skydiving nuns. Nutty.

Congratulations must go to whichever genius chose to schedule the Ocean’s Thirteen press conference at the same time as Martin Scorsese was delivering his masterclass on cinema. Faced with the choice of seeing Clooney, Pitt and Damon or spending an hour and a half in the company of the most famous eyebrows in Hollywood, Scorsese was the clear winner and he didn’t disappoint. He would have gone on for twice as long if he’d been allowed, and it was a privilege to be there - even Tarantino took his seat in the audience. And that’s what epitomises Cannes, buying a £5 pint one minute and standing next to Brad and Angelina the next. It’s thoroughly insane, thoroughly exhausting and thoroughly brilliant, and like no other cinema experience on earth.

Since we’re not going to get a proper release

WWW.FESTIVAL-CANNES.FR

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

We Own The Night

FILM

by Alex Burden

- FUNKIN’ ALONG NICELY

THE SKINNY CHATS WITH JOHN HUTCHISON FROM TOKYOBLU ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING MILESTONE 5TH BIRTHDAY S i n c e b e i n g e s t a b l i s h e d f i ve years ago, Tokyoblu has gone from strength to st reng t h, f rom venue to venue, and original songs have been gratefully passed from residents to big name players like Fat Boy Slim. The next thing on the horizon for the DJ duo, eight-piece live band, and the club, all named Tokyoblu, is their fifth birthday party, sparking off an array of celebrations just as the Edinburgh festival gets into gear for another month of soul-shaking music.

Death Proof

BEATS

FILM Cannes Film Festival

Do you feel the five year mark is a significant milestone for clubs, and how does it feel to reach it? John Hutchison, one half of the Tokyblu DJs (alongside Iain Gibson), says: “It’s safe to say that the first five years of Tokyoblu have absolutely flown by. During that time we’ve hosted the club in three different venues; firstly the ace wee Cocteau Lounge in Ego, then moving on to the Venue (still one of the finest clubs ever in Scotland, RIP) and finally moving back to take over the whole of Ego. The current setup sees the club decor’d to the max to give it our own individual feel, with the full live Tokyoblu set-up and DJs upstairs, and FutureB, Little Grooves, and Niall McKervey downstairs supplying the party house and disco. There’s still masses of enthusiasm and energy from everyone involved in Tokyoblu and every month seems to throw up a little something else to keep everyone fired up - last month it was the news that we won T-Break, and this month it’s playing T in the Park!” He finds the key to the success of Tokyoblu has been the ethos behind it, and the fact that it’s “run by a bunch of friends who all totally believe in what they are doing, so everyone gets on great, which always makes things much easier.” So there’s no reason to think that Tokyoblu will be retiring any time soon? “There’s definitely loads of life left in the club. If anything the whole Tokyoblu concept is still in it’s infancy: we all still believe that Tokyoblu Edinburgh is just the start. Every gig recently has had an unbelievable atmosphere so everyone is really fired up to get as many people as possible down to see the club and the band, and help us get it on the road.” The club’s music policy sways between latin and African rhythms, peppered with live percussion, house grooves, and electronic beats. Why the decision to concentrate on this style of house and rhythms - was this a conscious response to what was available on the market at the time? “Tokyoblu’s music policy has always been all-inclusive as far as house music goes,” explains John, “and fuses the best of all genres of house as long as it has the funk; so you’re as likely to hear US vocal house and disco next to funky house, Chicago beats and electro fused with latin and African rhythms, with big diva vocals and the odd guitar thrown in for good measure. Both Iain and I have huge DJing backgrounds; we actually met whilst DJing at an indie night, so we both have very varied musical tastes - which helps give the club its unusual musical identity. The same goes for the band who have all come from very different musical backgrounds, which helps give Tokyoblu’s original music a unique feel, whilst the experience of many different gigs and clubs means that they definitely still tick all the boxes to get the party started.” You may have been able to sneak a peek at some of Tokyoblu’s recent DVD of promotional material, but if not, fear not, as there are tracks in the pipeline due for release at the end of summer: “We are currently in talks with a couple of labels so hopefully it won’t be too long before the first original Tokyoblu tracks hit the shelves.” In the same pipeline is a potential expansion for the club, and they are cur-

www.skinnymag.co.uk

rently discussing taking the club night over to Glasgow, plus a UK tour and Ibiza gigs nearer the end of the season. You can catch the club at their next date on 6 July, and their fifth birthday celebrations on 3 Aug - with a slightly longer licence than most, the party will be rocking through to 4am in July, and keep your fingers crossed for a 5am finish for the birthday! TOKYOBLU, EGO, EDINBURGH, 6 JULY ROOM 1: TOKYOBLU BAND, DJS & PEPE SANTAMARIA ROOM 2: SEXY FUNKY PARTY HOUSE AND DISCO FROM FUTUREB, LITTLE GROOVES AND NIALL MCKERVEY 11PM-4AM, £7 B4 12AM AND MEMBERS/£8, 11PM – 4AM TOKYOBLU, THE 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!, EGO, EDINBURGH, 3 AUG LINE-UP AS BEFORE. 11PM–3AM, £6 B4 12AM/£10 WWW.TOKYOBLU.COM

Tokyoblu DJ 1) WRAP MY WORLD - CUBETRONIX (C-90)

This tune is Tokyoblu thru and thru. Fanatastically catchy, driving and just a bit odd with some great weird noises and effects, and a great vocal. 2) FOXY - SPEAKER JUNK (DUBSIDED)

Absolutely blinding remix of Jimi Hendrix’s Foxy Lady, a top notch party tune which works pretty much everywhere. 3) OFF DA HOOK - JESSE GARCIA (STEALTH)

A very ‘now’ record, great vocal hooks, nice squelchy electro noises and great breakdowns; very catchy indeed - this is sure to be huge this summer. 4) ROYAL ROCK - HUNTEMAN (WHITE)

Ace guitar-driven track which just builds and builds. 5) SET YOUR SOUL - TOKYOBLU (VOLUME MIX) (CDR)

Excellent volume remix of one of our own tunes, brings in a dirty-assed electro synth, which gives a great contrast to the summery hands in the air Latin feel of the original. 6) LOLLIPOP MACHINE - ROMAN SALZGER (OPAQUE MUSIC)

Full on electro funker for those prime-time moments. 7) MOVIN ON - INAYA DAY (OXYD)

Inaya Day has a great voice if harnessed properly, unfortunately some of her recent material has been very ropey indeed. This however is a full-on party startin’ monster; great vocal on a really funky electro synth led track. 8) CABARET - COBURN (FRONTIER)

Another guitar driven belter with a warm live feel by the awesome Coburn of We Interrupt This Programme fame. 9) ALL JACKED UP - NO ASSEMBLY FIRM (DOTBLEEP)

Funky slice of Chicago with some great brass: an unashamed party tune with a top notch bassline. 10) HOW Y’ALL FEELIN - JOSHUA HEATH (SALTED US)

Nice early doors slice of funky chi-town with a nice, easy going, almost live vibe.

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

DVD Beyond Videodrome

by Colin Chapman

“We don’t do electro or house, nor the more popend of indie,” says Colin, describing the Kaput! manifesto. “We play the wilder, less commercial side of rock ‘n’ roll - from the proto-disco of no-wave and the urgency of post-punk, to krautrock and the droning waves of post-rock... all the while professing love for Ivor Cutler, soundtracks and any strange outsider music recording we can get our hands on.” “Since we first planned it as a one-off at the RAFA working mens’ club, we wanted it to be stress free,” adds Duncan. “When the opportunity to host the night monthly at the Admiral came up, we wanted to keep the same feeling as when we started - to play the sort of music that we listen to. The venue might have changed but we’ll always stick to doing things our way... we prefer total darkness over disco-lighting, save the screening of weird films and red lighting by the DJ booth.” Though each brings their own individual musical passions to bear on the night’s proceedings, the trio have been able to make a real success of this, as Duncan points out: “I play more local Glasgow bands, more 90s indie rock, a few guilty pleasures. Tom plays more krautrock and rockabilly, while Colin prefers post-punk, new wave, krautrock... despite our differing tastes we find crossover points every month and the whole thing hangs together naturally.”

CLUB REVIEWS

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO

DEATH DISCO/BLITZKRIEG BOP, THE ARCHES, 8 JUNE

Death Disco are sharing the space with Blitzkreig Bop tonight, and benefit from the added vibes. One room seems more treble-heavy than the other, but beyond that, they both feel like they have merged into the same night, playing host to similar blends of electrodisco. They both embody the sound of hedonism in dayglo and a spiked belt, and they both like their party tunes rinsed out and loud. It seems like a match made in heaven, and it’s a surprise to find the Arches hasn’t opened up the whole venue for this show. When the Simians get up on stage we get a dramatic pause, and the break in music lasts for a few seconds longer than is comfortable, raising the tension perfectly. The synths begin to build, the generators get pulsing, and then they hit us with the bluest and brightest lights this side of Guantanamo Bay. They soon get the breakbeats and basslines out, and the crowd begins to shake its 80s-loving ass to the groove. The crowd goes ballistic for their new track, I Believe, and the vocal line is the only tangible one in their set: in that context it soars. There is some doubt that the men plugging and unplugging the leads in the rack are actually playing the whole set, with no pre-recording or ‘play button performance’ at all. Sure, the fact that they have time to come to the front of the stage and shake their hands in the air for a bit could just be a testament to their excellent timing. It seems unlikely, though. Still, the music is good enough that we can forgive any possible skiving and miming from the band and just get on with dancing ourselves skinny and smiling at the hot boys and girls. [James Blake] ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE IS OUT NOW. WWW.SIMIANMOBILEDISCO.CO.UK IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHERE ALL THE CLUB REVIEWS HAVE GONE, THEY’VE MOVED ONLINE! GET YOUR UP-TO-THE MINUTE REVIEWS AT WWW.SKINNYMAG.CO.UK.

46 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

Now that the almost Edwardian-titled Vertical Helical Scan (or VHS for short) has been hastily consigned to the bargain bin of history, it’s perhaps not the most polite time to point this out, but frankly it was always a bit cack. Some say Betamax was actually the superior format (Grundig’s short-lived SVR probably outstripped even Beta) but that it was struck with bad luck, not least the name. It turns out ‘beta’ actually refers to the Japanese word for the recording process, rather than the second Greek letter, which otherwise conspires to give Betamax the unfortunate translation of ‘the best in second place’.

Though he admits they often play some “pretty obscure stuff by clubbing standards,” Colin is keen to mention that their efforts don’t seem to go unappreciated. “I’m pleased at how we’ve taken a lot of risks in the last six months with our crowd, and they’ve shown that they know their music and really want to party. I can’t emphasize how great the reaction has been... their readiness to let go is killer. We’ve had people say it’s their favourite night and always come back. That’s amazing, but still I always remember that when I lived with Tom we’d stay up playing each other’s records till 4am. So in a way it makes sense what we’re doing, it’s an extension of those times... people liking it is great.”

KAPUT! RUNS MONTHLY AT THE ADMIRAL, WATERLOO STREET, GLASGOW. IF YOU FANCY KRAUTROCK PULSES, GEEKBEAT, SWAMP ROCK, FILM MUSIC, AND RECORDINGS OF PEOPLE NOW DEAD, CHECK OUT THEIR NEXT NIGHT ON 7 JUL, 11PM-3AM, £4. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/KAPUTCLUB

For all of Betamax’s contributions, it really missed a trick in over-

“WE PLAY THE WILDER, LESS COMMERCIAL SIDE OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL - FROM THE PROTO-DISCO OF NO-WAVE AND THE URGENCY OF POST-PUNK, TO KRAUTROCK AND THE DRONING WAVES OF POST-ROCK... ALL THE WHILE PROFESSING LOVE FOR IVOR CUTLER, SOUNDTRACKS AND ANY STRANGE OUTSIDER MUSIC RECORDING WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON.” - COLIN/KID TWIST

CLUB PREVIEWS ALLOY MENTAL (SKINT)

SHIFT, SOUNDHAUS, 28 JULY

This Belfast gang have just released an album called We Have Control, a blend of techno and rock that they call “a curling sneer of energetic mayhem.” The gang are Phil Kieran, electro and techno producer, vocalist Martin Corrigan and guitarist Danny Saul, and they’re going to be showing off their stuff at the Soundhaus hosted Shift club. Shift is on every two months, playing opposite months to Soundhaus classic, Chakra. Alloy Mental have played all over, from Moog to Fabric and a few other choice nightspots. They’ve played Glasgow before, at Optimo. They promise a night to suit a varied crowd, as long as they all like heavy basslines! [James Blake] 11PM-4AM, £10/£12.

THE BEATS TOUR

FEATURING THE STREETS ABC, GLASGOW, 28 JULY / LIQUID ROOM, EDINBURGH, 27 JULY Mike Skinner and Mayhem’s record label, Beats, is packing up its rhymes and aspiring artists and heading for a summer holiday to their neighbour in the north. The tour will be stopping for various Scottish dates, including Edinburgh where they play the Liquid Room on 27 July and Glasgow’s ABC on the 28th. Headlining, of course, is the Streets, Mike Skinner’s grimy quirky take on drugs, pubs and all round urban living. As one of the high chiefs of the UK urban and rap scene he has brought Roots Manuva style delivery to the mainstream, though of late he has taken a back seat and become more involved in the production of the artists on his Beats label. The Mitchell brothers will flank Skinner on the tour; a duo who take influence from rock, jazz noir, indie and rap, expect them to lay down many a catchy hook with a set mixing favourites from their debut album, A Breath Of Fresh Attire, as well as some previews from their forthcoming follow up, Dressed For The Occasion. Professor Green, Skinner’s tongue-incheek protégé and the man responsible for the remix

of The Streets track, When You Wasn’t Famous, has also joined the beats-wagon, bringing a fresh faced take on urban music and bloke next door lyrics with him. [Franck Martin] 8PM-LATE, £15.

EWAN PEARSON AND CAJUAN DEATH DISCO, THE ARCHES, 21 JULY

A summer stormer is once again coming this way as Death Disco gives the face painted massive some treats in the shape of Ewan Pearson and Cajuan alongside the usual mash up. Pearson is a hugely respected producer, remixer and DJ. Having been making his mark on the circuit ever since his first Maas EP, he has remixed the likes Freeform 5 and Slam to much acclaim. His live sets on the back of Maas saw him do further work with Goldfrapp, and he is currently working on his second album for Soma. A true show of techno and house excellence is in store for all. A more Death Disco style performance is expected at the hands of Cajuan, who plays the kind of new wave electro and synth that comes from the likes of The Glimmers. The Death Disco regulars are sure to lap up whatever surprises the veteran has in store. Also on the bill are Xinobi, Johnny Whoop and the Microsluts along with the usual residents. Death Disco is now a virtual sell out every month and this night looks set to be a perfect initiation to any Death Disco newcomers - so get yourself down there. [Sean Mcnamara]

Omar S 001, in 2001. It was picked up on by fellow producer Rick Wilhite who offered to sell it in his record store. When Alex went to collect his profits he met Theo Parrish, who praised the track and encouraged him to produce more. The highly regarded Omar S 002 and 003 releases eventually followed. Fast-forward to 2007, and each Omar S release is met with feverish excitement, usually selling out before being re-pressed. Aside from his own distinctive raw but soulful take on house, techno and now hip-hop, he’s also collaborated with Parrish and Marcellus Pitmann. Continuing to play worldwide, his sets usually give a healthy nod to the Detroit underground. Residents Harri and Domenic will be supporting. [Colin Chapman] 11PM-3AM, £8 B4 12AM/£12.

The best part of this Beverley Hills Cop boxset? No Part III. Nope, here we have the two good ones, with Detroit cop Axel Foley on the case of various hoodlums and aristocrooks assisted by L.A. Judge Reinhold and the other one (when you’re ‘the other one’ to Judge Reinhold, you’d better pray you’re a dog who witnessed a murder). Axel’s various home-spun tricks of the trade, such as destroying a security system using a chewing gum wrapper, are ridiculous, but who cares? It’s fun watching Eddie Murphy before the whole Norbit trainwreck further down the line, wisecracking away as he searches through crates, or hides in crates, or gets in a car and knocks over crates. Joking aside, Reinhold, John Ashton and Paul Reiser are decent bumbling sidekicks to the main man Murphy, and the baddies (Stephen Berkoff, Jurg e n Pro c hnow a nd B r igi t te Nielsen) are downright European. A pound? Bargain. [Alec McLeod]

CLASSOF 1999

SUBCULTURE, SUB CLUB, 7 JULY

Alex ‘Omar S’ Smith learned the keyboard at an early age, playing along to house classics Can You Feel It? and Jack Your Body, before going on to teach himself drum and synth lines. Making his DJ debut at one of Joe Claussell’s early Manhattan club nights in 1993, Alex spent the rest of the nineties producing, recording and spinning records, eventually releasing his first 12”

BEVERLEY HILLS COP I & II

GLASGOW RENFIELD STREET, £1.

OMAR S (FXHE RECORDS. DETROIT)

Omar S: signing records when he’s not spinning them

BEATS

to perfect Hi Def. But HD simply isn’t a technological leap that people are that fussed about. It seems that the Second Format Wars is a battle of two Betamaxes over technologies that both exceed and miss people’s expectations. We loved VHS, many still do despite, and maybe because of, it’s cackness.

There’s something reassuring about fixing a ripped spool of magnetic tape with Sellotape, and then watching the film wear the tear like a scar, every successive recording retaining the few frames of Gremlins that originally chewed it up. Similarly, we’ve grown to like DVD. It’s clearly inferior to the new discs on the block, but nobody appears that keen to give up on it just yet, in fact it almost seems unfair to. When Betamax was chosen as the default format for recording Videodrome (apparently its smaller size swung it, making it more easily compatible with human intestines) it mocked a gut attachment to the object of video that still vaguely persists. When Cronenberg’s last film A History Of Violence was released as VHS’s last new title, it was seen that the fight was over. Since then, Borat has become the definite last ever VHS new release.

Of course, things change. In these days of digital, everyone is a Pharoah entombing their collection of audio and video recordings in preparation for their own immortal digital transfer

In November 2004 Dixons speedily announced it was phasing out VHS players. In April 2006 Dixons was speedily phased out. People have been expecting VHS to die out for years, and it still hasn’t, so how are they going to react to the premature obsolescence of its successor? The First Format Wars had an audience ripe for the picking, grateful for whatever they received. Perhaps the Second Format Wars isn’t going to be as much of a spectator sport, but rather a war of attrition for the manufacturers to win us all over.

FILM REVIEWS

B O U G H T AT C A S H C O N V E R T E R S ,

10.30PM-3AM, £12.

developing itself when people were gasping for the product. It had been fifty years since the development of talking pictures and television, and the ability to capture what came out of the Magic Box, and decisively cinema’s Magic Lantern, was what everyone had been waiting for. Quality was a lu x u r y that hadn’t even been con sidere d by the public, and why should it? Recording TV was going to be great, but no one was thinking of keeping a ny t h i ng on tape for longer than a week.

T H E S K I N N Y

VHS seems to represent the eternal Jammy Dodger, a Homer Simpson to Betamax’s Frank Grimes, who through either charm or inescapable cosmic luck, manages to stay on top without revealing any real justifiable skill. Betamax’s picture was sharper, and had a DVD-ish picture search mode, but VHS’s bulk meant it could reach two hours before Betamax did and so won. As a final insult, it was also suggested that it was Betamax’s technological advances that ‘inspired’ the VHS team in ways to perfect their contender. It was even Betamax that had to go to court to prove home recording wasn’t copyright infringement (it didn’t help that they used pictures of Columbo and Kojak on the poster). They won though, arguing that what was going on was not illegal recording but rather ‘non-commercial time-shifting’, or the DeLorean Defense as it is now known. Like the Back To The Future car, Betamax’s un-applauded advances were to affect the future for years to come, in that the decision of 1984’s Betamax case is still refered to in defending online file-sharing.

Looking forward, the pair are keen to stick to the same format with no plans to introduce guest DJs or bands. “We’re keen to develop the night in its current form,” says Colin. “Personally speaking, I’m not a big fan of bands at club nights. It can alter the atmosphere of a night, stop the dancing and make the night a less cohesive whole. Besides, Duncan co-runs the Nuts & Seeds promoter group who put on great live bands in Glasgow.” Duncan is in agreement: “We’re not really interested in guest DJs or bands playing. Obviously if the right one came along, we’d consider it, but I think there’s a lot to be said for resisting one-off specials and just concentrating on making our night the best.”

by Victor Hueylewis Smith

NO LESS THAN TEN YEARS AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF DVD, WE’RE ALREADY BEING PRESENTED WITH THE CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION IN THE SECOND FORMAT WARS. BUT DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME?

REJECTING THE FAMILIAR SATURDAY NIGHT CLUB FORMULA FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE ESOTERIC IS KAPUT! - THE SKINNY GETS THE LOWDOWN Kaput! is an eccentric club which takes place monthly in the basement of Glasgow’s Admiral pub. Run by Colin (aka producer Kid Twist), Duncan, guitarist from Glasgow sextet Dananankroyd, and Tom of Big Wow Badges since the turn of the year, all three also help promote and DJ at the night.

FILM/DVD

BEATS GLASGOW Kaput!: THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Schools are a literal warzone, every student is a gang member and the government have to do something ex treme to control them. Bring in the ex-army

DVD

issue, cybernetic school teachers: discipline just got extreme, and the pupils begin to fight back. Borrowing heavily and shamelessly from Westworld, 1999 grabs the concept with both hands and runs with it. Its success is largely due to its self deprecating humour: it’s only too aware of how ridiculous it is. Abandoning any inclination to follow up the first in the series (Class of 1984 – Mark L. Lester, 1982) in a thematic fashion, this sequel thankfully ditches the moralistic “teacherfights-for-the-lost-youth-of-pupils” theme, a la Dangerous Minds, and instead relishes the kind of amoral B-movie nonsense that makes this a highly enjoyable beers and buddies Friday night movie. [Jack McFarlane] AVAILABLE ON EBAY.

