ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
Chic – I Want Your Love
Tim Maia – A fim de voltar
The Weather Girls – It's Raining Men
Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes – Get Dancin
Listen to this playlist on Spotify — search for 'The Skinny Office Playlist' or scan the below code
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by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Dundee
Meet the team
Championing creativity in Scotland
We asked: What's your messiest recollection of going clubbing? Senior Editorial
Rosamund West Editor-in-Chief
"I can't remember [redacted]"
Peter Simpson Deputy Editor, Food & Drink Editor
"Charli xcx’s Partygirl set at Glastonbury was like going clubbing surrounded by a flock of coked-up geese."
Anahit Behrooz Events Editor, Books Editor
"Am so well behaved that one time my friend and I were loitering in The Mash House corridor and people started showing us their stamps to get in. At a certain point we started enforcing it. A queue formed."
Jamie Dunn Film Editor, Online Journalist
"I went to Glasgow Uni dive The Hive after drinking all day, went straight to the loos, vomited, fell asleep on the toilet, and woke up just in time to leave before I was locked in for the night."
Tallah Brash Music Editor
"Convinced I was wearing a tube dress under a top, I took the top off, quickly realised I had a skirt on, and flashed my very booby bra to everyone in Sneaks. It was 2010 and I did not care."
Commissioning Editors
Cammy Gallagher Clubs Editor
"Found myself awoken in Prague by binmen removing their skip I had fallen asleep against."
Laurie Presswood General Manager
"It's not the recollections that concern me so much as the gaps in between them."
George Sully Sales and Brand Strategist
"I got so lost in a club in Newcastle that I kept asking security how to leave. The last one I spoke to said, 'You're already outside, mate.'"
Eilidh Akilade Intersections Editor
"Liam from Bake Off, I loved chatting to/at you."
Rachel Ashenden Art Editor
"I dropped my phone down a portaloo in Barcelona (and it was still working 12 months later)."
Dalila D'Amico Art Director, Production Manager
"Let's just say the CCTV footage is classified."
Sandy Park Commercial Director
"Falling asleep on a speaker at Studio 24, resulting in a perforated ear drum."
Phoebe Willison Designer
"Not telling, but you can find out for yourself on 7 March at my first ever club night (Honey @ Poetry Club, SWG3) because I am a DJ now along with the rest of the planet."
Ema Smekalova Media Sales Executive
"Post-club, my friend and I started dancing with a man playing the xylophone on the Cowgate. A big group formed. It was so adrenaline-inducing I proceeded to run the entire way home."
Polly Glynn Comedy Editor
"House party, at least one bottle of Barefoot rosé, several whisky jelly shots, mineswept at Hive til Five, pushed friend home in a trolley, very ill, went to a day of Fringe shows in Cab Vol, couldn't move from my seat, wanted to die, got back on it."
Ellie Robertson Editorial Assistant
"I've had people try and pick fights with me but when I'm drunk I think everything's a joke and just laughed in their face. The next day I realised how close I came to getting battered but that's just life when you're tough as nails like me."
Emilie Roberts Media Sales Executive
"I once started crying in a Berlin nightclub called Fuck 3000, if that counts. I was 100% sober."
Rho Chung Theatre Editor
"I once went on an impromptu night out and ended up in a polycule."
Editorial
Words: Rosamund West
It’s a film special! As Jamie says in the introduction to this month’s theme, now that it’s getting a bit lighter outside we’re once again advising you to retreat into a darkened room and enjoy some of the many and varied delights on offer in the many film festival programmes launching in Scotland this month.
Our lead feature is an interview with Alex Hetherington and Simon Eilbeck, the director and subject of The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, which opens Glasgow Short Film Festival this month. It’s also a portrait of queer club night Hot Mess and the essential sanctuary it has created. As HippFest returns to the Bo’ness Hippodrome with its 15th edition, we talk to the composer who’s a regular fixture in silent film programming, Neil Brand, as he prepares for his greatest challenge yet – to improvise a score for a film he hasn’t seen before.
Diving into the Glasgow Film Festival programme, we talk to director Jim Hosking about Ebony & Ivory, which reimagines Paul MCartney and Stevie Wonder spending 48 hours together on the Mull of Kintyre. We meet Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis to hear about Flow, his low budget, dialogue-free animation about a band of animals surviving the end of the world, and talk to Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios about La Cocina, a drama set in the high-pressure environment of a restaurant kitchen. Books joins in the film special with an interview with Xuanlin Tham, whose debut book Revolutionary Desires explores the politics of the sex scene.
Music meets Sacred Paws, back with their third album, Jump into Life, after a mind-bending six-year hiatus. Guitarist Ray A s and drummer Eilidh Rodgers talk friendship, songwriting and exploring the relationship between folk music and race.
We also take a trip out to East Lothian, to poke about Scotland’s only vinyl pressing plant, Seabass Vinyl.
Art takes a deep dive into the RSA New Contemporaries exhibitor list and offers a rundown of some of the works you’ll find in this year’s mega survey of Scottish art school graduates. Clubs marks International Women’s Day, talking to much-loved club collective Miss World about their decade of platforming and training women DJs and promoters. Theatre looks forward to the launch of the Scottish Casting Network workshops, which work with bricks and mortar institutions to make a low barrier space for connecting actors with casting directors and theatre companies. Comedy talks to Catherine Bohart about setting boundaries for confessional comedy as she returns to Scotland with her award-nominated show Again, With Feelings! Intersections marks World Doula Week, talking to some Scotland-based doulas and birth companions about their work and the need for radical change in the approach to birth support. One writer takes a trip to ScotiaCon, the nation’s premier weekend convention for the furry community, which somehow used to take place in the Highlands but is now safely ensconced in a Glasgow hotel.
Design takes a trip to Fife for Hag, a craft exhibition responding to the area’s bloody history of witch trials. Food goes to Glasgow for some very good coffee in the East End’s Through the House. We close the magazine with a real curveball – The Skinny on… Shaun Williamson, that’s Barry from Eastenders to you and me, who’s provided us with a very brief insight into his preoccupation with the tax man as he prepares to roll into town with his much-anticipated BARRIOKE karaoke night.
Cover Artist
Dalila D’Amico is an Italo-Brazilian designer and the production manager / art director of this magazine. She believes in the power of design to persuade, inspire, and differentiate – but mostly, she believes in deadlines. Which is why, after failing to find someone last minute, she ended up designing this cover herself.
Love Bites: Housewives To Lean On
This month’s columnist reflects on the peculiar joy and surprising insight of the Real Housewives franchise
Words: Jodie Leith
Agroup of women stir at a dinner table. They swirl their white wine before unleashing fury – a cyclone of peroxide. Glasses fly. Sometimes artificial limbs, too. Underpaid staff shuffle nervously in the background. I can’t help but watch, my eyes fixated on the screen. The shrieking exchange of insults has been the soundtrack of my life for many years – a warm sound bath of privileged chaos.
What began as Andy Cohen’s love letter to the suburban satire Desperate Housewives, quickly evolved into a powerhouse slice of unattainable life. The Real Housewives – whether of New York, Salt Lake City, or Beverly Hills – is now a staple in the television diet of many, including me.
Housewives quickly became a shorthand form of communication among my family, friends, and co-workers. We trade in quotes and memes while occasions are marked by gifts of unlicensed merchandise that memorialise the larger-than-life cast’s most absurd moments (specifically those fuelled by a combination of alcohol and sunstroke).
Yet beneath the veil of clickbait lies something more profound. On Housewives, women of a certain age, rarely depicted in media, hold meaningful friendships and chart the complexities of life together. Some of the most touching and sensitive scenes are embedded between heavy-handed innuendos and the shoehorned party-of-the-week. A widow travels to collect the ashes of her late husband; a desperate mother stages an intervention for her son’s escalating addiction. The Housewives face similar stru les to us all. There’s darkness among the light, I realise – you must simply look beneath the glitter.
But they also provide the cure – a dose of hilarity at the expense of the often oblivious starlets or distraction from the everyday with their dizzying penthouse problems. It’s the ultimate Big Sister Television; equal parts obnoxious and earnest. The Housewives are there in the darkest of times, offering a pixelated shoulder to lean on. Just don’t cry on the Chanel.
Pictured: The Pride of the Clan (1917), The Mary Pickford Foundation
Heads Up
Glasgow Short Film Festival
Various venues, Glasgow, 19-23 March
There is an incredible local focus in this year’s GSFF programme. The opening film, The Disco: A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, is a gorgeous 16mm celebration of the queer Glasgow DJ and founder of Hot Mess; Edinburghbased author Xuanlin Tham curates a programme that explores sex as a dissolution of boundaries ahead of their upcoming book; and Kialy Tihngang premieres their film Out of Office.
AMPLIFI
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 19 Mar, 8pm
Now in its fifth season, acclaimed gig series AMPLIFI returns to The Queen’s Hall, spotlighting new and emerging musical talent across Scotland. This month sees them welcome Gaïa, a singer-songwriter in Glasgow’s new jazz scene blending R‘n’B and neo-soul; Edinburgh-based soul singer Liz Pretty Sweet; and Segun Aniyi, a Scotland-based Afrobeat artist from Lagos.
In celebration of our film issue, we have plenty of film festivals this month, as well as moving image exhibitions and gigs, club nights and theatre for good measure.
Compiled by Anahit Behrooz
Honey
SWG3, Glasgow, 7 Mar, 11pm
A brand new club night dedicated to platforming new and up-and-coming female and gender nonconforming DJs, Honey is a guaranteed good night out at SWG3’s The Poetry Club. Expect everything from hyperpop and disco to house and dub, with DJs playing short sets and switching up the vibe.
Catalan Film Festival
Various venues, Scotland, 8-31 Mar
Zvakazarurwa Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, until 25 May
Jerwood Survey III Collective, Edinburgh, until 4 May
A major biennial touring exhibition presenting work by ten early career artists, the Jerwood Survey is coming to Scotland for the first time following almost a year travelling around the UK. Featuring work by Che Applewhaite, Aqsa Arif, MV Brown, Philippa Brown, Alliyah Enyo, Sam Keelan, Paul Nataraj, Ciarán Ó Dochartaigh, Ebun Sodipo and Kandace Siobhan Walker, the exhibition spans sound, painting, sculpture, moving image and installation.
Wild Rose
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 6 Mar-19 Apr, various times
Head to the Lyceum for the world premiere of Wild Rose, a gorgeous new musical based on the acclaimed 2018 film. A young Glaswegian single mother dreams of escaping her life to make it as a country singer in Nashville in this heartwarming exploration of motherhood and ambition, featuring songs by Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton among others.
Steve McQueen: Grenfell
Tramway, Glasgow, 8-23 Mar, various times
One of the UK’s most significant contemporary filmmakers, Steve McQueen is the renowned director of the likes of 12 Years a Slave, Small Axe and Occupied City. His moving image work Grenfell is a document of the aftermath of the Grenfell fire, and the political and social neglect that it threw into relief – it’s touring the country over the next two years, with five showings a day over two weeks in Tramway.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Various venues, Glasgow, 12-30 Mar
The
Duck, Glasgow, 22 Mar, 11pm
AYA
Flying
Portia Zvavahera:
Image: courtesy of Catalan Film Festival
Photo: Dee Iskrzynska
Courtesy Stevenson and David Zwirner.
Photo: Mario Todeschini
Photo: John Coloran
Photo: Matt Crocket
Originally commissioned for Jerwood Survey III (2024-25), led by Southwark Park Galleries and supported by Jerwood Arts. Photo: Rita Silva
Photo: Chaz Scott
Image: courtesy of artist
Image: courtesy of GSFF
Image: courtesy of @honeyclub.gla
Alex Hetherington’s The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck
La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, 21 Mar, 7pm CHVRCHES frontwoman Lauren Mayberry is striking out on her own, having released her debut solo album in January of this year. Vicious Creature recalls CHVRCHES’ distinctive synth-pop sound with a more nostalgic pop bent, with big hooks reminiscent of the best of noughties pop, set against Mayberry’s deft and defiant lyricism.
Confessions of a
Shinagawa Monkey
Dundee Rep, Dundee, 6-8 Mar, various times
Based on short stories by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami, Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey is a co-production between Glasgow’s Vanishing Point and Kanagawa Arts Theatre of Yokohama, using incredible performance and puppetry and lighting and sound design to tell a story that is half-whodunnit, half-exploration of human compulsion and redemption.
Jude Browning: Ranters 16 Collective Gallery, Glasgow, 7-23 Mar
A new solo exhibition from Glasgowbased artist Jude Browning takes place in 16 Collective’s new gallery space at Trongate. Blending performance, installation and music created in collaboration with Nat McGhee of rising punk outfit Comfort, Ranters reimagines the idea of public space through expressions of dissent and radical reclamation.
Clairo
O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, 16-17 Mar, 7pm
Lo-fi pop princess Clairo is fresh off her third album, the critically acclaimed Charm. Sweet, slow, and twangy, Charm is an intimately observed and delicately expressed exploration of desire and vulnerability. Drawing on the mellow smoothness of jazz and the gentle vocality of folk, Clairo’s music is feather soft but packs an emotional punch.
HippFest
The Hippodrome, Bo’Ness, 19-23 Mar
Scotland’s only celebration of silent cinema and live music is back with another edition full of beloved and undiscovered gems from the pre-Talkies era. Discover the beautiful 1926 portrait of Indigenous Sámi life in Inka Länta’s Winterland, Alfred Hitchcock’s pulpy debut The Pleasure Garden or the longlost Chinese gem The Cave of the Spider Woman
Bab L’Bluz
Stereo, Glasgow, 13 Mar, 7pm Reclaiming the blues for North Africa, Bab L’Bluz are a Moroccan outfit blending blues rhythms with lyrics sung in the Moroccan-Arabic dialect of darija. Their music sits at the intersection of traditional and cutting edge, paying tribute to the heritage that came before them, while also looking forward to new practices.
RSA New Contemporaries 2025
RSA: Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 22 Mar-16 Apr
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Barrowlands, Glasgow, 12 Mar, 7pm
Various venues, St Andrews, 14-16 Mar
SHERELLELAND x Leztopia x Postal
Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, 23 Mar, 11pm
StAnza
Photo: Susu Laroche
Photo: Tim Phillips
Image: courtesy of Sneaky Pete's
Photo: Charlotte Patmore
Image: courtesy of Stereo
Image: courtesy of The National Library of Norway
Photo: Lucas Creighton
Photo: Shinji Hosono
Image: courtesy of 16 Nicolson Collective
Agnes Roberts, Untitled (Tomato), oil on board
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Alycia Pirmohamed
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey at Kanagawa Arts Centre, Yokohama December 2024
Bab L'Bluz
Pan Si Dong, The Cave of the Spider Woman, 1927
Jude Browning
Clairo
Lauren Mayberry
What's On
All details correct at the time of writing
Music
March brings an early taste of festival season to Scotland with the Aberdeen Jazz Festival (13-23 Mar) featuring the likes of Georgia Cécile (Lemon Tree, 14 Mar), the Matt Carmichael Quintet (The Blue Lamp, 22 Mar) and Chun Wei-King, India Blue, Laura Oghagbon and Dara Dubh (The Blue Lamp, 23 Mar). In Glasgow, the latest installment of Govan Music Festival (26-29 Mar) returns to Govanhill featuring Becci Wallace, Steg G and Ant Thomaz, who’ll be launching his new album GAIA at the festival.
Speaking of launches, in Edinburgh, HENS BENS bring their computeraided pop-rock chaos to Sneaky Pete’s (6 Mar) to celebrate World’s Strongest Band, while rapper Tzusan launches Ponzu at the Leith Cricket Club on the 7th (or catch him at The Poetry Club, Glasgow, 14 Mar). Later in the month, join East Lothian instrumental prog-rock outfit Idiogram as they launch Reunion of Broken Parts at The Caves (22 Mar). Over in Glasgow, Majesty Palm celebrate their stunning debut pop EP Learning to Swim with an intimate show at The Alchemy Experiment (8 Mar), while the Glasgow Slowcore Compilation Launch is happening at The Rum Shack (14 Mar) with Sulka, Loup Havenith and more. At The Hug & Pint on 16 March, Glasgow art-rock outfit Water Machine launch their new single Tiffany, with comfort and Count Florida on support. Later in the month, F.O. Machete’s rescheduled Mother of a Thousand album launch is on at Nice N Sleazy (23 Mar), while Sacred Paws celebrate Jump Into Life at Mono (30 Mar).
Outwith launches, Bikini Body and Conscious Pilot round off their UK tour with dates in Glasgow (The Rum Shack, 7 Mar), Edinburgh (Leith Cricket Club, 8 Mar) and Aberdeen (Tunnels, 9 Mar). At the Tolbooth in Stirling, in partnership with The SAY Award, Kathryn Joseph performs Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I Have Spilled (8 Mar) and Admiral Fallow perform Tree Bursts In Snow (15 Mar). In Glasgow, Radiophrenia host Light At the End of the Dial at The Glad Cafe (15 Mar) featuring two new works by David Grubbs, Luke Fowler and Brunhild Ferrari. While in Edinburgh, celebrating International Women’s Day, supergroup Machine Orchid – Aurora Engine, Caro Bridges and Emma Lloyd – host a gig and singing workshop at Leith Arches (9 Mar) with all profits going to Women’s Aid Edinburgh. AMPLIFI returns to The Queen’s Hall with Gaïa, Liz Pretty Sweet and Segun Aniyi (19 Mar), and Works In Progress III takes over Leith Depot featuring Cici, Siân and Jebel Musa (20 Mar).
If you’re still looking for local acts to check out, catch neverfine at Sneaky Pete’s (8 Mar), Vukovi at SWG3 (9 Mar), or Haiver at King Tut’s (15 Mar). Lucia and the Best Boys play SWG3 (20 Mar), Lauren Mayberry plays shows at the Barrowlands (20 Mar) and La Belle Angele (21 Mar), and Cloth play MacArts (22 Mar) and Tunnels (29 Mar). When it comes to touring talent, head out for bdrmm (QMU, 9 Mar), Michael Kiwanuka (Usher Hall (12 Mar), Snapped Ankles (Room 2, 14 Mar), Juanita Stein (Nice N Sleazy, 18 Mar; Sneaky Pete’s, 19 Mar), The Dare (QMU, 21 Mar), Moonchild Sanelly (King Tut’s, 23 Mar), Ditz (The Hug & Pint, 25 Mar) or Geordie Greep (The Liquid Room, 30 Mar). [Tallah Brash]
Film
March is chockablock with film festivals. In these pages you can read features on Glasgow Film Festival (till 9 Mar), Glasgow Short Film Festival and HippFest (both 19-23 Mar).
On top of these, there’s the tenth edition of the Catalan Film Festival (8-30 Mar), which brings an eclectic selection of Catalan cinema to venues
Photo: Marisa Privitera
Photo: Louise Mason
Photo: Ronan Park
Lucia & The Best Boys
Snapped Ankles
F.O. Machete
across Scotland (GFT, Cameo, DCA and Eden Court among others). And just across the border is Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (27-30 Mar), which presents a sharply curated programme of formally daring artists’ moving image films and exhibitions. Look out for a retrospective on the work of Japanese filmmaker Eri Makihara – BFMAF’s screenings will be the first time Makihara’s films have exhibited outside of Asia – and the UK premiere of Sacha Amaral’s The Pleasure Is Mine.
One of the most powerful cinema experiences in Scotland this month will surely be Tramway’s screenings of Grenfell, Steve McQueen’s moving document showing the ruins of the tower block fire where 72 people died in 2017. It’s playing at Tramway for a fortnight, from 8 to 23 March, with five screenings of the film per day, which are free but ticketed.
Once the curtain comes down on GFF, Glasgow Film Theatre will host two unmissable retrospectives. They’ve teamed up with Hunterian Museum to present Derek Jarman: Modern Nature on Film. This month they screen Jarman’s The Last of England (16 Mar) and The Garden (30 Mar), with more screenings in April. The second retrospective is a nine-film season dedicated to Chantal Akerman. Jeanne Dielman (15 & 18 Mar), News from Home (23 & 26 Mar) and Je Tu Il Elle (30 Mar, 2 Apr) are the first offerings, with the other six films in April.
Perhaps watching work by these masters of queer cinema will inspire you to take part in SQIFF’s Filmmaking Workshops for QTIPOC+ people These sessions are free; they cover DIY approaches, finding actors, sound recording and editing; and run every Sunday throughout March at Transmission in Glasgow. Details and tickets at sqiff.org/events
If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a plethora of Q&A screenings at Cameo in Edinburgh this month. Zacharias Mavroeidis brings his sexy metacomedy The Summer With Carmen, about two BFFs planning a film while sunning themselves at a nude beach / gay cruising spot, on 3 March; imagine Pedro Almodóvar crossed with Charlie Kaufman to get a sense of its delightful vibe. Laura Carriera presents On Falling, her insightful social realist drama set in Edinburgh, on 13 March. And actor Ryland Brickson Cole Tews is repping the wild slapstick epic Hundreds of Beavers on 18 and 19 March. [Jamie Dunn]
Clubs
Fancy testing your tunes on a big rig? On Thursday 6 March, Glasgow’s Hometown Sound host a two-hour open decks dub club from 7pm at The Art School. Afterwards, head to Sub Club for POST CREDITS – a genre-blurring evening brought to you by Glasgow Film Festival & MUBI (6 Mar). On Friday 7 March, Karenn (aka Blawan and Pariah) return to Sub Club for Spirit with Bake, and are set on putting one question to bed – who is the best techno live act on Earth? At Stereo, all your hard house and makina needs lie at Minx inc ⪼ Beyond Borders with Anne Savage and Oakzy B (7 Mar).
On Saturday 8 March, DJ Godfather descends on Glasgow’s Clydeside with ghetto tech in abundance, as Taikano returns to The Ferry. Alternatively, party to bubbly house with Peach at The Berkeley Suite, let loose to a leftfield mix of electro from Identified Patient at La Cheetah, or get turnt to Bristolian bass with Forest Drive West, Pessimist, and Danielle (8 Mar).
On Friday 14 March, don’t sleep on Skinny Dipping 01 ~ Aircode & Han at EXIT from 8pm (14 Mar). On Saturday 15 March, Celtic Erections resurrects with a three-day St. Patrick’s programme spread across Scotland. You can catch Edinburgh’s art and music collective FEMMERGY at Biscuit Factory (21 Mar). Sherelle brings the best of UK jungle to The Berkeley Suite, while 160 legend LCY lands at EXIT (22 Mar). Alternatively at The Flying Duck, fresh off an experimental Hyperdub album, check out AYA (live) – certified doozy (22 Mar). Lastly, catch serious 140 sets all night long at FUSE Gla x Stereo: Kahn & Neek (28 Mar). [Cammy Gallagher]
Art
Lighter days bring a feast of visual art, as exhibition openings abound this month in Edinburgh. From 8 March, celebrate the centenary of Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay with a display of his sculptures, prints and archival material at National Galleries of Scotland (Modern Two).
Then, from 15 March, head to the Talbot Rice Gallery for an exhibition exploring social justice through the diverse perspectives of working-class Welsh communities, Danish anarchists and Indigenous representatives from
Image: courtesy of Sneaky Pete's
SHERELLE
Jeanne Dielman
Femmergy
The Summer With Carmen
Hundereds of Beavers
The Pleasure Is Mine
Photo: Alexander Smail
the Colombian Amazon. Walker & Bromwich / Searching for a Change of Consciousness is on view until 31 May.
At Stills, Centre for Photography, a group exploration of working-class creativity 36 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989-2024 opens on 21 March.
Returning for its sixteenth year, the Royal Scottish Academy’s annual survey exhibition of emerging artists and architects launches on 22 March. RSA New Contemporaries offers a glimpse of what’s next for contemporary art and architecture in Scotland, with the work of 63 art school graduates under one roof.
Atop Calton Hill, Jerwood Survey III continues at Collective Gallery, with a cohort of early-career multimedia artists grapple with a breadth of pertinent subject matters, from colonialism to climate change, sexuality to spirituality. With a ‘non-institutional’ curatorial approach, artists were nominated by established figures, such as Alberta Whittle selecting Aqsa Arif.
Meanwhile, in Glasgow, Tramway screens Grenfell, artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen’s poignant response to the 2017 fire that claimed 72 lives in West London. Created to ensure the tragedy is never forgotten, the film runs in ticketed screenings from 9 to 23 March.
Also in Glasgow, 16 Collective – a feminist curatorial collective with a gallery space – presents Ranters, a solo exhibition by Glasgow-based artist Jude Browning. Drawing inspiration from the 17th-century mystical anarchist sect known as the Ranters, Browning explores feminist vocality in political resistance. Look out for the two live performances and the workshop that accompany the exhibition, on display from 7 to 23 March. [Rachel Ashenden] Theatre
March in Scotland sees a number of national tours and independent shows for all ages. A Play, A Pie and A Pint begins their Spring season with Éimi Quinn’s Dookin’ Oot, based on the writer’s own experience of surviving cancer as a teenager. The black comedy tackles the timely topic of assisted dying and end of life care. The play, which opened at Òran Mór in February, will tour to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre (4-8 Mar), Paisley’s Town Hall (11-12 Mar), Johnstone’s Town Hall (13-14 Mar) and Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree (18-22 Mar). Writer-performer Daniel Bye brings his new solo show, Imaginary Friends, to the Tron Theatre (14-15 Mar). The play interrogates our relationship to authenticity and identity in a media landscape that obscures the self. The Tron Theatre is Bye’s sole Scottish stop on a massive UK tour. Emerging Scottish theatre artist Liam Rees presents his new solo show, The Land That Never Was in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The piece tells the true(-ish) story of Gregor MacGregor (real name, real person), who fabricated a colonial identity and narrative for himself in 1820. The solo show interrogates Scotland’s relationship to colonialism and asks why people tell such intricate lies – and why we tend to believe them. (The Studio, Edinburgh 14 Mar, Tron, Glasgow 21-22 Mar).
For younger children, Rubbish Shakespeare Company and Silly History Boys will team up to stage The Story Forge: Make Your Own Myth, an interactive, multi-disciplinary show for all ages. The show will tour to Speyside Sports and Community Centre, Moray as part of a massive UK tour (15 Mar).
After a sell-out run at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Wonder Fools brings their award-winning show, The Kelton Hill Fair, to Dumfries and Glasgow. The piece features Wonder Fools’ signature blend of storytelling, music and physical theatre to tell the surreal story of Scottish legend Billy Marshall. Rooted in the culture of Dumfries and Galloway, The Kelton Hill Fair was developed in tandem with a group of local young people. (Theatre Royal Dumfries 21-22 March, Tron, Glasgow 25-29 Mar). [Rho Chung]
Books
It’s all happening in Fife this month with the 2025 edition of StAnza, St Andrews’ poetry festival (14-16 Mar). This year’s programme is structured around ideas of feeling, so get ready to get into your feels with a cabaret opening night featuring the likes of Tim Tim Cheng and Theresa Lola, a masterclass with Jackie Kay, sound poems with Hannah Silva and Harry Josephine Giles, and a closing night featuring Joelle Taylor.
Over in the Central Belt, things are very feminism-focused at Lighthouse Bookshop: they have an incredible series of launches including Sophie Lewis’
Image: courtesy the artist
Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Dookin' Oot
Originally commissioned for Jerwood Survey III (2024-25) led by Southwark Park Galleries and supported by Jerwood Art Image: courtesy of the artist
Image: courtesy the artist
Daniel Bye for Imaginary Friends
Photo: Jolade Olusanya
Theresa Lola
Serena Brown, After the End of History, Clayponds, 2018
Philippa Brown, A Summoning (I would shed my skin for you) 2024. Installation view at Southwark Park Galleries, London.
Jude Browning
Enemy Feminisms on 4 March, Mary Fissell’s Abortion: A History on 20 March, and The Skinny’s own Xuanlin Tham launching their debut book Revolutionary Desires on 12 March. There’s also more at The Portobello Bookshop with Natasha Brown launching Universality (13 Mar) and River Solomon launching Model Home (18 Mar), and at Waterstones Argyle Street in Glasgow with Heather Parry’s Carrion Crow (6 Mar) and Elissa Soave’s Graffiti Girls (20 Mar). And for a more hands-on vibe, there’s a poetry open mic at Glasgow Zine Library on 12 March, as well as zine making workshops (8+15 Mar). And for more poetry, head to the Scottish Storytelling Centre for the March edition of Loud Poets on 14 March, featuring Maria Ferguson, Ciara Maguire, Lorna Callery-Sithole and Biff Smith. [Anahit Behrooz]
Comedy
Before Glasgow Comedy Festival kicks-off proper, a couple of shows you should catch this month come from a pair of Fringe faves. Edinburgh Comedy Award champ Ahir Shah brings his winning show Ends to both Glasgow and Edinburgh (Glasgow Stand, 5 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50 / Monkey Barrel, 6 Mar, 8pm, £17.50) at the beginning of March. A beautiful, sharply written love letter to his Granddad and the story of his migration to the UK might have had slightly more potency whilst Rishi was still about, but the show’s punchy, political nature will still resonate. Bring tissues.