ITEM NO. 130127151573

TITANIC

Has it really been ten years since Jack met a watery grave and Rose scramb l e d o n to a lifeboat on the ship that could not sink, RMS Titanic? In 1997, James Cameron’s epic motion picture told the story of the infamous and ill-fated maiden voyage. Title track My Heart Will Go On may have been too slushy for some, but members of the Academy didn’t think so; Titanic was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11, including Best Picture and Best Director. The CGI looks distinctly dated - in fact the iceberg looks a little like an Amstrad graphic - but the story remains a tragic part of history nevertheless. Essentially a love story that crossed social classes, the sinking of the ship unfolds through the eyes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack Dawson

and Kate Winslet’s Rose DeWitt Buckater. Jack even teaches Rose to spit. The script may be weak and the fateful romance overly sickly but it’s hard not to be swept along by the epic grandeur. You can still even purchase a replica necklace if the need takes you. [Julie Paterson] PURCHASED AT THE WELCOME BREAK

SERVICE AREA, ABINGTON 1998 £11.99. AVAILABLE TO BUY ON EBAY. ITEM NO. 270134593094

TRANSFORMERS: BEAST WARS

A good way to immunise yourself against the impendi ng nosta l gi a that precedes a Holly wood u p d a te i s to bu y a c h e a p VHS of the original to see just how bad it actually was. First created to sell toys to kids, Transformers is now set to shift General Motors cars to the same (now grown-up) audience. This video shows the last gasps of the original attempt, before the more recent manga updates, in which they first dabbled with CG animation. Beast Wars - set on a ‘mysterious’ jungle planet (spoiler: it’s Earth) - recalls that moment in Big where Tom Hanks’ 12 year-old toy executive questions the point of a robot that turns into a building, asking why it couldn’t just be a bug instead. Some point after they created robots that turn into non-functional tape decks, Hasbro must have had a similar meeting. The resulting show isn’t actually that bad, the animation is good for its day, and with titles like ‘Crossing The Rubicon’ it clearly has ideas above its station (unless it’s a cynical plug for the fruit juice of the

same name). It’s also quite odd; one robot seems to die horribly in every episode without comment. All the advertising space at the start of the tape has been reserved for bombarding young viewers with ads for the dolls, which with hindsight now act as a DVD-like special feature. Sit a brat down in front of this and you should be able to wean them off whatever junk they’re selling them these days, robots that turn into non-functional MP3 players or Space Coke or whatever. [Aldi Hucksless]

FILM RELEASES

A GUIDE TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS (2 JULY)

Recalling Scorsese’s Mean Streets, Saints is a coming of age drama told in flashback. Set in 1980s and present day Astoria, Queens, this is an autobiographical piece by writer/director Dito Montiel with a powerful message. The central theme concerns the relationship Dito (Robert Downey Jr.) has with his father, whose illness brings him back to NY. Superbly acted throughout and definitely a director to look out for.

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS/LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

BOUGHT AT OXFAM, GLASGOW VICTORIA

(9 JULY)

ROAD FOR 50P.

A WW2 double-header from the man with no name (Clint Eastwood actually). Flags is the American story, focusing on the Marines pictured raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi and how the U.S. government used them for propaganda. Letters shows the Japanese perspective and is more a character study of men faced with imminent and inevitable death. The two leads deliver powerful performances and Eastwood draws out the humanity of these soldiers in the most inhuman of scenarios.

BULLET BOYS: PIGS IN MUD

Morons plucked from obscurity to rock the world, Pigs in Mud pretty much sums up this unwitting Spinal Tap tribute by early 90s poodle rockers The Bullet Boys. From wandering around their record company’s office wondering who actually works there, to answering their fan ‘hotline’ and them being more in awe of the caller, it’s clear the boys aren’t that sharp. Soundbites of stupidity from the members abound, such as “our Lennon” Marq Torien’s impromptu riffing (at one point he definitely sings ‘Noses are easier to hug than a toe’); their drummer “Very violent, but very full of love”; and their guitarist “The thing about cats is that they’re embarrassed that they look like rats.” The songs are pitiful, starting with lyrics like ‘If you like it sleazy/I can make it easy’ and going on to prove such a mission statement with the nauseatingly titled ‘Smooth Up In Ya’. The overpowering reaction to this film is one of disgust towards the music industry of the time, and occasionally humanity as a whole, but it’s difficult not to watch simply to figure out how on earth they got away with it. [Alec McLeod] BOUGHT IN DEBRA GLASGOW UNION STREET FOR 50P.

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (23RD JULY)

Edited from 300 hours of footage beautifully shot over two years, this is a raw, hard-hitting documentary which won’t fail to move you; it follows the lives of three Iraqis (a Sunni, Kurd & Shiite) trapped in a country tearing itself apart. As in the director’s previous film, Gaza Strip, there is little in the way of commentary, allowing the Iraqis to tell their own stories, and the calm, almost poetical cinematography offsets the mindless violence to stunning effect.

IF... (23 JULY)

Lindsay Anderson’s cult classic gets a DVD release at long last. A surreal, allegorical drama, it follows Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) as he leads a violent, anarchic revolution in an autocratic English boarding school. Funny, political, sometimes bizarre, it caused plenty of controversy on release but is now rightly regarded as one of the finest British films of the 60s. Part of a “loose” trilogy of films by Anderson & McDowell, hopefully O Lucky Man and Britannia Hospital will finally be released too .

22 MARCHMONT ROAD, EDINBURGH, 0131 229 5136 93 BROUGHTON STREET, EDINBURGH, 0131 556 1866

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

A FEAST OF A

Cultural Capital

Fest

(AND OTHER FANTASTIC VENUE CLOSURES)

There’s been a good deal of publicity about the appearance of literary heavyweights Norman Mailer and Alice Munro via videolink, but even more fascinating is that they’ll be signing books via ‘the LongPen’. This is the invention of the author Margaret Atwood, who will be chairing the discussion with Alice Munro, and it’s basically a way of duplicating hand movements at the other side of a modem – the signatures are said to be so accurate as to be legally binding. It’ll be fascinating to see how well this works. It certainly What follows is, therefore, a highly personal selection shows up William ‘Neuromancer’ Gibson, who invented the term – there really is something for everybody, and please do ‘cyberspace’ but who, being present in Edinburgh, will be signing explore the programme for yourself - so I’ll put most of with his own hand. Nice to see him anyway. the big names aside for a second and begin with Robert Louis Stevenson. Obviously he’s not at the festival, but THESE DAYS THEY DON’T EVEN his legacy proved popular this year when writer Alan HAVE TO BRIBE ME TO GO Grant and artist Cam Kennedy adapted Kidnapped into a graphic novel as part of the ‘One Book - One Edinburgh’ campaign. Grant and Kennedy will be Who else to see? Well, Alan Bennett will be making a rare appearappearing on 16 August to discuss this adaptation. ance, as will Richard Ford, of The Sportswriter fame. Ian McEwan, Kennedy follows this with an artist’s Masterclass author of The Cement Garden, Atonement, and lately On Chesil Beach, on 17th and on the same day Grant will be taking will be there. But the hottest tickets could possibly be for Richard part in a discussion on the graphic novel form Dawkins, discussing The God Delusion. My favourite events are often of that sort – a great author on a favoured topic – and so Sven with Ian Rankin and Denise Mina. Lindqvist should be great on Australian history, and so should Scottish writers will also be well represented at John Pilger on human rights, Clive James on culture, Xinran Xue the event celebrating the words and music CD on China, Germaine Greer on Ann Hathaway (Shakespeare’s wife, Ballads of the Book. Alan Bissett, Rodge Glass, AL not the actress), Anthony Holden on poker, George Monbiot on the Kennedy, Ali Smith and Louis Welsh will all be environment, Deborah J Miller on fantasy writing, John Ronson on present, and have their own events scheduled modern life, and the dark horse that is Tim Harford - a man who too. Other big names are James Kelman, whose manages to make economics interesting. early work is being re-released, Alan Warner, and the ever popular Iain Banks and Christopher I’ve barely grazed the highlights, and I’ve run out of space. See you there, then? Brookmyre. Some big names attending from what I’m going to call ‘other lands’ will not be attending at all.

THE EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL RUNS FROM 11 TO 27 AUGUST. WWW.EDBOOKFEST.CO.UK

BOOK REVIEWS THE ROAD CORMAC MCCARTHY

CHRONICLE IN STONE Chronicle in Stone tells t h e s to r y o f war through a c h i l d’s eye s. Our youthful, nameless narrator details life in the stonebuilt southern Albanian city of Gjirokaster during the Second World War. He recounts a primitive country on the brink of modernization through a dreamlike and poetic narrative. The country is bombed by the British, is occupied by both the Italians and Greeks, and then eventually falls into Nazi hands. Simultaneously raindrops take on a life on their own, running down a roof to be trapped in the cistern’s “underground prison.” As the ancient, magical city changes beyond all recognition the young protagonist loses his innocence, using his imagination as a means of escape. Seduced firstly by witchcraft, then literature, airplanes and a mysterious unattainable woman, his world changes at an alarming pace. Kadare has achieved an extraordinary link between youthful daydreams and the political environment of the time. While Chronicle in Stone transcends time and offers the brutality of war through a child’s eyes, it remains particular to Albania’s history and records the tyranny experienced by the seemingly remote country as it is hauled into line with Europe. [Julie Paterson]

THE END OF MR Y SCARLETT THOMAS

The mission of young British novelist Scarlett Thomas is, apparently, to reclaim the realm of fantasy from Orcloving male virgins. She’s doing well – she’s been swamped in advance praise from the demi-Gods of fantasy literature, such as Phillip Pullman. This avowedly 21st century picaresque romp - liberally peppered with iPod and mobile phone references - certainly makes a case for a new literary genre. Its drearily dreamlike opening sees Ariel Manto, an unsupervised PhD candidate at an anonymous and literally crumbling university, come across an impossible object in an innocuous second-hand bookshop: the incredibly rare and allegedly cursed Victorian novel The End Of Mr Y. By turning its pages, Ariel becomes involved in a time-bending journey of magic potions and talking mice. This is a hugely playful novel, tripping over itself with name-dropping and then theory-dropping. It grapples with illusion and metaphysical magic, plunging into endless numerical, linguistic and sexual riddles. Whilst Thomas can seem to labour her heroine’s affectations so she’s firmly cast as ‘quirky iconoclast’, this is only a small gripe. As a whole this is an immensely enjoyable page-turning romp that will dissolve your own spare time as much as Ariel’s. A deliriously existential Choose Your Own Adventure. [Ruth Marsh]

OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY CANNONGATE.

RELEASE DATE: 28 JULY. PUBLISHED BY

COVER PRICE 7.99 PAPERBACK.

CANONGATE. COVER PRICE £12.99

OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY PICADOR

THE SKINNY CELEBRATES TWO MORE VENUE CLOSURES AND TIPS ITS HAT TO CAPITALISM! O ve r t he pa s t few ye a r s E d i nbu rg h’s dwindling disco scene has shrunk rapidly. Clubbers have seen the closure of many f ine institutions, includ ing The Venue and Honeycomb last year, along with the legendary Belle Angele being wiped out in the Cowgate fire - none of which have been replaced or rebuilt. There is now a gaping cultural hole in the city centre, though some will see this as plenty of space for luxury flats and delicatessens.

To top this off, this month The Skinny has learned of two more upcoming venue closures – Forest Cafe and Octopus Diamond. Now’s the time to grin and embrace losing these valuable cultural spaces, dedicated to supporting live music and art ventures. Any more closures and we’ll have to move the Festival to a different city! We hear Aberdeen is quite nice this time of year. Arts charity Edinburgh University Settlement is responsible for the two closures, putting both venues on the market hoping that the sale of the buildings could generate up to £3 million. Director Nicholas Flavin spoke on the issue: “These are investment properties for us, and although there is good work going on, we are not making enough money at the moment.” It seems we haven’t been paying enough entry fees. Hearing this message is a real shame, especially from an organisation supposedly dedicated to social change and regeneration of the capital. The Forest Cafe on Bristo Place is a multi-arts venue, hosting numerous events over the past three years including club nights, art exhibitions, live music, and a veggie cafe, so it’s a relief to finally see it go. The Forest may be sorely missed by all who ventured there, but we have to be realistic and think of all the people who want somewhere pleasant and bland to live and work,

ALLAN GUTHRIE

America has b e e n r e c u rrently in trouble in US literature since this centur y began, but no one has gone quite as far as Cormac McCar thy in The Road. This isn’t just a changing America, this is a superpower destroyed, a post-nuclear America “ b a r r e n, s i l e n t a n d g o d l e s s.” Through this charred wilderness journey a father and a son, hurrying south to find better weather. This is a different kind of McCarthy novel, even its name a telling contrast to the lyrical titles in the author’s back catalogue (Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses etc). McCarthy’s fascination with violence returns, but is somehow beyond his usual range, most notably the scene featuring a disembowelled infant. But what elevates this book beyond shocktactic science fiction is the palpable strength of the deftly written father-son relationship. The Road has been championed by almost everyone who has come in contact with it, enough for critics to re-evaluate McCarthy’s position in American fiction and laud him in the same breath as Roth and Updike. The Road is a slim volume to be savoured, each short paragraph deser ving and demanding more than one reading. Leave out your bookmark, let the book fall open and enjoy each starkly evocative description. Moving, hypnotic, savage and disturbing; read it and weep. [Graeme Allister]

T H E S K I N YN

by Karen Taggart & Sean Mcnamara

by Keir Hind

My first Edinburgh International Book Festival was in 1988 - it was one of the first times I’d ever been to the capital, and I was only there because I’d won a competition I barely remember entering – though I still have the copy of Treasure Island I won. These days they don’t even have to bribe me to go, since they consistently put on a vast number of hugely interesting author events - so many that it’s a task to even touch upon the highlights.

Bennett: Dressed for the Scottish summer

though this location on a main thoroughfare road might not be anyone’s first choice. The collective who currently run Forest have pledged to continue to provide free and accessible arts events to the public, perhaps within another city centre site - if there are any left.

Octopus Diamond has taken over from the old Left Bank, in Guthrie Street. It has only started to make a name for itself in recent weeks, meaning it’s a double whammy of delight to hear of its quick departure. Host to many live acts, including homegrown talent such as the Penpushers, Livesciences and Mystery Juice, most nights have been busy, with a good crowd of decent folk gathering to enjoy the atmosphere. The lack of opportunities for grassroots arts and music is now reaching a pinnacle - Edinburgh used to be a culturally diverse, vibrant place... but for how much longer? [Karen Taggart] Meanwhile, in Glasgow, the level of club closures is embarrassingly poor in comparison. As hard as the city tries to beat down the scourge of more and more new beat boutiques that litter the city’s corners, doorways, and basements, they just can’t seem to do it. Estate agents are rumoured to be planning demonstrations just like the peace rallies of the sixties. One unnamed source asked; “How are we ever going to make hugely inflated sums of cash to buy new cars if these debt-ridden twentysomething ‘hippy ravers’ don’t start realizing good times aren’t in everybody’s interests !” Looks like those pesky Glasgow clubbers might just be winning this war for a bit longer. [Sean Mcnamara]

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEOCTOPUSDIAMOND WWW.THEFOREST.ORG.UK

HARDBACK

COVER PRICE £7.99 PAPERBACK

20 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

BEATS

BOOKS

illustration: Kate Anderson, www.stormillustration.com

BOOKS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

by James Blake

GAMES Domestic Terror

by Josh Wilson

T H E S K I N YN

SOME PEOPLE SUGGEST THAT TURNING THE WAR ON TERROR INTO A BOARD GAME IS A TAD INSENSITIVE. I ALWAYS REPLY THAT STARTING A WAR IS INSENSITIVE, A BOARD GAME IS JUST FUN FOR THE FAMILY illustration: Robert Hanson, www.robertsamuelhanson.com

THE SKINNY GRABS THE COTTON WOOL BALLS AND SCREAMS ‘TURN THAT DOWN!’ AS WE GO ON THE QUEST FOR QUIETER SOUNDS AND SYSTEMS Every clubber knows that ears are pretty and the technology is improving to help them do central to clubbing. Every club knows it too; so. It’s becoming more accepted that, along with Optimo even have the slogan “we love your MP3 players, clubs are the enemy of long-term ears.” Why then do they persist in beating hearing. them to death ? And why do we let them ? Ears often take a pounding, and it’s most But while there are legal limits for people at work, likely that if you’re reading this right now, there are fewer laws to protect the audience. your ears take one regularly. Some rock concerts can go as It’s a hazard that comes with YOU CAN NOW GET high as 120db, louder than a music-centric social life, it a jackhammer. If you use a SOUNDSYSTEMS seems. jackhammer, you need to wear protection. If you stand next THAT WILL STRIP If you are in a pub, for example, to one, there are no rules. The AWAY YOUR you’re being hit with, on average, speakers in your favourite spot 91db (decibels). Unprotected ears are the same. HEARING OVER can expect to sustain permanent THE COURSE OF A It’s an unregulated area. Ear damage after about two hours at that level. Of course, if you make NIGHT WITHOUT SO protection is getting better, but the move from the pub to the club are speakers. Where a PA used MUCH AS A SIZZLE so for some awesome sounds, you to distort at dangerous levels, OR A GROWL can expect it to get louder. Often you can now get soundsystems a lot louder. It may seem like the t h at w i l l s t r i p aw ay you r difference - usually an extra 14-15 decibels - isn’t hearing over the course of a night without so all that much. The thing is, a decibel is a measure much as a sizzle or a growl. The tell-tale sounds of of intensity. An increase of ten decibels equates excessive volume just don’t exist anymore in most to a tenfold increase in intensity, resulting in well-fitted clubs. The hedonistic attitude that goes dramatically more damage. with most dance music doesn’t leave room for clubs to turn it down. The law has little to say, but At 106db, the average for clubland, you can expect they also haven’t been shy about imposing output to start sustaining permanent damage after just limiters on clubs closer to residential areas. four minutes. At 103db, you have about seven minutes. If you drop the volume to 97, the average The best option for the clubber who’d like to keep ear can deal with about half an hour of noise before enjoying music forever is protection. Some tissue tinnitus begins to set in. Tinnitus will be familiar twisted up and stuck in your ear is probably to many of you; it’s the curse of musicians and better than nothing, but one audiologist laughed music lovers alike. It’s that ringing in your ears out loud when The Skinny suggested that as you noticed the last time you went out dancing the budget option. The main thing to be aware next to speaker stacks. of when buying ear plugs is what they’re for. There are several kinds of ear protection, and It usually subsides after a few days - but that’s some have a specific purpose. There are some not it getting better. That’s you getting used to cheap ones that muff le the sound, and some the new soundscape, the one that features a that intentionally protect you from the most permanent ringing in your ears. While it can go damaging frequencies. If you don’t want to alter away, prolonged exposure to high levels of noise the music in any way, though, you need f lat will make it a permanent feature. It’s not just the response, or ‘tuned acoustics’. These are ideal likes of Pete Townshend - famously super-loud in for musicians, specifically the ER20 plugs Audio his youth - who are at risk. Barbara Streisand is a Relief recommended. Until those ear-assaulting sufferer, as is Steve Martin. techno-terrorists change their ways, we think it’s the only way to fight back. As awareness is raised, more and more musicians are realising that they are borrowing hearing YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE FROM SEVERAL SOURCES: from their future. LTJ Bukem and his label, Good Looking, are firm supporters of hearing protection. WWW.AUDIORELIEF.CO.UK M.I. Loki even works for Audio Relief, extolling WWW.RNID.ORG.UK the virtues of protection such as the ER20 - an WWW.DARROCH-HEARING.CO.UK earplug specifically designed for musicians - or it’s WWW.DONTLOSETHEMUSIC.CO.UK big brother, the custom fitted ER17. The work they WWW.TINNITUS.ORG.UK do is helping. More people are thinking about their WWW.HEARTOMORROW.COM hearing and doing something about protecting it,

YNNI KS EH T

It is science fact that computer games are evil, and if played for more than three hours inside one week, you are guaranteed to kill at least seven people over the course of your sick and invariably twisted life. So much a fact is this, that in some countries it has become governmental policy to encourage computer gaming in an effort to curb their population explosion.

Enter Ghettopoly: the inspired creation of visionary David Chang. This unlicensed, but up to date, variant on the more traditional ‘opoly’ game sees you pimpin’ hoes, building crack houses and paying protection money (all much more socially relevant). Train stations are now liquor stores and

In an bid to get the sick and twisted games players away from their ‘murder training’ (as US campaigner against all evil in computer games Jack Thompson likes to call them) we here at The Skinny feel it may be time to get back to the calmer games of our youth - and as anyone who has tried to choke a sibling with a small plastic red ‘hotel’ will know, there is nothing more relaxing than a good few hours playing board games. Any discussion of board games would not be complete without mentioning the traditional behemoths of Risk and Monopoly. However, as Risk is arguably responsible for thousands of deaths (even outside of the traditional family playing scenario) and after the initiation of WWII Risk (it’s well known that Hitler was high school Risk champion for three years) we will be dodging the former. However, if you can wait approximately five words, we’ll discuss Monopoly. So shhh. Monopoly: dogs, cars, top hats and hotels. Doctors’ fees and crossword competitions. None of this happens anymore (when was the last time you saw someone wearing a top hat?). This classic family entertainer is out of touch with the kids of today, who it seems just can’t relate.

GAME REVIEWS BIONICLE HEROES

part dissapointing. [Dave Cook]

(EIDOS)

OUT NOW FOR WII. RRP 39.99. WWW.BIONICLEHEROES.COM

Cool-looking robots fighting on a large tropical island full of collectibles and va r i e d we a p o n s should be plenty to keep young ones amused for hours. This is pure kid fodder, but how will they find it? After the relatively ‘meh’ response to the firstperson-shooter controls in Red Steel and Call of Duty 3 we’ve been wondering if the style of game actually does work with a wiimote controller at all. Bionicle is different, using an effective camera angle a la Resident Evil 4, but over-sensitivity can lead to running around in circles. Surprisingly for a game about LEGO, the graphics are some of the best on the console, with some wonder fully themed levels and stunning water effects. As for the gameplay, some clumsy combat coupled with the need to point the wiimote at the screen at all times (your child will need forearms like Mike Tyson to avoid getting very tired, very fast) makes what could have been a great hit for the most

BUS DRIVER (SCS SOFTWARE)

In Bus Driver, you get to drive a bus along a route and pick up passengers at every stop. You are just a bus driver: no racing, diversions for drug deals or running over Nazis. This has to be one of the dullest initial concepts for a game ever, until they release ‘File Clerk’. This said, the game is playable enough for a while, and disarmingly nice, e.g “help the tired factory workers get home safely.” As such it is hard to dislike. But since the double decker and the prison bus (where every crash is cheered) are the only concessions to variety here, it gets dull. The virtual town you drive around is nicely rendered, but where are all the people? Apart from your passengers there are none, which makes you some sort of virtual Charon ferrying lost souls around a dull urban Hades. Not really - that sounds too interesting. I’m afraid you’re stuck driving a bus. [Keir Hind] OUT NOW FOR DOWNLOAD ON PC. RRP 29.99. WWW.BUSDRIVERGAME.COM

The idea of using board games to increase social awareness was last year taken to a new level with the release of War on Terror: the Boardgame. it was conceptualised by the creators as they watched the allied invasion of Iraq back in 2003. Incensed by the ‘spurious evidence’ for the war and driven by their idea of the Axis of Evil spinner as the centre piece, creators Andy Thompson and Andrew Sheeran have gone on to develop a brand new board game. The box comes complete with suicide bomber cards, oil counters, secret message pads and even an evil balaclava. Players aim to gain profits for their nation via expansion of their borders and capturing of oil fields. This allows for alliances to be formed and broken as players work tirelessly for their own ends, even funding terrorists to hassle the opposition surreptitiously. Just like in the real world. Even with their excellent and rather blatant parody of world politics, the creators have run into their fair share of resistance to the game. With it being branded ‘sick and insensitive’ in lieu of the 7/7 bombings, and most major shops refusing the carry it, things have not been easy for the fledgling designers. Thompson has a stock reply to the controversy surrounding the game: “We’ve had three years of war in Iraq, suicide bombers in London and the only weapons of mass destruction I’ve spotted are being used by us. Some people suggest that turning the War on Terror into a board game is a tad insensitive. I always reply that starting a war is insensitive, a board game is just fun for the family.”

peep shows, Cha nc e i s Hustle, Community Chest becomes Ghetto Stash. Whilst not an original game concept, Ghettopoly definitely makes for a more interesting take on the game, and while it has been under a lot of fire for racism and copyright infringement, a closer look at the game - and comments made by Chang - indicate it as a playful form of social commentary.