The same weekend, one of our favourite shows of last Fringe, Chloe Petts: How You See Me, How You Don’t, joins Shah in both cities (Edinburgh Stand, 5 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50 / Glasgow Stand, 6 Mar, 8.30pm, £17.50). It’s a punchline-dense, hilarious hour of streamlined stand-up, which while touching on sensitive topics (self-image, gender identity, bullying) never feels heavy. It’s an hour from a comic at the topic of their game.
Now for the main event…our picks of the GICF.
Marjolein Robertson is having a bit of a moment. Having recently upped sticks to London, the Shetlander is everywhere right now and brings two shows to Glasgow this month. One is a work-in-progress of the third part of her self-titled trilogy (18 Mar, The Flying Duck, 8.45pm, £8/£6). The other is her highly acclaimed show O (19 Mar, Oran Mor, 8pm, £14), which intertwines tales of a serious medical condition with the myth of the Sea Mither from her native island.
The wonderful David Callaghan presents These Lanes I Watch Into The Fog (26 Mar, The Old Hairdresser’s, £5/£4), a brand new work of multimedia comedy which, if it’s anything like his previous show Everything That’s Me is Falling Apart will be a wryly funny, quietly moving piece of comedy-theatre unlike anything else in the festival’s programme.
Edinburgh-local Ayo Adenekan makes his first steps into the world of solo comedy shows with his Black Mediocrity WIP (22 Mar, Wan Winkle West End, 4.30pm, £5). He’s already highly recommended on the Scottish scene and placed 3rd in last year’s So You Think You’re Funny competition so is well on his way to good things.
Talking of So You Think You’re Funny, we’re keen to see what Alana Jackson (Old Hairdresser’s, 29 Mar, 2pm, £12) has in store for her debut solo hour. Having won the competition last year, the London-based Glaswegian has a sharp, straight-talking style and a whole lot of presence. Catch her WIP early to boast you’ve seen a rising star.
The hugely talented and subversive cult comic Jain Edwards comes to Glasgow with her first new show in what feels like aeons. Titled She-Devil (Drygate Peaks Bar, 24 Mar, 7pm, £8/£5), the content of the show remains something of a mystery, but without a doubt will be charming and delulu in equal measure. Find Jain on socials for a taste of her comedic brand.
Finally, don’t miss Yorkshire’s bi est bastard himself, Frankie Monroe as he dons his shoulder pads and Sudocrem for a night of chaotic chuckles. Expect facts, songs, a monstrous puppet and a selection of high quality tinned meats at this ludicrously funny working men’s club night from hell. He performs at GICF (Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: Live!!!, Stand Glasgow, 19 Mar, 8.30pm, £15) with a pitstop at Edinburgh Stand the night before (18 Mar, 8.30pm, £15). [Polly Glynn]
Photo: Matt Stronge
Photo: Aemen Sukkar, Jiksaw
Photo: Michael Mannion
Chloe Petts
Marjolein Robertson
Jain Edwards
Tasting the City
No matter where you look, Edinburgh is packed with great independent food and drink spots – we pick out some highlights from across the city
We all have our favourites – albums we play on the bus to work, TV programmes we stick on in the background – but it’s good to branch out. Luckily, when it comes to food and drink, Edinburgh is absolutely packed with great independent cafes and restaurants. Edinburgh was just named Good Food Guide’s ‘most exciting food destination for 2025’, and added two new Michelin star restaurants at last month’s Michelin Guide ceremony in Glasgow. Whatever your budget, there are great options to be found from breakfast to dinner ( plus any and all meals in between), and they’re spread all over the city.
Let’s start with the most important meal of the day – breakfast (or brunch, if you fancy a lie-in) Singapore Co ee House is a unique, independent take on the kopitiam cafes of Singapore. The Canonmills spot o ers a menu that blends in uences from across southeast Asia and beyond; expect a big welcome and bigger avours.
For something more handheld, bagel fans are in for a treat with two Canonmills spots from a local institution. The Bearded Baker serve freshly-made bagels and cinnamon buns at their Rodney Street shop, with a larger sit-down menu and some great decor to be found at their 71 Steps cafe just down the road. For a bistrostyle lunch and a fantastic atmosphere, check out the brilliant Stockbridge Eating House The chalkboard menu is compact and exciting, the cooking is excellent, and the one-room setup is cosy, friendly and incredibly charming.
own set of options. For a beachside pit stop, pop into Twelve Triangles on Portobello High Street for top-notch pastries and co ee. For something a bit more substantial, head up the High Street to Mamacita’s – their Cuban-inspired sandwiches and salad bowls are loaded with great ingredients. A trip up the coast to Musselburgh will bring you to Company Bakery, the award-winning sourdough bakery with a bright and airy on-site cafe serving freshly baked bread and pastries.
Alternatively, a bus journey west proves that Edinburgh’s food scene has something for everyone. The Khukuri, on West Maitland Street near Haymarket station, is a family restaurant o ering delicious Nepalese food – freshly-steamed momos and earthy curries await. The Dunstane Restaurant & Bar at West Coates o ers dishes from across Europe made with superb Scottish ingredients – EH residents get 15% o their food bill through the Resident Rewards programme. Turn the heat up a notch at Chennai’s Marina in Dalry, where handmade dosas and spicy Sri Lankan curries are served up in a small but stylish dining room.
Heading into Shandon, you’ll nd Gio’s, a new Italian restaurant with a crowdpleasing menu with fresh pasta made in the window every morning. Keep going west and you’ll nd Patina, the delightful bakery at Edinburgh Park. It’s a bright, shiny space with plenty of outdoor seating, brilliant lunch options and a great array of pastries and baked treats.
Up in the Old Town, Hot Toddy’s menu combines seasonal Scottish classics with an impressive cocktail selection, in a fully wheelchair-accessible venue. EH postcode residents get 10% o their bill through the Resident Rewards scheme: get the full details at edinburgh.org/residentrewards
For a post-lunch treat, Room & Rumours Co ee, tucked away in the historic Market Street Arches, o ers a unique interior along with brilliant co ee and baking. For more sweet treats, head to the Grassmarket for a pair of great Edinburgh indies – the Kilted Donut serve up delicious (and enormous) donuts, while a few doors down you’ll nd incredible ice cream at Mary’s Milk Bar. Their list of avours changes daily, and everything is made on-site.
Leith is a hotbed of independent food and drink, but a couple of recent openings are worth a mention here. Ground Floor is the new cafe from the team behind Edinburgh community radio station EHFM. The Great Junction Street cafe is bright and breezy with lovely co ee and focaccia from the excellent Alby’s sandwich shop, and cafe sales help support the station’s broadcasts and live events. Just around the corner, visit Ardfern for a spectacular brunch – the latest spot from the Little Chartroom team is a laid-back all-day venue that’s somewhere between cafe, wine bar and restaurant. Continuing towards the water and heading east presents its
In terms of impressive pastries, they don’t get much more impressive than the viral giant croissants from Dune in South Queensferry, but their regular-sized baking is just as exciting. For a family lunch, head to the Balerno Inn; the family-friendly bar has a set of outdoor bothys overlooking a private playpark, allowing the kids to run o their dinner while the adults recharge.
Edinburgh is loaded with great independent venues just waiting to be discovered. Forever Edinburgh, the o cial guide to your city is working with businesses across the city to make it easier and more a ordable for you to enjoy new experiences on your door step. With an ever-evolving programme of Resident Rewards for EH postcode holders, why not sign up to their Resident newsletter and keep up to date top things to see and do in your city, as well as details on current and new Resident Rewards.
For the latest news on new openings, top picks for exploring your city, and exclusive offers for Edinburgh resident rewards, sign up for the Forever Edinburgh newsletter at edinburgh.org/residentrewards
Forever Edinburgh is funded by the UK Government
Image: Courtesy of Forever Edinburgh
Twelve Triangles
22 Film Special! We meet director Alex Hetherington to find out about The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, opening this year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival.
25 Scotland’s silent film festival, HippFest , returns to the Bo’ness Hippodrome.
26 We chat to Jim Hosking about his latest cult film in the making, Ebony & Ivory, ahead of its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival.
29 Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios discusses his fourth feature, La Cocina, set in the high pressure environment of a restaurant kitchen.
33 Edinburgh-based author and film curator Xuanlin Tham on their debut book and the power of the sex scene.
34 Sacred Paws talk friendship as they return with their third album, Jump Into Life.
35 The Scottish art graduate survey RSA New Contemporaries returns – we highlight some of the artist to look out for.
40 One writer takes a trip to the ScotiaCon weekend to meet the furry community
42 Looking back on ten years of building clubbing community with Miss World
45 We take a trip inside the factory with Seabass Vinyl, Scotland’s only vinyl pressing plant.
46 The Scottish Casting Network hopes to connect more actors with casting directors and theatre companies.
47 Comedian Catherine Bohart on levity, literature and laughs.
On the website...
Reviews and interviews direct from Glasgow Film Festival; a longread review of Say No! Art, Activism and Feminist Refusal in St Andrews; our new music playlist and Spotlight On… interview series; details on pitching *your* ideas for issue two of our food magazine, GNAW
Shot of the month
Compiled by George Sully
1. Off-camera (6,3,6)
9. Centres – clue in (anag) (6)
10. Doctor – rubs hair (anag) (8)
11. Safely (8)
12. Couple of punches (3-3)
13. Exactly right (4,2)
15. Replied (8)
17. Recognised – attributed (8)
19. Coupon for entry (6)
20. ___ screen – cinema (6)
22. Prolonged (5-3)
24. Aerial (view) (5-3)
25. Spoof (6)
26. Continuity errors (15)
2. Give the slip (5)
3. Not a good match (3-6)
4. Movie theatre for cars (5-2)
5. Clumsiness (5-10)
6. Sincere (7)
7. Spooky (5)
8. In another place (9)
14. Divide – wall (9)
16. Unconventional (9)
18. Aims (7)
19. Trudge – air step (anag) (7)
21. Moving picture (5)
23. Disproportionate (5)
Man Rei @ The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, 23 February by Serena Milesi
In this month’s advice column, one reader wonders how to establish a community of friends
I (like many of us I’m sure) dream of having a close knit community of friends who spend time together that’s more than just grabbing coffee. But I have an in-person job with set hours, everyone’s tired and busy, and I don’t feel like I’ve got the energy to organise stuff. Any advice?
I was convinced my best friend had sent in this question, because we talk about this all the time, and it turns out she didn’t and is weirded out, because we talk about this all the time. I don’t know if I find the fact that other people also feel this way comforting or depressing. It does make me wonder if we’re all yearning for a utopia that doesn’t exist and that’s why none of us can attain it, which I find definitively depressing. No one told you life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap), except they kind of did DAVID CRANE AND MARTHA KAUFFMAN, and it isn’t what they said and I think that is more egregious than the enormous Greenwich Village apartment, actually.
Which is to say, really, that I don’t have an answer; a state that fills me with latent shame and anxiety because I literally wrote a book about friendship, so why is it still so precarious in my life. I think the usual stuff – patriarchy, heteronormativity, capitalism – is to blame, and there’s only so much we can do against such deep-rooted systemic power. Part of my advice, then, is to not internalise this absence, because you’re fighting against pretty big obstacles.
My other advice, if you really want to stage the resistance, is to think about this in terms of time and space. The kind of community you’re seeking is rooted in a particular idea of time (things not being scheduled, a shared life) and space (collective domesticity, third spaces). Set up a group chat filled with random friends and tell people when you’ll be hanging at the pub with a book, or the evenings you’re doing an open house and people can just drop in. Keep doing the weekend coffee, but invite another person, and then su est running an errand together that bleeds into the afternoon. Try and fold people into your everyday. It’s really fucking hard, because modern life isn’t built that way, and it may fall apart and you have to start from scratch. But those moments when it comes together are so, so worth it.
Do you have a problem Anahit could help with? Email pettyshit@theskinny.co.uk or check The Skinny’s Instastories for fully anonymised submissions
Portia Zvavahera
Film Festivals
Words: Jamie Dunn
Illustration: Dalila D'Amico
The weather may be becoming slightly more bearable and the days are getting longer, but we’re once again asking you to enter the dark of the cinema auditorium as some of our favourite film festivals return. We lead this issue with a feature on The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, an experimental documentary about the founder of the essential queer club night Hot Mess. That film, by artist Alex Hetherington, opens the 18th edition of Glasgow Short Film Festival and it’s a dreamy, rich, multilayered celebration of the radical forms of queer community that assemble on Hot Mess’s dancefloor each month. Community is also central to silent film festival HippFest in Bo’ness, which celebrates its 15th edition this year. To mark this milestone we speak to composer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand, who’s performed music at every single edition. And as we go to print, the Glasgow Film Festival has just begun. We’ve caught up with maverick filmmaker Jim Hosking, who’ll be visiting the festival in its second week with his new film Ebony & Ivory, a wild reimagining of the meeting between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder that led to their dangerously naive duet imagining a racial utopia.
There’s a film festival connection too in Books as author and film curator Xuanlin Tham discusses their new book exploring the politics of the sex scene, with Tham also presenting a programme at Glasgow Short Film Festival looking at sex as a dissolution of boundaries.
POSTER ARTIST (p36-37):
Agnes Roberts’ work is an exploration of memory and nostalgia. Her paintings aim to teleport you back in time, that melancholy feeling of reliving an aspect of a time in your life you can never recreate. She experiments with collaging imagery together using layering techniques like tracing paper and digital collages to represent the often abstract and simultaneously completely clear nature of memories, as well as their rationality and irrationality.
i: @agnesrobertsart
Disco Saved My Life
This year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival will open with The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, a vivid film about the founder of Scottish queer club night Hot Mess. Its director, Alex Hetherington, and its subject, Simon Eilbeck, give us the lowdown
The dancefloor is a place of escape, where you can lose yourself in the haze of music, strobe lighting and artificial smoke, but it’s also simultaneously a place of unity, where we get tangled among the limbs of strangers who’ve been drawn to the same flame and together create a community. This communal aspect has been particularly vital for queer people over the years, with queer clubs being some of the few arenas where we’ve been able to cultivate networks of joy and resistance away from the norms imposed by heteronormative society.
The alchemy of these communities that form on the dancefloor is just one of the many threads running through The Disco – A Portrait of Simon Eilbeck, the multifaceted new film by Scottish experimental moving image artist Alex
Hetherington, which has its world premiere at Glasgow Short Film Festival. For those unfamiliar, Simon Eilbeck (aka DJ Simontron) is the founder of Hot Mess, an essential queer club night that has taken place in Edinburgh and Glasgow since 2010.
“For me, Hot Mess is, politically, one of the last few queer-defined spaces in Scotland,” Hetherington tells me over Zoom from his studio in Bannockburn.
The Disco isn’t the first artwork Hetherington has made in celebration of Hot Mess and Eilbeck. He became aware of the night in its early days while living in Edinburgh, where he was working on his research project, the Modern Edinburgh Film School.
“Hot Mess was very visible to me when I was introducing myself to the gay scene in Edinburgh,” he recalls. “I think it’s because I’m very visual, and I kept seeing these amazing posters around town.”
Words: Jamie Dunn
He first ventured to the club one miserable Edinburgh winter night in 2012. He was going through a shitty relationship at the time, but all that melted away when he entered this “sanctuary”. “I immediately felt like I was home,” he says of that first visit, when Hot Mess used to take place at ECA’s Wee Red Bar. “I entered and I thought, God, this feels so familiar. I remember there was this jazzy woman, she was decked out in 1950s clothing, and there were beautiful guys in Tom of Finland T-shirts, and one girl looked like she was from The B-52s, and it was just so unrelentingly joyful; it felt like I was home.”
Hetherington returned to the club several times over that year and he says it brought his confidence back. “It just brought me back to life I think. And then fast forward to 2020 when I actually met Simon, I wanted to make this singlerole film…”
“Hold up, Alex,” interrupts Eilbeck, who’s also on video call, speaking from his flat in the Southside of Glasgow. The Hot Mess founder chips in at this point because the artist has left out some vital information. It turns out Hetherington was so enamoured by the transformative power of Hot Mess that he had to thank Eilbeck the only way he knew how. “One day I got a print in the post, and it was like a kind of photo collage, and it said on it, ‘Hot Mess disco saved my life’,” recalls Eilbeck. “And I was like, ‘Oh, this is interesting.’” There was no note or letter attached, although the words ‘Modern Edinburgh Film School’ on the envelope helped Eilbeck solve the mystery.
“I remember that collage,” says Hetherington. “I think I just wanted to communicate somehow with Simon as a way of thanking him for creating this space. I mean, how else do you thank someone who has changed your life?”
It’s fair to say that The Disco is an extension of this gratitude. As Hetherington was saying, he first met Eilbeck in person in 2020, and shot some footage of him just before the COVID lockdown in March. “I’d filmed a few queer mavericks – queer artists and queer musicians – as part of my practice, and I just wanted to do it as a single-role film – just a simple encounter with Simon that had no other kind of prescription.”
That shoot became the two-minute short Simon, in available light, clips from which appear in The Disco. As the subtitle of the film su ests, Eilbeck is still very much the focus of this longer work. We hear him muse on the lonely role of the DJ at the centre of Hot Mess’s whirlpool, and he poignantly discusses his hearing loss, which adds to his sense of isolation when he’s at the club
Image: courtesy
The Disco
because he stru les to hear voices above the music. But the film is really a satellite of portraits, collating several queer voices and experiences. There’s also interviews with artist and academic Conal McStravick, who responds to the film’s footage alongside their ongoing research on the filmmaker and AIDS activist Stuart Marshall; Trans femme artist Nat Walpole; and veteran Glasgow clubber Leyre Mann Vadillo, who’s attended Hot Mess since its inception.
The Disco’s own making is a kind of celebration of community too. Hetherington shot much of the footage himself, but fellow artist Luke Fowler lends a hand at points. Fowler also provided field recordings, as did Harry Ritchie and Ben Owen. Also on that rich soundtrack, a new improvised composition by David Toop and extracts from chamber music by Belgian composer Henri Pousseur as well as a poetic narration by the artist Catherine Street. It’s a heady brew, all shot on 16mm film, where sound and image rarely align.
“Part of why Hot Mess is so wonderful is because of the physicality of it”
Simon Eilbeck
“I like this broken pattern in my filmmaking,” says Hetherington. “In my own neurodiverse experiences of things, in images and sound, what you see and hear are often very fragmented and out of sync. I often like foreshadowing in films too, like you see with the films of Agnès Varda, Robert Altman and RW Fassbinder, so a brief image or sound might point to something of significance later.”
What struck me first while watching The Disco was the timelessness of its images. Over several nights of Hot Mess at SWG3’s Poetry Club, Hetherington was there with his Bolex to capture the action, but we could easily be watching footage from San Francisco in the 60s or New York in the 80s rather than Glasgow in the mid-2020s. “Oh absolutely,” agrees Hetherington. “When I looked back at that footage I was shocked by it. I was also like, ‘When is this?’ My friend James Ley, the playwright, said, ‘This looks like it could have been shot by Andy Warhol.’ That was a real compliment.”
The slipperiness of time is just one of the threads that runs through the film, not just in terms of queer history but in the strange liminal space that is the dancefloor. “When a night at Hot Mess is going well, and you’re in the middle of this group of people, and everyone’s in sync with each other, it can feel like time has stopped,” says Eilbeck. “Well not really stopped, more like time has ceased to operate in the same way; it’s quite a magical thing.”
Time also seems to have slowed down for Eilbeck himself. He turns 50 in a couple of months, but you’d never guess so from his still boyish face, with only a few faint wisps of grey on his temples giving the game away. “People are often very surprised when I tell them how old I
am,” the DJ admits. He su ests his anti-ageing secret might be down to the fact that he doesn’t drive a car or have children, but he also thinks Hot Mess has played a part. “By still doing this wee disco it’s helped preserve and maintain a kind of childlike playfulness in me, in a way,” he su ests.
The Disco captures some of this playfulness, but it’s also coloured by an elegiac quality. Eilbeck won’t be able to do this forever because of his hearing loss. “It’s going to deteriorate with age even more,” he confirms. “So, there’s a time limit on what I’m doing, and that’s, I think, part of why it’s such a special thing for me, because I know that it’s going to come to an end.”
Another strand that resonates through The Disco is desire and queer physicality. From Hot Mess’s inception, Eilbeck felt it was important to keep sex front and centre, as evidenced by the provocative posters that initially caught Hetherington’s eye all those years ago. He explains he was initially reacting against the kind of respectability politics some queer people use to gain and maintain acceptance in heteronormative society. “I think part of that strategy requires an erasure of sex and pleasure and desire, basically,” says Eilbeck, “because let’s face it, a lot of queer-, and homo- and bi-phobia comes from a disgust at the sexual things that queer people do with their bodies.
“Part of why Hot Mess is so wonderful is because of the physicality of it,” Eilbeck continues. “I always say, it’s not a sex club but sex is a big part of what is happening there, even when it’s just people dancing. It’s about people’s bodies coming together and the dissolving of the boundaries that get erected around us.”
Hetherington reckons that celluloid was the perfect medium to explore this physicality. “I wanted to capture that vivid image of sexuality,” he tells me, “and I particularly wanted to capture that atmosphere on 16mm. You know, 16mm, it’s just such a physical medium. It’s affected by heat and by moisture and by smells, and when you have all those bodies circulating together in a really beautiful way, it’s felt in the 16mm.”
The Disco would be a wonderful festival opener in any year, but in this moment of deepening trans- and queer-phobia in our media, our government and myriad other institutions in the UK and around the world, it could hardly feel more vital. “I think there is an incredible complexity, gentleness and something deeply radical at play at Hot Mess and in Simon’s approach to the world,” says Hetherington. “It makes me think of Judith Butler’s questions on the conditions outside of capitalism where we can manifest a liveable and fulfilled life, to acknowledge all aspects of our lives and personalities and give space, gentleness and tenderness to all of them. I think that is what my portrait of Simon is really about.”
Glasgow Short Film Festival opens with The Disco on 19 Mar; the festival runs 19-23 Mar at GFT, Civic House and the Grosvenor
The screening will be accompanied by a live reading by Catherine Street, followed by a Q&A with Hetherington, Eilbeck and other contributors
Edinburgh Style Icons
Last month we asked you to nominate a person or place from the city for inclusion in this year's Edinburgh STYLE Icon award as part of St James Quarter's Edinburgh Style weekend. To celebrate we asked some of Edinburgh’s most stylish creatives to share their local style inspirations
Elaine Davidson
Elaine Davidson isn’t just the most pierced woman in the world, she’s a living work of art. If you’ve ever walked through Edinburgh’s streets chances are you’ve seen her – a whirlwind of colour, jewels, and aura. Every piercing, every tattoo, every bold choice she’s made is a testament to fearless self-expression. She doesn’t just stand out; she owns who she is, unapologetically! In a city known for history and tradition, Elaine is a reminder that individuality is just as powerful a legacy. She’s not just part of Edinburgh’s culture, she’s one of its icons and I'm here for it. [Katherine Aly, musician, IG @ itskatherinealy]
Dr Neil’s Garden Flowers that change with the seasons, lush greenery, and the undisturbed serenity of Duddingston Loch are what make Dr. Neil’s Garden my pocket of solace in the city. Nature’s expression is endless and ever changing, which makes me feel inspired in my personal style. Earthy tones, pops of colour, and experimenting with texture are some ways I channel nature through fashion. Stripping my inspiration back to the beauty of the Earth, I am able to distance myself from trends and overconsumption – walking through Dr Neil’s Garden always reminds me that none of those things truly matter. [Nikhita, musician, IG @__nikhita]
Chloe Smith
Before I went to university, I could – without fail – be found in Bongo Club with my friend Chloe Smith. Now an early career stylist, she has been my friend and style icon since I was 16. I remember visiting her house when we were younger, sitting on her bed watching her get ready to go out. Her walls were covered in gig posters, signed setlists, pages ripped out of magazines. I mean from oor to ceiling covered. In front of her bed she had a closet and rail of second hand and vintage clothes collapsing under its own weight – it was like the entire wardrobe of MTV from 1991-2006. She wants Ratboy and DMAs at her funeral, and for her ashes to be scattered down the Cowgate. THE Edinburgh style icon. [Indoor Foxes, musician, IG @indoorfoxes]
The Ventoux
I've always said that a pub is only as good as the people and things inside it and nowhere is a better example of this than The Ventoux in Tollcross. It makes sense that the generally high standard of stylishness exhibited in the regular drinkers of this pub is re ected in the place itself. Upon visiting you’ll see bikes tted to the ceiling, sh tanks containing sh as recognisable as the punters and a booze-fueled melting pot of style, age and decency. For a place with somewhat divisive decor, music and people, The Ventoux maintains appeal across the board, from art students to pub elders. All who display undeniable style in their own right. [Morgan Morris, No Windows, musician, IG @nowindowsmusic]
The Fringe
Not to simp for the Fringe but honestly the Fringe. I love buying stupid little party dresses throughout the year “just in case”, I love passing performers in the street wearing papier maché and smeared in stage makeup, I love the circus people and their insanely sexy ts. After endless months of wearing the same jumper over every single out t while it gets dark at 3pm, Edinburgh in August feels impossibly magical: it’s warm, it’s late-night, and no one blinks an eye if you spend the month dressed in glitter and underwear as outerwear [Anahit Behrooz, author]
STYLE Icon Award
As part of St James Quarter’s Edinburgh STYLE, we encouraged Edinburgh residents to 'nominate' their STYLE Icon for entry into this year's Edinburgh STYLE Awards. A STYLE Icon can be a person, place, building, etc... Who did you feel was deserving of claiming the title of 'Edinburgh STYLE Icon’?
Find out by heading to St James Quarter from Saturday 15 March, to see who has made the shortlist in an exhibition of images and have your say by voting for who you think should win.
Photo: @peonybabi
Photo: DavidMontieth-Hodge
Photo: GeorgeGastinCCBY-SA3.0
Photo: Etienne Pell
Know the Score
Composer Neil Brand is a regular fixture at silent film festival HippFest, where he’s performed dozens of live scores over the years. At the 15th HippFest he’ll be given a new challenge: improvise the score for a film he’s never seen before
Silent film’s closest cousin is sound film, right? Maybe not, says composer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand. “Silent film grew out of big communal experiences like opera, music hall and vaudeville,” he explains, “and was intended to please a crowd.” Give people a beautiful venue like the Hippodrome in Bo’ness – the home of silent film festival HippFest – with its wooden sounding board adding audio warmth, and silent film becomes an engrossing multimedia spectacle. Brand is thrilled to return to the 15th edition of HippFest, which he considers a pioneer in silent film exhibition, for an event where he will improvise the score to a film he’s never seen before.
How does one prepare for such a performance? “The best preparation is to be as relaxed as possible,” says Brand. “I sit down at the piano beforehand, completely relaxed both physically and mentally, and open myself up. Every time I play, it’s completely different, and I can’t tell you what I played after. It’s in the moment.” He likens this to actors finding the subtext in their scenes, and like an actor, he has to embody and respond rather than think and analyse.
Composing has different challenges and opportunities – namely, the possibility of a definitive take. “There is a wild chance this music will outlive me, so it has to work from second to second with every audience,” Brand says. He references the famously fastidious Stephen Sondheim: “Check every word and line, because if you don’t, someone else will.” He almost always reworks the beginning of his scores once he’s finished the film and its motifs have emerged organically. He also avoids relying on piano, instead utilising the entire orchestra’s colours and textures.
Hitchcock’s 1929 thriller Blackmail was Brand’s first full score. The project was brought to him by Timothy Brock, the musical director for the Charlie Chaplin estate, who helped Brand learn
Words: Carmen Paddock
how to synchronise music to film. Since early film music was conducted live, every shot and intertitle is in the score to anchor the music to the action.
“The poor conductor has to hold the orchestra to the film for an hour and a half or two hours, or God forbid, three,” Brand says.