GAMES/BOOKS

BEATS War on hearing

The Cambridge duo certainly sound as if they have an innovative strategy for opening up word politics through an unlikely medium. Expect a full-on review of the game just as soon as we get our dirty lil’ mits on a copy. WAR ON TERROR: THE BOARD GAME IS AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR £26 + P&P, OR IN ANY SHOPS WITH BALLS.

COMMAND AND CONQUER 3: TIBERIUM WARS (EA) It i s w i th g re at fanfare and no small amount of tre p i d ati o n th at EA brings us the third installment in the Command and Conquer franchise, a game that aims to get back to its roots and return many of the features that made the original so much fun. The forces of the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod continue their battle for dominance over the planet and its fields of Tiberium, the source of all power and corruption in the world. The player can side with either faction, with each level punctuated by full motion video clips to illustrate the scene and advance the plot line. The action is fast paced and entertaining, with some new features and options to keep the game interesting, while retaining enough of the soul of the series to please older fans. EA have done a great job creating intuitive controls for the Xbox and fortunately the frame rate issues that plagued their first foray into the RTS genre have now been ironed out. The full motion video too, does a great job drawing the player into the story while not being overly serious, allowing for some fairly tongue-in-cheek acting. C&C 3 is a great game that fans of real-time strategy and newcomers alike should definitely check out. [Andrew Ferris] OUT NOW ON X360 AND PC. RRP 39.99.

Bus Driver: In which a bus is driven, by you

illustration: www.leighpearson.com

44 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

BEATS

GAMES

WWW.COMMANDANDCONQUER.COM

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

CLUBBING

Highlights

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI Next month’s Edinburgh Festival has long reigned supreme atop the pantheon of international a r ts sh i nd igs. But is all well with the jewel in Scotland’s culture crown? With new rivals such as the Manchester International Festival circling, it is a strange irony that the middle-aged Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is responding to the threat with a bid for renewal while its once rebellious offspring The Fringe seems to grow staler and more commercial by the year.

by Gareth K Vile

EURIPEDES IS THE ULTIMATE ‘DEAD WHITE MALE’. BUT NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND’S FORTHCOMING PRODUCTION AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL COULD BE ABOUT TO STAGE THE MOST SPECTACULAR RESURRECTION SINCE JESUS CHRIST. DIRECTOR AND RE-ANIMATOR-IN-CHIEF JOHN TIFFANY TELLS THE SKINNY HOW IT’S DONE

The recent appointment of thirty-something Johnathan Mills as EIF Director looks set to invest what has been criticised as a stuffily highbrow affair with the kind of youthful brio usually reserved for the Fringe. On the face of it, Euripides’ The Bacchae at The King’s Theatre is the very epitome of traditional EIF fare. A classical Greek tragedy played out within the guilded confines of one of Edinburgh’s grand theatres would normally have Morningside’s twinsets twitching and pearls, well, pearling with deeply repressed anticipation. But as director John Tiffany gleefully points out in our preview of the production here, he and writer David Greig have jettisoned restrictive formal concerns in favour of an altogether more modern approach. Morningside’s ladies may be in for a surprise. Meanwhile, The Fringe continues to grow like the fairytale beanstalk with Jack cast as a dodgy promoter. This year the number of shows tops the 2,000 mark for the first time ever. The brochure is thicker than the telephone book of a good-sized provincial town. But at what price this variety? You can’t help feeling that the aesthetic implicit within this so-called consumer choice is anathema to the original spirit of the Fringe. As the Arches’ Creative Director Andy Arnold exclusively tells The Skinny this month, too little is being done to champion the truly ‘fringe’ theatre that made this festival’s name. Stand-ups recycle routines to pissed-up punters packed into beer barns at inflated prices. Greedy leviathans gobble talented independent promoters whole. The Fringe First and Herald Angel awards favour high profile productions in dress rehearsal for their forthcoming West End opening. Long live innovation, and good health to The Brick Awards. [Hugo Fluendy]

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI

TOP

EVENTS

1. NIGHT TIME TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY. TRAVERSE 3, EDINBURGH. PREVIEWS 20 - 22 JULY

A taut noir thriller set in a beguiling world of dream, danger and fantasy

2. DAMASCUS TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY. TRAVERSE 1, EDINBURGH. PREVIEWS 27 - 29 JULY

David Greig draws on his Middle Eastern experience to offer insight into our cultural differences

3. HELTER SKELTER TRAMWAY. GLASGOW 3 - 7 JULY

Grid Iron’s Ben Harrison directs an international cast of actors, dancers, circus performers and musicians in a burlesque cavalcade through the Tramway

4. ABSOLUTE ZERO: REINVENTING THE WEAL PARAGON CULTURAL ENGINEERS. GILMOREHILL G12, GLASGOW, 3 & 4 JULY

Educational work on the discoverer of absolute zero Lord Kelvin in a revue style!

5. STAY IN HOUSE/BED/FASHION. ALL MONTH.

Rest /stockpile stimulants/carb load/whateverrattles-your-cage, and build stamina for next month’s theatrical marathon

22 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

BEATS

THEATRE The Bacchae

THE D&B CURRICULUM

THE HOUSE OF TECHNO

Looking back on the first six months of the year, we have already been treated to some of the biggest acts in the 2007 scene: TC, DJ Craze, Matrix & Futurebound, Pendulum, Goldie and Shy FX to name just a few. But what about the inner workings of the scene? What makes it run and who are the rising stars - the natives looking to break through to the forefront of the global drum and bass network? In reality there are too many to cover, which can only be a good thing, but for now let’s just speak about a couple. The first has been heading up Scottish d&b production for a few years now and the second is a live act set to debut this month. Representing the west coast is DJ/Producer MORPHY. His dub flavoured basslines and d&b rhythms have been spilling out on to dancefloors for around five years and since his debut on Urban Takeover in 2002 he has had various releases on numerous labels. Morphy continues on an upward track as resident at Xplicit and is soon to unleash new tune The Stopper as part of the cover CD on Knowledge magazine as well as Samsara on Nerve Recordings. Keep your eye on this boy as the tunes continue to become bigger and better all the time. Moving on now to a live act who are sure to cop some flack with a name like this: the band COT DEATH unleash their punk/d&b crossover on Dundee’s Reading Rooms as part of Pangea’s Summer BBQ on 14 July. Two of the bands members are Pangea Residents Special Ed and Professor Fresh and we’ve been told they are set to tour Scotland with their special blend of ‘Riot Step’. While not for the faint hearted, Cot Death are assured of letting you hear something you maybe hadn’t even thought of before. Check them out at: www.myspace.com/cotdeath

As Donald Connor remarks in Singing in The Rain, “now I can stop suffering and write that symphony.” As I’ve decided to quit my job at the beginning of August to fuck around and waste money over the summer instead of debasing myself by smiling at morons for cash, I hereby promise to like happy music, to kick back and enjoy the sounds of reggae, surf and sunny electronica. I may even to listen to house of a vaguely funky variety. First, however, I wish to wring the last darkness, doom and despair out of anything that will let me.

Other dates for your diary:

OBSCENE featuring Scottishdrumandbass.com 5th Birthday bash, 7 July, Club Ego, Edinburgh SEQUENTIAL with Utah Jazz, 13 July, Studio 24, Edinburgh RED ALERT, 20 July, the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh XPLICIT with TEMPER D, 27 July, The Bongo Club, Edinburgh CODENINE, both 13 & 27 July, City Café, Edinburgh [Jonny Ogg]

HIP-HOP BY BRINGDARUCKUS

Mungos Hi-Fi

Glaswegian hip hop producer OJ LOOPZ has just completed a song featuring rap veteran and underground legend Sean Price. Price’s critically acclaimed sophomore album, Jesus Price Supastar, was released in January of this year. Thanks to a competition run by Odeisel of hip-hop website www.allhiphop.com, OJ LOOPZ won the chance for a song he’d produced for Magnum Dollar$ - the up and coming D.C metro area emcee - to have a verse from Sean P added. The song, Unbreakable, is now completed, and set to be on many mixtapes from NYC to Florida, as well as various internet radio shows and digital download sites. OJ LOOPZ has recently come to prominence on the Scottish hip-hop scene thanks to his track Pyrophonics on the Temple of Breaks.

GLASGOW STONES THROW 10TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY, Sub Club (8pm-late, £12,

I’ve been re-listening to Glasgow artist DAVID SHRIGLEY’s (13 July) deliciously wrong spoken word CD full of murdered priests and people buried alive. To see what kind of music he likes, he and KONX-OM-PAX invite you to come along “to see music and hear films” at the CCA bar (13 July). An artist with a darkly satirical view of the world, it’ll be interesting to see if Shrigley’s taste for Merzbow and Wolf Eyes is reflected in his DJ set. Konx-om-Pax also plays at Noise Pollution’s show with Monolake (20 July, details tbc). Monolake, aka sound artist Robert Henke, started out on Chain Reaction with dubbed-out techno soundscapes, but his style’s gradually evolved to a deeply melodic, breakbeat-influenced form of industrial techno, performed using his custom-made midi controller, the Monodeck. Who says dark can’t be fun?

4 Jul): the party comes to Glasgow’s Sub Club with Peanut Butter Wolf, J-Rocc, Percee P, Aloe Blacc, Guilty Simpson and the mighty Hudson Mo. Carharrt Clothing will also be giving out prizes at the show. DAMAGED GOODZ, Barfly (7pm, £6, 8 Jul): Barfly hosts a major Scottish hip-hop night featuring Damaged Goodz, Respek-BA, Loki, Marrik Layden Deft, Big Div, Bigg Taj, Bluhnt, R-S-T, No Face and Steg G. Wow!

EDINBURGH

Respek-BA & Bigg Taj, GETTOBLAST!, Bongo Club (11pm-3am, £6/£7, 5 Jul): Gettoblast! celebrates its launch with the very best in turntablism, freestyle rapping and beatboxing to come out of Scotland making for a hip-hop party not to be missed!

DUNDEE PLASTIC SOUL, Reading Rooms (11pm-1am, £3/£5, 7 Jul): The ever busy

If you want both darkness and festivals, then seeing as the black-clad Download’s already passed, check the Electric Eliminators DUBCAMP festival out near Dumfries for some late night noise with Gravious, Jack Sparrow, and a few locals like Sleepless crew and MUNGO’S HI-FI (£26, 4 Aug). [Liam Arnold]

Boom Monk Ben rips up the Reading Rooms with his now infamous skills. Pangea Garden Party, Reading Rooms (Doors 4pm, £8, 14 Jul): Music and art in the Garden, live bands, beatboxers, spoken word, free BBQ, raffles to win artwork, merch stall, plus much more! All your fav residents plus a medley of guests from the local Dundee scene and more! [Chris Torres]

WWW.MYSPACE/DUBCAMPFESTIVAL

WWW.BRINGDARUCKUS.COM

SUGARBEAT: GARDEN KUTS by: Alex Burden The worship of Dionysus, god of wine and drama, has been forbidden by Pentheus, king of Thebes. Having made converts across Asia, the god confronts the king. The inexperienced Pentheus refuses to compromise and is sent insane. His head is torn off by his mother, and Dionysus punishes the royal family for their intransigence. Perhaps the most famous play by the last of the three great Athenian playwrights, The Bacchae has retained its power to shock for over two thousand years. Euripides’ uncompromising pessimism and confrontational intelligence moulded a parochial myth into a masterpiece of theatrical intensity, grappling with a series of timeless conflicts: religious freedom against political order, rationalism and sensuality, masculine commonsense and feminine emotionalism. Despite the obvious gulf in reference between Fifth Century Greece and modern Scotland, its resonant themes make it a fascinating choice for the National Theatre of Scotland’s (NTS) contribution to the Edinburgh Festival. And a high profile one too: the creative team reads like a who’s who of contemporary Scottish theatre. The production is written by Suspect Culture’s David Greig, stars homegrown Hollywood big hitter Alan Cumming - whose Dionysus marks his return to a Scottish stage after a 16 year hiatus - and is directed by auteur du jour John Tiffany. After his success with Blackwatch last year, Tiffany sees this as a more personal project. “It has been an ambition of mine for about fifteen years, since I studied Classics at Glasgow University, to stage The Bacchae. I’ve seen productions of it, but I’ve never felt its true energy. I was initially attracted to the celebration of hedonism, although it becomes a morning after when the hedonism goes too far.” Tiffany is also drawn to Euripides’ precise characterisation. “Pentheus as a leader claims to be all-embracing and almost socialist. He is actually terrified of allowing the other into the state, but he is desperate to experience what that other actually is. Dionysus is more than a symbol: he’s

a character with a journey. He’s vengeful and he goes too far - and I think that he’s aware that he has gone too far. Not to give it modern psychological realism, but I am interested in a god who says, ‘was that a bit much?’” This tension gives Euripides a more modern feel the rapidly changing sympathies, the ethical confusion and subsequent mayhem all combine to create a perversely post-modern moral topography. Unlike Aeschylus, who defined the Classical dramatic form, Euripides manages to keep the pace while questioning the audience’s assumptions. “Aeschylus is dull as fuck, though. Too austere and very flowery,” asserts Tiffany somewhat confusingly. “He puts it all down to fate - it doesn’t touch on things that are relevant for a modern audience, like women or foreigners being ostracised.”

“I AM INTERESTED IN A GOD WHO SAYS, ‘WAS THAT A BIT MUCH?’” should avert the bigger pitfalls of the form. “There won’t be a mask anywhere near the rehearsal. The choruses are supposed to be sung, so my idea is to turn the choruses into big gospel numbers, using a 10 strong chorus of black actresses. Something that is usually so boring, I’m turning it into a big pop concert. Every good show should have a couple of songs in it. I am determined that we are going to make them really seductive for the audience.” This approach fits with an established aesthetic of the NTS - Wolves in the Walls was pop-opera for children, Disassocia made use of cacophonous interludes and Futurology was a f lat-out revue. Fortunately, it doesn’t violate the ethos of Euripides, who was notorious for adapting the songs of the Athenian pub for choral odes. As for the slight problem that the major action happens off stage, Tiffany is confident that the messenger speech, as re-written by Greig, is sufficiently beautiful to hold the audience’s attention.

Featuring cross-dressing, frenzied packs of ecstatic women and a murder that is half political assassination and half religious ritual, The Bacchae has an argumentative cynicism closer to the cinema of Ken Loach than Aeschylus’s majestic piety. It has much in common with NTS productions like Aalst or Blackwatch, which consider political and social contexts while refusing to give simple answers. There is also the matter of the staging: a Greek tragedy was as much about singing and dancing as the text. According to Tiffany, this fits well with a specific Scottish tradition. The Bacchae will be a test of NTS’ resolve. If they can update Euripides without compromising the “We don’t live in a culture that has that overpow- gap between his values and our own, and capture ering and dense canon of plays that we have to its terse moral discomfort whilst entertaining base our repertoire on. Many of our great writers, at the same time, they will set themselves up as like John Byrne, went to art school. There is a a major international force. Blackwatch demonvery Scottish way of using music and movement strated that they have a firm grasp of the local and a visual, visceral language: humour and poli- context; The Bacchae is an ambitious attempt to tics. There’s a real generosity in communicating take on history itself. with the audience.” Yet there are problems with ancient plays. As Tiffany points out, the classical conventions of mask and chorus act as barriers and risk turning the plays into moribund revivals. Tiffany acknowledges the dangers, but his instinctive irreverence

The SugarBeat club night is well known to punters as the nocturnal home of the Utah Saints, and has been for over two years. The Saints need little introduction (and if you need one, at least start with the legendary dance track What Can You Do For Me!), and their sets have been honed from years of remixes, re-edits, and general mish-mashery with genres, tracks, and original compositions. They can’t be contained in their usual venues any longer. In association with Cabaret Voltaire, The Rat Race Urban Adventure 2007, and ECCF, Sugarbeat is going open air (kind of), for a one-off event in the Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh. A special indoor ‘structure’ is being built for the show, allowing 1400 people to groove to the likes of Krafty Kuts, Eddy Temple Morris and Dan Greenpeace (XFM), DJ A Skillz, Smokey and The Bandit, B-Sides, and of course the residents and hosts, the Utah Saints. Krafty Kuts is synonymous with breaks music, and has notched up the awards like lovers on a bed post. The years 2004, 2005 and 2006 saw him win Best DJ at the International Breaks Poll Awards, and Best Breaks DJ at the M8 awards. Owning his own record shop also means Krafty Kuts, aka Martin Reeves, had access to music of all styles, but it was funk, breakbeat and hip-hop which really drew his attention. Utilising his DJ skills, he put together several successes, including Latin Bounce, Gimme The Funk, Funky Elements, and the Finger Lickin’ Funk EP. Krafty will be playing on the same bill as DJ A Skillz, a musician that he has closely worked with to write the Finger Lickin’ Funk album. The young A Skillz continues the breaks theme with scratched and cut funk and hip-hop interspersions, a style that has

Eddy Temple Morris, tagged ‘Mr Remix’, is responsible for The Remix show on Fridays on XFM, splicing rock with drum and bass, house with techno, and just about anything with anything else! When he’s not DJing live on air, he’s resident at Ibiza’s Manumission, and the Remix Night at Cargo in London. Also appearing for XFM is Dan Greenpeace, bringing in more urban flavour on behalf of his All City Hip-Hop Show, which needs no help encouraging big names and new talents to the airwaves. But throwing you six artists isn’t enough, say SugarBeat: oh no, they also have Smokey and The Bandit, and BSides for more hands on the deck(s). SUGARBEAT GARDENS,

THE

PRINCES

GARDENS, EDINBURGH, 13 JUL, 9PM-2AM, £10. TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM THE USUAL OUTLETS.

Krafty Kuts

THE SKINNY FESTIVAL CALENDAR THE BALL IS ROLLING ON WHAT IS SHAPING UP TO BE SCOTLAND’S BUSIEST MUSIC FESTIVAL SEASON OF ALL TIME. FROM THE AVANT-GARDE CROWD TO THE 80S POP NOSTALGISTS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, IT SEEMS EVERYBODY’S REPRESENTED AND THE SKINNY WILL LITERALLY BE SCOURING THE GLOBE FOR THE BEST OF THEM THIS SUMMER. FOR NOW THOUGH, LET’S KEEP IT LOCAL; BEHOLD OUR HOMELAND FESTIVAL CALENDAR FOR 2007…

JULY

Jamie T @ T in the Park

Balado, Fife Friday 6 – Sunday 8 July Featuring: Calvin Harris, Booka Shade, Felix Da Housecat

LIVE AT LOCH LOMOND

WICKERMAN

Kircudbright, Galloway Friday 20 – Sunday 22 July Featuring: G Mac, Beleive WWW.THEWICKERMANFESTIVAL.CO.UK

Victoria Park, Glasgow Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 July Featuring: Prins Thomas, Optimo, Adult, The Pressed, Explosions In The Sky

THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW 28/08/2007 - 01/09/2007 WWW.NATIONALTHEATRESCOTLAND.COM

WWW.INDIANSUMMERGLASGOW.COM

THEATRE

Willy Mason @ The Outsider

Loch Lomond Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 August Featuring: Supergrass, Thirteen Senses, Complete Stone Roses WWW.LIVEATLOCHLOMOND.COM

www.skinnymag.co.uk

Inveraray Castle, Loch Fyne, Argyll Friday 31 August – Sunday 2 September Featuring: Björk, Beastie Boys, The Black Dog, Nouvelle Vague ,Alex Smoke WWW.CONNECTMUSICFESTIVAL.COM

BELLADRUM TARTAN HEART FESTIVAL THE DUNSTAFFNAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL Oban Saturday 28th - Sunday 29 July Alex Smoke, Pop Up, The Needles, O B E WWW.DUNSTAFFNAGEMUSICFESTIVAL.CO.UK

Björk @ Connect

SEPTEMBER CONNECT

T IN THE PARK

INDIAN SUMMER

11/08/2007 - 18/08/2007

Prins Thomas @ Isle of Skye

AUGUST

WWW.TINTHEPARK.COM EIF AT THE KINGS THEATRE, EDINBURGH

earned him sets at Chew The Fat, FabricLive, Spectrum, The Boutique, and of course, SugarBeat.

Belladrum, Inverness-shire Friday 10 – Saturday 11 August Featuring: James, Aereogramme, The Magic Numbers

KNOCKENGORROCH - THE HAIRTH Dalmellington, Ayrshire Tuesday 14 - Thursday 16 September WWW.KNOCKENGORROCH.ORG.UK

RETROFEST Culzean Castle, Ayrshire Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 September Featuring: ABC, Bananarama, Jimmy Somerville WWW.RETROFEST.CO.UK

WWW.TARTANHEARTFESTIVAL.CO.UK

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

THEATRE

BEATS

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI Turn that music dow n ; I don’t wa nt those clubbers hanging around the street; that just sounds like noise ! All these and more are oppositional sentences that you are likely to hear within these next ten pages for this special issue. We’ve turned down the bass, waved goodbye to nuisance venues, and even adopted Polish tongue for this issue, squeezing in some ‘normality’ in the form of interviews with Neil Landstrumm, Kaput!, Sweet E, Alex Smoke, Tokyoblu, and the usual barrage of extra content available online. We’re also on the lookout for more of you to get involved with writing for the Beats section in The Skinny – be read by thousands! Interview your favourite artist! Get to hundreds of gigs! We are interested in hearing from people who regularly go clubbing and know their stuff, from the Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee areas. Send in a 150 word review of the last gig you went to/the last release you bought to: alexb @ skinnymag.co.uk, with the subject title Join The Skinny, and include your name, your review, and answers to the three following questions. What is your favourite thing about The Skinny? / What is your least favourite thing about The Skinny? / If you could change one thing about The Skinny, what would it be?

NEIL LANDSTRUMM :

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI NEIL LANDSTRUMM

FEATURE

CLUBBING HIGHLIGHTS

PREVIEW

FESTIVAL CALENDAR

PREVIEW

WAR ON HEARING

FEATURE

CULTURAL CAPITAL

FEATURE

KAPUT & GLASGOW CLUBS

FEATURE & PREVIEWS

TOKYOBLU

FEATURE & DJ CHART

SWEET E

FEATURE

EDINBURGH CLUBS

PREVIEWS

ALEX SMOKE

FEATURE

ALBUMS & SINGLES

REVIEWS

TOP

ALBUMS

1. NEIL LANDSTRUMM – RESTAURANT OF THE ASSASSINS (PLANET MU) Landstrumm’s always applied elements of dancehall to his work, but Restaurant of the Assassins sees him dipping into the Hackney zeitgeist and blending the spliffed-out bent of dubstep with the amphetamine grind of bleep techno. OUT NOW

2.MANASYT - TALES OF IGNORANCE

(MNX)

MANASYt is cooking up the heavy electronic high for us this time, utilising some of the skills showcased at the Soundhaus for his recent PA set. OUT NOW ON A LIMITED PRESSING

3. DEEPCHORD PRESENTS ECHOSPACE – THE COLDEST SEASON VOLS. 1-3 (MODERN LOVE) Based in analogue organ sounds and reeking of ganja, the low-swung two-step bass of Empyrean is brilliantly catchy and proves Echospace are more than mere pretenders. RELEASE DATE: JULY 07

4. JUSTICE - JUSTICE (ED BANGER RECORDS) The good news is that the album has more hits than misses, and shows that Justice are set to be one of the electro survivors when the dust settles. OUT NOW

5. RADIO SLAVE - MISCH MASCH IV (FINE) Re-works of Caged Baby, X-Press 2, Pet Shop Boys and others highlight the Radio Slave ‘less is more’ approach to remixing. RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY

42 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

by Liam Arnold

THE SKINNY ELECTRONICALLY CHATS WITH NEIL LANDSTRUMM ABOUT HIS RETURN TO EDINBURGH, AND WHY RESTAURANT OF ASSASSINS IS NOT A MERE CONTINUATION OF KEY POPULAR SOUNDS

That’s all for now and enjoy your summer whether you’re spending it in muddy festival tents, on a beach with chillout grooves, or surfacing nightly for a balanced diet of homegrown beats! Alex.