Brand’s favourite composers include Miklós Rózsa, whose noir scores influenced Brand’s music for Blackmail, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, best known for The Adventures of Robin Hood When Brand scored his first western with a 40-odd piece orchestra, including banjo and a lead violinist who could play “redneck fiddle”, out came homages to Aaron Copland and Elmer Bernstein. “That was such a joy,” he says. “I draw on music and the great composers that have meant a great deal to me.”
Brand says he relishes the relative freedom of scoring old movies. “My joke is that I work with early film because all the directors are dead. You are given a great film which doesn’t have any sound, and you’re required to make that film sing. That’s like working with Hitchcock or Fairbanks. It’s the best job in the world.”
While historically informed, Brand places less value in recreating the past than in bridging the gap between the film’s era and ours, creating music that the audience understands
and connects with. “That’s the necromancy – the film hasn’t changed in 120 years but what you’re doing is happening right now,” he says. “The tension between the two has a fantastic energy.”
Brand describes his job as “locking the doors with my playing so that the audience is as deep inside the film as I am.” If people say they forgot he was there, he takes it as a compliment. “If they say that with an orchestral piece, you’ve done it right, because a whole orchestra could not be more there if they tried.”
Some people might see silent films as museum pieces, but Brand rejects this idea. “It doesn’t occur to people that this is an entirely immersive experience,” he says. “People say they have never experienced anything like it – even seasoned theatre-goers, concert-goers, and opera-goers – but it’s true, because it is all of these [artforms] at once.”
It appears that festivals like HippFest are helping break down these preconceived notions of silent film, and Brand is busier than ever. He’s heartened that HippFest attracts a young audience from all over the world and hopes to see silent film catching on more widely. For him, there’s nothing like the joy of discovering silent film’s magic. Hopefully, HippFest 2025 will be full of such experiences.
HippFest, Hippodrome, Bo’ness, 19-23 Mar
Neil Brand: Key Notes, 21 Mar, 12.30pm; online viewing available 23-25 Mar
Neil Brand also provides live scores for Skinner’s Dress Suit (22 Mar) and I Want to be a Train Driver (22 Mar) at HippFest hippodromecinema.co.uk
Neil Brand at HippFest 2012
Photo: Graeme MacDonald
Neil Brand and The Dodge Bros at HippFest 2022
Photo: Tom Duffin
Imperfect Harmony
With his knack for combining the bizarre with the poignant, Jim Hosking has proven himself a one-off in British cinema. We chat to him about his latest cult film in the making, Ebony & Ivory, ahead of its UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival
Paul McCartney pouts across a grey sea at an approaching rowing boat. Some mysterious figure clambers off, with three suitcases in his arms and a fur coat around his shoulders. It’s only Stevie Wonder, who has paddled across from America intent on a visit to Paul at his cottage on the Mull of Kintyre. So opens Jim Hosking’s Ebony & Ivory
From the title, you might surmise this was a film about the making of McCartney and Wonder’s trite 1982 duet of the same name, where the black and white keys of a piano become a reductive metaphor for a racial utopia. “I wasn’t really thinking about the song,” Hosking accepts over Zoom, in a barnstormer of an understatement. “It’s just a springboard for an examination of two people who have nothing in common [and putting them] in close proximity.” He’s a man of his word. The titular platitudinous ballad, and indeed the fact that these are two of the most famous and beloved musicians of the 20th century, is far from front and centre in the film – only Sky Elobar as McCartney ever nods towards doing anything close to an impersonation, and that’s near indiscernible a lot of the time. Instead, Hosking’s film follows the pair as they while away 48 hours:
bickering, eating Linda’s ve ie nu ets and trying to make Stevie’s perfect hot chocolate.
This disconnect between this surface absurdism and the self-importance of the pair’s duet is a key part of the film’s joy, but it isn’t without issue. One of Ebony & Ivory’s earliest reviews went so far as to describe it (positively) as a kind of practical joke – a statement towards which Hosking expresses ambivalence. But the film will not surprise those already acquainted with this filmmaker’s work. It bears many of the touchstones of his uncanny comedies: wilfully wonky performances, nightmarish tonal shifts and a joy of language that finds phrases being repeated and chewed up until they become both maddening and hysterical. More than anything though, it continues to mould supreme daftness with a total sincerity of craft.
“There are a lot of films that are taken very seriously when it feels to me that they’re quite calculating,” Hosking states. “They’re quite impersonal or cynical, and I’m maybe going against that with the desire to just express myself however it occurs to me; there’s joy to that.” I put it to Hosking that many of the worst offenders of the kinds of films he’s referring to are the wave of
Words: Joe Creely
awards-chasing music biopics that we have seen in the last few years, films with which Ebony & Ivory, however tangentially, shares some DNA. ”I can’t really watch those,” he admits. “It’s way less interesting than watching a two-minute clip on YouTube of Freddie Mercury talking behind the scenes. I don’t believe in the veracity of biopics. The more that most films try to convince you of their earnestness, the less I believe in them somehow.” This is not an accusation you could make of Hosking’s films; their earnestness is sewn into their very existence, the sheer attention to detail in their worlds carrying with it an incredible warmth and care. It’s not the leap that it initially sounds when Hosking mentions Aardman animation as an early inspiration.
“I don’t believe in the veracity of biopics” Jim Hosking
This isn’t how some audiences receive his films, however. His sublime feature debut The Greasy Strangler, in particular, with its hot dogs dipped in vats of grease and viscous gore, was taken with a degree of squeamishness, and critics ascribed it a kind of nihilistic shock value. That film’s reputation slightly baffled Hosking. He had journalists asking him what his favourite gross-out film was without really knowing what that meant, while the influences he most related to were Steptoe and Son and the Krankies.
This idea of wilful shock seems particularly anathema to Hosking’s attitude. He simply describes himself as “trying to express myself in as pure a fashion as possible,” and says that “there’s absolutely nothing in this film that is a concession to an imagined audience, or to anybody else.” This seems a far truer maxim for Hosking’s films, and no more so than Ebony & Ivory. But, where that attitude can sometimes equate with a contempt for audiences, Hosking’s stems from a trust that he and the audience will connect in their eccentricities.
He adds at the end of our conversation that “there would be an easy way to talk about it to minimise its importance to me, but with everything I make I really pour myself into it fully.” For all the ascribed oddness or flippancy in his films, Hosking comes across simply as a filmmaker intent on making work as honestly and personally as possible.
Ebony & Ivory screens at GFT on 5 & 6 Mar, part of Glasgow Film Festival; Jim Hosking will appear in a post-screening Q&A after the 5 Mar screening
Ebony & Ivory
African Head Charge | Dub Pistols
Elephant Se ions | Rokia Koné
Ki aris Quintet | Moxie | Omega Nebula
The Fontanas | Gasper Nali
Kate Young | State of Sa a | Formidable Vegetable
Samson Sounds | Bunty | Girobabies
Mungo’s Hi Fi Sound System
General
Vandal (Kaotik) | Ben Pest (DJ Set)
Boiling Point
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios is one of the most daring filmmakers in world cinema, but he’s yet to have a mainstream breakthrough. His fourth feature, La Cocina, a drama set in a high-pressure restaurant kitchen, should change that
In La Cocina’s UK trailer, a quote from Deadline describes the new movie from writer-director Alonso Ruizpalacios (Güeros (2014), A Cop Movie (2021)) as “The Bear on steroids”. Although long in development, the arrival of this film so close to that loosely similar hit show will inevitably encourage comparisons. But notably, La Cocina actually has explicit roots in the arguable grandaddy of stressful kitchen tales: it’s an inspired reworking of English dramatist Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play The Kitchen
“I came to study drama here and was working in a restaurant in Piccadilly Circus to help pay my tuition,” Ruizpalacios tells me during the 2024 London Film Festival. “I encountered the play while I was in drama school, and I fell in love with its realism and simplicity. I directed it as a play many years ago and since putting that on, I started thinking about making it into a movie. The main challenge was how to not make it stagey.”
More on how Ruizpalacios absolutely makes La Cocina a properly cinematic experience later, but first, a little on the story he’s telling. The Kitchen (the play) and La Cocina (the film) both follow the staff in a kitchen over the course of one exhausting day, with Ruizpalacios transplanting his take to a tourist hotspot in Times Square called The Grill. We get snippets of the lives of
many wildly different characters working in the restaurant, but a few of the most prominent players include Estela (Anna Díaz), a newly arrived Hispanic immigrant who doesn’t speak English but has a connection to Pedro (Raúl Briones), a hot-tempered Mexican cook; Julia (Rooney Mara), an American waitress who’s secretly seeking an abortion; and Rashid (Oded Fehr), the Arab American entrepreneur who runs The Grill, which is largely staffed by undocumented workers.
“Many of the concerns that [Wesker] had are sadly still very relevant,” says Ruizpalacios of the play’s contemporary resonances. “Mainly his concern about how we prioritise productivity over everything else. But also, I think the film is somewhat withdrawn from the original material because it’s twice removed. I first directed it as a play about 13, 14 years ago and I transported it from London to New York and the Mexican migrant experience – if you’re in New York, what you’ll hear in most kitchens is Spanish as the main language. That was a whole process of rethinking the play, and now the film is like an adaptation of my own stage adaptation. But it retains this essential concern about late capitalism, which is, why the fuck are we choosing to prioritise all of this over people? Over personal relationships, dreams, all that.”
Words: Josh Slater-Williams
“I wanted the kitchen to feel like a submarine. It had to allow us to feel trapped and lost, a little like a maze” Alonso Ruizpalacios
Although the film’s interior scenes were shot on a soundstage in Mexico City, the real New York was used for outdoor sequences and pre-production research. “This organisation called Mexican Coalition helped me get in touch with undocumented cooks,” Ruizpalacios says. “It was a case of going to the [New York] kitchens and talking to them. That was a beautiful process because a lot of them were very eager to talk. Nobody ever asks them, ‘What’s your life like? How was it getting here? What are your dreams? What do you hope for? When are you going back?’ It really informed the rewriting of the script and the way we were going to shoot it.”
So, about shooting it: the first thing you’ll notice about La Cocina is that, bar the occasional Rumble Fish-esque dash of intruding colour, it’s entirely in black and white. “It blurs the specificity of time when you watch something in black and white,” Ruizpalacios explains. “It instantly makes it harder to pinpoint what year we’re looking at. I wanted it to feel timeless. And it helped me frame it as a fable, making it something beyond realism.”
That heightened quality extends to the restaurant set created on the soundstage, navigated onscreen in many long unbroken takes that are often lyrical, despite the constant pressures upon the characters the camera follows. “Restaurants are tailor-made for the menu,” Ruizpalacios says of the set. “So, you have to reverse engineer and start with the menu. What will be served here, and according to what is going to be served is how we design the kitchen. That’s how it works in real life and we have to go through that.
“A second part of the process was how to make that cinematic. It was like a shifting of concerns. The main thing I wanted was for [the kitchen] to feel like a submarine. It had to allow us to feel trapped and lost, a little like a maze. There are lots of corners and places to come in and out of. It’s like an empire of stainless steel; very metallic. It was really fun to conceptualise. That was an interesting dance.”
La Cocina is released 28 Mar by Picturehouse Entertainment
La Cocina
Cat Power
The major underdog at this year’s Oscars was Flow, a lowbudget, dialogue-free animation from Latvia about a band of animals surviving the end of the world. We speak to director Gints Zilbalodis about his beguiling film
Since the BAFTA and Oscar-nominated animation Flow first premiered at Cannes last May, Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis has answered questions from likely hundreds of journalists and fellow filmmakers. On the Monday that we meet in person, he’s fresh off a grilling from the toughest audience around: kids given access to microphones.
“We had two screenings: one was mostly children, one was mostly adults,” Zilbalodis says of his weekend activities. “It seems to work for both. Our intention was to make a film that’s for children but also for adults. Maybe it’s a bit more philosophical and there’s a different visual language than most children’s films, but I think it’s easy to follow for kids. It’s not too abstract for them. But I was just making the film I wanted to see and hoped that it would resonate with others.”
Told completely free of dialogue (unless you count the noises of its animal stars), Flow is set in an unspecified place where mankind seems to have vanished; empty cabins and statues being some of the lone su estions that humans were ever there at all. Wandering the forest, a wee cat (who we’ll call Cat) lives a solitary existence. But when its home is devastated by a great flood, Cat seeks refuge on a boat that becomes populated by different species, including a dog, a lemur and a capybara. As further perils push this motley crew towards mystical overflowed landscapes, they must team up to navigate this new world.
Flow is an independent production made using the free, open-source software Blender; Zilbalodis’ previous animated feature, Away, was similarly relatively lo-fi in using the computer program Maya. Back in 2012, he produced Aqua, a short film about a cat overcoming its fear of water, which served as the initial starting point for Flow. “I wanted to focus more on the cat’s fear of other animals or fear of working together,” Zilbalodis says of the feature expansion, “because I thought that I would be making this film with a team and I had all these anxieties. I thought I should put these feelings in the film itself. I would have no distance; it would be a very raw emotion for me. And I think it’s important to tell personal stories. If [viewers] sense that a filmmaker is really invested, it’s something special for them.”
In lieu of dialogue found in most animated films aimed at all-ages audiences, so much of the
character in Flow is down to the incredible sound design, long unbroken takes and subtle details in the animation. With Cat especially, it’s all about its eyes and sometimes barely perceptible noises. “We would record all the animals and my sound designer would record his cat as well, who’s very shy when it’s being recorded,” Zilbalodis says of his unwitting voice cast.
“We had to hide the microphone in his house to record the cat secretly,” he adds. “We recorded a capybara as well, but capybaras don’t really speak. They’re very quiet, so we had to tickle the capybara to make a sound, but the sound didn’t fit this character at all. It was a high-pitched, squeaky voice and we needed something calmer and reassuring, so we looked for other animals to voice the capybara. After a long search, we ended up with a baby camel. All the other animals have their voice; each of the dogs is voiced by their specific breeds. Sometimes in cinema, you need to cheat in some ways because if you do everything exactly as real life, it can be distracting and even less believable than if you do some cheating.”
Speaking of cheating, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not catching Flow during its theatrical run, as its dialogue-free visual storytelling encourages and rewards locked-in engagement. “It’s important to have the audience be active,” the soft-spoken filmmaker tells me. “Even if audiences think they don’t want to work, I think they enjoy working for the film. They enjoy
Words: Josh Slater-Williams
“I was just making the film I wanted to see and hoped that it would resonate with others”
Gints Zilbalodis
putting effort into the film because then it becomes something that you’re not just passively absorbing. This is something where you have to pay attention; that’s why I think it really works much better in the cinema. You can’t just do dinner or dishes at the same time.
“With a lot of TV series nowadays, especially, you can just listen to the audio, and the camera or editing is so direct. It’s [only] functional and it just tells you this happens and then that happens, which doesn’t have any emotion. I wanted to do the opposite where you create an immersive experience. Those are my favourite films… where there’s just something more poetic or engaging visually. I might forget the dialogue, I might forget the story, but I tend to remember the feeling I had watching the images.”
Flow is released 21 Mar by Curzon
Erotic Language
We chat with Edinburgh-based author and film curator Xuanlin Tham about their debut book, an incisive and intricate exploration of the politics of the sex scene
In Revolutionary Desires, the newest Inkling from Scottish indie press darlings 404 Ink, film writer and interdisciplinary arts curator Xuanlin Tham faces the reactionary tide against sex scenes head-on, challenging us to interrogate how depictions of desire came to be such a ‘highly charged symbolic battleground’. In guiding us through a Criterion Closet of carnality – from Exotica to Showgirls, Secretary to The Matrix: Reloaded – Tham demonstrates their own rapturous appreciation of, and incisive argument for, the sex scene as a liberatory tool.
What sparked the initial idea for this book? I’ve always been very interested in the perverse and the horny in art, so this rising sentiment against sex and eroticism in cinema really alarmed me. I see it as not simply an aesthetic disregard, but a political phenomenon that we can read into to diagnose what we’re allowed to feel and experience, and what that says about our wider political lives. I also kept coming back to this obstacle of apathy and alienation in political organising and how we might confront that. Initially those were separate ideas: the retreat from sex in the public forum, and people no longer being moved to action. But, I started to trace where they intersected, and found they’re more entangled than we might think.
Words: Paula Lacey
“Seeing representations of how sex is actually felt and experienced, sitting with what is difficult about sex – this can only be found in cinema, because there is no agenda other than to depict something honestly.”
Many critiques of gratuitous or objectifying sex in media have, at least in part, come from a feminist standpoint. When writing the chapter ‘The sex scene under the patriarchy’, how did you approach balancing that original critique with how it’s been warped by reactionary forces? In many ways that chapter was the most difficult to write, precisely because of that. But, ultimately, when we talk about sex on screen as an irredeemable product of the patriarchal gaze, the nuance is lost. Popular feminism tends to look for a clear delineation of targets, like in financial or social boycotts of a certain person or company. These movements against violent actors or directors are powerful, but is this the be-all and end-all of our political responsibility in this realm? Another dominant thread in culture today is an idealistic sex positivity, infographics which claim that consent and communication will defeat the threat of violation. I think a lot of us know this isn’t true, no matter how much we wish it were.
Seeing representations of how sex is actually felt and experienced, sitting with what is difficult about sex – this can only be found in cinema, because there is no agenda other than to depict something honestly. I worry that sometimes tarring everything with the same brush of potential harm obscures our true political targets.
The book is about sex, but it’s also – particularly the second chapter – about violence. How do you feel the two are linked?
It’s interesting that the chapter on sex under the lens of capitalism is the one you pick out as being the most about violence. I wanted to demonstrate how the sex scene can be used to illuminate political violences.
I never wanted to position sex as unproblematic, because sex is not free from politics – and because politics is not free from violence, then sex is not free from violence. It would be a different book if I had argued that the only sex we should celebrate is liberatory sex.
Sex scenes are powerful because they can resist the impulse to gloss over the troubling aspects of sex, and can show how sex replicates the broader patterns of harm in capitalist societies – where people are commodities, and we’re alienated from our true wants and desires.
Since the # MeToo movement, there’s been a growing responsibility to consider the conditions in which these scenes are produced. What are your thoughts on the push towards intimacy coordinators as a nominally feminist way to prevent violations on set?
This is what a lot of people assume the book is about, and I think that speaks to its current overemphasis in the discourse. Intimacy coordinators have existed in performance sectors for a long time, but it’s now being construed as a way to ‘solve’ the ‘problem’ of sex on screen – and I just don’t believe anything will.
It is a saviour figure that will inevitably disappoint us. There will still be grey areas, things can still go wrong, unexpected harms can still come up. That is a reality that we must deal with.
The sex scene is one of the few places where we seem determined to eliminate grey areas – but violations happen in offices, schools, doctor's offices and surgical theatres. The visibility of film and TV means we feel as though we can tackle it, whether that is by removing men from director’s chairs or having an intimacy coordinator. But we need the language and frameworks to talk about it elsewhere, and I think the sex scene can help to give us that.
Revolutionary Desires is out with 404 Ink on 6 Mar. Xuanlin Tham will be launching their book at Lighthouse Bookshop on 12 Mar at 7pm and has curated Your Body, Dissolving into Me, a short film programme exploring sex as a dissolution of boundaries, at Glasgow Short Film Festival on 20 Mar at 10pm
Paws for Thought
SAY Award-winners Sacred Paws are back with their third album –they talk to us about friendship, songwriting and getting some distance from your work
Sacred Paws last brought us an album in 2019, and after some disbelief and a few failed attempts at addition we work out that that was six whole years ago. But sonically new record Jump Into Life feels like a natural successor to their previous work: those machinegun drum rolls, candid vocals, and Afropopinspired rhythms could only be the combined handiwork of guitarist Ray A s and drummer Eilidh Rodgers.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t a sonic progression though. The album takes a step towards more complex song structures – A s laughs that it’s the first time they’ve written choruses – and adds another layer of instrumentation to their on-record sound with a newfound string section. A s’ dad, who they play with in a fiddle band, even joins them on banjo for Another Day.
A s has been doing more work recently that examines folk music’s relationship with race – talks on decolonising folk music and monthly POC trad music sessions in Woodlands. They say they’ve always wanted to play fiddle on a Sacred Paws record, but didn’t feel ready til now. “The last few years I’ve been trying to reconcile my relationship to folk and the fiddle as an instrument, and bring it into the spaces where I feel more comfortable performing [...] queer punk and [in] scenes that I find empowering,” they say. “I’m really trying to work on bringing those two worlds together.”
“We just will always make the music that we make [...] It’s just our personalities in a room together, and what that brings out”
Eilidh Rodgers, Sacred Paws
Jump Into Life is more vulnerable than its predecessors in every way, and it’s different too in the consistency of its mood and themes. Make no mistake: this is a heartbreak album. Though it deals in all stages of romantic loss, from the first glimpse of it on the horizon through to grief and finally absolution, it has captured the essence of a very specific moment in time.
The album has been finished for a year – Rodgers reveals they had to sit on her sofa listening to it before our call because they’d forgotten what it sounded like. A s, who does a lot of singing on this record and who lays claim to most of the feelings it exposes, cheerily admits it’s hard to connect to it now: “Personally, I’m not in
Words: Laurie Presswood
that place anymore so it’s kind of weird to listen back and be like, ‘Oh wow, they were really going through it.’”
At the same time A s and Rodgers are having to get back into the shoes of the people who wrote their award-winning debut Strike a Match in 2017. It’s for the Scottish Music Industry Association, who have invited a series of acts to perform a previously nominated Scottish Album of the Year contender live and in full at the Tolbooth in Stirling.
Interestingly for both A s and Rodgers there’s a sense that time has interposed a sort of third-party author – that these songs are a message from elsewhere. For A s, every song and album is like a postcard from the past. For Rodgers, there’s a parallel with the obsessive style of listening you can only do when your access to music is finite. “It’s similar to the way that you related to music when you were younger,” she says. “Before Spotify you just had a few CDs. You knew them inside out and when you hear those albums back now you’re like: that reminds me of that very specific time.”
Looking back they can also see how much their approach to songwriting has evolved. Now when they write they conceive of a track as a whole, incorporating choruses and other parts from the get-go. In the early days they weren’t looking to
write an album, or even a song – they were just hanging out. “We were really excitable,” Rodgers says, “Ray would just play anything on guitar and I’d be like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing!!’ And then I’d be like, [Rodgers air drums] jagajugajuag tcchh.”
You can tell they’re still excited by each other – listening back, the recording of our call is littered with laughter and exclamation. That seed of friendship is central to their sound, Sacred Paws just the inevitable consequence of their creative energies meeting. “We just will always make the music that we make,” Rodgers explains. “It’s not a conscious decision. It’s just our personalities in a room together, and what that brings out.”
A s agrees: “There’s certain friends that you hang out with, and there’s certain things that you’ll talk about, and there’s a certain way that you’ll talk to them – I feel like that’s sort of what happens when we write songs together. It’s hard to describe, but it’s just always gonna be the same, because it’s us, and that’s what’s making it happen.”
Jump Into Life is released on 28 Mar via Rock Action
Sacred Paws play Mono, Glasgow, 30 Mar; The Mash House, Edinburgh, 18 Apr; the date for their rescheduled Strike a Match show at Tolbooth, Stirling is TBC sacredpaws.co.uk
Sacred Paws
Photo: Margaret Salmon
Young Team
With over sixty exhibitors on display, here’s The Skinny’s take on the up-and-coming artists to look out for in RSA New Contemporaries
How are emerging artists and architects responding to generation-defining moments such as technological advances, climate catastrophe and shifting cultural identities? Every year, RSA New Contemporaries provides a window into how Scotland’s most promising art school graduates are forging their creative perspectives and distinctive styles. Now in its sixteenth edition, the showcase offers an incisive look at the themes shaping contemporary art. Running alongside it is Delia Baillie: Memory Box, a heartfelt homage to the late Dundonian artist and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design lecturer, whose influence continues to shape Scotland’s artistic landscape.
Raised on a sheep farm in rural Argyll, Olivia Priya Foster creates sculptural habitats from the raw materials of her upbringing. Black Sheep began as an autobiographical performance, in which Foster sheared sheep on her family farm. Using the sheepskin, Foster has created a cavelike installation that serves as a documentation of performance. Through a POC lens, Foster excavates her experience of queer rurality, navigating the duality of her Scottish and South Asian identities. This is a deeply personal interrogation of the land she grew up on and her diasporic heritage. A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Foster’s 2024 presentation of Black Sheep won her the ‘Best in School’ title at the degree show and a nomination for the Visual Arts Scotland Graduate Award.
Similarly engaged with place and personal history, Jennifer Upson repurposes found materials from her home in The Necessity of Ruins, a work that su ests renewal in the wake of upheaval. Upson began her Fine Art studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands during what she describes as a “turning point” in her life. For this site-specific work, she dismantled and reassembled wooden lathe stripped from her 200-year-old cottage on the Moray Coast, revealing the hidden framework of home. Once discarded, these architectural fragments find new meaning, reflecting Upson’s process-led approach to change, memory and reconstruction.
Madeleine Marg turns her gaze to the all-consuming presence of technology. Her installations expose the algorithmic grip responsible for brain rot and diminishing humanto-human connection. For her Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) degree show, she presented DINNERS READY, but nobody is listening, an unsettling installation depicting a dismembered family at the dinner table, doomscrolling rather than communicating with each other. In her latest work, Marg casts the most vulnerable of subjects in her installations: a baby. In Ipad Baby, we watch the baby – seemingly the artist herself – grow up disinterested in the non-virtual world. The colour is drained from everything except the glowing screens, lit up like a dopamine hit, pacifying the baby for hours on end.
Words: Rachel Ashenden
Olivia Foster, Black Sheep
Jennifer Upson, The Necessity of Ruins
Madeleine Marg, IPad Baby
Agnes Roberts, Untitled (Tomato) oil on board
As Marg edges closer to reality, her world-building is no longer dystopian – it is disturbingly familiar.
Also hailing from DJCAD, Rowan Roscher’s practice is shaped by feminist philosophies, body politics and science fiction. For inspiration, she returns to Ursula K. Le Guin’s speculative essay
The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction which makes the case that the vessel as the first human tool, rather than a weapon. For Roscher, bodies themselves are vessels – vessels that are vulnerable, exploited, yet capable of resistance. Her ceramics confront the anxieties surrounding wellness misinformation and healthcare access inequality, using playfulness and softness as a counterbalance.
Questions of authorship are posed in Ahed Alameri’s participatory performance THESEUS I
The Emirati multimedia artist and Edinburgh College of Art graduate invites visitors to inscribe charcoal writing on the RSA’s walls, in turn blurring the lines between authorship and ownership. Inspired by the Ship of Theseus paradox, which questions whether an object remains the same if all its parts are replaced, Alameri probes national identity and the mutability of historical narratives. Who gets to write the past, and who decides what is erased?
As climate collapse looms, Brendan Kerrisk envisions an alternative to unchecked economic growth. Rejecting architecture’s complicity in environmental destruction, the University of Dundee alumnus instead mobilises its revolutionary potential. His intricate digital illustration, High Density Living, depicts an autonomous settlement in Germany’s postindustrial Ruhr Valley, emblazoned with the slogan ‘WORK LESS, LIVE MORE’. This speculative intervention also expresses the conflict and guilt Kerrisk feels with the realisation that, as he puts it: “As I enter my professional life, I am certain that, despite any intentions, my work will, at best, be an act of environmental amelioration.”
Similarly cynical about humans’ destructive impact, Bethany Reid explores the moral quandaries of human-animal relationships, her sculptures challenging societal perceptions of non-human animals. When You’re Big is a cutting dissection of meat production, using contrasting materials and stylistic approach to distinguish between childhood innocence and the harsh reality of adulthood. Impaled and screeching pigs – stitched together from discarded fabrics – stand as haunting symbols of cruelty and complicity. Through a visceral juxtaposition, Reid confronts her viewers with the ethical dilemmas embedded in everyday choices of consumption.
Following RSA New Contemporaries, one exceptional emerging artist will be awarded The Skinny Prize. As their career progresses within the Scottish arts scene, we’ll soon share a close look at the recipient’s practice.