BEATS CONTENTS

raving bull

Darwin probably wouldn’t have enjoyed Restaurant of the Assassins much, not least because his seminal Origin of the Species was written while holed-up in a library, and considering the lack of basin-sized earphones in the late 19th Century, he probably wouldn’t have appreciated the kiloton sub-bass and minimal bleeps. Whilst Charlie D might not have dug raving kick drums and Ragga Twins vocals, he would doubtlessly have felt some affinity with Neil Landstrumm and the ‘missing link’ quality of this album. Darwin infamously searched for the creature that would prove an evolutionary step between primates and Homo sapiens, and Restaurant of the Assassins neatly bridges the gap between the current predilection for two-step inspired bass-heavy shenanigans and the classic wonky techno sound that Landstrumm pioneered.

poor parody of a bucky swigging thug - that drew him back. It’s not ju s t p at r iot i s m at work t houg h. Landstrumm repeatedly makes references to the UK’s music scene, citing an early introduction to the Madchester scene as one of the pivotal moments in his musical upbringing, which might go some way toward explaining his deep love of raves. He namechecks Scottish acts like Rustie and the rest of the Stuff / Dalriada / Rub-a-Dub crowd, adamant that “Scotland is one of the best countries to play because of the crowds, clubs, and vibe. Fact.” Admittedly you’d need to have your ears nailed shut, or some unjustifiably intense aversion to great tunes to dislike Rustie’s new EP, Jagz the Smack (Stuff Records).

constants about Landstrumm; everything from his musical taste to his role changes constantly, and with an insatiable enthusiasm, he flits between ranting about how happy he is in the Planet Mu family, to telling us that he’s “always keen to get into new circles with the graphics and music, film, games, radio... different types of gigs.” Despite an urge to expand his talents that verges on pretension, there’s also a party mentality that never drops, and though the album title sounds like an episode of (achingly cool, ultraviolent anime) Samurai Champloo, the real meaning is much more appropriate. “It was a meeting place in 18th Century Paris where wrong-un’s, Bohemians and ne’er-do-wells gathered to experiment with new chemicals and generally have a good time. Sounds a bit like decent raves really.”

The patriotism’s sweet, and it’s one of the few

RESTAURANT OF ASSASSINS IS OUT NOW ON PLANET MU.

With Darwin unavailable for comment, Landstrumm suggests that “bass and sub-sonics in the UK created dancehall and rave beats. It was a Northern thing with bleep and early rave before drum and bass took over mid 90s with post hardcore and jungle dissolving.” With Monolake and Surgeon giving Vex’d a bowel-worrying industrial reshape and Kode 9 remixing alongside Detroit godhead Carl Craig, Restaurant of the Assassins seems like another facet of the techno/dubstep crossover that everyone’s banging on about. Landstrumm believes in evolution rather than bandwagon jumping though, and proudly declares: “I’ve always been into heavy bass.” If you doubt it, dig out a copy of his Bedrooms and Cities (Tresor) to feel some heavy subs.

The Brick Award by Michael Witham

“WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TAKE A RISK… WE WANT TO PROVIDE ‘THE RIGHT TO FAIL’.” ANDY ARNOLD, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THE ARCHES. The Arches have long been among Scotland’s most abundant and successful supporters of excit i ng new t heat re, a nd w it h t he growing commercialisation of the Edinburgh Fringe - an increasing concern among the theatre industry - it is reassuring to hear that Arches creative director Andy Arnold is launching a new initiative to support the most challenging and experimental theatre at the Fringe.

W h a t ’s m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g a b o u t Landstrumm is how he’s changed and evolved over his ca reer; from ma king Berlinophile brokenbeat techno in Edinburgh, to operating in the 90s UK rave scene, to heading record label cum motion graphics company Scandinavia, Landstrumm has adjusted and adapted to different scenes with chameleon-like ease. “I’ve always been into absorbing what I like from other contempora r y movements a nd i ncorporati ng them into my own music. Hybridise it along the way.” By accident or design, Landstrumm’s current hybridisation happens to fit neatly into an increasingly lucrative scene, as evinced by its release on Mike Parandinas’ Planet Mu, home to Boxcutter, Warrior Dubz, and Milanese. But, he says, “the danger in this business is that you get pigeonholed into a genre,” which makes experimentation dangerously alienating - “people want a repeat shag from a record they liked but as far as you’re concerned it’s done, over.” H i s bigge s t r ele a s e s have b e en on German labels, and until his recent relocation back to Edinburgh he operated from out of New York. However, La ndst r um m’s a Scot at hea r t, a nd claims it was the “Scottish humour mainly...” that brought him back to Edinburgh. “I also missed those long, grey, despondent days.” Being humourless might just be the stereotype of German musicians, but Landstrumm’s clearly attached to his home turf. We figure it’s the irascible wit of the Scots - whose greatest comic exports are a purple-bearded, nudist biker and a pish-

“It’s so important to try and redress the balance between the artistic and the commercial aspects of the Fringe… and this is just one small way we’re doing it with The Brick Award – hopefully others will follow suit,” says Arnold. He has always been a staunch sponsor of bold and innovative theatre and this latest intervention, The Brick Award, is designed to do just that. The award offers £1000 to an emerging performance company or artist from the Fringe to re-stage their piece at the Arches. Eligible companies will have produced no more than three shows and will have what Arnold describes as an “experimental, risktaking and bold approach to the exploration of new theatrical languages.” Arnold’s ambition for the award is simple. “It will hopefully encourage more companies doing experimental risk taking work to come to the Fringe.” Under growing commercial pressure he worries that companies are disinclined to bring really edgy or challenging productions to the Fringe because it’s so expensive. “It is quite a daunting thing to do and a lot of companies won’t do it,” explains Arnold. “They do work which is more tried and tested because it’s not so much of a financial risk. Hopefully this award will encourage a few more companies to have a go.” He’s keen to show that there is still a market for really interesting and unusual new theatre and that companies should not shy away from taking chances. With this in mind he is adamant that the award will go to “a show that isn’t necessarily

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTO HEAVY BASS.” BEATS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

financially viable… but is artistically pushing the envelope. We want to encourage people to take a risk… we want to provide ‘the right to fail’.” It’s true that there are already awards which credit great new writing at the Fringe, but Arnold sees The Brick Award as something quite different. “Fringe Firsts and other awards are for the excellence of the piece whereas we are rewarding the potential of the company,” he says. Of course, crucially, The Brick Award provides more than just the kudos; it gives the winner a real opportunity to take their work to a new city, a new audience, a new set of critics and to develop as a company in every way. Also vital is that the winner doesn’t get to bring their show to just any city – Arnold considers Glasgow to be “...from a theatre point of view, the most exciting city outside London” and somewhere where fledgling companies are really given a huge range of opportunities. He suggests that, with the Fringe excluded, Glasgow has the upper hand over Edinburgh for new artistic talent because “there’s more of a network of young artists working in Glasgow and more of a support structure for people to develop their work.” Although he admits, “of course I’m biased…” Even more exciting for the winning company is that with any luck they can look forward to more than just a one-off run at The Arches. Arnold hopes the award will help develop long term links. “It’s part of the purpose of these things – to develop new relationships. We have relationships w ith compa nies that have been goi ng for several years now – long may that continue.” A key outcome of the awards is “fostering those relationships with actors, with directors and with theatre companies who all keep coming back here and trying different stuff out.” The Arches have been at the forefront of this kind of philanthropic artist initiative in Scotland for many years, and with this new award they are really proving how deserved their reputation for fostering young theatrical talent is. As the theatre industry becomes increasingly inaccessible to new companies and bringing work to the Fringe continues to be a potentially ruinous venture for less established artists, we can breathe a (small) sigh of relief in the knowledge that idealists like The Arches work tirelessly to champion the creativity and experimentation that made The Fringe great in the first place.

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

THEATRE I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU Two people are chained in a cave. They watch reflections flicker on the walls, mistaking them for reality. One person escapes from the cave, to experience daylight and truth. Returning to the cave, they attempt to explain what they have seen. Taking Plato’s metaphysics as a starting point is a brave intellectual move, but Zero Visibility Corp (ZVC) never manage to convert this initial conceit into a coherent whole. It is never quite clear which of the four dancers represent the two cave dwellers; apart from the occasional bout of staring directly at the audience, none of them are able to reach out and escape the austere white set. The dances are beguiling, yet distant: it is difficult to relate the vigorous set-pieces to Plato’s text. Their use of harsh electronic music, a bare stage and non-descript costumes makes this production particularly opaque, while the interludes of flickering lights and backlit projections are visually arresting but obscure.

SMASHING PUMPKINS

TARANTULA (WARNER)

As pe r fe ct a comeback single as we could wish for, Tarantula’s driving guitars, spine-chilling solos and irresistibly melodic chorus confirm that Corgan’s decision to resurrect the Pumpkins moniker was absolutely justified. His not so subtle attempts to write D’arcy and James out of the band’s history may be in bad taste, but it’s hard to care when the music he’s making without them is this good. It may not be a classic Pumpkins single, but the band’s crushing live rendition suggests it will come to hold a special place in their canon. Doubters take note: the Pumpkins are back and they’re ready to smash everyone all over again. [Jay Shukla] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY. SMASHING PUMPKINS PLAY CARLING ACADEMY, GLASGOW ON 22 AUG.

42ND STREET Tap dancers on a staircase of lights, hissy fits, meaningless flirting and a theme song called the Lullaby of Broadway: that’s right, 42nd Street is a musical about a musical. But don’t go expecting any clever narrative tricks, it actually is just that: a musical about the ‘difficulties’ of putting on a show. I hesitate to say difficulties, because although there are a few plot twists, anything that might be considered a problem is resolved so instantly that the tone is one of constant jollity and

optimism (existential angst was never really on the cards for a show like this, but tireless energy can be a bit tiring for the viewer). The performances, including West End veteran Dave Willets as Director Julian Marsh, are strong throughout, and the atmosphere appropriately energised. Most importantly, the songs are excellent. The highlight is the subversive Keep Young and Beautiful (“if you want

to be loved”). It’s evidently meant ironically, but the fact that the audience are almost certainly enjoying the performance particularly FOR the youth and beauty of the performers makes for a nicely unnerving complicity in the song’s anti-statement. This was the most artful moment in what was, all round, an accomplished and fun revival. [RJ Thomson] PLAYHOUSE, EDINBURGH, 29 MAY – 9 JUNE.

CODE BUTTERFLY

THE MAHABHARATA

Site specific performance has almost become a shorthand for edgy, experimental and challenging theatre. Its appeal is rooted in seeing something unique which cannot be recreated in another space, taking its life from the space and atmosphere of the venue, the site becoming a character in its own right.

More than 20 years after the revered Peter Brook production, director Stuart Wood bravely takes on the task of recreating epic ancient Indian poem, The Mahabharata, for the stage. However, condensing the mammoth tale of a family feud resulting in an apocalyptic war, written in more than 10 thousand stanzas, into a two hours and 40 minutes production and still retaining the sense of this sprawling narrative, was always going to be a tall order. This trick is attempted by focusing on Natasha Jayetileke’s Princess Draupadi whose powerful performance outshines her co-stars but fails to carry the entire production.

Code Butterfly by Curious Seed takes this concept a step further. The first dance show to be staged at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Edinburgh’s Dalmeny Street, and the first dance production ever staged as part of the ascendant Leith Festival, Code Butterfly is not only site specific, but also specific to its community. A collaboration between four professional dancers and local girls from Leith and Granton, this piece explored the experience of being a young woman emerging from the cocoon of girlhood. The audience are guided through the maze-like nooks and crannies and breathtaking open spaces of this historic building, and in each separate space are challenged, confronted and mesmerised by the committed company of dancers, who appear from the most unexpected of places and are gone just as quickly, leaving behind them only echoes and shadows of childhood experience. On paper it would be possible to dismiss this show as a worthy community project. But this would do the dancers, both professional and volunteer, a grave disservice. They dance in tiny enclosed spaces, just inches from their audience, they have the confidence to come into contact with those watching them and this is something with which many seasoned performers would struggle. The delight of Code Butterfly is in seeing such focus and sheer enjoyment from the whole company. They clearly revel in the spaces in which they dance. The building supports them, they support each other and the audience is left truly moved. [Philippa Cochrane]

The real pleasure is in the dancing itself. Combining movements from classical ballet and martial arts which are never reduced to pastiches or quotations - ZVC have a distinctive style. The dancers remain graceful, even when they expressed brutal passions or exhausted themselves across each other or the gym horse that served as the solitary prop. The failure to properly address the dense layers of meaning inherent in Plato is, paradoxically, a refreshing change from the didactic intensity of much modern theatre. It is rare to be able to admire the finesse of performance and the complexity of choreography without linking it to the company’s purpose. Despite their intellectual pretensions, ZVC operate best as a celebration of pure dance. [Gareth K Vile] BY ZERO VISIBILITY CORP, TRAMWAY, 9 JUNE

WWW.SMASHINGPUMPKINS.COM

BEIRUT

ELEPHANT GUN

(4AD)

Zach Condon may hail from Albuquerque, New Mex ico, but by the sounds of his music, his heart lies somewhere in the Balkans. His latest offering shows off a plaintive vocal not dissimilar to a slightly toned-down Antony Hegarty, while behind him an enchanting mixture of mandolin, accordion, brass and

drums swirl and sway in a slightly drunken but sophisticated manner. A cover of Jacques Brel’s Le Moribund adds some extra bohochic to proceedings. If the Arcade Fire were from Prague, they might just sound a little something like young Zach here. [Barry Jackson] RELEASE DATE: 25 JUNE. WWW.BEIRUTBAND.COM

DAMN SHAMES DANCING IN THE AISLES (GOLDEN EAGLE)

Who needs a drummer these days anyway? Edinburgh noiseniks Damn Shames certainly don’t. An iPod provides them with all the rhythm they need to crash their jerky guitar riffs against. With debut single Dancing in the Aisles they’ve made an excellent first jump to record, running on the energy levels that only youth can produce – a freshness untainted by the 20-something years of lager and ageing cynicism. Yet their sound is rooted in the postpunk of a quarter-century ago. They cite Scars as an influence, but their live wire, trebly racket is more akin to Gang of Four. It would be a damn shame if these lads don’t reach a wider audience. [Nick Mitchell] OUT NOW. AVAILABLE IN EDINBURGH FROM FOPP, AVALANCHE AND ELVIS SHAKESPEARE. DAMN SHAMES PLAY THE ARCHES, GLASGOW ON 13 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/DAMNSHAMES

GARBAGE

TELL ME WHERE IT HURTS (WARNER BROS)

Along with Kula Shaker, Garbage albums seem to be the indie-staple of charity shops, suggesting that for many, Butch Vig and co. were merely a brief, forgettable phase in their musical lives. It’s difficult to imagine where they fit in today’s musical climate, but swapping the over-produced guitar grunge for cinematic strings only seems to muddy things. This really is quite a dull, unremarkable song and no amount of production can hide the fact. When singer Shirley Manson asks us to tell her where it hurts, the obvious response has to be; “It’s my ears love. Make it stop.” [Darren Carle] RELEASE DATE: 9 JULY. ABSOLUTE GARBAGE IS OUT ON 16 JULY. WWW.GARBAGE.COM

COLD WAR KIDS HANG ME UP TO DRY

(V2)

A woozy bass riff drifting in from a back room bar, oldwestern piano fills and lyrics about the weekly laundry run as an analogy for a love gone sour. Sound familiar? Hang Me Up To Dry deservedly gets a second, proper release ahead of the ‘Kids frankly criminal decision to play every single major UK festival this summer. Still, with surging,

blues-rock of this calibre, backed by kinetic live performances, perhaps the festival homogenisation debate should take a back seat in favour of getting down and dirty, in a field of your choice, to these Californian Reagan babies. [Darren Carle] RELEASE DATE: 4 JULY. COLD WAR KIDS PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 7 JULY. WWW.COLDWARKIDS.COM.

THE CORAL

WHO’S GONNA FIND ME (DELTASONIC)

Few bands can claim to have enjoyed as much succ e s s b e fo r e their mid-20s as The Coral. With three and a half hit albums in the can, the Mersey progenitors of so-called Cosmic Scouse took a much needed sabbatical after 2005’s Invisible Invasion. This comeback single is a reminder of the pure retro musicality that won over so many fans. Over a standard-issue 60s drumbeat, psychedelic guitars swirl and screech whilst lavish vocal harmonies recall – oddly enough – 70s super-groups like The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. With touchstones like these, ‘cutting-edge’ is not a label you’d pin on The Coral. But it is near-immaculate guitar pop. [Nick Mitchell] RELEASE DATE: 30 JULY. THE CORAL PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 6 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/THECORAL

DEADBEATS HOTEL

(FRUIT N VEG)

Comparing themselves to s u c h e s tablished acts as the Beach Boys and the Kinks, the Manchester based Deadbeats have set themselves a formidable precedent. They have garnered critical acclaim from touring with such names as the Kaiser Chiefs, the Coral and even Celebrity Drug-Addict Pete Doherty. This download-only track is a sunny, uncomplicated homage to such bands, creating a surprisingly successful combination of country, 1960s rock and indie elements. The addition of keyboards and synths plays down the band’s hillbilly-wannabe element. [Lucy Weir] OUT NOW ON DIGITAL, DOWNLOAD ONLY. MYSPACE.COM/THEDEADBEATSUK

ARCTIC MONKEYS FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT (DOMINO)

Following the frenetic Brianstorm, Arctic Monkeys slip down a gear with Fluorescent Adolescent, a song that wouldn’t sound out of place in some idealised 1950s American high-school dance – were it not for Alex Turner’s gnarled references to “slags”, “fishnets”, and “little books of sex tips” that is. With its ABCelementary call-and-answer guitar riff it resembles Mardy Bum, while

SOUNDS

SINGLE REVIEWS

lyrically it’s more like When the Sun Goes Down with Turner again the detached observer of the fallout from a throwaway relationship. The contrast between innocent guitar pop and the story of a cheap sexual fling is effective, but it doesn’t match the energy or exuberance of its predecessor. [Nick Mitchell] RELEASE DATE: 9 JULY. ARCTIC MONKEYS PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 6 JULY. WWW.ARCTICMONKEYS.COM

THE ALIENS ROBOT MAN

(EMI / PET ROCK)

Taken from their highly acclaimed debut Astronomy f o r D o g s, Robot Man ticks all those Beta / Aliens boxes… eccentric, unpredictable, and this time it’s downright joyous. Swimming in psychedelia and floating in funk, this possesses arguably the most bizarre chorus you WILL sing this year. Sonically, this could have been draf ted into the soundtrack of Shaft. It comes from Fife. It’s a futuristic funk experiment that shouldn’t, nay doesn’t make sense, but then again, have these guys ever aspired to anything different? With a video that’s equally as enjoyable, this is a shamelessly, stupendously daft classic. [Finbarr Bermingham] OUT NOW. THE ALIENS PLAY CONNECT, INVERARY, ON 31 AUG. MYSPACE.COM/THEALIENS1

Paradoxically, despite squeezing what is reputedly the longest book in the world into a couple of hours, there are moments which drag and speeches that are overlong. The show would have been better served by shorter, sharper pacing. The tension too between Western theatrical tradition and the original source material threatens at times to torpedo the whole undertaking. Nowhere was this culture clash more acutely felt than in Gauri Sharma Tripathi’s Kathakbased choreography, which dilutes this traditional Indian dance form, and Nitin Sawhney’s music, which soars when its influence is Indian and falls flat when Western, guilty of the more heinous cliches than West End musicals. That said, the staging is wholly spectacular. Angela Davies’ sets and costumes fill the stage with colour and texture. From the bright, soft cloths to the rough copper moon there is much here for the eye to enjoy. Set piece moments of real beauty such as the wrapping and lengthy unravelling of Draupadi in white silk manage to momentarily transcend what was at heart a flawed production. Despite these brief moments of rapture, this is a saggy telling of a wonderful tale. [Rachel MacIntyre]

OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL, DALMENY STREET, EDINBURGH

24 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

7 JUNE.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE, 5-9 JUNE

WWW.OUTOFTHEBLUE.ORG.UK

WWW.EFT.CO.UK

THEATRE

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

SOUNDS ALBUM REVIEWS YEAR OF EXPLORERS (KFM)

The line between the synthetic and the synthesiser seems practically invisible nowadays. It’s become impossible to tell if today’s nu-rave-electro-pop-punk-spunkers actually give a shit or whether they just want their plook-ridden pusses splattered over the cover of NME. But The Magnificents are different. For starters, The Edinburgh quartet’s second LP, Year Of Explorers, contains the head-pounding freakoid majesty of Ring Ring Oo Oo, a track so effortlessly contagious it’ll rupture every artery as you’re projected head first onto the dancefloor. Yet it’s not all body-popping exuberance - this record is dripping in chaotic punk-fuelled charges that electrify like a break-dancing Joy Division hypnotised by epileptic strobe-lights. Pulsating with ear-splitting percussion and jerking riffs, tracks like the blistering Tiger Choir and the scathingly titled No Dialogue With Cunts gnaw on every aching limb with a rabid cannibalistic intent. Unlike a few of today’s disco-infused scene seekers, The Magnificents have no murky lines – they’re just really fucking good. [Billy Hamilton] RELEASE DATE: 16 JULY. THE MAGNIFICENTS PLAY AVALANCHE RECORDS, EDINBURGH ON 12 JULY, CABARET VOLTAIRE, EDINBURGH ON 13 JULY AND NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, GLASGOW ON 20 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/THEMAGNIFICENTS

HAMFATTER

WHAT PART OF HAMFATTER DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? (PINK HEDGEHOG)

escapades. The part of Hamfatter that I can’t understand is the part that supposes the worth in recording and releasing an album. With nothing to contribute but a ‘quirky’ sense of fun, Hamfatter should concentrate on securing lunchtime appearances at family-friendly festivals, or, alternatively, getting a proper job. [Ally Brown] RELEASE DATE: 16 JULY. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HAMFATTER

STRIKE THECOLOURS THE FACE THAT SUNK A THOUSAND SHIPS (DEADLIGHT)

Sometimes a voice hits you have with such a blow it leaves ever y ner vee nd tingling to its sweet melodic beauty. In songstress Jenny Reeve, Strike The Colours undoubtedly have that quality. Her breathy, translucent whisper ﬂoats over The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships with the charm of an elegiac butterfly. Laced in rolling country guitars and slinking piano waltzes, tracks like Bare Legs In A Storm or Safety In Numbers are tender sultry affairs that emit a gorgeous heart-melting glow. But, really, every moment of this six-track mini-album is a captivating saunter into a world of soulpondering organic songwriting, with We Dreamed Of Stars’ brittle viola weaving a web of melancholy so deep you’ll struggle to unravel from its all-embracing introversion. The Face That Sunk... may prove to be one of the saddest records of the year, but with a voice like Reeve’s it’s impossible not to be knocked out by it. [Billy Hamilton] RELEASE DATE: 18 JUNE.