RSA New Contemporaries, Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, 22 Mar-16 Apr, £8(£5), free Mondays
Brendan Kerrisk, High Density Living
Rowan Roscher, Omphalos Vessel Bethany Reid, When You're Big
Ahed Alameri, We Love the Country
Expression by Fur
Hot on the hairy heels of ScotiaCon 2025, we chat to members of the furry community about harmful media misrepresentation, the joy of connecting IRL and finding freedom in fur
As breakfast turned to brunch, with knife and fork in hand, thousands of foxes, cats, and dogs began to chow down at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. Skittish neuro-funk flowed from the foyer to the banks of the River Clyde, carried by a brisk breeze. The winterbattered trees swayed, whilst runners, walkers, and their pets alike stood still, rooted in awe, amidst a seemingly infinite sea of colourful characters descendingx on Scotland’s only furry convention – ScotiaCon.
The furry fandom encompasses a diverse community of artists, gamers, and role players, some of whom create anthropomorphised animal characters they can identify with – also known as a fursona. It’s nothing new: from Dr Seuss to George Orwell, attributing human emotions and behavioural features to animals has long helped foster human connection and understanding in a fun and fresh context.
Existing primarily online, furry alter egos often interact in avatar form through simulated virtual reality experiences. It’s at meet-ups and conventions, such as ScotiaCon, where internet extroverts can connect face-to-face in a safe space, while fashioning their fabric tails, ears, and elaborate head-to-toe costumes, known as fursuits.
“Wearing the suit is a massive confidence booster to be the more outgoing version of myself and have people see me the way I see myself... it’s also super fun,” smiles Jynx, 22, a self-proclaimed indecisive wolf, fox, and snow leopard amalgamation from Ireland.
“Especially as someone who is gay, it’s nice to be in a non-judgemental space surrounded by supportive and like-minded people,” they say. Alongside their involvement in the furry community, Jynx works as a lighting technician and is a hobbyist horse rider. “The community is so diverse in talents and personalities, but with one common interest to bring everyone together.”
Spawning out of America’s 1970s sci-fi scene, alongside Trekkies and a growing interest in cosplay, the furry subculture soon amassed millions of members worldwide. Spreading to Scotland in 2011, ScotiaCon – one of the UK’s three annual furry conventions – started as a small hangout in the Highlands, before relocating to the Central Belt. Attendance then increased more than tenfold.
But when growth means selling out 1,300 capacity rooms at a renowned business hotel faster than you can explain the concept of a Sharkwolf, it’s hard to stay unnoticed by the media, and – in the case of furs – even harder to not be damagingly misinterpreted.
“Unfortunately our community is one that does attract a share of negative attention which is unwarranted,” says an organiser. This year, their
time at ScotiaCon was spent safeguarding participants from a swathe of photojournalists shooting large lens cameras akimbo style as if on safari. “We are subject to a lot of reporting that accuses us of abhorrent things,” they say, inferring a hyper-fixation on the peccadillo of a few by which tabloids paint the rest to haul ragebait clicks en masse.
“They call us the wee sex-pests,” jokes Bandit, 25, a blue 6’2” one-le ed cancer survivor bearing resemblance to a fox. “I think people grossly exa erate how sexual it is, and it’s quite difficult to have to answer to that sort of thing when you’re a strictly safe-for-work creator.”
After hitting it off with his girlfriend over the internet, the viral content creator from Edinburgh flew to Wisconsin, where he quickly became a scene icon and inspiration to pawless pals worldwide after trailblazing the US fur circuit without a prosthetic leg.
“I got diagnosed with osteosarcoma when I was 15 and was in pain 24/7, stuck in either a hospital bed or wheelchair... I wasn’t allowed to have any fun,” he says. “So, when I got my amputation, I wanted to prove your personality doesn’t have to be confined by human constraints – this is the most freedom I’ve ever had.”
Inside the hotel, a panel unpacking the nuances of what it means to be non-human (otherwise described as otherkin) is set to proceed. Across from the artist’s alley, a tall yellow bird from Bournemouth flaps his wings, warming up for a dance battle he will later lead. Strutting out the Dealer’s Den (the convention’s
marketplace) is a small Cumbrian hellhound called Electro, sporting a stylish beanie freshly copped. Having smashed out an hour of Frenchcore at the Crowne Plaza’s staple feral rave in the early hours of the morning, the young DJ Electro now plays hype man for their friend set to take to the stage after dark for a debut performance. “My first rave was in a volcano at Furality – a virtual reality convention known for its clubs. It’s cool to now be playing real-world parties where I can meet up with friends from the UK, Europe, and America.” Spanning digital and physical realms, art and culture within the furry community is richly diverse.
“The community is so diverse in talents and personalities, but with one common interest to bring everyone together” Jynx
“We’re a niche community, and an accepting one too, although it’s a shame we aren’t always accepted. ScotiaCon is an event for furries by furries,” Electro says. “Being able to suit up and have fun here has really helped me come out of my shell – I call it expression by fur.”
Words: Cammy Gallagher
Photo: Cammy Gallagher
Bandit and Jynx
With Parent & Child
With March bringing World Doula Week, we speak to doulas and birth companions practising in Scotland about supporting pregnancy, bringing life into the world, and the need for systemic change
“At the very core, the role of a doula is that of serving. Of serving birthing people and their families,” says Sara Ferreira-Jeffries, a practising doula for six years. Ferreira-Jeffries has found a passion for childbirth and pregnancy, through which she offers individualised care. “Everyone is different and everyone has a different story.”
Before, during, and after birth – doulas and birthing companions offer care throughout every step of the pregnancy journey. It’s an intimate role; doulas give informational, emotional, and practical support. As Ferreira-Jeffries says, “Every baby deserves to come into this world surrounded by love and care.” A smile stretches into her voice: “And every parent deserves to be surrounded by love and support when they have their babies, because they are newborn parents as well.”
“There are many studies that show that having someone you have built a relationship with alongside you on your birthing journey, has many positive benefits”
Fiona Reilly, doula
When Fiona Reilly’s friend was expecting a child, she began training as a doula; when the time came around, Reilly was able to support her friend’s birth and she’s been a doula ever since. “I recommend that people meet a number of doulas, so they find the one that is the best fit for them. We’re not everyone’s cup of tea,” she says. For Reilly, it’s important to stress that doulas do not provide medical support. “We simply support the wishes of the family.”
Through their practice, doulas can offer the additional support that the NHS is not currently able to provide. “I think the big gap is continuity of carer,” continues Reilly. While one doula accompanies you throughout your pregnancy journey, many birthing people will be seen by multiple midwives over the course of nine months. “There are many studies that show that having someone you have built a relationship with alongside you on your birthing journey has many positive benefits.” As the NHS currently stands (or, crumbles) such continuity is myth-like. Workers are overworked and underpaid. Appointments are shorter; waiting lists are longer.
For NHS staff themselves, these rushed relationships may also be disappointing. As
Ferreira-Jeffries notes, “I think midwives often would love to have that relationship with the families, but they’re not really given the opportunity.”
Misconceptions of doulas are fairly common. “It’s either like a middle class trend or it’s a hippie trend – one of the two, right? It’s really important to clarify that that’s not the case. You know, we do support people from all backgrounds, with all preferences,” says Ferreira-Jeffries. As such, like many doulas, she offers multiple payment plans and sliding scale prices to best accommodate a range of financial situations.
Ferreira-Jeffries is also a member of Doulas Without Borders, a UK-wide network of volunteers offering support to birthing and childbearing people. The organisation focuses its support on those experiencing disadvantage – for instance, those experiencing homelessness and displacement, as well as survivors and victims of domestic or sexual violence. “It’s really being there for those people who would normally not be able to access doula support because often doula support is a private support.”
The necessity of personalised support for marginalised groups is increasingly recognised. Established in May 2019, Amma Birth Companions is a Glasgow-based charity which supports birthing people from migrant backgrounds and other underserved groups during pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood. Amma’s services are expansive: what began as a companionship programme now entails peer support, antenatal education, and infant feeding support. “It’s an incredible privilege as well, to be with them during that time and to support them,” says Maree Aldam, CEO of Amma. Bringing individuals together during a pivotal period in their lives, the charity seeks to foster local
Words: Eilidh Akilade
Illustration: Ione Rail
community for those about to enter early parenthood. After all, it takes a village.
Parenthood can be isolating – sleepless nights coupled with those long well-milked and nappy-changed days. And pregnancy itself – its changes, its challenges – is no mean feat. Doing it alone is far from easy, especially while experiencing other hardships. “We’re providing the kind of support I suppose that a doula [would], for those who are fortunate enough to be able to hire a doula privately,” explains Aldam. “And for many others, we’re providing a kind of support... almost akin to what a partner might provide in that situation.”
For Amma, advocacy is an integral act of care. The charity’s 2024 Birth Outcomes and Experiences report found that, in 2021-22, 39% of 100 Amma clients required an interpreter; issues with interpreting were recorded in 74% of these cases. Many instances of discriminatory practices were also noted. Unfortunately, however, such findings were expected: medical racism is rife. As found by the 2021 MBRRACE report, Black and Asian people have a greater risk of maternal mortality in the UK when compared to white people. With a birthing companion in the room, the hope is that greater care is offered by medical staff. Systemic change is crucial.
Agency is not a given when it comes to our bodies and reproduction – tightening abortion laws and inaccessible contraception are testament to this. Having an advocate – someone who will stand in your corner, stay there – during pregnancy is invaluable, especially for marginalised groups. In such instances, the care that doulas and birthing companions can offer is a radical act –and all newborn parents deserve the very best.
Everyone’s a Winner
Scotland’s favourite underground female-led club night, Miss World has come to an end after ten years in the capital, but the need to tackle gender imbalance across the DJ circuit has not – we need some more girls in here
At the beginning of this year, female-led club night and DJ collective Miss World announced that the time had come to hang up the headphones, take down their purple banner and move on to pastures new. Their Instagram announcement was met with a deluge of admiration for the collective’s decade-long stint on the Cowgate. Julia, Feena and miira came together one last time for the collective’s swan song at Sneaky Pete’s – leaving the underground scene an altogether different landscape to the one Miss World first emerged in.
Founded in 2015 by a cohort of students attending the Edinburgh College of Art, Miss World was one of a scarce few female-led nights in Scotland’s capital. Like the Ship of Theseus or the Sugababes – the collective’s constituents have evolved over time, with new members taking up the mantle where others left off. Despite the numerous incarnations of Miss World, platforming local female and non-binary talent has remained a constant.
Julia joined shortly after Miss World’s formation. “I wasn’t there for the original genesis of Miss World,” she says, “One of [my friends] was leaving so they asked if I would take their place. I had never DJed before…. I think I had one go on the decks then immediately [played my] first Miss World night at the Mash House.” Julia reflects on her nine years in the collective: “It [has] always felt so relaxed…. [it’s] just such a nice space to grow and to learn.”
In 2019, Feena came aboard, at which point Miss World had been granted a coveted Friday night slot at Sneaky Pete’s. “[I] was given the space to find what I wanted to do,” she says. “Gradually over time we would share more of the responsibilities; it was maybe a couple years ago that I took over the bookings.” The collective’s thoughtful approach to programming proved to be hugely rewarding. “I really enjoyed curating lineups of all local people,” she says. “I just love seeing really talented people in your community absolutely smash it.”
Miss World’s practice of mentorship was realised again when miira joined in Spring of 2024. “Miss World is such an established and respected night, so to be able to jump in has been sick,” miira says. “The programming is very similar to my taste… It’s really fun to support all these artists that I look up to.” Miss World’s headline acts have set a precedent, with the likes of Ila Brugal, Jamz Supernova and Mantra topping the bill.
The collective’s approach to mentorship extended beyond Miss World’s members. Julia made it a mission to demystify the skills behind DJing. “A really big objective for me was to try and multiply how many women there were DJing in Edinburgh”, she says. “We ran some workshops at the art college [and] I made a booklet about DJing
Words: Myrtle Boot
which I put online for free.” The legacy of these grassroots ventures resurfaced after their recent announcement. “We got quite a few messages from people being like, ‘I had my first ever gig because of you’ [or] ‘I learned to DJ because of you’”, says Julia.
‘Like the Ship of Theseus or the Sugababes –the collective’s constituents have evolved over time’
The need for women and non-binary representation in the UK’s electronic music industry remains as vital as it was a decade ago. The Musicians’ Census (published in March 2024) found women make up just 29% of DJs, 24% of producers, and only 12% of studio/mastering engineers. As miira puts it, “Everyone keeps making the joke that we don’t need more DJs, we
need plumbers. [But] we need more non-male DJs!” “I want to see more women making music,” Feena adds, “I want to see more women in promoting and in higher positions in the music industry.”
There’s no doubt that being part of a femaleled collective comes with challenges. “It is very limiting sometimes to just be defined by your identity”, says Julia. “It does make it quite hard to find [a] voice in an artistic way. In the early days, it seemed like a blessing and a curse. It would be like, ‘I’m only here because I’m a woman and they have to fill a quota… but hey, it’s a gig!’”
Collaboration between DJs in the form of collectives is often a necessity: “It’s a male dominated scene, you often have to start your own night to have regular slots,” says miira.
Responsibility lies with all involved in the music industry to redress the gender imbalance – from local promoters to major labels. For a decade, Miss World’s members have led the way in fostering an inclusive, forgiving and carefree space for all to enjoy. As their motto goes – everyone’s a winner at Miss World.
Miss World recommends FEMMERGY, The Biscuit Factory, Fri 21 Mar, £5.50
Image: courtesy Miss World
Miss World
All About That Bass
We head down to Seabass Vinyl, Scotland’s only vinyl pressing plant, to get a behind-the-scenes look at how it’s meant to be done – just in time for Record Store Day
Afar corner of an industrial estate under the watchful eyes of sheep is not exactly where one expects the home of Scottish vinyl to live, but live there it does – welcome to Seabass Vinyl, Scotland’s only vinyl pressing plant. Seabass is a family affair – we’re greeted at the door of the plant not just by Dominique Harvey, one half of the ownership, but also Pepper the pup, an enthusiastic, if slightly distractible, part of the workforce. The other half of Seabass’s ownership is Dominique’s husband Dave Harvey, an avid record collector turned record creator, who, along with Dominique realised they could put their passion for music into something tangible.
“We really feel for the artists and want to help them as much as we can. We try to make the price of vinyl as low as possible”
Dominique Harvey, Seabass Vinyl
“We listened to a lot of music, and Dave, more so than me, was a massive vinyl collector… then during COVID we heard there was a lack of capacity of vinyl record production and as we knew there was no vinyl pressing plant [in Scotland], we decided to basically put all our money together [and start the company],” explains Dominique. How long did it take – from pipe dream to first pressing? “In August 2023 we went
Words: Emilie Roberts
to Nashville for one month to learn the trade, and by November we were pressing our first record.”
If that sounds almost insanely efficient, that’s because, well, it is. Seabass Vinyl really is a well-oiled machine – it’s hard to believe it hasn’t always existed as part of the fabric of the Scottish music scene. The space is airy, but compact, with two machines doing all the pressing and cutting – the vinyl is made from bio-degradable pellets that are heated, then turned into a puck – the centre label placed perfectly on either side – and then pressed between metal plates (called stampers) engraved with the inverted lines of sound. The record is then cleanly cut, the edges (called flashings) slithering off and collecting in a bin of off-cuts. And voila, a new piece of solid, hold-it-inyour-hands music is created – it feels like something close to magic. We’re given a fresh one, still warm to the touch, to hold (a beautiful salmon pink number by Constant Follower – his latest, The Smile You Send Out Returns to You), and for this How It’s Made obsessed writer, it’s a bit like Christmas.
We’re then led to the back of the plant and given a peek behind the curtain at the machinery that makes the whole thing tick – a huge, hulking beast that pumps the energy in from the solar panels, wind turbines and the rest of the renewable Scottish energy that powers the place. Dominique talks proudly about their commitment to sustainability – from the materials, to the energy used and their ethos of recycling and reusing, every inch of the process is made to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Seabass’s focus is not only on environmental factors, however, but also the community aspect. We are shown scores of records from local labels, from Rock Action to Lost Map. There’s even what is affectionately dubbed the ‘Last Night From
Glasgow room’, shelves upon shelves of records from the from the patron-funded, not-for-profit label. When we ask Dominique what these labels were doing before Seabass, she explains most of them were pressing records in Germany and the Czech Republic, which is not only costly but detrimental to the climate. Having Seabass in East Lothian means plenty of artists and labels alike can simply hop in a car, or jump on a train and go to the plant themselves, cementing that tight knit, local feel.
Dominique enthuses that helping Scottish artists is something close to their hearts: “We don’t do this for money… I think 80 or 90% of people we do this for have day jobs… We really feel for the artists and want to help them as much as we can. We try to make the price of vinyl as low as possible.” What this means is more Scottish, indie artists have the capacity to press high-quality records that end up in our shops – meaning this Record Store Day, a day with local community at its heart, you can be supporting local every step of the way. In our world of fast-paced, mass-produced, faceless product, it’s heartening to know there’s a sure-fire way to support what’s on your doorstep.
This ethos of helping out the smaller artists alongside the bi er ones doesn’t come at a price of quality, however. Seabass are dedicated to making the absolute best quality records they can, and both Dominique and Dave oversee every element of the records’ production, listening to each batch multiple times for even the slightest crackle, blip or imperfection. And if something isn’t up to (pardon the pun) scratch? It gets broken down and recycled, ground to a dust that is then used to make more batches of records. Dominique notes a quirk to this, telling us that records made with a little bit of recycled vinyl produce the best quality sound. It’s like they’ve got the memory of music inside them, and much like the community around them, they know the important thing is to give a bit of yourself to something greater.
Record Store Day takes place across the country on 12 Apr; be sure to look out for the latest Seabass Vinyl pressing on your next record shopping adventure
seabassvinyl.com
Photos: Tallah Brash
Open Call
A new series of casting workshops, the Scottish Casting Network hopes to connect more actors with casting directors and theatre companies
On 18 March, Glasgow’s Tron Theatre will host the initial workshop of the Scottish Casting Network. The network, comprised of the Tron, the Traverse, Dundee Rep, Citizens, Royal Lyceum, and Pitlochry Festival Theatres, was formed based on the Scottish Casting Workshops, a series of open-call workshops to connect Scotland-based artists with companies and casting directors. The workshops were created by actor Neil John Gibson.
Gibson highlights the benefit of this new iteration of the series: “The Scottish Casting Network will mean that the workshops are not reliant on one person running the event. Each building has agreed to hold their own workshop every two years regardless of staff changes. This way, actors will know that there will be three workshops held every year in perpetuity.” The interesting thing about the series, for me, is this building-centred approach. Putting the onus of keeping the workshops going on the buildings themselves means a commitment from theatre companies with the most resources – that is, a physical building – to hold a workshop every two years. At the moment, Tron Theatre Artistic Director Jemima Levick says that the workshops are being mostly funded by the companies themselves.
It’s a simple concept rooted in material conditions. This concerted effort by Scotland’s largest theatre companies to “see more talent”, so to speak, is a small step toward mitigating the effects of an environment that is starkly hostile toward working class, racialised and marginalised artists.
“It’s an opportunity for actors to come into the building and for a space within our building to become theirs for a few sessions,” Levick explains. “It’s not ‘run’ by us. We’re hosting it. Usually, when you’re auditioning, you’re inviting somebody into your building and you’re going, ‘This is the play that we’re gonna do, and this is the director… and this is their vision.’ Whereas the Scottish Casting Network Workshops are much more open, and much more, like, ‘You come in, you do your thing. Let us see what you’ve got, and then that might set some ideas running, or inspire us to think differently.’”
On the casting side, the workshop leaders plan to invite casting agents, directors and professionals from all over Scotland, not just from their venues. Levick continues: “The building-based companies are producing the most amount of work, and on a very practical level, we literally have a building that we can host this in. We have the infrastructure... We can make space for this.”
Of course, the series has limitations. A coalition amongst large companies stands to improve the Scottish casting landscape, but it also provides possible cover for the industry’s bi est players to close ranks against anyone with less influence. It’s fantastic that large companies – which themselves have faced precarity in recent years – want to share what they have;
Words: Rho Chung
nevertheless, these gifts are given on their terms. And it’s important that these companies see a return on their investment.
“There are always people who slip through the net that you see in these workshops and you go, ‘Oh, God, they’re really amazing. Where have they been?’”
Jemima Levick, Tron Theatre
As an artistic director, Levick walks a fine line between her roles as an employer and as an artist. The vast majority of auditions aren’t paid; that means that the preparation that the actor does and the time they spend in the audition room are unpaid hours of work. However, Levick highlights the value of spending company budget on casting,
even if the funding to pay actors to go through casting processes isn’t yet there. Levick reports that, in the past, these workshops have been hugely beneficial for company casting pools. “There are always people who slip through the net that you see in these workshops and you go, ‘Oh, God, they’re really amazing. Where have they been?’”
To me, these workshops are generally good news. The Scottish Casting Network is a direct response to the demonstration by the Scottish Government that funding for the arts can be gutted at any time, at any scale. If the government won’t provide a safety net for artists, then it’s up to arts employers.
An open-call workshop functions a bit like a stand-in for the famously exclusive drama school showcase, in which casting directors and other industry professionals come to see a curated exposition of work by the few artists with access to those institutions. In the Scottish Casting Network workshops, any artist can attend, regardless of their experience, access to education, and so on. As for the overall impact of the Scottish Casting Network on our theatre ecosystem, we’ll have to wait and see. Literally. Go see live theatre. Please.
Scottish Casting Network’s next session is at Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 18 Mar; more info at tron.co.uk/creative/scottish-casting-network
Scottish Casting Network
Levity, literature and laughs
Catherine Bohart returns to Scotland with her Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show, Again, With Feelings! We chat to the comic about setting boundaries for her confessional comedy and her literary influences
While friends may have been surprised at the path Catherine Bohart’s taken in life, a natural way with words has placed the comic in a league of her own. “I wasn’t the class clown at all,” she explains, “But I was in the debate team and I was good at arguing a case, I could be sharp with my words – but I was never the one making a joke.”
Known for her confessional style, the comic discusses everything in her act from heartache to overbearing parents. There is intimacy aplenty as the self-confessed over-sharer lets you into her world. Yet behind the veil of the stage, Bohart confesses that it’s an ever present balancing act. “It’s so astute to realise that even though a lot is on stage, it isn’t everything,” admits the Irish standup. Bohart giddily dives into the forensics of her act with childlike glee. “I used to find myself quite angry with someone asking me a really personal question off stage, even though it’s completely my fault as I just lectured them about it for an hour!”
With each tour building on Bohart’s excep-
“Sometimes I realise onstage, that this is an anecdote for the therapy chair, not the stage!”
Catherine Bohart
tional reputation, the hysterical Trusty Hogs podcast host and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee is quick to acknowledge the journey she’s been on. “I’m finally learning that it’s okay to put in boundaries. Sometimes I realise onstage, that this is an anecdote for the therapy chair, not the stage! On the other hand, nobody wants a show about how lovely your holiday was, everyone knows the real humanity comes from how we deal with hardship. You get to March, when everyone’s eyeing up an Edinburgh show, and secretly a bit of you is hoping something goes wrong, otherwise you don’t have an hour!”
The candour and familiarity Bohart strikes up is an immediate testament to her prowess as a performer. The rapport she conjures out of thin air is the exact skillset that has propelled her to the top of many must-see lists. Her lightning ability to make you feel not just at ease, but on the same level, is her master stroke as a comic. You feel in
Words: Cameron Wright
the know, privy to the latest scoop in a lifelong friend’s ever-changing life.
“I am myself on stage, it’s really me,” confesses Bohart, before conceding, “It’s just not the entire me, people have still paid for a nice night!
“It’s makeup,” she elaborates. “It’s knickers off the radiator, guests are round – the most presentable version I can be. It’s Catherine with levity.”
Levity is plentiful throughout her latest tour, Again, With Feelings, as Bohart spends the hour addressing themes of womanhood, her 30s and trying to find a place in it all. With every passing admission, there’s a charm and ease, although the self-effacing comedian puts that down to an accent. “People assume the Irish are fun, yet I’m a little uptight. They assume the Irish are loud and silly, yet I’m a little more studious and reserved. So really, the stereotypes help me, leaning on the Irish turn of phrase always makes me a funnier comic, I don’t know why.”
One thing that’s always sparkled brightly in Bohart’s act is precisely that love for a specific, deliberate turn of phrase. When talking literature, she eagerly exclaims “I love words!”
“As a child, we had two channels on the TV, so every Wednesday became library day, with mum telling us to read anything, saying ‘there’s no such
thing as bad reading.’”
As the conversation derails, she mentions her influences ranging from Roddy Doyle to Shakespeare (“I don’t think Shakespeare gets enough credit for how funny he is”), with Bohart paying particular tribute to the inherently campy and theatrical impact Roald Dahl had on her, noting his overtly flamboyant characters and fanciful command of language. “I mean, The Twits?? Hello? It can’t get campier than that! The way he wrote was so tongue-in-cheek, it’s basically drag!”
“I’ve never been able to write comedy with a laptop, it’s about hearing the words and how they land on an audience,” she muses, reflecting “I fixate on the words, after hearing them play out. I’m forensic – completely the type of person running to my girlfriend excitedly reading her a paragraph of my book while screaming ‘how beautiful is this sentence’! The same goes with my comedy, I want it to sound good.”
And sound good it does!
Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings, Oran Mor, Glasgow 22 Mar, 8pm, £16.50 / Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, 23 Mar, 7.30pm, £15
@catherinebohart on Instagram / @catherinebohartcomedian on TikTok
23rd Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle
26th Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan
27th SCO 24/25: Schumann & Schubert
28th Malin Lewis Presents: The Breath, Laura Wilkie & Ian Carr, Allan MacDonald
29th Richard Herring: Can I Have My Ball Back?
30th The SNJO presents 21 SPICES featuring the legendary TRILOK GURTU
28 March
Album of the Month
Perfume Genius — Glory
Mike Hadreas has written about our bodies and how easily they break before. But perhaps never so viscerally – or with as much bombast – as on No Front Teeth, Hadreas making the gap left where familiarity used to be seem as beautiful as what was there before. They’re ‘broken apart and shining’, now sheathed within the fabric of his clothes; there may be no front teeth, but there’s still ‘a feeling I know’.
Glory is a well-trained beast, but it begins snarling. It’s a Mirror and No Front Teeth fucking rock. The latter’s opening guitar line comes in instantly iconic, as recognisable as Sweet Home Alabama. Hadreas toys with classic rock and Americana sounds masterfully, these canonical totems of genre upended by his tenderness and specificity of imagery. This is his most band-driven album, and all the players here are vibrating on their own collective frequency.
However, the one-two punch of the opening tracks mask something subtler. Beyond the feedback, there are gothic experiments and ethereal flute ballads, the soft underside to this prickly veneer. Hadreas has always been sonically daring, but with his last two records, and now Glory, his work with partner and collaborator Alan
Wyffels and producer Blake Mills balances adventurousness with confident coherence. Take Capezio, a stunning and vivid vignette about the awkwardness and inscrutability of glances and gestures during a sexual encounter. Room tone sits thick under an off-kilter bassline, and Hadreas’s vocal reverberates through what seems like a rippling invisible field. In this picture, he pairs the universality of bodily fluids with the particularity of the dance shoe of its title. You’re right there next to him. Self-deprecatory humour and pathos fill his short stories. On the opener, he’s contemplating the point of stature and acclaim when he can be so riddled with anxiety when interacting with strangers. On In a Row, he’s ‘locked inside a moving car, flopping in the trunk’ but still thinking ‘of all the poems I’ll get out’.
In the press notes, Hadreas talks about filling the space of queer middle age, after the cultural guidebook for being young and gay runs out. If there’s any question about aging into creative irrelevance, it certainly doesn’t exist for Perfume Genius, who continues to pull off career bests with each new release. Doing so ‘now in quiet glory, finding shade’, as he sings on the title track, makes it no less impressive. [Tony Inglis]
Released
by Matador rrrrr
Listen to: No Front Teeth, Left For Tomorrow, Capezio
Greentea Peng Tell Dem It’s Sunny Out 21 Mar via Awal Recordings
Lucy Dacus Forever Is a Feeling Out 28 Mar via Geffen/ Polydor
Deafheaven Lonely People With Power Out 28 Mar via Roadrunner Records aya hexed! Out 28 Mar via Hyperdub
A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole International Anthem, 7 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Thank You My Pain, A Paper Man, That Was My Garden
Alabaster DePlume’s splayed fingers touch in lively sculpture on the cover of A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole, conjuring pure, simple healing without frills. There’s no question DePlume is a remarkable saxophonist, his orchestral arrangements with International Anthem labelmate Macie Stewart are stunning, yet the appeal is a tenderness for the listener.
The bright, wintery saxophone of Oh My Actual Days heralds a folkier first act, though not without the odd dubby, psych-y moment, recalling Total Refreshment Centre pals Soccer96 on A Paper Man and Form a V. Thank You My Pain acts as a reminder that feeling something, anything, in this desensitised world is miraculous. Invincibility follows, with beautiful chorals and droning, Nick Drake vocals. On the making of this record DePlume says: “I had Palestine on my mind all the time.” DePlume seeks to soothe a world reeling from lockdown and violently thrust into a 24-hour news nightmare post-October 7th. The second act is a balm; sweeping orchestral movements, stunning sax motifs, tender strings.
Like the cover image, the record is a simple yet beautifully executed reminder to reflect, find healing and resist vanity. [Vicky Kavanagh]
Lucy Liyou (루시 리유) has always created with particular vulnerability, the sound artist centring real intimacy amidst her cavernous soundscapes. But on her latest record she pushes this further than ever. The record’s lyrics – which were born as an address to her parents but mutated over time into a final message to her lover before the end of their relationship – are in such a space of quiet, pleading desperation that it verges on discomfort, all teary questions and be ed last requests that were they not so captivating, you’d want to look away from. The closing title track takes this intimacy to its extreme, going full concrète, far beyond a pain that songs would channel, leaving only silence and flickers of field recordings as flashes of remembered intimacy.
It’s a real feat then that she composes in a way that can match. Every Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name is brief, but necessarily so, its tone so personal and exposed that any longer would feel like emotional prurience on the listener’s part. It further solidifies Liyou’s place as an artist capable of breathing the sublime into the most solemn of places.
[Joe Creely]
Divorce Drive to Goldenhammer Gravity/Capitol, 7 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Lord, All My Freaks, Karen
After a flurry of well-received EPs, and consistent 6Music support, Divorce have delivered a debut album that looks set to push them to the front of the next-big-thing queue. The Nottingham band are difficult to pigeonhole: across 12 tracks they marry country, pop, indie, and folk in a way that makes comparisons tricky. Live, it can sometimes feel like four different bands all playing at the same time. And yet, it always works.
All My Freaks is Taylor Swift jamming with Johnny Marr, while Hangman gives us David Byrne duetting with Stevie Nicks. And while bands like The Last Dinner Party are happy to mine the classic Fleetwood Mac sound of Rumours, Divorce are channelling Tusk – exotic and opaque, lyrically intricate and yet still hugely listenable. These are big songs, Pyramid Stage songs, delivered with a confidence and style that showcase a band unafraid to take risks. Without getting into PhD territory, the subtle ease with which the band carry the change from major to minor chords in Lord is a thing of great beauty.
There are no split decisions here. Divorce have delivered a strong early contender for album of the year. [Andrew Williams]
Paws
Into Life
Action, 28 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Another Day, Simple Feeling, Jump Into Life
All good things come in threes, so the saying goes. With the eagerly awaited arrival of Sacred Paws’ third album via Mogwai’s Rock Action label, that sentiment still rings true. The duo of Ray A s and Eilidh Rodgers are now older and wiser. So too is their music. Filled with effervescent joy, despite its lyrics of heartbreak and healing, Jump Into Life is pure catharsis in all senses of the word.
Another Day spearheads the album’s ethos. The pair’s vocal harmonies are as infectious as ever. Banjo lines provide a playful new depth, whilst its purposefully plain lyrics are refreshingly relatable. The title track and Simple Feeling show the best of Sacred Paws’ glorious afrobeat guitar work, while Fall For You brings post-punk-esque approaches to the fore. Album opener Save Something could have offered a gut-wrenchingly emotive moment, if its beautiful strings, brass and vocals weren’t overshadowed by excessive drums. However, this is just one exception among an album of towering energy, patiently crafted songwriting and sensational musicianship – as well as dazzling drumming. Wide-eyed in sound and vision, three is the magic number for Sacred Paws. They haven’t just jumped into life... they’ve leaped. [Jamie Wilde]
Alabaster DePlume
Sacred
Jump
Rock
Lucy Liyou (루시 리유) Every Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name Orange Milk, 21 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Credit, Imagine Kiss, No Tide Aorta
Benefits
Constant Noise
Invada Records, 21 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Blame, Divide, Dancing On the Tables
Wherever your opinion of Benefits’ debut album NAILS landed, their music is impossible to ignore. An incendiary wall of sound smashing against angry sociopolitical spoken (or shouted) words. Divisive, but with enough popular appeal to end up at Glastonbury. Their new album’s title, Constant Noise, is a knowing wink to the band’s sonic reputation, but that implied aural punishment is replaced with a moody soundscape where that “constant noise” is instead referenced in the lyrics.
Benefits have also reduced themselves to a two-piece, and the following track Land of the Tyrants shows off just how catchy this adjustment can be as Kingsley Hall’s considered, indignant vocals rub shoulders with Robbie Major’s electronic beats.
There’s the odd return to the Benefits of old (the skull-crushing Lies and Fear), but Constant Noise typically shifts between EDM, techno, rave, and bleak, apocalyptic, sonic wastelands. Blame is a pounding Faithless-esque banger; the angry, awkward Divide enlists the envious talents of Middlesborough rapper Shakk; and the static jams of Dancing On the Tables produce one of the most memorable tracks you’ll hear this year. Benefits are back, whether you like it or not.
[Christopher Sneddon]
SPELLLING
Portrait of My Heart
Sacred Bones, 28 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Alibi, Ammunition, Drain
Portrait of My Heart’s opening, titular track is a symphonic lament soaked in the spindly shadow of late 70s goth rock, on which Chrystia Cabral expresses a purgatorial absence of belonging. The following tracks, Keep It Alive and Alibi, take from the seemingly discordant worlds of 80s hair metal/dad rock and Y2K Disney Channel pop-punk, combining them in a way that prods you between the eyebrows and demands you listen closely.
Then there are songs like Ammunition – an opera-rock ballad complete with searing, baroque guitar lines – which blow your preconceptions of this historically oblique and witchy artist completely out of the water. By the same token, certain left-of-centre avant-pop musical choices still permeate the darker, heavier portions of this sonic reinvention – especially on Drain and Love Ray Eyes. Ending on a fairly true-to-the-original cover of MBV’s Sometimes, which substitutes the chu y rhythm guitar for a mixture of spacious fuzz and warbly synths, Cabral’s sublime vocal is afforded the special attention it deserves.
Portrait of My Heart channels and exudes a wild assortment of sonic influences – an approach which results in the most honest and entrancing SPELLLING record to date. [Jack Faulds]
Japanese Breakfast For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)
Dead Oceans, 21 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Orlando in Love, Picture Window, Magic Mountains
The opening of Japanese Breakfast’s 2021 album Jubilee found Michelle Zauner standing atop a glittering peak of artistic endeavour, asking, ‘How’s it feel to stand at the height of your powers / To captivate every heart?’ Now, nearly four years on, she opens its follow-up by finding comfort in darkness, the optimism and splendour of Jubilee melted away into a soft cosmic haze as she sings, ‘Life is sad but here is someone’.
Produced by Blake Mills, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) is awash with deep, velvety guitar, sultry strings and glinting piano. Orlando in Love is a panoramic, almost painterly retelling of a story from Italian Renaissance literature; Zauner’s vocals ebb and swell like the tide, while undulating strings seem to trace out mountain ranges. The dense barrage of Honey Water recalls the smoky alt-rock of Zauner’s second album, while Picture Window is a much brighter, busier tangle of country, rock and pop. Closer Magic Mountain paints another gorgeous cinematic soundscape, scattered with clusters of celestial chimes. ‘Once the fever subsides, I’ll return to the flatlands a new man’, she sings, relinquishing the dizzying exultation of Jubilee for something murkier, subtler, more grounded. [Zoë White]
SASAMI
Blood On the Silver Screen
Domino Records, 7 Mar rrrrr
Listen to: Just Be Friends, Love
Makes You Do Crazy Things, Figure It Out
It’s difficult to admit that we’re in a period of nostalgia for the 2010s, but the sounds across SASAMI’s ambitious new pop record, Blood On the Silver Screen, evoke aesthetic memories of garish fashions and enormous Facebook photo albums. The links between visual and musical pop culture both transport us back and bring the era forward. SASAMI sings: ‘Thirty years old and you’re still getting burned’, sharing the familiar experience of feeling like the instability of your early 20s never really left you.
The sounds of the album pay homage to the earnest confessions of artists like Lady Gaga and Natasha Bedingfield, showcasing SASAMI’s vocals and conservatory training. SASAMI is most impressive on Lose It All, an upbeat breakup bop. However, despite her status as a pop music cool-girl, the album feels highly strung, constrained by a stiffness that drains it of some vitality. SASAMI can write the hell out of a love song, but something about this album’s emotional side feels more generic than referential. The intricate beats and polished production feel at times over-studied, lacking the raw edge of intuition that came across in her earlier work.
[Rho Chung]
Music Now
This month we celebrate new releases from Zoe Graham, Matt Carmichael, racecar, Idiogram, Neev, Majesty Palm and more
Words: Tallah Brash
As well as missing MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN, the latest LP from Glasgow rock duo VUKOVI released back in January, February saw more gems slip through the cracks. Roller Disco Death Party released The Pink EP – a cocktail of Justice, Confidence Man and LMFAO – while there were singles from artists like Faith Eliott, Katie GregsonMacleod, Possibly Jamie, Intibint, Pippa Blundell, Goodnight Louisa, Iona Zajac, Buffet Lunch and No Windows.
This month is equally stacked. Due on 21 March, Zoe Graham’s debut album TENT (an acronym for either The Eternal Navigation of Truth, or TEN songs about Therapy, depending on how Graham feels in the moment) sees Graham reckoning with herself across ten powerful tracks, sounding at ease, comfortable in her own skin, knowing exactly what she wants to achieve with her music. There’s a lounge-y Fleetwood Mac feel to opener Push and Pull, while others call to mind artists like Sharon Van Etten and St. Vincent; there’s even a little Tubeway Army in the icy synths on Even Though I’m Scared.
Alongside more muscular singles like Evilin, Good Girl and Happen, it’s a privilege to bear witness to the depth of vulnerability on show from Graham on the more ballad-forward cuts I Only Ever Loved Yous and Stranger Care. The overall songwriting talent on show across the entirey of TENT – where choruses never miss, and every synth line, brass flourish, and violin bow is expertly played and perfectly placed – is truly top tier, making for an exceptional and incredibly cohesive body of work.
Earlier in the month, Edinburgh alt-pop trio racecar release Pink Car. Thematically devoted to experiences of adolescence, love, heartbreak and relationships, musically, its 13 tracks play out like a complex Scalextric track, with twists, turns and loop de loops aplenty helping piece together a whole glut of genres. From techno and 90s rave to d’n’b, pop, industrial, nu-metal and more, swathes of instrumentation layered with electronic textures make for an enjoyable, not to mention constantly surprising listening experience.
On 22 March, East Lothian instrumental post-prog outfit Idiogram release Reunion of Broken Parts. Kicking things off with an abrasive, glitchy, chug, when opener Hyperaccumulator gets to the one minute mark, syncopated rhythms open out into something altogether more cinematic and alluring. Deep grainy synths call to mind early Errors, and cascading guitar lines that charge on like a dog trying to chase its own tail, will delight Mogwai fans. It’s an excellent introduction to an album that effortlessly and playfully manages to combine post-prog, rock, electronic, ambient and classical to exhilarating effect.
At the end of the month, the worlds of jazz and folk collide on Glasgow-based saxophonist and composer Matt Carmichael’s third album, Dancing With Embers (28 Mar), where spaciousness is just as important as space-filling. A collection of mostly instrumental songs, featuring contributions from Fergus McCreadie, Brìghde Chaimbeul and Rachel Sermanni, among others, the musicianship across this inherently Scottish record is exceptional, with the warmth of the embers of the title felt across its 12 tracks.
On the same day, Glaswegian folk artist Neev releases How Things Tie In Knots. Exploring the idea of “growing through one’s 20s – navigating the tension between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming”, you can feel that push and pull across the album in Neev’s impressively chameleonic vocals alone. It’s a vulnerable, often angsty offering, relatable and comforting in equal measure.
When it comes to EPs, we’re most excited about Learning to Swim from Glasgow pair Olivia McCosh and Cameron Robertson, aka Majesty Palm. Due on 7 March, closer The Longer I Hold You is the perfect slice of disco-led pop that sounds genuinely like it could have been written for Dua Lipa; rounding out an entire EP packed full of great pop tunes, we’re excited for the future of Majesty Palm. On the same day, also keep a look out for Makalelo from electronic producer Kilimanjaro
Elsewhere, from a formerly abandoned clifftop hotel on an ex-radar station in the Outer Hebrides, Maps from the City arrives from Andrew Eaton Lewis (3 Mar). On the 7th, choose between the incredibly relentless, psychedelic, wall-of-sound offering from Austin/Glasgow duo SKLOSS as they release The Pattern That Speaks, or get an injection of 00s-indebted indie-pop and rock from Edinburgh outfit Dubinski’s debut album, What Is Your Definition of Happiness?
Edwyn Collins releases his tenth solo record, the thought-provoking Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation (14 Mar), while the following week sees NATI. release her indiepop/folk EP, Golden (21 Mar). At the end of the month, Sacred Paws release Jump Into Life; read our interview with the pair on page 34, and turn back a page for the full album review. On 5 March, expect singles from SHEARS (Bad Dream) and Maya’s Radio Orchestra (Seal Song), while the 6th brings singles from Shinlifter (Percolator/Nandos), Cowboy Hunters (Mating Calls) and Nikhita (Insurance). On 21 March, seek out Like Me, a collab from Feyvo and Katherine Aly
Scan the QR code to follow and like our Music Now: New Scottish Music playlist on Spotify, updated on Fridays
Photo: Cameron Brisbane
Photo: George McFadyen
Zoe Graham
Majesty Palm
Film of the Month — On Falling
Director: Laura Carreira
Starring: Joana Santos, Inês Vaz, Piotr Sikora
RRRRR
Released 7 March by CONIC Certificate 15
theskinny.co.uk/film
Edinburgh-based Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira makes her much-anticipated feature film debut with the quietly crushing workplace drama On Falling. Working in a social realist style that relies primarily on agonising long-shots and dialled-back performances, Carreira’s powerful film imposes a painful hold on its viewer which doesn’t let go for the film’s duration. Tackling themes of immigration, workers’ rights and suicide, On Falling takes the form of slow-building snippets of everyday hell. Carreira taps into the deeply human realisation that modern life requires a new kind of emotional labour, where simply surviving is not enough.
We begin on a silent commute taken by Aurora (Joana Santos). The grey palette (as shot by Carreira’s regular cinematographer Karl Kürten) instantly alludes to our protagonist’s acute loneliness. She arrives at an Amazon-like storeroom and begins her day scanning products to be sent out to customers, with the items she selects – a baby doll, a make-up kit, a travel guide to the Bahamas – evoking a life of recreation a million miles from her own. All of her interactions with colleagues and flatmates revolve around the three Ws: work, wealth and weather. Whether she owes money to her friend for petrol or is simply commenting on the “shit [Scottish] weather!”, Aurora’s social life is repetitive and somewhat dull, with few meaningful human connections in sight.
Some interactions come close: one being with a co-worker who initiates a shy conversation over lunch. It’s an endearing and well-directed exchange between two introverts attempting to connect but it’s ultimately a moment giving a false sense of
hope. More optimism is found in the kind efforts of Aurora’s new Polish flatmate, Kris (Piotr Sikora), who attempts to involve her in his social activities, though Aurora’s pressing financial issues and, more a ressively, hunger quickly drown out any ambitions for fulfilment.
Mired in austerity and isolation, Aurora moves through life in a dissociative daze. The stru le for survival seems to have taken all that is definitive from Aurora’s existence, which is expressed most pointedly in a harrowing job interview where Aurora is asked what she enjoys doing outside of work, and all she can think of as a reply is “the laundry”.
On Falling is produced by Sixteen Films, the company founded by Ken Loach (alongside Paul Laverty and Rebecca O’Brien), but Carreira isn’t simply following in the Kes and I, Daniel Blake director’s footsteps. In contrast to the comprehensive sermons of Loach’s filmmaking, the agony in Careirra’s understated screenplay lies in what’s not said. In place of righteous and tear-inducing speeches, Carreira prefers scathing close-ups and nuanced performances.
As we consider the stakes of Aurora’s situation, each mundane moment becomes nightmarish. The initially relatable process of silently stealing a crisp packet from her flatmate’s cupboard is transformed into a deeply political act, with Carreira’s precise filmmaking influencing how the audience receives every second of On Falling. What ensues is a tonal, emotional repression that comes to a head in a gut-wrenching finale, which considers the work-to-live existence with brutal sincerity. [Heather Bradshaw]
Scotland on Screen: James McArdle
James McArdle is a familiar face from stage and television, but he’s yet to lead a movie. That all changes with Four Mothers, in which he plays an Irish novelist caring for his elderly mother. The 35-year-old Scot tells us more
Words: Katie Driscoll
Film (selected): Ammonite (2020), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), ‘71 (2014)
TV (selected): Playing Nice (2025), Sexy Beast (2024), Andor (2022), Mare of Easttown (2021), Love and Marriage (2013)
Stage (selected): The Real Thing (2024), The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Peter Gynt (2019), Angels in America (2017), Chariots of Fire (2012)
James McArdle’s booming laugh is a great way to start the day. The Glasgow-born actor laughs when I tell him that my mum had texted me that morning about how he plays such a good “baddie”, like in his latest ITV series Playing Nice “People usually hiss and boo at me,” he laughs. “I rarely get asked to do [comedy] on screen, only on stage.”
But deft and subtle comedic chops are what he brings in his latest venture, leading Darren Thornton's latest film Four Mothers as Edward, a gay Irishman working as a successful YA novelist. Edward is also taking care of his mum who’s recovering from a stroke – she’s played with impish mischief by stage and screen legend Fionnula Flanagan (“very generous with her time,” McArdle beams when talking about her).
“It’s the perfect film to take someone to after a nice lunch,” the actor says of Four Mothers, but don’t go in thinking it’s light fluff. The film is more like something by Pedro Almodóvar if the great director was Irish. It explores dynamics often ignored onscreen, like queer familial relationships in a formerly repressive culture and what it’s like to be part of, what McArdle calls, a “nation of carers”.
Edward and his three pals, also all middle-aged and gay, are, like him, taking care of their elderly mothers. Hilarity and chaos ensue when his pals decide to dump their three mothers on Edward’s doorstep and sashay away to a Pride event in Spain. It’s a wryly funny and heart-aching exploration of motherson relationships, and how you can “absolutely adore your parents and love them and feel like they hold you back, all at once,” as McArdle puts it.
The film feels beautifully universal in its shades of light and dark, which is one element of the script that captivated McArdle. “The darkest moments of my life have been laced with absurdity and comedy, you know?” he says. “The absurdity of
being alive, I think, is captured in the film perfectly.”
And this universality surpasses the specific algorithms that our media consumption is marketed towards; the film’s emotions transcend its specificity. Take your nan, take your mum, take your stepmum to the movie, McArdle says, but it’s also for everyone. “I just don’t think real human beings think like algorithms, despite how we’re told that we do. We see human stru le. We understand that all these labels and identities that are put upon us are external forces. I think we recognise universal things in each other.”
The film’s warm reception has pleasantly surprised McArdle – perhaps putting an end to people booing and hissing at him in the street. “When it won the audience awards for best feature at LFF [London Film Festival], I was doing a play [The Real Thing at the Old Vic],” he recalls. “I had to go into the box office to get tickets for someone and a guy came in and I thought he was going to say he enjoyed the play or something. He just said that he’d seen Four Mothers and that there wasn’t much on a surface level he thought he’d be able to relate to, but it had absolutely floored him.”
This echoes his own experience reading the script for the first time. “I find myself getting emotional even talking about it,” he laughs. “It’s very rare. You know, it’s happened to me a handful of times that a script just leaps out at me and I think, ‘I’ve got to do this’. There’s something that I found so moving about these four women at the end of their lives. And this man who has so much life ahead of him and he isn’t living, he’s kind of in limbo.”
And it’s these four women at the end of their lives who wake Edward up and teach him to appreciate what he’s been taking for granted all along. A line spoken by Gaetan Garcia’s character Raf in the film – “Go to America or don’t go to America. Just make a decision” – prompted McArdle to draw an unexpected parallel. “It’s like to be or not to be!” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t going to play Edward like Hamlet, but I kept thinking: he is a lot like Hamlet. Hamlet’s a weird protagonist because he’s quite passive, you know? There’s the mother element with him too, and just like in this film, you’re watching a guy try to make a decision.”
After my breezy chat with McArdle, I feel permission to accept the complex emotions our mothers can bring out in the best and most patient of us, even if I haven’t experienced caring for my own mum yet. It’s been cathartic, I tell him. “I don’t know any adult child or parent who comes out of that experience unscathed in some way,” he says. “And it doesn’t have to be huge traumatic things, just the kind of things that leave scars, wounds each other. But there is this… this unbreakable bond of experiencing life together.” After seeing this humorous and humanistic performance, McArdle will be Mr Baddie no more.
Four Mothers screens at Glasgow Film Festival on 3 & 4 Mar, and is released 4 Apr by BFI Distribution
James McArdle as Edward & Fionnula Flanagan
Flow Director: Gints Zilbalodis rrrrr
In a world on the brink of apocalypse thanks to the negligence of its long-gone human overlords, we find one solitary black cat. Surrounded by structures of its own likeness, we come to understand that this feline had once belonged to a sculptor, who, like the rest of human life, has succumbed to the plight of some natural disaster. As apocalyptic waters begin to swirl, Flow’s hero must flee to higher ground, finding floating salvation in a boat and a capybara. Grappling with the uncertainty of their new transient home, the unlikely pair collect a motley crew of animal companions – an exuberant dog, a neurotic lemur, and an exiled secretary bird – all striving to coexist in an apocalyptic realm of ever-escalating peril.
So often in animated films, anthropomorphisation serves as a mirror, reflecting the imperfections of
Brief History of a Family Director: Jianjie Lin
Starring: Feng Zu, KeYu Guo rrrrr
Saltburn comparisons are almost inevitable in regards to Jianjie Lin’s psychological drama about a student ingratiating himself into a classmate’s family. Set against the brutally competitive academic backdrop and one-child policy of modern China, the film follows high school student Shuo (Sun Xilun) as he begins spending more and more time at his well-off friend Wei’s (Lin Muran) house, avoiding what he hints are hardships at his own home. Wei’s kind parents are all too happy that their son has companionship – however, cracks soon begin to show.
Brief History of a Family follows familiar beats, but given those beats have formed the backdrop for The Talented Mr Ripley and The Secret History, there’s at least fascinating character dynamics involved. Furthermore, the cultural specificity
humanity in a kooky cast of animal hybrids. In Flow, director Gints Zilbalodis instead resigns his characters to their natural instincts, and simply observes the unbridled resilience of animals as the world ends. As a shared threat dismantles the natural order, Flow’s creature comrades are forced to work together, raising the question of whether humanity would prove as cooperative in the face of a similar fate.
Gints’ environmental parable uses real-life animal actors and a dreamy, self-composed soundtrack to create an authentic, wordless world beyond comprehension. The film’s inclusive, kinetic language is a reflection of the animals themselves, joined in their survival as a unified collective of enduring species.
[Heather Bradshaw]
Released 21 Mar by Curzon; certificate U
lends the story a fresh spin for Western audiences. The production design is sleek, almost sterile, giving the characters nowhere to hide. Where the film shines most, however, is in its exploration of parental expectation and disappointment and how small comments become festering slights. Families are fragile alliances, despite protestations of unconditional and ‘natural’ love, and in this pressure cooker of ambiguity, Shuo and Wei have no space to discover themselves without the unanimous and complete support of those in charge of their futures. Although perhaps lacking the concluding punch promised by the premise, Brief History of a Family is worthwhile as a continued meditation on ever-captivating themes of belonging versus standing out. [Carmen Paddock]
Released 21 Mar by Blue Finch Film Releasing; certificate 15
Karan Kandhari’s debut opens with a silent train journey for two newlyweds still unaware of the feral turns their arranged marriage will take. During a sweltering Mumbai summer spent in a claustrophobic shack, reluctant housewife Uma (Radhika Apte) starts experiencing a weird malaise. As Gopal (Ashok Pathak) does his best to understand her appetites, Uma realises she’s not cut out for the domestic goddess life.
A successor to A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Sister Midnight is an enjoyable new entry in the female-centred horror canon, one that serves its main dish with a generous dose of deadpan awkwardness. Introduced as an enemies-tolovers rom-com, the movie morphs into a kooky, slapstick affair about the fear of the chaotic feminine,
The End
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Starring: Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Michael Shannon rrrrr
Where Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentaries drew their soul-searing power from horrifying reality, The End is not just an intentionally unreal piece of post-apocalyptic fiction, but a full-blown musical. It takes place inside the luxuriously furnished bunker where an oil baron (Shannon) now resides along with his wife (Swinton) and son (MacKay). They left the rest of humanity to die decades ago and now bury their guilt beneath layers of waspish decorum. Their days are spent with fixed smiles, fussing over little decorative details inside their cavernous home to avoid reckoning with the carnage beyond it. For all its differences, The End drives home the same brutal truths about humanity as The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. The casting is perfect. Between MacKay’s haunted-child demeanour,
providing an antidote to the polished TikTok trad wife aesthetic.
Kandhari’s assured direction follows certified hot mess Uma across symmetrical frames that recall Wes Anderson’s world-building, though the film maintains a raw, punk quality. Centred shots and saturated palettes aside, Sister Midnight also attracts comparisons with Anderson for its needle drops courtesy of Interpol’s Paul Banks.
A music video director, Kandhari enlisted Banks’ help to craft a killer mixtape where Buddy Holly and The Stooges co-exist with the Cambodian rock of the 1960s and 1970s. The result is a stylish counterpart to the relentless buzz of the city, accompanying Uma in increasingly surreal situations. An almost vignette-like account, Sister Midnight may feel thin on cohesion and at times too derivative, but it’s a rebellious, spirited debut with a lot of bite. [Stefania Sarrubba]
Released 14 Mar by Altitude; certificate 15
Shannon’s strait-laced intensity and the way Swinton always seems to be plu ed into a frequency no one else can hear, they convey just the right feeling of off-ness. But while it makes thematic sense to tell their tale through the artifice of old-fashioned musical numbers, it’s not a mode in which the film ever seems comfortable. The songs are underwhelming and essentially interchangeable – there’s little variance in style and no real modulation of emotion. And while some of the photography is stunning, the static camera makes a poor dance partner for the actors.
Perhaps that’s purposeful too, another way of drawing attention to the fallacy of it all. But two-and-a-half hours is a long time to spend watching a bad musical, even an intentionally bad one. [Ross McIndoe]
Released 27 Mar by MUBI; certificate 12A
Screening at GFF 4 & 5 Mar
Brief History of a Family
Flow
The End
Sister Midnight
THROUGH THE HOUSE, GLASGOW
Glasgow’s latest speciality coffee spot is a haven of comfy chairs, enormous disco balls, and excellent espresso
Mon & Thu-Sat, 8am-5pm; Sun, 9am-5pm
@through.the.house on Instagram
There might be a global coffee shortage (OK, OK, there definitely is a global coffee shortage), but for now, there’s no shortage of cafes making great coffee. Across Scotland you can find excellent espresso, great beans sourced from around the world, and latte art starring the most majestic swans you can imagine.
And yet there is a prevailing coffee shop style that, with some notable exceptions, dominates our imagination. Bet you can picture it – the white walls, the concrete, the thick fonts, the pine, so much pine. It’s a crisp, clean look that can verge on the clinical, and can also seem to whisper ‘lovely to see you, we do only have nine seats in here so please drink your coffee then get out.’
Through the House, opposite the Tron Theatre in the shadow of the Tolbooth Steeple, feels like an attempt to redress that balance. It’s a very welcoming, warm space, with mauve walls, just-above-eye-level posters and a slightly incongruous disco ball hanging from the centre of the ceiling.
It’s roomy, with a hefty sideboard housing some vinyl turntables and stacks of records; plans are afoot for an ‘open decks’ on those turntables each Sunday. Meanwhile the furniture is a mixture of clean lines, brown wood and the occasional big bit of glass or silver. It’s cosy, like an extremely well kitted-out living room or more accurately, three or four living rooms which have, in a very controlled way, crashed into one another. And it’s buzzing, full of folk catching up on a Saturday morning while some impressively bassy tunes quietly hum away in the background.