Pause – that’s quite enough of that. It’s ‘21st Century Sex, which is nothing to do with sex despite what the Divine Comedy-aimed croon of the chorus says, and Cambridge boys Hamfatter have decided to lecture us about the pointlessness of MySpace and the comparative merits of touring Europe and Japan instead, where real friends can be met. Eh? That’s no use to us! Coming hot on the heels of leading single Sziget – which is about getting wrecked and watching Radiohead at the Budapest festival – and Karma, which promises to “drive us all round Europe in this messed-up van,” and references Radiohead, again, it’s now very much like listening to the dreary boasts of some smarmy git student about their wacky gap year

MYSPACE.COM/STRIKETHECOLOURS

GREEN PEPPERS

DOMINO MORNINGS (NEON TETRA) Had Domino Mornings been released a decade or s o ag o, i t’s e a sy to i magine Jim McCulloch’s solo project having more success than it probably will have now – for in the meantime, Fran Healey has filled the popular niche Green Peppers seek to fit into. We’d be speaking of the “inﬂuence” of Travis if it wasn’t so otherwise generic, but Domino Mornings, whilst being a worthy competitor

to The Man Who in style, is unlikely to excite much passion, positively or negatively, or provide the annoying radio hits of that breakthrough record. That is, unless American Tan or I Will Be Always Be The Same are released, both irritatingly happyclappy – the latter particularly sounding like a Sunday School singalong for toddlers. The Times Won’t Let You Down benefits hugely from the always-harmonious Isobel Campbell, and the closing title track has a clawing choral hook that leans towards more favourable Neil Young comparisons. But two mildly enjoyable tracks from 11 is hardly enough to raise temperatures on a Scottish summer morning. [Ally Brown] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY. GREEN PEPPERS PLAY THE LIQUID ROOM, EDINBURGH ON 6 AUG. MYSPACE.COM/JIMMCCULLOCH

GENARO

GENARO (BENBECULA) It’s been a work in progress – or rather its release date has – but finally Glasgow band Genaro emerge with their debut LP, and it was certainly worth the wait. The four-piece have shunned all fads and trends in favour of rich, earthy guitar-led songs that seep into your soul like warm summer sunlight. It’s easy to listen to without all the saccharine connotations of easy-listening, combining the more blissful side of Spiritualized with the broad sonic brush-strokes of a band like Doves, with the merest hint of late 60s Californian psychfolk. Genaro’s versatility is impressive, from the space-y Suspicions to the homespun vibe of Forward Motion. But the standout is The Feeling’s Gone, a song that starts as a guitar ripple and grows to a tidal wave. Thankfully, Genaro don’t kick and scream for our attention, but this does mean the mind can wander. Otherwise this is an album of rare craft and beauty. [Nick Mitchell] RELEASE DATE: 9 JULY. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/GENAROMUSIC

ACTION GROUP GREED (PARDON)

Edinburgh s ex tet Ac ti o n G r o u p’s f i r s t album displays a confidence not normally discernable on début LPs. The disregard for struc-

SONIC YOUTH - DAYDREAM NATION: DELUXE (UNIVERSAL)

40 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

T h e l i ve c d, fe atu ring thrilling renditions of every song on the album, only confirms this evaluation: here the band sound almost possessed, dangerous even – as if by kicking music’s ass they would also be teaching the world at large a lesson it would never forget. It’s a testament to the band’s genius that the noise they made all those years ago still sounds revolutionary – and that word is not to be used lightly. [Jay Shukla] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

TORCHE

TORCHE (ROCK ACTION)

RELEASE DATE: 18 JUNE.

MYSPACE.COM/ACTIONGROUP

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TORCHE

AVAST!

VARIOUS ARTISTS

FAULTLINES (FLAGSHIP)

PREMEDITATION VOL 2 (PREDESTINATION)

Featuring two members of the superb (a n d s a d l y no more) Stapleton, Dundeebased three piece Avast! raise a raucous racket that never quite dives off into the overly-discordant, treading a delicate line between subtle vocal harmonies and crashing guitar melodies. Propelled along by some powerhouse drumming, Faultlines is a sure pleasure for those who like their rock to excite, yet still stand strangely capable of lurking in the background. Similarly to Spy Versus Spy, Avast! utilise the epic feel of the post-rock template, though their lyrics and shorter song approach can often swing things round to the more immediately accessible (but hardly pop-tastic) radio-friendly sphere. Having lingered on the east coast for a couple of years, Avast! are slowly proving themselves as a worthwhile addition to the evergrowing roster of well equipped Scottish rock outfits; The View may as well pick up their jangly guitars and toddle off home to change those mank y jeans now. [Rick Shaw]

WWW.PREDESTINATIONRECORDS.COM

RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

DEAD OR AMERICAN PL AY BLOC,

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/AVASTUK

GLASGOW ON 11 JULY.

TWILIGHT OF THE INNOCENTS

With word afoot that this will now be Ash’s last conventional album release, with the band to instead concentrate on producing one-off single releases, is this new slimlined machine capable of delivering that one great album they’ve previously alluded to? Speaking to The Skinny, Tim Wheeler confesses: “Now it’s easier because we understand each other, it gives you an impetus. We’ve come a long way in our playing since 1977 so it’s interesting to come back to it.” Resultantly, there are no great surprises here and lead singles You Can’t Have It All and Polaris are of the “if it ain’t broke” pop-punk ilk. When they are on fire, however, Ash still push all the right buttons and on their middle salvo of Ritual, Shadows and Princess Six they emerge in fine form, which suggests that sticking to what originally broke them may be the way forward. After all, if ever there was a singles band, it was Ash. [Garry Thomson] RELEASE DATE: 2 JULY.

“I found a sound that turned me around,” explain Belfast’s LaFaro. Take note rock fans, they did not say “I’ve knocked off a few old Jam riffs, let’s see if this bullshit ﬂies” - Predestination are choosier than that. LaFaro’s Nirvana-esque gambit sets an inspired tone for a course of 19 solid contributions. The strong, distinct influence of marginalised labels like Dischord and Touch&Go is all over the volume and this clear salute to DIY values appears as something of a life raft being tossed out from a sinking ship that’s in the process of having a gigantic hair gel logo branded down its rusting side. Whether it’s France’s Gatchien bringing some continental alternative flavour or Glasgow’s ExWives, Dundee’s Spyamp, Edinburgh’s Your Loyal Subjects or Stirling’s Dead Or American flying the flag high as some of Scotland’s finest purveyors of raw, unconstrained and non contrived attitude, the quality here is high and every outfit on show clearly pours their soul into this outstanding underground triumph. [Dave Kerr] OUT NOW, AVAILABLE FROM

ALBUMS

WWW.ASH-OFFICIAL.COM

ART BRUT

IT’ S A BIT COMPLICATED

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - ERA VULGARIS (INTERSCOPE)

2. GENARO

ELVIS PERKINS - ASH WEDNESDAY (XL)

3.STRIKE THE COLOURS - THE FACE THAT SUNK A THOUSAND SHIPS (DEADLIGHT)

A weekend spent in Glasgow city centre has, unconsciously, provided the fuel for my list of BRAWS and NAWS. Hardly a surprise then, that despite the recent nice weather, I witnessed more NAWS than BRAWS. Cocaine, does everyone take cocaine? This isn‘t an anti-drugs rant but it’s fucking everywhere! A one time drug of kings, nowadays you’ve got apprentice panel beaters snorting it through pound notes off toilet seats, in pubs in Partick! - NAW

Subway Steak and Cheese with Southwest Sauce. - BRAW “I wanna have your babies.” Everywhere I go Natasha Beddingfield’s new song is on the radio. Anyone who is that irritating shouldn’t be allowed babies, she should have her uterus confiscated. NAW

Hearing an intoxicated youth, finally conceding his battle against refusal into a nightclub, cry in defiance… “Yer club’s fuckin’ shite anyway.” - BRAW People who refer to Glasgow as ‘GlasVegas’. These people have obviously never spent any time at The Tote bookmakers in Hawthorn Street. - NAW Seeing a wet dog shake itself about in an attempt to get dry. - BRAW Over-priced designer gear. People spend 90 quid on a T-Shirt because it’s apparently a ‘Good Make’. Ask them why it’s a ‘Good Make’...??? It’s because it’s 90 quid. Ask them why it’s 90 quid??? it’s because it’s a ‘Good Make’. Ask them why it’s a ‘Good Make’ it’s because it’s 90 quid... etc etc.- NAW!!! KEVIN BRIDGES WILL APPEAR AT THE GLASGOW STAND 8 JULY AND THE EDINBURGH STAND 15 JULY.

THE

Bad FILM CLUB

by Emma Lennox

“IT’S BEEN GREAT BRINGING MISERY TO THE WORLD” “You’re a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I’d like to bust your butt but I can’t.” Sharp dialogue like this from 1986’s ‘breathtaking’ salute to male bonding, Top Gun, is one explanation as to why it’s a classic for all the wrong reasons. Sure it’s an award winning, record breaking blockbuster but it’s a perfect fit for Nicko and Joe’s Bad Film Club, which tours its masochistic movie joy around the UK. “A good bad film is something done in all seriousness which inadvertently turns itself into comedy,” Nicko explains. The concept is simple: go to the cinema and pay for a film that you know is terrible, then laugh yourself silly as comedians add their commentary. “We just wanted to create the atmosphere of a Friday night in: a few beers with your friends, shouting at some shit movie on Channel 5.” Yet not everyone can invite the tal-

ents of Stewart Lee, Glenn Wool or Tony Law into their living rooms, hence the attraction. But it’s not all sneer and jeer; Nicko and Joe are genuine cinephiles when it comes to delinquent ‘classics’ such as Frankenhooker (1990) and Class of Nuke’em High (1986). “It’s been great bringing misery to the world,” says Nicko, proud of their connoisseur role. “But it is a battle, because it goes against every fibre in your body to be loud in a movie theatre.” With “target rich environments” of recent victims Top Gun and Battlefield Earth, however, who could resist the chance to heckle Hollywood? NICKO AND JOE’S BAD FILM CLUB WILL RETURN TO SCOTLAND FOR THE FRINGE FESTIVAL. WWW.BADFILMCLUB.COM

FRANK BLACK - 93-03 (COOKING VINYL) THE NIGHTWATCHMAN - ONE MAN REVOLUTION

- FAULTLINES (FLAGSHIP)

TENEBROUS LIAR - TENEBROUS LIAR (FIRE)

5. ART BRUT

THE WHITE STRIPES - ICKY THUMP (XL)

– IT’S A BIT COMPLICATED (MUTE)

KEVIN BRIDGES

ONLINE ALBUM REVIEWS

- PREMEDITATION VOL 2 (PREDESTINATION)

- GENARO (BENBECULA)

(MUTE)

I n the wake of postLibertinism, it’s e asy to malign Art Brut. Frontman Eddie Argos’ affable English dandyism, combined with their jingoistic attachment to inebriated Britpopaping songsmithery, portrays a band clutching shamelessly to the overlyfrayed coat-tails of a once proud Albion army. But to castigate this Deptford quintet as counterfeit parapets of rag-tag jingle-pop is as obtuse as implying Brian Wilson is a poor man’s Paul McCartney. New LP It’s A Bit Complicated takes all of Bang Bang Rock and Roll’s juvenile tomfoolery and adds the sardonic spite of age to its effervescent indie totems. The customary girl-meets-boy-fucks-boy-leaves-boy narrative still lingers in People In Love’s wild-eyed oscillations, but a smirking sense of nonchalance fizzes from the jubilant riff of I Will Survive or Direct Hit’s thrombosis inducing chorus. A heady concoction of ramshackle pizazz and resplendent melody, This is the record The Libertines wish they’d made. [Billy Hamilton]

1.VARIOUS ARTISTS

4. AVAST!

COMEDIANS CUT THEIR CRITICAL EYE ON WHAT’S BRAW AND WHAT’S NAW.

ASH

(INFECTIOUS)

In a surprise answer to that age old question that nobody ever thought of until now: “would Iron Monkey be any good as a pop band?”, Torche demonstrate that yes, yes they could, and combine the monstrous post-Sabbath riff sound that has seen Melvins and Kyuss fare so well with added glorious pop vocals somewhere between the Beach Boys and neo-new romantic stylings - although they definitely lean toward the foppish. This debut album sounds almost mathematically calculated to sit alongside The Cure et al on the first Crow soundtrack. It’s not always as good as it sounds on paper though: the vocals often fail to manage their intended grandeur and sometimes the riffing strays away from monolithic heaviness and veers slightly toward mini-mosher mallrat fodder. But there’s enough of interest here for any fans of Ipecac-esques. [Ali Maloney]

OUT NOW

TOP

FEATURED ALBUM It’s perhaps more than a little ironic that someone thought it necessary to re-master one of the greatest albums of all time in order to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. But as anyone who has sat down and listened to the re-issues of Goo and Dirty will confirm, Sonic Youth always put a great deal of care and attention into the process. The dust has been shaken from the original tapes, resulting in a record that sounds louder and more punchy, although some of the endearing muddiness of the original has been sacrificed and the percussion has been given a little too much room to breathe. There’s not much left to be said about the songs themselves: 14 inspirational explosions of discontent that defined an era. Despite the band’s slacker aesthetic, listening back to this album reveals the songs to be permeated with raw feeling and high drama – all wrapped up in the most kaleidoscopic textures that a guitar/bass/drums combo could ever hope to produce.

ture and point blank refusal to conform to any one genre, combined with the nomadic and sprawling quality of this album, justifies Broken Social Scene comparisons. Here we have 15 diverse tracks, each with disparate licks, riffs and beats, woven into one rich, restless and frantic tapestry that nods proudly to its influences, before shagging their wives and making off into the sunset. From the Pixies-esque bassline of Breaking Windows to the Mr E melancholy of Salvage Song or the 80s electronica of Burn You With My Lasers, it’s more absorbing with each listen. Although lyrically reﬂective and dark, Greed doesn’t languish and is driven by the effervescent rhythmic backbone. Their maverick, alternative employment of instrumentation, sound effects and production (see Swag) indicate that as excellent a taster as this is, we should be hearing a lot more from Action Group. [Finbarr Bermingham]

THEATRE/COMEDY

THE MAGNIFICENTS

COMEDY

BUILT TO SPILL - YOU IN REVERSE (RYKODISC)

SONIC YOUTH PERFORM DAYDREAM NATION AT ABC,

RAY LAMONTAGNE

GLASGOW ON 21-22 AUG.

- TILL THE SUN TURNS BLACK (14TH FLOOR)

WWW.SONICYOUTH.COM

illustration: Paul Ryding, www.paulryding.com

SOUNDS

COMEDY

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI

AERNOUT MIK -

Some things I will definitely be doing this month:

shifting shifting

1. Watching a lot of TV, particularly a ny t h i ng w it h Gordon Ra msay in it. Big Brother is also good. 2. Shopping at Marks and Spencers. It’s a bit more ex p en sive but you can taste the difference, you know? 3. Spending some quality time in Kirkaldy. 4. Chatting online to Felix, my new Nigerian friend. He’s having money trouble. I hope I can help him out. 5. Planning out my daily schedule for the festival. I think it may be my favourite time of the year. 6. Going to gigs and talking the whole way through, like some kind of massive, massive twat. 7. Trying to find a place to crash in Torquay during August. I can’t believe Jim Davidson’s 2007 tour isn’t coming to Edinburgh! 8. Getting a haircut. Because I’m worth it. [Jay Shukla]

THIS WORK IS LOADED WITH A FRACTAL COMPLEXITY, ONE MEANING SHIFTING INTO ANOTHER AND THEN SHIFTING AGAIN

HT E S K I N YN

This vital show at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh consists of four video based installations marked by a firm sculptural intelligence. The work of Aernout Mik is loaded with a fractal complexity, one meaning shifting into another and then shifting again. The pieces here deal with themes of war, power, negligence and the nature of the simulacrum in video culture, but the central concern appears to be the banality of brutality. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Raw Footage, one of the most recent works on display. Here Mik has taken footage from the war in the former Yugoslavia which was deemed to be lacking in dramatic action and therefore of no use to the news agencies. Using two screens he shows people going about their daily lives with the crackle of gunfire a constant soundtrack. Pretty girls cycle by smiling, men drink bottles of brown beer and play cards in a city that is collapsing, soldiers shoot at nothing and then turn to the camera and smile like pleased children with toy guns. The whole thing is surreal primarily because it feels like it could all be happening outside the gallery right now. Mik brings war back to reality by in a sense

by John Millar

‘normalising’ it and thus making it paradoxically unfamiliar. He wrestles it away from the usual news reels that are glossed with the smart sheen of drama; this is a million miles away from the long distance pans of the ‘shock and awe’ bombings shown during the early days of the Iraq war, where death on a massive scale was turned into spectacle. Mik forces the viewer to consider and challenge the methods of visual representation and the deeply political nature of the edit. One of the central complexities of the show is the line between the ‘acted’ and the ‘real’. Raw Footage is the only piece which uses genuine images but if the viewer were not made aware of this there would be little way of knowing. The other three pieces all deal with malignant situations where power or force or brutality are being exercised. In all the pieces familiarity is there but without specifics. In Scapegoats civilians of non-specific ethnicity are herded by soldiers into a sports stadium, the setting is ambiguous but references that come to mind include: the murder of dissidents in Chile under Pinochet, Croker Park in Dublin, New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and the gassing of Chechen rebels and their hostages by Russian Special Forces in 2002. Once again, though, Mik takes the viewer

inside the story, showing us what is happening inside the stadium, not statistics. What is happening is terrifying in the least dramatic sense and therefore all the more disturbing. The artist takes war and revolution away from the glory or even the gory horror of conventional representation and shows that, really, nothing has changed since the schoolyard. Vacuum Room consists of six screens which form a hexagonal space throughout which chairs and cushions are spread. On the screens are shown various shots of a political assembly – again multiply suggestive: the G8, the UN or a cabinet meeting - at which a protest is taking place. The shots are taken from CCTV cameras positioned throughout the conference room. The positioning of the chairs and cushions forces the viewer to take a ‘view’ as it is impossible to see all the screens at once. The use of CCTV forces one once again to consider how video culture functions politically, how it has changed our perception of reality, its use in the hands of power. This is a powerful, complex and convincing show.

WWW.FRUITMARKET.CO.UK

Surprisingly, Reeve cites her home-life as the catalyst for this aquatically themed exploration: “My mum is building a boat in her living room and when it’s finished she’s going to take the window out and have this big ceremony,” she laughs. “The whole concept is a little like a ship in a bottle and that gave me the idea for the nautical imagery. The phrase ‘Strike The Colours’ basically means when ships drop their flags to signal surrender during wartime. I really like the words together – they work quite well.”

A mainstay on the Scottish music scene for over a decade, Reeve has performed with Idlewild, Snow Patrol and Arab Strap whilst also finding time to front melodic hypnotists Eva. But having endured the emotional frustrations of inter-band dynamics, Reeve eventually resolved to set out alone: “The politics in a band are quite wearing and I felt there were songs I was playing that I could do on my own,” she explains to The Skinny. “I much prefer a more collaborative thing where I can bring people in - it seems to work better for me. Things happen more quickly, ideas come together more easily and I’m just happier in that kind of environment.”

But, if there’s one thing Jenny Reeve is unlikely to do, it’s to surrender her appetite for creativity. Over the past 12 months she has produced one of 2007’s most poignant records, toured around Europe and recorded the Rody Gorman poem Message In A Bottle for the Ballads Of The Book project.

It’s an environment that has undoubtedly nurtured Reeve’s tender side. Strike The Colours’ recent mini-album, The Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships, gleams with some brittle, near tear-jerking compositions that shiver in the throes of a young woman confronting her innermost emotions.

Embedded deep within the record’s soul-searching chasms lurks a resounding notion of escapism; with oceanic tides seemingly offering a perpetual gateway from reality.

EXHIBITIONS

by Billy Hamilton

There’s a moment on Malcolm Middleton’s A Brighter Beat where the narrative takes an unexpected twist. Leaping out from the morbid void of We’re All Going To Die is a breathless feline purr that dreams of love and “heroes” whilst the ex-Arab Strapper caresses his guitar with zestful strokes. The album track in question is the buoyant Fight Like The Night and those sleek, optimistic tones belong to Jenny Reeve – the curator behind Strike The Colours.

“On this record I really tried to be as honest as I can - I decided I could either hide behind cryptic lyrics or just go for it,” she says sheepishly. “I’ve discovered that songs aren’t permanent. You write about how you’re feeling at the time, then you move on from it. So, this album is like little documentations of things that have happened to me personally.”

FRUITMARKET, EDINBURGH UNTIL 11 JULY. FREE.

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI

TOP

Strike The Colours

SOUNDS

ART

So what does the future hold for the 27 year-old songstress? “The next record will probably be more stripped back but I haven’t really started recording anything yet. I’ve been working on some new songs and I’ve got a few down on my 8-track at home but there won’t be a dramatic change. There definitely won’t be any Metallica moments in there – but perhaps that could be my next career move?” With Jenny’s Enter Sandman cover as good as in the bag, what The Skinny really wants to know is: can anything put a smile on Malcolm Middleton’s Face That Sunk A Thousand Ships? “Malcolm’s really a very funny man,” Reeve chuckles. “He has the driest humour I’ve ever come across. It’s a stealth-like wit – you’ll miss his jokes if you’re not looking out for them. He definitely gets all of his misery out on record!”

STRIKE THE COLOURS PLAY THE MARKET BAR, INVERNESS ON 20 JULY. THE FACE THAT SUNK A THOUSAND SHIPS IS OUT NOW ON DEAD LIGHT RECORDS. STRIKETHECOLOURS.COM

JENNY REEVE TELLS BILLY HAMILTON ABOUT LIFE AFTER EVA... photo: Alain Irureta

www.kingtuts.co.uk 272 St Vincent Street, Glasgow Telephone: 0141 221 5279

1. THE NAKED PORTRAIT SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH UNTIL 2 SEP

An ambitious collection of more than 200 works that explore the genre of the naked portrait. Featuring artists such as Egon Schiele and Lucian Freud.

2.THE SCOTTISH SHOW LIGHTHOUSE, GLASGOW UNTIL 12 AUG

34 of Scotland’s most exciting designers.

3. LAURA ALDRIDGE – THE WORKSHOP HAS SURVIVED BECAUSE WE LOVE EACH OTHER GLASGOW SCULPTURE STUDIOS UNTIL 14 JULY

A physically arresting environment reminiscent of semiexternal public areas; sculpture courts or landscaped communal gardens.

4. DAVID BATCHELOR - UNPLUGGED TALBOT RICE, EDINBURGH. 28 JULY UNTIL 29 SEP

A new site specific installation investigating ideas of urbanism and consumption.