So we order our coffee, pop ourselves down in the corner on one of a pair of lovely mid-century armchairs with its side table and a lamp, and, as we say in the biz, relax into the space. Have a little read, wait for our coffee, do a bit more reading… wonder where this coffee’s gone… a touch more reading…
We can hear you now – “alright, they forgot your coffee big man, let it go” – but to that we say three things. One: vibes aside, it’s a cafe, the making-the-coffee’s the actual point. Two: it took them ten minutes to *not* realise, before we had to go and tell them. Three: they also lost track of the folk two tables over. They were very nice and apologetic about it, but to be fair if you invited some folk into your living room then forgot they were there, you’d be sheepish too.
The good news is when the coffee does arrive, it’s great. In honour of the chill, hang-out-for-a-bit vibe, we go for a piccolo split (£3.50). That’s your standard two-shot coffee split in half, served as one shot of espresso and a one-shot piccolo. It’s two coffees in one, and it’s ideal for situations where you want to hang about for a while.
The espresso itself is lively, citric and chocolatey, not too sharp or too sour. The piccolo is very nicely put together, creamy and light and served in an extremely chunky hexagonal glass. It’s a bit like getting a slap in the face immediately followed by a big hug, and the massive glassware combined with the lovely furniture will make you feel a little bit like a Roger Moore-era Bond villain (or a 1960s update of that ‘pondering my orb’ meme).
Through the House almost feels more like a coffee pub – maybe it’s the layout or the music or just the very comfortable furniture, but it feels like the kind of place you could spend a few hours. If nothing else, it’s a great addition to the pantheon of excellent Scottish cafes; there’ll (hopefully) always be a place for a quick espresso, but when you’re looking to slow things down, Through the House is a good place to start.
15 High St, Glasgow, G1 1LX
Words: Peter Simpson
Photo: Kate Johnston
Photo: Kate Johnston
Craft Witches
We meet the organisers of Hag. Knowledge, Power & Alchemy through Craft, arriving in Dunfermline on International Women’s Day, to explore the witchy theme behind this provocatively titled show
Hag, which opens at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries on 8 March, was conceived by Fife Contemporary’s director Kate Grenyer, who – after moving to the area a few years ago – became fascinated by the history of women persecuted during Scotland’s witch trials. “I was particularly interested in the moral panic and hysteria that accompanied them. From the grave of Lilias Adie at Torryburn to the story of the mob-murder of Janet Cornfoot at Pittenweem Harbour, the history of these times can feel very alive today.”
Reflecting on how witches and their history have become a popular subject matter for campaigners who are turning anger into advocacy and pride, Grenyer tasked independent curator Kate Pickering with turning this historic story of marginalisation and misogyny into a modern exhibition with relevance to today’s audiences. The result is Hag – a craft show that is as original as it is exciting and powerful.
Commissioned by Fife Contemporary, the exhibition claims and redefines the term ‘hag’ for the present day. It celebrates the strength, wisdom, activism, rebelliousness and creativity of 13 craftswomen through a combination of craft objects and portraits of the artists and designers by Scottish photographer, Lydia Smith.
The exhibition unfolds across three gallery spaces where a collection of new work sits alongside archival pieces from leading craftswomen. Emma Louise Wilson’s light reflective silver enamel bowls capture the storms and the seas of her local environment. Fiona Hutchison’s vast tumbling swathes of woven plastics and textiles are juxtaposed with Ruth Elizabeth Jones’ precarious bulbous forms. In contrast, Claire Heminsley presents five ‘Rebellious Aprons’ made of paper. These are the outcome of her research project about the Lee Jeans factory strikes in Greenock in 1981.
Hag’s curator Kate Pickering says she hopes that visitors will be moved by both the craft on show
“I was particularly interested in the moral panic and hysteria that accompanied them”
and the important themes underpinning them: “I want people to look beyond the objects and consider the wisdom and knowledge stored in them – I think you can feel it. And I’d like there to be a conversation that happens at the end of this project, and for people to really think about the term ‘Hag.’”
Celebrating the knowledge, power and alchemy mediated by their work, the exhibition sets out to reveal a diversity of craft skills and approaches developed by significant women over decades. The
featured artists include Lise Bech, Judith Davies, Caroline Dear, Ruth Elizabeth Jones, Gilly Langton, Jo McDonald, Susie Redman, Patricia Shone, Carol Sinclair, and Amanda Simmons.
Initially some of the artists approached were sceptical about ‘resurrecting’ the term hag.
Pickering relates this to the history of witchcraft and links it to ongoing misogyny: “Older women were prosecuted more than younger women – particularly women over 50. They were outspoken, living on the outskirts, and not taking any bullshit! I met with the invited group of artists and we discussed the term. I explained that for me, hearing Sarah MacGillivray’s poem resonated with me, it made me feel powerful and excited about getting older. I guess I’m an aspiring hag.”
After hearing Pickering’s rationale, the group got behind the theme and she began the curatorial process of categorising each artist by materials, wisdom or inspirations. Many resonated with witchcraft, such as animals and symbolism; botanicals; the natural world; and alchemy and activism. All of the participating artists have at least 15 years experience with their craft, and are aged over 50.
The exhibition culminates in a space where visitors will see a film featuring Poem For All The ‘Old Hags’, a spoken word piece by Sarah MacGillivray. Alongside it is Lydia Smith’s extraordinary sequence of portraiture that captures powerful images of the artists at work in their own environments. From the dramatic combustion of earth and air in the raku firing of Patricia Shone’s ceramics on Skye, to the quiet seasonal growth of willow and flax that are built into Lise Bech and Susie Redman’s
Words: Stacey Hunter
woven forms in Fife, the portraits take us on a journey through Scottish craft and each women’s commitment to her materials and technique.
As well as its ambitious aims to challenge societal prejudices; the show and accompanying programme seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the rich tapestry of experiences that women who engage intensively with their craft bring to contemporary culture.
“I want people to respect these women who are doing incredible things and to aspire to be like them – to see that their work is relevant and beautiful and meaningful. These women have made their mark on their industry.” says Pickering Visitors to the opening can join an invigorating afternoon of conversation. Novelist Zoe Venditozzi from the Witches of Scotland campaign group will be recording a live version of their hit podcast in conversation with Kate Pickering (talks are £8 and require pre-booking).
This will be followed by a panel discussion with exhibiting artists Carol Sinclair and Susie Redman who will share insights into their work and processes, and reflect on how these connect to the context of the exhibition. The event will conclude with a performance by writer and actor Sarah MacGillivray.
Hag. Knowledge, Power & Alchemy Through Craft, Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, 8 Mar-8 Jun
Free entry, open daily, talks on Sat 8 Mar, 1pm-3:15pm @stacey___hunter @localheroesdesign @fifecontemp @kateandbrutus
Pahoto: Lydia Smith
Pahoto: Lydia Smith
Patricia Shone
PETRA BAUER, SISTERS!
Swedish artist and filmmaker Petra Bauer’s film is a powerful look at the day-today work of Southall Black Sisters
[Content warning: mentions violence against women, including rape]
Petra Bauer’s feature documentary Sisters! (2011) is shown on a large screen at the Warehouse of Fruitmarket. The film was made in collaboration with Southall Black Sisters (SBS), a London-based activist organisation, which, for over 40 years, has advocated for the rights of Black and minority women in the UK. The installation features a red carpet and chairs, a colour that, for the artist, symbolises protest, love and joy. The film focuses on the daily operations within the organisation’s offices. We gain insight into snippets of conversations among colleagues, as well as phone calls from women seeking support. Although the voices of the women on the other end are never heard, it’s clear that the topics discussed primarily pertain to issues of male violence against women, including domestic violence and rape. There are also scenes where the narrative becomes more cohesive: discussions about the values of SBS, moments of respite over lunch and a cup of tea, and celebrations of both small and bi er victories.
‘The film underscores the importance of feminist politics amidst the insidious ideology of post-feminism’
Sisters! employs several techniques reminiscent of Nightcleaners by the Berwick Street Collective (1975), a landmark Marxist-feminist documentary made to support the unionisation of the women who cleaned office blocks in London during the night. Both films are carefully constructed to avoid the observational documentary style,
which su ests an invisible camera, an omnipotent director, and an easily accessible truth. It is evident that the film underwent significant editing. Sisters! is composed of silences, interruptions (pillar shots), black frames, and an interplay of close and long shots, all of which emphasise the film’s constructed nature. Bauer compiles instances that highlight the long history of misogyny, including references to laws and state policies that leave women vulnerable to violence. These techniques do not dilute the matter-of-factness of the violence against women but reveal the reason why SBS exists in the first place: the intersection of misogyny, classism, racism, and religious fundamentalism. Piecing together elements that speak to the truth is, I believe, the political work that the documentary genre can do. The accompanying written material, placed near the screen at Fruitmarket, does a good job of
conveying the relevance of the film to the current state of feminist stru le.
Towards the end when the film ventures outdoors for the first time after 50 minutes, three long-standing members of SBS share their old banners with the camera. As they remember protests from decades ago, they reflect on their enduring relevance. “Where have all those years of consciousness-raising gone?” Pragna Patel, a founding member and director of SBS, poignantly wonders. Sisters! is not a documentation of the past or an aesthetic experiment; rather, the film underscores the importance of feminist politics amidst the insidious ideology of post-feminism – a eurocentric and classist belief that women have attained their rightful place in society.
The film culminates in a party scene that bursts with colour, movement, and noise for the first time. It’s a celebration. Patel delivers
a speech about the endurance of the feminist stru le against deeply asymmetric forces of oppression. Then there is dance and flickering, colourful lights that gradually envelop the entire screen. Just as I thought the film should end in this moment of joy, the sudden transition to the offices of SBS made sense. The film ends as it began, with seemingly mundane administrative tasks and the same phone conversations: “For how long has this been happening?” Stripped of colour and sound, this final scene is draining. Violence against women is so pervasive and so deeply ingrained that the administrative banality and dispassionate, menial tone of the opening scenes hadn’t left me feeling uneasy.
[Natassa Philimonos]
Petra Bauer: Sisters!, Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, until 23 Mar, open daily
fruitmarket.co.uk
Photo: Petra Bauer. Courtesy the artist.
Petra Bauer, Sisters!, 2011, digital film, 123mins, still.
By Torrey Peters rrrrr
Following her Women’s Prizenominated 2021 debut Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters is back with Stag Dance, a quartet of genre-defying stories which explore the possibilities of gender and identity.
Infect Your Friends And Loved Ones starts strong with a full-on gender apocalypse; in a dystopian future, a not-quite-accidental contagion means that people are no longer capable of sex-hormone production, and must each choose their own gender. A tender, tentative love story comes up against toxic masculinity in The Chaser, when two roommates at a Quaker boarding school embark on a secret relationship until things start to spiral out of control when a new school term begins. The titular story is the longest of the four, and offers a group of lonely lo ers on an illegal tree-chopping job a way to entertain themselves, by hosting a dance where they can choose – if they wish – to dress as women for the evening and be courted by the other lumberjacks. Finally, horror-ish story The Masker rounds off the collection with fetish, forced feminisation and internalised transmisogyny. Taken altogether, Peters’ writing truly defies pigeonholing, pushing through genre and styles as she interrogates gender and various performances of it in multiple directions. She gives her characters nuance and fullness within the confined spaces of these short stories, and as they progress, Stag Dance becomes a moving portrait of different aspects of trans culture.
[Terri-Jane Dow]
Universality
By Natasha Brown rrrrr
Natasha Brown’s Universality is a book about the intricacies of language and the slippery slope between journalistic integrity and intent. It opens with an investigative article that catalyses the rest of the novel, written by a freelance journalist, Hannah, who examines a violent attack on a farm and the socio-political and economic questions that arise. The article exposes readers to various characters: an immoral financier, a notorious columnist, and a subversive communal movement, the ‘Universalists’. The Universalists desire ‘progress for everyone’ but Hannah notices the irony: ‘the Universalists are a noticeably homogenous group: young, middle class and white.’ Her insights reflect the inextricable link between interpersonal tensions and systemic injustices, setting the novel’s scrupulous tone.
Universality pays close attention to the kind of language that shapes national discourse; it is a novel as equally concerned with place as it is with people. Lenny, the anti-woke columnist, exploits readers’ psychological vulnerabilities to fuel identity politics wars: ‘I have to understand my reader’s suspicions… their deepest fears. It’s my job to inform those concerns by offering up the relevant facts.’ Although it is seemingly reasonable, the tact is chilling. This doubleness seeps through the novel, and characterises the book’s paranoid essence. Though at times, characters are slightly two-dimensional in their predictability, this does not detract from Brown’s pensive observation of the banality of evil of modern British politics. [Maria Farsoon]
The Message
By Ta-Nehisi Coates rrrrr
Life’s lessons tend to fall into one of two categories: those which floor us with their injustice and those which take the form of more tender awakenings. The Message begins with a bittersweet example that could qualify as both.
In learning how NFL wide receiver Darryl Stingley was dealt the catastrophic blow that rendered him quadriplegic, a seven-year-old Ta-Nehisi Coates came to understand ‘bad things’ happen ‘if only for the simple reason that they could.’ But this brutal lesson had a buffer: reading about the sunset of Stingley’s career – and, in turn, reckoning with some of the ‘weight’ of ‘wisdom’ – sparked the dawn of Coates as a writer.
As origin stories go, it’s an impossibly neat one. But it’s not the only story The Message is concerned with telling. The book’s first three chapters – which find Coates at the front line of a book ban in South Carolina, as well as journeying to Dakar – largely attempt to demonstrate how ‘the line between teacher and student is dotted.’
The Message’s fourth and final section, which finds Coates travelling across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, rearticulates his earlier realisation with a new edge. Coates experiences the region in the company of Palestinians and Israelis; it is here, on the ground, with the machinery of Israeli occupation inescapable – and its lessons, a litany of injustices committed against the Palestinian people excused as simple happenings – that Coates learns wisdom’s full weight. [Tara Okeke]
By Paul B. Preciado rrrrr
Paul B. Preciado tackles the pandemic in his new book which blends philosophy with auto theory and reads in a fragmentary narrative. Citing the beginning of the 2020s and the pandemic that linked the entire globe into a singular experience of biopolitical time, he plots the intersections between transphobic thought and ecological collapse and the migrant crisis. The apparently singular experience of time becomes collective as contexts collapse in and on themselves and time begins to break.
Set out in choppy sections detouring occasionally toward a more embodied and poetic prose than traditional styles of critical theory, ideas cycle back and repeat through the prisms of time, immunity, dysphoria and genocide. Familiar to readers of his previous works, Preciado draws on a broad suite of references from Kafka to mycelium via Foucault and Arendt, reflecting on resonances between works and drawing those of the past firmly into the here and now.
The whole world is dysphoric he argues; the poly crisis we’re living through an expression of the disjunction brought on by late stage capitalism. Occasionally difficult to follow, the rhythm eventually asserts itself, drawing together threads he links over and over back to Wuhan. Though it might feel tired as a trope, the pandemic dominates and, understood through this book, is a beginning and ending of a world stuck in continuous looping crisis. This is a book of dysphoria and there is no outside. [Marguerite Carson]
Serpent’s Tail, 13 Mar
Faber, 13 Mar
Hamish
Hamilton, out now
Fitzcarraldo Editions, 25 Mar
Stag Dance
Dysphoria Mundi
Behind the Mic
Starting as a one-off at Glasgow Comedy Festival 2022, Amanda Dwyer chats to us about Material, Girl which celebrates its third birthday with a very special gig this month
Words: Polly Glynn
Tell Me about Material, Girl – what’s the gig like?
The gig is my baby – a super fun, welcoming mixed bill show of female comics. Because it’s on a Sunday afternoon, the audience are always just wonderful – never too rowdy but always up for laughing their heads off. An audience member told us recently that it’s the kind of gig a person can show up to alone and not feel out of place. That made me really proud.
How did the gig come about?
I was inspired by something Susan Riddell [Dwyer’s co-host] said to me about how she loves gi ing with other lassies. At the time I didn’t really know many other women in comedy so thought organising a female-only gig would be a nice way to meet them and build relationships. It went so well the venue asked me if I’d like to make it a monthly thing.
What was the first Material, Girl gig like?
Pretty scary because I’d never put on my own show before. I think, because there weren’t any all-female shows around at the time, it was a bit different and people really went for it. I asked Susan to headline and also had Amanda Hursy, Emma McNally, Rae Brogan and Molly Buckingham perform. At GICF the following year, Fern Brady headlined and it was so surreal.
Who’d be on your dream lineup?
Would you rather give the best advice but never take it yourself, or be able to make anyone laugh but never find yourself funny?
I’d 100% get Maria Bamford to headline – she’s so bloody funny and I’m dying to meet her. Then I’d have some of my fave female comics from the Scottish scene – Amelia Bayler, Kate Hammer, Kim Blythe and Susan Riddell – so we could all have a silly little time.
What’s been your best bit of comedy/gig-running advice?
I’ve had some great advice from the likes of Susie McCabe, Viv Gee and Tom Stade. The bi est takeaway is to work hard and be yourself. Find your comedic voice and lean right into it and everything else should follow. You can only be really funny when you’re being you.
Who or what on the comedy scene do you think we should look out for?
I could write a huge list of hidden gem acts, but a couple of my favourites are Maddie Fernando and Mara Joy. They both make me cackle and are so unique.
As for gigs, I’d pick Ross Leslie’s Good E new material nights at Van Winkle West End and Darren Connell’s Just One More Laugh at Blackfriars. They’re both lovely gigs with cracking line ups and run by great guys. Definitely worth checking out if you want to see pros do new stuff.
Who’s the funniest comedian you’ve seen and why?
Josh Glanc is absolutely fantastic. The solos for all his songs are just so bonkers. Saw his hour after gi ing with him and loved it so much, I went back with my sister cause I knew she’d love it too. It was hilarious both times and slightly different due to his creative audience interaction.
I like to think I give good advice but imagine being the go-to best advice friend? That would be amazing! I never take my own advice anyway so that wouldn’t change and there’s no way I could live a happy life without being able to find myself funny –nobody laughs at me more than I do.
What’s next for Material, Girl?
We have a super exciting live podcast show coming up during Glasgow Comedy Festival. We’ve made it a besties theme seeing as Susan and I are best pals, and so are our brilliant guests Fern Brady and Alison Spittle. We’ve never done a live one before and I can’t believe they’re joining us for the evening.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about?
If you’re into jokes about revenge and the female experience of trauma, I’ve got a WIP at GICF coming up. I’m also involved in Story Platform, a new show in Edinburgh which has a Saturday Night Live format. The last week of each month, I meet with other writers and performers on a Monday, and on the Friday night, we perform a sketch show to a live audience. It’s so mad and the most fun I’ve had collaborating with others!
Material, Girl: Live Podcast feat. Fern Brady and Alison Spittle, Oran Mor, 17 Mar, 7.30pm, £20
Amanda Dwyer: I Did Something Bad (WIP), Van Winkle West End, 15 Mar, 1.50pm and 4.30pm, £3/£4
Susan Riddell: Work in Progress, Van Winkle West End, 14 Mar, 7.10pm, £5
Story Platform, Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), 28 Mar, 6pm, Free
Amanda Dwyer
Image: courtesy of the artist
MARCH
MAY
Listings
Looking for something to do? Well you’re in the right place! Find listings below for the month ahead across Music, Clubs, Theatre, Comedy and Art in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. To find out how to submit listings, head to theskinny.co.uk/listings
Glasgow Music
Mon 03 Mar
NUBYA GARCIA
ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Jazz from London.
TOM WALKER
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Pop from Scotland.
MATT HANSEN
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Oakland.
JHARIAH
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from New York.
JACK WHITE BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Detroit.
Tue 04 Mar
CHASE MATTHEW (TAYLER HOLDER)
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Country from the US.
SEAN ROWE
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Indie folk from the US.
WHITE DENIM
QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Texas.
BLANCO
SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap from London.
DELIVERY (BRENDA) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Garage rock from Melbourne.
NEV CLAY (HOWIE REEVE + COD O'DONNELL) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental and alt folk.
YAMA WARASHI THE HUG AND PINT, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Japan.
Wed 05 Mar
FIONN REGAN ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Ireland. THE BOXER REBELLION
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie from London.
BLANCO
SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap from London.
NAPALM DEATH (CROWBAR + FULL OF HELL + BRAT)
SWG3, 18:30–22:30 Grindcore from the UK.
HILLBILLY MOON EXPLOSION
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rockabilly from Switzerland.
JENNIFER REID THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Folk.
Thu 06 Mar
CASPERSRIDGE KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Scotland. THE CITADELS (TEMPEST TETHERED + SAKURA + FLAIR) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Indie rock from Glasgow. KILLOWEN SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap from London.
AIRBOURNE BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Hard rock from Australia.
AVALANCHE PARTY THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Garage punk from Northhampton.
MIMA MERROW (KEVIN P. GILDAY & THE GLASGOW CROSS) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Folk from Ireland. THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Multi-instrumental from the UK.
PARK SAFELY THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Glasgow. Fri 07 Mar
DAVID KUSHNER O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Chicago. THE PALE WHITE (FOG BANDITS) KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Newcastle. THE NOISE CLUB (MADAME CLAUDE + SONIC NOISE) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Alt indie from Scotland. MACHINE GIRL QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from Long Island. KELLY LEE OWENS SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from Wales. MEZERG THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Dance from Paris. THE GUEST LIST THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Manchester. FRANZ FERDINAND BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Art rock from Scotland. NATHAN GRISDALE STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Pop and R’n’B from Manchester. THE YUMMY FUR (THE MARY COLUMN + NORMAL SERVICE) THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Rock. FIRST TIME FLYERS THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Country.
BIKINI BODY (CONSCIOUS PILOT) THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:30 Punk from Edinburgh.
Sat 08 Mar KISS OF LIFE O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from South Korea. REAL LIES NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Electro from London. PORTER ROBINSON
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from North Carolina. THE MARCHES SWG3 19:00–22:30 Pop rock from Scotland. THE RUBENS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 18:00–22:30 Alt rock from Australia. AKOUSTIK ANARKHY (MARTIAL ARTS, HOLLY HEAD, WEATHERMAN) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Punk from Manchester. NAO
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Soul from London. JULES REIDY (COMPETITION + ISA GORDON) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Alt pop. LIMP BIZKIT THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Nu metal from Florida. ALAN SPARHAWK (CIRCUIT DES YEUX) ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock Minnesota. Sun 09 Mar
FISH
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Eclectic lineup. VUKOVI SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rock from Ayrshire. THE DUST CODA (BAD TOUCH) CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Rock from London. SELF DECEPTION THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Sweden.
TEEN SUICIDE
STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Orlando.
BEN OTTEWELL + IAN
BALL
OLD FRUITMARKET
GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from the UK.
ANTONY SZMIEREK ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Hip-hop from the UK.
AILIE ORMSTON (KIERAN DALY + LAURIE PITT)
THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Scotland.
SALT HOUSE THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland. TEDDY SWIMS (CIAN DUCROT) THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Rap from Georgia. THE HOOTEN HALLERS (SALT RIVER SHAKEDOWN) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Americana from the US.
Mon 10 Mar
FISH
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30
Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
NIEVE ELLA
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the UK.
RAGING SPEEDHORN
CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Extreme metal from Corby.
SUBURBAN LEGENDS
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Ska punk from California. THE WEATHER STATION
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Canada.
Tue 11 Mar
FLO
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 R’n’B from the UK. LUKE MARSHALL
BLACK
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Glasgow.
JALEN NGONDA
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Soul from the UK.
GLAIVE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Florida.
SOPHIA ARCHONTIS (MOUTHSOUNDS VOCAL GROUP, GENTIAN RHOSA, CIARAN GLAVIN) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Glasgow. SABRINA CARPENTER THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Pop from the US. Wed 12 Mar
DESCENDENTS (CIRCLE JERKS)
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Punk rock from the US. RØRY
SWG3 19:00–22:30 Pop rock from the UK. SHARON VAN ETTEN & THE ATTACHMENT THEORY BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from the US. DAMIEN DEMPSEY ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Ireland. MARTIN KOHLSTEDT THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental. GRACIE ABRAMS THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Pop from the US. Thu 13 Mar
ALEC BENJAMIN O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Alt indie from Arizona. KEYSIDE KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie pop from Liverpool. THE ORB (OZRICS TENTACLES) SWG3 19:00–22:30 Electronica from the UK. BLACKTOP MOJO (SHAMAN’S HARVEST) CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Texas. THE WILDHEARTS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Newcastle. THE LATHUMS BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Wigan. BAB L’BLUZ STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Psychedelic rock from Morocco and France.
ARKANGEL (HELLBOUND + PAY THE PRICE + BATHED IN SIN )
THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Metalcore from Belgium. GRAHAM GOULDMAN ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Art rock from the UK. ANORAQ (CHERUB + ELLEN RENTON) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Ambient and lo-fi. NADIA REID ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Folk from New Zealand. Fri 14 Mar
IDER (TROUT) KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie from London. QUEER THEORY NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00 Queer Cabaret from Glasgow. TZUSAN SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Hip-hop from Scotland. HENGE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Manchester. THE RANTS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Scotland. THE LATHUMS BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Wigan. MY RUSHMORE (KADDISH + KNIVES CHAU FAN CLUB + BEARHUG) STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Emo from Glasgow.
LUST FOR YOUTH (PEARLING) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Coldwave synth from Denmark. DEWEY LESTER & THE 6:03 (JIM MCCULLOCH) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Indie pop from Glasgow. GLASGOW SLOWCORE THE RUM SHACK, 20:00–22:30 Glasgow slowcore. KAL MARKS (THANK) THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Indie from New York. SNAPPED ANKLES (THE SICK MAN OF EUROPE) ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk from London. Sat 15 Mar
HAIVER (MAIRI SUTHERLAND + JAMES SIMCOX) KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie rock from Glasgow. STEPHEN KELLY SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK.
TONIC REVIVAL STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock‘n’roll from Glasgow.
RADIOPHRENIA (DAVID GRUBBS, LUKE FOWLER & BRUNHILD FERRARI + CERPINTXT & RUBEN SONNOLI) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental. SOUND OF THE SIRENS THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Exeter.
THIS WILL DESTROY
YOU (NORDIC GIANTS)
ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Post-rock from Texas.
Sun 16 Mar
CLAIRO
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie pop from the US.
SLOWLY SLOWLY
CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Pop punk from Melbourne.
DAVID GRUBBS
THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Indie from the US.
Mon 17 Mar
CLAIRO
O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie pop from the US.
ZEAL & ARDOR (DOM ZLY )
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Metal from Switzerland.
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Punk rock from Belfast.
JULIE
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Shoegaze from LA.
Tue 18 Mar
WILLOW AVALON
ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Country from Georgia.
BADLY DRAWN BOY SWG3 19:00–22:30 Indie from the UK.
2HOLLIS
SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap from Chicago.
CORY MARKS
CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Country from Canada.
NIMBUS SEXTET
THE RUM SHACK, 19:30–22:30 Jazz from the UK.
TUNNG (DANA GAVANSKI)
ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Folktronica from London.
Wed 19 Mar
OFF PEAK LEISURE (HAROLD MACCALLUM + NORTH ORBITAL)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00 Alternative from Scotland.
THE NAUTICS
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie from New York. MIRACLE OF SOUND
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Ireland.
JAZZ AT THE GLAD SUN-MI HONG
THE GLAD: CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Jazz from Amsterdam.
STOREFRONT CHURCH
THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Indie from LA.
Thu 20 Mar
DICK VALENTINE MONO, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the UK. LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Scotland. TILLIE
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Atlanta.
LAUREN MAYBERRY
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Pop from Scotland. DOWNPOUR (CLOWNZILLA, BAD YEAR) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Melodic hardcore from Bristol.
RACHEL NEWTON + LAUREN MACCOLL THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Scotland. LEYLA JOSEPHINE AND FRIENDS THE RUM SHACK, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup.
Fri 21 Mar
KATHERINE PRIDDY ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Folk from the UK. ALEX WARREN O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the US. SHARP CLASS NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Alt indie from Nottingham. THE DARE QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:00–22:30 Dance punk from the US. HALINA RICE SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from London. MELIN MELYN SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Psych pop from the UK. THE PICTUREBOOKS CATHOUSE, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Germany. THE INTERSPHERE THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Prog rock from Mannheim. YOU ME AT SIX BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Surrey. THE VOLTS (THE NOHANS, THE LATITUDE) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Scotland. OVERPASS ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Birmingham. LISTENING IS RESISTANCE (MAJAZZ PROJECT/ PALESTINIAN SOUND ARCHIVE + WORLD OF TWIST (DJS)) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Music and spoken word from Palestine. THE TUBS THE RUM SHACK, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Wales. DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Rock from London. LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM GLASGOW PRESENTS: ROOM 2 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup. Sat 22 Mar MOONCHILD SANELLY KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Ghetto funk from South Africa.
WE HATE YOU PLEASE DIE NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Punk from Paris. CALUM BOWIE SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Edinburgh. THE EUPHONICS + SAVE FACE + ABOE + LEWIS AIRD SWG3 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup. EEVAH THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from Halifax. YOU ME AT SIX BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Surrey. DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP SIMSEK STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Folk psych. FAUX REAL (THE DARKLINGS) THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Art pop from LA. THE HIGHSTOOL PROPHETS
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Ireland.
RUTH LYON
THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Newcastle.
V.C.O (FAILED SYSTEM TEST)
THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from Glasgow.
Sun 23 Mar
WHITEHORSE
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Folk rock from Canada.
F.O MACHETE (SUPERHUMAN) NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:00–23:00 Pop rock from Glasgow.
BLOODYWOOD SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Heavy metal from India.
REBECCA BLACK SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the US.
KERR MERCER (PERSIA HOLDER) THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from the UK. YOU ME AT SIX BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Surrey.
SIMON MCBRIDE
STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Blues rock from Belfast.
MIDDING
THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Psych pop from Cardiff.
Mon 24 Mar
PURE ADULT
STEREO, 19:00–22:30
Post-punk from New York.
Tue 25 Mar
LOREEN O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Dance pop from Stockholm.
CLEOPATRICK
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Canada.
NERIAH
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Pop from the US.
BILMURI
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30
Singer-songwriter from the US. THUS LOVE STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Post-punk from Vermont.
SPANGLED THE FLYING DUCK, 19:00–22:30 Indie post-punk from Manchester. THE DELINES
LOUIS DUNFORD
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from London.
THE HOOSIERS ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Pop rock from the UK.
RYAN HARRIS
THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Indie from Canada. THE WOMBATS THE OVO HYDRO, 18:30–22:30 Indie rock from Liverpool.
DITZ
THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Brighton.
Wed 26 Mar
THE BRAES
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00 Rock ‘n’ roll from Paisley.
MACKENZY MACKAY
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Yorkshire.
DREW WICK AND THE CLEANSE
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie.
NATHAN EVANS & THE SAINT PHNX BAND
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
PANCHIKO
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Nottingham.
BILL MACKAY (THE SILVER FIELD)
THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Experimental from Chicago.
Thu 27 Mar
ALMOST MONDAY (LITTLE IMAGE)
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Indie from San Diego. WILL VARLEY QUEEN MARGARET UNION, 19:30–22:30 Folk from London.
NEVER GO OUT: GSA FILM FUNDRAISER
SWG3 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup. BETTER JOY
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Manchester.
NATHAN EVANS & THE SAINT PHNX BAND
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30
Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
Fri 28 Mar
LAURA VEIRS
ORAN MOR, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Oregon.
PETE WYLIE THE MIGHTY WAH!
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the UK. TORRS (MANTEL + THE BLOODY MUPPETS)
NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00 Alt rock from Scotland. REBEL FRUITION
SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Glasgow. KEYWEST
THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Folk pop from Dublin.
ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Country from Portland. DUKE GARWOOD THE HUG AND PINT, 19:00–22:30 Blues rock from London. LUCKY BRIAR + LAMENTS + WE’RE NOT SCARED OF ROBOTS + DAY DRUNK ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup. Sat 29 Mar
KILGOUR
KING TUT’S, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Glasgow. THE LOFT (BIG LANES) MONO, 20:00–22:30 Indie from London.
BLACK ECLIPSE NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY, 19:30–23:00 Pop punk from Glasgow.
KIRSTEEN HARVEY SWG3, 19:00–22:30 Pop folk from Glasgow. THE TUMBLING PADDIES
BARROWLANDS, 19:00–22:30 Trad from Ireland.
GENGAHR STEREO, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from London. THE BLOCKHEADS ST LUKE’S, 19:00–22:30 Brit funk.
DROPKICK (KEV SHERRY + STAR TRIP) THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Alt country.
THE LATITUDE (NIAMH MACLENNAN)
ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Wishaw. Sun 30 Mar
MORGAN WADE O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Country from Virginia. WEST COAST DREAMS SWG3 19:00–22:30 Rap lineup.
PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS THE GARAGE GLASGOW, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Wales. POLLY PAULUSMA THE GLAD CAFE, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK. WHY?
ROOM 2, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from the US.
Edinburgh
Music
Tue 04 Mar
TROY REDFERN (WARM REEKIN) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Blues rock from the UK. Wed 05 Mar
JIZZY PEARL (NEW GENERATION SUPERSTARS + VICTORY OR DIE) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from the US. MIKE AND THE MECHANICS
USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Rock from Devon.
SEAN ROWE SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie folk from the US.
Thu 06 Mar
HATRED FIELDS BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30
Death metal from Italy. HENS BENS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Party rock. Fri 07 Mar
TRIPPY TAKKA (FIRING AT STATUES + THE COLOUR CARNIVAL) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Edinburgh. CONGRATULATIONS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock.
PURPLE HEARTS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Rock.
Sat 08 Mar
THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Multi-instrumental from the UK. THE HOOTEN HALLERS (ROB HERON) THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Americana from the US. FORBIDDEN ZONE (SKINNY IMPS + THE FAT STACKS) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Eclectic lineup. NEVERFINE SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Alt pop. THE REZILLOS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Punk.
Sun 09 Mar
HOWLIN’ RIC & THE ROCKETEERS THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Rock ‘n’ roll.
LOUIS BERRY SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Rock ‘n’ roll and blues.
Mon 10 Mar
RONNIE ROMERO (ABSOLVA) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30
Heavy metal from Chile. BEAR’S DEN THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Indie folk from London.
Tue 11 Mar
ANNA ERHARD THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Berlin.
Wed 12 Mar
REALITY SPILL (VOODOO PILOTS) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Metalcore from the Netherlands.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Folk rock from the UK. ALL THE YOUNG SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Rock ‘n’ roll.
Thu 13 Mar
AROUND 7 (CALICO PALACE + FOR PONY + J.B. RAGE) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Punk rock from Angus. THE MARY WALLOPERS O2 ACADEMY EDINBURGH, 19:00–22:30 Folk from Ireland. THE ORB (OZRICS TENTACLES) THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:30 Electronica from the UK.
MIDWEEK NECTAR: DAVID LEON, FIR, NOTHING SPEAKS, SULLEN KINK SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Rock.
Fri 14 Mar
FAWKES BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Scotland. VALENCIA FUNDRAISER (IMPULSE RED + FINGERTRAPS + BAMBITOS) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock.
FORGETTING THE FUTURE SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Rock.
SHAMBOLICS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Rock ‘n’ roll.
EDY FOREY THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Jazz and funk.
Sat 15 Mar
THE CASTROS SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Alt rock.
BARRIOKE FEAT. SHAUN WILLIAMSON AKA BARRY FROM EASTENDERS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Its Barry from Eastenders. SILVER DOLLAR ROOM THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Alt rock.
Sun 16 Mar
BEANS ON TOAST (WILLIAM CRIGHTON) THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Folk from the UK.
C TURTLE SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock.
Mon 17 Mar
PAULIE BOY BLUES (BRIAN RAWSON BAND) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Blues from the US.
HOT 8 BRASS BAND LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Jazz and funk.
Tue 18 Mar
THE DARKNESS USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK. Wed 19 Mar
ADAM BOMB BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Metal from the US. AMPLIFI (GAÏA + LIZ PRETTY SWEET + SEGUN ANIYI) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Eclectic lineup.
PUTAN CLUB (STOP MAKING SENSE) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Electronica from Italy and France.
ALISON MOYET USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Synth pop from the UK. WORKS IN PROGRESS III LEITH DEPOT, 19:00–22:00 Experimental.
Fri 21 Mar
ANDRO COULTON’S GIVE ‘EM HELL BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock.
LUCY SPRAGGAN THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Indie folk from the UK.
ROBERT VINCENT (MEJA & MICHAEL) THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Singer-songwriter from the UK.
VELOCITY PRESS (JUSTIN ROBERTSON) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Techno and house. M60 SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock.
LAUREN MAYBERRY LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Pop from Scotland. GAMBIT THE MASH HOUSE, 19:00–22:00 Rock.
Sat 22 Mar
NATHAN EVANS & THE SAINT PHNX BAND THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
ALABAMA 3 THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:00–22:30 Country rock from London. HOUSE OF ALL (EX) THE BONGO CLUB, 19:00–22:30 Rock.
IDIOGRAM THE CAVES, 19:00–22:30 Prog rock from East Lothian. WILLE AND THE BANDITS THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Blues rock. THE DEAD SOUTH USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Bluegrass. SPLIT MILK WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock. CRASHKID! SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Pop rock.
THOSE DAMN CROWS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Rock from Wales. SUPPER CLUB # 20: MOKUSLA THE SAFARI LOUNGE, 20:00-23:30 Dreampop from Glasgow. Sun 23 Mar
MICHAEL MCGOLDRICK + JOHN MCCUSKER + JOHN DOYLE THE QUEEN’S HALL, 20:00–22:30 Folk. GIDIKI THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–22:30 Pop from Greece. Tue 25 Mar
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING (SHE DREW THE GUN) USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Art rock from London. NIA CHENNAI SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Neo-soul.
Wed 26 Mar
KAYHAN KALHOR + ERDAL ERZINCAN THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Trad from Turkey and Iran. DELIRIUM (GUEVERA + 3P SLOT MACHINE) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Indie rock.
Regular Glasgow club nights
The Rum Shack
SATURDAYS (LAST OF EVERY OTHER MONTH)
VOCAL OR VERSION, 21:00
Vintage Jamaican music on original vinyl by resident DJs and guests.
Cabaret
Voltaire
FRIDAYS
FLY CLUB, 23:00
Edinburgh and Glasgowstraddling night, with a powerhouse of local residents joined by a selection of guest talent.
SATURDAYS
PLEASURE, 23:00
Regular Saturday night at Cab Vol, with residents and occasional special guests.
The Bongo Club
TUESDAYS
MIDNIGHT BASS, 23:00
Big basslines and small prices form the ethos behind this weekly Tuesday night, with drum’n’bass, jungle, bassline, grime and garage aplenty.
FRIDAYS (THIRD OF THE MONTH)
ELECTRIKAL, 23 00
Sound system and crew, part of a music and art collective specialising in BASS music.
FRIDAYS (MONTHLY, WEEK CHANGES)
SOUND SYSTEM LEGACIES, 23 00
Exploring the legacy of dub, reggae and roots music and sound system culture in the contemporary club landscape.
FRIDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH)
DISCO MAKOSSA, 23 00
Disco Makossa takes the dancefloor on a funk-filled trip through the sounds of African disco, boogie and house – strictly for the dancers.
FRIDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH)
OVERGROUND, 23 00
A safe space to appreciate all things rave, jungle, breakbeat and techno.
Thu 27 Mar
KEYWEST THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Folk pop from Dublin. HUGO YASUMOTO LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Experimental.
Fri 28 Mar
SONS OF LIBERTY (THIEVES OF LIBERTY ) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Bristol. THE BREATH (LAURA WILKIE + IAN CARR + ALLAN MACDONALD) THE QUEEN’S HALL, 19:30–22:30 Folk from Manchester. ROB.GREEN THE VOODOO ROOMS, 19:30–22:30 Alt soul from Nottingham.
Sub Club
FRIDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
RETURN TO MONO SLAM’s monthly Subbie residency sees them joined by some of the biggest names in international techno.
SATURDAYS (FIRST OR SECOND OF THE MONTH)
MESSENGER, 23 00
Roots reggae rocking since 1987 – foundation tune, fresh dubs, vibes alive, rockers, steppers, rub-a-dub.
SATURDAYS (MONTHLY )
CHROMATIC, 23 00
Championing all things UKG, grime, dubstep, bass and more, with disco, funk and soul from Mumbo Jumbo upstairs.
SATURDAYS (EVERY OTHER MONTH)
PULSE, 23 00
Techno night started in 2009 hosting regular special guests from the international scene.
SATURDAYS (MONTHLY )
HOBBES MUSIC X CLUB NACHT, 23:00
A collaboration between longrunning club night and Edinburgh record label ft. house, techno, electro, UKG and bass.
Sneaky Pete’s
MONDAYS
MORRISON STREET/ STAND B-SIDE/CHAOS IN THE COSMOS/TAIS-TOI, 23:00
House and techno dunts from some of Edinburgh’s best young teams.
TUESDAYS RARE, 23:00
Weekly house and techno with rising local DJs and hot special guests.
THURSDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
VOLENS CHORUS, 23:00
Resident DJs with an eclectic, global outlook.
FRIDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
MISS WORLD, 23:00
All-female DJ collective with monthly guests
FRIDAYS (SECOND OF THE MONTH)
HOT MESS, 23:00
A night for queer people and their friends.
DROPKICK (DANIEL MCGEEVER + STAR TRIP) SNEAKY PETE’S, 19:00–22:00 Alt country. THE BLOCKHEADS LA BELLE ANGELE, 19:00–22:00 Brit funk.
Sat 29 Mar
HANA PIRANHA (HOT ROCKETS) BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Rock from Wellington. SLOW KARMA THE VOODOO ROOMS, 20:00–22:30 Jazz from Scotland.
RHYTHM & REVOLUTION (ETUK UBONG + SUN RED SUN) WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Jazz and funk.
SATURDAYS
SUBCULTURE, 23:00
Long-running house night with residents Harri & Domenic, oft’ joined by a carousel of super fresh guests.
Glasgow Clubs
Wed 05 Mar
BEDROOM TRAXX
PRESENTS: LEWIS
DOHERTY + MCCART + OAKLEY CARTER LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House.
Thu 06 Mar
SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH)
SOUL JAM, 23:00
Monthly no-holds-barred, down-and-dirty disco.
SUNDAYS POSTAL, 23:00 Weekly Sunday session showcasing the very best of heavy-hitting local talent with some extra special guests. The Liquid Room
SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH) REWIND, 22:30
Monthly party night celebrating the best in soul, disco, rock and pop with music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current bangers. The Hive
MONDAYS POPTASTIC, 22:00 Pop, requests and throwbacks to get your week off to an energetic start.
TUESDAYS TRASH TUESDAY, 22:00
Alternative Tuesday anthems cherry picked from genres of rock, indie, punk, retro and more.
WEDNESDAYS COOKIE WEDNESDAY, 22:00 90s and 00s cheesy pop and modern chart anthems.
THURSDAYS HI-SOCIETY THURSDAY, 22:00 Student anthems and bangerz.
FRIDAYS FLIP FRIDAY, 22:00 Yer all-new Friday at Hive. Cheap entry, inevitably danceable, and noveltystuffed. Perrrfect.
SATURDAYS BUBBLEGUM, 22:00 Saturday mix of chart and dance, with retro 80s classics thrown in for good measure.
SUNDAYS
SECRET SUNDAY, 22:00
Two rooms of all the chart, cheese and indie-pop you can think of/handle on a Sunday.
Subway
Cowgate
MONDAYS
TRACKS, 21:00
Blow the cobwebs off the week with a weekly Monday night party with some of Scotland’s biggest and best drag queens.
TUESDAYS TAMAGOTCHI, 22:00
Throwback Tuesdays with non-stop 80s, 90s, 00s tunes.
WEDNESDAYS TWISTA, 22:00
Banger after banger all night long.
THURSDAYS FLIRTY, 22:00 Pop, cheese and chart.
FRIDAYS FIT FRIDAYS, 22:00
Chart-topping tunes perfect for an irresistible sing and dance-along.
SATURDAYS
SLICE SATURDAY, 22:00
The drinks are easy and the pop is heavy.
SUNDAYS
SUNDAY SERVICE, 22:00
Atone for the week before and the week ahead with non-stop dancing.
The Mash House
TUESDAYS MOVEMENT, 20:00
House, techno, drum ‘n’ bass and garage.
SATURDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
SAMEDIA SHEBEEN, 23:00
Joyous global club sounds: think Afrobeat, Latin and Arabic dancehall on repeat.
SATURDAYS (LAST OF THE MONTH) PULSE, 23:00
The best techno DJs sit alongside The Mash House resident Darrell Pulse.
Sun 30 Mar
PSYDOLL BANNERMANS, 19:30–22:30 Cyberpunk from Japan. DEACON BLUE USHER HALL, 19:00–22:30 Pop rock from the UK.
GEORDIE GREEP THE LIQUID ROOM, 19:00–22:30 Rock from the UK.
Dundee
Music
Sat 08 Mar
TIBETAN MIRACLE SEEDS (CONNOR LIAM BYRNE AND THE BAD KISSERS) CHURCH, 19:00–22:30 Psych rock from Dundee.
Sun 09 Mar
KYLE FALCONER CHURCH, 19:00–22:30 Indie from Scotland.
Sat 22 Mar
SERGEANT CHURCH, 19:00–22:30 Indie rock from Glenrothes.
Sun 23 Mar
NATHAN EVANS & THE SAINT PHNX BAND FAT SAM’S, 19:00–22:30 Singer-songwriter from Scotland.
Fri 28 Mar
THE REZILLOS BEAT GENERATOR LIVE!, 19:30–22:30 Punk.
POST CREDITS - A CLUB NIGHT BY GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL & MUBI SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Bass. FEMMEDM 2ND BDAY BAILE THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Afrobeat and baile funk.
STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Techno and hardcore from Glasgow and London.
FUNK THE SYSTEM (BEN AFSHAR + GEORGE BEST + BLEEN + JAMIE GUNN)
THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 House, techno and bass. BIG MIZ + DANSE ATMOS LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Techno and house.
SPIRIT: KARENN (LIVE) + BAKE
SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Techno. HANG TOUGH WITH J-WAX & DANSA THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno and bass. EXPAND X NSN PRESENTS JOWI + TLØ ROOM 2, 23:00–03:00 Techno and industrial. OUT OF BOUNDS PRESENTS: DJ CHAOTIC UGLY (MACHINE GIRL AFTERPARTY )
EXIT GLASGOW, 23:00–03:00 Breakcore and gabber. Sat 08 Mar ANDY WHITBY’S BOUNCE AND GENERATION
LA CHEETAH X FLIPSIDE 3RD BIRTHDAY: IDENTIFIED PATIENT LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–05:00 Techno. LOOSE JOINTS: PEACH, JUNGLEHUSSI, DILLY JOINTS THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 House and club. FEMME45 THE RUM SHACK, 20:00–01:00 Baile funk and Latin bass.
Wed 12 Mar
GUNK WITH ANIKONIK + RACH + OLIVIA ROSLIN THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Bass and jungle.
Thu 13 Mar 313 CONNECTION WITH DOMENIC CAPPELLO + KAIROGEN + UNDERCURRENT LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–06:00 Techno and deep house. SIH-LEST PRESENTS: SILVA BUMPA THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno.
Fri 14 Mar
MEET ME ON THE DANCEFLOOR 001 SWG3 23:00–03:00 Techno. DATSKO SWG3 23:00–03:00 Trance.
DEEP PURPLE: ARLO DUKE & CARTER LEWALLEN (ALL NIGHT LONG) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Electro and techno. LEZURE - JAY CARDER (SLOAN OF LEZURE + ROY DON) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Bass, techno and breaks. GET SASSY (HAYLEY ZALASSI + URBI) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House. I LOVE ACID THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno and acid. Sat 15 Mar KIMMIC: ALL NIGHT LONG SWG3, 22:00–03:00 Hard dance. FEEL THE GROOVE: BETH SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Techno. WATERSIDE’S UKG TAKEOVER: HANAMI SOUNDS LABEL SHOWCASE (HIROBBIE + SEAH + LOOSE E + SMOKEYLEGATTA) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 UK garage and bass. DANSE MACABREMARIA K THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Goth and synthwave. IT’SNOTRADIO X FRENETIK PRESENTS: SHAMPAIN LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno and electro.
SHOOT YOUR SHOT - MARION HAWKES (PONYHAWKE) + LEZZER QUEST THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Electronica. DON’T FORGET TO EXIT: NKISI EXIT GLASGOW, 20:00–03:00 House and techno. Sun 16 Mar
COLOURS 30....JOHN DIGWEED SUB CLUB, 19:00–04:00 Prog house. C€LTIC ERECTIONSDAY 2 THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno and house.
Mon 17 Mar
THROUGH THE ROOF: ST PADDY’S SPECIAL LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House and minimal. Thu 20 Mar
FLY PRESENTS MALUGI SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 Techno.
VICE VERSA PRESENTS - INAFEKT THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Trance and electronica. Fri 21 Mar
DISFUNCTION: ONLYNUMBERS SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Hard techno. ORBITS: ADJUST SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Deep bass.
SCANDAL.GLA X STEREO: TASH LC (RAHUL.MP3 + MOYA + HU-SANE + BELLAROSA) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Afrobeat and Baile funk.
LOVECYCLE #7: MOR
ELIAN B2B STEVIE COX + DANSE ATMOS LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno. BREATHE SUB CLUB, 23:00–04:00 House and electronica. POLKA DOT DISCO CLUB THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Techno and house. LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM ROOM 2, 19:00–03:00 Jazz, electronica and house. Sat 22 Mar
EXTENDED GLASGOW: EAST END DUBS SWG3 23:00–03:00 House and garage.
F1GHT NIGHT: DAN BE B2B YESCA SWG3, 23:00–03:00 House, garage and breaks. RHYTHM. (EUBO + BEAU YOU KNOW + KRYPTYK + PRESTON) STEREO, 23:00–03:00 Hardgroove and techno. AYA (LIVE) (DIESSA + AKUMU + BOOSTERHOOCH) THE FLYING DUCK 23:00–03:00 Experimental.
RUSH 7 TH BIRTHDAY (BASH MAN + MIS COSMIX) LA CHEETAH CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Techno and acid. THE BERKELEY SUITE PRESENTSSHERELLELAND THE BERKELEY SUITE, 23:00–04:00 Jungle and drum ‘n’ bass. PLANTAINCHIPPS
Sat 29 Mar DISFUNCTION X-TREME: TNT SWG3, 23:00–03:00 Hardcore. SOUND STEREO, 23:00–03:00 140 and bass. REDSTONE PRESSRHYW (LEWIS LOWE) THE FLYING DUCK, 23:00–03:00 Bass, techno and jungle. VOCAL OR VERSION (PHILL JUPITUS AKA PORKY THE POET) THE RUM SHACK, 20:00–02:00 Reggae.
Fri 07 Mar LIKE THIS (JIMMY JAMMIN + LEE MARVIN + MARTI TIME) WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 Techno and house.
Regular Edinburgh club nights
KPOP PARTY
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop. CLUB UPRISING
THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Disco and electro. TECHNO ARTILLERY
THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
Sat 08 Mar
ASCENSION
WEE RED BAR, 19:00–22:00 Goth and EBM.
HAND -MADE WITH LOVE: SOUL CASE
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Funk and soul.
THE POWERPOP GIRLS
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop.
UNTITLED X FLAKHOUSE PRESENT: REVOXX + DV60
THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
TBA THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
Mon 10 Mar
RIDE N BOUNCE
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 R’n’B.
Wed 12 Mar
KATALYSIS
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
Thu 13 Mar
MANGO LOUNGE
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Bass.
HOLI UV PARTY
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Bollywood.
Fri 14 Mar
WALL OF BASSBADGER
THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00 Bass and garage.
PALIDRONE 7 TH BIRTHDAY: NEFFA-T
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Grime and techno. TEEN SPIRIT
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Rock.
Sat 15 Mar
COLOURS 30....JOHN
DIGWEED
THE BONGO CLUB, 18:00–03:00 Prog house.
THE MIRROR DANCE: STEVEN JULIEN DJ KICKS TOUR
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Funk and soul.
DECADE
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop punk.
DILF THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 House.
Mon 17 Mar
ST PADDY’S RAVE CABARET VOLTAIRE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
RIDE N BOUNCE
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 R’n’B.
Wed 19 Mar
MEMBRANE: I-SHA
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Experimental.
Fri 21 Mar
HEADSET
SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Bass.
THE MUSICALS PARTY
LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Rock and pop. C-RIGHT THROUGH THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno.
Sat 22 Mar
JUST LIKE HONEY WEE RED BAR, 23:00–03:00 Indie and post-punk. ATHENS OF THE NORTH SNEAKY PETE’S, 23:00–03:00 Funk and soul. PINK PONY RAVE LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop. SUPPER CLUB THE SAFARI LOUNGE, 22 MAR, 20:00-01:00 Pop, electro, hip-hop and disco.
ANISH KUMAR (NINJA TUNE) + HOBBES THE BONGO CLUB, 23:00–03:00 House and disco. MONSTERS BALL: MAYHEM RELEASE PARTY LA BELLE ANGELE, 23:00–03:00 Pop.
EDINBURGH DANCE FESTIVAL THE MASH HOUSE, 18:00–03:00 Dance. PULSE THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Techno. SPIT THE MASH HOUSE, 23:00–03:00 Pop.
Glasgow Comedy
Oran Mor
CATHERINE BOHART: AGAIN, WITH FEELINGS
22 MAR, 7:30PM-9:30PM Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Catherine Bohart returns to Glasgow with her hit show Again, With Feelings.
JAMALI MADDIX: ASTON
21 MAR, 7:30PM-9:00PM
Critically acclaimed comedian Jamali Maddix is back on the road with a brand new tour show: Aston. Expect Jamali’s trademark brutally honest and unflinching perspectives on the world at large.
KIM BLYTHE: COWBOY (WIP)
13 MAR, TIMES VARY
Kim Blythe, one of Scottish comedy’s most exciting rising stars, returns to the Oran Mor to preview her brand new show Cowboy. FELICITY WARD: I’M EXHAUSTING!
16 MAR, 7:30PM –9:50PM
Star of The Office (Australia), Felicity Ward returns for her first national tour in six years.
MATERIAL, GIRL LIVE PODCAST FEAT. FERN BRADY AND ALISON SPITTLE
17 MAR, 7:30PM –9:20PM
Material Girl Podcast pals
Susan Riddell (Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award nominee) and Amanda Dwyer (as seen on BBC Edinburgh Unlocked) invite other comedy besties to join them for a live podcast show.
SO YOU THINK YOU’RE FUNNY? GLASGOW SHOWCASE
23 MAR, TIMES VARY
The UK's biggest comedy newcomer competition returns for its 37th year.
FIRST TIME FUNNIESCLASS OF ‘24
23 MAR, 7:00PM –9:20PM
A year ago, they took their first steps into the world of comedy. Now, these rising stars are back at Oran Mor to show just how far they've come.
OLD FIRM FACTS LIVE!
24 MAR, 7:30PM –9:20PM
After his successful debut at last year’s festival, Adam Miller returns for a celebration of all that is surreal, beautiful and hilarious about Scottish football.
FRED MACAULAY: GOODNIGHT... COMEDIAN - A WORK IN PROGRESS
29 MAR, 5:00PM –6:00PM
Two years since his last GICF show at Oran Mor, Fred’s back with an hour of work in progress material.
DANE BUCKLEY & DANIEL FOXX: WELCOME TO HELL LIVE
29 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM Calling all devilled eggsthe infernal aunties are on the road.
GRAY MATTERS: A LAUGH FOR GLASGOW’S 850 YEARS
23 MAR, 6:00PM –7:50PM
Join Ashley Storrie, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Alan Bissett for three different performances as they use comedy to celebrate the life of Alasdair Gray as part of the Glasgow 850 celebrations.
JENNY ECLAIR: JOKES
JOKES JOKES
30 MAR, 7:30PM –9:00PM
In celebration of the release of her hilarious memoir of the same name, comedian, novelist, and professional show-off Jenny Eclair comes to venues nationwide with a brand-new autobiographical show.