5. JOHANNA BILLING – THIS IS HOW WE WALK ON THE MOON COLLECTIVE GALLERY, EDINBURGH UNTIL 14 JULY

The fruits of a new film commission. See review.

Video still by Johanna Billing

26 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

Still from Video installation by Aernout Mik

REVIEWS BIGBROTHER (ENDEMOL)

T H E S K I YNN

This latest run of Big Brother finds the Endemol company pushing the envelope of performance art, with a series of challenging works that are theatrical yet steeped in literary reference – Kafka and Beckett being the obvious touchstones. Whereas Beckett’s Breath summed up the absurdity of the human condition in less than 25 seconds, Endemol have boldly undertaken a diametric approach; their series of bland vignettes played out night after night, in a sequence that seems to have no foreseeable end. The self-destructive egotism of the collective vindicates Will Self’s perverse characterisation of the house as ‘a kind of Ikea Belsen’; each participant’s complicity in their own exploitation serving as a sharp reminder of the banality of evil. Endemol’s genius lies in expanding the self-deception of Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon on to a grand scale, eventually replacing the playwright’s poignant anticlimax with a firework display, overdubbed applause and the promise of a tits-out photo romp in Nuts magazine. [Jay Shukla] CHANNEL 4 AND E4, FOR EVER, WWW.CHANNEL4.COM/BIGBROTHER

ZOO The animal kingdom provides an infinite source for smelly two-dimensional take on what it is like to not visit visual representation. It is a subject matter so vast a zoo. Do not feed the animals, only your imagination. and colourful that it cannot help but invite the use [Jennifer Felton]. of imagination and creativity. That is exactly what is EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS UNTIL 7 JULY. on offer here. Imagine Noah and his ark stumbling WWW.EDIN BURGH-PRINTMAKERS.CO.UK upon some pretty strong acid and you can start to envisage the creative mixture of ideas and perspectives conjured up from this one subject matter. Tessa Asquith-Lamb’s aquatinted etchings provided a magical, fairytale glimpse into the animal world. A screenprint entitled Dogs like Art Too by Anne Forte is a colourful and quirky piece that takes animals out of their conventional settings and in this case depicts them in an art gallery. The title ‘Zoo’ suddenly seemed quite inappropriate. I found myself surrounded by depictions of farm animals, fantastical griffens, canine art lovers and quirkiest of all, a screenprint depicting a floral ‘arrangement’ of slender flamingo heads. Having never been a huge fan of zoos, this exhibition provides a warm, nonOne Eye on the Fox by Tessa Asquith-Lamb at Ed Printmakers

ART

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

SOUNDS GLASGOW

MAX ERNST

LABALLADEDUSOLDAT Printed in 1972, The Ballad of the Soldier was a unique collaboration between the artist and the poet Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes. The resulting book, por tions of which are reproduced here, is a lyrically imaginative attack on the role of the soldier in society. Alongside the often aggressively satirical text (“Soldier Nothingness? Present!”) Ernst provides strange and wonder ful illustrations in the grand Surrealist tradition, comprising outlandish fancy in the main part, but always tethered somehow to the text at hand – a tricky balancing act, but one that is well suited to the poet’s unorthodox style. The lithographs vary hugely in quality, and are most interesting when one can’t quite make out what has been printed – another layer of compelling obscurantism on top of Ernst’s already freakish conglomerations. Once again the Dean should congratulate itself for another fine investigation of the relationship between literature and fine art. [Jay Shukla] DEAN GALLERY, EDINBURGH UNTIL 15 JULY FREE. FU MANCHU - Jack Waddington

MODEST MOUSE ABC, 26 MAY

“I can’t understand what’s going on down there,” chirps Isaac Brock in the general direction of the latest vocally adoring devotee to violate his lobes. So it falls upon Johnny Marr to play mediator and affable spokesperson for Modest Mouse to a particularly lairy ABC tonight, coerced in no small part by a medley of Bay City Rollers’ Saturday Night with a rambunctious crack at their own shouty go getter, Dashboard. The Washington quintet plus one Manc blaze through numerous portions of what Brock himself has referred to as their “nautical balalaika carnival romp” with the playful, devilish dirge of Fire It Up, Talking Heads-flavoured We’ve Got Everything and the allout four to the floor glory of Steam Engenius fighting for rank in the memory banks. So by the time the chords to Float On strike up, Marr looks right at home and his cohorts couldn’t appear any more focused. Far from “some sad ass little canoe,” Modest Mouse are sailing along the lines of a well-weathered battleship. [Dave Kerr] WWW.MODESTMOUSEMUSIC.COM

FU MANCHU

THE CATHOUSE, MAY 27 Tonight’s openers, Dead City Riots (3/5) are the side salad of rock – decent riffs and Foo Fighters-esque melodies, but their frontman does little to make them dance on the palate. With folic influences from ZZ Top, Valiant Thorr (4/5) are an air guitarist’s wet dream; Gods of Rock “from Space”, with meaty solos and stage presence, and power stances of epic proportions. Possibly one of the few bands to boast a song about the entire universe and actually pull it off, their vibrancy partially overshadows the dense stoner rock of the headlining Fu Manchu (4/5). Delivering a stylistically casual set, old and new tracks surmount to a great but slightly unadventurous performance. Though it’s pretty clear they aren’t playing to their favour-

ite audience, the finale of King of the Road and an encore of Godzilla leaves all misdemeanors forgotten. A fantastic night all round, but the entrée and mains fought for the crowd’s affections. [Rhi Tate] WWW.FU-MANCHU.COM

KATE WALSH BARFLY, 5 JUNE

Having outsold Take That through iTunes, Kate Walsh is a charming example of how lo-tech music can take advantage of the hi-tech world. Armed with only an acoustic guitar and a clear soprano, her set at the Barfly emerges an object lesson in how gentility and attention to detail can be far more intense than bluster and noise. Walsh’s guitar style - a soft, precise plucking rather than casual strumming - creates a shimmering bed for her dreamy lyrics and clear voice. The melody lies in her vocals, which are studied, slight and passionate: her songs are persuasive rather than demanding, although she rapidly hushes the entire room. Her stories are otherworldly and oblique: Fireworks appears to be simply about watching a display from her window, yet hints at a secret melancholy, while Tonight injects an entire relationship’s worth of sensuality into a one-night stand. In their stripped down form, her songs are potent and passionate distillations of lost moments. Catch her before success brings orchestration. [Gareth K Vile] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/KATEWALSH

MAPS

ORAN MOR, 25 MAY A heady mix ture of My Bloody Valentine influenced noise, old-fashioned folk songwriting and electronic experimentation, Maps ought to be a studio creation. Yet in the intimate confines of the Oran Mor, James’ soft voice bridges the gap between the swirling maelstrom and pop accessibility. Although many bands inspired by the possibilities of synthesisers disappear into abstract noise, Maps retain a strong sense

38 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

JOHNNY MARR, WITH MODEST MOUSE - Colin Macdonald

of melody and a pastoral calm: It Will Find You is a rare creation that matches a summery chorus with an undertow of distorted guitar. Their songs are equal parts avant-grade and sly pop: anthems for introverts or even, finally, folk music that is firmly rooted in keyboards and effects. While their sound is not fully developed - In Chemistry is a blithe if enjoyable collision - they are reimagining that first meeting between independent rock and the potential of modern technology - headfirst into the future, without abandoning the past. [Gareth K Vile] WWW.MYSPACE.COM/MAPSMUSIC

DIE!DIE!DIE!

ABC2, GLASGOW, 26 MAY The ABC 2 is a little too salubrious for a punk rock show. Everyone present is a little too cool to like that sort of thing anyway. Yet none of that deters New Zealand art-punkers, Die!Die!Die! from stirring just a little of that rabble-rousing spirit of old. Sure, they aren’t as angry as The Clash; they don’t reinforce their stance with rants against whatever they just play, and boy, do they play fast. Crashing through 10 songs in almost as many minutes, this is a searing and blistering display of intelligent, 21st century punk rock and make no mistake. In whatever ways the world may have changed since the days of the originators, and in the face of the notion that the punk mentality might not rage the way it once did, there is nevertheless a sharp glimmer of that alive in Die!Die!Die! The muted carnage and rebellion they create for Glasgow this evening is an assertive declaration. [Neil Ferguson] WWW.DIEDIEDIE.NET

BATTLES

ABC 2, 23 MAY Listening to Battles’ debut album, Mirrored, it’s hard to imagine that any band could even approximate such a complex and layered sound in the live setting. Tonight, despite the ridiculously humid conditions

inside ABC 2, the quartet shatter (excuse the pun) any doubts we may have, working together with an apparently telepathic single-mindedness to create a sound that is not only gorgeously intricate but also brutally powerful. Battles thrill the crowd with a set that transcends the virtuosic means of its conveyance, by turns creating passages of hypnotic tribal rhythms and euphoric, skittering melody. Watching this band play is an astonishing physical spectacle, utterly compelling and quite unlike any other gig experience. Atlas makes perfect sense tonight: nobody escapes its juggernaut groove, and the crowd are affected by an almost religious fervour. This music is a celebration – the only downside is that Battles are making everyone else look primitive by comparison. [Jay Shukla]

COCOROSIE - John Lewis

off. And tonight, that’s enough. [Jay Shukla] WWW.COCOROSIELAND.COM/

SPARKLEHORSE ORAN MOR, 5 JUNE

Welcome to the world of Sparklehorse, where the glockenspiel never stops and no one dares raise their voice. A quiet gig in Glasgow is a rare thing, but with the exception of a “COME ON!” and a “Cheer the fuck up!” this crowd is virtually silent, gazing at the stage with creepy catatonic stares. Could the geometric patterns flashing across the backdrop be having a

hypnotic effect? It certainly can’t be down to Sparklehorse, who is far from engaging, and considerably less jazzy than Mark Linkous’s alter ego suggests. His songs are undoubtedly perfectly played, but the sleepy, crackly charm wears off after the first few, and with a tempo of roughly five BPM, interest wanes. Songs like the shimmering Saturday may prove perfect for sun-soaked festival fields, but in a darkened venue, they only serve to provoke a battle between the audience and their increasingly heavy eyelids. [Heather Crumley]

JOHANNA BILLING Showing at the Collective Gallery is a film by the Swedish Artist Johanna Billing. The film, This is How We Walk on the Moon, documents a group of local musicians going sailing for the first time on the Forth. We see their preparations for the journey; the film starts in silence then we hear an instructor giving the nov-

ice sailors their orders for the journey. The film charts their progress, nervous and frenetic at first, slowly becoming more confident and relaxed. The film is beautifully shot, with detailed close-ups and stunning views of the Forth bridges and the sur rounding sce ne r y. Billing was inspired by Edinburgh’s proximity to the North Sea and its population’s seeming disconnection from it. By taking a group from Edinburgh she neatly illustrates their initial reticence towards the sea, and how quickly that changes as they become more assured of their abilities. The soundtrack to this film is the song This is How We Walk on the Moon, originally by Arthur Russell, here interpreted by Billing and her seafaring musicians - chosen, perhaps, because to most Edinburgh residents sailing in the Forth is as alien as walking on the moon. Accompanying the film are a number of free musical performances and events. [Michael Kynaston] COLLECTIVE GALLERY, EDINBURGH UNTIL 14 JULY WWW.COLLECTIVEGALLERY.NET

HANNELINE VISNES:

SLEEPSHAPES CRYSTALLINE

This is Hanneline Visnes’ second exhibition at Doggerfisher. In the three years since her last show, the Glasgow based Norwegian artist has developed her distinctive technique. Her preoccupation with the simple, the complex, and their seamless fusion, is again engaged. Visnes takes her influences from the apparent opposites of 17th Century

Dutch still life painting, and the colour field abstraction of the 20th Century. In her paintings the styles become the closest of allies, and it works. ‘Possessions’ depicts an intricate tiara in pencil, with an antique gold and china box that sits where the face should be. Royal blue paint bleeds from underneath the crown and down the canvas creating a rich field of colour, contrasting with the minute realism of the jewels. Her eagle eye for detail begins a bird theme that carries throughout Vignes’ exhibition. Eagles seem to reappear in both their natural form and as artifice on man-made treasures such as ‘Spanish Pendant’. The feathery texture in ‘Bird Face’ brings the birds alive - eerie when in previous pieces they have been unnatural and stationary. The gallery space seems to enhance the artist’s work: the stark, minimal setting further exaggerates her pieces’ rich, sumptuous colours and moments of painstaking detail. Her observation of patterning, delightful use of colour, and strange variations on a fixed theme make visiting Visnes’ showcase an interesting visual excursion. [Gabriella Griffith]

FREE

from the media including photography, song lyrics, newspapers and television programmes. This results in works which question the role of mainstream culture but also embrace it, and in turn become another aspect of the culture he is questioning. Despite The Arches being a busy city centre location, it manages to zap all importance or aesthetic from the work. Laboured pencil works dangle at about eye level in a cavernous tunnel, giving the work no more importance than the latest club flyer. Yet here lies the point; Ryding’s work is designed to be printed and used in magazines, as posters or flyers. After viewing his website I realise how successful the work becomes in printed form, pointing out how lacking The Arches is as a venue for art displayed in this way: the low lighting dulls the colours, leaving the gallery area feeling more like a corridor to the bar/café. The work itself is promising but it is hard to make this out given the harsh manner of its display. While this definitely advertises the positive sides to a virtual gallery, not all work would benefit from only being viewed online. But when Ryding’s work is illuminated by a computer screen, the full impact becomes clearer. [Morag Keil]

WWW.DOGGERFISHER.COM

THE ARCHES, GLASGOW

DOGGERFISHER, EDINBURGH UNTIL 7 JULY

PAUL RYDING

HARD PENCIL Ryding’s work has been featured in many a hip magazine, from Kruger to Marmalade, and he even has a commission from The Skinny under his belt (see page 25). His work is urban in style, taking influences

ART

REVIEWS

Image by Paul Ryding

UNTIL 17 JULY FREE. WWW.PAULRYDING.COM

Black Foliage by Hanneline Visnes

WWW.SPARKLEHORSE.COM

WWW.BTTLS.COM

COCOROSIE

THE ARCHES, 15 JUNE CocoRosie have always walked a fine line between the sublime and the naff, bravely splicing genres, taking risks and generally making it up as they go along. Tonight, however, following on from the flabbergasting beatbox mutations of Tez (who also usurps the place of a drummer in the band) there’s something about their performance which feels a little too contrived. Bianca Casady’s Bjork-does-hip-hop vocals seem increasingly generic as the evening goes on, and indeed the duo’s reliance on the same grab-bag of beats and tempos becomes predictable. It’s Sierra who shines tonight, showing genuine enthusiasm (despite the hordes of chattering morons in the crowd) and providing the vocal highlights, particularly on Beautiful Boyz: the high point of the night and even more enchanting than the LP version. It’s all hands on deck for a crazed schizo-hop free-for-all which includes the chant: “Calling all kids, grown-ups are Crazy!” – and although this frenzied dervish of a song doesn’t quite work, CocoRosie come dangerously close to pulling it

by Gareth K Vile WILL THIS BE THE SUMMER OF LOVE (SLIGHT RETURN)? As you’ll have read within these column inches before, ever y first Sunday on the month, the YourSound event at King Tut’s has offered unsigned bands the chance to reach a range of key music industry delegates. To celebrate the end of the initiative’s second year, twenty bands have been chosen to appear on a special stage at the Connect Festival which takes place at Inveraray Castle on 31 Aug until 2 Sept.

Festivals seem to dominate the month: the unseasonable Indian Summer arrives at Victoria Park (14-15 July) where, joining the FLAMING LIPS and WILCO will be local cats such as MAKE MODEL and EMMA POLLOCK. Then there’s Trocabrahma (various venues 27-29 July) placing top acts in a single location. Trocabrahma is a celebration of Brazilian culture, and OS MUTANTES (27th, Fruitmarket) give us the most unlikely reunion gig of the year. Os Mutantes were Brazil’s answer to the Velvet Underground, a delirious mixture of samba and psychedelia.

Appearing alongside the BEASTIE BOYS, BJORK and local legends THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, a PVH, TAKE A WORM FOR A WALK cursory glance at the list demon- WEEK and french solo-drum maniac strates how much talent Glasgow is ANDRE DURACELL take the 13th generating these days: WE ARE THE Note on the same night PHYSICS will shout their way through a headlining set on the Saturday, while the TWILIGHT SAD (see our album of the month last issue) will whisper heart-wrenching consolation on the Sunday. Other bands run the gamut from funky ( JACK BUTLER) through punky ( APPLE SCRUFFS ) and alt.country ( LE RENO AMPS) to indie ( THE SCARLET, HI 5 ALIVE).

Aside from this, July is pretty quiet: the Barrowlands is dark, and even the ABC has more clubs than gigs. But, on the 7th July, Bloc takes over the Classic Grand for a night to celebrate some of its most successful bands and DJs - this month sees TWIN ATLANTIC agitate the funk. Bear witness.

SOUNDS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI It took will power to resist slapping a classic snap of Paula Abdul and MC Scat Cat in Sounds to celebrate this ‘opposites’ issue. But, once we realised how very badly that might pan out, we thought again and sent Finbarr Bermingham after the North’s Bif fy Clyro and the South’s Bloc Party to get some inside perspective on their respective ascents up the album charts this year. Then, we reckoned, if it’s the fickle nature of the music industry we’re talking, why speculate with our own pens when we can simply seek the wisdom of the musicians who once revolutionised it? Enter Jane’s Addiction legend and guest Sounds columnist Perry Farrell. You heard. Now we’re cooking; may as well talk to Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello about why he traded in his Les Paul for an acoustic guitar and find out how these Queens of the Stone Age are getting to grips with the modern age too eh? Meanwhile, on our own East coast, Degrassi, Fuck-Off Machete and Snow Patrol alum Little Doses tell us about their own evolution, as does the West’s Jenny Reeve (of Reindeer Section and Eva fame), resurfacing with her new band Strikes the Colours... And to think we nearly settled for a picture of a pissed pop star philandering with a cartoon feline eh? /Dave

BATTLE HYMNS OF

The Nightwatchman

“Ye a h, b ot h show s went g r e at . For t he Nightwatchman show on Saturday I didn’t know if it was going to be all Rage Against the Machine fans ready to mosh - but there were thousands of kids packed into that tent. It was about 107 degrees in there and they seemed to be hanging on every word so I think that was a good sign.” YOU’VE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR IN FRONT OF HUGE CROWDS FOR YEARS BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE STEPPED INTO THE LIMELIGHT AS A SINGERSONGWRITER IN YOUR OWN RIGHT. AFTER ALL THIS TIME STANDING AT THE RIGHT OF THE STAGE, DO YOU NOW HAVE A LOT TO UNLOAD FROM THE CENTRE OF IT? “It’s very liberating; it really is a one man revolution. If there’s a benefit concert, a protest or a peace rally, all I need to do is pick up my guitar and go. We don’t need to have any band meetings; we don’t need to have any tour managers or anything. It feels very do it yourself and it’s very empowering in that way and it’s making music for the right reasons.”

COLUMN

INTERVIEW

COLUMN

INTERVIEW

32-33

PREVIEW

32-33

INTERVIEW

LIVE MUSIC & FEATURE

36-37

LIVE MUSIC & FEATURE

38-39

THIS MONTH’S REVIEWS

40- 41

A MUSO’S TOP 10 THE HORRORS The Horrors are just one of many bands The Skinny digs who are playing T in the Park this month. We recently accosted Rhys (AKA ‘Spider’) Webb and made him give his top tunes of the moment. “They can all be sourced,” he assures us. “They’re not just obscurities for the sake of it.” If the man’s enthusiasm is anything to go by, he must be seriously feeling these melodies...

1. JOE MEEK AND THE BLUE MEN – I HEAR A NEW WORLD 2. DELIA DERBYSHIRE – ZIW-ZIH ZIW-ZIH OO-OO-OO 3. MITTY COLLIER – PAIN 4. VARIOUS - RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE 5. PORTER WAGNER – RUBBER ROOM 6. THE MONKS – I HATE YOU 7. JULY – DANDELION SEEDS 8. JOHN LAYTON – JOHNNY REMEMBER ME 9. THE CHANTS – I DON’T CARE 10. CALEB – BABY YOUR PHRASING IS BAD

illustration: Calum Carr, www.myspace.com/calumba

SOUNDS CONTENTS INTERVIEW

“I’m sad not to be playing T in the Park this year,” Tom Morello confides. “I’ve always had great shows in Scotland, the fans have been awesome from the Barrowlands on up and the Nightwatchman looks forward to haunting the moors there soon.”

THE HORRORS PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 8 JULY. WWW.THEHORRORS.CO.UK

It’s more like glens up here, Tom. “Oh boy, whatever you say. Well, wherever there’s hauntable territory, that’s where I look forward to.” All current affairs considered, Morello has bigger issues than wearing a white sheet and running around a heather-clad valley to keep himself busy this summer. The Skinny catches this particular guitar maverick in jovial mode as he outlines the premise behind his new alter-ego, the reasons for switching his Digitech Whammy for an acoustic and addresses that slight niggling issue of questing for radical socio-economic and political change on a global scale… UP UNTIL JUST RECENTLY, NIGHTWATCHMAN GIGS HAVE MOSTLY TAKEN PLACE AT OPEN MIC NIGHTS

28 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

by Dave Kerr

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’S GUITARIST PICKS UP AN ACOUSTIC? HAS THE WORLD GONE CRAZY? PROBABLY. TOM MORELLO TELLS US WHY...

DITORIAL * EDITORIAL * EDI TOM MORELLO METAL UP YOUR ASS MISHKIN PERRY FARRELL QOTSA LATITUDE BLOC PARTY BIFFY CLYRO EDINBURGH LIVE GLASGOW LIVE ALBUMS & SINGLES

CHRIS BATHGATE CHECKS IN WITH HIS OLD DEGRASSI BANDMATE AND A COMPANY THAT INCLUDES EX-SNOW PATROL AND FUCK-OFF MACHETE FUGITIVES TO FIND THAT GOOD THINGS COME IN...

SPEAKING ABOUT THE MUSIC; LYRICALLY, THE ONE MAN REVOLUTION ALBUM SEEMS QUITE SPECIFIC IN THE WAY IT ADDRESSES VERY CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL AND SOCIAL INJUSTICES. BUT YOUR SOUND IS MORE AKIN TO THE CLASSIC REBEL SONG. WHAT MADE YOU TAKE A STEP BACK FROM YOUR WAH-WAH PEDAL? “I’ve played so many of these protest shows, union rallies and anti-war rallies… a lot of the time, the songs that are sung at these events are songs from the Sixties or even earlier and I thought ‘we need songs for now, we need songs that are unblinking in their standing up to what’s going on’ and so the Nightwatchman is at your service.”

Little Doses It’s no secret that the Scottish music scene is fertile ground. New bands spring up every week and just as often vanish within six months or a year and almost anyone in a decent group has survived at least a few others. So it comes as no surprise that most of Little Doses have had fingers in various pies before this one went in the oven: Mark McClelland (bass) was a founder member of Snow Patrol, Michael Branagh (drums) has been with (the mighty! - Ed) Degrassi from the beginning and Paul Mellon (guitar) used to play in Fuck-Off Machete.

Started after a drinking session in the infamous Columbia Hotel in London, Little Doses are fairly reluctant to speak about their former music projects in any depth. “We wanted to be judged on our own merits,” singer Kirsten Ross explains. Mark concurs: “We were always going to be judged by our previous bands, so we spent an awful lot of time in a rehearsal studio before we ever came out. We spent six months practicing.” Sound advice, and after only a year, Little Doses admit that with only “around thirty” gigs under their belt, they haven’t quite “ripped the arse out of it.” Still, pretty steady work for a fledgling band. Their favourite gig so far was a recent T-Break set at King Tut’s in Glasgow, where reviews were highly favourable though they didn’t make it through.” They did, however, win Vic Galloway’s TBreak quiz, netting £250 of record vouchers and jealous looks from the other entrants. With gigs coming up over the next few months, having racked up several shows at Cabaret Voltaire and Braehead Arena, with appearances at Wickerman Festival and another jaunt to Tut’s on the cards, they’re ready to move things up a gear.

by Chris Bathgate

quartet say they’ll be wasting no time in posting tracks on their MySpace page in the next few weeks. “A lot of the stuff Mark wrote before the band came about,” says Kirsten of their catalogue. “I don’t want things to continue like that, though. I want things to be greater than the sum of their parts,” offers Mark. Further questioning on their inf luences produces a few direct leads on where the direction is headed. “I think there’ll be a lot of variety on recordings. We’re a powerful, melodic band with hooks and songs,” says Michael. “It’s exciting,” elaborates Mark, “we see it primarily as a pop band. Live, we like to put our feet up on the monitor now and again, but we do have acoustic songs, and enjoy doing those as well. Our songs are 75 per cent about relationships. I think we’re a bit like Elastica, if Justine Frischmann could sing,” he muses. “That’s reasonably close!” agrees Michael, inspiring him to kick off a roll call of their lyrical heroes. “Our favourite lyricists are probably Aidan Moffat, Shane McGowan and Nick Cave,” he reasons. “Bright Eyes!” enthuses Mark. “Mick Fleetwood!” Kirsten weighs in too. “I like Stephen Malkmus!” offers Paul. “People who can say straightforward things without sounding stupid.” Kirsten pipes up, more forthright. “Every day someone pisses you off. I’m sick of seeing indie-boys cry-wanking on stage!” she spits, before much laughter ensues. That fact alone should make you want to hear them. LITTLE DOSES PLAY KING TUT’S, GLASGOW ON 17 JULY AND

Having recently booked themselves into Chem19 studios with Andy Miller to record new tracks and continue to develop their sound, the

SOUNDS

WICKERMAN, DUNDRENNAN ON 21-22 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/LITTLEDOSES

“EVERY DAY SOMEONE PISSES YOU OFF. I’M SICK OF SEEING INDIE-BOYS CRY WANKING ON STAGE!” - KIRSTEN ROSS

“IF THERE’S A BENEFIT CONCERT, A PROTEST OR A PEACE RALLY, ALL I NEED TO DO IS PICK UP MY GUITAR AND GO.” - TOM MORELLO

IN AND AROUND LOS ANGELES AND VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN HEARD ANYWHERE ELSE. WOULD YOU CARE TO UNRAVEL SOME OF THE MYTH? “I started writing and playing these songs almost five years ago now, as an outlet to let my shadowy world view of politics loose on an unsuspecting world, one coffee house at a time. There was Audioslave on the one hand and then Axis of Justice - my non-profit political organisation - on the other, but for me something was missing which I came to realise was me using my voice and my creativity as a musician to get my two cents out there. It was actually the day after the 2004 election when Bush was re-elected that I decided at some point there was going to be a Nightwatchman album because somebody’s got to start hitting back.” YOU APPEAR TO BE HITTING BACK PARTICULARLY HARD AT THE MINUTE, GIVEN THAT HEAVILY ANTICIPATED COMEBACK OF RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE AND YOUR BIGGEST FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE AS THE NIGHTWATCHMAN BOTH TOOK PLACE AT THE RECENT COACHELLA FESTIVAL ON THE SAME DAY. GOOD TO BE BACK?

SINCE THIS GENESIS OF THE NIGHTWATCHMAN AND THE RETURN OF RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE WAS QUICKLY SUCCEEDED BY THE DEMISE OF AUDIOSLAVE, WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE? “I’ve got much extensive Nightwatchman touring to do and I’ve got a catalogue of about 55 Nightwatchman songs that I feel really good about, so there’s going to be many more Nightwatchman albums, that’s the plan. I really love doing this music and I love the fact that it feels like a mission as much as it is a career. I just wrote a song for Michael Moore’s new movie Sicko which is coming out pretty soon. The freedom to express myself anywhere anytime, whether it’s an anti-war rally, or whether it’s for a movie that I believe in, or whether it’s for people at a club show or a huge festival, it does feel like this is what I should be doing right now.” AND, IN TERMS OF RAGE: DO YOU SEE LIFE BEYOND THE UPCOMING GIGS WITH WU TANG CLAN LATER ON THIS MONTH AND THE ONE-OFF WITH QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE IN AUGUST? “Right now, we only have plans to do those shows. But, that’s not to say we won’t play more beyond that...” For all his revolutionary intent, it seems that the skillful art of diplomacy is not lost on Tom Morello. Whether or not Rage Against the Machine can stick around remains to be seen. But, with The Nightwatchman now on shift, it seems clear that Morello’s eye won’t be slipping from a utopian prize anytime soon. ONE MAN REVOLUTION IS OUT NOW ON EPIC. MYSPACE.COM/THENIGHTWATCHMAN

SOUNDS

www.skinnymag.co.uk

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

SOUNDS EDINBURGH by Fraser Thomson HERE’S TEN FACTS, ONE FOR EVERY YEAR SINCE I STOPPED LEARNING PROPER STUFF...

5 FREE SONGS YOU CAN LEGALLY DOWNLOAD, LISTEN TO AND LOVE by Sean Michaels

It’s ten yea rs this summer since I wal ked across the stage of Edinburgh’s McEwa n Ha l l a nd was boshed on the head by the leftovers of John Knox’s trousers. Or, as it’s more com monly called – graduated. Yes, the summer of ‘97; I left academia with an MA(Hons) in Folklore. And a bundle of ambition. I reckon I’ve achieved a lot in those ten years. I’ve seen more bands, interviewed more musicians and played more Snow Patrol records than I could ever have dreamed of. But when an anniversary comes around you tend to reflect. I was recently thinking “Have I learnt anything in the last decade?” The answer is, well, kind of. But it’s all been from pub quizzes and really bad television shows...

BIFFY CLYRO - www.faction.co.uk

BIFFY CLYRO / AEREOGRAMME POTTERROW, 31 MAY

While grown men sob salty tears into pints of cheap Fosters as they whimper “don’t break up!”, Aereogramme’s resolve is staunch in their delivery of this last (ever?) Edinburgh show. With a promiscuous array of textures to call upon from their nine year wide palette, tonight they segue fluidly between approaches to The God Machine’s fragile beauty and a heavier, more sprawling apocalyptic wail and drone that dwells in the same post-rock quarters as recording pals Isis. “A potent mix of wonder and fear” and a punishing loss to be sure, yet a baffling majority would still prefer to keep Pete Doherty in business. And so the ball is firmly in headliner Biffy Clyro’s court to pick up the crowd’s eyes as the trio throw themselves into 57 with everything they’ve got, which bodes well for the ferocious play of Saturday Superhouse and the bittersweet ballad with machine gun drumming that Get Fucked Stud turns into. It seems that setting the album charts alight is what the Biffy are at last achieving with their fourth LP, yet the calmer, relatively more restrained moments that perhaps burrowed them a little deeper into the pop rock buyer’s psyche still aren’t a patch on the unadulterated version. [Dave Kerr]

Water is a standout track which works well stripped down tonight. Sounding a little like Snow Patrol without the rhythm section, the Fault are, however, different enough to distinguish themselves. With more gigs planned they should be ones to watch. Slim Francis are Aric Carroll and Matt Johnson. Playing traditional rock songs on life and love, they generate a big sound from a short scale Gibson SG. It’s a powerful combination that matches Carroll’s smoky vocals nicely. Unfortunately, with most of the crowd drinking in the bar upstairs the sound is deafening in front of the stage and most of the good amplification is lost echoing around the room. It’s only when a string breaks and Mike Baillie lends his acoustic that the true feeling of the songs comes through. And it’s dangerously good – those bittersweet melancholy sounds that whisky is guzzled to after a breakup. [Chris Bathgate] BAILLIE AND THE FAULT PLAY THE ART SCHOOL, GLASGOW ON 20 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/SLIMFRANCIS MYSPACE.COM/BAILLIEANDTHEFAULT

VERSACOUSTIC

THE BONGO CLUB, 3 JUNE

CABARET VOLTAIRE, 2 JUNE

These “month of Sundays” gigs across Glasgow and Edinburgh are set up to be the perfect antidote to the excesses of the night before: entry is free through a competition in the Sunday Herald; the lights are down low, the music for the most part is soft and soothing and you can also sample free pints of a new beer, providing your hair-of-the-dog refreshment. There we have the ambience, but what about the tunes?

A sudden thunderstorm ensures a sparse turnout tonight. Baillie and the Fault are down to two members from their usual four but play a professional acoustic set nevertheless, slightly surprising when they’ve cut their teeth purely by using gigs as rehearsals. The vocals and guitars are clear and well appreciated and Dark

Providing support is upbeat jazz c o m b o D a s C o n t r a s, w h o s e number may be cut to a trio today, but this only highlights the virtuoso playing of their pianist and an eternally smiling saxophonist. Lead singer and guitarist Sher Watson’s Latin-inflected vocals may make him sound like he’s from the barrios

BIFFY CLYRO PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 8 JULY. MYSPACE.COM/AEREOGRAMMEOFFICIAL MYSPACE.COM/BIFFYCLYRO

SLIM FRANCIS / BAILLIEAND THE FAULT

36 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO July 07

AEREOGRAMME - www.faction.co.uk

rather than Fife, but we can allow them this conceit, as at least the music itself rings true. Glaswegian folkie Alasdair Roberts plays up to the low-key nature of the event by barely playing any of his own numbers, instead playing a selection of his favourite traditional folk songs, including a haunting ballad about the Dark Prince by Duncan Williamson that couldn’t help but send a shiver down the spine. The darkness of the material seems appropriate for the dimly-lit setting, and even a wailing baby in the crowd can’t scupper the brooding power of Molly Bawn with its tragic tale of mistaken identity. [Barry Jackson] MYSPACE.COM/VERSACOUSTIC

TIGERFEST ’07:

FOURTEENHOURS / VIVA STEREO, THE LOFT, 25 MAY The beauty of live music often lies in those moments when an unexpected waft of soul-juddering sound floods your eardrums. But delving into the unknown does not always produce positive results – as tonight’s Tigerfest offering regretfully proves. A Very Secret History’s last minute withdrawal (unfortunately due to a member’s ill health) fails to set the show off on a good foot and opening act Fourteenhours (2/5) struggle to lighten the tone of The Loft’s cavernous surroundings. Full of jangling hooks and up-tempo pop ditties, the Edinburgh quartet lacks the punch or vibrancy to inject any life into a languid Jam-inspired set that borders on monotonous. At least Viva Stereo (3/5) manage to blast away the cobwebs with the surging sound of their Primal Scream-esque digital punk. Bereft of a live percussionist’s pulsating velocity, this energetic performance still suggests a bright future for these local electro-experimentalists once a few technical glitches have been attended to. [Billy Hamilton] MYSPACE.COM/VIVASTEREO MYSPACE.COM/FOURTEENHOURS

LEITHFESTIVALSESSIONS:

ABERFELDY, AMPLIFICO, THE JACKALS, THE VALKARYS LE3 @ OCEAN TERMINAL, 10 JUNE Welcome to Ocean Terminal: half a million square feet of shopping space, four rock n roll bands... and you! Tucked away in the corner of Leith’s enormo-drome shopping mall, LE3 is a music venue Jim, but not as we know it, and it’s surprising that only one of the bands on the bill allude to the Spinal-Tap-esque nature of the environment. Still, a respectable, if rather modest crowd gathers for the last of the Leith Festival Sessions. Whoever described The Valkarys (2/5) as “the Scottish Libertines” possibly needs their head examined, as their plodding, half-arsed set never rises above a pedestrian pace. Interminable squeedly-dee guitar solo following interminable squeedly-dee guitar solo does not a great gig make; their cause not being helped by a drummer who is so out of time he might as well be playing in a different venue, on a different night. Things liven up a little with the onset of The Jackals (3/5); a septet who condense all their evident influences into a big, melodic, if at times a little messy, sound. Their frontman Scott Wallace gets the crowd up off their backsides with a little charm and a soulful wail of a voice, while a dancing, Bez-a-like trumpeter keeps everything on the up beat. Next up come the no-strangers-tothese-pages Amplifico (4/5) who don’t disappoint. Donna Maciocia is certainly possessed of a great voice, which the murky PA system isn’t doing justice to. What stops the band from being Coldplay fronted by KT Tunstall is guitarist Ross Kilgour, who keeps pulling ever more interesting guitar effects from his bag of tricks, and a powerful rhythm section who make sure the audience is never less than attentive for their duration.

So, I thought I would share some of this knowledge with you, as you never know when the fact you know the dog in Hart to Hart was called Freeway might come in handy. Here’s ten facts, one for every year since I stopped learning proper stuff:

ABERFELDY - www.fisherphotographics.co.uk

The future seems uncer tain for headliners Aber feldy (4/5), who arrive on-stage minus their female contingent. “We’re having some problems at the moment,” sighs Ross Riley with genuine understatement, but they still manage a solid set including old favourites such as

Vegetarian Restaurant, all with the aid of a very generous and evidently very capable friend of the band filling in the large musical gaps left by the ladies. Where they go from here though, seems anyone’s guess. [Barry Jackson]

Ghostface

1. ABX - THE GHOSTFACE OF YOU LINGERS (GHOSTFACE VS SPOON) Staten Island’s a long way from Austin, but Ghostface Killah’s finally vaulted Middle America to lend his flow to the work of Texas’s minimalist rock princes. ABX - member of The Hood Internet, a wunderkind new mashup crew, - lets Ghostface mc over Spoon’s stuttering piano, their ghostly call and answer making something that’s both determined and lost, ambivalent and desperate. DOWNLOAD AT: HTTP://TINYURL.COM/3AYOVT

2. THROW ME THE STATUE - LOLITA

by Duncan Forgan

Lolita is one more great pop song in a long line of great pop songs about girls who may not quite be of legal marryin’ age. Like Guided by Voices with added strum and glockenspiel, Brian Wilson with a bedroom hard-on, Scott Reitherman’s made a song of glee and anticipation, of love or perhaps just lust.

THERE’S ENOUGH GOLD IN THEM THERE VENUES TO KEEP THINGS TICKING OVER NICELY July in Edinburgh tends to be a strange kind of month, gig-wise. The depletion of the city’s student population, the annual calm before August’s Fringe storm, and the fact that most of the major bands are off peddling their wares on the summer festival circuit means that as the season hots up, the Capital has a habit of winding down. But, while it’s fair to say that the most pressing engagements for most of Edinburgh’s music lovers lie outwith the city limits at events such as Indian Summer in Glasgow and at T in the Park, there’s enough gold in them there venues to keep things ticking over nicely.

unofficial Poet Laureate of the former PM’s era - still gets plenty of mileage from his half-spoken, half-sung tales of post-millennial Britain and is sure to pack the punters in for his Edinburgh appearance. Also returning to the Capital this month are Irish classicists THE THRILLS. The Dubliners have been beavering away on their third album, their first since 2004’s Let’s Bottle Bohemia, and will be road-testing their new wares on their summer tour. Surprisingly enough for a band that were at one time tipped to go stratospheric, the venues for the tour veer towards the smaller end of the scale, but the intimate surrounds of Cabaret Voltaire could be just the right size to showcase their undoubted knack with a soaring melody to full effect. They play there on the 1st.

Gig of the month (and most probably of the year in this time-warped hack’s opinion) has to be the super heavyweight soul summit at the Playhouse on 2 July featuring the right Reverend AL GREEN and southern-soul heroine CANDI Don’t expect much on-stage chatter STATON. Live events rarely come at the Cab on 5th when Portsmouth more seismic than this. lo-fi tyros the STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND hit the stage Back on a more contemporary note, - the band’s shtick involves comthere’s plenty to get exited about. municating to their audience solely The other major gigging event of through the means of placards. the month comes on the 27th when Arty. Expect a bit more interaction THE STREETS pay a visit to the Liquid at the same venue a week later Room. While Tony Blair might now when Edinburgh’s own punk-rock be a barely lamented figure of the train-wreck THE VIVIANS conjure past, Mike Skinner - arguably the up some fury.

SOUNDS

DOWNLOAD AT: WWW.230PUBLICITY.COM/TMTS.HTML

3. THE WRONG TROUSERS - VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR (VIDEO) You’d have to use youtubehack.net to turn this video into a free mp3, but personally I advise buying a portable TV and carrying this video with you at all times. Three California teens busking on a sidewalk; mandolin, harp, and upright bass. The Buggles’ classic has never sounded so daft, so joyful, so thrust through with childhood want and the pleasure of playing. DOWNLOAD AT: WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/?V=VSUX9BYU6NY

4. THE LEANING TOWERS - RICH ENOUGH TO IGNORE IT The Leaning Towers ruminate on regret, disappointment, things not working out as planned. But whereas others would do this dustily, mournfully, these kids use tambourine, tuba, synths, a guitar-line that weaves and glimmers like light through leaves. “Probably should be singing redemption songs / instead of filling out exemption forms.” The thoughts of a thousand singer-songwriters, staring at their Council Tax forms.

SOUNDS

LIVE MUSIC

Highlights by Ted Maul

EDINBURGH

GLASGOW

STRANGE DEATH OF LIBERAL ENGLAND kick off Ahead of their T in the Park appearence, those behea sparse month of music in Edinburgh with a gig at moths of low intelligence, KASABIAN will be rocking the CABARET VOLTAIRE on 5 JULY. This hotly-tipped Portsmouth

ABC on 7 JULY. It’s lowest common denominator, populist

five-piece write expansive, passionate music that boldly sticks two fingers up at the zeitgeist. Frontman Adam Woolway’s tremulous vocals may lay on the melodrama a bit too thickly at times, but his performances are certainly unique - there’s a very real chance that you may become completely enraptured with this band.

stuff, but that seems to be what makes the kids happy these days. Getting blind drunk will assuage the guilt, and probably make the tunes sound better.

BLONDIE and ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN hold your wallet to ransom with a gig at EDINBURGH CASTLE on 13 JULY. Deborah Harry and co, may be 20 years past their prime, but only a fool would suggest that seeing them perform at the castle would be anything less than an event. The brooding pop of the Bunnymen may seem like a strange support, but chances are they’ll also shine at such a special venue. Rounding out the month are NYC hip-hop posse GYM CLASS HEROES, whose infectious rhymes and live instrumentation are bound to get STUDIO 24 bouncing on 18 JULY. These cats may be walking a fine line between genuine exuberance and dreadful cheese, but they really put their backs into it. Did we mention it’s a slow month?

TOWERS OF LONDON have always been massive wankers, but The Skinny was one of the first to champion them. The reason? We saw them play Bannerman’s and they rocked. Simple as. Against all the odds, they seem to have become even more obnoxious, idiotic and laughable in the intervening years. This might be a car crash, but that’s just what you crave isn’t it? You sick fuckers. GARAGE, 17 JULY.

THE BE GOOD TANYAS round out this strange month at THE CITY HALLS on 22 JULY. Hailing from Canada, this female three-piece play traditional folk, country and bluegrass. Warm, rustic and just a little bit skewed, this music has been described variously as ‘goth-folk’ and ‘hobo-erotica’. Now return to your porch rockers and resume whittling.

* Mamma Mia by ABBA is the only song to reach number one in the UK when the title of the song was mentioned in the number one immediately prior to it - which was Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. * The most played video on MTV is Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer. * The biggest selling single not to reach No. 1 is Wham’s Last Christmas. * B&Q stands for Block and Quayle, the founders of the original DIY store. * Jim Morrison was the first rock star to be arrested on stage. * It is possible to cook fish in a dishwasher. * The song “Who ate all the pies” was first sung at a man called Selwyn, from Todmorden, at a Scunthorpe vs Burnley match. * The most popular name for a cow is Bessie. * The song Love Rollercoaster by the Ohio Players contains a scream that may or may not be someone getting murdered. * Before achieving fame as a singer, Billy Bragg worked as a goatherd and a petrol pump attendant. Maybe you can cut out and keep this column in your purse or wallet just in case you’re ever at a drinks reception and run out of conversation. Maybe one of these facts will appear at the next quiz night you are at, then you’ll be quids in. Or you could just forget all this and move onto the next page.

The Be Good Tanyas play the City Halls on 22 July

Regardless, I hope these facts have enriched your life like they did mine. It’s just a fraction of what I’ve learnt during ten years in the University of Life. Maybe it’s time to return to full time education… HEAR FRASER THOMSON’S SHOW ON XFM SCOTLAND (105.7-106.1FM) FROM 10AM-1PM, MON-FRI.

DOWNLOAD AT: WWW.AARONMACDONALD.COM/ELEVENTHHOLE.HTML

5. CASSIE - ME & YOU (SIIK REMIX) Cassie’s r&b hit, cool and arm’s-length, has here been rendered in shades of rose and gold - warm, soft, underlined with pulses of organ and her own flowering voice. Siik’s amazing version of Amerie’s One Thing was a similar reimagining - the brash made tender, intensity dialed down to a summertime languour. DOWNLOAD AT: HTTP://SIIK.ORG/THE-REMIXES/

Jim stands on dogshit

www.skinnymag.co.uk

Kasabian play ABC on 7 July

July 07 ISSUE TWENTY-TWO

METAL UP YOUR ASS! S T R A CH

JIM GELLATLY’S X-POSURE TOP 10

SOUNDS

SOUNDS As many of Edinburgh and Glasgow’s local bands pack up their gear, hire a transit van and spend a few days of drinkaddled hedonism on the road in July, there seems to be slim pickings on the underground scene this month. Never to worry though, as Metal Up Yer Arse strips the tasty meat from the bones of a month that includes the return to Scotland of some hardcore heroes and a day of sun, sea, ska and more.

STRIPPING THE TASTY MEAT FROM THE BONES OF JULY... by Jamie Borthwick

1. THE WHITE STRIPES - ICKY THUMP 2. REVEREND AND THE MAKERS

- HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

3. THE CRIBS - MEN’S NEEDS 4. THE DOWN & OUTS - JULIE ANDREWS 5. PAUL HAIG - REASON 6. EMMA POLLOCK - ADRENALINE 7. THE TING TINGS - THAT’S NOT MY NAME 8. VON SUDENFED - FLEDERMAUS CAN’T GET IT 9. COLIN MACINTYRE - STALKER 10. INTERPOL - THE HEINRICH MANEUVER

The Cathouse is the place for your Danish metalcore on 3 July, with touring Nuclear Blast signees MNEMIC pounding out melodic thrash with a smattering of electronic keyboard bashing. The following day, Carling Academy welcomes Zakk Wylde’s southern metal juggernaut BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to town for some slow burnin’ chug’n’shred heaviness. Despite some confusion over the venue (at time of writing it looks like Glasgow’s Classic Grand) enthusiasm is sure to be through the roof for Boston hardcore belters CONVERGE on Friday 6 July. With strong critical reception for last year’s release No Heroes, and a cult following assured after 2001’s classic Jane Doe, this show is certain to be packed, wherever they decide it to be held.