St Luke’s MARC JENNINGS: MARC’SISM
24 MAR, 8:30PM –10:20PM
Scottish Comedian of the Year winner Marc Jennings is on his first tour of the UK and Ireland following a sold-out Edinburgh Fringe run in 2024.
The Glee Club
MATT FORDE: END OF AN ERA TOUR
12 MAR, 7:00PM –9:30PM
Finally, the UK has a new government. That can only mean one thing: new people to take the piss out of. Leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde makes this his personal mission.
SHABAZ ALI: I AM RICH YOU ARE POOR
13 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
Jam packed with uproarious, on point and hugely requested observations of the mindboggling lengths that are taken to present a 'perfect' life online.
AAKASH GUPTA: DAILY KA KAAM HAI
23 MAR, 6:00PM –8:00PM Stories from his childhood home to his first MNC job after graduation, this show gets more personal, more awkward and even more hilarious. 95% Hindi, 5% English.
DEIRDRE O’KANE: O'KANING IT
26 MAR, 7:30PM –9:50PM
Comedic fireball Deirdre O'Kane is mad for road, mercilessly mining hilarity from the human condition. Will she conquer the chaos or revel in it?
IGNACIO LOPEZ: SEÑOR SELFDESTRUCT
27 MAR, 7:30PM –9:50PM
Spain's Best Export Ignacio Lopez is on a mission to destroy himself, and build a better version. Leaner. Smarter. Funnier.
The King’s Theatre
RUSSELL KANE: HYPERACTIVE
30 MAR, 8:00PM –10:30PM Russell Kane returns with his most high energy show yet.
DARREN CONNELL: MY NAME IS DARREN CONNELL AND THIS IS MY SELF-TAPE
27 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM Having made his debut in Glasgow in 2011, beloved comedian Darren Connell returns to his city.
SUSIE MCCABE: BEST BEHAVIOUR
28-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
The Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award winner Susie McCabe is back.
The Old Hairdressers
HAROLD NIGHT
4 MAR, 8:30PM – 9:30PM
Two Glasgow Improv Theatre house teams performing The Harold. Featuring F.L.U.S.H. and Raintown!
COUCH SURFS THE WEB
25 MAR, 7:00PM –
8:00PM
A night of improv comedy where Couch: SURFS THE WEB!
The Stand
Glasgow
FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH
MONDAY NIGHT IMPROV, 20:30
Host Billy Kirkwood & guests act entirely on your suggestions.
TUESDAYS RED RAW, 20:30
Legendary new material night with up to 8 acts.
FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 20:30
The big weekend show with four comedians.
SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30
The big weekend show with four comedians.
Glee Club
FRIDAYS FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00
The perfect way to end the working week, with four superb stand-up comedians.
SATURDAYS SATURDAY NIGHT COMEDY, 19:00
An evening of awardwinning comedy, with four superb stand-up comedians that will keep you laughing until Monday.
Regular Edinburgh comedy nights
The Stand
Edinburgh
MONDAYS RED RAW, 20:30
Legendary new material night with up to 8 acts.
TUESDAYS (FIRST OF THE MONTH)
STU & GARRY’S IMPROV SHOW, 20:30
The Stand’s very own Stu & Garry’s make comedy cold from suggestions.
THURSDAYS THE BEST OF SCOTTISH COMEDY, 20:30
Simply the best comics on the contemporary Scottish circuit.
FRIDAYS THE FRIDAY SHOW, 21:00
The big weekend show with four comedians.
SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW (THE EARLY SHOW), 17:00
SATURDAYS THE SATURDAY SHOW, 20:30
The big weekend show with four comedians.
Monkey Barrel
Comedy Club
SECOND AND THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
THE EDINBURGH REVUE, 19:00
The University of Edinburgh’s Comedy Society, who put on sketch and stand-up comedy shows every two weeks.
WEDNESDAYS TOP BANANA, 19:00
Catch the stars of tomorrow today in Monkey Barrel’s new act night every Wednesday.
THURSDAYS SNEAK PEAK, 19:00 + 21:00
Four acts every Thursday take to the stage to try out new material.
FRIDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG FRIDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00 Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.
FRIDAYS DATING CRAPP, 22:00 Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Farmers Only...Come and laugh as some of Scotland’s best improvisers join forces to perform based off two audience members dating profiles.
SATURDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SATURDAY SHOW, 17:00/19:00/21:00
Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy.
RAYMOND MEARNS IS LOOKING FOR A GREAT AUDIENCE
30 MAR, 5:00PM –6:00PM Scottish actor and comedian takes to the stage.
Edinburgh Comedy
Monkey Barrel Comedy Club
JOSIE LONG: A WIP ABOUT ENORMOUS EXTINCT ANIMALS
15 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM
Josie Long starts working out some fun new ideas for a new show about extinction and really big sloths.
CATHERINE BOHART: AGAIN, WITH FEELINGS
23 MAR, 7:30PM-9:00PM Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Catherine Bohart returns to Edinburgh with her hit show Again, With Feelings.
CAMPFIRE IMPROV
3 MAR, 7:45PM –8:45PM
Gather round the campfire to watch some of Scotland’s top improvisers create hilarious scenes based on stories from a special guest monologist.
STUART MITCHELL: TESTING TESTING
9 MAR, 5:00PM –6:00PM
Join the longest running panellist from BBC Scotland's ‘Breaking The News’ and star of BBC Radio 4 as he runs through new material.
A slightly earlier performance of the big weekend show with four comedians.
SUNDAYS MONKEY BARREL COMEDY’S BIG SUNDAY SHOW, 19:00/21:00 Monkey Barrel’s flagship night of premier stand-up comedy. Regular Glasgow comedy nights
PERFECT IMPROV: TAMSYN KELLY
11 MAR, 7:00PM –8:00PM
Glasgow Improv Theatre Presents: Wade into the stream of improv comedy with stories flowing from a special guest monologist.
AN IMPROV SHOW
18 MAR, 6:30PM –7:30PM
Two house teams from the Glasgow Improv Theatre create a comedy sketch show based on audience suggestions.
PRETTY THISTLE
18 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM
Pretty Thistle is an improv show from Martin James and John McInnes from the Glasgow Improv Theatre.
JEFF KHAN: CHRISTMAS DAY, FOUR AM
18 MAR, 9:30PM –10:30PM
An absurd hour of clowning from the Glasgow Improv Theatre's Jeff Khan. The Stand
Glasgow
STEPHEN HALKETT: SAVE THE PLANET KIDS SHOW
29-30 MAR, 2:00PM –3:00PM
Science teacher and standup comic Stephen Halkett is on a mission to save planet Earth, and he needs your help.
RICHARD HERRING: CAN I HAVE MY BALL BACK?
28 MAR, 7:00PM –8:40PM
Richard Herring went to his GP to find out why his right ball seemed to be growing bigger.
ZOE LYONS: WEREWOLF
29 MAR, 8:00PM –9:40PM
If life is a journey, Zoe's has had more than its share of potholes and diversions.
ANDY ZALTZMAN: THE ZALTGEIST
30 MAR, 8:30PM –10:30PM
With the 3rd millennium almost 2.5% complete, Andy Zaltzman, one of the UK’s leading satirical comedians, assesses the state of Planet Earth and its most famous and controversial species-the human race.
MC HAMMERSMITH
12 MAR, 7:30PM-10:10PM
MC Hammersmith is the world’s leading freestyle rapper to emerge from the ghetto of middle-class west London. He presents an evening of improvised comedy raps based on audience suggestions.
SOUP GROUP: KIDS SHOW!
15 MAR, 2:00PM –3:00PM Visual jokes and messing about from this absurd duo. Surrealism, clowning and fun for the whole family.
RUSSELL HICKS: HAPPY TO BE HERE
15 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM Russell Hicks heads out on his first tour, but not his first rodeo.
W.I.P.LASH @ THE STAND 16 MAR, 8:30PM –10:30PM
WiPlash is a brand spanking new showcase for established comics working up material for the Fringe or tour shows.
ST PATRICK'S DAY
SPECIAL 17 MAR, 8:30PM –10:30PM
Celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style with Ireland’s finest under one roof. Excellent value Celtic showcase.
JUSTIN MOORHOUSE: THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE OF MY LIFETIME 18 MAR, 7:00PM –8:00PM
Get ready for an unforgettable experience as Justin returns with “The Greatest Performance of My Life”.
GARY DUNN'S KRAZY KERFUFFLE!
22-23 MAR, 2:00PM –3:00PM After his sellout festival show in 2024, Gary Dunn is back with another full hour of spectacular magic, silly jokes and a bellyfull of laughs.
JAY LAFFERTY: OOFT! (WIP) 22 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM Following a hugely successful tour of her critically acclaimed show Bahookie, Jay returns to Glasgow with brand new hour.
NEIL DELAMERE: ACHILLES NEIL
23 MAR, TIMES VARY Join Neil Delamere as he takes on life’s absurdities in his own inimitable way.
ESHAAN AKBAR: CAN’T GET NO
SATISFAKSHAAN
26 MAR, 7:30PM –9:05PM
Eshaan Akbar is back doing jokes on tour.
CHRISTOPHER MACARTHUR-BOYD: WORK IN PROGRESS
8 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM
An hour of work-in-progress not-quite-there-yet stand-up comedy from Christopher MacarthurBoyd. As heard on the Here Comes The Guillotine podcast.
SAM LAKE: LIVE SPECIAL 12 MAR, 8:00PM –10:20PM
A special recording of award-winning comic Sam Lake’s critically acclaimed shows: Aspiring DILF and Esméralda.
JAMALI MADDIX: ASTON
17 MAR, 8:00PM-9:30PM Critically acclaimed comedian Jamali Maddix is back on the road with a brand new tour show: Aston. Expect Jamali’s trademark brutally honest and unflinching perspectives on the world at large.
KATE-LOIS ELLIOT: HOW TO BELONG WITHOUT JOINING A CULT
22 MAR, 6:00PM –7:00PM After a sellout run at Edinburgh Fringe, KateLois Elliott brings her award-winning, critically acclaimed debut hour on tour.
WELCOME TO HELL
LIVE WITH DANIEL FOXX & DANE BUCKLEY
27 MAR, 8:00PM –9:00PM Join comedians Daniel Foxx and Dane Buckley as they manifest in Edinburgh for a live recording of their hit podcast.
JOZ NORRIS: WORK IN PROGRESS
29 MAR, 6:00PM –
7:00PM
Comedians’ Choice Awardwinner Joz Norris has completed his life's work, and he's finally ready to unveil it to the world.
The Edinburgh Playhouse
GREG DAVIES: FULL FAT LEGEND
12-14 MAR, 7:30PM –
10:30PM
The Taskmaster master returns with a new standup show.
HERE COMES THE GUILLOTINE LIVE
22 MAR, 7:30PM –
10:30PM
The podcast featuring comedy legends Frankie Boyle, Susie McCabe and Christopher McArthur-Boyd takes to the stage.
RUSSELL KANE: HYPERACTIVE
28 MAR, 8:00PM –
10:30PM Russell Kane returns with his most high energy show yet.
Glasgow Theatre
Oran Mor
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: EILIDH EILIDH
EILIDH
10-15 MAR, 1:00PM –
2:00PM
A new comedy set on the Isle of Skye about two drunken cousins who take on the rural housing crisis:sort of.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: WASPS
17-22 MAR, 1:00PM –
2:00PM
A bittersweet coming-ofage monologue exploring grief, fear, and the life cycle of a wasp.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: KEV CAMPBELL WAS HE
3-8 MAR, 1:00PM –
2:00PM A comedic one-person show about a journey of self-discovery from a chance nightclub toilet encounter.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: DANCING SHOES
24-29 MAR, 1:00PM –
2:00PM
A bold and life-affirming comedy-drama about an unlikely friendship between three men in recovery from addiction.
The King’s
Theatre
GUYS AND DOLLS
5-8 MAR, 7:30PM –
10:30PM Expect sequins, New Yawkers and sit-down-you’rerocking-the-boat galore in the King’s Theatre run of Guys and Dolls.
CONNOR BURNS: 1995
15 MAR, 9:00PM –
10:30PM From one of the most exciting emerging new stars in the UK's live stand-up scene, 1994 is Edinburgh native's Connor Burns third solo hour.
Theatre Royal
WAR HORSE
25 MAR-5 APR, TIMES
VARY
War Horse’s incredible puppetry and stage design tells the story of Albert and his beloved horse Joey, adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s novel.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF)
3-8 MAR, TIMES VARY
An irreverent, spiky take on the enemies-to-lovers Austen classic.
BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF
11-15 MAR, TIMES VARY
James Graham's powerful new adaptation of Alan Bleasdale's BAFTA awardwinning TV series comes on a UK tour direct from the National Theatre and the West End.
Tron Theatre
THE LAND THAT NEVER WAS
21-22 MAR, 7:45PM9:00PM
Part confessional, part Ted Talk, this comedy performance tells the story of a conman who sold a country that doesn’t exist.
IMAGINARY FRIENDS
14-15 MAR, 7:45PM –10:30PM
After a personal tragedy, a floundering TV comic starts listening to the wrong voices in his head in this funny and wise dark comedy.
THE KELTON HILL FAIR
25-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
Award-winning theatre company Wonder Fools return with a magical exploration of contemporary Scottish folklore.
Edinburgh Theatre Festival Theatre
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
19-22 MAR, TIMES VARY
One of the seminal plays of the 20th century, Arthur Miller’s classic tale of the American Dream returns to Edinburgh.
NORTHERN BALLET: HANSEL & GRETEL
23 MAR, TIMES VARY
A brand new ballet for children, filled with magic and candy.
GHOST STORIES
26-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
One of the best reviewed shows of the West End, this chilling play will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Royal Lyceum Theatre
WILD ROSE
6 MAR-19 APR, TIMES VARY
An aspiring country singer seeks to escape Glasgow for Nashville in this brand new Scottish musical based on the awardwinning play.
The Edinburgh Playhouse
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT
12-15 MAR, TIMES VARY
A life-affirming jukebox musical about three drag queens traversing the Australian outback.
ELLEN KENT: MADAMA BUTTERFLY
11 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
A lavish production of Puccini’s opera, featuring gorgeous set design.
ELLEN KENT: LA BOHÈME
10 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
One of the most romantic operas makes a return to Edinburgh.
The Studio THE LAND THAT NEVER WAS
14 MAR, 7:30PM-9:00PM
Part confessional, part Ted Talk, this comedy performance tells the story of a conman who sold a country that doesn’t exist.
NESSIE
28 MAR-5 APR, TIMES
VARY
A gorgeous new musical for children, telling a fresh spin on the beloved tale of the Loch Ness Monster.
Traverse Theatre
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: DOOKIN’ OOT
4-8 MAR, 1:00PM –2:00PM
A heartwarming and chaotic play about a moneymaking scheme run out of an Easterhouse council flat.
THE TESTAMENT OF GIDEON MACK
6-8 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
A vibrant new stage version of James Robertson's acclaimed novel, exploring ideas of grief and crises of faith.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: HELL
11-15 MAR, 1:00PM –2:00PM
Jonny & The Baptists provide the music for this new meta comedy-musical, about a man who arrives at the gates of hell to be greeted by his best friend.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: EILIDH EILIDH EILIDH
18-22 MAR, 1:00PM –2:00PM
A new comedy set on the Isle of Skye about two drunken cousins who take on the rural housing crisis:sort of.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT: WASPS
25-29 MAR, 1:00PM –2:00PM
A bittersweet coming-ofage monologue exploring grief, fear, and the life cycle of a wasp.
PASS DOUBLE BILL: AFTER LIFE
26-27 MAR, TIMES VARY
Adapted from the Hirokazu Kore-eda film, Jack Thorne’s play explores the myriad mysteries of the afterlife.
PASS DOUBLE BILL: COUNTERPUNCH
26-27 MAR, TIMES VARY
In a run-down gym on the edge of town, a close-knit group of boxers fight against the odds.
Dundee Theatre
Dundee Rep
CONFESSIONS OF A SHINAGAWA MONKEY
1-8 MAR, TIMES VARY
A major new international theatre work featuring live performance and puppetry, based on short stories by Haruki Murakami. THE TESTAMENT OF GIDEON MACK
13-14 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
A vibrant new stage version of James Robertson's acclaimed novel, exploring ideas of grief and crises of faith.
PHOENIX DANCE THEATRE: INSIDE
GIOVANNI'S ROOM
12 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
A beautiful dance performance inspired by James Baldwin’s magnificent novel.
THE REVELATIONS OF RAB MCVIE
20-21 MAR, 7:30PM –
10:30PM
Live painting, live music, spoken word and theatre take us on a journey through landscapes of bloodshed and war.
SCOTTISH OPERA PRESENTS OPERA HIGHLIGHTS
22 MAR, 7:30PM –10:30PM
Selected highlights from Scottish Opera’s incredible programme.
Glasgow Art
16 Collective Gallery
JUDE BROWNING: RANTERS
7-23 MAR, TIMES VARY
The first solo exhibition by Glasgow-based artist using the British Ranters – a 17thcentury mystical anarchist sect – as a touchstone to explore ideas of feminist vocality, anti-fascist black metal, and mystical deviance.
Compass Gallery
MIXED EXHIBITION
1-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
Showcasing new works from many of the gallery’s regular exhibitors, including paintings, drawings and prints by the likes of Peter Thomson, Iona Roberts, Lesley Banks, Adrian Wiszniewski, Alma Wolfson, James McDonald and Shona Kinloch.
Glasgow Print Studio
MURRAY ROBERTSON: UNCHARTED 19852025
1-22 MAR, 11:00AM –5:00PM
An exhibition charting the Glasgow printmaker’s evolving practice over the decades, and the influence of travel and cartography on his artistic output.
Glasgow School of Art
SWORDS INTO PLOUGHSHARES: KNIVES INTO JEWELS
1-12 MAR, 10:00AM –
4:30PM
Work by 35 jewellery and metals artists refashioning, repurposing and transforming knives which had been surrendered to UK police.
Glasgow Women’s
Library
RAYNA CARRUTHERS: WHILE WE WAIT
1-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
A series of intimate portraits focused on women forcibly displaced in Jordan and awaiting resettlement.
GoMA
JOHN AKOMFRAH: MIMESIS: AFRICAN SOLDIER
1 MAR-31 AUG, 11:00AM – 4:00PM
A film installation from acclaimed artist exploring the significant contribution of over six million African, Caribbean and South Asian people from across former colonies who fought and died in World War I.
Mono
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2025
EXHIBITION
2-30 MAR, TIMES VARY
Exhibition championing local women and gender non-conforming artists in celebration of International Women’s Day 2025.
New Glasgow Society
AJ DUNCAN: GIRL
TALK
26-31 MAR, 10:00AM –
5:00PM
Exhibition by AJ Duncan exploring the value and camaraderie found in women’s discussions.
Patricia
Fleming
SEKAI MACHACHE: THE TRANSCENDENT FUNCTION
7 MAR-11 APR, 11:00AM – 4:00PM
Moving image and photography work exploring the centrality of spirituality in the face of ongoing cultural erasure.
The Briggait
JANICE DEARY: THRESHOLD: MEDIATIONS ON THE POETRY OF ANTONIO
RAMOS ROSA
1-10 MAR, TIMES VARY
An exhibition of drawings and paintings inspired by the poetry of António Ramos Rosa.
JULES MATHER: TRAVELLING ALONE
14 MAR-14 APR, TIMES VARY
Semi-abstract landscape paintings that evoke the sensory experience of being on the land.
The Modern Institute
MICHAEL WILKINSON: STILL LIFE WITH BLANK CANVAS
1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY
A new body of work exploring traditions of still life painting and its relationship both with transience and with trickery and humour through the use of trompe l’oeil.
The Modern Institute @ Airds Lane
JULIA CHIANG: SECRET SMILE
1 MAR-3 MAY, TIMES VARY
Abstract paintings caught in a state of transformation, exploring momentary interactions through colour and shape.
KIM FISHER: ROOTS AND TOURIST
1-5 MAR, TIMES VARY Drawings, collages and installation pieces responding to remembered and imagined places.
Tramway
LEANNE ROSS: DIRTY
DANCING FLOWERS
1-23 MAR, TIMES VARY
Words act as the building blocks for a series of paintings and prints that explore the interplay between image and text in vibrant, experimental ways.
MAUD SULTER
1-30 MAR, TIMES VARY
An immersive exhibition by the Scottish-Ghanaian poet, artist, photographer, writer, curator, gallerist and publisher whose work sought to claim space for Black Artists and address the erasure and representation of Black Women in art.
STEVE MCQUEEN: GRENFELL
8-23 MAR, TIMES VARY
Five screenings take place every day of acclaimed filmmaker Steve McQueen’s powerful moving image piece about the legacy of the Grenfell fire.
Edinburgh
Art
&Gallery
ADAM TAYLOR: OUR MOUNTAIN
8-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
A journey through dreamscapes devoid of human influence, using negative space to convey the expanses of nature.
City Art Centre
INKED UP: PRINTMAKING IN SCOTLAND
1 MAR-1 JUN, TIMES VARY
A survey of the historic versatility and experimentation in Scottish printmaking practices.
POP LIFE
1-9 MAR, TIMES VARY
Examining the intersection between popular culture and contemporary figure drawings, this exhibition explores and subverts the traditional distinction between high and low art.
Collective
Gallery
JERWOOD SURVEY III
1 MAR-4 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM
A major biennial touring exhibition presenting new commissions by 10 earlycareer artists from across the UK, coming to Scotland for the first time.
Dovecot
Studios
PTOLEMY MANN
1-15 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM
A groundbreaking exhibition marrying intricate techniques of hand-weaving with vibrant, expressive painting.
Edinburgh
Printmakers
HOPE/DÒCHAS
1-16 MAR, 11:00AM –4:00PM
An exhibition of work by the Edinburgh Printmakers’ Members Community.
Fruitmarket
PETRA BAUER : SISTERS!
1-23 MAR, 10:00AM –6:00PM
A major moving image piece that explores the complexities of feminist activism through the work of Southall Black Sisters, and the role of art in vocalising political struggles.
PORTIA ZVAVAHERA: ZVAKAZARURWA
1 MAR-25 MAY, 10:00AM – 6:00PM
An exhibition of remarkable paintings by Zimbabwean artist that deploy a unique combination of techniques to construct a visually beguiling cosmology.
Ingleby Gallery
WINGS OF A BUTTERFLY
1 MAR-19 APR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM
A group exhibition responding to French avant-garde painter Pierre Bonnard’s final diary entry.
Open Eye
Gallery
SARAH CARRINGTON: COASTAL LIGHT
7-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
Edinburgh born landscape artist Sarah Carrington evokes mood and weather in her mixed media coastal landscapes.
ANDREW RESTALL: MEMORIAL EXHIBITION
7-29 MAR, TIMES VARY
A retrospective exhibition of the Scottish artist’s career, whose works straddled the line between painting, printmaking and collage.
Out of the Blue Drill Hall
TIC TAC TOE
1 MAR-12 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM
A new exhibition by Out of the Blueprint artist-inresidence Maddie Lennon, who has been using publication and poster design to explore notions of play.
GAZA: BEFORE & AFTER 11-15 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM
Series of powerful photographs and miniature dioramas illustrating Gaza before, during and after.
RENEW, REUSE 18-20 MAR, 10:00AM –5:00PM
Exploring how art can inspire wellbeing and encourage a more mindful approach to reusing materials.
Royal Scottish Academy RSA THE SCOTTISH COLOURISTS: RADICAL PERSPECTIVES
1 MAR-28 JUN, TIMES VARY
A groundbreaking exhibition placing the landmark work of the Scottish Colourists in conversation with their wider European context for the first time.
LAMPS ACROSS THE RIVER 1-9 MAR, TIMES VARY
A vivid series of collected works by various Academicians who have found inspiration and a home alongside the Tay.
RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES
2025
22 MAR-16 APR, TIMES
VARY Now in its 16th year, RSA New Contemporaries brings together some of the most cutting-edge emerging artists in Scotland today.
DELIA BAILLIE: MEMORY BOX
22 MAR-20 APR, TIMES
VARY
Celebrating the life and career of a remarkable artist who was a leading figure in the Scottish art scene.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
EVERLYN NICODEMUS
1 MAR-25 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM
The first ever retrospective exhibition by landmark Edinburgh artist, whose joyful artworks explore and resist the global oppression of women and the profound impact of racism.
IAN HAMILTON FINLAY
8 MAR-26 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM
A free display of the celebrated Scottish artist’s work to celebrate the centenary of his birth.
Stills AFTER THE END OF HISTORY: BRITISH WORKING CLASS
PHOTOGRAPHY 1989-
2024
21 MAR-28 JUN, 12:00PM
– 5:00PM
A survey of working class photography, exploring how the end of the fierce countercultural period of the 1980s shifted radical practices.
Summerhall
STRANGE TIMES: PANDEMIC ART
EXHIBITION
21-23 MAR, 12:00PM –5:30PM
A group exhibition commemorating the five year anniversary of the UK lockdown, reflecting on various artists’ pandemic experiences and exploring how it impacted mental health and society today.
Talbot Rice
Gallery
TRADING ZONE 2025
15 MAR-31 MAY, TIMES VARY Talbot Rice Gallery’s interdisciplinary student exhibition featuring moving image, painting, creative writing and design responding to a broad variety of global, local and diverse issues concerning creative practitioners today.
ZOE WALKER + NEIL BROMWICH: SEARCHING FOR A CHANGE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 15 MAR-31 MAY, TIMES VARY
Large-scale inflatable sculptures and immense costumes act as totems for exploring issues surrounding climate change and social justice.
Dundee
Art
Cooper Gallery
SUZANNE LACY: BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE STREET
1 MAR-12 APR, TIMES VARY
The first solo exhibition in Scotland by pioneering American artist capturing her life-long commitment to the critical issues confronting women today and the necessity of continued community organising and political activism.
DCA: Dundee
Contemporary Arts
HELEN CAMMOCK + INGRID POLLARD + CAMARA TAYLOR: SOFT IMPRESSIONS 1-23 MAR, TIMES VARY Print works by three landmark artists examine artistic practices as a means of responding to identity and re-thinking historical narratives through soft, poetic actions.
Generator Projects
MEMBERS’ SHOW
2025 1-9 MAR, 12:00PM –5:00PM
Generator Projects Members’ Show is an annual celebration of the local artists, practitioners and creatives that make up Generators membership.
The Skinny On... Shaun Williamson
Star of Extras, Life’s Too Short and the iconic role of Barry from Eastenders, Shaun Williamson has been taking the clubs of the music festivals circuit by storm with his BARRIOKE karaoke night. He brings his gripes with the tax man to the Q&A
What’s your favourite place to visit?
Scotland… obviously!! Seriously, I’ve visited Glasgow and Edinburgh so many times and have fabulous memories. I’ve also done the Highlands. Beautiful!!!
Favourite food?
My wife is a fabulous cook and does homemade leek and potato soup with sourdough croutons! I’m salivating now just thinking of it!!
Favourite colour?
Green. Don’t know why. Reminds me of spring and summer and sun I suppose.
Who was your hero growing up?
Muhammad Ali. I was a massive boxing fan from the age of 11.
Whose work inspires you now?
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith from Inside Number 9 Brilliant!!!
What three people would you invite to your dinner party and what are you cooking?
Greek food. I love the mezze/starters. I’d invite me, the wife and any two of our friends/family. No celebs talking about themselves thank you!
What’s your all-time favourite album?
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Every song is a story about the private lives of the band. Genius!
What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen?
Anything with elves or orcs.
What book would you take to a desert island?
Year of the King by Antony Sher. The best study of an actors ‘process’ ever.
Who’s the worst?
That’d be telling!
When did you last cry? When I got my tax bill.
What are you most scared of? The taxman.
When did you last vomit?
When I PAID my tax bill.
Tell us a secret?
I used to play Barry in Eastenders. Damn!!!! Now everyone knows.
Which celebrity could you take in a fight?
Mister Punch. I’d get him back for all that misery he’s inflicted on his wife.
If you could be reincarnated as an animal, which animal would it be?
A pigeon. You know why!!!!!!
What’s your favourite plant? Most of them apart from cactus. Don’t get the point (there’s a joke there. Honest!)
Who’s your favourite puppet?
I’ve worked with Basil Brush and Sooty and you expect me to pick?!!!
feat. Shaun Williams, aka Barry from Eastenders takes place at Saint Luke's, Glasgow, 14 Mar; La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, 15 Mar