MUSIC:RESPONSE TOP 10

1. THE CORAL - WHO’S GONNA FIND ME? 2. BIFFY CLYRO - FOLDING STARS 3. THE THRILLS - NOTHING CHANGES AROUND HERE 4. NINE BLACK ALPS - BURN FASTER 5. THE RAKES - THE WORLD WAS A MESS BUT HIS HAIR WAS PERFECT

Somewhat off the beaten track is live music day at North Berwick’s Recreation Park on Saturday 14 July. Now in its fifth year, this year’s event includes metal, hardcore, ska and rock from the likes of BEN COZINE, TAKING CHASE, BOMBSKARE and TYRANT LIZARD KINGS.

6. THE DYKEENIES - CLEAN YOUR EYES 7. THE HOLD STEADY - CHIPS AHOY! 8. COLDWAR KIDS - HANG ME UP TO DRY 9. THE HOURS - ALI IN THE JUNGLE 10. MAKE MODEL - LSB

TOP 5 RECOMMENDED ALBUMS

1. THE ENEMY - WE’LL LIVE AND DIE IN THESE TOWNS 2. THECHEMICAL BROTHERS - WE ARE THE NIGHT 3. THE EDITORS - AN END HAS A START 4. BEASTIE BOYS - THE MIX UP 5. SMASHING PUMPKINS - ZEITGEIST

Black Label Society

Back at the Cathouse, there’s a set from Welsh heidbangers SHAPED BY FATE on Monday 23 July with support from THE FUTURE, and Aberdonian metal nutters CLEARER THE SKY play Edinburgh’s Subway Cowgate on Friday 27 July with BEYOND THE BURIED and (we do like good band names) Borders post-hardcore experimentalists CHIVALRY’S DEAD, SUGAR.

EAR-BENDING GENRE CROSSBREEDING, WITH DREADLOCKS

Mishkin It increasingly seems that the solution to finding your niche in the grander scheme of alternative music is simply to chuck a bit of everything in the mix, affix some casually indifferent vocals and hope for the best. Mishkin embrace the spirit of the diverse, shapeshifting rock band with a gay abandon that makes songwriting sound as easy tuning up your axe, flinging on a few CDs and laying down a critically acclaimed EP in a few hours. Alas, as

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by Jamie Borthwick many an aspiring band knows, it’s never quite as simple as all that. But with songs that smoothly glide between heavy and mainstream, melodic and pulverising, the 2006 release State of Mute Fear throws its marker down as an arrival for Mishkin to the national and international stage. Those already indoctrinated into the Mishkin live experience are drawn by the tunes that command the immediate formation of a pit. The tracks then turn on a sixpence into any number

of sonic departures: bass grooves, hushed melodies and vibing jazz are all in the repertoire, with an admirable array of vocal performances to boot. What else could you expect from a vocalist who lists his influences as Slipknot, Madness and Jack Johnson? Or a bassist mixing up Silverchair, The Cinematic Orchestra and New Kids on the Block? You get the feeling these guys would make up an ace mix tape, given the chance.

this year toured China, playing the massive Midi Festival in Beijing. Currently signed to indie label Grillburn, they embark on a UK tour this July, calling at Monty’s in Dunfermline on the 11th and Edinburgh’s Bannermans Bar on the 12th with local support. Nights of mottled rock-outs, ear-bending genre crossbreeding and dreadlocks aplenty await wherever they tread this summer.

Going together since 2003, the five Leeds lads

MYSPACE.COM/MISHKIN1

MISHKIN PLAY BANNERMAN’S, EDINBURGH ON JULY 12.

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THERE’S AN ENGLISHMAN, AN IRISHMAN AND A SCOTSMAN GOING TO T IN THE PARK. BEFORE THEY GO, THE IRISHMAN ASKS THE OTHER TWO FOR THEIR THOUGHTS ON PATRIOTISM, SUCCESS, AND THE ODD ARSEHOLE...

Bloc Party vs...

Probably not the most solid foundation to base an interview on, but as it turns out, Matt Tong has an awful lot to say. An unlikely spokesman for the band, Tong has assumed much of their media activity for their latest album, an interesting tactic considering the outspoken nature of frontman Kele Okereke. But after half an hour spent with The Skinny, Tong’s strangely endearing stammer and refreshingly honest persona suggests it’s a prudent decision. With an industry driven bandwagon of political and socially “aware” artists in full motion, it’s sometimes difficult to ascertain whether there is any substance behind it. Bloc Party are one such group, and few take themselves more seriously. “The undercurrent of violence and racism in the UK,” and in particular the troubled climes in the capital are unsurprisingly “worrying” for Londoner Tong. His views on the root of the problem, however, are slightly more forthright. “It’s symptomatic of the English embrace of American culture. The media have taken a lot of US values and made them normal. So now it seems commonplace that gang culture is rife in London.” Ask him about the stereotypical English view of the Scottish, and he lets fly with another tirade. “Red headed, angry and alcoholic. I don’t subscribe to it though, the English have used that for years to cover up their own frailties. You just have to look at the hooligans flying English flags all over the world. And then the Americans slag off the English in turn, to disguise their problems.” Tong’s reluctance to embrace patriotism extends to a certain weariness of the British music indus-

try. With the levels of attention given to all the next brightest hopes by the likes of NME, who championed Bloc Party, it must be hard to ignore. Tong brands such overexposure “harmful” but explains that sometimes, it’s just better to smile and nod. “We knew it was going to happen. But you can’t assume you’re above it, even if it can be a hindrance. I think we give our fans some credit though, quality prevails.” Those guilty of wrapping their arms around celebrity culture are dismissed by Tong as “puppets,” and he has no qualms in giving his views on some of the more notorious pawns. “Johnny Borrell is an arse. Write that down. And Pete Doherty too. I have my opinions and sometimes I’m wary of them being misconstrued. But they’re just fucking arses.”

So Ben Johnston of Biffy Clyro assures The Skinny. Now, breathing down Rihanna’s neck in the album charts and gracing the front cover of rawk rags up and down the country, it would seem that Biffy are no longer just Scotland’s favourite ba nd. Thei r growth from

One would be forgiven then, for thinking there was little about Tong’s native green fields that gives him pleasure. Au contraire...

“THERE’S SOMETHING BLOODY MARVELLOUS ABOUT MORRIS DANCING, NIGEL MANSELL AS WELL.”

“Well there’s something bloody marvellous about Morris Dancing, if you’re talking about traditionally English things then that’s it. There’s something so intrinsically silly about it that makes it fantastic. Nigel Mansell as well.” Is it for his charisma? “No it’s his moustache, I think for the same reasons I like Morris Dancing.” BLOC PARTY PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON

“Cynical of what the industry has to offer,” it seems that Bloc Party have a long and illustrious career ahead of them. But, in this age of frequent reformation, what does the long term future hold? “We’re gonna split up after the third record,” he asserts with his tongue boring a hole in his cheek. “We’ll develop a Pixies-esque cult following that explodes into something far and above what we experienced in our original lifetimes and come back for a multi-million pound tour. That’s the plan.” Not a huge Police fan then? “Sting can fuck right off!”

6 JULY. WWW.BLOCPARTY.COM

As known associates of Franz Ferdinand and confessed lovers of contemporary Scottish music, Matt also proves himself as a historian, suggesting the successful Scottish underground scene can be traced back to the Act of Union. “The richer scene stems from a perpetration of trust by the English. Scotland had to maintain a sense of identity which results in the whole thing being

... Biffy Clyro “We don’t walk about in kilts or anything, but we love where we’re from!”

more interesting than the English. I’m not a massive fan of bagpipes though!”

local heroes to national stars has been well documented but Johnston assures us they’re not about to forsake their Scottish roots, indeed that’s what he attributes the trio’s success to. “The element of Scottish culture that is apparent in us, is our fighting spirit. We always feel like we have something to prove, and if we lacked resolve, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”

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Despite not being an overtly demonstrative group, this patriotism seeps into their political views. Johnston admits the band are “thrilled that the SNP have won. It’s great that Scotland are able to make their own choices.” And what of the nation’s music scene? Having grown within it, the band are placed in a unique position to judge just how good a condition it’s in. And Johnston waxes lyrical: “In Scotland I don’t think there are any negatives. We have everything from Mogwai to Snow Patrol, Texas to Jesus and Mary Chain. And they don’t seem interested in copying anyone. We are proud to be part of such a creative country.” However, such praise is not wholesale. Whilst Johnston seems genuinely enamoured by the majority of the industry folk, of course there are exceptions. “There is the odd arsehole. We didn’t get on with The Ordinary Boys or Tower s O f London, who biz a r r e ly b o t h

illustrations: Charlotte Rodenstedt, www.bloodyhoney.co.uk

“Who the fuck wants to know what I think? I’m only the bloody drummer in Bloc Party for God’s sake!”

by Finbarr Bermingham

ended up on Big Brother - you work that one out.” Despite hitting harder upon the big-time only recently, Biffy Clyro have enough experience under their belt to qualify for semi-veteran status. Shameless self promotion a la Donnie Tourette and Preston must surely be an alien concept, though Johnston is quick to point out the main pitfall to taking the back door. “I feel sorry for them. It’s a quick way in, but a rapid demise.” Whilst a rapid demise is not on the cards for Biffy, their rise has been steady and anything but meteoric. Having been shunned by the NME a few years back, they now find themselves riding the crest of a wave partly generated by that same publication. Does this blatantly fickle attitude grate with them? “Not at all. It was frustrating at first when the NME were slating us, but I guess they just didn’t get us. The people at these mags that hated us seem to have left anyway, so it’s all good.” Ben confesses that whatever the motivation of the press, “like every other band we want to be on the front covers, but it’s not the most important thing for us. In saying that, we do get a real thrill when we walk into a newsagent’s and see our faces looking back at us.” It looks they’ve got many more thrills to look forward to. PUZZLE IS OUT NOW ON BEGGARS BANQUET.

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BIFFY CLYRO PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 8 JULY.

“WE ARE PROUD TO BE PART OF SUCH A CREATIVE COUNTRY AS SCOTLAND.” - BEN JOHNSTON

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WWW.BIFFYCLYRO.COM

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AFTER

by Perry Farrell

The climate in the music industry is, I would say, terminal; record companies just get sicker and sicker, their immune system is down. The way I look at it, they could be wiped out within two years’ time – it’s that serious! Why will this happen? Well, basically because of downloading and the digital revolution of the last few years. The World Wide Web was set up in 1991 and in that very short time the world was linked and whatever can be transferred in that world - including music - has been too. People are not buying records the way that they used to and the record companies don’t know what to do. So, as healthy as the festivals look, I’ll tell you why they work; people love music, and they do want to go out there and see musicians.

Now, the cancer that exists in the system can be explained like this: to get groups out there touring and getting the word out with all the marketing that goes into that, they need to be heard, they need to be heard on the radio, in the house, on the iPods, in the car. And if they don’t have record companies in place to do that many groups don’t even get a chance to get out there and tour. You can go to MySpace today and listen to them but if they don’t have the money to go out and tour then the radio stations aren’t going to support them. Because according to the system you need to have a product and you go out there and you promote that product.

“THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH YOU CAN DO TO DESCRIBE IT, AT SOME POINT YOU’VE JUST GOT TO STEP UP AND PLAY.”

TURNIN’ ON THE SCREW

by Dave Kerr

AS THE QUEENS CHARGE TOWARD BALADO WITH A NEW ALBUM AND YET ANOTHER CHANGE IN PERSONNEL, DAVE KERR DISCUSSES HR POLICY WITH THE DESERT DWELLING SET... “It’s kinda hard to say. You’re right, that’s a wanky question,” scoffs Troy Van Leeuwen. Shit. Interrogating a known sharp wit about the “evolution” of the band that he’s spent the last five years of his life in - one of the most important rock ‘n’ roll bands we’ve seen in the last decade at that. What the hell was The Skinny thinking? “There’s only so much you can do to describe it,” reasons Troy, “at some point you’ve just got to step up and play.” Billed as one of the Sunday night headliners at T in the Park - a healthy leap up the bill from their last appearance two years ago - Scotland is about to lea rn, f i rst hand, about what the desert collective have been cooking up since 2005’s Lullabies to Paralyze. A new era, the Era Vulgaris, has just dawned for the Queens, as Josh Homme’s multiinstrumentalist cohort tells us… “This one is a very modern record. Well, modern

in that it sounds different for Queens of the Stone Age. It’s also modern in the sense that it was written and recorded at the same time: in the studio, fresh out of the tap, unfiltered almost, you know, raw and it’s very short, 11 songs. Usually we pack it full, but we just figured that, this time, the most concise statement, like: ‘Boom, boom, boom, I know you don’t have the time and neither do I, so here’s what we have to say and we’re gonna do it really quick and to the point’ was the way to go. It’s modern in that it’s a continuous play and it’s a quick message.” IN TERMS OF THAT MESSAGE AND THINKING ABOUT THE UNUSUAL PUBLICITY SURROUNDING THE ALBUM – WE WITNESSED A SMALL BLIMP CIRCLING PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA WITH THE ILLUMINATED MESSAGE ‘Q.O.T.S.A - YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID – ERA VULGARIS’, BACK IN APRIL – IT SEEMS THERE’S A MISSION STATEMENT OF SORTS IN THERE. BESIDES MESSING WITH PEOPLE’S HEADS, WHAT’S IT ABOUT? “The title is basically a loose rope around all the songs. It’s really just saying that, in this modern age, this is what we see, this is what we think and we’re into our generation. I think it’s a good time. There’s a lot of figuring out that people want to do and have to do and there’s a lot of information out there. And while people are figuring out what they want to do there’s all this other stuff to check out. So, in the process of figuring out what it is that you want out

of life there’s all this stuff you get to try. And it’s in the trying that you almost stay there. You almost go ‘wow, there’s so much here, I have to make sure I get through all of that before I move on’.” EQUALLY AS MYSTERIOUS AS THE ALBUM’S PR TRAIL IS THE SUBJECT OF WHO PLAYED A PART IN THE RECORDING OF IT: WHETHER YOUR ESTRANGED PARTTIME VOCALIST MARK LANEGAN WAS BACK, IF JESSE KEELER FROM DEATHFROMABOVE1979 WAS ON-BOARD TO PLAY BASS, HOW TRENT REZNOR FITTED INTO THE EQUATION AND SO ON. SO WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE END AND WHAT DID THEY BRING TO THE TABLE? “Jesse from DeathFromAbove came down to do a soundtrack with us, but it didn’t work out; we ended up doing a totally different song to what he was doing, so he’s not involved at all. With Trent, we toured with Nine Inch Nails last year and I’ve also done so when I played with A Perfect Circle so I’ve run into him many, many times and we just seemed to hit it off. As he was finishing Year Zero there was sort of a tit for tat situation where Josh went and sang on something. I’m not sure it ended up on his record but he came down and sang on our title track and it was very quick, he’s such a pro. He showed up, sang and it was done. He’s not dicking around.” BUT ISN’T THAT TRACK – THE TITLE TRACK AT THAT -

MISSING FROM THE FINAL MASTER OF THE ALBUM? “It’s kind of like our little joke. Actually, believe it or not it didn’t fit within the sequence of the record, it sounds a little different to most of it. The record has a specific flow and we couldn’t find a slot for it, so we just figured it could be like a commercial for the record. There’s an ode to the song though, it’s like a keyboard interlude between songs that borrows the melody line. The other contribution was where Lanegan sang on River in the Road, it’s almost a choral effect, lots of vocals, so you can’t really tell it’s him, which is sad.”

SO YOU’VE GOT MR CASABLANCAS FROM THE STROKES, FUCKIN’ IT UP ON A QUEENS TRACK WITH A CASIO SYNTH GUITAR? “Fuckin’ it up, old school.”

WHAT? MARK LANEGAN’S VOCALS, BURIED? “That’s what we thought. Julian Casablancas turned up for Sick, Sick Sick, which he also played Casio guitar synth on. It’s the crappiest guitar; it’s like a toy with a plastic body and these plastic strings. He wouldn’t let it go, he loved it so much he kept playing it and playing it until we had to say ‘OK, you can play on the song’.”

THE REVOLVING CAST OF PLAYERS SEEMS TO FIT QUITE NEATLY WITH THE OPEN DOOR ETHOS THE BAND OFTEN PROMOTES, BUT THE CORE LINE UP OF YOU, JOSH AND JOEY (CASTILLO – DRUMS) IS THE MOST STATIC THAT THE QUEENS HAVE EVER BEEN, ISN’T IT? “Joey and I started on the tour for Songs For The Deaf at just about the same time and we did the last record too. The three of us have a good thing going but we don’t really take it for granted that it’s always going to be this way. It’s static that it’s the same people but we’re always trying to show each other something new and I think this record is a good representation of that. It displays what a band like this can do, with nothing prepared and I’m really proud of it.”

AND YOU DIDN’T HAVE IT IN YOUR HEARTS TO SAY ‘LOOK, NO, THAT’S NOT GOING TO FLY ON OUR RECORD CASABLANCAS, GET OUT?’ “Right, but that’s what we’re all about. It’s like, who would ever pick up a toy guitar synth and say ‘well I’m gonna play this with Queens of the Stone Age’? He played it and somehow it works… I dunno why.”

…REZNOR, LANEGAN AND CASABLANCAS: THAT’S A HEALTHY STABLE OF COLLABORATORS… “Oh yeah. Another one to mention is Chris Goss who co-produced the record with us. He played a lot of keyboards, some guitar and his influence is always welcome… gotta love Chris. Masters of Reality are great, one of my favourite bands.”

Time to step up and play, then. WORD HAS IT THAT YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW PLAYERS TOURING WITH YOU. WHO ROUNDS OUT THE TOURING BAND THAT YOU’RE BRINGING WITH YOU TO BALADO? “Our new bass player Michael Shuman is from Wires on Fire. Alain [Johannes] and Natasha [Shneider, both of cult band Eleven and part time members of the Queens themselves] produced their album. The keyboardist, Dean Fertita, was on tour with the Raconteurs last year, he was their 5th member. They’re gelling well with the band, really good players. Some fresh blood, y’know?” I think we do. And with that analogy, it’s hard not to imagine the recruitment process for a Queens of the Stone Age player being something like the blood-from-a-wine-bottle scene in The Lost Boys. By Troy’s own admission, the Queens are a “tight unit,” and Era Vulgaris only sees their game coming back up to the indelible par that their fans have come to expect, over the years and through the woods. ERA VULGARIS IS OUT NOW ON INTERSCOPE. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 8 JULY. WWW.QOTSA.COM

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New groups, when they first start out, they might get paid a nominal fee to play a show. There are four or five people in the group, plus the roadies, the manager and the booking agent involved. They’ll usually lose money on those early shows, so who’s gonna pay for it all? It used to be that the record company would step in with the tour support, but they knew that they would get their money back because they have something like a five year or three record investment. They do not do that anymore, they will not give tour support because record contracts do not include t-shirts or live appearances. So the record company essentially only makes money on records, which the public aren’t buying anymore. So what’s happening is bands aren’t getting a real chance to get out there anymore and perform because they can’t sustain themselves on the road.

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LATITUDE

by Duncan Forgan

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SOUNDS Queens of the Stone Age

British. Summer. Festivals. It’s amazing how the juxtaposition of three simple words has the power to divide the nation’s music fans down the middle. In one camp are those for whom the opportunity to let down their hair in an over-sized paddock is a welcome rite of passage as synonymous with the season as striped deckchairs and an early British exit at Wimbledon.

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For a significant proportion of others, however, the growing scale and commerciality of the major festivals – not to mention the reliably crap toilets, the teeming mass of drug and drink addled humanity, the questionable sound values, rip-off prices and the overweening emphasis on ‘having a good time, all the time’ – are reasons enough to spark a virulent outbreak of fear and loathing. Strange as it may seem, this polarisation has actually brought about a hugely positive evolution on the summer circuit, namely the advent of the ‘Boutique’ festival. The label may be vaguely cringe-worthy, but the growing realisation of promoters that there might just be leverage in staging intimate and relaxed events in surroundings that don’t resemble a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah is worthy of a few Hosannas. Certainly, there was no shortage of praise for Suffolk’s version of the downsized music-bash, Latitude, when it debuted in the lush surrounds of Henham Park Estate near the town of Southwold last year. With stellar performances from bands including Antony and the Johnsons and Mogwai rubbing shoulders with arty poetry happenings and decent grub amid a bucolic lake and tree studded setting, reviews were of the rave variety. Latitude has even been touted as an alternative to the sold-out Glastonbury with Michael Eavis, figurehead of the legendary Somerset shindig, remarking on its similarity in vibe to the early days of his own festival. While the world’s hippest dairy-farmer may have offered his words as a sop to the legions unable to scoop a ticket for Glasto, the line-up for this year’s Latitude definitely stands up to comparison with the rest of the competition.

So we have to come up with a new system; there has to be something. I think it has to do with going on the internet, getting these free downloading systems and using them to set up a donation based sponsorship system. Right now the musicians are getting ripped off by the file sharing services because they’re not giving the musicians anything. So what if you can hear them on MySpace if they can never afford to play outside their own home town, or if they do, they won’t be able to advertise their tour. So it’s important that there’s an additional tour support and marketing support for these groups. Maybe we could follow the example set by sports. In US colleges, kids get a chance to go out there and perform and you get to see them on the college soccer or football team. You know that they’re going to turn pro but until then the college is supporting them. We don’t have any system like that in music. It used to be that they go out there and spend the first few years not making money but at least they were supported – that’s gone now and we need to get it back.

The music runs a gamut of styles – everything from painfully hip Brazilian party-starters CSS to the unashamed rock classicism of Yanks Midlake and The Hold Steady – while serious care seems to have gone into providing plenty of alternatives to watching bands, with tents catering for comedy, poetry, literature and cabaret giving extra weight to Latitude’s tag line of ‘more than just a music festival.’ There’s no doubt, however, that the majority of punters will be swayed more by the quality of the tunes than the promise of performance poets and tasseled-breasts and the band line-up certainly looks pretty decent. Friday night’s headliner Irish minstrel Damien Rice may not be to everyone’s taste but he is followed at the top of the bill on Saturday by Damon Albarn’s gloom-rock supergroup The Good The Bad & The Queen and on Sunday by Arcade Fire, both of whom could stake a fair claim to being among the most compelling live acts in the world right now. And with Jarvis Cocker, Cold War Kids, The Rapture and Wilco among a swag-bag of other highlights it’s fair to say that Latitude is coming from a righteous angle in the boom of the Boutiques.

PERRY FARRELL’S NEW BAND, SATELLITE PARTY, PLAY T IN THE PARK, BALADO ON 7 JULY. THE ALBUM, ULTRA PAYLOADED IS OUT NOW ON COLUMBIA WWW.SATELLITEPARTY.COM

WWW.LATITUDEFESTIVAL.CO.UK HENHAM PARK, SOUTHWOLD

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SUFFOLK, 12-15 JULY.